Random's Blog

Random recommended Why you should vote McCain '08 . . . by Random

2008-10-18T00:44:46Z

Random Commented on Franken Legal Team To Coleman: You Dug Your Own Grave, Buddy by Eric Kleefeld

2009-01-29T09:18:40Z

I can't read Coleman's mind, for god's sake who would want to?, but I suspect his "example" would go something like this:

1) Franken, when he was behind in the count, demanded that every eligible vote be counted.

2) Votes were counted.

3) Now that Franken is up, he doesn't want any more votes counted.

Which is completely irrelevant, not to mention disingenuous. That isn't what the Franken camp is saying, and Coleman knows it. Coleman agreed to a set of rules, and now that those rules bit him in the ass, he is reversing course and arguing FOR all the things he once argued AGAINST, while simultaneously accusing Franken of being the back-tracking hypocrite. Pathetic.

I used to think Republican lies were just a cynical tactic they felt would always work out in their favor. Now I am convinced that the vast majority of them are absolutely clueless how stupid they sound. The sad thing is is that so many of them are lawyers; don't law students have to take a mandatory course in logic and reasoning? Have they ever even heard of a "fallacy"?

Random Commented on The Problem With Liberal Bloggers by Tim Fuller

2009-01-26T04:52:51Z

Hey Tim, I have a few suggestions, if you are using Firefox.

1) You can use the Adblock Plus extension to block any webpage element with an "undesireables" name in the URL. It's a good way to remove pictures of Darth Cheney so you don't have to look at him as often, though you can get some false-positives depending on the filter term.

2) You may even be able to get Adblock Plus to block entire pages based on words in the URL, so that a blog entry with "hannity" in it will prevent the entire page from loading.

3) Use the extension FoxReplace to change the real name of any wingnut asshat with any other word or phrase of your choice. Again, you can get some false positives, but it's fun nonetheless.

Random Commented on Good Eatin' by clearthinker

2009-01-09T01:03:18Z

It was my Flash plugin, that last update must have flubbed. Had to uninstall and reinstall three times before it would work. Never had that happen before.

Chrome sucks. It's a memory hog way worse than Firefox 3 (which, for me at least, is way worse than FF2). I like Google, and I hope Chrome improves, but nothing can top the extensibility of FF.

Random Commented on Good Eatin' by clearthinker

2009-01-08T23:46:37Z

Are you by chance using Firefox 3 on a Windows XP machine? I am not getting sound on any web-based player, and haven't been for, oh, a few weeks at least. It's really pissing me off . . .

Random Commented on President-elect Obama Suggests Defaulting on the National Debt by Dean Baker

2009-01-08T23:20:44Z

MiddleClassBill only thinks about himself, and doesn't care to realize that current retires, and a good number that will retire for the next quarter century, can't even send an email let alone manage a privatized social security account, and that's not even taking into consideration the older retirees (now and in the future) who begin having a hard time managing their day to day lives. Things start slipping in old age, and should be a time to relax, let others take care of you, and not a time to try your hand in the stock market. Oh, and then there's the fact that most people are really bad at personal savings, anyway, which is why Social Security is around in the first place. If everyone put away money responsibly, SS would not be needed. But people don't. If they have the money, they spend the money. That's how our economy works, that's what people have been trained to do since childhood, and that's why the Gov't sends out "stimulus" checks when the economy tanks. Privatized social security is all sorts of stupid.

Random Commented on Acknowledge the Problem! by clearthinker

2009-01-08T20:06:06Z

opps. I mean, "ad nauseam." I always spell that wrong, and I always forget to spell check it . . .

Random Commented on Acknowledge the Problem! by clearthinker

2009-01-08T20:04:42Z

Not a problem, I've enjoyed the thread.

Random Commented on The Clock is Ticking... by Elana Schor

2009-01-08T07:45:29Z

From the LA Times article above:

Republicans also want Obama to consult them in crafting the bill -- something they contend hasn't happened yet.
"They've not contacted us about putting together this package," said Michael Steel, a spokesman for House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio).

Now why, for the love of god, would anyone in his or her right mind consult those monkeys on ANYTHING to do with the economy? Seriously? After the last eight years, and the current meltdown that they are largely responsible for, they should, and hopefully will be, the very last source of economic wisdom for some time to come.

Random Commented on The Clock is Ticking... by Elana Schor

2009-01-08T07:34:14Z

Amen to that. Obama makes Bill Clinton look like Senior Class President.

Random Commented on The Clock is Ticking... by Elana Schor

2009-01-08T07:25:10Z

That would be a shame if you are right. The stimulus plan could be a legacy moment -- in the first weeks of office. Not many chances like this come along for a President. A pressing national need, a President bringing all parties to the table, a decision that will resonate through the century.

Health care, on the other hand, will be political driftwood before it even gets started. Too many people are monetarily invested in the current system to allow it to change, and too many people are ideologically invested in opposing nationalized health care to see any change work. Any health care plan passed will be handicapped if not fatally crippled. It would be amazing if anything passed is better than what we've got (a pretty low standard, to be sure), and will definitely be a far cry from the working solutions in Europe.

That is, of course, unless Obama really is as good was we think he is. That would be great.

Random Commented on The Clock is Ticking... by Elana Schor

2009-01-08T07:11:59Z

I don't think so. I see this as a ploy to keep the clock running until all Dems are seated in the Senate. Just a guess, but that's how I read it. Those extra two seats may end up being important, especially if that idiot Lieberman balks at the stimulus plan, and those two seats may not be coming any time soon. Yes, the Dems still hold a majority, but you can bet your bottom dollar the Republicans will filibuster anything that comes into the chamber.

I am disappointed about the tax cuts however. I am hoping those are just a token of good will that won't make it into the bill. Any cuts now will make it that much harder to increase taxes down the road, which he will surely have to do to fund his other programs.

Random Commented on Democrats Blow It Every Time by coonsey

2009-01-08T06:59:55Z

I disagree with your account of Blago. He picked Burris, by all accounts an honorable man, to save his own political ass. It just had the unpleasant side-effect of making the Dems look bad, mostly because they fear their own collective shadow.

Which is why I thought Obama made a bad decision asking Blago to step down, and saying the Senate Dems should block ANY appointment -- as a lawyer, Obama should have respected that an allegation is not a conviction, and moral grandstanding would 1) bite all concerned in the ass, and 2) give the Republicans a mallet to beat them on the head with. Anyone else notice the Republicans have been rather silent on Blago and Burris? That's because they haven't had to say boo. The Dems have done all the leg work for them.

Now Richardson withdrew from Commerce without so much as a token fight, so as not to appear improprietous. You can bet the Republicans are taking notes, seeing the Dems cowering in the corner at the slightest hint of controversy, and they will be manufacturing controversy for the next four years to stymie the Dems every move.

The rest of these fools should have been paying attention to Obama's campaign. He didn't back down from a fight, and let controversy blow past him like a pleasant summer breeze. The rest, however, blow everything out of proportion and feign outrage at ketchup on the floor. They do, truly, blow it every time.

Random Commented on Acknowledge the Problem! by clearthinker

2009-01-08T03:17:27Z

The day Ann Coulter realizes that the problem with the country is people like Ann Coulter, then we are getting somewhere . . .

Random Commented on Acknowledge the Problem! by clearthinker

2009-01-08T02:49:43Z

Oh crap. Not this again. The mad professor wants to convert to his population argument... Which ignores the core problem whic is: efficiency.

Wrong. Efficiency is NOT the core problem. Increase efficiency and all you have done is give the planet a little breathing room, operative word being "little." What will happen in this instance, as has happened over the last several millennia of increased efficiency, is population will continue to rise -- because it has no reason not to -- to the point of once again straining resources/environment/food supply, etc. At which point some genius like you will come along and say "hey, all we have to do is increase efficiency." Lather, rinse, repeat.

Listen people, we have been increasing efficiency for our entire history. That is the problem, and that, in a nutshell, is the story of Homo sapiens. From Hunter/Gatherers to farmers to merchants to bankers. From wood to coal to oil to nuclear. There are only so many acres to cut down for farms, only so much production that can be gained from pesticides and fertilizers. Only so much air and water to pollute. At some point, you hit a wall; that wall can be extended through "efficiency", but it can only be extended so far.

The Earth is a limited, closed system which we live IN, not ON. Is that so hard to understand? Plants are the most efficient organic energy producers in the known universe, and even they are limited in extent. Humans have not, and will not for a long, long time (if ever), match the energy efficiency of plants. In fact, we rely on the efficiency of plants in everything we do (from the oxygen we breath, to the oil we burn). Efficiency is not the answer, but our belief that we can always improve efficiency is certainly part of the problem, as this thread has aptly demonstrated.

The core problem is that which, once removed, relieves all the dependent stresses down the line. Remove the problem of inefficiency and what you get is more people-capacity, which eventually results in more stress, which requires more efficiency to fix, which leads to more people-capacity, which leads to . . . etc, etc, ad naseum. Remove the people, however (the excess people, anyway), and you remove the headlong rush toward oblivion.

Random Commented on Acknowledge the Problem! by clearthinker

2009-01-08T01:19:58Z

Ok, I decided to not be quite so lazy, and did some searching myself. Wikipedia has an article on Hot Dry Rock geothermal energy.

They list five facilities, including one in the United States, two of which are operational (France and Germany). The two that are operational are demonstration plants producing 1.5 and 3MWs. Not much, but if it proves the point . . .

Also, two are being drilled in Australia, one expected to produce up to 500MW. Compare that to coal, where a 500MW plant will feed 250 TONS of coal per hour to the furnace.

Random Commented on Acknowledge the Problem! by clearthinker

2009-01-08T01:16:59Z

Ok, I decided to not be quite so lazy, and did some searching myself. Wikipedia has an article on Hot Dry Rock geothermal energy. The list five facilities, including one in the United States, two of which are operational (France and Germany). The two that are operational are demonstration plants producing 1.5 and 3MWs . . . not much, but if it proves the point . . . Two are being drilled in Australia, one expected to produce up to 500MW. Compare that to coal, where a 500MW plant will feed 250 TONS of coal per hour to the furnace.

Random Commented on Acknowledge the Problem! by clearthinker

2009-01-08T01:01:16Z

Partially. Hot Rock is a branch of Geothermal, but I don't think it is used yet anywhere in the world. Current geothermal requires a heat source very near the surface, which limits it's use to active geothermal areas, Hot Rock, on the other hand, starts by drilling down to find hot granite, 200 degrees Celsius or higher. A first hole is drilled, then water is pumped down the hole under pressure, which splits the granite along pre-existing fractures. A second hole is drilled at a distance from the first (along the fracture), from which steam will rise. The entire system is on a closed loop, with water pumped down one end, steam rising and powering turbines at the other, and the steam re-condensing in a long series of cooling loops on it's way back to the water-pump end.

The beauty of this system is that, once installed, it is emissions-free. No trucks are needed to transport coal or oil to the site, or transport waste away. The only "waste" generated is steam, which is reused continuously. In the event of a leak, the only thing that is leaked to the environment is . . .water. The plants of course can be hooked into the existing energy grid, or new grids can sprout up around them. The plants would produce energy 24hrs/day for the life of the plant, and the plants can be installed anywhere that hot rocks can be drilled to economically (most of the surface of the planet, since 200C is fairly easy to achieve).

The only downside is the life of the plant, which depends on the heat of the rocks, but probably half a century or more. That's a minor drawback, really. We are drilling for fresh oil all the time. Drilling a new Hot Rock plant every 50 years seems trivial in comparison.

Another concern (though I don't recall this being addressed in the article I read) would be earthquakes, but I can't see how they would be very large or threatening so long as you steer clear of seismically active areas.

Please note, I am no expert on this. I am recalling this from an article in Skeptical Inquirer I read 6-7 months ago, but their discussion forum, which tends to be vigorous, had nothing negative to say about the article in the months that followed (if you try to pass off crap to a bunch of skeptics, you are likely to get roundly trounced). Do a Google search for Hot Rock geothermal and see what comes up, or check Wikipedia.

Random Commented on Acknowledge the Problem! by clearthinker

2009-01-07T21:34:21Z

CT, as I was reading your original post my mind started to wander, as it always does when people start yammering about the same old "reduce your use" so-called environmental rhetoric. Well, "wandering" isn't exactly right; rather, my mind was screaming "BUT CONSUMPTION ISN'T THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM, IDIOT!!" The problem, of course, is too friggin' many people, and I was pleasantly surprised that you took it there. Few people are willing to even consider population size (and growth) at the heart of our troubles, and even fewer are willing to propose population controls as a means of curing our ills.

That said, population growth is not going to be curtailed any time soon. The conversation needs to begin, in earnest, immediately, and it needs to become ingrained in the next generation's collective head. In the meantime, however, "alternatives" to population control need to be enacted, such as alternative energy sources and consumption reduction.

I agree that wind energy is not the answer, and am pessimistic about the current push for it's expansion. It is telling that one of wind's biggest advocates is an oil barron with his hands in the cookie jar. There are better alternatives. Solar is a good start, but the technology needs major advances to increase efficiency (for cloudy days and long nights) and reduce cost. I have heard little about "hot rock" energy, though it seems promising, efficient, and green, and existing oil drills can be used to drill the holes needed to pump the water and collect the steam. The benefit of "hot rock" over solar is that it can be used anywhere, does not succumb to local weather uncertainties, and the technology exists to implement it NOW. Next Generation nuclear plants should also be considered. They are safer than the current generation, and much more energy efficient. The waste from the current facilities has a lot of potential energy left in it; next generation plants can use that "waste" as fuel, reducing the amount destined for storage.

With better energy technologies and a earth-friendly mindset, future generations (containing fewer people) will have a much higher standard of living than we do today.

Random Commented on Where Are Supporters for Social Security Privatization Now? by coonsey

2009-01-07T18:56:35Z

Answer: They are still there, just keeping their mouths shut. The people who wanted SS privatized would have made a killing regardless of the current economic decline, and would have had more personal wealth to pad their own losses. You can be sure that, once the markets claw their way back to full recovery, those same greedy shits will be back as if nothing happened to ruin thousands of middle and lower class people's lives.

Random Commented on Sarah Palin: Blast From The Past by Zachary Roth

2008-12-27T04:25:32Z

Now that is simply unnecessary.

Leave the lipstick out of it, please . . .

Random Commented on For Bush, "proper" pardons only. by Matthew Stavros

2008-12-26T20:59:00Z

The law needs to be re-written. It would not be so bad if the President was prohibited from pardoning anyone for any crime the President my be connected to (so POTUS could not pardon his/her own political appointees, relatives, contributors, etc.), prohibited from pardoning any publicly elected official (corrupt congressman need not apply, nor should former Presidents), and prohibited from pardoning a public servant who violates the public trust (e.g. crooked cops). Certain things should be beyond redemption; I consider the above three examples borderline treason.

Random Commented on His Only Begotten Son by Tim Fuller

2008-12-26T20:43:48Z

They have not gotten around to it yet. To many other holes they are trying to batch . . .

Random Commented on Obama Team Releases Blago Report by Eric Kleefeld

2008-12-24T07:15:00Z

What the hell did you just say? If you are going to be cutesy, at least make sense . . .

Random Commented on Rick Warren Loves Him Some Gays! Or... How the Hell Do I Square This? by loki

2008-12-23T23:51:09Z

Funny, I don't recall ever saying you were attention seeking. Let's be honest though, everyone that posts on a blog, or anywhere really, is seeking some attention, including me. We don't post hoping that nobody notices. But you give no impression of desperately craving attention, which is why I never once said, in my original comment, that you were.

I think you are genuinely pissed off, and like I said that is fine. My objections were 1) your sense of entitlement - that you feel justified being mad or even disappointment that Obama is not doing things 100% your way after you worked so hard to get him elected - 2) your stated belief that everyone else should feel just as indignant as you do, and 3) anyone who disagrees is just "rationalizing".

The first two seem to be overly common, everyone expects perfection from the man. The third is what got me to comment. By dismissing every other argument as a "rationalization", you diminish everyone else's intelligence and discount their opinion as irrelevant.

Instead of placing a blanket of "rationalization" on all opposing claims and telling us we should be as pissed as you are, why don't you instead give a detailed analysis on WHY we should be outraged about Hillary, Gates or Warren?

Instead of analysis and content we get your highly-subjective personal opinion, which is one thing, but then we get insulted by being informed that in our heart of hearts we ALL feel this way, we're just too stupid to realize it. Please. The condescension would be bad enough if it hadn't been followed by such a blatant sense of entitlement disguised as empathy for a common plight. Again, get over yourself. Lots of people worked hard to get Obama elected, none more so than the man himself, so he owes you nothing, he need not lend credence to your opinions of who is and is not worthy or qualified. Likewise, not everyone here at TPM agrees with your position, and it is insulting to presume that those who do not don't know what they are talking about (by saying that we "rationalize").

Random Commented on Rick Warren Loves Him Some Gays! Or... How the Hell Do I Square This? by loki

2008-12-23T12:12:32Z

I adore the sense of entitlement so many on the Left feel following the Obama win. Loki, you seem to believe Obama should do absolutely everything you would do, while demanding that everyone else be as indignant as you that Obama is NOT doing as you would do. The President-elect is obviously a great failure, so perhaps we should impeach him for violating your pristine sensibilities. Or, here is a better idea: get over yourself. Seriously, get over yourself.

Did you ever consider that what you are hearing are not "rationalizations", but solid, supportable answers? Why should we be upset that Hillary is to be SecState? Or that Gates is retained at Defense? Or, for that matter, that Warren will give the invocation at the inauguration? It is fine that you are upset. It is fine that others are upset for the same and/or different reasons. Obama is only human, as are we, so it is impossible for him to please everyone. That is a given. It is also a given that some will praise everything Obama does, because they are fish swimming in the school. Whatever, if that is how they want to be, let them be. But it is also a given that some of the people who are NOT outraged at Obama are not outraged because they have nothing to be outraged about.

I would have voted for Hillary (though I preferred Obama); therefore Hillary's appointment does not bother me. I am not a Clinton hater. There are a lot of other Clinton non-haters. Clinton non-haters are not bothered by Hillary's appointment, for the simple fact that they do not hate the Clinton's in general, nor Hillary in particular. That is not a rationalization, much as you want it to be.

Gates has not done a bad job. Some would argue that he as done a good job. He is also liked at the Pentagon, which is not always the case with Defense Secretaries. In the middle of a war that a lot of people on both sides are passionate about, a bit of stability in a time of instability (i.e. a Presidential passing of the keys) is a good thing. As much as you think Gates should get the boot for no other reason than "that other guy" appointed him, there is no good reason why he SHOULD go, and a lot of good reasons why he should stay. That is not a "rationalization". Deal with it.

Personally, I could not care less about Rick Warren. As a life-long atheist of great conscience, I have zero respect for any religion or any religious person's beliefs (I can respect the person, but not the fantasy). There is no preacher, pastor, minister, imam, rabbi, bishop, cardinal or pope who should be allowed to speak on matters on consequence, because as long as they are speaking through fantasy they may as well be speaking through their ass. Do I find Warren offensive? Oh, you bet. But nor more so than any other religious leader who uses their own personal delusions in the guise of godliness to pass judgment or sway policy. You may not like Warren, lots of people do not like Warren (myself included), but there is no member of the clergy who is any less offensive. An invocation (i.e. a prayer asking for god's assistance) at the Presidential inauguration in a secular nation with a legally established separation of church and state is an insult to the Constitution. No amount of lipstick is going to make that pig look pretty, so please let's stop pissing and moaning about the choice, when the existence of the invocation is the greater issue. It is not that Warren is a bad choice so much as the invocation itself is a bad choice. So, for the love of god (HA!), STFU already. Most of us are tired of listening to your self-righteous, indignant entitlement rants.

Random Commented on Iraqi throws shoes at Bush - Nobody Cares by thepeoplechoose

2008-12-15T08:08:43Z

I can't really feel sorry for Bush. This is the guy who said, without a trace of irony, that he survived eight years of Washington with his principles intact. Were he prone to self-analysis he maybe would have realized that it is those very same principles that make him such an asshat. Given the lack of self-analysis, he will probably consider being called a dog and having a shoe chucked at him one of the highlights of his Presidency. Years from now, when he is barely able to move, he will replay the tapes and smile with glee at his youthful (and admittedly rather speedy) reaction time. Whatever. How many more days?

Random Commented on Is it me or does the AP have some subtle "hackery" going on? by theone718

2008-12-14T20:50:36Z

Comments on "experience" are a joke. They presume that the commenter has the experience to judge, yet the only people qualified to judge Obama's experience to be President are . . .former Presidents. What the hell does a AP hack know about being President? Anything? Doubtful. They are too busy drumming up the next big controversy, or pre-thinking a cool, catchy phrase for the next scary viral outbreak.

I'll take competence and intelligence over experience any day, and Obama has displayed the first two in spades.

The AP sounds like they don't realize the campaign is over. They keep repeating Republican talking points as if anyone cares.

Random Commented on Complaints rain down from the left on Alessandra "Baby Dowd" Stanley by truthseeker77

2008-12-06T06:00:58Z

My guess is either confirmation bias (i.e., a couple other people agreed w/her and she discounted everyone else) or the intense desire and pressure to get the "scoop".

Hell, it is already happening with Caroline Kennedy. Just because her name was mentioned, basically in passing, all of a sudden everyone is saying "Caroline Kennedy could get Hillary's seat."

Random Commented on TPMtv: STONE ZONE, Part II by Ben Craw

2008-12-05T00:11:53Z

It is not your ad blocker. These vids do not work on any version of Firefox, and the editors of TPM either do not know this or do not care. Guess they love Microsoft too much to work with the #2 browser in the world . . .