Friend in Trouble

[Jazzersize]

Just got out of my bud's preliminary hearing. The worst charges, attempted murder and assault have been dropped. His max possible sentence is five years. His defense was in attendance. I did the ol' phone to the ear casually wandering routine and followed them around as they discussed what actually happened.

He fired BBs at a cop. The cop didn't get hit. They struck a tree near him. He didn't return fire because he knew he wasn't actually in danger for his life, but being the typical lying pig he accused my friend of trying to kill him.

Yeah, amazingly stupid of him, I know, and he's lucky he didn't get shot, but it's quite a relief. Looks like he won't be doing any time. He's probably going to have to wear an ankle transmitter, though.

The worst ppart for him is the fact that I'll never let this drop. I'm going to be calling him Cop Killer for a long, long time.

[IndiReloaded]

The country's ****ed up because it's divided and nobody wants to put on their big boy pants and work together for mutual benefit.

Life--real life, not make-believe complacent bullshit life--is a series of tough choices. You aren't going to steer the country to a better course by voting for some fringe asshole or from abstaining altogether. It's going to take more than that. Voting for the guy who might actually win and who helps your cause so that maybe someday down the road that fringe asshole who represents your beliefs actually does have a shot, well, that might just be a worthwhile endeavor. However, voting is only a tiny piece of the process. If we want a better country it's going to take more than a brief surge of political interest every four years. A whole hell of a lot more.

If you don't want to vote, fine. Don't vote. I really don't give a flying ****. And if you want to vote Nader, Perot, or whoever, well, you aren't really voting there, either. You're basically walking down to the polling station to officially state that you're abstaining from participating in the election process.

To be honest I doubt I'll be voting with the good of my country in mind any longer. Fact is, I don't give a shit about the good of my country. Who wants to give ME tax cuts? Who wants to make MY life easier? That's who will be getting my vote. I now belong to the **** You All party. Why would I want a better country for impotent cowards on the one hand and homophobic bible thumpers on the other? Me and mine, that's all that matters. Everyone else can ****ing die. Two candidates I despise, but one of them in office benefits ME slightly more than the other. That's who gets my vote, evil or not.

If I did still give two shits in hell I'd say we need to take a note from our forefathers. Our strength lies in unity, hence the goddamn name of the goddamn country. Join or die. Work together or die. That's the tough call right there, and considering we couldn't even pull it together long enough to save our credit rating I'd say that choice has been made. So **** it all.

Damn, I just saw this post. Hell, ****ing yes, Grib. If I could thank THIS post a thousand times I would. BTW, insert [organization of choice] for 'country' and you'e got a thesis. This applies to every damn 'working' (whinging) committee too. Its scaled up all the way to the Head of State. What I bolded needs to be said more often by those 'in charge'. Which includes the tenured, job-secure that I work with who can well afford to finally stand up and say "**** you, listen THIS is what we are going to do..." stop the CYA and get real. Or [gasp!] REWARD those brave souls.

If more of that happened, I actually think the financial crisis would have been much less. FWIW.

[misombra]

Quote Originally Posted by Jazzersize View Post
A vote for a third party isn't a vote at all.

i know i'm drudging up old shit but i just wanted to say, instead of blaming those of us who are "throwing our vote away" by not voting the "lesser of two evils," maybe you should focus your blame on those ~50% people who don't vote at all.

[Mish]

This isn't some low class idiot out of Compton. He's from Potomac Maryland, an affluent neighborhood. He's educated and smart but goofy. I'm just kind of shocked and sad. He rode his motorcycle with me for three weeks, all the way to Wyoming. During the trip he became the closest thing to a best friend I've ever had. We risked our lives together, we fought back to back, he goaded me into free-climbing in Yellowstone above deep ravine, in Ohio we crashed a college party and lured two girls into cheating on their boyfriends (the cause of the aforementioned fight). For three weeks we lived on the road. I thought I knew him, but I guess not.

I've known one guy for 15 years, in the end it turned out I didn't know him at all. I guess, sometime we project on people how we ourselves want them to be instead of how they really are.

[Jazzersize]

Quote Originally Posted by Jazzersize View Post
A vote for a third party isn't a vote at all.

i know i'm drudging up old shit but i just wanted to say, instead of blaming those of us who are "throwing our vote away" by not voting the "lesser of two evils," maybe you should focus your blame on those ~50% people who don't vote at all.

I lump both into the same category. A vote for a third party isn't a vote at all. You may as well sit at home doing nothing but bitching about how shitty the government is.

[misombra]

then you better be getting a couple of your friends to vote for the lesser of two evils to cancel out my thrown away vote.

[Jazzersize]

That's fine. If you'd rather make it easier on the candidate who supports the fewest of your ideals go for it.

[IndiReloaded]

The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter.

- W. Churchill, I love his stuff.

Another favourite (there are so many tho):

You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life.

[misombra]

That's fine. If you'd rather make it easier on the candidate who supports the fewest of your ideals go for it.

well, you'd have to live with them too.

[misombra]

Just got out of my bud's preliminary hearing. The worst charges, attempted murder and assault have been dropped. His max possible sentence is five years. His defense was in attendance. I did the ol' phone to the ear casually wandering routine and followed them around as they discussed what actually happened.

He fired BBs at a cop. The cop didn't get hit. They struck a tree near him. He didn't return fire because he knew he wasn't actually in danger for his life, but being the typical lying pig he accused my friend of trying to kill him.

Yeah, amazingly stupid of him, I know, and he's lucky he didn't get shot, but it's quite a relief. Looks like he won't be doing any time. He's probably going to have to wear an ankle transmitter, though.

The worst ppart for him is the fact that I'll never let this drop. I'm going to be calling him Cop Killer for a long, long time.

i just now read this story. this is great haha. a man after my own heart. if you don't want to be his friend i'll take him.