Fairweather

I propose that Matt sell his Audi A4 and donate the proceeds to Wa State DOT. This will not only take his very expensive vehicle off of our roads, it will help line the pockets of state bureaucrats and provide badly needed money for more "studies" and "blue ribbon commissions". After he has done this, he can then lecture us all about how "good we'all got it" with a straight face, er' keyboard, and continue to talk his way around the fair questions being asked by me and others.

...and these are the same enlightened Seattle folks that keep sendin' "Baghdad-Jim McDermot" to represent them in DC. Go figure. A lot of Streisand liberals in Seattle...

Last I read, the richest 10% pay over 60% of federal income tax collections. Do you really think a FLAT TAX would make middle-class taxes go DOWN? I don't even need my calculator to figure that one out. Seems to me the current tax system is "progressive" enough!

I 776 was a bad idea. It will be thrown out in court as taxpayers have already committed to the Sound Transit bonds. (Even though taxpayers were originally LIED to by light rail proponents.) Just a clearification here....I-695 was struck down by the Wa State Supreme Court. The liscense tab reduction was enacted into law by THE LEGISLATURE and signed by Gov. Gary Locke, Democrat. My property taxes have gone from $750 to $2600 in 13 years. Where did that money go? This is well above the inflation rate. Did the state government just use it to "grow" itself and buy new state vehicles? Did they "redistribute" it to those "less fortunate"? I'm not seeing better state services. They sure didn't use it to give teachers a raise. Where did it go? Please Mr Big Government! Educate me so I'll be happy to give YOU more of my money and not spend it on another(Matt) Audi A4.

If we (USA) had a known terrorist/enemy combatant in custody and could prevent another 9/11 by learning what this individual had to say....even if that meant torturing the bastard....then yes, I say a necessary evil in rare situations. (Even liberal Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz [sp] agrees)

E-Rock, Upon reviewing the thread......My apologies. I have revised the offending post. Brian

I'm glad to see that J-B is equally outraged re the occupation of Lebanon by the Syrians. Like America, Israel has a form of government that tolerates internal dissent. They are the only democracy in the region. We share common values much more so than with the Arab world. Israel is a friend of the USA. You stand by your friends. ...A difficult concept for some here, apparently. I suspect that even if Israel pulled it's settlements out of the West Bank, and moved their capital back to Tel Aviv tomorrow, they would continue to be the target of ongoing terrorist attacks. I suspect that folks like J-B would continue their anti-Israel tyrades. [ 11-12-2002, 09:58 PM: Message edited by: Fairweather ]

My wife's old Toyota Camry wagon was 10x smoother on FS roads than my current Toyota T100 (2wd) pickup truck is. Just sucked up the bumps/washboards. I too have given serious consideration to going back to a car. I've thought about a Jetta Wagon. As much as I like those Subaru Foresters, I could never bring myself to drive a symbol of the environmental elite. How about those "mini-SUV's" like Toyota RAV-4 or Honda CRV?

Feelings......nothing more than feelings....la la la la la la....Democrats.....

As Above, PURE POLITICS...NOTHING TO DO WITH CLIMBING: Nancy Pilosi will likely take over for Gephart thereby taking the Democrat Party even farther to the left at a time when the American public is trending center/slightly right-of-center. While her appointment as house minority leader is sure to make some of the lefties here on CC.Com happy, it will bring even more moderates into the Republican camp. There is even talk of one or two Democratic defections in the house. Things are looking good for Republicans long-term. (I'll bet Mondale is breathing a BIG sigh of relief today. Being in the senate minority wasn't part of the deal they promised him.) I suspect Democrats will be even more nasty and vitriolic than they usually are during the next two years. As for Washington State: Democrats have brought us the highest unemployment in the nation, driven Boeing to Chicago, and done NOTHING for education. Thanks. I-51 was a JOKE...Never had a chance. I-776 will be ruled unconstitutional, but it gave the people of WA a chance to vent their frustration with Sound Transit's $5,000-an-inch light rail and their constant scheming and deceit. [ 11-06-2002, 10:51 PM: Message edited by: Fairweather ]

Stefan, I have read your trip reports here and on the old WTA website over the years. They have always been very inspirational. (Especially your Olympic Mountain trips.) Here's wishing you a speedy and complete recovery! Brian

quote: Originally posted by carolyn: quote:Originally posted by Greg W: Goes without saying, bro. Way I heard it Wellstone's challenger was giving him a run for his money. It was close, but he was pulling ahead (wellstone, that is) and most likely would have won. Its been really sad and crazy around here with everything going on...the memorial service, media, mondale, absentee ballots... our lovely governor! Should make for an interesting election day! And DFA's conspiracy theory?!?! Dont think the thought hasnt been passed around over here...again...and again...and again! I lean more toward pilot error myself. Still, the weather wasnt that bad...kind of strange. Cant blame one to wonder otherwise! "Memorial Service"? More like a deceitful way to get 3 hours of free local airtime for a political rally. No shame, Democrats. Looks like Jesse will get the last laugh though....

Since shooting at "unoccupied" cars seems to be a favorite redneck pastime, I would carry a hand written, cardboard sign to put in my car window at night, that reads: "VEHICLE OCCUPIED". If these idiots knew your vehicle was occupied, this elevates them "murderer" status. This was no small crime. Fucking idiots! Additionally, I would dispense with any left-leaning political bumperstickers. Just as it is unwise for me to park on a university campus, or on a Freemont street with a pro-Republican bumpersticker, it is equally unwise to pass through some hillbilly towns with "Maria Cantwell" or "visualize world peace" prominently displayed on a vehicle. (although I'm not sure why they would be so offended by "Petzyl") In spite of my strong political beliefs, I never put political bumperstickers on my car. I travel this side of MRNP alot, and have never had any problems. Indeed, Carbonado is probably a lot more "left leaning" than you think. Ditto Wilkeson and Enumclaw. Perhaps it is that little settlement down on the Carbon River just below the spot where Mowich Road forks off??? Regardless, this is "gun country" and there are bad people everywhere. Arm yourselves! [ 11-03-2002, 09:08 PM: Message edited by: Fairweather ]

1986 FJ-60 Toyota Landcruiser. Unfortunately, I sold it years ago for a T-100 2WD pickup. I miss it terribly. Better gas milage now, though.

Thanks! Great story. Starcher and Truitt were participants on Rusk's Castle climb in 1921. They were guided to the true summit, through the fog, by the sound of hammers building the new summit lookout. I think of this point in time when I run my hand along the cold, desiccated timbers as they now rest atop Mount Adams. I believe they also carried Rusk's ashes to the top of The Castle a few years later. (Via a traverse from Piker's Peak?) I didn't realize however, that they were such "hard men".

quote: Originally posted by mattp: quote:Originally posted by Fairweather: "If you torture the data long enough, it will tell you what you want to hear." That is true, but you didn't raise this argument last week, when GregW stated that crime increased when they banned guns in Australia and in England. The issue is more complex within the US where individual states can write their own gun laws to a large degree. My "data torture" comment was intended to cut both ways, my own beliefs aside.

quote: Originally posted by AlpineK: Isn't the 2nd amendment more open to interpretation than the first. I mean does having an armed militia mean that everyone has the right to own a gun. I think the 1st amendment is a lot clearer. I disagree. Indeed, liberals have successfully twisted the First Amendment.... "Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the excercise thereof:....." Now we have those who believe "separation of church and state" is written in the constitution. Liberals have denied countless individuals the right to freely excercise their religion(s) in public places by twisting the First Amendment. Why should I trust them to interpret the Second Amendment?

"If you torture the data long enough, it will tell you what you want to hear." Statistics that present are true, valid, unbiased picture of this debate are probably unobtainable. The debate is too polarized. I say, when in doubt look it up in the Bill of Rights. How amazing that among the most vocal defenders of amendment #1, are the same who would throw out #2. Just more liberal hypocricy. [ 11-01-2002, 09:00 PM: Message edited by: Fairweather ]

One consideration that often gets overlooked is ergonomics. The Nikon 5000 is easier to use with a gloved/one hand. I love Nikon grips. You can also buy a little rubber sheild to put over the screen on sunny days. I recently perchased a Minolta Dimage F100 4mp camera. It takes great pictures ana I love the choice of AA lithium or Nimh rechargeables. I also love the little SD cards. Weighs 6oz. Paid $499. A smaller camera is easier to keep warm beneath a parka. Still, I would have bought the Nikon 5000 but for the price.

quote: Originally posted by Terminal Gravity: Thanks all...Good Info. I am heading to Vera Cruz, Oaxaca, the beaches west of Puerto Angel and ( of course ) Orizaba. One question. Why not drive at Night. I have heard this so many times; but never why. Is it the potholes and stray livestock or is it more serious? I have driven plenty in Baja (even at night) and didn't have any real problems but I have never driven in the interior. Are you planning a side-trip up Orizaba en route to Veracruz by chance? "Family vacations" with ulterior climbing motives sewn in are one of my specialties. I'll be down there in late January. I'll be flying.

Nice trip! Glad to hear the Hamma Hamma road is finally fixed. Makes me feel like I'm getting something for my trail-park $$$$. We did Cruiser from Flapjack Lks last year. A very memorable climb in the fog. That first move up the face is kinda scary until you see that bolt just above.

quote: Originally posted by E-rock: RobBob, since you are polling us for an opinion and this is something I feel very strongly about (and Caveman bullied me into responding with childish insults ), I'm going to speak my mind. I'll go much farther than to say that snowmobiles (and jetskis) should be banned from NP's, I think they should be restricted to a very finite number of specified locations where they are separated from all other forms of winter (and summer) recreation. I believe that people who partake in the use of snowmobiles and jetskis have no sense of aethetics and no reverence for the natural environment. Over the years I have had my altercations with 'bilers in the backcountry. My opinion is that they are generally a bunch of drunken, ape-draped, homophobic, brutes who feel empowered by their gas-burning toys and feel a need to overcompensate for their masculine insecurities. I think the practice of high-marking is destructive to the human spirit and our respect for the mountains. The high marking of high, steep slopes is done with such ease and speed that several sleds can track out an enormous mountainside in a matter of minutes. Because this act is so easy to commit, it makes the mountains feel smaller than they really are. It inflates the human reference frame to the point where we can view ourselves to be as significant as the mountains themselves, which on geologic and spatial scales is not true. I remember once talking a group of 'bilers out of beating me and my friend to a pulp, because my bigmouthed friend was yelling off the ridge at them. They believed that they had more of a right to be in the mountains than us because they "payed taxes on their sleds". These are the sorts of people who ride snowmobiles. They are the same people who bitch and complain that the governent taxes them against their will, then contend that their taxes have bought them priviledges (rights even!). The snowmobiler is a particularly odd sort of redneck, he (and I say HE because you see very few female high-markers/recreational sledders) comes from the city with his money, his gas burning toys, and his irreverence. He pollutes the land with noise and fumes, pisses off the locals, frightens the wildlife, and then goes home to his life of societal insecurities. The reason I was reluctant to post this is that many people on this site may use snowmobiles themselves for approaches. My opinion is biased against this for two reasons: I cut my backcountry teeth in a place where access was easy and snowmobiles were unrequired, and I choose not to access those places where a snowmobile would be necessary. Perhaps I would feel less strongly about snowmobiles as access vehicles if the four stroke engine was readily marketed. I think the two-stroke engine is a disgusting, wasteful excuse for engineering. Furthermore, I'm reluctant to say these things because: 1. I criticize backcountry snowmobilers for claiming their 'right' to recreate supercedes mine, while... 2. At the same time I contend to have 'more' of a right to visit the mountains in unmotorized peace. I am unable to reconcile this paradox in my own mind and fall back on the philosophical aspects of my opinion as expressed above. E Rock Sounds to me like you and your friend were the ones who were the instigators and got the confrontation you likely deserved with the 'bilers. Your attitude is selfish, arrogant, and slightly effeminate. Do you live in Seattle, drive a Subaru, tele-ski, or have a government job by chance? ...just responding to your stereotypical aspersions. [ 10-29-2002, 10:32 PM: Message edited by: Fairweather ]

One of my favorites... "Some scientists claim that hydrogen, because it is so plentiful, is the basic building block of the universe. I dispute that. I say that there is plenty more stupidity than hydrogen, and that is the basic building block of the universe." ---Frank Zappa

Any sign of artifacts that have melted their way through from the surface snows of the crater such as old axes, climbing gear, airplanes, etc.? Is there any danger, while sleeping inside the caves, of hydrogen sulphide, or other gas displacing the oxygen you would require....in order to wake up? ie: is there any history of "burps" that would be a problem for a cave explorer/visitor? I've been to the summit 15 times over the past 20 years, and have yet to set foot inside a steam cave. [ 10-07-2002, 09:42 PM: Message edited by: Fairweather ]