To keep things on topic, anyone who’d vote Republican this year must be a few short of a load.
coozledadsaid on October 1st, 2008 at 11:34 am
I wish I could find a source for used brick around here. They landfill pretty much everything. There’s also some crusade going on down here to raze “substandard structures”, which is shorthand for “Screw history, we need another parking lot”.
Those houses look rehab worthy to me, but you get accustomed to frail structures;and it keeps a body from putting on too much weight.
Dorothysaid on October 1st, 2008 at 11:36 am
I was thinking, too, coozledad, that they looked like someone could have fixed them up. And if I could stockpile the brick around here, I’d save it for the back patio we want to put in for our new house.
Kirksaid on October 1st, 2008 at 11:45 am
I have about a hundred extra paving stones leftover from our new patio, Dorothy.
LAMarysaid on October 1st, 2008 at 11:50 am
I would love to live in a house like that. It’s got more charm than a lot of the new ones out there. It’s probably got (or had) some great woodwork inside.
Dorothysaid on October 1st, 2008 at 11:52 am
Are you in Ohio, Kirk? We might be able to work something out!
Conniesaid on October 1st, 2008 at 12:05 pm
My husband came home from his recent trip to Cadillac with some strange bricks. His mother owns a 39 and a half acres pine plantation. The other half acre was donated for a township school decades ago, but has been a church in recent years. As he walked the property he realized that the old brick outhouse on the old school property knocked down, and he rescued a couple of the bricks. They are roughly 10x 5 x 6, ie wide, short and deeper than width – with four square openings down the center. They looked more like glazed block than brick. He found them interesting. Now they are on my deck.
Kirksaid on October 1st, 2008 at 12:59 pm
Yes, Dorothy, in Upper Arlington. Remember, I know Mark, the guy in your office who used to work at The Dispatch.
Jolenesaid on October 1st, 2008 at 1:02 pm
Whew! Just turned on the tube in time to see Bill Clinton in Florida giving a barn-burner of a speech for Obama. He must have taken to heart all the criticism about his previous half-hearted praise. Pretty remarkable.
john csaid on October 1st, 2008 at 1:23 pm
Yes, that house is rehab-worthy. So are the other thousands and thousands and thousands like it in Detroit. Very sad.
kathy tsaid on October 1st, 2008 at 1:42 pm
It looks like zip code 48213.
whitebeardsaid on October 1st, 2008 at 2:09 pm
When I moved from Montreal to Connecticut I hired some day laborers to load everything into the U-Haul truck. As they were moving some boxes marked “bricks” they asked me what was in there, bricks? Duh?
They also loaded two plastic bags of soot from the chimney cleaning operation a few weeks previous.
The house I am in now has portions from the 17th and 18th centuries and it has more nooks and crannies with five fireplaces. And it came with an old one-room log cabin out back that might be 1600s
moe99said on October 1st, 2008 at 2:54 pm
Rolling Stone has a lenghty and devastating piece about John McCain today:
Rolling stone,
Now there is some highly creditable journalism.
Joe
brian stoudersaid on October 1st, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Joe – I’d rate them as no less credible than, say, Uncle Rush Limbaugh, who I think is slipping into dementia
crinoidgirlsaid on October 1st, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Good eye, moe.
V
moe99said on October 1st, 2008 at 4:19 pm
Joe,
Rolling Stone has more investigative chops for the stories it does than many other ‘zines. They did a bang up job on the Karen Silkwood case, as just one example, but you were probably still in nappies then.
alexsaid on October 1st, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Thanks for the link, moe. My gawd! McCain’s legacy will doubtless go down in history as ten times worse than Dubya’s, and that’s without him getting elected president.
Reminds me of that old KY saying: “he was so ugly, his momma had to tie a porkchop around his neck to get the dog to play with him.”
ellensaid on October 1st, 2008 at 5:42 pm
How is “What newspapers and magazines do you read?” considered “gotcha journalism”? Sheesh.
marksaid on October 1st, 2008 at 6:13 pm
I’m quite confident your picture is an example of one of the properties the taxpayers will soon be buying. More accurately, we will be buying the mortgage.
On the good news side, dems and reps alike, who were completely unaware of any problem at all two weeks ago, are confident that this property only suffers from a downturn in home prices, and that after holding it for a few years we will all make a tidy profit.
Dextersaid on October 1st, 2008 at 6:29 pm
GO CUBS GO. Philly won their first playoff game today, now let’s get one for the Cubs. White Sox play tomorrow.
Damn, I look at that house, and I want to cry. I grew up on the east side (Poletown), and I remember thinking while I grew up that the northeast part of town was so classy, and it would be so cool to live there. But by the time I was in my 20s, it was like a destructive wind blew threw and destroyed it all. It makes me so sad.
It reminds me of that scene in the movie “Eight Mile,” where this abandoned house is torched, and they look through the rubble, and see the pictures of a happy family that once lived there, and imagine how it must have been. That was somebody’s dream come true once, and now it’s salvaged scrap.
Gasmansaid on October 1st, 2008 at 7:48 pm
Joe,
You’ve been mighty quick to criticize anyone who questions McCain or Palin, but you have never disputed the substance of the articles. If you are going to moan about an unfair treatment by the press or complain that sources aren’t credible, you are going to have to cite chapter and verse. Which interviews or articles are unfair? What specific points do you take exception to? You need to name papers, reporters, specific articles, and even specific points within articles. The general bitching toward the “liberal press” attacks or “gotcha” journalism is way too facile and intellectually spurious.
McCain and Palin are unprincipled liars. Any journalist that doesn’t call them out on obvious lies is not practicing journalism, they have then strayed into political activism.
bebsaid on October 1st, 2008 at 9:34 pm
What’s interesting about Palin saying she read all the newspapers and magazines is that she either couldn’t think of one magazine or paper to claim to read or was too embarassed to lie about it. Saying she reads all of them is more of a prevarication than a lie. But actually saying she reads the New York Times or Wapo when she doesn’t. That would have been a real lie. I know she lies when she says “Thanks but no thanks” about the bridge to no where but in these Katie Couric interviews she seems to prefer silence to saying an obvious lie. She must take her religion a little more seriously than most people.
Of course not lying isn’t enough qualification for becoming VP.
Joe Kobielasaid on October 1st, 2008 at 11:25 pm
Well gasman I don’t really have time to find chapter and verse due to the fact I have a job. I due try to listen with a OPEN mind to talk radio both left and right, and so far I am leaning to the right. I have family in the military, so i want some one as president who has the military’s best interest in mind and Obama aint it. Also I don’t go for punishing the rich by raising their taxes, The last time that happened the dem’s put in there luxury tax on major purchases like boats planes and expensive cars, what happened? The boat industry was devastated and thousand of boat builders were thrown out of work. Look you can complain all you want about the last 8 years, I came through it pretty damn good, sorry if you didn’t but I refuse to live and bitch about things I can’t change or due anything about. I’ll vote, but I don’t think anyone in Washington really gives a damn about me. The only fun thing I get out of the election process is seeing how upset you lefter get. Your like little kids that don’t get your way. You kick and scream and hold your breath. Hell gasman, you sound like a guy I might buy a beer and have a fun political discussion with, but you guys are going to give your self’s a stroke. Lighten up a little. And Moe99 Shave your legs and climb down from your tree. I bet I’m close to twice your age.
Living the dream,
Joe
nancysaid on October 1st, 2008 at 11:35 pm
Those scrappers weren’t on official business, in case you were wondering. That demolition was off the books, i.e., it was entirely illegal. The house had been burned and there was nothing inside worth taking, so the hyenas were hard at work on the exoskeleton.
(I’m the driver/escort for an overseas news team today and tomorrow, incidentally. They’re in town to take the pulse of America on the eve of the election.)
You know what got me about that project? The workers were pulling the bricks off with a crowbar, knocking loose mortar off with a hammer, and throwing them onto a pile. But someone had come along later and stacked yesterday’s load correctly on a pallet, then wrapped the pallet with plastic, to await removal by someone with the proper equipment, i.e., a forklift. You can see it in the picture, between the two houses. That structure was likely built in the 1920s or thereabouts, and that was some good brick. It’ll end up somewhere. This isn’t about a few shabby, marginal workers pulling a scrap of gristle off a corpse; this was a Tony Soprano job.
Jolenesaid on October 1st, 2008 at 11:52 pm
How did you get the chauffeur gig, Nancy? Did you show them the scrappers? Sounds like an interesting way to spend a couple of days. We’ll be waiting to hear what the foreign journalists had to say about us. For starters, they must be amazed that it takes us two years to pick a new president.
moe99said on October 2nd, 2008 at 12:14 am
Joe writes: “I have family in the military, so i want some one as president who has the military’s best interest in mind.”
When’s the last time McCain voted for assistance for veterans, Joe? Don’t hold your breath. His veterans’ plan that he’s promoting would remove everything but injuries received during combat from treatment at VA hospitals. Like them apples? No wonder so many servicemen and women are supporting Obama. He’s got their interests at heart.
Joe,
You think Bush supports the military? He has shown contempt for our troops by needlessly sending them into harm’s way. He views them as cannon fodder for his recreational war. He is a chickenshit that went AWOL for his last year of Guard duty and was dishonest enough to cash paychecks for service not rendered. As for McCain, he knew the war in Iraq was bullshit and he gladly sent our service men and women to risk their lives so his party’s business buddies could get their snouts in the trough. God damn him and go to hell. He has the blood of thousands on his hands.
You’re damn right I’m mad. I get that way when dishonest liars wipe their feet on the constitution. McCain has been content to be part of the Republican dismantling of our civil liberties. He has also shown a complete lack of character in this campaign. He is still running the “Obama is a baby killer ad” here in New Mexico. Name a single issue that he has been truthful about. I’m willing to bet that you can’t. If he is so damn honorable and right for America, why does he have to lie? If he can’t tell the truth while he is a candidate, what makes you think he’ll be truthful once in office? As I recall, Republicans were apoplectic with rage when Clinton lied about a blow job. McCain has shown that he will lie about anything if he thinks it will help him get elected. Why are Republican lies OK?
As for Palin, she is a buffoon that has no business being in the race. McCain showed his utter contempt and disdain for the American public by naming such a moron as his VP nominee. She couldn’t pour piss out of a boot if the instructions were written on the heel.
If you hadn’t noticed, I am not holding my breath. I am shouting at the top of my lungs and doing my part to see that McCain and Palin are assigned to the dustbin of American political history, where, I might add, they belong.
Oh, have you checked the polls lately? Your pair ain’t doin’ so well.
coozledadsaid on October 2nd, 2008 at 12:23 am
Nancy: It is exponentially more expensive to raze a structure for the benefit of city government, than to open it to repair and development. But this is about racism. The idiots will never lose sight of this and continue pushing a program of reduced housing, reduced access to jobs and a reduced access to information.
alexsaid on October 2nd, 2008 at 12:43 am
Hey, Joe, I’m sure you’re enjoying yourself lickin’ all that Kruse butt at the Auburn airport. Tasty, is it? Meat and potatoes Amurkins, they is. Must be some deelish doo-doos hangin’ off them Aryan dingle hairs. Heavenly manna to all y’all believers in the big trickle down.
Dave K.said on October 2nd, 2008 at 1:41 am
Joe, I’d like to believe that you are listening with an “…OPEN mind to talk radio both left and right…”, but I know how you believe Rush walks on water so for you to say you really have an “OPEN” mind on this issue is just too much for me to swallow.
As for coming through the last 8 years “…pretty damn good…”, how “damn good” would you be doing if it weren’t for the good UNION job you were fortunate enough to have, and the collective bargaining which allowed you to have health insurance for you and your family and wages and vacation time which made it possible for you to log the hours of flight time and instruction necessary for the “Living the dream” job that you enjoy today?
Without that right to collectively bargain, which your Republican buddies would like to see eliminated, (Hi, Mitch…), you would be grinding gears from 11 ’til 7 every night for the next 15 years. You certainly wouldn’t have come through Dana’s bankruptcy “pretty damn good”, with a pension at 50 years old that pays better than a lot of 40 hour jobs, a cash bonus that exceeds most people’s yearly income, and health care for your family which would have been unavailable to you without that RIGHT to bargain!
Gasman, keep up the good work!! There are lots of us out here who are fighting the same fight. Alex, let’s try and keep it clean for the young’uns, (although Joe’s “…shave your legs and climb down from the tree…” comment was uncalled for, actually rather confusing rather than clever, and deserves rebuttal). I do think he enjoys that Kruse connection, however, sort of like hanging around outside the locker room hoping that the star QB will say “Hi”.
PS. RE: Family in the military…Joe, you might want to ask them yourself, (my daughter US Army Captain at Landstuhl Regional MC, and son-in-law Army Major and Ranger, just home from Kuwait) what they think about Bush/McCain/Palin.
Gasmansaid on October 2nd, 2008 at 2:46 am
Just finished the Rolling Stone exposé about McCain. If even 1/10th of the story is true, McCain is nothing but a self aggrandizing lying sack of shit. However, I suspect that much more than 1/10th is true. So much for the military hero whose mettle was tested as a valiant prisoner. So much for “Country First” and “Straight Talk.” He may be the single biggest liar in the history of American politics. He is a pathetic caricature of the principled maverick that he fashions himself. It sounds like he always has been.
Joe Kobielasaid on October 2nd, 2008 at 7:48 am
Hey Dave,
The last replies just prove my point. All the left can do is scream and yell and make themself’s look like ass’s. Alex come on up to Auburn some time and check out the airport. Kruse has not been involved in it for over a year and I never met nor liked anything he has ever done. I would think he is the most dishonest man in the county and yes I know he is a big Republican supporter. Words don’t bother me Alex.
All I am saying is read the fine print in Obama’s tax plan and check to see if he considers you rich.
Joe
brian stoudersaid on October 2nd, 2008 at 8:46 am
All the left can do is scream and yell and make themself’s look like ass’s.
Joe, in all sincerity, the ideological warrior knights within the Empire of the Air on the Right – Hannity, Limbaugh and Beck (and their local lessers and court jesters all across the land) have been at the point of apoplexy for the past two weeks.
I’m not kidding – from what I heard, Limbaugh sounded physically unwell yesterday (somewhat hoarse and unsteady). The tide and the signs of the times have turned decidedly against them, despite their unrestrained daily doses of bile for their legions of listeners; the easy pun would be – their ox is being ‘Gored’ and they don’t like it.
by way of saying, there are plenty of screaming asses all around!
Jimsaid on October 2nd, 2008 at 8:57 am
As a former Kruse employee (and current proud member of our nation’s military), what’s going on with the Kruses?
I’m looking forward to the debate tonight. Good theater. McCain’s VP choice reflects terribly on him. I finally saw the part of Couric’s interview fairly cast as “gotcha” journalism — her question about the supreme court decisions (plural) with which Palin disagreed. That was harsh and put Palin in a virtual no-win position. Just a handful of cases, if that, are part of common knowledge to folks, like Palin, who are not attorneys. And for the first time I had a sense that Palin was being judged by a slightly different standard — pretty woman ergo lightweight. I think she’s perfectly capable of revealing her lack of capability without even a nudge.
Jolenesaid on October 2nd, 2008 at 10:16 am
I thought that was a tough question too, del. When I first heard about it, I heard that she’d been asked to name another case–not one w/ which she disagreed–and, after a few seconds thought I was able to generate several. Cases in which I disagreed w/ the outcome would have been much harder to generate–although whatever case it was that ruled invalid the DC gun ban might have come to mind. Conservative national security experts might have thought of Hamdan v. Rusfeld. More serious in terms of her grasp of jurisprudence was her failure to recognize that, in acknowledging that the Constitution provides for a right to privacy, she was accepting the theoretical foundation for Roe v. Wade, which she rejects.
Sen. Obama is, at this moment, giving a speech in Grand Rapids. Must be chilly there. People are wearing warm clothes–even a few winter hats. Seems too early for that.
It would have been tough for me and I’m an attorney. A history professor friend of mine told me this morning that he too had tried to think of how he’d respond and mentioned Brown v Bd. of Educ — but that case, I reminded him, was a GOOD decision. So to name the cases with which one disagrees would be very tough. He mentioned what you did about Roe and the right to privacy to which I said that belief in a constitutionally protected zone of privacy does not require that one support Roe. And of course all of that sort of “logic” concerning what one Justice called the “penumbra” of rights is really just made up whole cloth by the court. The general public has far more respect for the court’s reasoning than is merited. I just read a refreshing article about a Michigan lawyer who’d successfully argued to the U.S. Supreme Court and he said that they cared very little about precedent — they just wanted to know what would happen in the real world.
Johnsaid on October 2nd, 2008 at 10:32 am
Dred Scott ring any bells for anyone? Plessy v. Ferguson?
Yes, Plessy v. Ferguson, although I had to look that up to be sure I remembered it correctly.
But Palin’s problem is not only that she doesn’t know anything, but that she doesn’t know what to do when she doesn’t know the answer. She keeps on talking when she should stop, and she never acknowledges that she doesn’t know the answer. She could, for instance, have paused for a minute and said, “Well, I guess the most famous case that I recall right this minute is Brown v. Board of Education, but I certainly didn’t disagree with that decision. I’d have to think for a few minutes to come up with one that I disagree with. Let’s go to your next question, and maybe one will come to me.” It would have been very hard for Katie not to go her next question.
But she runs out of gas no matter what the topic is. Most of us might not be able to give a crisp definition of the Bush Doctrine or identify Supreme Court cases whose outcomes we disagree with, but we could name the newspapers and magazines we read pretty quickly and, if asked to provide the pros and cons for a decision we claimed to be weighing, we’d be able to produce at least one argument on each side.
alexsaid on October 2nd, 2008 at 10:36 am
Maybe Palin’s not so dumb. When conservatives scream for “states’ rights” and fulminate about “activist judges legislating from the bench,” what they’re really referring to isn’t Roe but rather Brown v. Board of Education. Lucky for her she dodged that one.
moe99said on October 2nd, 2008 at 10:39 am
Joe, Rather than play cutsie with us by darkly muttering about the fine print in Obama’s tax plan, why don’t you just tell us what it says? Otherwise you look like Sarah Palin trying to list her reading materials.
Seems that there’s a stark difference between Biden and Palin in their understanding of how our constitution works:
But she runs out of gas no matter what the topic is.
The Sarah Palin Credo.
LAMarysaid on October 2nd, 2008 at 11:04 am
I know one case Ms Palin should have known. Very recently the Supreme Court found in favor or Exxon and severely cut the damages Exxon was supposed to pay the state of Alaska. Ms Palin’s office released a statement regarding how unfair and wrong it was. People were up in arms in her state. This was this year, not in the last century. She couldn’t remember that?
Man, I hate to criticize anyone’s grammar, but the irony here is so thick, you could use it as mortar to put those bricks back together.
Oh, and Joe? I don’t know about you, but I make less than $250,000 per year, and I’m not a corporation, so under Obama’s tax plan, I’m not considered rich, and I’d pay lower taxes. (Source: Urban Institute/Brookings Institution Tax Policy Center)
Now, if someone wants to pay me more than $250,000 per year, well then hell, I’ll gladly pay higher taxes. The line forms to the right — no shoving, folks, you’ll all get your chance to give me $250,000.
And finally, I have no intention of shaving my legs.
crinoidgirlsaid on October 2nd, 2008 at 11:58 am
Yes, with winter coming, I need the hair on my legs to keep me warm in Michigan.
Calliopesaid on October 2nd, 2008 at 12:50 pm
What you’re missing folks, thanks to the right-wing spin machine, is that these questions are great big softballs, not hardballs that would stump the astute. This is Katie Couric, after all, this is why they chose her as a “safe” interview.
When Katie asked Palin to name another case other than Roe that she disagreed with, she was gently lobbing a softball that Palin should have easily been able to take in either of two very different directions.
The Exxon/Alaska case, which was decided June 26, is a horrific piece of jurisprudence, in which the Supreme court ruled that, in maritime cases, punitive damages cannot exceed actual damages. (Here’s a slap on the wrist, Exxon! Go forth and be naughty no more!)
This was a ruling that Palin was very familar with, and had spoken out against vigorously. It was also a ruling that many Americans would also disagree with. Here was Palin’s chance to shine on environmental issues, and counter some of the pounding she’s taken on the aerial wolf hunting & Polar Bear issues. The campaign is always trumpeting that she takes on Big Oil. Here was her chance!
Alternatively, Palin’s been out on the campaign trail bashing Obama for “wanting to read Terrorists their rights”. If she wanted to go hardball on foreign policy and the war on Terra, she could have gone right to Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, which she’s essentially already been campaigning against.
This question was a nice fat gift, if only she had the slightest idea of what she was doing. Look at Biden. Biden took the same question and turned it to his long-time cause of fighting violence against women. Couric was expecting Palin to do the same, not go blank.
Oh, and Del, you’re a lawyer and you would have found this question tough? Really? You’ve never heard of Kelo?
The court decided that the city of New London could seize an elderly woman’s lifelong home and give it to a private developer.
This, of course, was another case that Palin should have easily discussed. There was a huge uproar, the American public polled hugely against it, and Dubya issued an executive order to prevent the feds from using eminent domain for the benefit of private business. (Of course, this was a local, not Federal, case.)
So there’s three easy ones, that she should have been able to use to sell herself to the American people.
Oh, and Del, I’d love to know where you practice law, so that I never hire you.
Gasmansaid on October 2nd, 2008 at 2:15 pm
Joe,
Once again, you hurl epithets and lapse into ad hominem attack, but fail to address the substance of my argument. Why are Republican lies OK? Do you acknowledge that McCain is liar? Do you contend that Palin was a good choice? Merely calling us names is a pretty juvenile way to debate. Makes me suspect you recognize the untenable nature of your position.
John, the 2 cases that came to mind immediately to me were Dred Scott and Plessy.
Calliope, when I think of U.S. Supreme Court “takings” cases I think of one that came out a few years ago called Coastal Carolina (It was a regulatory takings case). We had a “takings” case under the Michigan constitution, Poletown, in which GM was allowed to raze the Poletown neighborhood in Detroit to build a plant — a neighborhood mentioned in this thread. The point is that constitutional law is a protean, amorphous mess. But your point about the Exxon case being a softball to Palin is well taken.
Joe Kobielasaid on October 2nd, 2008 at 3:19 pm
Ok,
I surrender, instead of listening to small business owners who employ people and have mortgaged houses, worked 16hr day’s risked bankruptcy just to make their business a success, and enjoy the fruit of their sometimes years of labor, and I am talking about people that started sweeping floors, when they were 17 and worked and sweated, I guess I will listen to Rosie Odonell, Whoopie Goldberg, Alax Baldwin, and Michel Moore . Lord knows they have all the right answers.
The problem I have with Obama’s tax plan is it hurts the middle guy, the guy I just described, the guy’s I fly every day, I know you can’t have everything. But explain a couple of things to me since I don’t seem to know anything. How the hell Is Obama going to pay for all his plans,They just spent 7,000,000,000. and also, haven’t the democrats been the majority for the last 6yrs? Why hasn’t anything been done?
Could it be they, wouldn’t do anything to make W look good? so they do nothing and sacrifice us??
Just wondering
Joe
Johnsaid on October 2nd, 2008 at 3:20 pm
Okay, enough serious talk for today. Although I’m a non-drinker, I am suggesting a drinking game for the debate tonight. Every time Gov. Palin says “Alaska” you have to take a shot (Diet Coke for me). I’m not sure about Sen. Biden, either his doing the hand thing (downward motion) or emphasizing three consecutive words would require a shot too.
I confess that the Johnny Appleseed reference was utterly lost on me. When I first heard this, I thought “What?”
Don’t paranoid geeks wear tin foil caps before going to bed, to reflect away the brain control waves being beamed at them by the liberal media/Obama campaign?
And now we want to name the minor league Fort Wayne baseball team the Tin Caps? Y’know – maybe ol’ Amy was right afterall!
Calliope, after a little internet research it seems that the Kelo case has no practical meaning in Michigan as there the U.S. Supreme Court expressly referenced the Michigan supreme court case that overruled Poletown as demonstrating that states may have more restrictive interpretations of “takings.” It’s all so messy.
brian stoudersaid on October 2nd, 2008 at 3:26 pm
John – I’m with ya on the Diet Coke! I think we should all take a sip whenever Sarah drops a ‘g’ (as in “thinkin’” or “talkin’” or “swingin’”, etc)
As for Biden – a drink everytime he does the big toothy smile
Joe, the Democrats have been the majority since 06, and then just barely in the senate. Please show me where Obama’s tax plan hurts the middle class? I’ve read it and I’m not seeing any increase for anyone making less than 250k. If you’re hurting and making 250k, you’re spending too much on something. I manage on a lot less than that in LA where even with falling home values, houses in my neighborhood are selling for 500k. Small houses.
Julie Robinsonsaid on October 2nd, 2008 at 3:43 pm
Brian, I heard the Tin Caps rumor yesterday and I absolutely refused to believe it could have any basis in fact. Paranoid geeks exactly! But after the Mad Ants, nothing should surprise me. Can they at least make some cute silver baseball caps? There are better ways to honor Johnny Appleseed–even the Appleseeds would have been better.
brian stoudersaid on October 2nd, 2008 at 4:03 pm
If they wanted something offbeat and funny, and with a local angle, they could have called ‘em the Bags (for Vera Bradley) or the Stop Lights or the Annuities or the Blacksnakes (for our ANG fighter wing)….
oh well
Calliopesaid on October 2nd, 2008 at 4:40 pm
Joe,
The democrats have had a very slender majority, (not enough to control the senate) since the beginning of 07 — not quite 2 years.
Ooops!
So if you want to stamp your feet about why hasn’t anything been done for the last 6 years, you might want to start looking at your own party.
You also might want to check out just how many bills the Republicans have obstructed with filibusters in the last 2 years, before you bitch about the Democrats not getting anything done.
Seriously, Joe, you might want to check out Obama’s tax plans for yourself, instead of mindlessly repeating Rush’s talking points.
Gasmansaid on October 2nd, 2008 at 5:52 pm
Joe,
Do the math on who has been in charge recently and for the last three decades or so. At the very least, the Rs are responsible for well over half the blame. The “deregulation at all cost” attitude is largely to blame for the current financial debacle. Sensible regulation could have prevented this entire mess. As to Obama’s tax plan, what you been smokin’? Did you notice that our economy was better AND we had a balanced budget the last time a Democrat was in office? Face it, like it or not, Democrats in the White House have been more fiscally responsible than Republicans for at least 28 years.
Jolenesaid on October 2nd, 2008 at 6:09 pm
For Biden, the trigger to take a drink could be “literally.” Apparently, he says it in every third sentence.
MichaelGsaid on October 2nd, 2008 at 7:57 pm
Been in L. A. the last three days. Just got home. Best minor league baseball name is the Las Vegas 51s. The Sacto River Cats are the Triple A champs for the second year in a row. http://www.rivercats.com/
JGWsaid on October 2nd, 2008 at 8:46 pm
Well after the MAd ANts (WTF???) the tin caps sounds wonderful. I have to go with something like the Fort Wayne Summiteers, or the Summit CIty Slammers, anything but tin caps. Pass out those tin foil hats on VOte for Mark Sauder day.
I have to question why the condo sales suck – a friend of mine said it’s because people don’t want fly balls beaking their windows or loud crowds, but he said the Wizards-Tin Foil Hats are not likely to hit anything, especially baseballs, and the crowds will be less than Memorial (nothing wrong with it) stadium.
I’m waiting for Mayor Henry to rent his unit out to illegal Mexican migrant workers or 48 Burmese refugees. Trust me, it’s Midtown Crossing II, with a stadium view.
JGW
Ricardosaid on October 4th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
My last job in Detroit before moving to the OC in 1974 was cleaning up HUD owned properties. I did this for several years as seasonal work. At that time HUD owned 17,000 abandoned homes in SE Michigan, mostly in Detroit. There was scandal after scandal covering attempts to rehab the properties, to demolition, to loan scandals. People were stealing copper and furnace sheet metal back then.
This home looks very familiar to me even after 35 years. We were supposed to just clean up the weeds and debris outside, but often went inside to check out the new adds to our route. I saw homes with all the bricks stripped, entire hardware floors (and subfloors) systematically stripped, and pretty much anything else nailed or not removed. At one house, the kids had gone around to all the abandoned homes and gathered up all of the mattresses, piled them up in a back yard, climbed out the window onto the roof, and jumped off onto the mattresses.
The scary part was that these houses were built on 30 foot lots with only a small sidewalk separating them. So when the arsonists came by to torch the homes, practicing their own urban renewal, the neighbors house(s) were at the mercy of a good fire department. Lots of these folks had lived in their homes for many years, and couldn’t afford to move, there was no resale value. I was just back in Detroit in August and for the most part it still looked like 1974.
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alex said on October 1st, 2008 at 11:29 am
To keep things on topic, anyone who’d vote Republican this year must be a few short of a load.
coozledad said on October 1st, 2008 at 11:34 am
I wish I could find a source for used brick around here. They landfill pretty much everything. There’s also some crusade going on down here to raze “substandard structures”, which is shorthand for “Screw history, we need another parking lot”.
Those houses look rehab worthy to me, but you get accustomed to frail structures;and it keeps a body from putting on too much weight.
Dorothy said on October 1st, 2008 at 11:36 am
I was thinking, too, coozledad, that they looked like someone could have fixed them up. And if I could stockpile the brick around here, I’d save it for the back patio we want to put in for our new house.
Kirk said on October 1st, 2008 at 11:45 am
I have about a hundred extra paving stones leftover from our new patio, Dorothy.
LAMary said on October 1st, 2008 at 11:50 am
I would love to live in a house like that. It’s got more charm than a lot of the new ones out there. It’s probably got (or had) some great woodwork inside.
Dorothy said on October 1st, 2008 at 11:52 am
Are you in Ohio, Kirk? We might be able to work something out!
Connie said on October 1st, 2008 at 12:05 pm
My husband came home from his recent trip to Cadillac with some strange bricks. His mother owns a 39 and a half acres pine plantation. The other half acre was donated for a township school decades ago, but has been a church in recent years. As he walked the property he realized that the old brick outhouse on the old school property knocked down, and he rescued a couple of the bricks. They are roughly 10x 5 x 6, ie wide, short and deeper than width – with four square openings down the center. They looked more like glazed block than brick. He found them interesting. Now they are on my deck.
Kirk said on October 1st, 2008 at 12:59 pm
Yes, Dorothy, in Upper Arlington. Remember, I know Mark, the guy in your office who used to work at The Dispatch.
Jolene said on October 1st, 2008 at 1:02 pm
Whew! Just turned on the tube in time to see Bill Clinton in Florida giving a barn-burner of a speech for Obama. He must have taken to heart all the criticism about his previous half-hearted praise. Pretty remarkable.
john c said on October 1st, 2008 at 1:23 pm
Yes, that house is rehab-worthy. So are the other thousands and thousands and thousands like it in Detroit. Very sad.
kathy t said on October 1st, 2008 at 1:42 pm
It looks like zip code 48213.
whitebeard said on October 1st, 2008 at 2:09 pm
When I moved from Montreal to Connecticut I hired some day laborers to load everything into the U-Haul truck. As they were moving some boxes marked “bricks” they asked me what was in there, bricks? Duh?
They also loaded two plastic bags of soot from the chimney cleaning operation a few weeks previous.
The house I am in now has portions from the 17th and 18th centuries and it has more nooks and crannies with five fireplaces. And it came with an old one-room log cabin out back that might be 1600s
moe99 said on October 1st, 2008 at 2:54 pm
Rolling Stone has a lenghty and devastating piece about John McCain today:
http://tinyurl.com/3toabc
Joe Kobiela said on October 1st, 2008 at 3:13 pm
Rolling stone,
Now there is some highly creditable journalism.
Joe
brian stouder said on October 1st, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Joe – I’d rate them as no less credible than, say, Uncle Rush Limbaugh, who I think is slipping into dementia
crinoidgirl said on October 1st, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Good eye, moe.
V
moe99 said on October 1st, 2008 at 4:19 pm
Joe,
Rolling Stone has more investigative chops for the stories it does than many other ‘zines. They did a bang up job on the Karen Silkwood case, as just one example, but you were probably still in nappies then.
alex said on October 1st, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Thanks for the link, moe. My gawd! McCain’s legacy will doubtless go down in history as ten times worse than Dubya’s, and that’s without him getting elected president.
LAMary said on October 1st, 2008 at 5:24 pm
In case any of you missed it.
http://gawker.com/5057211/palin-reads-all-magazines-and-newspapers
Also noted by one of the commenters: Sarah Palin was a journalism major.
moe99 said on October 1st, 2008 at 5:32 pm
SP plays the flute:
http://tinyurl.com/4sh6nb
And, it seems that there’s a right wing organization that is paying frat guys to demonstrate for McCain/Palin at the debate tomorrow night.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/01/pro-war-group-offering-ca_n_130827.html
Reminds me of that old KY saying: “he was so ugly, his momma had to tie a porkchop around his neck to get the dog to play with him.”
ellen said on October 1st, 2008 at 5:42 pm
How is “What newspapers and magazines do you read?” considered “gotcha journalism”? Sheesh.
mark said on October 1st, 2008 at 6:13 pm
I’m quite confident your picture is an example of one of the properties the taxpayers will soon be buying. More accurately, we will be buying the mortgage.
On the good news side, dems and reps alike, who were completely unaware of any problem at all two weeks ago, are confident that this property only suffers from a downturn in home prices, and that after holding it for a few years we will all make a tidy profit.
Dexter said on October 1st, 2008 at 6:29 pm
GO CUBS GO. Philly won their first playoff game today, now let’s get one for the Cubs. White Sox play tomorrow.
moe99 said on October 1st, 2008 at 6:36 pm
http://www.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/septembermadnessb.jpg
Sept. Oct. madness, leading to the final four
Linda said on October 1st, 2008 at 7:41 pm
Damn, I look at that house, and I want to cry. I grew up on the east side (Poletown), and I remember thinking while I grew up that the northeast part of town was so classy, and it would be so cool to live there. But by the time I was in my 20s, it was like a destructive wind blew threw and destroyed it all. It makes me so sad.
It reminds me of that scene in the movie “Eight Mile,” where this abandoned house is torched, and they look through the rubble, and see the pictures of a happy family that once lived there, and imagine how it must have been. That was somebody’s dream come true once, and now it’s salvaged scrap.
Gasman said on October 1st, 2008 at 7:48 pm
Joe,
You’ve been mighty quick to criticize anyone who questions McCain or Palin, but you have never disputed the substance of the articles. If you are going to moan about an unfair treatment by the press or complain that sources aren’t credible, you are going to have to cite chapter and verse. Which interviews or articles are unfair? What specific points do you take exception to? You need to name papers, reporters, specific articles, and even specific points within articles. The general bitching toward the “liberal press” attacks or “gotcha” journalism is way too facile and intellectually spurious.
McCain and Palin are unprincipled liars. Any journalist that doesn’t call them out on obvious lies is not practicing journalism, they have then strayed into political activism.
beb said on October 1st, 2008 at 9:34 pm
What’s interesting about Palin saying she read all the newspapers and magazines is that she either couldn’t think of one magazine or paper to claim to read or was too embarassed to lie about it. Saying she reads all of them is more of a prevarication than a lie. But actually saying she reads the New York Times or Wapo when she doesn’t. That would have been a real lie. I know she lies when she says “Thanks but no thanks” about the bridge to no where but in these Katie Couric interviews she seems to prefer silence to saying an obvious lie. She must take her religion a little more seriously than most people.
Of course not lying isn’t enough qualification for becoming VP.
Joe Kobiela said on October 1st, 2008 at 11:25 pm
Well gasman I don’t really have time to find chapter and verse due to the fact I have a job. I due try to listen with a OPEN mind to talk radio both left and right, and so far I am leaning to the right. I have family in the military, so i want some one as president who has the military’s best interest in mind and Obama aint it. Also I don’t go for punishing the rich by raising their taxes, The last time that happened the dem’s put in there luxury tax on major purchases like boats planes and expensive cars, what happened? The boat industry was devastated and thousand of boat builders were thrown out of work. Look you can complain all you want about the last 8 years, I came through it pretty damn good, sorry if you didn’t but I refuse to live and bitch about things I can’t change or due anything about. I’ll vote, but I don’t think anyone in Washington really gives a damn about me. The only fun thing I get out of the election process is seeing how upset you lefter get. Your like little kids that don’t get your way. You kick and scream and hold your breath. Hell gasman, you sound like a guy I might buy a beer and have a fun political discussion with, but you guys are going to give your self’s a stroke. Lighten up a little. And Moe99 Shave your legs and climb down from your tree. I bet I’m close to twice your age.
Living the dream,
Joe
nancy said on October 1st, 2008 at 11:35 pm
Those scrappers weren’t on official business, in case you were wondering. That demolition was off the books, i.e., it was entirely illegal. The house had been burned and there was nothing inside worth taking, so the hyenas were hard at work on the exoskeleton.
(I’m the driver/escort for an overseas news team today and tomorrow, incidentally. They’re in town to take the pulse of America on the eve of the election.)
You know what got me about that project? The workers were pulling the bricks off with a crowbar, knocking loose mortar off with a hammer, and throwing them onto a pile. But someone had come along later and stacked yesterday’s load correctly on a pallet, then wrapped the pallet with plastic, to await removal by someone with the proper equipment, i.e., a forklift. You can see it in the picture, between the two houses. That structure was likely built in the 1920s or thereabouts, and that was some good brick. It’ll end up somewhere. This isn’t about a few shabby, marginal workers pulling a scrap of gristle off a corpse; this was a Tony Soprano job.
Jolene said on October 1st, 2008 at 11:52 pm
How did you get the chauffeur gig, Nancy? Did you show them the scrappers? Sounds like an interesting way to spend a couple of days. We’ll be waiting to hear what the foreign journalists had to say about us. For starters, they must be amazed that it takes us two years to pick a new president.
moe99 said on October 2nd, 2008 at 12:14 am
Joe writes: “I have family in the military, so i want some one as president who has the military’s best interest in mind.”
When’s the last time McCain voted for assistance for veterans, Joe? Don’t hold your breath. His veterans’ plan that he’s promoting would remove everything but injuries received during combat from treatment at VA hospitals. Like them apples? No wonder so many servicemen and women are supporting Obama. He’s got their interests at heart.
http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/articleid/9559
http://tinyurl.com/3j43wk
http://tinyurl.com/4qwavz
Gasman said on October 2nd, 2008 at 12:19 am
Joe,
You think Bush supports the military? He has shown contempt for our troops by needlessly sending them into harm’s way. He views them as cannon fodder for his recreational war. He is a chickenshit that went AWOL for his last year of Guard duty and was dishonest enough to cash paychecks for service not rendered. As for McCain, he knew the war in Iraq was bullshit and he gladly sent our service men and women to risk their lives so his party’s business buddies could get their snouts in the trough. God damn him and go to hell. He has the blood of thousands on his hands.
You’re damn right I’m mad. I get that way when dishonest liars wipe their feet on the constitution. McCain has been content to be part of the Republican dismantling of our civil liberties. He has also shown a complete lack of character in this campaign. He is still running the “Obama is a baby killer ad” here in New Mexico. Name a single issue that he has been truthful about. I’m willing to bet that you can’t. If he is so damn honorable and right for America, why does he have to lie? If he can’t tell the truth while he is a candidate, what makes you think he’ll be truthful once in office? As I recall, Republicans were apoplectic with rage when Clinton lied about a blow job. McCain has shown that he will lie about anything if he thinks it will help him get elected. Why are Republican lies OK?
As for Palin, she is a buffoon that has no business being in the race. McCain showed his utter contempt and disdain for the American public by naming such a moron as his VP nominee. She couldn’t pour piss out of a boot if the instructions were written on the heel.
If you hadn’t noticed, I am not holding my breath. I am shouting at the top of my lungs and doing my part to see that McCain and Palin are assigned to the dustbin of American political history, where, I might add, they belong.
Oh, have you checked the polls lately? Your pair ain’t doin’ so well.
coozledad said on October 2nd, 2008 at 12:23 am
Nancy: It is exponentially more expensive to raze a structure for the benefit of city government, than to open it to repair and development. But this is about racism. The idiots will never lose sight of this and continue pushing a program of reduced housing, reduced access to jobs and a reduced access to information.
alex said on October 2nd, 2008 at 12:43 am
Hey, Joe, I’m sure you’re enjoying yourself lickin’ all that Kruse butt at the Auburn airport. Tasty, is it? Meat and potatoes Amurkins, they is. Must be some deelish doo-doos hangin’ off them Aryan dingle hairs. Heavenly manna to all y’all believers in the big trickle down.
Dave K. said on October 2nd, 2008 at 1:41 am
Joe, I’d like to believe that you are listening with an “…OPEN mind to talk radio both left and right…”, but I know how you believe Rush walks on water so for you to say you really have an “OPEN” mind on this issue is just too much for me to swallow.
As for coming through the last 8 years “…pretty damn good…”, how “damn good” would you be doing if it weren’t for the good UNION job you were fortunate enough to have, and the collective bargaining which allowed you to have health insurance for you and your family and wages and vacation time which made it possible for you to log the hours of flight time and instruction necessary for the “Living the dream” job that you enjoy today?
Without that right to collectively bargain, which your Republican buddies would like to see eliminated, (Hi, Mitch…), you would be grinding gears from 11 ’til 7 every night for the next 15 years. You certainly wouldn’t have come through Dana’s bankruptcy “pretty damn good”, with a pension at 50 years old that pays better than a lot of 40 hour jobs, a cash bonus that exceeds most people’s yearly income, and health care for your family which would have been unavailable to you without that RIGHT to bargain!
Gasman, keep up the good work!! There are lots of us out here who are fighting the same fight. Alex, let’s try and keep it clean for the young’uns, (although Joe’s “…shave your legs and climb down from the tree…” comment was uncalled for, actually rather confusing rather than clever, and deserves rebuttal). I do think he enjoys that Kruse connection, however, sort of like hanging around outside the locker room hoping that the star QB will say “Hi”.
PS. RE: Family in the military…Joe, you might want to ask them yourself, (my daughter US Army Captain at Landstuhl Regional MC, and son-in-law Army Major and Ranger, just home from Kuwait) what they think about Bush/McCain/Palin.
Gasman said on October 2nd, 2008 at 2:46 am
Just finished the Rolling Stone exposé about McCain. If even 1/10th of the story is true, McCain is nothing but a self aggrandizing lying sack of shit. However, I suspect that much more than 1/10th is true. So much for the military hero whose mettle was tested as a valiant prisoner. So much for “Country First” and “Straight Talk.” He may be the single biggest liar in the history of American politics. He is a pathetic caricature of the principled maverick that he fashions himself. It sounds like he always has been.
Joe Kobiela said on October 2nd, 2008 at 7:48 am
Hey Dave,
The last replies just prove my point. All the left can do is scream and yell and make themself’s look like ass’s. Alex come on up to Auburn some time and check out the airport. Kruse has not been involved in it for over a year and I never met nor liked anything he has ever done. I would think he is the most dishonest man in the county and yes I know he is a big Republican supporter. Words don’t bother me Alex.
All I am saying is read the fine print in Obama’s tax plan and check to see if he considers you rich.
Joe
brian stouder said on October 2nd, 2008 at 8:46 am
All the left can do is scream and yell and make themself’s look like ass’s.
Joe, in all sincerity, the ideological warrior knights within the Empire of the Air on the Right – Hannity, Limbaugh and Beck (and their local lessers and court jesters all across the land) have been at the point of apoplexy for the past two weeks.
I’m not kidding – from what I heard, Limbaugh sounded physically unwell yesterday (somewhat hoarse and unsteady). The tide and the signs of the times have turned decidedly against them, despite their unrestrained daily doses of bile for their legions of listeners; the easy pun would be – their ox is being ‘Gored’ and they don’t like it.
by way of saying, there are plenty of screaming asses all around!
Jim said on October 2nd, 2008 at 8:57 am
As a former Kruse employee (and current proud member of our nation’s military), what’s going on with the Kruses?
del said on October 2nd, 2008 at 10:07 am
I’m looking forward to the debate tonight. Good theater. McCain’s VP choice reflects terribly on him. I finally saw the part of Couric’s interview fairly cast as “gotcha” journalism — her question about the supreme court decisions (plural) with which Palin disagreed. That was harsh and put Palin in a virtual no-win position. Just a handful of cases, if that, are part of common knowledge to folks, like Palin, who are not attorneys. And for the first time I had a sense that Palin was being judged by a slightly different standard — pretty woman ergo lightweight. I think she’s perfectly capable of revealing her lack of capability without even a nudge.
Jolene said on October 2nd, 2008 at 10:16 am
I thought that was a tough question too, del. When I first heard about it, I heard that she’d been asked to name another case–not one w/ which she disagreed–and, after a few seconds thought I was able to generate several. Cases in which I disagreed w/ the outcome would have been much harder to generate–although whatever case it was that ruled invalid the DC gun ban might have come to mind. Conservative national security experts might have thought of Hamdan v. Rusfeld. More serious in terms of her grasp of jurisprudence was her failure to recognize that, in acknowledging that the Constitution provides for a right to privacy, she was accepting the theoretical foundation for Roe v. Wade, which she rejects.
Sen. Obama is, at this moment, giving a speech in Grand Rapids. Must be chilly there. People are wearing warm clothes–even a few winter hats. Seems too early for that.
del said on October 2nd, 2008 at 10:29 am
It would have been tough for me and I’m an attorney. A history professor friend of mine told me this morning that he too had tried to think of how he’d respond and mentioned Brown v Bd. of Educ — but that case, I reminded him, was a GOOD decision. So to name the cases with which one disagrees would be very tough. He mentioned what you did about Roe and the right to privacy to which I said that belief in a constitutionally protected zone of privacy does not require that one support Roe. And of course all of that sort of “logic” concerning what one Justice called the “penumbra” of rights is really just made up whole cloth by the court. The general public has far more respect for the court’s reasoning than is merited. I just read a refreshing article about a Michigan lawyer who’d successfully argued to the U.S. Supreme Court and he said that they cared very little about precedent — they just wanted to know what would happen in the real world.
John said on October 2nd, 2008 at 10:32 am
Dred Scott ring any bells for anyone? Plessy v. Ferguson?
edit:
Dred Scott v. Sandford (1856)
Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
Jolene said on October 2nd, 2008 at 10:35 am
Yes, Plessy v. Ferguson, although I had to look that up to be sure I remembered it correctly.
But Palin’s problem is not only that she doesn’t know anything, but that she doesn’t know what to do when she doesn’t know the answer. She keeps on talking when she should stop, and she never acknowledges that she doesn’t know the answer. She could, for instance, have paused for a minute and said, “Well, I guess the most famous case that I recall right this minute is Brown v. Board of Education, but I certainly didn’t disagree with that decision. I’d have to think for a few minutes to come up with one that I disagree with. Let’s go to your next question, and maybe one will come to me.” It would have been very hard for Katie not to go her next question.
But she runs out of gas no matter what the topic is. Most of us might not be able to give a crisp definition of the Bush Doctrine or identify Supreme Court cases whose outcomes we disagree with, but we could name the newspapers and magazines we read pretty quickly and, if asked to provide the pros and cons for a decision we claimed to be weighing, we’d be able to produce at least one argument on each side.
alex said on October 2nd, 2008 at 10:36 am
Maybe Palin’s not so dumb. When conservatives scream for “states’ rights” and fulminate about “activist judges legislating from the bench,” what they’re really referring to isn’t Roe but rather Brown v. Board of Education. Lucky for her she dodged that one.
moe99 said on October 2nd, 2008 at 10:39 am
Joe, Rather than play cutsie with us by darkly muttering about the fine print in Obama’s tax plan, why don’t you just tell us what it says? Otherwise you look like Sarah Palin trying to list her reading materials.
Seems that there’s a stark difference between Biden and Palin in their understanding of how our constitution works:
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2008_10/014986.php
John said on October 2nd, 2008 at 10:58 am
But she runs out of gas no matter what the topic is.
The Sarah Palin Credo.
LAMary said on October 2nd, 2008 at 11:04 am
I know one case Ms Palin should have known. Very recently the Supreme Court found in favor or Exxon and severely cut the damages Exxon was supposed to pay the state of Alaska. Ms Palin’s office released a statement regarding how unfair and wrong it was. People were up in arms in her state. This was this year, not in the last century. She couldn’t remember that?
Jason T. said on October 2nd, 2008 at 11:40 am
“make themself’s look like ass’s.”
Man, I hate to criticize anyone’s grammar, but the irony here is so thick, you could use it as mortar to put those bricks back together.
Oh, and Joe? I don’t know about you, but I make less than $250,000 per year, and I’m not a corporation, so under Obama’s tax plan, I’m not considered rich, and I’d pay lower taxes. (Source: Urban Institute/Brookings Institution Tax Policy Center)
Now, if someone wants to pay me more than $250,000 per year, well then hell, I’ll gladly pay higher taxes. The line forms to the right — no shoving, folks, you’ll all get your chance to give me $250,000.
And finally, I have no intention of shaving my legs.
crinoidgirl said on October 2nd, 2008 at 11:58 am
Yes, with winter coming, I need the hair on my legs to keep me warm in Michigan.
Calliope said on October 2nd, 2008 at 12:50 pm
What you’re missing folks, thanks to the right-wing spin machine, is that these questions are great big softballs, not hardballs that would stump the astute. This is Katie Couric, after all, this is why they chose her as a “safe” interview.
When Katie asked Palin to name another case other than Roe that she disagreed with, she was gently lobbing a softball that Palin should have easily been able to take in either of two very different directions.
The Exxon/Alaska case, which was decided June 26, is a horrific piece of jurisprudence, in which the Supreme court ruled that, in maritime cases, punitive damages cannot exceed actual damages. (Here’s a slap on the wrist, Exxon! Go forth and be naughty no more!)
This was a ruling that Palin was very familar with, and had spoken out against vigorously. It was also a ruling that many Americans would also disagree with. Here was Palin’s chance to shine on environmental issues, and counter some of the pounding she’s taken on the aerial wolf hunting & Polar Bear issues. The campaign is always trumpeting that she takes on Big Oil. Here was her chance!
Alternatively, Palin’s been out on the campaign trail bashing Obama for “wanting to read Terrorists their rights”. If she wanted to go hardball on foreign policy and the war on Terra, she could have gone right to Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, which she’s essentially already been campaigning against.
This question was a nice fat gift, if only she had the slightest idea of what she was doing. Look at Biden. Biden took the same question and turned it to his long-time cause of fighting violence against women. Couric was expecting Palin to do the same, not go blank.
Oh, and Del, you’re a lawyer and you would have found this question tough? Really? You’ve never heard of Kelo?
The court decided that the city of New London could seize an elderly woman’s lifelong home and give it to a private developer.
This, of course, was another case that Palin should have easily discussed. There was a huge uproar, the American public polled hugely against it, and Dubya issued an executive order to prevent the feds from using eminent domain for the benefit of private business. (Of course, this was a local, not Federal, case.)
So there’s three easy ones, that she should have been able to use to sell herself to the American people.
Oh, and Del, I’d love to know where you practice law, so that I never hire you.
Gasman said on October 2nd, 2008 at 2:15 pm
Joe,
Once again, you hurl epithets and lapse into ad hominem attack, but fail to address the substance of my argument. Why are Republican lies OK? Do you acknowledge that McCain is liar? Do you contend that Palin was a good choice? Merely calling us names is a pretty juvenile way to debate. Makes me suspect you recognize the untenable nature of your position.
del said on October 2nd, 2008 at 2:56 pm
John, the 2 cases that came to mind immediately to me were Dred Scott and Plessy.
Calliope, when I think of U.S. Supreme Court “takings” cases I think of one that came out a few years ago called Coastal Carolina (It was a regulatory takings case). We had a “takings” case under the Michigan constitution, Poletown, in which GM was allowed to raze the Poletown neighborhood in Detroit to build a plant — a neighborhood mentioned in this thread. The point is that constitutional law is a protean, amorphous mess. But your point about the Exxon case being a softball to Palin is well taken.
Joe Kobiela said on October 2nd, 2008 at 3:19 pm
Ok,
I surrender, instead of listening to small business owners who employ people and have mortgaged houses, worked 16hr day’s risked bankruptcy just to make their business a success, and enjoy the fruit of their sometimes years of labor, and I am talking about people that started sweeping floors, when they were 17 and worked and sweated, I guess I will listen to Rosie Odonell, Whoopie Goldberg, Alax Baldwin, and Michel Moore . Lord knows they have all the right answers.
The problem I have with Obama’s tax plan is it hurts the middle guy, the guy I just described, the guy’s I fly every day, I know you can’t have everything. But explain a couple of things to me since I don’t seem to know anything. How the hell Is Obama going to pay for all his plans,They just spent 7,000,000,000. and also, haven’t the democrats been the majority for the last 6yrs? Why hasn’t anything been done?
Could it be they, wouldn’t do anything to make W look good? so they do nothing and sacrifice us??
Just wondering
Joe
John said on October 2nd, 2008 at 3:20 pm
Okay, enough serious talk for today. Although I’m a non-drinker, I am suggesting a drinking game for the debate tonight. Every time Gov. Palin says “Alaska” you have to take a shot (Diet Coke for me). I’m not sure about Sen. Biden, either his doing the hand thing (downward motion) or emphasizing three consecutive words would require a shot too.
brian stouder said on October 2nd, 2008 at 3:20 pm
The Fort Wayne Tin Caps? Tin Caps??
http://www.fortwayne.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/JG/20081002/SPORTS0604/810020277
I confess that the Johnny Appleseed reference was utterly lost on me. When I first heard this, I thought “What?”
Don’t paranoid geeks wear tin foil caps before going to bed, to reflect away the brain control waves being beamed at them by the liberal media/Obama campaign?
And now we want to name the minor league Fort Wayne baseball team the Tin Caps? Y’know – maybe ol’ Amy was right afterall!
del said on October 2nd, 2008 at 3:26 pm
Calliope, after a little internet research it seems that the Kelo case has no practical meaning in Michigan as there the U.S. Supreme Court expressly referenced the Michigan supreme court case that overruled Poletown as demonstrating that states may have more restrictive interpretations of “takings.” It’s all so messy.
brian stouder said on October 2nd, 2008 at 3:26 pm
John – I’m with ya on the Diet Coke! I think we should all take a sip whenever Sarah drops a ‘g’ (as in “thinkin’” or “talkin’” or “swingin’”, etc)
As for Biden – a drink everytime he does the big toothy smile
del said on October 2nd, 2008 at 3:29 pm
John, I’m down with the drinking game.
LAMary said on October 2nd, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Joe, the Democrats have been the majority since 06, and then just barely in the senate. Please show me where Obama’s tax plan hurts the middle class? I’ve read it and I’m not seeing any increase for anyone making less than 250k. If you’re hurting and making 250k, you’re spending too much on something. I manage on a lot less than that in LA where even with falling home values, houses in my neighborhood are selling for 500k. Small houses.
Julie Robinson said on October 2nd, 2008 at 3:43 pm
Brian, I heard the Tin Caps rumor yesterday and I absolutely refused to believe it could have any basis in fact. Paranoid geeks exactly! But after the Mad Ants, nothing should surprise me. Can they at least make some cute silver baseball caps? There are better ways to honor Johnny Appleseed–even the Appleseeds would have been better.
brian stouder said on October 2nd, 2008 at 4:03 pm
If they wanted something offbeat and funny, and with a local angle, they could have called ‘em the Bags (for Vera Bradley) or the Stop Lights or the Annuities or the Blacksnakes (for our ANG fighter wing)….
oh well
Calliope said on October 2nd, 2008 at 4:40 pm
Joe,
The democrats have had a very slender majority, (not enough to control the senate) since the beginning of 07 — not quite 2 years.
Ooops!
So if you want to stamp your feet about why hasn’t anything been done for the last 6 years, you might want to start looking at your own party.
You also might want to check out just how many bills the Republicans have obstructed with filibusters in the last 2 years, before you bitch about the Democrats not getting anything done.
Seriously, Joe, you might want to check out Obama’s tax plans for yourself, instead of mindlessly repeating Rush’s talking points.
Gasman said on October 2nd, 2008 at 5:52 pm
Joe,
Do the math on who has been in charge recently and for the last three decades or so. At the very least, the Rs are responsible for well over half the blame. The “deregulation at all cost” attitude is largely to blame for the current financial debacle. Sensible regulation could have prevented this entire mess. As to Obama’s tax plan, what you been smokin’? Did you notice that our economy was better AND we had a balanced budget the last time a Democrat was in office? Face it, like it or not, Democrats in the White House have been more fiscally responsible than Republicans for at least 28 years.
Jolene said on October 2nd, 2008 at 6:09 pm
For Biden, the trigger to take a drink could be “literally.” Apparently, he says it in every third sentence.
MichaelG said on October 2nd, 2008 at 7:57 pm
Been in L. A. the last three days. Just got home. Best minor league baseball name is the Las Vegas 51s. The Sacto River Cats are the Triple A champs for the second year in a row. http://www.rivercats.com/
JGW said on October 2nd, 2008 at 8:46 pm
Well after the MAd ANts (WTF???) the tin caps sounds wonderful. I have to go with something like the Fort Wayne Summiteers, or the Summit CIty Slammers, anything but tin caps. Pass out those tin foil hats on VOte for Mark Sauder day.
I have to question why the condo sales suck – a friend of mine said it’s because people don’t want fly balls beaking their windows or loud crowds, but he said the Wizards-Tin Foil Hats are not likely to hit anything, especially baseballs, and the crowds will be less than Memorial (nothing wrong with it) stadium.
I’m waiting for Mayor Henry to rent his unit out to illegal Mexican migrant workers or 48 Burmese refugees. Trust me, it’s Midtown Crossing II, with a stadium view.
JGW
Ricardo said on October 4th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
My last job in Detroit before moving to the OC in 1974 was cleaning up HUD owned properties. I did this for several years as seasonal work. At that time HUD owned 17,000 abandoned homes in SE Michigan, mostly in Detroit. There was scandal after scandal covering attempts to rehab the properties, to demolition, to loan scandals. People were stealing copper and furnace sheet metal back then.
This home looks very familiar to me even after 35 years. We were supposed to just clean up the weeds and debris outside, but often went inside to check out the new adds to our route. I saw homes with all the bricks stripped, entire hardware floors (and subfloors) systematically stripped, and pretty much anything else nailed or not removed. At one house, the kids had gone around to all the abandoned homes and gathered up all of the mattresses, piled them up in a back yard, climbed out the window onto the roof, and jumped off onto the mattresses.
The scary part was that these houses were built on 30 foot lots with only a small sidewalk separating them. So when the arsonists came by to torch the homes, practicing their own urban renewal, the neighbors house(s) were at the mercy of a good fire department. Lots of these folks had lived in their homes for many years, and couldn’t afford to move, there was no resale value. I was just back in Detroit in August and for the most part it still looked like 1974.