Fairweather

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!

I always thought that journalists could use proper capitalization, punctuation, syntax, and actually spell!Can you find the errors and turn your paper back in tomorrow?...

Hmmmm. Now that is interesting.

Hey Everybody, We haven't said anything to anyone about this until now because we wanted to wait until things were final. We just purchased a one-bedroom condo near Hanalei Bay in Oahu, Hawaii, as an investment property and for our retirement. We finally closed today and thought you guys should know, in case anyone is interested in accommodations for an upcoming getaway to the Islands. It's available for weekends or on a weekly basis. For now, we will be handling bookings until we can find an agent. Weekends will cost about $100 for 3-nights and $250 for the week. These prices are for friends and family... And cc.com friends! Prices will be a bit different for people we don't know but can be discussed on an individual basis. In any case, it's a one-bedroom, and fold out sofa, high rise unit that overlooks the ocean, nestled among lush greens, and has a beautiful ocean view from every window! I have included a photo. Let me know if you're interested----------------- http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/plab/data/3003/869pic15865.jpg

Michael Moore has now responded to a complaint by an Illinois newspaper against his controversial film Fahrenheit 9/11. The Bloomington Pantagraph charged that Moore altered a headline reading, "Latest Florida recount shows Gore won election," to make it look like a front-page news headline, when it actually appeared over a letter to the editor. Far from denying the paper's accusation, a letter from Moore's lawyer insists that the filmmaker acted within his rights, and that the alteration, "was in no way detrimental" to the paper. Pantagraph President and Publisher Henry Bird called the letter, "baloney," and said he would continue to pursue the matter.

Matt, I remain totally confused over your failure to understand the hypocricy that I point out vis a vis those who continue to blindly support Democrats. Some folks here have a problem with GWB's military service record; fine. But these tend to be a lot of the same people who supported Clinton even though his service record is totally lacking. Do these-now Bush detractors really put a premium on military service? Many of them are pacifists who would be outraged by some of the actions John Kerry has admitted to taking part in while serving in Vietnam. Again, these aren't your typical military supporters. Where was their outrage at Clinton when our air force ripped open a convoy of Kosovar refugees killing dozens? Or when we destroyed a Belgrade bridge with a missile strike killing 19 on a commuter train? I follow these things closely, Matt, and I didn't hear the condemnation...then, or now. There was no American interest in Kosovo! This is why the left supported (or sat silently by) Clinton's big adventure. I believe that the vast majority of Kerry supporters are driven by their hatred of Republicans. Why is one war that was not supported by the UN, better than another? Because one was in our national interest, and one was not? This is where the self-loathing, anti-Americanism comes in to play, IMO. Additionally, they like the social welfare state that Kerry would likely try to impose versus Bush's Reaganesque economic ideas. Fine. But why all this pretending by the left regarding their interest in military service? Really! It just doesn't work. Again; why won't John Kerry, who has based much of his campaign on his military service, release his military service records? Why?

Are you serious? Maybe you were too young to remember...The rationale given by Clinton was the supposed massacre of "ten thousand ethnic Albanians" in the Kosovo region. This was later demonstrated to be patently false.

Now you're showing the true colors of the UN stooges you and your highbrow Democrat buddies have become.