EvilMonkey

QUOTE (Texsox @ Jan 28, 2009 -> 08:32 AM) The issue becomes who is being targeted in return as much as how. We expect governments to be more responsible than the terrorist organizations. For example, there are gangs in Chicago that shoot at people and cops. We do not expect random shootings by police in return. We do not expect the FBI to counter terrorist bomb makers by planting their own bombs and detonating them. Perhaps it will be our own destruction, but so far we demand governments to act civilized against an uncivilized criminal. And the Israeli's go to great lengths to target terrorists themselves, but when they proudly employ human shields, fire from schools, hide in hospitals, hitch rides in UN ambulances and store explosives under people's houses with or without their knowledge, should we be suprised that there are 'civilian' casualties? Lost mentioned that part of the recnt issues were what was seen as the disproportionate response by Israel. Hamas fires 100 rockets into Israel, IDF fires 3 back. Hamas kills noone, not for lack of effort and the IDF kills 12. What do you want to be proportionate, the amount of ordinance fired or the casualties? SHould IDF just close their eyes when they shoot, but shoot off an equal amount of missles?

QUOTE (lostfan @ Jan 28, 2009 -> 03:06 PM) Not sure else to post this, but Obama obviously hasn't memorized the layout of the White House yet and tried to go thru a window thinking it was a door. Made me chuckle. Put Bush in that situation instead and you have talk show fodder for a month. With Obama? Not so much.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Jan 28, 2009 -> 07:44 AM) If you're referring to the wars they've been in, the first time was basically self-defense, the second time was pre-emptive in self-defense (technically they were the aggressors but they were about to be attacked). Those were state-on-state conflicts though so it's different. These times, when people complain about Israel, it's that their responses are disproportionate. So to make thier attacks 'proportionate' would the critics rather that Israel fire hundreds more rockets randomly to match the amount shot at them, or would they rather that Israel become bad shots like Hamas is?

QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jan 27, 2009 -> 03:57 PM) Who is "they" in your post? "And the result of that special was that Arabs feel slighted by the world. They feel like they should be more respected for once being the cradle of civilization and are ashamed they are left so far behind."

QUOTE (bmags @ Jan 27, 2009 -> 10:20 AM) Well, yeah. I mean I assume American military would prefer anything over al jazeera which shows graphic images of our dead soldiers. But, I mean, as much as it disturbs me, it also hurts me they have a point. They have a point that we can look at 100 arabs die and brush it off, see terrible images of them and not care, the way we do other people in tragedies. They claim they are trying to show how equally awful these deaths to arabs are by provoking similar reactions to other groups. It's very sensational and heavy handed. But, I have to give Al Jazeera english credit, they aren't bad. They hired a ton of BBC journalists who were formerly their middle east reporters and the editorial is just incredibly different. It really would give you the balanced perspective as opposed to the western perspective. I should mention that al arabiya's editorial shows would make americans likely angry. One thing more. I struggle to put this into words concisely or with anything resembling intelligence. Andrew Sullivan touched upon something very important about Obama being president and what it means to the middle east, and specifically this small gesture in general. Tom Friedman had a tv special where he went to saudi arabia and other middle eastern countries to figure out where this anger to the US is coming from. A top reason for murder in the world is embarrassment. Which is so, I mean, shallow and dumb compared to other things but it's a reality. And the result of that special was that Arabs feel slighted by the world. They feel like they should be more respected for once being the cradle of civilization and are ashamed they are left so far behind. But, as a professor said in the program when Friedman was at a university, "They look up to America so much, and are so hurt when America looks down upon them." So, this language by Obama, the fact of his background, it's important in speaking to the Arabs in the Middle East and talking to them as people, that we do understand their concerns and don't think of them as dogs, could be very influential. And it's just such a simple thing to do. I am glad this was happening, especially in America during the election I was worried the effects of Obama brushing off coldly accusations he was muslim instead of embracing Muslims but correcting the myth. American muslims do very well in our culture, the last thing we want is to marginalize a culture for silly reasons not relating to them. We are so lucky not to have the problems of france. First, if you think that by hiring BBC journalists that somehow lends them an air of respecability, you are mistaken there, The BBc is more liberal there than PBS and NPR is here. Second, as for the 'cradle of civilization thing, they have become the armpit of civilization to their own lack of willingness to get with the program and live in the 21st century. Their whole belief system and culture needs to get out of the 12th century. Quit living and acting like dogs and maybe they wouldn't be looked at as dogs. If they are so ashamed at being so far behind, then build somethign instead of blowing things up.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Jan 26, 2009 -> 07:16 AM) So as I was walking to work there was a group of soldiers rehearsing for a funeral, of course if you've ever seen that you would know it goes "ready, aim, FIRE" where they all fire blanks at once. Well about halfway between my car and the door they fired, and it was their first shot together so it sounded sloppy i.e. spaced apart instead of one smooth crack. My stomach jumped and I got ready to duck because I had no idea they were there until I saw them a couple seconds later and calmed down. My co-worker clowned on me a bit but I had to tell him "hey, I'm from the south side of Chicago, that kind of thing actually happens on a bad day." It doesn't help matters for me that I've actually been fired on in combat and it triggers flashbacks. While I haven't been fired upon in any type of military action, I have been shot at by gangs, so I get what you are saying. You KNOW the difference between a gunshot and other types of bangs, and you react.

QUOTE (SoxFan101 @ Jan 26, 2009 -> 05:11 AM) Thats nothing, 3 people per case. I split one with just my buddy. A friend and I ate 50 each once. Once. Nothing like becomeing intimately familiar with my bathroom for 3 days straight.

QUOTE (knightni @ Jan 25, 2009 -> 08:53 AM) Which one? My last one was Norm Cash. Well, the only one I don't have at allis #410 Billy Pierce. I have all the rest, although several of them are very poor. I cold use alot of upgrades on those, if I ever get the time and money to do so.

I love ho-ho's. And spaghetti-o's. And Cartoon Network rules! And collect baseball cards. Have complete Topps sets from 1976 to now, plus several other brands of those same years, and about 1000 Frank Thomas cards, and a bunch of cards from 1966, the year i was born, and all but one White Sox card from 1959.

QUOTE (LosMediasBlancas @ Jan 24, 2009 -> 12:53 PM) I saw part of that press conference yesterday and one of two things is true. He either has no sense of reality, or maybe he feels based on the evidence he could never be impeached. Have the texts of these taped conversations ever been made public? The only quote I've read is the one where he says something along the lines of him having something valuable that he isn't going to give away for nothing. What's the rest of the hard evidence? That, and the testimony of people willing to say that they were pressured to pony up for the seat should enough for a conspiracy charge.

QUOTE (juddling @ Jan 22, 2009 -> 09:40 AM) Don't forget the Beanie Babies.....Beanie babies And for when hihs speeches don't give you that tingly feeling running down your leg, there is always the Obama sextoy! Then you can get a tingling feeling somewhere else! http://www.bakelblog.com/nobodys_business/...gimme-an-o.html Brings new meaning to the O in Obama.

QUOTE (lostfan @ Jan 21, 2009 -> 07:34 AM) So I got to work and got out of my car only to realize I was wearing two different shoes. Dork!

So because one person somewhere scratched the s*** out of their ipod and got pissed enough to contact a lawyer (or was a lawyer themselves), Apple has to shell out $22 mil plus lawyer fees? How the f*** do scratches impare your ability to listen to music? It might impare your ability to show off your ipod if you are tryig to brag about it, but c'mom, it's not like they all just shut down in January for no apparent reason or something. Is a check for $25 gonna make the music play any clearer?

Here is one thing the UN does well. It provides cover and transport for terrorists in it ambulances. I wonder how loudly they would complain if they got blown up while full of unhurt, well-armed terrorists? How many resolutions would have ben passed? http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=bf75baf763

QUOTE (Texsox @ Jan 19, 2009 -> 09:46 AM) Until they become bloated as well. The tough part is keeping to a focus and a mission. Humans always seem to keep adding to things until they become too bloated to work. It would be more the 'mission creep' that would do them in instead of the size. The UN tries to do too many things, and act as if they are above all reproach, which is what does them in. Criminals will find the darkness to hide in, and in the closed 'community' of the UN, with no outside oversite, anything can, and usually does, happen.

QUOTE (DukeNukeEm @ Jan 18, 2009 -> 09:19 PM) This isn't true at all. There has been one instance of conflict between great powers since 1946. Before the UN there was the Russo-Japanese War, World War 1, World War 2 and plenty others. The UN has been extremely effective at preserving world peace, it's actually exceeded any realistic expectations they could've had at it's inception. The Un was officially formed in 1945.

QUOTE (DukeNukeEm @ Jan 17, 2009 -> 07:58 PM) Thats the IMF and World Bank. There is a very common misconception that the UN is a world government or even something that's supposed to hand out aid like the IMF or World Bank. The UN is focused on keeping peace between great powers, and it's done a very good job. Lately it just seems interested in passing resolutions condemning Israel and trying to mkae it a crime to criticize Islam.

QUOTE (PlaySumFnJurny @ Jan 17, 2009 -> 08:50 PM) Yeah, you're right, dog. Those standards are extremely hard for sane, non-felons to meet. Good Lord. Plus, there's no "denying" a pemit in Florida or any other "shall issue" jurisdicition: a person is either eligble or ineligible via the criteria you cited, or they aren't. If the applicant is eligible, the state has zero discretion to deny. Didn't bother to click around on the link before replying, did ya? if so, you would have also found these: http://licgweb.doacs.state.fl.us/weapons/apply.html [ Just how hard do you want it to be? They have to show they are not crazy, not a felon, have their fingerprints on file withthe government (a very big deal for some) and can handle a gun properly. And the training classes have to be approved by the state, so it's not like you can just print up a fake certificate. You are right, in a 'shall issue' state, as long as you meet the criteria, they have to issue it. That prevents someone from not issuing it because the white sherrif doesn't like black people having guns, or similar situations like that.

QUOTE (PlaySumFnJurny @ Jan 16, 2009 -> 04:40 PM) The difficulty of getting a concealed carry permit significantly varies by jurisdiction. I think Florida is required to issue one to any sane, non-felon who applies. http://licgweb.doacs.state.fl.us/weapons/eligible.html Awful lot of reasons there to deny someone a permit. care to try again?

QUOTE (GoSox05 @ Jan 16, 2009 -> 04:30 PM) I'm not sure about the whole everyone carrying a gun at all times thing. We may stop a few mass shootings, but we will also see more grocery clerks killed or "Hey you rear ended me, I'm pissed off and now I shot you". That kinda stuff. But it isn't 'everyone', concealed carry is hard to get. And they don't go all Rambo like that. In fact, has never happened with a legit concealed cary permit holder.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Jan 16, 2009 -> 04:24 PM) The chances of being killed in a mass shooting in the U.S. has got to be what? 0.000001%? And I bet those .000001% wish that they had a gun.

Funny how every mass shooting in the last decade has happened in a 'gun-free zones'. Maybe because the crazy bastards doing that knew that there wouldn't be anyone else there that was armed?

QUOTE (GoSox05 @ Jan 16, 2009 -> 09:30 AM) There not that much diffferent. I like collecting things and I could see guns be a fun thing to collect. One of my best friends is a gun "nut". I totally trust him with guns. I just mentioned the Ak-47 because it seems to have a lot symbolism attached to it. They are loud. Very loud.

And if you ban guns because they 'kill people' (kinda like tose evilSUV's that are always reported as being involved in crashes, never the driver did it, always the SUV), then what's next, banning knives because people stab each other with them? Dont laugh, they are trying to do it in England, which has one of the more restrictive gun laws around, yet has violent crimes increasing at a double digit rate. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1411652/posts

QUOTE (Texsox @ Jan 15, 2009 -> 11:20 PM) Yep, I've heard plenty of stories like yours. I just factored the chances of someone breaking into my home versus the chances that one of my kids or a friend of theirs would be curious and the potential for an accident and made a different decision. And you are an amazing person if you can get a safe open, and gun loaded in less than a minute with an attacker in your home. Most people could not do that. Thankfully I have never had to do it with an attacker in my home. I HAVE had to do it with gangbangers carrying what looked like automatic weapons outside my old house, while screaming on the phone to the police to get their asses back out here, again. Also thankfully, they left after they didn't see anyone outside, because I appeared to be woefully outgunned, only having a 12 gauge and a 1911.