samclemens

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Aug 21, 2006 -> 12:24 PM) If there was any real thought that anything more could have been done to weaken Hez, the U.S. wouldn't have allowed the cease fire, Israel wouldn't have signed on, and the Israeli government wouldn't be on the verge of falling. So what happens? The U.S. pushes for clauses in the U.N. resolution calling for things it knows won't happen, because a.) it gives the U.S. leverage in negotiations on other fronts, because if France isn't helping out here, we can use that as a diplomatic club to bash them with the next time we disagree on something, and because b.) we can blame the U.N. for the failure to have Hezbollah disarmed instead of blaming the fact that it's impossible to beat them militarily. That way, the U.N. becomes a scapegoat for why things didn't work out, while our government never has to acknowledge that the idea of bombing away a guerrilla resistance group is just as flawed today as it was in the 1770's. sorry, i think that this predictable failure by the UN is not the US's fault, nor did we engineer it. it may hypothetically work out to our advantage that the UN proved once again how useless it is, but the UN will be the scapegoat here for a reason: they are worthless and completely ineffective.

QUOTE(EvilMonkey @ Aug 20, 2006 -> 03:37 PM) * Deaths: 845 total -- 743 civilians, 34 soldiers and 68 Hezbollah. Israel says it killed about 530 guerrillas. The Higher Relief Council put the overall death toll at 1,181 and said one-third were children and the majority were civilians. * Wounded: 4,051. * Number of buildings destroyed: More than 15,000 homes -- houses or individual apartments within buildings. About 900 commercial structures, including farms and factories. ... * Damage to transportation system: 400 miles of roads; 80 bridges; the international airport. * Overall damage: At least $3.5 billion to infrastructure; $9.4 billion overall, including clean up of a major oil spill from an Israeli strike on a storage facility at a Beirut power plant. * Access to water and electricity was severely interrupted. About $180 million in damage to the electricity grid; $70 million to the water treatment and delivery system. * Having terrorists as your friends, neighbors and allies, priceless. golden!

you all make a valid point about dealers. i cant say putting it on shelves would eliminte the gateway effect comepletely, but it would certainly decrease it substantially.

QUOTE(santo=dorf @ Aug 10, 2006 -> 08:25 PM) So the first drug your friend(s) did before the "hard" stuff was pot? They didn't drink alcohol (which is illegal if you are under 21,) or smoke a cigarette (Illegal if you are 18?) Weird. Your friend(s) make up 1% of anyone who has ever smoked pot. (From P&T Bulls***.) Personally I feel if people really wanted to mess with their bodies and alcohol and pot were legal, they wouldn't need the harder, illegal stuff. Of course they drank before they were 21. i did, you probably did, and 99% of people do. in my experience, smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol was not what brought harder drugs into the frey. it was pot, eventually. theres a huge difference between a teenager stealing booze from their parents and a teenager hanging around with drug dealers. drug dealers will always push something harder. you are referring to cigarettes and alcohol as drugs. alcohol i agree, but cigarettes, no- and both are not illegal. i cant beleive that the people i know are 1% of all people who smoke weed. the normal progression of drug use has touched every single person who smokes weed (smoke for a while, maybe years, until something else is comes around, be it mushrooms, acid, eventually coke- and thats what got the people i know), unless they have a great amount of self-discipline. weed is just another drug generally used to escape- that is why making the jump to something harder is not a big deal to some people. they are just looking for the next high. its unrealistic to say that 99% of people who smoke weed never make the jump to a harder drug. at least, i think thats what you are saying.

feds investigate hacking of lieberman's website: http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/08/10/D8JDNHG81.html

santo, i completely agree with you on the research you are citing. i would replace all drunk drivers with stoned drivers too. and the same goes for violent crime. the correlation is unbeleivable, last i heard it cited it was like 80% of rapes and higher for murders involve booze. at the same time, i am against legalizing pot. some people deny the "gateway" theory, but i think its true because i have seen it happen to many people around me. there are very few stoners out there who havent used other, more dangerous drugs. weed is a gateway drug to harder drugs. at least thats what i think, though i can totally see where you are coming from.

QUOTE(santo=dorf @ Aug 10, 2006 -> 06:26 PM) I'm still trying to figure this post out (no, I'm not high. ) Is this a good thing because there will be more tax dollars to spend? Or do you think it's a bad thing that usage of pot will, IMO, temporarily increase due to people trying it out because it's legal, people doing it because it will likely become a fad by some hollywood type, or that current pot smokers will admit to smoking it with out feeling embarrased or insecure. i meant that usage would increase, and it would not be good. if you are claiming that usage would eventually decrease to current levels after a spike if its legalized, i cant agree with you. i think usage would stay higher permanently. and i think thats a bad thing.

QUOTE(Rex Kicka** @ Aug 10, 2006 -> 01:13 PM) People in the UK have been living with terrorism longer than you've been alive. They just have a different perspective on it than you might. and what would that perspective be? that it's more tolerable than i think it is?

QUOTE(Rex Kicka** @ Aug 10, 2006 -> 01:02 PM) Most of the people in the US don't like Bush. What's your point? that maybe an event like this stem the complaining about his security policies here (ex: FISA). what are you basing your assertion on? a loaded abc poll? the hatred for bush in the UK and europe is uncomparible to here.

QUOTE(Balta1701 @ Aug 10, 2006 -> 12:57 PM) They were already attacked once (successfully), they've been more Pro-Bush than any other country in the world, they're the only country still giving us real meaningful support in Iraq...etc. they may be more pro-bush than any other country, but that isnt saying very much. most of the people living htere hate bush. most dislike blair and the majority do nto support the war. not to mention that the UK has been hinting at troop reductions and withdrawls constantly. i should have been more specific. an event like this will remind the people, and the givernmnet there whats really going on.

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Aug 10, 2006 -> 12:55 PM) (where's that rolly smilie?) That's just an ignorant statement. how's that? edit: i based my statement on: iranian troops now fighting with hezbollah + another terrorist attack attempted = spinning out of control

mckinney shows her true colors (along with her staff, all members of the new black panthers): http://newsbusters.org/node/6882

this is WW3. at least the UK will fall into line now (hopefully).

http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/08/09/sailor.charge/index.html never trust a russian...

http://reuters.myway.com/article/20060809/...RANIANS-DC.html iranian revolutionary guards found among hezbollah guerrillas killed by israeli soldiers. this conflict has now officially turned into the spanish civil war of the 1930's- we now even have iranian soldiers fighting on the side of islamic facist fundamentalism, just as nazi soldiers fought on the side of franco's facists. how long before history repeats itself? time to kick some ass, israel. pre-emption is the key.

i wouldnt be suprised if it occurs in europe

so what does everyone think of joe leiberman's chances now that hes running as an indy, taking into consideration his 51%-48% loss in the primary?

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Aug 9, 2006 -> 01:49 PM) Not a chance... You want a great example, look at alcohol. i agree, i think there would be a huge spike in usage for quite some time

check out the bottom right corner of this photo taken from the nyt web site. that is the worst cut and paste job i have ever seen. http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2006/07/2...LIDESHOW_4.html

so decatur voters arent complete morons, they have finally gotten rid of mckinney. of course, she wont go down without a fight. her staff assulted reporters multiple times. at least shes out of congress.

transcript of CNN reporter's experiences in the conflict. "They've not tried to stop us filming other events while we're in the field, but they have, on several occasions, threatened reporters here in Tyre, south Lebanon. From the location where we're standing right now, we've been able to see, today and on other days, outgoing Katyusha rockets. And on more than one occasion people from Hezbollah have come and said, "Do not film the locations of these rockets when they're being launched." At one time, when we were talking and having a conversation with this Hezbollah representative, he said, "Look, we're serious, we will kill you if you film these outgoing rockets." So it is a threat, but when we've been out in the field, we've not had situations where they told us to stop filming." http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0608/06/rs.01.html

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/08/08/D8JCCCIO0.html Lieberman accuses Lamont's supporters of hacking his site

Man Bites Dog is excellent.

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Aug 7, 2006 -> 10:33 PM) 1. That article is from July 21st. 2. I've read it previously, and frankly, I fail to see the bias. You may not LIKE what is reported there, but I saw nothing in the article that falls under the category of media bias. Hezbollah is indeed winning the hearts and minds of many in the Gaza, right or wrong aside. It is reality. oh i know the article isnt on their frontpage right now. ive been saving it for a while because its so rediculous. guess i shoulda put it in green, but it was a good opportunity to drop it in (at least i thought it was). i guess we disagree as to the content. i think the article a joke. reading that title for the first time...all i could say was wow. the bbc is terrible. just my opinion.

im sure this will be all over the BBC, as soon as their Hezbollah Wins Hearts story isnt current anymore. what news bias?