Smile =)
Smile =) It makes the Republicans Suspicious
(Barack Obama)
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Smile, though your hart is broken…
“Joe — tell me about the rabbits again”
“I will hug them and pet them and squeeze them”
I used to have a little friend…but he don’t move no more.
That reminds me of another time, i saw a rabbit…
“Is that a rabbit?”, says I.
Wabbits is da cwaaaaaziest peebulls!
I know that hares are similar to rabbits, but what do they have to do with deer? Unless you mean Thumper and Bambi. In which case, never mind.
True. Actually, just his skin color makes Republicans nervous. No matter what he does, the right wing pundits twist it to make it bad. It breaks my heart too.
What a ridiculous statement. Funny how Conelezza Rice or Clarence Thomas make Democrats nervous, isn’t it?
*snerk*
Win.
Mega Win!!!!!
Nope, not Condoleeza (with a ‘d’ , but then repugs aren’t that in to details, especially when it shows their own hypocrisy), or Clarence- they were hand picked tokens (and Clarence Thomas never should have been on the Supreme court – Anita Hill had more brains, and guts, and got slapped down for it. )
I suppose you have never had a typo. Arrogant ass.
Just what I thought, they don’t count… Of course Barak is NOT a hand picked token at all.
Well, if Condoleeza did smile then that would probably disturb them more then make them nervous. She’s just too gappy.
Its almost as if Obama supporters cant imagine Obama has ideas that are worth disliking. It breaks my heart.
Jim.. if we’re Obama supporters what makes you think that we’d inclined to dislike his ideas?
Not every GWB supporter liked all of his ideas……
Well that just goes to show you how much better Obama is than Bush
Or how sheep like the BO supporters are.
I don’t support BO at all. I prefer hygiene.
Or how those of us on the left are better at sticking together.
Can you say Baaaaaaaa?
I’m sorry that we’re unified and getting what we want… but you don’t have to try and insult us.
Not insulting. Just calling it as I see it from a point of view that supports neither side. Though I will say that I am starting to see buyers remorse with BO, just as there was with GWB.
You can say you don’t support either side, just like you can say you’re not insulting…. but you do and you are. Simple as that.
No, I spoke out against GWB too, way back with No child left behind.
And I apologize if I fail to make my point without it coming across as an insult. I promise you, it is not.
I’ll accept that. Saying you didn’t mean to comes across much better than saying “it’s not an insult”. I think that might be why you and VNV get at each other’s throats so much, it makes a world of difference when you can say “That’s not what I meant” rather than “That’s not what I said.”
Yays! Cookies for everyone!
No, I meant that Obama supporters like Cisco54:
“True. Actually, just his skin color makes Republicans nervous. No matter what he does, the right wing pundits twist it to make it bad. It breaks my heart too.”
believe that Obama-non-supporters, like me, are unable to dislike Obama for his ideas. We, in Cisco’s opinion, are only able to dislike him for his skincolor. As if Obama supporters cant imagine Obama has ideas worthy of disagreement.
Well luckily Cisco doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Quite frankly anyone who brings the racial issue into this is… for lack of a better word… retarded. Most rational liberals understand that the folks on the right just plain don’t like what he’s doing.
There sure seems to be a lot of irrational liberals then. Cause there is a lot of flinging the race card going on.
Once again, pot calling the kettle black. It’s on both sides. Clearly the comments in this lol prove it.
I never said it wasn’t on both sides. Actually, I have spoken out against it happening on both sides. I have said that one side like to pretend that it’s only the other.
Eh, not here on this site. I think the liberals here tend to debunk most of the generalizations, aside from the libtard-trolls, we’re all equal opportunity bashers here. When I think of PKs regular posters I think of the guys from High Fidelity.
Random Troll: “You guys just see yourself as the unappreciated scholars of the political scene, who look down on anyone who’s stupider than you.”
PK Regulars: “No no. *shaking of heads*”
Random Troll: “Which is everybody.”
PK Regulars: “Yeah. *nodding in approval*”
It has gotten better in the last few months, I give you that. One of the reasons I like coming here is it challenges me to research my own thoughts. Though some days I just don’t have the time.
I look at it in the Biblical sense, “As iron sharpeneth iron…”
I hope it was just an antler.
does he know something we don’t know???
You know, he just might, makes you wonder, don’t it?
quite the opposite … most of us know lots of stuff he “don’t”…
it’s creepy either way!!
Well, to play fair. We all know some stuff that others don’t know.
The gestation period of a rabbit it 28-31 days.
Wow!! You learn something new every day!
Rabbits spend approximately two and a half hours caring for each litter they have. Five minutes a day for a month. They possibly spend more time digging and building a nest for the litter than actually caring for it.
Watership Down by Richard Adams is a story about rabbits.
I loved that book.
Me too! It’s one of my all-time favorites
Often, when reaching a cross road, I think back to the description of asphalt in the book. It’s been so long, I can’t remember the names of the characters. That and the acrid smell of cigarettes, as described by our furry heroes.
Siflay wracka!
Ok, clue me in……
The rabbits would periodically stop to siflay some grass, often followed by ‘passing wracka’. And ’siflay wraka’ was an insult used towards the very end of the book. I don’t know if I got the spelling, but the insult really stuck with me!
Ok, I do remember that. Not the exact quote, but I do remember what you are saying.
{http://movielab.tv/watership-down,7151.html}
It’s when Big Wig confronts General Woundwort
“Silflay wracka, u embleer hrair” The second part translates into “you stinking prince”
God, I’m a nerd.
Oh…I think it’s hraka too…
I love that book. Never really got into the movie version, though.
Yeah, the movie version was kind of disturbing.
@SB From one nerd to another. I remember that quote from a single reading of the book back when I was in high school…and Reagan was president!
Pigs can have an orgams of approximately 35 minutes
No wonder their tails are curly.
And their toes must have fallen off for that reason, too!
orgams?
I know Marx’s road to utopia, oh wait, that was someone else.
Now THAT was snarky.
Suspicious? Whatever they thought might have been what you are smiling about was on Fox news as fact yesterday.
grammar FAIL
Where?
Not a grammar fail, just oddly awkward syntax.
Yeah. it seemed awkward when I reread it, but the jist is still in tact.
It might have done with some comma or something for readability, but it was far from awkward in my book.
Mind you, I’ve spent two, three nights reading The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, so my perception of what constitutes complex sentences is quite skewed. :p
Yeah. When you get paid by the page, you find ways of making that idea last. Dickens is the type of writer that could spend 15 pages describing a clock. I am sure anything most of us would come up with would sound like of 4th grader to him. But I will try harder in the future.
I confess to being unable to decide whether that is intended as a promise or as a threat…
And -that- is what will make it fun!
Eeek!
Try James Fennimore Cooper (“Last of the Mohicans”) — paid by the word and, boy, does it show. Twain wrote a great essay bashing him for it, too. One of Twain’s rules of grammar: eschew superfluity.
And obfuscation as well!
Remember kids, don’t Circumlocute.
Or circumcisionate……..
Speaking of James in this context I would immediately think of the one with the surname of Joyce. ;p
(Not that his writing was superfluous – and I don’t think Dickens’ is either – but dayummmm!)
Dickens!
*shakes fist*
KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!!!!!!!
TWIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXX!!!!!
Nice!!!
That is why I hate Dickens. Hate him. And everyone who just won’t shut the hell up.
Sorry…the mister has been talking about computer stuff again. Arrgggghhhhh!!!!!!! STFU.
I’ve commented before that Dickens’ work would have been improved greatly by a firm, no-nonsense editor. “Yes, Chuck, I DID red-pen about three pages in a row. It doesn’t advance the plot in any way and it’s basically a detailed description of a character that never appears in the book again!”
*gives Dickens a thorough spanking, a la “Secretary”*
Great movie!
Yes it was. Although it made me think. With how hawt Maggie was in Secretary… what in the hell did they do to her in The Dark Knight? They made her look wholly unattractive imo.
she was gonna go get all blown up anyways, people might be less attached if they made er all homely and uncute. but she was better then that nice stepford lady holmes
I’d say the only think “stepfordly” creepy about Katie is how damn tall she is. I’ve met her once, put my foot in my mouth, and then realized she’s actually a pretty nice lady. Freakishly tall… but nice.
was she standing next to her elf husband?
No, she was standing next to me.
I met her on the set of Dawson’s Creek. The gas station they use in the show was about 5 blocks down from uncle’s house in Wilmington, I pulled up during a night shoot and stood next to her at the set railings. She was just as tall as I am. Which is odd for women of hollywood. And even odder for da menz.
OooOooooh so you had met her before the brainwashings!
Yeah I suppose that’s true… who knows what Midget Cruise did to her… poor lady. Before I recognized it was her I actually told her… to her face that Dawson’s Creek was too melodramatic to be a realistic representation of teenage life. She just smiled, winked and said “I know, I feel that way too.” and then she got called back to start shooting the scene.
Once I realized what I had just said, and to whom, I think I actually had my jaw hit the ground.
did she show you her boobies?
Sadly no. But when I meet celebrities and I never really make the best impression. Like when I saw John Travolta, and yelled at him “HEY! YOU’RE JOHN TRAVOLTA!”
Or when I met Micheal Clarke Duncan and all I could muster was “You’re really big.” while I shook his hand.
did Michael Clarke Duncan ( good scottish lad there ) show you his boobies?
…and terrorists and communists happy.
survey says:
X X X
not even close
Epic fail!
Bitter Troll iz Bitter
Where is bitter troll anyway? I miss him.
-hugs charro- was packing, is moving again
Need a new bridge?
a bridge closer to work and cheaper
Way hot.
wtf!!! I’ve been robbed, I was first grrrrrrrrr
Time stamp says “No”.
Go beat them up!
You were robbed of being a retarded attention whore? No, I think you’re still good.
Gee, just what we need. A bunch of suspicious Republican idiots. And if anyone is offeneded by this comment, you can just go sh*t and fall backwords. It was your man who f**ked this country up in the first bloody place.
I feel offended by your spelling! ;p
Took the words right out from under my fingers.
Sorry, we can’t all be as perfect as you.
so are most of us…. *sigh*
It’s a sad, sad world. :/
(I hope you noticed my “;p” – signifying that I was not all that serious, though I admit to the flaw of being fond of poking slight fun at spelling errors. It wasn’t meant in a terribly mean way.)
I want to know what the back words are.
awww sounds like someone missed their nap today
How did you guess?
Actually, you typical uninformed liberal puke, the downfall of this country started in the 60s with the Vietnam War, (you know, the one started by JFK, a Democrat and ended by a Republican, then with “the war on poverty, started by LBJ a Democrat/communist, The Community Redevelopment Act brought to you by the worst president by far in American history (but soon to be outdone), also a democrat and then made even worse by the only president ever impeached, ALSO a democrat. Then of course there were the hundreds of terrorist attacks while good old Bill was getting his dick sucked by some fat whore that he did nothing about. Banks were FORCED to lend money to people with no way to pay by democrats and that, by far, is why we’re where we’re at. But it’s all irrelevant because very soon the terrorists that this latest democrat/communist refuses to even CALL terrorist will get nukes and we’ll all be dead. Who you gonna blame then you moron?
Frothy mcFroth froths!
*hijacks thread*
Yeah, and reffering to everyone you don’t agree with as “uninformed liberal pukes” totally lends validity to your arguments. -_- Go back to class 5th-grader n00b.
How is it that when a Republican calls a liberal an uniformed liberal puke it discredits the entirety of an otherwise factual argument, when people on the opposite side can call Republicans whatever they like and still be taken seriously?
Wow, nice rant. Now, don’t confuse them with too many facts.
You know, he might get a bit farther if he didn’t sound like he looked like this.
I agree, and I don’t care for name calling, because that’s what the other side usually resorts to, but that’s why I called it a rant.
Yeah. I started typing a rather more elaborate answer/discussion post, and then I realised I was talking to someone who sounded like a … well, a rabid squirrel, and changed it to that (points a bit above).
Sometimes I get sad because people who might have quite a decent argument/debate point blow it all by sounding asshatty. :/
I don’t think there’s any danger of that, gniknihtdrawkcab.
You say communist like it’s a bad thing. BTW, massive ginormous history fail.
When has communism ever succeeded?
Im frilly fairy rainbow land!! With extra pixie dust please!
Well, if you’re referring to Marxist communism, pretty much never, at least not in the long run. (Though they’ve had a few short-term victories– for example, the first human in space was a Soviet communist.) However, at least one form of communism was wildly successful- specifically, the religious communism practiced by the early Christian church in the days following Jesus’ execution. Acts 2:44-45 records that “All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.” That certainly sounds pretty communist to me.
Now obviously, modern-day Christians don’t practice this form of communism anymore. However, the communism of the early church allowed them survive the persecution and general social upheaval that took place during the first century of their existence. This in turn enabled them to eventually supplant Roman paganism, convert the whole of Europe, and eventually become the world’s largest religion. So even though this form of communism is no longer practiced, it’s clearly a success story.
Mind you, all this talk of communism is a red herring. Marxist communism has never been successful in the long term, but Marxist communism is not the only alternative to extreme laissez-faire capitalism. There are other forms of government, other economic systems that lie between the hive mind of Marxist communism and the dog eat dog world of laissez-faire capitalism, and there’s nothing un-American about suggesting that we should adopt one of those in-between forms.
I would beg to differ with you on so many fronts. The only thing I can agree with is that Marxist Communism was a failure.
The collaboration of the early church was not communism, in any way shape or form. The main thing being the leadership, vs the political theory of communism.
I also am not a full tilt laissez-faire capitalist. I am for an open market, but regulated by the individual states. Which is the problem with the in between form you may have in mind. Keep the Federal Govt out of it, make it stick with the limits set forth in the Constitution, as per Article 1, section 8, and the 10th amendment. Which IS, ultimately, what makes things American or not.
One of the big differences between what the early church practised and secular communism is that being a Christian is a committment that is completely voluntary. Secular communism is forced on the populace.
@n00bs: The use of force is a feature of Marxist communism, not secular communism in general. Secular communism need not be forced on the populace; it can be voluntary as well.
Conversely, throughout the history of Christianity, there were plenty of times when Christians viewed their religion not as a voluntary commitment, but something to be forced on others for their own good and/or the good of society. Indeed, even in America today, there lurk religious radicals who want to abolish the Constitution and replace it with a Christian theocracy based on (their own particularly interpretation of) biblical law.
@justacarolinian: The collaboration of the early Christian community was indeed a form of communism, at least if the description in Acts is accurate. It wasn’t Marxist communism, obviously, and it was motivated by religious belief rather than a political theory. But the central features of communism were there. Private property was abolished, all wealth was held in common by the community, and that wealth was distributed according to need. Yes, you can say it doesn’t count as communism because it wasn’t a political theory. But if it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, and abolishes private property in a manner closely associated with ducks, and distributes the wealth to the needy in a duck-like fashion, what would you call that?
I’d be curious to know any instance where communism/socialism was in power and not forced on the populace. By its very nature, it cannot be voluntary. Unless by secular communism you are referring to experiments in communal living, which then must rely on selecting who they let in and who they get rid of. The participants in communal living soon tire of carrying dead weight, so even in that sense communism/socialism is not voluntary.
Christianity has never accepted the notion that belief could be forced on others. There are instances where baptism was forced by individual Christians on others, but it was forbidden by Church law. As for the US, it is the country that is under attack by secular humanists to remove all vestiges of Christianity. There are court cases aplenty by atheists to do just that. There are no court challenges to establish a Christian theocracy that I know of.
And doctrines of Christianity and Communism / socialism have surface similarities, but are not compatible. That is the error of liberation theology. Private property was not abolished, nor was all wealth held in common to the community, nor was wealth distributed according to need. There were sects that adhered to some of those doctrines, but certainly not the Catholic Church, back to its founding. To distribute one’s own wealth is charity, but distribution of wealth as understood by socialism is the distribution of everyone’s wealth whether they want it distributed or not. That is where the dictatorship in “the dictatorship of the proletariat” comes into play. Many Christians do confuse its principals with the principals of communism/socialism and the Church has spent a good deal of time to rebut that confusion.
@jim: First of all, you’re conflating communism and socialism. The two certainly have some overlap, but they are hardly identical. (In particular, socialism allows for the existence of private property, whereas communism does not.) It’s important to be careful not to misuse terms in discussions such as these, or you’ll trip yourself up every time.
You ask if there are any instances of communism or socialism that were not forced on the populace. I’d answer by saying that there’s never been *any* political system that didn’t require at least *some* force to maintain itself. Even a laissez-faire society requires some combination of an army, a police force, and private security companies to protect the property rights of the society’s citizens. So yes, I think any communist or socialist system (notice I don’t equate the two!) will require some enforcement– as will a laissez faire or mildly regulated capitalist system. But that’s not really a problem, unless you’ve got a hard-on for the Hobbesian state of nature.
The problem with Marxist communism as it was practiced in the 20th century wasn’t that it enforced its social system on its citizens, but that it did so in a viciously totalitarian fashion. There was no transparency in Marxist communist governments. There was no freedom of speech or of the press, no freedom of religion, no freedom to question the social order. The severity of punishments were entirely out of proportion to the crimes being committed. People accused of crimes were given show trials, or tortured into submission, or simply made to disappear in the middle of the night. Making matters worse, Marxist governments had no mechanism for self-correction. Unlike, for instance, the American constition, which can be (and has been) amended to deal with deficiencies, Marxist governments considered their beliefs to be infalliable, so they offered no mechanism for change, no way to improve the system by working within it.
So make no mistake– Marxist communism was bad. Real bad. But it doesn’t follow that other forms of communism need be equally bad to enforce their system. We know from real-world experience that both capitalism and moderate socialism can be enforced in a just, humane way, and I see no reason why some (non-Marxist) system of communism could not be as well.
As for your claim that “Christianity has never accepted the notion that belief could be forced on others,” this is incorrect. Christianity has always stated that God punishes unbelief with hellfire, for one thing. More seriously, from the time of Constantine’s conversion to the rise of freethought and secularism in Europe, Christianity waged a nearly constant war to enforce belief and wipe out religious rivals. The Crusades, the Inquisition, anti-Semitism, the witch hunts… all these and more are examples of Christian institutions trying to force their beliefs on others. Yes, you can always say, “But they weren’t *real* Christians”– just as the Marxists say “But they weren’t *real* Marxists.” But I don’t buy it from either group.
Finally, you claim that in the early church, “Private property was not abolished, nor was all wealth held in common to the community, nor was wealth distributed according to need.” Please see my letter to justacarolinian, which points to several verses in Acts that disprove your claim.
I dont conflate socialism and communism, Marx and Engels used the communism as identical to socialism in the Communist Manifesto. Its only when socialists have the reins of power that they begin to enslave. The difference between socialist countries and democracies is not complicated, democracies dont shoot at you when you want to leave them. That is much more than simple enforcement. Socialist forms of government fail because of human nature. In regards to the Church, Church law has always forbidden forced conversions. That is not to say that individuals did not engage in such behavior, but it was against the law of the Church. The crusades were an attempt to return Christian territories overrun by Islam, Christianity existed in those countries long before Islam came along, and Islam had forced the conversion of Christians and either killed or exiled many who did not convert. Similarly, when Islam was driven back from countries like Spain, many Moslems and Jews remained. Many pretended to be Christians or agitated against the Church, which in many cases was closely tied to the State. The Catholic Church was also dealing with Christian heresies such as Mancheanism. Acts of heresy were also seen as acts of sedition against the state. The Inquistion was based on the tenants of Mosiac law and designed to save the faithful. Those who disagreed with Catholicism were not prevented from leaving. The problem was they not only did not leave the state, they remained and undermined it. For someone to be investigated by the Inquisition required two of their fellow citizens to charge them. This was no small matter, for if one was charged unjustly, they would be forced to undergo the legal punishment for the crime which they had unjustly charged another with. But what was the most common punishment of the Inquisition? Penance and excommunication. Christianity and Democracies do not accept the idea that any means can ethically be employed to further the interest of the state, that is not the case with communism and socialism. In communist and socialist states it is perfectly ethical to enslave. This is no small distinction. I do not accept the idea that because all men sin, they all sin equally. Because there are injustices in every state does not mean every state is equally unjust. To me, its a silly argument. America does not have border guards who will shoot you if you try to leave America. That is not the case in North Korea, China, or Cuba.
Your comments about the primitive Church prove only that some communities existed like that. Not the entire Church. Further reading of the new testament makes it clear that many Christians did not leave in such communities. Such communities still exist today, for example convents. But the existence of convents does not prove all Christians are living in them.
Okay, you missed the part where Sun Dog said the communist nations of the 20th century did it all wrong. They used a vicious totalitarian state to maintain power. They abused communism to keep people down so they could rise above and control EVERYTHING. That’s not how it’s supposed to work. Ideally, there’s not supposed to be a power grab in communism, and that’s why it’ll never work. Because people will always try to turn something good into greed or a power struggle. Communism is a great idea. Wonderful idea. Not practical with humanity.
Nah, I just dont buy into the socialist technique of saying we are bolsheviks, we are mensheviks, and therefore you cannot compare the two. We are communists, we are not socialists, eh, half a dozen of one, six of the other.
So Jim, do you also object to Christians who say, “Oh, organized religion is evil, but that’s not what *real* Christianity is about”?
Saying that communism and socialism are the same thing just shows your ignorance. They aren’t the same, and if you think they are, then you aren’t as educated on the subject as you claim.
Well, rather than engage in “is, is not”; anyone interested can simply look up the words communism, socialism, socialist party and Marx in the dictionary. As to defining to be different by hypothetical stage, that is the way communists/Marxist/socialists view themselves. Its not the way the world viewed them.
I’m always leery of trying to win debates by referring to the dictionary, as the use of words in normal human discourse is often quite different from the usage prescribed in dictionaries. (That’s why people who speak English as a second language often phrase things strangely– they are selecting their words in accordance with the English of their dictionaries, rather than the English that is actually spoken by native speakers.)
Having said that, you may be interested to know that in the 2009 edition of the Random House dictionary, the first definition of “communism” is “a theory or system of social organization based on the holding of all property in common, actual ownership being ascribed to the community as a whole or to the state.” By that particular definition, the early church were indeed communists, as they practiced a system of social organization based on the holding of all property in common (“All the believers were together and had everything in common”) and ascribed ownership to the community as a whole (“No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.”)
@mabsba: Thank you for your kind words! And I’m glad you enjoyed the cartoon; I do so love XKCD. That said, my most recent letter to justacarolinian features a different link, for reasons that will probably be obvious.
Ahh, yes. Sun Dog, you stupidity is blinding. And considering how much influence the left leaning crowd has on textbooks and the education world, I don’t doubt a 2009 dictionary would go say that.
Be sure to look in the mirror before you call anyone stupid.
Text books =/= dictionary. The people who write/edit/update dictionaries tend to be a group of linguistics professors more interested in words and getting the meanings right than liberals or conservatives with a political stake.
@jim: Your comment about Marx and Engels is incorrect. In the third section of the Communist Manifesto, “Socialist and Communist Literature”, Marx and Engels compared and contrasted their brand of communism with several other contemporary schools of socialism, all of which they rejected as being “reformist” and therefore too weak. If they rejected socialism in favor of communism, then obviously they must have viewed them as two different things, not synonyms for each other. It’s also worth pointing out that later Marxists viewed socialism as a stepping stone between capitalism and communism. Clearly, Marxists do not see socialism and communism as being identical. (And non-Marxist socialists would agree.)
As far as the notion that socialist societies necessarily enslave their subjects, this is also incorrect, or at least misleading. In socialist countries that are heavily influenced by Marxist thought (Cuba, for instance, or North Korea), sure, things are pretty grim. But many countries in Western Europe have adopted a more moderate form of socialism, one informed not by theories of class struggle, but philosophies emphasizing freedom, justice, and the open society. You don’t get shot for trying to leave these countries.
Your comment that “Church law” (which is a misnomer, as there have been many different churches with varying degrees of political power in the last 2,000 years) forbade forced conversion is incorrect. The Spanish and Portuguese inquisitions, for instance, were joint projects of the Catholic Church and the governments of Spain and Portugal. Jews and Muslims were given a “choice”– convert to Christianity, or leave the country with nothing but (literally) what they could carry. Curious how you forgot to mention that when you stated that “those who disagreed with Catholicism were not prevented from leaving.”
And being a Christian didn’t necessarily make you safe– you could still be persecuted if you were the wrong *kind* of Christian. Indeed, many victims of the Inquisitions were either recent converts suspected of being insincere, or Christians whose viewpoints were considered heretical– even though their “heresies” often had a biblical basis! You stated, “But what was the most common punishment of the Inquisition? Penance and excommunication.” You neglected to mentioned that these convictions were achieved by torturing victims until they confessed to the crime. So that “mild” punishment only came only after enduring hours or even days of excruciating agony. And of course, not everybody was lucky enough to “only” be tortured– many were later put to death, often by burning at the stake. Yeah, that’s a real nice voluntary system they had.
Finally, your statement that “only some communities [within the primitive church] existed like that” is inconsistent with Acts 2:44 and 4:32, which specifically states that *all* the believers held their property in common, not merely some isolated communities.
Held in common and abolished are two different things. But it seems you are dead set to call it communism. I could call my Ford Taurus a Chevy Corvette, but it isn’t. They do have a few things in common. 4 wheels. An engine. Headlights. A battery.
Now the evils of organized religion, I wont argue with you. I speak out against them all the time. It’s man that took God’s ideals and perverted them. That doesn’t make God’s ideals wrong. I will differ with you, if it’s what you appear to be saying, that the early church was Catholic. It wasn’t.
It would certainly be wrong to say that a Taurus is a Corvette. But you’re saying that a Taurus is a car, and a Corvette is not a Taurus, therefore a Corvette is not a car. It doesn’t work that way.
Again, I don’t know why this is bugging you so badly. I’m not asking you to believe that the early Christians were Marxists. I’m not asking you to reject Christianity because of the early church’s communism. I’m simply pointing out an obvious similarity, and asking you to admit that eagles are birds and Corvettes are cars.
Regarding the early church, no, I don’t believe they were Catholic. The Catholic church came later. The early church was actually a highly diverse community of loosely connected groups during those first few centuries. Some Christian groups were heavily Jewish in flavor, others had strong gnostic leanings. Doctrines were in flux; even basic questions like the divinity of Jesus were unsettled. This diversity was a reflection of Christianity’s Jewish origins, as the Judaism of the time was also a highly diverse group of opposing factions and “denominations.” So no, the early Christian church wasn’t Catholic. Indeed, by the standards of modern orthodoxy, much of the early Christian church wasn’t even Christian.
Ok, at no point did I say the Corvette was not a car. They are 2 different types of cars, made by 2 different manufacturers.
Why are you getting your panties in such a wad trying to prove something that is untrue?
Redefining a word to fit your ideals is what you are doing.
I was speaking metaphorically. I realize that you didn’t *literally* say that a Corvette was not a car, and I wasn’t trying to claim that you did. I was simply taking your metaphor and using it to show where you are going wrong. I apologize if you found this confusing.
My point was simply this: Your refusal to acknowledge that the early Christian church practiced a form of communism is very much like denying that a Corvette is a car. As you yourself said, both of these are types of cars; they simply have different manufacturers. Well, the same is true of communism. Both Marxist communism and early Christian communism are both types of communism, despite having different “manufacturers.”
We can take the metaphor further. How do we know that the Taurus and the Corvette are both cars? Because if we examine them, we’ll find that they both have the defining characteristics of cars– wheels, engines, headlights, batteries, etc. Similarly, we know that both of these systems were types of communism because they both have the defining characteristics of communism– no private property, all wealth held by the community and distributed according to need.
As for your claim that I am “redefining words”, this is incorrect. My definition of communism is a pretty common one. It accords well with both the scholarly consensus found in dictionaries, and the “man on the street” view reflected in sites like Wikipedia. Besides, why would I need to redefine the word? I didn’t raise the issue of communism, and I’m not a communist myself, so what would be the point?
I checked Wiki. It went straight into the political theory, and that is all the difference, and one that you are intentionally missing.
And intentionally dancing around the car comparison. No matter what form of transportation you are using, a Ford is not a Chevy. Though they may have some things in common, they have 2 distinct manufacturers. Just as the Apostolic church had one inspiration, and communism had another.
When referring to Christianity in its first 1500 years, to the inquisition, and to the crusades, what is meant by Church law is unambiguous. The inquisitor Eymeric in his instructions noted that Jews and infidels must not be compelled to accept Christianity. But the could be restrained from interfering in the practice by Christians of the faith, from persuading them to do evil, or from blaspheming Christ or persecuting the faithful in anyway. The Popes upheld the right of Jews to practice their faith.
The State and the Church were under attack yet assumed lawful means and process against those who were attacking the Christian’s most valuable possession, their soul. There were excesses in Spain and Portugal, but they were the excesses of a people taking back their country.
At the beginning of any given chapter in the bible there are notes concerning the it’s context: That book was not to be considered as a history of what was done by all the Apostles, who were dispersed into different nations. In chapter 10 you will read of Cornelius a religious man, and fearing God with all of his house, who gave much alms; or Simon the tanner in whose house Peter lodged.
@justacarolinian: The first section of the Wikipedia article on communism is referring to Marxist communism, not communism in general. This is hardly surprising, given that Marxist communism is the most common type of communism today. However, the article also contains a section outlining two major alternatives to Marxist communism (Anarcho-communism and [modern] Christian communism), and another section listing examples of pre-Marxist communism. (Including some examples of Christian communism in pre-Marxist times.) In some cases, the communities in question adopted communism for reasons other than political concerns. (For example, the article notes that some medieval religious orders believed that concern with private property was a worldly distraction, and adopted a communist lifestyle so as to better serve both God and their fellow man.)
In short, the Wikipedia article includes not only Marxist communism, but other types of communism as well. Some of these are motivated by apolitical concerns, and many of them are Christian in nature. Your notion that the word “communism” must be limited to Marxist communism is not reflected in the Wikipedia article you mentioned, just as it is not reflected in dictionary definitions of the word. My definition of communism, on the other hand, is reflected in both, and that is why I feel confident that my definition reflects common usage of the term.
As for the car comparison, I agree that Ford cars and Chevy cars have different manufacturers, and that this distinction means that a Ford can never be a Chevy. By the same token, early Christian communism and Marxist communism have two distinct inspirations, and so the early Christian church will never qualify as Marxists. But a Taurus and a Corvette are both cars, because they both share the characteristics common to cars. Likewise, early Christian communism and Marxist communism are both forms of communism, because they both share the characteristics common to communism. Again, it’s important to distinguish between defining characteristics and incidental characteristics. You’ll have a much easier following my argument once you start doing that.
Sun dog, I think I second charro’s comment. I am in awe before your attempts to explain these concepts.
Plus I really like your cartoon!
Ok sundog, once again. Wiki is not a valid source, and that has been established over and over and over and over and over. Did I say over?
I mentioned it as you were pointing it out, and the very start of the article is the political aspects of communism. Or as you put it, in layman’s terms. And it shows a perfect example of what I have been saying about you all along. Wiki is a web site where people edit the article themselves, and is notorious for people doing so to fit their wants.
I know your ego is never going to let you admit that people in modern times are making an effort to redefine communism as a harmless, caring way of life. Or that you wont have you say and let it go.
You are dancing around a metaphor, trying to pick it apart in an effort to prove your point, and I think that is showing signs of desperation. That and you avoided my question about Biblical Charity.
I CORINTHIANS 13:1 ¶ Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become [as] sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
2 And though I have [the gift of] prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed [the poor], and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
4 ¶ Charity suffereth long, [and] is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
8 ¶ Charity never faileth: but whether [there be] prophecies, they shall fail; whether [there be] tongues, they shall cease; whether [there be] knowledge, it shall vanish away.
9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these [is] charity.
Now I know you are trying to define charity as the giving of goods or services, but there is so much more to it. As a matter of a fact, in the above scriptures, it’s actually the Greek word agape. Which means, of all things, Love.
Once again, more BS. And you plainly missed the point about local communities as setting the standard. But you knew that already.
And once again, TL:DR. You are churning the same bs over and over and over and over and over. You never answered any of my questions, but rather went off on a tangent each time. Yawn. Keep spouting, No one is listening to you.
Sun Dog.. I think I love you.
-growls-MINE!
Oh bitter baby, you know I’m yours.
-snuggles- bitter troll be home soon
charro will be in sugar coma soon.
An eagle. As it was referred to in other places. It wasn’t communism. It wasn’t done at the force of govt, and was totally voluntary. Something called love. Which is something that has greatly dissipated every time communism has been tried.
The way you make it sound, giving my neighbor a cup of sugar is communism.
And the biggest difference, there wasn’t a master in charge of who got what. They came together and agreed on things, through prayer and the leading of the Holy Ghost.
They also were also free to believe in God. Something that also dissipates greatly in communism.
@justacarolinian: Your claim that I am equating communism with giving a cup of sugar to a neighbor is either deliberately misleading, or poorly thought through. (And your implicit claim that eagles walk and quack like ducks makes me wonder what the hell is wrong with the zoo in your town.) Re-read my earlier posts. At no point have I said that mere sharing or generosity is the defining characteristic of communism in general. Rather, I have specifically stated that the central characteristics of communism are the abolishment of private property, the ownership of all property by the community, and the distribution of the community’s property and wealth to help the needy.
And make no mistake, the early Christian church very much fit this definition. Abolishment of private property? “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.” (Acts 4:32) Property held by the community as a whole? “All the believers were together and had everything in common.” (Acts 2:44) Distribution of wealth to help the needy? “Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.” (Acts 2:45) “There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.” (Acts 4:34-35) Now I agree that the communism of the early Christians was motivated not by Roman law, but by love of their fellow Christians. But that doesn’t make it any less communistic.
Really, I don’t see why you’re PMSing over this. So the early Christians were communists– so what? They weren’t Marxist communists, and their form of communism was free from the ugliness and brutality that characterized Marxist communism. Indeed, during those decades of Christian communism, the Christian church came closer than it ever has since to fulfilling Jesus’ commandment to “love thy neighbor as thyself.”
But, but, but, communism is the DEVIL!!!
So, Christianity = ….THE DEVIL!?
Yep. Simple transitive logic.
Remember folks, logic is wholly unconcerned with truth.
Wait! I came up with a better one!!
“OOOH!!! Logic BOMB.”
You know what I find funny, is that most folks who think of themselves as logical people would flunk the hell out of a logic course in college. I’ve actually seen it. I almost did until I realized that in order to be logical you have to fight against the conventional thinking methods, deduction and reasoning won’t help you. Logic stands by it’s own rules.
Absolutely BT. Logic is a mathematical construct. Of course, mathematical constructs can be very usefully applied in the real world; troll detection (not bitter kind, annoying long-winded kind) leaps to mind.
*headdesk* Sorry, charro. Just glanced at the ‘bitter’ part. The grammar should have clued me in.
@Max: OMG, yes! Try teaching it! Even more of an eye-opener!
I loved logic. Favouritest class so far. I got a 105% because I did the extra credit.. Because it sounded like fun. LOL.
I tutored people in my class.. It was so hard to get them to realise that logic =/= truth.
And, it’s ok. bitter troll did make and honest mermaid out of me.
No thanks, I think the only thing I’d ever teach would be Theatre Arts/Drama.
I’d teach sex ed.. At an all girls’ Catholic high school.. With hands on.. Oh never mind.
Eek! My participation in the theater department at my son’s school is: Would you like this vintage Levi jacket (with fringe!) for a prop?
But, math…mmmm…math. I has a happy.
Ahem… a vintage jacket would probably be used for wardrobe, props are things like swords for swordfights, or a phone for when someone needs to make a call. Unless of course the jacket was held up and displayed as part of a joke.
See? You theater know-it-alls making fun of the math geek! *sadly walks away — no more fake swords for Max*
Oh please, I’m not that that kind of theatre major. I don’t make fun of people. Like I said, I could teach it if I ever got a master’s. But do remember this: Thou Shalt Not Judge Lethal Weapon by Danny Glover.
*sniff*
Okay, all is well. Lasagna? *offers around lasagna*
(Teenage boy in house — cookies have short half life, also short whole life.)
God I love lasagna! Perhaps one day, if you feel up for it I can tutor you in method acting and motivation?
Okay, now I’m thinking that’s some sort of theater double entendre….
From me, you shouldn’t be surprised, I’ve noticed myself becoming more and more of the PK manwhore.. I guess I’m a Clinton-esque Presidictator. But when you really look at it, a lot of theatre techniques and such can always be flavored with a little innuendo.
I’ll never forget when I was in Alice in Wonderland, and I played the March Hare, next to my best buddy who was the Mad Hatter. Our director gave us very clear instructions on our character structure. The Mad Hatter, was a hatter, Hatter’s back in the day used mercury frequently in their trade and therefore after long exposure to it, when batsh*t crazy. The March Hare on the other hand… is a hare. A male rabbit…. in March… and what is March to Rabbits? Mating Season. So the March hare is insane due to his lower bits going crazy.
It’s all very fun!
Or in Shakespeare’s “As You Like It”. When Rosalind (dressed as a man) teaches Orlando (Whom is smitten with Rosalind) how to woo a woman. Orlando begins to wonder why in the world he’s starting to feel attracted to his friend (Rosalind in disguise). It’s all very fun! And naughty!
Weird. I studied both those in college. (I have an undergraduate degree in English as well as math.) Did you know that the Alice books were actually political commentary? I actually have “The Annotated Alice,” which explains who all the characters are and what the current politics were. It would probably be more comprehensible if I had a decent English history background.
Also interesting, they now have graphic novels of Shakespeare, with original dialogue. My son’s class is studying MacBeth.
Shakespeare was a dirty dirty dirty man. And he lived 5 centuries to early.
. They’ve actually started turning a number of the classics into graphic novels though I’m not sure I like the idea of that for things other than plays. I think you lose to much of the text without gaining enough from the pictures.
Oh, and R. Crumb has just done a graphic novel version of the Book of Genesis!
You are twisting the early church to make it fit your ideals. The duck/eagle reference is simple. They didn’t act like ducks, they acted like eagles. But you missed that on purpose.
What you are trying to do is infer commonalities between the two, and make two different things be the same. When they are not.
The easiest mistake you made calling it communism is the one heart, one mind. And that is all the difference necessary.
I dunno JAC, most common examples of socialism and communism are given as the early church directly under/after Jesus. And these examples are given by people who have Doctrates in this stuff.
As much as I normally see people blowing smoke about the issue sun dog is dead on.
Having a doctorate on something doesn’t mean you are right. Look how many people with doctorates will argue the total opposite about the exact same issue.
@justacarolinian: Not sure why you think *I’m* the one twisting the early church. I’m just quoting the author of Acts on the matter. If you don’t like the way he portrays the early church, then your beef is with him, not me.
As for “inferring” commonalities, I’m not *inferring* anything. The commonalities are *there*, and can be easily seen by anybody who doesn’t have an ax to grind. Nor have I ever stated that Marxist communism and early Christian communism are the same– indeed, I’ve pointed out some critical differences between the two. But the many differences between the two does not negate the fact that they nonetheless have some central features in common. There are many differences between ducks and eagles, but they’re still both birds.
*YOU* are the one repeating it, and declaring it to be true. You are taking those things in common and making inferences with them.
Like I stated above, my Ford Taurus and a Chevy Corvette have a lot in common. But they aren’t the same car.
If anything, I would say that communism is a human created attempt to copy God. And one that fails.
I would even say that there are aspects of capitalism that are common with communism. I know plenty of good country people that take of their own goods and raise barns and feed the hungry. Charity is an aspect of capitalism. And I do think if you would read on further in the Bible, you will find Charity is the source of their motivation.
Now it seems you get my comparison with ducks and eagles. It may walk, as a duck also walks. It may sound, as a duck sounds. But it isn’t a duck.
What you are doing is the equivalent of some neo con looking back and seeing where Abraham and Job and others were wealthy men, and declaring them to be Republicans, because they traded on free markets.
Ok, I see the BS is still flowing. *sigh*
Charity, capitalized in the Bible, why?
And all you have shown is that you choose to define a word to fit your will.
And I never claimed that Marx and crowd were trying to be a diety, but rather a mimic of God’s work.
And the rest of your BS, TL:DR. You are so educated that you can’t understand a thing….
When has real communism ever been implemented?
Smurf Village. Would have been fine, if it wasn’t for the interference of Gargamel with the means of production.
I’m a pink toothbrush, you’re a blue toothbrush; have we met somewhere before?
Bitter Troll iz Bitter
And we all know that Republicans are paragons of virtue and fiscal responsibility… they never cheat on their wives or take a 100% balanced budget and throw it out the window!
The faults of Republicans aren’t any worse, nor do they make an honest excuse for the faults of Democrats.
All men sin, but that is not to say that all men sin equally. Republicans may have not been fiscally responsible, but when Democrats return to power it reminds us what real fiscal irresponsiblity is. In regards to the 100% balance budget, if you are referring to the theoretically balanced budget under Clinton, I dont suppose it could be attributed to the Republicans that ran on that issue and won, it should be attributed to the individual, Clinton, who opposed it. That seems reasonable. And in the many attempts to establish balanced budget amendments or to institute measures to balance the budget, such as Graham, Rudman, Hollings, who has fought it? Which makes me think, whatever happened to paygo? Seems to be all go and worry about the pay later.
we all know bitter troll is very bitter. why bring up that fact?
In 1999 the Congress enacted and President Clinton signed into law the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, also known as the “Financial Services Modernization Act”. This law repealed the part of the Glass-Steagall Act that had prohibited a bank from offering a full range of investment, commercial banking, and insurance services since its enactment in 1933. A similar bill was introduced in 1998 by Senator Phil Gramm but it was unable to complete the legislative process into law. Resistance to enacting the 1998 bill, as well as the subsequent 1999 bill, centered around the legislation’s language which would expand the types of banking institutions of the time into other areas of service but would not be subject to CRA compliance in order to do so. The Senator also demanded full disclosure of any financial “deals” which community groups had with banks, accusing such groups of “extortion”.
We stopped caring about what you have to say as soon as it became boring, so just shut up about it. Post something relevant to the alleged “LOL” please.
When they respond to one paranoid psychotic rant with another paranoid psychotic rant, that’s when they’re not fun anymore.
Breathing makes republicans suspicious, let alone being able to have a dissenting viewpoint.
lol!
I prefer to be suspicious of breathing republicans!
/glares suspiciously at all the Republicans on the forum
Oh crap! I’m surrounded!
/hides in a shrubbery on Eddies lawn.
Eddie? Did you know you have…creatures…in your shrubs?!
and here i am with a brand new wand that needs broken in & trained up right, i’ll get rid of it for you eddie
How did they get past my moat?!
well i know it sure wasn’t with their good looks or charming wit, so did they toss you some cookies and a margarita?
I knew that margarita tasted suspiciously like roofies..
And whats wrong with my looks? I mean my wit is easily anything but charming, but my looks? I though I was such a pretty yellow orange kaleidoscope too.
Well, it is rather hard to tell if you even HAVE looks, when you are hiding behind the shrubs!
Oh for God’s sake, how the hell did he get past security?
He roofied me Eddie. *sobs*
I did no such thing! And for the record I’m not a he! /sulks
And charro, you Did have 6 or 7 of those margaritas. It’s no wonder you passed out.
OK, folks. Everyone into the pool!
Instant wet t-shirt competition, co-ed version!
*Why didn’t I think of that?*
We can learn much from you.
*picks up the shrubbery she’s hiding in and jumps into the pool with it*
Sorry.. I must have been roofied by some other “he” and you snuck past after that..
But if you were roofied and passed out who drank all my margaritas?
How am I supposed to know?! I was roofied!!
I’d raise my hand, but I drank all your margaritas and passed out.
Ahem.. sorry Charro. That was me. Payback’s a bitch eh? >:-)
I hope you took advantage of me.
It wasn’t just me… *points at Jane*
That is also acceptable.
-kidnaps charro, takes her back to his bridge and does ungodly things to her bottom-
*giggles while having ungodly things done to her bottom*
Thank god those roofies wore off.
oh..your awake..well this is akward…hi!
*shocked and appalled*
I though you -liked- me being awake.
She’s got a point, bitter troll. They tend to moan way less when they’re roofied. And that’s half the fun right there!
That’s what I though too.
*thought goddamnit.
If that were the case, they’d have posed that comment… instead, you did.
Hmm…
Funny, I hear an awful lot of conspiracy theories from the left. I think both sides are just as suspicious.
Roswell ROSWELL!!!
That mainly being because conspiracy theories from the right, wouldn’t sound much like conspiracy at all. Same for the folks on the left.
Oh, I hear theories on the right, but nothing like the middle of the night AM stuff. And those are real lefties.
Max, that death panel thing was blew out of proportion by the media. It was a reference to bureaucrats that would choose if you were viable enough to receive life saving treatment.
2 names for you George Noorey, and Art Bell.
No, it was a reference to the end of life talks offered under the government health plan. Which is the exact same end of life discussions you can get under private insurers.
And as far as bureaucrats deciding on viable life saving treatment. I’d rather have someone vote to keep me alive in hopes I’d vote for them again, than someone who is out for profit and makes money if I die. Dead men pay no taxes.
And that still doesn’t invalidate what I said.
2 total different levels there Bro. And there may be limits to private insurance, but you can still opt to finance or pay for it your self. As my family did when my mom was dying with cancer.
With Govco in charge, when they say no, you have no option.
That… has nothing to do with perspective.
See, the idea is, they don’t say no.
I’ve been in England all week and I’ve talked to many people here about the healthcare – no one has complained. They really don’t understand why some people here in the States are so opposed to nationalized healthcare.
Don’t see why I wouldn’t still have that option.
When the govt tells you that you cant get treatment, in a govt run system, there is no other option. You can’t go down the street and pay for it yourself.
What? All the private companies are going to go poof and vanish because the fed is *considering* a public option for health insurance? Give me a break.
Besides, I don’t know of any country that has national health care where people don’t still have the option of buying care if they choose. (E.g. Canada, Britain, Germany)
Denmark, Sweden…
Public option = Horny 15 year old getting the first button on the blouse open.
Govt is the most power hungry monster there is. And you are correct, but to what degree? It becomes something that only the elite can find, much less afford. And keep in mind that it’s all getting crazy and we do need reform.
Given that this is insurance re-up season, the Boston Globe just surveyed small companies, and found that most were being quoted double-digit increases in their insurance rates. Again. Which means that more small companies are going to stop providing insurance for their employees. Sigh.
@JAC: don’t see why it would cost more to go out of pocket in a country with national health care than here (doesn’t according to foreigners I know).
@VG: Not just small companies. Our insurance is through my husband’s company, 60K employees, and rates are going up 20%+ and *we* pay it. I know it’s better than what people w/ small companies pay, but $6K this year and $7K+ next year?
I feel your pain mabsba. I also work for a rather large company where insurance premiums are going way up. The irony of the situation? My wife works for a small company. The insurance at her company is only slightly higher than at my much larger company with comparable coverage.
Australia
Libya!
Oh, are we not just shouting out random countries? Damn..
Quirm! (Just trying to fit in.)
But isn’t randomness the spice of life? Oh wait, that’s a different novel.
He who controls the Spice, controls the universe.
He who has the power to destroy something, controls it. (Paraphrasing — been a decade or so since I read that.)
One of my all time favorite Sci-Fi series..
speaking of buying health care: Brits fear they will not be able to get Tamiflu from NHS (the Brit national health care service) and have taken to trying to buy it online, where they are being conned by Russian criminal organizations selling fake Tamiflu. Researchers found that the top five countries purchasing Tamiflu and other drugs were the United Kingdom, Germany, America, Canada and France. I guess I can understand the US, since we are bigger than all the rest combined and we dont have universal health care, but why the U.K., Germany, Canada, and France? According to a Brit Department of Health spokesman: “There is no need to jump the queue or pay for antivirals. They are free on the NHS and being offered to all who need them (i.e. We’ll determine if you need them, and while you’re at it, get back in line.)”
Thank you jim for giving your expert opinion on countries you don’t live in.
France is a magical land filled with meadows made of candy and buttermilk. Where magical horses run across rainbows with childlike runaways , sprinkleing spirtes of pure color and joy, where children can drink wine before they are born. where midgets are taller then everyone else!
Well, you know liberals, you have to beat them pretty hard to get the truth out of them. Like trying to decipher anything Clinton said, you always had to wonder what his definition of is is. But, perhaps I’m entirely wrong and you can explain a government bureaucrat means when he says “jump the queue” and “offered to all” with the qualifier “who need them.” It is an example of someone else making decisions for you – not something I want. I like making my own decisions.
So… you should totally yell at your doctor for making decisions for you since he won’t give you a prescription of vicodiin. Or you should totally yell at the police for not letting you strangle the neighbor when his dog take a crap on your lawn! It’s your life dammit! You should be able to self medicate and dispense your own version of justice on your own right?
There are plenty of decisions in this life that are made for you. The only problem you have is that now, someone is going to making a different decision for you.
Now addressing the actual situation. Think about the swine flu. The elderly are not as vulnerable to the swine flu as those who are in the 20-40 range (roughly). So because someone who’s older than you, who obviously needs to make their own decisions, takes YOUR swine flu vaccine shot.
It would be selfish, wasteful, and in all cases, it would hold up the system in place to make sure things get done with the most possible efficiency.
I know you’re a grown up and you hate being told what to do, but sometimes you’ve just gotta suck it up and admit that you don’t know what’s best for you and the other 300 millions people in this country.
Er, except you don’t actually NEED Tamiflu if you have the flu. It doesn’t always help and can have some really nasty side effects. When my daughter had the flu we skipped the Tamiflu. So I’m not really bothered if the NHS isn’t jumping all over itself to get everyone Tamiflu. You can’t cure a virus. It has to work itself out. But thanks once again for trying to vilify another country’s health care system since it involves something besides hospitals, doctors, pharmaceuticals, and health insurance fleecing the public for every dollar possible.
Maxwell, you’re right I dont know what is best for 300 million people, but I’m not trying to force them into anything. You are doing exactly what you claim to abhor. That is ultimately the problem with socialism, there are some who wont want to participate no matter how good for them you believe it is. Take for example, the elderly. Rush, the guy you just cant stand, read an instance the other day of a clinic that had 4 swine flu virus vaccines left. An older man went to the clinic to get his shot, as he was in the at risk population, and was referred to a county board. The county board informed him that he was not eligible, only children under the age of (3? 4?) could have it. This despite the fact he was a high risk patient. I understand you dont like Rush, but one of the reasons I listen to him is a get a rounded picture of any issue. I hear your side of the issue all the time on that show, but I also hear the my side of the issue, which I never did on PBS, ABC, NBC or CBS. And I listened to them for years.
“I understand you dont like Rush, but one of the reasons I listen to him is a get a rounded picture of any issue.”
ROTFLMAO
I second that
ROTFLMAO
Laughing too hard to third it!
Also, Max, yes. I DO yell at my doctor when he doesn’t give me hydrocodone+acetamiophenAPAP.
Then I go to my street pharmacist and buy it anyway. And chase it with a fifth of Jack. Followed by some meth. Mmmmm… meth.
Once again jim.. you’re giving your expert opinion on something that you are “NO” expert on.
I’ve clearly stated over and over again that in order for things to be better, everyone will have to make a sacrifice of some kind. That’s what I like. What I abhor are people who don’t want to sacrifice because of “MINE MINE MINE, ME ME ME.”
And when Uncle Rush says “There’s this person/woman/man/animal etc…” without any type of citation, he’s blowing smoke up people’s asses.
And let me do what you like to do, by telling you what you believe. You believe that because someone who’s grown, and has the conscious ability to help himself, and to do everything he can to help keep himself healthy, is more deserving a flu shot than a 3 to 4 year old child who has no means to prevent himself from getting sick, and no means or knowledge of how to take care of himself.
Clearly… that was a bad choice by the government.
You see what I did there jim? I explained the situation from a rational point of view, put it into perspective, and then came to the exact same conclusion the county board did. But good job… We all know now that in your mind. Killing children with a common virus is less important than personal choice.
Disclaimer: I know nothing about jim’s views, and don’t care to know. This example and attack was merely brought forth to show how abso-fricking-lutely stupid Rush is in his examples of “big government” screwing the people. More times than not, when you get your politics out of the way you’ll see rational and logical decision being made by the government.
Jim, I have to ask, you said that it was an older man who went to the clinic to get his shot because he was in the at risk population. How was an older man considered part of the at risk population? The older generations are Not considered at risk for swine flu.
Maxwell: Once again I was giving an opinion. Uncle Rush usually gives the citations, but I’ve found giving citations or examples isnt going to change some minds and is going to take me a lot of time to provide. So I no longer do in some instances. If there is any indication a mind can be changed, I’ll put in the time, otherwise, eh. Default: the person involved was at risk because of his age. Perhaps I’m confusing the swine flu with the regular flu shot, but I dont think so. In any case, it was an example of health care rationing, the death panel idea. Come to think of it, it probably was the Swine flu vaccine. We had vaccines at work, but they sent around an email indicating who was a priority and could get the shot. I was not among those. I do believe in having a choice and not having that choice made for me by well-meaning but misguided liberals. Or consider, what if I was the bureaucrat evaluating Maxwell’s appeal for health care? Poor Maxwell! Poor Charro! Poor liberals!
In some ways PK is not unlike Rush, although there is more tolerance on Rush’s show. (Darn, how do I italicize tolerance?! Frustrating.)
Maxwell: Rush, Rush, Rush, Rush. :p (a tip of the hat to n00bs for :p)
<i> and </i> for italics.
Most standard html-tags work fine here.
Cool. Cant say I ever dealt with html much. Looks like it might be fun to play with.
90+% of deaths from the regular flu are people over the age of 70. The opposite is true of swine flu. The elderly are at the least risk. Priority for swine flu vaccine(as near as I can remember) is young children, pregnant women, people working in healthcare, people working with the public people, then people under forty followed by everyone else.
As for citing, feel free not to cite every fact you post. If everyone did that posts would become needlessly long. But if someone asks for a cite you should provide it or expect your argument to be considered invalid
Jim: It is not ‘bureaucrats’ who decide the priority for distribution of flu vaccines; it is the CDC medical professionals, who do so based on the mortality facts. Priorities are set because of limited supply (a different argument and irrelevant to this one) and because people are selfish, thinking that the very minor risk to them outweighs the very high risk they impose on others who do genuinely need the vaccine that then runs short.
Hi Mabsba: So, its CDC medical professionals who decide based on mortality rates, who is and is not a priority for receiving flu vaccines. Sounds like a pretty good definition of a death panel to me. And with any resource there is only a finite amount, and in any socialist system shortages inevitably happen and rationing begins. It exacerbates the problem. Russia was a good example of this, government intervention and 5 year bureaucratic plans created shortages, rationing, and lines. And despite any good intentions of the theory, it only created more misery and selfishness.
bah smiles dont make bitter troll sub-spicious, its funny beards…obama man not haveing one means bitter troll trust him, like last president man, now the amish, thems we gotta watch for
elaborate, please
well it in troll bible.
yet he with funny beard cast the first stone…clearly they are wanting to beat people with rocks
What about Santa Claus? Is his beard humorous?
old fat man sneaks into your house and offers your children toys and candy, lives in a magic neverland, eyes twinkle…be afraid
Only leaves coal in my house and eats all the cookies anyways
at least you get coals you can burn for heat, i just get bills to pay
That’s a big “fukc you Santa” if -I- ever heard one..
The Santa is a lie!!!!
Meh. One jug-eared, swaggering, underqualified amateur is pretty like any other. Are re meant to be impressed by this one just cause he’s a couple of shades darker than the last one? Or cuz he has a “D” instead of an “R”?
*ding*
Naw I’m impressed by this one because he can form a coherent sentence and not butcher words a high schooler could handle.
I’m impressed by this one because he has won an election hands down despite every outrageous claim being thrown at him to tarnish his rep.
I’m impressed by this one because despite all your insults, he’s still trying to help you, and everyone else.
And lastly I’m impressed by this one because in his time at school, studying topics that would benefit him greatly in his current position, he made it out with one of the highest percentile of grades possible.
THAT’S why I’m impressed. It has nothing to do with the superficial, irrelevant reason you posted, but that’s ok, I know it’s hard to believe that there are plenty of people in this country that don’t agree with you and your policies, but you should get used to it. We’ve got three more years for you to come up with some better excuses to be angry about it.
…which will likely get more outrageous as Obama has more and more success. And your comment totally made my night, Max.
“Naw I’m impressed by this one because he can form a coherent sentence and not butcher words a high schooler could handle.”
Only when the teleprompter is working. 57 states anyone?
“I’m impressed by this one because he has won an election hands down despite every outrageous claim being thrown at him to tarnish his rep.”
With friends like ACORN how could he even lose? Hell Mickey Mouse even voted for him.
“I’m impressed by this one because despite all your insults, he’s still trying to help you, and everyone else.”
I do not need help giving my money away or my kids money or my kids kids money.
“And lastly I’m impressed by this one because in his time at school, studying topics that would benefit him greatly in his current position, he made it out with one of the highest percentile of grades possible.”
Cite please. I am pretty sure his grades have not been publisized as many of us have tried to find information regarding his grades.
Semper.. Get over it. Teleprompter, lame talking point as we’ve seen he can talk just fine without it.
ACORN, lame again. They reported and flagged the fraudulent entries as required by those laws you love to say they broke.
Your money… you’re right, don’t give your money away, go move to an island by yourself since you don’t want to pay taxes in order for the country to run all the services you enjoy.
Tell ya what, if you can get Columbia to release his grades, since it’s against the law to just force an institution to give out grades to everyone, though they have clearly stated he graduated Cum Laude, then I will kiss your feet and pronounce you supreme know it all when it comes to Obama’s fault. Not only that, good luck getting anyone’s grades to be ousted by an institution, not just Barack’s.
Now, if you have any other rebuttals that aren’t speculation, been proven wrong, or just plain silly, I’d love to address them.
But thank you… Thank you for trying to tell me who I should be impressed with. That seems more “facist” that anything Barack’s done so far.
I just looked up the qualifications for graduating cum laude at Columbia, pasted below:
“The designations cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude are academic honors determined by an undergraduate student’s cumulative GPA based on coursework taken at Columbia University once a student has matriculated within the School of General Studies. To be eligible for school honors, a student must have taken at least 64 credits of coursework at General Studies. For cum laude, a student must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5″
Bingo.
rando-sighs- how can obama be satanic when he is clearly a double secret muslim born in kanya and raised by wild bores?
In 2002, national media scrutiny over the fact that 91 percent of Harvard students had graduated with honors pushed the Harvard community to make a panicked rush for grade reform. Harvard administrators and faculty were hoping to alter the school’s grading policy to stop what has widely been termed as an inflation of student grades.
In 2002, national media scrutiny over the fact that 91 percent of Harvard students had graduated with honors pushed the Harvard community to make a panicked rush for grade reform. Harvard administrators and faculty were hoping to alter the school’s grading policy to stop what has widely been termed as an inflation of student grades.
Barack Obama – proof that even if you’re not retarded the POTUS is still a frikken tough job
However, with occupational training we hope to bring him up to the level of functional retardation.
Smile as you destroy the country.
OMG obama is going to destroy the country, just like someone has said about EVERY president we ever had
Sam Smith,horse shoer” Washington will destroy this nation we fought to create!”
Sally Jones, Midwife ” John Addams is a horrid president, whom will ravage this country before destroying it”
Ezekal Ford, farmer” Taft , hims gonna kill us all!”
Sings like bird , native american” Andrew Jackson seems like he has shady intentions for this nation you built off the blood and bodies of my brothers, Sings like bird does not trust him”
Willian spawlding , book binder”Lincon? one of those extreamly Liberal republican types? nothing but a bunch of whiney do nothings..spreading freedom for all! BAH..he will destroy this nation mark my words”
jenny ashton , dirty hippy”Like Nixon is the worst president like ever, he’s going to kill us all and eat our love children, now lets give the dog some acid”
Helmut Guston ” Clinton? should be in prison for doing what he did in office, sex with that intern, that’s going to destroy this nation and ken starr will lead them”
I don’t think I’ve ever expressed my appreciation of your BT posts, but they are hil-feckin’-arious!
That was brilliant, BT.
*hugs, cops a feel*
*takes pictures*
-blushs- eeep bitter troll feels so dirty
You a dirty dirty troll.
*sigh* You -are- a dirty dirty troll.
-bites and nibbles charro-
Too late. It’s been destroyed rather handily for the last 8 years. Saying Obama is going to destroy this country is like saying people checking out the Titanic wreckage are going to destroy the ship.
It wasn’t just the last 8 years, my friend.
Maybe it’s just the last 8 years that stick out so much in my mind. The 8 years before that seemed to be pretty good. Things weren’t that great during Bush Sr’s reign either. Reagan’s years were up and down, but I was just a kid then.
*sigh* I can’t believe I’m going to use a Limbaugh quote. But this one is accurate. People tend to think of history from only their memory.
We must learn to look past just our lives, and look back at history.
BTW, if I didn’t credit that to Limbaugh, Froo would have had a fit.
Dittoes? *CP jim runs away before JAC and/or Froo can disagree with him*
Why am I thinking about a broken clock being right twice a day?
Yeah, I was kinda expecting a comment along those lines, but my experience was the same as most of your average, middle class schmucks.
Well, my memory of the Reagan and Bush years is that I definitely prospered, more so than I did while Carter was president. Even though in a lot of respects I didn’t like Clinton, I will say that he at least kept things on an even keel and I prospered with him as president as well.
I will bet he is probably watching his beautiful daughters in this picture. Or his beatiful wife, the only ONE he has ever had, I know most repukes don’t grasp that whole ONE wife thing….
That’s funny,when republicans generalize about one man they’re being idiotic,when you generalize about a few men,then it’s just funny…
Republicans and Democrats are all people and some are idiots,not all.
(I’m sure i’ll get flames since it’s so cool to be a democrat right now…)
No flames from me; that’s one of the more sensible statements I’ve seen in a while.
I’m afraid I will have to flame you. You’re being to rational. It scares me. If everyone were sensible and rational we might all be able to get along or something equally as terrifying I prefer to deal with my fears by destroying them.
/Pulls out the flamethrower
Die Ha… Die!
Completely wrong. Giving moral equivalency between the two parties is like saying because there were some unethical Jews in 1930’s Germany makes the Holocaust just a political spat between to equally bad parties. And of course the equivalent to Nazis in the American two party system are the
Annnnnd Godwin’s law strikes again.
You fail. You fail hard.
it’s been cool to be a democrat ever since the republicans sucked in the segregationists and then welcomed the moral majority with open arms and pockets waiting to be filled
That is a gross over generalization.
Really? Cos that sounds exactly like what the Republicans did.
And the Democrats.
Funny, I thought the moral majority hates the Democrats.
Nah, we just think you are misguided. And dangerous too…Oh yeah…and profoundly evil….wait, wait, and greedy, we think you’re greedy too. And that tie, dreadful – no fashion sense whatsoever.
* many disapproving nods, speaking amongst themselves, murmurs *
And a pink house? Please.
Would it kill him to cut the grass once a week?
You know, he was an Air America fan.
No!
Yes!
* more murmuring, disapproving looks, fade to black*
But it’s a Yellow Submarine tie! It was a GIFT! And I’m not dangerous, jim…uh, “moral majority.”
…or am I? *raised eyebrow*
Democrats have their version of the moral majority. They call it global warming, or eco clubs, or smoke and you die, ect…..
*GAG*
Trust me when I say I know a sh*tload of Democraps (insult for insult) who have been married more than once. You really need to trim back your broad brush a bit.
When ANY politician smiles, we should ALL be suspicious…
Amen.
I second this emotion.
I don’t even wait for them to smile. I *voted* for Obama and I don’t trust him. I just trust McCain even less.
If I may I rectify that slightly, I would say:
When ANY politician <insert a verb here>, we should ALL be suspicious…
THat MIGHT just lend its self to paranoia … just MAYBE…
The Psychobabble Elite(tm) defining something as paranoia doesn’t automatically make it wrong!
“Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t out to get you”
Poops? LOL.
For instance!
then wipes…cant be trusted
Don’t you know every major war has been started while world leaders were in the can?
“can you still see me pee?”
The government may be broke, but dumb looks are still free.
Hillary certainly provides enough of them to go around these days!
No, there’s gonna be a tax on that soon…
If only there were a tax on stupid internet comments. Then the health care plan would pay for itself.
We could all afford to buy our own then.
(…and I know I will do my part for my country!!)
Self-deprecating humor FTW!
What DOESN’T make Republicans suspicious?
Oh, right…a few billion dollars “disappearing” in Iraq and no-bid contracts for a vice-president’s buddies.
So long as there’s a Republican in charge, that is.
now now there are honest republicans and honest democrates….and dishonest republcans too…..
bitter troll just kidding…dishonest everyone!
… He looks like Pete Puma from the old Warner Bros. Cartoons in this one.
“One lump or two?”
GHYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
I miss our republic.
bitter troll misses the old republic…then the dark times came….the empire…
Fortunately Luke will whine his way to Jedi Knight and make it all better soon.
It’ll be back again.
We must forge an Alliance to Restore the Republic!
Well I think voting will help too…
I think it will take a poop load of Xwings.
I read that as a poop load of wings, and thought that’s a lot of hot wings, dude.
That would be a lot people screaming on the toilet the next day.
We could blame it on the Democrats…
And the award for killing a valid, funny thread with partisan nonsensical BS goes to *opens the envelope* n00bs!
Yeah…. grats on that.
Max, Ima let you finish, but I have to say….. You’re right.
and now a word from our president
” sounds like a jackass to me”
-gasp-
Well didn’t you read that we’re being taxed on stupid internet comments now and it’s going to our health care fund!! I’m just doing my part!!
But only on ’stupid’ comments, so we’re fine BT & Max.
I was talking about MY comment, masaba.
Keep going, n00bs, and you’re gonna run out of money pretty quickly.
Quite a lot of frothiness from the right on this thread. I guess smiling Obama does make them suspicious
and frothy!
frothicious!
Yeah, seeing the checks and balances against out of control government put forth in the Constitution being summarily ignored will do that.
Remember, that at least on paper still, we’re a Republic, not a Democracy, and certainly not a socialist state.
Hmm, checks and balances. And who was it that first started abusing executive privilege right and left? Doing so many ’signing statements’? And ignoring the legal requirements to get a judge’s permission before setting wiretaps?
It started long before King George.
*dabs foomanchu’s mouth with a hankie*
You have a little froth just there.
You mean rabies?
We may have to put him down…
Oooh, I recently got a cool antique shot gun. Can I try it now?
Oh, like Obama invented that. Geez, you righties certainly have short memories. Oh, but like I’ve heard at least one of them say, that was okay because it was supposedly good for the nation. WTF.
Just don’t pull a dumb thing and say it was GWB that invented it.
Of course not. He was certainly guilty of it, I don’t think any of us would deny that (except maybe jim). But he wasn’t the first. Even some of the greatest presidents have done it.
* froth, froth *
Oooo, I got something in my eye!
* pulls down lower lid *
Oops, wrong header.
Hey, according to the banner, venom is on sale, just a buck. Better stock up now.
* puts Rando in a logic sleeper hold, closes with a sarcastic claw hold *
Coming from the guy who says Rush and Ann are the end all, be all of political analysts, I’d say you forfeited your right to use “logic” as a basis for any of your arguments.
I think he is simply frustrated and trying waaaaaaayyyyy to hard. Overreaching time 10.
I’m frustrated with anyone who takes Rush and Ann at face value and decides not to dig deeper for truth that could be found with a garden trowel.
Yeah, I’m frustrated at people like that too. No matter if it’s Rush or (insert favorite left wing pundit).
Indeed, the moment pundits showed up on Fox and MSNBC and CNN, is the day real news reporting died.
I am a little sick the meme that only Faux Noise does it. It’s as dishonest as saying the check is in the mail. Or put it in your mouth, I promise I wont……
I think that meme started because Fox is the most prevelant.
When you look at the schedule breakdown of actual news reporting versus opinio-tainment. Fox news has about 7-9 hours a day of actual news reporting. The other stations generally have 10-15 hour blocks of news reporting to pundit spewing.
In my view, I’d say since they’re all news networks they should have 20-24 hours of news reporting in a day. The fewer opinions being offered, the better.
Sure. But what glares at me the most is how much the other networks have the spin in their news. I can’t say if Fox does it or not, as I haven’t watched it enough to know. It may be worse. I honestly don’t know.
If you read the news from lot of different sources, outside the US, and not just BBC, you would be shocked. Sometimes at what is simply left out.
I do and am. Which is why I get so frustrated with the US news programs, all of them. They’re nothing but entertainment now, and not news. I don’t even follow the BS about the healthcare bill anymore, I’ve stuck with just reading the damn bill…
Wow, agreement twice in one day. Division by zero?
Oh, and I have a picture of you…..
{http://cheezburger.com/View.aspx?aid=2537934336}
Dude! Did my roommate take a picture of me or something? That is too true to life. I’m only 500 or so pages into it and I’m not sure if my sanity will hold out for the other 1400 pages.
And I will say this: So far, it’s all the legal jargon that’s making my head spin. I haven’t read anything yet that points to the end of the world of healthcare. But the wording…. F*CK man! God help us if there’s ever anything written in legislation that reads like people would normally speak and understand.
If it was written in plain English, then the common man could understand it. Therefore we would know what was in it. Can’t have that.
I think you guys misunderstand that I am against any type of govt health care. I’m not. Under out Constitution, it’s for the states to do. And competition between the states would keep it honest, within reason. I don’t expect ANY thing to do with the govt to be perfect.
Also, JAC & Max, I think the less complicated they make it, the less room for loopholes and maneuvering they’ll have once it passes. Hey, I want a health care bill as much as the next liberal, but I’m under no delusions that it’ll be altruistic in nature. More jargon and nonsense=more room to do whatever they feel like later…which I’m hoping will still work out for us all in the long run.
Dude, you responded to me 3 times in a row. That’s just wasteful. And very expensive with the new “stupid internet comment” tax.
I was the only one on this morning. I was all over the place.
well should of been sleeping like the rest of us evil non-god people….cept bitter troll was in troll church
I was at work this morning at about 7 am, then I had my nephew’s birthday party this afternoon, then back to work for our “friends & family” special sale (it’s a hella good sale), then dinner, then finally home. So I’m just now getting a chance to catch up.
JAC, let me just say “pull a dumb thing” made me lol. I have no idea why, but it did. I shall have to use that.
Because you and I both have done it, and we both know it.
Yeah.. but I was in college… and needed the money!
Annoy a liberal
Work hard and smile!
Annoy a conservative. Work hard, smile, and still give the righties the finger.
Now, did I say anything about giving anyone the finger? That’s from a popular bumper sticker and it’s pretty close to the lol above, so just giving credit where credit is due.
But…but…I wanna give someone the finger!
bitter troll wanted a thumb-pouts-
*gives BT two thumbs up… waaaaaay up!*
ouch! use lube next time!
There wasn’t time! You wanted your thumbs and you got em!
You can do it often and brazenly by pretending to scratch your face at the same time. Plausible deniability. Or you can do it as they do in monkey or as its done in Hollywood, equally innocent.
(mabsba – its its its its its)
RUN NEO A AGENT IS BEHIND YOU IN THE BLUR!!!!
-an- agent.
no no agent A
Indeed it’s 14 times more deadly than Agent Orange!
and leaves a fresh pine scent!@!
*puts on his socks and slides down the hallway*
Weeeeeeeeeeee!
Sock!! Sock!!
Ahahahahahahahah! I can say anything I want. Its Sunday morning and all the atheists are still in bed.
*facepalm*
You could say -anything- and you chose to say THAT?!
No kidding.
For Pete’s sake, what dont you like about that?
You can say what you want even when Atheists are awake. Doesn’t make it more or less foolish. And to be honest, you simply come across as simply insulting.
Would you be insulted if someone joked that they could say anything they wanted because the Christians were in church? I wouldn’t be. Do you think, somehow I dont realize I can have an opinion on this site? And not continually apologize for it? I’m not insulted when atheists insult Christians. I like being a Christian. Its an opening to dialog with them.
It was a backhanded smack at them.
Even if it was, they are big boys and girls, they can deal with it.
meh us liberals take enough unprovoked swipes at the conservities and expect you all to smile, =) we can be big about it too ( atleast some of us )
sides…it was sunday morning…why was you not at church ?
Late Mass.
you was late? shame!
I actually think he was trying to play into the friendly jib jab that goes on around here. Much like my hyperbole comment….. *Passes the dunce hat to Jim*
why start takeing swing on sunday? troll jesus’ day? the day of rest and BBQing after troll church
I think jim would come across a lot better if most of his humor wasn’t jabs at folks that don’t share his opinion.
-offers max a flank of rather gruff billy goat-
true, but some peoples can only express themselves that way
If sheep is mutton… what’s goat? Gutton?
its goat…nummy! and gruff
bitter troll just woke up, mmmmm good to sleep in. how is everyone?
STOP TELLING FIBS GRIMMIPENS! bitter troll was at troll church, listening about troll jesus
While I agree that Grimmiekins shouldn’t be fibbing, his last couple lols were pretty good. Maybe we could cut him a little slack for that?
Does bitter troll play Thud?
Thud?
Troll game.
And dwarf game.
Important stuff, ask mr Shine!
bah to much work, bitter troll plays everquest2
From Terry Pratchett’s book of the same name. Incredible writer. His books are set in the discworld, which is carried on the backs of four elephants that ride the great space turtle A’Tuin (sp?).
Very astute teenager comment on Pratchett: if you don’t understand the symbolism of any part of one of his books, it’s indicative of your lack of education. not his writing.
-nods and smiles- bitter troll plays everquest 2
/hugs Mabs
Terry Pratchett is my hero! I want to f*ck his brain for it is sexy and hot. I also have a terrible dislike of one of my coworkers now for she went to discoworld con and met Terry Pratchett. And he kissed her hand!
I wasn’t still in bed, as it was far from morning. :p
Something wrong with being in bed with your spouse on a wintry morning?
Better not be in bed with my spouse.
* makes a quick call home from mabsba’s attic *
Oh, I can very much guarantee that I would never be in the same bedroom as someone who shared enough of your views to marry you.
PS Learn the difference between “its” and “it’s.”
For some reason, I have very good luck with liberal women. Three that I’m still in touch with voted for Obama, and they are all atheists too. I try to keep an open mind and see the good in people even if I disagree with their point of view. Life is strange.
PS No.
So… you base your “good luck” with liberal women on the whole three of them that you “still are in touch with?”
Let’s make it clear, I don’t really enjoy your presence here, but DAMN that was the worst self defense I’ve ever heard.
bitter troll has very good luck with coma pateints, from the few biter troll is still in touch with, the other hospitals caught bitter troll and wont let bitter troll back in
Is biter troll your cousin? Can I meet him? *giggle*
bitter troll is not immune to typoes
I hear the goverment is testing a vaccine for typos. But it won’t be ready for At least another year. And then priority on who gets the vaccine is old people, then secretaries, then pregnant women and Then everyone else.
I’ve heard the vaccine is made from aborted internet messages and has horrible side effects, like dizziness, vomiting, seizures, and death. Which kinda defeats the purpose of the vaccine doesn’t it?
bah, like bitter troll dont do already enough biteing on charro…vaccine? bitter troll rather keep hs typoes
Well…if you’re dead or to busy to type because of vomiting then you won’t be making any typos. And if those aborted internet messages can help man kind it’s shameful not to use them! They would just be thrown out anyways!
You can take comfort that after the next elections, I probably wont come on much, I wouldnt kick a guy when he’s down.
Well the republicans would actually have to come up with some kind of front runner for anything to change, and thanks to your uncle rush, the repubs are too split to come up with anything good.
Someone should have told him that when Napoleon said “Divide and Conquer” he was talking about the enemy.
not sarah palins thighs?
I’m not dividing and conquering Sarah Palin’s thighs. Bristol is legal though, right?
The Republican tent gets bigger under conservatives. Who knows, had this election been Bush’s second term, may be he would have won. I was surprised that he beat Al Gore, but he did. We had several good candidates last election, Guiliani, Thompson. George Allen would have been a good candidate. There is never a shortage of good men to run when the time comes. Politically speaking, the greater enemy is within the Republican party now. We will never have success running as Democrat light.
how did Bush defeat al gore?
Bush : warm, charming, easy to relate too
Al Gore: robot from the future who invented the interwebs
Don’t bad mouth Gore on his internetz! Because he has a certain set of skills, honed over a long successful career, and using these skills, he will hunt you… he will find you…. and he will kill you.
And by the way, that was in my best Liam Neeson voice… which is very very, on point.
Republic credits will be fine.
*also done in my best Liam Neeson voice*
“Bush : warm, charming, easy to relate too” – whaaaaaa? who?
back in election before ” IM THE DECIDER” yes he was.
Yeah, he was. Unfortunately so. I still feel dirty remembering that November Tuesday in 2000 when I totally voted for the wrong guy. *curls into fetal position and cries* For the life of me, I can’t remember why I hated Gore so much, but at the time I really did.
I solved that problem by drinking instead of voting.
Vote Daniels/Beam 2000!!
Now you’re getting the idea! A ticket I think we can -all- get behind.
I prefer Chivas/Baileys…or is that just elitist?
He didn’t. The Supreme Court decided the election for Bush.
Welcome to the Art Bell show….
Whew, it was probably a good thing we loaded up the court with conservatives then. Think what coulda happened.
Giuliani, Thompson, Allen ,Palin. No chance I’d vote for any of them. Christine Todd Whitman, Libby Dole, maybe. Most of what I have been hearing from the Republican tent is the sound of trying to kick out the moderates. From what I understand, Barry Goldwater would be called a ‘RINO’ these days. It is pretty hard to have a big tent, or to attract independent votes, without moderates…or at least people who can convincingly pretend to be centrist while campaigning.
I liked Whitman at first, and I like Libby Dole still. Her daughter is a real pistol too. There is no shortage of good people willing to run. Barry G. was more of a libertarian than a conservative, and he and Reagan didnt get along at all. He became estranged from the party at that time. Rush has pointed out that liberal republicans are always portrayed as moderates, no matter how liberal they are. If we look at the results of the elections in New York, New Jersey, and Virginia, we gained independents, moderate independents, by running as moderate conservatives and conservatives.
Did you vote for McCain?
No, I’m mostly a lefty liberal, but I did vote for Weld for Governor (I live in MA). John Silber, the alternative, was just too darned crazy–a Texan colleague of mine called him ‘yet another short crazy man from Texas’.
Anyway, I’m sympathetic to the libertarian way of thinking, and also to the social democratic (lots of cousins in Scandinavia, so I know enough not to be terrified of the ’s’ word).
I have a hard time with the concept of legislating people’s morals…but also with the idea of letting folks go without healthcare just because they are broke. A lot of contradictions there, but I’ll admit to them. I’m human, after all!
Nobody crossed over for McCain. Most Republicans learned something from that. I hear we have a new verb: scozzafava, as in to be scozzafava’d
I would not just vote for Libby Dole, I’d fvcking campaign for her.
Technically I’m a registered Republican, but in the grand scheme of things, I’m probably going to be cast out into Indie land. I’ve been called a RINO before, and that doesn’t really bother me. What bothers me is the Republican party I have been a member of since I could vote no longer really represents what I believe in.
Well, you know what Reagan always said, he didnt leave the Democratic party, the party left him.
I guess the real question is: you were called a RINO, are you a RINO?
Seriously, jim, who cares? Party affiliation is meaningless when it comes to real beliefs. Everyone has things they are liberal and conservative on. That’s not the real question at all. I tend to align myself with the Democrats as they tend to be the party that most closely represents my views, but I consider myself a fair ways farther to the left than the Democrats. Who cares if Eddie is a RINO or not? Especially since he doesn’t even live in the US anymore!
I love politics. Always have. Depending on what he does and who he does it for, he still may be able to vote. The whole registered Republican thing was important, because nobody could figure out how he won the nomination. I did not realize until this election that democrats could vote in Republican primaries. That being the case, I hope the party tightens up its primary process. And given ACORN, I’d like to see a real investigation of voter fraud nationwide.
Okay, I have no idea what you’re talking about or how it’s relevant to the conversation. Did I miss something?
Jim, I may live in Australia, but I’m still a U.S. citizen and still have all the rights and privileges that any other citizen has, including the right to vote. As for being a RINO, as Rando said, it’s not really relevant. And it should be noted that most of those calling other Republicans a RINO are usually the neo-cons who have basically taken over the Republican party. Do a Google search on Moderate Republican and you will get a better idea of how I align myself.
I figured you probably could vote, Rando was the one who noted you were not even in the U.S.; that being said, to me it is important because I see party politics as a team sport. Its really disconcerting when people on my “team,” like Scozzafava or Powell, in fact sit on our side of the field and cheer for the other guys. After awhile I begin to suspect they are really not on my team. When they vote for and endorse the other team, it pretty well confirms what I thought in the first place. With friends like them, well, you get the picture. Interestingly, I dont care much for certain neo-cons either, but they are with us more than against us. Its what makes us the big tent. I was just curious if you saw yourself in the context of being a RINO. I might have to do a search on moderate Republican. That’s how Scozzafava and Powell are described by some, of course that’s not how I see them. I don’t mind if we have liberal Republicans, like Powell, but I do expect truth in advertising. Party discipline would in theory keep his liberalness contained.
@Jim: No, I don’t see myself as a RINO. I still believe in the basic Republican platform. The difference is, I’m not as hardcore as the neo-cons. I’m not a liberal by any stretch, but I am definitely a moderate.
sorry eddie, your now a dirty liberal …here have a liberal cup cake!
Are you sure, jim? Cos I get a major neocon vibe from you.
Okay, I admit it. I’m a centrist.
Methinks the jim protesteth too much.
I once got good advice, never explain yourself. Should have followed it.
I dunno… depending on certain things said… and which truck stop you’re at… that could get you shot.
You’re fine jim, don’t worry too much about it.
Thanks n00bs, I appreciate it.
Yup, you two are definitely peas in a pod.
I’ve never liked peas.
I has a sad, Rando. I like peas! Now what will I do for green vegies?
Yes, but they are very good for you.
Broccoli and green beans are quite tasty, mabsba.
And nice try, jim, but no dice.
Thanks n00bs, fortunately I had my flack jacket nearby and escaped relatively unharmed.
The full advice I got was this:
Never apologize and never explain yourself, your friends wont need it and your enemies will see it as a sign of weakness.
Someone told me that it was Marlena Dietrich that said “Never complain, never explain”. That sounds kind of similar, but I don’t know if that’s even true. I like yours better.
+ fire
I really, really dislike the new roll-over advertising. “It was midnight when it appeared, with big fangs oozing with slime. It was…(repeat)”
adblock plus
Get it, use it, delight.
I’ll have to try that, I have McAfee currently, but it mainly protects me from connecting to the internet in under 15 mins….
adblock is just to avoid seeing ads, simply an add-on to Firefox.
You will find that Firefox will greatly improve surfing speeds, especially if you are still on dial up.
Firefox is your friend…and the icon is cute, too!
I feel kinda silly, but I like the Firefox/ real fox LOLs on ICHC.
Firefox has encountered a pop up.
-wacks it with a wack-a-mole mallet-
Firefox has crashed.
I have a dsl, soon to be FIOS, but I connect to the icanhazcheeseburger site via……AOL. The problem is probably AOL, I got on via Firefox before and it was much faster.
AOL is a nightmare with the cheezburger sites. AOL can’t handle flash very well, and there are a lot of flash ads these days. I only use AOL to check my e-mail now, and that’s about it.
I don’t even use it for that. I use aoldotcom and AIM. Screw you AOHell.
I hate using AOL’s web mail. I wish everything I do online wasn’t tied to that e-mail address. Otherwise I’d drop AOL and never look back. I can’t believe people still use that crap for all their online browsing. Although I do admit to liking AIM.
I mostly use my Yahoo! account. I’ve had it since I was 17.
I can’t let go of my AOL though. I’ve had it since I was 15. I rarely check it, but I do get on AIM. All I get at that address is updates from Metropolis Records and other online mail order music places.
I’m sorry. I can’t stop laughing about the idea of having email when you were fifteen. I still remember when the teenage prodigy college students first programmed the BIG computers to play D&D. THEY were fifteen; I wasn’t.
Well, technically I had email when I was 14. But I don’t have that account anymore.
It was way cool. 2400 baud rate and everything.
Is that you in the avatar? If it is you are a brave man. There are some crazy people out in the ether.
They know your approximate location, what you look like, and that you drive/drove a truck – just to mention a few things..
I happen to know that I live about 20 minutes away from JAC, and I know what he does for a living, and I know to look for a guy with an asian wife…. being that we’re in NC… and he’s white… it’d be easy to find with all that info.
Luckily the worst JAC would get from me if I ever saw him was a wedgie before I bought him a beer.
Well, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but he has a point. I dropped out of the PK Facebook group and cut off my friends from my Facebook friends list specifically for privacy reasons. It has nothing to do with not liking them or not trusting them, but you never know. I’ve trusted people before who have really stabbed me in the back and messed up my life, and that’s just from the Internet. Now a lot of people I don’t really know know where I live, what I look like, what my family looks, etc. I’m not too worried about it, but you never know.
OMG yes. I dropped IE, AOL, everything else. I luvs me some Firefox. And with adblock plus, this site loads about 10 times faster without locking up my system. All the flash player ads just destroy my speed and make my browser crash.
Please, how do I find this adblock of which you speak?
*offers ginger snaps*
adblockplus.org
I has a happy (as the kitties say)… and I also like the ICHC firefoxes.
You’ll instantly notice how much faster this and the other cheezburger sites load, as well as sites like Facebook.
Ah, the important things in life. Not increasing the speed at which I download material for my clients, but getting them lols here as quickly as possible!
*many cookies and firefox lols for Rando*
COOKIE!!!!
OMNOMNOMNOMNOMNOMNOMNOM /cookie monster
A coworker sent this too me because of my mother’s reaction when he was elected. On that note Hillarious (No not of the Clinto variety).
Serriously though, all parties and views aside. Does that look not match the five year old that just got caught, hand in the cookie jar, and is smiling and nodding at punishment. Knowing as soon as your back is turned he is going right back in?
Either that, or “Yup, my ideas suck and the end of the world will be brought on by my, I just don’t care!”
Or, “Ow, the fvcking sun’s in my eyes and I need to not scowl at this guy taking my fvcking picture,” maybe?
Obama’s punishment was being elected the President of the United States of America?
Given the context – fair enough.
Yeah, because McCain would’ve done so much better. NOT.
who? bitter troll thought sarah palin that hot retarded woman was running for president against obama
No no no. You know that guy hanging around her that we all thought was her great grandpa? That was the guy running for president.
the war hero? he seemed like a nice old man
Of course. Palin’s job was to help the DNC raise money.
bitter troll knows a way she can earn 20 dollars…-wicked evil naughty grin-
I’m having no part of that.
nah, that’s the “i’m helping protect a terrorist” grin…
Shut up.
Hmm…cow…now I want some beef jerky…anyone wanna help me catch some?
lol….yeah but only because we are SMART enough to be suspicious….
Lol. this thing has about 10,000 comments. But the lol is hilarious.