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Friday, September 10, 2010

Open Thread: Discussion Forum


Keep your comments coming. Feel free to use this space as an open forum for discussion. We'll be back later with more local political coverage. There's a lot going on, from questions of religious (in)tolerance in the country to predictions of a Republican takeover in the U. S. Congress and here in Hays County. Why have people become so angry and hyper partisan? Have graciousness, neighborliness and civil discourse become lost social art forms? The ancient Greeks, we know, were famous for their great intellectual debates. Wonder what they would say if they came to visit the 21st Century?

Send your comments and news tips to roundup.editor@gmail.com or click on the "comments" button at the bottom of the story


29 comments:

Anonymous said...

What would the ancient Greeks think? Well, they might be ashamed that we claim their heritage as the basis of Western thought and society...

The Last Poet said...

Lyrics by Mose Allison from the song of the same title:

"Ever since the world ended,
I don't go out as much.
People that I once befriended
Just don't bother to stay in touch.
Things that used to seem so splendid
Don't really matter today.
It's just as well the world ended--
It wasn't working anyway.

Every since the world ended,
There's no more bible belt.
Remember how we all pretended?
Going 'round, lying 'bout the way we felt.
Every rule has been amended,
There's no one keeping score.
It's just as well the world ended
We couldn't have taken much more.

Ever since the world ended,
There's no more black or white.
Ever since we all got blended,
there's no more reason to fuss and fight.
Dogmas that we once defended
no longer seem worthwhile.
Ever since the world ended,
I face the future--
With a smile.

Whitey Mann said...

Hey all you right wing Obama haters, plan to attend the annual European Heritage Festival, scheduled for Oct. 23, in Pulaski, Tennnesee, home of that famous American patriot group the Ku Klux Klan.

The event is sponsored by 1) the Christian Revival Center - led by long-time Arkansas Klan leader Thom Robb; and 2) the Knights Party USA (better known by its original name of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan), which is Robb’s “political” organization.

On hand to celebrate the festivities is the Voice of Reason radio, which features interviews with “European-American” nationalist luminaries such as Jamie Kelso and Tomislav Sunic; and Abundant Life Fellowship of Morgantown, Ind. Abundant Life’s pastor, Jonathan Harness, is apparently a reader of Klan material. Last year, he responded to a blog by Robb’s daughter, who is involved in her father’s racist group, by writing that he was dismayed when black rapper Kanye West rudely interrupted a speech by country singer Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. Harness wrote that West had “absolutely disrespected this white woman.”

“It’s a great place to come and learn about the heritage of European Americans,” the festival’s website says. The site includes links to individuals and groups including great white Americans like David Duke, who founded Robb’s Knights of the Ku Klux Klan in 1975; the Council of Conservative Citizens, a group that has described black people as a “retrograde species of humanity” and opposes “race mixing”; and The Barnes Review, the leading American journal devoted to denying the Holocaust.

The European Heritage Festival follows by three months a “White Unity Day March and Rally” in Pulaski conducted by the neo-Nazi Aryan Nations. A year earlier, in July 2009, the Fraternal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan staged a birthday march in Pulaski for their hero, Confederate Lt. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest. There have been many other Klan rallies in Pulaski over the decades.

Those of you good white folks planning to attend next month’s European Heritage Festival will be treated to hearing speeches and eating hot dogs, apple pie and barbecue pork. Quran burning is banned as that might bring in the wrong crowd. Entertainment will be provided by Charity and Shelby Pendergraft, singing white sisters who call themselves the “Heritage Connection.” Thom Robb is their grandfather. Their mother, Rachel Pendergraft, is spokeswoman for Robb’s Knights Party.

Sounds like great fun. I hear Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck could show up without notice.

jon cobb said...

To everyone that supports Jeff Barton, check-out this link. You have to ask yourself who he works for. Google the names you don't recognize. This should be an eye opener (to some).

https://secure.piryx.com/donate/52CLZBql/votejeffbarton/Sept9

jon cobb

Zeus said...

Dionysus would convince his Greek collegians to make a beeline to New York City, take in a Broadway show, then hopscotch to the West Coast for a tour of wine country. Off to Los Angeles after that to stage a Greek debate at the coliseum with U2 as the opening act. I bet they would have a ball. And so would we!

Also wanted to ask Jon Cobb if he has the right link to Barton's contributors. All I got was a page to make a contribution.

Anonymous said...

Baby Barton's PAC doesn't bother to report its financial data to the public, how he spends his money and where it originated is none of the public's business...

jon cobb said...

https://secure.piryx.com/donate/52CLZBql/votejeffbarton/Sept9

here is the right one

jon cobb

Anonymous said...

I've tried the address on the Barton link twice --- all I get is an opportunity to contribute. I don't want to contribute; I want to see who is helping out the little dweebe.

As to his PAC, it is my understanding that he has a separate PAC, apart from the campaign fund, and that he's never filed the report on that PAC. Does anyone know anything about that?

Anonymous said...

Barton will be appearing tomorrow to decide whether to give himself another raise to himself for his work on Commissioner's Court. Public hearings at 9 AM and 6 PM at the Hays County Courthouse in San Marcos. Commissioners Court will accept public input on their intent to increase their own salaries and to increase ad valorem taxes.

RoundUp Editor said...

Jon Cobb emailed the RoundUp and asked if we could post the full link to Commissioner Jeff Barton's Sept. 9 Austin fund-raiser and reception. The link is too long to fit inside the comment window in one line.

The advertised host committee for the fund-raiser includes 20 high profile personalities and politicians, none of whom reside inside Hays County, save for part-time resident Patrick Rose.

Copy and paste the link into your web browser address window. Here it is:

https://secure.piryx.com/donate/52CLZBql/votejeffbarton
/Sept9

Anonymous said...

RE: BARTON LINK

It still doesn't work for me, but I already got it from a fellow "tired of Barton" Democrat. Everyone should see this. Barton has no shame. Can you imagine if he and little Willie are in charge of our county court?

We will be sold down the river to consultants and construction companies. Mr. Carwash and baby Barton will do all they can to sell our government to pay for their next campaign.
Barton had his ethics removed at an early age. He is so in bed with special interest groups that we might as well elect Haliburton to be county judge. Cobb lacks experience, but
maybe that's exactly what we need.
I wouldn't vote for "cellphone to the nose" Barton if he promised me a new road to my house. Wait, he did that ten years ago. Well at least he paid for the feasibility study.

Anonymous said...

The rumor is that Barton has a secret PAC or a PAC that he's not bothering to report. As the story goes, he reports his campaign contributions, but he doesn't report his PAC contributions. Apparently the shell game of hide the money surfaced when some of his filed reports didn't add up or make sense. ANybody know anything about it?

Richard said...

Well that did it, if the over the top LBJ Liberal, Lloyd Doggett is supporting Jeff Barton, that fact is enough for me to vote against him. Doggett is an embarrassment to Texas and the only Liberal the State that I would use the term Communist to describe.

Here is the list from the donation sheet;

“Join David Anderson, David Armbrust, Hon. Sam Biscoe, David Braun, Hon. Lloyd Doggett, Hon. Sarah Eckhardt, Glenn Gadbois, Hon. Jim Hightower, Hon. Donna Howard, Hon. Lee Leffingwell, Jim Marston, Jack Martin, Nikelle Meade, Hon. Elliott Naishtat, Hon. Eddie Rodriguez, Hon. Patrick Rose, Brigid Shea, Hon. Mark Strama, Hon. Kirk Watson, and Jerry Webberman in supporting progressive leadership for Central Texas,.”

Anonymous said...

try this,

secure.piryx.com/donate/52CLZBql/votejeffbarton/Sept9

Anonymous said...

If Barton will try to hide his campaign contributions from the proper authorities, imagine what he will do with his handling of the taxpayers money if he is elected county judge. As a sitting county commissioner, he is already giving away taxpayer money hand over foot to his business partners and chums. His questionable ethics alone should be enough to get a thumbs down from the voters. Here's one "progressive" Democrat who has no intention of voting for Barton. I am giving serious thought to turning my support to Doctor Cobb. I'm sure the Greeks would understand that. Thank you very much.

Anonymous said...

Hey Ochoa,
Your call for tolerance allows idiots like "Whitey Mann" to post his collective hate on this site? What is tolerant about that? The intolerance of the Left has contributed as much to the intransigence in Washington and everywhere else as has the Right. Those who like to think otherwise had best look at what it's like when the Left (Democrats) like to lead with their version of tolerance - so long as you do what I want, everything is peaches and cream, if I lose power and you govern because you are the majority everyone is wrong and you're nothing but bigots.

Your buddy O'Dell is one of those whose lack of tolerance is highly noted as one of those whose blind bigoted nature is laughable due to its lack of civility.

Anonymous said...

Okay, for you click-only folks, I've made a clickable link to the URL posted by the RoundUp editor:

Barton Fundraiser

Anonymous said...

I wonder what Lila K. and all the other Barton cheerleaders have to say about his fundraiser.
How can we elect a man who owns the newspaper that is supposed to keep the court in-check? How can anyone vote for an employee of Doucet (an engineering firm)? How can anyone vote for a person who tries to hide where his money comes from? Where is the press on this issue?
Come on O'Dell, this one is worthy of your investigational skills. I bet pappa Barton isn't planning an in-depth investigation. I'm sure the statesman is on the way to tell us the truth. I'll just sit right here and hold my breath.
"he may be a snake, but he's our snake" or is he? I bet the money in his PAC will tell us who is pulling the strings. If not, will good time Charlie?

Whitey Mann said...

Richard, I posted the ad for the "European Heritage Festival" almost directly from the their promotional website - with the addition of only a couple of snide additions.

Why are you so outraged at the humor and hypocrisy of the festival? Have you aleady paid for your ticket and feel embarrassed that you were fooled by the "European" label to describe a racist agenda? Seriously, why the anger?

And please enlighten us on how this pathetic event of hate culture could be considered anything other than vile and racist. How can you even justify defending it for anything other than what it is?

Seriously, why? I would love to hear your logic behind the attacks.

Whitey Mann said...

Oops, sorry Richard.

I really apologize for lumping you in with the Anonymous who chastised me for exposing a vile racist festival in Tennessee.

But while I have you on the line, how is Doggett a communist? Does he promote hard goods made by government and sold by government at prices cheaper than the private sector?

Because, Richard, that is what a communist promotes. And other than the military, I don't see the US producing any products that are sold directly to consumers.

If you do, Richard, please also enlighten us ignorant small business people about the real economics of our country. Show me some real tangible goods that Doggett has voted to produce by government factories and I will definitely not vote for him.

Richard said...

You know Whitey Mann, You don’t make a lick of sense in your posts. I suspect you are the product of a public school education, not quite finished.

Wish we were more socialist said...

Sorry, Richard, but trying to discredit Whitey Mann's questions about your silly "communist" accusation against Doggett won't fly.

You clearly cannot back up your "communist" label nor do you understand what a communist is.

And for the rest of you out there who throw around the terms communist and socialist, at least know what you are talking about.

There is NO aspect of our federal government that is socialist or communist. Military, pensions, and welfare programs are government monies that almost entirely filter through to the private sector for the actual provision of goods and services.

Our federal government is a corporate welfare funding system. That reality should not be confused by Goober as socialist or communist.

Anonymous said...

Is there anyone who actually thinks Doggett wil lose? The Travis County Democrats vote for the party, not the candidate.

We have always been different here in Hays County. We must shun this party loyalty bs and vote for the candidate, or we will end-up just like Travis County. My fear is that is exactly what some want. Especially my progressive friends.

Mr. Progresso said...

Yes, Travis County intelligence with Hays County attitude and common sense. That is exactly what I want. What's wrong with that, Mr. Negative Anonymous?

Anonymous said...

Travis County intelligence?? Put down the crack pipe and read a newspaper.

Anonymous said...

Crack Pipe? Travis County is the standard for good county government. Jeff Barton understands this, and is trying to help Hays County transition into the future. From what I have heard, Cobb wants to keep us exactly where we are. Like him or not, Barton has the know how to lead Hays County into the future.

Anonymous said...

Hey, Travis County never voted for Bush in both his presidential elections. That makes them more intelligent than Hay County, hands down.

Anonymous said...

You need to let the Bush thing go. That is history now. Do I need to remind you that Carter is the main reason we have problems in the Middle East now? How about the fact that Clinton is responsible for North Korea's nuclear program? What about Reagan's deficits? Bush's bad choices pale in comparison to Obama's hatred of America.
yeah, I guess Travis County has it all figured-out. We inbred, small-town idiots should be glad that Austin serves as a shining city on a hill. Without their obvious superior intelligence, we would be doomed to suffer from our own stupidity.
All you Austin wanabees should shut your mouths and start packing.

Anonymous said...

Bush is not the past. He and his scum are why the economy is in the tank. Obama cannot reverse in two years what Bush destroyed in eight years.

American voters are fools, plain and simple.