blzrul

Racism is not the sole property of the South, although some areas seem to have perfected it. Look at all those skinheads in Michigan, Ohio, etc. There have been incidents in New York, Boston, Pittsburgh, Seattle, DC...and more. The South gets the rap for it because it was pretty much institutionalized for a long time and there are still some pretty overt cases. This case is hard to comprehend. It certainly sounds racist, so blatantly that one has to wonder how stupid these people are, both for signing the contract to allow busloads of screaming little kids to use the pool AND for the way they handled it. If I were a member of the club, I personally wouldn't want my peace invaded by a bunch of little kids of ANY color...

So then you would agree that the native American Indians got !@#$ED royally? Because they didn't want our ancestors here any more than you want those huddled masses. Please explain to me why is was good for OUR people to come to America, and not for someone else's? If God has truly blessed this country, as many believe, then is it not a sin to not share the gift of God?

I do not believe that the Pope was suggesting that we help those people who are not really victims, but think they are. I do think that if someone is unfortunate enough to be born in a sucky country run by evildoers, where there's a 25% infant mortaility rate and no hope, that isn't their fault. America was founded by people whose countries of origin sucked. based on your statement, we shouldn't be here.

It's only "malicious" if you've fallen for the GOP marketing campaign that liberal = bad and conservative = good. The Pope issued his statements and call to action based directly on faith and morals. And certainly Catholics can disagree. You can disagree with helping others less fortunate. You can disagree with taking care of the earth God gave us. And I can disagree on birth control and abortion.

She strikes me as one of those folks you encounter in business who throw out all the buzzwords and acronyms with only the vaguest understanding of what they really mean. That's ignorance. I think she's actually pretty cagey to have gotten so far on so little substance. I imagine if she looked like Bella Abzug or Phyllis Diller we wouldn't be having this conversation....her looks offset her shallowness just enough.

He's a big Obamamaniac you know. A big one. His wife too.

Dear dear Jim: THAT is EXACTLY what the conservatives have created. They have laid claim to family values and Jesus Christ. That's why this for them is a conundrum. I think if you were to do a search you'd me stating on more than one occasion that "religion is stupid". But, since it is what it is out there, I am enjoying this to the fullest.

Tiny article in this morning's paper, and probably won't get much press. But, apparently, the Pope has a problem with the widening gap between the rich, and the poor. And he wants something done about it. "Charity in Truth" He's calling for rich countries to aid poor countries. And he wants industrialized countries to care for the environment and stop hogging all the energy resources. He wants workers to unionize. And there's other stuff in there that - horrors - sounds almost socialistic. So - what are all the Roman Catholic soldiers of Christ (of which I am one, technically speaking) going to do? Fall in with the Pope? Or turn Southern Baptist?

You pay for the brand. You know how FEW ODMs there are? Not even a handful - they make computers for all the major OEMs. (Same with iPhone etc). Engineering at the EOM makes a difference but...the ODM doesn't run one "junk" line for one vendor and one "good" one for Apple. It just doesn't work that way. If people are happy with their Macs - great. But you shouldn't really kid yourselves about "superior" technology. It's the same. The combination of features, a few cutesy touches, plus the advertising, is the difference.

I see that today Palin is redefining what she did from "quitting" to "fighting". I don't know if there is any hope of rehabilitation for that dingbat.

Oh come on. A wink here, a "you betcha" there, mixed with a healthy dose of "Maverick!" would enthrall the wingnut faithful. By the way - a more equitable comparison would be to LBJ. He declared he wasn't going to run again. Had he then resigned, because why bother completing his term after all since he wasn't going to have a second term - he'd have been pilloried and would have deserved it. However he opted to fulfill his duty and promise to the people who voted for him (many of them several times). The state of Alaska is probably the big winner here.

Is she running for President of Alabama or Mississippi? Ohh maybe Texas after it secedes?

That's an interesting thought and I actually think you could be onto something. Those ijits love her down there. Don't get me started....

A) She's being spirited away by the GOP to be programmed for a Presidential run in 2012 B) She's going to be doing the fundraising circuit for the GOP, because their followers are just fricking stupid enough to pay a shitload of money to hear people like Palin and Gingrich "speak" C) She's going to run for the Senate seat formerly held by Stevens and now held by a -GASP- Democrat. D) Something ugly is about to come out ... she already paid back the taxpayer money she spent on her kids, maybe that was just the tip of the iceberg. Someone in the GOP was smart enough to realize that by the time 2010-2011 rolls around, this dingbat would have been oversaturating us to the point of nausea. Better to fold her tent now and leave with a little shroud of "mystique" that might make it possible for a "glorious comeback" in 2012.

The more this guy "comes clean" the worse he sounds. If I were his wife, I'd murder him. But first, I'd make him wish he was dead in order that murder would be a happy release for him.

There is no guarantee that these guys will always vote along party lines. Only an idiot would think so. So, Joe is free to go to the GOP for all of me.

uh, no, since I have not been fighting fires for some time I cannot say whether I can still do all those things. I would say probably not, but you never know until you try. I know for the 8 years that I did, I remained in that shape. I have citations for saving two of my fellows...both over 6 feet tall... I doubt there are many people on this board who are in the same shape - better OR worse - than they were 15 years ago.

I have no idea. It's interesting that you focus on women and don't mentioned all those big-bellied MALE cops and, in may cases, firefighters that far outnumber the women. But, not surprising.

Absolutely. Back "in the day" when women in the fire service were rare, I prepared for the test a YEAR in advance through a special program the City put together with the local YMCA. It was a KILLER program to get us in the best physical shape possible. It was aimed at minorities, but there were white guys in the class too. When the day came to take the test, a lot of the firemen administering it laughed when we came in but they weren't laughing when we left. I think they were in shock that this 5'1" woman could actually shoulder a length of hose, run up three stair landings, back down AND drag a 150 lb dummy 50 feet (while being timed). In full turnout gear, I might add.

Iraqis finally figure it out. Of course they're dancing because we're leaving but...they're dancing.

Whatever happened to Denis Rodman?

Found dead. Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson and Billy Mays. Quite a spectrum. McMahon was old as hell, the others went before their time.

Sanford used taxpayer dollars to travel to a tryst with his paramour. So, yes, he should resign.

You mean Cheney? Oh, he was not drugs just DUI. Bush too, come to think of it. Thanks for reminding us.

I only let my husband have one credit card, wtih a low limit, that he rarely uses. I alone use the Discover which has a 25k credit limit. Highest purchase I ever made on it - my son's funeral. Doesn't that suck. Lost him eight years ago today. Now he's bugging the CRAP out of BiB wherever they are.