gdp's Comments

KATU - Portland, OR : Man nets 21 years for raping wife | KATU.com - Breaking News, Sports, Traffic and Weather - Portland

Fri, 14 May 2010 19:14:16 +0000

Throw away the key on this guy.

KATU - Portland, OR : Country singer Chely Wright says she\'s gay | KATU.com - Breaking News, Sports, Traffic and Weather

Tue, 4 May 2010 04:01:26 +0000

Well now... I say good for her for "coming out" if that's what she felt she had to do. Maybe, someday it just won't matter either way. All grown-ups, be they straight or gay, will have the same rights to marry or not, some won't have to live in fear of loosing a job, of being beaten up or put down, of being kicked out of a place they're living, of loosing their children and so on and so forth all because of their sexual/intimate relationship orientation. You know, what's known as Equal Rights. Equal Rights... Gay folk legally having the same rights as straight folk. Equal Rights are not "special rights", contrary to what some poorly informed individuals might like to believe.

KATU - Portland, OR : Lady Gaga fires back in NY court at music producer | KATU.com - Breaking News, Sports, Traffic and W

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 23:42:24 +0000

Lots of performers have changed their names to make them more "catchy", more billboard worthy. Ms. Stefani Germanotta as "Lady Gaga" certainly isn't the first to do so. One has to admit that "Lady Gaga" is alot more catchy than Germanotta. The only song of the Lady that I'm familiar with is "Pokerface" and that is because the Olympic figure skater, Johnny Weir used the number for his exhibition skates and ice shows in 2009 as well as his exhibition skate at the end of the 2010 Nationals. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlRd9y8BXrU That is some of the best and "hottest" ice skating I've ever seen. My daughter recently showed me this YouTube video of theLady herself doing Pokerface. Definitely flamboyant performance, but very danceable music. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bESGLojNYSo Judge for yourselves about Lady Gaga's ability.

KATU - Portland, OR : Oregon agriculture businesses slammed by recession | KATU.com - Breaking News, Sports, Traffic and W

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 01:12:42 +0000

"A jobless recovery or jobless growth is a phrase used by economists, especially in the United States, to describe the recovery from a recession which does not produce strong growth in employment". More here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jobless_recovery

KATU - Portland, OR : Democrats push to repeal religious dress ban in schools | KATU.com - Breaking News, Sports, Traffic

Sat, 6 Feb 2010 05:23:31 +0000

Wow, the amount of intolerance expressed in the comments on the article is very disheartening. All of us here in the U.S. are either ourselves immigrants, or are the descendants of immigrants who were seeking a better life of greater opportunity and freedom from oppression. In that, we are unique amongst the Nations of the world. It is my belief and opinion that the diversity of ethnicity, culture, and religion amongst our people adds a rich, vibrant and strong warp and weft to the fabric of our Nation. A fabric made up of all of the same type and color of thread does not add much to its environment. It is really rather dull and boring. However, a piece of fabric full of different thread weights, spins, textures and colors certainly embodies a richness and vibrancy to its environment. I do believe that we were created by God and each contain God's spark within us. If I am judgmental of another person, I am being judgmental of God's handiwork. I could care less what teachers or other workers wear as long as it is clean, whole and covers the body as is basically appropriate for the job. If an orthodox Muslim woman believes that she must cover her hair and dress modestly when in public, okay, so what. If an orthodox Jewish man believes he must cover his head in the presence of God (which is all the time), so be it. A person wants to wear a big crucifix, okay, so what. I say, rather than trying to repress such richness of diversity in our public spaces, lets' just embrace it, respect it and go on about our business. What I would not support in our public spaces, is any attempt to proselytize, recruit, or convince me or others to join another's religion, culture, political point of view and the like. I don't view the wearing of religious garb or symbols as an attempt to convert others. Neither am I so insecure in my own Faith that I feel threatened by others garb or symbols. Nor do I believe my Faith is any better or so superior to others that I can't allow representations of other Faiths to be around me or my children.

KATU - Portland, OR : Legal marijuana: A pot of gold or a rainbow to trouble? | KATU.com - Breaking News, Sports, Traffic

Sat, 6 Feb 2010 04:42:40 +0000

I say legalize cannabis, regulate it & tax it, the same as cigarettes & alcohol. I'm sure there are folks who can use it safely/recreationally just as they or others use alcohol. Yes, there are those who might use cannabis abusively or addictively, but I suspect most of those folks are already using it. I don't see that making the drug legal would change the equation of use. I do see the illegality of cannabis being very similar to the previous illegality of alcohol under Prohibition. Prohibition was ineffective in preventing the use of alcohol, though it did contribute to increased violent gang activity behind the manufacture, distribution & selling of the alcohol. Not only was our government not able to garner any income via taxes on the sale of alcohol, or on the incomes of the gangsters, but attempts to control the gangs & their criminal behaviors was hugely expensive drain on the financial resources of local & Federal law enforcement. Sort of the "war against drugs" now.

Broadsnark : White America's Existential Crisis

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 07:13:54 +0000

I have never been looking for a "cowboy" to lead our nation, though as kid in the 1950's I really liked cowboy movies & TV shows. John Wayne was never my type, neither was Ronald Reagan. I really appreciate your cogent presentation of the facts.

KATU - Portland, OR : Home from Haiti: Missing Oregonians survive, return to PDX | KATU.com - News - Portland, Oregon | Ne

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 07:20:13 +0000

Our State Department basically did not/does not want American citizens without critical skills to stay in Haiti. The resources for food, water, medical care are too slim as it is to meet the needs of the Haitians let alone Americans who mean well but have no real recovery/relief skills. That is the point here. These women mean well, but do not have any critical skill sets that would allow them to be an asset at this time. Therefore, their presence would be a liability. No doubt that is why it was recommended they leave. On 1/15/10, State Dept. Assistant Secretary Crowley stated, "At this point, we have 846 American citizens who have been evacuated. We have roughly 160 that are standing by at the Embassy as we speak. So – and we expect to be successful in moving them out today. So sometime today, we should cross the 1,000 point of American citizens who have been evacuated". http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2010/01/135249.h... I maintain my assessment of Jaxworks comments.

KATU - Portland, OR : Couple tells story of survival after nearly buried alive | KATU.com - News - Portland, Oregon | Loca

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 07:02:45 +0000

This young couple went to the United States Embassy, where they were given first aid. Given the recommendations of the State Department, I think its pretty safe to say that the couple was evacuated out of Haiti. During a press briefing on 1/13/10, U.S. Dept. of State Assistant Secretary Phillip Crowley stated, "In terms of what’s happening at the Embassy, we continue our efforts to try to both account for and support American citizens in Haiti. We have been able this afternoon, with the arrival of helicopters and C-130s – I believe they’re all Coast Guard thus far – to begin to evacuate a small number of American citizens who have been injured." He went on to say, "The Embassy is in the process of continuing to alert American citizens, now that we know that we have some capability, some airlift capability at the airport, that we’ll begin to evacuate more substantial numbers of Americans in the coming days". Those of you making snide and rude comments about this couple perhaps haven't been paying attention to the severity of the situation in Haiti, particularly regarding the basic lack of adequate medical care facilities during the first few days after the quake. Obviously, it wasn't time for this young couple's lives to end. No doubt, there is more service work waiting for them to do.

KATU - Portland, OR : Home from Haiti: Missing Oregonians survive, return to PDX | KATU.com - News - Portland, Oregon | Ne

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 06:28:53 +0000

Jaxworks, you could've looked up the facts of the Church women's' situation before you spouted off. Myself, I have closely following the entire situation since late Tuesday night/early Wednesday morning, by utilizing a wide variety of sources. So, today, when I read the story above, I figured the women left Haiti at the direction of our government. Beginning as early as 1/13/10, State Department spokespeople were talking about getting non-essential American citizens out: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2010/01/135133.h... In the online newsletter from the women's Church, there was a comment stating the women left at the recommendation of U.S. Government officials: http://www.lifeline.org/news/Haiti.htm In any case, I find it rather presumptuous for anyone to pass judgement on another's experience, for we can each only truly judge our own. I am very happy that the women and gentleman were okay and able to come home.

KATU - Portland, OR : Poll: Honeymoon may be over for Obama in Oregon | KATU.com - News - Portland, Oregon | News

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 11:12:09 +0000

I'm with you Chaminade247. Bush did leave our beloved nation in a terrible mess. Yes, in time the economy will rebound. It is my observation that President Obama has been very busy dealing with the many, many problems left by Bush. Whilst, I personally don't agree with everything he's done, I find I have to acknowledge that even on bad day, he is far more competent than G.W. ever was on a good day. PolitiFact has compiled a list of all of the promises Obama made during his campaign and his progress in fulfilling those promises. That info can be found here http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/ Frankly, I'm much more concerned over the extreme partisanship we are witnessing from the Republicans in the House and Senate. I have been keen on the world of politics since the time of President Eisenhower. Never have I witnessed such partisanship. Granted we have always had political system in which loud voices of discontent, disagreement and down right orneriness were often raised. Yet, in the end, some means of relatively cooperative agreement has been found with a greater mix of bipartisanship than we've seen since Obama was sworn into office. We are Americans first and Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians and etc., second, I should hope.

KATU - Portland, OR : Man charged in diverted Hawaiian Airlines flight | KATU.com - News - Portland, Oregon | News

Sat, 9 Jan 2010 06:15:41 +0000

For whatever reason/reasons, this guy really blew it in the socially appropriate flight passenger department. The note he wrote on the comment card does seem kind of weird. Was he trying to explain his previous behavior by saying he was scared, thus needing to have his bag close by for comfort? Too weird.

KATU - Portland, OR : FAA: Concern about passenger at PDX sparks \'Level 1\' alert | KATU.com - News - Portland, Oregon |

Thu, 7 Jan 2010 05:13:55 +0000

Yeah, they've got it down because they have many, many more years experience than we do at dealing with fanatical Islamist terrorists.

KATU - Portland, OR : Police: Man who shot mother was off meds | KATU.com - News - Portland, Oregon | Local & Regional

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 21:36:39 +0000

Paranoid Schizophrenia is one of the most difficult of the severe and chronic mental illnesses to adequately treat over the long term. Folks afflicted with this devastating illness are often non-compliant with their prescribed medication plans. Off meds, people with this illness are plagued by often severe paranoid delusions and other cognitive distortions including a highly impaired ability to accurately read other's facial expression & body language. This leads to severe misinterpretation of other's intentions & emotions which can then cause highly inappropriate emotional/ behavioral reactions in the person afflicted with Paranoid Schizophrenia. Sadly & tragically, this is obviously the case in this situation. It is especially tragic that this man's problems were handled so inappropriately via legal actions & the justice system. If we had an appropriately working system of legitimate mental health treatment, care & services this situation could have & would have been avoided. It is so clear that this man's illness was debilitating to the point of endangering himself and others. In a functioning system of care, he would have been securely hospitalized, stabilized on medication, then moved to an either locked or personnel secured long term mental health care facility. However, in this era of private health insurance controlled health care, frequently provided for profit, such a functional system of care is not likely to happen. I speak from 25 yrs. experience as a mental health professional.

KATU - Portland, OR : Police: Man who shot mother was off meds | KATU.com - News - Portland, Oregon | Local & Regional

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 21:22:41 +0000

Your comments belie your absolute ignorance regarding mental illness. Plus, you obviously have no clue regarding the difference between socialism and communism either as evidenced in your statement about Russia, China & Cuba.

KATU - Portland, OR : AP sources: Al-Qaida link in failed plane attack | KATU.com - News - Portland, Oregon | News

Sat, 26 Dec 2009 00:34:37 +0000

Earlybloomer, I fail to see any relevance in your post to the issue at hand regarding the attempted terrorist act of this morning. Using torture such as waterboarding in the questioning of terror (or other) suspects has been proven to be an ineffective means of obtaining accurate information. http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/04/22/US-didnt-r... Further, the use of torture to obtain information has nothing to do with preventing individuals from committing a terrorist act. I found this comment in the article, " The motive of the Christmas Day attack was not immediately clear" , to be quite odd. The motive was to cause terror. That is what terrorists do. In any case, I'm very that the man's device failed.

We Are Movie Geeks : Robin Hood Trailer Drops AND IT IS AWESOME!

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 01:14:40 +0000

Enough with the blood & gore, already. A good movie that does not make.

KATU - Portland, OR : The cost to you for new health care benefits | KATU.com - News - Portland, Oregon | National & World

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 07:20:14 +0000

We have got to get private insurance companies out of the picture. If we could do that, the cost of health coverage would drop considerably.

KATU - Portland, OR : The cost to you for new health care benefits | KATU.com - News - Portland, Oregon | National & World

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 07:11:52 +0000

We have got to get private insurance companies out of the picture. If we could do that, the cost of health coverage would drop considerably.

KATU - Portland, OR : Chicken ordinance approved in Gresham | KATU.com - News - Portland, Oregon

Thu, 3 Dec 2009 05:41:35 +0000

Well, yippee! I know several folks out here who have really wanted to add a couple of chickens to their backyard mini farms. Chickens are great for slug & bug control in gardens.