blzrul

That's your own personal problem to deal with.

The nickname "Shrub" came from Bush himself. He named his company "Abusto", claiming it meant "Bush". Sadly, it doesn't, it means "Shrub". I guess a kinder nickname would have been the one given him by the rest of the [oil and gas] industry - El Busto? Take your pick. In any event, he's history. The kindest thing I can say is that he didn't INTEND to do a bad job, it's just the way he is. I am sure he's as relieved to be gone as much of the world is to see him go. I feel sorry for those who thought the last 8 years were GREAT because clearly they've ended and so have those "good times". I wish both of them - whoever they are (KBR and who else?) - good luck and godspeed.

Here we go - define "good". All I am saying is that as a concept socialism isn't the evil it's often represented to be. But as it's been implemented in many countries, it's clearly not been successful. As long as fallible human beings are involved, there will be such challenges. There are many socialistic practices in America today. Some, like feeding school children who would otherwise go hungry, are good in terms of the principle. How that's accomplished, maybe not so much - bureaucracy, greed and incompetence could drive up the cost of the service and imperfect administration could exclude some children who needed it. But that doesn't mean the notion of feeding hungry children is bad.

Perhaps it's not the model of socialism but HOW it's implemented and WHO implements and manages it?

You could have TEN "viable" political parties but if they all select crappy candidates you still might not have a choice. Were any of this past election's third-party candidates any good? Ron Paul maybe ... but many people don't consider third parties viable whether their candidates are good, or not. Fact is, if Jesus Christ returned and ran asm, for example, a Green...would you vote for Him? Course not, you'd read the label "Green", call Him some nasty names and vote for a wingnut. So it's not the number of parties. It's a combination of the quality of the candidates AND the willingness of the people to take their constitutional rights more seriously and do some due diligence on the candidates.

..."But at one point, Obama paused abruptly after Roberts reversed several words in the oath. The oath includes the phrase "that I will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States" but Roberts didn't say "faithfully" until after saying "president of the United States." Obama apparently realized that something was out of order. With Obama not reciting, Roberts then repeated the phrase correctly, ending a brief awkward moment and putting the oath back on track." Another "educated elitist" saves a wingnut's bacon.

If you think back, "Christian" wasn't always the measurement...witness the fear and suspicion about Kennedy. It was "WASP" really - Catholicism was not a plus for a Presidential candidate. I guess the old stories about "Papists" eating babies and whatnot were in the backs of their minds. Whatever. People fear those who are different. You can pick a random thread on this board - any thread - and it will be obvious. I saw a good bumper sticker yesterday: "God is too big to fit into any single religion." Not a bad thought. Personally, I believe in God although I don't practice a religion. Some people are slaves to religious practice, and some people don't believe in God. I don't really care as long as they don't try to foist their beliefs on me.

Idealism has no place on this board. Neither does rationalism or common sense. I agree with you, but as you can see all you statement has done is riled the troglodytes. You have to wonder how many actually bothered to listen to the inaugural speech, particularly the reference to "putting aside childish things". They know no other way. They are frightened, and this is how they react. I recommend leaving them alone in their little cesspool where they can cower in peace.

Look in your closet, your pantry and all around your house. One might argue that we're ALL under the influence of China. Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid. Wingnuts = Cowards.

Don't forget your free healthcare. Now you can get that pre-frontal lobomy you so desperately need.

The point is that it's a non-issue. If you move somewhere and have civic pride about it, where's the harm? I don't suppose Hillary saying "thank God I'm going to DC because New York really SUCKS" would make you happier? New York is a great place to live and I don't blame her for wanting to be a New Yorker, particularly after having to live in Arkansas. If Hillary said "the sky is blue, the Buffalo Bills stink and water is wet" there would be people who'd disagree with her. I am not a Hillary fan, but I am certainly not going to be blinded by it. The sky IS blue (where I am), the Bills DO stink and when it rains, I get wet. So there you go. Have a nice day ****. I'm sure this inauguation week is tough on you, but this too shall pass.

Dang those facts. Ruined a bunch of wingnuts' day. This week is going to be rough on them, so we need to be considerate. Let them have their fun. It'll keep them occupied and out of the way.

Today I learned that an area dealer (50 years) closed their Honda dealership - just gone, no warning. That's kinda scary.

Hey Moronica, long time no see. Maybe my glasses need to be cleaned but if you would point out to me where I said ANYTHING ABOUT HILLARY, I'd be eternally grateful. Oh. I didn't. Personally I don't give a rat's ass about Hillary. I'm merely pointing out that if one is outraged that someone not from New York claims to be a New Yorker, then one should ALSO be outraged that someone not from Texas claims to be a Texan. To do otherwise would be hypocrisy. Which, I guess, is where YOU come in.

Kinda like George Bush being a Texan? He was born in Connecticut.

Oh shoot, GWB isn't smart enough to have masterminded it and it would have taken a lot of work, something that the Vacationer-in-Chief doesn't really like. I don't believe he masterminded it ... I think that he ignored the signs, and let other people convince him that there was nothing to it (just in case he bothered to inquire). But what I do blame him for is making political hay from it and using it to implement policies that set our democracy back. Torture, suspension of civil liberties and on and on, not to mention a war we didn't need.

I turned on the speech last night thinking I could stomach him one last time. Alas after 10 minutes of "9/11", "terror", "evil", "freedom" and "God" I had to mute.

I'm not surprised that you're frustrated. Given the symptoms you exhibit, you have good reason to be frustrated. You're just PO'd that you got yourself all twisted around "Tard" and missed the opportunity to use "Turd". So you like branding me a Tard, that's great. Unless you ALSO are a Tard...which you'd never admit to...then by process of elimination you are a Turd. Which certainly explains a lot.

No, anyone they don't like is a "Tard" but THEY are "Turds".

Removing cats is never a bad idea.

I saw a dog in a dog park with a "Bark Obama" sweater. WAY cool.

If you were sitting in your office/cube, whatever and someone came to you and said your wife/mother/brother/whatever has just been shot and is in the hospital, would you just sit there and wait for someone to tell you what to do? Of course you'd be in shock. You weren't expecting anything like that. You might say OMG what do I do? You might leap up ... you might burst into tears... you might say Well I need to talk to the police / hospital, can someone get me the info? What you would NOT do is look around blankly waiting for someone to tell you what to do. There are a many things he could have done that didn't involve crying, screaming, leaping, or bolting. The thing he opted to do was NOTHING which shows an EXTREME lack of leadership.

Naw he'll be lumped in with those forgettable presidents like...ummmm...William Henry Harrison? Millard Fillmore? Warren G. Harding? Bush's legacy is Barack Obama. Depending on how President Obama fares the next 4 years...Bush will either slide totally into infamy if he's not there already or...he may get some positive fallout.

This happens all the time. Non-custodial parents overpay child support when custody changes, etc. It's a snafu you have to expect when EVERYTHING requires documentation and there's a lag in processing it. I realize the mindset here is to PERSONALIZE everything and react to it as it it's an intentional slap in the face. This is the way all things work. The fact is they got a chance to fix it - the big bad agency didn't garnish their wages, throw them in jail, or take their kids. So the system isn't great, but it worked. I am sure they suffered angst during this time period and I don't blame them, but it sounds as if it had a happy ending. If you're using the story to try for a conclusion such as "don't be a nice guy and help kids", that would be stupid. And I have to say I find it HYSTERICALLY FUNNY that you of all people raise the point about the presumption of guilt versus innocence. I guess in this case it's sort of an inconvenient truth, eh?

Extremists are always ugly no matter WHICH side they're on. I am sure the wingnuts will be pleased to hear that the far left is screaming that Obama is being too centrist in his cabinet picks, etc. That should make the right very happy. I was surprised at all the emails I've received calling for a protest to this that and the other pick as not being "liberal" enough. It speaks volumes that even the far left bought into the wingnuts' demonization of Obama as a flaming liberal. He's not, and I don't know if he ever was.