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Conspiracy Theories
Ponzi, right now, I consider you God. That is exactly my point. My girlfriend was livid with me for getting into a shoving match with some 9/11 people that were planted downtown in front of a building. What happened was, I thought I could talk some sense into them rationally. I couldn't. So, they handed me a CD and paper work. I then put it in the trash can, and they started yelling at me, as they dug it out of the trash telling me the cost of printing all of it up. I told them to "F*** off!" and said what they are doing is painful and disrespectful to anyone that lost a family member in that tragedy. After dinner downtown, I saw them again. They were talking to a group of five, and I think I said something like "You're still trying to convince others of your idiotic theories?" The guys then surrounded me, and put a video camera in my face. I shoved the thing back into his face, and pushed the one thing on the camera that snapped it shut. He started saying I assaulted him, and attempted to break his camera. Another guy came up to me asking what my deal was. So, I got back in his face. It helps when I'm 6'1 and he was 5'8". But, in hindsight, I'm a bit embarassed by how it all went down, as my girlfriend thought I was just acting like a dumb goon. Which I guess I was, but as you said...it's frustrating. Because, it's not even the "guilt" you mention that would get people talking. It's just the LARGE AMOUNT of people involved. And, all it takes is ONE of those people, telling a girlfriend, wife, etc. And the whole house of cards would come tumbling down. My friend married a green beret, and I used to laugh that he couldn't tell her where he was going for a "secret mission" for two weeks. But that's how you do things, because if one person talks, it compromises everything. That is why conspiracies just don't work.— June 19, 2009 2:16 p.m.
Top 10 -- Famous Dead People You'd Like to Meet
Can you imagine someone giving a pop quiz? Ken Jennings (Jeopardy! champ) probably got that for a while. Luckily, I can be upfront and say I've only read one Vonnegut piece, so I'm in the clear. I can plead ignorant (refrain from any comments with that line, SD!) The best Vonnegut thing ever, though, was his cameo in Back to School. For Rodney Dangerfield to actually hire him, to write a report on Vonnegut. It's just classic. It would've been a hysterical scene, even if he didn't get a C- or whatever, for "not really understanding the author." SD...let's see your list!— June 19, 2009 2:08 p.m.
Family Banding
I agree with the jail part. I didn't have as much of a problem with him not being charged with a hate crime, as long as that means he still gets a long jail term. Because even if someone claims it's just a "punch", how often does someone fall down from a punch and die when they hit their head? And, someone this insane, really shouldn't be out on the streets.— June 19, 2009 10:40 a.m.
Conspiracy Theories
Refried: the problem, I've found, is this. When someone believes in a conspiracy, no amount of common sense will work. You can't logically debate the issue. You just can't. Because, you can have some high up people telling you the facts, and they think that that person was bought off, or is part of the conspiracy. It really never ends. It's kind of like the JFK story. I believe the person that did the main investigation and wrote the Warren Commission reports or whatever...was a Kennedy!!! Why would they cover that up? The reason some things were blacked out, when things were released, is you might have a situation with undercover cops, or spies, etc. Yet, conspiracy theorists think that is part of the conspiracy, too.— June 19, 2009 10:35 a.m.
Breaking the Law, Breaking the Law (when it's students)
Well, the year sounds right. But the thing about the "goons" I'm curious about. The Asian student involved in this, was a great student. Not that a great student can't hang around "goons". But also...the family went OUT OF THEIR WAY to support this student, and tell the court that in their eyes, he did nothing wrong. Their toddler ran out into the street, and he wasn't even speeding! There was no way he could've stopped. But, it is interesting, nonetheless...to know of the aftermath on that story. I always wondered about things like that. I sometimes have a hard time believing a story like this, because...think about it. If you are harassed, you call the cops. And if it was a heavy-duty court case where your family was involved with putting someone in jail, they would take threats seriously. It would never become a situation where you had to move. The cops would be able to catch the goons well before it got to that. I mean, there was a story in the news about two neighbors fighting. Possibly the Encinitas area, I can't remember (sorry, anti). Well, the cops decided to hide in the bushes overnight, because one neighbor said rocks would hit their house around 2 a.m. Sure enough, the cops saw the neighbor doing this. It baffled me that the cops would go to such great lengths to catch someone. It was a great story. So, why wouldn't they get involved when a kid goes to jail? I'm sure there are times the family would harass. I mean, in those caught on camera shows, each episode seems to have a family member in a court that charges the person on stand or something similar.— June 19, 2009 10:32 a.m.
Top 10 -- Famous Dead People You'd Like to Meet
Refried, your list is solid. But a few weird choices. I mean, Willie Shoemaker? Is this just so you have someone on your list you're taller than? I'd like to ask him why he can get in drunk driving accidents and not be held accountable (gee, it sounds like I'm combining blogs again). Also, as great a writer as CB is (someone on KGBs morning show didn't know who that was, when his name was brought up last week)...you called it right. You might just be told off. It's one of the reasons I'd be reluctant to put Jim Morrison on mine. I would just assume that for our hour meeting, he'd be sober. We could talk poetry, rock, and all those good things. Since you brought up horse racing, here's a great Kurt Vonnegut story I'm going to totally mess up. After he died, Sports Illustrated did a one page story on him. Apparently, he worked for them. For about two weeks, possibly in the late 50s or early 60s. His first assignment was to write about the Kentucky Derby, or some big horse race. He said he couldn't, as he knew nothing about the sport. They said they didn't care, that he could just have fun with it and write what he wanted (although, that approach worked horribly for Hunter S. Thompson when he went to the Thrilla in Manilla). He got back to the Sports Illustrated office, and typed three lines. Something like: There were a lot of horses, They ran in a big circle around a track. And that was all it said. He left the building and never came back. The editor that found that piece of paper, obviously, wished he had kept it.— June 19, 2009 10:20 a.m.
Volcano Energy, Made From Scratch, Freeway Sign Mileage
Yeah, I couldn't figure that out either. A letter in defense of zebras, that goes on and on about how you can't make a single mistake, etc. Well, those zebras they used to have in TJ are sure nice. You know the ones...outside of the bars, where you can pay a dollar to have a photo sitting on one. Sure, they looked like small donkeys that were just painted with the referee stripes, but still...— June 19, 2009 10:12 a.m.
Top 10 -- Famous Dead People You'd Like to Meet
Good call, magics. I forgot about the writers: Emily, Lord Byron, Hemmingway...— June 19, 2009 1:23 a.m.
LeBron James -- Bad Sport?
refried...you are such a great writer. i could read/listen to your stories for hours. loved the "linebacker of your choice," and the entire way this story was told. great stuff. i'm in the same boat as you, regarding the sport (remember one team had octopuss carcass they'd throw on the ice?) i've been in many debates with my friends (as you've read in these blogs), and one was a PE teacher that was friends with my stepbrother that taught in south central LA. he's a big hockey lover, and claimed that because they fight so much, any hockey player could beat up an NBA player in a fight. at that time, karl malone was the biggest, most muscular guy in the NBA. i said that at 6'9" and solid, no hockey player that is 5'11" could beat him. i swear, we argued this thing for an hour straight. it reminded me of the kids in Stand by Me debating which super hero would win in a fight.— June 19, 2009 1:21 a.m.
Breaking the Law, Breaking the Law (when it's students)
Not sure what the taking a deep breath means. But, it's not educated criminals that I have a change of heart about. It's educated kids, making stupid mistakes. For example, let me ask you this. The case with the San Ysidro student. If the same exact thing happened, but this kid had gotten suspended in 9th grade for throwing a punch at a teacher. In 10th grade, he had three suspensions. One for graffiti, another for stealing, and another for cursing at the football coach...11th grade he broke a lock on a students locker. And now...as a senior, he makes bombs. Well...throw the book at him. Charge him with everything you got, and he doesn't have any sympathy from me. EVEN IF he is getting straight As, I don't care at that point. Because he's a bad person. And he's not learning. This was a student getting great grades that has never been a problem for anyone. Do you not see how that is different than, say, a blog where I complained about the legal system because some criminal got a light sentence? I'm not sure why you think it's such a contradiction for me to say I'm a lot more tolerant of a 16-year-old racing his car and killing someone, than a 25-year-old.— June 18, 2009 8:41 p.m.