Tonight’s my last night filling in for Frank Shiers, 9PM to 1AM on Newsradio 710-KIRO.
9PM: How many times do we have to say No to a new Sonics arena?
An editorial in today’s Seattle Times urges state legislators to authorize taxes to pay for a new $500 million Sonics arena, to which I responded… what part of 74-percent don’t you understand? Chris Van Dyk of Citzens for More Important Things joins me help answer that question, and discuss the current political fortunes of taxpayer subsidized professional sports in WA state.
10PM: Am I trying to destroy America’s standard of living?
Okay, maybe today wasn’t really Seattle’s hottest April 6 on record. (It was.) And maybe an international conference on climate change didn’t just come out today with it’s bleakest forecast ever. (It did.) So then, why is it that people like me keep insisting that global warming is real, and that it is at least partially caused by human activity?
11PM: Is he nuts?
Gen. JC Christian of the far-right-wing extremist blog Jesus’ General, joins me for the hour to give us his peculiar insight into the hearts, minds and loins of the religious right and the Republican Party they call home. And I mean peculiar. Is he crazy? Is this some sort of joke? Tune in tonight and decide for yourself.
12AM: Is Washington a high tax state?
The latest figures from the conservative Tax Foundation just came out, and it turns out, um… no. According to the report, state and local taxes average 11 percent of the nation’s income, while WA’s taxes average 11.1 percent, landing it smack dab in the middle of the pack. And that’s after a big jump due to a voter approved, 9-cent increase in our gasoline excise tax. Meanwhile, gasoline prices are projected to hit over $4.00/gallon this summer, and we’re hearing nary a peep of concern out anti-tax Republicans. Hmm.
Plus the good old fashioned Ann Coulter bashing I failed to deliver last night, and more fascinating conversation! Tune in tonight (or listen to the live stream) and give me a call: 1-877-710-KIRO (5476).
Moonbat poll:
How many of you think a Special Prosecutor should be appointed to investigate Stretch’s violation of the Logan Act? http://www.americanthinker.com.....crime.html
Seems like the magnitude of the crime at least warrants a thorough investigation.
Just as a sanity check… if a Republican, say Next President Gingrich had done something like this back when we had adults in charge of the House, what would your answer be?
Fucking hypocrite assfuckingholes…
Speaking of high priced gas…
where the fuck is LiarFuckingCantwell on this? Where the fuck is her “deep understanding” of energy?
Not a fucking word…
Why isn’t she down at the gas station with buncha cameras bitching bout erl companies? I wonder… did somebody finally explain invisible hand to her?
Gee, MTR, was it OK for the 3 Republican House members to be there just ahead of Pelosi? Was it OK when the Republican House told foreign leaders to ignore Clinton?
You are such a fool.
Now give me more of your blather about climate change:
“The group, the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, also noted that the climate shifts would benefit some regions — leading to more rainfall and longer growing seasons in high latitudes, open Arctic seaways and fewer deaths from the cold.
The 1,572-page report, finished here on Friday, was prepared by more than 200 scientists, and a 21-page summary was endorsed by officials from more than 120 countries, including the United States.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04.....ref=slogin
if a Republican, say Next President Gingrich
HA HA HA! HO HO HO!! WHAT A KNEESLAPPER! HA HA HA!
WHEW!! 2008 IS GOING TO BE SWEET INDEED!
re 1: Reagan was making arms for hostages deals with the Iranians before he was even elected President — and that is as illegal as hell.
It’s treason.
Go fuck yourself — lightweight.
re 1: Reagan is the most overrated President ever. He rivals Bush for stupidity and intransigent, bellicose retardation.
That Reagan myth has got to go.
He was a complete asshole with an Alzheimer-riddled brain the consistency of spoiled fondue.
MTR- the guy who drops a big stinky fart and leaves the room.
Gas taxes are free. That’s right, raising the gas tax a nickel for bridges, roads, and freight mobility projects has cost Washington drivers absolutely NOTHING. Here’s why.
The world’s cheapest crude to produce is Saudi oil ($1.50 a barrel); the most expensive is Alberta tar sands oil ($20 a barrel). After adding refining and distribution costs, gasoline still costs way less than the pump price; oil company profits are incredible, as we all know. My point is, retail gasoline prices have little to do with the cost of making the product; gasoline is expensive because of tight oil supplies and refinery capacity.
In other words, oil companies can’t meet demand, so they’re using high retail prices to bring demand down to the available supply. Price is a form of rationing.
That being the case, the price you pay for a gallon of gas is determined by supply and demand. The market could care less how much of that goes to oil company profit, and how much goes to federal and state governments as taxes. If you lower gas taxes by a nickel, the oil companies will raise their price by a nickel, to keep demand in balance with the quantity they’re able to supply. You don’t save the motorist a damn cent by cutting gas taxes. It’s that simple.
It follows that, since you’re going to pay $X.XX for gas regardless of who gets that nickel, the oil company or the state, the projects you get from your gas taxes don’t add anything to the price you pay for gas and therefore, in a practical since, are FREE. To you, anyway — it’s money out of the oil company’s pocket, not yours.
Now, what kind of fucking idiots would turn down FREE highways, bridges, and freight mobility projects? Republican tax-haters, that’s who.
So hey … if you want to make Roger Rabbit rich, oppose gas taxes!!! The more money the oil company gets, the more I get!!! I’m sitting here watching my oil stock holdings go up several hundred dollars a day. Beats the shit out of working for a living, especially as I’m in a 5% capital gains tax bracket, whereas I would pay about a third of any wages I earned to the government (including FICA taxes). The return on my labor is even less than that, because I would have work expenses (such as work clothing, commuting, etc.). WHY THE FUCK SHOULD ANYBODY WORK!!!! America spits on workers and taxes them to death while coddling owners of capital — so I’m done with working and I’m a fucking capitalist now!!!
Go ahead, Redneck, pump my gas into your SUV!!! The more, the better!!! I appreciate your business!!!
And if you Republican cocksuckers want to repeal ALL our gas taxes — FUCKING GO FOR IT!!! Make Roger Rabbit filthy stinking rich!!! I’ll be cashing dividend checks while you bounce down potholed dirt cowpaths after the highways crumble. I don’t need any fucking roads; I’ve got these to get around with!!! http://tinyurl.com/ya8knz
Don’t worry, folks, we’re not going to run out of oil. There’s 1.7 trillion barrels in the Alberta tar sands and another 1.8 trillion barrels in the Orinico oil sands that haven’t even been tapped yet — at current rates of world consumption it’ll take 120 years to burn it all! And that stuff can be delivered to market at a healthy profit as long as world oil prices stay above $40. This planet is going to run out of oxygen before it runs out of oil. The only thing we’re running out of is cheap oil.
It’s amazing how you can send a few thousand dollars to a stockbroker and tell him to buy shares of National Oilwell Varco and get back twice as much money in 16 months and pay 5% taxes on it with no Social Security deduction. Capitalism is great!!!! Sure as fuck beats working or producing anything!!! I’ll never work again!!! Why should I when the market system pays me to sit on my fat ass watching my oil stocks go up. I made another $500 today.
Hey, I didn’t invent this screwy system with its upside-down incentives. Republicans did. I merely taking advantage of it. I’m at least as deserving as they are. And remember — the whole point of being a Democrat is so that someday you can live like a Republican!!! And the whole point of being a Republican is to live off other people’s work so you don’t have to do any work!!!
@2 Thanks for your business, Redneck. I appreciate it! Really … I do. Pay your gambling debt, you fucking dishonorable welsher!
@1 “How many of you think a Special Prosecutor should be appointed to investigate Stretch’s violation of the Logan Act?”
He’s gonna be one busy special prosecutor, Redneck!!! Here’s the complete list of suspects (i.e., congresspersons who visited Syria last week):
Nancy Pelosi (D)
Joe Pitts (R)
Frank Wolf (R)
Robert Aderholt (R)
Redneck, can you tell me why Pelosi should be prosecuted for this, but these other guys shouldn’t? To paraphrase you, Mark, you’re a …
“Fucking hypocrite assfuckinghole…”
OK, folks, what we have here is a major federal felony; and it appears 75% of the criminals are Republicans, and 25% is a Democrat. BTW we normally see a much higher proportion of Republicans in the mix whenever organized crime is being committed; I’m not sure what happened in this case.
And oh yeah, let’s not forget the head scarf. It humiliates and demeans our country when an American citizen goes to a raghead dirtpile and wears a head scarf to humor the locals — what we need is American women with enough backbone to assert our cultural superiority!!! For a digusting photo of Nancy Pelosi groveling to ragheads by wearing a head scarf, click here: http://tinyurl.com/2ss2pv
Ooops, wrong photo! That was a disgusting photo of Laura Bush groveling to ragheads by wearing a head scarf. Let’s try this again: http://tinyurl.com/2cefav
Ooops, still wrong photo! That’s a disgusting photo of Bush adviser Karen Hughes groveling to ragheads by wearing a head scarf. Let’s try this again: http://tinyurl.com/2annl5
OK, I think I got it right this time! This is that disgusting photo of Nancy Pelosi groveling to ragheads by wearing a head scarf that wingnuts are barking at the moon about. If you see one of those disgusting photos floating around the internet of an African-American woman groveling to ragheads by wearing a head scarf, that would be Condi Rice.
Republicans = fucking hypocrites
1, 5 Oh God please God let them nominate Newt … yes yes yes! yes!! yes!!! YESSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!
7 Nancy Reagan wasn’t such a hot president, either.
Fred Thompson will be the next President.
And who would be his veep, Pope? Sam Waterston? S. Epatha Merkerson? Dann Florek? I hope it’d be Richard Belzer or Ice-T.
Fred’s gonna pick me as his press secretary. He knows quality when he sees it.
Who have the inbred righties got left?
McCain is tied directly to the failed Iraq plan so he’s out. Rompin Rudy – well he’s a joke. He has three marraiges (one to a cousin) and a wife with three more. He had an affair on his last wife. The faaaaar right wackos won’t support him because he’s pro-abortion. Mitt Romney is out because he lied about his hunting experience and got caught, this on top of being a Mormon (which doesn’t count for the religious right – they only believe in THEIR religion) and he flip-flopped on abortion. No wonder the Publican party has to keep busy coming up with new candidates. They’re on a path to failure.
Fred shouldn’t just become president — he should declare himself Dictator For Life. And I should head his Ministry of Truth.
The Truth will set you free, you know.
Of course, so will holding a real job. (That’s why I want Fred to go “all the way.”)
Once Fred becomes Dictator for Life he should outlaw the Democratic Party. Everyone who doesn’t renounce their party membership will be sent to reeducation camps where they have to eat Spam and watch Ronald Reagan movies.
Oh, and while in captivity, Democrats will not be allowed to reproduce.
No showers either.
Then again. . . .
Some of my best friends are Democrats. Honest. They just need to see the “light” and change their evil ways.
I help facilitate that process in gentle and supportive ways.
I even had sex with Goldy a number of times as part of an extensive therapeutic regime. He is responding slowly but I see some early signs of progress.
re 24: Cool! Belzer or Ice-T. They’d probably be better than who’s running on either side.
re 4: Did you read the front page of the ST this morning?
You cherry-pickin’ fool! Somehow, the words improvement and apocalyptic don’t mesh well.
re 4 … and that’s after the politicians watered down the SCIENTISTS report.
Wingnut reasoning 101:
“A few places will get more rain because of global warming, therefor , global warming was a myth and Jesus was right all along.”
By the way, I guess that means all the apocalyptic warnings in Revelations are just a bunch of bullshit. More of God’s liberal lies.
Do you gullible fucking moonbats think this is another consequence of “global warming”?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20.....turebeesus
Let’s hope abortion remains safe and legal so there’s at least a CHANCE that cowards like MTR’s inbred offspring can be terminated before unleashing more bullshit in the universe.
re 34: “Don’t tax the ultra-rich. It’s good for everybody!”
Who’s calling who gullible?
Dope.
Wow, Mr. Redneck. And I thought you’d point to the snowed out Mariner’s game as evidence that global warming doesn’t exist. I am both surprised and pleased.
Instead you point to an unexplained drop in the number of honeybee colonies, and suggest that we should blame that on global warming.
Let me explain just a little bit about scientific method, Mr. Redneck. This might help you understand why we’re not linking the two problems at this point.
The scientists working on global warming will start with a hypothesis. Oh, sorry. Big word. They start with an idea.
Then they look for evidence that either supports or debunks the idea. If the evidence does not support the idea, then it is discarded and they look at another idea.
If the evidence seems to support the idea, then they continue to test it, while looking for additional evidence, and asking other scientists to do the same. This is called “peer review”.
Please note that in the case of global warming, those “peers” do not generally include writers of second rate novels, movie stars nor even politicians, regardless of political party. These folks are welcome to speak their minds, and some folks will consider them to be wise and knowledgeable (that’s another big word meaning “smart”).
Neither side in the debate is immune to this. Barbara Streisand is welcome to join in, as is Michael Crichton, but neither of them are experts, despite what NewsMax or the Stranger might think.
Some folks, like Mr. Gore, have gotten a bunch of real climate experts together and tried to help regular folks like us understand the problem, so that we might do something about it.
Others, like Mr. Milloy, have gotten a bunch of real politicians and pseudo scientists together to help folks ignore the problem, so that a few big companies can continue to make money.
So, going back to your original point. We’re not going to blame the drop in honeybee colonies on global warming, until there is some actual evidence that the two things are related.
Once there is some evidence, other scientists that understand honeybee biology will look at the evidence, test it, and ask for even more help from their fellow scientists.
If they actually turn out to be related, then (and only then) will responsible people link the two problems.
Will this stop some irresponsible or unknowing person from linking the two issues? No, probably not. Some folks will blame the fact that they lose socks in the dryer on global warming.
Just as some folks will point to a snowed out Mariners game as evidence that global warming doesn’t exist.
http://members.shaw.ca/perchal.....apter3.pdf
“I fear you will wait a long time before authoritarian followers wise up to their chosen leaders, and to themselves–and their leaders know it.
When the Watergate revelations were sinking his ratings in the polls, Richard Nixon pointed out to his chief of staff, H. R. Haldemann, “I think there’s still a hell of a lot of people out there…[who] want to believe. That’s the point, isn’t it?”
“Why sure,” Haldemann replied. “Want to and do.” (Conversation of April 25, 1973 recorded on the
“Watergate tapes,” reported by the New York Times on November 22, 1974, p. 20.)
Barelli – Have you looked at the data that says that global warming causes CO2 and NOT the other way around? Blows up the whole theory…
On an unrelated topic… is the Tides Tavern still there in Gig Harbor? Haven’t been there for a long time…
39 Mark, that last question seems to be one that might warrant some group research. In fact, the possibility of rising ocean levels would suggest a larger project of cataloguing all the seaside watering holes on the planet–with on-site inspection, of course. We should apply for some sort of grant and submit our findings to Clark, who will then turn them into his next bestseller, “Vanishing Margaritaville”.
Gee, MTR, Global Warming causes emissions from vehicles and factories? And data demonstrates that the increases correlate with the Industrial Age.
Give it up. THis one’s settled. Even Bush isn’t arguing.
I’m surprised you don’t have a theory that blames it on women.
@37 “Some folks will blame the fact that they lose socks in the dryer on global warming.”
More likely, they’ll blame Clinton.
@39 Thanks for that little tidbit, Redneck. You know more than all of the world’s climate scientists put together!!! You should apply for a patent on your brain, then bottle it and sell it.
@39 (continued) For the rest of you, let this be a warning: This is what happens to your brain when you pickle it with cheap booze.
Drinking on Good Friday. Hung over for Easter. Tsk tsk.
Interesting … the rightys don’t have a comeback to my pointing out the utter hypocrisy of their anti-Pelosi braying … and Redneck doesn’t have a comeback to my pointing out the utter hypocrisy of HIS anti-Pelosi braying! They (and he) got caught with their shorts down this time.
As always.
Barelli 37 – That’s how it should work, but that’s not the case with “global warming” and most other gummint sponsored junk science. Here’s how gummint science really works:
1) Decide in advance a “scientific” conclusion that needs to be made to further the ends of Murka hating marxists.
2) Take billions of dollars from The Producers and make them available for “research”.
3) Screen proposals for those that look like they’ll support the predetermined conclusion.
4) The “scientists” then take that money and develop “proof” that supports the predetermined conclusion. Data to the contrary of the desired result is thrown out.
5) Assemble a group with a fancy sounding scientific name with a smattering of actual scientists, but populate it mostly with political activists. Issue dire sounding reports that call for political action that furthers marxism.
6) Label anyone that challenges the conclusions as a heretic, and ban them from the discussion.
7) Continue to fund researchers who come up with the “right” conclusions, and cut off those who don’t.
8) Keep this bullshit up for as long as it takes to accomplish the political objective.
If a real scientific process was followed, then the global warming debate wouldn’t be happening. It would be correctly attributed to natural causes such as The Sun.
Rabbit – Don’t be a fucking dumass. Stretch was out there conducting diplomatic negotiations. She told Syrians that Israel was ready to negotiate. As soon as she said it, the Israelis published a statement saying what she said was wrong. She’s too fucking stoopid to understand the situation there, and she was fucking around with stuff she doesn’t understand. It is a clear violation of the Logan Act dumshit.
She is not the president and not secretary of state. She’s just a fucking moonbat kook.
And if anybody wants to prove me wrong, show me the fucking data that says current temps are beyond historical norms.
Gullible fucking dumasses..
Just wondering… I know most of you moonbats dismiss corporate funded scientific research out of hand as inherently flawed since you think their motives are suspect.
How many of you think gummint funded research is free of hidden agendas? Really… how fucking gullible are you?
So, Mr. Redneck, your position, as I understand it, is that the vast majority of climatologists, oceanic and atmospheric scientists, along with the Navy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and roughly all of the major national and international organizations studying this subject are somehow following a political agenda and ignoring the evidence.
You are also saying that you are better able to sort out the available information than all those specialists, whom you believe are deliberately misleading and/or lying to us about the issue.
Ok, Mr. Redneck. Since we are obviously not sharing the same reality, I will simply wish you luck and happiness in whatever alternate universe you happen to live.
Remember that, in order to vote in local elections, you must live in this universe.
re 48: … and you deride others for believing “conspiracy” theories?
How droll!
re 51: What “corporate” science is it that you are referring to?
re 51: Mark. You are totally paranoid.
A gibbering nincompoop.
@48 I could understand your complaining about gummint taking money from producers if you were a producer. But in your case, the complaining is mystifying.
49 Mark, Pelosi has stated unequivocally that she told the Syrians exactly what Olmert asked her to tell them. Mind you, there’s not likely any more uniformity of political opinion in Israel than there is in the United States. It’s also of course possible that our administration would rather that Condi relayed whatever message to the Syrians, perhaps with a bit of…er, “editing” which might be different from the, shall we say, “interpretation” that Pelosi might have imposed.
Then again, it’s also possible that none of the parties involved believed the tiniest whit of what was said, nor that they would have had someone else said it.
@49 Really? I thought most congressional junkets abroad were nothing more than taxpayer-financed vacations in tony spas. Has that hoary tradition changed? With Democrats now in charge of congress, are junketing congresspersons actually using the taxpayers’ dime to conduct government business? Hard to believe; but, if true, I can see why a Republican like you would be against it.
@49 BTW how do you know Pelosi wasn’t simply doing fact-finding, which is perfectly proper and a prerogative of Congress? Were you there?
As always, Redneck’s talking points are poorly researched, poorly supported, and utter baloney.
P.S., pay your fucking gambling debt, welsher.
@52 John, do you have any idea how big a capacitor we need to load this monkey on a rocket and blow him up to Alpha Centauri with a flashlight battery?
Would this do it? http://www.hovair.com/products.....d-test.jpg
Actually, it might not be such a bad idea to have Pelosi do some diplomacy, given the administration doesn’t. Someone ought to. That’s normally the president’s job, but he’s sleeping on the job.
If Bush is really, really polite to Pelosi maybe he can get her to babysit his out-of-control daughters.
Logan Act:
“Any citizen of the United States, wherever he may be, who, without authority of the United States, directly or indirectly commences or carries on any correspondence or intercourse with any foreign government or any officer or agent thereof, with intent to influence the measures or conduct of any foreign government or of any officer or agent thereof, in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States, or to defeat the measures of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.
This section shall not abridge the right of a citizen to apply himself, or his agent, to any foreign government, or the agents thereof, for redress of any injury which he may have sustained from such government or any of its agents or subjects. ”
As soon as Pelosi took whatever was said by Olmert to Assad, she broke the law. I bet she said it was written in the male personage so it didn’t apply to her.
Of course the law is lost on Moonbat!s, even when I posted the USA Today and WAPo editorials last Thursday!