Kevin Trotter

Grayson be careful. Your mom could be violating the HIPPA laws by discussing this kind of stuff. Just a warning

Jag that is simply an oversimplication of a complex problem. You dont think that some poverty exists because of environmental factors? Lets look at predatory lending, placing payroll advance stores in areas where underemployed people reside, etc. Corporate America preys upon these folks in many ways. Also this insistence on labling people as welfare mothers does a great disservice to people who use it as a way to get ahead. I actually have three of these welfare mothers on my payroll. Two of them graduated yesterday with Associate Degrees in Criminal Justice and the third is still in school. Have any of you folks who make these generalizations actually ever met any of the people you discuss and dismiss so easily? Yes poor people have always been around. Yes SOME of them are lazy and shiftless (its been my experience in working with these folks for the las 20 years that very few of them want to stay on the government tit), but most just want something better for thier children. We will always have poor people as long as wehave everyone else dehumanizing them and marginalizing them and in the case of good ole American consumerism, bamboozling them

My dog TJ, a sheltie died while I was away in College. That was 1979 and I swear I never really got over it. I have not had a dog since as the pain was to great, but we have recently agreed that my daughter needs a dog. Of course it must be a Sheltie..My heart goes out to you my friend, you lost a family member not a pet

I am confused as well that one statement is the one you focus on. What was fair game in the Clinton era is all of a sudden out of bounds now? We dont have to make conservatives look bad, our president is doing quite nicely all by himself. The was a systemic breakdown. The gov failed ultimately on all levels. And to quote Chuck Yeager " Sometimes you get a pooch that can't be screwed" Meaning even with all the right planning and execution something of this magnitude was unmanagable by its very nature.but ultimately the Buck stops with the President. My statement was a response to YOU guys spinning this thing into a defense of Bush's foreign policy, I was content to focus on the issue at hand and my statement was a response plain and simple. People are dying(most of them look like me) and I was angered by what I read and saw. I noticed a slant that was shall I say "less than sympathetic" almost as you were blaming those people for being in an awful situation. I guess none of you caught Nightline last night showing the people of the poorest neighborhood banding together to help eachother. You missed a feature on an African American man who loaded carload after carload of food and distributing it to anyone in need. He used the gas in his car to do this instead of leaving. I am sure none of you would have commented on that story because it is apolitical. So in answering your question, yes we can have that discussion if we both abide by the same rules. In this case we should just focus on those in need.

I am a Dem and this one area I admit we stand on shaky ground. The President selects the Supreme court. Had we won we would select the best candidate for the party and country we could get vetted. The Republicans....(choke)...won and have the right to do the same. I am an American and that is how the system works. Nuff said.

Ah, Scriv, what are you doing watching HBO?

ugh! Why didnt I listen. 3/10

Sometimes you guys really amaze me. To be doing anything but discussing how to help is criminal I guess it easier to use this as yet another way to prop up our idiot president and his ilk. No city could manage a catastrophe of this magnitude. No evacuation of a city of 500,000 could be complete. I would imagine getting 75% evacuated would be considered a win. As to the CAT 5 levee I heard estimates in the billions to complete the work. DOES YOUR CITY HAVE THAT KIND OF MONEY? It is the function of the Federal govenment to assist when city's and states cannot. It is also pretty hard to ignore the fact that most of the people in NO now are black and that has left the door open for a lot of "code talk" Many people wonder why the initial response seemed so indifferent, I mean I was expecting more from this compassionate conservative and just got more of the same. But I have faith in my countrymen. I have seen people act IMMEDIATELY to send aid, from my church to my place of employment, to my neighborhood, Americans banding together is what makes me proud to be an American, regardless of the shameless and heartless acts of a few.

If you move to China can I have the Benz?

Having a businessman as a politician is NEVER a good thing, particularly one that is as big a tight ass as Bloomburg appears to be. Videogames that promote vandalism? What he do play the beta version? what an *******

Say it isnt so!

This is bad. If we have a border policy why are locals forced to enforce it? If we cant (or wont) enforce the policy why are we wasting time and resources for window dressing? Isnt this a Homeland Security issue? I'm normally in favor of yahoos like the Ranch Rescue getting it up the a##, but somehow in this case it doesnt FEEL appropriate. It seems pretty clear that both were illegal and it also seems clear that the INS dropped the ball, but it doesnt SEEM right that this outcome fits the situation that led to those two folks being"harrassed" Thetwo americans basically were arrested for doing what my tax dollars pay the INS and Border patrol to do.Perhaps we should look at contracting private indivduals who have the proper training and supervision (kinda like bounty hunters) to do some of this work. Man this does not FEEL right.

Echo, I cant think of a sweeter person more deserving of happiness and on this I congratulate your fiancee!He clearly is a man of discriminating taste and he is truly lucky. It is clear to all of us who read your posts that you are intelligent thoughtful, compassionate and principled. I wish the two of you every happiness in all your future endeavors...You go girl!

Vin Diesel? R U smoking? How bout Ving Rhames? what about Roddy Piper? or Stuttering John? Gee where do you guys get this stuff? I can only hope that was a gag. No we need someone new and unknown and british. Any experienced actor already has a personna that it is too identifiable...new blood!

agreed.

Prez you are wayyyyy! offbase. I think you missed the point of $ilks thread. Are you suggesting that conservo's cant change thier opinion based on facts and introspection? Are you suggesting that conservatism is monolithic? I guess the real funny thing is calling $ilk..a moderate! You do read english don't you? Go back and read some of his threads before you insult someone who has earned both my respect and ire based on his "CONSERVATISM" BTW JAG! you gonna let him call $ilk a moderate? where are you man?

A. it is a retarted idea for a show. B. it is funny as hell. C. yes I feel guilty for watching it.

Tek! you are so right. I think they go out of thier way to make it less of a space opera and the technology gets in the way. At least we dont have the endless stream of tecno babble that the Star Trek series degenerated into. This is one way they can connect with non scifi fans. I just hope they dont go too far.

$ilk is correct. This policy of preemption was thought up by Wolfowitz, Bill Cristol, Rumsfield and pitched to the first Bush administration who having a much keener sense of foreign policy than his dullard of a son.

I couldnt agree more with $ilk. The type of conservatism that predominates today is a threat to political freedom in this country. Goldwater is spinning in his grave, as are (as I have said ,many times,) my personal hero Dwight D Eisenhower. Though I am what some of you consider a liberal, I think my belefs are more moderate than liberal and that the new right has so narrowly defined itself that there is no room for moderates under their tent. The war was justified by a LIE, and that LIE has soured many people on what the true reasons were.Had the President laid out the real reasons why we needed to invade he would not be in the pickle he is in right now.He didnt do that because IMO he didnt trust the electorate enough to grace us with the truth.

Sodomize thier leaders into submission? theres a tactic that is underutilized!..Re Harry Lennix he starred in Keep the Faith a biopic of Adam Clayton Powell, and his best work was in "Titus" the Shakespearean tragedy recently directed by Julie Tamor.Even if you cant endure Sweet Will, you should check this movie out. Lennix would be an excellent Hannibal

Soback I'd appreciate it if you guys didnt turn this into a polemic. Your post seems more appropriate on the political forums, which I avoid.

I'm leaving my office now so no link, but MSN news is reporting that a 28 year old South Korean man died of heart faiure after a 50 hour marathon gaming session at an internet cafe. Ther man identified only as Lee, recently quit his job so he could devote more time to gaming...if you gotta go...

Vin as Hannibal? Wasnt he like North African? This is kinda like Elizabeth Taylor playing Cleopatra, or Michael Clark Duncan playing Kingpin. Harry Lennox should play Hannibal.

I hope you guys are getting comfortable in new place. Finally! room for all your stuff!