[talaniman]

Have some empathy for what the Aussies are going through because desperate is an understatement and no sign of relief appears on the horizon, except to rescue and remove people to safety ASAP. None of us here have the expertise or authority to begin to know what logistics and resources can meet this challenge and expecting victims to have a clue is futile. Helicoptering victims of this event to waiting boats is all I got and the government surely has reached that conclusion as well.

[jlisenbe]

It does have to be a terrible situation. I've never lost a house to natural disaster or even a house fire, but I can imagine it must be a terrible experience.

[talaniman]

Traumatic is the word I use. The often report the disaster and the aftermath, but Australia is a ways off from even that relief. I have seen it take years to recover from such events and seldom will you see that story reported. If they are they are few and far between and don't come close to portraying the horrific recovery victims actually face. Not blaming the media completely since their seems to be a disaster of nature and man made every day of this accelerated news cycle.

Depressing!

[paraclete]

Yes Tal it is depressing but a ray of hope, my family is safe however what happens now I don't know

[talaniman]

A ray is better than nothing Clete, Just try to stay safe and weather this firestorm.

[paraclete]

A ray is better than nothing Clete, Just try to stay safe and weather this firestorm.

Tal I'm safe but they predict the return of the same or worse tomorrow so who knows what will develop next it is like armageddon

[talaniman]

I thought Armeggedon was the end of the world? This is just the reality of Paradice Island.

[Vacuum7]

CALIFORNIA: A bowl of fruits and nuts! Any state who thinks legalizing dope smoking is something to brag about is entirely off the deep end.....All those states that have legalized it are very similar: ANTIBUSINESS!

[talaniman]

They said that about alcohol in the 30's and the mob made bookoo bucks from it. Not just in California either. How about them LEGAL dope dealing doctors and those opiods?

[Vacuum7]

Talaniman: ALL recreational dope use is patently wrong. ALL unnecessary dope administration is patently wrong. ANY DOCTOR who prescribes ANY DOPE, you pick the poison, as a methodology to attain some end result, when there are other means available to reach that same end result, should be scrutinized and evaluated for breaking his Hippocratic Oath with the removal of his or her medical license a possible punishment......And I feel the same way about those parents that condone doping up their kids because they refuse to parent: that is very disgusting! Parents need to stop looking for the easy way out!

Talaniman, I just don't see the "cool factor" in dope smoking! It is going to wreck this country. Go find one person who "resurrected" themselves by beginning to smoke dope.....find someone who can honestly tell you that "My life was on the skids until I found Marijuana and now, that I started smoking it, my life is just so much better! You will not find one!

Dope smoking is destructive, not constructive. Poor Illinois has a$850 million dollar deficit but they are bragging about legal dope sales bringing in a measly $4 million in revenues, holding that up as some justification of dope as a big revenue maker. They are even advocating dope to the poorer inner city as a means to help them raise revenue: these are areas where other forms of drug abuse have helped wreck the populations! THERE IS SOMETHING EVIL ABOUT THIS WHOLE DOPE MANIA!

Did you know the Japanese, when they invaded China, legalized and help proliferate Opium usage amongst the Chinese population? Why do you think they did that? It wasn't to help the Chinese, it was to put them into a lethargic, doped-up state where they wouldn't resist Japanese ambitions. Dope usage is in no way good.

I am not a saint by any stretch and never proclaimed to be one....I am full of sins and my own proclivities to sin with mine being a weakness for beautiful women...its a battle I have lost, won, and lost, yet again: will power is challenged and I understand how challenging it can be....but I recognize dope as inherently evil.

[talaniman]

From climate change to dope! Welcome back Vac, but most dope heads, and alcohol users included, are highly functional responsible members of society so let's not equate users with abusers or lump all bad behavior into the same bucket for the same reason as their are legit reasons to medicate, just as their are not to self medicate. Good doctors and bad ones and if all you see is the bad then all you do is make the good suffer for it.

MJ and alcohol are the same to me and no way do I put MJ in the same category with heroin, or morphine for prosecutorial purposes. Bit of over kill there bud.

[Vacuum7]

Talaniman: Good points and points well taken.....The problem with all of these things is that they are so "hairy": How do you parse the angle hairs to extract the acceptable from the unacceptable. The law is entirely absurd at time and uses a broad brush to paint everything the same color......Hell, where I live, if you get pissed drunk and decide to "relieve your bladder" on the side of the road and a man in blue sees you, he will arrest you and you will be convicted of a "SEX CRIME" and put on the same list as a Sex Criminal with rapists and child molesters....that is ridiculous, as well. But, I just have my own issues with MJ that make me feel so strongly about it: My brother, a Vietnam Vet, came back from S.E. Asia smoking it and it took him almost 20 years to get ahold of his life.....I don't and can't know for certain HOW MUCH MJ played a part in all of that but I do know it was a staple of his life so I attribute that it had some bearing on his issues.

[talaniman]

It's so easy to to jump to a conclusion for complex situations and sorry about your brother. Nam screwed quite a few people up for years.

[jlisenbe]

Looks pretty tough.

https://www.foxnews.com/world/pictur...s-in-australia

[paraclete]

Looks pretty tough.

https://www.foxnews.com/world/pictur...s-in-australia

Yes jl one small part of the problem. today will be a critical day, one of many so far. Understand that if this is due to climate change, we are all screwed and what we are seeing mirrors biblical prophesy

[jlisenbe]

Understand that if this is due to climate change, we are all screwed and what we are seeing mirrors biblical prophesy

Could very well be.

[talaniman]

Such catastrophic disasters have happened before throughout history everywhere, and they are still here, so you probably will be too after it's over Clete, whenever that may be.

[paraclete]

Such catastrophic disasters have happened before throughout history everywhere, and they are still here, so you probably will be too after it's over Clete, whenever that may be.

I'm still here tal and my family is still in the fire zone and cannot get out