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Peter Kobs's definitions

Prisoner of the Present

1. A person whose entire worldview is shaped by current events, stumbling along from one crisis to another.
2. Someone without a historical perspective or hope for the future.
3. The mindset that causes "knee-jerk" reactions to almost any kind of social or economic change.
4. A state of perpetual panic about "the world today."
Larry says the U.S. economy will never recover no matter what happens in Washington -- he's a typical Prisoner of the Present.
by Peter Kobs June 4, 2009
mugGet the Prisoner of the Presentmug.

Chain of Lies

1. An e-mail chain containing defammatory or false information that is spread far and wide by partisan believers in an attempt to paint a negative image of the opposition.

2. The act of forwarding sensationalistic, untrue reports without checking their veracity.

3. How lies go viral on the Internet.

4. A modern-day illustration of Mark Twain's adage: "A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes."
You know that story about supposed "FEMA concentration camps" in the desert? It's just part of that Chain of Lies started by that militia group in Texas.
by Peter Kobs August 21, 2009
mugGet the Chain of Liesmug.

Blackberry Ban

1. The banning of all Blackberry smart phones by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Republic starting in late July 2010.

Because Blackberries use data encryption for transmitting text over the airways, the security forces of those two countries can't "monitor" e-mail traffic from them. Afraid that anti-government forces will use Blackberries for nefarious purposes, they simply banned the devices entirely. Other authoritarian countries are expected to follow suit. Welcome to the 21st century!
Don't bring your new phone to Dubai, man. They just announced a complete Blackberry Ban. You could end up jail -- or worse.
by Peter Kobs August 1, 2010
mugGet the Blackberry Banmug.

Comp Call

1. A compensation foul in football. The officials sometimes "call" a foul on team B in order to make up for a questionable foul against team A earlier in the game.

2. The unwritten law of refereeing: If you make a mistake that hurts team A, try to make up for it by calling a foul against team B later in the game. Wait at least 3:00 on the game clock so the "comp call" isn't blatantly obvious.

3. A foolish attempt to "balance" the impact of poor officiating in a high school football game.
Did you see that procedure foul on Central High in the second quarter? It was an obvious comp call to make up for that ridiculous holding call against Lakewood in the first quarter.
by Peter Kobs September 26, 2009
mugGet the Comp Callmug.

Categorically False

1. A term frequently used by politicians when accused of something scandalous. It means: "I did it, but as long as there's no smoking gun I will deny it completely." Most such scandals involve illicit sex, bribery, influence peddling or misuse of public funds.

2. A worn-out public relations phrase that nobody believes anymore. Nixon's famous remark -- "I am not a crook" -- sounds positively Shakespearian in comparison.
"The accusation is categorically false!," said South Carolina Republican Nikki Haley. She is accused of having an "inappropriate physical relationship" with the governor's former press secretary.
by Peter Kobs May 25, 2010
mugGet the Categorically Falsemug.

Republic

Contrary to right-wing propaganda, a Republic is indeed a form of representative Democracy in which ordinary people elect officials to represent them in a legislature or parliament. Simply put, a Republic is the "what" and a Democracy is the "how." It's been that way since the Roman Republic was established in 509 B.C.

The notion that Democracy is a mob-rule involving direct citizen voting on every issue is a distortion spread by idiots like Tom Tancredo and radical ideologues like Pat Buchanan. They don't like the term "Democracy" because it reminds them of the Democratic party.

The opposite of a Republic is a Monarchy, not a Democracy.
"You know we have a Republic, not a Democracy, right?"

"You must be an intern at Fox News."
by Peter Kobs April 8, 2010
mugGet the Republicmug.

Minute Money

1. Cash that's urgently needed (usually by a teenager) to purchase additional cell phone minutes. 2. The reason why pre-paid cell phones are so cheap.
"Dad! I need some Minute Money so my girlfriend can text me after the party tonight."
by Peter Kobs July 8, 2009
mugGet the Minute Moneymug.

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