McCain taps Palin for VP!

[HATEFACE]

Nope. This is ALFA. More liberals per square inch. I knew exactly what I was doing. There is no hope for this place especially since its a global community. Its like The United Nations of Neverwinter Nights.

Dan, exodus. That's it.

Ties to a radical preacher? Martin Luther King Jr. was a radical preacher. I bet you get a day off in his name every day. Are you saying that you adopt the views of anyone you have ever heard speak who utters something controversial? Unlike Palin of course who doesn't need ties to radicalism, as she herself would imprison a young girl who has an abortion that is the result of rape or incest and thinks everyone should learn creationism, because you know, Darwin was a jerk. Or maybe he was a democrat. Oh and global warming? She thinks thats left wing propaganda. Guess she didn't notice the arctic ice shelf the size of Manhattan that floated into the sea the other day. Or maybe she did and just thinks its God's wrath over all the gays.

1. Martin Luther King Jr's message was a message of peace and racial harmony not seething racism and hatred of america but Mr. Wright speech is is own. Martin Luther King =! Rev Wrong despite both of them being "radical." If you don't know the difference between the two "radicals" I strongly suggest you learn.

Martin Luther King on Malcom X? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwKIUMbi9Jk

Malcom X on Martin Luther King http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQ3rSXw5Rbo

One is black liberation theology, one is not. Take your pick.

Also: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fHRuiPx03g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHEyCnj0vMw

Notice the studder. Guess he's pulling a bushism studder and avoid th question. Tim Russert: "Do you reject his support?" Obama: "Well, hehe, Tim, I can't say, uh, to somebody, to he can't say, that he thinks I'm a good guy." I guess a simple 'Yes, I reject his support." or "No, I don't reject his support." is to much for a uniter, considerate, and decisive politician such as Obama. I'm guessing his stumble is his "No, I don't reject his support"

2. You're stretching Palin's viewpoint in order to prop up your own position. Fallicious. If Palin said something along the lines of "God hates fags! No No No! God damn America!" or "Gays prance like this y'all. That's okay, that's just how they are." I wouldn't vote for her at all.

3. Yeah, I guess she missed that manhattan sized ice shelf floating off to sea the other day. I'm sure she'll notice the next one.

[Magile]

Nope. This is ALFA. More liberals per square inch. I knew exactly what I was doing. There is no hope for this place especially since its a global community. Its like The United Nations of Neverwinter Nights.

Dan, exodus. That's it.

HOW DARE A GAMING COMMUNITY HAVE DIFFERING OPINIONS FROM MINE!! RAWRHGRRHGAHGRHGWHGRHGRG *HACK SPIT*

edit: Fox News

[Amar]

There is no hope for this place especially since its a global community.

Translation: Since this is a forum where people from all around the world gather, it will be primarily liberal, since a majority of the world is liberal.

[Mulu]

A few snippets from here and there:

John McCain, a POW turned political rebel, vowed Thursday night to vanquish the "constant partisan rancor" plaguing the nation as he launched his fall campaign for the White House. "Change is coming" to Washington, he promised the Republican National Convention.
"I will reach out my hand to anyone to help me get this country moving again," McCain said.

The Alaska governor alleged that Obama and his running mate, Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr., are responsible for peddling "flat-out lies" about Palin's family.

That's sure reaching across the aisle....

In Gov. Palin, the GOP has its new Bush, same as the old Bush, but more polished, more presentable, more user-friendly than the original ever was -- and, they hope, still fresh and unencumbered enough to run as a "maverick" against the legacy of Dubya 1.0's failures.

slight disconnect between some of Bill O’Reilly’s recent statements.

On Gov. Sarah Palin’s teenage daughter’s pregnancy:

“Millions of American families are dealing with teenage pregnancy, and as long as society doesn’t have to support the mother, father or baby, it is a personal matter. It is true that some Americans will judge Gov. Palin and her family, and for the sake of Gov. Palin and her family, we hope things calm down.”

On Britney Spears' teenage sister's pregnancy:

“Sixteen-year-old Jamie Lynn Spears is pregnant. The sister of Britney says she is shocked. I bet. Here, the blame falls primarily on the parents of the girl, who obviously have little control over her. Incredible.”

Pity 18-year-old Levi Johnston: One day he's kicking it up with the governor's daughter, then the next thing he knows she's pregnant, Sen. John McCain is picking her mom to be his running mate and his MySpace page is splattered all over the Internet. (Along with a silly self-written bio and the "admission" that "I don't want kids.")

Now instead of playing hockey or going fishing, he's getting a new suit, a haircut and a ticket to the Republican National Convention.

I just *knew* that was a shotgun wedding!

A Bridge Too Far
Palin claimed to have stood up to Congress on the subject of the infamous "Bridge to Nowhere," the Gravina Island bridge in Ketchikan, Alaska, about which we wrote last November.

Palin: I told the Congress, "Thanks, but no thanks," on that bridge to nowhere.

This is not the first time Palin has cited her choice to kill the bridge in 2007 as an example of her anti-waste stance. It's true that she did eventually nix the project. But the bridge was nearly dead already—Congress had removed the earmark, giving the requested money to the state but not marking it for any specific use. Palin unplugged its life support, declaring in 2007 that the funds would not be used for the Gravina bridge.

When she was running for governor, however, Palin expressed a different position. In 2006, the Ketchikan Daily News quoted her expressing optimism and support for the bridge at a Ketchikan campaign stop.

Palin also answered "yes" to an Anchorage Daily News poll question about whether she would continue to support state funding for the Gravina Island bridge if elected governor. "The window is now," she wrote, "while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist." It was only after she won the governorship that Palin shifted her position. And even then, it's inaccurate to say that she "told the Congress 'thanks, but no thanks.'" Palin accepted non-earmarked money from Congress that could have been used for the bridge if she so desired. That she opted to use it for other state transportation purposes doesn't qualify as standing up to Congress.

Palin: But listening to him speak, it's easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or even a reform, not even in the state Senate.

Of course, we can't say what Palin considers "major." But if Palin's own ethics reforms in Alaska were important enough to highlight in her convention address, then it's only fair to credit Obama's efforts on that topic. In 1998 in the Illinois Senate, Obama cosponsored an ethics overhaul that bars elected officials from using their campaign funds for personal use and and was called the the first major overhaul of Illinois campaign and ethics laws in 25 years. It also bans fundraisers in the state Capitol during legislative sessions. Obama's Republican cosponsor Kirk Dillard even appeared in an Obama ad last summer describing Obama's skills working with members of both parties to get legislation passed.


In Washington, Obama was instrumental in helping to craft the 2007 ethics reform law that ended gifts and meals from lobbyists, cut off subsidized jet travel for members of Congress, required lobbyists to disclose contributions they "bundle" to candidates, and put the brakes on other, similar common practices.

In addition, we already noted in a recent article Obama's efforts with Republican senators to help detect and secure weapons of mass destruction and to destroy conventional weapons stockpiles around the world, and to create a publicly searchable database on federal spending.

[Mulu]

Her tax remarks still cry out for context. Obama proposes to cut taxes for most individuals (81.3 percent of all households would get a tax cut), while raising them only for a relative few at the top, which she did not mention. But she avoided the false claims that McCain continues to make, most recently in a TV ad that wrongly accuses Obama of planning "painful tax increases on working American families." Instead, Palin spoke of the effect of an overall tax increase on jobs and the economy.

Palin: America needs more energy; our opponent is against producing it. Victory in Iraq is finally in sight, and he wants to forfeit. Terrorist states are seeking nuclear weapons without delay; he wants to meet them without preconditions. Al Qaida terrorists still plot to inflict catastrophic harm on America, and he's worried that someone won't read them their rights.

We have factual problems with three of these statements.

Obama's not against producing more energy. In fact, he's not even against drilling for oil any more, within limits. He has a $150 billion clean energy program and says that he wants to develop clean coal technology, advance the next generation of biofuels, prioritize construction of the Alaska gas pipeline (surely a measure Palin agrees with) and take a host of other steps to both conserve energy and produce it, in various forms.

If Obama's comments about meeting with "terrorist states" are worthy of ridicule, then perhaps so are those of the Bush administration and other Republicans. Obama made his first statement on this in an answer to a video question at a Democratic debate last year, when he said "I would" when asked whether he'd meet "separately, without precondition" in his first year with the leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea. Reagan, JFK and other presidents had spoken to the Soviet Union regularly, he noted.

In a speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in June, Obama elaborated, saying that he would take an aggressive diplomatic approach—carefully preparing for such meetings, setting a clear agenda, coordinating with U.S. allies, and not conducting the meetings at all unless they were clearly in the U.S. interest. He also stressed he would "do everything in my power to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon."


In recent months, the Bush Administration has been more open to beginning a dialogue with the same nations that it once referred to as the "axis of evil." In July, the president sent a high-level official to Geneva to sit in on nuclear talks with Iran and authorized Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to speak with North Korean diplomats about ending that country's nuclear weapons program. Reports in the Washington Post and the New York Times noted the stark contrast between the administration's current position about meeting with "foes" and its attitude several years ago.

Further, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said in May that we should "sit down and talk" with Iran. So did former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in March. As did Sen. Dick Lugar, then chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, as far back as 2006.

Obama isn't worried, as Palin said, "that someone won't read them their rights" when it comes to suspected terrorists who are detained by the U.S. He does, however, support the right of detainees to challenge their imprisonment in federal court. That's the same position the Supreme Court took in June in a case called Boumediene v. Bush.

Palin: I fought to bring about the largest private-sector infrastructure project in North American history. And when that deal was struck, we began a nearly $40 billion natural gas pipeline to help lead America to energy independence.

Actually, construction hasn't begun on the pipeline, and the project isn't quite a done deal.

Washington Post energy correspondent Steven Mufson wrote that the major oil companies have opposed the pipeline project, saying it wasn't economically feasible.

[HATEFACE]

Hard links please. Dont copy and past a portion of it.

[Mulu]

You know if you copy and paste a sentence, you can get the article.

In order I think it was AP, Slate, LA times and Newsweek.

[ç i p h é r]

That's not correct. It's any intentional or improper use of Government authority or resources. It obviously can include many many things, including actions that in no way benefit the person abusing the power.

Improper as defined by whom?

I agree with you when you say that such decisions reflect one's judgment (whether good or bad, the voters get to decide that), but you're trying to frame this in more aggressive language, specifically "abuse of power", in order to insinuate wrong doing and ultimately stain her reputation as an ethics reformer.

As far as I'm concerned, if the termination is not illegal, then terminating the employment of a commissioner is a power vested in her as governor of the state of Alaska by the people, and she has a right to exercise it as she sees fit. Just because you don't like the decision, or like her politically for that matter, doesn't mean she's abusing her power.

In this particular case, assuming that all the facts are in, you'd have to be smoking crack to think, or believe that citizens of Alaska would think, that a state trooper who's conducted himself in such a manner is responsible and trustworthy enough to continue to serve in any law enforcement capacity. Now I'm happy to wait until all the facts ARE in, but it seems that people want to prematurely draw conclusions to suit their political purposes, naturally.

And OGR, analyze her record. Examine her decisions. Question her policies. That's not the problem. What people are complaining about are the other things being discussed, like the teenage daughter's pregnancy, the husband's DWI 22 years ago, her ability to be a parent AND be VP, etc.

Now if that's what's making the news, it ought to mentioned in the same breath that Barack was snorting cocaine about 22 years ago, that his mother gave birth to him when she was 18, and that he may be a lousy father to his two little girls if he becomes President. What's good for the goose should be good for the gander, but I think you'll agree with me that this is the sort of thing that belongs in the tabloids, not on any reputable news broadcast.

[Lusipher]

Dan, exodus. That's it.

Nah, Im pretty much done with NWN in general. Maybe will play again down the line, but it doesnt impress me right now.

[oldgrayrogue]

And OGR, analyze her record. Examine her decisions. Question her policies. That's not the problem. What people are complaining about are the other things being discussed, like the teenage daughter's pregnancy, the husband's DWI 22 years ago, her ability to be a parent AND be VP, etc.

Now if that's what's making the news, it ought to mentioned in the same breath that Barack was snorting cocaine about 22 years ago, that his mother gave birth to him when she was 18, and that he may be a lousy father to his two little girls if he becomes President. What's good for the goose should be good for the gander, but I think you'll agree with me that this is the sort of thing that belongs in the tabloids, not on any reputable news broadcast.

Agreed. It is her policies and her record that I primarily take issue with. What bothers me, as I have said, is the hypocrisy of the republican party and the far right who have viciously slandered Obama (take a look at "Obama Nation") but now cry foul when the microscope is turned on their surprise pick for VP. All the things you mentioned have been said and disemminated about Obama, with right wing backing. Tune in to Rush Limbaugh or Savage one day and you will hear far worse. As you say Cipher, what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.

We are in agreement that elections and presidential campaigns should be about issues and solutions to the problems and challenges confronting the nation. I sincerely hope the rest of the country agrees with us, because the McCain campaign has basically conceded that if this election is about issues, they have no chance of winning.

[oldgrayrogue]

Here's a nice bit on republican hypocricy. Enjoy.

http://ccinsider.comedycentral.com/cc_i ... t-ann.html


IMO this should be run as a national campaign ad.

[Mulu]

That's not correct. It's any intentional or improper use of Government authority or resources. It obviously can include many many things, including actions that in no way benefit the person abusing the power.

Improper as defined by whom?

It's a legal term Cipher, it's defined by the courts.

I agree with you when you say that such decisions reflect one's judgment (whether good or bad, the voters get to decide that), but you're trying to frame this in more aggressive language, specifically "abuse of power", in order to insinuate wrong doing and ultimately stain her reputation as an ethics reformer.

As far as I'm concerned, if the termination is not illegal, then terminating the employment of a commissioner is a power vested in her as governor of the state of Alaska by the people, and she has a right to exercise it as she sees fit.

It is an abuse of power to misuse your authority. That misuse does not have to rise to the level of criminal conduct. Again, the closest example you would know about is the firings of attorneys for political purposes from the DOJ. It was legal, but it was unethical, and triggered an investigation. In government standards of behavior are higher than in the private sector. They have to be, the job is more important and it's a function of public trust.

In this particular case, assuming that all the facts are in, you'd have to be smoking crack to think, or believe that citizens of Alaska would think, that a state trooper who's conducted himself in such a manner is responsible and trustworthy enough to continue to serve in any law enforcement capacity.

First off, Alaska is full of drunken rejects. All the malcontents who can't comply with society end up in Alaska. This trooper sounds like an angel in comparison to the average Alaskan. Second, it's not up to the citizens of Alaska, he's a civil servant and his ultimate outcome will be determined by applying all of the factors I mentioned before. Third, I've seen cops in California keep their jobs after practically killing their wives. It's hard to fire a cop legally.

And OGR, analyze her record. Examine her decisions. Question her policies. That's not the problem. What people are complaining about are the other things being discussed, like the teenage daughter's pregnancy, the husband's DWI 22 years ago, her ability to be a parent AND be VP, etc.

Have you paid attention to the crap said about Obama? He was educated in a Madrassa, he's a Muslim, etc. There's so much crap out there about Obama it got compiled into a BOOK. It's all B.S., and much more damning than anything said about Palin to date. In fact what I should do is go pull every sexist thing Rush Limbaugh said about Hillary and insert Palin into the sentence. When it comes to irresponsible and slanderous commentary, the right-wing is the winner hands down. Their audience is far more mean-spirited and thus appreciates it more. You've got Coulter, Limbaugh, Hannity, O'Reilly, Scarborough, and a host of others. We've got Olbermann, and he criticizes the substance. There just isn't as much of a market for hostility on the left. The right eats it up and demands more.

And really, after smearing Obama for 19 months, isn't whining about the treatment Palin is receiving sort of the ultimate hypocrisy?

[Lusipher]

First off, California is full of drunken rejects. All the malcontents who can't comply with society end up in California.

Fixed just for Mulu.

[Mayhem]

A stunning use of the classic and respected "no YOU" defence, there.

[Nalo Jade]

How much oil does the US import per day?

How much oil will an off shore oil rig produce per day?

How many oil rigs would we need to actually affect the price of gasoline?

Did a team of scientists decide this is the best plan for our energy needs?

Have the advocates for oil rigs received campaign funds from the companies that stand to profit?