_Robert_

Discussions of evil are much better with epic film and music

The concept works well for simpletons.

Davis, you certainly have Putin’s number. I would think after 100’s of years of asshole leadership, Russians would have had enough. I really don’t understand why they put up with it.

If the world acted back then…

What did you have in mind? The US was already tired of two messed-up wars.  It didn’t start out as a proxy war either, it was part of that so called “Arab Spring” movement, a true civil war. Helping rebels overthrow governments has not been going well for the US lately. Perhaps the EU should have stepped in then?…[Read more]

Post-WW2 major US military interventions in Korea, Viet Nam, Iraq, and Afghanistan…..all FAILs. Hearts and minds, hearts and minds. Can’t win that with guns and bombs. If the US or any major power intervenes in a relatively large country with violence, it had better be prepared for a complete conquering, long-term occupation with millions of…[Read more]

Human population exactly follows our energy/food production capabilities. Conventional wars often result in a population explosion (e.g. the baby boom). No one really knows what the final result would be if Russia and the US exchanged nuclear arms. Of course millions would die from the immediate effects, but the impact on water and food supply may…[Read more]

Reg the Fronkey Farmer wrote:

“at least they have faith” is sometimes said to me when I ask believers about other religions. It is because they hold faith with a higher regard than they hold reason. It does not matter that they are believing in the “wrong” god, it only matters that they have faith – that they too pretend to know things that they…

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It strikes me funny how adherents of different religions who believe differently on all the essential points except for the existence of supernatural gods will usually unite against an atheist during a debate. It’s like social clubs..they insist you believe in “A” god….so even Thor will qualify you to join. As long as you are capable of “faith”…[Read more]

You would think it’s called Muslimaphobia…..lol. Islam has a couple of tenants that do make it collide with some of my favorite values, so it does depend on how far it’s followers wish to take it.

One thing is for sure, if you do not respect your rights and freedoms, chaos ensues. We are getting there. Whenever there is a simple disaster like a hurricane here in Florida, it becomes like the wild west all over again. Everything is hanging by a thread. I really do think it is the lack of education; the celebration of ignorance that is the…[Read more]

Why is it you say freedom is an American fantasy?

I think that Americans have become an “extremist” society. Many of us take selected individual rights included in the Bill of Rights to the extreme without realizing that rights can and do oppose each other. “Moderation is Key” is lost on in these times. Throw-in anti-education sentiments and we…[Read more]

Why are you so sure people choose to be offended? You can’t “unsee” something. If I said “Jews are thieves”, and let’s say you are a Jew, therefore by default you are a thief. This is libel….a published false statement that is damaging to a person’s reputation.

If instead someone says “I hate Jews” and that is the extent of it, well OK. But it…[Read more]

Davis, I agree with you. I would be in favor of policies that make hate speech in public a crime. This kind of acrimonious talk deprives others their right to liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That is more important than free speech, I feel.

Man I got a lot of reading to do… Languages also have a lot of redundancy. In electrical transmission of bits we often add extra bits that are coded to help recover transmissions in noisy environments.

– presumably, you would. But you would have different genes and a different family history

You would. Period. Which is why it’s bullshit. Different genes and a different family history matter not to an astrologist……

I’m no expert, and I don’t know exactly what a chart is supposed to tell us.

@Simon: Your “chart” is based only on  your date and time of birth and location. That is all.  If you were born in the next room while Hitler’s mother was also in labor,  you would have the same exact chart as him. Analytical huh…you sure?