UConn James

Did you type that all yourself or is this your regular schpiel of thinly veiled plagiarism / no attribution? This is against the TOS, you know, and you and Steely do it all the time. Not to say that it's untruth, but it begs the question, where'd you get this from and why are you hesitant to share sources? [bold] So... it wasn't caused by Vietnam, but it was caused by the conditions that his service/capture in Vietnam created? You can't divorce experience from a man. When my brother came back from Afghanistan with PTSD, wifey had a boyfriend and "wasn't happy." They separated. He moved in with us, got a girlfriend who was a dead ringer for his ex, plus a Tramp Stamp and a drinking habit. Got a puppy of the same breed he had with his ex, even tho he didn't have the resources to take care of it. He said he just "needed to replace what [he] lost." I said (to myself) that I thought he was making huge mistakes in his personal life... which is playing out right now. Point is, that sh-- happens, experiences change fundamental personality/outlook which leads to dumbf--k concepts like "wanting to make up for lost time" entering the mind and directing action, usually resulting in chaos. Divorce, besides the main causes of cheating or financial problems, is often caused by collective petty sh-- like one person always leaving the caps off of the toothpaste, not shutting cabinet doors the whole way, et cetera. I'm not trying to be JMac's best friend here, nor am I defending his actions; speaking for myself, I don't like him. But when you walk a mile in his shoes and the sh-- that happened to him, it changes you fundamentally. In truth, to people who understand what returning vets go thru, it would have been a bigger surprise if he had stayed married to the first wife, car accident or not.

To be fair, I know (and know of) quite a few veterans who got divorced after serving in Vietnam. Either divorced the wife they were with previous to the war or marriages not lasting very long afterwards. War changes people. Things happen while the soldier is away (a very broad range from cheating to financial woes to the discommunication that happens). The effects of war on the soldier can have the other partner mindf--king the 'I didn't sign up for this...' argument. Veterans having a difficult time forming and then maintaining relationships. We're seeing this among a lot of soldiers returning from the current wars --- 80% divorce rates in returning units, high percentage of drug use, suicide rate, etc. I have an uncle who was 1/2 mile from the DMZ during Tet who is all kinds of f--ked up, but considering what happened, it's amazing how adjusted he is. He's been divorced and remarried I think 5 times. I have another uncle who was in graves registration who cut off all communication with the family shortly after he came home (by the by, for those who don't know, this was an especially crazy-making job; one guy stationed with him whose family actually ran a mortician business went mad and killed himself like most others with that particular MOS in that particular war). This is in addition to the normal hardships of marriage, which are many. I'm not prepared to say that JMac didn't get divorced for selfish reasons, but I highly doubt that's the entire scope of what caused the divorce. I have heard many vets say that JMac's anger/very short temper issues downgrade him in their eyes as being a good CiC. Not exactly on par with "The Manchurian Candidate" but....

I've been an NRA lifer for 15 years now, have connections to several clubs with many members and I've never heard about anyone shooting someone, even in self-defense. The primary purpose of a gun is to be a tool of its operator, like anything else: knives, cars, pencils, gold clubs, et cetera.... Furthermore, its more specific purpose is to be either a sporting tool for target shooting (most of the use I've ever seen or heard of), or a portable method of self-defense (most of the time as a mere show of force/persuader). In the wrong hands, it can do harm, just as many other tools can do. The key is that when you catch people using a gun in a crime you need to put them the f--- behind bars and keep them there. But often, the 5-year mandatory sentencing for crimes with a gun gets tossed out... and I'll give you a guess which side of the aisle that such leniency tends to come from. It used to floor me how the bleeding hearts acted all surprised when people with rap sheets the length of your arm keep committing crimes when they're let out of prison. Now I know better b/c it's just part of their agenda to keep gun violence on the front pages so they can get the ban they've been pining for for so long. It's pretty sick to toy with public safety as a means to an end.

Wholeheartedly agree on Point the First. The campaign and support he's received has really shown how far we've come in a relatively short time period. Combine that with other statistics/scientific (mostly debunking) facts about race and I don't see a need for affirmative action. Much of the time when people cry racism, the actual cause of an incident is a judgment of the content of a person's character that MLK preached. When someone is going 80 in a 40 mph zone, blaring music with lyrics that exhort 'smacking your B word up' or raping women, I'm going to tend to knock off a few character points (and fwiw, I've seen way more white people than black in such situations). Obama is the pinnacle example of a meritocracy. Second point, Rolling Stone is conservative? But yeah, he's by and large run an excellent campaign in his idiom. I'm probably not going to be voting for him, but like you, the reason isn't b/c he's black, it's that at this point I don't agree with enough of his policies (judging from his sketches since he's been purposefully vague) for him to earn my vote.

Nice. I think its premise and where the story needs to go from where it left is actually more suitable for a film vs. TeeVee. It might also put a fire under the writers butts to get to the action and pay attention to the plot rather than the at-times weepy character development that went on.

You hear anecdotes that in the Gore campaign, the media's coverage of him was directly influenced by the fact that they did not provide the press 'nice' bathrooms (made to use the porta-johns like the rest of the plebians) or their every catering whim... while Bush's campaign did. ('Course, once they got the WH, that manner of treatment stopped pretty quickly).

You know how they say 'Give a monkey a typewriter...?' Well, in Smerlas' case, he had to have help from Vic Carucci. "By a Nose"

Very nice idea, Pete. And it won't go out of wear. As someone else mentioned, the number 72 he got when he got a commemorative one from the team. Saw the number 6 on the Sabres jerseys he received. I think it might be more fitting with 58.

I posted this over in PPP, but as many don't go there, I wanted to share it here... I wanted to make note about his books. Saw part of a C-SPAN special last night where he extorts the role of our fathers... how they teach us, how they mould us, and how (even tho it can be a hard for them to express, even through the imperfection of our humanity, or circumstances clashing with beliefs that sometimes make it difficult) they love us. It was such a great thing for him to write about this subject, about his own father and other peoples'. Others in his station have written about the Greatest Generation or the Red-Blue divide, Searching for the meaning of America or presidential campaigning. He wrote a book about love. It shows the measure of the man. (Sh--. I'm now. I almost never cry.) And God, ain't it something almost poetic that tomorrow is Father's Day?

After a day of it sinking in, you just have to wonder how will this affect the network? TR was a big part of their news-political coverage division. They lost the go-to guy for moderating debates, election-night coverage, and deciphering work-a-day politics. Remember when ABC lost Peter Jennings, they're still trying to recover from that, tho I think the figurehead of Charles Gibson has started to re-establish the organization there. CBS is in a freefall with Katie Couric (she was a downgrade from Bob Schieffer). Brian Williams pretty much skated into Brokaw's spot with not much changing. Do they go with David Gregory for Washington chief or to host MTP? That would be a friggin disgrace. Chris Matthews? Meh. Just about everyone I think of cannot live up to what Tim Russert delivered... which was usually... straight answers. ----- Also wanted to make note about his books. Saw part of a C-SPAN special last night where he extorts the role of our fathers... how they teach us, how they mould us, and how (even tho it can be a hard for them to express, even through the imperfection of our humanity, or circumstances clashing with beliefs that sometimes make it difficult) they love us. It was such a great thing for him to write about this subject, about his own father and other peoples'. Others in his station have written about the Greatest Generation or the Red-Blue divide, Searching for the meaning of America or presidential campaigning. He wrote a book about love. It shows the measure of the man. (Sh--. I'm now. I almost never cry.) And God, ain't it something almost poetic that tomorrow is Father's Day?

Last of his kind. Guy knew his sh-- and whether you were Dem or Repub you had to watch out when Little Russ asked you a question... and they were usually questions that any thinking matter-of-fact common-sense American would ask. No small thing in an era when pols regularly get softballs and are allowed to skirt, evade and outmaneuver most other people who try to put their feet to the fire. Also, just a small thing I noticed over the years, he always read exactly what was on the screen when he put up an excerpt that he was basing questions on. Every other person I've ever seen try that would always inject things or their numbers would be way off from what was shown, and you're sitting there like . TR was a careful journalist who didn't shoot from the hip --- a rarity. Sunday mornings'll never be the same. How in the world can they fill his shoes?

Agreed 100%. This laundry list is all just intimation and intimidation on the DA's part. Subpoena the big bosses, and it puts some serious pressure on ML to talk first to avoid involving the employer who's giving him millions of dollars. The DA's primary job is to get cases resolved, and in this case he's using the NFL's prestige/visibility as leverage to get ML to want to come forward. It might be lowdown or below the belt, whatever you may, but in dealing with someone who has shown no morality, it's tit for tat. Subpoena power is in his toolbox, and since they've tried most of the other tools with no result, now they're pulling it out. The Constitution was written in a time when men feared for their mortal soul if they committed a crime/sin. The protections written into it were meant to prevent the state from scurrying up false charges and putting the burden of proof on the defendant to show they were innocent. But it assumed some sense of decency, morality and acceptance of responsibility that has now been totally lost since the NYTimes said God is dead.

... And his lisp isn't really conducive to such a career. Then again, Shannon Sharpe's been on the CBS show for a while now and I can only understand ~ every 8th word out of his marblemouth.

So was his attempt to link Gitmo detainees with the Geneva Convention and saying that they haven't gotten hearings, are incommunicado, despite evidence to the contrary (in the news recently... KSM and many others had hearings a year ago and trials/tribunals are progressing). He knows he's wrong and will continue to close his ears and keep shouting his BS. I suspect that Steely is another iteration of molson, mickey, et al. Just registers new names and does some posts awhile in advance of when he either plans to go apesh-- with one account, or when the inevitable banning occurs for cumulative malfeasance. We all know these usual suspects b/c they keep showing up here to joust at windmills and Tom, AD, KRC. It's a little hard to believe that each one shows up as a fresh newcomer considering the similarity in viewpoints, the baggage they bring in the banter, and the replay of actions that get him/them banned. Some people just want to come here to instigate rather than discuss and, hopefully, learn something about all the things politics dips its fickle finger into.

We got 2 free "Firecracker Jr." popsicles from the Indian guy behind the register yesterday with a $150 fill-up (several gas cans). Yes sir, the marginal perks are what make it all worth it.

When Bruce used to have that mindset, the reaction was pretty much, "OK. " Coughlin is a hardass, tho. We'll see.

Steely: Aw-www-w!!! Do I have to?!!?!?

So we're given a choice b/w 'Damn near everyone's a silent racist' and 'No problem at all.' This is almost exactly like the junk mail I get from so-called Second Amendment organizations, with such scientific surveys asking, 'Do you want to support Nancy Pelosi's gun-grabbing agenda? Y / N' and 'Liberals' efforts to take our guns away is A-OK! Y /N' At least their efforts are pretty thinly veiled, with loaded questions, and then their main objective of getting some stupid sucker to give them $20, $50, $100, whatever for an organization that may or may not just be Wilber Bumf--k operating out of the back of his garage. The fact that we keep getting this trash in the mail suggests that some people are dumb enough to fall for such BS tactics. Steely, I expect nothing less from someone like you who, along with molson, can't buy a clue.

Wow, the 'It's-all-good' nature of that article really shows how that reporter is 3,000 miles removed from the situation. If ML was driving... and the reported evidence is stacking up that he was.... If he had come forward the next day or two, there was maybe a 10% chance that he could have gotten by with an "I'm so sorry" some tickets and covering the medical charges (the woman would also have to be a fervent believer in forgiveness being divine). But, like the subject of this/your thread says, it's his silence that is really going to screw him over 1) in the court of public opinion, and as an effect, markedly sour his relationship with the team --- how are they supposed to market someone in ML's shoes? 2) by angering the police and DA, such that any breaks he may have been able to get like a plea deal for community service, etc. might go off the table 3) the woman is now, for sure, going to sue his ass for everything she can get (probably would have done this anyway tho). If he had stepped forward --- he may still have time to do this --- and accepted responsibility, said it was an accident and that he didn't know he'd hit someone, that he's sorry, he might be able to mitigate some of the damage his silence has produced in points 1 and 2. The advice of his attorney is missing the much bigger picture from point 1. What he looks like now is a child hiding behind his momma.

This confirms something I've suspected for a while. Tho, it's probably to prevent ever seeing another man's peepee, b/c it would instantly mean they're homos. And you know what they do with homos over there. But wait. They don't have any homos over there. Ask Ahmadinejad --- he'll tell you. Of the little TeeVee I watch, ~80% is PBS and I do enjoy his show. Usually has interesting historical factoids and shows artistry that you don't normally get to see, or see in a larger context. When they had one Italy trip, they showed how the Last Supper is actually fresco'ed over a door. I had never known that.

Chevy, that's the same way I've felt about this for the past few days. Whatever respect ML had earned is gone. How do you cheer for someone like this? If you're innocent or if it can be proved that you're guilty, it's in your best interest to talk; much of the time, people who don't talk have something to hide and are hoping to skate away. As I posted in the main thread, that if he was the driver it was/is in his best interest to turn himself in and make a statement, say that he hadn't realized he hit someone, plea bargain and beg for the mercy of the court (and would probably receive it, being who he is), then pay in a likely civil court case. People who own up to their actions and ask for forgiveness ofttimes get it --- we live in a society that's eager to give second chances to those who admit they've fouled up. Instead, ML has remained silent for almost a week now, and that works to pi-- off police and justice system and it shows no willingness to cooperate to resolve this accident and no remorse (now, it'll just be remorse that he got caught) and he will not get any breaks, by just desserts. Technically, passengers who do not come forward could be charged with aiding and abetting. Real world, this is unusual. But they could if the DA wanted to push for it. Someone mentioned it here... ML's rather distinctive hairstyle (red tip dreads, yeah?) might do him in re: eyewitnesses.

Legally, he may not have to talk to the police other than to say "I invoke the 5th amendment" and make them try to prove who was driving. That's a pretty strong argument not to say anything until/unless evidence rises. But there's legality and then there's morality (karma, if-you-will). If he does not talk, does ML have even more to lose? I'd say that most fans certainly don't like this situation. I'm sure the Bills do not like it. Could factor into future contract negotiations as the club, in the papers at least, values 'character' players. There will always be this cloud over his head if he doesn't come forward with any info he has. Whether it passes over...? Almost five days on, I'm disappointed in and have lost respect for ML as a man. I was taught to own responsibility for your actions and to do the right thing. It's crap like this that has me always saying that I 'root for the laundry' rather than the individuals on a team I follow. And it's getting harder to even do that anymore.

because it's true.

I believe that would be the righteous indignation. You saying that a blood-alcohol test three days later would be scientifically unable to prove anything = You want ML executed for drunk driving and willful murder. The leaps and bounds of inference that people take here based on anything someone writes is astonishing. ----- Seriously, it would behoove ML and his lawyer to make a statement to the police post haste. The longer he goes, the worse this all looks. From a real-world perspective, even if he is perfectly innocent, complete radio silence makes police start to think you have something to hide. And if ML was driving or a party to the incident, noncooperation/nontimely manner makes them and the judiciary less likely to offer leniency.

Ehhh. Yes and no. If this is one of the shiny JD's that you see in front of Home Depot or Lowe's, etc., these are not built de facto by JD. Those are pretty generic ones that JD gets paid to put their name on and use their colors. Usually B&S engine. Not bad machines per se, but they're not "John Deere"s. We got an old JD 210 model and the mower deck is sh--, but we're using it to drag timber on a wood lot. Could be nicer looking, but it's got some balls.