2009 Open Thread

11 thoughts on “2009 Open Thread”

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2. So far, so good……

   Unless you are in Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel and Gaza, foreclosure…….
   

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3. the Republican obstructionist party. Why do they hate America? The southern Republican representatives, I am convinced, are still trying to win the Civil War by destroying the Union. I’m constantly dismayed how southern Republicans control the bully pulpit on C-Span coverage when the House and Senate are in Session. What I’ve witnessed over the last 8-30 years has convinced me that the Republicans, and in some part spineless Democrats, have to be defeated on every front.

   I’m going to continue to work FOR progressive causes like economic justice, Peace, demilatarizing this country and the world, defeating military/industrial/media influences, universal health care, environmental protections, and a strong vision of a social fabric based on old fashioned principles of love, work, family, community and simplicity.

   Oh yeah, I’m going to enjoy life and sing a lot. Who was it that said, God is proud of me when I work, but loves me when I sings? I think it was Rabinidrath Tagore (1816-1941)  

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   1. I have hope now that Obama will be prez and we have a more Democratic congress.  I know that they will disappoint me often, but how much better than four years ago.

      For all the good goals, they will be DOA if we don’t have the money. And there are two sources of money that seem to be off limits in the political discussion.

      The first is the wealth of the richest Americans.  We need, again, a steeply progressive tax code.  That’s partially what helped build the great middle class in America.  It’s a reason that European countries can afford bullet trains, universal health care, and free college educations.

      The second is the size of your military and the cost. That giant sucking sound you hear is not jobs heading for Mexico, but the military consuming 55%-65% (different researchers) of our discretionary budget.  That includes costs of wars past and present, interest on military expenses, pensions, etc.  Eisenhower warned us against this foolishness.  We spend as much on “defense” (See: Iraq War)as the rest of the serious powers combined.

      I’m not saying lets convert the carriers into pleasure yachts, but just cutting 25% would give us all those “We can’t afford” items like universal health care, better schools, and good infrastructure.  

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4. from Congress Matters

   He’s governor, he’s accused of corruption. He’s convicted, and removed from office, but he refuses to leave, barricades himself in, declares martial law and independence from the United States! Then he comes out, goes to jail, gets acquitted in a second trial during which he later admitted to bribing the judge!

   And then he runs for governor again and wins, and then later for Senate and wins! And when he gets to the Senate, they investigate and he admits the bribery!

   And there are still three votes to seat him on the committee! And 52 to seat him on the Senate floor!

   All I can say is Blago is a piker.

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   1. By the grandson of said politician, no less!  It turns out he’s a liberal blogger.  His side of the story, which also happens to be in published accounts, reads like something that Karl Rove could only dream about doing to Don Siegelman.

      A few choice bits:
      

      […] the conspiracy trials against, Langer, a leader in the populist Nonpartisan League (NPL). Langer and the NPL pushed the edge of civil justice forward while championing the cause of farmers and individuals seeking economic justice.

      As Senator Paul Douglas of Illinois said of Senator Langer in a memorial tribute after he died in office: “Of all members of the Senate in our generation, I think Senator Langer was the most misunderstood, the most improperly attacked, and the one who perhaps suffered more from the hands of his opponents than any other member of this body.”

      An altogether entertaining tale, worthy of being placed up there with Aaron Burr or that of our own Dead Guvs.

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5. from HuffPo

   Nine Muslim passengers were kicked off a flight from Washington, D.C., to Florida after other passengers reported hearing a suspicious remark about airplane security.

   And AirTran deserves the dickhead of the week award for:

   The family was upset that AirTran didn’t allow the Muslim passengers to book another flight. They eventually made it to their destination on a US Airways flight.

   “The FBI agents actually cleared our names,” Inayet Sahin, one of the family members kicked off the flight, told CNN. “They went on our behalf and spoke to the airlines and said, ‘There is no suspicious activity here. They are clear. Please let them get on a flight so they can go on their vacation,’ and they still refused.”

   Hutcheson said the passengers were given a full refund and are welcome to fly on AirTran now that the investigation is complete.

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   1. It seems that our efforts at anti-terrorism catch all the innocents while the “evil doers” are cavorting around.  

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      2. I was talking to someone with a lot of allergies recently – someone who sees the airport somewhat frequently.  They need to take hypoalergenic shampoo with them, but of course there’s the whole bottle thing, and hypoallergenic shampoos don’t come in small travel-sized bottles.  Fortunately, there are travel-sized bottles made for this purpose, and they used those.

         After 9/11, this person went to board a plane and was stopped for the shampoo bottles: it seems bottles now needed to have brand labels!  On explaining the bit about the allergies, the TSA rep suggested “what he did”: just pour your brand of shampoo into the other-branded bottle!

         See, once it’s in a branded bottle, it ceases to be a concern of the TSA just what it really might be…

         Feel safer now?

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         1. …I was wanded by a “security” individual with a strong, barely understandable accent.  I had my usual pissy attitude, especially having experienced Israeli IDF airport security in the past.

            I’ve never forgotten (said with accent) “Don’t vyou want to be see-cure?”  

            I just laughed and went on my way knowing what a charade that whole thing was.  (See: September 9, 2001.)

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