My what a puny story.  This shows the trivia that gets blown into a something...meanwhile, what's happening in Afghanistan and Iraq?  Gee, the press doesn't know, they closed all their foreign bureaus.  How much are these invasions costing the U.S. taxpayer???  H*ll, we don't know, that takes too much time to figure out.

Go get 'em Joe...

The other big wingnut issue is Obama's fake birth cirtificate.  I heard I guy (cant remember the name) who gets an hour every weekend on the air who is up in arms over this native born citizen issue.

Imagine, we will  pick our president based on a 20 year old plagarism charge and a supposed phony birth certificate!

I heard I guy (cant remember the name) who gets an hour every weekend on the air who is up in arms over this native born citizen issue.

The guy doesn't say anything about McCain being born outside of the U.S.?

I'll tell you what's being outside the U.S.A. How about spending six years in a POW camp?

Yeah, but as the former POW's campaign minions have now informed us, that, while it was admittedly a bit of a fixer-upper, it was also his first real estate holding.

Hey, Mary. It is a puny story. When I saw the news that Obama selected Biden, I knew the hackocracy was going to bring it up though. Makes me glad I'm on vacation (here at an internet cafe while my H prints out some directions for someplace we want to go) and not hearing much. 

Just came to see how all you bastards are doin'. :-0) and seeing the new ridiculousness being bandied about our corproate media propoganda outlets. Gee, so sorry to miss it all, not!

A road trip sounds good about now, julia...enjoy, and don't worry about us bastids ;-)  If you get a chance though, check out  the Friday Hannity abortion thread...Vysotsky and DJasper had a comedy duo going that was classic.

Thanks for the plug. DJasper and I are taking our show on the road. We'll be at the Laugh Factory for most of this week, but if you get the chance, check us out at the Chuckle Hut where Science101 will be opening for us to warm up the crowd. See you there, and be sure to tip your waiters and waitresses!

I don't think I can open for you V, its above my pay grade.

Oh Science, don't cut and run on us now! We were counting on you! That part of your act where you talk about how 18 dead US soldiers in a month is "more of a positive" in a preemptive war had the crowd at Zanies in stitches last week! Seriously, we'll chip in for gas if that's what's keeping you from joining us on tour.

He may not be able to join you...I think he's posing for a new BK bobble-head give away during your tour.  Perhaps Philib can fill in.

Oh, you don't have to chip in for gas for ColombianScience, Vy; he's already full of it... :o)

Opening acts at comedy clubs generally don't get paid. I think Arts&Crafts101 has just admitted to less than worthlessness.His paygrade is in the negatives.

This shows the trivia that gets blown into a something...meanwhile, what's happening in Afghanistan and Iraq?

Most of your mainstream media likes to pray on negative articles regarding the war.  Fortunately, there isn't much negative going on.  In terms of war in the media - no news is good news.

However, the Presidential race, Georgia, the Olympics, and crude oil/gasoline prices just happen to be the biggest things garnering attention.  If the news stations decided not to cover these 4 things, their viewier ratings would drop.

That must be why the Conservative Corporate Media has completely stopped reporting on US troop casualties. 18 this month, but you wouldn't know it by reading the newspapers, watching tv or listening to the radio. If what you say is true, how do you explain the total absence of any reporting on ongoing US casualties in the American media?

No one likes casualties, they are a terrible thing.  But to be expected in war.  But 18 in a month is more of a "positive" when its regarding war and over 100,000+ troops.

A war in which we've already won.

It's an occupation now, and you know it.

Did I say if it was or wasn't?  No.  Don't put words in my mouth.

"But to be expected in war."

Why then do you call it a war? 

What do you expect war to be?  A bunch of hippies dancing around a fire at the burning man festival?

I repeat it once again for the whole class.

YOU DON"T KNOW A GOD DAMNED THING ABOUT WAR!

Hi King, I don't know a goddamn thing about war either. I do like this little essay, How to Tell a True War Story, by Tim O'Brien (no relation, I swear). If I linked to this before, or if you're familiar with it, never mind. A friend of mine who's a Lit. teacher at the local community college tipped me to the guy, and I really like  his stuff.

I've read a lot of his stuff. He's a great writer.

I think this is from "The Things They Carried". A great book of semi-related stories. I've read if and I'm going to reread it soon.

Thanks for the link K.

My, irrelevant much?

 

They always bring up "hippies," as an exaample, don't they? When was the last time anyone saw one? Like maybe 1981?

Maybe the Commies killed them all.

Maybe those damned hippies tricked the commies into smoking some of those maryjane cigarettes I've heard so much about and converted them all into secret hippies.

Your average commie is very good at concealing his identity. Imagine if they were to become hippies how hard it would be to find them?

No one likes casualties, they are a terrible thing.  But to be expected in war.

Those eighteen didn't have to die though.  The 4100+ didn't have to die.  It's a shame that Bush Co. will probably get away with causing all those deaths.

Roughly 119 people die every single day in traffic accidents in the US alone.  Going to blame that solely on the director of the DOT?  Unfortunately, you can blame Bush all you want, when in fact the overwhelming majority of all Congress voted to go to war.  Don't let the facts escape a good story.

Did the DOT admin actively seek to distort facts in their favor in a push for...

You know what, I don't think you'll get my analogy 

Roughly 119 people die every single day in traffic accidents in the US alone.

What does a war that had no business being waged have to do with traffic accidents?

Don't let the facts escape a good story.

Don't let logic ever get in the way of a demonstration of a good, old fashioned wingnut analogy.

Like you say, it's a wingnut analogy ... in the righties' style, it's something totally irrelevant ... like the "second-hand smoke vs ice cream" "argument" (I don't recall anybody being forced to endure second-hand ice cream ...)

A truer analogy for the dying soldiers would be if the media was covering up 18 POLICE MEN (or women) dying in a month ... if that happened, there would be total 24/7 news coverage about the new holocaust ... because the U.S. troops are acting like the police over there (aside from turning a blind eye to all the bribes for "not killing" the people who differ from you in religion ... which is finished, because pretty much, they've killed all of them ...)

Science, I can't believe you're not going to be on the comedy tour with us. This is gold. Although, if I might suggest a slight improvement, you could try this line instead: "So what! That's nothing compared to the 6 thousand people who die every day in the U.S.! 18 soldiers is relatively positive, and it's to be expected in a war of choice!"

You see, I like that line just because it's a bigger number, but you can stick with your joke about traffic fatalities if you want. I mean, bigger numbers tend to provoke bigger laughs, but both statistics are equally irrelevant to the casualty rate among our soldiers who have been ordered into harm's way unnecessarily.

Or maybe it would be funnier if you said: "But Mom, Traffic's parents let him kill 119 people a day! Can't I even kill just 18 people a month? Pleeeeeaaaaase?!?!"

Wingnut math keeps the Lotto going. The trolls come here comparing deaths in Iraq to those in major American cities.The concept of populations and average age doesn't seem to matter, as long as the man on the radio tells them what they want to hear. Somebody else's kids are dying so they can sleep well at night, but more people die in a big city, so they shouldn't feel anything.

Roughly 119 people die in traffic accidents...

I like apples.  This is as relevant as your weird response. 

This is your brain.  This is your brain after right-wing indoctrination. 18 US fatalities is a "positive". 

No one disputes that reduction in levels of violence is a good thing but never forget that these casualties are tragedies, particularly as they are part of the sunken cost fallacy that is Iraq.  There was no national security threat worth the invasion and there remains none today.  We need to leave as soon as reasonably possible.  You want to throw cash at Allawi to prop him up thereafter fine - but get our troops out of harm's way.

No one disputes that reduction in levels of violence is a good thing but never forget that these casualties are tragedies

Appears to be just what I was saying.  Now, lets see how you can spin it into something different.

But 18 in a month is more of a "positive" when its regarding war and over 100,000+ troops.

Let's see if I get this right. 18 troops die in a month, so what.

Just one baby is aborted, Science is up in arms.

Just one case of someone cheating welfare surfaces, Science thinks welfare is out of control and needs to be eliminated.

I could go on and on, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that the former histybuff known as science doesn't have a set standard when it comes to articulating his position on anything.

Science101 wasn't HissyFit, he was Columbuswithalotofdigits.

SSAndswithalotofdigits used to be HissyFit.

We need a program so we can tell of all of the trolls apart.

I forgot that part. Seems one thing they all have in common though is they get banned for making some racially insensitive remark.

Bingo, you win Snoop.

I used to be pretty good at detecting these clowns but I got overwhelmed.

Science guy's been around for a lot longer I think. He started posting in sixth grade and I think he's in high school now.

They're pretty easy to get confused. I think one of them says he's 28, has done time in the Nat'l Guard and the reserves, has several advanced degrees, has drilled for oil on one of his properties, and has taken some time off to care for an abandoned relative.

Quite a list of accomplishments at that age, impresive for a normal person , almost unbelievable for somebody who seems to be stunted at the mental level of a 10 year old.

Let me guess, none of the 18 that died are members of your family. Your another one of those that has no problem with our country starting a war as long as you don't have to fight it.

It is not a puny story. The Media will continue to report it because Biden is guilty as charged.

Agreed.  Quite simple.  It caused problems when he ran back in the day, and it'll be brought up again.

"Guilty as charged"  POV plagarized that phrase from Steve McQueen in Papillion. But we're willing to let it go, if you decide not to waste your life from now on.

Have never seen that movie.....is it worth a rental?

I say they're in the tank for McCain.

McCain plaigarized Solzenitzn's story about the cross in the sand to lie about his career and y'all could care less, so why are you making a big stink now?

Oh yeah, because Biden is a Democrat. It's part of that two rules policy the elitist republikkkans use to cover their long list of crimes.

Trivia is all the modern conservative press knows, Mary!

So what is the issue? I mean, did Biden plagiarize a speech or not?

This seems like a pretty easy Yes or No question.

(by the way, if Biden didn't plagiarize then why did he drop out of the 1988 race?)

"http://www.motherjones.com/mojoblog/archives/2008/07/8900_afghanistan_trouble_mccain.html"

"June was the deadliest month for U.S. troops in Afghanistan since the war there began in late 2001, as resilient and emboldened insurgents have stepped up attacks in an effort to gain control of the embattled country.

Defense officials and Afghanistan experts said the toll of 28 U.S. combat deaths recorded last month demonstrates a new resurgence of the Taliban, the black-turbaned extremists who were driven from power by U.S. forces almost seven years ago. Taliban units and other insurgent fighters have reconstituted in the country's south and east, aided by easy passage from mountain redoubts in neighboring Pakistan's lawless tribal regions.

Then, it noted,

The nation's top military officer said yesterday that more U.S. troops are needed in Afghanistan to tamp down an increasingly violent insurgency, but that the Pentagon does not have sufficient forces to send because they are committed to the war in Iraq."

If we are going to replay gaffes of the 1980s then out comes the whole Keating Five scandal. Does McCain really want to open that can of worms?

Randy

Unfortunately, that was already opened last time he ran.  Time for some new material.

Does McCain really want to open that can of worms?

As a POW, John McCain ate cans of worms...and you were beaten if you plagiarized. And now he's a former POW...but he doesn't like to talk about it.

But now that the Former POW©, John McCain is no longer a POW, he's permitted to plagiarize even as he calls out Joe Biden for plagiarism.

Because Joe Biden is not a Former POW© and John McCain will always be a Former POW©.

Today I heard the former POW, John McCain, say, "My friends, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country, my friends." When accused of plaiarism, the former POW responded that he didn't have a house or a table and chair for a number of years... ;>)

Bush all you want, when in fact the overwhelming majority of all Congress voted to go to war.

They didn't vote for war; they handed their war powers over to Bush and left the decision up to him which was a huge mistake.

So that relieves them of any wrongdoing?  Not to mention - they fund the war, so whether it proceeds or not is entirely up to Congress.

what part of "huge mistake" did you not understand?

Only the first and last words.

Even if it wasn't funded by the Congress, the Neocons would have funded it with discretionary spending.

So now you're justifying by hypotheticals?

I don't justify things; I'm telling you what the Bush administration would have done.  In my opinion, those who voted for the authorization should be kicked out of Congress for handing their constitutionally mandated power over to the executive.  And everyone in the Bush administration should be tried as war criminals.

So let me get this straight: the media is wrong for pointing out Biden's plagiarism because it does not also point out instances in which he did not plagiarize.  That's great.  Perhaps that should be the standard for ALL instances of malfeasance reported by the media.  I can see it now: "Ted Stevens gives illegal contracts for renovations on his house, but he also had previously given legal contracts for these renovations" or GW Bush took us into a war we should have never gotten involved in, but there were over 270 countries that he did not invade." 

So let me get this straight: the media is wrong for pointing out Biden's plagiarism because it does not also point out instances in which he did not plagiarize.

If he was trying to plagiarize he wouldn't have given credit to the author several other times.

Stevens' legal activity doesn't change the nature of his illegal activity.  But if you previously give credit to someone for a quote, it does indicate that you're not trying to claim the words as your own.  It changes the nature of the situation because it speaks to intent.

So let me get this straight: the media is wrong for pointing out Biden's plagiarism because it does not also point out instances in which he did not plagiarize.  That's great.  Perhaps that should be the standard for ALL instances of malfeasance reported by the media.  I can see it now: "Ted Stevens gives illegal contracts for renovations on his house, but he also had previously given legal contracts for these renovations" or GW Bush took us into a war we should have never gotten involved in, but there were over 270 countries that he did not invade." 

Waaaaaa, Joe Biden cheated off me when we took a spelling test.

Waaaaaa, Joe Biden called me a name.

Waaaaaa, Joe Biden stole my lunch money.

Gramps and his crew need to grow the fu_k up!

Believe me, their f_ck up is fully grown.

This story from the liberal website www.slate.com really puts things into perspective.

The Write Stuff? Why Biden's plagiarism shouldn't be forgotten.

By David Greenberg

http://www.slate.com/id/2198543/pagenum/2/