“How long can it take to count a caucus?”

Better question: How long does it take to perpetrate some face-saving caucus fraud?

I will take the nomination at the convention

Dear Mr. Dickinson

Just wanted to ask if you published a winner to your RS Caption Contest?

Keep up the good work, I enjoy reading your posts.

I can’t really figure out why this is surprising. Mccain is trying to gain the support of the republican base. You can’t do that until you have stolen a few elections

This IS unbelievable. Tim, please do everything in your power to not let this story die, because everyone else is letting it and it’s a shame. I hope this blows up in McCain’s face spectacularly and rallies up people behind Huckabee. For McCain to think that as the presumtive nominee he can get away with anything stinks of the kind of arrogance that threatens deomcracies.

Unbelievable? That’s a stretch. It’s a bad call and one guy is standing naked on stage. Leave him alone.

This is politics. People involved are politicians. They all want to be in the limelight. That’s why there’s such a scramble in conventions to be the the state that gets to put a candidate ‘over the top.’ There’s always a rush to make ‘news.’ Well, this guy did.

(jed Clampett)

Just another indication of how our government has been hijacked, independents don’t get a say on who the only two parties can stick us with(your fuc#ed).
A winner take all system of delegate allotment. Delegates that can ‘change allegiance’ if their candidate ‘drops out’. A state being denied the right to make their voice heard because of the date they chose for polling. Superdelegates, a way to prevent a ‘non member of the club’ from joining. And allowing politically connected operatives to create a voting system that has no accountability or ability to double check and is mired in secrecy and ineptitude. It’s not just a particular party, there’s collusion on both sides(that’s the problem with a two party system, it can easily coalesce into a one party system giving the illusion of two), it’s indicative of the malady that seems to affect a great majority of americans… blinding apathy.

Jed,

While I agree with all you say, I believe calling it an ‘American’ thingie is a stretch, unless you want to use that as a label. We’re the first (?) to have the luxury of such shenanigans, at least under the guise of a democratic system.

In reality, all of this is business as usual for homo sapiens.

I am interested in your calling it a one-party system, ala Mexico perhaps. More truth there than I had considered. Sometimes a thing need be spoken before it’s clear.

Elsewhere others have lamented how much one or the other candidates look as though they’re on the wrong side. Perhaps, according to you, they’re all on the same side. Food for thought.

And we sure as HAIL have seen what the one-party did down South.

One Little Proxy Error …

(Jed Clampett)

Not at all saying it is a purely american thing. You know my provenance so can understand that I’ve seen many different types government, and have studied the phenomenon of political pandering at length. The russian revolution was inspired by the same hatred for greed and as a protest to the misery the pupulace was subjected to. The promise of a political system based on community and social justice definately appealed to them, just as they later did to the chinese. However dedicated they were to their ideals, once they took the seats of power, all the stated ideals were tossed aside and another culture of greed, favoritism and corruption was born. Same happened to China, In both countries, the intelectuals and artists were murdered for being archaic. To me the intelectuals and artists are our connecting link to spirit, since they usually attempt to bring harmony rather than chaos.
So what makes us think we are immune here? Pol Pot was just a farmer before he became a despot.
The lable is the least of the problem and focusing on it is to allow us to be misdirected in our endeavor to find a true solution.

Mexico is a special case, the greed and corruption there is much like that in colombia, fueled by american drug money. One side fed by the insatiable appetite of the american public for stupefacients, and the other side by the american tax payers money that is willy nilly tossed around there in the hopes it will be used appropiately (hopes-becaues they haven’t had oversight of those funds). Colombia has been receiving billions in american aid yet the production line keeps growing. WHY?

I think I see one that is way out of the norm and it gives me hope that things can change… hope in one hand… I know.

I believe all can be laid at the feet of one idol which all the religions in all the world have been unable to defeat, and which is one of your favorite subjects: Greed!!

(Jed Clampett)

Right, and greed is a willful act by those that would rather exploit others than do work themselves. It is something that should be held accountable within the protection of our laws, yet it is not… why? What makes the people so content with the greedy leading them on a path of destruction?
Why do people allow themselves to be blinded by fear, consumed by lust and destroyed by their own volition?

Original Sin?

(Jed Clampett)

There’s no such thing. It was a concept introduced when the Church was hijacked, it provided them with an excuse to act wrongly and not be accountable for their actions… they just blame Adam. Then at the end, they think all they have to do is ask for forgiveness and regardless of all the evil sh*t they did while alive is washed away like magic.
Perhaps it can be considered Kharma acted upon in a negative fashion.