Misternatural

QuoteIn any case, does it make sense for _us_ to promise Iraq's oil to China? That would seem to be a job for Iraqis. And as a sovereign nation, it would be up to them to ask China to help out. The oil in Iraq is their oil to distribute absolutely, that is probably the main if not most valuable export commodity but it is a great bargaining chip they can use. The problem is that they really are not a sovereign nation right now as a result of this mess. What are they? a collection of tribes? sects? in any case it's not cohesive and may never be. Especially since the Bush is trying to foster a sectarian govt. and army. The point you made about Religious states is very good. Hopefully they can form states. and Baghdad becomes a neutral capitol. However will the U.S. or U.N. accept a religious state if it develops into lets say, a brutal religious extremist regime ? Sectarian states may be more prone to adopting a rule of law. But will a division of states and a "relocation" result in an Israel Vs Palestine like problem? Beware of the collateralizing and monetization of your desires. D S #3.1415

Thats a good point about China, but they will desperately need the oil for their growing economy though. In fact, we may be fighting them FOR Iraq in the future if we don't switch to alternative fuels. which as you know is another solution to reduce the skirmishes world wide and the funding of "terrorism". Beware of the collateralizing and monetization of your desires. D S #3.1415

We certainly have the oil exploration infrastructure in place to help develop these new economies. Irrigation could also be achieved with such vast drilling expertise and perhaps the building of reasonable housing and communities in the desert. Nice housing is a good incentive to move. But nothing can happen without security,and a stable govt- a viable police force or something to keep the chaos & murdering under control.Sadly, how is that achieved without the military? thats the crux of the biscuit. Incentives, thats the key, what do these people want, I mean besides killing Americans. There must be something? Another major problem is the presence of western infidels in this land, which is a huge insult to many of these people....we need to figure out how to empower the Iraqis so the progress is accepted by them. Beware of the collateralizing and monetization of your desires. D S #3.1415

An interesting conundrum for sure It seems that before any reconstruction and reconciliation can take place the sectarian violence needs to be either allowed to come to a head by a long civil war, or forcefully squashed. The results of a civil war of course would be unbearable blood shed and atrocities for the world to witness in the age of TV. and the possibility of the establishment of a rouge state. In which case the U.S would be inclined to re-invade and neutralize...resulting in more War. On the other hand the American civil war resulted in a somewhat stable govt. Granted... we had a constitutional framework in place already. How did we work this out in Kosovo? can that model work here? Suppose the violence was reduced to a point where stable sectarian states could be formed. Should a mass relocation mandate be forced upon the residents & what incentive would there be for them to leave their homes? I think the establishment of states is unrealistic unless the U.S or U.N. makes a massive effort to allow each state equal economic viability as the oil is unequally distributed in this land. Beware of the collateralizing and monetization of your desires. D S #3.1415

I have read many of your posts..I believe there are a large number of viewers here who have the ability to formulate some viable strategies pertaining to the future of the Iraqi situation. We have seen what the U.S. Govt can do...I'm sure you can do better. Now that we are in a seemingly un-reconcileable situation; Here are some questions; Should we resign ourselves to accept the fact that the original plan to invade,depose a dictatorship, and get out quickly (five years) is not going to work and view the situation as a very long term-if not permanent occupation of a country in the form of an American controlled nation-state "a la Roman Empire"? With a full military pull out, Can an un controlled-all out civil war result in a stable Govt. Can a democratic westernized nation state begin to form, regarded as positive change in the Middle East which fosters free trade, and stability? Is this another step toward an apocalypse as a result of Christian infidel invaders in a land of Islam? Can a completely Muslim security force from around the world be assembled to reduce sectarian violence in the absence of U.S forces? Can an established Muslim nation be offered the opportunity to foster parent the new Iraq in its transitional phase? Can the United Nations be re integrated in a coalition stabilizing force? Can China be invited to lend forces, with Iraqi oil as an incentive? Can the country be divided into sectarian "states"? Have I been watching the "Mclaughlin Group" too much? Beware of the collateralizing and monetization of your desires. D S #3.1415

The original plan to invade Iraq was brilliantly engineered by Cheney, Wolfowitz, and Rumsfeld using WMD as their key argument. I think there is sufficient evidence and testimony about that. Moreover, at the time of the congressional vote, from what I recall, there was a blinding pall of patriotism which fostered this collective feeling across the U.S. that if we did not sign on with the president (who decided to go along with the hawks) we (the people and congress) were not acting in the spirit of the tragedy of 9 11 to protect the nation & those that disagreed were cast aside as unpatriotic heathens. ...Powerful stuff. Look at how dissenters like Howard Dean were treated. The use of patriotism to foster political support is sheer genius! it has worked on numerous occaisions very effectively throughout history. Congress is simply a political organization placed in a position of power through what is essentially a popularity contest based on looks and good soundbites- not merit or savvy or skill. What we need are scholars NOT politicians Beware of the collateralizing and monetization of your desires. D S #3.1415

Karen, I'ts difficult for people to discuss a posts content without a personality judgement involved. As you know, effective communication in a forum format is marginal at best. i try to be a wizeass on here and the results are blank stares at the screen, or people get pissed off and PM each other. At least you get a response. I am reluctant to use emoticons but thats all we have to work with to successfully get the point across in the spirit with which the post was made. Part of the problem is paranoia based and part insecurity on the readers part. Its a global problem as well,paranoia and insecurity are the bricks and mortar which prevent any real understanding and consensus from happening. Name calling and warfare are the result. As for PM's, yeah I agree if you cant say something for the entire community to read, judge, condemn,support, make fun of- then where's the value in it? lets get back to discussions of titties and beer shall we.Mmmmm titties and beer

Is there any data on how altitude affects cup size? i suspect that repeated climbs to altitude makes them bigger, but then there is the perkiness factor to consider. Has anyone done this important research? if not, who dares to step forward? any volunteers? the fate of the earth depends on it. Beware of the collateralizing and monetization of your desires. D S #3.1415

According to the dictionary the perfect cup size is; A measure equal to 1/2 pint, 8 oz, or 16 tablespoons. Is cup size proportional to the USPA license one holds? I wonder. Beware of the collateralizing and monetization of your desires. D S #3.1415

A job I was on today used a technique called Hydroseeding. Very effective on steep slopes because the grass seed is sprayed on in a mixture of mild fertilizer, water and recycled paper fibers, when that dries it form a matrix layer much like that of an egg carton, very durable in rainfall until the grass sprouts, BUT it is pricey, and damn after a few weeks it looks NOICE! if you want to try an alternative to a lawn that you have to mow check out crown vetch. Beware of the collateralizing and monetization of your desires. D S #3.1415

QuoteBy definition, laws abridge freedom. True, but some laws if passed can allow new freedoms like arresting people without due process and and torturing detainees, in which case some gridlock is a good thing, it prevents laws from getting passed like shit through a goose. so I see your point. I am puzzled by the process of compiling volumes of multiple loosely related laws for a single vote, why is this done ? Does congress not have the time to vote on each piece of legislation separately? Because it seem to me that that is how some of the more sinister legislation(in my opinion) gets passed, as in the example given earlier by Idrankwhat. Beware of the collateralizing and monetization of your desires. D S #3.1415

I have to remind myself that forums are not a good communication tool because of the lack of inflection. Anyway, to clarify, I was actually not criticizing either of you but trying to focus on content rather than personalities. My point was that neither party in this two party system should hold sway over the tenets of the constitution. I think we can all agree on the fact that nobody here really wants a totalitarian Govt. and that we are all tired of this; "ooh the dems said this and the pubes did that" horseshit. granted I do it too and finger pointing has always been a function of politics- but we look like a bag of twitching assholes world wide. So what are some solutions? I bet with the mind power here we can easily come up with some answers. Would it be possible to incorporate multiple parties in this system thus reducing the gridlock in washington? would that be possible with our current election format? would campaign financing have to be drastically reconfigured to add more parties? Is there even enough political will for people to give a damn? I am no poli sci major so I can't understand why in crap the U.S. effectively has only dims and pubes to choose from. "parenting is much to important a job to leave up to parents" Beware of the collateralizing and monetization of your desires. D S #3.1415

These are both entertaining pieces, Though you have been publicly schooled by lawrocket in some way, remember that he is a self proclaimed libertarian and not a republican. The Constitution is an amazingly effective document considering it's longevity. However the only way that it can sustain it's usefulness is through constant vigilance and action. It's not wize to subscribe to the rhetoric of any one particular political party for that reason. The U.S. govt. was forged to incorporate balance, That is the genius of it! The founding members realized that humans are easily caught up in their own agendas and belief systems which can snowball given the # of individuals that can be swayed one way or another. If a tipping point is reached a totalitarian regime is the result. We all have a responsibility to maintain its balance. Why? because Freedom is at stake so if you like to do things like blather freely on the internet, pay attention. For example, an interesting piece by Bill Moyers will air on Wed this week on PBS It may be dry and of a seemingly liberal nature and for those of us with A.D.D. it will be difficult to pay attention BUT the guy is onto something. Beware of the collateralizing and monetization of your desires. D S #3.1415

It takes a lot of ghusto to be a student, I remember that feeling and always will. Track on through the clouds and into the blue sky bro, track on. Beware of the collateralizing and monetization of your desires. D S #3.1415

Just make sure you're not allergic to any of the ink colors, I let an artist substitute red for the purple I wanted because he ran out...what a mistake, i had to have that part burned off cuz it caused a nasty reaction. Dermatologist; Interesting,What is the significance of your tattoo? Me; Never mind, could you pay attention to where you're aiming that laser please? there's smoke coming out of my arm! Beware of the collateralizing and monetization of your desires. D S #3.1415

You too? must be the time of year, it is a reasonable time of year for such things;end of summer etc. I had to squeeze this break ( I'm calling it a break) between a surprise birthday party and the beginning of school. No time is a good time for such turmoil but at least it's not holiday season... thats the worst. speedy recovery mama. Beware of the collateralizing and monetization of your desires. D S #3.1415

why do I get the feeling you're trying to lead us into a discussion about global affairs. Beware of the collateralizing and monetization of your desires. D S #3.1415

QuoteAll each of us can do is what we can do. Whining about it won't help a whole lot more. Wendy, I hear ya... Last month I made my first batch of Biodiesel....its easyer that I thought. Next I am researching building an ethanol column still using jerusalem artichokes as a feedstock.. BATF willing. oil(petroleum) has so many other uses as a natural resource than simply to burn for transportation and home heating, it is a truly universal building block chemical provided it is responsibly handled. I hope this recent discovery wont derail the alternative fuel momentum that the Washington pundits are currently pushing for. if anyone here is interested in making fuel, check out http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html[url] Beware of the collateralizing and monetization of your desires. D S #3.1415

gals I have known: D Kochneff, her nickname ; Crotchsniff Vicki Bartlett= Icky Fartlett Laverne, Katrine = Latrine others: pickle tits, beef curtains, gravity feeders. man, its been a rough adolescence for some people. Beware of the collateralizing and monetization of your desires. D S #3.1415

QuoteIf you're freefalling from a plane and using a parachute to live through it, it's skydiving. oh shit, let me clarify. "Learn to skydive", as in continue after her first jump...it takes just as much nardones to freefall during a tandem as a static line no doubt, but to continue toward a license...now thats livin' Beware of the collateralizing and monetization of your desires. D S #3.1415

noice! Beware of the collateralizing and monetization of your desires. D S #3.1415

but, but i thought everyone had to wear a rig when doing aerobatics? Beware of the collateralizing and monetization of your desires. D S #3.1415

at least youll be wearing a rig and know how to use it, a lot of aero pilots have never pulled a ripcord Beware of the collateralizing and monetization of your desires. D S #3.1415

wha- what are you saying, that celebs are full of crap? say it aint so. anyway she said she wanted to "learn" to skydive,its a good start. That shows that she has put a little more thought into it than just wanting to do a tandem someday. if a fleet of thumping Escalades pulls up to your DZ then you know whats up; all that bling, think of the beer man, think of the beer!

ok call me paranoid but ever since the time a chef was nervously watching me eat his preparation through a little window from the kitchen i have always been wary of "special ingredients" for me home grown home cooked & home brewed is best. "Excuse me, was this a sandwich?" woody allen Beware of the collateralizing and monetization of your desires. D S #3.1415