NorthSideSox72

I always carry a barrier mask in the jump kit in my car for this reason. Also, unless both parties have open sores in their mouths, there is no way to get HIV from giving CPR. Just FYI. If you are confident you have no open sores in or on your mouth, they you have nothing to worry about.

QUOTE(EvilMonkey @ Mar 6, 2006 -> 10:44 PM) Maybe we would be better off if it flooded right away, sparing us the need to pump billions more dollars to keep dry an area below sea level, that was a cesspool when I was there several years ago, and is likely to not get better. Sam Kinnison used to have a joke about the Ethiopians starving that went something like "You're starving, well, YOU LIVE IN A f***ING DESERT! MOVE! OH! OOOOOH!" Well, "House flooding again? YOU LIVE BELOW SEA LEVEL! MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND! OH! OOOOOOH!" (I know, I know, keep my day job) I must admit, there is part of me that agrees with this. New Orleans' history should be evidence that the area there is not meant to have a large city in it. I'd be ecstatic if some way could be found to let many of those low-lying areas lie foul and revert to the flood plains they once were. Ultimately, it would help much of the rest of the region to have more flood plains and a more natural barrier out there.

QUOTE(SSH2005 @ Mar 7, 2006 -> 03:29 PM) I think they told Ben Grieve to go butcher right field for Charlotte. Nice to see Bentz gone. He was brutal. Hopefully, Rusty Tucker does well with Charlotte. Grieve looked downright lost in RF during the 3/4 game I saw. And worse, he looked like he just didn't care much.

QUOTE(vandy125 @ Mar 6, 2006 -> 10:42 AM) I hope that this is able to be pushed through. Any thoughts? Will it make it? http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060306/pl_nm/...HNlYwMlJVRPUCUl if it is the version mentioned in this article, which seems like a line-item light - then show me in favor. I like the methodology suggested in the article. It forces simplification.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Mar 6, 2006 -> 04:06 PM) So this is one of those things I would file as under "not good". I would understand it pretty well if the Corps of Engineers said that "We're trying to put the best system in place we can before the hurricane season this year and we're going to hope for the best" and at least was admitting that they were under too much time pressure to totall rebuild the things. But the fact that they seem to be unwilling to acknowledge that they're cutting corners, while the NSF is saying they are...is very troublesome, because that might mean that they'll say "we're done" after they finish this first stage of reconstruction and either they or the politicians might decide not to put additional funds into finishing the upgrading and strengtheining of the levees. And why the heck are we still only planning for a low-level category 3? If another storm follows the route into New Orleans at any point in the next few years, the remnants of that city will probably wind up under water again. But if the Corps is, as the NSF team says, cutting any corners to get done and saying that they're not just trying for a temporary fix, then it's possible that we could repeat Katrina in 20 years...no storms hit for a decade or so, people move back in thinking that it's finally safe now, then a storm does strike, and all those corners the corps cut years before suddenly come back and cause further collapses. Honestly, I cannot blame the Army Corps for this particular problem (the build to L3). The substandard materials is bad, yes. But for them to compress their work as they are, I think they are doing everything they can. Now I do believe that the Army Corps, through its consistently displayed institutional ignorance on the environment, did in fact contribute to the Katrina disaster. The way they continually dredged the delta pathways, failed to allow more natural water flow of the Mississippi (which could have been done with more sophisticated dams), and their habit of trying to solve every issue with more digging and more cement all contributed to the breakdown of the natural reefs around the delta. Those reefs would have mitigated the damage of the storm surge significantly. The Army Corps clearly needs to have its decisions monitored by someone who has a clue about environmental implications.

Part 2...

OK, so, I apoligize in advance. As promised, here are a few pictures I took at the 3/4 game. Looking at the professional photos in this thread, these will look pretty amateur. Clearly, I am no sports photographer. Plus my seats were on the D-Backs side, I found out to my dismay. But hey, I promised I'd put a few up. No laughing allowed!

QUOTE(FlaSoxxJim @ Mar 3, 2006 -> 04:29 PM) Yes we all should. But not all of us are. We should also be gravely concerned that the GOP House is working hard on the "oversight" side of the domestic spying program by trying to 'fix FISA' instead of actually looking into the legality of the program as it currently stands. But not all of us are. It's gotten to the point that it's not worth even posting any administration-critical viewpoints outside of the Only thread because it's just seen as piling on the poor maligned president. Off topic but not really. There have been a couple of absolutely alarming global warming revalations in the past two weeks that a year ago I would have been all over, posting them here because I assumed people would want to know what the current findings are. Now I don't even bother, because of course it's not seen as me being a little upset that I've made the mistake of bringing children into a planet doomed by human excess and short-sightedness. No, it would just be seen as piling on and bashing BushCo policy. How urging people to work to forestall the destruction of the only home we have has now come to be construed as a political thing I'll never understand. I do agree that the current GOP administration and Congressional powers are pretty out of hand on many issues, including invasion or privacy. And hey, feel free to point out flaws, man. There are many. If you have links to Global Warming stuff, start a thread. Environmental issues are hot-button for me. I think both parties, though more the GOP, have given the Environment the cold shoulder for a few decades now (ignoring global warning and pollution effects, destroying open space, ignoring alternative fuel sources wholesale). It never ceases to amaze me how much we abuse our planet, and then the poltical powers that be are repeatedly surprised when there is an equal and opposite reaction.

QUOTE(FlaSoxxJim @ Mar 3, 2006 -> 03:56 PM) You'd think so, but 1/2 of Americans don't care. The bedwetting wingnuts have been hiding under their beds since 9-11, letting the administration operate unchecked and unquestioned in the name of national security, and continue to think nothing of the erosion of our civil liberties. I do agree that many Americans are ignorant of such things, and that does make me sad. And there are some wingers who support this administration without exception. But I think maybe it might be a bit extreme to say half of Americans could care less about civil liberties. I do see some GOP'ers trying to keep the Patriot Act under control, and calling out the Administration and various agencies for their transgressions. I think this is a problem surrounding your first statement - ignorance among the vast majority of the populus regarding the Constitution, the law and the importance of keeping the government's powers in check, even in times of difficulty. This is not a party-specific problem, even though GWB happens to be a Republican. We should all be gravely concerned when such intrusions are allowed to take place.

QUOTE(jasonxctf @ Mar 3, 2006 -> 03:30 PM) never mind this, I forgot that any cheap shot at Hillary is acceptable around here. I'd say any cheap shot is acceptable against anyone around here - as long as it is not against another poster.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Mar 3, 2006 -> 03:16 PM) Things that can get your name on Homeland Security's lists: Making Too High of a payment on your credit cards. Yikes. If this is legitimate (not saying its not, just placing the caveat), then this doesn't belong in the Dems Only thread - it belongs in the Americans Only thread. Or perhaps the Get Your Damn Government Out of My Business Only thread.

QUOTE(YASNY @ Mar 3, 2006 -> 01:23 PM) I still can't get past all those school buses sitting there in the flood waters. They should have used those to get as many people as possible out of there. That's the type of 'first response' I'm talking about. That certainly was a screw-up on someone's part. No denying it.

QUOTE(YASNY @ Mar 3, 2006 -> 01:14 PM) Yes, but still, the local and state levels have to be the line of FIRST response. Hold the fort, so to speak. They failed there. The Feds failed in their responsibilities as well, by not efficiently getting the wheels in motion to properly handle a regional disaster. First responders are trained to think in terms of short time frames. Everything about their training deals in that. So yes, once it was safe to advance out of their shelters or whatever, then the first response should occur. And actually, it did - many local communities had all their EMS, fire, rescue and L/E assets in place (those that didn't abandon ship or were forced to evacuate the area). But they were entirely overwhelmed as soon as they responded to a few emergencies. That pushes up to county-wide, and they had no assets to distribute because the entire county is beaten up. Then state, etc., and they all have nothing to give. So actually, once a regional disaster occurs, it is imperitive for the Feds and/or State (depending on scale of incident) to immediately take control of coordination and communications. Otherwise, that first response is like attacking Godzilla with a bunch of flyswatters.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Mar 3, 2006 -> 01:01 PM) See, I disagree with the last part of that, because this was simply not a local problem after the storm hit. Before the storm...planning for a storm, setting up emergency systems that could survive the storm, coming up with and activating evacuation plans, those are local responsibilites. But when a major, interstate disaster strikes, you simply have to assume that some state level agencies will be overwhelmed, simply due to the fact that they're just too local. If communications for 1 police department go down, it could screw up a response for dozens of different precincts if there is no one up at the top giving orders and controlling the situation. ^^^^^^^^ I understand where Kap is coming from, and it makes logical sense to put this on local shoulders at the point of impact. But it is just not practical to expect the locals to do anything other than respond to individual emergencies as best as they can. A regional disaster requires a regional response - otherwise, you get pandemonium, just like we saw.

QUOTE(Rex Kickass @ Mar 3, 2006 -> 09:57 AM) I think it's entirely appropriate to blame Bush for seeming out of touch during the crisis and for lying through his teeth about it afterwords. I think it's entirely appropriate to blame Nagin and Blanco for not doing what was necessary to protect the people in the city of New Orleans and state of Louisiana. And I think its entirely appropriate to use it as justification to fire the three of them. I agree it is appropriate to blame them. I just think that they are secondary on the list of people who screwed up. If we fired Nagin, Blanco and Bush for it, and left Brown, Chertoff and FEMA alone, we'd just end up down the same road again.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Mar 3, 2006 -> 10:46 AM) If you could try to grab some quality shots of any of the soxtalk guys that would be awesome... (Baj, Bmac, Cotts, Tracey) Soxtalk guys? Not sure what that means. Do they read this board or something? But I will try for those pitchers you mention.

QUOTE(samclemens @ Mar 3, 2006 -> 09:39 AM) once again, blaming bush personally is just an excuse to either side with the democratic party or to simply not think out the issue No... blaming Bush is somewhat lazy, if that is all that is done. Bush does deserve some blame of course, and he was dishonest. Again. But as I've said before on this topic, the biggest screw-ups were at the FEMA and DHS levels. Brown lost his job, as he should have. Bush should be hammered for hiring that guy to such an important post that he had no reason to be in - and he has been. Chertoff, it is becoming clear, also screwed up big time, and should be hammered. And he is. Blanco is clearly no leader at all, and should be voted out of office. And she will be. And I'll also point out again that, while there were of course some state and local screw ups that were quite large... this was, by nature, not a local disaster. Response to a regional disaster HAS to be coordinated at the level of government capable of bringing the resources to the equation that are needed. In this case, clearly, that was the Feds. Therefore, yes, this was absolutely on the shoulders of FEMA. I know this because I have studied MCI and disaster response, written a paper or two on it, and worked in 2 of the three divisions of the public safety apparatus. The locals will respond with everything they can, and with the exception of the cowards who left their posts, they did. But they didn't have the secondary resources they needed.

He's probably right. But his a** deserved to be fired too, and it was. And FEMA should never have been put under DHS anyway.

QUOTE(KipWellsFan @ Mar 2, 2006 -> 08:18 PM) full story http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,18311205-29277,00.html Australia can have that perspective because they didn't need to fight a long, bloody war to gain independence and keep the government in check. We didn't have that luxury. That "evil" was a cornerstone of the creation of this country, and an important device in creating a government that was not oppresive.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Mar 2, 2006 -> 05:18 PM) I would not be surprised at all if it was on the order of magnitude of 25%. I think there are stages as well. There are probably only 5% that are hard-core, completely in it for the money and power grab. But probably 50% of them are, to some extent, what I would call corrupt. Just to varying degrees.

I leave tonight for AZ, and I'll be at the game tomorrow (3/4). I'll have my camera. If anyone has any specific requests for pictures (certain people or whatever), I will try to get them. No guarantees of course, but I'll do what I can. I will post them here after.

QUOTE(Iwritecode @ Mar 1, 2006 -> 10:49 AM) You'd get the same thing at any repair shop. That's just the cost to hook it up to their diagnostic machine to tell them what the problem is. Here's a hint: You can buy your own code reader at the local AutoZone for a few bucks. In all the cars I've owned I can just take a piece of wire and stick it into the DLC connector under the drivers side of the dash. Here's an interesting website I found that explains how to get the codes from your car. Your problem is probably something simple like a $10 sensor. Excellent information. Thanks!

QUOTE(samclemens @ Feb 28, 2006 -> 10:05 PM) i never said they arent allowed to put out statements like this. how did you get that out of anything i've said? all i said was that it was written up and signed on government time, and it is just feel-good b.s. this isnt a political thing for me. read my above posts. even if it was bipartisan or republican, it would still be smoke and mirrors. Now hold on a second here. Yeah, obviously, there is politics at play here. No denying it. But I've heard on this board, over and over again, that the Dems need to find a more positive message, instead of just beating down Bush and Friends all the time. And I agree. And guess what? This is exactly that. It is a positive message sent by 55 Congressional Democrats. So, even if it is politically motivated, how is it you can so quickly dismiss it, when it is an example of exactly what many GOP'ers and Indies have been asking for from the Dems? for the Dems on this one. Politics or not, they sent a positive message, and attached themselves to a set of principles. Good for them.

QUOTE(WilliamTell @ Feb 28, 2006 -> 05:14 PM) I can see where you're coming from. It's such a grey area, especially with the rape case. My viewpoint is pro life with the exception of rape and if the mother's life is endangered because of the pregancy. QUOTE(vandy125 @ Feb 28, 2006 -> 06:17 PM) I can see what you are saying. A life is a life like you said. However, the rape victim needs to be protected too. What are the impacts of such a tragedy to that person? Would such a thing effectively destroy the life of the rape victim? In which case, you would be choosing between destroying the life of the baby vs destroying the life of the mother. Rape is a case were the mother did not choose for this to happen. Whereas, in other cases, a choice was made by the mother. It is tragic. This is all JMO of course. I do agree that the rape victim needs to be cared for in every way possible. But, as awful as rape is (I can only imagine), ending a life is unquestionably worse. So, if you believe life starts at conception (which is a legitimate perspective), then I cannot see how you can make an exception for rape or anything else other than a threat to the mother's life. If on the other hand, you believe that life starts at a later time (such as medically defined independent life, at roughly 4 months), but you still feel abortion is something awful enough that it should be severly curtailed, then I can see the rape exception making sense.

QUOTE(TheBlackSox8 @ Feb 28, 2006 -> 04:08 PM) I loved Stacey Keach as the dad. I watched the Fox shows "John Doe" and "Firefly" and were kind of upset they were taken off. Oh yeah, Firefly too. Good call.