My understanding was the ACORN workers get paid per person they sign up, so some unscrupulous employees make up names.

I haven't heard anything about an actual plan to enroll fake people and then go vote at multiple polling places as one of the fake people. I would think you would need at least a couple hundred people taking part in such a conspiracy to make it work -- and then only in an extreme case like Florida 2000.

The states using all sorts of unaccountable methods to remove thousands of registered voters from the rolls will have a much, much larger effect. They are removing tens of thousands of names!

Which as Northguy points out is exactly what happened in Florida 2000.

the money and weapons and control structure didn't just materialize out of thin air.

Good point, Lipzoidial. Al-Qaeda wouldn't exist if it weren't for the money and weapons Ronnie Raygun gave them to fight off the Russians 25 years ago.

That sure turned out to be a wise investment, wouldn't you agree?

Tosser - I have a few garments Made in India.

I work with a bunch of guys from Tata Consultancy Services at a large tech company. Do they count?

:)

FYI wrote: Interesting how "made in China" is fast becoming synonomous with "made to fail". But I guess that just shows that you get what you pay for.

"Made to fail" is the natural outcome of our "cheaper" disposable economy.

Why bother building products that last? It's better for the economy if you have to replace items frequently.

Isn't it?

Well I hope the EFF wins or at least some more evidence of what's been going on comes to light.

I'm not sure about the WWII analogies, sniper. You're equating a global conflict involving every industriazlied nation on earth with 20 guys who hijacked some planes? Really?

Additionally, the "technical know-how" on how to do this is pretty obvious.
1. Allow PNAC "Pearl Harbor level event" to occur.
2. Use the resulting panic and fear in people like sniper as your justification to ignore the Constitution and the FISA courts.

That's why we have TCAS.

You might have been lucky that you were already out over the ocean, Roy B. The cargo plane that hit the Russian charter jet in 2002 did so because ATC countermanded the suggestion of TCAS II and flew the planes into each other.

Rightwingdon: Canada's parasitic reliance on America's prosperity

Clearly you haven't read NAFTA too closely.

So it's worth wathcing Hillary's speech then?

It's sort of weird how many MILFs she has in her corner. Don't they want some black cock too?

Some trolls demand gold. Other times, they've been known to stubbornly insist on an economics lesson:

What's the net worth cut-off for "middle class"?
Posted by Pinche_Mao at 2008-08-27 12:44 AM

What's the net worth cut-off for "middle class"?
Posted by Pinche_Mao at 2008-08-27 12:51 AM

What's the net worth cut-off for "middle class"?
Posted by Pinche_Mao at 2008-08-27 01:01 AM

What's the net worth cut-off for "middle class"?
Posted by Pinche_Mao at 2008-08-27 01:10 AM

What's the net worth cut-off for "middle class", Francis?
Posted by Pinche_Mao at 2008-08-27 01:12 AM

What's the net worth cut-off for "middle class"?
Posted by Pinche_Mao at 2008-08-27 01:13 AM

So what's the net worth cut-off for "middle class"?
Posted by Pinche_Mao at 2008-08-27 01:27 AM

You're correct, Bushlover.

When Bush I ran that Willie Horton ad, that was definitely the left bringing up race.

You're not too good at thinking, are you, Bushlover?

Johnson, just admit you're racist, it's a lot classier than trying to use some scientific goobly-gob to rationalize your completely

If you maintain that black people are as capable as others, then end all preference programs, set-asides, and the like. The opportunity for blacks has certainly been in place a sufficient length of time for them to either have fished or cut bait.

What's the basis for that statement?

A quick review of history reveals that blacks have existed on this continent as slaves for 200 years, lived in segregation for the next 100, and have achieved legal equality -- on paper at least -- in just the past 50 years.

Let's put your offspring (if you have regrettably managed to breed) in those circumstances and check on them in 2350. You think they'll test as well as whites?

Can you actually possibly believe your pseudo-intellectual goobly-gob rationalization that blacks are stupid?

The crux of your case is this: Management hired unqualified workers, and somehow the inability of those workers to perform the tasks they were hired to do proves the laziness, nay, genetic inferiority of blacks.

You wrote "How to create a functioning community that can absorb the cost of maintaining such a dual system is a serious problem." Sounds like you think a return to slavery and segregation might be a serious solution.

To sum up, you're a twit. (Feel free to substitute a different vowel between the "w" and the "t.")

When I read the headline I thought American troops rescued a hostage being held by "the enemy" (whoever that is).

It should really read "U.S. Forces Imprison AP Cameraman For Three Months, No Charges Filed."

Johnson wrote:
The priests, who were members of the Catholic Church, who engaged in molestation of children, were not acting consonant with church doctrine. They were acting contrary to the dictates of the church, and their behavior in no way reflected the beliefs set forth by the church itself.

Is it okay if we replace "priests" with "hijackers" and "Catholic Church" with "Islamic faith?"

Freedom? Sorry, that's only for whites.

Sorry about stealing your country. Not sorry enough to give it back.

Drug companies were the darlings of Wall Street for pretty much the entire Clinton era. Looks like they want to stage a comeback.

It makes sense for them to try to establish higher prices before the Baby Boomers retire and the number of "old people" drugs being prescribed skyrockets.

It's also a good hedge move to establish a high price floor in case Barack Saddam Hussein bin Laden gets in and tries something funny with health care, like Hillary did. Gee, it was right around that time when pharma went through the roof...

The drug companies are basically gearing up for a "flaw" in the system. They directly market their products to both prescriber and taker, but Medicaid does the paying.

It's a simple case of government extortion for private gain; Corporate Welfare as it's always been.

(In case anybody didn't understand that last sentence, government is "extorting" you with taxes and passing the money on to the pharmaceutical companies in the form of Medicaid prescription expenditures.)

***

I thought Jeff in Denmark's advice was sound, but I still want some of whatever he's smoking. Grow me some coffee while you're at it please. :)

I don't agree with a life in prison charge if s/he hasn't killed or seriously injured anyone.

Certainly drunk driving is bad, but no crime is worth life in prison if your crime didn't ruin somebody else's life.

"Vampire bats are very adaptable," Rupprecht said. And when their roosts are disrupted or their normal prey grow scarce, "Homo sapiens is a pretty easy meal."

Ain't that the truth.

Mantini-Briggs, a Venezuelan former health official, said she was surprised to find many Warao villages now have cats -- a new development.

The Warao show signs of adapting too. I'd rather have a cat than a rabies shot.

I remember when they shot down* that F-117, they** had t-shirts "Only Radavan Karadzic is invisible."

I don't support the death penalty. Is Spandau still available?

* F-117 supposedly crashed due to mechanical failure, not enemy action.

** serbs? bosnians? bosnian serbs? no clue.

Let me see if I got this right:

Lebanon, 1983. Marine Barracks bombing probably orchestrated by Iran kills 241 American soldiers.

Clinton's fault!

I read both letters. The difference is that Obama is talking about Iraq, while McCain is talking about Obama.

I agree with the NYT in that a similar editorial from McCain discussing Iraq is what's needed.

rcade didn't agree that "the end justifies the means," "You can't conduct military operations in the guise of a relief organization. It's a terrible precedent to break, no matter how worthy the cause."

The real Red Cross learned that lesson the hard way in Baghdad about five years ago.