Patterico's Pontifications

12/29/2011

Open Thread

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 9:54 pm

Discuss what you like.

Comments (120)

120 Comments

It’s been a while since I’ve thrown open the floor to any topic under the sun. So have at it.

Comment by Patterico (1c6e81) — 12/29/2011 @ 9:55 pm
I mentioned this on the other thread, but what the heck. Aaron has a very good post up on his blog responding to Brett Kimberlin’s efforts to get google and Comcast to reveal his identity. It brings in the whole clown posse, Kimberlin, Brynaert, Rauhauser and Friedman.

Heckuva job.

http://allergic2bull.blogspot.com/2011/12/i-respond-to-brett-kimberlins-motion.html

Comment by daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 12/29/2011 @ 10:00 pm
trailer for Joss Whedon’s new film what he wrote and produced (not directed)

Amy Acker is involved

which is never not noteworthy

Comment by happyfeet (3c92a1) — 12/29/2011 @ 10:01 pm
Ah, yes, Fred Burkle.

Shortest St Crispin’s speech ever: “Not this girl, not this day.”

Comment by Kevin M (563f77) — 12/29/2011 @ 10:09 pm
I doubt this will end up as the second post, but I really can not understand my liberal friends.

They seem to think that the might of the U.S. government seems to exclude the nation from economic principles. It is impossible to argue the point.

They seem to think the only thing is to make sure everything is right and just. There’s nothing wrong with that, but at some point, you have to understand that wealth plays a part in the equation.

It’s a weird deconstruct: The government can feed us and make us comfortable and provide all of life’s necessities, regardless of the cost, but it can’t tell us how to live as we choose, as they say.

It simply does not work that way. You can live as you want or you can have the government tell you how to live.

Certainly, government has a role, but it is not the ultimate arbiter of an individual’s life.

I simply don’t understand why the left thinks government is the only solution as long as it agrees with it’s world view.

Comment by Ag80 (1f2371) — 12/29/2011 @ 10:10 pm
Mr. Feets – You should take a look over at Mr. Aaron’s blog for an epic takedown of some attempted lefty thuggery by folks who have plagued this blog and others.

Could not happen to more deserving folks.

I had not previously seen the phrase “double-secret exoneration” used in a legal filing.

Good stuff, good stuff.

Comment by daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 12/29/2011 @ 10:10 pm
I will tomorrow I promise I’m getting sleepy now

Comment by happyfeet (3c92a1) — 12/29/2011 @ 10:24 pm
I second daleyrocks’ opinion on A.W.’s latest posts.

Comment by Noodles (3681c4) — 12/29/2011 @ 10:38 pm
Whomever you favor in Iowa, now is the time to donate. I gave Newt another $50 just now. Feel free to go cancel that out. Or match it.

Comment by Kevin M (563f77) — 12/29/2011 @ 10:49 pm
I like tortilla soup and fish tacos, which is what I had for lunch today.

Comment by Beldar (50ef62) — 12/30/2011 @ 1:51 am
How does one “cancel that out”, Kevin M? Should I ask Mr Newt to forward the money to me?

Of course you could have cancelled it out yourself — and saved yourself a credit card fee — by just shredding a $50

Comment by Icy (800ea2) — 12/30/2011 @ 1:52 am
All I have faith in are the Boston Bruins.

Comment by sickofrinos (44de53) — 12/30/2011 @ 3:12 am
I think he means, the contribution from other candidates, btw, when looking through the latest
of Ms, Acker’s oevre, I’ve noticed a bunch of those bogus film trailers,

Comment by narciso (87e966) — 12/30/2011 @ 6:00 am
Btw, Justified will be back in two weeks,

Comment by narciso (87e966) — 12/30/2011 @ 6:10 am
Justified is my favorite television series ever. Thanks for the reminder, narcisco.

Comment by JD (5e8dfe) — 12/30/2011 @ 6:18 am
Mighty strange and dark people out there. Good job, Aaron Worthing!

Comment by Colonel Haiku (c26934) — 12/30/2011 @ 7:07 am
If you wrote this in a novel, it would be deemed absurd

http://bigjournalism.com/mchastain/2011/12/30/politico-paints-eric-holder-as-the-compassionate-attorney-general-he-is/

Comment by narciso (87e966) — 12/30/2011 @ 7:16 am
Future polls will be weighted in obama’s favor. The same tactics beat the pant-suit darling and juanny mac.
The msm needs this election bad.

Comment by sickofrinos (44de53) — 12/30/2011 @ 7:18 am
Yes, and water is wet, what else is new,

Comment by narciso (87e966) — 12/30/2011 @ 7:24 am
Eric Holder’s absolute BS re Voter ID, the actions of the DoJ under his direction, and the casual manner in which his boss just “flips-off” everyone he disagrees with, has created a new mark on the competency scale.
Now, if only the level of the oceans would recede enough to uncover that mark!

Comment by AD-RtR/OS! (304b67) — 12/30/2011 @ 8:02 am
I’ve been watching Lie To Me on Netflix. After 13 episodes, I cannot stop myself from analyzing facial expressions and body language of candidates, spokesmen, and current officeholders.

Comment by Virtual Insanity (a2b2b8) — 12/30/2011 @ 8:10 am
Well, this seems stupid. A loyalty oath to vote in the Republican primary in VA?

Comment by carlitos (49ef9f) — 12/30/2011 @ 8:20 am
She’s been an entertainmeny reporter where she ran across Ovitz’s minion, Pellicano, and for that has
gotten savaged by nazguls like Luke Ford, I don’t see the evil there.

Comment by narciso (87e966) — 12/30/2011 @ 8:36 am
Mel Gibson’s not beyond redemption – if Jodie Foster thinks he’s a good guy deep down then you can take that to the bank… he’s just had a rough go of it the past few years cause of he made Bad Choices.

Comment by happyfeet (3c92a1) — 12/30/2011 @ 8:41 am
Since this is an open thread:

I find that I very often have to load pages on Patterico.com twice. The first time, I get a blank, white page. Reloading takes me to the correct page. I don’t see this behavior on other sites.

I use Chrome, Windows 7 Pro.

Anyone else?

Comment by koam @wittier (6f3f3f) — 12/30/2011 @ 8:46 am
No, but then I use Firefox. What happens on internet exploder?

Comment by Kevin M (563f77) — 12/30/2011 @ 8:58 am
Works fine on Chrome / Windows for me.

Comment by carlitos (49ef9f) — 12/30/2011 @ 9:04 am
No problems with IE-8/W7.

Comment by AD-RtR/OS! (304b67) — 12/30/2011 @ 9:08 am
I’m sure that’s what he meant, too, narciso. I just like to play with language . . . and give Newt supporters a hard time.

Comment by Icy (800ea2) — 12/30/2011 @ 9:27 am
Lest I forget, I just want to wish everyone a Happy Mayan Apocalypse Year.

Comment by JBS (27df7a) — 12/30/2011 @ 9:35 am
Ron Paul must have more charisma-up close or something…

Comment by madawaskan (89a442) — 12/30/2011 @ 9:41 am
Ron Paul has charisma to burn, baby!

Remember the old saying: “Don’t shoot until you see the white supremacist in his eyes!”

Comment by Icy (800ea2) — 12/30/2011 @ 9:57 am
Dohbiden would be commenting here, but he’s afraid of posting something off-topic.

Comment by Icy (800ea2) — 12/30/2011 @ 10:00 am
Frad Briedman strangely quiet on the subject of Aaron’s legal filing concerning convicted felon, terrorist, perjurer, drug smuggler and probation violator Brett Kimberlin and his claim to have received a double secret exoneration of his crimes from the Department of Justice.

Comment by daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 12/30/2011 @ 10:10 am
Is it actually possible to defame somebody such as Kimberlin whose reputation is so poor that he has to look up to see the curb?

Comment by daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 12/30/2011 @ 10:14 am
Bloomberg would rather support mosques than give his money to better NY.

Comment by Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/30/2011 @ 10:24 am
Dohbiden would be commenting here, but he’s afraid of posting something off-topic.

LOL!

JD & narciso,

Justified is a must-see for me as well, but I find myself enjoying AMC’s Hell on Wheels even more. Great time period to set a series in, interesting characters and developing storyline. Definitely worth a look if you haven’t seen it. Some fine acting as well.

Comment by Dana (4eca6e) — 12/30/2011 @ 11:14 am
Col

> Mighty strange and dark people out there. Good job, Aaron Worthing!

Dark people? OMG, that is so raaaaacist!

Kidding. And thanks for the praise, ya’ll. and if you haven’t looked at my website, I am sure many regular readers would be interested.

Comment by Aaron Worthing (e7d72e) — 12/30/2011 @ 11:15 am
Dohbiden would be commenting here, but he’s afraid of posting something off-topic.

Comment by Icy — 12/30/2011 @ 10:00 am

OK, I laughed. Out loud.

and speaking of off topic…

Where’s our Sockpuppet Friday thread? *stamps feet*

Happy New Year everyone.

Comment by no one you know (325a59) — 12/30/2011 @ 11:22 am
Comment by Aaron Worthing — 12/30/2011 @ 11:15 am

That is quite a post, Aaron; saw it earlier today. Well done.

Would have posted a comment but I don’t think I fit any of the commenting options (no Google acct either). How do we privacy hounds get to comment over there?

Comment by no one you know (325a59) — 12/30/2011 @ 11:27 am
Icy was saying?

Anyway Romney would post here but he has Colonel Haiku for that.

Comment by Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/30/2011 @ 11:32 am
Moved from the ironic Iowa caucuses (Ron Paul) thread

Comment by Milhouse — 12/28/2011 @ 11:05 pm

Sammy, have a look at Wikipedia for a somewhat factual summary of what is known about Israeli support for Hamas. Mostly it consisted of turning a blind eye and allowing it to grow, because encouraging dissension among the enemy is always a good thing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamas#History doesn’t have much

There’s not much there, but I see it’s referring to the 1979-1987 period, and even earlier, going back to 1969, all before the actual founding of Hamas, so at least that makes a bit more sense.

This is the key part:

Early Islamic activism in GazaWith its takeover of Gaza after the 1967 war with Egypt, Israel hunted down secular Palestinian Liberation Organization factions but dropped the previous Egyptian rulers’ harsh restrictions against Islamic activists.[16] In fact, Israel for many years tolerated and at times encouraged Islamic activists and groups as a counterweight to the secular nationalists of the PLO and its dominant faction, Fatah.[16][79]

Among the activists benefited was Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in Gaza, who had also formed the Islamist group Mujama al-Islamiya, a charity recognized by Israel in 1979. Israel allowed the organization to build mosques, clubs, schools, and a library in Gaza.[16]

Yitzhak Segev, the acting governor of Gaza in 1979, said he had no illusions about Yassin’s intentions, having watched an Islamist movement topple the Shah as Israel’s military attache in Iran. According to Segev, Yassin and his charity were completely peaceful towards Israel during this time, and Segev and other Israeli officials feared being viewed as an enemy of Islam. Segev maintained regular contact with Yassin, met with him around a dozen times, and arranged for Yassin to be taken to Israel for hospital treatment.[16]

Also, Segev said, Fatah was “our main enemy.” [16][80] Islamists frequently attacked secular and leftist Palestinian movements, including Fatah, but the Israeli military avoided getting involved in those quarrels.[16] It stood aside, for example, when Mujama al-Islamiya activists stormed the Red Crescent charity’s headquarters in Gaza, but Segev did send soldiers to prevent the burning down of the home of the head of the organization.[16]

In 1984 the Israeli army received intelligence that Sheikh Yassin’s followers were collecting arms in Gaza. Israeli troops raided mosques and found a cache of weapons.[16] Yassin was arrested, but told his interrogators the weapons were meant to be used against secular Palestinians, not Israel. The cleric was released a year later and allowed to continue to develop his movement in Gaza.[16]

Around the time of Yassin’s arrest, Avner Cohen, an Israeli religious affairs official, sent a report to senior military officers and civilian leadership in Gaza advising them of the dangers of the Islamic movement, but this report and similar ones were ignored.[16] Former military intelligence officer Shalom Harari said the warnings were ignored out of neglect, not a desire to fortify the Islamists: “Israel never financed Hamas. Israel never armed Hamas.”[16][81]

Reference 16 is:

http://online.wsj.com/article/NA_WSJ_PUB:SB123275572295011847.html

How Israel helped Spawn Hamas by Andrew Higgins, Wall Street Journal January 24, 2009.

It quotes Avber Cohen:

“Hamas, to my great regret, is Israel’s creation,” says Mr. Cohen, a Tunisian-born Jew who worked in Gaza for more than two decades. Responsible for religious affairs in the region until 1994, Mr. Cohen watched the Islamist movement take shape, muscle aside secular Palestinian rivals and then morph into what is today Hamas, a militant group that is sworn to Israel’s destruction.

Instead of trying to curb Gaza’s Islamists from the outset, says Mr. Cohen, Israel for years tolerated and, in some cases, encouraged them as a counterweight to the secular nationalists of the Palestine Liberation Organization and its dominant faction, Yasser Arafat’s Fatah. Israel cooperated with a crippled, half-blind cleric named Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, even as he was laying the foundations for what would become Hamas.

It also says:

When Israel first encountered Islamists in Gaza in the 1970s and ’80s, they seemed focused on studying the Quran, not on confrontation with Israel. The Israeli government officially recognized a precursor to Hamas called Mujama Al-Islamiya, registering the group as a charity. It allowed Mujama members to set up an Islamic university and build mosques, clubs and schools. Crucially, Israel often stood aside when the Islamists and their secular left-wing Palestinian rivals battled, sometimes violently, for influence in both Gaza and the West Bank.

“When I look back at the chain of events I think we made a mistake,” says David Hacham, who worked in Gaza in the late 1980s and early ’90s as an Arab-affairs expert in the Israeli military. “But at the time nobody thought about the possible results.”

Israeli officials who served in Gaza disagree on how much their own actions may have contributed to the rise of Hamas. They blame the group’s recent ascent on outsiders, primarily Iran. This view is shared by the Israeli government. “Hamas in Gaza was built by Iran as a foundation for power, and is backed through funding, through training and through the provision of advanced weapons,” Mr. Olmert said last Saturday. Hamas has denied receiving military assistance from Iran.

Arieh Spitzen, the former head of the Israeli military’s Department of Palestinian Affairs, says that even if Israel had tried to stop the Islamists sooner, he doubts it could have done much to curb political Islam, a movement that was spreading across the Muslim world. He says attempts to stop it are akin to trying to change the internal rhythms of nature: “It is like saying: ‘I will kill all the mosquitoes.’ But then you get even worse insects that will kill you…You break the balance. You kill Hamas you might get al Qaeda.”

When it became clear in the early 1990s that Gaza’s Islamists had mutated from a religious group into a fighting force aimed at Israel — particularly after they turned to suicide bombings in 1994 — Israel cracked down with ferocious force. But each military assault only increased Hamas’s appeal to ordinary Palestinians. The group ultimately trounced secular rivals, notably Fatah, in a 2006 election supported by Israel’s main ally, the U.S.

Comment by Sammy Finkelman (d3daeb) — 12/30/2011 @ 11:37 am
Moved from the Ironic Iowa caucus Ron Paul thread

There’s a sociology of conspiracy theories, and certain theories go together and others don’t, and having some excludes others, so Ron Paul actually wonldn’t and couldn’t take everything,
but only ones that were compatible with each other. For example, the idea that the gold standard should be restored, and in the meantime buy gold, and similar financial advice about stockpiling (it is actually part of a survivalist trope) is compatible with the-UN-is-a-dangerous-
conspiracy-against-the-U.S.-government stuff, which after 50 years, the John Birch Society has apparently never given up on, but it wouldn’t
be with pardoning Kathie Boudin’s Brinks robbery accomplices. That’s a different universe – it’s like mixing Batman with Spiderman. So Ron Paul
actually was limited as to what he could traffic in.

By the way, I think I read the New Republic article when it came out, although I have since let my subscription to the New Republic lapse.

There were only two places in the country that retained copies of these newsletters.

Comment by Sammy Finkelman (d3daeb) — 12/30/2011 @ 11:41 am
The United States never encouraged Sheik Rahman. The Egyptian government thought he had been deliberately granted refuge. But the truth probably was, someone on his behalf bribed somebody in the State Department or elsewhere to let him come. I don’t believe there’s any other explanation.

This was no blunder, but this was not high-level or even low-level CIA policy either, and the CIA can’t tell the State Department to do something
like this anyway. If something like that is going to be done, any impediment will be formally and legally removed, not ignored. Otherwise, they’d be leaving anyone they bring in vulnerable to the next people who held various government jobs.

And why would the first attempt to come to the United States fail?

It was discovered pretty soon that Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman was ineligible to immigrate to the United States because of terrorist group connections and lying about them, or something like that, and proceedings were initiated to
revoke his immigrant visa and deport him, but such proceedings are slow going. They did revoke his immigrant visa after about a year, but in the meantime he’d applied for political asylum, and that would have taken care of things for several years.

Comment by Sammy Finkelman (d3daeb) — 12/30/2011 @ 11:43 am
Kimberlin whose reputation is so poor that he has to look up to see the curb?

He must be far-sighted…
It would seem that the gutter would be a long look for him.

Comment by AD-RtR/OS! (304b67) — 12/30/2011 @ 11:43 am
“They blame the group’s recent ascent on outsiders, primarily Iran. This view is shared by the Israeli government. “Hamas in Gaza was built by Iran as a foundation for power, and is backed through funding, through training and through the provision of advanced weapons,” Mr. Olmert said last Saturday.”

Sammy – So the argument that Israel spawned Hamas is based upon allowing an Islamist organization which built schools and Mosques but was not violently anti-Israel to grow? What would have been the rationale for banning the organization before it turned against Israel? Seems like a lot of second guessing going on with this logic.

Comment by daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 12/30/2011 @ 11:47 am
@#23- “What’s the matter with you, Wally?… You look like that time you ate all those rotten eclairs you found in the trash behind the supermarket. – Beaver Cleaver, “Leave It To Beaver,” 1958.

Comment by DCSCA (9d1bb3) — 12/30/2011 @ 11:52 am
Gold Bugs…
Lew Lehrman had an interesting article in Forbes on going back to, if not a Gold Standard, at least some sort of Standard with real teeth to it.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/charleskadlec/2011/12/19/an-international-gold-standard-beats-the-rule-of-the-governing-elite/

Comment by AD-RtR/OS! (304b67) — 12/30/2011 @ 11:54 am
Oops, wrong author…I know I read something by Lehrman also.

Comment by AD-RtR/OS! (304b67) — 12/30/2011 @ 11:55 am
no one you know

sorry about tightening it up, but i am getting spammed.

look, as far as google is concerned, just lie to them about your details when you sign up, that’s all.

Comment by Aaron Worthing (e7d72e) — 12/30/2011 @ 11:57 am
DCSCA – Anthony Weiner is looking for some company on New Year’s IYKWIMAITTYD. Give him a shout.

Comment by daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 12/30/2011 @ 11:57 am
noyk

also, it allows open ID which i don’t know much about, but maybe that allows some other options…

Comment by Aaron Worthing (e7d72e) — 12/30/2011 @ 11:57 am
BTW, did anyone see that the lawyers in the Heller case in DC were awarded $1.1MM in fees by the court?
Way to go Alan Gura!

Comment by AD-RtR/OS! (304b67) — 12/30/2011 @ 11:58 am
I never liked Mitt Romney for President. I wrote this reply at the beginning of 2007 but never sent it to Powerline.

First there was the Powerline blog post of January 28, 2007:

http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2007/01/016345.php

Posted by Scott at 02:29 PM | Permalink |

I started my legal career as a brief writer for a federal agency. Sometimes when my crusty boss commented on my draft brief she would start by saying, “well, it’s all there.” That meant the brief was pretty good, that nothing important had been left unsaid, but that it hadn’t quite come together and, above all, wasn’t sufficiently concise. The brief wouldn’t need major surgery, but would require more than a little tightening.

That’s how I felt about Mitt Romney’s speech last night to a sold-out (and more) dinner at National Review’s conservative summit. Romney spoke well. He was likeable throughout and dynamic at times. During his best moments, he almost sounded Reaganesque. And the speech had all of the important elements — what he learned in the private sector; how he took these principles, especially his insistence on data, to government; the merits of the health insurance plan he came up with; his views on social issues, including why he changed his position on abortion; the major problems facing our nation (out-of-control spending, competition from Asia which will force us to raise the bar or become second-rate, and jihad); and how our traditional strengths as Americans will help us overcome these problems. Romney showed an excellent understanding of “jihadism.” And he got in a good shot at McCain without ever mentioning the Senator by name when he praised President Bush for standing firm on cutting taxes despite the opposition of “some in his own party.”

However, the speech struck me (and some of our readers to whom I spoke afterwards) as too long and a bit rambling. Moreover, the best bits — his powerful recitation of our strenghs as a people, his strong explication of jihadism — came late. In fact, some of it did not come during the brief Q & A session. It’s a bad sign when someone asks you, at the end of a lengthy address, what your core principles are. The good news is that Romney gave an excellent answer — “culture makes all the difference” and our culture is a “purpose driven” one in which the family is the key.

Mitt still fits for me, he just needs a better fitting stump speech.

UPDATE: Romney apparently hit a home run in a speech he gave in Israel on the battle against radical Islam. As I said, “it’s all there.”

My response: (never sent but it is still good after almost 5 years)

>> And the speech had all of the important elements — what he learned in the private sector; how he took these principles,

Unlikely to be true. That sort of thing is a just-so story.

>> especially his insistence on data, to government

What he needs to know in government is how much the data can be trusted.

There are plenty of people who will spoonfeed him data – lobbyists, especially those using academics, do this all the time.

Every time he sees data he has got to be skeptical about it, or rather, ask the question, does this reflect reality – does this make sense, is there something wrong with this statistic?

Otherwise he’ll be led around the nose by bureaucrats.

You want a president who trusted data – I give you…Jimmy Carter. He relied on data from James Schlesinger about a oil shortage after the Iranian revolution and created a gasoline shortage for no reason whatsoever. He relied on data to predict an energy shortage and came up with a remedy: beating it to the punch, which he caed conservation.

When teacher’s unions argue for small class size, they are using data. It’s wrong, but they are using data.

Don’t forget Al Gore’s use of data in his movie “An inconvenient Truth”

Dick Cheney relied on data on how well the Iraq war was going.

Grant proposals are full of data – but the underlying point may not be true.

If Romney doesn’t realize the need to cross-examine data, he would be worse than useless.

>> the merits of the health insurance plan he came up with

If he would tell you the problems it DIDN’T solve, or the possible flaws in his plan – or even, let’s say, he would tell you why it DID solve every problem imaginable that people have mentioned that a health insurance program could have and tell you how – then it would be worth hearing.

Actually this would be worth hearing anyway, so you could judge exactly how stupid he was. Is he just a little stupid or non-insightful – or a lot?

>> his views on social issues, including why he changed his position on

>> abortion;

The only true answer to that is he took polls, and started thinking about whose votes he needed.

Even if their position is wrong, people don’t usually re-examine their positions for no reason.

>> the major problems facing our nation (out-of-control spending

This is NOT a problem, or not a big one. It can cause other problems. There may be a problem in spending money you need to spend.

Out of control spending is caused by ten thousand little decisions – it cannot be reversed by fiat – you have to make ten thousand decisions a little bit differently and in fact soend more time correcting the problem than it did to create it.

The need for political compromise will always lead to some overspending, because this is the easiest way to satisfy the most people – do something useless that somebody wants (or that you think useless)

You need to get at the incentives and change them or create incentives that cut costs – but not spending that accomplishes something. You are always reading about these attempts to cut wha are really piddling amounts from the Census Bureau and so on – areas where the government really gets bang for its buck and there are arguments for it – it is only that they were made long ago. I just read the other day they stopped doing some kinds of car seat safety tests to save money. Now this would be money well spent – for government anyway.

And among the most stupid ideas ever proposed for controlling spending is a cap – when there are built in increases due to previously borrowed money, or pensions or other postponed costs.

>> the competition from Asia which will force us to raise the bar or become second-rate

Statistical nonsense – or, in other words, bad data.

Actually stuff from Asia is usually lower quality – the problem is that it is cheaper.

>> and jihad)

Big problem, yes. But what does he know or understand about it?

>> and how our traditional strengths as Americans will help us overcome these problems.

Innovation? Actually, I think what he probably said here was nonsense, I would bet.

We do have an advantage in that opposing jihad makes sense, and all jihadists HAVE TO be somewhat stupid or very evil, and most of them don’t speak English.

>> Romney showed an excellent understanding of “jihadism.”

That is he had some semi-plausible sounding theory. Whether it is right or not is another question – it probably just seems to make sense.

The first thing he needs to know is that it is all centrally organized.

Pakistan’s rogue military intelligence agency is at the heart of it all, and they (and Iran) are probably being bribed by a part of the Chinese government and people from Saudi Arabia are involved. It’s all built on a foundation of lies -lies about the world and lies about historical Islam. Dicatorships and would be dictators are its sponsers, as well as maybe some organized criminals with government links, particularly in Pakistan.

>> And he got in a good shot at McCain without ever mentioning the Senator by name when he praised President Bush for standing firm on cutting taxes despite the opposition of “some in his own party.”

OK. But does it really make so much sense to stand firm on taxes? It’s the money supply that affects the economy, not really taxes.

>> However, the speech struck me (and some of our readers to whom I spoke afterwards) as too long and a bit rambling. Moreover, the best bits — his powerful recitation of our strenghs as a people, his strong explication of jihadism — came late. In fact, some of it did not come during the brief Q & A session.

I think you mean to say it did not come UNTIL the brief Q & A session.

I think what you are saying here – the best parts didn’t actually make it into his speech and some of what did came at the end

>> It’s a bad sign when someone asks you, at the end of a lengthy address, what your core principles are. The good news is that Romney gave an excellent answer — “culture makes all the difference”

Who is he plagiarizing here? I can’t remember right now. Some columnist said that first.

>> and our culture is a “purpose driven” one

Wait a second. didn’t that women who talked that fugitive in – Atlanta I think – into surrendering without killing any more people – didn’t she read a book by that title? There is some television evangelist who preaches that.

>> in which the family is the key.

Well – I don’t even know what he is saying.

>> still fits for me, he just needs a better fitting stump speech.

Well you know something, if his appearance was taped, you could rewrite it and get it all in there – where it belongs.

>> UPDATE: Romney apparently hit a home run in a speech he gave in Israel on the battle against radical Islam. As I said, “it’s all there.”

If it doesn’t include the death of Vincent Foster, it’s not all there.

Comment by Sammy Finkelman (d3daeb) — 12/30/2011 @ 12:04 pm
look, as far as google is concerned, just lie to them about your details when you sign up, that’s all.

Comment by Aaron Worthing — 12/30/2011 @ 11:57 am

You want me to give fake info? About who I am? –sockpuppet thread barfly

seriously, sounds like a plan. Keep up the good work over there.

Comment by no one you know (325a59) — 12/30/2011 @ 12:04 pm
We had a gold standard. Trying to maintain caused the great depression to become Great.

Comment by Sammy Finkelman (d3daeb) — 12/30/2011 @ 12:05 pm
No Sammy, FDR took us off the Gold Standard in ’33;
the Great Depression became “Great” in ’37 when his industrial policies caused The Depression Within A Depression –
including the first OCCUPY movement.
Read “The Forgotten Man“.
And, it was the combination of Smoot-Hawley shutting down international commerce,
and the Fed constricting the money supply,
that caused a Panic (10/29) to become a Depression.

Comment by AD-RtR/OS! (304b67) — 12/30/2011 @ 12:21 pm
Disco Stu’s Ad Hom Spew Stew:

In a large pot filled with distilled water, cut-and-paste:
3 pounds bullshite
1/2 cup of spittle
arsenic to taste
2 tablespoons bile

Simmer for 3 hours, until a layer of scum & pus forms on top;
Garnish with sour grapes and serve.

[note: released from moderation. --Stashiu]

Comment by Icy (800ea2) — 12/30/2011 @ 12:27 pm
12.All I have faith in are the Boston Bruins.
Comment by sickofrinos — 12/30/2011 @ 3:12 am

This reminded me to look up tickets to the “Winter Classic”. I thought since it was in a huge outdoor stadium the seats might be cheaper than a regular NHL game… but younger son said no.

Well, I don’t know what regular NHL tickets cost, but tcikets for the Winter Classic are advertised at present as starting at $291 and up to $1213, so I guess I will not be going.

What I would really like to see is the UW Badgers outdoor double header both men’s and women’s teams, but that is not being held here in philly, oddly enough.

Comment by MD in Philly (3d3f72) — 12/30/2011 @ 12:53 pm
MD in Philly-Boston has some college games outside at Fenway this weekend.
Outrageous price gouging. Ouch!
I only go when the tickets are free.

Comment by sickofrinos (44de53) — 12/30/2011 @ 1:04 pm
sickofrinos-
Since you are being kind and trying to do me a favor, I will ignore the fact that you are suggesting that a Wisconsin/WCHA fan go to Boston to see college hockey…

Actually, a few years ago I had the opportunity to go with my brother-in-law to the frozen Four when it was in Detroit in a stadium seating 30,000+. Tickets were not “cheap” but cheap enough given the opportunity to even go. Badgers had a pathetic showing losing to one of your Boston teams (Boston University?) Badger fans were even more pathetic. maybe it was just to big a place to thear the “Go Big Red” chant….

I’d really love to see the women badgers play. I knew Mark Johnson (their coach) back in undergrad days. Talk about sports dynasties, women hockey badgers have been quite impressive under johnson.

Comment by MD in Philly (3d3f72) — 12/30/2011 @ 1:17 pm
Poor widdle Muslimes they are so oppressed which is why they are pandered too.

Comment by Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/30/2011 @ 1:33 pm
Why doesn’t San Francisco just raise the minimum wage to $35,693.19?

Comment by Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/30/2011 @ 1:34 pm
Don’t give them any bright ideas.

Comment by Icy (800ea2) — 12/30/2011 @ 2:08 pm
Your right.

Christine O’douschebag endorsed Mitt Romney so much for her being a conservative savior.

Comment by Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/30/2011 @ 2:10 pm
Hey, sickofritos… Colonel was a Lakers fan before he became a Sacramento Kings fan and he is proud to say that when he and missus colonel were in Boston in Summer of ’95 attending an engineering conference, he snuck away to the soon-to-be-closed Boston Garden, weezuled his way inside and took a three minute piss near where the parquet floor had been.

he then lit a Red Auerbach victory cigar as he strolled out.

Comment by Colonel Haiku (c26934) — 12/30/2011 @ 2:21 pm
MD in Philly- I grew up in Mn. Back in the 60′s and 70′s the Golden Gophers were fun to watch. Right now college hockey in the N.E. is hard to beat. Mark Johnson is a legend.

Comment by sickofrinos (44de53) — 12/30/2011 @ 2:21 pm
“Right now college hockey in the N.E. is hard to beat.”

Best teams money can buy.

Comment by daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 12/30/2011 @ 2:40 pm
Some people have been too cowardly to endorse anybody even as the least conservative candidate possible seems to have all but bought himself the nomination.

Comment by happyfeet (3c92a1) — 12/30/2011 @ 2:42 pm
Not only a legend, but in addition a very friendly and personable guy. Though he was a superstar coming in to school as a freshman, those of us in the same dorm had to figure out who he was. He had said he wasn’t around much because of “practice”, admitted when pressed that he was on the hockey team, and in introducing himself simply said “Mark”.

I think Minnesota-Duluth is ranked #1 among men this year. Wisconsin is under 0.500 I think, but did split two with MN-D.
Women are #1, have lost 1 game already this year…

Comment by MD in Philly (3d3f72) — 12/30/2011 @ 2:49 pm
Best teams money can buy.
Love is a five letter word-Money.

Comment by sickofrinos (44de53) — 12/30/2011 @ 2:53 pm
I have been fortunate to spend time with a few hockey players in the Ace Bailey Golf fundraisers. All Class. So personable and sincere. Ace was a good friend who was in the 2nd plane.

Comment by sickofrinos (44de53) — 12/30/2011 @ 3:01 pm
I had hockey players as friends in college. Rude, crude and socially unacceptable. IOW, my type of people.

Comment by daleyrocks (bf33e9) — 12/30/2011 @ 3:21 pm
would it were

Comment by happyfeet (3c92a1) — 12/30/2011 @ 3:22 pm
walking on sunshine
don’t cry for me, Newton Gingrich
sees it slip away

Comment by Colonel Haiku (c26934) — 12/30/2011 @ 4:01 pm
a very tough year for ~~Dustin~~ ~~slimeballs~~ Perry…

http://www.texastribune.org/texas-people/rick-perry/rick-perrys-political-fortunes-fell-2011/

Comment by Colonel Haiku (c26934) — 12/30/2011 @ 4:05 pm
you’re gonna find out mister when you meet that Texas Twister…

http://youtu.be/k4a4xycsddw

Comment by Colonel Haiku (c26934) — 12/30/2011 @ 4:08 pm
http://thephoenix.com/Boston/news/131822-year-ahead-in-mitt/

Comment by narciso (87e966) — 12/30/2011 @ 4:10 pm
Hey, why is there no place for me to play today?
I’m going to go pout in the corner.

Comment by Sockpuppet (fbe938) — 12/30/2011 @ 4:18 pm
One train’s me and the other’s a friend o’mine…

http://youtu.be/1Qnn_B0xILU

Comment by Colonel Haiku (c26934) — 12/30/2011 @ 4:49 pm
There is now a sock puppet thread.

Comment by Patterico (a68fc6) — 12/30/2011 @ 4:55 pm
The economy is collapsing right before our eyes and the left laments the right for supporting Adult Stem Cell Research against Embryonic Stem Cell Research?

Comment by Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/30/2011 @ 5:40 pm
And I heard that Herman Cain once sexually harassed Red Auberach.

Comment by Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/30/2011 @ 6:16 pm
black and jew crime

Comment by Mitt (44de53) — 12/30/2011 @ 7:03 pm
@Patterico- Noticed you removed the obvious slur on AB which used to be posted @23. Well played, sir.

Comment by DCSCA (9d1bb3) — 12/30/2011 @ 7:58 pm
OWS irony moment 55,932-OWS tell Romney to stop taking corporate money.

Comment by Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/30/2011 @ 8:13 pm
Dohbiden at 82
Not only has it remained true (AFAIK) that most if not all human treatments have used stem cells other than embryonic, but Thompson (at Wisconsin) who was at the center of embryonic stem cell research found a way to get stem cells out of adult skin tissue that act just like embryonic stem cells.

Comment by MD in Philly (3d3f72) — 12/30/2011 @ 8:17 pm
I love how gays and Lesbians insist they never sinned against each other………..honestly Gays and Lesbians can cheat on one another.

Comment by Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/30/2011 @ 8:39 pm
Bush got a bad rap from the left for things which wer ebeyond his control.

Carter got criticized because he mishandled the iranian hostage crisis.

Comment by Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/30/2011 @ 8:44 pm
were beyond*

Comment by Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/30/2011 @ 8:53 pm
Why doesn’t San Francisco just raise the minimum wage to $35,693.19?
Because the restaurant tabs would be ginormous. But they are willing to do it for, say, hotel workers, whom they never have to pay.

Comment by Kevin M (563f77) — 12/30/2011 @ 8:55 pm
Anyone who thinks Obama is credible is an idiot.

Comment by Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/30/2011 @ 9:04 pm
Yeah Kevin don’t you want people with menial jobs to be bazillionaires?

Comment by Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/31/2011 @ 7:42 am
MD in Philly,
Regarding stem cells, you might find this blog post of mine of interest.

“Embryonic stem cell therapy is fading out in favor of treatment with adult stem cells, according to an editorial in the peer-reviewed, open-access Journal of Translational Medicine.

“The editorial says studies are now showing that adult stem cells are naturally superior for treating diseases or injuries than embryonic stem cells or their close cousins, induced pluripotent stem cells…

Comment by Brother Bradley J. Fikes, C.O.R. (1936c6) — 12/31/2011 @ 9:01 am
California borrowed three billion dollars for to study stem cells, mostly just for to poke a stick in Mr. Bush’s eye

Now they’re whining cause they’re broke and can’t afford school buses.

LOL.

Comment by happyfeet (3c92a1) — 12/31/2011 @ 9:56 am
The $3 billion (actually $6 billion including interest), is small compared to the gargantuan unnecessary expenditures in every Calif. budget. And the state’s silly governor and various other rent-seeking lampreys are still talking about funding the $100 billion high speed rail boondoggle.

Comment by Brother Bradley J. Fikes, C.O.R. (1936c6) — 12/31/2011 @ 10:10 am
Looks like the Virginia GOP primary will have everyone on the ballot after all.

Comment by Kevin M (563f77) — 12/31/2011 @ 10:43 am
Thank God for that, Kevin. It’s just common sense.

I hope Newt wins the state, but these stories have a real impact on the early primaries. Some damage can’t be undone by these horrible ‘laws’.

Comment by Dustin (cb3719) — 12/31/2011 @ 10:47 am
California borrowed three billion dollars for to study stem cells, mostly just for to poke a stick in Mr. Bush’s eye

Supporters of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine could seek a ballot measure in 2014 to raise up to $4 billion for the agency, the Contra Costa Times reports.

They also note that they have spent $1.3 billion so far. To my mind that’s $1.7 billion they ought to give back and then close.

Comment by Kevin M (563f77) — 12/31/2011 @ 10:50 am
California unions demand Jerry Brown to raise their wages to $420,100,439,284.11.

Comment by Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/31/2011 @ 1:28 pm
I love how the atheist left equate Islam with Christianity but yet defend Islam by calling its critics mental illness.

Comment by Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/31/2011 @ 2:19 pm
mentally ill*

Comment by Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/31/2011 @ 2:21 pm
Comment by Kevin M — 12/31/2011 @ 10:43 am

Looks like the Virginia GOP primary will have everyone on the ballot after all.

That link doesn’t work.

Also Google News doesn’t seem to show anything like this. The only thing I read was that the Virginia legislature could fix this.

A Washington Post article says:

Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II plans to file emergency legislation to re-open the process to GOP candidates.

That doesn’t mean that this is over. hat this is a way to solve it has been known for over 24 hours. The question is, will Romney endorse this legislation? If he endorses it, it is pretty sure it will pass.

Comment by Sammy Finkelman (b17872) — 12/31/2011 @ 7:56 pm
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/12/31/virginia-attorney-general-intervenes-in-gop-primary-ballot-dispute/

Comment by narciso (87e966) — 12/31/2011 @ 7:58 pm
You just go to the home page, pick the last link,
probably a tag was left off.

Comment by narciso (87e966) — 12/31/2011 @ 7:59 pm
Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II has been against this the whole time. This doesn’t add much.

More important is that Santorum, Bachmann and Huntsman have joined Perry and Gingrich in a lawsuit.

I don’t expect Romney to just give in so quickly.

Comment by Sammy Finkelman (b17872) — 12/31/2011 @ 8:09 pm
Cuccinelli, is thinking big, being at the front of the assault on Obamacare, whereas Bolling is thinking small, not realizing the devaluing this did to the primary.

Comment by narciso (87e966) — 12/31/2011 @ 8:14 pm
Probably the best charity to give money to is the New York Times Neediest Cases Fund.

https://nytneediestcases.com/

They want you to register first if you want to contribute online. Then it gets confirmed by e-mail.

It gives (relatively small amounts of) money to real people.

Reading the stories can be very informative.

http://query.nytimes.com/search/sitesearch?query=neediest+cases&x=0&y=0&type=nyt

It tells you how things really work. You see proof there is no such thing as putting things on autopilot. Government programs, or big charities do not handle things so that they no longer require human intervention.

You see the flaws in the welfare state.

And also reading between the lines you can see the fact that people don’t abide by the law – income tax law, sales tax law, housing laws, various other laws

Comment by Sammy Finkelman (b17872) — 12/31/2011 @ 8:24 pm
You people are good people.

Comment by Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/31/2011 @ 8:58 pm
Gorebull Warming is not real so how can we like it?

Comment by Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/31/2011 @ 9:08 pm
Bro. Bradley- thanks for your comment at 94.
Though I’ve quoted the standard version often, perhaps there are actually 4 types of lies: lies, damned lies, statistics, and propaganda masquerading as news stories. (I’m not talking about yours.)

There never was a time when there were studies suggesting that embryonic stem cells were more promising than adult stem cells. It was conjecture in the midst of a void of information.

Thompson, to his credit, sought out bioethics opinion. But it appears that those he asked, including Norm Fost who is a bright fellow and on faculty there when I was a med student, assumed using viable but “unwanted” frozen embryos and/or tissue from elective abortions was no longer considered to be a necessary ethical question, that it had been approved of by some consensus of the people who count in the world. Which in some ways is surprising to me, since Fost is a clinician, a practicing pediatrician. Bioethicists who come from a humanities/philosophy/ethics background (in my experience) have an innate “Ivory Tower” perspective where the logic and persuasiveness of the words are the main issue; those who come from a clinical background remember that human lives are being talked about and what happens to real people is what is important.

Comment by MD in Philly (3d3f72) — 12/31/2011 @ 9:21 pm
Most everything that is the scientific consensus, is often wrong, MD, in part because it’s not derived from actual investigation, Leon Kass was quite correct, for all the derision he received,

Comment by narciso (87e966) — 12/31/2011 @ 9:28 pm
I don’t expect Romney to just give in so quickly.
Comment by Sammy Finkelman — 12/31/2011 @ 8:09 pm

– What the frack is it that Romney is not going to ‘give in’ on, Sammy?

Comment by Gardasil has warped my fragile little mind! (826c59) — 12/31/2011 @ 9:37 pm
All religions are the same…………………uh no.

We all worship the same god………………..uh no.

Comment by Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/31/2011 @ 10:43 pm
Robert Redford is disgruntled at Obama for not bankrupting the Coal Companies with stifling regulation.

Comment by Dohbiden (ef98f0) — 12/31/2011 @ 11:16 pm
http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/01/two_silly_notions_biofuel_mandates_as_carbon_neutral_and_rhino_horn_medicine.html

Comment by narciso (87e966) — 1/1/2012 @ 6:21 am
Comment by MD in Philly — 12/31/2011 @ 9:21 pm

Though I’ve quoted the standard version often, perhaps there are actually 4 types of lies: lies, damned lies, statistics, and propaganda masquerading as news stories. (I’m not talking about yours.)

Put it this way:

There are 4 types of lies: lies, damned lies, statistics, and scientific proof.

There never was a time when there were studies suggesting that embryonic stem cells were more promising than adult stem cells.

There was extremely strong evidence it wouldn’t work, because the stem cells would have different DNA and HLA’s from where they would be transplanted to.

Comment by Sammy Finkelman (b17872) — 1/1/2012 @ 4:42 pm
I don’t expect Romney to just give in so quickly.
Comment by Sammy Finkelman — 12/31/2011 @ 8:09 pm

– What the frack is it that Romney is not going to ‘give in’ on, Sammy?

Trying to change the Virginia ballot situation, like Perry, Gingrich, Bachmann and Santorum have called for.

Comment by Sammy Finkelman (b17872) — 1/1/2012 @ 4:48 pm
What I wonder about the rhino horns, is, if the whole thing is medical nonsense and also capable of being counterfeited, why are the hunters grabbing real rhino horns? Who’s enforcing stadards?

Comment by Sammy Finkelman (b17872) — 1/1/2012 @ 4:53 pm
I sincerely hope that they pack the Nov-12 ballot in CA with every spending/bond measure that can be thought up.
There is no better way to ensure that they ALL will go down in flames.
We have s structural deficit that consigns us to a yearly budget deficit of between 10 and 20 BILLION Dollars, and they want the taxpayers to cough-up more?
This states Ruling Class is seriously in need of qualified medical help, or to be exiled to the coldest, most barren part of Siberia.

Comment by AD-RtR/OS! (8798b0) — 1/1/2012 @ 5:10 pm

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12/29/2011

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