:: blame the extended gestation.... ::

:: Saturday, November 26, 2005 ::

Went to see "Ushpizin" last night at the Crest. I thought it was really good.

:: Jim Nichols 11/26/2005 08:25:00 PM [+] ::
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The Bush administration cracks

:: Jim Nichols 11/26/2005 08:09:00 PM [+] ::
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statistics on gay couples in the Netherlands

:: Jim Nichols 11/26/2005 04:36:00 PM [+] ::
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Another Pro-war Representative says the war was a mistake.

:: Jim Nichols 11/25/2005 06:27:00 PM [+] ::
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"I celebrated Thanksgiving in an old-fashioned way. I invited everyone in my family over to my house, we had an enormous feast, and then I killed them and took their land." --Jon Stewart

:: Jim Nichols 11/25/2005 05:23:00 PM [+] ::
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I call it Genocide Day but if you want to celebrate heres my favorite Thanksgiving poem

William Burroughs Thanksgiving Prayer

Thanks for the wild turkey and
the passenger pigeons, destined
to be shit out through wholesome
American guts.


Thanks for a continent to despoil
and poison.

Thanks for Indians to provide a
modicum of challenge and
danger.

Thanks for vast herds of bison to
kill and skin leaving the
carcasses to rot.

Thanks for bounties on wolves
and coyotes.

Thanks for the American dream,
To vulgarize and to falsify until
the bare lies shine through.

Thanks for the KKK.

For nigger-killin' lawmen,
feelin' their notches.

For decent church-goin' women,
with their mean, pinched, bitter,
evil faces.

Thanks for "Kill a Queer for
Christ" stickers.

Thanks for laboratory AIDS.

Thanks for Prohibition and the
war against drugs.

Thanks for a country where
nobody's allowed to mind the
own business.

Thanks for a nation of finks.

Yes, thanks for all the
memories-- all right let's see
your arms!

You always were a headache and
you always were a bore.

Thanks for the last and greatest
betrayal of the last and greatest
of human dreams.

:: Jim Nichols 11/24/2005 05:12:00 PM [+] ::
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Blogs in China

:: Jim Nichols 11/23/2005 07:48:00 PM [+] ::
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Kerry did jury duty

:: Jim Nichols 11/23/2005 05:07:00 PM [+] ::
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New York Times article which hits the nail on the head

At a time when opposition to the war is growing, the white phosphorus issue has reinforced the worst suspicions about American actions.

America has bungled the Iraq war with its inadequate troop levels, its fucked up the war on terrorism with its treatment of prisoners, and now its screwing up on the question of weapon use.

:: Jim Nichols 11/22/2005 09:20:00 PM [+] ::
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Atheist lobbying group

:: Jim Nichols 11/22/2005 08:17:00 PM [+] ::
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Well gee... you mean Fox?

:: Jim Nichols 11/22/2005 07:53:00 PM [+] ::
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Interesting post and yet another reassurance that I'm not making a bad choice by moving away from the academic world

:: Jim Nichols 11/22/2005 07:39:00 PM [+] ::
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There you go

:: Jim Nichols 11/22/2005 07:28:00 PM [+] ::
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More they didn't tell us

:: Jim Nichols 11/22/2005 07:26:00 PM [+] ::
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Abolish the death penalty and you'll save money

:: Jim Nichols 11/22/2005 03:09:00 PM [+] ::
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Not suprising but Bush planned to bomb al jazeera

:: Jim Nichols 11/22/2005 03:07:00 PM [+] ::
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Asprin as the drug that wouldn't exist today.

:: Jim Nichols 11/22/2005 03:03:00 PM [+] ::
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They messed with the wrong guy

:: Jim Nichols 11/22/2005 02:31:00 PM [+] ::
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A slanted article on Kurt Vonnegut

:: Jim Nichols 11/21/2005 10:45:00 PM [+] ::
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Approval of Handling of War, Johnson to Bush over at Political Arithmetik

:: Jim Nichols 11/21/2005 10:35:00 PM [+] ::
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Geoffrey Stone over at U.of Chicago blog

The plain and simple fact is that the Bush administration did mislead the American people. Undoubtedly, they did so for what they believed to be good reasons, and some or even much of this may have been sloppiness rather than intentional deceit. But surely they misled the American people by obscuring the different degrees of confidence necessary to justify different types of measures, by exaggerating the evidence (certainly with respect to Saddam Hussein's involvement in 9/11), and by failing to recognize the danger that as advocates committed to a particular outcome they themselves might erroneously assess the data and the risks. For them now to claim that it is their critics who are lying is shameful.

:: Jim Nichols 11/21/2005 10:28:00 PM [+] ::
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"When I look upon seamen, men of science and philosophers, man is the wisest of all beings; when I look upon priests and prophets nothing is as contemptible as man" --Diogenes

:: Jim Nichols 11/21/2005 12:36:00 AM [+] ::
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Harvard Law school has a blog

:: Jim Nichols 11/20/2005 09:42:00 PM [+] ::
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Did Texas execute an innocent man?

:: Jim Nichols 11/20/2005 09:30:00 PM [+] ::
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Chomsky on intelligent design

:: Jim Nichols 11/18/2005 06:41:00 PM [+] ::
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Well duhh

:: Jim Nichols 11/17/2005 11:37:00 PM [+] ::
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ooppss

:: Jim Nichols 11/17/2005 10:36:00 PM [+] ::
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Maureen Dowd interview

Blogs have made my life difficult, because with everyone trying to have an opinion, it's hard to think of anything original to say when you have to wait three days for your column to be published. It's like now we're in a whole nation of opinion writers, so what makes yours special? You have to work even harder.

:: Jim Nichols 11/17/2005 10:04:00 PM [+] ::
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This reaffirmed my recent hunch/revelation that the academic world was not for me.

:: Jim Nichols 11/17/2005 10:01:00 PM [+] ::
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Intelligent design's five favorite myths

:: Jim Nichols 11/17/2005 09:56:00 PM [+] ::
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great quote

:: Jim Nichols 11/17/2005 09:09:00 PM [+] ::
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In challenging war's critics, administration tinkers with truth

:: Jim Nichols 11/17/2005 08:56:00 PM [+] ::
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I have been saying this all along. For instance here

:: Jim Nichols 11/17/2005 08:05:00 PM [+] ::
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Is it true?

At the corner they're talking about illegal immigration being a key policy issue for potential Republican candidates. Immigration is one of my hot buttons. I don't believe there is such a thing as illegal immigration or at least there shouldn't be. Europeans didn't ask if we could move here. We just took it. Same should go for anyone who wants to live here now or any time in the future. Although I have to admit i'd love to see the Republicans split over the issue of immigration.

:: Jim Nichols 11/16/2005 10:17:00 PM [+] ::
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The Washington Note found something quite amusing.

:: Jim Nichols 11/16/2005 05:51:00 PM [+] ::
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Document put together by Henry Waxman on the administrations deceptions on Iraq

:: Jim Nichols 11/16/2005 04:38:00 PM [+] ::
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Gulf Coast slaves

Halliburton and its subcontractors hired hundreds of undocumented Latino workers to clean up after Katrina -- only to mistreat them and throw them out without pay.

:: Jim Nichols 11/16/2005 03:59:00 PM [+] ::
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Dick Cheney ever try to tell people Saddam might be behind 9/11?

:: Jim Nichols 11/16/2005 03:53:00 PM [+] ::
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Young Voters Led Surge in 2004 Election

:: Jim Nichols 11/16/2005 03:48:00 PM [+] ::
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NBC Chief: Liberals Don't Watch TV

:: Jim Nichols 11/16/2005 03:42:00 PM [+] ::
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Bill Clinton calls Iraq 'big mistake'

"The mistake that they made is that when they kicked out Saddam, they decided to dismantle the whole authority structure of Iraq. ... We never sent enough troops and didn't have enough troops to control or seal the borders,"

:: Jim Nichols 11/16/2005 03:24:00 PM [+] ::
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Gilmore Girls transcripts

:: Jim Nichols 11/15/2005 11:09:00 PM [+] ::
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Since I'm a card carrying member don't ask me why I went to this site. But they had an interview with Instapundit which is kind of interesting.

:: Jim Nichols 11/15/2005 10:40:00 PM [+] ::
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California Insider goes on a rant about public financing of elections

:: Jim Nichols 11/15/2005 10:28:00 PM [+] ::
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Pelosi proposes technology strategy Democrats to push science, research in midterm elections

:: Jim Nichols 11/15/2005 10:22:00 PM [+] ::
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A Failure of Strategy

in order to appease Colin Powell and/or Tony Blair, the administration eventually found itself at the UN, sponsoring resolutions and offering ultimata. Thus, the ready-made preemption/prevention morass got dragged into yet another idea -- coercive diplomacy, where threats of war are intended to produce not war, but compliance with demands. Unfortunately for Bush, Saddam unexpectedly wound up substantially complying with his demands and inspectors entered the country. It was here that we got the very most egregious dissembling about weapons of mass destruction. Inspectors were on the ground, not finding weapons, debunking certain specific administration claims, and asking the US for the rest of the evidence to substantiate all the big talk.

The hawks chose to portray this situation as proof that inspections "weren't working" because the (obviously incompetent) inspectors were failing to find the WMD facilities that "everyone knew" were there.

:: Jim Nichols 11/15/2005 05:51:00 PM [+] ::
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Decoding Mr. Bush's Denials

:: Jim Nichols 11/15/2005 05:45:00 PM [+] ::
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Is Bush a War Criminal?

:: Jim Nichols 11/14/2005 01:05:00 AM [+] ::
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Italy Seeks Extradition Of 22 CIA Operatives

:: Jim Nichols 11/13/2005 01:14:00 AM [+] ::
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Bush rapping

:: Jim Nichols 11/11/2005 04:59:00 PM [+] ::
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CHILDREN OF BIPOLAR PARENTS SCORE HIGHER ON CREATIVITY TEST, STANFORD STUDY FINDS

:: Jim Nichols 11/11/2005 12:38:00 AM [+] ::
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Bill O'Reilly thinks San Fran can go up in smoke for all he cares

:: Jim Nichols 11/10/2005 08:47:00 PM [+] ::
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"I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity!"
-- Edgar Allan Poe

:: Jim Nichols 11/09/2005 12:09:00 AM [+] ::
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BUSH'S WAR ON PEOPLE OF FAITH..

:: Jim Nichols 11/08/2005 11:15:00 PM [+] ::
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I am watching the Frontline on abortion called The Last Abortion Clinic. Its a travesty. I really don't have words to explain it. Woman in rural poor america are given no choice. Roe means nothing and does nothing for these women.

update: here is NARAL's website. Give some money if you can.

:: Jim Nichols 11/08/2005 10:34:00 PM [+] ::
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Epitaph has a new website

:: Jim Nichols 11/08/2005 10:19:00 PM [+] ::
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Good post on the riots in France

:: Jim Nichols 11/08/2005 09:38:00 PM [+] ::
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Europe risks economic damage from Kyoto: study

Europe's push to meet pollution targets agreed under the Kyoto Protocol on climate change could dent its economies and cost hundreds of thousands of jobs by 2010, according to research published on Monday

:: Jim Nichols 11/07/2005 06:15:00 PM [+] ::
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Norman Solomon was arrested during a visit by Prince Charles

:: Jim Nichols 11/07/2005 05:42:00 PM [+] ::
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Oh this is too good for words.

Antiwar Sermon Brings IRS Warning

The Internal Revenue Service has warned one of Southern California's largest and most liberal churches that it is at risk of losing its tax-exempt status because of an antiwar sermon two days before the 2004 presidential election.

Steve Clemons over at The Washington Note has some questions to ask the IRS

:: Jim Nichols 11/07/2005 05:32:00 PM [+] ::
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My misogyny is probably showing in this post but nevertheless this should happen more often.

:: Jim Nichols 11/07/2005 05:06:00 PM [+] ::
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A post on one of my favorite political positions

:: Jim Nichols 11/07/2005 05:04:00 PM [+] ::
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Good post at TPM Cafe about the torture/CIA issue

Perhaps now we can begin to understand how Adolf Hitler could rally German Christians to do the unthinkable to Jews and Gypsyies in concentration camps. If you convince people that they are at risk unless they move to destroy those who represent a perceived threat, regardless of the methods and means, then you are on your way to atrocities.

:: Jim Nichols 11/07/2005 04:49:00 PM [+] ::
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Why vote? an article on economists views about voting. My question is always did you give money? Voting doesn't matter; money does.

:: Jim Nichols 11/07/2005 04:42:00 PM [+] ::
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How i'm voting next Tuesday

Prop 73 --> No
Prop 74 --> No
Prop 75 --> No
Prop 76 --> No
Prop 77 --> Yes
Prop 78 --> No
Prop 79 --> Yes
Prop 80 --> No

:: Jim Nichols 11/06/2005 06:15:00 PM [+] ::
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The best post i've seen so far in regards to the Supreme Court and Judge Alito.

It hits on what makes a good justice:

In my judgment, the primary responsibility of the Supreme Court is to protect the relatively powerless in our society against the inherent dangers of the democratic process and to protect the process itself against the most powerful elements in our society when they attempt to manipulate the system for their own partisan or personal advantage.

And whether or not a senator should vote for or against Alito:

In most circumstances, if the president nominates a qualified individual with “mainstream” views, it is reasonable for senators to give the president the benefit of the doubt to enable the process to run smoothly. But if a senator strongly disagrees with the perspective and philosophy of the nominee, the president has had multiple nominees and has consistently nominated justices with a distinctive point of view, and the senator is genuinely concerned about how a succession of such nominees will affect the Court as an institution, then it is perfectly appropriate and consistent with historical practice for the senator to oppose confirmation.

:: Jim Nichols 11/06/2005 12:30:00 AM [+] ::
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This seemed to me to be the most important point in the FTAA talks

A Free Trade Area of the Americas would be larger than the European Union, though without its free flow of labor and political integration. Benefits for the United States as the dominant economic power in the hemisphere are obvious: with no more tariffs and other barriers that inhibit entry of American goods and services, American exports to the region would boom.

Its not true free market principles until there is free flow of labor. Which is something we ain't going to be seeing for a real long time. But thats the kind of free market fundamentalism that I'd like to see more of.

:: Jim Nichols 11/06/2005 12:06:00 AM [+] ::
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There seems to be a common misconception in the press lately. In this article on Bush's trip to the Latin American Summit the article states:

President Bush left the Summit of the Americas Saturday with no more than he expected: a cold shoulder from some Latin American leaders, no consensus on a free trading bloc for the hemisphere and biting criticism from anti-U.S. protesters and Venezuela's leftist President Hugo Chavez.

anti-US protesters? They weren't anti-US they were Anti-George Bush.

:: Jim Nichols 11/05/2005 08:28:00 PM [+] ::
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George Carlin made me think of my favorite quote of all time.

The people who own this country ought to govern it --John Jay

:: Jim Nichols 11/05/2005 07:46:00 PM [+] ::
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I've posted before on my question in regards to what happens if Roe is overturned. My first assumption seems to be correct--it reverts back to the states.

Roe's reversal would not outlaw abortion nationwide; the issue would revert to the states, with patchwork consequences. Some states would likely ban almost all abortions, others would allow them to continue unfettered, and a middle group might impose restrictions that would make abortions harder to obtain.

:: Jim Nichols 11/05/2005 05:47:00 PM [+] ::
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Okla. High School Hoops Team Loses 112-2 Thats got to suck

:: Jim Nichols 11/05/2005 04:55:00 PM [+] ::
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There are two kinds of people when it comes to the question of terrorism. There are people who believe we are different from terrorists and there are people who think we are just the same. John Mccain is of the former. While Dick Cheney is of the later.

:: Jim Nichols 11/04/2005 11:38:00 PM [+] ::
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Zogby poll: Majority of likely voters support considering impeachment
over Iraq, 51-45 percent

A new poll of likely voters by Zogby International has found that a majority of Americans support Congress considering the impeachment of President Bush if he “did not tell the truth about his reasons for going to war with Iraq,”

:: Jim Nichols 11/04/2005 11:07:00 PM [+] ::
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LA TV station apologizes to Schwarzenegger after audience mix-up

KNBC-TV apologized to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's campaign Friday after the station found that the audience it organized for a voter forum this week apparently included several Democratic activists.

So the story is Schwarzenegger wasn't supposed to be confronted by the other side. Somehow a voter forum is supposed to be free of opposition. Fuck that. He should get tough questions and if he doesn't have answers that should speak loudly to the authority or should I say duplicity he holds on that subject matter.

:: Jim Nichols 11/04/2005 10:42:00 PM [+] ::
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Carter condemns abortion culture

Former President Jimmy Carter yesterday condemned all abortions and chastised his party for its intolerance of candidates and nominees who oppose abortion.

My thoughts: you're an old man who couldn't win a second term. I'd rather be right on an issue rather than taking a more popular approach. Abortion should be safe and legal. Period. Thats all there is to that issue. If you disagree with me go to another party. But hey i'm not a Democrat so what right do I have to say shit about what Democrats believe.

:: Jim Nichols 11/04/2005 09:56:00 PM [+] ::
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George Carlins HBO special is coming up soon. The NYTimes caught one of his warm up shows.

:: Jim Nichols 11/04/2005 12:19:00 AM [+] ::
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Just heard Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Cassation. Must track that down at some point.

:: Jim Nichols 11/04/2005 12:02:00 AM [+] ::
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Just got back from seeing The Weather Man with Nicholas Cage. Fucking great movie. There were some great one-liners. I was the only one in the theater which made it even that much better. The movie totally captures the essence of life in all of its fucked up glory.

:: Jim Nichols 11/03/2005 11:51:00 PM [+] ::
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Don Boudreaux goes off on a bumper sticker.

:: Jim Nichols 11/03/2005 03:24:00 PM [+] ::
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The elections are drawing ever so near. Some bad news on one front, it appears that Prop 73, the parental notification on abortions is barely passing with 51%. I found it interesting that the poll found Men tend to support parental notification more than women do.

:: Jim Nichols 11/03/2005 02:06:00 PM [+] ::
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From Political Wire:

"I was part of that wild and crazy Class of '94 that shook the political landscape by taking over the House after more than 50 years of unfettered Democrat control. We came to Washington full of ideals and conviction. But sadly, what they say about absolute power is coming to reality in the 2005 GOP Washington. Republicans in just 10 years have developed the arrogance it took the Democrats 30 years to develop."

-- Former Rep. J.C. Watts (R-OK)

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2005 08:55:00 PM [+] ::
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Poll data

If it becomes clear Alito would vote to reverse Roe v. Wade, Americans would not want the Senate to confirm him, by 53% to 37%

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2005 08:26:00 PM [+] ::
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Brad Delong on tax reform

If you poll economists and budget people about what is most wrong with our tax system, they will tell you that the thing that is most wrong is that it does not do the very first thing that Eddie and Jim mention: our tax system will not generate the government's required revenue. As America ages and as health care costs rise, the government is going to be spending a larger and larger share of GDP. The Republican leadership has no plans to close this funding gap, either by reducing planned spending or increasing taxes. That's the big thing wrong with America's tax system today.

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2005 08:19:00 PM [+] ::
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You can hear Western Addictions new album here. Western Addiction will be touring with Propagandhi on their upcoming tour.

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2005 08:01:00 PM [+] ::
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Alito on civil rights

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2005 03:46:00 PM [+] ::
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The Living End has a new video posted here

:: Jim Nichols 11/02/2005 03:44:00 PM [+] ::
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The nomination of Samuel Alito has got me to thinking. What would happen if Roe was overturned? From what I understand it would revert back to the states. But if a majority of people think abortion should be safe and legal won't you create a new wedge issue? Voting for a pro-life Republican is easy with Roe v. Wade standing strong. But with abortion in question will pro-life Republicans be able to gain the moderate votes they need to win? I say no. But what do I know...

:: Jim Nichols 11/01/2005 10:34:00 PM [+] ::
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The greatest intellectual?

:: Jim Nichols 11/01/2005 08:10:00 PM [+] ::
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