I say yes, you say no, OR People are Strange

bluedahlia

Hopefully, they learned their lesson.  BTW, has anyone seen the movie "truegrit"?

CherrylH

Yes Blue. I saw it when it first came out. I really liked it.

rosemary-b

I haven't seen the new True Grit but didn't really like the first one.

lewing

I hear it's very convincingly acted.

L

3monstmama

There was an interesting article yesterday or so talking  about how the majority of the new congresspeople [whether in state legislatures or federal or so the article seemed] make/have way way way more money than their constituents. . . . hmmm, I wonder if the idea of taxing themselves has any impact on their decision making process?????

I am preoccupied with watching reports from Japan about the earthquake.  The reports started just as I was about to go to bed last night. It all puts a bit more perspective on the impermanence of life and the need to spend time on things of value---real discussion versus sniping and the like...... I can't help but wonder how many BC sisters are caught up in the disaster.

bluedahlia

Ya, the old one sucked, but the new one is watchable.  The young girl is amazing....just hate that the horse didn't make it. 

Bren-2007

I saw the first True Grit on T.V. the other night.  I'm not much of a John Wayne fan.

Bren

1Athena1

I hope we hear back from Timtam.

bluedahlia

Nice seeing you here Cherryl.  I'm always comforted when I see you pop in!

bluedahlia

Athena, I'm worried about her.  Bumped her thread.

Bren-2007

We have the reports on Japan and the west coast on too.  DH is watching and keeping me posted.  I hope we here from Fumi too, or that she can contact one of us.

Bren

PS .. I like seeing Cherryl here too.

CherrylH

Ahh, Blue and Bren. You're so sweet to me.

Blue, how is your PT going? I hope you're feeling better.

riley702

Has anyone tried PMing her? Although, reassuring online friends may be somewhat (or greatly) hampered and/or low on the priorities list. The pictures and video coming out on the news are mind-boggling, esp. the tsunami rolling houses and cars (some on fire) unimpeded across open farmland. I was astonished to find out Japan has had over 100 quakes >magnitude 5.0 just in the past 3 days! 21 of those were >6.0 and 3 were >7.0

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/quakes_big.php

ADK

I sent a pm to Fumi.  No response yet, but her profile says she was last seen 10 hours ago - I don't know if that was after the tsunami or not.  Edited for typo

Alpal

Weather channel just said 4 million w/o power in Tokyo. May be a while. It actually said 4 million buildings - could that be right?

bluedahlia

Cherryl, feeling much better.  Can't keep me down for long.  hehe!  Too many good things in my life.

ADK

Donna got a text from Fumi - she is safe.

riley702

Yay! That's fantastic news.

Bren-2007

Great news .. I was hoping Donna would hear from her!  Yay!!

Bren

BarbaraA

Thanks Donna for the news.

Bren, I have been trying to think who would be in the race for the reps. I like Mitch Daniels. The rest are unelectable and forgettable. But I think the president has a great shot at it. I would say 60/40 for the dems.

1Athena1

Obama all the way!

Bren-2007

Barbara .. I have to agree with you .. I don't see that great a pool with the repubs so far. 

Bren

PS ... You're welcome at my house any time!!

River_Rat

I am torn about Palin's chances looking glum.  On the one hand I think that if she ran it would guarantee a Democratic victory.  On the other hand I live in Michigan where too many voters thought there wasn't that much difference between the Republican and the Democratic parties and decided to not bother voting and are now having buyers' remorse.  So just the thought of a possibility...scares me to death.

BTW, I'm not one of those that didn't vote.  I am 58 and in all those years the only election I ever missed was one school board election - for which I felt terribly guilty.

BarbaraA

Well, it is Friday and dinner is an unknown quantity. I am headed to a local beach restaurant to have dinner with my dad's wife then I will listen to DH's band. So if they have stone crabs, I am there. Otherwise, I will have to see.

crazy4carrots

Sometimes I think the U.S. and Canada should adopt some other countries' methods and make it a requirement to exercise one's franchise.  The number of voters in this country is a disgrace.  If you don't vote, you can't complain -- that's my personal rule!

Of course, coupled with the requirement would be to actually do some thinking and some research; unfortunately that particular requirement can't be legislated.

1Athena1

River: You bring up an issue that is sore with me and I am perfectly willing to entertain charges that I am intolerant, but I must confess that I have no respect - none - for people who have cast themselves as "undecided" in the last 3 or 4 general election cycles (not talking about any other elections). How can any person with any IQ be "torn" between Bush and Gore, for example, or McCain and Obama? I can understand not voting due to lack of interest in politics, or not caring enough, but something that floors me every time is seeing people who say they read the papers and watch television and are "undecided." I think there must be a major, major learning disability or cognitive impairment there. I don't care who you choose. The inability to understand the lay of the land and know oneself and one's community well enough to see where you fall is frightening. CNN, that network of retards, always manages to have a cast of earnest looking voters sitting through the presidential and vice presidential  debates of, say, Palin and Biden or Bush and Kerry and then say "Well, I don't know, I liked them both."

You wonder if those people can taste the difference between Brussels sprouts and chocolate cake. Or whether they have any opinion as to the preference of walking through rain or snow.

1Athena1

lindasa:

I wish we had the choice of a "blank vote" which many countries do. I would have cast one myself in 1996, not because I even considered Bob Dole, but because I have never liked Clinton. A blank vote tells those in power that you have exercised your rights/duties, gone to the polls, and have made a statement that you think the choices are abysmal.

In the US you have the option of  writing someone's name down, but the blank vote would be so powerful. It earns an embarrassingly high percentage of votes in some countries' general elections.

crazy4carrots

Athena -- how about the option "None of the above"?

BarbaraA

Athena, you live in DC (as did I for 30+ years) and as such, it is probably difficult for you to understand (as it was for me) that the majority of people away from the DC political reporting and newspapers really don't give a rodent's behind about politics. When I moved to FL I was astounded at how podunk the TV stations were and how pathetic the newspapers were.

Then I had to adjust to the culture shock of living amongst rednecks. Not all folks here are rednecks but understand, in DC I had never even met a redneck. Thanks to the internet, I can get good news but when I first moved here, I had bad culture withdrawal.

Anyway. I guess my point is that the vast majority of Amercians just don't care about politics.

River_Rat

Lindasa, our friends in Australia were appalled to hear of our low voter participation rates - but then they said, "Well that explains Bush."  If voting is not compulsory it should at least be more accessible.  It usually takes me about ten, maybe twenty minutes during a big election to vote - while those in the city have to stand in line for hours.  In Michigan you can only vote absentee if you have a specific reason or are beyond a certain age.

Athena, I agree - when confronted with two such different choices how can you not pick one that is closer to your position than the other?!  Well one of my sisters is just such a person.  She watches FOX News most of the time and then balances that out by watching John Stewart's opening to the Daily Show.  She doesn't watch the whole show, just the opening.  She tilts Republican, considers herself well-informed and balanced.....and she liked Palin.   I don't know if she still does. But she says she might not bother voting anymore because there's no real difference between the two parties.

Here in Michigan it wasn't just non-voters though.  Our new "nerd" governor had the "business Democrats" convinced that he was a moderate.  Moderate Republican William Milliken's (Michigan governor 1969-198)  endorsement (He had endorsed John Kerry in 2004 and backed off his endorsement of John McCain in 2008 when McCain's campaign got nasty) swung a lot of votes too.