Interesting things too

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factotum started the topic in Thursday, 21 Nov 2019 at 2:21pm

For when one interesting things thread isn't enough.

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GuySmiley Sunday, 13 Sep 2020 at 3:42pm

Ha VL goes from snoring peacefully in his kennel to all slobber and teeth at the end of his chain if anybody mentions the Rword but is all catholic school boy about ....

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Michael Bourne Sunday, 13 Sep 2020 at 6:10pm

Cottaging? Its not my thing, but nothing wrong with consensual.

Chests ya reckon Patrick? Not really your forte hey!!! I'm way beyond booked out these days, endless streams of pleading surfees with crippled backs, knees, shoulders, ad infinitum, and of course your well and truly under developed lot. Come on down, I'll put you on the waiting list, join the queue, love to have a laugh at ya!!!!

But, aaahh yes, the ship jumpin' rats. Young ('watch it... I got me a belt I 'ave aaayyyee') Andrew, its making sense now, this recent angling of yours. Ya dude mmmaaayyyteee that aint no favourite mmmaaaayyyttee... or is he... who knows... anyway, he was forced to let it slip out, to get it off his 'chest', about the 'kick 'em till they twitch', 'heavy bag', 'scone crushin and mashin reflex jab ' knock ya block orf aaayyyeee stuuupe... aaaayyyeee mmaaaayyyteee... stand up game. And so of course, keeping in tune with your dude mmmmaaayyytteee, you were then forced to spill your guts about your love of having... a well, bloke grapple... so to speak, with ya belt, as you were just gettin' it out there... off ya chest... that you got the ground game covered. As, in ya mmmaaayyyteee that aint no favourite mmmaaaayyyttee's case, you too suddenly, although a self confessed late bloomin' one, quickly swillnutted from a gronk and late bloomed into a bad boy, shreddin' surf legend, with a bad arse grapplin' and ground game!!!! Yikes!!!

So when ya joined arms with ya dude, but just a gronk mmmaaayyyteee, that aint no favourite mmmaaaayyyttee... well... who knows... is he... who quickly swillnut morphed into an all Asian, anti camp, anti exposure ledge, when yas joined arms to clear the country of those 'despised stinkin', lousy immigrants', (zennies lot), which one of ya torped ya other maaaayyyteee, that immigrant, out of the place!!!??? Remember him???!!! That immigrant mmmmaaayyyttte of yours that ya spilled ya guts about, you remember, the poor immigrant stuck in this dreamland, who, having been educated, couldn't, in ya dude blowies lingo, get a decent, proper job off of an ozzie!!! But who ya screeched was being forced to live like a low life, crappy, piece of shit, mere, poxy, useless, shit head taxi driver, whilst stealin' food from ozzies mouths, and taking their houses out from under them, forcing realty up.. ad infinitum... in the dream land????!!! So in the end, who's ship did ya jump to, young Andrew... ya sneaky rat!!! Which one of ya drop punted ya mmmmmaaaayyteee out on his arse (not to mention zennie!!!) Young ship jumpin' Andrew???? Which one did ya ship jump to, ya sneaky rat!!!

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Patrick Sunday, 13 Sep 2020 at 6:09pm

^^^ Found someone that gets more triggered than facto.

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factotum Monday, 14 Sep 2020 at 12:47pm

??

Andrew??

The mind boggles...the plot thickens...the battery chooks continue to vote for KFC...etc etc

Carry on...

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GuySmiley Monday, 14 Sep 2020 at 2:36pm

All of the announcements announced that were in the announcement

Gold

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etarip Monday, 14 Sep 2020 at 7:49pm

Hey Zen,
What’s the feeling in your hood on the new Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga?
Seems like he’s walking into a tough gig?

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zenagain Monday, 14 Sep 2020 at 8:03pm

I'm a little removed from politics here Eta, but I take an interest on a local level.

I quite like Suga, he was a good foreign minister and seems quite measured. I think he'll do ok. I don't think he is/was as hawkish as Abe but he's not shy at putting Japan first.

I guess we'll have to wait and see.

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etarip Monday, 14 Sep 2020 at 8:10pm

Thanks zen,
I think ‘measured’ is going to be a useful trait in the months and years to come.

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factotum Tuesday, 15 Sep 2020 at 10:48am

Zen, how long have you lived in Japan again?

Do you vote there?

Do you vote here?

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zenagain Tuesday, 15 Sep 2020 at 12:16pm

Been here 15 years unbelievably.

No, I'm ashamed to say I don't vote here. I used to vote in every election back home religiously but haven't since I've been here.

So, I guess I should check myself when commenting on Oz politics.

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factotum Tuesday, 15 Sep 2020 at 1:36pm

Well, voting is compulsory here.

Imagine if it wasn't.

I wonder why the Libs (and the right in general) are the ones that occasionally, yet routinely, fly the flag to change this state of affairs...?

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Distracted Tuesday, 15 Sep 2020 at 7:20pm

Interesting stuff... Orcas in the Mediterranean “attacking” boats. They’ve probably just had enough of humans.
https://www.insider.com/orcas-ramming-boats-in-portugal-spain-unusual-di...

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velocityjohnno Tuesday, 15 Sep 2020 at 7:47pm

"A crew member of a 46-foot delivery boat described being surrounded by nine orcas that rammed the boat for an hour, causing it to spin 180 degrees and the engine to shut down."

Mistaken identity.

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factotum Wednesday, 16 Sep 2020 at 12:33pm

One for the "they're all the same/hardcore neoliberal" brigade?

Andrew?

#teambartholomew

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indo-dreaming Wednesday, 16 Sep 2020 at 1:05pm

Sounds like very expensive snacks.

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zenagain Wednesday, 16 Sep 2020 at 1:54pm

Party pies, sausage-rolls, mini Vol au Vents?

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stunet Wednesday, 16 Sep 2020 at 3:09pm

Collectors T-shirts!

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factotum Wednesday, 16 Sep 2020 at 3:20pm

It's time!

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AndyM Thursday, 17 Sep 2020 at 1:15pm

An ascendant China really is a worry.

"Chinese Australians scared to speak out for fear family members in China will be targeted, paper says"

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/sep/17/chinese-australia...

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factotum Thursday, 17 Sep 2020 at 1:17pm

Andrew, what is Labor's position on all this?

What's Bugs'?

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AndyM Thursday, 17 Sep 2020 at 1:41pm

Dunno mate, throw me a bone.

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factotum Thursday, 17 Sep 2020 at 1:50pm

Surely if you're part of #teambartholomew you've gotta be across the briefs?

Otherwise you're heading into VEEP SNAFU territory!

Even Gary Walsh has to be up to speed.

(you may have to google)

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kaiser Thursday, 17 Sep 2020 at 1:59pm

Surely there's a better photo than that.

Looks like he's barbecuing alone.

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blowfly Thursday, 17 Sep 2020 at 2:06pm

China Matters is a publicly funded think tank which was previously very much pro-China.
https://www.crikey.com.au/2019/12/19/china-matters-taxpayer-funding-fore...

As this line of thinking became less agreeable to the government they started to lose their funding. Sounds like they have decided to hold onto their lucrative positions.

https://johnmenadue.com/henry-reynolds-the-extraordinary-ambush-of-china...

Not to say that the allegations are not true but it helps to put their reports in the context of their willingness to follow the current government line. Who knows, they might be pro China again by this time next year if our relations thaw.

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AndyM Thursday, 17 Sep 2020 at 2:25pm

Nice links Blowfly, paints a clearer picture.

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JQ Thursday, 17 Sep 2020 at 6:26pm

There ya go

I thought this was interesting and somewhat humorous

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zenagain Thursday, 17 Sep 2020 at 10:18pm

Finance and monetary policy is pretty much all Chinese to me Facto. What I believe is the situation here is that even as a proportion of GDP, Japan has one of the highest debt ratios in the world, but unlike other countries, the majority of that debt is 'in house'. Also, Japan has huge foreign currency reserves, low interest and almost full employment. There's actually a labour shortage here with the Japanese government going about it in a half arsed way to attract more women into the workforce and begrudgingly import unskilled labour. The Japanese are huge savers too and there is a peoples bank administered by Japan Post of which 99% of people have an account. I believe that holds billions if not trillions of cash reserves too.
Japan is a very benevolent country and unlike their neighbour, don't engage in debt trap diplomacy.

I think it will be business as usual under Suga.

Sorry, I wish I could give you more of an insight into your article of which it deserves but I can't speak with any authority on matters of money. On a personal note, I'm doing alright and have weathered the covid storm quite well (touch wood). I haven't had to rely too much on the gov., I paid my staff for a couple of months out of my own savings as I didn't want to borrow the money back. As it stands I was eligible for quite a nice little business grant which pretty much negated what I'd spent anyway. So, plugging along here I guess.

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Quint Wednesday, 23 Sep 2020 at 7:09am
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factotum Wednesday, 23 Sep 2020 at 9:47am

Haha, kids love McDonalds, and McDonalds loves kids!

Allied to that 'news'...

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/07/why-are-right-wing-conspira...

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blowfly Wednesday, 23 Sep 2020 at 3:57pm

Just an ordinary day in COALition Land

"Alan Tudge unlawfully deprived an asylum seeker of his liberty, leaving him in detention for five days because he thought the tribunal that ordered his release got the law wrong.

In a scathing decision on Wednesday, the federal court found the acting immigration minister “engaged in conduct which can only be described as criminal” – exposing him to both civil and potentially criminal sanctions for contempt of court."

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/sep/23/coalition-ministe...

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blowfly Wednesday, 23 Sep 2020 at 4:01pm

And there's more!

"A billionaire family's windfall gain from the sale of land next to Western Sydney Airport has been described as the "tip of the iceberg" for the surrounding area, sparking calls for changes to ensure a far greater slice of the market uplift is returned to taxpayers.

The federal government forked out almost $30 million for land owned by Tony and Ron Perich's Leppington Pastoral Company in 2018, only for the Commonwealth to value the 12 hectares at just $3 million less than a year later."

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/billionaire-family-s-windfall-gain-t...

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zenagain Wednesday, 23 Sep 2020 at 6:01pm

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/properties-sold-as-obeid-family-quie...

As it was, as it shall be.

Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

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factotum Wednesday, 23 Sep 2020 at 6:26pm

"Remember when fibre to the home was evil? A decade on, Liberals eat their words.

The Coalition has spent the past decade denigrating Kevin Rudd's plan for faster internet. Today, they're enacting it.

It’s a backflip more than a decade in the making. Today, Communications Minister Paul Fletcher unveiled the Coalition’s big new plan to bring high-speed fibre-to-the-home internet to 2 million households around the country.

You could almost see Kevin Rudd’s face reddening. In 2009 the then-prime minister proposed a plan in which fibre-optic cables would run straight to people’s homes, delivering super-fast internet. For three years, the Coalition savaged that plan as a costly white elephant — yet another sign of Labor’s extravagant fiscal profligacy.
Then, after winning the 2013 election, they swiftly ditched Labor’s plan for a multi-technology mix, which saved money but delivered slower internet. Then the pandemic hit, everyone started working from home, and Australia’s internet infrastructure looked pretty inadequate.

Now that the Coalition is finally realising Rudd’s plan, it’s worth having a look at what the Liberals have said about fibre to the home over the years.

Abbott’s white elephant.

The Coalition’s attacks on the NBN were driven by Abbott — a notorious luddite — who, in 2010, ordered then-communications minister Malcolm Turnbull to “demolish” it.

Abbott, the two-fingered typer, couldn’t understand why Labor would spend taxpayers’ money on a “video entertainment system”.

That quote comes from this 2010 press conference where he and Turnbull chuckled at the prospect of people watching things on the internet.

In 2012, he said the NBN was “the greatest white elephant this country has ever seen”. It was far more important, he said, to get the Pacific Highway duplicated.

Turnbull the attack dog.

In a simpler time, a more loyal Turnbull relished his role as Abbott’s NBN attack dog. In 2010, he said Australians just didn’t want the internet speeds that 100Mbps fibre to the home would deliver. A decade on, Fletcher’s fibre-to-the-home pivot will be based on household demand.

Like Abbott, Turnbull’s attacks focused on the supposedly obscene cost of fibre to the home. In 2013 he said, “[it’s] like saying to a builder, just build me a big house, I don’t need a quote, I don’t need a contract”.

After the election, Turnbull was tasked with junking fibre to the home. Before getting the results of a key review into the NBN, he proceeded with a pivot to a multiple technology mix. None of this, of course, stopped Turnbull from ensuring his Point Piper mansion had internet speeds of 100Mbps.

Fletcher, Fifield continue attacks.

Paul Fletcher, architect of the backflip and a former Optus executive, also had some choice words about fibre to the home. In 2012, he argued that Labor’s plan would “entrench a digital divide” and that a fibre-to-the-node system could still deliver a “fast and rich internet experience”.

In 2015, he praised Turnbull’s “fact-based approach” to the NBN, and said that a multi-technology mix was “the best way to deliver high speeds”.

His predecessor, Mitch Fifield, sang from the same hymnbook. Last year he argued that the Coalition had taken over a failing Labor project and actually delivered better internet speeds. And earlier this year, as Kevin Rudd started firing potshots at the Coalition over the NBN, Fletcher hit back.

“Labor’s plan for the NBN was fanciful — and Labor’s implementation of it was hopeless,” he wrote in an AFR op-ed. “The NBN has come through just when our nation needed it most,” he declared.

Within months, he’d changed his mind."

Kishor Napier-Raman, National Times

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Rabbits68 Wednesday, 23 Sep 2020 at 7:39pm

I personally don't think it matters who's doing this kind of rorting Zen. Certainly doesn't need defending. It's absolutely disgusting. Real low life shit...

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zenagain Wednesday, 23 Sep 2020 at 7:50pm

I'm not defending it Rabs. Where there's a dirty dollar to be made there is no moral high ground. They're all as slimy as each other.

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Rabbits68 Wednesday, 23 Sep 2020 at 7:57pm

Yep very true Zen. It's quite sad really.....

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blowfly Wednesday, 23 Sep 2020 at 7:59pm

"They're all as slimy as each other." Not at all, when it comes to slime this lot are the hagfish of the Australian political pond.

Let’s see what have we got?

Watergate , Angoose Taylor approving an $80 million water buy back to an old mate…a deal that had previously been rejected at lower prices by the Pabpr government.

A pair of au pairs for Benito Dutton. As Minister for Home Affairs Dutton, taking the name of his portfolio too seriously, granted visas to two au pairs for a couple of old mates and picked up a $50,000 donation to the Liberal Party along the way.

Angoose again. Native grasslands poisoned by a company called Jam Land (which name kinda describes the COALition approach to public money) which Angoose and his brother had significant holdings in.

Great Barrier Rort. $444 million to a foundation connected to the Liberal Party. ….when they had 6 (count them, yes you will need both hands) fulltime employees. A grant the Ausitor General thought was “open to corruption”

Big George on the prowl. 70 days a year in Manilla and forced to pay back funds he had mis-claimed as expenses.

Angoose, the three time loser and the goose who can’t be cooked! Used forged documents to accuse the Lord Mayor of Sydney of spending $125.9 million on air travel…….correct figure $5349….. to boost the chances of his wife in the City of Sydney Council elections.

The great sporting, rorting, pre-election, fuck the fair go, con job. $100 million diverted to marginal electorates against the advice, in almost every case, of Sports Australia.

Oh shit, it’s doing my head in and we have hardly even begun. What have you got zen? Nothing to match that lot I’ll wager

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zenagain Wednesday, 23 Sep 2020 at 8:02pm

I reckon if I could do enough digging I could probably match it but really, what is the point? I stand by what I said above. When it comes to greed, how can you take a the moral high ground?

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blowfly Wednesday, 23 Sep 2020 at 8:13pm

"When it comes to greed, how can you take a the moral high ground?"
Simply because the evidence demonstrates that one side of politics has lower standards than the other.
So just the usual cop out is it? " I disagree but can't be arsed actually looking for any evidence."

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zenagain Wednesday, 23 Sep 2020 at 9:13pm

Oh, c'mon man.

Sorry mate but I don't make your same distinction. A corrupt greedy fuck is a corrupt greedy fuck in my eyes. I'm not going to comment on your proclivities which are well known.

And you're right, I couldn't be arsed looking for any evidence. I gave you one example above. One doesn't cancel the other out.

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AndyM Wednesday, 23 Sep 2020 at 9:30pm

The current LNP are crooked as fuck but State Labor governments are having a fair crack too.
Who's to say federal Labor wouldn't put their snouts in the trough?
And yes, Blowfly is one of the most rusted on, one-eyed Labor tragics you'll ever find.

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blowfly Wednesday, 23 Sep 2020 at 9:34pm

Ha ha ha! Run, run, run, run away! More of the same evasive crap. You should give the game away if you can't even be arsed defending your bullshit. My proclivities? Please enlighten me. Surely you're not going to claim that I am nasty, intolerant and inclined to stick to my position (well why not, after all since I CAN be arsed to do the research) rather than chat nicely with da boys? And what, you think this is some kind of character revelation? Sorry maaaaate, I'm not here to play nice.

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factotum Wednesday, 23 Sep 2020 at 9:34pm

A NSW story from 2014, Zen? Really? Look what's going on NOW, as we speak, FEDERALLY.

Jeez, if you want to get revisionist, look at this NBN madness. How many 10s of millions of taxpayer funds has been spraffed up the wall since the Libs got back into power.

RC forthcoming at some stage, methinks.

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Vic Local Wednesday, 23 Sep 2020 at 9:45pm

Andy M,
Yes there's Labor corruption but it's D league stuff compared to the LNP. Have a look at the branch stacking in Victoria. Both sides did it. The ALP sacked three MPs. The Libs did FA about it. Pop quiz Andy M. Who handled that corruption better?
The corruption behind the Covid safe app is fucking disgraceful, and these LNP fuckers are doing nothing about it.
Mate I've followed politics for 30+ years and I've never seen so many corrupt cunts in the Federal government ever. Literally every single minister is involved in a major scandal, and nobody has been sacked except for Bridget McKenzie, and she went down for failing to declare a conflict of interest. The fucker should be in jails for rorting $100 million trying to steal an election. And Scumo knew all about it.
It's a fucking unprecedented shit show in Australia, and saying the ALP is just as bad as the LNP is A. Complete BS and B. An attitude which helps the shit show continue.
Fuck. Until Australians demand a better standard from federal politicians we deserve a pack of cunts governing us. We deserve our tax dollars ending up in the Cayman Islands because some cunt Water Minister hands it over to his Oxford Uni mate for zero litres of water.

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Westofthelake Wednesday, 23 Sep 2020 at 9:50pm

Something a bit more current.

Speakin' of Fed rorters, how's the Libs paying $30 mill for a plot of land not due to be utilised till 2050, valued at $3 mill and sold to their rich Lib party donating mates!

You couldn't make this shite up and you've got to wonder how the fark does this shit still happen in this day and age?

Be great to see some oversight.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/sep/23/minister-agrees-p...

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AndyM Wednesday, 23 Sep 2020 at 10:01pm

I couldn't agree more Vic, this mob are quite likely the biggest bunch of scumbags ever seen in Australian politics, the sheer brazen arrogance is quite shocking.

But my point is, blind faith in any alternative is ill-advised.

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Vic Local Wednesday, 23 Sep 2020 at 10:03pm

And the gas plan looks like it's been set up purely to reward LNP donors and their billionaire mates. There's some seriously dogdy land purchases right where this gas infrastructure is being built. Scumo's legacy will be entrenched corruption. He's the bastards who green lights this shit.

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AndyM Wednesday, 23 Sep 2020 at 10:06pm

I'm sure Blowfly has the white sheet but he'd have to work on the hair though.
Maybe strap a couple of prune Danishes to the sides of his head.

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zenagain Wednesday, 23 Sep 2020 at 10:13pm

FFS, I'm not defending squat. My point is the BOTH sides are predisposed to corrupt influences when there's an easy buck to be made. Jobs for the boys, brown paper bags, kick-backs. Dirty money is just that, it's non-partisan.

I'm not running, I'm not being evasive. , I'm a fucking open book.

But, if you're not prepared to be nice then I've got no time for people like you. I've continuously shown you respect and courtesy and I have never resorted to name calling. Unfortunately I can't say you've afforded me the same. So there's one proclivity for you free of charge. You named a few more, I didn't. Is that how you see yourself? So be it.