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Tuesday Open Thread

By Jeralyn, Section Blog Related
Posted on Tue Jun 14, 2005 at 07:48:48 AM EST
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I'm sure there are topics besides Michael Jackson you'd like to discuss today, so here's a place for them. I'll be back this afternoon to join in.

< Senate Issues Apology for Failing to Enact Lynching Law | Republicans Propose Retirement Age of 69 >

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    Tuesday Open Thread | 46 comments (46 topical)
    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#1)
    by Che's Lounge on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:01 PM EST
    The Governator has called for a special election this fall. He wants referenda on: 1.Limiting the amount of dues money unions can use for political contributions. 2. Putting caps on state govt. spending. 3. Redistricting the state. 4. Increasing tenure for teachers. We have a scheduled election 6 months later, in June 06. The unions and special interests are gearing up big time with tens of millions of dollars being raised. The cost of the election is estimated at 45 to 50 million. Recent polls show most residents do NOT support the special election. The TV will be flooded (again) with endless political ads, from bothe sides, desparately trying to outwit, outplay, outlast the other side. But it's all f***ing b**ls**t because the elections are rigged anyway. Now we can't even believe the exit polls, probably the most accurate measure of an election result you can get. It's not an opinion poll, it's like a census. A or B? Then report it. How tough is that? Unless there is a massive conspiracy to lie to the exit pollers (if you believe that one you really do have a screw loose). Redistricting is a nice way of describing how three republicans farmers in the san joaquin valley can add another repug seat in the state legislature. That's how low these a** holes go. And by the by, ASs has raised more than twice as much money in his first 18 months in office as did his predecessor.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#2)
    by Quaker in a Basement on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:01 PM EST
    If you've been following the story of the Pakistani woman who was sentenced by a tribal court to be gang-raped, Nick Kristof has an update in today's NYT. Mukhtaran Bibi spoke out against her rapists and prevailed in court. She was scheduled to travel to the United States. However, the Musharraf government has thrown her in jail to prevent her from "maligning" Pakistan. Please read it.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#3)
    by kdog on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:01 PM EST
    Freedom continues it's slow death. Check this out, the moral zealots are on their way into your living room. Will NY City and/or state govt. step in to preserve individual rights? I doubt it.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#4)
    by kdog on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:01 PM EST
    If I ever figure out how to link, it will be a miracle. [url deleted, not in html format, it skews the site. Instructions are in comment box, then use your preview button to make sure it's right]

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#5)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:01 PM EST
    kdog, give this a try, type EXACTLY what you see on the third line below the words "HTML Tags:" except replace everything between the two quote marks ("") with your http link. Then "Preview" the message to see if it worked. You can do it.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#6)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:01 PM EST
    oh yeah, type everything except the "= Linked text" at the end of that line...

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#7)
    by nolo on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:01 PM EST
    Actually, the easiest way to link is to do this: 1. Highlight the URL text in the address bar of your browser, right-click and hit "copy." 2. Write your comment, 3. Highlight the text in your comment that you would like to have serve as the link, then click on the "URL" button above the comments window. A window prompting you to "enter the URL" will appear. 4. Paste the link that you copied into the URL prompt window (being careful to delete the "http://" that appears in the window by default) and hit the "OK" button. 5. Preview your comment.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#8)
    by kdog on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:01 PM EST
    Thanks guys. Lets try this. marijuana kills Not smoking it, just having it in your pocket, and ending up in police custody.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#9)
    by nolo on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:01 PM EST
    Nice job on the link. Bummer of a story.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#10)
    by desertswine on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:01 PM EST
    Excellent kdog. Whadda depressing story tho. It sounds like the cops had a previous experience or two with these guys and maybe had a score to settle.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#11)
    by Dadler on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:01 PM EST
    Open thread poetry time (othewise known as I'm sick of gadgets today). "Blackberry in my Head" I'm suing you as we speak, you're weak in the cheek, I am linked2 the globe via the portal in my lobe, my con- nection speed is fierce & wireless through my pierce. When I blink it means I'm sending !Blink! & now the case against you is already pending, so put your hopes2 bed 'cause I got a Blackberry in my head.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#12)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:01 PM EST
    Nolo, ok, now I'm a moron. There's no "paste" thingy to click on in the "URL" prompt window, so how do you paste the link?

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#13)
    by DawesFred60 on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:01 PM EST
    Let us have a good talk about Joseph Lieberman and the up-coming Protesting his stand for the political Immigration act s.1033 and why Kennedy wants illagel alien amnesty..it is funny because the bill is called secure America and orderly immigration act, is it that the oligarchies want to secure America for the ideals of aztlan? but that will never be talked about in the land of freedom will it? this is going to be fun watching this non nation become mexico and the mexican oligarchies using its people to kill off the usa. bin laden and fox and bush must be lovers.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#14)
    by roy on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:01 PM EST
    There's no "paste" thingy to click on in the "URL" prompt window, so how do you paste the link?
    Right-click in the area where the text goes and you should see "paste". Or, on Windows and (I think) Linux, press Control-V.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#15)
    by Sailor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:01 PM EST
    Different browsers/versions and platforms render the html buttons differently. On the machine I'm writing from now there are no buttons, just text; at home the buttons work OK, but always put the tags at the bottom of the comment. On another workstation the buttons wrok exacly as advertised.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#16)
    by MikeDitto on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:01 PM EST
    A group of kids in Memphis continue to protest every single day outside of Love in Action, the brainwashing camp for gay kids. The director of this camp has been quoted in the press as saying that kids would stand a better chance of getting into heaven if they committed suicide than if they dropped out of the program. Since that sounded awfully cultish to me, I wrote up a post detailing the ways that this program looks like a cult using the definition by Cultwatch, a Christian anti-cult group.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#17)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:01 PM EST
    Thanks roy, both right-clicking and control v work.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#18)
    by MikeDitto on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:01 PM EST
    The style buttons only show on browsers where they will work, plus Safari where they "sort of" work. If you have JavaScript disabled, they will not show up.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#19)
    by kdog on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:01 PM EST
    When you guys talk computer-speak, it's like trying to understand Greek. Quick poll...Am I the only 20something person in America without a cellphone, and without a desire to get one?

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#20)
    by kdog on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:01 PM EST
    dwine...I actually spent the night in that same courthouse awaiting arraignment for my mj arrest. It's right around the corner from me. The sheriffs were real b**tards. I didn't get a beating, but when I asked for toilet paper to wipe my arse, they just laughed at me. All for .05 grams of reefer in my case, aka 2 roaches.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#21)
    by nolo on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:01 PM EST
    I'm glad roy was here to fill you in on the paste thingy, o sarcastic one. Sorry I left that part out.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#22)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:01 PM EST
    Che: "The Governator has called for a special election this fall." Getting full use out of the VOTE-FRAUD machinery they installed, as a pure act of REPUBLICAN America-hating, and taking $50 million more out of the school system IN ORDER TO FALSELY REDISTRICT MID-DECADE, like they did in Texas. Why would anyone want three retired judges to decide the districting, as opposed to ELECTED representatives in concert with their peers? Three??? That's like the vote-fraud Governator himself, elected by two CEOs (of Diebold and ES&S) and one crooked Dem SecState, now busted out of office. Today, Tuesday, join THOUSANDS of protesters meeting AS(shole) at SM college, 5 PM (17th & Pico). The AS(shole) will be speaking at Commencement (because a rightwinger now runs the college, sob). Thursday & Friday, vote-fraud activists will be gathering in the hundreds in Sacto to testify at the vote-fraud Diebold/ES&S hearings. If you are in N. Cal, honor the DC Downing Street protest there, fighting those enemies of democracy.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#23)
    by desertswine on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:01 PM EST
    Am I the only 20something person in America without a cellphone, and without a desire to get one?
    Why, yes. Yes you are. No, no, I'm only kidding. I won't have one either (but I'm 50something).

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#24)
    by kdog on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:02 PM EST
    I had to ask because someone asked to borrow my cellphone today, and when I said I didn't own one, their jaw hit the floor. They said "How do you live without one?" I said "By eating and drinking, same as always." I can only imagine the reaction I would get if I said I don't have a checking account.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#25)
    by Che's Lounge on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:02 PM EST
    Kdog, You are a hoot. No cell? No credit cards? No banks? What kind of american are you?

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#26)
    by ppjakajim on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:02 PM EST
    Quaker - Truly terrible. And then we have this article on a 16 year old hung because she was raped.And then we have the "honor" killings of young women who have "embarassed" the family. Enough to make a persopn say, "Hey! These folks have some real problems that need fixing, now!"

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#27)
    by jimcee on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:02 PM EST
    Mid-forties, no mobile phone yet but...well who knows. The idea that the Paki's have some serious social problems with "honour" killings doesn't surprize me at all as that is part of their social fabric, as sh*tty as that might be. To blame these primitive interpretations of Islamic Law on BushCo is irrational or at least sophmoric on the part of those who would assign all blame for the World's problems on the US. The softness of this country starting after the Korean conflict is pathetic and the whininess of the "chattering classes" makes us that much weaker in the world's eye.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#28)
    by Quaker in a Basement on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:02 PM EST
    "To blame these primitive interpretations of Islamic Law on BushCo is irrational or at least sophmoric..."
    But nobody did that, jimcee.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#30)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:02 PM EST
    "--still not sorry since 1968." I meant EIGHTEEN sixty-eight. Or 1968? Or 1861, maybe. Or from birth, by right of being white. My country white or wrong. Right, Jim?

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#31)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:02 PM EST
    ...the whininess of the "chattering classes" makes us that much weaker in the world's eye.
    Um... actually, not. "The world" don't give a crap what the Americans are whining about among themselves. If the US is weaker in the world's eyes it's simply because the US *is* weaker internationally than it used to be. And of course pathetic military adventures in the Middle East don't make the US look any stronger. Au contraire, as the French would say.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#32)
    by ppjakajim on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:02 PM EST
    Pil writes:
    Gee, Jim, you sound like you didn't notice that your buddies didn't apologize for not stopping lynchings -- still not sorry since 1968.
    PIL, If you did not exist, like Dean, you would have to be invented by the right. Totally irrational. Totally without facts, just spewing bile and hate. The point was, dear PIL, that this young girl was in Iran. She was raped, and then blamed for it, so she was hung. The honor killings of female family members by male family members who feel embarassed by actions of the females is well known especially throughout Europe, and is obviously terrible. The above is happening, NOW. It needs to be stopped. NOW. Now if you want to ignore that and rant off about bad things that happened in the past, please do so. It helps my case. Because I am sure that those who opposed anti-lynch laws also had some red herring they could wave around to prevent the Senate from acting. And I am sure that those who opposed anti-lynching laws by fillibustering also spoke of the rights of the "minority" to not have their way of life - their belief system - changed, and how they deserved protection. Now I'm not too impressed with your logic capabilities, but you should be able to understand this. If the Senate could have shut down the fillibuster by a simple majority during those anti-lynching debates, it would have done so. That would have neen years and years and years ago. Someone else can do the research and tell us how many blacks and Jews would have been saved. But think about it, PIL. Sometimes the majority is right. Fillibusters are good only for those opposing what the majority want to do.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#33)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:02 PM EST
    James excretes the following.
    The honor killings of female family members by male family members who feel embarassed by actions of the females is well known especially throughout Europe, and is obviously terrible.
    Suppose Jimbo reels in one evening to his happy home in the good olde' US of A and catches Mrs. Jimbo with the pool guy. Jimbo goes to the dresser, pulls out his .45 and waxes his wayward wench. A not uncommon scenario in the Home Of The Brave and the Land Of The Gun. What's the difference, apart from a snappy label, between that and an 'Honour Killing' ? Not a hell of a lot I'd say, but brand it and locate it elsewhere and it's a great way for y'all colonials to look down on the rest of Civilisation. And why so down on Europe, cradle of your own pox ridden 'Civilisation' ?

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#34)
    by kdog on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:03 PM EST
    The credit cards really gets people Che. "What if you need something and don't have cash?"...."Then I don't need it" I'm a big hit at parties:)

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#35)
    by Patrick on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:03 PM EST
    Good news from Iraq... The California resident from Australia, Douglas Wood, was freed today in a joint Iraq US raid. I'll bet the family never expected that. Good job to all!

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#36)
    by glanton on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:03 PM EST
    Hume, that blathering pile of human waste has informed us that China bans words such as "freedom" and "democracy" on the blogosphere. Well, the Chinese have it all wrong and could learn something about the real meaning of absolute power by observing our own system. Use people like Hume to fundamentally alter the meaning of the word "freedom" so that the rulers can abuse power in its name. It's called "rhetoric," China! Get with the program!

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#37)
    by kdog on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:03 PM EST
    Nice glanton...they could learn a lot from us. Kind of like passing the most unpatriotic and unamerican bill imagineable and calling it the Patriot Act.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#38)
    by roy on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:03 PM EST
    Yes, giving a law a euphemistic name is clearly on par with nation-wide prior restraint of political speech.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#39)
    by ppjakajim on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:04 PM EST
    Delta, baby, sweetheart. Sly you aint! First, if I did I would be immediately arrested and tried. If I was a Hollywood star I would probably get off. Otherwise, I would mostly like go to prison and meet Bubba. Or even worse, become his girlfriend. Secondly. I find it totally disgusting that you cannot condemn such horriffic acts against women. As a person who actively promoted women's rights I cannot imagine anyone, much else another female, not rejecting such acts by Moslem men, especially family members, against women. Shame on you. Shame on you for even mentioning civilization in your response. You know it not.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#40)
    by glanton on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:04 PM EST
    roy, the whole point went right by you didn't it? Sorry, I forgot for Fox viewers its often necessary to write in crayon.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#41)
    by ppjakajim on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:04 PM EST
    Delta, baby, sweetheart. Sly you aint! First, if I did I would be immediately arrested and tried. If I was a Hollywood star I would probably get off. Otherwise, I would mostly like go to prison and meet Bubba. Or even worse, become his girlfriend. Secondly. I find it totally disgusting that you cannot condemn such horriffic acts against women. As a person who actively promoted women's rights I cannot imagine anyone, much else another female, not rejecting such acts by Moslem men, especially family members, against women. Shame on you. Shame on you for even mentioning civilization in your response. You know it not.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#42)
    by roy on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:04 PM EST
    Glanton,
    Sorry, I forgot for Fox viewers its often necessary to write in crayon.
    If you want to make fun of me for needing a detailed explanation, I'd appreciate it if you'd actually include a detailed explanation. You and kdog seemed to be complaining about politicians' manipulation of language. You seemed to think that using "freedom" to refer to something you don't consider "freedom" is an exercise of absolute power. I wasn't impressed. People use words like "freedom" in different ways. So? It's rhetoric, like you say, but it's no more an exercise of absolute power than mixing up "effect" and "affect". More importantly, you're still allowed to talk about "freedom" as what it means to you. Or did I miss your point?

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#43)
    by kdog on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:04 PM EST
    I was trying to say it would be smarter for China to stifle freedom on the sly, like our govt. Honesty is not the best policy when it comes to tyrannical govt.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#44)
    by roy on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:04 PM EST
    kdog, Oh. I guess glanton was righ and the whole point really did go right by me.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#45)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:05 PM EST
    "But think about it, PIL. Sometimes the majority is right." You aren't the majority, or you wouldn't have to STEAL ELECTIONS. And you aren't right, or you wouldn't have to LIE INCESSANTLY. Liar.

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#46)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:05 PM EST
    PPJ Wow, 2 replies to a pretty name, guess you don't get out much. But then cruising the threads makes it pretty obvious you are a repetitive, if creatively challenged, individual. As you seem to spend most of your time talking out of your @ss I guess its not surprising you find it hard to read the screen so I'll point out the gist of my previous post for you again. It is NOT defending violence against women (and by the way what's your position on Iraqi civilian women there you old hawk you ?). It is pointing out that branding such violence as "Honour Killing" and exporting it overseas as a foreign problem is insulting to both women and other nations. To reiterate the question posed, what is the difference between the two scenarios other than a snappy label and a chance for some nice Orwellian "US Good, y'all bad" finger pointing ? (George Orwell was an author, wrote books, remember books, not controlled by FOX, nice things books)

    Re: Tuesday Open Thread (none / 0) (#47)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:00:05 PM EST
    PPJ And don’t get me started on civilisation 'wide boy'[ (you can stow the sexist titles 'Mr Feminist,' your baby I sure am not) Cradle of civilisation was Mesopotamia, you might want to look up what it's called now and who the current barbarian hordes are. Try educating yourself, if that's possible.

    Tuesday Open Thread | 46 comments (46 topical)