Weekend Wild Card — 1/22-23/11

28 comments on this post so far. Add yours!

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  Bubblehead on January 22 at 8:50 a.m.

  I’m going to Rep. Labrador’s Town Hall Meeting in Meridian this afternoon. Anyone have any questions for him? I’m thinking of “Do you believe the 2nd Amendment contains the right to violently overthrow the government, including shooting law enforcement officers and Soldiers”, “How exactly would a return to the Gold Standard work when the Chinese could just cash in their T-Bills and take all our gold?”[,] or “Given that nullification has been repeatedly shot down by the Supreme Court to the point that it’s now settled law, do you support the Idaho Legislature continuing to tilt at the particular windmill?”

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  Bent on January 22 at 10:15 a.m.

  No matter where you fall on this issue, this kind of stuff just adds fuel to the fire…

  http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2011/jan/22/obama-birth-papers-remain-secret/

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  irishman on January 22 at 11:52 a.m.

  Whenever I get my cable bill, my head wants to explode. I would ditch Time Warner in a heartbeat and watch Internet tv, hulu etc., but, that means no sports. At least not football and golf, which is why I have cable in the first place.
  My biggest beefs the cable box. Nine bucks a month. Month after month. Year after year. All it does is convert the incoming cable signal to digital format which allows the hdtv to display an hd picture. If it does anything more, I don’t know what it is. Mine doesn’t record.

  Is there a place where I could buy a similar box? Does Time Warner have some kind of monopoly where only their box will process their signal? Anyone out there know?

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  fortboise on January 22 at 12:19 p.m.

  @irish: You want to know how you can steal cable TV? Why not just get yourself an antenna instead of turning to a life of crime?

  @Bubbles: sounds like you’ve got it covered, buddy. :-) Although you could ask him “how satisfying was it to cast your vote for repeal of the job-killing blah blah blah, given that you knew it was pointlessly symbolic?”

  @DFO: I predict that $4/gal gas won’t change behavior all that much. (It didn’t last time.) It’s a shame, given that more bicycling would lower health care costs and increase quality of life more than the extra buck a gallon hurts things.

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  gg on January 22 at 12:24 p.m.

  does anyone miss reading the press online?…i do, but not enough to pay for it…

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  yabetcha on January 22 at 12:45 p.m.

  Bubblehead, you might want to thank him for his very smart comment on Meet The Press, which shut down the discussiomn about gun control. He told the panel and moderator that the Glock 19 was a good gun seeing as how a lot of police departments use it … that it was a good gun in the hands of a bad guy.

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  irishman on January 22 at 1:56 p.m.

  @fortboise. I have no intention of stealing cable nor do I have any idea what your comment is about.

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  irishman on January 22 at 2:04 p.m.

  @fortboise. What I asked in essence is; could I buy a product as opposed to leasing one that would work with my cable providers signal. Sorry that was too difficult for you to understand.

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  hmoffsuite on January 22 at 3:49 p.m.

  The Barrett-Jackson collector car auction has been going all week. Saturday is sort of the big day. It is live on Speedvision tv, if you care to see what your old car might be selling for these days. Imo, the market is quite strong and is a good indicator of the economy in general. Scottsdale is sort of the epicenter of collector auctions and there are six going on now. They expect to sell over $100,000,000 this ‘auction season’. Huge economic impact. Each of the three bowl games down here in January contributed over $125 million to the economy, btw.

• 

  Bubblehead on January 22 at 4:28 p.m.

  I’m almost positive that Larry Craig was at the Labrador Town Hall meeting. I’ll see if the picture I got was any good.

• 

  keithincda on January 22 at 4:46 p.m.

  Day 3 of 4 in the French Quarter of New Orleans. For off season it sure is vibrant and festive. Killer food at great prices and no waiting for a table. Jazz, Dixie, Zydeco music on many corner intersections today in the warm sunshine.
  Have had many conversations with locals who made it through Hurricane Katrina….stories that are sad and bittersweet for the people of this city as well as stories of triumph.

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  hmoffsuite on January 22 at 4:49 p.m.

  A little more color on the car auction. The ambulance that carried JFK’s body is coming up for sale pretty soon. Guesses anyone, as to what it will bring? Also, a fellow sitting in the front row buying cars is the same guy that just bought Rockford Bay Marina and Shooters. He is also one of the new owners of Black Rock.

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  hmoffsuite on January 22 at 4:54 p.m.

  Keith. Have you made it to Pat O’briens yet? My favorite place, with the dueling copper pianos.

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  keithincda on January 22 at 5:21 p.m.

  Suite, actually we are going to stop by Pat’s later this evening. So far we have avoided Bourbon Street and have hit more “off the beat” places on Chartres and Royal Streets. Jackson Square is a great place to watch people and in Nawlins you can imbibe in adult beverages outdoors and while walking around.
  Of course there is noting like a Cafe Au Lait and beignets at Cafe du Monde to start the day.

• 

  JohnA on January 22 at 8:10 p.m.

  Zags lose again. Ouch.

• 

  jdanmike on January 22 at 9:35 p.m.

  irishman—go to ‘tvprocessing.com‘ you pay for it but i’ve been able to get most of what i want on the computer for sports programs.. $45 for three years. good luck

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  Don_Sausser on January 23 at 7:11 a.m.

  @DFO, All three Division 1 college basketball teams lost Saturday — in overtime (Gonzaga), by two points (Washington State) and by 3 points (Idaho to Boise State). But the sun shined all day. So I’ll call it a draw. Now, I’ll replay the Wild Card, so you can start your own threads …

  Yabut, the NIC men & women’s BB team took it to Snow College, winning handily. Next Saturday, its archrival, College of Southern Idaho.

• 

  BethB on January 23 at 7:55 a.m.

  Kathleen Parker has a column this a.m., giving Sarah Palin what appears to be a pass on saying “don’t retreat, reload!” in connection with her gun-sights map from last year that targeted 20 democrats across the country (one of whom was shot in the head two weeks ago and has somehow survived), while simultaneously taking to task those who use the phrase “Nazi” when convenient (which was done this week by a democratic congressman).

  Here’s the thing: I don’t want to give anyone a pass on this kind of language and imagery.

  A year ago, when Palin’s crosshairs map went up on line, I was concerned. When I heard recently that Democrats did something similar in 2004 (at least with regard to the map), I was concerned. When the Dem called Repubs a Nazi last week, I shook my head in disbelief. When I see photos of anyone with a Nazi moustache - most recently it’s been President Obama who has been so drawn - I think, people are crazy (and am concerned when political leaders condone the drawings).

  Kathleen Parker says that Sarah Palin didn’t mean that people should use their guns. But isn’t it irresponsible to talk that way in the first place? And if the Dem from last week says that he didn’t really mean Nazis - isn’t it irresponsible to use the phrase? These are words, people - being said out loud, or typed into a computer. It takes personal action, choices, to reach the point of saying Nazi or of saying “reload.” And if it was just an accident - if Sarah Palin didn’t “mean” to evoke the imagery - then why did she leave the map up in spite of people’s protests at the time?

  I don’t care if Sarah Palin’s crosshairs map - and her follow-up to “reload” - is what triggered the shooting two weeks ago. If it did, or if it did not, her advocacy for using gun targets on a political map, and her violent rhetoric, was and is a tee-up for potential violence. I don’t choose sides when I am concerned about violence metaphors used by our politicians. I don’t want ANY of them to do it. But she doesn’t get a free pass from me on her graphic symbolism. She gets all the credit in the world - at a minimum, for upping the ante on the vitriol.

  I guess what we’re saying, if we accept all of this, is that our politicians are immature and/or should pander to the basest emotions in us all. That, my friends, is part of what causes reasonable people to turn away from the entire mess of politics.

  When our country first began, we used to hold town halls, where the details of a politican’s plan were outlined, and people could evaluate from there. That system has given way to our current soundbite culture. It is what it is. But as the president said at his speech in Arizona, I would rather see us live up to our children’s expectations.

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  BethB on January 23 at 8:01 a.m.

  On the same topic as above: I very much appreciated this op-ed piece by Senator John McCain in the Washington Post recently:

  http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/14/AR2011011403871.html

• 

  moscow_minidoka on January 23 at 8:15 a.m.

  The Pizza Rita Super Bowl ad has a glaring mistake that is driving me crazy. I can’t abide apostrophe abuse.

• 

  MikeK on January 23 at 12:35 p.m.

  BethB - I can add nothing more to your post than “Ditto”. Thanks for taking the time to write what I’ve been thinking

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  Kootenai_Conservative on January 23 at 12:44 p.m.

  Beth, how do you feel about all the other expressions that are denotatively violent but have become a part of our political lexicon? “Bringing out the big guns,” “battleground states,” “returning fire,” “in the crosshairs,” and so on?

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  BethB on January 23 at 3:00 p.m.

  @Mike: Thanks.

  @KC: Some of your examples don’t evoke violent images for me - battleground states, for instance - and we do live in the Wild West, so someone making comments about “big guns” is less imagery evoking (though “big dogs” could work as well). I’ve never liked the word crosshairs as it evokes SO many images. :)

  I think my line, though, is (a) when someone is specifically named in conjunction with a violent metaphor, and (b) particularly graphic and/or violent metaphors. I’m probably most concerned with comments about specific individuals. Also, I think there’s a difference between off-the-cuff comments and scripted comments, like commercials.

  I’m not saying there ought to be a law - I believe in the First Amendment - the grayer the area, the less I’m concerned. The items I listed in my posting above, however, aren’t in gray areas for me. It’s a common sense thing, imo. And I wish our politicians would, in good faith, use their common sense.

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  Kootenai_Conservative on January 23 at 3:16 p.m.

  I think Palin’s map was focused on the districts held by the Representatives and not the Representatives themselves. I.e. “targeted” districts.

  I’m perplexed that, in the aftermath of the Tuscon massacre, so much attention has been devoted to Palin and her seemingly-benign map while truly violent statements on the part of some Republicans (Sharron Angle, Stephen Broden) haven’t breached the discussion. Is this about going after violent statements or is about going after Sarah Palin?

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  BethB on January 23 at 3:44 p.m.

  Here’s a link to the map: people are named specifically - this version of the map also shows the three blood-red spots to delineate where there’s been the “success” of the Democrats in those districts retiring - the caption reads “already retiring - 17 more to go!” even though all the other Democrats were NOT expected to retire - implying that they should be gone, one way or the other:

  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/24/sarah-palins-pac-puts-gun_n_511433.html

  For me, that map was stark. I remember reading an article about it last spring - thinking it likely was hyperbole on the part of the person writing the article - then going to the map itself - the source - and just feeling floored. They were targets, KC. It was ugly. She didn’t care that people were worried about safety. I wondered at the time: who is going to die as a result of this map?

  I’m happy to put Sharron Angle’s “second amendment” comment into the category of too graphic. I’m not familiar with the Broden reference - violent revolution guy? ugly - also am not thrilled at all with the West Virginia guy (a Democrat) who shot up a bill for target practice - health care? wouldn’t have voted for him if I lived in West Virginia…

  I can’t speak for others, and motivations, when it comes to Sarah Palin - maybe being so visible puts her more in the limelight? For me, I’ve been concerned about that map since I first read about it last March.

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  JeanieSpokane on January 23 at 5:23 p.m.

  Thanks, Beth, for pointing out McCain’s piece. I would like to reiterate, as an average citizen, I have an almost child-like expectation of politicians, no matter which party - in that I always HOPE we are listening to each politician touting his or her dreams and aspirations for the future with them in office. I do NOT want to hear any more vitriol negative blabber about the opponent. I am here to tell you, Joe & Jill Politician that i am not going to stand for it any more. If you can’t say anything nice about your opponent, let alone more importantly, about yourself, then don’t say anything at all. I don’t go for the games or the inferences to violence as a means to get me to vote for you. Ain’t happening.

• 

  hhuseland on January 23 at 8:46 p.m.

  As far as the targeting that is being referred to above, I really think that this is current and past political jargon. It would be more helpful if those that are now pointing fingers had done so before the Arizona massacre. Doing so after, suggests an opportunistic approach to the political battle. Oops, sorry, contest. I too like the piece by Senator McClain. As a guy that pretty much sits in the middle or middle right to be precise, I find the fiery discourse on both extremes worrisome. Not because some crazy declares their personal victory over the voices, but without this withdrawal from angry retorts, we will never coast back toward the middle, if in fact there is any chance of that. Somehow, we have to pay more attention to reasonable candidates, and less to fringe people from either and both sides of the spectrum. That I can, without penalty, voice my opinions on this or any other venue is what this country is all about. Now we have to figure out how to civilize the debate.

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  hhuseland on January 23 at 8:49 p.m.

  I have noticed, again on both sides of the political debate, a tendency toward taking stuff totally out of context, to prove a debatable point. As a start, it might be helpful if we listened to ourselves and discovered how far out of touch we are with reality, and the whole picture. (dang, did a cobra or zebra or whatever, comma.)

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