hickdude (8:08 PM): whassssssssssssssssssssssssssssupppppppppppppppppp?

me (8:09 PM): yo

hickdude (8:09 PM): no brain but plenty of sould here.

hickdude (8:09 PM): soul here.

me (8:09 PM): no brain, huh?

me (8:09 PM): that's a shame...

hickdude (8:09 PM): well a little one...

me (8:10 PM): kinda shriveled up & gooey? J

me (8:10 PM): (just kidding)

hickdude (8:10 PM): lol

hickdude (8:10 PM): now arent you the witty one?

me (8:10 PM): for once none of my usual horde of friends are on tonight, so i thought i'd see if anything was going on in these silly chat rooms

hickdude (8:11 PM): i see, the chat rooms suck, but everynow and then you meet some cool folk.

hickdude (8:11 PM): how old kiw?

me (8:12 PM): yeah, i spent a week or so hanging around the Phish chat room - seemed the only place people said anything other than "A/S/L!"

me (8:12 PM): too old for chat rooms J

hickdude (8:12 PM): lol

me (8:12 PM): 20-something

hickdude (8:12 PM): i see, matches my 30-something

hickdude (8:13 PM): can you believe what has gone on?

me (8:13 PM): well, yeah, kinda

me (8:14 PM): i mean, look at what we've been doing to the middle east for the last... 15 years

hickdude (8:15 PM): attacking innocent civilians without warning?

me (8:15 PM): on a personal level it's all tragic & sad & shit... but when you look at the global economic & financial bullshit the US has been up to, i'm surprised half the planet isn't standing up & taking the credit

hickdude (8:15 PM): fuck off.

me (8:15 PM): no, i'm serious

me (8:16 PM): read some noam chomsky

hickdude (8:16 PM): i am too. Desert storm vet. Panama Vet. Fuck off. You dont appreciate what you have

me (8:16 PM): that's probably true

me (8:16 PM): but i try to have perspective

hickdude (8:16 PM): yeah, great

me (8:18 PM): well, what do you think?

hickdude (8:18 PM): I think if you wear a country's uniform, you accepted the fact that you are a target...

hickdude (8:19 PM): I think the civilians, babies, moms, dads who happened to be on the wrong plane didnt ask for this.

hickdude (8:19 PM): I think its cowardly, it was wrong, and retribution should be swift.

hickdude (8:20 PM): But what kills me...

hickdude (8:20 PM): I work with a colleague who is arabic and tells people all day long israel doesnt have a right to exist...

hickdude (8:20 PM): and that the US deserved this.

me (8:20 PM): why does that surprise you?

hickdude (8:21 PM): I actually stuck up for him and told people to leave him alone and that he is entitled to his belief just as you are.

me (8:21 PM): but...?

hickdude (8:21 PM): But think about this--how many times have we send aid money to any place that has a tragedy without asking a single thing in return?

me (8:22 PM): i dunno - how many people have died in the middle east b/c of US trade embargos?

hickdude (8:22 PM): Hell, we forgave Egypt 8 billion dollars in debt and this is the thanks we get.

hickdude (8:22 PM): IRAQ?

hickdude (8:23 PM): Are you serious? What if a nuke or bio had been on board that plane? That would end your right to think like that pretty quick

me (8:23 PM): not really

hickdude (8:23 PM): Ever seen it?

me (8:24 PM): might have ended the *thought* itself...

hickdude (8:24 PM): Ever seen the effects of it?

me (8:24 PM): but nothing better end my right to think anything

me (8:24 PM): so long as i'm capable of thought, that is

hickdude (8:24 PM): We have made our actions against a govt not a people.

hickdude (8:24 PM): There is a difference

me (8:25 PM): in theory - but isn't that what they were doing? they (whoever they were) were attacking the symbols of us financial & military power

me (8:25 PM): not the people with families inside

hickdude (8:26 PM): no, you dont seem to understand that bin laden has said since 1994 he intends to bring the fight to the american people.

me (8:26 PM): which he's been highly trained to do by the CIA

hickdude (8:26 PM): bullshit

me (8:26 PM): (according to the BBC)

hickdude (8:27 PM): former intelligence guy here. Believe what you want

hickdude (8:27 PM): I know what I am speaking of

hickdude (8:28 PM): You have probably never even been to the middle east, only what you know of in books or in your intellectual (supposed) symposiums.

hickdude (8:28 PM): bin laden is not cia trained.

me (8:28 PM): well, i would trust the BBC before i'd even think about reading CNN or watching TV, but who the hell knows what goes on underground & behind doors ... just that nothing would surprise me.

hickdude (8:28 PM): agreed

hickdude (8:29 PM): but the bbc has its slants too.

me (8:29 PM): heh. don't we all? J

hickdude (8:29 PM): Yes, the faction group that opposes bin laden and the talaban is CIA trained

me (8:29 PM): and no, i've never been to the middle east, but i know many who have, are from there live there

hickdude (8:29 PM): well bully for you

me (8:30 PM): what does that have to do with anything?

hickdude (8:30 PM): i think that was my point

me (8:30 PM): i live in america - doesn't mean i know about US government secrets

me (8:30 PM): or whatever

hickdude (8:30 PM): you bore me.

me (8:31 PM): really?

me (8:31 PM): i'm having fun

me (8:33 PM): too bad your shriveled & gooey little brain can't handle a little challenge or new perspective on the world. ciao.*

*(sadly I didn't get that last quip in. he'd logged off)