sexual_chocolate

Cheney might say he never MET Edwards, which is different than SEEING him?!?!? And with the coalition losses: If you think of the "Iraqi" military as being a part of the coalition (perhaps a bit disingenius), then indeed the US casualty percentage goes way down. nice spin though, huh? WRT gay marriage: I'd think, considering their background, that both Bush and Cheney aren't too hip to the idea of gay marriage simply due to ideology and acculturation, not simply because of politics.

Does your anger towards Bush ever change to pity? What's hard for me is not being able to see the candidates as human, and I suppose that's from the distrust that's almost inherent in politics. I'm sincerely saddened by this. I'm saddened because I know that Bush is human, and feels and thinks, and has similar motivations and problems and neuroses as I do. My New Third Quarter Resolution: I will not hate Bush. I will create space in my heart for Bush. I will even say a prayer for Bush, NOT to win the presidency, by God, but that he too shall know peace and ease and well-being and comfort.

I too am surprised by the media poll numbers, not because I don't think Edwards trounced Cheney, but because I didn't think most others would have seen it that way. Cheney's strategy seemed similar to Bush's, which was to repeat certain sound-bites over and over (Kerry is a flip-flopper, WE are principled and will not waiver); of course, this is a tactic that's similar to the Kerry/Edwards camp, but they have more substance to work with (such is the case when you have an administration that has presided over the country during the time of a recession, started an unpopular war, created record deficits, dismantled environmental protections, withdrawn from international treaties, began development of nuclear weapons, given unpopular tax cuts to the wealthy, supported dictatorships, trounced the constitution, etc.). But on other crucial issues, both partied are the same: 1. pro death penalty 2. unquestioned support for Israel 3. massive military spending 4. pro NAFTA, WTO, world bank, IMF (as in "unflinching capitalists) 5. betrothed to major corporations

I think Edwards was an excellent choice.

With your George Bush comparison, keep in mind that he had no popular support; there is plenty of popular support against bolting cracks, chipping holds, and plastic bolt-ons. But, since you talk about the values of the "other side", maybe you can expand on this theme? Can you let us know what the values are?

Let debate!

Hey, I'm taking my time with this one. I don't want to rush to any judgments about any of the candidates. I think Bush makes some good points, and I really like Cheney quite a bit. Sometimes they seem a little unliked and unpopular (especially here!), but I'm willing to wait until the debates are over (cuz that's where you really get to know the candidates).

But I like Cheney! Although I disagree with many things he says and believes in....

Edwards has also continued to address directly the flip-flop charge, I think negating its efficacy.

But, much subterfuge occurs; I have to say though that I don't like Edwards' style. It's a bit slimy, and the way he mentioned Cheney's gay daughter: something about it rang a bit weird. he did slam Cheney with Halliburton, I thought, along with the Nelson Mandela comment, among others.

I think cracked has established a record on cc.com as a rather intellectually challenged crack-pot, so don't hold it against him.

Ummm, eight inches?

Oh, I forgot something:

ahh shit dog! After 9 years, that's all ya got? Are you fat? Or perhaps....Polish?

And since you've lived there for 9 whole years, and you've got such a badass attitude, I bet you've climbed some pretty hard ones, right?

You have been misled... smith grades are fluffier than the down coats worn by the grade inflators themselves (aka sportos) btw, what's your hardest route rp and os at smith (for you)? calling your shit wanker. you talk big, but i think you are talking out of your ass. and what hard routes have you done there. Alright bigboy, care to share your harder sends also? Only since you challenged someone else, of course....

What does the fact that the Grasslands is free have to do with one's "right" to make noise? Some of you have the attitude that if one wants peace and quiet, they better shell out the bucks for a hotel room, cuz public land's been usurped by the lowest common denominator, and that lowest common denominator has the right to paaaarteeeeee. I call bullshit on that. If y'all can't respect people's needs for a little peace and quiet, what's gonna happen is that the cops are gonna get tired of responding to shit out there, and some outfit like Thousand Trails will get contracted to run the place: fantastic, huh? If ya gotta have yer keggers and shit, make it more special by taking it out into the boonies....there's a helluvalotta space out there for partyin', boyz! And as far as Ryland goes, I'd wager his party was nowhere near as quiet as he claims; a group of six around a keg can make an awful racket without even realizing it. plus, a few beers tends to make one pretty self-righteous, and that seems to be a tone in his posts: "Us? Making noise? She must be a bitch or something! Women!"

Yeah whatever. I'm glad you've figgered out the "best" solution. Congrats. Any reasonable voices ou there? How 'bout designating certain areas bolt-free? Any ideas?

What are you talking about?

ok, point taken. Next comes the hard part: deciding which places remain bolt-free! Any suggestions?

This is what bugs me about the whole bolting debate, labeled under the guise of "environmental impact". The thing about rocks is that they're already dead. So "defacing" them by placing bolts is the equivalent of stirring around a bunch of gravel. It is an aesthetic impact, which may be a potentially worthwile issue, but to call it an environmental impact, on the scale of destroying habitat, killing trees/birds/soil microorganisms etc., or pouring your engine oil into Lake Washington is overstating the case big time. Yes, there are many environmental impacts associated with rock climbing that are well-documented. Gardening cracks around here (whether done on the FA or over the years by subsequent climbers - it doesn't make a difference) ranks pretty high on the list, as does trampling ledges (nesting habitat), scrubbing faces (lichen, moss, often takes hundreds of years for them to establish, more in desert areas), and building approach trails. Simply increasing the number of people in an area, with their noise, piss, and smells, will keep a whole bunch of "wilderness-requiring" organisms well at bay (grizzlies, most weasels, etc.). So as for bolts, they are the symptom not the cause. If bolting a route brings crowds (which it certainly can), then obviously it will have a true environmental (ecological) impact. But if the area is already popular without said bolts, there will be no change whatsoever other than aesthetics (like DDD). You can argue the case on aesthetics alone, but that is only a the smallest part of what environmental impact is all about. A good example of what I'm getting at - Burgers and Fries (Squamish, trad cragging/toproping mecca) and the Substation/Write-off rock (Exit 38, sport cragging/toproping mecca) are basically equivalent in terms of environmental impact from climbers (although there are more trees alive at X38). The fact that there are tons of bolts at X38 and not at B&F doesn't change a thing other than from the point of view of aesthetics. Well said, although there are a couple of points I'd have to comment on: 1. Your comment on rocks being "dead" is highly speculative, since we as humanoids have hardly come to understand what constitutes "death", much less "life"; remember that just a few years ago, the earth was flat, humanoids couldn't fly, computers weighed...2....t..o...n...s......... 2. And Secondly!, considerations regarding bolting do not axiate simply on aesthetics; there are great differences in one's (my) approach to a climb that one (I) will be leading with minimal gear. If all of rock climbing was reduced to clipping bolts every four feet, my enjoyment of the climbing experience would be altered drastically (difficulty isn't the only thing I personally strive for). I wonder what some of you think of the gritstone ethic; don't you think it's pretty cool that there are places preserved for an approach such as this?

Isn't it like gettin' way brrrrrrr over there this time of year? Like snow and ice and things of that nature? Snowed on me in June once....

Why, the Lakeview Cafe, silly! Very mom-n-pop, with a decidedly multi-cultural feel. Awesome buttermilk pancakes, good bacon and coffee, with a waitress who looks like she just got out of a sauna (she drips sweat on your food; hey not too appealing maybe, but she sure works hard!). Located in beautiful down-town Rainier Beach, just a coupla minute walk from Beer Sheva park. (Ew, does she really drip sweat on my breakfast?)

Shit no, she went off and married Mark Lyon in 4th grade, leaving me crying for days and nights on end. Cold; I'd stay away from her.