tvashtarkatena

We know voters are evenly split now. We've worked hard to achieve that. That's a GOOD thing. We haven't begun our REAL public information campaign yet, and our past experience is that will effectively turn a whole lot more folks. I've turned audience after audience and individual after individual...once they know the grim facts. Our arguments work. We know that. What's the other side got? Nothing in the way of facts, so we'll have to deal with a standard misinformation campaign. BTW, we're not quite sure who the 'other side' will be. Nobody's stepped up yet.

Oh, I'm pretty sure the voters will support it, but it will be close. Latest polls show it has been losing support and would be close, but still would pass. I'll vote for it. The question of what comes next from the Justice Department is the crux. Will they be intimidated by the pot tea party of the Pacific NW? I doubt it. I woudn't pay a lick of attention to the latest polls (I'm not aware of any loss of support, btw). There is always an 'opposition bump' once a) the thing is real and b) people find out about it. Papers in Spokane, Everett, Seattle, and elsewhere have endorsed it. The media is def. getting on board. That's power, right there. Hell, even Glenn Beck is for it!

We're working that at the federal level, too, mon. State level action is easier, of course, but, in the end, you get as prepared as you can be, you work as hard as you can, and the chips will fall where they will. Somebody's gotta take the first step towards ending this gargantuan form of tyranny and utter failure. WA is the perfect place for that to happen.

Not from me. It is something I believe we've all wrestled with and I was just kind of curious about "le crap". I don't doubt the info Mr. Frieh posted but it seems a little subjective for my pea brain to relate to. Here's some fun facts: Say a 175lb guy drinks one half bottle (two six oz glasses) of red wine each night which is moderate by most standards. That's about 250 calories which takes approximately 25 minutes of running at 5mph for that guy to burn off. Seems counterproductive for most athletes. Say that guy spends $10/bottle for the wine. That's $1,825.00 per year or $152/month. If that guy's spouse consumes the same amount, it's $3,650/year. What else could one do with that money? A week in Maui right now sounds pretty nice. One doesn’t have to be a heavy drinker for it to negatively impact the quality of life. Yet, most of us (myself included) chug away regardless of the outcome. Kind of strange. Like having 1000 channels of stuff on TV with nothing compelling to watch but continuing to channel surf. I'm as guilty as anyone. That's the "crap" that ruminates around my middle-aged head (and gut). Am I going to do anything about it besides anonymously complaining on the internet? With my 40th birthday around the corner, I just might. Bronc No aspersions there, but, you know, this isn't exactly the best forum for sharing personal matters. Even admitting you've quit drinking puts you out there for ridicule...not that I give a shit, of course. Fuck it, it's the Thing Not Talked About. It should be. Nicotine ends more lives, but booze destroys and erodes the quality of more lives than any other drug. I can only give you my take. Quitting was easy for me. Badabing, done. Never took another drink. 'Cutting back' just seemed to lead to more drinking. In my view, it doesn't really work, since booze quiets your inhibitions. If you're concerned about it at all, the weight gain, the vegetative evenings, the slightly shittier mornings, THE MONEY (holy shit that stuff costs)...you might try setting a date and leaving it behind. I still do all the stuff I did before. Go to bars, have parties (I'm a decent bar tender with my own subterranean tiki bar), whatev. My social life actually got a richer after. I enjoy all those things more now because nothing gets dulled out. Actually, every aspect of my life got better. Sure, I missed beer for a while a bit, but that went away. Now...I look at an ice cold beer...nothing. It's just another object. Quitting also can improve your SO relationship. OK, you might have to trade in SOs, but still. Mine couldn't be better right now. If you're looking, women love a man who doesn't drink, because they get hassled by so many that do. I've been told time and time again that that gets really fucking old. Frankly, I can't believe more peoople don't take this easy step towards a better quality of life. Now...for serious boozers, that can be another matter. Some folks need outpatient or inpatient treatment. Some can never be anywhere close to booze ever again. That's another story entirely.

We're trying to end the drug war, lower our shameful incarceration rate, and end all the civil rights violations and racial discrimination and just plain human misery that goes with it. You don't do that with med mj. You do that by ending prohibition. It's time to stop fucking around, here. It's a bold, expensive step we've been systematically working towards for 11 years now, and now is the time - polling indicates it, and presidential elections only come around so often. We considered this very carefully, set up the matching funding, seeded funded it, and put the best folks in the state on it. We got our funding BAM! We got out signatures BAM! we're getting our endorsements BAM! We're raising money for the ballot initiative BAM... and we're working with the legislature bam? The voters of WA will go for it.

Stuff it up your tw#t, Whitey.

Of you're gonna do one of Rainier's moderates, do the Emmons. More scenic, no gridlock (hours of waiting) on the cleaver. You can camp at Sherman (crowded) or just before Steamboat Prow above it (not crowded). The DC sucks in peak season.

A good thing too since studies show that moderate drinkers have greater longevity than abstainers. Have you SEEN HOW MY PEOPLE AGE? Its better this way.

Probably just as well, cuz I like to smoke the dried placentas of newborn kittens.

2 years later, an entire state, the initiative process (popular vote, more political punch) and a well written law...unlike Oakland's. 17 states have medical marijuana and 14 (I believe...not gonna look it up) have decriminalized already...all in violation of federal law. If the Righty Tighties win the senate (?) and/or presidency (not likely), it could be a train wreck. If not...I think we'll be fine. Who knows? The fed might even be relieved to have some political heat taken off. I talked to 5 legislative district chairs tonight. All feel endorsement is likely. That job's gotten a lot easier now that we've got the signatures. Admittedly, I choose to be an optimist. I think we have the power to make our own future, and this 40 year long clusterfuck has got to stop.

Not sure who you're addressing, but for me, abstaining from The Sauce has nothing to do with longevity, which is got to be the most oversold and underdelivering product in history. No one quits because they want to 'live till 80' or whatever. They quit because they want improved well being and quality of life now. Both are much improved after quitting for me. Moderate booze consumption does nothing for me but slow me down, dull my wits and put a drag on the wallet. I realize that it's a social norm, and I also realize that I don't give a shit. Regarding total abstention from all intoxicants, well...we'll save that discussion for Nov 3, 2012.

No, but back in the day I did drink a Guinness that had been stashed in back of the Hoh 9 mile shelter long enough to be half buried in moss.

I use M80s

Oh, I get out enough, alright. No worries there. BC skiing tomorrow, in fact. I even play with ropes n stuff on occasion.

Goooooooodbye "Man on Dog" Ricky! Looks like that $5 million infusion didn't help Gingrich much. LOL.

Jens, Any good aid routes you can recommend at Fossil (first I've heard of the place) that might overhung enough to be dry?

!!!!!!! Hello? Is this thing on? Anybody? Yeah, I don't give a shit, either.

Actually, a lot of it had to do with switching over from the idea of 'losing' something to 'gaining' something. Before I quit it was all about giving something up. Afterwards I quickly realized how much more time, energy, and money I had, and how much better I felt in general. Even a beer kind of kills my evening's motivation. No hangovers, no wasted mornings, no worries about driving, health effects, "should I have another beer or not"? blah blah. Alcohol's considered a stress reducer. I think it causes way more stress than it relieves. It's fucking hard on the body, too, even in small amounts. An old coot like me needs all the help his sorry ass can get. And that's all yer gonna get. Fire away. You've got your target.

Care to elaborate on "the crap"? Nope!

The one skill that's usually too time consuming to learn from partners (unless they've got a few extra days on their hands) is glacier travel/crevasse rescue. Take a course if you can afford it. Similarly, an avalanche course (not so much an issue for summer/fall, but def for winter/spring) is good to have under your belt, depending on your interests. Ice climbing can be learned by going out with the right partners and reading up.

As predictable as the tides...

I've got TCUs and like em, but not for pin scars, for the same reason. Any cam in tuft or sandstone gives me gitters. Sink em deep. Just blew what I thought was a nice placement two weeks ago and nailed Ivan with a shoebox chunk at Smith. Body weight only. Looked perfectly solid. Guess not. Maybe all Aliens (3 Totem basics, 2 offset basics) then? Skip the really small sized Metolius?

Well, you know where to send a check. Don't get mad, get even. We also have a project staffed by a talented young attorney to address the integration of convicts back into society - our policies are seriously fucked in that regard and our recitivism (I'm not going to check that spelling) is through the roof as a result. Like it or not, we get this people back into society. What shape would we like them in when that happens? This is a question the Right doesn't like to think about. We do, however. The two issues are closely related, of course.

Thanks for the correction, Boadman. The Totem cams will hold body weight on two lobes, NOT the totem basics (aliens) I'm looking at. Yes, my primary focus is building up an aid rack, hence the focus on smaller cams. Lots and lots of pin scars, so offsets are super handy. Plus, I've got more cams in larger sizes. I'm always gonna reach for a nut first, of course, whenever possible. Small cams give me the willies, particularly as pro, and very particularly sandstone, tuff, and other crap. What cams (sizes, types) do you use the most for small cracks?

big time.