random off-topic thread

[Heltonfan]

This pick by McCain is a joke and insult to all thinking Americans.

Sure, but that's not a particularly significant demographic. Reminds me of the discussions I had with people here who thought that candidates would actually make a directed effort at winning the Armenian vote in the California primary.

Palin scares the hell out of me. All the values and positions I oppose (plus zero foreign policy credentials), wrapped in a package that makes her look like the absolute epitome of compassionate conservatism and normal, middle-class America. She's going to go a long way toward eliminating the "McCain doesn't understand ordinary Americans" argument, simply because of how overwhelmingly ordinary she is. She's now one of the two most prominent women in America. The other has a former president for a husband; Palin's husband is, uh, some guy named Todd. People will like that.

(Side note: Palin's kid with Down syndrome is named Trig. Aside from that being a monumentally stupid name that should make one question her judgment (and her other kids' names aren't much better, of course), there's another issue here. Down syndrome is the presence of an extra, third, chromosome. And the kid has a name that very clearly connects to the number three. It's like if Antonio Alfonseca were named Hex or something. That ain't right).

I remain thoroughly unimpressed with Obama, but McCain is clearly Bush III, and if he wins, it lays all the groundwork for Palin to become Bush IV (and, in the process, allow the Republicans to present themselves as the party of social progress, because she's a woman). There's a lot at stake here.

[BigRapidsJackass]

Good one, Heltonfan. The Trig = 3 thing.

His whole name is something like Trig Blah Blah Blah Van Palin.

Van Palin. Runnin' With the Devil.

Plus give he poor kid 4 names just to make sure he has no realistic chance of being able to spell his own name.

And the other kids are Track, Willow, and Piper.

McCain's people (Karl Rove, back in the game from his Fox News post, and his proteges) think they know exactly what they're doing. They're going after the trailer trash vote. Those were the people who voted for Bill Clinton, seemed ready to vote for Hillary, but never warmed to Obama. And what better vehicle to garner that vote than to choose one of their own.

I will say this: other than the anti-gay marriage thing (and perhaps the pro-life thing, although I certainly don't begrudge her choice to keep her kid; I just wonder why she would want to impose her judgment on women similarly situated), her instincts appear to be sound with a fairly strong libertarian streak.

One point on the "she chose to keep her Down Syndrome baby." I have kids. My wife had prenatal testing. We understood that there was really but one purpose of testing for Down Syndrome: to allow you to decide, if the test is positive, whether to terminate the pregnancy. No positives for us, so no such decision. But anyone who is absolutely 100% anti-abortion in all cases would never bother to have a test for Down Syndrome. It simply wouldn't be relevant. So the Palins obviously harbored some mixed feelings on the issue before the decision point actually arrived. And since they harbored those feelings, it would be incorrect to say that they are absolutely appalled by the notion of abortion. They made their choice, and we should respect it. But some other family when faced with the same situation may reach a different conclusion. And that conclusion is obviously not morally repugnant; after all, the Palins contemplated the same thing when they ordered the amnio. So there.

But she is unready for national office. And don't compare her to Obama on that count. His experience for the Presidency is thin, but c'mon, he isn't a guy with a B.A. in "communications" from Idaho whose major credential was serving as part-time mayor of the equivalent of Conifer. Or maybe Bailey. Or Fairplay. A sterling record of academic success used to be thought of as a positive in America. The new anti-intellectualism of the Rove crowd turns it into a negative: you're "elitist."

[wolf213]

Originally Posted by Heltonfan

(Side note: Palin's kid with Down syndrome is named Trig. Aside from that being a monumentally stupid name that should make one question her judgment (and her other kids' names aren't much better, of course), there's another issue here. Down syndrome is the presence of an extra, third, chromosome. And the kid has a name that very clearly connects to the number three. It's like if Antonio Alfonseca were named Hex or something. That ain't right).

Probably the funniest thing I have read in quite sometime.

This pick makes no since to me and actually for a moment had me wondering if McCain is trying to throw the election. The one argument he had on Obama was experience, and he just threw that argument out the window with the pick of Palin as a VP. The guy is 72 years old, has had 4 bouts with cancer and has a decent chance of hitting the bucket before his 4 years are up... a Governor from Alaska with no diplomatic, and economic experience is not what was needed.

I'm quite flabbergasted at the fact that with the Economy being such a hot button issue right now, we American's elect the two candidates with (admittedly) the least economic experience of the field. On the GOP side, Romney would've been a decent choice over McCain, and definitely over Palin for VP. I don't know to much about the Dem's Candidates, but you gotta think that Hillary would've been a better choice.

Obama has one thing going for him.... he's highly charismatic. People like him from both sides, and while McCain has a history of working both sides of the Aisle, his recent lining up with Bush's Policies (90% to be exact) is very concerning and will cost him this Election. I'm not sure how Obama plans to pay for all the programs and what not he promised in his acceptance speech, as he seemed to promise the moon. But I would be willing to give him a 4 year shot at it.

[BigRapidsJackass]

This libertarian's strategic voting theory:

1. Best scenario in today's political environment is what we had for a brief shining moment in the 1990s: Republican Congress and Democratic President. The Pres will push for sweeping new programs; the Congress won't give it to him; they'll compromise by restoring some modicum of fiscal sanity, thereby facilitating manageable growth.

2. Second best scenario: there is none.

One might have thought that a Dem Congress + Rep President would also work. There's a strong institutional pressure to do something in Washington, and maybe the Republican President could steer that impulse in a more productive direction. Wrong. Compromise instead will be to give everyone his or her pet project.

So would Obama (Dem + Dem) be better? Probably not. But right now, I'm willing to give it a shot, primarily because we need a big-time housecleaning in DC.

[BigRapidsJackass]

I usually don't pay much heed to these internet-generated rumors, but I've got to admit it: this one has me strangely fascinated.

Daily Kos: Sarah Palin Is NOT The Mother [Photos+Video]

I came across the link secondhand from a more reputable blog.

The notion is as follows:

-- Nobody -- not even her staff -- knew Palin was pregnant until she announced she was 7 mos pregnant. She wasn't showing at all.

-- Meanwhile, her 16 yo daughter Bristol was out of high school for about 5 consecutive months with "mono"

-- Palin was giving a speech in Texas (ostensibly 8 mos pregnant, but not having informed Alaska Airlines of it!) when "her water broke" (or at least she felt as if it was starting to break?)

-- Out of a curious obsession about having her child "Alaska born," she then got on an 8-hour flight to Alaska, with stopover in Seattle, then landed and was driven 45 minutes to her small town hospital to give birth ... and the baby was one month premature.

Best explanation I've seen? The family had arranged for Bristol's baby to be adopted, but when the Down Syndrome was confirmed, the baby couldn't be placed. Mom and Dad stepped in to concoct a cover story to save Bristol from embarrassment.

Again, I don't fall for these internet things, but Palin's behavior here is so downright weird that I sense something is afoot.

Newman, you're gonna love this if the rumors pan out ...

[BigRapidsJackass]

I usually don't pay much heed to these internet-generated rumors, but I've got to admit it: this one has me strangely fascinated.

Daily Kos: State of the Nation

I came across the link secondhand from a more reputable blog.

The notion is as follows:

-- Nobody -- not even her staff -- knew Palin was pregnant until she announced she was 7 mos pregnant. She wasn't showing at all.

-- Meanwhile, her 16 yo daughter Bristol was out of high school for about 5 consecutive months with "mono"

-- Palin was giving a speech in Texas (ostensibly 8 mos pregnant, but not having informed Alaska Airlines of it!) when "her water broke" (or at least she felt as if it was starting to break?)

-- Out of a curious obsession about having her child "Alaska born," she then got on an 8-hour flight to Alaska, with stopover in Seattle, then landed and was driven 45 minutes to her small town hospital to give birth ... and the baby was one month premature.

Best explanation I've seen? The family had arranged for Bristol's baby to be adopted, but when the Down Syndrome was confirmed, the baby couldn't be placed. Mom and Dad stepped in to concoct a cover story to save Bristol from embarrassment.

Again, I don't fall for these internet things, but Palin's behavior here is so downright weird that I sense something is afoot.

Newman, you're gonna love this if the rumors pan out ...

[TheIncredibleRox]

Well at least we know Diddy's take:

YouTube - Diddy Blog #16 - "John McCain Is Buggin The F%^k Out'"!

[indianadrew]

what is a youf voter?

my fav part was when puffy "ciroc" obama said "whould you let her watch your kids?"

i think i heard somebody doing bonghits in the backround. (listen with headphones)

[GerryInCS]

Originally Posted by BigRapidsJackass

I usually don't pay much heed to these internet-generated rumors, but I've got to admit it: this one has me strangely fascinated.

Daily Kos: State of the Nation

I came across the link secondhand from a more reputable blog.

The notion is as follows:

-- Nobody -- not even her staff -- knew Palin was pregnant until she announced she was 7 mos pregnant. She wasn't showing at all.

-- Meanwhile, her 16 yo daughter Bristol was out of high school for about 5 consecutive months with "mono"

-- Palin was giving a speech in Texas (ostensibly 8 mos pregnant, but not having informed Alaska Airlines of it!) when "her water broke" (or at least she felt as if it was starting to break?)

-- Out of a curious obsession about having her child "Alaska born," she then got on an 8-hour flight to Alaska, with stopover in Seattle, then landed and was driven 45 minutes to her small town hospital to give birth ... and the baby was one month premature.

Best explanation I've seen? The family had arranged for Bristol's baby to be adopted, but when the Down Syndrome was confirmed, the baby couldn't be placed. Mom and Dad stepped in to concoct a cover story to save Bristol from embarrassment.

Again, I don't fall for these internet things, but Palin's behavior here is so downright weird that I sense something is afoot.

Newman, you're gonna love this if the rumors pan out ...

Daily Kos is by no means a reputable blog. Like so many politicoblogs, it's a bully pulpit for those who have low self-esteem and feel it necessary to infest the internet with their drivel.

[Roxpert]

Daily Kos, like all open forum blogs (where anyone can post), is a mixed bag of opinions. The founder, Markos Moulitsas, also founded SB Nation, the sports blog family that owns Purple Row.

The key to getting anything credible out of such blogs (politics or sports) is to know who the reputable posters are. The regulars whose diaries are hit the main page of Daily Kos are worth reading. The "recommended diaries" are of varying quality. Peers get to "recommend" diaries or comments that they like, or give demerits to the ones they don't like. I personally do NOT like the rumor mongering going on there about Palin's pregnancy these days (either her's or her daughter's). I agree with Obama that stuff like that should be off-limits.

What Daily Kos isn't is a "hate site" as Bill O'Reilly so often falsely claims. Are there hateful posts or comments there? Sure. With that sort of volume of traffic, nutcases are attracted to posting there. The site is simply a "town square" where people get on virtual soapboxes, and it has a progressive and partisan point of view. John Kerry and Keith Olbermann are regular posters there, for example. Even Elizabeth Edwards posts there, most recently to comment on the scandal with her husband. So O'Reilly's past comparisons of the site to the KKK or Nazis is just laughable.

Even I have posted there. Yes, and under my "Roxpert" handle!

[BigRapidsJackass]

That daily kos blogger obviously struck a nerve. For now, I'm willing to say that the statement about Bristol Palin's current pregnancy puts to rest the more outrageous rumor. But I'll also go out on a limb and predict that we haven't heard the end of this: the pregnancy details specifically, or the Palin oddities in general. BTW, note that so far the campaign is going for the "trash like us" spin. Funny how having a nice, successful well-adjusted family (Obama) now qualifies you as an elitist. Moynihan was right about defining deviancy down. But the corollary is worse: we are now defining being a responsible, intelligent, education-focused parent as "deviant" or even downright unAmerican. Congratulations, Republicans! To defeat the enemy of cultural decay you became the enemy.

[TheIncredibleRox]

I call him Markos "Screw Them" Moulistas.

In response to a photo of the charred, dismembered bodies of U.S. contractors strug from a bridge in Fallujah, he wrote:

Every death should be on the front page (2.70 / 40)
Let the people see what war is like. This isn't an Xbox game. There are real repercussions to Bush's folly.

That said, I feel nothing over the death of merceneries. They aren't in Iraq because of orders, or because they are there trying to help the people make Iraq a better place. They are there to wage war for profit. Screw them.

by kos on Thu Apr 01, 2004 at 12:08:56 PM PDT

Here's the pictures: (warning: VERY disturbing)

http://www.usvetdsp.com/bridge_hung.jpg

http://blackwatervictims.com/pics/Bridge.jpg

Screw them? Screw you, buddy.

[BigRapidsJackass]

IR, I don't read the daily kos. I find it confusing, unorganized, mostly silly.

As I said, I caught the link third-hand from another blog.

But you gotta admit it: this particular thing got the McCain-Palin campaign worried. Big time.

I think we're done with the Chinatown ("I'm your mother, I'm your sister") scenario, but I'm telling you: some more big news is on its way from Alaska ...

[indianadrew]

thought you guys might want to see this

[GerryInCS]

Nice photoshopping by whomever did it.