RRC Archives

Okay, so emerging from my black hole I find these two stories!

GD how minute my world gets...it is frustrating.

drilling in Alaska
http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/ ... 51103.html

riots in Paris
http://www.guardian.co.uk/france/story/ ... 24,00.html

NRDC wrote:....On November 3rd, the Senate will begin a series of critical votes on a "budget reconciliation" bill that includes provisions to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling. Unlike other pieces of legislation, the budget bill cannot be filibustered, so the only way your senators can protect the Arctic Refuge from drilling is by voting against the entire budget reconciliation bill..........

I've been getting these notices for a couple weeks. But I pretty much have a email addy I use to get these kind of warnings, closet radical dirtworshipping treehugger that I am.....

Didn't see the thing about Paris though, neat.

The voilence in Paris has been going on for several years now. If you really want to get depressed, do a search on Paris gang rapes.

Yeah, I know that it has become an increasing problem. And yes, it makes me very depressed.

That and the fact that the Herald-Leaders considers itself a newsource.

Maybe they should sign these "utes" up for the French Army. They at least seem willing to fight.

Mj

SikMonkey wrote:Maybe they should sign these "utes" up for the French Army. They at least seem willing to fight.

Mj

Unless things have chnaged since when I lived there, dems utes are gonna end up in the military anyway - France has conscription (basically every male has to do a year or two in the military or some even-worse social service work) It's a total joke. The conscripts just schlub around - they were the most bored looking people I've ever seen. There's a whole separate track in the military for the folks who really volunteer and want to be professional soldiers. Germany has the same thing - my friend Matthias got to learn how to drive semis during his conscription - something to fall back on if he gets sick of being an architect.

The whole problem is the less-than-subtle racism in France. Don't take this 'rioting' too seriously - rioting is the second national pastime in France after football. As for the gang rape thing - no one doubts that it happens, but there are serious questions about wether the actual frequency that's reported in the press is exaggerated both by the desire to sell magazines/get people to watch your TV news expose, and combined with the French racism - Mon dieu, look at what the terrible arabs are doing! It's a lot like the fantasies that white Americans have about sexually aggressive black men, a la To Kill a Mockingbird.

Both issues are Bush's fault.

Piggie wrote:

Both issues are Bush's fault.

*turns on blonde voice*

Duh!

tomdarch wrote:serious questions about wether the actual frequency that's reported in the press is exaggerated

This can become a self-fulfilling prophecy, as in the case of burning cars, where each news report inspires the gangs to try to beat the number of cars last reported.

On the lighter side, a German coworker of mine got into the Alpine special forces during his required tenure in the military and got to ski out of helicopters in some pretty crazy areas. He was the guy who introduced me to trad, by taking me to a nice six pitch climb. He said it was all sport, and had me lead the first (and only) bolted pitch. Then followed me up with the rack.

dipsi...
so is global warming, poverty, racism, homo-phobia, lack of good education...all those things that have existed for decades are still W's fault.

the only reasonable thing I can see he has caused is a growing deficit. but that should have us all up in arms way more than the social agenda stuff