The Case Against Hillary Clinton (Part 3)

The Case Against Hillary Clinton (Part 3):

GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING on this one, folks.

Trying to find the tamest links, but the darkest things you don't dare imagine are associated with the Clintons...


Bill Clinton's black son was in foster care while his dad was president:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3833298/The-black-man-claiming-Bill-Clinton-s-love-child-likens-treatment-former-couple-child-master-SLAVE-banished-wife-Hillary-Clinton.html


Chelsea Clinton is actual the daughter of Webster Hubbell:

http://govtslaves.info/the-clintons-greatest-shame-chelsea-clinton-is-the-biological-daughter-of-webb-hubbell/


Hillary's chief aide Huma Abedin married Athony Weiner:

http://nypost.com/tag/anthony-weiner/


Huma Abedin's mother is anti-feminist and pro-FGM:

http://nypost.com/2016/08/21/huma-abedin-worked-at-a-radical-muslim-journal-for-10-years/


Clintons flew to island owned by convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Epstein


Occult cannibalism? Witchcraft? They want you for dinner!

http://www.inquisitr.com/3680059/what-is-spirit-cooking-inside-the-bizarre-theory-claiming-hillary-clinton-and-john-podesta-participated-in-a-satanic-ritual/


Links to former posts:

http://astralspirit.blogspot.com/2016/10/the-case-against-hillary-clinton.html

http://astralspirit.blogspot.com/2016/10/the-case-against-hillary-clinton-part-2.html


"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil
is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke

The case against Hillary Clinton (Part 2)

The case against Hillary Clinton (Part 2):

Hillary Clinton is under active investigation by the FBI.

If elected, and not immediately impeached, she will be the most compromised and blackmail-able Commander-in-Chief we have had, including her husband (impeached for lying under oath to cover-up Monica), Nixon (would a Clinton resign over a Watergate equivalent scandal today?) or Andrew Johnson (impeached in 1868 and only one vote shy from being removed from office).

Here is another list of felonies committed by Hillary. I could probably make lists every day before the election. I may have to.

Please like/forward/whatever this to concerned citizens.

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil
is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke


Mass resignations from FBI over Hillary emails coverup
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-10-30/why-comey-broke-stack-resignation-letters-furious-fbi-agents

100 incriminating emails leaked by WikiLeaks
http://www.mostdamagingwikileaks.com/

Sudden deaths and 'suicides' in the Clinton Body-Count
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/RANCHO/POLITICS/BODIES.php#axzz4OgmjnSki

Hillary illegally coordinating with Super-Packs using Donald Duck!?!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEQvsK5w-jY

Hillary & Stan Lee violating election laws. I myself uploaded this in 2007!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkuguEJPMK0

All the ones from Part 1:
http://astralspirit.blogspot.com/2016/10/the-case-against-hillary-clinton.html

The case against Hillary Clinton

The case against Hillary Clinton:

Wading through the dozens of scandals that have been surrounding the Clintons for decades, I have compiled some of the worst of the worst. Any ONE of these would immediately disqualify (or imprison) someone running for office, but rules are for mortals, right?


Stealing the Democratic nomination from Bernie Sanders:
http://observer.com/2016/07/wikileaks-proves-primary-was-rigged-dnc-undermined-democracy/

Seth Rich murdered (wallet/watch not stolen), likely leaked DNC info:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/08/10/assange-implies-murdered-dnc-staffer-was-wikileaks-source.html


Secretary of State Hillary Clinton supported Libyan rebels, destroyed country:
http://www.democracynow.org/2016/3/3/the_libya_gamble_inside_hillary_clinton

Hillary Clinton Armed ISIS:
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/441008/wikileaks-hillary-clinton-isis-memo-plan-arm-syrian-rebels


Clinton Foundation scandals- conflicts of interest and foreign influence:
http://observer.com/2016/08/the-six-clinton-foundation-scandals-everyone-needs-to-know/

Clinton Foundation paid by Russians to secure uranium mining:
http://www.weeklystandard.com/hillarys-russia-connection/article/2004790


Overview of Hillary private email server:
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/09/hillary-clinton-emails-2016-server-state-department-fbi-214307

Clinton private email Felonies:
http://dailycaller.com/2016/04/06/any-one-of-these-four-laws-could-put-hillary-aides-in-jail/

FBI investigation of server (mass corruption):
https://sharylattkisson.com/the-clearest-no-spin-summary-of-fbi-report-on-hillary-clinton-email/


Some of the many scandals from the 1990's:
http://www.wnd.com/2015/05/here-they-are-hillarys-22-biggest-scandals-ever/


Intimidating Clinton rape victims:
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/430081/she-threatened-me-juanita-broaddrick-hillarys-role-covering-bill-clinton

Laughing at child rape victim:
https://thefederalist.com/2016/10/11/rape-victim-hillary-clinton-laughed-blamed-getting-raped/

Wheel of Time TV series! Hope they call it: The Dragon Reborn

WoT TV series may happen after all! After Game of Thrones (based off A Song of Ice and Fire) and The Shannara Chronicles (based off Elfstones of Shannara), I really hope to see more epic fantasy serialized.

Been tinkering with ideas on how this series would work. They would likely drop a lot of story-lines (like Perrin's) and characters (hopefully NOT Perrin). The whole series takes place over three years or less, and I'm very sure that they would try to have it go much longer (kids in Game of Thrones are adults by now).

Anyway, I envision a seven season, ten episodes per season show called THE DRAGON REBORN to look something like this:

*SPOILERS!*(duh)

Season 1:  Book 1 (The Eye of the World). This book covers a lot of ground, quite literally. Works out to be one town per episode. Give Perrin/Egwene chapters separate episodes, so viewers get used to not seeing Rand every time.

Season 2: Prequel, Books 2-3 (New Spring, The Great Hunt, The Dragon Reborn). Two episodes for NS as a secondary jumping on point; then 4 for TGH and 4 for TDR. More expensive special effects and growing cast, but no wars yet.

Season 3: Books 4-5 (The Shadow Rising, Fires of Heaven). 5 episodes each. Massive tonal shift with the Aiel, and huge battle scenes. Also has several 'deaths' in season finale. Who kills Asmodean?

Season 4: Books 6-8 (Lord of Chaos, A Crown of Swords, The Path of Daggers). 4 episodes for LOC, 3 for ACOS, and 3 for TPOD. Series starts slowing down here, so more books per season to compensate. Season finale has the only real hot war with the Seanchan.

Season 5: Books 9-11 (Winter's Heart, Crossroads of Twilight, Knife of Dreams). 4 episodes for WH, 2 for COT, and 4 for KOD. Last Robert Jordan books here, I expect the series to drift away a bit from the source material ala Game of Thrones. Hopefully Perrin will be searching for his wife for less than a season.

Season 6: Books 12-13(The Gathering Storm, Towers of Midnight). 5 episodes each. Brandon Sanderson really picks up the pace here, and we finally get payoffs that I want to see expanded upon.

Season 7: Book 14 (A Memory of Light). 10 episodes devoted to the Last Battle. Sanderson was sprinting through plotlines to finish off this series, but here I want to really do full justice to them and mine every note Robert Jordan scribbled down. I want to see fighting in the Ways, Seanchan civil war, troubles in Shara, etc. I desperately want a scene with all the Two Rivers boys together. Lets stick the landing on this series, and present its ultimate incarnation.

And that's it. I've been tinkering with what chapters would correspond to which episodes, but this is the gist of it. I desperately hope that this show gets the freedom, budget, and love that it so desperately deserves.

I would watch and love every episode, even if one is titled 'Crossroads of Twilight' *sigh*.

Foolish Quotes

Modern politics:


"You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time." ― Abraham Lincoln


“Any fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius-and a lot of courage-to move in the opposite direction.” ― Albert Einstein


 “It's easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.” ― Mark Twain

My Scantron Election Ballot

Almost every american has attended some form of education that required them to take a test where they filled in little bubbles for the correct answer. Why is it that the ultimate multiple-choice test of democracy, voting day, we the people thousands of weird and obfuscated ballots and voting machines?

Why not just fill out a scantron ballot?

Its a physical ballot that can be (very) quickly counted electronically or tabulated in person. Each ballot can be uniquely encoded so that a person can double check their results online but maintain the secret ballot. Anyone who's taken a test is familiar with the format of A/B/C/D/E. Its just so obvious! And cheap! And hard to defraud!

Primaries and General Elections Concurrent

Sadly, for much of the United States, one party dominates most of the elected offices. So the only real races are in the primaries... and those have really low turnouts. That just reinforces the notions that elections aren't important.

My solution is to hold primaries and general elections at the same time!

Your first vote would be for which party you want to see in power (for that seat: R/D/L/G/X). Then you vote for a specific candidates name for each party! Yes, I think people should be permitted to vote for candidates in all parties. I think a maximum of five per party (maybe more if they have enough signatures) would be more than enough. I think the order listed should be by number of signatures, since, sadly, most voters would just tick off the first one (if any). That's why the first vote is for party, that's all that many voters are aware of. It would look something like this:

Select Favored Party: Whig, Democrat, Republican

Select Favored Whig Candidate: John Quincy Adams, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler
Select Favored Democrat Candidate: Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, James K. Polk
Select Favored Republican Candidate: Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, James A. Garfield



Splitting party and candidate votes means that, if in your heart of hearts you want the Green Party to win, you can still pick the greenest Democrats (and Republican!) and have a significant impact on the election. Or if you like your party, but can't stand the incumbent, you can toss them out but keep the seat.

This could be done with offices with more than one seat, like a state with 10 seats in the House of Representatives. Party seats would be awarded proportionally. If Democrats won 53% of the vote, then the top five vote-getters (rounding down) from their slate would get seated. If Republicans got 39%, then they would still get three, because they didn't break the voting threshold. Third parties, likely Libertarians and Green Party, would get one each. Unfair, you say? Not so! Everyone gets a say in each party primary! And normally, if every district got 53%, then all of the seats would go to Democrats. These days it is nigh impossible for a third party to eek out a plurality in any one area. This way all the Libertarians in a state can vote for their party (perhaps getting enough % in larger states to get a seat or two) AND still select their favored candidates from the major parties. Much more democratic and representative.

1 seat (7 states): Won by party with most votes, obviously.
2 seats (5 states): One for each of the top two parties.
3 seats (5 states): Second seat for top party if >50% (not hard), otherwise 3rd party.
4 seats (3 states): Two for top party (3 if >75%), and 1 each for 2nd and 3rd parties.
5 seats (4 states): Two for top two parties (3 if >60%), 1 for top 3rd party.

That's half the states, with a maximum of 12 (of 64) seats going to 3rd parties. California, with 52 seats would give out one seat per 2%. Several 3rd parties seated, some might get two!. Big ballot though. That's probably about 40 seats total going to 3rd parties, or about 9% (of 435) total. Which, considering all the citizens that are now independents, seems about right.

The effects of this would be hard to anticipate. Candidates from the same party would have to team up and promote the platform (Vote for R, we're conservatives!) while also promoting themselves ahead of each other (I'm the real conservative, not them!).

Party conventions would be much more important, because the platform would be all that they can agree on. And each candidate would try to hold themselves up as the purest example of that model. Or not, depending on the strategy. Blue Republicans and Red Democrats might very well pop up as spoiler candidates (not enough D's to take the seat, so they all pick the same R).

But our current system of picking the popular candidate just because they are popular (in both primaries and the general elections) just seems so shallow. The lesser evils keep winning, and incumbents stay in because they're the devil you know (to mix my metaphors).

12-year term limits for National Office

People stay in office way too long. Over a hundred members have served for more than thirty-five years, forty members of Congress have served at least FORTY YEARS in their seats, with half a dozen over FIFTY years.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_members_of_the_United_States_Congress_by_longevity_of_service

Citizens born after they were first elected can have grandchildren in that amount of time.

Likewise, more than a dozen Supreme Court Justices have been in office more than thirty years, with William O. Douglas lasting more than 36! Way, way too long.

Conversely, Presidents (i.e. POTUS) are only elected twice before term limits kick in. This means that for half the time they are in office, they are unaccountable directly to voters. HALF! Think back on the presidencies of Bush, Clinton, Reagan, and Nixon. When they at their worst? Last term. Because they didn't have to worry about being reelected.

So, I propose that, by amending the Constitution, all National Elected Offices be restricted (or in the case of POTUS, extended) to exactly 12 years concurrent. This would ensure much, much more turnover in Congress and the Supreme Court (thereby making them more representational and accountable). Ideally I'd like the Chief Justice to be an elected office as well (as the tie-breaker); the other 8 (12?) Justices would be still appointed for 12 years at a time, but there should be at least some direct representation by the people.

The President would also be more accountable, since we would have two chances to throw him/her out of office instead of just one. They'd only be directly unaccountable for a third of the time, instead of half. I also propose decoupling and staggering the Vice-Presidential election so that if the POTUS is screwing up, we can elect his main rival to VP.

So here's what my election cycle would look like (assuming term limits for all):

Year 00: New POTUS, all new House of Representatives, and 1st third of the Senate up for election.

Year 02: New Vice-President, New Chief Justice, the House, and 2nd third of the Senate.

Year 04: POTUS, the House, last third of the Senate.

Year 06: VP, Chief Justice, the House, and 1st/3rds Senate (last election for them)

Year 08: POTUS (last election), the House, 2nd/3rds Senate (last election for them).

Year 10: VP (last) & Chief Justice (last), the House (last election for '00 class), last 3rd Senate (last).

Year 12: New POTUS, new House and new 1/3 Senate (all from '00 election term limited).

Year 14: New VP, New Chief Justice, House, new 2nd third of the Senate.

Year 16: POTUS, House, new last third of the Senate.

And so on.

This amendment (12 years for all) would make the government more representative, dynamic, and, oddly, more contiguous because the VP and POTUS change power at different times. Seniority as a perk would be all-but-gone, and voters would be more inclined to send the best (or at least the most representative) officials to create laws respecting the will of the people.

Of course, I'd also like all laws to expire after 12 years as well...

Low Population Realms in World of Warcraft

People are complaining lately about low population servers in World of Warcraft. Once the number of players gets below a certain level, people start transfering away, and fewer people decide to join that realm. These realms should be shut down and replaced.

For years, players have been opining about the good old days of classic vanilla World of Warcraft, Burning Crusade, now Wrath of the Lich King, and eventually they will remember Cataclysm fondly. And there are a number of players who artificially limit their character level (called twinking), often just so they can play thru that classic content at the level it was designed for.

So, we have two problems. I say we can solve both! Lets take the seven worst realms in population and transfer all the characters out. Then we rename them, and open them back up with whole new identities and purposes:

Pandaria PvE Realm. Open it the first day Mists of Pandaria comes out. Everyone starts out at the same level, flood of new people coming on to level the content together, would instantly be a first-rate realm.

Cataclysm PvP Realm. Permanent level cap of 85. Pandaren playable, but transport to Pandaria disabled. Not available unless players own everything up to and including Cataclysm.

Northrend RP-PvP Realm. Permanent level cap of 80. Mage portals reinstalled in Dalaran. Revoke Flight Master License (for Kalimdor and Eastering Kingdoms). Not sure what to do about level 80 Cataclysm zones. Realm not available unless players have purchased Wrath of the Lich King.

Sunwell PvE Realm. Permanent level cap of 70. Mage portals reinstalled in Shattrath. Boats to Northrend Disabled. No Death Knights allowed, but I see nothing wrong with Goblins, Worgen, or Pandaren. Open to all paid players, since BC now comes with vanilla game.

Azeroth PvP Realm. Permanent level cap of 60. The Dark Portal is deactivated. Flight Master License @ 60, no need to worry about Cataclysm zones. Absolutely no Death Knights allowed.

Valley of Trials RP Realm. Permanent level cap of 20. All Free Trial players would be directed here. This realm should be open to Goblins, Worgen, and Pandaren, regardless of whether Cata, MoP, or even regular WoW are owned or not.

Scholomance PvP Realm. Permanent level cap of 40. Okay, so this realm is the least likely to happen. I propose that this realm be free-to-play for any player who has already purchased WoW, but has allowed their subscription to lapse. This would prevent free-to-play twinkers from being tossed in the same pool as genuine trial players. I'm fine with limitations: no Blood Elves, Draenei, Goblins, Worgen, or Pandaren; only classic WoW race/class combos; no realm transfer, ever... as long as we can have guilds, mail, and/or an Auction House. One permanently available realm would be a very good enticement to lure millions of former players back into the game again.

There we go. Seven low population realms transformed into active realms with their own distinct identities. Plus people would stop bugging blue posters about vanilla or BC realms. Play the game however you like it!

Lurker

More National Elections

For all the power the Federal Government has, there really is only one national office elected nation-wide, and that is only once every four years. That office is the President (with the VP as a package deal). Not nearly enough input from the voters, in my opinion.

Therefore I suggest that the office of the Vice-President be voted for separately, and every TWO years. So, instead of just voting for your congressmen (or not) on off years, a national vote for VP can be a national referendum on the party in power. Plus, it would add power to the office as a real heir-apparent, next-in-line, president-in-training. And it would be hilarious to split tickets.

The third national office (after POTUS and VP) would occur every four years, but staggered two years off from the POTUS. That office should be the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Yes, really. But, like the VP, he/she would only be allowed to vote in the case of a tie. Now at the moment there are 8 normal Justices plus the Chief, but 5/4 votes happen all the time. I also propose bumping up that number to 12 Justices plus the Chief Justice, making him the tie-breaker less likely. Could still work either way. Anyway, there are just so many issue voters (Abortion, 2nd amendment, gay marriage, etc) and all that weight is thrown behind Presidential selection, for good or ill, and his potential appointments to the court. Voters should be more directly involved in the process.

So, we have the President as the head of the Executive Branch, the VP as the head of the Senate and ostensibly the Legislative Branch, and the Chief Justice as the head of the Judicial Branch. And 2/3 elected every election year. These tweaks would make the national government much more representative and subject to the will of the American people. We are supposed to be a democratic republic, after all.

World of Warcraft Free-To-Play Twink Tiers

This week Blizzard did something profound, and almost no one noticed:
They went Free-To-Play.

Well, kinda. People could sign up for free-trials to level up to a max of 20, but now those trials no longer expire. What does this mean? For starters, that I'm going to be playing again (mostly for Achievements). But also there will be a number of new twinks at level 20 (and possibly 19). Unfortunately there are a number of limitations that discourage twinking (profession caps, no trading or mail, etc) the main impediment for brackets under level 20 is the 10gold cap, the exact amount required to turn-off experience. I'm sure it can and will be done though

But, they should expand their free-to-play level-capped tiers beyond 20 to people who have actually bought the game:

Level 40 for Vanilla and Burning Crusade owners (since they combined the two anyway). Let them log in and play any character Level 40 and below. They would still have fast land mounts, BC enchants, and many armor sets from Scholomance to collect.

Level 60 for Wrath of the Lich King owners. There are still a few awesome level 60 raids and actual Tiers of armor sets. High incentive for BC owners to upgrade. And Death Knights for all!

Level 70 for Cataclysm owners who let their subscriptions lapse. This is the lowest level for Arena and to get to the bottom of talent trees. Tons of raids and armor sets at this level. Will whet the appetite of most WoW players and get them to pay for current end game content if they so choose.


The only difference between twinking and normal playing is that players choose the level cap instead of the developers.

No TV series should last longer than 2 prez terms

Television shows continuing past their prime is a sad thing to see, almost like watching a beloved family member slowly succumb to Alzheimers or some other degenerative neurological disease.

So, I have a new rule: no fictional TV series should see more than two presidential elections. That way, no show would last more than 8 years, and some would last as little as 5, depending on when they started. After I list some examples, you will definitely agree with me.

Simpsons: 1989-1996(ongoing). Last season starting with "Who shot Mr. Burns". Peak!
E.R.: 1994-2000(2009). Season 6 was the last for most of the original cast.
South Park: 1997-2004(Ongoing). End with "Woodland Critter Christmas". Peak?
M*A*S*H: 1972-1980(1983). Last season with Radar. Peak.
Frasier: 1993-2000(2004). Season 7 ends with Niels and Daphne running off together. Peak!
Happy Daze: 1974-1978(1984). Season 5 coined the term "Jumping the Shark". Peak.
Smallville: 2001-2008(ongoing). Season 7 ends in the Arctic. Peak?
Stargate SG-1: 1997-2004(2007). Season 7 ends with battle in the arctic. Peak!
Friends: 1994-2000(2004). Season 6 finale- Chandler and Monica get engaged. Peak.
X-Files: 1993-2000(2002). Had it ended here would've been the best US Sci-Fi. Post peak.


Look at the above list of overlong series and I dare you to disagree with me on the majority! Possible exceptions not included above MIGHT be Cheers and Spongebob, and maybe not even then.


Lurker

Nebula, granddaughter of Thanos

(Comic book lore discussion ahead, not for the faint of heart)

Alright, so Nebula (Space Pirate and would be galactic conqueror) was introduced decades back as the supposed granddaughter of the mad titan Thanos, lover of Death incarnate. This was immediately dismissed by Eros, Thanos' brother, as it was unthinkable that Thanos would create life since he was so obsessed with death.

Many years later, we learned that Nebula's father was (according to her) the Luphomoid villian Zorr that killed the predecessor of Nova and disappeared immediately after, presumed dead. Zorr also had a brother named Kraa that fought Nova, and should still be alive. And apparently a sister named Xira aka Spirit, according to http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/spiritdm.htm

Alright, so if we no that Nebula's father (and aunt and uncle) are all Luphomoids. Since Thanos is even less likely to have three kids than one, lets assume that Nebula is related to him thru her mother...

Who is the only character in the Marvel Universe that could possibly be described as the 'daughter' of Thanos?

Gamora.

Yes, that Gamora. Member of the Infinity Watch, sometime lover of Nova. Taken from the future and raised by Thanos to be the ultimate assassin way back in the 70's Adam Warlock series when Zorr was last seen alive. Assume a little accelerated aging due to alien physiology, and suddenly it all makes sense.

Nebula is the daughter of Gamora, adopted daughter of Thanos.

Mystery solved.


DH the Lurker

Last time around, we fundamentaly changed elections with new tactics:

Money Bombs
The Blimp
Viral Youtube videos
Our own convention
Birth of the Tea Party
Virtual Marches (in World of Warcraft)
and so on and so on.


We need to reproduce this zany and creative grassroots tactics if we want to overthrow the Neocons and save our country!

Ideas:
November 5th (Guy Fawkes day) V for Vendetta event
Sky writing
Formal alliance with Log cabin republicans. San Fransisco march?
Declaration of Independence II
Ron Paul democrats in primaries (challenge Obama?)
Infiltration of sporting events and tv show audiences
crop circles and mazes
coast to coast march
underground comic book
Bar-hopping mobile debate groups
Fleet of Ron Paul vehicals: cars, semi-trucks, airplanes, train cars
Tap into the Arab Spring revolutions
Ron Paul Submarine to sail from Texas to New Hampshire


See, those are just off the top of my head. We can make this election feel like an actual revolution if we put our minds to it.

Ron Paul is no ordinary politician, why should he have an ordinary campaign?

Courting OBAMA voters by hook or by crook

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?287761-Courting-OBAMA-voters-by-hook-or-by-crook

If we [I]honestly[/I] want Ron Paul to [I]win[/I] the Republican nomination, we need Independants... and Democrats.

This means we need to go after former (and current) Obama supporters, and convince them to vote for Ron Paul in the Republican primaries.

There are two methods to do this. The first is to convince them Ron Paul REALLY WILL bring the troops home from Iraq and Afganistan, legalize drugs, close Gitmo, restore civil liberties, and all the other things Obamaniacs hoped to change.

The second (and more controversial) method is recruit democrats to sabotage the Republicans by nominating the "worst" canditate that Obama could "easily" defeat. Want to assure a second term for Obama? Register as a Republican and vote for Paul! He has no chance at all!

These primaries hinge on such a small percentage of the population. We need every possible vote we can, and we have an extra half of the electorate up for grabs. This one-two-punch strategy can shift the balance further in our direction.

THE REVOLUTION CONTINUES!

Move US Capitol to Three Forks, Montana

Washington D.C. is a monument to governmental waste, fraud, and abuse. If we really want revolutionary change, we need to abandon the Washington culture altogether and start over in a new location. We've already moved the Capitol from Philidelphia, to New York City, to it's current location.

I propose we move the new capitol out west, close to Three Forks, Montana. It is named after the three rivers named the Jefferson, Madison, and Gallatain that converge to form the headwaters of the Missouri (Mississippi) River. Already well named. Plus high in the mountains (already full of tunnels and secret bases) and far from the coasts, it is very defensible very hard for potential foreign armies to march upon. Unlike DC, which the Brits burned once already.

There are already three important freeways that converge on this area: I-90, I-15, and US Route 287. I-90 connects the northwest coast at Seattle to Spokane (Washington), Billings (Montana), Sioux Falls (South Dakota), Madison (Wisconsin), Chicago (Illinois), Cleveland (Ohio), Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany (New York), Worcester, Springfield, and finally Boston (Massachusetts). Already a very important trade corridor.

I-15 connects the southwest coast at San Diego to Riverside and Los Angeles (California), Los Vegas (Nevada), Provo and Salt Lake City (Utah), and eventually up north into Canada. This a newer corridor with lots of growth in recent years.

US Route 287 connects the the southeast coast at Port Arthur to Fort Worth, Dallas, and Amarillo (Texas), Denver (Colorado), and Yellowstone (Wyoming). It would require the most upgrading to serve as a national corridor.

The New US Capitol's proximity to the Yellowstone super volcano is quite intentional. Some terrible day in the next thousand years or so, the caldera is doomed to erupt once again, leveling everything within hundreds of miles. Our new capitol would share the same fate as Atlantis, instead of succumbing to corruption and decay, it would transform into a mythical ideal. Then we can create an even better capitol.


Lurker

Carving out New States from old ones

We haven't added any new states for more than sixty years. While most of our states are 4 million or less, a few are monsterous in size (California is 37 million!). Most of these bloated giants have vast expanses of lightly populated territories governed by distant urban centers with completely different populations and lifestyles. And subject to the tyranny of the majority. We need to prune some of these giants down to a more reasonable size, more easily governable and representable by Governers, Senators, and other statewide offices.


So, proposed new states:

Southern California (Capitol: Los Angeles)
22.4 million

Northern California (Capitol: Sacramento)
13 million

Jefferson (Capitol: Redding)
1.75 million
Counties north of Sacramento: Del norte, Siskiyou, Modoc, Humboldt, Trinity, Shasta, Lassen, Mendocino, Tehama, Glenn, Butte, Plumas, Lake, Colusa, Sutter, Yuba, Sierra, Nevada, Placer, and El Dorado.


Long island (Capitol: Brooklyn)
7.5 Million

New York (Capitol: Albany)
from 19.4 to 11.9 million


Everglades (Capitol: Miami)
7.9 million
Counties south of Tampa: Manatee, Highlands, Okeechobee, Saint Lucie, Martin, Sarasota, Desoto, Charlotte, Glades, Lee, Hendry, Palm Beach, Collier, Broward, Monroe, and Miami-Dade.

Florida
formerly 18.8 million, now 10.9


Chigago
8.2 million
Counties: Cook, Dupage, Lake, Will, Kane, Kendall, Grundy, and McHenry.

Illinois (Capitol: Springfield)
formerly 12.8, now 4.6 million


Philadelphia
3.85 million
Counties: Philadelphia, Montgomery, Bucks, Deleware, and Chester.

Pennsylvania (Capitol: Harrisburg)
formerly 12.7 million, now 8.9


Cleveland
3.2 million
Counties: Ashtabula, Trumbull, Mahoning, Lake, Geauga, Portage, Cuyahoga, Summit, and Lorain.

Ohio (Capitol: Columbus)
formerly 11.5 million, now 8.3


There we go, this splits most of the states over 10 million in population, carving out 7 new states with distinct identities already present in one form or another.

Of course, the glaring omission is Texas, the second largest in population and area. Unfortunately, not only is there a rather strong identity in the state, but there are also over 200+ counties, making partitions frustratingly difficult.

Proposed Congressional Yearly Schedule

One of the major problems with Congress is that it's members spends too little time with their constituents and too much time in Washington DC creating more and more laws they don't even have time to read.

So, I think we should revise the yearly congressional schedule that keeps each house in session for a week (5 workdays) at a time every other week, encouraging it's members to return home on a regular basis. Here's what it might look like:


Month, Week, (Holiday), Session.

Jan wk1 (3rd or later) Joint Session.
Jan wk2 Congressional Recess.
Jan wk3 (MLK Jr. Monday, Jan 20 inauguration) Joint Session.
Jan wk4 US House.

Feb wk1 US Senate.
Feb wk2 US House.
Feb wk3 (Monday: President's day) Recess.
Feb wk4 US Senate.

Mar wk1 US House.
Mar wk2 US Senate
Mar wk3 US House.
Mar wk4 US Senate.

Apr wk1-2 (Spring District work Period) Recess.
Apr wk3 Us House.
Apr wk4 (Arbor Day) US Senate.

May wk1 Us House.
May wk2 US Senate.
May wk3 Us House.
May wk4 US Senate.
May wk5 (Memorial day) Recess.

Jun wk1 Us House.
Jun wk2 US Senate.
Jun wk3 Us House.
Jun wk4 US Senate.

July wk1 (Independence Day Work Period) Recess.
July wk2 Us House.
July wk3 US Senate.
July wk4 Us House.
July wk5 US Senate.

Aug wk1 Joint Session.
Aug wk2+ (Summer District Work Period) Recess.

Sept wk1 (Labor Day) Recess.
Sept wk2 Joint Session.
Sept wk3 Us House.
Sept wk4 US Senate.

Oct wk1 (Target Adjournment) Joint Session.
Oct wk2 (Columbus Day) Recess.
Oct wk3 Joint Session.
Oct wk4 (Campaigning) Recess.

Nov wk1 (Elections) Recess.
Nov wk2 (Veterans Day) Recess.
Nov wk3 Joint Session.
Nov wk4 (Thanksgiving) Recess.

Dec wk1 Us House.
Dec wk2 Joint Session.
Dec wk3 US Senate.
Dec wk4+ (Holidays) Recess.


US House of Representatives and Senate in session 21 weeks max each, usually on alternating weeks. Any week with a Federal Holiday was given off for both Houses, or attempted anyway. This should maximize input from citizens, and minimize influence from Washington DC culture, since Congressmen would rarely stay for the weekend.


Lurker

Next Star Trek Series Crew

By rank, gender and species:

Captain- Female Human: Must be better than Janeway
First Officer- Male Andorian: Founding member of Federation
Chief Operations Officer(s)- Androgynous Bynar twins: Ultimate Techies!
Chief Engineer- Male Human (Mirror Universe): Divergent timeline nobody uses?!?
Chief of Security- Male Romulan: Long history against Fedaration and Vulcans.
Chief Medical Officer- Male Human (Former Q): God complex built in!
Chief Science Officer- Female Cardassian: Major race w/o starring role.
Ship's Counsellor- Female Orion: Green woman with pheremone powers!
Helmsman- Female Human (Augment): Descendant of Khan!

Push it another hundred years past Voyager, and start exploring the Beta Quadrant. Federation civil war (rebellion by the descendants of the Maqui) would also be nice.


Lurker
(the show was entirely about sociology)

1583BCE: Year of the Santorini Eruption

There is this ominous theory that tidal forces from the sun and moon can trigger earthquakes and volcanic eruptions:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Wikinaut/Moon-Earthquake-Theory

As some of you know, I have been working on a fantasy/mythology book titled Bastard Heroes. Anyway, I've been doing quite a bit of research on the Minoan Eruption of Santorini/Thera, one of the worst volcanic eruptions since the end of the last ice age. The volcanic island is just north of Crete in the middle of the Aegean Sea, and has some extraordinarily well-preserved ash-covered ruins that seem eerily Atlantean (they had running water and everything).

The date of the eruption is one of intense scientific debate, somewhere around 1600 BCE +/- 50/100 years. Quite a wide window, especially considering the effects it may have had on Greek, Egyptian, and Middle-Eastern histories. However, using the Tidal-Earthquake theory, I have found that the eclipse that occur ed on July 31st 1583BCE to be extraordinarily promising, since it goes right over Thera and Crete (zoom in on the Mediterranean):

http://xjubier.free.fr/en/site_pages/solar_eclipses/xSE_GoogleMapFull.php?Ecl=-15830731&Acc=1&Umb=1&Lmt=1&Mag=0


A total solar eclipse right over the supervolcano, within 17 years of the rough estimate of the date of the eruption? Good enough for me.


Lurker

Wheel of Time Arc Reading Guide (WoTARG!)

Alright, so if you're like me you've read Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time series many times over. It's insanely long (book 13 just came out), has waaay too many plotlines (6 major, 20 minor, and hundreds of sub-plots), and there are just 'some' sections you would rather skim over at times.

Well, I have a solution! During my last re-read, I broke down each book into 50,000 word segments, focusing only on 1 or 2 character/plotlines at a time. WoT made simple, as it were.

And this guide not only makes the reread a completely different experience, but it also functions as a timeline. Very handy for a quick reference.

Lastly, if the powers that be ever decided to put this massive story on screen as a long-form television fantasy drama series (the only possible way to make it work), each segment would be one episode, with a beginning, middle, and end. Total of four seasons, composed of about 4 books each. Much faster than Legend of the Seeker went. Anyway, here's the guide:

Episode(season/book/#) Title chapters
Lead- Plot
co-star- subplot(s)

s1b01e1 Emond's Field Prologue, ch01-ch09
Rand- intro, trollocs, history lesson

s1b01e2 Baerlon Ravens, ch10-17
Rand- on the run, Min, Nynaeve catches up, dreams, escape at gate
Egwene- becoming aes sedai

s1b01e3 Shadar Logoth ch18-20, 24, 26, 31-32
Rand- dagger, river, Whitebridge, Four Kings, exploding wall

s1b01e4 Wolfbrother ch21-23, 25, 27-30, 37-38
Perrin, Egwene- Elyas, Tinkers, Aram, Whitecloaks, captured
Nynaeve- tracking Rand, rescue Perrin

s1b01e5 Camelyn ch33-36, 39-41
Rand- Darkfriends, Loial, Logain, royal family, reunion

s1b01e6 The Eye of the World ch42-53
Rand- Ways, Fal Dara, Fain, Blight, Forsaken
Lan- Nynaeve, Malkier

s1b02e1 Fal Dara Prologue - ch06
Rand, Moiraine- Amyrlin arrives, horn stolen
Jaichim Carridin- Whitecloak plots

s1b02e2 The Great Hunt ch07-11, 13-17
Rand, Perrin- Quest, goodbyes, hunting, portal stones, Selene
Bayle Domon- flight from Illian

s1b02e3 Flight from the White Tower ch12, 18, 22-24, 29, 38-40
Egwene, Nynaeve- joining Aes Sedai, testing, ways, damane
Moirane; Bayle Domon- research; Seanchan

s1b02e4 Cairhien ch19-21, 25-28, 30-34
Rand, Perrin, Thom- got horn, get to safety, Illuminators, reunion, party
Padan Fain- Gives horn to Seanchan

s1b02e5 Falme ch35-37, 41-50
Rand- Stedding, realities, strategy, Mat blows horn, fight in sky
Egwene, Nynave, Min, Bayle- free Egwene, escape

s1b03e1 The Dragon Reborn Prologue - ch09
Perrin, Rand- Rand leaves, chaos wake
Nial, Carridin- Whitecloak fallout

s1b03e2 The Black Ajah ch10-23
Egwene, Siuan, Verin- consequences, healing, test
Mat- awakening, Lanfear

s1b03e3 The First Ship ch24-32, 37-39
Egwene, Nynaeve- dreaming, off to Tear, Aiel, captured
Mat- escape Tar Valon, Thom, gray men

s1b03e4 Illian ch33-36, 40-47
Perrin- Remen, Faile, frees Gaul, forsaken in Illian
Mat- Fireworks, letter, rescue mission

s1b03e5 Tear ch48-56
Mat, Nynaeve- captured, storming the Stone of Tear
Perrin, Rand- Faile trapped; Callandor and Belal

s1b04e1 Playing With Fire ch02-08
Perrin, Mat, Rand- Lord Dragon, bubbles of evil, Berelain, researching, romance
Elayne, Egwene- questioning Black Ajah

s1b04e2 Into the Doorway ch01, 09-15
Mat, Rand, Egwene- Lanfear, Trollocs, dead girl, dreamwalkers, news from home, Ogiers Oath, 3 questions
Min; whitecloaks; Seanchan- Elmindreda; Taren Ferry; The Return

s1b04e3 The Shadow Rising ch16-20, 27, 47
Perrin, Elayne, Thom- goodbyes to Lan and Moiraine, Sea Folk ship, attacked in the Ways
Min, Siuan- Breaking of the White Tower

s1b04e4 Rhuidean ch21-26
Rand, Mat- 3 wishes, history of the Aiel
Moirane, Egwene- manipulations; wise ones

s1b04e5 Homecoming ch28-35
Perrin- family dead, trollocs, whitecloaks
Egwene, Rand- Car'a'carn, dream meetings

s1b04e6 Revelations in Tanchico ch38-39, 46, 51-52, 54-55
Egeanin, Elayne, Nynaeve- a'dam, Seeker, new friendships, Compulsion, storming the palace
Jaichim, Liandrin- sieze Panarch's Palace, Black Ajah

s1b04e7 Goldeneyes ch40-45, 53, 56
Perrin- general, defending Emond's Field
Aram- Tinker's sword

s1b04e8 A Breaking in the Three-fold Land ch36-37, 48-50, 57-58
Rand- Imre Stand --> Cold Rocks Hold --> Alcair Dal; vs. Asmodean
Mat- The Hat, battle leader


s2b05e1 The First Sparks Fall Prologue, ch02-07
Rand, Egwene- Rhuidean, darkhounds, leaving
Elaida, Fain, Rahvin- Fain in the Tower, Forsaken meeting

s2b05e2 A Small Room in Sienda ch08-10, 13-18
Nynaeve, Elayne, Egwene- Forkroot, Sienda, dreamworld, circus
Liandrin- Mogedien

s2b05e3 Sallie Daera ch01, 11-12, 20-22, 26-28
Min, Bryne, Siuan- Persuit, Lugard, Nine Horse Hitch, Salidar
Rand, Mat- Jangai Pass

s2b05e4 The Far Snows ch23-25, 29-35
Rand- Shaido's trail, Avienda in Seanchan
Egwene- dreamwalker training

s2b05e5 Band of the Red Hand ch19, 41-46
Mat, Rand- The Second Battle of Cairhien
Morgase, Padan Fain- Escaping Rahvin, dagger in tower

s2b05e6 Encounters in Samara ch37-40, 47-49
Elayne, Nynave- Birgitte, Uno, Prophet, Galad, riot, boat

s2b05e7 The Fires of Heaven ch50-56
Rand, Mat, Egwene Lanfear vs Moirane, Caemlyn raid
Nynaeve, Elayne- Salidar, Mogedien captured, used

s2b06e1 The First Message Prologue, ch07-08
Elayne, Nynaeve- stilled allies, embassy, new weaves, dream lessons
Faile; Gawyn; Morgase; Forsaken- Two Rivers; Younglings; Amadicia; Shayol Ghul, Tel’aran’rhiod

s2b06e2 Lord of Chaos ch01-04, 06, 10-11, 16
Rand, Verin- Taim, seal, farm, Two Rivers girls, bonded
Sammael, Graendal, Semirhage- politics, truce w/Sammael

s2b06e3 Fire and Spirit ch05, 12-15, 29-30
Elayne, Nynaeve- bubble of evil, stilling study, restoration
Mat- dead tinkers

s2b06e4 An Embassy ch17-21, 23-28
Egwene, Rand- school, Ogier, waygates, embassy, Gawyn, Sea Folk

s2b06e5 Journey to Salidar ch22, 32-40, 44
Egwene- summoned, toh, journey, raised, consequences
Mat- Olver, Salidar

s2b06e6 The Crown of Roses ch09, 31, 41-43, 45-46, 49
Rand, Perrin- Min, Perrin, Loial, confrontation, fled
Morgase- Whitecloaks, plots

s2b06e7 Dumai's Wells ch47-48, 50-55, Epilogue
Perrin- Faile vs. Berelain, hunting Rand, gathering army
Rand- captured, boxed, breakout, AS bow

s2b07e1 The Butcher's Yard Prologue, ch01-06
Sevanna, Perrin- aftermath, return to Cairhien, worried for Faile
Elaida- reports, Black Tower, Fortelling

s2b07e2 The Figurehead ch08-12, 25-26
Egwene, Moghedien- Moggy' escapes, Lan sent to Nynaeve
Morgase- renounciation

s2b07e3 Swovan Night ch07, 13-19, 21
Avienda, Elayne, Mat- sea folk, sharing info; racing, ring, Bors, Tylin, Birgitte
Rand- expecting Elayne in Camelyn

s2b07e4 Promises to Keep ch22-24, 28-31, 37-39
Mat- apology, used, finding, golam, deal, Olver, Seanchan
Elayne, Nynaeve- apology, Kin, leading, Lan, golam, leaving

s2b07e5 A Crown of Swords ch20, 27, 33-36, 40-41
Rand, Min- Cadsuane, w/Min, seclusion, Sea Folk, rebels, fog, cut, bed, Illian
Sevanna- dispersal of the Shaido

s2b08e1 Unweaving Prologue, Ch01-06
Elayne, Avienda- Travel, conflicts, farm, bowl, seanchan, nuke
Ethenielle; Verin- Borderlanders; mind alteration

s2b08e2 The Path of Daggers ch12-14, 22-24, 27
Rand- versus Seanchan, Calandor, Casdsuane
Grendael; Cadsuane- New Alliances

s2b08e3 An Unwelcome Return ch15-20, 25-26, 28
Egwene; Seaine- camp, war declared, prep for siege, new Accepted; hunting Black Ajah
Elayne- murders, Camelyn

s2b08e4 Beginnings ch07-11, 29-31
Perrin, Faile- banner, Morgase joins, queen swears, Prophet, gai'shain
Rand- renegade ashaman


s3 (The World of Rober Jordan's) The Wheel of Time
Loial- the story thus far....
notes- before the breaking

s3b09e1 Winter's Heart Prologue, Ch01-06
Perrin, Faile- captured, robes, Aiel, Prophet
Siane; Elayne; Toveine; Rand- BA hunters; first sisters; Black Tower factions; false trails

s3b09e2 The Streets of Caemlyn ch07-12, 26-27
Elayne- damane, Black Ajah, assassin, dreamwalk, bonding, windfinders, Borderlanders

s3b09e3 Daughter of the Nine Moons ch14-21, 28-31
Mat- Looking for Inn, Golam, Tuon, escape plans
Tuon, Bethamin, Egeanin- Veiled; Seeker; escape

s3b09e4 With the Choedan Kal ch13, 22-25, 32-35
Rand, Cadsuane- Far Madding, trap, prison, negotiation, cleansing

s3b10e1 Time to Be Gone Prologue, ch01-04
Mat, Furyk- circus leaving, courting Tuon
Rodel; Valda; Gabrelle; Yukiri; Gawyn; Davram; Sumitsu Domani; whitecloaks; white tower mysteries; assasination attempts

s3b10e2 A Cluster of Rosebuds ch10-15, 28-29
Elayne- recruiting, bath, sea folk leaving, young lord and ladies, spies
Mat- Egeanin attacked

s3b10e3 Crossroads of Twilight ch06-09, 23-27
Perrin- chasing shaido, darkhounds, Aiel in Malden, So Harbor, ax in tree
Rand, Cadsuane- Resting, Loial, Logain, treaty w/Seanchan

s3b10e4 The Subject of Negotiations ch16-22, 30, Epilogue
Egwene- negotiations, cuendilar, investigations, black tower, dreams, captured

s3b11e1 Embers Falling on Dry Grass Prologue, Ch01-03
all White Tower- hunting BA; forkroot and novice; dissent; egwene's commands;
Galad; Rodel; Suroth; Galina- kills Valda; uprising; meets Perrin

s3b11e2 A Hell in Maderin ch06-11
Mat- Tuon, Zebra, Dead walking, the letter, gambling, attacked in street

s3b11e3 Siege ch13-20
Elayne, Arymilla- siege of camelyn, new forces, wet, avienda leaves, borderlanders
Rand, Loial, Nynaeve- marriage, 100K trollocs, Lan's long ride

s3b11e4 Knife of Dreams ch21-25
Romanda, Egwene, Tarna- bonding ashaman; seeds of dissent
Rand, Harine; Mat- Illian, logain vs windfinders; kissing Tuon, found by Band

s3b11e5 In Malden ch04-05, 12, 26, 28-30
Faile, Perrin, Galina- Seanchan alliance, escape plans, weak tea, betrayal & rescue
Tuon- Band of the Red Hand

s3b11e6 Prince of the Ravens ch27, 31-37, Epilogue
Mat, Tuon, Suroth, Furyk- seanchan after Tuon, marriage, battles;
Rand; Elayne, Birgitte- captured by BA, rescue, besiegers captured, becomes queen

s3b12e1 The Gathering Storm Prologue, ch01-06, 09
Rand, Avienda, Cadsuane- hard lessons
Egwene, Perrin- tactics in the tower; leaving Malden

s3b12e2 The Plan for Arad Doman ch07, 10-11, 14-15, 17, 21-23, 26
Rand, Avienda, Cadsuane- preparations, Semirage freed, true source, wise one
Perrin, Faile- remembering Brotherless

s3b12e3 Unexpected Encounters ch08, 12-13, 16, 18-19, 24-25
Siuan, Egwene- embracing pain, Egwene vs. Elaida
Gawyn; Tuon- desertion of Younglings; consolidation of power

s3b12e4 Night in Hinderstap ch20, 27-29, 31-33
Mat- zombie attacks
Nynaeve, Rand- trail to Grendeal

s3b12e5 The Tower Shakes ch30, 34-36, 38-41
Egwene, Gawyn, Siuan- Verin's legacy, raid by the seanchan
Mat, Tuon- help from Verin; meeting with Rand, raid launched

s3b12e6 Dragonmount ch37, 42-50, Epilogue
Rand, Min, Nynaeve- balefire, Tam, revalations
Egwene- aftermath, raised


s4NSe1 It Begins ch01-11
Moiraine- Fortelling, Elaida, searching, pranks, testing
Lan- Aiel war ends

s4NSe2 New Spring ch12-26, Epilogue
Moiraine, Siuan- Ajahs, flight, Cadsuane, warder
Lan- Kandor, pond, first love, Bukama, warder


Towers of Midnight and A Memory of Lighty to follow, about 7 arcs/episodes each, for a grand total of about 84 or so, depending on if more prequals are written.

And we're done! I plan on using this guide myself for my next read through. Also quite handy for determining what happened where. Feel free to steal and modify for your own use!


Lurker

Cosmic Avengers Line-Up

Fans have been asking for Cosmic Avengers for years and years now. Unfortunately the closest we've come was Avengers Infinity. But there are tons of once and future Avengers that would fit perfectly on a cosmic themed team.

So here's my proposed line-up that feels the most Avengery (is that a word?) and connections to the Blue Area of the Moon (ideal base)

Ms. Marvel (Leader, Kree DNA)
Beta Ray Bill (Cosmic Thor)
Machine Man (Cosmic Iron Man, Monolith origin)
Major Victory (Justice becomes Cosmic Cap)
Moondragon (raised by Titans, Priestess of Pama)
Crystal (Inhuman Princess)
Captain Marvel (aka Hulking, the only Skrull Avenger)
Quasar (THE cosmic Avenger)


Too great many options. Potential members:
Hank Pym, Jocasta, Photon, Darkhawk, Starfox, Rick Jones, Sersi, Mantis, Swordsman (Cotati), Nova (dead), Jack of Hearts (dead), Deathcry (dead), Sentry (dead) and obvious new members like Skaar and Silver Surfer.


DH the Lurker

WoW Achievements: Vanity Sets

Proposed Achievements for World of Warcraft:

Gear sets! Already many of these are collected for RP purposes, why not provide achivements as well! Since bonuses are gien for at most 4 pieces of the set, that should be the threshold for most of these:


Dungeon Set 1 (8 pieces) [10 points]
Dungeon Set 2 (8 pieces) [10 points] Quest upgrade of #1
Dungeon Set 3 (5 pieces) [10 points] BC dungeons

Zandalar Tribe set (5 pieces) [Feat of Strength] Zul'Gurub to be removed
Cenarion Circle set (3 pieces) [10 points] Ruins of Ahn'Qiraj
Brood of Nozdormu set (5 pieces) [10 points] Temple of Ahn'Qiraj

Tier 1 (8 pieces) [10 points] Molten Core
Tier 2 (8 pieces) [10 points] Blackwing Lair
Tier 3 (9 pieces) [Feat of Strength?] Formerly available from Naxxramas I
Tier 4 (5 pieces) [10 points] Karazhan, Gruul's Lair and Magtheridon's Lair
Tier 5 (5 pieces) [10 points] Serpentshrine Cavern, the Eye
Tier 6 (8 pieces) [25 points] Hyjal Summit, Black Temple, Sunwell Plateau
Tier 7 (5 pieces) [25 points] Naxxramas, the Obsidian Sanctum
Tier 8 (5 pieces) [25 points] Ulduar
Tier 9 (5 pieces) [25 points] Crusaders' Coliseum
Tier 10 (5 Pieces) [25 points] Icecrown Citadel

Arathai Basin Set [10 points]
PvP-Rare (6 pieces) [10 points] Honor Points
PvP-Epic (6 pieces) [10 points]
Battlegear (PvP) (5 pieces) [10 points]
Gladiator aka S1 PvP armor (5 pieces) [10 points] purchasable with Tier 4 tokens
Merciless Gladiator aka S2 PvP armor (5 pieces) [10 points] purchasable with Tier 5 tokens


There we go, over 20 new achievements! Thats not including all the potential vanity sets either.


Brewfest set (3 pieces) [10 points]
Winter Garb (3 pieces) [10 points] Feast of Winter Veil
Hallowed set (Hallowed Helm, Horseman's Ring, more?) [10 points]
Lovely set (Dress/Suit, Charm Bracelet, Bouquet) [10 points]
Festive Finery (red Dress/Suit) [10 points] Lunar Festival
Midsummer Reveler (3 pieces + Cloak of Ahune?) [10 points] Midsumer Festival
Noble Garb (Tux Jacket?, Tux shirt, Tux Pants, Spring Circlet, Egg Basket) [25 points]
Piligrim's Finery (Dress/Robe/Attire, Hat)




Lurker

2012 shortlist

Presidential (& VP) candidates I would vote for in 2012:

Ron Paul (Texas Congressman)
Gary Johnson (Former Governer of NM)
Jesse Ventura (Former Governer of MN)
Judge Andrew Napolitano
Lew Rockwell
Pat Buchanan


There are more, but they are even more obscure, sadly.

How I would fix the economy

Believe it or not, there are some things the government can do to grow the economy: mostly they boiled down to getting out of the way.

1. Decrease the minimum wage. Yep, make it lower. To about the level illegals and waitresses are paid, lets say $4/hr. This would mean that workers are cheaper, and therefore you can hire more of them! Having a sucky job with poor pay is better than no job with no pay, especially these days.

2. Decouple health care from jobs. No other country on earth has health care determined by their employer, its a stupid holdover from 1950's union policies. Scrap it, and suddenly competition skyrockets, because everyone is in the same 'pool'. Also means employers have one less hassle and should make it cheaper to hire more people.

3. Deregulate small businesses. We need jobs desperately, and we need them now. Regulations are stifling job growth, so we nix most of them. Notice a pattern here?

4. Scrap income tax, and replace with a Value Added (think Sales) Tax. Income taxes are insane, arbitrary, and demeaning. Punishing people who earn (i.e. work) more is blatant classism, and subject to political whims and strategy (like now, for instance). Eliminate the system and replace with two 10% sales taxes, one for 'normal' government, and the other for Medicare/Medicaid/social security (and this time put the funds in SEPARATE accounts). This way, everyone puts in their fair share by definition, and saving is actually encouraged! And, by separating out the social programs (and labeling them as such) we have a real reminder of how atrociously large a percentage it is of federal spending on ever receipt. Of course, that brings us to....

5. Slash federal spending to 2000 levels, at least. Remember when we had balanced budgets, you know, under our last democratic president? Would it really be so cruel to do now what we did then?

Well, that's the gist of it. You know the rest, bring home the troops from everywhere overseas, end subsidies, that sort of thing. Boils down to shrink the public sector, grow the private sector.


Lurker

The 14th Amendment

Okay, so there have been some calls lately to 'adjust' the 14th amendment, which starts:

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.
No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.


For decades, this has been interpreted to mean that children born to 'unprocessed' immigrants (i.e. illegals) within the borders of the USA have been considered citizens. This has complicated the whole issue and led to the term 'Anchor Babies' because we wouldn't force a parent to part with thier child or send a minor citizen off to some terrible third world country, would we? And there are some pregnant mothers who come here for this very reason.

Now Republicans, in an effort to out-do one another, have come up with this bold idea to amend the Constitution to stop this practice and win points from the Tea Party movement in the process.

Firstly, I'm glad to finally hear mainstream politicians talk about the Constitution. That might encourage them to actually read it. I'm overjoyed to hear people talk about ammending the
Constitution, a tacit admission that government recognizes some kind of rules and limitations, and that there is an actual process to changing those.

Secondly, are they out of their minds?!? Illegal aliens are already an underclass with few rights and ripe for exploitation. And they want to make that class permanent? Whatever your position on the whole mess, at least the situation is limited to one generation. Children who are born here are fully citizens, the same as the rest of us. (I would change it so that anyone who survived and graduated thru high school should be granted the same status, but thats just me.)

But if children born here were not citizens of the United States of America, what would they be? Citizens of a country they had never seen? Nationless migrants consigned forever to the edges of society? Defacto endentured servants or slaves?

No, no, no. This idea is just so very bad. It would turn a temporary problem into a permanent one. Absolutely the wrong direction to go. I apprecieate the sentiment and the attempts at problem-solving, but no. Try again.


Lurker
(Why does no one talk about expanding LEGAL immigration?!?)

What the Tea Party is getting wrong: Immigration

The Tea Party was flawed almost from it's very inception.

I should know, I was there. The backbone of the movement is the Ron Paul supporters who were sadly ahead of their time. After the election of Obama and his massive expansion of the already atrociously huge big government fostered by Bush, our opposition went mainstream, and the Tea Party was born.

Thus the problems began. The only rallying cry everyone could agree on was OPPOSITION. They were unhappy about the bank bailouts (started by Bush), became obsessed with taxes, and coalesced against the insane Obamacare, all the while somehow missing the underlying principal:

Cut spending, cut spending, CUT $PENDING!

Then Arizona just had to pass their anti-illegal immigration bill. Believe me, I understand the reasons, the frustrations, and justifications for the bill. I was even glad when it passed.

But immigration should have NOTHING to do with the Tea Party movement. Why? Because it is an inherent contradiction to the already confused Tea Party platform: it complains the government isn't doing enough.

Yes, it is a huge issue. But all of the solutions presented (Amnesty, guest workers, national ID, border security) are an expansion of government, whereas government has been the problem all along.

A sad truth is that one of human beings principal motivations is convenience. Lets say you have a goal that you wish to accomplish; with one path being legal but inconvenient (time/$$$/consequence/etc) and the other path illegal but much less of a hassle overall. Guess which path gets chosen more? The vast majority of people only follow the law when it is, at most, as inconvenient as breaking said law.

The solution to this crime (like most!) is to LEGALIZE it. Make it AS convenient to immigrate into this country as it is to trek across the 130 degree Arizona deserts (that should tell you something right there). Ten year waiting periods? Employment requirements ahead of time? No wonder people are so frustrated by the current system that they are willing to risk death and deportation to get here rather than absurd bureaucratic ineffectual nonsense. That which is illegal is unregulated.

Additional solutions: Lower the minimum wage (illegals already work for less, brings down unemployment). Decouple health care from employment (legal employees cheaper to higher). Combine slimmed-down immigration offices with border posts (make the maze of bureaucracy a physical one, lasting minutes not years). The real solutions are LESS government.

Sadly, the Tea Party as it is today is incapable of this or any nuance. Therefore, they should just drop the issue altogether, or have a congruent organization rallying around this issue. Combining the messages of 'down with big gov' and 'gov screwing up' are just too confusing and alienate the movement even more.

Drop it, not helping.

Open letter to JD Hayworth running for Senate against McCain

Dear J.D. Hayworth,

You have declared war on big government "conservatives" by challenging McCain.

Start acting like it.


You need the following endorsements to get traction with the Tea Party movement:

Tucker Carlson

Pat Buchanan

Lew Rockwell (of LewRockwell.com)

Judge Andrew Nepolitano

Gov. Jesse Ventura

Gov. Gary Johnson (of New Mexico)

Barry Goldwater Jr.

Ron Paul and the rest of the Liberty Caucus


Main issues where you and Tea Party are in sync:

Anti-Tax

Anti-Bailouts

Anti-Cap & Trade

Anti-Obamacare (must apologize for 2003 Prescription Drug vote)

Pro-Constitution (must apologize for expansions of executive power)


You were swept into office in the '94 revolution, lost your way, and kicked out of office in 2006 for turning away from the principals of limited government along with the rest of the Republicans.

You are the poster boy for what the Republican party had become.

You have to show us that you "get it".

Stop trying to out-republican McCain, he has no principals and will say anything. You must take on the big government Washington beltway "conservatives" he represents, expose them for what they are.

Make this fight about the heart and soul of the Republican party. Start talking about the 9th and 10th amendments, not just the 2nd. Start talking about actual spending cuts and not just tax cuts. Put your Social Conservatism in a box because it's not going to win you any new voters.


I can help you become the national Tea Party spokesman that Palin is not. All you have to do is stop addressing issues and start addressing principals. If you want McCain's seat you have to rise to his stature.

The Tea Party is another American Revolution. Become our Patrick Henry.


"Give me liberty, or give me death!"


DH the Lurker

Battlestar Galacta: Who should've been the Final Five

Battlestar Galactica (the modern Sci-Fi channel version) was a masterpiece of characterization and complex multi-year storytelling. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend watching it, and not reading the rest of this entry until you do.

*Spoilers*

Okay, so at the end of season 3 they revealed Saul Tigh, Chief Galen Tyrol, Samuel T. Anders, Tory Foster, and half-way thru season 4 Ellen Tigh. Now half of these were interesting choices character-wise, but I think they could've done alot better. So here are who I thought shoul've been revealed as the Final Five:

1. Admiral Helena Cain: An amazing character, considering she was in all of 3 episodes and 1 tv movie. Would've had repercussions with the entire main cast. Imagine her running the cylon armada.... terrifying.

2. Lt. Daniel "Bulldog" Novacek: Okay, very minor character. But a great actor from an amazing episode that was never followed up on.

3. Tom Zarek: The super-villain waiting in the wings. Never really had his moment to shine.

4. Dr. Sherman Cottle: Loved this supporting character. Held the power of life and death over almost the entire cast at one point or another. Oddly kept several peoples' secrets over the course of the show (cancer, parentage, etc).

5. Zak Adama: Revealed as the final cylon, Adama's dead son would have brought the series full circle. Apollo's brother, Starbuck's fiance... and it would basically have been a brand new character in a show that had been killing off mains left and right.


All right. Just thought I'd share my thoughts.

Good things about the Health Care Bill

Attention fellow Tea Partiers, Revolutionaries, and members of the Rebel Alliance. There are a few (a very few) good things to come out of the egregious Health Care Insurance legislation recently signed into law (grumble). Namely:

1. Insurance carriers can no longer drop you after you get sick. Say what you will, but one of the few proper roles of government is the enforcer of contracts. Your contract with insurance companies of any stripe is that you pay into the system with the understanding that if the unforeseeable happens, then one is financially covered, so to speak, and able to return to the status quo. It was and is outrageous that they only looked for and exploited loopholes after their services were required; other insurance companies don't get away with that... very often.

2. The end of big government republican Mitt Romney's political career. He signed the abysmal health care legislation that is tanking Massachusetts. The current Republican platform is totally anti and repeal, leaving no room for anyone remotely for it. Thank goodness. He would have guaranteed Obama another 4 years.

3. The Republican platform has almost become the Tea Party platform. Lower the deficit, limit and repeal big government programs, respect the Constitution, and the dropping of social conservatism (we'll see how long that lasts). We must join party leadership positions to crystallize and make permanent these planks in the platform.

4. The electorate is energized. Both sides have been rallying the troops for what seems like a year, getting everyone informed*, involved, and gearing up for the midterm election (where turnout is usually much lower than average). A healthy republic, depends on citizen participation, and their veto power.


So you see, it is not all bad. Demoncrats have been exposed for what they are, and all pretense of civil liberties have gone out the window.

Time for a revolution!


Lurker

Crazy Wheel of Time theories

1. Egwene's obsession with Gawyn is a distraction, and will eventually end up with Galad instead. There have been too many jokes about the Amyrlin marrying the top Whitecloak (mentioned at least twice). The two organizations ally (perhaps they all become warders).

2. The man in white that Berelain ends up with is Rhuarc (there was something between them after all.) Rhuarc will be wearing white because he'll become permanent Gai'shain like many of the others (returning to the Way of the Leaf and all that). Mayene is on the edge of the Wetlands. The waterless sands are likely to become home to surviving Aiel when the world breaks anew.

3. Last but not least: Davram Bashere killed Asmodean. The OBVIOUS hint that RJ was referring too was the wine. The last chapter of book 5 was out of order. Asmo dies in the wine cellar. Bashere first appears to Rand carrying a bottle of wine, which he had to get himself since there were no servants. Every book Bashere is drinking wine just to make it more blatant. He's a Darkfriend (possibly Demandred), and expect complications with Faile and Perrin.

4. Last battle begins the instant Rand, Mat, and Perrin are in the same place. This hasn't happened since Bk4 in Tear! That's the reasoning behind the color swirls and the tug towards eachother.

5. Sammael did not die in Shadar Logoth. No body, no proof. Moridin saved him?

6. Morgase will be turned by the 13x13 Darkfriend recruiting circle. Poor Elayne, Gawyn, and Galad.

7. Cadsuane retires and joins the Kin after the last battle (only one old enough to get any rank).

8. Rand dies and takes over Moridin's body. I wonder who he was before Ishy took that body over...


Lurker