tvashtarkatena

Dude, what time zone are you in? It's not even noon, here.

...or maybe they're just a bowl full of assholes.

That project manager bitch had it comin'

What was the significance of the half orange?

Pat Robertson apparently has access to better weed than I do.

Ping pong? Cigarette?

hmmm seahawk but only with a lot of booze and tabasco sauce ; ) I might feed Seahawk to the dogs; they'll eat anything, but then again the de-worming afterwards would be a hassle. I'm not sure how much food value is left in a turd, however fresh, anyway.

There is no objective meaning of life. If the observer creates their own meaning, then that is the meaning of (their) life. Otherwise, the universe is a collection of particles and forces capable of producing complex structures. Why the complex structures? Because it can. Can't argue with that since it is my view as well. In any case, the flowers in spring stimultae my mind and I think they are beautiful. That's pretty meaningful to me. I don't really understand the need for God other than as a comfort. Big bang happens, stars form, galaxies form, supernovae happen, heavy elements are formed, organic molecules form in interstellar ice, ice becomes comets during formation of solar systems, planets form, comets hit planets, hijinks ensue, life evolves, intelligent life evolves, alcohol and cars are invented, I'm conceived in the back seat of a '49 Ford sedan, I'm here to type this shit on the WWW. How cool is that? What do we need Management for?

A quick note on the conspiracy theory that the war was waged to pump up oil profits (which it certainly did): I don't buy it at all. If you read the history of political ideas leading up to the war, going back 15 years prior, you see activist liberals like Wolfowitz and Kagan (Wolfie being the offspring of holocaust survivors), pushing for the spreading of democracy (and elimination of tyranny) through unilateral, US military power. Part of this idea stems from the 'what if we'd nipped Hitler in the bud' idea, part from 'we need to make a comeback from Vietnam', and part from the idea that, if you can dream it, you can make it a reality, regardless of historical precedent. Guys like Wolfie, and later Rummy, had been pushing these ideas through widely read journals, editorials, and adjunct groups like the Defense Policy Board all through the 90s. 9/11 provided the catalyst which got W off his ass (remember the 'vacation president'?). Hussein was top of the list of targets after 9/11, and a perfect poster child for trying all these new ideas out. Hell, we'd already invaded Iraq once, and we'd gutted their military power. Saddam was a real prick. What could go wrong? This administration really believed they'd bring democracy to Iraq, and that it would spread throughout the Middle East in a perfectly circular ripple of love, forgiveness, and freedom. Didn't work out that way, and the oil companies, being the profit seeking entities that they are, took full advantage of the price increases due to Middle Eastern insecurity (and a sudden drop in refining capacity due to Katrina). Cheney and all the Halliburton stuff was quite a bit more unseemly, I will agree on that. Not as sexy a movie as the whole conspiracy thing, but, afterall, that's why we invented fiction.

Why, yer jis a puss killin, ay-rab lickin sumbitch! A side note on beef, which has the greatest variety of amino acids of any domesticated meat, tastes fucking great, and is not unhealthy if eaten in moderation (3 oz serving recommended, about the size of a pack of playing cards): Grass fed beef raised with proper pasture rotation is a completely sound environmental practice, typically much more so than grain production on the same land. Grass fed beef raised on semi arid natural grassland does not require irrigation, pesticides, or herbicides like grain production. The cows love it, too...up until the point where we turn them into delectable filet mignon, that is. But hey, they don't exist in nature. We invented them. No burgers, no existence. A philosophical question, really. What if we were a food item? Which would you choose?

That the world is more accident and screw up than deliberate and calculated.

Don't suppose it is at all correlated with higher marriage rates in these same states. Doesn't seem to be any higher. Also, folks who get married in a state don't necessarily choose to stay in that state, so that is not a reliable statistical measure. Take NV (marriage rate is 9 times the national average) and HI (3 times)...both have a relatively average divorce rate. Obviously, folks are getting married there but not staying (and divorcing) there.

A world of conspiracies makes for a better internal screenplay.

Looks like the trimmer took off a leg.

There is no objective meaning of life. If the observer creates their own meaning, then that is the meaning of (their) life. Otherwise, the universe is a collection of particles and forces capable of producing complex structures. Why the complex structures? Because it can.

W can't even control his daughters.

NYT. Google it. It makes sense. Bible belt folks get married younger.

Pay who?

Bible belt divorce rates are significantly higher as well. So much for family values.

Do you really believe that shit? Idi Amin, yeah, he really suffered for all his crimes against humanity. Think GW is going to suffer for his irresponsibilities? Dream on. The fucker sleeps like a baby. Karma is so spotty and unreliable that I wouldn't be touting it as a motivator for responsible behavior. People should be responsible for their actions. No shit. Sometimes they fuck up accidentally. Sometimes they get pregnant. Abortion is a legal means to prevent that mistake from compounding itself into the much more serious mistake of parenting an unwanted child, particularly when unprepared to do so. What is all this punishment shit? A couple's accidental pregnancy is not illegal, folks. And frankly, unless you're one half of that couple, it's really none of your business.

Great. Then let's all start being more responsible towards the planet we live on by reducing our population. Forced childbirth is irresponsible.

Bringing a baby to term puts the mother in significant danger of many possible complications. It is also an extreme hardship, financially and otherwise. What's the point? To punish the mother for an indescretion (having sex) that just happens to be legal? Also, society does not necessarily benefit from the addition of yet one more unwanted child.

Thank Baby Jebus that lust doesn't equal pregnancy. Accidents happen, however. Should we force people (teens???)to become parents just because they wanted a little sugar? Lots of folks screw up on the birth control front. A mandatory 18 year parenting sentence somehow doesn't seem to fit the crime. As for choice, free will might be more illusion than reality. Our subconscious, our emotions, they rule our conscious 'decisions'. My wife hasn't killed me (yet) because her anger does not translate into a desire to kill. Anger can be 'controlled', but it always expresses itself externally somehow.

"~18% of babies born at 23 weeks (middle of second trimester) survive albeit many with severe complications so is it the age or the removal method that denotes "birth"? One form of removal is called "C-section" and another is called "abortion". So if it's pushed out the vagina, it's a baby, if it's pulled out of the vagina by something other than a forceps it's a fetus?" If a baby born as early as 21 weeks has survived, should we then set the crime/right threshold at 21 weeks? Fetuses officially become babies at 21 weeks - sounds logical." For what it's worth, the semantics still hold. Removing a survivable fetus alive from the mother is birth, regardless of the method. At birth, premature or not, a fetus becomes a baby. The Supreme Court's restrictions on abortion are currently more stringent than your 21 week limit.

One thing I'm sure of: I'm pro fucking.