WilliamColton

Thank you. I realize my thread is pointless, but this is the straw I'm grasping at. I guess I'm venting perplexity to the choir on these forums, but it's reassuring none the less.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/17/obama-jobs-economy-speech_n_929024.html Oddly reminiscent of a work of non-fiction you may have read? So, with these 'proposals' coming one after the other as they've been, and all of them being empty promises and re-election material, when will rhetoric become reality? How much in these bills and proposals are actually being worked into the system, unnoticed by the layman? I know I haven't read any of these bills or proposals closely, as I figured none of them had a leg to stand on. I guess my question is: do these people (I'm referring to damn near every politician, here) realize they're reading from Atlas Shrugged nearly word for word (and not the parts that are to be admired), and if they do, how could they think the rest of us are that stupid. What are the odds of any of these proposals and bills amounting to anything (being passed, implemented)? This isn't a very well articulated post, I know. It just flabbergast's me how closely Obama and the gang are towing the Mouch line. -WC And, yeah, I used 'flabbergast'. What a word.

Well, yeah.

Here's Paul speaking more to the Iran question. Red Eye is a comedy program that airs at 3am (ET) on the Fox News Channel. The Iran bit starts about 2:10 into it.

True, after my preliminary judgement of the man, he seems clean other than these inexplicable articles. My only problem is that he should take credit for the contents of a paper to which he lends his name and prints. Gail Wynand was ultimately responsible for the content of his papers. But apart from this one-off conflict, I haven't seen anything else that would lead me to believe he's racist.

"Opinion polls consistently show that only about 5 percent of blacks have sensible political opinions, i.e. support the free market, individual liberty and the end of welfare and affirmative action. Given the inefficiencies of what D.C. laughingly calls the `criminal justice system,’ I think we can safely assume that 95 percent of the black males in that city are semi-criminal or entirely criminal (W)e are constantly told that it is evil to be afraid of black men, it is hardly irrational. Black men commit murders, rapes, robberies, muggings and burglaries all out of proportion to their numbers. We don’t think a child of 13 should be held responsible as a man of 23. That’s true for most people, but black males age 13 who have been raised on the streets and who have joined criminal gangs are as big, strong, tough, scary and culpable as any adult and should be treated as such" http://newsone.com/nation/casey-gane-mccalla/ron-pauls-racist-newsletters-revealed/ The full content of the newsletter is at the bottom of that page. He's both taken responsibility, denied writing, and denied knowing of their existence in the last 15 years. Now, this could be a case of my being raised in a generation where the term 'racist' means nothing and everything, where a hint of the word means political death. Once again, I'm waking up to the point where I realize when I've been taken in, but is this being taken in or justified in questioning?

www.google.com His newsletters have been floating around for awhile now. You can also find pictures of him with Stormfront founder Don Black.

I've got 'A is A' in italics on my right shoulder blade. Simple, cool, and interesting to those not in the know.

Thanks for that sentence

I'm torn: vote racist and very likely to lose Ron Paul, or the guaranteed loser Gary Johnson.

No, he looks like a corrupt mayor ripped straight from a Batman comic. I'm I the only one who feels this guy oozing villain?

I suppose I got taken in by it. I just find watching them squirm onstage refreshing; as for the results, I'm not really sure. At the very least it was a show case of crazies, but the mock vote won't predict which turd will float to the top. Worthless thread, in hindsight.

Looks like Bachman wins the Iowa Straw Poll; Ron Paul in a close second (200 vote margin). Meanwhile, Gotham City Mayor Mitt Romney is an epic fail. What do you all think of these results? Obviously, Paul is not square with Objectivist ideals, but what does it mean that a candidate running on a "pro-capitalist" platform (and I think he's genuine in his sentiment, unlike the others) nearly took the straw poll? Nothing? Something? Who cares?

Of all forms of jazz, I'd say progressive is the most misunderstood. But it's incredibly personal if performed by the right artists: I recommend a good pair of headphones and dim lighting for that one. If you don't have 8 minutes, they really start moving around 2.45. Also the video is stupid. A lot has been said about the improvisational properties of jazz (whether it's artful or not?); but all improv is based off of progressions, melodies, and rhythms, and these are written on lead sheets. So it's not all masturbatory soloing, there's craft in the structure, and improv in the stucco. And don't let a soloist fool it; improv is VERY difficult to pull off convincingly and artfully, and it takes many years to acquire the tools to do so.

If any one can convey Bane's intellectual side, it's Tom Hardy. He can play sinister and in control with ease (see Bronson). He's also got the brawn. Expect something on par with Ledger's Joker. WC

Now where's Batman?

Regardless of your romantic woes, you're a very beautiful woman.

They're trying to spin this like Texas Governor Rick Perry is going to be challenging Romney for Republic Candidate. Am I the only one who thinks these two guys look like some corrupt mayor in a Batman comic? They're straight out of Gotham City. I agree that voting for the candidate who openly denounces capitalism over the guy who runs on it dishonestly is better for the cause of capitalism in the long run. But it's chilling that that is a decision we need to make. -WC

I'm beginning to think that the lack of original police presence was due to their reliance on CCTV. Posting cameras around town is much easier and cheaper than maintaining a police force for stopping/responding to street crime. So not only is CCTV a scary dystopian concept, it's incredibly ineffective. Good to see that they've managed to largely control London, but looks like it's still going in other British cities. -WC

I'm really not the person to comment or appraise race relations in London or Europe, being an American, so correct me if I'm wrong. I'm not sure what the racial make-up of the rioters is. But I'm seeing this as a mix of feelings of entitlement by the lower classes, feelings that London Police (the Met?) have historically mistreated ethnic minorities (it sounds/looks like these areas of rioting are largely black or middle-eastern?), a general feeling of fervor and thuggery, and a complete lack of police presence. Regardless of the reasons, violent rioting is never any way to solve anything; stealing Blu-Ray Players won't change the death of this man (which is still an area of contention), and destroying your own community will gain you no friends or a political ear. Does anyone know any more of the shooting incident that kicked this whole thing off? I figure the courts will treat it as a murder/manslaughter case and therefor we won't know anything for certain for many months. This may not be an interesting topic for most, but hose images coming out of London are mesmerizing to me. -WC

Looks like looters and thugs are back at it again this Tuesday, four days of unanswered violence and looting that began on Saturday after the fatal shooting of Mark Duggan by Met Police. I find this very interesting: what happens when mob mentality and open violence/property damage is unanswered by police or security? What does everyone think? What sort of action should the police and riot control take? They're apparently apprehensive to use so much as rubber bullets and fire hoses. Obviously, these thugs have lost the guise of political protest, and are no more than opportunists going unchallenged. If there are others on the forums from the UK with any better perspective on the events, and with any minute by minute news, I'd like to hear. -WC

Thanks for the greetings. I remember I had a Holly Cole album with a bunch of Tom Waits songs on it. It's amazing what a good voice can do for a Waits song. Got that CD stolen; I'll have to check out her discography on iTunes. -WC

Hello everyone. First post here. I figured I'd make my first post in the music forum, as that's my main interest/hobby/passion, and just maybe get to know some of the people who frequent the music section. Anyways, I enjoy all sorts of music from all sorts of disciplines, and have never been able to choose this that or the other for favorites. If you'd like to tell me a little something about yourselves and what you're into (every music fans dream question) I'd love to know. In the meantime, here's a fantastic song and video that I haven't been able to get out of my head for a week now. -WC