Fire sale on cattle prods
 

Whew-ee, boy! You've got me there.

Right as rain. That's what you are. Right as rain.

GGG- you should know when to say when.
 

• Jethro's Graduation (episode #72)
  
  Originally aired: June 10, 1964 on CBS
  
  Jethro is graduating at last — from the sixth grade.
  
  
  Show Stars: Paul Winchell (Homer Winch), Donna Douglas (Elly May Clampett), Buddy Ebsen (Jed Clampett), Nancy Kulp (Jane Hathaway), Irene Ryan (Daisy Moses "Granny"), Raymond Bailey (Milburn Drysdale), Bea Benaderet (Pearl Bodine), Max Baer (Jethro Bodine), Harriet MacGibbon (Mrs. Margaret Drysdale)
  All Guest Stars: Kathleen Freeman (Flo Shafer (1969-1971)) , Eleanor Audley (Mrs. Potts), Mike Barton (boy #1), Happy Derman (boy #2), Lisa Davis (Diana), Donald Foster (Theodore Switzer), Eleanor Audley (Mrs. Millicent Schuyler-Potts)

Fire sale on cattle prods
 

Maybe I _should_ read the FB.

S_A_M

Fire sale on cattle prods
 

Fisting isn't passe here yet?

Texas
 

OK, but if you follow the river you'll end up with a less "compact" district. The problem being that you can't have districts that both are compact and follow existing geographical features and political boundaries. Those goals are in tension.

I would rather take the subjective balancing out of the process entirely. I recognize that this produces apparent arbitrariness, but if we can live with gerrymandered districts, we can handle it.

Real Liberal and Conservative wanted...
 

I like guns.

The Cause of Poverty
 

I think it's awful that whites are so stigmatized by the unfair advantages they're born with in this country. Everyone understands that whites are born with more money, and do not have to face the prejudice that others have to face. For whites who make it to college or graduate school, people are all too willing to attribute their success to the leg up they had, instead of their innate ability or hard work. After all, whites are overrepresented because the playing field is not level. The stigma that results for successful whites is truly unjust. We ought to address the many disadvantages that minorities face, if only so that so many whites will not be stigmatized.

The Cause of Poverty
 

It is interesting that you think such a backlash against whites exists. I have never seen any example of it nor have I seen any studies to support it. Clearly you must be privy to studies I am not, and your personal experiences have been much different than mine.

I have been exposed to many studies that demonstrate the results of racial quotas instituted in many different countries including the United States. Without exception, these studies show that these programs have not addressed the problems they were created to address but have considerably altered people’s perception of the minority groups they were intended to help (including the perception among the minority groups of their own competence).

Would you be willing to share some of these studies you have been lucky enough to be exposed to that demonstrate that privileged groups in different societies that have experienced non-meritorious advancement among its members have been subject to a growing perception in the general population that the members of such privileged group are less competent in their chosen professions.

Or is it possible that such unmeritorious advantages enjoyed by such groups have been subtler than overt public government instituted quotas and preferences, and consequently the backlash you describe is less likely to exist?

Real Liberal and Conservative wanted...
 

You may like guns, but does your enjoyment of guns trump my desire not to be caught in the crossfire of armor piercing high caliber automatic rifle rounds?

Total Failure in Iraq.......
 

You liberals were correct. I really have to hand it to you. The invasion of Iraq was a complete waste of resources because Iraq has turned into a hell hole quagmire with no hope of ever turning into a democracy, or experiencing peace and prosperity. The risk was just not worth it because there was a hundred percent chance of failure.

Unlike the conservatives you were able to look into the future and see exactly what was going to happen. It was really stupid of conservatives to think that Arabs would ever embrace democracy. Just like we knew democracy would never work in Japan and Germany, we now know it won't work in Iraq.


'It's been a good day for Iraq'
Strong turnout reported, even among Sunnis, in historic elections

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/...ons/index.html

GGG- you should know when to say when.
 

Now that was a good show, wasn't it Hank ole boy. And that Elly May - Whew-eee! You should post a picture or something. You know, change the subject.

Hank, you are one clever guy!

Because I like you so much, though, let me let you in on a little secret that those of us who have been here, oh, a month or two have generally picked up.

Stop taking the bait. Because it's hard to resist dangling it in front of you when you do.

I'm sure I confused you, with that story about getting shot while running away from the battle. But you don't have to run away. Just play dead.

I know you're smart, so I'm sure you would have gotten this eventually.

Real Liberal and Conservative wanted...
 

I suppose that depends on who has more votes in the legislature.

GGG- you should know when to say when.
 

• Buzz Bodine, Boy General (episode #239)
  
  Originally aired: December 31, 1969 on CBS
  
  Jethro arrives in Hooterville wearing the uniform of a general.
  
  
  Writer: Paul Henning, Dick Wesson
  Show Stars: Paul Winchell (Homer Winch), Donna Douglas (Elly May Clampett), Buddy Ebsen (Jed Clampett), Nancy Kulp (Jane Hathaway), Irene Ryan (Daisy Moses "Granny"), Raymond Bailey (Milburn Drysdale), Bea Benaderet (Pearl Bodine), Max Baer (Jethro Bodine), Harriet MacGibbon (Mrs. Margaret Drysdale)
  All Guest Stars: Kathleen Freeman (Flo Shafer (1969-1971)), Mike Minor (Steve Elliott), Linda Henning (Betty Jo Bradley Elliott) , Guy Raymond (Howard Hewes)

TV Tome has changed and doesn't have long plots anymore:( :(

GGG- you should know when to say when.
 

Whew-ee boy. You've really struck it rich Jed!



Originally aired: September 26, 1962 on CBS

Writer: Paul Henning, Phil Shuken
Director: Richard Whorf
Show Stars: Paul Winchell (Homer Winch), Donna Douglas (Elly May Clampett), Buddy Ebsen (Jed Clampett), Nancy Kulp (Jane Hathaway), Irene Ryan (Daisy Moses "Granny"), Raymond Bailey (Milburn Drysdale), Bea Benaderet (Pearl Bodine), Max Baer (Jethro Bodine), Harriet MacGibbon (Mrs. Margaret Drysdale)
All Guest Stars: Bea Benaderet (Pearl Bodine), Frank Wilcox (John Brewster) , Frank Wilcox (John Brewster), Bob Osborne (Jeffrey Taylor), Ron Hagerthy (geologist)


In this episode we find out how the Hillbillies got to Beverly Hills. Jed Clampett's swamp, we find out, is loaded with oil. When a wildcatter discovers the huge pool, Jed sells his land to the O.K. Oil Company and, at the urging of cousin Pearl, moves his family to a 35 room mansion in Beverly Hills, California.



Let me help you out, boy.
More Here! We can just let all the people read all the episodes there, so you and I don't have to go back and forth with a couple hundred episodes.

Right, Jed? I think they all get the picture.

But I have to hand it to you. That was clever. Oh, and good job resisting that there bait.

GGG- you should know when to say when.
 

It's not bait, really. I like having fights, and I don't mind being stupid. Enjoy!

Hank's a Success!
 

Well now, that would be Episode 12, The Great Feud. Watch out for that buckshot, now!

Real Liberal and Conservative wanted...
 

I'd trust Ty with a gun more than most.

But, Ty, you'd better move to Wyoming. Your parts seem pretty anti-gun, at least for law-abiding citizens.

Total Failure in Iraq.......
 

It was a good day for Iraqi democracy, certainly.

So when Iraq becomes a democracy, what does this mean for advances in the War On the Terrorist Fuckhead Menace, the reason we went there? Perhaps not so much.

• Promoting freedom has become the cornerstone of the Bush administration's national security policy. Democracy and freedom are universal human aspirations as well as wise policy objectives that we should actively pursue. Democratic states are less likely to go to war with one another and more likely to govern responsibly.
  
  Yet, the American people would be ill-advised to accept as axiomatic the premise that democracy alone will secure our future or eliminate terrorism.
  
  The jury remains out over whether democracy in the Arab world would yield governments more supportive of U.S. interests, produce populaces less sympathetic to jihadists or prevent al Qaeda from pursuing its goals through terrorism. At stake is more than presidential rhetoric. Democracy promotion has become the sole and defining element of President Bush's long-term counterterrorism approach. That is why the administration has an obligation to go beyond assertion and demonstrate convincingly that its one-dimensional strategy will yield the desired result. If it cannot, the administration risks putting all of our security eggs in the wrong basket.
  
  The Bush formula is flawed on another score: As Rice outlined it, its premise is that democracy will enable weak states to become capable of providing for their citizens, controlling their territory and effectively combating transnational threats. But fragile democracies that are impoverished remain prone to coups and civil conflict. They also lack resources and institutional capacity to act as responsible states.
  
  From Mali to Tanzania, from Bangladesh to Indonesia, poverty hobbles many nascent democracies, which cannot prevent terrorists from operating on their territory or contain outbreaks of disease. To strengthen weak states, we must do more than promote democracy. We must join with others to build state capacity, in substantial part by helping to alleviate poverty.
  
  The administration's focus is also too limited geographically. The secretary said, referring to the Middle East: "In one region of the world . . . the problems emerging from the character of regimes are more urgent than in any other."
  
  Perhaps, but unless we focus on building state capacity in other regions, we will fall far short in thwarting transnational threats, which can emanate from anywhere.
  
  Finally, if freedom is key to our national security, why is the administration ambivalent about implementing this policy outside Iraq? The president's fiscal 2006 budget requested $30 million less for his Middle East Partnership Initiative than did the previous year's. That same budget also reduced democracy funds for the former Soviet Union.
  
  When Rice visited Cairo this summer, she laid out tough benchmarks against which we would measure Egypt's electoral process. But last week, after Egypt's violent electoral sham, a State Department spokesman termed the overall process "positive" before expressing mild concern about its flaws.
  
  These mixed signals must puzzle, if not deflate, democracy activists across the world.

Well, shit.

Total Failure in Iraq.......
 

The Iraqi elections seem to have been a big success -- which is an unmitigated good thing.

[eta: The broader questions about the medium- and long terms effects in the region and on U.S. Security remain to be answered over time.]

You, however, are both an asshole and an idiot.

S_A_M

Total Failure in Iraq.......
 

So what you are saying is that ultimate outcome in Iraq may not turn out to be 100% in line with US interests. That is surprizing because wars and other foreign policy forays almost always end in a result that produces a situation that is perfect for US interests. Like it did in Somalia, Haiti, Lebananon, etc.

And of course, you are right, that it really doesn't matter if we establish a stable democracy in Iraq. The only thing that really matters is how this change will effect US strategic interests.

I guess we will just have to see what happens.

Real Liberal and Conservative wanted...
 

That is generally the bottom line in all political disputes. However, the NRA's endorsement in state wide elections in California is worth about as much as a bucket of warm spit.

Total Failure in Iraq.......
 

interesting take from a Clinton admin staffer- especially considering the fallout from the clinton admin that we are starting to see:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ct/20051213/...turbatingonher

Total Failure in Iraq.......
 

Leaving aside the fact that we are apparently in the alternate universe where the stated purpose of the U.S. invasion was not to eliminate the clear and present danger of Saddam Hussein's WMDs but to make it possible for Iraqis to go to the polls and vote for the Sunni, Shiite or Kurd of their choice as a prelude to civil war, you make a very good case for non-intervention generally.

Total Failure in Iraq.......
 

Chicken little? Just yesterday you were yelling that there was going to be a transit strike, and everything worked out there, right?

Total Failure in Iraq.......
 

What is it with you guys and declaring "Mission Accomplished" before everything's been settled? Nothing's been signed and Toussaint could still grow a pair.

But seriously, folks, there's a very good article in the New Yorker this week about Zalmay Khalilzad and the political maneuvering going on over there, and it sounds like the various factions are operating with an eye on an eventual move by at least the Kurds for an independent state.

Total Failure in Iraq.......
 

Was the stated purpose of the US invasion to eliminate the clear and present danger of Saddam's Hussein's WMD's? Can you give me a cite? Are you sure that once we didn't find WMDs that the liberals decided that this was the sole purpose of the invasion.

It was my impression that the goal of eliminated the WMDs was one of many reasons, and was never stated as the main goal. Am I wrong?

GGG- you should know when to say when.
 

I don't remember Homer Winch at all. Can anyone provide a brief character sketch, please?

Total Failure in Iraq.......
 

Are you sure there is going to be a civil war? Remember, your ability to predict the future 100% hasn't been that good up to this point.

Total Failure in Iraq.......
 

I recall postings on this board that stated that the majority of the Iraqis support the insurgency. It is totally naive to think a democracy could ever work in Iraq. It is a total quagmire just like Vietnam. Iraq is much worse of today that it was under Saddam. There is no way that the invasion can improve things, it will only makes things worse.

I never said the occupation would be easy, neither did the administration. Inever said there was a 100% chance of success, neither did the administration. It seems to me that only absolutist statements came from the other side i.e. we can never win.

I merely pointed out that the statements in the first paragraph seem rather absurd now. Are you saying that the above statements don't seem a little absurd?

Poets in Congress
 

Twas the week before Christmas and all through the House
No bills were passed ‘bout which Fox News could grouse;
Tax cuts for the wealthy were passed with great cheer,
So vacations in St. Barts soon would be near;

Katrina kids were nestled all snug in motel beds,
While visions of school and home danced in their heads;
In Iraq our soldiers needed supplies and a plan,
Plus nuclear weapons were being built in Iran;

Gas prices shot up, consumer confidence fell;
Americans feared we were on a fast track to... well.
Wait--- we need a distraction--- something divisive and wily;
A fabrication straight from the mouth of O’Reilly

We can pretend that Christmas is under attack
Hold a vote to save it--- then pat ourselves on the back;
Silent Night, First Noel, Away in the Manger
Wake up Congress, they’re in no danger!

This time of year we see Christmas every where we go,
From churches, to homes, to schools, and yes…even Costco;
What we have is an attempt to divide and destroy,
When this is the season to unite us with joy

At Christmas time we’re taught to unite,
We don’t need a made-up reason to fight
So on O’Reilly, on Hannity, on Coulter, and those right wing blogs;
You should just sit back, relax…have a few egg nogs!

‘Tis the holiday season: enjoy it a pinch
With all our real problems, do we honestly need another Grinch?
So to my friends and my colleagues I say with delight,
A merry Christmas to all,

and to Bill O’Reilly... Happy Holidays.

--Rep. John Dingell, Democrat, MI-15

and whoa...
 

I heard the filibuster was going on this morning, but I never thought they'd get enough Rs to cross over. Bad timing for that NSA thing to come out, huh?

Senate Rejects Extension of Patriot ActYay libertarians!

Poets in Congress
 

I may have stated this before, but when O'Reilly started circling his wagons for his defense of Christmas all the "O'Reilly Factor" "christmas ornamnets" that were for sale at the Fox website said Happy Holidays and not Merry Christmas. I don't know if they have changed them yet.

Total Failure in Iraq.......
 

Only in Bizzaro-world could a reader draw any of this from anything I wrote.

Not every post is not all about partisan politics -- and not every issue is "liberals" vs. "conservatives."

Besides, Bush and Rumsfeld are not really conservatives.

S_A_M

Total Failure in Iraq.......
 

Does this guy look familiar? I know it was a long time ago, but I can give you a link to the transcript if you want to read it.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/relea.../powell-7b.jpg

Yes.

Two for two.

I don't know what statements you recall reading here, but I admit you're perfectly capable of writing things that look foolish and absurd. And I'm sure that the neocon circle-jerk that planned for war but made no provision for occupation had other ideas in mind in addition to the threat posed by non-existent WMDs, but the "impression" that was carefully cultivated among ordinary Americans was that we were going to war to eliminate an imminent threat. Once the neocons didn't find WMDs they decided that regime change was the sole purpose of the invasion instead of a means of eliminating the threat.

And I'm not sure why you think "quagmire" is so funny. How many years, lives and billions of dollars have to be poured down this particular hole before someone can use the Q-word?

and whoa...
 

yay me!

Total Failure in Iraq.......
 

It's Friday afternoon, and Spanky's bored.

Total Failure in Iraq.......
 

So am I. It's a match made in heaven.

Total Failure in Iraq.......
 

I don't need the whole transcript just the part where Powell says the "sole" reason we are going to war is to eliminate the "WMDs" or even where Powell says the "main" reason we are going in is to take the WMDs away from Saddam.

Is that too much to ask?

Total Failure in Iraq.......
 

What is the justification for a preemptive war again?

Total Failure in Iraq.......
 

If Spanky's bored, maybe he could read a book instead.


http://www.bartcop.com/ricodog-ann.JPG