I suppose I should cut Sysprog some slack here, not many Yankees know that the Mason-Dixon line is the northern border of Maryland.

The Late Great Unpleasantness isn't something to be proud of, pleased with, or continually referenced. Noting the geographical parameters of it leaves one to wonder about your real national loyalties.

I'm still waiting for you to answer the questions posed earlier. They're quite simple "Yes" or "No" ones. No one will think any less of you if you'd just try for a change.

The lion went hunting; but kept sitting down to scratch at a flea, and therefore went hungry.

(The lion was south of the Mason-Dixon line.)

so yes, I've always known exactly where the "old line" is.

I showed a table of polling data, and the polling data footnote put Maryland in the Northeast, so that wasn't my decision, just me quoting a footnote. Maybe I should've put a footnote on the footnote. But this time I left the nitpicking as an exercise for the shooter.

But, but, but...it invalidates everything. Oh wait, the only thing moving Maryland does is soften McCain support in the "south".

BTW, is anyone besides me having trouble getting into Salon's main page? It has crashed my computer 2 times this morning and the only way I got here was via an old link to an GG article.

She told a bunch of other lies, too. Including some whoppers that are generally overlooked. They are documented in the wiki article. google troopergate.

But, but, but...it invalidates everything. Oh wait, the only thing moving Maryland does is soften McCain support in the "south".

Moving DC softens it even more since Obama polls 80-85% in DC but only a little over 60% in MD.

Maybe some of the local lore they told young sysprog wasn't quite so.

A bit of googling indicates there's no absolute proof either way, but the nickname "Old Line" maybe didn't originate as a reference to the Mason-Dixon line, but quite possibly was originated (some say by George Washington) as a reference to the "Maryland Line" regiment in the Revolution.

I'm in Mary land and only 6-and one-half mile from Pa.. A walk to the top of Gillian Knob, behind my hovel, you can look South and see the winding Potomac River snake down toward DC.

The Lewis and Clark survey crew trotted up the "mountain" to draw a Mason Dixie straight line. You can't sea the Pacific unless ya's gaze upward into the blue sky. Ya's all can see PA., West Virginia, and the Cumberland Valley. Tom Jefferson was in the home next to where the Mansion, where our closest neighbors dwell. They got a big land grant. There's still remembered history here.

A licking creek. A Hinson Place. Shady Bowers, Dame Paradise, etc., Hinson operated the copper brewery up behind my house. Some say ~ The Hinson ghost taps them on the shoulder if you walk alone in the woods. Take a wine jug, and Hinson's spirit is happy to greet friendly guest. He advocated `drinking moderately. I'll show you the old homestead Place. It's abandoned. Some fruit trees are still alive. A spring etc.,

The political connected, such as G. Washington had 45,000 acres in these hillbilly sticks when George the whipper snapper was only in his young twenties. Fair?

Stop over, and remember who not to lug along. Remember the jug.

Neighbors down in the holler are: `dandy, funk, guitar makers, banjo pickers, twice laid, hishee- hashsee, and good dough maker of bread. O, a few may be strong stomach pork pie, and pawn-host eaters, If they offer you a dry biscuit with alive worm grubs in it, pour dark molasses, or honey on it before you chow down. Some pots of soup are called `choke ya-to-death meal. The mere smell? You'll love the locals.

Just toss in a onion, turnip, and a big bar of lard soap...,

Rename soup? `call it `soap and bouillon.. froth suds...,

It's not as nauseous as some critters you met... O betcha.

Why do I feel like shouting, `O Westward Ho! Who cares.

No rules were broken and/or if they were, it doesn't matter.

-- shooter242

Glad you concede that Palin lied (ie, "they were, it doesn't matter").

Talk about having it both ways - that's rich. Bubba, indeed.

Gee, shoots, I wish there were a valid argument in all that stuff to reply to but since there isn't I'll just suggest that you study up on ignoratio elenchi and false dichotomies (also known as the fallacy of the excluded middle).

You still don't seem to understand the difference between lying under oath and perjury (although it's been explained to you often enough). Lying under oath isn't illegal unless it is perjury. I realize that you think that conservatives have to lie or else they really don't have any talking points, but the entire movement seems to feel that not getting caught telling a lie counts the same as telling the truth. The real difference between Clinton's lying and that of Palin, Bush, Cheney (and Gonzales and a lengthy cast of other administrative figures) is that Clinton admitted it and apologized while the others remain unrepentant.

Anyway, your concern about trespass was touching, but I didn't see any thing to understand about it, since your point was apparently that you are concerned about trespass but vandalism is fine (particularly if it is addressed to American flags or campaign signs). Presumably people shouldn't trespass, but if they want to destroy stuff while they're there then there's nothing wrong with that. Rather a departure from the normal conservative concept of private property.

In order to compare this episode with previous high points in lying, note that Palin's mistake was in telling a lie that could easily be checked. A really outstanding lie must be one with disastrous consequences -- say, something about uranium bought from Niger, or Hillary Clinton killing Vince Foster.

At the opposite extreme, suppose I report that John McCain always eats either six or eight goldfish for breakfast, never seven. How is anyone going to fact-check that? If McCain denies it, that only makes it more true.

So I don't agree that these little fibs about "Troopergate" actually represent new frontiers in lying -- unless you are talking about ineptitude.

"Recent McCain/Palin Falsehoods No Longer Meet Republican Standards of Quality" would be the correct headline