Image of the day

Captured by
Terry Wood

Jupiter (clearer) Nov 5th 2023 w/Mewlon 180c

My Account

New to Astromart?

Register an account...

Need Help?

Posts Made By: Mel Maki

December 11, 2006 01:28 AM Forum: Politics

Scaremongering

Posted By Mel Maki

A dirty bomb in one of our large ports is set off. It kills some people in the port and contaminates a larger area. A million people will panic, grab some family and a few items, and try to leave town. Gridlock. Violence. Where will they go if they make it out of town? The ports will be shut down. Panic buying will empty the stores. Goods and services will not be available. Total civil disorder in a large city? Hundreds die. Thousands? People will be screaming for a response. Politicians will shoulder their way to a camera talking tougher than the last one and will give them one. If enough Americans were killed the military response could be large.

I understand a dirty bomb is not that difficult. Still, is this just scaremongering?

February 12, 2009 09:01 PM Forum: Politics

Tax Holiday

Posted By Mel Maki

The cost of the stimulus is roughly the amount the IRS gets from individuals in eight or nine months (including the interest might take it up to twelve months). Would the economy get a better boost if the IRS didn't collect from us for eight or nine months? Would people raise hell after the tax holiday was over and the IRS started taking their share again?

March 12, 2009 06:24 AM Forum: Politics

Re: stimulus money for self-aggrandizement

Posted By Mel Maki

This bill contained almost 8,000 earmarks. What happened to his campaign pledge to go through this budget "line-by-line"

Obama promised to slash earmarks to no greater than 1994 levels. That promise is still on the White House website.

July 17, 2009 05:32 PM Forum: Politics

Beg a ride to space

Posted By Mel Maki

Poverty and disease and social ills will always be with us. If we had waited...

http://mobile.washingtonpost.com/detail.jsp?key=412647&rc=op&p=1&all=1

August 22, 2009 01:26 PM Forum: Politics

Release needed for better trade deal?

Posted By Mel Maki

The welcome for the Lockerbie bomber released for "compassionate" reasons is difficult to watch. My link says he should have arrived in a box. Watching our college professor president saying the release was inappropriate wasn't helpful, either.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/21/AR2009082103326.html

September 18, 2009 06:17 PM Forum: Politics

Legalize illegals?

Posted By Mel Maki

http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/sep/18/obama-ties-immigration-to-health-care-battle/?feat=home_cube_position1

Step right up. Plenty for everyone.

October 2, 2009 04:12 PM Forum: Politics

"Conceptual Language" Bills

Posted By Mel Maki

The Finance Committee defeated an admendment 13-10 that required full language of proposed legislation to be online for 72 hours before final committee vote.

This morning the committee completed their work on the health-care bill but they used "conceptual language."

Thomas Carper(D.-Del.)said the actual text will be "incomprehensible." He says anyone who says they can read the actual language and get much out of it is trying to pull the wool over our eyes.

What's wrong with having the actual language online for a couple of days before voting? A lot of things can get slipped into the legislation between the "conceptual language" and actual text.


October 26, 2009 09:44 PM Forum: Politics

"Flying Imams" Get Paid

Posted By Mel Maki

http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2009/10/debate-on-post911-travel-our-view-flying-imams-settlement-carries-costs-for-air-safety.html


Our legal system at work. The Imams and their lawyers deserve nothing and should pay court costs.

"The only way to determine whether a real threat existed was to remove the Imams from the plane and investigate."

November 6, 2009 09:18 PM Forum: Politics

Fort Hood

Posted By Mel Maki

Did the chain of command protect a budding terrorist?

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/fort_hood_xjP9yGrJN7gl7zdsJ31vnJ

November 9, 2009 08:31 PM Forum: Politics

More PC

Posted By Mel Maki

Chris Matthews-Unclear if religion was a factor in the shootings

Geraldo Rivera-For all I know he had a bad tooth

NY Times-Another soldier snapping. The military's fault-too much tension.

Liberal San Francisco KGO caller-The Christians caused this. They gave him a hard time. The host agreed.

NPR-Talking to returning soldiers gave him "pre stress disorder"

Has Obama's administration used the words "Islamic terrorism" or "radical Islam" ? Haven't heard Obama say them.

Is five per cent of Islam radical? That would be about fifty million.