Ten Questions

[??????????]

Here is a good link.

http://www.georgewbush.com/KerryMediaCenter/Read.aspx?ID=2495

[ShapeShifter]

Here is a even better link:

http://a9.g.akamai.net/7/9/8082/v001/www.democrats.org/pdfs/statebystate/WV.pdf

[The Vorlon]

Here is a good link.

http://www.georgewbush.com/KerryMediaCenter/Read.aspx?ID=2495

10. What is the Scaramouche?

[??????????]

 
Scar·a·mouch [ skérrə msh, skérrə msh ] (plural Scar·a·mouch·es) or Scar·a·mouche [ skérrə msh, skérrə msh ] (plural Scar·a·mouch·es)
 
noun  
 
boastful coward: a boastful and cowardly man ( archaic )

 
[Mid-17th century. Directly or via French Scaramouche  from Italian Scaramuccia , character in the commedia dell’arte, literally “skirmish” (see skirmish).]
 

[angus]

Here is a good link.

http://www.georgewbush.com/KerryMediaCenter/Read.aspx?ID=2495

10. What is the Scaramouche?

Are you a Queen fan?

"Scaramouche, Scaramouche, can you do the fandango.
 Thunderbolts and lightning, very very frightening..."
       --from Bohemian Rhapsody

He's that French clown, dressed in black and white, that you see painted on certain objects d'art.  Also, I think it's the name of John Kerry's boat or something.  (that's probably the one they're looking for.)

[The Duke]

The thing I think W. Viriginia has to face eventually is the simple and undeniable fact that coal mining just isn't something America is going to do anymore on a large scale.  Same thing in these rustbelt states that lost manufacturing jobs.  They've been losing manufacturing jobs for decades, and haven't restructured their economies.  Take Ohio as an example.  Yes, there are fewer jobs in Ohio today than five or ten years ago, but there are fewer people to employ, too.  They all moved to more robust areas that don't rely on pig iron for their economy.  The unemployment rate in Ohio isn't unusual for an urban state, the job losses are actually population losses in these states, and people aren't going to come back, no matter who wins in November.

Politicians can't say that though.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Scaramouche Jones was a monologue done by British actor, Pete Posilthwaite (I've spelt that wrong)

[??????????]

The thing I think W. Viriginia has to face eventually is the simple and undeniable fact that coal mining just isn't something America is going to do anymore on a large scale.  Same thing in these rustbelt states that lost manufacturing jobs.  They've been losing manufacturing jobs for decades, and haven't restructured their economies.  Take Ohio as an example.  Yes, there are fewer jobs in Ohio today than five or ten years ago, but there are fewer people to employ, too.  They all moved to more robust areas that don't rely on pig iron for their economy.  The unemployment rate in Ohio isn't unusual for an urban state, the job losses are actually population losses in these states, and people aren't going to come back, no matter who wins in November.

Politicians can't say that though.

John those words are so true. Many states have started trying to supplement tourism for the missing industry. I don't believe that will work for Ohio as I do not know of anything worth seeing there. West Virginia is beautiful and could (and probably is) make a killing off the tourist industry. You don't know how many "Buckeyes" I know here in Florida. The number one reason they left? No Jobs and their hasn't been for well over 20 years. Other then farming everything else is leaving.

[Wakie]

I've got 10 questions for George W. Bush.

1) Where are the WMD's?

2) Shortly after Sept. 1, John Negroponte became U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.  During the mid-1980s, Negroponte was accused of covering up right-wing death-squad activity and other human-rights abuses in Honduras when he served as ambassador to that country. Does his reputation in aiding and abetting state terrorism in Central America undermine the moral authority of the United States as it embarks upon a crusade against international terrorism?

3) With U.S. intelligence agencies reporting that Osama bin Laden has tried to buy nuclear weapons, why has your administration proposed cutting funds for a program to help safeguard nuclear materials in the former Soviet Union?

4) Why do you consider Abstinence-only education when the #'s clearly show it doesn't work (areas of abstinence only education show increases in STD's and unwanted pregnancies whereas areas receiving full sex-ed see a drop)?

5) How do you justify slashing veteran's benefits and VA hospitals the same time we're at war?

6) How do you plan to pay off the exploding budget defecit?

7) Why can't you provide even 1 witness who says you served in the National Guard while in Alabama?

8 ) How can parents trust you to be serious about education when your Sec of Education calls teachers terrorists and you call the educated "fancy pants elitists"?

9) Why should tens of thousands of environmentalists trust you to protect the environment when you are widely considered the WORST President regarding the environment from the Sierra Club?

10) How can the country trust you to be Chief Executive when you are the guy who traded Sammy Sosa??

[The Duke]

1) Where are the WMD's?

PErhaps you have heard about what just happenned in Jordan?  The WMD are still out there, probably in Syria.

2) Shortly after Sept. 1, John Negroponte became U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.  During the mid-1980s, Negroponte was accused of covering up right-wing death-squad activity and other human-rights abuses in Honduras when he served as ambassador to that country. Does his reputation in aiding and abetting state terrorism in Central America undermine the moral authority of the United States as it embarks upon a crusade against international terrorism?

I could accuse you of raping little boys, it doesn't make it true.  If in 20 years, you go to job interview and the employer says, "I can't hire you because you were accused of raping little boys."  You would think it was unfair and slanderous.  You would be right.  Throwing accusations like this around without evidence or context distorts.

3) With U.S. intelligence agencies reporting that Osama bin Laden has tried to buy nuclear weapons, why has your administration proposed cutting funds for a program to help safeguard nuclear materials in the former Soviet Union?

Part of the problem is that the program was a failure.  After nearly a decade of the Nunn-Lugar program, the results are dubious at best.  A question to the Demcorats: Why should voters support a candidate that would waste their money on Nunn-Lugar?

4) Why do you consider Abstinence-only education when the #'s clearly show it doesn't work (areas of abstinence only education show increases in STD's and unwanted pregnancies whereas areas receiving full sex-ed see a drop)?

Actually, there are is no solid data suggesting that abstinence only is a failure (or a success, for that matter) because it hasn't been tried yet.

5) How do you justify slashing veteran's benefits and VA hospitals the same time we're at war?

They did no such thing.  There was a new rule approved of before Bush took office saying that wealthy veterans would not recieve free benefits.  This only applies to future veterans, because the VA grandfathered everyone in.  No one got cut off.

6) How do you plan to pay off the exploding budget defecit?

The debt to GDP ratio is not particularly extraordinary at this time, and economic experts, namely Alan Greenspan, agree that the debt is not nearly as big a problem as Medicare or Social Security, these ongoing fiscal challenges.  The deficit is largely a function of the war.

7) Why can't you provide even 1 witness who says you served in the National Guard while in Alabama?

Actually, he has produced several.  He has also produced documentation to prove he showed up.  At what point will John Kerry be producing the medals/ribbons that he did or didn't throw away.

8 ) How can parents trust you to be serious about education when your Sec of Education calls teachers terrorists and you call the educated "fancy pants elitists"?

Okay, you got one good one here.  That was very embarrasing.

9) Why should tens of thousands of environmentalists trust you to protect the environment when you are widely considered the WORST President regarding the environment from the Sierra Club?

Being regarded poorly by the Sierra Club does not mean you are widely regarded poorly.  In any case, citing public perception of a President is less effective than citing actual failings.  The President has a very underrated environmental policy.  Start up a thread, make your case, and I'll join the debate.  We'll talk specifics.

10) How can the country trust you to be Chief Executive when you are the guy who traded Sammy Sosa??

Sosa was a free swinger.  he swung at to many first pithces and struck out a lot.  After he got traded, he became more disciplined, largely as a result of the shock of being traded.  The Atlanta Falcons did something similar when they traded Brett Favre.  Later, Favre siad he'd not have been as good if he had not been traded and set straight.  I'd suspect something similar happenned here.  Overall the Rangers were quite good in the early 90s, and the were a postseason staple for years with Raphael Palmero, Juan Gonzales, Pudge Rodriguez, and Nolan Ryan.

[Wakie]

1) Oh please.  When the former chief weapons inspector (appointed by the Bush administration) says that he doesn't believe that Iraq had WMD's I think we can trust him.

2) If you could produce significant evidence and the job would be working with children, then yeah I shouldn't be hired.  Numerous documents were found which pointed out that Negroponte funnelled Contra aid money through the Honduran government AFTER the rape and murder of 30 nuns and the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero.

3) So ... instead of revising and improving the program you just dump it?  And you don't come up with a new plan?  Oh wait ... I know, build a missile shield, right?  Except a missile shield won't stop a suitcase nuke.

4) Actually yes there is solid evidence.  You can compare the #'s in areas which teach abstinence only and areas which teach full sex-ed.  Guess what?  Abstinence only doesn't work.

5) The Republican majority on the House Budget Committee in March 2003 rammed through a resolution that would cut $844 million from veterans’ medical care.  Over the next 10 years, the Republican changes will cut $24.7 billion from veterans’ medical care, disability compensation and other benefits.

6) Greenspan's statements have been that although the National Debt relative to GDP is currently not out of control, if its growth rate is not controlled we will face huge problems.  In fact ... check out this Business Week article from '99 wherein Greenspan says that cutting the federal debt ''is an extraordinarily effective force for good in this economy.''  http://www.businessweek.com/1999/99_32/b3641059.htm

7) Can you provide a link?  I haven't heard of anyone coming out saying that they were there with him.

8 ) Yeah.

9) Ok, a while later I'll start a thread and we can talk about Bush's poor environmental record.  My point is that the Sierra Club is no more extreme than the NRA.

10) Sosa's problems were nothing that a good batting coach couldn't fix.  And ultimately that is what happened.

[angus]

Impressive answers JohnDFord.

on number 7, free registration required:  

http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/0204/14alabush.html

Lt. Col. John "Bill" Calhoun said he saw the future president each drill period when both men were serving in the National Guard in Montgomery.

[The Duke]

1) Oh please.  When the former chief weapons inspector (appointed by the Bush administration) says that he doesn't believe that Iraq had WMD's I think we can trust him.

2) If you could produce significant evidence and the job would be working with children, then yeah I shouldn't be hired.  Numerous documents were found which pointed out that Negroponte funnelled Contra aid money through the Honduran government AFTER the rape and murder of 30 nuns and the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero.

3) So ... instead of revising and improving the program you just dump it?  And you don't come up with a new plan?  Oh wait ... I know, build a missile shield, right?  Except a missile shield won't stop a suitcase nuke.

4) Actually yes there is solid evidence.  You can compare the #'s in areas which teach abstinence only and areas which teach full sex-ed.  Guess what?  Abstinence only doesn't work.

5) The Republican majority on the House Budget Committee in March 2003 rammed through a resolution that would cut $844 million from veterans’ medical care.  Over the next 10 years, the Republican changes will cut $24.7 billion from veterans’ medical care, disability compensation and other benefits.

6) Greenspan's statements have been that although the National Debt relative to GDP is currently not out of control, if its growth rate is not controlled we will face huge problems.  In fact ... check out this Business Week article from '99 wherein Greenspan says that cutting the federal debt ''is an extraordinarily effective force for good in this economy.''  http://www.businessweek.com/1999/99_32/b3641059.htm

7) Can you provide a link?  I haven't heard of anyone coming out saying that they were there with him.

8 ) Yeah.

9) Ok, a while later I'll start a thread and we can talk about Bush's poor environmental record.  My point is that the Sierra Club is no more extreme than the NRA.

10) Sosa's problems were nothing that a good batting coach couldn't fix.  And ultimately that is what happened.

1) You didn't read the Kay report, did you?  He siad he believes the weapons were shipped to Syria.

2) In World War II, I have absolutely no doubt that US soldiers raped women as they marched through Europe.  Does this mean Dwight Eisenhower should never have been allowed to be President?  Of coure not.

3) No, the NMD program is a different program and it is not new, either.  over 90 Senators voted to support ther research on NMD last time it came up.  Nunn-Lugar has failed to disarm Russia's suitcase nukes because the Russians do not comply with the program.  I'm not sure what alternative you want, but i can't see one.  Money doesn't solve everything.

4) Here is the problem.  In California, the law says they have to teach abstinence only.  But when I took sex-ed in my freshman year of high school, they brought in somone from planned parenthood to show us how to put a condom on a bannana.  The reason abstinence only doesn't show results is because it isn't taught as abstinience only education.  Teachers mix up the message for personal and ideological reasons.

5) Actually, when Bush took office, the VA bdget was $48 billion, today it is $64 billion.  Doesn't sound like a cut to me.

6) This was five years ago.  Take a look at what is has been saying the last few months, it is more relvant.

7) See angus' post.  He has you nailed.

Yeah.

9) Please do.

10) What solved Sosa's trouble was a cocktail of corked bats and roids.  Lots of roids.

[Wakie]

1) You know, oddly enough a search of this report http://www.cia.gov/cia/public_affairs/speeches/2003/david_kay_10022003.html doesn't bring up the word "Syria" once.

But I'll play along.  The Syria reference came from an interview done shortly after his resignation.

"We are not talking about a large stockpile of weapons," he said. "But we know from some of the interrogations of former Iraqi officials that a lot of material went to Syria before the war, including some components of Saddam's WMD programme. Precisely what went to Syria, and what has happened to it, is a major issue that needs to be resolved."

So ... according to random Iraqi officials who may or may not be lying ... some small amounts of some kind of WMD or another MAY be in Syria.  This isn't really solid evidence, is it?

2) WWII was a war that was sanctioned by Congress.  Iran-Contra was an action that Congress specifically opposed.  That was why there was a big stink, remember?

3) Let's see .... how do we take nukes off the black market ... hmmm ... maybe we could BUY THEM OURSELVES!  Or ... maybe ... just maybe ... we could hire the Russian scientists the why we hired the German scientists after WWII.

4) So teachers are intentionally mixing up the message in abstinence only?  I guess they really are terrorists.

5) And yet their benefits are still being cut.

6) He's saying the same things today.  

"The deficit must be maintained at minimal levels," he told the Senate Banking Committee in February of 2003.

Here are a few links.
http://www.safehaven.com/showarticle.cfm?id=821
http://www.rense.com/general49/budget.htm
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4400986

7) Score one for you guys.

8 ) Score one for my guys.

9) I will.

10) Let's leave baseball to the baseball msg boards.

[The Duke]

I'll ignore you putting words in my mouth on the teachers thing (there is a middle ground between sticking to the curriculum and being a terrorist).  This is the kind of tactic that a beaten man resorts to.

I want to go back to the VA thing.  I show that the VA budget has been increased.  You say nuh-uh.  I show that the VA policy has covered veterans.  You say nuh-uh.  This battle is pretty one sided.  I've got all the data on my side, here.

As for Nunn-Lugar, I don't even know what your point is anymore.  The program failed, you seem to want to defend it.  Why are you so adamant that the program was good?  It didn't disarm the Russian nukes.

[angus]

you boys must have missed the following report from a respectable publication  

http://www.insightmag.com/news/2004/05/11/World/Investigative.Reportsaddams.Wmd.Have.Been.Found-670120.shtml

[Lunar]

How does one prove how many jobs a bill has lost or will lose?

[Wakie]

"Teachers mix up the message for personal and idealogical reasons."  That's what you said.  You grouped all teachers together there and said that they are actively working against the betterment of society.  The data is clear.  Abstinence only DOES NOT work.  It would be nice if it did.  It doesn't.

You asked to go back to the VA thing.  Here's a source to back me up http://www.vaiw.org/vet/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=59

As for the Nunn-Lugar thing ... my argument is that the goal of the program was obviously necessary.  If the program doesn't work you fix it, you don't kill it.  Not when there is a major national security concern.

[The Duke]

"Teachers mix up the message for personal and idealogical reasons."  That's what you said.  You grouped all teachers together there and said that they are actively working against the betterment of society.  The data is clear.  Abstinence only DOES NOT work.  It would be nice if it did.  It doesn't.

And at what point did I call them terrorists, again?

[dunn]

oddly enough a search of this report doesn't bring up the word "Syria" once.

when he said

Some WMD personnel crossed borders in the pre/trans conflict period and may have taken evidence and even weapons-related materials with them that's what it's mean

[??????????]

If abstinence programs don't work then why is teen pregnancy down in the U.S.? Why when polled are more and more teens choosing to wait to have sex?

[ShapeShifter]

If abstinence programs don't work then why is teen pregnancy down in the U.S.? Why when polled are more and more teens choosing to wait to have sex?

Maybe they are using condoms. Maybe they are having easier access to birth control.

[??????????]

I have absolutely no disagreement with Birth Control. If it prevents women from having babies and having to get abortions then I am for it.

[Wakie]

Abstinence only doesn't work.  But don't take my word for it.  Ask the Johns Hopkins Newsletter.

http://www.jhunewsletter.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/04/25/3ea85f2fe2e96

[ShapeShifter]

I have absolutely no disagreement with Birth Control. If it prevents women from having babies and having to get abortions then I am for it.

I wouldn't think you were against birth control. Just that, I think the number of teen pregnacy is not just one silver bullet.