newsstand

It was purgatory that got the middle class tourists, not heaven. "... purgatory, which will be packed with dreadful middle-class tourists..." I too am an atheist, although not as gloom and doom as my compatriots here. One mentioned doing good because it is good and not doing wrong because it was wrong. That is a great philosophy but it almost certainly came from your religious youth. I went from good Christian kid, to agnostic to atheist in a long and tortured road. After all saying "I believe" would have made a lot of people happy and been very simple. In my teenage years I went through Presbyterian confirmation classes and the night we were to be accepted in to the church went to the ceremony and didn't stand up at the appointed time. To show you how close attention some were paying I was congratulated for joining the church by more than one. I look at it all this way. I don't believe and that is my issue. It is certainly not immoral. I have higher morals than many Christmas Christians I know. You do believe, that is your issue and doesn't matter to me one way or the other. You don't preach to me I won't preach to you. My wife was raised Catholic, went through a period of exploration including a year of study at a synagogue. At the time my youngest was in kindergarten or first grade and told his teacher he couldn't be in the "Winter break" play because he was Jewish. His call, not ours. He went to synagogue with mom. (Did you know that, at least in reformed synagogues, they have a bar rolled out after the service. Now that is religion!) All three kids have been to both Lutheran and Methodist vacation bible schools, in the same summer. So were did we end up? My oldest believes in the Christian God but does not practice a specific religion although she is married to a devout Catholic. Next one down believes but doesn't do anything about it and the 16 year old doesn't believe but I suspect he will change his mind down the road. As much as I hate this phrase, it is all good. Religion has been the root of both great evil and great good. Just seems that although in general it preaches tolerance it rarely practices it even among similar beliefs. Just look at Northern Ireland and Iraq. "Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes

The should clean it up, open the levees and turn it in to a SCUBA park. "Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes

It's that "the enemy of my enemy" thing. "Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes

Follow the link and you will get a pretty good read on it. It was an illegal order that was followed and a single Lieutenant got hung out to dry when his superiors should have been the ones punished. So now you have hijacked your own post and I get left with the troll because everyone else has gone to bed. At least those in the western hemisphere. The Europeans are working and the Aussies are partying and don't have time for this. "Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes

Excellent, ignore the point and concentrate on the trivial. I'll play along. Correct spelling, syntax and grammar have a lot to do with credibility. BTW what is your opinion on My Lai and the legality of that action, not to mention the military's eventual response? "Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes

Son of a bitch I agree with anvil. "Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes

That would indeed be justice. "Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes

There was no hope before. Edit - Oh crap that was probably a personal attack. "Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes

The murder of innocent civilians is not a legal order, see My Lai You really also ought to consider a spell checker since you admit to not being detail oriented. Nuremberg and historically would be correct. "Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes

Well here appears to be a solid chunk of "the report from Iron Mountain" http://www.davidicke.net/tellthetruth/research/iron1.html and here seem to be some explanations of it. http://www.simonsays.com/titles/068482390X/ http://www.mega.nu:8080/ampp/ironmtn.html http://www.brothersjudd.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/reviews.detail/book_id/1170/Report%20from%20.htm "Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes

Following "legal" orders is an excuse and any military member can disregard an illegal order at anytime. Had the idiots at that Iraqi prison I can't spell followed that rule that is one mess we would not have had. Let me also say I think the invasion of Iraq was a colossal mistake, waste of money and American lives but I still support the troops because they are just doing what they are told. Of course I think the best way to support them would be to bring them home. As to the southern border, well the strawberry crops in the pacific northwest are decaying on the vine for need of pickers. http://www.dailystar.com/dailystar/news/80390.php http://www.immigrationforum.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=609 "Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes

And it is a who;e $25 a year. If I had nefarious plans I don't think that price tag would stop me. "Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes

IF the driver of the car was not intentionally involved I agree. "Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes

No because I won't go. I used to be a two pack a day smoker without going to a special event. At that point it became chain smoking. Had several people said "hey lets go to this non-smoking venue" I would have whined enough to make everyone go somewhere else which would have forced them in to a smoking venue. Most musicians are hungry and can't afford to say "Make it a no-smoking event or I won't play." Ditto for club staff. This is not going to kill the majority of clubs and those that it does had bigger buiness issues. A few club owners might be hurt temporarily but thier staffs will move on to other, similar, jobs. From what I have heard there has been no overall negative impact on cities where these bans have been imposed. You know small towns like New York City. "Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes

If I thought this was real I would have no problem with capping him or running him over but watch it all again, damned convenient that he had a tire iron waiting for him under the mailboxes or whatever they are. One frustraed rap "artist" and a wannabe movie maker put this together. "Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes

Seeing a couple of the last posts that is possible but the initiator of the post is still gloating over his numbers. "Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes

So lets get rid of the fire rules about how many people can be in a building and screw it bars and resaturants don't need bathrooms either. We have all kinds of laws that have to do with public safety. Seventy-five percent of the population does not smoke. Why should I be subjected to the dangerous will of the minority? "Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes

Well I read as far as post 12 and can't believe people don't see a troll when he shows up. Or one sick puppy. In either case let it drop foilks. "Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes

fireflytx the Rose is not going out of business because if this. There will be a short drop in business but for crying out loud 75% of the population does not smoke. The more education and the more wealth they have the less likely they are to smoke. You might want a few more of those folks coming in, bigger tips. If a group of four is given a choice between a smoking and a non-smoking venue the whiny smoker will force everyone else to a smoking venue and so the non-smoking venue goes out of business but now the playing field is in fact leveled so those with the best service and best entertainment will survive. Yes some clubs will close but new ones will open and the staff will move from one to the other as they have always done. Shawn "Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes

Personally I prefer classic pope over new pope. "Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes

Damn hell must have frozen over. National sales tax, way unfair. Flat income tax, fair. The liberal in me would play some games with it down at the poverty level and allow some breaks for mortgage interest and child care (2.5 kids max) because I think owning your own home and being able to support your kids makes you a more productive individual which means in the long run you will probably pay more taxes. "Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes

Not at this level but I have written a few purchase orders that had to meet federal guidelines. Guess what I got exactly what I wanted down to the manufacturer. You just have to know how to write it so that no one else qualifies. While it would be a little blatant a phrase like "former CEO must no be vice-president" would probably fly right through. "Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes

Jesus freakin' Christ I did things 25 years ago that I would not do now. I think differently about some topics than I did five years ago. On this very forum I dropped my "no concealed permit" stance. Am I still scum for all of the positions I held in the past? BTW there is no conflict in apologizing for abetting the North Vietnamese and not recanting her position that the war was wrong. It was wrong. "Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes

See the post above yours for how long before it begins to flow and how little a difference it will make. China is also coming on strong when it comes to sucking up oil and I would guess that in 10 years India will be doing a pretty good job of it too. There will be plenty of markets for the Middle East to sell its oil. Saudis are not just friends of the Bushes but the U.S. government going back to the end of WWII. See Sleeping With the Devil. Because of the way fuel is taxed in most other countries the percent change in price is much smaller and less noticeable than here. Fuel prices would have to go up much much more to make other countries hurt enough to start looking alternate fuel sources. Hell look at us. Our solution is to drill for more oil instead of look at alternatives. "Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes

I don't believe GWB is capable of much on his own but if you throw in Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, the long term family relationship with the Saudi's, the U.S. oil companies and the rest of the gang I think a lot of things can happen. I am not saying the GWB sat down one day and said "Lets run up the price of oil so we can drill in ANWR." I am saying that there enough dangerous people in the administration that a plan like that could have been formulated and the Saudi's would have been more than happy to help. It will be years before oil is flowing in to the supply chain from Alaska and it isn't going to have any real impact on prices when it does so it doesn't hurt them for it to happen. "Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes