Freelance Human Being

Poll. Have you ever been a patient in a psychiatric hospital?

I have and I suspect it's really not what most people would expect it to be. I went to the Battle Creek VA Hospital seeking psychiatric help for depression in 1992 because I wanted to kill myself. As a veteran I was lucky to have that option.

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Poll. Are there some songs that just tear you apart?

Everyone (I suspect) loves music and it seems as if for everyone there are certain songs that just rip them to pieces. Of course I could be wrong about that. I mean it's possible that there are people who are just not that affected by music.

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White supremacists, immigrant rights activists face off in Claremont

"About two dozen white supremacists took to the streets in Claremont on Saturday to protest what they view as an unbridled flow of illegal immigration into the region, including the small college town."

Poll. Can we afford, in blood, treasure or both, another war?

I don't think that there is any seriously thinking Western ally citizen (US, British, French) who believes that the war with Libya will not involve ground troops from all or part of them, most likely American troops in the forefront.

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Poll. How do you feel about jury duty?

I'm on jury duty call all of this week. That means that I have to call a number every evening after 5PM to see if I need to report for jury duty the following morning. If after all five days they don't order me to report, then I'm off the hook for another year.

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Poll. How would you (or did you) react to one of your children coming out to you as gay?

Several weeks ago I was sitting with my (28 year old) son in a great outdoor restaurant in Santa Monica. We were enjoying really good Mexican food and just talking about our day to day issues.

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Poll. Racism in American politics. Is it as alive as it seems?

I think that there is no doubt whatsoever that racism is still very much alive in American politics today, long after it seems we should have moved past it. When one thinks of racism in our politics one is drawn back into our history concerning slavery.

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Poll. Is the question of how one feels about Jews a political issue or a religious one?

Recently I posted an article/poll that profered the question of do you or do you not hate Jews. After a few days (and 170 responses) the poll was collapsed and I have to admit I have no idea why.

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Question. Why would you vote to collapse an article, a seed or a poll?

This seems to be an on-going issue here on Newsvine. It seems as if there are people who don't care about the subject matter of some articles. They don't seem to like the political bent of some seeds either. Then there are those who hate polls.

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Mark Tulin Electric Prunes bassist dies

Mark Tulin, 62, bassist for the Electric Prunes, a short-lived 1960s garage band best known for their distortion-filled psychedelic-acid rock single "I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)," died Saturday in Avalon after a suspected heart attack, said his daughter, Samantha Tulin.

Poll. Are Unions an overall plus or a negative for America?

I was raised in a union family. My father was a Teamster. My uncles were UAW. Most of my other family members belonged one union or another. However the one I am most proud of was my Grandfather who I was named after.

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Oh...and by the way...happy new years...or whatever.....so what...who cares...

It's just another day. May your fireworks be duds and I hope you didn't shoot any gun into the air.

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Poll. Is Senator Mitch McConnell channeling Groucho Marx?

Recently Republican Minority Leader Senator McConnell defended his position of making his number one priority making sure that the current President, Barack Hussein Obama, is a one term President.

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Poll. Do you think that the world needs a "Superman"? And a couple of Superman movie questions for the hell of it.

I have been watching the 1978 version of the concept of Superman this evening and it's a damned good movie. The idea of a creature who is sent to us to rescue us from our own failings and to make wrong, right, is very appealing to humans.

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Creepy Santa

"From Billy Bob Thornton as "Bad Santa" to Dan Aykroyd in "Trading Places" check out these "Creepy Santas". They're guaranteed to put a smile on your face. "

Christmas Eve Baby Given to Firefighters Under Safe Haven Law

"LOS ANGELES ( KTLA) A newborn baby was turned over to an L.A. fire station on Christmas Eve under California's Safe Haven Law which allows a parent or legal guardian to hand over a baby rather than abandon the child."

HELP! I can't get "Welcome Christmas" song from How the Grinch Stole Christmas out of my head!!!!

I mean, what does it mean? Many of the words are meaningless! Does it make any sense? How can anyone go to sleep with that damned song (especially since I don't understand all of the words) banging around in my head??? HELP!!!

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Please. Let's all thank those who do not take the holiday off.

A few moments ago here in Los Angeles I heard the siren of a police car headed North on the 405. It's midnight on Christmas Eve. Shortly after that I heard the sound of the sirens of at least two vehicles of the fire department.

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Poll. How do you want to be buried? Where? Or do you want to be?

As I have said in other articles, we all die. Then comes the choice of what do you want to happen to the flesh left behind. There are several options. Most people choose the traditional route of a full body burial.

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A Rainy Night in L.A.

(A few changes with apologies to Tony Joe White and the late, great Brook Benton.)

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Poll. Do you honestly think that Barack Obama is an American citizen?

It seems as if this topic will never go away. Once we think we have pushed the lunatics into the corner where they belong, another one pops up. In this case it's not as much of a new one as it is the dispatch of an older one who is finally getting his due. Lt. Col.

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Poll. Do you care what people will think about you after you're dead?

Death is a part of life. We all die. As the late comedian George Carlin once said, "It is on your schedule". The question here is, does it matter how?

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Question. If John McCain and Sarah Palin had been elected President and Vice-President, what do you think thier Secret Service codenames should have been?

The United States Secret Service has a long tradition of assigning code-names to the President, the Vice-President and some of the members of their families.

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R. Donald Snyder

Articles Posted: 528
Links Seeded: 447
Member Since: 7/2008Last Seen: 4/03/2011

Semi-retired, 54 year old male. Long time liberal, atheist and Democrat.

Recommendations

Books

  • The I hate Republicans Reader. By Clint Willis
  • The I hate George W. Bush Reader. By Clint Willis
  • Dude, Where's my Country? By Michael Moore
  • New Rules. By Bill Maher

News Sites

  • msnbc.com
  • bbc.com

Films

  • Casablanca. Humphery Bogart. Ingrid Bergman.
  • Inherit the Wind. Spencer Tracy, Fredric March
  • Becket. Richard Burton, Peter O'Toole
  • To Kill a Mockingbird. Gregory Peck
  • The Meaning of Life. Monty Python
  • The American President. Michael Douglas.
  • Fail Safe. Henry Fonda. Larry Hagman.
  • Gentlemen's Agreement. Gregory Peck
  • The Lion in Winter. Peter O'Toole, Kate Hepburn
  • Paths of Glory. Kirk Douglas
  • Slingblade. Billy Bob Thorton
  • Paint Your Wagon. Lee Marvin. Clint Eastwood
  • A face in the crowd. Andy Griffith. Patricia Neal

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