Guard Dog

Now this is funny! http://www.theonion.com/article/dazed-marco-rubio-wakes-koch-compound-find-cold-me-52260

KP is not LoF. He's smarter, not nasty, consistent and probably better company at a party. Especially if top shelf booze was being served. The only great thing about LoF is he used to forget what name he was signed in on and post something out of character for that alt. That was great.

The funny thing is if Bernie Sanders dropped dead right now the very first thing I'd think is Hillary is behind it somehow. There is a very long list of suspicious deaths of people who were on the wrong side of the Clintons. None of it has ever been proven but where there is that much smoke there is a fire somewhere!

Well if it comes to that I have armaments and resources enough to declare my 26 acres an independent and sovereign nation. The Republic of Doug. That's it. Has a ring to is. I am willing to allow refugees into the Republic provided they meet my immigration requirements. They must be 1) Female. 2) Attractive 3) Likes dogs, and rabbits. And 4) Be willing to take up arms in the defense of my great Republic!

Yeah that is a problem. Beware what you wish for. Although a Sanders presidency will likely be paralyzed by Congress so there is a good chance we can pass four years with nothing happening. As long as the Supreme Court justices stay healthy. We are just one justice away from having the whole Constitution ruled unconstitutional.

That crap happens every election cycle. Nihil sub sole novum.

The only comment I can make on this is it gives new meaning to the phrase "Coming and going at the same time" http://www.thesmokinggun.com/buster/car-crash/pantless-man-in-fatal-crash-639205

I completed my BS is Electronics Engineering in 1997 and every class had a lab. I don't see any way that can be simulated with an online only course. At least not for the physical disciplines. I guess Computer Sciences and SW development there is no reason why you couldn't.

Have you ever considered taking online courses? I've looked into it. Classes in the engineering disciplines are rare in online only education I'm finding. So far I haven't found a sing accredited school that offers a full BS in any of the engineering fields without some classroom or labs. There are a few that offer a MS but the fields of study are pretty narrow.

Today I considered going back to school to get a BS in Civil Engineering. Then I remembered how stressful and expensive and how much I hated working full time and going to school at night when I did it 19 years ago. I've found it difficult to conceal the fact that I work in a field where my education, while tenuously related, does not give me the knowledge and skills I need to do the job well sometimes. But when I consider the realities of fixing that I'd rather keep winging it. F--k it. They hired me. They knew what I knew how to do. Not like I lied to anyone. If I screw up I figure it's their fault!

@Calax that really sucks. Hopefully nothing comes of it. S--t happens right?

Well, going into Iowa next week keep one thing in mind. It's just one event. The last two have been won by Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum, neither of whom became the nominee. It will make news and grab headlines because that what this out of control beast of an election cycle here does, but it won't mean squat. New Hampshire won't either unless the same candidate wins both. On Super Tuesday we'll get a good idea what's what.

Bruce you realize what you are asking him to do is actually illegal in this country. Also impossible to prove.

I'd respect him more if he just said "Oh my God look over there" and ran off the stage.

The best way to pick a political side is to take the worst elements of either party and imagine a world where they get everything they want. If you give the Tea Party conservative that make up the Republican base everything they want you get a plutocracy with libertarian overtones except in social areas where the government once again becomes the "moral police'. Not good. Give the left wing democrats everything they wants and you get a new Soviet Union including planned economics, nationalization of everything, thought police, gulags and the "disappearing" of people who think dangerous thoughts. Except in social areas where anything goes. Even worse. So given the choice of a potential "not good" against a potential "even worse" I'm voting for whomever the Republicans nominate this year. Neither side will ever get everything it wants but I'd rather end up closer to the former than the latter.

Nope, they're included. Figures like Hitler don't simply will themselves into power and personally exterminate millions of people. Rather they're a product of complex circumstances with various causal factors. This of course doesn't excuse their actions or mean we can't note they're colossal wankers but reducing complex events like the holocaust to simply the actions or wishes of an individual is too simplistic. You know what? I stand corrected.

Dunno about that one. Quite a few leaders have genocide on their resume. It's hard to imagine that notion as someone being the product of their times. The systematic extermination of thousands, even millions, you don't get a pass on that one.

As compelling as I find the story of the aging gunslinger QB with the strong mind and sore arm trying to reclaim the glories of the past, Denver is walking into a buzz saw with Carolina. Yes they are beatable. Atlanta did it. But it bears remembering that Ted Ginn, Jonathan Stewart and Fozzy Whitaker were all injured for that game. They are healthy now. Carolina's passing game is set up buy the rush, they average 142 yds per game on the ground (2nd in the NFL) and 224 in the air (24th in the NFL). Shut down the run, double man the wide receivers and keep pressure on Newton and Denver has a chance. Denver has scored more than 20 points only six times in 18 games now. Even if the D succeeds in stifling Carolina's offense, 20 might not get the job done. I think Carolina wins, and wins big.

Anyone who thinks Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump or any of their ilk are evil needs to spend some quality time with a dictionary and a history book. History is fraught with examples of countries run by truly evil people. No one running for office in the US, now or ever to my recollection, rises to that level. Now you can have politicians who are so opposed to rights, liberties, religious values or other ephemeral things people hold dear that whether they are evil or not would become a distinction without a difference. Obama has flirted with that line numerous times but managed to not cross it with me at least. That he did not cross it does not make me like him (I don't) or respect him (I don't). He is condescending, arrogant, wrong on so many things, and a poor President. But evil? No, not close.

You know Microsoft has been getting very pushy about upgrading to Windows 10. Very pushy considering it's free. It makes me wonder if they are up to something. Does that make me paranoid?

I think most of the comments that Jeff used were essentially the President letting off steam. Consider that he's been stuck in this position of power, with more than half of the people he has to work with deliberately declaring in the media "We won't work with him, we will make him a one term president and oppose him at every turn!" You'd get frustrated if every thing you tried to do was refuted out of spite simply because of your political viewpoint. And while you're trying to be a humanitarian and make peoples lives easier and better, you're getting stymied simply because the other side doesn't want you to succeed (not out of the kindness of their own hearts). He's working with a group of politicians who declare that 9/11 first responders were national heroes and treasures, and yet they only extended the health benefits for those guys after a massive campaign by Jon Stewart. And even then the bill didn't get into what they were promised it would get into. Right there Calax you are doing the same thing he is: Rejecting the notion that opposition to anything he wants to do is rooted solely in racism or personal animus rather than and well thought out but opposing viewpoint. You see him as the "good guy" who only wants to help people. That makes anyone opposed to doing that or going about it his way the "bad guys". That is exactly why we Americans will be shooting at each other again in the future. Yes and no. Yes, I do think that he's being targeted out of political expediancy rather than somebody genuinely disagreeing with him. And I'm not pulling this out of nowhere, it's why the vocal party base (ie the most radical members) of the republican party (Like WOD) consider John Beohner to be an utter failure because they didn't get 100% of what they wanted. And here's an example from 2010 of how the Republican party had been operating towards Obama http://www.politico.com/story/2010/10/the-gops-no-compromise-pledge-044311 I'm not saying that republicans are inherently evil, or that they have **** ideas or whatever, what I'm saying is that for the entire Obama administration, Obama has had to deal with a political machine that's not dedicated to compromise or advancing their own political agenda, it's singular goal was to stop him and his agenda at all costs. Meanwhile your globe article is grumbling about how Obama is grumbling and teasing about not being able to get common ground. Our entire political system is designed for compromise, but the current tone from the republican side of the aisle is "My way or go **** yourself!" Bush got the exact same thing from the Dems after 2006. Clinton got it from the Republicans after 1994. Although to both of their credit Clinton and the 104th Congress did manage to get a few thing s accomplished not the least of which was a balanced budget. This acrimony is not new but it is getting worse. But Obama has been the nastiest about it yet and nasty begets nastier.

I think most of the comments that Jeff used were essentially the President letting off steam. Consider that he's been stuck in this position of power, with more than half of the people he has to work with deliberately declaring in the media "We won't work with him, we will make him a one term president and oppose him at every turn!" You'd get frustrated if every thing you tried to do was refuted out of spite simply because of your political viewpoint. And while you're trying to be a humanitarian and make peoples lives easier and better, you're getting stymied simply because the other side doesn't want you to succeed (not out of the kindness of their own hearts). He's working with a group of politicians who declare that 9/11 first responders were national heroes and treasures, and yet they only extended the health benefits for those guys after a massive campaign by Jon Stewart. And even then the bill didn't get into what they were promised it would get into. Right there Calax you are doing the same thing he is: Rejecting the notion that opposition to anything he wants to do is rooted solely in racism or personal animus rather than and well thought out but opposing viewpoint. You see him as the "good guy" who only wants to help people. That makes anyone opposed to doing that or going about it his way the "bad guys". That is exactly why we Americans will be shooting at each other again in the future.

This has nothing to do with what we are talking about right now but it is a great column from Jeff Jacoby of the Boston Globe today: http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/editorials/2016/01/24/obama-vowed-healer-chief-never-made-effort/0XR8wPoJwRVkFoPMVJaD2H/story.html It's a good read.

You know, the Oligarchs who meet in a smoky back room who actually control everything and everyone. Read all about them here: http://www.realworldorder.net/ Do you realize there are people who really believe this Yep, I know a few of them too. Some folks are just wired to see shadows in every corner. "Just because you're paranoid does not mean they are not all out to get you!"