what magical land do you live in that has no natural disasters?
Massachusetts, the pioneer valley more specifically. Natural disasters that take lives are few and far between, and those are nothing compared to what happens in other parts of the country.
You should head back yourself. That may be true in the senate, but not in the house, which is set up to represent the majority. So, the republicans represent the bulk of the states (the senates) and the bulk of the population (the house) ergo they represent the majority. Or do you think that the red states with just one representative are what gave the republicans the lead in the house?
This is no sudden change in American politics, its been done for years. Lincoln suspended habeas corpus, roosevelt had his internment camps (not to mention his attempt to completely assrape the supreme court).
Afterwards, we go "omg wtf" and things are more or less back to normal, with a few new precedents thrown into the record books.
The ballots are secret in order to prevent voter intimidation. This way i can't be pressured in to actually voting one way or another (though i can be pressured into public support) because those who seek to intimidate me do not really know how i voted.
How are they sidestepping the courts if they are challenging it in the courts? Wouldn't sidestepping imply that they are trying to go around the courts by either executive order or legislative decree?
In my dealings with relativists (people who believe that all religions are correct) i came to a similar impasse. if all religions are correct, that none are correct. However, believing as I do in God's absolute power, i was forced to deal with the possibility that relativists could be right if God willed it to be so. However, if God willed it to be so then he willed it to be in such a manner that the reasoning mind he gave to me to interpret his world cannot allow that, so i think he won't be too angry.
I think that is an unfair statement, to say that people who believe in something that is at least seemingly illogical do not understand logic. In order to believe in cause and effect, some people think there must be an original cause, i.e. God, which does not require a seperate cause. The only other arguement i've heard is that the universe and time are simply infinite. But doesn't this also defy cause and effect? to say that what is always has been and will forever be?
If you were actually familiar with Aquinas' writings, you'd know that Aquinas himself admitted that this was true. He never argued that one could deduct the existence of the Roman-Catholic God by reason alone. Central to Christianity is the act of revelation, God revealing Himself to us./Roman-Catholic.
Actually, it does, here in the US. There's quite a bit more of a culture of block-voting, support-the-platform, even-if-it-is-wrong here than in England or many other Euro countries. I could philosophize on why, but will desist. Suffice to say, partisan politics are very entrenched at this point.
What are you talking about man?
US political parties are considered "irresponsible" parties in most European countries. This means that individuals are free to vote against their parties, free to walk across the aisle to form alliances on their own, etc. without risking party retribution, (at least retribution as severe as in some other countries, where your career is over if you vote against the party. That might also stem from procedural differences between parliamentary democracies and the American system.) This is part of the reason why we have two big tent parties instead of multiple exclusive parties, like you see in alot of europe in particular. Also, this contributes to the existence of Schwarzenegger "Republicans" and Zell Miller "Democrats".
At the moment of course, the country may seem much more polarized along party lines, but blue states still elect republicans to some positions, and red states still elect a few democrats.
Of course, since this doesn't directly bash Bush, i'll probably get modded down.
You can't just round up a lynch mob for these kinds of crimes. First, you plea bargain with the little fish so you have plenty of evidence to use against the big fish. its common practice in any attempt to bring a down an organized criminal establishment, which is basically what the higher levels of Enron were.
The limbless veterans are the ones doing the contemplating, not the brass.
Its been done before, with pilots who lost legs, and there was that diver from Men of Honor* who got a replacement limb, then went back to duty. Believe it or not, some people actually think they are doing the right thing being over there, and could feasibly want to continue doing it with a fake leg.
How is what you say correct? Couldn't proving that we take this laser shit seriously, right off the bat, discourage terrorist from using the tactic? Making examples of people is a time honored method of discouraging crime, regardless of the morality or popularity of a particular instance.
Like if whenever planes had been hijacked their shit had gotten fucked up, they might not have been so hot on using the planes on 9/11.
democracy is not a religion. it is a fundamental right, which all people deserve.
If that makes me a crazy christian or a cultural imperialist, so be it.
Re:Russia seems different since the school inciden
on
US to Pay to go to ISS
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· Score: 1, Troll
Yeah, because we all know how bush has ceased the election of governors, and has consolidated the press and much of private industry under government control. And we've been attempting to interfere with soveriegn elections what disagreed wih Washington policy. Also, we have not been acting as if the world was our enemy, just terrorists, and their backers. meanwhile, Putin is distancing Russia further and further from democracy. but hey who the fuck cares right, BUSH=BAD.
Putin is leadng Russia towards fascism, deal with it. the US is not the greatest evil in the world. I can't see how Europeans can get so outraged over the patriot act and visit us, but claim that islamofascism is just the culture of the middle east and its their god given right to mutilate, stone, and otherwise oppress their women, ethnic minorities, and political dissidents. but hey, the US toppled Saddam, so we're worse than the Nazis.
I am in fact an American. And yes, i was aware of the US eugenics programs. However, i believe that there is a significant difference between the US and Saddam controlled Iraq. The very article you linked to stated that eugenics was brought down by public scutiny and our democratic institutions. This could not happen in Iraq. The only way to bring down Saddam would have been through force, from within or without. And as you've been quick to point out, some people did not care what saddam did. One way or another, it was going to be foreign intervention that brought down saddam.
So, maybe not, "fuck them," as in discounting all their opininons and/or killing them. i, personally, cannot stand that level of apathy. i'm not saying that their bad people for not rebelling, because shit they tried that before and we didn't help them. i just meant that them not caring about what Saddam did is not a valid reason to leave him in power.
Back to the soldiers, some of those people have been punished. hopefully, some of that will follow up the command chain that ordered them to do it. But probably not.
As to the press, well fuck 60 Minutes then, they were not doing their jobs. But its not as if the government was forcing them not to air the photos. Besides, thanks to the wonders of teh intarweb, we had access to these photos as much as anyone else did. Granted, thats not the same as the mainstream press, but we're hardly being blindfolded by the government.
A small aside here, its pleasant to be able to engage in some intelligent discussion sans-trolling here on slashdot.
But do you realize that what they are fighting for, or at least what their leaders are leading them towards, is fundamentally bad? I believe conversely that our intentions, now and in the past, are fundamentally good. I believe that America and the rest of the world would be safer with a democratic middle east than with the current hodgepodge of secular dictators and theocratic regimes. I'm sorry for the rant as well, i just have alot of friends who insist that the US is making war on their innocent culture.
As to your post, i'd disagree (vehemently, and probably angrily if we were in person, but hey thats the magic of the internet) with the characterization of our GIs as red necks with itchy trigger fingers. The fact is that as a soldier, you are in a different position than a police officer or even a peacekeeper in the 80s-90s UN sense, and that means if shit starts to go down, you pull the trigger, because thats what they are trained to do. Its sure as hell not fair to the Iraqis, but the GIs didn't choose to be there.
As to your second paragraph, that some Iraqis just didnt give a shit, well fuck them. I'm sorry but if you have so little compassion for your fellow human beings that you can't even be bothered to care when they are gassed by your own government, well, fuck you. I can't stand people who stand for corruption, much less genocide.
as for your last paragraph about creating new generations of terrorists (thats what you are when you kill innocent civilians purposefully to advance your shitty oppressive method of governance, sorry.), maybe. Definitely if we pull out of iraq too early and let it degenerate into a giant battle between vying factions, foreign and domestic. IF we can turn it into a viable democracy, and push similar changes along throughout the middle east, maybe not. While poor living conditions always lead to violence and crime, politically oppressive states are what breed terrorists.
Or take a clue from the freedom fighters in Faluja.
Freedom fighters? You mean the freedom to set up a repressive theocracy? Or is it the freedom to re-establish a sunni-dominated Baathist regime? Perhaps you meant the freedom to kill Americans, that seems popular these days.
Say what you will about our reasoning for going in. Lord knows it was at best a flimsy rationalization, and at worst an outright lie. The leadership should also be admonished for their idiocy in the planning and execution of the war. Though I'm not sure i believe it myself, there is even a case to be made that we've violated the geneva convention, in spirit if not letter, and could/should be considered war criminals for our actions. At a psychological level, its probably true that many insurgents are fighting simply because we're a foreign power controlling their nations, which is completely understandable.
But please do note that no insurgent group has come forward and given a better solution to the world than what the US is trying (and currently failing) to accomplish. Maybe if they said they wanted a democracy on their own terms, without foreign intervention, their violence would be reasonable, i might even be on their side. but they aren't fighting for that, they're fighting to prop up their chosen oppressive and/or repressive regime style.
Islamofascism is no more a cultural quirk than Nazism was. Its not something to celebrate, it is something to tear down.
If he wanted more than he was guaranteed, then he should have negotiated a better contract. or started his own company.
I know, i know, that would not have been super easy and guaranteed him a steady paycheck. but if you want to make the big money, you have to take the big risks. Or take very small risks over an entire lifetime, like smart people do with the stock market. Or you can do what this guy did and just work for someone else. He may not be rich, but he isn't exactly living on the street.
Because we all know that societies that forbid competition thrive far more than capitalist ones. After all, thats the real reason that capitalist societies are in the shitter, especially in technological areas. and quality of life. right?
Healthy and fair competition is the best thing for society, in nearly every arena.
Slashdot Mirror
...put it in the subject line of your slashdot post.
This is, for the record, a +1 funny and not a -1 troll.
what magical land do you live in that has no natural disasters?
Massachusetts, the pioneer valley more specifically. Natural disasters that take lives are few and far between, and those are nothing compared to what happens in other parts of the country.
go new england
You should head back yourself. That may be true in the senate, but not in the house, which is set up to represent the majority. So, the republicans represent the bulk of the states (the senates) and the bulk of the population (the house) ergo they represent the majority. Or do you think that the red states with just one representative are what gave the republicans the lead in the house?
This is no sudden change in American politics, its been done for years. Lincoln suspended habeas corpus, roosevelt had his internment camps (not to mention his attempt to completely assrape the supreme court).
Afterwards, we go "omg wtf" and things are more or less back to normal, with a few new precedents thrown into the record books.
The ballots are secret in order to prevent voter intimidation. This way i can't be pressured in to actually voting one way or another (though i can be pressured into public support) because those who seek to intimidate me do not really know how i voted.
How are they sidestepping the courts if they are challenging it in the courts? Wouldn't sidestepping imply that they are trying to go around the courts by either executive order or legislative decree?
Or does having common sense make me a troll?
In my dealings with relativists (people who believe that all religions are correct) i came to a similar impasse. if all religions are correct, that none are correct. However, believing as I do in God's absolute power, i was forced to deal with the possibility that relativists could be right if God willed it to be so. However, if God willed it to be so then he willed it to be in such a manner that the reasoning mind he gave to me to interpret his world cannot allow that, so i think he won't be too angry.
I think that is an unfair statement, to say that people who believe in something that is at least seemingly illogical do not understand logic. In order to believe in cause and effect, some people think there must be an original cause, i.e. God, which does not require a seperate cause. The only other arguement i've heard is that the universe and time are simply infinite. But doesn't this also defy cause and effect? to say that what is always has been and will forever be?
Thats exactly what I meant.
If you were actually familiar with Aquinas' writings, you'd know that Aquinas himself admitted that this was true. He never argued that one could deduct the existence of the Roman-Catholic God by reason alone. Central to Christianity is the act of revelation, God revealing Himself to us. /Roman-Catholic.
Actually, it does, here in the US. There's quite a bit more of a culture of block-voting, support-the-platform, even-if-it-is-wrong here than in England or many other Euro countries. I could philosophize on why, but will desist. Suffice to say, partisan politics are very entrenched at this point.
What are you talking about man?
US political parties are considered "irresponsible" parties in most European countries. This means that individuals are free to vote against their parties, free to walk across the aisle to form alliances on their own, etc. without risking party retribution, (at least retribution as severe as in some other countries, where your career is over if you vote against the party. That might also stem from procedural differences between parliamentary democracies and the American system.) This is part of the reason why we have two big tent parties instead of multiple exclusive parties, like you see in alot of europe in particular. Also, this contributes to the existence of Schwarzenegger "Republicans" and Zell Miller "Democrats".
At the moment of course, the country may seem much more polarized along party lines, but blue states still elect republicans to some positions, and red states still elect a few democrats.
Of course, since this doesn't directly bash Bush, i'll probably get modded down.
Is it just me, or doesn't windows require a format at least every six months, if you want it to keep functioning at peak?
Thirteen execs, three traders, and two accountants have been endicted.
You can't just round up a lynch mob for these kinds of crimes. First, you plea bargain with the little fish so you have plenty of evidence to use against the big fish. its common practice in any attempt to bring a down an organized criminal establishment, which is basically what the higher levels of Enron were.
The limbless veterans are the ones doing the contemplating, not the brass.
D 0yMHxzZz0xfGxtPTIwMHx0dD1vbnxwbj0wfHE9TWVuIG9mIEhv bm9yfGh0bWw9MXxubT1vbg__;fc=1;ft=20
Too lazy to do the right formatting sorry.
Its been done before, with pilots who lost legs, and there was that diver from Men of Honor* who got a replacement limb, then went back to duty. Believe it or not, some people actually think they are doing the right thing being over there, and could feasibly want to continue doing it with a fake leg.
http://imdb.com/title/tt0203019/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnxte
How is what you say correct? Couldn't proving that we take this laser shit seriously, right off the bat, discourage terrorist from using the tactic? Making examples of people is a time honored method of discouraging crime, regardless of the morality or popularity of a particular instance.
Like if whenever planes had been hijacked their shit had gotten fucked up, they might not have been so hot on using the planes on 9/11.
democracy is not a religion. it is a fundamental right, which all people deserve.
If that makes me a crazy christian or a cultural imperialist, so be it.
Yeah, because we all know how bush has ceased the election of governors, and has consolidated the press and much of private industry under government control. And we've been attempting to interfere with soveriegn elections what disagreed wih Washington policy. Also, we have not been acting as if the world was our enemy, just terrorists, and their backers. meanwhile, Putin is distancing Russia further and further from democracy. but hey who the fuck cares right, BUSH=BAD.
Putin is leadng Russia towards fascism, deal with it. the US is not the greatest evil in the world. I can't see how Europeans can get so outraged over the patriot act and visit us, but claim that islamofascism is just the culture of the middle east and its their god given right to mutilate, stone, and otherwise oppress their women, ethnic minorities, and political dissidents. but hey, the US toppled Saddam, so we're worse than the Nazis.
Why do i even bother feeding the trolls?
I am in fact an American. And yes, i was aware of the US eugenics programs. However, i believe that there is a significant difference between the US and Saddam controlled Iraq. The very article you linked to stated that eugenics was brought down by public scutiny and our democratic institutions. This could not happen in Iraq. The only way to bring down Saddam would have been through force, from within or without. And as you've been quick to point out, some people did not care what saddam did. One way or another, it was going to be foreign intervention that brought down saddam.
So, maybe not, "fuck them," as in discounting all their opininons and/or killing them. i, personally, cannot stand that level of apathy. i'm not saying that their bad people for not rebelling, because shit they tried that before and we didn't help them. i just meant that them not caring about what Saddam did is not a valid reason to leave him in power.
Back to the soldiers, some of those people have been punished. hopefully, some of that will follow up the command chain that ordered them to do it. But probably not.
As to the press, well fuck 60 Minutes then, they were not doing their jobs. But its not as if the government was forcing them not to air the photos. Besides, thanks to the wonders of teh intarweb, we had access to these photos as much as anyone else did. Granted, thats not the same as the mainstream press, but we're hardly being blindfolded by the government.
A small aside here, its pleasant to be able to engage in some intelligent discussion sans-trolling here on slashdot.
But do you realize that what they are fighting for, or at least what their leaders are leading them towards, is fundamentally bad? I believe conversely that our intentions, now and in the past, are fundamentally good. I believe that America and the rest of the world would be safer with a democratic middle east than with the current hodgepodge of secular dictators and theocratic regimes. I'm sorry for the rant as well, i just have alot of friends who insist that the US is making war on their innocent culture.
As to your post, i'd disagree (vehemently, and probably angrily if we were in person, but hey thats the magic of the internet) with the characterization of our GIs as red necks with itchy trigger fingers. The fact is that as a soldier, you are in a different position than a police officer or even a peacekeeper in the 80s-90s UN sense, and that means if shit starts to go down, you pull the trigger, because thats what they are trained to do. Its sure as hell not fair to the Iraqis, but the GIs didn't choose to be there.
As to your second paragraph, that some Iraqis just didnt give a shit, well fuck them. I'm sorry but if you have so little compassion for your fellow human beings that you can't even be bothered to care when they are gassed by your own government, well, fuck you. I can't stand people who stand for corruption, much less genocide.
as for your last paragraph about creating new generations of terrorists (thats what you are when you kill innocent civilians purposefully to advance your shitty oppressive method of governance, sorry.), maybe. Definitely if we pull out of iraq too early and let it degenerate into a giant battle between vying factions, foreign and domestic. IF we can turn it into a viable democracy, and push similar changes along throughout the middle east, maybe not. While poor living conditions always lead to violence and crime, politically oppressive states are what breed terrorists.
Or take a clue from the freedom fighters in Faluja.
Freedom fighters? You mean the freedom to set up a repressive theocracy? Or is it the freedom to re-establish a sunni-dominated Baathist regime? Perhaps you meant the freedom to kill Americans, that seems popular these days.
Say what you will about our reasoning for going in. Lord knows it was at best a flimsy rationalization, and at worst an outright lie. The leadership should also be admonished for their idiocy in the planning and execution of the war. Though I'm not sure i believe it myself, there is even a case to be made that we've violated the geneva convention, in spirit if not letter, and could/should be considered war criminals for our actions. At a psychological level, its probably true that many insurgents are fighting simply because we're a foreign power controlling their nations, which is completely understandable.
But please do note that no insurgent group has come forward and given a better solution to the world than what the US is trying (and currently failing) to accomplish. Maybe if they said they wanted a democracy on their own terms, without foreign intervention, their violence would be reasonable, i might even be on their side. but they aren't fighting for that, they're fighting to prop up their chosen oppressive and/or repressive regime style.
Islamofascism is no more a cultural quirk than Nazism was. Its not something to celebrate, it is something to tear down.
If he wanted more than he was guaranteed, then he should have negotiated a better contract. or started his own company.
I know, i know, that would not have been super easy and guaranteed him a steady paycheck. but if you want to make the big money, you have to take the big risks. Or take very small risks over an entire lifetime, like smart people do with the stock market. Or you can do what this guy did and just work for someone else. He may not be rich, but he isn't exactly living on the street.
Because we all know that societies that forbid competition thrive far more than capitalist ones. After all, thats the real reason that capitalist societies are in the shitter, especially in technological areas. and quality of life. right?
Healthy and fair competition is the best thing for society, in nearly every arena.
i'd say music is a useful art.
the fact that every known civilization has had it in one form or another supports that.
and what arts would you say are useful?
music can make me think, it can challenge me, it can inspire me, it can communicate nearly anything.
pretty useful, i'd say.
uh...what other major portables are you talking about? My Gameboy SP has a rechargable battery.
pfft, maybe your pitiful mortal cats can't kill eagles, mine can.