Big Ol' Smitty

I agree with Kawilimus broadly, that an Obama-McCain general will be very close. Not sure on your state by state analysis, but I think Obama stands a good change of swinging some states to the D side, namely Missouri, New Mexico, Colorado, Iowa, Nevada, & Virginia. Mostly western states. More doubtful on Florida & Ohio. Kerry won PA in '04, and I would say that stays in the D column.

I was listening to Dennis Miller's show today (he's a McCain guy), and apparently some anti-McCain rightwing group had brought up questions about his time as a POW.

He couldn't have been more than 14 years old, could he?

Two things: 1. I like to think an Obama-McCain general would be a lot less sleazy than the '04 election, but there's no way to be sure. Even if the campaigns themselves keep things above the belt, independent groups like 527s (think Swiftboat Vets) could still pull the campaign down into the muck. I'm thinking attacking Obama's race and background will be a big thing on the right. I've also heard that McCain opponents (not sure if they were attacking him from the left or right) have already been questioning his time in the Hanoi Hilton (kind of like how SBVT questioned Kerry's silver star back in '04). 2. Even if McCain didn't mean a 100 year war, I still think keeping a Korea-like presence in Iraq for decades to come would be a mistake. I also think his "Bomb Iran" song was incredibly stupid. Imagine a foreign leader of a seemingly hostile nation joking about bombing or attacking the United States.

Yes, Alan Keyes can!

candy available for purchase in China http://matthewyglesias.theatlantic.com/arc...kulfa_balls.php

Seriously. You would think there would be more than 5000 Republican voters in DC counting only political appointees of the current administration and stuff. Here's what Czech's talking about: http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/primaries...x.html#20080212

Did you srsly have the same book as marvin?

Definitely looking that way now. She has to stop some of Obama's momentum, and it looks like Wisconsin is going to have to be that state. With her deputy campaign manager resigning tonight, it just looks worse and worse. You can feel the wheels coming off. Who's ahead in Wisconsin? Take your pick: Pollster Public Policy Polling (D) 2/11/08 Obama 50 Clinton 39 American Research Group 2/6-7/08 Obama 41 Clinton 50 Finally, snuffbox, Invader, & Czech will have their say in this election! (you three knuckleheads are all in WI, right?)

I have this book! I got a B in the class. I'm currently teaching the class.

Marvin, I've got a class full of 15 year old European History students (both conservatives & liberals) who I would trust much more with suffrage than you.

hehe Ballston, still cracks me up every time

The government helped generate economic growth and industrial development by improving roads and implementing other policies that benefited wealthy manufacturers and merchants. Having achieved political power and doubled the electorate, the Orleanists defiantly slammed the drawbridge shut behind them. Benjamin Constant called Louis-Phillipe's constitutional monarchy "our last ark of safety" against revolution. A History of Modern Europe Volume Two: From the French Revolution to the Present, John Merriman

Instructions: 1. Grab the nearest book (that is at least 123 pages long). 2. Open to p. 123. 3. Go down to the 5th sentence. 4. Type in the following 3 sentences.

That is a pretty good idea. Fuck condoms.

One of my friends once suggested that, at a certain age, let's say 18, we offer everyone a nice, free car in return for them voluntarily accepting sterilization. So you could have a free care and be sterile, or not have the car and be free to reproduce indefinitely.

Way too much fun. Keep him for sure.

Tofu takes on the taste of whatever you cook it with. So if it was repulsive, you probably just ate it with something bad. Unless you just don't like the squishy texture. (oh dear god i'm pretty sure i'm now officially a yuppie/hippe, given those three sentences)

What should they do? I'm asking this honestly.

Okay, I'm now convinced you're just yanking our chains.

My argument, that I made earlier in the thread, is that we should try to do more to prevent teenage and unwanted pregnancies in the first place. More readily available birth control. Sex education that doesn't just pretend that teenagers don't have sex. Increased and expedited adoption. And, yes, safe and legal abortion. These things would be FAR less costly than the huge government bureaucracy you would create to enforce your no birth policy and incarcerate the offenders, not to mention the cost of subduing and repairing the damages from the riots that would inevitably result (in which I would enthusiastically participate).

Your analogy doesn't work at all. Drinking & driving is not the equivalent of pregnancy. I could have easily gotten a girl pregnant at age 16 if a condom had broken--and, even looking back as a responsible, well adjusted 24 year old, I still wouldn't have wanted the government to step in and put me in prison or cut my johnson off if my high school girlfriend and I had decided to give birth.

Hint: just because someone doesn't agree with you doesn't mean they "don't see the big picture". Especially in this case.

Because most reasonable people don't want the government making huge personal decisions for their families or anyone else's families. And this is coming from someone with an MA, wife, and full time job (who, by the way, was raised by a single mother with nothing beyond a high school education). No, but I know it's not up to me or some government bureaucrat to make that decision for her. I didn't ask if he thought that the Govt should make the decision for her. I asked does he think she should have a child. There is a big difference. You clearly think you (or the government) should be able to make other people's decisions for them.

It would be more harmful to Venezuela than to the US.