September 6, 2007 archive

Sep 06 2007

Harry Reid: Republicans Agree Senate is Where to End Iraq

Mr. Reid, I know you are tired of getting these letters, but I offer you a ray of hope tonight. I offer you validation from the Republicans in their Presidential debate this evening. When you are looking for justification for bringing a plan to end the mistakes of the Iraq War to the Senate floor, look no further than presidential hopeful, Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul.

Now, truth be known, my guy in this fight is Ron Paul. And he, as I am sure you know, is against the war. Always has been. Well, tonight he got into a tangle with Huckabee as to if it is time to end this war. Huckabee, though a decent man, was using the old “you break it, you bought it” stance. Paul, as you know, is strict on the Constitution and wants out.

Let’s see how this played out:

Sep 06 2007

Midnight Cowboying – My Front-Porch Theory of America

Having the great fortune of growing up in place that was free and independent of the nothing we called the creeping American culture in Texas, I can tell you stories about people in my area that would make Faulkner blush and Roy Rogers laugh and do rope tricks. But the key to any good yarn is a community to base one upon, and I’m sorry I would rather look at Dick Cheney Glamour Shots where he wears a fluffy, all be it fun, red boa than listen to any more tales of suburban disturbance.  People are under the spell of suppression through opulence, whereas the quality of life is up to such a level the populace is in fear of change in fear of losing their mall food courts which daily have banquets the Romans would have called decadent. But the sacrifice was a common bond with their neighbors; just because a city has a name, it is not a town until there are a people.

The alpha point for this culture was rather simple and, at the time, viewed as a keen idea. In the swell years of America, the post-war family explosion ignited a need for place for these fine Americans to call home. They would also have to be fast produced to accommodate both the baby boom, and a longer living older generation.

At this time it would be convenient time to discuss basic home building. Up until this era, all homes had a dominating front to the street, with a front porch as the primary portal into the home (See Figure 1). They also had nice front lawns with actually used lawn furniture and always with a Norman Rockwell shady tree. The front porch was a focal point of social interaction that can still be seen on stoop fronts of Brooklyn.


Sep 06 2007

NYT: Dems to Cave for ANY “Compromise”

Crossposted from Daily Kos. let me go for some substance this time

Well, this didn’t take long. Here’s a couple of paragraphs from the story to make you angry:

The willingness to consider alternatives represents a shift by Democrats and is a recognition of changing political and practical realities they face in grappling with Iraq and its future.

Democrats had been counting on more Republicans to make a clean break from the president after the summer recess, but the White House has managed, at least temporarily, to hold on to much of its support.

Got that, the Republicans aren’t caving in magical September, and the Democrats are SHOCKED. So what are we getting in place of a date certain?

Republicans and Democrats are also discussing ways to tweak a bipartisan plan by Senators Ken Salazar, Democrat of Colorado, and Lamar Alexander, Republican of Tennessee [. . .]

more

Sep 06 2007

My thoughts on the Republican Debate

Please don’t promote.

Sep 06 2007

The Texans Next Door

I was bummed several years back when some stupid, racist, loud, Republican Texans moved in next door.  (There goes the neighborhood!!)  They put up a 15-foot flagpole right in the middle of my view up the valley – an otherwise “pristine” view.  Do I hate my country?  Am I patriotic?  Me, I think nations and empires are ephemera – they pass in the blink of an eye compared to the mountains that snag rain out of the clouds and send it down to water the landscape.  How we all live has, should have, to do with things much deeper than lining up behind a flag.

I asked them to move the flagpole.  Offered to pay for it.  The reply?  A nasty letter from a lawyer.  And they hoisted Old Glory up, and left it there for two solid weeks – day and night, through storms including a hailstorm.  They were gonna show me!  Violate the basic rules of respect for the flag to spite me!

Lovely, life here in the bucolic countryside.

                     

A coupla years later, in 2003, we had a medium-sized forest fire nearby which flared up on the 4th of July.  Named the Encebado fire, it was started by lightning and burned about 5,400 acres.

Sep 06 2007

Bush Derangement Syndrome

I was going to do a Matt Yglesias imitation and consider the argument (implicit I think) presented by Megan McCardle about whether  Paul Krugman is too well, anti-Bush. For us of course this is a silly argument. But Krugman is a New York Times columnist. Should he start his discussions of Bush policies from a more measured point and then argue why Bush is wrong?

It reminded me of Brad DeLong’s longrunning series of “serious” people who became “shrill.” And of course Krugman was the original “Shrill One.” Which THEN reminded me of a post I wrote at Daily Kos where I explained my own evolution on viewing the Bush Administration. I’ll reprint it on the flip.

Sep 06 2007

Bush inspires try for new world record in Sydney

Hat tip Sydney Indymedia

Nothing else reaches the frat boy. Maybe he will understand this.

Organizers in Sydney hope to set a new world record on Friday, mooning the president of the United States with 2000 sideways smiles simultaneously from Hyde Park, an area of Sydney not off limits for normal use during the APEC meeting.

Details at bumsnotbombs.org




by photobucket

blast it all. Imageshack:


Thanks LoE. I’ve seen about enough different versions of this image now.

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