Campy

The US should be worried. China now has a bunch of our cutting edge technology including our HARPY program courtesy of our friends the Israelis, who we sold it to under the misguided notion that they wouldn't screw us. Why we continue to allow Israel to keep bending us over without even the courtesy of a reach around is beyond me. I'm glad Rummy went there last week to inform their Defense Minister of our displeasure with them for selling us out to China. I hope they listen, but given how we just keep letting them bend us over time and time again, I have my doubts.

He's really had a monster season down on the farm. The NHL being off this year could very well be the best thing that's happened to him - I wouldn't be surprised if he's the #1 netminder in Bflo next season. But man, this really makes me miss hockey Link thingy.

The front runner posted a copy of their letter to the net after they sent it in. See it here.

Thanks for the compliment, I like to think I'm of no less than average intelligence too! Just to make sure I get what you're saying, I'm going to bounce a couple of questions off of you: I've only shared my opinion regarding the choice to invade Iraq with good friends and here on PPP. How many, if any, soldiers' deaths are my fault? If holding an anti-war banner in Chicago has an adverse effect on recruiting, what role, if any, does the whole "getting shot at part" have in turning the kids off to joining the military? I didn't have any Nazis party members in my family, but thank you for your concern all the same. What I did have in my family were people who were threatened with death for such "treasonous" activities as voicing opposition to their federal government's policies, so they kept their mouth shut. Isn't that fairly similar to the behavior you envision in an American patriot? I'll let you have the last word, I just wanted to make sure I understood you.

That thought crossed my mind too. I mean, a school as big as Wisconsin doesn't have distance learning programs online like BlackBoard? I'm glad they'll be spending some time together, it'll help, but I'd like it better if it was in Bflo.

"The growing friction between Japan and China, fueled by rising nationalism in both countries, is just one of the political developments exacerbating tensions in East Asia." Hmm... sounds vaguely familiar. Manchuka anyone? Interesting read, thanks for the link.

Why would you say that?

IMO, politicians do a lot of things in bipartisan fashion that people don't agree with, but it doesn't make it right. Secondly, IMO Congress, the UN, and the world was lied to about the casus belli. I'd like to know how my disagreeing with the choice to invade Iraq is in anyway putting our soldiers at greater risk. As I said above, I have friends in harms way, and I certainly wouldn't want them to be harmed - especially by my actions. And again, given that I disagreed with the choice to invade Iraq, and given that I send care packages, emails, and letters to my friends over there, exactly how am I behaving in "shameful" or "unpatriotic" manner. Forgive me for saying this, but the kind of "patriotism" you're espousing leads to more harm than good. I had an Uncle in Germany (Wolfgang Tischendorf) who practiced that kind of "patriotism." And lastly, opposition to WWII was low because after Japan attacked, we declared war on them. We only declared war on Germany after they declared war on us. Had we declared war on Japan and Canada (who had nothing to do with Pearl Harbor), rest assured there would have been pretty strong opposition.

You're right. They didn't workout together - or work on timing together. Nor did they develop a relationship that translated to EM being Flutie's go-to guy and Eric having a pretty solid year. My bad.

You don't think the elements are a big part of home field advantage for the Bills?

Me thinks I wasn't clear in my post. To use your anti-abortion scenario as an example, I believe that all people who are anti-abortion are not going around blowing up abortion clinics and murdering OB/GYNs who perform abortions. Some do, and they're the extremist whackos, but they in no way shape or form speak for all people who oppose abortion. Similiarly, the people who attack recruiters are not representative of everyone who opposes the invasion of Iraq. I'm not trying to convince you that one is right and the other wrong. I'm only saying that not all people who hold a view or belief deserve to be lumped in with some of the whackos who hold a similar belief. That's all.

OK, I'll take back what I said about "nothing" being done and change it to "not nearly enough" is being done. I'll see if I can better state my opinion while avoiding statements that have no basis in fact. If our assetts weren't tied up in Iraq, maybe, juuuuust maybe, MORE could and would be done to reduce the threat of terrorism. It is fact that we have assets tied up in Iraq. You say that OBL was never a priority of this administration? See, that confuses me, because as much as you dislike it when the president is quoted, he is the one who said that we must get him "dead or alive." Shortly after, we invaded Afghanistan to remove the Taliban, who harbored and aided OBL. It is fact that we went in to Afghanistan after we requested and the Taliban regime refused to turn over OBL. Then we invade Iraq because "You can't distinguish between al Qaeda and Saddam." Again, his words, but they do seem to carry some weight - I mean, he is the president and all. Then a year later he says he "doesn't think much about" OBL. It is fact that the invasion of Iraq was sold to America and the world as part of the GWOT. You are correct in acknowledging my disdain of the sitting president. I believe that if we had remained "steadfast and focused" as the president said he was going to do, that AQ would be destroyed. We had curried the favor of the world to aid us in eliminating AQ, and this president pissed it away. But lest I digress... I'm not sure how one couldn't realize that OBL was once a priority to this administration, but whatever. Keep forgetting that this country has a lengthy track record of invading countries for selfish, financial gain (Philipines, Hawaii, Cuba, etc), and stick to your GWOT mantra. I can't say it becomes you, but you do seem to feel comfortable in it, and that is important.

Sounds like Dallas is looking to get a CB in the 1st. Where you been?

So I've read.

Is this some sort of skit, or is this a real call?

I thought it was to make it harder to see the roaches crawling around.

Good idea, but he'd be a day late and a dollar short Link thingy

Ah-ha. I think the problem is in generalizing those who "oppose the war but support the troops" as all one group. Like any formal or informal grouping of people, there some on the fringe who tend to be the most vocal, but are in no way indicative of the group as a whole, eg, not all of us who oppose the action in Iraq sabotage the recruiting efforts of the armed forces. Nor do we all hope "our side" loses, which seems to be the opinion of the talking heads at Faux News.

Bingo! They're doing their job. Some of them may agree with the mission, some of them may not, but it's their duty and they all deserve respect for honoring their commitment.

What clear evidence is there that a person in San Francisco carrying a banner that reads "No War in Iraq" is killing our troops? Wouldn't it be more accurate to say that being sent to Iraq and being shot at is more responsible for their deaths? I live in a military town. Name it and claim it, we've got 'em here- USAF, USN, CIA, FBI, NATO, USMC, USCG, and Army. I didn't want the US to invade Iraq, but I have friends over there now, and one that came home in a body bag. I write letters, send emails, and through MWR send out care packages to them. Truth be told, I rather resent being told that by opposing the war yet claiming to support the troops that I'm being either hypocritical or unpatriotic- especially by people who probably haven't "supported the troops" in any way other than slapping a magnetic ribbon on the back of their minivan. Those people can keep doing their version of "supporting the troops" and I'll keep doing mine. In the meantime, they can claim to be patriotic until they're blue in the face, and I'll keep sending care packages, emails, and letters.

Interesting choice of words.

The dehydration is being done in defiance of Magouirk's specific wishes, which she set down in a "living will" Hmm... Either the hospice is unaware of the living will, or something in that story isn't quite right.

I'm confused. Let's say a person opposed the invasion of Iraq, but sends, say, a care package to a soldier or a letter to a Marine. Or maybe that person prays for their speedy and safe return home. Is that not supporting the troops? Where exactly is the hypocracy in that?

Well, I guess you know more about port security than my next door neighbor. I mean, he's the one who told me that our ports are virtually unprotected, and he's only a security supervisor with the Virginia Port Authority. Maybe it's just the Port of Hampton Roads that isn't being secured. That's entirely possible, I mean, it's only the most target rich port on the east coast. You say that in the past tense as if it's already happened. It has not, at least not in the case at the Surrey nuclear power facility down here. And I know you're more concerned with action than words... Just George. I can't recall other administrations funneling arms into regions as unstable as we've made the Mid-East - with the exception of WWI and WWII, but at that time we were fighting agasinst agressive imperialism, not doing it. That's rich. The White House is required by law to report to the committees, not certain members of the committee. Are you suggesting that all congressional committees should be disolved, or do you just advocate the executive branch breaking laws on a whim? Actions that were mysteriously deemed "suspicious" by someone in government is now an excuse to deny due process and the right to a speedy trial? And people wonder where comparisons to 1940s Germany come from... Not always. But the Iraq was sold as part of the GWOT, and the realities are a bit different. I know you have a penchant for little gems like "All I hear is that Bush has diverted all resources from the GWOT to the war in Iraq to avenge Daddy, to increase profits for Haliburton, and to steal all of Iraq's oil." While you obviously disagree, there are many of us who recognize the reality that resources and assets were diverted from the GWOT to Iraq. While you seem comfortable with that, there may be some people who don't find that acceptable. I guess it's a matter of priorities- should we fret over the state of a vegetable in Florida, or work to better protect the citizenry. Hmm... I wonder... A "drop of the hat?" It's been 3 1/2 years. You flew off the deep end, admonishing me to "look at the big picture" when I pointed out that bin Laden wasn't a priority and that was IMO why he hasn't been captured or killed. Since this thread was about the capture of Osama bin Laden specifically and not domestic US Counter Terrorism plans as you've made it, I'll repeat my original question: Do you think that Osama bin Laden is a priority of this administration, yes or no?

My cable ISP (Cox) claims to have a spam blocker as well. I finally got around to activating it on my email accts, but I don't see much of a difference either - I think the spammers are figuring out ways around them. My email client is Thunderbird by Mozilla, and I've been very happy with the filtering they use. I trained it to identify what is and isn't spam, and now 99% of the spam I get doesn't see the inbox - it goes right into the junk folder. If you're getting that much spam, maybe you should give Thunderbird a try for a few weeks and see if it's any better. Just a thought...