Back to the Back Alley
 

Its a strong argument, but practical experience just doesn't support it. In the Phillipines, where abortion is illegal, the number one cause of death among teenage girls is botched abortions. So if you outlaw abortion, you don't save that many fetuses and add a whole slew of girls to the butchers bill.

Just sayin'..........

Never Explain. Never Apologize
 

If you don't know, you are a lucky person. No reason to go to Bakersfield.

Back to the Back Alley
 

There's a slew of assumptions in the path to your conclusion that could provide fertile ground for debate, but, thankfully, we're both too smart to start in on a board abortion discussion. No good can come of it.

Never Explain. Never Apologize
 

I'm hoping that there's some family reunion racquetball tournament story behind the gathering of your anecdotal evidence, or I'll start worrying about how you know that the your Basque's backs were as hairy as was Fringey's Basque's back.

Bigger deficits, coming soon.
 

Republicans in the Senate vote to continue spending money like drunken sailors.

Apparently to starve the beast, you're supposed to fatten it first.

Never Explain. Never Apologize
 

I'm not outing myself just for your amusment, but I will disclose that the entire sordid chapter did involve the throwing of midgets.

Never Explain. Never Apologize
 

The person of whom I am speaking was (is?) so hairy that it is impossible to miss, no matter how much clothing he had on. Like, I think where he stopped shaving had to be picked arbitrarily because there was no area between face and chest that was un-hairy enough to serve as a line of demarcation.

Uh, I never fucked him. It's a long story.

Never Explain. Never Apologize
 

You've been to Bakersfield, too?

Never Explain. Never Apologize
 

Can we move this whole hairy Basque boyfriend/girlfriend/midget thread over to the FB? Thanks.

Bigger deficits, coming soon.
 

I am nauseated by this. Maybe revenues from the wildlife preserve drilling will help?

Never Explain. Never Apologize
 

Robin Williams is Basque??

Now THAT is a story for the FB.

Except for the not fucking him part. Maybe there you could embellish a bit.

Senate Vote to Approve Drilling
 

Senate Vote to Approve Drilling
 

So, how soon will our gas prices go down?

Senate Vote to Approve Drilling
 

Maybe in 2014 or 2017, if then, according to the article:

"The Alaska refuge could supply as much as 1 million barrels day at peak production, drilling supporters said. But they acknowledge that even if ANWR's oil is tapped, it would have no impact on soaring oil prices and tight supplies. The first lease sales would not be issued until 2007, followed by development seven to 10 years later, Interior Secretary Gale Norton said."

Never Explain. Never Apologize
 

Unfortunately many times. The biggest political supporter of my organization is Congressman Thomas (chair of ways and means) and he is from Bakersfield. We also use the same political consultant, western pacific research, out of Bakersfield. So I am there often for political events.

Back to the Back Alley
 

Sounds like I missed quite a debate in the days of yore.

Senate Vote to Approve Drilling
 

Don't hold your breath

Senate Vote to Approve Drilling
 

He probably should if he's spending a lot of time around gas fumes. I think they might be somewhat toxic.

Back to the Back Alley
 

Dont worry, this debate usually comes up 2 or 3 times a year and continues for days on end. We all have very short memories here.

To quickly change the subject . . .
 

A January 1, 1995, Times editorial on proposals to restrict the use of Senate filibusters:

"In the last session of Congress, the Republican minority invoked an endless string of filibusters to frustrate the will of the majority. This relentless abuse of a time-honored Senate tradition so disgusted Senator Tom Harkin, a Democrat from Iowa, that he is now willing to forgo easy retribution and drastically limit the filibuster. Hooray for him. . . . Once a rarely used tactic reserved for issues on which senators held passionate views, the filibuster has become the tool of the sore loser, . . . an archaic rule that frustrates democracy and serves no useful purpose."

A March 6, 2005, Times editorial on the same subject:

"The Republicans are claiming that 51 votes should be enough to win confirmation of the White House's judicial nominees. This flies in the face of Senate history. . . . To block the nominees, the Democrats' weapon of choice has been the filibuster, a time-honored Senate procedure that prevents a bare majority of senators from running roughshod. . . . The Bush administration likes to call itself "conservative," but there is nothing conservative about endangering one of the great institutions of American democracy, the United States Senate, for the sake of an ideological crusade."

http://www.weeklystandard.com/Conten...aspyj.asp?pg=2

To quickly change the subject . . .
 

In 1995, there were a variety of other rules and procedures by which Senators in the minority could block at least some judicial nomininations. Republicans used those tools to block many of Clinton's nominees, including highly qualified people like the current dean of Harvard Law School, Elena Kagan, who was nominated to the DC Circuit and who never got a vote. Republicans, and Senator Hatch in particular, have now eliminated the same rules and procedures that they used when they were in the minority, leaving Democrats only with the filibuster. If you look at the numbers, Bush is doing fine in getting his nominees confirmed, relative to his predecessors. But (1) Bush is not a man who is OK with anyone standing up to him, and (2) the GOP is spoiling for a fight with Democrats so that they can have an excuse for the impending failure of Social Security "reform." So get ready for the death of the filibuster.

ftr - I know this should be posted on the fashion board, but the fashion board bores me to tears so I will be brief. If anyone ever thought that I had an ounce of culture or taste, this should prove I am a vacuum in both those areas. I just rented Alien v. Predator and loved every second of this cheesy predictable film. Whoever thought of putting these two film series together is a genius. I would take this movie over "Guernica" any day.

Unsolicited email
 

Do they really think I can do anything to help.......

I think this guy is lucky he is not in a concentration camp. Where do they think he is practicing? San Francisco?

Did they not get the memo on the dictatorship of the proletariate?

Did anyone else get this?

California Republican League
President

Mr. President:

Mr. Guo is a practicing lawyer with the Tianyi Law Firm in Shanghai. He has acted as a defense attorney for many well-known dissidents and Falun Gong practitioners, and is generally recognized as one of the few lawyers in China’s legal community who has the courage to face political pressure from Chinese authorities on these delicate legal matters. On February 23, 2005 the Bureau of Justice in Shanghai searched Mr. Guo’s office, confiscated his legal license, and took his computer. We further understand that authorities have banned him from his legal practice for one year. On March 4, 2005 the Bureau of Justice of Shanghai held a hearing regarding Mr. Guo’s punishment and will deliver an official verdict in two weeks. Allegedly, Mr. Guo indicated that Shanghai authorities told him the reason for this treatment was because he was acting as a defense counsel for two Falun Gong practitioners. Consequently, we at Friends of Falun Gong USA are extremely concerned for Mr. Guo’s immediate safety and well being.



Falun Gong is an ancient Chinese spiritual meditation practice that consists of five gentle exercises and postures, along with a self-improvement component of teachings. The teachings are summarized as Truth, Compassion, and Tolerance. Many liken Falun Gong’s technique to the ancient practices of tai-chi or yoga. The discipline was made public in May of 1992 by its founder, Li Hongzhi. Today, Falun Gong is practiced in over 60 countries.



According to Chinese government census estimates taken in the mid 1990’s, as many as 100 million people were identified as practicing Falun Gong, including high-ranking officials within the Communist Party. In turn, former head of state Jiang Zemin outlawed the peaceful practice in July 1999. One theory for the persecution is that Jiang may have perceived a threat to his own power over the masses after seeing so many of his people voluntarily following the ideas and teachings of a practice independent of Communist doctrine. Unable to crush the millions who experienced improved health and positive life changes from practicing Falun Gong, Jiang and the Communist regime intensified its propaganda campaign to turn public opinion against the practice while quietly imprisoning, torturing and even murdering those who practice it. Currently, over 1,400 confirmed deaths have been reported, and hundreds of thousands are feared to be tortured in labor camps and prisons throughout China.



From a purely legal point of view, the Chinese Communist Party’s persecution of Falun Gong is groundless and even violates articles in the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China that guarantee freedom of belief, speech, association and assembly. No actual law has been passed in China forbidding Falun Gong. Rather, two “announcements” were issued. The first was issued by the Ministry of Public Security. It forbids Falun Gong from hanging banners with Falun Gong references, assembling in public, or to appeal for Falun Gong. The second was issued by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and it banned the continuation of the Falun Dafa Research Association. Ironically, according to the Chinese Constitution, any departmentally issued regulations that contradict the Constitution are technically deemed invalid. Yet, this clause within the Chinese Constitution continues to be trampled on by the Communist Party. The tragic result is that this behavior creates an environment where any verbal “order” or whim by Party leaders, such as not allowing lawyers to provide a fair and legitimate defense for Falun Gong practitioners, automatically overrules law.



Mr. Guo has historically demonstrated a great sense of justice and ethical courage for the plight of human rights in China, and has even published articles on the Internet in China when legal and constitutional protocols have been compromised. In his article entitled “Chinese lawyers are useless,” Mr. Guo expressed indignation that his client Qu Yanlai, a Falun Gong practitioner, had to go on a hunger strike for 780 days without food and water, “the longest and the greatest in human history,” in order obtain a genuine lawyer for his defense while on trial. Even after such suffering, Mr. Guo, serving as the defense lawyer, was refused access to his client four times. Mr. Guo stated that, “according to Chinese law, a lawyer has the right to meet his client even if his client is in prison, and the prison must arrange for the meeting within 48 hours In Qu Yanlai’s case, however, 103,680 hours had passed. I requested to meet him four times, yet the prison openly violated the law and refused to arrange any meeting for him to see his lawyer!” It is very likely Mr. Guo’s articles will be used as “evidence of crimes” by Chinese authorities to begin their persecution and abuse of him.



We consider Mr. Guo’s exceptional courage to be something worth protecting and advocating for. We would like to request your assistance in this matter by asking you to express your concerns for Mr. Guo’s situation to the Bureau of Justice in Shanghai, and the congress of China. In particular, we would like the Bureau of Justice to immediately stop their unconstitutional persecution of Mr. Guo, return his license, and ensure that Mr. Guo can carry out his legal practice in an unhampered environment.

Get out your party dress...........This March 19 - that is in three days.......the Republican party is celebrating its 150th anniversary. Try not to get to excited.

If I wore my party dress, I'm not sure the Republican Party would let me in.

To quickly change the subject . . .
 

Well, you at least have to compliment the GOP on a rather cunning strategy: raise the filibuster issue in 2001, shortly after it becomes a problem, keep pushing the question for four years, all for use as a cover in 2005, after Bush gets reelected, and proposes a program that is less popular than anticipated. Brilliant!

To quickly change the subject . . .
 

We are long-term-goal oriented, aren't we?.

Unsolicited email
 

FG's in the middle of a huge publicity push right now, and this letter fits in well. Last time I was in a major eastern city, they had their booths and their placards and their banners spread over a four-block area, educating and taking donations. I even see them here in the placid midwest.

But, seriously, a couple hundred letters from (gulp!) lawyers in the US will likely make those lovably whacko chinese leaders rethink their ways, no?

To quickly change the subject . . .
 

You realize the Bush guys roadmapped invading Iraq in about 95-96, right? They really had little left to do early 1st term other than sort out this wrecking the Senate thing.

Never Explain. Never Apologize
 

But, a dry riverbed runs through it. And they have a mean coffee shop near the Ramada Inn.

Senate Vote to Approve Drilling
 

Here's a hint. It will be at least 7-10 years before the first drop of crude is pumped from a wellhead. On the bright side, perhaps between now and then, the industry will have increased its refining capacity, since, at present, they don't have enough refineries to process the crude we use now.

A REALLY Big Tent
 

If you wore your party dress, they could hold the celebration underneath.

Unsolicited email
 

You never know. The Economist just did an obit (apropos of nothing, I love their obits) of the guy who founded Amnesty International. Their letter writing has been credited with freeing political prisoners in places that would seem more resistent to worries about Western opinion than China is. (Not that I think the Chinese give much of a damn about our opinions, but if they thought it might hurt their export economy....)

To quickly change the subject . . .
 

In the ordinary course, the threat that the Dems would shut the Senate down would be at least something of a deterrent. Here, it might serve a larger purpose.

Senate Vote to Approve Drilling
 

When the Chinese economy contracts.

Political movies
 

I, for one, thank you. Having been heartsore that Dawn of the Dead was not, in fact, a parable of America's increasing sense of isolation in a hostile world, I am anxious to see if this, in fact, is a sly commentary on US/EU diplomatic point-scoring in the context of global islamist terrorism.

Unsolicited email
 

The Amnesty International campaigns sometimes have a beneficial effect -- and it seems like this guy might be worth a letter.

I think, though, that their solicitation of Spanky had as much or more to do with the "Republican League" connection than the lawyer connection.

It is rather admirable that he is "lucky he's not in a concentration camp."

S_A_M

FG has a permanent display/demonstration going outside the Chinese embassy here in DC.

Senate Vote to Approve Drilling
 

Someone in the Texas legislature recently pointed out that it's been since the 70s that we've had a new refinery built here. He was trying to argue that property tax rates had something to do with it, but I was shocked that it's been so long. There are so many between around here, I guess I sorta figured that they keep on building them.

Modest Hank
 

yesterday I posted an anology between the Passover story and the current mideast situation. I then followed with a claim that this was the best post ever on PB.

In fact I was trolling for historians- the basic post had been made by another on the old board. I was trying to see how long people's memories were- I had hoped to be called a plagerist, but instead I was simply seen as egotistic. Alas, these words we pen have short half lives it seems.

Modest Hank
 

I remember Sheila E. and her trips to Spy, and Cosmogirl before she left for Africa, but I don't remember that particular earlier post. But they were about three boards ago.