Prior to this, I supported zeroing out NPR's ability to force people to give it money (since it is partially taxpayer funded), and I planned on resuming voluntary "pledges" as soon as they were off the dole. But after this nastiness from them, I want the taxpayer support zeroes out AND I never want to give them any money, voluntarily, ever
"The Iraq war has nothing at all to do with 9/11, and everything to do with the terms of a cease fire that ended a battle that I assume you are too young to remember: The Kuwait business."
Iraq is related to 9/11 in that 9/11 happened after we let a major terrorist leader go around attacking us and others with very little consequences from us. After 9/11, we also realized that we could not let Saddam keep engaging in his aggression unchecked like Bin Laden had. To do such would invite another 9/11.
"Then regressive taxes against the poor to make up for the inability to tax the rich adequately."
In the current tax plan, the rich (as a group) pay the lion's share of taxes. Individually, the rich pay a higher percentage of their income (and also, of course, a higher amount of real dollars. The rich are already taxed quite adequately.
"That is the result if the rich are made to pay less tax than the poor."
That is an imaginary situation that has nothing to do with anything. There's not even a proposal to do what you describe. From anyone.
Hmmmm..... isn't the primary blame with the country which brands itself by being guilty of counterfeiting, money laundering and trafficking in weapons of mass destruction? Rather than the parties that properly identify that country?
"How didya open up china and cause them to at least restrain their worst crazy ideas?"
Among their worst crazy ideas are the ongoing occupation of Tibet, and the quite open "We will do it just because we want to. Muahahah!" threat to cross yet another international boundary and trash Taiwan. Has either of these crazy ideas been restrained?
Oh. No difference to me then. I always avoid using a browser's built-in search ability. I just enter www.google.com or a9.com or whatever in the address window and then search on the site.
"Noam Chomsky just recently was talking about the differences between...."
He's got no authority outside of his actual field of lingustics. Otherwise, his essays and books are fiction that those who lack critical thinking believe are factual. Sort of like George Lucas and his "Star Wars". I see your definition of "fair" election means "one where my guys LOST."
"How often do you need to actually dial a number on your cell phone while not looking at it?"
Much of the time. Like if I need to call a pizza place I've not called before.
"Sometimes unorthodox designs work better than the old-stand-by. We shouldn't ever lock ourselves in to one design scheme just because it's the "norm" today. It will only stiffle creativity and prevent us from moving on to better things"
Can you think of one good reason to have the phone numbers in a warped version of 1,2,3; 4,5,6, etc instead of with proper right angles?
The Nokia 3650 might be nice if they had included a regular working number pad instead of the bizarre one. With the bizarre one, they might as well have added something that randomly shuffles the numbers every time the phone is turned on.
"Too bad only one of those countries was actually involved in the attack by harboring those who initiated the plan."
Afghanistan was not involved in the plan (which was carried out) to break the cease-fire by firing on peacekeeping patrols. Fox News? I don't know if they ever reported on this.
"It is a fact that Venezuela's wealth distibution has historically been very unequal."
And if Chavez gets his way (and rebuilds Venezuela on the Cuban model), things will end up even more unequal. He's be worth consideration if he actually decentralized the central government power, but instead he is following the fascist/socialist model involving autocratic central control.
Do you really think that if a private citizen leaves something alongside the road, that it is a government endorsement???? I don't care if it as Jewish, Christian, Muslim grave crescent, does not matter to me.
"In the context of that article, and the documentary about Venezuela we have been discussing, it is much easier to understand the crack down on journalists, especially those financed by foreign parties"
I hope you are not using this as an excuse to justify a law that criminalizes (with a harsh jail term) mere criticism of "The Leader"? Sedition laws are one thing, laws that would land Venezuela's equivalent to the Dixie Chicks or Michael Moore in prison if enforced are another.
"But I still think that most of what we hear about him is because of his intent to reclaim their oil from the private ruling class to help feed the poor in his country"
He's transferring it from one private ruling class to his own private control. The "doing it to help the poor" is a tired-old effective trick of words only: it is like someone in the GOP doing something outrageous in order to "Stop the terrorists" or "Protect the children" or "Protect family values". Like there are many on the Right who get all dreamy and smiley when these phrases are heard, there are also too many on the Left who drop any idea of critical thinking if someone says a policy is "to help the poor." Personal control and power is the only game there. I'd love it if he truly "nationalized" the oil industry and gave everyone equal shares in it (decentralizing). However, what he is doing is just another power grab and is part a trend of increasing autocratic central control.
"He is also hostile to NAFTA and similar trade agreements."
I think you might have intended to mention FTAA (Free Trade Area of the Americas). This is his main opposition. NAFTA does not really affect Venezuela, nor will it. That does not stop him from opposing it, but the big issue in South America is FTAA, not NAFTA. No, this is not really an argument point.
"If someone says that it's possible to bury US imperialism"
No, he said he wanted to bury the US. He merely used his preferred insult for it. This is rather like when Reagan called the USSR an "Evil Empire". Real names and nicknames/insults do point at the same thing. I'm merely correctly quoting what he DID say.
The number rows (1,2,3) should be in perfect line-up rows on any phone so you don't have to look to hit the numbers. They are mostly lined up here, but there's no reason they could not have gone the rest of the way.
....a description which applies to just about anything anyone says (as per your definition). Use of the word in a pejorative fashion is a perfect example of trolling.
"For instance, how is Chavez, who was democratically elected, a dictator?"
There's no contradiction between them. One can gain power in a democratic election, and then work to dismantle democracy and assume more and more personal power. Speaking of trolling, why are you bothering to troll for a dictator?
"What rights did Venezuelans lose?"
Article 147 (the censorship law): "Anyone who offends with his words or in writing or in any other way disrespects the President of the Republic or whomever is fulfilling his duties will be punished with prison of 6 to 30 months if the offense is serious and half of that if it is light.". That's just for starters.
Slashdot Mirror
Prior to this, I supported zeroing out NPR's ability to force people to give it money (since it is partially taxpayer funded), and I planned on resuming voluntary "pledges" as soon as they were off the dole. But after this nastiness from them, I want the taxpayer support zeroes out AND I never want to give them any money, voluntarily, ever
You're both wrong. He was talking about Ritz vs Townhouse.
"The Iraq war has nothing at all to do with 9/11, and everything to do with the terms of a cease fire that ended a battle that I assume you are too young to remember: The Kuwait business."
Iraq is related to 9/11 in that 9/11 happened after we let a major terrorist leader go around attacking us and others with very little consequences from us. After 9/11, we also realized that we could not let Saddam keep engaging in his aggression unchecked like Bin Laden had. To do such would invite another 9/11.
"Then regressive taxes against the poor to make up for the inability to tax the rich adequately."
In the current tax plan, the rich (as a group) pay the lion's share of taxes. Individually, the rich pay a higher percentage of their income (and also, of course, a higher amount of real dollars. The rich are already taxed quite adequately.
"That is the result if the rich are made to pay less tax than the poor."
That is an imaginary situation that has nothing to do with anything. There's not even a proposal to do what you describe. From anyone.
"Yes, after all, everyone knows it's the policeman's fault when he pulls over a person who's speeding, or arrests someone breaking the law."
You mean you don't think that the real criminal here is the cop, who did the reprehensible thing of identifying the reckless driver?
Hmmmm..... isn't the primary blame with the country which brands itself by being guilty of counterfeiting, money laundering and trafficking in weapons of mass destruction? Rather than the parties that properly identify that country?
Defecit spending does not equal tax hike IF you make the tax cuts permanent.
"How didya open up china and cause them to at least restrain their worst crazy ideas?"
Among their worst crazy ideas are the ongoing occupation of Tibet, and the quite open "We will do it just because we want to. Muahahah!" threat to cross yet another international boundary and trash Taiwan. Has either of these crazy ideas been restrained?
sorry, i thought the title said "ghey gamers". Never mind.
Oh. No difference to me then. I always avoid using a browser's built-in search ability. I just enter www.google.com or a9.com or whatever in the address window and then search on the site.
Why, is Microsoft actually considering blocking browser users from going to Google.com ??
Is Ronald Reagan considered to be a neoconservative?
Why should there be any such difference between a good and service to warrant paying more than the actual value of it? Explain that.
He was a man ahead of his time. If the founding fathers had thought like he did, newspapers would have been regulated out of existence by 1830.
There was a liberal democract, Senator Exon, who was a big proponent of the Communications Decency Act. I don't think he is in office anymore.
"US imperialism and the US people are very far from the same thing, I think."
One does not exist, and the other does.
"Noam Chomsky just recently was talking about the differences between...."
He's got no authority outside of his actual field of lingustics. Otherwise, his essays and books are fiction that those who lack critical thinking believe are factual. Sort of like George Lucas and his "Star Wars". I see your definition of "fair" election means "one where my guys LOST."
"How often do you need to actually dial a number on your cell phone while not looking at it?"
Much of the time. Like if I need to call a pizza place I've not called before.
"Sometimes unorthodox designs work better than the old-stand-by. We shouldn't ever lock ourselves in to one design scheme just because it's the "norm" today. It will only stiffle creativity and prevent us from moving on to better things"
Can you think of one good reason to have the phone numbers in a warped version of 1,2,3; 4,5,6, etc instead of with proper right angles?
The Nokia 3650 might be nice if they had included a regular working number pad instead of the bizarre one. With the bizarre one, they might as well have added something that randomly shuffles the numbers every time the phone is turned on.
"Too bad only one of those countries was actually involved in the attack by harboring those who initiated the plan."
Afghanistan was not involved in the plan (which was carried out) to break the cease-fire by firing on peacekeeping patrols. Fox News? I don't know if they ever reported on this.
"It is a fact that Venezuela's wealth distibution has historically been very unequal."
And if Chavez gets his way (and rebuilds Venezuela on the Cuban model), things will end up even more unequal. He's be worth consideration if he actually decentralized the central government power, but instead he is following the fascist/socialist model involving autocratic central control.
Do you really think that if a private citizen leaves something alongside the road, that it is a government endorsement???? I don't care if it as Jewish, Christian, Muslim grave crescent, does not matter to me.
"In the context of that article, and the documentary about Venezuela we have been discussing, it is much easier to understand the crack down on journalists, especially those financed by foreign parties"
I hope you are not using this as an excuse to justify a law that criminalizes (with a harsh jail term) mere criticism of "The Leader"? Sedition laws are one thing, laws that would land Venezuela's equivalent to the Dixie Chicks or Michael Moore in prison if enforced are another.
"But I still think that most of what we hear about him is because of his intent to reclaim their oil from the private ruling class to help feed the poor in his country"
He's transferring it from one private ruling class to his own private control. The "doing it to help the poor" is a tired-old effective trick of words only: it is like someone in the GOP doing something outrageous in order to "Stop the terrorists" or "Protect the children" or "Protect family values". Like there are many on the Right who get all dreamy and smiley when these phrases are heard, there are also too many on the Left who drop any idea of critical thinking if someone says a policy is "to help the poor." Personal control and power is the only game there. I'd love it if he truly "nationalized" the oil industry and gave everyone equal shares in it (decentralizing). However, what he is doing is just another power grab and is part a trend of increasing autocratic central control.
"He is also hostile to NAFTA and similar trade agreements."
I think you might have intended to mention FTAA (Free Trade Area of the Americas). This is his main opposition. NAFTA does not really affect Venezuela, nor will it. That does not stop him from opposing it, but the big issue in South America is FTAA, not NAFTA. No, this is not really an argument point.
"If someone says that it's possible to bury US imperialism"
No, he said he wanted to bury the US. He merely used his preferred insult for it. This is rather like when Reagan called the USSR an "Evil Empire". Real names and nicknames/insults do point at the same thing. I'm merely correctly quoting what he DID say.
The number rows (1,2,3) should be in perfect line-up rows on any phone so you don't have to look to hit the numbers. They are mostly lined up here, but there's no reason they could not have gone the rest of the way.
"No, "propaganda" meaning...."
....a description which applies to just about anything anyone says (as per your definition). Use of the word in a pejorative fashion is a perfect example of trolling.
"For instance, how is Chavez, who was democratically elected, a dictator?"
There's no contradiction between them. One can gain power in a democratic election, and then work to dismantle democracy and assume more and more personal power. Speaking of trolling, why are you bothering to troll for a dictator?
"What rights did Venezuelans lose?"
Article 147 (the censorship law): "Anyone who offends with his words or in writing or in any other way disrespects the President of the Republic or whomever is fulfilling his duties will be punished with prison of 6 to 30 months if the offense is serious and half of that if it is light.". That's just for starters.