I'm starting a new thread because I don't want to further pollute Scryler's long lived and wonderful thread. Some clown has named his weather website "Weather Underground". I find this spectacularly ignorant and repulsive. I don't care how innocent this moron's intentions were. I presume if he had any idea how many were killed or injured by that group for no particular purpose, he would be ashamed. The organization's name's source is from a line in an old Bob Dylan song: "Subterranean Homesick Blues". To quote: "You don't have to be a weatherman to know which way the wind blows." So there IS some logical basis for the site's name. I was paying attention (and later wearing a uniform) when the group was setting off bombs in order to protest the Vietnam war (among other things). In addition to being repulsive, ignorant, incoherent, violent and hypocritical, they served no purpose at all, since the U.S. troop withdrawals had started in 1969, and were almost complete by 1972. They were a splinter group of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), who felt that war protests should feature violence. Brilliant! Nowadays, it's considered romantic to associate with 'radical' groups, but I was around them. They were spoiled, ignorant, unthinking, selish, violent, drugged-out, bathless, useless pigs. Self-important garbage. Sort of like modern street gangs. Thank you for allowing my rant. :rant:
Here in England the English flag ie the Cross of Saint George was approproated by the extreme right to the extent that many English people became ashamed of it. Then people began to claim it back. Our council flew it on the Town Hall during the world cup. while other councils banned their employees from displaying it on council vehicles while allowing the flags of other countries to be diplayed. If the line comes from a Bob Dylan song it is quite likely that's where the group picked it quite innocently from. I'm guessing if you asked a cross section of your neighbours who the weathermen were most younger than 40 wouldn't have a clue.
I recall being in 3rd grade at this same time and our teacher, Mrs. Brayden, always had a current news thing everyday in class where we would discuss current events. I remember bringing it up as my news thing, because everyone had to have something to talk about. I can't recall what exactly what it was about but I know that it was about the group being involved in a guerrilla strike. I really thought I was something for bringing up such a story in class, but I didn't realize at the time that guerrilla was a small strike group of people messing with another group. I thought it was a gorilla that had attacked a bunch of people, lol. :blush: I was saved by the teacher because then she went on to explain to the class what exactly it was because I think she knew that I wasn't exactly sure what I was talking about. :blush: You can't expect a 3rd grade kid to know all about the dynamics of radical groups! P.S. I didn't know that GA was THAT old! P.S.S. I didn't think GA ever got pissed at anything, so this thread was awesome.
I DO get mad at things, but they are usually very bad things, so I don't really have much motivation for minor things. I even try not to get worked up about things I can't do anything about. What I worry about is whether it is good that I am fairly passionless even when engaged in physically brutal confrontations. I think too much negative emotion is fatal.
Hmmm... remains inhumanly calm in the most vilent situations. I suggest you watch A Touch of Zen and see if you epathise with the Abbot.
"I am going to show you why we insist on such precautions. On the evening of July 8th, 1981, he complained of chest pains and was taken to the dispensary. His mouthpiece and restraints were removed for an EKG. When the nurse leaned over him, he did this to her. [pulls out photo] The doctors managed to reset her jaw more or less. Saved one of her eyes. His pulse never got above 85, even when he ate her tongue."
Which is why it worries me. My Guardian Angel persona is pretty grim, hopefully only from necesity. Many people are surprised I'm basically a dork the rest of the time.
I've been looking at weather underground for years to get my forcast, I never knew anything about terrorists having used the same name. I would'a guessed that it was called weather underground because of the way it collects its data, a lot of which is from private weather stations. like this one which is about 5mins walk from my house, it good cos I can get a very local weather report.
