tvashtarkatena

It's probably obvious to others that Ivan's jugging the white static line, over the Kor Roof: a stout pitch he fixed the previous evening. I'm on red. Considering the boy's got barely a year in the aid saddle, his persistence is getting his sorry ass, and occasionally mine, up to some fucking amazing locales on some truly classic routes. Gotta start somewhere. Or not.

Never saw anybody rap on jugs before. Might be a bit hard on the rope n such.

What the hell does any of that have to do with gene patents?

Damn, those sure seemed like full pitches at the time.... Thanks for being a fan. It is our pleasure to share at least some of the essence of such a spectacular experience for those who can't be there themselves.

I didn't realize that wielding 2 years of high school Spanish could warrant so much awe and admiration, but hey, I'll take it.

Sorry, one soundbyte crafted to jump start a Right Wing circle jerk isn't exactly what I'd call useful data. I don't know the congressman's record, nor do I really care to, but this little clip probably doesn't provide much of a summary. Remember: Push the button, get the banana. Push the button, get the banana.

Cast irony, burners high.

The legislators I've met and talked with have all been pretty smart, talented, and hard working. I know there are exceptions to that rule, but there you have it. I don't go in much for 'popular wisdom'...I prefer first hand experience when forming an opinion if such experience is available. Sorry to disappoint. Politics is a tough business because every voting decision is a compromise, and every campaign for change is a long term project that can span years or decades. That's the only way to move the ball forward in an environment of competing and conflicting interests, and it often doesn't move forward very fast. Seems like those who denigrate it out of hand might secretly or not so secretly prefer a Strong Man who just Makes it All Happen Right Now. No thanks.

Call me crazy but reading the single largest entitlement program in the history of this country seams like a smart thing to do. I've no doubt that some or all of opposing votes didn't read the bill but that includes members of both the Republican and Democrat party. We deserve everything we got in that bill because we, as a nation, are more concerned with six second sound bites and shiny free trinkets. We truly are our own worst enemy. You mean like the six second soundbyte about Guam certain posters are going on and on about, like, right now? I love this site.

Perhaps, and I admit that I'm wildly speculating here, this congressman has done more than just flub a joke on camera during his multiple terms of office. Yeah, I know, their all a bunch of idiots and you're so damn much smarter. It's all so very beneath you, isn't it? Life is so terribly trying when you're hyper-talented. When is your next public speaking engagement, BTW? I wouldn't want to miss it.

This is one issue, the erosion of privacy is another, where we need not accept either the status quo nor current trends, despite how many talking heads tell us how irrelevant our values and beliefs are.

For the first time in the 20 years since the issue first came up, a federal district court has ruled that human genes may not be patented. Go....

Um...hate to break this to you, since you're so much smarter than alla them po-lee-tishunz, but passing bills without really reading them is not a new trend. I'm sure most who voted for healthcare read at least a summary, available within 1 minute of da googlez. I'm equally sure that many who voted against didn't bother do to even that much.

Yeah, makes you think that there just might be a few other criteria for getting elected beyond joke delivery, huh?

No. Your tactics were to offer rides to the polls and lend assistance contingent on a predetermined vote cast for Gregoire. And that is illegal. First of all, there is no such law. But we didn't offer rides contingent upon anything; we didn't even ask who the voter was going vote for, although we certainly could have legally. No real need...they were all registered democrats who'd voted in at least one out of 4 past elections (but not all 4...frequent voters don't get hassled). Public records, bitch. I provided a wee bit of spanish translation both in an out of the polls. Challenged by an Rfuck...and perfectly legal. The Rfuck challenging a voter in a polling place was actually the illegal part, but he quickly slinked back into his hole after a brief conversation with one of our legal poll watchers. Devil's in the details...you should learn them sometime. We won, you lost, fair and square. Rossi put up a good fight for a mental helium balloon.

1st?! What about the fever dream and phlem ascent and retreat of lower TRL?

OMG, you think 3rd times a charm in politics? It's not. He'll do even worse, this time.

Our tactics were to offer rides to the polls. It worked.

Dino Rossi; the Man with the...where's that plan again? He lost because my 3 precinct team got 137 infrequent Dem voters to cast for Gregoire...just enough to send him back to the political sump, where he belongs. Guess he'll need to find another state to fleece, thanks to good ole Uncle Trashie.

The SC may well rule against the individual mandate; I think it should. That will require reform, which will likely move us closer to a public option. That would be a good thing. Most of the new law will stand constitutional muster, however. Healthcare was a step towards a finally becoming a civilized nation, not an end in itself. As for Gregoire, she's a powerful chick, so I guess you're duty bound to hate on her. Pretty decent governor in my book; excellent in terms of civil liberties protections.

Well, you don't know where my sympathies lie regarding Waco; a completely different situation than the one I just mentioned. Weird that you would try to conflate them, but hey, that's how you folks roll. Very broad brush. And regarding a raft of new domestic terrorism laws, the SC isn't going to touch them...but they're gonna touch a few militiamen pretty soon. You dumb cunts handed the keys to the kingdom over to Bush, now the weather has changed. Good luck.

Smart enough to get health care passed. Your right wing militia buddies just threatened to oust Gregoire by force. I think the FBI's gonna be spending a little extra time at the range this year. Fun! Wait till they get a taste of the new anti-terrorism laws. There's a new law in town, but I don't think they've quite realized just how much things have changed....

Well, I suppose the far right will continue to focus on every slip of the public tongue, as you are doing now. But they don't matter anymore politically, so, again, nobody really gives a shit. As the saying goes, the world has passed them by.

In the end, nobody gives a shit about that stuff, nor will they remember it. They'll remember the economy, health care, and Iraq, that's for fuck sure.