Politics and quicksand

[kham]

RCAF Mess Rules:

NO Politics or Religion; scantily clad females or hot airplanes permitted....

[bbjohn]

Politics.

I heard that Rush Limbaugh, Keith Olberman, Bill O'Reilly and Chris Matthews all tried sinking in quicksand. They couldn't sink because they were so fill of hot air!

Big Bad John

P.S. Thanks for putting things in perspective, Kham!

[prince_vegeta]

Politics.

I heard that Rush Limbaugh, Keith Olberman, Bill O'Reilly and Chris Matthews all tried sinking in quicksand. They couldn't sink because they were so fill of hot air!

Big Bad John

P.S. Thanks for putting things in perspective, Kham!

You forgot Ann Coulter by the way, but I'm afraid that she's too toxic to be put in any sinkible material.

[tempman]

My dream is for the general principle of "Don't ask, don't tell" to be replaced by "Don't give a flying f**k." Our Constitution could consist of just two acronyms- MYOB and TANSTAAFL. That's 'Mind Your Own Business' and 'There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch.'

There is a "free lunch" though. I really hate that saying because it's absolutely untrue and completely dispels the notion of volunteering, open source, friendly support etc.

[water_bug_62208]

I rather like the Quicksand Community being an exclusive club. I don't think I'd like to advertise to the whole world of our existence. I say this because it certainly would take away the fun and mystique for those of us enjoying this wonderful experience. I mean, when I felt I was the only one with this Quicksand Thing and one day did a simple Internet search and found the likes of the Quicksand Page, Kaol's Ol' Sinkin' Hole, and MPV, I was floored! I feel the fun and joy of discovery would be missing if EVERYONE knew about Quicksandland and posted their comments and opinions on the nightly news.

I like our uniqueness. I prefer keeping the mainstream publicity, debates of political correctness, and "film at eleven" out of our Quicksand Tranquility. It wouldn't be fun for me to show a Quicksand Drawing to someone with hopes of seeing and hearing their reaction to the artwork just to have them come back with, "Oh, you're one of THOSE. I heard about your type on the news this morning."

[Mynock]

There is a "free lunch" though. I really hate that saying because it's absolutely untrue and completely dispels the notion of volunteering, open source, friendly support etc.

The free lunch isn't the problem. The problem is that too many people who don't desearve the free lunch are getting it anyway. Ever work as a cashier? You'd be amazed at how many nice things people can afford to buy even though they pay for their food with your tax dollars.

[Nessie]

This is a real problem in this country. One political faction claims to be for personal freedom, but wants the Government to be the National Nanny- which means all kinds of stupid rules like no swimming when the lifeguard is off duty, and all sorts of "it's for your own good" laws and regulations.

I totally get it about the nannying. When I'm not in the mud, I love to swim.

And I like lifeguards. I like them a lot. That is because they keep the splashing-screaming-swearing-pushing-rockthrowing-crying-misbehaving Little Minnows in line. I have to get past all the wild creatures to swim out wayyyyyyy to the real deep areas, just inside the farthest buoys, where the Little Minnows just cannot manage to go because they are too little to make it, and then I can really have some peace, but it's not so bad if you've got a lifeguard enforcing some basic rules while you're on your way out. (Where are the Big Fish? They should be there too, nannying their Little Minnows.)

Wait a minute. If I could legally swim anywhere I chose instead of only in designated swim areas, I wouldn't have this problem, would I? In fact, I wouldn't even need to be out in water over my head, necessitating a lifeguard, only because Little Minnows have taken over the entire shallow area!

The other political faction claims to be for personal freedom- so long as you live within the bounds of Judeo-Christian morality (as imposed by civil law.)

I never understood this weird brand of doublethink either. You're FREE! You're in the freest nation in the world! Nobody will ever tromp on your rights...you're free as the eagle soaring in the sky, except for the very most basic, inalienable right of all...the right to believe what you believe is true, or not believe in a thing because you're secretly sure, way deep inside your heart, that it ain't true at all, in which case, you don't have any rights to not believe it because nearly everyone else is in this system that says "This system is the only way...and everything else is a lie..."

...but isn't being forced to obey somebody else's God exactly what many of our earliest settlers came here to get away from?

(And...admit it, now...at the very minimum, to hold a belief, you must be convinced that it is true. If I tell you that the sky is red, do you believe me? No, you don't. You look up, and you know that it's blue...unless you're watching Star Trek. So the very best that can be enforced on those who honestly don't hold to the prevailing belief system is enforced hypocrisy.)

I'm not sure what's worse, being crowded by beliefs I can't possibly share, or being crowded out of the shallow end by Little Minnows.

Nessie

[MuddyEddie]

I mean, when I felt I was the only one with this Quicksand Thing and one day did a simple Internet search and found the likes of the Quicksand Page, Kaol's Ol' Sinkin' Hole, and MPV, I was floored! I feel the fun and joy of discovery would be missing if EVERYONE knew about Quicksandland and posted their comments and opinions on the nightly news.

I never thought about it that way. But you're right. I can't remember the name of the first web site I ever visited, but I do remember the ASFWAM Usenet newsgroup. The day I discovered that I finally realised that I wasn't alone!

I like our uniqueness. I prefer keeping the mainstream publicity, debates of political correctness, and "film at eleven" out of our Quicksand Tranquility.

Out of most of the replies on this thread (most of which have started to deviate from the topic at hand!) yours really hits on some excellent points. If you think about it, we really are a somewhat "exclusive" club! It's not that we don't let others in, but it's that they don't know it's here. If thousands of people were exposed to our club on a daily basis, it wouldn't hold as much wonder and fascination to all of us any more. We'd be just like the Rotary, or worse, a Church!

Great thoughts!

Eddie

[Boggy Man]

I feel that bringing our community into the mainstream would not be very good, because then people, including law enforcement, will become suspicious of anyone lurking around areas containing mud, and there may be the "not in my backyard" kind of reaction. Many places may become no longer accessible.

For example, I recall hearing a while back that when the late, great Rob Blaine went to a quarry management to obtain permission to shoot his videos there, and even submitted video, the management took the info to the local law enforcement, and since then, law enforcement has kept an eye on all quarries in that part of Texas, looking for any suspicious activity!

So, mainstream publicity could seriously impact our activities.

[Robert]

I feel that bringing our community into the mainstream would not be very good, because then people, including law enforcement, will become suspicious of anyone lurking around areas containing mud, and there may be the "not in my backyard" kind of reaction. Many places may become no longer accessible.

For example, I recall hearing a while back that when the late, great Rob Blaine went to a quarry management to obtain permission to shoot his videos there, and even submitted video, the management took the info to the local law enforcement, and since then, law enforcement has kept an eye on all quarries in that part of Texas, looking for any suspicious activity!

So, mainstream publicity could seriously impact our activities.

There is no doubt in my mind that there would be "elements" that would take it upon themselves to enforce their own "morality" on us.

Robert