There is something to be said for the total solitude of an isolated redwood grove at sunrise. Whether you believe yourself a Druid in tune with Nature, or just simply someone enjoying a sanguine moment of peace of mind and and clarity of thought, either way, it becomes a moment to be cherished. It recharges the Soul, refocuses the Mind, and after 10 days of solitude by choice, I am SO ready to rock and roll!

Thanks for letting me share that with you all.

Now on to the soundbytes:

Re: Question: Will George W. Bush be granted a speaking role at the 2008 Republican National Convention.
- Many are politically distancing themselves from W at this point in the pre-campaign campaign, nonetheless, I would be surprised if he weren't a major presence. Cheney will be noticable by his absence. Nobody likes him, his approval rating is lower than OJ Simpson.
I think in order to save face for the Bush legacy, one way or another, he will be a factor at the 2008 Rep con. They need him to pass the torch to his untarnished (relatively speaking)  brother Jeb.

Re: Republicans want to rig election in 2008 (w/California proposal)
- Blatant... but truth is, the Democrats pulled back from trying the exact samething in acouple of Red states. Either way, its an obvious ploy that should be struck down in the courts if it even gets that far.

Re: Dollar losing value daily so Israel request's U.S Aid be paid in Euro's
- Glad you acknowledged the hoax. Xiaoming... you wanna scrimmage on this one... start a separate thread. Keep it civil and I promise I won't play the anti-Semite card.

Re: Should Bush veto bill to expand child health insurance?
- I want to address harryj's response... scrub away harry's coarse style, he's actually got a point here. where is the money to pay for this program going to come from? They don't want to rescind the tax breaks, don't want to reallocate funds from military budgets, don't want to raise taxes, so where will the money come from? That goes for everything else as well.
There is no doubt the government is in some measure responsible to its citizens, especially those who have earned the right by virtue of service to EXPECT to be taken care of. But we don't have the money to take care of our wounded soldiers, where are we going to find the money for Children's Health Care? Personally, I would gladly be willing to pay for ANY sort of health care... if I were insurable.

Re: are your parents same political persuasion as you?

- Both my parents were Holocaust survivors, and entered this country through Ellis Island. Chassidic Orthodox and unfamiliar with American politics, they proudly voted in local elections for whoever was best for the local Jewish community. My politics are somewhat more complex in perspective and do not always coincide with the best interests of my family.

re: I think 'Ahmadenijad' is Farsi for 'total buffoon.' Synonym: Dubya.

- I find myself in a true conundrum. I am a fervent believer in the First Amendment. By that aspect, I should have no issue with Maddie coming to the US, speaking at Columbia and the UN, or even visiting Ground Zero.
But this man denies the Holocaust ever took place. That invalidates me, my family, and the 12 million human beings destroyed by the Nazis.
He rattles the sabre of wiping Israel off the map, and even seeks to proclaim himself the Mahdi... an Islamic Messiah of sorts. The son of a bitch is a lunatic... give me the gun, I'll do it myself.
So you see my dilemma. I acknowledge, it is easier for me to accept the label of hypocrite, than it is for me to smile as this human cancer tumor bloviates. I don't care HOW powerless some of you believe him to be. Hitler didn't gain supreme power overnight either. But then I reflect that in the Jewish calendar, this is the year 5768. That's 5768 years of recorded history; probably with some inaccuracies and myths thrown into the mix, but recorded in the ancient languages in the ancient texts nonetheless and for the most part, accounted for in total. How many Ahmadinejads and Hitlers have come and gone in that time? I remind myself of that, and it gives me strength. He can only kill my body; he will not defeat my Soul.

Fuck 'Em If They Can't Take A Joke!

Thanks for taking the time to read my comments.

Vacation for me this year was camping out in N. Idaho... with the sound of a trout stream at night to provide a lulabye for sleep.

nothing like the smell of an evergreen forest to make you realize how really screwed up our priorities get sometimes....   but I am glad you are back.

I heard someone say recently that the money could come from a 39 cent increased tax on cigarettes.

I'm not sure who you are, but welcome back!!

-- Modified on 9/26/2007 6:21:31 PM

Glad your brief sanctuary was enjoyable as well as cathartic.

who had the guts and fortitude to state the obvious:

"We need to be very precise then, about what I said wearing my stars and being very conscious of it," he added. "And that is, very simply, that we should respect those who want to serve the nation but not through the law of the land, condone activity that, in my upbringing, is counter to God's law."

Pace further noted that the U.S. Military Code of Justice prohibits homosexual activity as well as adultery.

Now the kicker, your Liberal Democrat Sen. Tom Harkin replied: "Well, maybe we should change that."

You see that is the trouble with you liberals you guys want to create an immoral and ungodly world. Whereas the conservative wants to conserve those things that are precious to us such as clean water, the Republic, liberty, ducks, family values and pick up trucks.

We missed you here.  

Ahmadenijad: sorry Doc, I can't compare that guy to Hitler. He isn't going to become a Hitler. He has a figurehead post as a front to a shadow government led by the Supreme Leader Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He's not in a position to suspend a constitution or declare a state of emergency. It's more like he would be suspended.

His questioning the holocaust is bad enough, but really, he would be a follower to any movement, not a leader.

Breaker, no offense, but I'd swear you thought this was another thread
If not, can I have some of whatever it is you're smokin?

Yes, indeed it was a hoax.  It's hard to believe that the original poster missed the ad for "Aryan Wear" which was also on the site.  I mean, c'mon -- is all the clothing white, with a preponderance of loose-flowing robes and floppy oversized hoods?

Still, it was so amazing realistic.  I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop on this, eventually.  I hope Our Most Relaibale Ally In The Middle East has  not been introduced to an idea heretofore unimagined even by them.  I did indeed check the AIPAC website, to see if any seeds which will eventually bear poisoned fruits have been planted,just in case, but so far...

All that said, i will respectfully decline your kind offer to debate, endlessly, this topic and peacefully continue in my newfound semi-lurking ways [not counting the use of amusing aliases, of course].  You will have to content yourself, as best you can, with beating up on the second team for the indefinite future.  But, be assured, like a bad penny, i will be back.

Finally, but most importantly, Doc  --  Welcome Back!

they said the same thing about integrating blacks into the army until 1948 when Truman said the hell with that. We all know what a massive fuckup that was.

Maybe you care but I don't. No whining god in my corner. Not any worried about my sexual preferences. Not any importance to me at all. Again they said black segragation was god's will as well. They were wrong then and they are wrong again.

homosexual acts i.e. a man lying together with another man is. The Bible guides us to love one another as brothers, not for one man to love another man as lovers.

Personally the Homosexuals can do whatever they want. All I ask is that they stay the hell of the ARMY and don't adopt children.

The Holy Book never preaches segregation because of color.

People have used the bible to support any damn thing they wished it to believe. According to them, the bible okay slavery then okayed segragation as well. What I found crazy was before and during the Civil War both sides used god and the bible to justify their mutually exculsive positions. So indulge me when you try to justify your homophobic positions with the biblical mumbo jumbo my reaction is, "big deal so what?"

The US Army in the midst of a major conflict in an Arab country has a lack of Arabic translators. Why? They fired 30 some translators because they were found to be homosexual. Is this stupid or what? Can we fuck up the Iraqi war even more?

Your skin color is obviously not a choice but it should be strikingly apparent that neither is your sexual orientation in most cases. I think you will find that with many gays, with the onset of puberty, their sexual orientation was set. As much as you or I maybe attracted to the opposite sex, they are attracted to same sex. You want to punished them for that?

of Marcos Garvey, Rosa Parks, Grover Washington Carver Jr.,The Little Rock nine, Martin Luther King Jr. the five thousand who died from lynching et al with the fudge packers makes me sick.

An entire people were enslaved in this country because of the color of their skin. In slavery families were broken up and sold like cattle. Homosexual rights adovocates do not deserve to be mentioned with the sacrifice of the African American to achieve dignity. If you choose to be flamboyant that is your choice and I respect that choice but do not expect me:

1) To give you special rights i.e. marriage vows and the right to adopt children.

2) Have you serve in the US ARMY. Some places should have high standards and morals such as the US Army.


I do not see excluding homosexuals from these activities as punishment. Sexual orientation is a choice and all the scientific mumbo jumbo will not change that fact. Hell, even the decision to have sex is a choice.


Do not expect me to buy this product of homosexual rights by saying it is the same fight protrayed by generations of African Americans. That pisses me off and I ain't buying it. I ask:

What are homosexual rights and what are they fighting for?

Who cares?

What does it matter?

How are they being punished? What a bunch of cry babies.

-- Modified on 9/28/2007 12:05:57 AM

You're quote:

"Sexual orientation is a choice and all the scientific mumbo jumbo will not change that fact."

Really?  So you thought 'long and hard' about having sex with a man and then decided against it?  Strange, I just woke up one day around 11 years old and knew I loved women.  I didn't even have to think about it.  It just was what it was.

Good for you though, I don't think most people struggle with the 'choice' the way you did.

Luckily, you made the right choice, and can remain one of god's children.  Wow, I can't believe how close you were to the 'dark side.'



-- Modified on 9/28/2007 6:14:08 AM

should we shoot them right on the battlefield?

it seems like a pretty big choice, and there are plenty of people who probably don't choose until after they join the military.

also, what if they change their mind?  do we let them back in?  

i mean, i chose coke over pepsi 5 years ago, but then recently i chose pepsi over coke.  things like this happen.

does it concern you that you don't know yet if you like women definitively?  you could, after all, choose to go gay any day now!!!!!!!!!!!!  i bet your god isn't happy about that.  all this uncertainty regarding how you're going to turn out, or get turned out.

look at all those republicans who were just like you and then turned gay all of a sudden.  it just sneaks up on you.

I thought *all* the snipes were queer.   They sure looked like it to me.  

And what are we going to do about the Limeys?  Can we in good conscience trust the British Navy to shoot straight, knowing that "rum, sodomy and the lash" is what they live for?


Oh well, we don't have to worry about Republican fags in the Army OR Navy.  Because REAL Republicans don't sign up, do they?   Anybody that signs up almost always does it because they're some kind of closet Democrat.

I suppose we might get a Republican fag in the Air Force.  That would go a long way toward explaining both Bush and BSD.

there's bullshit everywhere.   How much and what is "discrimination" is a matter of judgment.  There are plenty of black leaders who argue among themselves about what to ask for, and there is plenty of ranting about welfare and affirmative action, and there are good men and punks everywhere, and sometimes they are the same people.

Same with the fairies and every other interest group.  That you don't like fudge packers or leathermen isn't any reason to let somebody kill them.   It's not all or nothing - you don't have to hide them or let them marry.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, why do ideas piss you off?  And if you really don't care, why are you going on about it?

I don't know if you remember back when claiming to be queer was a common way of trying to get out of military service, and those people got mocked as draft dodgers.

And I don't think fags or anybody else should get out of normal obligations.  Eg, I don't buy "depression" as an excuse for shitty behavior, and I don't buy Took claiming that his grandfather being a slave justifies him running drugs and murdering people.

But you don't have to be all or nothing.  If you have a working brain, you really can cope with the issues and decide how much and where to draw lines.  If you don't, and can't cope, then leave it to people who can, and don't cry about it.

Sorry to post this so long after your post was higacked, but welcome back all the same.

than what goes on between two consenting men,two consenting women, or two consenting adults of any sex.

You may still be a socialist, but at least you're a non partisan socialist. lol