JGowans

Is there any sport climbing area in B.C. near Boston Bar? I'm going to be up there with a bunch of buddies late April, and I thought they could maybe spend a day learning to climb... cheers, jg.

GOWANS CANNOT VOTE!! HE IS NOT A CITIZEN, THUS, HE MUST SIMPLY RANT AND SHAKE HIS FISTS. MEANWHILE, HE TAKES ADVANTAGE OF THE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES OF THIS COUNTRY WHICH HE CANNOT FIND IN HIS OWN. GregW, I wonder how our political rants would be received in Scotland. You and I in Scatland, non citizens, on a Scotish climbing web site, bragging about how fast we could hike up Ben Nevis (with our track scholarships in hand) and how shitty the current Scot govenment leaders were. Or how great Tony Blair was. Do you suppose some of the other scotish citizens/climbers on the board would consider us rude? Arrogant? Would they question our qualifications or motives as non voting guests in their country?? We've been down this road before. JGowans....bite me. Then STFU! Or better yet, keep preaching to the choir here. You're really making a difference! I wondered when you'd raise your inarticulate non-sensical shite spewing gob. I pay taxes just the same as everyone else here. That in my book gives me the right to say whatever the hell is on my mind. Moreover, maybe your insular outlook and rejection of outside opinion is indicataive of the present administration and it's what got us in this ridiculous situation in the first place. You are suggesting that even though I've lived here for 10 years, been through the American education system, and paid taxes like everyone else, that my opinion is invalid because my citizenship is of another country??? That's absurd. You and your retarded right-wing friends are so out of touch with the rest of the world it'd be completely laughable were the implications not so grave. Btw, for what it's worth the Scottish leaders are pathetic too. You'd not be telling me anything I don't already know, and I certainly wouldn't be offended to hear your opinion.

\ If $40 is steep, why not car camp?

[quoteThis coming from a guy who's people were subjugated by the British of all people. alas, a sad but true factoid. touche you wanker.

what are talking about Klenke? Dumbness? Because I dare question the insanity revealing itself before all of our bloody eyes? You really must elaborate. I'm amused.

You're, uh, taping that last Friends episode for me, right? But of course you silly tart

You're a misinformed pompous ass Greg! Are you claiming that the U.S. brought democracy to Europe?

Quite. Adolph Hitler shared the same sentiments in 1936 on.

I beg to differ. You're accurate that I do fear this administration. I think I am not alone there though. At no point did I say that I disagree with the constitution. I'm flummoxed as to how you came to that assertion. Regardless, I think that the checks and balances you cited were ably demonstrated to have been perverted time and again during the Bush tenure. Our "War President" creates inquiries comprised of his allies, he creates a whole new brand of prisoner classification where he can circumvent internationally ratified laws, he stole an election, he seeks to discredit every critic through both legal and covert means, he invades a sovereign nation without any international mandate, and now that he's making fun of the entire situation, you still have the temerity to suggest that there are appropriate checks and balances? Come on? Who are you kidding? Clinton was impeached for sexual transgressions that led to some minor lies that I'm certain most of us would have done in the same position. Bush has committed far worse acts and yet there is not a sniff of impeachment. I am most definitely confused by that sentiment or lack thereof. Indeed, the whole situation will take care of itself. Like an ostrich, I shall just bury my head in the sand / banal sitcoms and wonder WTF is wrong with the rest of the world. Why can't they just chill? GW has got my back and the last episode of Friends is nigh

True enough. The point I was trying to make though is that Berlusconi's sphere of power is limited and restrained by entities such as the E.U.

viva la revolution!!!

Go to Italy. Sorry, too cryptic for me? I don't recall Berlusconi making fun of his citizens during a multi-million dollar fund-raiser. "Well my fellow titans of business, we really pulled the wool over the commoner. So much so in fact, that I feel we can even take the piss out of them and they still won't get it. Watch this..." Nope. I don't recall Berlusconi doing that. True, he's a wealthy individual, true he makes gauche remarks on a daily basis. That's where the similarities end though. He has the E.U. keeping him in check lest he ever step too far over the line. Where are the checks and the balances in the U.S. just now? The media has rolled over to the point that it doesn't matter about objectivity. People relate to soundbites not complex investigative journalism. If the media isn't providing these checks and balances, the U.N. has neither the power nor the gumption to chastise the U.S. administration, and the majority of the people are too paralyzed with fear and debt to take a breather and objectively examine the future of this country under the present administration then I am really struggling to see how this gang of looting radicals can be ousted.

You're just sore 'cos he duped you too you loser

Did anyone see the clip on telly last night of a snickering Bush making crass jokes about the absence of WMD? I thought that was one of the most despicable pieces of shite I've ever seen in my life. Not only was he tacitly acknowledging that there are never likely to be any, but I felt that he was making fun of those that supported him under the pretense of seeking WMD. He and his criminal band of cronies are now laughing at having duped the American people. If this were any other country, he'd either be in jail by now or the U.S. would have removed him from power. Disgusting.

It too was indoctrinated as a kid in religion (catholicism). I wonder how many atheists were indoctrinated as children and then largely through education / exploration / curiosty-seeking turned the other way. Do any children ever start off life as atheists? Back to the topic at hand though...I was thinking more about it last night and I wonder if there really is this methodical sinister plot underway being fueled by these right-wing radicals (Cheney, Rove, Bush, et al) where they use Christianity to frame up this battle as a means to bring on board a largely reilgious middle-America or if their bumbling actions are nothing more than a series of mis-steps where their religious affiliations are a crutch to fall back on when times are tough? In other words, their bible is really their Idiots Guide to Empire Building. Know what I mean?

I enjoyed reading The Meaning of Everything: The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary

I'm gonna laugh in the face of danger & snowmobiles and head to Mt. St. Helens!

As a follow up, here's the talk that was cited in the article: George Bush and the Rise of Christian Fascism

I thought this was a really well written piece in the latest Seattle Weekly. Thoughts? "From here in the ‘None Zone,’ a feeling of helplessness as religious warriors relentlessly reshape the world." The God Wars

Where the Mountain Casts Its Shadow : The Dark Side of Extreme Adventure New book from some chick that writes about the loved ones left behind when people die climbing. This one is called The Dark Side of Extreme Adventure. I wonder if there's a section on commuting to work?

The weather is looking crap this weekend and am thinking of heading somewhere East. Maybe around Mission Ridge or Blewett Pass. Maybe even further east around Mazama. Anybody got some suggestions for this clueless foreigner?

Lost it either in the parking lot at Narada Falls or on the Reflections Lakes trail on 3/13. It's silver with a Celtic design. Oh well.

Did he take the Palmer lift?

I'm sure it strikes many as odd that there's a great deal of the world's population that aspires to lead their life according to the contents of a 2,500 year old collection of short stories. I'm just wondering though what the world would look like if these same people led their lives according to another book. What about The Acid House by Irving Welsh or Stupid White Men by Michael Moore? Any suggestions?

This was a letter in the Seattle Times from a reader. Regardless of political affiliation, it boggles my mind that there are people out there with the ability to vote and the reasoning powers of a gnat. Either that, or this is a cleverly disguised sarcastic letter that I didn't quite get at first? ------ Seattle Times Readers Letters Bad yarn unravels I'm sick of all these Bush-hating liberals attacking our president. So what if we didn't find any WMDs like the president said we would? If John Kerry had been president, Saddam Hussein might still be in power and he might even have tried to kill George W. Bush's father again. And now former counter-terrorism aide Richard Clarke is trying to discredit our commander-in-chief by saying Bush failed to act on Clarke's warnings about al-Qaida prior to 9-11, and then wanted to pin the attacks on Saddam. Bush sees the world in black and white. He doesn't need facts — he's a leader. Facts just make the world gray and hard to understand. Even if President Bush did make the decision about going to war on bad intelligence, it was still good leadership and it's patriotic to follow your leader, no matter what. John Kerry would have made us go to the U.N. first — if we don't need facts or good intelligence, we certainly don't need anyone else's opinion. Forget about the elephant — let's make the sheep the symbol of the GOP Emily Salisbury Keene, Seattle