Dr_Flash_Amazing

And that is why I study a disease that is ravaging all of Africa and other third world countries. NICE TRY DICKHEAD! So why the disconnect between what you study and what you profess politically? You said it yourself, in so many words, that torture is no big deal; didn't sound too concerned about innocent people being tortured. Your own words speak against you!

Irony ROCKS!

So, we should use the actions we decry and claim to stand against as a yardstick for how low our own country should sink? Nice justification.

Ah, sixty-year-old "news!" It does do a good job of demonstrating the pointlessness of violence and war, though; thanks for sharing!

To answer your second question first, yes. Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? Regarding torture and who gets tortured, two things: First, if we are going to condone torture, then we are in no position to complain when our own soldiers get the same treatment. Second, torturing innocent people (and not ensuring that the prisoners are actually criminals or terrorists) gives the U.S. no leg to stand on. You bring up Hussein as a direct comparison; it's a good one. Is the America you stand for a country that acts like the dictator it violently deposed? And, alas, your failure to see the value in human life beyond the borders of this country is the same sort of position that landed this country in this downward-spiraling vicious cycle of violence. Are our tactics effective when incidents of terrorism have multiplied since the U.S. began its "war on terror?" If this was a school program, its funding would have been cut long ago.

Yeah, you're right, the BBC is a pretty unreliable, lunatic fringe source of information. If you had actually read the link in question, you would see that they are quoting the US military's own reports. You want to call out Newsweek for jumping the gun on verifying their sources when revealing information that could put US troops in jeopardy? How about calling out the military for revealing its own thoroughly despicable practices? If you want to call seeing through bullshit having "the wool pulled over your eyes," very well, but your star-spangled blindfold hardly qualifies as X-Ray Specs, holmes.

Fair enough.

Good point, Matt. Even beyond the situation in Iraq, this sums up the root of a lot of America's problems pretty succinctly.

These are real human beings, with real lives, real families, and real feelings, asshole, not some TV show. You think it's pretty funny that innocent people get tortured? And we call the "radicals" and "insurgents" savage...what a load of shit.

Stick your head in the sand, ignore the facts, boycott Newsweek, and pretend America does great things in the name of freedom. We need one of those "vomit" emoticons like they got over at ascensionist.

Awesome! Time to offer alms of jelly beans at Ronald Reagan's tomb and pray for swift, fiery annihilation! BRING ON THE NEW GLOBAL HOLOCAUST!

And the fact that you need to ask questions that get answers like that makes you exactly how much smarter than your idiot coworkers who also don't know the answers?

Sweet! Is it time for another nuclear arms race? Nuke-yu-ler proliferation rules! Ah, who doesn't miss the days of mutually assured destruction and those oh-so-funny near-armageddon close calls! "Whoops! I thought they were arming their nukes! Heh-heh! Almost pushed the ol' button, there...whooo-whee!"

Just make sure you don't skimp on things, especially the harness. Typically "beginner" gear is actually "cheap and uncomfortable," so be sure the harness is comfy and well-built; hopefully the store you buy at will let you hang in it for a while to test the fit. It might seem like a keen idea to save 10 or 20 bucks up front on a cheapo harness, but when you're hanging in it a lot, you'll be wishing you had spent the extra dough on something nicer. Likewise, a lot of "beginner" climbing shoes are high-topped, uber-stiff, totally non-sensitive affairs, that, especially for gym climbing, are as much hindrance as help. If you're going to be doing a lot of gym climbing, find a more sensitive shoe (ask the sales help; and if they don't seem to know what they're talking about or try to push you into a certain model that doesn't fit well, go elsewhere!); there are plenty of good options. And by all means, try on as many different brands and styles as possible. Everyone has different feet, and some brands of shoes simply do not fit some people's feet well, regardless of how bitchin' the sales clown says they are. Again, you will thank yourself later for finding the shoes that fit you well, and not skimping. Note that shoes that might be considered "expert" shoes or whatever can be a perfectly good bet for a beginner; don't get too hung up on that kind of label--fit first! And good luck!

Obviously, dude realized that Dr. Flash Amazing was, as usual, right, and he knew that he was nothing until he sent 5.14. Obviously, "smaller, easier peaks" is just a euphemism for "extreme sickfest with near-nonexistent grips and plenty of bolts." Isn't it obvious?

Derrrr...no shit, boy genius?

Ooh, this thread is a goldmine for related song lyric quotes! "It's hard to enjoy yourself while bleeding out the ass asphyxiation is simple and fast" - NOFX, "The Decline"

The hell you say!

Don't worry; with these nifty tax cuts, we don't actually have to pay for anything! It's like a credit card, tee hee! *Edit: LIBERAL PAGE TOP! EAT DIX, REPUBLICONSERVATRASH! *

BAD ASS. Josune ups the ante again with a .14d/.15a send. Best recognize!

The good Doctor hates to rain on your fiscally conservative parade, but there IS a huge, unadressed need in domestic spending, in the form of educational funding. DFA's wife works at a nonprofit school, and they have watched their funding (part of which comes from the public schools) get macheted under the current administration. Perhaps you can stomach and/or justify the flushing of billions of dollars on this bullshit war (which has demonstrably INCREASED terrorism WORLDWIDE) while a generation of children gets a subpar education, but Dr. Flash Amazing sure as hell can't.

The major difference in outlays between this administration and the previous administration is that the previous administration was actually interested in being able to pay for its outlays, and successfully did so. Our grandchildren will still be haunted by Bush's legacy as they work to pay off the obscene debt run up by this imbecile.

SEE A FUCKING DOCTOR, DUMBSHIT. "everything that you could never say would never matter anyway I took a hammer and two nails to my eardrums long ago" - Alkaline Trio, "Mr. Chainsaw"

What kind of America are you defending? One where we peg our own actions to those of the enemies, whose very actions we decry? Where we go to war against a nation in the name of stopping torture and abuse of prisoners among other things, then subject our prisoners to the very same things? Is America the Hypocritical what we want to portray ourselves as? And do you think that that kind of action might have any influence on attitudes toward and treatment of our troops? If you think this is anything less than just one more step in an escalating vicious circle (a vicious spiral?), think again. Nice to see you, too, Gee-dawg.

No shit...