Fuck its silent in here.......

[Yeti]

The national defense angle I am a bit more sympathetic to, actually - oil dependence sucks because we are price takers in that regard and can end up paying up for the oil we need to function.  However, the funny thing about oil is that it's a pretty fungible commodity.  Once it gets sold it can be re-sold.  So the idea that a Saudi Arabia or Russia could cut us off doesn't really hold water.

It's not a matter of it being re-sold.  It's a matter that, regardless where you buy it from, the wealth eventually flows to our enemies.  How great would the world be right now if we could tell Saudi Arabia this: "You make nothing but oil and we don't need it anymore.  Our ships, planes, troops and investments are leaving."

That's a fair point, actually... but do you really think that it will happen that way?  All at once?  I'm guessing the transition will be very slow and take many years.  And it does us no good if we cripple our own economy's ability to produce in the process.

Not really, every commodity has its day. 150 years ago, you would have been wealthy if you produced whale oil.

Green technology is where the marketplace is heading. Whether you agree with climate change theories or not, there's a shitload of money to be made, and the US should be at the forefront of the technology.

I agree with this ForkPost. Green technology is supposed to be more efficient or something, so it would only be reasonable that we'd want to move to that technology

[PenFoe]

The national defense angle I am a bit more sympathetic to, actually - oil dependence sucks because we are price takers in that regard and can end up paying up for the oil we need to function.  However, the funny thing about oil is that it's a pretty fungible commodity.  Once it gets sold it can be re-sold.  So the idea that a Saudi Arabia or Russia could cut us off doesn't really hold water.

It's not a matter of it being re-sold.  It's a matter that, regardless where you buy it from, the wealth eventually flows to our enemies.  How great would the world be right now if we could tell Saudi Arabia this: "You make nothing but oil and we don't need it anymore.  Our ships, planes, troops and investments are leaving."

That's a fair point, actually... but do you really think that it will happen that way?  All at once?  I'm guessing the transition will be very slow and take many years.  And it does us no good if we cripple our own economy's ability to produce in the process.

Not really, every commodity has its day. 150 years ago, you would have been wealthy if you produced whale oil.

Green technology is where the marketplace is heading. Whether you agree with climate change theories or not, there's a shitload of money to be made, and the US should be at the forefront of the technology.

I don't know about any of this global warming stuff, but I do know that neither people not countries produce Whale Oil.

Only whales do.

[Slaky]

The national defense angle I am a bit more sympathetic to, actually - oil dependence sucks because we are price takers in that regard and can end up paying up for the oil we need to function.  However, the funny thing about oil is that it's a pretty fungible commodity.  Once it gets sold it can be re-sold.  So the idea that a Saudi Arabia or Russia could cut us off doesn't really hold water.

It's not a matter of it being re-sold.  It's a matter that, regardless where you buy it from, the wealth eventually flows to our enemies.  How great would the world be right now if we could tell Saudi Arabia this: "You make nothing but oil and we don't need it anymore.  Our ships, planes, troops and investments are leaving."

That's a fair point, actually... but do you really think that it will happen that way?  All at once?  I'm guessing the transition will be very slow and take many years.  And it does us no good if we cripple our own economy's ability to produce in the process.

Not really, every commodity has its day. 150 years ago, you would have been wealthy if you produced whale oil.

Green technology is where the marketplace is heading. Whether you agree with climate change theories or not, there's a shitload of money to be made, and the US should be at the forefront of the technology.

I don't know about any of this global warming stuff, but I do know that neither people not countries produce Whale Oil.

Only whales do.

And, from what I've read, the whales just came right on ashore and handed it over to the kind, simple humans who asked politely for it.

[Chuck to Chuck]

And, from what I've read, the whales just came right on ashore and handed it over to the kind, simple humans who asked politely for it.

This is going to lead to trouble.

[Slaky]

And, from what I've read, the whales just came right on ashore and handed it over to the kind, simple humans who asked politely for it.

This is going to lead to trouble.

A giant rock with a glowing penis shaft?

[Gilgamesh]

And, from what I've read, the whales just came right on ashore and handed it over to the kind, simple humans who asked politely for it.

This is going to lead to trouble.

A giant rock with a glowing penis shaft?

CAPTAIN, THERE BE WHALES HERE!!!

[Wheezer]

That's a fair point, actually... but do you really think that it will happen that way?  All at once?  I'm guessing the transition will be very slow and take many years.  And it does us no good if we cripple our own economy's ability to produce in the process.

I continue to assert that the creation of wealth is a fallacy, Mr. Shannon.

[Canadouche]

The national defense angle I am a bit more sympathetic to, actually - oil dependence sucks because we are price takers in that regard and can end up paying up for the oil we need to function.  However, the funny thing about oil is that it's a pretty fungible commodity.  Once it gets sold it can be re-sold.  So the idea that a Saudi Arabia or Russia could cut us off doesn't really hold water.

It's not a matter of it being re-sold.  It's a matter that, regardless where you buy it from, the wealth eventually flows to our enemies.  How great would the world be right now if we could tell Saudi Arabia this: "You make nothing but oil and we don't need it anymore.  Our ships, planes, troops and investments are leaving."

That's a fair point, actually... but do you really think that it will happen that way?  All at once?  I'm guessing the transition will be very slow and take many years.  And it does us no good if we cripple our own economy's ability to produce in the process.

Not really, every commodity has its day. 150 years ago, you would have been wealthy if you produced whale oil.

Green technology is where the marketplace is heading. Whether you agree with climate change theories or not, there's a shitload of money to be made, and the US should be at the forefront of the technology.

I don't know about any of this global warming stuff, but I do know that neither people not countries produce Whale Oil.

Only whales do.

This has got to be one of the stupidest things that anybody has ever bothered to type.  I am dumber for just responding to this.

No shit, only whales produce whale oil.  What's next, Ric Romero, smog is a word that comes from the combination of smoke and fog?

[PenFoe]

The national defense angle I am a bit more sympathetic to, actually - oil dependence sucks because we are price takers in that regard and can end up paying up for the oil we need to function.  However, the funny thing about oil is that it's a pretty fungible commodity.  Once it gets sold it can be re-sold.  So the idea that a Saudi Arabia or Russia could cut us off doesn't really hold water.

It's not a matter of it being re-sold.  It's a matter that, regardless where you buy it from, the wealth eventually flows to our enemies.  How great would the world be right now if we could tell Saudi Arabia this: "You make nothing but oil and we don't need it anymore.  Our ships, planes, troops and investments are leaving."

That's a fair point, actually... but do you really think that it will happen that way?  All at once?  I'm guessing the transition will be very slow and take many years.  And it does us no good if we cripple our own economy's ability to produce in the process.

Not really, every commodity has its day. 150 years ago, you would have been wealthy if you produced whale oil.

Green technology is where the marketplace is heading. Whether you agree with climate change theories or not, there's a shitload of money to be made, and the US should be at the forefront of the technology.

I don't know about any of this global warming stuff, but I do know that neither people not countries produce Whale Oil.

Only whales do.

This has got to be one of the stupidest things that anybody has ever bothered to type.  I am dumber for just responding to this.

No shit, only whales produce whale oil.  What's next, Ric Romero, smog is a word that comes from the combination of smoke and fog?

Either you're an unfunny dork or a complete fucking moron.

I'm guessing both.

[Gilgamesh]

The national defense angle I am a bit more sympathetic to, actually - oil dependence sucks because we are price takers in that regard and can end up paying up for the oil we need to function.  However, the funny thing about oil is that it's a pretty fungible commodity.  Once it gets sold it can be re-sold.  So the idea that a Saudi Arabia or Russia could cut us off doesn't really hold water.

It's not a matter of it being re-sold.  It's a matter that, regardless where you buy it from, the wealth eventually flows to our enemies.  How great would the world be right now if we could tell Saudi Arabia this: "You make nothing but oil and we don't need it anymore.  Our ships, planes, troops and investments are leaving."

That's a fair point, actually... but do you really think that it will happen that way?  All at once?  I'm guessing the transition will be very slow and take many years.  And it does us no good if we cripple our own economy's ability to produce in the process.

Not really, every commodity has its day. 150 years ago, you would have been wealthy if you produced whale oil.

Green technology is where the marketplace is heading. Whether you agree with climate change theories or not, there's a shitload of money to be made, and the US should be at the forefront of the technology.

I don't know about any of this global warming stuff, but I do know that neither people not countries produce Whale Oil.

Only whales do.

This has got to be one of the stupidest things that anybody has ever bothered to type.  I am dumber for just responding to this.

No shit, only whales produce whale oil.  What's next, Ric Romero, smog is a word that comes from the combination of smoke and fog?

Desipio Plus also comes with green font too.

[Dr. Nguyen Van Falk]

This has got to be one of the stupidest things that anybody has ever bothered to type.  I am dumber for just responding to this.

No shit, only whales produce whale oil.  What's next, Ric Romero, smog is a word that comes from the combination of smoke and fog?

Either you're an unfunny dork or a complete fucking moron.

I'm guessing both.

Desipio Plus also comes with green font too.

Intrepid Reader: KurtEvans

LOL! You assholes don't even know what FARK is. OMG!

[ insert cryptic "Bubba The Sponge" reference ]

[Dr. Nguyen Van Falk]

I didn't know who Marc Thiessen was or much about this "Al Qaeda Seven" stuff until I saw him on the Daily Show the other night. Fucking despicable even by Cheney standards.

http://trueslant.com/conorfriedersdorf/2010/03/11/innocent-man-helped-by-gitmo-bay-attorney-one-of-the-cases-liz-cheney-doesnt-want-you-to-read-about/

He's just another chickenhawk, neocon, waste of a human being.  Oh, and a McCarthyist to boot.

Clearly these assholes hate the US Constitution with every fiber of their being.

(And don't forget Chuck Grassley.)

Back to the "Keep America Safe" assholes... Another solid takedown:

http://volokh.com/2010/03/10/lawyers-treason-and-deception-a-response-to-andrew-mccarthy/

If you ever need a good example of the proper meaning of "begging the question," look no further than the argument supporting this "outrage":

The proud American legal tradition involves defending the unpopular who are accused of crimes but presumed innocent.

It has nothing to do with assisting the enemy in lawsuits against the American people during wartime.

Kerr:

Finally, McCarthy strangely overlooks the basic fact that much of the litigation for the Guantanamo detainees concerns whether they are in fact the enemy. McCarthy presupposes that we all know that all the folks at Gitmo are terrorists, and the only issue is whether we feel like helping them knowing that it hurts America. But like the soldiers at the Boston Massacre, and like other criminal defendants, the Guantanamo detainees are "the accused."

There's nothing "strange" at all about McCarthy overlooking this minor fact. He and his fellow rat-fuckers have no shame in their cynical authoritarianism.

[Dr. Nguyen Van Falk]

TPD...

The more I think about it, the more I suspect that this "Al-Qaeda Seven" nonsense is all just so much hand-waving (of a piece with the Keep America Safers' other efforts to whitewash Bush-era torture), the ultimate goal of which is to provide ground from which to portray potential misconduct on the part of DoJ lawyers who provided legal cover for illegal acts (say, Yoo and Bybee) as just further examples of 'lawyers doing their jobs as lawyers.'

[fiveouts]

I didn't know who Marc Thiessen was or much about this "Al Qaeda Seven" stuff until I saw him on the Daily Show the other night. Fucking despicable even by Cheney standards.

http://trueslant.com/conorfriedersdorf/2010/03/11/innocent-man-helped-by-gitmo-bay-attorney-one-of-the-cases-liz-cheney-doesnt-want-you-to-read-about/

He's just another chickenhawk, neocon, waste of a human being.  Oh, and a McCarthyist to boot.

Clearly these assholes hate the US Constitution with every fiber of their being.

(And don't forget Chuck Grassley.)

Back to the "Keep America Safe" assholes... Another solid takedown:

http://volokh.com/2010/03/10/lawyers-treason-and-deception-a-response-to-andrew-mccarthy/

If you ever need a good example of the proper meaning of "begging the question," look no further than the argument supporting this "outrage":

The proud American legal tradition involves defending the unpopular who are accused of crimes but presumed innocent.

It has nothing to do with assisting the enemy in lawsuits against the American people during wartime.

Kerr:

Finally, McCarthy strangely overlooks the basic fact that much of the litigation for the Guantanamo detainees concerns whether they are in fact the enemy. McCarthy presupposes that we all know that all the folks at Gitmo are terrorists, and the only issue is whether we feel like helping them knowing that it hurts America. But like the soldiers at the Boston Massacre, and like other criminal defendants, the Guantanamo detainees are "the accused."

There's nothing "strange" at all about McCarthy overlooking this minor fact. He and his fellow rat-fuckers have no shame in their cynical authoritarianism.

You'd think someone with the last name of McCarthy would want to stay the fuck away from anything like this. 

[morpheus]

...the proper meaning of "begging the question,"...

The misuse of this phrase makes me ANGRY... and it's so widespread.