October 17, 2004
STRESSFUL DINING
I've talked to Europeans in the States who hate feeling rushed at American restaurants. I'm so deeply American that I can't really feel their pain, because I really don't like lounging around in restaurants all night. Even people here will applaud the slow pace at German restaurants and say that they enjoy not being rushed out the door right after dinner, but I still haven't gotten over the feeling of "wasting time" during a German meal.
I read, with intense envy, Varifrank's details of his weekend. I was beside myself as I imagined an evening of a Mexican restaurant, Barnes and Noble, Starbucks, and a grocery store. All after 1800 -- that's madness. But the timeline for his dinner struck me. They arrived at 1830 and got out of there at 2100, and because they had to wait so long, their dinner was free. Hoo boy. I go to dinner here every Friday night at about 1830, and we never get out of there before 2100. Usually there's only one or two other tables occupied there, and there's never a rush. Except for on my part: I usually get up and go get the menus myself.
Now before Oda Mae feels slighted, since she's one of the people I eat with every week, I must say that it's not that I don't mind the company. I enjoy talking with friends I only see once a week. But I always feel this feeling of stress about wasting time. I feel like we're waiting too long in between Necessary Dinner Actions.
Back in the States, I have on occasion paid the bill and sat there for a while longer. That's enjoyable, because you're done with all Dinner Actions, but you've decided you're not ready to leave yet. Here, as soon as we pay the bill, it's like I can't get out of the building fast enough, because we've already waited about 45 minutes to pay the bill. I feel like we wait an eternity to Get Menus, Place Orders, and Pay the Bill. I'm constantly trying to flag the waiter down so we can pay. It's not relaxing for me. I don't feel like we are in charge of our eating pace, the restaurant is, and so I feel enslaved to the waiter's time schedule. (The word "enslaved" sounds pretty intense, but I can't think of a better way to express the feeling of impatience and frustration I feel trying to get a German waiter to notice me.)
I know there are plenty of Americans who enjoy this type of eating experience, so take what I say with a grain of salt. But it drives me crazy. One night my mom suggested we go "grab a bite to eat" when she was visiting, and I cracked up. There's no such thing here, and I always feel stressed when we spend hours at the dinner table.
And don't even get me started on Varifrank's midnight trip to the grocery store...sigh.
Posted by: Sarah at
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The post came about because at about 9:00 on friday my wife exclaimed "For an economy that is supposed to be in such bad shape it sure as hell is hard to find a place to park!"
and bear in mind, we chose to go to 'on the border' because its usually pretty easy to get a seat. you can see how wrong we were.
Thanks for visiting.
Posted by: Frank Martin at October 17, 2004 05:56 AM (fWDG+)
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Nope, I don't feel slighted,just surprised. With the guys gone, what else is there to do on a Friday night except gab with your friends? Do you run home to clean your oven? (Gah, I hope not!) No, I think the problem here is that you have not been taking advantage of your passenger status on those Fridays when you're not designated driver. Then you'd understand why 9 or 10 o'clock is fine with me - as long as I have enough Euros to keep setting up the red wine!
Posted by: Oda Mae at October 17, 2004 10:03 AM (KhuvC)
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Maybe part of it is that I also work a lot of Saturday mornings, so it still feels like a "school night" to me...
Posted by: Sarah at October 17, 2004 12:49 PM (6QL7C)
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OT but did you hear that Steven den Beste has a post up?? I knew you'd want to know!
Posted by: beckie at October 17, 2004 02:26 PM (hoo48)
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I no longer eat anywhere that has a waiting list. I've never eaten anywhere that was worth waiting for. And I hate waiters who want to be a part of my dining "experience." If I wanted to spend time with the waiter, I would dine with him. My idea of a good waiter is one who never asks if I need more water or tea or coffee--he simply sees when I need more and shows up to take care of it.
Posted by: Mike at October 17, 2004 05:07 PM (ckYKs)
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One time in Pisa and once in Prague, I had to literally beg for the check so I could get the hell out of the restaurant already!
Posted by: Tanker Schreiber at October 17, 2004 05:55 PM (dERQH)
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Maybe if the restaurant was a really quiet space in which to actually have a conversation without yelling or saying "what?" after every sentence, I would feel like hanging out.
But I'm with you, I hate waiting for the check when we're done eating. If it feels like the waiter is going to be slow I'll just ask for the check when they bring the food. I'm also with you on chatty waiters, no thanks, I'm not there to be charmed.
I waited tables for over a year, so while I know it's hard, mostly honest work, I also know when the service sucks.
Posted by: Beth at October 17, 2004 09:57 PM (KugRT)
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FRAG
Deskmerc also has a problem with people whose only knowledge of the military comes from movies. He comments on the absurdity -- both militarily and socially -- of the following nutjob quote:
Next group will be smarter, don't go to jail for 5 years, just take out the lieutenant
Boy howdy. Soldiers are requesting spots in my husband's platoon, which must mean they like their PL and PSG. But anyone who took out my lieutenant would have to answer to me after he answered to the Army.
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Speaking as someone who is "downrange", if someone followed this advice I daresay they wouldn't make it very far either. Damn those tragic hunting accidents!
Posted by: R1 at October 18, 2004 03:19 PM (PXESm)
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October 15, 2004
SARAH
My friend just emailed me and pointed out that one of the Team America characters is named Sarah.
Excellent. Thank you, Matt and Trey!
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She even looks like you!
Posted by: Mike at October 15, 2004 07:33 AM (MqNKC)
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You can go to the Team Amercia Website and create your own Team America character.
http://www.teamamericamovie.com/
Posted by: James Hudnall at October 15, 2004 10:30 AM (FV8Tp)
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Might be nothing more than coincidence.
Then again.......
Kalroy
Posted by: Kalroy at October 15, 2004 08:53 PM (i9w6W)
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Oddly enough, my sister called me tonight telling me I have to see this movie. She saw it with her husband in Florida this evening.
She's ex-EOD, and her name is Sara too.
Posted by: John at October 16, 2004 03:34 AM (+Ysxp)
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This is the funniest movie ever!
Posted by: Tanker Schreiber at October 16, 2004 08:18 AM (0Qszv)
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You know it's good when these people are annoyed.
Michael Moore fan Roger Ebert
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041014/REVIEWS/40921007
Slate's Movie Critic
http://slate.com/id/2108232/
Posted by: James Hudnall at October 16, 2004 04:52 PM (FV8Tp)
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October 14, 2004
FEAR
Whittle and
Green both have important thoughts to share today about fears for our future.
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PEACE OF MIND
Paranoid as I am, I called to see if our absentee ballots have made it to Missouri. Mine is there safe and sound; the husband's is not there yet, but it has further to travel. I'll call back next week for another update.
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COMMON MAN
I'd give anything to go to a
Wal-Mart.
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PURCHASES
We often get soldiers from different countries around here because of the training area. Right now there are a bunch of Belgians here on our post. I was surprised to hear French in line behind me at the commissary, but I wasn't surprised at their purchase; they were stocking up on the two things you can't get in Belgium: peanut butter and barbecue sauce. Hilarious.
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Can't buy in Belgium? You mean like soap or deodorant?
Posted by: Tanker Schreiber at October 14, 2004 10:59 AM (vf6rj)
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MASS GRAVE
Mr Kehoe said that work to uncover graves around Iraq, where about 300,000 people are thought to have been killed during Saddam Hussein's regime, was slow as experienced European investigators were not taking part.
The Europeans, he said, were staying away as the evidence might be used eventually to put Saddam Hussein to death.
"We're trying to meet international standards that have been accepted by courts throughout the world," he added.
These are the people we're supposed to worry don't support us? I would be ashamed if they did approve of us.
Toddlers clutching toys. We did the right thing.
Posted by: Sarah at
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If you are so concerned about kids you might watch this
http://www.bushflash.com/pl_lo.html
as you both contemplate the future for Your kids
And consider with remorse or glee as you will, the estimated hundreds of thousands of iraqi kids who died under US led sanctions.
Also
You might remember that Saddam was just following the Brits 1922 lead;
http://www.cambridgeclarion.org/e/omissi_graun_19jan1991.html
Like Saddam's brothers, the squadrons of the Royal Air Force flew most of their missions against the Kurds who resented rule from Baghdad. For 10 years, the British waged an almost continuous bombing campaign in the oil-rich and mountainous north-east against the Kurdish rebels, to whom they had earlier promised autonomy.
The Iraqi air force - which the British had built up, trained and equipped - carried on the work after Iraq became nominally independent in 1932.
Churchill consistently urged that the RAF should use mustard gas during these raids, despite the warning by one of his advisors that "it may ... kill children and sickly persons, more especially as the people against whom we intend to use it have no medical knowledge with which to supply antidotes". In the event the air force did not use gas bombs - for technical rather than humanitarian reasons.
Posted by: charlie p. at October 14, 2004 06:11 AM (SGDG1)
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I keep hearing about "hundreds of thousands of iraqi kids who died under US led sanctions." Somehow, I find that difficult to even imagine with a rational mind. There doesn't seem to be a dearth of teenagers and young adults in that country.
The wonderful "Oil for Food Program" was in place to help with things like baby formula, and medicines were never sanctioned. Unfortunately, our friends in France and Russia assisted Saddam in getting things other than the food and medicine he was supposed to have free access to.
There are many parallels I could draw from in history for many things. Proving a point (which it really doesn't) with a piece of information gleaned from millions of contrary ones should give you some idea of how poor your logic is.
Of course, you are interested in bashing the US, not in logical thought.
Posted by: Mike at October 14, 2004 07:42 AM (MqNKC)
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Somebody buy Charlie a time machine so he can back and stop the Brits. Then, he can stop our allies the French from killing the Jews, and our other allies the Germans from killing the Jews, and our other allies the Russians from killing the Jews.
Maybe he can also stop our French friend Napoleon from invading and killing everybody. Of course, if he could stop M. Guillotine from helping to kill thousands of innocent French during the 'Terror', that would be nice too.
And if he still has time, perhaps he can prevent the French from training future genocidal lunatics in Rwanda and Cambodia. It takes a first class educational system to create a Pol Pot!
Posted by: Tanker Schreiber at October 14, 2004 10:58 AM (vf6rj)
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>the estimated hundreds of thousands of iraqi
>kids who died under US led sanctions
Oddly enough, I agree with you that sanctions didn't work. They
never work. They only hurt the people, not the scum in power. The only answer, as you have no doubt figured out, is to immediately remove bad leaders from power. Surely you advocated the immediate removal of Saddam Hussein from Iraq three months after the 1991 cease-fire was signed, since that's when he violated it. Obviously, you understand that sanctions on Syria, Iran and North Korea won't work either -- sanctions only hurt the people. The leaders of rogue nations must be removed. I'm SO glad you've realised this.
Posted by: CavalierX at October 14, 2004 02:11 PM (sA6XT)
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I beg to differ that sanctions only hurt the people. It was Saddam that was hurting his people. He was the one that put them through wars and in mass graves. He got to decide what to buy through the oil for food program for his people via sanctions. That is the promise the U. N. hospitably provided to Saddam as they received their kickbacks as Kofi Annan's son was supervising what sanction approved products made it into Iraq. Sadly, supplies meant for the people were siphoned by a madman slowly refurbishing his finances through bribes and kickbacks at the U. N. as the U. N. looked on getting fat as the Iraqi people starved.
This sad plight of people suffering under oppresive regimes can look to Sudan where the only country presently dropping food for the Sudanese people is the United State of America.
Where is France? Where is Germany? China? Russia?
Posted by: Moor at October 14, 2004 06:31 PM (g8OfD)
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>I beg to differ that sanctions only hurt the
>people. It was Saddam that was hurting his
>people.
You're right, of course. Allow me to rephrase my point. Sanctions
on a non-democratic nation only hurt the people.
Posted by: CavalierX@yahoo.com at October 15, 2004 12:41 AM (sA6XT)
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October 13, 2004
INDEED
I've you've ever had a conversation with a European, you'll appreciate reading
The Secret Weapon.
Posted by: Sarah at
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Very interesting article.
My favourite material was at the bottom.
"That is something that no member of the European Union can ever understand."
Does the author demonstrate an equivalent ignorance and dismissal of every individual in an unknown culture, or in this case, many unknown cultures ?
Judging all Europeans by the ignorance of a few citizens sounds rather arrogant to some readers.
Might some Europeans, or Asians, or Africans, Or Arabs, or Pacific Islanders, or South Americans therefore also be justified in branding the USA a particular way because they met a few USAmericans who couldn't speak another language?
Doublespeak.
Here come the flames ... :-)
Posted by: Mark at October 13, 2004 09:18 AM (bVOJW)
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I'm not judging them all by the actions of a few by any means, but there is a kind of groupthink has gotten into many peoples minds, mostly european minds, that presupposes that they know all about the US, and that we dont know anything about europe. My guess is that we are both equal in our ignorance, but this is not the postition taken by many in the self loathing left.
I'm simply am rejecting the knee jerk idea that America has less to offer than does the storied lands of old europe. My basic feeling after lving in Europe for 5 years is that the best parts of Europe migrated across the pond when the opportunity presented itself. that was a cruel and cyinical view, but it was an honest one.
If you want to find the capitol of anti-semitism, you dont have to go to the middle east, you need only go to Paris. If you want to find brutal strong arm crime, most cities in europe outdo anything I ever saw in pre-guliani New York. Amsterdam, for all of its tolerance is one of the most genuinely unhappy places I have ever seen. Most of Europe reminds me of the kind of darkness you see in the eyes of kids in the richer neighborhoods of the US, where the kids have all of their material needs taken care of, but their parents spend no time with the kids, leaving the kids spiritually vacant and wondering aloud what is their purpose in life.
The people of Europe have nice art and nice ruins to visit, but the current generation has become a selfish and spoiled generation of people who look at everything in terms of their own personal comfort. Once upon a time, Germany was the economic powerhouse, based solely on the productivity of its people, today that is no longer the case, and it only took 10 years to get that way.
Too many people in Europe believe that America is really the source of all their problems, and its at that dark idea that I was hoping to shed some light.
America bothers them becasue we are disturbing their sleep. We in America challenge the Euros, while Americans tend to enjoy competition, Euros look at competition as something that needs to be stopped before someone gets hurt.
Posted by: Frank Martin at October 13, 2004 12:28 PM (fWDG+)
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I've lived there twice and talk to people there all the time. There has always been an anti-American element there. Leftists have had an even bigger role in the media and education then here, or it feels like it.
Socialism and Communism were invemnted there, after all.
America stands in the way of a lot of that stuff, which is why the elites there view us as a threat. They also resent that they depend on us for their security, because they have never done much to secure it for themselves since WWII. I remember well, all through the 70s and 80s hearing American politicians bitch that we were spending billions to protect Europe and they were doing little or nothing to beef up ther militaries.
Posted by: James Hudnall at October 13, 2004 09:21 PM (FV8Tp)
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A I find your piece a simplistic -as the lady says about another- "bunch of rambling nonsense" surprising for a polyglot who can't use a spell checker.
B "The function of the military in a democratic society is the application of violence on behalf of the citizenry. The vocation of the professional officer corps is the management of that function." (Huntington) This wonderful group has enabled we americans at 6% of the worlds people to be able to consume 40% of the world's resources. Pretty cool eh? And so
enabling the U.S. military to become the single largest user of energy in the world. Which then is then able to get more resources- Wah Lah!
C Is that why you brown nose the neo con chicken-hawks led by the court appointed president.
D Then if you can go deep, Martin has this Prof. got you pegged or what?
"...the perennial anxiety that accompanies imperial hegemony in the New World might be a compensatory gesture for the originary Ishmaelite fate of castoffs relentlessly clamoring for re-integration into the mainline genealogical history as the chosen people..."
http://complit.la.psu.edu/faculty/kadir/absoluteamerica.html
Finally
E Remember as Jefferson said "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance."
Posted by: Snidley Whiplash at October 14, 2004 06:58 AM (SGDG1)
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Hey Snidley - I notice you don't use your real name!! What are you ashamed of yourself and your views unlike Frank, Sarah, James and Mark? Maybe you're AFRAID someone won't like what you write so you use the shield of a fake name so you're just a coward! People like you don't deserve the protection of our wonderful military. You think you're so cool and hip being snide and snarky. Well you're not, you are just another pathetic whiner of the left.
Posted by: Toni at October 14, 2004 09:19 AM (SHqVu)
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This part in the article resounds in me as an American:
"Americans share one thing in common with each other that no other person in the world can understand. While the rest of the world goes to bed at night saying 'Well if things get really bad, I can always go to the States...' As Americans, we know that we have nowhere else to go. If we don't make it here, there is no where else we can go, and few places that will accept us even if we wanted to go. If America were to fall, we all know that we would not be welcome anywhere else. That, is why we fight so hard, that is why we still hold onto our patriotism and faith when most of the world has thrown theirs away."
Posted by: Moor at October 14, 2004 06:22 PM (g8OfD)
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I would respect Snidely's decision to post nicknonymously if, as I do, he had a valid email address and a consistant identity.
I would, in any case, like to ask him how a court ruling that any further recounts would have to be done in accordance with existing state law constitutes an appointment.
I too, BTW, have had similar online discussions with Europeans who do not comprehend what makes USians tick.
Posted by: triticale at October 14, 2004 08:15 PM (1w0oB)
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As a kid, I lived in France. We were not made to feel welcome there in any way, and this was little more than a decade after defeating Hitler. As Americans, we were not even allowed to drive through DeGaulle's hometown.
They have never appreciated us or considered us as equals. We show them daily how little they have, and they cannot stand it.
Posted by: Mike at October 15, 2004 10:03 PM (ckYKs)
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Yes, clearly they are all just jealous. Go USA!
Posted by: John at October 16, 2004 09:22 PM (oDYDz)
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POSER
I'm not in the military myself, but at least I know how to talk about it like I'm a normal person. Twice in the past 24 hours, I've found myself laughing at perceptions of the military.
I saw most of Smallville Season 2 when it was on AFN last year, but I borrowed the DVDs from the library and have been filling in the gaps. One character joined the Marines, and they've woven that storyline into the regular Smallville stuff. In this one episode, he came back and entered Smallville High in his uniform. He walked down the hallway, slow-mo style, in his Marine uniform and dramatically took off his cover right as Lana Lang threw her arms around him. I literally laughed out loud. It was the cheesiest thing ever. He got deployed to Indonesia? What is that about? What a silly storyline.
I think it's hilarious that I can completely accept that a girl could have meteor rocks on her spine that make her able to transform into other people's body shapes, but the fact that a Marine enters a building and doesn't remove his cover makes me seethe with anger at how unrealistic it is. How come when TV shows have a military theme, it's always over-the-top generic? "Whitney is missing in action!" "He got shipped out this morning." "I can't believe he just finished Basic Training and then got shipped off to war." It all sounds so cheesy and irritating.
Then today I made the time-wasting mistake of reading Hud's link to who certain novelists are voting for. What a bunch of rambling nonsense. My favorite came from someone named David Amsden. No wonder he's voting for Kerry; they both confuse the heck out of me!
I'm voting for John Kerry. This will be my first foray into the voting booth, actually—for the most part I find politics alienating, difficult to process. I'll save the bulk of my anti-Bush rant for late-night bar chatter, and simply say that a cousin of mine spent a year fighting with the Army in Iraq. He was a harder man when he returned, tweaked, difficult to relate to. His stories were crushing—did you know that there are giant spiders that creep up on sleeping soliders at night? That this is the sort of thing that causes nightmares, even more than random mortar fire?—and didn't exactly bring hope that anyone understands what's going on over there. Does Bush care about any of this, the nuanced ways his global policies affect individuals—how this, really, in the end, is what politics is all about? Yeah, I believe he does, but I don't think he's got the gumption to talk about it—or, for that matter, anything—honestly. For all his swaggering bravado, the guy has no real backbone, no confidence in anything but his squinty little grin, which is frightening.
But why Kerry, aside from his status as Democratic Other Guy, which, frankly, would be enough for me this year? Well, I like his stoicism—he seems smart, and serious, and sort of boring, and exactly like the kind of man I can't relate to, which is what I want from a leader. I don't understand why we're so keen on having someone who seems cool and perfectly personable—I have friends for that, late-night TV, strangers in parks. Really, though, the clincher came when I stumbled across some excerpts of Kerry's Vietnam journals. I couldn't help but think: the writing, the writing, the writing. It was hard and real and surprisingly beautiful, which, for me, was something I could believe in.
Um, what? Bush doesn't care about these people, well ok maybe he does. Maybe he cared for them before he didn't care for them. I love the plug for Kerry: Vote for Kerry! He's boring! And you can't relate to him either!
The stuff about the spider killed me though. That's the kind of stuff that someone who is completely out of touch with what's going on downrange gets worked up about. Did you hear the Soldiers are changed when they get home? No, man, they have to deal with spiders. Real big ones. It's like life-changing, man. At least that's what my cousin told me. Yeah, when he shipped out.
Most of the time I feel like a poser when I talk about the military, but when a novelist who writes about cokeheads and Playmates weighs in on the military, it makes me laugh.
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Gasp! SPIDERS! Oh, my! Thank goodness there are no such creatures here in America to terrorize our soldiers!
What a twit. I'm with you, girl...the stereotypes of military life would be hilarious, if they weren't so freaking IGNORANT.
Posted by: david at October 13, 2004 08:45 AM (1+76a)
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It's a cliche with these peacenik writers that being in the military is tragic and scary. It's never shown as fun, or educational or enriching.
The real capper for me is, in that one guy's quote you see he rambles and his thoughts are all over the place. Not exactly the sign of a good writer.
And the fact that he thinks commie symp Kerry's journals are beautiful reveals what a lameo he is.
A writer on that list whose work I really like, and I've actually traded letters with him back in the day, is Robert Ferrigno. He writes great crime novels. Orson Scott Card writes great science fiction and has a decent blog.
Posted by: James Hudnall at October 13, 2004 12:02 PM (FV8Tp)
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"He was a harder man when he returned, tweaked, difficult to relate to."
In other words, no longer consumed by the superficiality that rules the Left. My God, what has that eeevil Bush
done to him?
Posted by: CavalierX at October 13, 2004 12:06 PM (9u+uv)
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I liked this sentence about his reason for voting for Kerry. "Well, I like his stoicism—he seems smart, and serious, and sort of boring, and exactly like the kind of man I can't relate to, which is what I want from a leader." What does that say about the writer? He wants a leader he can't relate to? GAAHHH!! What a dolt. Thanks for sharing, Sarah!
Posted by: Oda Mae at October 13, 2004 01:57 PM (gXnBX)
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"...a cousin of mine spent a year fighting with the Army in Iraq. He was a harder man when he returned, tweaked, difficult to relate to."
I've heard about that! It's weird. Young boys join the military and come home "men", no longer in touch with their feminine side, unable to relate to softer, more sensitive guys who scream like girls whenever they see a spider.
Hopefully, John Kerry will change all that.
Posted by: Larry at October 13, 2004 02:40 PM (7ldvV)
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October 12, 2004
NEW DEMOCRACY
I'm having computer problems, so I might be offline for a day or two. However, if you want to see what freedom looks like, if you want to see the most exciting photo I've seen in a long time, visit
Smash.
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1
You are a racist; that is why you can't separate Iraq from Al-Qaeda, can't critically examine the geopolitical fabric of the Middle East and see dozens of sovereign nations each with their own strategic interests rather than a single block of brown Islamic "thems" that you feel you need to fight.
Anyone who votes Bush for "security" is, in fact, a racist and a bigot who has simply transposed the old hatreds of African Americans and Jews onto a new, more socially acceptable stereotype-gestalt: Arabs. No, Bush is not fighting against the "forces" that attacked the United States (forces which were, in fact, little more than a rag-tag band of rebels that the machinery of Bush's government, in its arrogance, failed to sufficiently respect and swat away), he is fighting against any Semitic peoples he can find anywhere; of those with which we are currently engaged, virtually none had anything at all to do with Al-Qaeda and the WTC attacks. We're killing innocent men, women, and children, yet the conservative Christian (and fundamentally Aryan-supremacist) half of the American population sees every one of these innocent human beings merely as a threatening other, a part of some imagined (and notably brown-skinned) "freaking mess" of Islam that has been, in fact, conceptually constructed by Bush and his administration as a marketing tool for enriching the military-industrial complex.
You are sheep, and you have bought it.
Throughout history, the same simpletons and idiots cause all of the problems because they are doomed to repeat the same mistakes over and over again in fear of the ethnic and cultural other. The rest of us get dragged along with you to your silly wars and the imperialism and apartheid that result, and that history virtually without exception later decries.
Grow up and join humanity.
Posted by: Expat at October 12, 2004 01:22 PM (XBgAo)
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Expat, control your emotions, take a deep breath and then listen. I was once a liberal/socialist and I changed my ways when I controlled my emotions, took a deep breath and paid close attention to what my fellow liberals were saying. And so I end with a telling quote:
"In a word, I want an American character, that the powers of Europe may be convinced we act for ourselves and not for others; this, in my judgment, is the only way to be respected abroad and happy at home." --George Washington
Posted by: Moor at October 12, 2004 03:52 PM (g8OfD)
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Expat, you tired old nutcase. Could you froth somewhere else please, your spittle might contain all sorts of nasty germs. And how does showing a picture of Afghani women voting for the first time make Sarah a semitic racist? The opposite would seem to be true. Stop with the pitiful squeaking out of your puckered a-hole.
Posted by: Oda Mae at October 12, 2004 04:05 PM (R5mVL)
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Ditto, Oda Mae! Geez, Expat must be taking out all of his anger and frustrations on trying to grok. You're barking up the wrong tree if you think Sarah is racist. She has good friends of all different races, religions, and political views. Go find someone else to harrass!
Posted by: Nancy at October 12, 2004 08:31 PM (YuW6k)
Posted by: Sarah at October 13, 2004 03:23 AM (DNGgl)
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October 11, 2004
NUISANCE
A nuisance? A
nuisance?
Terrorism is a nuisance?
How could anyone in this country vote for this man?
Posted by: Sarah at
05:46 AM
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Right. Much smarter to vote for someone who will delay the war to win votes.
From the LA Times:
"The Bush administration will delay major assaults on rebel-held cities in Iraq until after U.S. elections in November, say administration officials, mindful that large-scale military offensives could affect the U.S. presidential race."
Not to mention wanting to reduce terrorism to the level of a nuisance is not the same thing as saying terrorism is a nuisance.
But make yourself happy.
Posted by: delagar at October 11, 2004 02:49 PM (OGs7b)
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That's a pretty nice spin attempt from the LA Times, considering that a) we just took Samarra, b) we just negotiated a cease-fire with al-Sadr, and c) six months ago, the Bush Administration ws saying that they're going to make a final anti-terrorist sweep in November and December. LA just got the news, eh?
Posted by: CavalierX at October 11, 2004 03:40 PM (sA6XT)
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I love to pass my cursor over the highlighted names of the snide, rude posters you seem to attract. Ever noticed how most of their e0mail addresses end with ".edu"? Hmm. Makes me thank the lord that I got out safely after a Bachelor's and Juris Doctor Degree with my brain still fully hydrated. Clearly, that educational environment causes some type of short circuit within the cortex. I'll let you know if I see you exhibiting any signs of lofty moonbattiness. Oh, and Happy birthday!
Posted by: Oda Mae at October 11, 2004 05:11 PM (JxQWH)
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I love to pass my cursor over the highlighted names of the snide, rude posters you seem to attract. Ever noticed how most of their e-mail addresses end with ".edu"? Hmm. Makes me thank the lord that I got out safely after a Bachelor's and Juris Doctor Degree with my brain still fully hydrated. Clearly, that educational environment causes some type of short circuit within the cortex. I'll let you know if I see you exhibiting any signs of lofty moonbattiness. Oh, and Happy Birthday!
Posted by: Oda Mae at October 11, 2004 05:18 PM (JxQWH)
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Sarah - I don't know the answer to your question but 76% of our troops will be voting for BUSH. So that tells you something right there.
Posted by: Kathleen A at October 11, 2004 07:40 PM (vnAYT)
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I saw that the quote came from the LA Times and just skipped to the next comment.
Yeah, I read it earlier today. I just consider the source.
As for Your question Sarah - I don't understand. But the sad thing is neither "side" is capable of seeing why the other feels so strongly. It's an election like no other I've ever seen.
Posted by: Tammi at October 11, 2004 08:49 PM (UOdfZ)
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There are many people who resist facing unpleasant realities...Kerry's downplaying of the problem appeals to these individuals precisely because it allows them to keep the covers over their heads for a little bit longer.
Posted by: David Foster at October 12, 2004 12:31 PM (XUtCY)
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Make up your minds will you!
"Can we win the war on terrorism? Yes, I think we can, in the sense that we can win the war on organized crime. There is going to be no peace treaty on the battleship Missouri in the war on terrorism, but we can break its back so that it is only a horrible
nuisance and not a paralyzing influence on our societies."
-- General Brent Scowcroft
Bush 41 National Security Advisor
Bush 43 appointee to the Forum for International Security
"9/11 a Year On" conference, Sept. 2002
http://www.usip.org/events/2002/america/scowcroft.html
Posted by: curveball at October 12, 2004 03:49 PM (XgPtC)
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"In a word, I want an American character, that the powers of Europe may be convinced we act for ourselves and not for others; this, in my judgment, is the only way to be respected abroad and happy at home." --George Washington
Posted by: Moor at October 12, 2004 03:57 PM (g8OfD)
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http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Forbes_family
Posted by: Moor at October 12, 2004 06:18 PM (g8OfD)
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Moor, I know it is hard for you...But do try to stay on topic and relevant to this century.
Your buddy Brent is living in what you like to call the September 12th world, unlike George Washington.
As far as the Forbes thing...I have no clue what you are trying to accomplish with that. But thanks for playing.
Posted by: curveball at October 12, 2004 10:15 PM (PGrwU)
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Hello folks nice blog youre running
Posted by: lolita at January 19, 2005 09:48 PM (yM4u5)
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SUPERMAN
I wanted him to walk again someday. And I really believed he would.
I think it's extraordinarily weird when people develop strong emotional ties to celebrities. There are actors I think are really talented, and there are celeb crushes I had when I was a kid, but no celebrity could really hit me on an emotional level.
Well, except for one.
Many of you already know my family's fascination with Superman. We watched all of the movies when I was a kid, and Superman was our hero. We had Superman birthday cakes and Superman pajamas. And we loved Superman because he reminded us of our father. My dad doesn't look exactly like Christopher Reeve, but the resemblance was striking enough. My father also alternated between glasses and contacts, so we called him Clark Kent and we bought him a SuperDad shirt.
Superman stands for everything that I think is good: truth, justice, and the American way. He represents integrity, fortitude, and honor. Lois Lane was the ambulance chaser; Clark was the honest and respectful one. Superman embodied all that I admire in a man.
When Christopher Reeve was injured in 1995, he worried that people would laugh: Superman was now paralyzed. But he never stopped being my Superman. I looked at him in that wheelchair and I saw a father-figure, someone we had idolized as children who now had to put all of his Superman qualities to the test. And I truly believed he would walk again. I knew he had it in his heart. And I'm crushed that he ran out of time.
So I spent the first few hours of my birthday crying for a celebrity. Ridiculous, I know, but he's the only one who mattered to me. Throughout my childhood, he represented everything that was perfect in man; throughout my adulthood, he represented struggling with imperfection. I cared very deeply for this man, and my heart is aching.
In his book Still Me, he laid out perfectly how I felt about him:
During my stay in Hollywood I entered hotels and buildings through garages, kitchens, and service elevators, and met cooks, waiters, chambermaids, and maintenance crews. Many of them said that they were praying for me. Others looked me right in the eye and said, "We love you, Superman. You're our hero." At first I couldn't believe they meant it. Then I realized they were looking past the chair and honoring me for a role that obviously had real meaning for them. I didn't feel patronized in any way. Clearly a part I had played twenty years before was still valued. The fact that I was in a wheelchair, unable to move below my shoulders, and dependent on the support of others for almost every aspect of my daily life had not diminished the fact that I was--and always would be--their Superman.
Posted by: Sarah at
05:14 AM
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You beat Drudge with this by several hours.
Posted by: John at October 11, 2004 07:58 AM (crTpS)
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To quote Remember the titans...
"You can't be hurt.. your Superman!"
Damm.. Gonna have to rent that once I return Space Cowboys... We need more heros...
He was a hero.. still is.. just not the one one he played on screen...
Posted by: LarryConley at October 11, 2004 08:03 AM (aontM)
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Yeah...when i heard he died, my first thought was, we're going to miss you superman. It's almost a turning of an era I think. I was just discussing with someone about how the heroes that are presented today seem like their heroism is by accident, but a fluke of nature and not by their own moral beliefs, which is what superman represented.
And even when he was paralyzed, he still retained that superman quality. The wheelchair and vent mattered not. he could still fly in his mind. he wouldn't give up.
who is our hero today? anyone? They are all the heroes of our childhood.
I remember watching the lone ranger (re-runs of course, I'm not that old) when I was a kid. They were so hokey, but he always stood against the bad guys and he always won.
Where will we find our heroes now?
Posted by: kat-missouri at October 11, 2004 09:17 PM (yfrm2)
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""Where will we find our heroes now? ""
http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/002685.html
Its not hard......
Posted by: LarryConley at October 12, 2004 02:00 AM (aontM)
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I was so sad to hear of his death. What an amazing man.
I do believe he was a hero, not for a role as he played, but for his strength and courage, and for his ability to give others hope.
He will be missed.
Kat,
I have lots of heroes these days, the difference is I know them personally..and have the honor of being to married to one of them for 16 years.
Posted by: Tink at October 12, 2004 04:52 AM (S6VXg)
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Kev has word on another true hero who died just this week.
Posted by: Mike at October 12, 2004 08:32 AM (MqNKC)
7
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DEMEANING
One unfortunate side effect of the Bush=Hitler meme is that we can no longer look at Hitler without comparing him to Bush. We can't read about WWII and think of the horrors of those years without the knee-jerk satisfaction of how not-Hitler Bush really is. Lileks did it
today:
In KlempererÂ’s book thereÂ’s an anecdote about a professor who is talking with some colleagues, telling jokes. Hitler goes to heaven. He talks to Moses, and says so, you can tell me. You set the bush on fire yourself, didnÂ’t you?
HeÂ’s reported. He goes to prison for ten months.
And, as Klemperer notes, he was “an Aryan.”
Ah, but donÂ’t we have the Big Lie? The WMD debacle? This is one of those things that makes me just turn off the radio or TV or hit the back button or whatever it takes to decamp.
I did it with Stalin back when I was reading The Gulag Archipelago:
I dare anyone who thinks the Patriot Act is killing democracy to read this book, where the first person to stop clapping at a tribute to Comrade Stalin, after 11 minutes of straight clapping, was sent to the gulag. Or the woman who happened to walk past a truck full of bodies. Or the man who had doodled on a newspaper photo of Stalin. All of them gone.
It's a crying shame that I can't visit a concentration camp without the smug satisfaction that today's Bush-haters have no idea what they're talking about. I don't want to think about Bush at a concentration camp. I don't even want the Bush=Hitler thought anywhere near my head, because it's completely demeaning to the real people of that era who died for nothing. I've seen a lamp made out of Jewish skin; how DARE anyone make that comparison to President Bush.
It's disgusting, and I'm disgusted that every time Hitler comes up, we find mental ways to disassociate him with Bush. I think that's revolting.
Posted by: Sarah at
03:35 AM
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Ya know just because I think Bush is not fit to be president does not automaticly equate to hatred. I am a little tired of the blind defense of him by people that seemingly should know better. Of course I am mature enough to seperate the man from policy.
Posted by: Bubba Bo Bob Brain at October 11, 2004 10:42 PM (4pVZJ)
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If Bush in particular and conservatives in general want to stop the comparison most people make betweem them and Nazis, all they really have do do is stop acting like Nazis.
People are smart enough to notice the change, if it ever occurs. Meanwhile, don't hold your breath.
Posted by: dc at October 11, 2004 11:14 PM (s6c4t)
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."" I've seen a lamp made out of Jewish skin; how DARE anyone make that comparison to President Bush.""
Ewww.. I had heard of such sick things almost makes me with my ancestors were something normal.. like Cannaibals...
(that's a sort of joke My Grandfater was a very gentle man.. who happened to be a mechanic in the German army at the wrong time) I only wish I had been a bit older when I knew him.
Posted by: LarryConley at October 12, 2004 02:06 AM (aontM)
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I doubt that the first 2 commenters even know what they're saying. It's just the Kool-Aid talking.
Posted by: CD at October 12, 2004 02:27 AM (bsi5Z)
Posted by: dan at October 24, 2004 02:45 PM (sm3/q)
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FIT
My mother-in-law is right; this doesn't really go anywhere. I figured it doesn't fit sandwiched between two memorials, but since when do our ups and downs every fit nicely? Here's the comment she left:
I was not sure where to insert this but for all of you out there who follow Sarah, October 11 is her birthday. A big HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! Hopefully the next one will be with your special someone.
MORE TO GROK:
You know what's a good surprise? When the phone rings and you hear that long delay that only comes from Iraq. Only it's not your husband; it's one of the Soldiers you write letters to, your best friend's husband, calling to wish you a happy birthday. Wonderful surprise.
Posted by: Sarah at
03:30 AM
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Sarah,
Happy Birthday!!
Consider yourself hugged.
Posted by: John at October 11, 2004 05:20 AM (crTpS)
Posted by: Jason at October 11, 2004 11:11 AM (0iK+f)
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Happy birthday! Hope each coming day only gets better for you!
Posted by: chris at October 11, 2004 11:44 AM (a8b5N)
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Herzlichen Gluckwunsch zum Geburtstag!
Posted by: Tanker Schreiber at October 11, 2004 11:46 AM (Lsg7m)
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Oh, a very happy birthday to you, Sarah! Hope you enjoy it.
Posted by: Carla at October 11, 2004 03:04 PM (6tYwr)
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Happy Birthday Sarah! I hope today was bright and happy. Your blog is one I read every day and appreciate.
Posted by: Kathleen A at October 11, 2004 07:41 PM (vnAYT)
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Happy Birthday to my very special daughter. I remember vividly the day you were born, just as if it were yesterday. Yet, it's hard to believe that you are a twenty-seven year old adult now, someone who has definitely "come into her own." I admire you for your independence, your intelligence, your compassion, your morals, your values, and your convictions. I knew you were destined to make your mark in this world because you were such an extraordinary child--walking at 9 months, saying your ABC's at 14 months, reading at 3 years, wanting to be an orthodontist at the tender age of two, mothering your little brother when you were only six(putting your mother to shame as you'd hold and comfort him), succeeding in all your endeavors in your high school and college years, and now being a soldier's wife, which seems so fitting since you have travelled the world and still know that the USA is the very best! You were always a little "sponge" for knowledge, and I'm proud to see that that has not changed. I love the fact that you still want to learn and that you've channeled that desire into your blogging and teaching. How fortunate I am to wake up each morning to read your words of wisdom. I am thankful that God has blessed me with a very special daughter as you. May He watch over you as the years go by. I love you.
Mama
Posted by: Nancy at October 11, 2004 10:46 PM (YuW6k)
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Sarah - I'm having to use the library computer here at Fort Belvoir...I miss my own computer so much. Anyway...just wanted to add my belated well wishes to your birthday. I'll be back online someday!
Posted by: Tim at October 13, 2004 01:18 PM (+plhh)
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October 10, 2004
GREEN WITH ENVY
Oh MAN am I jealous!
Hud got to see Team America! Many soldiers down in Iraq have been going nuts buying bootleg DVDs, but my husband and I haven't gotten into that. However, I told him that he must buy Team America if he sees it because I'm afraid I might not see it here otherwise. Of course I'll buy the official copy when it comes out, since I'm a firm believer in putting as much money as possible into Parker and Stone's pockets, but I don't want to have to wait until next year to see it. I can barely wait as it is!
Posted by: Sarah at
03:53 AM
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I saw it this past weekend in a sneak preview. It was absolutely hilarious, as long as you can deal with the constant expletives, excrement jokes and raunchy sex-related humor. Most surprising was the hammering applause from the mostly teenage audience at the end. The best part was the music, The worst part was that you can't repeat ANY of the funniest lines in public.
Posted by: CavalierX at October 11, 2004 03:45 PM (sA6XT)
2
I am planning on seeing it as soon as possible, especially, after I found out that Sean Penn is terribly upset about the movie:-)
Posted by: Pamela at October 12, 2004 07:02 PM (AOFgp)
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DREAM ON
As I was reading
VDH's blurb about the debate, I had a thought. Kerry keeps repeating "I have a plan..."; I think he should switch over and go with "I have a dream...". Think about it: it's catchy, it's chock-full of symbolism, and it much better fits his ridiculous theories and vague projections about how the world would work under his presidency.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "I'm an internationalist. I'd like to see our troops dispersed through the world only at the directive of the United Nations." I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Paris the sons of former neo-cons and the sons of former Iranian nuclear bomb makers will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood filled with allies from all different nations, and by all different nations I mean France and Germany. I have a dream that one day even the United States, a police state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice, not unlike North Vietnam was when I met with the Vietcong in 1971. I have a dream that my two children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the orangey color of their skin but by the content of their briefcases, which is where they keep their lucky hats. I have a dream today.
Posted by: Sarah at
03:38 AM
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Sarah:
Almost makes me want to vote for him...not.
Great news about the Aussies!!
Bet you are looking forward to your husband's leave; you both remain in my prayers.
Jim
Posted by: Jim Shawley at October 10, 2004 03:52 AM (qko7X)
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Sarah - saw President Bush at a rally yesterday (along with about 10,000 other people) and GWB's new meme is "He can run, but he can't hide". I loved it and the crowd loved it. It was great to hear 10,000 people yelling it along with the President.
Posted by: Toni at October 10, 2004 09:47 AM (K4kPu)
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I am very concerned that you are very right. It almost seems as though Kerry was being prepped for running for president by some foreign power. I would not doubt that he was fully and completely indoctrinated by the communist party during his college years and only got worse when he met twice with the leaders of Communist North Vietnam. If elected I am very much certain that he would try to make America in the image of socialists countries like France very quickly and eventually towards full communism there after.
After reading all about Kerry from his college years to now, he has consistantly been anti defense and anti intelligence, the two things that during the cold war, kept us safe.
Posted by: Allen Stoner at October 10, 2004 01:43 PM (TFkfJ)
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I'm on a fly fishing forum. On the off-topic part of the board I asked the many leftists there what John Kerry's plan was for Iraq. I specified that I didn't want to know his goals, we all know that, but rather what his plan was to achieve those goals. I got a link to Kerry's page, nothing there but goals, I got "diplomacy" but that's a goal, not a plan.
Not a one of them could say what Kerry's plan actually was.
Oh, and you'll be pleased to know that you're some kind of neo-con propagandist pajama blogger. lol
Kalroy
Posted by: Kalroy at October 10, 2004 02:32 PM (lU63E)
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In almost every episode of the BBC series "Blackadder", Tony Robinson's character "Baldrick" has "a cunning plan" for dealing with the current situation. And, when he utters the catch-phrase, you immediately know that it is going to border on the insane.
The Junior Senator dresses better than Baldrick but that gives me no cause to expect a better quality of plan.
Posted by: homebru at October 10, 2004 11:20 PM (/YRiG)
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Hello folks nice blog youre running
Posted by: lolita at January 19, 2005 09:47 PM (yM4u5)
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