blzrul
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Posts posted by blzrul
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So explain to me how a "minority" such as liberals could have such an effect? Particularly in a conservative state like TX?
My kid was a product of TX schools and is now enrolled in a northern school in a blue state where ... surprise ... she's a year or more BEHIND.
And she was in one of the "best' school districts in the state.
I guess the difference is that there all the funding went to football and here it goes go academics, with the students, parents and community working together to raise money for football and other sports. So the students have both sports AND a decent education.
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I saw the 9/11 thing and heard Hillary booed as was Richard Gere.
If someone missed that then stop watching sanitized TV and catch in live.
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No flip-flop here. Merely the tried-and-true Bush - Rove tactic called LOWERING THE BAR. Make the bar so low that any small success enables him to claim victory.
It worked great in TX schools. Test scores too low? Simple answer, dumb down the tests and lower the passing scores and VOILA! Instant geniuses (until the SAT comes along).
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According to two different articles the Bush girls were booed too. They appeared in video so of course they didn't have to keep smiling through the boos.
It was also stated that it wasn't clear exactly WHO was being booed at or why.
But, whatever floats your boat. Just remember when you kid comes home in tears that someone picked on him/her because you are an idiot, that you laughed when it happened to someone else's kids.
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Well, the largest protest EVER at a political convention, according to the NY Times, and it was peaceful. Dear me, how disappointed some people must be.
C-SPAN covered it live. The only thing I caught was that one of the floats caught fire. The police and FD reacted immediately and stopped the procession. The protesters waited peacefully against the barricades until the fire was extinguished and the carcass of the float moved. The barricades opened and the crowd cheered and moved on. I don't know how long they waited, maybe 20 minutes or more. Pretty impressive. The said the procession started around noon EST, I had it on around noon PST and it was still going.
Black, white, Asian, Arab, Jew, young, old and in between.
I am sure of course that the 5-6 hardass righties on this board will come out with some nasty comment about them all. But I have to wonder what it is that all those people know?
And why is it that the right couldn't summon up more than Lyndon Larouche's buddies to protest Kerry?
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I voted for him for Governer ... and lived to regret it.
I probably knew a whole lot more about him at the time than many of the people who voted for him. He won TX, of course, but not by huge margins, I think it was something like 55 - 43 with Nader getting a small percentage.
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I absolutely disagree. Both sides have their well informed, calm posters whom I learn a lot from. And both have their wacked out loudmouths that I avoid. But in reading the dwindling posts from the left they've got very little to offer to the debate. Now I don't feel this is a reflection of them personally, it's a reflection of their candidate and their party.
It just appears that the more thoughtout educated posts are coming from people with a more conservative ideal.........NOT REPUBLICANS, conservatives, there is a difference. Those with a more liberal ideal seem to be more sound bite oriented and more immature. And that immaturity can be traced to their last Presidential candidate. What really turned me off Gore was his sighing during the debates. That, IMO, blew if for him.
Now THERE is an important basis for choosing a President. Not examining records or anything.
Gore's sighing WAS exasperating and annoying and I was disgusted and embarrassed for him. But I certainly didn't base my vote on that any more than I would have Bush's folksy style (as I said at the time, he's gonna aw-shucks his way right to the White House and people are going to be sorry they fell for it).
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Yes, just like Kerry comdemned Fahrenheit 9/11 and refused to let Michael Moore attend the DNC. Just like Kerry condemned all the vicious attack ads coming out of moveon.org, including ones that ATTACK BUSH'S OWN MILITARY RECORD. Just like Kerry has asked people to stop making outrageous claims about Bush - everything from him knowing 9/11 was going to happen to him starting a war in Iraq to help his oil buddies profit (all much worse that the Swift Vets claims).
Oh, OK.
Actually Kerry DID condemn the Moveon.org ad.
The issue is this: by law NEITHER campaign is supposed to have any control over what 527s or PACs do. So the campaign can't approach a PAC and steer their activities. That's the way it works. The groups do what they want.
Supposedly.
When Moveon's ad came out Kerry acted SWIFTLY to condemn it.
Bush condemned NOTHING about the Swift Boat Thugs for Bush, although people from his own party requested he do so. If pressed he'd say "well I said before Kerry served admirably" but he didn't call on the group to cease and desist. After all it was getting all sorts of press.
So Bush ignored those calls and the Kerry campaign filed suit after learning that Bush operatives had been involved. The issue wasn't the funding, everyone knew it was funded by a big Bush supporter in TX, and the Kerry camp was ok with letting people draw their own conclusions about that one.
But when it came out that, in violation of McCain-Feingold, Bush people were advising the group, suddenly 527's are bad, real bad. And Bush has filed suit to eliminate them.
Even though HE signed McCain-Feingold, did he not? I guess he didn't read it, or else he didn't dream the liberal groups would out-raise him by bazillions. Personally I don't like that they spend money on negative ads. I think there are far more effective ways of getting the truth out - just by stating the facts, for example. But I don't have any say over what they do either.
Regarding the Michael Moore thing, it's a movie. Kerry's not a movie critic. If anyone bothered to make a pro-Bush movie would you expect him to say anything about that? What about all those anti-Bush books? Should Kerry make a sweeping announcement that any writer, pundit, talking head, film maker etc. should NEVER say anything bad about Bush.
You'd probably like that but there's still a first amendment in place. I understand the right is upset because all they ever get for celebrity support are pretty much washed-up has-beens, but that's life. Broaden your appeal and you'll broaden your base.
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I don't see anywhere where anyone said most VA hospitals suck, but many of them are old, unquestionably. And they're probably not as fully staffed or equipped as conscientious health care providers would like.
In the case of the soldier in question, apparently he's finding it difficult to get the treatment he needs through the VA hospitals. It could be that either they cannot provide the service, or that he cannot use the service due to where he lives or his personal experience with that particular institution.
I am sure that there are plenty of caring individuals who work at VA hospitals and that many veterans are satisfied with their services.
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It's an unfortunte fact that care in VA hospitals is not always the best. My husband used to go to a VA hospital before he had a job with healthcare. He said it was a nightmare and he wouldn't willingly go back unless it was absolutely necessary. When he saw "Born on the 4th of July" he commented that it wasn't too far off - too many people needing service and not enough staff or equipment to provide the best service (which our soldiers deserve).
That's not to say the staff was incompetent or uncaring, but the facilities were old and not in the best repair, they were understaffed, and overcrowded.
Not all VA hospitals are like that of course. I have a friend who's a radiologist with a VA facility in Iowa and he says it's a wonderful facility.
This soldier may not be able to get adequate care at his VA hospital or, if the recuperation is going to be lengthy and require multiple surgeries, he may prefer to recuperate near family where there IS no VA hospital.
It is a shame, but the sad fact is if he won't use the VA facilities then he is just another American without health care coverage.
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Oil is going up...
Ya, right?...
Most will go to the country we invade instead of helping our civilian infrastructure.I can go to Iraq tommorrow (okay, not exactly tommorrow... Takes a little longer to get briefed, and do the paper work). They would love to pay me for that mission and then some. Instead long overdue rehabs get put off... 30 years and pushing...
Gotta protect the "marsh people first"...
America first?
Those damned Canadians are sitting on a TON of our oil. AND they are NOT part of the coalition of the willing. And doesn't Manifest Destiny include all shining seas? Hudson Bay is big enough to be a sea...and we only have part of Bering....
And I've seen their airforce flying over the Ralph on Canada day, we can take them. We don't have to kill them all even, just move them to someplace where there's no people, like Wyoming, and pump that sweet crude right on home to papa. Or Poppy ... and his pals.
We have to do something, those freakin Iraqis just blew up another one of our oil pipelines!
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No he hasn't. His SPOKESMAN, Scott McClellan, has said that Bush said in the past Kerry served admirably. When pressed he made some mealy-mouthed resonse. THAT in reaction to John McCain's call for Bush to repudiate the ads, as Kerry repudiated an anti-Bush ad (immediately I might ad). He wouldn't repudiate the ads, as he should have. Why not? Let them to his dirty work.
It was only when this blew up in his face that he addressed it directly. And how do we know that? Because IF he had come right out and said "this is stevestojan and it should stop", it may have. Even if it didn't, it wouldn't have gotten all the play in the press and it would have died on its own.
McCain is on record as planning to have a few - or many - words with Bush on the topic this week during the convention.
He was backed into a corner and had no choice. And the AP poll released yesterday proved it.
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Hmmmm and for the past 4 weeks when all this swift boat crap was going on, why didn't he say any of it then to demonstrate his humility and ability to unite?
Oh that's right, because back THEN it wasn't general knowledge that his chief legal advisor had also advised the group AND that one of the group was actually on his re-election campaign's veterans' panel.
And probably also because most news outlets are condemning the group and their divisive ads, and most people now believe Bush is behind them, and only a small fraction of people (most of them HERE) believe that Kerry was dishonest.
Yeah, humble, right. If he's humble then I'm conservative. But at least I'm not gullible.
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Well I was flipped off by Captain America, called a spermsuit by RKFast, and many other names, but I took them with a grain of salt. I think when things are said on the board like that, it is when people don't have a worthy rebuttal. I take it that way, and move on. I'm 31, not 18, and so people calling me names doesn't have the ol sting like it used to whan I was a kid
Shoot if if was only those two I wouldn't have wasted my best sarcasm.
Taking the high road gets old after awhile and I won't do it. I won't institute an attack on anyone here but I don't have to take one either.
Look at it this way: The Swift Boat Liars for Bush attacked Kerry. He brushed it off for 3 weeks or so. It kept up. He fought back and sure enough an AP Poll has just come out stating that almost 50% of Americans think the Bush campaign is behind it (well, maybe because it's true). The point is had Kerry not acted, it might have stuck. Instead the Bush campaign has egg on its face.
There are times to fight, and times to keep quiet. I'd not said anything to anyone but this thread broached ther topic and I answered.
I'm not criticizing you or taking anything away from you - good for you if it rolls off your back. Maybe you're a better person than me, but we're certainly different. It wouldn't matter if I was Mother Teresa, they'd still skewer me. Since I'm not Mother Teresa, I can tell them to pound salt, and I will. They certainly shouldn't judge you by what I do.
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I liked the Fair Tax proposal, from what I read, and then I found out that Tom DeLay supported it. That man is not to be trusted, so I'm a little suspicious now.
There is an interesting treatise out there titled "The Least of These" which was written by a theologian regarding fair taxation in a Judeo-Christian society. I think that's what we're supposed to be, at least that's what I hear. In any event, I won't go into it too much because neocon heads might explode, but it it rather interesting. Basicially WWJT (who would Jesus tax) and what would He do with it...it would make for an interesting discussion with someone like DeLay who purports to be Christian and anti-tax.
It's still packed away in my boxes somewhere, I don't think you can get it at bookstores since I had to go to the university press and get it, but it's quite interesting. If anyone wants the name of the press PM me.
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To answer the original question, it could be that:
1) There isn't much of a "forum" any more in terms of there being discussion or debate, unless one counts name-calling and personal insults.
2) The topics are generally not worth addressing, seemingly ripped from the pages of the National Enquirer.
3) The atmosphere is distasteful. After being away a few days, then coming back and sampling the posts, I was put in mind of entering a room where something foul and fetid dwelled. Perhaps it's all the bottom-dwellers, I don't know, but it would be more pleasant sniffing a diaper pail if you ask me.
4) Or perhaps it's just mere courtesy, not wishing to interrupt the delusional circle-jerk you've all been enjoying.
Have a nice day!
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It's nice to see how much you care about the plight of your fellow Americans. I didn't say Kerry had the answer but it's obvious Bush does not.
So I still don't see anyone justifying four more years of an economic policy that continues to plunge more Americans into financial distress.
If you actually look at the report on the Census Dept site you'll see that many of the areas were flat with the exception of CHILDREN. The numbers of children living in poverty and without health care have been what's increased the most.
But, ho hum. Just trot out your narrow, trite and nasty reponses. Damn kids, that's why abortion is legal I guess. Put 'em out of their misery. Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?
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As the story says, the ranks of the poor an uninsured have swelled over the past three years.
I guess most people on this board don't care until it happens to them.
Four years of the current economic policy have definitely had some results at least.
The Police Officer is in Stable Condition...
in Politics, Polls, and Pundits
Posted
I'm sorry to hear that a police officer was hurt - I haven't seen it in the press nor heard it on the radio but perhaps I will this evening.
Regarding all the bitching about why we have lousy candidates to choose from: go read any number of threads on this board. When people stop judging qualifications based on how people look, what their kids do, whether they flubbed a question and other superficialities, then perhaps we'll get something more than a person with ambition and a thick skin.
Adapting a metaphor I've used before: If Mother Theresa ran for president, would we be reading about her wrinkles, funny accent and crooked back and making jokes about her vow of celibacy? Probably. So don't complain when good people don't run.