"A black sheriff?!": The Official Topic of Obama and New Era American Politics

[Himu]

I think they should do away with the standardized testing "standard". When teachers teach the test and not the curriculum, gaps in knowledge occur. Also, when you're teaching the test, you're not teaching for the sake of learning and education, you're teaching to pass the test, which is a poor motivator for scholarship. I was never really good at math; I was in AP history, and english classes but I never did well in math. In 9th grade I was a remedial math class. Instead of trying to catch us up, the teacher spent the course of the year teaching us the test. She said we had to finish such and such before a specific time because the test was x amount of days. In AP classes we covered stuff much like a college class and I was able to do much, much better work with much, much more freedom to learn.

To be honest, I'm not sure why the standardized tests are even needed. To gauge how students are doing in particular areas? To make sure they know key information they should know? Okay, but you can do that without having annual standardized tests. Teach the kids what they need to know, also what they want to know, in ways that they know how to learn. Then, at the end of High School, test them on things that they should already know and gauge how they do. But don't teach the test, the test should be a mirror of knowledge that they should know and recognize up to that point and how education will fit into their future.

I also agree with mups and pd in regards to trades.

[Mr. Gundam]

Stanardized testing is fine to measure student progress, but it shouldn't be the determining factor for success.

[Himu]

The problem is that if you don't pass the tests you school loses funding. It's a total fucked system.

[Mr. Gundam]

The problem is that if you don't pass the tests you school loses funding. It's a total fucked system.

Yeah, I know. I work in the public schools. There are a few buildings in the district that are under watch by OSPI due to not making AYP on the state tests.

We use norm referenced tests to measure individual progress on all students in our buildings, helps determine areas focus on and placement. in classes. We also have the big state mandated standardized HSPE that freaks everyone out and a lot of teachers teach to. One is good, one is bad.

[Phoenix Dark]

How do we propose making High Schools into something other than babysitting for some students.

No offense, but for some of the people working for their family is gonna do more for them than being forced to do nothing all day. If they don't want to take advantage of free education than it's their problem. No need to lower the standard of the school for people who want to do better.

Education is a necessity.  Unless you plan on bagging groceries for the rest of your life you need to be educated in something.  The solution is to open up our schools to multiple avenues through life, not to just give up on poor performers.  More people being productive is better for everyone in the economy.  We need to change our definition of education when it comes to our public schools.

I believe there should be some basic standard required to graduate HS (math, English, etc) even if the school system implements a trade school type program. While it's important to have a skilled work force, it's also important to have an educated one.

The HS I graduated from required you get a technical certificate and Associates Degree in order to graduate. I definitely believe we need more tech high schools that work with community colleges

[Mr. Gundam]

I'm all for academic accountability, but making a single test the sole determing factor is probably not the best way to go about it.

[FlameofCallandorReturns]

No offense, but for some of the people working for their family is gonna do more for them than being forced to do nothing all day.

Ah, so we'd be changing child labor laws too.  I like where this is going!

You realize that most High school students can already work.

[Mandark]

At a certain age, with a permit, only for limited hours, with special restrictions on school nights.

[FlameofCallandorReturns]

Things must have changed then because all of my friends had jobs working at Wendys when they were a sophmore in early 2000s. Without any of the restrictions you mentioned.

The point was that student who dont want to be at school are doing a disservice to everyone else. If they can't be participating members of the school body then they should not be forced to participate.


More trade schools would be awesome.

[Mr. Gundam]

Those working restrictions on high school students have been in place for a long time. I remember my sister had to follow them in the early 90s

The point was that student who dont want to be at school are doing a disservice to everyone else. If they can't be participating members of the school body then they should not be forced to participate.

They're not forced to participate. They can always drop out after then turn 16, but that doesn't solve the problem.

[Mupepe]

How do we propose making High Schools into something other than babysitting for some students.

No offense, but for some of the people working for their family is gonna do more for them than being forced to do nothing all day. If they don't want to take advantage of free education than it's their problem. No need to lower the standard of the school for people who want to do better.

Education is a necessity.  Unless you plan on bagging groceries for the rest of your life you need to be educated in something.  The solution is to open up our schools to multiple avenues through life, not to just give up on poor performers.  More people being productive is better for everyone in the economy.  We need to change our definition of education when it comes to our public schools.

I believe there should be some basic standard required to graduate HS (math, English, etc) even if the school system implements a trade school type program. While it's important to have a skilled work force, it's also important to have an educated one.

The HS I graduated from required you get a technical certificate and Associates Degree in order to graduate. I definitely believe we need more tech high schools that work with community colleges

Well yeah, obviously.  I'm not saying there shouldn't be a bare minimum of knowledge in the core subjects.  Core subjects definitely have their place.  I just think electives should play a much bigger role in high school instead of being a "free class" like most kids see them.

[Mandark]

Things must have changed then because all of my friends had jobs working at Wendys when they were a sophmore in early 2000s. Without any of the restrictions you mentioned.

I call BS.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

You had no friends.

[close]

edit: real answer here

[brawndolicious]

I brought up trade work/community colleges first and received no recognition. My role as poli-bore's Rosalind Franklin continues

Taking pictures doesn't mean you solved a structure.

[brawndolicious]

Trade education isn't promoted much in school because it's expensive, so when schools cut back, things like auto-shop and welding are the first things on the chopping block.  So again, it comes down to MONEY.

The schools would want to spend it on is either something that boosts test scores or something that makes the parents ooh and ahh. It doesn't seem like there's a lot of interest in seeing kids learn a trade.

The money would have to be specifically designated for those programs.

[Oblivion]

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/class-warfare-s-e-cupp-battles-bill-maher-and-panel-over-demonizing-prosperity/

Oh, the amount of hate sexin I'd love to do to this woman.

[Oblivion]

Surprised this hasn't been posted. Paul Ryan throws his idol, Ayn Rand under the bus.

These Rand-related slams, Ryan says, are inaccurate and part of an effort on the left to paint him as a cold-hearted Objectivist. Ryan’s actual philosophy, as reported by my colleague, Brian Bolduc, couldn’t be further from the caricature. As a practicing Roman Catholic, Ryan says, his faith and moral values shape his politics as much as his belief in freedom and capitalism does.

“I, like millions of young people in America, read Rand’s novels when I was young. I enjoyed them,” Ryan says. “They spurred an interest in economics, in the Chicago School and Milton Friedman,” a subject he eventually studied as an undergraduate at Miami University in Ohio. “But it’s a big stretch to suggest that a person is therefore an Objectivist.”

“I reject her philosophy,” Ryan says firmly. “It’s an atheist philosophy. It reduces human interactions down to mere contracts and it is antithetical to my worldview. If somebody is going to try to paste a person’s view on epistemology to me, then give me Thomas Aquinas,” who believed that man needs divine help in the pursuit of knowledge. “Don’t give me Ayn Rand,” he says.

A lot of people have pointed out that Ryan's a lying sack of shit, since he praised Rand multiple times, but here's my question: How does one "reject" her philosophy, while still supporting his own budget?

[Human Snorenado]

Surprised this hasn't been posted. Paul Ryan throws his idol, Ayn Rand under the bus.

These Rand-related slams, Ryan says, are inaccurate and part of an effort on the left to paint him as a cold-hearted Objectivist. Ryan’s actual philosophy, as reported by my colleague, Brian Bolduc, couldn’t be further from the caricature. As a practicing Roman Catholic, Ryan says, his faith and moral values shape his politics as much as his belief in freedom and capitalism does.

“I, like millions of young people in America, read Rand’s novels when I was young. I enjoyed them,” Ryan says. “They spurred an interest in economics, in the Chicago School and Milton Friedman,” a subject he eventually studied as an undergraduate at Miami University in Ohio. “But it’s a big stretch to suggest that a person is therefore an Objectivist.”

“I reject her philosophy,” Ryan says firmly. “It’s an atheist philosophy. It reduces human interactions down to mere contracts and it is antithetical to my worldview. If somebody is going to try to paste a person’s view on epistemology to me, then give me Thomas Aquinas,” who believed that man needs divine help in the pursuit of knowledge. “Don’t give me Ayn Rand,” he says.

A lot of people have pointed out that Ryan's a lying sack of shit, since he praised Rand multiple times, but here's my question: How does one "reject" her philosophy, while still supporting his own budget?

I HAS A CONFUSE!

http://www.tnr.com/blog/jonathan-chait/80552/paul-ryan-and-ayn-rand

Earlier this year I wrote about Ryan and his deep devotion to the philosophy of Rand, particularly her inverted Marxist economic-political worldview:

    Ryan would retain some bare-bones subsidies for the poorest, but the overwhelming thrust in every way is to liberate the lucky and successful to enjoy their good fortune without burdening them with any responsibility for the welfare of their fellow citizens. This is the core of Ryan's moral philosophy:

    "The reason I got involved in public service, by and large, if I had to credit one thinker, one person, it would be Ayn Rand," Ryan said at a D.C. gathering four years ago honoring the author of "Atlas Shrugged" and "The Fountainhead." ...

    At the Rand celebration he spoke at in 2005, Ryan invoked the central theme of Rand's writings when he told his audience that, "Almost every fight we are involved in here on Capitol Hill ... is a fight that usually comes down to one conflict--individualism versus collectivism."

So, he doesn't like her, but she's the reason he got into public service, he spoke at a "Rand Celebration" and thinks every conflict in Congress can be characterized by Rand's worldview.  BUT I NEVER MET THAT BITCH SERIOUSLY!

[Phoenix Dark]

I wonder what would happen if Obama praised an atheist author as being essential to his worldview

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

Who gives a flying fuck what Paul Ryan thinks about Ayn Rand?

Edit: Also I'm kind of surprised people are so willing to dismiss the trades.  A lot of tradespeople will make far more money than a regular schmo with a bachelor's degree.

[Oblivion]

So, he doesn't like her, but she's the reason he got into public service, he spoke at a "Rand Celebration" and thinks every conflict in Congress can be characterized by Rand's worldview.  BUT I NEVER MET THAT BITCH SERIOUSLY!

As someone else said, his flip flopping would work well with Mitt.

And speaking of Mitt (which of course also means, speaking of flip flopping), turns out he thinks the auto bailouts were awesome afterall:

"[Romney's] position on the bailout was exactly what President Obama followed. I know it infuriates them to hear that," Eric Fehrnstrom, senior adviser to the Romney campaign, said.

"The only economic success that President Obama has had is because he followed Mitt Romney's advice."

"The fact that the auto companies today are profitable is because they've shed costs," Fehronstrom said. "The reason they shed those costs and have got their employee labor contracts less expensive is because they went through that managed bankruptcy process. It is exactly what Mitt Romney told them to do."

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/224371-romney-campaign-claims-auto-bailout-was-his-idea

[Joe Molotov]

Mitt Romney invented the bailout when he was walking down the streets of Detroit and a poor person walked onto the same street and Mitt had to throw a handful of nickles at him to cover his escape.

[brawndolicious]

I was initially considering this another flip-flop but.....

http://campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/can-perrys-staff-run-president

Mitt Romney and Rick Perry were both involved in a discussion of bailouts of Europe and the UAW during the current debate. Perry failed to attack Romney when given a huge opening. His press staff sent a copy of what he should have said:

Mitt Romney on Auto Bailout
 
In 2008, Mitt Romney promised Michigan voters he would "spend billions more in federal money to bolster struggling automakers." He proposed a five-fold increase in federal funding for the automotive industry: $20 billion in new taxpayer-funded spending.
 
Romney claimed, "I'm not open to a bailout, but I am open to a workout," he said. "Washington should not be a benefactor, but it can and must be a partner."
 
Gannett News Service called Romney's plan a "massive federal bailout."
 
The Associated Press said Romney "told voters what he thought they wanted to hear" and would "do whatever it takes to be president" after his promise to Michigan voters.

Basically he wanted them to declare bankruptcy to be able to renegotiate contracts, and then a bail-out? Not much different than reality is it?

[Eric P]

VOTERS!
http://publicreligion.org/research/2011/03/few-americans-see-earthquakes-floods-and-other-natural-disasters-a-sign-from-god-2/

    A poll conducted last year by the Public Religion Research Institute found an incredible 44 percent of Americans (and 67 percent of white evangelical Christians) agreeing with the statement, "The severity of recent natural disasters is evidence that we are in what the Bible calls the end times."

[Human Snorenado]

VOTERS!

    A poll conducted last year by the Public Religion Research Institute found an incredible 44 percent of Americans (and 67 percent of white evangelical Christians) agreeing with the statement, "The severity of recent natural disasters is evidence that we are in what the Bible calls the end times."

 

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

Better to blame it on biblical end times than face the realization that decades of mindless consumption and poor environmental policies are catching up to us.  But hey, I gotta drive my H3 down to Best Buy to snag an iPad!

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2012/0424/40-year-wave-of-Mexican-migration-recedes-as-illegal-immigration-ebbs-video

Looks like there is starting to be a trend of reverse immigration.

This kind of puts a damper on the "end days of conservatism" where theorists were banking on a continual flow of immigrants from mexico and central america to the united states that would result in the death of the GOP and a white minority.

[Dickie Dee]

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2012/0424/40-year-wave-of-Mexican-migration-recedes-as-illegal-immigration-ebbs-video

Looks like there is starting to be a trend of reverse immigration.

This kind of puts a damper on the "end days of conservatism" where theorists were banking on a continual flow of immigrants from mexico and central america to the united states that would result in the death of the GOP and a white minority.

I think it's more that Hispanics have large families

[Mandark]

http://www.pewhispanic.org/2011/07/14/the-mexican-american-boom-brbirths-overtake-immigration/

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

I stand corrected

[brawndolicious]

The illegal immigrants don't vote.

But I do wonder how this Latino baby boom is going to affect social issues like abortion and gay rights in the next 50 years?

[Phoenix Dark]

So will republicans decide to take a humane approach to immigration issues before or after Texas goes blue. 2-3 more election cycles should do the trick

[brawndolicious]

So will republicans decide to take a humane approach to immigration issues before or after Texas goes blue. 2-3 more election cycles should do the trick

My prediction was that after Arizona goes blue (probably before Texas) that it would split the pragmatic and the crazy segments of the republican party over how to keep up with the demands of minorities and women.

We will see them both vying to keep the republican party in their name but ultimately, the tea party types will make their own off shoot conservative party. Which will probably siphon votes From the repubs every election cycle.

It will be very fun/fascinating/scary to watch.

[Mandark]

Bush and Perry polled at almost 40% among latino voters in Texas, IIRC.

I think there are two big questions.  The first is whether the Republican establishment will soften on immigration and try to mimic the Texas GOP's approach at wooing latinos, and if so how soon.  The other is how latinos will see themselves as third- and fourth-generation Americans.  When white people are in danger of becoming a minority, they can always stave it off by declaring other people white (eg the Irish).

[Phoenix Dark]

It's amazing how far they've strayed from even Reagan on immigration. They won't even support Rubio's band aid version of the DREAM Act; I wish Obama would endorse it, just to put the final nail in its coffin with them tbh.

Given how hard Perry was savaged over his immigration stance in the primary, I don't think the Texas GOP model will work for republicans anytime soon. I'm not sure republicans would even accept Bush's immigration stances in 2011/2012.

The GOP establishment seems willing to move towards some basic level of seriousness, but the base refuses to go along. John Boehner can't pass Rubio's bill because his caucus is filled with people who vehemently oppose anything that addresses the issue on any serious level beyond "build a fence." Perry, Bush and other border republicans actually had to deal with the issue and get their hands dirty - while their counterparts from Kansas to Kentucky get to disagree on everything in the abstract; then there are border republicans like Gov Brewer and her Arizona delegation, who have basically gone insane.

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

It's amazing how far they've strayed from even Reagan on immigration. They won't even support Rubio's band aid version of the DREAM Act; I wish Obama would endorse it, just to put the final nail in its coffin with them tbh.

Given how hard Perry was savaged over his immigration stance in the primary, I don't think the Texas GOP model will work for republicans anytime soon. I'm not sure republicans would even accept Bush's immigration stances in 2011/2012.

The GOP establishment seems willing to move towards some basic level of seriousness, but the base refuses to go along. John Boehner can't pass Rubio's bill because his caucus is filled with people who vehemently oppose anything that addresses the issue on any serious level beyond "build a fence." Perry, Bush and other border republicans actually had to deal with the issue and get their hands dirty - while their counterparts from Kansas to Kentucky get to disagree on everything in the abstract; then there are border republicans like Gov Brewer and her Arizona delegation, who have basically gone insane.

Problem solved.

[recursivelyenumerable]

Surprised this hasn't been posted. Paul Ryan throws his idol, Ayn Rand under the bus.

These Rand-related slams, Ryan says, are inaccurate and part of an effort on the left to paint him as a cold-hearted Objectivist. Ryan’s actual philosophy, as reported by my colleague, Brian Bolduc, couldn’t be further from the caricature. As a practicing Roman Catholic, Ryan says, his faith and moral values shape his politics as much as his belief in freedom and capitalism does.

“I, like millions of young people in America, read Rand’s novels when I was young. I enjoyed them,” Ryan says. “They spurred an interest in economics, in the Chicago School and Milton Friedman,” a subject he eventually studied as an undergraduate at Miami University in Ohio. “But it’s a big stretch to suggest that a person is therefore an Objectivist.”

“I reject her philosophy,” Ryan says firmly. “It’s an atheist philosophy. It reduces human interactions down to mere contracts and it is antithetical to my worldview. If somebody is going to try to paste a person’s view on epistemology to me, then give me Thomas Aquinas,” who believed that man needs divine help in the pursuit of knowledge. “Don’t give me Ayn Rand,” he says.

A lot of people have pointed out that Ryan's a lying sack of shit, since he praised Rand multiple times, but here's my question: How does one "reject" her philosophy, while still supporting his own budget?

Rand's Objectivism isn't just about capitalism, it's supposed to be an entire philosophy of everything, including religion (bad), art, the nature of consciousness, whether existence exists, which letters of the alphabet are equal to themselves (use of ReferenceEquals() here is a no-no. it should have been called Structivism), etc. Ryan is just saying he agrees with the parts of it that mesh with the US conservative mainstream (i.e. the right-wing economics and politics) and disagrees with the parts that don't (atheism, (pseudo-)rationalism, etc.), pretty standard stuff. 

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

Most self described libertarians are thinly veiled right wing authoritarians and it doesn't take much coaxing to show their true colors (see: JayDubya).

[Phoenix Dark]

Maybe I don't read his posts enough, but outside of on abortion (which to him is an issue of life and murder), he's never given me an authoritarian vibe

[Brehvolution]

Welcome back JD.

[Boogie]

Welcome back JD.

Didn't go anywhere, just seemed like not much was being said. 

Ya, but that's just this page. 

[Barry Egan]

My theory is that anyone who found merit in Ayn Rands ideas hadn't come across Nietzsche's ideas earlier, and that they would have been much better off if they had.  But I'm more interested in psychological insight then unadorned power fantasies so there are my biases showing.     

[Oblivion]

[Mandark]

Why does he draw g's that way?

[Oblivion]

So, from what I've seen of the Romney campaign's response to Obama's attacks, he's tried to save face by saying that he would have given the same order to do so that Obama did. But here's my question: What are the odds that a hypothetical President Romney would even GET the chance to make such a decision? Unless I'm mistaken, Mittens, McCain and all the other righties had their focus on Iraq. Part of the reason we were able to get Bin Laden was because Obama shifted focus from Iraq BACK to Afghanistan and taking on Al Qaeda. If Romney were president, would he have made that shift? If we're to take his comments during the debates at face value, then the answer would be no.

[Phoenix Dark]

To be fair, the CIA first got details on Bin Laden's courier around 2007/early 2008. So that information was in the pipeline early, went cold, then got hot again in 2009. It was a CIA operation.

I think a McCain or Romney administration would have likely agreed to a surge in Afghanistan, and would also have withdrawn from Iraq due to their government's refusal to not prosecute US soldiers and the previous Bush agreement. So all the pieces would be in place for us to reach Bin Laden's compound regardless of who was president imo.

The question is how would other people handle the situation. We don't have a definitive answer considering it's a hypothetical. I could certainly see McCain agreeing to a SEAL raid on the compound, for instance. Maybe Romney would too, I don't know. The only facts we have are that Obama not only gave the order despite more than half of the security team being against it, he told the entire world he'd do it back in 2007. Meanwhile Romney, McCain, and even Bush publicly admonished him for his Pakistan comments, and Romney went a step further by insinuating Bin Laden wasn't important.

Whoever killed Bin Laden would likely be running on the achievement to win re-election. Republicans are throwing a fit over Obama using this in the election, but let's not forget the last decade of them running on "mommy vs daddy" foreign policy and exploiting terrorism/911 every chance they got. My message to them would just be "cry moar." Obama's foreign policy has been quite aggressive in the war on terror, and republicans don't know how to respond. At first they praised him for following Bush's playbook, then they claimed he was feckless and weak on terror, now...they're crying because he's reminding people that he killed Bin Laden.

[Great Rumbler]

It's like when Mommy divorces Daddy and you hate the new man that Mommy married but he's actually a better Daddy than Daddy ever was so you're all confused.

"Big deal! Daddy would've taken me to Disneyland too if he'd been here!"

[recursivelyenumerable]

yawwwwn

[Olivia Wilde Homo]

yawwwwn

Agreed

Edit: It is pointless to speculate what the other guy would do in a given situation.  Reminds me of all of the time and wasted internet space of people debating how Al Gore would have handled 9/11.  Since people will just bring their own biases to the table during these fantasy discussions, it isn't like the debate has any real credibility anyway.

Edit 2: Also at this time, nobody really cares about Osama bin Laden.  It's the economy people care about.  If Romney and Co. are going to constantly retread the OBL killing as a cornerstone of his campaign, it will just be one of his sure to be many failures.

[Dickie Dee]

Don’t Know Much About (Ancient) History
The things I do for book sales. I debated, sort of, Ron Paul on Bloomberg. Video here. I thought we might have a discussion of why the runaway inflation he and his allies keep predicting keeps not happening. But no, he insisted (if I understood him correctly) that currency debasement and price controls destroyed the Roman Empire. I responded that I am not a defender of the economic policies of the Emperor Diocletian.

Actually, though, appeals to what supposedly happened somewhere in the distant past are quite common on the goldbug side of economics. And it’s kind of telling.

I mean, history is essential to economic analysis. You really do want to know, say, about the failure of Argentina’s convertibility law, of the effects of Chancellor Brüning’s dedication to the gold standard, and many other episodes.

Somehow, though, people like Ron Paul don’t like to talk about events of the past century, for which we have reasonably good data; they like to talk about events in the dim mists of history, where we don’t really know what happened. And I think that’s no accident. Partly it’s the attempt of the autodidact to show off his esoteric knowledge; but it’s also the fact that because we don’t really know what happened — what really did go down during the Diocletian era? — you can project what you think should have happened onto the sketchy record, then claim vindication for whatever you want to believe.

It’s funny, in a way — except that this sort of thinking dominates one of our two main political parties.

[Brehvolution]

 

[Mr. Gundam]

Live footage of the May Day protests/riots in Seattle.

http://www.komonews.com/live

[Joe Molotov]

Fox News

[Phoenix Dark]

Obummer just gave a speech, will be ending the Afghanistan war in two years
http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entries/obama-outlines-timeline-for-leaving-afghanistan

we didn't have enough time to win!

[TakingBackSunday]

Finally

[recursivelyenumerable]

I once saw some sidewalk graffiti in Portland where someone had written in one color of chalk, "ROME WAS NOT BUILT IN A DAY. BUT ITS COLLAPSE WAS SWIFT. [anarchist symbol]". In another color of chalk, the "WAS SWIFT" had been crossed out and corrected with "TOOK A THOUSAND YEARS". I wish I'd taken a picture.

[Oblivion]

Speaking of the Romans, I was forwarded a chain e-mail by one of my douchey right wing friends that had a photoshopped image of Obama as Emperor Nero playing a violin while Rome (in this case, Washington D.C.) was burning.

Not the first time I've seen such an image or one similar, but it always puzzled me. If anything, Nero did what Republicans wanted: he didn't get the government involved and let the free market handle things. What's not to love? 

[Mr. Gundam]

I once saw some sidewalk graffiti in Portland where someone had written in one color of chalk, "ROME WAS NOT BUILT IN A DAY. BUT ITS COLLAPSE WAS SWIFT. [anarchist symbol]". In another color of chalk, the "WAS SWIFT" had been crossed out and corrected with "TOOK A THOUSAND YEARS". I wish I'd taken a picture.

The police chief here in Seattle is really hated by a lot of political activists. On the side of a building by our farmers market someone wrote "BRING DIAZ DOWN." Someone had some fun with it and added words to make it read "BRING DIAZ A DOWN COMFORTER."

[pickle]

[Brehvolution]

Oil is down 4% so far today. Under $100/b for the first time in months. Gas has dropped $0.10 herein the past 2 days.

Obama's price controls

[Phoenix Dark]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/03/patrick-lanzo-georgia-bar-n-word-sign_n_1475288.html?ref=mostpopular

I've joked with friends that white people should just take the n word back on a universal level. The groundwork has been laid