Thursday, December 27, 2007

The Last Man on Earth Is Not Alone

I loved the 70's version when I was a kid


The new version was even better

Sunday, December 9, 2007

I'm Green, so shut up already!

Benefits.
Compared to gasoline only vehicles, flex-fuel vehicles produce:
Lower carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions
Lower levels of hydrocarbon and non-methane hydrocarbon emissions
About the same or lower oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions
Fewer evaporative emissions because they have fewer highly volatile components
Ethanol is a high octane fuel (pure ethanol is 113 octane). It is beneficial in engines that are designed to operate on higher octane fuels
If E85 is blended with 15% gasoline, the octane level of E85 is higher than premium gasoline Performance




Found an EH 85 station in Longview, only 40 miles away versus the 100 miles to Portland. Getting closer.

Friday, December 7, 2007

Pictures of the (not quite) Perfect Storm














Hurricane Who?

Our storms aren't important enough to be named by anybody. We just went through three days of Hurricane whatsitsname with winds over 120 mph for 24 straight hours as just a part of the thing. The other two days the wind was only up to 100 mph. It is day 7 of the event as I write this, or day 4 of the aftermath if you prefer. We got power back at my house night before last. Most of Clatsop, Lincoln, Columbia, and Pacific(WA)counties are still without service. We got cell phone service back late yesterday, and the internet popped up about two seconds ago. Jacq sent me a text and said that Astoria was mentioned once, briefly, on the Weather Channel. I'll post this now so that people know we are alive. Internet service will be spotty at best for the next several days.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Happy Xmas (War Is Over)

(Happy Xmas Kyoko
Happy Xmas Julian)

So this is Christmas
And what have you done
Another year over
And a new one just begun
And so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear ones
The old and the young

A very Merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

And so this is Christmas
For weak and for strong
For rich and the poor ones
The world is so wrong
And so happy Christmas
For black and for white
For the yellow and red ones
Let's stop all the fight

A very Merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

And so this is Christmas
And what have we done
Another year over
And a new one just begun
And so happy Christmas
We hope you have fun
The near and the dear ones
The old and the young

A very Merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear
War is over, if you want it
War is over now

Happy Christmas

Happy Christmas John

Friday, November 16, 2007

Whaaa !!!

Ducks rise to number two in the nation during bye week, but loss of Heisman candidate Dennis Dixon, loss to unranked Arizona Wildcats, will sink them in BCS poll.

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Oregonians, I Love You Man!

Yesterday the latest sin tax was voted down 60% to 40%. I'll update this post as election results come in today.

My Tarot

You Are The Moon

You represent the unconscious side of life, what happens in dreams.
You are capable of great genius - but also of great madness.
Emotions tend to be primal for you, both your fears and your fantasies.
Your intuition is always right, listening to it is the difficult part.

Your fortune:

You are about to embark on a very important journey - and a very difficult one.
Some of your deepest dreams will be realized, as well as some of your deepest nightmares.
Follow your creativity and visions; stay away from your weaknesses.
You are taking a voyage to the center of yourself, and you may be pleasantly surprised by what you discover.

Sunday, November 4, 2007

Ducks Beat #4 ASU Sun Devil's - Guarantied Rose Bowl Berth, Likely to play for National Title



EUGENE, Ore. (AP) -- Picked to finish in the middle of the Pac-10, Oregon has thrust itself into the heart of national title race.

Dennis Dixon threw four touchdown passes before leaving with an injury, and the fourth-ranked Ducks defeated No. 6 Arizona State 35-23 on Saturday, their second consecutive victory over a Top 10 team.

When it ended, students poured out of the grandstand and mobbed the Ducks at midfield. Last week, the Ducks beat Southern California to set up the West Coast's biggest game of the season - Oregon was in fifth-place in the latest BCS standings while Arizona State was fourth.

On a clear, crisp afternoon in the Willamette Valley, the largest crowd to attend a football game in the state, 53,379, turned out to watch the Ducks (8-1, 5-1 Pac-10) hand the Sun Devils (8-1, 5-1) their first defeat.

Arizona State came into the game as one of five undefeated teams in major college football, with its own hopes for a national title run.

Oregon ended those hopes behind the deft playmaking of Dixon and the running of Jonathan Stewart, who ran for 99 yards, including a 33-yard touchdown.

Meanwhile, the Ducks' oft-maligned defense sacked ASUs' Rudy Carpenter eight times.

Ducks Jump to No. 3 in BCS Standings

Thursday, November 1, 2007

Read the Two Posts below One after the Other

Hmm...funny how these anti-gay fuckers protest SO loudly, and then one of their own gets involved in yet another gay sex scandal. A theory I heard from a psychologist is that these guys (like Larry Craig) need to have the veneer of "respectability" in order to mask their own, shall we say, deviant lifestyle. If this is true, then that church is just chock full of queers!

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Father wins millions from war funeral picketers

Dylan Slagle / ASSOCIATED PRESS


Soldier's Family Sues Church For Picketing Funeral
Jury: Phelps should pay $2.9 million
Church seeking mistrial in lawsuit over funeral protests



MSNBC News Services
updated 9 minutes ago
BALTIMORE - A grieving father won a nearly $11 million verdict Wednesday against a fundamentalist Kansas church that pickets military funerals out of a belief that the war in Iraq is a punishment for the nation's tolerance of homosexuality.

Albert Snyder of York, Pa., sued the Westboro Baptist Church for unspecified damages after members demonstrated at the March 2006 funeral of his son, Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, who was killed in Iraq.

The jury first awarded $2.9 million in compensatory damages. It returned in the afternoon with its decision to award $6 million in punitive damages for invasion of privacy and $2 million for causing emotional distress.

Snyder's attorney, Craig Trebilcock, had urged jurors to determine an amount "that says don't do this in Maryland again. Do not bring your circus of hate to Maryland again."

Church members routinely picket funerals of military personnel killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, carrying signs such as "Thank God for dead soldiers" and "God hates fags."

A number of states have passed laws regarding funeral protests, and Congress has passed a law prohibiting such protests at federal cemeteries. But the Maryland lawsuit is believed to be the first filed by the family of a fallen serviceman.

The church and three of its leaders — the Rev. Fred Phelps and his two daughters, Shirley Phelps-Roper and Rebecca Phelps-Davis, 46 — were found liable for invasion of privacy and intent to inflict emotional distress.

Award 'exceeds the net worth' of defendants
Even the size of the award for compensating damages alone "far exceeds the net worth of the defendants," according to financial statements filed with the court, U.S. District Judge Richard Bennett noted.

Snyder claimed the protests intruded upon what should have been a private ceremony and sullied his memory of the event.

The church members testified they are following their religious beliefs by spreading the message that soldiers are dying because the nation is too tolerant of homosexuality.

“God promised dire outpourings of very painful wrath, and there’s nothing more painful than killing one of your children and that’s what’s going on in Iraq,” church founder Fred Phelps told msnbc.com in a 2006 interview. “That’s what we’re preaching and the forum of choice to deliver such a message, obviously, is the funeral of the kid that’s been blown to smithereens."

Their attorneys maintained in closing arguments Tuesday that the burial was a public event and that even abhorrent points of view are protected by the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of speech and religion.

Earlier, church members staged a demonstration outside the federal courthouse. Fred Phelps held a sign reading "God is your enemy," while Shirley Phelps-Roper stood on an American flag and carried a sign that read "God hates fag enablers." Members of the group sang "God Hates America" to the tune of "God Bless America."

Snyder sobbed when he heard the verdict, while members of the church greeted the news with tightlipped smiles.



The Associated Press and msnbc.com's Josh Belzman contributed to this report.

Wash. legislator resigns amid gay sex scandal

updated 1 hour, 2 minutes ago
OLYMPIA, Wash. - A Republican state legislator who repeatedly voted against gay rights measures resigned his seat Wednesday amid allegations he had sex with a man he met at an erotic video store while in Spokane on a GOP retreat.

In a written statement, Rep. Richard Curtis of La Center said that while he believes he's done a lot of good during his time in the Legislature, "events that have recently come to light have hurt a lot of people."

"I sincerely apologize for any pain my actions may have caused," he wrote. "This has been damaging to my family, and I don't want to subject them to any additional pain that might result from carrying out this matter under the scrutiny that comes with holding public office."

Three days earlier, Curtis had insisted to his local newspaper that he was not gay and that sex was not involved in what he said was an extortion attempt by a man last week.

But in police reports, Curtis said he was being extorted by a man he had sex with in a Spokane hotel room. The other man contends Curtis reneged on a promise to pay $1,000 for sex.

House Minority Leader Richard DeBolt, R-Chehalis, said that as more "troubling" details began to emerge, "it has become clear that he can no longer effectively represent the constituents who elected him."

His resignation was delivered to Gov. Chris Gregoire on Wednesday afternoon. A Republican successor will be chosen by county Republican leaders and will serve until the 2008 election.

Numerous efforts to reach Curtis or his lawyer, John Wolfe, by phone have been unsuccessful.

Curtis: Victim of extortion attempt
Curtis, 48, told police he was the victim of an extortion attempt by Cody Castagna at the posh Davenport Tower hotel on Oct. 26, search warrant documents said. Castagna, 26, of nearby Medical Lake, told police that Curtis had agreed to pay him for sex, then reneged.

Curtis is married and has children, according to his legislative Web site. Elected to the state House of Representatives in 2004, he voted in 2005 and 2006 against a bill that granted civil rights protections to gays and lesbians, and in 2007 voted against a bill that created domestic partnerships for same-sex couples. Both measures eventually passed the Democratic-controlled state Legislature and are now state law.

Curtis was among state GOP lawmakers in Spokane Oct. 24-26 for a retreat to discuss the upcoming legislative session. He went to the Hollywood Erotic Boutique early on Oct. 26 and met Castagna, who accompanied him to the hotel, police documents said.

The two arrived at the hotel around 3:30 a.m. and had sex, after which Curtis fell asleep, according to documents released Tuesday.

Curtis alleged Castagna took his wallet and later offered to return it for $1,000. Curtis said he only had $200 and left an envelope with the money at the hotel desk, the documents said.

Police reports said Castagna allegedly called Curtis and demanded an additional $800 and threatened to expose Curtis. But Curtis had already contacted police, who listened to the call and then met with Castagna.

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Ducks beat #12 USC-Serious run for National Title!


DUCKS WIN 24 - 17, AND THE FANS GO WILD !!!!!

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Typical Conservative Slant


----- Original Message -----
From:
To: Undisclosed-Recipient:;
Sent: Tuesday, September 21, 2004 2:06 AM
Subject: Fw: Taxation:


Today's Economic Lesson in Taxation

Let's put tax cuts in terms everyone can understand. Suppose that every day, ten men go out for dinner. The bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:

* The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
* The fifth would pay $1.
* The sixth would pay $3.
* The seventh $7.
* The eighth $12.
* The ninth $18.
* The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that's what they decided to do. The ten men ate dinner in the restaurant every day and se! emed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the! owner threw them a curve.

"Since you are all such good customers," he said, "I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily meal by $20."

So, now dinner for the ten only cost $80. The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes.

So, the first four men were unaffected. They would still eat for free. But what about the other six, the paying customers? How could they divvy up the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share'?

The six men realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being 'PAID' to eat their meal.

So, the restaurant owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.

And so:

* The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothi! ng (100% savings).
* The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (3! 3% savin gs).
* The seventh now paid $5 instead of $7 (28% savings).
* The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
* The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
* The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to eat for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.
"I only got a dollar out of the $20," declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man "but he got $10!"

"Yeah, that's right," exclaimed the fifth man. "I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than me!"

"That's tr! u! e!!" shouted the seventh man. "Why should he get $10 back when I got only $2? The wealthy get all the breaks!"

"Wait a minute," yelled the first four men in unison. "We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!"

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.

The next night the tenth man didn't show up for dinner, so the nine sat down and ate without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up at the table anymore. There are lots of good restaurants in Europe and the Caribbean.

David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor of Economics
536 Brooks HallUniversity of Georgia




Chuck Vanderveldt wrote:


The way taxation is represented in the below message is how our system is SUPPOSED to work in an ideal world. The republican party and mega corporations would have us all believe this is how it DOES work. There are a few twists that have been left out by the professor who wrote the metaphor below.

First of all, the first four men (the poorest) may well pay nothing for the meal. You can bet they still had to pay their share for gas in the carpool they rode over in. The richest guy at the table would make a windfall profit off of that since he owns the only oil company in town and is over charging for his goods. They would still pay a portion of the tip. Since they paid "nothing" for the meal, they were only allowed to have a wilted salad, some cold mac & cheese, and a sip of water. Serves them right, lazy-ass poor folk. Hell they only worked a 12 hour shift at minimum wage with 0 benefits to earn their meal.

Secondly, the way the government really divides up tax cuts would have the meal paid for more like this: The first four men (the poorest) would still pay nothing for their meal. However, the price of the gas they buy to get to the restaurant would increase by 50%. Since the restaurant owner is now making less profit, he would cut out the dressing on the wilted salad and switch to cheap, fake cheese on the mac. The richest guys would refuse to pay into the tip fund and the poorest 5 would have to divide up the $20 cost for that. That would mean each of the 5 poorest diners would have to pony up an extra $4 in hidden taxation.

Thirdly, while the 6th, 7th, & 8th men would pay $3, $7, & $12 respectively, the richest two diners would sneak an expensive bottle of Cognac out of the lounge and charge it to the bar tab of those middle class three.(huge federal deficit, trade imbalances, cutting funds for school lunches etc) A back door charge of probably $250 (using the same relative percentages in the example). Of course, the three middle class men wouldn't actually get to drink any of the Cognac. So for the cheeseburger and diet coke that would be served, the middle class three would really be paying $86.33, $90.33, and $95.33.

El numero Quattro, the 9th man would pay $18 and eat a pretty good steak, medium rare. He would get one glass of a medium quality red wine and a small sip of the Cognac. The richest man would be billed $59 but would complain that his fillet mignon was cooked wrong, the creme' brulet was not up to his standards and the bottle of (put your favorite expensive champagne here) was not the right year. Therefore he would refuse to pay the full amount and tell the owner to be happy with the $1.77 he is willing to give him. (97% reduction, that's about how much the IRS figures big corporations avoid paying by using loop holes in the system). Since the restaurant is now losing money (small spelling point here - it is LOSING not LOOSING) the owner would relocate his establishment to the below mentioned Europe or Caribbean (outsourcing overseas). The two richest guys would simply dine over there. The three middle class diners would now eat the mac & cheese formerly served to th! e 4 poorest and the bottom most 5 would hope like hell that the Salvation Army shelter is still open and hasn't been replace by the 2 rich guy's latest strip mall. And that is the reality of our tax system, even for smart-ass college professors with white beards and leather patches on their elbows.

Chuck

by the way, you deserve an award for this one. perfect and beautiful.

ted

Pubs are truly Desperate now

----- Original Message -----
From:
Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2007 3:04 PM
Subject: Fw: History Quiz - Lesson


Surprised me!

-------------- Forwarded Message: --------------
From:

Here is a little history lesson for you. If you
> don't know the answer, make your best guess.
> Answer all the questions before looking at the
> answers.
> Who said it?
>
>
> 1) "We're going to take things away from you on
> behalf of the common good."
> A. Karl Marx
> B. Adolph Hitler
> C. Joseph Stalin
> D. None of the above
>
>
> 2) "It's time for a new beginning, for an end to
> government of the few, by the few, and for the
> few......
> And to replace it with shared respons ibility for
> shared prosperity."
> A. Leni n
> B. Mussolini
> &n bsp; C. Idi Amin
> D. None of the Above
>
>
> 3) "(We) ...can't just let business as usual go
> on, and that means something has to be taken away
> from some people."
> A. Nikita Khrushev
> B. Josef Goebbels
> C. Boris Yeltsin
> D. None of the above
>
>
> 4) "We have to build a political consensus and
> that requires people to give up a little bit of
> their own ... in order to create this common
> ground."
> A. Mao Tse Dung
> B. Hugo Chavez
> C. Kim Jong Il
> D. None of the above
>
>
> 5) "I certainly thi nk the free-market has failed."
>
> A. Karl Marx
> B. Lenin
> C. Molotov
> D. None of the above
>
>
> 6) "I think it's time to send a clear message to
> what has become the most profitable sector in (the)
> entire economy that they are being watched."
> A. Pinochet
> B. Milos evic
> C. Saddam Hussein
> D. None of the above
>
>
> Scroll down for answers
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> &n bsp;
>
> Answers
> (1) D. None of the above. Statement was made by
> Hillary Clinton 6/29/2004
> (2) D. None of the above. Statement was made by
> Hillary Clinton 5/29/2007
> (3) D. None of the above. Statement was made by
> Hillary Clinton 6/4/2007
> (4) D. None of the above. Statement was made by
> Hillary Clinton 6/4/2007
> (5) D. None of the above. Statement was made by
> Hillary Clinton 6/4/2007
> (6) D. None of the above. Statement was made by
> Hillary Clinton 9/2/2005
> May Want to Question ...or Be afraid, Be very afraid!!
>

RESPONSE FROM HOLLANDER TEAM........................

Now, After all of the evidence of how Bush, the Republican controlled congress, and the radical religious right have continually screwed the country, you are actually going to buy in to this anti-Hillary stuff? First of all, did you investigate each individual statement and confirm that she actually said them? Then, if she did, did anyone check on the context in which the statements were made? Thirdly, I could make up a questionnaire such as this about Bush and the Republicans which would be far longer and have many times more incriminating allegations.

Is the author of this exam worried that president Hillary wants us to become a communist nation? That is what seems to be implied here. My belief is that the far more likely thing she meant (if she did say these things) is that we need to take away from the greedy, super rich, crooks of the country. People like CEO's who literally make 100 million times more money than the regular employees of a company, even while running said company into bankruptcy. I think that rather than focusing on some perceived slights against Americanism by Hillary Clinton, we ought to pay much more attention to things like - how are we going to win and end the war (which has now lasted longer than World War II), and what the hell possessed Bush to veto the SCHIP bill.

Lastly, I wonder what it is about Mrs. Clinton that makes some people hate her so much. Is it that she is a woman? A woman who refuses to keep her place, like in the kitchen, barefoot and pregnant? Is it that she would like for ALL Americans to have health care, not just the wealthy and those lucky few who receive benefits through their employers? I would like to see an itemized list from anyone as to what, exactly, she has done that has supposedly screwed the country so thoroughly. My bet is, if they are truly honest about it, they hate her because she stuck by Bill when he got a blowjob in the Oval Office. Personally, I was much more offended that the Republicans spent billions of my tax dollars to investigate the President's wiener.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

From our dear Buddhist friends (complete with terrible para-phrasing): In good times, remember the bad in order to keep yourself grounded. In bad times, remember the good so as to give yourself hope.

Remember the Bill Clinton era, and the spring of the 21st century.

Clinton camp relishes Republicans' focus
BY TOM BRUNE | tom.brune@newsday.com
October 23, 2007

WASHINGTON - After GOP presidential hopefuls voiced jeers, snide remarks and hand-wringing warnings about a possible Hillary Rodham Clinton presidency during their recent debate, the Democratic front-runner's aides smirked.

"We can understand why they're all so angry," Clinton spokesman Blake Zeff said yesterday. "As Chris Wallace made clear, Hillary is beating each of them."

During Sunday's debate sponsored by the Florida Republican Party and Fox News, moderator Wallace said, "All of you - I repeat all of you - are losing to her in the polls."

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Compassionate Conservative

But ultimately, the president's demand for a far more limited extension of the existing insurance program held sway with enough Republicans. Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) charged that "SCHIP stands for Socialized, Clinton-style Hillarycare for illegals and their parents."

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Perpetrate your Violence on my Soul

Tumultuous.
Who asked for all this turmoil in here? It wasn't me, was it.
It was me, old friend
I thought I saw you come in, who are you again?
Just someone you once knew
Once, from long ago? Who are your friends?
I have always been with you, these others are new
Could you quiet them please, its so hard to think in here with all this noise
They aren't saying anything, little one
Please, I can't think any more. Tell them to let me be.
Only you can do that, they listen to you alone
Aren't you supposed to shield me? Make them go away!!
Try young one...speak and listen to what they say
NO, there are too many
Try
I am you, you are me, we are one but not the same. Perpetrate your violence on my soul, you cannot change my world.
They have not changed. You lost your world and you must now find your way.
But I can't move...

Monday, October 15, 2007

Repent, Ye Sinners!


This coming election day we are voting on an increase in the cigarette tax. This particular tax is supposed to fund health care for thousands of uninsured children in Oregon. My first question is: What happened to the other tobacco taxes the state has levied? Wasn't that revenue supposed to go to children's health care? I take this proposed tax as a personal attack. Why should I pay for other people's children to have health care when I can't even afford any for myself? Here's an idea. Put a huge tax on Lego's and juice boxes. Then the people who have children are paying for their own damn health costs.

Tuesday, October 2, 2007


"We weren't heroes.
We were guys who were there, and we did what we were supposed to do."
- Pete Lansford, US Marine, Iwo Jima

That, sir, is the very definition of hero.

Monday, October 1, 2007

Do Not Vote for This Guy

He doesn't want Democrats to vote—unless it's to appoint him to the Federal Election Commission.
By Dahlia Lithwick
Posted Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2007, at 6:54 PM ET

Hans von Spakovsky
Another one for you to file under "fox guards the henhouse": The Senate rules committee votes tomorrow (Wednesday) on whether to give Hans A. von Spakovsky a full six-year term on the Federal Elections Commission. For Senate Democrats to even consider allowing someone with von Spakovsky's background to sit on the independent agency tasked with protecting the integrity of federal elections is beyond incredible. If von Spakovsky is confirmed, it will be yet more evidence that Democrats have no more regard for the rule of law, or the integrity of the Justice Department, than Karl Rove does.

See the whole article here

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Monday, September 17, 2007

These two still have a great vibe Together

Free The Duck!


Now we know why the Duck was imprisoned and why college students were sporting tee shirts with "Free The Duck" emblazoned over a pic of the duck behind bars. Hi-Fuckin-Larious.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

DUCK UPDATE

I'm back from the game. Its 3 am and I am spent. Ducks thumped Fresno State 52 - 21 (That last touch down of theirs was scored in the last few seconds of the game after ALL of our starting players had been pulled out.) I'll tell ya about it when I wake up.

The Duck mascot has apparently commited some "crime" and was not allowed to participate in the activities yesterday. He did mysteriously appear on the jumbo-tron for a few minutes. I will investigate and report on these fowl doings.

Friday, September 14, 2007

Goin' to the Game

GO DUCKS !!!


Most schools go with the more terrifying animals for their mascots. We've heard many people deride the Oregon colleges for having such silly mascots as a duck and beaver. Personally, I like a university that has a self deprecating sense of humor, and can still kick the living shit out of a team like Michigan.

By Ernest Miller

An interesting story about a Disney character's use as a university mascot (Donald endures in hearts of Duck fans). It was a simpler time:

The university has had a web-footed mascot since at least the 1920s, when a live duck named Puddles surfaced at football and basketball games. A duck emblem was in use by 1933, and by 1936 it was starting to look more like Donald, catching the attention of Disney officials.

In 1947, Oregon Athletic Director Leo Harris shook hands with Walt Disney himself on an agreement to allow Oregon to use Donald as the mascot. The deal was put in writing in 1974 in a licensing agreement giving the university limited use of Donald at athletic venues.

Wow. A good-natured handshake agreement for almost thirty years.

Of course, such things could not be allowed to continue:

In 1991, the agreement was expanded to allow wider use of the likeness on sweatshirts, glassware and other merchandise.

The frenzied "charging duck" pumping his fists inside a large, eight-sided letter 'O' was a ubiquitous campus logo for years. It was eventually replaced as the UO marketing machine grew and felt confined by Disney's restrictive contract, which forbids the school from selling items with the Donald Duck logo beyond the Oregon border.

Although Donald is much beloved by Oregon fans, a stylized "O" will have to do for out-of-staters.

Ah well.

Saturday, September 8, 2007

So you got ripped-off by a huge corporation?


Gee, what a surprise that one of those benevolent entities would do something like that! Okay. Seriously. People are steamin' mad at Apple Computers for overcharging them for their new iphones and then subsequently dropping the price. Overcharging?What? You mean you had to pay a premium for being the first kid on your block to own the new Cabbage Patch doll? That's how these things work folks. Basic 101 business classes tell you that much. A new product comes out and costs a little more at first. As more units sell, the price drops and less wealthy consumers can afford it. Later on even poor people can afford one. Finally the market is so saturated with the WB6PD that the price goes low enough for all the hillbillies to have one in every room of the trailer.

Look. If you insist on being ahead of the bell curve by purchasing the latest, greatest, whiz-bang 6000 plus deluxe, the nano-second it comes out, you are going to pay more for the privilege of being a yuppie puke. I noticed a lot of television personalities whining about the supposed scam, including the normally thoughtful and wise Keith Olbermann. How much do you guys make in salary? You're bitching about a couple of hundred bucks. If I had your wealth I'd be spending that much on tips after lunch, you selfish jerks.

Now I've said my piece and will let you go. I'm sure you need to get in line for the next Star Wars movie. They haven't produced one yet, but hey, you'll be the first geek in line when they do. Be sure to bring your heel-less Skechers, your designer water bottle, your iphone, your ipod, your wii, and your crack-berry. Its gonna be a long wait to be first.

Friday, September 7, 2007

Judge Voids F.B.I. Tool Granted by Patriot Act

By ADAM LIPTAK
Published: September 7, 2007
A federal judge yesterday struck down the parts of the recently revised USA Patriot Act that authorized the Federal Bureau of Investigation to use informal secret demands called national security letters to compel companies to provide customer records.

The law allowed the F.B.I. not only to force communications companies, including telephone and Internet providers, to turn over the records without court authorization, but also to forbid the companies to tell the customers or anyone else what they had done. Under the law, enacted last year, the ability of the courts to review challenges to the ban on disclosures was quite limited.

The judge, Victor Marrero of the Federal District Court in Manhattan, ruled that the measure violated the First Amendment and the separation of powers guarantee.

Judge Marrero said he feared that the law could be the first step in a series of intrusions into the judiciary’s role that would be “the legislative equivalent of breaking and entering, with an ominous free pass to the hijacking of constitutional values.”

According to a report from the Justice Department’s inspector general in March, the F.B.I. issued about 143,000 requests through national security letters from 2003 to 2005. The report found that the bureau had often used the letters improperly and sometimes illegally.

Yesterday’s decision was a sequel to rulings by Judge Marrero in 2004 and a federal judge in Connecticut in 2005, both of which enjoined an earlier version of the law. Congress responded last year by amending the law in reauthorizing it.

The earlier version of the measure barred all recipients of the letters from disclosing them. The amended law changed the ban slightly, now requiring the F.B.I. to certify in each case that disclosure might harm national security, criminal investigations, diplomacy or people’s safety.

The law authorized courts to review those assertions, but under extremely deferential standards. In some cases, judges were required to treat F.B.I. statements “as conclusive unless the court finds that the certification was made in bad faith.”

In yesterday’s decision, Judge Marrero said that the revisions to the law did not go far enough in addressing the flaws identified in the earlier decisions and that in fact they created additional constitutional problems.

Recipients of the letters, he wrote, remain “effectively barred from engaging in any discussion regarding their experiences and opinions related to the government’s use” of the letters. Indeed, the very identity of the Internet service provider that brought this case remains secret.

The judge said the F.B.I. might be entitled to prohibit disclosures for a limited time but afterward “must bear the burden of going to court to suppress the speech.” Putting that burden on recipients of the letters, he said, violates the First Amendment.

The decision found that the secrecy requirement was so intertwined with the rest of the provision concerning national security letters that the entire provision was unconstitutional.

Judge Marrero used his strongest language and evocative historical analogies in criticizing the aspect of the new law that imposed restrictions on the courts’ ability to review the F.B.I.’s determinations.

“When the judiciary lowers its guard on the Constitution, it opens the door to far-reaching invasions of privacy,” Judge Marrero wrote, pointing to discredited Supreme Court decisions endorsing the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II and racially segregated railroad cars in the 19th century.

“The only thing left of the judiciary’s function for those Americans in that experience,” he wrote, “was a symbolic act: to sing a requiem and lower the flag on the Bill of Rights.”

Lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union, which represented the Internet company, said Judge Marrero had confirmed a bedrock principle.

“A statute that allows the F.B.I. to silence people without meaningful judicial oversight is unconstitutional,” said Jameel Jaffer, an A.C.L.U. lawyer.

Judge Marrero delayed enforcing his decision pending an appeal by the government. Rebekah Carmichael, a spokeswoman for the United States attorney’s office in Manhattan, said the government had not decided whether to file one.

Saturday, September 1, 2007

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

The Girls are Home!

Boy, I didn't realize how much I missed them.


Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Those Who Anger You, Control You

Beware those false friends and pseudo-lover's. They will worm their way into your life, your heart, your psyche. They will lure you with bits of hope, then reel you in for the kill. Once they have you, you are nothing more than a kitty toy for them. They will crush your dreams, smother your soul, and make you doubt your very humanity. Let them weave their contentions on their own. Let it be.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Vegas, Baby!

The front entrance to our Hotel

Back entrance to the Luxor

Fremont Street Light Show

Cindy and Mirilla drinking a James Tea Kirk at Quarks Bar

The four of us (plus two random people and the men's room attendent)


So we made a spontaneous trip to Las Vegas over the weekend. Man we crammed in a lot of stuff. By far, our favorite place was Dick's Last Resort Bar located inside the Excalibur Hotel. The staff there is made up of the biggest dicks you will ever see. Its their theme. I asked the bartender to take a pic of the four of us from my cell phone. He was very polite about it, a little TOOO polite. Then when I downloaded it to my computer I noticed the two totally random people he sneaked into the shot, and the men's room attendant, and Shawn pinching Mirilla's nipple. I laughed so hard I damn near puked!!

Thursday, August 9, 2007

Legend Has It


Lesbian character to Nick Nolte's character in some movie: "Just because I'm a woman, and a lesbian, doesn't mean I'm any different than any other person you know. Why can't you treat me with the same regard you have for all your other friends? Why can't we sit down and have a beer together and bullshit, like you do with them?"

Nolte: "Nice tits you got there, buddy."

Saturday, August 4, 2007

I Love Belated Birthday Presents

And I am a Giver, too

Its a Family Tradition...

I am torn somewhat by the idea of the family unit being paramount in society. I, myself, belong to a largish family and have a need for that. I also think that American society does not value the individual. WHA...?????, you say? Yep, that's right. I am a 46 year old, single, heterosexual, man. I was unceremoniously thrown out of a long term relationship not all that long ago. Now that I have been dating, playing the field, and enjoying a bit of promiscuity, I am getting pressure from many people I know to choose one woman and "settle down".

Have you tried being a 30 something year old, childless, woman lately? Talk about society viewing you not only as a pile of shit, but they usually add on an element of craziness or evil. A woman I know had a tubal ligation done when she turned 36, having never had a baby first. This allowed her to have (gasp) unmarried sex without the worry of birth control. The people around her have expressed their sympathy over her inability to bear children so many times that she wants to shoot them. " I DON'T WANT ANY DAMN CHILDREN" she will finally scream at them. That is her right, but people think there is something wrong with her because of her beliefs.

My theory is that, other than ancient tribal coflict, most of the ills of the world today stem from overpopulation. We are a pack of wild dogs fighting over every scrap of food, oil, medicine, housing, pussy, you name it. In a world run by hiz-imperial-holiness-great-smiling-chief-king of all he fucking survey's, Charles Vanderveldt, childbirth would probably not even be allowed for a decade or two. There are enough orphans throughout the world to supply most every family with any number of kids they may need.

I wish that American society would at least accept that a family does not have to be one man and one woman getting married and springing off 2.2 children and a dog. Family is what you make of it. The tribal unit can be made up of any type and variety of individuals. As dear Kuzzin Joe likes to say, "If friends are the people you choose to be your family, then family is the people with whom you are forced to be friends".

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

A comment of mine from Ted's blog

These are the times when EVERYONE gets mad at me. I believe each of you has taken a valid, yet narrow, point of view and accentuated it. I agree that this is not a war for oil. The oil robber barons didnt need to do that to get richer. Actually, the first Gulf War was for oil, and I didn't hear anyone bitching about that. Uh, yeah, we were saving poor little Kuwait out of the kindness of our big government heart. Look at a map of the Middle East - Kuwait was obviously meant to be a part of Iraq, at least geographically speaking.

This current war was for political gain and power here in the homeland (when did we start talking like 18th century Russians). There was also an element, within the American people, who truly believed that we are fighting for freedom and against terrorism. I agree with Jon that Islam is not a "religion of peace" Christianity, Judaism, and most religions are not any damn thing of peace. Honestly, I can't tell you the difference between a Sunni and a Shi'ite either, just as people from other regions probably can't tell you the difference between a Catholic and a Baptist.

Over the years I have met, interacted with, and befriended, probably 50 Arabic Muslims. Of course they were each individuals, with their own personalities, with positive and negative points. There were many more similarities than differences amonst them, however. Without fail, every Muslim I have ever met was happy to utilize the tremendous resources America has to offer, while at the same time speaking derisively (sp) about our "decadent" culture. Speaking just of the people I personally know, it is not a far leap from the disgust and contempt they held America in, to blowing up a couple of really tall towers full of people. I have the same contempt for Islam as I do for most every other organized religion.

Now I also agree with Ted that we need to get working on some major diplomacy, fast. We need to deal with Middle East countries from a position of power. That means we have to end our dependence on foreign oil immediately. It is also our policies, and our very presence, in fact, that is causing a lot of the unrest in the area. Not only do we need to pull our troops out of Iraq, we need to pull everything out of the entire mideast. Without oil in the mix, the US wouldnt give a rat's ass about how these countries run their affairs. They could all go back to the days of raiding each other's tribes on camel back. I find it astounding that the middle eastern countries have been so sophisticated, for so many centuries, that they gave us things like our modern numeral system; yet they are still so backwards that they treat women as slaves. Quite a paradox, it seems.

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Sunday, July 8, 2007

For Lovely Jacqueline


Dear friends, please take a moment to pay your respects to our beloved Jacq. Her mom passed away yesterday, and she could use our support and love.

Saturday, July 7, 2007

O'Really ?!?


I was watching the O'Reilly Factor for a couple of minutes yesterday. Two minutes is usually all I can take without puking. This time around I was mesmerized by what I saw and heard for a full five minutes. That's how weird this episode was. The "big man" himself was not present. They had a three-way split screen "discussion" going on about Muslims in America being lumped together in one group we like to call terrorists. The pro Muslim guest was a British Muslim, the anti Muslim guest was your typical American white guy, and the moderator was an Asian woman. The pro Muslim man talked about his anger at a quote by someone that basically called all Muslims a "cancer in our midst". The moderator glared at him and said "Isn't it true that ALL Muslims look so alike that we therefore cannot tell the good ones from the bad?" The Asian woman said this??????? To the British Muslim??????? While the AmeriKan laughed?????? It could have been an extremely bad Twilight Zone episode.

Monday, July 2, 2007

Attention: New Voting Requirements Instituted


I was reading a post over at Simply Left Behind that was, in part, about how stupid some American voters are. This has inspired Hollander to come up with a new voting system and a set of requirements necessary in order to participate. Every four years each citizen will take a set of mandatory tests that gauge their emotional maturity, experience, knowledge of recent world history, and their IQ. The emotional maturity standard will be set at that of a sixth grader. We know that is twice as high as most voters currently have, but we believe this is an achievable goal. For experience, it will be considered essential that each potential voter has traveled a minimum of 35 miles outside of their hometown, and stayed there at least 24 hours in order to expose themselves to foreigners and their strange ways. Knowledge of current world history will include events of today, last week, and last summer. We know this will tax most Americans short attention spans, but think it is necessary to have well informed voters. Now we come to the most vital part of the testing. Once the potential voter has demonstrated expertise in the prerequisite areas, he will then be allowed to take the IQ portion of the test. All persons who pass the tests will be forced to take part in the voting process. Once the voter's level is determined he will be led to the voting booth and the votes will count on a weighted scale, thusly:

IQ level 99 and below: not allowed to vote
IQ level 100 - 120: 1/2 vote on local matters, 1/4 vote on national matters
IQ level 121 - 130: 3/4 vote on all matters
IQ level 131 - 140: 1 full vote on local matters, 1 1/2 votes on national matters
IQ level 141 - 150: 2 votes on all matters
IQ level 151 - 160: 3 votes on all matters plus negates 1 vote from the US south
IQ level 161 - 170: 3 1/2 votes plus person of voter's choice performs oral sex
IQ level 171 - 180: 4 votes plus voter is appointed to the office of Vice President
IQ level 181 and above: You are obviously not an American and are, therefore, not allowed to vote

The conservatives have come up with a planned "revitalization" of the voting process as well. We give them kudos for their efforts, but think it is unnecessarily complex and just a little harsh. It is based on class, money, geographical location, and job description

Homeless: Taken out and shot

Mentally Ill: Put on a charter bus and dropped off in the middle of the night in Astoria (either Oregon or New York)

Illegal Alien: 1 vote but only on Bush immigration policies

Guy who scoops up horseshit in parades: East coast 0 votes, West coast 1/8 vote

Janitor: 1 vote but has to clean up the polling place afterwards

Accountant: 0 votes in Northeast, 1/2 vote in other blue states, 2 votes in red states, 12,000 votes in Texas

Carpenter: Decides what type of wood to use to build polling place, except in southern US where he decides what type of wood to use to build gallows since slavery was just reintroduced

Truck drivers: Northern tier drivers get one vote but will not be allowed time off to visit polling place. Southern tier drivers will be given 1 vote in each state they drive through

Lawyer: Prosecutors 5 votes (except in south where it will be 1864 votes) Defense attorneys will be taken out and shot with homeless

Judges: Activist liberal judges hanged, activist conservative judges get as many votes as they wish and an airport named after them

Military personnel: Get to vote on what meal is served when Condi Rice visits their mess hall on yet another wartime Christmas

Doctor: 1 vote but must have prior authorization from insurance and pharmaceutical companies

Rich guys: millionaires - one million votes, billionaires - one billion votes...
Rich gals: decide which color scheme to decorate the mansion for the upcoming social season

GW Bush: however many votes Dick and Daddy tell him he gets

Karl Rove: 1 vote, but that cancels out ALL other votes

Now we hope this brings some needed clarification to the process. We here at the Space believe that either plan is workable. It is up to you, the American (or AmeriKan) voters, to decide which system will be best for you.

Sunday, July 1, 2007

Monday, June 25, 2007

7 signs your sweetie may be cheating

I was in a reflective mood this evening. I realized as I looked back that I had all of these things happen to me within the last couple of years. So where was this handy little guide to the faithless back then? Well, maybe it will help someone else now.

Sign #1: Your sweetie keeps you a secret from his/her family & friends
Sign #2: Your sweetie is emotionally absent
Sign #3: Your sweetie says he or she wants a no-strings-attached romance
Sign #4: Your sweetie admits to cheating on exes—and justifies the betrayals
Sign #5: Your sweetie has never been without a mate
Sign #6: Your sweetie tells lies about little things
Sign #7: Your sweetie brags about his or her sex appeal

Dog Shit I Have Known

Let me tell you the dog shit story. Growing up I lived on a tree farm and the only company I had was my family and our animals. A little later when I started first grade, I was approached by this kid named Tony Trabbucho. He told me that he and I were going to be best friends and he laid out an outline of all the wonderful things we were going to do together over the coming years. This dissertation even included our double wedding ceremony when we found the right girls. Just a couple of months into the school year the nuns decided that I was too young for first grade and talked my parents into holding me back a year. When I started up again the next school year, Tony was now a second grader and I was crushed when he told me we could no longer be friends because he was now too sophisticated to hang out with a mere first grader. This was my first experience with "friendship" and it has had a life-long effect on me. I hated that guy for treating me like that. In fact, I STILL have animosity for him.

Now we flash forward to third grade. A new kid came into town named Dan Connelly. We developed a superficial friendship. If we had been older we would probably have been out having beers together. One day at recess Dan stepped in a large pile of dog shit. Immediately all the kids started laughing and teasing him. I didn't really see what the big deal was. As I said, I grew up on a farm and I stepped in one kind of shit or another at least once a week. I came very close to running off with the other kids, but I saw the look on Dan's face and I recognized that he felt the same way I had when Tony had so cavalierly killed our friendship. I was the only child on the playground who stayed by Dan's side, both figuratively and literally. He thanked me profusely and I saw the enormous relief on his face when he realized that at least one person was there for him. It felt good to make such a positive difference in someone's life. I decided at that moment that I would always strive to be the best possible friend to each and every person who came into my life.

Over the next several years I made a lot of friends. Without fail each one told me I was the best friend they ever had. I also discovered girls and sex. By junior high school I was quite popular. I was smart, funny, a great friend, and the cute new guy. You saw my football picture. It was during that time. I honed my friendship skills and could make a friend out of almost anyone. During my seventh grade year I took the biggest bully in the school from hating me and wanting to kill me, to being, naturally, my best friend.

Now high school is where things took a turn. As I told you before, the popular kids who had adored me in junior high now shot their derision at me once I stopped playing football and started hanging out with people they deemed to be unworthy. That's when I met my friend Dan Grafton and Cindy & Mackie. After my experience with these people and Tony, I decided at that time that friendship was mostly a bunch of crap. Dog crap to be precise. I also determined that while I was an excellent friend for people to have, the reciprocation was never there. Not once has anyone been as good a friend to me as I have been to them. Then the worst possible thing started to happen. I allowed myself to become good friends with several women. Always it was the same. Whatever they needed, I was there for them. If they needed a ride, the car keys were already in my hand. If they needed company at their family reunion, I was already wearing the appropriate clothing. Mostly, anytime some awful MAN hurt their feelings, I was there to pick up the pieces. After the crying was over and my shoulders were all wet from them lying their heads upon them, they would run back to whichever scrub had hurt them in the first place.

You see? I have always been the reliable, safe, caring guy. Women like those things but they are not the traits that attract them to me as a lover or any kind of a romantic partner. Its always, without fail, the edgy, somewhat dangerous, aggressive guys who end up taking the girl home after the big dance. And ol' reliable Charles, Chas., Chucky, whomever, is there when it all falls apart. Until the next edgy, dangerous, domineering man shows up in the picture. That is why I can no longer allow myself to be "friend" with a woman. The relationship may not be exclusively romantic, or in certain cases even sexual at all, but it cannot be what is considered a traditional friendship. To me a friendship is where two guys go out and have beers together. Everything else needs to be defined in alternate terms.

Friday, June 22, 2007

Go Away, Hillary Clinton!

This is a post the staff here at The Space wrote up nearly a year ago. Remember at the time that Obama was not so clearly in the picture. He may be that alternative to hillary we were looking for. This all original content post is reprinted here along with all of the comments posted by our dear readers and contributors. - Ed.






SUNDAY, APRIL 23, 2006
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED !!!
How many thousand days has it been since George W. Bush declared that on the deck of an aircraft carrier? How much war has been waged since? Exactly how wrong is history going to show him to be on that score? Will the war in Iraq and the war on terrorism ever be fully won? We will know all of the answers eventually. That IS NOT what this post is about, however.

We liberals must not make the same mistake in declaring premature victory in our quest to bring fairness, equality, honesty, and translucense to our federal government. The editorial staff here at the Space has been hearing a great deal of trumpeting about the impending Democratic victory in the mid-term elections and even in the 2008 presidential race. It is MUCH too soon for popping champagne corks folks.

We need to ask ourselves, "What are our goals here, what are we trying to accomplish?" While the neo-cons and the radical Bible thumpers like to accuse us of being unpatriotic, bleeding heart, W-hating, tax and spender's - we know better. Our goal in the past was to dig out the truth about the crooked administation that Bush has set up. It was to force light into the dark, seedy, corridors of corruption. Thanks to their arrogance and ineptitude this has come to pass without much effort on the part of liberals. Really, did we spend 1/1,000,000,000 th of the money the Republicans did on trying to nail Bill Clinton for getting a blow job?

Mission Accomplished may now be declared on that major plank of our platform. And while the low presidential poll numbers, the continual parade of scandals, and the never-ending war mongering may well assist us in achieving our noble goals, we need to refocus now. Our goal must be to take back at least one house of Congress and the Whitehouse. To that end we must make ourselves heard by even more people. We must write even more letters to the various editors of the country. We must be sure to get our friends and colleagues fired up. Getting them to promise to vote is not enough. Regular readers of this and other liberal based blogs will not bring in enough numbers at the polls. Search out your old maiden aunties, your drunken 18 year old step son, try an old girlfriend or two. Most importantly, grab those people who have fallen victim to apathy and shove their nose in the shitty conditions of the country.

And blog, my friends, blog. I know a faithful reader or two of this very blog who believe that we cannot and do not make a difference with our efforts here. Not true. This shit is world wide. If we make a concentrated effort now it can spread in time to enable us to confidently declare MISSION ACCOMPLISHED in six months and then again in '08.

Now the staff has a suggestion for the first topic. Hillary Clinton cannot win the 2008 presidential general election. As the editor here has noted in previous posts, she is a woman; a New Yorker (of sorts); an ultra liberal; and most notably is married to that evil Bill Clinton. We can't make a change, guys, if we can't get our candidate elected. Remember how John Kerry came from the back of the pack and kicked Wesley Clark's ass in the democratic primary. Now remember what the Karlrovians did to him in the general election. We might point out that Kerry was a decorated war veteran, an accomplished senator, and popular with the liberal base of the Democratic Party.

It is the position of the Space that we somehow convince our fellow Democrats to choose an alternative. Thus far we deem the best suited to be Evan Bayh of Indiana (Thank you Rich Bachelor for bringing him to our attention). He is telegenic; has a lovely blond wife; has two adorable twin sons; his father was the beloved figure Birch Bayh; and he plays well to middle class voters. We know, we know, you want someone who is more than just palatable to the public. We say get your candidate elected, then make changes. Oh, watch out for the McCain / Gulianni ticket. Think Hillary can beat Mr. POW and MR. 9/11 ??????? You want 8 years of that??
POSTED BY JACQ AT 8:45 PM
17 COMMENTS:
cats dig me said...
I expect lots of comments here, folks. Now is not the time to become complacent!
SUNDAY, APRIL 23, 2006 10:01:00 PM
Jacq said...
Refreshing....

It's still the good old boy network. Hills doesn't have a chance, alas. Despite the numerous other countries in the world that have women presidents, the US is still not gonna let it happen.
MONDAY, APRIL 24, 2006 11:21:00 AM
cats dig me said...
Its that damn puritanical streak we have in this country. We still think that a woman is going to have PMS and nuke the world. What a buncha shit! W is far more likely to incinerate the planet.
MONDAY, APRIL 24, 2006 12:36:00 PM
Jacq said...
True, very true.
MONDAY, APRIL 24, 2006 1:41:00 PM
carrier said...
Buy the Bayh?

Bayh's our guy?

It would be foolhardy to think that because the president's poll numbers are down in April it somehow translates into victory for Dems in November. A long hot summer lurks between.

Exchanging personal liberty for corporate oppression is not the way to go. No matter how sweet our 401K's grow...it isn't worth it.

And a little bit of that liberty flies out the window with every seat filled with a Republican legislator.

Big government isn't a bad thing as long as the folks that cast votes are still pulling the strings, running the show. At this time that is not the case.

The only way to counter the clowns with the clamps on the beltway is to gridlock them. That means winning a majority in at least one house of congress.

They will steer the issues away from the national questions and try to focus at the state and local levels. We can't let that happen. That is where these ethereal pages should come in handy.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26, 2006 9:42:00 PM
cats dig me said...
Don't let McCain fool us any longer either. He is an ultra conservative in moderate's clothing pretending to respect the liberals. He talks the moderate talk alright, but if you look at his voting record you'll see that he rubber stamps the Bush agenda with an alarmingly high frequency. He introduces legislature in the senate that sounds great to liberals and progressives, knowing full well that the bill has no chance in hell of becoming enacted. But then he can say "Hey lookit what I did my liberal pals" and fool us into voting for him. He even had the Hollander, himself, fooled a few years ago. Take our country back now in the fall elections just in case we run into that McCain train wreck.
FRIDAY, APRIL 28, 2006 12:34:00 AM
KEvron said...
"Hillary Clinton cannot win the 2008 presidential general election."

maybe not, but what can she do for dems in '06? she may not be presidential material, but get her on the stump and she's going to help a few more dems into both houses.

KEvron
SATURDAY, APRIL 29, 2006 1:35:00 AM
carrier said...
True. She may not have the national appeal to win a general election, but the former first lady could be instrumental in rallying the democratic faithful this summer and fall.
SATURDAY, APRIL 29, 2006 8:22:00 PM
Jacq said...
I definitely don't trust McCain. Ms. Clinton has a lot of potential but I'm still leary.

I don't know, Carrier. Money still makes the US go round. That's all most people seem to care about.
MONDAY, MAY 01, 2006 11:32:00 AM
cats dig me said...
I am all for Hillary stumping about the country. She just may be able to energize those soccer moms. If what I suspect is about to happen (and I am right about these things a scary amount of the time) actually comes to pass, we may not need to worry overly much about the Whitehouse race for a time. We need to have us a house in '06
MONDAY, MAY 01, 2006 3:31:00 PM
Jacq said...
Scary? Did you say Scary???
TUESDAY, MAY 02, 2006 5:58:00 AM
cats dig me said...
Scary to those who are amongst the uninitiated. I have developed a certain intuition about these things which usually proves to be correct. One little ol' house in 06, all we need. People involved just need to get together, make a decision, and let their feelings be known. Everybody has got to be sick of all this Bush nonsense by now.
TUESDAY, MAY 02, 2006 6:46:00 AM
Jacq said...
In getting the House together, there's a lot more involved than just the decision-making. It goes deeper than that. Some need to be in and others need to know when their terms have been expired. Sometimes it takes longer than we'd like.

Looking forward beyond 2006 myself.
TUESDAY, MAY 02, 2006 1:16:00 PM
cats dig me said...
Yep, you're right Jacq. We need to prepare for 08 now. Hopefully the Dems can convince the populace their guy is the right man for the big job after throwing out any unnecessary guys from the other houses. Imagine if we do this just right we might have that house we acquire for many years to come. Then we can do some fantastic things once there is no Bush around.
TUESDAY, MAY 02, 2006 8:05:00 PM
Jacq said...
Anticipation of the unknown. Scary thing.
THURSDAY, MAY 04, 2006 1:20:00 PM
cats dig me said...
Its all in the timing. Nice thing about time? As it goes by the scary unknown factors diminish and the possibilities present themselves. I must admit a bit of trepidation about 06, but am confident that beyond that things will probably turn out fine. Imagine a world without Bush in Washington. That place seems so far away and remote, but everything that happens there affects us all huh?
THURSDAY, MAY 04, 2006 1:33:00 PM
Jacq said...
I suppose then that we should never rush to judgement or have unrealistic expectations. I hate disappointments. But the end result may please everyone if the timing is right. I believe in that for sure.

Thursday, June 21, 2007

A Quiz for You (especially you, Jacq!)














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Don't be fooled by the title of an "Occasional User". Your on your way to being a full out addict! Beware the addiction.


 

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