Comments on: News on the March http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/02/02/news-on-the-march/ America's favorite blog Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:48:38 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.11 by: Murray http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/02/02/news-on-the-march/#comment-3840 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/02/02/news-on-the-march/#comment-3840 *Sigh* This budget is just as phony as the SOTU address. There is nothing here that passes the 2- second-think-about-it-test. The Republicans argue all of this with a straight face and America argues about Janet and Justin. Was it planned? How do we punish them? (Of course this, looking like the most boring part of the game, was when I was out getting something to eat). Once again we are feeling the fallout of slipping down the rabbit hole into Bizzaro Land. *Sigh*

This budget is just as phony as the SOTU address. There is nothing here that passes the 2- second-think-about-it-test. The Republicans argue all of this with a straight face and America argues about Janet and Justin. Was it planned? How do we punish them? (Of course this, looking like the most boring part of the game, was when I was out getting something to eat).

Once again we are feeling the fallout of slipping down the rabbit hole into Bizzaro Land.

]]> by: sue http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/02/02/news-on-the-march/#comment-3841 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/02/02/news-on-the-march/#comment-3841 Listening to the news over the weekend (not, of course, during WWDTM), I was thinking what an alarmist buzz-word "special interests" has become - and, no, I don't claim to have thought of it first. I'm sure much nimbler brains than mine have plowed this furrow. But, really, aren't the Girl Scouts of America a special interest group?(thin mints, merit badges - they're interested in all that stuff!)It's easy to charge that Kerry - and anybody else - took money from "special interest groups" if you don't have to be too specific. It may turn out that someone bought him a box of Tagalongs. Listening to the news over the weekend (not, of course, during WWDTM), I was thinking what an alarmist buzz-word “special interests” has become - and, no, I don’t claim to have thought of it first. I’m sure much nimbler brains than mine have plowed this furrow. But, really, aren’t the Girl Scouts of America a special interest group?(thin mints, merit badges - they’re interested in all that stuff!)It’s easy to charge that Kerry - and anybody else - took money from “special interest groups” if you don’t have to be too specific.
It may turn out that someone bought him a box of Tagalongs.

]]> by: adam http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/02/02/news-on-the-march/#comment-3842 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/02/02/news-on-the-march/#comment-3842 Sue - Yeah, that's sort of what I'm getting at here. Dean doesn't name Kerry's special interest contributors because, I suspect, of that very problem. Not to say that special interest money hasn't corrupted our government - it has. But it's important to pay attention to the details - who's giving the money, why they're giving it, and what they appear to have received in exchange. "Details," however, aren't exactly a big part of national politics. Sue -

Yeah, that’s sort of what I’m getting at here. Dean doesn’t name Kerry’s special interest contributors because, I suspect, of that very problem.

Not to say that special interest money hasn’t corrupted our government - it has. But it’s important to pay attention to the details - who’s giving the money, why they’re giving it, and what they appear to have received in exchange. “Details,” however, aren’t exactly a big part of national politics.

]]> by: tom http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/02/02/news-on-the-march/#comment-3843 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/02/02/news-on-the-march/#comment-3843 ...wait, was I dreaming this morning when I heard someone say on NPR that Shrub was going to convene a special commission to look into his own intelligence failures? Humbly presented for your viewing and hearing enjoyment: http://homepage.mac.com/webmasterkai/kaicurry/gwbush/dishonestdubya.html h …wait, was I dreaming this morning when I heard someone say on NPR that Shrub was going to convene a special commission to look into his own intelligence failures?

Humbly presented for your viewing and hearing enjoyment:

http://homepage.mac.com/webmasterkai/kaicurry/gwbush/dishonestdubya.ht ml

h

]]> by: Bob http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/02/02/news-on-the-march/#comment-3844 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/02/02/news-on-the-march/#comment-3844 Thanks for the political news, but let's get back to the important stuff: are we going to impeach Justin Timberlake? Though, come to think of it, we can't accuse him of a cover-up. Thanks for the political news, but let’s get back to the important stuff: are we going to impeach Justin Timberlake?

Though, come to think of it, we can’t accuse him of a cover-up.

]]> by: Murray http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/02/02/news-on-the-march/#comment-3845 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/02/02/news-on-the-march/#comment-3845 I think that special interests are bad when there are only a few. The best possible number would be infinity. If you are beholding to everyone and no one in particular isn't that way better than the other way around? I think that special interests are bad when there are only a few. The best possible number would be infinity. If you are beholding to everyone and no one in particular isn’t that way better than the other way around?

]]> by: Matt http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/02/02/news-on-the-march/#comment-3846 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/02/02/news-on-the-march/#comment-3846 A special interest is a group you don't agree with. When you ask the government for something, it is "grass roots organization". When someone else does it, it is "special interest lobbying". It's the American way. A special interest is a group you don’t agree with. When you ask the government for something, it is “grass roots organization”. When someone else does it, it is “special interest lobbying”.

It’s the American way.

]]> by: craig http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/02/02/news-on-the-march/#comment-3847 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/02/02/news-on-the-march/#comment-3847 About the budget: What else would we expect from the "MBA President" who is good friends with those financial wizzes who brought us Enron? You're just jealous that you didn't think of an off balance sheet Special Purpose Entity to fund "Operation Iraqi Freedom." (Remember, we don't have wars any more. They're "Operations." It takes the whole Congress to declare War, but Dr Frist can prescribe an operation all by himself.) About the Intelligence Investigation: I love your synopsis of "what did I know and when did I know it." But you have to really appreciate the timing of the flip. Early enough to take the issue off the table during the election while at the same time, late enough to ensure that no conclusion can be reached prior to Election Day. About the budget:
What else would we expect from the “MBA President” who is good friends with those financial wizzes who brought us Enron? You’re just jealous that you didn’t think of an off balance sheet Special Purpose Entity to fund “Operation Iraqi Freedom.” (Remember, we don’t have wars any more. They’re “Operations.” It takes the whole Congress to declare War, but Dr Frist can prescribe an operation all by himself.)

About the Intelligence Investigation:
I love your synopsis of “what did I know and when did I know it.” But you have to really appreciate the timing of the flip. Early enough to take the issue off the table during the election while at the same time, late enough to ensure that no conclusion can be reached prior to Election Day.

]]> by: Jay http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/02/02/news-on-the-march/#comment-3848 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/02/02/news-on-the-march/#comment-3848 Most people, it seems, have accepted the hypothesis (sp?) that because the U.S. could not find WMD, the pre-war intelligence was wrong. But what if the pre-war intelligence was right, and Saddam Hussein as his final desperate act of defiance scattered the material throughout the Middle East? Can we say for sure that we had enough border monitoring in the early days of the war to ensure that this didn't happen? Are we really safer if all of those poisons are now in the hands of Hamas, Hezbollah, perhaps Al-Qaida? No wonder Bush wants to delay the report as long as possible. Most people, it seems, have accepted the hypothesis (sp?) that because the U.S. could not find WMD, the pre-war intelligence was wrong. But what if the pre-war intelligence was right, and Saddam Hussein as his final desperate act of defiance scattered the material throughout the Middle East? Can we say for sure that we had enough border monitoring in the early days of the war to ensure that this didn’t happen? Are we really safer if all of those poisons are now in the hands of Hamas, Hezbollah, perhaps Al-Qaida? No wonder Bush wants to delay the report as long as possible.

]]> by: Bryan http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/02/02/news-on-the-march/#comment-3849 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2004/02/02/news-on-the-march/#comment-3849 Intelligence is a wonderful excuse. To see intelligence you have to have a clearance and a need to view it. The government controls clearances and decides who has a need. The world was told that the intelligence said there were WMDs in Iraq, but the world isn't allowed to see the intelligence. The world only has the word of Bush and Blair that such intelligence exists. The groundhog might have returned to his burrow because he saw his shadow, but I'm betting it was the noise of all the cameras. Intelligence is like that, there are at least two ways of looking at any particular piece of information. Bush and Blair are the "intelligence failures". Intelligence is a wonderful excuse. To see intelligence you have to have a clearance and a need to view it.

The government controls clearances and decides who has a need.

The world was told that the intelligence said there were WMDs in Iraq, but the world isn’t allowed to see the intelligence. The world only has the word of Bush and Blair that such intelligence exists.

The groundhog might have returned to his burrow because he saw his shadow, but I’m betting it was the noise of all the cameras. Intelligence is like that, there are at least two ways of looking at any particular piece of information.

Bush and Blair are the “intelligence failures”.

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