Motley Moose – Archive

Just for overflow since the other threads are getting long and heading toward confusing-ish.

Yammer on if awake and bored.

So wonders the guy from VI.  

Easy answer. This guy:

Good luck though, Tony Bagels is legit.

Just the other night, I found myself having to shuffle some stuff around in my garage. You know, making a path to make room for other stuff. Anyway, after I accidentally broke some pottery, I happened across this poem I wrote a long time ago. It was written all at once, in a flood of words, and remains as-was, that is to say unedited, and unrevised.

I remember liking it at the time, but I was traveling when the poem happened, and I lost the scrap it was scrawled on within a few days. As they years marched by, I forgot all of it — save the title and the last two lines. I’m not sure how I feel about it now. I can’t interpret it. Nor do I know what inspired it, so it’s a lot like the writing of a stranger to me. Odd that. If you feel like reading it, come on over the fold.  

Game on: as the Romney campaign shifts gears from the battering and often baffling GOP primaries to a kinder and more moderate friendly (lulz) general election campaign, I’ve been beginning to pay more attention. While watching a candidate who’s held more positions than the unabridged Kama Sutra try to move toward some semblance of sanity is the height of political entertainment for me, I’ve got to say this ‘bracket and prebuttal‘ strategy they’re employing gives me a robust chuckle.

To beat a sitting president, you first have to chase him around the country.

At least that’s the operating theory at Mitt Romney’s campaign headquarters, where aides are unleashing a new strategy to combat President Obama at his campaign stops and to even adopt Obama’s itinerary as their own.

With the general election campaign in full swing, the presumptive Republican nominee plans to stage “prebuttal” and “rebuttal” speeches to Obama designed to try to force the president on the defensive.

Prebuttal? SRSLY?

When Romney’s staff moved out of its office in Iowa after a virtual tie in the caucuses in January, the Obama campaign opened an office in Romney’s vacant headquarters.

Now, that’s how you prebut. Welcome to the Big Leagues, Mitt.

While whiling away a late-March Saturday afternoon, I came across these results from a political compass quiz. The results seem to indicate more progressive participants than conservative ones. This makes some results stand out as a bit eyeopening. See if you can spot the ones that seem out of whack.

Currently, after 117538 submissions, the average Conservative/Progressive score is 6.04, the average Capitalist Purist/Social Capitalist score is 6.79, the average Libertarian/Authoritarian score is 5.58, and the average Pacifist/Militarist score is 4.43

1. Are our gun control laws too strict? – 27% said yes, 73% said no

2. Should gay marriage be legalized? – 66% said yes, 34% said no

3. Should we consider invading Iran? – 23% said yes, 77% said no

4. Should intelligent design be taught in public schools alongside evolution? – 52% said yes, 48% said no

5. Does the US need a system of universal health care? – 61% said yes, 39% said no

6. Should marijuana be legalized? – 58% said yes, 42% said no

7. Should we repeal [or substantially change] the Patriot Act? – 56% said yes, 44% said no

8. Does the US have a right to stop countries we do not trust from getting weapons? – 50% said yes, 50% said no

9. Should we end (or reduce the use of) the death penalty? – 40% said yes, 60% said no

10. Should there be a higher minimum wage? – 68% said yes, 32% said no

11. Does affirmative action do more harm than good? – 62% said yes, 38% said no

12. Is the United States spending too much money on defense? – 56% said yes, 44% said no

13. Should embryonic stem cell research be funded by the government? – 59% said yes, 41% said no

14. Should flag burning be legal? – 43% said yes, 57% said no

15. Should all people (rich and poor) pay fewer taxes? – 58% said yes, 42% said no

16. Should the US begin withdrawing from Iraq? – 80% said yes, 20% said no

17. Is it sometimes justified to wiretap US citizens without a warrant? – 34% said yes, 66% said no

18. Should the government be involved in reducing the amount of violence/pornography in tv/movies/games/etc? – 25% said yes, 75% said no

19. Should the United States only start a war if there is an imminent threat of being attacked ourselves? – 77% said yes, 23% said no

20. Should stopping illegal immigration be one of our top priorities? – 56% said yes, 44% said no

21. Is outsourcing of American jobs justified if it allows for cheaper goods? – 28% said yes, 72% said no

22. Are all abortions unethical? [with the exception of risk to mother’s health] – 37% said yes, 63% said no

23. Should social security be privatized? – 56% said yes, 44% said no

24. Should the United States ever go to war even if the UN is against it? – 50% said yes, 50% said no

In a few hours President Obama will deliver his third State of the Union address.  An incisive thought:

The one thing America does not need to hear tonight is that we are a great people who need only remember all those glorious things we have in common, etc. etc., wha-dee-doo-dah. We are not a great people. Not in the way we treat ourselves in our politics, anyway. We are frightened. We lash out. We kick the country as though it were a lawnmower that won’t start. In 2010, just as the president and his administration managed to lift their heads above the brim of the ditch in which their predeceesors had dumped the country, We, The People elected the most retrograde, brick-stupid, poo-flinging monkeyhouse of a House of Representatives in the history of the Republic.

Charles P Pierce The State of the Union Is Angry Esquire 24 Jan 12

Hard to argue with.  This speech will set the frame for the remainder of Obama’s first term and the posture Democrats adopt for the vital upcoming election.  How’s he doing?

In other words, North Korea’s Kim Jong-il has died. Dead. Bought farm, bit dust, cashed in, shuffled coil, croaked, given up the ghost, dirt nap, big sleep, teats up, sleeping with fishes, joined the choir invisible, pushing daisies, belly up, departed, boarded death’s little black train, danced last dance, worm food dead.

…and the world just got a little bit better for it. Is the heir equally as squirrel-turd nutty as Dear Leader? I guess we’ll find out soon enough.  Jump the flip for some lulz trivia about Kim Jong-il.  Otherwise, it’s an OPEN THREAD, so knock yourself out.

Moose are tearin’ through the Open Threads! Here is another one to play in. For at least the near future, we will try to keep a fresh one up every 200 comments or so.

A hearty welcome to all newcomers. Whether you are visiting just for a week, or have landed here in search of new digs, make yourself at home. Threads are filling up fast, and I’m having trouble keeping up with everyone. Sorry I’m not doing a good job of greeting everyone individually, but there seem to be quite a few of you – which is altogether rather delightful! I think I can speak for everyone here, moose new and old, when I say that we are thrilled to see each and every one of you.  

Approaching 200 in the other thread too, and some of our computers don’t handle loads of comments on Moose so well.

Be you visitor or resident — young or old — new or seasoned moose…

Carry on. 😉

Other thread was getting a bit crowded.

Carry on.