<p>No greenheads, few mosquitos. They are trying to trick me into buying real estate in MA. The August weather felt like early fall on the North Shore, just gorgeous. I just love Gloucester–what a “real” seaside town.</p>
<p>Careful about falling in love with MA real estate. You will rue that day every time your tax bill comes due.</p>
<p>I know, I know. Thanks for the reality check. Has anyone done a cost analysis of all the free fish and clams versus the tax bite?</p>
<p>Just a little something to rattle the lobster trap.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2006/08/a_gop_terror_bump.html[/url]”>http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2006/08/a_gop_terror_bump.html</a></p>
<p>Barone is so off base, as he usually his, that he’s certifiable, though whether as a mindless shill or merely an idiot would be difficult to say.</p>
<p>For the so-called “terror bump” in the GOP’s fortunes, I refer you to <a href=“http://www.pollingreport.com%5B/url%5D”>www.pollingreport.com</a>. A chimera or other mythical beast.</p>
<p>Doesn’t much matter, tho, Dad, since the corporate mucketymucks of both parties are all in cahoots. There aren’t political parties running our country, but lobbies, corporations and big money. Oh, I guess the latter controls the former.</p>
<p>Hate to be the party pooper, but I don’t think the winners of the midterms (new Dems or not) are going to cause such a hoped for or impressive sea change after all.</p>
<p>AM, concepts of physics like inertia and moments of inertia have their analogs in the social framework and the political process.</p>
<p>Changing institutions, or changing the country’s direction, is like steering an oil tanker. It’s takes a lot of force over a sustained duration of time and even colossal humongous force generally can’t change directions much faster.</p>
<p>That said, the current condition–warning, change of metaphor ahead–is like a drunk driving a vehicle down the street, banging into things, causing multiple sideswipes, running people over, etc. First task: get the drunks out from behind the steering wheel. Second task: have a not-in-denial damage assessment. Third task: Taking results of second task into account, set course on new direction, in a less dangerous manner.</p>
<p>Right now, limiting the power of the drunks behind the steering wheel is Job One. Job Three can’t really begin until Jan. 20, 2009. But Jobs One and Two can at least begin in 71 days.</p>
<p>I would agree that we have drunks behind the wheel, and we need to get those lushes in jail.</p>
<p>However, we have juvenile delinguents as the alternative. I like them better than the drunks, but these JDs are hardly ascetics.</p>
<p>Drunks, eh?</p>
<p>All I know is, I’d rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy…with the Dems.</p>
<p>To each her own.</p>
<p>Oh come on, FS. I know you can provide a better analogy than that. That one is just plain beneath you.</p>
<p>(In other words, you look off your game a bit…are you getting enough sleep?) ;)</p>
<p>You must be too tired to laugh.</p>
<p>…sounds like you need a drink.</p>
<p>Cheers!</p>
<p>The correct (classic) quip is: “I’d rather have a free bottle in front of me than a prefrontal lobotomy” A clue to the age of that chestnut: prefrontal lobotomies were the rage in the 40’s and 50’s but pretty much died out circa 1960. It’s been attributed to Fred Allen, who died in 1956; I first heard it in high school in the 60’s. I like the rythm of the original better.</p>
<p>Well, he did lose the primary…</p>
<p>I don’t plan to hang around these scary political threads (gettin’ to feel like the CC cafe in here) but I must admit, I find the players who are attacking each other in this thread most entertaining.</p>