NorthSideSox72

QUOTE(YASNY @ Dec 15, 2006 -> 10:48 AM) When you think about it, it is actually pretty much on the money. I wouldn't consider it an insult. It's more of a description or catagorization. I agree. It was more the usage in the context I referred to that I found insulting.

QUOTE(YASNY @ Dec 15, 2006 -> 10:36 AM) LMAO! I couldn't resist. Its all good. I resembled that remark anyway. Actually, since the term "religious conservative" is often used to refer to that part of the populace, I guess "secular progressive" is a pretty good description of another part.

QUOTE(YASNY @ Dec 15, 2006 -> 10:07 AM) Besides, there are a few of you secular progressives that are quite fluent in Snark as well.

QUOTE(Texsox @ Dec 15, 2006 -> 10:00 AM) How about the civilian who was working for a company in Russia setting up a radar system. He was using a GPS unit to lay out the tower, was arrested on suspicion if being a CIA spy. Should he have been locked up without any process? How about reporters covering these wars? They get picked up in the field and just locked up without Geneva protections or civilian trials? Bottom line, the US is now saying we can lock someone up forever, without any trials, without Geneva protections. Never in our history have we done this. Is this the America way of life we are promoting around the world? Doesn't this sound like something a third world dictator would be doing? We talk about justice and fairness. Of freedoms. If we are going to hold ourselves up as the bastions of freedoms and rights, we need to try these people in some court of law. Currently we have two classifications. Civilian and military, Pick one for them and lets go. Or seriously get busy and declare a third classification. Some here want to think the same military that shot Pat Tillman is perfect and only picked up terrorists and couldn't possibly have made a mistake. That by being picked up they must be guilty. I don't trust our government that much. Let's get these people to trial, convict all that are guilty, and show the world that the American process works. Right now, by locking people up in black holes, condoning torture, we look like the people we are fighting against. I agree with your points, Tex. But to be clear, we have done this before. WWII internments of Japanese comes to mind.

QUOTE(shipps @ Dec 15, 2006 -> 03:17 AM) With all the crap athletes get into nowadays iam not really mad at him.Tank is no Stephen Jackson. So... because more athletes nowadays act like s***heads, you're not mad when another one does? Did the "but Johnny did it too" argument work in 2nd grade too? QUOTE(Gene Honda Civic @ Dec 14, 2006 -> 05:19 PM) 6 counts sounds like pointing it as squirrels wearing police uniforms. Well, no, that would be aggravated assault, or worse. But I see jackie's point, those charges could be anything. It could mean, for instance, that he loaned six guns to a friend who is a convicted felon. Or, it could be squirrels.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Dec 14, 2006 -> 09:16 PM) On a different topic...I think my mind just fell apart on this one. Either that or I just simultaneously unraveled every mystery of the universe at once. Possibly the single greatest argument as to why homosexual parents shouldn't be allowed, regardless of the data: Context and ID of speaker here. Still laughing. You know what scares me most about that news clipping? Not the cupcake comment. Its something else he said. A phrase I haven't heard uttered before, but which I think is really, really disturbing... "secular-progressive" Anyone who wasn't sure about the agenda of some of the religious right, there it is. Having a secular, progressive government, is not only a bad thing... they apparently are one in the same effort. We've gone past "liberal" being a dirty word, right on into progressive and even secular as being dirty, evil concepts. Its right there. Some people want this nation to become their own religious fiefdom (nevermind that there are millions of non-Christians here). Which is particularly ironic when one considers that it is the tie between religion in government in the Middle East which so confounds our foreign policy. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Wonderful.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Dec 14, 2006 -> 08:17 PM) Nearly 2 million people have fled that country in 3 years according to the U.N. There are hundreds to thousands of attacks, murders, etc. per day. Virtually all reconstruction has ground to a halt because of the total lack of security. There is a literal migration underway of Sunnis and Shi'ites into unmixed neighborhoods, especially in Baghdad, a virtual self-ethnic cleansing. The strategic position of the U.S. in Iraq and in the world gets worse every day. Unemployment is something on the order of 50%, give or take 10%. At last report, the capitol was getting around 2.4 hours of power per day in October. Of course, at the small scale, there are still good things going on. But they simply aren't numerous as to even make a dent in how bad the situation has gotten. I think that about covers it. And before someone says "its war its going to be ugly", we all know that. And it is. But thats why its supposed to be a last resort, and only when dire threat to our national security is involved. There is no way (and never was) the Iraq war falls into that category.

QUOTE(sox4lifeinPA @ Dec 14, 2006 -> 09:06 PM) total side note... I've read about people who know how to "move off the grid" and live, work, and start new lives. It's an interesting thing to look into, purely scholastic reasons, of course. Choose a small town in the mountain west at random, particularly in states like MT, UT and NM, and you'll find plenty of people who live nearly or entirely off the grid. Actually, even more so, Alaska.

QUOTE(jackie hayes @ Dec 14, 2006 -> 05:04 PM) Is that just a start? That doesn't sound bad. Its amazing how desensitized we are to criminals in professional sports now, isn't it?

QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Dec 14, 2006 -> 04:43 PM) Sorry but as much as I want the Bears to win, If Johnson was in possession of a Leon Lett like quantity of drugs, I want him to rott for it. I already whined and complained about his off-field problems in the past and think the best thing you can do with consistent malcontents thats get into legal problems is cut ties with them. I am waiting to see what actually happened, but I do not feel sorry for him, I feel sorry for the team that relied on him and us fans. He's just a f***ing prick that deserves whatever wrath comes on him for breaking the law (if in fact we find out he had posession of drugs with the intent of distributing it). Though, I am just a touch sad for my Bears.

QUOTE(Balance @ Dec 14, 2006 -> 04:02 PM) This is a welcome development. Additionally, Barack Obama is sponsoring a bill that would list the details of various spending bills on a website so that voters can instantly see who's trying to "emporken" a given bill. That should be supported as well. And I think I just coined a new word. I demand royalties! Emporken. Nice. Emporkenment. Emporked.

QUOTE(bmags @ Dec 14, 2006 -> 03:17 PM) question about line item veto, once vetoed, does that single item get put back into congress to vote on? I suppose it depends how its written. But if its like any other veto, Congress would need 2/3 majority in both houses ("super-majority") to overrule. There would probably be time limits involved, etc.

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Dec 14, 2006 -> 02:11 PM) Your strawman argument is using 600,000 people killed and then saying in a round about way that it's our fault. Really? Is it? Is that what you think? Um... it is. There are 600,000 people dead, because we started a war. Even if you still agree with the war, there is simply no denying this is the case.

QUOTE(YASNY @ Dec 14, 2006 -> 12:38 PM) I think Rozner is the best sports columnist in Chicago. He's very good, but my vote goes to Melissa Isaacson.

QUOTE(YASNY @ Dec 14, 2006 -> 01:02 PM) Eh. I just see it this way. These terrorists are the epitome of inhumanity ... and they are proud it based on their actions and the fact that they advertise those actions. When it comes down to a choice of them suffering some less than humane treatment, or some of us suffering flagrant inhumane treatment ... I'll throw them under the bus every time. Maybe I'm the coward. If so, this coward is going to go down fighting and I don't care what the rest of the world thinks about it. If someone is in my yard and I know they want to kill me, I'm not going to depend on the police to get there before they cross my threshold. One step in my house and they are meat. These bastards have already come into our 'house' and 3000 of us are dead. That's more than enough for me. If you are going to use that analogy, then make it accurate. What you describe is what Afghanistan was supposed to be (and started off being). Whats happened since then is a witch hunt for people who may or may not be considering entering your property with ill intent. That is what I have a problem with.

I am just fine with military tribunals, in the military justice system, if that is what is called for. You know what? People here are going to scream at the conservatives for being hateful and short-sighted, and others will scream at the liberals about kissing terrorists' asses. And its all B.S. But I do see a theme here, and in a portion of the general public, that I find disgusting and dangerous. Its the idea that because someone doesn't agree with the way we are handling this "war on terror", that we are somehow cowards. You know what? I'll say something I've never said here. If you think that my views are out of cowardice or fear, then F*** YOU. There, I said it. Suspend me. I don't care. But don't think for a second this is about courage. Courage means doing the right thing even when you have every reason in the world not to. Allowing hatred to pull us into a pit of slime is where fear is.

QUOTE(YASNY @ Dec 14, 2006 -> 10:45 AM) Sorry, I don't care about the human rights of terrorists. They want to kill us. That's all I need to know. See, to me, this country and the Constitution are great because of the protections put in place for those we hate. Fair trials for all. Nazis can have their picnics. People can express dissent. I'm not saying these guys should go free. I am saying that it is our responsibility as a nation to not stoop to the level of our enemies.

QUOTE(YASNY @ Dec 14, 2006 -> 09:32 AM) It ain't going to happen. And this is not a stab at the Dems. Neither party is willing to give this 'earmark' stuff up. What the Dems may do, is to convince everyone they are trying, but blame the GOP when they can't pull it off. And if the situation was flip flopped, it would be the same thing. You are probably right. But I am willing to wait and see before judging on this matter.

QUOTE(YASNY @ Dec 14, 2006 -> 09:28 AM) I don't see where OUR constitution should apply to these people in any way, shape or form ... unless they are US citizens. The Geneva convention is for uniformed personal. If you are caught spying while blending into the populace, not in uniform ... you are S.O.L. as far as Geneva is concerned. These people, and I used the word loosely here, are not in the uniform of any nation's military. Geneva does not apply. Then find out what does apply. And it sure as heck isn't infinite and unregulated detainment. That is not OK, it stands counter to what our country is supposed to stand for, and it makes us look like buffoons to everyone else. We can't go criticizing China for their human rights violations when we decide that some people in our custody get no rights at all.

QUOTE(Texsox @ Dec 14, 2006 -> 08:41 AM) How would requiring selecting someone with different views honor the voter's intent? I don't see anyone here mentioning anything about Federal. My point is honor the intent of the voters and select someone similar in views. So far no one has tackled this from the voter's perspective. YASNY mentioned federal, that is who I replied to. And I agreed earlier, a new election is most ideal. But next best is a state representative, like their legislature or Governor, as YAS and I have both stated. And further, I do not believe those entities should be held to a party requirement. The job, being a Senator, isn't about party first - its about representing your state first.

QUOTE(Hangar18 @ Dec 14, 2006 -> 08:54 AM) Garland was THISCLOSE to being traded a few days ago. It almost happened. It was reported. Now whether we choose to believe that since hes still here, hes not going anywhere, or since his name surfaced in that deal and why are we considering trading im is topic for endless discussion. The bottom line is, the SOX Organization has heard the grumblings from the fanbase and come out and made this statement. Kudos. Its a good PR move The grumblings, thus far, are groundless. And haven't you been around baseball enough to know that there are always a ton of "THISCLOSE" trades that don't happen? Or were never going to happen, and someone in the press or a front office jazzed it up to meet their own ends? If we actually trade Garland, and don't get something spectacular in return, then I'll be first in line to complain.

QUOTE(YASNY @ Dec 14, 2006 -> 08:19 AM) The people didn't elect a party they elected a person. They also elected the state legislature and the governor. Agreed. As you stated, this is a representative of the state and the people, and should not involve the federal government. QUOTE(YASNY @ Dec 14, 2006 -> 08:19 AM) Johnson had 'successful' brain surgery last night. Glad to hear it. I wonder what that means.

Congratulations, BushCo. You found a judge who agrees with your "strategery" of holding people in some sort of legal stasis, not to be regulated or governed by any U.S. Court, nor held to the Geneva Conventions on combatants. Another muddy footprint on the Constitution. Wonderful. It should be noted, by the way, that this ruling does NOT say that the detainees shouldn't be protected by conventions (Geneva, UN, our own military) as prisoners of war. That is the other sane alternative here, although BushCo may insist that doesn't apply either. Nuke, I know you don't like these guys, and neither do I. But do you not see the danger in allowing the executive branch to do a daylight end-around of protective processes, and hold people in the tank forever?

QUOTE(sox4lifeinPA @ Dec 13, 2006 -> 09:05 PM) he said "try" Thank you. I even put the word in italics, but I guess that wasn't clear enough. I'm waiting like everyone else to see if it actually happens. I just found the slight sort of amusing, since talking about at least a temporary freeze is one more step than the "brave heart" (opposite of bleeding heart?) GOP Congress was willing to do.

QUOTE(shipps @ Dec 14, 2006 -> 07:11 AM) Not to be a pessimist but isnt Garlands contract pretty good and KW is trying to ship him off? Show me where we have traded Garland. Heck, show me where Kenny said anything about trading him. All there have been are rumors.