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Anyone read "2001 a Space Odyssey" ? RobVG January 18, 2025 6:48 pm (Science Fiction)

Of Milkvetch and Snail Darters RobVG January 19, 2025 10:56 am (Flame)

Every day the record is broken. ER January 17, 2025 7:43 am (Space/Science)

The "Publish" button RobVG January 19, 2025 11:10 am (GeekSpeak)

More on Diamond Batteries BuckGalaxy January 15, 2025 12:29 pm (Space/Science)

Flip a coin BuckGalaxy January 16, 2025 4:41 pm (Space/Science)

LAFD: "Design For Disaster" - The Story of the Bel Air Conflagration | 1962 podrock January 14, 2025 8:34 am (CurrentEvents)

New Glenn gets FAA launch approval, test fires engines BuckGalaxy December 28, 2024 7:54 pm (Space/Science)

The population bomb is still ticking ER January 12, 2025 7:41 am (CurrentEvents)

Tow the party line RobVG January 13, 2025 11:59 am (CurrentEvents)

AI created a diagram RobVG January 13, 2025 11:32 am (Off-Topic)

Well here's a depressing opinion piece from one of my favorite columnists BuckGalaxy January 12, 2025 2:16 am (CurrentEvents)

Any thoughts on Republican strategy for November? by bowser March 23, 2012 11:40 pm

Same as 2010. by TB 2012-03-24 10:46:55
- Reagan had no war, tripled the deficit. 3X. Cheney, VP under Bush, said the lesson was that deficits ... by bowser 2012-03-24 13:02:36
  - The deficit in 1980 (constant dollars) was $170.9 billion. In 1988 it was $242.5 billion. by TB 2012-03-24 13:23:01
I think the Republicans have already shot every arrow in their quiver--at each other. This election will be decided by events ... by ER 2012-03-23 23:50:24
- I wish I could agree, and while life is lived forward, it's understood backward. With Rove and Perry involved, ... by bowser 2012-03-24 10:35:23
  - No one will believe them, Bowz. The entire campaign for the nomination has been nothing but multiple lies directed ... by ER 2012-03-24 10:54:00
- Does it bother anyone else that politics has basically become a slander-filled version of Survivor? by VelociraptorBlade 2012-03-24 00:39:47
  - This isn't new. by TB 2012-03-24 11:05:02
  - That's the way politics has always been throughout history. Its basically about guys in suits (or togas, or armor, ... by ER 2012-03-24 06:17:57
  - Everyone says it bothers them, and it's what works. by bowser 2012-03-24 01:10:50

Liberalism 1.0 by TB March 22, 2012 8:11 pm

There's a difference between liberalism and socialism. Also, despite complaining about taxes, conservatives have no problem hiking them up. by VelociraptorBlade 2012-03-23 14:43:15
- It used to be a spectrum, from left to right: radical, liberal, moderate, conservative, reactionary. The boundaries were fuzzy and ... by ER 2012-03-24 06:37:31
"What can men do against such reckless hate?" King Theoden of Rohan by ER 2012-03-23 13:02:32
Pity the person who thinks there is nothing more to life, to community, to existence than Legos. Those wretches ... by bowser 2012-03-22 21:22:35

Access to contraception: moving the goal posts by TB March 22, 2012 8:09 am

Possibly the most effective way to cut government costs would be to supply free contraception. I don't know what ... by bowser 2012-03-22 13:17:29
- You would think so Bowser....one would think so. I can't tell you how many immaculate conceptions occur. So we are back to ... by Jody 2012-03-22 19:39:12
  - There's a guard rail around the top of the Empire State Building. No one tells people to either stay ... by bowser 2012-03-22 23:46:50
    - Sorry Bowser... I know myself and my capabilities and I keep myself in check. I don't need a railing. by Jody 2012-03-23 09:58:23
      - Where the hell did I say "Jody needs a railing." by bowser 2012-03-23 10:20:30
        
        I am the *whoever*. by Jody 2012-03-23 11:00:53
    - Who paid for the railing? by TB 2012-03-23 07:12:19
      - Whoever benefits. That's the entire point. Whoever benefits. You're so afraid someone is going to get something for nothing ... by bowser 2012-03-23 10:25:08
- The poor do get free contraception. Have for years. by TB 2012-03-22 13:41:01
  - Yeah but women don't *plan* to have sex Tom...that would make them loose women. Society frowns on that.....so why would ... by Jody 2012-03-22 19:42:11
  - You guys fight supplying contraceptive items, and absolutely nothing for free. Sometimes a person wonders. That some people ... by bowser 2012-03-22 19:28:53
    - The punitive moralistic folks "who deny the realities of life" You are absolutely right on Bowser. That is me!! I expect more ... by Jody 2012-03-22 20:21:03
    - Okay, now we're just sailing around in the doldrums of the Idiot Zone again. by TB 2012-03-22 20:00:52
      - Keep doing what you've been doing and you keep getting what you've been getting. by bowser 2012-03-22 21:41:40
Trojans, 98% effective- 39¢ each (n/t) by RobVG 2012-03-22 10:01:35
- So are aspirin tablets. If used as directed. Personally, I prefer the morning- after birth control pill for men. by ER 2012-03-22 10:06:35
  - Interesting how men are kept entirely out of this discussion. by TB 2012-03-22 10:11:02
    - Is Viagra covered? (n/t) by podrock 2012-03-22 13:44:51
      - I believe it's swallowed, with a glass of water. by bowser 2012-03-23 12:53:29
    - That's because men can't get pregnant. If they could, there would be no discussion. The reason this is an 'issue' is ... by ER 2012-03-22 12:35:35
      - You described Santorum to a 'T' (n/t) by RobVG 2012-03-22 20:05:31
      - No, that's the line the Democrats are selling. by TB 2012-03-22 13:31:15
        
        TB, you can convince yourself of anything you want if it makes you feel better. As long as you ... by ER 2012-03-22 13:52:20
        
        Greed is a national asset, the driver of capitalism. (It's one of the Seven Deadly Sins.) Sex is an abomination, ... by bowser 2012-03-22 13:39:16
      - Blonde joke. Good-looking, curvy blonde arrives in the little examining room for visit with doctor. Seems a bit nervous. "Doctor, can ... by bowser 2012-03-22 13:21:23

I can't help but think Obama is sleeping well. Santorum endorses him. by bowser March 22, 2012 10:48 pm

All politicians lie, bend the truth, or flex with the political wind whichever way it is blowing. People understand ... by ER 2012-03-23 05:56:50
- That's what "moderate" actually means in politics. by TB 2012-03-23 07:34:23
  - So you feel Santorum, Gingrich and Paul are ideologically and morally superior to the likes of the Elder Romney, the ... by ER 2012-03-23 08:06:27
    - Ideologically, yes, particularly Gingrich. by TB 2012-03-23 09:20:08
      - Well, I feel no compunction about proudly agreeing with your assessment of your audience here, and being a part of ... by ER 2012-03-23 09:59:26
        
        WorldCom, Enron, et al. have demonstrated a "free market" doesn't work. They worked around the regulations that were in ... by bowser 2012-03-23 10:18:46

This is hard to believe. by bowser March 20, 2012 10:07 pm

Heh. by TB 2012-03-21 15:29:33
Evidence of testicles by RobVG 2012-03-21 08:26:01
- Evidence of either lying or ignorance. Probably the former. Romney knows the healthcare issues in depth and he ... by BuckGalaxy 2012-03-21 14:39:31
  - If insurance companies are "good" with something, you shouldn't need to point a gun at their face to make them do it. by TB 2012-03-21 16:19:44
    - The compromise which does not force religious organizations to do anything, but allows for insurance to reach out and offer, ... by BuckGalaxy 2012-03-21 17:36:02
      - Accepted by major Catholic health groups? Which ones? by TB 2012-03-21 21:31:34
        
        Catholic Health Association of the United States. I'm not opposed to plural marriages. Do you think this will ... by BuckGalaxy 2012-03-21 22:39:18
        
        The CHA is still reviewing it. That's not "accepting." by TB 2012-03-22 06:33:50
- I think she was a plant. Even if someone actually felt that way, they wouldn't go to the enemy's ... by ER 2012-03-21 09:53:07
  - Not a plant. This was a college audience. by TB 2012-03-21 16:10:05
    - Out of all the people there, Romney points to one lady. A person sticks a microphone in the face ... by bowser 2012-03-22 00:48:24
    - Poor Little Dutch Boy by ER 2012-03-21 17:14:44
  - Yep. by bowser 2012-03-21 14:22:49
You and this guy would get along well. ^Candidate shown: Rick Santorum^ by VelociraptorBlade 2012-03-20 23:19:16
- Yo, 'Blade. Are you old enough to remember Floyd Turbo? by ER 2012-03-21 09:55:37
  - Had to look him up.. He went off the air the same year I was born, so No, never ... by VelociraptorBlade 2012-03-21 16:49:11
    - contrast and compare by ER 2012-03-21 17:40:13
      - Carson as Reagan: No politics, just great comedy. by ER 2012-03-21 17:49:12

National debt update by TB March 19, 2012 9:06 pm

That's shameless. Obama inherited an economy in free-fall due to 8 years of GWB's unfettered paws on the economy. ... by bowser 2012-03-19 22:31:37
- "Bush did it" isn't working any more. by TB 2012-03-20 08:20:39
  - The debt Obama has piled up might have something to do with the $.5T less in annual government revenue that ... by BuckGalaxy 2012-03-21 18:03:29
    - Revenues for 2012 are estimated at about $2 trillion (2005 dollars). Estimated deficit will be $1.12 trillion. Revenues for 2004 ... by TB 2012-03-21 20:50:24
  - You think a few years of Obama sweeps the Bush era collapse under the rug? by RobVG 2012-03-20 09:12:45
    - Cut taxes, start two wars, drop interest rates, loan printed money to anyone who asks, run incredible trade deficits, and ... by bowser 2012-03-20 12:32:37
    - I notice the Bush tax rates are still in place. by TB 2012-03-20 09:47:57
      - You don't think "potential revenues" can be quantified? by RobVG 2012-03-20 10:02:25
        
        I have never absolved Republicans (not just Bush) of their part in our bloated government. by TB 2012-03-20 10:31:04
        
        And one more thing: The "Buffett Rule." by TB 2012-03-20 10:43:27
        
        You know what would be telling, the tax rates required to balance the existing budget. (n/t) by RobVG 2012-03-21 08:17:22
        
        Interesting question. If I fold in payroll taxes to nail it down tight, it takes a bit of work. ... by TB 2012-03-21 10:21:28
        
        You know what? No. by TB 2012-03-21 15:58:54

If it wasn't so sad it would be funny... by BuckGalaxy March 21, 2012 12:14 am

The sad does kill the funny.... And since i'm a black comedy buff, I find this utterly hilarious. by VelociraptorBlade 2012-03-21 16:26:19
EDITED: by ER 2012-03-21 06:05:30

Unprovoked Purely Partisan Rant by ER March 18, 2012 7:23 am

The change in the Republican Party has been dramatic, and can be exemplified easily. Their intellectuals used to be ... by bowser 2012-03-18 10:11:33
- There are still a few Conservatives who have not succumbed to the plague yet; Will, Rove and Krauthammer come to ... by ER 2012-03-18 19:42:11
  - While an order of magnitude above Limbaugh and Coulter, I don't regard any of them as being close to Buckley ... by bowser 2012-03-19 20:54:26
...I strongly doubt I will be voting this year...first time ever for me. My husband feels the same way. by Jody 2012-03-18 08:37:17
- There are a lot of people working very hard right now to get you to feel that way. by TB 2012-03-18 08:39:39
  - I have decided to vote for Ron Paul. by Jody 2012-03-20 06:13:34
    - Ick. by TB 2012-03-20 08:23:36
      - :) by Jody 2012-03-20 11:33:10
  - "lot of people working very hard", etc. Yep, look at the list at the top of my post. Those guys ... by ER 2012-03-18 08:53:15
    - Q.E.D. by TB 2012-03-18 09:20:27
      - Like I said, no Democrats nominated any of those knee-walking turkeys. Republicans did. This meme's all on your people, not ... by ER 2012-03-18 09:43:20
        
        Keep in mind, they don't have to defeat George Washington. They just have to defeat Obama. by TB 2012-03-18 18:37:21
        
        The problem is that each of them exemplifies some part of what got the US into the mess we are ... by bowser 2012-03-19 12:55:39

Obama and the war against women by TB March 16, 2012 9:10 am

So there's an equivalence between the chauvinistic attitudes some young Obama supporters in 2008, and the systematic nationwide efforts by ... by BuckGalaxy 2012-03-16 20:09:47
- A drunk 27 y/o with a hand on a cardboard boob has completely scandalized these folks. Evidence of a ... by bowser 2012-03-16 22:26:09
  - This is truly one of the most laughable talking points TB has tried to make in a while... and that ... by BuckGalaxy 2012-03-17 09:31:25
    - You're flailing. by TB 2012-03-17 10:08:17
      - TB sees it. NOW doesn't see it, HRW doesn't, National Woman's Law Center doesn't, neither does AAUW. We ... by bowser 2012-03-17 12:50:37
- There is no "systematic effort to deny women reproductive healthcare" and there never was. by TB 2012-03-16 20:45:07
  - Stunning denial of reality! Yes Tom, the Democrats have simply made up the fact that there have been dozens ... by BuckGalaxy 2012-03-17 09:24:07
    - Excuse me? This whole flap was about access to contraception, not abortion, remember? by TB 2012-03-17 09:44:24
      - The title to the OP is "Obama and the war on women." Not "let's only talk about contraception." ... by BuckGalaxy 2012-03-19 19:24:09
        
        This started when your side tried to force a religious organization to pay for something it shouldn't have to. by TB 2012-03-19 20:29:06
If I read this correctly, you are offended by a perceived liberal bashing of Hilary Clinton, a woman, wife of ... by bowser 2012-03-16 09:23:37
- 100 What does offense have to do with it? This was about yet another piece of the long history of rank liberal hypocrisy. by TB 2012-03-16 09:35:16
  - I'll concede you are an expert in both hypocrisy and bashing Hilary. Knowing that I'll read the stuff more ... by bowser 2012-03-16 10:41:38
    - The perception of hypocrisy requires the ability to connect two concepts or events. by TB 2012-03-16 11:00:46
      - Let's look at this. I don't see any "war", against anyone. Your April, 2008 citation was about two ... by bowser 2012-03-16 13:39:57
        
        The original Instapundit title was "Remembering Obama's War Against Women." by TB 2012-03-16 14:37:24
        
        Still waiting. (By the way, there's a post where I demonstrated to you how one can admit they were ... by bowser 2012-03-16 15:07:44
        
        Waiting for what? by TB 2012-03-16 18:20:41
        
        A relevant response. Any evidence of a "war against women". How a 27 y/o guy with a hand on a ... by bowser 2012-03-16 19:26:59
        
        GOTO 100 by TB 2012-03-16 19:51:30
        
        Man up. by bowser 2012-03-16 22:09:54
      - Pass the margaritas, please. by ER 2012-03-16 11:14:14
        
        Need a refill? by TB 2012-03-17 10:17:52

Why Mitt hates republicans by BuckGalaxy March 15, 2012 9:56 am

It is excruciatingly difficult... by TB 2012-03-15 10:24:42
- Agreed. That's why I gave up on it long ago and became such an ass. So what do ... by BuckGalaxy 2012-03-15 13:28:53
  - I think the premise in that article is based on some pretty tenuous information. by TB 2012-03-15 14:00:23
    - Keep telling yourself that Tom. Blind yourself to the FACT that there are now two distinct GOPS: The ... by BuckGalaxy 2012-03-15 23:00:07
      - If Chait had anything better he would have used it. by TB 2012-03-16 08:51:45
        
        You're a slippery f**k, but the question was do YOU really believe his provable lies? And yeah, obviously Mitt ... by BuckGalaxy 2012-03-16 18:53:13
        
        You know... by TB 2012-03-16 19:43:57
        
        Stopping the damage? Obama seems to have a decent track record of that already. How quickly we forget ... by BuckGalaxy 2012-03-19 19:34:32
        
        Oops. Maybe a poor choice of word. Especially in the subject line. And, trying to corner TB is like ... by bowser 2012-03-16 19:33:17

Total Information Awareness II by TB March 16, 2012 8:11 pm

"Hey, if you're not doing anything wrong, you've got nothing to worry about." 8) by ER 2012-03-16 20:32:57
- And then there's this. by TB 2012-03-17 07:57:13
  - I might be wrong, but I can't remember a civil right you weren't willing to give away if someone said ... by bowser 2012-03-17 22:45:11
  - "Everyone's waiting for something to happen. Everybody's waiting for something to see Lunatics waiting for bigger disasters. Everyone's waiting for news ... by VelociraptorBlade 2012-03-17 10:35:23
    - Most of human history involves conflicts between freedom and tyranny. by TB 2012-03-17 11:12:40
      - Most of human history has been a conflict between one form of tyranny and another. Freedom is a relatively ... by ER 2012-03-18 05:46:31
        
        "Kind and beneficial" was in quotes for a reason. by TB 2012-03-18 08:19:35
        
        "Kind and Beneficial", "The People" and "Public Good" are like "Freedom and Liberty". They are all open to interpretation. ... by ER 2012-03-18 09:22:35
        
        I know who has the most hands in my pocket. by TB 2012-03-18 09:36:55
        
        Ahem. Do you work? by bowser 2012-03-19 12:57:55
        
        We paid over 15 grand in taxes this year. In better years, it's been over four times that. by TB 2012-03-19 13:07:11
        
        Aside from property taxes I pay very little. And I get more than I pay from Uncle Sugar. ... by bowser 2012-03-19 17:01:28
      - There's gotta be a Latin phrase for that. by VelociraptorBlade 2012-03-17 20:42:27
        
        I could probably look it up, but I like "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?" by TB 2012-03-18 08:21:17
        
        Yeah, its probably the motto of some agency that taps our phones. by ER 2012-03-18 05:47:33
- I still don't like it.. by TB 2012-03-16 20:50:25
  - It was started under GWB, and is in line with the "Patriot Act" and other Conservative intrusions, legal and illegal, ... by bowser 2012-03-16 22:08:54

More oil reserve handwaving by ER March 16, 2012 8:27 pm

Might not be the best metric to use to evaluate the situation. A pure rig count would not indicate how ... by podrock 2012-03-17 06:36:28
- My eyebrows went up when that graph first popped up. by TB 2012-03-17 07:42:48
- There's one thing we can do about the political risks. Get as much oil as possible from North America. by TB 2012-03-17 06:42:39
All this oil concern is a bit like finding sugar for a diabetic. So what if you obtain more, ... by bowser 2012-03-16 22:01:02
There are other factors. by TB 2012-03-16 20:53:35
- I did find a dry hole rate on this page. by TB 2012-03-16 21:01:36

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