willstrickland

Alright, I have input. I've had about half a bottle of irish whisy, so take it for what it's worth. My input: Just ask yourself...WTFWJD? He'd name it "George". Guaranteed winner, even if a loser. But me, I'd name the little bugger: Champ. Because Cash-Cleo is so goddamn close to Casius Clay, and a boxer. And naming her Muhammed would be sympathizing with the jihad nutjobs, and a little out-o-whack gender-wise. Maybe champ is outta whack too. "Ali" aka "Allie" would be a good substitute with the same reasoning. Actually, I think "Allie" is the ticket. If you can put certain issues aside. And finally, since it is a she, maybe the other famous Egyptian queen: Nefertitti, call her "Titty". You might be mistaken for a lesbian when calling "here titty, here" in the park though.

Re: Partial Birth Abortion The procedure itself is gruesome. However, one of the common reasons it is used is when the fetus has hydrocephalus. This is a condition where there is enormous swelling of the fetus's head, up to 19 inches in diameter (a typical adult head is only 7-8 inches in diameter). Estimates put the occurence rate at about 5000 cases per year in the US. The condition is not typically detected until late in the 2nd trimester. A fetus with this condition is alive, but it will not live long after birth as it is not able to achieve consiousness. So there are essentially 3 choices in this scenario: 1. Attempt a vaginal delivery in which case the fetus will die and the mother is in serious danger of death or permanent physical damage. 2. Deliver the fetus by a type of C-section, where it will die shortly after delivery. C-sections, although performed regularly, are a serious operation with their own inherent dangers to the mother. 3. Partial birth abortion. The cervix is dilated, the fetus partially withdrawn feet first, an instrument inserted into the fetus's skull and the brain/cs fluid suctioned out collapsing the skull where it can be withdrawn. For these exteme cases of a hydrocephalic fetus, all three options involve the fetus dying. Two of them involve serious risk to the mother. The best option seems to be the partial birth abortion procedure. I can understand wanting to ban this procedure in cases where the fetus is healthy and it is being used essentially as birth control. I cannot understand banning it outright, because I hope I've shown above, there is a legitimate use for the procedure.

So if you're going to bomb a nuclear facility (or Nukular if you prefer)...there is bound to be a radioactive mess. My question is: Does that mean we can just shoot a ICBM nuke into Iran? I mean a regular bomb on a nuclear facility or a nuclear bomb on a nuclear facility...what's the difference really? Some of those Minutemen missiles are pretty old, might as well dust em off and let G-dubs and Dicky Vader punch in the launch codes, turn the dual keys, and push the red buttons before those missiles are useless.

Why stop there? Might as well overturn Griswold while they're at it.

Uhh huh huh, uhhh I've got a pole for the ladies

We have a pre-set debt ceiling that is a specific dollar amount. When we are running a deficit, we typically are right up against that number at the end of the fiscal year. The new budget bill package every year includes raising the ceiling, but those bills are not typically passed until after the end of the govt fiscal year (end of Sept). So, in the mean time they need to raise the cap to operate under CRs. Remember when the govt "shut down" under Clinton? That was because they would not raise the ceiling (as a political tactic to get the budget concessions they wanted)and we could not incur any additional debt to finance the govt. (This is my hazy understanding of it anyway).

Powell will resign, Ridge will resign (both have hinted at it for different reasons...Powell's views are at odds with Cheney and he's marginalized, Ridge wants to make more money). Rumsfeld is likely to hang it up too. Condi Rice will either take another cabinet post (Sec Defense?) or move on. I can only hope that Scowcroft will be Rumsfeld's sucessor. Please don't let it be Wolfowitz...I don't even want to think about that. No idea who will be on the short list for Sec State. Anybody have a credible list?

I really see the SCOTUS appointments and decisions having a much greater reach and impact than specific legislation. These appointments (JP Stevens is 84 yrs old and one of the liberal justices, he almost certainly will not make it through another term) will likely lead to the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Chief Justice Rehnquist is about to be replaced. Our next Chief Justice is going to be Scalia or Thomas...think about that for a minute.

UPDATED: 6pm EST leaked exit polls: Tightening up, still looks bad for Bush. Kerry Bush PA 53 46 FL 51 49 NC 48 52 OH 51 49 MO 46 54 AR 47 53 MI 51 47 NM 50 49 LA 43 56 CO 48 51 AZ 45 55 MN 54 44 WI 52 47 IA 49 49

Early exit polls results indicate that Bush is in trouble: 4pm EST leaked exit polls: FL: 52/48 - KERRY OH: 52/47 - KERRY MI: 51/48 - KERRY PA: 58/42 - KERRY IA: 50/48 - KERRY WI: 53/47 - KERRY MN: 57/42 - KERRY NH: 58/41 - KERRY ME: 55/44 - KERRY NM: 49/49 - TIE NV: 48/49 - BUSH CO: 49/50 - BUSH AR: 45/54 - BUSH NC: 47/53 - BUSH

Looks like an excerpt of the piece that was in Rolling Stone. HST's "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72" is a great book.

O'Reilly offered her $200 worth of Falafel if she would drop her suit...or was it pants?

Everytime Dan Rather uses a bizarre folksy saying, take a drink. Doesn't matter what you're drinking, you'll get plenty. Check out the crazy shit Danny Boy said on election night 2000: "This race is shakier than cafeteria Jell-O." "Turn the lights down, the party just got wilder." "It's cardiac-arrest time in this presidential campaign." "He swept through the South like a tornado through a trailer park." "Don't bet the trailer money yet." "It's too early to say he has the whip hand." "Now Florida, that race, the heat from it is hot enough to peel house paint." "It's a ding dong battle back and forth." "If he doesn't carry Florida Slim will have left town." "If a frog had side pockets, he'd carry a hand gun." "They both have champagne on ice, but after the night is over, they might need a pick axe to open them." "This race is tight like a too-small bathing suit on a too-long ride home from the beach." "It's about as complicated as a wiring diagram to some dynamo." "Only votes talk — everything else walks." "This will show you how tight it is — it's spandex tight." "We're going to go to some of those longnecks from a long time ago." "He's going to find that people will hang on him like a coat rack." "This election swings like one of those pendulum things." "This race is as tight as the rusted lug nuts on a '55 Ford." "What we know is that there will be no decision until some of those races are decided." "Al Gore has his back to the wall, shirt tails on fire with this race in Florida." "You talk about a ding-dong, knock-down, get-up race." "When it comes to a race like this, I'm a long distance runner and an all-day hunter." "It's the American way: if you don't vote, you don't get to whine." "Smelling salts for all Democrats please." "Maybe you can bring some perspective on this, we're plum out." "When the going gets weird, anchor men punt." "Tipper is probably telling her husband to hook a U, go back to the house to get a recount." "It doesn't matter if you're a Democrat, Republican or a mug wamp, elected officials play it straight." "Florida is the whole deal, the real deal, a big deal." "The presidential race still hotter than a Laredo parking lot." "These returns are running like a squirrel in a cage." "It was as hot and squalid as a New York elevator in August." "Bush has run through Dixie like a big wheel through a cotton field." "This will have the people in Austin standing up like they got stuck with hat pins." "...in Austin, between the 10 gallon hats and the Willie Nelson head bands." "The big burrito out there in California" "They'll be doing back flips in Nashville." "It would be Shakespearean for Al Gore to lose because of his home state." "I think you would likelier see a hippopotamus run through this room than see George Bush appoint Ralph Nader to the Cabinet." "None of this television mumbo jumbo, let's get in there and count the votes." "Frankly we don't know whether to wind the watch or to bark at the moon." "We've lived by the crystal ball, we're eating so much broken glass. We're in critical condition."

OBX?

Why do I find it offensive? Because we have gone from trying to solve the conflict, to being a defacto big brother for Israel, regardless of what they do. And that, in turn, creates a myriad of problems for the U.S. most importantly an increased exposure to terrorist strikes. The fundamental misunderstanding of GWB is that he honestly believes the bullshit he says. "They hate our freedom" WTF? That's the dumbest fucking thing I've heard. They don't give a shit about our freeedom, they hate the fact that we are going to take Israel's side no matter what. And that perception in the Arab world only increases the chances that we are subject to more terrorist attacks. Look, you can go on a world wide rampage and topple governments and kill every terrorist you can find, but as our own homegrown terrorist Tim McVeigh showed us, it only takes a couple of people. You might recall that Iran, now the largest terrorist sponsoring state, and arguably our most pressing problem, had a democratically elected government led by Mossadegh until 1953. The US and Britain backed the coup that overthrew that govt. Why? Because he nationalized the oil and that pissed off the Brits who had previosuly been milking that oil supply through a little company known as the Anglo-Iranian oil company...later to become BP. You may have heard of them...BP, British Petroleum? The stations with the dapper green and yellow starbust emblems? When we occupy or otherwise screw with the rule in these states, we are seen as trying to either exploit their resources, or change their religious society. Perceptions rule the day, and perceptions about religious intentions breed terrorists. If you kill 5 but 10 take their place, have you made progress? My belief is that Israel is well equiped (courtesy of the US) to defend itself and has done so and will continue to do so. We have no self-interest in being portrayed as a unconditional backer of Israel. And when you get right down to it, I am all about our self-interest. It's one of the reasons why I advocate aggresive development of alternative energy and conservation measures. Those fuckers can't eat that oil, when we stop buying it they are going to get their wish of returning to the stone age.

Who are you talking about? Iran? The palestinian authority parliament, to the best of my knowledge, ratified a statement recognizing Israel's legitimacy of existence while Clinton was president. I believe he was acutally present in the Palestenian legislature when the thing was passed. I don't have any reason to suport Arafat. But to ignore the problem while supporting the severely hawkish Likud govt is detrimental to our own standing in the Arab world. Furthermore, you are ignoring the very real fact of illegal Israeli "settlements". This is not a black and white "the palestinians are just religious nuts bent on hatred of israel" scenario. I am not claiming any sort of consipiracy. I am pointing out the obvious dual interests of the neocons. To deny their obvious alignment with Israel, based almost certainly to some degree on their shared religion, is absurd. Religion is the driving force behind most major conflicts. To presume that the heavily jewish neocon group is somehow immune to this is pure naivete.

Let's see...once again, no facts to support your claims. Who is presenting the weak case? Here are some facts for you. Are you familiar with the Jewish institute for National Security Affairs? You might be suprised to know that several of your Neocon heroes, in fact several of THE top neocon figures are board members. Shall I list a few for you? Richard Perle, Jeane Kirkpatrick, James Woolsey. Now perphaps a piece of their mission statement? "U.S.-Israel strategic cooperation is a vital component in the global security equation for the United States, and has been at the heart of JINSA’s mission since its inception in 1976. The Middle East remains the focal point of American security policy because of the confluence of energy, money, weapons and ideology. The inherent instability in the region caused primarily by inter-Arab rivalries and the secular/religious split in many Muslim societies leaves the future of the region in doubt. Israel, with its technological capabilities and shared system of values, has a key role to play as a U.S. ally in the region. " You can ignore the Israel/neocon connection if you want, but it will be you playing the ostrich much like your mentor GWB who seems to enjoy having his head in the sand and ignoring the reality on the ground." I don't give a shit if they search every arab looking non-citizen in every airport in the country. I honestly don't care if a non-citizen has a little extra hassle at our airports if it serves a legitimate security purpose. Profiling of our citizenry is one thing, profiling of foreign nationals is quite another.

"Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong" by James Loewen "Krishnamurti to himself"

Yes, I was wrong on Sen Jackson's state...had Cheney on the brain hence the WY ref. But more importantly: What we have here is an ad hominem argument. You attempt to paint me as some kind of antisemite. This is not the first time you've tried to portray me that way. If you can dispute the fact that the orginators of the Neoconservative movement are Jewish, or that they take a hawkish pro-Israel stance to the point that they will not oppose anything Israeli, feel free. I have posted many times that I support Israel's tactics of assasinations of leaders of Hamas. Your comical attempt to equate me with Hitler shares a disturbing commonality with your Kool Aid drinking wingnut pals. Distort the facts, mount a smear campaign to attack the messenger, and avoid the issue. Those Rovian tactics work to some extent I suppose. Now, bottom line: When several of the most prominent members of the Neocon movement, who happen to be jewish, pen a security strategy paper for the Likud party of Israeli govt, in 1996 that advocates the ouster of Saddam as the first step, and further when the primary outlet for Neocon writings is the periodical "Commentary" founded by the American Jewish Committee, to not affirm the obvious connection for fear of some label as "paranoid antisemite" would be both cowardly and ridiculous. You act like the PC-mad liberals...can't mention anyone's religion, race, etc because mentioning it or drawing obvious connections related to it automatically makes you a bigot. Wow, Fairweather is a PC liberal...who could have predicted this turn of events?

make it .html instead of .htm and it'll work

Does that mean I can date the hippie chicks now? This administration is enough to give anyone a powerful case of angst. No, I am just pissed off that this little faction has so twisted and shifted the GOP that I no longer have a viable alternative when voting. The GOP used to embrace the ideals that I favor, now they have tossed them aside. You might call me a moderate libertarian, or a more isolationist and environmentally consious version of a Goldwater republican. If they were the fiscal conservatives they like to claim, and truly believed in staying out of people's personal lives, I would vote GOP everytime. But the price of power for the GOP since Nixon's "southern strategy" has been to embrace the religious right. And with that comes attempts to legislate morality to appease the base. The only "minimizing of goverment" under the current GOP is in environmental regulation and taxes. I'm all for low taxes...as long as you can balance the budget while doing it. I can accept some realpolitik use of military force to better our country. But these jokers in power now are just bunglers, and lying bunglers at that. I think the GOP is seriously on the verge of internal collapse. Look, I'm not an isolated case by any stretch. As the possibility of a Kerry victory becomes more and more probable, you are finally seeing republicans sacking up and speaking out against this administration. I encourage you to take a look at this: http://inprogress.typepad.com/republicanswitchers/ I've said it before, Kerry in my view will be a competent placeholder until we can install a moderate republican in 2008. With a republican controlled legislature, he will be kept in check.

Thanks Jay, that's good stuff.

Liberal jewish hawks in the late 60s/early 70s who broke away from the Dems. Intellectual forefathers in Irving Kristol and Norm Poedhertz (sp?), Kristol is father to the well known pundit and Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol, who is also a regular commentator on Faux News (and a very smart guy btw). They owe alot of their ideology to Strauss. People called them "socialists for Nixon" back in the early 70s. Currently embodied in the thought and publishing of the Proj for a New American Century, Heritage Foundation, American enterprise Institute, and people such as Francis Fukuyama, and Charles Krauthammer, Max Boot. Notably, there was a coalescence of alot of the originators of this thought movement around Sen Scoop Jackson of WY back in the day. The only thing conventionally "conservative" about these shitheads is the propensity to cut taxes. They are essentially centrist imperialist hawks who want to pursue an agressive foreign policy and expansion of state powers. They are fundamentally opposed to the paleocon ideals of small goverment and isolationist foreign policy. These fuckers are all about embracing the prospects of America as an imperialist nation who should use it's economic and miliary force to pursue unilateral action in line with it's greater goals. Cheney, Feith, Wolfowitz, and Perle are the most notable of the neocons actually holding office, although you might also place Scooter Libby and Rumsfeld post 1993 in that bunch as well. They are essentially Straussian former hawkish leftists who slid right and managed to co-opt the GOP by capturing the nationalism of the stupid redneck crowd and the moral righteousness of the evangelical nutcases (often one in the same, these rednecks and evangelicals..at least where I grew up). They are not all jewish nor a manifestation of judaism, but they do have a heavy jewish background and influence and put forth a "Israel can do no wrong" mindset. I'd like to see the entire lot of them sent to run patrols in Sadr City, without body armor.

And ya'll wonder why I moved away from Georgia. Might also explain a few things since I grew up down there

Looks good, look forward to the updates.