The Friday Political Thread: Seriously, Never Install Vista Edition

I usually write these threads in a hurry, tossing in notes from the past week and checking them with quick links. Only recently have I been using a PC with (pre-installed) Windows Vista to do that. If you want an OS that crashes your browser in the middle of long stretches of writing, by all means, get yourself some Vista.

I'm on this short al Jazeera segment about race and campaign '08. Also, I forgot to link my appearence a little while back on the fun Washington Week in Review podcast.

Unconvincing Quote of the Week
"If a politician doesn't wanna get beat up, he shouldn't run for office. If a football player doesn't want to get tackled or want the risk of an occasional clip he shouldn't put the pads on." - Bill Clinton. He then criticized his wife for crying in New Hampshire and complaining about being "piled on" in the debates, and asked her to leave the race. (Also, did Clinton encourage Jerry Brown to keep on running in 1992 even after it was clear Clinton would lock up the nomination? Seriously, what a cur.)

The Week in Brief
- John McCain released his first, entertainingly subliminal, general election ad. It includes both the stunning revelation that he was a POW in Vietnam (why have we never been told this?) and more mentions of the word "America" than a Lee Greenwood b-sides compilation.
- Hillary Clinton botched her Jack Bauer-ish anecdote about visiting Bosnia in 1996.
- Barack Obama appeared to pick up momentum again, especially in North Carolina and national polls.
- Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey endorsed Obama—his first break in the state for a while, and
- All three candidates spoke on the economy and mortgages: McCain preached self-reliance, the other guys less so.

Below the Fold
- News flash: People don't actually think the Obama girl videos are funny. There are two things men like about them, though.
- John Judis speaks some truth about NAFTA. I doubt the candidates will listen.
- Jonathan Kaufman and Kay Hymowitz examine the new epidemic of sexism that has(n't) followed the Hillary Clinton campaign.
- James Carville tries hard to be less likeable.
- James Kirchick makes the gay voter's case for John McCain.
- Scott Rasmussen and his army of robots actually asks Democrats whether they'd support Al Gore if he entered the race to "save them." Forty-two percent support Obama, 26 percent support Clinton, and only 23 percent back Gore.
- Ralph Nader begs Hillary Clinton to stay in the race: "I know something about this." Proof that the current Nader run is less Eugene Debs and more Dave Barry.

Frank Zappa, can you handle this week's Politics 'n' Prog?

Comments

[Bingo]

Weigel you fucking noob, if you want to be a true cosmotarian get a Macbook. I've been testing Vista out for months at work and the verdict is that it breaks way too much for very little benefit.

[Tom]

I concur, macbook. As well, you might wanna start using a text editor that saves periodically instead, then copy paste it over.

[Daniel Reeves]

Concerning the piece on NAFTA: the problem is not as much NAFTA as it is US farm subsidies. Getting rid of farm subsidies would help the farmers just as much as renegotiating NAFTA but with arguably many more benefits.

Also, Frank Zappa is a complete bad ass. He delivered a statement to congress defending freedom of speech.

[Pig Mannix]

Another vote for the Macbook. And it even comes with an editor with a long and venerable history. It's called "vi". 😉

[Jonathan Hohensee]

Any reason why we are all piling on Wigel recently, or is he just this week's official "arbitrary thing we redirect all of our self loathing towards"

[Jonathan Hohensee]

Anyone see Zeitgeist?
Anyone have any comments on the film?
About how it was even worse then Loose Change?

[My name is Patrick, and I am a]

"I believe that people have a right to decide their own destiny; people own themselves. I also believe that, in a democracy, government exists because (and only as long as) individual citizens give it a temporary license to exist - in exchange for a promise that it will behave itself. In a democracy you own the government - it doesn't own you. Along with this comes a responsibility to ensure that individual actions, in the pursuit of a personal destiny, do not threaten the well-being of others while the pursuit is in progress."
~Frank Zappa

"Whatever you have to do to have a good time... let's get on with it... so long as it doesn't cause a murder."
~Frank Zappa

"The United States is a nation of laws, badly written and randomly enforced."
~Frank Zappa

[NP]

There are two things men like about them, though.

THREE things, you mean. And you should've added: "And yes, they're (supposedly) spectacular."

[edna]

bite the bullet and buy an xp downgrade. there is no other hope. vista is just... horrible. crashes constantly, no three-finger-salute (all crashes are fatal), change for the sake of change rather than for any performance or utility gain (the obama os), and lots of hardware incompatibility.

[tarran]

Or you could stop paying massive sums of money for software bloat and install and actually get for free what Microsoft would charge you thousands of dollars for.

Buying Microsoft is like buying cars from Mercedes, you pay through the nose for poor quality and pretty hood ornaments.

[Travis]

This is completely off subject but has anybody heard about the Bush administrations plan to increase the power of the federal reserve to make them the "Market Stability Regulator" and would eliminate any distinction between banks & thrift institutions. The FED would have the power to oversee all sectors of the financial services industry.

[Neil]

Remember everybody: support General Petraeus when he reports to Congress soon.

Victory is almost here!

[Neil]

John McCain's ad was truly great and showed what a real American he is, unlike his opponent.

Where was Barry during Vietnam anyway?

[yoshi]

@tarran

People in the real world have work to do so he should stick with Mac OS X or Windows XP.

Seriously I am not sure what Microsoft was thinking with Vista. Oh that's right - they weren't. Vista is classic development by committee and consensus. At least under the dictatorship of Jobs you get software with some focus to it.

(*Linux works great on servers which I have implemented hundreds of applications on but its still years away from passing my ultimate test - can my father us it? the answer is still sadly no).

[Travis]

Neil,
You're right victory is almost here! Now if we could just get the Iraqi's to stop daily attacks on the green zone & disarm all the well armed Shia militias in Basra. Oh and kill all the Sunni insurgents & stop all the infiltration of militias into the Iraqi army & police force.

[Neil]

Travis the Islamofascists launch attacks in the Green Zone when they're desperate because they know thats where the liberal media is. They're just looking to shake out will, be we shouldn't let them!

The Mahdi Army is in its last throws, and so is Al Qaeda and their enablers. Petraeus is going to finish the job sooon. Now isn't the time to back down. Support our general!

Aren't you for victory?

[P Brooks]

As a longtime Mac guy (since about 1987), and recent Linux user (on an IBM Thinkpad), I say: Go directly to Linux.

[Eric Dondero]

Free speech rights for some, but not all?

So-called "libertarian" sites who supposedly advocate free speech rights, have cowered with the release of Fitna.

We at Libertarian Republican blog are one of only a tiny handful of libertarian sites, running the Fitna video.

Two months ago, you may recall, many libertarians were screaming all over the internet about Ron Paul's free speech rights, over his controversial quasi-racist Newsletters. Now, all those same blogs that defended Paul, are completely absent in defending Geert Wilders.

Here's a list: LewRockwell.com, LP.org, AntiWar.com, NolanChart.com, Liberty Papers, Free Liberal, Libertarian Girl, Knappster, and of course, all the Ron Paul sites.

Reason.com has relegated it to their off-home page blog.

Some libertarians like Libertarian Republicans, believe in free speech for all. Other poser libertarians apparently believe in free speech only for certain individuals.

[Eric Dondero]

Victory was achieved in Iraq, the very moment when those two American soldiers pulled over a dusty rug near a hut in a date palm field, and captured a gun-wielding raggedy-headed Saddam Hussein.

It was at that very moment that the War in Iraq was won. And nothing can ever take that away from George W. Bush or those of us who supported the War in Iraq, then and now.

[Travis]

Neil,
What is your definition of victory? The Mahdi Army is just one armed Shia faction. Maliki is under the control of another Shia militia. This is not about stabilizing Basra this a civil war between Shia factions over who rules southern Iraq. There is no victory to be had, all were doing is picking one set of extremists that hate America to rule Iraq over another set of extremists.

[Neil]

"What is your definition of victory? "

A stable, democratic Iraq that is an ally against the War on Islamofascism in the region. It will happen soon, and you'll have egg on your face, just like when you opposed The Surge.

If we had listened to you then Al Qaeda would be crowing to the world they had defeated America. But we didn't, and now they're on the run.

[P Brooks]

It was at that very moment that the War in Iraq was won. And nothing can ever take that away from George W. Bush or those of us who supported the War in Iraq, then and now.

If the war has been won, we can bring our people home.
Right?

[Travis]

Dondero,
I support Geert Wilders right to say or produce a film saying anything he wants. But why should we go out of are way to support a politican who is merely trying to gain publicity through shock value.

[Minion of URKOBOLD]

WEIBSKOBOLD IS DISAPPOINTED IN KNEEL. HIS SURGE DIDN'T LAST LONG ENOUGH TO GET ANYTHING ON ANYBODY'S FACE

[Travis]

A stable democratic Iraq are you serious? Have you even been paying attention to whats happened in Iraq for the last 6 years? About the surge sending 30,000 america troops into any war zone is going to make a impact. But what happens when those troops leave. Both Dondero & you are looking at the war through nationlistic colored glasses. Iraq before the war was ran by a socialist secular gov't(the Baathists)now Iraq is ran by Theocratic extremists.

[J sub D]

Travis the Islamofascists launch attacks in the Green Zone when they're desperate because they know thats where the liberal media is. They're just looking to shake out will, be we shouldn't let them!

The Mahdi Army is in its last throws, and so is Al Qaeda and their enablers. Petraeus is going to finish the job sooon. Now isn't the time to back down. Support our general!

We've defeated the Vietcong and S. Vietnam now has a stable represtative government.

[SIV]

get a Macbook.

I concur, macbook.

Another vote for the Macbook.

The politically correct position is that they are born that way.

I think it is a "choice".

Here we have clear evidence for the "they recruit" explanation.

Vista? Did you get it at Best Buy?

New Thinkpads are available with XP .

[Eric Dondero]

Travis, and why do you say Wilders is "going out of his way" to shock? Couldn't the same thing be said about Ron Paul, when he made statements like "The United States is largely to blame for the attacks of 9/11?"

Wilders is a wealthy guy. He's got a hot wife. What does he stand to gain from promoting "shock"? What do you think, he's in this to make money or something?

[NotThatDavid]

I've been primarily using Vista since I got a computer that could handle it some five months ago, and it's given me no problems outside of some incompatible software that I upgraded or replaced. My personal, unbiased hypothesis is that the rest of you just suck.

[Eric Dondero]

You leftwinger libertarians will do everything you can to avoid the Geert Wilders issue, won't you?

You deflect. Bring up side issues. Question Wilder's motives.

You just can't bring yourselves to confront the glaring contradictions in y'all's own personal philosophy. You want to support free speech rights, but in reality you only support free speech for some.

If those values conflict with your values, say a Pro-War on Islamo-Fascism stance, well then, you're stuck. You ditch free speech rights, or run away from the issue altogether.

[Eric Dondero]

The Geert Wilder film controversy is the greatest libertarian issue of our time, perhaps of our entire lifetimes.

And almost the entire libertarian movement is completely absent.

What a bunch of cowards. No better than the British Government ceding into Radical Islamic demands on the movie, or Network Solutions who refused to carry the film.

Cowards, the whole lot of ya's.

[Cesar]

Mac User: I can checkm email on my mac!

PC User: I can do that too.

Mac User: I can, uh, watch movies and stuf!

Pc User: So can I.

Mac User: Um.....iTunes! Ipod!

PC User: Compatible here, too.

Mac User: Um.....Porn?

PC User: Yup.

Mac USer: Games! Yeah thats it! You can play, uh, SimCity 2000! And the first Quake!

PC User: Windows is the largest gaming platform in the world.

Mac User: Well with me you can be a hipster! And spend twice as much for the exact same preformance!

And thats why I hate macs. Also, if anyone says Windows XP is "too hard", for God's sake I learned how to use a PC at the age of five--with MS-DOS command prompt as the operating system.

[Cesar]

Dondero the homeless guy on my street has the right to scream about the coming apocalypse.

But that doesn't mean hes entitled to free media coverage.

[Travis]

Okay Dondero I'll go watch your precious Fitna video. Since I've already read the Koran I doubt I'll learn anything new.

[Muttley]

After living 5 years in the Netherlands, I can assure you Geert Wilders is a racist lunatic, who every now and then makes shocking public statements to get more influence with the disgruntled, right-wing dutch voters.

He's no Ayaan Hirsi Ali -- he's just an attention whore.

[The Winter Soldier]

Our new PC has Vista. Have not had ANY problems to speak of as of yet. Not a techno-weenie, though, so maybe it's something I'm not noticing. meh

[Art-P.O.G.]

Cowards, the whole lot of ya's

Please, I'm in the Army, lol.

[Neu Mejican]

Artist of the week.
Fez Dispenser

A young son of New Mexico does good.
http://fezdispenser.com/

Geert's film is dull, try these instead-
http://fezdispenser.com/images/GrandCentral.mp4
http://fezdispenser.com/FezDispenser_WoodPecker.mp4

[Neu Mejican]

Another of New Mexico's fine musicians
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Kmrz0n6Ed5k

[Cesar]

Hey Dondero WTF? If we won the war in 2003 then why are we still there?

[P Brooks]

Cowards, the whole lot of ya's.

You've got me pegged. I am afraid.

I'm afraid I just don't give a shit.

[joe]

Victory is almost here!

So many directions I could go here. I'm torn between:

A. What are you, a Sadrist?

and

B. What, again?

[highnumber]

[Zappa] delivered a statement to congress defending freedom of speech.

Didn't John Denver and Dee Snider, too?

[Travis]

Watched the Fitna video, like I said didn't learn anything I didn't already know. There are Sura's in the Koran that promote violence against non-muslims I don't think anyone who has actually read the Koran can deny that and be honest, but there are other Sura's that seem to contradict violence. I think it was because the Koran wasn't written all at once it was written one Sura at a time during Mohammed's rule in Arabia. Now having said that I have also read the entire Bible & there are parts of the Bible that could be interpeted to encite violence(mainly in the old testament & Revelations). The main thing with religion that people need to consider is that most religous people don't actually study the religous texts they go to the mosque,church, or temple & let the religous teachers tell them what to believe.

[Cesar]

You could interpret even parts of the Gospels (supposedly the nice part) to endorse violence.

Ex.. Jesus: "I come not to bring peace, but a sword!"

[joe]

I haven't seen the phrase "last throes" used in a non-ironic manner in years!

We've got a sever case of Cheetos-dust intoxication here.

[The Wine Commonsewer]

The only way Vista works decently is to install the 64 bit Business edition.

And it is still a memory hog and takes longer to boot than my 286 did way back when.

[sage]

Well, now I'm scared. I just yesterday ordered a new PC to replace this six year old dog I'm typing on now. Althon 64X2, 2GB DDR2 ram, and...vista. I will probably need to upgrade the memory pronto and start saving for the 64 bit version. At least the system is capable. I only know a couple of people that have it and they've had no problems. I'm still scared.

[P Brooks]

And spend twice as much for the exact same preformance!

My hardcore Macdroid* buddies tell me the price differential for the hardware is no more. I am sufficiently indolent to let the assertion go unchallenged.

*In all fairness, one of my friends is a professional photographer/ graphics guy, and could never walk away from Photoshop.

[Mike Laursen]

Oh, Jeez. If Obama becomes President, he's going to need superhuman powers of fidelity.

[Mike Laursen]

I'm pretty sure Zappa would bristle at being called, "Progressive".

[Cesar]

Mike I wouldn't worry about Obama keeping his zipper up. His wife would probably murder him right there if she ever found out he cheated on her. That woman seems like she eats nails for breakfast.

[Mike Laursen]

Vista will be fine, someday. You just need to know how to interpret Microsoft's release numbering:
"beta" is actually "alpha"
"beta 2" is actually "beta"
"1.0" is actually "beta 2"
"2.0" is actually "1.1"
It's best to wait until 3.0 or later.

[Mike Laursen]

Didn't John Denver and Dee Snider, too?

Yes, and so far Congress has had John Denver and Frank Zappa killed. Not sure why they didn't off Dee Snider, too.

[pigwiggle]

Weigel -

You've been had by the MS push to roll out Vista - maybe you can get in on the "Vista Capable" class action. From what I've seen, Vista is OK if your computer has enough horsepower. I recently bought my mother-in-law a new computer and opted for XP for this very reason.

Re, the MacBook. I bought one of the first Intel MacBooks (core-duo), and what a pile of crap. The thing is super buggy. But I hear the newer (core2-duo) MacBooks are better. The only reason I got the Mac was the Unix like environment of OSX. It makes it very simple to remotely work with my Linux desktop at work, and the Linux/Unix computer clusters I use. Given the slick emulation of VM ware and others, my next laptop will likely be a thinkpad.

Incidentally, apparently Vista has outdone OSX security-wise. Interesting - and unexpected.

Neu Mejican-

I just moved to Albuquerque, and I can't wait to get the hell out of the state (stuck here for another 18 months for my job). I've been here six months - I've had my car burglarized, several UPS/FedEx packages stolen, pulled my gun on a burglar, and landed in the middle of a physical confrontation over a recent murder - involving the putative murderer himself - simply trying to drop my car off at the tire shop. After looking into it (something I should have done before moving) I found that New Mexico is frequently in the top 5 of states with the highest violent crime rate. At the rate things are going for me here, I'd be altogether unsurprised if I shoot someone before I make it out.

[John Rhoads]

Eric,

This is like the fourth time I've seen you criticize reason for not covering a story it has already covered:

http://www.reason.com/news/show/125716.html

I'm not sure how you missed it unless you assumed Reason wouldn't cover it and started bashing it before you checked.

[mediageek]

Dondero, are you truly such a fucking halfwit that you're incapable of using your browser's scroll bar?

A copy of Fitna was embedded into Reason's Blog yesterday you goddamned idiot.

Liveleak has since taken the video down, but Reason can hardly be blamed for that.

Jesus you're a retard.

[Cesar]

He admitted they covered it, but said it really didn't count since it was only on their blog and not on the front page.

[mediageek]

Re, the MacBook. I bought one of the first Intel MacBooks (core-duo), and what a pile of crap. The thing is super buggy.

Pigwiggle, are you running a Logitech mouse with your Mac Book? I've got an Intel Mac Pro at my office, and the first mouse I bought for it was from Logitech. Logitech's mouse driver for the mac just utterly sucks. I was getting at least a couple of kernel panics a week. Then I uninstalled the Logitech, and got a Kensington. Problem solved.

[mediageek]

He admitted they covered it, but said it really didn't count since it was only on their blog and not on the front page.

Two things:

1.) The front page is where they post articles that appear in the print edition of the magazine.

2.) No one reads the front page.

Therefore, I maintain that my assessment of Dondero as a mouth-breathing shitwit was dead on.

[JW]

My hardcore Macdroid* buddies tell me the price differential for the hardware is no more. I am sufficiently indolent to let the assertion go unchallenged.

Simply not true.

I recently picked up a batch of dual core Dell Optiplexes for less than $600, with a 19" LCD widescreen and a 3 year be-there-on-site-the-next-day-with-the-part warranty. Apple would herniate trying to match that. Mind you, that was with a helluva discount from my Dell rep, but I typcially get these same PCs for under $800.

That said, if you like Macs, go nuts, get Macs. Computers are tools; use the right one for the right job. Just please, for the love of whatever you hold dear, keep your unearned sense of smug superiority to yourself and/or within the Circle.

And yes, Vista is underwhelming, especially as a 5-year project, but I find it to be as stable as XP, which is very stable, tho' it takes some serious horsepower. It's pretty to look at, but I just don't see any significant business value in it. I won't be taking our network off XP until after Vista is replaced.

[Cesar]

I hate Dell with a passion due to the fact they sell almost all but their topline computers with integrated graphics and sound. That just blows.

[mediageek]

JW-

I run a Mac for my day job doing graphic design, but run a Dell XPS lap top for 3d animation and other stuff at home.

I like the Mac. A lot. Enough that my next home machine will probably be a Mac.

But I completely agree with you about the macdroids. The trick is to just avoid talking to any Mac owner who wears a turtleneck and hipster glasses.

[joe]

I got a Mac.

I like it.

I understand they don't get viruses.

But, despite the glasses and the occasional T-neck, I think it's probably little more than a Coke and Pepsi battle.

[Ali]

FWIW, it is my understanding that if the text of the Quran says "Do A" without any qualifications, and somewhere else it says "if B, C, D,... hold, then do A" then the first occurrence can't be taken as a blanket statement to do A. The conditions B, C, D have to hold first. When it comes to the use of force, there are many statements in the Quran constraining its use to acts of self defense or when at a state of war. If OBL argues that there is a state of war, he'd be dead wrong because he does not have the backing of all Muslims and he has certainly acted outside the bounds of the law. He's a non-leader and a non-leader can't declare war. He's a criminal. Period.

In some other cases (as in the infamous sura 9), the verses are taken to be general and universal commandments. They are not. They pertain only to a single battle and are NOT universal statements.

Finally, it is interesting to see people like Dondero, Wilders, et al., who (I am guessing) know very little Arabic, let alone an ability to properly read, analyze or interpret and understand the Quran (yes, with its controversies) or the 100s of volumes written as commentaries on it, are so ready to throw the baby out with the bath water.

Now that does not say that I do not agree with these same people that OBL and the terrorists should be brought to justice. They should! But what I am against are such shallow (and very naive) pronouncements that the Quran should be eliminated or that "Islam" and "Muslims" are a danger. This collectivism is very dangerous.

[Ali]

mediageek-

A copy of Fitna was embedded into Reason's Blog yesterday you goddamned idiot.

I have to come to the defense of Eric (hehe, that felt weird to say). Eric earlier said:

Reason.com has relegated it to their off-home page blog.

[Cesar]

I understand they don't get viruses.

Yes, but not because they have some kind of uber-great security. Its because due to their miniscule market share no hacker is really interested in making Mac viruses.

Anyway Macdroids are annoying but theres nothing worse than Linuxtards.

[Ali]

Therefore, I maintain that my assessment of Dondero as a mouth-breathing shitwit was dead on.

My defending him does not mean I disagree with statement.

[pigwiggle]

mediageek-

"Pigwiggle, are you running a Logitech mouse with your Mac Book?"

No. Actually, I think most of the most troubling bugs have been worked out in recent OS updates. There was a time that my macbook would forget it had a wireless card with each update (iTunes would also deauthorize all of my purchases and refuse to reauthorize). I would have to manually edit several configuration files to restore the wireless capability. Haven't had to do it recently. The "geniuses" at the mac stores in both Salt Lake and Albuquerque were unable to fix the problem. Their solution was to roll back the updates - security updates and all.

joe-

Check out the story I linked above. At the recent CanSecWest security conference the mac was compromised before the vista and ubuntu laptops. You should be at least as cautious with that mac as you would with a pc.

[Pig Mannix]

New Thinkpads are available with XP .

Thinkpads are what my employer supplies us with. I still use a Mac.

Actually, several of my colleagues at work have managed to get OS X running on their Thinkpads, with a little hacking (not as much as you might think). I haven't attempted this stunt myself (yet), but you can Google up all the relevant instructions and mods, if you're so inclined.

Obviously, this configuration is entirely unsupported by everyone involved, but if you don't mind living dangerously it's a great way to get the best of both worlds....

[Kolohe]

I'm surprised Weigel went PC. In this docu-drama, Dave W. is clearly hacking away on a Mac. And I thought once you go Mac, you never go back.

[Neu Mejican]

Pigwiggle,

Yep. New Mexico is still the wild west and easily the best place I've ever been to find confrontational violent assholes.

Where are you living? Sounds like you are either in the Southeast Heights or the West Central area.

Just for context, it has improved recently with increased law enforcement moving a lot of the really scary types down to Los Lunas (where I used to work).

If you are renting, I can give you some advice on better neighborhoods.

[Kolohe]

'This is completely off subject but has anybody heard about the Bush administrations plan to increase the power of the federal reserve to make them the "Market Stability Regulator"'

Travis-
Here is the (15 page!) executive summary of the proposal on the NYT's site. I have not been able to get past page two or three without nodding off.

[Special Orange Line Edition]

1. I didn't bother reading the NAFTA link, but I know it's wrong.

2. I'd like to congratulate Reason Magazine for condemning Canada's baby seal hunt. I was really shocked they'd do that.

3. Unfortunately, Reason fails to look into how the Obama Girl videos and others got started: due to promotion by the MSM. When ABC first promoted OG, it only had about 700 views. Reason might want to suggest that they promote videos about real subjects instead.

4. I hate to promote things from the TV, but this is funny.

5. Have you been diagnosed with pernicious prog or other prog-related conditions? This will completely cure you.

[Brandybuck]

Dondero - Shut the Fuck Up!

Everyone libertarian here, as well as most everyone else including cosmotarians, are fully in favor of free speech rights for everyone. No one here has said anything to the contrary.

We have talked about this video before, but you are too stupid to notice. Here's a big cluestick for you: the continuing European trashing of liberty in the name of not offending bigots is old news. There is no sense in rending our beards everytime a Eurolefty gets threatened with a beheading. If the same thing happened in the US or Canada, then it would be a much bigger deal, and Reason might have had five or six stories on the topic, instead of a mere two.

[pigwiggle]

Neu Mejican-

"Where are you living? Sounds like you are either in the Southeast Heights or the West Central area."

I'm in Knob Hill, which is a very nice place, other than the crime. Good food and shopping within walking distance. I've looked around town quite a bit, and it seems, no matter how nice a neighborhood is, there is a run down section just blocks away. Very spotty.

[Mr. Nice Guy]

I'm not very good with computers. I've had jobs where we had Macs in the office and jobs with the PC, and I think one advantage to the Mac is that it was easier to learn how to use, at least in my experience.

In other news, I think McCain, for good or for ill, is unstoppable. The Dems have screwed themselves with some wishful thinking about this being the time a woman or minority with virtually no experience could win the White House.

[Neu Mejican]

Pigwiggle,

Rookie mistake.

Nobhill does have some of the nicest features, but easily one of the highest crime rates in town.

You would do better in the North Valley (Far north on Rio Grande), Old Town, or the northeast heights to get away from the crime.

Corrales used to have the lowest crime rate in the state. It is also quite pleasant (a bit pricey, perhaps). A pain in the ass to get to and from (only one road in or out), but that feature is part of what keeps the crime down.

But to really avoid the crime, you need to leave the state.

[bago]

Do you have an NVIDIA card?

[The Wine Commonsewer]

Sage, I took the advice of a tech guy we know and ordered a stronger more substantial laptop than what you generally get over the counter. It cost a little more but it came with the option to install several different versions of Vista.

Mrs TWC ordered the identical machine but installed regular Vista business 32 bit.

You cannot believe the difference.

My only gripe is that my hi dollar hi speed scanner won't run on 64 bit. Fortunately, I use three computers in my work so I can still scan to my XP machine.

The other thing that didn't work out well is that you really shouldn't try to make a laptop into a desktop machine.

[Jonathan Hohensee]

[The Wine Commonsewer]

Speaking of Macheads, my cousin is the ultimate Machead, he is the Machead of Macpublishing. 🙂

Little shit was writing programs when he was 8 years old.

[The Wine Commonsewer]

Guess I should clarify a little Mrs TWC's machine is fine but mine with the 64 bit Vista Business is way, way more stable. And I beat the crap out of it in that I use many more programs and have more open files at the same time. For instance, I have 8 programs running right now and about 20 files open plus all the flim flam crap (A/V, fax, background stuff).

This Vista biz 64 bit platform is more stable (for me) than my XP is.

[Ali]

3 out of the 4 google ads at the top of this page are actually for windows vista. If anything, it seems to beat mac in its online presence.

[The Wine Commonsewer]

RE: Vista & the scanner. A regular scanner is fine. my high speed scanner is for turning paper into .PDF. You load it up with paper and it scans 50 pages in a heartbeat. The software is designed for XP and the mfg makes an upgrade to Vista but not the 64 bit version.

[Art-P.O.G.]

That Zappa clip was exceptional. I had no idea his band was that talented.

[Scooby]

Neil at 9:20am: Where was Barry during Vietnam anyway?

Uh, he was barely out of diapers for the Gulf of Tonkin, and probably barely pubescent when Saigon fell.

[Rick Barton]

David:

Hillary Clinton botched her Jack Bauer-ish anecdote about visiting Bosnia in 1996

She seems to have no compunctions about just making stuff up!

[The Wine Commonsewer]

Pig & NM, so I looked up Nob Hill (love the internet) and it looks like a cool place to shack up. I mean, right on old Rte 66? Sorry about the crime though. I guess that goes with the Big City. Apparently there was a time when Nob Hill wasn't even part of Abq.

I'm interested in stuff like this (nice to know where people are) but I'm actually supposed to be working but I NEED A BREAK!

I already had to miss going with the Old Lady to Scottsdale for the weekend. Wish I had said screw it and gone anyway.

[Sam Grove]

I've not had this problem with Vista either.

Do not assume that the OS is the root cause.

A big difference between a Mac and any non-monopoly system is that the Mac is single source hardware while PC systems have hardware from all over the place and systems may incorporate the cheapest components that will function.

[P Brooks]

Computers are tools

Exactly. They do not read minds, and they do not have magical powers.

[First Little Pig]

Neu Mejican and Pigwiggle,

I have lived in NE Whites, and Corrales and now live in Madrid. I will buy either of you a beer at the mine shaft if you drop by.

My sisterinlaw lives in Nob Hill. The crime rate is higher there than many other places, but in the 8 years she's lived there she's only had one bad experience... so I don't know if it is all that bad. I have lived in worse neighborhoods in DC.

Anyway, I have no real point. See you at the Mineshaft.

[P Brooks]

Speaking of Albuquerque; in 1995, I was working there, and living on Carlisle, two or three blocks from Central (rte 66). There was a famous 1970's architectural artifact a block away, but I cannot recall the name of the house.

[Travis]

Kolohe,
Thanks for the link I just skimmed through it. It's written in that typical unreadable gov't jargon, but I got the point. Basically they want to increase the power of the Federal Reserve to micromanage this nation's economy.

[Someone Who Doesn\'t Want to L]

I agree with Jonathon Hohensee at 2:53 PM.

Very zen, dude.

[P Brooks]

Basically they want to increase the power of the Federal Reserve to micromanage this nation's economy.

That should help.

[Neu Mejican]

First Little Pig,

Thanks for the offer.
Unfortunately taking you up on the offer would take me mean a round trip of several thousand miles (I am on the coast now).

I love the music festivals out in Madrid.
Played a punk festival out there once where the bands outnumbered the audience by about 4 to 1.

[Ali]

Regarding Fitna, funny that those who translated and interpreted the verses could not even get the title of the film right in Arabic. It is (a) written from left to right (Arabic is written right to left) and (b) misspelled!

[Straight outta the Orange Line]

Returning to politics for a brief shining moment, if you don't want Hillary to be the nominee, ask Hillary about this and then upload her response to Youtube. One of Hill's chairs is even worse than Wright.

And, of course, those statements show the absolute fallacy of some of the arguments offered by so-called libertarians.

[Ben]

If you're using Firefox, especially with any add-ons installed, chances are it and its memory leaks are the culprit (not that Vista necessarily helps all that much). Supposedly Firefox 3 fixes most of the issue.

[Daniel Reeves]

Do you have an NVIDIA card?

As someone who is not liberal, you should be accustomed to analyzing statistics like this. That pie chart may only show that NVIDIA is used more than the rest of the other brands. Hypothetically speaking, if, oh, 90% of Vista users also use NVIDIA, then this would actually show that NVIDIA is good.

[Daniel Reeves]

^ ... at least in comparison to ATI.

[The Wine Commonsewer]

Ben, thanks, you would think I have FF 3+ but I don't. Don't understand why but I shall change that.

[told ya \'bout the anchovies]

GEORGE DUKE!

[Art-P.O.G.]

Returning to politics for a brief shining moment

Yes, Huerta made some eye-rolling comments and what would seem to be the grossest misapplication of the term "ethnic cleansing" in recent history, but I'm not panicking yet. Yes Hillary Clinton panders shamelessly to the 'Hispanic vote' (that may not be politically correct, but what can I say), but McCain and Obama pander sometimes, too.

[prolefeed]

Writing this on my Vista desktop, which has never crashed, because the Mac laptop is in the shop.

[prolefeed]

Our new PC has Vista. Have not had ANY problems to speak of as of yet. Not a techno-weenie, though, so maybe it's something I'm not noticing. meh

Our Vista desktop almost never gets a virus, while our old XP was constantly getting them. But, almost none of the old programs for XP work on Vista. Unless you really want to play some several-year-old video games, I'd go with Vista on a new machine. Probably not worth the bother to convert an XP to Vista, though, since Vista requires a lot more RAM and whatnot.

[Call any vegetable]

What does Vista have that XP doesn't? Is the attraction simply that it's newer, or are there features that users just gotta have?

[Ali]

Long time, no see, prolefeed.

[David E. Gallaher]

Have we all decided that Iraq is not worth discussing any more?
What's happening there now is a defining moment when Republicans and neocons will have to own up to 5 years, over 4,000 US lives lost, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi lives, and somewhere between 1-3 trillion of our dollars poured down a rat hole.
But the beat goes on.

P.S. British and US air and artillery support in a civil war only makes it worse.

[prolefeed]

The main attraction of Vista over XP seems to be fewer crashes and way fewer viruses, at least in my personal experience -- more of an incremental improvement than any new breakthrough. I'd recommend it only for a new machine, not an upgrade, and only if you don't have a lot of XP-only software you want to run.

[David E. Gallaher]

One of the biggest stories since 9/11 is happening right now, and Vista has us mesmerized.

[Baby Harp Seal]

I'll have a Canadian Club please

[Bernd]

OK, so: I'm a hardcore geek, have been a Linux desktop user, and have been using Windows in the past. Currently, I use a Mac.

My observations:

If you're tech-savvy but still in the "normal user" category, Ubuntu is a perfectly fine operating system; you just need a geek friend to get it running properly in the beginning, especially if you have things like dual screens or such, and it'll stay running. That's for a desktop; since you have a laptop, DON'T DO IT. Linux simply blows on laptops.

Windows XP is very stable, fast enough, has lots of game support. The usual installation rot applies.

Macs have just dreamy usability and there's lots of very usable and very cheap extremely high-quality 3rd party software because of their great programming environment; but they're less stable, less secure (if you don't count the marketshare-based virus resistance), the hardware breaks more often and they have worse price/performance than either other options. They have the pretty going for them; but as for the Unix thing, read up on their filesystem. The fucking thing is my nemesis. They didn't have any real appreciation for BSD, it was just the best free thing they could pilfer. Apple's customer service blows.

And stop hating on integrated graphics already, except for gaming they're good enough for everything. I should know, I do Photoshop on a Dell with onboard graphics and it's blazing.

My next computer is going to be a Mac; they may blow on many levels but all you have to know about the thought they put into their usability engineering as compared to Windows/Linux is comparing the Apple US layout and how you reach int'l characters with the festering crap on the PCs (US Int'l layout). Reliability-wise they are behind on all levels and the Mac users who deny it are a bunch of fanatics.

[Nephilium]

Call any vegetable:

The features that Vista has that XP doesn't are as follows:

1) A better (but much more annoying) security model.
2) More eye-candy.
3) Better 64-bit support (supposedly, you need to support Vista 64-bit in order to say your app/device will work in Vista, but this is not always the case).
4) DirectX 10.
5) A lot more bugs.
6) Slower performance.
7) Higher system requirements.

I'm sitting on XP64 right now... only issue I've had with it was getting a wireless card that had an appropriate driver. I eventually punted, and picked up a game adapter (run a CAT5 from your LAN port into it, and it works as a wireless card).

Nephilium

[Mike Laursen]

keep your unearned sense of smug superiority to yourself and/or within the Circle.

That's iCircle to you.

[Ali]

One thing is for sure, David Weigel should be thankful to vista for making this thread soooooo exciting! Man, talk about unintended consequences 🙂

[the innominate one]

Zappa rules!

[Bingo]

Lotsa nerds around here Ali 😉

Thinkpad with XP or Ubuntu is a good alternative. I'm very impressed with Ubuntu's Hardy Heron so far, and I'm far from a GNU/Linux advocate. The only problem is the fact that your operating system isn't supported by almost every major business application. There are usually free alternatives to the major business apps, but they are lacking in a lot of ways.

Also Linux seems very quirky to me, its hard to explain but it definitely has the feeling of having a lot of parts designed by different people all with different priorities. Certain areas make a great deal of sense from a developer or engineer's viewpoint, but are absolute shit when taking the viewpoint of a regular user. OS X gives you a nice stable Unix-derived backend that you can get down and dirty with if you want (I spend a lot of time in Terminal), but you can do almost everything without resorting to it. Not so much with Linux, even though it has made HUGE strides it still has a long way to go.

XP64 would be ideal but the drivers are sometimes wacky. Regular WinXP is great but it can't address 4 gigs of RAM. If Microsoft spent a little more time on XP64 instead of squeezing out Vista it would be a no-brainer to recommend.

[mantooth]

Cesar,

So you hate Mac users based on a conversation that you've made up?

"Yes, but not because they have some kind of uber-great security. Its because due to their miniscule market share no hacker is really interested in making Mac viruses."

A different take:

http://daringfireball.net/2006/11/jackass_larry_seltzer

As much as I hate to be known as a fanatic, as far as reliability goes, I'll have to disagree with Bernd. I used to work in tech support in a North Carolina school system and we had 19 Mac schools and 6 PC schools. I never had to visit the Mac schools. The PC schools were a constant headache. The Macs I have purchased as long as 10 years ago are still running strong, a 9 year old PowerMac is running Tiger without complaint.

[Ali]

Bingo- I have to thank vista for screwing up david's computer, because otherwise this thread would have probably the same old same old clinton vs obama, blue vs red, yada yada yada...

vista vs mac falls in the same category, but at least its of a different nature... same crap, different pile.

Just kiddin' you all... carry on... I am actually learning something here... basically that my next machine should be a...

... linux!

[Brandybuck]

Hey you Whinedozers, Macdroids and Linuxtards quiet down in there! We FreeBSD users are trying to get some real work done!

[Bryan]

Clinton!
Obama!
Mac!
Vista!
Hot Dogs!
More Hot Dogs!

Some debates can never be resolved.

[the innominate one]

Regular WinXP is great but it can't address 4 gigs of RAM.

Bingo, could you elaborate? I just bought a Dell laptop with XP and 4 gig of RAM. Was that some sort of mistake?

[Nephilium]

the innominate one:

Basically, if you're running more then two gigs of RAM with only a 32-bit OS, you're not getting everything.

The system will say four gigs, but it won't be able to use it all.

Nephilium

[Bernd]

mantooth,

Let's just say you're steadfast in your principles. 😉

Regarding hardware quality - yes, they used to be good; but it got way worse. Especially major offenders are the newer iMacs and Notebooks; late Power/early Intel era. Logic board faults galore. My MBP, 1st gen is a turd in so many ways...

I heard their QC got a bit better again since about Core2Duo. Let's see. My next machine is probably a MB in half a year or so.

Oh, and Daring Fireball is a bad source to quote if you don't want to be seen as a total fanboy. That guy could see Steve Jobs devour his son and would scramble to find an explanation how his damn kid had it coming.

[Bingo]

innominate one:

Basically Windows XP won't see the 4 gigs of memory. It will only see, at most, 3. It's hardcoded into the operating system. If you install XP64 you'll get the advantages of 4 gigs of RAM, but you might run into driver incompatibility issues, so its very hit or miss depending on your hardware.

I wouldn't call it a mistake, if you ever install a different operating system on it you can use the extra gig no problem. But Win XP will be completely blind to it and only use 3 of those 4 gigs.

[Cesar]

Mantooth-

Mac gaming still blows.

[Cesar]

In fact, I'd sooner by an Atari Jaguar for gaming than a Mac. Do you realize how bad that is?

[Bingo]

Nephilium:

It's actually not a 64-bit vs 32-bit thing. The limit for RAM on a 32-bit system is actually 4 gigs. Windows Server 2003 32-bit has no trouble seeing 4 gigs of RAM, but for some reason Microsoft decided to put a 3 gig limit on XP.

Who knows why *shrug*

[Bingo]

Cesar:

Not to turn this into a Mac vs. PC flamewar, but you do realize you can install Windows on a Mac, right? And I will concede to you that the default videocards in Apples are seriously lacking.

As usualy, if you are a hardcore gamer, building your own machine is the way to go. But if not then Mac's casual and shareware games are quite good. Blizzard, id, and some other companies make games for OS X if you don't want to reboot into Windows. I think there's even an EVE Online client now.

[Ali]

In this world of Mac vs. PC, where should libertarians stand? The left took Mac, PC seems to be a thing of the populace, not sure where to fit our right wing friends, but libertarians seem to fit in neatly with linux.

[Cesar]

Not to turn this into a Mac vs. PC flamewar, but you do realize you can install Windows on a Mac, right?

Yeah, and its a pain in the ass and runs really slow. You also pay out the ass for the same exact hardware, and don't have any ability to upgrade.

I'm a fairly hardcore gamer though I absolutely positively despite MMORPGs and believe they are a collaborative effort between Al Qaeda and Satan. All other genre of games are cool by me though.

I built my most recent computer and couldn't be happier. I did install Windows XP on it, though, because I want to see how Vista pans out.

I really haven't been a fanboy of anyone since Sega went out of the hardware business, but I will go for PCs over Macs until Macs have much better gaming support. Then Macdroids and I can talk, but not until then.

[Bingo]

Probably OpenBSD, Ali. No "communist" GPL License, extremely secure, and built-in cryptography to stop the Feds from getting your data! Also you are guaranteed to never run into a female that uses it, so its perfect for libertarians 😉

[One thing PC users can do that]

Shut the fuck up!.

[Bingo]

Lol, I see where you're coming from, Cesar. It's not any slower though, my MacBook has the exact same hardware as any other Core 2 Duo laptop. XP on a Macbook is no different than on a Dell with the same hardware configuration. Intel integrated graphics sucks shit in any machine though.

I've been looking to put together a gaming box, everything is so cheap these days. What video card did you end up getting?

[Kolohe]

Bingo | March 29, 2008, 11:11pm | #
Cesar:

Not to turn this into a Mac vs. PC flamewar,

----------

Bingo | March 29, 2008, 3:28am | #
Weigel you fucking noob, if you want to be a true cosmotarian get a Macbook.

Whatever, Ms. O'Leary's cow. 🙂

[Nephilium]

Bingo:

Damn... I'll need to start keeping up more then... I thought I saw something tying it to the 32-bit/64-bit divide... but I could be wrong...

I still remember when Win 98 SE couldn't see one gig of RAM.

Shall we start discussing which is better, X-Modem or Z-Modem? 🙂

Nephilium

[Ali]

That's all very funny, btw. I am really enjoying this. Thanks to vista.

[Nephilium]

Bingo:

Also, on the vid card front, dual nVidia 8800 GTS in an SLI config. Only turn off the SLI for some beta testing of games.

At least, that's the vid card choice I went with...

Nephilium

[Bingo]

Woah, sweet setup Neph! SLI kicks ass and that must have cost you a pretty penny when it came out 😉 I've been looking at the 9600GT, good bang for the buck and their power usage is very nice.

I gotta go to falafel store and hit on the cute chick there and then pick up some wine at Trader Joe's, so Cesar is free to bash Macs all he wants. A cosmotarian must be vigilant in maintaining his lifestyle, regardless of internet flamewars!

[Bernd]

Ali: I guess a libertarian would stand wherever he damn well pleased.

We should leave this childish platform bickering behind to deal with the real issue: vi or Emacs?
[The right answer is Emacs.]

[Timon19]

Emacs is for pussies who type with two fingers.

[The Real Bill]

If you're a noob that doesn't game much, get a Mac.

If you're good with 'puters, must use Office, or like to upgrade one part at a time, get a PC.

Never EVER buy a new OS (unless your old one is really, really bad. Like Windows 98 was). Wait until the first update/service pac.

Macs are definitely not a libertarian machine; there is no freedom! PCs can use a wide variety of hardware and software, and can be tweeked to your heart's desire. Definitely libertarian, especially with some version of Linux.

[Ebeneezer Scrooge]

Seriously I am not sure what Microsoft was thinking with Vista.

They were thinking, "we need some more money coming in the front door, and at this point in history we can jam it down their throats whether they like it or not".

And jam they have.

The main attraction of Vista over XP seems to be fewer crashes and way fewer viruses

In two years that will no longer be the case, wait and see.

the innominate one

I just bought a Dell laptop with XP and 4 gig of RAM. Was that some sort of mistake?

A 32 bit OS is only physically able to address 3.xxx GB of RAM (sorry but I don't carry the exact number around in my head). The BIOS will report the full 4 GB though the OS won't be able to use it. I have 4 GB installed on my machine, and 3.xxx GB available under Windows.

I also run Win2k because -- there is not a damned thing that XP or Vista do that I need -- that I can't do faster on my Win2k machine, using any given hardware. I want speed more than anything else and XP/Vista are just sloooowwwwweeeerrrrrrrr.

Plus MS makes you relearn commands with every new OS, and I have way too many other things to do with my time. In fact I would still be running NT4 but I needed USB.

Then again, I grew up on DOS prompts. I can remember when DOS 4 was big news. Boy those were the days.

[Ebeneezer Scrooge]

btw, whoever it was above that said McCain has it in the bag -- I think you're right. As long as he can keep his shit together and not do something really stupid for the rest of this campaign. His opponent will be an overt socialist, and they've always lost if they had any kind of competition to deal with.

Of course, McCain is entirely capable of doing something really stupid.

Not that I'm voting for any of them. Nor am I voting for any more politically suicidal "liber-idiot" candidates. Giving them my vote would not register a protest, it would register my own stupidity.

I'm on Voter's Strike until there's a rational alternative to vote for.

[Art-P.O.G.]

That Zappa clip on Youtube ("Crossfire" '86)was amazing. It demonstrated to me, the conflict in perspective between the extreme social conservative (Lofton) who seemed to think that any sort of exposure to morally abject material would be an irreedemable corrupting influence on the young, and the libertarian (Zappa), who was all for a 'free' exchange in the 'marketplace of ideas'. Lofton was amazingly pessimistic about human nature (especially in the young) and in the content of popular art.

[Art-P.O.G.]

I was referring to the innominate one's post at 10:02 pm on the 29th, if you're wondering. Good clip.

[Pablo Escobar]

I hate it when disgruntled employees of Ron Paul become neo-cons... and then hate on libertarians for not being 'libertarian enough'. Idiot Dondero.

Fitna is absolute garbage. The Bible has a lot of crap in it too. The difference is, Muslims aren't stationing their troops inside the USA, UK and Australia telling Westerners how to live and radicalising the fundamentalist elements.

It's not the goddam Koran that is creating terrorists. The real motivation is American intervention in the Middle East, starting from when the US overthrew the democratically elected leader of Iran in 1953. If Iran isn't a democracy today, you can blame American foreign policy.

Get a grip. Libertarians aren't supposed to trust the government - and that includes on matters of foreign affairs. There's a reason the smartest libertarian of the 20th century (Milton Friedman) was against the Iraq war.

[Jim Walsh]

...so far Congress has had John Denver and Frank Zappa killed. Not sure why they didn't off Dee Snider, too.

Well, just look at the guy; who's gonna take him seriously...

[John C. Randolph]

The Geert Wilder film controversy is the greatest libertarian issue of our time, perhaps of our entire lifetimes.

I'd have to put it a bit lower on the agenda than an unconstitutional war, the "patriot" act, the fiat currency, and the war on drugs.

That being said, the dutch shouldn't be trying to shut him up.

-jcr

[John C. Randolph]

And thats why I hate macs

You hate a product because of your straw-man depiction of people who buy it?

-jcr

[Art-P.O.G.]

The real motivation is American intervention in the Middle East, starting from when the US overthrew the democratically elected leader of Iran in 1953. If Iran isn't a democracy today, you can blame American foreign policy.

You make a good point, but in our defense, the US is not the only country to meddle in the Middle East. Also, there are elements of paranoia and USA/j00-hating in the Mid-East that can only be partially attributed to events that have actually happened.
You're right that the Koran isn't creating terrorists, but you're fooling yourself if you think there aren't imams and mullahs out there with extremist and vicious political agendas.

There is plenty of blame to go around for the mess that is the Middle East, but the solution lies not just with the US, but with the nations and citizens of the Middle East as well.
Yeah, we've caused a lot of damage to the Middle East, but it's important that all parties move on and try for solutions in the here and now, or otherwise we all lose. Don't let the extremists on any side justify their hate-mongering by harping on recent history.
These aren't just empty words from me. I'm African-American, and believe me blacks and American Indians have had to put up with a lot of crap. It's no excuse not to be a decent human being.

[Eric Dondero]

"John McCain released his first, entertainingly subliminal, general election ad. It includes both the stunning revelation that he was a POW in Vietnam (why have we never been told this?) and more mentions of the word "America" than a Lee Greenwood b-sides compilation."

And who was it that ever said Reason Editors "hate America." Nah, no America haters around these parts here. That's just how you express your love for your country. Bash John McCain, and make fun of American Country Music stars.

[Eric Dondero]

Umm, excuse me "Travis" (notice you don't post your last name??) But the goal of the War in Iraq was to remove Saddam Hussein from power. Building a stable democratic Iraq is a worthy goal, but it is no longer defined as a "War." It is now a Humanitarian mission.

We won the War. We won the War the very MOMENT, second in fact, that those two GIs discovered Saddam hiding in that Spider Hole, and took him into custody.

A moment, if one can imagine this, like American GIs storming Hitler's bunker, and capturing him alive.

It was perhaps the most glorious Victory in the History of the United States Military.

Now you can argue, that perhaps we need to end the follow-up Humanitarian Mission; leave the Iraqis to fin for themselves. But as far as the "War" is concerned, that has already been won.

(I'll fully admit, we came dangerously close to not finding Saddam. If that hadn't happened it would have been an extreme embarrassment for Bush, the Military and even War supporters like me.)

[Eric Dondero]

Cesar, we're still in Iraq, because we're the most humanitarian Nation on the planet.

Would you have advised that once we defeated Hitler, we should have pulled out of Germany immediately, and let the Germans fin for themselves? Starve to death in the Streets? Resort to cannibalism, as what was reported to have occured in other War-torn areas, perhaps?

It took us another 4, 5, 6, 7 years to get Germany back into shape, post-1945.

And this, all the while, as American Troops were being sniped at from the Forests, by leftover "Wolfgang" German Troops.

[Eric Dondero]

Addendum to my initial report of libertarian sites that are/will show the Fitna film:

Consistent libertarian Free Speech advocates showing Fitna:

HotAir.com
Little Green Footballs
Libertarian Republican blog
Pamela Geller's Atlas Shruggs
Born Again Redneck
Average Gay Joe

Update!

Tom Knapp of "Knappster" Blog has since vowed to run the film. This is noteworthy, since Knapp is largely a leftwing libertarian. He is the ONLY one to stand out from the PC Pac on the libertarian left.

Fake Free Speech advocate so-called "libertarian" sites:

LewRockwell.com
AntiWar.com
NolanChart.com
Liberty Papers
The Free Liberal
Cato
LP.org
Libertarian Girl

In the Middle:

Reason.com that chose to run the video only on its Blog Page, and not on the Home Page.

So, you could say Reason is "inconsistently" or "selectively" Pro-Free Speech.

[JW]

But I completely agree with you about the macdroids. The trick is to just avoid talking to any Mac owner who wears a turtleneck and hipster glasses.

Unfortunately, I've been on a list for about a decade now whose owner is a rabid Macarazzi. He's quite clever and a good provocateur, but he and his legion of Mac fanbois have rendered Macs radioactive to me.

Don't get me wrong, I can completely appreciate the good qualities of Macs, and there are many, but the zombie hords of rabid Macdroids have put me off the platform for, well, eternity.

I keep saying that I'm going to d/l Ubuntu one of these days. I just need to have a chunk of time to set aside for that. I figure that will be after Battelstar Galactica wraps up the 4th and final season. Noooooooooo......[curls into fetal ball, thinking of his happy place in the CIC, Boomer and Six girl-on-girl action...]

[P Brooks]

You're right that the Koran isn't creating terrorists, but you're fooling yourself if you think there aren't imams and mullahs out there with extremist and vicious political agendas.

There are, without question, imams and mullahs with grandiose schemes to "destroy" America. Fortunately for us, they do not have the capability to bring those schemes to fruition.

Unfortunately for us, the cowards and hysterics currently infesting elected office in the American government can, by overreacting to the threat, do tremendous damage to American freedom and institutions.

[Someone Who Doesn\'t Want to L]

Wow - nutjob out in full force.

Little Green Footballs a libertarian site - hah.

[VM]

"he fiat currency"?????

*sighs*

[Elemenope]

we're still in Iraq, because we're the most humanitarian Nation on the planet.

ED has finally fucking lost it.

I mean, his grasp was always tenuous, but this takes the cake.

[Someone Who Doesn\'t Want to L]

So, you could say Reason is "inconsistently" or "selectively" Pro-Free Speech.

As you could say that Eric Dondero is "consistently" a moron and a lunatic.

[Mr. Nice Guy]

"It was perhaps the most glorious Victory in the History of the United States Military."

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah! Holy shit is that funny! Better than the Battle of Midway or D-Day no doubt. What's funny about a statement like that is that it is so over the top in its slavish elevation of this at best minor war to the be-all and end-all of wars that it fully denigrates the proud history of our military and its accomplishments, something one would expect a conservative libertarian like Donderdo and his ilk to have some measure of at least faux yet very public respect for. But no, just as the neocons smear any military general or admiral who has given their life in service to the militray but who dares question the prudence of their novel foriegn policy, even truly great military moments in our past must bow down to the current noble efforts in Iraq.

I hope others notice the bullshit change in language: now the "war" was won long ago and it is only the "humanitarian effort" that is complicated. This of course is similar to what many Democrats were saying years ago, but as conservatives do they defend the goal posts until they are totally indefensible, and then move them five feet back and dig their trenches anew...

[Mr. Nice Guy]

Has anyone seen the film "The Bank Job?" I'm going later today. Am I wasting my time? I'm not expecting No Country For Old Men, but I hope its at least decent.

BTW-Cesar, hey, whats the beef against the Atari Jaguar? I loved their Alien vs. Predator...

[Warty]

I, for one, am enjoying the hell out of Dondero's collapse into utter lunacy.

[The Wine Commonsewer]

What does Vista have that XP doesn't? Is the attraction simply that it's newer, or are there features that users just gotta have

We had the option to order our new laptops with XP and we thought long and hard about it. Our reasoning? That it would less difficult to move from Vista to the next OS than from XP. Like moving from win98 to xp rather than win95 to xp. Secondly, at some point nobody will be writing software apps for XP any longer.

For my kids? Don't much matter, they get the hand-me-downs from Ma & Pa and XP is fine for everything they want to do.

Another interesting thing, since I moved to Vista as my main machine, the XP machine is operating much better. There is a connection to heavy usage and problems.

[J sub D]

I would like to ask a favor from anybody with more patience with fools than I. Did Donderooooooo post anything of interest, a humorous comment, or an insightful observation in the Friday Political Thread?

Or was it the usual dumbass crap that we've come to expect from the moron?

[Warty]

And who was it that ever said Reason Editors "hate America." Nah, no America haters around these parts here. That's just how you express your love for your country. Bash John McCain, and make fun of American Country Music stars.

Dude, you can feel his righteous indignation as he types American Country Music (notice the caps). They is makin fun uh Lee Greenwood!!!!!!

[Someone Who Doesn\'t Want to L]

J sub D:
Dumbass crap.

[The Wine Commonsewer]

you can install Windows on a Mac,

My nephew has a dual system, he uses the Mac for photography and the XP for Autocad.

My brother in law recently switched to Mac for photography. He claims that Macs handle the instructions for opening pictures differently than PC's do and that he can open a virtually unlimited number of photos without ever crashing or slowing the machine.

I have no idea if this is true but he has this annoying habit of being right about this kind of stuff.

[Someone Who Doesn\'t Want to L]

He is getting closer and closer to calling McCain a libertarian republican though. We are therefore approaching a time at which I assume a bunch of you will be having your bets pay off.

[P Brooks]

Yet as the week wore on the American unease was palpable, not least because nobody seemed entirely sure who was fighting whom and what was the ultimate prize.

While some officials interpreted the offensive as Maliki's "first salvo in upcoming elections", others saw a simple power grab for oil. The intricate differences between rival Shi'ite groups in Basra and their presumed links to Iran were all minutely examined by intelligence officers. Yet on Friday one administration official admitted: "We can't quite decipher what's going on."

Times Online

[John C. Randolph]

Dumbdero,

Did you come a bit unhinged when your latest hero, Chris Peden crashed and burned?

LGF is not a Libertarian forum, by any stretch of the imagination. It's a neocon echo-chamber, where anyone who disagrees with Charles Johnson is banned.

Heck I'm waiting for you to tell us that Hillary's a libertarian.

-jcr

[P Brooks]

Did Donderooooooo post anything of interest, a humorous comment,

That depends on whether you have a "mainstream" sense of humor. He definitely makes *me* laugh.

[Mike Laursen]

If you're a noob that doesn't game much, get a Mac. If you're good with 'puters, must use Office, or like to upgrade one part at a time, get a PC.

Or if you're really, really good with computers, get a Mac (OS X is BSD Unix) or run Linux.

[Mike Laursen]

You make a good point, but in our defense, the US is not the only country to meddle in the Middle East.

That's no defense at all.

[Neil]

Eric is right this is no different from Germany or Japan. Many American troops were killed during the occupation of that war.

The Iraq War was the greatest victory in the history of the United States military and you Allahamba supporting surrendercrats won't change that EVER! You need to be called out on the carpet for your lack of support to our great Commander-in-Chief and the finest military in the planet.

[Neil]

Whatever anyone thinks now, Bush will be judged in history as either a great President or the greatest President.

[Art-P.O.G.]

That's no defense at all.

Maybe not, but we're not the only ones with the hubris to meddle our way into a mess, but since the collapse of the USSR we seem to be a huge animosity magnet. It's a shame that right up until 1941, it seemed like the US was isolationist when we should have been more involved and from right after the Korean war it seems we were often involved in international affairs when we had no business doing so. But it seems as if sometimes it's the clear focus of hindsight which makes our ventures seem so foolish and self-defeating (not that a lot of people who were smarter than I am didn't know that the Iraq war was a mistake from the start).

[Art-P.O.G.]

And I see that Neil is some sort of parody.

[Someone Who Doesn\'t Want to L]

At least Dondero believes what he's saying, even if he is crazy. Neil's just a troll (probably Edward) saying what he thinks will get people riled up.

[Someone Who Doesn\'t Want to L]

Art-POG: Great minds, etc, etc...

[Neil]

Ok, surrendercrats, answer this simple question:

Is Iraq better of now than it was under Saddam Hussein? Would it be better if Hussein was still in his golden palaces with his rape rooms, torture chambers, and his crazy sons? Answer that French-lovers.

[Mike Laursen]

We won the War. We won the War the very MOMENT, second in fact, that those two GIs discovered Saddam hiding in that Spider Hole, and took him into custody.

Now, I'm confused. Bush declared victory on May 2nd, 2003, after a dramatic jet landing aboard the U.S.S. Lincoln. Saddam Hussein was captured seven months later.

Oh, wait, let me re-read Bush's victory speech. Oh, here's the answer. Apparently, the whole Iraq War wasn't a war at all -- just a single battle in the never-ending war on terror.

Gosh, none of the Commander in Chief's statements jive with what you said, Mr. Dondero. Why is that?

[Art-P.O.G.]

Bush will be judged in history as either a great President or the greatest President.

I believe the provenance of this phrase lies with Stephen Colbert.

[Neil]

Mike no one said the occupation wouldn't be tough we knew it from the beginning. But we're winning now. The Surge is working. Its working.

How can you deny The Surge is working?

[P Brooks]

Is Iraq better of now than it was under Saddam Hussein?

That would depend on whom you ask.

[Zimbabwe would be better off without Robert Mugabe, but I do not want to see American troops occupying Harare.]

[Neil]

I'm sure you would rather talk and trade with Mugabe huh? I'm sure hes best buddies with Allahamba.

[Mike Laursen]

How can you deny The Surge is working?

Oh, you're right. The Green Zone is probably much, much safer than it used to be.

[VM]

Someone Who Doesn't Want to Lose His Job | March 30, 2008, 11:42am | #
At least Dondero believes what he's saying, even if he is crazy. Neil's just a troll (probably Edward) saying what he thinks will get people riled up.

good call - and KNEEL also resembles Juanita.

[Someone Who Doesn\'t Want to L]

Don't feed them, people. I fed one once and it turned out to be Edward. Learn from my mistakes.

[Art-P.O.G.]

If this theory holds water, "Edward" is one of the most damaged people I've ever encountered on the 'net.

[Someone Who Doesn\'t Want to L]

VM - I don't think I've ever seen Juanita on here, but from what I've heard that might also be plausible.

[Someone Who Doesn\'t Want to L]

Art-POG: And that's really saying something, 'cause online people aren't exactly, you know, normal.

[Cesar]

Dondero-

97% of casualties in WWII didn't come during the occupation of Germany. In fact, hardly any people died at all.

In Japan, the casualties due to hostile fire during the occupation of Japan was exactly ZERO.

So drop the WWII analogies neocons you look like dipshits.

[Someone Who Doesn\'t Want to L]

SWDWtLHJ:

'cause online people aren't exactly, you know, normal.

No offense intended to any of you, my friends!

[Cesar]

If the Iraq debacle doesn't illustrate the importance of learning history, I don't know what does.

[Someone Who Doesn\'t Want to L]

Cesar: Do you think the fact that WWII was a declared war, with a definite surrender, had anything to do with the relatively low incidence of attacks during the occupations of Germany and Japan?

[Cesar]

Cesar's Law of Iraq War Discussions-

The longer the discussion goes on, the probability of war supporters comparing Iraq to to World War II and/or the occupation of Germany and Japan approaches 1.

Cesar: Do you think the fact that WWII was a declared war, with a definite surrender, had anything to do with the relatively low incidence of attacks during the occupations of Germany and Japan?

There were a few EXTREMELY isolated incidents in Germany after the war that subsided within a year after the end of the Nazis.

In Japan, the fact that people would listen to anything the Emperor told them to do helped a lot when the Emperor said, "cooperate with the Americans". Thats why we had zero resistance. In one instant, every Japanese became our friend.

[Cesar]

It also helps that, you know, Japan and Germany were actual historical nations with a sense of unity, rather than a collection of tribes within a border drawn by London imperialists.

[P Brooks]

you can install Windows on a Mac

What would impress me more is if you could buy a disk and install OSX* on a $400.- generic laptop. You could probably sell a few of those.

*I know, a few people are hacking it, but what I've read about those projects makes Linux look like a piece of cake.

[Shirt]

I saw Lee Geenwood while deployed in '06 and went (what else was I gonna do?) with extremely low expectations. The guy sang other people's songs (mostly the jingoistic country songs that came out after 9/11) and wasn't much of a showman, but he has a decent voice and even played the sax pretty well. I wouldn't go see him again, but it wasn't a total waste of coupla' hours.

[GILMORE]

Eric Dondero | March 29, 2008, 9:55am | #

Free speech rights for some, but not all?

So-called "libertarian" ....

God you're a fucking parody of yourself

an aside from douche-bashing = I switched (i had to) to mac last year and Holy Shit it works superdooper

tiger, however, was faster than leopard, despite the name

Office 2004 still crashes from time to time but it's the only app that does. Surprise? Thanks Microsoft

[The Wine Commonsewer]

I thought I beat on Donderoooo for making the ridiculous statement that finding Soddom and hanging him was the greatest military victory of all time. Apparently the squirrels ate that post.

So, Eric, WTF? You want a great military victory? I nominate Iwo Jima.

[GILMORE]

DONDEROOOO
I'll fully admit, we came dangerously close to not finding Saddam. If that hadn't happened it would have been an extreme embarrassment for Bush, the Military and even War supporters like me.)

I'd like to introduce you to all the marines in my family, who will gladly beat you senseless for being such a dumb cockbreath

[Cesar]

If he wants a semi-accurate historical parallel, I nominate the Fillipino-American War.

That, or the Second Boer War.

[The Wine Commonsewer]

I get more annoyed with the stoopid stuff that MS does than anything else. Like why does MS Office automatically close when you close the last file? And why doesn't Excel do the same thing?

[GILMORE]

p.s.

Two sets of words regarding the video=

George Duke

Ass-kicker

[GILMORE]

TWC

dude, - get a mac, run tiger, get office 2008

[The Wine Commonsewer]

Meant, why does MSWord automatically close along with the file you just closed? Excel does not do this.

[The Wine Commonsewer]

I have Office 2008. I don't have a Mac.

[GILMORE]

Eric Dondero | March 30, 2008, 9:54am | #

Cesar, we're still in Iraq, because we're the most humanitarian Nation on the planet.

No, it's because assholes like you don't even know how to use commas

[GILMORE]

TWC

As a recent switcher, and financial modeler like you... i'm telling you, OSX rips the ass out of Windows machines for Office apps.

PPT will crash though if you do 50+ slide decks. One drawback.

Oh, that, and the cost of entry. The gap in prices for mac laptops and windows machines is silly

[The Wine Commonsewer]

Gilmore, I appreciate the thought but I am suspicious that I could trash a Mac just about as fast as I can trash a PC. 🙂

Takes me about three months and the other problem is some of the apps I need aren't written for Mac.

[Art-P.O.G.]

I saw Lee Geenwood while deployed in '06

I could swear I saw Lee Greenwood perform at Ft. Sill during Week 7 of Basic (May '06), but I'm thinking he's either the most touring dude ever, or I saw someone else.

[Cesar]

Does anyone else suspect Dondero is an anti-war plant and/or performance artist trying on purpose to make war supporters look ridiculous?

[GILMORE]

TWC

One thing about apps in OSX is that they are universal binaries operating on a unix platform (if im not mistaken)

basically, stable, stable stable.

plus, yes, they dont ever shut the app down when you close all the files

I actually sometimes find it irritating because if i'm running word, excel, ppt, and mail (their version of Outlook), i will manually shut the apps down to save background memory.

[GILMORE]

TWC

I hear you re: Windows-only apps

I run a barebones PC in my office along with my laptop, and use it for some stuff like DVD copying and running SPSS and other stuff that mac is persona non grata for.

Despite the required double-machine sitch, the experience with the mac is superb

[The Wine Commonsewer]

As I mentioned upthread, I'm running 64bit Vista Business and so far it is pretty stable. I have yet to crash the machine and it's been four months.

It's slower than molasses in January to open or shut down, but once it's running it's fast enough. Not sure it's any faster than Mr XP though

[Cesar]

If there was a bare-bones Macbook for sale at the same price as a bare-bones PC laptop, and I only needed it for email/office/internet stuff, I'd get one.

[GILMORE]

still running XP sp2 on the barebones and it's pretty solid

one cool thing about the macbook is that boot-up and shut down times are like less than 30 seconds. i'm on H&R within a minute of pressing the power button. 🙂

[GILMORE]

last mac related comment

safari for windows is pretty good so far

[J sub D]

SWDWTLHJ,

Thank you. I just asked because you never know.

[J sub D]

Is Iraq better of now than it was under Saddam Hussein? Would it be better if Hussein was still in his golden palaces with his rape rooms, torture chambers, and his crazy sons? Answer that French-lovers.

As a French lover (both giving and receiving), let me try to answer your questions.

No.
No.

Just count the dead.

[Not Moe]

Japan and Germany were actual historical nations with a sense of unity, rather than a collection of tribes within a border drawn by London imperialists.

Germany didn't really have a long history of unification and was a collection of tribes that evolved into nation/states. I believe that the US is an older nation than Germany.

[Cesar]

Moe-

In 1945 they shared a common language and a common history. They were not thrown together by an outside power, but rather united by themselves.

If you seriously don't see the differences between Iraq today and Germany in 1945 you're being intellectually dishonest.

[Cesar]

If you count the Holy Roman Empire, btw, the German nation is much older than the United States.

[J sub D]

Cesar, one insightful comment from history I reacll (can't name the source)was" The Holy Roman Empire is neither holy, Roman or an empire".

[The Wine Commonsewer]

Oh, I think that Iraq is better off without Soddom. Granted civilian deaths since we landed in Iraq approaching 100,000 is a serious problem but is nowhere near the the half million Iraqi dead in the Iraq/Iran war.

[Cesar]

J sub D that was true only after 1648. Before the reformation--and especially in the Middle Ages--it was a much more powerful entity.

[Cesar]

Sorry for sounding harsh, but I don't care if the Iraqis are better off or not.

Are WE better off now than in 2002? I'd say no.

[J sub D]

Agreed. Still not holy or Roman though. The quote was undoubtably of more recent vintage.

[Cesar]

So, yeah, if you wanna say Iraq in 2008 is like Germany during the Wars of Religion, that sounds more like it.

[Not Moe]

Cesar, I didn't say there wasn't a difference.

I said the modern German nation does not have a much longer history than does Iraq. Modern Iraq dates to 1920. Modern Germany is perhaps forty-fifty years older, united under Bismark and excluding Austria.

[Cesar]

Moe, I think we have our terms confused.

The German STATE didn't exist until 1871 but the German NATION existed long, long before that.

If the Kurdish nation got their own state, you wouldn't say that America had been a nation longer than the Kurds. A nation often exists before a state.

[The Wine Commonsewer]

Sorry for sounding harsh, but I don't care if the Iraqis are better off or not.

Yes, but I was answering someone's question.

I do care if the Iraqi's are better off, if one didn't care it would have been far simpler and less expensive to just nuke the place and leave a sea of molten glass.

Still half past time to come home, though.

[Bingo]

Thank god for Eric Dondero, lol

The Fitna video is some masterful trolling.

[Pig Mannix]

@Cesar

If there was a bare-bones Macbook for sale at the same price as a bare-bones PC laptop, and I only needed it for email/office/internet stuff, I'd get one.

There's more than one way to skin a cat...

[Not Moe]

Cesar, Modern Germany excludes Austria, which was once part of the so-called German states. Austria has a different language, Prussian culture was extremely militaristic whereas the rest of what is now Modern Germany was more interested in dancing and drinking beer than anything else.

My point is we have a modern German nation that evolved from many nation states that had seperate languages and different cultures, including the very differnt culture of what was once known as East Germany.

[Cesar]

My point is Germany in 1945 was a nation-state, whereas Iraq is not and has never been.

If you asked someone from Munich and someone from Berlin in 1945, "What are you?" They would say "German".

If you ask a Kurd in Mosul, a Shia in Basra, and a Sunni in Baghdad "What are you?" my guess is "Iraqi" won't be their first response. They'd probably give you the name of their tribe, then their ethnicity, then their religion.

Thats a big reason why our occupation of Iraq is much more difficult than the occupation of Germany, and two compare the two is idiotic propaganda.

[joe]

Cesar,

I'll bet the Sunni in Baghdad would say "Iraqi." Like the Serbs in Yugoslavia, the Sunnis (especially the urban ones, as opposed to the Anbar tribes for example) are the anti-seccessionist nationalists - which makes sense, because they were both the nationality that was in the driver's seat of the confederation.

I recall a Congressional hearing a couple years ago, in which a member gushed about having a Kurd, a Shiite, and a Sunni politician all testifying together. The Sunni corrected him, saying he'd prefer to be called an "Iraqi Nationalist" than a Sunni.

[Cesar]

Joe yes, the upper class Sunnis possibly would say that. But theres probably an equal chance they would say "Arab".

[Ali]

Does anyone else suspect Dondero is an anti-war plant and/or performance artist trying on purpose to make war supporters look ridiculous?

No, I doubt because they are busy trying on purpose to make anti-war supporters look ridiculous. The neocons, and trolls like Dondero, are doing just fine on their own busy trying on purpose to make war supporters look ridiculous.

[Ali]

Cesar, I can acertain that the only differentiation that would exist between Iraqis is Iraqi (not Arab) vs. Kurd. Sunni/Shia is a new thing since, oh say, earlier this decade.

[Ali]

"ascertain" not "acertain"

[Neu Mejican]

Here's my open thread contribution.

Portrait of a voter who says they would never vote for McCain

My octogenarian father-in-law.
Ex military Police.
Korean and Vietnam vet.
Staunch Republican.

One of the reasons- he's too old.

He, won't, however vote for Obama or Clinton either.

[Someone Who Doesn\'t Want to L]

JsubD:
You're Welcome.

and:

Cesar, one insightful comment from history I reacll (can't name the source)was" The Holy Roman Empire is neither holy, Roman or an empire".

It's a quote from Linda Richman on Coffee Talk. Paul Baldwin couldn't be here today cause he's developed a case of shpilkes in his geneckteckessoink. We talk about coffee, daughters, dogs, you know, no big whoop.

[Someone Who Doesn\'t Want to L]

I know some say Voltaire originated the quote but I think they have their timelines mixed up. They don't understand exactly how long SNL has been on the air.

[Kolohe]

I'll bet the Sunni in Baghdad would say "Iraqi." Like the Serbs in Yugoslavia, the Sunnis (especially the urban ones, as opposed to the Anbar tribes for example) are the anti-seccessionist nationalists.

I agree. Similarly a 1855 resident of Philadelphia would likely have called himself an American first, then a Pennsylvanian, while a Richmond denizen would have called himself a Virginian first, then an American.

N.B. I am not trying to compare in any way the current situation in Iraq with the American civil war, mid 20th century Germany/ Japan, the Holy Roman Empire, the Battle of Thermopylae, or anyones choice in matters of Religion and/or Microcomputers.

[Kolohe]

Neu Mejican-

Portrait of a voter who says they would never vote for Clinton.

My sexagenarian mother

Lifelong democrat.
Never went to college
Born and raised working class in Queens.

Reason: Like Gingrich's mama said to Connie: 'she's a b----.'

I don't know who she would vote for though.

[Cesar]

I'm still waiting for DONDEEEEEEEEROOOOOOOOOOOOOO to explain to me why 97% of our casaulties happened after the war (by his definition, anyway) ended.

[joe]

I don't think the people getting shot at and blown up in Iraq would have any difficulty figuring out if they're in a war or not.

[Cesar]

BTW, since Frank Zappa was mentioned, check out his apperance on Crossfire about the PMRC circa 1986 here.

He was bad ass.

[Someone Who Doesn\'t Want to L]

Cesar: Dondi won't respond because your use of your real name and e-mail isn't enough assurance for him that you're a real person. He needs your credit card info and loved one's addresses.

Alternately, to be fair, he may not have been checking the thread since he last posted. Tijuana hookers take up their share of time, ya know.

[joe]

Joe yes, the upper class Sunnis possibly would say that. But theres probably an equal chance they would say "Arab".

I wonder Saddam's homeboys in Tikrit would say?

[Cesar]

Someone-

He actually asked for my STREET ADDRESS in a previous thread. Creepy.

[Art-P.O.G.]

here, Dondero, read this

[Someone Who Doesn\'t Want to L]

Did he ask you for your measurements? 'Cause now that would be creepy.

[J sub D]

Art-P.O.G.

Dondero doesn't need to read that. He was a Storekeeper, for cryin' out loud. He knows all about war. Or at least he knows how much buttwipe a destroyer's crew goes through in a month.

[Someone Who Doesn\'t Want to L]

Cesar: thanks for the clip. Though now I remember why I quit watching Crossfire.

[joe]

Sadr won. He proved his point.

The central government can't beat him. The central government is helpless without the Americans.

If there's a silver lining here, at least it shows that the anti-Iranian Iraqi Shiites are stronger than the pro-Iranian Iraqi Shiites.

[Art-P.O.G.]

Though now I remember why I quit watching Crossfire

Lofton was a bloviating douchebag, right?

[John McCain]

The central government can't beat him. The central government is helpless without the Americans.

Which is why we must stay there 100 years, my friend.

[The Wine Commonsewer]

However, anybody in Dallas would tell you they are a TEXAN! Got dam it!

BTW, just dispatched a rather large rattlesnake that confronted the boy when he was taking the trash out. Those things just freak me out, boys. I don't care about being a girly man, they just freak me out. I'm on a personal mission to create an endangered species.

Only good rattler is a dead one regards, TWC

[Cesar]

TWC snakes are cool by me but I hate spiders.

[Art-P.O.G.]

Cesar, spiders are cool. Unless they're the kind that lay eggs under your skin.

[Someone Who Doesn\'t Want to L]

Lofton was a bloviating douchebag, right?

Yeah he sure was.

I'd never seen him on there before, but the others they had in his place were usually just as bad.

[The Wine Commonsewer]

Cesar, I'm fine with all the other snakes around here. Three kinds of king snakes (one of which looks deceptively like a coral snake, but is, in fact red-on-black, friend of Jack), rosy boas, and what we call gopher snakes (bull snake), which can scare the pants off you because their defense mechanism is to mimic a rattler. The body markings are similar, different head, but they rattle their tail just like a rattler.

Spiders? I have a certain concern for black widows, but not an abject fear.

Not big on scorpions neither.

[VM]

Someone who.... job:

"It's a quote from Linda Richman on Coffee Talk."

it's from long before that. long before.

the German/Austria connection is an interesting one! very cool. Lots of pro EU austrians (they actively campaigned back in 1994) don't want to sound "Austrian". Think: those fucktarded US college kids who don't want to sound, look, or even be "American" during their "become all fuckin worldly on one lousy semester (where they claim to have "lived" in said country) abroad"

🙂

[Someone Who Doesn\'t Want to L]

VM:

Someone who.... job:

"It's a quote from Linda Richman on Coffee Talk."

it's from long before that. long before.

See my post at 3:24 PM. ;o)

[prolefeed]

Something not addressed on this Mac / PC thread is which PC maker to use? I've bought a lot of PCs which quickly died, and the only one that seems to hold up is Dell. Of course, I live in a high-salt air environment (Windward Oahu), so all my electronics tend to rust out and take a beating.

The Macs seem to hold up pretty well in this nasty environment, lasting 4-5 years before dying.

[Cesar]

Prolefeed-

None, build your own part-by-part. Its not that hard.

[J sub D]

TWC

Beautiful, isn't it?

[Ali]

TWC

Beautiful, isn't it?

Why are beautiful things often also sting?

[Art-P.O.G.]

Ali, I can't help myself

[GILMORE]

Cesar | March 30, 2008, 4:04pm | #

I'm still waiting for DONDEEEEEEEEROOOOOOOOOOOOOO to explain to me why 97% of our casaulties happened after the war (by his definition, anyway) ended.

we're extremely humanitarian

[Ali]

Art-

What else would I be talking about 😉

[piperTom]

Never, never, never enter text you care about into any web based application.

Use your favorite text editor or a word processor; enter the text there and save often. Then paste the plain text into the web application -- if they lose it, no hu hu; you can paste it again. (Yes, that's what I'm doing now.)

[The Wine Commonsewer]

J Sub

YIKES!

[J sub D]

TWC, I stumbled upon that while surfing the net, liked it so much, I saved the address thinking I'll be able to use this sometime. IANAH (Herpetologist) so I don't have any idea what kind of snake that is.

[J sub D]

Why are beautiful things often also sting?

Like women?

[Ali]

Like women?

Hmmmmm... I guess, yes, may be.

[bago]

A 32 bit OS is only physically able to address 3.xxx GB of RAM

WRONG WRONG WRONG!

A 32 bit pointer can point to any address between 0 and 4 gigabytes. 0x00000000 - 0x99999999
In Decimal, that's 4294967296, or 4 gigabytes.

Do the math.

[The Wine Commonsewer]

Herpetologist?

The guys that get rid of herpes?

[Billy Beck]

"*In all fairness, one of my friends is a professional photographer/ graphics guy, and could never walk away from Photoshop."

Fuckin' hate 'im already. I used to laugh at those assholes when they used to go bug-eyed at huge TGA images that I produced with 3D Studio.

"You did that on a PC?"

"Yes. And there is not one machine in your whole [Mac] shop that can do it."

Fuckin' pretentious ignoramuses. That was 1991: not one of 'em could see around the edge their monitors, and they still don't.

[John C. Randolph]

How can you deny The Surge is working?

Well, let me give it a try:

"The Surge Isn't Working."

Wow, I denied it in four words! It was a piece of cake.

-jcr

[J sub D]

I love it when Billy boy stops by and adds his intelligent, insisightful, and oh so witty comments to the discussion.

How ya doing Beckster? I see you still haven't got that corncob removed from your nether regions. Keep working on it. Who knows, some day you may be acceptable to polite society.

Gotta go, Beck boy. Nice chattin with ya.

[Bruce Banner]

"The Surge Isn't Working."

Wow, I denied it in four words! It was a piece of cake.

Hulk can say in two words,

Surge broke!

[GILMORE]

John C. Randolph =

Here's some recent commentary on the value of the "Surge" (aka adding troops that should have been there in the first place)

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/30/books/review/Gewen-t.html?ref=world

For example, most of his interviewees, American and Iraqi alike, are satisfied that the surge has worked to reduce violence in the short term, but are skeptical about the long term. The underlying structural divisions threatening to tear Iraq apart are still in place, and in some instances may have gotten worse. The Iraqi office manager for The Washington Post explains that the insurgents have lowered their level of fighting but are simply waiting for the Americans to leave. Ferguson's Kurdish bodyguard tells him the United States has actually weakened the central government by working with local Sunni militias that feel no allegiance beyond their particular tribes and neighborhoods. "They don't care about the government. And the government, they don't have any power over what's going on." Another informant says Washington has been "promoting warlordism." Ferguson reports the "stunningly unanimous opinion" among his interviewees "that the surge is producing no lasting military or security benefit whatsoever."

the book/film being reviewed here was by an initial war supporter (Charles Ferguson). Now he's trying to track down "where does it go from here"

My feeling is that whatever happens, we're stuck there for a long time, and this in no way constitutes "winning" anything. Winning would mean we end up getting more than we paid for, strategically. Anyone making that case has a lot to account for other than simply helping reduce violence in one place for 6 months or so.

Donderoooo will accuse anyone critical of the war as a 'coward'. Most of the people i talk to about the war are in it. They arent quite as starry-eyed as he is, FWIW

As a side note, i noticed a guy who'd been in ROTC with me in school got killed in Iraq sometime last year. His name was mentioned in a times article about insurance payouts to family of killed soldiers. Never knew him particularly well, personally, but it was strange seeing his name in print in that context.

[GILMORE]

Billy Beck | March 30, 2008, 9:11pm | #

And they say mac users are obnoxious.

Is it possible that different users might have different needs, and use different products to suit their purpose?

Naw.... that'd be *crazy*

[Billy Beck]

"...polite society..."

Can go hang. These are not the times for it, and you can go fuck yourself.

[Billy Beck]

"Is it possible that different users might have different needs, and use different products to suit their purpose?"

It certainly is, but Macintosh users taught me a long time ago that they're just too stupid to understand that.

[J sub D]

Can go hang. These are not the times for it, and you can go fuck yourself.

Billy boy Beck,
Charter member of the All New Algonquin Round Table.

You should be embarrassed Billy. I mean that sincerely.

[Billy Beck]

Yeah, well, I said so about you, first.

[GILMORE]

Billy Beck | March 30, 2008, 10:08pm | #

Yeah, well, I said so about you, first.

lol

Commas man, commas. Try the Bedford handbook. Or maybe Elements of Style.

Good luck with your jihad

[J sub D]

Yeah, well, I said so about you, first.

What's next Billy boy? I'm rubber and you're glue? Beckster, I'm worried about you. I think you need to get laid. Check out your local GLBT paper for possibilities.

[Ayn_Randian]

GILMORE - well, we're all a bunch of blind ignoramuses in Billy's Kingdom of the One-Eyed, doncha know...

[Chamdar]

I don't know what's more hilarious: Eric Dondero actually believing that Hot Air and Little Green Footballs are libertarian sites or Dumbdero siding with Neil, the most un-libertarian troll that's ever posted here.

[Chamdar]

And speaking of Neil, would you please ban him already? It's bad enough that lonewacko is allowed to post here.

[P Brooks]

Fuckin' hate 'im already.

It's unlikely that matters to anyone but you.

[Click \'n\' Learn]

bago: The "highest" 32-bit number is actually 0xFFFFFFFF, not 0x99999999. (The "0x" signifies hex, i.e., base-16 rather than base-10).

Pointers are generally unsigned, but note that the number 0xFFFFFFFF can be interpreted as either (2^32)-1 (i.e, a very large positive number), or as -1 depending on how the number is considered to be: unsigned or signed. Which it is is all in the interpretation. And, some computer systems have used other interpretations.

Click my name's link to learn many other wondrous things.

My previous comments on this thread are here and here.

There's learning out there, so get to it, libertarians!

[Mike Laursen]

It's bad enough that lonewacko is allowed to post here.

Are you kidding? He provides a large share of Hit & Run's entertainment value.

[Bingo]

"You did that on a PC?"

"Yes. And there is not one machine in your whole [Mac] shop that can do it." [...] That was 1991: not one of 'em could see around the edge their monitors, and they still don't.

and

Fuckin' pretentious ignoramuses.

Lol. One of the surest signs of a fanboy is a rant about how "fanboys are stupid, I am smarter." Disclaimer: I am a systems administrator of a mixed network where all 3 major operating systems are prominently represented. People that actually know technology well keep an open mind and use the right tool for the job.

[Ayn_Randian]

People that actually know technology well keep an open mind and use the right tool for the job.

NOOOO Bingo! Stop trying to end the senseless "TECHNOLOGIES WARS!" with your "levelheadedness" and your "knowledge".

totally harshing my buzz, man.

[Chamdar]

Are you kidding? He provides a large share of Hit & Run's entertainment value.

Well, I suppose it is entertaining how lonewacko thinks that supporting punishing innocent "anchor babies" for the crimes of their parents is helping the case for immigration reform.

[prolefeed]

Why are beautiful things often also sting?

I have, falling down drunk, wondered aloud the same thing after breaking up with someone.

[GILMORE]

http://lonewacko.com/

We already know you're an idiot, we dont need to be reminded

[Chamdar]

Oh, and Neil, if you're still out there (and assuming you're for real), I suppose you didn't notice that Geert Wilders's free speech rights were recently defended here and about half the Reason staff supported the Iraq war.

[Ayn_Randian]

Why are beautiful things often also sting?

The Clap?

[smartass sob]

@ The Wine Commonsewer

Herpetologist?

The guys that get rid of herpes?

No, I think snake expert.

[bago]

Yeah yeah, bad copy and paste job to get the digits right, but nonetheless anyone who says a 32 bit pointer can't access up to 4 gigs of address space is a misinformed daytard.

[bago]

Virtualized memory addressing was started in the 286 and finalized on the 386. You had near and far when running win32s. But anyone who suggests that a pointer capable of pointing at 4 gigabytes of memory can't access 4 gigabytes of memory because it is only 32 bit (2^32 = 4 gigs) is a moron.

[VM]

Someone who.... job:

d'oh!

(antlers blush)

[P Brooks]

Here's a little something special for you armchair herpetologists out there.

[Anonymous]

"This is noteworthy, since Knapp is largely a leftwing libertarian."

He's also a Marine Corps combat veteran.

Which is a hell of a lot more impressive than some SK puke.

[J sub D]

P Brooks -

Much cool. Salamat.

[the innominate one]

J sub D:

hard to tell what type of rattlesnake that is, because that is an albinistic form.

herpetology is the study of reptiles and amphibians

Cesar look here

[Jacob]

There is no good reason to compose long documents in a browser.

[Bob]

Is this two threads or one? Way to make the discussion pointless. I bet your browser "crashed" when you pressed Alt+F4.