Ask an Aussie.

oldog/newtrick said:

Nestor, where did you get that pic at? It looks very similar to someone I dated in college. Hey don't judge me it was a very confusing time of my life.

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I'm judging you. If I had known my future dinner was once in your arms, I would have invited you over.

TxBuilder said:

I'm judging you. If I had known my future dinner was once in your arms, I would have invited you over.

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Isn't that the pig to the slauoooh never mind...sometimes I get confused too.

Hey, enough about me, what about the knackers guy? He hasn't posted any new videos lately. Whats up uncle? On Holiday?

oldog/newtrick said:

Hey, enough about me, what about the knackers guy? He hasn't posted any new videos lately. Whats up uncle? On Holiday?

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Looks to me like another case of alien abduction. Aliens are probably sticking probes up Uncle Knackers various orifices right now.

Lets hope not, he a good guy and I would hate to see it happening in Australia.

Hey Knackers, do Australians get abducted by aliens?

TxBuilder said:

Lets hope not, he a good guy and I would hate to see it happening in Australia.

Hey Knackers, do Australians get abducted by aliens?

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Guess we made him mad and he went to the Outback. Hey, I went to Outback Steakhouse a couple times.


Guess we'll have to start back on Nestor, learning things bout Canada, eh. It's getting close to Halloween, what was that they shouted when trick or treating?

oldog/newtrick said:

Guess we'll have to start back on Nestor, learning things bout Canada, eh.

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I feel "used".

Nestor_Kelebay said:

I feel "used".

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Feel free to reciprocate.

Recently, in the UN, there has been a lot of talk about the rest of the world having a say in the election of the US President. The thinking on this is that the US President is not only the President of the USA, but becomes a defacto world leader as well.

How would US citizens feel about the rest of the world having some say in the election process by which you guys choose a president?

Do Americans see any merit in the argument of the UN that the rest of the world should have some say in the election process because they are often directly affected by the results?

Had the US elected Al Gore for President, it's likely there may have been more movement on the environmental front, which affects everyone in the world, for example.

I don't think they should build that mosque close to where the World Trade Center once stood.

I mean, you can spin any kind of symbolism you want into or out of that happening. On the one hand, people are going to say it represents the triumph of Allah over the Great Satan. On the other, people are going to say that the building of the mosque represents America's recognition that it was not Islam that brought down the WTC but misguided terrorists, and that the building of that mosque is a tribute to religious tolerance and freedom in America.

You can put whatever spin you want on it. But, at the end of the day, the bottom line is the building of that mosque close to ground zero is asking for trouble. There are people that are going to set about trying to bring down that mosque "just like the muslims brought down the WTC". Some Joe is going to figure it's his patriotic duty to fire bomb that mosque for pay back.

So, why do it? Why build something that's likely going to end up being a target for attack? I say build it somewhere else where it's not going to be an issue. To me, that mosque doesn't represent ANYTHING except poor judgement and lousy decision making. I would not want to own a building that's likely to be attacked as soon as it's built, and I expect the insurance premiums on that building are going to reflect that.

As for the outside interference into American politics, I'm going to say hell no. That would defy the point of being a country and force us to globalize, which, as we all know is terrible.

As for the Mosque issue. It's not one. They have a footlocker next door (or something else equally as trivial). We blight our own greatness.

I hope the mosque isn't an issue and the whole debate goes away regardless of whether they build it or not.

I'm just concerned that building that mosque is tearing the scab off of a lot of emotions even now. If someone takes it upon themselves to fire bomb it, that's just going to rekindle the flames again.

We don't need the drama. Build it next to a synagogue or something, but don't build it where it's going to cause a fuss.

I think I found out what happened to Uncleknackers. Seems he had a little issue going to the mailbox the other day.

So, Uncle Knackers got dressed up in a kangaroo costume and punched out a Japanese tourist? Hit him again for me Unc!

Nestor_Kelebay said:

I hope the mosque isn't an issue and the whole debate goes away regardless of whether they build it or not.

I'm just concerned that building that mosque is tearing the scab off of a lot of emotions even now. If someone takes it upon themselves to fire bomb it, that's just going to rekindle the flames again.

We don't need the drama. Build it next to a synagogue or something, but don't build it where it's going to cause a fuss.

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I think it's interesting that people blame Islam. Koresh wasn't seen as a "Christian" but he thought he was Jesus. The Branch Davidians aren't seen as Christian Terrorist, although they were. I think we fear what we don't know. What we do know we hate. Hermann Hesse has a good quote on this one. "If you hate a person, you hate something in him that is part of yourself. What isn't part of ourselves doesn't disturb "

I think he was right.

Nestor_Kelebay said:

So, Uncle Knackers got dressed up in a kangaroo costume and punched out a Japanese tourist? Hit him again for me Unc!

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I'm not sure on the specifics, but that camera got some air!

TxBuilder said:

I think it's interesting that people blame Islam. Koresh wasn't seen as a "Christian" but he thought he was Jesus. The Branch Davidians aren't seen as Christian Terrorist, although they were.

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I can't say I genuinely agree with any of that.

There are differing views amongst "Christians" or "Catholics" just as there are differing views amongst various muslim, hindu, buddist and even athiest groups. Some "Christians", notably the Westboro Baptist Church, which protests at the funerals of fallen US soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan proclaims that "God Hates America" because of America's acceptance of homosexuality in society.

Westboro Baptist Church Home Page

That is, some Christian "churches" have very "radical" views just as some groups that profess to practise Islam have very radical views. When you have a book that's 2000 years old, and not all of it even makes sense (such as Psalms), it allows for a great deal of liberty in interpretation. No one can say that the Bible approves homosexuality, but no one can say that it isn't totally natural either. Diversity is the modus operandi of evolution. We can't accept the concept of evolution without also accepting the diversity of life it creates, including homosexuality.

So, the best that can be said is that we live in a very diverse world, diverse in every respect.

I think we fear what we don't know. What we do know we hate. Hermann Hesse has a good quote on this one. "If you hate a person, you hate something in him that is part of yourself. What isn't part of ourselves doesn't disturb "

I think he was right.

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Some of that I can partially accept. We do fear what we don't know. Y2K was a perfect example of that. We simply didn't know how big a problem it was going to be, and so we feared THE WORST. But, it's natural to hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. That keeps us ready for any eventuality. Anything less wouldn't be "preparedness".

"What we do know we hate."
That just don't make no sense no how. People LIKE the music they listened to when they were kids. People become homesick and lonely for the people they know best; their relatives and close friends, when they are separated from them. People tend to buy the same brands of products simply because they are happy with them and know what to expect. If your statement is correct, then all of mine are wrong. Truth is, those people and things we know, we tend to prefer over those we don't. How often does grandma buy an Eminem CD? Prolly Grandma would prefer to watch Lawrence Welk on TV. Why? Cuz she knows of him and knows what to expect from him. Lawrence does't #$%@ing swear in any of his songs.

""If you hate a person, you hate something in him that is part of yourself."

How does that square with white/black prejudice or the hate seethed by skinheads against anyone who isn't white. How does it square with the hatred of the Jews by Hitler's Third Reich? I say if you hate a person or group of people, you hate something about THEM that abhors you. End. Full Stop. For example, here in Canada there's a lot of prejudice against natives because there's the widespread notion that most of them spend their lives bouncing around on the social safety nets. They rely on government to provide funding to the tribe, and that funding goes for housing, education, salaries, etc. But, that funding comes out of tax payer's pockets, and it's natural for people to resent having to pay higher taxes to provide someone else with free housing, an tax-free income, free prescription drugs, free university education and still have them complain about how badly they've been mistreated.

What isn't part of ourselves doesn't disturb"
So, if I see a UFO in the sky, or a "ghost" or a Bigfoot or anything else that's completely outside my life's experience on this good Earth, that doesn't disturb me?

I'm not sure on the specifics, but that camera got some air!

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I thought it was a UFO hovering over the trees in the background that just happened to look remarkably similar to a movie camera.