Fairweather

Substitute Christianity with [/i]western liberalism[/i]. Does the outcome of your equation change? By your twisted logic we should abolish all social programs and medical assistance in Africa and right here in our own country...after all, those people we are helping might just be encouraged to reproduce at a higher rate! Better to let the present generation die off than propagate the suffering of future generations?? WTF are you saying? Blame the Christians! Blame the Jews! It is a common theme among modern liberals and communists, and your prose sounds alarmingly familiar.

True, but it is Kerry who has made his military service a huge part of his campaign. He offered it up as a leadership qualifier. He had to know it would be questioned. Especially when you look at his behavior when he returned home.

Story is dated July 23, so the swift boat balance is missing. Reuters is the polar opposite of FOX. Left-biased. This story just demonstrates that the Kerry camp began this whole debate by sending their attack apparatus to question Bush's guard service long before his own service was questioned. How do you disprove a negative? There are actual witnesses in the swift boat debate. Decorated veterans, no less! And the Kerry camp is the team that continues to "clarify" and backpedal ie Christmas in Cambodia, etc! How is it that Bush is somehow connected to this group? Michael Moore was given the royal treatment at the Democratic National Convention as I recall....but that's not an issue, I guess? Has Kerry disavowed Farenheit 9/11? No! He invited the guy to the party! And George Soros giving 15 million in both soft and hard $$$ is okay? Is he even an American citizen?...and is that legal re $$$ donations? What's ironic here is that the more Kerry squirms, the more free air-time these ads get on the national media. The guy's so stupid, he's diggin' his own hole! All he has to do is STFU. On another note; the title that johndavidjr chose for this thread is "swift boat swine". I would remind him that the members of this organization are likely sincere, and are all combat veterans themselves. Many are more decorated than Kerry himself. To refer to them as swine just provides us with a clear example of the love we so often see flowing from the left.

When I want real debate, I just talk to CrazyJZ.

Oh please, Will. The Kerry website? Those are only documents he has chosen to display. Again; why won't he release his complete military service records to the public? Why is the Kerry Campaign now filing a complaint with the FEC about the Swift Boat Ads? What a fucking crybaby! Lawsuit time!....That's what the Dem's do best! After the shit that Bush has put up with silently ala Michael Moore, dozens of outrageous books, moveon.org Nazi ads, slander about his guard service...and not like John Kerry. Once again we see how liberals respond to free speech they don't like....

Why won't Kerry release his military service records?

Here's a picture I took on a one day climb a couple years ago... looking down the standard route from the summit at my brother. Other than the first couple of moves starting up from the ledge, which are very exposed, it is mostly 3rd/4th. If you down climb to a platform just below the top, I think one rope will work for the rappel, but we used two so I can't say for sure.

Reminds me of Tre Arrow, enviro-terrorist who is awaiting extradition to the USA while in a BC prison. He is filing a lawsuit because he is unhappy with the cooked food that the prison menu offers. Apparently he has gone from 140 lbs, down to 85 lbs! He too cites his "religion" as the basis for required special treatment. Prisoners these days!

cj, Nice picture. Some Mount Olympus trivia: The glacier near the base of the icefalls in that photo is over 1100' deep! Source: UW glaciologist who was manning the IGY hut below Panic Peak in 1981. Those guys used to give free Kool-Aid to climbers...along with some good mountain trivia!

One answer at a time, quid pro quo: Kosovo. Wasn't even remotely in our national interest. Ruined the post-cold war goodwill we had with the Russians. Again, the hypocricy of the left who thought it was either a.) a noble idea, or b.) sat silently by because they liked Clinton. These are the same people (you excepted, apparently) who now claim anti-war status. Where were they then? Perhaps you can now tell me how you reconcile your desire for big-government health care with your mistrust of that same government? BTW, your contrition re: TPA is appreciated. Please forward your findings to Off-White. He was a bit upset last night. Certainly the existing legislation presses up against my tolerances. I'll likely join you opposed to Patriot Act II if it ever comes to fruition.

Really? I don't see it. Feel free to find it for me. Section 213 comes close, but only extends previously existing powers by authorizing the delay of notification...not to the courts, but to the suspect. A warrant must still be issued as I read it. Here's the text of the act: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=107_cong_public_laws&docid=f:publ056.107.pdf Are you sure you're not just swallowing the hysteria? Anyway, you're a lawyer....show me.

Just trying to lighten things up, but to no avail apparently. Groveling? Hardly.

Which Olympus? If it is the Epic Stylus with the 2.8 lens you'll get great slides in the morning and evening light with fuji 50 or 100, but all of your bright snow/afternoon shots will likely be horribly underexposed as there is no manual exposure override. If it has a spotmeter (later models) you can somewhat compensate by spotting on your subject's face and recomposing with the shutter button partially depressed. As for the scanning, I'm not sure how the quality is with those Costco machines. I'm not even sure if Costco will scan slides, but you can't beat the color. If you just want something to look at on your monitor, just take prints and scan them on your flatbed scanner. The file sizes will be reasonable and will load fast for slide shows.

Whereas you took a perfectly good brain and ruined it with illicit substances. Maybe you would like to discuss this beneath a big ol' serac band?

How can you claim I avoided any of your points when I addressed them ala j_b/MtnGoat style point-by-point? You're really out there pal. Your politics certainly qualify you for girlie-man status per the original post's premise, but your many years of hard-man-ed-ness climbing far supercedes this label. You, sir, are no girlie man. BTW; I'll just bet I could kick Krugman's ass in short order....and Maureen Dowd's too!

Just a mattp sampler from above.... Thanks for your well thought out replies, matt. You really know how to back up what you spew with facts and ideas.

Darwinism at its finest. Enjoy your sleep.

Actually, I think it was KerryCo that started the whole Bush/National Guard thing...remember? Again, where were they when Clinton was running? His actions/lack thereof,re Vietnam were certainly sleazier than your perception of Bush's. Actually, The "Swift Boat Veterans" are one of those pesky 527C's that Democrats have used for so long to handle their dirty work, like Moveon.org, NARAL, etc Great! Sounds like you just made my case for the liberal media! Guess they just weren't interested in covering the Bill Clinton horror show. Really? Tell that to Captain Steve Grady! All of our allies? Frankly, all we did was ruin the goodwill we had established with new allies in The Russian Federation by attacking their traditional Serb allies. And don't forget; your precious UN did not approve of our actions there. Only you can answer this. There are many of your political persuasion that do, however. I don't believe GWB has taken much action on welfare beyond the reform act that Clinton signed into law. As for Social Security, I generally do not support his privatization scheme, and I don't think it will ever see the light of day. Oh, please! this is just pure paranoia. Please provide examples....and spare me his Church-Charity initiative. This doesn't even come close to government sponsorsip of one specific religion over another. So you don't agree with his new diesel-sulphur emmission standards or his arsenic standards that sre even stricter than those proposed by Clinton? I though it was Reagan that started this "progressive" rollback!...and John F Kennedy before that! If, by progressive, you mean a 70% top marginal rate that crushes innovation and venture catital, I guess you're right. Other than the Joseph Pedilla case, which the supreme court rightly threw out, I just don't see it! This is utter bullshit. The only talk I ever hear about limiting press freedom comes from the left ala trying to restrict FOX, Talk Radio, Speech Codes on university campuses, etc. so we had to go to war in Kosovo, Panama, Grenada, WWI, ? For that matter, why did we go to war with Germany in 1941?! By your logic, they didn't attack us so we should have just left them alone?? Wasn't it you that told me we had no right to go into Afghanistan? If this wasn't a case of justifiable use of force, I don't know what travesty would shake you out of your world. No, Matt, they just stand in the way of your socially 'progressive' adgenda....so you hate them. Believe it or not, a large portion of our nation doesn't want the world you envision. Wooo! We'd better watch out! You're now armed with more liberal biased shitpages! Paul Krugman is a girlie man who wears eye-liner. A male version of Maureen Dowd...a real lightweight when compared to guys like Thomas Friedman, William Saphire, etc. Matt, I've done you the courtesy of a detailed reply. If only you could one day reciprocate, and not ignore the major points of those who argue against you.

And yet lefties like you are ready to stand in line like sheep for big government, single-payer, universal health care. I'm sure the information gleaned by the feds' about you on cc.com is much more personal than your entire life's health history. And I'm sure they wouldn't dare use such information to deny you government employment or entitlements...

It's been a long time coming OW, but fuck off. I've never claimed to be anything other than partisan and about 90% Republican. And frankly, you're the one who lives in a state of denial regarding your beliefs and affiliations. Given the tenor of your reply, I would suggest that you're simply frustrated you can't defend your position with facts/examples rather than simple raw emotion. Geeez, they sure gave your brain a good scrubbin' down there at TESC!

Let me know if you're ever interested in a combo ride/hike/climb up there. (Overcoat Peak NE snowfinger is on my list) Who knows, maybe we could talk some sense into each other.

And still, no one has answered my question with any specifics or personal encounters with The Patriot Act. So I must eventually conclude that which individuals like GregW and I are often accused of..... You're all more than just a little paranoid. I suspect if your guy, John F Kerry, finds himself in The White House next year (not likely) you'll all start changing your tune about TPA and return to calling those who oppose it from the right paranoid....just as you all sat silently by while Janet Reno burned a bunch of religious kooks to death in Waco Texas. ....I'm still waiting for examples....

You were subject to searches at airports prior to the enactment of The Patriot Act. So I'll ask you again..... Just so I know, tell me exactly how The Patriot Act has effected YOU as an American citizen. What freedoms have you thus far sacrificed that you possessed prior to the onslaught of this nazi scourge?

Ah yes! The NAZI boogieman and The Patriot Act (that passed the senate...lets's see.....99-to-ZERO?). Of course, Mr. Thompson, you must realize that when you start throwin' that nazi shit around, you become just another wack-job nut case. Just so I know, tell me exactly how The Patriot Act has effected YOU as an American citizen. What freedoms have you thus far sacrificed that you possessed prior to the onslaught of this nazi scourge?

Dave, While your intentions are noble, I must remind you that your group just spent a considerable amount of time and effort working on a trail that won't see much traffic once the Middle Fork Road is closed next year. Believe it or not, many people won't want to hike 8 miles of abandoned road to get to their favorite trailhead. (Nor will they want to share The Middle Fork Trail on the opposite side of the river with mountain bikes!) ...And one of the biggest proponents of that closure was.... the WTA and your good buddy Bill S. Sounds like a fun trip, regardless. And at least you got your free USFS parking pass good for one year!