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That's the kind of demagogy that I love to hear. Again, nobody forces you to join the military. If you do it, you must keep in mind the possible consequences of that decision. Let's not mistake things. Being a soldier is potentially the most dangerous job there is. It's not something to be taken lightly or merely as a shortcut to other things. It means you become cannon fodder at the government's disposal. What you can't do is have the interests of the country be subject to some cowardly hedonist notion of what being a soldier is.

It works both ways. If instead of out of patriotism you do it for the benefits, you have to pay the price. You might be sent to Iraq or some other unpleasant place, and ultimately you might get killed. It's a fair tradeoff if you ask me. The last sentence of that paragraph is the key. It's their choice, as adults. Nothing is free. Um, so? Why should he be granted US citizenship in the first place?

Beautiful... but false. He didn't give his life for freedom. He gave his life for the US. It's not the same thing.

Um, no. Drafting is a source of social discomfort. And making it mandatory would cheapen that duty as well. If you don't believe in what your country stands for, you shouldn't be forced to serve it, if we are to believe in individual freedom. But on the other hand, being a patriot is for many a badge of honor. Serving in the army is the ultimate proof of patriotism, I think, since it means you are willing to give your life for your country. Not as much for the State or the government, but for the people. In my opinion it's fair to reward such a selfless attitude.

No. Costa Rica doesn't have an army and is surviving because nobody would really want to attack them, and in the event of natural catastrophes they rely on international aid. And powers using military action to protect their interests is nothing new. In fact, that's how powers maintain their status. They didn't need an excuse in the old times, though. Sorry folks, that's how the world works.

I no longer want to be a Blood Angel.

So what. Joining the army is as good a way as any to serve your country. Despite what some european countries (and asshat pacifists) think, armies are necessary. And since your hopes of making a fortune in the army are nonexistant, it's only fair you have some kind of compensation afterwards. Be it social advantages, better formation and experience, or whatever.

Huh? I didn't deny that in the case of your family things had gone well. That doesn't prove that hard work is a guarantee of success. In fact, wealth distribution in the US disproves that. Or are you saying that everyone except the wealthy are lazy bastards?

That pretty much sums it up. If you can't put your brains before your groin, you don't have an excuse for abortion. That is a common mistake. They are beliefs because they can't be rationalized. If they could, they would be philosophical postulates. What religious people claim is that Faith is a gift of their God (whatever that might be). Since I don't have that Faith, I can't really say what it's like, but I don't try to "rationalize" it. Thinking that you should be able to "rationalize" God with our little logic is, at the very least, arrogant. The big lie of capitalism. If you are born poor, chances are you will die poor. It doesn't have to be that way per se, but the odds are against you.

Not any sooner than the author of those comics.

Well, they removed the "Storyline Discussion" board that was actually the only K2 board that was not chock full of spam and bitching. They could have kept that one.

Shiver me timbers! Two out o' three, matey!

Only loosely. If it's not SW d20, you can't quite compare.

The exile doesn't play by the same rules. It's a different ruleset, so the exile's 50 levels aren't worth jack when comparing him/her to other's d20 stats.

I disagree. Force Camo allows you to have a stealth-focused character while leaving the belt slot free for some great belts (utility, or that nice +4 STR belt). Stealth attacks allows for good openings in combat. But then again, you are going to cut through those poor SOBs so easily, it really doesn't matter how you do it.

You must be kidding.

Great analogy.

There is nothing wrong with it, unless you want to use it for gaming. It's just that my last PC was Celeron-based and I grew to hate them. My fault for not being well informed first.

And why shouldn't they?

Did you say Celeron? *shivers*

That's not saying anything. As an "equal"? Well, they get the same prices as everyone for trade, I guess. So do the US, Japan, Russia, etc. But none of those have a saying in european politics, including Turkey. Yep. Only a bit earlier they had been part of the Persian empire and later in their history came the Ottoman empire. Both of them had as a goal to overrun Europe (the former the Helenic civilization and the latter Europe itself). Thankfully they both failed. Please note I'm not holding some kind of historical grudge here, it's just they are historically not a part of Europe, and they have a rather distinct culture. And as someone said before, we should fix the house first before inviting more guests in.

In Spain foreign language is mandatory since... well, early enough. However, most people don't reach a good level in whatever that language is, unless they spend some time abroad. And that's grammar-wise. Pronunciation and fluency are even worse. I myself can hardly speak without thinking unless I've had a few drinks. After that, it's all fun and games... "

It's short on RAM. You'll want absolutely no less than 512 Mb to run games (and WinXP unless you are going for 2k or linux!) relatively smoothly. You should also try to find out what the motherboard model is. I can't say about the graphics card, I don't know that one.

No need for that. For all your spelling needs.