-->Passive voice crimes

"A nameless man in a hat made of banana skins who lives in a gutter on the Lower East Side suggested..." could tend to skew the answers in a different way from what the poll's designers were trying to manufacture with their use of passive voice.<--

Okay. How did you know it was me?

Dammit! It had been known to me that cameras had been placed in my gutter.

But no problem, I will now just stick googly eyes on the paper bag in which I place my wine bottles into.

And get this straight: Those banana skins does not lives in my gutter.

final irony

he cheated the death panel

reform came too late

Sam Ervin said it

"The Lord works in hidden ways

wonders to perform"

Drop in a stitch here

Take out a stitch or two there

all the news that fits

I may disagree

with what you say, but I will

Defend your etaoin shrdlu

he should have died here

after there would have been a

time for such a word

shoot if you muss

this old grey mop

you cannot doot

with a telescop

and curst be he who moves these bones

You don't understand. We're satirizing that.

So what's your stance on the hijab -- all cool?

http://fc04.deviantart.com/fs21/i/2007/271/6/c/Hijab_Fetish_by_cainadamsson.jpg

Incompatible with ice cream culture, that's for sure.

... for the President to simply state his goals and then ask Congress to write a law is a sort of new politics -- and he did promise change. But in a way -- which is Obama all over -- it's also a return to the original tradition. The Constitution does, after all, give Congress the role of writing the laws; I agree, they're flubbing it this past few attempts, but, that's what happens when people don't get enough practice at their job. They need to tune up. They're rusty.

I think Obama is sort of biting the bullet and accepting the price of letting Congress try to do its own job. He's trusting them. He's giving them a chance. Who knows, it might work out.

Maybe, for instance, the Senate will drop this 60-vote majority crap. There's 100 of them, seems to me 51 is a majority. If I were President, I would be saying, "Filibuster my ass." But that's why I'm not President. Obama is like, "Okay, you people figure it out. Your call." He understands who is supposed to do what here.

I say he's a class act, and Congress has a lot to live up to. But let's give them a little time to get used to the responsibility.

... if your ghostwriter has to stop and take a leak or something. I have a little spare time, I could cobble something together for you. Buck fifty a word.

I use logic and facts, though. Is that okay?

No, but seriously -- stick to something you know about. Work a year in a nursing home and then come back and try to peddle this crap with a straight face. Until then, get lost and take your hired hack with you (or should I say, get lost and take the ex-governor with you, Charlie).

They might feel pressured. Christ.

I don't know why it is, but, for some reason, almost all of us consistently underestimate this man Barack Obama. The truth is that he may be the best man to hold this job in many, many decades. I am not afraid for what may happen when he appears before a crowd of juvenile kooks.

Yeah, sure, this part of the job is kinda hard. If you notice, though, he's been working very hard on some other things that are also no cakewalk — managing the economic crisis, dealing with foreign policy, stuff like that.

If this job were easy, we could have elected John McCain and Sarah Palin. We didn't, because it's not. It is actually too hard for them, and a strong majority of Americans grasped that fact. But Barack is the man. He can do this.

We'll look back on this and say, "Yeah, we always underestimated that cat."

Reality check: This woman's child is not at risk from "the liberals," "Obamacare," or from our health care system generally, either as it is currently constituted, or as it might be reformed. In fact, the complex, very evolved American health care system is and will continue to be a key ingredient in that youngster's continuing to have a decent quality of life in the decades to come, with or without the reform that may be coming. Look, people, the U.S. Constitution and government have served us well since 1781. The system will find a way to adjust to our present problems, and things are going to be okay -- not perfect, but okay -- for the elderly, the Downs kids, and even for the right wing froot loops. The kid is safe.

That said, this woman is now using that child as a bit player in her own personal drama, and as a pawn in her political game. That's not the same as loving the child. The whole thing is an indicator of her self-centered psychological character. When we look at her, we're seeing what's called "Axis 2, Cluster B" -- kind of a mess -- histrionic, borderline, narcissistic, et cetera. Can't stick with a job (notice that?), can't stay in one school (remember?), has trouble maintaining continuous relationships (ask around), always some kind of dispute or snafu in the works. A lot of seducing, a lot of pushing away. Real trouble to work with. Disruptive as hell.

It's very hard to be a child of a parent like that. Accordingly, we should cut her kids some slack. Overall, the key in these matters is to maintain compassion, but also to maintain good boundaries.

Word to the wise.