catbirdseat

And pigs will fly.

Solar flares can screw up the electronics of satellites and interfere with radio transmissions. Flares can't just throw satellites out of orbit. That was just a coincidence.

I've climbed that route. It's at Club Paradiso at Exit 38.

Think of the boiled frog analogy. If you put a frog in a pot and heat the water very slowly, he won't jump out, even as he is being cooked.

The lights are faint because of the city lights but they are dancing rapidly, so you can tell they aren't just clouds.

I say yay unto you. Only the righteous will see the light. Praise be.

The Aurora is visible in Seattle now. It doesn't have a lot of color, but who cares? This is the first time I've ever seen it.

Come on Dave, you don't mean that. He was one of the few conservatives who actually used facts and reason occasionally to support his arguments. He was almost always civil too.

Dave, you just think you are paranoid.

The author was comparing Nazi Germany and Italy under Mussolini. But it all seemed eerily familiar to current events. 1. Powerful and continuing expressions of nationalism. From the prominent displays of flags and bunting to the ubiquitous lapel pins, the fervor to show patriotic nationalism, both on the part of the regime itself and of citizens caught up in its frenzy, was always obvious. Catchy slogans, pride in the military, and demands for unity were common themes in expressing this nationalism. It was usually coupled with a suspicion of things foreign that often bordered on xenophobia.You are either with us or with the Terrorists! 2. Disdain for the importance of human rights. The regimes themselves viewed human rights as of little value and a hindrance to realizing the objectives of the ruling elite. Through clever use of propaganda, the population was brought to accept these human rights abuses by marginalizing, even demonizing, those being targeted. When abuse was egregious, the tactic was to use secrecy, denial, and disinformation. The Patriot Act, Arrest of peaceful demonstrators 3. Identification of enemies/scapegoats as a unifying cause. The most significant common thread among these regimes was the use of scapegoating as a means to divert the people’s attention from other problems, to shift blame for failures, and to channel frustration in controlled directions. The methods of choice—relentless propaganda and disinformation—were usually effective. Often the regimes would incite “spontaneous” acts against the target scapegoats, usually communists, socialists, liberals, Jews, ethnic and racial minorities, traditional national enemies, members of other religions, secularists, homosexuals, and “terrorists.” Active opponents of these regimes were inevitably labeled as terrorists and dealt with accordingly. Osama bin Laden, the "Terrorists", Axis of Evil. 4. The supremacy of the military/avid militarism. Ruling elites always identified closely with the military and the industrial infrastructure that supported it. A disproportionate share of national resources was allocated to the military, even when domestic needs were acute. The military was seen as an expression of nationalism, and was used whenever possible to assert national goals, intimidate other nations, and increase the power and prestige of the ruling elite. Any politician who desires to cut military budget is accused of being against the security of the country. 5. Rampant sexism. Beyond the simple fact that the political elite and the national culture were male-dominated, these regimes inevitably viewed women as second-class citizens. They were adamantly anti-abortion and also homophobic. These attitudes were usually codified in Draconian laws that enjoyed strong support by the orthodox religion of the country, thus lending the regime cover for its abuses. 6. A controlled mass media. Under some of the regimes, the mass media were under strict direct control and could be relied upon never to stray from the party line. Other regimes exercised more subtle power to ensure media orthodoxy. Methods included the control of licensing and access to resources, economic pressure, appeals to patriotism, and implied threats. The leaders of the mass media were often politically compatible with the power elite. The result was usually success in keeping the general public unaware of the regimes’ excesses.Reporters who make unflattering stories lose access to he president. 7. Obsession with national security. Inevitably, a national security apparatus was under direct control of the ruling elite. It was usually an instrument of oppression, operating in secret and beyond any constraints. Its actions were justified under the rubric of protecting “national security,” and questioning its activities was portrayed as unpatriotic or even treasonous.Constant rachetting up and down of the Terrorism Threat levels to maintain fear. 8. Religion and ruling elite tied together. Unlike communist regimes, the fascist and protofascist regimes were never proclaimed as godless by their opponents. In fact, most of the regimes attached themselves to the predominant religion of the country and chose to portray themselves as militant defenders of that religion. The fact that the ruling elite’s behavior was incompatible with the precepts of the religion was generally swept under the rug. Propaganda kept up the illusion that the ruling elites were defenders of the faith and opponents of the “godless.” A perception was manufactured that opposing the power elite was tantamount to an attack on religion. 9. Power of corporations protected. Although the personal life of ordinary citizens was under strict control, the ability of large corporations to operate in relative freedom was not compromised. The ruling elite saw the corporate structure as a way to not only ensure military production (in developed states), but also as an additional means of social control. Members of the economic elite were often pampered by the political elite to ensure a continued mutuality of interests, especially in the repression of “have-not” citizens.Halliburton and the oil companies have done better these past four years than they have in the past twenty. 10. Power of labor suppressed or eliminated. Since organized labor was seen as the one power center that could challenge the political hegemony of the ruling elite and its corporate allies, it was inevitably crushed or made powerless. The poor formed an underclass, viewed with suspicion or outright contempt. Under some regimes, being poor was considered akin to a vice.Walmart and union busting. Laws protecting corporations from the consequenses of union busting activities. 11. Disdain and suppression of intellectuals and the arts. Intellectuals and the inherent freedom of ideas and expression associated with them were anathema to these regimes. Intellectual and academic freedom were considered subversive to national security and the patriotic ideal. Universities were tightly controlled; politically unreliable faculty harassed or eliminated. Unorthodox ideas or expressions of dissent were strongly attacked, silenced, or crushed. To these regimes, art and literature should serve the national interest or they had no right to exist.Attacks on the NEA. Attacks on The Dixie Chicks, Michael Moore. 12. Obsession with crime and punishment. Most of these regimes maintained Draconian systems of criminal justice with huge prison populations. The police were often glorified and had almost unchecked power, leading to rampant abuse. “Normal” and political crime were often merged into trumped-up criminal charges and sometimes used against political opponents of the regime. Fear, and hatred, of criminals or “traitors” was often promoted among the population as an excuse for more police power.Three strikes you're out laws. 13. Rampant cronyism and corruption. Those in business circles and close to the power elite often used their position to enrich themselves. This corruption worked both ways; the power elite would receive financial gifts and property from the economic elite, who in turn would gain the benefit of government favoritism. Members of the power elite were in a position to obtain vast wealth from other sources as well: for example, by stealing national resources. With the national security apparatus under control and the media muzzled, this corruption was largely unconstrained and not well understood by the general population.Enron, Arthur Anderson, Halliburton 14. Fraudulent elections. Elections in the form of plebiscites or public opinion polls were usually bogus. When actual elections with candidates were held, they would usually be perverted by the power elite to get the desired result. Common methods included maintaining control of the election machinery, intimidating and disenfranchising opposition voters, destroying or disallowing legal votes, and, as a last resort, turning to a judiciary beholden to the power elite. Does any of this ring alarm bells? Of course not. After all, this is America, officially a democracy with the rule of law, a constitution, a free press, honest elections, and a well-informed public constantly being put on guard against evils. Historical comparisons like these are just exercises in verbal gymnastics. Maybe, maybe not. Source

From looking at the map, it appears that Washington could get some aurora action in two or three hours.

Martlet

Nothing in Seattle right now.

Al Qaeda decided not to have an attack prior to the election believing (rightly so) that it would only serve to help get Bush reelected. Now that he has been elected, the attacks will come. Are y'all ready?

I don't see a correlation between liberalism or conservatism and protectionism. Both parties have been guilty of it. Oh, and Jay, it's ASSESS, not ASSES.

I drop brown coils on the religious right from a great height.

That's it! We need to come up with a candidate who is more evil that George Bush and Karl Rove. Wait a minute, the definition of a liberal is that they care about their fellow man. Doh. We're fucked!

Great post, Jason. There are lots of very intelligent people who voted for Bush. My brother is a prime example. He's very intelligent. But what is notable about him is that he doesn't know how to think critically. For him, faith is enough for many issues. When you accept things on blind faith, you don't have to listen to any other advice or weigh any facts. There are many, many people like him in this country. Just because we have wonderful brains, doesn't mean we'll use them.

Bunker fuel tank or transfer line springs a leak, oil goes into bilge. The Oil/ Water separator is either deliberately disabled or malfunctioning. Automatic bilge pumps sense the rising level in the bilge and pump it out.

You DO understand that PP's post was a troll of sorts.

No kidding, man!

pp, is this what you consider a success story? Yes it IS a success story. I am from California and I once worked on clean fuels research for Arco. In the process, I learned a little about smog. The Los Angeles basin as most people know naturally traps pollutants in an inversion layer. It was hazy even in the days of the Spaniards. The air is much, much better than it was in the 1960's. Now Houston is an entirely different story...

There are arguments on both sides of the issue. Look at all the climbers who are out of work, but not interested in finding new jobs until they run out of money. I think the ideal situation would be for the government to research and publish more than one jobless figure- 1) Unemployed and seeking, 2) Underemployed, and 3) unemployed and "discouraged" (not seeking work).

Hey klenke, I hear Walmart is hiring.

"Prison Fellowship Ministries (which) seeks to rehabilitate prisoners by converting them to evangelical Christianity. " This means converting from unlawful theft to lawful theft.