IntenseDebate - Warren

9 years ago @ The Reality-Based Comm... - Photographing Politici... · 0 replies · +2 points

The famous Reuters photo of McCain after the third debate is my favorite example.

9 years ago @ The Reality-Based Comm... - Patriots · 0 replies · +1 points

The problem with relying on changing demographics to help the country outgrow the worst of the GOP is that even if partisan and ethnic identities remain firm and remain aligned, it's going to be awfully slow to have a big effect: Democrats and especially minority-ethnic Democrats are relatively concentrated in urban areas, such that even a fair apportionment of House and Legislature districts tend to significantly undervalue their votes - and we often don't see a fair apportionment. Add to that a historical and largely continuing trend of lower voter turnout and the power of incumbency, not to mention money and especially the unregulated money of wealthy individuals and of corporations, and it will take a long, long time for the changing demographics to truly show themselves in the halls of power.

9 years ago @ The Reality-Based Comm... - Major Mariam · 0 replies · +3 points

In my experience, in colloquial use in the US "jock" can mean one of two things: a crude male-stereotype meathead - or just a dedicated athlete of whatever gender. Given that "fighter jock" isn't obviously especially perjorative (and may even derive from "jockey" more directly, instead of coming by way of "jock"), we might assume it's along the latter lines and so might not be especially gendered.

9 years ago @ The Reality-Based Comm... - Shame on you, Comedy C... · 1 reply · -20 points

Eh. I can live with some deceit entrapping a bunch of outspoken bigots into confronting the reality of their professed, preferred identity. These people volunteered to step up and proclaim how important it was to them that they continue to enjoy the commercial use of a racial slur about other people for entertainment purposes. Maybe they should ask themselves why they're so unwilling to encounter the targets of the racial slur they so dearly love using.

9 years ago @ The Reality-Based Comm... - Mr Smith goes to Katoro · 0 replies · +1 points

But, but, Tony Blair is the greatest humanitarian of our times! GQ said so!.

(but, seriously, what a waste of talent and opportunity. Or, perhaps, what a successful use of talent and opportunity, but to self-interested or perhaps profoundly misguided but sincerely intended aims)

9 years ago @ The Reality-Based Comm... - Scotland ducks a bullet · 0 replies · +1 points

Yeah, I've seen that blunder a fair few times.

9 years ago @ The Reality-Based Comm... - Visa security kabuki · 1 reply · +3 points

The Material Support Of Terrorism laws are, according to what I've read, very expansive and poorly defined. So this may be a cue to get applicants to disclose to officials their affiliations that might otherwise later get them in trouble (have they ever donated to humanitarian relief through an organization some of whose officers might have questionable associations? Have they ever signed a petition sponsored by a group they didn't know much about?). Also, if they do decide to go after some schlub based on the Material Support laws, it's probably easier to prove someone "lied" about their affiliations than it is to prove their affiliations were genuinely problematic.

9 years ago @ The Reality-Based Comm... - While the language pol... · 0 replies · +1 points

A couple of minor notes:
"b" works for bold instead of "strong", and is more efficient and easier for me to remember
The "my url" in the link html must include "http://". This isn't a problem if you've copied the link from the address bar of a browser tab, but it can be a problem if you just type it in.

9 years ago @ The Reality-Based Comm... - While the language pol... · 0 replies · +1 points

I've known people who used the word "gruntled". I don't think it was entirely a cutesy commentary on "lost positives", or at least it continued past the point where such intent mattered.

Also, the Italian practice you describe exists in colloquial American English, at least to some degree - think nicknames, like "Steve-areeno" or "Tommy" for "Tom". Or, for that matter, when to provide a sense of exuberance and informality you might refer to something as "wonderrific" instead of merely "wonderful". The suffixes and modifications are variable, and lack specific meanings, and some of them likely derive from Italian-American usagges. But the phenomenon does exist.

9 years ago @ The Reality-Based Comm... - Rush to judgment on th... · 0 replies · +3 points

Very different cases (from each other, I'm not trying to compare to Perry): Siegelman was convicted for being a Democrat, in a nakedly corrupt and unfair process. Blagojevich was convicted because he was on tape selling a US Senate seat.

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