Friday, January 6th, 2006
Well I think the
Idea Exchange this week between my site and Anti-Strib was a resounding success. I thought all the questions and comments were very constructive and I think it goes to prove that liberals and conservatives can have a dialog with each other without things deteriorating into worthless name calling.
My thanks to all who wrote in with their comments and to those who read without feeling the need to comment.
I am sure that this series will continue so please feel free to
send me an e-mail with any additional questions that you would like to “Ask a Conservative.”
Posted by smithersmpls at 11:39 pm in Uncategorized | Permalink | No Comments »
Friday, January 6th, 2006
Wege makes a good point:
But this thing about skittish [Republicans] giving back that money, not to the tribes, but to charities. I’d like to see a list of those charities, because I’m betting that most of them aren’t exactly famous for their giving to the rez.
The tribes are going to get screwed out of their lobbying dollars and their money is going to go to — most likely — good Christian charities that could give a rat’s ass about tribal needs.
Posted by smithersmpls at 10:55 pm in Uncategorized | Permalink | No Comments »
Friday, January 6th, 2006
Red Bull Sky Ride:
Ever dream of riding your bike at top speeds through the skyway? Have no fear of clipping doorways or wiping out on tile? Think “janky” is one of the best words ever? A Red Bull-sponsored event in downtown St. Paul’s skyways on Feb. 8 will give 50 local riders the chance to prove that winter riding in Minnesota isn’t just about studded tires and those funny-looking balaclava face masks. Expect high speeds and sharp turns.
This sounds totally awesome. More info to you as I have it.
Posted by smithersmpls at 10:53 pm in Uncategorized | Permalink | No Comments »
Friday, January 6th, 2006
TIME Mag:
Sources familiar with the situation say Cunningham, a California Republican who pleaded guilty Nov. 28 to taking $2.4 million in bribes — including a yacht, a Rolls Royce and a 19th Century Louis-Philippe commode — from a defense contractor, wore a wire at some point during the short interval between the moment he began cooperating with the feds and the announcement of his guilty plea on Nov. 28.
The identity of those with whom the San Diego congressman met while wearing the wire remains unclear, and is the source of furious — and nervous — speculation…
I have a hint for those speculating. Cunningham did not meet with any Democrats. It truly has taken Congressional Republicans only 10 years to do what it took Democrats over 50 years to do, corrupt everything they touch.
Posted by smithersmpls at 10:07 pm in Uncategorized | Permalink | No Comments »
Friday, January 6th, 2006
Tracy has questioned my liberal bona fides so here it goes.
My pals at
Anti-Strib have been running a series of postings entitled
Why Illegal Immigrants Suck. I think they are on part 6 at this point.
It’s an unfortunate reality that when you have
8,200 illegal immigrants coming into the United States everyday, there are going to be some bad eggs in there.
But the real question is not Why Illegal Immigrants Suck, it’s Why Illegal Immigrants are Necessary.
MSNBC reports today that the unemployment rate is now 4.9% That is getting down to the point where nearly every legal citizen in this country who really wants to work is working. They may not be working their dream job, but they are punching the clock and bringing home a paycheck. However, 4.9% may also strongly indicate that there is an insufficient legal workforce in this country for the amount of work that is necessary. Ergo, illegal immigration.
There has been lots of talk about securing the boarder and building a wall and creating additional measures to make sure that those who wish to do this country harm are not able to waltz right in. I really can’t say that I am against these measures as I believe that a strong border is a secure border.
However, at numerous points along this wall I think there needs to be a big gate with spotlights and a huge sign that says
ENTER THE USA LEGALLY HERE! COME ON IN!
So long as we know who is coming into the country and why, I have no problem with immigration. Making it easier to get into the USA by open access points and near instant admission will make our county safer. We will know who wants to come in and why and we’ll be able to track them effectively while they are here. The phenomenon of illegal immigration exists because the US makes it so difficult to come into this country on a long terms basis.
As long as we have this low unemployment rate, and business needs immigrant workers to keep our economy humming along, I say let them in and make it easy to get in.
Posted by smithersmpls at 9:27 pm in Uncategorized | Permalink | No Comments »
Friday, January 6th, 2006
This might help George Hincapie win the Tour in 2006.
On another note, Hincapie’s blog top post states:
“Hi everyone, Sorry I’ve been out of touch.”
That post is dated Thursday, August 7 2003. What a bozo…
Posted by smithersmpls at 8:50 pm in Uncategorized | Permalink | No Comments »
Friday, January 6th, 2006
Randy Kelly and now Mike Tice.
Get the message? Don’t endorse Bush, it’s not good for your career.
Ha ha ha!
Posted by smithersmpls at 7:48 pm in Uncategorized | Permalink | No Comments »
Friday, January 6th, 2006
So where would Lt. General Ricardo Sanchez
get the crazy idea that Iraq is on the verge of civil war anyway?
Knight Ridder:
Kurdish leaders have inserted more than 10,000 of their militia members into Iraqi army divisions in northern Iraq to lay the groundwork to swarm south, seize the oil-rich city of Kirkuk and possibly half of Mosul, Iraq’s third-largest city, and secure the borders of an independent Kurdistan…The soldiers said that while they wore Iraqi army uniforms they still considered themselves members of the Peshmerga — the Kurdish militia — and were awaiting orders from Kurdish leaders to break ranks. Many said they wouldn’t hesitate to kill their Iraqi army comrades, especially Arabs, if a fight for an independent Kurdistan erupted.
Holy crap. How much longer are US troops going to be stuck in this country. For christsakes we have to get the hell out of there.
Posted by smithersmpls at 7:30 pm in Uncategorized | Permalink | No Comments »
Friday, January 6th, 2006
If only my comments could be as interesting as this…
Posted by smithersmpls at 6:52 pm in Uncategorized | Permalink | No Comments »
Friday, January 6th, 2006
Today’s Anti-Strib question for Liberals: Which is a bigger threat, in your mind, to traditional liberal values; Christianity or Islam? I’m talking about things like equal rights for women and minorities, free elections and free speech. Explain.
By traditional liberal values I am assuming that you are referring to modern western liberal values. If you start talking about traditions I am going to ask how far back you want to trace those traditions to determine how big a threat you want to discuss. You know, equal rights for women and minorities is a relatively recent phenomenon in this country.
So what is the bigger threat to modern western liberal values, Christianity or Islam?
I think any religion, practiced to its extreme, is a threat to the liberal values listed above. There are lots of things that are stated in the Bible as being God’s law that simply would not fly in modern society. That being said, there is no Christian sect that I am aware of that is hijacking airplanes and flying them into buildings.
I don’t think that Islam, per sea, is a threat to liberal values. There are lots of practicing Muslims in this country, and the world, who don’t have a problem with equal rights for women and minorities, free elections and free speech. They choose to practice their religion in a way such that these values are not impeded, just like the majority of Christians choose to practice their religion in such a way. The fact that a country like Turkey, which is 99.8% Muslim, can still hold democratic elections and where women have the right to an education proves that it can be done.
However, if you want to get more specific, I do believe that the Wahhabi sect of Islam is a real threat, not just to western liberal values, but to the stability of the world in general. Wahhabist madras teach Arab youth to hate all things western and their treatment of women and those of different faiths is despicable. The irony is that the schools that teach this hate were set up by governments that are the closest middle east allies of the United States. The US needs to put pressure on these governments to shut these schools down and give their youth the opportunity at a real education and real democracy in order to resist the temptation to turn to radical Islam. Then bin Laden and his ilk will simply be out of business.
Posted by smithersmpls at 6:31 pm in Uncategorized | Permalink | No Comments »
