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For better or for worse, President Obama's health care plan is now a done deal.
Tonight, the Democratic-controlled Congress finally approved the President's historic legislation to extend health care for tens of millions of uninsured Americans. Even more significantly for some, the measure aims to put an end to the discrimination and machiavellian abuses of crooked insurance companies.
The bill, having already passed the Senate, cleared the House Sunday night on a vote of 219-212.
Not one Republican crossed party lines to support it.
Democratic Rep. Allen Boyd, a member of the conservative "Blue Dog Democrats", admitted that the health care bill is not perfect, but "the other side has brought us no viable alternatives."
Crowds of right-wing protesters outside the Capitol chanted and booed when the announcement was made official. Protest signs included slogans such as "Obama and his Marxist Buddies are after your Freedom," "Grandma Got Run Over by ObamaCare," and "America is Under Socialist Attack."
And it wasn't much more civil behind closed doors: a Republican lawmaker on the floor shouted out "baby killer" at Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) for finally pledging his support for the Obama plan at the eleventh hour. Stupak had previously been wary of the plan over concerns about how abortion procedures would be handled under it.
Stupak ultimately decided to support the Senate bill after President Obama gave assurances that he would sign an executive order decreeing the health care reform law be consistent with all current restrictions on federal funding for abortions.
Rep. Tim Bishop (D-NY) remarked: "amidst angry and at times even hateful rhetoric, amidst the misinformation and scare tactics, there exists one simple truth, and that truth is that the current system is unsustainable."
Following the vote, President Obama said, "This is what change looks like." He is expected to sign the bill into law as early as tomorrow.
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diverdude
today
at 6:58 am
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This a very sad day for all AMERICANS.
to let something this importanat to all of us be rammed down our throats, is beyond all that this country was founded on |
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frederic
today
at 8:18 am
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No, it isn't.
It's sad how some people think they can go around speaking for all AMERICANS, despite the plain fact that they don't. |
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Right_in_KY
today
at 9:19 am
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Obama: "This is what change looks like."
This administration has sunk America into immeasurable debt for generations to come.
This administration has handed over to government bureaucrats your freedom to make health choices for you and your family.
This administration has taken a giant step toward making citizens dependent on government for the most basic of needs.
This administration has run roughshod over the democratic process, resorting to shenagins, bribes and out-right dishonesty to pass legislation Americans did not want.
"This is what change looks like."
Mr. Obama and his supporters on the left will get a rude awakening in November, when we the people deliver a stark object lesson in what real change looks like. |
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J.S. Holland
today
at 9:45 am
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"This administration has handed over to government bureaucrats your freedom to make health choices for you and your family."
Quote me the text in the bill that says anything of the sort. You DID actually read the bill, right? |
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frederic
today
at 9:45 am
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In fact, the country was sunk in debt before this administration.
The idea that political backlash would be a "rude awakening"--that nobody thought this might be politically risky, is a joke you're telling yourself. The fact is it's obviously very risky, but some people chose to do it anyway.
The fact is, there never was a gilded age when America decided things by polls.
You need to make up your own mind whether you're more worried that this will stand, or certain that it won't. That's an issue inside your head, not a question for public debate. |
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Right_in_KY
today
at 9:50 am
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The government's health care plan will drive private insurance companies underground. That's the unstated motivation behind this whole bill.
That will leave the government as the lone insurer of the American people. Insurance is a business, and business decisions are made by the bottom line - meaning the dollar.
There WILL be rationing of services, end-of-life decisions made by bureucrats and the American people will have little options to choose from other than what Big Brother dictates.
I read the plan as thoroughly as 99 percent of those who cast a vote in favor ot it and you know that to be true! |
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J.S. Holland
today
at 9:56 am
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So quote us the part that says what you claim it says. |
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Right_in_KY
today
at 10:05 am
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Use your common sense.
The federal government, backed by federal tax-dollars is going to 'compete' with private health insurers in a game in which the federal government gets to make the rules.
Any bets on who's gonna win?
The result will be the elimination of the competition (private insurers) and the the government will be the lone player left - who will then be able to do anything it darn well wants to with your health and with my health.
People living under socialized medicine routinely shell out big bucks to come to America where they can exercise some liberty when making medical choices because they have no such freedoms at home.
With the passage of this bill, Democrats took one huge step from removing those medical freedoms from the American people.
And pray tell - explain how we're going to pay for the largest entitlement program in the history of mankind? |
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J.S. Holland
today
at 10:12 am
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You lose. The bill doesn't say what you say it does. You aren't quoting it because you can't. |
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kendramimosa
today
at 10:20 am
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The rightwing bluffers cant get into particulars because their whole lie would fall apart if we actually sat down together and read the bill, line by line. |
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Right_in_KY
today
at 10:26 am
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Sadly - we both lose. America loses because of this bill.
What I'm saying about this bill is absolute truth in that it will result in the closing of doors for private insurers - meaning only one option will remain for Americans - and that is the government program.
How can private insurers compete against the federal program that's funded by tax dollars and will benefit from getting to make the rules? |
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kendramimosa
today
at 10:27 am
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blah blah blah, put up or shut up. |
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Gene Simmons pulled a great PR stunt on FOX News Friday - at least it seemed like one.
His appearance on the network was hyped in advance as being a forum for his criticisms of President Obama's health care system. Anchor Megyn Kelly introduced him by saying, "And now his famous mouth is doing more than blasting out songs. He's got a lot to say about public policy, from health care to taxes and on and on," and then went on say "You have some strong opinions, I'm told… including on health care," and then prompted him, "You voted for President Obama..."
Clearly, Simmons (the co-leader of the rock band KISS, the star of A&E's Gene Simmons Family Jewels, and more diverse merchandising empires than most fans are even aware of) was brought on the show to use him, with the intention that he attack Obama. But what happened instead is that he used them - and used their airtime to hype his own new life insurance company, Cool Springs Life Equity Strategy.
From Ellen on the anti-FOX watchdog blog News Hounds:
Simmons obviously didn't want to play too far into Fox News' hands. He immediately told Kelly, “I voted for President Bush. I voted for President Clinton and I voted for President Obama. And I'm a citizen like anybody else. I can agree with certain social issues and completely disagree with our pathetic foreign policy.” It turns out Simmons is an Israeli immigrant who is pretty hawkish on foreign policy. Then he added, “In terms of the economy… I think the worst thing we could do now is health care… Everybody should have the ability to do that, get good jobs, but when the government gets involved, it's disaster.”
That was all that Simmons would say about health care of Obama. He spent the rest of the segment plugging his business. “We're here to talk about your options,” Simmons said (he was there with a business partner), taking off his dark glasses. “The most important piece of paper you're ever going to sign is your life insurance… I have an estate. I've worked all my life to become a high-net-worth individual… I have a lot of dough.” After a brief rant about how high his estate taxes will be, he explained that his business has created “a new structure that enables you, high-net-worth individual, to never have to go cash out of pocket… “
I have a great deal of respect for Simmons on a number of levels, especially his devoted cause of obliterating the old hippie myth that it's "not cool" and "not rock and roll" to be mega-successful and to strive to be even more successful once you've reached that mountain. To have that kind of determinism means a lot of people end up disliking you, but as Simmons has said - and sung - "I Gotta Be Me."
Most refreshing about the segment was that he managed to work in the concept that it is most sensible to be neither conservative nor liberal across the board, and FOX doesn't like to hear that kind of talk. Unlike the average American - who treats loyalty to a political party with the same knee-jerk stubborn unthinkingness as allegiance to a sports team - Simmons believes in common sense as he sees it, not blindly following the talking points of either flawed party. Certain issues call for a conservative approach as Simmons (and I) see it, others not so conservative.
Why should anyone listen to an aging metal band's bass player for wisdom? Well, for starters, because he's rich as Croesus. You don't get to be that successful on your own marketing-savvy merits without learning something about the human condition, and the way the world works.
(No matter whether you're rich or poor, or whether you love or hate KISS, I highly recommend reading Gene's book Sex Money Kiss - it can be a real kick-in-the-pants wakeup call, even if you think you don't need one. Because you do.)
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El Speedy Loco
sun mar 21 2010
at 10:23 pm
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how the hell did you get all that out of a 2 minute interview?did you even watch it?Im sure they let him come on to interview him about the insurance company,and the anti healthcare talk was a bonus...obviously yout anit Fox news
heres a link to the interview,hope it works
<object width="640" height="385"> |
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El Speedy Loco
sun mar 21 2010
at 10:24 pm
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<object width="640" height="385"> |
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El Speedy Loco
sun mar 21 2010
at 10:24 pm
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screw it,its on you tube if anyone wants to see it |
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J.S. Holland
sun mar 21 2010
at 10:30 pm
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Actually, the video is on the Newshounds link I provided.
And yes, I am anti-Fox news, that is correct. |
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Mysanthropyc
sun mar 21 2010
at 11:46 pm
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If your choice of a journalism outlet has you lashing out at honest criticism with such emotion, maybe what you're getting isn't real journalism, Speedy. |
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pathfinder44
sun mar 21 2010
at 11:48 pm
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Your an idiot , you have know idea ! |
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metricsister
sun mar 21 2010
at 11:55 pm
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LOL. pathfinder44, your inability to spell first grade level words like "you're" and "no" pretty much deflate your right to call anyone an idiot. |
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The turning of the Vernal Equinox means it's time to don my loose-fitting Tony Soprano fat-guy shirts, and minister to every man's most sacred temple, the back yard grill.
Mr.Soprano's grilling preference ran towards pork sausages and ribeye steaks, but lately I've been fixated on skirt steak, which is increasingly a hard cut to find. Fortunately, the good folks at the old-school Kingsley's Meats in Louisville provide me with any and all cuts I request. For many months now, I've been on a Cuban cuisine jag and at home I try to reproduce the Steak Chimichurri the way they do it at Havana Rumba and Mojito Tapas.
But really, I'll grill just about anything. Plantains, peanuts, tater tots, Twinkies. What have you. I've even grilled Irish Oatmeal. Seriously. And like any self-respecting caveman, I love to grill at night, incinerating a mammal's rib cage under the light of the silvery moon. Mm-mm!
Pictured here are just a few of the potions, lotions and notions in my grill arsenal. But if I had to have only one and no other, it's a no-brainer, I would keep the Cholula. It's easily my favorite hot sauce, to the extent that I really don't use much of any other kind. It's also essential for my Bloody Mary recipe. The Texas Champagne pictured here is wonderful stuff, but I use it and Tabasco primarly for kicking up side dishes like baked potatoes and beans. For the most part, Cholula is the only hot sauce worthy of the honor of touching my meat, but you still can't have too many hot sauces in your collection.
I use sea salt for everything you can imagine, especially just before plating, to add its own flavor and texture. Two of my faves are pictured here - Napa Style Roasted Garlic Gray Salt (yes, it's really gray, like a salt oughta be. They have naturally reddish-pink salt from Hawaii too) and Bellamessa Smoked Sea Salt, which comes in honkin' huge flakes that are so tasty you can eat it right outta the jar.
And that's really a rule of thumb I use for all these products: can you eat a whole spoonful of it without choking?
Frank Sinatra once said, regarding show-offs who try to turn drinking into a macho competition: "Why knock yourself out? Don't try to be a big hero with it. For what?" I feel the same about hot sauce and barbecue spices.
Liquor stores are filled with frat-boy hot sauces whose names and labels liken their products to nuclear waste, satan, hell, torture, pain, death, etc. and I think the whole trend is idiotic. Sure, I'm tough enough to eat any raw peppers that top the Scoville Scale, but I'm also tough enough to carve the Black Flag logo into my arm - but the question remains, why the hell would I want to?
Why would I want to eat a hot sauce that leaves me unable to taste anything else for the rest of the meal? It's about as useful and desirable a practice as, say, huffing toluene. Which is to say, nil.
Locally-made Devil Dust comes perilously close to falling into that "stupidly hot for stupid people" bracket, but it IS very tasty stuff - tasty enough that I do use it as a rub, knowing that a lot of its incendiary power will get cooked off. Stubb's Chile-Lime rub is my favorite, but it's so tasty I use it as an all-purpose seasoning, not just a rub. It tastes so good I can eat it straight from the can, and I do.
Etnia is more exotic and more expensive, but tastes about the same as Stubb's. Maybe a little more paprika in it. It's great, and comes in a cool bottle, but when it's used up, I'll probably stick to Stubb's. I kick up stuff with Safinter Spanish Paprika on my own anyway.
The Weber Chicago Steak Seasoning is pictured here because it's the only bad choice I've made in awhile, or let's just say the stuff didn't suit me personally. It's too shrill and harsh for me, and just screams onion and sharp peppers without the necessary warmth that should go hand in hand with it. I no longer use it on meats, but it does make a good corn boil.
The Colman's mustard powder I mainly use on grilled fish, chicken, and vegetable kabobs. I also use it in some marinades. (I never use store-bought bottled marinade, always make my own from scratch - mmmm, scratch.)
Cumin and beer are my secret weapons. Everything I cook has a little cumin and beer somewhere in it. Everything. No need to waste good beer on cooking - pedestrian stuff like Rolling Rock will do. I get my cumin - and also my garlic powder - in these giant sized Tone's containers cheap at Sam's Club.
Dammit, now I'm hungry.
Gotta go out back.
Join me.
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FuNkY CaPrIcOrN
sun mar 21 2010
at 11:30 am
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Kingsley's is overrated and expensive. I live in the same hood and could walk to it and everybody around here says the same about it.
Now Frank's Meat & Produce on Preston is a good place to shop.
Or just go to ValuMarket in Mid City Mall, always good deals on meat. |
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J.S. Holland
sun mar 21 2010
at 12:51 pm
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Never been to Frank's but have heard good things about it. I live nowhere near Preston though, and rarely have a reason to be out that way.
Kingsley's serves me well, no complaints here.
I don't get all my meat there, mind you, just cuts that I don't see offered at my main grocery, Fresh Market on Brownsboro. |
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FuNkY CaPrIcOrN
sun mar 21 2010
at 1:08 pm
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Now I agree on the Cholula, some real good hot sauce. Not so hot but maybe the best tasting hot sauce. |
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GtownGuy
sun mar 21 2010
at 5:32 pm
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Uh, what about the pollution & particulates that emanate from your grilling ritual? Do you also use gas-powered lawn equipment? Do you walk or ride your bike to the markets to get your treasured meats & spices? And last but not least, have the Fire Department & its resources ever had to respond to the flames leaping from your grill? |
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J.S. Holland
sun mar 21 2010
at 6:41 pm
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My carbon footprint's so big it's gonna need its own zip code. |
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FuNkY CaPrIcOrN
sun mar 21 2010
at 6:43 pm
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I wait to cut the grass with my gas powered lawn mower til the news reports it is a high smog day.
And drive my 1991 Ford Explorer that gets less then 15 miles a gallon to pick up my meat. |
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Steve Coomes
sun mar 21 2010
at 9:55 pm
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Surely G-town's joking about the carbon footprint. Based on your other many sensible posts, I'm assuming your eco remarks are tongue in cheek.
And speaking of the tongue and all things that please mine, I too and am a Cholula fan for all the reasons posted here. I must say I've become a convert of grinding my own spices where possible, and it's rare to find whole ones. Fresh ground cumin is amazing, especially if you toast the seeds in a pan, J.S. I don't like buying huge amounts, either, because the volatile oils will dissipate over time and take their flavors with them.
that said, the best spices I've ever bought come from Penzey's (http://www.penzeys.com/). I"ve found no match for flavor, consistency or price. Couldn't recommend them highly enough. J.S., if we ever have a Mojo meet-up, I'll bring you some samples.
You're right, Weber's lame. I've had a disappointing experience with Tubbs sauces, but the spice looks intriguing with your endorsement.
And let me open the door to the gas v. charcoal argument that's inevitable: I like both. Gas is all about seasoning and high heat. too many great restaurants cook with it for it to be wrong. Charcoal is wonderful, too, but it can be difficult to control, not to mention slow when you're rushing home from a day's work and need to eat quickly. I love both and I recommend learning the nuances of both. Heck, I even do some dishes over both.
Far as meats, I've heard GREAT things about Frank's from reliable sources. |
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FuNkY CaPrIcOrN
sun mar 21 2010
at 10:05 pm
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The thing with charcoal is it usually goes to waste just continuing to burn unless your having a few people over for a party that you need to cook for a few hours.
A gas grill is good for just yourself or your significant other because it is quick and easy. Nothing goes to waste. |
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FuNkY CaPrIcOrN
sun mar 21 2010
at 10:13 pm
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But the George Foreman G5 Grill works good also. Well worth the $120 or whatever you can get it for. |
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J.S. Holland
sun mar 21 2010
at 11:36 pm
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I use different methods at different times for different purposes. I prefer gas, but just try smoking meat with wood chips in a gas grill, it's a pain in the ass and I am a profoundly lazy man.
I used to fix some great meals by using a ridiculously expensive copper wok over a dangerous-as-hell walmart cheapo $11 electric grill that always went up in colossal impossible-to-put-out grease fires. |
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Steve Coomes
today
at 8:01 am
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never gotten enough heat from a Forman, which means it imparts no flavor. Quick and easy it is, but not on my faves list.
I, too, have tried smoking with a gas grill, and I've not mastered it. Smoking any food is a nasty, dirty business, but man it's good. |
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If you've been diagnosed as "mentally incompetent", but not so mentally ill that you need to be institutionalized, you can get away with anything.
That's the lesson LMPD officers have learned in the case of one Michael Christie, and they're angry at the judicial system for continually releasing this man every time they try to get him off the streets.
According to WLKY:
Police said Michael Christie has been arrested more than 50 times for various misdemeanors and felonies related to theft and possession of drugs. Police said the cases are dismissed because Christie is always found incompetent.
In surveillance video, police said the male suspect took a purse from a parked car at a Walgreens on Dixie Highway. Police said the suspect is the same man who broke into hundreds of other cars, but has never been convicted.
"They say 10 percent of the people do 90 percent of the crime. This guy is a one-man crime wave and I feel like we've done our part and taken it as far as we can every time and our hands are just tied at this point," LMPD Sgt. Eric Johnson said.
Once a man is deemed mentally incompetent by a judge, it's like a permanent "get out of jail free" card - not only can he not be held accountable for his crimes, he doesn't even have to be institutionalized in a mental hospital - it's the best of both worlds.
According to assistant county attorney Ingrid Geiser, who WLKY interviewed, "The problem with these repeat offenders is each time an evaluation is done there's a heavy reliance on the prior evaluation".
Meanwhile, police have no choice but to stand and watch as Michael Christie gets set free, again and again, every time they bust him.
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Im a Survivor
sat mar 20 2010
at 2:46 pm
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Strawberry Burns
sun mar 21 2010
at 11:14 am
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Jefferson county's legal system is bass ackwards. This doesn't surprise me in the least. |
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alsdafkl;j
sun mar 21 2010
at 1:10 pm
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What if he committed a serious crime, like murder? |
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J.S. Holland
send msg
I'm a multi-purpose media interloper working around the globe to make our world a weirder place to live in, but choose to call the dark and bloody ground of Jefferson County, Transylvania (some still call it Kentucky) my home base of operations.
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