Posting Towards Gomorrah

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally posted by nononono
I am wondering how many people here, and otherwise opining in the press, etc., have had the experience of actually personally feeling the military protecting them, living with them, knowing exactly how smart they have to be to do a lot of what they do.

As it happens, I come from a family that has a multi-generational military background, including members deployed in Afghanistan, Iraq I, and Iraq II. We've done this on the board before, and determined that the Rs here are essentially all arm-chair warriors.

(Dad even let me fire the howitzers as a teenager - trig can be cool).

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy
As it happens, I come from a family that has a multi-generational military background, including members deployed in Afghanistan, Iraq I, and Iraq II. We've done this on the board before, and determined that the Rs here are essentially all arm-chair warriors.

(Dad even let me fire the howitzers as a teenager - trig can be cool).

I change my vote and agree with Kerry that there are some real dull-wits in the military.

[Spanky]

Originally posted by baltassoc
I have worked as a teacher. My parents are teachers. My parents' friends are teachers. I know a bit about what motivates teachers. I think you would be a bad teacher because, well, I do.

Job security is important. Can you compensate for it by paying people more? Sometimes, yes. How about a little test: you ask your many teacher friends how much more they would have to be paid to put the question of their continued employement squarely into the hands of 30 (or 150) students every year and/or the discretion of administrators. I don't think the answer is any kind of number that any taxpayer is willing to accept. I asked my mother: her answer was $40k a year.

She has been named her school district's teacher of the year twice.

You can make that assessment from an on line chat board? Please. I teach classes at the local juvenile hall. Before assessing my teaching skills you might want to check with my students first.

I may not know for sure what makes a good teacher, but I am pretty sure that arrogant and stupid are probably not qualities most students would appreciate in their teacher.

In addition, I am pretty sure the average public school teacher in California gets over 40K. I think taxpayers would be willing to pay quite a lot if they were sure it would get results. As long as the Teachers Unions are in control, no matter how much money you throw at the school system, things are not going to get better.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally posted by Hank Chinaski
as i said somewhere else, I don't think polling info for congressional races is very good.

Even if it's good, shit happens at the end of a race. Undecided people make up their mind. Everyone decides whether to bother to vote.

[Spanky]

Originally posted by Greedy,Greedy,Greedy
As it happens, I come from a family that has a multi-generational military background, including members deployed in Afghanistan, Iraq I, and Iraq II. We've done this on the board before, and determined that the Rs here are essentially all arm-chair warriors.

(Dad even let me fire the howitzers as a teenager - trig can be cool).

I can make the same claim. Two uncles that went through the academies. In my extended family the general rule is, if you were in the military you are a Republican and support the administration and if you were not, you are a Democrat. I and a few others are exceptions.

I would guess that most members of the military are generally conservative. Of course a few stats on party registration in the military would end this argument.

[Secret_Agent_Man]

Originally posted by nononono
Huh? What does being lawyers have to do with anything? I was talking with a lawyer yesterday whose husband (also a lawyer) is in Iraq right now. My college roommate (she of the multiple advanced degrees) is married to a high-level DOJ guy who's over there on a 2-year tour. And plenty of lawyers grew up in military families. It's not as though touching the military makes you incapable of experiencing the professional ranks, geez.

I see you're pretty sensitive on this subject, which is ok.

But read my post in the context of the question I was answering: How many people on this Board know . ..

My statement was broadly accurate.

[eta: On rereading, maybe I confused the meaning of your question to more closely resemble the one Sid asked. For your question, educational level doesn't have much to do with it. Still, I think the bottom line answer ("not many") was broadly accurate.]

S_A_M

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally posted by Spanky
Kerry told the students that if they studied hard they could do well, but if they didn't "you get stuck in Iraq."


Here it is - watch it for yourself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLuMWiQ6r2o

I posted something suggesting that if you read the full transcript of Kerry's remarks, it's clear that he was talking about the President, not about anyone in the Army. And, in ostensible response, both you and Hank linked to a clip of the ten seconds of Kerry's remarks that got him in trouble. The subtext apparently being that ten seconds of pictures and sounds combined are much more compelling than a bunch of words.

Congratulations on your tie in this little race to the bottom.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally posted by Hank Chinaski
it actually is the funniest part, while they all claim Kerry meant something, anything, else, than "army guys are dumb", their posts could mostly be boiled down to "army guys are dumb."

S_A_M has my proxy on this one.

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally posted by Tyrone Slothrop
I posted something suggesting that if you read the full transcript of Kerry's remarks, it's clear that he was talking about the President, not about anyone in the Army. And, in ostensible response, both you and Hank linked to a clip of the ten seconds of Kerry's remarks that got him in trouble. The subtext apparently being that ten seconds of pictures and sounds combined are much more compelling than a bunch of words.

Congratulations on your tie in this little race to the bottom.

ummm, maybe you could post the transcript? oh you haven't seen it? But you are convinced by what someone said it implies? PS don't bring up some contrived script.

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally posted by Spanky
I can make the same claim. Two uncles that went through the academies. In my extended family the general rule is, if you were in the military you are a Republican and support the administration and if you were not, you are a Democrat. I and a few others are exceptions.

I would guess that most members of the military are generally conservative. Of course a few stats on party registration in the military would end this argument.

Of the six currently living vets (including currently serving personnel) in my family, there is one staunch republican, three staunch Dems, and two swing voters, both of whom are voting Dem this year.

There are a lot of folks in the military who may vote R because the Rs have in the past been viewed as stronger on defense, but they'll support Democratic positions on civil rights, economic opportunity, and social issues. Colin Powell is a good example of someone coming out of the military who isn't going to agree with the likes of Cheney and Rumsfeld on a lot of issues.

(edited because I forgot one Dem)

[SlaveNoMore]

Replaced_Texan
Speaking of the Castro, is everyone accounted for from SF? I have an APB e-mail out to my sister, but I haven't heard back from her yet. Do we know whether or not Less made it?

Usually my post-halloween-in-san-francisco-worries are related to whether or not someone got lucky in the Castro, not whether or not they got shot.

Did I miss something?

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally posted by Hank Chinaski
we aren't allowed to anymore.

Even if you tell them you aren't there to take a shit?

[baltassoc]

Originally posted by Spanky
You can make that assessment from an on line chat board? Please. I teach classes at the local juvenile hall. Before assessing my teaching skills you might want to check with my students first.

I may not know for sure what makes a good teacher, but I am pretty sure that arrogant and stupid are probably not qualities most students would appreciate in their teacher.

In addition, I am pretty sure the average public school teacher in California gets over 40K. I think taxpayers would be willing to pay quite a lot if they were sure it would get results. As long as the Teachers Unions are in control, no matter how much money you throw at the school system, things are not going to get better.

I must have been unclear. $40k a year more than now. Going back, I can see how one might get confused.

[Replaced_Texan]

Originally posted by Secret_Agent_Man
I don't know if you're taking a poll, but

I volunteered and served in war time, though not as an enlistee. (There certainly is a big difference.)

I am not doing it again, because: (a) I feel as though I did my part; (b) I am now married with small children; (c) I am a bit too old to do most of the fun stuff; and (d) I think our civilian leaders are fools.

S_A_M

I never served, though I have/do work for the government in some capacity or the other that I feel was/is an adequate contribution to my country given my skills, talents and education.

My father was in the Army in the late 60s and early 70s. He made a deal to stay in for an extra two years doing research at Walter Reed if they didn't send him over to Vietnam. (He protested the war when he was in the Army.)

Both of my grandfathers served in WWII. One was a field physician, the other the driver of a halftrack whose unit had a 300% casualty rate. They were both at the Battle of the Bulge.

[baltassoc]

Originally posted by Spanky
You can make that assessment from an on line chat board? Please. I teach classes at the local juvenile hall. Before assessing my teaching skills you might want to check with my students first.

I may not know for sure what makes a good teacher, but I am pretty sure that arrogant and stupid are probably not qualities most students would appreciate in their teacher.

Another thing: how much are you getting paid to teach at the local juvenile hall? Do you think if they paid you more you would work harder? Would you be a better teacher? Would they be able to hire a better teacher?

You are right; I can't really assess your ability to teach based on an online chatboard. I gauge based on my own prejudices. So prove me wrong: post your students' scores.