Soxy

QUOTE(StrangeSox @ Jul 19, 2006 -> 12:04 PM) Those are usually tailored to the market though, aren't they? I don't know. I think there are a certain number of national spots for each program, and a certain amount of local spots. Maybe, it's cheaper to buy a couple national spots than a bunch of local spots in certain areas? I don't know. That's just my thought.

Probably because they are just broadcasting on National (cable) channels. I've never seen one on a local station (NBC, CBS, etc), but I do see them on TBS, TLC, etc.

I just wanted to post the vote from the Senate here. If you have a senator that voted against this, and you disagree with him/her, please send an e-mail, call, or let him/her know about your displeasure. Alphabetical by Senator Name Akaka (D-HI), Yea Alexander (R-TN), Yea Allard (R-CO), Nay Allen (R-VA), Nay Baucus (D-MT), Yea Bayh (D-IN), Yea Bennett (R-UT), Yea Biden (D-DE), Yea Bingaman (D-NM), Yea Bond (R-MO), Nay Boxer (D-CA), Yea Brownback (R-KS), Nay Bunning (R-KY), Nay Burns (R-MT), Nay Burr (R-NC), Yea Byrd (D-WV), Yea Cantwell (D-WA), Yea Carper (D-DE), Yea Chafee (R-RI), Yea Chambliss (R-GA), Nay Clinton (D-NY), Yea Coburn (R-OK), Nay Cochran (R-MS), Yea Coleman (R-MN), Nay Collins (R-ME), Yea Conrad (D-ND), Yea Cornyn (R-TX), Nay Craig (R-ID), Nay Crapo (R-ID), Nay Dayton (D-MN), Yea DeMint (R-SC), Nay DeWine (R-OH), Nay Dodd (D-CT), Yea Dole (R-NC), Nay Domenici (R-NM), Nay Dorgan (D-ND), Yea Durbin (D-IL), Yea Ensign (R-NV), Nay Enzi (R-WY), Nay Feingold (D-WI), Yea Feinstein (D-CA), Yea Frist (R-TN), Yea Graham (R-SC), Nay Grassley (R-IA), Nay Gregg (R-NH), Yea Hagel (R-NE), Nay Harkin (D-IA), Yea Hatch (R-UT), Yea Hutchison (R-TX), Yea Inhofe (R-OK), Nay Inouye (D-HI), Yea Isakson (R-GA), Nay Jeffords (I-VT), Yea Johnson (D-SD), Yea Kennedy (D-MA), Yea Kerry (D-MA), Yea Kohl (D-WI), Yea Kyl (R-AZ), Nay Landrieu (D-LA), Yea Lautenberg (D-NJ), Yea Leahy (D-VT), Yea Levin (D-MI), Yea Lieberman (D-CT), Yea Lincoln (D-AR), Yea Lott (R-MS), Yea Lugar (R-IN), Yea Martinez (R-FL), Nay McCain (R-AZ), Yea McConnell (R-KY), Nay Menendez (D-NJ), Yea Mikulski (D-MD), Yea Murkowski (R-AK), Yea Murray (D-WA), Yea Nelson (D-FL), Yea Nelson (D-NE), Nay Obama (D-IL), Yea Pryor (D-AR), Yea Reed (D-RI), Yea Reid (D-NV), Yea Roberts (R-KS), Nay Rockefeller (D-WV), Yea Salazar (D-CO), Yea Santorum (R-PA), Nay Sarbanes (D-MD), Yea Schumer (D-NY), Yea Sessions (R-AL), Nay Shelby (R-AL), Nay Smith (R-OR), Yea Snowe (R-ME), Yea Specter (R-PA), Yea Stabenow (D-MI), Yea Stevens (R-AK), Yea Sununu (R-NH), Nay Talent (R-MO), Nay Thomas (R-WY), Nay Thune (R-SD), Nay Vitter (R-LA), Nay Voinovich (R-OH), Nay Warner (R-VA), Yea Wyden (D-OR), Yea

Happy happy birthday The Cheat!

I've never seen a local group I liked as much as when I lived in Minnesota: Alva Star. Love them. If you ever get the chance, I would recommend seeing them. Very nice guys too.

Interesting article I thought this was a pretty interesting, rational, and non-alarmist article. I'm not sure if it'll be borne out like he predicts, but his predictions sound better than WWIII Op-Ed Contributor A Conflict That Will Stay Close to Home Article Tools Sponsored By By EDWARD M. LUTTWAK Published: July 18, 2006 IT is obvious by now that Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah and Hamas is part of a larger conflict largely paid for and directed by Iran and Syria. To divert attention from its nuclear ambitions, Iran undoubtedly sanctioned Hezbollah’s adventurism into Israel last week. Syria harbors Khaled Meshal, the political leader of Hamas, and fully supports its actions. So, could the fighting widen across the region? It is possible, of course, but not likely. First, Hamas is very isolated, with no local allies other than Syria. As the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, which was founded in Egypt and is dedicated to overthrowing the government of Hosni Mubarak, Hamas can hardly expect any help from Egypt, by far Israel’s most powerful neighbor. Likewise, the Muslim Brotherhood of Jordan is the main political opposition to the royal family. Since April, when the Jordanian government intercepted weapons coming from Syria and intended for Hamas, it has barred Hamas officials from its territory. As for Hezbollah, the Israeli bombing of Lebanon is arousing some Arab solidarity in the region. But all know that the Israelis are acting only incidentally against Lebanon and that their target is Hezbollah, which deliberately started the fighting by crossing into Israel. Much more important, other Arabs view Hezbollah as the paid agent of its Shiite brethren, the leaders of non-Arab Iran. That makes it much easier for Sunni Arab states like Egypt and Jordan to stay on the sidelines. Likewise, Saudi Arabia, another Sunni-ruled country, quickly came out against Hezbollah and Iran through its official news agency, which said, “A distinction must be made between legitimate resistance and uncalculated adventures undertaken by elements inside Lebanon and those behind them.” In the Arab world, only Syrian President Bashar al-Assad supports both Hamas and Hezbollah. Would he help both by, say, opening a new front on the Golan Heights? Syria has large artillery forces that could quickly launch a tremendous barrage; it has missiles than can reach deep into Israel, and its armored forces and commando units could go into action almost immediately. On the other hand, Syria has never violated the 1974 cease-fire on the Golan Heights, not even in 1982 when the Israelis destroyed Syrian forces in Lebanon. The Syrians know that even if they struck first, the Israelis would retaliate very quickly by bombing Syrian air bases and by destroying electrical power stations, oil refineries, major bridges and the like. And the Syrian Army would undoubtedly suffer heavy losses once the Israelis mobilized their reserve divisions, in less than 48 hours. Most important, Mr. Assad must be concerned that his regime, narrowly based on the loyalty of the small Alawite religious minority to which he belongs, would be overthrown if the country suffered a major military defeat. Which brings us back to Iran. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been threatening Israel with destruction daily and keeps denying the Holocaust in a manner that reveals his own genocidal fantasies. But as of now, Iran has no military capacity against Israel other than a few unreliable ballistic missiles imported from North Korea whose warheads could fall just about anywhere. Even if by some miracle they were to hit a city or town in Israel, their conventional explosives would not inflict much damage anyway. On the other hand, an Iranian missile attack would give Israel the opportunity to strike Iran’s nuclear installations without provoking global outrage. It would be a very serious act of war, but it would not stir the Arab states to aid Iran’s mullahs: they, too, fear a nuclear Iran. Much is at stake in the current crisis: Israel’s security; Lebanon’s viability as a nation; the future roles of Hamas and Hezbollah; America’s ability to function as an effective power in the Middle East; and more still. There are dangers on every side. But, fortunately, the outbreak of a regional war is not one of them. Edward N. Luttwak, a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, is the author of “Strategy: The Logic of War and Peace.’’

I still read it, but I'd read a new one too, so whatever everyone thinks is best.

Wanted to add another Corolla love story. It was deciding between that and the Civic, very similar cars, but the corolla is sooo much cheaper. I get awesome gas mileage (close to 40mpg on the highway), I actually get a little irked when I do all in-town driving an only get 31 or 32 mpg. Anyway, I've had mine for about a year and a half (2005), and I love it. You could also probably get a steal on an 06 right now. I financed through the dealer and got a low rate, but I also went to a pretty well known and respected dealer, so that may be a big factor. good luck!

Maybe they should try this in the Middle East. . . Australians upset over loud Manilow music SYDNEY, Australia - It could be magic for some, but the use of loud Barry Manilow music to drive away late-night revelers from a suburban Sydney park is getting on the nerves of nearby residents. In a move reminiscent of U.S. efforts to drive former Panama strongman Manuel Noriega from the Vatican Embassy where he took refuge in 1989, the local council in Rockdale, in Sydney's southern suburbs, started a six-month trial of high-volume hits by Manilow and Doris Day to chase away car enthusiasts who were gathering on weekend nights at Cook Park Reserve. "Barry's our secret weapon," Rockdale Deputy Mayor Bill Saravinovski told The Daily Telegraph newspaper, four weeks after the start of the effort. "It seems to be working." But some people living near the park are less than enthralled. They say the barrage of "Copacabana," "Could It Be Magic" and "Que Sera Sera," blasting from 9 p.m. to midnight every Friday, Saturday and Sunday is driving them crazy. "I don't know how I will cope," said Moya Dunn, describing how the songs have invaded her house. "I just can't sleep when it's on, and to think there's going to be another six months of this." Officials have given in a little, agreeing to turn down the volume a bit after residents complained. "The initial reaction was that they found it irritating," Saravinovski said. "I'm not disputing what the residents are saying. I can't swallow some of the tracks like `Mandy.' "We have tried to reduce the sound and we are reviewing the songs. I don't mind Barry Manilow, but I'm more of an ABBA and Celine Dion fan." In 1989, U.S. soldiers blasted hard rock music and news bulletins about Panama at the Vatican Embassy in Panama City in attempt to drive Gen. Noriega from refuge there. The Vatican complained, and U.S. troops stopped the noise. Noriega later surrendered.

I have pink eye. Wtf? I haven't had that since elementary school. It sucks. Boo.

QUOTE(WCSox @ Jul 17, 2006 -> 10:57 AM) And the militant Palestinians have decided that they will settle for nothing less than complete Palestinian control of the land "from sea to sea." That is one key difference between their situation and ours with the Native Americans. Well, give the Isrealis some malaria blankets and just wipe 'em out, worked for us! Manifest destiny baby! Despite my glib comparisons I think it's a very interesting and compelling argument NSS.

QUOTE(NUKE_CLEVELAND @ Jul 16, 2006 -> 04:10 PM) Absolutely nothing. Which brings us back full circle.........waste of oxygen. So, their inability to bring a 6,000 year old conflict to a screeching halt negates their entire existence? (Also, this is a different argument than you began with--now you're arguing they're ineffective, when previously you said they aided and abetted terrorists).

QUOTE(NUKE_CLEVELAND @ Jul 16, 2006 -> 04:01 PM) Why is it not surprising to me that asking for deeds and not words in helping soldiers captured while fighting Hezbollah is raising the bar a little too high for you. :rolly How, exactly could AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL do anything to free the soliders. I'm not aware of their standing army. Just let me know WHAT AI could physically do.

QUOTE(Gregory Pratt @ Jul 16, 2006 -> 03:38 PM) Hey Admins: this thread has a curseword in the title. Does that mean we're allowed to curse in our titles, as long as we asterik a letter? You did say no one was exempt from the new rules. The thread starter was warned. Thank you for your very keen observation.

QUOTE(Rex Kickass @ Jul 16, 2006 -> 03:34 PM) Have you been to Montreal? A lot of English there for nobody speaking it. Funny story, In Montreal I would order or ask a question in French (poor French) to try and be respectful of the culture of the French Canadians, and 90% of the time they would answer me in English.

At least we aren't losing to the Royals. . .

QUOTE(EvilMonkey @ Jul 16, 2006 -> 02:50 PM) REad my post again before you bring your fangs out. I think he was protesting (no fangs) that you said ONE place in Canada had French. While Rex was pointing out that ALL of Canada has dual langauges (meaning French is official in ALL of Canada's provinces); and that both languages are used and learned ACROSS Canada.

Jas, you just broke your own rule. I have suspend you for 5 days.

QUOTE(Rex Kickass @ Jul 16, 2006 -> 01:48 PM) Lakoff is really interesting. I enjoyed Don't Think of An Elephant and am looking forward to reading this particular book too, but I think he's a little too centered on framing as the root of our problems. Part of the root of our problems is prior to this year, the Democratic Party leadership has been very unresponsive to the rank and file. With the election of Howard Dean, this is starting to change. Doing things like rebuilding the party in Montana and Nebraska, and in the South is going to go a much further way to make change than framing words. I agree with you, that there is definitely more to winning the election than a simple lingustic/thematic shift. But I think he makes a very interesting and valid point about the power of language. But I wholeheartedly agree that rebuilding the bases is really going to be the future of the party. Another interesting, but long piece from the Times.

QUOTE(EvilMonkey @ Jul 16, 2006 -> 02:03 PM) Exactally. One place in the whole country has French as its official language, while the rest of the country has to deal with dual languages. What a boondoggle that must be for any governmental branch. " English and French are the official languages of all federal government institutions in Canada. This means that the public has the right to communicate with, and receive services from, federal government institutions in either English or French and that federal government employees have the right to work in the official language of their choice in designated bilingual regions" Can you imagine the havok that would cause in lost productivity (as if government is productive as it is!) if Joe Citizen could demand that court proceeding be done in Spanish instead of English? Or that drivers license tests be done in Farsi? Most anglo-phone Canadians I know don't mind. And most of the Franco-phone Canadians (admittedly I know more French Canadians) also speak English quite well. I don't think that there's any lost productivity in Canada. I don't know of any hard data either way, but I can't really believe that countries with more than one official language (or NO official language) are any less productive or efficient than other countries. Do you know any supporting data or anything (not being snarky, but I really would like to know if Canada suffers because of the dual language thing).

Link Metal Bats Are an Issue of Life and Death Article Tools Sponsored By By IRA BERKOW Published: July 16, 2006 On a July night three years ago, a line drive rocketed off a metal bat and smashed into the left temple of Brandon Patch, an 18-year-old American Legion pitcher in Montana. Within hours, he was dead. In April 2005, a line drive off a metal bat slammed into the temple of Bill Kalant, a 16-year-old high school pitcher in suburban Chicago. The ball traveled “with laserlike speed,” said Skip Sullivan, Kalant’s coach at Oak Lawn High School. Kalant was rushed to a hospital adjoining the field, where an emergency-room doctor told his parents, “He is on the cliff of death.” He made it through after being in a coma for two weeks and having brain surgery. He has had to learn how to brush his teeth again, how to tie his shoes again, how to walk again. At a Police Athletic League game last month in Wayne, N.J., a line drive off a metal bat struck the chest of Steven Domalewski, 12, knocking him down and stopping his heart for a few minutes. He was revived on the field and taken to a hospital, where he was put in a medically induced coma, placed on a feeding tube and hooked to electrodes to stimulate his brain. He is still in a coma. Brandon Patch lived with his parents, Duane and Deb, in Miles City, Mont., a small cowboy town where he played for a team called the Mavericks. The Patches run a Web site dedicated to Brandon, forever11.com, and are part of a national crusade to eliminate aluminum bats in amateur baseball in favor of wood bats, which they and many others consider to be less dangerous. They have, however, met with stiff resistance from bat manufacturers and officials of amateur leagues. At home in Oak Lawn, Ill., Tony Kalant, Bill’s father, said he believed that his son would not have sustained his life-threatening injury if a wood bat had been used. “He would have reacted quicker,” Kalant said. “Like this, the ball was hit so hard and came so fast, he didn’t have a chance.” In Trenton, Assemblyman Patrick J. Diegnan Jr., a Democrat from Middlesex County, introduced a bill last month to prohibit the use of metal bats in youth and high school baseball leagues. “It’s time to do away with the hollow ping and the increased risk of injury aluminum bats brought to New Jersey ballfields,” Diegnan said in a statement. He added that a ball traveled about 20 miles an hour faster off a metal bat than off a wood bat because of what is generally referred to as the “trampoline effect.” The conflict over the use of metal versus wood began almost from the inception of the use of aluminum bats in the early 1970’s to cut the cost of replacing broken wood bats. The controversy took an odd turn last month: The Mavericks forfeited four games as part of a home-and-away series with the Bozeman Bucks of their Eastern Montana Class AA American Legion conference because Bozeman refused to play with wood. “Ever since Brandon’s death, we only play games with wood bats, because it’s safer — I feel there’s no question about that — and out of respect for Brandon and his parents,” said Matt Phillips, the Mavericks’ coach. He was speaking in the clubhouse at Denton Field, the Mavericks’ home ballpark. The clubhouse, named Patch’s Corner, was built with donations from the community and from supporters around the country. A memorial stone and a photo of the left-handed Patch following through on a pitch are at the entrance. The other five teams in the conference, as well as all other American Legion teams in the state, play with aluminum bats when Miles City is not involved. They have respected the Miles City position in games against the Mavericks. In the past two years, in the eight games Bozeman and Miles City played, Bozeman used wood bats. Bozeman is again at the top end of the league standings, Miles City at the lower rung. “At the conference meeting in December, all the teams, including Bozeman, agreed again to play us only with wood bats,” Phillips said. “Then on Friday, three days before we were supposed to play them, Mitch Messer, their coach, calls and says they have decided to play with aluminum bats. I said we aren’t going to play with aluminum bats and that we’d have to forfeit the games. He said: ‘We’re a metal-bat team, and we don’t want to do anything to jeopardize our season. I mean no disrespect to your team or to Brandon Patch’s family, but that’s our decision.’ ” Deb Patch said: “It really is a slap in our face. It totally is.” Her husband, Duane, growing emotional, said, “The reason we are trying to get metal bats out of baseball is that we don’t want any parent to go through what my wife and I went through on that July 25.” Messer did not return several telephone calls seeking comment. “Mitch is a first-year coach with us, and it was generally decided to go this route,” said Ron Edwards, a spokesman for the Bozeman Bucks’ board of directors. “Every one of the other 5,500 Legion teams in the country play with metal bats. We decided to go with the majority.” But a handful of Legion teams around the country play with only wood bats, and the Bozeman decision drew heated responses. Andrew Hinkelman, a sports columnist for The Bozeman Daily Chronicle, wrote, “After almost three years of every Miles City opponent abiding by the Mavericks’ request to not use aluminum bats, the Bucks became the first team to dishonor themselves by insisting that metal is better.” He added that the Bucks’ decision was “a disheartening display of classless, unsportsmanlike behavior that is in violation of the spirit of athletics.” Josh Samuelson, the sports editor of The Miles City Star, wrote a column with similar sentiments regarding Bozeman and its coach. He received an e-mail message from Kay Bugger, the mother of a current Bucks player and of another player who was on the team in 2003. She gave permission by telephone for her message to be published again: “Your article is right on the money, and most of the parents in Bozeman agree with you!” She added, “Messer is showing complete disrespect for the situation.” A year ago, the Patches were among those who petitioned the Montana Legislature to ban aluminum bats. The ban was rejected in a close decision, but Gov. Brian Schweitzer issued a statement urging teams to take up wood bats. “We have a responsibility to protect our young people in their sports endeavors,” he said. Some campaigns have succeeded. Next year, all North Dakota high school games will be played with wood bats. A number of other high school, amateur and college conferences, including the New York Collegiate Baseball League and the Great Lakes Valley Conference, have gone back to wood. The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association briefly banned metal bats for high school playoff games, but the rule was later abandoned. The professional minor and major leagues use wood bats. Manufacturers take the position that, given the some 20 million baseball players in the United States, metal bats do not cause any more injuries than wood bats. Others, like Jim Quinlan, the national program coordinator for American Legion Baseball, say that wood bats can also be dangerous. One example he used was of a teenager in Utah who was killed by a ball off a wood bat in batting practice. Last month, Erik Davis, a Stanford junior, was pitching in the high-end amateur Cape Cod League, which uses wood bats. Davis was hit in the face with a batted ball. He had reconstructive surgery to repair damage to his right eye. Between 1991 and 2001, 17 players were killed by batted balls, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Eight involved metal bats and two involved wood bats. In seven instances, the kind of bat was not documented. Steve Keener, the president and chief executive of Little League International, which uses metal bats, said that injuries from batted balls had decreased over the years. He said the ratio of weight to length in youth bats had been adjusted so that the velocity of a ball from the bat was about equivalent to that of a wood bat. Similar bats are used in some other amateur settings. In 2001, a proposal before the New York City Council to ban metal bats in youth leagues failed to pass. That was after testimony in the Youth Services Committee by Jack MacKay Jr., a former metal bat engineer for Hillerich & Bradsby, which makes Louisville Slugger bats. He told the committee that metal bats posed “unnecessary danger.” Freddy Ricci, a Staten Island resident whose 14-year-old son Anthony’s teeth were knocked out by a line drive in 2001, told the committee that nothing could compare to “sitting in an emergency room, with your son, with teeth getting knocked out, blood drenched to his underwear.” He added, “So all of the statistics that you have, they don’t mean a thing to me.” With other testimony from bat companies, the committee decided that metal bats did not pose any greater danger than wood bats. Aluminum bats are lighter to swing than wood ones, and the ball flies off faster. The so-called sweet spot, in the meat of the barrel, is greater because the bat is more hollow. The bat manufacturer Easton advertises its new Stealth bat with technology that encourages “the most efficient energy transfer from handle to barrel for maximum ‘whip’ for a quicker bat and more power through the hitting zone,” according to the company’s Web site. The bat sells for $299. Wood bats sell for around $50. Young players generally seem to prefer hitting with metal bats. “There’s so much more pop to them,” said Pat Regan, shortstop for the Mavericks and the only current player who had been a teammate of Brandon Patch. “You hit longer balls. If you hit the ball on the handle with a wood bat, it’s a groundout to short. If you hit it on the handle with a metal, it can be a double. But metal bats should be outlawed. It puts lives in danger.” Scott Kvernum of Williston, N.D., was in the stands at Denton Field as his son’s team played recently against Miles City. “We’re a home-run-hitting team with metal bats, but with the wood bats we don’t have nearly the same pop,” he said. “It takes a big, strong man to poke one out with a wood bat. That’s why I’d like to see us playing here with metal bats.” His son, Devin, is a catcher. How would he feel if his son were a pitcher? “With metal bats?” he said. “Oh God, I’d be leery.” Any thoughts on this?

QUOTE(NUKE_CLEVELAND @ Jul 16, 2006 -> 01:57 PM) Hardly. Those who would defend terrorists and criminals are perfectly deserving of the comment "waste of oxygen". SHOW me where Amnesty International supports terrorists. SHOW ME.

QUOTE(NUKE_CLEVELAND @ Jul 16, 2006 -> 01:47 PM) Its not terribly hard to determine what they do really. They like to give great big hugs to terrorists, murderers and other assorted scum who have no business wasting the oxygen of this planet. They spend their time and energy whining about how the scum of the world is treated when those they would defend deserve to be having the last shovelfuls of dirt thrown on their grave already. Come to think of it, based on their activities they too are a waste of oxygen as well. Wow, that comment is so incredibly devoid of actual facts that I can't even comment on it. Good job tiger. I, for one, totally hate the impoverished women and children terrorists of peru, and those little girls terrorists that get their genitals mutilated in africa. Oh, f*** it. Nevermind. Why do I bother? You don't read or care about any opinion but your own. Nevermind.

My gosh, linguists are so brilliant. . . FINE POINT: A LOOK AT THE WEEK IN WASHINGTON Linguist has message for Democrats By Michael Tackett. Michael Tackett is the Tribune's Washington Bureau chief Published July 16, 2006 On paper, George Lakoff doesn't seem a likely oracle for the Democratic Party. He's a professor of cognitive linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley. His areas of expertise: the "neural theory of language, conceptual systems, conceptual metaphor, syntax-semantics-pragmatics," among other things. It's hard to imagine a caricature more ripe for Republican mocking. In person, it isn't much better. Bearded, bespectacled and a bit on the portly side, he also in no way lacks confidence in his intellect. A central-casting Cal-Berkeley liberal. But Lakoff may be on to something. He makes a very persuasive argument that Democrats have allowed Republicans to hijack words such as "freedom" and "liberty" in fundamental ways that have undercut Democrats' credibility. His latest book, "Whose Freedom? The Battle over America's Most Important Idea," builds on earlier works that urge progressives to stop getting their pockets picked by Republicans over issues in which, he says, progressives actually hold the higher moral ground. Lakoff contends that Republicans not only have taken ownership of words, they also have skillfully succeeded in framing the debate. That has trapped Democrats into being reactive, implicitly buying into the GOP framework and almost dooming them to failure. Consider the war in Iraq. Republicans have adroitly labeled Democratic calls for troop pullbacks as "cut and run." So how did Democrats respond? With John Kerry saying that the Bush strategy is "lie and die." Instead, Lakoff says, Democrats must change the nature of the debate, starting by rejecting the premise that America is in fact at war. The war, he says, ended when President Bush said it did with his "Mission Accomplished" stunt on an aircraft carrier. Now, Democrats should refer to the conflict as an occupation. They should say U.S. troops were not trained to be occupiers and that they were betrayed by administration policy, with the U.S. weakened as a result. Lakoff makes a similar point about the "war on terror." Terrorism, he says, should be fought in the same way the government went after the Mafia. Right or wrong, no prominent Democrat has adopted Lakoff's proposed framing. That hasn't stopped him from making the rounds in Washington, urging Democrats to take heed. He is a one-man army for the counterintuitive. Democrats, he says, are an anti-intellectual party. It is Republicans, he says, who support conservative intellectuals with many think tanks and interest groups to promote a conservative agenda. Republicans, he adds, actually control the media. They reinforce Bush's positions and use radio, television and the Internet to create an amen chorus before Democrats can even deliver a compelling sermon. Democrats, he says, need to become framers. Lakoff says the Democratic message needs to be something like this: Republicans oppress people when they can't eat the fish they catch because of water pollution, when kids get asthma because of bad air, when ranchers can't let cattle drink the water in the streams that run through their land, all because of lax regulation. And don't make the mistake of labeling yourself an environmentalist. Lakoff likens the GOP orthodoxy as offered by Bush to a "strict father" mentality with a stark and unambiguous view of right and wrong. Democrats offer more a "nurturant parent" who is empathetic and looks at things in context. Democrats, he says, need to start framing with core convictions and not with calibrations to try to win over converts. Framing alone won't get it, though. Lakoff recalled a conversation with Richard Wirthlin, the pollster for Ronald Reagan. Wirthlin told him that when he did surveys for Reagan, he found that voters disagreed with Reagan but liked him for the values he projected--authenticity, trust and the ability to connect with voters on a personal level. And Reagan didn't move to the middle to try to get votes. Rather, his personal traits had a pull for those voters in the middle who were willing to support him almost in spite of his positions. "Talk to the center the way you talk to your base," Lakoff says. In Lakoff's view, most of the Democrats being discussed as potential presidential candidates don't have that skill set. Not Hillary Clinton. Not John Kerry. Not John Edwards. His lone exception: Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.). "He's amazing," Lakoff says, ticking off Obama's capacity for authenticity, values, trust and connection. "He doesn't just get up there and give a laundry list of programs." Obama, he says, has an innate understanding of language and framing that the others do not. Lakoff made a point of saying that he has talked to Obama. We will see if Obama listened.

QUOTE(EvilMonkey @ Jul 16, 2006 -> 01:31 PM) No, so that we don't emulate Quebec. Have you been to Quebec? Because the way this piece sounds, it doesn't really remind me of Quebec and they way their language laws are structured. And, for the record, French IS an official language of Canada. So, your comparison isn't very valid. Unless you would like to further illuminate what you're saying for me.