It’s going to be a scorcher this week, if the weatherman is to be believed.  The end of the week is going to usher in 100 degree weather.   Out of town visitors and Civil War participants need to use extreme caution outside.  Hydration is critical!

 

136 Thoughts to “Open thread…………………………………………..Monday, July 18”

  1. Cargosquid

    @Moon-howler
    Really? The last election kinda disputes that……

    Oh, and Dodd-Frank is a job killer. It restricts lending and gives too much power to unelected bureaucrats that are supposed to make the laws. There is a ton of crap in that bill. Besides, who thought that a bill by the two biggest idiots most responsible for the previous financial problems would be a good idea? Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac bailouts and cover ups ring a bell?

    1. If Dodd-Frank is a job killer then maybe it is killing the right jobs. If I recall correctly, lending needed to be restricted a couple of years back. I am going to pull rank just because I live in Prince William County.

      Cargo, you wouldn’t care if we were all wallowing in a depression, from what it sounds like. Say what you want about Frank. I am declaring Chris Dodd off limits here. He is no longer in office and he has relatives.

  2. Cargosquid

    Want to know how pitiful Congress is? I wrote this in January 2009. We’ve had to wait until NOW for Congress to ATTEMPT….ATTEMPT! to repeal…RELUCTANTLY! the light bulb ban.

    http://unitedconservatives.blogspot.com/2009/01/pssst-hey-want-what-i-got-need-bulb.html

    psst…..amazon sells them by the case….pass it on.

    1. I sure hope Obama isn’t getting the o’bulb blame.

      Actually, what about letting the free market reign? The incandescent lightbulb isn’t banned. It just has to conform to energy effieciency ratings.

      I would rather get stirred up over the tax on scotch than lightbulbs.

  3. Cargosquid

    Just realized how egotistic that above post looked. I meant that people have been worried about it that long.

    Who am I kidding? They SHOULD LISTEN TO ME! ME! I’M RIGHT, JUST ASK ME!

  4. Morris Davis

    Stern words today from the Taoiseach:

    “the Cloyne Report excavates the dysfunction, disconnection, elitism….the narcissism …….that dominate the culture of the Vatican to this day. The rape and torture of children were downplayed or ‘managed’ to uphold instead, the primacy of the institution, its power, standing and ‘reputation’.” http://bit.ly/qhPzAw

  5. JEB, Jackson, and Mosby will gather at an undisclosed location in western Prince William County starting Thursday night. JEB and Jackson have been snarling at each other. It must be the dog days that are affecting them. Mosby will join the other 2 for 9 days starting tomorrow night.

    Reports on the generals will be forthcoming.

  6. Wolverine

    Moon, as tired as we may be of the Middle East, this is one on which we dare not take a pass. The Jews in Israel are not about to submit passively to a second Holocaust. Either we make Iran understand completely the potential consequences of Option A going unheeded or we are likely to see a nuclear exchange at some point between Iran and Israel. And then it won’t make any difference how tired we all are of the Middle East.

  7. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    Moon-howler :
    Actually, what about letting the free market reign? The incandescent lightbulb isn’t banned. It just has to conform to energy effieciency ratings.

    Whoever can spot the logic flaw here gets a gold star for the day!

  8. Sean Hannity just said something ridiculous. While discussing if West had apologized to Wasserman-Schultz, he started asking for an apology from Bill Maher to Palin and Bachmann. Stop! Doesn’t Hannity understand that Bill Maher is an entertainer? Who has control over Bill Maher?

    There is a huge difference in an entertainer and a member of Congress and we should have different behavioral expectations from them. Compare Maher to Stewart to Cobert, not to Wasserman-Schults or Allen West.

  9. Oh Slowpoke, there are so many things in the world to get pissy about. Why over lightbulbs?

    How about incandescents being made to be more energy efficient? The person who does it will have all sorts of people buying those light bulbs. Right now, the lightbulb is a little furnace, putting out lots of heat and not much light.

    If we went unretrained free market we would all be dead…from greedy people poisoning the air and water and the rest of the environment. Back to my buffalo example……

  10. marinm

    Slowpoke Rodriguez :

    Moon-howler :
    Actually, what about letting the free market reign? The incandescent lightbulb isn’t banned. It just has to conform to energy effieciency ratings.

    Whoever can spot the logic flaw here gets a gold star for the day!

    Be nice. I think we all know what she meant. I still hold out hope that we can bring her back into the fold. 😉

  11. Excellent link left by Steven Davidson regarding reparative therapy. (See Pray Away the Gay)

    http://nashvillepsychotherapy.blogspot.com/2011/07/reparative-therapy-one-more-time.html?spref=fb

  12. Marin, how are the babes?

  13. marinm

    Enrique and Mia both passed their car seat tests today (2 hour test to see if they can maintain airway. Enrique is doing very well on the bottle and both are off the feeding tubes. Enrique pulled his out three times in one day.

    The jaundice has all but cleared. Mia is a daddy’s girl. If mommy holds her she cries. I hold her and she’ll fall asleep. 😉

    We anticipate getting them home in the next few days if not sooner.

    1. How is Mrs. Marin doing? I expect you have Mia spoiled already.

  14. I honestly think that there is nothing a Republican can do that some of you all won’t disapprove of. It simply doesn’t matter. I have voted in 10 presidential elections. I have voted 50-50 for R and D. Currently, I think that the political spectrum has shifted so far to the right that I don’t recognize the Republican party as one I could have ever voted for.

    Its almost scary.

  15. Wolverine

    It has been reported in the Washington Post that the New York Times here and the Manchester Guardian in the U.K. worked independently to crack the Murdoch case. There must be some very short memories at the New York Times. I seem to recall that, in 1996, the NY Times printed excerpts of a cell phone conversation between Newt Gingrich and other Republican leaders. The Martin husband and wife in Florida, who intercepted the call on a scanner and then taped it, were charged with a criminal act; and Rep. James McDermott, who received the tape from them and passed it illegally to the NY Times, wound up paying Rep John Boehner a cool $1 million in a subsequent civil suit. And the chieftains at the New York Times? They adamantly defended their right to publish the illegally acquired Gingrich tape no matter how it was obtained.

  16. Wolverine

    Oh, and the New York Times also published many cables received from Assange which had been illegally stolen from the classified files of their own country. I am not in any way defending the actions of that Murdoch newspaper. Just saying that there seem to be some kettles as well as pots in the media business.

  17. Lafayette was just on channel 5 as the facebook fan of the day. Go Lafayette!!!

  18. @Wolverine,

    Then you have someone like Judith Miller going to jail to protect her source, who in my opinion wasn’t worthy of protection, so go figure. There seems to be no rhyme nor reason.

  19. Big Dog

    http://manassaspark.patch.com/articles/manassas-parks-credit-rating-drops-five-notches

    What a bummer — localities aren’t allowed to just print money like the Fed.

  20. Big Dog

    http://hamptonroads.com/2011/07/if-ceiling-lands-virginia

    Eric Cantor and the Tea Party want to hurt Virginia.

  21. Cargosquid

    @Moon-howler
    Absolutely. If someone can come up with a more energy efficient bulb, that would be great! But, the gov should NOT be banning light bulbs.
    Especially when the replacement is faulty, dangerous, and IS NOT a better item.
    Let the market have both.

    And I’d like to see the tax on Scotch go away, too. What do you like? I’ve found that I have no favorite….it depends upon my mood. I have a range of flavors in my cabinet. I am partial to Isle of Jura at one end and Laphroig at the other.

  22. @Big Dog, I agree with you.

    Not raising that debt ceiling is going to clobber Virginia.

  23. Cargosquid

    @Big Dog
    Then this is a wake up call. Virginia has to develop other sources of income and get off the fed dollar.

    Furthermore, if we continue to borrow money and have continual 1.5 trillion dollar deficits as President Obama’s policies demand, we will default ANYWAY. It is unsustainable. This fake Gang of Six crap cuts 3-4 trillion over 10 years. All of the plans, including Ryan’s, states similar things.

    Except in 10 years, if real cuts are not made, the debt will be increased by 15 trillion dollars.

    Simple math.

    Cut the spending. Cap the debt. Congress needs to grow a collective pair and make some hard decisions. The free ice cream is gone. Obama’s pastor is right. The chickens have come home to roost.

  24. marinm

    GO Lafayette!!! Saw you on the local Fox channel!!

    The debt ceiling and what has happened to Manassas Park, what may happen to Virginia and what may happen to the United States all boils down to one word. Unsustainable.

    When people figure out that business just can’t keep going on like it used to and that we need ‘change’ we can really have an adult conversation about righting the ship.

    1. Hey Marin, how did the United States survive all these previous years? Not saying there doesn’t need to be some fixing but being in debt isn’t new for this country, or for any modern country.

  25. marinm

    Being in debt isn’t a ‘bad’ thing. Being in debt to the point where you can hand over everyone’s paycheck, everyones productivity for 1 full year for over 300 million people and then be even.. That’s scary stuff.

    Debt needs to be at a managable level. If it’s not that means we need to make adjustments and evaluate needs vs. wants.

    1. @marin, certainly there needs to be adjustment. We are coming out of a near Depression and 2 wars. Those puppies aren’t free. I also agree about some curtailing of budget. However, that is the hard part because everyone wants to protect their own….and suddenly ‘stop spending’ stops sounding so good.

      I don’t like being held captive by someone else’s campagin promise. The people who are holding out are people whose leadership I have very little respect for.

  26. Morris Davis

    Wolverine :Oh, and the New York Times also published many cables received from Assange which had been illegally stolen from the classified files of their own country. I am not in any way defending the actions of that Murdoch newspaper. Just saying that there seem to be some kettles as well as pots in the media business.

    Wolverine – A New York Times pot calling the Rupert Murdoch/News Corpse kettle black is an inaccurate comparison. The Martins and Pvt. Manning both chose to acquire information of their own accords without direction from the New York Times. Having done so, they gave their information to someone else (a congressman in the case of the Martins and Wikileaks in the case of Manning) who then gave it to the New York Times. You may disagree with the Times’ decision to publish the information, but there is no indication they had anything to do with taking it to begin with or trying to mislead authorities on how it came into their possession. In the Murdoch case, his papers plotted and executed schemes to pay people to illegally acquire information and then try to cover it up when word of it leaked. Other than the fact both situations involve newspapers and information there is no comparison.

    It was interesting, but not surprising, to hear Rupert Murdoch say the buck stops somewhere, but definitely not with him. In the military, command and responsibility go hand-in-hand and there are frequent examples of commanders getting fired or resigning when bad things happen on their watch, even if they were unaware and not involved in the incident (take Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the real nukes that ended up on B-52s flown from ND to LA as examples). The London police commander and deputy commander who resigned appear to fit into that model of leadership means accountability model. In my view, it’s a matter of character and integrity. Murdoch is clearly concerned about rakining in bucks and avoiding THE buck. It will be interesting to hear the second biggest News Corps owner, Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, on Piers Morgan’s show tonight.

  27. Big Dog

    President Obama has certainly done a great job educating Republicans
    in the areas of math and economics. During eight years of Bush running
    up huge deficits with wars, tax cuts, and Medicare D – all unfunded –
    the GOPers said little. Now they are suddenly in full hysteria mode and
    more than willing to destroy the country with their obsession to
    “get Obama”.

    Major spending cuts AND increase taxes slightly on the wealthy and
    make a deal that serves the interest of America’s long term future.

    1. Is it possible to agree with someone 1000%???? @ Big Dog

      Rebel Yell in agreement.

      Mosby, JEB and Jackson all howl agreement also.

  28. Cargosquid

    @Big Dog
    Apparently you missed the elections where the Republicans LOST because the conservatives objected to the Bush domestic programs and spending.

    But, hey, if you think that Bush spent too much on the Prescription Drug Plan, NCLB, etc and didn’t veto enough….welcome to the Tea Party.

    Furthermore, Bush’s deficits, with all that spending, were DECREASING. When the Democrats took over Congress, spending skyrocketed, with Pelosi budgeting a 1.5 trillion dollar deficit and waiting until Bush was out of office to submit it. THEN, Obama doubledowned with HIS programs. The CBO states that they see 1+ trillion dollar deficits FOREVER.

    And you don’t see a difference between that and Bush’s deficits? The GOP was defeated because the conservatives sat out the elections. Why vote for a Republican that acts like a Democrat? And I include Bush in that? He did nothing that is not getting approval now that its being done by a Democrat. A Democrat that has ACCELERATED some of the Bush programs and added to them. Apparently you had little exposure to the conservative/libertarian blogs during Bush’s enactment of Medicare D, Prescription Drug Plan, Patriot Act, Dept of Homeland Security, TSA, NCLB, etc. These are all the things that are popular with STATISTS.

    The only reason that Bush won re-election was that the alternative was too horrible for many voters.

    @Moon-howler \
    “I don’t like being held captive by someone else’s campagin promise. The people who are holding out are people whose leadership I have very little respect for.”

    HAHAHAHAHAHA! I couldn’t have said better myself about Obama and the Democrats.

    1. Which is it? One day Obama didn’t live up to his campaign promises. Now you are saying you are held captive by it.

      I am mad at Bush and Obama over NASA. As for Obama’s spending….I don’t even want to hear it. I don’t care what he spent to keep us out of Depression. I wasn’t at a stage in my life or career where I could weather a depression.

      I am just sick of all the posturing. I really don’t like the frigging country shutting down over some tea party notion that we don’t raise that debt ceiling. In fact, I am getting more furious over it every day that ceiling isn’t lifted. Sorry but I wish nothing but bad karma on those who want to score political points. It is extremism.

  29. Lafayette

    Thank you Moon & Marin!! It was a scorcher torture out there at the battlefield this morning. I saw many dignitaries and a wanna-be dignitary or two. 🙂 One man in the shade after the opening cereromy was not doing well afterwards. My cousin called for help. I was very DISAPPOINTED in the response time and lack of anyone wanting to take be accountable. Then finally a first responder from Montgomery Co. Md.. came to the man’s assistance. There were plenty of first responders yet this man waited several minutes for someone.

    1. I sure hope the first responders are ready to deal with people falling out. This kind of heat makes many people sick. Did the person we discussed ever show up?

  30. Lafayette

    Moon & Marin,
    I’ve posted new pictures from the opening ceremony on FB.

  31. A big shout out to Speaker Bonher for finally getting a women’s room off the floor of the House of Representatives. No one else has been able to accomplish that.

  32. Lafayette

    Moon-howler :I sure hope the first responders are ready to deal with people falling out. This kind of heat makes many people sick. Did the person we discussed ever show up?

    Why yes he did and just as I suspected who he was with. I did give him credit for NOT saying Bull Run.
    BTW- I picked you up a set of stamps that were stamped with NPS stamp and 1st Battle of Manassas stamp 150 inside the historic Henry House. It really was quite something to actually go inside the house for the first time. It made all the heat worth it. We are glad to be home cooling off and water freezing before we hit the Peace Jubilee.

  33. From Women in Congress:

    Since 1917, when Representative Jeannette Rankin of Montana became the first woman to serve in Congress, a total of 276 women have served as U.S. Representatives or Senators

    And it has taken THAT long to get a convenient bathroom? The wheels of equality sure grind slowly.

    Meanwhile, Pawlenty is attacking Bachmann over her headaches, pretty much the way Hillary was attacked. Not good. Alert! Republicans devouring their own. Somehow I wonder if Bachmann were male, would she be allowed to have migraines without the Spanish inquisition? From some of the things I have heard, some folks are stopping one step short of asking her if her headaches are related to her menstrual cycle. Give me a break.

    Bachmann is 54. At what age do women get to ‘outgrow’ the wink wink nudge nudge of the dreaded ‘she-male’ malady?

  34. And while I am at it, to GregL, you have no idea how I feel about the Baber Leteef campaign. Rather than making as ass out of yourself and ASSuming, why don’t you call Elena or me and ask us so you can report accurately?

    Lying about people ruins the reputation.

  35. Thanks Lafayette. Isnt the Henry HOuse store in the main building there by Stonewall?

  36. Cargosquid

    @Moon-howler
    Its both. Obama makes promises. Promises, that when he discovers the reality, he sometimes drops. Other times, he digs in. This is one of the times that he digs in. He keeps the programs that give him power. But he’s willing to default just to get a tax raise, of any sort, so that he has a political victory, even though more taxes will harm the economy. His spending did nothing to keep us out of a depression. His spending programs have prolonged the recession.

    The only way we can default is if OBAMA prioritizes spending so that our debt service, etc is not paid. We have enough tax revenue coming in that will cover that, and the entitlements. The Treasury dept has stated that SS checks will continue. Its the President that decides what bills get paid first.

    You keep blaming Republicans while stating that you don’t favor either party. Well, from here, you seem to be falling for Obama’s scams hook, line and sinker. He’s lied to you before. He’s lying to you now. He has NO INTENTION of reducing the debt or spending, even if he got all the tax raises that he wants.

    The only reason to raise the debt ceiling a short distance is to give time for the serious people to figure out where to cut the spending. Current spending. We could cut 1 trillion by repealing Obama Care. But, that is more important to the Democrats than not bankrupting the nation. These tax raises will hurt the economy more. The EPA’s attempt to damage the energy industry will raise costs.

    We need to deregulate and cut gov’t spending. We need to get rid of entire departments and programs.

    This is the sort of thing I mean. And while it talks about Bachmann, it should be any politician that wants to save this country.
    http://opinion.financialpost.com/2011/07/15/lawrence-solomon-a-tea-party-budget/

    Some excerpts:
    Democrats like President Barack Obama want to restrain the U.S. government’s debt by increasing the debt ceiling, increasing government debt, increasing government spending, and increasing the government’s level of taxation. The improbable Democratic strategy: Hope that the taxes will pay down the debt without depressing the economy.

    Republicans like House Speaker John Boehner want to restrain the U.S. government’s debt by increasing the debt ceiling, increasing government debt, increasing government spending, and decreasing the government’s level of taxation. The improbable Republican strategy: Hope that tax cuts and a slower increase in indebtedness will let the economy grow fast enough to outrun the increasing debt.

    These two improbable approaches to solving a debt crisis that all agree require drastic action are widely seen as prudent and sensible by others in government and by pundits of the left and right. What is seen as imprudent and senseless by both Democratic and Republican elites is the approach taken by Tea Party favourites such as Michele Bachmann. The Bachmann approach: Stop the borrowing, pay the interest on the existing debt to avoid a default, and then prioritize spending for the balance of the budget, starting with Social Security, medical, and military expenses.

    We are broke. Cut spending.

  37. I have stopped reading. No, he isn’t trying to get a tax raise. He is not going to be bullied by thugs. I support him on that. Give a little get a little. The budget isn’t going to be balanced on the backs on the middle class.

    I think you need to reexamine what you are saying about who is willing to let the country go into default…all over some IGNORANT PLEDGE to someone’s base? I don’t think so.

    The Tea Party is a minority movement. They do not represent mainstream America. Not now, not ever. We aren’t broke. Stop denigrating America. 2 wars. A deep Recession. We will come back as we did after WWII. Why? We are the United States.

  38. DB

    Went to Jennie Dean park and old town and enjoyed the displays. I just wish it wasn’t so terribly hot. Kids learned alot but by 2PM we just had to go. I got to the point where I couldn’t cool off. We plan to head back to old town for the parade tomorrow.

  39. DB, where will you stand to watch it?

  40. Raising the debt ceiling actually has nothing to do with the budget other than the budget is being held hostage. Those holding up raising the debt ceiling need to know that they will be held responsible for any default. What they are doing is careless and irresponsible and all about political control.

    Raise the effen debt ceiling. Its that simple. Meanwhile, they can enjoy the power trip for a couple more years and then learn to say good bye.

  41. DB

    A friend of a friend has a home on main street so we’ll stand on her porch which is high up so we should have a good view. I certainly hope to be in the shade. I’m glad I went today. The crowds were sparse so we got to spend a lot of time looking around. But after five hours my body had enough exposure to the heat. When I stop sweating and begin to see spots I know it’s time to go.

    1. I want to go to the parade but it is still iffy. I get very heat stroke sick and always have. I have a plan though…..:evil:

  42. Wolverine

    Moe, granted as to some of the differences. But, the last time I looked, stealing and receiving stolen goods were both crimes — except, I guess, in the area of journalism. The NY Times really had to hustle to explain itself in the Gingrich tape case. As for the Assange business, that one really surprised me. You would think that, of all the pleas for non-publication to which the NYT might have listened, it would have been those of Obama and Hillary. Go figure. As it turned out, those purloined cables (many of which I read) contained almost nothing which was earth shaking; but they surely made the job of Hillary and her staff at State a lot more difficult for no real reason at all.

  43. Wolverine

    People, please keep your eyes open in this heat. Mrs. W just came across five of our young neighbors, three Hispanic and two Hispanic-Oriental, home alone, who had gone out for a long walk in the heat. A 6th grader, two 4th graders, and a couple of toddlers, one still in the stroller. When she encountered them, all the kids were beet red and close to dehydration. She rushed them all home and got them to start taking in copious amounts of water, then kept going over to make sure they were o.k. Fortunately she had found them in time.

    Please keep your eyes open for the latchkey kids out there in your neighborhood.

  44. DB

    Thanks for the warning Wolverine…I know enough that when i stop sweating it’s time to cool off, and leave the heat. Like MH I know that my tolerance for high heat isn’t the greatest. Kudos to your wife and her quick actions.

  45. Pat.Herve

    The only reason to raise the debt ceiling a short distance is to give time for the serious people to figure out where to cut the spending. – you mean to kick the can down the road some more – Come On – I posted here a few weeks ago – we all knew this was coming, we all knew the budget cycle was coming – we all knew the mortgage fiasco was coming – Yet, Congress drags its heals, and then boasts about how they had to pull a few all nighters to get a deal done, all the while, holding all us (and the economy) hostage to the whims of Congress.

  46. Pat.Herve

    ALso, raising the debt ceiling, without some sort of tax reform, and spending reductions – is not a fix to the problem long term – which in turn will force the US to loose its triple A Bond rating – which in turn will force many organizations (which require investments to be in triple A rated bonds) to try and liquidate their US Bond holdings – not a scenario that I want to see happen.

  47. Cargosquid

    You know its hot when New Orleans is posting one of the lower temperatures.

    Whew.

    1. @Cargo

      I refuse to leave the house. What is the temp in Richmond?

  48. Cargosquid

    @Pat.Herve
    That’s the problem. The politicians don’t want spending reductions. They don’t want to actually cut spending. They want to reduce the INCREASE in spending, which is how we got here in the first place. Unless this budget is smaller than the last one, there is no reduction.

  49. Pat.Herve

    Cargo – Unless this budget is smaller than the last one, there is no reduction. – how true – and the way the feds run budgets – if you do not spend every last dime (or more) that is in your budget, you get less next year – which in turn behooves the Feds to spend all their money – I see it many times on many projects.

    Where was Eric Cantor when he refused to kill the F35 second engine – he wanted the money and jobs for his district. As much boasting he wants to do about fiscal restraint, he is just as bad as the rest of them for voting for the spending himself, but now not wanting to pay for it.

  50. Big Dog

    “Responsibility without conviction is weak, but it is sane.

    Conviction without responsibility, in the current incarnation
    of the Republican Party, is raving mad.”

    (New Yorker – July 25,2011)

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