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Threads on the Thursday OPEN thread

Shot by Dan on Market Street

“Parents are like shuttles on a loom. They join the threads of the past with threads of the future and leave their own bright patterns as they go.”
Fred Rogers

Join the conversation [ADD A COMMENT]

134 COMMENTS

  1. Hillary | April 19, 2012 at 10:04 am

    Well the number is out there…Romney wants to buy, I mean, win the presidency by shelling out 800 million in ads and pay offs, I mean, endorsements…Will he become the worst president money can buy – even topping GWB? Guess we will have to wait on that question…
    http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/mitt-romneys-2012-fundraising-goal-800-million/story?id=16156971#.T5AaSdnzYs4

  2. Henry | April 19, 2012 at 10:35 am

    Bush after 4 years = 4% unemployment $200B deficit
    Obama after 4 years = 9% unemployment $1,500B deficit

    I hope Romney is as “bad” as Bush. We need the jobs.

  3. Kristen | April 19, 2012 at 11:01 am

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/18/gulf-seafood-deformities-raise-questions_n_1434268.html

    Drill here, drill now!!!

    Well I guess I got my answer about how the GOP was going to feed Romney to the fundies. He’s speaking at Liberty’s graduation!

  4. Old Blue | April 19, 2012 at 11:10 am

    I was hoping I would see comments about the Fred Rogers quote instead of the same old political stuff. Nice quote, by the way. I hope my patterns are “bright”.

  5. Pistol Pete | April 19, 2012 at 11:15 am

    Nice post Hillary

    Did you happen to read anywhere that Obama will shell out 1 BILLION!!!!!!!!!!!!

    http://news.yahoo.com/1-billion-presidential-campaigns-115938242.html

  6. Say What? | April 19, 2012 at 11:18 am

    Henry, the true scope of Bush’s damage to the economy hadn’t had time to unfold after four years. Bush also kept the cost of both wars off the books, so the true deficit was much worse than the official figure.

  7. Hillary | April 19, 2012 at 11:22 am

    #2 Henry – do math much? President Obama has not been in office for 4 years…use your fingers if you have to.

  8. gdad | April 19, 2012 at 11:37 am

    #6 Henry doesn’t like you to point out the truth, Say What. Please refrain posting anything that isn’t regurgitated from Free Republic.

  9. Yupgilly | April 19, 2012 at 11:48 am

    Today, let’s just ignore the bloggers that get on our nerves. When you see their name, just skip to the next post. I think, though, that we would miss them if they left. Otherwise, people wouldn’t respond to every comment they make. It’s like a dirty joke. People say “that’s disgusting, tell me another one!”

  10. Sandi Saunders | April 19, 2012 at 11:56 am

    It is much like Global Warming, Evolution, and Gay Rights, by the time Henry, Suzie, pammala, will, Matt Herring et al admit the truth, it won’t matter anymore. I have never seen people work so hard at being irrelevant AND embarrassing to an entire nation. I don’t know if this nation can recover from the damage Bush/Cheney did, but I know it is ugly seeing people defend it. I think it is “Stockholm Syndrome”. That, and the fact that they hate Obama more than they love America.

  11. Hillary | April 19, 2012 at 12:03 pm

    #5 Pistol Pete – here’s the message to your link..
    ‘Sorry, the page you requested either doesn’t exist or isn’t available right now!
    Please check the URL for proper spelling and capitalization.’

    What is the link you are trying to post?

    and by the way Pistol Pete…do you remember this?

    “Ha! I love all the talk and wasted energy on Romney. He is done! I agree, we don’t have the best candidates this year, but Romney will NOT be the nominee. Unless Newt pulls a Herman Cain, its Newt. If he does its Santorum. Evangelicals won’t vote for a Mormon..bottom line.
    Mark it up or I will eat crow.
    Romney wont win our nomination.”
    Comment by Pistol Pete — January 25, 2012 @ 9:42 pm

    credibility, credibility, credibility…

  12. Pistol Pete | April 19, 2012 at 12:04 pm

    They don’t hate Obama Sandi, they just hate to see someone try to 180 this country into something its not intended to be.

  13. Suzie | April 19, 2012 at 12:13 pm

    #2 Henry – do math much? President Obama has not been in office for 4 years…use your fingers if you have to.

    You mean those figures are for only three years? Doesn’t that make your boy look worse, Hillary?

    Not exactly a bunch of Einsteins, these libs in here.

  14. Hillary | April 19, 2012 at 12:13 pm

    #9 – Yupgilly – by that logic we should allow the lies, distortions and stupid to just go unanswered? Sounds like a Fox-bot to me

  15. Dave Hicks | April 19, 2012 at 12:14 pm

    Here is one aspect of the State budget I strongly support:

    http://tinyurl.com/7jex837

    **
    State budget amendment delivers blow to Hopewell traffic fine revenue

    By: Mark Bowes | Richmond Times-Dispatch
    Published: April 19, 2012
    » 1 Comments | Post a Comment
    HOPEWELL, Va. –

    Hopewell’s controversial Interstate 295 traffic enforcement program, which garnered more than $1.5 million in annual revenue for the city last year, suffered a significant blow Wednesday with the passage of Virginia’s two-year state budget.

    The $85 billion spending plan narrowly passed by state legislators included an amendment to restrain traffic enforcement programs like Hopewell’s, which resulted in 14,778 tickets being issued in 2011 along a 1- to 2-mile section of I-295. The city received more than $1.6 million in revenue from the $2,056,387 in fines assessed.

    Under the budget provision, when local fines and fee collections exceed 40 percent of total revenue collections, half of the funds in excess of 40 percent will now go to the state’s Literary Fund, where other traffic revenue is sent, according to Mid-Atlantic AAA, which has strongly criticized the Hopewell operation.

    SNIP
    **

    Echoes of when I-95 went through Colonial Heights gutting the revenue from the 25MPH speed trap in that finances all their budget. You should have heard an uncle of mine complaining about having to start to pay property taxes.

    Love it. FWIIW, I like to see that 40% keep-it-all limit lowered.

    Wonder what SWVA localities get more that 40% of their budget paid for from traffic fines?

  16. Dan Casey | April 19, 2012 at 12:17 pm

    “They don’t hate Obama Sandi, they just hate to see someone try to 180 this country into something its not intended to be.”

    Just because the right-wing lie machine is selling that garbage doesn’t mean you you have to buy it, PP. Obama hasn’t been trying to 180 this country.

    Now, he has been trying to 180 its economy. We needed that badly, largely because of the policies of the Bush administration, under which the economy turned in exactly the wrong direction. And Obama has had remarkable success with that, in spite of the GOP’s efforts to keep the economy in fail mode, hoping that would cost the president politically.

    And here’s a little secret for you: they really don’t hate the Affordable Care Act. What they HATE is that is was a Gingrich/Heritage/Romney GOP plan, and it took Obama to get it passed. They HATE that. They HATE the fact that he gets credit for it. So they turned on their own plan, all because of the party of the president who got it passed.

    This activity actually goes back to Clinton, when he successfully co-opted the GOP’s effort’s at welfare reform and took a large part of the credit for it. The Republicans HATED that Clinton got away with that, and they vowed never to let it happen again.

  17. Kristen | April 19, 2012 at 12:18 pm

    So…has PP eaten any crow? Nice find, Hillary! I bet there are a few others like this from others on this blog back there.

  18. Kristen | April 19, 2012 at 12:23 pm
  19. gdad | April 19, 2012 at 12:23 pm

    #11 How’s that crow tasting, PP?

    BTW, you might want to blame suzie. It supported virtually every Rethug candidate except Romney and as soon as she touted each one, he or she went down in flames.

  20. Dave Hicks | April 19, 2012 at 12:24 pm

    I often talk about the unintended consequences of laws.

    Here’s one, albeit rare well worth thinking about.

    http://tinyurl.com/7z82y8e

    **
    Inmate who killed twice for death penalty has cases reviewed

    RICHMOND, Va. –

    In 2009, inmate Robert Charles Gleason Jr. murdered his cellmate and hours later ate the victim’s lunch as well as his own next to the undiscovered body.

    He threatened to kill again unless sentenced to death and, in 2010, Gleason strangled a second inmate, this time in Virginia’s ultrasecure Red Onion State Prison, in the guise of fitting him for a religious necklace.

    SNIP

    “This is the kind of case that turns the whole death penalty on its head,” said David I. Bruck, director of the Virginia Capital Case Clearinghouse at Washington and Lee University, on Wednesday.

    “Instead of deterring murder, capital punishment appears to have motivated someone who wants to die by execution, said Bruck. “In other words, if there had been no death penalty, there might well have been no murder at Red Onion State Prison.”

    SNIP
    **

  21. Yupbilly | April 19, 2012 at 12:34 pm

    #14, Hillary, Do you watch FOX News? And, if so, do you shout back at the TV when they use lies, distortions and stupidity to further their cause. By your logic, we should “correct” the weather when it doesn’t suit us. I meant no avarice, I’m on your side I think.

    By the way, I spelled my name wrong in the last post.

  22. Sandi Saunders | April 19, 2012 at 12:51 pm

    Yupgilly, it is truly a “no win” situation. They infiltrate, they irritate, and they insult. They do not come here for discussion, conversation, or even debate. It is what it is and what trolls do. If we ignore it, it is still there, unanswered and they win. If we beat them down, they are still here, so they win. We only win, when they leave and that never happens (for any length of time), it is Dan’s blog and frankly, his mess to fix. Only thing is, he does not think it is a mess. Go figure.

  23. will | April 19, 2012 at 1:04 pm

    “#6 Henry doesn’t like you to point out the truth, Say What. Please refrain posting anything that isn’t regurgitated from Free Republic.
    Comment by gdad — April 19, 2012 @ 11:37 am ”

    Here’s some truth,
    14+ trillion dept and growing
    8%+ unemployment
    almost $4 a gallon gasoline
    class warfare at it’s worst
    race riots on the verge of erupting.

    And Obama and his minions are still blaming everything and everyone except his failed policies. All the while trying to divert attention away from his dismal record.

    Obama’s new campaign song—–

    “I really like flip flops
    And the list never stops,
    but I promise more change will be coming soon.
    Soon as I’m re-elected
    I’ll put the BMDS in a tail-spin
    North Korea will love me and Putin will too”.

    Wasting away again up in Washington.
    Spending money like it’s goin’ out of style,
    “Some people claim that my
    policies are to blame—-
    But I know—
    This is still Bush’s fault”

    Speaking of flip flops — Here’s a good link

    http://www.therightsphere.com/2012/04/president-flip-flop-barack-obamas-broken-promises-policy-reversals-and-continuous-flip-flops/

  24. will | April 19, 2012 at 1:08 pm

    The latest excuse in second grade
    “My dog ate my homework—- No wait—- George Bush ate my homework”

  25. Suzie | April 19, 2012 at 1:12 pm

    There has never been a GOP health plan that attempted to crush private-sector care as 0bamacare will do. In all cases and on a much smaller scale, the GOP plan encouraged people to have privately provided health care first, then failing that, provided them with an opportunity to get state-overseen health care. The major difference is Romney’s plan was designed to cover the 8% uninsured. 0bama’s design is to force 100% of the people to go with government insurance.

    It’s simply a lie to say 0bamacare is anything like GOP plans. But lying is what the leftwing does.

    Interesting to note Dan now admits Welfare Reform was a good bill as well as a GOP bill. He formerly gave Clinton credit for it’s effects on the economy. Now he admits Clinton co-opted it. As I say, we are making progress educating people in here.

  26. tass | April 19, 2012 at 1:31 pm

    “it is Dan’s blog and frankly, his mess to fix. Only thing is, he does not think it is a mess.”

    That’s because the blog isn’t intended to inspire worthwhile discussion, but rather to rack up the site hits and comment count. The host considers himself a muckraker but is just a paid pot-stirrer. There are thoughtful comments buried in the dreck here and there, but if there isn’t enough troll-baiting going on, the host will jump in and give them a good poke or two.

  27. Debbie | April 19, 2012 at 1:36 pm

    Dave Hicks, the death penalty has never been a deterrent. Most murders are either crimes of passion, or committed by people who think they’re too intelligent to get caught.

    In the case you wrote about,I’m guessing he would rather be dead than spend his life in prison. Sad/wrong that he’s killing others because he wants to die.

  28. Sandi Saunders | April 19, 2012 at 1:39 pm

    Careful there will, you are going to vote for the modern day flip flopping king! Not that it will give you pause. And Suzie, you calling someone a liar at this point means they are telling the unvarnished gospel swearing truth. Simple fact. You folks made your beds. If they are so great, shut up and go lay in them.

  29. Hillary | April 19, 2012 at 1:41 pm

    will @ #23 Do you really want to do battle with statistics?
    Okey dokey

    * Eleven Februarys ago, in his first major speech to Congress, Bush vowed that the entire national debt would be paid off by … well, by right now. However by the time he left office eight years later, the debt had nearly tripled, to $2.7 trillion. http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/George_W._Bush%27s_First_State_of_the_Union_Address

    * Who created for 8 years the financial monster President Obama inherited, which you want fixed in 3.5 years?
    “$1.812 trillion from the “Bush tax cuts”; $853 billion from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; $616 in higher Pentagon spending outside those wars; $608 billion in non-defense discretionary spending; $480 billion in “other tax”-related matters; $293 billion in entitlement changes; $224 billion in spending for Trouble Assets Relief Program (TARP) and the Housing and Economic Recovery Act; and $180 billion for the prescription drug bill.”http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/ezra-klein-doing-the-math-on-obamas-deficits/2012/01/31/gIQAnRs7fQ_story.html
    Go ahead, add them up…
    * Under the Bush administration, from December 2007 when the recession started to December 2008, an additional 3.6 million people became unemployed. As of January 1, 2009, GWB’s last month in office, the nation lost 655,000 jobs, raising the unemployment rate to 7.8%, the highest level in more than 15 years. [Bureau of Labor Statistics]

    will posted, “race riots on the verge of erupting.”

    Where is your link to this lie?

  30. Kristen | April 19, 2012 at 1:42 pm

    Surely a guy that creative about killing others could figure out a way to kill himself, assuming he’s serious.

  31. Richard J Beason, CPA | April 19, 2012 at 1:43 pm

    25. Monkey Troll – or should I cange your name to misinformation Monkey Troll since you always provide misinformation or outright lies. ACA allows everyone the right to private insurance through private carriers.

  32. Hillary | April 19, 2012 at 1:46 pm

    #21 Yupbilly posted, “Do you watch FOX News?”

    Only if I intend to have my eyes and ears bleed, or shrink my brain,or my soul turn black, so no…

  33. Pistol Pete | April 19, 2012 at 1:54 pm

    I like crow.. tastes like chicken or liver cheese!

    Hilary the news article I tried to post predicts Obama will spend a billion.

  34. Pistol Pete | April 19, 2012 at 1:56 pm

    You like the GSA spendings???????

    Then you are sure going to love your taxpayer money for this!!

    “NIH under fire for grants toward creation of homoerotic website”
    http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/04/19/nih-under-fire-for-grants-toward-creation-homoerotic-website/

  35. Henry | April 19, 2012 at 2:01 pm

    “My dog ate my homework—- No wait—- George Bush ate my homework”
    And then Obama ate my dog!!!

  36. Art Hill | April 19, 2012 at 2:03 pm

    “There are thoughtful comments buried in the dreck”

    Yeah, but it’s not worth sifting through all the bullschitt to find them.

  37. dave | April 19, 2012 at 2:08 pm

    will

    Could you enlighten us on what the 14 trillion+ dept. is? I can’t find it anywhere in the registry of federal departments and agencies. You seem to post about it frequently but I can’t find a department by that name anyplace.

  38. dave | April 19, 2012 at 2:13 pm

    Suzie says “There has never been a GOP health plan..”. Now we’re making progress. We’ve known all along that there was no GOP health plan. Just let the big for profit insurance companies and health care conglomerates keep on screwing the rest of us to pay the shareholders and the CEOS.

  39. Matt Herring | April 19, 2012 at 2:30 pm

    #24 Will – How about “the dog ate my homework, then Obama ate my dog!” LOL Now THAT’S a good one!

  40. dave | April 19, 2012 at 2:31 pm

    Henry@10:35 AM

    There’s only one small prpoblem with your post. (Well actually there’s more than one). The big one is that Bush was President for 8 years, not four. The damage he was doing was just starting to take hold after four years. Try looking at his eight year figures and consider that the economy was dropping over 750000 jobs per month by the time mhe left and the financial sector and the auto industry were virtually on their death bed. Since Romney wants to take us back to those policies and double down on them what sane person would actually choose that path? More cuts for the 10%. Less money for the middle class. Attack Syria and Iran and start two new ground wars. Makes sense to me. Not!

  41. Dan Casey | April 19, 2012 at 2:41 pm

    Of course, it took Bush more than 4 years to wreck the strong economy he inherited from the Clinton years. Presidents are not miracle workers; they cannot turn economies around on dime.

    That’s why it’s taken Obama 3 years just to begin to repair the damage Bush did.

  42. Hillary | April 19, 2012 at 2:45 pm

    USMC 4-star: WOMEN TO ATTEND INFANTRY SCHOOL

    By James K. Sanborn- Staff writer, Wednesday Apr 18, 2012
    The U.S. Marine Corps plans to allow a yet-undetermined number of female volunteers to enroll in the school that trains its infantry combat officers, the Marine Corps Times has reported.
    The plan to open the Infantry Officers Course to women is part of the service’s effort to determine which additional jobs may be open to women in the future, Gen. Joseph Dunford, the Marines’ assistant commandant, told the Marine Corps Times. …an undetermined number of volunteers will attend the Infantry Officers Course in Quantico, Va., said Gen. Joseph Dunford, the Corps’ assistant commandant. There, Marine officers are groomed to serve in direct combat roles and lead troops into battle.
    “We are in the process right now of soliciting volunteers,” Dunford told the Times for a story published Wednesday. http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2012/04/marine-corps-women-infantry-combat-dunford-amos-041812/

  43. Say What? | April 19, 2012 at 2:52 pm

    Will & Matt: based on his past experience, Romney’s going to put said dog in a cage atop the car until it craps everywhere, then hose it off and keep driving.

  44. Pistol Pete | April 19, 2012 at 3:10 pm

    Taxpayer money funded Gay porn (Check my link above)

  45. Pistol Pete | April 19, 2012 at 3:14 pm

    Panetta has spent $860,000 TAXPAYER dollars to fly home to his ranch in Calif.

    http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/04/19/leon-panetta-worth-price/

  46. Kristen | April 19, 2012 at 3:19 pm

    Hey PP…you going to vote for Romney?

  47. Sandi Saunders | April 19, 2012 at 3:21 pm

    My my, look at Henry and Matt…”great” minds really do roll in the gutter together.

  48. Pistol Pete | April 19, 2012 at 3:23 pm

    Good Question Kristen, I really have not decided..honestly.

  49. Sandi Saunders | April 19, 2012 at 3:24 pm

    Considering the love so many like you bear for Panetta and anyone in the Obama administration, I don’t know why he doesn’t fly coach on Delta with the masses either Pistol Pete. New Rule: Only people who live within walking distance of their offices may serve in DC?

  50. Sandi Saunders | April 19, 2012 at 3:25 pm

    Nah Kristen he won’t even be the nominee, remember?

  51. Dan Casey | April 19, 2012 at 3:25 pm

    PP, Romney is the graduation speaker at Liberty U this year, so it appears he’s gotten the Jerry Falwell seal of approval.

  52. will | April 19, 2012 at 3:26 pm

    Dave – excuse me it’s 15+ trillion
    here ya go
    http://www.usdebtclock.org/

  53. Pistol Pete | April 19, 2012 at 3:29 pm

    I saw that Dan, so maybe he told them he’s getting Huckabee or another evangelical as a running mate. That might pull my vote.

    Sandi, I already said I like crow…but not a big fan of Dog.

  54. dave | April 19, 2012 at 3:30 pm

    By the way PP, federal law requires that the Secdef cannot fly commercial.
    And don’t worry about that vote . There’s always that good ole boh Virgil Goode.

  55. will | April 19, 2012 at 3:36 pm

    “Of course, it took Bush more than 4 years to wreck the strong economy he inherited from the Clinton years. Presidents are not miracle workers; they cannot turn economies around on dime.
    That’s why it’s taken Obama 3 years just to begin to repair the damage Bush did.
    Comment by Dan Casey — April 19, 2012 @ 2:41 pm

    AND — the dog ate my homework. BUT I promise — re-elect me and I’ll cut the defficit in half by the end of my first(o, excuse me that was my speech from 2008), I mean by the end of my 2nd term, I’ll cut energy prices, I’ll rebuild the image of the US abroad, I’ll bring us together, I’ll make the USA safer, I’ll walk on water —– YES WE CAN !!!

  56. Henry | April 19, 2012 at 3:36 pm

    What the official Democrat spokesmen, Dave and Dan, have failed to mention is that the Democrats took over Congress in January of 2007. It was downhill from there. When Obama took the White House in 2009, giving the Democrats control of everything, the economy really went into the crapper and we ended up with a trillion dollar deficit and 10% unemployment. Hence the economy we have now.
    The solution from the Democrats? They just blame Bush as you can see. No action to help us. Just the blame game.

  57. Matt Herring | April 19, 2012 at 3:36 pm

    Sandi – what gutter? Obama admitted in his own words that he ate dogs. We are just stating the facts. This gives new meaning to the slogan “It’s BO TIME!” (see Sandi, Bo is Obama’s dog)…..and “It’s BO TIME!” is the slogan for Bojangles chicken…..Get it?

  58. Bill Perdue | April 19, 2012 at 3:37 pm

    I didn’t hear anything in the press about Hillay Clinton speaking at VMI the other week? Damn liberal media.

  59. Dan Casey | April 19, 2012 at 3:53 pm

    Matt Herring,

    Come on. His stepdad fed him some dog meat — in Indonesia — when he was a little kid. So what?

  60. Elena | April 19, 2012 at 3:59 pm

    I didn’t see this mentioned anywhere…Congrats! Dan on winning a top honor in Column Writing from the National Society of Professional Journalists…hope the Roanoke Times appreciates it.

  61. Hillary | April 19, 2012 at 4:19 pm

    Pistol Pete @44 & 45 Lets play “what about…?”

    “What about…?”
    Bush’s Department of Education [that] had paid the commentator Armstrong Williams $240,000 to promote its policies, the first of several disclosures of White House media manipulation… http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-01-06-williams-whitehouse_x.htm

    “What about …?
    The Jack Abramoff scandal, a GOP lobbyist and major Bush fundraiser accused of influence peddling to the tune of $82 million, for starters. He eventually went to prison. http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/indiangaming.html

    “What about…?”
    GWB’s anti-prostitution AIDS tsar who purchased the services of—wait for it—the D.C. Madam? http://www.reuters.com/article/2007/04/28/idUSN27419813._CH_.2400

    “What about …?”
    GWB’s Interior Department officials “frequently consumed alcohol at industry functions, had used cocaine and marijuana, and had sexual relationships with oil and gas company representatives.” http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/11/washington/11royalty.html?_r=3

    And, “what about…?”
    The cozy relationship between the Bush administration, Dick Cheney, and Haliburton? when this was discovered in 2004 ? Pentagon auditors found that Halliburton had not adequately accounted for $1.8 billion of the bill it sent to the United States government for its work in Iraq and Kuwait.
    http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/10/25/national/main651124.shtml

    There are dozens of scandals in the Bush years, do you want to know some others?

  62. Ken | April 19, 2012 at 4:23 pm

    LOL – some of our resident bigots just helped prove that Obama can’t be a Muslim!! I doubt that a Muslim would eat dog meat – so why would he and his father eat it !!

  63. Hillary | April 19, 2012 at 4:25 pm

    #56 Henry posted, 1. “They just blame Bush ” – something like you do about President Obama…?
    2, “No action to help us.” – do you know who keeps stopping all the progressive bills in Congress, or will not bring them to the floor for discussions…
    NOOOO, not President Obama, the Republican clowns in Congress. Every day, every bill, every way they can to not bring results or change to middle class Americans…

  64. Henry | April 19, 2012 at 4:28 pm

    The Secret Service interviewed Ted Nugent who wrote Cat Scratch Fever and Wang Dang Sweet Poontang. No word on on the reason for the interview.

  65. Dave Hicks | April 19, 2012 at 4:50 pm

    Comment by Debbie — April 19, 2012 @ 1:36 pm

    In the case you wrote about,I’m guessing he would rather be dead than spend his life in prison. Sad/wrong that he’s killing others because he wants to die.

    ———-

    Do guessing. He has stated that.

  66. Sandi Saunders | April 19, 2012 at 4:53 pm

    Will, it worked for Bush….

  67. dave | April 19, 2012 at 4:59 pm

    OK Henry

    Now would you like to tell us specifically what George Bush policies were reversed by the Deocratic Congrersses starting in 2007 that caused the economic disaster. And while you’re at it, tell us why Bush didn’t veto them since the Dems had nowhere near a large enough majoprity to override vetos. You’re just spitting into the wind and you know it.

  68. dave | April 19, 2012 at 5:05 pm

    Henry@4:26

    You must try really hard to be that stupid. A normal person couldn’t pull it off.

  69. Warren | April 19, 2012 at 5:13 pm

    Hilary, you left off another true one about the Bush administration hiring a gay prostitute and giving him press room credentials to ask softball safety valve questions when the press secretary needed to avoid uncomfortable questioning. Pissed Ol’ Pete seems to have forgotten about that one, too.

  70. Warren | April 19, 2012 at 5:16 pm

    Apologies, Hillary, please forgive my careless spelling of your name; I know it’s “Hillary” with two l’s, as in “Give ‘em L Hillary”…

  71. Kristen | April 19, 2012 at 5:23 pm

    Nugget threatened the life of the President of the United States. I hope an “interview” is the least of it.

    Obama could dress and roast a Westie in the Rose Garden and Romney STILL wouldn’t be able to beat him. That’s what’s really bugging our friends on the Right.

    When push comes to shove, the Evangelicals are nothing but “useful idiots” to the GOP….Bush admitted as much. They just found out how little the real GOP power thinks of them.

  72. Dan Casey | April 19, 2012 at 5:25 pm

    I wonder where Jeff Gannon (aka James Dale Guckert) is today?

  73. Matt Herring | April 19, 2012 at 5:27 pm

    #59 – Dan – if you ate dog meat, would you admit it in a published book for everyone to see? Guess you could say Obama’s bark is worse than his bite!!! Oh boy, we are going to have SO much fun with this for a long time to come!

  74. Dan Casey | April 19, 2012 at 5:30 pm

    So now it appears that Matt Herring is criticizing Obama for not covering up the fact that his stepdad fed him dog meat as a child.

    Will this idiocy never end?

  75. Warren | April 19, 2012 at 5:47 pm

    The truth is that everyone on this blog has ancestors who ate things that their descendants would consider unpalatable, including some pretty recently, like those who still buy tripe. One of the more common dares among kids is daring someone to eat a dog bisquit. I never did, but I knew that it was a just psychological thing, and that the bisquits were harmless for people to eat. Still, kids could get lots of mileage out of the accusation that so-and-so ate dog bisquits, and that’s the same as these ODS grownups. I’m also reminded of this by a funny story in Al Kooper’s book “Backstage Passes” about Mike Bloomfield eating dog bisquits during a recording session just because he liked them.

  76. Contrasuzie | April 19, 2012 at 5:49 pm

    “Henry says:

    The Secret Service interviewed Ted Nugent who wrote Cat Scratch Fever and Wang Dang Sweet Poontang. No word on on the reason for the interview.

    Posted on April 19th, 2012″

    Probably to find out why he wrote such utter crap and couldn’t play a guitar any better than an 8-year old learning ‘Smoke On The Water’.

  77. Hillary | April 19, 2012 at 5:59 pm

    #70 – no problem Warren it’s tricky whether to spell with one “L” or two…

    Dan @ 72 – he is probably still hanging out on the porn websites he so often frequented…

  78. Hillary | April 19, 2012 at 6:01 pm

    Matt Herring @73 a little cultural knowledge may help the ignorance go away…

    The Christian Science Monitor noted that while dog meat is considered taboo in the U.S., it is “common in China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Vietnam, and even Switzerland.
    A century ago it was even more widespread, with dog a specialty in much of Europe.
    Many of the people who are outraged about “Obama eats dog” are the same people who will pooh-pooh vegetarians as Leftist softies.
    http://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Family/Modern-Parenthood/2012/0419/Obama-Romney-dog-wars-cultural-lessons-for-the-dinner-table

  79. dave | April 19, 2012 at 6:01 pm

    Not as long as the idiot brothers (dawgfish and Henry) are still around.

  80. Debbie | April 19, 2012 at 6:02 pm

    RIP Levon Helm

  81. Debbie | April 19, 2012 at 6:05 pm

    Somebody let me know when the block feature becomes available. I’d rather be reading books until then.

  82. Mike Scott | April 19, 2012 at 6:05 pm

    “Dan – if you ate dog meat, would you admit it in a published book for everyone to see?”

    I’m guessing Dan would, if it was the truth.

    I believe i also heard that Obama was fed/ate grasshoppers while in Indonesia as well. What’s your point, besides the shape of your head?

  83. Art Hill | April 19, 2012 at 6:35 pm

    “we are going to have SO much fun with this for a long time to come!”

    Simple minds, simple pleasures.

  84. Dave Hicks | April 19, 2012 at 7:03 pm

    No one who is not a total vegetarian and who has traveled the world extensively can say with absolute certainty that they never eat dog, cat, horse, etc. — unless you stayed in the top westernize accommodations, ate all their meals on a cruise liner, etc. That is particularly true of sausages, soups, ground meat dishes, etc.

    The Italians, the French, other European and Asian countries (including Japan, China, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland) consider horse meat a dietary staple. FWIIW, I have read that Italy has now surpasses France for per-capita consumption. Breeders in East Europe are finding a ready export market for all the above.

    Cat and dog tend to be more an African and far eastern dish.

    FWIIW, I know, for a fact, that I have eaten all three.

  85. Sandi Saunders | April 19, 2012 at 7:07 pm

    I’m with Debbie. I love you Dan, but I am starting that sabbatical early. You win Suzie, Matt, Henry, Pistol Pete, & will. I just can’t hold my nose and play in your pollution right now, you make me ill.

  86. Dave Hicks | April 19, 2012 at 7:10 pm

    Speaking of food and per an earlier running debate I had with some here:

    http://tinyurl.com/c9ekwdm

    **
    Studies Question the Pairing of Food Deserts and Obesity

    By GINA KOLATA
    Published: April 17, 2012

    It has become an article of faith among some policy makers and advocates, including Michelle Obama, that poor urban neighborhoods are food deserts, bereft of fresh fruits and vegetables.

    But two new studies have found something unexpected. Such neighborhoods not only have more fast food restaurants and convenience stores than more affluent ones, but more grocery stores, supermarkets and full-service restaurants, too. And there is no relationship between the type of food being sold in a neighborhood and obesity among its children and adolescents.

    SNIP
    **

    Hum?

  87. Dave Hicks | April 19, 2012 at 7:21 pm

    Very interesting case that VT might look at re: the recent lawsuit and the posiblity of an appeal.

    http://tinyurl.com/77jz2od

    **
    Opinion analysis: A presumption of qualified immunity for private actors

    Bradley Joondeph

    SNIP

    Though the result was unsurprising, the Court’s decision in Filarsky is nonetheless notable for two reasons. First, the Court distinguished its two prior cases denying qualified immunity to private actors –Wyatt v. Cole and Richardson v. McKnight – on the ground that each presented highly idiosyncratic situations and thus represented very narrow holdings. Wyatt and Richardson remain good law, but the Court has sharply curtailed their scope. Second, by so limiting Wyatt and Richardson – and by speaking broadly about the lack of any meaningful difference between part-time government contractors and full-time government employees – Filarsky effectively establishes a presumption that all persons performing public functions on behalf of the government are entitled to the immunities recognized under § 1983.

    SNIP
    **

    So, if part-time attorneys have a presumption of qualified immunity, why would public universities with their flip-flopping semi-state status not? Are the not also performing public functions on behalf of the State?

  88. Dave Hicks | April 19, 2012 at 7:28 pm

    Good info:

    http://tinyurl.com/6meav52

    **
    April 19, 2012, 11:33 AM

    Meet the (New) Judge Handling George Zimmerman’s Case

    SNIP

    Judge Lester is by-the-book. He has had at least three defendants taken into custody when they showed up for court late. He is not loud or brash. When he wants to get lawyers’ attention, or he needs more control over his courtroom, he will address them formally, using Ms. or Mr. and all three of their names. As the Orlando Sentinel reported in 1999: “It’s the equivalent of using a child’s full name when he or she has done something bad.”

    Judge Lester has handed down the death sentence in two high-profile cases, one involving an axe murderer. He also handled the case of Andrea Williams, who killed her three children. She was given life in jail in return for pleading guilty.

    SNIP
    **

  89. Art Hill | April 19, 2012 at 7:31 pm

    Why do the best things always disappear?

    RIP Levon Helm.

  90. Henry | April 19, 2012 at 7:36 pm

    “you make me ill.”

    Best….day….ever.

  91. Estrogena | April 19, 2012 at 7:39 pm

    There’s only one store in all of Virginia that sells Ballantine Ale. Fortunately for you, it’s in Blacksburg:
    http://www.falstaffbrewing.com/wherecan.htm

  92. Dan Casey | April 19, 2012 at 8:00 pm

    Thanks, Estrogena!

  93. Phil Chitwood | April 19, 2012 at 8:01 pm

    Hillary :USMC 4-star: WOMEN TO ATTEND INFANTRY SCHOOL

    By James K. Sanborn- Staff writer, Wednesday Apr 18, 2012
    The U.S. Marine Corps plans to allow a yet-undetermined number of female volunteers to enroll in the school that trains its infantry combat officers, the Marine Corps Times has reported.
    The plan to open the Infantry Officers Course to women is part of the service’s effort to determine which additional jobs may be open to women in the future, Gen. Joseph Dunford, the Marines’ assistant commandant, told the Marine Corps Times. …an undetermined number of volunteers will attend the Infantry Officers Course in Quantico, Va., said Gen. Joseph Dunford, the Corps’ assistant commandant. There, Marine officers are groomed to serve in direct combat roles and lead troops into battle.
    “We are in the process right now of soliciting volunteers,” Dunford told the Times for a story published Wednesday. http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2012/04/marine-corps-women-infantry-combat-dunford-amos-041812/

    Hillary….why why would someone want to give up the best part of being a woman to go and take up the worst part of being a man?

  94. Contrasuzie | April 19, 2012 at 8:03 pm

    Look!  John Boehner’s running for Pope of America.  He knows more than  the bishops.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mobileweb/2012/04/18/republican-budget-john-boehner_n_1434678.html?icid=hp_politics_top_art

  95. Pistol Pete | April 19, 2012 at 9:19 pm

    Its working guys, we are making them ILL! ;)

  96. Matt Herring | April 19, 2012 at 9:38 pm

    Based on you Liberal comment’s above, there’s no telling what you might eat LOL – You can’t stand it when you are embarrassed by what comes out of your stupid mouths, kinda like every time Sandi, dave, gdad and Dan open their mouths….

  97. Matt Herring | April 19, 2012 at 9:39 pm

    WOOf, Woof!

  98. Art Hill | April 20, 2012 at 2:11 am

    Daily Beast’s obit of Levon Helm.

  99. Matt F. | April 20, 2012 at 8:32 am

    I am curious as to why eating dog meat is becoming an important issue. I’ve tried it, having eaten kagogi soup while stationed in Korea. It’s a cultural difference and nothing more.

    Of course, we know how most Americans react to cultural differences…

  100. Kristen | April 20, 2012 at 9:07 am

    MattF, one of my more hysterical online acquaintances got all bent out of shape when I wouldn’t sign her petition to make the French (snort) stop eating horsemeat. A) like the French give a crap about AOL online petitions and B) So what? There’s no substantive difference between a horse and a cow, and we here in Uhmurica consider beef to be a birthrite.

    Romney’s an asshat who strapped his pet on the roof of his car. There’s nothing that they can say that can change that.

  101. Kristen | April 20, 2012 at 9:16 am

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/20/sarah-palin-obama-dog_n_1439393.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl1%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D153599

    And here’s the running mate of the O-So-Qualified McCain. Unbelievable this nitwit ever made a national ticket…stunning.

    Sarah? The only reason you ever had a job more important that flipping burgers is that guys check you out. Embrace it, babe.

  102. gdad | April 20, 2012 at 9:28 am

    #102 Matt F, it’s not important at all. It’s just one more sign of desperation from the right.

  103. gdad | April 20, 2012 at 10:46 am

    #104 I see. According to her this is all Obama’s fault. Including the fact the SS agent was checking out her ass when he was guarding her before Obama was elected. Check.

  104. Hillary | April 20, 2012 at 11:02 am

    #93 Phil Chitwood posted, “someone want to give up the best part of being a woman to go and take up the worst part of being a man?”

    I am not sure what you mean by your question, but allow me to interpret it the way I understand it.

    First, why is being a Marine the “worst part of being a man’?
    Secondly, why is wanting to serve your country “being the worst part of being a man”?
    Thirdly, you understand I think, that many many countries have women serving in their armies that will be in battle – and in the US, we already have female fighter pilots [remember the first Gulf War when a female pilot was shot down and held by the Iraqis?] who serve on the “front lines” in addition to female Navy commanders.
    Fourthly, I am old enough to remember when women were not hired to work in law enforcement because they were the so-called “gentler sex”. Now we have Chiefs of Police that are women, and some of the best negotiators in hostage situations have been women. My husband happened to have been one of the police guys not really wanting to have women on the force – he has nicely evolved since then…
    Fifthly, why do you think women should not have the opportunity in the Marine Corps to lead on the battlefield?

    History has demonstrated that women can lead in battle. My favorite bit of history: Boudicca

  105. Suzie | April 20, 2012 at 11:14 am

    Daily Beast’s obit of Levon Helm.

    Who cares? Another druggie who destroyed himself. Unlike Rocker Ted Nugent who’s still going strong.

  106. dave | April 20, 2012 at 11:44 am

    Kristen

    As far as I’m concerned, Palin is dog meat. Or to quote the blog’d most intelligent poster , Dawgfish, “woof, woof!”.

  107. joe | April 20, 2012 at 1:11 pm

    Lets not forget the flavorful putrified shark…
    Yum yum..save me some.

    Theres a link to be made with the Obama
    pupsicle story…The insane far right
    have all bark and no bite.
    …and theres more than one or two barking
    beeches comin round this house.

  108. joe | April 20, 2012 at 1:29 pm

    scroll down to see this dubious delicacy.
    http://www.claracohan.com/ic_snaefellsnes.html

  109. Contrasuzie | April 20, 2012 at 2:13 pm

    “Unlike Rocker Ted Nugent who’s still going strong.”

    Ted Nugent is a slut.  And a piss poor guitar player.

  110. Kristen | April 20, 2012 at 2:19 pm

    Phil, what do you imagine is the best part of being a woman?

  111. gdad | April 20, 2012 at 2:39 pm

    #108 More lies from troll suzie. Helm’s death, of course had nothing to do with drugs. He was 71 and he had throat cancer. Turd Nugent is still kicking — and he’s also 8 years younger than Helm.

  112. Debbie | April 20, 2012 at 4:56 pm

    Thanks for the obit link, Art. The NY Times had a good one too.
    http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/20/arts/music/levon-helm-drummer-and-singer-dies-at-71.html

  113. gdad | April 20, 2012 at 5:37 pm

    #113 “Phil, what do you imagine is the best part of being a woman?”

    I can hardly wait til Phil answers this one.

  114. Steve | April 20, 2012 at 10:52 pm

    Phil Chitwood

    I have no idea why you have an issue with women in combat; afterall, females on this blog are constantly stealing your lunch money and shoving you into the lockers already, so what’s the big deal?

  115. Phil Chitwood | April 21, 2012 at 6:41 am

    C’mon, gdad…THINK…..2ZZA

  116. gdad | April 21, 2012 at 9:56 am

    #118 So you won’t answer, Phil?

  117. Phil Chitwood | April 21, 2012 at 12:05 pm

    Four letter you can’t pronounce…..that’s kind of education you should nail down before getting on here.

  118. Kristen | April 21, 2012 at 1:09 pm

    Weird answer, Phil. So tell us what you think is the best part of being a woman. In words. I’m positively fascinated to hear.

  119. gdad | April 21, 2012 at 1:40 pm

    #120 Notice how Phil is just stammering around about this? Embarrass yourself a little there, Philly boy?

  120. Phil Chitwood | April 21, 2012 at 5:03 pm

    Nope.

  121. gdad | April 21, 2012 at 9:22 pm

    #123 Phil sill can’t answer Kristen’s question. Bizarre.

  122. Phil Chitwood | April 22, 2012 at 7:09 am

    What is bizarre is that you and Kristen DO NOT know. Everyone else knows…..that’s why they’re not asking. What’s your name, 4 letters you can’t pronounce?

  123. gdad | April 22, 2012 at 10:27 am

    #125 Why don’t you answer the question, Phil? What a coward.

  124. Phil Chitwood | April 22, 2012 at 1:21 pm

    In a time of war….The best part of being a woman…exchanged for the absolute worst part of being a man.

  125. Hillary | April 22, 2012 at 3:51 pm

    #127 Phil Chitwood – and what “best” part is lost?

  126. 13 Suns | April 22, 2012 at 8:50 pm

    For me, the best part of being a woman is not being Phil Chitwood.

  127. Suzie | April 22, 2012 at 9:24 pm

    I know exactly what Phil Chitwood means. Maybe the Subaru-driving, flannel-shirt-wearing women don’t. Real women do.

  128. gdad | April 22, 2012 at 10:03 pm

    #130 What would you know about being a woman?

  129. Phil Chitwood | April 23, 2012 at 6:43 am

    13 Suns says, “For me, the best part of being a woman is not being Phil Chitwood.” I love a funny, good one and that was funny. Props.

  130. Contrasuzie | April 23, 2012 at 12:56 pm

    Real women can have children.

  131. Hillary | April 23, 2012 at 6:34 pm

    Poor Phil Chitwood – most ill-informed knows exactly what he means…nobody, but nobody wants that endorsement…ugh…[and the ugh is not in a good way]

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