Kevin Trotter

Watch it Jag, I'm for gun control on the other threads not here.! This target shoots back. Prime fleet hmmm.. sounds sweet where do I sign? [ 11-15-2002, 03:57 PM: Message edited by: Race Bannon IV ]

Wanted Fleet affiliation for the indepedent ship Valiant Victorious. Commander from the mold of Commander Cain of the Battlestar Pegasus-shoot first and don't ask questions willing to learn tactics and fit in with anyone actively seeking to rid the galaxy of all Gammulan scum-anytakers?

Since my daughter the Evil One watched Spider-man last friday she has become completely infatuated with "Supahemos" as she refers to them. She went from Beauty and the Beast last week to The Justice League. Of course Daddy's proud and no longer has to watch X-Men reuns on the 25inch upstairs. It got me to thinking when you were a kid who were your favorite "supahemos" and what crazy things did you do because of them. When I was about eight or nine I was really into the DC universe and especially the Legion Of Superheroes , a young group of intergalactic heroes all teen agers with names like Lightning Lad , Matter-Eater Lad (Could and did eat anything) Shadow Lass , Mon-El (had all Superboys power but instead of Kryptonite , common lead was deadly to him) UltraBoy (Again all superboy's powers but could only use one at a time) Karate KId , and Bouncing Boy(really fat and could bounce like a fat Reed Richards). Each Legionnaire was issued his own cruiser and a Legion flight ring that enabled them to fly. They also had a cool headquarters and even had an auxillary group , people whose powers weren't good enough for the Legion but helped them out in a jam. (Stoneboy's only power was turning to stone but it also rendered him immobile) My best friend Mark and I were convinced they were real and if we figured out how to get some powers we would be contacted to join. We worked on gymnastics , martial arts,swinging from trees, anything we thought could enhance our abilities. We even created a superpower formula made primarily of Geritol(?), vitamins , cod liver oil and some ingrdients from my chemistry set and each drank it. No further comments about the results but trust me it's for your own good. We even made our own costumes and snuck out of the house to go on "patrol" which consisted of climbing on peoples roofs and swinging down(in costume) on ropes at night. Fortunately we were never arrested or committed. So anybody leap off a roof with a cape? and who was your favorite Supahemo?

Fun *gulp...* Fun huh? *looks in closet for his old cammy gear and jump boots then happily remembers he's too old to draft* whew! These guys never go! but are always ready to send someone else. BTW nobody has anything to say about the Moyer piece? *silence* thats what I thought. Look ,Saddam is an ******* and I have many times said he has to go , but what is our current policy regarding North Korea who admits to having WOMD? Anyone mention India and Pakistan lately? and who is this Bin Laden guy? he looks like a player , maybe we should go smoke him too..huh? what? oh yeah he's dead or that's what some would have had us to believe. Look Im ex-military and don't mind an occassional round of international whack-a-mole but lets keep the players straight on the scorecard. And let's ease up on the rah rah your not as American as I am routine too. I don't see anyone lining up to enlist or reenlist so lets not forget our place .. on the sidelines.

Good morning, As a minority I really appreciate being told all the wonderful things conservative have done for us. We must have been blind or just plain dumb not to side with the party of Strom Thurmond who clearly have have our best interest at heart hence the big inclusionary efforts they have made to us over the years. Also I i'd like to thank the folks who generalize and oversimplify issues they don't understand like social welfare , by referring to poor americans as trash and human filfth. Clearly this is the compassionate conservatism we have heard so much about but heretofore have seen so little of. I happen to work with poor people. Most believe it or not do not wish to be poor. Some are poor out of circumstance and work hard to make up the difference. There are also some who have no intention of finding a job and I agree that is reprehensible. However; most want to work. They lack the skill and education but not the willingness. 20 years ago there would have been entry level manufactoring jobs but they are gone to Mexico and Taiwan and any where else American business can pay someone substandard wages . But they perservere. Some of my clients work at labor temp agencies that pay 30.00$ a day for eight hours work(they are paid an hourly rate with deductions and recieve daily pay instead of weekly) The work is grueling but it puts food on the table. I then watch as a family struggle to survive on 150.00 per week and guess what they don't ***** about it! They feel happy to have a job. Just as all rich people aren't pricks all poor people aren't trash. It galls me to see someone who through a biological lottery is born to family that cares for them and can take care of them talk about the poor mooching off them. Dragon Lady , you should feel fortuante that you weren't poor to a Puerto Rican family of 7 in the Red Hook section of the Brooklyn. I feel really fortunate to have been LUCKY enough to be born to two college educated parents who expected the same of me. These programs that as you say you don't even know about make real differences in peoples lives and more often than any of you would like to beleive these people grow up to productive adults. I have a "wall of fame" in my office of all the kids I've worked with who have gone on to college , grad school or in some cases just a steady nine to five. I am very proud of that and if not for of these "evil" programs that could not and would not have occurred. And one last thing, my statement about the Fifties being a repressive era that spawned the sixties , not my idea. It's pretty widely accepted. People in the social work field are required to read about such things and I will list later today a number of books that discuss this phenomenon and how it affected the emergence of the civil rights , women rights and eventually gay rights movements. Also discussed are other factors such as the effects of the dominant media images on TV and film and how that shaped cultural and sub cultural norms such as standards of beauty , familial happiness expectations and assimilation of racial and ethinic groups into the "melting pot" that concludes class for today

quote:Canada is broke... Don't blame Jag he's an AMERICAN and can't possibly be expected to know much about Canadian Economics. Huh EPS? (chuckle,chuckle) [ 11-13-2002, 12:37 PM: Message edited by: Race Bannon IV ]

Don't think I'd like to live under a pre-Civil war government..that whole slavery thing is a little off-putting. I mean it's great if you were the one benefiting from free labor, but not so good if you're the one getting your foot chopped off. My problem with conservsatism as a whole is it's veiled references to a return of a Post-WWII existence in which women , blacks and gays were marginalized and the dominant culture was not reflective of the people who did'nt fit that profile. (male , white , protestant). The repression of the fifties is directly tied to the emergence of the counter-culture of the sixties. This country is a multi cultural multi racial entity now and wiil NEVER return to the good old days no matter how many Bushes you put in office. Regarding references made to programs tha liberals created that don't work , I think conservatives say that over and over again without any facts. For example Head Start, a simple breakfast program saves the Govt. three dollars for every dollar spent on each child in the program. Children who aren't hungry learn better. Another fallacy is the percentage of your tax dollar that goes to welfare. Truth , according to ADC figures and the GAO (circa 1996) it takes up less than 3% of the USA's total budget. Way less than some exotic weapon systems that we just have to have, way less that the cost of NASA's budget. It seems conservatives only have a problem with taxes being spent when it goes in a poor persons mouth , but have no such compuntion when lining the pocket of the military-industrial complex. It was a Republican (and my personal hero) Dwight D Eisenhower who warned that one of the biggest threats we faced as a nation was this incestuous relationship between the big business and the military. Lastly , we all pay taxes. We all pay too much. I am for reasonable tax cuts that offer real relief not a bonanza for corporate america who really rake in the benefits. No one is hold ing a gun to my head , it is the cost of doing business. It is unreasonable to assume that all the efforts that are so cavellierly minimalized by the reactionary right as failures , are overlooked. US Public health has all but eliminated certain killer diseases that crippled thousands only 30 or 40 years ago. Vaccinations in public scholls did that. The rate of literacy in this country has increased exponentially in the past 50 years. Our public school system educated poles , italians , germans , irish , latinos and every other ethinic group upon arriving in this country and turned them into citizens. We should be proud of that, a herculean effort turned out by public school teachers and families learning english as second language and how to love our country at the same time. Do we have problems? damn right we do . But we work on solving them not by retreating into some faulty memory of revistionist history that some of you seem to cling so closely to. The real difference is that liberals are optimists. We always hope for things to get better we don't pertend to know all the answers and that gets us into trouble. Our candidates say things like "We might have to raise taxes" and lose elections while conservos say "Read my lips no new taxes" get elected and then mumble about revenue enhancement and then raise taxes anyway. The people have spoken and the President has his mandate. It remains to be seen whether or not this is the great conservative revolution you guys are cracking it up to be. As a great singer once said" the answer my friend is blowin in the wind" and I'm just gonna wait and see how it all shakes out.

Hey I like this guy! And Dinish D'souza is a racist. I've read a number of works and IMO he is so full of self hatred due to his heritage that he borders on self parody. And I agree with the trigger happy part but with the exception of Grayfox who I know to be a lunatic, the other guys are just misinformed and lacking in compassion. I agree that the Dems have to stop being wannabe repubs but I disagree wiyh the conclusion that we imbrace anti americanism and pro terrorism. Jag , $ilk do you think I'm unAmerican just cause we disagree? As it was so eloquently poited out to me by Paddy Gregory your love of country is what drives you and I am no different in that respect. PS. Fox isn't really a lunatic.. he just plays one on tv (sorry bud)

Great post Jag, I know sometimes people forget the importance of service to country and it is good to know we're not completely forgotten.Nor are the brave men and women who came before us and made our way of life possible. USAF 1982-1986 Security Police/Law Enforcement

You're in our prayers Wolfie, get back soon.

Can someone explain to me why FOP's are in favor of this technique if it has no real value? I'm really curious since their seem more closely aligned with the NRA than say mine. I can't figure this one out.

Bush is potentially the most powerful president. It remains to be seen whether or not he can lift and wield the power he has been given and whether or not he will make the kind mark Reagan did. I still believe absent 9-11 Dubya was a one term president waiting to happen. Things always have a way of balancing out. If he moves too far to the right expect the moderate in his party to respond accordingly. This whole phenomenon was a function of the seemingly endless war on terrorism ; it made him bullet proof cause people ignored the issues they were reaaly concerned with. That and the ineptitude of democratic leadership. It's going to be interesting , I mean the Repub's were pretty successful as a minority party during Clinton's administration , let see what some fresh blood can do since Gephardt is gone. It's like the old Chinese curse," May you live in interesting times" Ooops .. that was a political post...but this is really my last one...really.

This is precisely what I mean about the divide between the rich and the poor. The Beverly Hills procecutor is not seeking any jail time! If any of us got busted boosting six grand worth of mechandise it's bye-bye freedom hello pick up the soap.

Stormshadow I was referring to several of Jag's many liberals are stupid rants not your post. I agree with your take on the state of this community. If I didn't I wouldn't participate. I too have a deep love of this country and have served it in the USAF and would do so again if needed and they were desparate enough to take 42 y/o fat guys. I am troubled by the way some characterize our government and its action. That is where Jag and I differ but as I have said before,, I disagree with some stances but support the right for people to believe and support them. THAT is America. Thank you for a wel written and thought provoking post. I'm sorry if you misunderstood me.

Gallion, Not that it matters but while he frequently pisses me off Jag in no way IMO deserves a tongue lashing. We can take care of ourselves and if I ever was really offended our mods have provided us with a means to report the offending post. We just like to kick up a ruckus now and again. Who knows ..one day I'll find something he and I agree on. Please lay off the big guy.

Wynona the world's most famous shoplifter was found guilty of retail theft this afternoon. She could face up to three years in jail . Sentencing to follow. Anyone feel bad about this? Is this really news?

Is it okay to suggest someone is cowardly or stupid or unpatriotic in these threads but not okay to question other things? I simply pointed out that Jag seems to be in a constant state of indignation that indicates to me he isn't happy here. I didn't ask him to leave or tell him he should but simply questioned whether or not the way this country exists now fits his beliefs and temperment. I refuse to believe that is somehow wrong. It is also interesting to note that the person who felt insulted sides politically with the point of view I disagree with(or at least thats how it appears to me) In various threads I've read a number of things I've found offensive personally to me as a man of color but refrained making of issue of them. It is a practice I will continue as I refuse to marginalized by race,however I am having a hard time knowing where the line is drawn when it comes to what is offensive and what is not. Eps was offended by Jag's statement not based on the one statement alone but by a number of similar ones made in the past that I thought waere over the line , but we're all grown ups here and when we discuss hot button topics sh*t happens. In this case the person who was offended was in effect told he had no right to be. In my case the post was deleted. I won't apologise for the statement cause I meant it however I will folow the SC's warning on any future statements. i only hope we all follow suit. For future reference,I am offended personally when it is implied I am stupid for disagreeing with a dissenting point of view. Take the hint.

He is a squirrelly little puke isn't he? What I remember most about him was his state house run a few years back where he switched parties (Dem-to Repub) after he got shellacked in the primary. I disagree with the politics of the Republican party but respect them for their unabashed "Republicanism" but I despise spineless little jerks that play both ends against the middle just to get elected. What a twerp!

We control the vertical , we control the horizontal we can...oh wait that's the Outer Limits...not reality. Contrary to what Jag thinks yesterday was the best thing that happened to the Democratic party in years! Hopefully Daschle and Gephardt will move aside and take their docile mealy mouthed lapdog approach to progressive politics with them. I respect leadership which is why I chuckle when people hold Dubya up as a template. A more accurate template is Ronald Reagan who breathed life into conservative politics in this country after years of the stagnant approach the party had taken in pursuing moderate MOR style of rich Goldwater type conservatism. They were startlingly similar to todays Democratic leadership, too busy trying not to offend people who were diametrically opposed to thier philosophy and afarid to stake their claims to their core beliefs. Reagan came out and said exactly what he believed and be damned to those on the left who disagreed since he knew they would regardless. He drew lines in the philosophical sand that made fringe and centrist democrats see their best interest would be served in his new party and was not afraid to say what he didn't believe. Reagan made no effort to be inclusive to minority groups who he knew disagreed with his politics and didn't worry about it because he knew his constituency was behind him and thathe wouldn't be beholding to groups that didn't share his views What happened yesterday has to galvanize the Dems to stake thier claim , to say what our core beliefs are and to reach out those who drifted away from the party because they could scarcely tell them apart from the other guys. Lastly Jag we aint goin no where! There will aways be Liberals and Conservatives as long as the world keeps spinning. All things in cycles and the people have spoken and the mandate is there for a conservative agenda. Let's see what your boy can do with it.

Campaign reform,Big time. Lets figure a way for qualified candidates who meet certain standards( requisite number of signatures of registered voters ,meeting the requirements of the office etc...) to get the same amount of air time on TV and radio (Americans who choose to can donate money to pay for the air time and networks can reduce their ad-rate don't worry they can make it up by selling more shit we don't need or having companies donate to a general election fund) no money would come from taxes or special interests. Every candidate that qualifies gets the same amount of air time and agrees to a number of debates televised by the networks (who can in turn charge companies that advertise during the debates) on POLICY ISSUES! These debates could actually follow the format of a forensic debate not the current form that has lowered expectations so much that unless someone passes out on stage you have no idea who won. I know this is far fetched but it would even the playing field and insure money would not be the determining factor in electing our leaders. This is simply getting out of hand. The Governers race in Texas costed a whopping 100 million dollars. The Democratic candidate spent 70 Million dollars of his own money in the most overt attempt to buy an election since Ross Perot. Fortunately he lost the election but that is more the exception than the rule. Ideas and solutions should drive our political process. Not dollars and cents.

**DELETED*** Please, none of that crap here [ 11-06-2002, 03:11 PM: Message edited by: Supreme Cmdr ]

Hey! I'm a Lt.Commander!Must be all those wonderful liberal opinions I'm spouting(ha,ha,ha)

I think you had it right the first time. Whatever your politics get out and vote today or keep you opinions to yourself and that goes for everyone of voting age

I think the tone of my statement whatever will assist police in catching bad guys indicated within reason and BF is reasonable. But by all means take up the cause of the poor downtrodden criminal being tortured by the police. That is so in line with your previously posted opinion on people less fortunate than yourself. Now you're a champion of the underclass! Unbelievable! I now think you may be quite mad. Even when someone who is a liberal steps outside of the box and sides with (yechh!) law enforcement a most decidely non liberal cause, you disagree out of pure reflex. How utterly sad and predictible [ 11-05-2002, 02:13 PM: Message edited by: Race Bannon IV ]

ouch!