Mortal Enemies

I have spent the last week or two as a Husky Football fan following the recruiting process of high school stars. This process never ends, but each year culminates in the LOI day. Letter Of Intent signing day. Technically, athletes can sign any day after LOI day, but the first day has a carnival feel to it, and is much awaited by the growing internet fan base.

Nowadays, fans can get much more information, think about it, and write about it with other similarly interested fans and an education goes on elevating the discussion from the pre-internet sort which used to go on. I am a recently recruited internet fan. One of over 500 comments made on a thread on Husky recruiting from the Seattle Times Husky Football Blog.

Sark set up a camera panning the UW Football office's Fax machine, and over 700 people were viewing that awesome internet feed. 700 people stareing at a monitor showing an office and a fax machine! One could NOT read the faxes. So I am assuming much excitement was had when the fax machine began whirring and paper came out with fortune cookie expectations.

Twitter was being used for actual information announcements like "Kasen Williams confirmed." Other social networking sites for other schools were followed and reported on, and one such contribution got a rumor started that we were now on the list for the "Black Mamba" some guy defecting from U$C to Nike U (Zero University or Oregon U. are other aliases).

As the reader can see, this reporter has been converted from an objective observer to a homer journalist. In the past I would have said, "USC, and Oregon U...." but after reading 500 posts from the Husky faithful minus a few trolls from WSU and Oregon, I have been brainwashed into seeing both programs in a new light. Meaning, of course, as mortal enemies.

And speaking of enemies, how about that SEC conference? Wasn't I just rooting for the University of Quack against an SEC opponent for the national title?

This is a lot like fishing. While I have local opposition,  competition, or enemies depending on a variety of emotional and environmental factors, but all of us locals are actually more in competition with non-locals. If the BIG SCHOOL OF KING SALMON decides to hang out up around Sitka, then those of us down around Noyes Island fight over the proverbial crumbs. I may catch more than my immediate neighbor, but the ones who are up around Sitka are catching many times more fish than any of us down around Noyes Island.

I guess the comparison is not enlightenment quality, but still I think I have made my point. I DO hate Oregon, USC, and all the rest of the football world, but I like our conference to get better together. The perception that Oregon and USC and UW are powerhouses actually helps each other recruit better athletes from out of the conference and to keep those from within from defecting.

Right now, the SEC sucks off of other parts of the country because of the perception, based upon strong evidence, that the SEC rules NCAA football. I think 8 or 9 teams from the SEC held places in the top 25 recruiting classes. Next best conference was the Pac 12 with 5 or 6. Then the ACC with 4 teams in the top 25.

Until people get tired of living in swamps filled with pollution from the industrial north, the SEC seems to have a decided edge on the rest of the world when it comes to high school talent for football. One other factor might be the education level of the west and east versus the south. I have heard professional athletes say that with what we now know about head injuries, he wouldn't want his child to play football. I suspect more and more parents with any education will be pushing their children to consider less violent sports to pursue. Tiger Woods is looking better and better all the time. Not only can you get as many women as you want playing a sport old men can play, you can make oodles of money without all of that pain. How many billionaire football players are there?

Well, that is about it for now....

Soggyblogger

Welcome Followers and Lurkers, Too

I am back. I was unable to enter my own blog! This is just a test to determine if I am truly back. 


Since I have been gone, I have gained my first follower. How exciting! Too bad for all those lurkers who missed out on this hidden prize for being the first follower. My first follower is currently receiving her $600.00 per month award. Again, so sorry to all you lurkers who missed out on this fabulous award. In a previous post, I mentioned our upcoming reward program for news tips, gossip, Sloggyblogger's Investigative Journalistic Apprentice Program (SIJAP) which is waiting on a grant from the Federal Govt. We are still struggling with some of the requirements and translating the legaleze back into English. We may need to apply for a grant to supply us with a legaleze translator before we can complete our original grant request. SIJAP is just one of our proposed AWARDS PROGRAM. Check back for further updates on our exciting proposed AWARDS PROGRAM. 


And don't miss out on any more hidden awards. Sign up as a follower today! Tell your friends and neighbors to sign up, too.


Today I had "frosted flakes" with half and half for breakfast. Welcome back to myself. 


Soggyblogger

I CARE.......

I CARE about the Seahawks because I choose to care. On a day to day basis, I could watch C-Span and FOX and MSNBC and as many other news outlets as possible and CARE about the latest tragedy or flood victims. The latest scandal or the latest disaster or even the public debate on specific issues before congress. Perhaps that is what I OUGHT to do. But it's not. I am more hedonistic and selfish then that, I guess. But all of those disasters and wrangling over legislation seems so inevitably repetitious. So circular. Yet nothing of consequence seems to come of it. Also, I feel mostly powerless to affect the outcomes. My hat is off to all those who take a political stand and ring doorbells or go to meetings and watch the politicians to protect us from possible corruption. I have been there and done that. The FBI will confirm it. I cannot say I liked the person I became as I participated in the democratic process. I was argumentative and narrow minded. I became emotionally stressed out, and felt largely unappreciated and ineffectual. I and all of the other individuals involved were not, in the end, ineffectual as it turns out. History has vindicated us, and the records support the belief that the anti-Viet Nam war effort was very effective. We changed society in the process. We changed ourselves in the process as well.

Some changes were good and necessary. Some were not. I believe the entire Viet Nam war and all of its ramifications had HUGE affects on our country. Most of them good. That is not the subject of this article and adds a sort of mushiness to it, but I want to reflect reality. Perhaps I will return to this subject some day.

I believe when an issue as significant as the Viet Nam war presents itself again, many millions of otherwise content sports aficionados and couch potatoes, and Nascar fans, and grumpy old men and women will stand up and be counted.

Perhaps that issue exists today. Perhaps the core issue at the heart of the health care reform debate will gradually escalate to engage the attention of Nixon's "silent majority" of which I am a member now.

As I see it, the core issue of the health care reform debate is this: Has basic health care benefits become a basic right of citizenship in this country? Today, it is not. In Europe, it is. Personally, I like the idea of basic health care being part of a citizen's rights. There are many models to choose from to make that a reality without the  upheaval of our way of life or bankrupting our government. Debating the specifics of those models and their inclusion or exclusion from various plans is not really relevant until the core issue is settled first. 
 
Issues such as building more medical schools and producing more MD's would go a long way towards the goal of reducing health care costs across the board, but The AMA keeps tight control on the spigot producing MD's in this country, and that  contributes mightily to the average earnings for doctors, and increases the cost of medical care significantly as well. However, that is a specifics of any plan to achieve the goal of making basic health care a basic citizen's right. Others include things like what procedures will be included in that "basic" level of protection. All doable. Certainly, no coverage at all does more harm and costs society even more in lost productivity, etc. by excluding preventative health care now before more costly therapies are required.

But debating the specifics of any changes in our health care system is more of a diversion by the opposition, who oppose ANY CHANGE to the status quo, when what we should be debating is simply: Is basic health care a citizens right? Is giving basic health care to virtually everyone a positive to the ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL health of our nation as a whole? I think the answer to that question is a resounding "YES!"

If that core principal was debated and voted upon by congress, citizens would clearly see where everyone stood. Just a proclamation that BASIC HEALTH CARE IS EVERY CITIZEN'S RIGHT would lead to further debates about the mechanics of systemic changes needed to bring about that idea. If we could get agreement to that concept, then bringing it about is not so difficult. 



Honest and honorable people disagree on the question: Is basic health care a basic citizen's right? If this country were to debate this issue, and congress were to vote on it, I would accept defeat if that was the result. I would know where everyone stood on the issue, and who to vote for next time. All any of the politicians, or talking heads, and even the press is doing now is just obfuscating the real issue which needs to be decided before those ancillary issues ought to even be discussed.  Wrangling over side issues before the core issue has been decided averts attention from that core issue. Yet that core issue will keep coming up until people stop getting sick and dying, or we decide to give every citizen a basic health care guarantee. Then and only then should we start debating how to achieve that goal. If it is not the goal, I want to know that, too. Right now I don't know who is in favor of it, and who is not.
 
Until some debate in politics engages my interest or ire, I will continue to choose to CARE more about whether Matt Hasselbeck gets re-signed by the Seahawks then the latest tragedy, or the latest scandal, or any of the political issues which are not clearly drawn debates - which simply frustrates or bores me at this point. 

Bread and circuses. The Romans figured it out a long time ago. Maybe the political debates are intentionally boring and pointless so we do not pay attention, and go back to our circuses. I'd rather watch an honest circus then an intentionally obscure and pointless political debate that is essentially rigged.

ALASKAN FISHING (TROLLING) ch1

Before I begin what will be a chapter by chapter story of fishing - though I cannot say I am not at all sure the direction it will take; I want to first talk a little about blogging. Blogging as differentiated from writing a book. If I were to write a book, I would somehow write the darn thing to a first draft completion, and then I would go through it and re-write, and edit, and re-write until I was happy or finished with it otherwise. Then I would, perhaps, attempt to get it published. 

Blogging is different in that I just start writing. Then I transfer with copy and paste and check for spelling and glaring grammatical mistakes, and then I usually publish. Sometimes, upon publishing and reading what I publish I have to edit, and this process might go on through two or more cycles of that. In this chapter on fishing, I do not expect to do a lot of polishing. It felt like technical writing sort of. Almost inhuman. Though I hope to humanize it more in the future, I am not unsatisfied with this approach for the first chapter which is establishing the basis of fishing before we can get to actual fishing. 

I am not vitally attached to this work, but who knows where it will go? I certainly am an expert on fishing in this part of Alaska. I am more qualified to write about Trolling in SE Alaska then on any other subject. In some ways, I feel too close to it, but that may change. For anyone who takes the time to read it, I hope you enjoy it or at least feel edified from your and my efforts. 


Chapter 1 - Getting Started

Somewhere back in the stacks, I mentioned my boat. I live on my boat in Alaska. Craig, Alaska. That's in SE Alaska, or what some call the Panhandle. It is made up of an Island achepelagio or a group of Islands. Big and small. Mostly,the islands are thinner east to west and longer north to south. Waterways tend to run NW to SE.

Craig sits on the West side of one such island. At the  middle measuring from North to South of the largest of all the islands in SE Alaska. That island is called Prince of Wales, and most locals call it POW. POW extends from the Canadian border North - away from Canada for over one hundred miles. Another row of smaller islands protect POW from direct contact with the Pacific Ocean.

Craig is a small fishing village, really. It's population of about 2000 is bolstered by the largest single employer in the area, the National Forest Service. Though tree cutting has almost entirely disappeared, the FS seems to be going at full capacity. Besides the bonus income the city derives from the Fed's, fishing is about the only other industry which produces anything but support services.

Tourism is almost entirely fish related, so I include that in the general fishing industry. That does not exactly tell the whole story. To understand Craig, and fishing, and fish tourism, one needs to understand that a non-shooting war exists between the different fishing groups. With all commercial fisherman on one side, and any charter fishing boat and operator on the exact opposite side of the war. It is mostly civil, but emotions run high.

Money is involved in all ways, but that doesn't tell the whole story at all. Commercial trolling has been unalterably changed by charter fishing. Up until about the late 1980's or so, there were near zero charter boats. Now they number in the hundreds and probably more than one thousand. The total number of available licences to troll commecialy has remained steady at around 1000 the whole time, but the effort level has increased perhaps 50% from 600 boats fishing to 900 boats fishing. During that same time the charter fishing industry began to expand like a metastasized cancer. Sprouting up simultaneously throughout SE Alaska until, today, there is no piece of water which has not been covered in the routine travels of some charter boat. They are seen in every bay and inlet. They know every fishy point. Every shallow spot on the ocean. They travel alone out to Forrester Island which is almost 20 miles offshore. They travel in massive trains of dozens of boats speeding down a straight.

Territorial disputes exist. No one owns any piece of water, and trollers are by definition moving all the time. Charter boats will come in to an area and drift directly over bait balls and deny access to trollers. Legally, trollers have the right of way, and some trollers do endure the stress necessary to insist on their right of way, but mostly trollers have ceded most of the shallow water fishing in SE Alaska.

Trollers have watched this transformation over the course of twenty years, and see no end in sight. The economic downturn has temporarily slowed the growth like a mediocre chemo therapy treatment. For now, the charter boat industry is in remission, but will recover with the economy and then the growth will continue. The boat orders have been made, and the cabins are being built as I write.

The trolling industry has also been under siege from the fish farming industry which began almost simultaneously and kept pace with the growth rate of the charter boat industry. Though not visible on the fishing grounds, this incursion has had an even more disasterous effect on trolling. Starting with a few dozen million fish and growing to hundreds of millions of fish being dumped on the salmon markets, the price of salmon first stopped increasing and then started falling. The price of salmon peaked around 1984 or so, but would have reached a higher high had there been no farmed fish on the market. The following year, increased farm production drove the price of all salmon down. With few exceptions, each new year was worse than the year before. By the early 2000's the price finally bottomed out around $1.00 per pound for king salmon. The high was around $4.00/pound in 1984.

Many factors were involved in the final bottoming out of the price of salmon. One of the major reasons was that with all of the cheap salmon on the market, restaurants and families ate more of it. Consumers became accustomed to eating more salmon. It is not like the glut on the market caused fish to go bad and get thrown out. No. The price fell until someone was willing to buy. So the entire world supply of salmon increased by as much as 100% as a result of fish farming, and that is not necessarily a bad thing.

Fishermen might not like it, but all things being equal, the world needs more food, and salmon have become like pigs, chicken, and beef. Grow it for the lowest possible price. On land farms this causes pollution, but we have to eat, right? The same holds true for fish farms. There is pollution, and the reduction of shoreline for general use, and genetic issues when farmed fish escape from captivity.

These are much more complex issues than I can hope to explain adequately unless I were to make this book specifically about this subject, and I am no expert nor do I wish to become one, but you get the picture.

The big reason that the markets for salmon finally bottomed out is because of the real and perceived  healthfulness differences between farmed fish and wild fish. More omega fatty acids and no dye to turn the meat red. Political correctness sided with wild fish. Consumers began to differentiate between the two products available. Consumer willingness to pay extra for wild fish combined with declining returns of wild fish everywhere but Alaska created a shortage of wild fish and an increasing price.

That's where we stand today. With more feeding from the same trough, but with increasing prices for the fish. It is not a picture of economic health, but it is better than the worst years, and a profit can be made catching fish.

I have stuck to it since I began back in the 1970's. I took two years off when my carpel tunnel syndrome required it, but after taking care of that with surgery, I got back into it. Then I took two years off to rebuild my boat's cabin and replace my engine and fuel tanks. Lots of other changes in the rigging and equipment, but this isn't a book about boat building, or worse, fiberglass laying. Neither activity suits my nature nor pleases me.

Fishing is fun. However, there are many things to do before one can go fishing. And to keep fishing. Things break and need to be fixed. Equipment needs to be maintained or it breaks more often. A boat is a complex group of equipment. When something breaks it either ends fishing or threatens the boat. Or both. Engine, shaft, propeller, rudder, cooling system, water pumps of dozens of types, hydraulics, electrical systems, electronics of multiple purposes, anchor and anchoring equipment, steering systems and auto pilots. The list seems endless before any fishing is even considered.

Every fisherman maintains and fixes almost every system on a boat except the engine. Engine repairs often require a professional. Some fishermen do these repairs, too. I have had a reduction gear apart and back together, which is the car equivalent of the transmission, but never an engine. Special tools are usually required, and some experience is more than useful.

None of this interests me even slightly. Except as much as a soldier takes an interest in his gun as a necessity. As my life depends on this stuff, I pay attention. That doesn't mean that taking apart a reduction gear is a pleasant experience. Nor is changing the oil in the engine.

Once everything is in working order, a fisherman can consider getting ready to fish. That would be a good place to start the next chapter....  

THE TOP TEN MOST FAQ v.1

What IS a Soggyblogger??? is THE most frequently asked question by a four to one margin vs the next most FAQ.

The answer is neither simple nor facile, and in fact is a hotly debated topic amongst a small but militant arm of the philologist inteligencia. Some similarities have been noticed between this group and the Catholic sect known as Opus Dei made famous in the wildly popular work of fiction "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown. But I digress....

Soggyblogger derives from the modern term "blog" and "blogger" which is an internet born form of news, opinion, journal, and other sorts of written expression on an internet "page" which doesn't actually exist at all except in the cyber world. Wow. This IS complicated.

Soggy: From Wikipedia  (those unfamiliar with Wikipedia are beyond educating and may leave off reading this portion of this story) has only a referrence to "soggy biscuits" and "The Soggybottom Boys" from some movie, but no definition of just "soggy" so I will move on to a more reliable source....

From an online dictionary: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/soggy 

sog·gy  (sg, sôg)
adj. sog·gi·er, sog·gi·est
1. Saturated or sodden with moisture; soaked: soggy clothes.
2. Lacking spirit; dull: a soggy bit of dialogue.
3. Humid; sultry: a soggy afternoon in August.

I believe ALL of those definitions fit me in one way or another. A little like the way I see all of my characteristics represented in all of the signs of the Zodiac. Spooky.

No, really, I hadn't consulted a dictionary before choosing the name Soggyblogger, but now I see it was the hand of fate. It was MEANT TO BE. There ARE no coincindences.

I could NOT be happier. The first definition is, perfectly, first in my intentions. Sodden with moisture. In other words all wet. Perhaps a more common way of putting it is "full of shit" but normally I refrain from gratuitus crudities.

The second definition is highly prophetic as well as  perceptive and I am surprised they did not publish my photograph alongside the definition as a demonstration, and cite my blog specifically when they said, "a soggy bit of dialogue." - though they may have intended that close comparison when they chose the wording.

The third definition treads lightly on the doorstep to porn, and I am reluctant to be drawn into that discussion, but as I am honest if nothing, I MUST confess to a "sultriness" which conjurs an image I am not reluctant to embrace and combined with all of the other definitions, in a massive gestalt, a totally acurate picture emerges of who I am. At the core. In essence.

Perhaps others would be reluctant to expose themselves in such a naked way without shame or remorse. Not all bloggers are created equal. Not all bloggers can bring themselves to expose the essence of who they are regardless of the mental anguish involved - sparing themselves no face whatsoever. 

However, I am determined to be the most honest, the most exposed and introspective blogger on the entire internet - leaving off actual photographs of my genitalia. I do draw the line at pornography. I hate to even use the word - though I have noticed a direct correlation between an increased frequency in my use of the term "porn" and an increase in this website's popularity.

We do not have any fetish articles, nor PHOTOS OF BDSM, MASSIVE HOOTERS, BUXOM BABES, FREE PORN FOR U or GIRL ON GIRL SEX. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Soggyblogger

The Siren Song of Sarah Palin....

A Poem for Sarah....

I’m a little Tea BIGOT!
Short on Clout!
Here is my Anger!
Here is my Pout!
When I get steamed up
Bile comes Out!
Disagree with me and
my Gun will come Out!

-author unknown

In an internet story about Sarah Palin and her response to the criticism for her use of the term "blood libel" more than 1800 readers took the time to comment on Palin, and this story. I have read the first page of 32 such pages and selected for my readers a representative sampling.

For a few weeks now, I have boycotted Palin stories in the press. For a while, I had enjoyed reading anything negative about my former governor, but finally realized the attention people like myself give to Palin stories is exactly why the press continues to follow Palin around like paparazzi.

Polls indicate Sarah Palin appeals to a large minority of Republicans which translates into a fairly small minority of total Americans. However, large portions of Palin haters are like myself and cannot ignore her. We dislike her politics and demeanor so strongly we select any story with her name in the headline hoping for one more pratfall...one more foot in the mouth. Each time thinking this is the one which will dethrone her as the standard bearer for that large minority of republicans.

I have come to the conclusion that she will never stop, and the press will never stop responding anytime she calls them so long as both lovers and haters cannot take their eyes off her. Only boredom of the masses will finally end her reign as the darling of the press. So I did my part and boycotted any press coverage she received until this "blood libel" comment snowballed Palin onto the front page headlines again which I could not ignore.

In a desperate attempt to increase my readership, I hereby succumb to the siren song of Sarah.  Though I stake no claim to fairness or impartiality, I start off with a pro-Palin comment:



"....Is the term "blood libel  somehow copyrighted and no one but a Jewish priest can use it ? Are bulls-eyes the only proper way to mark a political candidate to be voted out of office? She uses the tools available to her to stir the pot and it is working I guess.

It seems interesting that if this woman is so insignificant that so many feel the need to downgrade her with such vigor. Is she really that much of a threat to politics as usual that a full on attack is needed ? Seems she may well be making a lot of people nervous."

Then.....

Why does this woman continue to get national attention? She has made an utter fool of herself since day one. All the way back to her vice-presidential bid she was unable to name a Supreme Court case besides Roe vs Wade, and she couldn't name one magazine or newspaper that she read. In another interview, she seemed to have no clue who Hamas is and started rambling rather incoherently about Iran. She made some weird claim about International Relations experience because the president of Russia would fly over Alaskin airspace or something similarly bizarre. Thanks so much McCain for introducing this airhead to the country. I wish she would just stop talking, I think most of the nation is quite fed up with her self-centered illogical and dimwited ways.

and.....

Sarah Palin has become the Paris Hilton of politics -- except without the porn video. Regarding her "blood libel" comment, I think SNL last week on their fake news said it best -- "I would be offended if I thought she actually knew what it meant."

Come to think of it, I wonder what Paris Hilton has to say about the Tucson shootings. Her opinion is at least as relevant and well-informed as Sarah's.
*****************

Sadly, all of the moronic comments above attacking Sarah Palin, one, have high ratings and, two, prove you are fools.

I don't know if a single comment had a valid, logical reason as to why one should not like her. Instead, it's all "she's a moron", "she's stupid", "she needs to shut up". Good grief, you guys are like 3rd graders.

Why do I like her? Because she knows that America has largely drifted from a Christian-based, common sense approach to life, qualities that our nation was founded on, and she's not afraid to say it.

For the sake of our country, please use your brain.
***********

Everything she says needs an excuse...but notice it takes ten days or more to figure out that excuse. Stay home and take care of your kids lady. 
**********

Funny how Palin criticizes "mainstream" media. She's part of the mainstream media. Fox News is mainstream media, masquerading as otherwise. It's called controlled opposition.

Fox is owned by News Corp, one of six multinationals that own most news outlets in the US. And it's all corporate-state propaganda.

When a Republican puppet's in office, MSNBC plays opposition. When it's a Democrat puppet, it's Fox News. Keith Olbermann doesn't recount dead American troops in his nightly sign-off since Obama took control. Fox never made a peep about Bush II tripling the size of the federal government, but now that Obama's in office, they can't have a segment where "spending" doesn't enter into the debate.

It's all controlled. It's all theater. Both major parties are the same. They might pretend to be opposed to one and other, and they might squabble over small things, carefully designed to give the illusion of choice and difference, but on all the major fronts both parties go along.

*****************

Palin is an interesting phenomenon. I am not sure if it is because she is an (apparently) physically attractive person that the media likes to print her picture, or if it has more to do with the fact that people who are "liberal" (I don't mean actually "liberal" by that, but "knee-jerk liberal") think that all conservatives are moronic, and see her as a typical spokesperson.

We can find many such individuals--the intellectually limited Hasselbeck, the self-aggrandizing O'Reilly, the ethnocentric Palin, the unbalanced Bachmann--whom the media gloms onto.

What I find very sad is that these people have come to be spokespersons for the "conservatives." These people are no more capable of clearly articulating a conservative position than they are capable of explaining Einstein's theory of relativity.

I wonder if the Republican party realizes--and I think that they are coming to realize this--that such people are doing more to alienate voters entirely than they are to bringing them into the Republican fold (or to turn them into Democrats). The last time this happened--and disaffected people started up the "American" party (also known as the "Know Nothing" party), an interesting thing happened. The Whig party disappeared and the new Republican party came into being.

I think that, perhaps, people ought to look into the "Know Nothing" party--it was opposed to the immigration of Irish and German Catholics into the US and wanted to curb both immigration and naturalization (they promised to appoint only native born Americans to office), it was only open to Protestant males of British lineage who were over 21, it was largely middle class, it was prone to violence to achieve its ends . . . wow, does this sound like Palin's "Tea Party" or what?

Those who fail to learn from history (and Palin would be one) are doomed to repeat it. The time is ripe for a new party to emerge--and the party most likely to bite the dust is the Republican party. Allowing someone like Palin (and the others) to rise to power was not a very good idea for them.

I am sure that we all know people like Palin--who don't understand the Constitution, who don't understand what a democratic republic based on religious freedom is, who don't understand even the basics of logic or the English language. The world must be a really frightening place for people like that--and it kind of explains why they get so angry about "change." These are people for whom "different is bad" because all they can wrap their brains around is what was done in the past (or, what they fantasize was done in the past). They only understand slogans--which is why, like Palin, they tend to cobble half-understood sloganizing language together in a kind of gibberish way.

I think that SNL is right--I would be offended if I actually thought she understood what she was doing. But, I do think that people ought to look up the Know Nothing party to see what happened--we really can learn from history. Well, if we are a little more advanced than Palin.
****************

Do you have a crystal ball. Bets are on, Palin won't run. She is a Media "Star".; they love hacking away at her, and she loves returning it.

She is a reminder to those on the Left, not to forget Freedom of Speech. We all have it.

Strong, Powerful, secure; most people fear an intelligent, outspoken person.

***********

Christian values? Do you seriously think Jesus Christ would have made himself a political victim of a tragedy the day of a memorial for the actual victims of the tragedy?

Jesus Christ said that we should love our neighbors as thyself.

I am sorry but after listening to both Christians speeches I believe Obama's was much more Christ like than Palin's was. Obama spoke about offering words of healing rather than wounding. He also stated that power, wealth and fame was not as important than love. That was more Christ like than what Palin had to offer during this crisis.

Being at the top is not all that it is cracked up to be. A good leader is selfless and others come first. A good leader has to be strong in the face of adversity. Palin did not display strong common sense leadership. If she would have waited she would had been exalted of the accusations that had been made personally against her. She didn't, which ended up making her look weak and foolish. A good leader needs to stay focused and positive, not just for Christians, but for ALL of humanity!
***************

Sarah's unique.

She can drag herself up on the cross, nail herself to it, then use that position of self crucifixtion to @!$%# us all over.

**************

I do not believe it is coincidental that most of those who defend Palin sound a lot like the below commenter. That is not to say all Palin supporters are ignorant and nearly illiterate, but certainly a large portion of her supporters come across as such. Perhaps that explains why her supporters do not expect more from her in the way of knowledge of geography, history, and current world events.


Soggyblogger
*******

....I'd bet anyone of your lives, ...That "ALL"99% of you "PALIN BASHERS" are either on the gov "PAYROLL" and or .....Welfare, Urban Housing, Food Stamps, Fuel Assistance, Medicare, Unemployment, etc, etc,.....And "NOT FROM OLD AGE" ....The truth hurts don't it?....You "ALL" need to get a "JOB OR LIFE"

*************

Palin's hardcore right-wing constituents will continue to think that she's the greatest thing since sliced cheese, ignoring the fact that she is unelectable. I don't know if Palin has any advisors, but if she does, she should fire them. When you have to explain your defense, you are in grave danger of becoming irrelevant. It would be my fondest hope to see Palin as the 2012 Republican candidate, but then the GOP would have to be planning on throwing the election. As for Ms. Palin's bonifieds as a "Christian," she represents the far right version of that too. Most of us Christian at the middle or on the left are absolutely horrified that she purports to speak for the faithful. Christ himself warned us against mixing our faith with politics.

**************

Sarah was a college party girl in Hawaii who hopscotched to different colleges before graduating in journalism. Her first job was as a sports caster. She took that job not because she has a passion for sports, but she has a passion for being in front of a camera. She ran for mayor not because of a passion for politics but a passion for fame. It's not a better nation that she seeks, it's the camera! She simply loves being in front of a camera and she found a way to keep doing it forever. Kudos Sarah.

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It is telling that Palin does not even comprehend the point being made. Spirited political debate does not have to incite violence, paint cross hairs or celebrate locking and loading to take on the opposition. If she is unable to see the difference between celebrating violence against your opposition and debating issues, what kind of politician is she.

There is a difference between political debate as evinced by the Lincoln/Douglasdebates or even Kennedy. Nixon or Bush/Gore and the style of demagoguery she espouses. She seems to subscribe to the Hitler/Goebbels School of Demagoguery and Propaganda instead. She would rather inflame emotions than debate issues rationally.

There are numerous other talking heads and politicians of all political stripes that could face similar criticism but she is the one whining unfair.

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From the comments of the neo-cons here, it is so obvious who her target audience is: the gun-toting, God-fearing, undereducated, republican base. The same 20% who still think GW did a good job (and voted for him because they can spell GW most of the time). They're as predictable as the audience at a "Pro Wrestling" event and easier to market to.

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You say "she was unjustly connected with he shooting"; while I can agree that there is likely no direct link between Sarah Palin and the shooter. It was Congress Woman Gifford that made the link to "heated rhetoric" the crosshairs on the map and said you have to expect that your choice of words have consequences. Since she was the primary target, that is close enough link to warrant a little backing down, but no Dear Sarah had to double down in stead.

It probably would have be best if Sarah had said "we have taken down the map because, while I do not believe it has any link to the shooting, I do not want to cause the Gifford family any more distress. But no! Poor Tone Deaf Sarah uses the term Blood Libel in her own defense. A term offensive to many Jewish People because it is the Blood Libel that was used to justify killing the Jews. Oh, and do I need to point out that Congress Woman Giffod is the first Jewish representative from Arizona?

Sarah's handling of this hole situation has been tone deaf and utterly clueless. I also read two conservative posts and heard another that used the term Blood Libel before Sarah's little video. It was not even an original thought for her, she copied something without clearly understanding the breadth of the term.

I have not gone to name calling Sarah, but I think she has managed to show herself to be morally bankrupt.

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There is no way that Ms. Palin will run for president in 2012 unless she is irretreivably stupid. Why would she want to give up her self aggrandizing money machine and her little circle of mindless worshipers to have to answer questions about her beliefs, practices and pronouncements? She is just playing to her base and stirring controversy to try to squeeze more money out of anyone who is silly enough to listen to her.

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How can Sarah be stupid? She reads "oh, just everything".

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The whole "Blood Libel" thing never bothered me... what bothered me was people were shot and killed, especially the little girl and instead of ignoring her "critics" and calling for peace and unification, she labeled herself the "Victim"... the real victims are no longer breathing.

Always had to be about her.
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Soggyblogger

Seattle Needs a Scapegoat

Seattle sports fans are desperately in need of a scapegoat. I nominate Mike Williams. He is officially charged with four dropped passes in the Seahawks loss to the Chicago Bears. He may not be the only Seahawk who dropped critical passes in that loss, but he was the most persistent. Cameron Morrah, the replacement for injured John Carlson the starting tight end for the Seahawks,  dropped a long pass on a critical third down play in the second quarter which would have put the Seahawks in the red zone. Morrah was replacing Carlson who was taken from the field immobilized on a stretcher directly to the hospital as a precaution against worsening his injury. Instead of a first down, the Seahawks punted and Chicago marched down the field for another score.

But that was it for Morrah who had not dropped an obvious pass all season up until that point, and wasn't given another opportunity because of a turf toe injury which removed him from further play. Not so for Mike Williams who made a few grabs for short yardage including one touchdown pass, but three of the four situations where Mike Williams dropped passes were third downs and usually the passes hit both of his hands. Hasselbeck was nearly perfect all day long. The same cannot be said for the Seahawks receiver corp.

Golden Tate had an opportunity to make an exceptional reception in a critical moment to extend a drive and put the Seahawks in the red zone again, but let the ball fall without being caught. End of offensive series with another punt.

Obamanu was slightly better but dropped at least one pass too, and if there was any satisfaction in making the entire receiver corp the scapegoat that would be fair. However, it is not very satisfying and ignores the glaring mistakes made by one receiver with almost machine regularity.

Each time Mike Williams dropped a pass he could have been a hero and his previous drops could have been forgiven if not  forgotten. I kept telling myself, "it's not too late to be a hero, Mike" but then he would drop another pass. Finally, when it was much too late to alter the outcome of the game, and Hasselbeck was completing passes to a variety of receivers, I thought it would be charitable of Hasselbeck to throw another touchdown to Mike Williams as a compassionate act. A "hey, I don't hold any grudges, brother" message would have been sent, but towards the end of the game as Seattle began to rack up some yards, Williams was no longer the first target.

On the other hand, Mike, if Hasselbeck has not approached you recently and patted you on the ass and said, "forget it brother, you'll get em next time...." then he may have gone to Pete Carroll and said, "Trade him! Now! Before I have to play with him again. It's Trade Mike Williams or I am gone!" Sprinkled into his speech might be phrases such as "slippery handed mf...." or "the wideout without any fingers!" and the like.

Mike Williams appropriateness for the sacred scapegoat position is enhanced significantly by his recent signing of a three year contract. No one misses the irony. No one.

And that is why I hope the Seahawks show some responsibility and establish a suicide watch on Mike. He is in a fragile psychological situation. Professionals should be consulted and every effort should be made to encourage Mike to seek treatment voluntarily.

There should be no shame associated with it. All of us, at times, would benefit from a friendly visit to a shrink.

I do not have a source inside the Seahawk organization, and so it is only speculation as to whether any ostracization has been initiated. I hope not. I have witnessed the mental disease riddled husks left after Jehovah Witness' ostracization of one of their members. Given the camaraderie of a football team, I can only surmise that the results would be even more tragic.

Yet Seattle sports fans need someone to fill the role of scapegoat. Mike is the perfect candidate. The offensive line or the cornerbacks are weak candidates even if there is some truth to their complicity in the Seahawks loss. The O-line for their inability to create any running lanes, and the cornerbacks for making every quarterback the Seahawks have faced look like an  awesome quarterbacks when other teams routinely shut them down.

Yes, we lost. Yes, Chicago may be a better team. Nevertheless I believe the game was winnable with a perfect performance from the receiver corp. Hasselbeck delivered the ball and those guys missed the catches way too often.

My life will go on without much ado, but Mike Williams will probably need some form of help to move on. I hope his teammates and coaches will forgive him and move on to next season with good cheer. Hopefully, a few million dollars will sooth Mike's mind.