badjedidude

***WARNING FOR DA KIDS: BAD WORDIES HERE*** Despite their beginnings, all words gather certain connotations and potencies as they are used down through the years...so a word like "fuck" has the weight of YEARS of emotion behind it...it gives the speaker a lot of weight behind one simple word. Thusly, a sentence like, "Fuck that shit!" conveys a whole lot more emotion and passion than would, say, "Forget that stuff!" So is a cussword really necessary? No, but then no word is truly NECESSARY. Cusswords can, however, give conversation a ferocity and weight that is perhaps unmatched by other words of common usage. With that said, I generally restrict my use of such words to situations like, "Oh, fuck, I just cut my toe off!"....it bothers me when I hear a conversation in which every other word is a cussword. I mean, come on. Crack a dictionary or something. Learn some new words. So to sum up...I think they are NOT necessary, but can be extremely useful.

Mexico could NOT take Texas. Mexico can barely hold itself together right now, let ALONE mount an attack on another country. Lol and I don't think TOO many Texans would mind independence. The ones that wanted to remain with the US could always just leave or something. Jesse66126: There are NO laws against secession, not at the federal level. Some states (Virginia, S. Carolina, etc) had to bring such wording into their STATE constitutions...but Texas was granted a CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT to separate from the Union. Read the constitution of Texas, you'll find it. Leon: Like I said, it doesn't matter how "ready" a N. Korean force is. There's simply no way that they could transport a large amount of troops to the US without the US having ample warning. NORAD, anyone? Nuclear-impregnable detection of North American airspace invasion. If they used boats, we'd have months. If they used planes, we'd blow 'em out of the sky with our COMPLETELY dominant F-22. Not do-able, especially given N. Korea's decidedly lacking political capital in the international community. No one would stand for it. Back to topic... Texas would probably create more problems for itself than benefits by secession.

Ahhhh, quite right, I'd forgotten about that little secession clause in the Texas constitution. Well, I suppose that takes a bit of the wind out of my sails...but I still don't think the US government would let it happen that easily. There'd be plenty of economic sanctions or embargoes or something...tremendous political pressure (pressuring the UN to NOT recognize the new Texas country, etc)... So you're right, Texas DOES have the right...but STILL, would it happen? I think it's very unlikely. LEON: At the moment the combined might of all US forces is about what...1.5 million? Something like that? Even if ONLY FIVE PERCENT of all US citizens are of fighting age, gender, and fitness, that would give the US a military of approx 15 MILLION, a HUGE number of soldiers and definitely enough to ward off an invasion. Average time to train a soldier to readiness from straight off the streets? 6 months, give or take. And I guarantee you an invasion force big enough to even THINK about successfully invading the US would take months to gather, prepare, and embark. We'd would see such an obvious buildup of force and we'd have time to prepare for the storm.

LOL every time there are economic troubles or something, this little rumor seems to go around that Texans are thinking about seceding...I think it's sort of funny. Alright, to be honest, since I'm staunchly a Yank, I would most definitely fight to preserve the Union...and the US would most arguably fight to keep Texas (and its good economy) in the Union as well. So we're talking about a 2nd Civil War here...is it worth it? I can see the benefits of secession, but I also understand that it would require much bloodshed before it happens. Let's face it, secession is (apparently) unconstitutional. Once a territory gains Statehood and signs that contract, it is IN. The fed is not gonna let it go off willy-nilly on its own without a fight...so are the benefits worth the trouble of actually seceding? I can guarantee that EVEN IF Texas were to get out of the Union by force, it would still have a very large, angry (or downright hostile) neighbor to deal with. At any rate, I don't think Texas could successfully fight a war against the rest of the US on its own. It would need help from foreign countries or other seceding states...and that's a scenario that I don't think ANYONE wants. I guess I'm just going in circles here, so to close: I can understand the sentiments, but I'm a Union guy and I would fight to keep the United States whole, for good or for ill. *shrug* That's what I think, anyway.

I like all the blue..and the fire one is kinda snazzy. Awesome job.

I disagree. Firstly, it was through the judicial process that interracial marriage was allowed, not through specific Congressional legislation. Loving v Virginia, if I'm not mistaken. With desegregation, again, it was mostly through judicial review that segregation laws were STRUCK DOWN, not (many) new laws put into effect by federal Congress. You're right, these things weren't done by popular vote...but they WERE heavily influenced and pushed by grassroots movements and lobbying by concerned citizens, just as is happening with gay marriage right now. In my opinion it simply does not justify federal legislation. It's alright with me if gay marriage is legalized judicially by striking down marriage "protection" laws...I just think taking it to the federal, legislative level is unnecessary and is giving too much power to the fed. government. Ok, devil's advocate now: Remember, there are MILLIONS of others who don't believe that it is a human right, and millions more who don't care either way. They still deserve a voice, no matter if it's a human right or not. They believe it ISN'T just as strongly as you DO. Right or wrong, they have and deserve a say in things in this democratic system, hence I say popular vote. There were millions who still argued against interracial marriage, but equality was achieved through protesting, civil suits, etc...is it any less possible to do this for gay marriage? Again: IT IS HAPPENING NOW. No need for fed. Popular vote.

lol I can disagree and not espouse chaos and destruction, ya know. I'm not holding any torches or pitchforks here..just sharing my honest opinion. I'm not gonna try and stop Emily from being or doing whoever or whatever she wants to just because I disagree with it...unless it somehow directly, physically threatens my well-being...lol and that seems to be a fairly remote concern here. Just givin' my humble opinion..and hey, it livens up the conversation.

The reason I say it should be popular vote is that once we give the federal government the power to classify peoples and races and marriage...then we get into some scary territory. Nazi Germany, anyone? Even today some european countries are beginning to marginalize certain groups by legally classifying them as socially obtuse/unneeded. I say keep the authority at the local/state level...let as-direct-as-can-be democracy rule. If people are against it, they have to be persuaded that it's the right way to go...that's fundamental American democracy. People should be shown the information and persuaded to agree, not forced to comply by federal authority. Popular vote, says I!

Wowsas, thanks a bunch!

NOOB ALERT!!! Hey, I was just wondering: Is it possible to change a hero's sprite/charset mid-game? For instance: The hero starts out as a young lad wearing peasant clothing...and at some point in the game he "grows up" and for the rest of the game wears battle armor. I'm not very familiar with rpg maker xp yet, so I didn't know if this could be done or not. Any help would be appreciated!

Like I said, "Fake" wasn't quite the word I wanted, but I couldn't think of a better one. I was just commenting that I think sex/gender is biologically determined, not psychologically. One's psychological make-up is tied very closely to one's actual physical make-up...even at a base physical level, men and women's brains are chemically and phsyically structured differently and operate along radically different trains of logic...I just think that even if you truly believe that you're a girl, you arrived at that mindset following logic and reactions stemming from a physically male brain...*shrug* I just can't help but see that as being MALE.. ..But hey, I don't have all the answers; who does? We all sort of make life up as we go along, don't we? I'm willing to listen and hear what everyone has to say about things. Just my opinion, that's all. AYA: I simply can't agree that transgender people are "more real" than straight people. That's sort of a divisive thing to say. I think that every different culture, group, or social subset have both "real" and "fake" people in them. Being transgender (or straight) doesn't make one better or more "real" than straight (or transgender) people. It's about personality, that's all. Maybe you're just hanging around the wrong straighties. Also....just to clarify: Like I mentioned in my original post, "fake" is too strong a word for what I meant, and I probably shouldn't have used it. Well, I'm blabbing on again. I'll shush now.

Ok, let's throw political correctness out the window for a sec. Here's my problem with the whole transgender/transsexual thing (and I know you're gonna cringe, but hear me out.): I can't help but view transexuals and transgender people as sort of fake, as facades (though this may be too strong a term for it). No matter what you "feel" like you are, no matter what your mental opinion of yourself is, you are still biologically the gender that you were born with. You can claim all you want that you "are" a girl and you can even get some patched-together girl genitalia, but your DNA is always going to say "BOY". Whatever side of the debate you are on, this is something that you can't refute, and for good or for ill, it's a huge part of the issue and society will always have a problem with understanding or accepting it. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not condemning transexuality or something...I'm just saying that until humanity has the technology to change one's gender at DNA BASE LEVEL, there's always going to be a gap between what one thinks or feels that they are and what biology says that they are...and furthermore it will always be a touchy issue for society (ie, the square community) in general, unless the entire society undergoes some fairly big changes...and right now I don't think there are enough people to change things. In the future? Possibly. As a hasty close to my ramble, let me say this: I understand how hard it can be for transexuals and transgender people these days...it can be like being stuck between a rock and a hard place, not always entirely sure if you ARE boy or girl, whether to follow one's psychology or biology...even those who do "choose" a path to tread face ridicule and rejection for what they are. With that said, I applaud those strong enough to stand and face difficulties with dignity. As an example: I have no clue who Emily is (I'm a NOOOOOB here) but it sounds like Emily has reached a stable, comfortable place in her life and that's ALWAYS a good thing, no matter who the person is. Well, that's my thinking on the subject. Don't hurt me.

This being a democratic-ish society and all...and me being a PoliSci guy, I'd say it's up to the states. I think that states should hold open, popular votes to decide the issue. I mean, come on. It's about marriage...not exactly a pressing federal issue. So really either way is fine with me.

Name: Steve Aliases: badjedidude, Blind Prophet (Prof, for short) Sex: Male Color: White Birthdate: 27 Sept 1986 Height: 5'10 Weight: 175 (down from 222...yay) Shoe Size: 11.5 Eye Color: Green/Blue/Gray Hair Color: Dark Brown Favorite Color: Green Birthmarks/Tattoos/Piercings: Not really...just a bunch 'o' scars. Dating/Marital Status: SINGLE! Sexual Orientation: Straight Religion: Raised Christian (that's a non-answer, peeps) Family: 2 Bros 2 'rents, 2 dogs Pets: See above. One jack russel and one yellow lab Occupation: STUDENT!...if that's a job... Favorite Movie: Event Horizon (Sam Neill rocks) Favorite Music Genre: Heavy metal/classical Favorite Video Game: Final Fantasy VII Favorite Book: The Dune series Favorite Food: Chinese Chinese Chinese! Favorite Beverage: Booze. Just kidding, it's milk. Favourite Cartoon: Rocko's Modern Life Favorite Other Members: Me = NOOB so I dunno anyone Preferred RPG Maker: RMXP Preferred Web Browser: Int'explo Preferred Email Service: COOLWORKS.COM!!! Website?: None. Vegetarian?: Hell no. I eat animals. Violently. Where you've traveled: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany. Dislikes: lotsa stuff Likes: lotsa stuff Useless Facts: No such thing as a useless fact. Pictures: Not for you Do you drink? Socially Do you smoke? Nope. Did you ever skip class? I am right now Do you obtain a good amount of sleep daily? 6 hours, give or take. Have you ever been on an airplane? Yup. have you ever broken a bone? Nope. I drink milk. I hear it does a body good. Do you wear jewelry? Nope. How do you dress? Slowly and with anything that doesn't smell too bad. How many keys are on your keyring? Like...20-30 What time do you go to bed? Depends. Usually 11-1pm How many hours a day do you spend in the computer? 1-2hrs What are your goals/dreams in life? Private Who do you admire? The men and women of the US armed forces. No, really. Are you into sports? Soccer, US football, basketball What is your dream job? Private What was your first screenname? badjedidude Do you have any piercings? Didn't you already ask this? No I don't Are you a lefty/righty or ambidextrous? Right. Do you have any tattoos? If not do you wish/plan to get one? Nope and no. What is your favorite website? Whatever I happen to be perusing at the moment. Do you play computer games? Nope. Do you play video game consoles? P Are you married or planing to get married? Was planning to but now I'm not. If you ask about it I'll punch your computer in the face. Well, there ya go. I'm new to the site and new to RMXP. We'll see what kind of rpg madness I can turn out. ----Steve P.S. Happy Birthday Formlesstree4!