Mercy!

Good heavens. Talk about misunderstanding. I thought you were referring to those posts made before you by Czarina and Divorceki. I guess everything becomes clear eventually. I'd say the best solution is to just get rid of the truck now.

Come on now, this is the second time in two days you’ve told someone to take a hike because you didn’t agree with what he posted. Come to think of it, you did that “go away” thing to me too, once. I’d feel better knowing that was faux outrage and not the real McCoy. Let him stay, please? It’s terribly polluted in China. Can you tell I got a gut full of the old "America. Love it or Leave it" bs when I was your age. It was lame then, too. But people just couldn't resist using it against anyone who criticized the governement's conduct of a different war. So what if the meaning has flip-flopped? The more things change, the more they stay the same when people get exercised over important issues.

I have no idea what you're saying. She's running for a political office. Why would I look past politics? The post you responded to was simple and straightforward, but you didn’t speak to a SINGLE point in it. As for your last personal snarky comment - I don’t know what you mean there, either. And I don’t know why you feel the need to continue to do that in every response you make to me. You’d have a stroke if I did that to you. Why don’t you quit it now? It's gone on long enough.

PLEASE. Speak for yourself. I've never said that. I don't see anyone saying that here. God, these generalities!

Well, let’s see - of some of the people who have posted here; one said he wasn’t interested in finding out anything more about her, two are on my ignore list so I don’t know what they said ; a couple made some harmless cracks; one said she was being supported by the Democrats for the pity factor; and everything else has been cripple, cripple, cripple. If it walks like a duck etc.

Duh. You have such a way with words.

They've already indicated that they're not interested in the resume of this particular candidate. But they do want to keep discussing why she's not qualified. Sad.

Actually, Henry Hyde has announced his retirement. Duckworth's first electoral challege will be to win the Democratic nomination on March 21, 2006. She's running against Christine Cegelis, a software engineer, in that contest. Then it's on to the general election against State Senator Peter J. Roskam, a conservative Republican who is the minority caucus whip in Springfield. I'm hearing a lot of condescending knee-jerk nonsense in this thread. I'm guessing the “handicapped” part may not bother her constituents as much as it seems to bother some folks here. Hey, did those of you acting all outraged feel the same way about Bob Dole?

SSIrish, you sound exactly like this: I pray that the Illinois Republican Party keeps having its bumblers continue to put out condescending remarks like that. It can only help to maintain them on their downward spiral here. If your uncle had two degrees and the employment background of this woman and said he was running for Congress, I’d sure give him listen, too. Just for comparison, when our current Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert, was her age and just getting started in politics, his claim to fame was as a wrestling coach. Although he came of age at the height of the Viet Nam war, he avoided the draft and served not a second in the military.

I’m sorry to hear that. I know it's easy to be cynical sometimes. On the off chance you might still be curious about finding out a bit more about this veteran – her upbeat take on life and her future after suffering catastrophic injuries in service to her country; and her unflagging support for the military - here are a few more links. Don’t worry. They’re almost entirely apolitical. And pretty darn inspiring. Can-do spirit rises from crash Injured soldier, inspirational woman An Amputee's Long Walk Back to Flight Duty (9 minute NPR sound clip)

I think this quotation in USA Today from a former general counsel of the National Security Agency makes an important point: I almost posted yesterday that there was a whiff of Watergate in the air, but it seemed a silly comparison. Now, I'm not so sure. Although their motives may have been different, both Nixon and Bush have demonstrated a real lack of understanding of why their actions are dangerous for our democracy, and an amazing contempt for the law. I think people are going to say in the future, as they did about Nixon, why do you suppose he was so stupid? So far, no one has shown a need for Bush to circumvent the FISA process.

..... as well as "f***ing prick asshole" I believe. So tell me again, what was the big deal about just calling Mr. Bush the Penis-in-Chief? Not that I'd ever do such a thing, of course. But it does sound more respectful, if you ask me.

How about the one with the dogs barking Jingle Bells?

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/17/politics/17vet.html

Santa Claus Goes Straight to The Ghetto by Snoop Dogg always gets me thinking about what's important in this holiest of seasons.

You mean "Kiwi Santa Violence?" Poor Aussies. It's getting to be like Blame Canada.

Remember, this is the same on-the-case government that’s been kicking gay language specialists out of the military because us awful queers are so dangerous, right? I’m thinking these idiots wouldn’t have enough bodies to be able to translate all the wiretaps they’re amassing if they worked on ‘em from now to Juvember. So just speak one of them there foreign languages when you’re on the phone to be safe from George W. Stalin's illegal snooping.

Okay, okay. I see all y’all’s point. Instead of thinking those political cartoons had anything to say about the Patriot Act, I should have just posted that “Bush is such a Penis” or “a political hack asshole” and left it at that. Not to worry. I’ll catch on eventually. :banghead

Well, jeepers, I didn’t think I needed to give my entire platform, but………………. Employers would be required to allow the hour or two required at the beginning or end of the work day or shift. If hourly workers wanted to be compensated for the time taken, they would have to present a ballot stub. But employers would have the right to grumble and lean on their employees to vote by mail or (coming up) online. In fact, for national elections, how hard would it be to set up central voting points where people work? I'm thinking as I go here. So most people would be savvy enough just to opt to vote by absentee ballot and not have to worry about anything. I'm sure the other details could be ironed out to everyone's satisfaction.

Right. That is basically how I feel, too. “Without fear or favor” I want judges to be concerned with applying the law, not with being politicians and running for election and re-election. They just end up beholding to special interests when they have to get down in the dirt with the rest of the traditional pols. Appointments for particular terms or even for life of judges by our elected representatives suits me just fine. I’m even offended by the members of the US Supreme Court going around giving partisan, rabble-raising speeches. Time was when they put their robes on for the first time was sort of like entering a monastery, and you never heard them publicly giving their opinions on political issues until after they had left the court.

Philosophically, I’m against popular election of judges. So I usually refuse to vote for any of them unless I’m aware of a particular one who’s really qualified. In Chicago, no matter what their color or creed, they always seem to magically have Irish names anyway.

It’s corny I know, but I still always feel very proud and patriotic when I get the chance to do my civic duty and vote. Since the very first of these Iraqi elections, I couldn’t imagine what it takes to risk death in order to run for office or to vote. Those people must be busting with pride.

John Burns of the New York Times was all over the news saying nice things, particularly about the Sunni participation. Thing is, the insurgents basically promised beforehand that they wouldn’t try to kill people (that day) who went to the polls. Too bad we can’t order all Iraqi roads free of vehicular traffic 365 days a year.