Czuch:No I'm not a progressive.  ;)  But when it comes to music, there are certain musical tastes I have that allow for individual expression.  Usually I'm a traditionalist when it comes to most things.  Music is no exception.  But thee is a lot to be said for interpretation and putting emotion into a song.  I'd say that when you sing together, you sing it the traditional way.  When a solo, you sing it your way (ala Frank Sanatra) 

Artful Dodger: no, you arent sure???

Czuch:No but I am a musician and so I probably see it through my musical training more than through my political lens. ;)

Artful Dodger: The point is that its a traditional kind of song... what if the army started doing it to their marching songs??? You sure you arent a closet progressive liberal?

Vikings: I see.  Well I think for some that's true.  Sandy Patty certainly could hold the notes.  I've never thought of it as I can't sing either way.  I sound like Paul Stooky. 

Czuch: I think it's just a style of singing.  Listen to the American Idol contestants that make it.  they all do that.

And jennifer houston rocked the house.  

Artful Dodger: I missed the songs, I was talking in general, as a musician, singing where they slide all over the scale bugs me I think it takes more talent to hold the note

Artful Dodger: so you think it is something to celebrate.....something succinctly American, that makes and helps us stand out as a cut above the rest?

Czuch:Not really.  I like they way they sang. 

Artful Dodger: Any recollection of another countries anthem being done like this?

Vikings:  Faith Hill can hold a note for a long time.  Have you heard her songs? 

Czuch: I'd normally agree with you on this one,but Hudson lost 3 members of her family recently in a savage attack,if heart and soul have any value,she delivered

Artful Dodger: I don't, I think songs are sung that way because even tho they have a great voice, they are not capable of holding a note for any amount of time

Jim Dandy:

erratic weather patterns are example enough.

Erratic patters are common, there is no science to them, thats why the scare tactics about everything melting is a better tactic

Czuch:I think you're over reacting.  A bit.  ;)  Patriotism is from the heart and singing and interpretation go hand in hand. 

Czuch: Blame Jimmy

Is it just me??? When did our national anthem become a pop song, ripe for the interpretation of these pop artists who sing them before events???

Sometimes they sound okay, but if you think about it, really, its our national anthem, there is one way it should be sung, and there should be no changing it with artistic impersonations!

BTW, do ever hear the Canadian anthem or any other anthems done so differently every time??? NO, you dont, and I dont like it being done to my anthem either, am I over reacting???

Artful Dodger: I've always been a fan of the KISS method

" you know the Germans always make good stuff"

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=Ns4mnmNBk1Y

Jim Dandy:
  He could hold peace conferences with Israel and Hamas "Sham Wow" style. 

Artful Dodger: If you really want to improve your "image in the world"................hire Vince(the sham wow guy) as Sec of State

Gitmo will close.  But only because Obama wants to improve our image with the world.  But, what will they do with all those captured terrorists?

They will simply lock them up somewhere else.

They won't be tried in a civil court because the rules of law in civil court has greater requirements on rules of evidence etc.  And let's be realistic, they weren't captured by CSI Miami.  They were captured on the battle field.  Soldiers don't have time to take pictures, collect bullets, interview "witnesses" or any of those other required evidence components that would be required in a civil court. 

The terrorists aren't with a government per se.  They don't wear uniforms.  Some argue that since they operate outside the rules of the Geneva convention and are not therefore entitled to Geneva convention agreements on treatment.

Likely the US will find a "new home" for the detainees and then try them by military tribunal.  It won't be a complicated procedure.  The fact that the detainee will have been captured on the battle field or is a known terrorist (where evidence does exist to support the claim) will likely be enough to detain some indefinately.

If Obama lets some go and they turn around and attack America or her interests, Obama won't survive the political fallout. 

Czuch: People tend to confuse "global warming" with "heat"...............a cold winter and the nay sayers feel the argument has been quashed.I'm not completely sold on the "global warming prophacy,but the unusually cold and stormy winter we are enduring is not a valid argument,quite the contrary actually.I can understand how some may think "hey,if it was a warm winter you'd also say it validates the argument,you want it both ways"

The truth is,our very erratic weather patterns are example enough.

Czuch:  Besides that, Al Gore's science flies in the face of real science anyway.  He just ignores all the evidence to the contrary and forges ahead.  Well, at least he has a platform now (global warming is more about Al Gore than it is about facts - and now he has to save his face after an award from Hollow Wood and a Notsonoble Peace Booby-Prize.

Jim Dandy: Thing is, its another example of democratic no win arguments.... global warming is really a misnomer, what they really mean is that man is responsible for all kinds of climate changes, that include snow and cold, not just warming..... so while they use scare tactics telling us that NY will flood when the Ice caps melt, they also tell you that the ice storm is a result of global warming as well... they just cover everything, and there is no way to prove them wrong, when every weather even is global warming related.


I just cant wait to see what they are saying in 10 years, long after their "tipping point with no return", and see what they are saying then.... I am certain they will say that they were wrong, and keep moving the tipping point back more and more... and they have the nerve to call republican the "scare mongers"?

Jim Dandy: lol, I forgot about Jim Dandy! 

Artful Dodger: The Wrath of Gore

Bernice:Zowie!  Nasty storms.  The mid-west has suffered a huge natural disaster.  Lots without power.  Mama nature must be on a roll.  She's zapping people all over the planet. 

Weell we survived a cyclone that crossed the coast north of us over night, now all we have to put up with is MORE RAIN and excessive winds............

Bernice:Australia rocks  :)

Czuch: yes well USA needs australia for many things including being sport enhanced LOL

140 billion to climate data models.  hmmm, yeah, that will stimulate the economy.  Chalk it up to Al Gorski and his Pork.

And I am really disappointed that they turned Larry Flint down.  All those "actors" out of work.  Laid off.  Sad. 

The first Aussie to play in a Super Bowl game!

I think this represents more the norm of Islam and the opposite view is the exception.  Yet one never (or rarely) hears about the realities of Islamic terror as a basic tenet of their "faith."  Which is why it's rather laughable when Iranian Secretary of Iran's Human Rights Headquarters Mohammad-Javad Larijani claims that the US is the root cause of terrorism world wide. 

When a 14 year old Muslim girl is abducted and raped, and upon being rescued and returned home she is killed by her family because SHE has shamed the family.  This happened in a Western country.  I can't help but wonder why that family would choose to live in a country that doesn't embrace their cultural beliefs.  What was wrong with their Muslum country that they chose to live in the West?

Or the father who murdered his two daughters because they were becoming "Westernized."  But he brought them to the US as young girls.  He sent them to public schools.  But when the culture began to show its influence on them, he murdered them.  All in the name of his religion.

Sheikh Omar Bakri Muhammad who resides in the UK is being investigated for his support of a "global Jihad." 

We in the West are oftn told that Islam has been "hijacked" by extreme radicals and that Islam in its purest form is a religion of peace.  Hmmmmm.  But those extreme radicals seem to be following the words of the Quaran.  Perhaps they (the radicals) put more emphasis on those passages that incite violence against non-muslums, but even so, where else in the world do we see such large numbers of radical haters of all other beliefs?   We don't worry about Anglican terrorists or Quaker terrorists.  There's always an isolated nut here and there but in Islam, the nuts seem to be the rule. 

Obama will have to face the realities of the enemy if he truly wants to help protect the west.  Bush failed to see the realities of the evil of Islam as a religious philosophy.  The claims that Islam is a religion of peace simply doesn't comport to the realities we see everyday. 

Czuch:That is an accurate description of the democratic party. 

Nancy Pelosi will get knocked off her pedestal and when that happens, I will throw a party!

Czuch:Don't hold your breath.  It is a bit two-faced about them isn't it.  But even if a lefty sees the contradiction, they are too committed to their ideology and too arrogant to admit to it. 

Artful Dodger: yeah... but the fun ones, like the bleeding heart girls, and the fence sitter moderates who always support the liberal agenda, the ones who cant support their beliefs in any logical discussion, those are the ones I miss!

But, their absence and silence says volumes about their opinions.....

On another note, it is amazing that all this history talk and most everything about this election was based on race and voting in a black man for the first time...... just another example how liberals are all about "feelings" over substance and policy... as long as everyone feels good about themselves, who cares about anything else!

Artful Dodger:

unless Obama has turned things around

I just dont think its going to matter.... the economy will turn around with or without Obama... but I think he will end up making it take longer than it would just leaving things alone, not to mention all the debt we will incur getting there.

I am still waiting for some anti trickle down, big bad oil company liberal to explain to me how giving the Banks and other big companies butt loads of my cash in a bail out isnt exactly what they complained about for years under Bush?

Czuch:Let's not forget bwild is here, Pedro, and Vikings.  ;)  There will be more. 

Czuch:It will be their own undoing.  The republican party will go back to its roots and get it together and in two years, the elections will put more republicans on the hill.  Then in 4 years, unless Obama has turned things around, he's out.  8 years of Obama may just be too much for the stability of the USA.  The first 100 days will tell us alot but so far many things he's done tell me that it's still business as usual in Washington.  Where else can you cheat and lie on your taxes and then be put in charge of them?  Maybe Obama can't find a qualified democrat who is also ethical.  That's why he has to appoint a few sleeze balls to his cabinet.

Bwild:Not in a million years.  They'll blame Bush or the Republicans.    I suspect some of the nuts on the left will find ways to continue to blame Bush even into the next decade! 

Artful Dodger:lol....you think they'll admit it?

Artful Dodger:

Its the same ol.... biased to the left, main stream media... and sheeple (no, not she people, but sheep people) who blindly listen to the left wing media... and liberalism, that subscribes to the "government will take care of you" philosophy.... and again, sheeple, who again fall for the left wing garbage that the government will take care of them, and that it is the governments(federal) responsibility to take care of them... and again, biased media, that tells the sheeple that conservatives dont care about them, and will take away their social security and their welfare checks, and their affirmative action... blah blah blah...

You think this country is in bad shape right now???? This is nothing but a long over due correction, it is a good part of an economy that is basically doing what it is supposed to do, and there are no fundamental problems that can be, or should be fixed by throwing good money after bad....

You want to see a country truly in bad shape, truly in need of reform and change, just give us a few more years to see what social liberals will do to us!!!

Czuch:  I totally agree.   People need to stop looking for the government to be their "day care" provider and look out for themselves.  My point was that you won't hear the left complain about Obama's failure in the current crisis because they only play the blame game towards the other party. 

We had a state of emergency here in December.  We were snowed in for about two weeks.  Unless you had 4 wheel drive, you were stranded.  Fine for someone like me as I was prepared (and had 4 wheel drive) but there are some neighbors (older than me types) that needed to be cared for.

I think you and I would agree that the federal government shouldn't be helping the little old lady next door.  The neighbors should!  And the local government should.  We should first help ourselves, be prepared, and then seek to help others.  That's the American way.

Had New Orleans made the right decisions, had they been prepared, had they looked out for each other and worked together, had their LOCAL government officals got off their butts and done their jobs, people would have been far better off.  But they sat on their hands too long, either made no decisions or stupid ones, and then when things went south, they blamed Bush.    Now that a similar crisis (41 people have died so far) is facing the mid-west, it's Obama's turn to take some blame.  But where are the voices?  Proof that the left is dishonest and cares about ideology more than country.

Foxy Lady:  woooo hoooo now we have two girls up here.  Welcome to Dan and Czuch's blog.  Or Czuch and Dan's depending on who you ask. 

Artful Dodger:

We had ice storms up here recently too, and a really big one about 10 years ago, people without power for 5 weeks!!

Thing is, we are a self reliant lot up here, we have generators and plenty of deer meat in the freezer (hahaha) and we look out for each other.....we are not a bunch of cry baby whiners (except for those liberal elitists down in the big city)

But we got nothing in the way of Federal help, and media sympathy.... 1 because it was under a media democrat, 2 because we werent out there pissing and moaning about how screwed we got for living below sea level and still refusing to evacuate when a hurricane is on the way!?!??!?

Hey wait???? I have an edit button??? Means only one thing... someone bought be a membership????

Ok fess up, who was it????

Foxy Lady: ROFL

Bernice: Hey you tell them girl.

Bernice:  Yeah but we love ya for it! 

Czuch:  Lol, and she's on too.  Guess I shoulda gone easy on the girls.    Those with BDS probably need to be handled with kid gloves. 

When the economy worsens, and when Obama's popularity falls, they will see we were right.

BTW, you remember how Bush was criticized for his lack of response in light of Katrina?  Well, where has Obama been with respect to the ice storms the east has had?  People have died and FEMA has done nothing!   But we won't hear the left cry out over that.