Unseen

I think a case can be made for merging the Air Force into the Army and either shutting down the Air Force Academy or removing the current command structure and replacing them with Army air force officers.

The Army seems a far more tolerant and diverse bunch.

@ Jake

One thing I learned from my intensive studies of Wittgenstein (for my MA) is that words have no meaning…apart from context, apart from what they are used for.

Fun example: A couple is out for a stroll in the local mall, passing a jewelry shop. She stops and observes “that’s a pretty bracelet.”

That could be taken at face value, the…[Read more]

@ Jake

You’re not getting me: It tells you nothing. It’s not a “tell.” What matters is what is in one’s (figurative, of course) heart and soul.

@ Jake

If I say some of my best friends are atheists, it does not mean I harbor a conscious or unconscious hatred of atheists.

And yet, you seem to rely on a parallel—and equally nonsensical—construction when it comes to attitudes toward Jews.

@ Jake

Be careful. Your implicit definition of what having a Jewish friend means sounds a bit prejudicial. There are friends (bosom buddies, best friends for life) and there are friends (someone who one likes and whose company is more than tolerable). I currently have only one real male friend. He’s not Jewish. He’s Bengali. I’m not a highly…[Read more]

@ Jake, when I said “neat” I meant it like when served liquor neat, which means no water or ice cube, just the liquor. So, in the context of a corned beef sandwich, no lettuce or slaw, no tomatoes, no banana peppers, just the proper condiment(s). Mustard + horseradish is a very common combination of condiments on corned beef, even among the…[Read more]

jakelafort wrote:
Jewish deli meats on Jewish rye to die for.

Back in a heavily-Jewish suburb of Cleveland was a now-closed Jewish delicatessen named Corky and Lennie’s and they had the best corned beef on light caraway rye sandwiches, with about 2-3 inches of thinly-sliced corned beef on them.

I learned from a Jewish friend (yes, despite my…[Read more]

@ Jake

Do even Jews actually like gefilte fish? or is it a test of faith? My widower father had a Jewish girlfriend and I remember sitting at her dinner table on some Jewish holiday and when the plate of gefilte fish was handed to me, I handed it to the next person without taking any. When a food looks disgusting and doesn’t smell appetizing, all…[Read more]

TheEncogitationer wrote:
Unseen, You obviously haven’t read a word of Bastiat. Bastiat sang praises to the benefits afforded to humanity by trade, especially in Economic Sophisms and Economic Harmonies. Trade is the result of individuals accumulating the fruits of their labor to the point of excess and voluntarily exchanging those fruits with o…

[Read more]

@ Enco

As for your favorite economist, Frederick Bastiat, he argues for a very limited role for government, focused solely on protecting individual rights. However, some government intervention, like building roads or regulating pollution, can benefit everyone.

He emphasizes individual self-interest as the driving force in economics, but this…[Read more]

TheEncogitationer wrote:
But you’ll believe what you want to believe anyway–or what you think you’re determined to believe anyway–so screw it.

What’s good for the goose, as they say.