Daily Kos

Midday open thread

by kos

Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 08:32:37 AM PDT

Gotta check out, have lunch with a friend, visit some other friends at the state capitol, then head over to the airport where the JetBlue lounge has wi-fi. See you in a few hours.

Update [2005-4-19 12:20:5 by ct]:

Nuntio vobis gaudium magnum: habemus papam!

Eminentissimum ac Reverendissimum Dominum, Dominum Josephum, Sanctæ Romanæ Ecclesiæ Cardinalem Ratzinger, qui sibi nomen imposuit Benedictus Sextus Decimus.

And now we know.

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Permalink | 371 comments

  •  George W. (none / 1)

    Posted a diary....

    http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/4/16/0266/81012

    It's not easy being a Floridian

    by lawstudent922 on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 08:31:28 AM PDT

  •  An easy question (none / 0)

    If I give money to a political campaign, the campaign has to report my contribution as long as it is over a certain amount.  What is that amount?

    In other words, if I give $5 to Hillary Clinton, I assume my name does not show up in any public records.  Or does it?

    by Steve M on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 08:33:39 AM PDT

    •  IIRC (none / 0)

      $200.  After $200 contributions, the org/candidate needs to knwo your employer name and occupation.

      but I'm no expert:) and it may vary by state? but I think federally it is 200

      by kellyb628 on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 08:44:09 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  It is $200 federal (none / 0)

        Most states follow the same guideline, but your state/county/city elections boards will know that.  

        Since they can't predict your future contributions and with so many methods of giving it's nigh impossible to quickly identify repeat givers, they'll usually collect all the info no matter how small your contribution.

        Visit Switzerblog now, damn your hide!

        by switzerblog on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 09:32:54 AM PDT

        [ Parent ]

        •  Don't Try to Split Them (none / 0)

          My understanding is that federal laws are for federal candidates and state laws are for state candidates.  

          In Texas, for example, you can actually give up to $50 to a state candidate anonymously.  

          Federal candidates actually have to track how much you give to them.  If you give two $100 donations, they are supposed to call you.  I'm not really sure what happens in the call, but I think they make you take back the smaller ones and give one $200 donation, so they can report your donation.  

          by blank on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 11:51:03 AM PDT

          [ Parent ]

          •  Those calls are ID calls (none / 0)

            Just verifying information.  The only time they want you to pull money back or move it around is when you give, say, $5500.  They'll call you to split $2k for the primary, $2k for the general and $1500 from your spouse.

            If they've gathered your information (as we all do) and you reach $200, no call is necessary.  All contributions are tracked very, very carefully.  The point is they can't, at an instant's notice in any given situation, identify if you've already given and/or how much.  Those are enormous databases, so all that matching up is done at the office.

            Visit Switzerblog now, damn your hide!

            by switzerblog on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 08:47:24 PM PDT

            [ Parent ]

      •  but why (none / 0)

        do they need to know who my employer is?  Will they tell him who I contribute to? What does it matter if I'm a frycook or a sous-chef?  If I get fired for crossing ideologic lines, what can I do?  
        Yokes!  That just cured me of wanting to give any money at all!

        It's still upsetting for some people to know that the hippies were the ones telling the truth about Vietnam and trying to help America. - Anonymous

        by eunichorn on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 11:36:21 AM PDT

        [ Parent ]

        •  They want to know (none / 0)

          as a way to protect against an employer forcing workers to contribute, or exceeding the maximum allowed by individuals by making the donations surreptiously. It also gives a sense of what interests are backing which candidates.

          I agree it is open to abuse, but this was a reform backed by progressives when it came about.

          by seanflynn on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 11:39:23 AM PDT

          [ Parent ]

          •  Yup (none / 0)

            If every Enron exec suddenly gives $2000 to Bush, and later that week hundreds of mid-level execs do the same, then two days later all of their secretaries do the same...that can be tracked when the investigation starts.

            And if you're fired for crossing ideological lines, find a better company and sue the balls off your old one.

            Visit Switzerblog now, damn your hide!

            by switzerblog on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 08:50:41 PM PDT

            [ Parent ]

  •  I notice that... (4.00 / 6)

    ...since the Pope died gas prices have gone down a little bit.  I'm not sure what to make of this.  I can't imagine mileage the Popemobile got was low enough for that to be a factor.  Perhaps this is a true miracle, and one that qualifies him for sainthood?

    I'm no theologian.  Can anyone help me out here??

    "Catch-22 says they have a right to do anything we can't stop them from doing." -- Joseph Heller

    by Roddy McCorley on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 08:39:02 AM PDT

  •  "Check out?" (none / 0)

    What, you mean you have a life away from your computer?

    UncommonSense

    by hbyronk on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 08:39:41 AM PDT

  •  HELP OUT!! (none / 0)

    Amy Klobuchar is running for US Senate in Minnesota -- you all knew that though. But if you google "Klobuchar" you don't get her campaign website -- it's not even on the first page!

    SO HELP OUT!

    Click on Amy Klobuchar to bring her Page Rank up to the top spot. We don't want her getting GoogleBombed either!

    If th' meek ever do inherit th' earth some one'll git it away from 'em before they have it an hour

    by NorthStarDemocrat on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 08:40:50 AM PDT

  •  Pope & Bolton cartoon (none / 0)


    http://www.theillustrateddailyscribble.com/

    "This chamber reeks of blood." -- Sen George McGovern, 1970

    by cotterperson on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 08:44:51 AM PDT

    •  New pope elected... (none / 0)

      see the usual MSM for the word...

      Let's hope that it's not Ratzinger.

      An untypical Negro...since 1954.

      by blksista on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 09:03:44 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      •  Breaking News! (4.00 / 3)

        New Pope Selected!  He's still Catholic!  And It's one of those guys I never heard of before this week!  Hurray!

        "We've done the impossible and that makes us mighty."

        by Dissento on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 09:06:08 AM PDT

        [ Parent ]

      •  $10 Says (none / 0)

        birth control stays off-limits.

        We are called to speak for the weak, for the voiceless, for victims of our nation and for those it calls enemy.... --ML King "Beyond Vietnam"

        by Gooserock on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 09:20:46 AM PDT

        [ Parent ]

      •  Word on Ratzinger (none / 0)

        Even if it is him, though, at least it was a genuine consensus choice.  One of the worst (and appropriately most unnoticed) things JP Dos did was game the election of his successor to allow hard-liners to push through someone with a slim majority if they just waited a bit in the posh new conclave.

        by BStu on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 09:22:02 AM PDT

        [ Parent ]

        •  Sieg Heil! (3.50 / 2)

          Word on the Internets is he was a member of the Hilter Youth as a yungun.  Conspiracy theory for me is that, in order to contest the CC's involvement in laundering monies from the Holocaust victims into Vatican banks, his Holiness will cover all the tracks.

          Second conspiracy theory is:

          Prescott Bush's grandson is the leader of the USA.
          Ratzinger is Pope.
          The world is gonna get a lot more fascist before this is over...

          The MSM is propaganda.

          by mmuskratt on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 09:54:12 AM PDT

          [ Parent ]

          •  There have just been four indictments in Italy (none / 1)

            over the muder of Roberto Calvi. Cardinal Marcinkus of the Chicago Archdiocese was the instigator but lives in retirement in Sun City and is not doing interviews.  

            The Holocaust suit: link

            by Heteraetcaetera on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 09:57:52 AM PDT

            [ Parent ]

          •  Yeah but.. (none / 0)

            And this is just something I read on Wikipedia, so take it with a grain of salt..

            He was required to join the Hitler Youth as a kid in Germany at the time, but he deserted the army in 1944 and spent some time in an Allied POW camp before he was released at the end of the war and went to seminary.

            Other than that, I have no idea what his connection is or thoughts are on Nazis and fascism.

            by Brighteye on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 10:04:34 AM PDT

            [ Parent ]

            •  Pass (none / 0)

              I'm completely willing to give him a pass on the Hitler youth.  Frankly, its unnecessary to focus on such a distant activity with questionable intent when there is so much more immediate concerns with his extremist views.

              Not to be morbid, but we should remember than Benedict XVI won't be pope for 26 years.  Is it possible that he is seen by the cardinals as a transitional pope?  If so, though, one has to worry as to what that transition might be.  Is Bene just a place holder for an appropriate 3rd World pope to gather supermajority support.  Or is he a transition to an even more severely reactionary Opus Dei-style theology for his successor.

              Or maybe, just maybe, he's the Catholic Church's David Souter.  He talked tough as a Cardinal, but now he'll lead more expansively.  I'm not expecting it, but I wouldn't discount it just yet, either.

              by BStu on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 11:13:31 AM PDT

              [ Parent ]

              •  Pope: Catholic Church's David Souter (none / 0)

                Love it - only on dKos baby, only on dKos!

                by YoGo on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 11:37:04 AM PDT

                [ Parent ]

              •  Right but... (none / 0)

                When you appoint a mess of hard-liners as cardinals, who would you expect them to select as pope other than another hard-liner?

                And with another hard-liner as pope, he's only going to appoint more of them as the remaining progressives die off.

                Things ain't changing any time soon.

                "Unseen, in the background, Fate was quietly slipping the lead into the boxing glove." P.G. Wodehouse

                by gsbadj on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 12:51:06 PM PDT

                [ Parent ]

          •  That was a looong time ago (none / 0)

                We can have a lot against Pope Benedict XVI (Ratzinger) [who wants to take bets on when the Pope Benedict Arnold jokes start], but lets not try to pin him as a Nazi. He was caught up in what took a lot of youth at the time in Germany, in a time of utter bleakness. We had FDR during our Depression, the germans didn't and had it much worse.
                He has repudiated his membership multiple times and sincerely apologized to the Jewish community. Its a dead issue. If anything, it has led him to believe more ardently that the church should stand up against such things.

            Some men see things as they are and ask why? I dream of things that never were, and ask, Why Not? ~Robert F. Kennedy

            by Southern Liberal on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 11:09:19 AM PDT

            [ Parent ]

          •   Wonder what Matthew Fox is going to say about (none / 0)

            this one...

            Not anything overwhelmingly positive, though, but it would help to chart his rightism from 1968 when he became an apostate about progressive causes.

            An untypical Negro...since 1954.

            by blksista on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 11:19:35 AM PDT

            [ Parent ]

        •  Ratzinger is the worst of both worlds (none / 0)

          He is very conservative doctrinally (his Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is the successor of the Inquisition, and it is no accident) and he is also a foe of the social justice and anti-globalization Catholics in the Southern Hemi.  So we get an anti-female, anti-sex, anti-independent thought, pro-capitalism, pro-ruling class infallible Austrian.  If he is a consensus, then there must have been some promises on the next guy.  Otherwise the Church just lost several million adherents in the West.

          John McCain--he's not who you think he is.

          by Mimikatz on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 10:28:03 AM PDT

          [ Parent ]

          •  Nobody's said it yet, so I will... (none / 0)

            Oh, Rats!

            Seriously, it wasn't unexpected but it's quite disheartening. It's like voting in Torquemada as Pope.

            If I wasn't a damned heathen, I'd be bummed right now.

            Arnold and Dubya star in "Twins II"
            http://msgeek703.googlepages.com/thearnoldanddubyashow
            Remember Katrina: throw the bastards out!

            by MamasGun on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 10:52:58 AM PDT

            [ Parent ]

          •  Pope Hitler google bomb, anyone? (none / 1)

            Anyone? I would love to associate the new Pope's Vatican page with 'Pope Hitler' in Google. And yes, I'm aware it's hyperbole. That's why I like it... it zings! Plus, even putting the HY aside, the man is a total bastard who wouldn't recognize Christ's teachings if they up and smacked him in his Nazi face.

            For those who want to say that he had no choice in joining the HY, that's a bold-faced lie. It was dangerous choice to make, but some Germans managed somehow to do it. So don't lie about it.

            by christian on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 11:05:59 AM PDT

            [ Parent ]

            •  Homeboy deserted from the Nazi Army. (none / 0)

              Risking execution. Give him some credit. He was just a teenager, after all, and made a brave decision (eventually).

              by jonathanjo on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 11:15:13 AM PDT

              [ Parent ]

              •  Wasn't into it; many others were a lot more (none / 0)

                openly courageous about it and were shot for their resistance.

                He saw Jews being herded towards the camps.

                Ratzinger saw that the war was lost and was a losing proposition.  Being a PoW wasn't a death sentence for him.

                Not sure whether it was the Russkies or the Allies who captured him.

                An untypical Negro...since 1954.

                by blksista on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 11:22:10 AM PDT

                [ Parent ]

              •  even so... (none / 0)

                He also claims to this day he had no choice, when he did. Yes, the alternative was dangerous. Survivors from that era have pointed this out. But since I can't know the particulars, I am more willing to give him the benefit of the doubt on that score.

                Where I'm not willing to give him the benefit of the doubt is on his reactionary policies of the last twenty, thirty years. The dude deserves the moniker Pope Hitler (admitting fully it's an exaggeration... I just think it rings nicely and fairly ture) even without the Hitlerjugend stench.

                Wander on over to Whiskey Bar and take a look.

                As John Paul's doctrinal watchdog, Ratzinger disciplined Latin American "liberation theology" theologians, denounced homosexuality and gay marriage and pressured Asian priests who saw non-Christian religions as part of God's plan for humanity. In a document in 2000, he branded other Christian churches as deficient -- shocking Anglicans, Lutherans and other Protestants in ecumenical dialogue with Rome for years."

                The man is one of the most responsible or derailing the Liberation Theology movement which tried to get the Church to focus on redressing the suffering of the poor and the oppressed. I guess it's okay to be a subversive priest when the power is an atheist commie in Europe, but when it's a good Catholic fascist in Latin America das ist verboten!

                He's been extremely helpful in pushing the freaks in Opus Dei to take over as the Church's official educators of the youth.

                He's a mess, and I'm sticking with Pope Hitler.

                by christian on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 12:24:51 PM PDT

                [ Parent ]

          •  asdf (none / 0)

            "anti-female, anti-sex, anti-independent thought, pro-capitalism, pro-ruling class infallible Austrian"

            . . . and he's, what, 78 or so? It's not as if he'll be around
            forever-and-a-day, like his predecessor.

            Alban

            by Alban on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 12:33:20 PM PDT

            [ Parent ]

        •  It was a consensus (none / 0)

          of hard right-wing cardinals, 112 out of 114 (not counting Ratzinger) who were picked by JPII specifically for their conservative views.

          It would be like getting a consensus out of Bob Jones University.

          by seanflynn on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 11:41:22 AM PDT

          [ Parent ]

          •  True, but... (none / 0)

            At least its what they want, so we all know where they stand.  I was more worried about the gaming of the system.  Given that JPII decided to do that after stacking the Cardinals anyway, there was some cause for concern.

            by BStu on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 12:02:26 PM PDT

            [ Parent ]

      •  It is Ratzinger (none / 1)

        Back to the Middle Ages.

        Too bad.

        by Hrothgar on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 09:43:48 AM PDT

        [ Parent ]

      •  Respect...or not... (none / 0)

        Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected  the new pope today.  As a cardinal he had been known for cracking down on liberalizations in the Church.

        Seeing that Ratzinger is already 78 years old, many saw him as a caretaker pope which would allow the Church to hold a discussion on where it was heading.

        One place it is not heading: a more humane approach to the AIDS issue.  Ratzinger has long been a traditionalist on the approach to out of wedlock sex, and thus the use of condoms.  Thus, in many ways, this is a sad day for the peoples of nations that have been ravaged by AIDS while the Catholic Church turns its back and continues its misguided approach of denying the existence of humanity in humans.  Sex is a part of human interaction that somehow scares the Church.  When it overcomes its fear of women and its disgust for the human body, then a more respectable form of Christianity can emerge.

        Calitics : the progressive Community blog for California.

        by UTBriancl on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 11:36:02 AM PDT

        [ Parent ]

  •  Coming Attractions Vin Diesel is SUPER POPE! (none / 1)

    http://rising-hegemon.blogspot.com/2005/04/coming-to-theatre-near-you.html

    by attaturk on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 08:47:57 AM PDT

  •  Man, stupid vatican. (4.00 / 2)

    Making me miss the showcase showdown of Price is Right!

    "When we are all guilty that will be democracy." -Albert Camus.

    by BrianL on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 08:49:57 AM PDT

  •  Whoring my diary because (none / 0)

    the issue is important.

    http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/4/19/115256/615

    "As if "Sunday Justice" isn't enough, two darlings of the radical-right Republican Christian movement, James Dobson (Focus on the Family) and Tony Perkins (Family Research Council), have teamed up again in going nuclear on the filibuster:

        Nineteen senators in 14 states are being targeted in newspaper and radio ads designed to end the Democrats' obstruction of President Bush's federal court nominees."

    Sorry if there's a rule against this. So be it.

    by towit on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 08:55:41 AM PDT

    •  Who am I to speak out against diary whoring? (none / 0)

      (see below for MY whoring!).  It's an important issue, so glad you're highlighting it.  NO rules violation that I can see here.

      Andy
      Sarasota

      The Alton Weekly Inquirer! News roundup with snark returns on September 5th!

      by AAbshier on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 08:58:55 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  I'm going to jump in too (none / 0)

      There's been another big theft of identity information in Ohio that may cause problems for about 96,000 people. Diary here
      According to Yahoo News the Justice Department is shielding some corporations from having to admit what's happened to them, and the FTC's worried about giving out too much info on identity theft!  Too much??

      Focus on the Family = Family Research Council, now separate, but definitely connected. FOF has it's own zip code!

      by greatbasin2 on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 11:34:09 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  Ten years ago... (none / 1)

    (blatant diary whoring follows)

    I was in Oklahoma City when the bomb exploded, ten years ago today.  My story is here, just now falling off the diary scroll.  

    Lots going on today, but have a look at it if you have time.

    Andy
    Sarasota

    The Alton Weekly Inquirer! News roundup with snark returns on September 5th!

    by AAbshier on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 08:57:52 AM PDT

  •  Senate goes on recess to protect Bolton (4.00 / 3)

    Just in from Steve Clemons:

    TWN just received news that in order to preempt Senate Democrats from objecting to a Senate Foreign Relations Committee vote today on John Bolton's nomination to be U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., the Republican leadership is suspending all operations of the Senate today until the Hearings -- which have now been postponed until 4:30 p.m.

    Because Senator Frist's office feared that a Democratic Senator would object to the Hearings on the Floor of the Senate at 2 p.m., the Republicans -- in order to RAM THE BOLTON NOMINATION THROUGH -- have gone into recess.

     

    John McCain--he's not who you think he is.

    by Mimikatz on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 08:59:11 AM PDT

    •  Good--They'll Get It Out of Their System (none / 0)

      and be much more reasonable about the judges.

      Then I woke up.

      We are called to speak for the weak, for the voiceless, for victims of our nation and for those it calls enemy.... --ML King "Beyond Vietnam"

      by Gooserock on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 09:22:26 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  new pope n/t (none / 1)

    by InStride on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 09:00:32 AM PDT

  •  Oh, the irony... (none / 0)

    There's a long snarky ranting diary in this article, for someone, but not me, because my head is broken.

    Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Tuesday called the Kremlin's tight grip on power and the media "very worrying" and urged Russian President Vladimir Putin not to cling on to power beyond his present term.

    Seriously, do the cognitive dissonance alarms not go off every time a member of the Bush Administration speaks?

    Obama Everywhere!

    by kismet on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 09:01:33 AM PDT

  •  Hey, I Got Hate E-Mail from a Corsi Fan! (none / 1)

    Said I had a "filthy mouth" and was a "liberal pig" because I asked (on Kos)why the fuck the MSM hasn't exposed this son of a bitch Corsi for what he is. I replied to him that he really needs to take his meds every day.  He sent me a reply to that, but I simply deleted it and indicated it was Spam. Jerkoffs like this aren't really worth getting into a dialogue with.

    OTOH, he was lurking around Daily Kos, so it must have really been driving him nuts. HA!

    Check out J. Miller Rampant! or Joseph A. Miller for more.

    by Yosef 52 on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 09:02:19 AM PDT

  •  Cat Killer Frist trying to overturn filibuster (none / 0)

    AS kos pointed out in one of his diaries, Frist voted to filibuster one of Clinton's nominees, yet now thinks that the filibuster is a bad idea, what a  hypocrit.  

    But I think the main thrust against Frist should be his cat killing, this is something that he freely admitted, here's the UPI article   All the filibuster talk is fine, but ordinary people don't pay attention to it (I know a few ordinary people and I've checked with them).  Sure most of us on dKos are up on the effect of the filibuster being overturned, but it just doesn't register with ordinary americans.

    Be sure to work in the "Cat Killer Frist" tag whenever mentioning Frist anywhere.

    by MD patriot on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 09:04:52 AM PDT

    •  ummm (none / 0)

      But I think the main thrust against Frist should be his cat killing

      if we were PETA, sure.  but that is the single worst line of attack we could employ now.  

      a) he wasn't a politician at the time
      b) it's not relevant to the current political issues
      c) a lot of people (especially of the "them" variety) really wouldn't care.  sad but true.

      what he is doing (speaking at the WingnutTM Revue) is a violation of his oath to uphold and defend the constitution.  that's all the thrust we need.  of course, it doesn't hurt to emphasize "batshit crazy" as often as possible, but even that's tangential.

       

      "Government, like dress, is the badge of lost innocence; the palaces of kings are built upon the ruins of the bowers of paradise." Thomas Paine, Common Sense

      by Cedwyn on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 10:00:51 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  Yes -- not well-known enough (none / 0)

      I casually referred to Frist as a cat-killer on Friday to my wife, and was flabbergasted when she had no idea what I was talking about.

      When we talk about war, we're really talking about peace. George W. Bush

      by Frederick on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 11:54:23 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  JetBlue (none / 0)

    Best.

    Airline.

    Ever.

    Check out My T-shirts

    by mrboma on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 09:07:42 AM PDT

  •  Flash: New Pope Elected (none / 0)

    www.washingtonpost.com

    by Cat4everrr on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 09:08:42 AM PDT

  •  Prediction (none / 0)

    new poe = Pope Pius XIII

    by Dev on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 09:11:23 AM PDT

  •  That's "Nuntio vobis," boss (n/t) (none / 0)

    Michael
    Musing's musings

    by musing85 on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 09:17:19 AM PDT

  •  Whorring and other fun... (none / 0)

    I posted a diary about a post on No Left Turns I read that started to get my undies in a bundle.  Essentially the author thinks that Earth Day is an ironic celebration by the Left in conjunction with Lenin's birthday.  Link in to weigh in...it gets interesting if we post on their site about this...

    by NeverSummer on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 09:20:10 AM PDT

  •  "Move Left" is my blog. (none / 0)

    http://MoveLeft.com

    The Latest Articles

    Voting Rights: The Bizarro World's Panel to Improve Elections, Part 2

    Admission to Yale: The  Unfair Legacy Continues

    Conservative Con: Condoleezza Rice Tries to Trick Us About Progress Against
     Terrorism; Cancels an Unfavorable Report

    Fun: Compare the Boltons

    Mercury in Midwest Lakes

    Kos and Wonkette Should Co-Host a TV Show

    Nuclear Power Discussed in Letter to the New York Times

    http://MoveLeft.com

    Verify the Vote.

    by Eric J in MN on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 09:20:18 AM PDT

  •  Tribune de Genève has a CHILEAN cardinal (none / 0)

    Not named.

    by Heteraetcaetera on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 09:20:59 AM PDT

  •  well (none / 1)

    well if the cardinals used diebold machines there can only be one winner.............George Bush of course.

    "GDI" baby

    by threecents on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 09:21:29 AM PDT

  •  April 19th (3.50 / 6)

    While we seem to be hearing about the 10th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing, I prefer to think of this as the 230th anniversary of the battles of Lexington and Concord.

    This country was founded not by Christians, but by ordinary citizens standing against an oppressive government.  If you don't understand that fundamental fact, you're not much of an American.  

    One of the greatest, most brazen thefts of all time, in my opinion, is the theft of our very history from us.  I don't know how you take the founding of this nation, and reduce it to the dry, boring, forgettable facts that we pass off as "education."  I don't know how you take a man as compelling as George Washington, and turn him into a pitchman for mattress sales once a year.

    The story of the founding of this nation -- from its Revolution to its Constitution -- was unprecedented in all of human history.  Yeah, they didn't get everything just right -- slavery comes to mind immediately -- but they didn't really have as much to guide them as you might think.  No one had ever sat down and drafted the blueprint for a national government from scratch before.  

    It should be a source of pride for all of us.  Not the reflexive, uncritical pride that greets the waving of the flag or the hearing of the national anthem.  This is a pride that can be weighed and balanced.  This is a pride that can admit shortcomings, while admiring real and significant accomplishments.  This is a pride that can be tinged with humility, as many of the Founders behaved with humility.  

    This nation's history, for all of its missteps, has been a source of inspiration to the world for 230 years.  And yet, it's too much trouble for most of its citizens to learn about it.  That might cut into time better spent watching reruns of "Fear Factor."

    Happy April 19th, everybody!  Don't surrender it to the likes of Timothy McVeigh.

    Or George W. Bush...

    "Catch-22 says they have a right to do anything we can't stop them from doing." -- Joseph Heller

    by Roddy McCorley on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 09:21:34 AM PDT

  •  Urbis Et Orbis (none / 0)

    and I can't remember a d*** thing more from the three years of Latin I took in high school....

    Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam

    by Peter VE on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 09:22:25 AM PDT

    •  I had to look it up, too. (none / 0)

      Oddly, I'm not even Catholic. I just know a small smattering of Latin and know way too much about various religions, Catholicism being one of them.


      -----------
      /* You are not expected to understand this. */

      by ct on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 09:27:10 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  Romans, Go home (none / 0)

      by jackinthebox4 on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 09:42:51 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  Nunc est legendum (none / 0)

      Am I the only one on this board that reads Latin?

      Eminentissimum ac Reverendissimum Dominum, Dominum Josephum, Sanctæ Romanæ Ecclesiæ Cardinalem Ratzinger, qui sibi nomen imposuit Benedictus Sextus Decimus.

      Our most eminent and revered master, master Joseph, Cardinal Ratzinger of the Holy Roman Church, who introduces his name as Benedict the 16th.

      fiat lux.

      by Vince CA on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 10:13:01 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    •  I took two years of Latin... (none / 0)

      ...and found it very useful when watching a "Bullwinkle" cartoon years later.  Boris had just lit the fuse on a bomb, and he says to Natasha, "In the words of Julius Caesar" and reeled of some Latin that I won't reproduce here.

      "What does that mean, dahlink?" Natasha asked, not unreasonably, in my opinion.

      "It means 'Let's get out of here!'" Boris answered.  At which point I was laughing pretty hard.  My perplexed wife asked me what it was Boris had just said.  I told her, "Gaul is divided in to three parts."

      She still didn't think it was as funny as I did.  Oh well.  

      I don't know if this says more about Latin, or Bullwinkle...

      "Catch-22 says they have a right to do anything we can't stop them from doing." -- Joseph Heller

      by Roddy McCorley on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 10:42:00 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  •  New Pope's Name Revealed!! (4.00 / 3)

    Plutonia Pagia

    In loving memory: Sophie, June 1, 1993-January 17, 2005. My huckleberry friend.

    by Paul in Berkeley on Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 09:24:34 AM PDT

  •  The guy from Milan (