mattp

Another snippet re: our relationship with Iran: The Bush administration rebuked Iran and said: we don't speak to rogue nations like you when they offered to help us stabilize Iraq shortly after the invastion. One Source Another Source As far as I know, the administration has declined to comment on the bi-partisan Iraq Study Group's recommendation that we attempt to involved nearby nations including Syria and Iran in helping stabilize the situation now. Instead, they are "upping the ante" by spewing more "with us or against us" rhetoric and daring them to step out of line. ----- I'm still wondering if Fairweather will answer: Do you STILL think we should just nuke a country or two? Which ones? Do you REALLY think Bush has done a better job responding to 911 than Gore would have? How? --- Sexy's "mechanism" is clearly in play here. These guys do not seem to want either peace or stability.

Fairweather, I take it you are insulting me because you don't want to respond to my last few posts. Call me whatever you want, but I'm still curious: Do you STILL think we should just nuke a country or two? Which ones? Do you REALLY think Bush has done a better job responding to 911 than Gore would have? How? Are you just trolling here or trying to be annoying or do you have a point? We understand that you don't like Mr. Chavez, but we've touched upon Bush and Iraq and I'm honestly interested in your thoughts on these issues. (I posted these questions extra large just in case you may be experiencing a little "inability to focus" yourself.)

More good news for Fairweather on the Chavez front: far from a slap.

yes, we've been to the Park Pub before: thread

And here, my good man, is where we will just have to agree to disagree. There is no proving how things would have turned out had they turned out differently, but I cannot possibly imagine that Al Gore could have done worse than Bush, who has destablized the region, severely stressed our military with no clear end in sight, alienated many if not most of our real and potential allies in "the war on terror," caused 100's of thousands of innocent people to die, given huge propaganda support to at least a generation of new terrorists, and destroyed the credibility of our great nation for years to come. Would Al Gore have bent over and grabbed his ankles? I doubt it, but even that might have been better than most of what Bush did.

That is pretty much what he said immediately after 911 in a thread where I said then, and I still believe, we were neither justified nor honest about why we were invading Afghanistan (or, more properly speaking, aiding the Northern Alliance in taking over). If we wanted to capture and punish Bin Laden and his high leutenants, we would have collected intelligence and sent special ops or targetted missiles at THEM and their training camps, rather than giving them two months to hide, occupying the country, and letting Bin Laden go. Immediately after 911, I argued that by invading Afghanistan we were sure to kill many many innocents and that we were almost certainly doing it for reasons that had little or nothing to do with capturing Bin Ladin or reducing any terrorist threat. I said this was clear, because our pending war/invasion could be expected to accomplish neither. Fairweather argued that if we were not afraid to use it, we could simply drop a few atomic bombs and our problems would be solved. I don't think he was clear about exactly where he wanted to drop those bombs, but he seemed to suggest we should simply wipe out an entire nation or nations. Seriously, Fairweather: do you think Al Queda really brought war to Afghanistan and Bush didn't? Even if you think it was "justified" to wage war on the country, do you think it was a good idea? Do you think broadening the war now is a good idea?

Where do you get the idea that "mattp, Sexual Chocolate, Prole, and the newbie ass-clowns" are particularly happy about what Mr. Chavez is up to? Maybe I missed it, but all I recall from this thread is a couple of statements about how he WAS in fact elected, and as far as we know he DID actually live up to his campaign rhetoric about what his leadership style would be -- unlike Mr. Bush. You are right: if anyone thinks there is a valid comparison they are living in a different universe. Chavez is a bellicose opportunist, but Venezuela is at least at present not posing a great threat to anybody else and thus is relatively harmless in the grand scale of things. Bush is a bellicose opportunist, but he has the keys to the US military and economic machine. He has brought war to Iraq and Afghanistan, and now he wants to broaden it to include Syria and Iran. Are you, Mr. Fairweather, "happy as can be" about that?

Whoa! That's kinda scary. I've seen huge settling when the snowdrifts we dug into were not very old, in warm weather, and when we once had nine people and four stoves in a single snowcave.

weren't me. In fact, I believe it was oversight, not intentional theft. The bartender reminded somebody they had an open tab and no attempt at flight was undertaken. totally lame are the people who say they are going to be there and don't show.

Similar problems arose where I learned to climb in Michigan. The last time I visitted, it had become standard practice for climbers to set top ropes with padding from car floor mats or similar material, and climbers would set a top-rope at the beginning of the day and leave their rope there all day long, so other parties could use it without having to stomp the cliff edge any more than necessary. Climbers were asked not to top out, to minimize traffic along the cliff edge even further. All of this generated a very social climbing scene.

He simply ceded defeat by failing to even bring it up. The number was a big fat zero.

A rousing crowd of 15 or so cc.com'ers showed up last night, and it was good to see some new faces among the bunch. Jens lost the pullup contest, and Tvash sold us all Amway memberships.

In the huts around Berchtesgaden, they served a mix of lemonade and beer which they called Radler. It was a hot weather drink - they said a pitcher of straight beer was too strong for a hot summer day and hiking in the mountains - but maybe the good folks at Prost are set up for this. Prost! 7311 Greenwood Ave. N., Seattle, Washington

I'll buy him one, too. It'll be good to see you, Kurt!

Have a good time, Timy. I don't know the route, but there should be little if any snow on it by August and rockfall may be the biggest source of danger. On third class terrain it is often the loose blocks that the person fifty feet above you send down, or the one you kick loose and take a ride on which cause accidents. Particularly when climbing in gullies, be watchful for where rocks you may dislodge will go and where you may step out of the firing line when they fly from above. Take any rest stops out of the line of fire, and time your crossing or climbing of exposed areas accordingly.

Lets stick with the Prost. We have plenty of time to fill those hipster cards, but there's two new guys who've said they'd show up at the Prost. Besides, the hipsters may be less active tonight because their vespa's don't handle well in the snow. If Kat is going to be in West Seattle some time, I'd gladly vote for the starlight, too.

Family Values will be our new slogan. Dwayner will be Secretary of Education and Mike Layton will be the first Family Values Czar, heading up the "Department of Clean Living and Back to Basics." John Scurlock will be our airforce.

To make it a strong government and reach across the aisle, we'd need Fairweather for Secretary of Defense and Glassgowkiss for Whitehouse Press Secretary.

Actually, I think he posted a big and pretty much said nobody's safe at work.

And as far as I can tell no viable opposition party nor great hope for the Congress to decide to take real steps to actually leash the guy.

Thanks. In my view, the hut can be OK even when crowded, but if you are hoping to control your own bed time and avoid getting mixed up with other people who are likely to put your mittens or ski skins in THEIR pack or complain if you stay up too late or get up too early, I think you are right it is just as efficient to stay at the hotel.

Vierenda: I agree, Iran is being defiant for their own purposes and I have no great urge to defend their actions nor will I suggest they are harmless or benevolent or anything like that. However, in the case of both Iran and N. Korea, I think it is not hard to imagine why they might be building up their military capabilities and being as threatening as they possibly can given our administrations actions.