Slate Political Gabfest
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Slate Magazine
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www.slate.com
 
Marc Naimark

Marc Naimark A reminder to the mocking Gabbers: the closest analogy to female breast cancer for men... is male breast cancer. It may occur 100 times less often than female breast cancer, but it's a real problem.

about an hour ago · Report
Saulius

Saulius I wanted to thank the panel on this week's Gabfest for properly articulating the conservative viewpoints on the KSM trials. Even if you guys ultimately did not agree with the position, it was nice that it was put forth in a thoughtful, and noncondescending manner. Bravo...of course, that all went out the window when discussing Palin, but at this point, I'll take what I can get. Baby steps.

Yesterday at 1:11pm · Report
Beth Potter

Beth Potter Just wanted to applaud John Dickerson for giving cudos to the prematurely cancelled show "Wonderfalls." If the current state of affairs starts to get to you, pop in this DVD. It'll make it all better.

Yesterday at 11:17am · Report
Daniel Margolis

Daniel Margolis Dear All,

I posted a clarification on some of the mammogram controversies in the podcast entry, below. I hope it helps.

Thank you,
Daniel

Yesterday at 10:56am · Report
Slate Political Gabfest

Slate Political Gabfest
Hi all. We're very sorry about the confusion over the current Audible offer. We had a miscommunication and we understand the details weren't clear. Here's what you need to know: Unfortunately, the offer is not available to existing Audible members, and there’s a limit of one book per customer. For those of you who are ...already loyal Audible members, we hope to come up with another way to thank you (as we did with Plotz's free book earlier this year). Still, if you haven't tried Audible, this is a great chance to get a free book without purchasing a monthly membership. Check out www.audible.com/Thanksgiving between now and Nov. 26, 2009, and choose from a list of free titles. Thanks. (AB)Read More

Source: www.audible.com
Jess Clawson
Jess Clawson
I'm not disagreeing with this assertion, because I've never been an Audible customer so I wouldn't know (sorry, y'all - grad school is expensive), but why is it a dishonest company?
11 hours ago
Ed Petersen
Ed Petersen
I have been dutifully depositing $19.99 into the Audible coffers for 5 years or since their inception. I have over 232 books in the library so far. I have always found them to be helpful, with above average customer support. I am sure Mr. Hess has his reasons for make making accusations of dishonesty, but I for one am a big fan. Disappointed I could not get the free books though!
7 hours ago
JT Teerlink

JT Teerlink Once again those of us that are already audible customers do not benefit from audible promotions. It makes me resent them a little, wish they had some competition. I suppose I could go back to my library card just to spite them.

Yesterday at 9:45am · Report
Pam Fasig
Pam Fasig
I find this to be true with nearly all businesses these days. They make all kinds of offers to induce you to become a customer, but once you are a customer they take you for granted. It's annoying.
Yesterday at 11:14am
Stephan Kinsella

Stephan Kinsella
Second bone: Emily accuses Palin of lying because of the Death Panels remark. The other lies or errors that I've heard of seem trivial, and this one does not seem like a lie. See Lew Rockwell here http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/32845.html
"On Morning Joe today, all the Republicans employed by the Obama ...regime
via MSNBC were united with the Dems in chastizing Sarah Palin for her
comment that Obamacare would lead to death panels promoting euthanasia
and infanticide of the “unfit.” How could the mobs possibly think this?
After all, Obama supports federal funding for killing the unborn, and
his plan will massively expand this program. He sends his predator
drones to kill those unfit for life, according to his calculus, in
Afghanistan. He supports a war in Iraq that has taken a million lives.
He has ethnically cleansed millions in Pakistan. He is the product of
an ideological movement that is pro-euthanasia. Of course, Obamacare
will eventuate in killing people."

We libertarians recognize the state is nothing but a killing machine, an agent of destruction and death. You liberals are very inconsistent about this. As the great Ludwig von Mises said, “No socialist author ever gave a thought to the possibility that the
abstract entity which he wants to vest with unlimited power—whether it
is called humanity, society, nation, state, or government—could act in
a way of which he himself disapproves.”
Read More

Source: www.lewrockwell.com
On Morning Joe today, all the Republicans employed by the Obama regime via MSNBC were united with the Dems in chastizing Sarah Palin for her comment that Obamacare would lead to death panels promoting ...
Jay
Jay
So the fact that he has supported a certain war policy, means that the truth of anything that is said - that his health care policy includes "death panels" - doesn't matter. Ultimately nothing you say is going to have any credibility because you can always say "well x isn't true - but it doesn't matter because y is true." What do you mean "... Read Moresuicide is an option"? Suicide is always an option for anyone. That doesn't mean it has anything to do with the health care policy that is being debated. No one has ever talked about "counseling" for "suicide." That's just the same kind of lie as the "death panels" lie.

The fact is that the government is involved in health care and always will be. If you see government as essentially malevolent, then that is a whole separate issue and debate. Most of us just want to see a rational health care system put in place instead of the jury-rigged system we have now.
Yesterday at 1:44pm
Pam Fasig
Pam Fasig
@Stephen You didn't answer any of my questions.
6 hours ago
Stephan Kinsella

Stephan Kinsella
Two bones to pick with Emily. First, she is infuriated with Palin for not giving credit to feminism, even though she "gained" from victories of feminism. I am no Palin fan, and as a libertarian am not completely opposed to the feminist agenda. But criticisms like these seem incredibly unfair to me. They seek to muzzle ...people by virtue of their gender or race. It's okay for a white man to oppose affirmative action but not Clarence Thomas since he "benefitted" from it; a man can criticize feminism ... but not a woman? People have a perfect right to hold whatever views they want, regardless of their gender or race etc.; they can even disagree with a policy that has affected (even benefitted) them. (I oppose patent law even though I've made money off of it; a tax lawyer can oppose the income tax; a cancer doctor can oppose cancer, etc.) Second bone later.Read More

Yesterday at 8:43am · Report
Erin Hastings

Erin Hastings
I was disappointed by the Audible offer as well - the way it was described on the Gabfest was that anyone, even someone already an Audible member, could get audiobooks, and yes, it was described as BOOKS. I wish they had told us it was only one, and for first time Audible members only. I'm just glad I was only embarras...sed within my family for telling them the wrong idea, and hadn't spread it among others of my aquaintance. I realize that sponsors call certain shots, but I wish that our friends at Slate had spelled this out a little more exactly.Read More

Yesterday at 6:09am · Report
Edwin E. Hopkins

Edwin E. Hopkins
I tried the Audible.com thanksgiving free podcasts and was terribly disappointed. I thought you said you could get multiple free audio books without putting in your credit card number. Stock up for the thanksgiving holidays!! I thought this a brilliant idea on Audible's part. I was going to get a bunch of audio books... and try them out. I might like them. I was psyched up and ready to go.
But...you can only get one book. And to get that book you have to create an account with Audible and then when you bring the book down to your computer, it is digital rights protected. (it is true that you do not have to put in a credit card number.)
I was not going this route. I tried to delete my account and could not find a way to do it. I hate sites like that. I changed my name and email address so that the mail would never come to me and left the account in existence.
Audible really blew it. I could have become a fan of audio books if I could have tried a few in a non-encumbered way.
Read More

Yesterday at 2:49am · Report
Ernest Thanh-Tam Le
Ernest Thanh-Tam Le
I never expected to get multiple free books based on what I heard of the offer. And I don't know what you're expecting, but it doesn't surprise me in the least that there's DRM on the audio books. DRM annoys me, too, but for the time being, you have to expect it in most digital media.
Yesterday at 5:38am
Gant

Gant awful news everyone! Bill Moyers is retiring!!!!

Source: mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com
The PBS mainstay Bill Moyers said he is retiring from weekly television and will end his Friday night public affairs program.
Gant
Gant
i'm kind of on the young side so i dont remember Bill's glory days but i feel he brings important issues and neglected viewpoints to an accessible television station. i also enjoy his interviewing style... although "warshington" can get a bit old.
Yesterday at 6:31am
Ed Petersen
Ed Petersen
Not good news. Journalism as we knew it is dying a slow painful death similar to gangrene. The loss of Bill Moyers is not simply loosing a little finger or toe, it is truly loosing an entire limb!
7 hours ago
Mark Horowitz

Mark Horowitz John Dickerson, kudos on your Bugs Bunny quote "We must have taken a wrong turn at Albuquerque." David might know the O.T. but being able to quote from Loony Tunes shows a true breadth of knowledge. (Or exposes a childhood with far too much TV time)

Sun at 8:16am · Report
Stephan Kinsella
Stephan Kinsella
re bugs: apparently he would say "What a maroon", where maroon = moron, since Tex Avery was a Texas A&M Aggie, and their rivalry with U.T. (maroon).
Yesterday at 9:46am
Davis Brewer
Davis Brewer
Stephan, you must have that backwards. University ofTexas' color is burnt orange, A&M is maroon.
Yesterday at 10:38am
Khalid

Khalid
I've been a big fan of the gabfest podcasts since the beginning, but lately a troubling thought pops in to my head, when I listen. It strikes me that there are no people of color on any of the panels and at times the discourse could benefit from that diversity (also, there are only two columnists of color at slate.com..., by my count). Issues of race and class come up constantly on the gabfests and it would be nice to have the viewpoint of someone other than middle aged, highly educated, East Coast dwelling White people, tossed into the mix. Don't get me wrong. I love me some middle aged, highly educated, East Coast dwelling White people. It would just be nice to hear what a young Black female film critic thought of Precious or what a middle aged Puerto Rican sports writer thought about the Washington Nationals' stolen signing bonuses scandal, to name a couple of examples. Racial diversity doesn't guarantee diversity of opinion or better conversation, but it sure couldn't hurt.Read More

Sun at 5:27am · Report
Lindsay Wilson Gowin
Lindsay Wilson Gowin
Going to try The Root pocast.
7 hours ago
Alex
Alex
Speaking of The Root, Deputy Editor Terence Samuel has been a guest on the Political Gabfest at least twice (in 2008) that I can remember, and he's been a great addition to the team.
5 hours ago
Lyndsey Horton Martin

Lyndsey Horton Martin So is this where we suggest Audible downloads? I want to recommend Christopher Moore's "A Dirty Job." It's sad, it's hilarious, the reader does an excellent job with the many characters and it's got a crapload of creative cursing.

Sat at 3:04pm · Report
Jay
Jay
Thanks .. I just added it to my Audible list
Sun at 1:41pm
RECENT ACTIVITY
Slate Political Gabfest discussed Diversity in the gabfests on the Slate Political Gabfest discussion board.