omfg. I didn't know she was Assembly of God.
As someone who attended their services out of curiosity for a couple years I say this in all seriousness: Be. Fucking. Afraid.

Unless you've been around them you have no idea - these people are genuinely psychotic and single mindedly =aggressive= in pursuit of their goal of helping to usher in The End Times.

http://www.videosift.com/video/Palin-credits-electoral-success-to-witchhunter

Speaking in tongues, maniacally 'laughing in the spirit', flopping around on the floor, believing that gold teeth miraculously appear in their mouth; i shit you not this is Standard stuff for every sunday and wednesday service.

Again, in all seriousness, be aware these people genuinely believe the last days will occur in the next few years and they zealously work towards making it happen.

>> ^MarineGunrock:
W H Y W A S N ' T T H I S M A N M A D E P R E S I D E N T ?
[edit]
Show me a man that has a better understanding of our economy. Without a doubt, the economy is now the most important issue facing America today.
He NEEDS to be president. NOW.



Sorry dude, but a lot of us wholeheartedly disagree with you.

Yes, Ron Paul is one of the smartest men in congress when it comes to certain aspects of the economy. He understands the markets, and our economic history almost more than anyone.

But, after watching him for the last two years I've come to realize that his knowledge is based 100% in theory, and not in reality. He couldn't give less of a shit about your and my reality, or the reality that faces huge swaths of this country. He doesn't give one shit.

He is a "free-market" fundamentalist, and thinks that somehow, CEO's everywhere are totally honest, good men who would only do awesome and honest and good things if that darn government oversight would stop, you know, overseeing stuff. Anyone who's had their eyes open, their heart beating and their lungs taking in breath over the last couple decades understands the exact opposite, and has watched these very same awesome CEO's tear our economy apart, slash our wages, steal our healthcare benefits and 401k's, and walk away with enormous bonuses worth more than most countries GDP.

Ron Paul's ideas of a "free market" are theories, and dangerous ones at that. His theories are one of those "if only" ideas/concepts that have NEVER ever been put into practice anywhere.

I would take a tanked economy with guidance under Barney Frank, than a "free-market" in a country that now has forced-prayer in schools, abortions made illegal, and "states rights" putting an end to anti-discrimination laws, integrated schools, and usher in every completely nutball right-wing extreme-christianist wedge issue you could ever imagine, shoved down the throats of us citizens.

Yes, Obama could do well with putting Paul somewhere in his cabinet, or in the FED or somewhere. But his domestic policies are utterly frightening, and the dude who he just supported for POTUS is one of the most crappy, hacked-out straight-up-white-dude's out there, with a completely laughable and outrageous platform.


Ron Paul is way more of a christianist fundie than you are allowing yourself to understand. "States rights" is a code-word. It's a lie. It's real meaning is to give the states their right to enforce some of the most backward, draconian laws every considered.

I love your avatar! I really believe it captures how many americans view bush and the remaining time in his term. Anything he says or does is inevitably squashed by the massive desire to usher him out of office.

Wrong. Real news is Conflict in Georgia. Sorry for being blunt, but even if US forces did invade Iran, on a global scale it probably would not nearly equate to all the shit that just might happen with the rapidly escalating situation in the Caucasus. That's not to diminish the importance of the former, though. Both situations are... well, bad.

>> ^Memorare:
the real news is the impending naval blockade of Iran.
George II still has plenty of time to usher in the apocalypse.

the real news is the impending naval blockade of Iran.
George II still has plenty of time to usher in the apocalypse.

holy-phuking-shyt. These numbers of Robertson grads in office are news to me. 1st order of business for a new president should be a purge of these psychotics.

Yeah Maher may be an arrogant prick but who else is even bringing this to people's attention? Has Jon Stewart picked up on this? Sad to have to resort to a comedy show for serious political reporting but again, who else is even talking about this abomination?

And remember, there's still a long time between now and the election. Don't put it past Bush to do something nightmarish as a last gasp to usher in Armageddon - Bush is a True Believer in every sense of the phrase folks.

One Thousand Years
The 100 People Who Made The Millennium
What, no Babe Ruth? How, ask you, could a list of millennium's most important people not include the Sultan of Swat? Plenty of other monarchs failed to make the lineup as well. To get on this team, a person had to change more than just a corner of the world-he or she had to divert the great stream of human history, alter our perceptions perceptibly. A runner edged out Ruth (and Jackie Robinson) by setting a new standard for any owner on two legs. You'll find his name at No. 92 on the following list, which ranks the honorees by importance. Many names will be familiar from the events section, but not all. A few-Watt, Koch, Gutenberg-appear there but not here. Some of history's paramount figures are remembered more for a single accomplishment (such as ushering in the age of print) than for the force of their personalities. Though the actions of the individuals who made the list affected all kinds of people, they are an overwhelmingly male, pale bunch. All but 17 are of European extraction; only ten are women. This reflects not the biases of LIFE's editors and expert advisers but the sociopolitical realities of the past thousand years. For most of that time, as Virginia Woolf noted, women have served largely as "looking-glasses...reflecting the figure of man at twice its natural size." Likewise, the millennium's most conspicuous historical movement has been the rise of the West-which means Westerners often borrowing ideas and technology from other peoples, have done a disproportionate amount of global moving and shaking. The next millennium's list of planet-rattlers promises to look strikingly different.
LIFE magazine
http://www.tostepharmd.net/hissoc/top100people.html
I included this in the discussion because I consider it to both vital and relevant. Also, it's from a kick ass book(The 100 Most Important Events & People of the Past 1,000 Years), one of my favorites.
I also feel this is relevant to the discussion.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_dichotomy

An elderly woman walked into the main office of Chase Manhattan Bank building, holding a large paper bag in her hand. She told the young man at the teller's window that she wished to deposit the $3 million in the bag and open an account at the bank. She said that first, though, she wished to meet the president of the bank due to the amount of money involved. The teller thought that to be a reasonable request, and, after opening the bag and seeing bundles of $1000 bills, which amounted to approximately $3,000,000, he telephoned the bank president's secretary for an appointment for the lady.

The woman was escorted upstairs and ushered into the president's office. Introductions were made, and she stated that she liked to get to know people she did business with on a more personal basis. The president then asked her how she came into such a large sum of cash. "Was it inherited?" he asked. "No," she replied. It was quiet for several seconds.

"I bet people," she offered. Seeing his confusion, she said, "For instance, I'll bet you $25,000 that by 10 o'clock tomorrow morning...your balls will be square."

The bank president figured she must be off her rocker and decided to take her up on the bet. He didn't know how he could lose. For the rest of the day, he was extremely cautious--he decided to stay home that evening and take no chances. $25,000 was at stake.

When he got up in the morning and took his shower, he checked to make certain that everything was O.K. There was no change. He looked the same as always. He went to his office and waited for the woman to come in at 10AM, humming as he went. He knew this was his lucky day. How often did he get handed $25,000 for doing nothing?

At 10 o'clock sharp, the woman was shown into his office. With her was a man. When the bank president asked her who the other man was, she informed the president that it was her lawyer and she always took him along when there was this much money involved.

"Well," she asked, "what about our bet?"
"I don't know how to tell you this," he said, "but I'm the same as I've always been."

"I'm afraid I'm going to need verification," her hand offered out.

"Well, okay," said the president, "$25,000 is a lot of money, so I guess you should be absolutely sure." The president complies, unzipping his pants and dropping his drawers. The old lady grabs his balls. Just then, he noticed that the lawyer was quietly banging his head against the wall.

The president asks the old lady, "What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing, except that I bet him $100,000 that by 10am today, I'd have the president of Chase Manhattan Bank by the balls."

a dupe I'm afraid
http://www.videosift.com/video/Love-in-this-Club-Usher-Animatronic-Video
*discard

credit where its' due... that takes balls! "Gimme all the cash or I'll shake my leaves at you"

also like the ending where the shop keeper ushers him out with a stool

Stool > palm fronds!

LOL

My real name doesn't matter, but my nick is a play on it. I live in the capital of Canada, Ottawa, working for the Government of Canada as a Research Analyst. It's not really reflective of what I do - but that's not all that clear either.

I grew up in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where I completed a Commerce degree with a minor in Political Science. I have worked odd jobs as a graphic designer, brokerage assistant, bus boy, movie usher, filing clerk, web developer and printing press apprentice.

After University I lived in Hong Kong for 2 years where I was an Operations Manager for a local magazine and website, producing the monthly magazine (graphic design and layout) and the website (using Open Source software and tweaking the PHP code). I also taught orphans for a year (age 3 to 6) - I had 60 students I taught twice per week. My 2 years in Hong Kong was facilitated by VideoSift's constant stream of interesting videos from around the world of things worldly and beyond. I didn't need my 2 channels of chinese TV, but I did keep my Chinese movies. I can speak Chinese and read quite a bit too.

When I came back to Canada, I moved to the Nation's capital to work in the Public Service, and I am completing my Masters in Public Admin. I refuse to pay for cable television, but I do have a penchant for movies. My TV doesn't even get TV service (but is connected to a VCR and DVD player); VideoSift has essentially replaced my Television as my source of video information. I enjoy how it makes me an active participant in choosing the sources of video and information that I watch (rather than passively with the commercials on regular TV) and I have learned alot and been exposed to a lot that has expanded my mind.

I'm working on something I'm not yet ready to write about and that is not interesting enough yet to warrant the time.
My avatar is of me taped by my roommates to a formerly-abandoned cross outside our apartment during a Hallowe'en party I hosted in 2003. More photos here. (I was later carried down the street 2 blocks and propped up against a Café where other costumed onlookers shared in the reveling. I later carried the cross back to the apartment while being whipped by a skeleton Halloween decoration by my Judaism-supporting roommate.)

>> ^NetRunner:
I read on the internet that he's a secret muslim, whose Pastor is a reverse racist who wants to enslave white people, ally with Iran, ban the pledge of allegience, unpatriotically eschew wearing the required flag lapel-pin, and raise my taxes.
I heard from his fellow Democratic senator Hillary Clinton that he's an elitist, who doesn't understand the concerns of working Americans, hard working Americans, white Americans, that he's a misogynist who's heckled Geraldine Ferraro for telling it like it is (that he's only winning because he's black!) He disenfranchised the people of Michigan and Florida by not agreeing to let Hillary have all the delegates from both states.
Some Abe Simpson impersonator told me that somehow, people are being fooled by this proponent of failed policies of the past, when a 71 year-old white guy is clearly embracing policies of the future, like winning in Iraq, and giving everyone a well-deserved capital gains tax cut, while dismantling silly government programs like the EPA, FDA, and the quaint Bill of Rights.
You can keep your Tiger Woods, I want Ron Paul! Down with the CFR!
smack
Actually, I think he's going to usher in a sweeping change in public opinion, the way Ronald Reagan did. The country will realize that from the conservative point of view, Bush was the most successful conservative yet at implementing conservative ideology, and the crushing failures of the country are a direct result of those policies (and the ones Clinton acquiesced to in the 90's, like NAFTA, telecomm deregulation, and a huge capital gains tax cut).
Obama can draw in vast new segments of people disillusioned with the Bush years, and speak to them about liberal values and policies in a persuasive way I've never seen someone do before.
I think he'll be able to build a coalition of support to actually start addressing the problems our country faces with the economy, foreign policy, health care, infrastructure, and the environment.
Most of his past work has been in the realm of ethics reform, and governmental transparency. He's talked about forcing the health care companies to negotiate with him while in front of C-SPAN TV cameras -- something like that would be truly remarkable.
He won't be afraid to be painted as a "liberal" (as if that's a bad thing), or to fight for what he believes in because he knows that he's on the right side of the issues, and can explain why...
I think it'll be an amazing thing to see.



I had so many sarcastic responses lined up for this tripe, my brain overloaded, and I had visions of Hillary as Vice President.

I read on the internet that he's a secret muslim, whose Pastor is a reverse racist who wants to enslave white people, ally with Iran, ban the pledge of allegience, unpatriotically eschew wearing the required flag lapel-pin, and raise my taxes.

I heard from his fellow Democratic senator Hillary Clinton that he's an elitist, who doesn't understand the concerns of working Americans, hard working Americans, white Americans, that he's a misogynist who's heckled Geraldine Ferraro for telling it like it is (that he's only winning because he's black!) He disenfranchised the people of Michigan and Florida by not agreeing to let Hillary have all the delegates from both states.

Some Abe Simpson impersonator told me that somehow, people are being fooled by this proponent of failed policies of the past, when a 71 year-old white guy is clearly embracing policies of the future, like winning in Iraq, and giving everyone a well-deserved capital gains tax cut, while dismantling silly government programs like the EPA, FDA, and the quaint Bill of Rights.

You can keep your Tiger Woods, I want Ron Paul! Down with the CFR!

*smack*

Actually, I think he's going to usher in a sweeping change in public opinion, the way Ronald Reagan did. The country will realize that from the conservative point of view, Bush was the most successful conservative yet at implementing conservative ideology, and the crushing failures of the country are a direct result of those policies (and the ones Clinton acquiesced to in the 90's, like NAFTA, telecomm deregulation, and a huge capital gains tax cut).

Obama can draw in vast new segments of people disillusioned with the Bush years, and speak to them about liberal values and policies in a persuasive way I've never seen someone do before.

I think he'll be able to build a coalition of support to actually start addressing the problems our country faces with the economy, foreign policy, health care, infrastructure, and the environment.

Most of his past work has been in the realm of ethics reform, and governmental transparency. He's talked about forcing the health care companies to negotiate with him while in front of C-SPAN TV cameras -- something like that would be truly remarkable.

He won't be afraid to be painted as a "liberal" (as if that's a bad thing), or to fight for what he believes in because he knows that he's on the right side of the issues, and can explain why...

I think it'll be an amazing thing to see.

From the official site:

About Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II is set in the grim, war-ravaged world of Games Workshop's (LSE: GAW) Warhammer 40,000 universe - a dark, futuristic, science-fiction setting where armies of technologically advanced warriors, fighting machines and hordes of implacable aliens wage constant war. Developed by critically acclaimed RTS developer Relic Entertainment, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II ushers in a new chapter in the acclaimed RTS series, as ancient races - including the dauntless Space Marines and savage Orks - clash across ruined worlds on a mission to claim the galaxy and preserve their own existence. Powered by the re-vamped Essence Engine 2.0, the next evolution of Relic's proprietary game engine made famous in the award winning Company of Heroes, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II will deliver fast-paced RTS action with ferocious melee and ranged combat in fully destructible environments. Immersing players in an in-depth non-linear single-player campaign and a fully-co-operative multiplayer mode, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II is set to deliver the most visually-stunning Warhammer 40,000 setting ever created. For more information on Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II, please visit www.dawnofwar2.com.

I agree wholeheartedly, but when you're a politician looking for bipartisan support and attempting to appeal to a widely polarised population, this is the only plausible course of action you can propose. The older people get, the more dead set they are in their ways and their supposed moral values, it takes time to usher in progressive ideas even when it comes down to basic equality.

Perhaps America is just not ready for gay marriage?

Sorry couldn't help myself