say, Bill, can i have some of whatever you're on? looks fun. :)

Curt Schilling - great pitcher (including fantasy baseball) and all-around super guy.

Bloody, injured ankle? Screw it, gotta win.

I'm not a Sox fan but I'm a big Schilling fan.

Schilling is indeed awesome...a real fighter and a brilliant pitcher. He's probably the most amazing student of the game around...

Some more cool stuff about Schilling:

His dog is named Patton...

And have you ever seen in the dugout during a game he pitches, when his team is at bat? This guy has a laptop with him, with all sorts of detailed analysis of the hitters on the opposing team...so when he's not on the mound, he is analyzing and mapping out strategy for his next pitches...simply amazing...

I'm happy for the Red Sox.. hope its a sign civic competence has returned to Boston... all the way down to their airport security.

I find it amusing how Curt hurdles the first and third base lines when leaving an inning.

Not only did the Beah jack one ovah the Green Monsta, he bounced it off the Citgo sign. Pissa.

Pissah!

Note: Wicked Pissah is an adjective, not a noun.

Example: It would be wicked pissah if Kerry got his ass kicked on Tuesday.

Note: it is both.

No, it's not. Trust me, I'm a native.

Pissa

I've been HAD!

Go google "That's a wicked pissah!" and get off my case, masshole. ;-)

postit: I think it's Kerry who is blaming the troops in his criticism of the missing explosives...

postit: nice try at spin, but Kerry is implicitly criticizing the troops. There are even troops in Iraq who are on record as feeling insulted by Kerry.

Tommy Franks is going to come out against Kerry and his ridiculous assertions.

How much experience do you have running combat operations, postit? Seeing as you have zero, I think you are way out of your league in Monday morning quarterbacking this.

Plus, no amount of troops could have prevented these explosives being moved, because they happened before we even arrived. To suggest that looters could move 370 tons of anything, requiring dozens of trucks, dozens of laborers, and at least a week or two of effort, right under the nose of our military, is absurd...about as absurd as thinking a 1970s era typewriter could produce documents that look just like Microsoft Word.

Bottom line is this: whatever happened in Iraq at that weapons site was under the direction of the commanders on the ground and their troops. If Kerry has a problem with what happened, then he is criticizing them, because they are the ones who made the decisions and took the actions. It isn't like Bush was calling up the corporals and majors and colonels in the field and micromanaging their every move.

Once again, Kerry slanders the troops.

AT,

Kerry says it is the president's responsibility. Bush says Kerry denigrates the troops. Guiliani says it's the troups fault. Here's the video

"The actual responsibility for it really would be for the troops that were there," said Mr. Guiliani, "Did they search carefully enough? Didn't they search carefully enough?"

Try to pay attention.

postit: before you make accusations, you need to backup your facts:

Can you prove the explosives were moved after US troops arrived? I didn't think so...in fact, there are indications it may have been moved before we invaded...

So your whole case has now disintegrated...

And Kerry is left criticizing an operation that was directed by commanders in the field and relied on feedback from the troops...so Kerry is criticizing the troops...

Kerry saying he isn't criticizing the troops is the same BS as saying that one supports the troops without supporting what they are doing...

Mantis: I think Rudy is making the point that Kerry is ultimately critizing the troops...for it would be the troops who had the responsibility for securing any site they were moving through...

Which is exactly correct...it is ludicrous to think the President would be micromanaging at such a level...

Bottom line: Kerry is once again using lies to criticize our troops, and even the troops back that up...

AT:

Is anything the president's responsibility? Or is it only the things you think are going well?

Curt Schilling is the guy who personally saved Advanced Squad Leader from the oblivion that was Avalon Hill, and has worked to revitalize board wargaming in general.

I don't care what team he's playing for, I'm rooting for him.

And yeah, that was a Geek Moment.

Mantis: here is what is the president's responsibility: liberating 50 million people in Iraq and Afghanistan; so far preventing another terrorist attack on our soil; reviving our economy in time of war after the greatest attack on our soil...

Mantis, is there anything you won't blame the president for? Is the president the equivalent of God, where everything that happens under his term is his fault? That seems to be the mantra of the left: blame Bush for everything that goes wrong no matter what...hey, if a guy burns his toast in the morning, that must be Bush's fault...

And what about Kerry...I have yet to hear him take responsibility for anything...shoot, he blames his staff and his own secret service people for even minor mistakes...Kerry has yet to apologize to the Vietnam vets for falsely slandering them...

So don't give me this crap about Bush taking responsibility...

Mantis: will Kerry apologize for slandering our troops, either today or in the 1970's?

And with regards to this missing explosives story...before you accuse Bush of anything, you must prove that the explosives were lost after the US troops moved in...but, oops, you can't really do that, can you?

So I'll wait for Kerry's apology to our troops...but won't hold my breath...

Interesting post from one of the Kos "progressives":
------------------------
Here's what we need to do?

Locate where the Rethuglican goons are planning to intimidate voters, especially in minority areas.

Then we organize some hard pipe-hittin n*ggaz to go in and stand guard over the process.

I can't think of anything that would scare a bunch of white repressed Rove-wannabes more.

Farrakan could organize an army if he were anywhere to be found. You would think the nation of Islam would have something to say about all that's been going on.

We need to get word to someone who could get this organized.

I fear the words "Leftist" and "Bigot" have become interchangable.

I fear the words "Bigot" and "Democrat" are well on their way to achieving that same status.

Identity Politics. This evil must be as old as mankind. Our nation's founders certainly feared it and attempted to structure our mechanisms of self-governance to preserve us from the ad hoc tribalism of reifying psychopaths that come forth in waves with each successive generation.

Is Identity Politics a thought disorder? It is rooted in our evolutionary biology? Identity Politics stands as a common precursor to violence; perhaps the elemental precursor. It certainly appears to be an all-powerful tool by which individuals are degraded and systematically marginalized. I frequently see in its practitioner an orgy of misdemeanor and ill-disposition that cannot control itself. One may mask it with haughty cliche like "progressive" and "working families" but I see the greed, avarice and sloth of predators in flight from self-loathing.

AT,

Your tirade is nice and all, but I never said Bush is responsible for the missing weapons because I don't know what happened to them. What I want to know from you is is Bush responsible for anything that has ever gone wrong, or only the good things?

is there anything you won't blame the president for?

Plenty of things, I don't blame him for these explosives because I'm not convinced they disappeared after we invaded. I don't blame him for the economy going bad after 9/11, I don't blame him for lots of things that have gone wrong under his administration.

So don't give me this crap about Bush taking responsibility...

I didn't, I'm asking you if you think he's responsible for anything bad at all.

will Kerry apologize for slandering our troops, either today or in the 1970's?

First of all I wasn't defending Kerry, or attacking Bush, I was asking you what you think. Second, I don't think that Kerry slandered the troops.

before you accuse Bush of anything, you must prove that the explosives were lost after the US troops moved in

I haven't accused Bush of anything here, I think that who is responsible for this remains to be seen. But what I'm asking is this: Imagine, for the sake of argument, that those and other explosives were looted after the invasion. Don't you think that this would be an example of poor planning and lack of troops? And if not, if you think in an invasion you have to accept some of these kinds of consequences, as Rumsfeld apparently does, which is a perfectly reasonable argument, that don't you think that is still Bush's responsibility as Commander in Chief because ultimately it was his decision to invade with the number of troops we had? This is just a hypothetical until we know what happened of course, but it points to my question of: Can Bush do any wrong? It seems to me you have these rose-colored glasses on when you look at Bush. I'm voting for Kerry, yes, but I have many, many criticisms of him. You seem to think Bush is infallible, or, as you said, God.

Sorry, I hadn't read up yet. I guess we can take that out of the hypothetical.

Mantis: at this point, I am not interested in criticizing Bush...I don't criticize the soldiers when at war, I don't criticize my candidate on the eve of an election.

You seem to make some assumptions about me based upon a few posts over the last few days, namely that I have never disagreed with Bush on any issue ever. That is naive and a poor extrapolation based upon minimal sampling.

Obviously, Bush is only human and therefore fallible. But he has been a damned great human president and is more than worthy of a second term.

Mantis: the video you reference proves nothing: first, how much of the explosives were there? ABC News also reports that the amount of missing explosives is vastly exaggerated. Second, how do we know these explosives in the video are not accounted for...how do we know they are not the missing explosives?

How do we know that these explosives were not secured or destroyed?

Bottom line: we still don't know what happened to those explosives.

Also, I dispute your hypothesis that any looted explosives would be an example of poor planning or lack of troops. How do you know that...are you a military expert? In a complex operation, greater numbers do not necessarily produce better results. Plus, there are many different objectives to be considered.

The point is this: it is hopelessly naive to armchair quarterback what the military did at that time. We don't know at all the intricacies of such a military operation.

To criticize the military for what they did would be as naive as me attempting to criticize a surgeon for the way he conducted an operation, with absolutely no medical background.

"Curt Schilling is the guy who personally saved Advanced Squad Leader from the oblivion that was Avalon Hill, and has worked to revitalize board wargaming in general."

So, Schilling is not only an Everquest weenie, but also a die-hard wafer-warrior? This guy rules! There is hope for us grognards yet!

Vive le Schilling...

AT:

Second, how do we know these explosives in the video are not accounted for...how do we know they are not the missing explosives?

The seals, friend, the seals! Dual use marked, locked up nice and tidy in april.

Also, I dispute your hypothesis that any looted explosives would be an example of poor planning or lack of troops.

Well, since I presented two possible arguments, and then asked you if you thought the commander in chief would be responsible for the decision that led to either. The other option is that, ok, we can't secure all the weapons in Iraq (or apparently even the depots), so we accept some will get away. But that is still the responsibility of the commander in Chief right? It is a question, friend, not an hypothesis.
I'm understanding now that you are not here for reasonable discussion but just see this as you against them and you are fighting for your cause. That's great and all, but it's not worth talking to you.

so we accept some will get away. But that is still the responsibility of the commander in Chief right?

Depends. It's his job to outline the goals and for other to execute him. It's certainly possible to lay some blame at Bush's feet (more the SecDef, if anyone that high), but to have a binary decision about a Presidential election swing on 200 tons of explosives out of 1-2 million tons of munitions is absolutely ludicrous.

Whoever gets elected Nov. 2 would have had Abu Ghraib, explosives missing, all kinds of operational-level things happen that thee have no ability to control.

If John Kerry is elected, the only way that these gaffes will decrease is because he puts us at risk of them happening less via inaction. Unfortunately, that also severely dampens our chances of success.

Perspective and context.

Mantis: the seals prove nothing...it is unreasonable to imagine that there were other stockpiles of the same type of explosives marked by the IAEA...presumably, the IAEA found and tagged more than just 200 tons out over a million...

And as Bill points out, the only way to guarantee zero errors is through utter inaction...what's John Kerry's platform...vote for me, I'll make no mistakes?

Correx on my above post: I meant to write: "is it unreasonable to imagine that there were other stockpiles of the same type of explosives marked by the IAEA...presumably, the IAEA found and tagged more than just 200 tons out over a million..."

My point is that the IAEA likely tagged other explosives other than those in question, and that the ones in the video may have been secured and/or destroyed by the troops, rather than being looted...

The video proves nothing, except the fact that we in fact did find some explosives...

So, Schilling is not only an Everquest weenie, but also a die-hard wafer-warrior? This guy rules! There is hope for us grognards yet!

Oh, yeah. He created Multi-Man Press, the company that now owns ASL and a few other AH properties (like, oh, a little game called Panzerblitz), and is distributing stuff from The Gamers and others.

Listen..... Bill very nice effort using Bostonics but I believe you have used the term "wicked pissa", pronounced "wickit pissah", incorrectly.

Wicked pissa is used most often used as an adjective or adverd unless the noun or verb being decribed doesn't require further embelishment.

Like this.
"The Explosive-Gate Roundup from Truth Laid Beah is wicket pissah."
or
"The Truth Laid Beah has a wicket pissah explosives-gate round-up"

You'll need to learn the correct usage of Bostonics, Otherwise you'll sound like a "fekkin retahd forienah"

David, I may disagree with 90% of your posts but you do present them in a persuasive way that makes me think. You should have a blog yourself.

David, I may disagree with 90% of your posts but you do present them in a persuasive way that makes me think. You should have a blog yourself.

David, I may disagree with 90% of your posts but you do present them in a persuasive way that makes me think. You should have a blog yourself.

David, I may disagree with 90% of your posts but you do present them in a persuasive way that makes me think. You should have a blog yourself.

David, I may disagree with 90% of your posts but you do present them in a persuasive way that makes me think. You should have a blog yourself.

David, I may disagree with 90% of your posts but you do present them in a persuasive way that makes me think. You should have a blog yourself.

David, I may disagree with 90% of your posts but you do present them in a persuasive way that makes me think. You should have a blog yourself.