Texsox

QUOTE(FlaSoxxJim @ Feb 27, 2007 -> 10:40 PM) Yesterday I met and had lunch with my first real live, honest-to-goodness billionaire. She was really a quite nice, understated, and down to earth person. Did you mention you have a single friend? BTW, last night two of my Scouts passed their Eagle Scout boards of review. YThey both just turned 18 and I've known the one boy since he was 7 or 8 and the other since he was 11. Both really cool kids. One wants to join the Air Force after attending A&M University and the Corp of Cadets and the other will be studying Marketing and UT San Antonio.

Tex's broken record The guy making minimum wage says he'd never leave a companyn that would pay him $20,000. The guy making $20,000 believes he'd be happy with $40,000 and never leave The guy making $100,000 says he'd never leave and so on and so on.

So who is the great Republican conservation hero? I'm more concerned about the environment than politics, so tell me what Republican is an environmental champion so we can agree.

Money, get away. Get a good job with good pay and youre okay. Money, its a gas. Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash. New car, caviar, four star daydream, Think Ill buy me a football team. Money, get back. Im all right jack keep your hands off of my stack. Money, its a hit. Dont give me that do goody good bulls***. Im in the high-fidelity first class traveling set And I think I need a lear jet. Money, its a crime. Share it fairly but dont take a slice of my pie. Money, so they say Is the root of all evil today. But if you ask for a raise its no surprise that theyre Giving none away.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Feb 27, 2007 -> 12:17 PM) Have you ate at Taco Bell lately? I know I haven't. Let me know where you ate and got sick so I can stay away.

Thank God, Chicago fans want totally biased coverage.

QUOTE(Rex Kicka** @ Feb 27, 2007 -> 12:10 PM) Here's a dumb question. If he's paying to use renewable resources to power his house, does that make him less of a hypocrite? Only if he's doing 100% kind of like a retirement planner can only recommend doing up to what he is doing, or a Doctor can only recommend as much exercise as he is doing. It's wrong. If a Doctor isn't exercising regularly he can't tell his patients to exercise, that would be wrong and he's a hypocrite.

QUOTE(SoxFan1 @ Feb 26, 2007 -> 08:38 PM) Let me ask you. Have you ever been to a soccer game with 90,000 people in the stadium, chanting and singing, with fireworks and flares going off? But I'm not going to go further with this, just stating my opinion. I don't want to be called an elitist or anything. Then having the official make a call against the home team and soon 16 people are dead? That's a home field advantage you don't get in other sports, the possibility of hooligans taking over! I have to agree soccer is it, with basketball a close second.

I think it is time to create a "best of the best" in the hall. Let's provide some distance from Hammerin Hank, Mantel, Ruth and guys like Schmidt, Carter, etc.

QUOTE(Jenksismyb**** @ Feb 27, 2007 -> 11:48 AM) If you preach that violence is bad and then go out and beat the crap out of someone, your message obviously is still good but your credibility in giving that message should take a hit. Gore is a hypocrite. That doesn't mean his mission is a joke or that his message isn't important. But his credibility should be questioned when he doesn't practice what he preaches (even if he does take SOME steps that others don't). And he might not even be that big of a hypocrite. But I find it laughable there are hard-core environmentalists here who gloss over the fact that this guys house uses more energy in a month than the average Americans home does in a year. On top of the caravan of cars he travels with, the private jet, the vacation homes, etc…. Here's where I don't understand some of these points raised If you preach the Bible then abuse children If you preach against violence, then beat the crap out of someone. How about if you preach saving ten percent for retirement but only save 8% How about if you preach working out four days a week and only make 3? Are you a hypocrite? Every week I take a pledge that begins On my honor, I will do my best, to do my duty to God and my Country. If I don't do my absolute best all the time I am a hypocrite. That is quite the high pedestal some of you are raising. I hope you can meet those standards for yourself.

Nukes new co-worker

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...7022601265.html Admites to fakes, started when her "grunts from pain" mared the performance.

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Feb 27, 2007 -> 11:20 AM) Al Gore. I'm done. It's sad when great ideas get discredited or bad ideas get credited based on who says them. But I guess that is our society, get the best spokes models and you have a winner. Style over sustenance.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Feb 27, 2007 -> 11:07 AM) Of course I have to be dumb. Thanks for the namecalling. There is no point in talking to you guys about this. Playing dumb, you aren't dumb, but bringing pedophiles and cults in isn't your usual logical argument.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Feb 27, 2007 -> 10:27 AM) The messages are the same from both groups. I know what is best for you, and you should live your life this way. The actions of both groups are the same as well... Do as I say, not as I do. Why are they treated so differently? I know no one will get what I am talking about, and I didn't expect anyone would. Its different, its always different. Al Gore is much like a coach. Here is the goal, here is perfection, all of us should be trying to reach this goal. Again, should you follow Al Gore's message or his example? I'm not suggesting he's the very best spokesperson, he's a Dem and the GOP must reject him as should big oil. But some scientist that no one has heard of would not have the same forum to get the message out. Which is better for our environment, a less than perfect spokesperson on a huge stage or a perfect spokesperson on a tiny stage? QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Feb 27, 2007 -> 10:47 AM) That's exactly what I mean! Why can't I question Al Gore? Why is he all of the sudden some kind of untouchable demi-god??? Why do I have to attend his lecure circuit and pay to see his movie to have some sort of crediblity to ask some questions???? Is reading his speeches on line enough? Is see the experpts of his speeches on CNBC enough? Is watching his appearences on the TV news magazines enough? Is hearing eight years of his speeches as VP enough? Come to think of it why is my credibility on trial, when the whole point back at the beginning was that I wasn't supposed to be questioning Gore's credibility in the first place?!?!?!? That kind of circular logic is EXACTLY what I am talking about when I say it feels like a cult when you question anything to do with the enviornment. Of course, questioning Al Gore is better than questioning his message on the environment. Because it is far more important to try and discredit the messenger than to fix the environment. Who would you rather have as a golf coach? A PGA Champion or the Coach that built his swing? Would you tell Butch Harmon he is a hypocrite because he doesn't play as well as Tiger? Cooper is a hypocrite but Buerhle isn't? Embrace sin because a clergy member did? I am beginning to believe you are just playing dumb. You can't wake someone pretending to be asleep.

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Feb 27, 2007 -> 09:57 AM) I know Appalachia very well. It's where my dad is from. Guess what? He did what he could to escape it. Oh by the way, I would make the argument that Indiana suffers from some of those same economic hardships, at least where my parents are. Unemployment runs rampant, jobs are scarce, etc. I left because I saw it coming 15 years ago. That's what an education did for me. So, how do we educate folks to further themselves to make a difference? And he didn't need to be moved into a group home. One of the universal thoughts in goal setting, and "getting out or getting off" should be a goal in these cases, is the goal must be realistic. Borrowing from one source I see repeated over and over again, the goal should be: S = Specific M = Measurable A = Attainable R = Realistic T = Timely

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Feb 27, 2007 -> 09:58 AM) Having seen the movie and read some of his stuff, I would say its less judging and more promoting. Seriously, have you seen the movie? Its not fear-mongering, or ordering people to do things. Its quite literally (at the end) a list of things you CAN do to reduce your footprint. Why on earth is this being made out as evil? Duh, because Al is a Democrat same way some Dems would reject a GOP leader. It's the new America.

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Feb 27, 2007 -> 09:29 AM) I know that this is a little "disjointed" but in some areas, this was a good discussion. Except Tex and his "F the GOP" ... Just kidding. Anyway, where I get a little ruffled is when I have these people telling me everything I do is "bad" for the environment, and yet, they do the same things and even on a much larger scale. What I choose to do is different then me standing up on stages all over the world telling people what they shouldn't be doing. It would be great if every messenger was Gandhi, Reagan*, God, or Mother Theresa. But, that isn't and will never be the case. My points are threefold. 1. We all need to do just a little bit and we make a huge impact. We're not going to get Bill Gates to live in a yurt and ride a bicycle to work. Take your existing life style and help a little. That's realistic and doable. Not doing anything because Al Gore uses more, is silly and hurts us all. Be proud that you are further towards a greener lifestyle than Al, don't try to use as much as him. 2. Don't reject the message because the messenger isn't 100% in line or agree with a message because someone appears to be. Just because someone is a vegan, living in a debris hut, and eating berries doesn't make their environmental message scientifically valid. 3. Rotary has a four step decision tree that makes a lot of sense to me: Is it the Truth? Is it Fair to All Concerned? Will it Build Good Will and Better Friendships? Will it Be Beneficial to All Concerned? *just for Kap as an I'm sorry. QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Feb 27, 2007 -> 09:30 AM) Who exactly has said anything close to that? It was in the Dem thread, and he knows.

I've worked with a number of kids through Scouting that have been diagnosed and managed in a variety of ways. All successful to different degrees. The simplest one basically drinks coffee and it helps him for hours. Not Decaf, the real stuff. The stronger the better for this 12-year old connoisseur of the grounds. Two other that come to mind were medicated and it really helped them both. If it does get to this point, please, don't give them a med vacation when they are in someone else's care.

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Feb 27, 2007 -> 08:51 AM) You know why? Because Al Gore himself HAS been called the moral authority on this subject for years now by the likes of many even on this board. We then proceed to hear about how wrong we are, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. and then he flies his private jets all over the world as well as having a home that contributes to emitting more greenhouse gases then most of us will ever emit from our own homes, "green house" or not. Then, we get the defense that he is purchasing "carbon credits" ... again, comparable to "buying (his) way into heaven" if you take the hyperbole. It's ridiculous. So f*** the environment because AL Gore does? I love the GOP

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Feb 27, 2007 -> 09:01 AM) How about if they refuse to listen simply because they view the messenger as a two face? That is the most common reason that people give now a days for leaving organized religion anymore. If we are talking about religion if one rejects religious life because a pastor was exposed for his human errors, it is wrong, and they are only hurting themselves. Reject that pastor, but if he has been preaching love one another, be faithful, help the less fortunate, shall we reject those concepts as well? Shall we argue that because some Doctors smoke and are overweight while telling us we should diet and excercise and quit smoking, should we all smoke, and over eat or should we diet and excercise?

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Feb 27, 2007 -> 08:56 AM) Their are people walking out of the Catholic, and many other, churches for the exact same reasons of hypocracy... are they wrong? If they are walking out so they can abuse children they are wrong. If people are walking out on Al Gore's message so they can be a fuel hog, they are wrong too.

QUOTE(southsider2k5 @ Feb 27, 2007 -> 08:36 AM) I hope you aren't saying we should just blindly accept whatever people tell us? No, I'm not. But at the same time shouldn't the investigation be the message not the messenger? Would you rather follow wrong information from a guy living in a 300 sq foot home heated with all renewable resources or factual information from someone living in an 8,000 square foot home? So, for the sake of discussion, whcih should we follow, your view of his message or his lifestyle? Which places us, you and me, on a better path?

QUOTE(kapkomet @ Feb 27, 2007 -> 07:47 AM) The whole point is he is a hypocritical douche, and he's getting defended by the likes of you people. Carbon Credits is just a program to make him feel better about leading to HIS so called destruction of the earth - again, HIS definition, not mine. Do I care what he does in his own house? Nope, until he tells me what I'm doing in my house is destroying the earth and he does the same damn thing. Why does someone have to be at the extremes to have the moral authority to preach about a topic? Anyone short of Mother Theresa STFU about poverty, unless you have multiple PhDs STFU about education? With the environment, we will never have everyone living in a yurt and riding bicycles. I don't want to take away the big car and ski boat from some guy who worked hard all his life to achieve that dream. But let's work to make that boat a little more fuel efficient and quiet. Let's make that car a little more space and fuel efficient. If I can learn to live with my house cooled to 78 instead of 72, I've helped. Why should I be called a hypocrite by someone who leaves their temp at 82? And OK, for the sake of argument, Al's a hypocrite and terrible for the environment. Is his message inaccurate? Should we follow his example to ruin or his message to a better environment?

I basically agree with SS2k5 in theory, but the specifics you mention would not be environmentally better. Bulldozing his house and replacing creates waste that is not 100% recyclable. That would have a negative impact. I don't think anyone has to live at the extremes to take a position. You could live in a smaller house, I could live in a smaller house, so does that mean we shouldn't be commenting on Al? Finally, is his message damaging the environment? If his message helps our planet, why would you complain? If you were drowning and he arrived in a big fuel guzzling off shore racer, wasting all that fuel, would you tell him, you hypocrite, go away? What we need is everyone to do a little, not a few to do a lot. I'm not going to ask you with a growing family to go live in a yurt and drive a hybrid. I'm not going to ask someone who worked hard, build a nice life to give up his Cadillac and summer home with a ski boat. But we all can do just a little in our current lives, nothing lifestyle, top of the mountain, changing. Just a few little things and we all win. Perhaps we'll be better off if we start looking at the messages in our society and not just the messenger?