The Young Turks: Open Thread - Youth Vote Edition

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Open Thread - Youth Vote Edition

posted by desertpear 10/11/2008 02:18:00 PM EST

Sorry I've been tardy with the open threads; the blog posts are flying these days!! And there have been family emergencies and I needed to get oral surgery done on a rat yesterday.

The above was one of my favorite interviews of the season. It's about 10 minutes. I wish the rabid McPalin followers could be forced to watch it. Actually, they probably will, in a sense, since Obama is buying up airtime to broadcast his message before the election.

When discussing whether or not the youth will actually come out and vote this year in large numbers, you rarely hear mentioned that they are interconnected with each other at a magnitude that has never been seen before--through text messaging, emails, Twitter, and social websites like Facebook and MySpace--and that the Obama campaign communicates to millions using technology the McCain campaign is still learning how to use. The youth vote has been increasing in each election, and enthusiasm is the highest it has ever been in my lifetime. There will be a huge youth turnout. Bet on it.

< Charles Keating: Porn For Profit | McCain's Conundrum >

Open Thread - Youth Vote Edition | 29 comments (29 topical, 0 hidden)

awwww (none / 0)

So you take your rats to the vet? That's awesome. Our fat-ass cat has a broken tooth that needs to get pulled but I'm putting if off bc I can't bear to make him fast for 12 hrs before the surgery. But I guess it needs to be done...
y

by chrisandyasemin on 10/11/2008 03:01:19 PM EST

yep (none / 0)

Oh yeah, and it has to be a vet that specializes in rats and sees a lot of them or else you just pay double and get a dead rat in return. Lyla had a bad abscess on her face that extended into her jaw and teeth. She had a broken molar and two other rotten teeth removed and the abscess drained and a stitch put in. Now she's on two antibiotics and a pain med. Sometimes infections in the head like that can cause sepsis and death, so you might get it pulled ;) Rats don't have to fast.

She's a reject from a snake-food breeder operation that was rescued from a shelter too ;) But she's also a good friend.

by desertpear on 10/11/2008 03:06:55 PM EST

[ Parent ]

abscess (none / 0)

abscess' can become serious shit, back before antibiotics people could die of them, they are no joke when left untreated. Note to self: take fat-cat to vet...

You're so lucky to have a rat specialist! I had a hamster and would have felt more comfortable taking him to a specialist rather than a regular vet.

So do you keep her in a cage or does she get to run around?

Y

by chrisandyasemin on 10/11/2008 03:15:32 PM EST

[ Parent ]

The "mischief" (none / 0)

They (five rescues) live in a big open cage with a balcony, and then each night they run free upstairs, which is a large open living room space. They are litter box trained (Bug is in the box in this picture), come when called, etc. Rats are much more like little dogs than rodents like hamsters, but they have very short lives (2-3 years). Great for urban apartment dwellers! Of which I am not

by desertpear on 10/11/2008 03:35:08 PM EST

[ Parent ]

OMG (none / 0)

That is the world's most awesome-est rat complex ever!

It reminds me of my hamster's complex. He would "escape" every night and sometimes climb up my bed and visit me:) I miss him!

Those are some lucky rats.

y

by chrisandyasemin on 10/11/2008 03:46:27 PM EST

[ Parent ]

: true (none / 0)

and especially lucky since they all were rescued from either shelters or hoarding situations when young. All are spayed or neutered too. Spaying prevents the horrible mammary tumors that the females get.

by desertpear on 10/11/2008 04:09:28 PM EST

[ Parent ]

Pear (none / 0)

Check out my coment below. I am with you sister.

by psyche2 on 10/11/2008 04:57:48 PM EST

[ Parent ]

You have a rat that's a "friend". (none / 0)

I've respected you for a long time, desertpear, but now that forces me to question my own sanity.

I like a rat-lover.

EEEeeeewwww! Ick!

by EveningStarNM on 10/11/2008 07:36:59 PM EST

[ Parent ]

you just need to meet a really cute one (none / 0)

by desertpear on 10/11/2008 11:20:49 PM EST

[ Parent ]

awwww (none / 0)

I love when they sit up like that. Just makes me want to rub their little white bellies.

by chrisandyasemin on 10/11/2008 11:25:24 PM EST

[ Parent ]

Iz King of teh Mountin? (none / 0)

Palin in 2012? Bitch, please! No, really, please run in 2012, bitch. ;)

by richardshort2001 on 10/11/2008 11:31:40 PM EST

[ Parent ]

Oops! Pardon me for a sec... (none / 0)

...I'd better lock up my kitties. They've always had this thing about rats -- they like 'em raw!

...er...
Friends

Hey! Waitaminit! Not you, too!

by EveningStarNM on 10/12/2008 01:05:49 AM EST

[ Parent ]

cool thing about rats (none / 0)

When they are really happy, they grind their teeth (bruxing) and pop their eyeballs in and out of their sockets (boggling). Oh yeah, and they always high five when they yawn.

by desertpear on 10/12/2008 02:37:17 AM EST

[ Parent ]

This is an interesting experience. (none / 0)

One of my first jobs while in college was doing building maintenance for an apartment owner. One time I had to fix a stove in an apartment that had just been vacated by some very messy students. When I opened the top of the stove, 10,000 (I swear!) cockroaches poured out of the stove, and two rats ran out from behind it.

I absolutely abhor rats and cockroaches. I want to kill them all, and I think as little about killing rats as I do about killing cockroaches, and I would kill cockroaches by the millions if I had to. When I see a cockroach -- or a rat -- I will attack mercilessly to kill it as quickly as possible. If I am not able to kill it right away, I will try to slow it down, perhaps by simply catching a leg or two and breaking them with the side of my foot. Then I can kill it at my leisure.

I distinguish, however, between mice and rats. Yes, I am aware that it's a stupid distinction, but I've known little kids that kept fuzzy little mice.

I had a work-study job one year, cleaning up a research lab where they had lots of rats and other animals. Occasionally I'd have to burn some organic wastes, perhaps a bucket filled with dead rats. I thought nothing of it. It was just trash. Of course, a couple of times I had to burn a cat -- that really bugged me, because I'd made friends with the cats in the lab. And one time I had to burn a bucket of mice and I thought that a little girl I knew would have been horrified, and that bugged me for a minute. But rats? Killing them wasn't a pleasure; it was a public service.

But you like rats, and when I see these pictures I must temper my instincts by thinking, "Okay, don't kill these rats. They're important to someone."

It's difficult to fit into my brain the idea that someone who isn't totally insane likes rats.

All rats must die -- except, apparently, that isn't true.

Yeesh. Ick. Ugh.

by EveningStarNM on 10/12/2008 04:17:28 AM EST

[ Parent ]

wow (none / 0)

I'm impressed that this little exchange changed your opinion, even just a little. Leebrals are so open minded, lol. I have one girlfriend that totally hated rats, and would ignore me if I even talked about them. Funny thing is, once I got a few girl rats, she softened to them ;) My mom also totally hates rats, so of course when she visited and we were trying to watch a movie, the rats wanted to be in HER lap.

Pet fancy rats are actually the same species as the wild Norway rat, but have undergone major changes in temperament from domestication. It's like the difference between dogs and wolves (same species). They are social animals, which is why they are very intelligent. Scientists have found that they laugh (it is ultrasonic), dream, and care for each other. At the very least, they are highly evolved to survive.

But yeah, right now I am having to snap-trap some deer mice that have come inside my kitchen. Victor makes some humane kill-traps now and they work super fast. I hate to do it, and I have killed wild rats before too, but I always try to use the most humane method (usually just your regular large snap trap).

really appreciated this story, even if I cringed at the rat killing! ;)

by desertpear on 10/12/2008 01:39:08 PM EST

[ Parent ]

: Sometimes I hate having to change my mind. (none / 0)

And I am not guaranteeing that I will successfully change my feelings, as well.

But I'll think about it.

Maybe.

Ick.

by EveningStarNM on 10/12/2008 01:57:54 PM EST

[ Parent ]

OMG (none / 0)

I want to learn how to boggle too. Charles would grind his teeth too when happy but he never boggled. But sometimes I'd notice his eyeballs were beady-er than usual as if they'd popped out and it would freak me out.

y

by chrisandyasemin on 10/12/2008 02:47:10 PM EST

[ Parent ]

: hammies (none / 0)

I think I remember that from my childhood hamster too.
It's actually both disturbing and funny when you first see a rat do it. They are full of funny things like that:
sometimes sleep with eyes open
waggle tails when super excited
show depression when cagemates die
by desertpear on 10/12/2008 10:27:45 PM EST

[ Parent ]

Chris (none / 0)

That tells me you have a good heart. One that can empathize is one that will experience + Karma. Do it tho. Your kitty needs it. Take it from one that donates to the ASPCA and the local animal shelter. I hate taking my cats to the vet too, cause they whine and cause me to feel bad but I know I am doing whats necessary. Besides, a conscience is a progressive trait. Unlike sociopathic wingnuts that kill Mother Wolves from airplanes and helicopters for their pelts and just for the blood lust.

BTW. Fuck those kind of people ..... fuck them hard.

Another BTW. I have a cat on my lap as I type.

PEACE OUT brother

by psyche2 on 10/11/2008 04:54:18 PM EST

[ Parent ]

schmoopie papoopie (none / 0)

I think that was the Yasemin of the Siamese twins, but Chris is probably a good guy when he isn't at his local Fight Club (just kidding!!).

yay for having a conscience and being a compassionate person. I never understand when people think this is a bad thing, for example, to help the poor, or to care about animal suffering. Crazy people--my guess is that they just haven't evolved and are expressing the "old" Homo sapien genes. Of course, they don't believe in that nonsense either. We were all invented by God, just like McCain invented the Blackberry.

Peace.

by desertpear on 10/11/2008 05:01:49 PM EST

[ Parent ]

awwww! (none / 0)

Don't get me wrong my fat pudge-tastic little ball of fluff will get to the vet this week. I'm just saying, its hard, and kinda scary especially since they have to put them to sleep to do the surgery...

I was talking to my vet and she was saying how some people can't bring themselves to put their pets down and shit and just let them suffer, that sucks.

So FYI, don't send animal control over to my place yet! The cat will get help;)

Or maybe we can just pray and that will heal him.

Oh, and he IS on a diet. He's just lazy.

Y

by chrisandyasemin on 10/11/2008 05:35:18 PM EST

[ Parent ]

: he'll be okay (none / 0)

I have a fat female rat too. She is a cage potato ;)
by desertpear on 10/11/2008 05:47:21 PM EST

[ Parent ]

we were gonna post smthn on Luke (none / 0)

Have you noticed that suddenly Luke Russert has become the msnbc "Youth Vote/College student correspondant" Those are the only stories they let him cover (I wonder why), just an observation...

But yeah, as someone who is within the "college bubble" it is a big deal on campuses and its the "in" thing to do, so I expect a lot of the 18-24 year olds will actually come out and vote this year.

Another thing, at least on our campus, I've seen like a zillion Obama callouts, ads, sidewalk chalkings etc, and so far only one (literally just once) McCain-Palin sidewalk chalking. That's it.

Y

by chrisandyasemin on 10/11/2008 03:05:58 PM EST

: luke (none / 0)

I think maybe they are keeping him on that beat because (1) he is perfect for it, (2) he still makes "partisan bias" mistakes (he made one a few days ago saying something like "smart kids vote Obama"), and (3) MSNBC may be a little afraid of backlash about "nepotism." I'm sure he'll get more responsibility as he gets older. He's got amazing presence for such a young man--shit, he grew up with this.
by desertpear on 10/11/2008 03:10:54 PM EST

[ Parent ]

True (none / 0)

Great point about how technology may well improve youth turnout.

Obviously the bottom line is that I want Obama to win, but I think it's really important that he doesn't just *barely* win.

I want him to CRUSH McCain. Why? Because based on the racial undercurrent and the increasingly negative McCain/Palin campaign (and the resulting uninformed/misinformed right wing rage) a clear message needs to be sent.

AMERICA chose Obama. I don't want to hear any bullshit about how "liberal elites and blacks just barely got Barack Hussein Obama a victory" (etc.).

If Obama wins by a solid margin, it'll help extinguish *some* of the inevitable right wing outrage...I hope.

by ihavenobias on 10/11/2008 03:22:42 PM EST

: not just McCain, but fundamentalist Christians! (none / 0)

CRUSH THEM!!

by desertpear on 10/11/2008 03:24:07 PM EST

[ Parent ]
: U.S. bombing of Pakistan (none / 0)

I guess the idea of Pakistan being a sovereign nation has gone out the window, right McCain? Because the US is bombing there on an almost daily basis now.
It's so obvious that the Republicans are trying for an October surprise involving Osama bin Laden. So obvious.
Under U.S. pressure, Pakistan has carried out military offensives against insurgents while also trying to woo various tribes to turn against extremists. But in recent weeks, the U.S. has signaled its impatience with Pakistani efforts.

The U.S. is suspected in at least 11 missile strikes on the Pakistan side of the Afghan border since mid-August, killing more than 100 people, most of them alleged militants, according to an Associated Press count based on Pakistan intelligence numbers.
The United States rarely confirms or denies the attacks, which provoke anger among many Pakistanis.
Pakistan's military and civilian leaders have criticized the strikes as violations of their country's sovereignty. But they have not forcefully demanded Washington stop them, leading to criticism from Muslim conservatives.

by desertpear on 10/11/2008 05:11:06 PM EST

[ Parent ]