Okay, this place has been about as much fun as a funeral lately.

[TayTay]

Is it the season or is it me? (No, it can't be me. But my extreme Catholic Guilt makes me put it in. Everytime something goes wrong, it's my fault. Sigh!) Gawd, I've been to bankruptcy hearings that were more fun than this group has been lately.

Are we in a malaise or are we slipping or is it mud season or what?

Somebody tell me a joke, give me a lewd poem or tell me something I don't know. This is friggin depressing.

You know what? The Note at ABC NEws can bite me. I don't give a good f*ck who they think will win in '08 because they suck. They are a tool of the RW noise machine and they are always wrong and I hates 'em. Same for all these other bastards who can BITE ME on all this carping and whining and complaining that Kerry hasn't solved world Hunger, World peace and ED yet. (Okay, maybe it's not up to him to solve ED, maybe that was Bob Dole's job. I get confused sometimes.)

So, what the hell is going on. Hello, is this thing on? Talk to me.

Are we slipping or what?

[JohnKleeb]

1. Eh

Maybe we should talk about recent stuff we've read. I finished McCullough's Truman and read 1776. David McCullough is a great historian and perhaps the best American one out there because of his wide range. I haven't had anything really exciting happen to me lately.

[TayTay]

2. I get a new car TODAY

Ahm, I guess I can't really share that, in any meaningful way, with the group but it sure made my day.

AHm, I read
Scientific American
TAP
Sojourners
The New Yorker
Rolling Stone

and the usual newspapers: NYTimes, Boston Globe, Miami Herald, LA Times, Chicago Tribune and so forth this week. (Some of this is my job. I get paid to do this. I free-lance cogitate on the side.)

Now, Im gonna go home, clean the bathroom and then sit down with a steamy 'chick-lit' book that should have some 'good parts' in it before I go over to some web site later and continue to obsess about IRaq. (To no real discernable effect. It's just something I do to prove that I can. Mui macho.)

Anybody seen any good movies lately? I am supposed to see V for Vendetta this weekend. Then I am going to see something frothy and dumb, cuz I'm in the mood.

[WildEyedLiberal]

3. V for Vendetta is AMAZING

Stellar. You'll enjoy it (I hope)!

Also, I can't think of any better combination than smut and wonk. The only way either could be improved is if John Kerry were involved. :evilgrin:

[JohnKleeb]

5. It has Natalie Portman in it albeit bald

but I won't complain, since bald or not she is a Fox with a capital F.

[WildEyedLiberal]

10. She is gorgeous

I wish I looked as flawless as she does x( Even with no hair, she's totally beautiful.

[JohnKleeb]

12. Its those eyes and that smile

There's something about a beautiful woman's eyes, ah crap now I got Waiting In Vain stuck in my head for all the right reasons.

[JI7]

96. and she loves JK

she supported him during the primary also.

Portman quote about Kerry :

"I love John Kerry. I just think he has the perfect combination of compassion and intelligence and composure under pressure, and I'm just a huge fan."

WEL, you are very pretty yourself judging by the pic of you with JK.

[WildEyedLiberal]

98. Awww, that's a sweet thing to say!

Thanks! :)

[JohnKleeb]

103. Yeah

She's very snart and cultured too. She had those custom designed Kerry T's too, she's just such a beautiful woman all around but there's plenty of fish out there I guess to use a tired old cliche. Yeah WEL is pretty, I get shy still.

[WildEyedLiberal]

110. Awww !

:hug: Kleeb!

And I agree: Natalie Portman is beautiful inside and out. The fact that she loves Kerry is just proof of her intelligence and goodness.

[JohnKleeb]

111. No problem

Ive told you that before though in person though.

[TayTay]

8. You know, I think what the world needs right now is a story

about a tall, handsome, hazel-eyed guy on Capitol Hill with legendary attributes. (In foreign policy. Well, maybe others too!)

I like it. We need a new story later on. I shall set to work on it immediately. A mutty story about wonkery, I smell a challenge. (And the need to PM the ending out to interested parties.)

[WildEyedLiberal]

23. Oooo yes I think you should.

I eagerly await my smutty wonk (and the PM'd ending). :evilgrin:

[JohnKleeb]

4. A New Car is always nice

Yeah as good movies go, I saw A History of Violence, it made me yearn to live in small town America, and the acting is great. I saw Crash lately too which is a great movie. Have you seen Hotel Rwanda yet, that's one of the films thats inspired my more internationalist views on foreign policy.

[whometense]

21. What kind of car?

That's VERY exciting!!

[ProSense]

28. Great!

New car is always a remedy.

[globalvillage]

53. Wow. That's exciting.

What kind? Do you have a pic?

I bought a new book today. Not as exciting as a car, but check it out!!!

[WildEyedLiberal]

56. Gasp and squee!

How f'n cool!

[karynnj]

58. Cool

Two Kerry signatures. The witness signature looks like Vanessa Kerry

[MH1]

70. Wow. That's beautiful! nt

[TayTay]

73. You win, that is waaaaay cool!

I bought a fuel efficient Subaru legacy wagon. It's blue! I can now drive all around Massachusetts and New Hampshire and never, ever have to worry if the campaigns signs are going to fit in my car anymore. Cuz I got a fuel efficient wagon, (26/30) with low emission ratings and it has cargo space!

(Ahm, no, it's not a sexy car, but then again, the owner is nothing to write home about either. I think we will get along fine.)

BTW, John Kerry has the best signature ever for a pol. It's highly readable and level.

[globalvillage]

90. Atlantic blue or dark blue?

I like the Subaru wagon. Excellent choice.

I have a few habits about how I spend my tax refund. One extravagance for myself is a must. I think I chose wisely this year.
This is my second copy of A Call To Service, both signed (one to me, if you recall). Now I have to buy one that I'm not afraid to spill coffee on.

I think his sig is distinctive, consistent and strong. It suits him.

[TayTay]

101. Atlantic Blue

My fav color is actually green, but I generally do't like green as a car color. (Just a personal preference.) I liked the blue. I have had a succession of silver-colored cars and it just seemed like it was time for a change.

[Island Blue]

113. Oh wow!

That's just the grooviest! Way cool!

[ray of light]

57. Can I have your new car? You can have my peice of sh*t one!

[MH1]

71. C'mon, spill. What KIND of car???

I notice that question was, um, asked awhile ago and yet remains unanswered...are you playing with us or what?

:P

[TayTay]

74. No, I simply left work.

I wasn't able to get back on line quickly because my daughter's computer crapped out and she is now squatting on mine and telling me that she needs it more than I do because she has school work to do and all I do is, ahm, type messages to people. (Little shit.)

[whometense]

75. kids...

:P

[JohnKleeb]

76. lol did you just call your kid a little shit

because I got called a little shit the other day by my mother. If this computer goes bad, I'll go mad, we have three computers and only one works and this is the worst one.

[MH1]

77. Hee hee.

Still not tellin' though huh?

:rofl:

You friggin tease.

Oooh, that reminds me of a picture for some reason.



:P

[TayTay]

80. I bought a very liberal Subaru Legacy Wagon.

That my brother told me is the second most chosen vehicle by lesbians. I am not sure why he went out of his way to tell me this, but he did. (See what watching Faux News will do to you? You start rating cars by sexual preference. Those people are deeply baked.)

And once again, that is my fav pic of my taller Senator. He looks so, ahm, potent and powerful in it and in charge. Oh my, I'm getting the vapors again.

[WildEyedLiberal]

82. Is it time for wonky smut?

:evilgrin:

Me, I think I'm just going with straight-up smut tonight.

[TayTay]

87. We need something.

It has been very, very somber in here for far too long.

Did you see 'The Producers,' either film or stage play? It reminds me of the 'I want to be a Producer' song at the beginning:

'Unhappy"
"Unhappy"
"Very, very, very, very unhappy"

I can't live that way for long. It's just not in my nature. And I think this group and the attention to our fav Senator is not a downer but a happy thing. (I will rephrase that shortly when something better comes to me.)

And we have not had special appreciative threads about JK in eons. I mean, come on, people can be recognized for more than just their brains sometimes. I would resent the fact that people took me seriously all the time and I would need more from them, like jokes and lewd poem. Otherwise, with that bunch of retarded Rethugs up on the Hill, I'd go crazy.

[MH1]

84. Sounds nice!

(Oops, never mind on the color. I just saw the post upthread. Got it!)

Now for your brother. Sigh. I think in some families God has a rule that the well-informed faction must be "balanced out" by an ill-informed faction. Otherwise to find families for all these folks she would have to create too many whole families that were just totally whacked out.

[TayTay]

86. Can you believe this?

People who watch Faux drop the weirdest info on you. It's like they all, collectively, are getting these strange transmissions and there is a severe shortage of tin-foil hats.

Good thing I didn't come home with a Volvo. I'd never have heard the end of that one.

[MH1]

88. Or a Prius.

I wonder what the Faux storyline is on Prii? (my current car of choice, should I ever get around to buying a new car.)

[WildEyedLiberal]

89. Prii

Creative pluralization! I like. :D

[WildEyedLiberal]

78. OMG

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

What is this "school work" you speak of?

:rofl:

Okay, as a college student, I can testify that Kerryblogging is FAR more important than anything any teacher can dole out. So you just tell her THAT!

[JohnKleeb]

79. you know why that guy J.J Thomson was important

Stupid fucking plum pudding model, all it did was make me hungry for chocolate pudding.

[rockymountaindem]

6. I got an A on a big important paper I wrote, and I got a cool summer job!

All in the space of 2 hours! Seriously, that paper was the longest I ever wrote and A's of any kind at the University of Toronto are very hard to come by. Considering that I got what is probably an 87 (the TA won't tell us the exact mark) when the best you can reasonably ever hope for is more like an 82, I'm pumped.

That paper was worth 25% of our grade and it puts me well on track to getting some kind of A in that course. Yay!!!

[Mass]

7. Congratulations for both of them.

[TayTay]

9. You rock.

Ahm, smart men rock! (I always write smart women rock. Hey, I have a son, smart men rock too!) BTW, did I ever tell you I have an attraction to those who cogitate heavily. Oh baby.

[rockymountaindem]

11. Are you hot for the War of 1812?

Then maybe I could do something for you...

[WildEyedLiberal]

15. OMG, history smut?

As a history major, I feel that this should be a three-way... conversation. :o

(OMG, I can't believe I just typed that.)

[emulatorloo]

17. seems like it is time to bring this "history smut" up again

http://www.whitehouse.org/administration/sisters.asp

http://www.whitehouse.org.nyud.net:8090/administration/images/sisters/note.jpg

[rockymountaindem]

22. It's not inconcieveable

I was reading the journal of a Royal Navy officer whose ship stopped an American vessel transporting three "lovely" schoolteachers from Maine back to Boston. These young ladies had been paid for their labor in wooden shingles because the Mainers evidently didn't have real money back then. The officers of HMS Nymphe all felt so bad for their young prisoners' plight that they raised a collection from their own personal funds to compensate the ladies for their financial loss when they burned the shingles.

There's a trashy novel in there somewhere.

[fedupinBushcountry]

43. My son is a History teacher

He's single by the way. ;-) He teaches high school Honors History, World History, and World Geography (which is his least favorite). He loves anything on the Civil War and really enjoyed Chinese history when he was in college.

And he actually did graduate with Honors in History and is a member of whatever that society is Theta something, unlike barfbag Allen.

OK, playing Mom the matchmaker,he's 28, 6'3', dark brown hair speckled with gray, he hates it, baby blue (bedroom eyes), loves sports, coaches the JV softball team, and very very single. Taking another History course now, as required to keep his teaching license.

Now if anyone is interested in music, art, writing, I have another son, who is 25 and lives in NYC, and is into all of that.

Most importantly I almost left it out, they are both very liberal. Who wudda thunk? LOL

[ProSense]

29. Congratulations! n/t

[whometense]

13. We are slipping.

I've started viewing this forum the way I'd look at catacombs - of historical interest, but, let's say, unwelcoming.

The news has been hideous. My personal loathing for Bush, his administration, and all things repuke-lican knows no bounds. The media SUCKS (has anyone been following the WaPo Froomkin/Domenech controversy?) - except for Olbermann (who's been doing a lot of primal screaming lately, himself) the Daily Show, Colbert, and occasionally News Hour.

And then there are the freakin' lefty freepers working their old magic on peoples' heads.

We may need some remedial JK training for those who weren't on the Kerry bus during the early period. (2003 and January of 2004) I can see it all happening again - hang on kids, the ride's gonna get bumpy.

And here's the funniest thing I've seen in a while:

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2006/03/22/cheney/index.html

Why Cheney won't go

Republicans have been floating the notion that Dick Cheney might step down after the 2006 elections to remove a "hate magnet" from the Bush administration and let the president give someone else a leg-up on 2008. Bob Schieffer asked Cheney about the idea over the weekend. His response? Forget it. "I didn't ask for this job," Cheney said. "I didn't campaign for it. I got drafted. And delighted to serve. And it's been the highlight of my career, to be part of this administration. I've now been elected to a second term; I'll serve out my term."

So Cheney's staying -- or at least so he says -- and David Letterman has the top 10 reasons why:

10. Trying to fix up Condi Rice with his daughter.

9. Turns out when you shoot somebody, if you're not vice president, you gotta do time.

8. Bush leaves at two every day, and then it's margaritas and Fritos.

7. Set the solitare high score on his office computer.

6. Wants to see if he can help Bush get his approval rating under 10.

5. Too hard to give up Vice Presidential Discount at D.C. area Sam Goody stores.

4. Wants to stay on the job until every country in the world hates us.

3. Extra-zappy White House defibrillators.

2. Undisclosed location has foosball and whores.

And the No. 1 reason Dick Cheney won't resign: Why quit when things are going so well?

-- Tim Grieve

[BlueIris]

35. Holy crap. Nice Letterman list. I missed that one.

How appalling. I can't remember the last time I saw something that abrasive from Letterman. Yes, our country has sunk that low.

And I agree about that remedial training. I wasn't around during the primary wars, when I hear it was BAD around here, possibly worse than it's been since the election. It might be good to be prepared.

[emulatorloo]

14. Dumb websites to visit besides DU

http://www.meatexz.com/cheesyguitars/index.html
crazy looking guitars that were manufactured in the soviet bloc -- fun to browse even if you don't like guitars

http://www.ruskeys.net/eng/synths.php
The Soviet Synth Museum -- more crazy instrument design.

http://www.mycathatesyou.com/
cats giving you the evil eye, and they do it so well

http://derenegade.blogspot.com/
pictures of Bush/Cheney et al with devilish captions

http://www.virginradio.co.uk/thestation/listen/
let's pretend we're in london now, listening to top 40 music (what ever the hell they are playing right now is INCREDIBLE)

http://www.workingforchange.com/column_lst.cfm?AuthrId=43
The Tom Tomorrow page at workingforchange. He is sooooooooooooo good. Check out "The Nitpicking Squad!":
http://www.workingforchange.com/comic.cfm?itemid=20480

http://www.cwvc.org/
Central Wisconsin Vizsla Club
"For Vizsla enthusiasts from the Dairy State and beyond!"

Great Pix there on their calendar pages. like this one:

http://www.cwvc.org.nyud.net:8090/images/2006-03_Cal_Hanneman.jpg

[WildEyedLiberal]

16. Ooo, speaking of dumb cat websites

www.stuffonmycat.com

Yes, it's a website full of pictures of... stuff on cats.

[JohnKleeb]

18. someone needs to start

www.whogivesafuckaboutyourcat.com

[emulatorloo]

26. How about this "I Hate Your Cat" Organic T-shirt? Made in the USA!

http://www.cafepress.com/funkypie.37298102

just don't wear it around DU, ok? I don't want you to get hurt.

[JohnKleeb]

27. hah I dont mind causing controversy

Going against conventional wisdom is what Ive been wanting to do since I came back. Cats maybe its just bias being allerged but dogs are much better.

[Vektor]

36. SHOVE IT, KLEEB!

Proud owner of four cats here. (And two grossly outnumbered dogs!)

Don't make me force you to listen to eighteen pages of "big Kerry tool appreciation poetry!"

:-) :hi:

[JohnKleeb]

38. Its the allergy bias

Ah the poetry, you could do worse like tell me that foreign isolationism is the way to go.

[Vektor]

39. I see, fair enough.

So you like the poetry, then?

:evilgrin:

[JohnKleeb]

40. The better word would be tolerate

So knock yourself out, you know I have a high tolerance level for most htings.

[Vektor]

41. I do have an offering posted in the forum right now.

mainly because TayTay requested it. :-)

I have to head to shit eating work now, despite being sick. x(

I'll be on later, or tomorrow. Good to see you back here!

[JohnKleeb]

42. Ive been sick too

Missed two days of class this week because of it, thanks its good to be back but I still frustrated about the same things that always frustrate me on the boards but eh I have to accept that idiocy knows no bounds,.

[emulatorloo]

19. WOW - thnks I did not know about that one. . .BOOKMARKING NOW eom

[Vektor]

37. I love "stuff on my cat"

One of my faves. In fact, I am gearing up to submit some pics of fat-ass Moby covered in laundry.

[emulatorloo]

44. A good prototype for Moby's photos from the Wisconsin Vizsla Club link:

http://www.cwvc.org.nyud.net:8090/images/2005_Cal_GoldBlanket.jpg

[TayTay]

85. I have a dog. I got him from the pound.

Every time I go to take a picture of him, he bends over and starts licking a rather private and sensivite area. So I gave up.

He happens to look almost exactly like Sprocket from the Fraggle Rock show of long ago time:



We kind of look alike. We're both mutts or mixed backgrounds and we like ham sandwiches at midnight. Sigh! (I do however refrain from his other behavior. I would never drink from a bowl on the floor, unless I absolutely had to.)

[emulatorloo]

93. For me, it would depend on what was in the bowl --

:toast:

Your dog sounds lovely.

[whometense]

97. Awww...

I have a soft spot for fuzz-faced mutts. :loveya:

[whometense]

20. you reminded me

Something I saw this past weekend:

[emulatorloo]

24. thnx for the Weimaraners ---

:toast:

[whometense]

25. I do love them. n/t

[emulatorloo]

30. "Your Honor Student is Merely a Pawn in My Weimaraner's Diabolical Plot"

Strange Weimaraner merchandise here:

http://www.obeythepurebreed.com/

I got a kick out of it because I love that old Soviet style poster design.

[MH1]

72. Oooh, a cool cat pic site!

Always good for cheering folks up.

(Sorry, I didn't even look at the others. ;-) )

[Blaukraut]

31. It's battle fatigue

We're tired, worn out, depressed, and losing our sense of humor. Actually, it's almost as if we have a sense of guilt about veering into a bit more light-hearted territory, with everything around us being so NOT funny. Still, lets not forget that laughter is good for the soul.
And yeah, Tay. I thought you KNEW that everything is your fault. That's just how it is, you might as well get used to it :P

[ginnyinWI]

32. it's a lot of things

It's the season--mud season? I wish I had mud--ours is still frozen!
Ugh, this winter weather won't quit. I go out and walk and hear spring birds, but I think they are just as confused about the cold as I am.

It's also that the Congress is on break and nothing much is happening. The WH is making the media gaze at its own navel, looking for a non-existent LW bias...sigh. I wonder if he waited until Congress was out, so there wouldn't be people around to refute his version of reality?

It's the doldrums alright. Waiting for a fresh wind to fill some sails.

edit: OMG I just looked out the window, and it's snowing again!!! ARGH!

[Vektor]

33. I have posted something just for you out in the forum.

Since you really needed some lewd poetry...

[karynnj]

34. I take the ABC NOTE as positive

In spite of the media bias, Kerry is number 4. Even at that top level, there is something interesting and positive - Hillary, Warner and Edwards are in near the same position if you look at their records. Now, Edwards is trying to move significantly to the left. I know of NO politician who succeeded in moving that far and not getting caught on it.

Communication Skills:
Looking below, Kerry is rated the worst in an area we (and many million people) know is not true. Is Kerry the worst campaigner in person when that is what won Iowa and NH for him last time? - It wasn't media - pre- caucus first Dean and then Edwards got big build-ups in the press. It wasn't party - they certainly gave him neither endorsements (although Cindy Vilsack's helped) or money. The other thing is he did get constantly better - and he hasn't stopped. You guys just saw him in NH. Remember Alexandra has a film of the campaign coming up - I expect there will be some really nice footage of someone named Kerry campaigning.

As to TV, they put him below Biden, who can be good, but is often awful (He's just there all the time.) Vilsack per a discussion with Iowans is very boring. Do they remember the primary debates - Kerry was quite good. But, let them keep their low expectations, because Kerry can blow them away.

Buzz: This reflects what they think - and Kerry is last. Consider that in ranking the somewhat more objective functions he is higher.

Perceived electability - He actually would have won last time with a better party apparatus. This is another place where they vote their biases.

Fire in the Belly: Does anyone here think that he will run in a half hearted way? In 2004, he had every facet of his and Teresa's life smeared. He and Teresa came out of it with their heads high, their dignity and integrity still there and have both continued to do the good they do without showing bitterness. If after all that they are still behind him running, that's fire in the belly.

Biography & Spouse: It seems that Teresa is more visible - I would imagine that one sign they are running may be that they will find an occasion or 2 to get Teresa visibility - from some good she is doing. (Or they may have a Teresa ad - that shows the quality of her work, her kindness, her intelligence and redefines her personality.) Kerry's biography is more interesting than most listed.

Staff/Consultants: Kerry nearly won with everything stacked against him. The Boston people, including his brother and Thorne were right on a lot. ABC likely credits people from the Clinton campaigns as better - and Kerry won't have them. The Clinton people ran against a President whose polls were as low as 29% and Perot was a strong 3rd party candidate who turned into a lunatic. The Kerry people might be the best there are and they have a candidate known for correcting mistakes. (The Patriot group - is interesting - when posting it yesterday, I noticed it was a group that could accept unlimited money - They have tons of research and likely know where almost all the people anywhere near Kerry in VN are now, I assume that in addition to helping others - At some point, when the liars attack (which they seem to do regularly), there will be a massive retaliation. )

Wartime Leadership/Anti-terror - Who did Reid put as the spokesman on anti-terror? Not Biden or Bayh. Daschle is a nice guy, but what gives him credentials here. He is clearly under-rated here - maybe if they would have covered his anti-terror or Iraq speech, they would rate him higher.

Rationale/Issue/Record - Given how messed up the country and world are, we might be looking for a father figure - who can patiently put things back together and save us. Look down the list - there are few who have the gravitas. Not Bayh, Warner or Vilsack. Edwards - When it came down to it in 2004, he looked insubstantial next to Kerry in 2004 - has he grown more than Kerry since then? I don't think so. I do think Edwards poverty issue is good - but in a way it's standard Democratic values when you look at the piece parts. As Mass has said, Kerry will need to have an easy to define theme - as Tay said accountability and good government may work.

So, looked at altogether - what you can see is there are some categories he is clearly far below where he should be and in others he is clearly moving in the right direction. I don't remember who said it, but there was a quote that you want to be in the top 5 two years before( Nov 2006). Unless something unexpectable happens to elevate people lower in the list or Kerry goes down, he has a shoot at it.

[wisteria]

46. I really don't understand the high standing for Edward's. I would think

he would be in a worse place to win than Kerry is. He didn't make it past the primaries last time. I have seen him at least four times giving speeches and I really wasn't impressed. He was a one term Senator and he actually is inexperienced. He seems very nice, but that isn't enough for me to vote him for President.

[politicasista]

48. Like Clinton, he is a southerner with charisma and......

a spokesman for the poor and middle class I guess. :shrug:

[wisteria]

49. Ok, that is a given, but what would make him more appealing

this time around?

[politicasista]

50. I think it's because many see him as a uniter/healer

A populist candidate that is a man for the people. I think that may be a factor also.

[wisteria]

52. Thanks for your input. n/t

[karynnj]

61. I agree

I think that he pales next to any experienced Politician. Kerry was head and shoulders better in the primary debates. On a recent Sunday he and Kemp were on together. Although ex-Senator Kemp is way too conservative for me - his answers had a reasoned, thoughtfulness missing from some of Edwards.
Edwards was sold like "Clinton nouveau" but Clinton had been a Governor for years.

I was also put off by some of the tactics he used as a lawyer - such as channeling a dead baby (which creeps me out as much as the Santorum story does.) That he never was politicy active till he ran for the Senate, sometimes not even voting makes me question how real he is. At this point though he is doing good - but I really don't see him as President at a point when everything needs fixing.

I'm also reminded that someone quoted Shapiro's book as saying that the high intensity smile and sunniness were often not there after the cameras left, while Kerry became friendlier and more at ease when the cameras were off. Kerry has become more used to cameras and seems to have become less shy, so that should help.

[europegirl4jfk]

45. I haven't posted here for weeks

I was just too depressed. Still am, I guess. It's not only Bush and his freaks, we have trouble (again!) here in France too. The students are out in the streets and I can understand them. This government here isn't good for the country either. It's time for Chirac to go. Well next year he will be out of office and the Socialists have a great woman candidate but will she prevail with all these macho men around? Sorry guys, that I have nothing positive or funny to tell but I'm just so fed up with politics right now. Couldn't you send Kerry over? We could make him president of the European Union.

[wisteria]

47. Well, if you make him President, I'm coming over too.

I am tired of political games too.

[BlueIris]

59. Hey. That's a great idea.

I don't think I would fit in all that well in your beautiful nation, but I would gladly come and visit The Continent a couple of times a year if Kerry ran the EU.

[karynnj]

60. Could he claim citizenship because his mom was born in France?

(I think) We would miss him though.

[globalvillage]

62. This should be interesting.

I will be in Paris in two weeks. I wonder how different it will be from last time, both with the internal struggle and how people react to Americans. I don't expect that we will encounter any problems, we never do. Just curious if it will be different somehow.

Send Kerry? LOL. I can't even get Tay to loan him out to Pennsylvania.

[Mass]

67. Lucky you. I hope I will be able to go this summer.

I hope the political climate will be better, as it was a little bit raucous these last weeks.

Paris in April is often great.

[europegirl4jfk]

92. Will you only be in Paris?

You could come to see me in the south. But it's a long way from Paris. I'm an hour drive from the Spanish border. My daughter is in Lyon, the second or third large town in France. If by any chance you will come down to Lyon or the Mediterranean region, please let me know.

[globalvillage]

95. I will let you know.

We are only planning on being in and near Paris, but we don't keep to a very strict itinerary.
We may wander a bit. How far are you from Madrid?
It would be great to meet you.

[europegirl4jfk]

119. We are half-way between Paris and Madrid

It's still a 7-hour-drive to Madrid from where I live. The big Spanish city that is about 2 1/2 hours from here is Barcelona in the north of Spain. I have been there and also to Andorra in the Pyrenees, a beautiful mountain region not that far from here. So if you decide to venture to the south and/or if you need directions, please let me know.

[WildEyedLiberal]

123. You're only 2 1/2 hours from Barcelona?

My best friend is studying in Barcelona this coming fall. I am planning on visiting her in December/January, and we had planned to go to the south of France!

We should totally meet for lunch or something! I will let you know more once I plan the trip - it's still a LONG way away, and right now I'm planning for Boston. :D

[_dynamicdems]

102. Or NH!

And we're right next door!:D

[TayTay]

104. Well, I offered to once, but

Whome had a fit. How do we know we will get him back in a reasonable amount of time. (Oh, and what about the wear and tear on 'em. Geez.) I tried the cloning program, but there is simply no substitute for the real thing. You shall have to grow your own.

I understand the frustration. On the other hand, we sort of did loan him out to Louisianan and Mississippi to help with Hurrican relief. Let's see how that plays out and then we can see about other times and states.

[MH1]

105. "Wear and tear"?!?

Well I'm sure there would be some :evilgrin: but it might be less overall if you send him down to us while WEL and Vektor are in Boston this summer!

(ducks from flying missiles, runs away)

:evilgrin:

[TayTay]

107. You bad girl you!

Geez, poor Vek and WEL. What are they going to do in Boston then? Besides, I deeply believe that you will be seeing my taller Sen in the summer at rallies and stuff for both Casey and other Dems. I really would not be surprised to see the Senator at a rally in your neck of the woods for the candidate out of the 7th (right, temporary dumb brain-freeze here. Is it the 7th or the 6th?)

Ahm, well, the wear and tear thing. Well, he is rather fit is he not? I think it would take a lot to inflict obvious wear and tear. Volunteers? :evilgrin:

Wow! Summer is rushing headlong at us now. I am starting to book things for June already in my schedule. Gawd, is it me or is time speeding up lately?

[MH1]

108. Hee hee.

Couldn't help myself. :evilgrin:

It is the 7th. Admiral Sestak. Hopefully he sends Weldon to KP duty. (Or whatever they call KP on ships. Or are they boats? Well, you know what I mean.)

[rox63]

109. He does spend time in PA

When they are at Teresa's place outside of Pittsburgh. So maybe you need to ask GV to send him east from there once in a while.

[ginnyinWI]

63. BushCo would love to give him to you!

They'd say, "Ha, we knew he was French all along!". I would also come over if he did. My daughter and son-in-law are there already!

But we need him here--desperately! I'm fed up with politics, too. I'm fed up with people just shouting at each other and not getting anything else done, both in the pundit-class and in government. This is a "do-nothing" Congress if there ever was one! The country is languishing. Everything but, of course, big business.

[Mass]

68. I really love Segolène Royal.

My folks are from Tulle, where her "husband" is mayor and congressman. I like him less, but I met her a couple of times many years ago ( I cant believe it is that long ago, but it was before I got married, so at least 20 years ago) and she was really great. I hope she can be elected.

Imagine: France could have a woman president, with 4 children with a man she has been with for some 25 years at least, but never married. I dont think I could have imagined that as something possible some 20 years ago.

As for Kerry, we keep him here. We need some sane political people to lead this country and Kerry is one of the best.

[europegirl4jfk]

91. I like her too

I follow her career a bit since I came to France in 1989. She is much more charismatic than her partner. Yes, I also love the fact that they never married. France is pretty tolerant with these things nowadays and that's the reason I will always like to live here, even with all the problems we have right now.

[wisteria]

51. ABC SUCKS. I don't even watch them because I know their reporting

and commentary are biased and lean to the right.

I suppose I am tired of all the Hillary talk. This is especially difficult for me because Senator Kerry has so much more to offer this country than she does. And, IMO, she doesn't deserve an easy time running for President simply because her husband is our former President. I suppose it is the fairness issue. If things were fair, people would be backing Kerry for a second run instead of trying to discredit him whenever they get a chance or ignore him if they can.

Well, I have decided, like I did in 2003, that Senator Kerry was my choice for President then and he will remain my choice now. I didn't care what others said about his chances. I was going to vote for him anyway.So, to hell with polls and pundits, and bashers and a special to hell with KOS. They don't understand Kerry's drive and determination. Hillary may not even be able to keep up with him. Time will tell.

[ginnyinWI]

64. you know what worries me about Hillary--

There seems to be, in this country, a tendency to give women a pass as politicians. I mean, there isn't as much smearing going on or direct attacks. Look at Condi--she's every bit as incompetent as the rest of them, but you don't hear much about it. So will Hillary get a pass by a lot of the media for things that a man wouldn't? Then she gets into office and totally blows it.

[wisteria]

81. I never gave that idea a thought. Still, we are talking about being

the Commander in Chief and the leader of the free world here. People may say they would vote for a woman then in the privacy of the voting booth vote otherwise even if she comes through the primaries with nothing more than a bruise or two. You know what else there is to consider, what about the other politician who dares to treat her to a real down and dirty primary? How will this other candidate be received by the public and will they treat Hillary kinder because of the attacks from others? I still get the impression that even though the polls suggest otherwise, the numbers are way to high. Pollsters are either not phrasing the questions in the proper way or they are not interviewing a good segment of the public. I have only come across two people who are excited because she is running and that is because they think she can win and she will get the female vote. On the other hand, for those two people who like her, I can name 15 who dislike her and are very vocal about it.

[ginnyinWI]

106. yes--that's what I was driving at in my round-about way

Picture this: she's in a primary debate with, say, five others who are men. They attack her policies/ideas and then there is a blowback because they have been "too mean" to her. And this is more a problem for a male politician than for a male member of the media, because they are "supposed" to criticize politicians. But I notice that even in the media, it's mainly been female journalists like Maureen Dowd who have been doing most of female politician-bashing, not the men. We have a chivalristic taboo against men verbally attacking women in this society, even if it is only about policies and totally fair.
That's what concerns me--women candidates getting a "pass" because they are women.

[Island Blue]

54. I haven't been posting much lately

because I can't keep up with all of the reading and Cspan watching that seems to be necessary to speak intelligently about all things John Kerry. You guys amaze me.

I've also pretty much stopped reading GD/GD-P because it's just become too childish. I have no desire to argue with people who aren't going to change their mind no matter what. The whole "flavor of the month" vibe out there is just exhausting (and stupid).

On a vastly different topic, vacation season is just around the corner. (Yikes! The Tourons are coming, the Tourons are coming!) If anyone from this group has plans to visit the Outer Banks this summer let me know!

[ginnyinWI]

65. just fake it, like I do!

:) I do read some, but don't come up with new stuff so often. But I often venture my opinions, which are easy. No need to be shy in this group! :) (but I agree with you about GD!) ;)

[rox63]

100. I might be going to NC for a conference in July

But it's in Chapel Hill, NC, not near the outer banks. Hmm, perhaps I could extend my trip and see a bit more of your fine state? Not sure yet...

[Island Blue]

112. That would be great!

I'd love to return the favor of your Mass hospitality. I think it's about 4 hours from Chapel Hill to my town (I know it's about 3 hours from here to Raleigh.) Once you get out of the traffic of the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area it's a breeze to get here. Just let me know!

[whometense]

55. How about this for mature?

[ginnyinWI]

66. yeah really.

What's with the bathroom humor, anyway? Kids usually leave that behind at about age ten! It bugs me--that, plus making every insult have something to do with sexuality or body parts. What--did they just discover them or something? I know that a lot of those posters have got to be well into middle age! Really makes me respect their opinions. :eyes:

[Blaukraut]

83. Is this from Triumph?

Yes, I admit it; I like the insult dog. Every now and then I crack under the pressure of presenting a serious, intelligent front, and my childish self comes out. What can I say.....sigh ;-)

[whometense]

94. Me too

;-)

[rox63]

69. I've been on jury duty all week

But we reached our verdicts today, so I can now talk about it. So this week has not been much fun for me either, even though it had nothing to do with politics, DU, or the JK Forum. In fact, having the time to check out the forum more probably would have brightened my mood.

They sent me all the way to Cambridge so I could be on a jury for a case that happened in the town where I live, and in the neighborhood where I grew up. It was about witness intimidation among a group of former junkies and drug dealers, connected to the unsolved murder (6 years ago) of another member of said group of dealers/junkies.

So my week has just been a barrel-o-fun :eyes: , as you can probably imagine. We had two defendents, three indictments, and five verdicts to decide on. We came up with two guilty verdicts, and three not-guilty verdicts.

I'm going to go search for Vek's poetry now, 'cause I could really use something to make me smile. :)

[WildEyedLiberal]

99. Ugh!

I've kinda always wanted to do jury duty, but since I'm registered to vote in a tiny rural county, I'd most likely get called up for some lame property dispute or petty drug possession charge. Nothing exciting like unsolved murder or witness intimidation!

Yeah, yeah, I'm a masochist, I know...

[GRLMGC]

114. Hey!

I'm finally on Spring Break and I plan on doing absolutely nothing productive. Some people in my Dem club want me to do work but screw the primaries for this week. I need relaxing time. Happy, happy relaxing time :)

[TayTay]

115. I higly recommend some down time.

Gets you all refreshed and ready to go back. (In theory anyway.)

Take some time, relax. How is the semester going?

[GRLMGC]

117. I'm on the quarter system

so we just finished Winter quarter and I finished my finals on Tuesday. It was pretty stressful but it was also intellectually rewarding. I hope next quarter is good although there is a primary election that I'm not all that excited about.

[Island Blue]

116. I love rambling threads like this one!

If you just read it top to bottom, it makes no sense what so ever and it's very funny. It's even more bizarre if you just read the subjects without reading the context of the posts.

[JohnKleeb]

118. You know its funny

You always hear about people becoming reallly politically radical in college and right now I feel I am at the most politically "moderate" stage of my life and I feel I am understanding the way the world operates better day by day. Extremeists and Idiots be damned, I guess.

[zann725]

120. "Mercury was retrograde" (communication snafu's) until yesterday....

not that it means anything, but...

On a personal level, my computer "crashed" about 2 weeks ago (hard drive "fried")...ALL docs lost. I'm just up-and-running still without a lot of "program" as of today. More than a little dazed, I admit.

Sorry if I haven't contributed much lately. Been slightly out of the blogging 'loop'...though NOT in thought. Missed it greatly.

On the national political scene, things are starting to "move." Hang in there...get some popcorn... wait...wait. SOON.

[TayTay]

121. I agree with you

and I'm sorry about the computer problems. Nice to have you back!

[JanusAscending]

122. Hi guys!

I'm still working on my daughters wedding gown, fine tuning and all. I asked her yesterday if she realized how lucky she was to have a Mom who inherited her Grandmothers talent as a seamstress? What makes it harder is that the wedding is two weeks off, and I have to keep altering the dress, as she gets larger with child! When I was hemming it last night she reminded me of the scene in "Funny Girl" when Barbra Streisand was singing in the Ziegfeld Follies as a very pregnant bride. Of course my daughter is larger than her 4 1/2 mo. because of a fibroid tumor that is growing just as fast as the baby is. Oh, and we found out it's a boy! She will more than likely have the baby earlier than full term, by C section. At which time they will remove the fibroid and try to save her uterus for a future bro or sis for "Aidan Leigh" I'm looking forward to them leaving on their Honeymoon so I can EXHALE if you get my drift. Nothing like working with a "jittery, perfectionist bride with RAGING HORMONES !! I am so looking forward to Congress GOING BACK TO WORK! they get more damned time off, especially with the mess this country is in!! They should all be working overtime. More later, Hugs and kisses to all, DC

[karynnj]

124. Congratulations on the upcoming wedding and grandkid

She really is lucky to have a talented seamstress as a mom. (For that reason and others). Congratulations to her and to you!

[TayTay]

125. Wow! That's some schedule you have

And congratulations on both the wedding and the new grandson-to-be! (All the best to you and your family on this.)

How are you feeling? I know the accident you had was a while ago and I was wondering how you were healing up?

Good the hear from you. Now, get some rest, this is going to be a hectic two weeks for both you and your daughter. Best of luck and I hope the wedding goes well.