lostfan

QUOTE (shipps @ Jan 6, 2009 -> 12:47 PM) There is a doctor named Dr. Deutsch that I work with,it is pronounced DOITCH but most people say it like duechebag and I laugh every time. When I was in my first duty station in the Army I was looking up on the board that listed past commanders, the one before the then-current commander was named Captain Massengill. True story.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 6, 2009 -> 09:33 AM) Some of the friendliest people you ever want to meet! In all honesty, yeah. Fun, too.

Gates is/was someone who does both. IIRC if you go back to say Vietnam, the CIA was dead-on with a lot of their negative assessments but they weren't in favor with the Johnson administration, they wanted to hear roses and sunshine. You're absolutely right about the questioning everything though - you almost never believe any of your theories 100% unless you know them to be fact somehow. When you write, it's in this careful estimative language that leaves open the possibility that it's wrong. If you ever say "this is" or "this is not" that's a big deal, and you better be prepared to back that up if it's not something that's universally accepted as true (e.g., UBL runs al-Qaida).

QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Jan 6, 2009 -> 01:02 AM) I wouldn't take Collins (age) or Jackson (aka the Black Rex Grossman) over Orton. The others, yes. I'm iffy about Pennington but I wanted him last off-season. He can't throw the deep ball, but he's very accurate under about 20 yards. Remember that commercial for HD showing Pennington heaving away what looks like a bomb, and the camera pans out to show his WR catching it in the back of the end zone and you see the pass went like 25 yards... lol

QUOTE (SoxFan101 @ Jan 6, 2009 -> 12:47 AM) Honestly I think Demarcus Ware deserves it more than all 3 that you mentioned. After his sack totals, then what?

QUOTE (mr_genius @ Jan 5, 2009 -> 11:50 PM) Ron Paul is actually a fairly interesting and dynamic speaker. I guess he doesn't have the energy of an Obama or Reagan type speaker, which is important when trying to rally people around a campaign. That's what I meant, I mean it's not like he doesn't know what he's talking about (although I might not necessarily agree with what he's saying) but he doesn't have much in the way of personality. Compared to Obama, Reagan, or dare I say Palin at least.

He could've used some better organization IMO, and he is a boring public speaker which is probably why he never caught on, but his ideas brought excitement that probably rivaled what Obama did for the Dems at that stage. Plus he got shafted by the debate hosts at every turn.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jan 5, 2009 -> 10:11 PM) I think the logic is pretty simple. The fact is, the last 8 years (Drink!), the CIA has corrupted itself to the core by supporting Bush's torture program and his illegal warrantless wiretapping program, not to mention the fact that they took the blame for Bush's Iraq debacle. If you basically say that you need someone who comes in with a clean slate to rebuild, you're not left with many options. It's probably worth pointing out that there is a history of CIA directors not being appointees from within the agency. Stansfield M. Turner, John M. Deutch, John McCone and George H.W. Bush serve as some examples. On the other hand...I agree with you on a different level, because we saw in 2003 exactly what happens when you allow facts to be "Fixed" around a policy by intelligence directors willing to sell their souls on behalf of a politician who's support they want. In this case, I think that given the war crimes that have occurred on the watch of the people running that organization in the last 8 years (Drink!), I'm willing to risk some political interference in the intelligence agency if it gives them a fresh start and puts an end to Bush's torture programs. But on this...yes, we must be cautious. You hate my liver. I didn't so much want the appointment to come from within the CIA, in fact I don't really care about the CIA as it's just one section of a big picture (as much as they like to think of themselves as the picture itself), I just want the guy to know his way around the community like the back of his hand. Bush 41 for example, he knew his stuff, he was the US ambassador to China at the time I think. This guy could very well know, but I still smell politics, and I don't like it. As an intel professional there is probably nothing worse for morale than having politics shoved down your throat and being forced to conform. I don't really have any problems with who he picked as DNI though, he seems pretty sharp.

QUOTE (Cknolls @ Jan 5, 2009 -> 03:33 PM) Leon Panetta CIA head in waiting. http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01...ia-director/?hp That's a garbage ass pick IMO. Smells like a political appointment. Politics has NO place in intelligence WHATSOEVER, if the two don't line up, the IC doesn't adjust itself, the politicians need to.

QUOTE (BearSox @ Jan 5, 2009 -> 08:41 PM) I like that comparison. Also, while he is a solid hitter, he isn't gonna sniff those numbers he had last year. I'm thinking if he does stay healthy and out of trouble for 130 games, the Cubs can expect something like a .265-275 average, 20 homers, 70 rbi's, and an OBP around .360-.370. Not bad at all, but his numbers will take a hit since he won't be playing half of his games at that ulta hitters friendly ballpark anymore. Wrigley is a launching pad too.

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Jan 5, 2009 -> 08:59 PM) Um, can somebody explain to me why Ed Reed didn't win the DPOY? cuz Harrison was a f***ing beast

The amount of people at the gym right after New Year's is f***ing hilarious because you know why they're there, and you know you won't see any of them again after 2 weeks.

QUOTE (mr_genius @ Jan 5, 2009 -> 04:25 PM) I definitely need a FOX news show. I would let Joe the Plumber on once just to ban him. You would fit in better on CNN where you wouldn't be overshadowed.

QUOTE (mr_genius @ Jan 5, 2009 -> 04:17 PM) i pretty sure the plumbers license stuff was legal to bring out. there is a lot of information in state databases that are not supposed to be made public, let alone handed over to the national media like what happened in this case. i believe the search alone was an improper inquiry into a state database as the employee did not have a legit reason to access the information. even as annoying as Joe was during the election, no one should have their privacy violated like that. Yes, agreed. IMO if you can find it on the internet without any special access (e.g. Lexis Nexis for law enforcement) then it's fair game. If it's something in a state database that isn't public, or violates the Privacy Act (which should be obvious) then that's over the line.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Jan 5, 2009 -> 04:12 PM) I wouldn't lump Maddow into that group. She's not angry and irrational. Yeah I meant to post that. She's obviously partisan but she is nowhere near as over-the-top and rant-prone as Olbermann, not as absurd and borderline hateful as Hannity, and not idiotic like Rush.

QUOTE (DukeNukeEm @ Jan 5, 2009 -> 04:09 PM) Like one party is somehow more or less corrupt than the other... And even if that were the case, how the hell would make that kind of evaluation? By how often somebody from either party is caught? That's a very accurate way to come such a conclusion! Dude I thought you were dead or something, you don't have internet outside of school?

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 5, 2009 -> 04:05 PM) With people like Rush, Olberman, Maddow, and Hannity with shows, why not? Ha. Good point. Honestly I would rather see mr. genius's opinions on TV than Joe the Plumber.

QUOTE (mr_genius @ Jan 5, 2009 -> 04:02 PM) the information definitely wasn't supposed to be publicly available, it was private and actually illegal to put out like they did; the lady who searched it and gave it up to the media was suspended without pay for a month. poor joe and his irrelevant opinions. oh well, maybe he can get a permanent spot on the 'Huckabee' show. Which information was it? The part about him being a licensed plumber seemed legit to be found, the part about the tax lien not so much. If someone gave out private information like that then yeah, I hope he wins his lawsuit. Even though I think he's a f***ing moron and this is confirmed every time I hear him open his mouth.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Jan 5, 2009 -> 03:40 PM) I was basically saying that if you don't like Halo, and you're unsure about Gears, and you already have a PS3, you're probably not going to see much of a benefit of also having a 360. In that case then yeah, I agree. It's the main reason I don't have a PS3 right now. Not that I don't like it or don't want one, but because there's no real need for me to get it and almost everything I want I can get on the 360 already.

QUOTE (mr_genius @ Jan 5, 2009 -> 03:36 PM) Grand master blackbelts on both sides. Someone on FOX yesterday actually said "I wonder what Joe the Plumber thinks about all this." True story. edit: anyone know if he Joe the Plumber won his lawsuit against the state of Ohio for illegally searching his private records and handing them over to the media and all the other pro-Democrat organizations? That was publicly available information wasn't it? I think we need to hear more of Joe's uninformed, irrelevant opinions. America clearly cares what he thinks.

QUOTE (Texsox @ Jan 5, 2009 -> 03:33 PM) There are masters on both sides. Let's bring out Joe the Plumber Oh god Palin by herself must've coined at least 5 of them things.

At what age are guys supposed to stop laughing at dick and fart jokes? I vote never.

QUOTE (sircaffey @ Jan 5, 2009 -> 01:47 PM) Brandon just had a horrible 2nd half last year. Something was off... Pre: 37.0 IP, 35 H, 7 BB, 28 K, 2.43 ERA, 1.14 ERA Post: 22.1 IP, 40 H, 6 BB, 16 K, 8.46 ERA, 2.06 ERA I'd be very happy if the Sox signed him. I assume that last stat is supposed to be WHIP

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Jan 5, 2009 -> 12:29 PM) Start with the first Gears, but past that if you don't like Halo, there aren't many exclusives outside of Mass Effect. Unless you're talking about relatively new, multiplatinum-selling games, I don't know what you mean by that. The majority of the blockbuster games come out on both systems anyway, and IMO I don't know why I would want to go exclusive if I was a developer anyway unless I was guaranteed a s***-ton of cash up front. Here is a list of exclusives that have come out on all 3 systems in the past couple of years, it's old though. http://www.gamingtarget.com/article.php?artid=6759

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Jan 5, 2009 -> 12:11 PM) So my gf is amazingly awesome and got me a 360 for xmas. I now have all three consoles and no life (yay to being half unemployed). I picked up Fable II and Age of Booty (arcade game). Both are loads of fun. After a week or so of playing, I'll give the 360 props for the streamlined look and the ease of playing online with friends, but I still feel the ps3 is a better total multimedia package. Anyone have any recommendations for 360 exclusives? I'm not a big Halo fan, but I thought I might eventually pick up Gears 2. Mass Effect