pvtmorriscsa

EXTREME SARCASM ALERT Funny thing is Ohio, and Michigan went to war way back in the day. Michigan won, and got the Upper Pennisula, Ohio lost and got Toledo. Maybe I got that backwards.

Howdy Ohio, I ran into a punk-rocker a few years back, working at the local 24 hr video store. Since it was three in the morning his car, and mine were the only ones in the parking lot. He had a "Who is John Galt?" bumpersticker, on his car. Needless to say we struck up a lively conversation. It ranged from the beauty of Objectivist philosophy, to the best support for a really long mohawk. (Which is cheap hairspray, and lots of it in case you were wondering.) Rob

Howdy Ohio, What about the Flyers? They have a minority following here. Not that I am a sports fan, but I do spend a lot of time driving around, and read bumperstickers to pass the time. In fact I really don't support the Buckeyes so much as follow them. This town gets so pissy when they loose. Rob

Howdy All, When I think of the “United” Kingdom, I thank my progenitors that as one of Celtic descent that I was born in America, or I would have ended up as a member of the IRA, and most likely would have ended up dead or in worse in jail. As for the royals, I use them as an example of the worst case on inbreeding and welfare that the world has yet seen. Of course it is not just the British “royalty” I comment on, but all the supposedly “noble” family lines that are left in Europe. They are few and far between thank the gods. As has been pointed out on this thread in earlier comments, I am glad to be a citizen of the United States, rather than being the subject of some inbred fool, that rules simply because of his bloodline. Not that our elected leaders are any less foolish. Don’t get me wrong, I respect English history, I see it as the old testament of American history, but as one that is a citizen, not a subject I understand the difference. Not that we don’t have “royal” blood lines in America. Look at the Kennedy’s or the Bush’s, if you want to talk “noble” blood lines in America. In fact I can almost guarantee that George Prescott Bush will one day be president of the US. Rob

Howdy All, In answer to you question Ms. Snow, I am not from Ohio. In fact I have lived in many different places during my ride on the earth. However of all the places I have lived Ohio is the one place that I chose to live. Hell I even did it sight unseen. Course I was young, dumb, and well y’all know the rest of the expression. Yes I moved here following a woman that I was in love with. She graduated from OSU, and moved on, but I stayed. I know there are more bucolic places to live. I moved here from the mountains of Colorado, back in ’92. (Yes, I was thinking with my secondary brain.) I spent the early months of this year now passing out of the state, part of it hiking on the Appalachian Trial, the rest recuperating from knee problems in South Carolina with my kin. It was the longest period I had spent away from Ohio since I moved here. In fact I was contemplating leaving Ohio, when I set out on my failed attempt to thru-hike the AT. (It is still on my list.) As funny as this may sound, I was sitting on a mountaintop in NC, when it occurred to me that Ohio was really not such a bad place. In fact I ran into another fellow from Ohio, and he and I got to talking. It was only then that I finally came out of the closet, and proclaimed with pride that I indeed am a Buckeye. Honestly, Ohio has been very kind to me. I have never been homeless or gone hungry, even when the times got really lean. Unlike many people who are born and raised here, I moved here by choice, and see the value of the place. For example; Powered flight was developed in Ohio, The first American in orbit is from Ohio, and the first human on the moon is from Ohio. Not to mention we bucks are second only to Virginia for presidents. Sure we in central Ohio don’t have a professional football team, or a professional baseball team, but we can choose the Browns, the Bengals, the Indians or the Reds. Then again we can just root for the Buckeyes, and laugh at the pros. Furthermore, if one is willing to work, one can always find a job, and usually well paying at that. As another imported friend of mine said to me once, if you can’t make at least $10 an hour you aren’t trying very hard. Course I try really hard, and make considerably more than that. Columbus is the 15th largest city in the country. The largest city I have ever lived in. Too big you ask me, but the really impressive libraries make it worth while. Not to mention the diversity of the city. All sorts of folks live here, folk from all over the world. Oh, and over half the people at work are Michigan fans. After the “Big Game” they were much disheartened, and much poorer. Hell I even made a dollar on the game myself. Finally, I might at some point leave the 614, and move somewhere else, but if I do not, and my ashes are scattered here, I will still think my life was well spent. Rob

You know you are right. Aside from the dog, I don't own enough land, (or any for that matter), to allow a real dog to have enough room to run. I don't run my own business, but my computer sure as hell could. I do own enough guns, (and have the training.), to make myself dangerous, and my tools though not myriad, are enough to do what needs doing around the house. As for my library, it is large but focused. Any questions on the War Between the States, I can answer in depth. The rest of my library is pretty eclectic. You are also right in the comments on metro sexual. I would rather cut my balls off, and call myself a eunuch than fall into the category of metro sexual.

Howdy All, Apologies ahead of time if I have posted this incorrectly, and moderators please fell free to move this post, if need be. I am somewhat of a shy and reserved guy, and as such I have a difficult time with dating. So being an information geek, I have been doing some research on the internet for ideas, and information pertaining to the subject. I came across the following article. http://msn.match.com/msn/article.aspx?arti...544657&menuid=7 I thought you all might get a laugh or something from my responses to the article. I suppose I could post them on some other forum, but I feel that the denizens of this one are more closely attuned to my philosophy, and world view. So feel free to laugh. Here are my responses, in order of the topics raised in the article: 1. Good Coffee Maker. I got this on licked as I am a coffee fiend. I am not a caffeine fiend mind you. I grind my own beans at a ratio of 1/3 caffeinated to 2/3 decaffeinated. I measure them, grind them, and brew through a wire coffee filter. For those of you who are coffee aficionados, you know this gives the best flavor. Aside from a French press that is, which I have one of those as well. 2. Lamp in the Bedroom. Of course I have a lamp, how else can I while away my insomniac hours reading good writing, before sliding off to slumber’s call? 3. Swiffer? In the common parlance. Nigga please! I keep my living space clean. I mean hell you may not be able to eat off my floors, but I would not complain if emergency surgery was done on them. Really, who lets their floors get that gunky? 4. Comfy Couch? Who buys an uncomfortable couch? When I get a new couch, my first prerequisite is can I sleep on it. If it comfortable enough for that what more does one need? $1000 please. In my opinion if a couch costs $1000 it has a steering wheel, and gets decent gas mileage. 5. Nice Underwear. Ok, this may be too much information, but I gave up the underwear habit years ago. Since I have a pretty good understanding of basic defecating hygiene this has not been a problem for me. So why spend good money for a layer of clothing that has little value. Having said that I have a nice set of capilene, 100 wt fleece, and poly-pro long johns for inclement weather. I even have a set of poly-pros cut off to wear under my shorts until it gets cold enough for my knees to get frost bit. 6. Swiss-Army type key ring. Actually I wear my Leatherman Micra on a cord around my neck. So I guess my MacGyver type antics are covered. 7. $150 Jeans. Ok, so I might spend $50 on a pair of nice slacks to be worn on special dress up occasions, but I ain’t dropping that much on a pair of jeans. In fact I quit buying jeans when Levis went over $30 a pair. (That and I found out that they were giving money to the Brady Anti-Self defense people.) Besides, I very rarely wear jeans anyway. Remember cotton kills. Just don’t tell any of my Confederate ancestors I said that, or they will be spinning. 8. $200 Dress Shoes. Ok, so my 15 year old wing tips got to go, but what is wrong with my $60 hush puppies? I mean they hold a mean shine, and are comfy as hell. The only time I even come close to wearing $200 shoes is when I wear my Montrail hikers, and they only cost me $175. I know good shoes, I used to sell them, and I know one does not have to bleed nasally to buy good ones. 9. 300 thread count sheets. To be honest this one completely escapes me. Perhaps I am too Neanderthal, but jesus h. “jumping” christ that sh*t is damn expensive. Besides I only use a futon cover, a comforter, throw blankets, and a quilt. Depending on the weather. 10. The Joy of Cooking. I got this one whipped standing on my head. I can whip up a chili, enchiladas, tacos, burritos, spaghetti, omelets, or stir fry. I can even do it in vegetarian or omnivorian. Not to mention I can bake, cakes, cookies, breads, pies. Sh*t I can even make brioche. I know this is not the usual line of comment, or commentary that appears on this site. I just figure if I was going to post something to the internet, y’all O’ist types would be the ones that would appreciate it the most. F*ck Michigan Go Bucks Rob

I think my favorite fantasy quote is from the Tolkien. "Baruk Khazâd! Khazâd aimênu! " Axes of the Dwarves! The Dwarves are upon you! The are other more memorable quotes from the LOTR, but ever since I read that one, it stuck in my mind. So I guess I have to call it a fav.

Howdy All, I really enjoyed this book. Sure, the characters are sort of shallow, and two dimensional, but I was not expecting literature. The story is fascinating, and the message amazing. I must say though, Kenner sure seems an awful lot like Galt to me. When I read Rand for the first time, I thought wow here is someone whos sees life the way I do. Reading this particular piece of Crichton, makes me think wow, here is someone who sees the environment exactly the same way I do. If you want some more of his indictment of evironmentalism, and environmentalist, just google, and you will likely come across several different speeches he had made on the subject. If you got a bit of time for some high quality mind candy, check it out.

Park High School Class of 1990. I spent my middle school, and high school years in Estes Park. Great city although I haven't been there in going on 12 years. As for the political atmosphere we were in a grey area. We lived 12 miles outside of town, so my folks had little involvement in city matters. I know taxes in Estes were high which is why my folks moved us so far out of town, an my parents worked "in the valley". Come to think of it we used to shop, "in the valley" as well. We would drive 40+ miles to Longmont, or Loveland, twice a month to buy groceries. I remember the love/hate relationship we had with terrorists, I mean tourists. Sorry if this is off topic, but any mention of Estes makes me a bit nostalgic. I'll stop now before I really get going. hehe.

If you end up in Columbus, that sort of comment could get you lynched. Especially as November 19th approaches. Go Bucks! Seriously though, I am a transplant to Ohio, and I can't imagine a better place to live. The people are friendly for the most part, and it has been my experience that work is not hard to come by. I must warn you about the politically parties in Ohio. The Republicans act like socialists, and the democrats like commies.

These complaints seem very similar to the complaints leveled against Microsoft, by Netscape, and later the Federal Government. Whining and sniveling from a perceived underdog, against a perceived bully. My current machine has an AMD chip, which I am very happy with. It was faster for the money than an equivalently priced Intel machine. Too bad we don’t live in a capitalist country, with a capitalist economy where this fight could be carried out in the market instead of the courtroom. I guess my next machine is going to have to be a Mac.

Ok, I tried to listen to the interview. Sadly I could not get through the whole thing. As soon as Arianna started flapping her lips my brain felt like it was going to explode. I had to shut it off.

Remember Ragnar is neither a soldier nor a policeman. In fact in todays world he would be branded a "terrorist".

This would be the same young punk college student that tried to explain to me that global warming was caused by fossil fuel usage. As he has learned in one of his classes. So you will forgive me if I am a bit cynical about his "facts and knowledge"

d'oh! Ballastics! Yikes. Ballistics. If someone could correct the speeling in my heading I would appreciate it.

We were having a discussion last night at work. It revolved around the idea of what happens to a bullet if you shoot it straight up into the air. The thoughts expressed by the majority of my co-workers was that if you shot a bullet straight up into the air, it would come back down with enough force to kill someone. My only arguement was what I had learned in an NRA certified handgun course I took, in which I was told that pointing a loaded firearm up in the air was safe. The instructors granted that if you were to be hit by such a bullet on it's downward course it would not be pleasant, but that it would have no where near the force of a direct shot. One of the young punk college students at work started to get all scientific on me, and sadly my knowledge of physics is not up to par. Needless to say my arguements were not very persuasive. I guess what I am asking is who is right; the college student at work, who maintains that a bullet would fall from the height of it's flight with lethal force, or the NRA instructors in my handgun class, who stated a completely opposite result?

Funnything is that I thought a bunch of states tried to do just that back in 1861. Leave the Union I mean. Four bloody years later, the Federal government proved they were wrong.

I think those screen shots are from Rome:Total War, which is a game I have been eagerly awaiting since the first time I heard of it over a year ago. If it is as good as the other Total War titles, it will be awesome.

I think I would have to say that both of these men have earned their places in history. Although I would place Newton slightly higher than Einstein, if for no other reason than his having worked out "The Calculus"

I agree with you. While the President gave a very energizing speech the other night, I could not help but visualize my tax dollars being pissed away. I mean for nothing's sake how many times did he mention "Expanding", or "providing" government interference in our lives. Errr... I mean government programs. I think the President is counting on his version of "Reaganomics" to work. He might be right. Presidents Hoover, Kennedy, Reagan, and now Bush II, all lowered taxes. I am not sure of the current results of tax cuts, time will tell, but the first three times it was tried it resulted in increased government income.

Yeah her opinion on the issue was pretty clear. I must say that this topic made me go back and reread the article, "The Lessons of Vietnam", in the Voice of Reason. The following quote from the article really jumped out at me. It has some striking similarities to what is going on in Iraq at the moment. Ayn Rand wrote: "In compliance with modern politics, the war was allegedly intended to save South Vietnam from communism, but the proclaimed purpose of the war was not to protect freedom or indvidual rights, it was not to establish capitalism or any particular social system -- it was to uphold the South Vietnamese right to "national self-determination," i.e., the right to vote themselves into any sort of system (including communism, as American propagandists kept proclaiming). The Right to vote is a consequence, not a primary cause, of a free social system--...." Let me tell you it has really got me thinking. I would like to hear from any Vietnam vets that are also objectivists, and get their take on both of these issues. On Iraq, and on the war in Vietnam. My father served fours months in Vietnam, (I wonder if that is why he is a Kerry supporter?) but he is now a confirmed bureaucratic socialist, so his take on it is pretty skewed.

Drunken college students? Surely you jest. Seriously the tradition of alcohol abuse on college campuses predates the modern age. That sort of thing was going on when many of the famous generals in the War Between the States (1861-65), where young men in West Point. It begs the question that if it was happening at a strict military school, was it also happening at private colleges and universities? Social Theory? Social Action? I wonder if he is a socialist? First off, how long have we been keeping statisitices on depression? Secondly, how is clinical depression defined? Finally, who decides what depression is. I for one find it interesting that the children of the Depression era, those who fought and won the Second World War, did not complain about stress, or depression. Whereas their children, the baby boomers, who had everything handed to them find themselves afflicted with both. Shouldn’t a rational person always strive to always make the best possible choice? I for one always do. Of course choosing the best possible choice can sometimes mean, in the consumer product sense at any rate, choosing something that is “good enough”? For example, why buy a computer that is 10 times more powerful than what you need for $2000. When you can buy one that is exactly what you need for $200? I for one have never found decisions daunting. Although to be honest sometimes it takes me a while to make up my mind. I must say that making complex decisions actually challenges me. A complex decision may take some time for me to mull over. It may cause me sleepless nights, but it never “daunts” me. Shouldn’t a rational person always strive to make objective choices? I wonder if one of the factors is our looter society’s guilt of success? Furthermore isn’t choosing from many different alternatives part of making object value judgements? I was thinking to get a new car stereo two years ago. I spend a lot of time in my car, and my stereo was old and dying. I hemmed and hawed as to which one to buy, and how much to spend. Finally it got very near to death, so I went out and bought a new one. It was not the most expensive, nor the least expensive. It was of a quality that I was reasonably certain would last a good amount of time for the price I was willing to spend. Further it fulfills the exact need for which it was intended. Yes I have adapted to it. I carry CDs in my car now and not audio tapes as I did before but, I use it everyday, and it adds value to my life every day. I think the people that get excited with, and feel like fools six months after a purchase, either made the wrong choice in the first place, or have fallen prey to Madison Avenue’s “New is Always Better” propaganda. It sounds as though you are arguing for a nanny/collectivist state “Free Trade”? Where? Cause I would sure like to know. Off the top of my head I can’t think of a single country that has real “Free” trade. Globalization of what, non-existent “free” trade? If you mean globalization of socialism, which is what globalization really means, then sure I can easily understand why some people might say, “No Thanks, I would rather be happy” Especially when they have no idea, thanks to our looter infested education system, what it means to be happy. When they are told that man is not heroic but loathsome, self sacrifice is the moral purpose of life, productive achievement is ignoble, and reason is not absolute, can you wonder at the quandary?

This is off topic, but I wanted to thank you Betsy for that link. I will be hiking the Appalachian Trail next spring, and I was thinking to fashion a small Star and Bars to carry with me, as a sign of my Southern Heritage. I think I might have to make and carry one of those SARA flags instead. I am sure it will not make me too many friends on the trail, the majority of the other hikers being of a green/commie/hippie/liberal bend. Who knows though maybe I will be able to enlighten some of them to the errors of their ways, and the flag would be a great conversation starter. P.S. Betsy, do you have any current email addresses for this Prodos fella, the email addresses on his site keep coming up as undeliverable.

I would add to this list The Art of War by Jomini. Hard to find, but worth a read. Supposedly my beloved Stonewall was heavily influenced by his writings. History of War by Keegan. A good read on the evolution of warfare, strategy and tactics. Steal My Soldiers Hearts, by Hackworth. A great primer on how to out guerilla the guerillas. Achtung Panzer, by Guderian. One of the first books to work out the principals of what would be called Blitzkrieg tactics. When Infantry Attacks, by Rommel. This is a book of lessons learned from WWI.