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POPSAre American Voters Stupid or Rationally Ignorant? Americans vote ignorantly because they willingly limit what they research because there is little incentive for one person who cannot individually make very much difference. This also explains why information from another viewpoint, or party, is rashly dismissed out of hand without consideration or deliberation, for mere convenience. Listen to this short podcast from CATO for the interesting analysis which has alot of merit. This is where Democracy fails, and why Presidents (like Bush) can be elected with less than 23% of potential voters (about 50% eligible do not vote for various reasons, including disgust): the rational decisions of individuals create a dysfunctional collective outcome
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POPSNative American Code of Ethics 20 in all. One of my Favorite, 11. Nature is not FOR us, it is a PART of us. They are part of your worldly family. An Oldie But Goodie Good Wisdoms We All Need To Live By, Remember And Honor. Blessings
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POPSIs Life finely tuned, or a cosmic accident If there is 1/1Billion chance of there being the right properties in a 'Big Bang' to create life, then you just need 1 Billion 'Big Bangs' . One of the threads on theory regarding the presence of life in the Universe. Having such inadequate information to come to any conclusions there are a number of projections, but it seems the best education we are getting, is in the the development of more and more sophisticated instruments and measuring techniques. We may keep opening doors only to find more doors. Or someone may find a key, while they were looking for something else.
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POPSThe Saddest Sad Songs Of All Time! I picked a few of my favourites. See the list and lyrics at the site. I couldn't get through life without music as a backdrop. Where would we be without it? If you need a rest from politics, just copy/paste a title and go youtubing . Even sad songs can make you happy. I heard this song when I was a little girl and my Dad told me it was about a dog (that probably drowned) and I bawled my eyes out! I still do! :D :cry: :cry: Anyway, remember. Jumping off cliffs not allowed! . ;) Clip Song (Not sad, even!)
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POPSI'd Rather Listen to Insects Buzz (continued) Listening to politicians, regardless of party, discuss economics makes me sick both to my head and to my stomach. And the only people who are not similarly affected, I fear, are persons whose knowledge of economics is sufficiently scant -- or whose ethics are sufficiently perverted -- to protect their senses from being insulted by what issues forth from the mouths of politicians speaking on economic topics. So as an economist, I am no more interested in having Sen. Obama (or Sen. McCain) come to GMU's campus to lecture us on "how to manage the economy" than I would be, say, to have O.J. Simpson come to GMU's campus to lecture us on how to manage one's marriage. Sincerely, Don Boudreaux Professor and Chairman Department of Economics George Mason University
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POPSDeja vu! Listen to this 1988 campaign strategy From Maureen Dowd: Lee Atwater's 1988 stategy, created to help Bush smear Dukakis, sounds awfully familiar: "The Democrat was a ’60s-style liberal who would raise taxes and take away guns. He was weak and would not protect the country militarily. He was a member of the elite 'Harvard Yard’s boutique'. He had a foreign-sounding name and was on the side of the Scary Black Man." Let's get over the idea that Republican innuendos are not about race; race scare has been the strategy for years.
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POPSPalin - Republican Party Infiltrator? Damning Video. CONTD: "So…basically what he’s saying here, is that Palin’s philosophical loyalties lie with the Alaska Independence Party, but in order to get elected, she had to distance herself from the AIP and infiltrate the Republican Party, because they’re the only ones who can ever actually get voted into office. But don’t worry boys and girls, her heart is still with us, and her sympathies are with the agenda of the Alaskan Independence Party, namely, independence."
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POPSListen To Your YouTube Comment Before Posting Not sure which is weirder--that YouTube now gives commenters the opportunity to listen to their comments out loud in order to better filter their idiocy, or that this feature was taken from an idea in an uber-geeky web comic.
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POPSCSPAN Video Exposes Democrat Support of Sub Prime Mess I just love how the 'mainstream' media never once mentions any of these hearings when discussing how we got in this mess in the first place. After all, don't they have producers, researchers, etc. whose job it is to find this information. The thing is, they don't want this information reported on because it does not fit in their own narrow minded world view of 'blame the Republicans and George W. Bush for everything" model.
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POPSPalin~Casting Stones from Her Glass House The founder of the Alaska Independence Party -- a group that has been courted over the years by Sarah Palin, and one her husband was a member of for roughly seven years -- once professed his "hatred for the American government" and cursed the American flag as a "damn flag." The AIP founder, Joe Vogler, made the comments in 1991, in an interview that's now housed at the Oral History Program in the Rasmuson Library at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. There is a link to listen to it here: http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/09/aip_founder_professed_hatred_f.php Sarah Stalin has succeeded in one thing, and that is making McCain look like the intelligent member of their team! Not easy, but she did it!
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POPSLet's junk the myths and celebrate what we've got Moreover, we need to become responsible versus petty humans; in the words of the article "When you see nothing but junk, create quality. Where quality is hard to find, curate it, adding your own seal of approval with a link. When you read inaccuracies and misunderstandings, add facts, corrections, context and journalism. If people on the internet get things wrong, educate them. When you hear the noise of people talking online, listen." Thumbs up.
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POPSAlaskans Protest Palin We need to listen to those who know her best. Notice the sign at the top of this photo? My guess is it says "No More Welfare for Exxon".
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POPSA Conservative For Obama I saw this clipped earlier, but I didn't realize the gravity of the endorsement. Wow, a publisher of the National Review saying, "But I now see that Obama is almost the ideal candidate for this moment in American history. I disagree with him on many issues. But those don’t matter as much as what Obama offers, which is a deeply conservative view of the world. Nobody can read Obama’s books (which, it is worth noting, he wrote himself) or listen to him speak without realizing that this is a thoughtful, pragmatic, and prudent man. "
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POPSTNH: "Some things I know about moderating conversations in virtual space" It’s an inescapable truth that for some people, the most interesting way to participate in online discourse is to kick holes in the conversation. Others—many of them young, but some, alas, old enough to know better—have a sense of entitlement that leads them to believe that their having an opinion means the rest of us are obliged to listen to it. Still others plainly get off on verbally abusing others, and seek out conversations that will offer them opportunities to do so. Teresa Nielsen Hayden, who has been dubbed "the troll whisperer" for her moderation skills, on the dynamics of trolls and flamers, and how to moderate a discussion to encourage participation and discourage rudeness and abusive behavior.
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POPSLight - Directional, Reflected, and Refracted.. "The quality of light influences how we react to what we see, whether we’re looking at a landscape, a building, a person, a picture, whatever. Because the effect takes place on an almost subliminal level, most people go through life totally unaware of it happening"
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POPSCommunity Organizing at The Roots Meeks will inherit the blame.And Franks.And Clay. This turns my stomach! These people disgust me as never before. Sickening bastards! Listen to them today. Will these people be, seriously now, removed from office as Bush's last act, brought up on charges, and sentenced to penitentiary time!!!!!
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POPSJesus was a Community Organizer, Pilate was a Governor Thank you to my friend Daniel, who has done community organizing from Harlem to LA to Boston. Thank you to Biko Baker of League of Young Voters, who I once interviewed and was immediately impressed by. Thank you to Saul Alinsky, largely considered the father of community organizing (pictured above). Thank you to all of you I don't know, who every day, make the choice to listen to ordinary people's stories and help them link these stories into a template for honest-to-goodness social change. And, yes, thank you to Barack Obama, for making the choice to be a community organizer so many years ago and for continuing to be proud and loud about the importance of the role of the community organizer for our nation's well-being.
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POPSFannie Mae/Freddie Mac Warnings - 2004 Very clear who wanted to do what and who was blind. How people like B. Frank can look in the mirror is difficult to see when you listen to what he said then and yesterday.
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POPSHave You Been to Jail for Justice? Was it Cesar Chavez or Rosa Parks that day? Some say Dr. King or Gandhi Set them on their way No matter who your mentors are It’s pretty plain to see That if you’ve been to jail for justice You’re in good company! Have you been to jail for justice? I want to shake your hand ‘Cause sitting in and laying down Are ways to take a stand Have you sung a song for freedom Or marched that picket line? Have you been to jail for justice? Then you’re a friend of mine You law abiding citizens Come listen to this song Laws are made by people And people can be wrong Once unions were against the law But slavery was fine Women were denied the vote While children worked the mine The more you study history The less you can deny it A rotten law stays on the books ‘til folks with guts defy it!