Yeah, I think the rakoshi were cool. I could never have imagined something so. . . wow. So, it falls under cool in my book. Not cool like a new pet, but cool as in whoda thunk it. That deliciously evil spine tingling kind of cool.

Yeah, I think the rakoshi were cool. I could never have imagined something so. . . wow. So, it falls under cool in my book. Not cool like a new pet, but cool as in whoda thunk it. That deliciously evil spine tingling kind of cool.

I absolutely agree. But then I almost always find the villain "cool" in books and movies: Vader, Hans Gruber, Sauron/Ringwraiths, etc.

There are so many! Gotta go with Barry on this one for sure...

I loved when Jack was playing Tiptoe-Through-the-Rakoshi in the hull of the ship...creepy! Being trapped in a room of (malignant foes) where you were lucky they didn't notice you (yet), but if you try to escape, or if you try to move through, they might notice you...yikes. Good scenes!

That and the fight-to-the-death with the mother Rakosh. That scene gets better every time I read it.

Not a biggie at all, Mitch. Still, I wanted you to find out in your own good time JUST HOW EVIL THE GANG CAN GET! (Thunder, please, maestro...and Igor, could you laugh a little louder? Thank you. No, not =that= loud! Igor...put--put the knife down...)

So . . . are you calling me, KRW, Maggers, and Jim, evil?

Ken V.

Some things private enterprise =can't= do.

Like what for example?

Not enough coin.

So are you saying that the only way to get "enough coin" is to steal it?

How would you have private enterprise handle national defense? Or should not the country be defended?

For a good explanation of that, read HOPE, by L. Neil Smith.

Ken V.

[QUOTE=Ken Valentine]So . . . are you calling me, KRW, Maggers, and Jim, evil?

Ken V.[/QUOTE

Of course not, Ken. Exaggerating for effect. I respect you, Ken, Maggers, and Jim highly. If I didn't, I wouldn't take the time to talk with yez.

Like what for example?



So are you saying that the only way to get "enough coin" is to steal it?



For a good explanation of that, read HOPE, by L. Neil Smith.

Ken V.

Space exploration, for example. We discussed this a couple of years ago, if I recall right, Ken. I thought it was necessary and justified (let the totalitarians take the =literal= high ground?). You disagreed.

And again, as I said then, there are things I'm willing to be taxed for: roads, the justice system, and national defense. And let's throw in some local stuff--cops, firemen, and teachers.

Would you, of your own free will, contribute to those things?

And again, as I said then, there are things I'm willing to be taxed for: roads, the justice system, and national defense. And let's throw in some local stuff--cops, firemen, and teachers.

Would you, of your own free will, contribute to those things?

No!

1. Roads.
There is absolutely no reason that roads should be built by government. In fact, the first trans-continental highway -- the Lincoln Highway (New York to San Francisco) -- was built by private enterprise. For an interesting and concise explanation of this read HEALER, by F. Paul Wilson.

2. The "Justice" System.
There is no "justice system" in this country. There is a Legal System, but there is virtually no justice in it.

3. National Defense.
I could go on for pages, but all I would be doing is giving detailed explanations of why -- if the U.S. government didn't go around the world pissing other countries off -- there would be virtually no need for national defense. And therefore no reason why the U.S. should spend more than half of the totel military spending done by all the countries on this planet . . . combined.

4. Cops.
Cops do such a good job that individuals in this country spend just as much out of their pockets for private security as they do out of their taxes for police. And when you stop to realize that the first actual police force was created in 1849, (British Prime Minister, Sir Robert Peel, created the London Police Constabulary, which merely provided for some people to do full-time what everybody was expected to do as necessary) you might serve yourself well to attempt to learn what things were like before there were cops.

5. Firemen.
Maybe you have missed the posts discussing Rural-Metro Fire Services. If so, too bad. Rural-Metro is a private enterprise fire department in many places in this country which gives twice the service of government fire departments, and it does so at less than half the cost. Local governments hate them.

6. Teachers.
Considering the abysmal level of government education in this country -- not to mention the exorbitant cost of that abysmal education -- most teachers are a dead waste of money. Perhaps you are unaware of the fact that a great many public school teachers sent their own children to private schools.

Government performs a lot of necessary services, but it is NOT necessary that those services be performed by government.

Anything the government can do, private enterprise can do better -- and without ruining people's lives in the process.

Ken V.

Space exploration, for example. We discussed this a couple of years ago, if I recall right, Ken. I thought it was necessary and justified (let the totalitarians take the =literal= high ground?). You disagreed.

Whether or not space exploration is necessary does not justify the staggering amount of theft used to finance it.

I find it interesting that the government has virtually BANNED private space exploration -- I wonder why they did that. Could it be because it they couldn't stand the thought of competition?

Besides, ALL of the devices and vehicles used to explore space are created by private enterprise. All the government does is to hand over the stolen funds and wave the baton.

It's the same with everything else the government does. From the "Government Model" handgun to ballistic missles, everything is actually done by private enterprise -- including building roads.

Ken V.

I noticed that no one has posted in the political threads since 12/6, and today is 12/11. That's a long time for silence on those threads. I guess that's because people are converting innocent FPW threads and others into political threads.

To stick to the topic here, I'd have to agree with Barry that tip-toeing through the Rakoshi nest is a brilliant scene.