Displaying 1,321 To 1,350 Of 3,237 Comments The Return of American Isolationism? Thanks for the kudos on the post. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On September 7, 2013 @ 6:14 pm I will followup on this. Use my g mail for further communications on this topic….ok? Happy to help. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On September 7, 2013 @ 6:01 pm I recall this vaguely but really appreciate the detail you provide. Oh, I don’t regard the Bush 1 effort as unsullied. All motivation is mixed and this is especially so in this case. However, I believe that Hussein, being the megalomaniac he was, intended to treat Kuwait as many would be empire builders treat their first conquests…as a test case. SO….all in all I regard the effort as necessary and the withdrawal in the aftermath as praise worthy. That withdrawal, along with the “failure” to push through to Baghdad, and a war tax cost him the support of key GOP…and many believe, the election. Jury is out on that but I remember the scorn heaped on Daddy Bush who really had the right to claim “Mission Accomplished.” » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On September 7, 2013 @ 6:00 pm Gen. Petraeus released a statement today in which he said that the failure to act in Syria will send the wrong message to Iran and N. Korea to name two potential users of prohibited weapons. Do you think this argument has any merit? » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On September 7, 2013 @ 5:52 pm It’s a Mistake For Pres. Obama to Use Fear to Justify a Syria Strike My point: the info accumulated by the Obama crew is not a slam dunk…. Yes the first several sources are crap but when other non-crap sources start putting forth alternatives, time to slow down the train. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On August 29, 2013 @ 3:11 pm World Net Daily was the first to say it….so it’s trash right? Well then Info Wars said it…..even more trash. But then NPR suggested the possibility, and so did Reuters…today there were conversations on Al Jazeera and on MSNBC…. Is it possible that the gas attack was a false flag situation – gas taken by rebels and used to emulate an Assad government attack in order to trigger just the kind of response that Obama and our allies are considering? » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On August 29, 2013 @ 2:31 pm OBAMA ON MILITARY ACTION… “The president does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation,” candidate Obama told The Boston Globe in late 2007. He added that the president can only act unilaterally in “instances of self-defense.” “It is always preferable to have the informed consent of Congress prior to any military action,” Obama continued. President Obama did not seek congressional approval for his military strikes against Libya in 2011. That bombing campaign led to longtime dictator Muammar Gadhafi’s ouster. Vice President Joe Biden, who voted for the Iraq War, agreed with Obama. “The president has no constitutional authority to take this country to war… unless we’re attacked or unless there is proof that we are about to be attacked,” Biden said in 2007. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On August 29, 2013 @ 2:04 pm WATCH LIVE: 50th Anniversary of The March On Washington My stint surgery was five years ago and as it turned out it was a misdiagnosis. I have a blood disorder and that was not the fix for it. As to the media- yes, Bush is not hot….but how about Boehner and Cantor The House’s two most senior Republicans, Speaker John Boehner (Ohio) and Majority Leader Eric Cantor (Va.), turned down invitations to speak at the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington. They each of reasonably good excuses but their absence because of scheduling issues makes a statement does it not. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On August 29, 2013 @ 4:27 am Bush has to be a master of self deception after all of these years of doing nothing but getting credit (or discredit) for so much. Rance Priebus gave an address earlier this week in which he said the GOP has to claim its illustrious role in the civil rights struggle- really?! They renounced that heritage when the party embraced Nixon’s southern strategy and it has been down hill ever since. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On August 29, 2013 @ 4:22 am Game Change is an extraordinary indictment of the entire GOP. I bought the film. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On August 28, 2013 @ 8:08 pm Bush was a puppet governor in Tx and he was a puppet president. The same cadre/cabal that ran him in Austin, ran him in DC. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On August 28, 2013 @ 8:07 pm I think of so many southern politicians from my own young life who used to wonder what all this talk of discrimination was about; who used to wonder why black leadership complained when they knew of no black person who was complaining. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On August 28, 2013 @ 8:05 pm He got a stint…on August 6. His people said he was having an easy recovery. Typically recovery from this is three days. I had the procedure and was back at work in that time period. Yeah….it was an excuse. Shameful. Now will the media pick up on this? » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On August 28, 2013 @ 8:00 pm I just KNEW that posting the hollow man’s statement would get a reaction and it did, it did! Your analysis of Bush in re. Whenever someone brings up the lack of economic progress for blacks and hispanics under Obama I point out that it was the Bush economy that crashed and crushed those two groups and that it is a miracle that Obama has been able to do anything for them since the GOP has set out to sabotage every effort. What did personal appearances with Obama do for Charlie Christ. Imagine what appearing with Obama and all of those, you know…..takers who are, you know…not real Americans. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On August 28, 2013 @ 7:53 pm Your take on Reid and Pelosi and the Dems rings true to me but I still think they could have made a case around lies to Congress and the American people re. our entry into Iraq, war profiteering, the sinking economy… I too find the failure to hold political and financial leaders accountable distressing and wonder what the underlying motivations for this are. Part of me accepts the complicity of both parties in acts detestable and unaddressed in the public sphere. Still….. I repeated argue with HP righties re. ACA and a couple of simple links stops them dead. It is SOOOOO obvious and when confronted with the facts their arguments wither, but that crowd is not much into fact finding and fact sharing keeping their crowds in unhappy ignorance. Obama has set a tone- tough, resolute, certain, and unwilling to bend to crap…on the budget, on the sequester, on the debt ceiling….and the GOP seems to be stuck in a groove from which they cannot extricate themselves. 2020 is only great if there are enough state legislatures in our hands and that is something the GOP has proven very good at getting- money really, really talks and walks in local elections. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On August 28, 2013 @ 6:54 pm LePage is a minority governor who hates minorities. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On August 28, 2013 @ 3:42 pm W’s Statement: STATEMENT BY PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSHv-v Laura and I are proud to join our fellow Americans in commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington and Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech. When Reverend King came to Washington, D.C., in the summer of 1963, his purpose was to hold our Nation to the standards spelled out in the Declaration of Independence. He called all of us to live up to that document’s fundamental promise and the underpinning of our founding – that all of us are created equal and endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights. From the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, with thousands gathered around him, Dr. King looked out over the American capital and uttered simple, powerful words that changed the hearts of millions. The dream he had spread a message of hope, justice, and brotherhood that took hold in the hearts of men and women around the world. Our country has come a long way since that bright afternoon 50 years ago; yet our journey to justice is not complete. Just to the East of the Lincoln Memorial, where President Obama will speak on Wednesday, stands the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. There on the National Mall our President, whose story reflects the promise of America, will help us honor the man who inspired millions to redeem that promise. Dr. King was on this Earth just 39 years, but the ideals that guided his life of conscience and purpose are eternal. Honoring him requires the commitment of every one of us. There’s still a need for every American to help hasten the day when Dr. King’s vision is made real in every community – when what truly matters is not the color of a person’s skin, but the content of their character. Laura and I thank the King family and all who work to carry on the legacy of a great man and the promise of a great Nation. May we continue to march toward the day when the dignity and humanity of every person is respected. And may God continue to bless America. NOW IF THE GOP ONLY ACTED ON THIS…AND WHY COULDN’T W GET JEB TO REPRESENT HIM….WHY DID THE GOP LEADERSHIP NOT ASK TO BE A PART…OBVIOUS. W’S STATEMENT DOES NOT REPRESENT THE GOP. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On August 28, 2013 @ 3:41 pm There hope is to show that he was never president…..not a citizen….OR that he won through cheating…..acorn…OR that he ruled as a dictator….ObamaCare… It is all ridiculous but they are grasping for straws and gasping for air. The first woman president- woooo hoooo- Hillary! » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On August 28, 2013 @ 3:37 pm Good thinking. I recall how much talk there was among Dems in 2006 when the Dems took the house- hearings, investigations, impeachment….they were all there- at the edge of the party. Pelosi and Reid squelched it. Not proper. Not the way the game is played But that is the way the GOP plays the game. And the ACA he passed was a GOP model (Heritage, RomneyCare) with a lot of tweaking for the GOP (all of which they ignored in their votes). The GOP is certainly placing itself in a corner defined by its own rhetoric…look at how they covered today’s events. Pitiful. As you know, I regard a Dem House as the longest of long shots- we blew that in 2010. But we have to get ready for 2020 and that means winning back state government. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On August 28, 2013 @ 3:34 pm “While Obama can in no way be held completely responsible for these disparities, the promises he hoped to fulfill during his presidency and its juxtaposition to King’s dream place him between a rock and a hard place.” – Commentary on Obama’s “limited success” from A Black Voices Editorial. And that Rock is a Senate Minority that has done its best to block the very legislation that would have addressed the concerns in this article. And that Hard Place is a House Majority put into place by the failure of the Obama Wave of 2008 to materialize in 2010 that has sought not only to stop anything he proposes but to actually keep his proposals from even being discussed AND to reverse everything he did in the first two years of his Presidency. The GOP’s effort from the start has been to delegitimatize Obama’s presidecy, to convert it into an unimportant footnote in history, to label it a fraud…..and THAT has been the battle that he has engaged with real success from the first day of his first term. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On August 28, 2013 @ 12:41 pm It’s hot as hades here today so all the farm work is done for the day. I am over at friends where six of us have been watching the coverage of the day. I told them about the Planet and will comment from here….I said they were welcome to toss in their thoughts. So much of what I write will from my coop. PS Angus KIng is the Independent Senator from Maine, Paul LePage, a racist, is the governor. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On August 28, 2013 @ 11:17 am Steamed At HuffPost For Getting Rid Of Anonymous Commenting? Chill At PlanetPOV! Your thoughts re. the probationary, trial, initial period is a good one….tie it into more freedom of expression. Using HP’s environment as it is….I wonder if a badge could be awarded that shows the member is in good standing and thus free of pending times and slavish adherence to the word/phrase list? PS I passed your thoughts by a couple of others with lots of expertise in the blogging world and they think you are brilliant. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On August 29, 2013 @ 4:31 am I will probably pass it along as a post from a fellow blogger and friend and let the text stand on its own. How’s that? Your response is really, really excellent. You gather so many threads. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On August 28, 2013 @ 8:22 pm Can I share this with my friends at HP? If so, how do you want me to attribute it? Or, do want me to take it and rewrite it in my own voice. I will do any of this. Your thinking, as always, is razor sharp. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On August 28, 2013 @ 7:41 pm I got a lot of response to this and was able to provide some hopefully wise counsel along the way. I managed to mention the Planet six or so times. In the process my range of contacts at HP has grown and now includes a VP who seems to be a breath of fresh air. He seems to understand the concerns of which you and I have spoken. I think that both statements that came out last week were premature and reflected only a partial understanding of where the site was heading. The sheer volume at HP makes it unlikely that they can moderate every comment even on light stories. So I think having verified accounts is a proper step, but it will only be a speed bump. I think that they need to beef up flagging with moderators serving as primarily as reviewers of comments, and as adjudicators in cases where a poster is clearly acting outside of standards as a practice OR is just so over the top that they do not belong. Finally I have suggested that HP place all new commenters on “probation” for XXX number of posts as a way of removing the incentive to set up fast hit and run accounts. This probation can be extended. AND the site needs to make a big deal of its standards- a welcome e mail that directs new members to those standards is a good start. Is HP “click hungry”- yes, of course. That’s what determines ad rates….BUT they are also fearful that troll activity is driving the very people the advertisers want away…so they need to solve this. If you have any other brilliant ideas, I would love to hear them. Your closing paragraph is what I have come to expect here. Bravo! » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On August 28, 2013 @ 4:08 pm Hello All….Most of you I spend significant time at HP- for lots of reasons. I am also a regular here0 for lots of reasons. But the events of this last weekend really bothered me. Here is the post I wrote in response to the article that echoed words from Arianna Huffington earlier in the week: ======================================================== “Sign” all Comments using our Real Names….What the Hell! This is a very poorly thought out decision. There will be a lot of fallout and the loss of many of HP’s most active members….including me. I am among the most vociferous in my concern for the behavior of trolls, but they are few in number and there are other options. This is absurd. I have no objection to the HP staff knowing who I am and how to contact me but I will not provide my real name for the open forum here for a variety of reasons- – safety. I am a progressive who lives in a very conservative state and many views I express here would be a cause for significant grief from neighbors and working associates. I also am a conservative on several key issues which will cause me equal grief from the liberal side of the continuum. – privacy. A name linked to my other comments will make it easy for those who disagree with at HP to find me and to contact me. – effectiveness. I am an activist and HP is a place where I can have very strong, honest, direct discussion about difficult issues without having to experience blow back in the work I do in my community. – avoiding commercial exploitation. Once our real names are associated with our accounts how big a step is to having those names “sold” to advertisers. I am sure there are other downsides. And given a bit of time I will identify them. THERE ARE OTHER WAYS TO HANDLE TROLLS. KILLING YOUR WEBSITE IS NOT ONE OF THEM. I am a pundit and have now heard from a half dozen or so who will not continue to write for this website if this policy is put into place. ================================================= IN THE AFTERMATH OF COMMENTS LIKE THIS ONE, THOUSANDS OF THEM, HP’S VP FOR TECHNOLOGY ISSUED A STATEMENT ON THE THREAD TO CLARIFY THE POSITION AND THEN PUBLISHED AN UPDATED ARTICLE. KEY QUOTES: “As of next month, users won’t be able to create anonymous accounts to post on the site; going forward, their identities will have to be verified internally.” “HuffPost recognizes that many people are not in a professional or personal situation where attaching their name to a comment is feasible, and this change will not require users to identify themselves in connection with each comment. Rather, we will ask users to verify their identity when creating an account, which will reduce the number of drive-by or automated trolls you’ll encounter here.” “The change will only affect users creating new accounts on HuffPost. Existing accounts will be grandfathered into the new system.” HERE’S WHAT I PICK UP FROM THIS: HP wants to move to “verified accounts” It will insist, at some point, that new users register using a verification process such as Facebook and Twitter use. Current users will be “grandfathered in” under the assumption that the vast majority are legitimate and have demonstrated that this is so in their participation at the site. In all cases, the option to have a “screen name” remains in place. What most concerned me was the failure of HP leadership to recognize what a drastic change the original statement was and how it would affect the membership In no small part the mistake came as a result of not reaching out to community members to test the waters. At PLANETPOV…our management team operates from principals of collegiality and collaborative participation and decision making. It makes all the difference. So hats off to them! » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On August 28, 2013 @ 12:07 pm Repubs Can Counter Hillary Movies with Films of Their Own Priebus is expecting a weak field of candidates. That is my guess and he wants to control how they will be treated. Yes, Jeb is among the best of a bad lot. “Peace Through Understanding”- the motto of a 5 Star General who was the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in the European/North African Theater, and a motto he continued to claim when he went to Korea, refused to consider a Bay of Pigs invasion,and warned that Vietnam (and a dozen other sites) would not benefit from an expanded military presence in any form. Yep, that Ike. » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On August 9, 2013 @ 6:34 pm Watching Priebus today as he fielded questions on all of this- he is among the most arrogant of creatures. Are you familiar the character of Emperor Tod Spengo from spoof “MoM and Dad Save the World” (1992). Jon Lovitz played him. The trailer gives you a taste of the character. Check it out here. http://www.flixster.com/movie/mom-and-dad-save-the-world/ A review http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1992-07-25/features/1992207090_1_jon-lovitz-spengo-bad-taste http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cXTn1_spFCI/UcBnl6OxJII/AAAAAAAACxs/XhHVmT7joNc/s1600/todd.png (PS. added the “v” as in “https” to the above image and it did not appear as an image so I edited it to give you the correct image. What in the heck am I doing wrong??????- the image is SOOOO cool…Priebus the Emperor) » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On August 9, 2013 @ 6:28 pm OK- the photo header is the funniest ever. How clever. A serious observation. Why is the GOP presuming that any bio-pic involving Hillary will be complimentary. Given how the networks exist to draw in viewership I suspect that any expectation that the depiction of HC will be less than flattering at many points in the story. At its root this entire Priebus Drama is just another means to get his base energized by framing the media as the enemy creating a mythic Clinton. It does not matter what the content will be- it’s the idea of a Hillary picture that is in and of itself the core issue. Another strategy at play here is the creation of a rationale for limiting GOP exposure to the unfriendly media. If Fox is the only safe place to play then make it appear that the other places are not worthy of GOP games. Your script proposals are amusing. Let me add to the one for Groundhog Day. Just as Bill Murray broke the cycle in his film by a deep change in himself through a relationship, so Jeb could experience a similar transformation. In my rewrite, Bush keeps running into a bald old gentleman who keeps wanting to strike up a conversation with him but Bush brushed by him…but bit by bit he learns about the old man. Retired from the military; old time politican; and in conversation fragments begins to take in his message: Peace Through Understanding. Of course, the Old Man is Ike who awakens in Bush a vision of the GOP as a part of moderate conservatives capable of being pro-business and the party of Southern reform. PS…that actually was Ike’s Motto. President Eisenhower needed a coat of arms due to his being awarded the Order of the Elephant from the Danish royalty after the war, 1945. The coat of arms was not finished until after 1954 as indicated in the following document from the presidential archives. The motto was created as a result of interviews with the General after the war. Document #851; April 27, 1954 » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On August 8, 2013 @ 9:55 pm Weekend Music Thread – Summer Time Thanks, again. I added the “v” after http in my previous effort. So it read…. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= fuz5TKzaJoE with no break between the “v=” and “fuz” . If I drop that space is that the proper formula? P.S. Do you know anything about the edit function not working? » Posted By MurphTheSurf3 On August 4, 2013 @ 6:41 amComments Posted By MurphTheSurf3
– freedom. Engaging in an honest dialogue in an open space is daunting enough. Having to lay ones name on the line for others to see, and possible exploit, makes this activity one that I would not choose.
P.S. For a site that talks about “building a community” an arbitrary decision like this one shoots holes right through that.
Files, Coat of Arms Corr.
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