Keeping it civil instead of returning to our dark ways

[Gattigap]

Originally posted by sebastian_dangerfield
No its not. You understand him perfectly fine. I find it really amusing that my GOP friends all suddenly became unable to understand all but rudimentary English this election season. These people can parse contract language and argue grammar like English professors on a daily basis, yet they claim Kerry's 12th grade level speech is beyond their comprehension.

I don't like Kerry, but I understand what he's said all along. Its hard to post witticisms on a chat board and at the same time pretend you can't understand high school level English. You do realize that no one believes you don't understand Kerry, don't you? You can't believe any of us buy an act that transparent.

It's this year's version of "fuzzy math."

[Say_hello_for_me]

Originally posted by sebastian_dangerfield
Did you read the Times' magazine on Sunday? They had a great piece about how evangelicals are starting businesses to service other evangelicals. One such business, a bank, saw deposits from evangelicals jump from $5 mil to $75 mil in a short span.

That. Got. Me. Thinking.

I swear I'm being civil here, but WTF? My good kind Pennsylvanian, you argued with me for a week after my first comment here on the interpretation of Guns, Germs and Steel as it relates to the origins of religion. That didn't give you the idea of cynically capitalizing on faith and the inherent human motivation to want to believe, but you got the idea yesterday after reading the Times?

The implication of GG&S is that religion itself has suspicious origins dating to the time when there was suddenly enough food that not all adults would have to work for it (i.e., hunt/gather). Suddenly, the village slacker would come up with a schtick about the "hey, the mountain spoke to me". That guy is a great role model for some parts of our society (wink, wink).

On the one hand, it might have taken neanderthal-era man 1000 years of human-evolution to come up with this idea on his own. On the other hand, it took you 25-30 years to realize, but you had the help of the Sunday Times. I guess this is that evolution you were talking about.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally posted by baltassoc
Even the homeless have a right to vote in America. Did you know any of the people listed at the address? Did you visit the address to make sure that no one was actually living there? If so, I commend you for your diligence and thank you for helping to ensure the legitimacy of the democratic process.

If not, well, fuck you, too.

And I'm still not sure why that means that people in Republican-dominant precints shouldn't be subject to the same level of scrutiny.

It's easy for me to believe that people who are paid to register voters will invent names and addresses -- it's easier than signing up actual people. This seems to have happened to Nader this year, and I'm sure it happens to Dems and Republicans, too. But when the GOP points to this at evidence of "vote fraud," I don't buy it. There's no vote fraud until people try to vote under these names. Assuming that this is what happened at bilmore's shopping mall, the only party defrauded was the DFL, which paid someone to register voters and instead got fictitious names.

[sebastian_dangerfield]

Originally posted by Say_hello_for_me
I swear I'm being civil here, but WTF? My good kind Pennsylvanian, you argued with me for a week after my first comment here on the interpretation of Guns, Germs and Steel as it relates to the origins of religion. That didn't give you the idea of cynically capitalizing on faith and the inherent human motivation to want to believe, but you got the idea yesterday after reading the Times?

The implication of GG&S is that religion itself has suspicious origins dating to the time when there was suddenly enough food that not all adults would have to work for it (i.e., hunt/gather). Suddenly, the village slacker would come up with a schtick about the "hey, the mountain spoke to me". That guy is a great role model for some parts of our society (wink, wink).

On the one hand, it might have taken neanderthal-era man 1000 years of human-evolution to come up with this idea on his own. On the other hand, it took you 25-30 years to realize, but you had the help of the Sunday Times. I guess this is that evolution you were talking about.

The Times bit was a little more concrete, as in it said "$75 million in new deposits in the Jesus Bank". That sort of thing grabbed me. I was too busy arguing about how how ridiculous I thought religious beliefs were during our debate to consider how profitable it could be to exploit them. Its that kind of flawed thinking that landed me in a legal career.

But I think I see the way out... We gotta bring this Jesus stuff to the DC-Boston corridor. Think of how many depressed and angry people there are out there who would jump at a quick-fix addiction like Evangelical Christianity! [I say this jokingly, but its true, and thats creepy.] Instead of downing drugs and seeing therapists, all the overstressed angst ridden Easterners could go to church and shop and kibbutz with their like minded friends who found solace in religion. It could be bigger than Atkins. It might become more popular than jogging. Imagine owning a nickel of every dollar invested in that gig...

[sebastian_dangerfield]

Originally posted by Bad_Rich_Chic
FWIW, this is exactly how I feel about the boomers. I am always on the lookout for good investment opportunities in the "get money from narcissistic greedy retiring fuckheads who complain constantly about their 'rights' but spent a lifetime avoiding the corresponding responsibilities" industry. Perhaps we should brainstorm business plans.

BR(er, sorry for the rant)C

Yeh, I'm tired of hearing my folks' freinds lecture me about values, as though my generation is responsbile for today's alleged "lack of values".

"Values" is one of those words people with shit for brains like to throw around a lot. Its a catch-all way of saying "Everything I believe in". No one really just wants everyone to have "values". People already have "values". We all make moral decisions every day based on our "values". What people who cry for "values" really mean is "I want MY values implemented on everyone." Why don't they just come out and say it? We all know what these idiots mean.

I'm not shocked the boomers have a hard on for "values". They also like using jackass words like pro-active and talking in management-speak during regular conversation, just to remind you how business-minded they are.

[spookyfish]

Originally posted by sebastian_dangerfield
The Times bit was a little more concrete, as in it said "$75 million in new deposits in the Jesus Bank".

Jesus does, indeed, save.

[Shape Shifter]

Originally posted by bilmore
Fuck you. I spent twenty hours last week doing written challenges on reg statements from new Minnesota Democratic voters who lived - get this - inside a vacant shopping center. 190 of them.

Again, so it's clear - fuck you.

(ETA - no matter how you guys try to spin this, trying to count votes from your imagination is NOT participatory democracy. It's just a sign that more drugs are needed.)

If W hadn't wrecked the economy, they wouldn't be forced to live in a vacant shopping center.

[spookyfish]

Originally posted by Shape Shifter
If W hadn't wrecked the economy, they wouldn't be forced to live in a vacant shopping center.

I'm having a bit of a chicken/egg issue with your argument here. Are you saying that the people living there wouldn't be homeless or the shopping center wouldn't be vacant?

Please clarify.

[baltassoc]

Originally posted by Tyrone Slothrop
It's easy for me to believe that people who are paid to register voters will invent names and addresses -- it's easier than signing up actual people. This seems to have happened to Nader this year, and I'm sure it happens to Dems and Republicans, too. But when the GOP points to this at evidence of "vote fraud," I don't buy it. There's no vote fraud until people try to vote under these names. Assuming that this is what happened at bilmore's shopping mall, the only party defrauded was the DFL, which paid someone to register voters and instead got fictitious names.

Thank you for making this point better than I have been able to.

I am reminded of my favorite registration voter fraud, which I think is probably a similar scheme:

College students told they were signing petition to legalize marijuna actually registering as Republicans.

Since there's not a lot to gain by having someone registered as a Republican when they are not, in fact, Republican, and it's meaningless in a non-primary election anyway, I figure this has got to be a fraud on the GOP.

Except, of course, all these folks get to vote on November 2 instead of November 3.

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally posted by sebastian_dangerfield
"Values" is one of those words people with shit for brains like to throw around a lot. Its a catch-all way of saying "Everything I believe in". No one really just wants everyone to have "values". People already have "values". We all make moral decisions every day based on our "values". What people who cry for "values" really mean is "I want MY values implemented on everyone." Why don't they just come out and say it? We all know what these idiots mean.

I am sure everyone here realizes you are referring to Atticus with this. I will just say that until he is able to spend time on the board to defend himself, attacks on his posting style are somewhat unfair.

[Bad_Rich_Chic]

Originally posted by sebby
Its that kind of flawed thinking that landed me in a legal career.

2

"Values" is one of those words people with shit for brains like to throw around a lot. Its a catch-all way of saying "Everything I believe in". No one really just wants everyone to have "values". People already have "values". We all make moral decisions every day based on our "values". What people who cry for "values" really mean is "I want MY values implemented on everyone." Why don't they just come out and say it? We all know what these idiots mean.

2

Aaakk!! I'm spending my lunch hour agreeing with Sebby left and right!

I'm not shocked the boomers have a hard on for "values". They also like using jackass words like pro-active and talking in management-speak during regular conversation, just to remind you how business-minded they are.

About 2 weeks ago my mother said something about the Mr. "implementing a program to develop competencies in the communication skill sets," (yes, really) by which she meant "have you had any luck teaching your brain dead students to write sentences using basic grammar yet?" It was all I could do to keep from running from the room screaming "Aaaugh! Aaaugh! Garruuugghkk!" Some people freak on pronunciation - for me, it's jargon.

BR(except for the jargon I use, of course)C

[sebastian_dangerfield]

Originally posted by Hank Chinaski
I am sure everyone here realizes you are referring to Atticus with this. I will just say that until he is able to spend time on the board to defend himself, attacks on his posting style are somewhat unfair.

You know, since we're on personal attacks... you spend way too much time here. I don't know what the fuck you're talking about because its so "inside" I'm pretty sure only you understand it.

No. I wasn't referring to Atticus. When I refer to anything, its usually in the broad context of some macro-category of behaviors I dislike.

I couldn't care less about Atticus' rhetorical shortcomings, and your joke sucked.

ETA: Jesus Fucking Christ! I just caught myself using "macro". I'm as bad as the people I'm criticizing... Damn you, Chinaski! Damn You!!!!

[dtb]

Originally posted by sebastian_dangerfield
ETA: Jesus Fucking Christ! I just caught myself using "macro". I'm as bad as the people I'm criticizing... Damn you, Chinaski! Damn You!!!!

At least you didn't use the word "grow" to refer to an increase in something other than the size of plants or people. I loathe that.

I could go on -- there are so many examples of horrible uses of jargon in inapposite situations, I could just plotz.

[NotFromHere]

Originally posted by Bad_Rich_Chic
Aaakk!! I'm spending my lunch hour agreeing with Sebby left and right!

You and me both. It's frightening. Pigs flying and all that.

[Bad_Rich_Chic]

Originally posted by dtb
At least you didn't use the word "grow" to refer to an increase in something other than the size of plants or people. I loathe that.

Skyrocket your profits? One of my personal favorites.