Posts Made By: Chuck Cunningham

January 23, 2009 09:28 PM Forum: Politics

Keep an eye on this

Posted By Chuck Cunningham

Brings to mind:

AUTHOR: John Steven McGroarty (1862–1944)

QUOTATION: One of the countless drawbacks of being in Congress is that I am compelled to receive impertinent letters from a jackass like you in which you say I promised to have the Sierra Madre mountains reforested and I have been in Congress two months and haven’t done it. Will you please take two running jumps and go to hell.

ATTRIBUTION: Attributed to Representative JOHN STEVEN MCGROARTY.
—Senator John F. Kennedy, Profiles in Courage, p. 10 (1956).


January 26, 2009 04:46 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

It had to happen..bifocals

Posted By Chuck Cunningham

I initially tried "progressives". The distortion that Jon talks about was disturbing at first, but I got used to it pretty quickly. I did switch to regular bifocals, though, because I found it easier when I knew just what part of the lense I was observing through. With the progressives, the correction varies, so shifting your head just a little can change the focus. I am pretty nearsighted, and I usually observe with my glasses on because it's just a pain to keep removing them and replacing them to read charts, etc. And, if I am observing with others, it leaves the focus close to 20-20. I also don't fog the eyepiece when I wear my glasses. I usually only take my glasses off for eyepieces that give higher powers or have a narrower field of view or short eye relief.

January 26, 2009 11:42 PM Forum: Birding Optics and Photos

Fish Sticks

Posted By Chuck Cunningham

He looks like he's thinking, "Now that I've got it, what do I do with it?"

January 27, 2009 04:37 PM Forum: Religion

Super Bowl Sunday Experiment

Posted By Chuck Cunningham

People have their priorities when it comes to chosing the gods they pay homage to. Or maybe, at least they KNOW the Super Bowl is real. Or that God will still be there when the Game is over? Or will be too busy watching the Game?

January 28, 2009 08:05 PM Forum: Politics

So, shut up Limbaugh, who is next?

Posted By Chuck Cunningham

As I read it, the petition is to Limbaugh himself. There is no "suppression" in that. As long as enough people listen to Limbaugh (whether they like him or not), his sponsors will give him money to stay on the air, in fact largely because he irritates enough people. If enough people stop listening to him, the sponsors will drop him. If I, as an individual, recommend that people don't listen to him, that is not suppression of Freedom of Speech. If I send petitions to his sponsors threatening to boycott them if they don't drop him, that is not suppression of Freedom of Speech. In fact, it is an exercise of my own right to Freedom of Speech (would you take that away from me?). Now, if the Government threatens to shut down a radio station that broadcasts him, that might be suppression of Freedom of Speech, and I and the ACLU would vigorously oppose it -- unless he had been directly inciting violence or illegal activites. That is not protected by Freedom of Speech.

February 2, 2009 05:03 PM Forum: Politics

Re: Obama's surge

Posted By Chuck Cunningham

"first black President"

And once more.

February 2, 2009 09:00 PM Forum: Politics

Re: Finally an honest liberal

Posted By Chuck Cunningham

"Species that remain on one planet or even in a single solar system will eventually be killed off by nature."

Well, we agree on that, at least. If we stay here we are almost certainly doomed, eventually. Although I am not so much concerned about "an advanced race with WMD" as about our primitive one. As for getting "a significant percentage of the population" off this planet: have you got somewhere better in mind for us to go? I don't see any place particularly habitable in our neighborhood. And have you got the resources to get us there? And, by golly, you're also right that Obama is "the first black President". Well, half black anyway.

February 12, 2009 09:24 PM Forum: Politics

Re: Post-partisan era - NOT

Posted By Chuck Cunningham

And how long did Bush-Cheney take to give away the first $350 billion (after their trillion dollar tax cut) -- with no accounting required at all? Ah, but then, they were running short on time to give the farm away to their rich buddies, weren't they?

February 12, 2009 09:29 PM Forum: Politics

CNN front page says it all...

Posted By Chuck Cunningham

The Market is so jittery right now, it would also have slumped if they hadn't passed it -- just like it did when Congress was a little too slow passing the initial Bush stimulus.

February 13, 2009 06:04 PM Forum: Eyepieces

Nagler v. Meade UWA?

Posted By Chuck Cunningham

These are all amazing eyepieces. When you are having to make decisions like this, I hope you stop and consider what a lucky person you are. And when you do make up your mind, I hope you spend more time enjoying it than you do wondering whether you got it right.