LowerCaseRepublican

I concur Dick...since IRod left, the Marlins have had a gaping hole at C. LoDuca fills that in nicely. They also desperately needed a reliable arm to get the ball to Benitez and since Beckett is coming back off the DL and the Fighting Fish already have a ton of quality starters, they definitely could afford to get rid of Penny. Encarnacion is just icing on the cake as another good bat (along with LoDuca's bat) in this deal. Marlins are still looking to contend and this was not a white flag sale by the Marlins by any means.

According to ESPN, the Marlins/Dodgers deal is done. Marlins get: Encarnacion, Mota and LoDuca Dodgers get: Hee Seop Choi, Penny and a AA pitcher

Tex is 100% correct. Many have become too uptight in this country. Everybody wants laws in place so we don't offend anybody and we can't have anything offensive on the radio/TV/internet. I can see a person in a position of power (CEO, President etc. etc. etc.) getting s*** for making a statement that is offensive. I can see the wrongness in explicit racially insensitive words that we all know. But a statement like "hot tamale" isn't exactly insensitive. On the GOP comments...when the party in 2000 vote counts demographically are overwhelmingly white (like over 90%), I think it is safe to call them "white boys". If he called them, say "sheet wearing honkeys" or something of that vein, then I think that's insensitive. That being said, Elder does have a point in what he said but over-sensitivity to any statement with racial/ethnic/religious content is what has happened to this country. Some sensitivity is necessary and warranted but some of the s*** in this country is getting f***ing rediculous.

Kerry has been in a war zone before so I'd give him the edge in a fist fight with Bush. He's got to have training in hand to hand combat from his stint in Vietnam and could use that to his distinct advantage.

Michael Moore is good at bringing a broad issue to peoples' attention (i.e. the relationship between the House of Saud, the bin Ladens & the Bush family) which people should be informed about in a democracy. Unfortunately for us, Mr. Moore forgoes a lot of detailed fact checking because, my best guess, there was a "Buy 1 dozen donuts, get another dozen free" sale at the local Flint Dunkin' Donuts. There is a book out called "Michael Moore Is a Big Fat Stupid White Man". I don't suggest that people read it though. Yesterday, I saw it and looked through the sources. Unfortunately the authors relied on the Washington Times and wnd.com a bit too often in their argument. You can show Moore's looseness with the facts without numerous citations to dubious papers. (same goes for using NY Times for almost all the citations in a more liberally slanted book) I say we just get Hannity, Limbaugh, Moore and the rest of the schmucks that are just shills and lock them in a building and build a monument to sane conservatives and liberals like Justin Raimondo, Ron Paul and Noam Chomsky among others who don't use deceptive writing and lax fact checking to get their points across.

CW, the 1980s were ripe for the PMRC and other organizations headed up by former police officers (name escapes me at the moment) who believed that "black high top sneakers" were a sign of Satanic/gang affiliation among other insanely stupid indicators. If you want a good laugh read "Raising PG Kids In an X Rated Society" by Tipper Gore. It's one of the funniest books ever because she misquotes lyrics to songs among other hilarious things. In 2000, Joe Lieberman wanted to introduce a licensing program for concerts. You'd have to clear your set with a government board and then if you passed, you'd be able to play. If not...then you're f***ed. I loved watching the PMRC spike after the Arkansas school shooting when they paraded in family friends etc. who said that "They were fine boys until they started listening to that Two Pack Shaker and Bone Thugs and Harmony." After Columbine, Lieberman led some Dems and Republicans on a witch hunt against Marilyn Manson (by bringing in fake experts like "Rev. Jeff Ling" among others). I happened to be in Denver visiting my brother at the time and the air of censorship hung thick over Ozzfest and whether or not MM would be allowed to play. Fortunately he was allowed to play and it all blew over. Lynne Cheney has blocked funding for certain projects for Universities because they were controversial but in a strong correlation, if the project would aid neo-con movements, she endorsed them. Not saying she did it because it was a neo-con movement helper but there is a strong correlation between the two. In Lynne's defense she has said that the federal government should rightfully cede some of it's powers to states' rights as in the case of gay marriage legislation (which I see as Bush's last ditch attempt to pander to the votes of the Christian Right...something his father didn't do after a war in Iraq led to lowering poll #s) The fact that Powell and his little Puritanical cronies are pandering to the Christian Right does not discount the continued efforts of Tipper's PMRC. The Dems and the GOP have us bent over and are having their way with us. Every decent man is ashamed of the government he lives under. --H. L. Mencken

Nah, it's not just you. It was a terrible idea.

Well, Kap...technically Bush didn't promise us the moon...just a base on the moon.

Traditional Republicans (smaller government, keep government out of peoples' personal lives except when necessary i.e. warrants etc.) would be good to appoint people to the bench. There are a lot of areas where traditional Republicans (as compared to neo-conservatives) agree with the left wing (not neo-liberals). They don't agree economically all the time but in civil liberties and personal freedoms, they both are quite progressive in that regard. And I concur that I don't trust GWB with the Constitution. (I can't trust Ashcroft either...opening up medical records of women who had abortions is OK but it is wrong to do background checks to see if people on the terrorist watch list purchased guns is a big no no) This election is looking s***tier and s***tier.

EvilMonkey, there is a difference between capitalism and crony capitalism which is going on currently in the US. I don't think the government should keep a retirement net for people because the only times it would be necessary would be to pay for skyrocking health care etc. (health care which should be covered by our government, IMO) And EvilMonkey...taxes are getting outrageous for small business owners and everyday John and Jane Q. Public. Since my family is now living near the raceway, our property taxes are going up a ton because so many people are moving here to be nearby the race tracks, etc. But I understand that taxes go to paying firefighters, police and teachers for instance. According to the Dept. of Labor, the annual income for a firefighter in 2000 was $34,000, cops $37,000. The DoD stats on basic pay for active duty officers in his first two years is about $25,000. Teachers make about $28,000 on average (most class materials and supplies come out of the teacher's own budget since often times the school does not have enough money) There is a direct correlation between how much we pay in taxes and who we say are our "national heroes." I've made posts about it before about how government misuses funds (i.e. giving the Air Force 100+ more refueling jets AFTER the AF said that they did not need them). The Pentagon currently cannot account for $1,000,000,000 in an internal audit they performed. A 15% cut in the Pentagon budget keeps our safety ensured militarily but also opens the door for funding education, health care and other social programs. They have the cash, they just need to spend it in non-idiotic ways (like not spending it in corporate welfare) The tax burden has shifted though in this country. Due to "tax motivated expatriation" - a corporate phrase for freeloading - a tax loophole that allows US companies to enjoy all the benefits provided by their government without having to pay for them. But the companies don't have to move to the Bahamas, just the money. They set up a PO box on the island and tax free money hording begins. Of course they say that it is a "cost cutting measure" for the cost of their item. Yes...well fraud, child labor and slavery are also cost cutting measures that could be justified with their argument for not paying taxes. The IRS believes that $70 billion is siphoned from the US Treasury every year (approx. all the cash spend on TWAT in the 1st year). Unfortunately for us, politicians are like smack addicts...but addicted to cash contributions. There is a good book "Pigs at the Trough" that does a good job at lampooning a lot of politicians, both D and R, for being whores for corporate dollars. None of them want to close the loophole because that would mean a shutoff of millions that they get from different companies currently benefiting from the offshore tax havens. Just imagine if you tried moving all your funds to the Bahamas as John or Jane Q. Public and demanded that your money be tax free. You'd get your ass thrown in jail faster than Superman folding clothes on laundry day. That's what the "war on the upper echelons of capitalism" is about...things like the maldistribution of Congressional cash in the form of corporate welfare and tax havens amongst other things...but this post is too damn long already, hah. Health care should be provided for us by the government by using well attributed tax dollars that we are already paying. I'm talking about necessary procedures not cosmetic surgery. HMOs and PPOs are not helping people and we have 42 million+ without any health care. Education should also be covered through college, IMO. We want a nation of smart people that will run the country in the future, so it is in our best interest to get them the best education possible. The disparities in many school districts caused by redlining etc. don't give an even playing field to all people. As was stated in the Jenna Bush thread, inner city schools are at a severe disadvantage compared to suburban schools. By paying for education we better the nation and we allow people to not be buried underneath the debt of college loans etc. before they even work one day in their professional career.

I thought that Senator Obama did quite well with his speech at the DNC.

**WARNING - Possible objectionable photo at link (if you've seen the Abu Ghraib photos before then you've seen it already)** http://www.antiwar.com/blog/index.php?id=P1198 I'm trying to imagine who might donate to the Lynndie England Defense Fund. Rush "Blowing Off Steam" Limbaugh? FReepers? Republican neocons? The site, still being developed, also will try to help improve England's image which, until now, has been controlled by the Army, said lawyer Rhidian Orr. "The part we don't see in the press right now is Lynndie the human being," Orr said by telephone from Denver. "Lynndie has a life. She's a churchgoing person. This isn't a bad person who did these acts. ... This is one person defending herself against not only the government, but what the media is trying to do to her." This makes me sick to my damn stomach. There are photos of her smiling as she is abusing these people and we are led to believe that she is not a "bad person"? I think the photos speak for themselves.

CW, I respect your opinion but I cannot willingly suspend my disbelief to believe that Kerry will do anything to the opposite of Bush. PATRIOT Act - Voted For War in Iraq - Voted For NCLB - Voted For There is no belief that Kerry is the clear alternative for Bush. Both want to continue the war in Iraq for years on end (and the way other nations have been snubbed, I doubt that even Kerry could get them to assist us). Both want more non-violent drug offenders who have personal amounts to be thrown in prison rather than be rehabilitated. Both want to continue our unqualified support for Israel and Colombia. Both want to continue the destructive policies of the School of the Americas (now known as the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation) in Central and South America. I could continue for a long time... Bush doesn't give a s*** about normal people. Neither does Kerry. Don't pee on my leg and tell me it's raining, Kerry and Bush. There is no reasonable belief that Kerry will somehow buck his record and campaign rhetoric and appoint judges who will not be neo-conservative Federalist Society shills like Scalia. While Bush appointing more neo-con asshats to the bar scares me, I know IL is a safe state and I feel able to vote for a 3rd party candidate because of my severe dissatisfaction with both members of the bumbling War Party.

Rice? From North Korea? Damn those N. Korean bastards!

EvilMonkey, I concur that the job should go to the qualified candidate in any job. However, even though there have been leaps and bounds made in racial harmony in decades past, there are still many who are racist assholes. Affirmative action is not perfect (then again almost nothing the government does is) but it is in place to fight off possible racism. I wish it were different and not necessary but as long as there are douches lighting crosses on fire, I think we're in for the long haul about this. And yes, this is news because she's related to the Bush family. However, there is a point about the substance abuse history in being viable to teach. I don't know the NY laws but a lot of states have strict rules about criminal backgrounds of possible teachers they hire. That said, I applaud Jenna's efforts and I hope...damn the cynic in me, that this isn't some move by the Bush admin to pander to African Americans. Yes, they played the race card at an inopportune time (and didn't even need to play it unless they had documented evidence that a similarly qualified minority had been snubbed) but that doesn't take away from their point re: her substance abuse.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/orourke/cst-edt-rour25.html Being a huge politics nerd, I know who Negroponte is. One his more memorable moments is demanding that the UN copy of Guernica be taken down in the UN building because it would be the background for his neo-conservative pro-war speech. I just wanted to see the ST thoughts on this guy.

The Daily Mirror is the Brit equivalent of the National Enquirer. Sometimes they have amusing stories but this is the same paper that got smashed for those fake torture photos they published. I just got home from work a few minutes ago so I dunno if any other major news organizations have ran with this story as well. I didn't see it on the Antiwar.com newswire (and they pretty much link to any important story involving world politics)

Some of you think Bill O'Reilly is an annoying idiot. Others of you think Michael Moore is a stupid f***. Brothers, sisters....come together for once. Can't we think of them both as evil annoying idiot f***s? /billhicks O'Reilly has been nailed for numerous statements with no basis in fact. For instance, his insistance that the Paris Business Review showed his boycott of France has inflicted "billions" of dollars in damage. Unfortunately, there is no publication known as the Paris Business Review. Also to rub more salt in the wound...imports from France have INCREASED from pre-war in Iraq levels. There is a really good book about O'Reilly "The Oh Really? Factor" and also one about Moore (I haven't read it yet so I don't know how credible it is) called "Michael Moore is a Stupid White Man". Both of these guys are blowhards and while they occassionally have a point, they end up lampooning themselves by being very lax with facts and factual analysis.

Ding! Ding! Ding! Are we ready for yet another November of "Choose your aristocrat?"

Nuke, the Trib and the NY Times among other newspapers broke a story on October 28, 1993. Here's a copy of the article. Law-enforcement officials were told that terrorists were building a bomb that was eventually used to blow up the World Trade Center, and they planned to thwart the plotters by secretly substituting harmless powder for the explosives, an informer said after the blast. The informer was to have helped the plotters build the bomb and supply the fake powder, but the plan was called off by an F.B.I. supervisor who had other ideas about how the informer, Emad Salem, should be used, the informer said. The account, which is given in the transcript of hundreds of hours of tape recordings that Mr. Salem secretly made of his talks with law-enforcement agents, portrays the authorities as being in a far better position than previously known to foil the February 26th bombing of New York City's tallest towers. The explosion left six people dead, more than a thousand people injured, and damages in excess of half-a-billion dollars. Four men are now on trial in Manhattan Federal Court [on charges of involvement] in that attack. Mr. Salem, a 43-year-old former Egyptian Army officer, was used by the Government [of the United States] to penetrate a circle of Muslim extremists who are now charged in two bombing cases: the World Trade Center attack, and a foiled plot to destroy the United Nations, the Hudson River tunnels, and other New York City landmarks. He is the crucial witness in the second bombing case, but his work for the Government was erratic, and for months before the World Trade Center blast, he was feuding with th F.B.I. Supervisor `Messed It Up' After the bombing, he resumed his undercover work. In an undated transcript of a conversation from that period, Mr. Salem recounts a talk he had had earlier with an agent about an unnamed F.B.I. supervisor who, he said, "came and messed it up." "He requested to meet me in the hotel," Mr. Salem says of the supervisor. "He requested to make me to testify, and if he didn't push for that, we'll be going building the bomb with a phony powder, and grabbing the people who was involved in it. But since you, we didn't do that." The transcript quotes Mr. Salem as saying that he wanted to complain to F.B.I. Headquarters in Washington about the Bureau's failure to stop the bombing, but was dissuaded by an agent identified as John Anticev. Mr. Salem said Mr. Anticev had told him, "He said, I don't think that the New York people would like the things out of the New York Office to go to Washington, D.C." Another agent, identified as Nancy Floyd, does not dispute Mr. Salem's account, but rather, appears to agree with it, saying of the `New York people': "Well, of course not, because they don't want to get their butts chewed." -- I've posted earlier in this thread about the efforts of Clinton to combat terrorism and there are a lot more. After the '93 bombing, most people believed it to be the work of the state of Iran and hard evidence proving AQ is quite scanty. There is more evidence showing the FBI involvement in the '93 bombing than AQ. Just saying is all. And Nuke, how do you gauge the quality of that intelligence? The person to person intel that got us into the Iraq war was horridly wrong and yet we're still paying thousands of dollars to them (including a convicted embezzler. And winodj, I have the vision of whole change in exposing rat bastards for what they are. Point taken but I don't think I'm as bad as those that I demonize because what I talk and what I believe are the exact same thing and I am not a hypocrite in that perspective.

They Live. I love the end with the guy "Whats the matter, baby?"

Well, the 1993 WTC bombing was almost all that AQ had done up until then. Most intelligence organizations have said that they barely knew AQ existed up until that point and even in the years after, did not have much information on AQ. In fact, evidence tying AQ to the 1993 bombing attack is quite scanty. If Clinton was offered bin Laden before the USS Cole etc. there is some credence to his claim that they might not have had enough evidence to hold him. I don't want to turn into a die hard Clinton defender because he supported W199I among other things but there is some proof for his claim that they might not have been able to hold him.

Jas, about nabbing bin Laden...they had a CIA analyst on PBS a couple of nights ago and he said that the intelligence they had, they had one clear shot in 1999 at killing bin Laden at a hunting ground but the CIA was not apt to green light it to Clinton because the prince of the United Arab Emirates was there. At the time, the Pentagon and US companies like Lockheed Martin were selling billions of dollars worth of fighter jet equipment to the UAE and they thought that a dead prince might squelch the business deal. Also, the Sudan claim of offering to turn him over...In the Washington Post and also in the book, "The Age of Sacred Terror" by Daniel Benjamin states that the Sudanese government only offered to "arrest Osama bin Laden and place him in Saudi custody." Columnist Joe Conason goes on to elaborate using Washington Post articles that show that "detailed the efforts by the Clinton White House and the State Department to induce the Saudis to accept custody of bin Laden, a request that the authorities in Riyadh adamently refused. There was no offer to hand bin Laden over to the US before the Sudanese deported him back to Kabul." Also, anything intel wise from Sudan is suspect. Most of their agreement to cooperate is based on the fact that they do not want the US to impose sanctions on their country for their genocidal campaigns that have not been on the radar of most news outlets here in the US. Frequently during those years, the Sudanese govt provided lots of intelligence information about AQ and Islamic terror networks. However, after many meetings the CIA and the FBI believed that they were not providing anything valuable on AQ or bin Laden. Clinton did try to kill bin Laden. In 1998, he signed at National Security Decision Directive that authorized an ongoing campaign to kill bin Laden and destroy AQ. Several attempts were made on bin Laden but most were dismissed as "wag the dog" tactics during the Lewinsky/Troopergate/Whitewater BS. In 1999, the CIA organized a Pakistani commando unit to enter Afghanistan to capture/kill bin Laden. It was aborted when PM Pervez Musharraf took power from Nawaz Sharif, the more cooperative PM. A year later, bin Laden was almost killed in a missile attack on a convoy. The missiles hit the wrong truck. There's some more info that I could cite but I gotta head off to work. (Damn 9 hour work days)

John Kerry is another member of the Republicrat War Party. No Child Left Behind - Voted For It PATRIOT Act - Voted For It TWAT (The War On Terror) Appropriations - Voted For It Iraq War - Voted For It Kerry is going to keep troops in Iraq. As a CIA analyst put it on a PBS show (I think it was the Tucker Carlson show) "The choice between Kerry and Bush is the choice between war and endless war respectively." The DNC put free speech zones in Boston for the convention so the protesters are conveniently out of sight (and therefore out of mind) from the Fleet Center. A good portion of Democrats are nothing but corporate welfare loving shills who don't fix offshore Carribbean tax havens for huge corporations and contributed with the Republicans to sell off our free speech and personal freedoms by supporting bulls*** like the PATRIOT Act, the Drug War, etc. etc. Both major parties in our country are pure, unadulterated garbage. So, ladies and gentlemen...let's get ready to choose our immensely rich aristocrat f*** who claims to represent our interests when they do not. Kerry skiing in Aspen saying that Bush doesn't know what real Americans go through every day is just like Bush showing up on the USS Abe Lincoln saying "Mission Accomplished."

So this is what you boys and girls do while I'm at work all damn day long? Jeebus H. Christpunchers...and Crimson, that was f***ing hilarious.