lol, that is like if i said "well since I can pack an abdominal wound, i am qualified to do a bowel resection" I saw what i could catch of her on 20/20 (and lets face it, Charlie treated her with kid gloves), and i found a slightly more eloquent speaker who says the same sh*t GWB would say. That's not saying much...

I'm sure there are no laws on any books calling hunting murder. However, the brutality associated with Palin's policies in Alaska on bear and wolf hunting, is, imo as close to murder as one can get, and still be legal. I liked a quote i saw on someone's my space page that said something like "did that food you are eating once have a face on it?" Well anyway, Sarah isn't eating wolf or bear meat, i'm pretty sure. I would have never made an issue of the hunting at all if Palin's atrocious policies on it hadn't come to light. I have had a few bf's who hunted in their lifetime. One even used a bow and arrow (but had quit hunting before i met him). I had a bf who took me to an outdoor shooting range one day and showed me how to shoot 9 mm's and semi- automatic rifles. My exhusband and i used to go to the shooting range and i still own the first gun he bought for us. Shooting is a fun sport, but killing animals for fun is another story to me. As for the need for culling, i agree it exists, but if man didn't ruin the habitats and nature of our beautiful planet, it probably would not be a problem. Then again we wouldn't be able to live like the selfish beings we are. I won't comment on your rabbit killing, because i find it to be unsettling. That reminds me of three brothers i know. When they were kids growing up in Alabama, they would kill (and then eat) squirrels. They did it so they wouldn't go hungry. So Del, let me ask you then, how do you feel about Palin's policies on hunting? Many Alaskans have opposed her on this (hunters). edit for typo

I would want to spend it at my favorite restuarant, Buddakan. I have had almost everything on their menu, so i would want a little of everything, with the main course being the Angry Lobster. I would want to spend the meal with Bono and my daughter, of course. I would also invite my friend from Asheville. He loves good food, like i do. http://www.buddakan.com/

Revolution No. 9...The Beatles

oh yeah... actually one of my favorite saxophonist's is Clarence Clemmons and his solo in "Jungleland", especially live, can bring on tears. I love his older days with Bruce and the band as well (early 70's). A lot of Bruce's earliest music had a good deal of the Big Man and his Sax. I like alot of Jazz and Sax is a big reason why.

I would love her to learn piano. I just don't know if i can afford the expense of lessons and renting a piano. Thanks for your advice, it certainly helps to get opinions! I may enroll her in a music class that offers a variety of instruments to see what she likes best and go from there. This is the age to build brainpower and i know music is a great way to do that. So far she loves her ballet class! Her recital is in 10 months and i'm already excited about it! I suspect she will love dance for a lifetime! Best of luck with your musical endeavors!

Palin wasn't given a cheat sheet. She didn't study before hand, so she is going to sound like an idiot. Now we will see tomorrow night (Saturday) at 9pm what she is really made of and how stupid she really is. Joe Biden is going to make her look like a Kindergarten kid!

Interesting. I actually thought about that recently. I think what this country really needs is a Repub/Dem/and Green President (all as co-chairs). Yes, there would be fighting, but maybe they would balance each other out enough for the good of the country. Hey, what do you want from me. I'm a John Lennon lover and still believe peace is possible (in a perfect world)...

Too Old To Rock N Roll, To Young To Die...Jethro Tull

How did GWB get elected twice? Same mind boggling sh*t.

Well that's when i heard it, lol.

I have seen many Americans (Repubs that is) say they don't care what other country's leaders or citizens think. That is the same mentality the "real Americans" have been oppressed by under the rule of the last eight years. I for one, enjoy and welcome hearing what others think. So far, i haven't heard anyone outside the U.S. express anything good about another 4 years of the same. The focus has been primarily on Palin, and that's the way McBore probably wants it. He has no new plans and he is not a "classy" guy, lol. Thanks for your opinion, it's nice to know people outside America care and want us to get over our illness. Pray for us, we need it!

It's called they don't want the people to see what an idiot she is.

lol, for all those early on who called her a female Dick Cheney (who while i loathe this person, has some intelligence), they were WRONG. As i suspected initially, she is indeed a female GWB. SAD and not too bright.

http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/newenergy New Energy for America 5 Million Green Collar Jobs A Bold New National Goal on Energy Efficiency American Energy Read the New Energy for America plan Watch Barack's speech in Lansing, MI on his new energy plan: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Obama’s comprehensive New Energy for America plan will: Watch the VideoProvide short-term relief to American families facing pain at the pump Help create five million new jobs by strategically investing $150 billion over the next ten years to catalyze private efforts to build a clean energy future. Within 10 years save more oil than we currently import from the Middle East and Venezuela combined. Put 1 million Plug-In Hybrid cars -- cars that can get up to 150 miles per gallon -- on the road by 2015, cars that we will work to make sure are built here in America. Ensure 10 percent of our electricity comes from renewable sources by 2012, and 25 percent by 2025. Implement an economy-wide cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050. ENERGY PLAN OVERVIEW: Provide Short-term Relief to American Families • Enact a Windfall Profits Tax to Provide a $1,000 Emergency Energy Rebate to American Families. • Crack Down on Excessive Energy Speculation. • Swap Oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to Cut Prices. Learn More... Eliminate Our Need for Middle Eastern and Venezuelan Oil within 10 Years • Increase Fuel Economy Standards. • Get 1 Million Plug-In Hybrid Cars on the Road by 2015. • Create a New $7,000 Tax Credit for Purchasing Advanced Vehicles. • Establish a National Low Carbon Fuel Standard. • A “Use it or Lose It” Approach to Existing Oil and Gas Leases. • Promote the Responsible Domestic Production of Oil and Natural Gas. Learn More... Create Millions of New Green Jobs • Ensure 10 percent of Our Electricity Comes from Renewable Sources by 2012, and 25 percent by 2025. • Deploy the Cheapest, Cleanest, Fastest Energy Source – Energy Efficiency. • Weatherize One Million Homes Annually. • Develop and Deploy Clean Coal Technology. • Prioritize the Construction of the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline. Learn More... Reduce our Greenhouse Gas Emissions 80 Percent by 2050 • Implement an economy-wide cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050. • Make the U.S. a Leader on Climate Change. Learn More... http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/252753 Obama campaign raps Bush on endangered-species plan The Associated Press Tucson, Arizona | Published: 08.14.2008 advertisementWASHINGTON — A Bush administration proposal that would eliminate the input of independent government scientists in some endangered- species reviews would be tossed out if Democrat Barack Obama wins the White House, his campaign says. "This 11th-hour ruling from the Bush administration is highly problematic. After over 30 years of successfully protecting our nation's most endangered wildlife like the bald eagle, we should be looking for ways to improve it, not weaken it," said Obama campaign spokesman Nick Shapiro. "As president, Senator Obama will fight to maintain the strong protections of the Endangered Species Act and undo this proposal from President Bush." A spokesman for Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, said he had no comment on Bush's revisions. The Associated Press reported Monday details of a proposal by the Interior and Commerce departments that would change how the 1973 law is implemented, allowing federal agencies to decide for themselves — without seeking the opinions of government wildlife experts — whether dams, highways and other projects have the potential to harm endangered species and habitats. Current law requires federal agencies to consult with experts at the Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service if a project poses so much as a remote risk to species or habitats. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne defended the changes in a call with reporters Monday, terming them narrow modifications to make the law clearer and more efficient. In recent years, both federal agencies and developers have complained that the reviews, which can result in changes to projects that better protect species, have delayed work and increased costs. The proposed regulations, which will be published today in the Federal Register, included one significant change from the earlier draft: The public comment period was cut in half, from 60 to 30 days. "In this case, it was determined that we needed to move forward in a timely fashion," said Interior Department spokeswoman Tina Kreisher. If the proposal should become final by November, a new administration could propose another rule, a process that could take months. Congress could also pass legislation, but that could take even longer. My biggest issues with Palin have always been her character, values, aggression, mean spirited beliefs towards nature and wildlife, wants church and state to be joined (i saw video of her doing a sermon not long ago in her Pentecostal Church), and clearly in my eyes and many others, a complete wacko. I'm saying this with complete faith, not to be mean. She is already being indicted on "abuse of power" charges, which afaic are true. I saw the ex-brother-in-law interviewed, and the evidence sounds compelling. She has ideas from ancient times, and she will not carry us forward as a nation (in the unfortunate event she ever has the opportunity). She knows nothing about Foreign policy and would likely lead us into many wars if given the chance. I don't want that kind of person in authority anywhere, not as my boss at work, and the horror thinking my VP, waiting to swoop in when the Pres. can't fulfill his duties. IF you intend to vote for the best person to run our county, do your homework. Watch the interviews on tv, read the paper or internet news, get informed. Make a responsible choice. You obviously don't have much information, and you need to get it. Not from LZ.com people stating their opinions, but from the media (that is our source) and interpret what you learn for yourself. btw...the links i posted are not "speculation"

YOU...George Harrision

She went so far as to sue the Bush admin. over this issue. This looks like a good source, coming out of Anchorage. I posted more links last night on the other Presidential thread, one from months ago, long before most of us knew her name. http://www.akwildlife.org/content/view/116/61/ Polar Bear Lawsuit by State of Alaska Comments / Anchorage Daily News / August 4, 2008 So Palin once again bows to the Alaska Outdoors Council which is so worried it might not have enough Alaskan wildlife to kill for trophies, eh? The federal biologists have shown the polar bears are in trouble. Alaska state biologists have warned they are in trouble. Even the Natives along the Northern Coastal Plain have noted how things are getting worse for the polar bears. But, like Palin, there are commenters in this discussion who are willing to sell Alaska down the drain for a few oil-soaked dollars. I can see the true VECO mentality (?) is alive and well and can be found here in their comments. Palin allows airborne killing of wolves and bears, wants polar bears to remain huntable for trophies, and has generally shown she is even worse than Murkowski could ever have been when it comes to selling out our wildlife to the highest bidder. In response to the March 11 article "Hunters team up for baited bear kills": A thousand years ago, before politically correct phrases like "predator control" (read: slaughter), one has to wonder how the ratio of black bears to moose in Alaska was kept in balance. Hmmm, can we maybe say ... nature? Yes, I'm the meat-eating, beer-drinking type of guy that is rampant in our state, and I was born here, but even I can't stomach one of the rules of this so-called "hunt." And I quote, "hides and skulls have to be salvaged and sealed; meat does not." Seems to me that not one of the bears soon to die has a set of moose antlers hanging on the wall of his den. Bears don't kill for sport, they kill for survival. But man, the "intelligent creature," likes to kill for pleasure. I hope my life never gets that empty. Michael Wilber, Wasilla EDIT http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h3EH5jd...bDGBhgD93011S81 Environmentalists can't corral Palin By DINA CAPPIELLO – Sep 4, 2008 WASHINGTON (AP) — At the National Governors Association conference where she first met John McCain, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin had other business: making her case to Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne against classifying the polar bear as a threatened species. Months later she sued Kempthorne, arguing that the Bush administration didn't use the best science in concluding that without further protection, the polar bear faces eventual extinction because of disappearing sea ice as the result of global warming. Palin, McCain's vice presidential running mate, has had frequent run-ins with environmentalists. In her 20 months as governor, Palin has questioned the conclusions of federal marine scientists who say the Cook Inlet beluga whale needs protection under the federal Endangered Species Act. She has defended Alaska's right to shoot down wolves from the air to boost caribou and moose herds for hunters, and — contrary to a view held by McCain — is not convinced that global warming is the result of human activity. Environmentalists have nicknamed Palin the "killa from Wasilla," a reference to the small town where she formerly was mayor. "Her philosophy from our perspective is cut, kill, dig and drill," said John Toppenberg, director of the Alaska Wildlife Alliance, maintaining she is "in the Stone Age of wildlife management and is very opposed to utilizing accepted science." While acknowledging the climate is changing, Palin expresses doubt as to whether emissions from human activities are causing it. McCain, on the other hand, supports legislation to reduce heat-trapping pollutants, primarily from the burning of oil and coal. "John McCain was all about global warming and the integrity of the science. The selection of Sarah Palin is a complete reversal from that position," said Rep. Brad Miller, D-N.C., who traveled to the South Pole with McCain in 2006 to visit with scientists studying climate change. "She is disturbingly part of the pattern of the Bush administration in their approach to science generally and the science of the environment in particular." The McCain campaign Wednesday characterized Palin as a leader on climate change, noting she set up a sub-cabinet office to map out state response strategies and sought $1.1 million in federal funds to help communities threatened by coastal erosion and other effects. Palin's administration relied in part on research from scientists funded by the oil industry to fight against the polar bear's listing, arguing that the impact of global warming on the bear 20 years from now can't be predicted. But e-mails obtained by a University of Alaska professor show that the state's marine mammal experts supported the federal government's conclusions on the bear. On Thursday, the federal government announced that there was enough scientific evidence to consider listing three ice seal species that inhabit the waters of Alaska as threatened and endangered species because of melting sea ice. The seals use the ice to give birth and raise their pups. Doug Vincent-Lang, Alaska's endangered species coordinator, said the state had not yet taken a position on the ice seals' status. But he stressed that while there were differences in opinion about the science, the state has supported the protection of other endangered species and its position on the polar bear "was not a decision to protect resource development in the state." Supporters say Palin, a self-described hockey mom who knows how to handle a gun and dress a moose and once worked as a commercial fisherman, is simply a reflection of her home state, where the extraction of oil, natural gas, gold, zinc, fish and other natural resources is the primary source of state income and jobs. The polar bear isn't the only wildlife issue where Palin's administration is at odds with environmentalists and at times with the Bush administration and members of Congress. For example: _Her administration disputes conclusions by the federal National Marine Fisheries Service and its science advisers that the beluga whale population is in critical danger. The state argues that 2007 data shows the whale rebounding. _Palin opposed a state ballot initiative to increase protection of salmon streams from mining operations. It was defeated. _She also opposed a ballot initiative barring the shooting of wolves and bears from aircraft except in biological emergencies. It was also defeated. Under Palin, the state Board of Game authorized for the first time in 20 years the shooting of wolves by state wildlife officials from helicopters. The order resulted in the controversial shooting this summer of 14 one-month-old wolf pups taken from dens on a remote peninsula 800 miles southwest of Anchorage — an act that environmentalists claim was illegal. State officials characterized the killings as humanitarian, saying the pups would have suffered and eventually died without the care of their parents. Environmentalists argued they were killed to boost caribou populations to the benefit of hunters. Like many other Alaska officials, Palin argues her critics don't understand the North Country. Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., who has complained Alaska is killing more wolves than necessary and has pushed a bill that would put additional restrictions on the aerial killing of predators, has been among Palin's targets. Miller "doesn't understand rural Alaska, doesn't comprehend wildlife management in the North, and doesn't appreciate the Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution that gives states the right to manage their own affairs," Palin said in a press release a year ago. and one more link...http://www.climatesciencewatch.org/index.php/csw/details/palin_polarbear_climate_anwr/

Drive all Night...Bruce Springsteen or Racing in the Street (sorry couldn't help it)

Republicans are liars, get it right. Our country has been lied to and deceived the last eight years, enough already. Nothing is better in this country, everything is worse. Lets get some people with integrity and honor into the White House...

lol, the C word isn't so bad. What i can see really angering Del, with good reason, how dare Obama use the word "sweetie"? So offensive LMFAO

McCain has said much less than Obama, and mud slinging is all Palin has had coming out of her big mouth. To give some credit, Palin's plans are pretty clear: hunters rejoice, an offered of $150 for a wolf leg, abolish that pesky endangered species protection, drill for oil (Alaska has been preserved way too long), fire all the librarians so we can burn the "evil" books, by god isn't it time religion was incorporated into our government, and by all means, abstinence! Let me ask, do hunters not enjoy sex? By your remarks, Misty, you obviously haven't watched the debates.

Good luck. I say if you have the time and energy, enjoy yourself. You can relax when you get old, lol. I am trying to decide on an instrument to get my daughter interested in enough to get her lessons. I have always considered violin a good choice. Any suggestions? She is only going on four. So far she likes playing around with my guitar, playing her kiddy piano and anything she can blow into (whistles and flutes). I just don't know which way to take this (but piano is the most expensive and so not my first choice). What made me happy today was my daughter taking her second ballet class and receiving my Disney on Ice tickets in the mail! Oh, and the weather is wonderful today, mid 70's with a cool breeze.

This is yesterday's news...

Actually, yes i mean people who hunt for the fun of it. I don't make it a big issue if it's "hunting season", but it bothers me. People who can afford to buy groceries all year round, and drive Ford F250's (i'm exagerrating of course) don't need to hunt for food. Still, i don't go to protests over it. I ignore it. If there is truly a need for hunting a particular species due to overpopulation, so be it. Unfortunately overpopulation is the effect of man's tampering with the natural environment the animals once lived in. Deer are overpopulated because we have pushed them out of their homes, and left them with little food sources as well (in my part of the country anyway). Funny to me, we can kill off all the species because we are so "superior" but we can't get the insect populations under control (off topic rant). Yes, i do consider meat that is bought in the food markets, murdered animals. It also bothers me greatly. I don't eat a great deal of meat, but i do eat a little bit (poulty and pork). I was a vegetarian years ago. I could live without meat, but not seafood. Anyway, i'm not a Peta certified fanatic about this stuff, but i am an animal lover, and i loathe cruelty to animals. I despise the manner in which animals are bred for food. Most of the meat i do eat is purchased from a Lancaster Dutch farmers market, where they are raised in a more humane environment than most. But thank you, Matthew, i will now eat even less meat than i already do. btw... meat isn't really that good for our health. Contributes not only to heart disease (red meat being the worst) but many types of cancer. http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=894...v=menu510_2_5_1 Bottom line, the issue that strikes a cord with me, and many others, is the mean manner in which this woman finds enjoyment. Palin sued the Bush Administration over the protection of polar bears (endangered species). As i heard it put, one of the only times she disagreed with GWB. This article is more than 3 months pre McCain/Palin. From The TimesMay 23, 2008 Protecting polar bears gets in way of drilling for oil, says governor Tim Reid in Washington The polar bear should be removed from the endangered species list because its protected status will hamper drilling for oil and gas in Alaska, the state's Republican Governor has demanded. Sarah Palin is suing the Bush Administration over its decision last week to place the animal under the protection of the Endangered Species Act, claiming that climate models predicting the continued loss of sea ice - the main habitat of polar bears - are unreliable. The lawsuit came as a surprise because most of the outcry after last week's decision came from environmental groups. Although pleased that the Bush Administration had singled out climate change as a reason to place an animal under the protection of the Endangered Species Act, the green lobby were dismayed about restrictions attached to the listing. The listing came with a big caveat: that it should not be misused to harm the economy and “set backdoor climate policy”. Some environmentalists also accused the Administration of deliberately delaying the ruling to make it easier for oil companies to finalise $2.7 billion (£ 1.35 billion) in offshore oil leases in the Chukchi Sea, an area that is home to about 20 per cent of the world's polar bears. Numerous lawsuits were threatened by the green lobby. Related Links US moves to protect polar bear Polar bears on an Arctic safari Yet the Governor of Alaska - a state whose residents overwhelmingly support oil exploration - is arguing that the polar bear does not need added protection, and the bear populations have increased significantly over the past 30 years because of conservation. Ms Palin maintains that any commercial development in Alaska requiring federal permits or funding would have to go through a consultation process - described by Steven Daugherty, Alaska's assistant Attorney-General, as “basically a big time-and-money waster”. He added: “We believe that the listing was unwarranted and that it is unprecedented to list a currently healthy population based on uncertain climate models.” There are an estimated 20,000-25,000 polar bears in the Arctic, but scientists from the US Geological Survey predict that two thirds of the world's bears will disappear in the next 50 years because of a decline in the Arctic sea ice. In a stark warning last year, scientists at the National Snow and Ice Data Centre said that the total Arctic ice cover had melted to its lowest level in modern times, and that if melting rates continued the summertime Arctic could be ice-free within 80 years. Kassie Siegel, of the Centre for Biological Diversity, said that it was unconscionable for Ms Palin to ignore overwhelming evidence of global warming's threat to the polar bear's habitat. “Even the Bush Administration cannot deny the reality of global warming,” she said. “The Governor is aligning herself and the state of Alaska with the most discredited, fringe, extreme viewpoints by denying this. “She is either grossly misinformed or intentionally misleading, and both are unbecoming. ” Dirk Kempthorne, the US Interior Secretary, who made the listing, said that it was based on three findings. “First, sea ice is vital to polar bear survival; second, the polar bear's habitat has dramatically melted; third, sea ice is likely to further recede in the future.” Changing list 48 species have been removed from the endangered list since 1976 17 of these were taken off after errors in the original data 9 species have been been delisted because of extinction Rocky mountain grey wolves were removed from the list this year after controversial reintroduction programmes increased their numbers to more than 1,500 Idaho springsnail was removed from the list last year after the Fish and Wildlife service responded to a petition from the Idaho Governor’s Office arguing that its listing in 1992 was in error Yellowstone grizzly bear was removed from the list last year. In 1975 their numbers in the Yellowstone ecosystem dwindled and the species was in danger of total disappearance. But by 2007 there were more than 500 — no longer meeting the Endangered Species Act’s definition of threatened or endangered Source: US Fish and Wildlife Service Have your say I am still amazed how people believe spin and hype without doing research. New energy sources? Why are we still using technology from the early 1900's? The gasoline engine has been outdated for decades. We need a replacement, not better fuel economy. Brian Vaught, La Grange, GA, USA Sarah Palin is a crazy extreme religious wak job. Her type should never be allowed in the white house. It is bad enough we had Bush for 8 years. This woman will roll back every protection and women's rights that have been hard won by women over the many years. Jane, Savannah, GA., USA Go for it Sarah! What really counts in this world is money and more of it! When every thing in the world is finally gone, we can stuff our mattresses with it! Nelson, Hudson, USA www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/ news/environment/article3987891.ece edit: and Matthew! if you read the links about her aerial killing policies, you must understand why the criticism and judgement of her is so harsh. It's well deserved.

Until The End of the World...U2