tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post6453920163912219118..comments2024-03-25T17:38:55.490-07:00Comments on Dar Kush: Fiddy's WindfallSteven Barneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13630529492355131777noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-84613466970324531412008-04-14T11:54:00.000-07:002008-04-14T11:54:00.000-07:00Mike,I could have sworn I read a lengthy analysis ...Mike,<BR/><BR/>I could have sworn I read a lengthy analysis of this a couple months back -- can't find it right now. In any event based on my googling right now you seem to be right about Dems voting for the initial date. They <B>did</B> try to get the date changed after realizing it'd be a problem, and were voted down by Republicans, however.Daniel Keys Moranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12992599044462413412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-14046710123399398182008-04-14T10:45:00.000-07:002008-04-14T10:45:00.000-07:00>None of them did. None of them had a chance to. T...>None of them did. None of them had a chance to. The date wasn't set in the legislation, but by Republicans after the fact.<<BR/><BR/>Furthermore, here is a quote from the Florida Dems,<BR/><BR/>http://www.fladems.com/page/content/makeitcount-faqs/#q3<BR/><BR/>"Who sets the date for Florida’s Primary?<BR/>The state-run Presidential Preference Primary date is set by the Florida Legislature. In the 2007 legislative session, the Republican Speaker of the House made it a priority to move up the Primary to January, in violation of both Democratic and Republican National Committee Rules. The Legislature passed the bill, which also included the new requirement that all Florida elections have a paper trail starting in 2008. Governor Charlie Crist signed the bill into law in May."<BR/><BR/>Again, this says that the legislature passed the bill.Mike Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13634414529649908616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-23657748551814136302008-04-14T10:42:00.001-07:002008-04-14T10:42:00.001-07:00Dan When people have been damaged you can either r...Dan <I>When people have been damaged you can either recognize it and work with it, or ignore it and hope they stop complaining. </I><BR/><BR/>Thanks for putting it that way. That makes a lot of sense to me. I really hope I never end up wanting to ignore it.Josh Jasperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08441897278413737658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-11410558553619141052008-04-14T10:42:00.000-07:002008-04-14T10:42:00.000-07:00>None of them did. None of them had a chance to. T...>None of them did. None of them had a chance to. The date wasn't set in the legislation, but by Republicans after the fact.<<BR/><BR/>That is a direct contradiction to what I have read. Here is an article from New York Times on May 4th, 2007;<BR/><BR/>http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/04/us/politics/04florida.html<BR/><BR/>"MIAMI, May 3 — Casting more uncertainty over the presidential nominating process for 2008, the Florida Legislature on Thursday moved the state’s primary up to Jan. 29, ignoring the threat of sanctions from the national Republican and Democratic parties.<BR/><BR/>.<BR/>.<BR/>.<BR/><BR/>The Florida House voted unanimously to move it up on Thursday, a week after the Senate approved the measure. In the same legislation, it approved Gov. Charlie Crist’s plan to replace the touch-screen voting machines used in many of Florida’s counties with paper ballots counted by scanning machines."<BR/><BR/>To me that article clearly say it came about by a unanimous act of legislation, which would mean that no Democrats voted against it.Mike Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13634414529649908616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-23933315783465200712008-04-14T10:35:00.000-07:002008-04-14T10:35:00.000-07:00>but maybe not as unusual as one might like it to ...>but maybe not as unusual as one might like it to be<<BR/><BR/>According to surveys I've read, the majority of marriages have one or both partners cheat.<BR/><BR/>[Quick googling shows many different surveys with many different results - this is naturally something it would be very hard to get reliable data on, but even the lowest surveys I quickly looked at show a low figure of "with 28 percent of married men and 18 percent of married women admitting to having a sexual liaison" which is at least 1/3rd of marriages]Mike Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13634414529649908616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-86028347076045652732008-04-14T10:31:00.000-07:002008-04-14T10:31:00.000-07:00Quick question; How many Democrats voted against t...<I>Quick question; How many Democrats voted against that piece of legislature?</I><BR/><BR/>None of them did. None of them had a chance to. The date wasn't set in the legislation, but by Republicans after the fact.Daniel Keys Moranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12992599044462413412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-71742248423952408112008-04-14T10:30:00.000-07:002008-04-14T10:30:00.000-07:00But hey, George doesn't screw around -- that we kn...<I>But hey, George doesn't screw around -- that we know of ...</I><BR/><BR/>I swear Bush is gay. His college roommate was gay, they had a gay "journalist"-who-was-really-a-hooker visit the White House over a hundred times, that man was screwing <B>somebody</B> ... and Bush himself has the sort of effeminate mannerisms and love of the fabulous that would have half the cowboys in the country getting ready to stomp him if he trotted them out in a straight bar without Secret Service protection.<BR/><BR/>"And we'll prevail, because we're a fabulous nation, and we're a fabulous nation because we're a nation full of fabulous people."<BR/>-- George W. Bush., Atlanta, GA, January 31, 2002<BR/><BR/>http://www.bettybowers.com/isbushgay.htmlDaniel Keys Moranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12992599044462413412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-48382144803954947472008-04-14T10:26:00.000-07:002008-04-14T10:26:00.000-07:00>since we're being penalized because of a decision...>since we're being penalized because of a decision made by our Republican legislature.<<BR/><BR/>Quick question; How many Democrats voted against that piece of legislature?Mike Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13634414529649908616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-16970707813522483992008-04-14T10:20:00.000-07:002008-04-14T10:20:00.000-07:00"And, Chelsea Clinton being asked to answer for th..."And, Chelsea Clinton being asked to answer for this? Easy - way off bounds. Children, whatever their age, shouldn't be asked about their parents' sex lives, period."<BR/><BR/>Amen. The proper response is, "It not any of my business how my parents conduct their sex lives, and certainly not any of yours."<BR/><BR/>I could care less who Bill was screwing, since it wasn't me or the country. Which nobody can say about the Current Occupant and his Axeman, who are doing both. <BR/><BR/>"Bring it on?" and "So?" Thousands of American lives, tens of thousand of Iraqis, more than half a trillion dollars in direct costs, no end in sight. Half the pubic debt incurred in the history of the U.S. has come in the current administration. Our international reputation is for shit, and it's getting to be the Randy Newman song, "They all hate us anyhow, so let's drop the big one now ..."<BR/><BR/>But hey, George doesn't screw around -- that we know of ...Steve Perryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12079658447270792228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-64854383750467002492008-04-14T09:12:00.000-07:002008-04-14T09:12:00.000-07:00My feelings. Asking Bill Clinton about the Lewins...My feelings. <BR/><BR/>Asking Bill Clinton about the Lewinsky mess? Fine, he earned that opprobrium. I didn't want him removed from office for it because I didn't think it constituted high crimes and misdemeanors, but I don't particularly feel sorry for him if people shame him for it.<BR/><BR/>Asking Hillary Clinton the same? Well, she's the wronged party. And, though, sure, I wouldn't want my sister or my niece to have to put up with that kind of crap in her marriage, I'm not convinced that holding her marriage together is so out of the ordinary a deicsion on her part that she needs to answer for it. <I>Especially</I> since she seems to get criticized on this one more than male politicians who actually cheated themselves.<BR/><BR/>McCain cheated on his first wife, and, OK, I can understand letting that pass - years in the past, hard for marriages to hold together after a long time where one is a POW, rough on the loyal wife, but maybe not as unusual as one might like it to be. But, you know, hardly a less bad thing that forgiving a serial philandering spouse. Giuliani pretty much did cheat in a way that publically humiliated his wife, and, yes, people brought it up as a campaign drawback, but, it seemed to me, with less of an edge that Hillary Clinton gets for the Lewinsky stuff.<BR/><BR/>And, <I>Chelsea</I> Clinton being asked to answer for this? Easy - way off bounds. Children, whatever their age, shouldn't be asked about their parents' sex lives, period. Not the same thing, whatever kami says, as Obama speaking about Wright's <I>public</I> statements (even if I think those public statements were being yanked out of context to make trouble for Obama). Not even the same thing as Obama speaking of his grandmother's more private fears of black men in the street, because, that? That's speaking about the problems we <I>all</I> have coming to terms with our fear of the other. It's saying, that, as one commenter put it, Obama's white grandmother is just like yours. Not the same as asking a daughter to comment on her father's sexual experiments with a young woman and a cigar.Lynn Gazis-Saxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16775215056055972392noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-88127737235731177022008-04-14T08:39:00.000-07:002008-04-14T08:39:00.000-07:00"The question is, what's the right thing to do, an..."The question is, what's the right thing to do, and are you willing to pay the cost?"<BR/><BR/>It's been some time now, but back in the late 80s and early 90s I did a fair amount of volunteer work for NOW. I ran into a lot of that -- tone of voice was important; speaking in a higher register helped. Aggressive body language, which comes naturally to me, would set off an entire room (and half of them wouldn't even know why they were angry at me...)<BR/><BR/>When people have been damaged you can either recognize it and work with it, or ignore it and hope they stop complaining. If sufficiently damaged, they may not even be able to see you except as a symbol -- and you have to work with that, too, unless you're ready to walk away entirely and stop engaging -- which robs you of the opportunity to learn something outside your day to day experience. It's worth putting up with the former to get the latter.Daniel Keys Moranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12992599044462413412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-34418282320126887412008-04-14T07:23:00.000-07:002008-04-14T07:23:00.000-07:00I can believe that women could find even a complem...<I>I can believe that women could find even a complement, in the wrong context, to be sexist. And I can see how it could be true in some cases, as well. I feel sorry for the men and women, the whites and blacks, or gays and straights who are barking their shins navigating the maze of 21st-century gender-race-orientation relations. Wow! What a shifting maze of rules!</I><BR/><BR/>"I meant is as a compliment" shifts the attention away from the structure set up by men to define women by looks, which are set up to please men, rather than by talent. It's defensiveness, rather than an examination by the people in power of a complaint made by people they've been annoying.<BR/><BR/>It *is* difficult to keep track of where one is being sexist. It's a relinquishment of power to people who;re angry at you to admit it when you're being sexist. but the alternative is to continue on being sexist. It's easy, it's more fun for a guy, and it's more likely to get you in good with the dominant power structure.<BR/><BR/>The question is, what's the right thing to do, and are you willing to pay the cost?Josh Jasperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08441897278413737658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-43853082477194774542008-04-13T22:45:00.000-07:002008-04-13T22:45:00.000-07:00"I wouldn't want my daughter to be in a relationsh..."I wouldn't want my daughter to be in a relationship with a man who is a serial philanderer, and whose actions held her up to public humiliation"<BR/><BR/>Well, fair enough -- what you're saying is that you'd want your daughters to marry someone better than yourself. I'm with you on that one; I want my kids to be in better relationships than the ones I've managed, over the years.<BR/><BR/>Where I really disagree with you is your assertion that Hillary Clinton should be judged for having tolerated conduct no worse (from what I can see) than you and I and some large % of men in general have been guilty of. Honestly, how would your life look if tens of millions of dollars had been spent investigating every single thing you'd ever done? Take the five worst things you've ever done in your life, and parade them on the Evening News and the internet for twenty years? People would spit at you (and me) as we drove by ...<BR/><BR/>Bill Clinton strikes me as a fairly normal powerful man. Hillary strikes me as a fairly normal woman married to a powerful man.Daniel Keys Moranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12992599044462413412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-22255857381999241472008-04-13T18:27:00.000-07:002008-04-13T18:27:00.000-07:00""Fiddy" does have one observable skill: investing...""Fiddy" does have one observable skill: investing."<BR/><BR/>You owe me a new keyboard.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-25876619197384821252008-04-12T17:18:00.000-07:002008-04-12T17:18:00.000-07:00As a Floridian, I'll be furious if it's ultimately...As a Floridian, I'll be furious if it's ultimately decided that our votes won't count in any way -- especially since we're being penalized because of a decision made by our Republican legislature. It doesn't matter who the candidate is, our votes should count.<BR/><BR/>Maybe the state didn't vote the way I would've liked, but that's no reason to say the votes shouldn't count at all. Halve them or something, but don't completely discount them. <BR/><BR/>In re 50 Cent, I think a story or two came out indicating that he didn't make that much off the Coca-Cola deal. I don't remember where I saw the news, but his take is less than $100M. Still nothing to sneeze at, of course. I certainly wouldn't turn down that kinda scratch.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-2902828575192766222008-04-12T13:58:00.000-07:002008-04-12T13:58:00.000-07:00The wife of a president of your own party is The F...The wife of a president of your own party is The First Lady, the others are still in the Italian: prima donna.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-53716328776595368042008-04-12T12:44:00.000-07:002008-04-12T12:44:00.000-07:00I'm positive that the next generation of Rock Band...I'm positive that the next generation of Rock Band instruments WILL teach actual technique. There isn't much difference between rock band drums and real drums. Next, a keyboard with limited keys, perhaps. Then a full keyboard (!)<BR/><BR/>As for guitars, I'd guess a Rock Band trainer with real-world applications will be on the market within two years.Steven Barneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13630529492355131777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-38081019293450426502008-04-12T12:42:00.000-07:002008-04-12T12:42:00.000-07:00I wouldn't want my daughter to be in a relationshi...I wouldn't want my daughter to be in a relationship with a man who is a serial philanderer, and whose actions held her up to public humiliation. I have NEVER done that to anyone...even if some of the private stuff was painful at times. My main reason for a shift in attitudes is watching the results over time. I simply didn't see relationships where it worked very well, compared to LOTS of open relationships that ended in divorce or emotional disaster. I was more...liberal about such things when I was younger. I still have the urges, but can no longer justify them to myself. I can't convince myself that "it's all good."<BR/>##<BR/>Chris Matthews does sound like a dick, yes.<BR/>##<BR/>I can believe that women could find even a complement, in the wrong context, to be sexist. And I can see how it could be true in some cases, as well. I feel sorry for the men and women, the whites and blacks, or gays and straights who are barking their shins navigating the maze of 21st-century gender-race-orientation relations. Wow! What a shifting maze of rules!Steven Barneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13630529492355131777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-49028377585200531432008-04-12T12:19:00.000-07:002008-04-12T12:19:00.000-07:00"Personally, I think people should negotiate the r..."Personally, I think people should negotiate the relationships they want. However, I would NEVER want my own daughter in such a relationship, and so cannot approve."<BR/><BR/>I think I understand what you meant by this but, not being sure, could you expand on it a little?<BR/><BR/>At first glance, this seemed rather similar to people saying "we need more X (nuclear power plants, prisons, homeless shelters, whatever) but not in my back yard". Was your actual intent to note the difference between "freedom" to do something and "wisdom" not to do it, where you think such relationships are unwise? Or was there something else at work there?JTHeymanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01355899980536947894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-62690513209525027662008-04-12T11:09:00.000-07:002008-04-12T11:09:00.000-07:00Chris Mathews has been talking up womens looks, go...Chris Mathews has been talking up womens looks, good or bad, as if it was a defining elemet of their character frequently enough for it to be a trend. It's a standard that male politicians don't have to live up to with him. Not the worst form of sexism, but sexist, for sure.Josh Jasperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08441897278413737658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-34390971641445431982008-04-12T07:35:00.000-07:002008-04-12T07:35:00.000-07:00"My family is getting very fond of the PS2 Game "R..."My family is getting very fond of the PS2 Game "Rock Band." Just bought a wireless guitar..."<BR/><BR/>I have always wondered about Rock Band and similar games.<BR/><BR/>I think they are very engaging (addictive?) but wonder why it isn't possible to have a similar video game that actual teaches one to play the instrument.Curthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00353068881701177188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-64816882410889595392008-04-12T05:38:00.000-07:002008-04-12T05:38:00.000-07:00I'm pretty sure its hormonal differences between m...I'm pretty sure its hormonal differences between men and women. My wife's sex drive has also risen while mine has declined. Young men have lot's of testosterone which is the sex drive hormone. This declines with age. Women are primarily estrogen with some testosterone when young. I think I'm correct to say the ratio of estrogen/testosterone in women changes as they age. I'm not sure if its just the estrogen declines or if the testosterone increases as well, but this seems to raise their sex drive.<BR/><BR/>Marty SAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-25337099714017768532008-04-12T05:23:00.000-07:002008-04-12T05:23:00.000-07:00Lynn Gazis-SaxDon't know if this is a man/woman di...Lynn Gazis-Sax<BR/><BR/><I>Don't know if this is a man/woman difference thing, or just me.</I><BR/><BR/>I think it's a <A HREF="http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_208.html" REL="nofollow">man/woman difference</A><BR/><BR/>"...while desire declines in men as they get into their 30s, it increases in women, who reach their sexual peak between 35 and 40."Frankhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15123761608738909200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-24165184234173693972008-04-11T23:45:00.000-07:002008-04-11T23:45:00.000-07:00mostly because my sex drive is maybe half what it ...<I>mostly because my sex drive is maybe half what it was when I was in my 20s.</I><BR/><BR/>Now, my sex drive is totally as high as it ever was in my teens or twenties; I don't get this thing guys keep telling me about the dramatic decline in middle age. Don't know if this is a man/woman difference thing, or just me.Lynn Gazis-Saxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16775215056055972392noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-24606972735725713702008-04-11T23:43:00.000-07:002008-04-11T23:43:00.000-07:00"Chelsea Clinton keeps being asked about Monica Le..."Chelsea Clinton keeps being asked about Monica Lewinski. Yeah, it's kinda rude, but not totally off base. I wouldn't ask such a question, but I can see why someone might. "<BR/><BR/>Me too. I was really put off by the 'it's none of your business' response to asking her opinion about the Monica Lewinsky issue. It's a non-response and didn't deserve the applause it got. How about "I support and love my father, and I believe in what he stands for. His private life, and mine, aren't relevant to the Presidency," or maybe another statement or opinion. Everyone has an opinion about it. By saying it's none of anyone's business sounded like she's pretending that everyone refuses to talk about it, it will somehow vanish. I haven't heard what her responses have been lately, maybe she's moved on to something less vacant.<BR/>It's gotta be painful. But hey, it had to be painful for Obama to publicly speak out against a man he respected. The feelings of betrayal had to run deep and strong, but it had to be done, and I trust his honesty and sincerity (maybe I should say apparent honesty--this is politics, after all) prevented the relationship he had with the man from falling apart. It makes Chelsea's "It's none of your business" look wan by comparison. I don't think she should be run through the wringer, but since she feels compelled to campaign for mom, she's got to expect that she'll be asked difficult questions. Those obvious ones ought to have some well-thought-out and compelling answers, don't you think?Kamihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00531243633193697440noreply@blogger.com