Grew up in Newport and Villa ("Vanilla") Park (OC). I left in 1982 at 14 years old. Other than visiting remaining familly, I never have missed it. There is nothing that would bring me back - regardless of politics. I replaced the smell of the beach and watching the guys in the Dory fishing fleet with getting off of a chair at the top of Vail. Don't get me wrong, I had a killer child hood - I miss the fire rings on the beach, I miss the time spent with friends scraping wax. It's just not the same as it was. In todays world would you let your 10 year old go under the pier after dark to pry of muscles to go fishing with? We used to on a regular basis.
I like the seasons here in CO, I love the outdoor lifestyle, and the people are very friendly for the most part. I am leaving the office at 3 today (friday) will be at the Dillon house by four, will take a couple of nite skiing runs, then fire up the BBQ. Tomorrow I'll be at Vail at 8am. We are expecting 10" of new snow up there tonight. Maybe throw down a bit of Goldschlager around 2:30 on the deck at Lionshead.
A perfect day......

In a few monthes we will wax and store the skis and do the exact same things - only with a mountian bike or hiking boots - and a cold Fat Tire!

You don't buy Beer. You Rent it.

My mom and I used to drive from Irvine to Newport early in the morning to meet the Dory fleet. We'd buy fish right off the boat and watch it be cleaned and cut right in front us. Great memories.

I don't think CA is perfect, but it's got a lot going for it. The politics is a little screwey, but take a look at the rest of the country too. The politics in this country will be (and are) complety screwed and will remain so until corporations and special interests are no longer allowed to buy the government.

I think the Jury is still out on Arnie. I think it's fairly ridiculous that he is where he is; but the fact that he is there is a testament to democracy in a way. Since he is governor we might as well give him a chance to do something worthwhile.

OR,

it could also be a testament that democracy IS NOT working.
depending on how you look at it ...

if you can get elected because you PLAY a tought guy on TV
and people think that will somehow translate into indepth knowledge
on how to run a state, maybe those people should not be allowed to
elect a governor after all.
just a tought <_<

ROTFL. You can put the power to the people (unless you are PG&E), but you can't make the people smart.

The last time this happened was Reagan, who everyone thought was senile, but turned out later to be somewhat intelligent (referrering to the recent publication of the letters).

I think part of the problem is that things here are really pretty good for most people, so noone really bothers worrying too much about politics - myself included - although that is helped along by the fact that I can't vote.

I don't know how to fix the world. I'll stick to organizing lunches. :-)

democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on the menu; liberty is a well-armed sheep.

Please inform the ignorant. I thought oil was biodegradable. And how much of what kinds of heavy metals? Are crooks allowed to use lead bullets or is that illegal in California too?

Now where have I seen that quote before? he he

That's one of the big problems in my mind. Liberals want a democracy. A democracy is mob-rule. Mobs are stupid. Get them riled up and they'll stomp off to do almost anything. We live in a (diluted) republic. A republic insures that the fickle and emotionally whipsawed 'will of the people' is tempered and moderated by elected representation. That's why we have an electoral college. In the past, citizens didn't vote for president. Citizens elected state legistlatures who elected senetors, who elected presidents.

-Ben

If Arnold thinks he can take my guns away from me, he better really be the Terminator.

1 Liter of oil can contaminate 1.000.000 Liter of fresh water.
meaning, YOU get sick when you drink it ...

bio-degradeable is not a word i would use describing oil.
Andy

so, we go from washing your car (or NOT) to taking your guns away (or NOT) ....

gotta love these OT-Threads ....

anything else?
Andy

Used motor oil especially has a ton of bad stuff in it.

I would be pissed if I couldn't wash my own car in my driveway.

They'd probably be REALLY mad if they knew I was rebuilding an engine in my backyard...

in CA, each bullet has a teeny label warning you that it can cause cancer in survivors ...

but i kid you not - in LA County, you cannot buy ammunition the week before New Years - as if that would stop anyone who -really wanted- to engage in random celebratory gunfire from planning ahead and stocking up. but just this year in downtown Philadelphia a carful of guys fired full magazines of 9mm into the air. and the case against 'em is pretty strong, 'cause they had VIDEOTAPED it from inside the car, and the cops who pulled them over had no trouble watching the whole thing ...

but yeah - that's the thing - CA legislators haven't quite figured out that you can't count on criminals to obey the law ...

ok, help me out here.

how does it help you and/or american society in general to be well armed?
for what purpose?

Andy

Geez...You can still do it. Just park on the lawn or dirt area...

http://www.city.palo-alto.ca.us/cleanbay/r.../residents.html

Wash cars on an unpaved surface where dirty water won't flow to a driveway, street, gutter or storm drain. Empty your bucket of soapy water into a sink or toilet. Better yet, use a commercial car wash.

Robert Heinlein said "an armed society is a polite society" and there's something to that. at Woodstock, John Sebastian said "a cloth house is all you need if you've got love" but he had it backwards - a cloth house is all you need if your neighbor has love.

California is an interesting area - law enforcement has repeatedly claimed it has no particular obligation to protect you. society in general, sure, but an individual "you" - nope. and yet they simultaneously want to deprive you of the right to defend yourself.

you've probably seen the sticker that says "fear the government that fears your guns." there's something to that.

if you don't want to be able to defend yourself, that's fine; you're free to choose to be a victim. but don't be so willing to impose that choice on others.

i'm not trying to impose anything on anybody. <_<

i come from a country where owning a gun is illegal and crimes involving a gun are almost unheard of.
i am sincerely trying to understand your motivation.

my question was not rethorical by any means.
nor does your liberal/republican categorazation of people apply to me.

but going back to your reply, it seems that you neither fear democracy in general nor your government in particular,
but rather it is your fellow american citizen that gives you the feeling that you need to own a weapon.

is that correct?

Andy

The issue about guns is that once the government takes away the guns, only THEY have the guns....in countries where the civil liberties are less than guarenteed, this can be a bad thing. That's why they put in the right to bear arms back in the 1700's document called the Bill of Rights.

It is NOW such an ingrained right or privelege that most are loathe to give it up. Those that live in other countries where the right was taken away or never allowed don't understand.

You kinda had to be there....is the best way to describe it....

Allright - I have one for you gun-advocates - I want your opinions on this - it's just something I have been thinking about recently.

I believe a lot of the same rationales for gun ownership also holds true for illegal drugs.

If people can own drugs freely then usage goes down (as experienced in Holland) and when there is legal usage, it is safer since it can be regulated - and taxed.

You also completely abolish the drug trade - which means no dealers, no pot users sitting jails, no drug mules dieing because the condom full of dope ruptured, etc etc.

Just a brainfart....

but guns are not illegal here

you're comparing bananas with nuts, so to speak ...
Andy

Palo Alto is stupid. Screw them. They don't even let people use their lawn mowers before 10am or something like that.

i didn't get the feeling you were trying to impose anything, and you're right my response, written while trying to close out the day, was written in haste and poorly worded, for which i apologize. i did take your question at face value although my response does not convey that.

i do not feel the need to own anything. it is a choice, and i respect the choice of people who choose not to. (but often, people who choose not to also prefer to deny the choices of others. this is true of many things.)

i have the means to defend myself and my family in the ultimate extreme. beyond having the means, i believe i have the resolve to. resolve without means is suboptimal; means without resolve is not infrequently dangerous.)

i enjoy the sporting aspects of firearm use - like golf, target marksmanship has a mental side, and a physical side, a degree of technicality and a level of concentration. i don't hunt but i don't mind people who do so humanely. i haven't perforated anything but paper, and i'd like to keep it that way.

yes - and this goes for most victimless 'crimes'.

it is the extreme of the Libertarian philosophy. there will be people who will abuse decriminalised drugs - just as there are people who abuse the drugs that are currently legal, taxed, and just as dangerous.

the stigma and fear of prosecution of 'illegal' or unlawful use keeps many people from seeking treatment.

the thing about liberty is: you've either got it, or you don't. but i don't confuse liberty with anarchy, for one of the reasons you brought up - there is a role for government in providing infrastructure, such as a transportation systems, and a food & drug administration...

Stupid laws Wash your car, it deserves it.

This is why it's so interesting..... I think that a lot of people who advocate guns would also advocate drugs being illegal. I could be wrong though.

To me the main place where it falls down is that It's hard to use an ecstacy tab to kill someone else. Guns typically fire outward, and it effects a lot more than the owner. If you OD on heroin you end up dead - if you shoot a lot of people - they end up dead, and you may or may not.

So for this reason, I think guns ought to be controlled and drugs ought to be regulated for quality and taxed, in much the way cigarettes are today.

AirSix for President!!

Hm. There's thing things like "the constitution" and the body of "law" that should prolly be mentioned. I ain't from around here -- so my comments prolly don't mean much. But it seems to me that at least one of the "brakes" on the mob rule issue is the fundamentals underlying the game. The constitution, the rule of law, etc. The voting part is to pick players that (in principle) play within the rules of the game.

kim.

what is a permit?

i have had umpteen thousand $ of work done "under the radar" but fully within spec by a friend who is a licensed contractor and his subs. we agree on one thing, permits are simply a way to notify the local gub'ment it is time to raise your taxes because you spent some money improving your property.

one comment.....

I don't plan on ANYONE hurting me, I plan on EVERYONE hurting me.


M

Just like there are no drugs right now.....?

If we need a revolution, there will be guns. As it happens, as proved by Mister Saddam Hussein - the guberment has bigger guns (in his case Chemical Weapons) - so your poxy shotgun ain't going to do shit. And frankly - you could have an A1M1 Abrams, and this government could still oppress you.

Could? FUCKING DOES! Everyday.

It's getting worse all the time.

I am a Constitutionalist. Try being me, to the letter, you get pissed off.


M

Least you can vote. I blame the voters. I just pay my taxes.

I do vote, yes..

I am writing in my own name, this time.



M

Let's all write-in Miles' name in November. Than he'll appoint us to nice comfy jobs that we don't have to show up for and we can work on our cars and drink beer.

Redshift in '04
For the People

(well, maybe not "ALL" the people, but just us!)

Paul

How many liters of water are in the Bay?

If I am elected President... 3 PARTS CARS IN EVERY GARAGE, IN PIECES!

So, pretty much, stautus quo.



M

Well, here's the 30-second version.

Infrastructure sucks in California, that's how it is. The ecosystems of the Bay Area are heavily dependant on the maintance of the wetlands in and around the bay. In places like Palo Alto, which are located very near crucial remaining wetland locations, it takes little effort for contaminants to get into the wetland systems. This causes damage to the very fragile wetland systems.. and the bay area environment (the bay itself and the inland regions) rely heavily on these wetlands for numerous reasons. Bottomline, disrupting the wetlands disrupts the entire region.

I know this stuff; I've spent the last four years of my education studying it.

And here's a link to a USGS general review/introduction to the wetland contamination issue. Of course, it's a report released by a government agency.. so that means at least half of you are bound not to trust it...

Summary: I'm not saying that washing your car is going to break the back of the ecosystem, but every little bit helps. Enough of the people of Palo Alto (or the local government comprised of individuals that the local people elected) thought that that little bit would help.

Muckmaw,
If keeping people from washing thier car is going to "save the bay" while millions of gallons of rain runoff from the streets enter it every day, someone needs to look at a bigger picture. So you take away personal freedom because it has maybe a 1% impact on the overall problem? Get real. Lets ban 914's because they dip oil. Lets ban the store owner because he washes his sidewalk down with a hose. Lets not fight a house fire because the water run off will have ash in it.

If you look at the cause and the effect of the issue and the return or benefit on the decision. Keeping someone from washing a car to save the eco-system is a weak argument.

we are unfortunately talking about California. most of CA rain occurs in Feb and March. and it's not continuous during those times - they'll get a few good storms blow through during that timeframe, and then they're done for the year. (there is often flooding during the first good rain because everybody forgot about all the crap that fell into the storm drain the 11 dry months prior and nobody does anything about it until it's a crisis...)

it's already illegal to use potable water to wash a sidewalk. CA is a desert.

i agree with your points, just wanted to clarify the rainfall thing.

Wouldn't that be a kick in da butt??? for all of us to write in Miles Hendrix. There's enough of us here, we could start a minor upsurgence of recognition, get some prime time notoriety. What the Hell??? we came together for a van Miles for President ain't that much farther away, eh?

.........b

Rich,
I sorta though washing a sidewalk would be a no-no but I had to throw it in.

Can you fart in Cali?

Paul

you must first file an Environmental Impast Statement; fartunately, there is an expedited process...

I'm sure you can do it on-line.

Paul