Heavy Z

Something to keep in mind is that a lot of high-ranking conservatives are voicing opposition to the way Bush has led the party away from traditional republicanism. The latest came this week when many former Reagan/Bush 1 appointees and military officials declared their concerns publicly, indicating that there's more to this story than media bias or partisan politics. If anything, just reading the part I put in bold should disspel he myth that the only ones critical of the administration and our chances in Iraq are peaceniks or libs. (Full story linked below) "Today a group of former senior diplomatic officials and retired military commanders--several of whom are the kind who "have never spoken out before" on such matters--issued a bracing statement arguing that George W. Bush has damaged the country's national security and calling on Americans to defeat him in November. It's too early to tell if the statement will have an impact on this fall's campaign. But Diplomats and Military Commanders for Change, as the group is called, reveals (again) how dangerously isolated the Bush Administration is not just around the world but even from America's own bipartisan foreign policy and military establishments. Jack Matlock, who served as Reagan and Bush 41's ambassador to the Soviet Union, has signed the statement, as has Ret. Adm. William Crowe, who served as Reagan's Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Retired Marine Gen. Joseph Hoar has added his name to the list, and he commanded US forces in the Middle East under Bush Sr. Phyllis Oakley, who served as a State Department spokesperson under Reagan, is another signatory. The vast majority of the signatories are, in fact, either conservative Republicans who served under Reagan and Bush 41 or they are bipartisan, consensus-driven ex-diplomats who served their country from Africa to Asia because they believed in America's leadership role around the world. Around the same time, retired military commanders were growing aghast at Bush's utterly inept lack of planning for the occupation of Iraq. That's why, for example, the former Centcom commander Gen. Anthony Zinni ultimately went on 60 Minutes last month and argued that if Bush stayed on the current course in Iraq, America was "headed over Niagara Falls." Hoar, the retired Marine general, has publicly declared that the United States is "absolutely on the brink of failure" in Iraq." http://www.thenation.com/edcut/index.mhtml?bid=7

Aux, totally missed it!! Had me rolling anyway, sorry for posting dated material.

Have you welded one inside your exhaust tip yet? Wo-Wooo, too funny! I love the part about them only going off 'in the morning'... http://media.ebaumsworld.com/bubbrubb.wmv

Thanks for the info, George.

Here's one from CNN: "Engineering geek names son 2.0" http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/Midwest/02/01/offbeat.baby.version2.0.ap/

Congrats Brian, enjoy your Z!

In that case a 383 LT1 would look great in your Z.

Word on the street lately is the LS1, look up Mas280 and Tim240z - both have recently posted info worth looking over.

These weighed 1,450 lbs to start with, to think of one on the street sends a chill up my spine. If I was paid a million bucks to try and keep up with any production car in a race through town, this would be my last choice for sure.

So there you have it, a call for open-mindedness followed by a bashing. I share some of your thoughts on conservation, but which side of the fence are you on here? When you read something you disagreed with, you lashed out the same way others condemned your opinion. No difference whatsoever. If everyone played by the rules in your 1st paragraph we'd be more in the spirit of Hybrid Z, rather than the alternative.

Hmmm, let's see.... American Lion - extinct European Lion - extinct Asian Lion - gone North African Barbary Lion - thought extinct, a few found recently Coastal Lion - a few left African Lion - 20,000 or so. If we had been wiped out on every continent except one, with a population you could fit in a decent New York City skyscraper, what would you call it? Yes I do and yes it is. Here's a quick article from last year: Big dip in lion numbers Tim Radford Thursday September 18, 2003 The Guardian The lion population of Africa has fallen to about 23,000 - roughly the human headcount of Woodbridge, Suffolk - though just 20 years ago it numbered more than 200,000. A report in New Scientist today says that not just lions but the populations of all African predators are plummeting. The wild dogs may be down to 3,000 now, roaming a fraction of their old range. Cheetahs, once common from southern Africa to west Asia, perhaps now number only 15,000 animals. All the species face human pressures and loss of habitat. Laurence Frank, of the University of California, Berkeley, said: "These large carnivores are nearing the brink." People caused 74% of the deaths of large carnivores in African parks, according to Rosie Woodroffe, of the University of California, Davis. A team at the university and at the Texas Tech University, in Lubbock, said there was also insufficient effort to save the species of the Americas.

Sorry, I couldn't resist. The same emotions that make you want to protect your family, your pets, etc? Why must we have ownership over a life before it is of value to us? Problems in the Congo, South Africa, and Zimbabwe have the numbers once again in jeopardy. Recently a South African newspaper stated that 1/3 to 1/2 of the big game in Zimbabwe has been wiped out in the last 2 years. Unless you read African papers, you probably missed it.

You guys go ahead and chase your tails on this one, wander off in another direction, equate your Z to blowing away an endangered animal, whatever. Most hunters have said these guys are jackasses already, then go into some defense of their position as a hunter. Not necessary in this case since traditionally hunters "hunt" for food, which has nothing to do with the fate of this lion. Some of you may be looking for for an argument without end. In any case I'll re-post my first point and then get outta the way: PURE AND SIMPLE, YOU EITHER THINK YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO KILL JUST FOR FUN - YOUR RIGHT AS A "SUPERIOR" CREATURE, OR YOU DON'T!

Read what I said above 240Z2NV to put these thoughts into context... Once again the original argument gets derailed. I appreciate your opinions about killing for sport, throwing in the part about duckhunters at the end however saws the legs out on that part of your argument. Duck hunters eat the non-endangered species they shoot just as I could order dead duck in a restaurant. Food is NOT the case with the lion, so using the duck example will only serve to get this argument going in circles. I don't hunt personally, but have friends that do and I know where their dues are going. Here in California hunting licence fees are the bread and butter for many conservation efforts, so whether you're a hunter or not one must appreciate dough they pour into keeping areas natural. P.S. while I was writing this 80LT1 chimed in, this is the sort of response you're going to get from hunters. They know that animal populations are very closely monitored here in the U.S., and again a deer is good eating/will overpopulate whereas executing one of the few remaining lions is pure machismo. Two different things entirely.

This supermarket thing seems to angle the issue off in another direction, which is a totally different argument. These guys weren't doing this out of necessity as they don't look to be local africans just passing through. More doubtful is that they're hungry and driven by a craving for lion chops, ground lion, or lion filets. They did it for the high-five, the video, and the pelt. They did it so they can tell the story to their friends and impress women. Defending this type of behavior has nothing to do with meatpacking. What we have here is whether 'I kill you because I can' is cool or not.

It could be one more thing since this sounds exactly like a problem I've had. My fix was in the fuse box and was easy, all I had to do to get them to work was twist the one fuse that runs these all, rotate it a bit in the connectors and the lights would go back on. Yes it fixed itself too, next time it happens on you go to your fuse as it might be the problem. Good luck.

stuffing a few bananas in the tailpipe woulda done more than a flash grenade I'll bet.

I was drooling over some of those a while back also on ebay. Pete, you are gonna be a happy camper once that motor is hurling you down the road.

Am I reading this right? 1976 and up? Glad to see they're leaving older cars alone, and since our current cutoff is '74, nobody will have to smog their cars who don't already. I can live with this much better than the idea discussed earlier about mandatory tests for all cars.

Free of charge, man. Remind me before the summer BBQ and I'll be sure to bring them.

Thanks everyone. Aux, I've got some extra pedestrian annihilator plugs if you need some for your front bumper.

Thanks guys, that's how I'm feeling now that I can gas it through a turn and mash it on the way out with none of the usual dangers. The launches are grab-and-go strait without any sideways walk. I hope my new T5 likes 'em too.

Here's some pics I snapped today:

Well, it's been a while since I posted any progress info so here goes... As some of you know, I recently replaced my nwc T5 w/ a rebuilt wc T5 w/ gearzone countergear stabilizer. After bleeding the master and a couple other hurdles this tranny rocks and I love the overdrive(2400rpm at 80 mph )!!! I then spent some time addressing my holley 650dp, jetting up from 67 to 70 in the primaries and from 73 to 75 in the secondaries. Definitely running better than ever. Lastly, I picked up some nitto 555r's in 275/50/15 for the back and moved my 225/60/15's to the front in place of the old 205's - what a difference!! I had to crank up my rear coilovers a bit. No rubbing, better handling, and best of all, traction!!! Any ideas what the optimal tire pressure is on the street? I'm at about 25psi now. I'm heading to the track next wednesday to see what it'll do, I'll let you know how it works out. Thanks everyone for all the help on my Z!!!!!!! Brett

Glad to hear it worked out for you, please keep us posted! Brett