Free Republic

he wasn't with SJP, he was dating jennifer gray at the time

I really wish I could get dumb facts like that out of my head in exchange for more useful information....

I'm shocked, shocked, shocked that you would post a bug report of a windows competitor. How many stories have you posted that point to the glaring software holes in windows? You could write a book on outlook alone!

The senate is run by democrats, the assembly by republicans.

Walker is from wauwatosa. A democrat has about as much chance getting his seat as pat buchannan has of winning elected office in madison.

It's been used for a while, however the issue is the storage of the hydrogen - how to compress it and get enough storage to make it feasible for everyday use by the average joe. Right now it's like electic powered vehicles - pretty useful if you have a centralized fleet that only travels in a limited area, and then can come back for refueling at a central location. But the costs also make it prohibitive to adopt fleet wide.

IIRC, one of the more promising storage ideas was a honeycombed carbon fuel tank. My memory of the show is a little fuzzy, but I recall they mentioned the possibility of some hydrogen powered cars going 1000 or miles between refills.

One Eco-Geek heard from in the peanut gallery.

My, how very clever, an insult without adressing the actual issue. You must have been the captain of the debate team!.

First, ignorant one, I drive a honest to goodness gas burning car. My next car will actually be a truck- a Chevy avalance 2500, which isn't a eco-geek car by a long shot (13/17 mpg). So before you make idiotic comments, make sure you have something to base it on.

Second, I drive what gets me the best performance for my money. Right now it's internal combustion. When Hyrdogen fuel cells reach necessary technological level for mass acceptance (compressed storage is the main issue, FWIH), I'll be getting one of those for myself. I wouldn't mind a thousand or so miles between fill ups.

So you can continue to ignorantly mock those who recognize the potential of Hyrdogen fueled transportation. I, on the other hand, will be looking to invest in companies that have workable technologies-- because whoever develops the technology that becomes the standard will make bill gates look like a kid with a paper route.

Isn't Hydrogen what the Eco-Geeks want us to fill our cars with in the future?

Isn't gasoline what we have in our cars now?

Have you seen "Chain Reaction"? A sizeable tank of hydrogen would be similar to a small nuclear weapon.

Um, you do know taht movie was a work of fiction, right???

Dave kopel can convince you.

It's a long column. Here's a brief excerpt:

------------

Imagine No Claws

To imagine a world with no guns is to imagine a world in which the strong rule the weak, in which women are dominated by men, and in which minorities are easily abused or mass-murdered by majorities. Practically speaking, a firearm is the only weapon that allows a weaker person to defend himself from a larger, stronger group of attackers, and to do so at a distance. As George Orwell observed, a weapon like a rifle "gives claws to the weak."

The failure of imagination among people who yearn for a gun-free world is their naive assumption that getting rid of claws will get rid of the desire to dominate and kill. They fail to acknowledge the undeniable fact that when the weak are deprived of claws (or firearms), the strong will have access to other weapons, including sheer muscle power. A gun-free world would be much more dangerous for women, and much safer for brutes and tyrants.

The one society in history that successfully gave up firearms was Japan in the 17th century, as detailed in Noel Perrin's superb book Giving Up the Gun: Japan's Reversion to the Sword 1543-1879. An isolated island with a totalitarian dictatorship, Japan was able to get rid of the guns. Historian Stephen Turnbull summarizes the result:

[The dictator] Hidéyoshi's resources were such that the edict was carried out to the letter. The growing social mobility of peasants was thus flung suddenly into reverse. The ikki, the warrior-monks, became figures of the past . . . Hidéyoshi had deprived the peasants of their weapons. Iéyasu [the next ruler] now began to deprive them of their self respect. If a peasant offended a samurai he might be cut down on the spot by the samurai's sword. [The Samurai: A Military History (New York: Macmillan, 1977).]

The inferior status of the peasantry having been affirmed by civil disarmament, the Samurai enjoyed kiri-sute gomen, permission to kill and depart. Any disrespectful member of the lower class could be executed by a Samurai's sword.

The Japanese disarmament laws helped mold the culture of submission to authority which facilitated Japan's domination by an imperialist military dictatorship in the 1930s, which led the nation into a disastrous world war.

In short, the one country that created a truly gun-free society created a society of harsh class oppression, in which the strongmen of the upper class could kill the lower classes with impunity. When a racist, militarist, imperialist government took power, there was no effective means of resistance. The gun-free world of Japan turned into just the opposite of the gentle, egalitarian utopia of John Lennon's song "Imagine."

Instead of imagining a world without a particular technology, what about imagining a world in which the human heart grows gentler, and people treat each other decently? This is part of the vision of many of the world's great religions. Although we have a long way to go, there is no denying that hundreds of millions of lives have changed for the better because people came to believe what these religions teach.

If a truly peaceful world is attainable — or, even if unattainable, worth striving for — there is nothing to be gained from the futile attempt to eliminate all guns. A more worthwhile result can flow from the changing of human hearts, one soul at a time.

Another Democrat's career cut short by an eeeee-vil gun ... LOL!

Yes, but I bet he'll still manage to vote in the next election....

Remember, this is france. The tear gas they fire is probably no more effective than the collective B.O. of the protesters....

Saw them open for Van Halen just after facelift was released. Never even heard of them but friend had me come along to an instore to get some stuff signed. I took in something of his - wish I would have had a cd to have them sign.

I agree, they are the best that seattle had in the early 90's. The songwriting, lyrics, performaces, and sound were and still are incredible.

At least jerry cantrell is still around-I believe he is the songwriting force behind the band. Now if Chris cornell would drop out of Rage against the machine and become the new AIC front man, I would be in musical heaven --- There would actually be some new music out there that I would buy.

My wife received her issue a week or so ago. I didn't read the article, I just make sure the cover is face down so I don't have to look at his smug, hypocritical face.

Abolition of public schools is an issue unworthy of debate. Its an extremist view held by kooks and deserves only mockery

It's become terribly apparent that you are incapable of debate and only capable of engaging in mockery.

The saddest part of it is that you think you're smart and have an intelligent position. The truth is you're just like a child who sticks his fingers in his ears and babbles when someone has a view you don't like.

Very Pathetic.

Too bad being pithy and offering an intelligent, reasoned argument aren't the same thing. You might want to work on that. One carries more weight than the other in debate.

"Yep. "Personal responsibility" is just a ruse spewed forth by the extremists who advocate total abolition of public schools. It's a totally irresponsible position. So I suppose you could call it "evil"."

Gee, so I being a person who doesn't have children, who has made an effort to make sure he doesn't have children, and doesn't believe his money should be taken away for solely for use by people who have CHOSEN to have children, is now evil??? I guess I'm the evil clown, then.

It must be nice to live in such a black and white little world:

People who support taxing the childless to pay for education of other people's kids: Good.
People who believe that those who have children are responsible for raising and educating them: Evil

You seem incapable of seeing the forrest for the trees. If the government doesn't seize money to pay for public education (and where I live, they take a lot), then parents have the money to pay for a private education. If more people have more of their own money to spend, economic activity increases, returning more money to the people, creating jobs. People then have money to spend on their children's education.

Here's a hint, Willie: The government doesn't need all the money it spends per pupil to educate them. What costs $10,000 per pupil per year in a government school can be done just as effectively for $2,500 in a private school.

If a couple can't afford to spend $2,500 on their children's education (remember, they have more money now since they're not being taxed for public schoools), then they shouldn't have had children in the first place.

I guess when you have only two simplistic options, 'good' and 'evil', you can't comprehend 'better'.

Wow, you must have gone to clown college to be so smart in libertarian talk! ;)

Seriously, I'll second the idea that most 'conservatives' are terrified by true freedom, lacking faith that they would do the right thing if there wasn't a law guiding their behavior.

I'm a libertarian, and by assocation, I am therefore a clown. That is a personal attack.

Hopefully you will be reprimanded. If not, I could assume personal attacks were A OK, and I could call you an idiot.

My wife's parents are heavy smokers. They had 4 girls.

My wife's sister and her husband are smokers. They have had 3 boys.

Yet another study that will be contradicted in a year.

I first thought those leaves were flames, leading me to believe Janet reno was in charge of the raid.

Sorry, this is only hamilton county. To go state wide, either the state supreme court would need to affirm this on appeal, or lawsuits similar to the one that started this would need to be filed in each county/district.