(01-29-2016 11:27 AM)georgewebb Wrote:  

(12-08-2015 11:16 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  Treat your friends better than you treat your enemies. Obama treats our enemies better than Bush treated our friends.

Obama's unnatural determination in that respect is certainly bizarre, and possibly psychotic. It's one of the most startling aspects of his administration. The fact that two Rice alums are among his high-profile apparatchiks is also discouraging (though far less important).

"Possibly psychotic" seems a bit strong. Policy disagreement = mental disorder, huh. Anyway, what are you referring to specifically?

As for disappointment in fellow alums, for me it's much more that Jim Bridenstine was the nice but quiet roommate of a friend at Lovett, but is this guy nowadays: http://www.opposingviews.com/i/politics/...e-executed

Also, cute Communist dig there George. Brings me back to the good ol days.

I'm still thinking it's possible Trump wins Iowa and NH, seems a lock for the nomination, and then realizes being President is actually a hard job and drops out.

(02-01-2016 10:52 AM)JustAnotherAustinOwl Wrote:  I'm still thinking it's possible Trump wins Iowa and NH, seems a lock for the nomination, and then realizes being President is actually a hard job and drops out.

I don't know, Trump would probably relish the chance to create a Trump Presidential Line brand of ties.

(02-01-2016 10:52 AM)JustAnotherAustinOwl Wrote:  I'm still thinking it's possible Trump wins Iowa and NH, seems a lock for the nomination, and then realizes being President is actually a hard job and drops out.

I think that is entirely possible, along with a bunch of other really crazy scenarios. This is shaping up to be an astounding election if any of a number of very possible developments takes place.

Right now, I don't think there's a clear candidate on either side, and I personally have little or no positive feelings about any of the leading possibilities on either side.

What feelings I do have are that I'd favor Hillary over Bernie, I'd favor all republicans over Bernie, I'd favor most republicans (except maybe the really hard line Evangelicals) over Hillary, I'd favor virtually any of others in the republican field over Trump or Cruz, neither of whom I care for.

I'm pretty sure I'm voting libertarian, unless Rand Paul somehow gets the republican nomination. If by the Texas primary it's down to Trump, Cruz, Hillary, and Bernie, I'll register as a democrat to vote against Bernie. But that is probably the strongest feeling I have about this election at this point.

(01-30-2016 07:41 PM)JOwl Wrote:  

(01-29-2016 11:27 AM)georgewebb Wrote:  [quote='Owl 69/70/75' pid='12769399' dateline='1449591380']

Treat your friends better than you treat your enemies. Obama treats our enemies better than Bush treated our friends.

Obama's unnatural determination in that respect is certainly bizarre, and possibly psychotic. It's one of the most startling aspects of his administration. The fact that two Rice alums are among his high-profile apparatchiks is also discouraging (though far less important).

(01-30-2016 07:41 PM)JOwl Wrote:  Policy disagreement = mental disorder, huh.

No, not at all. But in Obama's case there is an unnatural attachment (a bitter clinging, perhaps) to a bizarre and infantile fallacy. It would be unfair to normal people (including normal liberals) to not suspect a mental disorder as possibly at the root of it.

(01-30-2016 07:41 PM)JOwl Wrote:  As for disappointment in fellow alums, for me it's much more that Jim Bridenstine was the nice but quiet roommate of a friend at Lovett, but is this guy nowadays: http://www.opposingviews.com/i/politics/...e-executed

We will see in a few decades which ones have done more damage to civilization. We probably won't have to wait that long, but that will certainly be enough time.

(01-30-2016 07:41 PM)JOwl Wrote:  Also, cute Communist dig there George. Brings me back to the good ol days.

I am glad you appreciated it. We all know that Communism was one of the greatest man-made disasters in the history of the universe, but at least the vocabulary of it is fun: it manages to be both descriptively precise and colorfully ludicrous at the same time. In this case, I chose "apparatchik" because it is functionally accurate (enough) as well as deliberately disparaging, both as to substance and to character -- all of which is exactly what I intended.

(02-01-2016 11:09 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(02-01-2016 10:52 AM)JustAnotherAustinOwl Wrote:  I'm still thinking it's possible Trump wins Iowa and NH, seems a lock for the nomination, and then realizes being President is actually a hard job and drops out.

I think that is entirely possible, along with a bunch of other really crazy scenarios. This is shaping up to be an astounding election if any of a number of very possible developments takes place.

Right now, I don't think there's a clear candidate on either side, and I personally have little or no positive feelings about any of the leading possibilities on either side.

What feelings I do have are that I'd favor Hillary over Bernie, I'd favor all republicans over Bernie, I'd favor most republicans (except maybe the really hard line Evangelicals) over Hillary, I'd favor virtually any of others in the republican field over Trump or Cruz, neither of whom I care for.

I'm pretty sure I'm voting libertarian, unless Rand Paul somehow gets the republican nomination. If by the Texas primary it's down to Trump, Cruz, Hillary, and Bernie, I'll register as a democrat to vote against Bernie. But that is probably the strongest feeling I have about this election at this point.

Well, you better hurry about if you're serious about registering Democrat for the primaries. The deadline to do so is today.

(02-01-2016 01:55 PM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  

(02-01-2016 11:09 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(02-01-2016 10:52 AM)JustAnotherAustinOwl Wrote:  I'm still thinking it's possible Trump wins Iowa and NH, seems a lock for the nomination, and then realizes being President is actually a hard job and drops out.

I think that is entirely possible, along with a bunch of other really crazy scenarios. This is shaping up to be an astounding election if any of a number of very possible developments takes place.

Right now, I don't think there's a clear candidate on either side, and I personally have little or no positive feelings about any of the leading possibilities on either side.

What feelings I do have are that I'd favor Hillary over Bernie, I'd favor all republicans over Bernie, I'd favor most republicans (except maybe the really hard line Evangelicals) over Hillary, I'd favor virtually any of others in the republican field over Trump or Cruz, neither of whom I care for.

I'm pretty sure I'm voting libertarian, unless Rand Paul somehow gets the republican nomination. If by the Texas primary it's down to Trump, Cruz, Hillary, and Bernie, I'll register as a democrat to vote against Bernie. But that is probably the strongest feeling I have about this election at this point.

Well, you better hurry about if you're serious about registering Democrat for the primaries. The deadline to do so is today.

Unless things have changed, you can just show up at the primary of your choice. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I have taken advantage of Texas's open primaries in the past.

(02-01-2016 04:24 PM)S.A. Owl Wrote:  

(02-01-2016 01:55 PM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  

(02-01-2016 11:09 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(02-01-2016 10:52 AM)JustAnotherAustinOwl Wrote:  I'm still thinking it's possible Trump wins Iowa and NH, seems a lock for the nomination, and then realizes being President is actually a hard job and drops out.

I think that is entirely possible, along with a bunch of other really crazy scenarios. This is shaping up to be an astounding election if any of a number of very possible developments takes place.

Right now, I don't think there's a clear candidate on either side, and I personally have little or no positive feelings about any of the leading possibilities on either side.

What feelings I do have are that I'd favor Hillary over Bernie, I'd favor all republicans over Bernie, I'd favor most republicans (except maybe the really hard line Evangelicals) over Hillary, I'd favor virtually any of others in the republican field over Trump or Cruz, neither of whom I care for.

I'm pretty sure I'm voting libertarian, unless Rand Paul somehow gets the republican nomination. If by the Texas primary it's down to Trump, Cruz, Hillary, and Bernie, I'll register as a democrat to vote against Bernie. But that is probably the strongest feeling I have about this election at this point.

Well, you better hurry about if you're serious about registering Democrat for the primaries. The deadline to do so is today.

Unless things have changed, you can just show up at the primary of your choice. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I have taken advantage of Texas's open primaries in the past.

You're correct - I'd been misinterpreting the ads I've heard for registering for the primaries.

(02-01-2016 04:28 PM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  

(02-01-2016 04:24 PM)S.A. Owl Wrote:  

(02-01-2016 01:55 PM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  

(02-01-2016 11:09 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(02-01-2016 10:52 AM)JustAnotherAustinOwl Wrote:  I'm still thinking it's possible Trump wins Iowa and NH, seems a lock for the nomination, and then realizes being President is actually a hard job and drops out.

I think that is entirely possible, along with a bunch of other really crazy scenarios. This is shaping up to be an astounding election if any of a number of very possible developments takes place.
Right now, I don't think there's a clear candidate on either side, and I personally have little or no positive feelings about any of the leading possibilities on either side.
What feelings I do have are that I'd favor Hillary over Bernie, I'd favor all republicans over Bernie, I'd favor most republicans (except maybe the really hard line Evangelicals) over Hillary, I'd favor virtually any of others in the republican field over Trump or Cruz, neither of whom I care for.
I'm pretty sure I'm voting libertarian, unless Rand Paul somehow gets the republican nomination. If by the Texas primary it's down to Trump, Cruz, Hillary, and Bernie, I'll register as a democrat to vote against Bernie. But that is probably the strongest feeling I have about this election at this point.

Well, you better hurry about if you're serious about registering Democrat for the primaries. The deadline to do so is today.

Unless things have changed, you can just show up at the primary of your choice. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I have taken advantage of Texas's open primaries in the past.

You're correct - I'd been misinterpreting the ads I've heard for registering for the primaries.

I'm registered, it's just a question of which line I'll get in when I vote. The democrat line is going to be much shorter in Montgomery County, but neither one should take me long. When I voted in the 2016 general, when I got back to my car and restarted it, the same song was still playing on the radio as when I had parked it to go in and vote.

(01-29-2016 11:27 AM)georgewebb Wrote:  

(12-08-2015 11:16 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  Treat your friends better than you treat your enemies. Obama treats our enemies better than Bush treated our friends.

Obama's unnatural determination in that respect is certainly bizarre, and possibly psychotic. It's one of the most startling aspects of his administration. The fact that two Rice alums are among his high-profile apparatchiks is also discouraging (though far less important).

Rice would be better served if it wasn't so hard left, but more moderate instead, imo. One of the most disappointing things about being an alum. Then again, most universities these days are too far left, and a few too far right. I couldn't think of a truly moderate one off the top of my head, though I assume they're still a few out there somewhere. That is not good for the country, imo.

(02-01-2016 05:41 PM)GoodOwl Wrote:  

(01-29-2016 11:27 AM)georgewebb Wrote:  

(12-08-2015 11:16 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  Treat your friends better than you treat your enemies. Obama treats our enemies better than Bush treated our friends.

Obama's unnatural determination in that respect is certainly bizarre, and possibly psychotic. It's one of the most startling aspects of his administration. The fact that two Rice alums are among his high-profile apparatchiks is also discouraging (though far less important).

Rice would be better served if it wasn't so hard left, but more moderate instead, imo. One of the most disappointing things about being an alum. Then again, most universities these days are too far left, and a few too far right. I couldn't think of a truly moderate one off the top of my head, though I assume they're still a few out there somewhere. That is not good for the country, imo.

In respect to the student body?

Never really felt that Rice was very left or right, and actually quite moderate with regards to the students. If anything, they are definitely apathetic towards politics, which may be why I felt that it was more moderate.

Rice might skew liberal, but that is likely due to age, rather than anything else, since I am 99% sure that you see a similar skew in the general population.

If you're talking about academics, none of the classes I ever took really felt like there was anything political about them, unless it was obvious from the title of the course. And even then, those were courses on the environment/sustainability. I didn't dabble much in the humanities though, so I can't provide any insight on that.

(02-01-2016 06:10 PM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  In respect to the student body?

Never really felt that Rice was very left or right, and actually quite moderate with regards to the students. If anything, they are definitely apathetic towards politics, which may be why I felt that it was more moderate.

Rice might skew liberal, but that is likely due to age, rather than anything else, since I am 99% sure that you see a similar skew in the general population.

If you're talking about academics, none of the classes I ever took really felt like there was anything political about them, unless it was obvious from the title of the course. And even then, those were courses on the environment/sustainability. I didn't dabble much in the humanities though, so I can't provide any insight on that.

Student body particularly. Though I had some professors who definitely partook of the leftist lifestyle, I wasn't in many classes where it seemed to bleed overtly into teaching the curriculum. I will qualify that with the fact that I didn't take history or more than one english class in college, so I may not have been exposed to the most liberal professors at the time. The overall campus seemed to be heavily dominated by drugs and a disproportionate emphasis on alternative lifestyles. Though I worked at Ktru and enjoyed the music, the disordered lifestyles never appealed to me. I'm not big on pollution, but I could never get over the hypocrisy of someone talking about the environment or 'global warming' while smoking a cigarette and almost always tossing it to the ground without a care or thought.

(02-01-2016 05:41 PM)GoodOwl Wrote:  

(01-29-2016 11:27 AM)georgewebb Wrote:  

(12-08-2015 11:16 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  Treat your friends better than you treat your enemies. Obama treats our enemies better than Bush treated our friends.

Obama's unnatural determination in that respect is certainly bizarre, and possibly psychotic. It's one of the most startling aspects of his administration. The fact that two Rice alums are among his high-profile apparatchiks is also discouraging (though far less important).

Rice would be better served if it wasn't so hard left, but more moderate instead, imo. One of the most disappointing things about being an alum. Then again, most universities these days are too far left, and a few too far right. I couldn't think of a truly moderate one off the top of my head, though I assume they're still a few out there somewhere. That is not good for the country, imo.

I agree with RiceLad -- I feel that Rice's student population from my time (late 90's) skewed apathetic much more than anything else. I certainly got much more interested in politics, and more liberal, in the years after I left Rice.

For what it's worth, I can think of many more 'political' Rice alums aligned with the Republicans than Democrats.

On the Dem side, all I can think of are Josh Earnest (current WH press secretary, presumably one of George's "apparatchiks") and Annise Parker. I'm not sure of the second person George was referring to.

On the Repub side, it's GW Bush's attornery general Alberto Gonzalez, Representatives Bridenstine and Olson, Ed Emmett, and George P. Bush. And of course we have the James A Baker III Instititute for Public Policy.

I'm sure I'm missing plenty on both sides, but I've always assumed we actually do skew Repub given that we're in Texas.

(02-01-2016 11:47 AM)georgewebb Wrote:  

(01-30-2016 07:41 PM)JOwl Wrote:  Policy disagreement = mental disorder, huh.

No, not at all. But in Obama's case there is an unnatural attachment (a bitter clinging, perhaps) to a bizarre and infantile fallacy. It would be unfair to normal people (including normal liberals) to not suspect a mental disorder as possibly at the root of it.

Ha ha. But seriously, I'm interested in the specifics of your concern here. Iran? Something else?

(02-01-2016 11:47 AM)georgewebb Wrote:  

(01-30-2016 07:41 PM)JOwl Wrote:  As for disappointment in fellow alums, for me it's much more that Jim Bridenstine was the nice but quiet roommate of a friend at Lovett, but is this guy nowadays: http://www.opposingviews.com/i/politics/...e-executed

We will see in a few decades which ones have done more damage to civilization. We probably won't have to wait that long, but that will certainly be enough time.

Okay, cool, we'll meet back here in 2036. You keep score.

(02-01-2016 11:47 AM)georgewebb Wrote:  In this case, I chose "apparatchik" because it is functionally accurate (enough) as well as deliberately disparaging, both as to substance and to character -- all of which is exactly what I intended.

Yes, I'm aware.

I'll go out on a limb here. This:

(02-01-2016 06:25 PM)GoodOwl Wrote:  I worked at Ktru and enjoyed the music...

... might partly explain this:

(02-01-2016 06:25 PM)GoodOwl Wrote:  The overall campus seemed to be heavily dominated by drugs and a disproportionate emphasis on alternative lifestyles.

(02-01-2016 06:25 PM)GoodOwl Wrote:  

(02-01-2016 06:10 PM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  In respect to the student body?

Never really felt that Rice was very left or right, and actually quite moderate with regards to the students. If anything, they are definitely apathetic towards politics, which may be why I felt that it was more moderate.

Rice might skew liberal, but that is likely due to age, rather than anything else, since I am 99% sure that you see a similar skew in the general population.

If you're talking about academics, none of the classes I ever took really felt like there was anything political about them, unless it was obvious from the title of the course. And even then, those were courses on the environment/sustainability. I didn't dabble much in the humanities though, so I can't provide any insight on that.

Student body particularly. Though I had some professors who definitely partook of the leftist lifestyle, I wasn't in many classes where it seemed to bleed overtly into teaching the curriculum. I will qualify that with the fact that I didn't take history or more than one english class in college, so I may not have been exposed to the most liberal professors at the time. The overall campus seemed to be heavily dominated by drugs and a disproportionate emphasis on alternative lifestyles. Though I worked at Ktru and enjoyed the music, the disordered lifestyles never appealed to me. I'm not big on pollution, but I could never get over the hypocrisy of someone talking about the environment or 'global warming' while smoking a cigarette and almost always tossing it to the ground without a care or thought.

I'm with JOwl more than you on how the student body is represented politically, overall.

For every very liberal person I know, I probably know a very conservative person to balance them out. And then everyone else is somewhere in between, so much so that you don't really know where they fall politically.

But you also should recognize that drug use/drinking/outward lifestyle choice doesn't always correlate to political persuasion. So even if you feel like the campus is dominated by a drug culture (which it sure wasn't during my time - it was present, but no where near even a healthy minority), that doesn't mean that the guy smoking pot down the hall doesn't think that :insert Republican candidate here: isn't the best thing since sliced bread.

(02-01-2016 05:41 PM)GoodOwl Wrote:  Rice would be better served if it wasn't so hard left, but more moderate instead, imo. One of the most disappointing things about being an alum.

I've known a few students who have found it useful to adopt a faux leftism in their humanities classes because it makes it easier to get higher grades. But fortunately such faculty seem to be the exceptions at Rice, especially compared to our peers. Most leftists I've known at or from Rice were that inspite of their education, not because of it.

(02-01-2016 06:51 PM)georgewebb Wrote:  I'll go out on a limb here. This:

(02-01-2016 06:25 PM)GoodOwl Wrote:  I worked at Ktru and enjoyed the music...

... might partly explain this:

(02-01-2016 06:25 PM)GoodOwl Wrote:  The overall campus seemed to be heavily dominated by drugs and a disproportionate emphasis on alternative lifestyles.

I can see where you'd assume that, and you'd be wrong. Though I enjoyed being a DJ for four years at ktru, I didn't hang out with the ktruers. I actually spent most of my time hanging around the sportos and players. The folks I'm talking about in the quote were the regular Rice students in the colleges. At the time, they seemed extremely liberal, disproportionately into drugs, and accepting and promoting alternative lifestyles--and most of them despised Ktru, which is kind of ironic. It was the Reagan years, but the abject hatred of relatively middle of the road normal values was confusing, especially as you say, in the state of Texas, which I did not expect. Had I known this was to be the case during my time on campus, I would have chosen to go elsewhere. But it is what it is. As you can tell I have very mixed feelings about Rice these days. Have always rooted for the school's athletic success, which again, many found odd during my time on campus, and have always respected the academics. Never liked the heavy drug culture and values that enabled it.

Rice definitely is much more liberal than conservative these days. Although, I will say that there are more conservatives than you would think from a quick survey of protests/apparel/political meetings. The conservatives tend to not wear their affiliation on their sleeve. Interestingly, I think the football and baseball teams might be two of the most conservative groups on campus, generally speaking.

To your last sentence, I think that's long been the case. In my time, with the team under Hatfield, the football coaches in particular seemed conservative relative to the rest of campus. Which isn't at all surprising to me.

So have Ric students traded apathy for political engagement?