School snow daze - in reality snow days, temporary layoffs in disguise, save the districts far more $$$ than they lose in federal matching dollars, so the real truth is that it's all about economics, state school financing, lack of local financial control, and in a number of cases bloated school administrative bureaucracies [where much of your taxpayer money truly goes,NOT into the classroom]. School boards blindly follow the superintendent they hired so as not to look foolish when things got south, check out Portland Public Schools several years ago when they hired an incompetent, unqualified superintendent that decimated the east side schools and basically left the west side schools, where parent's wielded clout and resources, alone. She jumped ship to go work for Bill Gates while the district sank!]

Re: Pfc. Manning, I don't really consider that a raw deal.

That's kind of the risk you take when you violate every oath you've sworn to uphold by delivering 251,287 classified state department cables, combat videos, and tons of classified communications from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan directly into the hands of your nation's enemies.

I'm not defending the content of the disclosures, I don't believe Assange should be prosecuted, and I'm a huge enemy of excessive governmental secrecy, but this guy had to know of the potential consequences for his actions.

everything C.C. said.

#mercyleaks. I don’t believe it wasn’t your fault.
@CC. Yep.
Heavy-duty guns? Fuck yeah. We don’t supply the weak-ass firepower.

I thought *I* was the Enemy of God. Now I'm just totally confused.

Not one damned word in these pages on those psycho nuts from Westboro, or the Supreme Court Ruling.
If the controversey was about protests at Gay or Jewish funerals I bet I would have seen something here.

BTW, the lynch mob here doesn't seem to care that Manning hasn't been convicted of anything yet. But, sure, let's keep him isolated in a box 23/7 and make him stand naked outside his cell. It's the American way!

@frankieb: Maybe ignoring those dumb fucks is the best thing to do. They're desperate for attention. The Court has spoken. Ignore them or outnumber them, whatever people want to do, but what more is there to say about them?

Also, your implication that we don't care about soldiers who've died is ugly and, frankly, ignorant.

People like frankieb, who believe that WBC should be silenced, help them thrive. They don't have no allies because they are free to speak loud and clear. But if the courts had forced them to shut up and stay home, all you would know about them is that they are a religious group whose right to speak was being suppressed by the courts. They would get sympathy (at least from some people). Thankfully, they have the right to speak publicly and make assholes of themselves. Not even a hick piece of shit like Mike Huckabee will side with them. Read your J.S. Mill before you say dumb shit about gay and Jewish funerals.

Um, I meant to say either "don't have" or "have no." I wouldn't bother to clarify this, but I called Huckabee a hick. That's what I get for being serious on Friday.

I always had faith in that one species of spiders would take down a Corporate Assembly Line.

Re: Westboro's presence "in these pages": http://blogtown.portlandmercury.com/Blogto…

I think it's great that NC is turning from growing tobacco to growing truffles. I heard that poppy farmers in Afghanistan are growing saffron crocuses instead. Give them something good to grow!

Thanks Denis, I don't know how I missed it. And thanks to you too Todd.
Darkness, I don't know how you came up with half the shit you wrote, or where you found it in my words.
We are on the same page here, I believe.
I don't disagree with the ruling, but those dumbfucks piss me off to no end.