Where are you hanging out today Mr Hedgehog? Oh, a little known place called the gates of hell. Mwa ha ha ha

How funny, I was talking about this yesterday when my wife showed me a picture of the 'gates of hell' in Uzbekistan (I think)....a drilling disaster that caught fire in the 70's and was expected to burn out in a few days...and it's also still burning today.

These guys would hate it
http://videosift.com/video/The-Ninth-Gate-Even-Hell-Has-Its-Heroes

>> ^jonny:

jonny: Obama has shown his willingness to engage in war
NetRunner: How and when did he show this?

40000+ troops sent to Afghanistan despite campaign promises to do exactly the opposite. And for what? Do you honestly believe the long term security of either the US or Afghanistan was improved as a result?

I'm not particularly happy about him ramping up troop levels in Afghanistan, and I'm no optimist about Afghanistan in general, but I don't think it was some sort of obviously boneheaded or bloodthirsty decision, either.

Here's your original quote in full:

Obama has shown his willingness to engage in war, even when it should be clear that doing so will accomplish little in the long run either in terms of US security or the given country's or region's security and stability.

This in response to the question of "are we about to invade Iran?" with the clear implication being that you think Obama is prone to get America involved in pointless wars without any real consideration of either the short term or long term impact to the country.

The relevant Obama bumper-stickers on foreign policy from the 2008 campaign were "I'm not against all wars, just dumb wars," and "I argued for more resources and more troops to finish the fight against the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11, and made clear that we must take out Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants if we have them in our sights. You know, John McCain likes to say that he'll follow bin Laden to the Gates of Hell -- but he won't even go to the cave where he lives."

I think his record shows that he's held true to both of those, and overall has wielded American power quite judiciously these last 3.5 years. I'm a big pessimist on Afghanistan, but I can't really blame Obama for trying to do something to wind down our involvement there in a way that doesn't leave the situation in Afghanistan much worse for both the Afghans and us. I don't think that's possible, but I can't blame him for not sharing in my fatalism.

>> ^jonny:
Honestly, NetRunner, you've recently been demonstrating the kind of tribalism in politics that has so many people sick of the whole process. I understand it's an election year and there are a lot of things at stake (none bigger than the likely 2 SCOTUS nominations to replace Ginsberg and Breyer). But to mischaracterize my words in that way (especially when I made it pretty clear I had no preference for Romney even on this very limited issue) is exactly the kind of thing I would expect from a hack political operative. I think, no... I know you are better than that. It's not us and them. There is no them.


And here's where you've really gone off the rails. I'm some political hack engaging in mindless tribalism and mischaracterizing the words of others....because I asked you to provide examples of what Obama has specifically done to make you think he'd attack Iran without cause?

My comments after "All that said," were just my general take on the whole question of war with Iran. Even rereading it now, I find it hard to see how you got the impression I was accusing you of being a Romney supporter.

What little judgment I was passing on you was that I felt you were leveling baseless accusations against Obama, and all I was really doing was asking you to try to back it up with facts.

But years of arguing with blankfist should've taught me, asking people for evidence to support their argument is a dirty partisan trick only practiced by political hacks like me...

I deal with this sleep paralysis on a regular basis. To the point now where I don't freak out anymore, but just wait until my muscles respond.

I found that sleep paralysis happens when dehydrated, completely exhausted, or just not enough sleep.

The thing is to understand that you are experiencing this, which is difficult when one part of the brain is trying to wake the rest of the body up. So a coat hanging on the door can become the gate to hell, or the cat sleeping next to you can become a spider the size of your PlayStation.

Before I knew what was happening I would come out of the paralysis violently, looking to kill the thing that isn't there anymore; fight or flight.

The best thing you can do for someone who experiences this is to help them understand the science behind this disorder.

Also see Exploding Head Syndrome. Cool stuff, which science can explain!

REPENT REPENT! SATAN OPENETH THE GATES OF HELL! REPENT! The end is neigh! The credits shall roll! Fear the magical horned denizens of the underworld! Jesus shall save you, you shall sprout wings and fly into the sky to salvation!

Heaven is in the clouds ya know.

How much you want to bet some Jesus nut somewhere is screaming that Demons are pouring out of the gates of hell, and that the 'end is neigh!'. Demons and some such are from below the ground after all ya know. Right?

I like how Hitchens slips out through an ancient door marked "Fire, keep closed" returning, I presume back through the GATES OF HELL!! lol

http://www.videosift.com/video/Auguste-Rodin-The-Gates-of-Hell

In reply to this comment by Trancecoach:
I've spent hours standing before Rodin's "Gates of Hell," on display in the Rodin sculpture garden at Stanford University.

Always more to discover... always more to reveal.

I've spent hours standing before Rodin's "Gates of Hell," on display in the Rodin sculpture garden at Stanford University.

Always more to discover... always more to reveal.

>> ^mauz15:
May the forces of darkness applaud you as you stride through the Gates of Hell


Roll! You mean: "Roll through the gates of hell!"

May the forces of darkness applaud you as you stride through the Gates of Hell

"From the gates of hell i strike at thee"

>> ^winkler1:
Isn't Hell a sovereign nation?


That's why he's only willing to follow him up to the gates of Hell. If Osama makes it into Hell, well you can't violate the sovereignty of ETERNAL DAMNATION can you?

Thanks to the green screen I can't wait for the gates-of-hell remix.

They missed the guy with the "McCain called his wife a cunt." sign.