Took a few too many right hooks to the head.

I think you're in the wrong letters thread. Judging by your obviously finely tuned, permanent victim personality disorder a more fitting thread would be something concerning the masochism so clearly displayed in your near pathological compulsion to take offense at what the bad assed liberals are saying. As it is, you just make yourself into a rather annoying, but easily ignored pest... hardly the stuff of a manly conservative. In fact, you don't even make a very good masochist. At least REAL masochists enjoy being kicked around every day. All you do is whine endlessly.

Seriously.. take up knitting or something.

I've huffed vast quantities of boo... every day for 45 years. Been gainfully employed in my nice, little middle class career damn near the whole time. Now I'm about ready to retire, but ... woooo dude! Where's my retirement money?!?! Oh yeah... some "sober" investment banker screwed it up. I sort of wish that some of those morons on Wall Street would have been smokin' more weed. I've never been ripped off by a pot head... always been full measure of the right stuff.

Oh... at least the doctor says that I have the lungs of a 25 year old. So, at least I don't have to worry about my health insurance. And anyway.... pot cures just about anything that ails anybody. I highly recommend using it as often as possible.

I drink beer. Lots of beer. Good American beer, made right here in Portland, Oregon.

Think 'Bama would "have a beer" with me? I'd promise not to mention ANY right wing screaming points... and I know that Hawaii is part of this country (for bonus points).

Pork is what the other guy gets. Targeted Federal Stimulus Support is what you get.

Most people who complain the loudest about supposed "pork" are the same ones screaming the loudest about "misplaced spending priorities" when the construction of their pet project is canceled.

For all the brickbats that Kaiser Permanente rightfully endures, I've found their on line presence very well managed and quite helpful. I've been a Kaiser member for nearly 20 years, and while there's been many fits and starts, I do think that I'd have to give them a passing grade over all. Sure, they're as expensive as everyone else, but that's another story.

As far as their on line presence goes, everything seems to work just as expected. I get personal responses to my questions from an appropriate source, be it the nurse, the help desk, or even my own doctor. These come within the advertised 24 hours. Ordering meds on line is an easy, painless dream. I can even pay my co pay and have them delivered directly to my door after ordering them on line. I get timely reminders of appointments, and can make and cancel appointments easily online. Overall, I'd say that they're doing a pretty good job of keeping up with the capabilities of on line health care models. They don't charge a penny extra for it, as they shouldn't, since it presumably saves them some personnel costs.

It's not just gay guys and females who own cats, or are "cat people". I've always had two. One for the rodent control around my vast country estate, and one to keep that one company. They come and go as they please, are well loved, and do an admirable amount of work without knocking off many birds or other "non targeted" species.

I've tried dogs, but they too demanding of attention and invariably end up causing too much trouble. The cats just do their thing, and occasionally deign to allow me to hold one of them in my lap for short periods.

to all the moralist scolds here ranting about "dismotivated" potheads.... You're just remembering YOUR personal experience. Maybe it's your friends. Hell... maybe it's you. Maybe you're just boring.

Personally, I've smoked lots of pot every single day of my life for the last 45 years. I've also had two completely distinct day job careers at which I've been successful, AND I've been a fairly well respected musician in one of the major markets in this country for a good portion of those four decades. The pot heads I hang around with don't "lean against the wall with their spliffs" when they get stoned; they play music. Lots of music. Good music. Difficult music. Music that entertains many people and makes tons of money for the venues it is played in.

And then, I get up in the morning and go to my job. Every day. Year after year.

And, I've raised three talented, successful children - all of whom knew that Dad smoked pot every day.

Pot is good for most people. If you have some problem that makes pot seem to be a part of that problem, then just don't do it. But don't project YOUR problems on what is really a beneficial and very mild psychotropic herb.

They've never actually had to do one. At this point, simply forcing them to actually take to the floor and do a REAL filibuster would most likely be a brilliant political move. Of course, that means that Reid wouldn't do it; political brilliance not being in his hymn book. But a full on filibuster, with these discredited and mostly despised old white men ranting on and on endlessly would be a great thing. I'd like to see it broadcast live on all stations, in fact. 24/7 The longer it goes, the better.

I really don't think the GOP has the balls to do a real filibuster. Not that I don't think they're idiotic enough to try one. Are they really THAT completely oblivious to what they've done to their "brand" for the last eight years (at least)?

No... when communism fails, it simply becomes a kleptocracy.

The same thing that capitalism becomes when it fails.... obviously.