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Posted on May 6 at 6:51 p.m.

This is what we in Goleta went through last year around the 4th of July. Power would go in and out, mostly out, no internet, Costco was dimly lit, people were desperately buying anything that wouldn't perish without refrigerators, outside the sky was black and you couldn't breathe the air without a mask. It looked like the world was ending. But 20 minutes away everyone was clapping away at the fireworks, good times were rolling. Now the situation is reversed but the reservoirs are dangerously low so it's probably worse. I've offered my place to people, I could have used a place last year so I know how much that means to people.

On Flames Approach Foothill Road

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Posted on March 17 at 5:07 p.m.

Meh, the police also ticket people for marijuana and jaywalking while letting the meth addicts roam free. Not kidding, my wife lived below some meth addicts, the cops knew about it, they drove 'em around one time and talked to them about what I don't know, meanwhile the meth heads stole everything from her and the cops did nothing in response, filed some papers ie nothing. I'm guessing they figure they aren't paid enough to deal with the tough problems thus they focus on the drunks and potheads, who wants to deal with a crazed meth head.

At least the cops helped me when a stalker was after me so they're not all bad. These brawls give them something to do, perhaps they'll focus less on petty crime and tackle the hard stuff... nahh.

As a side note, imagine if instead of being high on alcohol they were high on pot. Fighting would be the last thing on their minds, they'd get the munchies and help local businesses.

On Downtown Fight Results in Two Arrests

Posted on November 17 at 12:08 a.m.

"And in spite of this it's still overpriced, overcrowded, and the homeless live in the shadows of fear."

Yes it's a cesspit of liberal homosexuals here. You can do us a favor and leave if you hate it so much. Maybe you'll find a more hospitable environment in the wonderful suburbs of Dallas, Tx. That's right billclausen, you too can enjoy smog-infested republican Jesus-loving goodness with no planning commissions and beautiful unending suburban growth. Plus it's cheap with no pesky government wanting to control growth. Why stay in a place that irritates you? Texas(minus Austin) is waiting for people just like you.

On Conservative College Students Attend Leadership Conference

Posted on November 4 at 11:11 p.m.

This is the real deal, we are lucky to have such an authentic French restaurant in town. The people who work there are nice and they get excited if you speak French. As soon as I step in there I speak nothing but French and they don't laugh at me. Food sometimes takes a little time, this isn't fast food. I highly recommend the orange sauce flambé with Grand Marnier. Perfect for cold wintery days. They have the real deal Breton black wheat crêpes which they use for the non-sugary crêpes. And it's pronounced "crehps", not "crapes", they'll appreciate it if you pronounce it correctly, they take these things seriously.

On Pacific Crêpes

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Posted on October 14 at 1:07 a.m.

This is just another institution proclaiming something trying to be important and justify their government position.

I welcome a citation for having my well-behaved dog at an outside restaurant. I will post her cute picture everywhere and tell the story and she will be the mascot who will create a new law under her name allowing dogs in outdoor restaurants. Dogs are really popular here. This ain't gonna happen. It reminds me of the threat of disallowing dogs at the dog beach. Go ahead and try it. It will only outrage everyone and force community action. Sheriffs tried to enforce the leash law at Girsh park and actually cited a guy I know. So he showed that the park was (a) privately owned and (b) they allowed unleashed dogs, no more ticket. He's also on the board.

Don't mess with our dogs. We have lost too many freedoms with this "think about the children" mantra. What are the statistics of transmission of disease in SB due to bites? Exactly.

On Can I Have a Side of Kibble with My Soup?

Posted on October 13 at 10:07 p.m.

..having said that, all superstitious religions are fictitious, the ones we know about are popular because they were used by rulers to gain power. The other ones we call cults. Cults are just religions that the general population hasn't warmed up to thus they consider the beliefs weird. But they're all equally ridiculous. Should you believe in fairy tales to be a better person, and how reassuring is that if you're a grown adult that needs to believe in Santa Claus to be a good person.

Now not all religion is ridiculous. Buddhism (theravada) is at its core more like psychiatry, it provides a way out of suffering but doesn't make claims about the existence of gods. In fact Buddha ridiculed the prevalent gods of his day and rightly saw them as tools, as they always are, of control. And Buddha(not talking about the ones falsely attributed to him in later Buddhist sects) talked about the dangers of blind faith. In fact the beliefs were very similar to scientific beliefs, requiring proof before making a conclusion.

I do at least have respect for the abstract notion of a god such as in Vedanta. Those correlate to quantum theory conjecture such as multiverses. The idea of an abstract god behind everything doesn't refute science but says god is behind science, atom, everything in the universe. It doesn't talk about the earth being created 6,000 years ago, it doesn't try to fight science and deny evolution. That is at least pretty interesting stuff that says more than if you do X you go to hell, do Y you're in heaven.

So I am in no way anti-religion, in fact I love studying all of them. Every religion has its interesting parts, even Islam(sufism). If you think islam = hate you haven't seen sufism. If you read sufi poems you'll cry they're so damn beautiful.

On Religulous

Posted on October 13 at 9:53 p.m.

The bible is a fictitious book written hundreds of years after the supposed events occurred. If this isn't ridiculous(religulous), I don't know what is. (Yeah I know, the stuff you don't agree with is "parable")

http://lukeprog.com/religion/evil_bible_...
1. God drowns the whole earth.
2. God kills half a million people.
3. God slaughters all Egyptian firstborn.
4. God kills 14,000 people for complaining that God keeps killing them.
5. Genocide after genocide after genocide.
6. God kills 50,000 people for curiosity.
7. 3,000 Israelites killed for inventing a god.
8. Amorites destroyed by sword and God's rocks.
9. God burns two cities to death.
10. God has 42 children mauled by bears.
11. A tribe slaughtered and their virgins raped for not showing up at roll call.
12. 3,000 crushed to death.
13. A concubine raped and dismembered.
14. Child sacrifice.
15. God helps Samson kill 30 men because he lost a bet.
16. God demands you kill your wife and children for worshipping other gods.
17. God incinerates 51 men to make a point.
18. God kills a man for not impregnating his brother's wife.
19. God threatens forced cannibalism.
20. The coming slaughter.

On Religulous

Posted on October 8 at 11:50 p.m.

Marriage is stupid. If I really hated gay people I'd want them to get married so they can hate each other. It's just a stamp the government gives, it doesn't encourage anything. Young brides go nuts over it, then they sue their husbands for all they're worth. It makes gay people happy(more gay), they move here, pay more taxes. We have a budget crisis. It's not a moral issue. The world won't end. I've lived in countries with gay marriage, the world didn't end and gay people weren't forcing everyone to be gay. It's only a big deal if you choose to make it a big deal. Gay people exist in all societies, even Iran. They're born that way.

I don't think we should encourage one way or the other, just put that govt stamp on the marriage certificate and collect the money. Let the rest of us decide who we want to be with. I also have no problems with polygamy. I don't think we should get into people's private lives and legislate their behavior, preferences, etc. Get government out of the bedroom. We hear a lot about the evils of big government, but I've yet to see that followed to action.

Set up vending machines throughout the state selling those things for $1k/pop. Ka-ching.

On Yes on Proposition 8: Gay Marriage Deprives Some Children of a Mom or a Dad

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Posted on October 8 at 11:07 p.m.

Good foster parents are hard to find, and abuse sadly takes place. By allowing for gay marriage, there are more families to choose from when deciding on foster parents thus there's less probability of an abusive situation. As is, the state is forced at times to adopt to parents that are less than ideal. Two male incomes = lots of money, combine that with love and you have a better situation than some kid thrown in a trailer and abused while living in poverty. Some foster children are killed by their foster parents, even in our neck of the woods:

http://www.ksby.com/Global/story.asp?S=8...
Santa Maria woman arrested for alleged murder of 3-year-old foster child

On Yes on Proposition 8: Gay Marriage Deprives Some Children of a Mom or a Dad

Posted on September 23 at 12:31 a.m.

Having said all that, I think McCain TP is in bad taste and I wouldn't purchase it. This TP moves everyone away from the issues and it offends, it doesn't add anything to the discussion. We just wasted time discussing toilet paper. How about this bailout package, war in Iraq, health care, lobbyists, taxation, tax cuts, deficit. The presidential election shouldn't be a high school popularity contest. Remember when we heard how Al Gore wasn't charismatic enough, now that the dem nominee is charismatic, he's a Britney Spears celebrity.

BS, how about the friggin' issues. It's easy to sit around like old maids and gossip, how about researching each candidate's position then debating intelligently.

On Artist Wants Liberals to Turn Other Cheek on McCain