Epigonos

The Federalists Party was the first American political party and was founded in 1791 and ceased all operations in 1824. It was NOT the precursor of the current Republican Party (GOP). The Republican Party was founded in Wisconsin on March 20, 1854 at a meeting of Anti-Slavery Wigs. John C Fremont was the first Republican candidate for president in 1856. He lost to the Democratic candidate James Buchanan. The first successful Republican presidential candidate was Abraham Lincoln in 1860. The modern-day Democratic Party was founded around 1828 by the supporters of Andrew Jackson and was a populist party. One might choose to argue that the Republican Party of Donald Trump is not the Republican Party of Abraham Lincoln. One might also choose to argue that the Democratic Party of Bill Clinton and Barrack Obama was not the Democratic Party of Andrew Jackson and is only now with people like Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Kamala Harris returning to its populist roots.

In many ways Thomas Jefferson was an ass. He was a rabid Francophile who went out of his way to make excuses for and rationalize the extreme excesses of the French Reign of Terror. When he wrote in the Declaration of Independence that “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” he meant WHITE men as he was one of the major slave owners in Virginia. He opposed the development of manufacturing in the United States and hoped that the country would remain a nation made up of small farmers and tradesmen. In 1800 he ran one of the dirtiest campaigns in U.S. history in his presidential fight against John Adams. Jefferson frequently preached the doctrine of brotherly love while his behind the scene actions were malicious and vicious. He had a great knack for getting others to do his dirty work while he chose to give the appearance of being above the fray. When one strips away the myths surrounding Thomas Jefferson he turns out to be rather shallow and unlikeable.

Avalon you make the Isolationists of the 20th Century seem like total pikers. I'm not convinced isolationism was ever possible and I'm definitely convinced that it isn't possible in today's or tomorrow's world.

Unfortunately Avalon the reality in today's world is that the two oceans do NOT provide a whole lot of protection. 9/11 amply proved that point. We are a part of this fucked up shrinking world whether we like it or not.

Avalon you have a most interesting view of history. I'm afraid we will just have to agree to disagree on a number of you examples.

I sincerely suggest that anybody considering hiring Ryan IGNORE his posted "intos" on rentmen. Contact him and talk to him about what you are into and what you would like to do. I have the definite feeling that he makes his decisions regarding these matters on an individual basis based on the vibes he receives during communication. I have no intention of discussing here what we did during out time together but I came away completely satisfied and happy and I have stated here many time that simple muscle worship does absolutely nothing for me. Ryan is a great guy and I cannot say enough good things about him.

Avalon if you subscribe to a total non-intervention foreign policy then the U.S. should not have been concerned about the Japanese invasion of China and the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of Chinese by the Japanese Armies. The U.S. should not have been concerned about the slaughter of millions of Jews, Gypsies and Gay in Nazi Germany. The U.S should not have been concerned about the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of Kurds by the Iraqi government of Saddam Hussein. The U.S. should not have been concerned about the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children in Darfur by the central Sudanese government. Many Hollywood luminaries, George Cluny included, protested vociferously the invasion of Iraqi, one purpose of which was, to protect the Kurds while demanding loudly that the U.S. take action to protect the people of Darfur. The huge question invariably becomes just who decides when intervention is morally correct or morally incorrect. If, as some suggest, morality should be left out of these decisions then who decides what constitutes the best interests of the United States and thus when intervention is acceptable. Nearly all of these situations are the types where one is invariably "damned if you do and damned if you don't".

One must be careful when stating that there are two side to every story. That statement is frequently used to excuse the bad behavior an individual or a country. There are some who attempt to rationalize the Japanese Attach on Pearl Harbor by stating that the U.S. and its allies forced Japan into into invading South East Asia and bombing Pearl Harbor in order to obtain certain raw materials (oil and rubber for example) that the United States, Britain, and the Netherlands had refused to sell to Japan. That is indeed a fact, as far as it goes, but what the apologists fail to mention is that the ban on the sale of those items came only after the Japanese invasion and "rape" of China. In order to get a "complete" picture of many historical events one need to read several (many) sources and then come to ones own conclusion.

Greg in reality history is ALWAYS written by the winners – that’s a fact. A corollary to that statement is that might ALWAYS makes right. The truth is that these two facts are more neutral than “good” or “bad” they are simply historical facts. Here are some examples. Consider how the history books would read if Adolph Hitler and Nazi German had won World War II or how the history books would read if Jefferson Davis and the Confederacy had won the U.S. Civil War. Additionally consider how the history books would read if Native Americans had won the Indian Wars in the U.S. or how the history books would read if Mexico had won the Mexican-American War. The outcomes of these conflicts are fact. What we need to do is be thankful for the outcome of the first two and not make excuses to rationalize the behavior of the losers. In the second two examples we need to make an attempt to address the problems created by those victories without attempting to rewrite the entire history of those conflicts. The final fact is that we should take everything we see, hear and read with a grain of salt. Most authors and commentators have a point of view (axe to grind) and we need to be aware of exactly what it is and how it affects the truth of their writings or comments.

Avalon I also love history. I was a Latin American History/Spanish major in school. Unlike you I was fortunate to have a wonderful history teacher in high school who instilled in me her love of the subject. My in home library is full of hardback works of history and biographies of historical figures. I am currently reading an outstanding book entitled "Iran: A Modern History" by Abbas Amanat. If the subject interests any reader here I highly recommend it.

All California coastal cities are expensive but you might want to look into the San Diego area. The city is gay friendly the the climate is wonderful. I'm hesitant to mention Palm Springs because you said you were young. Many of the gay residents of Palm Springs tend to be older. The climate certainly isn't any worse than Las Vegas and it has great proximity to escorts in the greater Los Angeles Area. Year round condo rentals are very affordable and if you are looking to buy you can find all sorts of available places in a wide range of prices. If this area interesting I would suggest you look in both Palm Springs and Cathedral City. I have always been a great fan of New Mexico. Santa Fe in extremely expensive but as others have mentioned Albuquerque is affordable. I might mention that lately Albuquerque has experienced a major increase in crime due to drugs and gangs. Even with that said there are some great neighborhoods in and around the city. I would definitely agree that the escorts market in the area leaves something to be desired. I simply can't imagine living in Salt Lake City. In have spent a lot of time in and round the city. I realize that it is a Democratic bastion in the midst of a Republican expanse but it is still Mormon country. I will readily admit that if I "HAD" to live anyplace in Utah it would be Salt Lake City BUT? The winter weather isn't all that great and I can't imagine that the escort market is all that great.

I'm damn near a total carnivore. When the choice come between steak and pasta it's a no brainer for me - STEAK. I look forward to dying, some day, in the distant future, with a piece of blood rare steak in one hand and a very nice glass of red wine in the other. ALL airplane food on ALL airlines is rotten and that includes the food in ALL cabins - first class, business, and coach. I learned a long time ago to have my local Italian deli make up a care package for me to carry on board all my long flights. I'm facing two eleven hour flights, in the not too distant future, and I'm already deciding what to carry on board to eat.

As much as I enjoy this type of discussion, in reality, it is just a tempest in a teapot. Who really cares whether one uses one or two spaces after a period. I, for instance, use one if I remember to do so but most often my memory fails me and I use two.

The unfortunate truth is that "comfort animals" do NOT need to be placed in pet carriers. I was on a flight about a years ago when a passenger had a German Sheppard as a "comfort animal". There is NO way a German Sheppard will fit in the under the seat pet carriers. The dog sat next to the passenger in her seat.

I was told this story by a flight attendant on a recent flight: There was an older female passenger on one of her flights who was accompanied by the “lady’s” small “comfort animal”. The “lady” was seated on the aisle and her “comfort animal” was growling and snapping at the passenger seated in the center seat. When the flight attendant came by to ask to “lady” to take charge of her “comfort animal” the “lady” informed the flight attendant that she had the proper papers for her dog and the flight attendant should shut up and mind her own business. All during the exchange the “comfort animal” was growling and snapping at the flight attendant. The flight attendant, in tears, when to the front of the plane and called the captain. When the captain came out to discuss the matter with the passenger he was also told that he had no right to ask her to take charge of her “comfort animal” and that he should go away and leave her and her “comfort animal” alone. All during the exchange the “comfort animal” was growling and snapping at the captain. The captain returned to the cockpit and proceeded to land the flight in midflight where he requested the presence of local law enforcement. The law enforcement personal forcibly removed the “lady” and her “comfort animal’ from the plane to the loud applause of the other passengers. My kind of captain! The flight attendant also mentioned that she had encountered passenger accompanied by their “comfort” boa constrictors, chickens, and potbellied pigs. This whole “comfort animal” nonsense is totally out of control and is in my, not so humble, opinion pure bullshit. I was fortunate to have a wonderful female American Cocker Spaniel as a pet for fourteen years. Her name was Whoops and she was the joy of my life. I vividly remember crying all the way home from the vet when I had to put her to sleep. But as much as I loved her I ALWAYS remembered that she was a dog not a person. I didn’t impose her on my friends and my fellow restaurant dinners. However, she did sit on my bed every evening and watched movies with me. The only reason I don’t currently have another cocker is that I travel too much and I’m at an age where the dog might out live me. I only mention Whoops because I don’t want to be accused of being an animal hater. So much for this post I’ve now got to go out and fill my hummingbird feeders.

One thing this thread has taught me is that many of my fellow posters here are much nicer than I am. My standard response to unsolicited and unwanted advise is: "When I want your advise I'll ask for it and until then mind your own damned business". This response doesn't tend to endear me to the person but then I really don't give a shit.

I took a one semester typing class in junior high school sometime in the dark ages. Probably the best public school class I ever took. To this day I touch type. During my university days I made extra money typing term papers, senior papers and master degrees papers. I had several people approach me to type their PhD dissertations but was never willing to put out that type of effort. I learned to use two spaces after a period but I am well aware that current practice is evolving to one space. I try to use just one space but the whole typing thing with me is so automatic that I'm having a difficult time making the change.

Disney published two books that my mother read to me over and over again because I loved them so much. "Mickey Mouse Visits the U.S.A." and "Donald Duck Visits South America". From those two book I probably developed my love of travel. She also read dozens of Golden Books to me. When I was a preschooler she read to me every night which I'm convinced led to my love of reading. To this day I spend a good portion of each day reading. My television is hooked up only to a DVD player because I do enjoy watching films.

I suggest that you check out Palm Springs hotels on tripadvisor. Filter the selection through viewers choices. The main site lists gay facilities as well as non-gay ones. I would check out the one that interested me and then start contacting them by phone or through their websites. THE SOONER THE BETTER.

My mother used to can dill pickles, bread & butter pickles, and pickled beets. As a kid I used to kid her for making them herself rather than simply buying them at the market. When she reached about 80 she stopped making them. I missed the flavors so much that I started canning them myself. She would come over to my place and keep me company while I worked kidding me the whole time about making them myself rather than simply buying them at the market. She has been gone now for over twenty years but every year I still can dill pickles, bread & butter pickles, and pickled beets -- in my head I can still hear her laughing at me. My dad and his parents came for Slovenia. My grandfather made his own sauerkraut which was to die for. Unfortunately my grandparents lived in Rock Springs, Wyoming and I was never around them enough to learn how to make it. He also used to make cracklings which he preserved in pork fat. My grandmother would make yeast bread, stretch it out thinly in a jellyroll pan and spread the crackling/pork fat mixture all over it and bake it until golden. It was absolutely wonderful.

Referring to the individual being discussed here as a "kid" or a "boy" rather than as a young man is telling.

MartyB many of the questions you ask in your last post are frankly NONE of your business. Many of those questions could easily apply to an escort of any age. The young man has made a choice regarding his life style, that is his right. At what stated ad age would you believe that your questions were no longer necessary or relevant -- 21 - 25 - 30. Those are all arbitrary subjective lines. Now, honestly, the young man is too young for my taste but that is simply a matter of taste NOT moral obligation. You are most definitely entitled to your opinion but unfortunately your tone indicates, at least to me, a moral judgement which I dislike.

Basically he is NOT my type but he is cute enough that I would definitely give him a whirl.

You make an excellent point 7829V. The number I have used for him was a San Diego number which appeared on his rentboy ad (https://rentmen.eu/SoCalSon) which still exists. However, the number no longer appears on his ad (probably expired) but he has added some very hot cock shot to the ad - go figure. The ad you posted gives a 213 area code number which is a L.A. area code. When we were last communicating he was supposedly moving to Los Angeles. I'll try texting him at this new number and see what happens.

I got together with him about a year ago for an overnight. When he arrived we showered together and then went out to dinner. It was a great experience. Recently we were discussing the possibility of him bring the train up to my place for another overnight. All of a sudden he went silent. I have tried a couple of times since to restart the conversation but have received only silence --STRANGE!!!!!