When we blew off the State Dept and went to the Olympics. Of course it was sort of remote as we were not residents of the US at that time so they had limited pull.

At any case they were perfectly nice to us and even apologized after they arrested me for giving away chewing gum to kids. They had a 'report' that Americans were trying to poison children with chewing gum. Once we straightened them out they let us go.

Much better than that time a Turkish soldier leveled and cocked a machine gun at my head because I was shouting a question about directions to him. They really don't like westerners much at all.

I will never mindlessly cheer for sports athletes as role models and the embodiment of everything American, proud and fair again.

I was merely pointing out the journalistic disingenuousness is all. Lest Salon become just another screeching blog it's good remember that there are in fact some standards to follow. I can understand how that flies in the face of your Internet tie them to the poles and shoot w/o trial kind of partisan ethos, not that there's anything wrong with that. But it's not really journalism to a high standard, either, is it?

It's rather arch that the topic is Rule of Law which boils down to consent to external standards. And yet the people making the claim are just another angry mob like everyone else.

In other words, in case I'm being too vague for you, when you make claims of 'irrefutable proof', it's good to at least make a game try at sourcing that. A footnote, an attribution, something. See not everyone has spent the morning sucking the liberal tailpipe. It might not be one of those self evident truths handed down from St. Joan of Salon to everyone concerned.

Oh b the by love, I used to be a registered Dem until 1996 when I put an 'I' in that box. Only voted "R" in a national election once. It would help some of you at least to try to stop huffing paint once in a while. Thank you for your attention and re now return you to our regularly scheduled dickwaving mob.

Sign him for x starts per season @ y millions per start, the schedule to be determined later. In fact there's no reason why the Rocket or anyone else shouldn't negotiate per start contracts for several different teams in a season. 10 for New York, 8 for the Bloodsox, 4 for Houston and so on. Make them the ultimate journeymen.

They already have 10 day contracts. Just expand on that. As long as teams like the Yanks are willing to subsidize the league via the luxury tax why should MLB care? I'll do you one better.If you get hurt it's a credit against the next team in your list of teams and they don't have to pay you.

Teams are a thing of the past. In fact maybe we don't need leagues in the traditional sense at all. Just make everything like Fantasy League, mix-n-match.

That where they live is called Tornado Alley. Me thinks yall shoulda known what might happen. The Gubmint aint your babysitter fo all the bad decisions you make. And when you rebuild, guess what hayseeds? Yall still be in Tornado Alley.

Show of hands?

Good. Ok he:

Nationalized the oil industry

Nationalized the banking industry

Nationalized the steel industry

Forced the legislature to allow him to rule by decree

Is moving to outlaw all parties but his own

Ok hands down. thanks. Now tell me about that rule of law.

I rememeber all my better angels lambasting those miserables in N.O. about how they should have known they were living below sea level. Yeah well sucks to be you, hayseeds.

Back in 99 when Hurriflood Floyd innundated the eastern third of NC it was the rich beachfront vacation home owners who got first dibs on aid and access to Federal money to allow them to rebuild exactly where they started. But for all the farms and small businesses inland that were destroyed, the state, the Federal government, and frankly, the media too, were all about how those people should just pick up and move. Well what's good for the goose....and screw the hayseeds.

I'm waaaaay more leftwing than you. I'm practically Emma Goldman. But thanks for playing. See this is what I love about Salon. It's almost entirely populated by people who are so dull and so hidebound that they automatically hear their own hatred for everyone else bouncing around in their own heads as if those are the actually words other people are speaking.

Salon is a blog, plain and simple. Just call DailyKos and embed this site in that one.

I hope you would too. I'm sure you wouldn't accept my sources like the Jerusalem Post. I mean if people want to champion him, that's fine by me. I don't live there, all my friends and family moved out of South America. They could turn the place into a Socialst Workers Paradise and Industrial Combine, turn the casinos into pig farms if they like. It just shouldn't amaze anyone that much when or if it all turns to shit and rather quickly. Chavez has for a few years intentionally neglected to invest in his oil infrastructure preferring instead to spend money on modern Russian fighter planes and Bolivian electrial companies. Unless he figures that the price of oil will always and forever outstrip the need to upgrade then it might work out. Normally though, a combination of falling prices, reduced productive capacity and ONE MAN RULE does not turn out so well. Eventually someone is scapegoated for that, like in Cuba where every economic problem is addressed by sending teachers, writers, actors and gays off to prison.

I honestly hope that works out well for the people of Venezuela though. I had some good times there.