Open Thread Saturday
2010 January 9
What’s on your mind?
110 Responses
leave one →
“He was guilty of nothing, except that he earned his own fortune and never forgot that it was his.“ The concept contained within that phrase is what has set America apart, and made her the greatest nation on Earth. And it is the systematic attack on that concept, that this website is dedicated to fighting. This website is NOT devoted to making people “wealthy”, but rather to fighting the notion that the “wealth” they DO have needs to be “redistributed”.
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[1]
The new Star Trek movie (the revival movie showing the origins of the characters, which I loved btw)
In the ‘Kobayashi Maru’ test in the movie the young Captain Kirk sits there eating an apple as the scenario appears to devolve into death and destruction. He doesn’t seem nervous or worried because he knows he has RIGGED THE SYSTEM.
The Democrats are acting EXACTLY like that. Everything they are doing is driving more and more people AWAY from them. And doing more and more harm to the economy and our security…which will harm more and more people.
Yet they DO NOT SEEM TO CARE.
That’s on my mind a lot these days.
[2]
JR, it’s the mindset that forces them to behave this way. They are the leaders, you are nothing, you will do as you’re told and take what you’re given.
They will let you know what rights you have and when you may exercise them.
Someone who thinks like this will obviously not concern himself with what the proletariat think. Nor does he think he ever should.
For them, government run disastercare will always be “a good deal for us”. So let us be lashed to the wheel of the state, and never leave it until we get our death panel signoff.
[3]
rwy…yup. Except that they are also power-hungry, and know their current path leads to a loss of power, unless…
it’s the “unless…” that bugs me. I’m not sure even Universal Voter Registration coupled with Amnesty could happen fast enough to get them all the votes they need in 2010.
it continues to puzzle me
[4]
Wht are we not surprised dept.
[5]
Bill Jacobson’s take on what IP was talking about…..
Voters need to call the Democrats’ bluff.
Sometimes the thought occurs to me that the Dems might, in a tiny corner of their brains, WANT a civil war. Could this be possible? Yikes. Because it will not go well with them…..
[6]
Hey, it looks like even some Dems are thinking Brown could win…..
[7]
I can no longer count the number of times I’ve shaken my head and said: “The Voters of xxxxxx can’t be THAT stooopid…can they?”
Of course, they almost always ARE that stooopid! Still, even for MA this may be a bridge (sorry Teddy) too far for the Dems.
(a) they Re-wrote Massachusettes law in 2004 in case Kerry got elected
(b) they Re-wrote (or ignored) Massachusettes law in 2009 after Teddy descended into the Pit
(c) NOW they want to openly thwart the voters (if it comes to it) in order to have a PUPPET appointee cast a vote for a Bill 65% of America does NOT want
[8]
If a certification delay occurs the voters of Mass ought to just burn the state capitol to the ground.
[9]
drdog, sooner or later it’s gonna come to that! The Democrats act more and more like the old Soviet Poliburo. Absolutely invulnerable and all-powerful…until they weren’t.
[10]
Yes, I believe the army will have to choose between obeying the government and shooting the people. At some point….
[11]
46/53, -17
Stay away from the window RAS!!!!
[12]
The DEMs just gave Brown 5 more points. LOL !!!
[13]
Oh, so he’ll only lose by 18 now?
[14]
Not so fast kemosabi.check this out~~( see section)
CRS-2 “appointment of interim senators”
[15]
All of the above is moot however, as the dipshits of messoftwoshits will never elecet a repub.
[16]
Different note. First DC circuit 3 judge panel issues a preliminary in Comcast vs FCC. Final has not been announced. Link to opinion here.
Telcom Law is generally pretty droll stuff hinged on the old Communications Act of 1934. But this particular ruling has political impact. Especially on that current crowd in Washington.
Background: Comcast has taken the stance that they have the right to manage their networks as they see fit for the benefit of all subscribers. The rationale is that 10% of the users are consuming 90% of the bandwidth. So Comcast has been doing deep packet analysis of traffic and bumping torrents streams.
The FCC back to under Bush has taken the opinion that Net Neutrality should rule. The argument being that a individuals right to use the service and the equipment they purchased be free from interference from the carrier.
Court: I have to say that the Court did its homework. Not only in relation to the Comcast but also the prior rule making done by the FCC and the technical market as a while. (Court points out that Direct Sat growth is faster than cable, etc.) They did not do this blindly.
Political: Consider, that Net Neutrality was going to be the vehicle that the FCC and Mark Lloyd used to not only rip up much of the current infrastructure but also used to require local content standards and local minority investment in services/infrastructure. Most likely also be used, eventually, as a means to stifle Conservative radio as well.
Well now they will have to think of another way. The Court is indicating that the FCC DOES NOT EVEN HAVE THE POWER TO RULE in the actions of Comcast and subsequently any other carrier. So a whole swath of the socialist take over has been thwarted.
Finally, in so raising the issue the FCC just got pie in their face. The 3 judge panel vacated the 30% rule imposed by the FCC on % of subscriber base. That puts Lloyd’s idea of a carve up in the dustbin. Its always wise to be careful what you complain about — Somebody might actually fix it for ya.
[17]
drdog, nice to see us win one for a change!
[18]
Good post, Dr, and yikes but that is happy news….
[19]
One of the main reasons the Democrats are acting as bold as they are is because , like Captain Kirk, they know the outcome with MSM. MSM will either: 1) support whatever Obama and the Democrats do or 2) bury and ignore bad news.
If Brown wasw a Democrat and won but the powers powers to be refused to seat him, it would be the lead story every night until he was seated. As a Republican, the story will be buried if he wins.
[20]
On a purely political basis I am doing the fist pump. The socialists will have to rethink their scheme. As a technologist I am a tad sad. If everyone had taken the benign view for Net Neutrality we would be miles ahead. Carriers would provide higher speeds on different channels for high bandwidth users. Consumer data hogs knowing they are who they are go over and pay extra for not being hassled. The govt keeping their hands off. It was the way the ‘Net first started and we did pretty good hands off, till the Suits and Govt Whores got their hands in the game.
[21]
BC, sad but true.
[22]
Interesting pair of threads on Palin on Hot Air. While she is speaking at two major Tea Party affairs and at a conservative gathering in New Orleans, she is snubbing CPAC. David Keane, who is a big Romneybot and head od the ACU, also runs CPAC and has trashed Sarah publicly. Romney has won the CPAC straw poll for the past few years.
I guess Sarah would rather skip the Romney corronation and attend her own and be with the grass roots types rather than the DC insiders. She continued to do things her wayand it drives he opponents crazy.
[23]
Ed @ HA is also covering the Dims near panic that they can’t coast to victory in the Mass election.
[24]
Here’s how CNN is trying to spin yesterday’s bad news into something positive (from our friends at newsbusters.org.
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/candance-moore/2010/01/09/cnn-december-layoffs-exceed-expectations-still-good-news
[25]
Very good portrait of the current commercial real estate market over at the Atlantic. Link.
[26]
bc3b I just read the CNN happy-face article…wow! Even for the them and the rest of the media that a WAAAAAAAAAAAY stretch!
Translation: “The patient continues to bleed out…but less blood flowed out last month!” Obama declares: “See? There’s no need to sew up the wound…it’ll just stop bleeding on its own!”
yes, Barry, it will…and then we bury the
patientcorpse![27]
JR -
CNN claims to be unbiased and play it “down the middle.” And I can throw a 98 MPH fastball. I just hang out here because you guys are cooler than major league players.
[28]
bc3b…thx for hangin’ with us! Besides, baseball season is waaay too long!
[29]
It’s easy to throw a 98mph fastball, just like is easy to become a concert pianist.
To throw a fastball 98 mph, you just grip the ball appropriately and throw it hard enough to result in the target speed, while being careful to direct the ball toward the top of the strike zone.
To become a concert pianist, you simply press the piano keys in the order and style indicated by the notes in the music. Once this has been done enough for consistent performances, concerts may be scheduled…..
See? Everything is so simple.
[30]
Who do you guys like in this weekend’s games?
[31]
rwy…same with being President, eh? AND being President comes with a Nobel Peace Prize just for showing up! Easy breezy!
[32]
Dallas over Eagles
Green Bay over Arizona
Jets beat Bengals
Ravens beat Patriots
[33]
Polls have Reid at 19% approval rating in Nevada. He running 10 points behind Sue Lowden and 8 points behind Danny Tarkanian.
http://hotairpundit.blogspot.com/2010/01/new-poll-has-harry-reid-down-10-points.html
Wouldn’t it be awful to elect another conservative former beauty queen?
[34]
I like the Jets, Cowboys,Packers and Patriots.
Three of the four games are a rematch of last week and all three were blowouts.
[35]
Great links on today’s thread. Thanks everyone.
DrDog’s commercial real estate link is an eye opener. I’ve been hearing now for two years that commercial real estate is about to blow up, but didn’t understand the details of why. That article does a good job of explaining why.
[36]
33. And I thought Brandon would have beat you to that one bc!
[37]
I think everyone steps up their games this week. Lot of starters resting last week. I like bc3b’s picks, although the Jets/Bengals may be a toss up for me.
[38]
Arizona will surprise!! you read it here first!!
[39]
#36. I posted it earlier on that site you do not visit much anymore.
[40]
Color me surprised. The AP has an article up titled: “Analysis: Obama’s buck-stopping goes only so far” that softly rips into Obama for continuing to blame everything on Bush. Can’t link it here, but it’s on HA’s headline links for you to enjoy.
[41]
mpt, everyone is being soooooooooo mean to whittle Obammy.
[42]
According to one of Mark Kirk’s primary opponents, Kirk is a “de facto pedophile.”
http://chicagoist.com/2010/01/06/andy_martin_does_it_again.php
[43]
Kirk’s a RINO Brandon. That’s even worse.
[44]
I’ll gladly take a “RINO” in Barack Obama’s senate seat.
[45]
Pailin, Blackburn, Bachmann, Lowden – there truly are some hot conservative women.
[46]
Brandon – Good point. I lived in Illinois about 20 years ago. Now I believe it’s far more liberal than Michigan. I think the growing Hispanic vote in the Chicago area has something to do with it. In Michigan we have Muslims. They don’t vote; they just blow things up.
[47]
5 – Told you, they will just ram it through before he is seated.
[48]
8 – Amen.
[49]
If we are John Galt, then Who is Wesley Mouch?
[50]
There are plenty of things to disagree with Kirk on, but calling him a pedophile? What is wrong with some people.
[51]
“So Comcast has been doing deep packet analysis of traffic and bumping torrents streams. ”
—
fyi – They are not doing this any more since they lost the original class action suit.
This is what they are doing and it’s a pretty good solution:
http://www.phoenix-center.org/symposiums/2009/Livingood.pdf
It’s protocol and application agnostic, it’s simply a prioritization\throttle that comes into effect when there are less heavy users trying to get some bandwidth and it’s one of the fairer implementations out there. I hate comcast with a passion but not for this.
They still have too low byte cap however, course you can avoid all these issues an just pay 25-35$ more a month for “business” services.
BTW Dr. my Clear service has gone to erratic crap once now that they have filled up the Atlanta market.
[52]
KnightHawk, I am by no means a lover of Comcast either. However, I firmly believe companies should have the right to run their business and networks as they see fit. Particularly when it comes to managing bandwidth when a core part of your business is providing network services and managing bandwidth.
The best fix to Comcast is old-fashioned competition. I’ve seen dozens of AT&T trucks running new cables around my neighborhood lately. I certainly hope that fiber is on it’s way so we can get some competition around here for high-speed service.
[53]
25 – Nice link, that what they get for buying into a RC area – dummies, would have expected an established firm like that to know better.
[54]
52 – Truthfully more competition isn’t going to help much with the bandwidth management situation, they all suffer from the same problem and to a degree always will, I was reading verizon is implementing something similar to comcast. I do not have problems with bandwidth management in terms of their ‘revised’ system (I did with the original method), what I do have a problem with is these idiots selling like 50/10 packages and then threatening disconnects when folks exceed the 250gig cap, granted if you stay under 500g you will not get the call (In practice those getting calls have been in the 750g range), but what do they expect when they give you a pipe that large… your not going to use it, sort of f’d up marketing wise no? They should just stick to the throttle method and stop moaning about byte caps. Then again for folks like me there who 10gig a day is average there is the “business” option solution for a step up in price and that is in fact fair – I don’t really have a problem paying more because I use more.
[55]
I wasn’t thinking so much about the “bandwidth management solution” with regards competition. Rather the more general problem of choice in the market for high-speed network connectivity. Right now, Comcast is my only choice. I basically can choose to take whatever they give me or go without — which isn’t a viable option. At least with one other competitor in the market the situation may still suck, but not as much as when there is just one provider. Ideally, I would love to see 3 or 4 high-speed competitors I could choose from, but that’s just a pipe dream.
[56]
BTW Dr. my Clear service has gone to erratic crap once now that they have filled up the Atlanta market.
Does Clear have you routed to Seattle still? Once they moved the POP to Dallas for our market things cleared up here.
Was not aware that Comcast stopped DPI. However looking at the new scheme, though it is not protocol specific, it tends to end up the same effect. Those protocols that they had been sending RST packets to stop torrents were the same ones that were eating bandwidth. So now they just probe in the aggregrate till the find the specific IP address causing the traffic and throttle at the router.
And paying Business Class though it might be ‘the solution’ for the heavy user does not really solve anything. Sign up and Comcast stops complaining but now it is just sanctioned congestion. The carriers really need to get on the IPTV bandwagon. Convert all that video channel to DOCSIS3, ditch trying to be a programming promoter, let customers go alacarte and charge the content providers for cartage over the network. They would have less expense and nearly the same revenue.
[57]
56 – Yeah they still fking do… I notice on the dslforums they cleared up that issue in the TX market, and in the NC market, you all exit a relatively local path now, atl – still exits in kirkland (wtf?).
None of the last paragraph though really changes anything, the business model only works with over-subscription so they will always have to manage things to one degree or another.
“though it is not protocol specific, it tends to end up the same effect. ”
—
It doesn’t though, I’ll be rolling along at 8mb and get pushed down to 6-7 for a few minutes awhile while they let my neighbors actually use some of what I’ve been hogging for hours. It’s really not a problem, and I’ve yet to see it happen to a business class customer though I can’t say for sure that it doesn’t.
[58]
MPT – Not that I’m in the mood to recommend Clear any more but they should be in the San Fran market now, that or you might see it advertised as Sprint 4g (they really just piggy back on Clear). Check it out check it outers.
[59]
Rape, Murder and video tape – Taliban style
[60]
List of Dem Senators up in 2010:
Lincoln
Boxer
Bennet
Blumenthal (Dodd, open seat)
Inouye
Burris
Bayh
Mikulski
Reid
Schumer
Dorgan (open seat)
Wyden
Specter
Leahy
Murray
Feingold
Gillibrand
Kirk
That’s 18 right?
Now the Rs
Bennett
Thune
Demint
Coburn
Voinovich
Burr
Gregg
Bond
Vitter
Bunning
Brownback
Grassley
Crapo
Isaakson
Lemieux
McCain
Murkowski
Shelby
Thats another 18….
[61]
Shades of things to come:
CARACAS, Jan 9 (Reuters) – Venezuelans rushed to the shops on Saturday, fearful of price rises after a currency devaluation that will let President Hugo Chavez boost government spending ahead of an election but feeds opposition charges of economic mismanagement.
[62]
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada described in private then-Sen. Barack Obama as “light skinned” and “with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one.” Obama is the nation’s first African-American president.
–
Drudge picking up on it now.
[63]
From the Dems we get:
Lincoln
Bennet
Dodd/Blumenthal
Burris
Kirk (yes predicting Brown wins)
Reid
Dorgan
Specter
With Feingold and Gillibrand as possibles. Thats 8 and possibly 10 seats.
From the RINOs we get:
Bennett
McCain
Lemieux
Voinovich
replaced with conservatives.
Who do we lose?
Do we lose Bond’s seat?
Gregg’s seat should be safe…
So we gain a total of 12-14 seats for conservatism, and lose 1? Anyone know anything about Bond’s seat? Why won’t Jim Talent run for it?
[64]
So a net gain of 7 for the Rs in the chamber, and a bigger gain for the constitution.
[65]
Be aware that at least here in the DFW market the Sprint 4g mobile offer has 2gb bandwidth caps and a usage cap as well. Clear direct offers similar for unlimited (tho 4gb bandwidth is the max for the Motorola dongle) and its like $15-20 more/mo. Your market maybe different. Sprint is part owner in Clear btw.
[66]
In 2012, we could get several more Dem senate seats in Red states, and flush even more RINOs….
I have to look at the table again and see, I think we could get close to 60 honest to God conservatives in the senate between 2010 and 2014…..
[67]
Yahoo -
This is a little dated, but being a Carnahan in MO is akin to being a Kennedy in New England and there’s a Carnahan running:
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/05/poll-democrat-leads-for-2010-missouri-senate-race-in-gop-held-seat.php
[68]
Oh God how stupid do the MO voters have to be?
[69]
Smoking something?
Lincoln (only if she stays in the race – questionable)
Bennet (very likely)
Dodd/Blumenthal (this is not looking anywhere close to a win atm)
Burris (maybe)
Kirk (yes predicting Brown wins) (big big maybe)
Reid (4 sure)
Dorgan (4 sure)
Specter (This isn’t done yet either, though quite possible
In fact I more likely to say CA may be a pickup at this point then CT but that race could turn back into a winner if WWF lady would go away and Simmons plays the cards masterfully. Don’t count on it though.
NY it out of play atm – though susan molinari is said to be thinking about it, that could put it back in play… then again Ford Jr. is looking to take on rookie in the primary as well sources say. ATM though this is not a pick up.
[70]
68 – very, which is why I think the gop could lose there without a tsunami to carry them through.
[71]
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections2/election_2010/election_2010_senate_elections/missouri/election_2010_missouri_senate
Carnahan 46% Blunt 44%
Blunt not an exciting candidate, I still say he takes the race…..
[72]
Clear direct offers similar for unlimited (tho 4gb bandwidth is the max for the Motorola dongle)
Uh Pick two-unlimited for 60$ is unlimited on both the home and the usb device.
[73]
Sprints on the only partner in Clear, she’s been funded by a bunch of them – including comcast.
[74]
Mo jobless rate 9.5% and trending up……
Blunt is gonna win…..
[75]
Does anyone think the Dems mount a comeback and hold all but a few seats? Because I’d like to know what that would be based on, other than economic recovery, and if you think the economy will recover, why? To me, I see it slowly worsening, with the potential for some big drops along the way to 2010…..
661,000 people stopped looking for work in December 2009. That would have gotten the unemployment rate to 10.4%……Of course any idiot knows its 17.3% minimum…
[76]
KH,
Gut says Lincoln stays, plays and loses. That stupid, unless somebody from the party does another horse head offer.
[77]
Opps I was wrong.. they dropped it from 60 to 50$
“Pick 2 Unlimited***: Home & Mobile $50/month **For life**** “
[78]
76 – I’m thinking that horse head offer is coming, coming to Reid as well.
[79]
Uh Pick two-unlimited for 60$ is unlimited on both the home and the usb device.
Yes, but that ends 1/31 unless they extend it which I have not heard.
[80]
But these new Dems will have the exact same platform as the old one they are replacing…..
I don’t think it works. It might work in CT, barely, those morons, but it won’t work in red states….
[81]
The Dems are much better off in CT with Bliumenthal than they would have been with Dodd.
[82]
Oh and don’t do the Pick 3 that includes voice. You can do better going to VoiceEclipse for the same money and get 2 lines instead of one.
[83]
Yes, but Blumenthal is still a communist moron with the same ideas as Dodd, and so I’d expect if Dodd can be beaten, Blumenthal can too.
[84]
74 – Well I hope so but if we’re going to lose one that is the one that will go first.
75 – Yes, anything is possible, I only have the GOP netting 4 this year @ this point in time. a lot of what happens depends on how thing are in the nation come September 1st and how engaged the ‘people’ still are at that point. Second 1/2 of 2010 will be massive use of weapons of mass distractions.
[85]
Blumenthal has like 70% approval ratings, those will come down but the people of CT don’t mind communists so much. I’m just staying if your gauging by today or even mild improvements from today it’s by no means a bankable pickup.
[86]
BC, no slight to you, but hey that’s not saying much for the voters at least. Dodd was so deep in the hole that his corpse would have beat him living in the same election.
[87]
82 – voice via clear would be a disaster in my opinion.
[88]
As a dealer I am required to have Pick 3 for demo purposes. Since the local POP was installed here its no worse that it was on Comcast. When it was routed to Kirkland there was a significant delay in call setup. But the Clear pricing for VoIP is not competitive.
[89]
KH, I would think at this juncture the Specter seat is heavy leaning GOP. The mood in PA is not good and the revelations of Judicial featherbedding, the pay hikes and now taxed funded politicking has the Dims in a deep hole. That should have spill over effects to the Senate race.
[90]
Remember, there will be a CUMULATIVE effect of having had unemployment at 10% for more than a year by Nov 2010 and it will be clear to anyone less fellatial to Obama than Andrew Sullivan that Obama hasn’t a clue of how to correct things
Also:
1. Blacks won’t vote
2. Young won’t vote
3. Infuriated seniors will
Look at VA and NJ 2009 as a template for what will happen
We win CO NV DE AR
Excellent chance at PA IL
Maybe CA WI NY
Wild card IN
Tsunami keeps us from losing any Senate seats
[91]
I wonder what Bayh’s polling looks like
[92]
Reid retires? So what?
Why would they elect an unknown Communist to that seat…???
[93]
Good posts from you rwy on Senatorial possibilities in 2010 election.
I agree that Ct race is in play. Blumenthal has a high approval rate now, but have heard there are tie-ins to Dodd that will probably come out in the rinse cycle of the race.
[94]
Also win ND left that off
[95]
Yes, but Blumenthal is still a communist moron with the same ideas as Dodd, and so I’d expect if Dodd can be beaten, Blumenthal can too~~~RWY
Do not discount the fact that the sheep of conn. are also commies, and will vote accordingly.
[96]
Well, why not keep simply Dodd then? What is a little corruption, if you’re already a communist?
[97]
I fell down a flight of stairs once, years ago (boy did I feel stupid!)
I spent a minute or two gingerly checking myself for broken ankles, etc
Thankfully nothing was wrong
This is what today’s economy reminds me of; it has fallen down a flight of stairs and is going nowhere while gingerly checking itself for injuries
And just now it notices someone approaching with a crowbar…
[98]
So, who is running against Blumenthal? Is it Simmons, or some name like that?
[99]
“#
Reid retires? So what?
Why would they elect an unknown Communist to that seat…???
”
—
Did not say they would.
[100]
96 – They don’t like corrupt commies… only ethical commies ..lol
[101]
91 – Too far out to matter much if there was polling.
[102]
98 – We don’t know yet, the WWF rino lady is causing a primary to be had, but yes Simmons is the other candidate that has been running against Dodd.
[103]
Yes, janz, Simmons….
Fell down stairs? lol. What a drag. I got shoved at the top of the stairs once, and fell down about halfway before I managed to stop myself, concrete stairs too.
Ouch.
[104]
Blumenthal makes the race much tougher. He has favorable/approval ratings around 70%, so those would have to be knocked down in order for the GOP to have a chance. However, the guy hasn’t run a competitive race in 20 years, so voters have no reason to hate him at the moment. Once he starts taking stances on national issues, his numbers will almost assuredly come down. He probably would still win, but not by as big of a margin as the polls are showing now.
[105]
Oh and NFL predictions: Bengals, Cowboys, Patriots, and Cardinals.
[106]
Club for Growth aiming for RINO Bennett:
HT: Patriot Room
[107]
Simmons will beat Blumenthal for the CT senate seat.
[108]
107 – Next you’ll be saying hellcare is dead.
[109]
Anybody see this?
Some lefty on Polipundit had a link to a story about Brown in MA.
He posed partially nude for Cosmo in 1982 and was voted sexiest or something.
[110]
Wouldn’t bother looking and not a big deal, I’ll bet. I like the ladies.