Santa Claus shopping pressure and materialism shreds the meaning of Christmas, becomes Satan's Claws.

Quark,
If it were not for the damned early caucuses this Feb. I would be on Isla Mujeres drinking tequila and smoking a Cohiba. Cest la vie.

Responding to a couple of posts above ...

@Richard Adlof - I think you will discover, if you were to research OUR traditions more carefully, that the ketubah belongs to your wife, and it outlines HER rights within the marriage and to a divorce under certain circumstances. Granted, my own wedding was a L-O-N-G time ago, but to the best of my recollection, there's nothing in the ketubah to "benefit" the husband (except, of course, those benefits that naturally accrue from being married).

@Quark, re: Wavy Gravy - Touche - I'm not so sure that Hugh Romney (didja know he shared a surname with the Mitster?) was nominated, though. :lol:

Regarding the Afghanistan policy speech tonight, here's what I'd like to know - I have heard that Obama plans to establish benchmarks for the Karzai Government to meet. Let's assume that there are also some timing limits associated with those benchmarks. So what's gonna happen when (no, i don't mean IF) those benchmarks are NOT met? Do we leave immediately, or do we stay longer?

Thom's guest is manufacturing a conflict that is not there, a method to control public discourse

NO ONE stops Corporate entities from forcing religion on anyone . . . This dude is smoking the rope.

@Richard

What make you think that those records aren't already kept by Homeland Security?
:-)

Meanbwhile, in a city “famous” for its supposed continuous rainfall for most of the year, working outside all day in these conditions can make life rather miserable. Last Thanksgiving (yes, some people have to work Thanksgiving), it rained eight hours straight, took a break for a half-hour, and then rained some more. Needless to say, it was quite miserable. Having slavered in these conditions, you are not really in the mood to put up with people who treat you like a criminal or a terrorist—like those blue-shirted bozos with the rent-a-cop badges and Department of Homeland Security patches. These guys with their red IDs (denoting people with limited capacity for work), generally justify themselves by confiscating their daily quota of bobbie-pins and toe nail clippers; a training film I saw showed a table upon which was laid out a bucket full of explosive material from a bag that had been tagged “inspected” by these folks. It’s particularly frustrating to have these guys try to intimidate you by putting their hands on your food during one of their “surprise” 4 AM inspections. I’m trying to be obscure here, for “security” reasons.
Speaking of trouble, where I work there is a new rule: No cursing, touching or “nick-names.” Sometimes it is difficult to comply with at least two of these items when you hear something odious to one’s sensibilities. On the Saturday of the Senate procedural vote on the health care bill (that merely allowed debate on the bill to begin), I discussed the health care issue with a person who I would say gets most of his “facts” from Fox News and such. I explained to him that yes, it was possible for there to be a net budget surplus (according to the CBO) in the Senate health care bill, because it would be paid for by tax increases and other means, and not just money coming out of thin air; apparently he had been told that the cost of reform was all deficit spending.

I also had to explain why we needed a public option, because we couldn’t trust insurance companies to be honest—just like how the drug companies are raising prices seven times the rate of the CPI after promising to reduce prices by $80 billion. He was concerned that reform would have an adverse effect on his family, which I thought odd, since he didn’t have any insurance. He was of course concerned that people might go to jail if they didn’t buy insurance, but I thought a $750 fee for not getting insurance was a small price to pay, particularly if you needed emergency care, and it would probably end-up being paid for by the hospital’s “charity” fund. He was also concerned about taxing “Cadillac” plans; I told him he shouldn’t worry about that; the plan our company was offering (which I talked about a couple weeks ago) would not qualify.

But then he told me that he had heard that the government could force you off your private insurance plan and into the government plan. My first reaction normally would be something to the effect “Where did you get that bullshit from?” But then I remembered the new decree against cursing, so I cried out “Where did you get that horseshit from?” This caused some people to crane their hands toward the supervisors’ cubicle, but I think I was well enough excused for expressing myself in this fashion.

According to a newspaper story the Sunday following the first vote, at least one Democratic senator is stating his belief that the Senate bill should not be furthered watered down just to appease the four senators, when the majority of the country wants real reform, including a public option. These four senators need to put aside re-election concerns and show a little “profile in courage,” and do what they know in their heart of hearts is the right thing. They may find that there is a “silent majority” that wants reform, as opposed to the fanatical right-wing fringe element shouting annoyingly in their ears.

DDay,

I have never gone to the Blue State Ball (Ed Schultz never excited me that much, tho if Thom or Mike Malloy were there --- you know, someone with whom to exchange ideas --- I might have been tempted. (I could kick myself for not going to one of the first ones when Russ Feingold was a guest!)

If we don't get a blizzard or temps. below -30 degrees F, I actually MAY attend (if I can meet and talk with you.)

@Quark Your right again, (concerning neocon chicken hawks) and I'll take a women any day over them. BTW Thom will be in Minneapolis on Sat. Jan 23rd. for the Blue State Bash at the Convention Center. I'll buy you a drink. I'll be easy to find....I'll be the fat bald stud-muffin following Stephanie Miller around like a lost puppy.:-)

DDay,

Thanks, tho similar sentiments probably adorned caves millenia ago...very little is new...

Thanks Quark,

My immoderate post with the pesky URLs removed - both articles at Consortium News -

Zero G. December 1st, 2009, 9:59 am - Your comment is awaiting moderation.

Food Fascist – On Obama being forced into this, see Ray McGovern’s piece:

Obama’s Profile in Courage Moment
By Ray McGovern
November 24, 2009

and see Robert Parry’s:
How the War Hawks Caged Obama
By Robert Parry
November 30, 2009

mstaggerlee – Remind me again – who else did more to further the cause of peace in 2008 – 2009, (PRIOR to the current escalation) than Barack Obama?

Umm, Wavy Gravy? (lol)