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John Prezioso

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Everything posted by John Prezioso

  1. Congratulations, fellow hard-timer!!!!!!
  2. On the one hand, I can see the RIAA's point about a lot of issues it has tied itself up in. Having said that, it is TOTALLY out of control. I am a musician looking to better myself and possibly go semi-pro some day soon, maybe get a band together and go play a gig or 3 down on Beale Street here in town. I mention this because I use what are called 'Guitar Trainer' computer programs like "Power Tab" and "Guitar Pro" which utilize tablature from well known songs that you can see and hear on the screen and learn to play. The quality of the music you hear in these programs is nothing like the music on the cd's; it's just there to give a learning musician an audio reference to what he or she is learning to play. All of these 'tabs' are created from scratch by everyday people using the tools provided in the programs-sort of reverse engineering the song in the software so it can be posted on a website and downloaded by other guitarists. The RIAA has recently contacted EVERY major TABS site on the net that I know of and demanded they cease and desist providing these "copyrighted works" immediately or face a lawsuit. I'm all for protecting copyrights, but this is patently ridiculous. This is the equivalent of a 10 year-old kid getting sued because he played Billy Joel on his Fisher Price "Learn and Play" keyboard. This is nothing more than a corporate bully muscling little guys into stopping something legal because they can't fight a frivoulous lawsuit. It is very aggravating to say the least.
  3. Children are spectacularly smart creatures who learn at an amazing rate. They certainly will learn quickly if you follow the excellent advice that Ben and Race have given. Of course, just like Bill Cosby said, all kids have brain damage, so don't expect your dealings with them to be on a completely rational level! If parenting were easy, everyone would be good at it. And looking around it's easy to see that's DEFINITELY not the case.
  4. Lost: I know it's not the first, but every new story cuts me deeply and painfully. I mean, is there a parent out there who, upon hearing something like this happening, doesn't put themselves in the shoes of the poor parents of the slain child? The thought of this happening to my children is so upsetting it makes me feel like crying. I don't know how these parents can find the strength to go on. I for one would be so distraught I could possibly contemplate suicide or murder(wouldn't happen though, seeing as how the rest of my family would be depending on me). Surely this must come close to being more than anyone can bear. And the fact that it is preventable... GRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!! Grizzle: quote:While I do believe that childhood abuse does play a part it is not a justification. If our laws allowed for locking them up and throwing away the key then they wouldn't be able to create the next generation of abusers. This may not erradicate the problem, but it would stop the self perpetuating cycle. EXACTLY! You said that about as perfectly as it can be stated.
  5. So there I was, having a good day, getting ready to go on vacation tomorrow to see my wife and kids after a month, and I see this NEWS STORY. All of the anger, no, make that seething rage, I had felt at the finding of this little girl came back with a vengeance. Am I mad that the confession was thrown out? Sure, but the judge apparently had to because a vital legal rule was violated. What REALLY has me enraged is that this piece of human excrememt is still breathing the same air as I am. You know how the police knew to go look for this guy after Jessica disappeared? He's on a registered sex offender list. WHY THE HELL WAS HE STILL ALIVE? Jessica was murdered as brutally and horrifically as you can imagine by a man who any sane society would have killed years ago. Let me quote how she was found to remind everyone: quote:Jessica was found kneeling and clutching a stuffed animal, hands tied with speaker wire and fingers poking through the garbage bags in which she was buried alive in February 2005. Nice huh? Only a person who is impregnated with the evil of Satan himself would do this to a child. And yet, knowing what kind of monster he is, we not only let him continue to live, we allowed him and others like him to live in the same neighborhoods as our children. As a "registered sex offender". That no one who lived there knew about. Oh, because the man has right to privacy, right? Well Dammit, Jessica's life was more precious than this scumbag's privacy in my book. And we DARE call this a "civilized society"? How DARE we?!?!? What kind of civilized society allows its children to become victims of monsters like these? A society suffering from the disease of rampant liberalism, that's what kind. All due respect to my liberal friends, but behold what your idealology has wrought upon our society. The poison of liberalism has given us a system where the perpetrators of heinous crimes are given more sympathy and rights than their victims. We have to try to "understand" what drives these animals; we have to look at their childhood and say, "Oh, but he was abused - poor guy." GIVE ME A BREAK!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know many people who were abused as children who would never, EVER think of doing something awful like this. Liberalism has bred highbrow elitist judges who rule in favor of sex offenders at every turn, under the guise of being "compassionate" and "understanding". Being "compassionate" and "understanding" makes you sophisticated and elite, dontcha know? Liberalism has us feeling sorry for people who sexually abuse children, and wants us to believe they can be rehabilitated. THEY CAN'T!!!! There is only one way to deal with these disgusting predators - immediate death upon conviction. Or would you like it to be you daughter or son who is murdered in this fashion next? I don't care about ANYTHING more than the safety of my children. And the thought of people in this country doing everything in their power to protect the devils who want to screw them, abuse them, and murder them makes my blood boil. How can any parent NOT be absolutely enraged at what has happened? Look at all the beautiful children who meet horrific, untimely ends in the name of "compassion". Bah, I'm too disgusted to keep going. Later.
  6. Yup, you see? Nothing but nutcases and fast woman on the internet...
  7. Well, how does it stand on its own right, SC?
  8. While I find 2nd hand smoke repulsive, I have read the same non-government sponsored studies that Jag has, and he is exactly right. The funny thing is, I'm an ex-smoker, and my sensitivity to 2nd hand smoke is 50 times greater now than it ever was before I smoked. It stinks, but it can't hurt you.
  9. Grizzle: quote: He's in the public eye and this sort of stuff just goes with the territory. Absolutely. One of the things that irks me to no end about clebrities is how they whine when they have no private life. This is something different though. This is on par with the humiliation laid upon Justice Clarence Thomas with that Anita Hill garbage. Justice Thomas is a just, honorable, decent man, who, because he was a conservative, had the most intimate details of his private life laid out for the world to see. The media made it their personal mission to destroy that man based on the word of a jaded jealous co-worker who lacked any credibility. I despise the politics of personal destruction, regardless of who the target is. For what it's worth, I don't like personal attacks against Democrats and or liberals any better. (Ted Kenndey deserves every bit he gets though, and more... ) We can disagree all you want, but argue on PRINCIPLE, not on whose uglier, fatter, or dumber. This is a big reason why you and I get along so well. I know we agree completely on this point. You can respect someone you don't always agree with, as I try to do. quote: Busy day, gotta run. Don't work so hard. It's bad for you!
  10. Well, to be fair, Rush Limbaugh absolutely did take responsibility for his addiction to painkillers in a public statement. He said he was in no way a victim, and admitted his character flaw. Personally, having watched my grandmother live with constant pain, I can understand how easy it would be to become addicted to painkillers, so I'm not ready to lynch the guy like most people are. The media clearly is getting its revenge for the constant (and totally justified) lambasting it receives from him. Once again, this is NOT the job of the media. You want to go toe to toe with Limbaugh? You don't do it in a journalistic forum. THAT IS NOT WHAT NEWS MEDIA IS FOR. Go on "Meet the Press" with him, and debate everything you want, call him names, whatever. Get your own radio talk show, and name it the "Bash Rush Radio Hour". The media has a critical obligation to grow the hell up. Limbaugh is not now, nor has he ever been, a member of the news media, so he is not bound by the ethic that journalists are supposed to follow (though hardly ever do any more). Limbaugh is really more entertainment than anything. I don't really listen to Rush anymore, but the way he and Dr. Laura Schlessinger have become targets of the supposed News Media is disgraceful.
  11. Woohoo! A new candidate for my masochistic crap-fest!
  12. Here's my take. The public announcement of the U.S. intentions to shoot down any missile fired by Korea is a calculated play on our part. The North Koreans, ever-paranoid, mull their options for months, and eventually the fear of being humiliated on the world stage by having their first ICBM test shot out of the sky will drive them back into their hidey hole for another year. Or at least until Psycho-boy decides he's not getting enough attention again.
  13. Grizzle: The problem I have with the NYT in a nutshell? It is Bush's and Cheney's job to play politics; they are politicians. It is NOT the NYT's job to play politics, advance agendas, etc. It is to report the NEWS; the facts, the TRUTH of issues that concern Americans. It is fundamentally wrong for an organization that claims to be in journalism to compromise national security, take political pot-shots under the guise of "reporting the truth", or otherwise shape (distort?) certain facts in order to win people over to a certain way of thinking. The NYT repeatedly has done all of these and more. This is not journalism; this is crusading.
  14. The document detailing Hussein's ties to terrorism is a far more important story imo than the WMD found in Iraq. It was the one I was referring to when I questioned whether you would see it anywhere else, and I have not seen anything on any other networks so far. News is news, whether it's an election year or not. I cannot believe how cynical everyone has become. If, the week before the election, Osama Bin Laden was killed, more people in the U.S. would raise an eyebrow and be skeptical at the convenience of it happening when it did than those who would hail it as a great victory for the NATION. It's funny. When CNN or MSNBC begin ramping up their "Bush is a lying, stupid drunk" stories the months leading up to an election, I hear things like "That's politics for ya!". When even the perception exists that Foxnews is doing it, well, everyone gets all indignant. I've said it before, and I'll say it again - There isn't enough money in the world to make me want to be a politician, much less the President. Everything you do,and everything that happens while you are in office is perceived as a political "stunt", and no one is ever happy with anything. As far as the NYT, I've think they've proven time and again that they would whore their own mothers out to get a scoop if it is damaging to a person not of their political persuasion, regardless of the consequences.
  15. Well, the whole world knows ole' Bill got a hummer from a fat intern in the White House! This is bringing balance to the force, or something. Actually, I find it disgraceful.
  16. The "good reason" is that the all-too-easy-to-get and-stay-on-forever alternative is welfare. Cut welfare to the healthy lazy people (not the truly needy ones - you know the ones I mean) that are milking the system, and those so-called "unwanted" jobs will be filled before you know it. Many Mexicans coming to this country by and large have a trait that is becoming extinct in America - a work ethic. They are willing to do the jobs the lazy Americans view as beneath them, because they have a FAR better deal sitting at home on their lazy a$$es collecting welfare.
  17. I have to admit, I never saw that one. I'll put it on the list. The last movies I watched were "Saw 2" (not bad; certainly better than I was expecting), Ring 2 (awful) and Resident Evil Apocalypse (ridiculous, but fun). Next up tonight, if I have time, is 'Syriana'. Not sure if I'm going to like this one or not, seeing as how George Clooney is in it and I despise him, but we'll see. Oh, and my IQ officially and permanently dropped 100 points for watching the travesty titled "Anacondas - Hunt for the Worst B Movie Ever". Atrocious!!!! Next up in the never-ending crap quest are 'Hudson Hawk' and "The Last Action Hero", starring the Governator. This is really starting to wear me down. Must... carry...on... cannot...stop...
  18. No argument from me - Foxnews is biased. About 12 more conservative media outlets to go, and it'll balance out!
  19. Look. We have a frickin' election in this country every 2 stinkin' years! There's a 50-50 chance that ANY revelation comes out in an election year!!!!!!! SHEESH!! (Still, I know what you're saying about timing. You just gotta deal with it. It's the way things work in this country.) My stance is simple. Ties to terrorism are ties to terrorism. Period. True, enough, North Korea is indeed a bigger fish to fry than Iraq. I agree personally with the order we are going in. I'm not really sure we were ready for a war with Korea on Sept. 12 2001. Maybe, just maybe, our actions in Iraq and Afghanistan will give that psycho some pause. If not, well, are units are now battle hardened. That counts for A LOT if you know your history, which I suspect you do. General "Stonewall" Jackson knew the best way to defeat a strong enemy was to decimate his weakest units first. Let the enemy learn your name on the battlefield, and let them learn to fear it. A strong battlefield reputation is akin to an extra legions' worth of hardy troops on the battlefield. Look what Jackson and Lee were able to accomplish with no supplies and far fewer men. Their names alone were enough to make some Union generals piss their pants. The time will come, and all too soon I'm afraid, when you will get your wish and the US-Korea relations will deteriorate into cold-war if not all out war condition. It will not be pretty. We will win, but I fear the cost may make Iraq look like a day-trip to the beach. Anyway, that is my take. I hope this gives you a little more insight into my beliefs and why they are what they are. I don't ask anyone to agree; just understand.
  20. I know the story well. I bought "Winter War" on a recommendation from some miltary buddie from www.belleandblade.com (great website, FANTASTIC movie) and that peaked my interest to learn as much as I could about the Russo-Finnish war. I do not, however, get what you're hinting at. At all. Could you possibly spell it out for us thick-headed people? Surely you're not saying there's an equivalency between the Russo-Finnish events and the U.S. and Iraq or Korea? I hope I am mistaken, for that would indeed be a hopelessly ridiculous comparison.
  21. You know, you and I don't always agree, Weegee, but I have to say, that was a brilliant synopsis. Your facts and observations are spot on, imo. I don't think I can disagree with a single thing you said. Kudos!
  22. Switching tobacco with wacky weed? Me likes! Volio fro President!!!
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