tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776899.post115757655270988454..comments2024-03-06T03:15:58.539-05:00Comments on <b>THE NEW REFORM CLUB</b>: Protecting Our Freedom From Our DuopolyHunter Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14961831404331998743noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776899.post-1157759373473528112006-09-08T19:49:00.000-04:002006-09-08T19:49:00.000-04:00"James, learn to read."Francis, learn grammar. Lea..."James, learn to read."<BR/><BR/>Francis, learn grammar. Learn to love the ellipse (...). It is your friend when dealing with wordy fellows such as the two of us.James Elliotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06445250269435539393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776899.post-1157759215148522392006-09-08T19:46:00.000-04:002006-09-08T19:46:00.000-04:00Your response is "But that's not what I meant"? Be...Your response is "But that's not what I <I>meant</I>"? Because unless you're semantically redefining after the fact what you wrote ("Similarly, a lot of left-of-center types will pull the Democratic levers with a grimace, because of Democrats' clear unwillingness to fight the War Against Islamic Aggression without the French alongside them."), then the charge sticks.<BR/><BR/>Seriously, Mr. Porretto, you clearly haven't been reading my comments here at all if you want to call me a rabid leftist. Either that, or your definition of both rabid and leftist have stretched the terms beyond all rational meaning.<BR/><BR/>Tell me, aside from vehemently disagreeing with Right Wing fanatics afraid of every be-turbaned shadow, how have I demonstrated "rabid leftism." Or are you just engaging in the typical modern conservative conflation of leftism and liberalism that is so popular yet so intellectually vapid?James Elliotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06445250269435539393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776899.post-1157748301842369552006-09-08T16:45:00.000-04:002006-09-08T16:45:00.000-04:00James, learn to read. We have been strongly encour...James, <B><I>learn to read.</I></B> We have been strongly encouraged, exactly as I said, in the main by staunch Republican partisans. I did <B><I>not</I></B> say that it would necessarily be the course that would best promote that end.<BR/><BR/>Sheesh. Why do I bother? By now I should know better than to expect a rabid leftist ever to allow words their true meanings. No longer.<BR/><BR/>"I'm not deaf, I'm ignoring you."<BR/><BR/>(from a lapel button)Francis W. Porrettohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05862584203772592282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776899.post-1157744518010712382006-09-08T15:41:00.000-04:002006-09-08T15:41:00.000-04:00Here's a wild idea: if you're on the government do...<I>Here's a wild idea: if you're on the government dole, you cannot vote.</I><BR/><BR/>Oh for the love of Pete. "Classical liberal" my foot. As far as I'm concerned, this just demonstrates what a total mental illness contemporary conservatism is.<BR/><BR/>"We who consider the global anti-terrorism campaign to be the most important issue of our time have been strongly encouraged to return Republican officeholders to power..."<BR/><BR/>And you were doing so well. Here's a challenge for you: Give me substantive, in-context proof that any Democrat or liberal leader or politician, anywhere, doesn't agree on the strategic objective of combatting and defeating terrorism. Give me <I>proof</I> of what you assert. I want a justified list of what Democrats in particular have done that shows they aren't serious about the so-called war on terror.<BR/><BR/>I bet dollars to donuts that you can't.James Elliotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06445250269435539393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776899.post-1157653932515801862006-09-07T14:32:00.000-04:002006-09-07T14:32:00.000-04:00An educated public is even more important. The onl...<I>An educated public is even more important. The only way to achieve this, of course, is to end the government and union monopoly on public education and introduce competition into the educational field.</I><BR/><BR/>Ding ding ding ding ding! Don, please tell our contestant what he wins!<BR/><BR/>Here's a wild idea: if you're on the government dole, you cannot vote.Barry Vanhoffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04006891046091646808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776899.post-1157637641658474962006-09-07T10:00:00.000-04:002006-09-07T10:00:00.000-04:00The only hope for responsible government is (gulp)...The only hope for responsible government is (gulp) a responsible and interested public, starting with a competent press. I don’t really see how term limits or third parties would change things much, as they do nothing to discourage bad behavior.<BR/><BR/>Now projects like the PorkBusters campaign look interesting, as they are attempts to introduce transparency and shame into the process. But I don’t see it lasting, as too many Americans appreciate ‘their’ representative’s prowess in the vote buying game. Perhaps the best we can hope for is some improvement in the quality of what the government wastes our money on. Hmmm, could there be such a thing as <A HTTP://NATIONALHOGFARMER.COM/MAG/FARMING_QUALITYASSURED_PORK_REALLY/” HREF="”" REL="nofollow">Quality-Assured Pork</A>?Matt Huismanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09972662349345412127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776899.post-1157598989025260392006-09-06T23:16:00.000-04:002006-09-06T23:16:00.000-04:00The 3rd party in the UK, the Liberal Democrats, ar...The 3rd party in the UK, the Liberal Democrats, are "none of the above," and they're thoroughly useless.<BR/><BR/>I do find it interesting that the 2nd-place Conservative Party ("Tories"), being out of power and with whom you'd think I'd embrace uncritically, employ many of the same spurious criticisms of the Blair government as our Democrats use on the Bushies. Surely there's a dynamic operating here that has nothing to do with core beliefs.<BR/><BR/>I'd be a Blairite, despite the nearly-unanimous criticism in the UK (and I'm sure I'd agree, especially about his disgraceful nonresponse to the crisis of Swindon's railway service) over his performance on domestic issues.<BR/><BR/>I'd be in the minority there, too, but leadership of the free world (which looks like it's fit to belly-up and die about now), ain't as easy as criticizing it.<BR/><BR/>In fact, I might be forced to become a Guilianist, despite my disagreement with him on a myriad of issues, for just that reason.<BR/><BR/>I must vote "above," not "none of the."Tom Van Dykehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07121072404143877596noreply@blogger.com