– I had seen links to the John Derbyshire piece, but hadn’t read it until he was fired.
– I’m all for leveling the playing field, but I don’t think rejecting bus ads is the way to go.
– Who knows why people take the Ryan plan seriously.
– I don’t know who God prefers, but I like kind atheists.
– My favorite local news stories are the ones where they can’t decide if they’re trying to titillate or moralize.
– Yep, they are consolidating behind Romney…like a jar of bacon grease in a cold ass room is clearly the greatest political metaphor ever.
– Obviously, the standings in early April don’t matter too much, but it is nice that the Mariners are 3-1.
Cold Bacon Grease.
Ha ha ha ha ha.
HA snark and Derbyshire’s snark aside, I suggest liberals read Derbyshire’s piece with some sense of self reflection.
The essence of what he says is this:
He goes on to advise his child about how to stay out of such trouble by avoiding places where there are a lot of Black people.
Is this really all that different from how “we” ALL behave?
I could go on and on but I suggest there is a great deal of hypocrisy in the left’s response to Mr. Derbyshire’s fears.
How To Explain Gay Marriage To An Idiot
Good stuff
Well, considering that a large portion of my family is black, yes it is. Maybe I should avoid my family?
For the most part I’ve lived in very white places, but the fact they’re really white wasn’t what drew me too them.
@2 SJ,
I don’t even know where to begin.
Derbyshire’s writing is a vile piece of journalistic racism. Perhaps he has issues he needs to address with a therapist or some other professional, but that bullshit he wrote is vile.
You’ve suggested “liberal hypocrisy” but you have not identified what it is exactly.
No, it is not how I behave nor is it the way the vast majority of the people with whom I associate behave.
To the extent that I encounter people like this I work to correct their misconceptions.
Lastly, business people who warn about a lot of African-Americans are not “liberal”, they’re losers in life and probably in business too.
Michael
I (hopefully) can say thew same … not about my family bit about my friends.
That said, I am continually struck by the de facto segregation of the liberal world esp. here in Seattle.
When did you last hear of ANY liberal meeting in the CD other than something explicitly ABOUT a Black issue?
Anyone familiar with the Black community knows there area large number of bright AA political leaders, how many of these have leadership roles in the liberal community?
Hiw do you feel about the Adam Smith’s new “people of color” district? Apparently someone thinks Somali, Kenyan, Cambodian, Vietnamese, and Thai folk are all of one kind!
Mikeboyscout
I am not going to engage in mudslinging. I too think I lead a life w/o bigotry about Blacks.
That said, are you really blind to the amount of segregation in Seattle’s liberal community?
Can you tell me how many middle class liberal families you know who choose to live in largely black areas or to send their kids to predominantly black schools?
For that matter, even the Black middle class avoids these areas … look at President Obama! I do not begrudge the first family’s chjoice of a school but I would same the same for such a choice made by Mr. Derbyshire.
@6 SJ,
The new 9th CD was designed to be a minority majority district such that this unique district is represented for its unique needs. The new 9th CD is different.
I would not refer to it as a “people of color” district, and I don’t know why you do.
@7 SJ,
I’m sorry, but I don’t see areas as “black”.
African-Americans I know who can afford to live in an area with good schools do just that. Just like all people with kids do.
“predominantly black schools”???? Seriously, WTF? Do you really not get that Mercer Island is predominantly white because the money in this country is in the hands of white people?
SJ, it ain’t color or culture it is MONEY. And lest we forget a large chunk of money was made by enslaving Africans and discriminating against them on the basis of color (and other minorities too) for most of this country’s history.
People are people SJ.
My filter is communities of bigoted and ignorant vs tolerant and intellegent.
I don’t want to associate with the bigoted and ignorant, regardless of what culture or ethnicity they are. I don’t want my kid to be indoctrinated by a community of hate and stupid. Sadly, bigoted and ignorant knows no color barrier. There are areas of bigoted and ignorant everywhere, from the Rainier Valley to Puyallup.
I grant you that Liberals are not some perfectly altruistic, open minded left of Jesus, community of people. They have flaws. But as a group, they try to be more tolerant and intelligent than conservatives.
http://www.cepr.net/index.php/.....yan-budget
Breaking News:
The prosecutor announced that the the Zimmerman/Trayvon Martin case will not be sent to the Grand Jury today, as expected. Instead, the prosecutor will decide for herself whether to charge Zimmerman, and for which crime.
On the good side, this avoids unpredictable, such as a “no true bill” dismissal against Zimmerman, or his indictment on a relatively minor charge, such as displaying a weapon.
On the bad side, it takes First Degree Murder off the table. The highest level of crime for which he could be convicted would be the equivilent of manslaughter, which presumes no prior intent could be proven.
Wow…no comments about the progressives who spraypainted st james catherdral?
why am I not surprised…..sounds like rujax is back to his church vandalism again…
Great day for golf…..
Wow.. no brains shown in the comment @ 13
Why am I not surprised?
Must have been hit on his empty skull one too many times on the links.
FORE!
@2 “Is this really all that different from how “we” ALL behave?”
I can only speak for myself. That’s not at all how I would behave. I’m not afraid of blacks and I don’t avoid blacks.
“I could go on and on but I suggest there is a great deal of hypocrisy in the left’s response to Mr. Derbyshire’s fears.”
I don’t share Derbyshire’s and your fear of blacks. I believe that such fears are founded upon ignorance and racist stereotyping.
Very true, but I think what’s really happening is that Seattle and the Pacific Northwest aren’t as liberal as they claim to be.
It looks like manslaughter to me. Zimmerman didn’t set out that night to kill anyone.
Re: Zimmerman,
First Degree murder is always a difficult case to prove even when it occurs.
Zimmerman is clearly guilty of manslaughter, and I expect the charge to be Murder in the 2nd degree.
emphasis is mine.
Update: I also expect to see Obstruction of Justice charges too.
de facto segregation in Seattle
I’m not sure what you all are talking about, but in these segregated communities you are alluding to, do they have good schools? Do they have views?
Because I’ve noticed that wealthy people tend to segregate themselves away from the less wealthy regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, marital status, disability, religious or political affiliation, age or sexual orientation.
Very true. The suburbs and whatnot might send Dems to Olympia, support school levies and re-elect Patty and Maria but then they’ll go and vote for Eyman initiatives and vote down a millionaire’s tax.
They seem to want something for nothing. The voters in the worst case have transformed themselves into their own narrow special interests.
Greatest good for the greatest number? Pffffft. What’s that?
@20
Seattle has its history of redlining and such and it used to be (not sure what’s going on today) that liberals in places like Wallingford would be horrified if they were lumped together with blue collar Dems from Renton. And isn’t the federal DOJ all up in the SPD’s grill?
Portland’s a really, really, white place and has always had race relation issues. Portland also had quite the thing going with the skinheads and the white power folks for a while there.
The smaller towns in the Skagit Valley were John Bircher central for quite a long time.
Add to that all the defense contracting dollars and jobs in the area, the inability to get along with the native population, and coming to Jesus on the environmental front only after 99% of it is despoiled or gone.
We’re just not that liberal.
We’re just not that liberal.
But we are no Mississippi either.
I’m surprised that the thrust of this thread hasn’t been to tie Derbyshire’s idiocy to the right wing and paint us all with the same brush. I’d never heard of the guy – apparently he’s been letting his mask slip more and more.
This is one of the better threads I’ve read on this site. Way to go.
@23 Bob,
Sorry to disappoint you.
If you are self-identifying yourself as “rightwing” then I may be the first here to inform you that regardless of what Debryshire does, the usual crowd at HA deems all rightwingers as idiots.
It does not take much to imagine most wingers have never heard of Derbyshire. Wingers are notorious for being ill informed; that’s why the default judgment is wingers are idiots. see how that works? :-D
@ 24
Yes, I lean right (what the fuck is Lean Forward? Probably something Rujax does when he’s not on his knees).
Not having heard of one blogger in a huge and ever-growing world of bloggers does not equate with ignorance or a dearth of knowledge about a topic. My guess is that there might be the occasional HuffPo or dKos name you run across for the first time, now and again. Doesn’t make you ignorant. Makes you normal.
I’m aware of how those on this blog, and the readership, view those on the right. It’s not exactly hidden. I like some of you, anyway.
I’m here to broaden my perspective. I ignore the racist Rabbit, who posts far, far more than his intelligence level should permit, and read Rujax only if I missed the daily Dem talking point issuance and need to have it reliably regurgitated by him so I’m up to date on what they’re shilling, but others actually have points to make, and occasionally they’re pretty good ones.
Or sometimes, when all your side can be is shrill, it reinforces that my side has the better of an argument.
Try visiting the Dark Side, sometime. You might learn something. It’s OK. Use a pseudonym.
@22
Amen to that!
During the past few election cycles, someone in my neck of the woods (north seattle) would put up a huge right wing sign (vote Rossi, McGavick, etc) at a busy stop light. Right at a place where people waiting for the light to change would be sure to see it.
It got to the point where we’d take bets amongst ourselves as to how long the damn sign would last before someone would tear it down. When it inevitably got pulled down, it was good for some belly laughs.
Can’t remember now if that guy put up a sign during the last election. I hope he puts up a McKenna sign. In this day and age you need every laugh you can get.
@ 28
I probably laughed similarly at the ‘caucus’ vote of the listening audience Ross Reynolds held on KUOW in 2004. Howard Dean was first with something like 35%, and Dennis Kucinich was second with something around 20-25%.
Seattle. What’s not to laugh about?
Oh, 2004. One more thing. That was the last time it was OK with the Democrats if a rich guy ran for president. Times have changed, I guess.
That was @ 27, not @ 28. Sorry.
29 – How funny to you people vote their convictions Bob like in Puyallup or any other place.
My caucus in 2004 went for Kerry. People to my recollection weren’t paying attention to his pocketbook. They had other things on their mind like a reckless dry drunk who was selling their kids’ future down the river.
And Howard Dean had the last laugh in 2006 when his 50 state strategy paid off quite well.
@25 “racist Rabbit”
All your buddies call me a “communist,” a “socialist,” etc. Are you a fucking non-conformist? That’ll get you in trouble with your tribe. They expect you to stick to their groupthink.
Ashley Judd: feminist!
Ashley Judd: hot!
Er, wait.
Speaking of making assumptions about cities/neighborhoods: About five years ago my nephew was in ROTC training at Ft. Lewis. He asked for permission to go with us (instead of getting on the bus) for the several hours until his flight time. The colonel in charge was very nervous, and gave him a long lecture to avoid going anyplace in public because “everyone knows” that Seattle is leftist and “anti-military”. The colonel was especially concerned that my nephew didn’t have any civilian clothes, he was traveling in his camo utilities.
We pretty much ignored the captain. We took him to the Pike Place Market where several people stopped, shook his hand, and said they appreciated his service to his country. He was a little embarrased because he hadn’t done anything yet.
Then we went up to Everett and went to dinner at Arnies in Mukilteo. My nephew was still a little self-conscious. But at the end of our meal, the waitress informed me that the couple in the adjoining table had paid for my nephew’s dinner, and had already departed so we couldn’t thank them.
My nephew had an entirely new view of Seattle. I explained it wasn’t a political viewpoint, that people’s opinion of the politics of the war have nothing to do with their appreciation for the service our young people give to our country.
1) It was never even close to the table (nor at the supermarket or distributor).
1) True
2) Obviously…”unless” proven to be self defense (regardless of stand your ground).
3) Of course you do.
rhp6033 spews:
[[“What’s going on here? This thread is several days old, and “Dave” is trying to imply that unless Roger Rabbit is an experienced criminal attorney (i.e., criminal vs. civil), then Dave’s un-informed opinions count more than his.
I’ve got some news for you, Dave. It’s impossible to pass the state bar exam without having a fundamental knowledge of criminal law. Heck, it’s impossible to get past the first year of law school without having taken at least one term of criminal law, where you quickly get into how the civil law was incorporated into the criminal law of the early U.S., and was only later codified. Every lawyer knows the basics of mens resis, the elements of burglary under common law vs. codified law, and the concept of “affirmative defenses” such as self-defense.”]]
——————–
1) If my “uninformed opinions” are more accurate then YES they count more than his. “ANYONE’s opinion is better than another person’s if theirs is the more correct one (regardless of experience).
2) All Navy/USMC pilots go through the basic flight training syllabus prior to heading to specialized training. If a fixed wing pilot tried to take off with a helicopter 90+% would crash. All Dr’s go through the same basic initial classes as well. Does that mean you’ll allow a dermatologist to operate on a brain tumor if you get one?…
3) Obviouisly, any lawyer should know “the basics” of criminal law but if, during your career, you don’t routinely do criminal law, your NOT going to have as good of an opinion on it (obviously evident by Rabbits comments). He may have been the best civil lawyer/judge ever but his “criminal” opinions aren’t very accurate. That’s just the truth based on his comments irt the Zimmerman case.
4) My point (verified as true) was that it was blatantly obvious, by his poor analysis of the Zimmerman topic, that he wasn’t speaking from a criminal background. It was easy to tell (although Michael @98 just thinks I’m freaking brilliant to be able to ascertain such things without having to be told what type of lawyer/judge he was). Contrast his, and many others on this site, bad analysis with the much better analysis by Richard Pope here, here,and even here to a degree)
@34
So much this, lol. I was at a convention in Seattle this weekend, and while I was in line to get my badge, I found myself standing next to a guy in his Marine Corps dress uniform. He was a reservist up from Portland. I shook his hand (I originally thought he was dressing up as someone), exchanged a few words, and wished him a pleasant weekend at the con. No “anti-military” hate happening there.
On the other hand, later that day I ran across a comics author who used to serve in the Marine Corps, and after that served in a PMC. I didn’t necessarily agree with him, but I had respect for him right up until the point that he tried to tell me that private military contractors are not mercenaries, and that PMCs are really all right. I don’t care if the companies they work for give them great pay and benefits and if they’re just a bunch of guys trying to take care of their families, if you are a soldier who doesn’t work for a government and you sell your services for money, you are a mercenary. You can pretty it up with fancy phrases all you like, but it doesn’t change what you are.
I wanted to chew on that guy a little. At the same time, I was a little reluctant to do so. I mean, for all that I didn’t like the war in Iraq, and wouldn’t trust any PMC farther than I could throw a Buick, I’ve never served in the military, and don’t know shit about what it’s like. Off hand though, from everything I know about it, I have a lot more respect for the actual armed services than I have for the PMCs. They strike me as being filled with people for whom service was not good enough, who prefer money to honor, and cowboys with no sense of self-control. Maybe they’re not all like that, and maybe Blackwater really is nice to their employees. They sure are assholes to everyone else, though.
rhp6033 continues spew:
1) Republican talking points? Are you seriously trying to say that the main things I’ve been talking about (Trayvon/Zimmerman, supermajority votes, & giving financial advice) are big Republican talking points? Funny, I never heard those at any of the debates…
2) Can people get paid for talking about those things on sites like this? I didn’t realize you people; were actually PAID. We’ll, I guess I could be hired for the right price but you (or whoever’s interested) will have to pay 6 figures (anyone making 7 figures for such activity is severely overpaid) and allow me to continue having an independent and moderate opinion based in sound judgement. I don’t allow my opinion to be clouded by FAR left/right rhetoric…
Try visiting the Dark Side, sometime. You might learn something.
Wow, you have a way with words to change hearts and minds….
What did i learn from YOU?
Why in the world would I want to go read a blog with MORE people like you?
1) If any criminal work was done by Rog, it simply must have been a LONG time ago and falls into the point I previously made about how underused skills fade. Basically, a person’t specialty is where they end up being more of an expert and the fringe items that they don’t really deal with much become more cloudy (the old, use it or lose it saying). If he “did” practice criminal law it was probably at the very beginning of his career and relatively short in duration. If not, it’s honestly kind of scary to think someone with those thoughts would have been in criminal law.
2) If he actually “had” specialized in criminal law he would NOT have made many, many of the comments he did which were off base from a legal perspective. Again, see Pope’s better analysis (linked above) that generally agrees with my comments and counters most of Rog’s. Pope sounds like either a criminal lawyer or a lawyer who has stayed up on criminal law more than Rog…
3) “Again”, I already said Rog may have been (I haven’t heard him opine about civil law yet) the best darn civil lawyer out there and I appreciate any good work he did as a civil judge. Kudos, job well, done, etc. Simply pointing out something doesn’t mean I’m dissing him as a person!…
There’s a handful of right-wing organizations that pay people a couple of bucks to push memes and disrupt comment threads on liberal blogs. I don’t think it’s very wide spread and I’m pretty sure it’s a waste of time and money.
Never said you were.
I will say this for dave. He’s relentless. When he cannot convince us with quality, he’s going for quantity, repeating the same arguments over and over and over and over until we get them.
Additionally, irt the Zimmerman case:
1) Lawyers: Zimmerman whispered ‘punks’ before shooting Trayvon Martin
2) Imagine that! EXACTLY what was said over a week ago here: Summary list of Trayvon/Zimmerman Facts & Assumptions & one “possible” scenario (#8)…
3) Apparently, it’s just more of my freaking brilliance (according to Michael)…
4) The story continues to unfold and the above “Summary-List” analysis by an “un-informed” (per rhp6033) looks better and better than “just about” everyone on this site (so it must count more correct rhp?)…
CHORTLE!… (Fascist likes that one)
—————-
P.S. Good luck to you all for a while because it’s finally “that time” (Uggg…) and I do my taxes myself. I paid a highly regarded CPA approximately $1,000 to do them 1 yr when I was in Hawaii (to see the incredible “missed” tax savings purported by people in the tax preparer community). As it turned out, she didn’t do anything I wouldn’t have done so that was a waste…not to be repeated. So, off to the assembled paperwork for a jolly old time and to once again reflect on how much better the tax code could be :-)
–> I’m sure I left you enough to keep you busy for a week or so… When I come back I can help with any other questions people need help with. ;-)
@36 Dave,
For someone who comments about who knows what about the criminal justice system, you have a very, very, very difficult time make an accurate comment, and cannot express yourself cogently at all.
The Florida “stand your ground” law specifically states that the prosecution needs to prove it was not self defense if the defendant claims the use of force was in self defense. Zimmerman’s attorney surely will make that claim, and from the actual evidence that is available to all of us I am sure the state will overcome that burden; if not the first time, then on appeal.
Dude @44 cops to being bilked $1000 after asserting how smart he is, then claims to have the answers on tax policy.
Dave, you’re whack.
Short version of “Dave’s” analysis:
1. Roger Rabbit, a former lawyer and administrative judge, is uneducated to speak on the Zimmerman/Martin case unless he actually practiced criminal law.
2. Dave, however, believes he is better suited to provide commentary on the Zimmerman/Martin case, despite not having practiced ciminal practice or having even asserted claimed to have a degree.
3. In susbstance, “Dave” claims superior credentials because he “is right”, as opposed to those who actually know something about the law, whom he claims are “wrong”, because, well, he’s right and they are wrong.
4. “Dave” knows there is no one on this site to judge the veracity of this claims. If there were, and they rejected his claims, he would dismiss their judgement, because anyone who disagrees with him would be, well, wrong.
Referring to my original comment: the problem with taking First Degree Murder off the table is that it removes one of the better negotiating tools available to the prosecution. If the worst outcome that Zimmerman can expect at trial is Manslaugher/2nd Degree Murder, then why would he negotiate a plea bargain? This makes it far more likely that any plea negotiations will settle on a lesser charge (reckless endangerment), at best.
Hey, I’ve really got no skin in this fight. I think Zimmerman should be charged, and placed on trial. Let an impartial prosecutor bring the case to trial among a jury of Zimmerman’s peers. If he gets convicted of a lesser charge, than so be it. If he’s acquited, so be it. But Martin’s parents deserve that justice play this one out.
@47 rhp
1) Not a claim. Purely based on his analysis of the Zimmerman case. Maybe he’ll do better on another one. Are you going to have that Dermatologist operate???
2) Yes. Being right tends to prove that point.
3) Again, it’s FAR from a claim when “anyone” who “knows” about the law is wrong on a given topic. Read the post again because I clearly stated that it’s only “this particular case” I’m referring to. Wake up.
4) Not true again. Are you sure you’re awake??? I already stated that Pope has a much better, rational, and common sense analysis. Therefore, it’s not NO ONE” on this site. Also, I would never dismiss someone’s judgement if they are RIGHT (refer to Pope again). Perhaps there’s “someone else” on this site who also has a good analysis of the case (I’m sure I haven’t seen all of you right?)
5) Refer to this if you want a really good analysis of this case (FOR FREE):
Summary list of Trayvon/Zimmerman Facts & Assumptions & one “possible” scenario
6) You’re welcome for the free financial advice… :-)
1) Good grief Cubscout… I’ll be back to further explain it all to you after tax time is over (wife’s about to pull the plug). You are probably going to be really surprised by what the actual facts show irt the “complete picture” of that night…
2) Pope’s going to have to fill in while I’m gone irt to the case issues.
————
3) Please stop embarrassing yourself. When you have more than a 1040EZ, or even a basic 1040, the per hr and per form starts to add up. Especially in Hawaii… That was after I had her give me a 20% discount from the first bill she gave me which was $1,200.
Bye for now… You can have a welcome back party when I get back. I like ribs, crab legs, and Thai food the best..
@rhp6033,
“equal justice under the law” is the standard. I think we all have a skin in the fight for justice.
@50 Dave,
Well, if you talked her into a 20% discount then you saved a lot on that “waste”.
OBTW, how much would you, an expert in negotiations, pay a preparer to prepare a 1040EZ?
BREAKING: George Zimmerman Launches Website, Features Vandalized Black Cultural Center
@37 In addition to being an amateur lawyer, do you also perform amateur brain surgery?
You don’t have to be a lawyer to understand that if an unarmed teenager who was walking down the street — minding his own business and not breaking any laws — was shot dead by a guy who got out of a vehicle with a gun and started a confrontation the guy with the gun probably committed a crime; but you do have to not be an idiot to understand that.
Furthermore, even an idiot should be able to understand that a competent police force doesn’t take a killer’s word for anything; the detectives conduct a proper crime scene investigation, gather and preserve physical evidence, and interview and take statements from all the witnesses, because — who knows — the autopsy and crime lab results might contradict the shooter’s song and dance.
@47 I’m not a “former” lawyer. My license is still active.
But Roger, how can you argue with Dave?
Surely he’s watched like 400 episodes of Law & Order. ;-)
@48 A conviction on any felony charge would make sure he can never (a) be a cop, or (b) possess a gun ever again. That, by itself, will go far to protect society from this guy.
@58 I may be only a rabbit, but I do my own tax return.
This guy’s a gun-nut ex cop who’s into concealed carry in a big way and even he thinks Zimmerman’s guilty of manslaughter. He does a pretty good job of laying out the particulars.
http://tinyurl.com/89dgvwd
http://tinyurl.com/88a8lu5
Two university studies have established a link between low intelligence, “low-effort” thinking, and conservative political beliefs.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/.....10448.html
Roger Rabbit Commentary: In non-technical terms, these researchers found that conservatives are stupid and lazy. But I think the rest of us knew that all along.
“Video trickster James O’Keefe has posted a video showing a man walking into a Washington, DC polling place last Tuesday during the local primary and claiming to be Eric Holder. In the video, the man gives Holder’s name and address (which is bleeped out). The poll worker asks the man to sign the voter sheet, but the man says he has left his ID in the car. ‘You don’t need it,’ the poll worker says. ‘It’s all right. As long as you’re in here, you’re on our list, and that’s who you say you are, you’re okay.'”
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com.....video?lite
Roger Rabbit Commentary: At that point, the man fled. Why? Because he was an imposter and forging Holder’s name to the voter sheet would have meant jail time. The article continues,
“O’Keefe’s group, Project Veritas, offers the video to rebut Attorney General Eric Holder’s position that there’s little evidence of in-person voter fraud to justify changing state laws to require government issued photo IDs at the polls.”
My response is, there wasn’t any in-person voter fraud at that polling place until O’Keefe and his hired imposter showed up.
What a jackass. He’s right about one thing, what he’s doing is illegal, so he ought to be prosecuted for this bullshit.