China to Bush: Stay out of our affairs 
- no matter what you think about China's state of human rights, I thought it was quite a bit odd and untimely to criticize them right before coming there for the Olympic Opening Ceremony.
Have a wonderful Thursday!
__________________________
"To discuss evil in a manner implying neutrality, is to sanction it." AR
All that really matters is...
the Browns preseason starts tonight
Hines Ward, just goes around spearing random defenders
Give me bread and circuses!
__________________________In our society, people are rewarded for pretending to be certain about things they're clearly not certain about. -- Sam Harris,
San Diego's is on Saturday!
Ah, bring on the gridiron!
__________________________"Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue." ~ B. Goldwater
www.TheRedWing.com
Lights Out
Merriman goes
__________________________Lights Outall out to cheat to win.In our society, people are rewarded for pretending to be certain about things they're clearly not certain about. -- Sam Harris,
LOL! Dang Brutus, we can't even...
...celebrate the coming of the NFL season without casting stones?
Yikes!
I feel sorry for Shawne, for his team mates, and the NFL if this is the start of something larger?
__________________________"Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue." ~ B. Goldwater
www.TheRedWing.com
At least they have Darren Sproles...
It's easy to throw stones at a player that does a stupid dance after sacks and even some TFL even when the offense blows a blocking scheme and leaves Shawne unblocked on the play side.
__________________________In our society, people are rewarded for pretending to be certain about things they're clearly not certain about. -- Sam Harris,
Ward is teh man
You won't ever give me a break on Hines Ward, will you?
Next time you're at my house, I'm going to demand you get all of your hatred for that tough-playing WR once and for all
__________________________I never broke the law; I am the law! --
George W. BushJudge DreddI'm listening to...
This is what victory looks like?
I guess someone should let the Iraqi's know the surge was a success...
__________________________I came. I saw. I posted.
Veni, Vidi, Bitchy.
you're in the wrong thread
n/t
__________________________"Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue." ~ B. Goldwater
www.TheRedWing.com
Nah
I was just putting this in the daily open thread...
which is not to say I didn't have you in mind when I did :)
__________________________I came. I saw. I posted.
Veni, Vidi, Bitchy.
Oh, ok then... LOL!
Well, with all due respect, I hardly think to say that there are hurdles yet to clear in the newly formed democracy is representative of a failure of the surge?
Do you?
__________________________"Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue." ~ B. Goldwater
www.TheRedWing.com
Since the primary reason for the surge
was to provide enough breathing room for political reconcilliation the lack of said reconcilliation at least indicates that the concept of the surge had a flaw...
The surge managed to tamp down violence, but that wasn't the ultimate goal. The ultimate goal was to resolve a bunch of political snags. Hence the benchmarks. Notice that only a coupe of those benchmarks were actually met (becareful not to be confused between the benchmarks being actually met and the administrations claim that 15 of 19 had show "sufficient progress," The latter claim is essentially meaningless).
Now it is fair to say of the soldiers executing the surge that the goals that were set for them were not ones they could actually meet, and so the fault is not theirs but the planners. But some of us have been saying that all along.
__________________________I came. I saw. I posted.
Veni, Vidi, Bitchy.
Ok, so they met 15 of 19 stated benchmarks...
...set for them.
I don't quite follow your explanation of the different benchmarks?
But, suffice it to say, because the Iraqi's themselves could not resolve whatever issues, is not unlike our own congress' inability to do the same.
The surge has provided them breathing room to do what they should.
We can't pass laws, and make policy for them now can we?
__________________________"Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue." ~ B. Goldwater
www.TheRedWing.com
Even better!
15/18.
But also worse: they actually made "satisfactory" progress towards meeting most of those.
Edit: oops, I should read the thread before jumping in to reply to a recent comment.
__________________________Come, my friends. 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world -- Tennyson
Thursday Open Thread...
What is going on with Hillary?
This whole PUMA thing is a enormous thorn in the side of the Obama campaign on the way to the coronation. And now she hints at calling for a roll call vote at the convention?
Interesting!
I don't blame them...
I believe she was by far the strongest, more qualified candidate the Democrats had this cycle, but the same phenomenon the MSM laid on the Republicans, and Mitt Romney, they played on Hillary, by touting the "fantastic-ness" of John McCain and Barack Obama respectively.
In retrospect, in my view the American people got ripped off, and the MSM chose the candidates this time around, and they are both second rate at that.
Maybe its just my Conservative sensibilities, but even in my most open minded moments, I shudder at the thought of seeing Barack Obama becoming POTUS!
__________________________"Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue." ~ B. Goldwater
www.TheRedWing.com
Right and.... Rudy was the
strongest candidate on the Republican side, but he lost. And Huckabee got more votes than McCain so he should automatically be McCain's VP.
Hillary and Bill both support Barack. Some of Hill's supporters are a little carried away and angry, but many in this PUMA movement, imho, are actually Republicans stirring up trouble, since they have such a weak candidate in John McCain.
Bill said, Obama should win, and I think he will win.
Hillary said, that it is important that her supporters express themselves and then unite behind Obama. I think she has been a bit surprised by the rabid fervor of some of her supporters and their stubbornness.
This drama is a bit overblown, by as I see it 'the other side', or how McCain goes fishing votes.
In case you missed it here is a great article by Hillary Clinton (sounding a like Naomi Kline) that was overlooked by the media.
No Crises Left Unexploited Under Bush
This is the kind of hard hitting analysis that she would be unable to articulate if she were the nominee. Good on Hillary for standing up!
__________________________It is the economy, stupid.
Somehow we don't see this the same...
...surprise, surprise. LOL!
Mitt Romney was the strongest candidate in my estimation, by a long shot. Dem's don't like that and fault him for (you name it) but that's only because they know I'm right.
Romney won or came in second in every primary he entered, until the MSM looking for the come back kid story in McCain, sunk his ship.
I think you should take a look at Hillary's talk here
, and consider Bills recent rhetoric before you jump to any conclusions about the veracity of their support for BO.
Of course in the end they'll fall in the ranks, but her supporters, contrary to your wishes that they were some fringe element conspiring with some trouble making Repubs, is a large, vocal, determined contingent of angry democrats.
And they will only seeth with more frustration as they watch Hillary being ostracized by the DNC.
So sure, McCain is happy to pick those votes off.
__________________________"Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue." ~ B. Goldwater
www.TheRedWing.com
Dream On.....
Bill's comments were quote, Obama should be President, and He will be President, unquote,. Does that leave any questions.
The Clintons aren't stupid. Part of their legacy will be helping to elect the first black President of the US.
Romney...... total flip flopper with a record to prove it.
__________________________It is the economy, stupid.
I'll leave the dreaming to you...
...Bill begrudgingly gave BO even the most hesitant of affirmative nods, he questioned his readiness to lead, and was clearly uneasy giving any positive input!
And Hillary as you saw in that video is outright calling for justice for her supporters!
Romney was more liberal as Gov of Mass, yes, but look at the state he was chief executive of!
He now has transended that limitation and embodies the heart of the Conservative movement in America. A Reagan Republican to be sure, but that segment makes up the majority of conservatives in America today.
His platform is rock solid.
__________________________"Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue." ~ B. Goldwater
www.TheRedWing.com
Yet you ignore
the last part of his statement which I will repeat for a third time.
Barack should be President and he will be President.
That doesn't leave any doubt.
Pay closer attention to what Hillary says at the end.
You are making way too much out of this little kerfluffle.
__________________________It is the economy, stupid.
Ok, have it your way.... hehe?
n/t
__________________________"Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue." ~ B. Goldwater
www.TheRedWing.com
The Democrats Are On That Road To Abilene...
The Abilene Paradox, a particular type of pathological group think, occurs when group members unanimously agree in their hearts to proposition A, but vote publicly with unanimity against it. In the defining fable, a Texas family on a hot summer's afternoon, one-by-one voice enthusiasm for Dad's idle suggestion to drive two hours to Abilene for dinner. Not one of them, including Dad, wants to do it, but each feels the need to support the other members' consensus. Sure enough, they go, and between the sweltering car ride and the awful meal, everyone's expectations of failure are vindicated.
So why did they "agree" to go in the first place? Peer pressure, the wish to be in-sync, and each thinks maybe the others might be smarter and that he will be thought stupid for dissenting - the Emperor's Clothes effect. If just one had cracked and spoken their doubts during the initial discussion, the others could have found it possible to say no too. By the time the family was sweating in the car, nobody could speak up without losing face.
The Texas family all wanted the same thing -- a pleasant dinner, but they valued get along, go along family harmony even more. The Dem family also agrees on one goal - to win the presidency. But during the primaries reasonable thinkers among the leadership knew that Obama was unelectable. He had zero executive experience and a history of embarrassingly extreme left wing associations and ideas. Yet they were cowed, against their inner judgment, by a coalition of the media, the Soros club financiers, the idealistic youth, the Clinton averse, the new racialists, and the Marxist academia to make a choice that had little to do with winning.
Now it is too late. They are in the sweltering car heading towards Abilene. Though Obama is still the darling of the drive-bys, his gaffes, reversals, straddles and threats to strangle the economy is registering with the voters. He is a loser.
A fall back to Hillary at the convention, with the admission that Obama is flawed has its own risks. His weakness is the truth that dare not be spoken. For what does it say about the Party and its ideas and judgment?
But what if a crack forms and Obama misses on the first ballot in Denver? When a hollow Abilene consensus begins to fracture, a high velocity implosion will follow.
__________________________"Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue." ~ B. Goldwater
www.TheRedWing.com
Unelectable, yet ahead in the polls.
Concern trolling just a wee bit?
Considering that it was a very close primary, the unanimity you cite was lacking. There were a lot of arguments about who was the best option (some quite fierce)
Strangely, it was the Republicans who elected the guy that none of them really seem to like...
I don't get the trolling comment?
But I agree, we Republicans were led by the nose by the MSM, just like you were.
This is the year the American people let the MSM pick their choices, more so than any of the 9 POTUS elections I have been alive and old enough to recall.
Sad for both parties.
__________________________"Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue." ~ B. Goldwater
www.TheRedWing.com
Concern trolling
The whole "I'm just trying to help you Democrats! You are making a big mistake and you should really consider that you shouldn't support the candidate that you support and who you voted for. This isn't because I want you to lose, but because I want you to be happy with your choice" schtick.
I don't think Republicans made a mistake with McCain, as much as he timed his peak better than the other candidates; none of whom were capable of being a front-runner without self-desructing (or freaking out part of the Republican Coalition.)
Republican primary idiocy
Republicans made the mistake of having winner-take-all primaries. In the early states McCain ended up winning based on having the largest coalition, but he still wasn't too popular. In SC he won with 33% of the vote.
__________________________I never broke the law; I am the law! --
George W. BushJudge DreddI'm listening to...
Of note..... group think
or being the most popular, is how you win an election.
After the last eight years, the only safe bet, is to vote for change. Caution precludes that we make a change.
Obama has done very well in Illinois and is hardly the demon you pretend.
__________________________It is the economy, stupid.
Demon, of course not...
...fake, hollow, way left liberal liberal with selective memory, yes! ;-)
By the way, I'd like to hear, why do you think he went and listened to Jeremiah Wright spew anti American/Jewish/White/etc sermons on Sundays for 20 years, had that vile man marry him, and would even allow him to touch his kids let alone baptize them into that church that suffers from such a psychic illness?
Please rationalize that one away for me, or are we just supposed to pretend that it didn't happen, or it was the old Barack, or it wasn't like it sounded, or we don't get it cause we never bothered to read racist theoretic nonsense from an idiot like James Cone?
Sorry, but this issue still seems so unfathomable, it is surrealistic, and this is the guy you think should run our country? One thing is clear and can not be refuted, BO makes poor choices on a regular basis!
__________________________"Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue." ~ B. Goldwater
www.TheRedWing.com
Because pastors say crazy things all the time
We find the Hagee's, Dobson's and Donohue's of the world a lot more frightening in that they actually attempt to exert political power through their congregations and political endorsements. I'm voting against McCain because of who he would appoint to the supreme court, what countries he would bomb, what crimes he would ignore and what laws he would sign, not who his friends and pastors were.
The person who officiated at my wedding was a close friend, devout member of a religion not my own, and politically as far right as anyone I know. I also happen to know that how I would vote and govern has nothing to do with his political or religious views.
You are just trying to rationalize a decision you've already made. You don't want to vote for Obama for reasons that have nothing to do with his pastor.
You are quite mistaken...
I find you Religious Right bashing amusing in light of what point you are failing to make.
I'm am voting for McCain for the exact same reasons you are voting for BO. However I haven't the ethical, and character quandaries you have to hurdle in the process.
I assure you I was quite sincere in my curiousity as to how otherwise seemingly sane people could be tricked by such evident means. ;-)
The stakes in this year's presidential campaign are high. But that's nothing new. There have been many other pivotal presidential elections in our history, some that set an entirely new course for the United States and a few that were crucial to the very survival of the republic. Never have the people been forced to consider such a man with no experience, questionable (to put it mildly) integrity, and extreme political views.
Barack Obama is hardly the appropriate candidate to inherent the highest office in the land, one that requires the qualities he most lacks.
__________________________"Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue." ~ B. Goldwater
www.TheRedWing.com
But I have no hurdles
My point is that what a member (even a leader) of his church said gives me no pause at all. Especially when he was more than willing to denounce specific statements as being against his personal beliefs.
Therefore I have no hurdles based on what Jeremiah Wright says any more than what you have based on what McCain's class mates at Annapolis may have done.
Put another way, if you can separate McCain's personal dishonors/lack of integrity (adultery etc) from your perspective on how he would govern, I really don't see why you should be surprised that others are able to separate out Obama's lack of intercession in what a leader in his church did.
As for the "extreme political views" comments, that is the Republican story line every single election.
Your point has weak legs!
Look! McCain did not have his classmates as his mentor, he did not have them baptize his kids, he did not listen to tapes of his classmates, he did not go see his classmates every week for 20 years to hear them say evil hate filled things, only to denounce them under extreme pressure of being exposed, just so he could be POTUS. He threw his Pastor away, but only when he was shown publicly to be what he was? His classmates were not racist pigs like Jeremiah Wright!
You must really have a need to blind yourself to this reality, and to think you can explain it away by some simpleton rhetoric would be laughable, if it weren't so sad.
__________________________"Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue." ~ B. Goldwater
www.TheRedWing.com
Don't need strong legs
I'm not trying to move anything.
If I needed something stronger, I'd talk about McCains more recent classmates such as Karl Rove, Jesse Helms and George W Bush. (Heck, go to George HW Bush and his disgusting words about atheists)
I've seen enough information on how a President McCain would act and, despite your protestations, how a President Obama would to intelligently compare them and come to a reasoning preference. That you think anybody should seriously consider facilitating a less preferred outcome because of someone's pastor seems ridiculous. I'd be much more likely to vote against someone over their adultery than over their pastor's words but while Edwards' adultery would have been enough to change my support during the primaries, it wouldn't have been sufficient to get me to vote for McCain in the general.
Listen, vote for whomever you like...
...I would be the last person to try to prevent you from excercising that right.
But to see liberals simply ignore, diffuse, and scramble around such an offensive (To me) attributes (Wright and others) of the Obama candidacy is fascinating?
__________________________"Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue." ~ B. Goldwater
www.TheRedWing.com
Further evidence of McCain's pickle
Is his new ad, touting his 'maverickness' where dems compliment him will sound like fingernails on a chalk board to social conservatives. The host of dems features all of the GOP favorites, including John Kerry. Clueless, the man is clueless.
__________________________It is the economy, stupid.
Unless I was on to something regarding the Puma's...;-)
Is this site running very slowly tonight?
__________________________"Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue." ~ B. Goldwater
www.TheRedWing.com
The site is painfully slow.....
I appreciate your seeming good humor with all the lol's and :-)'s.
Must be all that meditation. :o}
__________________________It is the economy, stupid.
It gets that way
Ender's host isn't the best in the world. They have random problems every so often.
__________________________I never broke the law; I am the law! --
George W. BushJudge DreddI'm listening to...
I think the grand PooBah's here should sell ads in the margin.
Not sure how much it would bring in, but I think it'd allow for all the work you all have put into the site.
I can host
Once I get a decent job, I'd be more than happy to host the site on dedicated hardware for less than what Ender's paying now (up to and including free). No need for ads unless this turns into a for-profit venture, which would sully it a bit.
__________________________I never broke the law; I am the law! --
George W. BushJudge DreddI'm listening to...
how would you swing that?
I don't think the site merits that kind of nice dedicated server hosting with our traffic, but we do need something better than what we have. I am open to ideas for switching.
__________________________"To discuss evil in a manner implying neutrality, is to sanction it." AR
I'm a nerd
I have hardware laying around. :-)
This site should run pretty well on a P3 933 w/around 512MB of RAM. I could get a business-class cable account as well. I'd probably need one anyway if I got the job of which I spoke earlier.
I'm just spitballing at the moment. No need to get excited. :-)
__________________________I never broke the law; I am the law! --
George W. BushJudge DreddI'm listening to...
I see your nerdness and raise you
The front page, authentication database and heck, everything but the long lost archive, can't be that large. Shouldn't take too much memory to cache most of the site.
Accessing the page with firebug active shows that it is mostly being downloaded in parrallel (with a few exceptions) with a few hundred Kb on the wire per page access.
We could do a temporary hosting (even offline) and then optimize the crap out of the thing.
What is wrong with you guys making money?
You'd think a liberal like me shouldn't have to be saying something like that....but really. Ads in the margins are OK. Just don't hit us with tons of Pop-Ups.
Not about making money
We're just nerding out here. I'd want to optimize this sucker even with ads (although the ads redirect does slow things down)
We might have to go to .com once the place was a money making venture though.
5$ a month
And worth every penny!
We need to hit it more often so it stays cached in memory and in the DB
Russia and Georgia near starting full scale war
Georgian Forces Attack South Ossetia
Georgia warns of war if Russia enters rebel region: official
Fox News reports that Georgia has claimed to shot down 4 Russian jets and that Russia is not pleased that Georgia is exerting control over a region with many "Russians." Also at least some of the US troops have already left 2 or 3 days ago. [no link]
__________________________In our society, people are rewarded for pretending to be certain about things they're clearly not certain about. -- Sam Harris,
Putin is an old school evil empire type...
...look out.
__________________________"Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue." ~ B. Goldwater
www.TheRedWing.com
If this spreads to Georgia proper, it may just continue to roll.
The Soviets are still pissed they lost so many countries.
Being that we are good buds with both Georgia & Russia, this could get real ugly real fast.
The 800 lb. gorilla is throwing it's weight around. They don't care what we think.
Russsia will roll in and take what they want...
...in that province of Georgia, it will happen quickly, end, and the world won't do a thing.
__________________________"Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue." ~ B. Goldwater
www.TheRedWing.com
Georgia has a key oil pipeline route
Surprise Surprise
Georgia is a key transit point for oil from the Caspian region destined for Europe and the United States. Crucially, it is the only practical route from this increasingly important producer region that avoids both Russia and Iran.
If this isn't handled well, I imagine we will suddenly find that there is a 'terrorist' threat in Georgia, that the US must address.
Kurdish separatists recently attacked the the pipeline that delivers oil to the ports of Turkey.
Georgia borders the Russian republic of Chechnya.
Oh my.
__________________________It is the economy, stupid.
It's agreed.....
The Chinese are right; George W. Bush should just be a guest at the Olympics, and not meddle in their affairs.