Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/

[B <beeline AT mindspring.com>]

'Lo, I'networkers! I just finished a marathon session reading all of my 
unread list emails for the past two months, an opportunity brought to me by a 
nasty headcold that has left me with no ability to really *think*, 
ifyouknowwhatImean. But talkative. Sorry.

This session did not include every email passing to the list since Jan 1, but 
pretty close: I cherry-picked during the past busy couple of months, leaving 
followup threads for later....  Now, in no particular order....

... The discussion about the so-called Internet cannibal in Germany charged 
with "manslaughter" <chuckle> and the accompanying oblique references to mad 
cow disease pulled this small haiku from my fevered brain:

     nuts, fruits, seeds and eggs
     the unborn are all fair game
     but don't eat your own

hummmm....

... I already read the Marriage thread that Diana started, and must agree 
that it was a great thread. I think that if two people love each other and 
want to commit to each other, society should support their decision as there 
is nothing quite so sad as love thwarted and no one quite so unstable as a 
person *forced* to face life alone. Prayers for marriage aside....

... And, Phil, as for a tie-in to the the ever-present privacy/rights issues, 
what could possibly be more private or personal than how one chooses to build 
one's household and who one accepts into it? [You said: "Looking at this list 
as a microcosm of overall sentiment, we can see that the issue of Gay 
marriage is more important to most people than the issue of whether or not we 
live in a police state, and whether or not the Bill of Rights is going to 
continue to be whittled away, bit by bit, until it's all gone."] ...

... Veep Chaney has an openly lesbian daughter (and consider the so-called 
"Log Cabin Republicans"), so really there are no firm and fast rules about 
who should feel what about social constructs such as marriage....

... Gay unions lead to poligamy, polyandry, and polyamory, like sex ed leads 
to sexually active teens?...  (Perhaps giving minorities the vote led to 
female suffrage.... Danger Will Robinson!)... I know a couple where he's 
probably sincere but she's probably just looking for a passport to 
citizenship, we'll know in a year.... "Simply divorce"? Having been through 
that let me tell you that there's nothing really simple about divorce....

... lib/conserv and flame wars on Our List? Wha'!? Shocked, shocked! A 
conservative shows up and says he's gonna speak out? Oh Tom Woods, I'm glad 
your gonna stay and play, as conservatives are not nearly as rare as once 
thought.... D'ya think the primates at the zoo aren't amused by the hairless 
apes standing on the concrete?...

The emotional whirlpool whipped up by 9-11 has not yet settled, so most of 
those (of us) who were formerly quite comfortable in their (our) 
conservative/liberal skins are still checking out their (our) new and 
improved vision of the universe. ... Don't pigeonhole I'networkers: I call 
myself "conservative" when it comes to defending the shores of my country and 
the tenants that I understand form this country's basic philosophy, yet I am 
a card-carrying, ACLU "liberal" when it comes to how I want the government to 
treat its citizens. I think. The definitions are becoming amorphous, or it 
may be my poor head that's fuzzin' out....

Me? Christian? Absolutely. Religious? No longer: there's simply too much 
emotionalism in today's churches for _this_ bluestocking (that's a pre-nerd 
female nerd, BTW). I believe God gave us our senses, our brains, and our 
intellect for use rather than just for show. But I certainly don't require 
those who whip themselves into a religious frenzy and reach for the 
'lectricity of the Lord every Sunday to take an hour a week to sit quietly 
and contemplate the beauty and logic of the universe with me, from my fallen 
cedar tree atop a certain nearby wooded knoll....

... Will I go see The Mel's film? No. I don't do The Violence. Besides, I 
read The Book....
... (<snork>... The Passion of The Dilbert. ... )

And then there was the current events politics thread, introduced by council 
consort Paul Jones:
> http://www.presidentmatch.com/Main.jsp2?cp=main
> to match yourself with a candidate for president. my students were shocked 
> at the candidate that was picked for them based on their answers. i on the 
> otherhand rigged my answers and got bush at 100%

Paul, you missed a good opportunity to add a hearty 
<evil>BRRAHAHAHAHA!!!</evil> to our day. Never mind, those of us who read 
minds heard it. (*Lie* to those nosy old pollsters, dahlin'....) I'd wrap it 
all up nicely and tell you the stats from the posts but... sniffff... the 
cold meds... ahchooo.... never real good at stats anyway, much better with 
anecdotes.

One thing bears repeating: Democrats, put April 17 on your calendar, and 
collect some like-minded friends (register them 25 days before the election 
so they can vote). Unfortunately, Diana, these caucuses won't be like those 
in Iowa - you'll just fill out a piece of paper and leave. ...If one were 
conspiracy minded, one could mutter darkly about the way the redistricting 
imbroglios are confusing the whole election process this year....

... Shea (and > TaB):

>> It will be an interesting year.
> Oh, it certainly will be, that is for sure.

Yes, we are roundly cursed, Chinese style....

... The Stork Video Rocked! ...  condos in carrboro seek high speed access 
... Web Dev overview wanted [RTF(3rdparty)M] ... tech info ... more tech info 
... save our bbq, yeah! ... Howard D. may be out, but the Internet is only 
stronger for his having run! Can't ignore that kind of money... privacy 
issues (whatever happened to jack booted thugs?) ... tech help ...  will i 
remember the tie-ins to these comments tomorrow? prob'ly not... ... ...

...calling 911 ...  stomach virus, ugh ... "mandatory military service" and 
"perks" - hummm ... the polygamist who got busted was busted for welfare 
fraud, I believe ... alcoholic beverage recipe ... hacked snow closings ... 
SpyBot (My Hero!) ... 

<yawn>

... There were a lot of "snow here" posts.... what d'ya call a 4-wheel drive 
with snow tires on ice? a sled.... <tease>learned Tom Boucher is a 
misanthrope ("I hate most people....")</tease>.... 

... Dave M, I admire your ability to blithly chum the shark-infested waters 
that you're standing in....
... Steve B, Now I know who to call if I need a theremin player....
... Rah! Rock 'n' roll!...
... G'night....

"B"

==
People who did it but don't any more should be the very last ones in line to 
regulate it, right behind those who do it all the time. 
==