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March Madness, Final 4

My picks: UConn +6 1/2 over Florida, Kentucky -1 over Wisconsin.

Go Gators!

Open Thread.

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    17:45 2nd: UConn 31, Florida 22. (5.00 / 1) (#6)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sat Apr 05, 2014 at 06:37:11 PM EST
    The Gators have looked totally perplexed by UConn since building a 16-4 lead over the first twelve minutes, and have since been outscored 27-6 over the last 10 minutes. They're now trailing by nine, and if they don't solve the Huskies' riddle really quick, they run the risk of getting blown out in the second half.

    Final: UConn 63, Florida 53. (5.00 / 1) (#12)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sat Apr 05, 2014 at 07:38:01 PM EST
    Congratulations to Coach Kevin Ollie and the UConn Huskies. After a horrible start in the first ten minutes during which they fell behind by 12, they seized control of the game and outscored Florida by 22 points the rest of the way.

    And hats off to the Gators for a great season, as they finish at a more than respectable 36-3. Unfortunately, two of those three losses were to UConn, who had their number.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    Final: UConn 60, Kentucky 54. (none / 0) (#186)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 10:33:41 PM EST
    Congratulations again to the Huskies and Coach Kevin Ollie. They took everything the Wildcats threw at them, and gave as good as they got.

    Has there ever been a prior national champion that lost a regular season game by 30-plus points? UConn lost all three games of its games with Louisville this season, one of them by an 81-48 margin.

    Next up tomorrow night, for the very first time ever, two undefeated teams will square off for the NCAA women's basketball championship with Notre Dame (37-0) going up against UConn (39-0). Gino Auriemma's gals seek to bring the title home to Storrs, CT for the ninth time and join their UConn male counterparts, who just contributed their fourth.

    If UConn wins, it will mark only the second time that one school captured both the men's and women's national championships in the same season. The last school to do it? UConn, in 2004.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    ... attempted to make a big deal on Thursday during a House Oversight Committee hearing about the fact that only 8,100 Hawaii residents had signed up for coverage under the Affordable Care Act of 2010, until calmly informed by Dr. Tom Matsuda of our state Dept. of Health that 94% of island residents are already covered under the state's Pre-Paid Health Care Act of 1975.

    As I've noted in these threads previously during the 2012 presidential campaign, while the east coast media focused incessantly on former Gov. Mitt Romney's 2006 health care reform act in Massachusetts, which they mistakenly assumed was the first of its kind, they clearly failed to realize that those reforms were actually based for the most part on the landmark legislation Hawaii had enacted over three decades prior. That said, both are the only two states in the country that presently cover over 90% of their residents.

    The Los Angeles Times takes a good look today at what Hawaii has accomplished in covering its residents, and how it actually highlights the uneven and often gross disparities in health care coverage throughout the United States. "We learned a long time ago that when you give someone access to medical care, they get healthier," said former Hawaii state health director, Dr. Jack Lewin. "Someday, maybe the rest of the country will learn that."

    Aloha.

    Never mind (none / 0) (#15)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Apr 05, 2014 at 08:22:22 PM EST
    I'm surprised Issa didn't shut down the meeting to shut him up

    Parent
    The funny thing is that Issa and his ... (none / 0) (#20)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sun Apr 06, 2014 at 02:44:38 AM EST
    ... Republican colleagues were attempting to disparage and criticize the two states which have the highest percentages of residents covered, because Dr. Matsuda's counterpart from Massachusetts was also in the House docket.

    That both the Massachusetts and Hawaii insurances exchanges underperformed these past six months, should be secondary to the fact that nine in ten adults between the ages 19 and 64 in both states have health care coverage, far and away the highest percentages in the country. Further, 99% of all children under age 18 are also covered, thanks to the MA and HI state children's health insurance program (SCHIP), which both states also implemented over two decades ago.

    Conservatives could actually learn a lot from liberals about the concept of sound and responsible governance at the state level, if only they'd ever cease their ideological posturing and d!ck-swinging.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    I suspect that was no accident but to give (none / 0) (#29)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Apr 06, 2014 at 10:04:49 AM EST
    The ditto heads a response to any suggestion what has happened in those two states is good.  

    "Yeah, but did you see how few people signed up for Obamacare there?"

    The facts will never make it into the discussion.

    Parent

    Really?? (5.00 / 1) (#66)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 09:59:04 AM EST
    Is losing your doctor good?

    Is losing your hospital good?

    Is seeing your premiums increase to the point you can't afford insurance good?

    Parent

    Oh, please, Jim. (5.00 / 1) (#101)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 03:20:49 PM EST
    By and large, people aren't losing their doctors and hospitals, any more than the elderly will be subjected to the whims of Sarah Palin's death panels. Enough with the unsubstantiated and refuted hyperbole, already. Your opposition to the ACA is clearly rooted in your own politics, and not in fact.

    Financially, medical facilities -- particularly those located in rural locales -- are far more vulnerable to the escalating costs of uncompensated care, given that the law requires hospitals to provide care for everyone who walks through the doors of their emergency rooms.

    It's much, much more expensive to reactively treat patients who present themselves with a serious medical condition, than it is to proactively provide people with access to preventative care. And who do you think ultimately picks up the tab for uncompensated care?

    Again, you guys on the right who criticize the ACA continue to offer absolutely no practical alternative proposals to address the ongoing problems of health care delivery in this country, save for a return to what was obviously an unsustainable and failing status quo.

    Responsible governance means constantly searching for practical solutions to real problems, whereas conservatives nowadays appear merely content to both indulge their ongoing love affair with the sound of their own bombast and retard the scene generally.

    Because over 90% of Hawaii residents have health care coverage, it's hardly surprising that they are on average the healthiest people in the entire country, with life spans that exceed U.S. mainland residents by an average of five-plus years. Health care in Hawaii is considered a right, and not a commodity.

    Conversely, less than 70% of people in Texas are covered by health insurance, and their mortality rates are much higher for diseases which otherwise might not have proved fatal, had they a real opportunity to receive an earlier diagnosis and treatment that adequate health care coverage can provide them.

    As Dr. Jack Lewin said, someday the rest of the country will finally learn what islanders have known for over four decades now. When you provide people with access to health care, it makes them healthier, increases their productivity and lowers overall costs.

    Trafficking in misinformation and trying to scare people, which is what you and your friends on the political right are doing, will accomplish none of that.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    As usual you display an amazing (none / 0) (#122)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 04:15:12 PM EST
    lack of knowledge and a faulty memory.

    The memory first. I am not a "guys on the right." You have obviously forgotten my numerous expressed opinion that we need a single payer system based on the Medicare model paid for by a national Federal Sales Tax.

    And I love your "by and large." Is that an acceptable excuse for the horror and pain that thousands of people are facing?

    Do you have no care? No sympathy?

    I don't think you do. I think you embrace Stalin's comment:

    'A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic.'



    Parent
    Minutus cantorum, minutus balorum, (none / 0) (#123)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 04:28:02 PM EST
    minutus carborata descendum pantorum.

    Parent
    Capt, do you have an actual comment?? (none / 0) (#153)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 07:09:59 PM EST
    Would you like to debate??

    Better yet, are you capable of debating? Or is it that you really have nothing to say beyond some statement of personal need??

    I urge you. Explain what I should take you seriously??

    Parent

    Why should the good Cap'n ... (none / 0) (#156)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 07:19:26 PM EST
    ... waste precious time debating someone who shows no respect for facts and truth?

    Parent
    Why should anyone debate (none / 0) (#160)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 07:29:13 PM EST
    someone who has no sympathy for individuals yet is constantly moaning about group fate.

    That is the embodiment of elitism flavored with Marxism.

    And that person is you.

    Parent

    Te audire no possum. (none / 0) (#159)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 07:27:10 PM EST
    Musa sapientum fixa est in aure.

    Parent
    Jim, you are simply not being honest ... (none / 0) (#164)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 07:33:38 PM EST
    ... with us regarding your rationale for opposing the ACA, which again is rooted firmly in your own personal politics and hatred -- yes, I said "hatred" -- for Democrats and for this president in particular, and not in any fact-based analysis. All you're doing here is recycling long-since-disproven talking points from your own party.

    As such, I have no interest in discussing this issue any further with you.

    Have a nice evening.

    Parent

    I suspect you're probably right. (none / 0) (#37)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sun Apr 06, 2014 at 03:42:31 PM EST
    "Facts are stubborn things, and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence."
    -- John Adams (1735-1826), "Argument in Defense of the Soldiers in the Boston Massacre Trials" (December 1770)

    One cannot argue logically with those persons who both offer their own baseless conjecture as fact, and dismiss those facts not to their liking as nothing more than fanciful theory. We can only take solace in the thought that while reality will inevitably bite everyone, it will mercilessly chew up the willfully ignorant.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    "The truth (none / 0) (#38)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Apr 06, 2014 at 03:56:26 PM EST
    Is whatever people will believe"
                                       -Roger Ailes

    Parent
    Yeah, I know (none / 0) (#39)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Apr 06, 2014 at 03:59:05 PM EST
    The quote has been challenged.  But do you believe it's something he would say?  I do.

    Parent
    It sure sounds like something ... (5.00 / 1) (#46)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sun Apr 06, 2014 at 06:51:09 PM EST
    ... that the odious Mr. Ailes might say. But the "quote" itself should not be directly attributed to him, because it's actually a variation of something that was first written by author Joseph Heller in his 1984 work, God Knows: "The truth is whatever people will believe is the truth. Don't you know history?"

    In that vein, I'm also reminded of a great line from what I consider to be one of director John Ford's better westerns, "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" (1962).

    The entire political career of U.S. Sen. Ransom Stoddard (James Stewart) was falsely premised upon the public's firm but mistaken belief that he had heroically rid his hometown of the notorious hired gun Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin), who had been employed by local cattle barons for the purpose of terrorizing neighboring farmers and rachers and driving them off their lands.

    But the actual credit for that particular deed should have properly gone to someone else entirely, namely local rancher Tom Doniphon (John Wayne), who had further saved Stoddard's life by shooting Valance before the psychotic mercenary could finish him off in a one-sided gunfight.

    Years later, when Stoddard returned home for Doniphon's funeral and was moved to finally come clean with his constituents regarding the exact circumstances surrounding the death of Liberty Valance, he confessed all to local newspaper editor Maxwell Scott (Carleton Young) and then asked whether Scott would be willing to publish the truth, along with the senator's accompanying mea culpa.

    "No, sir," replied Scott. "This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, you print the legend."

    Aloha.

    Parent

    And this covers Donald and Howdy's (none / 0) (#81)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 12:42:01 PM EST
    beliefs..

    Credo quia absurdum, I believe it because it is absurd
    .

    Parent
    oscula mea asino (none / 0) (#83)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 01:08:44 PM EST
    KMA? (none / 0) (#84)
    by oculus on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 01:21:42 PM EST
    Non curo. Si metrum non habet, (none / 0) (#100)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 03:17:57 PM EST
     non est poema.


    Parent
    You know, Jim, if you're just going ... (none / 0) (#154)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 07:10:11 PM EST
    ... to show up here on random occasions to contemptuously fling personal insults at others, simply because you so happen to disagree with them without even bothering to be honest as to your reasons why, then you squarely fit Jeralyn's definition of a troll and should be treated accordingly.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    Donald, (none / 0) (#163)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 07:31:33 PM EST
    I have been "showing up" around here since March of 2003.. and your definition of a troll is anyone who disagrees with you.

    Parent
    Jim, you're simply trolling. (none / 0) (#165)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 07:35:57 PM EST
    Period. End of discussion.

    Parent
    But he is trolling (none / 0) (#168)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 07:40:46 PM EST
    In Latin.  You gotta love that.

    Parent
    Thus spake Jim, ... (none / 0) (#157)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 07:24:09 PM EST
    ... a legend in his own mind.

    Parent
    RIP Peter Mathiessen (5.00 / 1) (#23)
    by ruffian on Sun Apr 06, 2014 at 09:19:18 AM EST
    One of my favorite writers. If there is an afterlife he is the one I want documenting it.

    Time to finish reading "The (5.00 / 1) (#32)
    by oculus on Sun Apr 06, 2014 at 11:55:40 AM EST
    Snow Leopard."

    Parent
    The only one I ever read (none / 0) (#24)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Apr 06, 2014 at 09:36:48 AM EST
    Was At Play In The Fields Of The Lord but based on that I would agree how was a fair and balanced approach to the subject

    Rip

    Parent

    His book Bone by Bone (none / 0) (#28)
    by jondee on Sun Apr 06, 2014 at 10:03:56 AM EST
    was easily the most powerful American historical
    -fiction novel I've ever read. There aren't even any close second places.

    Parent
    Then I would recommend that you ... (5.00 / 1) (#45)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sun Apr 06, 2014 at 05:38:22 PM EST
    ... also seriously consider reading Mr. Mathiessen's Shadow Country: A New Rendering of the Watson Legend, which was first published in 2008.

    It's important to note here that the 1999 novel Bone by Bone is actually the concluding volume of a trilogy, which includes Killing Mr. Watson (which was first published in 1990) and Lost Man's River (1997). For Shadow Country, Mathiessen essentially reworked and re-edited all three of those books into a single and seamless 900-page narrative, which is further told in three parts under the aforementioned three titles.

    Shadow Country subsequently won the 2008 National Book Award for best fiction, which I think is an altogether fitting valedictory for the author's prolific and illustrious career.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    IN THE SPIRIT OF CRAZY HORSE (none / 0) (#25)
    by Dadler on Sun Apr 06, 2014 at 09:52:05 AM EST
    I still say those sculptures (5.00 / 1) (#30)
    by jondee on Sun Apr 06, 2014 at 10:27:54 AM EST
    on Mt Rushmore (Paha Sapa) are as abominably disrespectful and arrogant a gesture as carving Bismark and Fredrick the Great on the Wailing Wall would be.

    All I can think of is "I am Ozymandias King of Kings"..

    Parent

    I remember visiting Mt. Rushmore ... (5.00 / 1) (#34)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sun Apr 06, 2014 at 02:34:01 PM EST
    ... with my family as a teenager, and being much more impressed by the obvious failure to clean up the tons upon tons of stone rubble that still clutters the base of the mountain below the sculptures, than by the actual carvings themselves. I'd certainly never go out of my way to see it again.

    Personally, I believe that Borglum & Son's creation stands both as testament to the self-absorbed nature of American exceptionalism, and as an extreme example what can possibly result when someone has a warped sense of priorities and way too much time on his hands.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    Arrogant? (5.00 / 1) (#68)
    by squeaky on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 10:58:42 AM EST
    Why arrogant? Because it transform nature? Or honors Jefferson, Lincoln, Washington and Roosevelt?

    North by Northwest wouldn't be what is is without the sculptures. and that would be a huge loss.

    I was blown away by the site when I saw it, particularly the scale. The scrub pines make the heads look much larger than they really are, so it was shocking for me to see how small the heads really are.

    Also the gift shop is amazing. It is a treasure. The whole thing is fabulous. What a downer for you and others here to call the work arrogant.

    It is very hard for me to put myself in your shoes on this one.
    The piece employed many workers, and brings thousands to a very depressed part of the US.

    I guess if you are thinking along the lines of the Taliban or other despots, you would have them destroyed like the Buddhas of Bamiyan.

    What a boring idea to have no art in the world.. Or only art that you like.

    Parent

    Jondee called those sculptures ... (5.00 / 4) (#149)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 06:53:58 PM EST
    ... "disrespectful and arrogant" because Mt. Rushmore -- the Lakota name for which is translated as "Six Grandfathers" -- is nestled squarely in the middle of the Black Hills, a place of tremendous spiritual significance to the Lakota Sioux people which is considered sacred ground, not at all unlike what the Wailing Wall means to the Jewish people.

    From an historical standpoint, the Black Hills were formally designated as Lakota territory per the 1868 Treaty of Ft. Laramie, which was subsequently ratified by Congress and ended a long-running and bloody conflict between the U.S. and the Lakota over control of the region in the Indians' favor. This conflict is also known as "Red Cloud's War," after the chief who waged it successfully.

    Six years later in 1874, the 7th Cavalry under Brig. Gen (Brev.) George A. Custer entered the Black Hills illegally under the guise of conducting a land survey, despite Indian protestations. Custer then subsequently announced to the media that there was gold in them there hills, which set off a stampede of white miners into the region -- much to the consternation of the Lakota, who then requested the U.S. government to remove both the 7th Cavalry and the miners from their lands, per the terms of the Ft. Laramie treaty.

    Sadly, the government instead offered to buy the Black Hills from the Lakota in late 1875, a proposition which was summarily rejected out of hand. Pres. Ulysses Grant's administration then delivered an ultimatum to the Lakota, ordering all bands to leave the Black Hills and report to the Standing Rock Reservation, upon pain of military intervention should they fail to accede to government demands and abandon the area.

    The government's order was ignored, and the U.S. Army mobilized to invade Lakota lands and sieze the Black Hills by force. The Northern Cheyenne and the Arapaho peoples sided with the Lakota, and on June 25, 1876, the same Gen. Custer and 7th Cavalry who had re-ignited the conflict two years earlier came upon a vast Indian encampment of some 10,000 to 15,000 persons along the banks of the Little Bighorn River in Montana Territory. And the rest, as we say, is history.

    It's important to note here that the terms of the Ft. Laramie agreement, initially ratified by Congress in 1868, were never formally repudiated by that body, and further that the Lakota to this very day have never surrendered their claims to the Black Hills. They have continued to reject any and all offers from the U.S. government for a monetary settlement in exchange for renouncing those claims.

    So from a legal standpoint, the native claim to the Black Hills is just as valid today as it was 146 years ago. And in that regard, the U.S. government was wrong in 1927 to grant permission to sculptor Gutzon Borglum -- who also designed and carved the Stone Mountain Confederate Memorial outside Atlanta, GA -- to desecrate the Six Grandfathers in such a fashion.

    And make no mistake, those four stone heads ARE a desecration of a sacred site, from the Native American point of view, Alfred Hitchcock's classic "North by Northwest" and a great gift shop notwithstanding.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    All of America is Stained Sacred Ground (none / 0) (#185)
    by squeaky on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 10:25:48 PM EST
    More than a century later, the Sioux nation won a victory in court. On June 30, 1980, in United States v. Sioux Nation of Indians,[2] the United States Supreme Court upheld an award of $15.5 million for the market value of the land in 1877, along with 103 years worth of interest at 5 percent, for an additional $105 million. The Lakota Sioux, however, refused to accept payment and instead demanded the return of their territory from the United States.

    Regarding your statement of fact, it may not be true:

    They have continued to reject any and all offers from the U.S. government for a monetary settlement in exchange for renouncing those claims.

    According to Wikipedia:

    In more recent proceedings the U.S. Courts have seen that some of the monies associated with the claim have been expended and, as such, claim that the agreement is valid. In fact, several thousand tribal members have filed for and are awaiting for a final decision by the Court to decide to issue the resources to tribal members.[

    And the ponca? they got f'ed over too..  by the sioux. Moved to dirt land in Oklahoma.

    And the Crazy horse memorial? Not so sacred that they could not carve into a nearby mountain. Oh. some Sioux find that a desecration of sacred land too.

    Seems like the sacred land story is easy to empathize with as long as you are in denial about your own land which was more than likely sacred and stained with blood of the previous owners, if you want to use white man terms for what happens to land.

    In any case, the issue of annihilating Native Americans so that we could sit comfortably today does not have much to do with Mt Rushmore as a thing that exists, a work of art or monument.

    If you want to point fingers at other people's misdeeds while occupying land that was more than likely stolen from someone else, then everything is stained.


    Parent

    You don't get it, do you? (5.00 / 2) (#192)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Apr 08, 2014 at 12:27:57 AM EST
    There is a formal treaty between the Sioux and the United States, the Treaty of Ft. Laramie, which was duly ratified by the U.S. Senate and as such, its provisions legally carry the full weight of U.S. law. The U.S. government broke that law.

    What happened to the Ponca at the hands of the Southern Lakota is no more legally relevant to the longstanding issue of the Black Hills' disposition, as is what happened to the Santee and Sissebon Sioux in the 17th century at the hands of the Iroquois Confederacy (which is how they ended up on the western end of the Great Lakes), or what happened to Queen Lili'uokalani and her kingdom's government at the hands of U.S. Navy and Marines in January 1893.

    As it stands, none of those conflicts were concluded with a treaty ratified by the United States Senate. (In fact, there is a great deal of evidence which strongly suggests that the U.S. Congress violated the Constitution with its hasty annexation of the Hawaiian Islands in August 1898. Once again, the expedient desires of our forebears might come back to bite the rest of us in the a$$ financially.)

    But to return to the validity of the Lakota claim over the Black Hills, the monies you're talking about are not from any specific agreement regarding the Black Hills, but from a proposed settlement to a lawsuit brought against the U.S. government in federal court by the nine tribes constituting the Great Sioux Nation for its violation of the 1868 Treaty of Ft. Laramie.

    The U.S. Supreme Court found in favor of the Sioux Nation in 1980, ruling that those lands guaranteed the Indians under both of the ratified Ft. Laramie treaties (1851 and 1868) had been illegally confiscated by the federal government in 1877. the High Court set the value of those lands at $106 million in 1980 dollars, which the justices further ordered set aside in a trust as compensation for what happened.

    Further, it should be noted that this estimated amount of $106 million was based at the time upon those lands' estimated 1876 values, and does not in any way account for the value of all the gold, minerals and timber that were subsequently extracted from them. The value of that trust fund has since swelled to $1.4 billion. But the Sioux Nation doesn't want the money and have refused to accept the settlement. They want the Black Hills back.

    From Mario Gonzalez, General Counsel to the Oglala Sioux, in August 2011:

    "The Sioux tribes have always maintained that that confiscation was illegal and the tribes must have some of their ancestral lands returned to them, and they've maintained that position since 1877. The Sioux Indians are very attached to their lands and particularly the Black Hills because that's the spiritual center of the Sioux nation."

    From Theresa Two Bulls, former President of the Oglala Sioux, in August 2011:

    "It really saddens me that we've got some tribal members that want to accept the money and they don't realize the harm they're going to do; they don't really understand why we say the Black Hills are sacred."

    From Bryan Brewer, present President of the Oglala Sioux, in November 2013:

    "I will not support any resolution that promotes our tribe receiving any of the money from the Black Hills without the input from the other tribes of the Great Sioux Nation and from our Treaty Council. Our tribal members have passionately said over and over again, 'the Black Hills are not for sale.' I fully support our tribal members."

    Thus, the Black Hills case has not been settled, and remains an ongoing legal issue. There has recently been some expression of interest among some tribal members to open discussions with the Obama administration regarding a proposed final settlement with the federal government, which the president has expressed a strong interest in resolving during his time in office.

    But while some individual Sioux tribal members may wish and even agree to accept money as compensation, it is important to note that they do not in any way constitute a majority of the tribes themselves, and tribal leadership has been speaking with firm unanimity on this particular issue. And as of this writing, they oppose any settlement that does not also include a return of tribal sovereignty over the Black Hills. This includes Mt. Rushmore National Memorial.

    Were the federal courts to ever uphold that the unauthorized personal decision of an individual tribal member could be held to be binding, both legally and retroactively, upon the tribe as a whole, it would simply constitute a continued effort on the part of the federal government to keep what does not belong to them and indeed, has never legally belonged to them.

    (That's exactly what happened to a number of tribes throughout the 19th century, most notably to the Nez Perce in 1877, which resulted in one of the most tragic of all the Indian wars -- "The Great Retreat" of the Chief Joseph and his people as they attempted to escape pursuing U.S. troops and take refuge in Canada. Exhausted, they were finally caught in Montana's bear Paw Mountains after a 1,400 mile chase, only thirty miles from the Canadian border.)

    So, if you feel compelled to continue justifying our own government's continued illegal confiscation of the Black Hills by noting the fate of other indigenous peoples in our country, just because you consider yourself an art lover and think a national park has a great gift shop, then I feel sorry for you. Because for all your liberal inclinations and pretensions, you really don't get it.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    I have always felt the same way (none / 0) (#44)
    by Dadler on Sun Apr 06, 2014 at 04:49:39 PM EST
    A big colonizing, genocidal phuck you. Never had any desire to go there.

    Parent
    Me too, I can't even describe how (5.00 / 1) (#31)
    by ruffian on Sun Apr 06, 2014 at 11:07:35 AM EST
    I knew about injustice before of course, but that book brought it home in a way none other has.

    Alos love his Mr. Watson series, put together in one volume, "Shadow Country ".  An interesting story that describes life in old Florida.

    Parent

    That is a phenomenal book. (5.00 / 3) (#35)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sun Apr 06, 2014 at 03:03:06 PM EST
    Mathiessen laid out the tragic circumstances that resulted in the heroic siege of Wounded Knee and its bittersweet aftermath in such a matter-of-fact way, his work highlighted for me the abject and egregious failure of mainstream U.S. media to do anything close to the same with regards to those events as they unfolded 40+ years ago on the Pine Ridge reservation. That Wounded Knee II occurred concurrently with the unfolding Watergate scandal back in Washington underscores the yin and yang aspect of American journalism.

    As American citizens, we are still grievously misinformed about the many horrific acts of violence and injustices which have been perpetrated against Native Americans in our name over the entire arc of our country's existence, both as individual colonial entities and subsequently as a unified and independent nation. In the Spirit of Crazy Horse chronicles just one of the most recent of them. To those who still insist that the U.S. does not hold political prisoners, I have two words: Leonard Peltier.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    Guess I know what (none / 0) (#36)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Apr 06, 2014 at 03:31:47 PM EST
    I will be reading next

    Parent
    NASA, solar flares, (5.00 / 3) (#33)
    by desertswine on Sun Apr 06, 2014 at 01:21:31 PM EST
    AN AXE LENGTH AWAY, vol. 324 (5.00 / 1) (#72)
    by Dadler on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 11:39:40 AM EST
    Cuz Letterman announced his retirement (5.00 / 1) (#76)
    by Dadler on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 12:05:10 PM EST
    HIRAM'S GUNS & SPIRITS (5.00 / 1) (#95)
    by Dadler on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 02:47:04 PM EST
    Vanc McAllister (5.00 / 1) (#132)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 05:03:02 PM EST
    congressman from LA was caught kissing his staffer. He's now pulling the Jesus card out again. This is so tiresome. Why don't they just say I'm an idiot and I screwed up.

    Sweet (none / 0) (#148)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 06:39:51 PM EST
    Isn't that the guy who took Dork Dynasty to the state of the union.

    Parent
    Yeah (none / 0) (#179)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 08:57:48 PM EST
    he's the guy who campaigned with the Duck Dynasty guys. Honestly,  I think the entire GOP planned to campaign with the Duck Dynasty guys until they started talking and talking and it became more and more obvious that having them on the campaign trail would not be very helpful.

    Parent
    I love (5.00 / 1) (#143)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 06:01:09 PM EST

    Elizabeth Warren

    "Paul Ryan says don't blame Wall Street: the guys who made billions of dollars cheating American families," she added. "Don't blame decades of deregulation that took the cops off the beat while the big banks looted the American economy. Don't blame the Republican Secretary of the Treasury, and the Republican president who set in motion a no-strings-attached bailout for the biggest banks. Nope. Paul Ryan says keep the monies flowing to the powerful corporations, keep their huge tax breaks, keep the special deals for the too-big-to-fail banks and put the blame on hardworking, play-by-the-rules Americans who lost their jobs."

    That popcorn ready yet. (5.00 / 1) (#145)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 06:08:52 PM EST
    Well (5.00 / 2) (#146)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 06:19:05 PM EST
    there's your answer about the House of Cheney or at least part of your answer. the house of Cheney will not be supporting the House of Paul.

    Parent
    The scariest part (none / 0) (#147)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 06:35:13 PM EST
    Is that I agree 100% with Rand Paul

    Parent
    Now, now ... Capt. (none / 0) (#151)
    by christinep on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 07:03:38 PM EST
    He may be correct on one (repeat: one) issue, but it is much, much bigger than that.  Remember: The R. Paul isolationist brand abjures help for anyone ... for anyone other than their very own or--more precisely--their own self.

    Parent
    I also agreed with (5.00 / 1) (#155)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 07:13:36 PM EST
    Hitler on a couple of things.  And I would be as likely to vote for him.

    It's disturbing to agree with a lunatic on anything.  The really disturbing part is lots of other people are going to agree with him who do not do nuance as well as me.

    Parent

    Yeah, (none / 0) (#178)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 08:54:06 PM EST
    but they're probably the same people that supported his father. Now the GOP elite are going to do everything in their power to keep him from gaining the nomination but I'm not sure if it will work or not. Some of the Paulheads around here are still steaming from the treatment his father got back in 2012. Something to do with the delegates I think.

    Parent
    A pig just flew by my window (5.00 / 1) (#177)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 08:21:29 PM EST
    GO GATORS (none / 0) (#1)
    by Amiss on Sat Apr 05, 2014 at 05:15:10 PM EST
    N/T

    "K" May treat depression (none / 0) (#2)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Apr 05, 2014 at 05:39:08 PM EST
    If you have ever done it this is not a surprise.  I like drugs.  Always have alway will.  Had very few bad experiences.  One was with this drug.

    The K-hole Described in the article was a terrifying thing.  It's a drug I won't do anymore

    A "K" anecdote (none / 0) (#7)
    by christinep on Sat Apr 05, 2014 at 06:37:30 PM EST
    More than 15 years ago, my buddy doggie at that time had to undergo a dental procedure.  "Vitamin K" was used.  Horrible reaction in terms of anxiety, terrors, etc.  Never since then have I allowed "K" to be used to "ease" recuperation after any surgical procedure.  It can be scary.

    Parent
    I tried it once, too. (none / 0) (#8)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sat Apr 05, 2014 at 06:41:07 PM EST
    I hated the experience, and never want to feel like that again.

    Parent
    Crazy dudes :) (none / 0) (#16)
    by Militarytracy on Sat Apr 05, 2014 at 08:28:58 PM EST
    I wonder which is worse, electroshock or the k-hole?

    Parent
    I once ate 22 tabs of acid (5.00 / 1) (#17)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Apr 05, 2014 at 08:31:22 PM EST
    When we were told were going to be raided by the police.   This was infinitely worse.

    Parent
    Well then (none / 0) (#18)
    by Militarytracy on Sat Apr 05, 2014 at 08:34:30 PM EST
    If it all goes to hell and they ask me, "Electroshock or K-hole ole girl", electroshock it is....

    Always have a plan I say :)

    Parent

    Well, you might consider that ... (none / 0) (#48)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sun Apr 06, 2014 at 07:20:39 PM EST
    ... the very last time I punched out and beat up a guy occurred while I was on hopped up on Vitamin K. This was back in my college days in Seattle, and it's not like he didn't deserve it, because he slipped it to me without my knowledge at a party, and thought it would be funny to watch my reaction. Hardy. Har. Har.

    I was so angry and amped up that I subsequently left the party and walked home -- which was 12 miles away. In the rain.

    I'd never touch that schitt again. Never, ever.

    Parent

    Superman! (none / 0) (#54)
    by Militarytracy on Sun Apr 06, 2014 at 11:11:42 PM EST
    Oops, it starts with a K, maybe Capt America then :)

    Parent
    From all reports (none / 0) (#22)
    by jondee on Sun Apr 06, 2014 at 07:52:01 AM EST
    real Ecstasy "treats" depression really well; or at least provides a temporary well-needed respite from it..

    Prescribing small doses for the severely depressed certainly would be less problematic than standing by while so many go down the traditional self-medicating path of suicide/homicide inducing alcohol.

    Parent

    My family connection to Bettie Page (none / 0) (#3)
    by Dadler on Sat Apr 05, 2014 at 06:00:45 PM EST
    Was there more than once (5.00 / 1) (#5)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Apr 05, 2014 at 06:14:23 PM EST
    Both locations.  Too bad.

    Parent
    What was the final over under on this game? (none / 0) (#4)
    by Dadler on Sat Apr 05, 2014 at 06:03:58 PM EST
    Gotta be under right now, no? Way under, I would think.

    So what I want to know is ... (none / 0) (#9)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sat Apr 05, 2014 at 07:00:05 PM EST
    ... how much the seats in the upper stratosphere section of AT&T Stadium are going for, and whether the admission price includes a telescope.

    There is a binocular rental table (none / 0) (#11)
    by unitron on Sat Apr 05, 2014 at 07:36:35 PM EST
    I'm on statins to control my red blood cell count, which has left me prone to nosebleeds.

    ;-D

    Parent

    Saw a story about those seats (none / 0) (#47)
    by Dadler on Sun Apr 06, 2014 at 07:14:16 PM EST
    About two guys in particular, from out of town, with no dog in the hunt, who just wanted to see a final four. They were in the very top rows, and for $100 bucks a piece they got tickets to both semi games and Monday's final. Pretty cheap for three games if you just want to be there and experience it however you can. And, credit to them, they passed on the binocular rental.

    Parent
    Mississippi religious (none / 0) (#10)
    by CaptHowdy on Sat Apr 05, 2014 at 07:18:21 PM EST
    freedom bill

    Mississippi's governor signed into law Thursday a measure that allows individuals and organizations to sue the government over laws that they feel thwart their ability to practice religion.
    "I am proud to sign the Mississippi Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which will protect the individual religious freedom of Mississippians of all faiths from government interference," Gov. Phil Bryant said in a statement.
    Civil rights groups and advocates of the gay community had opposed the measure and believe that when it takes effect in July it could lead to increased discrimination of gays and lesbians.


    And why not? (5.00 / 3) (#19)
    by NYShooter on Sat Apr 05, 2014 at 10:07:10 PM EST
    Mississippi leads the country in education, especially in math and science, and its students have a 98% graduation rate. It also provides its citizens with world class, quality, affordable health care. On top of that they've managed to attain full employment for its citizens, and its per capita income leads the nation.

    Having attained all these results for its citizens, they, obviously, have their priorities straight.

    p.s. links provided upon request. Please be patient. (I'll need a decade or two to sift through them all)


    Parent

    My sarcasm detector just shorted out (5.00 / 1) (#21)
    by jondee on Sun Apr 06, 2014 at 07:32:31 AM EST
    Hmmmmm (1.00 / 1) (#64)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 09:46:54 AM EST
    Mississippi's governor signed into law Thursday a measure that allows individuals and organizations to sue the government over laws that they feel thwart their ability to practice religion.

    I thought the First Amendment protected people's right to practice their religion... and I don't see any mention of education...

    Of course that was before Obamacare...

    Parent

    Congratulations (5.00 / 4) (#73)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 11:45:40 AM EST
    For making it about Obamacare.  If you try really hard you can probably make it about Benghazi.

    Parent
    Don't have to (none / 0) (#80)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 12:35:56 PM EST
    the CIA dude proved all we needed to know about the politics of Benghazi.

    Parent
    What "CIA dude"? (5.00 / 1) (#150)
    by Yman on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 06:57:59 PM EST
    There are so many baseless, wingnut, conspiracy theories.

    You'll need to specify which one(s) you're talking about ...

    Parent

    Yman, if you can't keep up (none / 0) (#184)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 10:20:23 PM EST
    with current events I urge you to watch Fox News.

    ;-)

    Parent

    News is not a problem (none / 0) (#190)
    by Yman on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 10:49:06 PM EST
    It's the endless supply of wingnut conspiracy theories you promote that are hard to keep up with.

    As always, with no evidence.

    Yawn.

    Parent

    Are you saying the CIA dude (none / 0) (#198)
    by jimakaPPJ on Tue Apr 08, 2014 at 07:25:04 AM EST
    is a wingnut??

    wow

    ;-)

    Parent

    The hoaxer (none / 0) (#87)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 02:01:35 PM EST
    LOL. I knew you guys would fall for all the hoaxers out there because conservatives always fall for the hoaxers.

    Parent
    GA, for about the elventeenth time (1.00 / 1) (#111)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 03:39:23 PM EST
    I ain't a conservative.

    No more than you are a liberal.

    I am a social liberal.

    And you are a "progressive." (Now that's a real oxymoron if there ever was one.)

    Parent

    Actually (5.00 / 1) (#113)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 03:49:02 PM EST
    I'm not a "progressive" but I'm not sure you would understand. lol

    Parent
    Not a "progressive?" (none / 0) (#116)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 03:52:22 PM EST
    I agree. You aren't progressive.

    Parent
    A "social liberal" (5.00 / 2) (#136)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 05:25:29 PM EST
    That's as half right as saying I'm Queen Elizabeth

    Parent
    Oh, c'mon (none / 0) (#88)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 02:04:08 PM EST
    You don't believe in people's right to practice their religion. Once a Muslim uses this law to advance whatever you dont' like you'll be the first one to howl and I'll be the first one to start laughing at you and the rest of these bozos that think this kind of thing is a good idea.

    In a few years they'll be saying well, we only meant the freedom was for Christians not other relgions and apologizing for passing these laws. Now every religion out there even Satanists are going be able to wreak havoc and claim their religious freedoms are being impinged upon.

    Parent

    Like after Isacc Hayes quit (none / 0) (#98)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 02:58:26 PM EST
    South Park when they made fun of Scientology.  Parker and Stone pointed out he had no problem at all making fun Muslims, Jews, Christians, Buddhists etc.

    Parent
    GA, if you can (none / 0) (#115)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 03:50:59 PM EST
    show me where I have objected to Muslims practicing their religion please do so.

    The fact is, you can't.

    But you can make things up,just as your Dear Leader, AKA Obama and his side kick, AKA Harry "the liar" Reid do about everything and everyone that oppose them.

    I have, however, noted from time to time, the problems caused by a small minority of Muslims. You know, blowing up pressure cookers in the middle of a marathon... flying planes into buildings... etc., etc.

    As for your comment:

    Now every religion out there even Satanists are going be able to wreak havoc and claim their religious freedoms are being impinged upon.

    You may have a point. I mean freedom is just so bothersome to you.

    ;-)

    Parent

    Seems to (5.00 / 2) (#119)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 03:56:42 PM EST
    me Yman has pointed out quite a few times your radical views on that issue. So i'll leave it to him.

    Nope, freedom is not bothersome to me but apparently it's bothersome to conservatives. I just happen to think that government has no reason to be in the religion business. Apparently you do. People like these are the reason why Christianity is in decline in the country.

    Parent

    Yes, indeed (none / 0) (#152)
    by Yman on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 07:06:20 PM EST
    Just one of his many pieces attacking Islam ... notice the piece isn't discussing a "small minority" of Muslims.

    Parent
    Nope, you can't just make something (none / 0) (#158)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 07:24:53 PM EST
    up and then waltz away without me pointing out that you have knowingly uttered an untruth.

    I have never opposed Muslims, or anyone else, practicing their religion.

    And surely you didn't need My Shadow, AKA Yman, to know that I am strongly opposed to radical Islam and the terrorist Muslims it spawns.

    And it appears that you are the person disturbed about the possibility of people practicing their First Amendment rights not conservatives.

    And how do you get that my support for a law that says:

    Mississippi's governor signed into law Thursday a measure that allows individuals and organizations to sue the government over laws that they feel thwart their ability to practice religion.

    means that I, or anyone who supports the law, is opposed to freedom of religion?

    What you have done is jump in, make wild untrue claims and failed to prove any of them.

     

    Parent

    The truth hurts, huh, Jim? (none / 0) (#162)
    by Yman on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 07:31:16 PM EST
    Rather, I am against the ideology that most of them have been raised to subscribe to. Islamic ideology compels its adherents to agitate, overtly and covertly, to subvert all the world to Allah and sharia law. I take offense at that, and I am appalled and repulsed by the kind of `fruit' Islam produces.

    Jim's title?  "I wish I had written this".

    Heh.

    Parent

    Come now Yman, let us show what (none / 0) (#167)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 07:40:02 PM EST
    you conveniently left out:

    I am not against Somalis or Muslims. I feel compassion for those who've never been allowed the privilege of free will, which our Creator so graciously provided to humanity. Plus, they themselves suffer cruelly under sharia law. Rather, I am against the ideology that most of them have been raised to subscribe to. Islamic ideology compels its adherents to agitate, overtly and covertly, to subvert all the world to Allah and sharia law. I take offense at that, and I am appalled and repulsed by the kind of `fruit' Islam produces. And I care about the kind of world that I pass onto my children.

    I didn't write that. But I stand by my comment.

    I wish I had.

    Of course the question is, why did you leave out the part that supported my comment?

    lol

    Parent

    Easy (none / 0) (#172)
    by Yman on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 07:57:19 PM EST
    Because the rest of it totally negated your comment/premise.  It's like the guy who starts out by saying "I am not a racist, but ..."

    ... and then launches into a racist tirade.

    It's not like it's the only post.  Here's one where you applaud a professor telling Muslim students to leave the United States:


    If you do not like the values of the West - see the First Amendment - you are free to leave. I hope for God's sake that most of you choose that option.
    Please return to your ancestral homelands and build them up yourselves instead of troubling Americans..

    Here's another classic:


    That, of course, is nonsense. Islam is expansionist. The English must either force assimilation or be devoured.
    So you see, the issue isn't about good or bad. It is about numbers and a religion, Islam that is not only expansionistic; it has a history of expansion by conquest and is one of the least tolerant religions. The issue isn't about freedom of religion; it is about freedom from Islamic religion.

    Anything else you need help with?

    Parent

    Hmmn, let me see.. you again (none / 0) (#180)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 09:53:08 PM EST
    conveniently leave out part of it. Here it is:

    Dear Muslim Association,
    As a professor of Mechanical Engineering here at MSU I intend to protest your protest.
    I am offended not by cartoons, but by more mundane things like beheadings of civilians, cowardly attacks on public buildings, suicide murders, murders of Catholic priests (the latest in Turkey), burnings of Christian churches, the continued persecution of Coptic Christians in Egypt, the imposition of Sharia law on non-Muslims, the rapes of Scandinavian girls and women (called 'whores' in your culture), the murder of film directors in Holland, and the rioting and looting in Paris France.
    This is what offends me, a soft-spoken person and academic, and many, many of my colleagues. I counsel you dissatisfied, aggressive, brutal, and uncivilized slave-trading Muslims to be very aware of this as you proceed with your infantile 'protests.'

    If you do not like the values of the West - see the First Amendment - you are free to leave. I hope for God's sake that most of you choose that option.
    Please return to your ancestral homelands and build them up yourselves instead of troubling Americans..
    Cordially,
    I. S. Wichman
    Professor of Mechanical Engineering

    Now, why did this professor send the email?

    The story begins at Michigan State University with a mechanical engineering professor named Indrek Wichman.

    Wichman sent an e-mail to the Muslim Student's Association.

    The e-mail was in response to the students' protest of the Danish cartoons that portrayed the Prophet Muhammad as a terrorist.

    The group had complained the cartoons were 'hate speech.'

    Know what?? If you protest that a cartoon about a religious figure is hate speech then you obviously don't embrace the bedrock of our freedoms... free speech. And I endorse the professor's invitation.

    Parent

    Heh (none / 0) (#187)
    by Yman on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 10:34:52 PM EST
    If you protest that a cartoon about a religious figure is hate speech then you obviously don't embrace the bedrock of our freedoms... free speech.

    Uhhhhmmmm ... protesting is the essence of free speech, Jim.


     And I endorse the professor's invitation.

    Precisely my point.

    Thanks for making it so easy.  :)

    Parent

    Really Yman, I love it when you show (none / 0) (#182)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 10:12:43 PM EST
    how biased and hard you try to distort.

    Again, let's look at some of what you left out:

    Worse, in a recent poll 42% of all Muslims in England think they should be allowed to go their separate way and develop their own society. That, of course, is nonsense. Islam is expansionist. The English must either force assimilation or be devoured.
    So you see, the issue isn't about good or bad. It is about numbers and a religion, Islam that is not only expansionistic; it has a history of expansion by conquest and is one of the least tolerant religions. The issue isn't about freedom of religion; it is about freedom from Islamic religion. The radicals although small in number, aided by the extremists by largely obeyed by the "moderates" because of fear have the bit between their teeth and are constantly on the offensive.

    Rather well put, I think.

    Parent

    What I "left out" (none / 0) (#188)
    by Yman on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 10:41:26 PM EST
    I'm not going to repost that entire piece of Islamaphobic garbage, Jim.  I already needed a shower after wading through it the first time.

    Besides, the rest of it just proves my point.  You attack the Islamic faith in general as you lump Islamic moderates in with terrorists.  The fact that you think it is "well put" isn't much of an endorsement, ...

    ... but it certainly proves my point.

    Parent

    Don't slip on the soap (none / 0) (#200)
    by jimakaPPJ on Tue Apr 08, 2014 at 07:30:50 AM EST
    "
    The issue isn't about freedom of religion; it is about freedom from Islamic religion. The radicals although small in number, aided by the extremists by largely obeyed by the "moderates" because of fear have the bit between their teeth and are constantly on the offensive."

    If that bothers you then you are hopeless.

    And I stand by it.

    BTW - I love when you are caught and then whine, "I'm not going to repost..."

    ;-)

    Parent

    Another one (none / 0) (#174)
    by Yman on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 08:05:01 PM EST
    I know it's Christmas because Muslims are mudering.

    That would be your title (and spelling) - not Muslim extremists, not terrorists, ... just "Muslims".  Along with a picture of Obama, of course.

    Parent

    Looks like an accurate (none / 0) (#183)
    by jimakaPPJ on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 10:18:30 PM EST
    description.

    "Gunmen killed six people attending midnight mass at a church in northern Nigeria on Christmas Eve, police and residents confirmed on Tuesday.

    "A group of gunmen came into the village at midnight and went straight to the church... they opened fire on them, killing the pastor and five worshippers. They then set fire to the church," said Usman Mansir, resident of Peri village, near Potiskum, the economic capital of Yobe state."

    And I compliment you on finding one place where I did not give automatic forgiveness of a group and their religion that has spawned thousands of terrorist attacks from the ever larger group of radicals.

    Please keep trying.

    Parent

    "Accurate" - heh (none / 0) (#189)
    by Yman on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 10:46:41 PM EST
    And I compliment you on finding one place where I did not give automatic forgiveness of a group and their religion that has spawned thousands of terrorist attacks from the ever larger group of radicals.

    Heh - if that was in English, I'd respond, but I'll assume you're trying to claim that - apart from that instance - you always criticize Muslim radicals/terrorists rather than Muslims in general.  Which is pretty funny, considering we've already put that lie to bed several times now.

    BTW - Why would I want to "keep trying", when I've already proven my point?

    Parent

    No, Yman (none / 0) (#201)
    by jimakaPPJ on Tue Apr 08, 2014 at 07:33:03 AM EST
    As I have shown the criticisms I have written are about the radicals and the terrorist except for the ONE you have found in which I neglected to specify...

    So please, don't make things up.

    ;-)

    Parent

    Thwart their abilities (5.00 / 1) (#26)
    by Dadler on Sun Apr 06, 2014 at 09:53:53 AM EST
    I think they do that just fine on their own.

    Parent
    Pryor - who opposes raising (none / 0) (#27)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Apr 06, 2014 at 09:59:39 AM EST
    The federal minimum wage - blogs in favor of raising the AR minimum wage from 6.25 to 8.50

    That's not a typeo it's 6.25

    At $6.25 per hour, Arkansas's minimum wage is one of the lowest in the nation. That's why a gradual increase to $8.50 is supported by Republicans, Democrats, the business community and faith leaders across our state. To me, It's just good old fashioned Arkansas common sense. In the coming months, I know we'll see more elected officials here step up and endorse our minimum wage ballot initiative. I hope one of those is my opponent, Congressman Tom Cotton, who has thus far refused to weigh in or explain why he isn't supporting this effort.

    Looks like rain (none / 0) (#40)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Apr 06, 2014 at 04:02:24 PM EST
    Will bugger the season premier of GoT.

    Fortunately it will air multiple times.

    Boo hiss (none / 0) (#41)
    by Militarytracy on Sun Apr 06, 2014 at 04:10:52 PM EST
    I'm going to have to look at my rain schedule too now

    Parent
    Yup, it might me too (none / 0) (#42)
    by Militarytracy on Sun Apr 06, 2014 at 04:12:31 PM EST
    Weather (none / 0) (#43)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Apr 06, 2014 at 04:20:39 PM EST
    Can be so inconsiderate

    Parent
    You guys really ought to move out here ... (none / 0) (#49)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Sun Apr 06, 2014 at 07:33:18 PM EST
    ... to the islands, where you can regularly experience power outages that have absolutely nothing to do with bad weather -- or any weather, for that matter -- but rather can be attributed directly to the obvious problems which accompany an aging grid and transmission infrastructure, and you can enjoy the personal satisfaction of properly affixing blame for such occurrences on a Fortune 500 corporation and its greedy shareholders. Death to the capitalist parasites who prey on the live of the proletariat.

    Parent
    We have those too. (none / 0) (#50)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Apr 06, 2014 at 08:00:24 PM EST
    I had a propane heater installed last year because one of the things that often happens here especially in ice is power outages that last for days or weeks.  That sucks of you have electric heat.  Didn't happen last winter.  Because I had the heater installed probably.  But I gave up on electric clocks because I got tired of resetting them.  Usually have a hiccup or two a day.

    But

    Right now I still have dish signal.  So it's all good.


    Parent

    Power is pretty steady here (none / 0) (#55)
    by Militarytracy on Sun Apr 06, 2014 at 11:14:49 PM EST
    Until blazing summer, and then we have short kick offs probably because all the AC is frying the grid.

    Parent
    Arya is (none / 0) (#51)
    by CaptHowdy on Sun Apr 06, 2014 at 09:09:07 PM EST
    All grown up.

    Parent
    Josh said, "Nope, not a pony." :) (none / 0) (#53)
    by Militarytracy on Sun Apr 06, 2014 at 11:09:26 PM EST
    As she rode off on her new ride.

    She has always secretly been my favorite along with Bran

    I can't believe she and the hound are still together

    Parent

    Bran (5.00 / 1) (#67)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 10:33:13 AM EST
    Is getting very interesting

    Parent
    My stupid digital converter to the TiVo (none / 0) (#52)
    by ruffian on Sun Apr 06, 2014 at 09:09:23 PM EST
    malfunctioned at exactly 9pm. Had to reboot it twice.  Will have to  catch the beginning on replay.

    Did catch one casting change, of which I heartily approve.

    Parent

    Yeah (none / 0) (#59)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 07:53:30 AM EST
    I read that guy was going to be switched out.  I also approve.  

    Parent
    The other was too smirky and (none / 0) (#77)
    by ruffian on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 12:10:03 PM EST
    undeserving of Khaleesi! These two - I do want to see get together. Poor Jorah.

    Parent
    Bad teeth (none / 0) (#82)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 12:57:34 PM EST
    Ha. I knew I recognized the actor (none / 0) (#85)
    by ruffian on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 01:32:54 PM EST
    but didn't place him until I saw the credits as the sobering up junkie musician on Treme. He is a lot scruffier than the other guy.

    Parent
    RIP, Mickey Rooney (1920-2014). (none / 0) (#56)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 01:15:59 AM EST
    The celebrated child actor, who died at home in Los Angeles this afternoon at age 93, enjoyed a long career in Hollywood.

    He further earned no small amount of public notoriety over the years for his rather turbulent personal life, which included eight marriages, a reputation as a womanizer, a filing for personal bankruptcy in the 1960s, an estranged wife who was shot to death by her lover, and a sad revelation in 2011 that he had been a victim of elder abuse at the hands of his stepson.

    (I distinctly remember Rooney in a 1978 interview with an L.A. TV station right after he married for the eighth and final time to Jan Chamberlin, when he quipped that the State of California created a marriage license especially for him, which read "To Whom It May Concern." The eighth time was apparently the charm, as he and Chamberlin remained together for the rest of his life.)

    Many of Rooney's more celebrated peers in Hollywood actually considered him their superior as an actor, and indeed, his varied roles in drama, comedy and musicals displayed a wide range of talent that most actors would envy. While most people will remember him as teenager Andy Hardy or in musicals such as "Babes in Arms," my personal favorite is his Oscar-nominated comeback at age 59 as the wily horse trainer Henry Dailey in the 1979 film "The Black Stallion."

    Aloha.

    When I read (none / 0) (#58)
    by lentinel on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 03:57:31 AM EST
    about the passing of Mickey Rooney, I felt a twinge of sadness.

    I always admired his energy and his talent.

    I was always struck by his intensity.

    A film that is a pure "B" movie, "Quicksand" is an example. It is about a person stuck in a human situation that gets increasingly tangled.

    Another attraction of this film is that it also features Peter Lorre - and there are several scenes featuring them both. It can be watched in its entirely on Youtube if you click the link above.

    In any case - I am struck by the fact that when an artist passes - such as the case with Mickey Rooney here - I feel some kind of personal loss.

    Parent

    Yes sad (none / 0) (#61)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 08:00:11 AM EST
    But may we all have as good a run.

    Parent
    You know, (none / 0) (#63)
    by lentinel on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 08:05:44 AM EST
    I can't remember the last time I felt a similar twinge at the passing of a politician.

    Parent
    George McGovern. n/t (5.00 / 4) (#86)
    by Anne on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 01:33:13 PM EST
    I just remembered... (5.00 / 1) (#134)
    by lentinel on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 05:13:41 PM EST
    Nelson Mandela.

    Parent
    John Lennon (none / 0) (#135)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 05:22:12 PM EST
    He was a politician.  So was Frank Zappa.  Both deaths effected me greatly.   Especially Lennon.   I lived in NY at the time.

    Parent
    I tend (none / 0) (#170)
    by lentinel on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 07:47:24 PM EST
    to think of them as artists rather than politicians.

    But I can see how you might so consider them.

    Parent

    Never really got into Frank Zappa. (none / 0) (#195)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Apr 08, 2014 at 04:14:03 AM EST
    But man, was that guy ever the lion in full-throated roar, when he took on Tipper Gore and the decency mavens of the Parents Music Resource Center over their silly / scary attempt to censor music indirectly, by restricting its distribution through the implementation of a wholly arbitrary content ratings system:

    "The PMRC proposal is an ill-conceived piece of nonsense which fails to deliver any real benefits to children, infringes the civil liberties of people who are not children, and promises to keep the courts busy for years dealing with the interpretational and enforcemental problems inherent in the proposal's design. It is my understanding that, in law, First Amendment issues are decided with a preference for the least restrictive alternative. In this context, the PMRC's demands are the equivalent of treating dandruff by decapitation.

    "No one has forced Mrs. Baker or Mrs. Gore to bring Prince or Sheena Easton into their homes. Thanks to the Constitution, they are free to buy other forms of music for their children. Apparently, they insist on purchasing the works of contemporary recording artists in order to support a personal illusion of aerobic sophistication. Ladies, please be advised: The $8.98 purchase price does not entitle you to a kiss on the foot from the composer or performer in exchange for a spin on the family Victrola.

    "Taken as a whole, the complete list of PMRC demands reads like an instruction manual for some sinister kind of toilet training program to house-break all composers and performers because of the lyrics of a few. Ladies, how dare you?

    "The ladies' shame must be shared by the bosses at the major labels who, through the RIAA, chose to bargain away the rights of composers, performers, and retailers in order to pass H.R. 2911, The Blank Tape Tax, a private tax levied by an industry on consumers for the benefit of a select group within that industry.

    "Is this a consumer issue? You bet it is. The major record labels need to have H.R. 2911 whiz through a few committees before anybody smells a rat. One of them is chaired by Senator Thurmond. Is it a coincidence that Mrs. Thurmond is affiliated with the PMRC?

    "I cannot say she is a member, because the PMRC has no members. Their secretary told me on the phone last Friday that the PMRC has no members, only founders. I asked how many other District of Columbia wives are nonmembers of an organization that raises money by mail, has a tax-exempt status, and seems intent on running the Constitution of the United States through the family paper-shredder. I asked her if it was a cult. Finally, she said she could not give me an answer and that she had to call their lawyer.

    "While the wife of the Secretary of the Treasury recites 'Gonna drive my love inside you,' and Senator Gore's wife talks about bondage and oral sex at gunpoint on the CBS Evening News, people in high places work on a tax bill that is so ridiculous, the only way to sneak it through is to keep the public's mind on something else: Porn rock.

    "Is the basic issue morality? Is it mental health? Is it an issue at all? The PMRC has created a lot of confusion with improper comparisons between song lyrics, videos, record packaging, radio broadcasting, and live performances. These are all different mediums and the people who work in them have the right to conduct their business without trade-restraining legislation, whipped up like an instant pudding by 'The wives of Big Brother.'

     [...]

    "The establishment of a rating system, voluntary or otherwise, opens the door to an endless parade of moral quality control programs based on things certain Christians do not like. What if the next bunch of Washington wives demands a large yellow 'J' on all material written or performed by Jews, in order to save helpless children from exposure to concealed Zionist doctrine?

    [...]

    "Bad facts make bad law, and people who write bad laws are in my opinion more dangerous than songwriters who celebrate sexuality. Freedom of speech, freedom of religious thought, and the right to due process for composers, performers and retailers are imperiled if the PMRC and the major labels consummate this nasty bargain."

    Suffice to say that despite his often quirky public persona, Zappa was a highly intelligent man who could passionately articulate to the average American what this proposal actually meant for the right of artistic expression under the First Amendment. And he was buying none of Tipper's schitt, and let everyone who was within earshot know it.

    His was a bravura performance that few politicians have had the nerve to confront directly ever since, even two decades after his death. Because despite the ongoing and angry rhetoric from the moralizing right about the state of music lyrics in these United States, nobody in any position of authority in Washington has ever again given Tipper Gore's stupid idea really serious consideration.

    Everyone who appreciates the arts owes Mr. Zappa their gratitude for that.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    He was a lion on many (none / 0) (#199)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Apr 08, 2014 at 07:26:32 AM EST
    Political subjects.  Today you are at least as likely to see him quoted on censorship or the separation of church and state as you are to hear his music.
    Which is IMO vastly under appreciated.  His comedy records are all many people know of but I urge any fan of jazz to try a listen of "burnt weeny sandwich" or "hot rats".  Or some of his even more serious orchestral material.  His catalog is vast. He was a serious composer.

    Parent
    Paul Wellstone (5.00 / 2) (#93)
    by ruffian on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 02:38:54 PM EST
    Yes. (none / 0) (#118)
    by lentinel on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 03:54:46 PM EST
    I remember feeling more a sense that he had been targeted for assassination.

    It just seemed to me that any politician that I could in any way identify with - or gave me any hope - wound up being killed.

    So my sadness was mixed with some anger and a sense of frustration and shock.

    Parent

    Robert Kennedy, perhaps? (none / 0) (#121)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 04:01:53 PM EST
    "97 years old -- you know, there's something to be said for a deviant lifestyle."
    -- Norman Thayer (Henry Fonda), upon learning of the death of an elderly neighbor, who was a lesbian. On Golden Pond (1981)

    Mickey Rooney was 93 years old, and I'm sure that he'd be the first to admit that he enjoyed a pretty good run. He'll be missed, undoubtedly, but several decades' worth of his films remains with us, which offers the opportunity to still enjoy his company.

    More importantly, Rooney dove into life headfirst, seized it in a firm embrace and lived it on his own terms, even in the face of momentary and sometimes daunting adversities. Personally, I consider that something to be celebrated, for we should all be so fortunate to likewise do so.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    As with Wellstone, (none / 0) (#124)
    by lentinel on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 04:36:07 PM EST
    the fact that his was not a natural death, caused whatever sadness I might feel to be mixed with a sense of anger, frustration... you name it.

    With Rooney, as with other artists, I am aware of a certain kind of personal void when they pass. I think it is because the great ones give of themselves to such a great degree.

    I am just reporting my feelings.

    Of course I feel, as you said, a certain sense of celebration that these people existed and achieved what they achieved. But I cannot feel celebratory at a moment like this.

    I felt deeply about Sid Caesar, for example.
    Peter Falk's demise also hit me. I had just read his autobio.

    In the realm of music, many of the artists I listen to are no longer with us. They are alive to me, but they are not here. If I think about their demise, it always seems too soon.

    So I don't think about it if possible.
    I just watch or listen to their work and continue to be moved.


    Parent

    But while your feelings of loss are indeed valid and even necessary, lentinel, please also remember that one's life can and should be worth celebrating, especially when it was as well-lived as Mickey Rooney's.

    A few years ago, a friend of mine who had been suffering from ovarian cancer went into hospice, and spent her final few months planning her own memorial service and wake. She insisted that it be held at Murphy's, where she had worked for years as a well-liked waitress and bartender. The owners, her bosses, visited with her almost daily and worked closely with her on the details of what she called her "party," and they promised her that it would be exactly that.

    Well, my late friend taught us all that night that it's indeed possible to both mourn someone's passing and celebrate her life simultaneously. We cried, we laughed, we sang songs and told stories, we ate and drank and toasted both her and each other. When we left Murphy's later that evening, we were thankful that she was our friend, and were thinking how blessed we were to have had the opportunity to walk with her in this world, if only for a little while.

    And just as she had intended, her "party" gave us all the necessary closure we required in order to move on. Because per her written personal message to everyone in attendance, which her husband and stepson both took turns reading aloud, she wanted us not to question life but to instead simply live and enjoy it, and she asked of us only that when we remember her, it should always be with a smile.

    I've thought about that party over the past week, and yeah, that's also the way I'd like to depart this earth, with lots of love and laughter and smiles.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    Sounds more than a bit like (5.00 / 3) (#144)
    by Zorba on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 06:06:31 PM EST
    a traditional "Irish Wake."
    Good for her, and good for all her friends and family for honoring her wishes.
    If anyone can leave this world while having their loved ones laugh, cry, and remember them, and honor them by living life and enjoying it, that is the absolute best thing that we can do to honor their memory.
    Αἰωνία ἡ μνήμη.
    May her memory be eternal.

    Parent
    You (none / 0) (#169)
    by lentinel on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 07:42:35 PM EST
    are reminding me of the way New Orleans musicians would send their departed into the next world - with a joyous parade.

    I think it's beautiful.
    And profound.

    I just can't do it, though.

    I know I should feel differently.
    What can I say.

    Thanks for sharing the story of your friend.


    Parent

    I will never forget the day my dad (5.00 / 6) (#191)
    by MO Blue on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 11:18:54 PM EST
    passed  away. A  black  nurse's aide  came to attend to him  getting him cleaned up and ready to leave the hospital  for the funeral home.

    I was still in the room when she arrived.

    "Don't worry honey'", she said. "I will sing your daddy home." As she started to gently do her work, she began to sing an old time spiritual. She had a beautiful voice and proceeded to sing him home. As I said, I will never forget that truly beautiful  and moving experience or the kindness of the woman who gave me that gift.

    Parent

    There is a rich history for this (none / 0) (#171)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 07:52:43 PM EST
    In the 80s when my friends were dying by the score it was not at all unusual to attend a mourning party that looked more like a morning party (which for the uninitiated is a party AFTER the clubs close around 11am and is always the best part of the "evening")

    Choirs of drag queens sang many to their rests with an open bar.  For many it was simply a matter of not being able to bear anymore "mourning" and choosing to celebrate life rather than memorialize death.

    Parent

    Speaking of drag queens (5.00 / 1) (#173)
    by ZtoA on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 08:03:10 PM EST
    a locally famous and beloved drag queen assisted with the production of 'Chicago' at my nephew's high school. She even made a cameo appearance on stage and got a standing ovation. She is in her 80s now and has owned/run/performed in her own cabaret in Portland. I saw her strip around 15 years ago. She stripped down to her underwear, took off her false bra and even her wig. She stripped completely out of her persona. Then a slightly portly bald man walked off the stage. I have never seen a more powerful performance. The fabulous Darcelle.  

    Parent
    Awsum (5.00 / 1) (#176)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 08:11:03 PM EST
    I love drag queens.  I always have.  They are nearly all of the funniest most talented most fearless and most intelligent people I have ever known.  

    Parent
    And I agree that one would be very hard-pressed to find a more courageous bunch of people in this society, not to mention humorous. I've never met or seen a drag queen yet who doesn't have a robustly outrageous and bawdy sense of decorum. I think I can relate to that because I have a strong camp sensibility. The art of drag is generally lost to those who don't appreciate good campy material.

    We have a friend who, when he's inhabiting his drag alter ego, can make me laugh 'til I'm literally in tears, which is something few comedians can match. He's encouraged The Spouse and me to try drag, and says that we'd find it liberating --  but honestly, when I close my eyes and picture myself doing so, I see Gene Hackman trying to escape the media in "The Birdcage."

    ("Meet me in twenty minutes at the corner of El Dorado and Palm." "Lady, not for a million dollars!" I still find that to be one of the balls-out silliest and funniest endings in film.)

    Aloha.

    Parent

    Same here (none / 0) (#197)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue Apr 08, 2014 at 07:21:44 AM EST
    The effect of me in a dress would be to frighten dogs and children.
    When I lived in Boston, in spite of its liberal reputation IMO one of the most repressed and racist cites I have ever lived in, one of my best friends was a 6 foot 350 lb black drag queen.  He more or less lived in drag and I have been in situations on late night streets or in the T when was sure we were both dead.  But he had the almost magical ability to walk up to people I would cross the street to avoid and in moments have them laughing and camping like it was  the most natural thing in the world.  
    His employment options being limited he earned a living by working  for a 900 sex line (do we still have those) as a woman.  It always craked me up to think of those guys on the other end and how they would react if they could see what that silky voice was coming out of.


    Parent
    I can appreciate that. (none / 0) (#193)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Tue Apr 08, 2014 at 12:58:42 AM EST
    lentinel: "I just can't do it, though. I know I should feel differently. What can I say."

    Death is never an easy subject to discuss for any of us. And for more than a few of us, the concept of its finality is particularly difficult to wrap our heads around, for whatever our own personal reasons. It may be due to something that happened to us earlier in life, or the result of our own particular spiritual upbringing or even sometimes, our own individual feeling of a spiritual void in our lives.

    One day, I hope that you may come to reconcile your own complex feelings about death and be truly at peace with the subject. But for now, don't feel bad that you can't do so at present, and for heaven's sake don't ever apologize for it.

    As many wise people have said from time immemorial, there are many different paths to the same destination, and death is something we will all experience universally in our own time.

    While I would encourage you to share and discuss your feelings about the subject openly with others with whom you're comfortable, I would also caution that there is no one-size-fits-all answer here, and there will be answers which satisfy others but won't necessarily work for you. This is one issue that you will need to create your own space in order to resolve for yourself on your own terms, and I have every confidence that you will do just that when you're ready to do so.

    Take care. Aloha.

    Parent

    GOT was good tonite (none / 0) (#57)
    by ZtoA on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 02:01:26 AM EST
    despite all the hype. A good first part of a series. Nice intro to a new character and OK substitution of a beefcake one. This one seems more...like he may have a future.

    Nice they did not overdo it after the red wedding.

    I loved the first seasons --- but the lighting truly annoyed me. Do they really need to do such strong flood, and primary and secondary lighting when the set calls for less?  Really where is that lighting supposed to come from? Should have had Capt Howdy advising. Once I saw it it was hard to un-see it. But the rest is so good. Drinklage continues to be a huge asset to the series. I was glad the premier concentrated on character and plot development. The seres might surpass the books!

    Ha (5.00 / 1) (#60)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 07:59:24 AM EST
    Also noticed the over lit scenes.  But in some of the darker ones it has been quite good.  For example I like the lighting in Greyjoys torture chamber and Davos prison cell. They seem to do,dark better than bright.

    Parent
    the lighting has improved over the seasons (5.00 / 1) (#69)
    by ZtoA on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 11:08:48 AM EST
    I suppose it is really difficult to shoot the black cloaks against the intense white snow. The deepest blacks go red sometimes. I noticed the lighting mostly in the earlier episodes when HBO had its endless GOT marathon which I happily caught bits of. I have been trying to see wig lines and can't spot them yet. Overall the art direction is very good.

    Parent
    It is especially for cable (none / 0) (#70)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 11:27:27 AM EST
    When everyone's tv is set differently.  And it's easier to light a dark scene than a bright one and make it look good.  If I said one thing it would be 'more backlighting' .  Especially for the dragon girl.

    Parent
    I don't kn wot he technicalities on the lighting (none / 0) (#78)
    by ruffian on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 12:14:24 PM EST
    But I did find that I like it a lot better when I switched my TV's automatic display settings from 'cinema' to 'vivid' last night. Before, I could barely see the scenes in the dark, but I have always liked the look of the outdoor and light-through-the-windows scenes at Kings Landing. I really want Cercei's room.

    Parent
    I'll try that tonite (5.00 / 1) (#103)
    by ZtoA on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 03:28:36 PM EST
    I'd like Cercei's room too except that the air apparently stinks. I'd put up with it for a bit, tho, to chase a cat thru the dungeons past dragon skulls. Hope there's never a theme park.

    Parent
    Speaking of books (none / 0) (#62)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 08:03:47 AM EST
    I just finished a very good one last night The Silent Twins

    The strange story of June and Jennifer Gibbons.  

    This is the astonishing tale of June and Jennifer Gibbons, identical twins whose silent, antisocial exterior hid a rich, vast, creative life. From early childhood through their twenties, they spoke only to each other in a secret langauge, building an elaborate fantasy life. Then, from their self-imposed isolation, they were catapulted into the hormonal havoc of adolescence, plunging into a wild spree that led to their incarceration in a hospital for the criminally insane. A profoundly powerful and moving story.

    Why has this never been a movie?


    The Supreme Court (none / 0) (#65)
    by jbindc on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 09:49:45 AM EST
    stays out of the case of the photographer who refusd to shoot a same-sex couple's commitment ceremony

    The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to take up an appeal from a photographer who refused to shoot a same-sex commitment ceremony.

    The court's action leaves a lower court ruling in place, finding that the photographer violated a state anti-discrimination law.

    Though the photographer, Elaine Huguenin of Albuquerque, refused to photograph the ceremony on religious grounds, her appeal was based on a claim that her right of free expression as a creative artist allowed her to reject a client if the assignment would compel her to express an idea she opposes.



    Did Jeb just lose (none / 0) (#71)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 11:36:08 AM EST
    the republican primary?

    Is this a trial balloon to see how loud the screeching will be?

    Former Florida governor Jeb Bush said Sunday that many who illegally come to the United States do so out of an "act of love" for their families and should be treated differently than people who illegally cross U.S. borders or overstay visas.

    Jeb's quote (none / 0) (#74)
    by jbindc on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 11:47:54 AM EST
    "Someone who comes to our country because they couldn't come legally ... and they crossed the border because they had no other means to work, to be able to provide for their family, yes, they broke the law, but it's not a felony," Bush told Fox News. "It's an act of love, it's an act of commitment to your family."

    His wife is Mexican-American.  Her father was a migrant worker.  Maybe this statement will turn off the small minority on the most far right, but this, along with his other statements and actions may show the Republicans that they could win some Hispanic votes.

    Parent

    Actually (none / 0) (#89)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 02:07:15 PM EST
    this is a loser statement. If you look at the polls of the people who actually vote in the GOP primary they don't think like this is all.

    But besides that what he's saying is downright confusing. Some people who come here illegally are okay and some are now? This sounds like the typical Bush thing that leaves people shaking their heads and saying "what the heck did he just say?" LOL

    Parent

    Actually (none / 0) (#90)
    by jbindc on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 02:10:19 PM EST
    (and I hate to agree with squeaky), but I would be all the money I have right now that this statement was vetted and run through focus groups et al, unless of course, he's already decided he's not running.

    And of course, it isn't like he hasn't spoken about this issue pretty much the same way in the past (with a some slight turns to the right and then back again), so this isn't really anything new.

    Parent

    You see (none / 0) (#91)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 02:27:44 PM EST
    but you are pointing out the problem. The focus group people are not the ones that vote in GOP primaries. These kind of statements might and I say MIGHT help him in a general election but do not help him in the GOP primary. Also the GOP has been so awful to Hispanics over the last few 6 years or so that I don't think one statement is going to undo all of that.

    Parent
    Maybe not (none / 0) (#92)
    by jbindc on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 02:36:28 PM EST
    But he has a history with a good reputation in the Hispanic community. Not just one statement.  He's dealt with the Hispanic community all his political life (and most of his personal life).  He definitely has cred.

    And who exactly do you think the Republican party (or at least Jeb's people) would GET for a focus group (if they had them)?  People likely to vote in a Republican primary.

    And it really doesn't matter, as he isn't going to make a decision until the end of the year, and the primary isn't for another 2 years, so there's no reason to claim you know anything for sure.

    Parent

    I know what (none / 0) (#99)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 03:12:26 PM EST
    you are saying but he still is going to represent the GOP a party that has been downright hateful to Hispanics of late. We all remember everything George W. Bush said and then did a 180 on. The trust problem the GOP has goes way beyond just Hispanic voters and even creeps into the general populace.

    What would help him more than anything with voters not only Hispanics is to do a full on Sister Souljah on the tea party. Get back to me when he does that.

    Parent

    But (none / 0) (#102)
    by jbindc on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 03:21:00 PM EST
    Name me a candidate who will win the Republican primary.  It isn't going to be Rand Paul or a Tea Partier.

    so, who else you got?

    Parent

    How do you (none / 0) (#106)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 03:33:16 PM EST
    know it's not going to be a tea partier? The thing is there aren't enough Jeb Bush types left in the GOP for him to get the nomination. The GOP is a southern party now. Jeb Bush's statment about Hispanics is enough for him to lose the nomination.

    Around here with the GOP base there is support for Rand Paul, Ted Cruz and Ben Carson. There were only two non tea party candidates and one of them has collapsed and the other one has the horrific last name of Bush. Seems to me that increases the odds that there is going to be a tea partier for the GOP nominee.

    Parent

    See my comment below (none / 0) (#107)
    by jbindc on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 03:34:03 PM EST
    It's not just southerners that get to vote in the primaries.

    Parent
    But no path (none / 0) (#110)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 03:38:42 PM EST
    to winning the primary without the south and you have to realize that the same attitude prevails even in states that would not technically be considered southern like MO. Even the CA GOP has been taken over by a bunch of radicals.

    Parent
    It could well be Rand Paul, jb, ... (none / 0) (#126)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 04:38:37 PM EST
    ... or some other wingbat, should GOP moderates collectively determine that the prudent thing to do here is bide their time and sit this particular election cycle out, and leave the far-right zanies to their fate in 2016.

    And a train wreck may be what has to happen here, if Republican moderates are to ever firmly regain the upper hand in their party's internal struggles over its control and direction. I know that it would be tough for many of them to actually stand down for an election cycle, but sometimes a short-term tactical retreat is the wise thing to do from an overall and long-term strategic standpoint.

    Many of us in the Hawaii Democratic Party did just that during the 2006 gubernatorial re-election, and let the pro-Inouye faction have its nominees for governor and lieutenant governor, neither of whom we cared for personally. In the Democratic primary, more voters actually left their ballots blank than cast votes for those nominees. In the general, GOP Gov. Linda Lingle easily cruised to re-election by over a 20-point margin.

    The 2006 spanking thoroughly discredited that long-dominant wing of the Hawaii Democrats, which allowed us to gain public traction and ultimately take control of the state party the following year.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    Rand Paul (none / 0) (#129)
    by jbindc on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 04:56:07 PM EST
    is too "liberal" in many areas for those same Tea Party wingbats that GA6th keeps insisting will control who wins the nomination.

    Parent
    Are you kidding? (none / 0) (#131)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 05:00:18 PM EST
    They don't think he's liberal at all. His problem with some of them is going to be his foreign policy stances but on almost everything else he is on the far right.

    Parent
    And yet (none / 0) (#137)
    by jbindc on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 05:30:30 PM EST
    He isn't pulling away those other candidates that are supposedly darlings of the Tea Party.  In fact, he isn't even leading, nor even getting 20% in the polls for the nomination.

    And again - for you or anyone to be fairly sure at this stage at who the nominee will be is completely silly.

    Parent

    You're right, jb. It's 2014 (none / 0) (#139)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 05:36:28 PM EST
    Right now, 30 months out, those polls are essentially meaningless. We need to remember that Minnesota's resident whackadoodle Michele Bachmann and that crazy Caesar's Pizza guy Herman Cain also led in those polls at one time or another during the last election cycle.

    Parent
    That's (none / 0) (#142)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 05:43:29 PM EST
    why I'm thinking in a lot of ways it is going to be a repeat of 2012 with a full clown car of crazies. Even if someone like Jeb Bush could get through the primary, he would have been ruined by the primary process just like Romney was in 2012.

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    It's (none / 0) (#140)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 05:37:04 PM EST
    not rocket science. They are all tea partiers except for Bush and granted the GOP might be stupid enough to nominate another Bush the odds are against it. You don't understand how these people think. They think that another moderate after McCain and Romney are a sure loser in the general election.

    The moderates have lost control of the GOP.

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    Did you even (none / 0) (#141)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 05:41:36 PM EST
    look at your link? Paul is essential tied with Huckabee. He's polling better than Bush.

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    Have you even looked at a calendar? (none / 0) (#196)
    by jbindc on Tue Apr 08, 2014 at 07:02:25 AM EST
    While there still are many states who haven't set their primary dates, most of the Deep South will vote early - by mid-March - thereby splitting many Tea Party votes among 4 or 5 candidates, leaving one or two more "moderate" candidates to get the rest and pull ahead (even if they don't win all the contests). Since the Republicans have a much shorter primary calendar this year than in years past (they will be done by around the end of May because their convention will be held in July) - I don't see how the calendar works to the Tea Party's advantage, especially since the big prizes of New York, California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Illinois will go (or will likely go) after mid-March (and I don't see any of those states really voting for a Ted Cruz or Rand Paul at this point). You can't really compare 2012 to anything, because the Republican primary season really went a whole year from May 2011, when they held their first debate, through May 29, 2012, when Romney won the nomination in what was essentially a war of attrition.


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    My "bet" (none / 0) (#161)
    by christinep on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 07:31:06 PM EST
    Paul Ryan ... as the man-in-waiting.  The axman is courting the right with his even more draconian budgetary proposals this season; and, he was his party's VP candidate this past go-round.  Made to order for the austerity-seeking right; while potentially acceptable to whatever is the establishment Repub wing this time.

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    God I hope you are right (none / 0) (#166)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 07:37:43 PM EST
    It would be a Hillary landslide

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    Me too (5.00 / 1) (#175)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 08:08:06 PM EST
    Paul Ryan comes off as a snotty know it all kid.

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    And, like Cassius (none / 0) (#181)
    by christinep on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 10:11:54 PM EST
    R. Paul has the "lean & hungry look."  (I always read that to mean something like "nasty & suspicious & mean.")  

    But, again, that Repub bunch does have a sorta habit of going for the next-in-line.  So, the last VP candidate?

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    I'm not even sure he could win the FL primary (none / 0) (#94)
    by ruffian on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 02:44:07 PM EST
    at this point, the GOP has gone so tea-party crazy down here. Lots of time, I doubt we'll even be talking about him 2 yrs from now.

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    Keeping in mind too that few states (5.00 / 1) (#96)
    by ruffian on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 02:47:45 PM EST
    have open primaries. If Obama was successful in registering Hispanic likely voters as Dems, how many of them are going to like Jeb so much they switch their voter registration in order to vote for him in a closed GOP primary?

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    Not long ago I would. It have thought (none / 0) (#97)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 02:55:38 PM EST
    Jeb was a consideration.  But this seems very calculated.  Christie is over.  What have they got? And if he is ever going to run there is an argument to make that running against a Clinton is his only chance.  Convince everyone how screwed up, dynastic and backward thinking the whole system is ...?

    The more people the republicans can make stay home the better off they are.

    I still think he would lose.but.

    And I agree with ga.  This is a BIG deal.  At least to people around here

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    I read (none / 0) (#104)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 03:29:45 PM EST
    where the donors that had abandoned Christie were running to Jeb. I'm sure that will last a few months and it's probably why he might be making such a statement--donors. Anyway, I'm sure once he can't explain how he can get past his mother's statement about him and how he can't get past his last name, they will be onto somebody else. This is looking to be a repeat of 2012 with somebody different popping up every few months. Rand Paul seems to be rising with the people that vote in the GOP primary but he's also taking fire from the Bushies because of his foreign policy stances. The GOP still can't admit they have bad foreign policy.

    But I also think that Jeb would have a lot of the GOP base sitting home.

    The GOP is basically a regional party based in the south so you and I see a lot more of what these people think than people who live in other states.

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    And yet (none / 0) (#105)
    by jbindc on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 03:33:12 PM EST
    The GOP is basically a regional party based in the south so you and I see a lot more of what these people think than people who live in other states.

    It's not just the southern states that get to vote in Republican primaries.

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    Yes, (none / 0) (#108)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 03:34:13 PM EST
    but that is what John McCain tried to do in 2000 and there's no path to the GOP nomination without the south.

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    The House of Paul (none / 0) (#114)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 03:49:48 PM EST
    At war with the House of Bush while trying to fend off a power grab from the House of Clinton.

    Who will the House of Cheney side with?  Or the House of Romney.  

    For the matter who will the House of Koch side with?

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    House of Koch (none / 0) (#117)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 03:53:17 PM EST
    seems to like the most radical candidates out there. So they probably go with Ted Cruz. House of Cheney who knows? House of Romney? Probably nobody wants them on their side. So House of Clinton wins hands down. LOL.

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    The Sigils alone (5.00 / 1) (#120)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 04:00:04 PM EST
    Will be worth tuning in for

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    Sigils? (none / 0) (#125)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 04:36:33 PM EST
    Usually I can guess what you're saying but this time the iPad got the best of you. LOL.

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    Sigil (none / 0) (#127)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 04:43:13 PM EST
    Sorry (none / 0) (#130)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 04:57:55 PM EST
    give my apologies to your iPad. I don't watch game of thrones so I missed the reference.

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    The iPad accepts your apology (5.00 / 1) (#133)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 05:03:28 PM EST
    Grudgingly

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    Knock would be (none / 0) (#128)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 04:44:54 PM EST
    A dollar sign.  Bush would probably be an oil Derrick.  Paul would be, I don't know, a clown car?

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    It will be interesting (none / 0) (#109)
    by CaptHowdy on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 03:38:33 PM EST
    Paul is definitely in with the base but the establishment hates and fears him.  Particularly the foreign policy stuff.  I said McCain could never win the primary and he did.  I said Romney could never win a primary and he did.  But I really really think this time it might be different.  They lost two in a row with the establishment guy shoved down their throats.  The republican primary is going to be the modern political equivalent of Game of Thrones.

    Pass the freakin popcorn.

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    Actually (none / 0) (#112)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 03:47:47 PM EST
    i said Romney and McCain would win because someone will come out and say for them and the sheep that vote in the primaries would come out baa baa baa and vote for who they were told to vote for BUT I am not seeing that anymore. They think that the "establishment" is deliberately forcing losers down their throats and they are not having it anymore.

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    Appeal (none / 0) (#75)
    by squeaky on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 12:02:34 PM EST
    This is an appeal to get the hispanic democrats to vote GOP.

    I am sure that his statement is 100% party sanctioned.

    Of course, it is BS because if he wins the border patrol $$ will increase tenfold.

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    NYT studied the records to (none / 0) (#79)
    by oculus on Mon Apr 07, 2014 at 12:28:05 PM EST
    determine who the current admin. is deporting.  80% of deportations are for minor violations of the law. The deportees face imprisonment if they illigally return to ypthe U.S.  [NYT.]

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