Posts by t_k

Three words

Zeitgeist: The Movie

Google for it.  Sure, it's sensationalist, agenda-filled, rumor mongering and conspiracy theory taken to an art form, but boy does it stir some visceral reactions in people.  I think that everyone should watch it at least once.

If you watch it and it really makes you angry, you've been warned.  I believe that was the producers intent, personally.   

Original Post by p0nda:

Oh and btw, my 17 year old boyfriend moved in with me when I was 23, does that make me a terrible person too? By all of your standards it certainly does.

A terrible person? Not necessarily. Guilty of a crime in many states? Probably.

And you know what? I reserve the right to point out the fact that getting pregnant probably wasn't the smartest thing to do right now. Playing the title role on a television program on a children's network with an image to uphold? Yeah... I'm betting there are morality clauses in her contract. If she --or her legal guardian-- agreed to them, then she has an obligation to uphold them. Especially because --as I pointed out-- she is to some extent responsible for the livelihood of others. E.g. the cast and crew of her show. If that show is canceled because she is pregnant, than her actions have impacted the lives of how many other people? Just because a consequence is unintended doesn't mean it's any less real.

Is it a mistake? Sure.

Do people get pregnant without intending to? Sure again. Let me introduce you to 2/3 of my children sometime.

Do teenagers get pregnant all the time? Yep. Does it make them bad? Not necessarily. Here is a kid though who has basically been handed the moon on a stick in the form of a popular television show amongst children. She has abundant example in her immediate family about "What you probably shouldn't do if you want to maintain your career as a teen idol" and yet she falls right into the oldest trap out there. When, by virtue of the modern age, there is no reason --or at least, the odds against it are staggeringly high-- for her to get pregnant if she doesn't want to. Chances are good that she screwed up. Now she and potentially many other people are going to have to live with the consequences.

So no, I'm not judging Jamie Lynn. I am, however, casting sideways glances at her parents who seem to --by what is known publicly-- have done a pretty crappy job of raising children. Who apparently have let their underage daughter move in with a boy who, depending on where they live, may be guilty of a felony for knocking up a 16 year old. Et cetera.

The girl has accepted life as a public personality. She is going to be talked about. And again, my feelings of pity? empathy? I'm not quite sure yet... Goes to the people who may be affected, perhaps in a life altering way, but Jamie getting pregnant. That's something that they have NO control over and yet it is going to affect them. The same way I feel sorry for people whose houses get sucked up in tornadoes. I don't judge the tornado that leveled the block, but I damn sure will talk about it.

Most of all, I feel sorry for the next generation from Spears to be born in the world, because the press has given us such a blow-by-blow slow motion watching of the train coming of the rails view of that family that "Spears" is going to enter the national lexicon as a monosyllabic euphemism for dysfunctional. Watch and see.

edit: Where I mention getting pregnant as 'she screwed up' and 'if she didn't want to' I do believe that birth control is the responsibility of BOTH parties involved.  I'm not trying to imply that daddy doesn't have a role in the conception.    

Original Post by missreporter:

do you live in the washington d.c. area?

the vice president's office was on fire today.

 I do.  I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it wasn't the Canadians this time.

That's a little 'War of 1812' humor.

I'm a nerd, ok? 

anyone moved really far from family/friends?

Regularly, but they always seem to find me.

Original Post by jtrbug101:

Rock of the Marne, Brother!

Boy do I know Hinesville well.  Lived in the Holiday Inn Express there on 84 for months on end.    Know the EOD unit there well too.  The warehouse across the street from it was where I stored all my stuff while I was working on post.

Never did wear the 3ID patch, but I was stationed on 3ID base in Germany.  Was the only unit there that wasn't 3ID.   It was a shame when the third was replaced by the first and the 24th shut down.... Even if it was just everybody changing the patches on their BDUs.

Ah well.... Good memories.   Keep your head down and your powder dry.   Come home safely. 

Original Post by courtbarb:

Is that enough answer for you? I don't think this was meant to be a thread outlining specific platforms...

 I asked for three and you gave me three, so yes, I would say that is enough for me. 

I appreciate your answer.  I'm simply curious what draws a person to one candidate over another.  You're probably right that this thread wasn't intended to outline specific platforms, so I'm happy to let it rest.

Original Post by ornellanicole2007:



Any Opinions, thoughts, words of advice?

I want to address you directly and personally now:

I'm not going to say anything that I intend as mean spirited, but neither do I intend to be anything less than completely honest with what I say.

I'm a former Army Non-Commissioned Officer. I have exactly two things decorating my office. One is a "Go Army Beat Navy" picture, the other is the NCO Creed. (Google for it). That creed has decorated every office and cubicle I've had since I've gotten out. I have been led and I have led men into battle. I've stood in harms way, pulled the trigger in anger, zipped body bags closed, and cried my eyes out when Taps is played. Men that I've loved like family have been killed and it sucks. It also could have been me.

EOD is a seriously dangerous job.

There are no two ways around it. It's dangerous. Far more dangerous than just about anything else you can enlist into in the Air Force.

No matter where there is a deployment, there is a need for EOD. Think about it... if there is live ammunition, there has to be someone there to take care of it if something goes wrong. That someone is EOD. You will deploy as EOD. It's a question of when, not if. Chances are extremely high that you will deploy even during peacetime. It's a low-density MOS with a high demand for your services.

Have you ever risked your life? Ever been in true mortal fear that you might die? Do you think you would be able to do your job when you might die any second? People will depend on you to risk your life to keep them alive... and you'll have to do it. Screwing up means you die. Or lose a hand, or an eye, or have half your face blown off. It's not a game. It's your life and the life of others who are depending on you.

Uncle Sam isn't particularly nice to you once he's done with you either, though that's another subject entirely.

Joining the military is never something to be taken lightly. It's a serious commitment. Joining the military when you already know we're a nation at war on two fronts is something else entirely. If your motivation is that you have a strong desire to defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic, by all means....go ye forth and follow orders. The country needs people willing to lay down their life.

If, however, you just are looking for college money, or 'something to do' or a 'way to get the hell out of here' I would strongly, STRONGLY suggest that you carefully consider your chosen career field. Because there are some jobs that you need to be more willing to die for unhesitatingly than others.

Does that make any sense?

Which issues, specifically?  I'm curious.   Not all of them, say... the top 3 things in order of importance to you that Mr. Obama has pledged to do if elected.

If you're comfortable answering that is.  

The rest sounds, to me, like charisma.

Serious, non-trolling, question asked to satisfy my curiosity:

Why Obama?

Full disclosure:  I'm a foaming-at-the-mouth Libertarian so I don't like Obama.  Nor any other "Tier 1" candidate from either of the two major parties.

I do, however, like to know what motivates people to support individual candidates.   What does Obama have that sets him apart from the rest of the pack? 

Original Post by kathygator:

...and the tumbling of the Berlin wall... or was that the 90's?

 9th of November 1989, so the very end of the 80's. 

Geez...  I remember going into East Berlin for the first time shortly after the wall came down.  It was completely surreal.

I still have big chunks of the wall that I chiseled out myself.  That concrete is certainly very high on my list of material things that I cherish.   I'm sure if my house ever burned down the firemen would wonder why I had run back into the house to save hunks of concrete. 

Thank you. That was/is my first. I've got the next two all planned out and will probably start working on them in earnest after the holidays.

My wife seems to think the kids should have presents or something instead of me building more guitars (it's not like I didn't already own a few )

I actually shot probably 40 pictures or so of the process of building it. It is my intent at some point in the future to put a website up documenting the process of building all of them.

Here's a couple more photos of it:

Customizing the headstock I wanted to make it my own, so I did those graphics. The shape of the guitar is called a telecaster, which I am punning on calling it a hell-e-caster. Notice serial number 0001

A mock-up before I screwed everything together and put strings on it.

Starting to wire everything up. I know...not very artsy, but it has to be done

Clamping the neck in place so I can mark it up for drilling.

I really had a good time doing that. I can't wait to do more.

Well, let's see...

My first show was Black Flag. I've had Black Flag bars tattooed on me since before I was even old enough to get tattooed, and I named my first born child --a girl-- Kira.

Can you guess what my favorite band is?

Actually, it's the Bad Brains.

Seriously.

Being a D.C. area kid in the 80s it's practically a pre-requisite that you love the Brains. I was talking with Doug Wimbish (from the band Living Colour) about six weeks ago and I mentioned I had met him once before at a Bad Brains show fifteen years ago and suddenly he remembered everything about that show to include what he did the day before and the day after. That's the power of the mighty Bad Brains. :D :D :D

I cut my teeth on early American Hardcore which by the late 80s had developed into NYHC stuff. I have almost all of the original Revelation Records pressings --that I bought to actually, you know, listen to-- on vinyl still. If I had any idea that someday there would be something called ebay, I would have bought ten copies of every record I own when I got it and took better care of it. I got a few good ones still though.

My musical tastes have broadened as I've aged but I still rock. I'll stare down a cop at a stoplight while blasting Agnostic Front just like the old days, only now days I've got my teenage kid in the car with me cringing because her dad is such an embarrassing old guy. HA.

I lived in the area for a significant chunk of the 80s. I definitely remember Westroads. I've got family in the area that I probably need to check and see if they're alright.

I guess I need to send a few emails.

edit:  Just looked up the names of the victims.  None of them my family.  They were all somebody's family though.   Such a shame. 

No.

I'll give you a hint:  Look at the title of this thread.