TheAnvil

Sweet! You almost caught another one! These pics are cool. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

LMFAO. I forgot about that shot! Yet another one! Dammit! At least in this one my entire face doesn't look flat. This looks like I took a beating with a tire iron rather than a frying pan..... Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Nice summary! I liked Reagan for the most part. I wonder if there are any books out on that time period..... Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Meg and Liz have MADE MY DAY!!!

From billvon's interesting post to this drivel. Richard, you're clueless. The problem is, you don't know you're clueless. You think because you work overseas for a bit anyone should take your word as gospel on anything related to anywhere outside America. You've travelled a bit outside of the great state of TX, possibly for the first time in your life, and in your own little fantasy world that makes you an expert on many things. Good for you. I like my jump #s and don't care how many jumps anyone has when it comes to debate outside the realm of skydiving. If you hold jump #'s to equate to knowledge in all fields, try arguing satellite control theory with me for a bit if you'd like. Or optimization theory, orbit mechanics, or anything space related. Or we can branch out into tobacco farming, cattle (you Texans are pretty good at that as a rule of thumb; there you might have a chance in hell), or a multitude of other topics for that matter. LMFAO. Your assertion and insinuation there, as elsewhere is laughable. Saying you know better than to buddy up with a Muslim or Arab is indicative of prejudice. A statement worthy of Jesse Jackson or David Duke himself. I have a few Arab friends and like/treat them the same as my skydiving buddies. I'm quite proud to be their friend and don't give a rat's ass about things like that. In closing, Richard, I've taken your argument apart and destroyed it from every aspect you've cared to present. Because you have no viable argument, you resort to personal attacks like Nancy Boy and the rest of your previous email. I grew out of that long ago. Don't exect another reply from me if you're going to go the route of the teenage punk when arguing with me. Read your previous posts and assertions, and my responses, after you've chilled out for a bit. Mahasalahma, The Anvil Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Drink to that. This deficit thing confuses me sometimes. Have you ever looked at the Bureau of Public Debt's website? There's an amount of debt held by the public and an amount held by the government. It used to be a good website a year or so ago when I checked it out. I need to get my buddy who is an accountant to explain that thing to me sometime. Anyway, I found the deficit's structure quite interesting and surprising and wonder if you knew anything about it, as I don't. We DO need to keep an eye on it. I don't see how we could avoid it with all of the surprise expenses that came up over the last two years. Gasoline is a necessity for some to get to work, which is why I favor the exemption. Current gas taxes shouldn't be increased or decreased as a result of a national retail sales tax. Isn't it amazing how the price of gas really wasn't indexed with inflation from the 60's to the present? Neat, huh? My reference to my beloved ramen was to put into perspective that I grew up in the lower tax bracket and am still against income redistribution in any fomr I've seen proposed. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

You're not a dick, you don't suck, and I'm the only one who has a right to really 'Razz Sebazz' over this and I was done Saturday on the van ride back when I called you a 'fucker'. That's a good description of what happened dude. If we hadn't funnelled the exit, we wouldn't be having this discussion. After multiple pics and multiple theories - all proven to be incorrect by successive photos - I attribute the funnel to strange turbulence at altitude caused by bird flatulence or alien intervention of some sort. Seb isn't giving himself enough credit. He smoothly transitioned into emergency mode and handled the situation flawlessly. Who gives a rat's ass about the RSL? I need to get rid of that thing anyway. It's going to take a lot more than a reserve ride to take away my smile!

I feel for you! Agua agua agua agua agua agua agua. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

I infer your Bush hatred from the context and toneof your writings, SkyDekker. Perhaps it's an incorrect inference. 'Use your noggin' a bit' is used in jest and if it offends you, my apologies. I use such terms/colloquialisms/expressions freely and often and don't mean anything by them. You assertion that I can't have a discussion without that sentiment is quite funny.

I've been all over the third world. You point is completely untenable. 'Tis you not I that attempt to lord your travels over others. You just have sour grapes because I've been where you work and won't let your misrepresentations sway me at all. The anti-Americanism of which you speak existed before we went into Iraq and will exist after we leave. If you're living in Saudi and don't have any Saudi friends I find that odd. Many are friendly in their own way and quite interesting to speak with. Yes, there are American hypocrites too. Yawn. There hasn't been a society without them and never will. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Hey folks! Some synapse fired this morning, reminding me that Arusha is in Tanzania and not Zimbabwe. Late night mistake on my part. Didn't mean to mislead anyone, but it doesn't change my point at all. Arusha and Moshi are right at the base of Kilimanjaro near the Kenyan border. Beers Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Take a look at the deficit as a % of GDP dude. It's not the largest ever - gotta add that inflation index in there, so GDP% is a better way to go than raw #'s in this case. Not something to ignore, but not an emergency either. The many state deficits worry me more than the federal one right now anyway. I'd be all for exempting gasoline and groceries from any National Retail Sales Tax (which I ONLY support in conjunction with a flat tax). As for income redistribution, I'm still against it - and I've eaten ramen noodles and thought them a feast while growing up. SS is doomed and has been for years. Ever since they made the SS funds part of the general fund under Johnson. It's a good program that should be maintained, but needs drastic reform and I don't have a coherent plan to do it, though I've got some ideas. My brain is still Kalman Filtering right now. Hitting ye olde rack. moose antlers and beers to all! Vinny the Anvil Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

I had this white chocolate timbale with raspberry filling at some place in Memphis that has filled my dreams for years...... Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Point proven? To whom? Yourself? Your Saudi buddies? Say 'ahfwan sayeed' and / or 'mahasalahma' - can't type in arabic here - to whomever you're talking with and talk with someone else. I've been to Bahrain and Saudi - and Oman and UAE as well. The Saudi's are strict on that bridge. Too bad they sure as hell aren't the same way while they're in Bahrain. Hypocritical bastards. I've seen more Saudi sheiks drunk off of their asses arm in arm with Russian hookers in Bahrain than I saw camels at the camel races in Dubai. Speaking of Dubai, they've got a slew of east european hookers and boozing establishments all over the place. And a nice ice skating rink too - in the Hyatt I think. Iranians, Saudis, and folks from all around the world are there - in much larger diasporas than Riyadh. Hope a flight there and hang for a while dude - meet some more people. Your 'better educated' comment is curious. Having been to Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, lived in Japan for two years, South America, and all over North America, I'd say our educational system is probably one of the lousiest in the world. To illustrate, I met a fourteen year old kid in Zimbabwe doing his math homework while working in a shop near Arusha - series convergence, matrix/linear algebra, and probability, and his fifteen year old brother was starting into some basic calculus. Interested, I bought him lunch and shot the shit with him about school/math/etc. He learned more in his dirt floor school house than most Americans learn in high schools with power point projectors in every classroom. Wrote a nice letter of recommendation for him to my alma mater - GA TECH. Hope he gets over here. Smart kid, but he admitted he was one of the mediocre students in his class. Unbelievable. And lefties wonder why I don't favor the NEA or spending so much $$ on education. Anyway, I digress and don't believe your point on education one damn bit. As for the French and North Korea - yep! They're pissed off at us. Have been for a while. I've been to South Korea a few times and found most folks over there like Americans - those of us that act civilized anyway. Met a few NK born folks when I was in China and found they were a bit reticent but didn't think too badly of the USA either, and nor did the Chinese as a general rule of thumb. We're never going to please everybody with our foreign policy and never should. Your assertion that 'everyone hates us' for this and that is utterly ludicrous and indefensible. Beers, Vinny the Anvil Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

The Buffet-meister does know $$. That's for sure. Though I liked Bush's first tax cut plan, I do not in any way support the current one. If the leftists in the Senate would argue against it in a rational matter, they'd have me as an ally for once. Instead, they're screaming 'tax cuts for the rich', 'we can't afford a tax cut' (though they can afford a national health care system? gimme a break), 'repeal the evil Bush tax cuts' (most of which haven't gone into effect yet), and their normal childish, puerile jibberish. Dear Lord dude, it's insanity that such inanity is the vanguard of their argument! I think this elimination of the double taxation of dividends blurs the line between a corporation and LLC. The double taxation of dividends is the penalty stockholders pay for having no tort/criminal liability for actions taken by the corporation. Not so for an LLC or sole proprietorship, in which partners/owners ARE liable. Can you imagine the legal battles that are about to ensue over this? The # of LLCs about to enjoy corporate benefits as soon as they incorporate after this goes into effect? It ticks me off that NOBODY on the national stage from EITHER party has pointed this out - that I know of. My own ideal tax system is a flat income tax of about 10-12% in conjunction with a national retail sales tax. This could only work if a lot of deductions and loopholes were closed as well, but I like the idea in theory/the abstract. Don't think it would ever pass, but it's a nice thought. Instead, I think to jumpstart ye olde economy we should accelerate the original Bush tax cut a bit, then eliminate the taxes US corporations pay on overseas income. The US is the ONLY industrialized nation I know of that taxes overseas earnings - this is one of the reasons/incentives corporations have for moving their corporate headquarters offshore. It helps them to remain competitive in the international market. Alas, the left does not have me as an ally in this case because of their method of argument. I encourage everyone I talk politics with to add 'who pay most of the taxes' onto the end of 'tax cuts for the rich' everytime they hear the phrase - just so they can put things in context. When they stop this childishness and grow up - I'll take them seriously. That aside, good point Bill! It has some merit, but I have been and will always will be against income redistribution, which is exactly what a tax rebate to lower income people is (I grew up in that tax bracket in Appalachia and feel for them, don't get me wrong). Buffet has proposed a Social Security tax holiday with no reduction in SS benefits - and the program is already enroute to insolvency. That makes me wonder about the viability of such a thing. But when Buffet talks, it's good to listen and hear what he has to say. It would be unlike him not to have taken that into consideration. Keep 'em comin' Bill! You make life interesting. This IS something to ponder. Beers to all, Vinny the Anvil Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

TV stations make those calls based on voter exit polls - not counted votes. I was watching that and felt they ALL made the call way to soon. Linking the Bush brothers to that is absolute lunacy. I can link Diane Feinstein to the KKK in a more logical fashion. If you want to talk about the dow post a nice chart showing it's course with administrations, tax cuts, whose budget was in effect in what year and etc clearly delineated. It'll be an educational experience for all. You are correct, however, The DOW was up during the Clinton years. Nice dot com bubble - and many other things - which burst. IRT to your miles - I'm happy you've traveled so much this year. Now talk with some people about their feelings about the US and Americans and learn a bit. Everyone does NOT hate us, as you asserted previously. For my own travels, I've hit every continent except Antartica and can't speak a lick of penguin. I do speak several languages with varying levels of proficiency and lived overseas for a bit. Met a lot of people and found that everywhere I went, some folks liked America, some folks hated America, and some folks couldn't give a rat's ass.

I say go. If rgoper and I are agreeing on anything hell has frozen over anyway. You won't be riding any buses, your friends' family should have enough sense to have security at/around the wedding, and that is an extremely interesting part of the world to visit. Make them take you to Acre and Jerusalem. If your friend thought enough of you to invite you, it would probably mean a whole lot to her that you be there. Especially if not many others - including her own parents - are making the trip. There's not much I won't do for a friend in need and it sounds like she needs you now. If you can afford it, do it. Just be smart while you're there. Things could change in the interim, however, so I'd keep my eye on the news.

Who said the French never had any good ideas nowdays? KICKASS! I'm in - the base of course! And we need some mo' SwoopySwoop kickass bbq too! Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Yeah Renaud! Thanks dude! Peter too! And of course to the great Sebazz......and Deuce for the awesome pics. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

SkyDekker, I did not absolve Bush of all responsibility. Nor do I hold that the economy would be booming had that strike not taken place - better, absolutely, but booming, no. The strike's effect on the economy is an inarguable fact of life - use your noggin' a bit. That's why those longshoremen make so much in the first place - one of several reasons anyway. 1) Economy is on the downturn before Bush elected. Can we at LEAST agree there? 2) Bush elected. I'm libertarian, but he got my vote. Unlike his predecessor, he inherited an economy headed downwards. Tax cut to be phased in over several years is passed. 3) 9-11. Economy takes one hell of a sucker punch. 4) 1 Jan 2002. For those of you who don't know, the President Elect spends his entire first year in office under the last budget of the previous administration. http://w3.access.gpo.gov/usbudget/ The above link might help those doubting Thomases. 5) 8 October 2002. Taft-Hartley invoked to get the longshorement back to work. 6) Present. Not even half of Bush's original tax cuts have phased in. We're still down economically and need a kick start - such as accelerating the original tax cut plan. We're through about 1.5 Bush budgets, with at least two more to go. The first tax cut is being phased in and will hopefully be accelerated. We're going to improve it later this year and next year, which is bad news to leftists across the nation seeking to knock conservatives out of office in '04. If you hold that companies who import and/or export goods were not harmed by the ILWU strike then go talk with some people and learn a little bit about the business. The truckers they employ suffered as well as their own employees. Those who import/export perishables/food were hit extremely hard. Add litigation/insurance claims into the mix and you get a hefty chunk of change for a business. Their employees and stockholders all suffered. If you think that doesn't hurt the economy, well, that's your opinion and you're welcome to it. I find it untenable. Let go of that irrational Bush hatred there partner! Do some more transcendental meditation or something. Beers and moon-pies, Vinny the Anvil Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Abandoned that goal my ass. You don't have a single shred of evidence to support that statement. We're still looking for bin Loser and will continue to do so. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Economy in ruins? Yep! See my previous post for a brief history of the US economy. Take into account everything, and explain to us why Bush is totally responsible. You can't. Period. Billvon's a pretty smart dude and I'll bet he can't either. High unemployment typically accompanies a down economy, by the way. The democrats walking out of the capitol in TX was just flat plain funny. They're in the minority for the first time since Reconstruction and they just don't wanna play? Even when they were in the majority they couldn't get the redistricting finished so a judge had to do it for them. Now that the TX Republicans want to finish the job that the democratic controlled legislature should have done, they run with their tails between their legs. Disgusting. The whole world hates us, we do as we wish, when we wish and where we wish. Wrong on all counts. You should travel more. And you're an engineer. You think you could derive Maxwell's equations when put on the spot with no warning? I doubt it. Does that make you a crappy engineer? I think not. I remember that interview and thought it quite funny. I don't think many in the US could have answered that question correctly, which is probably why it didn't really hurt Bush all that much. OK dude, you wanna go that route? Fine, let's dance. This particular lie by the left really irks me. Bush won the first count. Bush won the recount. He won the re-recount. Bush won the non-binding independent[sic] recount conducted after the Florida Kangaroo court let Kathy Harris certify the election (we can talk about this judicial activism atrocity on another thread if you like). Tell me - exactly what vote count in Florida did Bush lose? (Overall; don't embarrass yourself by pointing out that certain precincts voted for Gore; we all know that I'm referring to the overall state). This 'steal the election' and 'disenfranchisement of voters' horse-caca the left puts out is a testament to their lack of ideas. The tell these lies because they have to do so in order to motivate their base. Doesn't that embarass you lefties out there? Don't you realize that when you use such tactics - Goebbels/Hitler would approve by the way - that you harm America? Or do you realize and just not care because you're blinded by your own quest for power? Try again groper. The position in your previous posts is untenable by any stanard. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

Iraq was in the mop up phases when this occurred in a foreign country known to be friendly to ole bin Loser. Sure I do! But still secondary to rendering his organization impotent. I think these two Bush quotes you used out of context to smear the man bring forth an interesting point. In politics, due to the mass communications available today that were not available in the time of Lincoln, for example, it becomes extremely difficult to let your opinion evolve, to change your mind, change your priorities, or allow yourself to be persuaded to another viewpoint. I don't think that's a good thing, but it's sort of an aside to the current discussion. They also think Israel and the CIA planned 9/11 in some areas. I too would like to see us find some chemicals. I think we will, and the sooner the better. Hopefully we won't find it via an attack, dirty bomb or otherwise. North Korea is a totally different foreign policy paradigm. Different history, different culture, different geo-political situaion, different geographical position.....etc. Not at all applicable. Hans Blix could search there for years and not find anything. The difference between his inspections prior the coalition invasion and right now is that now there aren't efforts underway to move/hide this stuff and deceive the searches by a coordinated intelligence apparatus. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

I wouldn't call this 'allowing' the looting to take place. I still hold that what was taken in what concentrations and etc would determine if it is dangerous or not. Military actions are different than police actions. Though leaving that unguarded wasn't the brightest move in the area, there would have been a ton of other factors for the on scene commander to evaluate. I'm gonna wait and see what pans out here.

This leftie hatred of GWB is really something to behold. I don't know if you were meaning to quote me or billvon, so I'll try and address your points individually. The 'Village Idiot' blah blah about Bush is getting pretty old. Compare and contrast: Harvard MBA vs Divinity School flunkout. Bush is not the brightest star in the sky nor is he the most eloquent president we've ever had. Neither proves he's an idiot. Grow up. Your allusion to the current and future state of the economy is breathtakingly naive in many respects. Here's a quick review. Bush inherited an economy on the downturn from the Clinton Administration. This downturn was not entirely Clinton's fault, I do concede, though he certainly had a hand in it. President Bush pushed through a tax cut that was to be implemented in phases. Its intent was to turn the economy back around and provide continued growth for the long term. Then 9/11 happened and really sucker punched the economy hard. This was followed by the 6-figure-earning longshoremen strike on the west coast, which also hurt the economy. These two events in conjunction severely mitigated the effect of the Bush tax cut and kept the economy - already in trouble - down. Now we need another jump start to get the economy going again. As the original Bush tax cut is phased in we are going to have an economic turnaround. The new tax cut will push us along a bit quicker. I do not like it in its current structure, but do see the need. If the dems would propose something feasible, I might actually support them. You then proceed to slam the President's father over his read-my-lips statement. Good point from the left - next time remember to also state that the democratic congress all but twisted his arm to get him to sign the legislation. At LEAST admit which party sent him the bill. Calling him 'Wyatt Earp' is puerile - but that's what we normally get from the left anyway. You then seem to doubt my statement about US intelligence sources. Watch the news. Colin Powell played the radio intercepts at the UN. If you think we don't have organic sources in place on the ground you are truly naive beyond belief. Your next complaint/gripe was concerning our 'demonic lifestyle' as perceived by the Arab world, then you go into a ramble about foreign policy that makes no sense. Sorry dude. We libertarians watch the news, do our research, and think logically. If the left EVER wants to get our votes, they will have to start making logical arguments based on fact. 'Bush is an idiot', 'war for oil', 'Ashcroft is a racist', 'republicans hate minorities', 'tax cuts for the rich' and 'right wing religious zeolot' and phrases of the same mindset permeate leftists websites, their vernacular, and their speeches. These phrases set off buzzers in the heads of republicans, libertarians, and moderates, letting us know that we're dealing with an uninformed buffoon, an immature crybaby, a misled individual, an ignoramus, or a coward deliberately lying to push their views on others. If the left wants our attention/respect/vote, these phrases have to stop and real discussion/debate START. Ahhhhh.....back to work.....dammit. I hate work. quaternions, malt, hops, and Oreo cookies, Vinny the Anvil Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!!