FlaSoxxJim

What an outrageous dirty trick the Republican-controlled Congress just tried to play forcing a vote on the "Murtha" resolution (cough *bulls**** cough). They came in with an arrogant 'you want a vote? OK, we'll give you a vote.' attitude and then did an unbelievable bait and switch with a rewrite of the resolution. Here's the text of Murtha's actual resolution: And now here's the GOP "rewrite" that actually went to a floor vote. See if you can spot the difference: What the f***? Murtha gives reason after reason after reason to pursue a redeployment within a reasonable yet rapid time period, and includes provisions to guarantee some military presence still exists in the area and diplomacy be pursued where military occupation has not. And in a move of sopreme arrogance because they control procedure, the pubes substitute two sentances of bulls*** and put it to a vote. The Dems, outraged as they should be, all chose to vote 'present' in the charade so that this fiasco goes on record for what it was. unf***ingbelievable.

QUOTE(FlaSoxxJim @ Nov 18, 2005 -> 01:39 PM) Yep. And down from the 80-100 fighting Iraqi battalions that GWB keeps throwing around. Here it is from Fred Barnes of Weekly Standard: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1499005/posts It's important to throw this out here for clarification. The "one battalion" is referring to a single 100% autonomous battalion. But there are over 100 Iraqi military and police battalions who are fighting alongside non-Iraqi coalition troops or with US militarry embedded within them. So on that score, the numbers are not as bleak as has been reported, From the Barnes piece:

. . . screamed in shock and ran out of the ladies room when she realised that the woman-like person was a man.

Helheim not really surprised. [/awful pun] But, seriously, seeing all the news stories like this. It's almost like. . . the planet is. . . gradually getting. . . warmer. Or something like that. :rolly

QUOTE(mreye @ Nov 18, 2005 -> 01:13 PM) Can someone link me to where the White House called Murtha "unpatriotic" or where Bush "talked s***"? The White House did more than merely calling him unpatriotic. They compared him to (*gasp*) Michael Moore! :o

QUOTE(Rex Kickass @ Nov 18, 2005 -> 01:19 PM) Actually, not 100% on this but I thought one of the Generals assigned to train Iraqi forces admitted that there was only one battle ready battalion of iraqi forces capable of fighting independently as of last month. Down from three. Yep. And down from the 80-100 fighting Iraqi battalions that GWB keeps throwing around. Here it is from Fred Barnes of Weekly Standard: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1499005/posts

QUOTE(Kid Gleason @ Nov 18, 2005 -> 01:22 PM) But aren't they supposed to be getting older as the movies go on? Isn't each book a year at school? So in the end, they will actually only be about 7 years older than they are supposed to be, which in filmland is always done. I think that was the intention. But they started out a little older than their characters' ages in the first film, looked about right through Chamber of Secrets, and then all three of the kids jumped on the puberty express. But you are right, they have 25 year olds playing teenagers all the time and we just go with it. I mean, that Urkel dude on TV was like 30 by the time they pulled the plug on that steaming pile of poop.

Absolutely, and it had everythig to do with changing the director for the 3rd one. With Ralph Fiennes and Gaet Oldman now both in the cast they already have me convinced this installment will be great as well. Now if only the stupid kids would stop growing up. They'll be 25 by the time Year 7 comes out. And actually, I know J.K. is seriously thinking about cutting the movies off with this one for just that reason.

QUOTE(sox4lifeinPA @ Nov 18, 2005 -> 10:18 AM) anyone have any cool plans? Yes, starting with a A Loverboy-free weekend.

QUOTE(sox4lifeinPA @ Nov 18, 2005 -> 09:50 AM) my ipod The wrist brace is funny. Ah, I still have a Classic and an SE/30 boxed away up in the attic. I've nevber had the heeart to make Macquariums out of them, but probbably should just do it.

At least 65 dead in two suicide bombings at Shiite mosques. At least 8 dead in Baghdad when two car bombs destroyed the blast wall protecting a hotel housing international journalists. http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1325312 Maybe the White House plan is for them to just let us all get numbed to it all, because certainly that is what is starting to happen.

Tex raised a very good point about our stated goal of giving a democratic voice to the Iraqi people, but then really doing what we say and letting them determine their own destiny. Kap, you said we can't just leave and let Iraq become Iran Junior, but is that really our call? If you search this site as far back as two years ago, it was intimated by myself and others that we might just get what we are wishing for, but in the worst way possible: a Shi'a majority Iraqi voice that says, OK we vote to be a Islamist theocracy. It would of course be the single biggest irony to come out of our bumbling invasion to have Iraq trade a tyrannical dictatorship for a Islamist state. But if self-determination for Iraq is what our presence is all about, do we have an obligation to keep it from happening? Of course, kap, you're as on the ball as any of us. You accept that the Iraq war is about stabilizing the Middle East for American ends, not about the high ideals of Iraqi self-determination. A defintae rock and a hard place. Which is why Cheney and Rummy were stuck playing hide the Chalabi last week. Despite the fact that the guy swindled us on so many fronts, dealing with him is still seen as better than the unthinkable; that we were the ones to tip 'Free Iraq' toward theocracy.

QUOTE(Rex Kickass @ Nov 18, 2005 -> 02:15 AM) I drink it. I usually buy a half case every year. But I know its not really a good wine. I still like it. But then again, I also eat mustard sandwiches and have been known to get down with a coffee table in my day. Ah, the truth shall set you free. And Iagree you can have fun with the release event around the holidays without having to believe you are drinking grand cru.

You are not off. And the White House immediately had Scotty Mac on the job attacking Murtha and calling him unpatriotic and the saame tired old bit. Attack the war vets when they oppose is something the administration has a lot of experience at. Murtha is as hawkish as a Dem can be, and he's really very conservative. But certainly he expected he would be attacked. He won't let them Swiftboat him and get away with it.

QUOTE(AddisonStSox @ Nov 17, 2005 -> 08:49 PM) Voulez vous coucher avec moi ce soir Mocha Chocalata ya, oh yea

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Nov 17, 2005 -> 07:49 PM) ^^^^^

I assume she'll be calling me soon to offer me a job.

QUOTE(DePloderer @ Nov 17, 2005 -> 05:49 PM) For anyone who's interested, here's Petes blog. click That is pretty durn cool. Thanks for the link.

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Nov 17, 2005 -> 05:13 PM) Again, maybe too logical... but come on... the guy had the weapons. Everyone knows it. So where did they go? Oh, let me guess. Clinton gets ALL the credit because HE destroyed them in 1998. :rolly Hey, I agree I'd like to know the substance of the docs too. When you say "the guy had weapons," it's good to remember that HAD is the operative word. As for where they went, a lot of them went nowhere. There is a lot of documentation that the caches of weapons that were logged, labled, and locked up the first time inspectors came around in the early 90s were still there, with seals unbroken, when the inspections resumed. Between what was being accounted for in by the inspectors and what had been knocked out in the 1998 bombings, the whereabouts of the bulk of the weapons in the country were known.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Nov 17, 2005 -> 04:51 PM) If there was anything in those documents that would have proven their case, they would have leaked it in 2002-2003 to shut people like me up who were saying that we were being handed a shoddy case. I would tend to agree, which is all the more reason that docs with such alarming titles should be requested, reviewed, and debunked by non-administtrated affiliated intelligence people.

QUOTE(knightni @ Nov 17, 2005 -> 04:08 PM) And in the 'be careful what you wish for' category. . .

QUOTE(LosMediasBlancas @ Nov 17, 2005 -> 03:35 PM) How about part 2? D'oh!! stupid copy/paste. . . I love Part I and I waaay love Part II. With the possible exception of Empire Strikes Back I think it's the only hollywood movie sequal that surpasses a original film that was already a masterpiece.

I agree it woudl be interesting to see any and all of these. Some may well be forgeries and others quite old and of little use, but clearly these are documents that need to be sifted through by independent researchers. Better still if the original Arabic docs were retranslated by new translation teams as well. The big thing that suggests to me that there are few, if any, bombshell revelations in the docs is that if there were the administration would have seized on them long ago.

QUOTE(Flash Tizzle @ Nov 17, 2005 -> 03:23 PM) If anyone has yet to watch all three (yes, even three) you're missing out on the several of the greatest films of modern cinema. No, Part III sufffers from major ball-suckage. Every time I try to tell you guys it stinks, and I think I'm finally out. . . THEY KEEP PULLING ME BACK IN!!

What do you know, ABC News posted a story on it: http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1322853 Sounds like good early reviews for the 2005 vintage: