ChasingBlueSky

Well said. Weakness, insecurity in your beliefs, myopic opinions, control issues and anger management issues seem to be popping up in this thread. People will believe they are doing the right thing, saying the right thing all in the name of being "A Patriotic American." It is these people that need to go back and study what our Founders wrote and remember WHY they composed it and fought to defend those ideas. Beliefs are a very dangerous thing. Fanatical, violent beliefs like those being expressed yet again about this topic are just like those generate the hate that paints us as the great satan. It only takes one step down a slippery slope to fall all the way to the bottom.....it seems many are willing to make that step just to feel "patriotic." My guess? These people will continue their rants until the day comes when someone tries to remove one of their freedoms (maybe as a consequence of their extreme actions??)....then they will complain about how unfair it all is. Maybe then they will realize the damage their words are causing. BUT!! Since I am a good American, I fully support their right to rant on end about this even thou I fully disagree with them (see how that works??). _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

Hey K! Happy Bday! _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

Split the series, just like last year. White Sox still inf first, still best team in baseball. I can live with that. How many games above 500 are the Cubs? _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

Sox fans still go as well. I don't think I've missed a year going to games since 1982. How many Cubs fans on here can say the same? _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

btw a nice 12-2 victory for the Sox as they hit win #50! _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

Best Batman movie of the bunch...and easily the best comic book movie to date (with Sin City a close 2nd....which was also a Frank Miller book). As I was watching this it felt as if Frank Miller had put this all together. The Year One comic was very similar to this and tried to paint what it would be like if a man dressed as a Bat showed up in the real world. The only thing I found odd about the movie was Katie Holmes little speech at the end....just didn't fit in right. Damn cool seeing Chicago turned into Gotham thou, didn't know how that would work. I remember seeing them film a bunch of it at night downtown and how much traffic it caused. Now I know why Wacker was closed down with all those cop cars on it!! Little interesting thing to note - that building he stands on overlooking the entire city? That was one of Al Capone's main places to stay in Chicago....and they ran a speak easy up top. The lookout point he was on was used to watch for cops approaching the building. There is a cool little secret elevator that Capone used to use - it allowed him to bring his car all the way to the top so he could quickly get away....the elevator opened up into the service area on lower Wacker Drive (that whole lower section where they showed the run down part of Gotham and where the car chase happened.....which is the exact same place the Blues Brothers had one of their car chases). Overall a great movie and the best one of the summer blockbusters so far. _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

And any baseball fan that trashes "The Cell" over what the stadium was when it opened in 1991 hasn't been there this year. They have made it into a great place to watch baseball....a very fan friendly environment. _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

once every 10 years? um, you should go back and look at their standings all thru the 90s....Sox have a better record than the Cubs and have had more chances at the playoffs than the Cubs. Sox have plenty of history as well...been around just as long, had Harry, Jack and Sammy before the Cubs....even had a movie made about them from 1919. Yup plenty of bad years for both - I know, I was at most of them in the 80s. It's very simple in Chicago why people don't go to Sox games: WGN-TV/Radio. The Sox for years were stuck on a Ch 44 which was poorly broadcast across the city, and then Ch 32 before Fox purchased them. The Cubs were on one of the clearest, strongest TV stations in the city and received top press from their sister newspaper, The Chicago Tribune. I did a study about this when I was in my media classes in college. This is the same reason that Atlanta is considered "America's Team." TBS got the Braves on every cable network in the 80s...if you had cable you could watch them for free.....same for the cubs on WGN Superstation. Saturation led people into following them. The Sox have never had this. Even today you have the top broadcasters in the city pointing out how unfair the Tribune is in the coverage it gives to the White Sox. As someone that knows people that work at the Sun-Times and Tribune, they acknowledge that the Cubs get more back page coverage - they are capitalizing on the 30+ years of strong coverage to help sell papers. The Sox haven't helped the situation either. Remember that their owner is the same guy that trashed the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordon's winning teams. He is money motivated and the rest of the ownership of the Sox is very old and has resisted doing anything to change their profit margin (yes, I know this for a fact, I worked with a family member of one of the owners) In the late 80's Jerry threatened to take the team to FL and used it as leverage to get a new stadium that was designed with profit margins in mind, not baseball fans. Then they tore down one of the most loved Stadiums in the country and did almost nothing to connect the team to it's history - flushing away a lot of die hard fans. They continued trashing the history of the team by banning certain songs (Hey Hey Goodbye), moving Nancy Faust away from the fans and playing mostly DJ music, getting nasty ugly uniforms that removed any connection to their history, etc. Jerry Reinsdorf was a key player behind the '94 strike when the Sox were far into first place and Frank Thomas was on his way to the Triple Crown. Then just a couple years later there was the "White Flag" trade when a good Sox team was traded away for a bunch of kids to "rebuild." The Sox had a chance at the playoffs that year and Jerry didn't like how much money the team was costing him, so he dumped them all in favor of going into a rebuilding mode (just like he did to MJ's Bulls). It got so bad that Mayor Daley swore off supporting the White Sox anymore!! It's not that the Wrigley family has done a lot for the Cubs, but they made the team accessible to the city and always kept it tied close to its history. So while the Cubs had 30+ years of broadcasting success, the Sox had nothing but terrible management which helped destroy them in this town. _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

Plenty to do at Comiskey - and plenty to see, like a team that can play and win! I've been a die-hard fan since 1982. Have had a bunch of friends work for them over the years as well. I don't care who is/isn't there. What other people watch or don't watch has no effect on me or my liking of a team. Great thing about Sox fans? We don't care that you don't show up, we will have fun without you! Sox=baseball Cubs = an event I prefer baseball _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

Had spinach deep dish today...nothing better than that....no one does pizza like chicago! _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

sure, but if werent for the cubbies, the 2000 "fans" that actually show up to the sox games wouldn't create much traffic at all Sox are averaging 28,000 fans a game now. And they are all baseball fans, not bandwagon, yuppie, northsiders looking for just another bar. More fun anyday at a Sox game because people are there for the game....it's not a place to be seen! _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

Sorry, I gotta chime in here! If you want the best Chicago style pizza, forget Gino's or Uno's or Due. The hands down, BEST pizza anywhere is at Lou Malnati's!! Its on Kinzie near the Merchandise Mart. That pizza is to die for and way better than the other deep-dish pizza places that tourists go to. (Yes, I've tried them all.) Ok, thats all. Everything else he said is true. Sorry, Lou's isn't Chicago style pizza. It's good, but it just isn't Chicago style. Gino's, Giordano's, Uno's, Home Run Inn, or any of the small local places are better than there. (this coming from a guy that has worked in three pizza restaurants!) _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

Same here, migraines, weakened lung defenses against an infection, reduced lung capacity, sinus issues, allergies, etc. I am all for pushing smokers out of all public places and I narc on someone that breaks those rules. If you think about it, from 1-8 grades I missed over 150 school days - that is an ENTIRE year of school!! I really want to hear what a smoker has to say in argument of that? My old man - the biggest smoker in the house? Haven't talked to him in over 4 years now. It's just one of many issues that forced me to break off talking to them. He would smoke two packs A NIGHT in our house. That was more important than his son's health. And when I was at home, passing out from coughing spasms or from pneumonia? Yup, kept smoking. If you are a smoker, I have NO compassion for you....you are making your own fate. _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

/signed. Freedom of speech and expression? Yet another victim of the conservative nation. No bother to argue with me, I won't change my mind on it...never have, never will on this topic. I've heard each side over and over again since this BS started back in Ohio in '90. It's amazing how much you can get people to buy into when you blind them with ego-centric nationalistic/ignorant pride. It's one thing being proud of your country, it's another thing to remove someones freedoms because you feel "off" about it. Fact is - enforcing a law against desecration is unamerican as you can get. Therefore, those that support voting this trash down are the real, true, patriotic Americans. They believe in what is really written on those great documents (Bill of Rights, Constitution, etc). _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

My gut reaction? Not soon enough. This is coming from personal experience. I had 2-3 lung infections a year (one year 5) growing up in a house with one - two smokers in it. I averaged missing 20 days of school each year. It got so bad that they tested me for Cystic Fibrosis (was a lot of fun being told at 13 that I may not live past 25 if I had it). It took a year or two, but after I moved out things got ALOT better. Due to smoking I lost a lot of healthy days and now have no idea how much long term damage was done to my lungs during those years. I had so many X-rays done on my lungs that they had to limit them on a yearly basis due to concerns of too much radiation. Any time a smoker starts in on THEIR rights I go to town on those selfish bastards. My political and social beliefs, however, would have me vote NO against making it illegal. I do not want the gov't raising our children. _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

Chicago is going to be nuts this weekend. 90F+ temps, Next Fest, The best team in baseball, the White Sox, will be beating/owning the Cubs on the South Side and a few hundred thousand down at the Taste of Chicago....and I haven't checked to see if there is a convention in town. Public transportation will be your friend parking will be full at Grant Park....anywhere else will start at $11-16 and go up to $25 for the day. I'm not sure where you are staying, but let me know if you need help with the CTA. Taxis will be your friend as well. I'll be at Next Fest this weekend...just got back from a two hour lunch at the Taste. Here are some tips - bring your own water or camel back. Tickets are 11 for $7 and water for .5L is three tickets. Use the taste portions for 3 tickets to try things out - best way to try out a bunch. Meals are 5-9 tickets depending on what you get. I will suggest to try out the Wagnu Saloon at the Gourmet section near the fountain - they have a chocolate chip cookie dough egg roll for 3 tickets. Easily the best thing I had today - the BBQ Pull Pork was good as well. Thanks to the heat it wasn't that crowded today. Just head to the taste....it will be crowded but the experience and the variety of food you can get there is well worth it. Ticket sales end at 8:30 and food at 9:00p. You can also see the Fountain while there and pick up a boat tour as well. There were some great blues bands playing today and there are free concerts each night starting at 6:30p or so. Google Taste of Chicago and find the site. A good place for dinner is to try out Gino's East and get the stuffed pizza - you will not find better pizza anywhere else. You will find Chicago entertainment is often focused around food! Plenty of bars to head to in Wrigleyville. Or you can try Second City or the Improve Olympic for comedy (tickets are available online). These are where SNL folk got their start. _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

Check out this post, send him a PM or check out his website http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1693298#1693298 _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

Why do you have to be so difficult? Everyone knows that the world will slow down and eventually start to turn the other way - this way we will go back in time and Lois Lane will never die!! _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

Lady: Are you the police? Elwood: No ma'am, we're the musicians. _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

I forgot to mention he wasted time in the Senate with this - and it went to a vote. 42 members voted for it!! Luckily not enough to pass. He has made some changes to it and will bring it to the floor again. Funny, we have more important things that need to get passed and looked over and this Sen is more worried about the view from his backyard. Have I mentioned how frustrated I am with politics in general? _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

I know of someone that used to do this here in the midwest. Cesna, two tandem rigs, camera person, some ground crew. Good way to make a few dollars and introduce skydiving into areas that are not close to a DZ. _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

Wanted mine for years...finally got it and love it. Most never see it. It needs a touch up, but I would never consider taking it off. I'm still in the process of deciding what I want next. _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

Do you feel a 300 foot tower with 95 foot long blades will do any more damage than a condo building, skyscraper or billboard? I recently saw something on the Science channel where they found the town on the Canadian side of Niagra Falls has changed the wind patterns after the tall building boom. Now the fog from the falls doesn't clear out as much, and often it invades the town. They now have a plan to put new buildings around town to redirect the wind back to the falls. _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

Gen Clark wrote in his book that a war with Iraq was being planned pre 9/11. He claims it was common knowledge in the Pentagon. Drawing a weapon if you have the chance and not missing is not the issue. The issue is looking for a reason to draw the weapon and using fear to give us one without proof. Why should we have to prove that Bush lied to us when he failed to give a good enough reason to go to war. If you want to rely upon the common excuses this administration uses then you have to wonder why nothing is being done about a very active act of genocide happening right now. Speaking of the fear campaign. Anyone else notice the 100% total lack of any threat level changes since the election ended? Even Ridge has spoken out and said most of the ones used before 2004 were unnecessary. _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....

According to what I read in the Wall Street Journal today, that is a fact stated by Sen Alexander (R) from Tennessee. What exactly is that threat? Apparently "A gigantic public nuisance" and "a disaster for the SE" because "the sound of these machines is like a brick wrapped in a towel tumbling in a clothes drier on a perpetual basis." He wants tax credits denied for these. He wants subsidies cut off. I wonder if he has any other reasons for this?? As it turns out he has strong allies/friends in the utility industry, particularly Southern CO of Atlanta, which runs the largest fleet of coal-fired power plants. He also owns an undeveloped lot in Nantucket near the site of a proposed 130-windmill complex in the Nantucket Sound area (Sen Kennedy (D) has campaigned against this project). Yet, he claims this is to "protect taxpayers to preserve the beauty of America's outdoors." _________________________________________ you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me.... I WILL fly again.....