Christmas Weekend Open Thread

“Old Scrooge found that Christmas wasn’t a humbug. He took to himself the spirit of neighborliness. But today neighborliness no longer can be confined to one’s little neighborhood. Life has become too complex for that. In our country neighborliness has gradually spread its boundaries–from town, to county, to state and now at last to the whole nation.”

–From FDR’s Christmas Greeting, 1939


Full story: Christmas Weekend Open Thread

140 Community Comments, Facebook Comments

  1. GOPwarrior says:

    Even though this could be the most socialist Christmas quote I’ve ever read. Just saying!!

    • harrydobyharrydoby says:

      Doesn’t that commie-pinko, Nazi-fascist realize how unpatriotic it is to vacation in a FOREIGN COUNTRY?

      I’m tellin’ Sarah!  She can get the Customs agent to demand to see his birth certificate, and when he’s unable to produce it, kick him out of the Good Ol’ US of A!

    • Diogenesdemar says:

      Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

      Merry Christmas to all? . . . even the unwashed masses? . . . who didn’t pay any taxes? . . . and, haven’t purchased their fair share of Christmas merchandise? . . . and may be of another religion, nationality, or skin-tone? . . . What a Holiday?

      Merry Christmas, even to you, GOPWarrior!

  2. Pam Bennett says:

    Greetings to all those who do not have any money to spend because their unemployment extension ran out before the holidays.  I wish them well and hope good people help them and their children out this dark time of the year.

  3. SSG_Dan says:

    Another reason why this dickwad didn’t deserve to hold Federal Office…

    GREELEY (AP) – A Weld County judge has ordered the destruction of tax documents in an identity-theft investigation led by District Attorney Ken Buck that the state Supreme Court ruled was illegal.

    The Supreme Court had already halted the investigation in December 2009 but the Weld County ruling this week makes permanent an injunction that the lower court had entered. Weld County District Judge Stephen J. Schapanski ordered that the thousands of tax documents seized from a tax preparer be destroyed and barred authorities from using any of the information they gathered for any prosecutions.

    http://www.9news.com/news/loca

    • bjwilson83 says:

      Weld County is filled with drugs, gangs, and crimes. Apparently you care nothing for the victims of these evils, brought here by people who don’t respect our laws. Thank God Ken Buck is there to defend these people. No thanks to scumbags like you.

      • EmeraldKnight76 says:

        At least this way, the damage Buck is able to cause is contained to Weld County. We can spare the rest of our great nation. Now that’s putting Country First!

      • Diogenesdemar says:

        with drugs, gangs, and crime if Ken Buck is there Mr. Chestnut?

        • droll says:

          Buck hates those people!  Rapists… you know, it all depends.

          The election’s over, we should all move on, blah, blah, blah.  But seriously!  Is that stupidity or nerve?  At some point this either comes down to pitying the poor idiot and moving on, or being envious of his cojones.

          It goes without saying that we should feel badly for Weld county.  Whether for the people who are forced to put up with Buck, or the people so stupid they voted in a DA who has trouble with legal definitions.

        • bjwilson83 says:

          Because the liberal courts hamstring him every time he tries to do something good.

      • SSG_Dan says:

        Beej, you’re just like all the other candyass college boys who spend their days surfing the web and playing Xbox who think they know everything.

        In this instance, you think it’s perfectly ok for Buck to wipe his ass on the Constitution when he’s going after “them thar illegals!” If the majority of the tax records he seized were from law-abiding citizens who just happened to trust their most sensitive financial records with someone Buck is gunnin’ fer, then that’s just too bad! Gotta git them law-breakers, right?

        Let’s see how you feel when he seizes the internet usage records of (REDACTED) State College and leaks how much time you spend on the “Hot Asian Boys in Trouble” website.

        • bjwilson83 says:

          A) The majority WERE illegals, IIRC.

          B) Only people like you would be worried about Ken Buck leaking your porn site visits.

          C) For someone who claims to be a military guy, you sure don’t respect the law. Come to think of it, aren’t the illegals “wiping their ass” on the Constitution, nitwit?

          • droll says:

            “aren’t the illegals ‘wiping their ass’ on the Constitution” comment.

            Please stay within the scope of my question while doing it.

            • bjwilson83 says:

              Which we have done. Doesn’t the word illegal mean anything to you?

              • droll says:

                Technically if someone breaks a non-Constitutional law they are wiping their asses with federal statutes.

                See how the law being broken isn’t in the Constitution?

                Now!  Wanna guess which law is in the Constitution, without a qualification that non-citizens do not have the same right?  Hm?  Anything?

                • bjwilson83 says:

                  The Congress shall have Power…

                  To establish a uniform Rule of Naturalization

                  • Ralphie says:

                    http://www.cfr.org/publication… among others.

                    The fact that you don’t like it doesn’t mean Congress hasn’t done it.

                    • bjwilson83 says:

                      What a liberal. I thought you guys didn’t want to live in Somalia?

                    • bjwilson83 says:

                      I think some sort of a path to citizenship would be ok if the border were closed first. What we cannot afford to do however is just to let people with a proven record of breaking the law sneak across the border and then claim the benefits and privileges of U.S. citizenship, especially as the welfare state expands. Just come in through the front door. If you can’t get in that way, there’s probably a reason you shouldn’t be here. Gangs, drugs, violent criminals, etc.

                    • Ralphie says:

                      Gangs, drugs, violent criminals, etc.

                      Painting with kind of a broad brush, aren’t we?

                    • bjwilson83 says:

                      Our border is apparently populated by quaint Mexican towns dedicated to nothing but agriculture and tourism. Oh sure, a few people get shot and killed, but who really cares right? Must be stray bullets from NRA members during target practice. Just another reason to ban guns. Ahem. Yes.

                    • dwyer says:

                      The question is not rhetorical.  It is called put your money where your mouth is.  Currently, we have only one “closed” border and that is the 38th parallel.  There is a “no man” zone which is heavily salted with anti-personnel bombs.  There is a wire fence and armed guards, with instructions to kill, on both sides of that border.  It works.   Do you recommend the same for the Mexican/US border?  What about one with Canada.

                      The “Iron Curtain” was another  militarized border which kept the citizens on the Soviet Union “in”.  The Soviet guards had orders to shoot to kill if anyone attempted to leave, but the US guards did not have orders to shoot people escaping the Soviet Union.

                      Now, there are incidents of people winding up in jail for crossing a border w/o proper authorization….Iraq, Eucador/Peru…but those borders are not “closed” in the sense you mean.  We jail illegals in this country, also, routinely and deport them for all kinds of crimes, including overstaying a visa.

                      So put up or shut up.

                      Plus, when and why did you return to blog??

                  • droll says:

                    Now go back and actually read my comment.  Respond to that please.

                    • bjwilson83 says:

                      What else do you want?

                    • droll says:

                      Illegal immigrants are stealing power from Congress?  They are at the Capitol right now with drugs and their prostitutes, holding Congress hostage?  OMG!!  If only Batman were there to save them!  OMG!!

                      Words, beej, they mean things.

                    • bjwilson83 says:

                      ICE was a real agency, with real power. In fact Ken Buck opened an office in Greeley if I recall.

                    • droll says:

                      No one is this dumb.  How did you pass kindergarten?

                    • Diogenesdemar says:

                      like this writer for example,

                      http://www.coloradopols.com/sh

                      don’t think that Ken Buck’s been very effective at achieving results in his job.  (Beej, you might want to have a debate with this other conservative tool first, and see if the two of you can get your stories straight.)

                      (But then, I guess you’ve only got yourself to blame . . . since Buck had the election handily in the bag until that David Chestnut idiot showed up out of the blue and torpedoed his chances.  Some day, I hope, you’ll be able to find it in your heart to forgive Mssr. Chestnut for the way he beejed up Bucks’s political future.)  

                    • bjwilson83 says:

                      Given that the subject we were just discussing is how the liberal courts have struck down his efforts.

                    • Diogenesdemar says:

                      What’s important here is that we agree that there are innumerable criminal problems of epic proportions in Weld County, and that Ken Buck has been singularly ineffectual (for a few or for a variety of reasons) addressing them.

                      I’m really surprised, given your vast understanding of all these unmet problems, that you ever — even momentarily — gave a portion of your weighty support to Buck.  

                    • bjwilson83 says:

                      Ken Buck reduced crime in Weld County by 50%.

                    • sxp151 says:

                      Good times. The future was wide open. The sky was the limit.

                    • Diogenesdemar says:

                      Weld County is filled with drugs, gangs, and crimes . . .

                      He seems to think Weld County is a shithole.

                    • bjwilson83 says:

                      It used to be a lot worse, but there still remains much work to do. But I suppose some momma’s boy basement blogger wouldn’t really know about much that happens outside of his house.

                    • Ralphie says:

                      I gave you the law.

                      But you didn’t read it.  You never let facts stand in the way of your unfortunate misconceptions.

          • SSG_Dan says:

            …I may just think you’re an Al-Qaeda plant trying to undermine the Constitution in the very heartland of Fort (REDACTED).

            I swore an oath to the Constitution many times, and I do know what it says. Since you didn’t get those classes up there  at the John Andrews School of Metaphysical Politics and Auto Body Repair, let me post the 4th Amendment to the Constitution:

            “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”

            The Buckpedaler has been spanked by every court in this  State that he violated the Constitution of this nation, something you Kochsuckers keep hooting about the importance of when screeching about America.

            Do you need me to come up there and give you something to read at your comprehension level? There’s a Comic Book entitled “U.S. Constitution for Beginners” that might be at your reading level…

            • AristotleAristotle says:

              … that for the teabaggers, constitutionality is measured strictly by whether a law fits their agenda or not. It’s no different from their sense of political ethics.

            • bjwilson83 says:

              Oh no, look at the poor illegals. They got caught breaking the law. I fail to see how a simple examination of tax records is an unreasonable search. Why do the people who are ACTUALLY breaking the law get off? Moreover, if you had actually read the amendment you so glibly posted, moron, you would see that it refers to the “right of the people” as in the “people of the United States”, not illegal immigrants. Also, dummy, Ken Buck DID in fact have a warrant as required by the law. Take your ignorant blathering back to your momma’s basement.  

              • PERA hopeful says:

                OK, first thing: “right of the people,” not “right of the citizens.”  The Constitution differentiates between rights of citizens and rights of all people while they are within the U.S.  4th Amendment says “people,” meaning all people have the right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures, not just citizens.

                Second, the 4th and 5th Amendments protect the rights of the guilty more than the rights of the innocent.  If the cops break into my house without a warrant or consent, perform an unconstitutional search, and find nothing  because I am innocent, then I have suffered no harm other than an invasion of privacy (which you teabaggers do not believe is protected by the Constitution).  If the cops break into my house, perform an unconstitutional search, and find something incriminating, then I can be arrested and tried.  However, since they violated the Constitution, then the evidence of my crime should be excluded and I will go free, though I’m guilty as sin.

                Third, the seizure of tax records was unreasonable because it was too broad.  Weld County deputies seized 5000 tax records, and found 1330 that were filed by illegal immigrants.  Roughly 2/3 of the tax records belonged to people who were citizens or legal residents.  The Colorado Supreme Court said that there wasn’t probable cause to seize 5000 records; it was just a fishing expedition.

                Finally, it is truly fucked up that I am ending this pretty wonderful year by replying to Beej, something I had long ago decided never to do.

                • Middle of the Road says:

                  You’re not gonna end your year that way. End it by replying to me.

                  Merry Christmas, Pera and thanks so much for all you did for the 2010 election and moreover, your contribution to the discussion here.

                  • GalapagoLarryGalapagoLarry says:

                    Very good rebuttals, all. But…Please repeat after me: “New Year Resolution No. 1: I will not respond to BlowJobs simple-headed, bubble-ized know-nothing, immasculated, immature, self-vicitimizing, sanctirepublimonious, Tourette’s-like outbursts. Ever again.”

                    Then  pinky swear it to your mirror. Please. Consider it a Christmas gift to the world.

                    And Happy New Year to all!

                    • ColoDem Di says:

                      I will not indulge BoyJob’s narcissistic personality disorder by being sucked into one of his pointless arguments.

                      I will not indulge BoyJob’s narcissistic personality disorder by being sucked into one of his pointless arguments.

                      I will not indulge BoyJob’s narcissistic personality disorder by being sucked into one of his pointless arguments.

                  • PERA hopeful says:

                    Hope you’re having a merry Christmas!

                • bjwilson83 says:

                  I’d say 1330 squatters is a pretty darn good probable cause to seize tax records. 1330 lawbreakers! That’s a pretty big f’n deal, as Biden would say. And as I have explained over and over, HE HAD A WARRANT, so this BS about unreasonable search and seizure doesn’t fly. The supreme court decision was 4-3, and would have gone the other way except that the bench is packed with liberals who want to protect their voting base of non-citizens. A prime example of the corruption in our Democrat state government.

          • EmeraldKnight76 says:

            So you’re saying that The Buckpedaler only violated some citizen’s Constitutionally protected rights? That’s supposed to somehow make it better?

            Nothing say freedom like violating the rights of American citizens in the name of tearing apart the lives of those dastardly illegal immigrants.

          • AristotleAristotle says:

            I saw that you were having your usual troubles over at Redstate – even when most of the people are wingnuts like you, they still find you repulsive. Nice work, dingleberry.

    • SSG_Dan says:

      Ebeneezer Scrooge was an Elitest Free Market Conservative. His religion was Business, he was opposed to workers rights and he believed that everyone has to make it on their own in life without any help from anyone. He also was a Puritan, who was disgusted by merriment and frivolity.

      After being visited by Supernatural entities which he freely sought to associate with (the kind of New Pagan Occultism that is the tool of Satan) he converted to Liberal Humanism. He stopped being a self-righteous prig, and sought to celebrate the Christmas Holiday with the very merriment and frivolity he previously condemned.

      In summary, you’re saying that the only way that Conservatives can properly celebrate the spirit of Christmas, is to become Pagan Occultist Liberals?

      • bjwilson83 says:

        Yes, Dan, that’s exactly what I was trying to say. You really need to read what I post before commenting on it.

        • PERA hopeful says:

          Beej, you are filled with pride that you are a Christian.  As a self-proclaimed Christian, do you agree with this quote from your link?

          More notorious even than his miserly ways are Scrooge’s cynical words. “Are there no prisons,” he jibes when solicited for charity, “and the Union workhouses?”

          Terrible, right? Lacking in compassion?

          Not necessarily. As Scrooge observes, he supports those institutions with his taxes. Already forced to help those who can’t or won’t help themselves, it is not unreasonable for him to balk at volunteering additional funds for their extra comfort.

          How do you reconcile this philosophy with “if a man asks for your coat, give him your cloak also”?

          • bjwilson83 says:

            I didn’t say anything about my views on it. Actually, I agree wholeheartedly with Dickens’s message in A Christmas Carol. The three spirits did not teach Scrooge to spend a ton of money getting liberal politicians elected in order instigate class warfare, confiscating wealth from rich people against their will through onerous taxes and forcibly transferring it to the poor, including people who were just lazy. Rather, they taught him to be generous personally, giving freely and cheerfully to the people who needed it most like Tiny Tim. In no way was he encouraged to subsidize government dependency and economic malaise.

            This, as I have noted before, is the problem with the liberal mentality. Rich liberals want government to subsidize the great unwashed so that they don’t personally have to feel obligated to give. This spirit of miserliness, as opposed to personal involvement in the welfare of others via churches, charities, and other private sector initiatives, is directly opposed to Dickens’s vision. In fact, conservatives give way more to charity than liberals, even if you just look at secular giving. The best way to combat poverty is to be generous yourself, rather than trying to sic the government on the rich.  

        • SSG_Dan says:

          ….and it’s just as insipid as it was when it was first posted.

          Being a swarmy self-righteous asshole is your gig, so reposting it on Christmas just suits your M-O.

          You have actually READ Dickens, right? You do understand that most of our society mores and institutions regarding Christmas come from this work of art?

        • Ralphie says:

          Sorry you’re having to post to a blog on Christmas Eve.  I guess some people will do anything for the attention they’re not getting at home.

          Did your mommy disown you?

          Anyway, Merry Christmas.  Tell your mom too, will you?

  4. Go Raiders* says:

    “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone around about them; and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. ”

    Luke 2:10-12

    Peace,

    Raiders

  5. droll says:

    An anonymous airport employee (authorized to carry a gun in the cockpit) posted video online of how easy it is to get in through the employee entrances.  Apparently ID wasn’t even asked for.  Take that, radiation concerns!

    http://andrewsullivan.theatlan

    Don’t worry, this dangerous whistle blower had his gun taken away and will most likely face other disciplinary action.  And the nasty videos have been taken down as well.

  6. jpsandscl says:

    and to all, a good night!

  7. droll says:

    My great friend was moved by children who survived a recent fire, they ran out so quickly they didn’t have shoes.  The mother was in tears over photos and all the Christmas shopping that had just been finished; the children were saying the adult thing (and seemed to mean it) about everything being fine because no one was hurt.  Family was all they seemed to care about.

    So I was dragged on a tour to pass out special groceries to people who would have otherwise had baloney sandwiches today.  Toys be damned.

    A bit eye opening – we did it in our own neighborhood, Washington Park.  Turns out that if you’ve been unemployed for a year (or two), your house won’t sell, you’re stuck in your car lease, and you’ve sold every excess computer and all your electronic entertainment, all of the crap we have is just that, worthless crap.  No matter how grand your house looks on the outside.

    Now I’ll watch my puppy play with a plastic two liter bottle until my own “family” dinner starts.  And I’ll be thankful that I was able to feed her this morning and take her poor chronically sick self to the vet twice last month.  Two of the houses of children cried when they saw her; their dogs would’ve starved at their house, so they had to be given up.  Hopefully they found homes in better situations.

  8. raymond1 says:

    … in a flurry of blog posts on 12/24.  Way to keep the spirit of “Christ” in “Christmas”; didn’t Jesus also spend the most important days of religious observance yelling profanities at strangers from his window?

  9. bjwilson83 says:

    and supports the Tea Party now. Anybody want to comment?

    • sxp151 says:

      before this major earth-shattering announcement?

      I heard Charles Johnson thinks the tea party is largely fueled by racial resentment in addition to being funded by billionaires who hate its members. What do you have to say about that?

      • bjwilson83 says:

        But Phil is a former Colorado Dem Party Chair. And to add insult to injury, he is enthusiastically supporting Sarah Palin for president. How do you like them apples?

      • BlueCat says:

        that Palin is the Dem dream candidate. And here’s a little more good news. Guess Murkowski may be more of a better option compared to pathetic sore loser Miller than I would have thought:

        Lisa Murkowski isn’t gunning down caribou on national TV like that other famous Alaskan, but the Republican lawmaker is going rogue in the Senate just weeks after staging the most stunning back-from-the-dead political win of the 2010 cycle.

        Murkowski is already showing a fierce independent streak, becoming the only Republican to cast votes on all four items on President Barack Obama’s wish list: a repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” a tax-cut compromise, the START deal and cloture for the DREAM Act

        http://www.politico.com/news/s

        • AristotleAristotle says:

          He doesn’t realize that, because he’s pulling so hard for her at redstate that he’s making himself unwelcome there, too.

          • bjwilson83 says:

            I think I’m quite safe in assuming that I’m welcome at redstate.

            • Diogenesdemar says:

              I am a graduate student in mathematics, and a conservative. This potent combination has inspired a keen interest in political strategy. I also grew up in a family of six, so I am no stranger to real world debate. My hobbies include helping progressives realize their own hypocrisy and showing them the error of their ways.

              • Diogenesdemar says:

                http://www.redstate.com/users/

                Beej is the same “potent combination” of acumen that one would expect of a half-term, caribou-”hunting*”, semi-literate**, beauty queen.

                (*if by hunting, you mean something quite different than actually hunting.

                **meaning that she’s seen trucks from her porch.)

                Jeez Beej, if you’d only let us all know what a “potent combination” you are on your Pols profile, I’ll bet we’d have given you all the respect you deserve.

                • bjwilson83 says:

                  Now, if only one of you had the gonads to actually engage in debate on my home turf at redstate, as I have on yours at Pols.

                  • AristotleAristotle says:

                    I spent an enjoyable afternoon arguing about climate change at redstate about four years ago, very politely and respectfully but maintaining my points about how skeptic reports never seem to survive peer review, and an EDITOR (I think Erick) actually posted some info about me he got from my (now defunct) myspace page – info he could only have obtained by looking up my email, to which of course he had access. He even admitted that that’s what he had done when I asked him about it. (It wasn’t identifying info, but it was about my degree which wasn’t in science.)

                    Beej, what would you do if Colorado Pols did that about you? Not your education, that is, but some bit of info you haven’t yet foolishly shared with us already.

                    I saw how vile those people could be under duress. I lurked during the passage of HCR, and you should have seen how those guys (again, the editors, not just the mouthbreathers like you) went after other conservatives who pointed out the problems with their declaration of repealing HCR in the next term (such as, you know, an inevitable veto which had no chance of being overridden).

                    That’s your “home turf,” beej. And it’s typical of the so-called freedom lovers at right wing sites, where dissent is squashed, posters are routinely threatened with banishment, and of course comments are monitored. Compare that to the hands off (or laissez faire, if you will) attitude at Colorado Pols.

                    Addressing your actual reply to my comment above, let me just say that it’s hilarious that just as soon as your “homies” are telling you that you’re damaging your chosen candidate’s cause there, suddenly you’ve decided to be a presence here again. What a coincidence. And on the Sabbath, too. Way to keep it holy.

                    • bjwilson83 says:

                      Redstate is mild compared to this site. And info about me is routinely shared on this site, despite the rules against outing. You don’t think dissent is squashed, posters are routinely threatened with banishment, or comments are monitored here? Your last paragraph makes no sense at all. Most people agree with me, or if they disagree they discuss things with civility. As far as the Sabbath, I’ve never seen the Bible verse that forbids blogging on it.  

                    • AristotleAristotle says:

                      is what you shared yourself.

                      No – dissent is never squashed, posters are never threatened with banishment unless they OUT someone, and comments are not monitored – at least not for their opinion.

                      You’re free, as always, to provide any proof. Being used to your inability to ever do so, I won’t hold my breath while I wait.

                  • Diogenesdemar says:

                    Oh Beejy, one thing that can always be counted upon, . . . your narcissism never fails to entertain (in its immature and painful sort of way.)

                    Please be sure to let me know the day you finally ever engage anyone here in any rational, thoughtful, or meaningful conversation that could loosely be considered “debate.”

                    Until then, you remain an incredibly laughable and pathetic child.  

            • AristotleAristotle says:

              what poll results? If you don’t bring ‘em, they don’t count.

              • bjwilson83 says:

                Look before linking, grasshopper.

                • AristotleAristotle says:

                  Redstate disseminates bullshit, so it’s inadmissible. Find the unbiased source.

                  • bjwilson83 says:

                    It was a redstate poll. There is no other source. Again, read the article.

                    • AristotleAristotle says:

                      ROFLMAO….

                      So you admit there’s no unbiased source. Redstate asks wingnuts who they want for prez, they pick the wackiest wackjob around. Oh, lookout President Obama!

                      LOL

                    • bjwilson83 says:

                      Nice try on that one, but you lost sight of the original comment.

                    • AristotleAristotle says:

                      Mea culpa. That said, if you think “being in the majority” equals being popular with that majority, time will show you otherwise. The responses you were getting over there were pretty terse…

                    • bjwilson83 says:

                      I said “in the mainstream”, not “in the majority”. Seriously, do you read comments before you post? Also, there are plenty of presidential candidates at this point and therefore plenty of people who disagree with me. However, the plurality does agree with me.

                    • AristotleAristotle says:

                      For someone who is the poster boy of epic failure, you sure like to throw that around, don’t you?

                      Mainstream and majority are synonymous. You dimwit.

                      And speaking of reading comprehension failure, my whole point has whooshed over your head again.

                    • bjwilson83 says:

                      No Ari, no they aren’t. Go get a dictionary.

                    • AristotleAristotle says:

                      No wonder you don’t know better.

                    • redstateblues says:

                      They are

                      Good lord, BJ, you even piss on your OWN leg and say it’s not raining.

                    • AristotleAristotle says:

                      … to get a new sig line.

                    • redstateblues says:

                      “…it’s raining.”

                    • bjwilson83 says:

                      Time for an English lesson. Let’s take a closer look at the wikipedia entry:

                      Mainstream is, generally, the common current thought of the majority. However, the mainstream is far from cohesive; rather the concept is often considered a cultural construct. (emphasis mine) It is a term most often applied in the arts (i.e., music, literature, and performance). This includes:

                         * something that is available to the general public;

                         * something that has ties to corporate or commercial entities.

                      As such, the mainstream includes all popular culture, typically disseminated by mass media. The opposite of the mainstream are subcultures, countercultures, cult followings, and (in fiction) genre. Additionally, mainstream is sometimes a codeword used for an actual ethnocentric or hegemonic subculture point of view, especially when delivered in a culture war speech.

                      Notice how everything but the first few words goes on to explain how the word “mainstream” is not necessarily the “common current thought of the majority” per se and has actually come to encompass a much broader concept. This includes a “cultural construct” representing popular culture disseminated by mass media. This is the sense in which I used the word “mainstream” since redstate is, after all, a form of mass media, and Sarah Palin is popular there. As there are about 10 candidates in the poll, she did not gather a majority of votes, but definitely a clear plurality which puts her in the center of mainstream Republican/conservative culture. As the list is narrowed down, I have no doubt that the percentage of votes she garners will increase.

                      A final thought: for those of you who don’t rely on wikipedia as the ultimate arbiter of truth, here is the dictionary definition of “mainstream” from dictionary.com:

                      mainstream

                      -noun

                      1.

                      the principal or dominant course, tendency, or trend: the mainstream of American culture.

                      Thus, I was completely correct in saying that my views accorded with the dominant trend on redstate.

                    • Middle of the Road says:

                      Forty Clove Garlic Chicken

                      1 tbsp. butter

                      2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

                      2-3 # roasting chicken or chicken breasts

                      4 tbsp. fresh rosemary

                      1 cup flour

                      40 large peeled garlic cloves

                      1 cup dry white wine

                      4 cups chicken stock or broth

                      ВЅ cup heavy whipping cream

                      Preparation:  Heat the butter and olive oil in a deep, heavy skillet.  Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and rosemary.  Toss chicken in flour.  When the pan is hot, but not smoking, add the chicken skin side down.  SautГ© chicken until golden brown on both sides.  Remove from pan.  Add garlic cloves and sautГ© until light brown.  Add white wine and chicken stock.  Return chicken to pan and cover.  Simmer for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked.  Remove the chicken and keep warm.  Turn heat to high, remove cover, and reduce liquid by 66%.  Pour remaining liquid into blender, add cream and puree the sauce.  Serve over chicken breasts.

                      Keep those comments coming, BJ. I have loads of recipes.

                    • bjwilson83 says:

                      You’re telling me that with every comment I get a tasty treat as well?

                    • Middle of the Road says:

                      The recipes are rewards for those of us that have to slog past your stupidity.

                      Rosemary Bread

                      For a large loaf you will need the following:

                      1 pound of self-raising flour

                      2 teaspoons of dried yeast

                      2 tablespoons of fine salt

                      4 tablespoons of freshly chopped rosemary

                      1/4 pint of whole milk

                      1/4 pint of cold water

                      4 tablespoons of olive oil

                      In a large bowl, combine the flour with the dried yeast.

                      Add the oil and start kneading lightly while adding the milk, the salt and the rosemary.

                      Then add the water slowly, and keep kneading for a few minutes until the dough no longer sticks to your fingers.

                      Cover the dough with a cloth and let stand for 90 minutes. When ready, work the dough for another 2 minutes and let it rest for a further 20 minutes.

                      In the meantime, preheat your oven to 450F.

                      Place the dough in the shape you like on a baking tray or stone and bake for 30 minutes.

                      Half way through brush the top of the bread with an egg wash (a mixture of an egg and a splash of water).

                    • redstateblues says:

                      Won’t be doing that again…

                      Bread sounds delicious btw.

                    • Middle of the Road says:

                      and this bread was surprisingly easy to make and turned out awesome.  

                    • bjwilson83 says:

                      I’ll publish a cookbook with the recipes you attach to all my comments.

                    • Middle of the Road says:

                      And you better credit each and every recipe to the original publisher. Good luck with that.  

                    • AristotleAristotle says:

                      One, the terms are synonymous. My restatement of your words is accurate. You lose.

                      Two, your position may be in the mainstream of redstate (which is weird to brag about – being in the middle of the fringe), but your personality is just as grating there as it is here. Which was my point all along.

                    • AristotleAristotle says:

                      you’re being a bit slow in your responses today. Get it together!

                    • AristotleAristotle says:

                      after having been on for a good 10 minutes after my initial response.

                    • bjwilson83 says:

                      But really, I don’t sit around all day just waiting for you to post so I can respond.

        • bjwilson83 says:

          it is that Sarah Palin should run for president. I wonder if you have yet realized that Obama is the dream candidate for 2012. His abject failures have sparked an entire conservative revolution which as recently as November delivered Dems a well deserved “shellacking”.

  10. BlueCat says:

    think the last election means the public loves R policy goals and disagrees with Obama/Dem goals achieved during lame duck session.

    CNN/Opinion Research Poll shows…

    The survey finds that Americans believe by 55 percent to 42 percent that the policies being proposed by President Obama will move the country in the right direction. But those surveyed said by 51 percent to 44 percent that the policies being proposed by the GOP will take the country in the wrong direction.

    http://www.politicsdaily.com/2…  

Leave a Reply

Comment from your Facebook account


You may comment with your Colorado Pols account above (click here to register), or via Facebook below.