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Uneasy Lies the Head...
I am SHOCKED! Yes, shocked, I tell you, to learn that professional athletes, coaches, and referees are NOT honest. Wow! After all these years demanding that our youngsters admire these people, we find out that they cannot be trusted after all. That's it. No more. No more respect for young athletic men who make their living using their bodies to entertain men drinking beer. From now on, I will only respect and admire young athletic women who make their living using their bodies to entertain men drinking beer. Yes, no more football, baseball, or basketball for me. I'm watching strippers instead! They're much better role models for our children. Certainly they are far more intelligent than your average sports hero. Also they are far less likely to engage in violent criminal activities. Strippers don't fight with cops on the street, or breed fighting dogs. These women are also far more likely to actually GRADUATE from university with some kind of education. Something we know is rare for so-called student athletes. So from now on, it's strippers I'll be looking up to. Now if I can just figure out a way to bet on them. Hmmmm....— June 7, 2008 6:37 a.m.
Party Crasher by Proxy
Hey, Josh, this chair of yours is pretty comfortable. I like how you've got this nifty drink holder in your computer too. Slides right out...dang that's so cool! About your desk...well, I don't really like oak so much, so I hope you don't mind that I've replaced it with this nice new stainless steel and glass beauty. I had to toss a bunch of your stuff to fit it in, but I think you'll agree it's done wonders for your old place. Feel free to visit anytime, but let me know so I can notify security and they won't throw you out again, okay? Thanks again for giving me my start in the big time by posting in your blog. I've been talking with Rupert and now he wants me in New York, but so long as the Reader offers hourly massages, nightly whirlpool parties, and all you can drink lunches, I think I'm staying here! By the way, Don Bauder says hi. He dropped by my (oops, your) office on the way out to surf. He mentioned something about you paying back that bail bond left over from Fumber's last party. Cheers, bro! Fred (BTW: You don't mind if I, uh, "borrow" these pictures of your girlfriend I found on your old desk do you? It's just I wanted to kinda paste my picture over yours, you know? Okay? Great! You're the best Josh.)— June 6, 2008 12:45 p.m.
Party Crasher by Proxy
Ugh. I see all my typos are still there. How embarrassing. Still, I hope you enjoy it. Politics is fun!— June 6, 2008 7:10 a.m.
We're Not in Kansas Anymore
Well, I suppose the Republican Party will be calling you soon, Josh. R: Josh, why weren't we included in the article? You described the Democrat's platter, but no ours. It's not fair! Best, Fred— June 6, 2008 7:09 a.m.
A rollover truck on Pamo Road in Ramona
Babywilson, that is completely out of bounds and uncalled for. Shame on you. Administrators, please remove comment #8.— June 6, 2008 7:01 a.m.
JROTC popular in San Diego, but critics abound
Soshimo: The officers who commanded the most respect from the enlisted were usually mustangs. In my squadron, there was one pilot who had previously been enlisted in the marines. He was great. Unfortunately, mustangs also tended to be blocked from advancing beyond commander. Oceanside Girl: This article is not the first to tell how students are put into JROTC against their wishes. There was something similar in VOSD a few weeks back. So I don't think it is "propoganda". I also fail to see any reference to the current war or philosophy in either the article or any of the comments. Could you please point them out? If you served in the military, or attended JROTC, perhaps you could share your perspective. But I think we've pretty much dismissed your assertion that the military makes us great. As to your comparison with wrestling, that's known as a straw-man argument, a logical fallacy that's best ignored. I'll repeat, in case you missed it. I support JROTC and don't want it abolished. As an avid archer, I think shooting is a good thing to know how to do. I simply oppose sending students into JROTC when they don't want to be there. I'm sure you'll agree that this was the main point of the article, and something that is counterproductive. Best, Fred— June 5, 2008 5:49 p.m.
JROTC popular in San Diego, but critics abound
Thank you, Paula, for your kind words. I do support JROTC, but only as a choice, not a default. For me, enlisting turned out okay. It got me out of a trailer trash environment, and because I was careful to get my rating and training as part of the enlistment agreement (NEVER go in unrated!) I learned some valuable skills. I found out when I attended college that the paltry sum I got each month (the stingy VEAP program, replaced by the much better GI Bill that I wasn't eligible for) was automatically deducted from any student aid. So I gave four years of my life for educational benefits I would have gotten without my enlistment. I hope this is no longer the case. I just recently finished paying off student loans. So the Navy did NOT pay for my education afterall. And taking classes at Miramar College while enlisted was NOT encouraged, but made very difficult by the squadron and frequent work up deployments. Just because I was considered to be very responsible, I was put in charge of the ready room during the night check. This meant that when we finally got into port I was too tired during the day to enjoy it much. Yes, I traveled the world, but ended up falling asleep while sightseeing, and then laying awake all night. I lost about 20 percent of my hearing in the Navy, sleeping under the Kitty Hawk's arresting gear, and then right between the Carl Vinson's forward catapults. I found out that some fighter pilots are dumb as rocks. I think about half of my squadron's pilots were PE majors...football players who weren't good enough for the pros. It's more important to have a lot of muscle mass and withstand a lot of G's than to be smart. In fact, I was told that too much brains is a disadvantage in the cockpit, since second guessing is worse than quick reactions and instantaneous obedience to oral commands. (Former fighter pilots, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.) So I'd probably have been just as well off working at McDonalds and going to community college as enlisting in the Navy. But there were other reasons to enlist. I sincerely love this country and felt obligated to serve. The cold war was still on, and fighting against tyrany and oppression, on the side of freedom, was and is important to me. Unfortunately, this country seems to have lost its mind in recent years. Now WE are torturing prisoners, and our leaders are taking away our freedoms. We've become a surveilance society. Instead of being admired, we are loathed around the world. This is a tragedy that will haunt us for decades to come. So joining the military now is probably not a good move. Instead, I urge young people to join a political campaign, help elect new leadership in this country, and fight for peace rather than Halliburton, KBR, and Blackwater. Best, Fred— June 5, 2008 7:42 a.m.
JROTC popular in San Diego, but critics abound
Hi Girl in Oceanside, I served in the military, completing two cruises with squadrons at Miramar. I was Sailor of the Month for my squadron and recommended for the academy by my commanding officer. Since that time I've lived and worked not only here, but in Europe and Asia, interacting with people from around the world and learning a few languages along the way. So I can completely disagree with you with total confidence. Our military is NOT what makes us great. Quite the contrary. The military is a necessary evil in an unjust world. Our founding fathers didn't even want a standing military, prefering to only call up soldiers as the need arose. The world admires us (or used to admire us) for our freedom, our creativity, our ability to advance from poverty to wealth. The world admires our music, our films, our open spaces and natural places. Only a few isolated nuts are gung ho about our advanced weaponry. The military doesn't allow freedom. In fact, when you sign that contract you sign away a number of constitutional rights for the duration. And if the military chooses, they can unilaterally extend that contract as long as they like. It's like indentured servitude, the close-cousin to slavery. Recruiters lie. I know it. Everyone who's ever been in the military knows it. They take the gullible young and tell them whatever they want to hear. The truth is you sign your life away when you sign that contract. The fact that minorities are over-represented in the military is because for many it's the only choice they have left. There is often no other path to getting out of the ghetto. So they believe the promises, only to find themselves chipping paint in the sun, all the offers of job training long forgotten. I was one of the fortunate few who got real world training that served me well in later life. The overwhelming majority of my shipmates were taught skills relevant solely to the military. There isn't a lot of demand for bomb loaders in the civilian world, my friend. The truth is that the schools have so abdicated their responsibilities to teach basic academic skills like research and writing that we are falling far behind as a nation. The proliferation of JROTC and the shanghaiing of students into the programs against their will is a bad sign. I do support JROTC, but only as a conscious choice. Not as a place to warehouse students until they are graduated and left with few alternatives but enlistment. Best, Fred— June 4, 2008 3:23 p.m.
Why Mayor Sanders invested in Maxxum Equity Fund
Don't feel too bad Johnny, I have a long track record of supporting losing candidates. I'm considering opening a political consulting business. For a fee, I'll support the other side, thus guaranteeing their defeat. It's demoralizing to see through these scams, recognize how badly it could all go wrong, do my utmost to sound the alarm and get people out to vote, and always lose. Well, I've got very portable job skills, including a lifetime work permit issued by the Swedish government. They're eager for me to work on moble software and pay their taxes. I can also go back to Prague anytime, and since I speak the language get a very nice position and enjoy some of the best beer in the world. But, dammit, I love San Diego and care deeply about our future here. I know that Cassandra got nothing but grief for being right about things, and perhaps I deserve the same fate, but I can't help doing whatever I can to try to avert what is coming at us. Watch out for 2009. There's big trouble looming. I'd rather stand and fight than slink away. So in a few months we've got the general election and I'll be right back out walking precincts, knocking on doors and talking to voters. We may not win but I'll know I did my best. Still, I'd rather win occassionally.— June 4, 2008 3:09 p.m.
Judge Says Federal Court Can Hear Blackwater's Suit
Huff to San Diego: "F*** you!" Was there ever any doubt?— June 4, 2008 3 p.m.