Thank you for the contributions over the years and the words of wisdom now. Wish you well and please consider coming back when things have had some time to calm down.
I'll miss the rants. I think you oughta stay.
1. Stay on FR..just lurk for a while..
2. Ignore the idiots here
3. Switch to decaf
4. Have sex more often
5. Take a glider flight...
I loved your thread on the Miers nomination and will miss your wisdom.
PING
Hate to see anybody go, so I wish you were staying.
But you have to do what keeps your sanity.
I am incapable of understanding how worked up some people get over attacks on 3rd parties. I like Ann Coulter, but don't lose sleep over people thinking differently. And I think a review of her words justified the vitriol thrown at her yesterday. But not the personal attacks.
Anyway, we need the spirited debates, and we apparently have to take the personal attacks with the sound arguments. And if that cost of doing business is too high for you to take, you should take a break. I think the personal attacks have been out-of-bounds, so don't think I'm justifying them, but we each choose how to respond in our own way.
Take care, and come back when it seems calmer.
You know that FR needs thoughtful. . .articulate and even 'funny' Freepers. . . but most importantly, it needs caring, politically-passionate 'Freepers'. Without all the above; FR does not move forward. So. . .you will be missed. . .
Winds always change. . .I hope when your sails are full again; you will return. (ITMT; I hope your life 'feels better soon' ;^)
Freepers that have to announce theatrically that they are leaving get on my nerves. We are all equal here, so if you want to go, go. If you want to lurk, lurk. If you want to take a break, take one. Just quit making the Big Announcement already.
Haven't you done this before? or am I thinking of someone else? I have had my frustrations with this place in the last year and I have been here for six-years. I have been suspended for 3-7 day periods after posting stories in the incorrect forums by over zealous moderators...and one just happened 12 hours after I donated to the quarterly fundraiser!
What are you gonna do? Sell Amway? C'mon...cut the crap...call the people out on the site that need to be called out and stand up man...this b.s. about opus epics and people bailing because of one or two issues has got to stop.
It's bad enough we have the amount of spineless GOP members in power as it is who do nothing. Face it..we are the force and the fury of politics now. We don't need our ranks breaking down because a bunch of hacks come in here and start crap a few months down the road.
Does Bush deserve hell right now? You bet. There are a dozen better qualified judges available that he passed over. His appointment is insulting to people like Brown and Garza.
Bush also is spending like Mr.Potter and George Bailey put together on a rainy day and could care less about the borders. These things NEED to be addressed on here.
Butch up Pukin Dog.
Don't make me send your former squadmates out to return you :-)
Dang it, PD, it just won't be the same place without ya! Real good advice for all, and hope to see you back around again...
Fight on.
Regards, Ivan
A story told to me by the son of a now deceased American Airlines executive. I was a classmate of the son, and my dad was a corporate peer of my classmate's grandfather, so we knew the family quite well.
According to this story, his dad, a former AF pilot (trash haulers?) was deeply involved in AA approving the purchase of the Lockheed L1011s for their fleet. A preface to this next, I know for a fact he was rated for everything that AA flew at the time, but I don't know if that makes this next "legal" or believable. During one demo flight with several other AA execs and some Lockheed brass and techs he asked to take the controls. As he flew the airplane he asked several questions about the physical capabilities of the airplane. He finally said "so it can do a roll, if necessary?" The Lockheed pilot said "sure."
Yep. You guessed it. According to this story my friends dad promptly did a barrel roll in an L1011. Worked perfectly. They bought more planes than they had been planning. However, his dad left AA not long afterwards. No connection.
Oh, and don't leave.
The mistake most people make in public forums is thinking that success is changing everybody else -- rather than achieving your own highest understanding, in clarifying and articulating it. If, through your participation and interaction with others, you become a better person, that is what society and culture is all about. And I do think we've all become better through the freerepublic. Fully 95% of those things said here, would otherwise not be seen anywhere else.
It seems over the last several years that most people who follow the news and political developments, think the object is to tell the president what to do, how to run the country -- instead of being president themselves, and having the right and responsibility of making those decisions. But more importantly, everybody has their own part to play, and in doing that, makes their greatest contribution because even the president can't be doing everything -- yet that seems to be the expectation and perception -- that only the president can do anything, and the rest can only try to sway his decisions. That vision of society and government is a very inefficient and ineffective one -- fostered by the seniority-heavy newspapers, at which everyone has reached the top-tier and so nobody goes out and does any investigation and interviews, and lacking that information, the easiest thing to do is bash-Bush because that's what all the other columnists are doing.
So because they've lost their ability to find out, they spend all day, as ignorant people are wont to do, expressing their unsolicited advice and opinions on what the president (and everybody else for that matter), ought to be doing for them, to please them. In another age, these were regarded as simply imperious, senile people, but because of increased life spans and no-layoff contracts no matter how demented they become, they are allowed to crowd out all the talented young voices of merit. That is why we need forums like these and your participation.
What's the old saying? "If you aren't taking any flak you aren't over the target"?
I've seen lots of anger and disagreement on several threads lately, especially over the Miers appointment, but it's hardly worth leaving over any of it. Of course, if you leave, there are plenty of other good FReepers to take your place on the forum. Good luck to you.
Wolf
Hey PD don't be pulling that ejection handle so fast ... just because you had a flame out doesn't mean you can't re-start. We need you here to help us fight the good fight. Besides .... remember what a Martin Baker will do to your spine
We hate to see you go for good, but everyone needs a break.
I think there are lots of dandelion patches that need someone to sit in the them for a spell.
Sometimes people need to take a breather from the forum.
Don't be a stranger, drop in once in awhile.
Well, I'm sure you don't know me.. but I read what you write.. and I hate to see you go.. Get your head together and don't be gone to long...
Don't let the morons get you down.
Come on back after you take a break.
things blow hot and cold on here, and it does get trying for a while, but take a break and give it another go. At least I hope ya do....