New Future Attending Seeking Some Advice.

EvilDustBooger · Post by **EvilDustBooger** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 12:13 pm

Think not those faithful who praise all thy words and actions; but those who kindly reprove thy faults.

Phoenix9S · Post by **Phoenix9S** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 12:47 pm

DI-

Your tent/camp idea speaks to my undergrad experience (BA Philosophy). I'd love to stop by your place and dish over some theories. great idea!!!!

-Phoenix

DiesIrae · Post by **DiesIrae** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 1:42 pm

I would love to lead discussion, but an arguement will not be tolerated. Yes, chill out. While I may love friendly banter you must know when it goes too far. Please, do not talk down to me, I have a masters in creative writing and a minor in philosophy from Knox college. I am educated in these fields as they are my passion. Do not belittle me.

blyslv · Post by **blyslv** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 3:48 pm

I'm sure you're familer with the idiomatic expression "it's like herding cats." Take it to heart, bucko.

I could tell you what degrees I have. That knowledge and $5 will get you a tripple mocha frappucino.

Phoenix9S · Post by **Phoenix9S** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 4:35 pm

DI-

Did I offend somehow? Or was your post related to other comments? If it was something I said- man- I'm sorry! It was never my intention to talk down to anyone in any way.

-Fi

EvilDustBooger · Post by **EvilDustBooger** » Wed Oct 26, 2005 7:42 am

DiesIrae wrote: I have a masters in creative writing and a minor in philosophy from Knox college.

Those are pretty impressive credentials for an 18 yr. old.

ZaphodBurner · Post by **ZaphodBurner** » Wed Oct 26, 2005 10:59 am

EvilDustBooger wrote:
DiesIrae wrote: I have a masters in creative writing and a minor in philosophy from Knox college.
Those are pretty impressive credentials for an 18 yr. old.

"Superior officers" and all.

Was that a typo, I wonder? Did this person mean 28?

BRC would be a perfect setting for Philosopher's Soccer tho.
-zb

DiesIrae · Post by **DiesIrae** » Wed Oct 26, 2005 5:37 pm

actually, no, I am 18, I skipped grades and had a private tutor, I graduated from high school when I was 13. I was inducted into MENSA when I was 16. Knox offered me a scholarship as soon as I graduated high school, I took it. I am now a marine, and in officer training school to become a colonel by the time I am 20... my past, I was hoping would be irrelevant, but since you questioned my credibility i figured I would enlighten you.

EvilDustBooger · Post by **EvilDustBooger** » Wed Oct 26, 2005 6:38 pm

DiesIrae wrote: to become a colonel by the time I am 20...

A Marine Corps Colonel at 20.

Yes, I questioned your credibility,

and now I`m seriously doubting it.

Kinetic IV · Post by **Kinetic IV** » Wed Oct 26, 2005 7:23 pm

DiesIrae wrote:I am now a marine, and in officer training school to become a colonel by the time I am 20...

This sounds like one of those old Texas sized tall tales. I'm listening in on a conference call which has several former Marines including some officers on it so I copied this post into the chat room to see what they thought....it caused a couple of them to laugh out loud. So with that kind of reaction I'm questioning the statement. It's a bit of a stretch...I can't call BS but it sure looks funny.

EvilDustBooger · Post by **EvilDustBooger** » Wed Oct 26, 2005 7:38 pm

Kinetic IV wrote: a bit of a stretch...

a bit delusional perhaps...

EvilDustBooger · Post by **EvilDustBooger** » Thu Oct 27, 2005 8:10 am

Before anyone makes any more preposterous claims, I would like to add
a little more food for thought.

Doogy Howser goes off to War College and takes the accelerated course?
No
It doesn`t work that way. The rank of Colonel is earned, NOT issued.
It takes years of dedicated service to become a field grade officer in any branch, especially in the Marine Corps.
It takes not only smarts but service stripes to be a leader of that caliber.
Plenty of Marine Captain`s careers wash out, and they throw in their packs long before their aspirations of becoming Major, let alone Lt Colonel or Colonel are realized. There is unbelievably fierce competition
among officers when it comes to promotion.
Only Gods become Generals..... (and Sergeant Majors)
So
If some fucking plebe were to somehow bypass the entire chain of command and be promoted
to field grade, besides being hilarious, it would be a slap in the face of all the men and women who spent their entire
adult lives wearing the uniform...there would be legions of Captains and other field grades lined up around the block willing to murder a 20 something Colonel I`m thinking.
Even George "in your face" Bush couldn`t pull it off, and he`s commander in chief.
So
Better start over with a little more believable story
or go back to playing Dungeons & Dragons.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Thu Oct 27, 2005 9:14 pm

I'm a member of DENSA.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Fri Oct 28, 2005 5:08 pm

The truth is blyslv that I always feel in a "one-down" position towards you, mainly because you are an accepted member of a community that I failed to join 2 years ago and that I have not been made to feel welcome in during the past 6 months or so of my 2nd attempt either. I often feel picked on and for amazingly minor things when I compare them to some of the really scary stuff that I see other, more established members of that community, not only get away with but also supported in and sometimes even praised for. Sometimes I play it a bit broader in attempts to elicit reactions from the stoics. But if I go too broad--woe betides!
Of course the latest iteration of the community was specifically evolved (in part) to keep certain persons out. I don't know if there's been any baby to bathwater ratio analysis, but I do know I'm not the only person I value who feels alienated from the clique and its self-protection rituals.
ONe of the things I picked up (sorry no cites) a few years back was someone's study (observation) that marraiges where the ratio of good comment to snarky ones was less than 4-1 tended to fail. I certainly don't get my RDA of praise and support over there--although there are some absolute sweethearts there, some really lovely persons that I would hate to lose track of. I know, I know, we're supposed to be tough and independent, able to take everything in a friendly spirit and not lose composure for an instant, and never ever need a pat on the head or to be told our jokes are funny or that the board would lose a little of its sparkle without us.
I didn't actually mean that you are being passive-agressive, but that p-a does often go hand in hand with muddy communication. I know you confuse me. Flipped, would it make any difference to you if you knew that usually when I something like "dead white men" it doesn't nessesarily mean that I endorse some hard core hate speech version of feminist reality but that I'm using a somewhat trendy term with some sort of ironic tone (alas for on-line communication!) to quickly telegraph that some of those tensions do play out in my life? On the other hand, you could learn a simple communication technique--a sort of varient of "mirroring." Fishy, you could say, I understood you to say that all white men should be smeared with honey and left on anthills? Is that accurate? Then I'd have a chance to clarify without being put on the defensive by someone who doesn't even know that's where I've gone.

All of which brings up the question--why do I even bother? I don't know, but I've been pondering that for 3 days. Mulish is my best answer to date.

Isotopia · Post by **Isotopia** » Sun Oct 30, 2005 9:57 am

I am now a marine, and in officer training school to become a colonel by the time I am 20...

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Mon Oct 31, 2005 8:44 am

Isotopia wrote:
I am now a marine, and in officer training school to become a colonel by the time I am 20...
<Spitting morning coffee through my nose...>

Is that a good way to clean the sinuses?

EvilDustBooger · Post by **EvilDustBooger** » Mon Oct 31, 2005 9:58 am

(The thick cloud begins to disperse, the smell of Eplaya dust & Ecordite
still fills the air. EDB appears with E-57magnum in hand, still smoking...)
"Well, looks like things turned a little sour with this thread. I was hoping to bat around a couple ideas I had about a "Speaker`s Corner"...thought this might be a good place, but, funny how a
quaint little chat about an innocent little philosopher`s camp, can turn into a little piece of spiteful thread drifting Eplaya hell. I won`t name names because we all played a part in this dirty little show.

So, let`s review:
Questions were asked.
Advice was rendered.
Arguments ensued.
Toes were stepped on.
Sensitivities were abused.
Philosophers were disrespected.
People were told to chill.
Preposterous claims were made.
Credibility was lost.
Smack was spoken.
People were alienated.
Cats were herded.
Sinuses were scorched and over-caffienated.

Well I guess we killed that shit.

Just another day on the Eplaya.

(EDB slides the still smoking E-57magnum in his belt, turns and
slowly vanishes into stinky dusty smokey Eplaya obscurity.....)
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~
~

Isotopia · Post by **Isotopia** » Mon Oct 31, 2005 1:26 pm

At least the word 'nazi' wasn't tossed into the mix.

spectabillis · Post by **spectabillis** » Mon Oct 31, 2005 3:36 pm

Isotopia wrote:At least the word 'nazi' wasn't tossed into the mix.

lurker · Post by **lurker** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 1:03 pm

"inducted" into MENSA....sigh

Went to a party a few years back, a costume party. Some good costumes, some.... The best part of the night was the fact that the host had a case of these Jack and Coke test cans(not the 'flavored malt beverage type)--and the host didn't personally drink.

There were several MENSA folk there, the host and his dad were members, there were a few muckety-mucks.

One was dressed as Spock--original style. Blue shirt, pointy ears--but not the glue down ear tips--he'd not shelled out the money for the good looking ones. Instead, he wore the 'flesh' toned plastic slip ons that covered your whole ear.

I grinned when I saw him, and laughed when someone told me who he was. Laughed harder when I heard him complaining about being unable to hear anything. And I just shook my head in wonder after I tried to assist him with the problem and angered him immensely.

Y'see, he couldn't hear well because he'd put his ears on backwards Left on right and right on left, so the back of the ear faced forwards--and the small hole that allowed one to hear was pressed firmly on the cartile of his own ear. He was outraged when I pointed it out to him. As if he'd ever mix up right and left. He was a genius, didn't I know that? And he huffed of, backwards ears and all.

Gave me some insight into what lurks under the enormously big top called MENSA.

ZaphodBurner · Post by **ZaphodBurner** » Thu Nov 03, 2005 4:29 pm

DiesIrae wrote:I am now a marine, and in officer training school to become a colonel by the time I am 20... my past, I was hoping would be irrelevant, but since you questioned my credibility i figured I would enlighten you.

Wow. Well, we have quite a bit in common!

I was a Marine when I was your age and, in fact, I completed the Marine Corps Officer Candidates School in Quantico, VA (Marine Corps Combat Development Education Center), Kilo Company, 2nd Platoon.

'Course, once you graduate from college and gain your commission, you go to six months of TBS as a 2ndLt, then of course you go to specialized training for your MOS before you even receive a command, then work your way through 1stLT, Captain, Major and Lt. Colonel before you're a full bird, which is a staff officer.

There is, by the way, no such thing as Marine Corps "Officer Training School." It's OCS--OCS/PLC and/or AOCS--but never OTS.

I am, of course, merely translating your wit for others to enjoy by pointing out the irony. I wouldn't suggest you're, you know, fucking HIGH or anything.

Semper Fi,
-zb

EvilDustBooger · Post by **EvilDustBooger** » Fri Nov 04, 2005 6:32 am

Tell this guy to salute a 20 yr. old colonel.

http://www.ocs.usmc.mil/New_Web_Format/ ... SgtMaj.htm

heh heh

ZaphodBurner · Post by **ZaphodBurner** » Fri Nov 04, 2005 11:15 am

I had, by the way, an opportunity last week to sit among a circle of WWII and Korean combat vets and listen to a recently-returned ANG Major who had just left the service to enter into local politics (as a Democrat, if it matters.)

He just returned from Iraq and had a lot of powerful things to say about what's going on over there from an officer's perspective. In case your curious, the finer points:

1) Believes the war is ours to win, but the politicans have fucked it all up.
Specifically because:

2) Many of the highest-ranking combat veterans in America, which is to say Generals with 35 years of experience each, have been fired for questioning the ubercivilian Secretary of Defense. If you question Washington, it doesn't matter how well you've done your job for how many decades: You're out. This has cost the US military literally hundreds of combined man-years of effective experience leadership.

3) At one point they had Osama Bin Laden pegged in a city our town (unspecified) and they had everything ready to go to blow him away, but some JAG type that was there overruled and stated that they could not because the collateral damage would have been too high. In other words, they couldn't kill Bin Laden because of potential civilian casualties.

4) The Iraqi population respects and appreciates the foreign soldiers, for the most part, as much as anybody can reasonably expect given the war going on in their neighborhoods. They very much resent being attacked daily by Islamic terrorists.

5) Asked how many civilians have been killed by the US, he couldn't/wouldn't say, but he pointed out that tribes and sects who have been warring for centuries were suppressed under Hussein, and now that the secular dictator is out, they can renew their rivalries. They're killing each other and that may or may not get included in the casualty counts "killed by the US", but the important thing to consider is that even if the US didn't kill them, the destabilization of Iraq has allowed it to happen.

6) He said five of the twelve elements of the Powell Doctrine have been violated. This of course doesn't imply crimes have been committed, just that Washington has second-guessed and abandoned that which worked so well in the first Gulf War.

Finally, he said "Regardless of whether it was right or wrong to go there, or whether the basis for going there was true or false, we broke it and now we have to fix it." He said this can be done, but the military doesn't have the numbers, isn't given the resources, is punished if they question the Pentagon, and stymied by the civilians pulling the strings from the safety of Washington.

The circle of warriors included Democrats, "Staunch Republicans" and independents, all of whom gave this guy their audience and respect regardless of whether they supported the war or the administration.

Just thought I'd pass that along...
-zb

EvilDustBooger · Post by **EvilDustBooger** » Fri Nov 04, 2005 11:43 am

ZaphodBurner wrote: Finally, he said "Regardless of whether it was right or wrong to go there, or whether the basis for going there was true or false, we broke it and now we have to fix it."

Our warriors have a lot of war on their plates.

You`ll find that the world hasn`t changed that much in the last 50 years.
Only the weaponry.

In the end, it all boils down to blood.

Here comes the draft.
God damn it all.

dragonfly Jafe · Post by **dragonfly Jafe** » Fri Nov 04, 2005 1:30 pm

EvilDustBooger wrote:You`ll find that the world hasn`t changed that much in the last 50 years.
Only the weaponry.

And it's a bit more crowded and maybe a tad dirtier.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Fri Nov 04, 2005 2:48 pm

and there are a lot fewer wild tigers...

blyslv · Post by **blyslv** » Mon Nov 07, 2005 1:44 pm

How many looies got fragged in 'nam?

(Nice post ZB).

New Future Attending Seeking Some Advice.

Philosophy Tent/Area

Did I offend?