Displaying 691 To 720 Of 1,116 Comments It’s funny, but when I was arguing with Rightwingers on the HP during the big healthcare reform debate, they would often claim that Canadians hated their system, were trying to get rid of it as hard as they can, and that they would cross the border to make use of the healthcare here in the United States whenever they could. But meanwhile, back in the real world, Canadians vote Tommy Douglas “The Greatest Canadian Ever?” I wish I knew that little factoid then, when I was arguing with them. Probably wouldn’t’ve done much good though; these folks are great at blocking out anything that they don’t want to see. » Posted By Buddy McCue On June 10, 2011 @ 4:11 am How about Newt Principled? Love that Romney quip BTW. » Posted By Buddy McCue On June 10, 2011 @ 4:05 am I spoke too soon! Thanks for bringing this up; I’ve been playing around with it for the last several minutes. » Posted By Buddy McCue On June 7, 2011 @ 5:04 am This isn’t it, is it? It displays scans of front pages, but no translation. This one from Google’s pretty good. There’s an interactive map with clickable links that take you to online newspapers, and it has translations (but no front page scans.) » Posted By Buddy McCue On June 7, 2011 @ 5:02 am Well, they DO look a lot alike. » Posted By Buddy McCue On June 6, 2011 @ 10:54 am Khirad – I discovered The American Thinker when some Rightwinger on the Huff Post linked to an article there (as evidence for the point he was trying to make.) I find that their website is a useful way to know what’s going on in the minds of the Right. I read the article to which your link leads, and I found it perversely entertaining. The defining characteristic of the kind of thought illustrated by that article is a sort of thinking in reverse. Instead of starting with questions and working toward answers, that kind of thought begins with answers and works backward. Almost every paragraph makes a bald unsupported assumption, and proceeds as though that assumption were a given. It reminds me a conservative talk radio. The damage done to the consumers of this sort of thing goes deeper than the misinformation they receive from the content. What is more damaging is that screeds such as this teach people how to think badly. If one wanted to maximize one’s chances of being wrong about something, this kind of backward thinking process would be the best method of doing so. I like the way Francis Bacon put it: “If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts, but if he will be content to begin with doubts, he shall end in certainties.” » Posted By Buddy McCue On June 6, 2011 @ 5:00 am My wife & I agree with that. We canceled our cable subscription about a year and a half ago, and just watch Netflix. When I want news and information I listen to podcasts and read stuff on the internet. I haven’t missed cable TV a bit. » Posted By Buddy McCue On June 5, 2011 @ 3:01 pm I agree. The first one was better. I found that this movie was based on a short story by a man named John W. Campbell, called “Who Goes There?” The entire thing can be read online for free, and can be found here: » Posted By Buddy McCue On June 4, 2011 @ 5:57 am It’s a shame what they do. Some time ago, I heard an interview on Democracy Now with the author of “Confessions of An Economic Hit Man,” which was about this very thing. It was shocking and depressing. I just searched and found the link to that interview, in case anyone’s interested: Amy Goodman introduces the interview this way, saying: “We speak with John Perkins, a former respected member of the international banking community. In his book Confessions of an Economic Hit Man he describes how as a highly paid professional, he helped the U.S. cheat poor countries around the globe out of trillions of dollars by lending them more money than they could possibly repay and then take over their economies.” » Posted By Buddy McCue On June 4, 2011 @ 5:52 am I know that if I were in her place, visiting a historical site like that, people talking about me as a potential candidate for the presidency… well, I’d have read the Wikipedia page about Paul Revere at least. Why isn’t she embarrassed? » Posted By Buddy McCue On June 4, 2011 @ 5:38 am I think you’re right. That “lady friend” would be the focus of the whole news cycle, no doubt. » Posted By Buddy McCue On June 3, 2011 @ 1:07 pm I just went looking around for the context in which she said this, and I found the video:
It turns out that she was visiting Boston and the Old North Church (from which the famous “One if by land, and two if by sea” signal is said to have been sent.) Somebody asked her to say something about Paul Revere; that’s what it sounds like to me. http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/06/03/235571/palin-paul-revere/ » Posted By Buddy McCue On June 3, 2011 @ 1:06 pm Wow. That’s almost as good as her explanation about why the French gave us the Statue of Liberty. If she keeps this up, somebody could compile these ramblings to form an “Alternate History of The United States – From the Words of Sarah Palin.” I think that would be entertaining reading. » Posted By Buddy McCue On June 3, 2011 @ 12:20 pm I agree. The first hand accounts that you write are very good, and you should definitely keep writing them. » Posted By Buddy McCue On June 3, 2011 @ 12:18 pm Problems? No, don’t say that! Be proud of who you are. » Posted By Buddy McCue On June 2, 2011 @ 3:31 pm My wife & I used to put together jigsaw puzzles, but we haven’t done any in awhile. I can’t help but think that this picture would make a great puzzle. I showed it to her, and she agreed that it would, but reminded me that we aren’t spending any unnecessary money these days. (That sort of thing can be done at places like this:) Too bad. This would be a fun puzzle to put together. » Posted By Buddy McCue On June 2, 2011 @ 3:17 pm I don’t know how appropriate this is, and the admins here can certainly delete this post if it isn’t, but I found this to be a beautiful picture: WARNING: if you are offended by mass nudity, then do not click on this link. It’s one of Spencer Tunick’s projects. In this one, hundreds of volunteers are asked to take their clothes off and embrace the person standing next to them. Maybe this is taking togetherness a little too far, but this does seem like art to me. Can there BE a more positive image than that? A crowd of people, completely unashamed, embracing one another? » Posted By Buddy McCue On June 2, 2011 @ 1:39 pm I used to listen to Thom Hartmann when he had a free podcast, and he used to have a regular feature that he called the “Berlusconi Alert.” He introduced it this way, saying: “The small-time crook and entrepreneur who bought a couple of radio stations, and then a few television stations and then a radio network and then a television network and then a few newspapers , until he owned about 90 percent of the Italian media and then ran for Prime Minister, and then surprise! He won.” I don’t live in Italy, so I don’t know how accurate that description of Berlusconi’s rise to power is. Hartmann was usually right about things, so I’m apt to believe that he wasn’t exaggerating about this. » Posted By Buddy McCue On June 2, 2011 @ 10:47 am I remember. It was kind of eerie. The government and the mainstream media certainly had a fascist tint to it during that time. You may have seen this before, but here is a website that lists the 14 common characteristics of fascism, and shows how each one was reflected by actions taken during the Bush administration. It’s amazing how close we came to out-and-out fascism (and we’re still not out of the woods yet.) I wish the conservatives knew what they were toying with. » Posted By Buddy McCue On June 2, 2011 @ 10:44 am At 0:34, he shouts “You’re not the voice of the people! I’M the voice of the people! The people speak through ME, not you!” That definitely sounds like Palin. » Posted By Buddy McCue On June 2, 2011 @ 5:23 am bito – Yes, that really was an interesting watch. The explanation of Rightwing media was right on for the most part, as a description of how it works, and the methods used. Most everyone I know listens to and is influenced by Rightwing media, so I am qualified to say that this video sums it up pretty well. The only thing I disagreed with was this: the video describes the consumer of Rightwing media as “simpletons,” and “intellectually challenged.” This is not altogether true. Where I live, smart people, dumb people, rich people AND poor people listen to this stuff. One does not have to be a simpleton to get manipulated by it. Most people just go along to get along, and if nearly everyone is on the same page, that has a powerful influence. » Posted By Buddy McCue On June 2, 2011 @ 5:13 am Sounds like “We are good; they are bad” to me. » Posted By Buddy McCue On June 2, 2011 @ 5:02 am UPDATE – Looking for more information about this strange event, I find this: Apparently, these folks are planning a larger dance this Saturday, promoting it on Facebook and calling it “Dance Party @ TJ’S.” Sixteen hundred people have already agreed to come and dance with them. Can the police arrest all 1600 of them? This is getting weird. » Posted By Buddy McCue On June 1, 2011 @ 4:56 pm Yay! » Posted By Buddy McCue On June 1, 2011 @ 10:55 am It sure does seem that way. Most of the conservatives I’ve ever known see no problem with it, believing that people just get what they deserve. If they see a person who is down on his (or her) luck, they can be sure that that person deserves it for some reason. I can sort of understand why Southern Baptists would feel this way. They seem to believe as the Calvinists did, that the blessing of wealth is a sign of favor from God. Wealthy people “must have been living right” from that point of view. I don’t believe in any of that. I can see for myself that the worst things can happen to the best people, and also that terrible people often prosper. Life really ISN’T fair, when it comes right down to it. » Posted By Buddy McCue On June 1, 2011 @ 10:54 am That’s really something, particularly when compared to the “austerity measures” that you described earlier, about the patient who must pay for her own meds and chemo because the state threw her off Medicaid. That seems so wrong. » Posted By Buddy McCue On June 1, 2011 @ 10:24 am Oh, I’m against that. No mixed feelings about it. Somebody could get shot, so a law against that would make sense. But there are plenty of laws that make no sense, like this ban on dancing. For example, in my home state of Georgia, it is illegal to keep a donkey in a bathtub (no kidding!) I have to say that I have never been tempted to test that law, even if it DOES seem senseless. I guess I’m just not that contrary. » Posted By Buddy McCue On June 1, 2011 @ 10:10 am Be warned. You may NOT dance inside the Jefferson Memorial building. It is against the law. If you do dance, you WILL be arrested. I have mixed feelings about all this. The two dancers went there to protest the law against dancing in that building, so that’s why they were doing it. They were dancing quietly, and not being disruptive, but it is still against the law. Part of me feels that they shouldn’t have gone out of their way to get arrested. My own natural tendency is to try to stay out of trouble, but not everybody is like that, I guess. I do believe in Free Speech, but is dancing really speech? If I had known these people, and they had told me what they planned to do, I would have tried to talk them out of it. On the other hand, society does need these sort of contrary personalities (like these dancers have) in order to protest ridiculous or bad laws. That’s where civil disobedience comes from. If nobody pushed against bad laws, our society might become more and more strict, until we wind up being some kind of police state where all activity is either mandatory or forbidden. That’s not unimaginable. Like I say, I have mixed feelings. » Posted By Buddy McCue On June 1, 2011 @ 10:00 am jkk – Thanks for explaining that. I did wonder. » Posted By Buddy McCue On May 31, 2011 @ 8:43 am Here’s an interesting thing about former AOL users on the HuffPost. (Okay, I admit indulging in the guilty pleasure of mixing it up with the conservatives on a Sarah Palin thread.) Anyway, I noticed that one of the Palin supporters commented: “WOW…….……….…Until I was forced on Huff-Po because of the merger of AOL….I didn’t realize how badly the liberals hated the US! WOW a real eye opener!” So I asked, “You were forced?” And this was the reply: “Yes, most conservative AOL users feel like we’re being attacked for just entering the conversation, and we’re paying for the damned service. Good thing there’s still Drudge, Politico, and the National Review. Not to mention the fact that every time you go to their sites since the merger, AOL now has to “Whoops, I’m sorry, we have to re-start your browser.” Both the community and the service has tanked.” I don’t know much about AOL, but users there are now forced to the HP site somehow? I wonder how THAT works? Strangely, I find myself somewhat unsympathetic. » Posted By Buddy McCue On May 31, 2011 @ 6:18 amComments Posted By Buddy McCue
http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/flash/
http://newspapermap.com/
http://www.scaryforkids.com/who-goes-there-by-john-w-campbell/
http://www.democracynow.org/2004/11/9/confessions_of_an_economic_hit_man
http://www.jigsaw2order.com/php/uploadspec.php
http://0.tqn.com/d/weirdnews/1/0/l/Z/-/-/Naked-People-Sydney-Mardi-Gras-Base-2.jpg
http://sacredearth.org/CD_Image/George_W_Bush_and_the_14_points_of_fascism_-_Project_for_the_OLD_American_Century.htm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-buzz/post/bigger-dance-party-planned-at-thomas-jefferson-memorial/2011/05/31/AGzAwPFH_blog.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWeF6lwg4aY
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