There are a lot of differences between our system and a parliamentary system. For example, they don't generally have an upper house which lets the minority party veto everything that doesn't have a 3/5ths majority.

Also, I believe all of the nations you listed have runoff votes whenever candidates fail to get >50% support. Without runoff elections, people are unlikely to ever vote 3rd party out of fear of the Nader/Scozzafava effect.

Then there's there's also the aspect that under a parliamentary system it's possible to trigger a new general election of parliament for various reasons.

Personally though, I think a lot of it has more to do with our wacked-out psychology here than the structures of our democracy (though the filibuster in its present form is exacerbating our issues).
>> ^rougy:
@NetRunner - Let's “Flesh this out” instead. This is not a scientific study, but it basically holds true. The following is a list of countries that have universal healthcare and parliamentary forms of government where three or more significant political parties are represented.

[snip list of 100% correlation]

Yes, I concede it's a loosey-goosey correlation, but it would appear to me that a form of government that offers real representation as opposed to our vaunted two-party joke is a form of government that demonstrates cooperation.

What a wack-job. I wonder if this kind of comedy would work today (had it never been worn out in the 80s.)

Edit: Apologies, I just noticed you changed yours to private, so I will do the same now.
Edit 2: No fuck it, it's public. Say thanks to this moron: http://rasch187.videosift.com/#comment-897638

Hi again Rae,

First off, I'm sorry about the mile long wall of text. I do hope you will read all of it none-the-less.

I'm glad you came out yourself to address this, because it's better we get this over with properly, so we can move on with our lives.

I'll stress as well, that UP and Rasch got in to their fight on their own, I had no involvement until UP sent me a message about it.

I was under a completely different impression about being invited to bea's place and honestly I still am. I didn't try to force myself over there, but when she invited me, however casually, we discussed quite a bit on messenger afterwards. I wouldn't have gone over there if I had been given the slightest impression that she was not comfortable with it. I'm very sorry that she did feel pressured into it, but I never intended to do that. I just saw a trip to Texas as a golden opportunity to get OUT, get away from Denmark for a while. As we discussed in our chats, I had been feeling restless and bogged down in everyday life for a pretty long and her invitation was like a blessing to me (for lack of a better word). I may have been eager about it, but I don't know what to say - I just wanted to get out. I didn't buy the tickets overnight - we did discuss it, and we chatted quite a lot before I did come over there, and she never gave any indication that she didn't want me to come over.

In the very first chat we had on messenger, I very clearly remember it, you said.. "I could seriously fall for you" and followed it up by "but I'm actually already taken (...)" and we got into a discussion about jake and all that. I accepted it already then. We both carried on afterwards with talking dirty and watching all that weird porn (you were quite as much to blame for that!) and I had loads of fun, because you were much different from anyone I knew. You made me smile when we talked.

I'm sorry I didn't let the coming to meet you lie, but I was not being so frantically serious about it. I really wanted to meet you, yes, and to be honest I still would, in a crowded room, with many sifters. At a siftup, perhaps. (Incidentally, I have nothing against Jake. I think he's a good guy and you two ARE lucky to have found each other.)

I never meant to imply that he and you were not serious. You made it abundantly clear that you were very serious, I was just being a smart-ass, because if I had been in his shoes that's what I would have wanted to do. I never meant to imply anything about you and Jake with that, so I'm sorry you saw it as such. I really am.

About skype and messenger for that matter, I only asked for your skype address once and it was partly meant as a joke; and with your reply "no way, that's just for me and jake" I let that lie. The other part of that was that I wanted to just talk with you, to hear your voice, and it had been a long time since we chatted, so I wrote that message - as you said, so shoot me...

I know you hate hurting people and I appreciate that, but in the end this has hurt a lot more. If you had told me something to the effect "I think this coming over to meet me is making me uncomfortable, because you're too persistent - I like you as a friend, but I don't want to meet with you, at least not on my own or right now" I would have apologized right there and I would have learned to ease up with you. Instead I kept teasing you with it, and as I've said before, to jake and you, I believe, my common sense was just out of wack because of all the shit we talked about. I never saw it coming that you just did not want to talk to me, and when you wrote your "tired of the bullshit" I had no idea what you were getting on about, so it hurt.. to be honest, it really hurt. I was messed up all day from that and that's why I was so after getting a bigger reply after that. I felt as if I had been hit by a bus, because I truly considered you a friend.

About the trip to Texas. I did not get the impression that it was a disaster at all. She was a bit pissed with me for the boob grabbing, but it was only two days after she booted me because she had to tend to her father's funeral. In that two day span, everything was just dandy, I mean, she never gave any indication that it was so disastrous. Yes, the boobgrabbing was way over the line, we've been over that a million times and I've apologized as much as I can about it. The environment that they created was a factor in me doing it, it was not just "because I was drunk" - I wasn't THAT drunk, and I don't get grabby in general. When I am in good company, with people I consider friends, I can be quite dirty talking, sure, but I'm not a sexually offensive guy physically at all, I just followed their lead when they freaking made out on the porch I though, "well three can play that game" and did it. I know that was wrong, but that's the reason I did it. I didn't want to freak them out as bad as they clearly did, and they didn't do anything at the time, they just basically shrugged it off.

As we have discussed earlier, I portray myself here as pretty much myself - not completely, I take it to much larger extremes here, but mostly I'm just being myself.

Also I know that we have discussed your inability to find a woman. You yourself put it down to the fact that you had to get drunk to converse with them, and once that had happened you tended to become lewd and inappropriate, the drink was doing the talking

I think you are getting at this from a wrong angle. They are two different issues. One is that I don't have the nerve to approach strange girls, or really strangers altogether, but I loosen up when I get a beer in me. Most guys can relate to that, girls too, I would think. Second, I'm not lewd and inappropriate around people I don't know, even when I'm drunk, I only get like that around people that I like - as in if we're a bunch from my year on the university out getting smashed or something. The reason I got like that at bea's place the one night, was because I was having a good time and the three of them were good company. Yeah, I did swear to the three adults, but I never did so to any of her kids - I don't want to freak out kids, I don't really even like kids, but I think I behaved pretty well around her children in general, except for when we had that game of scrabble and I swore to iv or bea in casual conversation, when the little one had just snuck out from the bedroom. I was doing this partly to be intentionally teasing, because we had just had a discussion earlier about what one should and shouldn't say to kids. Bea had sworn as well earlier in casual conversation, so I did not take that as so terrible. Evidently, I was mistaken.

I never EVER said anything sexual to any of her kids. I'm appalled that she thinks that, because I don't do that.

The remark after the siftup was not aimed at you at all and I was perplexed that you saw it as such, because we didn't have any secrets at all. As we chatted on messenger about, I never intended it for you it was just a general remark to sifters.

Concerning rasch. I made it clear in private to you that I didn't like him. He was an obnoxious person and he should go suck a fuck. I still hold that opinion. If our roles had been reversed, I would have told YOU to take care of the situation, instead of interjecting myself as a fucking savior to get you poor women the rescue you so needed. That's because I'm a nice person, who don't put my own ego in front of everyone else's. The chat that he quoted between you and him seems to me to be pretty damn two-faced from you as well. You present yourself one way to me and another to him. That's not nice,, at all. I know exactly what he did and so does everyone else - it's plainly public. He acted like an aggressive brute trying to verbally punch me out in his comments. He attacked me way earlier than that as well, the comment you laughed about a while back, even though he did apologize for that afterwards. He deserves the tiny little corner of shame that he painted himself into.

The accusations made against me are many and plentiful (well, three in total counting boobgrabbing, gutter mouthing and your own), but I think it's a shame that yours and bea's have been muddled together, because they are really two separate issues.

I'm quite angry with bea still, because it's because of her that this has blown up and blown so out of proportion as it has. This was not my doing - any of you could have approached me privately and that could have been that - if you had explained what I had done wrong. All of you, except Cari, just ignored me and left me in the complete dark. Cari kept me on facebook and was in general like she always was, but said she didn't want to get involved when I asked what was up with bea, because she had removed me from facebook. I respected that and I still do - she acted the most like an adult. I think you are out of line to suggest why she apologized, but while you may or may not be right, she apologized none-the-less. And we are still friendly around each other, even though she is the one that was slighted the most. I'm not going to visit her in person, probably ever, but that doesn't mean that we can't be civil. I still think she's fun and a boon.

It's likely that she didn't actually forgive you at all and that she is too nice of a person to really come out and say what she thinks. I can relate.

You are being awfully passive-aggressive here and presumptuous. I would welcome her saying all she wanted to me in private if she wanted, but she already has - and we've patched things up as far as we could at this time. We're in a good place now both of us as far as I know.

Bea got blamed for everything justly in my opinion - I got my share of grizzly attacks too, which I feel terrible about, but I owned up to my fucking mistakes - she just shits on the floor and slams the door behind her. She has as much blame in this situation as I do and if she wants to flame out, as she did, then I have no interest in patching anything up with her. She was fun to talk to, if a big damn bit more crazy than you, for instance, but fun non-the-less. Not so much anymore. I acted pretty well over there and if she had issues with me, she could have just told me. We sat on her porch and talked while she smoked plenty of times and no indication at all. Her family and friends were never there except Cari and their friend Rick on that Tuesday with the boobgrabbing (and of course the kids, who I was very nice to).

Have I lied to you before? Honestly, ever? I've only ever been painfully truthful and if I wanted to just talk shit, wouldn't I have painted a much more rose-tinted version? I'm sorry you are taking her version, because it is far more skewed than mine is - and dammit, I ought to have deserved some trust with you.. we were friends!

I've reflected on this long and hard, I truly have, and I think I have learned from it as well. I've toned down my lewdness and I find myself holding my tongue more often than before. But not much else is to change, unless I want to be a completely different person, and all my friends seem to like me as I am just fine, so I don't want to change into something I'm not.

I've also learned that there are people in this world, who will fuck you over. I am not one of those people and I don't think you are either. We all make mistakes and misjudgments and I think you are misjudging me. I still would like to be your "friend" in some capacity, but you make it pretty clear you don't want that. I'm sorry you don't. I will consider myself as on friendly terms with you and if you do come back to the sift some time, then I will treat you respectfully and I hope you will do the same thing with me.

I still feel terrible about how all this happened and about how our friendship fell apart. :-/

Nicki.

PS. Incidentally, I have found a woman, who I am very glad for and who for some bizarre reason likes me a whole lot too, so I HAVE grown a bit at least.

In reply to this comment by alien_concept:
OK, first of all I want you to know, I happened upon this whole conversation between UP, rasch and yourself as I still visit now and again. Don't for one moment think that he's come crying to me.

If rasch was referring to anything creepy, then it wouldn't have been logs of conversations we've had, it would have been PM's. And also pointing out certain things you had written in threads, baiting me etc. Most of it was not private.

I wish I'd have come straight to you once everything had come out regarding bea, but honestly at that point I had already had enough of our relationship on here and had been avoiding talking to you for ages. Yes I'm a coward for not just straight up telling you things were bothering me. And yes, everything here could have been dealt with differently. The main reason for me not coming straight out and ever saying anything, was because I really felt that the way I carried on with you, that I had encouraged you. I am very open and broad minded. We have discussed numerous topics and I always came across like I was comfortable in anything we discussed. And for a long while I was.

Quite early on it became apparent that you had feelings for me. At this point I told you about myself and Jake, because I didn't want you to think that any relationship between us was possible. You will notice that Jake not once ever had a problem with the way we behaved around here or in fact on messenger. He just saw it all as a bit of fun and nothing to get possessive about. It was nothing to do with him, right? Because we were just friends, fooling around and being risque for a laugh.

The things that started bothering me were that you wouldn't let the coming here to see me lie. I'd give you a thousand excuses as to why it couldn't happen, at least not any time soon. But it was so regular, and the comments you made about how if you were Jake you'd have been here with me already (implying that he wasn't serious about me? that's kind of how it felt) and always with the questioning. Why did you have to wait til after he had been here, where do you live, what's your skype address (even though I told you that skype was only something I used for me and him). And telling me you'd found out how much it cost to get here etc etc. It built up and built up, and I didn't know how to tell you to back off without hurting your feelings entirely. I HATE hurting anyone, and like I said, I blamed myself for having not said anything before and letting it get to the point it was at, and potentially giving you mixed signals, by first telling you I was unavailable and then carrying on flirting with you (out in the open)and sharing graphic (although always sickly amusing) porn, and discussing other such personal subjects. I hadn't been careful, so instead of fronting it out with you, I ignored you. So shoot me...

When bea messaged me after you had left Texas, she did it not to gossip, but because your visit there had been a fucking disaster, she felt that you didn't understand any boundaries, you made her feel uncomfortable with the things you were coming out with and you had told her that you intended to come and see me. She felt like she had to warn me about how you had presented yourself there. The thing was, so many things rang true on what she was saying. That she hadn't outright invited you - just in the lounge she'd said off the cuff as she does, that yeah you should come to Texas one day, and the next thing she knew you'd booked tickets and she didn't have a clue how to say no. Well, you were relentless with me about coming here...

That you had made inappropriate sexual comments in front of her children. Well I remember one time you making one about my daughter too, something about when she came of age, blech. I took it as a joke, at the time although it didn't sit comfortably with me. Also I know that we have discussed your inability to find a woman. You yourself put it down to the fact that you had to get drunk to converse with them, and once that had happened you tended to become lewd and inappropriate, the drink was doing the talking. Now considering that you spent time there getting drunk and you definitely thought it was ok to grab IV's breast (btw, justifying that by saying that bea had just done it, what the fuck???) it didn't take much to come to the conclusion what with everything else that you were indeed not in your right mind. Whether you agree or not, that's how it all came about. It felt like the character you "played" on here, wasn't just a character after all. And that was fucking disturbing to me.

I sat on it forever. I wasn't going to bring any of it up because bea did not want the drama, and neither did IV. She also felt partly responsible for giving you the wrong idea about things because of the way she converses with everyone. And she didn't want it all to drag out like it has. But as I told you, after numerous PM's and references in video threads, then the limerick, and THEN what I truly felt to be another jab against me when you mentioned in the sift up thread that anyone who had secrets with you weren't secrets any more, I finally blew my lid. I just didn't want to be here any longer.

If you had have been on the outside of this looking in like rasch has been, I'm pretty sure that you would have, after all the evidence presented to you, felt that it needed to once and for all be addressed. I'm not saying he couldn't have gone about it in a better way, he definitely could. But then, so could we all have done, isn't that right? I'd like you to stop blaming him for everything now, it's somewhat projecting rather than really taking a look at how and why things have happened how they have. He has freely admitted that he should have been more discreet, and now he is just left defending his corner without really being able to say anything at all. Enough is enough.

I hope this explains what you have wanted to know. Whether you agree with the accusations made against you, they have been made. Not just by one person, but two and that's not including her family and friends who were around too I'm sure. IV apologised with you to keep the peace and not let it all get blown up publically like it has and to stop bea being blamed for everything like she was after she flamed out. It's likely that she didn't actually forgive you at all and that she is too nice of a person to really come out and say what she thinks. I can relate. I hope you reflect on all of this and you consider how things can end up, as have I on numerous occasions. And yes, it's your word against hers. Either of you could be talking shit. But I'm taking her version, as have people chosen to take yours.

Rae

I kept waiting for the trumpet to fart...

I'm afraid my preconceptions about blankfist has been thrown all out of wack now!

That's old people abuse. Kevorkian should wack those white raisins.

Hehehe indeed, but that is a different argument, we were talking about safety not academia appropriateness. In the end, I am glad that the kid has gotten to resume school over what seemed to be more or less bureaucratic bumbling. When a students education is on the line, knee jerk isn't the most helpful. You could of sent the kid home for the day or something seems reasonable till the situation can get fleshed out, but sent to "anger management" school for troubled kids seems too far out of wack with reality.

OMG! What a wack job! The concept of birthers is DIRECTLY from the RIGHT (that for you, Mrs Bachmann, is your OTHER left hand). The sad thing is, anyone who follows the facts will find this woman just lied through her teeth. Makes you wonder just what sort of 'honest' and 'truthworthy' goverment is going on in her district. Maybe those conservatives, whom are complaining about politicans not being truthful and honest, should take a careful study of the 'lady' they hired to represent them. Since she does indeed represent them....

>> ^LordOderus:
>> ^StukaFox:
Fuck Penn and Teller's "Bullshit" -- their show IS bullshit. It's a bunch of Libertarian crap being fobbed off as a "neutral" opinion. Look up the sources they use on the show and you'll find example after example of corporate shills, Randist loons and far-right front groups. On occasion, they accidentally do a good show (the death penalty show and the one about video games were both balanced), but the rest of the time their show is nothing but a smoke-screen for Penn's wacked-out political views.

When, in any episode, has Penn ever said that their show is "neutral"? They almost always have a very obvious opinion about the subject matter of an episode, and they clearly point it out. The show isn't about debate and contrast between two sides. It's about them calling out things that they believe are Bullshit. So while I agree with you that they are very one sided (and usually very liberal) you can't hold it against them. That's what the show is. If they presented themselves as a fair and balanced debate show, or the news, and were still blatantly one sided coughFOXcough then that would be something to criticize.


hhehehe cause CNN and MSNBC are totally neutral! All network news is dead to true journalism. That is why I just listen to the voices in my head...MUAHAHAHAH

(I might of consumed far to much sugar today)

Man, I wish I had thought of this. I saw Cake Farts last year and it was one of the funniest internet moments ever...

Remember that video of the guy stroking his beard? Yeah, I'm convinced that the greatest accomplishment of internet was to provide a forum for people with weird shit they like to wack off to.

>> ^StukaFox:
Fuck Penn and Teller's "Bullshit" -- their show IS bullshit. It's a bunch of Libertarian crap being fobbed off as a "neutral" opinion. Look up the sources they use on the show and you'll find example after example of corporate shills, Randist loons and far-right front groups. On occasion, they accidentally do a good show (the death penalty show and the one about video games were both balanced), but the rest of the time their show is nothing but a smoke-screen for Penn's wacked-out political views.


When, in any episode, has Penn ever said that their show is "neutral"? They almost always have a very obvious opinion about the subject matter of an episode, and they clearly point it out. The show isn't about debate and contrast between two sides. It's about them calling out things that they believe are Bullshit. So while I agree with you that they are very one sided (and usually very liberal) you can't hold it against them. That's what the show is. If they presented themselves as a fair and balanced debate show, or the news, and were still blatantly one sided *coughFOXcough* then that would be something to criticize.

Yeah we bringin you the hardcore, the real raw type shit
You ain't never seen nothing before like this
Its all real, all ill, and all natural
We all kill, all still, an blast at you
I like blood, I like tasting ya flesh
I like slugs, I like David Koresh
I like anything thats related to death
I like any king that can reign with his fist
Now back to the topic at hand
Steadily Shine, Shine Steadily with my fam
Im the one who put the nail in the cross
I'm the one who told the world about an alien corpse
I'm the one who brought the truth to the light
If you listening to me you couldn't lose in a fight
Abusing the mic, with the force of five lions
Anybody fuckin with Paz can die trying

I'm a caged lion, always dying to hurt you
Always a believer that my rhymings a virtue
You just a heathen, and you lie like the church do
I can't believe that Allah hasn't cursed you
You too commercial, you still a disgrace
You like to sit around with women watching Will & Grace
I can't over-stand your sweetness
You should try hire a therapist to beat this
I'm being facetious, you should heed this
I'm the one who hammered the first nail in Jesus
I'm the definition of Toxic
Anyone who ever got close to me got sick

We like heavy metal, listening to Sepultura
Remain calm, study Islam, and read Torahs
You can't follow the paths of Mans Hill
You can't study the math and can't ill
You can't over-stand what I believe
You drown in an ocean of God and can't breath
It's like I've been involved with beef
Since the days that i lost my teeth
with the god and reef
I learn how to worship Allah
I learn how to rhyme, and I teach it to yall
I'm speakin to yall
Its hardcore, real rap
Real Slugs, Real Clips and Real Gats
You real wack, and thats how I feel
And thats the reason that I got a reason to kill

Yeah.. follow me daddy
Jedi Mind
What's the fuckin deal

Yo as easy as it may seem MC'ing is not a capa-
bility for most to possess, you gotta catch up,
Take the time to create, construct demonstrate
Set wack MC's straight, drinkin' a V8
I'm like a baseball player on track, got on steel cleats
I represent the conscience styles until it hits the streets
My backbone attack wack poems, got mad rap tones
I destroy fake Madlib beats and Crackerjack poems (Ha-Ha)
It's time for lunch already, yes past lunch
I eat MC's like Captain Crunch, I attack and then punch
Rap in such different styles that's unlike yours
Wack MC's, I'll point you out and point out all of your flaws
All of your jaws get broken, styles no jokin'
Battling straight up battling is what I'm provokin'
But I'll die before these wack MC's infect thee
Hip Hop industry to the point I cannot breathe

But if Wildstyle dies before Wild Child wakes
I pray to God to step down and take out all them fake
MC's, pretty please
"Cuz when I'm on the mic I like to speak freely"

Down with the Liks, Jump straight from the bass onto the kicks
Non-freestylin' MC's fall straight down in the pits
My name be Jack, spontaneous freestylist when I catch wreck
Brothers bite me so hard saying my rhymes I ain't even wrote yet
So I take it to the max, take out Fake-Funkin' Jacks
Get to the point as I rock over Madlib bumpin' tracks
"You used to get busy at open mics?" Nah, I still do
I kill crews, lyrically, spiritually, yo I will do
Anything it takes to bring B-boy style back
And the thanks for you to make ya say my rhyme style's phat
But I'll die before these wack MC's infect these
Hip Hop industry to the point I cannot breathe

But if Wildstyle dies before Wild Child wakes
I pray to God to step down and take out all them fake
MC's, pretty please
"Cuz when I'm on the mic I like to speak freely"

Wack on, wack off, wack on, wack off.

Fuck Penn and Teller's "Bullshit" -- their show IS bullshit. It's a bunch of Libertarian crap being fobbed off as a "neutral" opinion. Look up the sources they use on the show and you'll find example after example of corporate shills, Randist loons and far-right front groups. On occasion, they accidentally do a good show (the death penalty show and the one about video games were both balanced), but the rest of the time their show is nothing but a smoke-screen for Penn's wacked-out political views.

Too bad every cult doesn't just off themselves and leave the result of us alone. Dying and going to a comet. Dying and going to heaven. Dying and going to shangrila. What the fuck is the difference. All fairy tales made up by some wack jobs.