“They’re athletes, they’re there to compete. And if Russia wants to uphold the Olympic spirit, then every judgment should be made on the track, or in the swimming pool, or on the balance beam, and people’s sexual orientation shouldn’t have anything to do with it.”
-President Barack Obama, referencing the upcoming Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia...

If Bush had made such a bone-headed comment, it would light up the MSM for days....

But, from the MSM under Obama???

{{chiirrrrppp}} {chiiiirrrrpppp}

Yeah, Stallman insists on owning a computer where all of the code is open. Including the BIOS. His entire focus is on freedom of code so this is the extreme he takes things too.

But dang I used to love EMACS :)

Friedman's a bit religious when it comes to his own work too though. Probably not to Stallman extremes though.

-David

Though of similar brilliance and academic achievement, I don't think Friedman was wacky enough. Stallman, like Paul are principled to a fault and both have some pretty out there ideas. I mainly read of Stallman on tech blogs. I think his absolute, my way or the high way, dedication to open source is not doing the open source movement any favors. I also think it's ironic that all his information privacy ideas, many of which I do myself, are completely trumped by who he is. He is so famous and followed by a cross section of the most wired people on the planet that regardless of his privacy settings and practices, the subconscious internet knows where he is and what he is doing at all times.

I find nothing interesting with Rush Limbaugh nor is he "out there" in any way. Ron Paul is out there. Though I disagree with most of his ideas some of them are quite interesting. I definitely have a soft spot for his idea of issuing letters of marque again...

Wasn't he that stunt pilot that got stranded on Gilligan's Island??

Oh wait, that was Wrong-Way Feldman..

My bust.... :D

How about Milton Friedman, Bashi?

-David

Regardless, I see nothing that changes my opinion that Sterling's piece is nothing more than a milquetoast "condemnation" of vital intelligence tools and procedures, necessary to the survival of this country.. Such condemnation where pointing fingers at the culprits is noticeably missing..

I WOULD be interested to see an article on this subject from the Bush years and compare/contrast the tone to what he wrote today.

I WOULD be interested.... but not interested enough to search it out myself...

Do you not know who Stallman is or are you just trolling?

Are you seriously wanting to know?? Or are you just trolling? :D

Are you sure you read any of it? I did not notice any whining. Quite the opposite, he finds the whole situation hilarious. But Bruce Sterling is a well known scifi author who has been writing since the 70's and an expert on early hacker culture. You should be able to find his opinions on similar situations for any of the previous four presidents if he has any. From what I have read beyond his fiction, he is pretty politically independent/agnostic. More so than you. Though he tends a bit left, not anywhere close to how far you lean right. His take on the NSA is not left/right but more from a tech/hacker perspective.

Yea... So is Rush Limbaugh.... :D

Do you not know who Stallman is or are you just trolling? I would say a better comparison would be Ron Paul. But I would think you would be all over Stallman. Aren't you always looking for someone from the left to take Obama to task? Well there's your poster child in spades...

Yea... So is Rush Limbaugh.... :D

Bashi-

I had the pleasure to meet Richard Stallman quite a ways back and it still amazes me that he anticipated so much about the Internet- the political implications, the fights for ownership, and the inevitable crackdown in an attempt to control information.

He's a bit out there to be sure, but tremendously interesting.

-David

Reading over some public (and not so public) reports of the intel gathered, it IS possible that what we are seeing are the death spasms of a dying Al Qaeda...

I would be remiss in my "fair and balanced" :D duties if I did not acknowledge the possibility...

If we ARE seeing the death lurchings of Al Qaeda this will be evidenced by a broad series of attacks against soft targets across a broad spectrum of targets all over the world. Basically, AQ sending out it's minions in one grand mass orgy of suicide attacks...

This type of attack would likely herald the end of Al Qaeda as a viable threat.

On the other hand, if we see a focused strategic attack with one pin-point target, or series of targets in a localized area (think 9-11), then that would indicate that Al Qaeda is alive and well and it's operational status has been unaffected by recent drone based attack successes.

Time will tell whether this is the beginning of the end of Al Qaeda as a terrorist threat or the beginning of a new and stronger Al Qaeda..

Remember, you heard it here first...

Senior U.S. Official: Intercepted Al Qaeda Communications Indicate Planned Attack ‘Big,’ ‘Strategically Significant’
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/08/senior-u-s-official-intercepted-al-qaeda-communications-indicate-planned-attack-big-strategically-significant/

That's weird..

Obama TOLD us that "Al Qaeda was on the ropes" and "Al Qaeda was decimated"....

Could the Obama Administration have LIED to us?? I mean, wasn't the Leftist Mantra "Bush Lied And People Died" all the big rage during the Bush Administration???

So, NOW the Left is silent when Obama lies??

What's up with THAT!???

Honestly? I read more than half..

But yer right, I did get bored with all the incessant whining and the Koom Bye Ya/Perfect World stuff... Every time I read a milquetoast "condemnation" of the programs, I would ask myself what the author would be saying if it had been a BUSH POTUS instead of an OBAMA POTUS..

But I tell ya what. If you promise me it gets better, that there is actually some HONESTY in it rather than nothing more than partisan cheerleading/traffic cop on valium type stuff, I'll hold my nose and read the whole thing..

In short, if it actually lays some blame where blame should be laid and does so w/o ANY regard to the '-x' after the persons name, I'll read the whole thing and report back..

Michale, ya know there are much shorter ways to say you did not read the piece but instead skimmed a couple of paragraphs and assumed the rest...

That's my 2 cents anyways...

And, if you want to drag this favorite author of yours in here, I'll tell him the same thing.. :D

Why is it so "fantastic"??

It's the same old whining and complaining that lacks the hysterical name-calling that would have accompanied it if it had happened under a GOP Administration...

The problem I have with "fantastic" pieces like this is that it only points fingers when there is GOP'er to point the finger it. It makes lackluster accusations about general "government" that lacks the specificity that there would be if GOP targets were available.

In short, nothing more than than partisanship snipping looking for a target..

Now, if it would have actually held the Obama Administration accountable for these actions, THAT would have been a "fantastic" piece...

As it is, it's simply the same old same old non-committal, "Oh this stuff is bad but we can't upset Emperor Barack the First"....

That's my 2 cents anyways...

True...

As I said, it's easy to overlook the inconsistencies and hypocrisy when one is devout...

Which is why I have such a beef with organized religion. It's a scam...

"I did everything in the bible! Even the stuff that contradicted all the other stuff!"
-Ned Flanders

One can take the text of any organized religion and find justification for ANY immoral or abhorrent thing one would want to do...

-David

Remember, we're not talking about individual actions or the alleged ACTIONS of said Party.

We're talking about Party Platforms. What the Party STANDS for..

And many of the "planks" of the Democratic Party platform are simply inconsistent with Christian values..

It's a fact...

Now, if you WANT to talk about the actual actions of the two Partys.....

Let's take this absurd "WAR ON WOMEN" that the Left is always harping about..

Does the Party of Weiner, Filner, Spitzer and CLINTON really want to talk about a "War On Women"?? :D

Regardless, for anyone who watches SUPERNATURAL, it seems like heaven is just as political as down here.. There was one scene where Castiel was meeting with Raphael in Kenneth Lay's "heaven"..

Castiel: Whose Heaven is this?
Raphael: Ken Lay's. I'm borrowing it.
Castiel: I still question his admittance here.
Rapahel: He's devout. Trumps everything.

Just like Party loyalty..

Actually, I don't... :D

You know my feelings on religion..

But you simply cannot reconcile the Left's stance on Abortion and homosexuality with Christian "values"..

It's simply not possible...

Democrats have passed a budget in the Senate, by the way.

Once... In how many years??

They can't even trust their own conference committee members, because they are scared what might come out of intelligent, reasonable debate with Democrats. It's pretty easy to see which side is fudging their drawers on this one, actually. And it ain't the Dems, sorry.

I can name a half dozen issues where it's Democrats that are "Bok Bok Bok" (nice impression, by the by.. :D) over up or down votes..

Need I remind you of Reid's ooodles and ooodles (It's an industry term.. :D) MDDOTW awards.. :D

Yea, in THIS case, the GOP is down and the Dems are up.. MAYBE...

But wait a day or so and it will be the Dems "fudging their drawers" on this or some other issue. :D So it is with politics...

One side is no better than the other...

First off -- surely you jest. This is like someone setting up a bowling pin, and then handing you a ball the size of a beachball to knock it down.

All that stuff Jesus said about "you will be judged by the way you treat the poor"??? Really? You want to get into a political/theological debate on that subject? Because it would really, really be easy.

How about the "give to Ceasar what is due Ceasar" answer about taxes? Jesus' main point: riches in this world are illusory, and any coin on it was the property of the state, and therefore could be taxed. Real, spiritual riches would be reaped in the next world. Also, that whole camel/needle's eye parable...

I mean, you make this too easy. If Democrats and Republicans' platforms were held up on Judgment Day, I know which one I'd be the farm on making it into the Pearly Gates. Consider: how much did Jesus talk about abortion versus how much did he talk about helping the poor?

Slam dunk, my friend, sorry about that.

Democrats have passed a budget in the Senate, by the way. Republicans are blocking the conference committee, because they are scared of the possible compromises it might agree to. Look it up.

Republicans are chicken. BOK bok bok BOK!!! CHICKEN, I tells ya! They can't even trust their own conference committee members, because they are scared what might come out of intelligent, reasonable debate with Democrats. It's pretty easy to see which side is fudging their drawers on this one, actually. And it ain't the Dems, sorry.

:-)

-CW

If anyone needs instruction on how to properly perform the Klingon Death Ritual...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5wNL29kdek

Kang, dies at 91
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-207_162-57596876/michael-ansara-star-trek-s-kang-dies-at-91/

Michael Ansara's portrayal of the Klingon, KANG in the TOS episode DAY OF THE DOVE was awesome..

Seeing him reprise that role in DEEP SPACE NINE and VOYAGER was the stuff of legends...

Another great warrior is felled....

Think about it...

Many of the planks of the Democratic Party are not compatible with Christian "values"... Abortion being the most obvious one..

So, in effect, what that CongressCritter is saying is factual.

But political/ideological faith is much like religious faith.. It's easy to overlook the inconsistencies and hypocrisy when one is devout...

I'd like to ask whether you are going to either let the government shut down by not passing a budget that Obama can sign,

Obama *can* sign ANY budget... The question is, will Obama sign a budget that, while being good for the country and the American people, is bad for the Democratic Party..

THAT is the question that SHOULD be asked...

Not saying that what the GOP is putting forth IS good for the country and the American people, mind you. I am simply postulating a scenario where the budget put forth by the GOP *IS* good for the country but bad for the Democratic Party..

Would Obama sign it??

Bet ya a million quatloos, he wouldn't..

Because, if Obama has proven anything over the last 5+ years, he has proven that he is a Democrat first and an American a far distant second...

Actually, the progression is,

Emperor Barack first...

Democrat, a close second....

An American a distant, VERY distant third...

Why can't Republicans in the House pass budget bills?"

Why can't Democrats in the Senate???

That's the fun thing about Talking Points. With very minor tweaking, the make perfect Talking Points for the Right against the Left.. :D