We may "loose" simply because we are too stupid to realize the difference between the words "lose" and "loose".
If we lack the intellectual ability to understand the basics of the English language, how can we ever expect to be taken seriously?
For those of you with low IQs:
"loose" is the opposite of "tight".
"lose" is the opposite of "win".
"looser" is what you make your belt after you've eaten too much.
"loser" is a person like the above author who ruin their good arguments with bad grammar.
"I have as much authority as the pope.
I just don't have as many people who believe it."
I'm not the brightest but I know that there are a shitload of people dumber than me (e.g. Clinton/Gore supporters and the 70-odd percent of the population that believes in creationism instead of darwinsim).
Interesting statement....considering that most creationists in this country are "God-fearing Christians" who tend to vote heavily Republican.
"I have as much authority as the pope.
I just don't have as many people who believe it."
The exact same argument was made when the VCR became available to the masses:
MPAA, circa 1983:
"People will just record movies off of HBO and Showtime, and movie theatres will go out of business because of a lack of demand. Plus, we won't be able to make money on the sale of videos since everyone will pirate them."
Didn't work out that way. Movie theatres adapted to make "going to the movies" an experience that can't be duplicated at home....surround sound, large screens, stadium style seating, etc. They made going to the movies an event, and movie attendance skyrocketed.
In addition, they found out that people actually were willing to pay for movies (or rent), rather than pirate them, if the price was reasonable....and movie and rental sales skyrocketed and they all got rich.
Is it a coincidence that RIAA profits have gone up since Napster took off?
Cheap, widespread access means increased sales.
The MPAA was too stupid to figure this out in 1984 when they sued Sony (to stop the VCR)....and the MPAA and RIAA are too stupid to figure out that suing Napster, mp3.com, etc is counterproductive to their achieving higher profit margins.
Software piracy gave Microsoft it's monopoly. Don't believe anyone who tells you differently. It created brand loyalty and familiarity among those who pirated it, and when they had the resources or wherewithal to buy software (either at home or work), they bought Microsoft software.
That's the dirty little secret that Microsoft will never admit. A billion chinese stealing Microsoft products created brand loyalty....so when the Chinese economy moves toward a more capitalistic approach, Chinese businesses will buy Microsoft because that is what they know and understand. Deep down, Microsoft knows that without some piracy, there wouldn't be anyone in China (or other foreign countries) using Microsoft products at all..they simply don't have the means to purchase software...yet. But Microsoft wants to be their first choice when they get the means.
"I have as much authority as the pope.
I just don't have as many people who believe it."
This is definately a huge improvement. Now all of the musicians out there being screwed by bad copyright laws and shitty record companies can release their music for free! I bet any day now we will see important artists worldwide start giving their music away under this license! Sure they won't have money for food, instruments, or recording more music, but music is information, so it wants to be free, right?
What they'll have, if they're talented, is a large and growing fan base which will lead to sold-out shows and sales of merchandise (T-shirts, etc) from a loyal and rabid following.
Did the Grateful Dead go without "food or instruments" even though they allowed everyone to freely record (and trade such recordings) their shows?
Is Phish struggling to make money, even though they do the same thing?
The free trading of music can allow an unknown band to become a cultural phenomenon. And people will pay top dollar to see their live performances.
There is big money to be made in live performances when you're talented.....as a side benefit, talentless boy bands and the likes of Britney Spears would have to learn to actually PERFORM without lip-syncing to earn a living.
I think Jerry Garcia did pretty well financially....don't be so short-sighted. "I have as much authority as the pope.
I just don't have as many people who believe it."
So, what you're saying is - it's alright to be clueless politician as long as you admit it?
So all GW Bush needs to do to be re-elected in a landslide in '04 is to come right out and say it:
"Alright! I admit it! I'm a complete moron without the slightest clue regarding the pressing issues of the day.";)
At least in Boucher's case, he plans to learn more about the issues he doesn't understand.
-----------------------------------
Carl Sagan's "The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark" is an excellent book that explains the phenomenon where people actually believe this kind of bullshit. An excellent read.
Amazing. In one posting, the above author states that "People will believe what they choose to believe, regardless of what is rational, or demonstrated by the facts."
So far so good.....
Then he goes on to prove that he is one of those people who believe in religious mythology, "regardless of what is rational and demonstrated by the facts."
The cognitive dissonance inside a mind like that must be painful.....
-----------------------------------
Re:Do you know who you voted for
on
eLection '04
·
· Score: 1
There were reports by some people in Palm Beach that said they did attempt to get help from an election official, but that the officials were overwhelmed by the large turnout and could not help everyone.
Don't assume that some of these people did not ask for help. Maybe they did, but didn't get it. -----------------------------------
I've begun happily informing people that I hope Bush does win because of my 3rd party vote. Maybe if things get bad enough quick enough there will be a real impetus for change in our system.
I'll probably be flamed for saying this, but I voted for Nader and personally, I hope that Bush does get elected because of that. I feel disillusioned by the current Democratic Party, what happened to the "Leftists"?
I agree wholeheartedly that if Bush gets elected, maybe some true Democrats will re-emerge when they see how bad things have gotten, but then again, that's just my "bleeding-heart" opinion:)
By the time the Democratic Party "gets the message" from a Bush win, every issue that you Greens care about would have been decimated by a Bush presidency.
Are you willing to take 4 to 8 years of the environment being raped to make your point?
Are you willing to take the responsibility for all the pain and suffering that will result for poor people in this country because of your protest vote?
In 1980, I thought I'd send the two main parties a "message" by voting for John Anderson.
The 7% of us who voted that way were rewarded with 12 years of Reagan/Bush. The results of which, we are just now starting to recover from.
If you Nader-ites turn the Presidency over to the GOP for the next 4 to 8 years, it will take 30 to undo the damage that they will cause. Splintering the left does nothing positive...it only allows the GOP to hold the reins of power for decades to come.
But at least you registered your "protest" vote. -----------------------------------
The loser (in your scenario, the VP) and his party would have an extremely strong motive to knock the winner out of office via impeachment and/or assassination.
How rabid do you think the GOP woul dhave been in 1998 to throw Clinton out of office if Bob Dole were the VP?
How many nutcases in the Militia Belt would have had a strong desire to assassinate Clinton in 1994 if George Bush Sr. were the VP?
In your scenario, partisan politics would become even more vile and dangerous. There are enough nuts on both sides that the President would be in constant danger of assassination or otherwise removal from office.
Please, think things through before you advocate a position. -----------------------------------
A vote for Nader will not break the 2-party system. It will break only one party.
40% of the voters in this country will vote for the GOP candidate no matter what, 40% vote for a Dem candidate no matter what, and 20% swing back and forth. A strong Green party in the future will do nothing to the GOP base of voters.
But a strong Green party will splinter the Democrat party into two smaller parties, neither of which will ever be able to win a National election.
The GOP will still get its 40% of conservatives, but the 40% of current Dems would be split over the Dems and Greens. This would cinch electoral wins for the GOP for many years.
The more prudent course of action for the progressives to take is to work from within the Democratic party to pull it toward the Green positions.
A 3-party system in which two of the party's are to the left-of-center will guarantee that the right-of-center party, though a minority, will rule.
The 2-party system prevents these silly coalition governments that we see in other countries like France and Israel (to name two). There, you have the third-largest parties dictating the direction of Government by forming coalitions with one of the biggest two.
Matching funds for the Green Party will lead to decades of the GOP holding the Presidency. Any "progressive" or "liberal" person who advocates matching funds for the Greens is advocating the death of progressive and liberal politics.
Do progressives really want that? -----------------------------------
Every one of these so-called "facts" has been thoroughly debunked a hundred times over. This is RNC bullshit. But I'll debunk a few here:
FICTION: Al Gore said that his sister was the very first person to join the Peace Corps.
FACT: By the time Gore's sister joined the Peace Corps, there were already over 100 members.
REAL FACT: Actually, Al's statement was that his sister was "among the first" to sign up for the Peace Corp.
FICTION: While running for office, Gore's campaign literature claimed he was a "Brilliant Student".
FACT: Washington newspapers said he barely passed Harvard and consistently earned D's and C's.
REAL FACT: Al Gore graduated cum laude from Harvard. His freshman year, he had lots of C's and D's, but pulled up his grades in the last three years enough to graduate with honors. And the only "Washington newspaper" that said he barely passed was the right-wing Washington Times.
FICTION: Al Gore claimed responsibility for inventing the Internet in the 1990's.
FACT : Shocked scientists were quick to speak out, explaining that the Internet had been in widespread use by government and
educational institutions since the early 1970's.
REAL FACT: As reference hundreds of times before, Al Gore never claimed to have "invented" the Internet. His quote was "During my service in the US congress, I took the initiative in the creation of the internet". He was referring to his legislative work that led to the funding of the NSF which did lead to the commericalizing of the D.O.D.'s ARPANET into the Internet you right-wing nuts use to spread false propoganda today at light speed.
FICTION: Al Gore claimed the book "Love Story" was based on his life and Tipper's.
FACT: Author Erich Segal called a press conference to deny his claim. (Couldn't he at least lie about a love story where his sweetheart
doesn't die?"
REAL FACT: The author, Erich Segal, acknowledges that Gore was one of the models for the male lead in Love Story. Gore was referring to an article in a Nashville newspaper that claimed he and Tipper were the inspiration for the story...he never claimed it.
FICTION: Al Gore said he was the first to discover the Love Canal nuclear accident.
FACT: The incident was already discovered, being investigated, and covered widely in the press for many months before Gore was
aware of it.
REAL FACT: Al Gore was misquoted in the New York Times. He said that while he investigating another toxic waste dump, he did research to see if there were others like it. "I came across a place in New York called Love Canal. That was the one that started it all." The Times misquoted him as saying "I was the one who started it all." They later printed a correction, but the RNC and the right-wing nuts never let the truth get in the way of the misinformation they want to spread.
FICTION: Al Gore remembers his mother lulling him to sleep as a baby by singing the popular ditty, "Wear The Union Label".
FACT: The popular ditty was created by the unions when Gore was 27 years old.
REAL FACT: Al Gore made this statement at a union rally. It was deadpan humor that the participants laughed at immediately, and was obviously a joke to any who attended or watched it on videotape. Only right-wing nuts with no sense of humor took it seriously.
FICTION: Al Gore claimed to co-sponsor the McCain-Feingold Campaign Reform Act.
FACT: The Act was not sponsored until he had been out of office for over a year.
REAL FACT: Another misquote. On Larry King Live in September, Gore said "I support McCain-Feingold. In fact, when I was in the senate, I sponsored legislation that would have led to public financing of national campaigns." To which Larry King said, "You co-sponsored McCain-Feingold?" To which Gore replied, "No, I sponsored legislationg concerning public campaign financing. I support McCain-Feingold."
The RNC pounced on the first part of this and twisted it into "Gore says he sponsored McCain-Feingold." Something Al Gore never even remotely claimed.
Personally, I think Bush is the better man. Regardlessof that though, Gore IS a bad person.
Anybody, like yourself, who knowingly spreads verifiable lies like this RNC spam you posted here, has no business calling anybody else a bad person. -----------------------------------
"So we already passed the 2000th anniversary of his birth."
First of all, the original Anonymous Coward never claimed nor alluded to the idea that Jesus of Nazareth was born exactly 2000 years ago. You are stereotyping Christians by assuming that we all believe Christ was born 2000 years ago.
The original poster gave credence to the "coincidences" that occuring around the year 2000 based on his Christian belief that we are in the end of times. So yes....I dont think it is a stretch to say he is basing his "theories" on the idea that we are celebrating Christ's 2000th birthday this year.
"Christians like yourself have such a Christian-centric view of the world that they have lost their ability to think rationally"
Hmmm...seemed like Anonymous Coward was thinking fairly rationally to me...I may not agree with all of his statements but he provided his hypothesis and supported it to the best of his ability. Seems rational. Are you sure that you did not mean to say "Christians do not think like I do so they must not be thinking rationally." Also...as often as you may say that I, or any other Christian for that matter, may have a Christ-centered view I can say that you have a Non-Christ-centered view. Of course, as a Christian, my viewpoint, and the viewpoint of Anonymous Coward, is Christ-centered. The worldview of any individual who holds to a system of belief (or unbelief) is going to be molded by that faith. Its called a Paradigm...
The original poster was a lot of things, but one of them was NOT rational. Sorry, but a person who puts undue religious signifigance on astrological events that have been precisely predicted for decades (based on astral maps and scientific study) is not thinking rationally. He's thinking like a cult member who has no ability to process events rationally. He's another wacko who, in the days before the internet, would be on the street corner carrying a sign saying "the end is near!" There are Muslim wackos, Jewish wackos, Christian wackos, and athiest wackos....he's a wacko.
"Hell....half the Christians I know think it's blasphemy to say that Jesus was a non-white Jew"
Well...maybe you are talking to the wrong Christians? Not only that, but, and I mean no offense to my Christian brothers and sisters out there...but not all of us are right. The Bible tells us that "Many will be called, few will be chosen". The best answer I can give you is to read your Bible with an open-mind and an open-heart and see what you find there (I, for one, know that Jesus of Nazareth was, in fact, a Jew of the lineage of Abraham, Father of the Israelites and David, King of Israel -- his lineage is layed out at the beginning of the Gospel of Matthew)
"half" may have been high. But I know lots of Christians who are offended by art that portrays Jesus as a person of color.
"...you are a flaky religious nut who has been looking for signs of the apocalypse ever since the day you were 'born-again'."
And you, sir, with all due respect, are a religious bigot who should not throw about opinion as if it were fact! Remember, sir, that the Theory of Evolution.... is just a theory.
I never made any statement with regards to Evolution. Interesting comment you made there.
My goal is not to incite a flame war here...just to express a point of view and to challenge readers to provide constructive, supported responses or to at least point individuals in the right direction.
There is nothing "constructive" about idiots like the original poster who scream "The sky is falling! The end is near!" every time the slightest world incident occurs. He is the typical lost Christian who looks for signs of the apocalypse within normal everyday events. He thinks he is part of some lucky 144,000 who will ascend into heaven after the "rapture" since he claims to be "born again".
I wonder....what are all the wacky fatalist Christian nuts going to do a year from now when they realize that the world DIDN'T end? Will they wonder what Pat Robertson did with their hard-earned money?
I feel sorry for these people....you may not be one of them, but the original poster was. The arrogance to say "I am not afraid, because my soul is prepared!". Ranks right up there with tripe like "Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven."
I'd like every Christian who thinks like the original poster to put their money where their mouth is: Send all your money to a worthy charity since you won't need it after you ascend into heaven during the "rapture" in two weeks.
Why don't you go hide in the woods with the other nuts and eat your K-rations. The rest of us will live our lives realizing that there is no special significance to the year 2000. Keep in mind that: A. historians are in universal agreement that Jesus of Nazereth was NOT born 2000 years ago...but somewhere between 2002 and 2006 years ago. The bible says he was born during the reign of Herod...and Herod died 2002 years ago. So we already passed the 2000th anniversary of his birth. B. It is only the year 2000 for Christians. It is 57??-something for Jews and god-knows-what for the Chinese. For more than half of the world's population this year has no significance whatsoever. Christians like yourself have such a Christian-centric view of the world that they have lost their ability to think rationally. Hell....half the Christians I know think it's blasphemy to say that Jesus was a non-white Jew. The 'events' that you are giving such significance to are no more prevalent this year than in years past...you are just noticing them more because you are a flaky religious nut who has been looking for signs of the apocalypse ever since the day you were "born-again". -----------------------------------
I have named by Compaq Alpha servers after Pittsburgh athletes that are in their respective hall of fames: wagner stargell clemente bradshaw greene lemieux lambert ham etc. -----------------------------------
I am surprised and disappointed by how many otherwise intelligent slashdotters are buying into this urban legend. I expect this kind of "millenialism" from the religious fanatics as we approach 2000, but I thought the Linux community was a more intelligent bunch. You guys have watched one to many X-files episodes. This is the same U.S. intelligence community that couldn't tell a Chinese embassy from a military target in Serbia....that couldn't tell a pharmaceutical plant from a chemical weapons plant in the Sudan. There is no "smoking man". The truth *IS* out there, but none of you bozos would recognize it if it bit you on the ass. The truth is, there is no Echelon. Moulder and Scully are FICTIONAL characters. Aliens are not living among us. Some of you folks need to read Carl Sagan's "The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark". Free your mind of this gullibility. This Jam Echelon thing was one big chain letter email hoax...not too different than the ones the AOL kiddies keep spreading. -----------------------------------
One wonders at what level in their subconscious these "first post" idiots get gratification. My god, what horrendously dull lives they must lead. These are the probably same idiots who wave at the camera like imbeciles whenever it is pointed in their general direction at a sporting event. "Now, more than just my immediate family and friends knows I am a complete loser!" Hoorah. At least the "John 3:16" boneheads have an agenda to push. -----------------------------------
Slashdot Mirror
If we lack the intellectual ability to understand the basics of the English language, how can we ever expect to be taken seriously?
For those of you with low IQs:
"loose" is the opposite of "tight".
"lose" is the opposite of "win".
"looser" is what you make your belt after you've eaten too much.
"loser" is a person like the above author who ruin their good arguments with bad grammar.
"I have as much authority as the pope.
I just don't have as many people who believe it."
Interesting statement....considering that most creationists in this country are "God-fearing Christians" who tend to vote heavily Republican.
"I have as much authority as the pope.
I just don't have as many people who believe it."
MPAA, circa 1983:
"People will just record movies off of HBO and Showtime, and movie theatres will go out of business because of a lack of demand. Plus, we won't be able to make money on the sale of videos since everyone will pirate them."
Didn't work out that way. Movie theatres adapted to make "going to the movies" an experience that can't be duplicated at home....surround sound, large screens, stadium style seating, etc. They made going to the movies an event, and movie attendance skyrocketed.
In addition, they found out that people actually were willing to pay for movies (or rent), rather than pirate them, if the price was reasonable....and movie and rental sales skyrocketed and they all got rich.
Is it a coincidence that RIAA profits have gone up since Napster took off?
Cheap, widespread access means increased sales.
The MPAA was too stupid to figure this out in 1984 when they sued Sony (to stop the VCR)....and the MPAA and RIAA are too stupid to figure out that suing Napster, mp3.com, etc is counterproductive to their achieving higher profit margins.
Software piracy gave Microsoft it's monopoly. Don't believe anyone who tells you differently. It created brand loyalty and familiarity among those who pirated it, and when they had the resources or wherewithal to buy software (either at home or work), they bought Microsoft software.
That's the dirty little secret that Microsoft will never admit. A billion chinese stealing Microsoft products created brand loyalty....so when the Chinese economy moves toward a more capitalistic approach, Chinese businesses will buy Microsoft because that is what they know and understand. Deep down, Microsoft knows that without some piracy, there wouldn't be anyone in China (or other foreign countries) using Microsoft products at all..they simply don't have the means to purchase software...yet. But Microsoft wants to be their first choice when they get the means.
"I have as much authority as the pope.
I just don't have as many people who believe it."
What they'll have, if they're talented, is a large and growing fan base which will lead to sold-out shows and sales of merchandise (T-shirts, etc) from a loyal and rabid following.
Did the Grateful Dead go without "food or instruments" even though they allowed everyone to freely record (and trade such recordings) their shows?
Is Phish struggling to make money, even though they do the same thing?
The free trading of music can allow an unknown band to become a cultural phenomenon. And people will pay top dollar to see their live performances.
There is big money to be made in live performances when you're talented.....as a side benefit, talentless boy bands and the likes of Britney Spears would have to learn to actually PERFORM without lip-syncing to earn a living.
I think Jerry Garcia did pretty well financially....don't be so short-sighted.
"I have as much authority as the pope.
I just don't have as many people who believe it."
So, what you're saying is - it's alright to be clueless politician as long as you admit it? So all GW Bush needs to do to be re-elected in a landslide in '04 is to come right out and say it: "Alright! I admit it! I'm a complete moron without the slightest clue regarding the pressing issues of the day." ;)
At least in Boucher's case, he plans to learn more about the issues he doesn't understand.
-----------------------------------
-----------------------------------
So far so good.....
Then he goes on to prove that he is one of those people who believe in religious mythology, "regardless of what is rational and demonstrated by the facts."
The cognitive dissonance inside a mind like that must be painful.....
-----------------------------------
Don't assume that some of these people did not ask for help. Maybe they did, but didn't get it.
-----------------------------------
I'll probably be flamed for saying this, but I voted for Nader and personally, I hope that Bush does get elected because of that. I feel disillusioned by the current Democratic Party, what happened to the "Leftists"?
I agree wholeheartedly that if Bush gets elected, maybe some true Democrats will re-emerge when they see how bad things have gotten, but then again, that's just my "bleeding-heart" opinion :)
By the time the Democratic Party "gets the message" from a Bush win, every issue that you Greens care about would have been decimated by a Bush presidency.
Are you willing to take 4 to 8 years of the environment being raped to make your point?
Are you willing to take the responsibility for all the pain and suffering that will result for poor people in this country because of your protest vote?
In 1980, I thought I'd send the two main parties a "message" by voting for John Anderson.
The 7% of us who voted that way were rewarded with 12 years of Reagan/Bush. The results of which, we are just now starting to recover from.
If you Nader-ites turn the Presidency over to the GOP for the next 4 to 8 years, it will take 30 to undo the damage that they will cause. Splintering the left does nothing positive...it only allows the GOP to hold the reins of power for decades to come.
But at least you registered your "protest" vote.
-----------------------------------
Bravo!
-----------------------------------
When asked who their second choice was, Perot voters went only 51-49% for Bush.
Contrary to the myth put out by Republicans on this subject, Perot did not affect the final outcome one iota.
However, Nader voters list Gore as their second choice by a whopping 61-15% margin.
-----------------------------------
The loser (in your scenario, the VP) and his party would have an extremely strong motive to knock the winner out of office via impeachment and/or assassination.
How rabid do you think the GOP woul dhave been in 1998 to throw Clinton out of office if Bob Dole were the VP?
How many nutcases in the Militia Belt would have had a strong desire to assassinate Clinton in 1994 if George Bush Sr. were the VP?
In your scenario, partisan politics would become even more vile and dangerous. There are enough nuts on both sides that the President would be in constant danger of assassination or otherwise removal from office.
Please, think things through before you advocate a position.
-----------------------------------
40% of the voters in this country will vote for the GOP candidate no matter what, 40% vote for a Dem candidate no matter what, and 20% swing back and forth. A strong Green party in the future will do nothing to the GOP base of voters.
But a strong Green party will splinter the Democrat party into two smaller parties, neither of which will ever be able to win a National election.
The GOP will still get its 40% of conservatives, but the 40% of current Dems would be split over the Dems and Greens. This would cinch electoral wins for the GOP for many years.
The more prudent course of action for the progressives to take is to work from within the Democratic party to pull it toward the Green positions.
A 3-party system in which two of the party's are to the left-of-center will guarantee that the right-of-center party, though a minority, will rule.
The 2-party system prevents these silly coalition governments that we see in other countries like France and Israel (to name two). There, you have the third-largest parties dictating the direction of Government by forming coalitions with one of the biggest two.
Matching funds for the Green Party will lead to decades of the GOP holding the Presidency. Any "progressive" or "liberal" person who advocates matching funds for the Greens is advocating the death of progressive and liberal politics.
Do progressives really want that?
-----------------------------------
FICTION: Al Gore said that his sister was the very first person to join the Peace Corps.
FACT: By the time Gore's sister joined the Peace Corps, there were already over 100 members.
REAL FACT: Actually, Al's statement was that his sister was "among the first" to sign up for the Peace Corp.
FICTION: While running for office, Gore's campaign literature claimed he was a "Brilliant Student".
FACT: Washington newspapers said he barely passed Harvard and consistently earned D's and C's.
REAL FACT: Al Gore graduated cum laude from Harvard. His freshman year, he had lots of C's and D's, but pulled up his grades in the last three years enough to graduate with honors. And the only "Washington newspaper" that said he barely passed was the right-wing Washington Times.
FICTION: Al Gore claimed responsibility for inventing the Internet in the 1990's.
FACT : Shocked scientists were quick to speak out, explaining that the Internet had been in widespread use by government and educational institutions since the early 1970's.
REAL FACT: As reference hundreds of times before, Al Gore never claimed to have "invented" the Internet. His quote was "During my service in the US congress, I took the initiative in the creation of the internet". He was referring to his legislative work that led to the funding of the NSF which did lead to the commericalizing of the D.O.D.'s ARPANET into the Internet you right-wing nuts use to spread false propoganda today at light speed.
FICTION: Al Gore claimed the book "Love Story" was based on his life and Tipper's.
FACT: Author Erich Segal called a press conference to deny his claim. (Couldn't he at least lie about a love story where his sweetheart doesn't die?"
REAL FACT: The author, Erich Segal, acknowledges that Gore was one of the models for the male lead in Love Story. Gore was referring to an article in a Nashville newspaper that claimed he and Tipper were the inspiration for the story...he never claimed it.
FICTION: Al Gore said he was the first to discover the Love Canal nuclear accident.
FACT: The incident was already discovered, being investigated, and covered widely in the press for many months before Gore was aware of it.
REAL FACT: Al Gore was misquoted in the New York Times. He said that while he investigating another toxic waste dump, he did research to see if there were others like it. "I came across a place in New York called Love Canal. That was the one that started it all." The Times misquoted him as saying "I was the one who started it all." They later printed a correction, but the RNC and the right-wing nuts never let the truth get in the way of the misinformation they want to spread.
FICTION: Al Gore remembers his mother lulling him to sleep as a baby by singing the popular ditty, "Wear The Union Label".
FACT: The popular ditty was created by the unions when Gore was 27 years old.
REAL FACT: Al Gore made this statement at a union rally. It was deadpan humor that the participants laughed at immediately, and was obviously a joke to any who attended or watched it on videotape. Only right-wing nuts with no sense of humor took it seriously.
FICTION: Al Gore claimed to co-sponsor the McCain-Feingold Campaign Reform Act.
FACT: The Act was not sponsored until he had been out of office for over a year.
REAL FACT: Another misquote. On Larry King Live in September, Gore said "I support McCain-Feingold. In fact, when I was in the senate, I sponsored legislation that would have led to public financing of national campaigns." To which Larry King said, "You co-sponsored McCain-Feingold?" To which Gore replied, "No, I sponsored legislationg concerning public campaign financing. I support McCain-Feingold."
The RNC pounced on the first part of this and twisted it into "Gore says he sponsored McCain-Feingold." Something Al Gore never even remotely claimed.
Personally, I think Bush is the better man. Regardlessof that though, Gore IS a bad person.
Anybody, like yourself, who knowingly spreads verifiable lies like this RNC spam you posted here, has no business calling anybody else a bad person.
-----------------------------------
After all...
Their hockey team is the Penguins....
-----------------------------------
"So we already passed the 2000th anniversary of his birth."
First of all, the original Anonymous Coward never claimed nor alluded to the idea that Jesus of Nazareth was born exactly 2000 years ago. You are stereotyping Christians by assuming that we all believe Christ was born 2000 years ago.
The original poster gave credence to the "coincidences" that occuring around the year 2000 based on his Christian belief that we are in the end of times. So yes....I dont think it is a stretch to say he is basing his "theories" on the idea that we are celebrating Christ's 2000th birthday this year.
"Christians like yourself have such a Christian-centric view of the world that they have lost their ability to think rationally"
Hmmm...seemed like Anonymous Coward was thinking fairly rationally to me...I may not agree with all of his statements but he provided his hypothesis and supported it to the best of his ability. Seems rational. Are you sure that you did not mean to say "Christians do not think like I do so they must not be thinking rationally." Also...as often as you may say that I, or any other Christian for that matter, may have a Christ-centered view I can say that you have a Non-Christ-centered view. Of course, as a Christian, my viewpoint, and the viewpoint of Anonymous Coward, is Christ-centered. The worldview of any individual who holds to a system of belief (or unbelief) is going to be molded by that faith. Its called a Paradigm...
The original poster was a lot of things, but one of them was NOT rational. Sorry, but a person who puts undue religious signifigance on astrological events that have been precisely predicted for decades (based on astral maps and scientific study) is not thinking rationally. He's thinking like a cult member who has no ability to process events rationally. He's another wacko who, in the days before the internet, would be on the street corner carrying a sign saying "the end is near!" There are Muslim wackos, Jewish wackos, Christian wackos, and athiest wackos....he's a wacko.
"Hell....half the Christians I know think it's blasphemy to say that Jesus was a non-white Jew"
Well...maybe you are talking to the wrong Christians? Not only that, but, and I mean no offense to my Christian brothers and sisters out there...but not all of us are right. The Bible tells us that "Many will be called, few will be chosen". The best answer I can give you is to read your Bible with an open-mind and an open-heart and see what you find there (I, for one, know that Jesus of Nazareth was, in fact, a Jew of the lineage of Abraham, Father of the Israelites and David, King of Israel -- his lineage is layed out at the beginning of the Gospel of Matthew)
"half" may have been high. But I know lots of Christians who are offended by art that portrays Jesus as a person of color.
"...you are a flaky religious nut who has been looking for signs of the apocalypse ever since the day you were 'born-again'."
And you, sir, with all due respect, are a religious bigot who should not throw about opinion as if it were fact! Remember, sir, that the Theory of Evolution.... is just a theory.
I never made any statement with regards to Evolution. Interesting comment you made there.
My goal is not to incite a flame war here...just to express a point of view and to challenge readers to provide constructive, supported responses or to at least point individuals in the right direction.
There is nothing "constructive" about idiots like the original poster who scream "The sky is falling! The end is near!" every time the slightest world incident occurs. He is the typical lost Christian who looks for signs of the apocalypse within normal everyday events. He thinks he is part of some lucky 144,000 who will ascend into heaven after the "rapture" since he claims to be "born again".
I wonder....what are all the wacky fatalist Christian nuts going to do a year from now when they realize that the world DIDN'T end? Will they wonder what Pat Robertson did with their hard-earned money?
I feel sorry for these people....you may not be one of them, but the original poster was. The arrogance to say "I am not afraid, because my soul is prepared!". Ranks right up there with tripe like "Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven."
I'd like every Christian who thinks like the original poster to put their money where their mouth is: Send all your money to a worthy charity since you won't need it after you ascend into heaven during the "rapture" in two weeks.
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Why don't you go hide in the woods with the other nuts and eat your K-rations. The rest of us will live our lives realizing that there is no special significance to the year 2000. Keep in mind that: A. historians are in universal agreement that Jesus of Nazereth was NOT born 2000 years ago...but somewhere between 2002 and 2006 years ago. The bible says he was born during the reign of Herod...and Herod died 2002 years ago. So we already passed the 2000th anniversary of his birth. B. It is only the year 2000 for Christians. It is 57??-something for Jews and god-knows-what for the Chinese. For more than half of the world's population this year has no significance whatsoever. Christians like yourself have such a Christian-centric view of the world that they have lost their ability to think rationally. Hell....half the Christians I know think it's blasphemy to say that Jesus was a non-white Jew. The 'events' that you are giving such significance to are no more prevalent this year than in years past...you are just noticing them more because you are a flaky religious nut who has been looking for signs of the apocalypse ever since the day you were "born-again".
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You guys should up your standards a little on what gets posted.
;-)
I've upped my standards already.
up yours!
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I have named by Compaq Alpha servers after Pittsburgh athletes that are in their respective hall of fames: wagner stargell clemente bradshaw greene lemieux lambert ham etc.
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...and I wish you people would quit sending me email.
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I am surprised and disappointed by how many otherwise intelligent slashdotters are buying into this urban legend. I expect this kind of "millenialism" from the religious fanatics as we approach 2000, but I thought the Linux community was a more intelligent bunch. You guys have watched one to many X-files episodes. This is the same U.S. intelligence community that couldn't tell a Chinese embassy from a military target in Serbia....that couldn't tell a pharmaceutical plant from a chemical weapons plant in the Sudan. There is no "smoking man". The truth *IS* out there, but none of you bozos would recognize it if it bit you on the ass. The truth is, there is no Echelon. Moulder and Scully are FICTIONAL characters. Aliens are not living among us. Some of you folks need to read Carl Sagan's "The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark". Free your mind of this gullibility. This Jam Echelon thing was one big chain letter email hoax...not too different than the ones the AOL kiddies keep spreading.
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One wonders at what level in their subconscious these "first post" idiots get gratification. My god, what horrendously dull lives they must lead. These are the probably same idiots who wave at the camera like imbeciles whenever it is pointed in their general direction at a sporting event. "Now, more than just my immediate family and friends knows I am a complete loser!" Hoorah. At least the "John 3:16" boneheads have an agenda to push.
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