TheEvan

Wow, Garth, I'm properly awed. (Never mind that Lincoln's noble Proclamation only applied to a foreign nation he'd invaded.)

Hmmm, after all your ranting about Homeland Security.

Of course I missed the point of the post and the reason it was posted in this forum. Yes, totally bogus. "Conspiracy, Conspiracy saith the Lord, all is Conspiracy!!"

Garth is right that the tensions that led to the war were brewing in Revolutionary War times. There are lots of misconceptions. 1. Was it about state's rights? Certainly. About a state's right to set their policy re. slavery. And, as war approached, about a state's right to secede, but that was ancillary. But it's also true that the tensions were economic. There were duties and tariffs that rewarded northern states and punished southern states, exacerbating the existing antipathy. But, if you look at the actual events that led to war the 10-15 years before shots were fired, the hottest fights were over whether territories & incoming states would allow slavery. Read about Bloody Kansas. Surprised, Garth? 2. Slavery was on its way out? Depends. The transcontinental slave trade to the US was kaput by then, yes. But slave markets in both the north & south were still thriving. After all, slaves are people & do have children. Many speculate slavery would have ended on its own. It's an argument not without merit, but no telling how long it would have lasted. Incidentally, the war was never about ending slavery. The only Northerners who thought that were the most radical of the Abolitionists in the Republican Party. But it was largely about the advancement, propagation and protection of slavery. Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation was only a war tactic and applied only to "rebel states" (a misnomer in my book as the states definitely had a right to secede). The South recovered economically from the after-effects only in the 1980's. There was a strong desire to punish the Rebs and lots of property was either confiscated or appropriated at give-away prices. Lincoln ran roughshod over the constitution like no other president and it permanently altered the balance between federal and states, shifting the lever of power to the feds forever. And IMO it set the US on its course to imperialism, a fact history seems to support. Whether it was an incidental result, you decide. As in all transitions, things were gained and things were lost. From where I sit, more was lost than gained, much more.

In the future put away your SOS/Brillo. Cameo cleanser is specifically for stainless steel. It works every time.

In theory, yes, Godsgirl. In practice, though, it makes little difference. Whatever the size, put the food in, turn it on, and let it go all day. We do our chili this way as well.

Even me?

I use mine lots. I prefer one with a heavy, tight-sealing cover, in view of which the glass cover is verboten. It just doesn't seal well enough. Simple roast, whether a beef cut, lamb, pork...even chicken: -rub with some seasonings, whether rosemary, 'bouquet garni', whatever falls to hand. Do not salt! -brown meat in a bit of olive oil. Place in crock pot -top with some garlic & a pack of dry onion soup mix -add a few tablespoons of red wine for boef & lamb, white for pork & chicken. -cover & leave it all day. That's all that's needed. But why not fill up the slow cooker? Cut up potatoes, carrots & onions and fill up the rest of the way. An easy way to get lots of flavor is to add 'seasoning vegetables', which i buy by the pint around here. It's just finely chopped fresh onions, garlic, bell pepper & celery. You can find it frozen as well. Enjoy. Prep usually takes 5 to 10 minutes in the AM.

What's wrong with self-condemnation? If you do wrong you sure as heck want your conscience notifying you. If you do the 'no condemnation' thing enough to turn off your conscience you'll have to apply for a job as Way clergy. :o

We'll see your 'Hawks in the Superdome. WHO DAT??!

Hap, AFAIK you cannot book a flight originating in Europe from here. I've tried it. Same thing is true in reverse. The kid will have to do their own shopping. Because of the weakness of the Buck, it'll seem like more dollars, but it may be low in Euros...

This is pretty funny. The main page seems to be triggering all kinds of gross cleaning product ads...I'm guessing the name "Greasespot" is doing it.

Fevruarie tickets are booked, mon amie. But we've still got Tanzania in May and Rwanda in Sept. Gonna check out the penalty for cancelling our current tickets. Might be worth it.

Ohmygosh ex10th, asaptickets is AMAZING! We've spending soooo much on our Africa tickets. I'm seeing prices around HALF of what we've been paying.

Huh? :blink:

Hey, wait, that's what my wife always tells me!

I think I'll use this spot for a rant: Notre Dame lost their 9th consecutive bowl game after being on the receiving end of a thrashing meted out by LSU. Why is that news? The reason they keep losing them is because they keep getting awarded bowl games they don't deserve. Duh. Brady Quinn sure didn't look like the world beater he's been hyped. Who has heard of JaMarcus Russell? I know which QB that NFL teams are salivating after and it ain't Quinn. Made for a dull game. By all rights, #4 LSU should have met #3Michigan. Or Wisconsin or Louisville. Anything but this...

No way. No way!

Good catch on #10, chrispy. Too easy.

I don't think that's a conclusion at all, nor even a reasonable conclusion. It is a possible conclusion, though, given the facts. How weird is it he would pop out that eye and pass it around?

FWIW, and attributing nothing to it except that the geezer/hoser said it, I heard Wierwille blame the lights for losing his eye. I can no longer remember if he was forthcoming about it being cancer, but if held to pattern, he didn't. Can anybody here remember? He was fairly open around HQ about losing his eye. On occasion he'd pop out the glass eye and pass it around a smaller group to show off its workmanship. "Peeepuhl, eesn't that bewteeeful?", accompanied by an under-the-breath wheezing chuckle and a half-dozen tears or so. :huh: Weird cult, ours.

johnj, you've put your finger on the source of much Way theology. VPW must have come to believe that his random musings were somehow imbued with an element of ex cathedra. He'd come up with a thing, apparently off the cuff, then later assert that the Bible must support it. After that he'd entertain no word to the contrary, shouting down any thought that contradicted, much like he did in support of Martindale's ridiculous Athletes theology.

Sorry for OT, but I'm pretty sure the "Valusek" is none other than Jay, a high-school mate. I can't remember if I got him into the Way or not. If it was me, please tell him I'm sorry. VPW's blatant plagiarism and intellectual dishonesty were just the tip of the iceberg considering his wholesale debauchery. Anybody that argues that what he taught is "truth" deserves the spoilage that bad leaven will cause...

Jeez Garth but you're testy ( do I hear yet another tirade a-brewing?). I was simply trying to counter another poster dismissing a decision like yours or George's as flippant. I was saying that, au contraire, it was rational & deliberate.

Well, I wasn't really talking about the fear-based guilt tripping. I presumed that you didn't make your choice flippantly but di it after careful & rational thought. So, tell me, why are you so ridden with fear & doubt? :B)