Congratulations on having the stamina to post for 300 consecutive days. Keep up the Great Work. Warren {:-)

Ditto you post today on Chicago paying their dues.

I noticed you're hoping to read Heinlein's "To Sail Beyond the Sunset". I haven't read the book myself so I don't know the exact context or plot but this quote is what got me interested. It comes from chapter 14 "Black Tuesday" page 145 in pdf format. --- 'Mama Maureen,' he said to me, 'the America of my time line is a laboratory example of what can happen to democracies, what has eventually happened to all perfect democracies throughout all histories.

A perfect democracy, a "warm body" democracy in which every adult may vote and all votes count equally, has no internal feedback for self-correction. It depends solely on the wisdom and self-restraint of citizens... which is opposed by the folly and-lack of self-restraint of other citizens. What is supposed to happen in a democracy is that each sovereign citizen will always vote in the public interest for the safety and welfare of all. But what does happen is that he votes for his own self-interest as he sees it... which for the majority translates as "Bread and Circuses". '"Bread and Circuses" is the cancer of democracy, the fatal disease for which there is no cure.

Democracy often works beautifully at first. But once a state extends the franchise to every warm body, be he producer or parasite, the day marks the beginning of the end of that state. For when the plebs discover that they can vote themselves bread and circuses without limit and that the productive members of the body politic cannot stop them, they will do so, until the state bleeds to death, or in its weakened condition the state succumbs to an invader - the barbarians enter Rome.' --- And that's what the 2012 election was all about, there are now more parasites voting than producers. Sorry for filling up your whiteboard.

Thanks again for the welding tips. I work with LOX and gaseous O2 and used to cut & weld with acetylene. Now I use propane mostly and the fittings are ALWAYS from a welding distributor.

Saw your picture read your quote and gas saving tips, I really like your don't drive like a maniac, I am a trucker, and see Maniac with kids driving crazy. Have a good night.

Care to be buddies? Have a good weekend.

My wife is related to the Studebakers; their S. Reunion is every five years near Tipp City in Bethel Twp/Miami County..we can see the Studebaker Homestead where the reunion is held from the house we own north of Dayton. Vintage Conestoga wagons, buggies, autos are stored there..and used in a parade during S. Reunions. check for their website; assuming they have one! Our daughter's name is Maranatha! I'm "Ranger/Tom"...national park ranger/naturalist in GlacierNP when she was born..i was leading a scheduled hike to Avalanche Lake!

That I had that clearance is not a secret. What I did for the military is...and I have never, nor will I ever, divulge what I did for the military. My kids do not even know everything. I think it is funny that so many will talk about the military, intelligence gathering, missions, etc and I will just say what they do not know is best for most of them. If they knew the entire truth of what goes on behind the scenes and in secret many would have their heads explode. All I can say is that my friends that are out there still today makes me thankful there are people still willing to do the job and make the sacrifices. Many have not come home to their families and some that have are not and will not ever be the same.