NCclimber

Ah yes.. applying today's standards, values and mores to a different era. Intellectual dishonest? How about all those men of the 1700s who married young brides... should they all be vilified as pedophiles?

The initial questions were: "How many congressmen have been convicted of criminal wrongdoing in the last 15 years? Do you think more than 1/3rd of them are Republicans?" I don't think any of the people you listed meet that criteria..... but you get an A for effort.

The whole story of the "founding fathers" is a lie. Their values are but a myth. Equality was but for a select few. If you could go back in time, ask the slaves they owned. Ask the indians that suffered from ethnic cleansing. My own ancestors suffered on the Trail of Tears. The values of the "founding fathers" would not even come close to getting off of the ground today. Their values were the reason for the civil rights movement. They were traitors, criminals and violators of human rights. If someone today were to try what they did, they'd be tried and convicted for life. I, for one, am glad that we are past their "values" (though it does seem that we are sliding in reverse). I'm guessing you've read Chomsky and/or Zinn. That whole "our ancestors were actually scum" schtick is so myopic.

Rostenkowski Tucker Reynolds Traficant vs Cunningham Ney Did I miss anyone? Let's not overlook that Clinton avoided further prosecution by pleading out a deal on his last day in office.

From what I've read, internet communications are criminal is the contain overt solicitations for sex with minors. I haven't read all of the Foley messagres. Perhaps you can provide the ones where he actually solicits sex.

How many congressmen have been convicted of criminal wrongdoing in the last 15 years? Do you think more than 1/3rd of them are Republicans? Bill Clinton was impeached on December 19, 1998 by the House of Representatives. This is a fact.

Foley resigned (voluntarily) because of ethical wrongdoing. He was roundly condemned by his own party. On the flipside, we have Democrats defending their own, even when they're shown to be guilty of criminal wrongdoing.

No. But he was found guilty of 12 counts of sexual assault, obstruction of justice and solicitation of child pornography. Have any charges been filed against Foley? Have any legal experts offered opinions on which laws he may have broken?

I just read an interesting story on the Foley Scandal. http://www.mediaresearch.org/realitycheck/2006/fax20061011.asp No doubt, a conservative source. But the facts speak for themselves. It points out that in the first 12 days of this scandal, the big three networks aired over 150 stories on it. The total only counted stories on the evening news or the morning shows. In contrast, the Mel Reynolds "scandal" got 19 stories, from the story breaking to Reynolds conviction. Who says the media ain't driving this train???

It seems that a fair number of people who talk about embracing diversity and tolerating others differences become quite intolerant of those with different ideologies, especially conservatives. Labels like ignorant, close-minded, redneck, moron and bible-thumper get tossed about fairly often. In July, the Pew Research Center took a poll on gay marriage. The results: Oppose - 56% Favor - 35% Unsure - 9% According to many gay marriage proponents I've spoken to, the majority of those polled have extremist views and are deserving of those negative labels.

Here's a link. Scroll down to the study titled "Locked Out". It was released March 2006. http://www.nhc.org/index/chp-research-publications

The study also showed that home ownership rates for working class families have risen from '91-99, 99-2001 and 2001-2005. It looks like the trend for the last 15 years has been favorable.

You rant about accepting those who are different, yet you seem pretty intolerant of those with a different outlook.

The link also stated:

Whether you like it not is irrelevant regarding it's validity as an economic indicator. The link provided gave homeownership numbers for the last ten years. With the exception of 2002, the numbers rose every year. Was that due to consistently falling interest rates?

he made a very offensive post, but it's better form to address the content of the post and not attack the poster directly like that Addressing his post is pointless, anyone who feels that way or agrees with what he said is not going to change their mind. I don't need to waste my breath. I am just amazed that people like that actually exist. That's a mighty big horse you're on. How's the view?

You're just splitting hairs. Nationwide housing numbers (that are used to assess the relative strength of our economy) have always included homes with liens. And I don't think it's appropriate. It's not ownership, it's debtorship (if that's even a word). The reason that the numbers are high (besides speculation in the market) is because of the drastic drop in interest rates. That spurred the housing market, that kept our economy afloat while simultaneously driving up market prices to what is probably an artificial high. The down side comes when the interest rates climb, adjustable rate holders have to refinance at a higher rate. Now they have a higher mortgage payment that they may or may not be able to afford and their taxes have gone up due to a significant reassessment. This is another reason why I don't know why anyone would want to be elected president in 2008. Most of the fiscal policies recently put into place are due for a crash about midway through that term. Whoever's in the WH is going to inherit the hangover, both domestically and internationally. Are there any national recognized economists who see the world through your unique lenses. Home ownership (mortgaged or not) has been an accepted number for assessing the health of our economy, for quite some time. What do you know that leading economists don't? Drastic drop in interest rates? They bottomed in 2003... and have more than doubled since then. Looking at the lat 15 years, current rates are relatively high.

Point of order: That figure is deceiving. Holding a mortgage is not ownership. We should expect those numbers to drop as the interest rates rise and force more foreclosures. You're just splitting hairs. Nationwide housing numbers (that are used to assess the relative strength of our economy) have always included homes with liens.

I thought last night's show was on par with the better episodes of West Wing. Anyone else feel the same?

So it wasn't the constant coverage by the MSM that caused her popularity to grow? Good to know. Claiming she got so much coverage because of the attacks from the right is an interesting theory. I guess you could say the Swift boat Vets got noticed because of the constant attacks from the left, too.

The USA had the biggest economy when it was ALSO the world's largest creditor. Are you talking about our federal debt or our trade imbalance? Are these two interchangable? Originally federal, then mnealtx switched to the economy as a whole, so that too. Both are the biggest of their kind in history. So, are you talking about our trade imbalance or the amount of US debt held by foreingers or the total (public and private) US debt?

There you go. Answer her question with violence. She clearly loved her son and she wants an answer to why he and so many other have to die for what is clearly an illegal action. Something that seems to missing from her whole campaign is that she was opposed to his enlistment and his re-enlistment... that it was a bone of contention before he ever joined. He joined and rejoined voluntarily, for his own reasons, as an adult. He knew what he was signing up for. But somehow - It's all Bush's fault. Sometimes you just gotta move on.

Or maybe he didn't get nearly the media coverage Cindy Sheehan has received. We live in a different age. Today's media is about milking high drama cases for all they are worth. Almost all of these overdone, dragged out dramas involve white women being victims. In this case, the media excused her age and looks because she was taking it (or at least trying) to "The Man". In her case, she believed her handlers.... agreeing to do assinine things, to keep the cameras rolling.

I liked her hunger strike that involved not eating anything that couldn't be chopped up in a blender. Cindy "starved for attention" Sheehan is probably a big fan of PT Barnum.

The USA had the biggest economy when it was ALSO the world's largest creditor. Are you talking about our federal debt or our trade imbalance? Are these two interchangable?