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Subject: DOWN!


Author:
icky-icky
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Date Posted: 09:28:46 04/19/01 Thu
Down with the mullet.....

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Subject: I ain't no fortunate son...


Author:
Anthony
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Date Posted: 12:46:57 04/17/01 Tue
As far as Derek's essay series concerning how many Americans have a resentment for those that are rich and "successful", I have a few thoughts. For my own part, I was raised in what I consider to be a lower middle class family. Most of my close relatives work in trades such as masonry, carpentry, baking, carpet laying, etc.

Now, growing up in this way, I saw among my relatives a disdain for the well off, the highly educated, the just plain rich. Now, I think that a certain amount of this comes from plain old envy, you know? I mean, who would not want to have the easy life that pleny of money affords?

So I ask Derek, hasn't it always been this way? There have always been haves and have nots, correct? The plebians and the particians? So I posit that this resentment of the successful is nothing new, and the only reason it is growing is because there is a corresponding decrease in the number of people holding the majority of the wealth in this country.

Now, I don't particularly like percentages. I think they are more often than not inaccurate and far from all-inclusive measures of reality. But can anyone tell me how much truth is in the infamous statistic that claims there is a wealthy 3-5% that controls 80-95% of the wealth in America? (NOTE: I gave ranges to those percentages because I have heard varying numbers). If this IS the case, I think it is no mystery as to why there is such a resentment for the rich.

In my opinion, the major beef of those that occupy the lesser economic ranges is toward the very fact that the rich are rich, and NOT about whether the rich are taxed accordingly. The taxation thing is salt in the wound, if you will, insult to injury.

Don't know if this makes any solid points or not. Just wanted to respond with my initial thoughts after rereading Derek's latest Rant.

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Subject: Thomas Kuhn


Author:
HDT
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Date Posted: 13:15:19 04/11/01 Wed
I've been reading up on Thomas Kuhn. I was wondering, is there anything out there that might point out current paradigm shifts. Like examples of societal changes?

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Subject: In Memory of Joey Ramone


Author:
Anthony
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Date Posted: 05:17:32 04/16/01 Mon
Please join me in a moment of silence for Joey Ramone. He died Sunday at the age of 49 of lymphatic cancer. They say he and his band were punk pioneers. They say a lot about the Ramones, especially the people that hated their music. But I always got a kick outta them. Here's to you, Joey!

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Subject: Moving forward


Author:
Blue Rubber Butt
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Date Posted: 10:15:41 04/03/01 Tue
Thanks for taking care of that digression, Anthony. All I'm saying is if things turn into eighth grade in here again, I'm out. But anyway, let's talk current events. What's everyone's opinion on our spy plane landing in China. The Big Red Machine thinks that we should apologize and let them sort through our stuff on the plane. They say we shouldn't be playing I Spy with them. This harkens back to the cold war times. So we refuse to apologize. Chine refuses to give us back our toys. What next? Economic sanctions? Military attacks? Go in there and get our plane and airmen back like we went into the Iranian embassy a few decades ago? Your thoughts?

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Subject: For Whom the Bell Tolls


Author:
Anthony
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Date Posted: 13:02:35 04/06/01 Fri
It's Friday, April 6th, 2001. And a man decides to take a hammer to the Liberty Bell. Hmmm. Is there a metaphor to be found somewhere in this event? Of course. There always is. The creative spawn fiction, and the creative often suffer from overactive imaginations. They see symbolism everywhere. Perhaps they see it too much. I myself have been said to be guilty of this. To all of you creative souls, I salute you.

But what can be said of the actual event, all metaphors aside? Who knows? We'll have to delve into the motives of the man with the hammer. They say that he wasn't politically motivated. I heard that on the radio. Supposedly he described himself as a "wanderer" from Nebraska. Hmph. Go bust up a monument in Nebraska then! I just say it was another fellow American citizen that succumbed to some sort of stresses inherent in our society. Indeed, I bet his actions were not that well-thought out. In other words, he didn't have any deep philosophical reason for it. And THAT'S what scares me. There can be people who do things that may seem, on the surface, to be motivated by strong feelings and intense mental conviction and whatnot.

But here it was probably just some half-crazed man with no real reason for hitting the Bell with a hammer other than JUST GETTING NOTICED in a very desperate way. Thoreau said "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation" or something like that, right? Well, I think America is especially full of people grown or growing desperate because they feel like they are forced into quietude. They are frustrated because their pleas and their worries and their fears are not addressed. Are not listened to by others, peers and superiors alike.

The point of this rambling? Well, the above word-wandering touches on one of the recurring themes I happen to see in American life. Again, perhaps I suffer from over-symbolization of life. Perhaps, as I have been told countless times, I overanalyze things. But meaningless events are always the scariest things. This guy with the hammer could quite possibly be ASOCIAL, something perhaps far more frightening than anti-social. The fact that he was heard screaming "GOD LIVES ON!" could mean nothing or everything. That's the recurring thing I see in my observations of the admittedly tiny slice of American life I see everyday: the disturbing way I see people becoming asocial, not right or left or what have you, but JUST NOT CARING! They just want to get noticed, to be the extremely lonely individual, to achieve some sort of Existential ideal within their own lives.

Again, I have always thought America a place with the potential for becoming the nation that balances the wonders and horrors of the whole planet. But most often we suffer from the Western need to go to extremes. I believe we have taken the concept of "rugged individualism" to too much of an extreme. Thus the lone nut phenomenon. The unabomber and the man with the hammer hitting the Liberty Bell. Maybe they'll be cell mates.

ACS

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Subject: Kill Osama bin Laden!!!


Author:
kill
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Date Posted: 07:54:40 04/04/01 Wed
Okay, I AM serious about this one!

Kill the his men we have on trial!

Wanna bomb our embassies and our military bases?

YOU DIE!

This bin Laden must be like al-Kalim, the supposed founder of the hashishin, the doped-up assassins! This al-Kalim guy would whip his minions into a frenzy, dope them up (thus the word hashish comes from them, or maybe it's the other way around), then claim to be this immortal that could show them the way to heaven! This "way to heaven" would be to serve al-Kalim, who was in some way connected to heaven, and to kill for al-Kalim! His servants were told to kill even in broad daylight in front of observers. When they were caught and killed for thier crimes, al-Kalim told them, they would be sent to heaven for their service!

Dispense with the pleasantries! Kill them and then hunt down bin Laden!

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Subject: Shine


Author:
Me
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Date Posted: 11:56:02 04/09/01 Mon
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, nor our darkness that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves,
"Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous?"
Actually, who are you not to be?

Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people will not feel insecure around you.

We were born to make manifest the glory that is within us.
It is not in just some of us - it is in everyone.

As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give people
permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence
automatically liberates others.

- Nelson Mandela

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Subject: Slow day in the neighborhood...


Author:
Anthony
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Date Posted: 11:18:52 04/05/01 Thu
Well, it's Thursday, April 5th, 2001, and there is not much going on in the Forum today. I just wanted to drop a line and say hello to one and all. Just doing a Webmaster's dudty, as I see it. Just took some time to look over some of the threads again, and I like what I see. Lots of good things going on in here. And then I remember the words of one contributor saying that we should not just be sitting in here arguing tidbits pedantically, that we should be out DOING instead of TYPING and whatnot. I agree and disagree. The typers should get out and try to DO instead of SAY, and try to live what they preach. But then there is the chance that what we type here may move others to act. Wishful thinking? Idealism? Maybe. Just thought I'd share.

ACS

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Subject: Re: Judge Not Lest Ye Be Judged


Author:
Zisel ben
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Date Posted: 13:48:47 04/02/01 Mon
"Both parties should be equally responsible, but if you know anything about biology, you would know that is impossible."

Impossible? Nothing is impossible.
And Just because the woman is biologically connected to the physical being of that baby for 9 months does not mean that the child is ONLY a part of "her". I think anyone with a basic knowledge of biology would know that. Did you?

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Subject: FORUM LAG?


Author:
Anthony
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Date Posted: 11:35:24 04/03/01 Tue
All:

I need some feedback on the site mechanics for a second.

Is the Forum slow for all of you? If so, I can step up the archival of older messages, changing the settings so that they are removed from the main page faster. Would you recommend that?

Thanks.

ACS

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Subject: Watch your tone


Author:
derek
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Date Posted: 08:05:45 04/03/01 Tue
Watch your tone Floppy.

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Subject: Can't Stop Now...


Author:
Zisel ben
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Date Posted: 11:57:20 04/02/01 Mon
What's going to happen after we BAN abortion?

Is the list going to accumulate?

Are we going to ban sex too? Sex before a certain age bracket, social standing and proof of morality? Is that going to be the new law? Are we going to tell people what religion they must teach their children? Are we going to ban books that encourage free-thinking and responsible decision making all in the name of: Let someone else make your choices for you and dictate your life.

Hey, the legal drinking age is 21 but that never stopped anyone from drinking and acting generaly irresponsible in all manner of ways. What stops them is the fact that they are NOT irresponsible and capable of making sound decisions.

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Subject: THE FORUM


Author:
Anthony
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Date Posted: 09:00:38 04/03/01 Tue
Okay, I want to tell people about my forum:

I don't care who you are, but I will not tolerate another ruckus in here about the forum itself. I went through a personal thing here recently, and that was for my own reasons. I wanted a fresh start. I don't care if it is old troublemakers in here, as long as they are making good debate happen, that is all that matters. The minute we start getting too much talk in here about who hurt who's feelings, I suggest we change the topic.

Here's some advice: if someone is attacking you, or debating too emotionally for you, abandon the thread. If they follow you, I will try to do what I can to keep them away from the forum if they are being too disruptive. To all my friends, I appreciate your help in trying to snoop out potential troublemakers, but don't get too jumpy when you think that one of the people that came in here weeks ago and attacked me might be back under a different name. I will ignore them and delete posts if needed.

But so far, I see all the current discussion as viable. The topics are good. In the end, I don't care if someone who meant me ill a few weeks ago is back and writing in. As long as it's on topic, or even about the site as in a critique, that is fine. But if things get more personal than someone calling someone mediocre or an idiot, then that's when things have to stop, and I will delete messages and block people and whatever. But just try to bear the people that call you names or get angry or upset. They are strangers (most likely) and do not know you. But if there is a case, such as what happened to me, in which you are being attacked by someone over and over in a clearly malicious way, and you suspect the person doing it might even KNOW you, then that is different. That is just low, a cowardly thing.

Let me know.

Just remember that I will not always be able to act as moderator.

ACS

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Subject: Forum Attitude


Author:
Bisel Zen
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Date Posted: 13:49:05 04/02/01 Mon
Though entertaining at first, I feel that the attitude of certain members of this forum is what draws the hostility out of people. It just isn't worth it. Anthony, if anything is to be outlawed, can it be the personal attacks? Also, can you force a reader to look over a post twice, reading each line, before submitting a response? I'm sure you can HTML something up, right?

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Subject: DUUUUUUUKE!


Author:
kill
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Date Posted: 07:01:27 04/03/01 Tue
Yeah Duke!

Hey, I got a paradigm shift for ya, pertaining to b-ball

anyone notice how today's uniforms make players look like gangsta slobs?

look at the old footage, and you see those little jogger-like shorts and well tucked in shirts

even the early-mid 90's uniforms, while they had longer shorts, they were not that loose

call me a loony honkey if i don't get it, but does any other sports purist out there see this?

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Subject: Gun-totin' kiddies


Author:
Blue Rubber Butt
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Date Posted: 06:28:19 04/03/01 Tue
Here's a good stat: I read yesterday that 20% of all high school males in the US bring a firearm to school at least once in their 4 years there. Think about that for a minute. That's 1 in 5. I went to a HS with about 2000 students. Let's say for arguement's sake that 1/2 of them are men. That's 1000 guys. And 200 of them are going to bring in a gun? That's 50 a year? With 180-something days in the school year, that's one gun almost every three or four days. Think back to your homeroom class and realize that if you were still in HS today, you could have a handful of kids in there carrying guns. So what the hell is going on in your country?

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