Lightbulb !

Have you figured it out yet?
Do you "know" how we Americans are being robbed every day?
Do you know who the thieves are?
If you don't know the answer to these questions by now-
there is little hope for you.
There have been millions of gallons of oil stolen from the Iraqi
people and billions of dollars from our Treasury---every day !
It is "easy".  Tankers are loaded at Basra with Iraqi oil and
from there they go to one of the many Arab Emirates for
conversion to "Arab oil".  And to make matters worse, they are
controlling the price of the stolen oil and selling 90% of it back to us.
We're not being screwed, we're being "sandwiched".

It is the most flagrant theft that I can ever recall.
Halliburton, the company formerly headed by our alleged
Vice President, is the main actor in the theft.
They all think that they are bomb-proof!
And we sit here trying to figure out why the World markets
are crazy?  When a thief steals all of the money from a bank,
where does the bank get funds to do business?
My God !  Someone should be alarmed by these actions.
Are you all numb?
And now they are running a Bush clone to carry  the scheme
into the next four years?
The World thinks we are a pack of idiots.
Are we?
Wake up America!  

•  Ohhh I know I know!

  Do you know who the thieves are?

  It's the oil maggots, isn't it?

  by PerfectStormer on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 10:00:33 AM PDT

  •  Horshack, is that you?

    s/ Epstein's mother.

    by alasmoses on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 10:06:31 AM PDT

  •  Halliburton moved its HQ to Dubai s/t

    by Land of Enchantment on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 11:16:24 AM PDT

    •  Ah, this smells of Dick Cheney

      I mean, when I smell horses**t....  I mean, moving the HQ to Dubai.  When he was CEO of Halliburton in the five years leading up to 2000, the number of offshore subsidiaries of Halliburton increased hugely, I can't quite remember the figures, something like from 4 to 29.  This is the new Republicanism.....steal Americas wealth and swear their loyalty on a Bible.  But it still smells like horses**t, doesn't it?!

      by seawolf1957 on Tue Apr 01, 2008 at 12:14:35 PM PDT

•  Damn. nt

  by bugscuffle on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 10:00:40 AM PDT

•  i just finished

  eating my lunch.

  edscan, we are not the numb ones here. we are awake.

  by Glacial Erratic on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 10:01:15 AM PDT

•  now more than ever, it's time to rec edscan.

  by Addison on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 10:02:48 AM PDT

  •  It is going to make the rec list

    one day. Make it today!

    by pgm 01 on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 10:04:12 AM PDT

    •  Not with 39 recs so far.

      But the diary will be on jotter's "high-impact" list tomorrow.

      by Neon Vincent on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 12:39:13 PM PDT

      •  Up to 64.

        My little blurb in my blockbuster diary today drew in some more eyes.  And I sent in a top comment about not messing with edscan's tags, too.  Cryptic enough that it should oughta pick up a few more this evening.

        by Land of Enchantment on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 04:10:14 PM PDT

        •  it won't happen until the nom is settled

          In the decompression period immediately after Clinton withdraws, general traffic and diary-glut should decline.  That'll make it possible for a reasonable Rec-count to qualify for the list.

          by N in Seattle on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 04:48:20 PM PDT

  •  How very Nixonian!

    I remember having an "Impeach, now more than ever" bumper sticker!

    by MKinTN on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 10:22:06 AM PDT

    •  Not sure I'd call someone with that bumpersticker

      "Nixonian". Just saying ...

      by Glinda on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 10:32:20 AM PDT

      •  His campaign slogan in '72

        ...was "Nixon, now more than ever" or some such rot.

        by MKinTN on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 10:43:58 AM PDT

        •  yeah, what a CREEP

          Committee to Re-Elect the President

          Good god, that was an awful time...

          by N in Seattle on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 11:27:37 AM PDT

        •  Ah! I get it now.

          I was just a prepubescent thing back in 1972.

          by Glinda on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 01:16:36 PM PDT

    •  sorry, best I had lying around

      

      by section29 on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 03:28:11 PM PDT

•  This diary could be

  the world's longest
  bumper sticker

  !

  by Plutonium Page on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 10:03:16 AM PDT

  •  Less is More

    Great things come in small ...
    Western Haiku

    by indycam on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 10:18:18 AM PDT

  •  Glad to see edscan has fans in high places. The

    plan is working!

    by DemocraticLuntz on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 10:34:22 AM PDT

•  I assume the below quote from your diary is true.

  Tankers are loaded at Basra with Iraqi oil and
  from there they go to one of the many Arab Emirates for conversion to "Arab oil".  

  It you could link to this finding I would apreciate it. This is a "killer" for Bush/McCain.

  by alasmoses on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 10:03:26 AM PDT

  •  I wouldn't get my hopes up. nt

    by bugscuffle on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 10:04:51 AM PDT

  •  This is an edscan diary

    There are no links in poetry.

    by Glinda on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 10:30:11 AM PDT

  •  For what it's worth

    I found this.

    by statistic on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 10:50:31 AM PDT

    •  Ooh, ooh!

      Via this, I also found this
      Quote:

      ''Because of the security situation in Iraq the smuggling operations are just as active. Sometimes they send it to Iran and sometimes to the United Arab Emirates. It depends where their boats take them.''

      by statistic on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 11:52:03 AM PDT

      •  Huh...

        "It depends where their boats take them."

        They don't know in advance?  Wow. (snark)

        by gizmo59 on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 01:57:03 PM PDT

•  Why bother with

  the stop in the Emirates?  Wouldn't all those empties headed back to Basra raise suspicion?

  by bugscuffle on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 10:03:38 AM PDT

•  tag I want to see

  Drinking Your Milkshake

  Please take that one into consideration, edscan.

  by Glacial Erratic on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 10:06:21 AM PDT

  •  Eating your lunch, drinking your milkshake

    Hmmm...time to run over to Sonic.

    by MKinTN on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 10:19:37 AM PDT

    •  I've abandoned

      my edscan!

      by Glacial Erratic on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 10:22:50 AM PDT

•  I like the title a lot

  Energy related, and yet subliminally so. And at the same time metaphorical.

  Wow.  Mastery again.

  by mem from somerville on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 10:07:04 AM PDT

  •  But what kind of lightbulb?

    Incandescent, or compact fluorescent?

    Or... metal halide?

    by Frankenoid on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 10:09:50 AM PDT

    •  definitely LED n/t

      by Glacial Erratic on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 10:12:37 AM PDT

    •  L.E.D.

      Light Emitting Diary ?

      by indycam on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 10:14:50 AM PDT

      •  I though it was an LEP

        Light emitting pickle.

        Which reminds me -- I need to order LED Christmas lights.  We ran out last year, and couldn't find more.

        by Frankenoid on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 10:16:25 AM PDT

      •  Nicely done

        How about:

        Lucid Edscan Day?

        by Fortschreitend on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 10:17:35 AM PDT

        •  Learn Edscan Diction? n/t

          by Glacial Erratic on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 10:19:10 AM PDT

•  The Punishment Will Fit The Crime

  We won't get them in prison, or in front of a tribunal, but we're going to destroy their party. And that, I think, is the punishment that will hurt them most.

  by SteamPunkX on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 10:11:24 AM PDT

  •  My children are one and a half and two and a half

    if I have anything to do with it (and I shall) they will be writing essays all of the way through school about how the democratic party took and maintained control because:

    A:  Conservatism was tried and proved to be stupid

    &

    B:  Bush was such a horrendous idiot of a president that it destroyed his party for at least a generation.

    Additionally, I intend to find a way to email Boosh and cc Cheney, Rove, et al following each election that results in an arse whooping for the GOP to remind them that the longest lasting result of their time at the helm is the removal of power from their party and a permanent turning away from their agenda.

    by lockewasright on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 10:23:31 AM PDT

    •  I have a problem with one of your essay subjects.

      A:  Conservatism was tried and proved to be stupid

      I agree, but more-so to the facts of the matter, I believe:

      A:  Conservatism was tried and proved to be dangerous to a free forward-looking nation

      Maybe stupid and dangerous together?

      by WSComn on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 10:54:14 AM PDT

      •  Agreed. I will make sure that your point is

        made very clearly in those essays.

        bueno?

        by lockewasright on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 02:24:06 PM PDT

•  The fallout from the Rethug loss in November

  will be enormous.  It will touch and taint everybody presently in office now, even the Democrats.

  Wake up America!
  Time to Clean House.
  Time for a Clean Sweep.

  If we don't do it
  Then we will be a pack of idiots.

  by WSComn on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 10:49:12 AM PDT

•  The answer is blowing

  in the wind.

  When a thief steals all of the money from a bank,
  where does the bank get funds to do business?

  All of us faithful obedient lemmings
  patriotic citizens will gladly pilfer ransack
  dip into our piggy banks mattresses IRAs SocSec children’s futures
  last private vestiges of savings,
  to stimulate our pReznit’s (& his cronys’) greed
  glorious emocony.

  Be not afraid, clonebots
  Grasshopper.

  by Orj ozeppi on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 10:57:36 AM PDT

•  Hey, the tags are changed

  "Eating your lunch" was brilliant, :::sniff:::

  by trashablanca on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 11:18:31 AM PDT

  •  yeah, what's with that?

    CSI Bentonville doesn't comment, but changes tags?????

    by N in Seattle on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 11:22:46 AM PDT

    •  P.S. I'm changing it back

      edscan knows best.

      by N in Seattle on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 11:24:21 AM PDT

    •  I retagged it in accordance with edscan

      tagging policy, which is: Don't fucking mess with edscan's tags, or the oil maggots will eat you alive.

      by DemocraticLuntz on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 11:24:24 AM PDT

      •  you beat me to it...

        Thanks, DL.

        by N in Seattle on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 11:25:24 AM PDT

        •  I'm also going through and re-tagging the other

          ones that got messed with.

          I stan' with edscan.

          by DemocraticLuntz on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 11:26:13 AM PDT

          •  I think I'm going to write a diary on the subject

            of edscan's tags. See if putting them together will help us figure out what the conspiracy is.

            by DemocraticLuntz on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 11:27:26 AM PDT

            •  the tag maggots!?

              hiding amongst us . .

              by Glacial Erratic on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 11:38:20 AM PDT

            •  Top comments.

              Who knows how that forum will take to:

              This one contains a plea from Democratic Luntz, more or less representing a ragtag rabble of edscan devotees to say:  Don't mess with edscan's tags!

              Not a ku, but perhaps suitably cryptic?

              Egads!  I just linked to the comment I'm responding to, as if there weren't a "parent" button.

              by Land of Enchantment on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 11:52:56 AM PDT

              •  you're awesome

                you pimped edscan in your recc'd diary!

                by Glacial Erratic on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 12:08:45 PM PDT

                •  Why not?

                  Not until pretty late on, however - after 400 or more comments on.  That baby kept me busy for awhile.  Didn't notice this one right away.

                  by Land of Enchantment on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 12:11:09 PM PDT

            •  Been there.

              It was so much fun to do.

              Tags of the ed-ku

              We may need to do them quarterly now, though.  If you want to take Q1 that would be great :)

              by mem from somerville on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 11:56:34 AM PDT

              •  Nice work, mem

                Wish I'd seen that when you wrote it.

                by MKinTN on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 01:12:40 PM PDT

          •  is there a concerted effort??

            I haven't gone back to see what else has been messed with.  Are there a lot of alterations?  Done by the same person or persons?

            by N in Seattle on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 11:29:54 AM PDT

            •  Same person.

              by DemocraticLuntz on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 11:37:53 AM PDT

              •  Frigging librarians are so anal about order

                edscan is about chaos, mystery and oil maggots, dammit!

                by trashablanca on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 11:39:49 AM PDT

                •  and I just changed my sig line from

                  Dewey, you fool! Your decimal system has played right into my hands!

                  by Glacial Erratic on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 11:41:37 AM PDT

                •  I can understand

                  one's impulse to add descriptive tags - but why delete the one that edscan chose (in his obvious brilliance)?

                  by Glacial Erratic on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 11:47:38 AM PDT

              •  9 recs for this comment?

                ????

                by CSI Bentonville on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 03:27:38 PM PDT

                •  Don't take it personally, CSI

                  it's an edscan cult thing.  He is the master and his tags are not to be trifled with ;=}

                  by trashablanca on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 03:55:00 PM PDT

                  •  I'm not evil...

                    but I did stop because I thought the cult would have a fit. I just didn't realize I'd become a topic of conversation and reduced even by people I thought were my pals... but I guess at least I retained personhood.

                    I was just fixing some bad misspellings, and poor punctuation and stumbled on the edscan... I didn't mean to mess with no cults.

                    by CSI Bentonville on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 04:01:43 PM PDT

                    •  I know you're not evil, but please, tell me

                      you are a little wicked, right?

                      by trashablanca on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 04:03:15 PM PDT

                      •  Well, usually...

                        but today I'm just loopy... having taken a tumble down the stairs so between the pain and pills I took a left turn at edscan...

                        by CSI Bentonville on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 04:31:39 PM PDT

                    •  as for me,

                      I was more curious and surprised than anything else.

                      Yes, a topic of conversation.  But no hard feelings.

                      Just don't ever do it to The Master again.  :-)

                      by N in Seattle on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 04:51:23 PM PDT

                      •  I have been sufficiently...

                        edscanned.

                        :]

                        But now I've commented so I should be able to change the tags. No?

                        :)

                        by CSI Bentonville on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 04:56:00 PM PDT

                    •  it's one thing to add tags

                      It's really quite another to remove the diarist's own tags and replace them with your own.  Sorry, but that's just.... not ok.

                      Never MIND that you were messing with Edscan.
                      It's just rude in any case.
                      I'd think that the only time it would be ok to do that is if the original tags were so offensive that they couldn't stay.

                      by kate mckinnon on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 08:58:58 PM PDT

                      •  kate, CSI is a tag librarian

                        and fixes lots and lots of crap so it becomes easily searchable. It's grueling and thankless, so please give credit where it's due.

                        by trashablanca on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 09:07:35 PM PDT

                        •  Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't realize.

                          CREDIT!  CREDIT!
                          Thank you for thankless blog maintenance and I'm sorry you fell down the stairs CSI.

                          But Admin duty still doesn't strike me as a reasonable explanation for removing original diary tags.  Is removing original tagging something that is routinely done?

                          If so, it's a shame.  I know not everyone's tags are art, like EdScan's, but still.

                          by kate mckinnon on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 09:16:15 PM PDT

                          •  I'm more than willing to talk about tags...

                            but not if there's going to be hostility involved...

                            and I'm very tired at the moment so it will have to wait at any rate. But there are a lot of good reasons for tag maintenance.

                            by CSI Bentonville on Fri Mar 28, 2008 at 12:09:00 AM PDT

                            •  I don't mean to be hostile- and I'm sorry if I

                              came off that way.  I was unaware that it was routine site policy to remove and repalce original author tags in the process of general cleanup maintenance.  

                              Am I misunderstanding what you were doing?

                              I have always thought that it was really inappropriate when anyone decided to replace original tags with their own, unless the original tags were offensive.  I see this all of the time, people coming into diaries and just changing out the author's tags.  It strikes me as meta-meddling, and in some cases, like EdScan diaries, really taking something of value away.

                              I grasp the usefulness of adding tags, but I fail to grasp the need to remove them, when they were placed on the original work by the author.  I'll check back later to see what you had to say.

                              by kate mckinnon on Fri Mar 28, 2008 at 12:56:59 AM PDT

                              •  The reason for tags

                                is for search purposes. Cutesy,artsy, and non-standard tags will be changed out almost every time.

                                There are tag conventions, such as first and last name. There are other tags that are widely in use that might still reflect the diary, but would strengthen that particular search term. Using an existing tag is the preferable method.

                                Offensive changes, such as commentary in the tags, is not allowed, and is spelled out in the diary writing page and the FAQ.

                                All in all, volunteers clean tags for upwards fo 300-500 diaries a day, and that is a huge undertaking.

                                Maybe you would like to volunteer.

                                by Dems2004 on Fri Mar 28, 2008 at 01:10:14 AM PDT

                                •  No. I do not want to volunteer for that.

                                  See below- I just wasn't grasping the reality of the tag system.  I understand better now.  I don't like it any better, of course, but I get it.

                                  by kate mckinnon on Fri Mar 28, 2008 at 01:31:24 AM PDT

                                •  Nicely done :)

                                  I wish I could figure out how to be concise. :)

                                  Nope, if more words would do a less spectacular job, I'll add them in.

                                  ~~~~

                                  Mostly just trying to help readers find diaries and authors find readers.

                                  I did a google for silly purposes (another kossok said we should to see how permanent our work here is and what our impact is) and I didn't expect much but found my last couple of big diaries being quoted on a half dozen other sites. It was very cool.

                                  by CSI Bentonville on Fri Mar 28, 2008 at 10:14:30 AM PDT

                              •  I just read the whole tag rundown

                                on the Dkosopedia and I have to say I'm disappointed at a  deep Meta-level.  I really had no idea that tags are "not a tool for demonstrating creativity. This is a tool to help organize content, not show how clever you are by inventing keywords such as "HUNTERRIFIC" to praise a diary by Hunter. "

                                I did not grasp that the addition of a creative tag by an author was such a strain on the system.  I can see that in light of this, my earlier comment was misguided at a meta-level.  I apologize to all diligent tag-editors, tirelessly stamping out those pesky server-clogging expressions of creativity and cleverness.

                                My feelings about fine-ass tags run contrary to the site guidelines, which were developed to promote fast and efficient searches over poetic beauty.  I get it, of course, I want fast searches too.  But it's just a tiny illustration of what technology is bringing to our lives; speed over quality, efficiency over individuality, repeatability over beauty.

                                My Charles Wallace gland is throbbing in indignation at the level to which we have risen, and sunk.  I want to throw a virtual rock with a piece of paper that says "Hunterrific!  and EdKu!" wrapped around it through a digital window somewhere.

                                But instead I'll just integrate the now-understood corporate database mindset on tagging, and I won't protest when beautiful and hilarious tags are scrubbed.  But I won't like it.

                                by kate mckinnon on Fri Mar 28, 2008 at 01:28:12 AM PDT

                                •  I understand people get attached...

                                  and there's a sense of something... sorry, between pain and drugs my words are a serious struggle (and I'm fighting with slow computer today which I think is aggravated by the ads at top that have the video in each one).

                                  But mostly tags are supposed to be functional which is where I come from in feeling. I actually have several in my blogroll because I wish we could hotlist them and know when new diaries in our subjects of interest come up. I also have several on RSS Feed and hooked in like RSS via My Yahoo page (though that one is messed up in that they change randomly for what seems no apparent reason so a tag I've input such as Domestic Violence might become for a few days TX-32).

                                  So, I like the subject of food. I think food is hugely political. However, some people will put in as tags, Food Safety, Food Politics, Food as weapons, etc... and I'm not going to find their work that way. That's one reason I modify tags is to add the simple "Food" tag so it's easier to find.

                                  There's also the Eco-diary rescue MB does on the FP every Saturday and I believe it's easier for him to find the diaries to include and highlight if they have an Environment tag.

                                  Basically, I do mostly just add tags to help with searches as in, if I wouldn't have thought of it enough to possibly add it to my RSS (or bookmark which a lot of others do), and it's the only one ever, is it serving any purpose, and also with the idea the author wrote to be seen and read... and to serve functionality as in fixing misspellings, adding an "s" or taking an "s" off so it goes from being a singleton tag to playing with all the others, fixing punctuation... For instance, one yesterday was G M Crops which even if the space was taken out would confuse some with the car manufacturer but GMO is a valid tag as is Genetic Engineering so...

                                  Some people just genuinely don't have any grasp of the purpose of the tag system so don't put any tags but the minimum so it will publish and others put a couple dozen that are completely new and descriptive but useless for being able to find the diary other than through a search on new diaries or key words in the diaries itself which is difficult sometimes and search is another thing a lot of people have issues with. There's one, who is very nice and writes very well but has on average a dozen new tags with each diary. A simple tidy-up of adding a few commas, a hyphen, etc can turn most into useful tags.

                                  And a diarist can always change them back if they feel they were changed in error. However, some get really silly... such as last night there were two tagging wars, here and minor here (which I should change to "meta" too but hadn't seen the progression when I came upon it and was very loopy at the time). Both sucky diaries but some whack tags created too. Some diaries will get over a hundred changes in a couple hours (and that's when bannable offense comes in -- I've also seen flame wars break out over whose whack added tags should be allowed to stay over another's crazy added tags).

                                  But, I've also found lots of subjects of interest by clicking on an author's tag at the bottom if it's a good one. Such as one the other day, 30 days to save the mountains, which has some brilliant writing. However, a tag such as that usually is too many words for finding on one's own and is ripe for misspellings and punctuation errors. Another cool use is for series diaries that have multiple authors as in Frugal Fridays, Top Comments (I've fixed many times from Top Comment), WYFP, Feminisms, etc.

                                  Heh, one of the "into the fire" moments of transitioning from a newbie into a vet here was to click on the "all tags" link and lose the computer for several minutes to a couple hours (on dial-up which about a third of kossoks are on) because there was just so many. Fortunately that's been changed to most used and alphabetical but I can't figure out how to get out of the first letter and I'm not a goof when it comes to getting around sites.

                                  I wish there was a way for creativity to flourish (other than in the title and diary itself) that would serve as the tags have but still allow the tags to serve their original functional purpose.

                                  Gosh, seems there was a bit more I meant to hit on here but I'm just so out of it at the moment. Lousy sleep for a couple weeks due to construction and then pain, along with a few other things riding my mind. I'm more than willing to chatter more about it and I appreciate the calm.

                                  by CSI Bentonville on Fri Mar 28, 2008 at 10:09:46 AM PDT

                                  •  no, I get it, thanks for your answer

                                    I just failed to compute the sheer number of tags generated, and how useless the tag and search function is if people are allowed to be creative or funny.  Like I said, it just tweaks my Charles Wallace gland.

                                    I grasp now that tags are not something that I can be one with.
                                    Feel better, and thanks for your time.
                                    K

                                    by kate mckinnon on Fri Mar 28, 2008 at 11:09:12 AM PDT

                                    •  I feel a fool...

                                      I have to look up Charles Wallace to get your meaning... :]

                                      Apparently there are quite a few so I'm still a bit lost. My apologies.

                                      ~~~~

                                      Also wanted to express my sadness and condolences on the loss of your mother which I just saw today. You wrote very eloquently and well about a very hard and close issue and I can't imagine how difficult it is to lose someone so close and so important.

                                      ::hugs::

                                      by CSI Bentonville on Fri Mar 28, 2008 at 11:38:58 AM PDT

                                      •  oh thank you so much.

                                        People are so nice.

                                        Charles Wallace, the one from a Wrinkle In Time who travelled in time to fight It, the entity that was making everyone be the same, stamping out individual expression and creativity as a function of bringing the people under the thumb of the Man.

                                        by kate mckinnon on Fri Mar 28, 2008 at 12:51:58 PM PDT

                                        •  Oh no! Totally against that =(

                                          That would be awful. I love the variety, the richness, the excitement, the color, the art, the vibrancy that comes from individuals and different worlds.

                                          I'm a tiny bit artistic myself but I have found it's a lot easier to break the rules effectively when one has some idea of what the rules are. Chaos is only good up to a point before it becomes absolute disorder and misery. Of course, order is part of variety. Even the splendor of nature has a lot of rules.

                                          I could go on with my story about the study done on children allowed outside to play. Those without a fence stayed huddled by the backdoor with an occasion foray out to way beyond the border of the yard, while those who had a fence used the entire yard and were also a lot happier. Not to mention that rather than say, "no" to a toddler all the time it's better to make the environment one they can explore to their fullest in safety; helping it to be successful rather than a set-up for failure...

                                          but then, we'd have to go get a beer or something to accompany the conversation especially since it's a Friday and all. :)

                                          You do have a lovely talent with the turn of words in your writing.

                                          by CSI Bentonville on Fri Mar 28, 2008 at 01:39:59 PM PDT

                                          •  thanks!

                                            You do have a lovely talent with the turn of words in your writing.
                                            

                                            You too.
                                            It's what I do for a living, so I hope to be effective from time to time.

                                            I'll get out of EdScan's face with our conversation now, and maybe we can pick it up again in an Open Thread sometime.
                                            Kate

                                            by kate mckinnon on Fri Mar 28, 2008 at 03:10:25 PM PDT

                            •  I thought the new rules were...

                              ... that we don't take tags away any more.  Just add 'em.  There were flaps over that, before they added the breadcrumbs that showed who changed the tags.

                              Me, I mostly do tag changes to add first or last names.  The thing about edscan is that the content is creative enough not to fit conventional tagging.

                              Speaking of Hunteriffic?  It's been along time since we've heard from Hunter.  Did he break his thumb or something?  Wearing a cast that prevents typing?  I miss 'im...  (Not as much as I miss jotter when he goes away, but I do miss Hunter.)

                              by Land of Enchantment on Fri Mar 28, 2008 at 04:34:04 AM PDT

                              •  Mostly I don't

                                And I really only do anything when I'm in a certain mood. Mostly just tidy. If there's goofy punctuation, or misspellings, or nasty, or the author's tags have been change to express something negative by someone else. I can't even remember how I ended up at edscan but I believe it was fixing a tag someone else had changed for someone else that was, as unlikely as it seems, the same as the edscan one on this diary, and not fully understanding the phenomena of the ed I thought I was helping the dairy be found easier but I was/am drugged up so truly not thinking clearly.

                                And here we are...

                                ~~~~

                                And I really miss jotter when he's gone. I don't always look in because I don't have time bt I do like reading his intros to get a feel for the pulse of the site. Felt like part of the site was missing last time he was gone though I must admit he was gone for two weeks or so once and I found I had a bunch more time since I wasn't finding great diaries I'd missed.

                                by CSI Bentonville on Fri Mar 28, 2008 at 09:25:03 AM PDT

•  It sounds like it's probably happening...

  ....but you need to supply links that document your claims.

  by xynz on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 02:33:42 PM PDT

  •  Smuggling is usually not...

    ... well documented.  But I've heard multiple times that there's no metering on the oil coming out of the ground.  Also that there's lots of corruption.  That private contractors are not subject to US military justice, nor to the laws of Iraq or the US.

    Dots.  Connectable dots.

    by Land of Enchantment on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 04:12:14 PM PDT

  •  edscan don't need no steenkin' links

    He's the master of edku, our oracle, our mystery.

    Grok the edku!

    by N in Seattle on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 04:52:50 PM PDT

•  And Dick Cheney

  ...spent the anniversary of the Iraq war fishing on the Sultan of Oman's yatch.

  barf

  by playon on Thu Mar 27, 2008 at 04:23:09 PM PDT

•  Eating our lunch...

  in so many ways.

  by jnhobbs on Fri Mar 28, 2008 at 06:15:07 AM PDT