I don’t believe this. Forty years to the day after the beginning of the Six-Day War, and we have a massive buildup of warships off the Iranian coast along with a Category 5 hurricane approaching the Persian Gulf. I have no idea what the hell’s going to happen, but I’m sure that some people will be blaming God.
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More like a Category One cyclone:
“winds of 95 mph with gusts of up to 115 mph”
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200.....IM4Aus0NUE
Besides, it is already morning time in the Middle East — 10 or 11 hours ahead of us. At this same time of day back on June 6, 1967, Israel had already wiped out practically all of the Egyptian Air Force.
My wrong — Six Day War started on June 5, 1967. That means it is already over 40 years ago.
I’ll tell you what’s going to happen … NOV will go up another 10 bucks! Mr. Cynical should’ve bought it at 58, like I told him too. That was about a year ago, and it closed today at 95.
to not too … cripes, I’m starting to spell like a wingnut …
As you know, many wingnuts can’t spell complicated words like “to” or even their own fucking names …
My bad! NOV closed today at 98. I don’t pay much attention to my oil stocks when they go up only a buck or so a day. I get excited about things like CROX going up $8 since I bought it last week. Man, capitalism is great! Sure beats working for Republicans.
6
“IS” HEHEHEHEHE
Note: My system for timing the market works like this. When it’s time to sell my stocks, I’ll sell ’em. Then I’ll wait a little … then I’ll tell our troll friends too late! The idea is to bust ’em. When Democrats have all the money, and Republicans are broke, we’ll be running all the attack ads on TV and there won’t be a fucking thing they can do! We’re gonna swift-boat ’em.
Disclaimer: Roger Rabbit does not purport to give investment advice, nor does he encourage or discourage you unpatriotic trollfucks in buying stocks. You cocksuckers are responsible for your own investment decisions at your own risk! So if you fascist pigfuckers get raped in the stock market — GOOD!!!
@8 First time in your life you’ve ever done anything right, Dufus! How’s it feel?
Stefan is still a coward!!!!!!!!
Pussie!!!!!!!!
11
Too bad you dumbasses don’t know what it means. hehehehe
12
A pussy is someone who won’t go on Fox to answer questions. Of course what would you expect from a party that gets offended by a 105 pound blonde female Ann Coulter.
There’s much more to the U.S. Attorney Scandal than protecting GOP operatives from prosecution for “caging” crimes and harassing Democrats.
For example, in 1993 a Democratic congress passed the “Motor Voter” law, which is supposed to make it easier to register to vote. But under Alberto Gonzales, DoJ’s Civil Rights Division has been purged of career attorneys and filled with partisan hacks who are standing the Motor Voter law on its head — they’re using it to PURGE voter rolls in targeted Democratic leaning states.
An article on Daily Kos describes how this works. For example, DoJ sued Alabama’s Democratic secretary of state — and got a Bush-appointed federal judge to transfer oversight of that state’s 2006 election from the SOS to a “special master” — who happened to be the state’s Republican governor!
For more details of how DoJ brings selective lawsuits against election officials in Democratic-leaning states, see http://www.dailykos.com/storyo.....14453/0897
Of course, the GOP’s election-rigging schemes are much broader and deeper than described here, or in my posts detailing how the GOP cynically takes advantage of overseas military deployments to block minority soldiers from voting. This hydra-like beast has tentacles snaking everywhere.
But what is emerging is that the partisan use of the DoJ’s law enforcement powers to manipulate elections is at the very center of a vast, very expensive, and far-flung election-stealing enterprise that, without question, is organized and coordinated at the highest levels of the party and administration. It has to be. No one else could put together the immense resources required to carry it out.
And at the operational level, the Bush administration is reaching into the ranks of academically marginal but ideologically trustworthy graduates from bottom-tier law schools (like Regent University) to staff its election-stealing campaign. See, e.g., Monica Goodling, who not only didn’t know it was illegal for her to screen assistant U.S. attorney applicants for party loyalty, but hasn’t been laid since high school.
@14 So if Hitler weighed only 105 lbs. he’d be harmless?
@14 (continued) Permit me to explain how stupid the premise of your comment is, Dufus!
I weigh only 30 lbs., but I’m not harmless!
No tax break here
My client was just sentenced to federal prison for failing to file tax returns for 10 years. The IRS sent a SWAT team to his house to seize all his papers and computers. Many would say he got what he deserved.
But he did one thing wrong. He is an American citizen. He did not sneak into the country illegally. If he had, under the new immigration bill, he would not have committed any crime and would only have to pay a maximum of five years of taxes.
I have no problem with the immigration bill. It is a good compromise under the circumstances. However, to be fair, it needs to provide that U.S. citizens who have not filed tax returns also be given a break. What about a maximum of two years of taxes and no criminal penalties for U.S. citizens who do not file tax returns?
I like it. Remember, the “tax paying challenged” are victims too. It’s is time to give them a break.
re 14: Bush is a chickenhawk, deserter, wuss. He’s unclean and inarticulate — like you.
Anyone who refuses to pay their taxes when democrats hold all three branches of government is not only a victim, but a patriot.
DOOFUS @ 20
DO YOU EVER TIRE OF BEING SUCH A LOSING MORON WHO HAS LITTLE LIFE BEYOND REPEATING RIGHT WING LIES?
FOR EXAMPLE: HOW’S THAT ACVR WORKING OUT FOR YOU?
HE HE HE…
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19055570/from/RS.1/
The righties are all starting to throw the cowardly Bush under the bus. Man this is gonna be fun to watch. You righties are fucked.
It’s all fun and games until Bush attacks Iran.
So if you’re not going to pay your taxes any more, then let us arrange your going-away party for Nov. 5, 2008, when America rises up from the sea of bullshit you helped create and wipes the Recraplican party out of existence and sets your beloved Chimpster fleeing into certain exile in Paraguay to avoid war-crimes prosecution.
Pelletbreath@6 still is searching for the meaning of “IF”!
Category 5 Ahead: Well it already happened.
The two new Hilary Cliton books are out and they ain’t too flattering!
Moonbat!s you can get both at Amazon for ~$35. I may have to read them so I can quote from them regarding the smartest woman in pants!
We already have the smartest woman in sneakers as a senator!
Another Category 5. Now is the time to place this here on ‘Wipes! Here is how the lib MSM couches articles to keep everything gloom and doom:
http://tinyurl.com/2g574g
“Wall Street is not anticipating signs of more robust U.S. economic growth when an index of May manufacturing activity is released Friday.
Economists expect the Institute for Supply Management’s May manufacturing index, scheduled for release at 10 a.m. EDT, to decline to 54, from a 54.7 reading in April, according to Thomson Financial. A figure above 50 indicates the manufacturing sector is expanding.”
Yet: http://ism.ws/
The value came in higher at 55. Anything above 50 is expanding economy.
And the NY Times wrote:
U.S. Service Sector Expands
Tuesday June 5, 11:20 AM EDT
NEW YORK (AP) — The nation’s service sector expanded at a faster-than-expected pace in May, suggesting it could help sustain broader economic growth as the automotive and housing industries slump, a research group said Tuesday. [emphasis mine] – The report didn’t have anything in it on automotive activity, yet the NYT adds this “tidbit” for their biases!
The Institute for Supply Management, based in Tempe, Ariz., said its index of business activity in the non-manufacturing sector was 59.7 in May. The reading was higher than April’s reading of 56 and Wall Street’s expectation of 56.
Oops sorry for not closing my bold.
How do you insert links, do bold print and other styling stuff on this blog? I don’t see any menue ro anything that looks like it will do anything to the font or anythig else.
David Taylor,
You have to “mark up” text with html tags. Some tags are listed above the comment window. Here are some examples:
Example: <i>this stuff italics</i>
Example: <strong>this stuff bold</strong>
Example: <a href=”http://hominidviews.com”>Hominid Views</a>
Be sure to proof your work in the lower window before submitting the comment.
Like this?
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Thank you for the help, Darryl!
Thank you for the help!!
What will happen to Social Security if the “informally emigrated” Mexicans stop paying into it?
It always pays to figure out the real reason cheap labor conservatives are pushing something, and then watch how they manipulate to get what they want.
Reagan doubling SS withholding and then giving it all to defense contractors instead of holding on to it like he was legally bound to do is a huge ripoff of taxpaying citizens.
The corporate elite and the military/industrial complex must go.
What will happen to Social Security if the “informally emigrated” Mexicans stop paying into it?
=======
All the more reason to have an IRA and participate in any retirement plan that’s available at work. The government can’t be trusted!
Enron @34
Yep, “any retirement plan that’s available at work” is surely better than a rock-solid government program. The problem with many many libertarians is that they don’t realize that there are other forces more dangerous to personal liberty (and finances) than the government.
Why pick on poor God because of a few winds off of Iran? Anyone watching last night’s Puboican debate would have wondered whether God shyould not have come in person to moderate the debate.
SeattleJew
Nindid,
Have you heard about not putting all your eggs in one basket? Well, you do the same with your retirement funds. Putting ALL your retirement money into your company’s stock is a very, very unwise idea. Anyone who does that is taking inordinate risk!
Who is more dangerous to personal liberty than the government? The cops? No, wait a minute – they’re part of the government. The Military? Nope again – another government-sponsored group. George W. Bush? Yep, but guess what? He’s part of the government! Congress – yep, and ditto.
Unless there’s a rash of mass kidnapping going on by pirates or hoodlums, the only ones I can see that are truly a theat to personal liberty is the government.
Describing social security as “rock solid” is a quaint idea. Even charming. Returns are mediocre at best, but if people like it, then they should go for it. There are folks out there, however, who’d like to have a little control. They realize that social security is another example of good intentions gone wrong. Social security is a pretty inferior way to save for retirement, and anyone counting on it is deluding themselves.
We can’t do away with social security, but we should allow younger folks to choose. Unfortunately, many of us a stuck with the current system, but future generations should be given the option as to whether or not they choose to participate or to take care of themselvs.
Just out of curiousity Nindid, how old are you, do you have an IRA going, do you participate in any retirement plans available at work (401K, 403B, TSA, etc.) and are you counting on social security to really do much for you in retirement?
Who is more dangerous to personal liberty than the government? The cops? No, wait a minute – they’re part of the government. The Military? Nope again – another government-sponsored group. George W. Bush? Yep, but guess what? He’s part of the government! Congress – yep, and ditto.
As with most Libertarians, you’re missing a very big piece of the puzzle. Liberty is also about having options and opportunity. When you decide that a government by the people can’t provide safety nets as a counterbalance to markets, you limit options and opportunity in a society. It’s extremely easy and affordable to have a guaranteed social security system. People like it because it doesn’t have risk. I’m not sure where you get this idea that social security is insecure, but that view is not backed up by any numbers or evidence.
“Liberty is also about having options and opportunity”
==
How about the oportunity to choose to opt out. That’s the problem you socialists don’t understand: you’re all for personal freedom unless it means somebody actually exercising personal financial freedom in choosing their own route to retirement security.
Look, what’s wrong with choice? If a person likes the social security system, he or she should stick with it. If he or she chooses to use those funds witheld from his or her paycheck to invest in something other than what social security has to offer, then so be it. It’s about freedom of choice. That may mean people may make decisions in opposition to your belief set. Why would you have a problem with that? also, why do you people always look to government as the answer to everything?
BTW, are you depending solely on social security for YOUR retirement?
I never said social security was insecure. I said it was an inferior investment vehicle for retirement.
Imposter dick @ 33:
Get your own screen name and stop making a parody of mine.
This is why you libs lost so many elections, you don’t have any of your own ideas. Let’s face facts girls, the Democrats didn’t get hired last Nov, the Republicans got fired. And when the rest of the country sees what whussies you gals truly are, you’ll be back in your comfort zone — unemployed.
Rog’ @ 7:
There you go again, acting like you “know” something about the stock market when in reality your looking charts and picking out the winners you “wished” you’d played.
Good luck, you dumb victim bunny.
Rog’
By the way: YOU SMELL LIKE BUTT!
“Roger Rabbit says:
As you know, many wingnuts can’t spell complicated words like “to” or even their own fucking names …
Wasn’t it your “preznit” who did know what “is” “is” when in reality he knew he was getting a fucking blow job from his 22 year old intern and blew his wad on her blue evening gown?
How fitting she was wearing a “blue” dress while she was giving a hummer to Blow Job Bill. Do you think that got on video tape?
Perhaps she was wearing her “blew” dress because she knew she’d be doing some presidential cock sucking?
Yeah, whatever “is” “is” it isn’t telling the truth.
correction at 45:
Should read: Wasn’t it your “preznit” who didn’t know what “is” “is” when in reality he knew he was getting a fucking blow job from his 22 year old intern and blew his wad on her blue evening gown?
Puddybud @ 28:
Ooops, there you go again. Citing facts, figures and the articles.
Don’t you know that’s an “assult on reason?”
Stop doing that, this is a lib blog where things such as the truth, facts, figures and history don’t matter.
Your link was a good read BTW.
See, that’s the trouble with this blog. Anyone can come on here and create any screen name they like. Even a screen name that wouldn’t make a particularly hard-of-thinking second-grader think they were the Worst. President. Ever. Elected or Un.
Oh, I’m the President and I’m OK,
I sleep all night and I bomb all day.
I cut down trees and evildoers,
I serve a higher law.
I wish I’d been elected,
Just like my dear papa!
re 38: IRA’s 401K’s, 403B, TSA, etc. These are all government created financial instruments.
When you spout your simplistic economic nonsense you just aggravate all the adults on HA.
You prattle on-and-on like a 9 year old.
@41
Nothing is wrong with a choice. I think people should be able to choose whether or not to save on their own for retirement or to rely on social security.
And no, I’m not depending on social security for my retirement, but I believe that others can make that choice, and I don’t disparage those who make that choice. And any smart society ensures that people can make that choice.
@41 – Continued…
Furthermore, even though I don’t plan to rely on social security, I gladly pay taxes to ensure that this country has a safety net for those who do rely on it. I was very fortunate to have the opportunities I’ve had in my life and part of making sure that more people have those opportunities is to make sure that government provides for this country’s basic needs.
And yes, I consider myself a libertarian. I just understand the complexities involved in having real liberty within a society.
Libertarian asked:
And what happens to those that opt out, and then lose everything, either through poor investments or simple bad luck?
The reason we have the Social Security system is a safety net. We insist that everyone have at least that bare minimum. (And by the way, that bare minimum is quite bare indeed.)
Why would we do that? Simple. Our society has determined that it is unacceptable to have old folks and disabled folks starving in our streets simply because they made poor choices.
Choice includes the option to fail. If people fail in this area, then we either have taxpayers pick up the tab or we let folks starve. Social Security is set up so that, at least in theory, people cannot completely fail in providing for old age and disability.
In a purely capitalist, libertarian (small “l”) society, we would simply tell them to either get family members to support them, beg, or starve. While you are welcome to argue that it is not society’s responsibility to support those that have failed in making provision for their own support, I will simply disagree. In my opinion, this falls under the “common good” category, along with public schools and environmental protection.
And it seems that enough of our society agrees with me that we’re likely to keep some form of common Social Security benefit.
John, you might want to check out James Galbraith’s (son of the late John Kenneth Galbraith) research at the University of Texas Inequality Project. In particular this paper (link to a PDF) argues that there is an inverse relationship between employment and income inequality. It’s a working paper, not yet fully published or peer-reviewed, but the data are very interesting.
Lee
I think the spin word response to “libertarians” should be opportunity.
In an Ayn Rand society, some people will control the resources others need to compete.
OTOH, few societies do provide full opportunity for all, ours does less and less of this.
I also find it unacceptable that the sole good in society should be earning money. For example, in Judaism it is required to support scholars. Is Harold Bloom of less vlaue to our society than Donald Trump? True opportunity means somehow leveling the playing field enough that Bloom can do his good work even though he is, perhaps, earning less money than he could if he worked as a stock broker rather than as a great literary critic.
SeattleJew
Seattle Jew,
I agree. I think the term libertarian has been co-opted to stand for something that is often diametrically opposed to greater liberty.
Ah, since I’m posting here and using my real name, my comments are showing up as Lee, rather than thehim…
@56
In Judaism, I believe, it is also required that you forgive someone of their debts after seven years, and that you cannot charge interest (usury) on loans…
I’m not surprised that people would want to use the word “opportunity” to throw a wrench into the works. You can use it to mean all sorts of things, and it sounds Good and Important to the average Joe.
Frankly, I don’t think Opportunity has anything to do with Liberty. You can tack it on, but that doesn’t mean it belongs there. Opportunity, the way I imagine you to mean it, is a Leftist idea, I think: another way to justify social engineering by the government.
Liberty, IMO, has to do with the freedom to make meaningful choices, not necessarily the opportunity to make choices. I think Opportunity is a good thing to have, but NOT at the price of curtailing Liberty. If some sort of balance must be maintained, then I think it should be heavily weighted towards Liberty, rather than Opportunity: what good is it to be able to have choices if you aren’t free to choose as you see fit? OTOH, I can see that Liberty is useless if you never get a chance to exercise it, like a man going down a waterfall.
Libertarians aren’t anarchists. We believe that there must be government, and therefore we must give up some of our freedoms in order to obtain those things for which we believe government exists to provide. But I, at least, do not feel that Opportunity is one of the things the governent exists to provide. As a result, when the government tries to provide it, I, and others that think as I do, consider it an overstepping of bounds by the government, and we oppose it on those grounds.
IMO, Opportunity arises as a result of us going about our business and interacting with the world and with each other. That is, Opportunity arises naturally as a result of us exercising our Liberty: it falls upon us, as individuals, to seize upon those moments when Opportunity arises and use them to our benefit. By asking the government to manufacture Opportunity for you, you cease to need to be alert and reactive to your world and fellow men and women; I don’t think that is a positive development either as individuals or as a society.
Tuor,
I simply don’t see how it’s possible for there to be opportunity without things like schools and infrastructure. Those things just won’t magically appear because of the free market. Those are things that have to be invested in first before the people working within a capitalist system can have real opportunities.
That said, I believe that over time, as a society advances, less and less of our needs should come from the government. In other words, government should be like training wheels. If you can balance without them, you should take them off. But if you find that you’re falling down (see: our disaster of a health care system), you put them back on until you figure out a better way.
Lee @60,
As far as schools are concerned (and I’ve come to abhor government schools), I suppose I could argue that you cannot have liberty if you are so clueless as to not be able to grasp the issues you are supposed to be making choices about. The ‘liberal education’ that is talked about is supposed to “free” people from ignorance so that they can make informed decisions. In this respect, and insofar as schools do help people achieve that ideal of informed choice, I support government schools, even if I have to hold my nose (for other reasons) to do so.
Building and maintaining our infrastructure *is* one of the things I think government is supposed to do. In fact, I think it is one of the most important things it is supposed to do. Remember: I’m a libertarian (more or less), not an anarchist.
As for free enterprise, my views on it are a lot different than that of Conservatives: they would HATE my view. Heh heh. Essentially, I would: destroy corporate personhood, making all corporate income personal income and thus TAXABLE as any other individual income; shift to a flat tax; eliminate laws that protect companies from competition; make copyright laws last a very short time, and not at all after an inventor is dead; have ALL goods coming into the US get taxed; eliminate all “donations” (bribes) to politicians: they can live off the salaries we the taxpayer provides for them, or they can go home. Oh, and if you want to have foreign investments: it’s not the US government’s job to protect them or you if you leave the country; you’re on your own if you want to set up shop in, say, Nigeria, and, as noted above, we will tax whatever goods you bring in from your shiny foreign factory.
That’s just some of what I’m talking about. The thing is, we don’t really have a free market, and probably never will have one. The rich protect their investments by buying politicans to enact laws that protect them from real competition.
As for your hope of tomorrow. IMO, you either treat people like adults, and hope they respond as adults, or you treat them like dumb animals, and that is how they will remain. When you give people things, they rarely appreciate it, and they don’t develop the mentality of doing things on their own. Instead, they develop the mentality of waiting for others to give them what they want, and *expecting* those things as their just due.
When I look at what happened to those people during Katrina who went into the Superdome… I see people who have become so used to doing what they were told in return for treats, like Pavlov’s dog, that they lost the ability to make decisions on their own: the government said “stay”, and so they stayed, even when they saw the water rising. It epitomizes the sort of mentality I’m talking about, and shows why I think people need to develop more self-sufficiency.
I think ultimately, most of us want the same sort of thing: a world in which people can be happy and free. A world where people know the ramifications of their choices. A world where people treat one another with mutual respect, even if they don’t really understand each other. A place where people live in comfort, but not excess. I just don’t think you can get there by having the government enact programs with the aim of bringing that about.