catbirdseat

These statements that are made over and over again are seldom supported by facts: That government agencies are not subject to auditing. That federal employees are immune from firing for poor performance. That government workers are less efficient than private sector workers.

It seems to be that Bush's strategy for managing the Strategic Reserve has been to buy high, sell low.

Supposedly, the summit register on Goode Peak once had an inscription saying, "Beam me down Scotty! How do I get off this thing?"

Don't store them where she might put a pin hole through the package.

When carving with a knife, be sure to cut away from your body and not towards it. When sawing a board remember on which side of the line to cut. Measure twice, cut once.

Did you tell that story already? Do bats live under boulders?

FOTH has or had an anchor that used two axes. To make this anchor, dig a Tee trench as though you were making a standard dead man. Girth hitch a sling on to the first axe and plunge it into the bottom of the trench. Then take the second axe and lay it so that the shaft lies horizontal in the trench with the first axe behind it, and the pick turned towards the load over the second axe and the sling under it. Now bury everything with snow and tamp it down well.

What about Brazil? Are we going to attack them too? When is this going to stop?

You got it. The far right wing of the Republican Party can't stand him. I think the best label for Arnold is "populist", a la Teddy Roosevelt, or Truman.

Your day, Carolyn.

What is so refreshing about CPB is that, unlike most politicians, he says what is on his mind, knowing full well he'll piss off a large number of people. He doesn't give a shit. Politicians feel they can't afford to lose votes so they mince their words until you can't tell what they are for or against.

There seems to be a lot of confusion about what is and isn't "terrorism". The motiviation or justification is not what is important. Whether you kill unarmed civilians or soldiers is not definitive either. It is that you intend to kill unarmed civilians or non-combatants.

You guys should both go to Pub Club and buy each other a beer.

Some of us have to work. Also, colds and flu bugs start going around in November, so chances are a person is sick on that rare sunny day.

Yes, they are talking about "real reform" as opposed to what we are likely to get from Bush. What Bush will give us will be a wholesale transfer of the tax burden from the wealthy to the poor.

Trask wants to know what time he can come over.

Well golly gee, we agree about something!

One thing that is clear is that loyalty is what Bush craves. He DOES NOT like listening to dissenting opinions.

Good luck Dave. Unfortunately, I can't make PC, on account of my jazz band. Maybe you can get one of the guys to drive so you can get a good buzz on. Somehow I don't think we've heard the last of you.

That's correct. To use more precise language, you want an omni-directional placement as your first piece, that is, one that can take a pull from any direction. Not only does it prevent the zipper effect, but it protects the belay. I watched a fellow take a fall at Royal Columns. His first piece popped and every other piece zippered out except his second to last one. Had it not been for that, he would have decked. In this case, his first piece WAS an omni, but the route steepened dramatically, causing the rope to take a curving path. He should have placed a second omni-directional anchor where the route steepened.

November sucks, big time. It has no redeeming qualities other than the Thanksgiving Feast.

For some reason the 1994 Assault Weapons ban included specific weapons instead of describing the characteristics that would cause a weapon to be included in the ban. So the gun lobby's solution is to eliminate the ban when the best solution is to amend the law to redefine included weapons, not by name but by their capabilities. Maximum rounds held per clip, maximum rate of firing, velocity of round, etc. So under the law a particular gun might be legal with one clip design but illegal with a different one. Possession of the illegal clip would be a crime.

It seems that in this case, the wounded were disarmed, treated and left in the Mosque by one group of Marines on Friday. A second group approached the mosque on Saturday and reported taking small arms fire from the mosque. They enter the mosque and see wounded men laying on the floor. It is possible that one of these wounded had a weapon cached somewhere. He pops off some shots, hides his gun and goes back to lay down and play dead. If these guys are going to play the total war game, then they should expect the same treatment.

What do you think about this: prisoner shot ?

China at least is beginning to understand how the west values Tibetan culture from a tourism standpoint. At least they are not bulldozing any more monasteries and are, in fact rebuilding some.