ivan

you seem to precede with the idea that the many states were born out of the federal government when it was exactly the opposite - the original 13 states decided to throw their lot in with each other and form an entity called the united states - they did this despite the monstrous misgivings of many whom had made the revolution possible (like patrick henry), who held the most extreme version of a view that was widely held to a lesser extent, that each state was entirely soveriegn and independent of the others (essentially each state was it's own country) and that that soveriegnity would be too abused by a strong union (the result being that our first written goverment, the articles of confederation, were so poor the whole thing was redone - a fate that the current constitution does in fact still allow, since in theory we could always make an amendment completly negating everything else before it and instituting a monarchy) the 13 sovereign states agreed to a union between them anyway, but nowhere on the "dotted line" did it say they were giving away their independence, a premise so specutacular that to take it away you need somehting more than just implication - the preamble sums up why the states were agreeing to a common government - military protection and economic well-being probably the two must important, both of which were being threatened, southern states felt, by the republican adminstration (which also violated the article 4, sect 3 excerpt from above by allowing for the creation of west virginia out of soveriegn virginian territory) secession is legal - i feel no need to fight a civil war all over again to secure the right though - i had plenty of relatives killed on both sides last time

put on some weight and grow a beard! if my wife doesn't head back to work soon i'll be doing the same thing don't forget to finish the 40 BEFORE your shift

wow

perhaps b/c chix then knew they'd likely get their teeth kicked in if they tried to split as mentioned though, in the english speaking world divorce as a matter of politics had been established as early as henry the fat-guy, quite a few centuries earlier

please explain why the marriage analogy is ludricious too - debates work better when they go beyond merely insulting the argument 13 states decided to get married in the late 19th century - a little more than a half century later many of those states realized they had developed irreconciable differences with the others and wished to terminate their civil union only to be confronted by a rather homely man, albeit a good soul (and certainly it hurts to argue on behalf of mother-fuckers, but that's my heritage), who cast himself much as the pope of the reformation, hell-bent on dealing death to those who would divorce (jeff davis as henry 8.0 makes me chuckle too - i forget which pope lincoln gets to be)

re: constitutionality of secession - what bullshit! of course states should be able to secede - secession is not specifically denied, nor the feds specifically empowered to prevent secession, so according to the 10th amendment the right to secede remains w/ the states and the people. a more comprehensible metaphor: consider marriage, a union between two folks (gay or otherwise )- do we think divorce should be illegal? should a man be able to beat the crap out of his wife if she tries to dissolve the relationship when that relationship has evolved to the point that it no longer is in her interests? how is the marriage of states any different? similiar mechanisms should have been used in 1861 to what would happen in a divorce court today i.e. a spelling out of continuing obligations (child support) and agreement of divying up marital assets. i must admit though that without that unjust war and it's historical outcome the 20th century would have turned out far different, and likely much worse - i recommend harry turtledove's series of "what-if" books that explore an alternative historical timeline where the south had won independence, then sided w/ the central powers in world war 1.

i hate skiiers! mostly 'cuz i'm a mean man and jealous that i have no balance nor grew up in a place where learning to ski was an option. i throw my poo on your ski-tracks! ha!

is any route w/ snowshoes on desirable? the closest i got to getting killed last winter was taking my big brother out on snowshoes for his first volcano experience (he's a damn Easterner) - walked around timberline on hood w/ him and was so engrossed in a story of family drama he was spinning i didn't notice the cornice i'd tap-danced onto 'til it exploded under me, allowing me to ride a sweat-o avalanche down a gully for a few hundred feet - yeah! that'll convince my brother my jackass lifestyle is safe! don't know the status of the road, but perhaps you could slow-shoe up to cascade pass?

as in desiring "longsumne lof?" certainly! hope married life's treat'n ya well dan-o!

don't think that was directed at me, but i love climbing at smith, though i like the trad lines more than the sport stuff (mostly 'cuz i'm a real shitty technical climber and there's no better place to be confronted by that than on sport routes) bolts have their place in the world, IMHO - some of my favorite lines, like young warriors at beacon, are mixtures of both trad and sport

bottom line - sounds like skipping the gendarme is your best bet for sucess (and for avoding frustration) - reckon you'll be happier returning to get the gendarmes and failing repeatedly after having at least completed the vast majority of the route in the past.

i don't have any problem w/ pope democracy = voicing your opinion and encouraging others to join you good democracy = encouraging that participation in a non-violent fashion (like boycotting shit you disagree with)

never been beyond the first gendarme as that's where the conditions are most important - it's a short step but each time i've been there the rime was like cotton candy - you'dhave to weigh about 15 lbs to get up it then i think mike told me marcus donaldson's done it

Ivan quotes from Lord of the rings too much. I cant understand what he is saying. maybe you're confusing LOTR w/ Beowulf? "for every one of us, living in this world means waiting for our end - let he who can achieve glory before death - when a warrior is gone that will be his best and only bulwark."

nobody's ever topped milosh - i loved that guy - "everyday am i training to be worlds great climber!"

i like how w/ the proper angle there's no bounce - just embedded penguin goodness

oleg and pete did something round the hog's back area - they're too cranky and too russian to spray about so noble a feat though

hey! thanks to the good folk at kaiser permanente i got mine for a mere 5$ co-pay

not to mention upside down w/ his mistress

not the murderhorn?

i'm not able to think both bush and chavez are shitheads?

reaaaal nice to have for dry-tool'n too - though i'm kinda attached to the neat adze scar in me forehead these days

: :lmao:

smiff - mines of moria - wierd name, apt description

you mean pink's NOT kevbone?!?