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government policy - your life
Here is what the five-year war in Iraq has done to the price of home heating oil in the Boston area and to the same extent the price of gasoline.
[size=8]Price per gallon of home heating oil in Boston[/size]
As you may know, the rising cost of energy has the effect of making other products more expensive including food and other products that are shipped to market... everything!
Iraq (the country we invaded after Bush misrepresented intelligence on Iraq, al Qaeda and 9/11 as well as Iraq's WMD capability and whether it was a threat to America)
iswas the second biggest producer of crude oil in the world at the time of the US invasion.You might expect summer is a good time to buy home heating oil but no! Heating oil just dropped from $4.79/gallon to $4.00 gallon this last month but who knows where it will be when the weather drops below freezing and wage-earning Bostonians and fixed-income Bostonians must buy oil to heat their homes. Food, heating oil or medicine: How would you like to be facing that decision?
Bush and McCain are opposed to expanding the Federal home heating oil subsidy program. In Massachusetts, an individual must make less than $20,420 a year to qualify for the program.
Say "no" in November to George Bush and his BFF John McCane.
Late to the party here
Nevermind, I realize now adam doesn't want this political discussion here.
adam
Hmm, I presume this blog is pretty much Adam Gaffin's effort, and for that I salute him up and down, but does that make him the grand arbiter of what is and is not allowed and where it should be done? I suppose so... but that makes me a little sad. :)
(Should not be construed as a defense of Anonymous or anyone else)
Yes, it does
Adam owns this site. Other folks like you and me contribute to it, but it's his site.
Acceptable use?
I guess as long as I pay the bills, I get some say in things around here :-).
The point of a community site like this is to encourage discussion. That having been said, yeah, I have been frowning on creation of discussions that don't directly deal with Boston.
Yes, I realize the presidential election is important. So's the economy. And, yes, I realize people in Boston talk about both. But there are plenty of places to talk about national issues, from all sorts of different angles. You got your Blue Mass. Group, you got your Red Mass. Group, etc.
There are not so many places to talk about issues specific to the Boston area. Unfortunately, I know from past experience that if you open up a Boston forum to wider topics, the end result is a cacaphony of ranting, spittle-shooting frothing that changes nobody's minds and only serves to scare off the children and livestock (even if you, oh, create a forum explicitly for that sort of stuff - and even if you give it an insulting name).
So, here I sit, walking a very fine line (no easy task when you're on a chair, let me tell you). I don't post stuff about the collapse of the economy, unless somebody really brings up a local angle (foreclosures in Dorchester or a Cambridge blogger marveling at how easy it is to get an HVAC guy in these days, or local congressmen explaining why they voted against the bailout bill). And I definitely don't post the latest Sarah Palin/Silverman videos, and, to be honest, would encourage others to do the same. It's not like the world will be worse off because there's one fewer site playing those.
Fortunately, in this Series of Tubes, freedom of the press no longer belongs just to the guy who buys ink by the barrel (or, in my case, pays for a server in, gasp, Pittsburgh). Anybody can blog about anything they want. Let a thousand WordPress sites bloom!
Keep it Local
Well done, sir.
I'm down for the local theme. In fact, that's why I'm here... like it or not ;)
And Blue Mass Group does provide all that other stuff, should it be desired. Did anyone notice that Red Mass Group was quoted on the cover of the Metro talking about the debates? With no Democratic counterpoint? Lame!
Country First
In a Washington Post interview, Karl Rove admits that the Sarah Palin pick was "not a governing decision but a campaign decision."
Of course, Karl Rove also said he is not a consultant on the campaign but he speaks to them.
George Bush addressed the RNC convention in Minneapolis from the White House in DC. Bush is so toxic they thought it was better that he not appear in person.
Alaska First, Alaska Always
Interesting how the republican noise machine is now trying to downplay her involvement with the Alaskan Independence Party, which seeks a vote on secession because they think there should have been one before Alaska became a state!
I somehow doubt, as president, that she would give two hockey pucks for people lacking heat in Boston so long as her oil friends stayed well greased.
a vote on succession
It's about having the power. I don't think she's wise enough to have the power. In fact, she's not wise, she's righteous.
Too bad everyone forgets how we got into Iraq. "W" righteousness, which led to the fraudulent war argument.
Lieberman, Independent Democrat?
Lieberman, who is an Independent Democrat with liberal social views on policy, spoke at the Republican National Convention tonight in support of the 'no-choice for women' ticket McCain/Palin and against the Obama/Biden ticket.
I don't care who Lieberman votes for in the privacy of the ballot box but it's another thing altogether to advocate for the Republican ticket and against the Democratic ticket at their convention. The fact that Lieberman advocates against his own social policy values is just the icing on the cake. For Joe Leiberman, a war against Iran is more important than a woman's right to choose. F*ck him.
I wish McCain had been able to convince his advisers to choose Lieberman for VP because I'd like to see sanctimonious Joe lose again. Nonetheless, I have a touch of Schadenfreude knowing that Joe was passed over for VP by McCain's last minute selection of Sarah Palin. I can't wait to see what crazy crap they dig up on her policy positions. Here's a link to Intrade's market on whether Sarah will make it to election day.
Even Ed Koch, who supported President Bush, thinks Palin is
"scary".
Former Mayor of New York Ed Koch is a bit of a controversial figure with a long political history. But the last race he got involved with was in 2004 and he endorsed George W. Bush. Koch not only endorsed Bush, but campaigned for him in six states including Florida; so, not exactly a passive endorsement. But now Koch is making it clear that he's endorsing Obama, and he's making his reason for switching sides clear: it's Palin. Ed Koch told Politico's Ben Smith what he thought of the new VP nominee, "She's scary." In his endorsement of Obama, Koch put the sentiment in writing, saying:
Pat Buchanan on Sarah Palin, then and now
Pat Buchanan vs Pat Buchanan
Joe Scarborough vs Joe Scarborough
August 29, 2008
YouTube
This is before we learned anything about Palin... and before McCain did too.
Does civil disobedience work? Protesting at the RNC
Does civil disobedience work as an effective means of protest? Here's a piece on the protests in Minneapolis at the Republican Party Convention. You won't see fair and balanced news coverage of this on CH 4,5,7 or 25 in Boston.
YouTube 2:18
It depends.
I believe that demonostrations definitely do have their place when they're done in a respectable, and organized fashion. Civil disobedience doesn't always work--in fact, in many instances, it's been counterproductive...and disastrous. If one talks about civil disobedience such as having sit-ins at restaurants and lunch counters, or refusing to sit in the back of the bus, however, that was totally different. During the Civil Rights Movement, people really were fighting hard against oppression, and it had to be stopped in some way or other On the other hand, however, people who sit in the middle of busy main thoroughfares and block traffic, and try to prevent people from going about their usual daily lives and business as a way to make their opposition to our government's policies in foreign lands, however, are not fighting against oppression. Also, when people sit in busy thoroughfares blocking traffic to make their opposition to government policies known, they tend to not consider the fact that it makes it much more difficult for ambulances, fire trucks and police cars to get through. Every second of every minute counts when a seriously ill or injured person is being transported to the hospital, for instance. Time really is of the essence, and sitting in the street blocking traffic can cause unnecessary and/or dangerous delays.
That being said, the best way to have demonstratins is to have certain streets cordoned off to vehicular traffic and re-route motor vehicular traffic around the march. Most of the people protesting at the RNC and DNC were relatively peaceful. However, it only takes a minority of troublemakers to present problems and give protesters/demonstrators a bad name.
Civil disobedience
I agree with your point of view. Protesters who obstruct roadways, dump trash and break windows become the story and are labeled as pariahs, and are discredited as having a valid case. As a society, we have become intolerant of civil disobedience - breaking the law peacefully as a form of protest.
I was struck by how much protest there was in Denver and Minneapolis and how little we heard about it. Only the alternative media covered it. The Daily Show did a hilarious bit on free-speech zones.
Veterans for Peace Demonstrate Against Fellow Vet John McCain
Some of the RNC's favorite lobbyists - Grover Norquist
Grover Norquist played a pivotal role in the money laundering scheme whereby convicted felon Jack Abramoff ripped off his American Indian clients for millions of dollars.
The money went from Abramoff's American Indian clients to Grover Norquist's tax policy non-profit, where he skimmed his cut, and on to Ralph Reed who cynically and deceptively used the money and the grass roots outrage of church goers in the affected areas to fight against new casino interests.
Norquist was never charged with a crime but one wonders why the money-laundering scheme in politics is not criminal, and yet it is a criminal conspiracy in the illegal drug trade.
Furthermore, why do the Republicans tolerate Grover Norquist as a face in their party?
Here's video of Norquist (4 mins.), who has had frequent and repeated access to White House advisers, talking to reporters at RNC.
I have one question about Norquist's tax advice. How does he think George Bush's extremely expensive war of choice will be paid for if not by taxes? All $600 billion are on he nation's credit card accumulating interest at the discount rate of treasury bills. When you buy on time, you pay interest.
A better place to discuss this
While I realize that, yes, Bostonians will be voting in the national elections this November, there are plenty of sites to discuss those elections, that are, in fact, designed to discuss those elections (as Brett suggested in the *other* Republican discussion, Blue Mass. Group; there's also DailyKos and a bunch of others). People who really want to hate on Grover Norquist will find you, have no fear.
not here, eh?
I'll keep my politically-oriented comments to threads of politically-oriented topics.
Why this election matters to to Boston - reasons #22 - 26
This from Joe Klein, Time Magazine:
Getting to know you, getting to know, all about you.
fake voicemail - mccain to palin
This might make you laugh.
lipstick and pit bulls
Lipstick pit bulls? Never heard of it. There’s a reason pit bills must be kept on a leash. They are dangerous to humans.
Nice of the McCain campaign to bring the soap opera that is Sarah Palin’s life to the White House. Why then will they answer no more questions about the vetting process?
The tax-raising Alaskan governor also has a little secret that’s related to policy matters: She was for the bridge to nowhere before she was against it. Reformer indeed. Better late than never.
As mayor of Wasilla, a town 9000 - an election in which she got 1000 votes - three of her earmark requests were identified by McCain as inappropriate. Republicans... restoring dignity and honor to the White House, over and over.
14 of previous 16 comments are from original poster
Anonymous,
Not only are 14 of the above 16 comments written by you -- also the writer of the original post -- but you have continued to post these comments even after Adam G politely suggested you would find it more fruitful to pursue topics of this sort in other online venues. He provided you with several relevant sites, too. You certainly have every right to post about whatever you like ... on your own blog. Why do you insist upon doing so here?
Cordially,
Ms. Cynical
oh cynical
I do it all for you. Sorry if you find it troublesome.
taxes, are you better off with mccain or obama?
video 1min.
Funny video on Environmental
Funny video on Environmental Policy VIDEO 32 secs.
What does this have to do
With current events in Boston?
Banhammer!
Does anyone else feel that Anonymous is begging for a ban for being chronically off-topic?
This is almost as annoying as the Reggie memorial posts. Yes.. I did go there.
Let's BAN every commenter
Let's BAN every commenter who posts something annoying to stephencaldwell and then let's ban stephencaldwell for being chronically annoyed. That ought to do it.
Reductio Ad Absurdum
I suggest that we stop anonymous from using this site as his personal blog and I'm characterized as someone who has a penchant for using the constitution to wipe his bum.
Firstly, I don't appreciate the mischaracterization. I wouldn't have even said anything if it wasn't for the fact that Adam himself has asked Anonymous to refrain from abusing the system and his use of increasingly tenuous links between the content he posts and the intended scope of this website.
Secondly, this isn't a memorial site. That person who posts on that Reggie thread should really take it someplace more appropriate (ex: http://www.memory-of.com). I'm not trying to sound insensitive, but I imagine there isn't really any other way that this comes across. So be it.
It was joke
maybe a bad joke but a joke. touchy.
Difficult to differentiate
Some of the less articulate members of the internet-at-large actually respond to statements in that manner thus making it particularly difficult to differentiate between a joke response and an actual response.
Whoosh
Others just say whoosh