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Good morning!
Today’s quote is from an American author: “Vitality shows in not only the ability to persist, but in the ability to start over.”
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back to top70 Comments to “Whirled Views 11.10”
I’m sure there’s a political meaning here — Ill ignore it.
Personally, starting over can be pretty tough, it always helps to have some friends to help you along.
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Not a clue who said this. But I have confirmed Veteran’s Day is tomorrow, and plan to put out the flag at sunrise.
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Self re-invention, been there, done that. It’s tough. I would imagine that the devout do it less.
And, sometimes, countries have to do it, too.
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I don’t know who said it, but it sounds like someone who successfully navigated his mid-40’s.
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Arcadia, I prefer to think of it instead as self re-tooling. Like how factories switched from consumer products to war materiel at the start of WW2 and then switched back at its conclusion. I’ve met folks who have wound up doing jobs/careers they never imagined they’d do in their 20s. Engineers become realtors/brokers. A lawyer who learns (or is learning) Russian for his missions work in Siberrria. (Dont you just shiver saying that word?)
It teaches me that in this world there are no vocational “sure things”. The “cruel hand of fate” is something much more real than just the phrase at the start of the Fugitive TV show.
May the Lord give us all the strength to change when its needed and the wisdom to recognize when a major switch is advisable.
We drive up to Shreveport on 12 Nov for our first “high risk” OBGYN consult. Keep that atop your prayer list!
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The financial world was fixated on Capitol Hill as Congress battled over the Bush administration’s request for a $700 billion bailout of the banking industry. In the midst of this late-September drama, the Treasury Department issued a five-sentence notice that attracted almost no public attention.
But corporate tax lawyers quickly realized the enormous implications of the document: Administration officials had just given American banks a windfall of as much as $140 billion…
…”Did the Treasury Department have the authority to do this? I think almost every tax expert would agree that the answer is no,” said George K. Yin, the former chief of staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation, the nonpartisan congressional authority on taxes…
…The change to Section 382 of the tax code — a provision that limited a kind of tax shelter arising in corporate mergers — came after a two-decade effort by conservative economists and Republican administration officials to eliminate or overhaul the law, which is so little-known that even influential tax experts sometimes draw a blank at its mention. Until the financial meltdown, its opponents thought it would be nearly impossible to revamp the section because this would look like a corporate giveaway, according to lobbyists…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/09/AR2008110902155_pf.html
BUSINESS AS USUAL IN THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION. $140 billion from the taxpayers to the banks.
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Which is the greater crime? To rob a bank or to own one?
That old one will be trotted out often over the next few mos I’m sure.
And let’s not forget the too often-quoted Keynes quote for all you flip-floppers out there:
“When the facts change I change my opinion. What do you do, Sir?”
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Arcadia,
“BUSINESS AS USUAL IN THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION. $140 billion from the taxpayers to the banks.”
Yes, but he will soon be gone. The whole bank bailout has been quite disappointing. It will be interesting to see what Obama will do with the failing banks. Any guesses? Or opinions on what he ought to do?
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” I would imagine that the devout do it less.”
I’m a believer and the life God has given me has meant continual change personally and in career.
So, we see that our lefty friends don’t really believe in change. Actually, it is the Christians who understand how necessary continual change is.
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Didn’t a lot of Dems vote for that bailout? Am I missing something?
And Obama wants the car companies to get the money now.
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Sawgunner, Done.
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#9 Change even when its bad does lead to some learning (”Ouch. Shouldnt have done that! I’ll know better nextime!”)
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First things first today:
I’d like to announce the winner of last weekends “College Football Saturday” contest:
Peter L!
He correctly guessed the results of all 5 of the games, and was the only one to do so. This is his 4th time to win so far this season (out of 9 weeks).
So Peter L, here is your hot off the campfire, warm, gooey, digital S’more – enjoy!
Look for this weeks contest on Friday’s “Whirled Views”.
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Peter L. What’s your secret?
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This is a serious and condescending post.
I mentioned over the weekend that some people here have criticized the use of the acronym “CCR,” which apparently stands for “Conservative Christian Republicans.”
In a sense, it’s just a descriptive term, but I prefer to (within reason) follow people’s preferences in language used that might apply to them. If people feel that the connotation is good or bad, I think it’s polite and considerate to comply with their preferences.
I’ve mentioned that the political rhetoric used at this web site resembles the rhetoric of racism. It’s considered passé to se terms such as “honky” or “ni**er” nowadays, but CCR and “lefty” are considered fine. I think the main reason for using these terms are to convey insults in a milieu where peers go along with it.
The term “lefty” sounds as if it conveys some serious meaning, but at best represents laziness. If a person has a desire to communicate a serious meaning about a conservative point of view (and I think that can be a legitimate intent), they should take the trouble to express it coherently and logically and not rely on what are the equivalent of childish schoolyard taunts.
Condescending, condescending, condescending. There I said it for you. And I will point out, adapting the cliché of the 60s, no one can make you feel condescended to unless you are very unsure of yourself and pretending to be otherwise.
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While I am on a condescending train of thought, I will mention that there have been some posts by conservative people here that have expressed a wish to see if we as a country can work together with the new President to serve our common interests as a nation. Many of the usual suspects are engaged in the usual insulting rhetoric, but a number of people are striving to do better. I think that worthy of appreciation.
At the same time, I am still wondering if we should really consider splitting into two countries. After Great Britain allowed India to become independent, it split into two counties—India and Pakistan. Pakistan then split into Pakistan and Bangladesh. (Cited in Blood and Soil as an Islamic genocide.)
We had a Civil War; claims of principle (regarding States Rights) were muddied by the existence of slavery. We no longer keep slaves; perhaps it is time for a peaceful division into two countries. All the conservatives can form one country, where no abortions will take place and hard-working, God-fearing people (of whatever country) can live in accord and prosperity.
All the lazy socialists and sinful homosexuals and baby killers will flock to the other country where they will stew in squalor. The division will be difficult, disruptive, and expensive (as in the case of India), but the rhetoric will calm down. For a while.
Eventually, however, the conservative country will have to invade the other country, to protect the unborn children.
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http://www.pregnantpause.org/lex/world02map.htm
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The previous comment links to a map that shows different abortion laws around the world in a color coded manner.
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Random — What you describe as two countries was actually envisioned by the Founders as fifty states. Unfortunately, Washington flushed the Tenth Amendment even before indoor plumbing. Where Americans once said, “The United States are…,” we now say “The United States is…”
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I suppose if calling Chinese Communists ChiComms gets me a trip to the woodshed (but so far no scepter-whack upside the noggin) then calling conservative Christian Republicans CCRs should be no more offensive. I know a few CCR types. They arent ashamed of it and wouldnt deny it. They would probably be willing to name names before a Democrat congressional committee (which may not be a complete hypothetical!)
I dont however know any Chicomms personally; but certainly I saw a stadium full on TV a while back. I’m sure if you or I were to say to any one of them “You’re nothing but a Chinese communist!” the response would be (in mandarin or Cantonese of course): “and your point is?”
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#19 Stubob, your point was raised in a good book by Harry Turtledove a few years back. See “Guns of the South”.
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Random – I’m trying to figure out if your comment at #15 is seriously condescending, or condescendingly serious.
Actually, I agree with you about how the use of certain “names” can have somewhat of a racist-sounding tint.
There must be a word for that. Oh yeah – maybe it’s “biased”.
Say no to biasism!
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To tag along with Arcadia’s post, I’ll submit a
request for 2 Trillion dollars worth of transparency. Evidently Paulson and Bernanke promised back in September that the Fed would give an accounting of all the money that was being spent. And now nearly 2 Trillion dollars is being spent without any approval whatsoever, and no accounting.
Ok, I don’t know about you, but I’m sick and tired of all the monkey business. I wrote all my representatives this morning, and requested that they demand an accounting.
You should too.
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“BUSINESS AS USUAL IN THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION. $140 billion from the taxpayers to the banks.”
Arcadia,
Stop being such a partisan hack. The congress is responsible for that 700 Billion bailout bill, and just to remind you, they are mostly Democrats right now.
And please lay off the “It’s all Bush’ Fault” crap. It was old and tiresome 7 years ago.
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MIM, I do blame the president for lacking tested conservative principles and convictions. Too much “go along and get along” and way to many times when the veto pen was not exercised. Bush is co-conspirator if not accomplice.
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I agree with you Sawgunner, but Arcadia is typical of the liberals on this blog. The Democrats bear as much responsibility for this bailout as the Republicans, and they just don’t want to admit it. So my point that Arcadia is a partisan hack still stands.
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These guidelines, I think, are worthy of our consideration as the “loyal opposition” of the next president:
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2008/11/022039.php
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Bush will be viewed as a lot like Eisenhower by many conservatives. Ike was a nice likable guy but on too many domestic issues he was the kindly old caretaker of the welfare state while the owners were out on extended holiday.
Well get everything spiffy and dusted off George. Nancy Barney and Barack are unpacking their luggage on the driveway right now.
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Thinking semi-politically, one of the challenges of self-reinvention (and I’ve got more than a few scars on that) is to avoid repeating yourself. You think you’ve reinvented yourself but pretty soon you’re back to the same old, same old. Again, been there, done that. I think this struggle to do something new is at the heart of it all.
For the secular-minded there’s Bob Dylan, “he’s who’s not busy being born is busy dyin’.” But spiritually, it’s a resurrection thing. For me, it is the promise of all things new, that Hope, that keeps me going and persevering.
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The socialists left it leak on Sunday that Obama appointed a secret task force months ago of Party insiders to look at Bush’s executive orders to overturn them as soon as possible. After many months they came up 200 they want to over turn like the ban on embryonic stem cell.
But, even though the financial crisis has been going on from a longer period. Obama saw no reason to appoint a group of socialists and Marxists to tell him what to do on the economy. I;m guessing this is another example of party ideology overriding what is really important on the Democratic side. The economic crisis is the most important thing on the planet but Obama was not concerned about that he was concerned about the rights of Islamic terrorists held in prison in Guantanamo Bay than he cared about you. But of course he has much more in common with them too :-
In fact there were at least 200 things more important than you and your hopes and dreams for any future at all. His hopes and dreams were all smoke aqnd mirrors and the little piggies fell for it. Oh Well, pretty soon they will be working in government chain gangs braking rocks with sledge hammers to build the Marxist infrastruture of a new amerika.
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Donna, that was a great piece. He was right on about our (conservatives) tendency to react negatively to everything that Pres. Clinton initiated, just because he initiated it.
May we all give our new president a fair hearing, support him when we can, and oppose him when we must.
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As to starting over, I think what we need to do is go back to the “first things”–we don’t need to be re-invented. We need to recommit to Christian principles, and make decisions on those principles rather than political expediency.
And we MUST apply our ideals to our own lives. Nothing like a hypocrit to limit effective persuasion.
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I think the first thing that Obama needs to do as President of these United States is to pass some sort of massive relief legislation for his relatives, many of who live in crack houses and extreme grinding poverty within a few blocks of his fourteen gazillion dollar mansion in Chicago.
Not to mention his relatives in Kenya and Nigeria and Norway, where 98% of the population has suddenly been gratified to discover that they are all actually long-lost members of Obama’s immediate family and therefore need to come to America immediately, and start receiving some sort of check from the US government.
It is a little embarrassing to have a President’s near relatives living in such heart-wrenching destitution and need, especially the ones living in cardboard boxes just down the street from where the limousines full of fat rich guys in business suits go so busily to and fro from Obama’s mansion. It overstresses the media cameramen, who have to make sure that nothing appears (in anything fed to the public) which remotely makes Obama appear to be insensitive or hypocritical.
Anyway, surely America can step up to the plate and take care of all these people for our new President, as a sort of involuntary inauguration gift.
Also, Tony Rizzio and any other old cronies of Obama should really be paid off in full from the US Treasury; otherwise the Chicago mob might come looking for Obama, which would confuse the Secret Service and could even lead to some sort of embarrassing higgledy-piggledy in the White House Reception Area. Even the media might have a hard time explaining away that sort of incident, without some mention of Obama’s past.
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Renewing our commitment to Christ is always appropriate. I find I need to do this so often, to return to my first love, to ‘first things,’ as Momof5 says.
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#6 Arcadia,
Lets get this straight. Bush, Paulson and Bernanke asked for $700 to restore confidence int he world’s entire financial system and to keep it from collapsing. It was 3 page document that allowed the Treasury and the Fed the flexibility to do what ever was necessary with this money. Since the President and executive branch cannot spend any money, only the Democratic congress can do that, the Democrats threw out the Bush 3 page document and crafted one that was about 110 pages long with all kinds of restrictions in it. It then failed to pass congress after Americans threatened to go to Washington and behead them all.
After the Dems failed in their first attempt. they fail at everything don’t you know, they added $150 billion in pure pork to skim some cash off the top for their buddies and even though Americans wanted this $850 Billion voted down the Dems passed it anyway adn the law was now 450 pages long and so restrictive that now that the Dems want to bail out their UAW union member by nationalizing the Auto industry, the Democratic Pork barrel will not allow them to do it and they are now begging the Bush administration to allow them to tap this slush fund of money the Dems consider theirs to dole out to what ever Extortionist and Socialist union they want.
Bush should make them go back into session and debate this issue and pass a new law so they can point out it is nothing more than a direct bribe paid to the union for helping Obama get elected. If Bush doesn’t do this and agrees to this nonsense, we will raise such a fuss the Dems will be begging for their Messiah to forcibly take over the government in a coup de tet.
This is not a Bush Administration bailout plan. Theirs was 3 pages long and $700 Billion. This %850 billion bailout is 450 pages long, pure pork doomed to failure, inflexible piev=ce of worthlessness is the sole creation of the Democrats in congress who created it and passed it.
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Whoa, I did it again?!?!?!? Mmmmm, that s’more hits the spot (or should I say pixel)! Thanks, Anlir. I won even though I got the tiebreaker wrong. Someone asked about doing the tie breaker thing a liitle differently. How about guessing the score of the ESPN Bottom 10 “pillow fight of the week”? According to Wikipedia: “The Bottom 10 (sometimes called “ESPN.com’s Bottom 10″) is a week-by-week regular season ranking of the worst ten college football teams in the NCAA Division I FBS from ESPN.com] and often includes editorial comments meant to provoke a humorous response in readers.” The pillow fight is the game with the two worst teams playing each other, such as this past weekend when Arizona State (2-6) played at Washington (0-8).
kbells- I don’t know what the secret is. I must watch too much college football.
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Donna J (27) — Excellent article.
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Re: Donna’s #27. I can’t think of a single conservative who promised to leave the country. Liberals do that, then renege.
Conservatives almost always put “Country First”. They wouldn’t try to destroy the country to defeat a person or party.
Yes, I’m implying liberals would. Many items I listed on WV, #1 Saturday will do that. e.g. “Energy independence”, “Treating the war on terror as a criminal activity.” I see that is already in the works, BTW.
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PeterL,
You were the only person to correctly guess all 5 games, so the tiebreaker didn’t come into play. There was only one person who correctly guessed that Wyoming would win, but they only guessed 3 of the games correctly.
Sadly, the Tennessee loss is a new low for their program. It’s only the second time in their history to lose 7 games in a season. They have never lost 8. Unfortunately, in 2 weeks they have to play Vandy @ Vandy and then host Kentucky. So an 8 loss season may be in the offing.
As for a new kind of tiebreaker, I am considering several possibilities for next year.
*****
Re: #30
Every new President takes a look at the previous President’s executive orders and makes a decision on whether to scrap them, modify them, or keep them. And every new President also considers which new ones he wants to promulgate. It’s one of the perks of being the President. President-elect Obama isn’t doing anything his predecessors didn’t do. Complaining about it is pure partisan carping.
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Actually, Chas I read a bunch of posts on some conservative websites where conservatives were saying that they were leaving the country for Australia, Canada, France (!), Italy, Spain, China (!!), and a few other countries that I can’t recall. Obviously an over-reaction just like when some Dems threatened to leave when Bush won.
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At work, several years ago, I knew a guy who was thinking of emigrating to Australia. But I can’t imagine a conservative going to any country you mentioned. Though I know a guy who loves Italy and visits often.
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No, it is our job to stay here to lie cheat and steal as we subvert and undermine the Obama presidency at every turn and where ever possible, even if means we become traitors, embarrassments to our mothers, call our troops terrorists in time of war so or end up in Hell so that we can regain the control of government at any cost
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#40 Anlir,
You did not read it on this one. The rest you supposedly visit were probably fake ones run buy George Soros and his DNC to make Christians look like Hitler.
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Random Name @ #16,
I’ve been thinking the same thing a lot lately and have been reading up on the Civil War some, too. I was even thinking that this country needs to be restructured along regional lines–say, Northeast, South, Midwest, West Coast, etc.
I also agree with StuBob @ #19, that the whole idea of states was to avoid this kind of 50-50 split in the first place. However, a war was already fought over this issue, and the idea of a strong centralized government beat the idea of regionalism or states’ rights. I need to study my American history more, but you have to wonder what the point of having 50 separate states at all is, after the Civil War. Other than handling administrative tasks, like trash pickup, that is.
So all this to say, I guess, that I’d be open to the idea of handing social issues back to the states–gay marriage, abortion, etc., and then we can all deal with the results on a more local level. Which was the point to begin with. I think in the Federalist Papers the point was made that the rights of the federal government were few and defined, while the rights of the states were many and undefined. We need to get back to this notion.
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I left the country early in the Clinton administration!
I “fled” to most stable African country with a democracy that had been in place since the 60’s. A year after my arrival there was a coup. Oh, well, a military government was still better than the Clintons, 
so I stayed. A few years and a few constitutional changes later, the 30-yr-old who took over the country was duly elected president. (Talk about inexperienced and unqualified!!!) The country I “fled” (not really), no matter who the president is, is still more free and fair than the country I live in. I live by the laws of my own country and the laws of my country of residence. I pray for the presidents of both countries, even though I don’t agree with them. My opinions can’t change a thing, but my prayers can. God is still on the throne and He puts people into power that make me wonder what He’s up to, but that’s okay. I just have to obey the laws and pray for my leaders so that I can live a godly and peaceable life.
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Hi Chas!
In case you didn’t see these on yesterday’s WVs, here are comments Random & I addressed to you…
“By Karen O 11.09.08 AT 8:45 PM
“Chas – I’ve had a colonoscopy, & they’re not that bad. The worst part, if you could call it that, is the day before – the prep day. The actual procedure is a piece of cake.
“When I would sit with my mom during her 6 – 7 hr. chemo treatments (for ovarian cancer), we met a guy named Steve who was battling colon cancer that had spread throughout his body. He said, ‘If I’d had a colonoscopy when I was supposed to, I wouldn’t be having to go through this now.’ ”
“By Random Name 11.09.08 AT 10:01 PM
“Chas, what Karen O said is exactly right. Fortunately, I have not needed it (so far) to save my life, but it would have been worth it. In other words, it’s not a fate worse than death.”
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Wrong Chas!!! The next thing you know you will be hiring a designer to pick you out a new, more ergonomic, sofa !
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The Chinese announced a $600 Billion public works chain gang stimulus package for their Commies who are about to riot over their horrid economic conditions. It is odd how like minds think the same isn’t it? Obama is planning the same thing here
Maybe Obama will let some of the lower paid Chinese comrades come here to work on our chain gangs, so that lefties here who don’t like to work very much or hard, can sit this physical stuff out and to reduce the ChiComs horrible economic problem – if these undocumented immigrants can vote for Obama of course.
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I posted this elsewhere on WORLDmag blog but should have put it here:
In President-Elect Obama’s first press conference since the election, he made a cheap and ungracious dig on Nancy Reagan, referring to some reported allegation regarding séances a long time ago. It was unnecessary and tasteless. Meanwhile, the aging First Lady, Reagan, is suffering from a broken bone and recovering. May God hasten her recovery.
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Yes, Joel Mark, may God heal – & save – Nancy Reagan.
To be fair to Obama, he did apologize about what he said.
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Karen,
Obama did apologize, however the comment is not one which I would expect to hear from the next President of our country. He often times makes unkind remarks, knowing full well he can recant them later – I’m not so sure they are just ’slips’ -
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Karen, you’re getting as bad as my wife. She has already cut down on my cookies and makes me eat something green every day. But my father lived to be 91 and ate eggs, grits, sausage every morning. I may have a colonoscopy if my doctor recommends it, mostly to keep my family happy.
For what it’s worth. There is no history of cancer in either side of my family. The men on my father’s side have all died of heart trouble. But my father died at 91 of pneumonia. I doubt if he would have died then if mother hadn’t died six months earlier. She was his life (in this world).
Llama, I don’t understand, unless you’re agreeing with Karen.
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Well, considering all the nasty comments said about GWB if he misspoke, the leftys here have no business whining about anything.
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“Well, considering all the nasty comments said about GWB if he misspoke, the leftys here have no business whining about anything.”
Seconded.
Motion carried.
All in favor?
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Karen O,
Thank you for letting me know Obama apologized. I had not heard that. If I can criticize him (rightly) for the comment, I can also credit him for an apology.
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Joel Mark – Sounds fair to me.
Victoria – Don’t worry, I’m no Obama fan, but I do believe in giving credit where credit is due. But you have a point about his tendency to backtrack on what he’s said.
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Reading the remarks about conservatives supposedly (or not) fleeing the country reminds me of the perenial chestnut of plans by libertarians to “take over a state.” The latest chuckle (more at NY Times).
Libertarians Pursue New Political Goal: State of Their Own
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LinkedinDiggFacebookMixxYahoo! BuzzPermalinkBy PAM BELLUCK
Published: October 27, 2003
A few things stand out about this unprepossessing city. It just broke its own Guinness Book world record for the most lighted jack-o’-lanterns with 28,952. It claims to have the world’s widest Main Street.
And recently, Keene became the home of Justin Somma, a 26-year-old freelance copywriter from Suffern, N.Y., and a foot soldier in an upstart political movement. That movement, the Free State Project, aims to make all of New Hampshire a laboratory for libertarian politics by recruiting libertarian-leaning people from across the country to move to New Hampshire and throw their collective weight around. Leaders of the project figure 20,000 people would do the trick, and so far 4,960 have pledged to make the move.
The idea is to concentrate enough fellow travelers in a single state to jump-start political change. Members, most of whom have met only over the Internet, chose New Hampshire over nine other states in a heated contest that lasted months.
(The other contenders were Alaska, Delaware, Idaho, Maine, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming. One frequently asked question on the project’s Web site was ”Can’t you make a warmer state an option?”)
Once here, they plan to field candidates in elections and become active in schools and community groups, doing all they can to sow the libertarian ideals of curbing taxes, minimizing regulation of guns and drugs, privatizing schools and reducing government programs.
”We want to make New Hampshire our home, and we want to make it a better place for everybody,” said Elizabeth McKinstry, a project spokeswoman. ”Many times government gets in the way.”
One appeal of New Hampshire is the state’s reputation for flinty individualism (although it has only about 400 dues-paying Libertarian Party members). The 150 Free Staters already living here lobbied hard for the state, and Gov. Craig Benson, a Republican, met with visiting members and told them to ”come on up, we’d love to have you.”
If the idea catches on, the movement may benefit from the unusually high political profile New Hampshire has because of its early presidential primary.
Some Free Staters plan to move when the project attracts 20,000 participants, which it hopes to do by 2006. But many intend to move sooner, and a few have already arrived.
”Having so many people move into a state means we can really raise issues,” Mr. Somma said. ”Once we start to elect people to the Statehouse, I think the low-hanging fruit will be issues like educational reform and medical marijuana.”
Keene, a college town of 24,000, is not the only Free Stater destination in New Hampshire. Indeed, as many members acknowledge, one quandary for a movement of individualistic people is that it can be hard to get everyone on the same page
I still remember the very loony wmb participant James (perhaps the most bizarre anti-gay commenter ever on this obsessed web site) and his desire for a “voluntary theocracy.” I would so love to see such a community formed.
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53 and 54? Preemptive strike?
At least Obama speaks English
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Friends,
Check out my blog American Creation where I am in the middle of reproducing a debate I hosted between my friends Jim Babka and Gregg Frazer (both devout evangelicals) on the American Founding and Christianity. As I write in the preface to the debate:
If one believes in unorthodox heresies (Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses), has added to revelation (Mormons), believes the Bible fallible (liberal Christians) or believes in the excessive use of reason and natural law in religion (Roman Catholics and others) the political theology of the American Founding, properly understood, is far likelier to speak to you than if you are a Calvinist who believes the Bible the infallible Word of God and man’s reason “the devil’s whore” (as Luther put it). Calvinists can feel comfortable with their place at the table of America’s political theology — indeed George Washington welcomed them there — as long as they understand that they didn’t create it and consequently don’t own it and must share it with the heretics, many of whom they wouldn’t regard as “Christians” at all.
http://americancreation.blogspot.com
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Which is the greater crime? To rob a bank or to own one?
To rob one’s own??
As for conservatives jumping ship — I’d think the only countries where they would feel comfortable are the UK and Australia, but if that’s too far the Alberta portion of Canada would do.
North America’s physical divisions run north south except for the St. Lawerence-Great Lakes region. Hence, it would make sense to divy up the continent north-south not east west.
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NJLawyer,
Follow-up question to the one from last week about the bogus company that had promised me work….
The company that connected us was billing me for the fee on this work I never received, and on which I never got paid. So I filled out their “form” for fee disputes and told them I’d never received any work, any payment, any of the promised phone calls . . . and had done research and discovered they were a bogus company. Separately, I sent them a longer e-mail with what I had determined in my research. Unfortunately, they sent my dispute of fees to the company (which had already told them the project had been cancelled, so I have no idea why the bogus company needed to be “in the loop”). I just received this semi-threatening e-mail from the bogus company. By the way, I didn’t mention “blogs” in my dispute of the fee; I merely said I’d done “research” and discovered them to be “bogus.”
Here’s the note, with the intermediary company’s name removed: “We are not a bogus company and are suing the people who have posted those blogs.
“We do see your comments from [the other company] and do not hope to add you to the list.”
Well, seems to me that threatening a lawsuit rather proves they’re a bogus company, but unfortunately they do now know that I reported them to the intermediary company. Would it be wise to send a response something like the following:
“I did not mention blogs in this comment to [the other company], merely asked them to cancel payment of a fee for money I was never paid. I had already cancelled my connection with you; on the advice of a lawyer friend [that's you] saying only that I was no longer interested in working with you because my schedule is already full. I see no reason that we need to be in further contact, so please remove me completely from your list of contacts. Thank you.”
This sample note doesn’t mention the lawsuit at all, or the word “bogus” at all. But it does give a subtle hint that I know a lawyer, which I have heard is a good way to send impostors scampering. I have forwarded the threatening e-mail to the company that connected us. Comments? I have no idea how likely they are to bring a lawsuit against me; obviously I cannot afford that, and I have done nothing against them other than bringing their questionable status to the attention of the company that connected us. (And that company has to do its own research, so if they determine they are phony, that will only indirectly be because of me; if they determine they are legitimate, no harm has been done. Either way, I don’t see how they have a leg to stand on for even a “nuisance lawsuit.”)
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WOW – and just before Obama takes office just over two months from now –
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iRxZox4GFoIweckPDP1oRhKBlHOwD94CCDU00
Who would have ever guessed?
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New topic…
Did anyone see Boston Legal tonight?
I’m sorry I didn’t see the entire episode, but the tenor of the show, especially at the end, was rather pro-life. The practice took a young girl as a client that wanted the court to override her mother’s (Ming-Na) non-consent to terminate her pregnancy.
They won the decision from the judge, but they certainly didn’t celebrate it, and did not feel good about it, either. They really drove home the point that abortions ‘haunt’ the would-be parents for years later. The Candace Bergen character certainly was not keen about the idea of participating (indirectly) in an abortion, and she found a way to argue against the “judicial bypass” of parental consent. The end of the show, where the Spader and Shatner characters chat over a cigar, was very introspective and thoughtful.
I wondered if anyone else had seen the show, or at least more of it than I did. I was very encouraged by what I saw, even if it was just a few minutes of TV. I certainly did not expect to see that attitude portrayed on network TV.
I’ll bring this up again tomorrow in WV if nobody else picks this up. I thought it very interesting, indeed.
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Lance,
I did not see it, but I do occasionally watch the show. It generally has a Liberal perspective, but — I’ll give them credit — they will also fairly show the Conservative side on occasion. They are funny (and meant to be), but they are more nuanced Liberals. (i.e. they actually really think about the issues.) So, while you are going to hear a Liberal perspective overall, they are not uncritical Liberals, and they do show a certain degree of respect for Conservatives and their positions.
Not at all average t.v.
I generally like the show, although it can be preachy at times. I think the William Shatner character is hilarious. (But, of course, I’m an avid Star Trek fan — all of them — so I appreciate the Star Trek references in the show, and I like to see Shatner make fun of himself.)
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Chas,
It was a joke in that the next thing you know gay lefties will picking out your sofa which will accomodate their lifestyle as being bent over it.
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Sometimes RPN and I agree.
Victoria, it is counterproductive for congressmen to go off like that before anything happens. He may be correct, but if so, it needs to be monitored and repressed. Spouting off like that just gets him sent to kooksville by the MSM. He’s a congressman, preventing that is his job.
We have to watch what Obama does, not what someone says he’s about to do. It’s too late for that.
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Chas
You might not realize this but its reported in many news services MSNBC, AP, Huffington Post not to mention others.
It’s not in my opinion counterproductive to tell others what’s being reported.
Pol fears Obama dictatorship http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/1272306,CST-NWS-marx11.article
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Victoria, I’m not chiding you. I agree with RPN that the congressman shouldn’t have said that. It’s either too late or too early. If he fears a Gistapo-like security force, he needs to be aware of, and prevent attempts. Obama hasn’t done anything yet. The 1012 campaign hasn’t started yet.
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Of course, he may have made the mistake of being candid to the press. He needs to remember they aren’t his friends.
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