Writings of Ryu

A very cool exposition on "Inception." Ithought this film was another great Nolan film that didn't get enough credit (checkout “Memento”). When I was watching it I didn't fully understand it. But Iknew such a great story was hinting at something more than just a thriller thattakes place in dreams. I'm glad such a film was finally made. Watch this wholelecture through.

Spoiler: The whole movie is a dream. Once you seebehind the red herring of whether the top actually fell or not, the moviebecomes straight-forward, it also becomes a better movie. Short answer, Cobb'stotem is backward and he's an extremely unreliable narrator. The whole film takes place in Cobb's head.

Hence all the "real world" characters being one-dimensional (they’re simply figments of his imagination or expressions of his personality, like the Freudian superego, id, and ego). The physically impossible feats that sometimes occur in Cobb's "real world" (i.e. the maze like world of Mombasa with the “mobs” (shorthand for “mobiles" in Minecraft and other games) or dream projections that seem to “spawn” from nowhere, just like in a videogame) are indications that there is no real world in Cobb's world.

Similar to "Shutter Island," Leonardo DiCaprio once again plays a psychologically compromised protagonist with an even more psychologically compromised wife. In both movies, DiCaprio's protagonist places both wives on a pedestal until both husband and wive's psychological traumas are revealed to be too much to ignore. As far as mythological references go, in "Shutter Island," the wife functions as a sympathetic Medea, to the protagonist's flawed Jason.

In "Inception," Cobb's wife Mia functions as Orpheus's wife, leading her husband into the underworld of the many levels of dreams. The imagery of Mia residing in the basement of the structure of the dream, at the last layer the "elevator" can reach, is telling. Eventually, like Orpheus, Cobb must flee her embraces in the "basement" of his dream and never look back.

Better yet, the tension between whether Cobb, afictional character, is in a dream raises metaphorical and metaphysicalquestions that we in the real world may be uncomfortable to answer or even consider. The"real world" implications are immense and fun to ponder.

How much of the real world is actually real? Are reality and dreams more connected and more similar than we think? If the "real world" is just a level in a multi-layered dream, a "dream within a dream" so to speak, whenwe die, do we, like the characters in the film, just go "one levelup?" Are we reincarnating our way through each level of the dream, muchlike reincarnating as a different being in Buddhist and Hindu religiousframeworks?

Are we living in what Buddhists call"samsara," an endless cycle of reincarnation, constantly movingthrough the levels of our "dream" of reality? Maybe there is no finallayer, no "real world" and there is no way to wake up from this"dream."

Do we take a “leap offaith” when we believe this world is real and not a dream? If the world is a dream, who dreams it? Are we in God's dream or even another mortal's? When we sleep and dream are we literally dreaming a dream within a dream within the dream of reality - i.e. "inception?

If the whole world is a dream did God dream us intobeing as opposed to just speaking us into being (like gods in pagan myths of old)? Are we his dream? Do we too dreamworlds into being?

Can we somehow break out of God’s dream and dream our ownworld, our own particular reality and dream our own reality, thereby becoming gods according to this definition? Or is his dream ourreality and impossible to break out of - through enlightenment or otherwise? A mortal reality or an immortal's dream?

How do we prove we’re not dreaming, if we can neverknow if we are dreaming? One could simply decide to not care whether one isdreaming or not and accept the dream as reality, much like the cave-dwellers inPlato’s “Republic”. Or one could be distracted from the fact that they areliving in a dream or living a lie and simply continue to believe their realityis truly authentic.

One could also take a “leap of faith” either way anddecide regardless of evidence, to believe that one is dreaming or not dreaming.Or one could embark on a quest to find proof and determine whether or not oneis or isn’t in a dream. Except that even if there is a way to find proof that theworld was a dream it would be difficult to bring this proof (some object ortoken from the reality outside reality) back.

Obtaining proof would entail leaving thedream i.e. leaving reality and somehow returning. In addition obtaining proof would entail knowing some for part of another reality could even be brought back to our, precluding the rationale behind any such journey because if we knew an artifact of another reality could be brought back or even if that such an artifact existed we would know another reality existed outside our own.

From this one could conclude from natural phenomenonthat if you leave the dream (of life) you cannot return and/or are lost. Therefore you wouldbe considered dead by those living in the dream world, hence proving to thosestill living in the dream world that the dream world – your reality – isreality and the only one at that.

To prove this world is a dream would entail someonebeing resurrected, coming back from the dead - i.e. returning from outsidereality - and informing us that there is another reality outside of our existence. To date this has only happened in religious or supernatural accounts orfiction.

Hence it once again comes down to what you believe –“a leap of faith.” If you do believe it is possible to return from the dead orfrom outside our reality – the mortal plane – than it is possible to believethere are many other realities besides this one or that this reality is a fake one – i.e. “but adream.” If you do not, then this life is reality, the only reality.

"Inception" raises as many as or perhapseven more philosophical interesting questions than "The Matrix." The film is a goldmine of abstract postulation; even if it is all theoretical, it makes for a good speculation.

- Ryu

My movie reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Shutter Island review.

A Vision for the Internet - Memes, Irony, Disembodiment, Religion and Authenticity

Minecraft - On the Frontier of Today's Gaming Experience
Tumblr article on the same subject.

Other articles from this lecturer on “Inception”

Inception and Philosophy - Life is but a dream

"One cannot be certain that one is not dreaming; in fact, it seems that one cannot even know. But I think the more interesting problem is this: how should we deal with this uncertainty? The fact that you can't know that you are not dreaming-that the world around you may not be real-creates a certain kind of angst. Perhaps you feel it right now. How should you deal with that angst?"

Inception and Philosophy - It was all just a dream

Inception and Philosophy - Taking a Leap of Faith

"What's my point? I don't think people actually believe that faith is a virtue. Belief in the teapot would require faith-belief without evidence-but no one would think it is virtuous. The virtue of faith is often touted in religious circles, but usually people don't think that it's virtuous to believe the tenets of other religions by faith-only one's own. What's virtuous is "believing the right thing."

So, when people say that faith is a virtue, they really don't think that it's the "belief without evidence" part that is virtuous. They just think that believing the right thing is virtuous. I would agree. Of course, the trouble is figuring out what the right thing is."

Inception and Philosophy - Did the spinning top fall?

Inception wins Plato's Academy Award

In Response to "Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus"

2012-01-15T18:33:00.000Z

"Religion" comes from the Latin word "religere" which means "to bind back." Jesus on the other hand said he came to set men free. As Girard wrote, Jesus exposed the scandal, the sausage factory of organized religion. He pointed out that religion, although often equated with righteousness, is not the way to God. This is the key Truth, Jesus sought to bring, the precious Gift he tried to give.

But his generation did not want to accept that message. The religious people of his time put him to death for it. And after his death, the religious people who followed him built up a whole new religion around him, to bind, chain and enslave the minds of many more in the years to come.

I understood this a long time ago - Jesus is revolutionary, he is the way, the truth and the life. But the structure of religion we have built around him has blinded us from seeing him, held us back from reaching him and hidden him away from us. I just never found a better way to articulate those thoughts than the way I've seen them articulated in this video. Girard came close, but his explanation was too wrapped up in academic terms. Finally here is a message any layperson can understand.

I'm so glad other people out there finally get it. We need to throw off these chains and rub the scales from our eyes because for all the self-righteousness of religion, it is keeping us from true righteousness. Jesus said "the blind follow the blind and they both fall into the ditch" (Luke 6:39). Those who claim to be the followers of Christ have been promoting the religion of Christianity for centuries. But the true followers of Christ have only followed the teachings of Christ and let what Jesus did guide their lives. Let us not be the generation that turned away Jesus. Let us finally truly break free and be as free as Jesus intended us to be.

I came from a religious family and I've always felt very spiritual. I've always believed in God. But I never felt comfortable with the institution of church, not because it felt inherently bad but because theoretically it felt like a sham, a sort of hypocrisy, a man-made creation posing as a divine one. The inherent falseness of the idea was abhorrent to me. This wasn't true faith. This wasn't being a true follower of Jesus. This was all an act, a show put on for other men, for the sake of people's reputations, not God.

I struggled for years to understand how I could call myself faithful, pray, and read the Bible several times through and yet still not be considered a "true Christian" unless I went to church. The battle to understand myself and have my beliefs understood by others who were close to me was a spiritual struggle that defined my teen years.

Did I really not believe in God? Was I an atheist? Was I no longer a Christian? Did God not exist? I took it on myself to learn and understand all the permutations of doubt and faith as I could. I wondered for a while if I was an atheist. But I knew I could not be one - I still prayed, I still believed in God, felt a spiritual connection to something higher than the mortal plane. What then was holding me back? What did I not understand?

Now I finally understand. Not going to church and believing in Christ are not inherently contradictory. Going to church does not make one a Christian and there are true Christians outside the church. I am a true follower of Christ. I can now embrace that fully with no reservation. I am not somehow any less a Christian because I refuse to fit myself into a flawed man-made institution which has hurt and held back so many people over the centuries.

In fact, setting people free from the man-made institutions that kept people from God, truth and true righteousness was the true message, the true Gospel Jesus set out to spread. His followers botched that mission and created another monolithic religion, tarnishing his memory and soiling his reputation with the very institution he fought against. Yet the mission of Christ still stands and the true followers of Christ will heed his call.

-Ryu

2012 Richards Family New Year's Mix

2011-12-27T06:04:00.000Z

Another New Year's mix featuring Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Katy Perry, Ke$ha, Brittney Spears, Skrillex, Duck Sauce, Dev, Swedish House Mafia, Tinie Tempah, Avicii, Steve Aoki and more. Photo and Mix © 2011 Sora Ryu.

- Ryu

Income Inequality - The Death Knell of World Powers?

2011-12-17T21:23:00.000Z

"Is income inequality becoming the new global warming?" Inconvenient Income Inequality - NYTimes.com

"If denial is a river, it runs through doomed societies."

*Cough* Egypt *Cough* Rome. Greater income inequality is the death knell of advanced civilizations. The rich become more decadent and complacent believing everything should just come to them (tax breaks etc.) instead of continuing to champion hard work while the poor remain oppressed and uneducated, easily entertained and placated by problematic "bread and circuses" (Glee, football, the Kardashians).

The United States inherited the empire of the Britons and the Romans before them (English, the language itself speaks to its great linguistic debt to Latin). But will American citizens suffer the same plight as the Romans?

A long time ago, to be a citizen of Rome meant something - just ask St. Paul. Once the sun never set on the British empire. To be an American citizen means something today. However, we cannot let the sun go down on America. We must reverse this trend of decline so that we can insure our children enjoy the American Century our parents once did.

Read more: Writings of Ryu: Dalio's "Typical Cycle" and the Rise and Fall of Nations:

Last Night's Final GOP Debate Before the Iowa Caucus

2011-12-17T02:42:00.001Z

The candidates at the Fox Debate in Iowa last night.

Everyone except Bachmann refused to attack Newt so as not to leave a bad taste in Iowan voters' mouths.

But Bachmann wasn't buying the kumbaya/attack Obama theme last night. She bravely and successfully took on Newt on abortion and $1.6 M influence peddling at Freddie Mac despite Newt trying desperately to attack her credibility.

She succeeded. According to the polls Newt is no longer the heir apparent. The field remains the same, with no clear frontrunner and talk of third party candidates.

Debate Summary

Grades for the #IowaDebate: #Bachmann A+ #RonPaul A #Newt B- #Romney B #Perry C- #Huntsman F #Santorum B-

Recent Political Tweets

Pres. #Obama shouldn't blink on the payroll tax / #KeystoneXLPipeline debacle. Without a lifeline the Republicans will have to raise taxes

The #KeystoneXLPipeline won't create as many jobs as expected; just more BP-like disasters and Koch Brothers-like cover-ups / exploitation

The #KeystoneXLPipeline is a complete red herring in the payroll tax debate. Republicans were caught between a rock & a hard place

It's insanely paradoxical / ironic that the Republicans are using the #KeystoneXLPipeline as a bargaining chip in order to RAISE taxes

There are legitimate security concerns (#Iran) but the U.S. is war weary. We shouldn't have been in #Iraq. Let's focus on domestic issues

The place #RonPaul comes in in the #IowaCaucus will indicate how war weary the U.S. is. Paul is tapping into a legitimate isolationism

It's important to note that we shouldn't have been in Iraq in the first place. They didn't attack us; there were no WMDs #WarinIraq

Ending the #WarinIraq was a promise kept

Tweets During the Debate

#Bachmann was strong tonight she was the only one to effectively attack #Newt. #Romney pulled his punches. #IowaDebate

#Romney took the harshest beating tonight. #Newt got off easy #IowaDebate

ABC's #IowaDebate was much better. The Fox moderators were spoon-feeding and hand-holding the candidates.

#Obama killed off the Keystone XL pipeline for the San Francisco environmental extremists. #IowaDebate

This is a waste of time. No one is going after #Newt. The race remains unsettled. #IowaDebate

#Bachmann is the only one to go after #Newt. Freddie & Fannie aren't credit unions. He influenced keeping the scam going. #IowaDebate

#Newt was on Freddie Mac's payroll. It was influence peddling. He was Speaker of the House not a private citizen. #IowaDebate

#Newt claims the conservative revolution against him was due to working with Clinton. Lies. He shut down Congress many times #IowaDebate

The candidates are falling into Fox News' trap. They're attacking #Obama instead of #Newt. Newt will remain in the lead #IowaDebate

#IowaDebate starting now

AshleyRParker Ashley Parker
#IowaDebate starts by going through each candidate's perceived flaws — not conservative (Newt), unelectable (Paul), not on fire (Santorum)
16 hours ago Favorite Undo Retweet Reply
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Newt Assures He Could Beat Obama #IowaDebate nyti.ms/vaX4YX via @thecaucus I highly doubt it. He's not Reagan
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Voters' View Who Can Beat Obama #IowaDebate nyti.ms/rK4xvt @thecaucus Not #Santorum NOR #Newt. I don't understand the support for Newt
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Fact Check:The Budget Under Speaker Gingrich #IowaDebate nyti.ms/vgqhY2 @thecaucus So much for #Newt's conservative credentials
1 hour ago

dickstevenson Dick Stevenson
Neither Romney nor Gingrich takes the opportunity at #iowadebate to repeat attacks on each other.
15 hours ago
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SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Neither #Romney Nor #Newt Eager to Engage #IowaDebate nyti.ms/vLBoJT @thecaucus Holding back may quell bad blood but it's bad strategy
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Voters' View: No Candidate Winning Yet #IowaDebate nyti.ms/vcA6rP @thecaucus This is still the case. The #IowaCaucus will be a toss up
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Voters' View: Rick #Perry Fading #IowaDebate nyti.ms/rCdz8e @thecaucus He did the worst last night. Didn't say anything relevant
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
When in doubt, bash the courts. nyti.ms/sOb2ol @thecaucus #IowaDebate None of #Newt's arguments held any water here
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
A Calmer #Romney #IowaDebate nyti.ms/uRNbXB @thecaucus He finally knows that his eyes bug out & his face turns red when he gets angry
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Voters' View: Lack of Conflict #IowaDebate nyti.ms/vJUnze @thecaucus All throughout they were playing nice. No one was attack #Newt
1 hour ago

BCAppelbaum Binyamin Appelbaum
It's amazing to me every time one of these debates swings through foreign policy without touching EUROPE. #iowadebate
15 hours ago
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SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Huntsman Makes the Most of It #IowaDebate nyti.ms/so7pCH via @thecaucus He's done
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Romney Hands-Off on #Newt #IowaDebate nyti.ms/ryOIaQ @thecaucus Romney was trying to avoid criticism; he should have attacked Newt
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Voters' View: Weakness on Immigration Action #IowaDebate nyti.ms/uHxBbm via @thecaucus
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Newt Toughens Stance on Immigration nyti.ms/rNrh2q via @thecaucus Why didn't the others attack him more on this #IowaDebate
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Voters' View: A 'Safe' Debate nyti.ms/vtNWX4 via @thecaucus ultimately all the candidates accomplished little. #IowaDebate
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Glee Christmas Special Review - Yet another absurd Glee episode, created to showcase iTunes ballads instead... tmblr.co/ZTxcaxDKK1Gr
12 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
What Is College For?: nyti.ms/tr0uKK
12 hours ago

nytimes The New York Times
Gingrich Parries With Challengers at Iowa Debate nyti.ms/s9sJe5
13 hours ago
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SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Voters' View: Little Support for #Huntsman nyti.ms/vWjUjO via @thecaucus He needs to go #IowaDebate
12 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Voters' View: No Candidate Winning Yet nyti.ms/vcA6rP via @thecaucus No candidate took on #Newt. No clear winner #IowaDebate
12 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Perry's Call for a Part-Time Congress nyti.ms/rwzXfK via @thecaucus Absolutely ridiculous #IowaDebate
12 hours ago

dickstevenson Dick Stevenson
Perry runs against Congress, Gingrich against the judicial system. #iowadebate
15 hours ago
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JohnJHarwood John Harwood
Romney says Obama's "pretty-please" request for Iran to return drone "absolutely" invites war
15 hours ago
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SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Romney Hands-Off on #Newt Gingrich # nyti.ms/ryOIaQ via @thecaucus A timid and weak approach
13 hours ago

JohnJHarwood John Harwood
Romney invokes immigration stance of Giuliani, who mercilessly trashed him as principle-free flip-flopper this morning
14 hours ago
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AshleyRParker Ashley Parker
Newt tougher on immigration: "I would propose cutting off all fed aid to any sanctuary city that deliberately violated fed law." #IowaDebate
14 hours ago
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JohnJHarwood John Harwood
Santorum: Gov Romney went along with court rather than using his power to stop gay marriages. "He personally issued gay marriage licenses."
14 hours ago
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fivethirtyeight Nate Silver
Gingrich recovered pretty well in the second half but I wonder how that last exchange with Bachmann will play in IA living rooms.
14 hours ago
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SoraRyu Sora Ryu
As always #Glee is absolutely absurd autostraddle.com/glee-psychotic… drshebloggo.com/2011/12/rbi-re…
13 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#RonPaul and #Bachmann should go for the upset in Iowa. #IowaDebate
14 hours ago

michellemalkin Michelle Malkin
Q: If GOP candidates all agree that taking down Obama is key, why are their answers on #fastandfurious & Obama cronyism so superficial?
14 hours ago
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briefingroom Briefing Room
Gingrich: I don't want to appear 'to be zany’ bit.ly/voLFAK
14 hours ago
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JohnJHarwood John Harwood
Romney enjoyed dream scenario tonight: Bachmann and Paul went after top rival Gingrich, letting Mitt profit by focusing on Obama
14 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
After the #IowaDebate the field remains unsettled. Except for #Bachmann, #Perry, #RonPaul and #Huntsman all failed to make a dent in #Newt
14 hours ago

pemalevy Pema Levy
Tonight in sexist: Frank Luntz says Michele Bachmann defined herself as the "female conservative."
14 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Tonight, the biggest question is who is lying? #Newt or #Bachmann et al? #IowaDebate
14 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Meanwhile #Romney was under attack for flip-flopping for social issues. He was weak and didn't go after #Newt #IowaDebate
14 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Newt is inconsistent on the definition of life and he's a lobbyist. I'm glad #Bachmann called him out on both of those issue #IowaDebate
14 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Bachmann fought back against #Newt unfairly belittling her. She was the only on to attack Newt all night #IowaDebate
14 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Newt kept calling #Bachmann a liar but she's a serious candidate and she kept on fighting. #IowaDebate
14 hours ago

- Ryu

Last Saturday's GOP Iowa Debate

2011-12-15T17:45:00.000Z

Newt comes out and attacks Romney on Saturday while Romney holds back.

What to Expect in Tonight's Iowa Debate

With Trump's joke of a debate cancelled, tonight marks the last debate before the Iowa Caucus. The knives will come out as each of the candidates fight to carve a lasting impression in the voters minds.

For example, Romney will probably stress his cross-over appeal and his heightened ability to be elected in the general election against President Obama. He's also been getting tough on front-runner Newt during his television interviews. Still it remains to be seen whether Romney will go after Newt when he's standing right next to him on the stage.

Saturday's Iowa Debate Summary

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
My grades for the #IowaDebate: #RonPaul A+, #Newt A-, #Santorum A-, #Romney C #Bachmann B
5 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
In G.O.P. Iowa Debate, Rivals Target #Newt Gingrich: nyti.ms/tWIt4T

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Someone should make a #Youtube mash-up with #Romney offering a $10,000 bet and then #Perry scratching his head and saying "Ooops" :)
1 minute ago Favorite Reply Delete

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
After $10,000 Offer, Some Bet Against Romney: nyti.ms/tppdU9 #Romney falls on Intrade but not as much as #Perry after "Ooops"

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Romney never used to make "unforced errors." He's panicking. He must come to grips w. the fact that #Newt is a serious threat
3 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Romney's campaign will begin to crack under pressure even if he survives this latest gaffe. Remember #Newt is more suited to win the South
4 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Also note that it was the hurting middle class watching on TV that called #Romney out on his bet not his well-heeled fellow candidates
12 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
"#Romney became the Rich Guy who uses money as a threat...unforced errors are what help kill candidacies." ex: #Perry nypost.com/p/news/nationa…
14 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Will $10,000 bet be #Romney's #jumpedtheshark moment much like #Bachmann saying HPV vaccines cause mental retardation? 2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/09/rush-l…
16 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Someone should make a #Youtube mash-up with #Romney offering a $10,000 bet and then #Perry scratching his head and saying "Ooops" :)

Still #Newt isn't in the clear w. his infidelity issues. #Bachmann missed a chance to link a confirmed adulterer and #Cain, an accused one
2 minutes ago Favorite Reply Delete

Real-Time Debate Tweets

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Romney: 'I'm Also Unemployed': nyti.ms/nJNhfP Blast-from-the-Past in light of Romney's $10,000 bet #IowaDebate
5 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Romney's $10,000 bet reminds me of when he said to a group of unemployed people "I'm unemployed too" He's out of touch. #IowaDebate
5 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
D.N.C. Attacks Romney Bet # nyti.ms/v6FQ7O via @thecaucus "What will everyone remember from the debate tonight?" #IowaDebate
5 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Fact Check: Newt Inc. Not Exactly 'Mom and Pop' Shop # nyti.ms/v0Csp6 via @thecaucus
5 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
People will only remember #Romney's $10,000 bet. You're through #Romney
5 hours ago

kseelye Kit Seelye
Matt Dowd predicts on ABC that Newt is the inevitable nominee.
5 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Newt's weakness is that he says these things that are over-the-top. But otherwise he is now the front-runner. #Romney is out.
5 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Newt is always over-the-top. He has this grandiosity. You can't say a people are "invented". It's like saying blacks are less than human
5 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Romney could have hit #Newt hard on Palestine but he was a shrinking violet. W. that $10,000 bet, #Romney is on his way out #IowaDebate
5 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Romney couldn't deliver the knock out punch to #Newt, while Newt was more offensive than defensive. #IowaDebate
5 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Bachmann blatantly fishing for #Cain voters. Subtle she is not #IowaDebate
5 hours ago

CharlesMBlow Charles M. Blow
Bachmann like a political vulture, circling Cain carcass, trying to pick off his supporters...
5 hours ago
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Daniel_A_Flow Daniel A-O
That awkward moment when no-one said Bachmann is their inspiration on stage and everyone says Ron Paul #iowadebate
5 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Romney bets $10,000, a worker's 3-month income without a bat of eye #IowaDebate If you want someone poor, he's not our guy. #Arrogance
5 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Newt shows himself to be the same thing - a guy who shoots himself in the foot. That Palestine-is-an-invented-people is a no-no #IowaDebate
5 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
My grades for the #IowaDebate: #RonPaul A+, #Newt A-, #Santorum A-, #Romney C #Bachmann B
5 hours ago

Daniel_A_Flow Daniel A-O
I love Ron Paul
5 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Bachmann compliments #Cain's 999 plan. Smart move or not? #IowaDebate
5 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
If we all take the same oath someone is messing up somewhere says #RonPaul. #IowaDebate
5 hours ago

fivethirtyeight Nate Silver
Not much change on Intrade over the course of the debate. Bachmann and Gingrich up 0.2% since debate started, Romney down 0.4%.
5 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Newt praises Iowa governor. Also compliments #Santorum and #Perry #IowaDebate
5 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#RonPaul supporters are always out there says #Romney #IowaDebate
5 hours ago

dickstevenson Dick Stevenson
For a deep look at Romney, wealth and values, check out terrific piece from @ashleyrparker and @mikiebarb: nyti.ms/vq3ap1
6 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Only #Santorum came out as a conservative. Even #Perry started out as Democrat #IowaDebate
5 hours ago

shearm Michael D. Shear
Rick Perry repeated his idea about cutting congressional pay in half. Didn't say how he might pass that idea through Congress. #iowadebate
5 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

CharlesMBlow Charles M. Blow
Romney: I didn't grow up poor...but I grew up with a dad who had been poor. And, if you don't believe me, I'll bet you $10,000 #pocketlint
5 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Journalists are giving these candidates a pass. Tell us how exactly how you're going to repeal #Obamacare #IowaDebate
5 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Paul: We're forced to pay taxes. Why should we be forced to pay for insurance #IowaDebate
5 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Romney: "I didn't grow up poor." "if voters are looking for someone poor to be president, they should look elsewhere." #IowaDebate
6 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#RonPaul: You cant have a government that protects you from yourself. Be responsible. Applause. Go Paul #IowaDebate.
6 hours ago

TheDemocrats The Democrats
FACT: In 2007, Romney said that MA health reform "will be a model for the nation." j.mp/tj0xJa #IowaDebate
6 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Newt- #Romney grilled on mandates once more, this time by the American people on Yahoo. #IowaDebate
6 hours ago

sfpelosi sfpelosi
Romney says he knew some people who struggled. Doesn't mention the folks he fired when he ran Bain. #iowadebate
6 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Romney: "States can do whatever they want to do" lol. gets applause #IowaDebate
6 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Bachmann comes the closest to being poor. Actually answers the question. Clipped coupons #IowaDebate
6 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Newt: Key word, I WAS poor. I have poor RELATIVES. Not me. #IowaDebate
6 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Bachmann refuses to put a name on the president who put us in this mess: Bush! #IowaDebate
6 hours ago

susanthe susanthe
Ron Paul: I was born during the Depression. I'm OLD. #iowadebate
6 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

CharlesMBlow Charles M. Blow
I just love it when millionaire talk about their past poverty. All bootstraps and heart strings. *Wipes fake tears.*
6 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
No one's answering the question. None of them can relate to the middle class. #IowaDebate
6 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Romney has never been poor in his entire life. #Arrogance. Rich and wants to get richer. He's not our guy #IowaDebate
6 hours ago

CharlesMBlow Charles M. Blow
Perry on his upbringing and hardship: "Growing up where I grew up..." And, where was that? Oh, near Nigger Rock. That's right.
6 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
These candidates will be hard-pressed to find a time in the NOW when they've given up a luxury or necessity. They can't relate #IowaDebate
6 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Gingrich Stands Firm on Palestinian Comments # nyti.ms/vKMikj via @thecaucus
6 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Perry tries to be the kumbaya cheerleader at the end of the Palestine argument #IowaDebate
6 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Perry calls the whole Palestinian arguments an issue the media is blowing up #IowaDebate
6 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Bachmann in other words agrees w. #Newt. #Santorum casts himself as a foil to Bachmann: Truth with prudence. Agrees w. #Romney #IowaDebate
6 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Reagan didn't tell the truth on IranContra #Newt. But still #Romney is timid. #IowaDebate
6 hours ago

CharlesMBlow Charles M. Blow
Gingrich still calling himself a historian. Just because you're old and blather on doesn't make you a historian dude.
6 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Stop while you're ahead #Romney. Newt won this exchange #IowaDebate
6 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Newt: "This is a propaganda war" Stands for the truth on Palestine #IowaDebate #Romney says he can't speak for Israel. Newt jabs back
6 hours ago

RichLowry Rich Lowry
newt knows this stuff much better than mitt
6 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Romney fails to attack #Newt effectively on his Palestinian comment. #Newt shakes his head, says he's not apologizing #IowaDebate
6 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Newt defends his Palestinian comment. Cites Hamas violence. "Enough lying about the Middle East" #IowaDebate
6 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Newt: Palestinians are an invented people? #IowaDebate. #RonPaul says that's messy and unnecessary
6 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Perry: secure the border and enforce the laws on the book. Leave Arizona alone #IowaDebate No catch and release program
6 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Voter's View: Romney and Gingrich Clear Frontrunners # nyti.ms/uaA5gI via @thecaucus
6 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Bachmann Goes on Offense # nyti.ms/tOPERW via @thecaucus
6 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Romney lays down the law: no magnets, no amnesty. #IowaDebate
6 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Newt is floundering on this immigration question. He should let this stance on this issue go #IowaDebate
6 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Newt is still defending keeping illegals who have been here 25 years. Absolutely not Newt #IowaDebate
6 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Newt offers remorse to attacks of infidelity #IowaDebate
6 hours ago

benpolitico Ben Smith
Plety of time for Newt to figure out that answer.
6 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

CharlesMBlow Charles M. Blow
They are beating Newt over this infidelity thing like a runaway slave...
6 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Romney keeps attacking Perry like he's still relevant; he won't go after #Newt. But #Newt isn't afraid to go after him #IowaDebate
6 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Santorum is strong tonight #IowaDebate
6 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Echoes From 1996 # nyti.ms/sHtgxG via @thecaucus #Newt -#Romney is like #Dole -#Gingrich #IowaDebate
6 hours ago

politico POLITICO
Newt Gingrich under a pile-on: politi.co/s80RTF
6 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Newt- #Romney both answer yes like clones to #Bachmann's question that will they repeal mandates in the future #IowaDebate
6 hours ago

CharlesMBlow Charles M. Blow
Romney offers to bet Perry $10,000 about whether he right about what's in his book. $10,000?! #richmanschallenge
6 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

HowardKurtz HowardKurtz
Romney offers Perry a $10,000 bet on Mitt's record on mandate? (Which was declined.) Never seen that at a debate.
6 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

rickklein Rick Klein
Perry: "you're for individual mandates, my friend." Romney offers a hand for a $10,000 bet (!) Perry leaves him hanging! #iowadebate
6 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

daveweigel daveweigel
$10,000. One hand. No tears.
6 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

benpolitico Ben Smith
That was kind of a rich guy move.
6 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Romney is so arrogant. Ask for a $10,000 bet. So Wall Street. He's totally out of touch w. the working people #IowaDebate
6 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Newt: in 1993 we all (conservatives) saw the mandate as an alternative to Hillarycare #IowaDebate
6 hours ago

AshleyRParker Ashley Parker
Bachmann coins "Newt-Romney" for all things anti-conservative and bad, as Newt and Romney share a (fleeting) laugh. #iowadebate
7 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

dickstevenson Dick Stevenson
Bachmann distills argument to who is clearest contrast with Obama, and that health care disqualifies Romney and Gingrich.
7 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Romney differentiates himself. Says he's for a state not federal mandate like #Newt #IowaDebate
7 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Perry: #Newt-#Romney have both been for the individual mandate. #IowaDebate
7 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Romney: Obama has been the only President to cut Medicare? #IowaDebate
7 hours ago

benpolitico Ben Smith
The learning curve in these debates has been amazing. They're all pretty formidable.
7 hours ago
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IngrahamAngle Laura Ingraham
Bachmann's "win/win/win" playing off Cain "9/9/9"...weak.
7 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

dickstevenson Dick Stevenson
Bachmann goes after "Newt Romney" on health care. What happened to Obamneycare? #iowadebate
7 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Bachmann: #Newt spread #Romneycare. Says Obama know's her. #IowaDebate
7 hours ago

CharlesMBlow Charles M. Blow
Gingrich calling Bachmann a liar... *slap*
7 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Newt claims to have done no lobbying at all #IowaDebate Really?
7 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Bachmann creates the #Newt-Romney axis of evil #IowaDebate
7 hours ago

benpolitico Ben Smith
Ron Paul is just a one-man wrecking crew this cycle. Send 'em up and he knocks 'em down.
7 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

CharlesMBlow Charles M. Blow
Paul going after Newt now. This is getting good...
7 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

CharlesMBlow Charles M. Blow
Newt: I wasn't a lobbyist, I offered "strategic advice" Ha!...
7 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Bachmann weighs in on #Newt as a K-street insider. #IowaDebate
7 hours ago

fivethirtyeight Nate Silver
Romney's "career politician" attacks have always been dubious and Newt exposed exactly why
7 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Romney is afraid of attacking #Newt, but #RonPaul isn't afraid to call Newt a flip-flopper. #IowaDebate
7 hours ago

AshleyRParker Ashley Parker
Romney: "Losing to Teddy Kennedy was prob the best thing I could have done for preparing me for the job I’m seeking." #iowadebate
7 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#RonPaul: #Newt guilty of "serial hypocrisy" #IowaDebate
7 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
"You'd have been a 17-year career politician if you didn't lose to Ted Kennedy" - #Newt, #IowaDebate
7 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Romney held back but #Newt just blew Romney out of the water. That was a smackdown #IowaDebate
7 hours ago

CharlesMBlow Charles M. Blow
Romney going after Gingrich on child labor laws ... ok, gloves off...
7 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

Earlier Political Tweets

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
GOP Candidates Get Their Shot At Frontrunner #Newt In Iowa Debate 2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/12/gop-ca… via @TPM
1 hour ago Favorite Reply Delete

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Big Debate Tonight talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2011/… via @TPM #Newt should never do close-ups
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Hindsight is 20/20 on #Glee and Leave Brittany Alone - DR SHE BLOGGO: On Brittana: “The genius of their... tmblr.co/ZTxcaxD46wDa
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#RonPaul is the one to watch in tonight's debate. He will be the only who won't be afraid to attack #Newt when he attacks #Obama
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Newt's strategy will be to focus on attacking Obama so that no one will attack him. If he's attacking Obama no one will disagree w. him
2 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#RonPaul will win Iowa?

...

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Sadly, biases about faith will continue to dog #Romney when it comes to winning the South fr. #Newt. Romney should be upfront about this.
8 Dec Favorite Reply Delete

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Romney should take on the issue of his faith as #Obama took on the issue of his race. Then the elephant in the room will lose it's power.
8 Dec

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Romney is afraid of being victimized for his faith. But if he doesn't address the elephant in the room silent biases will hurt him
8 Dec

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
No one will say it outright. They will attack #Romney through "values." He must speak about his faith but he's afraid of becoming a martyr
8 Dec

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Sadly, the real answer to #Romney's why don't they like me? is the elephant in the room. Romney mustn't be afraid to talk about his faith
8 Dec

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Romney: "Why Don't They Like Me?" on Time magazine politico.com/news/stories/1…
8 Dec

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
The #WhiteHouse is subtly targeting #Romney bc they want him to be the nominee; he's really the easiest to knock down. Reverse psychology
8 Dec

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Not even #Newt's past baggage will hurt him. Newt is the shoo-in unless there's a terrible gaffe or another strong contender fr. the South
8 Dec

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
But the real reason #Perry is irrelevant is because conservatives no longer need him to carry the South. #Newt on the other hand is from GA
8 Dec

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Perry gets voting age wrong in N.H. washingtonpost.com/blogs/election… No wonder I haven't been hearing from him anymore. 2 mistakes in one sentence.

...
SoraRyu Sora Ryu
The #UnionLeader is cutting #Romney's legs out from under him in #NH and that's the only place where he has a chance. SC and FL are out
8 Dec Favorite Reply Delete

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
If #Romney doesn't win NH he's toast. He won't win Florida and S.C. He might win Iowa. Out of the first four no state is assured to him.
8 Dec

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Why has the White House singled out #Romney before the primary instead of targeting the whole field? Romney's not a shoo-in
8 Dec

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Bret Baier: Mitt Romney called questions politico.com/news/stories/1…
8 Dec

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Cain underestimated how difficult it is to run for President. He was focused on goal not the journey.
8 Dec

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Bachmann is finished if she doesn't win at least fourth place in Iowa

"Toy Story 3" - The End of Another Story I Grew Up With

2011-11-25T17:30:00.001Z

On Rotten Tomatoes I gave this film a "100% Fresh."

I absolutely loved this film. When Andy lovingly passed down his toys to their new owner I cried so hard. It represents my generation finally growing up and handing off our adventures to the new generation coming up after us.

I grew up with Toy Story. Pixar's first big hit came out when I was five in 1996. It articulated what a younger me with a vivid imagination had always secretly believed - my toys magically came to life when I wasn't looking. When the movie came out I then had Woody, Buzz, Mr. Potato Head and other toys from the movie - just like Andy.

When I reached Andy's current age, I almost didn't want to see "Toy Story 3" when it came out. I felt "Toy Story 2," although OK, hadn't lived up to "Toy Story." I thought "Toy Story 3" was going to be a safe gimmick to make a quick buck. I thought I would be too old for a "kids movie." Yet, I finally saw it and I was blown away. My low expectations were completely unfounded. Fortunate for me, it seems in trilogies, the second movie usually ends up the weakest link.

I didn't cry in the scene when Woody and his friends were almost destroyed in the landfill's incinerator. I was on pins and needles! I knew the series was ending; I honestly thought they were all going to "die." Like the characters, I almost resigned myself to their fate. In the film and the "Toy Story" films before it, the toys had simply escaped too many close scrapes. They simply weren't going to making it out of this one this time; they'd reached the end of the line. Watching an epic scene fueled by a powerful score, I almost accepted this was the last I'd see of those beloved plastic characters.

But it's a good thing the toys themselves accepted their fate - if they hadn't been holding hands, "the claw" that reached down to save them wouldn't have been able to pick up all of them at the same time, just in the nick of time. Also if they had still been trying to fight their way back up to the top, the claw might have missed them and they would have all gone back down into the flames. When they were saved I was so happy. "Toy Story 3" employed a powerful plot device that I have definitely seen before, to favorable effect.

The fiery incinerator reminded me of the pits of hell or rather the depths of Mount Doom in "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King." After Frodo destroys the One Ring, a similar acceptance of fate occurs when Sam and Frodo sit outside an exploding Mount Doom as lava flows down all around them. And just when they'd given up, Gandalf and the eagles come to save them. I call this the Abraham effect - where being willing to sacrifice the very thing you love most or even your life makes you worthy enough to keep the very thing you were about to give up.

A similar moving scene also occurred at the climax of Pixar's "Finding Nemo." Although this is not the case of the Abraham effect - the characters in question did not give up or accept their fate - Nemo, Dory and the other tuna decide to all stick together and "just keep swimming" in order to cause the fishing boat's net that has just captured them to snap, setting them all free.

"Toy Story 3" is a generational classic. It is a fitting addition to Pixar's legacy of amazing films. While watching "Toy Story 3," I was reminded favorably of not just "Toy Story" and "Finding Nemo," but other greats of my time like "A Bug's Life," "Monster's Inc." and "Up." Pixar's animation seems to be just getting better and better. The caliber of all of Pixar's films is unmatched (I think the only exceptions are "Cars" and "Cars 2").

"Toy Story 3" also makes a shout-out to another great animation tradition - the films of Miyazaki. Woody's new owner has a Totoro doll but the adventure and gorgeous beauty of "Toy Story 3" reminds me more of Miyazaki's opus "Spirited Away." I feel Pixar took some cues from that breakthrough film which in turn helped make "Toy Story 3" all the more amazing - especially the final scene with Andy handing off his toys to the next generation.

And of course "Toy Story 3" did this all while being it's usual funny self. There were great jokes as always involving the new Ken and Barbie and old timers like Mr. Potato Head. The new characters were all fleshed out and our old stalwarts still had their staple voices - for example, Tim Allen was back as Buzz and Tom Hanks was back as Woody. I also liked The Gypsy Kings' rendition of "You Got a Friend in Me."

So all-in-all a perfect movie, the best Western animation film I've ever seen. I'd wish for more but I know the series has ended at least for my generation. The ending of the "Toy Story" trilogy is so much like the ending of another powerful film phenomenon of my generation, the Harry Potter series. Perhaps they will reprise the story for future generations? I hope they will because these are the kind of stories that last a lifetime.

- Ryu

Last Night's GOP Foreign Policy Debate on CNN

2011-11-23T14:37:00.001Z

People were looking for Newt to distinguish himself last night. He didn't.

kherman kherman
I favor same-sex marriage only for Wolf Blitzer and Paul Wolfowitz so we can have Wolf Wolfowitz.
11 hours ago Favorite Undo Retweet Reply
Retweeted by SoraRyu

Reuters Reuters Top News
Analysis: Gingrich's stumble on immigration? reut.rs/rZG12q
10 minutes ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

....

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Fact Check: Abortions in China #cnndebate nyti.ms/vCKwCT via @thecaucus more reason to place them on the ashheap of history
7 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Fact Check: Syria, Oil and No-Fly Zones #cnndebate nyti.ms/tfw6r7 via @thecaucus A no-fly zone is an act of war Perry #derp
8 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#cnndebate nyti.ms/suTlEQ via @thecaucus Everyone's talking about debt Huntsman #derp I say China and cyber attacks.
9 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Fact Check: Fact Check: No Apology #cnndebate nyti.ms/tgnKs3 via @thecaucus Obama never apologized for the U.S.
11 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
A Temporary Peace Between Romney and Perry? #cnndebate nyti.ms/vnT7AW via @thecaucus Romney no longer sees Perry as a threat
12 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
More Camera Time for Ron Paul #cnndebate nyti.ms/tOc8OW via @thecaucus his libertarian views will lose him conservative votes
12 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Gingrich Offers Risky Position on Immigration #cnndebate nyti.ms/sqJHlT via @thecaucus Newt is toast
13 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
A Simple Fix for Immigration From Cain #cnndebate nyti.ms/suCF9U via @thecaucus
14 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Fact Check: Fact Check: Romney on Obama and Israel #cnndebate nyti.ms/u2zsRl via @thecaucus Obama is strong on Israel
15 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Perry Calls for Panetta's Resignation in Face of Cuts #cnndebate nyti.ms/v2fZix via @thecaucus don't thinks so Perry. he got Osama
16 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Fact Check: Fact Check: Perry on Aid to Pakistan #cnndebate nyti.ms/sNhDCI via @thecaucus we've actually been cutting aid
17 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
A Chilean Model for Social Security Reform #cnndebate nyti.ms/sonacP via @thecaucus sounds odd Newt. stick w. the domestic model
18 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Reining In Gas Prices #cnndebate nyti.ms/vFj0Td via @thecaucus find those oil fields and open them
19 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Iran Sanctions #cnndebate nyti.ms/s5A5lu via @thecaucus once again our dependency on E. Asia compromises our security in the M. East
20 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Continuing Humanitarian Aid to Africa #cnndebate nyti.ms/rTGOB6 via @thecaucus
22 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Fact Check: lol I didn't know Mitt Romney's first name was Willard! #cnndebate nyti.ms/urmW8f via @thecaucus
30 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Paul Breaks From Candidates and Dismisses Israel, thinks they can take care of themselves #cnndebate nyti.ms/vUqyoj via @thecaucus
33 minutes ago

BumillerNYT Elisabeth Bumiller
Huntsman sounds like Biden once did on Afghanistan - all we need is 10,000 to 15,000 US troops in Afghanistan #cnndebate
12 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Bachmann Calls Pakistan 'Too Nuclear to Fail' and Perry "highly naive" #cnndebate nyti.ms/rMmRpK via @thecaucus
35 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Perry Accuses Obama of Intelligence Failures ignoring Obama's success against terrorism.#cnndebate nyti.ms/rsW3yb via @thecaucus
36 minutes ago

dickstevenson Dick Stevenson
Patriot Act question rare chance to hear candidates on security and civil liberties balance: Gingrich, Paul show breadth of gap. #cnndebate
13 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

jeffzeleny Jeff Zeleny
How does CNN stretch a 90-minute debate into a two-hour television show? Like this. #cnndebate
13 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
A Flashy Opening From CNN #cnndebate nyti.ms/sGQqhm via @thecaucus
1 hour ago

kesgardner Ken Gardner
Ron Paul is no conservative. He is a Libertarian (big L). The difference is HUGE. #tcot
12 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

Flap Gregory Flap Cole
My bet is that although Newt Gingrich did wll in tonight's debate, his numbers will hit the skids because of his immigration answers. #tcot
11 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

Flap Gregory Flap Cole
Newt sounds too much like McCain on immigration and we had that last time and lost to Obama #tcot
11 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

joshrogin Josh Rogin
RT @daveweigel: In spin room, Team Romney tried very very hard to continue scorching Newt on immigration.
9 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

NationalStella Adam Pottle
Michelle Bachmann to be played in eventual biopic by Frances McDormand. #tcot
9 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Security and Foreign Policies Dominate Republican Debate: nyti.ms/vreuwZ
10 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Gingrich Seizes the High Ground on Immigration in CNN Presidential Debate thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/… being soft on immigration will cost him
10 hours ago

NationalStella Adam Pottle
Huntsman hears applause; is legitimately surprised #cnndebate #gopdebate
13 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

NationalStella Adam Pottle
newt is smart on the pashtun situation.
12 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

NationalStella Adam Pottle
SANTORUM: AFRICA IS NOT A COUNTRY #cnndebate
12 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

Heminator Mark Hemingway
Newt's immigration answer suggests he's looking toward the general. Wrapping it around family and church is also smart, if disingenuous.
11 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

jstrevino Joshua Treviño
Mitt has a faint smile as he watches Newt pour gasoline all over himself by espousing rationalism and decency on immigration.
11 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

NationalStella Adam Pottle
so with ten minutes to go, #RonPaul cheerfully reveals his insanity: golden rule applies to war, not foreign aid. #wtf #cnndebate
11 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

NationalStella Adam Pottle
well, that wasn't too bad. Bachmann, Newt win/ Romney, Cain, Perry good/ Huntsman, Santorum not terrible/ Paul LOLOLOL
11 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

RichLowry Rich Lowry
if perry can work energy into this answer, too, ill be really impressed
13 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

RichLowry Rich Lowry
"lincoln ran right over civil rights" is putting it a little strongly
13 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

RichLowry Rich Lowry
amazing how almost every single one of ron paul's foriegn policy answers has gotten some applause in every debate. big contrast from 08
13 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

RichLowry Rich Lowry
"im sorry blitz i meant wolf"-hilarious
13 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

RichLowry Rich Lowry
hunstman so unaccustomed to getting even mild applause
13 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

RichLowry Rich Lowry
bachmann kinda schools perry on pakistan
13 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

RichLowry Rich Lowry
a no fly zone is not a sanction its an act of war
11 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

RichLowry Rich Lowry
a no fly zone makes no sense unless youre going to bomb and ultimately destroy the syrian military--see libya
11 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

RichLowry Rich Lowry
perry appears desperate not to disagree w/ romney tonight
11 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

RichLowry Rich Lowry
has there ever been a more annoying presidential candidate than jon hunstman?
11 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Is going after Muslims racial profiling? Last time I checked Islam is a religion. People of all races can become Muslim & radical #cnndebate
10 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Cain must target Romney and Newt on how they have failed Iowa. Romney is a part of the 1% and Newt supported Dodd Frank #cnndebate
10 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Oddly enough the candidates are not addressing problems important to Iowa #cnndebate
11 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Ron Paul's base is fired up #cnndebate
11 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
I don't get the excitement about Newt. He isn't doing anything different. #cnndebate
11 hours ago

BlackCanseco Black Canseco
Rick Santorum just called Africa a "country"... And the Audience applauded. *facepalms* #CNNDebate #GOPDebate
12 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
China and cyber-attacks are definitely a future problem. Perry said it first. Place communist China on the ash heap of history #cnndebate
11 hours ago

fivethirtyeight Nate Silver
Anyway, final grades: Gingrich A-, Huntsman A-, Romney B+, Paul B+, Bachmann B+, Santorum B, Perry B, Cain C
11 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Wolf Blitzer was an awful moderator #cnndebate. I'd say Ron Paul won; didn't let anyone cow him. Cain came in second. Flew under the radar.
11 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
No magnets for illegal immigration #cnndebate
11 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
They need to get to Egypt. Is the U.S. going to threaten to cut aid to Egypt's military again? #cnndebate
11 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
If you came here illegally then 25 years ago you should be deported. No amnesty. Protect legal immigration - Romney #cnndebate
11 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
@
@fivethirtyeight Leave Cain alone. It doesn't matter how he does in the debates but whether he wins Iowa #cnndebate
12 hours ago

CharlesMBlow Charles M. Blow
Debate overlooks is that most Americans are happy with Obama on foreign policy. If anything, Progs r unhappy because he's been SO aggressive
12 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Are we going to go to war with Iran and Pakistan #cnndebate
12 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
when will they talk about Egypt and the renewed protests there? #cnndebate
12 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Romney seems to believe he's a great friend of Israel #cnndebate
12 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Blitzer is a soft moderator #cnndebate. He should have pressed Romney on attacking Iran
12 hours ago

DartmouthReview The Dartmouth Review
RT @richlowry: usually romney has seemed most commanding of candidates; tonight its newt
12 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

DartmouthReview The Dartmouth Review
RT @richlowry: one of bachmann's best debates in a while
12 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Supercommittee proves we're not going to cut anything or balance the budget #cnndebate
12 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Ron Paul offers the libertarian views while Newt says we should be "furious" at Pakistan #cnndebate
12 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
watching the #cnndebate at home w. the fam
12 hours ago

...

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Republican Debates Put Moderators in Hot Seat: nyti.ms/syU63S debate tonight - yes!

"J. Edgar" - A Story that Needed to be Told

2011-11-19T07:51:00.001Z

I really loved "J. Edgar." It was everything I expected it to be and more. DiCaprio was absolutely perfect as J. Edgar Hoover. Older Edgar reminded me favorably of Philip Seymour Hoffman's performance in "Capote," and Collin Firth in "A Single Man," while younger Edgar reminded me of Heath Ledger in "Brokeback Mountain."

The screenplay by Dustin Lance Black ("Milk") was superb and Clint Eastwood's directing ("Gran Turino," "Letters from Iwo Jima," "Mystic River," "Changeling") shone as usual. Arnie Hammer was also a surprise star as Tolson. As young Tolson, the scene where Tolson and Edgar fight displays Hammer's amazing range as the normally calm Tolson flies into a rage when Edgar does something unacceptable. Hammer is also flawless as older Tolson, capturing his frailness and evoking beautiful later life scenes between Edgar and himself.

"J. Edgar" was first and foremost a love story. I enjoyed how the film switched between past and present, drawing historical parallels, weaving a comprehensive story. Young Edgar and Tolson from the era of despicable Communist bombers reminiscent of today's terrorists, charismatic mobsters and the Lindbergh baby kidnapping that transfixed the nation was beautifully juxtaposed with elderly Edgar and Tolson still at the organization they helped create, yet going after false positives like MLK. I found the imagery of both eras arresting and breathtaking. Eastwood achieved his purpose of transporting me back to a different world.

What made the film powerful was what it made me feel. We remember films like "Fargo" and others for what they make us feel. Although Edgar the man was far from perfect, I'm so glad Black decided to take on the story of this controversial character and tell his story to the world. The film took a man who had been forgotten as a villain and made him human again. I could empathize with Edgar when his mother dissuaded him from coming out. DiCaprio captured the pain of this inner struggle perfectly.

I'm also glad the film didn't demonize Edgar's mother (Judi Dench). Besides that one scene, I didn't find her like Lady Macbeth at all. I think she genuinely loved her son - and still loved him in spite of knowing he was gay. I'm sure she knew Edgar was gay but she would have done her son no good by letting him come out. She only had horror stories like what happened to Pinkus to go by and she didn't want that to happen to her son.

Edgar's story really shows that in spite of being in the closet, gay children can and do still love their parents very much and want to please them. I find this depiction both realistic and accurate. I admire the filmmakers bravery to depict such a complex relationship honestly, despite the pain gay people in the closet continue to feel.

There were a lot of rumors and hype following this film. People questioning whether it had been de-gayed or over-gayed. I feel "J. Edgar" did the rumors surrounding Edgar's homosexuality justice. Black and Eastwood did not blow Tolson and Edgar's relationship out of proportion. People who watched the film for the shock value of seeing a gay romance did not get the point of the film. I'm sure such people were disappointed.

The beauty of the film was that it wasn't a PFLAG advertisement. The beauty of the film lay in the details. "J.Edgar" effectively carved out a space for gay people's lives in an era where being gay didn't exist.

For example, Edgar asking Tolson to be his second-in-command was as close a marriage proposal for gays in that day. You can really see Hammer's acting here, as Tolson's eyes light up and his face is full of bliss. Their life together is closest thing to a gay marriage in those days.

Edgar and Gandy's (Naomi Watts) scene in the library was as close as close as anyone coming out to each other in those days. Edgar tries to seal the deal as having Gandy as his beard, but Gandy says she never wishes to be married (in those days as good as a woman saying she was gay) but will stand by Edgar as his secretary for life. In the end, they both keep each other's secrets. Also worth noting is Gandy's tight-lipped response to Edgar informing her that the FBI would be going after Eleanor Roosevelt and her lesbian activities at the time. Gandy is obviously incensed that Edgar would go after one of their own.

People who weren't watching carefully wouldn't have picked up on these subtleties that helped make the film even more poignant. I don't understand the critics antipathy to the film. As I said before, I think a lot of people went in with the wrong expectations. People either over-inflated or oversimplified the movie in their heads before watching.

"J. Edgar" is a groundbreaking film that accomplishes so much and achieves so many "firsts." It's the first to story to depict a powerful, conservative but conflicted gay man. It's the first film to my knowledge (besides "Milk") which features not one but three gay people - Edgar, Tolson and Gandy - in positions of power and responsibility in the founding of one of America's most venerable institutions. I think this story is important for many young gay people today to see, especially as they strive to be successful in a world that can still be very he very homophobic.

Finally, it's the first film to show a largely positive lifelong loving relationship between two gay characters. The story of Edgar and Tolson's love is powerful enough to carry their story, regardless of whether the two had sex or not (I personally think they did have sex but that is neither here nor there). Their love is apparent on its own, it carries weight and importance on its own - especially for a community that is still stereotyped as promiscuous.

This story needed to be told. It is sure to be a boon to gay communities everywhere, especially to young gay people everywhere, hoping to get married. It is also a boon to society, deconstructing simplified, negative perceptions of gay people in the media and otherwise. As the gay rights movement comes to maturity we need more historical gay bio-pics like this one, films which "reclaim" our historical figures for the love they expressed in life. Films like these show that gay people and their love matters.

"J. Edgar" is a grand but humble film. We need more films like it. DiCaprio deserves an Oscar for his performance. I would gladly re-watch this film several times over.

- Ryu

The CBS/NJ GOP Debate - Coverage & Analysis

2011-11-13T02:38:00.001Z

The big players of tonight.

As the first debate not on cable TV, and the only debate to focus solely on international relations (IR) this debate really tested all of the candidates. IR is definitely the hardest topic to fit into campaign buzz words - this subject required deliberate thinking from all candidates but also inspired many candidates to take a stand and stick with their values on important topics like torture, China, Iran, Pakistan and foreign aid to Israel.

It seems that Twitter has a daily limit for the number of Tweets you can post so I will just write my short post-debate analysis here.

Cain - He was at the top of the CBS poll this week. Cain remains on top in the general race as well. He was very even-keeled and presidential. He gave some smart answers to some tough questions and kept a strong conservative line. I had hoped he'd be stronger on China but otherwise good job. I hope he will continue his powerful rise

Romney - I'd say Romney tied tonight. He remained strong on China and was very presidential. Cain needs to seal the deal when it comes to overtaking Romney. Right now Romney is really good when it comes to finally pointing out that we are already in a trade war with China. (This is unrelated, but he has been looking a little under-the-weather lately - or is he just showing his age? Poor Romney).

Newt - He got some buzz in the polls this week. But tonight I don't think he really distinguished himself or showed himself to be any better than Cain or Romney. He remained the same, which will probably sink his poll numbers. Still he kept his usual roles as the cheerleader and remained the "adult" in the room. He's very knowledgeable on foreign affairs and he remained strong on foreign aid and enhanced interrogation measures.

Santorum - Of the smaller players, Santorum was the strongest, agreeing with Cain and Newt. He remained strong on enhanced interrogation measures and offered detailed and intelligent responses on Iran and Pakistan.

Bachmann - She also offered very even-handed responses and a few hidden gems but overall she has been over-shadowed by Cain and Perry. It's almost been a little unfair. The moderators absolutely ran over her. She is the new Santorum.

Huntsman & Ron Paul offered moderate and almost liberal views on foreign policy. Their prospects do not look great in the race. However, Ron Paul's usual supporters were very vocal.

Perry - Whether Perry can recover is still in question. He did make a few jokes in light of his past gaffe in the CNBC debate which was nice. I don't think he will recover but he did offer some strong conservative view points on foreign aid and the role of China that I thought were worth hearing.

Check out the Twitter updates below:

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Euro crisis and contagion mentioned #CBSNJdebate Huntsman goes back to Pakistan
30 minutes ago Favorite Reply Delete

ggreenwald Glenn Greenwald
The supreme summary of this GOP debate, excluding Ron Paul * Jon Huntsman: is.gd/a7p2bO
31 minutes ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Newt: we don't have a reliable intelligence network. #CBSNJdebate scary
31 minutes ago

CharlesMBlow Charles M. Blow
Bachmann: China doesn't have food stamps and China is growing.
32 minutes ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Santorum can't answer the question on what to do about a lost nuke in Pakistan #CBSNJdebate
31 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Pakistan moving nuclear weapons unguarded in trucks #CBSNJdebate
32 minutes ago

AdamSerwer AdamSerwer
Every time Newt says "deep" "fundamental" or "understanding," drink.
37 minutes ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

TheDemocrats The Democrats
FACT: Romney has flip-flop-flipped on the U.S. military being in Pakistan. #CBSNJDebate
34 minutes ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Romney: Pakistan close to being a failed state. Don't send in troops, work w. allies, send drones #CBSNJdebate
33 minutes ago

AdamSerwer AdamSerwer
Cain feigning competence. Perry feigning "strength." Newt feigning interest.
35 minutes ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

AdamSerwer AdamSerwer
Bachmann: We should abandon LBJ's great society and be more like China. // I think she just won the CPUSA nomination
36 minutes ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

CharlesMBlow Charles M. Blow
Gingrich is talking in some beautiful circles...
36 minutes ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Cain didn't get to speak enough tonight. He deserves more time. He is the true underdog and deserving candidate #CBSNJdebate
35 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Bachmann: look to China. they save for retirement. We've created a LBJ welfare state. correct. crowd applauds #CBSNJdebate
36 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
@
@dandrezner @davidfrum mentioned in the 30 min overtime by Huntsman
37 minutes ago

ggreenwald Glenn Greenwald
Ron Paul to the GOP: So to sum up: you people don't trust the govt to run health care, but want the President to kill whomever he wants
38 minutes ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

JohnJHarwood John Harwood
Huntsman bids for economic conservatives' support by unequivocally embracing Ryan budget
38 minutes ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Perry 1st conservative to say this is war, libs just don't understand war isn't pretty. He is 4 w/e saves American lives #CBSNJdebate
37 minutes ago

AdamSerwer AdamSerwer
Paul remark goes at heart of contradiction of modern conservatism: Government is only infallible when it kills people.
41 minutes ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

TheDemocrats The Democrats
FACT: Romney's budget would adopt deep cuts to Pell Grants. j.mp/sxpsuU #CBSNJDebate
39 minutes ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

CharlesMBlow Charles M. Blow
Romney: I would get rid of the National Endowment for the Arts
40 minutes ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Huntsman tries to argue that debt is the real foreign policy problem. Right to a point. puts out a new plan #CBSNJdebate
39 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
@
@CharlesMBlow try here cbsnews.com/2718-250_162-1…
40 minutes ago

AdamSerwer AdamSerwer
Romney is talking about medicare during the GOP foreign policy debate.
40 minutes ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

ggreenwald Glenn Greenwald
Michele Bachman the latest GOP candidate tonight to join @ThinkProgress in declaring Obama's Awlaki assassination a grand & noble success
42 minutes ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

benpolitico Ben Smith
Outrage RT @felixreimer: Feed working just fine for me in Canada. Make of that what you want.
42 minutes ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Ron Paul sticks to his guns on al-Awlaki being a citizen but he is a traitor. this changes things #CBSNJdebate
41 minutes ago

CharlesMBlow Charles M. Blow
National Journal livestream working. I'm back BA-BAY...
42 minutes ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
People won't let Bachmann speak but she's right al-Awlaki that inspired terror and deserved to be eliminated. #CBSNJdebate
42 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
crowd applauds of Ron Paul but Ron Paul isn't going to be the nominee #CBSNJdebate
44 minutes ago

CharlesMBlow Charles M. Blow
CBS for the livestream not working well #uh
45 minutes ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
@
@fivethirtyeight I'm watching it cbsnews.com/2718-250_162-1…
45 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Ron Paul is going to disagree w. Cain + Santorum as liberal of course on interventions, Gitmo etc #CBSNJdebate
45 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Santorum: using civilian courts is the worst idea. I agree. There are outside of Geneva, they don't play by the rules #CBSNJdebate
46 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Cain would keep Gitmo open, for enhanced interrogation. A true conservative. Santorum agrees. Cain deserves the nomination #CBSNJdebate
47 minutes ago

thecaucus NYTimes The Caucus
Perry: Even Israel Starts from Zero on Foreign Aid nyti.ms/tZrjE9
50 minutes ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Ron Paul is against overthrowing dictatorships #CBSNJdebate
50 minutes ago

AshleyRParker Ashley Parker
Cain seems remarkably more tentative in this #CBSNJDebate, where he’s yet to mention 9-9-9.
52 minutes ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

AdamSerwer AdamSerwer
Cain: Obama goofed by abandoning our buddy Mubarak.
52 minutes ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
the stream is breaking up #CBSNJdebate
51 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
moderators try to trip the only women up on foreign policy. also Cain, the only black man is being lumped with her. #CBSNJdebate
52 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
we're now in overtime #CBSNJdebate
55 minutes ago

CharlesMBlow Charles M. Blow
Perry starting the that stammering again. The man only has 30 good minutes in him. We just have to accept that ...
58 minutes ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

rickklein Rick Klein
Rick Perry says even Israel starts at zero when it comes to foreign aid. This answer will be misconstrued in an ad near you. #CBSNJDebate
59 minutes ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

AdamSerwer AdamSerwer
Perry: Every country would start at zero, including Israel.
1 hour ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

JohnKingCNN John King
Romney: china echoes clinton "butchers in beijing' circa '92. Or obama close gitmo '08. Being prez often v diff than running. #cbsnjdebate
1 hour ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Perry: Israel is our great ally but every one will start at 0. some in the crowd applaud to everyone making their case #CBSNJdebate
59 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Perry: our time in the sunshine is not over. Communist China will end up on the ash heap of history. Best comment so far #CBSNJdebate
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
the young people & bloggers of China are not going to save the world and democratize China Huntsman. this isn't the Arab spring #CBSNJdebate
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Romney is right. Huntsman is wrong. We're already in a trade war w. China. China is running over us and killing U.S. jobs #CBSNJdebate
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Romney: bring an action against China through the WTO. stop the hacking of computers, stealing patents, etc. #CBSNJdebate yep
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Romney on 21st cold war: China wants access to our markets, so they have to play by the rules #CBSNJdebate amen
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Newt: deal with it as an act of war and kill people trying to kill you. Romney says well-said as crowd applauds #CBSNJdebate
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Newt: he has been found guilty. he is an enemy combatant. you can't go to court. Preach it Newt. #CBSNJdebate
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Moderator outlaws booing. Why? #CBSNJdebate
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Romney: America is a an exceptional nation not just another nation. Go Romney!! Cain step up #CBSNJdebate
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
yes. Romney stands firm on killing al-Awlaki while Ron Paul liberals boo. at the end of his comment people applaud
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Bachmann never gets to respond :( #CBSNJdebate
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
waterboarding divides the Republicans #CBSNJdebate
1 hour ago

CharlesMBlow Charles M. Blow
Cain: I agree that waterboarding was an "enhanced interrogation technique" and I would support it...
1 hour ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

ggreenwald Glenn Greenwald
BREAKING: Michele Bachman - The ACLU is running the CIA!!!!
1 hour ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Ron Paul takes the liberal stance, says waterboarding is torture and illegal and immoral. fine #CBSNJdebate
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Bachmann agrees on waterboarding. says ACLU is running this country. I agree #CBSNJdebate
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Cain: waterboarding is an enhanced interrogation technique. Stands firm as a conservative and audience applauds #CBSNJdebate
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Cain doesn't agree w. torture but will trust the judgement w. military leaders. good answer. don't fall for the liberal traps #CBSNJdebate
1 hour ago

CharlesMBlow Charles M. Blow
Perry gets off a joke about his brain freeze during the last debate. Crowd applauds.
1 hour ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Perry tries to sound like he knows a lot about foreign policy as a governor of Texas #CBSNJdebate
1 hour ago

jeffzeleny Jeff Zeleny
Again tonight, Newt agrees with GOP rivals. Can he distinguish himself by just being Newt? Or will he have to draw distinctions directly?
1 hour ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Perry's jokes may help him here. #CBSNJdebate
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Santorum: Iran must not get a nuclear weapon. also use covert activity. good idea. Santorum seem very competent in this area #CBSNJdebate
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Republican candidates are not going to be cowed by the successes that Mr. Obama has had on the foreign policy front, nyti.ms/rQOwkU
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Cain remains on top #CBSNJdebate
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
the Reagan strategy worked then but would it work now Newt? #CBSNJdebate
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Newt won't go after anyone. He's the great cheerleader but not a great leader I think #CBSNJdebate
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Romney Deal, Company Showed Profits and Then Layoffs: nyti.ms/v1t0g5 leave Romney. alone. he looks so handsome & competent here
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Don't know if I agree with Santorum on Pakistan. let's see #CBSNJdebate
1 hour ago

KrystalBall1 Krystal Ball
I can't believe they are spending so much time talking about foreign aid which makes up 1% of our budget. #CBSNJDebate
1 hour ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Santorum: Pakistan must be a friend of the U.S. woah. #CBSNJdebate
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Newt: Arab Spring = Anti-Christian spring. Possibly #CBSNJdebate
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Newt: Pakistan his Osama for six years #CBSNJdebate
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Newt: let's start every year with $0 for foreign aid each year. I agree #CBSNJdebate
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Bachmann: table being set for nuclear war on Israel. Obama more willing to stand with #OWS. audience claps #CBSNJdebate
1 hour ago

CharlesMBlow Charles M. Blow
The look on Romney's face while he was listening to Perry speak was PRICELESS
1 hour ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

AdamSerwer AdamSerwer
Someone should ask if Israel is included in Perry's total overhaul of all U.S. foreign aid.
1 hour ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Bachmann: disagrees with pulling all foreign aid but cut ties with nuclear-armed Pakistan #CBSNJdebate
1 hour ago

BreakingNews Breaking News
Occupy Salt Lake protesters refuse to evacuate Pioneer Park, officials block nearby area - KSL bit.ly/rPl0yC
1 hour ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

CharlesMBlow Charles M. Blow
Everyone's commenting on what Newt has said. You can tell that they believe that he's the leader on this subject...
1 hour ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
South Carolina Debate Live Blog: nyti.ms/rQOwkU @nytimes isn't updating
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Perry: foreign budget aid should start at $0. Amen #CBSNJdebate
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Cain: we need a better regional strategy #CBSNJdebate
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Cain & Newt: a lot ins't clear here #CBSNJdebate . I'm watching Backstage Live on CBSNews.com - Join me! soc.li/qLFlIvO
1 hour ago

dandrezner Daniel Drezner
Mitt Romney has a fantastic ability to sound tough and absolute in his first sentence and then insert wiggle room in his second #CBSNJdebate
1 hour ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Newt: the sanctuary is Pakistan. Thank you someone said it #CBSNJdebate
1 hour ago

benpolitico Ben Smith
What are the odds Ahmadinejad doesn't try to play a major role in the '12 election?
1 hour ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

CharlesMBlow Charles M. Blow
Huntsman: Bring the troops home from Afghanistan, well most of them anyway...
1 hour ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

AdamSerwer AdamSerwer
Romney: I wouldn't negotiate with the Taliban. #AfghanistanForever
1 hour ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#CBSNJdebate Romney: we don't negotiate w. terrorists. Go Romney.
1 hour ago

CharlesMBlow Charles M. Blow
Hunstman is going to have to calm down with these Skittle-colored ties. Who's dressing this man?
1 hour ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Huntsman: victory has been achieved in Afghanistan. Focus on education, the economy and East Asia. Don't know how much I agree #CBSNJdebate
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Bachmann very informed on Afghanistan #CBSNJdebate against total troop withdraw
1 hour ago

THEHermanCain Herman Cain
Looking forward to tonight's #CBSNJDebate. Please keep me in your prayers. This is why I do what I do. pic.twitter.com/RRY8wihG
3 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Santorum mentions explosion in Iran today #CBSNJdebate
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Santorum: victory is Taliban is a neutered force. Fights to answer the Iran question
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Perry floundering #CBSNJdebate
1 hour ago

AdamSerwer AdamSerwer
Romney said he'd aid "insurgents" in Iran. Does he know something the rest of us don't?
1 hour ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Perry: centralize the Iranian bank? #CBSNJdebate
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Perry begins by trying to answer the last question #CBSNJdebate
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Ron Paul: it's not worthwhile to go to war #CBSNJdebate
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Newt: break Iran's regime Reagan vs. Soviets style. #CBSNJdebate
1 hour ago

CharlesMBlow Charles M. Blow
Romney: "If we re-elect Barack Obama, Iran will have a nuclear weapon."
1 hour ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

CharlesMBlow Charles M. Blow
Romney on preventing Iran from obtaining nukes: "Of course you take military action."
1 hour ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Republicans united against the current administration. No infighting yet. #CBSNJdebate
1 hour ago

MittRomney Mitt Romney
Overheard conversation at G-20 another sign of Obama's low regard for Israel and its leader...I will stand by our allies, not tear them down
9 Nov
Retweeted by SoraRyu

Rodney_CBSNJ Rodney Hawkins
Ron Paul gets the first cheer... and it sounded like the loudest #cbsnjdebate
1 hour ago
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SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Romney fights with the moderator and wins. lol #scdebate
1 hour ago

CharlesMBlow Charles M. Blow
Somebody put some makeup on Romney tonight. Last debate he was looking sick and haggard.
1 hour ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Cain: regime change and energy independence need to counter-act Iran #scdebate
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
SC debate starts now.
1 hour ago

AdamSerwer AdamSerwer
Lotsa cheers for Ron Paul. This is gonna be fun.
1 hour ago

- Ryu

Cain, Paterno, Occupy and More - Weekend Twitter Update

2011-11-12T13:55:00.001Z

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Twitter Must Provide Data on 3 Users, Judge Rules: nyti.ms/sBVhd5
2 minutes ago Favorite Reply Delete

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Google + Isn't Going Away bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/10/goo… I dislike Google + but I love the new Bits blog @nytimes!
7 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Coming to Terms with Being the Boss: nyti.ms/uA9QdT pros and cons
10 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
The Case for Optimism: nyti.ms/s6vlAl overtime vs. over-hiring
12 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
My Grand Experiment: Turning Off AdWords: nyti.ms/t8eUb7 Small Business Owner: "If I stop paying, I stop getting clicks."
13 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Judy Garland Impersonator Tommy Femia of Brooklyn: nyti.ms/symH7d wow. this family's story is beautiful
15 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
DiCaprio as J.Edgar shows gay people can detest Communism and be powerful conservatives too. I can't wait to see it nyti.ms/tgVmzp
24 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Governments protect corrupt arms dealers as long as they need them and then arrest them when they are no longer useful. nyti.ms/smy0gD
42 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
On College Campuses, Athletes Often Get Off Easy: nyti.ms/tJrzQu especially in sexual assault and rape cases. This needs to stop
44 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Tonight's debate is Perry's chance to recover … or not - San Antonio Express-News mysanantonio.com/news/local_new… via @mySA I'm betting on "or not"
8 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Kara supports @BarackObama's plan for jobs because it supports servicemembers like her husband. #WeCantWait barackobama.com/news/theyre-ou…
8 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
"Women are breaking barriers in every field, from science and business to sports and the armed forces."-- .@BarackObama barackobama.com/news/breaking-…
8 hours ago

TheDemocrats The Democrats
The Senate passes President Obama's veterans jobs bill in a unanimous 95–0 vote. #VeteransCantWait
10 Nov
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Dartmouth4Obama DartmouthForObama
This is about who we are as individuals and as a country,” said the First Lady. #VeteransCantWait OFA.BO/XdeVS6
8 hours ago
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SoraRyu Sora Ryu
@
@CharlesMBlow I listen to it while I'm studying. My dad used to play lots of classical music (among other genres) when I was little
8 hours ago

CharlesMBlow Charles M. Blow
When I can't sleep I play my classical music station on Pandora. I don't know more than 5 classical songs but love listening. Calms me...
8 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

Dartmouth4Obama DartmouthForObama
“We commit ourselves to serving them as well as they’ve served us.”—@BarackObama. OFA.BO/phoBgc
8 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
@
@DanRDuarte great song choices. I love all of them
8 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
bit.ly/tzK27j the homophobic vandals aren't representative but the last comment is key. Tolerance & acceptance are 2 different things
8 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
The Dartmouth: Francfort: In Favor of Fracking bit.ly/rV9Kjb I concur
9 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Cain: Politico Tried To 'Bait Us' huff.to/tgUHyH Of course the liberals are trying to bait him. They're afraid bc he leads the polls.
9 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
‘All-American Muslim’ on TLC - Review: nyti.ms/rVvl0V interesting
9 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Shots Fired Near White House: nyti.ms/upQYDp terrible
9 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Ancient Sex-Based Roles news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/12/0… nonsense. "we shouldn't look to the remote past for clues about how we ought to behave today,"
9 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
"Bikinis Make Men See Women as Objects, Scans Confirm" not surprised. sad. news.nationalgeographic.com/news/pf/193677…
9 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Picking Brand Names in China Is a Business Itself: nyti.ms/trvTfy interesting
10 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Penn State Officials, Including Paterno, Could Face Civil Lawsuits: nyti.ms/ru2NSR good.
10 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
@
@gregbuzzard auggh missed 11:11 too. #nowwishes
10 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Subsidies in Clean Energy nyti.ms/uyqx3U prices in solar are falling. I smell a bubble in the making. Remember Solyndra
10 hours ago

sixthformpoet Sixth Form Poet
The more Twitter tells me it’s over Capacity, the more I suspect Twitter still loves Capacity and regularly sits outside her house, weeping.
9 Nov
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ogfunkbandit gabrielle rivera
Why does male comedian in a woman's body suit translate to let's make a movie? It's so ridiculously not funny anymore. Stop Adam Sandler.
10 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
NYTimes: Batteries in Electric Cars Examined After Chevy Volt Fire nyti.ms/tQNwCP so much for "green"
11 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Romney still looks and sounds handsome (especially up close!). But in the media he is starting to show his age.
11 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Wisconsin protestors nyti.ms/tvXVmf they have freedom of speech "but it does get counterproductive at a point" sounds like #OWS
11 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
NYTimes: As Foes Flounder, Gingrich Gets Bump in Poll nyti.ms/u3uyM5 liberals just won't support Cain. Newt can't win. biased @NYTimes
11 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
nyti.ms/uej2lT Pak sounds awesome. Minority groups need to be more aggressive not less & stand up for themselves
11 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
nyti.ms/tOSOqx this is why Obama isn't FDR. rabid liberals environmental groups would've fought the Hoover Dam if they existed then
17 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Is It Worth Investing in Natural Gas? fool.com/investing/gene… I say go for it
17 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
bloom.bg/smF8Xf @BloombergNews Romney isn't inevitable.The libs launched a racist campaign on Cain. Rep. shouldn't have to pick Romney
18 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
MF Global’s 1,066 Brokerage Employees Fired - Bloomberg bloom.bg/w1IqPu via @BloombergNews Corzine made the mistakes but guess who lost
18 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
#Obama2012 is thankful for the sacrifices our country’s veterans have made. Happy Veterans Day. OFA.BO/veterans
18 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
The Senate passed a critical jobs bill for vets. Join them in honoring veterans for their sacrifice today: OFA.BO/QC4pxy
19 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Cooling of China Real Estate Boom: nyti.ms/v73TZO China will not escape the global financial crisis. Their housing bubble is next
19 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
nyti.ms/u0o6Um biased liberals see smoke where there isn't a fire."Extra scrutiny" my foot. When will they realize Cain is innocent?
19 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Ultimate Fighting Championship Goes Mainstream With Bout on Fox: nyti.ms/u2Jlot barbaric but interesting just the same
19 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Perry's Brain Freeze nyti.ms/rUFtf3 don't make excuses for it. no one takes responsibility 4 anything anymore. He must face the music
19 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
For #OWS, Health Is a Growing Concern: nyti.ms/vD2RN7 eh gross. liberals ignore all these problems like sickness & rape to "protest"
20 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
The Other Problem W. Perry nyti.ms/rDDaPp "the idea was not his own, but rather something he had tried and failed to memorize." bingo
20 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Public Opinion and the Occupy Movement: nyti.ms/tvQTwQ ton of liberals on here #OWS
20 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Vermont: Suicide at ‘Occupy’ Camp: nyti.ms/uPf1U4 more horrors associated with #OWS. end Occupy now
20 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Rich Man, Poor Man; Congress Has Both nyti.ms/uwSJjo subjective distinctions promoted by #OWS neither % are any better than the other
20 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
The Inequality Map: nyti.ms/ruzB2X ha ha ha nice article. Reminds me of "Stuff White People Like." I like David Brooks' column
20 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Legends of the Fail: nyti.ms/tt69iV I agree with @NYTimeskrugman that the Euro project was a disaster but that's all we agree on
20 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
A Day Later, Gloom Descends on Happy Valley: nyti.ms/tB8p52 it's sexual assault. there shouldn't have been rage in the first place.
20 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Leading Off: Campus Chaos on a Sorry but Necessary Day: nyti.ms/u4EW5t "the adults finally showed up" indeed
20 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Kutcher Proves Value of Knowing the Whole Penn State Story: nyti.ms/sHD2Kq what an insensitive guy. even celebrities aren't well-read
20 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Tom Corbett, Pennsylvania Governor, Couldn’t Discuss Inquiry: nyti.ms/rM4huv but in the end he did the right thing
20 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Gold rises on Italy, Europe hopes, tracks S&P reut.rs/t0NLRo via @reuters
20 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Thanksgiving Dinner's Pricetag Rises 13 Percent This Year aol.it/svJ2Zr via @AOL
10 Nov

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Corzine's Wealth Is Eroding With His Reputation | Fox Business foxbusiness.com/markets/2011/1… via @foxbusiness
10 Nov

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Inside the Hunt for MF Global Cash on.wsj.com/sUBWfJ via @WSJ Somebody should sue Corzine
10 Nov

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Green Mountain Coffee goes into a tailspin soc.li/W1PURGY
10 Nov

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Has Apple Lost it's mojo soc.li/ufSR2kP You bet it has. It's not much without it's charismatic leader I suppose
10 Nov

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
nyti.ms/rSgSS3 Perry shot himself in the foot. He's done. Liberals keep talking about him bc they hate Cain, a black conservative
10 Nov

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
nyti.ms/ujV2CP I love how the touchy liberals try to write Cain off as top-tier. It's not about Perry and Romney but Romney and Cain
10 Nov

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Cain: Up, Down or Sideways?: nyti.ms/vRHCXb Cain will prevail liberals
10 Nov

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Perry is toast. nyti.ms/st1eWP I love how the liberals assume Romney will win. They are bitterly biased against Cain
10 Nov

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Snag in Joint News Conference for Cain Accusers: nyti.ms/uxsFhF ha. there is nothing to coordinate because there was no sexual abuse
10 Nov

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Italy Bond Market As Euro Proxy: nyti.ms/se1wxB "markets are calmer today." modest growth
10 Nov

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Cain Finds Vocal Supporters nyti.ms/udb4Vj go Cain. "first real black man" indeed. touchy man-hating liberal women can't get him down
10 Nov

benpolitico Ben Smith
One nice thing about the Perry stories: Nobody's blaming staff for this one.
10 Nov
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Senate votes today on Pres Obama's veterans jobs bill. Spread the word & keep up the pressure because #VeteransCantWait OFA.BO/yUBubj
10 Nov

FinancialTimes Financial Times
Chinese inflation in sharp fall to 5.5% on.ft.com/twPbwc #FinancialTimes
8 Nov
Retweeted by SoraRyu

FinancialTimes Financial Times
Adobe to abandon work on mobile Flash on.ft.com/uHylcZ #FinancialTimes
9 Nov
Retweeted by SoraRyu

FinancialTimes Financial Times
US uncovers alleged ‘click fraud’ ring on.ft.com/vbw9ag #FinancialTimes
9 Nov
Retweeted by SoraRyu

FinancialTimes Financial Times
Cisco Systems aided by quickening order growth on.ft.com/uWKUye #FinancialTimes
9 Nov
Retweeted by SoraRyu

FinancialTimes Financial Times
China export growth falls on Europe weakness on.ft.com/v5xi55 #FinancialTimes
9 Nov
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michellemalkin Michelle Malkin
RT @USMC: Happy Birthday Marines! Semper Fi. #236 years of Honor, Courage, Commitment!
10 Nov
Retweeted by SoraRyu

IngrahamAngle Laura Ingraham
Alright. @GovernorPerry has finally made contact with the show! Tune in!
10 Nov
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Paterno should resign retroactively. He needs to send a message that football isn't more important than the rape of 10 year olds
10 Nov

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
As Cain moves past the false allegations against him he isn't out of the fire yet. He needs to campaign hard and win Iowa
10 Nov

michellemalkin Michelle Malkin
Just posted - The self-immolation of Rick Perry is.gd/xsCAIJ
10 Nov
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washingtonpost The Washington Post
#PennState fallout: How high will it go? wapo.st/tzaD6j
10 Nov
Retweeted by SoraRyu

michellemalkin Michelle Malkin
Why does @DailyCollegian keep reporting #PSU riots in passive voice "bottle was thrown" "fire was set" "van has flipped over"
10 Nov
Retweeted by SoraRyu

CharlesMBlow Charles M. Blow
I have 3 kids, and if mine tell me that you even looked at them funny, we'd have a problem. If this happened, I'd literally explode.
9 Nov
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michellemalkin Michelle Malkin
MT @PublicIntegrity: Acc to CNN/Sports Ill...more sandusky victims went to DA office today...More to come, phones ringing
9 Nov
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AdamSerwer AdamSerwer
RT @AndrewKroll Can't get students to mass like this for politics or voting, but to defend...this. Disheartening.
9 Nov
Retweeted by SoraRyu

ChrisHolfelder Chris Holfelder
@
@CharlesMBlow Evil triumphs when good men do nothing.
9 Nov
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michellemalkin Michelle Malkin
Like I said yesterday, there are many things that transcend partisanship. This is one of them. @JosephMargolis
9 Nov
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ebertchicago Roger Ebert
OMG! Rick Perry's campaign ends before our very eyes. bit.ly/rsm6tT
9 Nov
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michellemalkin Michelle Malkin
.@DailyCollegian Did the light post "fall" or was it torn down by #PSU students?
9 Nov
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MattPulle Matt Pulle
The very first question asked during the Penn State Board of Trust news conference: "Who will be coaching the team on Saturday?" Seriously?
9 Nov
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SoraRyu Sora Ryu
The Dartmouth'The Marriage Plot' bit.ly/s5GVOC this book only seems original to college students. relatable is a better word
9 Nov

CharlesMBlow Charles M. Blow
If these Penn State charges are true, EVERYONE who KNEW this was happening and turned a blind eye should be put UNDER the prison.
9 Nov
Retweeted by SoraRyu

michellemalkin Michelle Malkin
Sad this has to be spelled out: is.gd/TY3OXS #PSU
9 Nov
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SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Michelle Malkin » Sports and the sexual abuse of children; Plus: Rick Santorum makes things worse michellemalkin.com/2011/11/08/spo… via @michellemalkin
9 Nov

CharlesMBlow Charles M. Blow
Ok, I want to know who's printing up the Perry "I can't" t-shirts tonight. I need one. Put me first on the list...
9 Nov
Retweeted by SoraRyu

CharlesMBlow Charles M. Blow
So, PSU students are rioting, but not for the victims?
9 Nov
Retweeted by SoraRyu

CharlesMBlow Charles M. Blow
So, are these boys just collateral damage? I swear, I feel physically ill..
9 Nov
Retweeted by SoraRyu

CharlesMBlow Charles M. Blow
Everyone needs to watch this Penn State riot coverage. I can't believe it. One of those boys was apparently 10 y.o. What about him?
9 Nov
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BrendanNyhan Brendan Nyhan
.@jamesfallows puts Perry's mind cramp in the pantheon of debate disasters with Ford, Quayle, and Stockdale j.mp/viPYRD
9 Nov
Retweeted by SoraRyu

CharlesMBlow Charles M. Blow
Wow, these graphic details about Penn State are so outrageous that I can barely listen to it. Makes me want to throw up.
9 Nov
Retweeted by SoraRyu

michellemalkin Michelle Malkin
RT @thegarance: RT @FriedgeHNIC: If Joe Paterno really cared about Penn State, he'd tell these students to go home
9 Nov
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Cain Vs. Obama. This is what I want to see in 2012 twitpic.com/7cm4q1
9 Nov

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Euro Crisis’s Enabler: The Central Bank: nyti.ms/uR6gyx the promise of possible hand-outs/bail-outs keeps this crisis going
9 Nov

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Perry Gaffe, Support for Cain at Republican Debate: nyti.ms/tGbsFR go Cain
9 Nov

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
The Dartmouth: Student groups gear up for election season bit.ly/sbJqug
9 Nov

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
nyti.ms/vHSbIt again @nytimes says American students are dumb & lazy in comparison nytimes.com/2011/11/06/edu… @NickKristof pity ploys
9 Nov

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Penn State trustees fire football coach Joe Paterno and PSU president Spanier washingtonpost.com/national/high-… @washingtonpost thank God. good decision
9 Nov

CharlesMBlow Charles M. Blow
Kramer melting down in post-debate show. Load the tranquilizer darts. You may have to put him to sleep for a few hours...
9 Nov
Retweeted by SoraRyu

BloombergNews Bloomberg News
BREAKING: Paterno, Spanier to Leave Penn State Immediately, School Says
9 Nov
Retweeted by SoraRyu

BrendanNyhan Brendan Nyhan
Perry seems to be on a one-man crusade to embarrass political scientists who say debates usually don't matter much. My goodness.
9 Nov
Retweeted by SoraRyu

mattyglesias mattyglesias
Abolishing the Department of Energy would deprive Navy ships of nuclear reactors ygl.as/rRmQrs
9 Nov
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
pressure rises on these women because their claims have no credibility nyti.ms/ruNjS3 Go Cain. this business is finished
9 Nov

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
The CNBC GOP Debate - Coverage & Analysis Tweets nblo.gs/pKeNP
9 Nov

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
accusers have worked, fraternized w. Democrats. knew they were sent by the liberals nyti.ms/ruNjS3
9 Nov

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
2nd accuser has “a pattern of whining.” nyti.ms/ruNjS3 her claims are also insubstantial
9 Nov

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Women Who Have Accused Cain nyti.ms/ruNjS3 liberal @nytimes tries to paint Cain's lawyer as "aggressive." what? because he's a man?
9 Nov

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Pressure Rising on Women Who Have Accused Cain nyti.ms/ruNjS3 more like accusers being exposed as frauds @nytimes Cain should sue them
9 Nov

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
New: Writings of Ryu: The CNBC GOP Debate - Coverage & Analysis Tweets bit.ly/txCNDr #cnbcdebate
9 Nov

AdamSerwer AdamSerwer
Romney thriving, Cain still alive. Perry candidacy possibly entering undead phase.
9 Nov
Retweeted by SoraRyu

politico POLITICO
Perry on gaffe: 'I stepped in it': politi.co/s7cvd6 RT @jmartpolitico: Perry in spin room: "I'll be in South Carolina on Saturday"
9 Nov
Retweeted by SoraRyu

thecaucus NYTimes The Caucus
Live blog: Perry's stock drops on Intrade j.mp/vFGkSX #cnbcdebate
9 Nov
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Cain is on his way. random and bizarre accusations can't touch him #cnbcdebate

The CNBC GOP Debate - Coverage & Analysis Tweets

2011-11-10T03:03:00.000Z

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Cain on-focus. The audience booed the question. I stand with Cain. America stands with Cain #cnbcdebate
2 minutes ago Favorite Reply Delete

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Liberal media gets overly-excited on "princess nancy" comment. has nothing to do w. the economy. Media should get back on track #cnbcdebate
2 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Newt: Media won't report how the economy works. Corporations made this country successful #cnbcdebate #OWS
5 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Cain: "focus on the domestic economy or we will fail." great quote; it's not about Italy #cnbcdebate
6 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
meanwhile Asian markets are dropping. Euro-crisis spreads
6 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Cain is on is way. random and bizarre accusations can't touch him #cnbcdebate
7 minutes ago

CharlesMBlow Charles M. Blow
I'm going to say this. If Cain gets passed these white women in the good graces of the Tea Party type, he could actually win. Could. OMG!!!
8 minutes ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
My analysis: field still the same - Cain is on top, undeterred. Romney remains strong and tough on China. Bachmann subdued #cnbcdebate
8 minutes ago

CharlesMBlow Charles M. Blow
Instant analysis: Cain recovers. Perry jumped in the grave and pulled the dirt in. Mitt still slick; no change. Gingrich did well w wonks...
10 minutes ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

fivethirtyeight Nate Silver
My (totally subjective) grades: Romney A-, Gingrich A-, Santorum B, Cain B, Huntsman C+, Paul C+, Bachmann C+, Perry F.
11 minutes ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
and so ends the #cnbcdebate I love these political show-downs
11 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Ron Paul: crony capitalism distinguished from capitalism #cnbcdebate
12 minutes ago

dickstevenson Dick Stevenson
Romney: I love free trade but would crack down on cheaters like China, label China a currency manipulator. #cnbcdebate
22 minutes ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Cain is correct. We must fix our economy, restore trust in business and make U.S. corporations competitive. also good jokes #cnbcdebate
14 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
who are these shouting, loud-mouthed moderators? is he from #OWS? #cnbcdebate
15 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Bachmann: our interest is paying for China. She is correct: U.S. should stop enriching China #cnbcdebate
17 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Bachmann correct on Pentagon chip hacking by China. I read that New Yorker article #cnbcdebate
17 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Romney is not pandering. We need to crack down on China. It will not hurt free trade. They are getting away w. murder #cnbcdebate
18 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Huntsman's 30sec joke is not funny. also his trade war line is alarmism. I don't care if he worked there or not. #cnbcdebabate
19 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Romney outlines how to crack down on China, includes tariffs #awesome #cnbcdebate they're killing our jobs
21 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Romney: China is not playing fair, cheating, hacking, stealing intellectual property and holding down prices. He is very correct #cnbcdebate
22 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Cain's 999 on job outsourcing #cnbcdebate
24 minutes ago

thecaucus NYTimes The Caucus
Perry: And btw, that was the Dept. of Energy that I was reaching for awhile ago #cnbcdebate
30 minutes ago
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dceiver Jason Linkins
"...it was the DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY THE WHOLE TIME!" #RickPerryasdirectedbyMNightShyamalan
28 minutes ago
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thecaucus NYTimes The Caucus
Live blog: @shearm says gaffe reaffirms perception that Perry struggles w/ debates j.mp/vkFUdB #cnbcdebate
28 minutes ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

CharlesMBlow Charles M. Blow
Perry still talking. All I hear is "three agencies"
28 minutes ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Perry is right though. college boards of trustees need to be more efficient. the cost of college should never be that high #cnbcdebate
27 minutes ago

CharlesMBlow Charles M. Blow
Gingrich: student loan debt is these lazy students' fault...
30 minutes ago
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CharlesMBlow Charles M. Blow
Perry just gave the 3rd agency: Dept of Energy. < Too late dude. That casket is already closed.
30 minutes ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Perry : blended Social Security program? #cnbcdebate
29 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Perry remembers the Dept. of Energy #fail #cnbdcdebate
30 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Perry's Gaffe #CNBCDebate nyti.ms/rFYCLT via @thecaucus
31 minutes ago

AdamSerwer AdamSerwer
Ron Paul says you pay for college tuition the way you pay for "cell phones" and "computers."
33 minutes ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

CharlesMBlow Charles M. Blow
Paul: people should pay for college the way you pay for cell phones and computers ...
32 minutes ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Ron Paul on student loans: less inflation and more competition on loans.also more on the Fed and bubbles #cnbcdebate
32 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
thank God. someone mentions student loans in conjunction w. getting rid of the Dept. of Edu. #cnbcdebate
33 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Huntsman needs to go. a nice guy but not a good candidate. no passion #cnbcdebate
36 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Cain's princess nancy comment isn't problematic. overly-sensitive liberals. he's right on Pelosi #CNNdebate nyti.ms/sNP4kg @thecaucus
37 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Social Security in the red says Bachmann et al #cnbcdebate
38 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
can the GOP get behind payroll tax cuts? Romney: cut spending #cnbcdebate
40 minutes ago

CharlesMBlow Charles M. Blow
Wait. Not even paying attention anymore. How is it that Perry couldn't come up with the 3rd fed agency he would CLOSE?!!! #pullthetrapdoor
41 minutes ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

dickstevenson Dick Stevenson
Perry's inability to remember the agencies he would abolish -- and his fumbling in doing so - is a moment that will not go away. #cnbcdebate
42 minutes ago
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IngrahamAngle Laura Ingraham
Perry: you lost me at "I can't remember the 3rd agency."
42 minutes ago
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SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Newt: take Social Security off of the budget. SS used as an excuse not to balance the budget #cnbcdebate
41 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Cain is still on top with his popular 999 plan #cnbcdebate
42 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Perry is still doing very poorly. He's a laughingstock #cnbcdebate
44 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
I love Romney's new haircut #cnbcdebate
45 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Romney still very presidential on bipartisanship #cnbcdebate
46 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Bartiromo is combative #CNNdebate nyti.ms/rsCkbq via @thecaucus
48 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
No money for Europe. good response #CNNdebate nyti.ms/rCv5g1 via @thecaucus
49 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
loops holes my foot. out corporate tax rate is making the USA less competitive #CNNdebate nyti.ms/uNbU7Z via @thecaucus
49 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Cain Is Asked About Harassment Charges and audience shows their support for Cain #CNNdebate nyti.ms/uFRhJ1 via @thecaucus
50 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Romney isn't middle class and he doesn't have to be to get my vote #CNNdebate nyti.ms/uBSro2 via @thecaucus
51 minutes ago

dickstevenson Dick Stevenson
Romney: markets work. The GOP message of the evening.
1 hour ago
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SoraRyu Sora Ryu
47% of Americans don't pay federals taxes. Guess who's free-riding off of the 1% #OWS #CNNdebate nyti.ms/uncaxM via @thecaucus
52 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
A Less Combative Debate #CNNdebate nyti.ms/tuczRC via @thecaucus
53 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Banks profit from foreclosure sales nyti.ms/t05Qlm via @thecaucus
54 minutes ago

shearm Michael D. Shear
A comment the crowd seemed to really like from Herman Cain: "Princess Nancy sent it to committee." #cnbcdebate
1 hour ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

AdamSerwer AdamSerwer
Probs a Newt joke somewhere in there RT @RyanLizza: True fact: At the end of Super Mario Bros, Princess Nancy is rescued by General Axelrod.
59 minutes ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

IngrahamAngle Laura Ingraham
Newt "shameless book plug" award!
57 minutes ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

CharlesMBlow Charles M. Blow
The Obama-care/Romney-care line of questioning always bores me... #movingrightalong
57 minutes ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Ron Paul says we're going to have to bail out Europe
55 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Santorum sounds so desperate. poor thing. time for him to go.
59 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
the moderators are very combative
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
my livestream of the GOP debate is so laggy
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
the Michigan Debate: nyti.ms/vOBe8r I don't think the false accusations against Cain shouldn't be mentioned, low-blows to a hero
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Sell-Off Fever Spreads to U.S. on Fears of Broader Crisis: nyti.ms/tPiF6T Italy will recover. It's too early to talk of bail-outs
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Italy Closer to Financial Brink: nyti.ms/w5j2pJ it is not as bad as everyone is saying. Italy is bigger than Greece, can hold it's own
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2011… via @latimesworld if it's not Greece it's Italy. Is there any end in sight for this Euro debacle?
9 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
if Occupy is now just a front for unions what did it accomplish? might as well just been union protests from the start nytimes.com/2011/11/09/bus…
9 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Italy 5-Year Yield Tops 7.5% on LCH Charge as Berlusconi Quits - Businessweek buswk.co/ulVN5E oh come on...
10 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
GOP debate tonight #getexcited
11 hours ago

CNBCbrk CNBC Breaking News
Paterno Statement: "This is a tragedy. It is one of the great sorrows of my life. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more."
11 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

michellemalkin Michelle Malkin
America, the Beautiful in 5 min time lapse video is.gd/zjWKuZ
11 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

wallstCS Wall St. Cheat Sheet
OPEC: Oil Prices Could Spike By A Third In Near Term wll.st/uqseWx
11 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

IngrahamAngle Laura Ingraham
Trump on Cain: It's a sad situation, inclined to believe Herman on all of this.
11 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Immigrants Amass U.S. Fortune Without Learning English: nyti.ms/utjali liberals will love this story. but this is unacceptable.
11 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
nyti.ms/ubrCFQ I stand with Cain. He deserves to win after suffering these baseless, psuedo-racist allegations made against him.
11 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
A Defiant Herman Cain, Newly Serious: nyti.ms/v5JfTd Cain will survive this stronger than ever. rare break in @nytimes usual bias
11 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Occupy: The Cries of Idle Hipsters rbth.ru/articles/2011/… end #OWS now
11 hours ago

Reuters Reuters Top News
Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, in statement, say will retire at end of season
11 hours ago
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scarletfu Scarlet Fu
7% interest be damned. #Italy will hold scheduled bill auction tomorrow.
11 hours ago
Retweeted by SoraRyu

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
At OWS, Rising Concern About Crime nyti.ms/rxT5yC these pointless protests are an excuse for wantonness and rape . end #OWS now
11 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
"Apparently ditching Berlusconi won't convince the market of Italy's resolve" onforb.es/tokEQA
12 hours ago

nytimes The New York Times
F.C.C. and Cable Companies Push to Close Digital Divide nyti.ms/urjMSd

Tweets in support of Cain and more

2011-11-09T04:39:00.000Z

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
The liberals and perhaps another contender are gunning for Cain before he wins Iowa but when he survives this, all sins will come to light
2 minutes ago Favorite Reply Delete

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Penn State Said to Be Planning Paterno’s Exit: nyti.ms/vC9Ccg serves him right. 15 years of abuse under his tenure is unacceptable
10 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Mississippi Voters Reject Personhood Amendment nyti.ms/voHowR this was just too extreme. even people who were pro-life rejected it
11 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Ohio Turns Back a Law Limiting Unions’ Rights: nyti.ms/toJTXF interesting. cool
13 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
nyti.ms/vNLGm6 Cain has never seen Bialek before. she was fired and is now trying to cash in with the help of Allred
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Giving Up on Math and Science Careers: nyti.ms/uLWsiL I agree with the second letter. @nytimes is "glib and insulting" to Americans
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
nyti.ms/vNLGm6 it is all lies. racist "discomfort" as opposed to any evidence of actual assault.
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Herman Cain defends himself nyti.ms/vNLGm6 the liberal media goes out of its way to try an innocent man before he even gets to court
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Herman Cain Goes After Accuser’s Credibility: nyti.ms/v8P830 the second woman cites discomfort - which is ridiculous. more like racism
1 hour ago

DartmouthReview The Dartmouth Review
by SoraRyu
Look Everyone! It's Raining Jobs! - Okay, not really. However, in a spirited response to the Occupy Chicago protests... ht.ly/1fyfxZ
3 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
nyti.ms/t9ETUP criminals shouldn't vote. why don't liberals encourage people not to get into crime or go to jail in the first place?
3 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
China’s Businesses Find Loans Are Harder to Get: nyti.ms/tal0aA China won't rise forever
3 hours ago

nytimes The New York Times
by SoraRyu
DealBook: Rajaratnam Ordered to Pay $92.8 Million Penalty nyti.ms/sgSKjc
3 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Should Voting be mandatory? answer: no. There's no right to vote in the Constitution. Libs will legislate everything nytimes.com/roomfordebate/…
3 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Who Gets To Vote?: nyti.ms/vhTQYz liberal pity ploys for blacks and incarceration rates; stereotypical linkage
3 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Mitt Romney, the Serious One: nyti.ms/st1RbT liberals flock to Romney as "smarter" while trying to frame and defame Cain
3 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
The Molester Next Door: nyti.ms/swyFek
3 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Writings of Ryu: In Support of Cain - Concerning Race and False Allegations bit.ly/vpbCbj
10 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Writings of Ryu: Twitter Update - Cain's Fourth Accuser and More bit.ly/vr6J8I
10 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
I stand in solidarity with Cain
10 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Cain is still leading, not finished. Conservatives will not stand by and watch him slowly martyred by man-haters and insidious racism.
11 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Cain needs to change around his campaign management and address these accusations definitively asap
11 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
You can sue anyone for anything these days. For sensitive liberals simply not liking a person is not enough.
11 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Allred & accomplice paint Cain as illegitimate by tapping into the harmful, age-old stereotype that all black men are rapists
11 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
The statement by the 4th accuser is too good to be true. It reads like a doctored script because it is fiction, fiction penned by Allred
11 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
This lawyer (Allred) gives feminists a bad name. She appeals to the lowest common denominator - the tabloid press. feminism =/= man-hating
11 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
washingtonpost.com/politics/cain-… 70% of Republicans dismiss the allegations b/c they know he is innocent & this nonsense is perpetuated by the media
11 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Look at Allred (the lawyer's) background - divorced twice, single mother. She coached the 4th accuser, a single mother
11 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Continued support for Cain is a conservative referendum on liberal lies, racism, alarmism
11 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
I wonder how Cain's wife is feeling during all these lurid accusations. I'd love to hear her story.
11 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Cain to Respond to Allegation Vowing to Move O: nyti.ms/v8P830 go Cain. even Newt doesn't believe this. the rest of the 8 are silent
11 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Twitter Update - Cain's Fourth Accuser and More nblo.gs/pDmFH
21 hours ago

Dartmouth4Obama DartmouthForObama
by SoraRyu
Dartmouth for Obama in the News! The One-Year-Out Day of Action was a success. thedartmouth.com/2011/11/07/new…
22 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
slate.com/articles/news_… liberal alarmism. sexual assault happens but that doesn't mean every calculated character assassination is true

Twitter Update - Cain's Fourth Accuser and More

2011-11-08T06:27:00.000Z

Dartmouth4Obama DartmouthForObama
by SoraRyu
Dartmouth for Obama in the News! The One-Year-Out Day of Action was a success. thedartmouth.com/2011/11/07/new…
2 minutes ago Favorite Undo Retweet Reply

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
slate.com/articles/news_… liberal alarmism. sexual assault happens but that doesn't mean every calculated character assassination is true
4 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Writings of Ryu: In Support of Cain - Concerning Race and False Allegations bit.ly/vpbCbj
25 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
In Support of Cain - Concerning Race and False Allegations nblo.gs/pD3Qw
31 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Writings of Ryu: Palin Says She's Not Running - NYTimes.com bit.ly/oR9ggU
36 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Writings of Ryu: The GOP Debate at Dartmouth - Final Analysis, Romney and Religion bit.ly/qLgZkq
37 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
The War of Attrition dartreview.com/dartlog/2011/1… via @DartmouthReview high tax rates retard growth
1 hour ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Writings of Ryu: The Duplicity of Liberalism and the Preponderance of Pity bit.ly/tbrFxD
3 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Penn State sex case mind-boggling politico.com/news/stories/1… via @POLITICO just gross. disgusting. those kids will now be scarred for life
3 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Just took a stand against #LGBT discrimination w/ @HRC by calling for the repeal of #DOMA. Join me now: bit.ly/u9RDuK
4 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
The Senate is voting on legislation to kill Net Neutrality on TUESDAY. Please push back: act.demandprogress.org/act/hutchison_… via @demandprogress
4 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
State Officials Blast Penn State in Sandusky Case: nyti.ms/tRIJYy grisly
4 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Woman Accuses Cain, He Denies It nyti.ms/rSxwme a media splash doctored by a man-hating lawyer. the liberal racism is so obvious. lies
4 hours ago

IngrahamAngle Laura Ingraham
by SoraRyu
Gloria Allred "stimulus pkg" ref 2 Cain is rife w/ racial overtone.
10 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Michelle Malkin » Unhinged: Occupiers Gone Wild(er) michellemalkin.com/2011/11/07/unh… via @michellemalkin just gross. when will it end?
10 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Cain Accuser, hapblog.com/2011/11/first-… I'm disgusted. the political process has been turned into a media circus, like bad reality TV
11 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
This Is What Happens When Gloria Allred Gets Her Hands On Your Sex Scandal businessinsider.com/what-happens-w… via @bi_politics this "lawyer" has a history
11 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Cain accuser businessinsider.com/sharon-bialek-… via @bi_politics she couldn't perform and was fired from the NRA. now she's back for revenge. opportunism
11 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Sharon Bialek, Herman Cain Accuser, Speaks huff.to/sOtjiJ via @huffingtonpost a fly-by-night operation if I've seen one
11 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
WATCH LIVE: Gloria Allred press conference with Cain accuser politi.co/9Ax31v it's obviously a story crafted after the fact. lies
11 hours ago

washingtonpost The Washington Post
by SoraRyu
D.C. police chief: "[ #OccupyDC ] is no longer a peaceful protest" wapo.st/vhAucB
11 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
"why did she take so long" - one journalist. no plans to file a claim
11 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
the allegations are false. feminist defender my foot.
11 hours ago

michellemalkin Michelle Malkin
by SoraRyu
Bialek: "I really didn't want to be here today." Huh.
11 hours ago

michellemalkin Michelle Malkin
by SoraRyu
Bialek is giggling.
11 hours ago

washingtonpost The Washington Post
by SoraRyu
WATCH LIVE VIDEO: Herman Cain accuser begins press conference with attorney wapo.st/vYM5e9
11 hours ago

BreakingNews Breaking News
by SoraRyu
Live video: News conference with Gloria Allred, attorney for 4th woman alleging harassment by Herman Cain - @CNNLive bit.ly/tKY5Ec
11 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Lawyer: 4th woman to accuse Herman Cain usat.ly/uNz1D6 via @USATODAY is a "feminist crusader" not surprised. this holds no water
11 hours ago

michellemalkin Michelle Malkin
by SoraRyu
Accuser is Sharon Bialek.
11 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
nytimes.com/roomfordebate/… are you kidding me? liberals will even make spanking a race issue. & of course blacks are stereotyped as more brutal
11 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Spanking: nyti.ms/sCVnpg extremists exist. the kids in the article were also all adopted. nothing wrong with spanking within limits.
11 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Wall St drops bc of Italy reut.rs/vBXjTx @reuters "We will thus have another week of markets being driven by politicians." terrible
11 hours ago

briefingroom Briefing Room
by SoraRyu
Schumer predicts debt supercommittee will fail bit.ly/t53LtU
12 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Writings of Ryu: For the Love of Affirmative Action bit.ly/gGlouW
15 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Wall St edges up, energy, materials lead reut.rs/vBXjTx via @reuters
15 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Writings of Ryu: The Duplicity of Liberalism and the Preponderance of Pity bit.ly/tbrFxD
15 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Wall Street set to open lower bc of Italy reut.rs/vBXjTx @reuters if it's not Greece it's Italy. How long will we be on tenterhooks?
15 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
The Duplicity of Liberalism and the Preponderance of Pity nblo.gs/pApDz
18 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
New: Writings of Ryu: The Duplicity of Liberalism and the Preponderance of Pity bit.ly/tbrFxD
19 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Writings of Ryu: The GOP Debate at Dartmouth - Final Analysis, Romney and Religion bit.ly/qLgZkq
19 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
The Invention of Outrage: nyti.ms/uwnFAE what happened to "innocent before proven guilty"? liberals tear Cain down with such glee

In Support of Cain - Concerning Race and False Allegations

2011-11-08T05:53:00.000Z

Some people seem to relish tearing a good man down.

In light of the lurid and wildly biased accusations put forth against Cain by an activist lawyer and a willing accomplice, I'd like to share past sentiments I've written in support of Herman Cain.

For Herman Cain, no steering clear of race - The Washington Post:

"Unfortunately, in the wider discussion on Cain, race cannot be ignored. Liberals like to forget the Democratic primary race in 2007 to 2008. In the beginning, the field was cluttered with contenders, as it is for the Republicans today. Then Senator Obama was a far-cry from the Presidential candidacy. Like Cain, he was the "joke candidate" perhaps included for "diversity's" sake. Senator Hillary Clinton was the "chosen one," and her supporters felt they would be on the winning side of history. She was the front-runner Romney is today - took herself too seriously and wanted it really, really bad.

Then Senator Obama won Iowa and the self-assured Clinton campaign was spooked. The Clinton campaign started slinging the mud pretty hard then and did everything in their power to discredit Obama and make him look bad. Democrats like to create this mythical narrative that Obama was destined to win from the beginning. But actually he faced a hard up-hill struggle as a black man running for the Presidential candidacy in a party that ironical controlled a monopoly of the black vote but didn't seem to want a black candidate. This is why picking between Hillary and Obama was such a divisive decion back then. It divided the Democratic party internally, splitting families much like the Mason-Dixie line in the Civil War. I always like to think that you can see a Democrat for who he or she is by figuring out who he or she initially supported in the 07-08 primary race.

After the tragicomedy that was the Democratic primary, Obama persevered. He coasted on into the White House over John McCain because after Hillary was finished slinging all the mud and racially-charged hate there was no ammo left in the arsenal for McCain to use. Ironically, Obama's greatest strength as a President today is his handling of foreign policy, the very area Hillary used to say he was the most "inexperienced" in.

I think Cain is set to claim a similar triumphant rise, albeit with important differences that are becoming manifest now. For one the liberals are slinging the mud again - just this time for a slightly different reason. Once Democrats reconciled themselves to the idea of having Obama as their primary candidate, they basked in the glow of supposedly being racially accepting and the self righteousness of helping elect the first black President. The black vote was considered secure.

However, here comes Cain on the Republican side. He's running for President and happens to be black. Democrats are insecure; Cain will steal their thunder! There goes the black vote! So liberals are beside themselves, basically falling over themselves to attack Cain and draw blood right now - before he happens to win any primary states - like Iowa, God forbid! So, sarcasm aside, I can't take the liberal attacks seriously right now. Their motives to discredit Cain are nursed by consoling themselves over shaken self confidence on whether the blacks will always come running back to them.

I'm more concerned to see what conservatives will eventually say about Cain. And right now they like him just fine - what he says on the social issues does not bother them so much. And he is livelier and more "laid back" than Romney. But of course it's a little too early to see, so time will tell. For now, I don't have a problem with Cain. He's neither here nor there for me. But he's on top of the polls and I'm interested in seeing what ultimately happens to him.

Ironically, if the Democrats were smart, they would quiet down and "wait and see" as well. If they weren't so insecure and bent-out-of-shape about appearing as the sole party of the black vote, they'd realize Cain ultimately going up against Obama could only end favorably for them. Although I like Cain, and I wouldn't mind seeing him win the primary, I know, regardless of them both being black, that Obama is the better candidate (of course barring the possibility of Cain's exponential growth into a better candidate).

Liberals are trying to sabotage Cain now but if they were thinking about the end-game they would know that Obama would have an easier time beating Cain in 2012 than beating Romney in 2012. But they aren't thinking about that. They're beside themselves on the social issues - while conservatives are more interested in what Cain will do with the tax code. Plus Cain definitely came out as the winner after the Las Vegas debate, so unless he really messes up - which I don't believe he has yet - I will refrain from bashing him."

"Cain is awesome. He is totally right on black people and Obama."

"I think many white liberals portray themselves as more open to black people than they really are so blacks moving away from the Democratic party is a good thing. As for Cain, I don't think he is an idiot or an Uncle Tom at all."

"He's a new candidate and the first black conservative to really articulate himself and show himself to be a strong contender so of course liberals, both black and white, are going to be afraid of him and try to discredit him. His uncouth nature is apart of his charm and appeal. He's controversial because unlike the Democrats he's not afraid to be brutally honest about controversial issues. He's authentic and most importantly he's tied neck in neck with Romney who can't get more than 25% support, can't connect with constituents and seems to want it too badly. Although I really like Romney and Romney has cross-over liberal appeal, Romney is a flip-flopper which makes both liberals and conservatives distrust him. So I think Herman is our guy and I support him. I also think it would be great to see a black Republican and a Black Democrat duke it out for the White - because then it's not about race it's about conservatism vs. liberalism, the economy and the role of government."

"He's not perfect but he's better than many of the other contenders in the primary race. All 8 of them say stuff that I don't agree with, particularly on marriage equality. For a while, Bachmann looked like she could be the standard bearer for conservative women after Palin imploded, but liberal feminists have tried to shoot her down and she performed so poorly in the Las Vegas debate, that even her supporters in the Tea Party are pulling the plug on her.

I'd pick Cain over Bachmann and Santorum any day. And don't get me wrong, I still support President Obama (he's a moderate). I'd just rather see Cain go up against Obama than Romney. People make fun of Cain because he is so blunt and to the point where it hurts. But we need honest, authentic politicians in America. His frankness - on electric fences, the tax code and what not - is one of the reason people like him. So once again I'd rather see a showdown between Cain and the more calm, more cerebral Obama any day. Finally, I don't mind people trying to discredit him based on some of his more outlandish statements but I don't appreciate liberals black and white trying to discredit his conservative stance as a black person. He is not an Uncle Tom; he's probably the most free-thinking politician out there right now."

"When there are so few black conservative voices, I find it hard to bash him. Perhaps if they were more black conservatives out there and running that were more palatable I would pick them above Cain. But they aren't. And I feel as though liberals white and black (as the article I posted can attest) unduly rag on black conservatives as if they are some sort of counter-intuitive entity, as if it's only common sense for all black people to be Democrats - or else they are Uncle Toms. I feel liberals want to cultivate this automatic association of minorities with Democrats. They get insecure whenever a minority conservative appears. Minorities seem to all be supposed to toe the party line or else they're sell-outs. Cain very existence rages against that (hence his brainwashed quote). So despite his outlandish lines I stand for the political statement he makes by simply being a black conservative. He's not perfect but he is a leader, a trail-blazer, not an Uncle Tom."

Would I vote for Cain? At the moment I am still voting for Obama - and not because he is black. I just said I feel bad bashing Cain because of his views as one of the few black conservatives. You shouldn't support someone just because of race - but I don't support him just because he's black. I support Cain but I agree, as just a person, not a black person, with his views on black people. I know what he and others have said concerning rights and other things. And I also support Ron Paul for some of things he says. I support Cain in the same way I support Ron Paul - I don't agree with everything they say but I don't bash them because I do agree with some of the things they say, even if I will not necessarily vote for them."

"Some conservatives (actually many, according to some polls that show him neck in neck with Romney) support him. As a NH Democrats representative told the College Dems on Monday, liberals like tend to vote with their heads and conservatives, their hearts. Of course this is gross over-simplification but just because Cain is "incorrect" on some issues liberals care about doesn't mean his views are invalid or he is illegitimate. Obviously he appeals to some people and their social or economic views. Obviously he is appealing to these views by connecting at a deeper level for many Americans a level beyond whether he is "incorrect" or "nonsensical." Of course we shouldn't elect people who are totally off-base on their facts. But Cain isn't totally off-base. And although his 9-9-9 plan definitely needs tweaking he has galvanized conservative support by promising to at least attempt to strike down our old problematic tax code. He is promising the change that conservatives want to hear. Of course liberals see this and are hastening to discredit him with racially charged insults such as "minstrel."

"Cain is a lot of things but he's the farthest thing from racist. I watched that Piers Morgan interview. He's not against having Muslims in his Cabinet (and by the way, Islam is a religion not a race) but he is against having extremists i.e. terrorists in his Cabinet - whether they are Christian or Muslim extremists. So Cain is anything but racist. The last thing Cain is doing is raping anything. That is a very heated and erroneous metaphoric allegation; if I didn't know any better I'd say it was racially charged (ironic in the light of these latest racially charged allegations of sexual assault).

Cain is simply standing up for what many conservatives consider important - self reliance, personal responsibility, social mobility through merit, "pulling one's self up by one's bootstraps" so to speak, fiscal independence and reduction of the amount of government, bringing down the deficit and reigning in our welfare state. None of these things are seen by conservatives as hurting the poor but as vehicles of personal fiscal independence, the creation of viable businesses and ultimately job creation. As a moderate - more liberal when it comes to social issues and fiscally more conservative - I understand where he is coming from.

In general, liberals and moderates that lean more to the left are for more government and believe the government must take a larger role in the stabilization of the state, so Cain sounds incoherent and strange to them. But Cain is not talking to liberals now - he is speaking to conservatives economic and social values to the best of his ability - and conservatives are responding to him. This does not mean I agree with everything he says - especially when it comes to social issues. It means that I understand where he is coming from and I understand why he says such things. I also agree with or at least show interest in some of the statements he has made concerning race as a black conservative. Hence, overall I do not feel the need to bash him or see him as illegitimate. I respect him and am interested to see where his campaign goes."

In Cain Allegations, Comparisons Are Drawn to Thomas - NYTimes.com:

"“This is another high-tech lynching,’’ Ms. Coulter asserted, shifting the focus from the substance of the accusations to an attack on the news media and “liberals.’’

In an online post, Commentary pointed out that the strategy had worked for Mr. Thomas and could likewise end up rallying support to Mr. Cain: “Among conservatives, Thomas remains a hero not just because of his jurisprudence but because they seem him as an innocent victim of a media establishment out to humiliate and punish any African-American who stepped outside of the liberal consensus.’’"

The most powerful rebuttal to the hate and the most powerful support for Cain comes in the form of a comment on an article that bashes Cain, saying there is no Hermain Cain presidential election:

"Can we talk about Herman Cain the person? Can we talk about an accomplished businessman who majored in Mathematics in College? Can we talk about a Christian who is driven by his faith which stands out when he's interviewed by the "feel-good" tele-evangelists? It's ridiculous to be throwing around these allegations of racism, when we have a situation where we have only ONE Republican who can turn around the direction of the Democratic/Republican Oligarchy that poses as a two-party system. Remember Secretary Paulson and Federal Reserve Banker Timothy Geithner? Do you remember Secretary Gates? Whose administrations were these men in? George Walker Bush and Barack Obama, of course! Remember the Stimulus packages and the Bail-Outs? Remember that TARP was never used as intended? Again it’s the effect of the Bush/Obama Oligarchy. Until we're ready to vote for a true conservative party - Constitution Party - we have only one hope - Herman Cain; whose ancestors were natural born Americans (thanks to the 16th Amendment (too bad Dixiecrats)). Skin color is only on the surface. But focusing on it is a cancer that could cost us our future, as Herman Cain is our only viable hope."

"I think he just said something that wasn't PC and someone got "offended" There are men out there who legitimately harm women but that doesn't mean we get to tear every good (black) man down. Plus the deluge of these vague, amorphous charges of offense dilute the salience of the nature of actual claims of violence and discrimination against women. We'll see where this goes.

Unfortunately the liberals have taken aim at him and wish to shut him up before he makes it much further. Liberals see Cain as a threat because he is the strongest alternative to Romney, which many conservatives do not feel comfortable voting for (although he has great cross-over appeal with liberals). Yet Cain will persevere. His nameless attackers are yet to show themselves, content only to try to ruin a good man from the wings. Also most conservatives and moderates do not buy this allegations nonsense and are waiting for these liberal women to have the guts to unveil themselves."

- Ryu

The Duplicity of Liberalism and the Preponderance of Pity

2011-11-07T11:07:00.000Z

It has oft-been said that liberals vote with their heads and conservatives, their hearts, but in my experience I've found the reverse. In arguments, liberals (I refuse to use their fancy new name - progressive) tend to make quite a few appeals to emotion, namely pity, while conservatives are usually the ones left on topic, appealing to logic and correcting basic history (on capitalism, slavery or what have you).

Perhaps liberal appeals to pity (and the patronizing, self-righteous attitude that follows) were more effective in times of greater inequality, when they could claim the moral high ground and claim they were being "more fair." But now these appeals to pity only serve to derail good conversations. Appeals to emotion are usually devoid of all logic and rationality.

What is an appeal to pity exactly? Well, for example, it's mentioning the plight of poor illegal immigrants in a conversation on the economic pros and cons of stronger border security, constantly bringing up race and how black people must feel in discussions on crime and deflecting to sob stories and personal anecdotes on discussions of corporations versus unions (Occupy is guilty of this. A great example was seen during the DSIE debate on the protests).

Some liberals build their whole arguments around these pity ploys, others only resort to them as a last resort. Either way pity ploys usually take a a good discussion and throw it out the window. When the emotional appeals come out, you know a liberal is hard-pressed to back up their argument with facts or at very least with obstructive, patronizing rhetoric.

If a conservatives avoid all their patronizing, liberal traps and press liberals for a rational argument, liberals will usually dissolve into crocodile tears and blame their poor arguing skills on some personal factor (in affect claiming conservative are "heartless," to use Perry's line). If this happens, the liberals have in effect thrown in the towel and no more useful conversation will be had. The conservative has "won" the argument, but only by default because the liberals could not stay on topic. The liberal's self indignation is used purely for the sake of getting out of a tough argument.

The liberal's reliance on emotion leads to a breakdown of political communication. As feminists always say, "the private is public," so the personal and the emotional must always be smuggled into an argument somehow, even if the discussion at hand is not conducive to emotional appeals or pity ploys. It's a way for a liberal (if this debate is public) to try and get the audience on their side without actually producing any facts.

Of course, these are broad generalizations. Liberals pride themselves on being rational or at least being perceived that way. And I do hear a lot of conservative appeals to emotion. But not as many as from the liberals nowadays. Liberals probably take their emotional appeals as fact and believe they are being more rational. They then use this "rationality," (really just self-righteousness) to believe they are "smarter" than conservatives.

I probably shouldn't say liberals and conservatives - most people tend to gravitate to somewhere in the middle. But I will say that that the typical liberal argument is full of not so much facts but the power of pity. Whether the grounds for this pity can be collected from their facts is left up to the reader to judge. Somewhere in that argument is a "feel sorry for me" or "feel sorry for this group of people." However, feeling sorry for someone or feeling sorry for oneself is not necessarily the basis of a good argument, much less good public policy.

It comes down to the elemental characteristics of liberalism and conservatism. I've alluded to this slightly before when talking about Romney and whether his religion othered him as a conservative or not. A major generalization one could make about the dichotomy of political thought is that liberalism emphasizes "I can't" or "these people can't" while conservatism emphasizes "I can" or "these people can."

Or to put it more nicely, liberalism speaks to (or at least pretends to speak to up to a certain point, at which we see some level hypocrisy or dishonesty - for example the 2008 Hillary v. Obama primary race) how people are othered by the establishment and fosters a sense of anti-establishment feeling (again I say at least up to a certain point - for example it's bad if Nike exploits people in far-away nations to make their products but it's OK if Apple does it, since liberal hipsters (are there conservative hipsters?) love Apple products). Conservatism emphasizes being honest or even proud of being apart of the establishment and tries to focus on the way people are not othered. Now, which political philosophy is more conducive to a better, less emotional argument?

This is not to say that liberals never make convincing arguments. I have heard many convincing arguments from liberals on diverse topics. However, liberals' weakness for pity ploys exposes the cognitive dissonance that hamstrings the effectiveness of the liberal argument. On one hand they are liberal and supposedly fighting inequality but on the other hand they are only liberal up to a point - the point at which their sense of superiority or the status quo is threatened. This is because liberals claim to be anti-establishment. But they rarely want to be honest about how privileged or devoted to the status quo they really are (if pressed they will turn their pity ploys on themselves and try to list all the ways they are supposedly othered or oppressed). I've expressed this before, but liberals become more defensive and insecure when they run out of pity ploys - i.e. run out of people to save.

For example, liberals mock black conservatives because they can't see blacks having a mind of their own when it comes to politics. Blacks are automatically always oppressed and othered i.e. pitiful and therefore need to come back to the party of the othered. Heaven forbid a black person could make up his or her mind. No, a patronizing liberal has save them and make up their minds for them.

For liberals, crime is always a "touchy" subject for blacks because so many are in jail, and blacks are therefore pitiful. It is impossible in the liberal mind that a black person might be upset about crime for crime's sake and not because of the race of the perpetrator. Finally, if black person takes offense to this stereotypical assumption, they are being "touchy" or "overly-sensitive." Blacks must never get angry at liberals it seems. If they do, they are being "uppity" or ungrateful for all the equality liberals have purportedly procured. Meanwhile the liberal in question will be as sensitive as ever, cry crocodile tears and demand sympathy at the drop of a hat.

Liberals seem to think it is impossible for them to be prejudiced and that somehow they are always in the right (there's that self-righteousness again). They seem to think that because they are the "good guys," they can never be racist. They do not realize that their patronizing pity is racist. It is no wonder blacks will begin to see that they cannot gain anything in the party of pity. Blacks are tired of this "jump...how high?' go around with liberals. I think it was President George W. Bush who said "beware the soft bigotry of low expectations." It's time we retire some liberal mainstays that worked in the past but function as soft bigotry now - mainstays such as affirmative action.

One could probably say one distrusts conservatives because they have a self-interest to maintain privilege and the establishment in a way that benefits them. Liberals also try to paint conservatives as the "bad guys," who oppress people and hold on to power. Liberals are supposedly the "good guys" committed to equality and fighting back. But really if one wants to distrust anyone, one should distrust the liberals.They appear as the "good guys" but they are in it for self-interest too. The fact that they try to paint themselves as "good guys" is insincere and should be pointed out by conservatives. Liberals are perhaps just as prejudiced and committed to privilege as conservatives they lambaste, which makes them seem all the more duplicitous and untrustworthy.

When confronted on their biases of pity, liberal arguments usually break down because there is no where else to go. Often the liberal in question will find some way to get out conversation lest their ego take a hit. Liberals fail to realize that the basis for their patronizing, knee-jerk pity for blacks, gays, women, Hispanics, what-have-you, is itself steeped in stereotypes, racism, sexism, classism and othering. Liberals like to point out othering whenever they are not the source of it. They fail to realize that the basis of many of their arguments promotes the othering they are trying to combat. If a liberal can somehow be convinced to realize the error of his or her ways. they are usually "shocked."

This is not say conservatives are without bias and are absolutely clean when it comes to furthering inequality and instilling mindsets of pity. But as I alluded to earlier, conservatives are less likely to use these stereotypical pity ploys because they don't assume people are to be pitied. Conservatives start with the assumption everyone is on an even playing ground and then look at the exceptions. Conservatives start with people saying "I can" as opposed to people being pitied for saying "I cannot."

Liberals on the other hand start with the reverse and lots of good intentions. They start by seeing everyone on an uneven playing field and trying to rectify that. But emotion and appeals to pity get in the way. Eventually we never get to an even playing field with liberals because their self-esteem depends on the self-righteousness and privilege acquired from pointing out inequality.

Paradoxically, liberals raison d'etre is to perpetuate the idea of an uneven playing field. Whether they like to admit it or not, they have no reason or motivation to ever level the playing field or declare the playing field leveled because then they will lose their voice, their importance, their message, their esteemed status as whistle-blowers.

They will never admit it but liberals seem care more about their message, their elevated place in the world, their moral high ground than actual equality. Equality would mean the battle is over and that there would be no more need for the liberal viewpoint. Then we could all just be conservative. But liberals obviously would not want that. As liberals will love to tell you, inequality will always be around so they will always be around - along with their knee-jerk appeals to pity.

This essay is not to say all liberals are bad or that all liberalism is bad. This is to say that perhaps due to the passage of time or complacency, rot has developed at the core of the mainstream liberal message. And that rot is a fixation with pity and perhaps a problem with pride and self-righteousness. Going forward liberals need to learn to "check" their prejudice and privilege and not automatically assume they are immune.

The days when liberalism was automatically the anathema to inequality are gone. Liberals will have to change their arguments, more readily take in rebuttals to their arguments and perhaps not view conservatives as so very different from themselves. Political thought adapts. Conservatism is evolving - becoming more open to blacks and gays for one thing - liberalism must evolve as well. The old model of self-interested pity will not work anymore.

- Ryu

Note that I neglected to mention the terms "Democrat" and "Republican" on purpose. The liberal or conservative mindset will not always translate smoothly over to the political parties of Democrat and Republican. People seems to forget that Lincoln, a Republican freed the slaves and 50 years ago the Democrats were for segregation. Political parties change; liberalism and conservatism, for the most part, stay the same. Today, it is possible to have moderate or even conservative Democrats - President Obama is an example of this.

More Tweets on Politics, Cain and the Economy

2011-11-07T02:19:00.000Z

usdemocrats usdemocrats
by SoraRyu
BarackObama: Our November 6th day of action is in full swing. There's still time to find an event near you: http... bit.ly/uWf1v0
4 minutes ago Favorite Undo Retweet Reply

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
"NEWS ALERT: Kenyan wins Men's NY Marathon, Ethiopian wins women's" Boy, blacks can run fast/great athletes #sarcasm #stereotypes @nytimes
34 seconds ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Herman Cain’s future? Depends on who you politico.com/news/stories/1… @POLITICO anonymous attacks shouldn't be taken seriously

ftuseconomy FT US Economic News
by SoraRyu
China and US in standoff over auditors on.ft.com/rKmMoO
43 minutes ago Favorite Undo Retweet Reply

schlag_zeile schlag zeile
by SoraRyu
#Occupy #Patriarchy! A #feminist critique of the protests | Indymedia Scotland bit.ly/sBPTD4
3 Nov

LuvJanae Janae
by SoraRyu
why has the face of daytime tv become white and male with the majority of show guests being people of color & white women #patriarchy
4 Nov

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Are women human beings? Not so much, according to Hollywood. (Indies don't do much better.) bit.ly/ul0f25 this is so sad #patriarchy
4 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
High Corporate Profits Could Reduce Risk in Junk Bonds: nyti.ms/qSJtLm
6 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Mining Shares Lag Behind the High Price of Gold: nyti.ms/raJVWR
6 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Mutual Funds’ Cash Positions Can Help Skirt a Sell-Off: nyti.ms/q78XCW

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Willy Loman& Occupy nyti.ms/s7mSgZ Occupy lacks a msg.so it tries to "reclaim" everything even things that are clearly "establishment"

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
http://nyti.ms/tja4zJ rampant college app. fraud & self-righteous hypocritical colleges seeking Chinese $ for "diversity's" sake hurts the US
31 seconds ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
nyti.ms/vh7lkD libraries are fine but the self-righteousness of another great liberal elite saving the day is staggering @NickKristof

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Greek Premier to Resign? nyti.ms/uSpXyw more societal Stockholm syndrome; the media and the markets are held captive by this drama
9 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Twitter and TV Get Close to Help Each Other Grow: nyti.ms/sIHQBs technology continues to consolidate
15 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Debts Meet Politics nyti.ms/sgjrEJ Politics is always 5 steps behind economics. But most people only understand the drama of politics
18 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Closing the Girl Gap in Science: nyti.ms/vsaoaU I'm all for "closing the gap" but articles like these seem more hype + trying too hard
24 minutes ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Overheard @Dartmouth "Occupy is just there" Exactly. The Occupy movement takes up space "protesting," But it's not accomplishing anything

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
‘The Silent Majority’ nyti.ms/rtckEo interesting. the views of street protesters (Occupy) do not represent the majority of Americans
23 seconds ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Oklahoma Hit by Earthquake for 2nd Night in a Row: nyti.ms/seuboP October snowstorms, earthquakes in D.C. Hurricane Irene. what next?
7 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
In Mutual Fund Returns, Skill, or Just Luck?: nyti.ms/pHThzM maybe anyone can run a hedge fund?
7 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Anthony D. Weiner, Hiding in Plain Sight: nyti.ms/rW10fh poor guy. but at least he an his wife are still together. open relationship?
7 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Uncertainty Lingers in Greece nyti.ms/rQ4gq7 "uncertainty"? the markets are controlled by investor confidence. media hype doesn't help
7 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
One Big Question About the Kardashian Marriage: nyti.ms/uWnUZf It's a silly modern American harem. "Why do we care? Why does anyone?"
7 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Phoenix Jones seattlepi.com seattlepi.com/local/article/… a real superhero. pretty cool. but reminded unfavorably of Dartmouth's Sun God
8 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Writings of Ryu: Don't Fear Success bit.ly/ujoIfF
10 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Don't Fear Success nblo.gs/pxdki
11 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Chinese Immigrants in U.S. Colleges: nyti.ms/tja4zJ perhaps a bad fit for all involved esp. American students pushed to the sidelines
14 hours ago

nytimes The New York Times
by SoraRyu
NYT NEWS ALERT: Drosselmeyer Wins Breeders’ Cup Classic
14 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
The Darker Side of Apple: The Human Cost of Your iProducts finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ti… Nike can't get away with this but hipster Apple can
19 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
The Darker Side of Apple: The Human Cost of Your iProducts finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ti… not surprised hipster Apple would violate human rights
19 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
Guys Enthralled by 'My Little Pony' on.wsj.com/tPFqNL via @WSJ Bronies. Very cool
20 hours ago

SoraRyu Sora Ryu
RT @SoraRyu Writings of Ryu: Twitter Feed for the Past Few Weeks bit.ly/u2PfqU

Don't Fear Success

2011-11-06T02:10:00.000Z

TheDartmouth.com: Kornberg: Saving Perspective: "we’re simultaneously repulsed by and obsessed with truly exceptional professional achievement. "

I've said this a million times but I think I have to say it the most now - you have to believe in yourself. You can't be afraid of being on top. No one is perfect but everyone must cultivate a sense of self worth. It's not arrogance. You have to do this because no one is going to do it for you. You have to say, for example, "I'm worth it. I'm good enough to go to an Ivy League school" even if somehow you don't actually go to one.

This is not to say Ivy League schools are perfect (they're not), or that people who didn't get in, didn't try hard enough (absolutely untrue). This is to say that no matter where you end up, it's important to see yourself as worthy of success.

Why? Because our culture is always telling us not to "self-call" or draw attention to our greatness. For example, the Occupy movement tries to create this "us vs. them" mentality where the 99% is at war with a demonized 1%. This simple dichotomy is hurtful and erroneous for many reasons the largest one being that no one should be demonized for being successful. You cannot better anyone by tearing others down.

We're taught to fear greatness in others and even in ourselves. A great poem (below) begins by saying "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure." But to fear our own greatness is to do ourselves in. You don't have to be showy but at some point you must "let your light so shine before men" or else it will be extinguished. You're worth it. Go out and seize the day.

Always remember to take hold and seize opportunities when they come. Never think you're not worth it because you are. It's yours; you just have to reach out and grab it; don't let others take it away. Life is more of a zero-sum game than most people realize or are willing to admit. Whenever you win, in the stock market, in college applications, etc. someone just lost and vice versa. So even if you are rejected in the end, you should give your all just to have a fighting chance. The only time you are 100% likely to be rejected is if you don't take that chance. Always take that chance.

- Ryu

The great poem I mentioned:

Brilliant, Talented and Fabulous

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our Light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented
and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world.
There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people
won't feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the Glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.
And as we let our own Light shine, we unconsciously give other
people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically
liberates others.Marrianne Williamson