DANOSC's Comments (42)

“All of them, complice. All of them.”

“That's your problem--"fairness across the board"--you don't see the distinction. The distinction IS that gay male soldiers have "showered" with straight male soldiers in every war since there have been showers. Being a gay male vet of Vietnam, I don't recall anyone having a problem with showering with me or vice versa. But to be blunt with you Mike63, showering was at the bottom of each soldier's and Marine's list. Staying alive was--and when it came down to it, each man relied on the other--gay and straight--to help stay alive. If you think anyone on the lines in Iraq or Afghanistan is worried about the shower, you know NOTHING about being in the armed forces.

Grow up!”

“You seem to conflate religion with religious experience. Organized religion requires a suspension of intellectual inquiry after the age of 8. Religious experience, may not. In fact, religious experience, in my opinion, requires some constant reassessment of orthodoxy and, yes, the fairy tales as well as thought throughout life. Maybe the result of that religious experience if an acceptance of atheism; maybe its a rejection of accepted religious orthodoxy but a fuller understanding of God (in whatever form he or she takes); or maybe that religious experience is a fuller understanding of those fairy tales. But, your response to my posting seems to indicate that while religion for you means accepting the fairy tales without examination. And, you seem to interpret any criticism of those fairy tales a rejection of the religious experienc. My point, which you missed, is that a true religious experience can be attained outside of orthodoxy. That seems to scare you enough that you attack me.”

“But true in my experience.”

“The problem for me with most religious faiths is that they require one to stop using his or her brain around the eighth birthday, after absorbing all the pretty fairy tale stories.”

“Just for today, take the time to sit quietly and go to this website. I suspect there are hundreds of tribute pages like this one. http://www.legacy.com/gb2/guestbookentryprint.aspx?bookId=91674”

“Why are almost all of the five "positive things" about approaching death? Hey, I'm 57 and the best things about being 57 are all about living--not having to put up with the bullshit I thought I had to put up with or DID put up with twenty years ago. The most positive thing about getting older is applying the lessons learned earlier--in other words, experience is the most positive thing about being older--life, career and people-related experience. I look at all the younger people who cling to their Blackberry's and pda 's like they're life support systems and I'm thankful they I am not they. Yes, say what you will about the importance of the gadgets in business, but I'm quite successful with only a mere cellphone the display of which doesn't light up anymore, and, I don't care. Not having to care about meaningless things is the best thing about getting older.”

“I was thinking that Kentucky would be given some sort of "dispensation" since it was technically a part of the US (vis-a-vis Virginia) when the Constitution was adopted unlike California, Texas, Hawaii, etc. which didn't become even territorial possessions until years later.”

“Although Abe Lincoln was born in Kentucky, it was a part of Virginia up until it was admitted as a state. So, Lincoln could be president.”

“About time.”

“Your comment is laughable. Compared to what Hillary Clinton had to deal with from her political enemies, ex-Gov. Palin's political life has been a walk in the park. And, I doubt if her choice was "between a healthy family or politics".”

“She's no Hillary Clinton.”

“Americans are more afraid of gay people than anything else, terrorists included.”

“"Supreme Leader". Orwellian.”

“" God's original plan and purpose for marriage, from the very beginning of creation, is and always has been, for Pro-Creation, to produce off-spring, and to advance or begat life" OK, hojo, given this rationale, my 76 year old father should not have been allowed to marry his 75 year old bride. The state had every right to deny them a marriage license since, I can guarantee you this, "Pro-Creation" was not their purpose in marrying. Nor was it my 40 year old friend's purpose when she married her husband since she cannot bear children as a result of an injury she suffered in an auto accident as a teenager. Yet, the state did not ask them if they intended to "Pro-Create" before issuing them a marriage license. Using your rationale, the state needs to delve into the person decisions as to why people get married. I thought conservatives wanted government out of people's lives or is it just when you guys want it to be there for anyone who isn't like you" Oh, I'm sure you'll find another reason like the "sanctity of marriage". Tell that to Brittany Spears, Newt Gingrich or those contestants on The Bachelor which is marriage as game show.”

“I would.
I live in Los Angeles but have family on the east coast. I hate flying.”

“Condi. Turn yourself in.”

“Not in my Venice neighborhood. Its black, hispanic, white, old, young, rich, poor and a lot of people in between. Hipsters on my street--well, maybe one or two, but by no means the majority. I live in a cottage--hardly craftsman. There's not a multi-million dollar monstrosity on my block or on my entire street. Many of the families have been here since the 50s--they live beside those artists you say can no longer afford the neighborhood. Yes, Abbot Kinney is too much--but its usually filled with people who do not live in Venice, particularly on the weekends. Unless you're a merchant on the boardwalk, its nice when Monday morning comes around. The best part of Monday is the absence of the throng people who bring their bikes down to Venice on the weekend and completely ignore the rules of the road.”

“PS. Read my comment above. I live in the Oakwood section of Venice. And I love it.”

“I live in Venice, in a two bedroom, 1 bath cottage and neither I nor any of my neighbors have bars on our windows--and I live in what was only a few years ago considered "the hood". I had the same impression as you before I moved here, but Venice is no more dangerous--and probably a lot safer than a small towns anywhere. What I've found in Venice is the best "alarm" is that people here actually look out for one another despite our diversity--from the white family who lives next door who've lived here since the 50's to the hispanic families down the street, the black families across the park, the hipsters, entertainment crowd and gays and lesbians and everybody in between. You ought to come down in the summer when the neighborhood throws one of its parties. And even though I live in the "hood" of Venice, I've never seem anyone selling or using crack. Anyone.”

“I live in Venice and having lived in Rome, New Orleans, DC and a host of other places, this is the place I love the most. LIke many others who live here, we hate to venture "east of Lincoln"--to the rest of Los Angeles which, although Venice IS a part of Los Angeles, is like another city (and not a bad place to live at all, but it isn't Venice). Venice isn't for everyone, but when I lived in other parts of Los Angeles, visitors always wanted me to take them to Venice.”

“I agree with you BigFootJesus--and here's the but. In the system you and I grew up in, good music was everywhere--on the radio, on television and easily obtained at that. There is still good music. It is just harder to find and not touted by the labels who control 98% of the industry. redkim mentions a handful of really good artists. But remember when the list was exhaustive, and their records available whether you live in Los Angeles or Bumpass, Virginia?”

“VH1 and MTV haven't helped. If you cant' dance, don't look good on video, what chance do you have? Can you imagine some of the great performers in the past who were fat and just down right unattractive on a music video? Literally form over substance.”

“John, you said more eloquently what I've been ranting about for years. Every time I hear a music company exec rail about how label profits are down because of the new technology, I want to tear out what little hair I have left. New technology? Hardly. Its because the system, particularly the labels, no longer nurtures the artists. The "life span" of a music artist used to be a couple of decades--now, its a couple of years because its cheaper for the labels to tap someone new who will put out the sound cheaper. I have nothing against hip-hop and its father, rap--I have bought it. But, its time has passed but it prevails. Why? Its cheap to produce and artist number1 can be replaced by artist numbers 2, 3, and so on and so on when number 1 wants more money. When I asked my 15 year old nephew and 13 year old neice what music each wanted for a gift, both turned up their noses at hip-hop, one saying that it was "the music that [my now 29 year old neice] liked but that no one in their group of friends listended to anymore. In other words, they wanted something fresh. All of us want something fresh, but it isn't coming out of the mainstream music business anymore. If any of the execs in the music industry really know and love music, they know the problem and it is not technology--it is them.”

“Now its the gays' turn. A certain segment of the American population needs a scapegoat for all that is wrong. Like gays being responsible for the sorry state of American's marriages. It doesn't add up but that's bigotry for you. And, that's the beauty of politition­s/religion­s scapegoating people for their gain. It doesn't have to add up to work.”