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Jmacq1

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  1. Went on Sunday at opening, they had 2 SC Batman and one Cyclotron (The only figure from that wave I've ever seen on shelves). Picked up SC Batman and Cyclotron...Customer Service said they're getting four cases in on Wednesday...sadly Wednesday is my late shift so I fear they will likely be wiped out by the time I'm able to get there. Had already snagged regular Martian Manhunter via BBTS, so at least my "must have" figure from the wave was taken care of. And I agree, for a Batman variant, SC Batman is kinda cool. As is Cyclotron, but I'm continually surprised that many of the figures I'm "meh" on at first in this line I end up really liking in-hand. Heck, about half of wave 15 I'm kinda "meh" on but I was pleasantly surprised by SC Batman, so.... I'm still wishing for the previous wave...still want Donna Troy, Modern Cheetah, and Modern BB (Trigon would be nice, too).
  2. I recall there being rumblings that Tiger Woods was far from the shining paragon of moral and virtue that people ascribed him to be well before the revelations of his marital infidelities, but none of it was even close to the scale of what eventually came out. That, and Tiger had a multi-million dollar media team carefully tailoring his image to the general public. Still, I think even Tiger himself had said long ago that he shouldn't be considered a role model (as have many other athletes...but it's often ignored), or at the very least had made it reasonably clear he wasn't comfortable with that position...however he was perfectly comfortable with Nike and Tag Heuer and whoever else paying him hundreds of millions to fill it. Who wouldn't be? I think (not to get too political, I hope) it really just plays into the whole "American Dream" mentality. We see folks being successful and moving well up the economic ladder, so we automatically assume that they must be good people who are working hard to get what they deserve, in accordance with that idealized "American Dream" that so many of us have been programmed from birth to believe so strongly in. Then again, I dunno that it's exclusive to America. How are the big-time Soccer stars treated in European and Latin/South American countries?
  3. I try not to be too judgmental on these guys (which I know is going to get a laugh from some folks here), because I haven't lived that kind of life. I can't even begin to imagine living amidst all the temptation that these guys are continually exposed to. Drugs, women, alcohol...I don't think it's so much that these guys necessarily think that they're above everyone else so much as "everyone else" put them there via their actions and by spending billions of dollars on sports-related merchandise, etc... every year. These guys (the big stars, that is) live in a different world. The world of the very wealthy and famous that most of us will never break into. I would imagine it's very easy to lose perspective when you're living in that "bubble" and start to feel like you're invincible. Heck, most of these guys have probably been in the "bubble" since their late teens when scouts started recognizing their talents and they started getting special treatment because of it. Still, like I said, these are creatures of our own making. We (the general public) are the ones that idolize and patronize them, enabling a system where even the lowest-level pro athletes in the "big" sports make many times what schoolteachers, policemen, or soldiers make (in terms of pay). For playing a game. Sure the game itself can be difficult, but it's still a game.
  4. Good news on the "style" of the Renegades line. I admit I'm kind of surprised that Hasbro didn't go the Clone Wars route, but they probably know better than most that the Joe collector audience is already too small to create the same kind of "divide" that has happened with Star Wars between the Clone Wars and "Vintage" figures (not that there aren't plenty of people that collect both). That, and I recalled that Hasbro wanted to make the Clone Wars figures in the "realistic" style but Lucasfilm overruled them. Anyway, as someone pointed out above, the other upside (From Hasbro's perspective) of "keeping it real" with Renegades is that it expands upon (and can draw from) the big catalog of parts they already have for the Joe line. Small though the line may be (albeit apparently going to get larger now), it's clear a good chunk of cash went into the scads of new tooling for PoC. Hasbro isn't going to want to completely jettison it. Geez, next year is going to be painful for ye olde wallet: Cap, Thor, more PoC, and continuing Marvel Universe (and maybe an X-Men line to tie into First Class, but I kinda doubt it at this point). At least I managed to wean myself off of Star Wars this year and thankfully have never been a big Transformers fan (who also have a movie next year). I'd add Green Lantern, but unless Mattel REALLY steps up their game with the 3.75" scale offerings (compared to Infinite Heroes) I'll likely be passing on them.
  5. I'm confused now....wasn't the flashback in "Razor" supposedly William Adama's first mission, and didn't the war end immediately afterwards? How can they make a series about William Adama during the Cylon War if he only had one mission during the war? Gonna be a short series! Then again, maybe I misunderstood what was said during that flashback, it's been a while since I watched it. Maybe I'll have to pop it in this week and refresh my memory.
  6. "Proven" WHERE, exactly? Certainly not in any credible scientific publication, nor by any investigating official or agency.
  7. Conveniently you continue to ignore any of the Pentagon evidence. Why is that? You seemed quite certain just a couple posts ago that it wasn't a plane. 1. No, the video is not enough to 'warrant questions about how and why." YOU are not a "demolitions expert" and what credible "demolitions expert" do you have that was inside the building to see what was going on? NONE! In fact...nobody died in WTC 7....the Fire Department evacuated it before it collapsed. Hmmm, so is the Fire Department part of the conspiracy too? What was the goal of collapsing WTC 7 (who nobody died in)? What does collapsing WTC 7 accomplish that collapsing just the two main towers would not? NOTHING! Once again your conspiracy fails the common sense test. Aside from also proving you apparently believe any video you see on the internet, rather than credible, verifiable scientific experts and peer-reviewed analysis. 2. Your "small conspiracy" is debunked because once again, in order for your conspiracy to work, it requires THOUSANDS of people to be "in on the cover up" to include New York Fire Department workers, Air Traffic Controllers, the people that were in the buildings during the attack that survived, supposed eyewitnesses, virtually the entire community of structural engineers and the academic community at large, and apparently even low-level government employees. You are in effect saying of ALL the people that have stepped forward and explained their side of the story that contradicts the "truthers" they are ALL willfully complicit in the death of several thousand Americans (by covering up the reasons behind it). That's so beyond the realm of common sense and logic that it would take a lunatic to honestly believe it. 3. There is no claim. It is a FACT that studies have been published in credible, peer-reviewed scientific journals explaining in great detail how the towers and WTC came down as a result of the planes smashing into them and/or secondary damage from the towers' collapse (in the case of WTC7). It is also a FACT that not a SINGLE such study has appeared in a CREDIBLE, PEER-REVIEWED scientific journal supporting the "truthers" claims. Once again...why is that not the case? The Tower collapse has been a subject of intense interest for structural engineers in the years since. You are now telling us that not a SINGLE one of these people who are in fact the "experts" on this kind of thing is willing to come forward and let his work be judged by his peers? Why is that? It couldn't possibly be because there isn't any credible scientific evidence to support the conspiracy theory, could it? Oh wait, it must be, because the only other explanation is that the ENTIRE COMMUNITY of credible structural engineers is "in on the conspiracy" and blocking out any dissent. Global warming is a false analogy. Global warming is a long term process, whose causes both sides are only guessing at. The WTC collapse is a real, verifiable situation that can be studied, because there IS a mountain of tangible, physical evidence to draw from. Give us ONE CREDIBLE SCIENTIST that has submitted his work for peer review (the generally accepted method of credibility in the scholarly community) that supports your side of the argument. You don't have one, because none have. FACT. No, I'm not going to discuss your video, because you didn't "discuss" the alternative, scientifically credible evidence that was already presented to you. You just said "I don't believe it." Well guess what? I don't believe your video, the difference being I have credible experts, eyewitnesses, scientific data, and common sense supporting my side. You have the ramblings of the paranoid, insane, delusional, and would-be attention-grabbers. Who would YOU trust?
  8. News flash: I work in the Pentagon. I didn't on 9/11, but I've been here for about three years now. Two of my co-workers WATCHED IT HAPPEN, working in a building that's across the street. So now you're either telling me these people are liars, or they're part of the conspiracy, in which case your proposition that "a small group of people is all it takes" is blown out of the water, because if it's reaching all the way down to low-level federal employees that aren't in positions that would in any way help facilitate or cover up any conspiracy, it's well beyond a "small group of people." Especially since they also have nothing to gain from "a few big businesses getting war contracts." The plane wreckage was present, but "completely destroyed" doesn't mean "completely disintegrated on a molecular level" like you seem to be thinking. It DOES mean that the plane is torn, twisted, and mangled into thousands or hundreds of thousands or even millions of little pieces that are no longer recognizable as any sort of plane, especially when MIXED IN WITH SEVERAL HUNDRED TONS OF BUILDING WRECKAGE. That sorta thing happens when a large object crashes into a large building at high speed with a tank full of fuel. Keep in mind "most" plane crashes involve planes hitting the ground on a relatively horizontal attitude, not running head-on into the ground. http://www.rense.com...eral32/phot.htm Here's some shots of plane wreckage inside the Pentagon for examples, though of course I'm sure you'll just claim "it's not really inside the Pentagon!" Indeed, the rest of the pages at that sight have a lovely breakdown of eyewitnesses, photos, etc... explaining the TRUTH. Of course I'm sure you'll just claim it's all a set-up...but then again, there goes that whole "small conspiracy" thing, once again rendering your conspiracy impossible. Oh, by the way, not a SINGLE "demolitions expert" or structural engineer has EVER published a study in a credible scientific journal explaining why the Towers or WTC 7 "couldn't" have collapsed from the plane crash/secondary damage the way they did. Plenty of others have done studies as to how they COULD have, though. Funny that. Once again, your "small group of people" is again tossed out of contention, since now apparently the scientific journals have to be in on it to keep covering it up. So what's your answer to this, SP? Is it a "small group of people" or is it a massive conspiracy reaching to the lowest rungs of the government and military ladder, as well as through safety and first-response workers, the news media, and well...virtually apparently everyone else in the country that isn't a "truther?" EDIT: Given that you have yet to respond to the very informative links provided by Viper and myself that completely debunk your theories, I see absolutely no reason to watch or comment on your own videos.
  9. Oh god. I hate to admit it but I'm completely with you on this score, VH. Lemme put it this way: The level of pervasiveness and secrecy that would be required to pull off a conspiracy on the level that most "truthers" want to claim (and honestly, most conspiracy theorists in general) is so staggering that -I- would have to be part of it. I know Conspiracy theorists like to try to claim that it only takes a few people in a few key positions, but that's bullhockey. It would take thousands of people who are literally sociopathic and utterly devoted to "the cause" working together flawlessly in complete secrecy, and would leave a paper trail (or data trail) so big that if such a conspiracy actually existed, it WOULD have been irrefutably discovered by now. Someone with undeniable credibility would have blown the whistle by now. I know it's a big, scary world and some folks desperately want to have some singular "entity" to blame for all the worlds' ills, but the truth is that whatever messes we've found ourselves in are the results of ordinary people making ordinary mistakes that sometimes have extraordinary consequences, coupled with the natural problems that arise when a nation gets much larger and more diverse than anyone initially envisioned when it was founded and most of its governing principles established. Nevermind that if these "all powerful conspiracies" existed, they'd never have let the conspiracy theorists survive long enough to publish "the truth." But hey, it's a great marketing hook to be able to say "The government can't kill me because if they did it'd be proof that I'm right!" You all can continue to deny and not want to believe but the truth is out there. News reports and people who were at ground zero all reported the same thing that no one ever brings up anymore. There is no way those planes could of downed those building let alone building from a block or more away. Detonations are clearly heard and shown in the footage at various keep points and the building fell into themselves. None of the excuses given by our government makes sense and all experts agree it makes no sense. Also yes it does take small group of people to pull something off. demolitions in the marines are trained to do just that with a small band of guys. There is so MUCH overwhelming evidence it puts anyone who believes other to petty shame and disgrace. There are MORE experts that can tell you EXACTLY why the Towers came down the way they did, but because they're on the "government's" side you'll of course refuse to believe. The "evidence" that the truthers like to drag up is in no way based on genuine fact. There is no "all" experts that agree it makes no sense. Nevermind that to get a "squad of marine demolitionists" to blow up the world trade centers, you'd have to have a chain of command that ordered them to do it, and a squad of said marines who are so sociopathic and evil that they wouldn't have gotten into the Marine Corps to begin with (and wouldn't likely last long if they did), not to mention a few hours to set the explosives in exactly the right places. Oh, and what about the Pentagon? Are you going to tell me next that the two co-workers I have that SAW THE PLANE FLY IN AND STRIKE THE BUILDING are part of "the conspiracy" too? (Since I know the big "truther" theory was that the Pentagon was shot with a missile and not hit with a plane, after all). Seriously, think about what the hell you're implying here: That a squad of some of the most ardent patriots this country produces is going to agree to kill thousands of Americans, and every single one of them are going to remain silent, as well as the ENTIRE CHAIN OF COMMAND from that "Squad" on up to the President of the United States would NEVER HAVE A LEAK. There are a whole lot of "steps" on the chain between a Marine demo team and the President (or even the Secdef or any other member of the civilian chain of command). Even the CIA and NSA keep records of their activities, and has people in it that would gladly and willingly risk their career to get this kind of "truth" out...if it existed... The real government/intelligence community doesn't operate like the movies. Lemme put it another way that the delusional conspiracy theorists don't like to think about: All of these conspiracy theories NEVER pass the common sense test. They require a huge group of people to act in a manner that we already know is contradictory to human nature: To have them all in complete agreement and never once have ANYONE stray from the path. Nevermind that these "conspiracy theories" have been around for decades and yet magically none of the predictions that spring from said theories have come to pass. I used to mostly be in your corner on a lot of issues, SP180, but if you honestly believe that the US government set up 9/11, you're nuts. Nevermind that you can not sit here and support anything ANY administration does without being a hypocrite, since if the government blew up the WTC, the current administration would have had to have been "in" on it, as well, since they're still covering it up. Beyond all that...what exactly was the purpose of the government blowing up the WTC? Near as I can tell, the long-run results were nearly bankrupting the country (or actually bankrupting the country depending on who you ask), thousands of dead military personnel, ruining the reputation of an entire presidential administration, and handing power over to the opposing party during midterm elections, paving the way for a very solid Democratic victory in the next Presidential election. The pendulum is probably swinging back the other way with this midterm election (as it almost always does), but if the WTC collapse was set up by the government (it was), I'd say there's no logical way to conclude that it succeeded in accomplishing their agenda.
  10. Oh god. I hate to admit it but I'm completely with you on this score, VH. Lemme put it this way: The level of pervasiveness and secrecy that would be required to pull off a conspiracy on the level that most "truthers" want to claim (and honestly, most conspiracy theorists in general) is so staggering that -I- would have to be part of it. I know Conspiracy theorists like to try to claim that it only takes a few people in a few key positions, but that's bullhockey. It would take thousands of people who are literally sociopathic and utterly devoted to "the cause" working together flawlessly in complete secrecy, and would leave a paper trail (or data trail) so big that if such a conspiracy actually existed, it WOULD have been irrefutably discovered by now. Someone with undeniable credibility would have blown the whistle by now. I know it's a big, scary world and some folks desperately want to have some singular "entity" to blame for all the worlds' ills, but the truth is that whatever messes we've found ourselves in are the results of ordinary people making ordinary mistakes that sometimes have extraordinary consequences, coupled with the natural problems that arise when a nation gets much larger and more diverse than anyone initially envisioned when it was founded and most of its governing principles established. Nevermind that if these "all powerful conspiracies" existed, they'd never have let the conspiracy theorists survive long enough to publish "the truth." But hey, it's a great marketing hook to be able to say "The government can't kill me because if they did it'd be proof that I'm right!"
  11. Superman and Batman aren't pegwarmers for DCUC by a long shot. They never really have been (at least not since the line was retooled from the all Superman/Batman "DC Heroes" line into "DC Universe Classics"). The figures in the DCUC lines that have pegwarmed to death are Blue Beetle and Booster Gold, Firestorm, Cyborg, and about half of the Darkseid wave. It seems like they go in "spurts" of "Two or three waves that are very scarce, then one wave that pegwarms for a year." But the issue with MotUC going retail is that yes, retailers would demand that they pack in more He-Man and Skeletor figures, or at the very least make them frequent repacks. MotUC works pretty well as it is right now. It's a niche line that's fared the most poorly of the "top 5" 80's nostalgia lines. Largely because of all the 80's nostalgia lines (for boys anyway) He-Man is by far seen as the silliest. MotUC is a great line, but while it could likely be a bit more heavily produced (not by too much though), I think it would pegwarm HARD at mass retail. Those MotU vs DC two packs aren't exactly flying off the shelves of my local TRU, that's for sure (though the first shipment or two sold well). As others have said, I think MotU's time has passed. I think the live-action movie is probably a pipe dream at this point that's going to be in "development hell" for so long that it'll lose all relevance as the fanbase moves on. Even if it does get made, it likely won't be any more faithful to its' 80's roots than Transformers or G.I. Joe was. It'll be about a new audience, not the old one. Besides, MotU already got what was probably one of the best attempts (outside of Transformers continual reinvention) at an "updated" cartoon with the 200X line. They improved on the story, action, and characters in almost every possible way while still remaining very true to their roots, but it didn't gain traction with kids so it got canned after months of leapfrogging around the Cartoon Network's schedule.
  12. Makes me more happy I forgot about Friday's sale when the time came to order. Kinda sad I missed out on Zodac, but I took the money I would have spent on Friday and got a Wun-Dar for a decent price instead. As for backwards shoulders...don't count on the reissue being fixed. The DCUC line has released Aquaman with reversed shoulders going on three times now (Original, Wal-Mart 2-pk, upcoming Aquaman vs. Mer-Man 2 pk)
  13. You're right, we should totally just let kids kill themselves and ignore bullying altogether. I mean it's just "kids being kids." Who cares if a few namby-pamby teenagers die because of it? Got to love your hypocrisy. You praise (in a sarcastic manner) Wheeljack for his "love of life" but refuse to see any tragedy whatsoever in a life being lost. "Real problems?" It must be nice to have such a tremendous amount of self-confidence that the opinions of others and the social environment you live in don't affect you in any way, shape or form. Personally, I think you're full of #$##. If you were living in a place where you were ridiculed virtually every day, you'd crack before long too. You might not kill yourself, but you'd be affected by it either way. Based on the facts that we have available, I think it would be utterly idiotic to claim this invasion of his privacy didn't play a key role in pushing him to suicide. And YES the fact that it was GAY internet sex is important, because in case you haven't noticed, Gay sex is still not considered the norm in society, and carries with it a pretty damn hefty social stigma (as perfectly well-evidenced by countless statements across this forum). If it had been with a girl, he'd likely be getting praised for it, not ridiculed. Trying to pretend like the homosexual aspects of the incident have no bearing on it whatsoever is ludicrous and utterly ignorant. Of course, ASSuming that it was "something else" is just your own version of jumping to conclusions, so congratulations on yet again being a hypocrite. Ravi and Wei DID commit "criminal behavior" so your analogy on that score falls flat on its' face. "Stupid dorm behavior" doesn't mean #$## to me from a legal or moral perspective, you're right. If that's your defense, let's just toss out the entire legal system on the "Gee I was just playing around" defense. I'm sure that'll go over well. Are they smart enough to realize what they were doing was criminal? Well let's see, they're attending one of the most prestigious universities in the country and were clearly smart enough to set up a remote internet feed and broadcast it. Yeah, I'd say they're probably smart enough to understand what they were doing was probably illegal. "Downright evil?" No, but quite possibly showing the same lack of empathy you yourself (and others) are so proud of? Quite likely, which renders the "moral consequences" VH claims should be their punishment moot. I never said I wasn't drawing conclusions. You can feel free to stop making your inaccurate "predictions" any time now...not that you will, being too stupid to have an intelligent debate based on FACTS. Which oddly enough is where my conclusions draw from. Feel free to answer these questions: What do you believe was the cause of Clementi's suicide? Is it your position then, that invasion of privacy is a sign of strong moral character? Bear in mind, any answer except "yes" at this point renders your counterpoint on this issue moot. And once again the hypocrisy: You claim to hold life in high regard...and then refuse to feel even a shred of empathy or sympathy when one of those lives is snuffed out. No, you tell yourself that you hold life in high regard, but you "talk the talk" without "walking the walk."
  14. See, the problem being that Mexico is a highly corrupt, third-world country that couldn't "learn to be more responsible" if we paid them to do it (lord knows we've tried). I think if more Americans were aware of just how bad Mexico is, they would A: Have a lot more understanding of why so many of them are desperate to get out and come to the US, and B: Simultaneously be way more in favor of stricter border controls. I wish I were joking when I say that it's entirely possible we'll see US military intervention in Mexico before we'll see any solution to the current immigration problems. There are only two ways to truly solve the illegal immigration from Mexico problem: 1. Make Mexico a place worth staying in. (Unlikely because it would require a huge investment of money, material, and possibly even military force that the US public would probably never support) or 2. Make the US a place not worth coming to. (which would involve cracking down hard on those that hire illegal immigrants...which will never happen because there are too many "middle class small business owners" included in those numbers and no politician is going to risk their career cracking down on those guys). So yeah...illegal immigrants not going to disappear anytime soon.
  15. Actually the cyber-bullying controversy started a good bit earlier, and really started gaining national prominence with the Phoebe Prince case, this is just another in a string of incidents that's being used to draw attention to the matter. I didn't say anything about "bashing" either. I said "lack of empathy" which you quite keenly demonstrate for us in your next statement: and Wheeljack is happy to jump on the bandwagon: I rest my case. Oh, I did mean just here. Where Viper Hunter in particular has made it perfectly clear that he believes there should be little to no legal (in the criminal sense) consequences for these kids whatsoever, and many of the others have been trying every argument they can to claim that this shouldn't/cannot be a "hate crime." Well, Clementi killed himself, so CLEARLY AND IRREFUTABLY he couldn't handle being "internet gay sex guy." The "two numbskulls pulling a prank" broadcast someone's intimate encounter without their knowledge or consent, so CLEARLY AND IRREFUTABLY their moral compass isn't exactly on the straight and narrow. What's YOUR interpretation of events that somehow turns the "numbskulls" into moral paragons and Clementi into a person of indomitable willpower and unconquerable self-confidence? I never once said it should be a manslaughter case, and in fact pointed out rather clearly that it is doubtful any prosecution could make that charge stick. What some folks don't seem to understand is that the Massachusetts state hate crime law has different standards than the federal hate crime law, standards which very well may allow it to apply in this case (causing the invasion of privacy charge to carry a stiffer penalty). Should it? I don't know, I haven't seen all the evidence, but clearly some prosecuters think there's a case there. For all the champions of "state rights" we have here (see: Arizona Immigration Law) you'd think they'd be all for Massachusetts applying their own hate crime law in this case. As someone else suggested above: Since "sex tapes" are so harmless, I challenge anyone who's holding that point of view to post their own without telling their partner they're doing it. Or better yet, post your neighbor's or friend's without their permission and see how they react. Or see how your partner reacts when they found out in the former case. Maybe they're all freaky exhibitionists like that, but I kind of doubt it. You also seem to lack a fundamental understanding of hate crime laws. Hate crime laws do not apply just because someone is a "member of a certain group." If they are targeted BECAUSE they are part of a certain group, THAT is when the law(s) potentially apply. The question in this case has become if Ravi and Wei targeted Clementi specifically because of their distaste for his sexual orientation. If the prosecution has enough evidence to prove that was the motive in the case, then yes, the hate crime law should apply. If Clementi's orientation was just a coincidence and it was really intended solely as a "prank" then it should not. Folks really need to do some basic research on hate crime laws before they try to discuss them. If you look at that link I provided above, you see that hate crimes are a VERY small segment of the overall crimes committed in the country, regardless of the ethnicity/religion/sexuality of the victim(s). They also protect the "traditional political majority" segments of the US society (White/Christian/Heterosexual), as the statistics provided above show. So guess what? They ARE "treated equally" by the law. It just so happens that "I hate white/Christian/heterosexual people" isn't all that often a driving force/motive for crimes committed against people that belong those groups. Not too surprising when you consider that they remain the political majority and the "accepted norm" within the nation. In other words, the majority of people committing crimes in the first place probably fall into one or more of those three categories themselves.
  16. Certain kids in every era are "very sensitive." Plenty of bullied kids probably committed suicide when you were growing up too. You just didn't hear about it on the evening news unless you happened to live in the same town. The "information age" was still in its' infancy when most of us were growing up. Nowadays the tools for both performing the bullying and reporting the results of it are vastly different. The effects, however, are the same. Not to mention that thanks to the "information age" a public humiliation can go from a small group of people to "worldwide" in an instant. I wish I could say I'm surprised at the ridiculous lack of empathy demonstrated towards the VICTIM here, but I'm not, really. Between his sexual orientation and many attitudes towards suicide, it's not really surprising. Suicide is never the right choice, but none of us here know the full extent of how badly this very public humiliation affected him. I doubt ANYONE here could take being "Gay Sex Internet Guy" at their school for four straight years (he was a freshman, right?) without cracking to some degree. Simply transferring to another school isn't really an option given that he was at Rutgers on a scholarship, and we don't know whether he or his family could afford to pay for that level of education out-of-pocket (Rutgers being considered one of the higher-class/more prestigious universities in the country). This could literally have been something that to his mind and present circumstances led him to believe that his life was ruined. In fact I'd say it's pretty clear it was. Everyone's too busy trying to figure out how the perpetrators should get off with a slap on the wrist and the prospect of a lawsuit. Oh and the "moral" consequences. Given what they've already done, I doubt they have much in the way of "morals" to be bothered by such a thing (though I'm sure they'll try to make a good show of it in public), so that's a wash. Nevermind that "moral consequences" shouldn't be a bar from punishment within the legal system because that's a slippery slope that rapidly leads to "no crimes should have legal penalties because the "moral consequences" should handle that for us." On the matter of "Hate Crimes" there seems to be some confusion. The Federal hate crime law does not apply in this case unless they can prove that the perpetrators wanted to drive him to suicide (doubtful at best). However there is a state hate-crime law that has different provisions (and is apparently one of the harshest in the country). -That- is the hate-crime law that they're trying to apply in this case (and could potentially double their sentences). Oh, and for some fun statistics: http://www.fbi.gov/u...a/table_01.html Some interesting things to note: Gays are not even close to the highest number of hate crimes, and there IS an "Anti-White" section under racial hatred and even an "Anti-Heterosexual" segment under sexual orientation.
  17. The only fool here is the person that claims he's "not bringing a negative association to homosexuality by comparing it to bestiality and pedophilia." There is absolutely no sane, logical, or reasonable excuse for the comparison EXCEPT to paint homosexuality in a negative light. The -other- fundamental aspect that you like to ignore until directly confronted with it (like the whole "one of these things involves consenting adults and the other two don't"), is that most sane people are capable of telling the difference between two consenting adults engaging in a behavior that doesn't harm them or anyone else, and people raping children and animals, thus the hypothetical scenario of pedophilia and bestiality becoming "accepted" because homosexuality becomes "accepted" is a ludicrous assertion. Plus, by claiming "marriage" as some sort of exclusive right between man and woman, you are again proving that you DON'T really believe in religious freedom in America. There are in fact churches and religions that do recognize gay marriages. Marriage isn't exclusive to Christianity, after all...so why should Christianity's view of marriage define it for a nation that espouses no state-established religion being forced upon its' people?
  18. I was always annoyed we didn't see the Z-95 in ROTS. It would've been perfect. As it is, I guess the Titanium versions are all we'll get. I've been toying with the idea of kitbashing one for a while now, but I don't know if I'll actually do it. That and the Tie Defender wouldn't be too impossible. The Z-95 Headhunter is actually far older than the Zahn trilogy. It was originally introduced in one of the Han Solo novels by Brian Daley (pretty good reads if you can find them)...published all the way back in 1979. It was further developed in the West End Games' Star Wars RPG...of which many of the sourcebooks where where Zahn did a lot of his research. Indeed, Zahn is often credited with "solidfying" many of the ships and concepts invented for the RPG as actual Star Wars canon (as much of any of the EU is, anyhow). Sadly, I doubt we'll ever get a figure-scale Z-95. It's simply too obscure to non-hardcore fans. The TIE Defender would be a more likely possibility, but even that is rapidly getting dated out of relevance as the X-Wing/TIE Fighter games get very long in the tooth. The E-Wing is another design I'd love to see in figure-scale, but I'd imagine the somewhat rare Action Fleet version is the closest we'll ever get.
  19. He doesn't deny the "born that way" theory. He just believes that they should be denied their "pursuit of happiness" and not be permitted the same rights and privileges as other people that engage in sexual relations with other consenting adults, which is the fundamental difference between homosexuality and the "other sexual behaviors" he likes to compare it to. A difference that he continually ignores in his efforts to paint homosexuality as dirty and evil.
  20. The next "big" vehicle will probably be another Clone Wars vehicle of some kind. For RotJ I'd bet they might (strong emphasis on MIGHT) re-release the BMF with General Lando and Nein Nunb and maybe a different sound chip that plays RotJ Death-Star raid sounds. Possibly an upgraded/updated B-Wing and TIE Interceptor. And maybe a re-release of the Sarlacc/Skiff, but nothing too significantly new. The Sail Barge is never going to happen. They wouldn't be able to make it big enough to really hold Jabba and a full entourage even at the "large vehicle size" they have now, so what's the point?
  21. It's the idiots like this who give their fellow Christians a bad name, but at least many of those fellow Christians (and others of other religions) are perfectly willing to call him on it.
  22. Ahh, the stench of hypocrisy. "We'll beat these filthy Muslim wannabe tyrants by forcibly imposing OUR belief system on them...because it's not wrong when it's the religion I support!" Nevermind the complete delusional idiocy of the statement. How easy do you think it is to convert unwilling people to any religion they don't wish to convert to? Hint: It's impossible without multiple generations of indoctrination and full-spectrum occupation of the lands in question. I kinda wonder where you're getting the manpower to invade and subjugate the entire Muslim world when the US can't even effectively police an area less than the size of Texas with the full spectrum of military power available to it? Don't forget we'll have to occupy every nation that allows Islam to even exist within it's borders even if it's not a "Muslim country" too. After all, if we don't stamp it out completely we're only leaving behind a breeding ground for more terrorism. Good luck trying to invade most of world along with those Arab nations. Of course, even attempting that course of action only justifies the fanatics' view of the United States, since it's doing exactly what they've accused us of doing (or wanting to do) for decades. If someone were to attempt this in the United States, they'd be dealing with a full fledged rebellion/revolution, but somehow simply "being the United States" justifies whatever tyrannical or oppressive action we might take? Way to completely miss the lessons of our Founding Fathers. Nevermind that you'll have to pitch the Constitution out of the window entirely simply to stamp Islam out within the United States itself, not to mention imposing the Christian theocracy you clearly believe the United States should be. You sir, have proven yourself no better than the fanatics you hate so much, you're just a different brand of the same bullshit. Congratulations.
  23. If anybody on this forum got elected President (myself included), they'd have lower approval ratings than G.W. Bush when he left office inside six months. No President operates in a vacuum, and if you don't have a 2/3rds majority of like-minded individuals in both the House and the Senate and a Supreme Court that's in-tune with your personal political views, you're not going to accomplish too much, to say nothing of the sweeping changes many of you propose here, many of which would do far more damage to the country than help it "solve" anything, and some of which would outright result in the destruction of the nation you claim to want to "help." Presidents do not make law. They can propose it, but it's up to the Senate to carry through on those proposals, and the Supreme Court to make sure those laws are in agreement with both the spirit and the letter of the Constitution.
  24. Wow. You DO know that Muslim does not automatically equal terrorist, don't you? And that Muslims being here (Muslims...not terrorists) is part of what makes America AMERICA? I think he's made it abundantly clear that he does consider all Muslims to be terrorists (at least all "true" Muslims).
  25. It should have been fine, actually. Buddhism is primarily a West-Asian religion more closely linked with India, China, Mongolia, and Tibet than Japan. Though I'm sure there would have been plenty of ignoramuses who don't see any difference between any religion practiced by Asians back then, and yes, there are some Buddhists in Japan. Shinto would likely be the religion you're thinking of. So what you're saying is we should betray the principles of our country and be just as bad as they are? Great solution, there. Do I think a Mosque should be opened at Ground Zero? No, not really Do I think they have a right to build one there? Yep, they do, and the law agrees with that.
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