redkow97

some things are just sad. 1 in 1,000,000 chance is still a chance.

"not any more, Austin."

1100 had a commercial for the Trivisonno show on this morning that said something like: "sure there are black people i don't like. there are black people i wouldn't pay a dime for. But there are also white people I wouldn't pay a nickel for. is that racist? Am I supposed to like everybody?" our nation is really quick to assume things are racially motivated. WHO CARES WHAT THE MOTIVATION IS - either something is illegal, or it's legal. (guess where I stand on 'hate crimes?')

I try not to pose for a picture unless it's going to make someone laugh. what's the point of saving a boring memory?

and 'real' pictures: My brothers and me. the one on the right was graduating from Northwestern the following day. The one on the left attends OSU now. The wife and me, a few hours before our wedding: Wife, sister-in-law, and her boyfriend. He's not short - we're standing on a hill.

fair enough. I don't own a camera, so the only 'good' pictures I have of myself are from weddings. first day of school: In my natural habitat (drunk, in the woods of WV, the night after rafting): sun burnt. I told Sara, "either put lotion on my back, or hold my beer so I can." she held my beer... after winning 3 games in a row, I somehow got shut-out at Beer Pong. House rules dictate that anyone who gets shut out (at any game) must complete 1 naked lap around the house. Oh, and it's January 1, 2009. The follow-up shot of my naked ass jumping from the deck into the snow is also good.

is the objective here to associate a face to the screen name, or just embarrass myself?

i wish i'd had access to "you think health care is expensive now, wait until it's FREE!" a couple days ago... some girl I went to grade school with posted this as her facebook 'status' : "fuck everyone who doesn't think we need health care reform. I just called 4 doctors, and none of them will see me." my reply was, "so you'd rather it be the government's decision than the doctor's?" But the sticker would have been a nice addition.

I could be persuaded if people are actually going. i've had some bike drama the last couple days (with my dad's bike, AND mine...), but if i can get his running well at lunch, I might be motivated to get it up there with a 'for sale' sign on it...

"pro-choice" is such an ambiguous term. I'm all for people choosing to be responsible, whatever that means to them. if you're religious, be responsible and don't have sex before marriage. If you're not religious, be responsible and use a condom and/or birth control when you have sex AND ACKNOWLEDGE THE FACT THAT NEITHER ARE 100% EFFECTIVE. If you and your partner become pregnant, make the responsible choice (financially and emotionally) for you, and your potential child. hell yeah i'm "pro-choice."

I may have watched "life behind bars," or whatever that show on Discovery is, one too many times, but I believe rehabilitation is possible in some cases. the trouble is, you can't tell which cases those until after the person has been sentenced. Even so, i think the goal should be to rehabilitate those who can be rehabilitated. not everyone is a murderer or a rapist, etc. There are a lot of people in jail serving 8 years for X offense. Most people hear that and think it's not that harsh of a punishment. 8 years? really? serve 30 days in jail, and then tell me 8 years isn't a harsh punishment.

so it's your opinion that opinions should be kept silent? seems rather hypocritical. disagreement is no reason not to discuss a given topic. How else are you supposed to gain an understanding of the opposition's view? As long as you can reach a point where you understand, but can still agree to disagree, I see no harm and a lot of room for potential benefit.

in our current society? I'm tempted to say yes. I don't like abortion, but statistically, it lowers the crime rate, lowers welfare and other 'social service' costs, and allows for more people to hold jobs and pay taxes. "necessary" can easily be a point of contention, but abortion certainly helps our current society function with fewer financial burdens. At what cost? well, that's the crux of the debate...

best parody site ever: www.blackpeopleloveus.com

Isaac's Papa and Kahooli - we're drifting into "what's the purpose of prisons? punishment, or rehabilitation?" I'd be game for a thread on that.

I think that's a stretch. "setting things right" would be bringing the murder victim back to life. let's not confuse justice and revenge. IS there a suitable punishment for murder? does any punishment really end up being "just?" I don't believe there is.

i am so not a mouthpiece for the conservatives, but I'll hazard a couple answers on this... (not that I believe them) 1) a criminal has done something to 'deserve' to be put to death. there is no comparable 'crime' for an unborn child. our legal system requires conviction "beyond a reasonable doubt" for criminal offenses, so there is theoretically no 'reasonable' chance of executing someone who has not actually committed an offense that society says warrants the death penalty. 2) I think there are quite a few people who hold the incorrect belief that it's cheaper to execute a prisoner than detain them. This should be a correct belief, but the legal appeal process ends up costing more than simply feeding and housing an inmate for 80 years... That's a whole separate issue - start your own thread! there are certainly holes in both arguments when it comes to reconciling them with religious beliefs. on a personal level, I am comfortable suggesting that there is a difference between aborting an un-born child, and executing someone who was witnessed committing a brutal murder. One had a chance to do right, and chose to do wrong. One never had a chance at anything.

there are a lot of problems that could be fixed with better parenting... unwanted pregnancy is certainly among them. You (Isaac's papa) are a responsible father - not everyone is. The burden of teaching kids how to properly use birth control, and having free birth control prescriptions and free condoms available is so low compared to the burden of paying for abortions, or supporting mothers/children, I just don't see how anyone can argue against it. the parents who are up in arms over it are obviously involved in, and concerned with their children's lives already - i don't see how another option negates their parents' teachings or beliefs.

BS - if i get a girl pregnant, and she decided to have the kid, I have to pay child support for the next 18 years. If i get that same girl pregnant and she wants an abortion, but I want to raise the child on my own, I will have a VERY hard time trying to stop her. the law is NOT balanced in this regard. The woman can obligate me for 18 years, but I can't obligate her for 9 months? I say men get a vote.

wow - first, hats off to everyone for actually reading my first sentence and keeping it civil we're bringing up a LOT of issues, and I wish we could handle them one at a time, so they all get a chance to be addressed. And there are certainly some cases where I'm very much conflicted. Rape would be one of those cases. It is NOT a woman's fault that she's raped. I don't believe she should be saddled with the responsibility, pain, and constant reminder of raising her attacker's child. Even arranging adoptions, or having state-funded care for her child isn't a full solution IMO. BUT, at the same time, I have always struggled with aborting a baby simply because it's the result of a rape... What if my mother had been raped, and I was conceived during that rape? Does that give me any less of a right to be alive? I hate the idea of punishing someone who hasn't done anything wrong, and rape resulting in pregnancy forces that decision. In that case, I think the decision falls 100% to the rape victim. the rapist certainly shouldn't have any say (there have been court battles where the 'father' attempted to argue long enough that the rape victim wouldn't be able to have an abortion in time. insane, but true.). on a totally separate issue: we should absolutely invest in education. Any 'pro-lifer' who is so conservative that they don't want schools teaching birth control techniques is simply out of touch with reality. People have sex. before marriage. Before they graduate high school. Before the have a freakin' drivers' license for god sake... KIDS ARE GOING TO HAVE SEX, and uber-conservatives need to accept that fact. Birth control should prevent thousands of abortions a year. if the Maury Povich show is any credible source (joking - but this was a real episode), there are women out there who think "abortion IS my birth control." If you're telling me that alternative means wouldn't have prevented this girl's 4 (FOUR) abortions before age 22, you're dreaming. next issue: who pays? I hate that I feel this way, but I do: I'd rather pay for someone else's abortion, than someone else's child. I feel like an a-hole typing that, but it pisses me off when other people make their responsibilities MY responsibility, and to be blunt, the abortion affects me less. selfish? yes. but honest... With that in mind, I think "the first one's free," or maybe financed. the government shouldn't be in the habit of giving ANYTHING away in unlimited quantities, or on an infinite timeline. That either puts an unfair burden on taxpayers, or bankrupts the government - it's just that simple. Help those who take initiative to help themselves. which brings us to welfare: hell yes on mandatory birth control. for people on welfare, a child is either an additional burden, or a paycheck - depends on whether or not the parent(s) actually take care of the kid, or if they blow the money on items for themselves. again, the government shouldn't be in the business of simply GIVING things away. i think birth control is a pretty reasonable requirement in order to receive foodstamps, etc. there are some states, and even some other countries that have pretty decently functioning welfare systems. All have strict qualification requirements (drug tests, birth control, etc.) and a finite time limit - you can't stay on welfare forever. there's a timeline and plan to get you off welfare. It includes child care, GED programs, and job placement - but the parents have to take the initiative. tehy're not given anything without their commitment of time and effort, at the very least. the miserable truth is that some people WILL fail. they will not lead happy lives, and they will not achieve any meaningful measure of success. But you can't force motivation into people. The government's only obligation is to 'lead the horse to water.' the current systems allow people to exploit the programs. they get too much for doing too little. what's their incentive to change? I think you have to take their children into protective custody, and simply let dead-beat parents fail... harsh? absolutely - but I refuse to entertain the notion of allowing them to neglect their children, or raise more future drains on society. I'm anxious to hear where the liberal-leaning members of the board disagree with me. I consider myself socially moderate and fiscally conservative, so this blend of abortion and paying for the results is a weird place for me politically. I've historically pissed off liberals and conservatives alike. I guess neither like common sense ;-) (i kid, i kid.)

I guess opinions vary. The guy lives in Vermont and his brewery is in Vermont. All he did was remove the T and add STER. Knowing nothing about the story, would you have known where his brewery was located based on the name of the beer? That appears to be his only purpose in choosing the name. Great Lakes Brewing Company, Crooked River Brewing Co, and I'm sure others I'm not aware of do pretty much the same thing. actually, GLBC bottles a "Lake Erie Monster" too, if i'm not mistaken. It shares a name with the our AHL(?) hockey team. I'm not aware of either being in a conflict with Monster Energy.

let's keep this as civil as possible. we're all friends here, and I don't think ANYONE among us will argue that terminating a pregnancy is a good thing. If so, I lied - we're not all friends here. from where I sit, abortion is a terrible terrible thing. I struggle to think of a scenario where I would consider abortion as a 'good' or even 'least evil' option - for me, and my wife (or previously my girlfriend) that said, I don't think it should be illegal. There are certainly people who are less fortunate than I am, who don't have parents, brothers, aunts, uncles, grand parents, or friends who would help support them financially if they had an unexpected pregnancy. to be brutally honest, I'd rather my tax dollars pay for someone's abortion than paying to raise their kid for 18 years; and then paying for his legal defense, or her illegitimate children when she cranks out 3 kids before her 19th birthday. Statistically, 'saving' these unwanted children is more like sentencing them to a life of poverty. Of course there are exceptions, but not enough to sway me... That is my primary problem with many staunch pro-lifers. They advocate a solution they're not willing to back. Ok, so we outlaw abortion - how about all the people who are against abortion pay for the unwanted babies? or how about they really put their money where their mouth is and take in a single mother, who was planning to have an abortion (a friend of mine and his wife actually do this through their church. I have a ton of respect for that program, and donate to it yearly.) Otherwise, propose a solution, and don't just introduce a different problem. Do I like abortion? not at all - but I dislike the idea of ME, YOU, and the rest of the tax-paying public paying hte penalty for others' mistakes. and, discuss.

^ lol no. if that's his plan, he's failing miserably. I'm not exactly clamoring to support him. Besides, unless i'm missing something, Obama isn't villainizing anyone. That was Hitler's primary tactic - "it's not your fault! blame the jews!"

Abortion has been legal since Roe v. Wade in 1973. Were all your statements meant to be independent of one another? Besides - none of us (that i'm aware of) are fetuses, so I don't think abortion is much of a reason for any of us to worry about 'surviving' the next three years. if we're going down that road, we should start a separate 'abortion' thread. I think it's relatively rare for people to be so 'pro-choice' that they view abortion as a good thing. most argue necessary, not good.

did you click on the "employee appreciation day?" I thought it was pretty dumb of them to let employees on the track in jeans as well, but apparently they do. you'll want to click on the "October 10/11" album. Nelson also has "fun days" where you pay $125, and you can take pretty much any car on the track. You'll see everything from vipers and vettes, to people with old beater 'race' cars that would probably do better on an autocross track... I've toyed with taking my wife's Neon out just for the hell of it. I hate that car... well, i hate the 3 speed automatic transmission. with a 5 speed, I might only mildly dislike it.