Occasional Planet - Latest Comments

Re: Are men stupid?

Mike — Wed, 16 May 2012 11:15:45 -0000

"In 2006, he did not enter into an illicit affair with “cinematographer” Rielle Hunter."
Is that what you meant to say?

"President Barack Obama currently enjoys a double-digit lead among women versus George Romney..."

Is everything OK?

Re: Your casino, your loan shark

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Re: The Clintons and the Obamas: Being smart and learning humility

Arthur Lieber — Mon, 14 May 2012 23:10:57 -0000

Thanks much!

Re: The Clintons and the Obamas: Being smart and learning humility

Beth — Mon, 14 May 2012 11:36:37 -0000

Typo in paragraph 9 - 2008 (not 2004)

Re: Denying global warming: How low can you go?

newsbyrd — Sat, 12 May 2012 22:16:54 -0000

In my mind there is a huge distinction between a denier and a skeptic. Skeptics actually have an optimistic leg to stand on in that climate scientists concede the other part of their research that for the most part, demonstrates human induced global warming.
And considering that our grandchildren and perhaps children will all have a lot to lose if those super-computer models are correct, the only way I can explain today’s skeptic is those who wear convenient blinders made from a good dose of optimistic rationalization. And honestly, I don’t blame them.
It’s no fun to believe that our world will be toast within decades.

Re: Creating water from thin air

Suejimdoer — Fri, 11 May 2012 07:51:02 -0000

This is what companies in the more advanced nations are doing with their financial resources while the U.S. still insists on a $700 B annual budget for the "Defense" Dept.

Re: I answered your questions, now where’s my free cruise to the Bahamas?

Guest — Thu, 03 May 2012 17:30:44 -0000

Just got the call 5 minutes ago. Thank you for posting. I did not answer the questions.

Re: Buffett Rule? Fairness? Republican curmudgeons just say no.

Mike — Wed, 02 May 2012 17:24:10 -0000

If the "rich" paid 30% and the "less rich" paid 33% that would be "fair" but if both paid 25% (flat tax) that would be "unfair." If I have mischaracterized the democrat position, please correct me. Thanks.

Re: How much does a political ad cost? New FCC ruling will help us figure it out

Joanbran — Wed, 02 May 2012 16:03:48 -0000

Well, yeah, major media won't like it because it will make more work for them and it might stop some from advertising on their stations. That brings down their profits.

Re: Afghanistan: Has America ever lost a war?

thekidde — Tue, 01 May 2012 10:39:42 -0000

Having been a combat infantry officer in Vietnam in 1968, the son of a Marine Corps NCO in WWII and the father of a son who is currently a combat infanty officer in Afghanistan, I can say the US hasn't "won" a war since WWII. And of course the results of WWII were really a continuing waste of blood and treasure since then on politico-religious-corporate nonsense promoted by the elitist war profiteers on all sides as well as religious f*cknuts.

Re: Afghanistan: Has America ever lost a war?

Stepper997 — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 14:57:52 -0000

With that latitude, I guess the REAL question would be if ANYONE has ever actually won ANY war. There's no more Rome, no more Qin dynasty, no more British empire. But that might seem specious, but then so is your comment. I, personally, do think that American Revolution thing worked out okay.

Re: Afghanistan: Has America ever lost a war?

Thomas Ware — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:18:36 -0000

The Seminole Wars of Florida ended also in ambiguity.

Re: Afghanistan: Has America ever lost a war?

Gerald Callow — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 11:10:48 -0000

Well, they didn't invade very hard, as "Americans then believed that many in Upper Canada would rise up and greet a United States invading army as liberators, which did not happen."

Sounds familiar, eh?

Re: Afghanistan: Has America ever lost a war?

sus_scrofa — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 09:46:28 -0000

There is nothing "inadvertent" about the US support for brutal Afghan warlords that are making Afghanistan hell on earth and the corrupt Karzai government. There is nothing "inadvertent" about the US torture camp at Bagram. There is nothing "inadvertent" about the fact that 90% of the world's opium is produced in Afghanistan "despite" total American control of the country for a decade. There are plenty of reasons for Afghans not to support the US and the mayor of Kabul, not just the stuff that the media choses to report. Counterinsurgency is aimed at terrorizing the civilian population into submission by its very nature.

As for the Kosovo war stopping ethnic cleansing, the US role was wholly negative. The US stage managed the KLA, directing them to attack Serbs to maximize retaliation. When the KLA got beat, the US imposed a "ceasefire" to allow the KLA to regroup and rearm. The Kosovo war was also finished with ethnic cleansing, but of Serbs, Roma and other non-Albanian groups.

Re: Afghanistan: Has America ever lost a war?

Keefer — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 09:41:42 -0000

I suspect most Canadians would be pretty surprised to learn that we lost the War of 1812!

Re: Afghanistan: Has America ever lost a war?

Mugsy's RapSheet — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 08:08:52 -0000

I think the REAL question is if America has ever actually "WON" a war. Even WWII... most notably Japan becoming an economic powerhouse that decimated the American auto industry in the 70's, and the electronics industry in the 80's & 90's.

Re: NRA: Official pimp for the multi-billion dollar gun industry

Proteus0909 — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 22:11:34 -0000

Top 10 causes of death in America per the CDC (2010):

1 Diseases of heart
2 Malignant neoplasms
3 Chronic lower respiratory diseases
4 Cerebrovascular diseases
5 Accidents (unintentional injuries)
6 Alzheimer’s disease
7 Diabetes mellitus
8 Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis
9 Influenza and pneumonia
10 Intentional self-harm (suicide)

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/n...

Re: Ozzie Guillen and the Electoral College

s e — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:33:56 -0000

Presidential elections don't have to be this way.

The National Popular Vote bill would guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states (and DC).

Every vote, everywhere, would be politically relevant and equal in presidential elections. No more distorting and divisive red and blue state maps. There would no longer be a handful of 'battleground' states, like Florida, where voters and policies are more important than those of the voters in more than 3/4ths of the states that now are just 'spectators' and ignored after the primaries.

When the bill is enacted by states possessing a majority of the electoral votes– enough electoral votes to elect a President (270 of 538), all the electoral votes from the enacting states would be awarded to the presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states and DC.

The bill uses the power given to each state by the Founding Fathers in the Constitution to change how they award their electoral votes for President. Historically, virtually all of the major changes in the method of electing the President, including ending the requirement that only men who owned substantial property could vote and 48 current state-by-state winner-take-all laws, have come about by state legislative action.

In Gallup polls since 1944, only about 20% of the public has supported the current system of awarding all of a state's electoral votes to the presidential candidate who receives the most votes in each separate state (with about 70% opposed and about 10% undecided). Support for a national popular vote is strong among Republicans, Democrats, and Independent voters, as well as every demographic group in virtually every state surveyed in recent polls.

Americans believe that the candidate who receives the most votes should win.

The bill has passed 31 state legislative chambers in 21 states. The bill has been enacted by 9 jurisdictions possessing 132 electoral votes - 49% of the 270 necessary to go into effect.

NationalPopularVote

Follow National Popular Vote on Facebook via nationalpopularvoteinc

Re: Right-to-work [for less] could mean fewer rights

Collette Mahoney — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 18:57:01 -0000

"Deceptive Resemblances" According to St Augustine Some moral virtues have contrary vices.
Say with Justice, the contrary vice is injustice & the Deceptive Resemblance which may resemblance justice is--vengeance which belongs to the selfish impulse. Justice to the charitable.

As you say "Right to work" Deceptive Resemblances is the "Right to exploit."

Re: “Stand your ground” is really “Kill at will”

PlayLoud — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 09:41:16 -0000

"In states with Kill-At-Will laws, the average number of “justifiable homicides” cases per year increased by more than 50% — and tripled in Florida, where the Kill-At-Will law has been invoked as a legal defense in gang fights, neighbor disputes, and road rage."

I'm ok with justified homicides. The alternative to justified homicides, is unjustified homicides. If you are being attacked, and your life is in danger, you would rather just take your chances? The police will not be there to help you. Oh, sure, they will respond after the fact. They will take a picture of your corpse for their murder investigation. Does that give you comfort?

"Most" people who carry a firearm (I can't here in California) are not looking for trouble. It's more like wearing a seat belt. You can go an entire lifetime and not need one, but if that fateful day comes, you will be glad it's there.

Since you are for "progressive" (liberal) values, I am assuming you are
Pro-Choice. Aren't Pro-Choice laws really Kill-At-Will laws? I think we should call now refer to pro-choice as kill-at-will. It's more accurate.

Re: Afghanistan: Has America ever lost a war?

Arthurlieber07 — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 13:31:46 -0000

It was not exactly a victory for the U.S. but President Madison never saw it as anything else.

Re: Afghanistan: Has America ever lost a war?

Danny224 — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 09:22:08 -0000

Arthur, Why is the 1812 war viewed as a victory? The US invaded Canada and was soundly beaten, the Brits and Canadians pushed them all the way back, before US pride was recovered a nice tune was written and everyone went back to the status quo.

Re: Buddy Roemer: The lost candidate of 2012

grapevine — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 03:23:00 -0000

Buddy Roemer is great at coming up with catchy one-line statements like
"Washington is not broken. It is bought." He knows how to describe a
problem effectively. But is he the solution?

The real question is who can solve the problems of this nation? Can Buddy Roemer do it?

If you want to learn the truth about a politician, you should not just
look at the politician's own website. You need to learn more about Buddy
Roemer from independent, reliable sources. Go to this website and read
the comments by Buddy's supporters and a critic. Also examine the web
pages they cite, which will provide you with independent analysis. Then
decide who is giving you the true facts.
http://fantasypoliticsusa.com/...

Re: Military mystery: How many bases does the US have, anyway?

Professor50 — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 11:04:11 -0000

I was stationed in Vicenza, Italy. Many Italians don't want us there. You should see the look on people's
faces when I tell them we are in Italy. Actually one of the biggest U.S. bases in Europe is in Italy. Americans have no idea of the scope of
U.S. bases around the world. A very small percent of people are making
a big profit.

Re: What “hasn’t worked a day in her life” really means

Ann Mandelstamm — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 07:52:59 -0000

Finally, some good common sense about this fracas! Thank you, Susan. Annman