JAB

Possibly. Probably, in fact. It is a sub-page at the 'charterfirearms' site but I got to it by 'Googling' Charter Arms rimless revolvers. If I go straight to 'charterfirearms.com' I don't see any way to navigate to the rimless revolver info page. I guess the info sub-page is still around but they took the link off of the main page. Just for kicks, the link is: Charter Arms Rimless Revolver

Wife and I ended up riding around most of Saturday and Sunday. Had a few errands to run, etc. One of these weekends really soon I need to make preparations for planting a few food bearing plants but the ground in my garden spot is still too wet to do much with.

To me, a terrorist is one who uses threats and fear to try and force the outcome he wants. For example, terrorist activity would be the actions of a tyrannical president who illegally suspends habeus corpus and begins jailing people who have committed no crime simply because he doesn't like what they are saying. A good example of terrorist activity would be when that tyrant illegally uses his powers of office to seize lands and property simply because he considers the rightful owners to be political enemies and wants to scare people into not speaking out against him.

I don't care much for squirrel meat - tastes kind of bitter, to me. I'd much rather see the furry little fellah's scampering about than on a plate. I have only eaten raccoon once. Caught the b*st*rd in one of my chicken coops the day after my bantams were killed (they had lived in the coop where I caught the 'coon.) Well, I figured he had something to do with killing and eating my bantams (which, unlike my other chickens, I thought of almost as pets) so I'd return the favor. Shot it in the head, cleaned it, skinned it, broke down the carcass, boiled it a little while so it wouldn't be greasy (with just a little vinegar in the water) then took it out of the pot, dried it off and put it on the smoker. When it was done on the smoker, I pulled the meat. With a home-made barbecue sauce I cooked up for the occasion, it tasted just about like barbecue beef. It was a big ol' healthy (and I think fairly young) boar 'coon and there was quite a bit of meat on it. Tasted ten times better than any squirrel I've had, IMO. My wife said she thought it smelled good and would have tried it but she made the mistake of coming to check on my progress before I had finished butchering it (had removed the head and skinned and cleaned it but hadn't cut the paws off or cut the carcass up, yet) so she couldn't bring herself to eat it. I'm probably not going to actively seek them out/hunt them as a meat source as things stand but if things got bad, I'd eat the heck out of them. I figure that in a 'lean times' situation the eggs my chickens lay would be even more important to us. Killing off predators that would eat my chickens while getting good meat sounds like a win/win to me!

Glad no one and no appliances were injured. Aside: I was a little hesitant about clicking on this thread. From the title, I couldn't tell if you were going to talk about clearing your house or the effects of the grande enchilada special you had for dinner last night.

If you were working with a client who has an official diagnosis of MR or other mental disability and receives state funding (or maybe even if they don't receive state funding) and if anyone ever found out about that - and you would be surprised at what people see and report - you would be fired, put on an abuse register for the rest of your life, never allowed to work in the field, again and possibly jailed. Restricting a client's movements (even holding their hands still - forget tying their hands) for more than 59 seconds, straight is considered 'restraint' and is a serious violation - even if the client is trying to kick your ass (see, clients have all kinds of rights but the state seems to feel that folks who work with them have no rights.) Of course, there are also DMRS (or DIDS or whatever they are calling themselves this month) rules about having a firearm around a client but that is neither here nor there. To the OP, were you driving an agency car or one of your personal vehicles? In your situation, if driving a personal vehicle, maybe you could have sent your wife and kids to get gas while you waited with the client in the stranded vehicle? Also, does your wife at least have pepper spray? My wife isn't ready to get her carry permit, yet, so I made sure that she at least carries pepper spray. Not the best but better than nothing.

+1. Especially not for Blazer (not even Blazer Brass) FMJ. I got lucky and found a 100 round box of the UMC JHPs at Wally a couple of weeks ago. The lady in the sporting goods department said that .380 is still selling pretty much as quickly as they come in. She says that the same one or two people come in and buy it all (some of them are, of course, buying it to resell.) She said that those folks pretty much know when the ammo will come in and they show up and clean out the shelves. Walmart has had a limit on the amount of ammo one person can buy per day for some time now to try and stop such activity but these folks just bring another guy or two with them and by the time they all reach their limit, no .380 left.

Their web page still says that they 'will be available late Fall 2009!' Obviously, unless they are also working on a time machine, that is not the case. I had read somewhere that they had been trying to work out some 'patent issues' or something like that (this was before the targeted release date of Fall 2009.) It sounds like a good idea and they would probably sell. I hope the idea isn't dead.

No worries.

My wife got me an electric dehydrator for Christmas - I wanted one because of the 'quicker and easier' factor. Year before last, however, we dried a bunch of apples using the sun drying method (it was a joint effort between myself and my grandfather in law, who had done such things, before.) We just put two sawhorses where they would be in full sun for as much of the day as possible. I think that putting them where they can get a little breeze (for the convection effect) speeds things up but I can't prove that. Then we laid a piece of plywood across the sawhorses and covered that with a cloth tarp. We then took the peeled and sliced apples and spread them out in a single layer over the tarp and then covered the apples with some kind of 'mesh' cloth that my grandfather in law had in order to keep the bugs off (wasn't cheesecloth - this was tougher, but similar and cheesecloth would work.) The tarp probably wasn't 100% necessary but it gave a way to cover the apples at night by folding the loose edges of the tarp over (to help keep moisture from the night air off of them) as well as a way to quickly bundle them up to take inside in case it looked like rain. They dried really well. We put them into Ziploc-type freezer bags and put them in the freezer to help them keep even longer. We still have some in the freezer, now (which is part of the reason I didn't dry any last year.) I have heard of folks using a screen in a wooden frame to lay things on to dry in the sun, too. Heck, my great-grandmother used to lay sliced apples out on dish towels in the back window of her car with the windows left slightly cracked. That's how she dried apples for years (side effect was that the interior of her car always smelled like apples - even in the winter when she wasn't drying any.) Some things (such as cayenne peppers) can be easily dried just by stringing them and hanging them in a relatively dry place. I've been doing that since I was a kid - just use a regular needle and sewing thread and run the needle (and thread) through the cap end of the peppers then hang them to dry in a corner of the kitchen, etc. that is away from the worst of the moisture (as in steam from the stove or sink, etc.) I have heard that many old timers used to do some types of green beans the same way - they called them 'leather britches', I think because of the texture of the hulls once they dried. I made some home-made chipoltes year before last, too. In fact, I had a bumper crop of all my peppers that year and I smoke/dried some serannos, habaneros and large, red chiles in addition to the jalapenos. Just got some of those disposable mesh things that are made for grilling veggies, etc. on a grill, made a small slit or two in the peppers or simply cut the cap end off of them (to let the moisture out and help speed drying) then got a small fire going in my offset smoker. Kept the vent closed to keep the fire low and put a small block of wood under the lid of the cooking area to let moisture out. It worked really well. I also bagged those and put them in the freezer - and still have a few left (good thing because my peppers didn't do worth a hoot last year.) I just take out ever how many of whichever variety I want (usually a mix), toss them in a hand chopper and pulverise them, toss in a few other spices and pulverize some more and end up with home-made, smoked chili powder. I smoke-dried a few tomatoes at the same time, just as a proof of concept. After my wife got me the dehydrator for Christmas, I did sort of the same thing with some beef jerky as I did with those peppers but only dried the jerky part way in the smoker then finished it off in the dehydrator just to speed teh process. Benefits there were that I got the smoke flavor on the jerky and the marinade mostly dried in the smoker (meaning less mess to clean up in the electric dehydrator.) It certainly would have worked to simply have done 100% of the drying on the smoker, though. I think smoke drying or similar would be the method I would prefer to use with things that could spoil as quickly as meat but that is just my preference. Next thing I want along those lines is an inexpensive vacuum-sealer. I figure that, with most things, drying then vacuum sealing them will help them keep even longer. P.S. speaking of tomatoes on the smoker, I also put a bunch of tomatoes on the smoker and let them sit just until the skins started to split and could be peeled off (instead of boiling them for the same results) then made and canned some tomato sauce out of those. The sauce kept a nice amount of the smoky flavor and, except for the fact that I should have cooked the sauce down more before jarring it up (it was a little on the thin side) that was one of the best ideas I have had - very flavorful results. Almost makes me wish I had smoked the habaneros I used to make my home-made habanero sauce - or at least some of them. There is a book called 'Stocking Up' that describes all sorts of methods of food preservation, etc. I don't know where the heck my copy has gotten to but now that I think of it, I need to find it. I have just barely scratched the surface of doing this type of thing and need to learn/do more. http://www.tldm.org/tldmstore/StockingUp3.htm

I have been to the one in Maryville - at the National Guard Armory there - that is by the same promoters, etc. I think it is called "The Great American Gun and Knife Show" and used to be "The Smoky Mountain Gun and Knife Show" [their web page says their next show is in Springfield which is why I am assuming it is the same.] I don't know what the one there will be like but there is one dealer that has been at the one in Maryville both times I have gone who has some pretty decent deals. In fact, the only firearms I have ever bought at a gun show have been from him. No idea if he will be at the Springfield show. Most other prices I saw were about in line with LGS prices with a few sellers going for 'gun show' prices. I have all but sworn off the larger (RK) shows because sellers there seem to want three prices but I will probably attend more of these. It (the one in Maryville, anyway) is a pretty small show with not a lot there. Honestly, I mostly go in hopes that one dealer I mentioned will be there. I'll be interested in hearing what the one in your neck of the woods is like. Here is a link to their website - and there is a printable coupon for $1.00 off of admission on their site: Smoky Mountain Gun & Knife Shows Home Page

Well, I did say the 'instructional purposes' phrase in the law (which means he is somehow using the firearms as a teaching aid) is how he legally gets away with this - and make no mistake, as sad as it is, he is 'getting away with it'. I don't mean that as a criticism of what he is doing and I'm not saying that it is a bad thing he is doing this - quite the contrary - just that there are those who would stop him and possibly even get him in a lot of trouble (as in fired or even jail time) if there weren't the 'instructional' clause. Heck, there are some who would probably try and stop him, anyway. It is an unfortunate fact that, in this day and age when everyone is keen on minding everyone else's business, that we sometimes have to find [legal] ways to 'get away' with things that aren't necessarily wrong - things that should not be restricted - in the first place. That's all I meant. Maybe it would help if I mention that, as someone who works at a satellite campus of a private college and who, as such, cannot even have my firearm in my vehicle while at work, I would love to see more people find a way to 'get away with' legally bringing firearms into schools and doing no harm with them.

That post and the fact this is an egg thread made me think of a joke: Guy goes into a diner and asks the waitress what the special of the day is. The waitress replies, "Beef tongue." The man looks disgusted, "Beef tongue?" "Yeah," says the waitress, "it's great - cooked tender and tastes really beefy. Our cook knows what he is doing." The man, still looking a bit disgusted, says, "No, thanks. I'm not eating anything that came out of some animal's mouth. Just bring me a couple of eggs."

While I have had real experiences with things I can't explain, I also love to hear a good tale about ghosts - especially Appalachian tales of spooks, haints, boogers and the like. It sounds like your mamaw (and you) have a gift for telling those tales. Others on the forum have mentioned The Foxfire Books - a series of books about Appalachian culture that cover everything from home remedies to shaped note singing to bear hunting. The second book in the series has a section where some Appalachian old-timers are interviewed regarding their thoughts on such things and a few of them even have a tale or two to tell. Also, there was an writer named Manly Wade Wellman who wrote many books on various subjects - both fiction and nonfiction. Some of his best known books, though, are horror/fantasy tales - especially stories about a character named, simply, John (sometimes known as John the Balladeer or Silver John.) In the stories, John is a wanderer who likes to travel around (walking mostly) in the Appalachian region. He is a good guitarist and sometimes competes in music contests. He carries a guitar strung with silver strings and is a very good, wholesome person. He isn't what you would call a true wizard or magician but does have some knowledge of - and skill in - Appalachian folk magic. He uses this knowledge to help the folks he encounters overcome enemies of a 'darker' supernatural nature - usually creatures, haints, etc. inspired by Appalachian legends and lore. Great stuff!

I didn't check either. I have personally had multiple experiences with what I believe to be ghosts, spirits, etc. so I had to check 'yes' on that one. I have also seen a UFO (not sure it was aliens but it was dang sure unidentified and nothing that matched with any Earth technology that I know about) so I checked 'yes' on that one, too. I have never, however, seen, heard nor experienced anything that I would even remotely identify as being a possible encounter with a sasquatch, yeti, skunk ape or any similar creature. Neither have I any first-hand experiences that would constitute, to me, evidence of the existence of same. Therefore, I couldn't check 'yes'. That said, there are certainly those who appear credible and seem to have had their own experiences. Maybe these things do exist, are actively avoiding being seen and are at least intelligent enough to have been mostly successful, to this point. After all, as Mike .357 mentioned, there are new animals found quite often that no one knew or could prove existed - and most of them weren't trying to avoid detection. I also can't help but think how many people claim to have seen cougars/mountain lions/panthers in their area when the official stance is that there are no such creatures in the area (only to have evidence eventually come to light that proves they really do live there.) For those reasons, I couldn't really check 'no', either (although I must admit that I lean toward the nonexistance of such creatures.)

My favorite is how much 'hang time' that bobcat gets on some of the higher leaps up/back when getting out of the snake's way. A couple of times, it almost seems to just hover.

When I was in middle school, in the summers, mom would drop my sister and I off at a lady's house to stay during the day. I was possibly old enough to stay at home by myself but not old enough to watch my sister all day, too - and where we lived was so far out in the country that mom worried about us being there all day by ourselves. That lady kept a bunch of younger kids and they had to have naptime every day. My sister and I were too old for naptime but the younger kids wouldn't do it if we didn't, so she would ask us to go upstairs to one of the bedrooms to hang out, read, take a nap or whatever so the younger kids would sleep. Well, one day she told us to hang out in her and her husband's bedroom. When I came back down, I took her aside and asked her who had died in that room, over next to the window. She looked at me, surprised, and asked, "How did you know about that?" I was confused and said, "About what?" Her reply was, "The old lady who used to own this house died sitting in her rocking chair while looking out that window." She hadn't even told her two sons about that because she didn't want them to be freaked out - but I didn't know that at the time. I didn't see anything or even sense a presence - just felt like someone had died there. Her youngest son had frequent nosebleeds and a few months later she and her husband took him to the emergency room with a particularly bad one. This left the older son and one of his friends alone in the house. They were playing Donkey Kong on an old Atari (this was back in the early 80s) and decided to bring in some firewood (the house was heated partly with wood heat.) They left the Atari on with the Donkey Kong cartridge in it, on the 'game over' screen. The front door was locked and the firewood was stacked at the back door. There was no other way into the house. As they were bringing wood in, they both heard the music that plays when Donkey Kong resets. They both thought it was weird but didn't really thing that much of it. When they came back to the living room, however, the Atari was turned off and the cartridge was removed and laying beside it. No one else in the house, front door locked and they were at the only other way in - the back door. He told me about it the next morning and I (not knowing he didn't know about the old lady who died upstairs) said, "I bet it was the old lady just tidying up after you." His eyes got big, "What old lady?" At that point, his mom told him about the old lady who had died upstairs and told him she hadn't said anything before because she didn't want him and his brother to be freaked out about living there. Well, his eyes got even bigger, his mouth dropped open and he went as pale as a sheet. This guy was not making the story up and was not faking his reaction. When he could again speak, he said, "That has to be it. She's still here." I could tell that he was about to totally freak, so I said, "Don't worry. I've known about her for a month or two, now. I sensed something upstairs is why your mom told me in the first place. She isn't going to hurt you. Heck, she was probably just looking after you." For whatever reason that seemed to calm him down. In high school, I was visiting a friend who lived in an old house that his family rented. This place was so old that it had servant's quarters (or maybe slave quarters) that was a separate building behind the house. It was still in pretty good shape but obviously not the fine home it had once been. We were walking around the yard one day and I noticed a sunken area behind the house (between the house and the smaller quarters.) I walked over to it and asked my buddy, "Who died here?" He got kind of a weird look on his face and told me that there had supposedly been a cystern where that sunken area was and that the cystern had been filled in. The story went that a guy living there during the Great Depression had lost a fortune and was unable to pay his bills. Supposedly, he had brought all his bills and a shotgun out, threw the bills in the cystern then, standing beside the cystern, blew his brains out with the shotgun.

I like eggs over easy with a little salt and plenty of black pepper. I like to sop up the yolk with some toast or a biscuit. However, sometimes I'll eat them like my dad liked them. Open up a couple of biscuits, put a fried egg (again, I like mine over easy) on each biscuit, cover them with home made white gravy then douse the heck out of the whole thing with hot sauce. If I scramble them, I use my grandmother's method to get really fluffy scrambled eggs. Seperate the whites and yellows. Put a little milk into the whites and beat them until they are frothy - not quite a meringue but getting close. Beat the yellows until they are nice and creamy and about as 'frothy' as a yellow is going to get (which isn't very frothy.) Get a skillet with a little cooking oil and a little butter (for flavor) warm over medium heat (putting the eggs into a warm - but not hot - skillet will help them set before they deflate.) Gently combine/fold the yellows into the whites, being careful not to deflate the whites completely then pour the eggs into the skillet. At first, don't scramble them around - treat them almost as if you were making an omelet (but don't let any of them brown if you can avoid it.) You may have to turn the head down to medium-low. When a solid layer of egg has just begun forming, you can add shredded cheddar cheese. Colby cheese or American cheese also work. Once the layer of semi-cooked egg on the bottom gets pretty thick, you can scramble them around. Then and only then should you add salt and pepper (otherwise the salt and pepper will deflate part of the bubbles.) Cook until done then serve and enjoy what my wife says are the best scrambled eggs she has ever eaten. Of course, the fact that we get our eggs by going out the back door and up to the chicken coop probably has something to do with how tasty they are.

I actually thought of that while thinking about this thread earlier. Was going to bring it up, just for kicks, but you beat me to it. Speaking of Ringworlds - what if the first race we contact is like the Kzin?

I don't think so. I'm pretty sure that the rules apply to all schools, public or private. From Michie's, Tennessee Code Annotated: Notice it says public or private. Heck, private colleges aren't even exempt. It sounds like this is for 'instructional purposes', though, so maybe that is how he gets away with it. Well, that and no one outside the school knows about it - until now.

This one is a little more personal, to me. Honestly, I don't get teary over much of anything but the following makes my eyes tear up. My paternal grandfather died while I was in college. My paternal grandparents (as well as my maternal grandfather - who is still alive - and my maternal step-grandmother) lived on Lookout Mountain. Since we lived in Loudon and they never really came to our house, we didn't see my paternal grandparents very much and never got to be very close to them. Still, my paternal grandad was fun to be around and would kid with us and be nice to us when we were there (being that dad had eleven brothers and sisters and most of them lived near him, he had lots of grandkids around most of the time.) Apparently, he had been pretty mean when dad was growing up but mellowed later and became nicer. He even became a lay minister who would often preach at a little church on the mountain. One night shortly after he died, while driving home late (like after midnight - and no, I hadn't been drinking), a few miles from the house the drive shaft fell out of my old '78 LeBaron. I managed to get it out of the road and then had to set out walking. It was a clear, cold night and I (being that I am usually too hot when people keep the heat going in the winter) was wearing only thin pants and a short-sleeved shirt. The only 'coat' I had with me was an unlined trench coat that I had been using as a raincoat. If I were going to get home, I was going to have to walk. Well, as the house where we lived (where my mom still lives) is on a ridge that is on a bluff - and as I had to park the car at the bottom of the bluff - I had a good bit of uphill walking to do. I finally made it to the bottom of the road that the house is on but was still about a mile from the house - and facing the steepest part of the walk. Normally, the walk wouldn't have bothered me (I had walked all over the place out there when I was in high school) but being that it was so late and I was already tired and now very cold, plus the adrenaline from having my car stop had worn off and I was drained. I just wanted to rest. I decided I would sit down at the side of the road and catch my breath. Just as I was about to do so, I heard my late grandfather's voice. He said, "Don't you dare sit down, boy. If you do, you'll go to sleep and you won't get up. It's getting colder and you'll die out here, tonight." Of course, this startled me but I actually replied, out loud, "Papaw, I'm just so tired. I have to rest before I start up that hill. I can't go any further until I rest." Then I heard him say, "Yeah you can. I'll help you." Right then, I felt completely refreshed - as if I'd had a good night's sleep and a hot meal. Then I heard, "Come on, now. Let's go. I'll be right here beside you until you get home." I walked the rest of the way with no problem and when I got within sight of the house, I heard, "Okay, you've made it, now. I have to go. You be good." I honestly thought my mind had been playing tricks on me and didn't say anything to my family about hearing his voice until: A short time later my sister took a curve on a country road going too fast and ended up running out of the road. She wasn't wearing her seatbelt. Just as her car was about to leave the road, she said that she could see my paternal grandfather, clear as everything, sitting in her passenger seat. He said, "Hold on, gal!" and threw his arm across her to help hold her in the seat. Miraculously, she wasn't seriously hurt. In fact, all she ended up with was a couple of bumps and scratches where her head hit the steering wheel - and a mysterious bruise, straight across her upper chest, about shoulder level, as if someone had thrown an arm across her to help hold her in the seat.

I have had a few experiences which have led me to believe, as well. My mom and I have both been a bit more 'sensitive' to such things that some folks. When I was a little kid - as in about three or four - mom, dad and I would sometimes stay the night with my maternal grandfather and step-grandmother on Lookout Mountain. We all three slept in the same room, in the same bed, with me between my parents. I would always wake up just before sunrise and feel someone watching us as well as sense someone moving around the room. For some reason, I never said anything to my parents. Maybe I figured I would just be told that I was imagining things. Years later (in my late twenties) I mentioned it to my mom. She just kind of looked at me funny and said that she had always felt the same. Then she told me that was the room that my great-great grandmother had died in (my great grandparents had lived there and my grandparents moved in after my great grandmother died - my great grandfather had died a few years before.) She thought there was something there besides the possible presence of my great-great grandmother, though - a male presence. In fact, one night before she and my dad were married, when both of my great-grandparents were still alive and living there, she was sleeping in that bed and was awakened by someone leaning over her, looking right into her face. She couldn't see them clearly but had the feeling it was a man. Thinking it was her grandad, she asked, "What do you want?" The figure stood up and walked out of the room. She never heard a door to the outside open or shut and she and her grandparents were the only ones in the house. Next morning she asked if one of her grandparents had been in the room, leaning over the bed. They both verified that neither of them had gotten out of the bed (one getting up would have awakened the other.) My grandparents eventually moved out of that house and now live basically next door to it. There was a family living there that was no relationship to us but, oddly enough, a cousin of mine (on my dad's side of the family) married the son and they were living there. Weird things started happening, centered around my cousin, and she started talking about seeing a strange man in the house.

I don't think that OS was being unfriendly. The thing is, anyone who reads the statute may interpret it slightly differently. While sometimes those who post here may say what they think the statute means (or discuss or even argue about differing interpretations), the person qualified to interpret the statute for you - with case law to back up that interpretation - would be an attorney. Beyond that, the person best qualified to decide what you think the statute means is you. When OS suggests that you read the statute for yourself, he is simply saying that you would be better off seeing what you think of it rather than relying on someone else's interpretation. To be truthful, this actually shows respect for you and your ability to read the statute and form your own opinion rather than simply telling you what to believe (while avoiding the pitfalls of trying to give 'legal advice' to someone on an Internet forum when he may or may not even be qualified to give such advice.)

Very well put and I kind of see it the same way. As was mentioned in another post, coming home to realize that there are intruders who have entered the house while you were out and deciding to try and clear the house on your own is one thing. Already being in the house and having intruders come in is completely different. If someone comes in the house knowing that we are home then at best they have obviously accepted that they might end up killing us and at worst have already planned to kill us. To my knowledge, we have given no one a motive to want us dead but some lowlifes don't need a motive - stealing our stuff and leaving no witnesses may be motive enough. Heck, the 'thrill' of killing someone may be the only motive some nutjobs need. Whatever the case, they are probably equipped for just such a purpose. Further, in my area it is at least as likely (probably more likely) that at least one occupant of the house will be armed, so they would already be expecting that. For all I know, they will try and set a fire somewhere in the house to force us to come out of wherever we are hole up on their terms. I figure that the best way to make sure they don't kill us is to beat them to the punch and confront them more on my terms, at least as much as possible - which involves not holing up in the bedroom. One other thing I must consider is that anyone planning a home invasion would be smart to cut the phone line, meaning the land line could be out of service. We have cell phones but because of the topography of our location cell phones do not always work well inside the house. There is a very real chance that we wouldn't be able to call 911 until the whole thing was over - and there is an equal chance that even if we call 911, the whole thing would be over by the time help arrived, anyway. In other words, I would have to consider the likelihood that we would be on our own to deal with people who weren't going to try and avoid us but, instead, were actively looking to kill us. In such a situation, I'd feel like a sitting duck if I just tried to wait in the bedroom.

I saw a show on the Discovery channel (or one of the educational channels, anyway) about the SETI project. There was at least one scientist who wasn't sure the SETI project and attempting to contact alien life was such a good idea. The points he made were interesting and at least somewhat valid. He pointed out that it is possible that there are hundreds - maybe even thousands - of life forms out there in the universe. Further, he said that there is a good chance that some of them, at least, are more advanced than us. Why then, he asked, are they all remaining silent? Do they know something we don't? Are they aware of something out there that neither they nor we really want to come into contact with? Is that why they are keeping quiet - to avoid attracting the attention of whatever that something may be? Further, he pointed out what generally happened through human history when a more 'advanced' group of people met a less 'advanced' group. Generally speaking, the more advanced group kills, enslaves, conquers, overruns or completely wipes out the less advanced race. Why, he asked, would we assume that a more advanced alien race would just show up and want to help us? Isn't it just as likely - maybe even more likely - that they would want to conquer, kill or enslave us? Heck, maybe even treat us as a new food source? After all, these beings would not be 'human' so it isn't like they'd be doing such things to what they would consider intelligent beings - their own race.