Shakrai merely wanted to equate Daily Kos in particular, and Democrats in general, with the lunatic fringe of intelligent design.
Umm, no, Shakrai had no intention of doing anything of the sort. My only point was that there are lots of hostile audiences on the internet and it seems strange to limit such a project to ID. Would you be whining as loudly if my example had been "go to redstate and argue in favor of single payer" or is your outrage limited to examples that contrast with your political beliefs?
This is typical of the fact free, anger filled rants of the rapidly disappearing regional rump party known as Republicans
What makes you think I'm a Republican?
A better example might have been 'why not try to argue with the Republicans that Obama was born in the US
You won't find very many mainstream Republicans that question where Obama was born. In fact I'm pretty sure in my original post that I called out these people for the morons that they are. Any "Republican" that questions where Obama was born deserves to be taken as seriously as the "Democrats" that think Bush allowed 9/11 to happen so he could invade Iraq.
I doubt you care but I was actually a flag waving Democrat until a few months ago. What changed? State and local issues for one. Half of my state is dictated to by the other half that regards us as inbred hicks and tries to impose urban solutions on rural areas that face different problems. More than that though was seeing the asshats of the Democratic Party once they realized that they might have actual power. The Republicans have personalities like Sean Hannity -- you guys have Keith Olbermann. The Republicans have hyper-partisans like Tom Delay and Mitch McConnell -- you guys have Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer. Republicans have their corruption -- you guys have your corruption. See the trend here?
Both parties are all to happy to see an election where they get 50%+1 as a "mandate" and pretend that the other 49.999% of the country doesn't even exist. Both parties are willing to run the Congress in such a way that the minority party has no effective power and no real ability to represent their constituents. Both parties condone processes (gerrymandering) that corrupt our electoral process. Both parties are in bed with lobbyists and special interest groups. As far as I'm concerned there's no real difference between Democrats and Republicans. The only reason that most of my criticism is directed at the Democrats is because they happen to be the ones who are currently driving our bus over the cliff. Once the GOP is back in the drivers seat I'll start aiming some criticism at them as well.
Countdown: Someone here installs Linux and runs a NES emulator on his own pacemaker in 3....2....
It'd give you an extra incentive not to die in the video game if that death was going to be translated into your pacemaker malfunctioning;) Who knew that Bowser has powers in the real world.
Incident like this in china will most likely mean 13 very quick trials, all ending in very public death sentences.
Actually, China carries out many of her executions using execution vans. The remainder are usually ad-hoc affairs at random locations wherein the condemned is shot once in the back in the head. In neither instance is the public allowed to view the execution. They aren't real big on the public execution concept. Perhaps you were thinking of any one of a number of Middle Eastern countries?
That just means they are murderers with good lawyers.
It's amusing that you've made up your mind based on media reporting and are second guessing the jury. Did you sit in the court room? Did you see the evidence that was presented? Are you looking at it logically or are your beliefs driven by emotion?
It's supposed to be hard to get criminal convictions in this country. Get washed through the legal system for a felony or two and you might come to appreciate why our system functions the way it does.
The directive is to make ID arguments in, quote, hostile websites.
Why don't they do something easier, like question President Obama's economic policies or the wisdom of a Governmental takeover of the health care system on a site like Daily Kos? At least then you'd be arguing a position in a hostile environment that may have merit -- there isn't much merit to ID and arguing it is the rough equivalent of the 9/11 truthers or the whackjobs that think Obama isn't a native born American citizen.
The agriculture companies can't forbid you from purchasing or using their products. An insurance company can.
Any body can refuse to do business with you. The agriculture company would just have a harder time of it because they sell their product through a large number of channels and have little control over what those channels do with it.
Now, I'm on my own. My insurance is gone, and I no longer qualify for insurance under the 'pre-existing condition' clauses.
So why does it follow that we need the government to take over the health care system? Nobody on the left side of the political spectrum seems content to strengthen insurance regulations to prohibit this type of behavior -- they are hell bent on passing a 'public plan' that will eventually drive the insurance companies from the market entirely and leave us all at the mercy of the government.
I am not entitled to stay alive.
That's hyperbole and you know it. The worst that would happen to you is that you'd wind up filing bankruptcy. I've been through bankruptcy and let me assure you it's better than dying.
Maybe noticed a few people around that look like they could perhaps use a good meal?
No, but I have noticed quite a few people in my non-dense suburban area who are abusing the social safety net that should be protecting the people who legitimately need help. My favorite is to see someone in line at the grocery store paying for their booze and junk food with cash while they buy all their groceries with a state issued benefits card.
I'm of the opinion that if you have enough disposable cash lying around to buy beer you probably ought not to be consuming public benefits. But I'm glad I can finance their recreational chemicals for them. "Work harder, millions of people on welfare depend on you."
Besides, the American agriculture industry is one of the best in the world
If by 'best' you mean we've produced an industry that contributes heavily to our obesity problem and which is over-centralized thus leaving it vulnerable to both crop diseases and contamination, then yes, we are the 'best'.
Health care in America is a huge problem, and since the insurance companies are profitable
I hate to break it to you but insurance companies are not the only or even the biggest problem that our health care system faces. The insurance companies aren't the ones who set up the "pay for service" model that encourages health care inflation. The insurance companies aren't the reason that we have a shortage of GPs. The insurance companies aren't the reason why malpractice insurance rates are so high. I know it's popular for the Democrats to paint this as a "big insurance vs. everybody else" battle but there's really a lot more to it than that.
Right. Such paranoid radio elite as Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, and National Economic Council director Lawrence H. Summers.
On NBC, a network known for being extremely far-right and hostile to President Obama's agenda. I must admit that a chill went up my leg when I heard them talking about raising taxes.
Technically this is true, however, since the alternative to not doing business with health care companies is a likely early death. You are in a way forced to do business with them, if you want to stay alive.
It's technically also true that you need to do business with the food companies to stay alive. Maybe the Government should take over the agriculture industry as well?
Oh wait, through corporate welfare and lobbying interests (tax breaks, money into boondoggles like ethanol, a need to appease Iowa to win Presidential primaries, etc, etc) it already has. Hmm, I wonder what the result is? Surely a balanced and well managed system that's working for the greater good, right? I bet if you had left it up to the free market we could have wound up with something that runs on fast food and high fructose corn syrup and which has resulted in 30% of Americans being obese.
You'll forgive my skepticism that the Government is going to improve the health care system.
Although the corporations may pass some of the tax along to the consumers, they often won't be able to pass all of it on.
In which case the tax is still coming out of the pockets of the individual, because now the corporation isn't passing along as much profit via dividends and investments into the labor market. But go ahead and tax corporations some sure. I guess 10% unemployment isn't high enough for ya. Wanna shoot for 15%?
The people who impose such limits invariably exempt themselves.
Now where have we ever seen that before? Surely our system is better than that, right?
"Also, a check of Pistol License records shows that Senator Schumer possesses an "unrestricted" pistol permit, a rarity in New York City. Licenses are distributed in different categories in the Big Apple: Target Permits allow only use of a firearm at a licensed firing range; Premises Permits allow weapons to be kept in a home or apartment; Restricted Permits allow the gunowner to carry their firearms concealed but only within the purview of their job (security, jewelers, armored car guards, etc.). So it's evident that Senator Schumer has two sets of rules -- one for Americans and one for himself."
All animals are equal but some are more equal than others......
The free market sees taxation as damage and routes around it.
Well, my insurance company took my money, didn't pay for my health care, and now is trying to convince the dumb Americans (which are unfortunately in the majority) that we should reject health care reform.
Well, the Government is taking 6.2% of my money for social "security", which will be bankrupt by the time I reach retirement age and from which I'll be lucky to recoup the money I've put in, let alone any extra monies above and beyond that. If I had invested the money that's been taken from in FICA taxes over the last ten years into bonds and equities I'd have about 110% of what I started with. You'll forgive my skepticism that they are going to do any better with health care.
To say nothing of those companies, that just can't stand the idea of paying taxes like we all have to...
You just don't understand do you? If you charge a corporation taxes then the corporation is going to pass that cost along to it's customers. In the end it's still the people that wind up paying the tax. All you've done is to put a middle man between them and the government and allowed some jackass leftist to claim that he's fighting for the "little guy" when in fact it's the little guy who is paying for the new tax. He's just paying it on his automobile insurance/gasoline/grocery bill/electric bill/etc instead of paying it on his tax bill.
Corporations will screw you over to make a buck every fucking time.
Yes, they will. Ever heard the expression 'caveat emptor'? The difference between your friendly mega-corp and the government is that nobody is forcing you to do business with the mega-corp. The mega-corp can't come and take your money at gunpoint. You have to decide to do business with them.
Pranknet wouldn't exist without an audience to consume it
I don't know if I buy that. I've seen plenty of asshats who are willing to harass people and destroy their property without the benefit of sharing their deeds with a broader audience.
The economy sucks, the rich have destroyed liquidity to keep their dollars valuable... now more than ever we need community. The one thing rich and unethical people hate.
WTF? Yes, all rich people hate community. Just the other day I saw a rich person going all over town setting soup kitchens and churches on fire. When I asked him why he was doing it he just laughed in my face and muttered something about "community sucks" before throwing the armani jacket back on, hopping in his BMW and driving off like a bat out of hell.
I really thought we had moved beyond this class warfare nonsense a long time ago.
I foresee in my magic eight ball... In a not so distant future... dog answering help desk call, giving us good support. It's true, they are the man's best friend !
Well if the dogs speak bad English and are limited to what's on the script they are already at least the equal of the vast majority of "help" desks currently employed by major firms.
It is actually mildly amusing. I was just annoyed because I haven't seen a single mod point in almost a year and yet someone mods up nigger jokes is apparently getting them. Maybe that's what I should have been doing more of back when I was getting them:)
Slashdot Mirror
Shakrai merely wanted to equate Daily Kos in particular, and Democrats in general, with the lunatic fringe of intelligent design.
Umm, no, Shakrai had no intention of doing anything of the sort. My only point was that there are lots of hostile audiences on the internet and it seems strange to limit such a project to ID. Would you be whining as loudly if my example had been "go to redstate and argue in favor of single payer" or is your outrage limited to examples that contrast with your political beliefs?
This is typical of the fact free, anger filled rants of the rapidly disappearing regional rump party known as Republicans
What makes you think I'm a Republican?
A better example might have been 'why not try to argue with the Republicans that Obama was born in the US
You won't find very many mainstream Republicans that question where Obama was born. In fact I'm pretty sure in my original post that I called out these people for the morons that they are. Any "Republican" that questions where Obama was born deserves to be taken as seriously as the "Democrats" that think Bush allowed 9/11 to happen so he could invade Iraq.
I doubt you care but I was actually a flag waving Democrat until a few months ago. What changed? State and local issues for one. Half of my state is dictated to by the other half that regards us as inbred hicks and tries to impose urban solutions on rural areas that face different problems. More than that though was seeing the asshats of the Democratic Party once they realized that they might have actual power. The Republicans have personalities like Sean Hannity -- you guys have Keith Olbermann. The Republicans have hyper-partisans like Tom Delay and Mitch McConnell -- you guys have Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer. Republicans have their corruption -- you guys have your corruption. See the trend here?
Both parties are all to happy to see an election where they get 50%+1 as a "mandate" and pretend that the other 49.999% of the country doesn't even exist. Both parties are willing to run the Congress in such a way that the minority party has no effective power and no real ability to represent their constituents. Both parties condone processes (gerrymandering) that corrupt our electoral process. Both parties are in bed with lobbyists and special interest groups. As far as I'm concerned there's no real difference between Democrats and Republicans. The only reason that most of my criticism is directed at the Democrats is because they happen to be the ones who are currently driving our bus over the cliff. Once the GOP is back in the drivers seat I'll start aiming some criticism at them as well.
You realize that's 65 years old after you convert it into human years, right? ;) GILF?
Countdown: Someone here installs Linux and runs a NES emulator on his own pacemaker in 3....2....
It'd give you an extra incentive not to die in the video game if that death was going to be translated into your pacemaker malfunctioning ;) Who knew that Bowser has powers in the real world.
but to say the guards and nurse did nothing wrong is simply not true either.
Please point out the comment in which I said they did nothing wrong.
Incident like this in china will most likely mean 13 very quick trials, all ending in very public death sentences.
Actually, China carries out many of her executions using execution vans. The remainder are usually ad-hoc affairs at random locations wherein the condemned is shot once in the back in the head. In neither instance is the public allowed to view the execution. They aren't real big on the public execution concept. Perhaps you were thinking of any one of a number of Middle Eastern countries?
That just means they are murderers with good lawyers.
It's amusing that you've made up your mind based on media reporting and are second guessing the jury. Did you sit in the court room? Did you see the evidence that was presented? Are you looking at it logically or are your beliefs driven by emotion?
It's supposed to be hard to get criminal convictions in this country. Get washed through the legal system for a felony or two and you might come to appreciate why our system functions the way it does.
The murderers were acquitted [go.com], but Florida did shut down its boot camps.
Small nitpick but they aren't 'murderers' when they were found innocent by a jury of their peers.
We'll probably see similar results from this incident in China.
Because they care so much about public outrage and human rights?
Are they gonna send them to a 'addicted to killing your clients' camp? ;)
The directive is to make ID arguments in, quote, hostile websites.
Why don't they do something easier, like question President Obama's economic policies or the wisdom of a Governmental takeover of the health care system on a site like Daily Kos? At least then you'd be arguing a position in a hostile environment that may have merit -- there isn't much merit to ID and arguing it is the rough equivalent of the 9/11 truthers or the whackjobs that think Obama isn't a native born American citizen.
The agriculture companies can't forbid you from purchasing or using their products. An insurance company can.
Any body can refuse to do business with you. The agriculture company would just have a harder time of it because they sell their product through a large number of channels and have little control over what those channels do with it.
Now, I'm on my own. My insurance is gone, and I no longer qualify for insurance under the 'pre-existing condition' clauses.
So why does it follow that we need the government to take over the health care system? Nobody on the left side of the political spectrum seems content to strengthen insurance regulations to prohibit this type of behavior -- they are hell bent on passing a 'public plan' that will eventually drive the insurance companies from the market entirely and leave us all at the mercy of the government.
I am not entitled to stay alive.
That's hyperbole and you know it. The worst that would happen to you is that you'd wind up filing bankruptcy. I've been through bankruptcy and let me assure you it's better than dying.
Maybe noticed a few people around that look like they could perhaps use a good meal?
No, but I have noticed quite a few people in my non-dense suburban area who are abusing the social safety net that should be protecting the people who legitimately need help. My favorite is to see someone in line at the grocery store paying for their booze and junk food with cash while they buy all their groceries with a state issued benefits card.
I'm of the opinion that if you have enough disposable cash lying around to buy beer you probably ought not to be consuming public benefits. But I'm glad I can finance their recreational chemicals for them. "Work harder, millions of people on welfare depend on you."
Besides, the American agriculture industry is one of the best in the world
If by 'best' you mean we've produced an industry that contributes heavily to our obesity problem and which is over-centralized thus leaving it vulnerable to both crop diseases and contamination, then yes, we are the 'best'.
Health care in America is a huge problem, and since the insurance companies are profitable
I hate to break it to you but insurance companies are not the only or even the biggest problem that our health care system faces. The insurance companies aren't the ones who set up the "pay for service" model that encourages health care inflation. The insurance companies aren't the reason that we have a shortage of GPs. The insurance companies aren't the reason why malpractice insurance rates are so high. I know it's popular for the Democrats to paint this as a "big insurance vs. everybody else" battle but there's really a lot more to it than that.
It's in the White House :)
Right. Such paranoid radio elite as Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, and National Economic Council director Lawrence H. Summers.
On NBC, a network known for being extremely far-right and hostile to President Obama's agenda. I must admit that a chill went up my leg when I heard them talking about raising taxes.
Technically this is true, however, since the alternative to not doing business with health care companies is a likely early death. You are in a way forced to do business with them, if you want to stay alive.
It's technically also true that you need to do business with the food companies to stay alive. Maybe the Government should take over the agriculture industry as well?
Oh wait, through corporate welfare and lobbying interests (tax breaks, money into boondoggles like ethanol, a need to appease Iowa to win Presidential primaries, etc, etc) it already has. Hmm, I wonder what the result is? Surely a balanced and well managed system that's working for the greater good, right? I bet if you had left it up to the free market we could have wound up with something that runs on fast food and high fructose corn syrup and which has resulted in 30% of Americans being obese.
You'll forgive my skepticism that the Government is going to improve the health care system.
Although the corporations may pass some of the tax along to the consumers, they often won't be able to pass all of it on.
In which case the tax is still coming out of the pockets of the individual, because now the corporation isn't passing along as much profit via dividends and investments into the labor market. But go ahead and tax corporations some sure. I guess 10% unemployment isn't high enough for ya. Wanna shoot for 15%?
The people who impose such limits invariably exempt themselves.
Now where have we ever seen that before? Surely our system is better than that, right?
"Also, a check of Pistol License records shows that Senator Schumer possesses an "unrestricted" pistol permit, a rarity in New York City. Licenses are distributed in different categories in the Big Apple: Target Permits allow only use of a firearm at a licensed firing range; Premises Permits allow weapons to be kept in a home or apartment; Restricted Permits allow the gunowner to carry their firearms concealed but only within the purview of their job (security, jewelers, armored car guards, etc.). So it's evident that Senator Schumer has two sets of rules -- one for Americans and one for himself."
All animals are equal but some are more equal than others......
The free market sees taxation as damage and routes around it.
Best sig ever :)
Well, my insurance company took my money, didn't pay for my health care, and now is trying to convince the dumb Americans (which are unfortunately in the majority) that we should reject health care reform.
Well, the Government is taking 6.2% of my money for social "security", which will be bankrupt by the time I reach retirement age and from which I'll be lucky to recoup the money I've put in, let alone any extra monies above and beyond that. If I had invested the money that's been taken from in FICA taxes over the last ten years into bonds and equities I'd have about 110% of what I started with. You'll forgive my skepticism that they are going to do any better with health care.
To say nothing of those companies, that just can't stand the idea of paying taxes like we all have to...
You just don't understand do you? If you charge a corporation taxes then the corporation is going to pass that cost along to it's customers. In the end it's still the people that wind up paying the tax. All you've done is to put a middle man between them and the government and allowed some jackass leftist to claim that he's fighting for the "little guy" when in fact it's the little guy who is paying for the new tax. He's just paying it on his automobile insurance/gasoline/grocery bill/electric bill/etc instead of paying it on his tax bill.
Corporations will screw you over to make a buck every fucking time.
Yes, they will. Ever heard the expression 'caveat emptor'? The difference between your friendly mega-corp and the government is that nobody is forcing you to do business with the mega-corp. The mega-corp can't come and take your money at gunpoint. You have to decide to do business with them.
by supporting an economic distribution that erodes the middle class and forces more people into poverty
You mean by raising taxes on the middle class, as has recently been suggested?
By de-funding social safety nets such as soup kitchens.
I'd be interested to know how you can 'de-fund' a soup kitchen the majority of the ones I've seen are run by private charities and not the government.
Pranknet wouldn't exist without an audience to consume it
I don't know if I buy that. I've seen plenty of asshats who are willing to harass people and destroy their property without the benefit of sharing their deeds with a broader audience.
The economy sucks, the rich have destroyed liquidity to keep their dollars valuable... now more than ever we need community. The one thing rich and unethical people hate.
WTF? Yes, all rich people hate community. Just the other day I saw a rich person going all over town setting soup kitchens and churches on fire. When I asked him why he was doing it he just laughed in my face and muttered something about "community sucks" before throwing the armani jacket back on, hopping in his BMW and driving off like a bat out of hell.
I really thought we had moved beyond this class warfare nonsense a long time ago.
I foresee in my magic eight ball... In a not so distant future... dog answering help desk call, giving us good support. It's true, they are the man's best friend !
Well if the dogs speak bad English and are limited to what's on the script they are already at least the equal of the vast majority of "help" desks currently employed by major firms.
Perhaps we should get dolphins to design some intelligence tests to compare wolves and dogs and see who performs better on those.
That's easy. Mice would perform the best ;) Following them would be the dolphins and in a distant third would be homo sapiens.
It is actually mildly amusing. I was just annoyed because I haven't seen a single mod point in almost a year and yet someone mods up nigger jokes is apparently getting them. Maybe that's what I should have been doing more of back when I was getting them :)
Who should I make the check out to?
My name is 'Shakrai' but my good friends call me 'Cash' :)