Jul 13th 2010 07:19 am Scientific control
Did anybody make it to the Jimmy Buffett concert at Gulf Shores? I wasn’t there, myself, but the big news today is the new “cap” that has been placed by BP on their runaway oil well. Supposedly, it could stop the flow of oil completely, if it works as designed. They say it will take from six to 48 hours to know how effective it will be. From what I’ve seen so far, I’d say it’s going to work if it works almost immediately. If down the road, say 36 hours, they’re saying things like, “We’re not sure yet,” then it’s not going to work. Here’s hoping.
Posted by jimmyjohnson / Vintage A&J
119 Responses to “Scientific control”
Steve the Rigger on 13 Jul 2010 at 7:44 am #
God I hope it works.
Jim in TN on 13 Jul 2010 at 7:48 am #
This is my take on the BP Oil Disaster (with a little help from Jimmy and Steve Goodman…)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Dn_UhLVaCI
John in LA late of PNS on 13 Jul 2010 at 7:56 am #
Couldn’t make it, I’m in the wrong LA–and even old Jimmy B. mentioned the two LAs on his show. I did watch it on CMT. Thanks CMT. And thank you Jimmy B.
sideburns on 13 Jul 2010 at 10:28 am #
I sure hope that cap works, JJ! One thing for sure: if it does, the President will claim that BP only got the job done (finally) because he “had his foot on their neck.” If it doesn’t, we’ll never hear a word about how his interference made them try something they didn’t really think would work. I’m not saying this because of who the President is, but what: a politician.
Floyd in Nashville on 13 Jul 2010 at 10:29 am #
Crossing my fingers for the cap to work….
Floyd in Nashville on 13 Jul 2010 at 10:30 am #
…and hoping nothing else gets knocked loose this time.
Sharon on 13 Jul 2010 at 10:32 am #
These guys took risks to save the cost of drilling when they were already behind schedule — and when chunks of rubber came up with the mud — they acted like they were not surprised to see it and although they were warned and they ascertained that they were not drilling for rubber in the Gulf, they chose to ignore this. Somebody please tell me how this idiocy saved BP money again? I don’t think that this strategy is working for them…
Trudy Bentley Rech on 13 Jul 2010 at 11:34 am #
This Floridian is praying that the cap works. Enjoyed your song Jim. Wish there wasn’t a need for it.
Jim in TN on 13 Jul 2010 at 12:29 pm #
Me too. And I hate that the 11 men’s lives seem to have gotten lost lost in this whole situation!
John in LA late of PNS on 13 Jul 2010 at 12:33 pm #
I hope the cap works and keeps on working.
Just wondering. Any other Ry Cooder fans out there besides yours truly?
John in LA late of PNS on 13 Jul 2010 at 2:59 pm #
Speaking of tomato samitches. Just found if you cut 6 or 7 cherry tomatoes long ways you will have one tasty tomato samitch. DEE–LISH. They truly are good tomatos. WoW.
nickchick on 13 Jul 2010 at 3:12 pm #
I came home the other day and my husband told me he had the BEST lunch he has had in years! He said it was so good it made him take a 2 hour nap! Garlic bologna, cheese, homegrown tomato on Sunbeam white bread. You would have thought he went to Ruth Chris for lunch, but that sandwich hit the spot! Our tomatoes in LA (the real one) are coming to an end but they sure have been good and plentiful!
BTW…Its July and its getting closer! College football! Roll Tide Roll!
Mary in Ohio on 13 Jul 2010 at 3:19 pm #
Sunbeam white bread! Oh my, I didn’t know they still made that childhood delight!
Has anyone else had “husk tomatoes” or “ground cherries”? They used to run riot in my Grandpa’s garden. Cherry tomato size or even smaller, orange, and sweet. Or is that a “false memory”?
Bonnie on 13 Jul 2010 at 3:34 pm #
Ground cherries are almost exclusively used for pies here in Pennsylvania. (My husband’s absolute favorite pie!) They are apparently a type of tomato, but really don’t taste like one.
John in LA late of PNS on 13 Jul 2010 at 4:20 pm #
If you mean Tomatillo for Ground Cherries or hust tomatos, then yesh. In Mexican food especially. Actually, some of those ground cherriers/husk tomatos/Tomatillo are more related to Goose Berries. They are de-lish BTW. I love them. And regular old vine type Cherry Tomatos also.
John in LA late of PNS on 13 Jul 2010 at 4:23 pm #
Should have added, I only *THINK* ground Cherries/husk tomatos/tomatillo are all the same. Boy could I be wrong. Puleeze let me know. TIA!
John in LA late of PNS on 13 Jul 2010 at 4:27 pm #
Nickchick:
Tomatos just getting started in the western LA. But then summer is just getting cranked up. Used the Air Conditioning in the house for the second time this year last night.
But then if you want heat here you can do like we did last weekend and head for Indio/Joshua Tree CA–about 109* there. And yesh we used the AC!
John in LA late of PNS on 13 Jul 2010 at 4:33 pm #
Last post today I promise. I should have been spelling T-O-M-A-T-O-E-S. NOT tomatos. I guess I get the Vice Presidential pardon for messing up on the spelling of tomatoes. Please forgive.
Tom in Glendora on 13 Jul 2010 at 10:05 pm #
I know what you mean John in LA. Ours have just started too. But they’ll be coming on strong in the next few weeks.
Hampton on 14 Jul 2010 at 4:10 am #
It breaks my heart that the beautiful gulf beaches are at the mercy of our federal government and BP. I was in Biloxi yesterday and it seemed that there were more media types on the beaches than others enjoying them. Not a lot of smiling faces there either.
LVJeff on 14 Jul 2010 at 9:01 am #
So, curiously, whose idea was it to add a touch of color to panel 2 of the 7/14/2010 strip?
emeritus minnesota biologist on 14 Jul 2010 at 9:18 am #
LVJ: All three panels have been “colorized” by whoever does that, but with the realization that our cones don’t register colors well in dim light. Only in the brightly lit bit would we perceive color. “All cats are grey at night.”
Tom (Somewhere in Georgia) on 14 Jul 2010 at 10:34 am #
Today’s strip was so striking, wow. Grayscale with a touch of life…
Mary in Ohio on 14 Jul 2010 at 2:54 pm #
John in LA: in many years of teaching spelling/English, either “tomatoes/tomatos” can be a correct variant. Actually, the same with “potatoes/potatos”. The veep spelled the SINGULAR “potatoe.”
Sooooo glad to know I wasn’t hallucinating those little garden delights. It got pretty hot pickin’ beans out at Grampa’s.
TruckerRon on 14 Jul 2010 at 5:33 pm #
Just to add to the confusion, imagine that you’re behind a mic and the folks running the spelling bee have handed you the “official” card and the word is misspelled on it. Would you be confident enough, standing there in the spotlight, to question the card’s accuracy? Quayle wasn’t, to his regret.
Floyd in Nashville on 14 Jul 2010 at 5:38 pm #
Found out why the 6-48 hour window on knowing whether the cap works. Apparently there’s concern about the structural integrity of the pipe – not just the exposed (broken) end on which the cap fits, but the portion running down through the ocean floor as well. TPTB are now worried that just slapping a cap on the exposed line might cause a blowout in a lower portion of the pipe; if that happens, stopping the leak might be impossible.
To forestall such an occurrence, the cap they are installing has been constructed with several “vents” on top. The plan is to install the cap with all vents open, then close them in sequence – monitoring the internal pressure of the oil against the cap as each vent is closed. If at some point the pressure stops rising as the vents are closed, this would indicate a blowback leak at another point in the line; if the pressure keeps rising as vents are closed, then the cap is working as planned – and if all vents can be closed without an internal pressure drop, then the leak is fixed.
In any case, the time window is allowing for the consecutive closure of the vents, and allowing time between each closure to monitor the related pressure effect.
James Pollock on 14 Jul 2010 at 6:50 pm #
Ron, Mr. Quayle was embarrassed in his situation because the child spelled the word correctly, and stopped. Mr. Quayle encouraged the child to keep going. That is, the child was a better speller than the Vice President. Not really a problem, as the Vice President is rarely called upon to proofread important documents. I’m sure there are lots of people who misspell the word and as mistakes go, this one’s pretty benign, as almost anyone could figure out that “potatoe” means “potato”. Being VP at the time just meant that more people were paying attention. There are lots of cases of people making simple mistakes that nobody would have known about except for who they are or where they were at the time… Diana Spencer flubbed Prince Charles’ name, which nobody would have known about except that she was in the process of marrying him at the time. Chief Justice Roberts flubbed the oath of office when inaugurating President Obama… but I bet he gets it right NEXT time (of course, the Supreme Court still won’t allow cameras for most of their work… maybe this sort of thing is why.)
Now, the ability to spell correctly is associated with intelligence, but wrongly so. Correct spelling is about memorization, not comprehension. There are certainly people who can’t spell who are quite intelligent, and people who can spell brilliantly who aren’t really that bright at all. This association, false as it is, happens to be one that works for me, because I can spell. (I do well on standardized testing, too… which also proves nothing meaningful.)
debbie on 15 Jul 2010 at 4:37 am #
I spell for a living.
Blinky the Wonder Wombat on 15 Jul 2010 at 6:03 am #
JJ-
Just wanted to say that the artwork in today’s (July 15) strip was magnificent. We are always praising your writing, but I think your draftsmanship is just as good.
Blinky the Wonder Wombat on 15 Jul 2010 at 6:03 am #
@ debbie-
Witch for hire?
John in Richmond Texas on 15 Jul 2010 at 7:42 am #
Kick your shoes off, sit a spell.
sideburns on 15 Jul 2010 at 11:40 am #
Are you a poorfraeder, Debbie?
Tom in Glendora on 15 Jul 2010 at 11:44 am #
James Pollock – I find I can’t agree with the statement ‘Correct spelling is about memorization, not comprehension.’ I spell very well and I haven’t memorized the
words. To me, a misspelled word just looks wrong. I can’t explain it, but that’s
the way it works for me.
John in LA late of PNS on 15 Jul 2010 at 2:10 pm #
Mary in Ohio: Thanks for the info on the spelling of tomatoes/tomatos. Kinda sort like tho is also a correct variant for though? Regardless, I am using spell checker now, more than ever.
Funny, my spell checker went red on tomatos but was fine w/ tho. Go figure.
Thanks again.
emeritus minnesota biologist on 15 Jul 2010 at 2:34 pm #
John, Mary: Our spell-checker is basically stupid, but is apparently programmed to be cautious. Whether we use “its” or “it’s” correctly or not, spellcheck always suggests the alternative spelling. In effect spellcheck is saying, “This is a common source of errors, so be sure you’re doing it right.” It also often flags complete sentences as fragments, and of course it ignores “from” if you meant “form”. It really just checks common letter sequences and punctuation variations, but it cannot read English. Nonetheless, it’s a godsend. Our email program contains an automatic spellcheck. Apparently many email programs do not.
debbie on 15 Jul 2010 at 3:37 pm #
blinky/sideburns: No, can’t cast them….but I do spell words for a living: Transcriptionist….but that was cute! Spellcheck helps alot, but is really not trustworthy. Heard just before unlocking the chains, BP has capped the well. I am glad.
debbie on 15 Jul 2010 at 3:39 pm #
Oh, I had planned on commenting on today’s strip, it was even better than usual….
buzz on 15 Jul 2010 at 4:25 pm #
Add me to the list of folks who think the Thursday July 15 strip is one of the very best things you’ve ever done. The color version at comics.com is especially nice, as if someone with intelligence and taste did it instead of the usual flat primary color drop-in they do.
James Pollock on 15 Jul 2010 at 5:02 pm #
I kind of liked today’s Pearls Before Swine
http://comics.com/pearls_before_swine/2010-07-15/
That about sums up the oil spill story.
John in LA late of PNS on 15 Jul 2010 at 5:18 pm #
I liked the color job on the streetlight 14Jul.
I liked the color job on the star 15Jul.
Ever noticed how poignant the little girl wearing a red coat in the movie Schindler’s List is? One of the few points of color in the black-and-white scenes of the film.
I know, not the same kind of emotion etc., but that is what it reminded me of when I saw Jimmy J’s 14&15 Jul cartoons. I feel the little color really added to the effect.
BTW, was the Jimmy Johnson’s idea? I’d love to know.
Blinky the Wonder Wombat on 15 Jul 2010 at 5:19 pm #
James Pollock-
BP is rightfully getting a lot of heat for the Gulf Disaster, but let’s not forget that our insatiable appetite for cheap gasoline is an underlying factor. Until we kick the petroleum habit, we all share some measure of blame for what is happening to our environment.
TruckerRon on 15 Jul 2010 at 6:35 pm #
Blinky, that sounds good but how can you implement it without starving billions of people? That’s why the truly rabid environmentalists want to cut the world’s population to a few million. You can’t replace petroleum and coal without major technological breakthroughs or a few billion deaths.
Some folks talk about going to electric cars… but where will the power come from and how on earth could we get it to our homes without replacing the bulk of our local wiring to carry 50% more wattage? Others talk about solar and wind, but even if we quadrupled their current capacity we’d still be below 50% of our needs.
We’re stuck with petroleum for the next few decades unless we agree to eliminate the “surplus population.” I won’t be volunteering for that!
John in LA late of PNS on 15 Jul 2010 at 6:52 pm #
I’m w/ Blinky. And Ed Begley Jr. No use in giving up . . . or trying.
Blinky the Wonder Wombat on 15 Jul 2010 at 7:51 pm #
TruckerRon-
I guess what I’m trying to say is that we shouldn’t get all righteous and indignant about BP without acknowledging we indirectly share some of the blame. And as with any addiction, admitting you have a problem is the first step in solving that problem.
TruckerRon on 15 Jul 2010 at 8:21 pm #
As someone who works with patients with dual diagnoses, I must point out that there’s a world of difference between relying on a decades-old fuel choice and being “addicted” to it. You may as well accuse a diabetic of being addicted to insulin.
Steve the Rigger on 15 Jul 2010 at 8:54 pm #
Ron, I think that Blinky is saying that we as Americans need to accept our rightful share of the responsibility in this disaster. BP certainly has a lot of questions to answer. As do the regulatory agencies that were overseeing the operations but just like with any commodity, without the demand there wouldn’t be an industry.
I don’t believe that anyone but the most radical believe that the civilized world can just stop using oil. I do believe however that there are many things that we can change about the way we live that would make a big improvement.
We, at least those of us in the good ole US, use way more oil than people in other countries. We could certainly make some changes in our lives that would start us on the right path.
Most of the rest of the world seems to get by pretty well. We could learn a few things.
This article makes some good points. (I bet this post goes into the moderation limbo)
“Thanks to the fiasco in the Gulf, there have been more and more discussions lately about how the United States can start weaning itself off oil, and both Craig Severance and the Center for American Progress have some useful, concrete suggestions on this score. One big-picture thing that’s worth pointing out, though, is that our crude dependency isn’t just a question of our love affair with gas-guzzling SUVs. Here’s a chart from Charles Komanoff, based on EIA data, that shows how we actually use oil:…………………..”
http://www.tnr.com/blog/the-vine/75296/theres-more-oil-use-massive-suvs
James Pollock on 15 Jul 2010 at 10:14 pm #
If we start NOW, while there is still plenty of oil left, we can convert to other fuels and energy sources much more easily than if we wait until there is a crisis. It is possible to provide sufficient food for the current population while substantially reducing petroleum use in agriculture… but you don’t get as much meat, and you don’t get much variety. Americans are used to having beef (it’s what’s for dinner) and having fresh out-of-season fruits and vegetables. Those things will have to go when the real oil shortage comes.
As for surplus population… whether you volunteer or not, you WILL be leaving this Earth. The only question is when. To do your part with regards to surplus population… how many replacement people did you put on the planet? (In the U.S., and in most developed countries, the birthrates are declining… the population would be dropping if not for immigration. But that’s a whole different discussion.)
For discussion: Humans build cities in areas where there is easy transportation, a source of fresh water, and plenty of fertile land to grow food. Then, we keep making the cities get larger and larger, covering the best, most fertile soil with cityscape. Then, we have to rely on the remaining land for actually producing food for all the people living in the city, which is, again, built on top of the best farmland.
Rowan on 16 Jul 2010 at 1:49 am #
About the July 16th strip.
There is only one word to describe it.
Squueeeeeeeeeeeeee!
(fangirl translation – Epic Win!)
Bonnie on 16 Jul 2010 at 4:21 am #
Debbie – I thought immediately of transcriptionist when you said you spell for a living. I do the same (have been for 35 years), although it’s not the well-paying job it once was! At least not for me, working for the biggest medical transcription company in the US (and perhaps the world) and watching our jobs get outsourced to India with the accompanying drop in quality and constant drops in pay!
YooperBill on 16 Jul 2010 at 6:19 am #
James:
Maybe it’s time we revived that old saying, “The Meek shall inherit the Earth: The rest of us will go to the Stars.”
Brenty on 16 Jul 2010 at 6:58 am #
Jimmy, as I got to work this morning, I was looking forward to perusing my morning funnies, and before I started, i thought to myself how I wanted to thank you for my every day getaway from reality to join A&J in their little world, and how much I’ve enjoyed Gene & Mary Lou the past couple of weeks, I can see down the road them maybe taking over their own strip (or not), but anywho, how great it has been to see them get along so well and have things go so good for the two kids. I then get to today strip and a great big grin came on my face. NOT as big as Janis’s, but pretty big for this ‘ol softie. Well played, sir. Well played indeed.
Brenty on 16 Jul 2010 at 7:14 am #
Oh, and if G&ML wind up moving inland to grow a garden, does this mean Arlo might finally get his boat?
Blinky the Wonder Wombat on 16 Jul 2010 at 8:34 am #
So Mary Lou wants a garden to tend- no wonder why she and Janis get along so well.
Though not unexpected, today’s strip brought a smile to my lips, also.
Bob from Guatemala C.A. on 16 Jul 2010 at 9:40 am #
Loved today’s strip!
Just wanted to stop by and thank Jimmy for such a great comic. I’ve enjoyed A&J since I discovered it in comics.com and also I’ve enjoyed this blog since the haircut poll!
Thanks!
Tom (Somewhere in Georgia) on 16 Jul 2010 at 10:16 am #
I hope she says “yes” Gene. I can perform the ceremony, if need be.
ANDDDD- the BP cap is still on, so my hat’s off to the mysterious plumber with the idea.
Lori in Irmo, SC on 16 Jul 2010 at 10:31 am #
Jimmy, it’s rare that a comic strip can make me holler “YESSSSS!” and then shed a few happy tears. Today, you made me do just that! I watched that kid grow up, like many of us have, and I can’t help but feel a mama’s pride along with Janis. Thank you for giving us such a happy event, when so much in the world is going wrong!
Now…I’m seeing a beach wedding, with Ludwig as a ring bearer, Meg as maid of honor…
John in LA late of PNS on 16 Jul 2010 at 12:31 pm #
Trucker Ron:
“That’s why the truly rabid environmentalists want to cut the world’s population to a few million. You can’t replace petroleum and coal without major technological breakthroughs or a few billion deaths.” Could you post a list of who these rabid environmentalists are that want to kill all these people? Sound like a FINAL SOLUTION kinda idea. Please post a list so we can all know who they are. And maybe some of their articles? I am a rabid environmentalist and I have never heard of such a thing. Well except from the same kinda folks that talk about Death Panels etc. Mostly Bagger talk from what I can find on Google etc.
John in LA late of PNS on 16 Jul 2010 at 12:35 pm #
16 Jul Comic. Doesn’t anyone else feel Gene should wait about 16 more years?
nickchick on 16 Jul 2010 at 1:31 pm #
Yes, John i agree with you. As a mother of a son close to Gene’s age, I definitely think he should not marry so young. If he does his future is limited. FINISH SCHOOL! If he doesn’t, chances are he never will. I don’t understand Janis’ enthusiasm.
John in NY on 16 Jul 2010 at 2:00 pm #
Had to come by and catch up on my favorite blog with today’s (7/16) event. Funny enough a hesitation came over me with a feeling of, “Nooo- they’re too young!” But I quickly reminded myself they’re comic strip characters and can take risks a little better than some of the rest of us (me clearly!).
I’ve not posted in a while and enjoyed reading everyone’s comments.
John in LA: ELF for one.
I am a horrible speller since I’ve been blessed with computers with spell check since the mid-80s. I still use dictionary.com to read Frazz from time to time, but even if I can’t spell I consider myself of reasonable intelligence.
I’m glad the cap is working. I can’t be all that angry with BP as I’d rather my gas money not going to the people who want to kill my family and I realize oil is here to stay for a long time. And it’s not a decades old addiction. It’s century’s old. I’d love to move beyond it but as I look around my surroundings the plastics my keyborad and monitor are made of are oil based plastics, the ink in my pens and on the papers in front of me. The plastic that my water bottle is made of. Even some parts of my clothes. We have a much longer journey than wind farms and electrical cars to move beyond oil.
I forgot how much I enjoy this site!
redagainPatti on 16 Jul 2010 at 3:38 pm #
YEA! He finally pulled out a RING! I think she was trying to tell the kid she was ready to make the jump. NICE .. and No, I dont think they are too young. Wish the best for them in the future story lines..
Now to see if Janis shares that the ring left the house or will be able to wait for the cell phone to ring……
James Pollock on 16 Jul 2010 at 4:05 pm #
I think you will find that the “environmentalist”* message is a request for voluntary population control because the immutable results of overpopulation are the Four Horsement… war, famine, pestilence, and death.
* There are many, many different “flavors” of environmentalism, of which relatively few are radical. Most Americans agree at least somewhat with core environmentalist positions, even though they encroach on property rights.
Mary in Ohio on 16 Jul 2010 at 4:11 pm #
The coloring (or lack) on Comics.com has enhanced this week’s strips in ways that I could not have appreciated as fully in the funny papers! Bravo, JJ!
John in LA late of PNS on 16 Jul 2010 at 4:13 pm #
RE: ELF, radical yes, wants to KILL anyone to gain their ends? Noooo
Even one of their tenants is: “To take all necessary precautions against harming any animal – human and non-human.” Still sounds like Bagger talk to me! Modern equivalent of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion–the enemy! There is no group I can find anywhere, including ELF that condones on supports efforts to ‘eliminate the “surplus population.” ‘ ELF has done some violent acts against property, true enough.
Still waiting on info regarding any of the environmental groups that want to eliminate or exterminate anyone.
Mary in Ohio on 16 Jul 2010 at 4:27 pm #
Is part of Jani’ss “cat-licking-cream” grin because, when the kids were home, she gave Gene his Great-Grandma’s ring? Certainly it’s not the kind of heirloom a guy his age would be likely to have in a box with his cufflinks and his Grandad’s pocket watch.
debbie on 16 Jul 2010 at 6:39 pm #
Pool: $5 she says no
James Pollock on 16 Jul 2010 at 7:17 pm #
Debbie… after all that hinting she was doing? She wants to move so she can have a “garden” to “grow things”. I’m guessing, she’ll move to whatever college town Gene left so that they can stay together AND he can get an education. I miss the days when I was young, and it was so easy to find a solution that made everyone happy.
emeritus minnesota biologist on 16 Jul 2010 at 7:47 pm #
Ron, Blinky, et al. I’m not sure who the “truly rabid environmentalists” are who “want to cut the world’s population to a few million.” I haven’t run into any who want to slaughter billions of people. But I also think the only responsible position, in the long run, is to find a way for humanity to live on this earth in an indefinitely sustainable manner. [That's indefinitely, not eternally. If physical theory is correct, Sol will gradually heat up enough to boil off the oceans, but that's almost a billion years from now.] I suspect that a population of 8 billion, which we are scheduled to “achieve” within a few generations, or even the present population, cannot persist in an indefinitely sustainable manner. If it cannot, the death rate will, one way or several, eventually rise to meet and soon exceed the birth rate. No real population of any species can increase its density forever. There will eventually be negative population growth. I would rather achieve it by lowering the birth rate than by increasing the death rate. And also, of course, by reining in our excessive exploitation of resources. My guess is Earth might be able to have a long-term sustainable human population of 2-3 billion, with an average consumption level well below what we now have in the industrialized world.
TruckerRon on 16 Jul 2010 at 7:55 pm #
Check out the quotes at http://reality101blog.blogspot.com/2009/04/population-controlreduction-quotes.html which gives sources you can check. Not all of those quoted are environmentalists, some were just racists… but they all desired a planet with fewer people. Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh and Ted Turner definitely qualify as environmentalists.
John in LA late of PNS on 16 Jul 2010 at 8:00 pm #
Read entire article. Nothing there about extermination. Birth control,, population limits, on and on. But no death panels. Still waiting for the extermination enviornmentalist. Typical Bagger rant.
John in LA late of PNS on 16 Jul 2010 at 8:04 pm #
And here is what Turner said:
“A total population of 250-300 million people, a 95% decline from present levels, would be ideal.”
— Ted Turner – CNN founder and UN supporter – quoted in the The McAlvany Intelligence Advisor, June ’96
And here is what Prince Phillip said:
“If I were reincarnated I would wish to be returned to earth as a killer virus to lower human population levels.”
— Prince Phillip – Duke of Edinburgh, leader of the World Wildlife Fund – quoted in ‘Are You Ready For Our New Age Future?’, Insiders Report, American Policy Center, December ’95
Now where do they say we need to start the killing/extermination?
John in LA late of PNS on 16 Jul 2010 at 8:10 pm #
And here is what Trucker Ron said:
Blinky, that sounds good but how can you implement it without starving billions of people? That’s why the truly rabid environmentalists want to cut the world’s population to a few million. You can’t replace petroleum and coal without major technological breakthroughs or a few billion deaths. . . . We’re stuck with petroleum for the next few decades unless we agree to eliminate the “surplus population.” I won’t be volunteering for that!
I don’t see any environmentalist talking about starving anyone, or eliminating anyone, or the extermination of anyone. They did talk about ideal numbers and being reincarnated as germs.
debbie on 16 Jul 2010 at 9:11 pm #
James Pollock: I didn’t mean ‘no’ forever.
debbie on 16 Jul 2010 at 9:12 pm #
James Pollock: I didn’t mean ‘no’ forever just ‘no’ for right now.
TruckerRon on 17 Jul 2010 at 11:35 am #
John in LA late of PNS–If you don’t see the danger of goals that can’t be implemented by a group because they currently don’t have the means to achieve them, then you’re like the farmer who chooses to raise his crops on the fertile soils next to Vesuvius.
As for death panels, those are implied in the fact that a single-payer system must allocate its resources “sanely” which eventually means rationing limited resources to those still productive enough to pay taxes into the system.
As one blogger has written, “Former Governor of Colorado Richard Lamm had lit a firestorm of controversy when he suggested that old people have a duty to die. This concept has been elaborated by others. The reasoning is that our society, at least in the Western world, have no good financial plans for long-term care for the aged when they become incapacitated because of illness or mental debility. Often these persons become a financial and emotional burden for family members and may require family members to alter their own lives and goals simply to care for their aged relatives.”
Under “Obamacare” those decisions are being taken away from the patients’ families and their doctors by panels and boards who will determine what makes up good and acceptable medical practices. They will determine the allocation of resources according to who the patients are in terms of age, condition, likelihood of recovery, ability to work again, and anything else they think of along the way.
Are those then “death” panels? To this former truck driver who can no longer legally pull a load across state lines, it smells like it. I’m only 57, but because I developed a heart condition NOT caused by preventable problems cholesterol and plaque but by a non-preventable genetic issue that weakened and dilated my heart, I can no longer earn nearly as much as I used to. I’m unlikely to ever earn enough again to have to pay taxes into the system. So if I come down with a disease that will cost hundreds or thousands to treat each month, how likely is such a panel to approve that expense when there’s a budget crisis?
President Obama has been quoted as saying, “This is so tough … but we just make have to tell your grandmother … to take a pill.” In that case our intellectual president was speaking to a specific case of a 105 year-old woman needing a pacemaker to keep her heart thumping at the right speed (I now have one of those myself, but mine also defibrillates!). Thinking and speaking out loud, he mused that a pacemaker would be inappropriate under his proposed system. And it would be outrageously expensive given that the woman would be unlikely to live more than a year or three longer. She certainly wouldn’t be a “productive citizen” at that age, so what is a technocrat to say? Unfortunately he said, “to take a pill,” without saying which sort, leaving us to wonder which sort? One to somehow regulate her heart (there are now no pills that can keep the heart in a narrow performance range like a pacemaker) or one to just keep her out of pain? Or one to permanently, finally, end the problem through death?
For the record, there are no “death panels” specified in the new laws. But there are panels that will determine that necessary allocation of resources and define acceptable medical practices resulting in the denial of life-saving procedures and drugs. Call those boards and panels what you will, but the results will be the same: death for those who don’t qualify to live.
Mark in Boston on 17 Jul 2010 at 1:10 pm #
But did she remember to order the produce?
TruckerRon on 17 Jul 2010 at 3:07 pm #
Mark in Boston–I sure hope she remembered!
Thanks for reminding me of what’s truly important here.
Mary in Ohio on 17 Jul 2010 at 3:40 pm #
“Love you guys too!”
John in LA late of PNS on 17 Jul 2010 at 4:09 pm #
Trucker Ron: Yep, bagger talk. Or perhaps the kinda thing one hears on “Coast to Coast AM w/ George Noory! I wonder where the death panels are in Canada, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Norway, Great Britain, the Republic of Ireland et al? Yep, Coast to Coast AM Bagger talk.
“If you don’t see the danger of goals that can’t be implemented by a group because they currently don’t have the means to achieve them, then you’re like the farmer who chooses to raise his crops on the fertile soils next to Vesuvius. ” Really? Like they have been doing for Thousands of years? Like in the US we grow crops in fertile flood plains of rivers, like the Mighty Mississippi, even though we know there will be some years it doesn’t pay off?
Thanks for the SKY IS FALLING Bagger talk. You might even have a volcano erupt in your back yard. How can you be SO CERTAIN it won’t?
BTW. Right now, under our recently transformed health care system, transplants, treatments, etc. are curtailed for older people and people that have already had transplants.
For me President Obama is the best president of the 12 this county has had during my lifetime. I have zero problem w/ ObamaCare. Perhaps it can even be made better.
James Pollock on 17 Jul 2010 at 4:44 pm #
Ron, I’m going to guess that you’ve had time to think about this sort of thing A LOT… but you kind of danced around something. If there are inadequate resources to treat all the people who need care, then rationing will occur. This is not a result of government interference in the market, but a simple principle… if there isn’t enough to go around, then somebody has to go without. When it’s doctors doing the deciding, it’s called “triage”. At the emergency room, it’s called “the waiting area”… some people get tired of waiting, and walk out on their own.
In the original “fee for service” delivery model, it was easy… if you can pay, you get service, and if you can’t pay, you go without service. This is a great system, if you happen to have money lying around when you need medical care. Otherwise, not so much. Plus, it could be wasteful… the service providers made more money by providing more services, whether you needed them or not. Nobody, except maybe you, is trying to control costs by avoiding unneeded services.
The current system, with for-profit insurance companies interposed between the provider and the patient, spreads the costs around so more people receive care, because you don’t have to have all the money at once when you need care. But it has one fatal flaw: The insurance company makes more money when they don’t pay for care, so they are always looking for reasons to not pay for care. Once they know you will require care, they really don’t want you as a customer. This model is unsustainable… the insurance companies keep dropping the people who need care but keep the people who don’t. Eventually, the people who don’t need care figure out that if they don’t need care, they don’t need insurance, either. (Plus, you get those “death panels” you’re so worried about… as the insurance companies decide what medicines and procedures to cover or not cover.)
Oregon’s previous governor was a doctor, and he invented the “Oregon Health Plan”. Oregon sought and received permission from the federal government to implement Medicaid in the state using this system. The basic center of the plan was a big long list of all the medical treatments, ranked in order of effectiveness. The state puts a line on the list; everything above the line is covered, everything below the line is not. As the state’s budget and demand for services goes up and down, they move the line up and down. If the treatment you need/want is below the line, you can either pay for it yourself, try to talk the doctor(s) into performing the service for free, try to find a donor willing to pay for it, or go without.
Oregon ALSO has the closest thing to actual death panels, because it was the first to pass a “death with dignity” law, allowing terminal patients to choose their time and manner of death, and that law has safeguards built into it to make sure the decision is coming from the correct source. There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth because of the fear that the “death with dignity” law would be routinely combined with the rationing of services in the Oregon Health Plan. There was one widely publicized administrative error, but otherwise, the fear seems to have been misplaced.
A single-payer plan (socialized insurance) is different from socialized medicine, because it leaves doctors and other service providers as private entities. One of the key differences is that in a single-payer plan, if you have money you can still have whatever medical services you want bad enough to pay for yourself, even if the government-run insurance system won’t pay for it. As with so many other areas of American society, the best way to preserve your freedom to choose what medical treatment you receive is to have lots and lots of money. (The downside, of course, is that if you have lots and lots of money, there are people who start to feel that YOUR money should become THEIR money, and if one of the ways this can happen is by inheritance…)
TruckerRon on 17 Jul 2010 at 6:23 pm #
John– “Yep, bagger talk…” Please cut out the gratuitous insults. It makes it hard to focus on the issues, makes it difficult to take you seriously when you through in needless sex-based insults.
As for death panels — any group that can determine who CAN get goods and services is also deciding who CANNOT get them. So, if you’re too sick, too old, and not connected politically, the group that decides who can have a pacemaker has effectively denied you the right to get that pacemaker. In other countries there are ways around the national systems so if you have money (or can get it somehow) you can go outside the system to a private provider. Our new laws include clauses that limit or prevent going around the system.
IMNSHO President Obama is the worst president ever, going outside or around the Constitution to take over private businesses, fire CEOs, and close down drilling despite federal court rulings against his moratorium.
He envisions an America with a lot less freedom and personal responsibility than I do. He believes “experts” should be making decisions for us “little people” who don’t know what’s good for us. He’s shut down a successful voucher system in the DC school district while sending his daughters to an exclusive private school.
I’m glad he has you as a fan; the polls show that over 60% of us want Obamacare overturned and over 75% are opposed to his drilling moratorium.
TruckerRon on 17 Jul 2010 at 6:49 pm #
James Pollock: Thanks for the well-written and reasoned response.
While I’ll disagree with you on some details, you paint an accurate picture of most of the problems that occur when government gets in the way of private decision making.
In the bad old days before my lovely bride entered my life, I had a roommate who suffered acute appendicitis. Back then, most people had no medical insurance. That was the case with Bill. Yet, he received prompt treatment at the local hospital and paid off the resulting $700 debt over the next three months at a time when a semi-skilled laborers (which we both were) earned just $9/hour. Sure, he dipped into his savings and cut out a lot of nonessential expenses (he wasn’t up to bowling or ice skating during that time anyway!), but he paid the bill off 4 months faster than the doctor and hospital demanded. Back then we paid for office visits strictly out of pocket without a third party’s interference. My parents had medical coverage but it was for catastrophic events, not for colds, influenza, or earaches.
Since then, the costs involved in medical care have outpaced the rest of the economy for a number of reasons, including the gratuitous involvement of insurance companies in the areas of healthcare that were once the sole responsibility of the consumer. Add to that the effects for good or ill from third party intervention, delays in payments, fee schedules that treat everyone the same despite differences in local economies, taxes and tax breaks, and bureaucrats, both private and public, taking the decisions out of the consumers’ hands, and it’s no wonder it’s a mess.
At the state mental hospital I’ve learned that the doctors often change patients’ official diagnoses in order to gain access to different medicines. The problem stems from individual differences in how patients react to treatment and the fact that a specific diagnosis limits the drug choices to those recognized as effective for treating that particular disease. If the patient is actually suffering from a particular disease but his body chemistry or other health problems render the favored treatment useless, the only recourse is to change the diagnosis.
Consider this: if the government were in charge of who could own cars and which ones we could buy, how happy would you be? How would you like having to appeal their decision because they didn’t know you needed extra space for a wheelchair? Or four-wheel drive to handle the snowy roads in a rural area? Would you be thrilled if they decided to junk your reliable car because their research determined that model “needed” to be replaced to keep a car company profitable?
Again, thanks for your response.
John in LA late of PNS on 17 Jul 2010 at 7:08 pm #
Well Trucker Ron, I guess you and I cancel each other out w/ our opinions. And I don’t believe a word of your insults against President Obama–more Bagger talk. And where did the “sexual” stuff come from? Are you that hard up that you always have to make things up? Your words, certainly NOT MINE–I have said NOTHING SEXUAL nor refered to anything ‘sexual’–only YOU have gone down that road.
I am glad, AND PROUD, to be an Obama Fan. In fact I do support OUR PRESIDENT.
TruckerRon on 17 Jul 2010 at 10:17 pm #
John, do you really not know where the “bagger” epithet comes from? Or that President Obama has used it? My friends are members of the Tea Party. Certain commentators on the Left started calling them “tea baggers” about a year ago. For a full explanation of what they meant, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_bagger and pay attention to the info linked to this page at Tea bag (sexual act) and listed after Tea Party movement regarding the term’s use by the opponents of the movement.
debbie on 17 Jul 2010 at 10:46 pm #
Once upon a time, we agreed to discuss this strip and the nicer things of life such as records, music, books and oh yeah, our (in the future) A/J festival….and maybe some BBQ on the side with ice cream perhaps?
TruckerRon on 17 Jul 2010 at 11:20 pm #
Debbie, I’m sorry for my descent into contentiousness, but John pushed some of my hot buttons, and I pushed his back. As a Southern boy raised in Memphis, it’s hard sometimes to remember to play nice when someone’s trying to rile you up. I’m sorry I took the bait.
James Pollock on 18 Jul 2010 at 12:49 am #
Sometimes people see what they want to see… so they see Obama the communist, Obama the Muslim, Obama the Kenyan. (and when W was President, there was a similar array, equally nonsensical… Bush the 9/11 conspirator, for example. Before that, there were people who believed Clinton had Vincent Foster murdered, and my favorite, the ones who claimed that Clinton’s attempt to assassinate Osama bin Laden with a cruise missile was just a trick to distract the American people from the impeachment proceedings.)
At risk of sounding “blame Bush”-y, I think that Obama has handled the problems left to him fairly well… considering the many serious problems he got saddled with from day one. W got to start with a surplus, and didn’t get hit with 9/11 until 8 months in (and as bad as 9/11 was for us, it also united the country in a way that it hadn’t been for a very long time.)
I think he was a little naive to believe that he could be the “post-partisan” President just because he wanted to be inclusive… he was unprepared for the immediate rejection. It’s too bad the country is divided so strongly, because we have several very difficult problems that need to be addressed, and neither party can do it on their own. Dealing with immigration is going to be expensive (taxes) and intrusive on business and individuals (to root out the employment of illegals.) Figuring out what victory looks like for Afghanistan, and whether it has been achieved or not, needs a national consensus, too. Working back to a balanced budget means higher taxes and lower spending… but has to wait until the economy is strong enough. And healthcare reform, though started, is probably far from finished.
At least the cap seems to be holding. Have they figured out why the blowout prevention technology that was supposed to prevent a blowout failed to, well, prevent a blowout?
debbie on 18 Jul 2010 at 12:58 am #
today, has been a wonderful day for me….I covered all the bills and had some left over….the sun shined hot and I fell in love again (well, for about 10 minutes) with the old spice man. I read another delightful book and had a wonderful meal with a nice man (that was actually yesterday) and tomorrow will be here before you know it!
debbie on 18 Jul 2010 at 1:00 am #
don’t worry truckerRon, it’s all about living the best one can!
redagainPatti on 18 Jul 2010 at 5:57 am #
I wonder if somebody wants to talk about cars… I have to buy one very soon… Looking at the Toyota Avalon and Honda Accord – anyone know how reliable those two are when compared?
redagainPatti on 18 Jul 2010 at 5:59 am #
oh.. 2010 or 2011 as I keep a car a very long time so I buy new not used and I know one is higher cost than the other but those both have other things I like or pull on my heart strings.
Bill in Paducah on 18 Jul 2010 at 6:40 am #
Jeez – Hope Jimmy doesn’t take this thing back to moderated.
readagainPatti – Can’t quote any numbers, but I think they’re both near the top. Have had several Accords (my son is driving a 9 year old one now), and they’ve been great. Good friend has the Avalon and has been pleased. I’d probably go with the Avalon if cost isn’t a big factor – seems to be roomier and more comfortable.
Went to see the di Caprio movie – Inception – last night. Very enjoyable if you like a thinking persons action movie.
debbie on 18 Jul 2010 at 10:51 am #
redagainPatti: Sorry. I watch the banks for repos.
debbie on 18 Jul 2010 at 11:43 am #
sorry: You need to know: Some states have repealed their eugenics laws. But the 1927 Supreme Court ruling in Buck v Bell still stands. On May 2, 2002, a crowd gathered in Charlottesville, Virginia to dedicate a monument commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Buck v. Bell Supreme Court decision.
Ruth Anne in Winter Park on 18 Jul 2010 at 12:27 pm #
Debbie: Did she say “yes” or “no”? Is her left arm stuck out because she’s holding on to something or because she’s admiring something on her hand?
We’re getting ourselves psyched up to go car shopping too. We’ve really enjoyed our Honda CR-V (except for the road noise) and have needed to make only one repair in 6 years. We’ll keep it ’til we use it up, like we have our old Blazer (a far different service record, by the way). Looking for something similar to the Honda in size and price range. Any suggestions?
TruckerRon on 18 Jul 2010 at 12:30 pm #
So, is the look on Arlo’s face shock, disbelief, or one of having been betrayed? I vote for all of the above.
Lost in A**2 on 18 Jul 2010 at 1:57 pm #
Re “teabagger”: I first heard the term in small-boat sailing, referring to a helmsman who, when the crew is “on the wire,” that is, using the trapeze, turns upwind and dips the crew into the water.
David on 18 Jul 2010 at 3:33 pm #
Trying again–for some reason this was moderated earlier.
The ring and talk of futures was especially relevant at my house this weekend. My eldest daughter was married on Saturday. Everything went well, and the wedding was a great success. Of course, the checkbook was greatly exercised. Nothing like exercise for trimming…especially when it’s one’s bank account getting the work out.
redagainPatti on 18 Jul 2010 at 3:47 pm #
to Ruth Anne in Winter Park,
I was thinking she was just running her hand along the sail there… hummm but, admiring something would fit too. thanks for that input.
about the car, I will drive or try to drive both tomorrow in another town and compare the sizes within the same day. The color I have suddenly found myself in love with is NOT found anywhere in North Mississippi – thanks to the internet checking of what three different dealers have up here.
to TruckerRon,
and now.. he got hit and it just not as much fun to hit her back with the water gun later on… but… he might create another trick for later 
all of the above as he would had used the water gun too if he had not been worried about getting the lady of the house upset…
Steve the Rigger on 18 Jul 2010 at 5:31 pm #
Re “teabagger”: I first heard the term in small-boat sailing, referring to a helmsman who, when the crew is “on the wire,” that is, using the trapeze, turns upwind and dips the crew into the water.
I am feeling pretty good about the cap. It seems that the pressure is not as high as they expected though. That might mean that there is another leak further down the casing or that the fact that it’s been pouring out for the last three months has reduced the pressure from the well itself. I am leaning toward the latter.
Now if they would only stop using the dispersant.
John in NY on 18 Jul 2010 at 7:49 pm #
Ohhhh! “Bagger” talk. Oh my. Nasty. You’re probably not informed enough to understand what that means though. But I didn’t even know what you were hinting at before until Ron shed the light.
Well ok pal. See it your way. Oh wait. Not likely that it’s “you’re way,” because you’re what the rest of Americans call sheep talk. Just believe what you’ve been told even though those who imposed it have been called out for lying, have subverted the Constitution and has stepped us closer to the abyss of mediocrity that the rest of the world wallows in.
Bagger talk. LOL!
debbie on 18 Jul 2010 at 11:03 pm #
well, back in ?October? 2009, that EXACT same nasty language was used in this blog….I was offended then as now. As I recall, I was referred to as ‘a blue nose’ because I was offended. Please, there are children present.
but I still want to have the A/J festival and I will bring a water-pistol.
Ghost Rider 6 on 18 Jul 2010 at 11:53 pm #
Been staying out of the way (afraid I’d get run over by charging bloggers), but I had a transcription/spell check story I wanted to tell debbie.
A physician (urologist) of my acquaintance dictated a letter to another physician who had referred a patient. The transcriptionist ran it through spell check, which decided the phrase “I think he has prostatitis…” should have been “I think he has prostitutes…”
I hope that didn’t offend, but I thought it was funny. If it did offend, you are more than welcome to squirt me at the A/J festival…especially if you’re wearing the official yellow sundress.
debbie on 19 Jul 2010 at 12:07 am #
No, that was not offensive, GR6….biut I can act offended so I that I may use the squirtgun ….and I am going to find a sundress, but it may not be yellow. I’m thinking blue…I like blue. will you be driving a little red sportscar and wearing a red shirt and khakis? (did I spell that right?)
re the strip: I think her hand was just lying on that (sail) doodad (mast) canvas (somethenoranother.) I can see I am going to have to start studying boats….
Rick in Shermantown, Ohio on 19 Jul 2010 at 4:33 am #
http://comics.com/arlo&janis/1996-07-25/
Blinky the Wonder Wombat on 19 Jul 2010 at 5:13 am #
Re: today’s (July 19) strip. Are hand fans like that still being used down South? I always thought of them as a southern thing- especially the ones with some form of advertising on them. My impression is probably influenced by the courtroom scenes from “Inherit the Wind”. I can’t recall them being used here, just north of the Mason-Dixon line (actually, we’re east of the M-D line, but that’s another story).
Ruth Anne in Winter Park on 19 Jul 2010 at 5:35 am #
If we all had fans this time of year (regardless of location), might there be less of this being disgruntled and testy in our communication? A friend sent me this blessing; I believe it describes most of the southern coastal states, not just Florida.
Bless this house, oh Lord, we cry.
Please keep it cool in mid-July.
Bless the walls where termites dine,
while ants and roaches march in time.
Bless our yard where spiders pass
fire ant castles in the grass.
Bless the garage, a home to please
carpenter beetles, ticks and fleas.
Bless the love bugs, two by two,
the gnats and mosquitoes that feed on you.
Millions of creatures that fly or crawl,
in Florida , Lord, you’ve put them all!!
But this is home, and here we’ll stay,
So thank you Lord, for insect spray.
Bob, near Mark on 19 Jul 2010 at 7:00 am #
debbie,
Children present?
Or,
Children typing?
Steve the Rigger on 19 Jul 2010 at 7:07 am #
I like the poem Ruth. Living in St. Pete I can totally relate. Have you noticed an increase in bugs this year? I have. Especially spiders. I have these crab looking spiders all over the yard. I have to relocate them all the time to avoid walking into their webs.
As far as the contentiousness. In my opinion everyone on this site is pretty darn well behaved. There is nothing wrong with having strong opinions and voicing them. We do have to take care not to attack others personally, but there is nothing wrong with debating positions. It’s also important to not get to defensive and reply in anger to perceived slights.
I think that for the most part we are all pretty good about that. Especially compared to some other message boards out there.
Hope you all have a good week. And please keep up the good wishes and prayers for our Gulf.
Steve
debbie on 19 Jul 2010 at 8:38 am #
Bob, near Mark: I was thinking: US!
Bob, near Mark on 19 Jul 2010 at 8:55 am #
debbie,
US, eh? That must be why I can’t understand what they’re talking about. I think I’ll just continue letting the nasty bits go over my head. Makes the blog much more enjoyable. And really, I don’t much care whose is bigger.
debbie on 19 Jul 2010 at 9:16 am #
Bob, near Mark: I’ve been on the blog for awhile. I make a real effort to do just that….every now and then, I can’t. It is possible to express oneself without bad language. Of course, it is possible (in this day and age) to NOT realize certain words are taboo. I had to look that word up back then. I am fast reaching the point of understanding the importance of ignoring certain behaviors. I have a hard time with that as I believe when one ignores the behavior, encouragement is taking place. AND, OF COURSE, I could be wrong.
Bob, near Mark on 19 Jul 2010 at 10:50 am #
debbie,
That’s the question. Do you ignore it, suggesting that you condone it; or do you express your displeasure, possbibly encouraging an escalation?
Bob, near Mark on 19 Jul 2010 at 10:51 am #
Sorry for the extra “b” in “possbibly.”
Must be that extra fingertip on my left hand. :>)
debbie on 19 Jul 2010 at 11:38 am #
It has been my experience that when speaking to some, they will say “As you say…..” and I always say, “No, as YOU say….” thereby making a lot of people angry….which I couldn’t care less ….and I resent others deciding I agree with them about things because it’s legal. somewhere, sometime, you must stand for what is right and sometimes, you must speak up…..pick your battles I say…..but allowing someone to use nasty language to make their point encourages them to take the discussion to force.
Bob, near Mark on 19 Jul 2010 at 12:33 pm #
debbie,
Unfortunately, there are some folks who cannot communicate without using words that are colloquialisms for (as Victor Borge would say in his “inflationary English” routine) “fivenicate.”
There’s a guy in our neighborhood who works for the local Dept. of Public Works. He can’t get through two complete sentences without dropping one into the conversation. …and he wonders why, even though he has the seniority, he can’t get a promotion to foreman.
debbie on 19 Jul 2010 at 1:54 pm #
Where do you draw the line? You draw the line —> HERE.
John in LA late of PNS on 19 Jul 2010 at 2:55 pm #
“There’s been a lot of talk of “teabagging” lately. Conservative anti-tax advocates in the United States have been organizing “tea party” protests, fashioned after the colonial-era protests of British rule. In doing so, they and the right-wing TV punditards who cheer these spectacles on for ratings have ranted about “teabagging,” and the desire to “teabag Barack Obama” and such, without apparent knowledge of the word’s more common street use.
More recently, news anchors and bloggers have giggled knowingly over that sexual reference, but nobody has acknowledged how the word first entered popular American slang.”
http://www.boingboing.net/2009/04/17/bb-exclusive-john-wa.html to read entire article.
So you see. Tea Party folks were the fFIRST to use the term TeaBagging in a political sense. Teabagging then came back to give them a little spanking. Then when Jabba the Hutt, Rush Limbaugh, the Yellow, Draft Dodging Chicken Hawk, Dr. Shopping Dope Fiend found out about it, he and his other the other Right Wing Nut draft dodging coward Chicken Hawk talkers found out the OTHER meaning, they all went into foamy mouthed fits of sanctimonious condemnation of people not of the bagger persuasion using the VERY TERM they had so delighted in. Serves them right! They got exactly what they deserved.
Funny as all get out. Laughing then, and laughing now! 
. . . [Ron] pushed some of my hot buttons, and I pushed his back. As a Southern boy raised in [BIRMINGHAM AL] , it’s hard sometimes to remember to play nice when someone’s trying to rile you up. And let’s not forget that Ron started all of this w/ his little, “That’s why the truly rabid environmentalists want to cut the world’s population to a few million.” comment. And just because I am of an opinion 180* I refused to sit on my hands with no comment.
Thanks for listening, those who care that someone else might have a different opinion.
Jeremy on 20 Jul 2010 at 12:17 am #
Death panels and “rabid environmentalists” wanting to murder billions of people to make a fresh start!
I realize right wing ignorance has saturated almost every corner of the internet but I didn’t think I’d see such prime lunacy here.