i'll drink to that!

"Well kids- you tired to do something and you failed. The important lesson here is never try"

-Homer Simpson

It's A Gift:

must be something good on TV

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, again. Then quit. There’s no use in being a damn fool about it.

I wish the nirthers would take this to heart.

Amazing Grace:

Wow. Inspiring.
I'm free of all prejudice. I hate everyone equally - W. C. Fields :p genius

re: #6 ArrowSmith

Amazing Grace:

Great, now I have to go look for that "Amazing Grace" sung to the tune of the Gilligan's Island Theme again . . .

For your late-night perusal -- new at zombietime:

Protest Against Prop. 8 Gay Marriage Ruling

As promised.

re: #9 zombie

For your late-night perusal -- new at zombietime:

Protest Against Prop. 8 Gay Marriage Ruling

As promised.

I worry that some of those who are upset about that ruling may in part blame you for it.

Stay safe.

Any lizards want to take up a collection so we can enroll the families of some dirt-poor West Virginia coal miners in the University of Colorado- Colorado Springs White Privelege 101 class?

If I Ever Lose My Faith In You
Sting

re: #10 Syrah

Me? I have no control over the California Supreme Court.

Wait, let me check. [Flips through booklet.]

Well, whaddya know, I do control the California Supreme Court. I had forgotten all about that! As a superhero with unlimited mega-powers, sometimes I lose track of my omnipotent influence over world events.

Gladiator theme

re: #14 ArrowSmith

Gladiator theme

Do you like gladiator movies?
Ever been in a Turkish prison?

Tonite's Lizard Quiz:

Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome is the definition of ___.

re: #13 zombie

Me? I have no control over the California Supreme Court.

Wait, let me check. [Flips through booklet.]

Well, whaddya know, I do control the California Supreme Court. I had forgotten all about that! As a superhero with unlimited mega-powers, sometimes I lose track of my omnipotent influence over world events.

i never knew you were in the US Cavalry...

did i miss that post?

re: #15 gmsc

Do you like gladiator movies?
Ever been in a Turkish prison?

I liked the movie and the song. I'll skip the Turkish prison.

re: #16 ggt

Tonite's Lizard Quiz:

Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome is the definition of ___.

being a Democrat.

re: #9 zombie

Some of the signs were pretty good. I'm waiting for the one that says

"Let us be married! And divorced. Why should we be happy?"

re: #18 ArrowSmith

I liked the movie and the song. I'll skip the Turkish prison.

OK . . . obviously not an Airplane! fan.

re: #13 zombie

Me? I have no control over the California Supreme Court.

Wait, let me check. [Flips through booklet.]

Well, whaddya know, I do control the California Supreme Court. I had forgotten all about that! As a superhero with unlimited mega-powers, sometimes I lose track of my omnipotent influence over world events.

You have rocked their little world. Nothing upsets the crazies so much as when someone makes their lunacy plain for the world to see.

re: #20 poteen

Some of the signs were pretty good. I'm waiting for the one that says

"Let us be married! And divorced. Why should we be happy?"

"To hell with being gay: I want to be married."

W.C. Fields made some horrendously bad movies, with some great line.

re: #9 zombie

For your late-night perusal -- new at zombietime:

Protest Against Prop. 8 Gay Marriage Ruling

As promised.

I know one guy who hates the gays and wants them to miserable, so he voted to allow them to marry!

re: #21 gmsc

OK . . . obviously not an Airplane! fan.

[Video]

LOL, good one!

re: #110 Gus 802

I know what you mean. I was born Gustavo. I went to Gustav and then settled with Gus. The reason? I was a kid when I became a citizen and thought it would be easier to sign Gus with just three letters. Seriously. It really is irrelevant. I still have a mafioso name. ;)

It's really "Asparagus", but that's such a fuss to pronounce that we usually call him just "Gus".
(With Sir John Mills as Gus)

re: #27 gmsc

It's really "Asparagus", but that's such a fuss to pronounce that we usually call him just "Gus".
(With Sir John Mills as Gus)

[Video]

Hey!

:)

weet dreams all!

re: #13 zombie

Well considering what the vast majority of the protestors are saying, that leap of illogic isn't entirely implausible.

Out of my X number of friends, every single one of them who I would consider to be a "flaming lefty" except for 1 is completely unhinged about this. Based on their yammerings in person and their ramblings on their facebook pages they are operating under the assumption that the California Supreme Court is filled with a bunch of religious kook homophobes (completely ignoring the fact that this is the same court that legalized it last year) who don't want gays to have equal rights. They apparently think, like nearly all lefties, that the purpose of the court is to impose their personal policy preferences on the state, circumventing the legislature and the initiative process. The fact that this particular case was not about "Gay marriage" itself, but about whether there was legal grounds to invalidate Prop 8 for improperly amending the state constitution, is completely lost on them.

The one person, who I wasn't expecting a dissent from and was impressed by it said she was disappointed but felt that the SC overturning an constitutional amendment would set a really really bad precedent and she thought they should just concentrate on getting a repeal on the ballot next year. I wish everyone who was against Proposition 8 was as rational about this as her.

re: #29 ggt

May you have the weetiest dreams of them all, ggt.

re: #27 gmsc

It's really "Asparagus", but that's such a fuss to pronounce that we usually call him just "Gus".
(With Sir John Mills as Gus)

[Video]

That's so close to reality that I'm glad that I'm indeed grounded.

re: #30 ArchangelMichael

You can't have a functioning society with unhinged people like that.

re: #28 Gus 802

Hey!

:)

I knew that would grab your attention!
;)

re: #34 gmsc

I knew that would grab your attention!
;)

That it did.

re: #2 Fenway_Nation

"Well kids- you tired to do something and you failed. The important lesson here is never try"

-Homer Simpson

I can see Homer Simpson as W.C. Fields.

Pixies:

re: #18 ArrowSmith

I liked the movie and the song. I'll skip the Turkish prison.

I'll skip the prison too, but will accept the taffy.

re: #37 eddiespaghetti

Pixies:

[Video]

Now I see why no one talks about Fight Club.

/

re: #23 redc1c4

I think I'd rather be waterboarded than marry anyone in Zombie's photos.
'Cept maybe the stripper-- just maybe.
BTW what the hell do gays and socialists have in common anywhere
in the world but SF? Strange bedfellows. No pun intended.

re: #39 gmsc

don't talk about it, seriously.

re: #9 zombie

Another significant aspect of the rally which I noticed is that communist and socialist groups of all types had moved in and were adopting new messages to appeal to gay marriage supporters.

How dare you play that "guilt by association" game. You sound just like Killgore!
///sarcity sarc sarc

Iron Fist, this time, I'm out...

Printed out a bunch of applications for some distribution, warehouse and railway jobs en masse earlier this month but decided against sending them off until I was finished with my temporary jobs...all but one of which ran until late last week. Some of them also required copies of my DMV record and DD214.

I pretty much left them all in a pile and for some reason could not find them earlier today and started freaking out, thinking I had put in the trash or recycling a bunch of documents with my name, social security #, drivers liscence number, home address, home phone #, cell phone # all written out for whoever was interested to see. Now I know it wouldn't be much of an identity to steal, but it's still mine and I'd like to keep it that way.

Turns out it was a moot point, since I found the application pile 2 hours ago.

Fastball - The Way (live)

Hmm...opening for a bridge-tender in Nova Scotia in another window. Think the canucks would let me in?

re: #39 gmsc

Now I see why no one talks about Fight Club.

/

i've never even *seen* fight club, so i can't figure out why anyone would talk about it...

"If you want to be forgiven for your sins, the first thing you have to do is sin."
-Nipsey Rusell

//What the heck is "Nipsey" short for anyway? Nipford? Nippington?

re: #43 eddiespaghetti

Bye eddiespaghetti Edward of the Pasta persuasion.

What part of "Cranky Old Coot" do some people insist on not understanding?

re: #48 gmsc

"If you want to be forgiven for your sins, the first thing you have to do is sin."
-Nipsey Rusell

//What the heck is "Nipsey" short for anyway? Nipford? Nippington?

Nip it in the bud?

Today in History, May 29th:

Highlights of this day in history: Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay become the first to scale Mt. Everest's peak; President John F. Kennedy born; Patrick Henry gives his "If this be treason" speech; Comedian Bob Hope born.

Other notable May 29th events include:

1790 – Rhode Island becomes the last of the original United States colonies to ratify the Constitution and is admitted as the 13th U.S. state.

1848 – Wisconsin is admitted as the 30th U.S. state.

1913 – Igor Stravinsky's ballet score The Rite of Spring is premiered in Paris, provoking a riot.

1919 – Einstein's theory of general relativity is tested (later confirmed) by Arthur Eddington's observation of a total solar eclipse in Principe and by Andrew Crommelin in Sobral, Ceará, Brazil.

1942 – Bing Crosby, the Ken Darby Singers and the John Scott Trotter Orchestra record Irving Berlin's "White Christmas", the best-selling Christmas single in history, for Decca Records in Los Angeles.

1948 – Creation of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force and the United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation.

1964 – The Arab League meets in East Jerusalem to discuss the Palestinian situation in Israel, leading to the formation of the Palestinian Liberation Organization.

1973 – Tom Bradley is elected the first black mayor of Los Angeles, California.

1988 – U.S. President Ronald Reagan begins his first visit to the Soviet Union as he arrives in Moscow for a superpower summit with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

1999 – Space Shuttle Discovery completes the first docking with the International Space Station.

2001 – U.S. Supreme Court rules that disabled golfer Casey Martin can use a cart to ride in tournaments.

2001 – International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers inaugurated.

2004 – The World War II Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C.

re: #48 gmsc

"If you want to be forgiven for your sins, the first thing you have to do is sin."
-Nipsey Rusell

//What the heck is "Nipsey" short for anyway? Nipford? Nippington?

Nipsey was a nickname, real name Julius Russell.

re: #51 Gus 802

Nip it in the bud?

Let's nip it in the bud with quotations from television's poet laureate, Nipsey Russell . . .

re: #50 FurryOldGuyJeans

What part of "Cranky Old Coot" do some people insist on not understanding?

Maybe they think Coot is short for cooties?

/No wait...that's just as bad.

re: #54 gmsc

Let's nip it in the bud with quotations from television's poet laureate, Nipsey Russell . . .

[Video]

Whoa, he obtained the rank of captain in the army during WWII, served in Europe.

re: #54 gmsc

Let's nip it in the bud with quotations from television's poet laureate, Nipsey Russell . . .

[Video]

He went into WWII as a private (medic) and came out as a second lieutenant. Seriously, that says a lot.

re: #57 Gus 802

He went into WWII as a private (medic) and came out as a second lieutenant. Seriously, that says a lot.

Captain, according to IMDb.

re: #58 FurryOldGuyJeans

Captain, according to IMDb.

Maybe IMDb promoted him.
;)

re: #58 FurryOldGuyJeans

Captain, according to IMDb.

Even better!

I'm still impressed with James Doohan (Start Trek's Scottie) storming the beaches of Normandy with the Canadian Infantry on D-day...something I didn't know until I read his obituary a few years ago.

re: #59 gmsc

re: #60 Gus 802

Wiki says 2nd Lt, with a reference, so I have to be more inclined to go with the lesser rank.

Still, for a black man to make any rank in the then HIGHLY segregated U.S. Army is near miraculous.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hands out potatoes to poor to buy presidential votes...[Link: www.timesonline.co.uk...] I know its in bad form, but I'm laughing like crazy while posting this.

Nipsey Russell-Dean Martin-Don Rickles Roast.

re: #61 Fenway_Nation

I'm still impressed with James Doohan (Start Trek's Scottie) storming the beaches of Normandy with the Canadian Infantry on D-day...something I didn't know until I read his obituary a few years ago.

Wow, I didn't know that at all! Very cool.

re: #61 Fenway_Nation

I'm still impressed with James Doohan (Start Trek's Scottie) storming the beaches of Normandy with the Canadian Infantry on D-day...something I didn't know until I read his obituary a few years ago.

He nearly died from friendly fire to boot. Saved by a cigarette case, lost a finger though.

Lived and died only a few dozen miles away from me, Redmond, WA.

re: #63 MrPaulRevere

Which enterprising Iranians will ferment to make their own homemade vodka to re-sell surreptitously.

re: #57 Gus 802

He went into WWII as a private (medic) and came out as a second lieutenant. Seriously, that says a lot.

"Lucky" being the first thing it says... no slander intended.

medic is not exactly a "safe" MOS.

re: #68 redc1c4

"Lucky" being the first thing it says... no slander intended.

medic is not exactly a "safe" MOS.

Add in the accepted racism in the army then and it is really a "whoa!" accomplishment.

re: #62 FurryOldGuyJeans

re: #60 Gus 802

Wiki says 2nd Lt, with a reference, so I have to be more inclined to go with the lesser rank.

Still, for a black man to make any rank in the then HIGHLY segregated U.S. Army is near miraculous.

That's true. Even if he made second louie from private. That's a big accomplishment.

re: #62 FurryOldGuyJeans

re: #60 Gus 802

Wiki says 2nd Lt, with a reference, so I have to be more inclined to go with the lesser rank.

Still, for a black man to make any rank in the then HIGHLY segregated U.S. Army is near miraculous.

unless, of course, you were in the black units of the Army...

senior ranks were still off limits, but everything else was open to advancement.

re: #60 Gus 802

In regards to something we talked about a few days back.

I found out that Buzz Aldrin is doing a book signing tour right now and he should be within driving distance of me at the end of June.

I also found out that Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins are appearing at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC on July 19. I'm seriously considering going to that if I can swing it.

re: #65 iceweasel

Wow, I didn't know that at all! Very cool.

Here's a somewhat relevant link.

/Wikipedia gets old after awhile.

re: #67 Fenway_Nation

Just the mental picture of that beady eyed freak handing out potatoes in hope of a vote drove me over the edge. I have an odd sense of humor /

re: #72 ArchangelMichael

In regards to something we talked about a few days back.

I found out that Buzz Aldrin is doing a book signing tour right now and he should be within driving distance of me at the end of June.

I also found out that Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins are appearing at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC on July 19. I'm seriously considering going to that if I can swing it.

Armstrong is going?!? WHOA!

re: #50 FurryOldGuyJeans

What part of "Cranky Old Coot" do some people insist on not understanding?

The part where you try to convince us you're a "Cranky Old Coot". C'mon, admit it, you're just a big, lovable wookie.
/heh

re: #74 MrPaulRevere

I can just imagine two Iranians standing in line for Dinner jacket's potatoes whispering to each other.

Iranian #1: Whoa! I thik they're giving out rancid potatoes.

Iranian #2: That's just the president.

re: #74 MrPaulRevere

Just the mental picture of that beady eyed freak handing out potatoes in hope of a vote drove me over the edge. I have an odd sense of humor /

You mean this beady eyed freak?

re: #72 ArchangelMichael

In regards to something we talked about a few days back.

I found out that Buzz Aldrin is doing a book signing tour right now and he should be within driving distance of me at the end of June.

I also found out that Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins are appearing at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC on July 19. I'm seriously considering going to that if I can swing it.

If only I were there, that'd make an excellent 22nd birthday present. 0:

re: #76 Slumbering Behemoth

The part where you try to convince us you're a "Cranky Old Coot". C'mon, admit it, you're just a big, lovable wookie.
/heh

heh,

Wish you could 'splain that to some noob in an earlier thread. He doesn't like the answer I gave to a question he asked and won't stop whining.

Damn. Everyone's been so cool tonight. I'm kind of speechless.

re: #81 Gus 802

Damn. Everyone's been so cool tonight. I'm kind of speechless.

Oh, you WANT me to get all cranky now? ;)

"If it doesn't work, admit it frankly and try something else." - Franklin Delano Roosevelt

"My patented definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." - Dr. Phil

Aaaand how is everyone this afternoon?

re: #9 zombie

I lol'd at the first pic.

re: #82 FurryOldGuyJeans

Oh, you WANT me to get all cranky now? ;)

No. But you can if you want. I get cranky too from time to time.

re: #83 laZardo

"If it doesn't work, admit it frankly and try something else." - Franklin Delano Roosevelt

"My patented definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." - Dr. Phil

Aaaand how is everyone this afternoon?

Apparently not cranky enough for Gus!
re: #81 Gus 802

Damn. Everyone's been so cool tonight. I'm kind of speechless.

re: #85 Gus 802

No. But you can if you want. I get cranky too from time to time.

I thought I would start a fashion being mellow and "even-strained" for once. ;)

re: #83 laZardo

Starving in rainswept, flooded and Islamo-bombed Thailand... How YOU, LaZardo?

re: #81 Gus 802

Speaking of cool...Did you hear about it? That's life...

re: #87 FurryOldGuyJeans

I thought I would start a fashion being mellow and "even-strained" for once. ;)

That it was.

re: #89 MrPaulRevere

Speaking of cool...Did you hear about it? That's life...

[Video]

Now you know I love Frank.

re: #72 ArchangelMichael

Buzz also has an awesome Knuckle Brand Attitude Adjuster for an older feller.

Goodnight my friends.

re: #67 Fenway_Nation

Which enterprising Iranians will ferment to make their own homemade vodka to re-sell surreptitously.

Capitalism in action!

Democracy! Whisky! Sexy!

[Link: www.opinionjournal.com...]

re: #93 Gus 802

Goodnight my friends.

G'Nite, Asparagus!

re: #90 Gus 802

That it was.

Going cranky just for you Gus:

GAWD! I hate double-sided DVDs.

I rent considerable numbers of DVDs from Blockbusters/Netflix and my local library, and every time I get a double-sided disc nearly inevitably one or both sides are damaged enough to not play well in any of my DVDs. Totally ruins the time I planned ahead for some entertainment.

Good night, all!

re: #97 gmsc

Good night, all!

Ni-ni. :)

re: #88 Karridine

Just waiting for it to pour over here in sweltering, boiling Manila.

re: #99 laZardo

Just waiting for it to pour over here in sweltering, boiling Manila.

Olongapo City, remember many a night of 80+ degrees 100% humidity at midnight.

re: #80 FurryOldGuyJeans

Meh, the noobs whine, but the Lizards drink on.

/or something like that

Jeez...in just over a year, Genesee & Wyoming railway has taken over operations of the Maryland Midland, Georgia Central, Youngstown Belt, Georgia Southwestern, Luxapalia Valley, Pittsburgh & Ohio Central, Columbus & Greeneville, Warren & Trumbull, Ohio Central, Chattooga & Chickamauga, Ohio Southern and Mahoning Valley Railways. The list of short-haul railways they've assumed control of between 2000-2007 is even longer.

This marks a dramatic shift from taking over operations of under-utilized or abandoned Class 1 railway lines to taking over already-existing shortline railways- some of which have been operating for decades.

re: #101 Slumbering Behemoth

Meh, the noobs whine, but the Lizards drink on.

/or something like that

Now that I reflect on the situation maybe I have gotten a stalker after all. Seems to find nearly anything I say to be either not understandable or something offensive.

re: #93 Gus 802

'Night Asparagustav!

re: #102 Fenway_Nation

Jeez...in just over a year, Genesee & Wyoming railway has taken over operations of the Maryland Midland, Georgia Central, Youngstown Belt, Georgia Southwestern, Luxapalia Valley, Pittsburgh & Ohio Central, Columbus & Greeneville, Warren & Trumbull, Ohio Central, Chattooga & Chickamauga, Ohio Southern and Mahoning Valley Railways. The list of short-haul railways they've assumed control of between 2000-2007 is even longer.

This marks a dramatic shift from taking over operations of under-utilized or abandoned Class 1 railway lines to taking over already-existing shortline railways- some of which have been operating for decades.

Wonder if the Northern Pacific is still an independent operation or not.

Oh...and for the high-falutin' invest-ey lizards, more information about Genesee & Wyoming can be found here.

Altho' right now, I think Kansas City Southern is the better bargain.

re: #106 Fenway_Nation

I thought it was all Amtrak by now. q:

re: #105 FurryOldGuyJeans

Northern Pacific merged with the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, Spokane Portland & Seattle and Great Northern to form the Burlington Northern nearly 40 years ago.

Burlington Northern itself merged with the Atcheson, Topeka & Santa Fe in the late 1990s to form Burlington Northern Santa Fe in the late 1990s.

re: #92 Slumbering Behemoth

I apologize if this sounds a bit extreme, but I do get a big kick out of an astronaut (an occupation which is the antithesis of the word "coward") socking a troofer right in the mug.

Punk had it coming.

re: #108 Fenway_Nation

Northern Pacific merged with the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, Spokane Portland & Seattle and Great Northern to form the Burlington Northern nearly 40 years ago.

Burlington Northern itself merged with the Atcheson, Topeka & Santa Fe in the late 1990s to form Burlington Northern Santa Fe in the late 1990s.

I saw. Guess I confused NP with Union Pacific Railroad.

Not a big train nut, just had a track near the house growing up.

re: #107 laZardo

Nope...talking freight, which is much more lucrative than passengers.

Also, instead of operating one big, connected railway like BNSF or Union Pacific, Gennesee & Wyoming operates dozens disconnected shortline railways (although some of them are starting to connect/overlap thanks to the new acquisitions).

Should also be worth pointing out that the G&W's namesake has nothing to do with Dick Cheney's home state. Instead, the original Genesee & Wyoming was (and still is) an upstate NY railway that services the salt mines around Restof, NY. The railway is named for the two counties it traverses.

re: #109 Slumbering Behemoth

I apologize if this sounds a bit extreme, but I do get a big kick out of an astronaut (an occupation which is the antithesis of the word "coward") socking a troofer right in the mug.

Punk had it coming.

Seems completely within the bounds of reasonable behavior, to me. :-)

Nite folks, just had to toss my last 2 cents in.

re: #109 Slumbering Behemoth

I apologize if this sounds a bit extreme, but I do get a big kick out of an astronaut (an occupation which is the antithesis of the word "coward") socking a troofer right in the mug.

Punk had it coming.

Only extreme the troofer got away with spouting his bullshit as long as he did.

re: #113 FurryOldGuyJeans

Yep...some little punk following me around calling me a liar and a coward- them's fightin' words, stick boy.

re: #92 Slumbering Behemoth

Buzz also has an awesome Knuckle Brand Attitude Adjuster for an older feller.

If I get a chance to congratulate him on that without it being awkward I plan to.

re: #110 FurryOldGuyJeans

I saw. Guess I confused NP with Union Pacific Railroad.

Not a big train nut, just had a track near the house growing up.

Union Pacific is not only still around, it's been faily busy abosrbing most of the other Western class one railways since the mid 1980s (Western Pacific, Missouri Pacific, Missouri-Kansas-Texas, Denver, Rio Grande & Western, Southern Pacific, Chicago & Northwestern).

re: #116 Fenway_Nation

Fen, do the acquisitions lead to better service (for end-users) and better profitability (for the acquiring entity)?

Redc1c4- If you're still aboard- I believe some little time ago you referred to shooting a DCM match. I'd like to try one of those, and was hoping you could tell me where you were going for that. I know most of the handgun venues, long guns not so much. Thanks.

re: #64 Gus 802

If you want to see a young Nipsy, highly recommend the video Rhythm and Blues Revue .

It can be watched in low quality online, but you can also download high quality files.

Excellent array of talent in that show, far beyond what we normally see on today's stage, IMO.

Headin to college nao. Evening class. Cheers.

Only the Onion can pull off successfully something this outrageously funny:

NetPix

NetPix on Facebook

well, another day, another day without fruitcup.

yes, that's right: LoL won't be here tonight, and all y'all are SOL...

help yourself to the frig stuff. %-)

re: #122 redc1c4

well, another day, another day without fruitcup.

yes, that's right: LoL won't be here tonight, and all y'all are SOL...

help yourself to the frig stuff. %-)

How do you know she won't be here? Kidnap her to keep all the fruitcup for yourself?

re: #114 Fenway_Nation

It's one thing to call someone a coward and a liar, but Buzz? I don't have all the facts on that man's career, but it is my understanding that astronauts of his generation were picked because of their track record as test pilots.

Hard core MF'ers that piloted experimental planes no one on earth had ever set foot in before, doing so with the knowledge that such untested equipment could go horribly wrong and end in their deaths.

In my estimation, it takes mountain sized balls to be a test pilot for vehicles in this atmosphere. To be one of the first ones to push it beyond this earthly ether and into what lies beyond, all the way to the moon, makes those balls the size of major planets.

Such men are anything but cowards.

re: #117 Karridine

In some cases, yes...a couple of the railways G&W took over earlier this decade were wholly owned subsidiaries of Georgia Pacific built to serve their paper mills. Now GWR can provide the traffic to and from the paper mills (and try and dredge up ancillary business) while Georgia Pacific can concentrate on making paper.

I usually refer to outfits like Genesee & Wyoming as McShorltines- each railway a sort of seperate franchise owned by an out-of-state corporation.

There are other companies that operate using this business model; Rail America, Omintrax, WATCO, Pioneer Rail Corp, Pinsley, Gulf & Ohio, 4 Rivers Transportation. G&W is just the only one of these companies that's publicly traded on the NYSE.

But not all of them mean better service. Rail America has this nasty tendency to shop around viable rail lines to scrap and salvage outfits.

re: #121 FurryOldGuyJeans

Only the Onion can pull off successfully something this outrageously funny:

NetPix

NetPix on Facebook

And the Onion article about NetPix, sorry about not including that originally:

New Netpix Service Sends Unlimited Photographs For Monthly Fee

LOS GATOS, CA—With millions of images to choose from, the new online service Netpix—which allows users to receive up to three pictures at a time for a monthly fee—has quickly become the most popular photograph-rental company in the country.

Launched in April, the new service offers a wide array of photos and genres, including pictures of sunsets, images of friends sitting around picnic tables, grisly crime scene photos, the complete works of Ansel Adams, snapshots of Carol and her dog, and recent portraits from Tanya Kohler's baby shower at the Treehouse restaurant in Manchester, NH.

"It's so convenient. You get a photo in your mailbox, look at it for a while, and then drop it in the prepaid envelope and send it back," Houston resident Jonathan Collins said. "I'll never look at pictures the same way again."

re: #124 Slumbering Behemoth

It's one thing to call someone a coward and a liar, but Buzz? I don't have all the facts on that man's career, but it is my understanding that astronauts of his generation were picked because of their track record as test pilots.

Hard core MF'ers that piloted experimental planes no one on earth had ever set foot in before, doing so with the knowledge that such untested equipment could go horribly wrong and end in their deaths.

In my estimation, it takes mountain sized balls to be a test pilot for vehicles in this atmosphere. To be one of the first ones to push it beyond this earthly ether and into what lies beyond, all the way to the moon, makes those balls the size of major planets.

Such men are anything but cowards.

Add in that those planes were designed on drafting tables without CAD, Finite Element Analysis, and all the computer modeling that new models get- even now there are surprises when you push the envelope, but back then it was ALL outside the envelope.Brave men (and the occasional woman) indeed!

re: #117 Karridine

Fen, do the acquisitions lead to better service (for end-users) and better profitability (for the acquiring entity)?

Oh damn...what a waste of a long and rambling answer.

Specifically, Union Pacific had some trouble 'digesting' Southern Pacific, Chicago & Northwestern and Rio Grande almost simultaneously, but some 10 years later many of these mainlines are well-maintained, busy corridors featuring numerous high-priority intermodal freight or massive unit coal, grain or oil trains. Make no mistake-UP does provide a high level of service, but in some Western states, Union Pacific is the only class one railway available.

re: #125 Fenway_Nation

Thank you, Sir. Neat and coherent, to the point and well-stated.

Send your bill for services... my secretary will take care of you.

re: #121 FurryOldGuyJeans

Only the Onion can pull off successfully something this outrageously funny:

NetPix

NetPix on Facebook

God, I love the Onion. They're so good at skewering both the left and right.

This is one of my all-time faves: (apologies if it has been posted before, it probably has)

Media Having Trouble Finding Right Angle On Obama's Double-Homicide
Excerpt:

What exactly is the news hook here?" asked Rick Kaplan, executive producer of the CBS Evening News. "Is this an upbeat human-interest story about a 'day in the life' of a bloodthirsty president who likes to kill people? Or is it more of an examination of how Obama's unusual upbringing in Hawaii helped to shape the way he would one day viciously butcher two helpless citizens in their own home?"

"Or maybe the story is just that murder is cool now," Kaplan continued. "I don't know. There are a million different angles on this one."

[Link: www.theonion.com...]

I haven't been by here as much as I'd like lately, I have been occupied by other meat world endeavors. This will likely continue for a while. Doesn't mean I don't love y'all, just means I got other things on my plate.

Anyway, g'nite Lizards. Give LittleOldLady a big, fat kiss for me.

Laters.

Sometime tonight, my karma went past 3000...

I would've reached that long ago if i was in charge of fruitcup distribution.

/pout.

re: #131 Slumbering Behemoth

Weet dreams, Behemoth of the Slumbering persuasion.

re: #132 Fenway_Nation

Sometime tonight, my karma went past 3000...

I would've reached that long ago if i was in charge of fruitcup distribution.

/pout.

Being a shameless ding whore doesn't hurt the karma either. ;)

re: #134 FurryOldGuyJeans

Being a shameless ding whore doesn't hurt the karma either. ;)

Actually, I found posting in the daytime when there are more lizards around helps.

Altho' I think one of my comments got downdinged by the Chief Lizard himself the other day.

re: #132 Fenway_Nation

Sometime tonight, my karma went past 3000...

I would've reached that long ago if i was in charge of fruitcup distribution.

/pout.

I hope it was your Homer Simpson quote at #2 that put you over the top, because that would just be cool.

Report chronicles abuse of federal travel cards

Laser eye surgery may improve one's visual horizons, but it doesn't qualify as a travel expense, a congressional office says in a report on abuses of the federal travel card system.

The Congressional Research Service, in a recent survey, found that federal employees in a wide range of agencies misuse travel cards to buy goods for their personal use, travel first-class or simply bilk the government.

Among the examples: a Federal Aviation Administration employee who charged $3,700 for laser eye surgery; a Pentagon employee who received reimbursements for 13 airline tickets totaling almost $10,000 that he never purchased; and a State Department employee who took an unauthorized trip to Hawaii on a first-class ticket.

And we wonder why we're broke.

re: #136 iceweasel

Might've been the one about James Doohan's military service, which would be even better.

I think I was over the 3000 mark when I began discussing the expanding operations of the Union Pacific and Genesee & Wyoming.

re: #137 Sharmuta

And we wonder why we're broke.

Factor in stuff like defense contractors charging thousands of dollars for a wrench, and the only wonder is that we didn't go broke sooner.

re: #137 Sharmuta

Report chronicles abuse of federal travel cards

And we wonder why we're broke.

Every single one of these people should be fired and billed for their corruption.

re: #137 Sharmuta

Report chronicles abuse of federal travel cards

And we wonder why we're broke.

This is not a new phenomenon with the change of administration. Bush gets just as much blame with this.

re: #137 Sharmuta

Didn't 0bama say that we're all going to have to make sacrifices?

re: #141 FurryOldGuyJeans

This is not a new phenomenon with the change of administration. Bush gets just as much blame with this.

Who is blaming 0bama? That's just the system. It has to stop, and stop now.

re: #140 Sharmuta

Every single one of these people should be fired and billed for their corruption.

Fired and prosecuted for embezzlement. And no country club white collar crime resort, send 'em to regular prison.

re: #137 Sharmuta

Report chronicles abuse of federal travel cards

And we wonder why we're broke.

Every few years, the Feds charge a whole bunch of government employees with fraud just for the sake of showing that they're "doing something about waste." Although welcome, it's like shooting fish in a barrel; fraud ranging from petty theft of pens, tape and paper clips all the way up to serious embezzling is rampant, always has been and probably always will be. Such actions, relative to the vast cesspool of wasteful spending that takes place legally through Congressional action, are meaningless, and serve only as cover. They're the equivalent of Claude Raines ordering his men to "Round up the usual suspects!"

re: #141 FurryOldGuyJeans

This is not a new phenomenon with the change of administration. Bush gets just as much blame with this.

I'm sure as long as there have been governments, there have been people skimming from them. One of the many ways power corrupts. Some lizard with better historical knowledge than I can correct me, but wasn't one of the unstated perks of governing a province for the Roman Empire the ability to steal tons of money from the tax collection?

Of course I think these people should be fired and prosecuted; I'm just very cynical about anyone ever being able to completely eliminate the problem forever. Sadly.

re: #145 SixDegrees

ron paul wants to audit the Fed. I said audit federal agencies.

re: #140 Sharmuta

Every single one of these people should be fired and billed for their corruption.

You can be sure they will be, or at least they will be investigated. During these periodic office juntas, several people will be accused of fraud who were actually billing legitimate expenses. Both an investigation and a trial to determine actual guilt is definitely in order.

And although every little bit helps, the total of all this fraud will probably amount to less then ten million bucks, tops, across the entire government. Not that it should ever be overlooked. Just that it's disingenuous to claim that this will have any impact on the overall Federal budget. It's a smokescreen meant to deflect attention away from the truly horrendous economic abuse being perpetrated by Congress and the White House.

re: #148 SixDegrees

I agree it's a symptom of a much larger problem. It pisses me off, but until we make Congress balance the budget and control spending, they won't be mindful of our money.

re: #147 Sharmuta

ron paul wants to audit the Fed. I said audit federal agencies.

That's what I was referring to as well, not the Federal Reserve.

re: #150 SixDegrees

I figured as much. You don't strike me as a paulian.

I wonder if there will be linen with Fruitcup™ this morning...

Boy...I sure hope we can get some authentic LoL brand fruitcup today.

re: #143 Sharmuta

Who is blaming 0bama? That's just the system. It has to stop, and stop now.

Don't see any any yet, but reason won't stop the nutburger contingent from trying to blame it all on Obama.

And nice to see the bills are being sponsored by two Republicans. Maybe fiscal responsibility is not a dead issue.

re: #153 Fenway_Nation

She's not logged in. Why don't you dish it up in her place for now?

re: #149 Sharmuta

I agree it's a symptom of a much larger problem. It pisses me off, but until we make Congress balance the budget and control spending, they won't be mindful of our money.

Could be. Unfortunately, that larger problem is simply human nature. Theft from offices, petty cash accounts and "creative padding" of expense reports takes place everywhere, from the guy swiping pens out of the office supply closet to the one cashing out his business travel rebates into his personal accounts, and beyond. Regrettable, but by no means restricted to the Federal government.

Agree that Congress' flagrant disregard for other people's money certainly contributes to a similar disregard among it's staff, and that of the agencies it oversees.

Crap! No fruit cup? I've been cleaning the spare room all night and thought I'd take a fruit cup break. I even brought paper plates.

Good morning, afternoon and evening lizards!

Fruicup is now on the buffet

--->

re: #156 SixDegrees

No- we can't completely stop corruption, but we can put better laws in place to protect the tax payers from this crime. If any "big business" could use better oversight right now, it government.

re: #151 Sharmuta

I figured as much. You don't strike me as a paulian.

The requisite tinfoil hat wouldn't fit in well with our office's dress code.

re: #157 theheat

Crap! No fruit cup? I've been cleaning the spare room all night and thought I'd take a fruit cup break. I even brought paper plates.

Paper plates for Fruitcup?! The horror! We use linen napkins, and sometimes I remember to not eat them.

re: #159 Sharmuta

No- we can't completely stop corruption, but we can put better laws in place to protect the tax payers from this crime. If any "big business" could use better oversight right now, it government.

Especially now that government is throwing around money like drunken sailors, nationalizing businesses right and left.

re: #161 Sharmuta

Paper plates for Fruitcup?! The horror! We use linen napkins, and sometimes I remember to not eat them.

Mmmm...fiber!

re: #161 Sharmuta

The napkins may be linen, but tonight the plates are paper. I've found all kinds of spare stuff in the back room. Thought I'd get rid of some of it put it to good use before taking out a Craigslist ad for "Free Crap".

re: #162 FurryOldGuyJeans

That's a little unfair to drunken sailors. Unlike congress, it's usually their own money they're throwing around.

re: #163 Fenway_Nation

The first time lol and I discussed linen napkins, I made a comment that made it sound like I was going to eat the napkin instead of the fruitcup, and lol made a joke about it. I'm sad she wasn't here to see the reference- she'd have laughed.

re: #163 Fenway_Nation

Mmmm...fiber!

I do need more roughage in my diet.

re: #164 theheat

That was very thoughtful.

We're going to have to start a collection for replacement linen if y'all are going to eat them like I do. ;)

re: #168 Sharmuta

I did find a very nice table cloth I forgot we had. It's kind of beige. Ought to go with any sort of napkins.

re: #165 Fenway_Nation

That's a little unfair to drunken sailors. Unlike congress, it's usually their own money they're throwing around.

Then I was being unfair to myself. I was that drunken sailor more times than I can or care to remember.

re: #159 Sharmuta

No- we can't completely stop corruption, but we can put better laws in place to protect the tax payers from this crime. If any "big business" could use better oversight right now, it government.

Largely agree, but as someone who has worked under government contract requirements, I can tell you that the degree of oversight and bookkeeping such contracts demand already is enormous; they really insist that every single penny be tracked, and the volume of paperwork associated with ensuring that is possible actually adds significantly to the cost of servicing such contracts. I imagine their internal bookkeeping procedures are similar.

Where oversight is really required isn't in the day-to-day spending. It's in the budgeting process itself. That's what we're supposed to have Congress for, but that institution has made the process almost completely opaque to the public. Attempts to introduce transparency are actively blocked. Earmarks are the most recent example - a way to generate funding for all kinds of bizarre projects that is completely "off the books" when it comes to accountability.

A requirement that all data associated with the budgeting process be placed on the Internet would help open this process up. There would be several people willing to design tools that would automatically wade through the cruft and display spending in useful and interesting ways. The outrage would be enormous.

It will never happen.

I also found a desk lamp, some office supplies, and a whole unopened bag of socks if anyone needs some. And a cell phone. WTF?

BTW...what's the latest with the majority of the Chrysler dealers getting shut down being GOP donors?

Heard something about it on the Laura Ingraham show on my way to work (my one-day workweek) the other day, altho' she was very careful to throw out qualifiers like 'It's still early' and 'These are just preliminary reports'.

Then, before I left to go out this afternoon, Larry Kudlow said something about it on his CNBC show...and he was alot less ambiguous than Ingraham.

re: #137 Sharmuta

Report chronicles abuse of federal travel cards

And we wonder why we're broke.

We're broke because we're spiritually bankrupt, at least those of us who lie to and steal from the rest of us, while 'serving the American people in public office', Sharmy

re: #171 FurryOldGuyJeans

Then I was being unfair to myself. I was that drunken sailor more times than I can or care to remember.

Hey Furry, what was the name of the bar in Olongapo that was on the right side, just about as far from the gate as you could get? Raunchy little stinkhole, but my crew had fun there one night celebrating someone's birthday...
.

re: #174 Fenway_Nation

On an earlier thread someone mentioned there was a rumor this Chrysler story only took wings because a dealer Rush knew was affected, but they said it sounded like BS. I find it highly improbable, also.

re: #176 Tamron

Hey Furry, what was the name of the bar in Olongapo that was on the right side, just about as far from the gate as you could get? Raunchy little stinkhole, but my crew had fun there one night celebrating someone's birthday...
.

There were several, and I was more interested in the inside of the places I haunted than what the name was. They changed names every couple of weeks.

re: #176 Tamron

Wasn't that the "Lady B. Goode"?

or was it the 'Hard Enuff'

re: #174 Fenway_Nation

BTW...what's the latest with the majority of the Chrysler dealers getting shut down being GOP donors?

Heard something about it on the Laura Ingraham show on my way to work (my one-day workweek) the other day, altho' she was very careful to throw out qualifiers like 'It's still early' and 'These are just preliminary reports'.

Then, before I left to go out this afternoon, Larry Kudlow said something about it on his CNBC show...and he was alot less ambiguous than Ingraham.

It's just the latest outbreak of Baracknophobia from the right, doubtless destined to be endlessly repeated.

This is a good article about it.
News Flash: Car Dealers are Republicans (It's Called a Control Group, People)

A meme that is currently picking up traction in the conservative blogosphere is that the list of dealerships to be shuttered as a result of Chrysler's bankruptcy contains a disproportionate number donors to Republican candidates. There have been furious efforts to prove this contention by looking up campaign contributor lists at the Huffington Post, Open Secrets, and other places.

There is just one problem with this theory. Nobody has bothered to look up data for the control group: the list of dealerships which aren't being closed. It turns out that all car dealers are, in fact, overwhelmingly more likely to donate to Republicans than to Democrats -- not just those who are having their doors closed.

[Link: www.fivethirtyeight.com...]

The skankiest little gal in the place, got the most tips. When she arrived at our table with cash in hand, she'd rub the cash over an unmentionable part of her body, and NOBODY wanted that money back. Everyone liked her little joke, and she got paid well for the entertainment value.

re: #181 Tamron

Kinda icky. Think I need the brain bleach now.

re: #180 iceweasel

Damn, the sanity is breaking out all over. Hard to get a good troofer/nirther style conspiracy with that happens.

I do expect Rush to pimp it for all its worth anyway.

Here in LA...a bunch of my friends are bitching about several community colleges having to cancel some of their summer sessions due to budget/economic concerns.

I told all of them that it's so great living in California!

re: #182 theheat

Kinda icky. Think I need the brain bleach now.

You better thank me I'm not going to talk about them Peso shows then. ;)

I can virtually guarantee that the idiotic car story is going to become a major talking point. I bet Charles winds up putting up endless threads debunking it and being ignored, too. Like with the birth certificate and all other menifestations of Baracknophobia.

re: #183 FurryOldGuyJeans

I don't know Rush is the one who broke the story, that was a just a rumor reported on another thread (and maybe elsewhere). I read about it on CNN a week or so ago, one of those touchy-feeling human interest stories of one specific dealership. No mention of Rush as much as this one dealer had gone to the media to let people know what was going on, and how pissed off he was about it.

re: #183 FurryOldGuyJeans

I do expect Rush to pimp it for all its worth anyway.

I totally agree. I also think it's going to leak out into other venues though. Unfortunately.

re: #186 iceweasel

I can virtually guarantee that the idiotic car story is going to become a major talking point. I bet Charles winds up putting up endless threads debunking it and being ignored, too. Like with the birth certificate and all other menifestations of Baracknophobia.

It was a major controversy during the day shift. I wanted more concrete and confirming information because quite frankly it does have a ring of truth when you consider the partisanship running rampant right now. Got shouted down by a few lizards for being pushy about it.

re: #185 FurryOldGuyJeans

Okay, you asked for it. Ping pong balls. My speakers crapped out, so I don't know if it's in English or not.

re: #187 theheat

I don't know who first floated the story, but it's been leaking out for a couple of days now. I've seen it popping up in several places online. I had no idea it was already being reported by CNN!

re: #190 theheat

Okay, you asked for it. Ping pong balls. My speakers crapped out, so I don't know if it's in English or not.

[Video]

Da youtubes hate me.

I don't do 'net videos, they don't work for me on this computer real well.

re: #192 FurryOldGuyJeans

Take my word for it, you're missing a good one ;-)

re: #189 FurryOldGuyJeans

It was a major controversy during the day shift. I wanted more concrete and confirming information because quite frankly it does have a ring of truth when you consider the partisanship running rampant right now. Got shouted down by a few lizards for being pushy about it.

I recommend that Nate Silver article I linked--it has all the numbers. Somewhere between 88% and 92% of all car dealers are Republican.

Silver says this by way of explaining that, which makes a lot of sense to me.

There's no conspiracy here, folks -- just some bad math.

It shouldn't be any surprise, by the way, that car dealers tend to vote -- and donate -- Republican. They are usually male, they are usually older (you don't own an auto dealership in your 20s), and they have obvious reasons to be pro-business, pro-tax cut, anti-green energy and anti-labor. Car dealerships need quite a bit of space and will tend to be located in suburban or rural areas. I can't think of too many other occupations that are more natural fits for the Republican Party. Unfortunately, while we are still a nation of drivers, we are not a nation of dealers.

Anyway, the link will give you all the stats, so you can beat your silly detractors over the head with facts.

re: #194 iceweasel

Anyway, the link will give you all the stats, so you can beat your silly detractors over the head with facts.

I read it, and belatedly thank you for posting it.

The "controversy" was I asked for proof because I believed it to be true, and the "detractors" said it was nothing and should be ignored. No proof was offered.

Now with concrete data I can see it was bullshit.

re: #193 theheat

Take my word for it, you're missing a good one ;-)

I miss a lot, then. So far I haven't felt deprived much. ;)

Playing any 'net video is torture, they stutter worse than I do.

Here, I found the CNN feature on one of the closed dealerships. Rural Georgia. I'm guessing GOP?

Oops. That was video. Here's the text link on CNN. It's from May 19th.

The early bird is dumb.

re: #199 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

The early bird is dumb.

Worms sleep in.

re: #199 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

FBV! I haven't seen you around late at night, not that I'm here all that much. Wasn't it you that was trying to stop smoking? How'd it work out?

puff puff, pass, puff puff, pass...

re: #195 FurryOldGuyJeans

I read it, and belatedly thank you for posting it.

The "controversy" was I asked for proof because I believed it to be true, and the "detractors" said it was nothing and should be ignored. No proof was offered.

Now with concrete data I can see it was bullshit.

Oy, my favourite form of discussion. / sarc
Neither side offering proof and everyone getting angrier and angrier. I hate when my own side does that too.

Did you see this awesome Onion opinion piece, btw? It reminds me of the comment section of all political blogs and made me laugh. You'll like it, I think.

Oh, No! It's Making Well-Reasoned Arguments Backed With Facts! Run!

I…I think it's finally over. Our reactionary emotional response seems to have stopped it dead in its tracks. If I'm right, all we have to do now is smugly reiterate our half-formed thesis and—oh, no! For the love of God, no! It's thoughtfully mulling things over!

Run! Run! It's making reasonable, fact-based arguments!

Quickly! Hide behind self-righteousness! The ad hominem rejoinders—ready the ad hominem rejoinders! Watch out! Dodge the issue at hand! Question its character and keep moving haphazardly from one flawed point to the next!

All together now! Put every bit of secondhand conjecture into it you've got!

Goddamn it, nothing's working! It's trapped us in our own unsubstantiated claims! We need to switch fundamentally unsound tactics. Hurry, throw up the straw man! Look, I think it's going for it. C'mon…c'mon…yes, it's going for it! Now hit it with the thing that one guy told us once while it's distracted by our ludicrous rationalizations!

Gah! It's calmly and evenhandedly deflecting everything we're throwing at it. Our deductive fallacies are only making it stronger! Wait…what on earth is it doing now? Oh, no, it has sources! My God, it's defending itself with ironclad sources! Someone stop the citing! Please, please stop the citing!

[Link: www.theonion.com...]

Applies equally to the right and left, of course.

Wonder how much of the stimulus money is going to railways like the Cedar Rapids & Iowa City (also known as the Crandic) or Iowa Northern, who were devestated by last year's floods.

Now the CRIC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Alliant energy, although this makes sense, since the Crandic started out life as an interurban. Despite being owned by an evil coal-burning utility, they also haul freight for Archer Daniels Midland, Weyerhauser and Cargill.

Iowa Northern is a locally owned and operated railway that had benefitted from the ethanol boom in recent years, but presently has their 163-mile system cut in half to this day because of the catastrophic bridge collapse in Waterloo, IA last year nececciating a lengthy detour. Curiously, the bridge itself belongs to Union Pacific with IANR crossing through Waterloo on trackage rights- UPRR hardly uses the bridge itself.

re: #198 theheat

Cool, thanks so much for posting that--I'm going to check it out now.

re: #190 theheat

Okay, you asked for it. Ping pong balls. My speakers crapped out, so I don't know if it's in English or not.

Did somebody say "ping pong balls"?

re: #201 theheat

I have, to date, been successful. Not a problem. I have a mantra...

"SCREW THE CHILDREN!"

"The early bird gets the worm. But the second mouse gets the cheese."
-Steven Wright

re: #206 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

I haven't tried, so I have not yet technically failed.

Wimpy. I know.

re: #194 iceweasel

That's not very reassuring, actually. A buch of retailers who are solidly republican get the shaft while the union honchos get to keep their golden parachute?

re: #209 Fenway_Nation

That's not very reassuring, actually. A buch of retailers who are solidly republican get the shaft while the union honchos get to keep their golden parachute?

And the Congresscritters who started this whole mess get to act like crusading knights righting wrongs, but just don't ask them to admit they were the cause.

Actually where does the UAW come out in the Chrylser debacle so far? I wanted to post that they were getting a 55% owership stake in the company, but wasn't that GM?

re: #208 theheat

I haven't tried, so I have not yet technically failed.

Wimpy. I know.

Quitting smoking was harder than getting divorced for me. The ex took most of my money, and the cigs took the rest.

Quitting was one of the best things I ever did, ironic that since I quit my disability decided to get progressively worse. Coincidental, but still not fun or enjoyable.

re: #210 FurryOldGuyJeans

Pretty much, everyone but the unions are being f*cked. Suppliers, paper $ holders, support industries, dealerships, sales staff... The unions are the elephant in the room.

Morning all.
Mosque bombed in Iran; Iran says US hired bombers.

Uncle Sam, not the Mossad?
Must be the next part of Obama's test.

re: #212 FurryOldGuyJeans

I don't have a drug or alcohol habit, and I gave up meat. The cigarettes I'm not so happy to let go. Fact is, I like them. (much booing and finger wagging) There's nothing like a fresh cup of coffee and a cigarette in the early morning, just when the sun is coming up.

Of course, I may see fewer of those if I don't quit.

re: #213 theheat

I do hope this gets some play outside the blogosphere or talk radio. Especially when the topic of Card Check comes up...

re: #209 Fenway_Nation

That's not very reassuring, actually. A buch of retailers who are solidly republican get the shaft while the union honchos get to keep their golden parachute?

Well--that's a separate issue to the one being discussed.
The claim that's being made is that republican donors who own car dealerships were somehow targeted for closure. That's been rebutted.

Your point here is that it's ordinary people who get shafted (as in theheat's link about a small town dealership that gets shut down) and the rich get richer. It's like all these people at AIG and elsewhere getting huge bonuses and bailouts while people lose their homes and jobs. If you want to argue that a better solution than shutting the dealerships could have been found, I might even agree with you. (I honestly don't know enough about it to have an informed opinion.)

I'm pretty pissed off at all the people who are getting outrageous amounts of money essentially for being incompetent at best and liars at worst. I'm quite happy to include the heads of unions in that, when the average auto worker is getting screwed.

re: #214 jim in virginia

When are the elections? How does one say 'October May surprise' in Farsi?

re: #211 Fenway_Nation

Actually where does the UAW come out in the Chrylser debacle so far? I wanted to post that they were getting a 55% owership stake in the company, but wasn't that GM?

Latest GM proposal is Feds 72.5%/UAW 17/5% ownership stake after bankruptcy.

re: #206 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

FBV, re the quitting, I am so proud of you. Hearty pats on the back.
Now, about your attitude toward the children... hmm. Perhaps it is time for ...the comfy chair!

re: #209 Fenway_Nation

That's not very reassuring, actually. A buch of retailers who are solidly republican get the shaft while the union honchos get to keep their golden parachute?

And you expected something else from the One?

re: #220 jim in virginia

What has helped me quit, was the .62 cents per pack added on for something for children. So far, I have cost "the children" about $40.00.

Can we piss off our long term and traditional allies any more?

Gibbs vs. UK press
Lashes out at British media

Robert Gibbs swatted down reports in British newspapers that suppressed photos of prisoner abuse included graphic ... images of torture and rape — and took a hard shot at the overseas media.

“I want to speak generally about some reports I’ve witnessed over the past few years in the British media. And in some ways, I’m surprised it filtered down,” Gibbs began. “Let’s just say if I wanted to look up — if I wanted to read a writeup today of how Manchester United fared last night in the Champion’s League cup, I might open up a British newspaper. If I was looking for something that bordered on truthful news, I’m not entirely sure it’d be in the first pack of clips I’d pick up.”

“You're not going to find very many of these newspapers and truth within 25 words of each other,” Gibbs continued.

re: #217 iceweasel

The claim that's being made is that republican donors who own car dealerships were somehow targeted for closure. That's been rebutted.

I seriously hope they don't go all nirther about this.

Honestly, it's like saying a disproportionate number of crimes committed (in a primarily Hispanic) neighborhood are committed by Hispanics. Well, duh, like they're going to import criminals of other ethnicities?

So, the largest percentage of dealers happen to be GOP. There's nothing to indicate this had any bearing on why these dealerships will be closed. It's a bullshit argument.

re: #217 iceweasel

Ice Ice Baby!

Pleased to meetcha!

re: #222 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

I hear you. When I learned about the extra tax "for the children" I about spit. GD, I'm supporting all kinds of causes I don't agree with, with my dirty little habit. You'd think I'd get some respect with all this benevolence I'm bestowing. But nooo.

Congrats to FBV and FOGJ for quitting. I salute you.

So, LeBron James is proving that you can win 1 on 5 basketball. Wonder if he can do it two more times. I'm thinking... nope.

re: #223 FurryOldGuyJeans

Can we piss off our long term and traditional allies any more?

What pisses me off about that isn't so much that he slanders the British press (which, overall, is kind of rubbish) but that he's implying that they were untruthful.

Disgusting. The rapes happened, the photos exist, and anyone who was paying attention has known this since 2004 and the Taguba report. The horrible thing is that the US gov't and military (and both the Bush admin and the Obama admin) have been engaged in a coverup.

I think it's despicable that Gibbs wants to pretend otherwise.

re: #224 theheat

I seriously hope they don't go all nirther about this.

Honestly, it's like saying a disproportionate number of crimes committed (in a primarily Hispanic) neighborhood are committed by Hispanics. Well, duh, like they're going to import criminals of other ethnicities?

So, the largest percentage of dealers happen to be GOP. There's nothing to indicate this had any bearing on why these dealerships will be closed. It's a bullshit argument.

Until the fact of the distribution of dealership politics is added to the mix it can and does sound like a made-to-order partisan attack by Obama. Then add an apparent media black-out of the "truth" and you have a nirther style conspiracy.

Oh...and speaking of unions, I heard a very slimy, underhanded radio ad the other day. It was playing patriotic-sounding music saying how everyone should support our troops and vets...then went on to point out that nearly ___%

re: #225 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

Pleased to meet you! I love your nic. And congrats on quitting, that is awesome!

re: #229 FurryOldGuyJeans

Until the fact of the distribution of dealership politics is added to the mix it can and does sound like a made-to-order partisan attack by Obama. Then add an apparent media black-out of the "truth" and you have a nirther style conspiracy.

Could not agree more. I really think this will be the new crazy-right meme.

re: #231 iceweasel

Speaking of nics, a couple of weeks ago I was in Richmond, had an evening off... was going to go to the comedy club. Checked who was playing...

Pauly Shore (weasel). I passed.

re: #218 Fenway_Nation

When are the elections? How does one say 'October May surprise' in Farsi?

Reichstag fire.
Likely as not it was done by Iranian Sunni militants (or drug thugs) who dislike the current Iranian government, but also hate Israel and the US.

re: #229 FurryOldGuyJeans

Let me tell you, if dumb old me can trip over this stuff on CNN a week ago, without even trying, the media hasn't done a very good job covering it up ;-)

re: #232 iceweasel

Could not agree more. I really think this will be the new crazy-right meme.

While I prefer to deal with facts & evidence over ideas and opinions, I am guessing that a very high percentage of car dealership owners are Republicans.

re: #222 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

What has helped me quit, was the .62 cents per pack added on for something for children. So far, I have cost "the children" about $40.00.

Have you coinsidered buying them and not smoking them? Maybe leave them lying around your local high school. Someone would pick them up.

re: #223 FurryOldGuyJeans

Wow...I don't like Gibbs one bit, but I liked what he had to say to the pommie tabloids there. I wouldn't put it past some of these hacks to run faked photos and call them the real deal.

re: #232 iceweasel

Could not agree more. I really think this will be the new crazy-right meme.

I saw both sides operate yesterday here. I leaned towards it being true and wanting proof to prove me wrong, and got shouted at by a couple of lizards I was full of shit, no proof needed.

Then someone mentioned Rush and proof started coming out to show it was bullshit.

If the data about the political contributions came out earlier than just a bit ago I didn't notice since I tuned out the earlier fight.

re: #237 jim in virginia

Middle school, silly.

Damn funny, tho.

Is it just me that finds radio ads for dentists both annoying and disturbing? Particularly the promise thet "we'll never lecture you." Come in, we fix your teeth, if you don't take care of them- no problem! We'll fix them again.

re: #237 jim in virginia

And tuck a condom in every pack. That'll freak out the rest of them. Why only piss them off half way?

re: #235 theheat

Let me tell you, if dumb old me can trip over this stuff on CNN a week ago, without even trying, the media hasn't done a very good job covering it up ;-)

The closures themselves wasn't the controversy, it was the apparent disproportionate number of Republican dealers being shut out, with the media black out being about not reporting the numbers. A subtle difference.

Damn...my #230 got cut off.

Oh...and speaking of unions, I heard a very slimy, underhanded radio ad the other day. It was playing patriotic-sounding music saying how everyone should support our troops and vets...then went on to point out that nearly {Insert number here} ___% of returning vets go on to non-union jobs.

But fear not...the local labor council has found a way to help our our servicemen and women! There's legislation that could help them- it's called the...wait for it...wait for it...

Employee Free Choice Act!

You see...according to this radio as, if you don't support Card Check, then you hate the troops.

re: #244 Fenway_Nation

You see...according to this radio as, if you don't support Card Check, then you hate the troops.

I am perfectly fine with hating myself, a medically retired vet, if that lessens union influence. ;)

re: #243 FurryOldGuyJeans

I understand, but these separate bits of information about 1.) disproportionate GOP ownership combined with 2.) blanket closures, kills the conspiracy aspect of it.

Which is unfortunate for those that dig on a good conspiracy theory. A minor setback, anyway. But, WTF, they can light it on fire and run through the streets with it to get people jazzed. Makes for a good story.

re: #243 FurryOldGuyJeans

And if the overall ratio of dealers is mostly Republican (even the ones still in business) then I think it's a fair question to ask why so many dealers are being closed down while the Unions (a traditional source of fundraising for Dems) are virtually unscathed so far.

re: #240 Fat Bastard Vegetarian
Kindergarten. Start 'em young, raises more tax money.

re: #246 theheat

I understand, but these separate bits of information about 1.) disproportionate GOP ownership combined with 2.) blanket closures, kills the conspiracy aspect of it.

Which is unfortunate for those that dig on a good conspiracy theory. A minor setback, anyway. But, WTF, they can light it on fire and run through the streets with it to get people jazzed. Makes for a good story.

Facts will always trump conspiracy for me, no matter what I thought before the facts showed up.

re: #247 Fenway_Nation

And if the overall ratio of dealers is mostly Republican (even the ones still in business) then I think it's a fair question to ask why so many dealers are being closed down while the Unions (a traditional source of fundraising for Dems) are virtually unscathed so far.

That is a whole different story and conspiracy there. Dealers sell the cars the unions make.

re: #250 FurryOldGuyJeans

I thought it was a variation on the same one, but I hope more people than myself asking themselves the same question.

re: #236 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

While I prefer to deal with facts & evidence over ideas and opinions, I am guessing that a very high percentage of car dealership owners are Republicans.

You are absolutely right. They are. Somewhere between 88%-92% of them are Republican. (This is all in that nate silver article I linked earlier).

Well, gotta get ready for the working.

Then, to muddy the waters further, one might ask if these auto unions that donate heavily to Dems have a higher percentage of GOP or Dem workers they represent. If the GOPs represent the highest membership, then one would question if there were any motives behind 'targeting' GOP-owned dealerships, other than the continued survival of the unions at any cost.

It late. Me find me no type late hour at this too goodly. Possibly sleep required behalf on me.

re: #251 Fenway_Nation

I thought it was a variation on the same one, but I hope more people than myself asking themselves the same question.

The two aspects overlap, yes, but they are separate issues. Make the cars that have no way to sell them, the union benefits whether they sell or not at first. Have no cars at a dealership benefits no one right from the start.

This is not the first time an economic turndown has hurt people, this time is heightened by openly partisan attacks hugely inflated.

Goodnight FBV, Fenway, and ME. I still have the spare bedroom to get cleaned before Mr. Heat wakes up to a mess and puts me on cigarette restriction.

Night all.