How Green Was My Candidate?

First it was Rudy Giuliani.  Now John McCain links energy independence to national security, and goes further by calling for a carbon emissions cap and trade scheme to address global warming.

Here is his speech and AP coverage.

Comments

[Nick Kasoff - The Thug Report]

If they were REALLY green, they'd make all of their campaign appearances by hologram. All that flying around in private jets is very ungreen.

Nick Kasoff
The Thug Report

[clarice]

Yeah, You can never tall when those wild-eyed guys in Alberta will threaten to cut off our energy if we don't all become Anglicans.

[abwtf]

If 'green' technology can prevent the cost of oil from ever going above $30/brl again it would be great for the US on multiple fronts - less money for the Middle East, good for the environment, good for the economy.

If we got it under $10/brl we'd see a big shift in how countries like China and Russia and Venezuela conducted business. For example a huge reason some countries were against removing Saddam was fear of losing multi-billion dollar contracts.

[hoosierhoops]

'Everybody has gone green..' -soon to be penned by Green Day.
Even Wal-Mart has claimed it is now going green..We are all going green..
If I was running for office i'd be greener than you..oh lots greener..( It's mostly just talk anyway.. i swear the Lear jet runs on regular )
I mean who doesn't think being green isn't a good thing? I think it's great.BUT..
I laugh out loud when watching Gore's movie. Looking at Edwards mansion? I prefer if you run on a platform..please lead by example or pick another platform...
Also..hey clarice..that was funny...:)

[Elliott]

Good point, Clarice. We have reliable intelligence as to their location. Stephen Harper must stop equivocating and act.

[Jeff Dobbs]

Whew. Actually glad to see this thread. I'm having second thoughts about the last comment I left on the now dead thread.

[Other Tom]

Face it, awbtf: your "ifs" are so huge you could drive a gas-guzzling SUV through them.

Shame on McCain, and not for the first time. This carbon hysteria is utterly out of control, and you can count on one hand the politicians willing to say so. And none of them is running for president--it's a crying shame.

That little episode with Sheryl Crow and Larry David's wife at the correspondents' dinner was just the point of the spear. Ill-mannered, ill-bred trash being rude and behaving inappropriately as invited guests, sure--but who cares? They're trying to save Our Planet!

[Jeff Dobbs]

Sorry to inject Kerry into a relatively new thread, but he's asking for it...from Ace of Spades:

John Kerry, Truther

[centralcal]

OT said: "Ill-mannered, ill-bred trash being rude and behaving inappropriately..."

Profoundly true, but in so many ways besides just confronting Rove. Look no further than the Democratic leadership and the disgrace they continue to heap upon this country. Their minions only echo and mirror and emulate them.

[Maybeex]

h&r-
I saw that video at HotAir, and he sure doesn't sound like a truther to me. Appearing on that puppet-theater stage is just pathetic, though, and to top it all off there are only about 6 people there.
That had to hurt.

[Sara]

Since I have no idea which is the active thread, I'm cross posting this:

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author, Journalist David Halberstam Killed in Car Crash

[richard mcenroe]

Now lemme get this straight: GOP or Dem, the gummint that can't secure our borders is going to fix the weather?

[Jeff Dobbs]

Maybeex - yeah, I was gonna put the Cooper question mark on it, but decided to stay true to the title at Ace's.

Ace gives his reasons for 'Kerry as truther' ...not that Kerry believes it, but that he encourages their belief...

[Jane]

Shame on McCain, and not for the first time. This carbon hysteria is utterly out of control, and you can count on one hand the politicians willing to say so. And none of them is running for president--it's a crying shame.

I separate the whole carbon offset silliness with energy independence. I'm not the least bit green and I sure as hell think global warming is a ruse, but after reading "The Looming Tower" several months ago, the only possible conclusion was that our options would be so much greater if we had energy independence. I just wish there were some smart non-politically motivated people working on it.

[Syl]

This is really a dilemma. The whole carbon emission thing seems to be inoculation against drilling for more oil in America as we try to wean ourselves off dependence on others for a source...especially the Middle East.

Imagine the discussion as the leftists and greens (but I repeat myself) discuss the perils of dependence on foreign oil and the prospect that America politically would start backing drilling in ANWR for example. What to do. What to do. Got it! We'll not only advocate against foreign oil--to make us look good--we'll advocate against ALL petroleum based energy sources! We can use 'global warming' to do it!

[Jeff Dobbs]

Quick, go look before they fix it....Scott Johnson just "larwyned" Power Line

[Jeff Dobbs]

Eh, never mind. They're fast. I got a screenshot, but bleh, who cares.

[abwtf]

I probably should have mentioned that I am very much against the global warming hysteria we hear these days.

I think the Co2 scare is way over-done, global warming is almost entirely the result of factors other than human activity and not much for anyone to worry about and nothing any of our next dozen Presidents will do will have much of an impact.

All that said, I always enjoy news on solar technology breakthroughs it will be a great day when it is mature enough to provide a majority of our needs and a great day when it can provide all of it.

[Sara]

OT:

I would like some input from JOMers. First Imus and his producer were fired, and today I heard that two DJs on the morning drive, San Francisco, who have been on the air for 10 years were fired for a joke referencing Asian women. My feelings are that this is a way to curb free speech by individual interest groups and that it would be far more effective to leave these people on the air and have them apologize and do some equal time programming for those who feel offended. I would be interested in what some of you think.

ALSO -- O'Reilly did a segment on George Soros web of funding tonight with a chart showing how the circle starts with him and circles around to Media Matters as the dispurser for all the various groups including the Tides Foundation. $73 million going around this circle to make sure Soros' message of "hate America first" finds a voice.

[Maybeex]

My feelings are that this is a way to curb free speech by individual interest groups and that it would be far more effective to leave these people on the air and have them apologize and do some equal time programming for those who feel offended.

Hmm. I've never heard the show so I have no idea what kind of thing they usually do. If this is not outside the norm for them (are they equal opportunity skewerers, ala South Park?) I see no reason that their employers should bow to this one interest group. If this was a one of a kind attack, then yeah, maybe the jocks need some time to examine their actions.

I don't have a problem with apologizing. Apologizing is nice, people should do it more often.
I am against the idea of equal time programing for those who feel offended, however. Feeling offended doesn't qualify one for a radio program, and we shouldn't encourage people to be offended.

[Sara]

Here is a Hot Air clip from the O'Reilly segment I mentioned:

Video: O’Reilly names those who recycle Media Matters’ garbage

[Sara]

Maybee: I didn't mean that the offended group should get their own show but I was thinking that the show that broadcast the offensive joke should devote a day or two to giving those offended time to counter with their point of view. But maybe it is a bad idea.

[Specter]

OFF TOPIC but funny as heck. According to TMZ.com, Rosie had the following to say to Sheryl Crow:

Rosie to Sheryl Crow: "Have You Seen My Ass?"

Posted Apr 23rd 2007 1:07PM by TMZ Staff
Filed under: TV, The View

Rosie O'Donnell wipes out.The answer, presumably, is no -- but Rosie made her point, pooh-poohing Sheryl Crow for suggesting that we all use just one square of toilet paper per trip to the loo.

Crow made her comments on her blog last week, and Rosie took a moment on this morning's "The View" to express her incredulity at the supposedly enviro-friendly suggestion. "Have you seen my ass?!" bellowed Rosie, and Barbara Walters was good enough to warn viewers not to use their sleeves, another of Crow's helpful suggestions.

[Other Tom]

Actually, all of the free people of the human race are, in one way or another, working on the problem of becoming independent of hydrocarbon fuels and, in particular, Middle Eastern oil. It's just that no one can tell what private, ongoing efforts are going to result in what sort of solution. As I told my stepson when he went off to college, if you can invent a method of providing energy in a way the avoids the need for oil, you will become the richest man in human history.

Thus far he has left me in the lurch, but I am extremely confident that millions of other talented people know this, and are working at the matter around the edges. No governmental initiative of any kind will do anything to advance a solution, and may well retard it. But it will, in the end, come about. With each passing decade the solution will come nearer to hand, and will also be of greater value.

As I always say, we need to see a bit more of the Invisible Hand...

[Maybeex]

But maybe it is a bad idea.

I don't think it's a bad idea, Sara. I am just offended by those who are easily offended and I don't want to hear them yakking about it. Maybe I'm mean.
Then again, when I'm offended it is always valid and someone should listen to me.

[clarice]

OT, I told my son to come back with a patent for a working perpetual motion machine. How sharper than a serpent's tongue.......

[Other Tom]

The matter of Gonzales is a no-brainer for me: I hope he stays.

Of course I know he is an inept fool; I knew that in his earliest days as White House counsel, and was appalled at his appointment to his current position. But we have to ask, would the administration of justice in the next 20 months be improved by his departure? Would it be possible that someone we actually like might be appointed and confirmed to take his place? The answer to both questions is clearly no.

On the other hand, his departure would provide plenty of fodder for the unprincipled oppostion party, and that alone is reason enough to deny them what they want. Gonzales is one of many horrible appointments that Bush had made, but in this regard he is no worse than, and no different from, Clinton, Carter, Kennedy or Truman. So tell Leahy and Schumer to stuff it.

[Jeff Dobbs]

Sara:
I was thinking that the show that broadcast the offensive joke should devote a day or two to giving those offended time to counter with their point of view.

Let me just go on record as saying that I would never feign being offended by something Tom has said on JOM just to get the keys to this place, in a similar blog-equivalent to this plan.

[VIMH: You mean you wouldn't try underhanded means to get the keys?]
--Well, I'm on record as *saying* I wouldn't do it. But if I were willing to use underhanded means, you think I would have any compunction in lying about it?

[VIMH: You do realize you just said that "out loud"]
--Crap.

[Other Tom]

...to have a thankless child.

But he's a wonderful young man.

[cathyf]

the only possible conclusion was that our options would be so much greater if we had energy independence. I just wish there were some smart non-politically motivated people working on it.

Here's an idea... We give Saudi Arabia to China. They relocate all of the arab inhabitants scattered throughout China, and ruthlessly supress Islam. Then they move in tens of millions of nice Chinese communist atheists into the arabian peninsula.

Ok, I'm not serious, but the problem is the other kind of green. The Saudis take in all of these billions, and then use the money to brainwash poor people into becoming mass-murdering terrorists.

[Neo]

What next ??

A flagellants offset. It would stink.

[Sara]

Maybee, I feel much as you do and so I'm very conflicted over this new trend. I shudder at the idea that an organization like Media Matters can simply point a finger and next thing we know a one time bad or mistaken remark suddenly becomes a major scandal and people start losing their jobs. I can't think of a faster way to silence people and silence an opposition to them (Media Matters, et al). I read over the weekend that the one time Imus remark has been replayed over 200,000 times and yet he is now silenced. If he had not been fired, I'm sure he would have spent days after his visit with the Rutgers team extolling them. A win win.

Anyway, it bothers me and at the same time I'm with you that not all wronged parties have the class of the Rutgers' team and it could get very whiny or very messy.

[topsecretk9]

Could it be that the armchair generals leading the Democratic forces went to war with the White House without an exit strategy?

Take a moment to thank and commend your Reps!

[Sara]

Via Instapundit:

NOW IT'S DAVID BRODER SUGGESTING THAT HARRY REID SHOULD GO: He calls him a "bumbling embarrassment."

Well, I guess Joe Lieberman can fire him if he wants to . . .

[Rick Ballard]

"Take a moment to thank and commend your Reps!"

Sure as we do that the Dems will use it as proof that the Reps stole Copperhead Harry's brain. Now, we know there was never anything to steal but they're going to point to its obvious absence and start holding hearings.

I can see Waxman pointing to a CAT scan of Harry's empty skull even now...

[clarice]

Very funny, Rick. Sara thanks for posting that!.C

[clarice]

Mainstream Dems like Broder prefer their party spokemen's perfidy be more subtle , I suppose.

[Daddy]

Well, while DC dithers about ANWR, and Alaska dithers about building a new pipeline, endangered Alaskan Polar bears took another hit in the shorts today.

Alaskan Governor Salin Palin (best looking Governor in the 50 states!) today announced that the back of the Alaskan quarter will be the Grizzly Bear chompin' on a salmon on a river bank. The polar bear design, a regal critter on an ice floe, overlooking the midnight sun, melted and drowned in the stiff competition. Iditerod sled dogs being inhumanely driven at nighttime across the frozen tundra beneath the Big Dipper came in third, and a capitalist pig of a Gold Panner came in dead last, and vanished into oblivion, much like the Alaskan timber/mining/oil industry etc.
Poor Polar bears, can't seem to buy a break. Images, if I did this right, will be found by clicking here... http://www.gov.state.ak.us/alaska_coin.php

[cxmmc]

肿瘤 中国肿瘤网 肺癌 胃癌 肝癌

[Daddy]

Hopefully none of us have been unfortunate enough to have seen Rosie's ass, but if I might comment on Sheryl Crow's intriquing suggestion, perhaps that brown fingered songstress simply picked the wrong country...

A year or so ago I had a 4 day layover in a gorgeous part of the ex-Soviet Republic, Almaty, Kazakhstan. Springtime, a very pretty place, sublime nearby mountains, beautiful green trees everywhere, and hotel toilet paper tough enough to sand a turbine blade.

I used to be a Russian Lit fan, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, etc, and in college especially admired Solzhenitsyn. Well one morning, following a tough night before at a local pub, (the Soho or the Petroleum Club I forget which) while absentmindedly gazing at the industrial strength toilet roll staring me in the face in my hotel bathroom, I suddenly seemed to recall that Solzhenitsyn had apparently written portions of his "One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovitch", on secreted scraps of toilet paper he had scrounged up while imprisoned in the Gulag.

Being in a somewhat quirky mood, (strange country, strange bathroom, strange hangover), I retrieved a ballpoint pen from the desk, and ripped off a Sheryl Crow approved hunk of the roll. It not having those little tear indentations we are so accustomed to in this country, the ends were a bit jagged but that was of little matter. I smoothed the segment flat with my hand, propped it up on my right leg just aft of my knee, and proceeded to give it a go.

"I met a traveler from an antique land...", I printed in nice, neat, block letters, "...who said two vast and trunkless legs of stone stand in the desert..."

The texture of the toilet paper was almost exactly that as when you stop at a gas station and rip off one of those heavy bluish paper rags one uses to check your oil or scrub squished bugs off the windhield with. It held the ink very well, neither running nor smudging, and gave all indications it would durably preserve my sentances for decades. Continuing my investigation I now scrunched up the letters as tiny as possible to see how many words I might get on such a small sheet.

"...neartheminthesandhalfsunkashatteredvisagelieswhosefrownandwrin kledlipandsneerofcoldcommandtellthatit'ssculptorwellthosepassionsread whichyetsurvivestampedonthoselifelessthingsthehandthatmockedthem andtheheartthatfed.Andonthepedestalthesewordsappear"MynameisOZY MANDIASKingofKingslookonmyworksyemightyanddespair".Nothingbesider remains.Roundthe decayofthatcollosalwreckboundlessandbarethe loneandlevelsandsstretchfaraway."

An amazing success. The entire poem was legible and permanent, yet I had used less than a third of one side of the sheet. If my recollection is correct, enough unused pulp remained on that poopless piece o' parchment to service both Ms Crow and Ms Laurie David combined, as long as neither one of them was completely full of shit, though I'd not risk to add Rosie to the venture.

Lastly, as final amusement, in clumsy origami fashion, I carefully folded that specimen into a paper airplane and I must say it flew tolerably well, though I did not launch it from my 8th floor room window, as being a guest in the country, I did not think that even the pursuit of science gave me license to polute.

All in all I think we have possibly been a little harsh this Earth Day, to Ms Crow. I can certainly understand Carl Rove's reticence to having her smelly, fingers clutching his nice, clean suit, but that's because in this country, whether we admit it or not, we all squeeze the Charmin'. But in Kazakhstan you see, it's the Charmin' that squeezes you! Personally I can think of no finer place for a celebrity Ass Wipe to start saving the planet, one A--hole at a time, than in the bowels of a former Soviet Republic. Have at it Sheryl.

[Jane]

Some posts are clearly impossible to follow.

Good morning peeps. Looks like another gorgeous day.

[Cecil Turner]

Seems to me you could put a dent in the energy problem merely by following McCain around with a windmill (as he searches for the spot where the political winds are blowin' hardest). Heck, you might be able to tap some useful energy out of his weathervane alone.

Rosie to Sheryl Crow: "Have You Seen My Ass?"

Dunno why not . . . she sure shows it often enough.

. . . enough unused pulp remained on that poopless piece o' parchment to service both Ms Crow and Ms Laurie David combined, as long as neither one of them was completely full of shit . . .

Looks like a false antecedent to me. Other than that, though . . .

[Jane]

We need to get those guys who are competing to go to space to start getting into the alternate energy field. I agree that the issue has to be solved in the private sector. I just wish we would get started in my lifetime.

[Cecil Turner]

I disagree. The problem is energy density, and you're not gonna solve it by new and interesting ways of harnessing stray photons. If you really want energy independence, the solution is nuclear (fission) plants now, and nuclear (fusion) plants when the technology is available. Nothing else adds up. And that problem is almost entirely political.

[Jeff Dobbs]

All kidding aside about Sheryl Crow, and without conceding anything about Ms. Barrymore generally, I like her thinking here:

Actress Drew Barrymore, who reportedly earns $15 million a film, told MTV viewers in one episode that after spending time in a primitive, electricity-free Chilean village, "I aspire to be like them more."

Barrymore, apparently enthralled by the lack of a modern sanitary facilities, gleefully bragged, "I took a poo in the woods hunched over like an animal. It was awesome."

I share her feelings about the animalistic awesomeness of marking your territory.

(h/t Steyn on the Corner)

[MarkD]

If we were serious, we'd be drilling in ANWR and off the coast of Florida, and exempting all domestically produced alternative fuels from taxes.

Coal gasification could do it. Drive down the price of oil on the world markets, and the problems of the Middle East stay there.

Maybe we subsidize production from Canadian tar sands as well.

[clarice]

Daddy --witty and true. Now, I won't gross out this crowd by describing Russian toilets which create a distinct "do not linger" atmosphere.

Cecil's right about energy of course.
Nuclear for electrical production, build new refineries, allow exploitation of domestic and off shore sources and we'll be just fine. And remember it's our dear friends in Europe amd China that rely on ME oil , we get most of ours ours from those armed to the teeth Canadians.(China is taking over petro operations in Africa and dealing with Chavez--Europe is kssing butt in the ME)

[Maybeex]

How did we miss this news?
From Murray Waas's blog:

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

A book.

Philip, my editor, has some background on the subject. He previously edited Joe Wilson's book. After that, he edited Tyler Drumheller's book. So he really knows this terrain. I'll be doing the book with Jeff Lomonaco, a friend who is a professor of political science at the University of Minnesota.

[PeterUK.]

Drew Barrymore will find it truly awesome when Typhus hits Hollywood,still there are all those stretch hearses.

[Jeff Dobbs]

Maybee:
How did we miss this news?

I Blame Bush.

[Maybeex]

Imagine the same guy editing books by Joe Wilson, Tyler Drumheller, and Murray Waas. Imagine Jeff and Murray Waas being friends. Oh, the surprise is almost killing me.

Surely yes, h&R, it is Bush's fault.

[Maybeex]

It also looks like Waas is out at National Journal. His last article there was in February.

[Rick Ballard]

"Maybe we subsidize production from Canadian tar sands as well."

Setting a 'floor' price for imported oil at $40 a barrel would be more efficient. Tar sands and Colorado shale are both very viable at $40. The problem in the past was that OPEC cut prices and raised production in order to kill investment in tar sands and shale oil (in the '80's).

It may not even be necessary to set a price floor any more - the market may not be susceptible to a sustained move to less than $40 but a floor would certainly make raising capital for shale and tar sands projects much easier.

Pebble bed reactors and a few new oil refineries (especially refineries to handle the tar sands/shale products) could move us at least half the distance to energy independence within ten years - if the watermelon suits against development were blocked.

Giuliani and McVane's posturing is close to being as risible as Algore's. Not particularly inspiring to those whose synapses actually fire from time to time.

[richard mcenroe]

This carbon hysteria is utterly out of control...

"This whole thing is getting out of control and we'll be lucky to live through it!"

Sounds like we have a Fred Thompson talking point here!

"Hopefully none of us have been unfortunate enough to have seen Rosie's ass..."

It is impossible to actually see Rosie's ass, given the way it blocks the sun. We can only deduce its existence by studying its shadow from orbit and measuring the way it distorts the orbits of the nearest planets...

[clarice]

How do we know that is OUR Jeff?

[Rick Ballard]

"How do we know that is OUR Jeff?"

Posting a single paragraph of his writing would provide sufficient proof - if the word count exceeds 8,000 and the content is meaningless then we can be assured of the provenance.

[clarice]

How the left is winning the Net war.

http://www.examiner.com/a-691054~Robert_Cox__Web_2_0_is_worse_for_the_right_than_it_thinks.html>Wikilefty

Fred Thompson just won the grass polls in Calif and Penn

http://www.grassrootspa.com/blog/archives/14098

[Specter]

LOL on Jeff. But seriously, don't you miss him as opposed to the trolls who were attacking?

OFF TOPIC

I found this interesting. Marine Corporal From A Bunker In Ramadi: “I Got A Message For That Douche Harry Reid”

yeah and i got a qoute for that douche harry reid. these families need us here. obviously he has never been in iraq. or atleast the area worth seeing. the parts where insurgency is rampant and the buildings are blown to pieces. we need to stay here and help rebuild. if iraq didnt want us here then why do we have IP’s voluntering everyday to rebuild their cities. and working directly with us too. same with the IA’s. it sucks that iraqi’s have more patriotism for a country that has turned to complete shit more than the people in america who drink starbucks everyday. we could leave this place and say we are sorry to the terrorists. and then we could wait for 3,000 more american civilians to die before we say “hey thats not nice” again. and the sad thing is after we WIN this war. people like him will say he was there for us the whole time.

I love hearing from troops at the front who can call Reid's bluff. I wish some in the MSM would pick up on this stuff.....

[Maybeex]

Rick- heh. You have a point. And The book looks to be about 608 pages.
clarice- Our Jeff blogged at TAP (the american prospect) for a while using his last name.

[clarice]

Thnx--

More news re the clean toga club--

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-probe24apr24,0,3535547.story?coll=la-home-headlines>Shocked to hear there's politics in the WH

From the Los Angeles TimesLow-key office launches high-profile inquiry
The Office of Special Counsel will investigate U.S. attorney firings and other political activities led by Karl Rove.
By Tom Hamburger
Times Staff Writer

April 24, 2007

WASHINGTON — Most of the time, an obscure federal investigative unit known as the Office of Special Counsel confines itself to monitoring the activities of relatively low-level government employees, stepping in with reprimands and other routine administrative actions for such offenses as discriminating against military personnel or engaging in prohibited political activities.

But the Office of Special Counsel is preparing to jump into one of the most sensitive and potentially explosive issues in Washington, launching a broad investigation into key elements of the White House political operations that for more than six years have been headed by chief strategist Karl Rove.

The new investigation, which will examine the firing of at least one U.S. attorney, missing White House e-mails, and White House efforts to keep presidential appointees attuned to Republican political priorities, could create a substantial new problem for the Bush White House.

First, the inquiry comes from inside the administration, not from Democrats in Congress. Second, unlike the splintered inquiries being pressed on Capitol Hill, it is expected to be a unified investigation covering many facets of the political operation in which Rove played a leading part.

[clarice]

Create a program that sounds good--subsidizing mass transit costs for federal workers--put in no controls whatsoever annd watch as millions get pissed away ($17 million in the DC metro area alone).

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/23/AR2007042301563.html?referrer=email>High minded idiocy

[Rick Ballard]

"LOL on Jeff. But seriously, don't you miss him as opposed to the trolls who were attacking?"

No.

You're proposing a choice between a root canal and a molar extraction - both without anesthesia. It's just too tough to call.

[clarice]

How many chapters will be spent defending Wilson's Cheny "behested him"?

[clarice]

**Cheney**

[Jane]

If you really want energy independence, the solution is nuclear (fission) plants now, and nuclear (fusion) plants when the technology is available.

Fine with me. But it would go better with some private incentivizing - like everything else.

Now, I won't gross out this crowd by describing Russian toilets which create a distinct "do not linger" atmosphere.

Reminds me of my trip to Ephasis where I was amazed to see a group sit-down room - with maybe 200 toilets where everyone congregated for their morning conversation, back in the day. Wonder if they rationed paper too?

[Jeff Dobbs]

OSC Investigation: Hatch Act II, Scene I

SCENE I. A churchyard.

Enter two Clowns, with spades, & c

First Clown
Is she to be buried in Christian burial that
wilfully seeks her own salvation?

Second Clown
I tell thee she is: and therefore make her grave straight: the crowner hath sat on her, and finds it Christian burial.

First Clown
How can that be, unless she drowned herself in her own defence?

Second Clown
Why, 'tis found so.

...

First Clown
...Come, my spade. There is no ancient gentleman but gardeners, ditchers, and grave-makers: they hold up Adam's profession.

Second Clown
Was he a gentleman?

First Clown
He was the first that ever bore arms.

Second Clown
Why, he had none.

First Clown
What, art a heathen? How dost thou understand the Scripture? The Scripture says 'Adam digged:' could he dig without arms? I'll put another question to thee: if thou answerest me not to the purpose, confess thyself--

Second Clown
Go to.

First Clown
What is he that builds stronger than either the mason, the shipwright, or the carpenter?

Second Clown
The gallows-maker; for that frame outlives a thousand tenants.

[PeterUK.]

Jane,
They used a sponge on a stick,everyone had their own which is a small mercy.The Ephesian Sponge Bob.

[Jane]

They used a sponge on a stick

Ewwwwwwwwwww

[PeterUK.]

"Ewwwwwwwwwww" indeed,but definitely one up on the Sheryl Crow option.

[topsecretk9]

Lawyers for former Poway defense contractor Brent Wilkes yesterday asked a judge to dismiss indictments stemming from the Randy “Duke” Cunningham scandal because the government deliberately and illegally disclosed grand jury secrets to the media.

Wilkes' attorney, Mark Geragos, also alleged in documents filed in federal court that the leaks were part of a campaign by former U.S. Attorney Carol Lam to use Wilkes and other defendants as “pawns” in a “political squabble” with bosses at the Justice Department who wanted her fired.

Geragos contended that Lam wanted the indictments to happen before the Bush administration forced her from office. The indictments were issued Feb. 13; Lam left two days later.

“The United States Attorney used the leaks to create a public atmosphere that compelled the grand jury to return indictments and present (the Justice Department) with a fait accompli, a gesture of defiance by Carol Lam as she was forced out of office,” Geragos wrote.

...Geragos said he was contacted by at least six reporters before indictments were issued, and some said they had seen drafts of the document to be presented to grand jurors by prosecutors. The grand jury process is secret; it is a violation of federal law to disclose grand jury matters.

...Geragos noted that prosecutors and the judge acknowledged the leaks during a recent hearing. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Forge called them “embarrassing,” “reprehensible” and “inexcusable.” Geragos quoted U.S. District Judge Larry Burns as characterizing them as “prejudicial” to the defendants. The leaks affected the impartiality of the grand jury, Geragos argued.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/20070424-9999-1m24wilkes.html

[Appalled Moderate]

Sheez Rick. You shouldn't complain about opposition to your point of view that is respectful and reasonably intelligent. You spend your time making people like that unwelcome, you are left to yourselves and trolls that come by to enrage you. And let me tell you, the end result will be that clarice's articles will start going downhill, and she won't understand why.

[topsecretk9]

Oh and...

Geragos urged the judge to hold an evidentiary hearing into the leaks.

[clarice]

Thanks TS, exceedingly clever h & r--digging their own gallows?(wink)

[Rick Ballard]

AM,

FooBar, you, Jerry and a few others provide reasonable and clear contrasting POV's that reach the level of at least being debatable. What Jeff was engaged in was the same thing that the most dimwitted of the trolls engage in. The fact that the drivel was presented ad nauseum infinitum does not elevate the posts to the level where anyone should feel a sense of loss at their absence.

Briefly, the seeds to be pecked from the manure pile of his comments were so sparsely distributed that the effort required was never repaid. (IMO, of course.)

[Jeff Dobbs]

The good news -- hot dem on dem scrapping (lock the kids away, though)

The bad news -- well, I guess we'll have to endure more of Hillary's "black" accent.

Obama’s Rise Strains Loyalty on Clinton Turf
By RAYMOND HERNANDEZ
Only a few months ago, the vast majority of black elected officials in New York were expected to support the presidential candidacy of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. But no longer.

In a series of interviews, a significant number of those officials now say they are undecided about whether to back Mrs. Clinton or one of her main rivals for the Democratic nomination, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, the only black politician in the race.

[Syl]

On my way to do food shopping and stuff. But first thing I saw when I got up today was Bush on tv. I am SO ANGRY at the DEMOCRATS. I'm also angry at the republicans for not backing Bush right now. Then I switched channels and heard Chris Matthews talk about the end of the neocons and all that political crap.

Then I go to Instapundit and he's talking about toilet paper.

Last night I was doing something in the kitchen with the tv on and heard Wolf Blitzer confronting some military guy in Iraq with words of Harry Reid.

The utter absurdity of countering what someone in Iraq, who KNOWS WHAT'S GOING ON, with the words of a politician in D.C. was infuriating!!

Apples and oranges!

Politics isn't truth. Politics is a game.

America has gone stark raving mad and I'm sitting here watching it happen.

[Jeff Dobbs]

Coaxing Tom......

Shays of Optimism
A war critic sees signs of progress in Iraq.

By Kate O'Beirne

Last week, Connecticut Republican congressman Christopher Shays briefed his Republican colleagues on the progress he observed in Iraq earlier this month. No member of Congress has visited Iraq more often than Shays, and since he’s an outspoken critic of the Bush administration’s war strategies, members of Congress were attentive as he gave his impressions from his 16th trip. For the first time in over a year, Shays saw promising signs, and he is anxious to confirm them when he returns to Iraq next month. He is encouraged by the improved security in Baghdad, the cooperation of Sunni tribal leaders in Anbar province, and the dramatically improved oil production in the north.

[clarice]

Syl..It is exasperating, but we are dealing with madness in the silly season and it, too, will pass. In the meantime let's encourage a recall petition in Nevada.

[Jeff Dobbs]

From that Kate O'Beirne article:

[Shays] points out that last November’s voters have gotten what they wanted with a new secretary of Defense, a new ground commander, and a new mission and strategy in Iraq.

Lord, what a simple message - why can't repubs get a prominent voice that breaks through the media to deliver it. Bush responded to the elections.

It a fuggin NewD irection for crying out loud.

Now, evaluate Pelosi and Reid and their respective tenures as congressional leaders....newd irection....or "stay the course"?

Bush delivered on the dem campaign promises, while the dems act in the exact manner they claimed of the repubs.

[clarice]

h & r, I promise..as soon as I am named Minister of Information, you and Soylent are going places.....

[Jane]

why can't repubs get a prominent voice that breaks through the media to deliver it. Bush responded to the elections.

It feels like riding a tricycle against a snow plow. You can't win when the media is against you. I don't know how to fix that. And I can't figure out why the media is so anti-America altho I suspect they are only anti-Bush and are simply acting like 5 year olds. They will probably recover after 2008. I doubt I will.

[Jeff Dobbs]

Syl:
Politics isn't truth. Politics is a game.

A carnival game.

We're shooting at those widdle plastic ducks with a gun that has a crooked barrel.

Stacked deck. Loaded dice. Magnetized roulette wheel.

And even when we win on one of those scratch off games in the mail -- in order to claim the prize we have to sit through a 6 hour demonstration for a vacuum cleaner -- and then kick the shmuck out half way through and never get the prize.

I really coulda used that juicer.

[clarice]

As the country gets dumbed down even further and the emphasis on getting every dumbbell to the poll --whether or not he is even literate-- grows, the job will get harder.

Be prepared.

[Appalled Moderate]

Another view of the Shays trip. A caution to Bush-defenders, though. Shays does favor timetables (just not mandates).

Give the guy some credit. He's been over some 15 times on something other than a pleasent junket.

[Dan S]

A good read, if you've missed it: The Big White Lie.

http://www.city-journal.org/html/17_2_diarist.html

[Jeff Dobbs]

Appreciate the link, AM...Shays' timeline quotes...

Shays, R-4th District, wants a timeline, too, but a timeline set by the president designed to push the Iraqis to get control of their country.

...

"I don't know what a reasonable timeline is. All I can say is that I left feeling that my feelings about Gen. Petraeus are deserved and positive."

[clarice]

If you are paying attention to the AIPAC case, the trial is likely to be postponed.

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2007/04/aipac_trial_likely_to_be_postp.html>Secret trial-secret time-secret location?

What a stupid case this is when the stuff the govt claims is national defense information quite obviously was in public circulation long before Franklin talked to anyone.

[Jeff Dobbs]

Minister of Information:
as soon as I am named Minister of Information, you and Soylent are going places.....

So what is the latest on Soylent?

[Jeff Dobbs]

Minister of Information:
As the country gets dumbed down even further and the emphasis on getting every dumbbell to the poll --whether or not he is even literate-- grows, the job will get harder.

This is the message I don't *want* to hear. Oh, I'll put my cynicism about politicians of ALL stripes up against anyone else's.

I don't *want* to become cynical about the whole country.

Well, voters anyway.

Kids under 8 are still pretty cool. I know this may shock some here, but I relate to kids of that age and maturity very well.

[clarice]

Soylent owes me a ltter..Last I heard from him he was well but very exhausted and bitching that the military should revise basic training for older volunteers.

I like kids under 8, too--I even like them at adolescence.
I do think we ought to start a campaign inviting people who cannot read or write well enough to understand what they are voting for to JUST STAY HOME..Ditto with those too uninterested to pay attention.

[Jeff Dobbs]

Speaking of 8 year olds....

Harry Reid says that if Petraeus says there's progress in Iraq when he appears before congress, that he (Reid) will stick his fingers in his ears yelling, "Liar, liar pants on fire".

But as he told us a couple of weeks ago, he supports the troops:

Added Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.: "We're going to pick up Senate seats as a result of this war."

And I do NOT question his patriotism. What's left to question? His is sorely lacking.

[Daddy]

Cecil,
"If you really want energy independence, the solution is nuclear (fission) plants now, and nuclear (fusion) plants when the technology is available. Nothing else adds up. And that problem is almost entirely political."
I completely agree with that assessment. Some former asociates used to work on the eddy current (non-destructive testing) side of that industry, where robotic probes were placed into containment piping, which could then be analyzed via computer technology to determine whether cracks were occuring or structural integrity was being maintained within a given unit. They actually admired the French nuke energy program, because though it is not the best technology in the world, each plant was basically a cookie cutter version of each other, so that once their equipment was properly tweaked for a French plant, it was good for all the French plants. Stateside, because of our multitude of different approaches when we built our plants, even unit 1 at a given plant might be significantly different from Unit 2 or 3 etc at the same plant, thus requiring different enough modes of testing and analysis as to cause excess headaches, time and money. Do any of you guy's know if we are actively trying to build a new generation of better, safer units, or are we just treading water? It seems to me that if we were diligently pursuing new plants, it'd be enough of a news worthy project that I'd be aware of it.
I ask this, because from my uneducated view of the fossil fuel situation up here in Alaska, my guess is that ANWR will be forestalled by the environmental lobby in DC. And as our current state production continues to dwindle, I pessimistically expect that our current in-state round of non-negotiations with the big Oil Producers (who own the current leases to our oil), is going to wind up in massive court cases of value only to lawyers. Hope I'm wrong.

[Jeff Dobbs]

I apologize to 8 year olds everywhere* for that last comment -- it was an act of culture-coarsening verbal violence to compare you to Harry Reid. I would not blame you if you responded strongly to that insult.

I Blame Bush.

-------
*except the neighbor's kid who I had in mind when making the comparison...it's apt in his case

[lurker9876]

Clarice, Cecil, et al,

Has anyone heard of an illegal search warrant that Fitzgerald managed to get from some judge to get to Libby's documents?

If so, why didn't the Team Libby use this illegal search as part of their argument?

[clarice]

Lurker, never heard of it.

[Jeff Dobbs]

About 367 jokes pop into my head upon reading this...for now, offered without comment...

from Sheryl and Laurie on huffpo...

And by the way guys, the toilet paper thing...it was a JOKE!!

[Dan S]

I don't like adolescents much. But then I don't like Democrats much either.

No, I will not apologise to adolescents everywhere. They will grow up and get over it. Well, some will.

[Jeff Dobbs]

Well, not all adolescents are democrats, of course.

And not all democrats are adolescents. Some are toddlers. Some are still in diapers. Some are teething.

Celbrate Diversity!

[Jane]

Laurie and Sheryl are funny. They found themselves telling jokes to the man they hate most in America after asserting themselves, uninvited at his table.

A joke? I think not. A career ender, most likely.

[lurker9876]

Clarice, A guy that I work with told me about some illegal search warrant this morning. I'll get more details from him. He's more conservative than I am.