Posted on 07/31/2015 11:49:41 AM PDT by Slings and Arrows
The time has come to take action against thread hijackers.
Let me begin with an example of thread hijacking:
Like most Freepers, I am pro-life. Abortion and and euthanasia appall me, and marketing the results even more so. I support candidates who oppose the culture of death, and cheer when it is thwarted.
I also do not find it necessary to mention these facts on EVERY. FREAKING. THREAD.
There is a certain type of Freeper, though, who has no such restraint. For these zealots, any thread that deviates from the pro-life cause, no matter how trivially, is a heresy that must be immediately suppressed.
You are shocked by cruelty to animals? I guess that means you couldn't care less about the cruelty of THE MILLIONS OF CHILDREN ABORTED EVERY YEAR!!!!!
You lost a beloved pet? Why can't you mourn THE THOUSANDS OF ABORTED BABIES WHO DIED THE SAME DAY?!!!!
Your car shredded its transmission and you're looking at thousands of dollars in repairs? Why aren't you thinking about THE BABIES WHO WILL NEVER GROW UP TO BE AUTO MECHANICS BECAUSE THEY WERE ABORTED?!!!!
(OK, maybe I made that last one up.)
Arguing with these people is pointless. It's the same principle as wrestling with a pig - you just get muddy and the pig enjoys it. Similarly, trying to convince them that they are being rude is a waste of time - THE CAUSE is far more important little things like courtesy and respect.
So, what can we do about it?
We can get drunk.
I hereby propose The Thread Hijack Drinking Game. The rules are simple: When a poster tries to hijack an unrelated thread to his or her pet cause, you 1) reply to the hijack attempt by quoting the text in question, followed by the word "DRINK!", and 2) Take a drink (or any volume) of your favorite beverage (alcoholic or non-alcoholic). Moderation is suggested on animal cruelty threads to avoid alcohol poisoning.
This game will not, I admit, solve the thread hijacking problem. But after a certain number of attempts we will no longer care.
And if anyone is offended by my little proposal, I can only say...
DRINK!
I have lists, but I forget where I put them. *sigh*
Or I write them on old envelopes or notepads that I use again and again and then discard when I can’t decipher them any more.
Woe is me and my brems!
We had a 40 second blackout a while ago, but that’s common, here.
I want to go to bed, but I’m afraid if I do, I will sleep too soon and I don’t want that. I want some Good. Solid. Sleep.
I was looking around here this morning, and I think I have some things that need to go into another storage tub in order to get the stuff out of my way.
Which reminds me: does anyone in your house or parish want a paint-by-number of the Last Supper? I bought it, thinking I would have more time to work on it, but I don’t, and it’s been sitting for at least a year. I will check the paint to make sure it’s still viable, but if someone wants it, I will mail it.
Drug companies (pharmacies), are offering downloadable "apps" for folks with smart phones, that can remind you when it's time to take a pill (or two).
Maintaining your pill regimen is a lot like keeping your checkbook balanced. You have to develop the right habits which will then help you develop the right habits.
Since some folks bought computers to help them balance their checking accounts, it makes sense that now you can use your computerized phone to help you with a similar chore!
I tried keeping lists and keeping my meds in order but I keep having to either add to it or subtract from it.
I have my phone set to three times a day for the pills, and a list of the pills I have to put into the pill container for the next five days. (That’s all the container will hold, since I have to take some of them in multiple amounts.) That, the pills and pill container are in close proximity, so it’s just a matter of taking 10 minutes to count them out and put them in place.
And I don’t do the checkbook balancing thing. I have a website that does that for me so that when CFIDS takes over my life, I don’t have to worry about making a financial mistake that will cost me $35+ to rectify. I have a bank that offers pre-paid checking, and that has saved me the cost of money orders for almost three years now. Otherwise, I would still be heading to Walmart for MOs on payday. *shudder*
I don’t put any financial websites on my phone, “just in case.” It is basically just a talk and text machine, and that’s what I need it to do. So if the Grid Goes Down, I’m sunk along with the rest of America.
I have a pill chart in my Documents file that I can change in a heartbeat. It is the only way, because I need to adjust the pills periodically.
It saves me a lot of wear and tear. And because of where my pill container is located, the pill chart is on the fridge, held by a magnetic clip. I have had to try to simplify my life to keep the stress levels down to a minimum. It helps me pretend I’m normal in other areas! ;o]
That’s what I need to do.
I was on another thread about 9/11 and someone ask where everyone was 14 years ago today I posted were I was. I’ll never forget. I may forget some details but never how I was feeling or what I was doing that day.
What an awful day.
And our leadership did forget, and have taken steps to make sure it happens again.
Damn them.
One particular leader is going to have a place assigned in Hell that he won’t be able to get out of even with the help of Niven and Pournelle.
And if we’re not careful we’ll have another one like him.
Let me guess His first name wouldn’t happen to start with a B wouldn’t it?
And his last name with an O right?
I was in NYC at the time of the 1993 truck bomb attack on the WTC. Walking in mid-town I had a clear view of the ominous dark smoke column rising to the south. Had to go into a coffee shop to find out what happened.
On that dreadful day in 2001 I picked up a call from a friend who told me to watch the TV news before I left the house. And I saw the huge smoke plume from the first strike and knew instantly that it was terror attack despite the nonsense being put forth by that Canadian Peter whatshisname that a small private plane slammed into the tower.
Sat glued to the screen as I got onto FR. Listened to DC news announcing that State Dept in Foggy Bottom had been hit which turned out after a few hours to have been a false alarm. Then the hit on the Pentagon. Not knowing what defensive measures were in store I cancelled my appointments. During the 1968 DC riot the Beltway was the cordon sanitaire, no traffic in or out, with Guard units enforcing all crossings. Left me stranded in Rosslynn for three days. Had seen the first plumes of that one from the design studio which overlooked the Iwo Jima memorial. We were in the flight path to National Airport and on days with heavy overcast we could clearly see the surprised faces in the low flying jets on their lower than usual glide path. Sometimes we exchanged waves. I remembered this when I heard of the Pentagon strike.
Brak the jugeared tyrant.
And the Niven and Pournelle reference was for their book, “Inferno”.
Yeah, that’s the one!
I thought that was about H@@@
Thanks for the offer, but nobody’s into painting right now.
That was a rough day.
I was listening to the radio and the host said an aircraft struck the trade center.
They initially thought it was a small Cessna or similar.
So I turned on the TV.
In time to watch the second plane hit.
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