Guard Dog

Are you seriously implying that setting up forum rules that facilitate constructive discussion is a waste of time because people who dislike having debates devolve into pointless screaming matches that accomplish nothing aside from wasting everyone's time can always just not participate? Is that what you'd call the last few pages aluminiumtrioxid? Shoot, this little bit of snark was nothing. You should have been here 10 years ago. We play nice here now compared to then. Political threads turned into verbal bloodsport as often as not. Heck I ought to know, I used to egg them on! It's been a long time since the moderators flat out banned someone because they couldn't play nice!

So what you are telling me is no matter who wins in November we are screwed? Don't worry, I was way ahead of you on that score.

No trust me, you want to keep the SJW Nazis around and vocal. Lest everyone forget what will happen when they actually get political power again.

How the GOP plans to top Trump now: Combine inspirational charisma of Ted Cruz with raw sexual magnetism of John Kasich Gradually win over Trump supporters by posting subtle pro-establishment messages in YouTube comments sections of chemtrail conspiracy videos Stress how Trump’s most ludicrous-sounding policies really not all that different from Cruz’s and Kasich’s Punch a wall a few times in frustration Call Trump in the middle of the night and then hang up to ensure he’s constantly tired Publish a measured but critical op-ed suggesting Trump may possess personality traits at odds with the demands of nation’s highest office Quietly announce additional GOP primaries in delegate-rich states of Cruziana and Kasichberg Maybe a few million more dollars’ worth of ads where someone talks in a deep voice Make concerted effort to start taking Trump seriously eight months ago You gotta love the Onion: http://www.theonion.com/graphic/how-gop-plans-stop-trump-52808

Now reading "Failure Is Not an Option: Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond" the memoirs of longtime NASA Flight Director Gene Kranz. Some of you might remember he was played by Ed Harris in the movie Apollo 13. Ironically he does not ever remember saying that famous line he was credited with. He wrote that it didn't need to be said, it was always understood.

Like Raithe said, not terrible. Rand's part in it (the last three books) started out really strong. The confrontation with the Dark One himself was a little underwhelming. I'm not sure I like how his part tied up in the end but at least they had been laying groundwork for it was far back as book 4 so it did not come in from out of left field. The other characters that survived until the end did so with varying degrees of success and happiness. There were a few questions that never get answered (as in who the hell WAS Noemi the woman Aviendha met in the waste and the one who spoke to Rand near the end) There were questions about Alannah's true role that were never resolved. But for the most part the loose ends were tied up. When you put that one down you do feel like you accomplished something. Because if you climbed that mountain of books and actually read every one, you did!

I figure the endings of the book and show will be very similar in the big picture. The details will be totally different but in general all the characters in the show and heading in the same direction as their book counterparts. The ultimate destination will be the same but the routes taken to get there will be very different.

Like I said to you before Bruce, the great thing about a right is you do not need to explain to anyone why you are exercising it or why you are doing it in the way you do. They can make their signs, wave their flags, scream until their little heart's content. But the moment a rock is thrown, a street or building is blocked or words become violence they are no longer protesters they are criminals.

I didn't like it much. 3 picks in and the Bucs have yet to address their biggest need, Offensive Line. I've never heard of Noah Webster.

I don't follow you. What misunderstanding would that be? I'm not suggesting they are not free to wave Mexican flags and talk about violently killing Americans and return the land to Mexico. Although I should point out if it were anglo-Mexicans doing that bulls--t in Sonora while waving US flags the Mexican Government would shut that down right the f--k now. But here they are completely free to do this and I have no problem with the act itself. But they need to understand it's pissing a lot of people off and that is a poor way to convince others of your political points. But the moment words turn to deeds and they fling a rock at the cops of beat the hell out of someone wearing a Trump T-shirt then it's jail time. And if the aggressor is a different ethnicity than the victim it sounds like a hate crime to me.

What do you mean? Book 6 is still coming.

I'll tell you this much, if you want to convince Americans not to vote for Trump this is NOT the way to go about it. You see s--t like this just puts our back up and most of us are getting a little tired of the SJWs supporting the whole "republica del norte" idea and saying non-hispanic Americans should be beaten up or killed because of the perceived wrongs people did to each other 160 years ago. I feel like voting for Trump (something I'm not at all inclined to do) just to piss them off.

That sounds very British Raithe!

Noooooo please don't say that in a public forum! He might hear about it and think it's a good idea.

Tampa trades down to get an extra 4th round pick from the Bears and still get the player they would have taken anyway. Nice move!

So we ask the bear to protect us from the lion, knowing it just means the bear will eat us rather than the lion. Or we run off the bear then the lion eats us. Geez, no wonder you drink. I'd be depressed too if I thought there was no escaping being someone's chow.

I just looked it up in ADwD, Ilyrio said the Blackfyres were extinguished in the male line. It might be important that he distinguished the male line rather than just extinguished.

I really do not get the fear of this. The largest most powerful corporation in the world could not take one penny from my checking account without my permission but the smallest government right here in my home town can take all of it along with my house, dogs, property, freedom and even life. Granted not without some due process for what that is worth. We know who is climbing uphill on that score. If the the government is screwing you at the behest of a corporation is it still the government that is screwing you. Shrink that to the size of something you can drown in a bucket and it can't be used against you by "evil corporations" or power mad evil leaders alike.

There were some hints from Ser Barristan in A Dance With Dragons that the Mad King Aerys had a fancy for Tywin's wife and took certain unspecified "liberties" during the bedding ceremony. It's not much to go on but enough to fashion a theory that either Tyrion or Jaime and Cersei are actually secret Targaryen bastards. It mostly focuses on Tyrion because Tywin said to him that he "is not his son" and while "he cannot prove that he isn't his son" he sure as hell can and will stop him from rightfully inheriting Casterly Rock, plus Tyrion has unusually bright blonde hair, even for a Lannister (noted as early as A Game of Thrones). Tyrion being the bastard child of Aerys would be a lot less out of the left field than Aegon having been baby swapped and suddenly showing up. In the books, at least. The show dropped absolutely no hints at all so far other than Tyrion really liking dragons. No I think Aegon is the "mummer's dragon" Quaithe warned Dany about. If he is a Targaryen at all I strongly suspect he is a Blackfyre Targaryen. But certainly not Rhegars son. There were hints in Iliyrio's comments about Varys that suggest he is connected to the Blackfyre branch. Plus GRRM went out of his way to get into the movements of the Golden Company as far back as book 3 and in book 4 starting bringing up the War of the Ninepenny Kings in a number of POV which suggests something important about it is coming up. It was the last of several Blackfyre revolts. For all of you who only watch the show, see what you are missing out on? As complex as the show is, the books have a LOT more going on.

Actually the solution is don't let your government become so big and all powerful that when one of these guys shows up they have the means to run amok.

I was talking to a guy at work about the show today. He has never read the books but he is really into the show. He is convinced Tyrion will turn out to be the third Targaryen. I have a hard time swallowing that one. The show, like the books, has laid a lot of foundation for R+L=J but Tyrion being a the 3rd Dragon seems like it would be coming out of nowhere. If any foundation has been laid for that I missed it.

I'm not entirely convinced those two capabilities can be meaningfully differentiated when one tries to assess the overall quality of a leader. Depends on the objective criteria of the discussion I guess. There is no questioning his quality as a human being (or lack thereof). He did lead his country out of ruin it's true. And after that right back into it. Can anyone think of a leader that was an evil SOB who was a good leader but in the end did more good than harm? I know I'm drawing a blank. All highly debatable but...Genghis Khan, Andrew Jackson, Stalin, Pope Julius II, Pope Alexander VI, and George Steinbrenner. Stalin? No f-ing way. That guy was net loss all the way. The others... meh. But the last one.... good answer.

I'm not entirely convinced those two capabilities can be meaningfully differentiated when one tries to assess the overall quality of a leader. Depends on the objective criteria of the discussion I guess. There is no questioning his quality as a human being (or lack thereof). He did lead his country out of ruin it's true. And after that right back into it. Can anyone think of a leader that was an evil SOB who was a good leader but in the end did more good than harm? I know I'm drawing a blank.

Bruce there is a distinction between a good leader and a leader who is good. That Hitler was a good leader is hard to argue. It's where he led everyone that made him a sonofabitch.