@Quark,

One of the frustrating things about Thom's show is that he feels he can hold up the left end of the spectrum, and gives the right-wing shills time to debate him. He rarely puts on folks farther to the left of him, although he does mention his putting an old CPUSA fellow on once...

I would echo the call to put Richard Wolff on sometime (thanks LeMoyne.) There is much to be said about the Socialist agenda that is blooming in the Southern Hemishere, and we could collectively learn more from that quarter...far more than from all the Dan Gainor's (and that woman from whatever organization that I religiously tune out) put together. If you enjoy overtime, 8 hour days, vacations, etc., thank a Socialist.

Did Thom even mention the Cochabomba Climate Summit?

@ rladlof

There is no actual evidence that Dan Gainor IS an “incredible douchey ass hat.” The ideas he regularly and consistently expresses are sound “incredibly douchey” and have the definite flavor of “asshatery.”

Are you familiar with English Prime? General Semantics by Alfred Korzybski?

@rladlof, is that a typo, should it read 'he may be a kind of animal'? (now I feel like I've insulted all of the animal kingdom :-( )

@Quark re: the guy with the guitar and shotgun...was the guitar in a case?

re Dan Gainor

Quark is right, Thom and Gainor are friends. Thom has defended Gainor by saying that some "conservatives" who make guest appearances on radio and TV shows are just espousing (that's spousing en Espanol) those views for the money, but Gainor is a great guy because he actually believes the anti-human, anti-environment immoral positions he spouses (Oh Thommy, you got some splainin" to do!)

Thom finds him and his conservative ilk usefull so he can model for us how to conduct civil conversations with conservatives. He thinks he's helping us win the water cooler wars, even though the water coolers have been relocated to China, India and the Philippines and Thom's conservative fencing buddies never change their opinions through their civil conversations.

Doh!

@Quark: if there was no guitar case, obviously somebody had stolen his guitar, and he just got it back. If there was a case, obviously somebody had stolen his stash and he just got it back.

OK OK, I'm not for this carrying guns into bars law, however, this may just be Darwins' theory playing itself out. I can see it now, 12 people killed in gun shootings at Al's bar and grill last night, thus bringing the local Tea party number down to 5 members after taking into account the last eight meetings they had at various bars in town in which even greater numbers were gunned down. I'm just saying, perhaps this is evidence of God, and he's playing his hand now.

N

Nels,

My husband would call that "the thinning of the herd." :-)

Let us face it. If we do not prosecute those who lead us into war on fabrications, if we do not prosecute those who facilitate and commit torture, if we continue to turn our heads and pretend that US foreign policy does not directly lead to acts of terror against us and massive displacement of populations, we are continuing to lead to our own destruction. The Az law, flawed and racist as it is, is only a symptom. US hegemony, and exceptionalism must be repudiated before we find can any solutions.

Our children are being taught, through history, through current militarism, through video games and media entertainment, that violence is the answer. Our budget reveals our priorities. We cannot claim to seek peace when we insist on military superiorty. When we say "everything is on the table," we are threatening a possible nuclear response. The world knows this. How is it we do not?

Why would we have to boycott Coldstone? My little boy loves the cotton candy with gummy bears combo. And if I must boycott, does it count if I boycott myself but my son and husband still partake?

@Quark: you said "Let's run that up the pole". Hey! No Polish jokes!

re: guitar guy. Well, if there was no case, his stash was in his guitar, somebody stole it and he got it back. Yes, with the shotgun.

@Jeanie, lets not lose our heads, boycotting Coldstone is a step too far in my book. Baskin Robbins is ok, but I like the freedom to create my own flavors... freedom of choice, its what America is all about!!!

@Quark, hey if the crazy part of the herd wants to practice Hari Kari, I'd like to think I'm progressive enough to allow them to assist each other. ;-)

N

After hearing Thom talk about the petition at freespeech.com opposing 1st amendment rights for corporations, I naturally hopped over there to sign up. Here's the comment I added -

Corporations are NOT people - they are economic entities created by governments to protect the private property of business owners in the event of business failures. As such, they are granted certain special tax advantages, and that is fair and just.

However, there is nothing in the concept above that equates corporations with people. In fact, I feel that granting first amendment free speech rights to corporations is discriminatory against anyone who does not sit on a corporate board. If the corporation, as well as its board members, has the right to free speech, then the voice of each board member is amplified by the corporation's "voice". The corporation gives its owner 2 voices, while the rest of us have only one.

Another fallacy at work here is the equation that states corporate donations are free speech. Donations are money, and speech is not money. I cannot pay my mortgage or buy my lunch with my speech. Why should Goldman-Sachs be able to buy a Senator with theirs?

Harry,

Re: you said "Let's run that up the pole".

No, I didn't, though I don't know who did. 'Sorry. (I try not to make ethnic jokes that I think may hurt people, though I don't seem to have as many mental alarm bells go off if the jokes are political... oh, well --- no one's perfect, or even close --- least of all me.) :-)

@Quark sorry, musta been maxrot

The problem is that the gun nuts are trying to push the envelope to trigger a “Cohen Act” response by rational folk . . . These jack-booted thugs hold that Rand’s “Atlas Shrugs” and Pierce’s “Turner Diaries” are gospels . . . Unfortunately, the Republicans and their astrotufed Tea Parties are attempting harness the passion and energy without regard to their sociopathic nature.

@harry and Quark, I posted the run it up the pole comment, and certainly harry was taking it out of context (on purpose I 'spect). It had not a wit of ethnic or erotic (nipping that one in the bud here and now) meaning.

N

@Maxrot I think quark got it 'cause of his emoticons.

re: "Mexicans breeding". Many people live in slums with high infant mortality rates. So if you want 2 children to help you in the fields, you have to give birth to more than 2.

I guess i mean if you want 2 kids to help you sort thru the trash piles, you have to give birth to more than 2.

@harry, re "I think quark got it 'cause of his emoticons"; you do know Quark is a woman right? (At least that's my take when Quark talks about a husband and offspring).

I must say harry, you've been a bit off today, you're not breathing in the fumes from that burning Oil Slick are you? I thought they were just doing minor tests so far. ;-)

N

@ Robert S.: Yes, I have a passing familiarity with Korzybski. I survived rhetoric classes in college . . .

@Maxrot: I was utilizing “kind to animals” as the absolute least common definition of good character. By referencing this potential positive behavior and associating it with Mr. Gainor, I was hoping to avoid the ire of the Blog Gods. You have ‘sussed’ me out . . . There has never been evidence presented that I am aware of that Mr. Gainor is or has ever been kind to animals. He HAS expressed a fervent belief in the moral and operational superiority of corporate entities . . . Only I do not hold that concept in high regard.

I thought the more educated people were and the more opportunities they had for success, the fewer children they actually had. So by stopping "brown" people from accessing schools for their kids and preventing them from succeeding in society, aren't we guaranteeing more ignorance and ultimately more children? And of course, the role of religion in promoting anti-birth control policies doesn't help anyone. So maybe conservatives should instead promote education, opportunity and birth control as policy and the "problem" may take care of itself. But then they might be called "Democrats."

@rladlof, so you're not thinking Gainor is a kind of animal... 'cause I was going to vote for slug (though I guess that could be considered part of the insect realm). Slimey and without a backbone. Tapeworm may fit too.

Harry,

Are you literally talking about snakes, or are you using the word as a pejorative term for some political (or other) group? tee hee