Originally Posted by Sundae Girl

I thought of this while writing a post where I admitted I have different opinions about the importance of freedom of speech since I started to post here.

Despite being to the left of what Americans would call liberal, I have certainly gained a better understanding of what we would call the far right. Here. Where I encounter real people.

I've realised decent people, who I like, can have beliefs I would previously have found extreme.

I've begun to understand the culture of a country that is so very different to mine. That the words "American" and "culture" can exist in harmony for example, and that some Europeans can be snobbish. Same with the realisation that Americans really cook. And even have more interest in good food than I do. McDonalds and Domino's are not necessarily every American's sole food provider.

On a more personal level, I learned that people struggle with all sorts of issues, and what I perceived as a world where everyone was okay except for me was a self-pitying fabrication. Everyday people have huge issues underneath the surface. Children, self-esteem, depression, work, family trouble. Success is how you handle it, not where you appear to be. And sometimes you just don't handle it and that is okay too.

And that there is a world where you can use three and four syllable words and not get blank looks. Well - it's the internet, you can't see them anyway. But there is a place where you can write a paeon to a dead politician in one thread, then talk about having sparkle dust on your boobs in the next. Those were my first posts as I remember. I knew I was home.

BTW - I wasn't anti-American before I came here. I was just lacking in information.

Hope this isn't too Hallmark.
I just wanted to get it off my sparkle-dusted chest

Originally Posted by Elspode (Post 614338)

It doesn't matter where the war is, what the war is about, or who is in power when it happens. The other side will do nothing but stand there and throw stones. American politics knows no other way to function. It is simply not possible for us to function any other way. Shit, at this point, if the Democrats stood up and said "You know, maybe universal health care isn't such a good idea after all", the Republicans would immediately stand up and shout how the Dems didn't care about people.

One side takes a position, the other side shoots it down. The topic is irrelevant.

Originally Posted by Elspode (Post 623752)

Okay, I've had a moment to think about this, and now I'm going to try to respond intelligently.

I...*we*...all live in a society where the norm has become accusation, finger pointing and character assassination. We live in a society where *one side* claims to own the keys to all things Right, Good and True. This One Right Side, while doing everything humanly (and often, religiously) possible to besmirch anyone who doesn't fall into lockstep with them, also makes claims that their *spirituality* is being suppressed - that their *religious freedom* is being subdued...by "evil forces". Yes, *evil*. Not misguided. Not disagreeable. *Evil*. As in, "In league with Satan". As in, "you disagree with us and our motives, therefore you are minions of Darkness." Egad.

Meanwhile, the "other side", being equally inept and misguided, spends all it's time trying to tear down other perfectly functional standards of public legality because it might be abused or inflated by the "other side" to further restrict processes that the "other side" doesn't yet want put down.

What I, as a thinking, ostensibly free, American, don't like is this whole notion of "all or nothing". I especially dislike politics being furthered through the addition of Damnation and Hellfire as a lever. Yes, we have moral issues that need to be sorted out in this country. Yes, there are things that were better in the God-fearing 50's than they are now. There are also things that are much better now (anyone remember when it was okay to hate black people because God didn't like 'em either?).

In summary, I'd like to say that injecting (insert your religious path here) and holding it up as the be-all, end-all of Life on Earth is *never* the right answer, and as long as anyone tries to shove it down my throat and call me a moron for not swallowing it, I'm going to complain.

Originally Posted by Griff (Post 625822)

If you want to know where the exact point is where you become an asshole in your post it is marked above.

#s given in a government training here.

Originally Posted by DanaC (Post 646271)

Originally Posted by Carruthers (Post 646648)

Originally Posted by classicman (Post 652336)

...
You have a perspective that is very different than mine. Thats one of the things I love about interacting here. The diversity.
...

Originally Posted by Cloud (Post 652340)

(happy)

Originally Posted by glatt (Post 654108)

I think there should be some sort of system where people like this are charged with the crime, and the police get to show the evidence they have that these guys did it, and these guys get a chance to show it wasn't actually them, and then someone, or a group of people act as a sort of referee where they decide if they are pretty sure that the guy did it or not. And then they look at how bad the thing was that the guy did, and then they look at what the rules are for the punishments you give for the kind of bad thing these guys did, and then the referee(s) decide on the punishment, working within those rules. And I think it should be a calm and thoughtful process where these referee(s) use their minds. Oh, and these referees, they shouldn't be a bunch of snooty rich people. They should be regular people.

Originally Posted by Griff

Revenge

At times ... I wish
I could meet in a duel
the man who killed my father
and razed our home,
expelling me
into
a narrow country.

And if he killed me,
I’d rest at last,
and if I were ready—
I would take my revenge!

*

But if it came to light,
when my rival appeared,
that he had a mother
waiting for him,
or a father who’d put
his right hand over
the heart’s place in his chest
whenever his son was late
even by just a quarter-hour
for a meeting they’d set—
then I would not kill him,
even if I could.

*

Likewise ... I
would not murder him
if it were soon made clear
that he had a brother or sisters
who loved him and constantly longed to see him.
Or if he had a wife to greet him
and children who
couldn’t bear his absence
and whom his gifts would thrill.
Or if he had
friends or companions,
neighbors he knew
or allies from prison
or a hospital room,
or classmates from his school...
asking about him
and sending him regards.

*

But if he turned
out to be on his own—
cut off like a branch from a tree—
without a mother or father,
with neither a brother nor sister,
wifeless, without a child,
and without kin or neighbors or friends,
colleagues or companions,
then I’d add not a thing to his pain
within that aloneness—
not the torment of death,
and not the sorrow of passing away.
Instead I’d be content
to ignore him when I passed him by
on the street—as I
convinced myself
that paying him no attention
in itself was a kind of revenge.

Nazareth
April 15, 2006

Taha Muhammad Ali

Originally Posted by Undertoad (Post 664806)

Well a-one day Zip was a-shootin at some food
And up from the ground come a bubblin' poo

shit that is
blackwater
texas dookie

Originally Posted by Shawnee123 (Post 664808)

Well the next thing you know ol' zip's a millionaire
The Cellar folk said "ZIP, move away from there."
They said Pennsylvania is the place you oughta be
So he loaded up his pool and he moved right to Philly.

Originally Posted by Undertoad (Post 664811)

Burbs, that is
Dumb neighbors... bad traffic...

Originally Posted by Son of Clodfobble

Out of nowhere this evening, my son gave me a hug and said, "I love you" for the first time ever.

Originally Posted by Urbane Guerrilla (Post 667585) Smartass Custard Interviewing the Smartass Manager Kopps Frozen Custard I think if I were Joe B, I'd be working this for the funny, say, doing an FDR impression. "The Only Thing we have to Custard is Custard Itself!!" or "In God We Custard!" or "If We* don't give Tax Relief, it's Custard's Last Stand!" Ba-Dump-Kssshh! I'm here every week; try the veal. *Royal or imperial "we."

Originally Posted by Undertoad (Post 667588) Bill Clinton won the Bosnian War

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce (Post 682252)

Right, because the Republicans did so well by us the previous 8 years. :rolleyes:
Oh that's right, they took good care of you wealthy people. Well until the end there, with that little global meltdown and all. But really, the wealthy are bouncing back nicely, even with the hand wringing, they aren't worried about trivial shit like Doctor bills, car payments or food, just about the pudginess of their portfolios.

And who cares about the middle class, they were just a relic from the days when the wealthy needed managers for their mills and factories. But since the wealthy found out they could outsource stuff to countries that make cheap shit, that can't be repaired and must be replaced, they're in clover.

Since the middle class is expendable, we can hardly worry about the rest of the country who are well and truly fucked for many years to come... if not for good.
Yes sir, bring back the rich man's friend, that way the rich man won't have to spend so much on lobbyists, and live happily ever after.

Originally Posted by Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf

Ninety-nine-plus percent of Muslims all over the world, I assure you, absolutely, totally find extremism abhorrent. Let there be no mistake, Islam categorically rejects the killing of innocent people. Terrorists violate the sanctity of human life and corrupt the meaning of our faith. In no way do they represent our religion. And we must not let them define us. Radical extremists would have us believe in a worldwide battle between Muslims and nonMuslims. That idea is false. The real battlefront today is not between Muslims and nonMuslims, but moderates of all faith traditions against the extremists of all faith traditions.

Originally Posted by Clodfobble

My Kid is a Damn Nutter

The older one, I mean. The next time I'm at the pediatrician's office (that would be in January for his little sister's 9-month checkup,) I'm going to ask her at what age it becomes reasonable to examine for hyperactivity and obsessive-compulsive behavior. I mean believe me, I understand that two-year-olds are typically a pain in the ass, and I honestly feel that I am above-average when it comes to being patient with him. But let's consider a few examples:

Originally Posted by TheMercenary (Post 684017)

I completely respect your divergence of my views and will strive to be a better poster to you personally. I publicly apologize if have said anything offensive to you personally, not about our differing views, but about you. Please accept my apology and let's move forward from this point. I can't go back and change some of the things I have said to you, but I acknowledge them and will try to make amends. That is the best I can do.

Originally Posted by Griff (Post 684060)

Peace.

Originally Posted by footfootfoot

Our infrastructure is not falling apart because kids make macaroni collages in grade school. Our infrastructure is falling apart because of MBAs.

Originally Posted by jimhelm (Post 685696)

240.0 today. 4 days early... goal set.... goal achieved. think I'll have a beer.

also... I bounced on the trampoline today for my daughter. It has a 250 lb weight limit, and I told her that one day I would be light enough to use it.... and today... i did a flip on it. I landed on my ass, but i flipped. She was proud of me. We had a good day. mini golf, dinner with my mom, cheerleading practice, and the boy taught me how to ripstick. kids are cool.

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce (Post 685933)

C'mon, we both know the federal government spends a ton on stupid shit, and wastes more than we can count, but your solution is a ridiculous over reaction, borne of frustration. It's not Obama's fault, nor was it Bush's. It's the dirty motherfuckers that we allow to run the government, the congress critters and the lobbyists/corporations. But replacing them with fools like Christine O'Donnell and Rand Paul, who have both sold out to Karl Rove, is stupid beyond belief.

The Republicans have promised small government and lower taxes, forever. But when they were in power, they did exactly the opposite... they lied.
The Democrats lied too, they're all liars. They promised more federal help to the states/people, and while they did give us a federal surplus, they immediately started bickering how they were going to spend it, instead of paying down debt and saving us interest.
They both give us more government, but the Republicans take care of the wealthy, and the Democrats do better by the rest of us. Either way smaller government is a pipe dream, we're not getting rid of them, so the best we can do is hold their feet to the fire, pressure them to do more good.

There was a poster recently, only made one post. He was collecting a huge government pension, I don't remember exactly how much. Well I checked him out on the net, as I do for all the new members I can. He was in two other forums trying to find out how he could screw his credit card company out of thirty odd thousand dollars, and get away with it.
The world is fucked up I tell ya, but don't throw out the baby with the bath water.

Originally Posted by Flint (Post 690918)

This thread was doomed when you started it with no input and expected it to magically develop some kind of content.

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce (Post 691508)

They are. If the corner butcher poisons you, you can put him out of business, maybe put him in jail, certaunly kick his ass. If a Corporation poisons you, forget it. To walmart or Monsanto you're a pest to be squashed. The only way we can protect ourselves from these giants, is to band together. That's called government, law, and enforcement, and it costs money.

Mr Macho Headstomper thinks he can take care of himself, but he's a fool. When walmart kills or cripples his children, what's he going to do about it, sue them, burn down the store, bitch on the internet? That's not going to help the kid, and he'll be squashed like a grape.

Originally Posted by jimhelm (Post 721111)

Just talking in chat is quite different from announcing it on the board. there are a few other people that know, but they've kept it under their hats as well.

if you want to let it out, you'll have to do it yourself. I'm sorry... i just don't care to get involved in any drama over it. I hold no grudges, or ill will (not that I ever had any reason to), and I wish you well. I'll go as far as saying that I wish I had not been so hard on you before, and that I had been more respectful of your feelings.

I was careless with the effect that the things I say have on the people I say them to, and on the way other people that read them treat that person.

CHEERS

Originally Posted by jimhelm (Post 721144)

pah. hardly HoF worthy.

Originally Posted by Sheldonrs (Post 721157)

I agree. The pic of my finger in some guys ass...now THAT'S HOF worthy!

lol!!

Originally Posted by footfootfoot (Post 732623)

DanaC: I'm writing to Flint, see what you think, OK? "Dear Flint..."
Monster: Yeah?
DanaC: Well, that's it. I'm quite pleased with it so far.
Monster: Oh, well, it's a strong opening, certainly.
Infinite Monkey: I don't like the "dear". Sounds a bit too much like "will you go to bed with me?"
DanaC: Nicely spotted, Infinite Monkey. What do you think instead?
Infinite Monkey: What about "darling"?
DanaC: "Darling Flint..."
Lookout123: Oh, no, no, no, no! Not "Flint". It's far too crawly bum-lick. Tell it like it is, put "fascist bully boy".
DanaC: "Darling fascist bully boy..."
Monster: That's nice, yeah, so far so good, so what do you want to say?
DanaC: Well, basically I want to ask him if I can have, like, an extension on my overdraft, but I know there must be a better way of putting it than that.
Monster: Well, what about, "give me some more money"?
Infinite Monkey: "You bastard"
DanaC: Don't you think that's a bit strong?
Monster: No, DanaC, people like that respect strength.
DanaC: Yeah, you're right. "Darling fascist bully boy, give me some more money, you bastard..." Uh... "Love, DanaC."
Infinite Monkey: Not "love, DanaC"! That sounds far too much like "come and get it like a bitch-funky sex machine".
DanaC: Yeah, you're right. Uh... What about "yours sincerely"?
Lookout123: Oh, come off it, DanaC! If you're going to be that sycophantic, why don't you go there now and stick your tongue straight down the back of his trousers?
DanaC: Oh, look, I know, I know, why not put "boomshanka"?
Monster: Ahh... that's hard to tell, DanaC. What does it mean?
DanaC: It means "may the seed of your loin be fruitful in the belly of your woman".
Lookout123: Ah-ha! And WHAT makes you think your Flint's a man?
DanaC: His beard.
Monster: He'll never understand "boomshanka". You'll have to write the whole thing out.
DanaC: Right, okay, here we go. "Darling fascist bully boy, give me some more money, you bastard. May the seed of your loin be fruitful in the belly of your woman, DanaC."
Lookout123: Well, if that doesn't work, I don't know what will.
Monster: The only problem is we're running out of fuel. [scrunches the letter up and hands it to Infinite Monkey] IM, chuck it on the fire. [Infinite Monkey does so and all four scramble toward the fire, trying to get warm]

Originally Posted by sexobon (Post 739206)

"Flash Mob" mentality takes root in The Cellar as a "This Mob" begins to assemble here.

Originally Posted by infinite monkey (Post 739222)

Sorry, two does not a mob make. ...

Originally Posted by sexobon (Post 739206)

... a "This Mob" begins to assemble ...

Originally Posted by classicman (Post 739268)

Thanks sexobon

Originally Posted by jimhelm

when you consider suicide, you should always remember to consider killing what's causing you to feel that way. it aint you. take action against the smallest of your obstacles first. then the smallest one that's left after it's dead.

you are not the problem. you are just you. and i love you. and so do we all.

srsly.

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

Many agree, but we have to let the system work. Some guilty go free, hopefully we can minimize those innocent that serve time unjustly. Far from perfect, but I wouldn't change it for any other place at the moment.