Neil DeGrasse Tyson skepticism: 1:40 Neil DeGrasse Tyson skepticism and mocking: "So the prospect of this being true didn't freak you out?" 8:18 Neil DeGrasse Tyson mocking: "So you've analogized yourself to Super Mario. This is who you are?" 9:50 Neil DeGrasse Tyson summary of what he's skeptical of: 23:55 Neil DeGrasse Tyson expressing "this is dumb" with his eyes: 24:50
The video is 2 hours long, but within the first 24 minutes, you can tell Neil doesn't believe this crap.
Neil DeGrasse Tyson skepticism: 1:40 Neil DeGrasse Tyson skepticism and mocking: "So the prospect of this being true didn't freak you out?" 8:18 Neil DeGrasse Tyson mocking: "So you've analogized yourself to Super Mario. This is who you are?" 9:50 Neil DeGrasse Tyson summary of what he's skeptical of: 23:55 Neil DeGrasse Tyson expressing "this is dumb" with his eyes: 24:50
The video is 2 hours long, but within the first 24 minutes, Neil seems skeptical of this crap.
The article does not mention a cover. It refers to the Titanic mission as simply a by-product of the classified, funded mission Robert Ballard was sent on. Moreover, Ballard had to convince the Navy to allow him to do his pet project if time allowed.
From the article:
He then asked the Navy if he could search for the Titanic, which was located between the two wrecks.
"I was a little short with him," said Thunman, who retired as a vice admiral and now lives in Springfield, Illinois. He emphasized that the mission was to study the sunken warships.
This doesn't even make sense: "Law enforcement agencies have found hyper-sophisticated setups of crude labs and hydroponic pot greenhouses, which are used to synthesize crystal meth out of an ingredient found in over-the-counter medicine."
I wrote a piece over on smokedot.org outlining the arguments against the WOD... seems relevant here:
I) We've already experimented with prohibition and it not only didn't work, it made the problem worse.
A) By legalizing all drugs currently illegal (under the banner of regulation), you undercut the profit motive we all learn about in economics 101.
1) Criminal activity supported by drug money that rivals that of the Pentagon vanishes and crime rates drop.
2) Serious addicts no longer have to resort to petty theft as their drug of choice falls in price to equal current legal drugs like cigarettes and alcohol.
3) All the money formally funneled through the black market is now legitimized and taxable, increasing government coffers.
4) Money is no longer wasted on arresting people for victemless crimes, thereby saving taxpayers money.
5) Half the US prison population is released, increasing economic activity and saving money.
B) Making consensual acts illegal goes against the very root of why this country was founded. Drug war is unconstitutional:
2) "It behoves every man who values liberty of conscience for himself, to resist invasions of it in the case of others: or their case may, by change of circumstances, become his own." - Thomas Jefferson
3) "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" -Declaration of Independence
4) "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof" -First Amendment, US Constitution
5) "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized" -Fourth Amendment, US Constitution
6) "...nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation." -Fifth Amendment, US Constitution
II) Drug War is racially biased against minorities
A) Prison population is heavily weighted against minorities.
B) Minorities are unjustly singled out by law enforcement for searches.
III) Treating addiction as a crime instead of a disease only makes the problem worse.
A) Prisons do not treat addiction, they simply warehouse a person for a few years.
B) Scarce resources are put towards treatment
C) Analogy: we don't lock people up who cut themselves because they have a psychological problem.
IV) Medical and Environmental benefits of illegal drugs is wasted.
A) Marijuana has great medicinal uses for victems of glaucoma, aids, etc.
B) Cannabis would drastically cut down the number of trees felled.
"...every family would receive a rebate of the sales tax on spending up to the Federal poverty level, to be paid monthly in advance. This would allow a married family of four to spend $22,120 annually without having to pay a single penny in Federal taxes."
I recently discovered a new proposal to rid income tax altogether, placing a national sales tax in its place. Initially I thought the idea seemed a little far fetched, but the more I read the more compelling the case is. It would solve the problem of lost revenue due to internet sales, make it possible to save and make money off your savings without tax, transform the taxing system to a no-loop-holes (fairer) policy that would catch money from the underground market (the bad guys don't report their income, but have to buy goods and services just like the rest of us), and make is obvious just how much we are taxed (ie, you look down at your receipt and see a 23% tax for the fed and think to yourself "Man, This is too much!"). Goods would only be taxed once, meaning used cars, used baseball cards, used houses would not be taxed. Businesses that sell to other businesses would not be taxed. Foreigners would pay right alongside the rest of us when visiting the US. Oh, did I mention it would solve the e-commerce question?;)
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Neil DeGrasse Tyson skepticism: 1:40
Neil DeGrasse Tyson skepticism and mocking: "So the prospect of this being true didn't freak you out?" 8:18
Neil DeGrasse Tyson mocking: "So you've analogized yourself to Super Mario. This is who you are?" 9:50
Neil DeGrasse Tyson summary of what he's skeptical of: 23:55
Neil DeGrasse Tyson expressing "this is dumb" with his eyes: 24:50
The video is 2 hours long, but within the first 24 minutes, you can tell Neil doesn't believe this crap.
Neil DeGrasse Tyson skepticism: 1:40
Neil DeGrasse Tyson skepticism and mocking: "So the prospect of this being true didn't freak you out?" 8:18
Neil DeGrasse Tyson mocking: "So you've analogized yourself to Super Mario. This is who you are?" 9:50
Neil DeGrasse Tyson summary of what he's skeptical of: 23:55
Neil DeGrasse Tyson expressing "this is dumb" with his eyes: 24:50
The video is 2 hours long, but within the first 24 minutes, Neil seems skeptical of this crap.
From the article:
This doesn't even make sense: "Law enforcement agencies have found hyper-sophisticated setups of crude labs and hydroponic pot greenhouses, which are used to synthesize crystal meth out of an ingredient found in over-the-counter medicine."
I) We've already experimented with prohibition and it not only didn't work, it made the problem worse.
1) Criminal activity supported by drug money that rivals that of the Pentagon vanishes and crime rates drop.
2) Serious addicts no longer have to resort to petty theft as their drug of choice falls in price to equal current legal drugs like cigarettes and alcohol.
3) All the money formally funneled through the black market is now legitimized and taxable, increasing government coffers.
4) Money is no longer wasted on arresting people for victemless crimes, thereby saving taxpayers money.
5) Half the US prison population is released, increasing economic activity and saving money.
B) Making consensual acts illegal goes against the very root of why this country was founded. Drug war is unconstitutional:
3) "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" -Declaration of Independence
4) "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof" -First Amendment, US Constitution
5) "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized" -Fourth Amendment, US Constitution
6) "...nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation." -Fifth Amendment, US Constitution
II) Drug War is racially biased against minorities
B) Minorities are unjustly singled out by law enforcement for searches.
III) Treating addiction as a crime instead of a disease only makes the problem worse.
B) Scarce resources are put towards treatment
C) Analogy: we don't lock people up who cut themselves because they have a psychological problem.
IV) Medical and Environmental benefits of illegal drugs is wasted.
B) Cannabis would drastically cut down the number of trees felled.
So it seems progressive up to a point.
Any thoughts?