The Free Speech Zone - Recent Comments

It Sucks To Always Have To Explain Voting - Things Sometime Look Simple But Are Not

blues — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 07:43:45 GMT

If you delve into the gritty details (and it's not that hard once you know the basics) the problems with nearly all the "solutions" become clear. Suppose "none of the above" "wins." Then you just have another broken, two-party election all over. The best case would possibly be that neither of the two black hat candidates would ever win. Check out:

Real Democracy Is The ONLY Answer!

Just crunk it out smooth...

Jack's Smirking Revenge — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 07:42:56 GMT

let the haters hate on.

Oh Edward M. Liddy.....

Jack's Smirking Revenge — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 07:35:32 GMT

http://wikileaks.org/wiki/AIG_...

you slay me.

They're Everywhere!

Miep — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 07:21:54 GMT

Stalking people like you. Fucking your Wife!

She's hot for the fatties, ya know.

Oh, you didn't?

"none of the above"

Miep — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 07:19:49 GMT

Elections where "none of the above" is always on the ballot, and if "none of the above' wins, everybody has to start all over again.

Now, that would be revolutionary. That would truly change things.

Interesting!

Miep — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 07:17:49 GMT

I know a guy down here, one of the few I still consider a friend, who told me once that a measure of a town is the ratio of bars to churches. He thought it should be about equal...any overly skewed ratio in either direction was a recipe for trouble.

My turn to give you "Title Win!"

Miep — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 06:47:49 GMT

I thought I got over idolizing heroes, but Assange changed that.

He's definitely on the list of people I'd risk my life to hide, without questions, if any of 'em showed up at my front door late at night, and asked to be hidden.

since you asked

Miep — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 06:45:17 GMT

and here I am...

okay, first, with regards to contacting your exes...doing it in writing gives them a better option for ignoring you. But if what you want to do is offer apologies, it can come across better in writing. There is less potential for distraction. And telephoning people can come off as pushy, and in the moment, like it was just a passing fancy.

If you take the time to write, that suggests more forethought.

Secondly, with regards to any kids you've more or less lost contact with...it might well be a good thing to try to contact them.

But don't expect to be welcomed with open arms. Even if it wasn't your fault that you more or less left their lives, they'll blame you for it. That's how it goes.

So, if you want to do it, don't expect your kids to be rational about this, even if they try very hard to appear to do so. They're used to being without you, and it's going to seem dangerous to let you back in too close...because you might leave again, no?

Even with kids who are now adults, that is always there. The fear of being left.

However, you sound like you're much more into The Telephone than I am (which isn't saying much), so please take this in the spirit it is intended...just an impression from another blogger. If that's how you work best, go for it. Just think about how and what you might be interrupting.

Good luck with all of that. It sounds scary as hell.

The worst death imaginable, the one that doesnt kill you, the one that you can't imagine and never feel sneaking into place behind you.

I like that.

And for good measure.......

Jack's Smirking Revenge — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 06:44:00 GMT

Fuck The TSA

http://wikileaks.org/wiki/TSA_...

Really? You didn't even have a fucking head of your agency for like a year.

Go fuck yourselves, you're useless.

Boston Ain't All That Bad

blues — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 06:38:52 GMT

Wasn't even suggesting that you move out, either.

In a sense, your attitude is vaguely appropriate, given the present state of things.

Other hand, the way things are going, you really want to be about 30 miles away from any city. Beverly, to the north, might be okay.

It was quite peculiar to finally have to accept that education and religion make people callous. What a world.

I do frankly believe that if we had {"consecutive runoff approval voting"} -- (do Google it), politics would be pretty reasonable to invest energy in, because the vote would have actual meaning.

One thing I keep harping on about politics is that voting, just like joining the Army, is pure "patriotism": You know damn well that your tiny effort will do almost nothing to win the war, just in the way you know your tiny vote will do almost nothing to win the election! Yet we get wars that solve nothing, and elections that are broken and intrinsically two-party.

My take is that if politics is to be meaningful at all, one must be ultra-radical.

Sorry, blues, but I have absolutely no intention of moving out of Boston.

mplo — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 06:10:27 GMT

There are unsympathetic, mean-spirited people everywhere, so that's another reason why moving out of an area that one has grown up in and loves ain't necessarily and always the answer.

Click on my rosy red rectum, spammer.

Miep — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 06:00:47 GMT

Click on this link

Keeksii — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 05:59:17 GMT

email backup
archiving email

Boston Will Do That To You

blues — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 05:58:20 GMT

I once carefully counted the number of colleges there, and it's at least 20 (and more if Cambridge is included, and it should be). There are only about that many in all of the State of Connecticut (I come from Danbury, Conn.) I'm now in Hampshire County, Mass, which probably has more colleges than Conn. as well -- it's loaded with them. At my ripe old age I have discovered that merely by moving physically away from these institutions one encounters 20 times more really compassionate and concerned people. The exception is areas like the South and Midwest, which is infested with far too many churches. I'm really not being prejudiced here at all -- this comes directly from simple observation. If I go 30 miles north, toward Vermont, the people concerned and kindly and sweet. That is merely the truth, and I won't venture to discuss why it is at the moment.

Harvard, for instance (where George W. Bush got his masters degree), simply abolished its fine arts department under the influence of its president Larry Summers (yes, that one) because art wasn't "academic" enough for him. A decade ago, Boston had a huge "artist collective" called "Fort Hill," but the city couldn't see its way clear to come up with a few thousand bucks to save it. And nobody gave a shit. But the notorious "Big Dig" project to build roads underneath the entire city cost, IIRC, about $30 Billion. It will all be lost when the ocean rises about a foot, as most of Boston is inches above sea level! (The town has its charms -- Jamaica Plain is cute, as are the little mice in the subways.)

When I get around to it I will write about my research concerning election theory. It is vastly more complex that most people would imagine! In fact our "plurality" voting system is 99% futile. (I wonder why people bother with politics at all, in light of this!) The Rockefeller funded "IRV" so beloved by the greens is likewise 99% futile -- It looks fine until you study its structure a bit. And come to find (as expected) that wherever it's used, the voters find themselves locked into unshakable two-party systems! (I have sort of invented a voting method that works, and have plastered it across the Internet -- Just Google {"consecutive runoff approval voting"} -- but some people think I'm egotistical for promoting this. I believe this election method essay will be the most important one I ever post here, by far.

I'd settle for spitting, myself

Miep — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 05:23:42 GMT

But I appreciate your passion on the matter.

Good point.

Miep — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 05:21:28 GMT

:-)

Miep — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 05:21:15 GMT

Great post.

Miep — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 05:20:43 GMT

You really outdid yourself here. Good job.

What a sad post

Miep — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 05:15:35 GMT

But I do give you points for being gutsy in publishing it.

Sometimes you just gotta get this shit out of your system.

Regarding America; we're in a lot of trouble, and electing more weak Democratic presidents, though it might result in some small good, ain't gonna stem the tide. You're right on that.

Many of the best minds on the planet think it's already too late.

I'm getting more into "life raft" mode all the time - i.e., give up on all of these silly thoughts that we can really turn this thing around, and focus more on what is most important to save.

Civilization may not be on the list.

In my experience this whole notion

melvin — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 05:00:47 GMT

of relating to other people is terribly overrated.

It's not my thoughts.....

Jack's Smirking Revenge — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 03:52:48 GMT

but seems from the heart.

A- for, well, honesty. Differ on views personally but it's got a flow of "fuck it" to it that one can't ignore.

GPA will still be bangin so no worries :-P

But seriously, there is a very real and serious threat of cyborg zombies.

People! Priorities!

Zoner's can't fuckin focus....

You, sir, brought tears to my eyes.

Phuq Yew — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 03:27:08 GMT

Now... Was that from all that smell and fumes?

Or from the sentiment?

Nah... I choose sentiment.

Title win.

Jack's Smirking Revenge — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 02:35:28 GMT

all i want to do...

james risser — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 00:48:27 GMT

...is have a violent diarrheacal bowel movement onto his gravestone...seven dollars at the nearest taco bell; keep in bag for one hour; find gravestone; consume contents of the bag; wait nine minutes, and give dick the gift that keeps giving....

Déjà vu

Jacob Freeze — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:00:11 GMT

I made a couple of attempts to write something about the Wikileaks documents from Afghanistan, but it was all so déjà vu that I couldn't even focus on it.

US kills civilians!

Pakistan helps Taliban!

Is this old news from 2001, or at the latest 2002, or what?

And now slowly, slowly some big stupid animal begins to wake up, and they call it "public opinion turning against the war!"