I just had a good heart to heart with my Mom, a Republican of at least 40 years who has recently become a democrat (Thanks to GWB).

Our discussion was interesting, in that she felt I treated the whole GWB presidency and the Hell we are approaching as a laughing matter.

Well....  Join me below the fold for my insight (response?)

That's kind of a rhetorical question, since they hate him because he will spell trouble for them.  

Right now, Timmeh is trashing him on MTP, bringing up the hedge fund connection.  It seems that they are trying to make him apologize for becoming successful.

He is a self-made man, the kind that Republicans hold up as icons to pulling yourself up by the boot straps.  

They are all hypocrites.  

Perhaps, the Republicans believe that since JRE's not about "I got mine, fuck everyone else, they just can't see it.

Sorry for the short diary, but it really makes me crazy.

HRC is fabulously wealthy as well, but no one seems to call her on it.  I am SURE that SOMEWHERE she has some "questionable" investments and connections, so why do they bash JRE on it, but not HRC?

PS - JRE just said this great quote: "We can't replace corporate republicans with corporate democrats."  

Think I'll change my sig line.

I spent about 2 hours touring the independence "visitors area" of Philadelphia, the "Birthplace of Democracy" and wanted to make some comments as to my mood about it.

I listened to an interview this morning on the Current (a GREAT CBC show) with a Leftenant (that's a Lieutenant to you Yanks) from the AirForce regarding the new "Reaper" AKA the MQ9 Predator B UAV (named, no doubt for the grim namesake).  The reaper is the next generation of UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) that carries

Capable of carrying maximum internal payload of 800 lbs, it will carry more advanced sensors at weight almost twice as the MQ-1. Furthermore, The Reaper can carry much more external stores, up to 3,000 pounds total – 1,500 on each of its two inboard weapons stations, or 500-600 lb. on the two middle stations and 150-200 lbs. on the outboard stations. In total, the aircraft can carry up to 14 Hellfire missiles, compared with two carried on the Predator. The Reaper can stay airborne for up to 14 hours fully loaded.

The Airforce openly calls it a Hunter Killer.  Amazing.

Listening to CBC's the Current yesterday, I was surprised to find out how bad the water crisis in the US actually is.

Given that the earth is expected to sustain a doubling of the population in the next 60 years, how will we humans, who are mostly water, actually survive.

I strongly believe that some time in the next 20 years, we will have alternative technologies that will reduce our dependence on oil, however, we cannot LIVE without fresh water.

Join me below the fold for some horror stories...

Here is the full poll from AP-IPSOS.

This is the same poll that has GW Bush at 33%, so you have to wonder who they are sampling.  Looking at the Demographics, I hardly call it representative.  However, regardless of the sample, this is a scary number.  

Holy Shit people...

I am ashamed when I see people on this site bash democratic candidates for president.  

For example..  This little Gem...

"Edwards was indistinguishable from the Neo-Cons on Iraq".

I have been seeing this trend in a number of diaries and a number of comments, and wanted to get a diary on it (even though it will quickly vanish).

E.g.

Cheney's 1% doctrine
Pre-emptive war
Detainees

To the jump...

OK - I will try to make this one "chunk" better than the last one.

Too much to try to cram 2 45 minute lectures into one diary...

In light of the shootings, I will discuss availability below the fold.

Subtitle: How to get money out of politics.

Spurred by the mojo from a comment, I decided to write a whole diary on this.  Just with ideas, no real "research" per se, but it is an important issue on which the great minds of DKos must put some time and effort into.

When the Democrats retake the whitehouse and firm up their majority in both houses of congress, we need to push them to act in what may seem against their best interest: Getting Big Money out of Politics.

Join me below the fold for some ideas, and please contribute yours.

For those who missed it, here is a link to Episode One

That diary ended with a discussion of availability as one of the key judgment biases too which we poor limited humans fall prey.

This diary will discuss the second judgmental bias/heuristic, that of representativeness.

Join me for today's lesson below the fold...

But first, a question...

Here is the set up....

Imagine that you are on Let's make a deal and are offered the choice between three doors.  Behind one door is a great prize, and behind the other two are junk.  After you have chosen your door, Monty looks at you and says...  Let's show you what's behind one of the doors you didn't choose....

Surprise, surprise, it's junk.  

Then he says..  "Would you like to switch to the other door or keep yours?"

So - which is it?

I have just been browsing through The state of working America published by the Economic Policy Institute.

For those of you unfamiliar with this organization, their mission statement is an An Agenda for Shared Prosperity

Join me for some disturbing facts below the fold...

I have been thinking a great deal about this administration, and the current congresscritters and judges.

We are the governed, and by rights endowed to us in the constitution and bill of rights, the government serves at our will.

So what?  

Anyway, a brief history lesson first...

I have been thinking of how I can make a contribution to this community, and it seems to me that by discussing one of my favority courses, I might be able to give some people some things to think about.

Join me for part one below.

I think this is relevant here, although it is originally posted at The Next Agenda.

Steven Harper takes two pages out of the GW Bush playbook.

1. Releasing controversial or negative news on Friday afternoons.

2, Appointing people to important positions because of their connections rather than competence.

This time, it was the creation of the Assisted Human Reproduction Canada board, and it's membership of largely socially conservative panelists.

So, I was watching CNN and seeing them talk about internet shopping for Christmas gifts.

Here was the original story:

25% of purchases of gifts this year will be made over the internet.

Does that mean that 1 in 4 people are using the internet to make gift purchases?

NOPE.  It says NOTHING AT ALL about how many people are using the internet to shop.  As much as they want you to believe that this means that more people are buying gifts on line, this doesn't say that.

Yet, the watchers will believe that that means that more people are comfortable with shopping on line.  While that MAY be true, it isn't necessarily so.

So - anyway - that's my brief tirade about lying with statistics.

It's like Deja Vu all over again....

Having not learned from Iraq, the Neo-cons have set up an institute to study "regime change" in Tehran...

While the words may be different, the message is the same...

Follow me below if you dare.

Thanks to a "contributor" in the Lexington Herald, we now have a new Scapegoat, Hippies.  More below...