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I don't know about the VA but just try calling them. Also try your US senators and representatives, they can and often do work wonders in pulling strings and making government work for you, and I can't recommend them strongly enough, they scare the hell out of department heads.

I have always kept in mind that in an emergency I could call the local police and/or Sheriff for help in locating someone, so you might try the San Diego County Sheriff. Even if they can't help they might offer suggestions.

Good luck, I wish you and your brother well and reconnection.

posted 4 years, 11 months ago
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Should the opening ceremony of the Olympics be banned? How about fireworks at Disneyland, and at ballparks. How about that great pyrotechnic show in Australia at the turn of the millenium? How about Chinese New Years? The Europeans have great fireworks traditions, would you ban them also? Ban them in Mexico?


Fireworks are seen as celebratory all around the world, I think it is just very wrong to ban them just because some people have PTSD.


Sheesh! Ban war and celebrate that ban with fireworks!

posted 4 years, 11 months ago
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Let?s acknowledge the elephant in the living room here, War. Fireworks are not the problem, most kids are thrilled by fireworks while growing up, it is only after growing up and making war that they get PTSD and learn to be afraid of loud noises. War is the problem that ought to be addressed!


Blood Oil, wars for Oil, is the major cause of far too many of these problems.

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Smell is the most effective way to get people to remember the past. I think that the smell of blackpowder is a best way to remind Americans of the 1776 Colonial Revolution against Great Britain.


The colonists were considered terrorists by the British so that is in our birthright, overthrowing bad and tyrannical government. In order to remind Americans of that birthright I think that Fireworks ought to be required on the Fourth and on every other possible occasion. I think children ought to be taught in school how to handle and light fireworks safely every year of school so they get it and so we can stop all the efforts to ban fireworks, both personal and public.

posted 4 years, 11 months ago
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"And we want to know what you think -- should we consider canceling fireworks on the Fourth to help people who served in war, but now live with the nightmares?"

It would be wrong to punish every American just because some Americans chose to go to war.

After Vietnam I camped with some of those vets and we found that river rocks around campfires would explode and scare the hell out of those guys, so we learned not to use river rocks.

But we can't change everything in the world to accommodate a few. There will always be loud noises and they need to get desensitized to them.


There are places where fireworks are banned, like in the forests, so those are places available to people who can't or don't want to be around fireworks.

posted 4 years, 11 months ago
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You guys pleasantly surprise me pretty often, so kudos to you.

I have been wondering about how you're doing with OPB considering the seemingly small participation on these discussions. I'm guessing you must be getting fairly good numbers of listeners or OPB would trade you out for some other program.

You're ok by me.

posted 4 years, 11 months ago
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One advantage I see of diversification is that it is harder for someone to coordinate a lockstep propaganda campaign because there are so many people checking things out and writing about it.

posted 4 years, 11 months ago
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I wasn't going to even bother listening to this show, but it has been interesting.

posted 4 years, 11 months ago
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I get what he said about providing context but I think that the two can be separated into notices and reporting. Certainly, they don't investigate and report on every real estate transaction or every minor traffic infraction that went to court.

posted 4 years, 11 months ago
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Thanks.

Good idea on their part but it could also be used to argue that the government could negotiate down from paying for hard copy publication to a lesser cost for the online.

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I believe there is an old government rule that notices get published in the newspaper with the largest circulation. That leaves some questions now, like why not publish in all the niche publications to get more complete coverage or publish the real estate notices in a real estate niche magazine because that's who is most interested. Or even a just public notices, niche magazine.

I don't know who reads the public notices, but it seems like a public webpage would make it most easily available to all interested.

posted 4 years, 11 months ago
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Just a side note; I think that the public notices ought to be placed online and taken out of newspapers. There is no longer any need for the public to subsidize newspapers when the costs are so low to run the notices on a government webpage. The government already puts the data in electronic form anyway, so it would be very easy to do.

posted 4 years, 11 months ago
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Every time Conservative Republicans get into office they de-regulate something and then financially rape the American people. This is real similar to the Reagan de-regulation and subsequent looting of the Savings and Loans, which cost the American people some 800 Billion US dollars.

Conservatives hate regulations that protect the average American people but their stock markets are the most regulated markets in the world in order to protect the extremely wealthy Conservatives.

posted 4 years, 11 months ago
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Conservatives keep cutting school funding so they can prevent classes that raise people out of ignorance.

I'm all for your idea and have been for some forty years but it is an uphill battle.

posted 4 years, 11 months ago
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There are lots of recreational distance running events but I've wondered about the possibility of sprint type events; 50, 100, 200, 400, etc, and hurdles for the folks with that type of muscles. Seems like there could be some room for that.

It might draw football players, hockey, lacrosse, baseball, and other such sprint type athletes.

posted 4 years, 11 months ago
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Cool. Thanks.

posted 4 years, 11 months ago
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In 8th grade 1961 I was training as a javelin guy when our 880 runner missed a meet because of sickness and I had to run in his place. I ran out of gas with a quarter lap to go, turning to molasses, and I have had a hard time trying to even want to run ever since.

But I sure admire those who do.

posted 4 years, 11 months ago
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"Personally I don't Eugene should be defined by running"

I'd just add it to the list of descriptives. Eugene is a great city in a bunch of unique ways, and is a very livable city. Track Town, College Town, Emerald City, Grateful Dead North, etc.

posted 4 years, 11 months ago
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"Is the Beaver State particularly suited to the sport?"

At least for duration of the trials let's call our state the Duck State, ok?

(and I even went to Oregon State)

posted 4 years, 11 months ago
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I always wonder what religion a rapist was raised in, and if it was a sexually repressive religion, if that contributed to their crime.

I suspect that religions of fear and intimidation create many of the psychological dysfunctions that psychologists and psychiatrists and society for that matter, have to deal with.

On other words, I suspect that Conservative Religions damage people and they ought to be studied as a probable root cause of those psychological damages.

posted 4 years, 11 months ago
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