Fairweather

Considering your professed background, your lack of historical perspective is astounding. By your logic, we should have arrested virtually every president of the twentieth century - with the possible exceptions of Taft, Harding, Coolidge, Ford, and Carter. Now, authorizing the sale of missile staging technology to Chinese agents in exchange for campaign cash...that was possibly treasonous.

Huh? I guess you still view it as part of the great Soviet Empire? This pretty much disqualifies you from future debate. BTW; your buddy Stalin killed/starved a bunch of folks there once who wouldn't turn over their farms to the state. Look into it. hey man, there was nothing great about the soviet empire; how dare you imply such a thing. i thought you were a reactionary. ps. which do you think has been responsible for more deaths: capitalism or communism? Apples to apples = 20th century? Communism, without doubt, and by a wide margin. Of course you have numbers to counter this? Reputable and neutral?

Huh? I guess you still view it as part of the great Soviet Empire? This pretty much disqualifies you from future debate. BTW; your buddy Stalin killed/starved a bunch of folks there once who wouldn't turn over their farms to the state. Look into it.

That is exactly the question. The bombing of Dresden was, ostensibly, to cover Russian ground advances and leave the retreating German army with nowhere to go. But many believe it was actually to demonstrate British and American air power to our not-soon-to-be Soviet allies. The fire bombings of major Japanese cities left a (admittedly small) handful of American air crews requesting other duties when it became clear they were not being assigned military targets. Definitely a racial element involved, IMO.

My Lai? I think Calley went to prison for that. There still? Would have burned too if the death penalty had been in place. Is it worse when its personal? Guys got medals for the pictures I posted - and killed far, far more than 500 villagers. FDR ordered. Still a darling of the left - and JosephH, no doubt.

Not necessarily true: Dresden, 1945 Tokyo, May 26 1945 a couple months earlier - same city

You're creating an argument where none exists. Typical. The people we're supporting are Americans who are being unjustly convicted on this website and in the left blogosphere of atrocity. I couldn't give a fuck about Blackwater Inc. But I think it's wrong for the usual suspects here to assume, once again, that Americans are the bad guys.

46. My son has signed up to serve upon his completion of college. Not really relevant - or any of your business. Your service does give you standing, but doesn't diminish mine. Don't you think it's ironic that the very ideal you were once (rightfully) helping to snuff out in southeast Asia lives on right here in the persona Jim, Treetoad, and others? And do you remember the same who cheered for your enemy in 1971?

Jim. You don't seem to care when jihadis kill American soldiers - at least not enough to post your sorrow here. Why all the fuss about Americans zealously defending themselves? Why do you always seem to take the "other" side - and remain silent when our boys are targeted? Why don't you just come out and say it, Jim? We all know who you are. Doesn't matter where you stand on the war or the politics, but you seem to be consistently - I'll go ahead and say it - anti American. Could have something to do with your "affiliations"?

Huh? http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42514000/jpg/_42514059_joint203.jpg&imgrefurl=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6917003.stm&h=261&w=203&sz=9&hl=en&start=4&um=1&tbnid=L1di4oKJsS1_EM:&tbnh=112&tbnw=87&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsmoking%2Bjoint%2B%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DG

Well, I built me a raft and shes ready for floatin Ol mississippi, shes callin my name Catfish are jumpin That paddle wheel thumpin Black water keeps rollin on past just the same Old black water, keep on rollin Mississippi moon, wont you keep on shinin on me Old black water, keep on rollin Mississippi moon, wont you keep on shinin on me Old black water, keep on rollin Mississippi moon, wont you keep on shinin on me Yeah, keep on shinin your light Gonna make everything, pretty mama Gonna make everything all right And I aint got no worries cause I aint in no hurry at all Well, if it rains, I dont care Dont make no difference to me Just take that street car thats goin up town Yeah, Id like to hear some funky dixieland And dance a honky tonk And Ill be buyin evrybody drinks all roun Id like to hear some funky dixieland Pretty mama come and take me by the hand By the hand, take me by the hand pretty mama Come and dance with your daddy all night long I want to honky tonk, honky tonk, honky tonk

Sorry, Arch. For a very, very small percentage of women/couples your point may hold true. But there are options available when others fail or are ignored. Some of those to the right of me are against even these types of contraception - after all, the pill doesn't prevent conception, only implantation - to whom I say: get a fucking life! Sex is fun. Not just for procreation. People are horny. Accidents happen. Options are available for up to 72 hours that don't involve killing. And even then, there's always...adoption. Here's the odd thing....Plan B is available OTC if you are over 18, but the same hormones taken in smaller regular doses proactively as "the pill" require a prescription....seems a bit inconsistent to me. True, that!...Yet more hypocrisy brought to you by militant activists. But I will say that the "urgency" factor renders Plan B useless if a doctor's signature is required.

Sorry, Arch. For a very, very small percentage of women/couples your point may hold true. But there are options available when others fail or are ignored. Some of those to the right of me are against even these types of contraception - after all, the pill doesn't prevent conception, only implantation - to whom I say: get a fucking life! Sex is fun. Not just for procreation. People are horny. Accidents happen. Options are available for up to 72 hours that don't involve killing. And even then, there's always...adoption.

A bleeding heart named Winter will be along shortly to tell you that he is right and you all are wrong.

I don't know. It seems to me that if some future president is looking at a shitty hand he's more likely to play his hole card. Tough to say. I think the case for a strong Air Force and Navy to keep China in check is a good one at least.

Serious question: Would a weaker conventional force increase the chance our nation would resort to nuclear weapons?

I CAN'T HEAR YOU!!! WINDOWS VISTA KILLED MY SOUNDCARD!

I haven't climbed Mowich Face - but I have been up several routes on Rainier over the past 28 years or so, probably spent a lot more time on the mountain than you, and I can see Mowich Face from the road just behind my house. It is bone dry, frozen mud, ash, and thermally altered paste. The hanging ice tongue above Edmunds Glacier is virtually gone - something I haven't seen before. Frankly, I don't believe any ranger at MRNP told you it was a good time to climb this route, and my comments were meant to dissuade you from going. Even if you climb it, post a brilliant trip report, and hang some fine pictures, my comments stand. It is an irresponsible endeavor at this time, IMO. You would put at risk the lives of your potential rescuers and the hearts of those who love you. I can think of at least a couple out-of-state parties that solicited beta from this site prior to their off-season departure dates - and never came back to post here again. Just please take care.

climbing culture? you mean like taking risks, thinking for yourself, and being an individual? or did you mean shopping at PCC, drinking fair trade coffee, reading Mother Jones, listening to that awful Dave Matthews, and 'sticking it to The Man' like all the other so-called 'cultures' in Seattle??? Really, what is the 'climbing culture'? What about our conservative friends? Are they not part of said 'culture' or are they 'persona non-grata'? As for 'manipulative advertising', i think all the adults here can make decisions for themselves without being 'protected', thanks kindly. And if I had kids, I wouldn't let them make such a profound life decision without being involved but I certainly wouldn't keep them from it if that's what they really wanted. Raise your kids to think for themselves and they won't need you looking over their shoulder all the time. If other people's kids want to join up, that's not your 'problem', and you certainly have no say in the matter. While you're at it, maybe you could explain what the 'mission' of the site is? I seemed to think it was about trip reports, partner hookups, gear/technique, and a healthy bit o' spray. I didn't realize we'd become Habitat for Humanity or Greenpeace.... Did I miss the memo? Shit! Damn good comments.

Carbon River Road to Ipsut is closed to ALL traffic for the next couple weeks. No bikey. No walkie either. Mowich Face now? Holding a gun to your head and pulling the trigger would probably be about as safe. And the cleanup less expensive.

And soon enough, it will be China again. Naw, China has already won that war. They own us! China holds about $350Bn of an $8.5 trillion debt. While that's not desirable IMO, it hardly qualifies as "owning" us. (BTW; Japan holds about $450Bn)

The issue here is not MoveOn or Guliani. The issue is this statement by MattP doled out in his usual dismissive (and uninformed) manner: "For his part, KK apparently cannot even be bothered to read a newspaper and cries that it shows bias for the NYT to publish a paid political add from MoveONn. The NYT did not give MoveOn any discount." The very thing Matt accuses KK of he demonstrates himself. When confronted with the facts, he resorts to obfuscation and digs up the usual settled business. And again - he absolutely refuses to ever admit he may have "mispoken". This, OW, is the issue.

I learned a different addage: "If you carry bivvy gear, you will bivvy". Or, more simply put, speed is safety. You can survive a lot with a 1 oz emergency bivvy sack and a lighter, but carrying pounds of extra gear 'just in case' usually increases the chance of crawling your way into an unwanted and dangerous situation. That "extra 40" you're packin around your middle probably gives you an edge in that snowcave day 5 too, eh?