Disqus - Latest Comments for somercet

Re: SUMMER READING: Instead of watching TV or something mindless, I have been reading Arnold: The Educa…

somercet — Sat, 10 Jul 2021 13:48:07 -0000

But did she watch Bill Burr's bit on Arnold? That was hilarious: "By all rights, this guy should have been unloading trucks in Transylvania! But, because he's a great man, he moves to America..."

Re: JUSTICE THOMAS, AND NOW JUSTICE GORSUCH, ARE CALLING FOR THE SUPREME COURT TO REVISIT LIBEL LAWS. J…

somercet — Sat, 03 Jul 2021 12:42:50 -0000

The ad that the black pastors' group ran in the NYT had several errors in it. Such as: the pastors claimed the Birmingham police had moved in a large group of cops to quell protestors, but it turned out that a big cop convention, scheduled months prior, had been held that day a few blocks from the protest. :-D

Re: JUSTICE THOMAS, AND NOW JUSTICE GORSUCH, ARE CALLING FOR THE SUPREME COURT TO REVISIT LIBEL LAWS. J…

somercet — Sat, 03 Jul 2021 12:39:48 -0000

How strict are these rules? If you mean, "A front page libel requires a front page correction, not buried on page B-36," then fine.

Re: JUSTICE THOMAS, AND NOW JUSTICE GORSUCH, ARE CALLING FOR THE SUPREME COURT TO REVISIT LIBEL LAWS. J…

somercet — Sat, 03 Jul 2021 12:38:28 -0000

"In a world without Sullivan" Barack Obama would not be entitled to any damages, as he was a public official, or running for public office.

"In a world without Sullivan" Barack Obama would be forced to admit his birth certificate is not accurate, and that he is the son of Frank Marshall Davis, Chicago Communist, who gave his son an introduction to Bill Ayers, Chicago Communist. Please see "Dreams From My Real Father," but ignore the CIA conspiracy babble. BHO is just an out-of-wedlock baby. And a Marxist fellow traveler.

Any questions?

Re: JUSTICE THOMAS, AND NOW JUSTICE GORSUCH, ARE CALLING FOR THE SUPREME COURT TO REVISIT LIBEL LAWS. J…

somercet — Sat, 03 Jul 2021 10:29:48 -0000

Repeat:

Why not just apply the Alabama law that NYT v. Sullivan overturned? Where a public official cannot sue for monetary damages if the person retracts the libel?

The New York Times could have just run the ad AGAIN, for free, with the disputed sections crossed out and the NYT's corrections displayed next to them.

That would protect public officials from outright libel AND protect citizens from being bankrupted by criticizing public officials.

Re: JUSTICE THOMAS, AND NOW JUSTICE GORSUCH, ARE CALLING FOR THE SUPREME COURT TO REVISIT LIBEL LAWS. J…

somercet — Sat, 03 Jul 2021 10:28:47 -0000

Why not just apply the Alabama law that NYT v. Sullivan overturned?Where a public official cannot sue for monetary damages if the person retracts the libel?

The New York Times could have just run the ad AGAIN, for free, with the disputed sections crossed out and
the NYT's corrections displayed next to them.

That would protect public officials from outright libel AND protect citizens from being bankrupted by criticizing public officials.

Re: I’M SO OLD, I CAN REMEMBER WHEN BILL KRISTOL WAS STILL A CONSERVATIVE: …

somercet — Wed, 23 Jun 2021 03:17:15 -0000

Driscoll is okay on the little stuff. A lot of his aggregation posts are rather good. But to borrow a line from The Godfather, Driscoll is not a war-time consigliere. Whenever the subject matter moves from common-sense stuff into a more radical, more competitive conservatism, Driscoll stumbles badly. I wish he would get it, or would at least engage with us to see where he is losing Glenn's base, but he doesn't do that.

He reminds me a bit of Piers Morgan from the UK. Morgan is, 90% of the time, a bog-standard media lefty, eminently ignorable. But every six months or so, he suddenly puts out an opinion that most Trumpers and conservatives can get behind. That is why he is in such bad odor on the Left. It's sad, really, he doesn't have a home.

Re: I’M SO OLD, I CAN REMEMBER WHEN BILL KRISTOL WAS STILL A CONSERVATIVE: …

somercet — Wed, 23 Jun 2021 03:08:36 -0000

No, it was done because no one realized how popular Palin would be.

Re: I’M SO OLD, I CAN REMEMBER WHEN BILL KRISTOL WAS STILL A CONSERVATIVE: …

somercet — Wed, 23 Jun 2021 03:07:59 -0000

...? Ah, I see, you think Trump "lied" when he said he was for gay marriage because he secretly hated gays. And you blame him for people calling you delusional, which probably happens a lot.
Thanks for playing.

Re: LARRY KUDLOW: Is Jimmy Carter Back, or What? What a minute, though conservatives might hate me for …

somercet — Sun, 13 Jun 2021 20:54:09 -0000

No. FDR got the party started with Social Security, and then employer-sponsored health insurance (ESI) (both programs were "emergency" measures, /eyeroll), which both led directly to Johnson's Medicare and Medicaid, which both led directly to the U.S. leaving the gold standard.

These programs eviscerated the savings of the vast majority of Americans. We used to have a fractional reserve banking system, which said: if you, the bank, have $1M in customer savings (AKA deposits), you can lend out $800K.

Today, Thomas E. Woods claims we have fractional reserve banking. This is a lie. We have an imaginary-reserve banking system, where the Fed says, "if you have $1 in deposits, you can lend out $9."

Fractional-reserve banking is inherently non-inflationary; imaginary-reserve banking is inherently inflationary.

Inflation is a monetary problem, but it is also a consumer savings problem. The only reason to maintain a strong, steady dollar is to encourage and reward savings (and thus investments), since that is where you get your non-inflationary loans you use to build the next decades' economy.

If we outlawed Social Security, ESI, Medicare, IRAs, 401(k)'s, and FDIC, and created Heath and Retirement Savings Accounts (HRSA), we would have a system of HRSA banks, tightly controlled and maximally safe, and we could let the hedge funds (outside of actual fraud) be as unregulated as they like. We could also outlaw Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the FHA, and the student loans programs.

Set the limit for a HRSA at $500K, with tax-free contributions and interest up to that point. You eliminate the per-person exemption for income tax, outside of HRSA contributions. You could also allow people to save (one-time) an extra $50K for a Large Purchase account, and another $50K for a Personal Education Fund. You then end the "guaranteed student loan" programs. Parents and grandparents, of course, would seed the children's accounts themselves. If a person never spends those added accounts, they get treated exactly as main HRSA funds automatically.

Outside of the LP and Education funds, HRSA funds would only be available to purchase healthcare, health insurance, and of course, retirement (take the total funds at 65, divide by the 360 months they can expect to live, and let them withdraw 80% of that a month).

Let's say a couple max out their personal accounts, then they fill their two kids' HRSA accounts. Sounds like a good deal for rich parents, right? No, because now the parents and the kids are paying full tax on whatever they make from now on. It's a good deal for us.

HRSA banks would solve: the healthcare "crisis"; the housing "crisis"; the student loan "crisis"; the public debt crisis; the inflation crisis; all the arguments over how regulated banks should be; the entitlement "crisis"; the public sector retirement fund "crisis" (since they would all be moved to HRSAs, and public pensions outside of HRSAs would be outlawed); and probably many more.

Re: THE CORBYNIZATION OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY CONTINUES APACE: Rep. Greene Made Disgusting Holocaust Com…

somercet — Wed, 26 May 2021 19:21:07 -0000

It's so nice to know that the Shoah was NOT a human event. It is sui generis, utterly beyond human understanding, and it is taboo to even think about it.

Now let's ship the D.C. Holocaust Museum to Germany and be done with it entirely. Oh, and we get to kill any one who compares a Republican to Hitler. Forever. (Which reminds me, we'll need to dig up Walter Cronkite and desecrate the body.)

Re: THE CORBYNIZATION OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY CONTINUES APACE: Rep. Greene Made Disgusting Holocaust Com…

somercet — Wed, 26 May 2021 19:17:19 -0000

Godwin's Law was formulated specifically to trash pro-Second Amendment arguments on USENET.

Re: SEND THOSE LITTLE RED GUARDS TO BED WITHOUT THEIR SUPPER: The absence of supper will teach th…

somercet — Mon, 03 May 2021 08:34:15 -0000

That's a cool story, but teachers (and their administrators and their unions) can go F themselves.

They were useless chair warmers back in the '70s–'80s, and had no idea what to do with kids who were a bit quirky. They can't handle them, so they teach them instead to sit down, do nothing, and wait for the rest of the class. They teach passivity.

Re: SEND THOSE LITTLE RED GUARDS TO BED WITHOUT THEIR SUPPER: The absence of supper will teach th…

somercet — Mon, 03 May 2021 08:21:07 -0000

You mean, this? https://twitter.com/KayHymo...

Re: SEND THOSE LITTLE RED GUARDS TO BED WITHOUT THEIR SUPPER: The absence of supper will teach th…

somercet — Mon, 03 May 2021 08:15:41 -0000

Really? The Roman empire is defunct. The Chinese empire is still around. You may want to check your models...

Re: SEND THOSE LITTLE RED GUARDS TO BED WITHOUT THEIR SUPPER: The absence of supper will teach th…

somercet — Mon, 03 May 2021 08:14:45 -0000

True dat.

Re: BRYAN PRESTON: Nia Renee Hill and Bill Burr Show How to Handle Woke-a-Trons. Bill Burr presented so…

somercet — Tue, 16 Mar 2021 23:37:34 -0000

No, he's a Red State-temperament guy trying desperately to conform to a Blue role.

Re: BRYAN PRESTON: Nia Renee Hill and Bill Burr Show How to Handle Woke-a-Trons. Bill Burr presented so…

somercet — Tue, 16 Mar 2021 23:32:39 -0000

By temperament, Burr should be red-pilled as Hell. But he works twice as hard forcing himself into that Blue mold. He said it himself, he is so angry, he makes himself miserable.

When push comes to shove, don't bet on Bill Burr to back you. I'll enjoy lots of his comedy now (aside from that awful Nashville show), but he will conform to whatever the Blue line is.

Re: BRYAN PRESTON: Nia Renee Hill and Bill Burr Show How to Handle Woke-a-Trons. Bill Burr presented so…

somercet — Tue, 16 Mar 2021 23:26:57 -0000

His language often well exceeds PG-13.

WTH does that have to do with PC/SJWs? They are some of the most foul-mouthed people ever.

Re: BRYAN PRESTON: Nia Renee Hill and Bill Burr Show How to Handle Woke-a-Trons. Bill Burr presented so…

somercet — Tue, 16 Mar 2021 23:25:27 -0000

Bill Burr is incredibly PC.

You are 100% correct. On all the important issues (like NeverTrump) he's a Neanderthal throwback trying desperately to force himself that P.C. mold. Remember that disastrous Nashville (I think) show?

Re: AP IS NOW PROJECTING a Doug Jones win in Alabama, despite Gloria Allred’s best efforts. But a lot o…

somercet — Wed, 13 Dec 2017 02:46:25 -0000

The Mueller investigation seems to be falling apart. But yes, this starts with Sessions.

Luther Strange lost AL Lt Gov election to Democrat, then won AG (much lower profile). He won one AG incumbency but incumbents are a different beast. So, a 50% loss rate. For a US SENATE SEAT.

Like George H. W. Bush, he had little electability. But, I'm sure the Gov owed someone a favor.

Strange gets 33% in primary, Moore gets 39% (Also like Akin, who got 36% in primary). In run-off, Moore gets 55-45. Bottom line:

1. Loss *begins* with AL Gov nominating his AG, a move supported by Karl Rove.

2. Moore fails to defend himself effectively. He can't even stop his wife from babbling "some of our best friends are Jews." My God, it's CURRENT_YEAR.

As we saw with Akin, good Christian credentials are important in the South (and elsewhere). But few will vote for someone who takes his hands off the wheel and lets Jesus steer.

BUT: Candidates like Moore/Akin are fundamentally unavoidable. So long as we have primaries, we will have Akins and Moores. The Party is expected to head them off WITHOUT calling its own voters bigots or religious nuts.

National GOP should have been at AL Gov's door, asking his price for a solid Senate candidate, as opposed to a buddy.

You can also lay a little blame at Trump's door. He should have asked about the possible replacement for Sessions. I'm sure he won't make that mistake again. I feel bad for him, he must be seeing US CEO as a completely thankless job.

Re: ANOTHER OPEN THREAD, because people seem to enjoy them.

somercet — Wed, 13 Dec 2017 02:29:13 -0000

Open threads are cancer.