Fairweather

My understanding is that it isn't the Iraqis doing the suicide attacks. It's the foreign jihadists. By all accounts, Iraq - and the Sunnis in particular - are some of the most secular arabs in the region. I would conclude that the insurgency is really two groups. Former Bath'ists who want to regain power; and Islamic kooks. The former likely do care about their own skins.

I think you have the process in the wrong order. The insurgency will only negotiate when they are convinced the alternative is annihilation. Even then, the high percentage of foreign jihadists involved probably rules out a peaceful settlement. I would refer you to the Paris Accords in 1973. Only after Nixon bombed Hanoi repeatedly did the communists come to the table. Unfortunately, we believed they really wanted peace...but actually we just didn't have the will to finish it. The result was catastrophic. We had our heel on their throat...we should have twisted downward and ended it on our terms. Iraq: I'm beginning to think partitioning the country in an equitable fashion is the only viable solution. But no one in power will ever say it.

Read your original post...the one you put up here before the speech...then tell me about your open mind. Face it, Matt. Your mind was already made up. Bush sucks...blah, blah, blah. Why post this topic at all? We all know where you stand. MattP, the moderator. Preachin' to the cc.com choir.

He was supposed to tell us what the plan was. I didn't hear much in the way of a plan. Did you? He was supposed to tell us what the plan was. I didn't hear much in the way of a plan. Did you? He was supposed to tell us what the plan was. I didn't hear much in the way of a plan. Did you? He was supposed to tell us what the plan was. I didn't hear much in the way of a plan. Did you? He was supposed to tell us what the plan was. I didn't hear much in the way of a plan. Did you? He was supposed to tell us what the plan was. I didn't hear much in the way of a plan. Did you? He was supposed to tell us what the plan was. I didn't hear much in the way of a plan. Did you? MattP asks; are we there yet? are we there yet? are we there yet? are we there yet? ...

Nice bike!!! Damn!! That's the one I wanted...but I found a brand new 2003 Trek Fuel 90 (full suspension) and gave the shop owner $750 for a bike that originally cost $1300. It's a great XC hill climber. I'll have to upgrade some of the components, but I just couldn't convince my wife that I needed the Stumpjumper Expert Disc for $2300. She would have cut me off, for sure. Nice bike, Double E!

I hear Kona has finally perfected the lead-alloy frame.

Heh heh heh. Got my permit acceptance in the mail today! Haven't felt this lucky since the day I got my acceptance letter to our local junior college. Four days. In Snow, out Colchuck/Stuart. Just me and the kid. Lots of scrambling. Is it safe to stash a couple mountain bikes at the Stuart TH for the return to Snow Lake trailhead?

I bought a pair of LS Trango S EVO's this spring. I used then on a climb up Observation Rock on Memorial Day weekend. The trip was mostly over snow. My feet were soaked after about two hours of wet snow. (I wore gaiters, of course.) It seems to me that these boots will be great hiking/off trail boots, so I'm not taking them back at this point. But the advertising is absolutely NOT accurate. Additionally, I LOVE my Nepal Extremes! They are the driest, best summer mountaineering boots I have ever worn! But again, La Sportiva's advertising claims these boots are for "High Altitude" climbing. I wore them on a winter climb up Leuthold a couple years ago and lost sensation in two toes for over a month! LaSportiva. Great boots! Bold claims.

Hmmm....Sport climbers vs geocachers. Who can heap the most garbage upon the alpine landscape? That would be a tough call!

I believe I know the post you are talking about...a [TR], actually...and I see it has since been "modified". When I read the report a couple weeks ago, my first thoughts were "why the hell is an NPS ranger carrying on with this type of activity in an environment where his/her services might be needed urgently to possibly help save a life? I hope MG sees/checks into this shit." My second thought was "how the hell could the poster of the [TR] be so s-t-u-p-i-d that he would post such a thing here?" In any event, I'm glad the Fed's took it seriously regardless of how they came about the info. Frankly, if the original report is true, I hope they FIRED that ranger's ass!! If the report was untrue, then said ranger should SUE the climber for slander and the poster of that TR should be BANNED from MRNP for a certain legnth of time.

Geocaching: an excuse to litter our local mountains with worthless garbage. A hobby for those unable to mentally or physically process the demands of orienteering. I still like my Garmin Legend. The price has come down with the advent of the newer Geko line. "Magnetic compass" feature on the higher priced units: absolutely worthless, pointless, redundant. If you really need to know which direction and feature is, take two steps toward it and let your unit re-orient. Or use the old-school Silva you should have with you anyhow! I agree with the person who likes the basic Garmin e-trex. The battery life is far superior to 'better' models. Battery Life above all else. .02

For a minute I thought you were going to tell us that you lowered a rappel-ready double rope to him and he grabbed only one strand!

Nice summit! Did you come down the same way, or follow the Terrible Traverse? Post some pics! Nice chance-meeting you at the Tacoma REI. We'll have to get together soon for some Olympic Mountain epic.

My solution: Prosecute those who commit perjory under oath. Does anyone come to mind??

SMC ovals with colored marking tape.

If you've ever climbed the Wy'East chimney in very soft-snow conditions then you'll understand there is a moderate pucker-factor involved in being only about 150 feet above a near-vertical drop while on a 50 degree slope. (aka, The Black Spider) I suspect this is the deal here...but maybe not?

Carry this up Mount Si three times per week, then ask your seven summit guide to help you out with it.

Check my library card! Read my comments here on this board! I don't care. ...but if you are here to take away my home....I'm going to defend it violently.

"The Rehnquist court"?? Nice try, cj. But the idealogical divisions were clear here, and each justice had exactly one vote. True colors revealed. This entire thread clearly demonstrates the obfuscation, excuses, and dodges so common on your side of the political fence. Why not just say it? "My liberal justices got it wrong. This is an outrage brought on by judicial activist liberals who promote a 'living, breathing' constitution." C'mon, cj! I'll show you! ... "My Republican friends are wrong about flag burning! It is a constitutionally protected right." See? It's easy!

Liberal justices; Breyer, Ginsberg, Stevens, Souter all sided with government's right to sieze private homes to generate more tax $$$. Conservative justices; Scalia, Thomas, Renquist, O'Connor all sided with the citizen's right to keep their homes. It doesn't get any clearer to me. Liberals = big, intrusive government and fewer personal rights. 'Progressive' means a new WalMart or high-rise condo where my home used to be.

....because you have no compelling retort to my post and it's easier to just throw a tantrum? Because you know I'm right. (again)

WHY ARE YOU SHOUTING, SHITSACK?

Liberal justices; Breyer, Ginsberg, Stevens, Souter all sided with government's right to sieze private homes to generate more tax $$$. Conservative justices; Scalia, Thomas, Renquist, O'Connor all sided with the citizen's right to keep their homes. It doesn't get any clearer to me. Liberals = big, intrusive government and fewer personal rights. 'Progressive' means a new WalMart or high-rise condo where my home used to be.

I can't believe this! The beginning of the end for our free nation. The darkest supreme court ruling issued in my lifetime. (...and yes, this is the reason we need to replace any liberal supreme court retirees with strict constructionists.) Attention farm owners, elderly homeowners with views, churches, or anyone who doesn't "produce" enough tax revenue for a municipality.....WALMART can now buy your local politician outright. Emminent Domain for public projects I can understand, but condemnation of private property with the goal of transferring it to developers is an outrage. And from what I understand, they need only pay assessed value, which is almost always far below market value - insult to injury. ...I would like to apologize in advance to local law enforcement saddled with the implementation of this ruling. I will morally support a homeowner's right to defend their land from this affront to freedom in all cases.

I have a golden eagle pass, but I don't know how I am supposed to display it at NWFP required locations. The NP/GE pass is a wallet card - am I just supposed to leave it on the dashboard? Anybody know? I purchased my golden eagle pass and put it on my dashboard with the holographic logo facing upward as instructed. The damn card melted and curled up along the edges!! What's more, I saved the receipt and the ink has faded beyond recognition. I can almost guarentee you that I wasted $65....the local USFS yahoos certainly won't recognize the validity of this card (melted, or not) and will proceed to issue their citation. In retrospect, I should have just purchased my NP pass and USFS Trailpark annual pass seperately.