UConn James

Why not? Because you say it isn't? Not perfectly comparable, but then again, what situation is when we're going slightly off the map of charted territory? Both involve the detention of people our govt perceived to be an enemy. In WW2, that tho nothing had been done, the possibility existed; now, that most of the Gitmo detainees were captured actively fighting our forces. As I've said before, I would support charges in a military court. I believe the administration does as well, but they've been been slow to act (govt? slow to act? No!) precisely b/c they're charting new ground. So far they have been able to skirt this by capturing and holding them off the mainland. But with the trial from last fall, seems like charges will trickle in. Not exactly how one'd want it done, but then again, you and I aren't party to the nitty-gritty. Frig... Phil Spector was held for like 4 years before he went to trial, no? But suppose they are all tried and justice is meted. Where do you put them when you advocate shutting down Gitmo?

Which was uberweird, given that Faraday's experiment suggested that time moved slower on the island. So, you'd think that the doctor's body wouldn't arrive until quite awhile after he was killed in off-island time. Instead, it showed up before it happened. This is now suggestive that the island's time is not merely lagging as we first thought --- it's wildly differential from off-island time. Could be a day ahead at one moment and 30 minutes behind at another. ... And then, what's to stop it from being 30 years differential that would allow Richard et al to travel into the flashbacks or the flashforwards?

What of the Japanese-American internment camps during WW2? Anyone going to try to argue that they were a major reason for Pearl Harbor? Oh... wait. Or that the Japanese attacked us any more viciously than they would have otherwise? The potential of having 'sleeper cells' free on US soil was a risk that FDR just couldn't take. Not to make a direct comparison: the J-A hadn't been captured in an act of combating U.S. forces. There is a sizable contingent in Islam that annually beat themselves bloody for not being there in 700 A.D. when one or other of their leaders were killed. Whatever perception was formed by U.S. actions promoting terrorist recruitment... well, I'd say the damage is done. This stuff of bending over backwards for POWs with the goal of eventually releasing them was intended for rational people --- that they would see the cause of their nation's military is over and stop fighting (I'd say this is still applicable in conventional state-state conflict). Victory in the GWOT will be defined by the absence of people willing to do anything and everything and fight to the last suicidal twitch in their fervency. You ever let the inmates in Gitmo out of our custody, you have GWOT+1. (edited)

First, I'll just point out the intended similarities b/w Locke's story and Ben's S2 flashback. Both mothers encountered a car when they went into very early pregnancy and the baby 'miraculously' survived (with some help from either DI or the Others)... Ben's mother's name was Emily... Perhaps the island just got the wrong man in a case of mistaken identity? When Richard showed up at the orphanage and asked young John to pick his belongings, I sensed an homage to the movie about the Dhali Lama (forget... was it "Seven Years in Tibet"?) and how he is identified by selecting physical objects that belonged to the previous incarnation of the DL. Also interesting that teen John was gifted in science and recruited by Mittelos but disavowed it b/c it made him unpopular... and became the so-called man of faith after the black dude suggested he do the walkabout for spiritual guidance. Just a way of hedging bets. But wait. These people are representing different sides of DI/Others. One is advocating science, the other faith, and it's not the way you might've guessed. DI pushing faith; Others pushing science. What's going on here? Speaking of Richard, it seems like his appearance to young Ben may not have been an indication that he doesn't age, just that he was time-traveling at that first contact, too. Recruiting does seem to be Richard's main job. What's the mechanical device under the military guy's arm? Yes, is Christian alive or dead is a question that's now on the table. We've seen him, had references to him in Jack's flashforwards.... Moving the island isn't a phenomenon that's new to discussion --- and this is going back to the snow globe from the comic book. Many people have argued that the island has been in various places before and moved around. Some really funny moments from Ben tonight. "Destiny is a fickle... B word!" and him staring at Hurley's candy bar for like 10 seconds of silence and guilting him into splitting it both had me . Something that's been lacking since Charlie's death.

My brother escorted a goodly number to Gitmo in the year after 9/11 with his Raven team. Remember those pictures of the detainees gagged and bound? That wasn't done for sh--s and giggles. It's like that kid in Rhode Island a few years back who shot the detective in the interrogation room. Then they took him to court and he beat some guards. Then they took him to court in heavy chains and he spit on everything. Then they took him to court in a Hannibal Lecter mask. Now, after his initial arrest, people made a big to-do about his black eye that the usual suspects shouted was police brutality. Then the POS started all the other stuff and they shut up quickly. Guy didn't care what happened to him and that's one of the most dangerous people to be around.

You know, Walt Whitman wrote some great lines of free verse about the nature of America. Among them, in "Song of Myself": "Do I contradict myself? Very well, then, I contradict myself. I am large. I contain multitudes." I think he's qualified to speak, having been a nurse for the Union and supporting the war b/w the states even tho he detested war. He went along with Sherman's 'March to the Sea' and its brutality b/c it broke the will of the South. And don't suppose that his words were simplistic and contemporary --- if you can say nothing else about him, Whitman was deep and precise, able to take a step back and see the larger scope and the absurdities, the everyday hypocrisies in himself and his country that just were and, same today, just are. It's nice for the textbooks to say that you have a set standard, a universal code of conduct, whatever, that you always follow to the T, but back in the real world, that isn't always possible nor is it always preferable in order to achieve what needs to be achieved to secure safety. Please always respect a president's job of daily having to decide courses of action among utter confusion and in direct conflict with your principles. "Heavy is the head that wears the crown." Sometimes things that don't seem right either given the rules or in gut feeling have to be done b/c they have to be done. If you don't understand that, then you don't understand much.

If feasible and conducted before a military court as enemy combatants, I would support due process and proper ajudication. If they're there wrongly, it should be rectified. Problem is that there are plenty of vocal people who want them charged in civilian courts with virtually the same rights as citizens. The Moussaoui trial is not something we need to be replicating. The question becomes, if not at Gitmo, where does all this happen? Where will the trials be held? Where will convicted terrorists be held (I patently refuse to support anything with them setting foot in mainland US)? For how long? Will the names of those places not also become terrorist recruiting tools? I question that it's necessarily such a big 'recruiting tool.' People who become terrorists will find some excuse or other to validate their jihad, and what of it that this is one? Are we to blow up the Statue of Liberty b/c the concept of liberty and religious/political freedom is the No. 1 recruiting tool? 'Good' and 'Bad' are words. At what point do we need to stop apologizing for taking necessary steps to protect ourselves?

And by "purse," you mean one of these things. I've heard she's got enough room left in there for a bottle of Purell, a pack of chewing gum and a cigarette lighter. HFB, Rutgers-boy.

Is that in the compressed state? As for Stern, he pissed off my uncle (a 100% mental disability Vietnam vet) at a station party back when HS was at WCCC in Hartford. Held him out of a ~10-story window, and to this day, he laments that he didn't let go.

Link. Beautiful. I don't think this is the first time, either. People shout to "Close Gitmo!!" and indeed this is something all of the candidates have pledged to do. But meanwhile, back in reality, this is what happens when these people get out or are handed off to other countries' jurisdiction. Those people are there for a reason, and I sleep a little better knowing they're surrounded by chain-link, military guards and 90 miles of shark-infested waters. I can only imagine that somewhere, almost two years gone, BiB is doing this . (Then again, this isn't such a surprise for a country that can't seem to learn to keep Level-3 diddlers off the streets. The judges and lawyers like the repeat business; it makes them seem important and keeps them in a $200K job.)

How does everyone think this might compare in terms of damage to the league vs. the NBA ref who was found betting on games (don't remember if they were games that he had officiated)? That seemed to be big league-busting news at the break, but it died down in fairly short order. I, too, don't expect that anything of substance/consequence will be revealed b/c TPTB won't allow it. Same reason Goodell destroyed all of the Spygate materials. Walsh doesn't have much to gain (maybe a book deal?) and a lot to lose.

At least you're in such a market so it shouldn't be that rocky of a time getting something else, and probably in an upwards direction from an outfit like that.

I bet you excitedly chose the matches, and were really let down that they didn't provide you a stone wheel.

Injection-molded plastic from recycled soda/pop bottles. These are one of the few things where recycling is pretty efficient and cost-effective. I wear them a lot, for sheer comfort. When my feet hurt from wearing boots or sneakers, I put a pair of knockoff Crocs (~$4) on and the pain is gone. They're great around the house instead of conventional slippers that get dirty fast. I'm just happy that they've branched out to non-fruity colors. Otherwise, I dress very normally. Some people hate on my choice of footwear --- if so, screw you b/c I don't really give a rat's ass what you think. Should I rag on your $120 sweatshop Nikes? Your XXXXL Fubu sweatshirt that looks like you're wearing a tent? I'm not going to change to please somebody else.

[PastaJoe stops eating his ham sammich. PastaJoe's face turns to a ".... Yes.... ?" says PastaJoe. PastaJoe grins and returns to eating his ham sammich. PastaJoe rocks out to "Don't Stop Thinkin' 'Bout Tomorrow]

I, too, think we could carry 6 CBs this season... and see one resultant decrease at safety w/ Ko, Whitner, Wilson and Wendling (who can't be put on the PS again); also, the LB we drafted is a 'tweener SS. I think we typically carry 5 Ss, no? Or the roster spot might come out of the WR pool or Coy Wire's slot, who had been primarily a ST player.

I don't get the ruckus, either. Or is everyone just supposed to pose like "American Gothic"? If there was something patently obscene or creepy, I might get it, but the girl is wearing normal clothes and/or covering herself appropriately. Seen many a young Olympic figure-skater/gymnast wearing less and hugging creepier 50+ men. This is simply the mass media pissing in someone else's cereal b/c Britney, Spitzer et al's bowl is full. If they don't take someone down a notch or two every week, they feel they've failed (believe me, I've seen it from the inside). It's just this girl's turn.

Actually, the lower center of gravity for this position is a bit of a benefit.

That's what I was mulling. Similar to the rabbit in the training video, etc. I thought that w/ the desert scenes we might have gotten a tie-in w/ the helicopter woman's flashback, but I don't think it's really necessary now, and in an indirect way, we did get a tie-in. The fossilized polar bear w/ the Dharma collar is evidence of earlier experimentation of the system Ben used. I was going to post "like Star Trek" but didn't want all the Kirk > Picard weirdos here showing up and taking over.

Maybe, maybe not. I don't think Desmond --- in the first go-round, at least --- had foreknowledge that he would wind up on the island. It was a storm at sea --- one he thought he'd die in, b/c he tried to read "Our Mutual Friend" --- that brought him there. Whether Widmore knew what would happen is another case. I think he did; and I think he knew exactly which buttons to push to get Desmond to want to enter the race. Operates much like Ben in that regard... manipulating people and using them as the "pawns." Also, wondering how the hell Ben suddenly got to be in the middle of the desert. If I remember right, it started with a thud and he was on the ground when it faded out of black. --- Also, the more I think about it, the Jack flashforward in last year's finale, I'm pretty sure that it was Michael in the coffin, who was then able to kill himself b/c he couldn't live with what he did and what Walt thinks of him. That he was finally able to do it indicates something has changed on the island, it's a kind of signal that, to Jack, meant something bad had happened to the people left there, or to the island as a whole, or ...?... But the way he said the same thing on the bridge as Michael did when he was about to crash his car "I'm so sorry!" is linked. I'm also wondering if it was something like what the people on the boat are going through.

Just wanted to mention Sawyer's selflessness in this ep. Running around trying to protect Claire and then deciding to leave Locke & Ben b/c it was too dangerous for the plebians. Then stuck up for Hurley without any smarmy nicknames. For someone who's just "survivin'" (and all the selfishness involved in that ep and in pretty much everything Sawyer's done), he's taken a new role in being a leader and putting himself last (the old Sawyer would probably make for the beach on his own). He cares for these people, as much as he wouldn't admit it.

Probably from the standpoint that the football team provides free publicity to the branch and encourages recruitment. There's also the argument that this is only going to apply to the rare player to temporarily excuse him from full-time service to an alternate role. And when he's done with his playing career, which is an NFL average of ~ 2.3 seasons, guess where he's going to go back to work for 20 years? This is far from desertion. God sends us all on different paths, people. What Pat Tillman would think? Probably that each man has to make his own decisions, given the givens.

You realize of course, that at this point, our OL is one injury away from seeing Duke Preston take a giant dump on the field?

Fixed. Rosenass is such a POS.

I've followed FBs since I consider it a need position for us. Was impressed in the 2-3 games I saw him in, but he lacks a complete game or a rare talent at any one aspect. I doubt Cox will be drafted. Likely will sign somewhere as an UDFA as many FBs do, and he will have to contribute heavily to ST to make a roster/PS. I think teams might be placing a large amount of his success at having a very good RB (Choice) to block for and thereby downgrading his contribution. This may be Hillis' problem as well. Tho you can never really tell that with where FBs are drafted. Most GMs are of the mindset that the spot can be filled with any warm body.