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| 5/24 |
| 2002/12/7 [Politics/Domestic/President/Bush, Politics/Domestic/SocialSecurity] UID:26743 Activity:nil |
12/6 http://csua.org/u/673 Isreali settlers endure life on the front line. \_ so why don't they move back behind the Green Line? oh and just bait the freeper guy, the pittsburgh tribune-times is owned by Richard Mellon Scaife, the guy who bankrolled the right wing conspiracy \_ okay, I give, what does freeper mean? \_ a freeper is one who frequently reads the site http://www.freerepublic.com \_ Pshaw, that's not Freeper bait, this is Freeper bait: http://csua.org/u/676 Scaife implicated in suicide of internet critic. \_ that's pretty good |
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| csua.org/u/673 -> digbysblog.blogspot.com/2004_02_22_digbysblog_archive.html#107782056102584609 Mits 108 The Road to Surfdom 109 uggabugga 110 War Liberal 111 Sasha Undercover 112 Open Source Politics 113 Crooked Timber 114 Brief Intelligence 115 Quark Soup 116 my left brain 117 The Liquid List 118 Amygdala 119 Late Night Thoughts 120 To The Barricades 121 Not Geniuses 122 Liberal Oasis 123 History News Network 124 Seth D Michaels 125 Interesting Times 126 reading and writing 127 the talking dog 128 Altercation 129 David E's Fablog 130 Musings 131 Orcinus 132 The Sacred and the Inane 133 Highwater 134 skimble 135 Easter Lemming 136 Bohemian Mama 137 Nitpicker 138 Prometheus 6 139 The Hauser Report 140 South Knox Bubba 141 Neptune World 142 busybusybusy 143 alicublog 144 political strategy 145 Testify! Hullabaloo Friday, February 27, 2004 The Price Of Allowing An Idiot To Be President 196 Ron Suskind has a mind blowing article up on Slate called 197 The Free-Lunch Bunch - The Bush team's secret plan to "reform" Social Security. Bush seemed particularly confident about his ability to pay for Social Security reform. Despite independent estimates that creating the kind of "voluntarily" private accounts he envisioned could cost more than $1 trillion, Bush consistently took the position that he could reform Social Security for free, without undermining promises to baby boomers anticipating retirement over the next several decades. Larry Lindsey, Bush's tutor on economics during the campaign and later chairman of the White House's National Economic Council, devised a scheme based on creative accounting principles. Essentially, it proposed that the government would issue substantial new debt to sustain old-style benefits. This debt would be serviced and paid down by confiscating revenues from the higher returns from those opting for new-style personal accounts For the first nine months of the administration, this was called the "free-lunch" plana painless way to convert to a blended, private-accounts model. Inside of the Treasury Department and the Council of Economic Advisers, however, officials were befuddled by it. Lindsey seemed to have never called upon analysts inside the Social Security Administration to run the traps on his idea. Treasury and CEA didand the numbers didn't even come close to working out. But that didn't stop Lindsey, or the president, from believing in and promoting the "free-lunch" plan. In the post-9/11 environment, the report vanished with little notice. Bush himself is not nearly intelligent enough to understand this stuff and he trusts all the wrong people. His vaunted instinct is nothing more than emotional responses to appeals to his vanity. How is it possible for one administration to find an important position for every single nutjob in the party? Cheney was put in charge of the presidential transition (the period between the election in November and the accession to office in January). Cheney used this opportunity to stack the administration with his hardline allies. Instead of becoming the de facto president in foreign policy, as many had expected, Secretary of State Powell found himself boxed in by Cheney's right-wing network, including Wolfowitz, Perle, Feith, Bolton and Libby. The neo-cons took advantage of Bush's ignorance and inexperience. Unlike his father, a Second World War veteran who had been ambassador to China, director of the CIA and vice-president, George W was a thinly educated playboy who had failed repeatedly in business before becoming the governor of Texas, a largely ceremonial position (the state's lieutenant governor has more power). His father is essentially a north-eastern, moderate Republican; George W, raised in west Texas, absorbed the Texan cultural combination of machismo, anti-intellectualism and overt religiosity. The son of upper-class Episcopalian parents, he converted to southern fundamentalism in a midlife crisis. Fervent Christian Zionism, along with an admiration for macho Israeli soldiers that sometimes coexists with hostility to liberal Jewish-American intellectuals, is a feature of the southern culture. He's a childlike man who is manipulated by people who make him feel powerful. We have to keep track of these things in some kind of systematic manner, if only for water cooler purposes. It's been awhile since I heard a presidential candidate make a good argument against the death penalty. The last time, I think, was 1988 and that didn't work out too well. The DNA revolution has proved that we are executing innocent people, which has always been my main objection to it. It's good to hear a national candidate make this argument at the right time. Except for all the the peace and prosperity there's not a lot of difference between then and now. First sold in the United States in 2000, the diminutive Prius remained a curiosity as the Hummer rose to celebrity. But sales rose to about 20,000 in 2002 and to 24,000 in 2003. Since the new 2004 model was introduced in the fall, the Prius has been stomping the Hummer. In November 2003, the Prius outsold the H2 by a 2-to-1 margin, according to Autodata. In January 2004, Prius sales were up 82 percent from January 2003. For the 2004 model year, Toyota initially boosted production 50 percent to 36,000. But demand has been strong enough that production has already been increased to 47,000. My Toyota dealer doesn't have a Prius on the lot and says that interested purchasers must put down a deposit today and wait six months. By contrast, my local Hummer dealer has several on the lot. Comparing the Prius and the Hummer is like comparing apples and oranges, or apples and watermelons. The Hummer costs more than twice as much as the Priusalthough the absurd, huge federal tax break available to purchasers of giant vehicles for business use reduces the price a lot. Those who buy Hummers and Priuses are symbolic, marginal buyers. But economists will tell you that behavior at the margins can influence entire markets. In the summer of 2002, the marginal buyers were pushing hard for the gas guzzlers. Today, more people are clamoring for fuel-efficient cars. It's amazing how rising gas prices and a shitty economy can force big macho Americans to wake up. He also points out something that I think is important and has not been discussed in any depth (except by me -- to me) which is that this is just the latest in a whole line of assaults on the constitution. Pierce points out that that this isn't the first time that the constitution has been used to discriminate. Indeed it our sacred document was founded on the heinous 3/5th compromise, so one could say that it took a civil war to purge the document of its inherent discrimination. But, even more recent history shows that a blatant disregard for the constitution, the traditions undergirding it, the fundamental firmament of it have been declared fair game by the right wing. That provision clearly was designed not to be used as a political football, what with its super majority requirement for conviction and the obvious definition that it apply to high crimes and misdemeanors. It was used only once prior and that was while the country was just emerging from a civil war in which the president was perceived to be sympathizing with the losing side. Nevertheless, it loosened the informal but serious restrictions against a powerful congress usurping the will of the people by attempting to remove a duly elected president on dubious legal grounds. Politicians had always before tried to steer clear of this type of unreviewable constitutional messiness because it is just the kind of thing that could truly destabilize what has become the most remarkably stable democracy on earth. Then, just 2 years later, unelected Supreme Court judges who had been appointed by the candidate's father and/or party decided a national election despite the fact that the constitution laid out a complicated scheme to require that elected representatives resolve just such issues in the congress and be answerable to the people for the outcome. And as Pierce says: Why shouldn't C-Plus Augustus look upon the Constitution as little more than a Post-It note for his campaign? It's not like We, The People respect it that much any more. W... |
| www.freerepublic.com -> www.freerepublic.com/ Posted by Shermy On 04/14/2004 3:59:56 PM PDT Al Jazeera April 15, 2004 A deal between Iraqs rebellious Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and the US-led occupation authorities is said to be imminent. Abd al-karim al-Anzi, an envoy appointed by Sadr to lead negotiations aimed at averting bloodshed in the holy city of Najaf, said on Wednesday that a deal could be struck in the next 24 hours. I met US officials today and the talks were extremely positive, Anzi said. There was no immediate comment from the occupation authorities, who have threatened to either kill or capture Sadr. Posted by StoneColdGOP On 04/14/2004 3:53:48 PM PDT Claremont Institute 3-29-04 By Victor Davis Hanson In an age where nuance and sensitivity in language are valued more than resoluteness on the battlefield, it is not an easy thing to praise the career of General George S. Despite his spectacular victories in North Africa, Sicily, and Europe, he left a depressing paper trail of grotesqueries about blacks, Jews, Asians, Mexicans, womenand almost anyone outside his WASPish class. Most Americans know more about his two slapping incidents in Sicily than his famous sprint to Bastogne during the dark days of the Battle of the Bulge. Posted by Trueblackman On 04/14/2004 1:53:30 PM PDT with 35 comments Project21 14 April 2004 trueblackman The producers of the Micheal Reagan Show have contacted Project21 concerning our press release on the comments made by Senator Dodd before Senator Robert Byrd cast his 17,000th vote on April 1. I was asked by the national director of Project21 to be part of a interview at 4:30 pm. I plan to also cover Chris Matthewss bigoted comment toward Condi Rice and the fact that Hillary Clinton presented Robert Byrd with a freedom award recently. Posted by playball0 On 04/14/2004 12:52:03 PM PDT with 9 comments Financial Times 4/14/04 Andrew Balls US fiscal deficits could have a serious impact on US and global interest rates and economic growth, the International Monetary Fund and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development said on Wednesday. A chapter from the IMFs World Economic Outlook, which will be released in full next week, says that US fiscal and current account imbalances must be rebalanced and that an orderly rebalancing of global economic imbalances requires fiscal stabilisation in the US as well as efforts to promote demand growth abroad. Posted by B4Ranch On 04/14/2004 12:29:01 PM PDT with 4 comments asheville tribune 4/14/2004 Bill Fishburne. New SEC filings Indicate Stock Listing in Jeopardy The Asheville Tribune and I apparently have been put on a do not contact list following last weeks disclosures regarding possible outsourcing of Veterans Administration medical transcriptions to a company in India. MedQuist, a NASDAQ listed company in New Jersey that is 71 percent owned by the Dutch company Royal Phillips, closed its Asheville office last week and laid off the system administrator who had accused them of outsourcing Veterans Administration medical records overseas. Posted by Dales On 04/14/2004 12:26:56 PM PDT with 61 comments ECB 2004 4/14/04 <p>The best national poll for my money is the Battleground Poll. Produced by a joint effort between Democrat pollster Celinda Lake of Snell, Lake, Perry and Associates, and Republican pollster Ed Goeas of the Tarrance Group, it avoids the partisanship that sometimes can slip into the sampling methods of other polls. The partisanship can come out in the strategic analysis each does for the respective parties, although the spin presented is usually substantive. Posted by Patriot62 On 04/14/2004 12:11:51 PM PDT with 122 comments Drudge Drudge After just two weeks on the air, Air America Radio, the fledgling liberal talk-radio network featuring Al Franken and Janeane Garofalo, appears to have encountered serious cash-flow problems. The CHICAGO TRIBUNE is developing a story, insiders tell DRUDGE, on how the network was pulled off the air this morning in Chicago and Los Angeles, the networks second- and third-largest markets, because, the owner of both stations said, the network bounced a check and owes him more than $1 million! Posted by SJackson On 04/14/2004 11:40:35 AM PDT with 24 comments CNN April 14, 2004 WASHINGTON CNN - President Bush met Wednesday at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and praised Sharons proposed withdrawal from Gaza and parts of the West Bank. The Palestinians object to a provision in the plan, which would allow Israel to retain control of six blocs of Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Following is a transcript of statements by Bush and Sharon after their meeting. BUSH: Im pleased to welcome Prime Minister Sharon back to the White House. For more than 50 years, Israel has been a vital ally and a true friend of America. Smith The Bush administration has imposed new sanctions against companies dealing advanced military technology to Iran. The sanctions include Chinese companies that manufacture chemical and biological systems critical for the development of weapons of mass destruction. The newly sanctioned companies include several Chinese Army owned firms, as well as companies in Russia, Belarus, the United Arab Emirates, North Korea and Taiwan. A determination has been made that thirteen entities have engaged in activities that require the imposition of measures pursuant to Section 3 of the Iran Nonproliferation Act of 2000, states the sanctions announcement published Wednesday in the Federal Register. Posted by Eurotwit On 04/14/2004 10:41:38 AM PDT with 2 comments AFP Wed, Apr 14, 2004 AFP WASHINGTON AFP - Britain invited an Iranian delegation to visit Iraq news - web sites in a bid to calm the volatile security situation in the south and the United States did not object, a senior State Department official said. The official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, said Washington had not asked London to extend the invitation and referred all questions about the circumstances of the Iranian visit to the British Foreign Office. Posted by Tailgunner Joe On 04/14/2004 10:23:59 AM PDT with 13 comments NewKerala Apr 13, 2004 Security agencies of Nepal and India will launch a joint operation soon to curb Maoist activities on their borders, reports Xinhua. Top level security officials of the two countries met Monday in Raxaul on the Indian side and decided to coordinate their operation against the guerrillas taking advantage of the open border, The Himalayan Times newspaper reported Tuesday quoting a Nepali government official. The meeting was held to foil the suspected joint plan of two guerrilla groups, one each in Nepal and India, the official said on condition of anonymity. Posted by Lando Lincoln On 04/14/2004 9:04:55 AM PDT with 38 comments Chron Watch 14 April 2004 Doc Farmer o We all get hot under the collar sometimes. But sometimes, people say things, and write things, knowing full well they are wrong. Petersburg, Florida, weekly reader The Gabber gotta love the title of that, dontcha? With officials reporting four more Marines killed, the death toll of 87 United States troops in April made it the deadliest month since the military set foot in Iraq news - web sites. The truce in Fallujah was severely shaken by fighting Tuesday and Wednesday morning although Marines underlined their halt to offensive operations, called Friday, was still in effect. This is the email address to Chris Matthews who had insulted every member of the Presidents staff, and the last is referring to Condi Rice as the Presidents Butler. This is the most unprofessional commentator on the news shows of today. Please email him with your comments, as well as his Advertisers, as I am. Posted by Momaw Nadon On 04/14/2004 5:40:59 AM PDT with 29 comments AP Tuesday, April 13, 2004 By JUSTIN POPE BOSTON AP - For years, futurists have dreamed of machines that can read minds, then act on instructions as they are thought. Now, human trials are set to begin on a brain-computer interface involving implants. Posted by kattracks On 04/14/2004 4:03:43 AM PDT with 49 comments Yahoo News 4/14/04 Gleb Bryanski , Reuters NEAR NAJAF, Iraq Reuters - United States forces... |
| csua.org/u/676 -> www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=324&PHPSESSID=2c245b0f47196a809274e550f11c4b6a Thibault Page Count: 67 pages Cover by: M Jason Parent Illustrated by: Juan Navarro & Traditional Woodcuts Revised Edition A book of statblocks for Innkeepers and Farmers may not make compelling reading, but with over 80 NPC professions and 320 stat blocks, Everyone Else is a valuable resource for game masters who are short on time and need to know the seneschal's Sense Motive modifier in a jiffy. Players decide to complain about the tax collector to the local constabulary? Time to go over his head and take matters up with the prince? For DMs with a bit more time on their hands, value-added advice and suggestions for customizing NPCs, brief background on each NPC type, as well as rules to remember are included. If someone isn't certain about what is involved in being a lawyer in a pseudo-medieval setting, the introduction will give a overview of the information needed to put a lawyer to work in the game. Taking full advantage of the electronic medium, the book includes comprehensive Bookmark choices, breaking the NPCs down by chapter sequentially as well as an alphabetical listing for ease of reference. Your download (or CD) includes two versions: one full colour version complete with graphics and bookmarks, another "Low Impact" edition without the backgrounds so those printing the book can save on toner! Being in PDF format, a DM can cut and paste the desired statblock into her game notes and then customize to suit her campaign or adventure in the wordprocessor of her choice. And since all of the text is 100% open game content, everyone can cut and paste to their heart's content. Ready-made statblocks are faster than any PC generator, and far more portable! Not just a "rogues gallery", Everyone Else's NPCs are non-adversarial and non-adventuring NPCs, and reduce prep-time needed for the space between adventures, allowing a DM more freedom to work on the fun stuff -- the dungeons, quests, and thwarting the evil villains. This is one book in your DM's collection that won't collect dust! Stat blocks have been revised, clubs have the proper crit range, feats are redistributed and strength stats have been calculated into weapon damage. This product was added to our catalog on Wednesday 08 January, 2003. |