Rabbit!

[David E. Ross]

Yup????

I believe Fran Farmer is in Australia and commenting about Tony Abbott, the Prime Minister.

[Frank]

She's still coming from the left.

[Todd]

And she was commenting on both. Even took a swipe at Obama's opposition with the race card:

"Sad tough about all the vitriolic comments that are sent his way - no doubt due to him dusky skin colour and the red colour of the necks of those who make such comments."

Hmmmm. Must be his "race". Has nothing to do with what he "does". She does not realize that the conservative movement practices Rev. Abernathy's (plagiarized by Rev. King) teaching about judging people by their character and not their skin color. When we see Condoleezza Rice, we see Condoleezza Rice. Same goes for everyone else in the movement. When a typical leftist sees Condoleezza Rice, they see an uppity black woman off the reservation. Oh ya, and we'z all a bunch of red necks.

It is sad that she actually believe this nonsense about Americans and her own countrymen as well.

And, for those outside of American that don't know any different, Obama is mixed race: half white and half black. And, none of us (maybe five of us) care. We are Americans first. And, our blood is all the same color.

-T

[Higgs Boson]

ESPECIALLY the poor people! They can only afford the appalling stuff serve d in fast-food chains. They are often ignorant of good nutrition and exerc ise. Well-intentioned groups/schools/organizations try to bring understanding of those factors to their clients, but the price of good fruits and vegetable s and meat/fish is often beyond their means. To wean people away from chea p (and ghastly) TV entertainment and/or computer games and into walking, bi king, any form of outdoor exercise is VERY difficult..

So that's why non-poor people are slim and poor people are (often) fat.

'Fat' is a physical condition. 'Exploited' is a political and social

Sigh! You're describing, alas, a good chunk of the American electorate (th ose who bother to vote).*

• (BTW, how does compulsory voting work in OZ?) Being uninformed worked fairly OK when we had two big oceans between us and the rest of the world, and when we were still puffed up with the 1950's po st WW II "white picket fence" prosperity. (At the price of many lives)

But that strain of anti-intellectualism that has ALWAYS pervaded the Americ an psyche, since Day One, no longer cuts it in the days of international ev erything, from finance to food to weapons to travel to commerce to...

We are no longer able to elect leaders who think their job is to serve the people, not just make a buck and to hell with the environment. The few who try to run for office on a human being platform are drowned out by the gaz illions spent by Our Corporate Masters and their funders. Our tax laws are passed in favor of the .01% by their lackeys in The Best L ittle Whorehouse in Washington. A few attempts are made to repatriate the ENORMOUS sums sequestered in foreign tax havens, but it's rough going.

I used to exhort people to get out there and vote, but am sadly facing the reality that, inter alia, SCOTUS has put the icing on the cake. This count ry is now for sale to the highest bidder.

What kind of country will my children live in after I'm gone.

HB

[Higgs Boson]

Part was enthusiasm; he gave good speeches. Part was horror at the prospec t of the Opposition candidates taking power.

Sad tough about all the vitriolic comments that are sent his way - no doubt due to him dusky skin colour and the red colour of the necks of those who make such comments.

She's referring to the "redneck" stereotype of the ignorant Southerner.

Gotta say, though race and religious hatred are alive and well in the U.S., the difficulties of the Obama administration came largely from the Day One determination of the other Party to wreck his Presidency. They are on rec ord for all to see. They even call themselves the "Party of No".

They are just AWFUL, un-American, arrogant, full of themselves, many basica lly ignorant, voting in lock-step with their leaders. A very few decent ho ld-overs in that Party from the days when the Opposition would work with th e Party in power try to hold the line, but the game is rigged against human s and in favor of money -- by any means necessary.

Back to Obama: Alas, he is not a real leader; he folds at the first hint o f opposition. He's not a "people person"; has very little understanding of how to play the political game -- which unfortunately is a President's pri me requisite.

Do people feel they can do anything about it? You have compulsory voting. Does that help, or hurt?

[Todd]

Hi Higgs,

I think there is more going on here than your think. After my diabetes injury and I started a Paleo diet (no grains, minor amounts of starches, and no preprepared food) I did not notice my weekly food budged going up much at all. Maybe $5.00. I would say 95% of what my family eats is home cooked. The rest, very carefully selected.

I think what is going on here is 1) poor or no home cooking and

2) addictive food like substances. I certainly loved my pasta. "Healthy carbs" my ass. I was pretty addicted and did not realize it until I hurt myself.

The real foods you are talking about (and I now eat) are low profit margin food. Empty carbs (grains, etc.) are high margin (not for the farmer, unfortunately). So, the powers that be push the crap. You see it all the time as don't eat fat, eat healthy carbs. Follow the money.

Songbird elaborates beautifully on the food like substance subject. I cheer her on.

Also, bear in mind, that (my opinion) conventional produce tastes like crap.

I have not noticed that. Pretty women (if you can call skinny women that) seek out successful (wealthy) men would are delighted to oblige them. The old sex object, success object thing. Maybe that is what you are noticing? I could be wrong. Women take a lot more crap over their weight than men do.

I wonder what the rest of that sentence was. But so far, I have to agree with you. Fat bigotry is alive and well. The diet industry makes a ton of money off them. The medical industry has a tendency to treat fat people like crap.

A good thing. See the Thomas Paine quote below.

The environment has been getting better all my life. I am not sure what you are talking about. No one wants dirty air and polluted water, especially not the conservative movement. A lot of us are outdoors-men (I am), hunt, fish, etc.. We definitely do not want the environment harmed.

Here is some great environmental news. Our air quality is getting much better over the last 10 years.

-T

This quote from Thomas Paine's Common Sense (1776) will help you understand the conservative movement and why we are actually a bunch of radicals. His words are why were lost more of a percent of our population in war than any other war (General Washington had all his troops read this several times). If you understand what he is saying, you may be able to offer more constructive criticism of our movement. (I don't think it will convince you, just be more constructive in your criticism. You are definitely on the other side of this issue.)

Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil. We have it in our power to begin the world over again.

Some writers have so confounded society with government, as to leave little or no distinction between them; whereas they are not only different, but have different origins. Society is produced by our wants, and government by our wickedness; the former promotes our happiness POSITIVELY by uniting our affections, the latter NEGATIVELY by restraining our vices. The one encourages intercourse, the other creates distinctions. The first a patron, the last a punisher.

[Fran Farmer]

Yes he did and still does but then good speeches are just pretty words IMO. I spent nearly 40 years working for government, have met most of the top people here in our government and can play 6 Degrees of Separation with the best of them, but I'm not impressed with politicians in general. They are just like the rest of the population - some are as dumb as dog droppings and should be put down because they are wasting good oxygen and some are wonderful people. Most are just FAQ (in the non geek sense).

Part was horror at the prospect of the Opposition candidates taking power.

And sadly that sort of hatred is very commonly paraded on usenet from too many of your countrymen. They are obviously identifiable as being lower down the socio-economic scale but it's not pretty to see such things still alive and well in this day and age.

the difficulties of the Obama administration came largely from the Day One determination of the other Party to wreck his Presidency. They are on record for all to see. They even call themselves the "Party of No".

I didn't comment on his politics or his effectiveness as a President or even on his political opponents and the various nay sayers (even though that is fascinating to watch). I commented on him as a person. He seems to be a decent human being.

He doesn't seem to be all that effective but then the same could be said for many of your recent Presidents. He seems to have less of the mongrel nastiness in him than many other leaders and the most effective leaders. Either they need to have mongrel in them of they need to have exemplary negotiating skills.

[Fran Farmer]

Only to someone on the US right.

I'm from a very long term middling position. Some issues I am extremely right wing but generally I hold a middle position and some issues I am very left wing.

I'm what is known in this country as a 'swinging voter'- that means that I'm not committed to any one party at any particular election and I'm the sort of voter that is wooed by all in order to secure my vote. Swinging voters make up about a third of the electorate and it is the vote of swinging voters whose changing votes results in losses or wins for those who seek to rule the country. I've voted right, far right (but a long time ago when even our far right was less right then our current middle), middle and left. Our current PM and his whole government is extreme right wing and would get your vote.

But of course politics here is always far more left wing than that of your country at any point in the past 4 or 5 decades.

[Fran Farmer]

Indeed. Your left wing is what we'd think of as being fairly right wing.

LOL. If you ever recall where you read that, could you post a link to it please? Given your use of the word 'vulgar' did you get the sense from the article that there was class related objection to tipping?

[Fran Farmer]

Yes. Your politics is certainly interesting and to a certain extent, entertaining as well. Mind you, I frequently want to throw something at the screen when I see some of your grubbier politicians.

It's not actually compulsory to vote as such. What IS compulsory is for everyone over the age of 18 who is not in jail for over 3 years or insane to have their name and address on the Electoral Roll and to be given/receive voting papers (at an voting station or by way of the postal service as a postal voter) and have ones name crossed off the Electoral Roll as having attended a polling station/returned ballot papers. Once you get your ballot papers you can vote properly or you can write all sorts of rude things on them. I always vote properly as does my husband although we do that as silent electors (only our name appears on the Electoral Roll - no address)

That psyche is quite interesting to someone who lives where I do. The US is so close to the parts of the world where most Australians have ancestral cultural links so you aren't the least bit isolated in comparison to us on our big Island continent at the bottom of the world.

I've always found it fascinating to ponder the rates of passport ownership which is so different in our two countries. Last time I checked, my country had nearly a 50% passport ownership in comparison to only about 25% in the US. Given how easily, quickly and cheaply you mob can get to Europe as opposed to how long it takes us, and how expensive it is to get there from here, I'm often spent time wondering why is it so.

Oh yes. And dear old Rupert aiding and abetting with his media.

Yep.

I know that thought too.

[Frank]

OK. Got it. You swing both ways.

[Drew Lawson]

One aspect is lack of need (or perceived need).

While many aspects of the USA are highly homogenized, there really is a pretty good variety of experience without leaving the country. And that doesn't require customs, flying across an ocean or several other hassles. Certainly I know people in the US who are very fond of Europe, and go whenever there is an opportunity.

I've never been. It has appeal, but while I like experiencing the variety, I hate being a tourist. That is probably because I grew up outside Washington DC and saw the constant waves of tourists getting the standard tours and the pamphlet experience.

[Todd]

Hi Fran,

One of the techniques Socialists (they call themselves Liberals) use in this country to attack conservatives is to identify themselves as conservatives to establish their credentials, then proceed to trash whatever parts of the conservative movement they don't like. They stick out like a sore thumb as what they proceed to say are usually Socialist talking points and they display very little knowledge of the actual conservative movement. It is quit disingenuous.

I do believe you are doing the same thing. I say this because your made the point about how much more your electorate leans left than they do in the States. You then point out how extreme the right wing current elected government is. This sticks out like a sore thumb. If the current government was so far right extreme and the electorate so left wing, the current government would have never won a majority in the elections.

The current government made their case to the electorate an the electorate agreed with it. So, if the current government is extreme right wing, so are the electorate.

-T

[Dan Espen]

Hi Todd!

Well, your off topic idiocy has garnered you membership in one more kill file.

I'm sure this is beyond you, but this is "rec.gardens". Don't bother with "I didn't start it". Anyone with a brain isn't listening any more. Wasn't very smart of me to wait this long.

[Todd]

Sorry to see you go.

[Pat Kiewicz]

Do you not comprehend how a kill file works?

Dan kill-filing you has nothing to do with his continuing participation in this news group or with you being able to see his posts. It means he won't see yours.

Regarding rabbits, I believe I managed to trap and exile the one that had been giving me fits by biting through the base of my Oriental and Orienpet lilies to get to the flowers and foliage on top. Live trap baited with apples worked within hours of setting it out!

[Todd]

Sure. Sometimes folks will give it a day or look at Google to see how you respond.

I know. Doesn't mean he won't peek.

I also think it is good for other people to see how I respond.

It is probably best that he kill files me anyway. He gets offended by alternative viewpoints (doesn't stop him from expressing his). He doesn't see debate as great fun and a chance to learn what others of different viewpoints think.

Excellent. Thank you! Love the apple tip.

Still haven't seen any sign out the cute little feller for days now.

Had a frog last year in my garden. He got the king's treatment. Made sure he had all the water he wanted.

-T

[Todd]

Hi Pat,

Dan just did see it. When you quote someone that is in someone else's killfile, the killfiler still sees it because the message did not come from the person in the kill file.

-T

[josephkk]

beloved country losing its soul.

What alternate earth are you on? BHO is a record setting bad president, totally eclipsing his immediate predecessor GHB. We haven't had a decent president since Teddy Rosevelt.

[josephkk]

doubt due to him dusky skin colour and the red colour of the necks of those who make such

Southerner.

basically ignorant, voting in lock-step with their leaders. A very few decent hold-overs in that Party from the days when the Opposition would work with the Party in power try to hold the line, but the game is rigged against humans and in favor of money -- by any means necessary.

hint of opposition. He's not a "people person"; has very little understanding of how to play the political game -- which unfortunately is a President's prime requisite.

OK. I don't expect you to have a clear view of things here. He has been the worst imperialist for a long time, using executive orders like legislation and worse. I hated Bush the lesser as well for many of the same offences. Moreover as a person he is vile and despicable just like Bush the lesser. His track record is public information.

?-)