On September 13 2012 10:49 Silidons wrote: This never gets old - fits perfect with what just happened + Show Spoiler +
This is similar to the Sam Harris school of thought. Reminds me of the long lasting debates he and Hitchens had with Chris Hedges. I enjoyed all points of view and feel they all brought some perspective to the table. So for the sake of balance, I offer some Hedges.
Democratic officials apologized Wednesday for mistakenly displaying an image of the Russian Navy during a tribute to America’s veterans at last week’s Democratic National Convention. But they also used their response to take a swipe at Republican rival Mitt Romney.
The Russian warships, many of Soviet-era origin, were shown on a giant screen Sept. 6 above 50 veterans while retired Adm. John Nathman honored veterans’ contributions to America. The former sailor who spotted the error and notified Navy Times had asked for an apology.
The Democratic National Convention Committee did just that in a statement Wednesday, but also criticized Romney for failing to mention service members during his convention speech in Tampa, Fla.
“Due to vendor error, incorrect images appeared briefly on screen behind fifty-one veterans during the convention and the DNCC apologizes for this mistake,” the statement said. “This error should not distract from the words of Admiral Nathman and others who spoke to President Obama's strong record on issues that impact those who have served our nation. We're proud of the service and sacrifice of our veterans and military families, and while they were an important and active part our of convention, Mitt Romney failed to even mention them in his speech in Tampa.”
Democratic officials apologized Wednesday for mistakenly displaying an image of the Russian Navy during a tribute to America’s veterans at last week’s Democratic National Convention. But they also used their response to take a swipe at Republican rival Mitt Romney.
The Russian warships, many of Soviet-era origin, were shown on a giant screen Sept. 6 above 50 veterans while retired Adm. John Nathman honored veterans’ contributions to America. The former sailor who spotted the error and notified Navy Times had asked for an apology.
The Democratic National Convention Committee did just that in a statement Wednesday, but also criticized Romney for failing to mention service members during his convention speech in Tampa, Fla.
“Due to vendor error, incorrect images appeared briefly on screen behind fifty-one veterans during the convention and the DNCC apologizes for this mistake,” the statement said. “This error should not distract from the words of Admiral Nathman and others who spoke to President Obama's strong record on issues that impact those who have served our nation. We're proud of the service and sacrifice of our veterans and military families, and while they were an important and active part our of convention, Mitt Romney failed to even mention them in his speech in Tampa.”
Democratic officials apologized Wednesday for mistakenly displaying an image of the Russian Navy during a tribute to America’s veterans at last week’s Democratic National Convention. But they also used their response to take a swipe at Republican rival Mitt Romney.
The Russian warships, many of Soviet-era origin, were shown on a giant screen Sept. 6 above 50 veterans while retired Adm. John Nathman honored veterans’ contributions to America. The former sailor who spotted the error and notified Navy Times had asked for an apology.
The Democratic National Convention Committee did just that in a statement Wednesday, but also criticized Romney for failing to mention service members during his convention speech in Tampa, Fla.
“Due to vendor error, incorrect images appeared briefly on screen behind fifty-one veterans during the convention and the DNCC apologizes for this mistake,” the statement said. “This error should not distract from the words of Admiral Nathman and others who spoke to President Obama's strong record on issues that impact those who have served our nation. We're proud of the service and sacrifice of our veterans and military families, and while they were an important and active part our of convention, Mitt Romney failed to even mention them in his speech in Tampa.”
The Republican and Democratic conventions are mercifully over but their corrosive impacts on our democracy persist.
First, did you know that taxpayers helped fund these conventions at a level of $100 million for logistics and police sequestrations of demonstrators in Tampa and Charlotte and an additional $18.2 million each for general convention expenses?
The two party duopoly obviously controls the honey pot in Congress. That corporate welfare is what they enacted in spite of the fact that the party’s convention committees are private corporations that should pay for their own big political party and their many smaller social parties with plentiful food and drink. No third party – Green, Libertarian or others – received any taxpayer money for their conventions this year.
Second, the Republican and Democratic conventions have jettisoned their original purposes which were to resolve the contest for the presidential nomination and work up a platform. Both functions are now decided beforehand, setting the stage for a choreographed theatrical event of political pomposity and braggadocio. On the periphery are the omnipresent corporate lobbyists and their parties of free food and drink.
Did they ask you the taxpayers to foot so much of this bill? Silly question for an oligarchy greased by a plutocracy.
Taking these conventions at face value, one is shocked by how they are scripted right down to every line of every speech vetted by the politicos. Clint Eastwood’s spontaneity that so angered the GOP operatives was the exception.
[...]
The repetitive over-wrought praise of “el Presidente” in every speech became mawkish, reminding one of the “politics of personalism,” present in many countries with underdeveloped political institutions. Michelle Obama found no time for mentioning the Obama family and America’s mission to grow and consume nutritious food and keep fit to avoid the ravages of obesity. She was too occupied gushing over her aggressive drone commander’s touching nightly reading of letters from Americans about their problems.
The mass obeisance ended when the commander-in-chief himself sprung onto the stage to speak the language of hope, meanwhile avoiding addressing the number of undesirable conditions that need his attention at this singular opportunity.
[...]
Even when Obama mentioned climate change – a recent no-no in the Democrat’s lexicon – his words were defensive, namely “climate change is not a hoax” he did not elaborate.
This defensive attitude against the cruelest, most ignorant corporate-indentured, anti-worker, war mongering Republican Party in history is also seen in the debates and programs of Democratic Congressional and state candidates.
Being on the offense with an agenda standing for and with the people who economically are being driven, along with their country, into the ground by unpatriotic global corporations and their political minions, should be easy. Unless, that is, the Democrats want to continue dialing for the same corporate campaign dollars.
Playing defense explains why veteran Democrat members of the House of Representatives tell me that the party is going to lose the House again to the likes of John Boehner and Eric Cantor. The Democrats cannot even defend the country from Republicans who think Ronald Reagan was too moderate and unelectable today.
Democratic officials apologized Wednesday for mistakenly displaying an image of the Russian Navy during a tribute to America’s veterans at last week’s Democratic National Convention. But they also used their response to take a swipe at Republican rival Mitt Romney.
The Russian warships, many of Soviet-era origin, were shown on a giant screen Sept. 6 above 50 veterans while retired Adm. John Nathman honored veterans’ contributions to America. The former sailor who spotted the error and notified Navy Times had asked for an apology.
The Democratic National Convention Committee did just that in a statement Wednesday, but also criticized Romney for failing to mention service members during his convention speech in Tampa, Fla.
“Due to vendor error, incorrect images appeared briefly on screen behind fifty-one veterans during the convention and the DNCC apologizes for this mistake,” the statement said. “This error should not distract from the words of Admiral Nathman and others who spoke to President Obama's strong record on issues that impact those who have served our nation. We're proud of the service and sacrifice of our veterans and military families, and while they were an important and active part our of convention, Mitt Romney failed to even mention them in his speech in Tampa.”
I find the attempt to twist this into an attempt to go after Romney to be particularly amusing.
Romney, not to be outdone
Mitt Romney claims the Obama administration issued an “apology for American values” after U.S. embassies were attacked. Not true. Romney refers to a statement issued before mobs attacked either in Egypt or Libya, and faults U.S. diplomats for failing to condemn actions that hadn’t yet happened.
On September 13 2012 10:49 Silidons wrote: This never gets old - fits perfect with what just happened + Show Spoiler +
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI-TNg4YH-Q
Why do you take anything this guy says seriously? He is on the board of directors of PETA and is an animal rights extremist.
Lol you must not know much about Bill Maher. Did u just now google him or something?
Do you take him seriously then, and think he is right in saying that we should all be vegans?
Hmmm, I must be missing something. As far as I know, he has never said he was a vegan. He certainly isn't advocating everyone being vegan. And yes I take him very serious. He seems to use logic to come to conclusions. . . . Sry to get off topic.
On September 13 2012 12:45 xDaunt wrote: Something to lighten things up around here:
Democratic officials apologized Wednesday for mistakenly displaying an image of the Russian Navy during a tribute to America’s veterans at last week’s Democratic National Convention. But they also used their response to take a swipe at Republican rival Mitt Romney.
The Russian warships, many of Soviet-era origin, were shown on a giant screen Sept. 6 above 50 veterans while retired Adm. John Nathman honored veterans’ contributions to America. The former sailor who spotted the error and notified Navy Times had asked for an apology.
The Democratic National Convention Committee did just that in a statement Wednesday, but also criticized Romney for failing to mention service members during his convention speech in Tampa, Fla.
“Due to vendor error, incorrect images appeared briefly on screen behind fifty-one veterans during the convention and the DNCC apologizes for this mistake,” the statement said. “This error should not distract from the words of Admiral Nathman and others who spoke to President Obama's strong record on issues that impact those who have served our nation. We're proud of the service and sacrifice of our veterans and military families, and while they were an important and active part our of convention, Mitt Romney failed to even mention them in his speech in Tampa.”
On September 13 2012 12:45 xDaunt wrote: Something to lighten things up around here:
Democratic officials apologized Wednesday for mistakenly displaying an image of the Russian Navy during a tribute to America’s veterans at last week’s Democratic National Convention. But they also used their response to take a swipe at Republican rival Mitt Romney.
The Russian warships, many of Soviet-era origin, were shown on a giant screen Sept. 6 above 50 veterans while retired Adm. John Nathman honored veterans’ contributions to America. The former sailor who spotted the error and notified Navy Times had asked for an apology.
The Democratic National Convention Committee did just that in a statement Wednesday, but also criticized Romney for failing to mention service members during his convention speech in Tampa, Fla.
“Due to vendor error, incorrect images appeared briefly on screen behind fifty-one veterans during the convention and the DNCC apologizes for this mistake,” the statement said. “This error should not distract from the words of Admiral Nathman and others who spoke to President Obama's strong record on issues that impact those who have served our nation. We're proud of the service and sacrifice of our veterans and military families, and while they were an important and active part our of convention, Mitt Romney failed to even mention them in his speech in Tampa.”
I find the attempt to twist this into an attempt to go after Romney to be particularly amusing.
That is pretty fucking funny.
"Yeah, the intern responsible for googling $2 istockphotos picked a photo that was mislabelled. Oh yeah, Romney is a dick."
It's gotten so petty it's ridiculous.
Anything to avoid addressing the actual issues!
Isn't that the point of politics? Truth is that people are uninformed and can only handle sound bites. That's why real politicians are being unseated by wing wackos.
On September 13 2012 10:49 Silidons wrote: This never gets old - fits perfect with what just happened + Show Spoiler +
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI-TNg4YH-Q
Why do you take anything this guy says seriously? He is on the board of directors of PETA and is an animal rights extremist.
Lol you must not know much about Bill Maher. Did u just now google him or something?
Do you take him seriously then, and think he is right in saying that we should all be vegans?
Hmmm, I must be missing something. As far as I know, he has never said he was a vegan. He certainly isn't advocating everyone being vegan. And yes I take him very serious. He seems to use logic to come to conclusions. . . . Sry to get off topic.
You can't be on the Board of Directors of PETA and not be vegan. He's in this video documentary about PETA's leader and talks about it throughout:
On September 13 2012 23:57 xDaunt wrote: Does anyone see any political upside for Obama with this ongoing mess in the Middle East at our embassies? I'm having a hard time seeing it.
It would probably depends how he responds to it. If he can use it to portray himself as a strong leader in foreign policy, he can capitalize on his success with Neptune Spear as well as Romney's relative lack of foreign policy credentials to steal some otherwise conservative leaning voters who care about that sort of thing (such as military service members and veterans).
So far, though, it looks like he's playing it safe and minimizing the potential political upswing/downswing.
On September 13 2012 23:57 xDaunt wrote: Does anyone see any political upside for Obama with this ongoing mess in the Middle East at our embassies? I'm having a hard time seeing it.
EPT
