The Weekly Poll
Results
The 'Resistance is Futile' Edition
Sunday, on Meet the Press, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said of Iran..."We believe as a matter of policy it is unacceptable for Iran to have nuclear weapons... So we are united in our continuing commitment to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons... First, we're going to do everything we can to prevent you from ever getting a nuclear weapon. But your pursuit is futile, because we will never let Iran--nuclear-armed"...
Do you think Obama would use the military option to prevent a nuclear armed Iran?
rdmcd simply stated...
no
DRD asks...
Why does the world continue to press forward a fact not yet in evidence? Why is it automatically thought that atomic power is used only in WMD? Look at the nations surrounding Iran that possesses the bomb! If there should be worry about rogue governments going WMD India and Pakistan should be handcuffed now! Just because you don't agree with Iran is no cause to create this 'straw-man' situation. We want their oil and will do whatever is necessary to obtain it; even including goading Israel to do the dirty work for us!
(Thanks fer the graphic! Lighthouses are special to me as I was a 'Keeper' of a Light as a Coastguardsman in Maine. Plus, I then spent 3 years on a 14 man CG team that took care of 24 automated Lights in northern Lakes Michigan and Huron)
Adams in NoHo goes for the SpecOps application...
We have Army Ranger, Navy Seals, hell, we even have a Mob that can be tasked with making something 'look like an accident'.
Why we don't use these resources to take out the offending facilities & weapons and humiliate Ahmadinejad & the rest by making them look stupid, foolish, and dangerous to themselves & their country.
Carpet bombing is useless. A few well-placed packs of C4 can do wonders.
'Sometimes Delores, an accident can be an unhappy woman's best friend.'.
(The Mob? Sure, why not? The Navy during WWII had an active program working with the Mafia protecting NY harbor that also morphed into assistance before and during the invasion of Sicily)
DanD says it's not Obama's call...
Since Senator Clinton is a whore for Zionland, she will say anything her bosses at AIPAC tell her to. As it is, there is not one scintilla of clearly defined, physical evidence that Iran is building anything more than a nuclear power station.
But if Obama really wants to piss off a hardcore nuclear power, then all he has to do is follow his orders from AIPAC and militarily take out Iran's civilian nuclear power infrastructure ... at which are dozens -- if not several hundred -- top-end Russian nuclear technicians.
And the Zionlanders of "Israel" would just love to cause a "limited" nuclear conflagration between the US and Russia, after which they would become just about the only nuclear power left standing ... or so they may think.
All these religiously motivated handjobs are certifiably insane.
(They MOST certainly are, Dan)
SallyP(al) ever the pacifist writes...
I reply: Jesus wept, I hope not! (Me, too!)
As you know, I am totally against WAR - and make no bones about it, this would be a major strike on our part resulting in WAR - perhaps bringing the wrath of the whole Arab world down on us!
So far, I have been pleased with the Obama responses towards Israel - not kissing up to them, and looking the other way as they transgress against their neighbors, as other administrations have done.
Is it any wonder why the Arab Nations distrust the US when we have shown such favor towards Israel? Now, there is conflict between Israel and Iran - well, let them resolve it and we need to stay OUT!
I think President Obama is smart enough to see that we have more then enough on our plate. I also think he should show good faith by cutting off all financial aid to Israel until they MOVE OUT of the West Bank as mandated - but I doubt is he will go that far.
I am hoping that he will not be manipulated into their dispute with Iran. Why do people expect the US of A to be solving all of the problems in the world is beyond me. I say, get the troops out of Afghanistan (what a waste) and bring them home - in case the President caves into the Israel lobby - which COULD happen.
I pray not...
(Pray hard, Pally, REALLY hard)
CharlieY thinks the BFEE is still in charge...
Obama would use the military option to gain control of Iran's oil, which would be more difficult if they had nukes.
Well, then, Poll-fans, all I can say is that Madame Secretary sure painted us into a corner by using the word 'never'. If those whackos persist and make a weapon (and I believe they'd like to), then all bets are off the table. I'm certain the Arabs of the gulf doesn't want Iran to have one. I think they are just as concerned as everyone else seems to be. So, they'll let the West be the strong arm as to not appear to be beating up on fellow Muslims. The Iranians consider themselves to be superior to the Arabs and they are Shi'ite, not Sunni as most Arabs are. That is no small thing in the bizaaro world they all inhabit. I think strong economic sanctions could very well work as their economy is far worse than ours and despite their oil, they import 40% of the gasoline they use. But, it could go either way. Would BHO use the new 'bunker busters' that are being developed? I say yes, if Iran pulls a nuclear fait accompli out of an Ayatollah's turban... Then, as we use to say in the Coast Guard, "Stand by for heavy rolls!"
Thanks to all, and as always, Yer the Best!
BadToTheBoneBob
New Question
The "A little better all the time (It can't get no worse)" Edition
How would you rate the particulars of your personal financial/material situation compared to 6 months ago?
1.) Better
2.) Worse
3.) About the same
Feel free to comment along with yer answer
Send your response to
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Paul Krugman: Rewarding Bad Actors (nytimes.com)
Even before the bailouts, many financial-industry high-fliers made fortunes through activities that were worthless if not destructive from a social point of view. And they're still at it.
Ted Rall: EVERYONE HATES THE COPS
I'll never forget the New York traffic cop who stepped off the curb in front of my car on Madison Avenue and ordered me to turn right. He wrote me up for illegal right turn. "But you told me to," I protested. "Wrong place, wrong time," he smirked. $165 plus three points on my license. I appealed. The cop lied under oath. The court believed him.
Susan Estrich: Lily Burk, 17 (creators.com)
You just have to see the picture of her: a girl on the verge, finding her style, raising her voice, about to embark on a life she could barely yet imagine. This summer she was supposed to volunteer helping homeless drug addicts on Skid Row. Instead, according to police, she was killed by one.
Froma Harrop: Pot Could Be Gold for California (creators.com)
The popular TV series "Weeds" is about a widowed suburban mother who deals pot to preserve her family's cushy California dream. Not a few Californians would like to see the theme writ large for their state. California has legalized medical marijuana, its cannabis crop is valued at $17 billion a year, and people there smoke pot openly. But the state can't collect a penny of revenues from the enormous enterprise.
JAMES PANERO: The Culture Crash (city-journal.org)
Risky investments have endangered New York's leading arts institutions.
Jim Hightower: BUILDING NEIGHBORLINESS WITH FREE FRUIT (jimhightower.com)
Some years ago, a young, sorta-hippyish couple knocked on my front door. They had noticed that I had fig trees in the yard, laden with summer fruit. If I wasn't going to pick them all, they asked, could they harvest some figs? Since I was about to take a trip, I said: Sure, have at 'em. Upon my return, as I stood at the door fumbling for my keys, I looked down - and there were two jars of delicious fig jam awaiting me.
Charlyn Fargo: Brain Boost (creators.com)
If you're going to diet, the best one may be the DASH diet, if you're looking to boost your brainpower as well. A new study finds that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and low in salt sweets, and red meats - the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) model - appears to slow cognitive decline, according to researchers at an International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease.
Ask Joe Weider (creators.com)
TIP OF THE WEEK: The architect Le Corbusier came up with the oft-quoted phrase, "Form follows function." While he said it in the context of buildings, the idea that the shape of something should emanate from its use is a pretty good one for you to follow, as well. If you wish your body to look a particular way, you need to train it accordingly.
Sean Fennessey: Who Is Fabolous? (villagevoice.com)
On a constantly-on-the-brink Brooklyn rapper and perils of undersharing.
ARIEL MESSMAN-RUCKER: Kaci Battaglia is Breaking Out (curvemag.com)
Kaci Battaglia, the former child star who took a break from the music industry to grow up, is now back and hotter than ever and although the golden skinned diva is straight (I know ladies sad, but true) her singles are playing in gay clubs around the country.
Travis Lupick: "Vancouver Pride: Queer folks attracting more straight allies" (straight.com)
Why do straight people fight for LGBT rights? The question was recently put to Seth MacFarlane, creator of the hit television show Family Guy and a prominent and straight gay-rights activist.
RACHEL SHATTO: Lesbian Fall TV Preview (curvemag.com)
Brace yourself ladies, your TV is about to get very, very gay!
answered:
Way back when I was working at KTVA in Anchorage, The Archie Show aired every afternoon at 3:30.
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
PSUEDO TWEET
Hey Joe
PSUEDO TWEET TO JOE S.....
I LIKE LOOKING AT DEBORAH ANN WOLL TOO!
SHE PLAYS A NEWBIE VAMPIRE ON HBO's "TRUE BLOOD"
REALLY COOL TO SEE HER SINK HER TEETH INTO HER BOYFRIEND!
PURPLE GENE
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny and windy.
More Legal Stuff
Dan Rather
Former TV news anchor Dan Rather sued CBS Chief Executive Leslie Moonves and former CBS News President Andrew Heyward on Monday in a bid to have them reinstated as defendants in his $70 million lawsuit against the network.
In a lawsuit filed in New York State Supreme Court, Rather accused the two men of fraud relating to his claim that CBS made him a scapegoat in a scandal over a 2004 report on then-President George W. Bush's military record.
"These are the two individuals who committed the crime on behalf of CBS and we're holding them personally responsible," said Rather's lawyer, Martin Gold.
Rather claims CBS breached his contract and its fiduciary duty in part by not giving him enough on-air assignments after he was removed in March 2005 after 24 years as anchor of the "CBS Evening News."
Dan Rather
Sell! Sell! Sell!
More Ads
Coming soon to your TV: More advertising, in places you might not expect.
The ads are showing up where people used to enjoy a break from advertising, such as video on demand and on-screen channel guides. Even TiVo, which became popular for its technology that lets people skip TV commercials, is developing new ways to show ads.
As a result, you won't necessarily see more traditional, 30-second commercials. Instead, many of the new TV ads will resemble online ads - interactive and often shaped for individual members of the audience. They'll also be harder to ignore. Typically, you can't opt out of seeing them.
The companies behind the latest kind of ads hope they'll especially appeal to advertisers that are increasingly careful with their marketing budgets. In turn the advertisers are betting viewers won't be turned off - as long as the ads pitch products and services tailored to consumers' particular interests.
More Ads
Mobile Film Fest
Tilda Swinton
Academy Award-winner Tilda Swinton is spending part of the summer hauling a mobile movie theater across the Scottish Highlands.
Swinton and fellow film fans are transporting the movie truck through towns and villages for a traveling film festival. Most of the time they drive, but volunteers are pulling the 37-tonne (40 ton) truck for part of the journey on foot. Swinton said the foot slog - a tribute to movies and the Scottish landscape - was a "mad idea" that seemed appropriate.
Swinton told Monday's edition of The Guardian newspaper that audiences in remote communities were hungry to for non-mainstream films and for an "experience of cinema" unavailable on DVD.
The festival's schedule includes international road movies, from Preston Sturges' "Sullivan's Travels" to Fridrik Thor Fridriksson's "Cold Fever."
Tilda Swinton
Wedding News
Larter - MacArthur
Ali Larter, best known for starring in hit sci-fi show Heroes - wed actor Hayes MacArthur at the weekend, reports Usmagazine.com.
The pair, who have been dating for several years and who have been engaged since 2007, said 'I do' at Hayes' parents' estate in Maine in front of family and friends.
Ali, 33, is rumoured to be starring in upcoming action horror flick Resident Evil: Afterlife.
Larter - MacArthur
Conservative Family Values At Work
Paul Stanley
The Tennessee state senator said he was opposed to sex outside marriage, but his private life told a different story: He was having an affair with his 22-year-old intern.
When an extortion plot exposed married Republican Sen. Paul Stanley's illicit relationship, he said he would be "clearing up" misimpressions later. He's now clearing out his office, the latest politician caught in a sex scandal, this one made worse by not coming clean.
As news of the affair broke last month, the 47-year-old Stanley dodged reporters and issued a statement calling himself a victim. The suburban Memphis lawmaker, a married father of two who taught Sunday school, said he wanted to set the record straight. But, he insisted, prosecutors had told him not to talk.
The details that emerged, however, did nothing to vindicate him. Court documents showed he had admitted the affair to investigators and acknowledged taking explicit photos of intern McKensie Morrison in his Nashville apartment. Prosecutors issued a statement saying he was not restricted from discussing the case. After a week of mounting pressure, he reluctantly resigned.
Paul Stanley
Acropolis Museum Censors Film
Costa-Gavras
A rights group has accused Greece's new Acropolis Museum of censoring a video that shows early Christians vandalising antiquities after complaints attributed to the country's Orthodox Church.
The Greek section of the Helsinki Monitor (GHM) on human rights on Monday said it had filed an injunction application against the museum, demanding that the video by prominent French filmmaker Costa-Gavras be restored in full.
GHM said the museum had excised a 12-second segment from a Gavras animation video showing robed figures hacking away sculptures from the iconic Athens Parthenon, a reference to the ancient temple's transformation into a basilica when Christianity supplanted paganism in Greece after the 4th century AD.
In statements to Greek TV station Mega, Gavras -- a former president of the Cinémathèque française -- has blamed the Church for the move.
Costa-Gavras
China Seals Off Town
Pneumonic Plague
China locked down a remote farming town after two people died and 10 more were sickened with pneumonic plague, a lung infection that can kill a human in 24 hours if left untreated.
Police set up checkpoints around Ziketan in northwestern Qinghai province, where townspeople reached by The Associated Press by phone Monday said the streets were largely deserted and most shops shut.
Authorities urged anyone who had visited the town of 10,000 people since mid-July and has developed a cough or fever to seek hospital treatment.
On Sunday, a 37-year-old man identified only as Danzin became the second reported fatality from the outbreak. He lived next door to the first, a 32-year-old herder. The 10 sickened, mostly relatives of the herder, were undergoing isolated treatment in hospital, the local health bureau said.
Pneumonic Plague
Lies, Deception, Pride, Sloth, Greed
Mortal Sins
A former priest claims a bishop who played a leading national role in responding to the Catholic Church sex abuse scandal threatened to send him to live with nuns after he hired a private investigator to look into his pastor.
The pastor, the Rev. Michael Jude Fay, later pleaded guilty to a federal fraud charge and was sentenced to three years in prison for stealing more than $1 million from St. John Roman Catholic Church in Darien to support a luxurious lifestyle.
The priest who hired the investigator the year before, the Rev. Michael Madden, made the claim about the threat of being sent to live with nuns in a deposition for a lawsuit by the church's bookkeeper, who says she was harassed and threatened for exposing Fay's embezzlement.
Madden was asked in the deposition in June for bookkeeper Bethany D'Erario's lawsuit if church officials told him they were going to send him to a nunnery.
Mortal Sins
Primed For Rupert TV
Lou Dobbs
He's become a publicity nightmare for CNN, embarrassed his boss and hosted a show that seemed to contradict the network's "no bias" brand. And on top of all that, his ratings are slipping.
CNN insists it is standing behind Dobbs, despite calls for his head from critics of his reporting on "birthers" - those who believe President Barack Obama wasn't born in the United States despite convincing evidence to the contrary. The "birthers" believe Obama was born in Kenya, and thus not eligible to be president.
Dobbs has acknowledged that he believes Obama was born in Hawaii. But he gives airtime to disbelievers, and has said the president should try to put questions fully to rest by releasing a long version of his birth certificate. He's twice done stories on his show after the public leak of a memo from CNN U.S. President Jon Klein saying that "it seems this story is dead."
Dobbs hasn't made it any easier by using his radio show to fight back at critics, who he called "limp-minded, lily-livered lefty lemmings." He considered going on CNN tormentor Bill O'Reilly's Fox News show to thank him (O'Reilly says the birthers are wrong, but he defended Dobbs' right to talk about it).
Lou Dobbs
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