Takoma Park is a very cool place and, if you are referring to the Gus that I think you are referring to, is blessed with having a very illustrious resident like him. Of course, the whole crime thing isn't so great, what with that stabbing out in front of my house and all. But hey, it's got a library and festivals and a parade... not to mention its own local cultural color. It even has its very own Metro station, which is a major plus and my lifeline to DC and Rockville.
I'm in favor of petitioning Hollywood to restrict not only movie titles like "Iron Monkey," but also movies about iron monkeys, simian monkeys (ummm... redundant?) and monkeys in general.
Yay for robots!
10.13.2001
posted by Anonymous @ 2:29:00 PM
10.12.2001
Nick's Advice of the Day: "When in trouble, don't sit and pout; run in circles, scream and shout." ~ Heinlein, The Cat Who Walks Through Walls
Also, some robots.
Also, some robots.
posted by Anonymous @ 9:50:00 PM
No, I hated Takoma, too. I believe I would have been better educated and much happier having gone to another school, as well.
I'm not so sure Joe. With the new case in New York and the infected package in Nevada... all signs point to some sort foul play. Whether they are related to international terrorism or not... who knows. I seriously hope not, but I have a sneaking suspicion that there is some sort of connection.
I'm not so sure Joe. With the new case in New York and the infected package in Nevada... all signs point to some sort foul play. Whether they are related to international terrorism or not... who knows. I seriously hope not, but I have a sneaking suspicion that there is some sort of connection.
posted by Anonymous @ 7:58:00 PM
10.11.2001
A word from a former Takoma Park MS student: EASTERN SUCKS!
(Come on! Deb? Tara? Join in the Eastern bashing!)
(Come on! Deb? Tara? Join in the Eastern bashing!)
posted by Anonymous @ 9:56:00 PM
10.10.2001
There shouldn't be such emotionally-charged contention on the Bivalve Blog. Let there be peace in Bivalvia! There's so little peace in out there in the world today, which is all the more why there should be peace in our little microcosm. Maybe we should argue without using incendiary language? This is an issue that reasonable people can disagree over, and we're all reasonable people. I think.
Also, some robots.
Also, some robots.
posted by Anonymous @ 11:17:00 PM
Your momma is a darn lie!
posted by Anonymous @ 6:21:00 PM
Looks like we're stuck between a robot and a hard place.
Also, some robots.
Also, some robots.
posted by Anonymous @ 11:57:00 AM
10.08.2001
Also, some robots.
posted by Sharon @ 11:41:00 PM
I've been sitting on my views on this for too long now. Something has to come out. And if it's the blasphemy of a lapsed Quaker, well, I'm sorry; I can't believe in complete pacifism anymore. *sigh* So what if my mom is close to disowning me....
I believe if such a thing as necessary war exists, we are looking at it in our time. Current intelligence indicates that bin Laden's people do not have nuclear weapons, although they may be only a few months away from acquiring the technology; it's very difficult to say. The grim reality of this situation is that, if that technology had been available to the terrorists on the 11th, we might not be having this discussion now. Even so, we're still looking at a possible biochemical attack in the near future (or present- they're still investigating that). I hate to sound panicky, I particularly hate to sound like a warmonger, but there are some things I Know to be true through all of this, and, if they set me against my mother and, well, the vast majority of you, then so be it.
I know this post will make it sound like I want war. Please know that I don't want war. I'm just hopeful that, if we work smartly and thoroughly, we'll be able to find peace - because it's not going to find us on its own.
I believe if such a thing as necessary war exists, we are looking at it in our time. Current intelligence indicates that bin Laden's people do not have nuclear weapons, although they may be only a few months away from acquiring the technology; it's very difficult to say. The grim reality of this situation is that, if that technology had been available to the terrorists on the 11th, we might not be having this discussion now. Even so, we're still looking at a possible biochemical attack in the near future (or present- they're still investigating that). I hate to sound panicky, I particularly hate to sound like a warmonger, but there are some things I Know to be true through all of this, and, if they set me against my mother and, well, the vast majority of you, then so be it.
- Communication is not an option.
This is the most difficult realization for me, because, like all of us, I understand that communication is the first step, the foundation, of mutual understanding and co-existence. We could communicate with the Soviets. No matter how close we came to disaster, we could always step back to that essential thing we had in common, which allowed us to negotiate: Neither one of us wanted to die in a nuclear attack. There's nothing like that to ground us this time. There's nothing to negotiate, nothing to discuss. What demands of theirs could we possibly meet, when they demand nothing less than the end of our way of life? What could we possibly give them, other than our deaths? What is there to keep us from crisis, when we don't even have in common an appreciation for the power and preciousness of life? There's no diplomacy to be had when the other guy wants you dead and doesn't care what he loses in the process. Our options are therefore: military action, and inaction. - We lose nothing in the acting.
The terrorists want us dead. After we respond to the attacks, and the smoke clears, they will still...want us dead. If we inflame their hatred with our military action, they will be no more likely to threaten our lives. Our hope, obviously, is that they will be less. Which brings me to... - We must limit the terrorists' destructive ability.
The strength of hatred of these men is not dependent on anything we do or do not do. What is dependent - and this goes to the very heart of why our response is a necessary thing - is their capacity to hurt us. We owe it to our people to do everything we can to limit the group's organization, to cut off its cash flow and political support, disrupt its operations in every way, so as to render it harmless to us. Since there's no communicating to be done, we can do nothing about the hate in these men's hearts; we can do everything about the strength of their arms. And, if you're thinking, "Well, if they still hate us, they'll only flare up again," there's nothing to be done about that; we're just going to have to be relentless, and resigned to a long struggle.
I know this post will make it sound like I want war. Please know that I don't want war. I'm just hopeful that, if we work smartly and thoroughly, we'll be able to find peace - because it's not going to find us on its own.
posted by Sharon @ 11:39:00 PM
Or they could just burn everything in sight. In truth, there isn't much to burn. Lots of moutains and such.
posted by Anonymous @ 9:49:00 PM
Duh! The obvious thing to do would be to send a herd of killer robots into Afghanistan to... deal with bin Laden and his cronies. While they're at it, they could take out the Taliban, too. And maybe spruce the country up a bit, plant a few trees and the like.
posted by Anonymous @ 9:44:00 PM
My mother is a robot.
posted by Anonymous @ 9:39:00 PM
Ack! Must resist arguing! Noooo....
What happens while we sit around thinking and talking about it? Will we talk about it for so long that we end up doing nothing at all? Then what? Do we return to normal life, only to have it disrupted again somewhere down the line by another attack? Then what? Do we talk about it again? But perhaps you are right, we do need to think about other options. War stinks; I'm open to ideas. Anyone?
Yay robots!
What happens while we sit around thinking and talking about it? Will we talk about it for so long that we end up doing nothing at all? Then what? Do we return to normal life, only to have it disrupted again somewhere down the line by another attack? Then what? Do we talk about it again? But perhaps you are right, we do need to think about other options. War stinks; I'm open to ideas. Anyone?
Yay robots!
posted by Anonymous @ 9:29:00 PM
If we attack, we get attacked again. If we don't attack, we get attacked again. AHHHHH! Anyone up for moving to Mars? I hear real estate is quite cheap over there.
posted by Anonymous @ 9:22:00 PM
The robots are coming! The robots are coming! Quick, head for the hills! They're coming to steal our children and ravage our wives (though I'm not sure how that's physically possible). They're coming to burn our homes with their deadly laser beams and destroy our crops with their sonic decimators! (A sonic decimator is a type of weapon that uses powerful sound waves to destroy stuff. A robot can stand in the middle of a corn field and fire the decimator, which sends a deadly sound wave out in all directions, leveling the field in seconds. They're really cool looking, too.) The robots are coming! The robots are coming!
posted by Anonymous @ 9:06:00 PM
While I wish that war were unnecessary, I have yet to hear of any viable alternative courses of action. If we sit on our hands and do nothing, we will simply be attacked again. If we do as bin Laden demands, we send a message that terrorism is acceptable. Through targeted military action, we not only show the world that America will not tolerate terrorism, we also come closer to eliminating the terrorist threat. And what else can we do? There can be no negotiation, there can be no peaceful resolution, there can be no inaction. As much as I hate it, there is nothing else that can be done. Sometimes, war is necessary in order to assure peace. We can dream of, and strive for, a world in which every conflict can be resolved through peaceful means. But that world does not exist today. Nor do I expect it to exist tomorrow.
posted by Anonymous @ 8:57:00 PM