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April 04, 2007 03:15 PM UTC

Wednesday Open Thread

  • 74 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

When you’re down
It’s a long way up
When you’re up
It’s a long way down
It’s all the same thing…

Love and Rockets, No New Tale to Tell

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74 thoughts on “Wednesday Open Thread”

    1. Since Godaddy sends out notices a couple of months ahead.  And if you have a valid credit card on file, they just use that.  One of the many reasons all my domain names are at Godaddy.  And they are inexpensive.

  2. So according to the AP, while every other Presidential candidate has been in Iowa, Richardson is going to North Korea, to police up the remains of missing servicemen. A great cause no doubt. But is this what he really should be doing when the rest of the crowd is hitting Iowa this week? I guess the photo ops will decide huh?

    Here’s the link:
    http://www.military….

    Oh yeah, I won’t rub the successful Bush diplomacy that is allowing Richardson his little jaunt in to any one’s nose.

    1. Not a big deal, Bush-wise.  Their policies have varied with political intentions and desires, but lots of higher level Americans have made it into NK over the years.

      Don’t give him credit for the rain falling.

      1. Letting the Governor of NM visit isn’t much of a political coup at all.

        But, “North Korea has pledged that, in return for energy aid and political concessions, it would close down and seal its main nuclear plant by April 14. It also agreed to allow in U.N. nuclear inspectors to certify the shut down.”

        … Well, that is kind of a big deal… Diplomatically speaking.

        1. “North Korea has pledged that”.  NK has pledged a lot over the past 20 years, and has reneged on pretty much all of these pledges.  It’s really hard to negotiate with a head of state who is insane.

            1. I am just sick of the guy.  The dear leader is a delusional nutbag sitting around watching daffy duck cartoons and drinking remy martin while his people starve to death.

        2. NK stopped their program, allowed 24/7 video cams of their facilities, etc.  Then the Cowboy rides into DC and undoes everything that had been working.  Now it’s deja vu all over again. 

    3. Richardson may well know that, in spite of his superior qualifications especially in the area of international diplomacy, his Presidential bid is quite a long shot. He also knows he would make a great choice for VP so either way, an effort in North Korea, reminding people of his status as the most  experienced statesman and international player in the field can’t hurt.

  4. Everybody knows poor people are guilty until proven innocent and poor veterans well, who really gives a damn?

    “Wiens tried and failed to amend the state budget to reduce raises for court-appointed attorneys to put $1 million in the Colorado Veterans Trust Fund, which provides grants to veterans nursing homes. Wiens said the homes need more funding because a wave of veterans from the Korean War is expected in the near future.

    “We weren’t able to convince the majority that veterans were more important than lawyer pay raises,” Wiens said.”

    Report shows serious problems at state’s nursing homes for vets

    http://www.longmontf…

      1. Oh, come on Go Blue.

        The DEM Leg has been showing it’s true blue colors all session long. Now that we have a record budget thanks to Ref C, they can’t be bothered to break off $1 MIL so that aging Vets could live in buildings a little nicer than your average slum.

        So while Wiens is busy trying to get cash for the VA Nursing homes here in the state Fitzy is shaking down the trial lawyers for her Congressional campaign… “Contribute to my campaign and I’ll get you a nice raise”.

        Typical.

            1. The House will consider today an amendment to Senate Bill 239, the Long Bill, which ensures that money appropriated in the state budget is spent to improve the conditions at the Colorado State Veterans Center at Homelake.  The amendment (Number 74) is sponsored by State Representatives Sara Gagliardi (D-Arvada) and Joe Rice (D-Littleton). 

              “As a nurse and a legislator, I’m appalled at the condition of the facilities housing our own veterans,” said Rep. Gagliardi.  “We’re going to make sure that those who serve our country will get the quality care they need and deserve.  Conditions like the ones at Walter Reed won’t be tolerated here in Colorado.” 

              Currently, the Long Bill appropriates $917,095 in state money for renovations at Homelake.  The facility will also receive an additional $2.2 million from the federal government in matching funds. 

            2. In addition to what others have posted, the bottom line is that attorneys accepting court appointments are not the wealthy trial lawyers who feature prominently on the rolls of democratic donors.  They are the attorneys accepting 1/4th or less of a typical attorney fee to do things like represent the interests of children in abuse or custody cases.  Rates for court-appointed attorneys are so low relative to what almost any other type of legal work pays, that it is a struggle to find experienced attorneys to do the work.  But yeah, it would be a real crime to raise the fees of those attorneys public-minded enough to do some of that work (and I admit that I am not one, so I don’t have a dog in this fight).

              As for ignorance staying my tongue, I have occassionally put my foot in my mouth on this blog thanks to posting while ignorant.  I don’t think I have ever done it with quite that tone of righteous indignation, though.  I like to stay out of attack mode unless I know what I am talking about.

        2. …they make a powerful block of political contributors.  State-paid attorneys are going to change the political world with their deep pockets.

          And it makes perfect sense to take away money from those helping indigent people in the court system and give it to veterans.  After all, there is no other source of money for the veterans.  Not one mile of highway funding may be sacrificed for either veterans or indigent litigants.

          1. COLORADO
            HOUSE DEMOCRATIC OFFICE
            STATE CAPITOL

            HOUSE HELPS IMPROVE VETERANS’ FACILITIES
            Rep. Gagliardi addresses conditions at Veterans Center at Homelake Domiciliary

            DENVER – Recent stories about the horrendous conditions at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center hit close to home this week when conditions of one of Colorado’s own veterans’ housing facilities were brought to light.

            The House will consider today an amendment to Senate Bill 239, the Long Bill, which ensures that money appropriated in the state budget is spent to improve the conditions at the Colorado State Veterans Center at Homelake.  The amendment (Number 74) is sponsored by State Representatives Sara Gagliardi (D-Arvada) and Joe Rice (D-Littleton). 

            “As a nurse and a legislator, I’m appalled at the condition of the facilities housing our own veterans,” said Rep. Gagliardi.  “We’re going to make sure that those who serve our country will get the quality care they need and deserve.  Conditions like the ones at Walter Reed won’t be tolerated here in Colorado.” 

            Both state and federal officials have raised concerns about the facility, located near Monte Vista, which is home to 46 veterans, consisting of 25 duplex cottages.  Many of the cottages were built early in the 20th century and have not undergone significant renovations.

            Officials have cited the facility for conditions ranging from lack of grab bars in bathing areas and poor emergency response systems to cottages containing asbestos, lead paint, and galvanized piping. 

            Currently, the Long Bill appropriates $917,095 in state money for renovations at Homelake.  The facility will also receive an additional $2.2 million from the federal government in matching funds. 

            Rep. Gagliardi’s amendment ensures that the money appropriated goes to address the conditions at Homelake and make necessary improvements to help Colorado’s veterans. 

        3. The House will consider today an amendment to Senate Bill 239, the Long Bill, which ensures that money appropriated in the state budget is spent to improve the conditions at the Colorado State Veterans Center at Homelake.  The amendment (Number 74) is sponsored by State Representatives Sara Gagliardi (D-Arvada) and Joe Rice (D-Littleton). 

          Gee, what a shocker.  Dems standing up for vets.  Of course D Joe Rice IS an Iraq vet; two tours.  It might interest you to know, Iron Mike, that the story has been the same in the nation’s capitol throughout the years of the Republican controlled congress.  While Republicans fought tooth and nail to increase the size of the tax breaks for the upper 1% (but most particularly for the upper.1%) and for money for bridges to nowhere, Dems kept trying to pass legislation with more funding for our vets.  Maybe thats partly because there are so many more Dem vets serving in congress than Republican vets.  EVERY time, their efforts were shot down by Republicans who stuck together AGAINST our vets on party line vote after party line vote.  I’m sure they all bought nice “support the troops”  magnets, though, so should we call it even?

        4. And maybe I am off base in assuming that the “trial lawyers” they are talking about are public defenders, but here is a NPR story about a judge releasing a bunch of defendants due to the horrendous representation they received. http://www.npr.org/t…

          1.   Strictly speaking, Toodles, you are correct.  A “trial lawyer” is a litigator who tries cases.  That should include prosecutors, public defenders, privately-retained criminal defense attorneys, civil litigators (both plaintiff and defense oriented), and everyone’s favorite, the divorce lawyer.
              However, the term “trial lawyers” has taken on a different connotation.  It is usually used to refer to that part of the trial bar which represents tort victims in personal injury cases (more pejoratively referred to as “ambulance chasers”).
              If you have ever been in an ambulance with a broken neck as a result of a well-insured, drunk driver running the red traffic light, paralyzing you and killing the rest of your family, you’re probably going to want to retain a good “trial lawyer” or “ambulance chaser.”
             

    2. Wiens must be referring to work in Committee right?

      I find it hard to believe the Progressive members of the Legislature would turn their backs on elderly Veterans.

        1. Check the timing of the posts Blue… You and I say there must be some kind of mistake to Mike’s post and sure enough, within moments Mike is shown to be mistaken.

          I thought I was agreeing with your post. Perhaps I should stop doing that.

          1. I read your post as being sarcastic, like the progressives are leaving the vets out in the cold, while in fact they are not. The Longmount Times story was completely unfair and unbalanced, and shamefully written.

              1. Looks like this article pretty well describes how the DEMs killed a GOP amendment to fund the VA Nursing Homes and then re-introduced one when people noticed. It is this portion of the article that gives me that impression:

                “But in today’s morning sesssion lawmakers rejected a Republican proposal by Rep. Larry Liston, R-Colorado Springs, to shift $1 million to the Colorado State Veterans Trust Fund to pay for nursing home repairs, health-care services and renovation of a Grand Junction veterans cemetery. Opponents, including Rice, didn’t like that Liston was taking the money from funding for college students’ financial aid and merit grants.

                But supporters stressed that lawmakers would just be returning the $1 million they took from the veterans funding during the 2003 budget crunch.”

                http://www.rockymoun…

                Am I missing something here Dirt Nap?

  5. Italian epic poem in “terza rima” by Dante. Dante called it “Commedia” because it ended happily: “Divina” was added in the 16th century. The narrator is led by Vergil through Hell and Purgatory, by Beatrice through Paradise.

    Besides the “special places in Hell” mentioned in that literary work, Roman Catholic theology is often cited as assigning a “special place in hell” to unbaptized infants who die, although that place is really in purgatory – an auxiliary part of hell.

    It is really weird to see the reaction to an allusion to something so simple and well established in western literature as “a special place in hell.” One would think that the comment was an incantation bringing an actual super-natural doom upon those identified.

    1. Catholic Church held that unbaptized babies went to a safe place called “limbo.”  Purgatory was thought to be  a place of suffering.  Church did away with the notion of limbo post Vacatin II.

  6. http://www.denverpos…
    add this one to the number of corrupt Colorado Republicans. What does that make, does anyone have a running count of the number of Republicans who have been indicted, plead guilt, or found guilty of a felony (or multiple)?

  7. “But in today’s morning session lawmakers rejected a Republican proposal by Rep. Larry Liston, R-Colorado Springs, to shift $1 million to the Colorado State Veterans Trust Fund to pay for nursing home repairs, health-care services and renovation of a Grand Junction veterans cemetery. Opponents, including Rice, didn’t like that Liston was taking the money from funding for college students’ financial aid and merit grants.

    But supporters stressed that lawmakers would just be returning the $1 million they took from the veterans funding during the 2003 budget crunch.”

    So even after all the great press releases, the reality is the DEMs voted against release of funds. Full link to Rocky article below.

    http://www.rockymoun…

    Dear Go Blue, our misguided, hyper friend. Please educate this poor soul who merely know how to read English how I am ignorant now.

    1. Liston ran the exact same amendment, for the exact same reason; pure politics for campaign material.

      The article doesnt acknoweldge the actual funding of those departments for veterans services.

      Im neither misguided, hyper, nor am I am going to call you names.

    2. After Rice secured more than the funds proposed by Liston for the Veterans, he should have withdrawn his (unconstitutional) amendment. I believe a few Republicans even argued against the Liston amendment.

      1. … MSM is just jerking us around? Making stuff up so that you have to waste all your time defending your DEM buddies as they vote against funding VETs?

        Oops, sorry… That’s right, not DEMs. It must be that evil Green Party voting block that struck down Wiens in the Senate and Liston in the House.

        Anyhow, so it looks like butts are covered in the House… What about the Senate kids? Is Wiens going to have to introduce another amendment there or will that get struck down by another mythical voting block that aren’t DEMs?

        1. Go and talk the United Veterans Assocation, who pushed for the restoration funding, which the Dems found for them. The RRR’s, didn’t talk to, or listen to, the people they claim to be helping but took a jack hammer to the budget.

          It’s pretty simple little michael, the R’s can’t do anything right, so they want to take everyone down with them.

  8. The incident in Iran, where 15 British were arrested for apparently violating territorial waters, are always to some extent about “face”. Apparently the Iranians felt that when Britain agreed to enter into direct bilateral negotiations, Iran had gained enough “face” to be magnanimous.

    The speed with which British diplomacy secured the release of these sailors and Marines proves that the editorial board of the Wall Street Journal, which called for military reprisals against Iran instead, is dangerous…but purposeful… in its warmongering.

    The MSM should be held to a higher standard of responsibility, instead of being a shill for the MIC (Military Industrial Complex).

  9. Ubiquitously (god, did i spell that right?) the “right” has violently condemned Speaker (i.e. 3rd from the Presidency) Pelosi’s visit to Syria, and then even more arrogantly decried her wearing a SCARF of all things while there. An easy and quick search of other female visitors visits to Syria, as well as other Muslim countries, shows….Barbara Bush, Condi Rice, Mother Teresa, etc., etc., wearing scarves out of common courtesy. Then again, when has common courtesy ever been in vogue with the Republicans? Remember when Denny Hastert went to Columbia and told them to bypass the executive branch and deal directly with the republican controlled congress? TOLD THEM to do so!!! I don’t think Pelosi is of that “class”.

    Scarves were worn by Jackie Kennedy. They were required in most churches here in America for many, many years.

    What a joke!

    1. The three republicans that recently visited Syria as well. On top of that, the administration has, so far, successfully prevented Israel from talking with Syria. Middle East peace be damned.

        1. Everything I learned came from this site and all I did in this case was “view source” (under your browser’s “view” menu and then copy the html of the image and paste it in my comment. This online tutorial was pretty easy.

      2. What the hell?…………….
        Please don’t post pictures like this so late. I’ll have fuckin nightmares……..

        If you must try to scare us all, show the Beast in her natural habitat……grazing on weeds and alfalfa in the plains of Kenya.
        But JesusTapDancinChrist, use a long shot tele-photo lense.

        3. you gave me tonight!

          Now I’m going to have to post a picture of Hillary here sometime, just to get your goat. I’ll wait for just the right time…

        4.   Do you have any reaction since Hillary announced that she had taken in $26 million (not counting the $10 million left over from her Senate race last year)? 
            Want to change her name to the “36 Million Dollar Woman”?

  11. We can’t tell because they are not afforded Rights and freedoms the Bush administration are ostensibly waging war over. (We all know the real reasons war is being waged.)

    In Guantanamo, detainees are reportedly confined for 22 hours a day to individual, enclosed, steel cells where they are almost completely cut off from human contact. The cells have no windows to the outside or access to natural light or fresh air. No activities are provided, and detainees are subjected to 24- hour lighting and constant observation by guards through the narrow windows in the cell doors. They exercise alone in a high-walled yard where little sunlight filters through; detainees are often only offered exercise at night and may not see daylight for days at a time.

    Many of these detainees have been held for more than five years without charges!!!!

    “They hate us for our freedoms”!!!! The rest of the world is laughing at America because of the hypocisy and lies of this Republican administration…which goes unchallenged by Republicans. For the record…the Democrats need to ratchet it up a notch to challenge these medieval policies.

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