tvashtarkatena

There is no dilemna. Stating that you're going to do harm is a crime. Being involved in a conspiracy to do harm is a crime. The government believes this individual is dangerous, so presumably it has presentable evidence to that effect. Observing basic human rights requires that this evidence be vetted by due process, or, if it doesn't exist, the prisoner be granted his/her freedom. The government may have yet again shot itself in the foot, as it has done many times regarding Gitmo already, by hastily detaining, then torturing these people. It's likely the bulk of evidence gathered against them will be inadmissable because it was gained by illegal means (torture, for example), or that the evidence gained by such means is so mixed up with all forms of evidence that the entire case against them is to tainted to obtain a conviction. Add to this that the bulk of Americans no longer believe the Administration's original story that Gitmo is full of dangerous people. It's well known now that over half the detainees were innocent and have been released, only a handful have ever been charged with a crime, and that the Administration seems to have a certain 'credibility' problem. We may well wind up in a situation where dangerous individuals are eventually set free as a direct result of the Bush admininstration's Constitutional and human rights violations. Add to this how effective Gitmo has been as a recruitment tool and you've got a pretty interesting national security policy result.

A 1999 federal law now protects personal information used in DMV records. It was passed after a California sold the DMV records to private corporations. A stalker then obtained the address of a woman whom he later murdered. Authorized users (insurers, for example) may access that information. You might just say "I'm not comfortable with this for privacy reasons" and they may or may not just move on to the next victim.

I couldn't find anything directly related to this particular issue on aclu.org. There is a federal law protecting your personal driving record information from being shared without your consent. If you feel strongly enough about it, I would contact your state office and discuss if there is a legal basis for protecting your driving record. Two things to consider: Jobs involving driving probably require employees to submit such information. I'm not sure how public driving records are treated; they may be similar or the same as criminal records.

I find kayaks very comfortable, particularly as compared to canoes, and much easier to paddle, given that it's a symmetrical stroke that requires no bending of the back. I've done longer races in both types of boats (50 miles), and the kayak was much kinder on the body. In addition, much of your body is protected from the weather in a kayak. YMMV, of course. As long as a boat carries enough for the length of trip you want to take, it's doing the job. An oil tanker carries more stuff, that is true, but most boating trips last 2 weeks or less. A double kayak will easily carry 800 lbs. As far as portaging, kayaks are as easy or easier to portage with the right techniques and some simple gear; as with anything, you just have to know what you're doing. As for speed, seaworthiness, and safety, there is simply no comparison. Kayaks are superior. Not saying that canoes are bad. THey are cheaper.

Not exactly the forum to get a decent answer on this one. www.aclu.org No guarantees that there will be any information regarding this in particular, but it's a good place to start. I don't know whether such a program violates any of the ACLU's privacy policies, or if there has been case law supporting such a practice. If not, you may wish to contact them and file a report. They may decline for the above reasons, or due to resource constraints. Still, corporations are court averse; on occasion, a letter from the ACLU expressing concern is enough to shut such a program down. I know the ACLU has gone to court to protect employees from being fired for smoking (tobacco) outside the workplace. Not the same issue, exactly, but similar. Good luck.

....as if we didn't already know, but this confirms it officially: NYT Ironically, the fact that we've tortured these people is apparently hindering our ability to prosecute them.

Why not switch to a kayak? Faster, more comfy, safer in rough water, and a normal sized single or double will easily carry enough for a 2 week trip. Any kayak will handle a class 1 river no problem. Plus, a kayak will allow you to venture out into more open water, like Prince William Sound.

I wonder how the suicide bombers are getting along with the Evangelicals up there.

The article's about the effect of human predation on the physiology and lifecycle of certain species, and how those changes might not be such a good thing for their long term viability. It highlights the differences between human and non-human predation.

NYT

Sweet.

There's such a thing as taking something too seriously. If you contemplating violence against someone else, just walk away. You've crossed that line. Participation is voluntary, and there is an Ignore feature close at hand. It's also helpful to remember that this isn't exactly the serious discussion section of CC.com, although some worthwhile topics are addressed here.

I know the edge of the cliff I walk on. It's not much of a cliff, actually. I've never had a single moment of violent fantasy regarding any other poster here. I don't take this stuff seriously enough to get anything more than slightly miffed, and that passes very quickly. I figure if someone's bent enough to threaten, bring wives into it, or pull any other shit like that, that's, like, just their opinion, myan.

Well spoken Bug, but I hope you do make it back at some point. ________________________________________________________________ Not true Matt, I came very close to going after a poster who continually berated me and would usually end his posts by saying Asshole some other personal flame type comment. The personal attacks made me angry and I explained exactly that in my reply and suggested that bumping into each other was going to get personal. Had I bumped into said person in person before I got myself calmed down (weeks later), it would have been full-on like Donkey Kong. I mean like nasty like you don't know. Sure, I don't like it when I get like that - the last time I lost control like that I whipped out a knife and it was a bloody bad scene that ended fast and furiously for us all. I barely escaped a long prison term by a Red C* hair. Not a hell of a lot I can do about it though. Once you flip over mentally I mean. I've noticed that said poster has rec'd another similar notification, perhaps even more direct, so it's not just me. Glad I didn't bump into dude before I got it together, and the alleged dude is being nicer as well. So speaking only for me: A) The difference between what is normal and mental illness is very very small. For all of us, but some of us know that for a fact. B) Violence and death isn't as as far away from us as we believe. C) I give respect and I expect it in return. Disaster may be all too close if this is not the case. You listening to this mods? Don't be ignoring this shit, cause today's guy calling people assholes all the time may not be posting on this site or any other if it goes bad, and you'll get some of the blame for letting that shit escalate should a person preemptively really attack another in a self-defensive mode. I try and will continue to try, to keep myself in check. But that's me. I'm old and much calmer than when I was young. Your results may vary. You might consider finding another form of recreation other than the internet. This is not normal...in a bad way.

"I paid $300 extra for this bird and the freakin' thing's dead"

I saw Robinson Caruso on Mars in '65, then Netflixed last year. It was the second theatre movie I ever saw (after 20,000 Leagues). Still just as good as the first time.

....starring none other than the great Pia Zadora.

All the pics are downsized a bit for web viewing but not print quality (rather than resorting to a watermark, which always looks cheezy and often destroys the image entirely). If you would, PM me with the particular macros (they're all named) which seem too low resolution and I'll see what I can do. Thanks for the feedback.

Robinson Caruso on Mars

The advantage of a Tarptent is its weight. Does any other company produce a full sized, two man tent with floor and bug netting that weighs 2 lbs or under?

Thanks for the detailed pics. Very interesting. Does the vessel have a name?

Well, I have a little anecdote about Ralph Nader. I happen to know a videographer who worked for him...and never got paid for it. Nader's a non-democratic demogogue by nature. His management style is completely authoritarian. He would make a disastrous president. His assertions regarding the safety of the Corvair were also disputed in later studies. Still, he deserves credit for his work as a consumer advocate. Hey, I like seatbelts. But whatever good he did as a consumer activists was more than erased by the final result of his running for President in 2000. He still refuses to take responsibility for the dire consequences of his actions. But hey, that's our Ralph. A true progressive, to the core. What a fucking prick.

Mike, I'm going to continue doing exactly what I've been doing. All the posters here are big people who can take care of themselves without your help. You seem to be expecting a result here that you're just not going to get. Now, you can either have a sense of humor about it, like everyone else here seems to, or, if it bugs you too much, there are millions of other forums you can participate in. The choice is yours. And BTW, this is not a personal crusade, its an invitation to join a national campaign. If you're not interested in participating, feel free to walk on by. That's pretty much all I'm going to say on this subject. You may rant on about it, but I've said all I need to pretty clearly.

Who would man them? No training for that kind of fun in the merchant fleet. Plus, what if the deck hands get board and shoot up a beach resort?

CLARIFICATION: When I was in the Navy about 500 years ago marines guarded any movement (loading, unloading, etc) of tactical nuclear weapons. Not that I could confirm nor deny there were nukes on board. In any case, it wasn't the most exciting duty in the world.