winsor

Ron, If you want to believe, fine. If it makes you happy, great. If you want to claim that it makes any kind of logical sense beyond that, you fail. What withstands logical scrutiny does not require belief; belief is only necessary where one's claims have no basis in fact. Stick to claims that are well qualified ("I believe that..." or "this has worked for me...") and you're good. The moment you attempt to claim "reality" for something dependent upon belief, you have overshot. BSBD, Winsor

That beady-eyed old broad thought she had them fooled, but you can't get a thing past those trained professionals.

One doesn't have to be very cynical to conclude that the act of detonating a nuclear weapon over a Japanese city centre is a rather clear sign that the allies didn't really care about the number of dead Japanese. We were just returning the love for Pearl Harbor. Oddly enough, the attack on Pearl Harbor was more of a gift than anything in the grand scheme of things. The attack caused fewer KIA than were lost in 10 minutes on the First Battle of the Somme. Though it sucked to be one of the casualties, drawing American blood pissed off the population and sealed the Japanese fate. Prior to the attack, the US was staunchly isolationist. By the time the attack was over, voicing isolationist sentiments was truly unwise. Prior to the attack, the US had the finest 18th Century (battleship-centric) navy afloat. After the attack, the US Navy was catapulted into the 20th Century, since the only capital ships we had left in the Pacific were carriers. Despite the photogenic nature of the damage, the Japanese sank our fleet in shallow water in the largest marine repair facility we had outside the mainland. IIRC, only two ships were damaged badly enough to obviate repair, and the rest were back in service within months. Had they been sunk in deep water, the equation would have been quite different. The Japanese assumed we were fat with oil, and thus failed to destroy our tank farms in Hawaii. Had they done so, we would not have been a presence in the Pacific, and would have had a very different set of options available. As it was, they left us with precisely the resources and motivation necessary to prevail against them in the long run. I know it goes against the American sense of fair play, but there is no such thing as a fair fight. A sucker punch is strongly advised, since there is no second place winner and there are no extra points for losing well. I credit Yamamoto for orchestrating and Nagumo for executing an absolutely brilliant attack - one that very nearly achieved its intended goal. Fortunately for us, close did not count, and the Law of Unintended Consequences prevailed. BSBD, Winsor

One doesn't have to be very cynical to conclude that the act of detonating a nuclear weapon over a Japanese city centre is a rather clear sign that the allies didn't really care about the number of dead Japanese. The allies were very specific in their concern regarding the number of dead Japanese. General Curtis E. LeMay stated categorically that the intent was to reduce the Japanese population "by half." Given that this end was largely achieved, the use of nukes was effectively moot from a strategic standpoint - after the destruction of 64 cities the Japanese took the annihilation of another two cities in stride, and their surrender was precipitated by the Soviet declaration of war against Japan. The "million casualty" figure is bandied about as an excuse, but, given the success of LeMay's "Operation Starvation," invasion was largely superfluous. About the only thing dropping nukes accomplished was to open the can of worms with which we have been dealing (at staggering cost) for the last 2/3 of a Century. Not a very good bargain, so far as I can tell. BSBD, Winsor

Sez the guy who still hasn't bothered to try and defend the statement he introduced to the discussion, while I've explained at length several times why it's bollocks. Yes, its immaculate. But even if it was, you shouldn't keep using the same word, it gets boring an lacks impact. Find some synonyms, keep us on our toes. What's another word for Thesaurus?

Where will it stop? The next thing you know they will be demanding orgasm, multiple orgasms, like those infidel Westerners. You have bought into the Myth of the Female Orgasm? The Saudis are way too sophisticated to fall for such hokum.

Yes he did. What a wimp.

It may be loud, but at least it's slow. The Alfa has an easy 40 mph on the Shovelhead; the Alfa is happy at 125+, but the Harley is better at 70 and below. The Moto Guzzi is a sleeper. It goes an awful lot faster than it feels like. I do not have any pictures of the Interceptor here. BSBD, Winsor

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Saudi Arabia. For those of you traveling from a different time zone, please remember to set your clocks back a thousand years. Thank you."

TSA is not nuts, it is a wellspring of stupidity. Having a workforce with room-temperature IQs (three digits disqualifies one for employment - at every level) is sure to result in ill-considered decisions.

Counselor, Argumentum ad Baculum does not fly.

Any more than an Afghanistani woman should "get over" being forced to marry her rapist, no. Acquiescence achieved by a knife at the throat is not to be confused with True Love.

Meh, the South lost and will not be rising again, Unless it's to go to a NAPCAR race. Neo-Confederates need to get over the fact that their beloved South LOST THE FUCKING WAR. Said with all the charm of a rapist who explains to his victim that the relationship has been consummated and that she should simply get over it. We freely joined the Union, and thereafter freely left. Fort Sumter was an eviction, not a military action. No goddamnyankees were killed in the attack and the only property damaged was Confederate. The goddamnyankees were told to pack up their possessions - to include arms - and go back to their own country. Our biggest mistake was failing to free the slaves at the outset. The institution of slavery would not, and could not, have lasted into the 20th Century, and removing the issue of slavery from the table at the outset would have negated its utility in Lincoln's gamesmanship. Lincoln, like most liberals, may have railed against the oppression of displaced Africans - but would have sooner died (he did, actually...) before having one live next door. He stated publicly, in no uncertain terms, that the coexistence of Africans and Europeans was not possible. Hearing a Yankee version of the conflict is about as distasteful as is the Afghan treatment of rape victims. Lashing the victim, calling her a whore and saying "look what you made me do!" is not a particularly endearing approach. BSBD, Winsor

The end result of how the Fed is structured is enabling an end run around Constitutional limitations imposed on the Treasury. The Treasury cannot simply print money of its own accord without something (gold or silver) to back it. The Treasury can, however, "borrow" money without anything backing it from a non-governmental entity, and print currency based on the "loan." The marvelous result of this arrangement is that there is NOTHING backing the US Dollar. Every bit of currency in circulation is on "loan" from the Fed. The fact that we use fiat currency, based solely on the faith and trust of the US Government is reminiscent of the old joke: How do you say "Fuck you!" in Yiddish? "Trust me!" Either that or Otter's observation to Flounder in Animal House: "You fucked up - you trusted us!" In any event, we have a tendency to focus on symptoms and overlook the overlying pathology. We could address a few specific issues, such as the Fed and Wall Street, and have a feel good moment. The reason why the Fed and Wall Street are such a problem, however, is the result of structural problems that will not be easily addressed - if they are at all addressable. The fact that the people ostensibly running the show are as clueless as is the electorate is a bad sign. If any of them were capable of figuring it out, they would not need it to be explained to them. The issue does not require higher math, since the picture is clear to anyone who understands grade school arithmetic. The bottom line is that, from an overall standpoint, we are doomed. It is not a question of "if" so much as "when and how bad." Enjoy yourself - it's later than you think. BSBD, Winsor

As an aside, the Federal Reserve is not a governmental agency. It is a consortium of private banks operating with governmental authority. Think "economic privateers."

First, that flag is the battle flag not the flag of the C.S.A. This point is lost on the bulk of those who put forth an opinion on the subject. The battle flag is the ensign raised when defending home territory against foreign invaders. It is brilliantly ironic that Georgia, when removing the battle flag theme from the state flag because of its perceived offense to negroes et al., created a new state flag that is but a slightly modified version of the CSA National Flag. This met with approval from the NAACP and similar racist organizations, who apparently had no idea what it was. I reiterate that stupidity is our primary inexhaustible resource. BSBD, Winsor

so do you think all climate scientists are just bankrolling tons of cash and ballin' out with tons of hookers and blow every night?

"If it flies, it dies!" USS Vincennes motto

Visions of 'Big Brother'! We have been so fearful of our government spying on us we forget about security cameras, cell-phone cameras... with audio! Big Brother is everywhere! strangers, neighbors, everyone is a 'spy' and noone is safe and secure from it. Those who believe they are, ala Kutcher, etc. are living in another world. Big Brother is US! Chuck It is a Brave New World, indeed. I have to admit that there is some consolation in being monitored - assuming you are on the side of the angels. If someone accuses me of taking drugs and I am clean when tested for long-term residuals, that is reassuring. If somebody accuses me of doing something inappropriate and I can get video of me eating a sandwich in the cafeteria at the time in question, I am in the clear. The only time I have been bitten by false accusations, I had the means at my disposal (but not the presence of mind) to record the events as they took place. Had I been able produce video, the hysteria that resulted from the vindictive claim would have simply withered on the vine. As it was, I was subjected to an "educational experience." I am not sure what I learned, but the tuition was impressive, indeed. BSBD, Winsor

I have no reason to suspect that you are doing anything but attempting to argue with a spambot.

Perhaps not, but phone records apparantly indicate significant interaction between Cain and his most recent accuser. Even though I am acutely aware of how false accusations can be used to great effect, I am unimpressed with the parts of the story that appear to be undisputed. I am constantly amazed by people in the public eye who somehow think they can engage in indiscretions without someone catching on. Think Bill Clinton or Ashton Kutcher. I have long worked in an environment where one may expect to be on camera at any time. If one is to engage in unacceptable behavior on the job, it will likely result in being escorted to the gate by Security. As a result, I cannot recall the last time I heard of a harassment charge; if a false charge was filed, one need only review the video to put the issue to rest. Regardless of whether Cain withdraws (a near-certainty at this point), nobody on either side of the aisle is anywhere near competent to assume the Presidency in light of the issues we now face (Ron Paul comes closest). The incumbent is a nice little fella, but his long suit is eloquence coupled with brute force and ignorance - not an effective combination in the long run. I plan to write in Spiro Agnew if Ron Paul does not get the nod. To do otherwise is to reward bad behavior. BSBD, Winsor

I disagree with that, It sounds dangerously close to "they lost the blueprints for the Saturn V" and other truther BS. The disposal of the drawings was described as a problem to me by personnel at the Johnson Space Center, but the information was admittedly anecdotal. Wikapedia indicates that microfilm of the Saturn V drawings is available at the Marshall Space Center, so perhaps the issue as perceived in 2005 was resolved by locating the documents, or it is possible that the NASA employees were misinformed at the time. If drawings exist, making a new round of Atlas V boosters is probably the most effective way to get meatware back in space. BSBD, Winsor

You mean they didn't write all that shit down? That was dumb. As the twilight of the Space Shuttle approached, the idea was bounced around to simply produce a new round of Saturn V rockets. Unfortunately, in order to save a few bucks for storage, the drawings had been discarded some years back. As it stands, the existing versions on static display are the only means of reverse-engineering the system. In the '60s it was assumed that by, say, 2001 such technologies as the SR-71 and the Apollo program would have been leapfrogged by new and exciting technologies, making the old stuff passe. Bad guess. BSBD, Winsor

Unless Fleischmann and Pons are involved in which case it will be room temperature. There's no risk of pregnancy involved as it will be unreproducible. Of course the downside is it might just lay there doing nothing, in which case it might also be indistinguishable from some women I've known. "What are you doing, Monsieur? That woman is dead!" "Mon Dieu! I thought she was an American!"

Uh, I think they are by default.