Pac_Man

Your post once again fails to address the issue of judicial activism. Reply again if or when you feel like discussing judicial activism instead of making irrelevant comments. I will however point out an inaccuracy: "if a law has been passed but it is a law which restricts a right that has not been expressly prohibited by the Constitution, the Supreme Court will consistently rule in favor of individual liberties and rights." If this were actually true, noise ordinances would be unconstitutional, because nothing in the Constitution says I can't make as much noise as I want. Pollution ordinances would be an infringement of liberties also, because nowhere in the Constitution does it say that I can't have a wildly polluting factory. By the same token I'd even be allowed to own a nuclear weapons arsenal. If the system worked the way you described, most laws, rules, and restrictions we have would be unconstitutional.

If the Falcons called the Bills and offered Price for Evans straight-up, TD would laugh in their face. There's no way that Price is anywhere near the player Evans is. Evans is faster and has better hands. Moulds is clearly a flawed player in decline, but he's still the best possession WR on the roster. I don't want to turn a speed WR like Evans into a possession WR, but I would like to see more passes thrown Evans' way.

Was there something about my post you didn't understand? I described two instances in which the Supreme Court created constitutional provisions out of thin air. Your post utterly fails to address this abuse of power. Unless of course you call your sentence at the end an attempt to address the issue. And maybe you are right: maybe Congress was just too plain busy with other things to give any thought at all to minor issues such as contraceptives and abortion. So instead of having Congress pass laws that deal with "every conceivable situation"--in this case, contraceptives and abortion--why not just let the Supreme Court deal with such minor, inconsequential issues? Forgive my sarcasm, but the point of view you seem to be advocating is impossible for a thinking person to take seriously.

1. Revenge of the Sith. People rank the newer ones lower, partly I think because the old ones have that nostalgia element. But this movie has everything you could wish for--good plot, good battles, no major intrusions of annoying characters, incredible special effects. 2. The Empire Strikes Back. This is a good movie because of what doesn't happen. No major characters get killed, no Death Star gets destroyed, and the Empire takes a step forward by destroying the Rebel base. 3. A New Hope. This movie sets the series up nicely; with Luke Skywalker being a modern day Limbergh--a young hero and an excellent pilot. 4. Return of the Jedi. I wasn't as annoyed by the Ewoks as most people were. At least they didn't say anything--in English, at any rate. This was a good ending to the series, with Luke saving the seemingly unsavable Darth Vader. 5. Attack of the Clones. I hate rating this movie so low. Count Dooku was an excellent villian, and this movie did a lot to tie the series in to Episode 4. A very good film overall, just not as good as the first four I mentioned. 6. The Phantom Menace. Darth Maul didn't do anything for me. Other than slapping a coat of red paint on his head, he didn't seem that scary or sinister. He killed Qui Gon Jin, but that was in a fair fight (or rather, an unfair fight, because Qui Gon Jin and Obi Wan Kenobi were ganging up on Darth Maul). And I hated Jar Jar Binks. That character was more annoying than all other Lucas's annoying characters put together. There were some good points to this movie, like Anakin and Qui Gon Jin. But overall, this movie is far weaker than any of the other five.

An underlying issue in this debate is the naked abuse of political power. According to the Constitution, law should be made in the legislative branch. But in the 1960s, activist judges began legislating from the bench. Whether you agree or disagree with their motives, objectives, or positions, the way they went about legislating was a clear usurpation of power. It would be like a man becoming president despite having been beaten both in the popular vote and the electoral college. You may support the candidate and his views, but you wouldn't want that kind of precedent in place. In the 1960s, the Supreme Court concluded that the Constitution's prohibition on random government searches of homes was tantamount to a general right to privacy. The Supreme Court then announced this right to privacy prohibited the government from banning any kind of contraceptives. In the 1970s, this "right to privacy" was expanded to include a prohibition against abortions. It is absolutely, abundantly, and completely clear that when the Founding Fathers talked about a prohibition against random government searches of private homes, contraceptives and abortions were the furthest thing on their minds. Regardless of your stance on contraceptives or abortions, the proper place to make new laws regarding them--according to the Constitution--is the legislative branch. The problem during the Clinton presidency was that neither the president nor the Democrat Congressional majority that existed in his first two years in office was prepared to accept the limitations the Constitution imposes on judicial activism. On the contrary, Clinton and the Democrats saw judicial activism as a useful tool for achieving their goal of an increasingly hyperactive and interventionist government. That fact put the Republicans in an awkward position: either they could accept the Clinton apointees, knowing they would violate the Constitution, or they could filibuster, knowing the Constitution requires an up or down vote by the Senate.

My own personal feeling--and this is just a hunch--is that the long-term answer at LT isn't on the roster this year. It isn't Shelton either. Don't be surprised if next year, we use a high draft pick or big free agency money on a LT.

The adoptive mother angle makes sense. And having watched the movie again, it did seem like Windu's light saber was reflecting the lightning back at the Emperor. That brings up the question of why the Emperor would continue using the lightning. Maybe it was because it would be impossible for Windu to simultaneously use his light saber to reflect lightning and use it to chop off the Emperor's head. Also as other posters have pointed out, the disfigurement gave added credibility to the Emperor's claim to have been attacked by the Jedi. Finally, it gave a sense of urgency to Annakin to do something. The high ground thing didn't make sense to me because Anakin didn't have to jump straight at Obi Wan. A smaller jump at a 45 degree angle to the line connecting Anakin with Obi Wan would have gotten Anakin onto the ground without giving Obi Wan the chance to take advantage of the situation. Vader could then have used defensive tactics to hold off Obi Wan until he'd worked his way to higher ground. Given that this was the case, maybe Obi Wan's high ground comment was an attempt to goad Vader into a direct, frontal attack. Vader clearly had pride in his ability, and Obi Wan's comment persuaded him to eschew the smart move and just launch a foolish, head-on attack.

Episode 3 was extremely well-done, and it's clearly one of the best movies I've seen. Having said this, there are a few inconsistencies: **** Spolier Alert**** 1. With the Sith, there are only supposed to be two at any one time: the master and the pupil. Why then was Count Dooku teaching the robot Grevious about the force? Moreover, one's ability to use the Force, in Episode 1, was presumably determined by the mitichlorians present in the bloodstream. How many mitichlorians could a robot like Grevious possibly have? 2. In Episode 4, there is some kind of council on the Death Star, headed by some guy with a British accent. Darth Vader is on the council also, but at least one of the committee members saw the Force as a dying religion, and Darth Vader as a kind of dinosaur. But you'd think the power structure that had evolved at the end of Episode 3 would have placed Darth Vader or the Emperor at the head of this council. Not that there was a clear explanation for why the council--with its political games--was permitted to come into existence in the first place. 3. In Return of the Jedi, Luke and Leah had a conversation about their respective mothers. Leah said that she had vague memories of her mother, and that the only thing she remembered clearly was her mother was very beautiful. Unless you are prepared to accept the idea that Leah has memories from the day she was born--which I am not--this represents an inconsistency. 4. In the fight between Obi Wan and Darth Vader, the high ground was of pivotal importance; yet did not appear to matter very much in any of the other fights. 5. Count Dooku was able to use lightning in Episode 2 with no apparent difficulty; and seemingly did so to save himself the trouble of taking out his light saber. Likewise, Palpatine himself used lightning with no apparent problem in the Return of the Jedi. Yet Palpatine was permanently disfigured by using lightning in Episode 3.

I've thought about why the first Death Star took so much longer to build than the second one. When they started building the first Death Star, there were still vestiges of the Republic. Resources would have been less mobilized for a war effort, especially with the Clone Wars drawing to a close. Also, the possibility of Senatorial scrutiny would encourage a smaller percentage of the budget to go into a secret project like the Death Star. The second time around, it's possible the Empire was in more of a hurry to get the thing built, and more willing to divert resources from Star Destroyers or other military spending. Also, the Empire would be more able to impose onerous tax burdens on people.

http://www.newturfers.com/mwf/attach/38/35...nRing-Fight.htm

Actually the whole TO trade situation was complicated. TO's contract with San Francisco had reached its end, allowing him to become a free agent. TO wanted to go to Philly. Except that his agent didn't file the paperwork for free agency on time, so San Fran traded him to Baltimore. It turned out, however, that there was a clause in TO's contract which stipulated a later deadline for the paperwork to be filed by. TO's agent did meet this later deadline, so according to that clause, TO could become a free agent after all, and go to Philly. The whole situation went to arbitration, involving the claims of Philly, Baltimore, San Fran, and TO. They reached a compromise, with Philly getting the rights to TO. In exchange, Philly had to send a second rounder to San Fran, and a fifth to Baltimore.

This really depends on the cat. A mother cat teaches her kittens to hunt by first bringing them dead prey to eat. When the kittens are a little bigger she will bring them half-dead prey to finish off and eat. The next step is for her to take them hunting. Most cats don't get this kind of teaching anymore, so they have to figure out things on their own. They achieve this to varying degrees.

What was the temperament of the half bobcat like? Also, how would you characterize the personality of a Maine Coon?

There are two effective strategies cats can use to deal with dogs: either attack them head-on, or run away. Half-committing to either strategy will get a cat killed. Every cat I've known has been 100% committed to one strategy or the other.

It also depends on the cat. There was this one really big cat who used to hang around my house when I was in high school. This cat must have weighed at least 25 lbs, and it was all muscle. He exuded this air of dominance. His very body language seemed to say, "I'm not used to anyone making the mistake of messing with me." My brother watched this cat chase a Doberman Pinscher off the dog's own property. It was a pretty big dog too. I'm not sure how many people have read Jack London's Call of the Wild and White Fang, but it's basically a book about a dog. At one point, the dog gets sold to some guy who puts him in a lot of fights with other dogs. The dog was a good fighter, and brought down a mastiff with relative ease. The dog's three most difficult fights were when he faced a bulldog, when he faced two dogs at once, and when he fought a lynx. What is a lynx? It's similar enough to a house cat to be able to interbreed, but different enough interbreeding is not a good idea. A lynx can weigh up to 45 lbs. Their prey can include large animals like deer and wild pigs. The same is true of bobcats, even though bobcats are smaller. Lynx and bobcats have much longer limbs than housecats. A bobcat is about the toughest and meanest animal you'll come across. A bobcat is considered a far more dangerous pet than a mountain lion, because of the bobcat's temper. Granted, a bobcat isn't even as big as a lynx. But its front claws can slash through leather work boots, its rear claws can rip out someone's stomach, its reflexes and movement are lightning-quick, and like a lynx it can kill deer and wild pigs. No housecat has this kind of temperament or this kind of physical ability. But some come closer to its physical traits than others.

I can see why you wouldn't want to be around cats, but it's not like they chose to make themselves give people allergies. Disliking cats because they appeal to your ex-girlfriend doesn't make much sense. After all, there was a time when you appealed to her too.

It was a while ago that I read that. I'm sure it was something smaller than a lion or tiger, but still pretty big. They might have been leopards or something. In any case, they were walking--not running--when they were in this line. I guess the plan was that, when they came upon potential prey, they'd be able to pursue it from several directions.

You're right. I'd like to add to this by saying cats have a different set of social rules. If you stare at a dog and talk to it in a loud, friendly voice, the dog will be encouraged. A cat would consider this behavior a threat. My own feeling is that a lot of dog people get turned off by cats when loud, direct communication techniques fail to produce the intended result. Other felines also prefer subtle communication techniques. I've read of a group of cheetahs that formed an alliance. These cheetahs would go off to hunt in a horizontal line, with a good 20 - 30 yards between each cheetah. The line would move forward, with none of the cheetahs moving too quickly or falling behind. Under similar circumstances, dogs would be constantly looking at each other to make sure things were holding together. The cheetahs looked in every direction except at each other. Yet the line maintained its cohesion, even as the animals crossed a hill.

I'll agree that a big dog could really do something to a burglar. But some 5 pound Yorkshire terrier would just get used as a soccer ball. Well, you say, the terrier's barking could alert you so that you could do something to the burglar. But it's been my experience that a lot of little dogs yap all the time anyway, so there'd not necessarily be a reason to be alerted by the terrier's barking. If I was going to go through the trouble of maintaining a dog anyway, I'd want a big dog that could provide some protection instead of a little dog whose constant noise would drive me and my neighbors crazy. But a big dog--or any dog, really--isn't going to be as effective as a cat when it comes to catching small animals. Moles can really destroy your lawn, just as they've done a lot of damage to my mom's lawn. But my sister's cat was at my mom's house for a few weeks, and he killed several moles. My aunt and uncle had a mouse problem, where every night the mice would come into one of the bedrooms, do their thing, and be gone by morning. They hired an exterminator, whose efforts to kill the mice proved unsuccessful. After pursuing that for a while, they decided to let their outdoor-only cat into the house for a few nights. The mice were soon dead.

Cats have more of a live-and-let-live attitude, but most cats are very affectionate to the people they're close to. They do things on their own terms, but for most cats these terms are pretty reasonable. I like the fact that cats are less maintenance than dogs. Also, cats are good at catching rodents, moles, and other vermin. If you've got two or more kittens, watching them chase each other around the house and rough house with each other is one of the most entertaining things you'll ever see animals do. Their level of agility, grace, and athleticism is much higher than any human athlete can achieve. I once saw two half-grown kittens run towards each other from opposite ends of the room, at full speed. As they raced towards each other, they both jumped--it happed too fast to see whether one responded to the other's jump, or if it was a mutual, simultaneous decision. They met each other in the air. One of them had a slightly higher position than the other, which caused them to somersault. Needless to say, they both landed on their feet. I've never seen any other kind of animal, let alone a human being, do something like that.

Imagine yourself back in the 1970s . . . "The Bills have the ball. There's the snap, and O.J. knifes his way up the middle for a first down." "Wow, this O.J. is really something." "Yeah. He's a talented runner. He's good at cut blocks, cut backs, you name it. If it involves cutting, he's good at it." "Next play, O.J. slashes through the defense for a five yard gain." "You know, I had a talk with O.J. before the game. He had the hardest time putting on his gloves. I don't know why he likes gloves that are so tight, but he does." "I hear that if you're committing a crime it makes sense to have a tight glove so that you're not tempted to take it off." "Next play of the drive, Simpson up the middle for 5 yards and another first down." "Wow. He's just abusing the defense." "Yeah, well, he's had a lot of practice abusing people." "Next play of the drive, a ten yard run, and a touchdown! O.J. draws first blood!" "Wow! Simpson is incredible. He's the Bills' secret weapon." "I don't know how much of a secret he is." "Okay, then maybe I should call him the Bills' murder weapon." "Well, now that the Bills are going over to defense, we won't see Simpson for a while." "You almost hate to keep that talented an athlete on the sidelines at any part of the game. I'm sure he'd make a great defender. He'd know exactly how to engineer a jail break." "Yeah, he'd give 'The Assassin' a challenge for that nickname." "Well, now the Bills are back on offense. It looks like they're trying to kill the clock by handing the ball to O.J." "That shouldn't be a problem. When it comes to killing anything, O.J. is second to none." "You got that right. But you especially have to watch out when he says that he loves you. Odds are you'll have a knife slashed across your throat in no time." "Speaking of slashing, did you see that last run? That was incredible!" "You know, there's more to O.J. than just football. He's got an artistic side too." "Really?" "Yeah. Just the other day he suggested the color of the gloves be changed to red. I think that shows a little creativity." "Well, I don't know about that. He mentioned that idea to me too, and he said the reason was he didn't want stains to show." "Well, at least he's practical. Speaking of which, he practically killed the defender on that last play."

No.

"Down. Set. Hut. Huuuuuuuut Hut!" Smith, a defensive tackle, looked hungry. The ball was snapped. Immediately, Smith's arms and legs flew everywhere. His detached leg slid along the ground, tripping the QB as he dropped back to pass. The QB recovered his balance, only to be temporarily blinded by Smith's blood spattering across his face. He dodged his head just in time to avoid Smith's hand flying through the air. These distractions cost him three precious seconds, and the QB was taken down in a sack. "Patch him up! Patch him up!" defenders called to each other after the play was over. They worked quickly, reassembling Smith's body parts. A coach tossed a roll of duct tape over from the sidelines, and Smith was quickly taped back together. Another coach tossed a large syringe filled with blood to one of the players. The blood was pumped into Smith to replace what he'd just lost. "Are you okay?" one of the players asked Smith. "Let's play some football!" he replied. The tape and the syringe were tossed back over to the sideline just before the ball was snapped. Smith's arm came loose, and headed straight toward the ball. The ball fell to the turf. The QB dodged the torso flying at him to recover the ball. A leg flew his way, causing the QB to be called down. Smith was on the field for most defensive snaps, and he continued to use this style of play. After the game was over, his teammates marveled at his performace. "That guy just explodes off the line of scrimmage. I mean, he just explodes," one of the defensive ends said.

Rob Johnson was arrested this morning on charges of stealing from a grocery store. "I don't understand why someone with all those millions would need to steal from a grocery store," remarked one of the store's employees. What makes the story more interesting is the items Johnson was accused of stealing had very little value. "He was just stuffing his pockets full of those plastic grocery bags," said one eyewitness. "I mean, most people have so many of those stupid bags they don't know what to do with them." Though strange, it appears this behavior may be part of a pattern. "This isn't the first time this has happened," said the grocery store manager. "Nor is it the second, or even the fifth time." He paused. "That guy takes a lot of sacks."

"This wide receiver is fast," remarked the scout. "Of course he's fast," snarled Jones, the GM. "He's fresh, nobody's hit him for months, the weather is perfect, the surface couldn't be any faster. All that's great, but it has nothing to do with football. In football, you have to be able to be fast even after your body's taken a little abuse." "So what do you suggest?" "Suggest? I'll tell you what I suggest," said Jones angrily. "Let's put this wide receiver in the oven for 20 minutes, and then see how fast he can run." "Is that safe?" "Yeah, it's safe. I tested it this morning on a rat." "That dead rat there?" "Hey, this wide receiver is tougher than some stupid rat. He'll be fine." After his 20 minutes in the oven, the WR ran an 8 second 40. He wondered whether he had permanent brain damage. "Ha! Just as I thought," said Jones. "This joker's cooked speed is nothing to write home about." "Yeah," said the scout. "But his raw speed is really special."