Crap Throwing Monkey

About the CVN-21? Too many new toys, not enough worrying about the actual mission. I'd sooner see that new catapult system tested in some sort of operational setting (even if it's on a land-based short strip) rather than have it built into the next-generation carrier with everyone's fingers crossed. If that doesn't work, CVN-21's going to be a mighty expensive failure. Any other ships you want opinions on...don't even get me started. DD(X) and LCS are likely to be trim and capable ships...but I have grave questions about the missions for which they're designed. DD(X) is far too expensive to be properly put in harm's way as a fleet escort (as DDs generally are), and the LCS isn't capable enough for a fleet unit, while the mission it's designed for has a very questionable foundation at best (namely: the belief, unique in ALL the history of naval warfare, that littoral combat requires its own class of ship. Throughout history, there are very, very few battles that haven't been fought in the littoral (depending on whose definition of "littoral" you use - I believe in the context of the LCS program, it means "brown-water" rather than "blue-water", which amounts to within several hundred kilometers of shore). This is the first time ever, including all of the most successful navies in the world, that someone has decided that the littoral needs its own class of ship. So when China finally invades Taiwan, we'll respond with a Navy composed of carriers escorted by destroyers too expensive to act as true escorts, while all the LCS's stay home because they don't have fleet capabilities. Brilliant !@#$ing doctrine.

Right on, brother! Now if we could just do something about all these Islamic extremist Mexicans crossing the borders...

Bill Buckley. George Bush (but not George W. Bush ) Al Gore Henry Kissinger Mikhail Gorbachev Houses of Rothschild (including Adolf Hitler ), Hapsburgs, and I believe the Tudors (Queen Elizabeth I) and Windsor (QE II). The Rockefellers, Astors, DuPonts, and Mellons. Edward Heath. All shape-shifting reptilians. All part of the Reptilian Global Conspiracy. Ohhhhhh-kay. Sounds like somebody forgot to refill their thorazine Rx...

You're a real sh--head, you know that?

Mostly because they're a division of Boeing now. If N-G makes a plane, it's under the Grumman name. And N-G has a farily decent history of shipbuilding. It's kind of surprising what companies have traditionally been in shipbuilding - Grumman, General Dynamics, Kaiser Permanente, Bethlehem Steel,...

If you were a Bills fan, you'd be a lot less sanguine. Sunday was the first time since week 12 last year we had a 200-yard passer. We've got a coaching staff that suffers from Mike Martz syndrome (trying to prove how clever they are rather than win football games - having a WR pitch-out to a RB for a halfback option pass, for Christ's sake!). Our top-5 rushing defense from last year is now ranked 30th or so. The best team they've beaten has a 3-4 record. No, they're really not in THAT good shape...

My bad. Don't know why I was thinking Riddick.

Of course, you just plagirized it from Tedy Bruschi (We're not worthy!).

But Bruschi (We're not worthy!) was using his not inconsiderable telepathic powers to direct Colvin on that play...

If you're only tired now, you must not have watched ESBN in the past week.

Vrabel had 14 tackles and a sack? Hell, Bruschi (We're not worthy!)'s not even the most worthy on the Patriots. I'm giving SERIOUS consideration to boycotting the rest of the NFL season over this bush-league bull sh--.

Rob Riddick. Specifically, Robb Riddick short-arming that pass against Cleveland. That's about as symbolic of this team as you can get.

Aircraft? The safest way to fly is undoubtedly to hop on Tedy Bruschi (We're not worthy!)'s back and have him flap his arms...

Made me pay $30 to watch a ninety-minute movie about how penguins maintain their humanity in the face of adversity. THEY HAVE NO !@#$ING HUMANITY!!! THEY'RE !@#$ING PENGUINS!!!!!

At least it's an actual movie and not a !@#$ing National Geographic special. And if there's any justice in the world, the dogs will eat the !@#$ing penguins into extinction.

BREAKING NEWS! The Pope, Benedict XVI, has abdicated. The reason given: he finds himself no longer capable of being in the service of God, seeing as how God has never returned from a stroke to play football...

WR: Tedy Bruschi (We're not worthy!) RB: Tedy Bruschi (We're not worthy!) QB: Tedy Bruschi (We're not worthy!) G/C/T: Tedy Bruschi (We're not worthy!) . Hell, I'd take an o-line exclusively made up of Tedy Bruschi (We're not worthy!). Not clones of Bruschi (We're not worthy!) . Just the one man. He's that talented. DL: Bruschi (We're not worthy!), of course. LB: Ray Lewis. Though if Bruschi (We're not worthy!) could come back and play LB again after sufferring a stroke, that would be miraculous and heroic. Can't see it ever happening, though. CB: Yes, Bruschi (We're not worthy!). Head Coach: Bruschi (We're not worthy!). Owner/GM/President: Bruschi (We're not worthy!). Being as he is the mortal incarnation of love and happiness, he's a downright pleasure to work for. God: Well...God. But Bruschi (We're not worthy!)'s more than capable of spelling him off the bench.

Ten tackles? What the !@#$? Was the voting exclusively limited to Joe Theisman?

I'd like to say no, because I believe possessing a copy of a movie you already own should be acceptable in the absence of any intent to distribute. In this case, however, the kid participated in the illegal distribution of a copyrighted material through downloading it...which is illegal regardless of the "license agreement" in place through the established ownership of the movie.

Most of the procurement cost has been moved out to '07-'08. The Navy requested about a half-billion in advance procurement for '06.

But that's not fair, because someone threw a cup at Ron Artest!!!!!

But you don't HAVE a dog on your leg, because Ed's lived in three different places in New Jersey and never had a dog on his leg...

And thus, it's somehow my fault you can't read?

Or at any point after the first drive. Anyone else notice the disconcerting habit this team has of playing steadily worse the later it gets in the game?

No intent to sound condescending here...but that's a basic rookie mistake. I used to do that a lot. I finally learned that when I establish a position, I make sure I am very aware of my high and low sell points and don't violate them. Sometimes I miss out on really big profits (Forward Industries, for example, I bought around $3 with the specific goal of selling at $7. I ended up unloading it at $7...and the stock went to $28 in short order. Since I made about $15k, I'm not complaining). But then, sometimes I miss out on really big losses as well. The other thing I do is make sure I can state clearly and concisely my reason for establishing a position. If I can't do it clearly or concisely (i.e. in 25 words or less - no kidding, I'll actually write down my reason and count the words), I don't buy. Airline stocks after 9/11, for example...my reasoning was "The government won't let the entire industry collapse, and Continental and Northwest are most likely to benefit from a government bailout." And I constantly review the reasoning to make sure it's still valid - if I buy a company based on an unusually low valuation in comparison to sales, and sales fall by 50%, then maybe that valuation is no longer unusually low and my reasoning is now faulty. A little clarity in both cases (pricing points and reasoning) helps immeasurably, as it keeps you grounded in common sense keeps you from getting a Tom Clements-like attack of the clevers. And probably 80% or more of successfully investing is common sense.