Okay, now, for the record, I'm nursing a rather mild hang so my mind may not be entirely clear and rational, but...

Joel,

I must say that I'm rather disappointed with you. In fact, one might even consider me somewhat upset. You have several times blasted people (most usually "lefties", so to speak) for using, to use your own terms, "canard" arguments. Which, I believe we can argue, serve no truly legitimate ultimate goal. You blast them for presenting skewed facts or things out of context and this, that, and the other and yet you post this thread! None of what you listed is anything but coincidence, as Erik points out, with the very clear implication of lambasting Democrat, and, from your previous other posts, left-wing ideology! You're an intelligent guy, so I'm hoping you can the very clear hypocrisy here. Now, like I said, my mind may not be entirely clear, and it is a coincidence, but just that. It doesn't suggest anything, or prove anything and the implication on your part that it does is very discrediting for you.

Teef,

CA's really a lovely place and you know you'd miss it if it went to the sea to join Alaska and Hawaii! Besides, having lived in the Bay Area my entire life, I've never once seen a celebrity. Don't care to, either. Earthquakes on the other hand, well...I'd rather deal with them than tornadoes or hurricanes! With tornadoes, you have those nerve-wrecking tornado warnings and get all worked up only to MAYBE have a tornado. With hurricanes, well, you know you're gonna have a chance of being hit by one every year! Why mess with the hassle? Now, see, earthquakes, those are neat. Because you don't know when they're coming, at all. It may be tomorrow, or next year. And when one does hit, boom, no preparation, no worrying, just lots of shaking. Ten minutes later, it's over and you're either dead or alive, injured or not and you deal. It's like going through life with the chance of being hit by a meteorite. It can happen, it does happen, and you never know when it will and when it does, you're like, oh, okay. Sorry to be all preachy...it's just been a topic of much discussion around the house since Ike and, well, I felt like taking some time on a soap box!

Though, I HAVE toyed with the idea of CA being it's own country...that'd be interesting. Or two states, North and South. Of course, none of that would ever happen, but still...interesting thoughts to think about.