http://www.slowpokecomics.com/strips/punditspew2010.png

Also – without a word of a lie – the same indoor temperature that people want in winter is typically considered unbearable in summer and addressed with heavy doses of a/c.

I have been dying to rant about this for eight hours, because it is so true. They spend winter…

Seriously. Every winter I wonder why on earth anyone settled here in the first place. In their shoes I'd be hiking south as fast as I could.

I believe a lot of the Mayflower Pilgrims basically froze to death because they were expecting (reasonably, really) English-style winters. Which was somewhat…

I don't even understand how my ancestral peeps survived in the fetid swamps of Louisiana, to be honest. Alligators, giant flying cockroaches and one thousand percent humidity. What an appealing prospect.

Seriously. Every winter I wonder why on earth anyone settled here in the first place. In their shoes I'd…

It's good to know that the Culture Warriors of the US have identified the real problem with the country: bears.

Truly beyond parody.

And yet, wasn't that in an episode of the Simpsons years ago? (Not going to hunt it down on YouTube while at work...)

Yep, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Much_Apu_About_Nothing|the one Rich…

It's good to know that the Culture Warriors of the US have identified the real problem with the country: bears.

Truly beyond parody.

And yet, wasn't that in an episode of the Simpsons years ago? (Not going to hunt it down on YouTube while at work...)

It's good to know that the Culture Warriors of the US have identified the real problem with the country: bears.

I just knew that would pop up again one day.
In my distant youth I spent a few months as a mail sorter in Sydney, where I made friends with…

We're here! We're queer! We don't want any more bears!

wine cooler?

It's good to know that the Culture Warriors of the US have identified the real problem with the country: bears.

We're here! We're queer! We don't want any more bears!

this seems less stupid when you realise exactly how hot and cold it can get in some parts of the country

I don't even understand how my ancestral peeps survived in the fetid swamps of Louisiana, to be honest. Alligators, giant flying cockroaches and one thousand percent humidity. What an…

Truly beyond parody.

(Their *trailers* have central heating and cooling.)

As I am becoming keenly aware, this seems less stupid when you realise exactly how hot and cold it can get in some parts of the country. I can put a jacket on, but the pipes can't.

[quote]A decision by the Fountain Hills Town Council to hire a single trash hauler and begin a curbside recycling program has been met with angry protests from residents who accuse town leaders of overstepping their bounds and taking a leap…

there was an assumption of being able to control the environment at will

Heh. This is an ongoing joke in our extended family because three of us married Americans. 'Hey, you know what you could do to keep warm? PUT ON SOME PANTS.'

(Their *trailers* have central heating and cooling.)

After yer jaunt you'll feel refreshed and thirsty for knowledge.

Actually I ended up feeling sleepy after my jaunts. But some of that was the mental exhaustion of watching an action packed 3D movie.

OTOH, we New Zealanders could learn a lot about keeping homes warm from the northern hemisphere.

Indeed! and if we want to help wipe all that egg off Bill English's face (re the billion dollar budget shortfall) could we all go out now and buy a heap of expensive appliances,…

Now you should know I dont go in for that stuff 'cos I weened myself off it. Pity I cant say the same about other folk.

We've all got our prophets. Mine are an eclectic bunch.

Easily solved, when your ready!

All right then, I can go as far as…

My 2c is that America's greatest challenge is to come to grips with the end of the Cold War. The time when political dominance came from projection of military might is approaching its end, and they are bankrupting themselves trying to hold on to it.

Vaguely reminiscent of the British…

Heh, or longer, depending which prophet you read.

Now you should know I dont go in for that stuff 'cos I weened myself off it. Pity I cant say the same about other folk.

And just cos I can.... "dont you get fresh with me young man!"

I lack perspective,…

If Americans learn to spend less, they might realize that it's not the end of the world, that the rest of the planet has been happily doing it forever.

The merit of the global financial system that recently went off a cliff was said to be that the way it…

@Kyle, I think the main thing that will happen is a readjustment of basic greed. If Americans learn to spend less, they might realize that it's not the…

I'm not saying it will happen automatically. Incompetence caused the current situation, so incompetence can sure keep it going. But half-decent economic management will eventually see the US economy return to some…

In late 1989 it reached a peak of over 39,000…

Time heals the actual recession – it's a boom and bust system, eventually it works it's way out of bust if you do a half-decent job of managing it.

It's worked before. But we haven't had a recession like this in my lifetime. I actually think it's indicative of broken…

'bloody ungrateful little sods, we fought and died for this so you bloody well better keep on with it'.

Man on train: Don't take that tone with me, young man. I fought the war for your sort.
Ringo: I bet you're sorry you won.

A Hard Day's Night (1964)

I like to think I can still be surprised. It's happened dozens of times in the last decade, I can't think why it couldn't continue.

Hey don't grab all the pleasure for yourself. Cause now I have to play catch up. People always surprise me sometimes not in a good…

They have no answer to Chinese capitalism, the starkest proof of both the effectiveness and the moral bankruptcy of the extreme right ideology.

Great response Ben

I actually think it's going to take much, much longer. It might not even happen at all. I don't think they can spend their way out of this recession.

I think the stimulus stops the bleeding.

Time heals the actual recession – it's a boom and bust system, eventually it…

Two years from now the stimulus and the passage of time will have kicked the economy into solid growth

Admirable optimism. I actually think it's going to take much, much longer. It might not even happen at all. I don't think they can spend their way out of this recession.…

He? And what were the 535 members of Congress doing through all this – sneaking cigs and braiding each others hair in the cloak rooms?

Making a goddam mess of the debate from what I recall. Which goes to show that the punishment doesn't necessarily target the criminal.

I think…

He? And what were the 535 members of Congress doing through all this – sneaking cigs and braiding each others hair in the cloak rooms?

I don't say others won't be punished, he's just the front man. Of course responsibility for the state of American politics is distributed right across…

Yes, he will be punished for reforming health care

He? And what were the 535 members of Congress doing through all this – sneaking cigs and braiding each others hair in the cloak rooms?

I think a rational and clear thinking exposition is always cheering. And all is never lost.

http://www.kiwipolitico.com/2010/10/squandering-political-opportunity/

Unfortunately this is not a movie.

No, it's a mixed metaphor, although kind of fitting.

And the FX well, when you get to my age your've seen 'em all before.

I like to think I can still be surprised. It's happened dozens of times in the last decade, I can't…

Yes, I know, we are educated, and like to think we are all unique and different (and we are in a lot of ways) and I'd hate to "rain…

The wobbly middle, not a good place to sit.

I call it the sweet spot, especially if you want to see all the effects.

Just not so much of late. And probably best viewed, as such, from a distance.

We'll see. I'll most likely view from my favorite seat, smack bang in the middle.

Energy = money

Yes, it's fantastic substance. It converts to so many things. I wish I had more, it's a…

Quite an inspirational fellow, on many levels.

.

Just not so much of late. And probably best viewed, as such, from a distance.

I'd love to have his energy.

Odd word to use.
A lump of coal will probably have as much "energy".

Quite literally.

Look *up* – nah. Look down? Nah.
Admire? Nah.

Just what we all really want & need as a role model. Eh?

I look up to him, definitely. Quite an inspirational fellow, on many levels. I'd love to have his energy.

To win at anything in public life, I think, you always have to be able to work the middle.

Yes Paul, we know. Your whole career is testament to that.

I've just read the latest Holmesism. Delicious.

On top of that, he's having wet dreams about the Queen of Wasilla. I get the feeling I've waded into something icky. >_<

I've just read the latest Holmesism. Delicious.

The…

Please! Laws stories require health warnings...

Too true. Sorry, I was getting all anthropological there.

I'll not only disagree with you – I will, in future, find your interpretations tinged with a peculiar malice.

Which sounds a bit like declaring a feud. C'mon, dial it down a bit.

You have strong and controversial views on Jackson, and you've expressed them repeatedly. People are going to…

"vulgar & impertinent suppositions about (Jackson's) mental health"?

Phuquing WRONG, mate (and I dont mean that in a friendly way.)

I actually wrote that Jackson has "some, erm, problems?" I was thinking that he's…

Minister Nick Smith abuses the term "social insurance" in further preparation for privatisation. And invokes the brand of that nice Mr Key to say he isn't doing that (yet).

And with privatisation potentially comes litigation, which could land us back in a pre-1974 situation.

And in another sign, the Granny…

I have no empathy for people who are ostentatious, or who accept titles.

Well, you also regard Jackson as an over-rated mediocrity whose net contribution to the cultural wellness of this country has been less than zero. Think we're going to have to agree to disagree on all of the…

Herald editorial all out of love for Key over his government's drink drive limit intransigence.

If the Herald on Slumday said anything nice about me...

I was interpreting that as an assessment of a shift in the wind, irrespective of whether the wind is right or wrong in blowing the…

I have no empathy for people who are ostentatious, or who accept titles. And there is no comparison between the types of media attention shown to self, and to Jackson (aside from anything else, I have avoided it for the past decade.)

Just enough to respond within minutes :)

Come on — it takes a nano-second to start laughing at an editorial with a headline like 'Come on PM, give us the facts". Given the Herald's own record of not letting facts get in the way when its in campaign mode, I'm…

He and his writing team sentimentalised the wonderful ending to Tolkien’s trilogy, they made an overblown King Kong and God knows what they’ll do to the Hobbit.

No argument there, but they did mercifully spare their audiences from that utter titan of twee, Tom Bombadil.

I don't give a shit what they think about anything.

Just enough to respond within minutes :)

The proportion of surgery claims that were rejected rose to 20 per cent last year, from 12 per cent the year before.

...

The Government quietly acknowledged that ACC's tightening up on surgery approvals would shift patients on to public…

Herald editorial all out of love for Key over his government's drink drive limit intransigence.

If the Herald on Slumday said anything nice about me, I'd sue them for defamation of character. And given that shitty rag's squalid record of junk science, lying with statistics and moral hysteria I don't…

Again justifying the need for research, Key said: "If we want New Zealanders to obey a new law, I think we've got to be able to go out and say 'here's the harm'."

Here is the…

Of everything in New Zealand, some days I miss the Broadcasting Standards Authority the most.

Give it time. After three or four years the crazy and mendacious media will seem quite normal, and you'll finding yourself asking your friends to bring jars of vegemite back from their research trips to…

Cecelia – I began then to think that Jackson may have some, erm, problems...

Wow, Islander — I thought you'd be the one person around there showing a bit of empathy after some of the weird, nasty and very personal media crap dumped on you after the Booker. My mistake.

His blatant foaminess made people accusing our conversations of bias even more ludicrous.

So it's a form of address now, as in Your Esteemed Excellency. Nice.
Ladies and gentlemen, please be upstanding for . . . His Blatant Foaminess.

taking sides in the Hobbit War

His blatant foaminess made people accusing our conversations of bias even more ludicrous. Though it does tell you more about Holmes than Jackson, Islander.

flying hotel

Remember that you have to wear your pyjamas:)

That's what got me.

The- arrgh/struggles for adequate condemnation/feeble little shit- thingo actually is saying just that.

There wont be anyone else in ANZ *ever* who can again do better that a squatty splatter-film maker – o, and *very* astute business person- for anything. Who wanks off with a flying…

There are very few comments, made by an ANZer to another ANZer about another ANZER, that make me cringe.

That one did.

Isnt it…

Of everything in New Zealand, some days I miss the Broadcasting Standards Authority the most.

Speaking of which, Paul Holmes is up for his 3rd stoush with the broadcasting authorities. Firstly, his egging on of the Generation Lost astroturf job. Secondly, the Cheeky Darkie episode. And now, his [[http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10685398|taking sides in…

Of everything in New Zealand, some days I miss the Broadcasting Standards Authority the most.

That's funny, Lucy. After Henrygate, I'm missing broadcasters that hold their 'talent' to professional standards:

MSNBC has suspended star anchor Keith Olbermann following the news that he had donated to three Democratic candidates this election…

I gather Fox News has been airing it like a true thing.

Of everything in New Zealand, some days I miss the Broadcasting Standards Authority the most.

Well we do have a witch-finder general at TV3 – Dunkin' Garner...

But is he a donut?

From a conservative American perspective, the atheists in our parliament may be worse.

Do we have witches in our parliment?

Well we do have a witch-finder general at TV3 – Dunkin' Garner...

There's more to the alternative unlifestyle than your vanilla zombies and werewolves, you know.

Yes, you left out Mummies, Banshees and Spectres. Also, I don't think werewolves are considered undead. Lycanthropy does seem fixated on wolves though. Where's the werebears/tigers/rats?

I can't believe they've only spent $200 million on the war in Afghanistan...
seems like a bargain.

per day?

Ah, could've been clear there.

The lunatic allegation is that a day of the presidential visit costs more than a day off the Afghanistan war.

I can't believe they've only spent $200 million on the war in Afghanistan...
seems like a bargain.

per day?

Anyone got a link to the Greens Parties?

I'm sure they don't really believe a state visit is costing more per day than the entire Afghanistan war --

you sure you got that right?
I can't believe they've only spent $200 million on the war in Afghanistan...
seems like a bargain.

Got something against Werewolves, huh? HUH?

[sigh] Everyone always overlooks the Ghouls, Wights, Liches, Wraiths and Bogarts.

There's more to the alternative unlifestyle than your vanilla zombies and werewolves, you know.

Where does she rate on the Palin Scale? If Sarah Palin is the benchmark at 1.0, I'd wager Bachmann rates a 1.7.

To measure the insanity of Bachmann you take 1 Palin, multiply by 27 3/16, divide by pi cubed over mc2 then throw yourself in front of a bus.

Bachmann-Bullshit Overdrive is functionally brain-dead (zombie!) or a stone cold liar (bad seed!). Either way, she shouldn't be allowed a leadership position at a kindergarten cake stall.

Where does she rate on the Palin Scale? If Sarah Palin is the benchmark at 1.0, I'd wager Bachmann rates a 1.7.

The authentically batshit Teabagger Michelle Bachmann is pushing for a House leadership post.

Ah, yes... This woman who pulled a $200 million a day state visit to India out of her arse. (H/T @publicaddress via Twitter)

Bachmann-Bullshit Overdrive is functionally brain-dead (zombie!) or a stone cold liar (bad seed!).…

I thought it bad form to promote ones self into public office.

It's not online sorry. If you email me at I am more than happy to send you a copy.

The authentically batshit Teabagger Michelle Bachmann is pushing for a House leadership post.

She could be really embarrassing if she gets her way, and vengeful if she doesn't.

I'm concurring with David – this appears to be the OITC, but oh! how I would love it to be the Vatican! :-D

He'd make an excellent mobster. "Me and this here bat, we'll be back tomorrow, and we want our election OK?"

I was thinking "OMFG, James Gandolfini call your agent". Shame he's already done a project called God of Carnage because that would be a great title for an epic Ken…

I mean, wha?

Sounds remarkably similar to what happened in Fiji:
wikipedia link

Also rather cheering to see a shameful Tea Bagger twatcock like Carl Paladino not only got his arse kicked hard, but managed to make his concession even more bizarre and ugly than his campaign:

He'd make an excellent mobster. "Me and this here bat, we'll be back tomorrow, and we…

Is this for real, "Did somebody just try to buy the British government?" (Buzz link as the orig seems overloaded)

I mean, wha?

[edit] Oh edit button, how I love thee.

I really want a Witch or Vampire to get elected now, I'm sick of all the brain dead zombies.

Got something against Werewolves, huh? HUH?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHv-EII7KYQ&feature=player_embedded#!

Remember, this was the man who was going to use eminent domain to stop…

On the other hand the Colarado governor results are awesome.

Also looking like Lisa Murkowski might see off the Palin-endorsed Tea Bagger who beat her in the primary. Going to take a while before we know for sure though — and its shaping up to make Florida 2K look like…

Where is would become the best of all possible…

Sleep with dogs = wake up with fleas.

Possibly not entirely warranted?

lest we forget the greats...
"The batsman's Holding,
the bowler's Willey..."

Perhaps Paul Henry will resurface
in sports commentary...

A very depressing result in Iowa as all three Justices who voted for marriage equality in the state constitution are removed after a…

most of my American relatives and in-laws aren't even on the same planet with me politically

I had this experience today when a friend of mine who lives in Oklahoma (and actually has some quite strong views on things like indigenous rights and immigration) said:

I don't vote. I don't…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEPlZYp5-Pk
I do believe Meg Whitman has just…

(I am not a 'self-hating southerner', whatever that means in this instance: just lamenting that most of my American relatives and in-laws aren't even on the same planet with me politically.…

"I don't want any stinking ideas from presidents," he said, "I want them in harness, pulling the plow."

That's right — what passes for a policy wonk in Republican circles thinks all…

but don't quote me, I am now confused as any US election does to me.

Don't be, Sofie. Very little changes. As you come towards the centre of each they're increasingly indistinguishable these last few decades.

So we have a black president but not a single Afro-American in the senate…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfuwNU0jsk0&feature=player_embedded

It's a little puerile, but I did laugh at this: 20 Worst Names In Political History
Well, OK, it's a lot puerile, but seriously, "Tiny Kox"?

I'm only on the first one and I'm laughing!

"Dick Swett. Integrity in Congress" :D

when commentating on the Boat Race, he came out with: "Ah, isn't that nice, the wife of the Cambridge President is kissing the cox of the Oxford crew."

I really want a Witch or Vampire to get elected now, I'm sick of all the brain dead zombies.

Well, we know that publicly not being a witch gets you not-elected, ergo...

Well, OK, it's a lot puerile, but seriously, "Tiny Kox"?

I really want a Witch or Vampire to get elected now, I'm sick of all the brain dead zombies.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10463579

I don’t think the world is ending, and I will tell you why. For most of our modern history, divided government has been the norm. And while the Republicans are fucking…

That's pretty standard. He's already served his sentence! How much vengeance do you want?

You can never have too much vengeance!

I was genuinely unaware his sentence was already over, which puts a different spin on things. Am I allowed to blame the media for this?

I find Americans lovely. Charming, attentive, and ready to be friendly. Mind you,

Some aint so charming up Illinois way. And they are wayyyy too quick to take offence.

Of course, he should still be retried (and convicted) but I have a funny feeling that won't happen now.

That's pretty standard. He's already served his sentence! How much vengeance do you want?

Individually, I find Americans lovely. Charming, attentive, and ready to be friendly. Mind you, I've only been to California; L.A. alone – I can't count the visit to Miami, because it was so long ago and only for a day, and during that time I managed…

And if I'm not mistaken, both women felt much affection, even love, for the animals they studied.
So, Andre, could that be the same for you;))????

Sadly, yes. I'm deeply fascinated by American politics, but I'm always aware that I'm an outsider looking in, and that my opinions don't carry…

Andre Alessi – Jane Goodall famously studies (& protects) chimpanzees – Dian Fossey was the woman in the mist...

What a ridiculous mistake for me to make. I should have spotted it before I clicked post. Fossey and Goodall were both on my reading list growing up!

Oh, please let those who voted for him be Andre's tribalists, rather than 'the Civil Rights Act is harshing my racist mellow' people...

This might sound intolerably glib, but there's more overlap in that Venn diagram that I'm entirely comfortable with. Perhaps I'm being too cynical for words, and Paul…

Oh, please let those who voted for him be Andre's tribalists, rather than 'the Civil Rights Act is harshing my racist mellow' people...

They're not my tribalists! I just study them from a distance, like Jane Goodall and her gorillas.

Yep, Rand Paul is off to the Senate.

Oh, please let those who voted for him be Andre's tribalists, rather than 'the Civil Rights Act is harshing my racist mellow' people...

don't you know the Constitution has an article written in invisible ink that says "none of the above applied to fags or rag-heads"?

I've always assumed it's in the secret constitution given out to True (white, male, protestant) 'Mericans when they turn 21, much like the secret road rules you…

Christine O'Donnell has lost the Delaware Senate race that would have been winnable for Castle, the moderate Republican that she beat in the primary — and the House seat vacated by Castle has gone to the Democrats.

Speaking of Kentucky, by the by: Lexington, KY elects openly gay mayor.

I'm sure Rand Paul will fix that — don't you know the Constitution has an article written in invisible ink that says "none of the above applied to fags or rag-heads"? Well, you would if it wasn't for…

I suspect it's the hoary old chestnut, "he may be an arsehole, but he's our arsehole" at play there. A bit like the deadbeat dad Newt Gingrich pontificating about "family values".

To be fair, the conviction as it stood was dodgy. It wasn't appropriate to allege that two seperate actions…

Sorry for the thread-jack, but has Darth McVicar and the Insensible Sentencing Trust gotten round to denouncing the politically-correct-crim-coddling Supreme Court letting a violent criminal walk on a technicality?

Yes, Jimmy Mason — the child beater's poster boy — has had his conviction quashed and another little piece of my…

Interns are being issues with aqua-lungs as we speak... All hail the avatar of the Aqua-Buddha!

I'm more amused by the fact that he and his friends kidnapped people and then read Nietzche at them. A more horrific fate I cannot imagine (unless it be Heidegger.)

It appears that Stewart and Colbert weren't quite as effective as you'd hope.

I think Paul was always going to win. KY has had a Republican senator since 1999, and prior to that, the only Democratic senator in the last fifty years was Wendell H. Ford, who won one election…

Yep, Rand Paul is off to the Senate

Interns are being issues with aqua-lungs as we speak... All hail the avatar of the Aqua-Buddha!

Yep, Rand Paul is off to the Senate.

It appears that Stewart and Colbert weren't quite as effective as you'd hope.

Yes, Jimmy Mason — the child beater's poster boy — has had his conviction quashed...

[from Scoop] The Supreme Court has allowed his appeal against conviction because of a misdirection by the trial Judge.

Someone should give that Judge
a good clip around the ears!
Or is it just a…

So,, when I go home this afternoon, what channel should I be watching for the good coverage?

During the last Presidential election we managed to stream CNN on the internet.

Yes, Jimmy Mason — the child beater's poster boy — has had his conviction quashed and another little piece of my…

It is able to monitor the entire globe and is (I argue) an example of ‘dual-use’ technology, that is, technology that can be used to serve both peaceful and military ends.

Maybe it is more "duel-use" as those ends seem oxymoronic – and with global corporations the…

If that doesn't meet the definition of "silencing and patronising" (a tone Jeremy was accused of just one page ago) I don't know what does.

I think you've taken my comment about 10 times more seriously than it was meant. And I liked Danielle's quote being a t-shirt.

Could I haz my thread back plz?

Certainly. Here you go.

I Lol'd

and then I had to explain why I was laughing to my office mate, which turned out to be quite difficult

"people fighting about sexism on the internet" sounds really silly when you say it out loud

Raytheon now also does a lot of the logistical running of both McMurdo and Scott Base (thru Raytheon Polar Services)

I have just finished a Honours dissertation which touched on this. Aside from Raytheon Polar Services, Raytheon's Intelligence and Information Systems (ISS) designed and operates the National Polar-Orbiting Operational Environmental…

What do we want?
Gradual change!
When do we want it?
In due course!

Lol.

I am stunned that so many people who call themselves liberal yet are completely intolerant. I thought liberals loved everyone: the poor, the immigrant, the gays, the handicapped, the minorities, dogs, cats, all eye colors, all hair colors!…

I do, however, have a very serious problem with the private sector operating or owning any capital military assets.

KBR, Halliburton and Raytheon being good examples – Raytheon now also does a lot of the logistical running of both McMurdo and Scott Base (thru…

The diversion of focus onto culture rather than economics has been core Republican/neocon strategy for decades hasn't it?

In a way it's a modern-day form of hiring ½ the working class to kill the other ½. Can't sell Reaganomics to them? Then scare their pants off with sombreroed hordes, towel-headed…

I can't for the life of me understand why the Party of Palin isn't being confronted with its own record.

It was, in public, during the Republican primaries, by the Tea Partiers. Played a big part of why the Tea Party did so well in those primaries.

Also why the…

I'd name it ........'s Law

And thus was born Kracklite's Law

How about Ellipsis's Law
or Tab Leader's Axiom

(help me someone)

Attributed to George Santayana

Well, we agree there. I still think you're reluctant to acknowledge quite how crazy some of the ideas animating the Tea Party phenomenon are.

There is some insane and some pretty standard right wing stuff. Since they are not going to have the numbers to do everything, they'll almost certainly…

I can't for the life of me understand why the Party of Palin isn't being confronted with its own record.

That would be nice, yes.

Autopedantry in action:

while riding tigers

whilst riding tigers.

I like "whilst". And "whom". Nice words, much underused.

Paranoid rage is not merely a symptom, it's a strategy (ahem, if I weren't pseudonymous, I'd name it ........'s Law: "The symptom becomes the strategy"). Both at the level of grand political campaign strategy and personally.

And thus was born Kracklite's Law

All true, but I do think Olympia Snowe deserves significant criticism for the fact she eventually decided to toe the Republican Party line and fillibuster against the Senate Healthcare legislation- despite the fact she was part of the Group of Six which helped draft it.

Fair enough, but at least…

I can't for the life of me understand why the Party of Palin isn't being confronted with its own record.

To misquote Lawrence Olivier, why don't you try cognitive dissonance, dear boy?

Paranoid rage is not merely a symptom, it's a strategy (ahem, if I weren't pseudonymous, I'd name it…

Could I haz my thread back plz?

Sure. Is there any point in noting that my homegirl Olympia Snowe (with reservations) supported Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) funds and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act? She's actually got more fiscal conservative street cred than most of her party, because she…

Well you say that and Bush said that and Obama says that, but theres these guys down the street who say differently. They say America didn't need to bail out the bankers.

And even if they are wrong, politically it sells.

Well, we agree there. I still think you're reluctant…

Stewart began his speech by saying that we live in bad times, not end times. This is dangerous bullshit. To pick only one example, there is an almost complete scientific consensus that global…

a tone Jeremy was accused of just one page ago

Actually, that's not quite what I said. I said he was using those tactics, but FWIW, I think quite unwittingly.

Hopefully — but not likely — with a sounder understanding of TARP than you have expressed above. Did you miss the part about how the TARP money comes back?

No. I was aware of that. And the money being repaid is not the point.

Loaning money to vast corporations owned…