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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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  • gratefaldean
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    Would hate to have been on that jury
    24 counts, who can even keep that many charges straight? I've only got 10 fingers and 10 toes, so you've exceeded my counting capicity, let alone my making- a -separate -judgment- on- each- charge capacity. Especially when dealing with racketeering charges against a politician (racketeering, that has something to do with mob guys, right?), and most especially when you don't have video tape of money changing hands. Give me an armed robbery or murder trial any day over this kind of crime.
  • Anonymous (not verified)
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    America isn't the only place...
    ...where appearance trumps substance. I have to wonder if, after Blago tried to trade the vacant senate seat for an ambassadorship, Rahm Emmanuel had a word with Eric Holder who then leaned on the FBI to pull the trigger on the less than subtle Rod-O. I'm sure they thought he would resign quietly. Alas, NOT! The funny thing is Blago is letting his lawyer portray him as "not the sharpest knife in the drawer" in order to save his ass -- the "What, me worry?" Alfred E. Neuman defense. ~ Don't lend your hand to raise no flag... ~
  • TigerLilly
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    Blago jury
    "A typical case of blind justice" and perhaps the jury never got to see the 27 8X10 color glossy phots, with circles and arrows, and a paragraph on the back of each one.********************************** By trying we can easily learn to endure adversity -- another man's I mean. Mark Twain
  • cosmicbadger
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    Maybe
    How do you explain Blago to a ninth grade civic class?..... 'Listen kids...in America nice teeth and nice hair can tilt the scales of justice in your favour. So whatever else you do, keep flossing and use a good conditioner'
  • Anonymous (not verified)
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    Blago debacle ends in mistrial
    After deliberating for about two weeks the jury came back with one guilty verdict out of 24 counts.The judge declared a mistrial and the government said it was ready to retry the case. I have no idea what to think. This will make the "Democracy's worst moments" reel without a doubt. How do you explain Blago to a ninth grade civic class?
  • Anonymous (not verified)
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    6 million now effected by Paki Indus River flood
    Less than one million have been helped with any kind of aid. The aid is there, there is just no way to get it to people other than air-drop. New villages are flooded every day as the floodwater continues to crest downstream.
  • JackstrawfromC…
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    As George Carlin always said
    None of us have rights. But that being said, let them build their mosque, but why on ground zero (or even next to)? Why even stir that pot? To me It's like a murderer who breaks into a house, kills the family and then gets to live in their house. It just doesn't seem right to me. "The dire wolf collects his due while the boys sing round the fire"
  • Anonymous (not verified)
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    well said TPH1, it was definitely difficult to sum up
    Bottom line this is America and they have a right to build the center. If it fosters understanding then God bless it! If its an "in your face" from Islamic extremists let's not give them the propaganda benefit of stopping it!
  • tphokie1
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    well said, johnman
    These are the types who try to create God in their own image!
  • johnman
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    There are schools of thought
    that insist that the only reason the center is being built is that Muslims are "claiming their territory" after winning it by conquest. So called "Christians" did the same in the middle east during the crusades. I truly believe that people that would kill in the name of their respective "religions" are really not very religious.......just deluded fools that neither know or understand the true teachings of Jesus OR Mohammad.
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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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SAN FRANCISCO - SOPHOS computer security firm on Friday warned that hackers are spreading a nasty computer virus with a file promising a PowerPoint presentation of sexual positions from the Kama Sutra. 'Be careful what you do with that mouse,' Mr Graham Cluley of Sophos said in an online post. 'When you click on the file you do get to see a real PowerPoint presentation, but in the background a backdoor Trojan called Troj/Bckdr-RFM is installed which allows hackers to gain remote access to your computer.' Once a computer is infected with the malicious software, the hacker can steal personal information and spy on users' activities or use the machine for nefarious deeds such as sending spam or attacking websites. In scant consolation, the booby-trapped file did present slides of more than a half dozen lovemaking techniques illustrated from the ancient Indian text, according to Mr Cluley. -- AFP
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It has indeed been an illuminating and civilized discussion about the gun thing. It occurs to me that we are seeing two mirrored solutions to the same problem. If you were shut in a big barn with a random bunch of strangers you could argue that there were two ideal options for everyone getting along without too much trouble...either (1) everyone has a gun or (2) no-one has a gun. I can see that option 1 might make some sense if that is how your culture has developed, but personally I would always choose and work towards option 2 (much less stressful). But I can see that the more guns that are in that barn, the harder it is for folk to choose option 1. I suppose many of us are lucky enough to live in societies where we are able to have a say in the matter, and to live (or die) with the consequences of our choices. But I will always remain an option 2 guy.
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Brother Badger....
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cosmic-designer-> I'm in one of my heavy Dead listening phases right now so every thing I read or hear about elicits some Dead lyric in my head, and the Arizona situation, Palin's response, and the whole discussion of gun control, for me boils down to the lyric "No time to hate" and the general ambience of UJB. Some of us want to live in an option #2 world because hate is not something we consider or ever want to deal with. This not only affects our view on gun control, but generally it influences our ideas on immigration, health care, defense spending, etc. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who have no problem and may actually look forward to MAKING time to hate, and as long as those people are out there, guns and other things will always be an issue. The goal of such folks is option #1, always. In a spiritual, metaphorical, almost allegorical way, the Dead addressed this in Uncle John's Band. Nice.
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Wanting to be able to defend yourself against hateful people does not make you a hateful person... and hateful people are out there, I cannot hide from that fact. I can only hope they will leave me alone in my desire to NOT hate..
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of starlings that fell to the ground and died in europe, were drunk on mash left over from wine making...
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seems as if the spammers are getting smarter, while pretending to be conversing, when in reality they are STILL slimy spammers! We are not so unintelligent as to fall for their wily ways!!********************************** I am not young enough to know everything. Oscar Wilde
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I couldn't resist... I went to my local gun shop and bought 4 glocks with 30 bullet clips, filled out a bit of paperwork, threw them in a sack and walked out the door wih the owner who was anxious to show me how to use them. He even threw in an extra, full clip for free to do the deed. The glock has quite a kick and together, the shopkeeper and I, we obliterated a human silhouette. I feel so much better now knowing that meat will be no problem this winter. I can put 131 slugs in a moose. Road rage? - no problemo. Somebody disrespects me lke a shopkeeper who won't take an item bAck? It's legal to carry concealed, though the clip is a bit bulky. All of these situations go through my mind -- as well as my neighbor who shoots off a clip now and then. Next time he does it I'll make believe I''m assaulting the mountain in back of his house , believing it''s a Taliban ridge in Helmund Province. The one thing I won't think of doing is fending off assailants or intruders because I live in a pretty good, safe neighborhood. I feel the power surging through me and my fellow 79 of 100 compatriots veins surrounding me in the US. Can't wait till my boss fires me or I see a bumper sticker I disagree with or drive by a tea-party gathering. I'll keep all my guns loaded in case I wake up due to a damn chattering squirrel I know I feel so much safer now that I'm with the majority. (The above has been satire to demonstrate a point , though in the state I Ilve in there is no waiting period and carrying concealed is not a crime.
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but there is a background check requirement, in order to buy from a federally licensed dealer, and if it comes back "do not proceed" then there IS a waiting period. Your post maybe satirical, but most firearms owners are responsible people and wouldn't do the things spelled out in your post. Haven't I said before that your neighbor is an idiot with no respect for the safety of others?....would you like to share a cookie with me?
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"It's got no signs or dividing line and very few rules to guide"
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But I'm willing to share a whole BAG of cookies with anyone that would like 2...or 7...
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takem mr gonzo i feel your pain brother!
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I really and truly think this whole issue is beyond the contents of our founding father's documents, lives and ideologies. Although I do like your cookie sharing idea johnman... only with a bit of a twist. I think we should give all citizens of the U.S.A. guns when they are newborns. After all; there's no age requirement for gun ownership (that I know of - I could be wrong of course) according to The U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment. And in all those pictures of places the U.S.A. is trying to deliver from tyranny, I see children holding weapons of all kinds - so they must be good just not used correctly? In addition, we should give each of the new gun owners two bullets... Or we could do this: Chris Rock ROCKS!!!
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This number 2 likes that one Grtud! Nice to see you again btw-AS EVER!! Johnman-here's a cookie! ********************************** I am not young enough to know everything. Oscar Wilde
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and at least here in America, as a rule, at least in MY home, children are not taught to hate others for there differences, political, ideological, religious, skin-color, clothing, or otherwise....so sorry if my support of the Constitution offends anyone. I remain, Respectfully, and affectionately yours johnman
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also Johnman-don't see anybody offended.********************************** I am not young enough to know everything. Oscar Wilde
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Firearms ownership is a subject I have always been extremely hesitant to broach here as it is as divisive as politics (which I dislike with a passion). I was taught at an early age a healthy respect for them, and how dangerous they are. Ownership is a grave responsibility, one that should NEVER be taken lightly, and I apologize if my defense of them has stepped on any toes. In my home as a child I was taught that it was a right to defend one's self, a right that should never be given up, and defending others is a privilege not granted to many. My post earlier on hate is, of course, incorrect. There are folks in this country that live and breath hate, on all sides of the political and ideological spectrum, and they infect others around them, but as a general rule, we don't teach that, the Constitution is there for all citizens, and of course, having a difference of opinion is healthy, and discussing those opinions keeps your mind alert.....I think, however that this dead horse can be beaten from now 'til doomsday (December, next year?..heehee!) and it STILL ain't gonna get up..
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what I CAN agree on you with-8 gazillion percent even-is it is our solemn duty as parents to teach our children not to hate. Whoa, let me put it differently: It is our solemn duty as parents NOT to teach our children to hate. There, that is more correct, because children are not born haters!!********************************** I am not young enough to know everything. Oscar Wilde
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I agree with you on that too :)********************************** I am not young enough to know everything. Oscar Wilde
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Unless you are one of 3 or 4 people. My parting comment is I agree with johnman's stance on guns and the constitution. I also respect other's who absolutely hate guns and want them all eliminated from the planet. And yes I am absolutely on board with the notion that it is our duty as parents to teach our children tolerance. I like what Tiger Lilly said how children are not born haters, but it is our job to keep re-enforcing that with them. It can be ugly out there and it doesn't take long for our innocent babies to fall victim of the ugliness.. Ok so long, I'm heading back to the less-controversial world of the vineyard where occasionly we debate but everyone's points are considered and much less harshly ... I thought we are all on the same team here .. "It's got no signs or dividing line and very few rules to guide"
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about where you felt hostility?? Either I am completely idiotic-but all I saw was people stating their opinions.********************************* I am not young enough to know everything. Oscar Wilde
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I agree, Jackstraw--I have seen some pileons in my time, and this ain't one of 'em... And hell, I'm fairly conflicted on the issue myself.
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And hoping that my "cookie gun" link (meant to be a joke) wasn't taken the wrong way.
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how about a cookie shooting cannon??....kinda like the "punkin' chunkin'" thing??
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A "paintball" gun that shoots cookie dough? Mmmmm, cookie dough...
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there is a discussion going on here some people agree with you some people disagree jackstraw is all,you are intitled to your opinion and i for one will respect that,maybe you should be more specific and maybe we should drop the gun thing it saddens me anyway.
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want to talk about this grateful dead video game to be released by rhino next year i think ?
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I saw a few things bur have not looked into it...I'm too fat to be Pig and too stupid to be Jerry, I'm wondering if you play a bandmember or what?
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is that pudding, or what?
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And I don't want to make it bigger than it really is. There is no hostility or anything like that (maybe mild piling-on lol). But there is a strong click in this thread (and some of the others - like the Road Trips threads for example) and if you are not apart of it then your opinions are scoffed at in a subtle way and in some cases not so subtle no matter what your stance and especially if it is against the majority's opinion. It's just the vibe I get here. That's totally fine if you don't agree with me but it's there. I am not going to tattle on any one that's ridiculous but I will just avoid this thread on dead.net. Most of the issues discussed here don't have a right or wrong answer and because of that, it usually leads to someone being pissed off or feelings hurt. I am sure I am making way too big a deal out of it but still, it's not worth it. Again, no biggie, no worries, go on with you discussions. I apologize for any drama. Take care. "It's got no signs or dividing line and very few rules to guide"
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what that stuff is...frosting? pudding? cream cheese?....
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will be on fb from aug 1st!!!!!!!
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Wait, did we GET a Patient's Bill of Rights? I'm talkin' the Time is Money Amendment Goes something like this: say, for example, that you have to drive your wife to an appointment (a "consultation") with an oral surgeon. You leave work at 1:45 pm (3 hr 15 minutes early), drive 40 minutes home, then 20 minutes to the place. Arrive about 15 minutes early because you KNOW there's going to be a bunch of paperwork to fill out. 3 pm comes and goes, then 3:15, 3:30, 3:45, 4:00, 4:15...then at 4:20 she gets called from the waiting room to the inner sanctum (session lasts over an hour, costs over $300, and we'll be looking at a second mortgage to cover the cost of the work that needs to be done -- no Europe 72 box for me!). I spent the entire time, until the paying part, cooling my heels in the waiting room, watching it slowly empty out until I was the only one left. The receptionist must have been wondering who I was and why I was loitering in her space. This is the medical industry's equivalent of an airline overbooking a flight: selling you a time slot that they don't actually have available. So here's the Amendment: based on the wait, it's obvious that my time, my wife's time, is worth nothing to the dentist. Soooo...I'll give you a 15 -minute grace period against the appointment time. But given that doctors and dentists will charge you if you don't show up for an appointment, I want a 5% rebate against the retail cost of the visit for every 15 minutes spent waiting after the grace period. This is a direct payment to the patient, NOT a discount for the insurance company. My time, after all, is NOT worth nothing. This plan should have a positive effect by making the system more efficient, or by putting money back in my pocket, or by reducing the practice's patient load thus creating a demand for additional healthcare workers...all of which should be job- creating and not, as the GOP so foxily put it, "job killing." (Talk about trying to enact half-truths and deception into legislation..."job killing" is part of the name of a Bill? Sheeesh...). Time is Money...
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Actually, by the end of it, I was desperate for another kind of break...it was a long afternoon without a restroom in sight.
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a doctor's office with no restroom? how barbaric! :-)********************************** I am not young enough to know everything. Oscar Wilde
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But it was a pretty small waiting room...and I didn't get quite desperate enough to ask.
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As a non-violent activist I am watching in awe as first a self-immolation in Tunisia by a college student deposed a dictator and now a dozen more self-immolation's are encouraging mass uprisings in several countries. Fascists are slaughtering their own people in the street during demonstrations as we speak. I hope this starts a movement of freedom heard round the world . Muslims have always ruled with iron fists. Iran is the big one, but unlikely to go down. I think the sewers would coagulate with the blood of innocents there before the fucking imams give up. The power of non-violent civil disobedience is immense. Of course, what comes next is an open question. Better, worse? Who knows but I applaud their sacrifice and bravery. It is a lesson for us all. As the bankers and the medical companies and other assorted industries with vested interests continue to drain the wealth from our country, leading us to being the biggest debtor nation on the earth, with us waiting for the ax to fall, maybe their will be some amongts us brave enough to pull us back from tragedy with brave actions. What is freedom, what is a life well-lived and who will look honestly in the mirror and say thatt he USA is the pinnacle of civilization? These heroes fighting dictators in the Middle East are my alpha dogs for the year 2011. If this be sedition so be it. We're not even free enough to commit self-immolation in this country. Cameras everywhere, e-mails read, phones tapped, psychic profiles - plenty of numbness and narcissistic escape for those with money. Who among us would start such a movement in this country? Even if it would be mercilessly put down as in Iran (as it surely would). I am humbled today by news of braver people.
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Only Islamic countries that are friedly with the West are being brought dowh --Tunsia, Eqyi[y, Algeria, Jordan, Bahrain and others. A more unified radical Islam is is constituting itself.
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Gonzo-Egypt won't necessarily become more radically Islamic-85% of the population are against having a fundamentalist govt. BUT I guess it depends on what happens internally, and how much the West meddles, etc.********************************** I am not young enough to know everything. Oscar Wilde
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But this is a as historical as bringing the Berlin Walla tumbling Down, so far. tt is the pent up frustration of a diverse crowd and you have to wonder why Iraq, Iran & Afghanistan didn't go this way. And Billary issuing orders to other people's armies to stand down in the face of popular protest. Now what exactly is the difference between a terrorist and a freedom fighter?? Oh, a freedom fighter uses a kindler, gentler shrapnel bomb -- Yeah, that must be it!
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The most amazing thing about what is going on in Egypt- especially in light of the US's recent spat of "second amendment remedies" and gun violence (Tuscon, Detroit, college campuses across the country)- is the remarkable absence of guns and weapons on the streets. Yes, there is looting and people are having to defend their property with weapons- but the protestors, on the streets, are NOT waving guns or firing shots in the air. Violence and destruction are occurring, but considering the widespread protesting, AND considering the fact that the US media loves to hype up all violence to the point of distortion, I think that what we are seeing in Egypt is pretty remarkable.Compare this with Glenn Beck's rhetoric and Palin's crosshairs and the gun hysteria we have here. When (not IF) the day comes when people get fed up and take the streets here in the US, I doubt we are going to witness widespread protests as peaceful as Egypt's.
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In the 1960s the US and its allies supported nasty strong man leaders all across SE Asia and S America to protect their access to primary resources and to prevent the spread of communism. Millions suffered from the resulting abuses…people enslaved to protect the interests of Western democracies. In the last 20 years the policy has been the same for the Arab states. Sell us oil, leave Israel alone and we will pay you and you can do what you like to your own people. The uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt appear to be borne out of frustration with oppression and are definitely not Islamic revolutions. Of course the extreme Islamists will try to take advantage, but in both those countries by far the majority of ordinary people are not extremists. They are just like folks everywhere else. The most effective way to open the doors to radical Islam is to send in our boys to teach them democracy at gunpoint. Let these people determine their own futures even if you don’t like what they choose. Is that not the liberty that is so dear to Americans and the West, or is that liberty only issued in a limited edition?