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chimpygo

Published Letters: 241
Editor's Choice: 3

Sunday, May 11, 2008 12:06 PM

White Blue Collar Americans

Who are tired of being patronized and want their political voices and concerns to be taken seriously...

should reject manipulative race/fear appeals

and demand a political discussion that actually deals with the issues that affect their lives.

For years Repubs have given them lip service and counted on them for votes but done very little to actually help them.

Last I checked, GATT and the Iraq War didn't help the economy as a whole and certainly did little for this demographic (with which I'm intimately familiar).

Tuesday, May 13, 2008 08:22 AM

@ Elephantman

Yep, this is true. He didn't wish for 1000 more years of bloody conflict. McCain's point was that—from U.S. standpoint—American presence isn't a problem, but active hostilities obviously are.

Of course, Iraq is not Germany or Japan or even South Korea, and who really thinks we're likely to have a both peace and a large presence in Iraq?

Again, the gotcha games do get us away from intelligent discussion/understanding, but even a more level-headed ananlysis doesn't make McCain's horrible ideas any better.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008 01:05 AM
Original article: She won't go easy

2nd graph is global context of Clinton's style of campaign

Bulletin to all nations: help! Tornadoes, typhoons and earthquakes batter the globe, while the U.S. is teetering into recession and paralyzed by a stupid war it can neither win nor quit. But somehow we are locked at the hip to Hillary Clinton, who won't stop her manic tarantella until her party whirls into ruins, like the run-amuck carousel in Alfred Hitchcock's "Strangers on a Train."

And contains the word "tarantella." What else ya want?

Wednesday, May 14, 2008 04:12 PM

Bill Moyers on Christian Zionism

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Auf-Su-xZVU

Some right-wing "Christians" who believe End Times are nigh sometimes want to actually start wars just to bring it on.

The Jewish folk who don't convert, of course, aren't destined for Heaven once the "Rapture" comes.

[Of course, in the Gospel of Thomas, Christ says "the kingdom of Heaven is spread upon the earth, but men do not see it." What is this Buddhism?]

I think Obama's answer was nuanced and thoughtful. I'm not even remotely against Jewish people or the religious tradition that values peace, justice, dissent and discussion, but when people DEMAND that I refuse to consider the rights or suffering on the Palestine side, I get suspicious.

Many citizens of Israel feel the same way.

Any -ism that demands its adherents refuse to acknowledge someone else's humanity is potentially very dangerous.

No sane person could think that Israel as a political state is Infallible, or that our press and national conversations are balanced.

It's too bad that shameless bigot Jimmy Carter is trying to get people to see thier common humanity and their shared interest in peacefully coexisting. What will he think of next?

Wednesday, May 14, 2008 10:54 PM

NARAL's press release

http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/elections/election-pr/pr_05042008_obamaendorsement.html

"We are confident that Barack Obama is the candidate of the future. Americans are tired of the divisive politics of the last eight years, and will unite behind Obama in the fall."

Sounds like Molly Ivins.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1963759

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molly_Ivins

Friday, May 16, 2008 12:59 AM
Original article: MoveOn ad: correction

Can someone tell me why this ad is/isn't offensive/funny?

I'm curious.

Is it a parody because it's a low-brow (humorous) explanation of why people shouldn't be threatened by Obama's "race" (black and white mixed is a good thing), the implication being that it couldn't fly over the head of even low-information voters?

Or is it a parody of "diversity" that really is equating Obama with a spraying skunk?

Or something else.

p.s. I think they sent it to Move.On for publicity, not because they really thought it would be selected. Maybe they even hoped for a favorable reaction?

It's not surprising, though, given the sorts of hateful attacks directed at Obama, that Move.On was a bit hypersensitive.

Friday, May 16, 2008 01:32 AM
Original article: In the land of believers

I don't like his shtick

poopy jokes and high school hazing

but he makes a ton of insightful points and does indeed take after Thompson in the pithy punchy force of his prose.

I'll give him a pass for now, too, gloriousgirl

Friday, May 16, 2008 02:42 AM
Original article: Gay marriage, so what?

I can certainly sympathize with the author's legitimate feelings

and ewm hit the nail on the head.

But I agree with others who call for perspective: lots of us are also tired of waiting our turn for

1) not being at war in Iraq

2) the Constitutional liberties not to held indefinitely without trial and possibly tortured

3) ratcheting down the rampant corruption in our goverment

4) being led by people not looking for reasons to start a war with Iran

etc.

These aren't just abstract principle/notions, either, but real things that cause (or could) a great deal of pain and suffering.

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