JamesSavik

The Republican party was formed in the 1850s primarily in response to the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 that opened possibility of expanding slavery to new territories. The original founders of the Republican Party were anti-slavery Whigs and Free Soil Democrats based on "Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Men" ideology and a radical vision of modernization based on higher education, railroads, banking, industry and cities. Republicans argued that free market labor was infinitely superior to slavery. The basic idea of the Republic was a rule by law in which individual liberties could not be taken from a person without due process or regardless of popular whim. Republican foreign policy was almost isolationist. They wanted nothing to do with foreign wars and saw the entanglements of treaties as a threat to peace and prosperity. This was the party of Lincoln. A noble and progressive thing that fueled the fire of American growth and commerce. So... If I may be so bold as to ask: What the f**k happened? How did the party of individual liberties become the lap dog of the religious right? How did the party synonymous with isolationism become the party of preemptive and protracted wars? How did the party of progressives that championed education become populated with religious fanatics that believe in creationism? How did the party of fiscal conservatism become the party of record setting deficits? It's a long a circuitous route that milked the Red Scare in the fifties and went south in the sixties to court racists. In the seventies the GOP was tainted by Nixon, Watergate and Vietnam so it reached out to religious leaders and embraced "family values" and Reagen in the eighties. In their whoring for votes, closeted homosexual politicians ran on the fear of AIDS and gay bashing courting the religious right and the votes of a broad coalition of Christian and Mormon denominations nation wide. The failed Bush Administration of 2000-08 (unpopular wars, economic malaise) brought the GOP crashing to earth in one of the most crushing nationwide defeats in modern history. However- the lackluster performance of the Obama Administration and the democratic parties big spending policies, big money backers and elitist leanings have soured quickly. Republicans are set to make a major comeback in the mid-terms and Obama is pushing Bush's unpopularity numbers. The big question is has the GOP learned anything? I'm not sure that they have. Running as the opposition is a hell of a lot easier than actually leading and taking the heat for making decisions. I would suggest that if they really wanted to make an impact, if they really wanted to lead the country forward, the answer in in thier past. The progressive ideas on which the republican party was founded are every bit as alive and vital today as they were in the 1850s. Probably more so. At some point in the past, we quit building America and ever since then we have gotten progressive smaller: smaller as a player on the world stage and smaller as an economy. We have gone from an industrial superpower to a fast-food service economy without enough jobs or economic where with all to drive the federal behemoth of a government that both parties have built. It is time for a radical change in direction that changes our course from just another socialist nanny state to a nation ready to meet the future. Just like the 1850s platform vision of modernization based on higher education, railroads, banking, industry and cities, we need a new agenda for the next century that casts aside the trappings of the old world and its conflicts and leverages the power of our scientific and technological base. America can be that shining city on the hill again but republicans can not do it by pandering to peoples fear and bigotry. Republicans need to rediscover the ideals that they were founded on.

Here's a start: Follow it up with this: And they are pretty much writing the note. Oops... Mustn't forget the Obligatory Butthurt Incident Report Some things are just meant to turn out badly. Like playing with an old man's Wii Some things are inevitable. Like Rule 34 Or the way that I wished that the Twilight series would end. ...and math nerds never get laid. PEACE... through superior firepower!

My feeling is that Sex is neutral in a story. It may or may not even be appropriate for the type of story. No one even hinted at figuring out who the couple was in Twilight. Given everything else that was going on, a sex scene would have been an unnecessary distraction. FYI exclusive to this thread and this thread only: the couple in Twilight was Brian Lee and Jimmy Ross. They were best friends, attended karate classes together, roomed together at Eagle Rock and would not willingly leave each others side. What? Did I have to draw you a picture?

You CAN'T. You blow it and him the f**k up, you sigh sadly and you move on. But it's a situation that is suicidal to ignore.

You've been warned. If you are a politically correct sack of shit, read on at your own risk. You'll be offended and I'll be... heartbroken. Some of you have been asking about my baby pictures. Here I yam in all of my white trash redneck glory. So where are we? After getting told that I was a liar, a zionist and an ignorant redneck who should shut the f**k up because I was stupid, I'm pretty pissed. I'm a black sheep in this politically correct nut house and I don't f**king care whether you like it or not. I think Islamists are cowardly murders that like to kill unarmed people when its easy and run the f**k away when you hunt them. Now where could I have gotten an idea like that? Watching the Munich Olympics? Hearing about the Achille Lauro? The lynching of gay teenagers in Iran might have something to do with it. Maybe it is that big f**king hole in Manhattan. We are told that there are moderate Muslims. So why don't they speak up? Because they'll be murdered in very unpleasant ways. Me- I'm betting on this guy. And a shitload of American arms and an arsenal of nuclear weapons that would make you crap your pants if you knew the half of it. Why? Because they are our only ally that doesn't shit and sneer at us. Certainly not because I'm a Christian or even religious. I own one of these. I simply don't understand people that give political cover to a bunch of foreign religious fanatics that would happily cut their infidel heads off. Our local religious fanatics are bad enough. I say hold the line. NO NEW RELIGIOUS FANATICS!

It is better to be silent and thought a fool than to open ones mouth and remove all doubt. -Mark Twain

"Sex c" New Planet Discovered Aug. 10, 2010 Source Link: National Geographic An artist's impression of a Jupiter-like exoplanet.

Here's my forecast and its just as good as anyone elses: *rolls dice* There will be lucky 7 hurricanes this year! Look out Carolina and Georgia. Your numbers up.

We should remake a English language version of this movie with a cast of members from GA. I suggest Jamie D and Eros in the leading roles.

Mysterious Skin Are you ready? Here we go. Mysterious Skin @ IMDB

Maybe not my favorite but worthy of an honorable mention from the former delinquent community. L.I.E. On the Long Island Expressway there are lanes going east, lanes going west, and lanes going straight to hell. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyjHXpHHYgs L.I.E. @ IMDB

That's GOT to be a sure sign of the Apocalypse. Just remember: a basement full of guns and booze can make any apocalypse more entertaining.

James is my name and Savik is a common surname of Swedish origin in the South Mississippi county where my father's family came from. We are actually cousins. Those of us with dominate Swedish genes are much better looking and hung than the wicked Anglish. I spell it slightly differently than the original surname. It is unique and I can have account and email addresses without ridiculous extraneous numbers even on yahoo.

That's called CONGRESS _____________________________________________ The more numerous the laws, the more corrupt the republic. -Tacticus

That looks wonderful.

Agreed. Australia and New Zealand were part of the war from its outbreak in the Pacific. They both contributed ships and soldiers who earned a reputation as dangerous jungle fighters. The big shots in the US Navy wanted to bypass the Philippines and take Formosa (now Taiwan). MacArthur would have no part in that. He was going back to the Philippines if I have to row myself there in a canoe- his words. The Philippines turned out to be a persistent thorn in the side to the Japanese. US supported Philippine guerrilla fighters tied up 25 Japanese divisions holding the islands. It was the largest deployment of Japanese manpower outside of China and one that she could ill afford. Those troops were desperately needed elsewhere but they had to stay in the Philippines or the Japanese would have lost control of the islands. Famous photo of MacArthur's return. He landed at Leyte with the former President of the Philippines. The landings at Leyte in Oct. 1944 prompted Japan to respond with all of her available air and naval strength. It turned out to be the biggest naval battle in history over a period of several days. The battle took place in four parts: 1 Battle of the Sibuyan Sea, 2 the Battle of Surigao Strait, 3 the Battle off Cape Enga

Ugh... I knew I shouldn't have eaten those last three chihuahuas. *Urp*

Just for accuracy sake: Canada, Free France and Poland were all in on D-Day. Okinawa was a MUCH bigger deal than Iwo Jima. Japan expended its remaining air and sea power defending it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBd4nCFqsNs

UK and France went to an open relationship LOL That Vichy is pretty bitchy, non?

green eggs and rainbow ham?

Aug. 9, 1942 The United States and her Allies are on their heels in the Pacific. Japan is beginning to look invincible. From December until June, Japanese forces had over run Wake, Guam, the Philippines, Java, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, the Caroline Islands, the Marshall Islands and has landed in strength on New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Everything had been going Japan's way up until they were turned back at the Battle of the Coral Sea and were defeated soundly at Midway on Jun 4th. The United States and her allies Great Britain and Australia decided on a time and place to launch their first offensive. The time: August, 1942. The place was an island that no one had ever heard of in the Solomon Island chain called Guadalcanal. Nimitz staff called it Operation Watchtower. The men of the 1st Marine Division called it Operation Shoestring: everything was a mixture of WWI leftovers, troops and specialists gathered from as far away as British Isle and a collection of aircraft that were overdue for retirement for the most part. The navy put together the best cruiser/destroyer force that it could and gathered up as many transports as they could find. On August 7th, the Marines landed on Guadalcanal. They surprised a small Japanese advanced force of engineers that had already landed on the island and were preparing an airfield. The land battle for the island was joined. The Marines were equipped with old WWI era Enfield rifles and were under-strength in machine guns. Guadalcanal, like most of the Solomon Islands is a rugged and dominated by thick jungle, miserable swamps and malaria carrying mosquitoes. Over the years it had been home to an aborted sugar plantation, a way station, a mission, a trading post and finally an Australian cattle ranch. When the Marines landed they found themselves in a fast moving fire fight with an enemy that was not prepared or dug in. Both sides found themselves short on supplies. They raided the barbed wire fences of the cattle plantation for materials to build their perimeter with. In a series of actions, the Marines and the Japanese fought a number of small unit battles- and one that both sides had to call off because of a cattle stampede. Over the next day the Marines continued landing troops, supplies, artillery and combat engineers. They established a firm bridgehead and formed a firm perimeter around the unfinished airfield. The Japanese were not sitting on their hands. The same day of the invasion, area commander Admiral Mikawa dispatched two fast transports with crack Naval Special Landing Force but recalled them when reconnaissance determined the scale of the allied incursion. Frustrated, he had to wait a day to fuel his ships and gather his forces to attempt to repel the invasion. At Guadalcanal the US Navy continued with support activities and continued to unload transports onto the beachhead. At night on August 8th, Admiral Turner's Task Force 62 and Australian Rear-Admiral Victor A.C. Crutchley's combined support/escort force broke into three groups: a Northern force to cover the pass north of Savo Island, A Southern force to cover the pass south of Savo island and a pair of destroyers to cover to Weatern approaches. Northern Force: cruisers USS Vincennes, USS Astoria and USS Quincy, and destroyers USS Helm and USS Wilson Southern Force: cruisers HMAS Australia and HMAS Canberra, cruiser USS Chicago, and destroyers USS Patterson and USS Bagley Western Screen: destroyers USS Talbot and Blue Mikawa set sail from Rabaul with his flag on the heavy cruiser Chokai, light cruisers Tenryu and Yubari and the destroyer Yunagi. They rendezvoused with Admiral Goto's Cruiser Division 6 composed of heavy cruisers Aboa, Kinugasa, Kako and Furutaka. Their goal: to take on the US Navy in a night action. Mikawa's Approach. The US Navy was just deploying radar on their ships but the first generation sets were unreliable and there were few technicians and no experienced operators. Mikawa's run down the body of water that would come to be known as "the Slot" was undetected- or at least unreported. Australian seaplanes spotted the ships as did the US sub S-38 but this information did not make it to Admiral Turner's staff. US Navy identification page for Mikawa's flagship the Chokai. The Japanese arrived just before midnight and slipped past the destroyer Blue and savaged the Southern Force, turned North and savaged the Northern force and left the area the way that they arrived. The Battle of Savo Island Japanese long-lance torpedoes destroyed the USS Vincennes, USS Astoria and USS Quincy and damaged the HMAS Canberra so severely, she had to be scuttled. The Chicago was severely damaged but she would fight again. The USS Quincy (CA-39) days before the battle. The submarine S-44 exacted a bit of payback sinking the cruiser Kako as she retired to her home base at Kavieng. It was the worst defeat in US Navy history in a stand up fight. The Navy lost 1,207 men: more men than than the Marines lost during the entire 6 month campaign for Guadalcanal. This battle was the beginning of a six month long air, land and sea campaign that turned out to be a meat grinder for both sides. The body of water around Savo Island was nicknamed "Ironbottom sound" and would be the scene of several pitched naval battles. The Guadalcanal campaign became a battle of attrition and by the time Japan gave up on recapturing the island in early '43, much of her naval power, best commanders and army units had been expended. In 1943 the US Navy held a court of inquiry called the Hepburn Investigation to get to the bottom of the shocking defeat. Only one officer was singled out for official censure- the captain of one of the cruisers. He killed himself when he learned of the boards results. The board stopped short of calling for action against Admirals Fletcher, Turner, McCain, and Crutchley who went on to perform brilliantly later in the war. The board of inquiry determined that US ships required more training in night fighting and training and standardization of radar equipment. Both radar picket ships (radar range about 10 miles) were at the extreme ends of their patrols sailing away from the Japanese fleet. San Juan had modern search radar, but was at the other end of the Sound. After the war, Admiral Turner wrote: The (U.S.) Navy was still obsessed with a strong feeling of technical and mental superiority over the enemy. In spite of ample evidence as to enemy capabilities, most of our officers and men despised the enemy and felt themselves sure victors in all encounters under any circumstances. The net result of all this was a fatal lethargy of mind which induced a confidence without readiness, and a routine acceptance of outworn peacetime standards of conduct. I believe that this psychological factor, as a cause of our defeat, was even more important than the element of surprise. __________________________________________________________ The Battle of Savo Island, Wikipedia entry. Guadalcanal Frank, Richard B., Penguin, 1993. 0140165614 The Two Ocean War Morrison, Samuel Eliot US Naval Institute, 1963. 1591145244 History of US Naval Operations in World War II: Volume V. The Struggle for Guadalcanal Morrison, Samuel Eliot US Naval Institute, 1949. 0785813063