NorthSideSox72

QUOTE(My Dixie Normus @ Jun 5, 2006 -> 12:56 PM) Non-US citizens do not enjoy rights protected under the Constitution. And that has what to do this topic? QUOTE(kapkomet @ Jun 5, 2006 -> 01:03 PM) Yes, they do, if you're an ILLEGAL immigrant. :rolly

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Jun 5, 2006 -> 11:50 AM) So why was it "ok" 10 years ago when echelon was going on, but now it's not? Kap... for the umpteenth time... I NEVER SAID ECHELON WAS OK EITHER!!!!!!!!! You are confusing me with someone else.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Jun 5, 2006 -> 11:47 AM) Why do we bother with state borders and governments then? We are the United STATES of America after all. Historically the only reason some states joined the union was because of the protections afforded the states under our consititution, and the way elections and representations were decided was a huge one. If we are going to start ridding ourselves of states rights, we might as well just get rid of the borders and governments and balance out the inequities that result because of them. States rights are not extinguished by removing the electoral college, because they are already non-existent with it. And I agree with you on many issues for the states - states should be the ones making decisions on all things not specifically assigned to the federal government in the Constitution (see the 10th Amendment, which I wrote a legal review on many moons ago in Con Law). But the election of a President is a national concern, and is specified as such. So it is not now, and was not intended to be, a states rights issue. The electoral college was set up as a matter of efficiency and practicality, NOT as a states rights point. See (this article actually manages to wander all over the place on reasoning, but it does give a nice history): http://www.fec.gov/pdf/eleccoll.pdf If you want to push decision making and funding for education, for example, back to the states, I'm all for it (because the Constitution did not say anything about the federal gov't dealing in that). But the electoral college does nothing other than nullify the votes of 95% of the country, in 90% of the states. So protecting it on a states-rights basis just doesn't make any sense.

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Jun 5, 2006 -> 11:05 AM) I know it's Republicans that are proposing this. And they are flat out wrong. Then we agree on this one.

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Jun 5, 2006 -> 11:07 AM) Oh is it? Why is it your "God-given" right to have a phone that can't be cataloged? Explain to me how it's unconstitutional to have databases... I put out my arguments on this a few weeks ago when that news hit. In short, I believe the due process protections in regards to warrants cover phone data, and even if they didn't, probable cause would. There is no viable cause for collecting all phone data. There just isn't.

QUOTE(vandy125 @ Jun 5, 2006 -> 11:04 AM) I remember looking at just that thing a year or so ago, and if I remember correctly, large states such as CA and NY actually get less representation than they would with a strictly popular vote type of thing, and some of the smaller states get more representation than they would with the popular vote. I would like to see something to verify that though. I still like the ability of each state to say what is most important for that state, and to send everything in that direction. Otherwise, there is no point for the state to even be involved. And the states SHOULDN'T be involved, as entities, in a national election. The people, as individuals, should. Mind you, I am usually on the states rights side in federalism discussions. But this is a national election, with each person in the country voting, and all their votes should carry equal sway. Therefore, the electoral college is an unneeded biasing factor.

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Jun 5, 2006 -> 10:25 AM) This one pisses me off. STAY THE **** OUT OF OUR LIVES, GOVERNMENT. Exactly. And these are Republicans proposing the votes too. The ones who supposedly like small government. Yet another sign that there are two distinct GOP animals now - those who really want small government, and those who want to force their moral choices down our collective throats. The latter are the ones that make the GOP look terrible.

QUOTE(Controlled Chaos @ Jun 5, 2006 -> 10:45 AM) This is where a phone database comes in handy. A gun owners' registry would come in handy for a lot of crime too, but I'm pretty sure you wouldn't like that. And neither would I - because its unconstitutional, just like the phone database. That aside, I have to say I'm proud of the Canadian authorities for getting these guys.

Cheers to that!

Given the current split of the GOP, and the messy Dems, I think you'd see any third party that was remotely successful be centered somewhere near where the non-religious fanatic GOPers stand. Small government types, not idealogues. mildy right of center on a net basis. But no matter what that party is or becomes, it would require something that you see very, very few of in modern politics - charismatic leadership. It would need a great leader or two to spearhead it. So, who might that be? For the record, I think any third or fourth party getting more involved in the process is fantastic for this country. But I think its a longshot to happen.

What the Spanish, English, French, Russians and Americans did to the peoples that lived in the western hemisphere in the 15th through 19th centuries stands as one of the great atrocities in recent history. For the U.S., it is one of the two monumental embarrassments in its young history. On the other hand, the movement west of the U.S. across the continent is one of its defining acts (along with the Civil War, Revolutionary War and the Constitution), and it is part and parcel with what made this country great. And it went on to do many great things. Thus, a truly dramatic duality. Using that looking glass, I am confident that in the future, we may look at this current wave of immigration as another piece of the puzzle that defines this country. And we'll be better for it. You all know where I stand on this immigration thing - and we do need to secure our borders. But the perspective Tex provides here is something worth keeping in mind.

QUOTE(AbeFroman @ Jun 2, 2006 -> 02:32 PM) The reason they would do this is because its time to change the dialogue of our elections. American elections shouldn't be about the few small parts of Ohio, Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvnia, etc. that are swing areas. Its about the entire country.... People in California, Texas, New York, etc. are disporportionately ignored both during the election cycle and in the way their votes are cast. I think the electoral college system is a stupid way to elect a president. Given recent historical standards, a 55-45% win in the popular vote is a landslide for presidential elections... But under the electoral college, the loser could takes office. Its dumb, the incumbent has a weak mandate, and it shifts the national focus from who the majority think should be president to who the majority of people in 7 counties in ohio think should be president. I hope other states adopt this rule also... enough to drastically change the discourse and tenor of our election cycles. This pretty much sums it up, as far as why the electoral college should be thrown in the cylindrical filing cabinet. I don't like CA's way of doing it here, because its just stupid. But we do need to get rid of the electoral college. For those of you who seem to think the electoral college helps the smaller states, you'd be mistaken. Check the electoral map. Electoral votes equate to Congressional representation (reps plus senators), which is based on population (except for the 3-count minimum). So I suppose that, perhaps WY gets one more vote than they should. Other than that, rural voters get nothing out of it. The only think the electoral college does, today, is take the vote out of the hands of the voters of 95% of the country. That helps no one in either party.

Freakin' Royals. I thought they looked better on Opening Day then last year. Then the injuries hit. I still might have thought they would have a chance to get out of the cellar, until this losing skid. Ouch. I seriously overestimated these guys this year. And underestimated Detroit. The other 3 teams are all about where I thought, though.

QUOTE(YASNY @ May 25, 2006 -> 12:02 PM) I contend that there was never an outright lie. They just did what all politicians do. That is, bend the truth to meet their momentary needs. And don't try and tell me the Dems don't do that. "I've never had sexual relations with that woman" is a prime example of bending the truth. You're correct about the direction this is headed, but at least it's not a contentuous conversation. As for the last part of your post, that remains to be seen. But, yes, the possibility does exist. Come on YAS. They lied. So did Clinton, as if that matters here. Everyone here was probably smart enough when all this started to know that WMD had almost nothing to do with our going to war in Iraq - it was primarily a regional strategic play to gain an anchorhead. And now we've reached the point where that has become more obvious to the oblivious public. But they did in fact lie, multiple times, about the bases, and about why we went to war.

Wow. That is really disturbing. I'm surprised this hasn't been reported further - the disease in general, I mean. How bizarre, and frustrating.

QUOTE(JimH @ May 25, 2006 -> 08:54 AM) One of the papers today said MLB is looking very closely at what Joey Cora did during the brawl. I fully expect Brian Anderson to get at least 3 games and it wouldn't shock me to see Pierzynski get a token 2 games for doing absolutely nothing wrong, and then an appeal process. It's not always the case but in these bench clearing situations normall guys from both sides get suspended, even if one team is the instigator. Barrett should get at least 5 and I think Derek Lee is in line for a suspension for coming onto the field while being on the DL ... not that his suspension will matter. Oh yeah, I forgot about Lee coming on the field. He may get something too, you are right. QUOTE(Chisoxrd5 @ May 25, 2006 -> 08:52 AM) It doesn't suck...its absolutely ridiculous. When you plow over someone like that, there is no way you can rationally think that going to get your helmet is/was trying to provoke Barrett to grab him and punch him. Any person with half of a brain, and apparently that is hard to find now-a-days, can tell that AJ was obviously lowering the left side of his body to try and abstain from making contact with Barrett. I guarantee if they suspend him it will be for provoking the crowd after the fight, but how can you blame someone who gets fired up after so totally pwning their opponents they decide they have to punch you in the face to get even. I'm just praying that Watson is taking his time and actually rules fairly in this situation, but who am I kidding... Hey man, I agree. Don't shoot the messenger! I'm just stating what I believe will happen, not what I think is right.

QUOTE(BigSqwert @ May 25, 2006 -> 08:43 AM) Cubs at 39K plus. Sox passed 34K after last night. I was off on Cubs' average. Just reinforces that we probably won't pass them. But I don't really care too much - I'm just jazzed that the park is full or nearly full (and LOUD) every game now. Makes me happy.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ May 25, 2006 -> 08:42 AM) How the f*** do you suspend someone for getting punched? It seems some folks interpereted AJ's path from the plate to his helmet as lowering a shoulder into Barrett. I personally find that sad and delusional, kind of like people who think the Cubs lose because of a goat. But that, combined with his reputation, means he will get some small suspension to appease the other teams in the league. It sucks.

QUOTE(Greg Hibbard @ May 24, 2006 -> 07:00 PM) outdrawing the cubs is an impossibility. The Cubs have already sold all their tickets, we'd have to average 39k a game to come close, and the park capacity is about that. We might come within 4,000 per game, but that's about as close as we'll get. Not true. All tickets are not sold for the Cubs. Heck, I've seen their ads on TV and in the Trib for single game tickets. Cubs are averaging about 37k a game right now, and as they continue to suck, the number will drop slightly (ever so slightly). I do agree that the Sox won't catch them, but it will end up being within a couple thousand probably.

My prediction: Barrett: 10 games AJ: 1 game Anderson: 3 to 5 games Mabry: 1 game In reality, neither AJ nor Mabry deserve any, but they will get it anyway.

QUOTE(WinningUgly85 @ May 24, 2006 -> 10:58 PM) lets try to incorporate alot of the things that are on www.whitesoxinteractive.com. Like have it where we can upload photos to the main page and just create a very vibrant community built around posting on this forum. When I saw a poll result earlier about any of us using the soxtalk mainpage and I voted all the time. It's already becoming that because now soxtalk has its own podcast. The skys the limit my friends I really appreciate what you guys have done. Rather not. I like this site a lot better, including the rockin' Admins like Heads. People are allowed to express real opinions here, and I think the knowledge level is generally much higher. There is a lot less fluff here, and a lot more real discussion. I do like the idea of uploading photos, though. Keep up the great work, guys!

QUOTE(Heads22 @ May 24, 2006 -> 10:17 PM) What sort of guy runs for congress in Iowa on border security? Nebraska has declared war on us, but that's about it. There are plenty of recent immigrants to Iowa from Mexico. Some towns, where there are manufacturing plants, now have populations that are half recent immigrants. Then there was the news story a year or so ago, when they found about a dozen dead bodies in a sealed grain car (in Iowa, they use trains to haul grain from the co-ops to the larger cities). They had apparently been sealed in in Mexico, with the arrangement that someone on the other side would let them out. Never happened. Imagine for a second, being in that metal grain car, for who knows how many days, probably sitting out in the heat of a rail yard in Phoenix while the inside temperature rose to 140 degrees. Then months later, the car went to Iowa for fall harvest. The issue is not border security - its immigration, and its all over the country. Iowans are very friendly creatures, but they aren't usually apt to accept a lot of fast change, especially if it is hoisted on them from outside.

QUOTE(EvilMonkey @ May 24, 2006 -> 05:35 PM) Guess again. http://www.investors.com/editorial/IBDArti...&issue=20060519 Well, I guess there are people on both ends of the political spectrum, and from all religions, who seek to place their religious values onto others. Not a big surprise. I still stand by my statement.

This is just another idiotic move by GM, who are already hemorraging cash. The whole reserve-workers program that adds thousands in cost to every car is another one. Toyota, Nissan and Subaru are all better run companies to begin with, and now the US companies are adding further handicaps. The US auto industry is almost as screwed up as the airlines were prior to 9/11.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ May 24, 2006 -> 12:38 PM) I'm sure the ACLU would take the case if they weren't so busy trying to get the bible banned from everywhere... I personally believe that the Bible, as well as the Q'uran and other major religious texts should be offered for reading and analysis in high school as well, on an optional/elective basis. They are extremely important texts, and understanding them (and their various interperetations) teaches us a lot about the state of the world today. I don't think they can be required (in public schools), due to Constitutional considerations, but I think an elective course on comparitive religious texts would be enlightening.