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    marye
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    When our previous topic hit the 1,000-response mark, sleazy behavior by politicians was eliciting a certain amount of non-astonishment.

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  • marye
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    well, um, Hal...
    Barlow is LDS. Not practicing, obviously, but comes from a long line of Mormons. In answer to the question, the Mormon Church and also (to my shame, because I'm Catholic like Barlow is Mormon...) the Catholic Church kicked in a lot of money. But it is also the case that the Bay Area is a relative island, even in California, and there is plenty of religious fundamentalism and just plain bigotry to go around throughout the state. And yeah, there was a lot of stirring up of hate among Latinos and among the black churches as well. Indeed, it was much speculated that the very people who turned out to elect Obama also turned out to pass Prop 8, at least where the black churches were concerned. So it's complicated. But it's also just plain wrong and I'm grateful to Judge Walker for his good sense. My own view is that the state should get out of the marriage business and only do civil unions, being that civil marriage is fundamentally about property and responsibility for children, and let religious, cultural, etc. bodies declare whoever they want in their communions married. And yeah, this includes the fundie Mormons if they stick to consenting adults.
  • tphokie1
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    Way to go Judge Walker!
    I know this fight is not over. This will be appealed but its still a step in the right direction. Everyone should be free to love whomever they choose and have that acknowledged by society!
  • Hal R
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    I won't blast Mormons here
    but the fact is that LDS was a major if not the major player behind Prop. 8. By the way I've met all sorts of Deadheads of various and no faiths but has anyone ever met an LDS head? If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite. William Blake
  • Anonymous (not verified)
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    Straight From Vermont
    is a bumpersticker seen on old, beat-up pick-up trucks around these parts. It seems that the rather sexually insecure have to make their intemtion in the sexual area perfectly clear because Vermont was first in the nation to allow civil unions and of the last couple of years gay marriage. It hasn't spoiled the place. How is it in the land of LA and SF that there is this conservative backlash? Is it hispanic machismo/Catholicism? It can't be the Oakies, there aren't enough pure bread of'em left. What gives Mary? Who is behind Prop 8 in Cali?
  • marye
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    In other news...
    Judge Vaughn Walker, who I have always considered a sensible man and a credit to the bench, overturned California's Prop 8 with nasty words on the side: "Proposition 8 'fails to advance any rational basis in singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage license. Indeed, the evidence shows Proposition 8 does nothing more than enshrine in the California Constitution the notion that opposite-sex couples are superior to same-sex couples. … Because Proposition 8 prevents California from fulfilling its constitutional obligation to provide marriages on an equal basis, the court concludes that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional.'" God bless Judge Walker and get him appointed to the Supremes.
  • TigerLilly
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    Hey Hal!
    Indeed!********************************** By trying we can easily learn to endure adversity -- another man's I mean. Mark Twain
  • Hal R
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    Iraq lie
    TL, many folks here did not believe the Bush lies, there were massive protests throughout the country. As well as the world. Please never forget the mass movement which many of us were involved in. If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite. William Blake
  • Anonymous (not verified)
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    To be fair...
    ...There is an anti-war movement out there. I didn't mean to diminish the efforts of many, many patriotic Americans who do what they can to oppose this madness. And I am told that opposition to America's jihad is quite intense in parts of Europe. I was only trying to point out 2 things: There is a cost to war The face of protest is quite different these days I like what the leader of Wikki Leaks had to say (Simon, I think) "It's a damn war" Indeed a damn war. A low intensity conflict in which there are no major battles, simply groups of armed warriors sneaking up on one another. On the NATO side, if the conflict is extended at all, air power is called in that usually results in a lot of casualties with collateral damage. When we realize that this is not helping our cause among the natives, we strive (per McChrystal's suggestion), to change the rules of engagement so that we are able to make real progress, only to have push-back from our own forces, whom we come to find out don't give a damn about civilians or the Taliban, only wanting to leave the theater of operations in one piece. I don't fault them for that one bit, however it does point out big-time the slippery slope we are falling down. In the meantime, these mountains of desolate waste are host to wandering bands of reconnoitering commandos able to call down reaper and predator drone-fired missiles on whatever targets of opportunity they stumble upon. Americans need to see that we could have pursued this as a police action instead of a military conflict. We had the sympathy of the world and could have made these radical extremists the bad guys, even to their own people. Instead, a decision at the highest levels was made to pursue a war. This war is being fought because our "Way Of Life" is under attack. This is really the heart of the matter... In an increasingly globalized economy of post-peak oil the US cannot afford to allow the Muslim oil countries the natural economic advantage that would be theirs as oil becomes more scarce, thus entitling to ever-greater reserves of hard currency. Therefore we need to step in and try to divide the Muslims. In reality, this war is about economics and the ever-shrinking pie we all split. Other countries tend to resent it when you are 3% of the world's population and you are consuming 60% of the world's resources. I could march on with this rant but I'll stop here as I do believe what I've just stated is the heart of it. ~ I'm going off to war To fight on some foreign shore ~
  • JackstrawfromC…
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    Lies
    True Americans did fall for the lie. When the towers hit the ground and everyone was freaking out it was really easy to believe the hype "terrorists have WOMD, they live in Iraq and they are coming to kill us", in the midst of the frenzy and fear we had to believe it. But it became clear rather quickly when the focus was on Hussein and not Bin Laden that our doofus president had a different agenda. "The dire wolf collects his due while the boys sing round the fire"
  • TigerLilly
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    Iraq lie
    But Americans believed that lie for quite a while! Propaganda and hype were high. For example some collegues and I were aggressed on the streets of NYC for daring to speaking French (because Chirac said "hell no we won't go to Iraq" and anti-French sentiment was rampant). I seems that it took until folks started to die, for the brainwashing hype to lose effect. Sat over here and watched the War in Iraq unfold right there on CNN-like Wag the Dog, and yeah well had a rough time with my homeland back then! ********************************** By trying we can easily learn to endure adversity -- another man's I mean. Mark Twain
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When our previous topic hit the 1,000-response mark, sleazy behavior by politicians was eliciting a certain amount of non-astonishment.
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So the empty suit in the WH is afraid to expose himself, and express his honest opinion about the hugely insensitive plan by Rauf, the Ground Zero Islamofascist, yet in the Gates case, he couldn't wait to tell us the white cops "acted stupidly..." I guess they belong under the bus along with his "typical white" grandmother...and now Nutsy Pelosi wants to "investigate" me, and the other 70% of Americans who know what our enemy is up to...hmmm, I wonder if she's including Harry Reid...???
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as non-judgemental and informed as ever, I see.********************************** By trying we can easily learn to endure adversity -- another man's I mean. Mark Twain
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Yesterday I commented on how much I'd have hated being on Blago's jury, boldly proclaiming that I'd prefer an armed robbery or murder trial anyday. In a "reap what you sow" moment, I arrived home last night to find a summons to jury duty in our stack of mail. I'm 55 yrs old, and this is my FIRST-EVER jury summons. This cannot just be a coincidence. Can it? I at first thought this was a case of cause-and-effect: I wrote this thing down, then out of the blue (postal uniforms are still blue, aren't they?) something quite related happened . Thinking about it some more, I realized that the summons was already in the mail when I was spouting off, so it looks less like cause-effect and a little more like clairvoyance to me. One shot deal, or the start of something new? How can I use my new-found power to do good, or at least to win scads of money?
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Congrats. Mr. Dean. You are about to find out what one of your sacred duties as a US citizen is. America needs more people on juries like yourself. I hope you serve honorably. I think you lose money an a jury, unless your vote is for sale. As it is said: "In America, we get the best justice money can buy." (More directed at the lawyers, I believe)
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Just cuz you're summoned doesn't necessarily mean you'll end up serving jury duty-I THINK anyhow! But congrats on being given the opportunity to do your civic duty!! Always wanted to play 12 Angry Men, but the summons never came :(********************************** By trying we can easily learn to endure adversity -- another man's I mean. Mark Twain
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I'm 54 and have never been summoned myself. Like you I've been somewhat disappointed by that. You may find that the attorneys really don't want discerning folks on the jury and you may not get to serve anyway! Best of luck. Let us know how it goes!
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My preferring a murder trial statement (as it relates to clairvoyance, that is), but I might get disqualified if I get questioned about the death penalty. As I'm anti- , I'd have a hard time voting conviction for someone who might end up on death row. I liked it much better when I lived in a no-death-penalty state...
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indeed a dilemma, and I would have the same problem!********************************** By trying we can easily learn to endure adversity -- another man's I mean. Mark Twain
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I figure how would be asked my opinion on the death penalty and automatically disqualified by the prosecutor. If I actually got on the jury I think I could determine guilt or innocence independent of that but if I the jury determined sentence I could never vote to put someone to death.
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Unless you are unemployed and have nothing better to do. As far as the death penalty goes that is about as controversial as it gets. If someone harmed my daughter or any family member for that matter I'd have a hard time feeling sorry for them being put on death row. But yes I know in the grand scheme it is a very touchy subject. Don't worry - you may not even be picked for one thing and the chances are if you are picked it will be a snoozer trial for shoplifting or something. "The dire wolf collects his due while the boys sing round the fire"
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Watching the news on Friday is always interesting. They put stuff on that would otherwise get buried. They know that a lot of people aren't paying attention. Last Friday the news about the flood was frightening. They took a plane over the flood and there was nothing but water (with small islands) for 25 minutes. The worst thing was the sound bites. I've never heard people who are starving begging for food before. OMG! I'm making a small donation today. My wife dug up a picture on the internet some time ago of buzzards following a starving child in Eritrea (N. Africa). The photographer committed suicide shortly after taking the picture, some time after the child just fell over and died. These images can haunt you. I guess some things should be censored from the news (and I thought I'd never say that). Not the fact that people are starving, but the live images.
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German news was talking last night about how aid reaction is so small and so late. They showed some heart-rending scenes as well. Now cholera is breaking out. The Pakistanis are soo desperate they accepted aid from their arch-enemy India. One tiny ray of hope in that awful situation, I suppose; if neighbor India is reaching out in Pakistan's hour of need.********************************** By trying we can easily learn to endure adversity -- another man's I mean. Mark Twain
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that 1/3 of Pakistan is underwater.....I just can't imagine that. why are we not seeing more in the news? I've always had a problem with the media, but this is ridiculous.
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The Pakistan government turned their heads on their own people before, during and now after the floods. It's sad but I can also understand why the people there are ready to start a revolution. "The dire wolf collects his due while the boys sing round the fire"
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They are supporting all kinds of dark things, including the Taliban. They see India behind every tree, trying to take over their country. The governments of the world have thus far contributed $800,000,000, including Nepal, the thirteenth poorest country in the world. Still, it is nothing compared to the cost of rebuilding most of the country's infrastructure. No wonder Gandhi was so pained by the partition of India in 1947.
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The 110 (not the Harbor Freeway in LA) has been backed up for more than 10 days. It is taking drivers three days to get through. The traffic is backed up all the way to Inner Mongolia. The jam is expected to last another 30 DAYS!! Jeez, how do you explain that one to your significant other? "Uhhh, honey? Yeah, the trip to Mongolia went well but I've got a small problem now... I just cleared the Great Wall and won't be home for three days because of traffic." The Chinese are blaming everything but the real reason, there are simply too many cars and lorries for the road to handle. They are getting strangled by their own prosperity. This is not just a problem in China. It is all over the developing world. China is a more than interesting example of an economy run amok on unbuckled capitalism. Where will it all lead? I think the winter weather patterns this year may give us part of the answer.
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I have searched for good news can find nothing we got floods bp afghanistan and the rest of the shit.Old lady in sheffield uk got a hip replacement free on the nhs thats all igot. I will take this opportunity too say hell send you good blessings and wish you peace. Smiles.
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Found alive in Chilean cave-in. That's the great news!! The I-can't-imagine-it news is that it could be 4 months before they can be rescued. FOUR MONTHS!! That mining company must be a BP subsidiary.... Sorry, Gonzo, the best I could do this morning.
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2This August marks the 50th anniversary of the Fab Four’s debut 48-night stint at Indra, a strip club on Große Freiheit, a notorious side street that runs off the Reeperbahn, Hamburg's infamous red-light boulevard." The Local (Germany's news in English) ********************************** By trying we can easily learn to endure adversity -- another man's I mean. Mark Twain
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And the Midwest baby....also Red ROX!!!!!♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥ Twirly Banner
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Will continue looking for good news to bring here. Happy for miners, Beatles & Furthur coming to Chicagoland.
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You dear folks know I'm EXTREMELY non-partisan (hate' em all, greedy bastards), but I'm wondering why Pelosi wants an investigation into who's funding the anti-mosque ads in New York, but doesn't seem concerned with who is funding the cultural center itself? Is dissent now illegal? Doesn't that put the shoe on the other foot? And why is the cost of chocolate going up? Dang...i need a cookie
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...you might seem to be in league with Rauf, the Ground Zero Islamofascist, along with Nutsy (Pelosi) & Harry -- characters to which Dewlover has introduced us. (Sorry, couldn't resist that :) :) :)) Actually, we got your cookies, J'man. The good ones. We give'em out in the parking lots of churches after AA meetings. The first one is always free!
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but i think what's good for the goose is good for the gander, so to speak.......er.................uh....but really, shall we silence dissent that we disagree with? are we only going to allow opinions that agree with our own?................AA meetings?......hmmmm...Deadheads anonymous, mebbe!!....heeheeeee!! Hi....my name is johnman...and I have Dead tapes at home.....
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( & ) ; ~ }
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London uk weds this week woman filmed picking up a cat a locking it in a dustbin.I am naming and shaming this bitch Mary bale 45 from london.Poor pussy was in the bin for 15 hours but is well now. Mary said and i quote i really dont understand what people are getting excited about its only a cat.
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What are those wild and crazy guys in Iran up to these days? I mean besides celebrating the making of fissionable material to make nukes with? They are copying the US military's drones. Instead of coming up with a cool name like "reaper" or "predator" they came up with: Ambassador of Death! You know, I'm beginning to believe these sand flea bitten Persian camel jockeys are obsessed with death. Not that I wouldn't be if I was going toe-to-toe with the US & Israel. Yikes!! I think Obama needs to draft the Dalai Lama and launch him as an Ambassador of Peace...
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Maybe they just need some acoustic Dead? 10-10-80 Warfield Theater, San Francisco, Ca. (Fri) Acoustic: On The Road Again, Roses, Monkey & Engineer, Jack A Roe, Dark Hollow, To Lay Me Down, Heaven Help The Fool, Bird Song> Ripple Electric-1: Half Step> Franklin's, Me & My Uncle> Big River, Candyman, BIODTL, Row Jimmy, Minglewood, Althea> Jack Straw Electric-2: Scarlet> Fire, Samson, Big RxR Blues, Estimated> Eyes> Drumz> Truckin> Nobody's Jam> Black Peter> Around> Promised E: U. S. Blues "Jack A Roe" appears on "Dead Set" - last "Nobody's Jam": 08-13-79 [98] ♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥ Twirly Banner
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~ let there be songs to fill the air ~ somehow I don't think ahdmadhinejad is listening though - but we can hope!!
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When he sayed "Imadinnerjacket" ahmendinasomething lol♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥ Twirly Banner
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A copy of reckoning and the dalai lama may help maybe we should introduce some white widow too this party.Seriously they are beyond help.I wish them all peace.
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DL: So, Ahhdie, whats up with the ambassadors of death?AHD: It's kind of a status symbol in our part of the world Really? Yeah, reigning down death and destruction on your enemy when he least expects it is all the rage these days. Well, uhh, do you think you might tone down the names a bit? What do you suggest? How about "Messenger of Gentle Persuasion" with a non-exploding warhead? No, no, no. In Iran we're all death to this and that and mother of all them and those. Ahhdie, whats this macho posturing all about? Death to infidels, Dolly! Maybe you guys just need to unleash your inner lambs Nahh, we kill them too - delicious!
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My wife asked me this morning "Is marriage the end of hope?" -- I turned to her and said, without missing a beat, "No, Glen Beck is the end of hope!" We both got a good laugh on that one! Seriously, this former morning commute DJ doesn't deserve demagogue status, he deserves a freakin' Oscar for playing the role to the 9s. I do not believe this guy actually believes a word that is coming out of his mouth. He is rich beyond anyone's wildest imagination because he was in the right place at the right time. I don't blame him a bit. However, this vitriolic hyperbole about Obama is just plain dangerous. The lunatic right-wing fringe has descended on Washington DC en masse along with a lot of well-meaning people concerned about the defecit who are along as normal window-dressing for the crazies. They will rally at the Lincoln Memorial in DC tomorrow. If any rally ever deserved to be stink-bombed it is this one. The danger is that some freak will try to end Obama's life. And, Glen Beck is like the dog that told Berkowitz to do the killing. Chilling, isn't it?
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Picture two skeletons walking down a beach into a glorious sunset. We sure had a great time this summer. Hoping you are too! Enjoy!!
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How you been? Vid is great btw! :) ********************************** By trying we can easily learn to endure adversity -- another man's I mean. Mark Twain
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"Iranian newspapers have been banned from publishing the names or photos of the leaders of Iran's green movement, according to a confidential governmental ruling revealed by an opposition website. The move is part of a new round of censorship, which follows the recent closure of a newspaper and the suspension of two magazines." Guardian.co.uk ********************************** By trying we can easily learn to endure adversity -- another man's I mean. Mark Twain
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The meeting of 12 government ministers was held in scorching heat Friday in Gashuunii Khooloi, a sandy valley in South Gobi province, about 670 kilometers south of Ulan-Bator. GASHUUNII KHOOLOI, Mongolia – Top Mongolian officials donned dark green baseball caps reading "Save our planet" and set up chairs and tables in the sands of the Gobi desert for a Cabinet meeting aimed at drawing attention to climate change. The meeting of 12 government ministers was held in scorching heat Friday in Gashuunii Khooloi, a sandy valley in South Gobi province, about 415 miles (670 kilometers) south of Ulan-Bator, the country's capital. The ministers, dressed in suits and ties, arrived in the desert in jeeps after a 15-hour journey. Officials planted a Mongolian flag in the ground, set up long tables and chairs in the fine, golden sand and discussed climate change against the backdrop of a vast expanse of desert and a bright blue sky. "Mongolia is feeling the impact of global climate change," Prime Minister Batbold Sukhbaatar said at the one-hour meeting. Batbold pointed to the recent winter as an example of problems Mongolia faces. The winter was the harshest in decades and a fifth of the country's livestock died. The government blames global warming for a decrease in rainfall and says that rising average temperatures have caused many rivers and springs to dry up and snow cover to melt. It also says the frequency of natural disasters and drought has jumped. The site for the meeting was chosen because parts of it used to be arable land, said Badarch, head of social policy for South Gobi province, who like some Mongolians uses only one name. "Five years ago, there used to grow many edible plants in this valley and there were fewer sand dunes. Now look here," he said. "The valley is completely covered with sand. The sand dunes are moving and taking more space each year." Minister of Natural Environment and Tourism Gansukh Luumed said Mongolian herders' traditional way of life is under threat. "Global climate change accelerates the desertification process in Mongolia. Currently, 70 percent of Mongolian land is affected by desertification." In December, Nepalese officials held a Cabinet meeting at Mount Everest to highlight the danger global warming poses to glaciers. It followed an underwater Cabinet meeting in the Maldives in October to underline the threat of rising sea levels. The government said it hoped that delegates attending global climate talks in Cancun, Mexico, in November would reach a decision that is "favorable for landlocked, developing countries ... very much affected by climate change and desertification." * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * What a spectacle! The poorest people in the world are holding meetings to point out the obvious to developed countries whose wealthy titans obfuscate and dither. The horror, the horror...
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The Glenn Beck Magic Revival Hour is over now. The concession stands have sold out of "Freedumb Pop," while Believers shout hosannas and praise the "Word" as revealed to Beck from the burning sagebrush of John Wayne's sacred spirit. The great Oz Media has analyzed, punditized, commercialized and celebritized the Archie and Veronica of moral mediocrity, proving once again that if it sparkles like shallow water in sunlight it must be worth ratings. There is nothing new here, nothing even original. Joe Pyne did it in the late 1950s, Billy Sunday and Aimee Semple McPherson did it in the 1920s, and my friend's dad, Cleon Skousen, warned all of us, America's children and parents, that creeping Communism and Sputnik and rock 'n' roll would bring about the downfall of America unless we joined the John Birch Society. The country is awash in Commies and Sinners. The End Times are upon us. Again. Sing a hymn. Say a prayer. And send a dollar for God's profit - Glenn. The great American stupid goes on and on. People died in Afghanistan today. Equipment at a construction site for a new mosque in Tennessee was set on fire. Americans continue to lose jobs and houses with little relief on the horizon. The GOP plans to hold probes into possible impeachable offenses by the Obama Administration if they win the midterms. Or at least shut down government. But hey, a bible-thumping millionaire bunko artist set up his Chautauqua tent on television and spoke in tongues and that is twice as cool as life and death. God bless America. In the name of the Holy Trinity: Larry, Curly and Moe - Amen.
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Thanks Lamagonzo, that has always been one of my favorite episodes of the 'Three Stooges'....I channel the spirit of Niagra Falls at least once a year and people look at me like I'm some kind of fool,heh heh....