What issues have you evolved on in your time at the Atlas?

[Torie]

It is not due to what happened on the Atlas, but during my time here, I have become less of a neo-con, and less interventionist in foreign policy. I have learned my lesson by virtue of events as they ensued. I simply did not know enough about Iraq and Afghanistan at the time, although I did oppose the mission creep in Afghanistan from the start, because it seemed like a counterproductive fools errand to me. Bush got carried away with the Wilsonian ideal of making the planet safe for democracy, and he pulled me along with him more than I would like to admit (but in my defense, at the time, I thought Bush had done a lot more due diligence than he in fact did - I simply did not adequately have "his number" as it were back then).

One needs to pick one's shots a lot more carefully, and with a lot more due diligence than he did. Bush simply did not do his homework. One of Bush's greatest flaws, is that he was insufficiently intellectually curious, and did not ask enough questions. It that department, Clinton literally ran laps around Bush. That was one of his greatest strengths, He seemed, and seems, to know everything about everything, even if honesty is not his strongest suit.

[Torie]

Ten years so let's see.

I went from a signed up member of the Labour Party to quitting and joining the Tories and standing for election and then resigning my membership (though I still support them) I'm moved from liberal Scott-like hangwringing Christian to atheist and from anti to pro independence. I've always been pro gay rights, pro-choice and anti-death penalty. On economics I've always taken a typical European Liberal viewpoint but in time of hardship support move government intervention than in times of good. I also don't really care much for politics anymore.

What caused you to become a Scottish nationalist, afleitch?

[Torie]

What does that symbol mean opebo?

[Torie]

What does that symbol mean opebo?

You've never heard of Republican Opebo?

Yes, I have. I still don't understand the symbol.  Maybe I should get out more, but I don't.

[Torie]

Ah, thanks. Opebo is a fan of Jung I guess.

[Torie]

What Hash said basically.

What I have learnt from this forum is really how rhetoric doesn't so much hug reality in some all embracing glow as rather strangle it violently trying to remove all life from it but, like in consentual BDSM, it needs the victim to keep breathing so it can keep on going.

That's quite a mouthful Mr. Foyle. I had to read it three times to absorb it all into my decaying synapses. I am trying to get my mind around an example of the practice of torturing "reality" while taking care not to kill it. That might take awhile!