Patting the wrists, rolling the eyes.

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Originally posted by Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)
Depends on how quick, swift, and potent the retribution Bush can bring on Voinovich. If none, then others may break soon. I don't have time to count votes, but at least a couple of the moderate Rs are up for reelection in 2006, and will have to worry about holding the middle in their states (Snowe, Chaffee, at least). There may not be five votes this time, but why hasn't frist gone nuclear yet? Probably he's not certain he has 50 Rs yet.

BTW, if the Dems filibuster, isn't a presidential appointment not subject to lifetime appointment even a better argument against this countermajoritarian strategy? Why not go nuclear over this, when the Dems don't even have the option to say "but this is for life". Bolton's out when Bush is out (effectively), so why shouldn't the President get his person now?

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally posted by Sidd Finch
Hank, have you been hitting the sauce again?

go see post 3985

[Gattigap]

Originally posted by Hank Chinaski
go see post 3985

It's true, Sidd. Hank's political philosophy is drawn in large part from the expressed opinions of 135 people in a website poll.

Kinda like those early days of the Internet, when neophytes like People magazine ran "Sexiest Celebrities" polls, didn't closely monitor the results, and found out later that their software had posted the winner -- a surprising write-in candidate, "Skippy, the ugly midget." Hank didn't come out of his room for about 2 weeks after that.

[ltl/fb]

Originally posted by Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)
First me, now Ty gets cited in the Times:

linky to article on estate tax

The Rawlsian point appeals to some part of me. I'm not sure why, though. Maybe I'm melting.

What does Rawlsian mean? Specifically in this context.

Heat and humidity are highly condusive to melting. Of the Wicked Witch of the West type, at least.

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Originally posted by ltl/fb
What does Rawlsian mean? Specifically in this context.

The idea that the estate tax applies only to those that have "made it". In other words, if one doesn't know ex ante whether one will get rich or not, one might well agree with everyone else that people who do get rich should give back a good chunk of it upon death.

[ltl/fb]

Originally posted by Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)
The idea that the estate tax applies only to those that have "made it". In other words, if one doesn't know ex ante whether one will get rich or not, one might well agree with everyone else that people who do get rich should give back a good chunk of it upon death.

I think that "back" may earn you an attack (not from me).

Good to see you coming over to the side of light and goodness.

[Diane_Keaton]

Just look at these schnooks. To prove how mean it was for us to "desecrate" some dog-eared copy of their bible, they go out and desecrate our flag and kill 16 of their own in a major panties-in-a-bunch brouhaha. Feh. All over a "news" report in Newsweek about someone saying they heard someone say someone saw someone flush a copy of the bible down the toilet. Besides being kneejerk asses for not stopping to question how hard it'd be to flush a damn book down a toilet (especially with the crap kind of water pressure you'd be getting in these god forsaken shitholes), the "intellectual" ones (the Muslim Clerics who called for a holy war in response) should have at least known the reliability of the rag that reported the story. These fuckers should be burning copies of Newsweek, not the flag. And apologizing for the 16 senseless deaths their little nancy boy tantrums cost.

[bilmore]

Originally posted by Spanky
So we have a bunch of trigger happy xenophobic red necks patrolling the border looking for Mexicans sneaking across the the border.

"Trigger happy"? From all accounts, this was the most peaceful that border area has been for years. I have friends down there who tell me they could walk outside in the evening again, after some bad years, and who wish the effort was an ongoing one.

(But, glad to see LM ordered its agents to avoid arrests for a bit now, so that there's no confirmation that the "xenophobes" were more effective than the gov.)

Really, spanks, leave the racism card to the experts. That's one trick we shouldn't envy.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally posted by Diane_Keaton


All over a "news" report in Newsweek about someone saying they heard someone say someone saw someone flush a copy of the bible down the toilet.

Oops.

[Diane_Keaton]

Originally posted by Tyrone Slothrop
Oops.

Whiff.

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally posted by Diane_Keaton
Whiff.

Get a whiff of this.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,156608,00.html

• Report: Iraq Aides Knew of Russian Oil Bribes
  Monday, May 16, 2005
  
  WASHINGTON — Russian leaders received millions of dollars in Iraqi oil allocations from top representatives in Saddam Hussein's former government in hopes of ending U.N. penalties against Iraq, Senate investigators were told.
  
  Saddam's vice president, Taha Yasin Ramadan, told investigators that the allocations were "compensation for support," according to a report released Monday by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs investigations subcommittee.
  
  Russia's (search) foreign ministry declined comment on the report. It said it would be "unethical to make any statements" until a U.N.-appointed commission investigating the Oil-for-Food program releases its third and likely final report this summer.
  
  The Senate investigators said their interviews and documents from the former Iraqi government add to evidence in previous probes linking Russian officials to abuses in the $64 billion U.N. program. It was designed to permit Saddam to sell some oil and use the proceeds to buy food, medicine and other humanitarian items.
  
  Among the officials implicated are Alexander Voloshin, former chief of staff to President Vladimir Putin, and ultranationalist Russian lawmaker Vladimir Zhirinovsky.
  
  Mikhail Troyansky, deputy chief of Foreign Ministry's information department, said Russia has cooperated with the U.N. commission's investigation, which is led by former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker.

They have a security council veto. And a guy whose takes the position that the UN should be taken as a flawed institution is not fit to represent us there?

[bilmore]

Originally posted by Hank Chinaski
Mikhail Troyansky, deputy chief of Foreign Ministry's information department, said Russia has cooperated with the U.N. commission's investigation, which is led by former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker.

Not much risk in that, eh?

("We will not rest until we find out whatever it is we did.")

[bilmore]

[taxwonk]

Originally posted by Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)
BTW, if the Dems filibuster, isn't a presidential appointment not subject to lifetime appointment even a better argument against this countermajoritarian strategy? Why not go nuclear over this, when the Dems don't even have the option to say "but this is for life". Bolton's out when Bush is out (effectively), so why shouldn't the President get his person now?

Yeah, except for that whole "checks and balances" thing, the ability to toss a federal judge every time the President who appointed em is voted out or serves a second term is a great fucking.

[Diane_Keaton]

Originally posted by Tyrone Slothrop
Oops.

I love this guy:

*****************************
Now according to some Islamic clerics, we’re [already] the soulless infidels that are summarily marked for execution. Even though we are all to be killed, we should still show respect to our executioners. Remember that we’re dealing with people who believe Newsweek. You know, “backwards.”

Can you imagine how the world would be making fun of the United States if we collectively took to the streets and killed each other because someone reportedly flushed a Bible down the toilet? I guess we’re considered more mature.

It’s politically incorrect but what else do you call people who routinely take to the streets when something in the world happens they disagree with? College students riot in some countries while ours have simple hissyfits when they’re told they may get into trouble for downloading songs in their dorm rooms. In fact, I can’t think of one thing our wussy kids would risk life and limb to protest, at least without free beer.

Bob Parks, Black & Right.