Guard Dog

Because branding matters: https://www.militarytimes.com/off-duty/military-culture/2018/06/04/check-out-the-talibans-new-punk-rock-uniforms/

Classy. Do you think any of that is wrong? I just think it's funny in light of an article I recently read, which argues that the ultimate goal of the same special interest groups who uphold Rand as an inspirational figure are also very keen on the Virginia school of economic thought, whose endgame - according to the article's author - is to create the exact situation described in the bolded part of the quote. (Not that I trust any article from a random source - if you happen to know more about Buchanan's work and disagree with his characterization by the author, I'd be happy to hear your thoughts.) Concerning Rand I've said this before:https://forums.obsidian.net/topic/63443-americans-renouncing-citizenship-to-become-british-over-taxes/page-4?do=findComment&comment=1314174 Read posts 62, 66, and 73. Yes I still quote her. The funny thing about philosophy is you can take or leave as much of it as you like. It's ok to think someone was right about some things without buying into them on everything. Now that article looks pretty interesting. I only skimmed it and it's not something I'd want to comment on until I really read it. I'll get back to you later on that one.

Gabrielle was there too IIRC. Her mods for BG2 were there at least.

Yeah, they went in there looking to provoke that exact firestorm that happened. That was pretty clear.

Remember Bruce, the issue wasn't that he would not serve a gay couple. The issue was he would not make a specific kind of cake for them. Had they asked for anything else he said he would have done it. Let me ask you a question. If a painter were a religious person and refused to make a painting of the devil screwing the virgin mary would you tell him he had to do it? If the cake were prepared and ready and he refused to sell it to them: problem. If he refused to sell to them at all: problem. If he refused to create a custom cake that violates his own ethics: no problem. And the court had it at 7-2. That is not close. Especially in this court.

Classy. Do you think any of that is wrong?

Just an FYI on trade, the President does NOT have the constitutional power to impose tariffs. Congress does. The power to do that was given to the Executive by Congress with two laws. One during WWI that allowed the President to use tariffs as a incentive to nations doing business with an enemy of the US during war with that enemy. Then in 1977 another law was passed that extended that privileged to peace time to respond to a "national emergency". Since the President only has that ability at the sufferance of the Congress the Congress can take it back at any time. Small chance of that happening however. Right now it's controlled by Republicans who won't screw their own President (probably). But even if the Democrats take over they won't because someday a Democrat will be President. Maybe even one of them. And they will want that power. For me this is an object lesson in giving the President, or any part of any government a power they should not have. Someday a man like Trump was going to get elected. It was inevitable.

Speaking of Trump, here is a new little nugget: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/04/trump-i-have-the-absolute-right-to-pardon-myself.html All I can think of is:

It does not have to be this way. But it will be until people realize there are options beyond the one we have now. Yes... one A melancholic assessment of the state of US politics my friend ....pass the razor blades But under Obama the USA , apart from understandable drone strikes, tried very hard to stay out of the ME and other geographical hot spots of political and social instability But Trump has brought the USA back into the interminable struggles of the ME, thats on him No, Obama is 100% responsible for our involvement in Libya, Syria (not the mess, just our involvement in it), Yemen, and several African countries. As you my melancholic assessment: "When you see that trading is done, not by consent, but by compulsion — when you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing — when you see money flowing to those who deal, not in goods, but in favors — when you see that men get richer by graft and pull than by work, and your laws don’t protect you against them, but protect them against you — when you see corruption being rewarded and honesty becoming a self-sacrifice — you may know that your society is doomed"

I don't know why she got in a twist about that. I thought the whole werewolf thing in BG2 was one of the greatest inside jokes of all time. A close second being when you hire the party of low level adventures to go fetch something in ToB. BTW, wasn't Morte also named for a forum member? I seem to remember that.

Would you rather be bitten by a snake or stung by a scorpion? Eaten by an alligator or a crocodile? When all the choices are bad does it really matter which bad choice is made? I used to think it did matter. Now I know better. Democrat, Republican, Democrat, Republican, on and on it goes. But no matter who wins the government gets bigger, the deficit climbs towards eventual collapse, the rich get richer, the poor get poorer, everyone becomes less free, and the bombs never stop falling overseas. It does not have to be this way. But it will be until people realize there are options beyond the one we have now. Yes... one

Well, in a round about way it's true. I love dogs and I used to bring that guard dog with me because the idea of having a pet in NWN appealed. Even though he either died or left me before I could get through the prison. But I picked the name to use on the Bioware boards to have a little fun with Tobias and a few others. The when Obsidian announced KOTOR2 i came here and kept using it since there were so many Bioware board folks. I also used it at Free Republic and DU before getting banned at both. And at the other D&D game that came out a few years ago and was a total abortion. Obviously once their game came out and we all got a look at it most folks abandoned that board real quick.

Now THAT was funny. Skazz you may not realize it but there are people on this very forum who have been posting together for nearly 20 years. Most of whom have never met each other. All the ups and downs of life. Victories and defeats. Good RPGs and bad ones (more of the latter) flame wars and cold peace, these folks have seen it all. And every once in a while we might get a tad misty-eyed remembering folks who don't come around anymore. And a few like Sand, Tarna, Kelverin and others who are no longer with us.

Who is Eldar here anyway? I forgot, if I ever knew.

If this is an alt... then who is the main? dun duuuun duuuuuuuuun Don't you know there are only like 5 actual people who post here!

Uh oh... death zones???? How did he find out about those? If there was death zone here I'd probably have stumbled into it by now! Like smjames said I live in western Tennessee. But a big bald guy in a track suit would be about the most dangerous thing in THESE woods too. The coyotes can be a pest but most of the time they are just kind of cool to look at and listen to. I did have to "manage the herd" so to speak a few years ago. They were becoming a little too brazen around me. Most of the time you hear them but never see them. They are no danger to me. My dog Sunny could handle one or two alone but more than that would be trouble. For the most part they stay clear of us. If they got in the livestock that would be trouble.

Yep. 962 days until we trade one moronic big government miscreant for another one.

Everything was controversial back then. That was a contentious bunch back in those days. As for that guard dog it had a special place in my heart already. My preferred character type was druids and rangers. So the first thing I'd do is go charm him and take him with me into the prison. I was always looking to see how long I could keep him.

This guy charges $1k a day to teach people how to live "off the grid". That is NUTS! People lived "off the grid" for thousands of years before there even WAS a grid. And they wrote libraries full of books on how to do it! How the heck do you guys think I learned? I never lived on a farm before buying the one I live on now. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5798241/How-preppers-plan-survive-grid-event-nations-power-supply-fails.html

I find it hard not to vomit after reading this one: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/02/opinion/sunday/obama-ben-rhodes-world-as-it-is.html

There is actually a story behind my user name. It goes back to the BIS days. I was using a different name back then. Anyway I don't remember why they did this but the Black Isle guys named a few characters in game after board members. Gromnir was the most notable because he's the only one still around. There were others. It turned into a real "thing" as you might expect. A lot of flames over that. Now fast forward five years and the scene to the Bioware Boards when NWN came out. There were a lot of folks from BIS (and here like Volo, Grom, Dark Raven, Boo, Darque, Hades, and many others) posting there and Bioware did it again naming a character in SoA after one of the board mods. Well, that threw a lit torch in the haybarn all over again. I thought the whole thing was just hilarious so I went through NWN looking for the name of a recognizable but completely unimportant character to make my screen name and claim they named it after me as a joke. But, if you ever played NWN you'd know the unimportant characters don't have names. They were "prisoner" or "shopkeeper" and stuff. But I found one, right outside the Shining Knight weapons store in the Neverwinter city core. A guard dog that just stood there and didn't do much but bark. Fourteen years later... still using it.

I woke up at four in the morning today. Don't know why. Just a sense that something was wrong. I walked around, looked outside, didn't see anything. So I made a cup of coffee and played Stellaris until just before sunrise. I sat on the tailgate of my truck with more coffee to watch the sun come up. I had the feeling I was being watched. In front of the treeline where the creek runs were three coyotes just sitting and watching me. There were about 50-60 meters away. It was pretty cool. Of course I didn't have my phone or a camera with me. if i did they would be nowhere to be found. You know how that works. When I got they fled. So I went over the the chicken pen to feed them and i noticed coyote tracks all around it. I guess that was why I felt something was wrong. Well, good luck to them. I built that pen with coyotes in mind.

I need to put that sign on my road!

Well there is one thing both Democrats & Republicans agree on. If the US Government wants something you have it's perfectly OK for them to just take it. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2018/05/31/a-64-year-old-put-his-life-savings-in-his-carry-on-u-s-customs-took-it-without-charging-him-with-a-crime/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.617efb63b804