Air America is Dead (Again) | 19 comments (19 topical, 0 hidden)
You passed it up? (none / 0)

I expected more from you - what are the keystrokes for a 'disappointed' emoticon?

At the very least you could have gone with "This year's Air America cruise will be on the Titanic!"

I mean, really? No effort at all?

by MedfordTim on 01/21/2010 10:27:11 PM EST

I was on the Blackberry (none / 0)
I was in a rush!

I honestly didn't know AAR was still going, Tim.

You know what it really is, though - I think im still in shock over this SCOTUS ruling. Even as a Conservative pro business guy, I cant understand the logic of what happened today.

We need to stop this "Corporations are people" BS - They havent and never again will represent the people in any way shape or form...

I dont feel bad for AAR, I just wondered if anyone else did...

:)

by bobo1 on 01/21/2010 10:44:04 PM EST

[ Parent ]
Haiti (none / 0)
What really separates us from Haiti are strong and appropriate building codes.  It is an example of our strong statutory and regulatory apparatus that makes us a functioning, productive, successful society.  That is what is really on display in Haiti.

by jawill11 on 01/22/2010 06:35:04 AM EST

[ Parent ]
Preach it, brother (none / 0)
What really separates us from Haiti are strong and appropriate building codes.

A bunch of dirt poor people would not have lived in shacks if only the building codes had been appropriate. Uh huh.


If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it's "free."

by TheArtistFormerlyKnownAsTwba on 01/22/2010 07:31:22 AM EST

[ Parent ]
Ken, you know what I'm talking about... (none / 0)
This ruling just put into law that corporations have free reign to decide the elections in this country. Now granted, I understand that in reality, they have already had this power, but this decision actually codifies it into the legal lexicon of our times, and in my opinion this sets a very bad precedent...

I understand the argument that the First Amendment says that Congress "shall make NO law establishing..." Or prohibiting the freedom of speech, but quite frankly I don't see where the founding fathers envisioned companies like Halliburton or WalMart to be considered "Individuals" as opposed to conglomerations of considerable power - that would be like saying that the East India Trading Company had just as much right to give money to the king to further oppress the colonists in the 1760s-70s...

I believe in free enterprise and entrepreneuership, but I don't believe that these entities should be in lawful control of our politicians and the election process.

Money is speech, but now ONLY money is speech, because now its only the corporations or individuals with BIG money that will have any say in informing those "Homer Simpsons" of the world.

This isn't a good thing, Ken. As if the corporations didn't have enough control already, this just gives them free reign to totally corrupt any hope of "by the people".

This government is totally corrupted now. All the politicians need now are those NASCAR type suits with the logos all over them...

:(

by bobo1 on 01/22/2010 08:53:36 AM EST

[ Parent ]
If you voted for Bush... (none / 0)

...and you voted for a Conservative Congress between 2001 and 2006, one that you cheered on as they broke the spines of Congressional moderates and Liberals on issue after issue (assuming those groups had any spines), this is your fault and the fault of people who think like you, Bobo.  You helped to appoint two of the most radically Rightwing (yes, not a typo) justices in history, you openly sought to weaken the government and help the corporations run the country, and you caused such a phony panic about "activist Liberal judges" that these guys seemed sufficiently "mainstream" enough to tear the democracy out of the country.

  Clinton and Obama appointed 3 of these justices, and all voted no to this catastrophe.  Reagan, Bush and Bush appointed all 5 that voted yes--yes to a re-writing of a 103-year-old precedent that has now fundamentally destroyed our political system.   And now you are taken aback and saddened?  WHAT IN THE FUCK DID YOU EXPECT TO HAPPEN?

"You can't see the logic in this decision."  I can.  Everyone can!  It is what happens when you let the ultimate corporatists--the ones you enabled--change all of our laws to screw everyone but themselves.  Including you.  You got screwed in the process of fucking over the country.  This is just the most damaging step along a predictable path you were already happily taking.  It is TOTALLY logical.

Nice fucking job, Bobo and your "superior Conservative plan for the country."  Are you going to whine more now about the damage Van Jones threatened to do?
 

by Milltycoon on 01/22/2010 01:38:58 PM EST

[ Parent ]
Quick question: (none / 0)
Does that mean liberals are conservatives and Republicunts are progressives now?

The liberals wanted it to stay the way it was, conserve the present situation, the Republicunts wanted to push America into a new direction and to progress and speed up recent developments.

"The first thing Fascists usually try to do is silencing the opposition."

by opposition on 01/22/2010 01:45:47 PM EST

[ Parent ]
First of all... (none / 0)
I didnt vote for Bush either time. In 2000 I chose not to vote for president, and in 2004 I voted for Kerry. So, you can stop placing the entire blame on poor ole bobo1s powerful yet sensitive shoulders...

Just because I am more conservative than Karl Marx doesn't automatically make me the enemy. I disagree with the Conservative justices on this issue of corporate "personhood" and will do everything I can to spread the word to fight this ruling.

I think this is a golden opportunity for the grassroots, unions and other "Neo-Libs" as they are now being called to rise up and begin the process of tearing down this sort of industrialization of our government. If Obama steers hard left, you guys might have a shot at accomplishing something in this direction, but I think you and I know that isnt going to happen...

Every movement needs a spark. People should be a lot angier than they are right now with the way things are going. Maybe when we elect Sarah Palin or Scott Zbrown in 2012 to replace Obama we will reach that point of distrust needed to overhaul the system.

You never know, this ruling might be a blessing in disguise....

by bobo1 on 01/22/2010 02:05:30 PM EST

[ Parent ]
Of nothing else... (none / 0)
...perhaps the "lifetime appointment" aspect of SCOTUS could be looked at. Life spans have increased by 30+ years since those days. I'm thinking 15 year terms then face a reappointment if they want to continue sitting on the bench.

by MedfordTim on 01/22/2010 04:01:33 PM EST

[ Parent ]
I wouldnt even... (none / 0)
give them that long...

7 years maybe, but thats just to stem the flow of outgoing justices...

I think there ought to be stricter requirements of them as well. Right now in theory the President could nominate his mother in Law to be a justice. They dont even have to have a degree in law. They only need a pulse...

I think the constitution should be changed for term limits on Senators and reps too - 2 terms then no more. We need to curb the Orrin hatchs and Ted Kennedy 40+ years in the same comfy seat...

But with this new ruling, I guess anything goes. The multinationals could keep a corpse like McConnell or Lieberman on their seat until they they are literally rotting, and probably afterward with the right advertising...

:)

by bobo1 on 01/22/2010 04:47:54 PM EST

[ Parent ]
Let's compromise and... (none / 0)

...call it 10 years for a Supreme Court justice term.  That way, there will absolutely be a new president in office when the Justice needs to be re-confirmed (a President cannot serve longer than 10 years), but a justice confirmed at age 56 won't have to be over 70 when they finally have to be accountable for their judgments.

I welcome you to the correct side of an issue for once.  And am sorry that I wrongly accused you of voting for Bush.  But no one in this equation is acting like Karl Marx.  That is a bullsh*t strawman and you know it, Bobo.  You think Obama and Pelosi and Reid are Marxists?  Under THIS political system?  Obama and Reid are CENTRISTS, and even the Progressive Left is simply trying to edge the political center of the country toward the true 50-yard line from its own 20 where it is now.  And now you KNOW we are right about the government, and not on some crazy fringe looking for radical change.  The radicals are the CONSERVATIVES and it is time that you get off of our jockstraps and go after the REAL VILLAINS.

I don't want to hear you EVER say again how dangerous mainstream Liberalism is--not after THIS COURT DECISION just destroyed the country. 

by Milltycoon on 01/22/2010 10:12:12 PM EST

[ Parent ]
Manufactured raw materials? (none / 0)

"The first thing Fascists usually try to do is silencing the opposition."

by opposition on 01/23/2010 05:50:17 AM EST

[ Parent ]

Air America is Dead (Again) | 19 comments (19 topical, 0 hidden)