HorsesAss.Org

Open Thread 10/3

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– Michelle Obama came to town.

– Another anti-Inslee ad with someone who isn’t a great spokesperson.

– More Italians bought bikes than cars last year. Next year, Washington?

– I like the idea of Olympia as mighty metropolis.

– The Thurston County Chamber of Commerce opposes it. The Olympian opposes it. If that is not reason enough right there to support Thurston County Proposition No. 1, it’s time you turn in your Occupy Olympia underpants.

– Richard Conlin makes the case for Surface-Transit-I-5.

– Twitter has really given people the opportunity to pack so much wrong into so few words.

Comments

  1. 1

    – Twitter has really given people the opportunity to pack so much wrong into so few words.

    I think HA should have a ‘Twitter Day’.

    If nothing else, it would be fun watching Roger Rabbit’s head explode if he had to limit himself to 140 characters.

  4. 4

    On my drive in, the AM conservative talk shows were especially shrill today:

    One national radio show was literally screaming that President Obama was covering up the real truth of the dangerous Arabs in Benghazi
    The other national radio show was going on an on about how you couldn’t trust President Obama because he talked “White” to white audiences.
    The local conservative talk show was talking about how scary young black men had killed an old white guy.
    Conservatives: Attack character. Spread Fear

    And on the liberal show?
    They were talking about how Ryan and Romney’s budget plans couldn’t work, the math did pencil out. And fart jokes.
    Liberals: Talk Facts.

  6. 6

    @5
    If you’re going to invoke CNN for some sort of ‘mainstreaminess’ why link to a HotAir opinion/analysis piece blaring their spin on what CNN did?

    You are profoundly, though more and more transparently, dishonest.

  7. 7

    @4
    It’s going to be a long October.

    Starting with

    ‘SOLYNDRA!!!’, ‘FAST-N-FURIOUS!!’, ‘ACT OF WAAAAARRRRR!!11!!!’,

    it is obviously and inevitably descending into

    ‘AYERS!!’, ‘WRIGHT!!1!’, ‘RACE HUSTLER!!’, ‘WELFARE CHEATS!!1!!1!!’

    You know where this is going….

  8. 8

    Wow. In the Boston Globe today this story…

    Neither Brown nor Warren has disclosed legal work

    Not a word about a law license. Sucks to be puddl…

  9. 9

    This is how rational people should be talking about Benghazi:

    Why was a lightly guarded US Ambassador in a semi-lawless Libyan city filled with militias, both pro- and anti-American ones?
    And on the anniversary of Al Qaeda’s 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington?
    Should threats, albeit vague and non-specific ones, have been taken more seriously by Ambassador Stevens and the diplomatic security team around him?
    What’s the best way to identify and dismantle the group responsible for the murders?
    And, most importantly, what are the benefits of having diplomats that take some risks versus the costs of having a fearful diplomatic corps living in bunkers?

    But are these the questions being asked by America’s political classes? No. Instead we have an ever increasing drumbeat of partisan attacks entirely focused on attacking President Barack Obama as the race for the White House against Mitt Romney enters its closing stages.

    http://www.csmonitor.com/World.....-go-around

    Instead we have talk show host screaming and trolls sniping.

  10. 10

    @6

    Because its profoundly easier to make your point by linking to a right wing blog’s opinion on what CNN reports rather than show what a source told CNN he thinks happened. And then we’ll interview Mike (Let’s stay in Iraq forever) Rogers (‘member him Piddles?).

    Funny though, they keep throwing this story out there, everyone who pays even a slight amount of attention knew (9 minutes on Rachel Maddow the day after) that it was a terrorist attack and here we are close to a month later and it’s not helping Willard at all. At least they can’t bitch that the “lamestream” media isn’t covering it. Well Puddy can, he likes to say they aren’t covering something that has 2000+ google matches on a news search.

    Must suck to be Cereal. “Hey, I keep showing you the same info but, but, but, you make me think so you agree with me now. Willard in 2012! It can happen!”

  11. 11

    Could part of the reason health care is so expensive be the 15 page full color glossy a hospital that’s further from my home than four others bulk mailed to thousands of homes? I’m looking at you UW Valley medical.

  13. 13

    Hey Serial “It’s acceptable to humiliate and degrade any stranger until they earn his respect” Conservative?
    Why are you posting links about Benghazi when you said over and over
    “It’s about the economy.”
    Were you lying then, or are you lying now?

  15. 15

    @12 & 14

    Someone had to research a ton of pre-internet porn to come to that. (see what I did there?)

    Nothing says Christian Family values like a huge stash of nudie books.

  16. 16

    Personally, I like a little porn now and again.

  17. 17

    @12,14

    That’s really not a smart thing to do to a guy who has Seal Team 6’s phone # on speed dial.

  18. 18

    Repeating a comment from an earlier thread….

    NPR this morning had a story on how politicians use “pivot points” to avoid answering questions directly, so they can instead give the response they want to give – and how they get away with it.

    Pivot Points

    Example: In a 2004 debate, George W. Bush was asked how he would respond to a steelworker who was out of work. He hit the “pivot point” and soon was discussing his education plan, instead of lost jobs.

    Yes, both sides do it, and usually get away with it. That’s because audiences watching the debate on TV are concentrating on visual signals, rather than verbal ones. But if the politician gets caught by the audience, it will result in a loss of trust.

    So if you wish, you can turn tonight’s debate into a drinking game. If the President uses a pivot point to deflect a question, take a sip of beer. If Romney does so, take a sip of champaign. (Or fruit juice, if you are Mormon also).

  19. 19

    The civil war in Syria has the potential of spilling over into Israel, a US Ally, and Turkey, a NATO member, and Syrian artillery shelled the Turkish border today, 5 dead. Could be an emergency NATO Council meeting unless Turkey gets cold feet again, and if that meeting does happen, Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty(NATO’s founding document) could be invoked. Article 5 was first invoked on 9/11, an attack against one NATO nation is an attack against all. Turkish Artillery has returned fire though, something they did not do after Syrian Surface to Air Missiles allegedly shot down a Turkish Air Force F-4(which had been upgraded with Israeli electronics, by the way) earlier this year.

    http://www.reuters.com/article.....9920121003

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/worl.....t-19822253

  22. 22

    I’ve come to the conclusion that President Obama is in love with BEING President and is a complete slacker when it comes to actually performing the duties. He fails to attend daily security briefings and wanders aimlessly thru the world of mindless TV shows like The View and Letterman and loves campaigning with the rappers. Obama is a Be-er not a Do-er. Plain & Simple. Zero Leadership. Obama continues to play the race card or have his surrogates do so. I believe if Romney performs @ 80%, you will see the race tighten in several key states. People are tired of Obama.
    All Romney needs to do is quote Biden and Obama tonight. Biden said clearly the middle class has been crushed the past 4 years under Obama. Crushed. Apparently Joe forgot who was in charge the past 4 years but at least he spoke the truth. And Romney needs to remind Obama he has been in charge the past 4 years including one where Obama had a Supermajority in the House and 60 in the Senate. All these problems Obama attributes to Bush and others and all the things Obama claims need to be done weren’t done because Obama focused on Health Care. Will Americans continue to buy Obama’s excuses?
    The folks who is soooo proud cuz Prezdint Obama bought them a cellphone will be. Career panhandlers love Obama. Obama is the Food Stamp Prezdint.

  23. 23

    The current edition of TRAINS Magazine(October 2012) cover story was on Little Blue, Conrail Share Assets, the jointly-owned remnant of the Old Conrail that was bought up by Norfolk Southern and CSX in the late 1990s. Little Blue consists of three terminal district operations, Northern New Jersey, Southern NJ/Philadelphia, and Detroit. The Detroit portion, took a big hit due to the recession, but today they are hauling more carloads than they were when the split happened in 2000. One interesting example was the scrapyard that the managers of the Detroit Conrail operations said they thought had closed due to the decline of the auto industry, then one day, they started calling ordering up cars. The controversial Auto Bailout is a big driver to Detroit Conrail’s operations. They had a hard time finding places to store cars waiting to leave the factory because of a shortage of auto racks. It took awhile to get them to Detroit, as in 2007-2008, they started being parked on rural sidings. Crews that had been laid off are back.

    There was also a story about Ballard Terminal, a short, short line in Ballard, that occasionally hauls a few cars to Salmon Bay Gravel, and some of the cycling conflicts it has, as it is one of the causes of the missing link in the Burke-Gilman Trail. I think the track should have been left in place as far as the North Transfer Station in Fremont, but it was 20 years before Seattle started hauling trash by rail to landfills in Eastern Oregon. Another growth traffic line for railroads, railroaders even call it, Urban Ore.

  24. 24

    the klown farts:

    He fails to attend daily security briefings

    Yeah right…

    Ever since 9/11, we have been told repeatedly that we are at war with al Qaeda and other terrorists determined to wreak great harm on the United States and hurt our people. But if Thiessen’s and Eichenwald’s accounts are accurate, the United States has for the last 12 years been led by one commander-in-chief who skips most of his security briefings and another who wouldn’t heed their warnings.

    http://www.thenewamerican.com/.....nored-them

    and wanders aimlessly

    aka Targeting key voting demographics..

    thru the world of mindless TV shows like The View and Letterman and loves campaigning with the rappers.

    Like women and younger people..

    Again, it’s called a campaign stupid. He’ll take leading in the polls thank you very much..

    What else?? Oh this..

    Biden said clearly the middle class has been crushed the past 4 years under Obama. Crushed..

    Yes and this obviously helped matters..

    And Romney needs to remind Obama he has been in charge the past 4 years including one where Obama had a Supermajority in the House and 60 in the Senate.

    Oh my! That one again… Silly klown..

    LIES, LIES, LIES….

  25. 25

    In Missouri, some of the former GOP Senators that called for Akin to quit are back endorsing him, except former Senator John Danforth. Danforth has said he will not support his candidacy, but that has not explicitly said an endorsement for McCaskill. I think Akin is the only GOP candidate he is not backing.

    http://www.joplinglobe.com/loc.....dorsements

  26. 26

    @22 Joseph said
    All Romney needs to do…

    Dude why are you such a moocher? Why does poor Slick Willard have to do all the heavy lifting?

    Stop being a moocher and get $5k to Slick right now!

    F**king moochers!

  30. 30

    Hey buttspigot@24, Bush isn’t running. Puddy realizes your BDS is still prevalent in the frontal amoeba.

    Listen to that large sucking sound of lies Lies LIES… Sucks to be you!

  31. 31

    @22. Got links to back that up?

    Fascist been living on Mars! Links been provided many times Fascist Fool!

  32. 32

    Bush isn’t running.

    LMAO!!! Who cratered the economy???

    Someone YOU voted for…

    TWICE!!!

    And your ugly party has done everything it can to keep this country down..

    Be a proud tool!

  33. 33

    Who cratered the economy???

    Obummer ya moron!

    The Recession OFFICIALLY ended June 2009.

    Stoooooooooooooooooooopid still. Another diarrhea stain@32! Still playing with that koro tool!

  37. 37

    Didn’t plan on watching the moderated scripted sound-bite event, but here I am. Probably should have poured myself a vodka on the rocks for this…

  39. 39

    Found this article linked on a political science blog, about abuses in the Phillipine House elections. In the Phillipine HOuse of Representatives, the bulk of the seats are elected the same way we elect Congressmembers, but a second tier of proportional representation is only open to marginalized communities, such as Labor, Veterans, Women, youth, and indeginous communities. Turns out, for next year’s election, their are several groups that are not of marginalized sectors, trying to get in the back way. This tier is only open to small parties, and about 30 of them are represented.

    http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2.....tem-a-joke

  40. 40

    @ EvergreenRailfan

    Have you seen this?

    Coalition for Sustainable Rail (CSR), a collaboration of the University of Minnesota (U of M) and Sustainable Rail International (SRI), will work towards the creation of the world’s first carbon-neutral test locomotive. As its first major step towards completion, SRI acquired a test bed steam locomotive via a transfer of ownership from the Great Overland Station, a world-class restored train depot and museum in Topeka, Kansas in November, 2011. The locomotive, Santa Fe steam locomotive 3463 (CSR 3463), is a 1937-built, high-speed locomotive that will be thoroughly overhauled and modernized. Once transported to the Twin Cities, the locomotive will undergo a complete engineering review, modification and reconstruction.

    Once its modernization is complete, CSR 3463 will have little in common with the smoke-belching steam engine it once was. Featuring a gas-producer combustion system, improved steam circuit, modernized boiler, low-maintenance running gear and steam-powered electric generator (to power the passenger train), CSR anticipates 3463 will be able to pull a passenger train with electric-like performance for less than the cost of diesel-electric locomotives. In order to further prove the viability of biocoal and modern steam technology, CSR plans to test the locomotive in excess of 130 miles per hour, out-performing any existing diesel-electric on the market and breaking the world steam speed record. In light of this achievement, CSR has named this endeavor: “Project 130.”

    http://www.csrail.org/index.php/the-plan

  41. 41

    Vaguely. I am skeptical of any kind of return to steam, whether using coal or a biocoal. In the 1970s, when Diesel prices were skyrocketing, there was a couple railroads investigating a return to steam, but nothing came of it. The best time to have tried that, was then, when there were still people working on the railroad that were employed during the age of steam. Right now, we are only a little over 50 years removed from the end of mainline steam locomotives in the lower 48. You would be surprised when China ended steam rail operations on their mainlines, esepcially since they are rapidly deploying more advanced Diesel and Electric(the former with kits from GE and EMD). It was only about 8 years ago.

  42. 42

    As for Saturday, I might be going down to Lakewood to see the opening of the SOUNDER extension. This was one I thought would never open. First the FRA/FTA safety regs made the most plausible connection between the two rail lines impossible when Tacoma LINK went online, and the option that they chose needed a new trestle and a mile of new track laid. Once they agreed on the right way to go to connect the Tacoma Rail Mountain Division to the ex-NP Sound Transit-owned Lakeview Sub, construction has been done fast. I saw some photos of the last time a regularly scheduled passenger train running on the Lakeview Sub, in the 1950s, and it was being pulled by a steam locomotive.

  43. 43

    @41

    Thanks, just stumbled across that about 15 minutes before I posted it on here. I don’t know anything about it or steam engines.

  46. 46

    Whatacrock of diarrhea!

    Poor PuddyMoron.. Never could read to save his miserable life.. From the same wikipedia link:

    According to the U.S. National Bureau of Economic Research (the official arbiter of U.S. recessions) the recession began in December 2007 and ended in June 2009

    Began/cratered on your idiot’s watch not Obama’s..

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