so.... anyone voting for Mit Romney?

[possum2082]

Wondering if there are any reasons other than gay marriage and abortion to vote for Romney?

yes, guns.

[LK Day]

Obama ran as a deficit-cutting centrist. People really wanted to believe that, so they did. Plus, McCain looked and acted older than dirt, while Obama came across as young, hip and cool. This time people will vote for the competent and totally square Romney. The pendulum swings one way, then it swings back.

[nik]

you really think people are going to trust a party that has vowed to never raise taxes to balance the budget? as bill clinton said, the arithmetic just doesn't work out.

cutting TANF and food stamps won't get us there, medicare advantage won't get us there, and seniors will never allow the privatization of social security or the elimination of medicaid (as somewhere near 2/3 of medicaid goes toward funding the care of the elderly poor). unless you can think of a way to get the deficit under control without raising revenues, why would anyone vote for such an ideologically-driven party?

the GOP has been taken over by a far-right cadre of people who view compromise as weakness. that is a huge problem when it comes to governance. works well for elections, not so well for the sort of practical problem-solving that is needed to run a country.

obama will win comfortably; despite the historically bad economic deck that is stacked against him. those that aren't wrapped up in the conservative-christian identity project will see the situation for what it is. ideology vs. reasonableness. belief vs. practicality.

obama is a centrist. the GOP, on the other hand, is far to the right of ronald reagan.

[LK Day]

That's some funny shit there, nik. Keep right on believing it.

[clif]

Larry, you depress me.

[LK Day]

I take no joy in your suffering, really.

[Shannon]

Sandra Fluke was not talking about condoms. She was talking about hormonal birth control pills which can only be obtained with a doctor's prescription and not necessarily to have sex. But why let the facts get in the way of a good joke about sex and women.

From wikipedia...

"Fluke argued in favor of a private mandate for contraception coverage, to include institutions with moral objections to contraception.[17] She said that during the time spent as a law student, birth control could cost $3,000 or more. She also stated that 40% of Georgetown Law School's female population suffered financial hardship as a result of birth control not being covered by the student health insurance plan, and that the lack of free contraception coverage in the university insurance plans would induce many low income students to go without contraceptives. She then shared the stories of friends affected by such policies, citing a friend with polycystic ovary syndrome. Fluke said this friend needed contraceptive hormones costing over $100 per month to treat this disease, and that while PcOS was "covered by Georgetown insurance", the insurance company repeatedly denied contraceptives, because they suspected the purpose of the medication was contraception.[22][23][24]"

[DHB]

Who do you think would climb harder, Obama or Romney? Sport or trad? Who'd be a better belayer?

[clif]

for those interested i found a race that feeds the spirit-
http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/galler ... 28&index=0

[Andrew]

Didn't want to start a new thread so since its political in nature I decided to put it here. Enjoy.

Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe has some choice words for an anti-gay marriage Maryland delegate. Here is his open letter


Dear Emmett C. Burns Jr.,

I find it inconceivable that you are an elected official of Maryland's state government. Your vitriolic hatred and bigotry make me ashamed and disgusted to think that you are in any way responsible for shaping policy at any level. The views you espouse neglect to consider several fundamental key points, which I will outline in great detail (you may want to hire an intern to help you with the longer words):

1. As I suspect you have not read the Constitution, I would like to remind you that the very first, the VERY FIRST Amendment in this founding document deals with the freedom of speech, particularly the abridgment of said freedom. By using your position as an elected official (when referring to your constituents so as to implicitly threaten the Ravens organization) to state that the Ravens should "inhibit such expressions from your employees," more specifically Brendon Ayanbadejo, not only are you clearly violating the First Amendment, you also come across as a narcissistic fromunda stain. What on earth would possess you to be so mind-boggingly stupid? It baffles me that a man such as yourself, a man who relies on that same First Amendment to pursue your own religious studies without fear of persecution from the state, could somehow justify stifling another person's right to speech. To call that hypocritical would be to do a disservice to the word. Mindfucking obscenely hypocritical starts to approach it a little bit.

2. "Many of your fans are opposed to such a view and feel it has no place in a sport that is strictly for pride, entertainment, and excitement." Holy fucking shitballs. Did you seriously just say that, as someone who's "deeply involved in government task forces on the legacy of slavery in Maryland"? Have you not heard of Kenny Washington? Jackie Robinson? As recently as 1962 the NFL still had segregation, which was only done away with by brave athletes and coaches daring to speak their mind and do the right thing, and you're going to say that political views have "no place in a sport"? I can't even begin to fathom the cognitive dissonance that must be coursing through your rapidly addled mind right now; the mental gymnastics your brain has to tortuously contort itself through to make such a preposterous statement are surely worthy of an Olympic gold medal (the Russian judge gives you a 10 for "beautiful oppressionism").

3. This is more a personal quibble of mine, but why do you hate freedom? Why do you hate the fact that other people want a chance to live their lives and be happy, even though they may believe in something different than you, or act different than you? How does gay marriage, in any way shape or form, affect your life? If gay marriage becomes legal, are you worried that all of a sudden you'll start thinking about penis? "Oh shit. Gay marriage just passed. Gotta get me some of that hot dong action!" Will all of your friends suddenly turn gay and refuse to come to your Sunday Ticket grill-outs? (Unlikely, since gay people enjoy watching football too.)

I can assure you that gay people getting married will have zero effect on your life. They won't come into your house and steal your children. They won't magically turn you into a lustful cockmonster. They won't even overthrow the government in an orgy of hedonistic debauchery because all of a sudden they have the same legal rights as the other 90 percent of our population—rights like Social Security benefits, child care tax credits, Family and Medical Leave to take care of loved ones, and COBRA healthcare for spouses and children. You know what having these rights will make gays? Full-fledged American citizens just like everyone else, with the freedom to pursue happiness and all that entails. Do the civil-rights struggles of the past 200 years mean absolutely nothing to you?

In closing, I would like to say that I hope this letter, in some small way, causes you to reflect upon the magnitude of the colossal foot in mouth clusterfuck you so brazenly unleashed on a man whose only crime was speaking out for something he believed in. Best of luck in the next election; I'm fairly certain you might need it.

Sincerely,
Chris Kluwe

P.S. I've also been vocal as hell about the issue of gay marriage so you can take your "I know of no other NFL player who has done what Mr. Ayanbadejo is doing" and shove it in your close-minded, totally lacking in empathy piehole and choke on it. Asshole.