Nutjobs Ranting About Politics.

[bilmore]

Originally posted by Hank Chinaski
I hate those people that think God may have started life, rather than recognizing the irrefutable evidence that a chain of billion to 1 chances led to life. How can they be such wing nuts as to argue it?

Point taken.

[Not Me]

Originally posted by bilmore
Point taken.

Well, I am surprised by this from you. There is no evidence that a higher being exists. There is plenty of evidence regarding evolution and the primordial soup from which life ultimately sprang.

[taxwonk]

Originally posted by Say_hello_for_me
Regarding #3, I gotta say that one of the main purposes of my post was to point out that Dubai should be taking recent Russian announcements as a fairly explicit threat by the (eta: Russians, did I say Soviets?). And, personally, I think the U.S. should (in addition to backing off the Russians on Chechnya as a general matter) let Dubai know that Russia's statements are consistent with the Bush doctrine.

Hello

With regard to the Bush Doctrine HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAA!!!!,* I'll repeat what I've said before. If one plans to make it a policy to invade sovereign states, one had best be prepared to remain in said state pretty much indefinitely, otherwise, the invading nation will be pulling out leaving behind a bigger mess and a far more dangerous climate than existed previously.

I don't oppose imperialism outright. But I haven't yet thought through the ramifications of us doing it. I would certainly submit that Russia can ill afford to maintain its own state, let alone feed, police, and administer any colonies.




*I'm sorry. I just can't ascribe anything as thought out as a doctrine to Shrub.

[bilmore]

Originally posted by Not Me
Well, I am surprised by this from you. There is no evidence that a higher being exists. There is plenty of evidence regarding evolution and the primordial soup from which life ultimately sprang.

That wasn't the point that was taken. The point to which I referred was that I probably don't possess all knowledge of all things.

[sgtclub]

Originally posted by Not Me
Well, I am surprised by this from you. There is no evidence that a higher being exists. There is plenty of evidence regarding evolution and the primordial soup from which life ultimately sprang.

Do we really want to have this conversation again?

[bilmore]

Originally posted by taxwonk
If one plans to make it a policy to invade sovereign states, one had best be prepared to remain in said state pretty much indefinitely, otherwise, the invading nation will be pulling out leaving behind a bigger mess and a far more dangerous climate than existed previously.

God knows we're still seeing the disasterous results of that kind of occupation in Japan and Germany. When will we learn? When, Bilmore w . . . . oh, wait . . .

[taxwonk]

Originally posted by Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)
Hasn't the battle to teach that to the exclusion of evolution pretty much been given up (obviously there's a fringe contingent for everything, but let's not start there because the dems. can't win that argument)

Actually, there's a pretty solid contingent in anumber of states that regularly pursues this as an agenda every time their state's school authorities consider accepting a publisher's textbooks for use in the state. Specific examples are Texas, the Carolinas, Alabama, Florida, and Oklahoma.

[sgtclub]

WASHINGTON — President Bush has surged to a 13-point lead over Sen. John Kerry among likely voters, a new Gallup Poll shows. The 55%-42% match-up is the first statistically significant edge either candidate has held this year. (Related item: Poll results)

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politic...lup-poll_x.htm

I'm still not buying that the lead is this big, but would love to be proven wrong.

[taxwonk]

Originally posted by bilmore
God knows we're still seeing the disasterous results of that kind of occupation in Japan and Germany. When will we learn? When, Bilmore w . . . . oh, wait . . .

You keep pointing to the two successful examples in all of world history. You ignore all the unsuccessful examples.

Even more important, you aren't willing to support a higher level of government support in this country for the displaced and disaffected. Are you seriously suggesting that the American people are going to pay for another Marshall Plan in the Mideast today? C'mon, Bilmore.

How much more are you willing to pay?

[Gattigap]

Originally posted by sgtclub
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politic...lup-poll_x.htm

I'm still not buying that the lead is this big, but would love to be proven wrong.

Nor am I.

The radio news reported that the convention bump has mostly dissapated, and then I came in and saw USAT. The dissonance is jarring. Seems like you need to read 10 polls to try and get a sense of things, and even then you're not sure.

[Not Me]

Originally posted by bilmore
The point to which I referred was that I probably don't possess all knowledge of all things.

Now I am not only surprised, I am shocked!

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally posted by Gattigap
Nor am I.

The radio news reported that the convention bump has mostly dissapated, and then I came in and saw USAT. The dissonance is jarring. Seems like you need to read 10 polls to try and get a sense of things, and even then you're not sure.

Bush at 307
Yesterday Bush had 311- I don't know what switched. Maine?

[sebastian_dangerfield]

Originally posted by bilmore
I'm not sure that someone's considered belief that abortion is the murder of a kid equates to wingnuttism, or fucking idiocy. In fact, it is entirely possible for an intelligent atheist to hold that view. I understand that it's easy to characterize it that way, because then you get to make rants like you just did as if they are germane to the discussion, but if you really believe that and don't just bring it up for the rant's sake, you're going to continually get blindsided.

Uh, I wasn't talking about abortion. I agree with you that an atheist could just as easily oppose abortion as a religious person, and neither would be idiots.

My gripe was with these idiots telling me that I can't criticize their dubious beliefs (creationism, women should be home, heaven, hell, holy war, etc...) because to do so is offensive. If I profess belief in a scientific theory, I can't cry "You're offensive" if someone rebuts my theory with contrary scientific evidence. Yet its tabboo to poke holes in religious thought because those beliefs are considered "sacred" for some reason. My suspicion is that the religious' heightened sensitivity to attacks on their unprovable beliefs is borne of lack of hard facts to back up any of their beliefs. In the absence of proof, they have developed a hardened, knee-jerk self righteous indignation. This indignation has made the people who would tear holes in organized religion gun shy. I have been schooled in religious schools during my life and seen this knee-jerk reactionism at work. When questioned on contradictions within the bible, the pacificist Jesus Freaks would describe the contradictions as "sacred mysteries" which humans can never understand. The angry fire and brimstone religious folk would scream at the questioner and harrumph that such questions were not appropriate - that you just had to "believe".

I do not think there is any compelling reason to smile when someone says something absurd just because he'll be offended or angry if I tell him he's being absurd. This refusal to take on organized religion has precluded a lot of healthy discourses which might have helped to avert the current world problems arising almost exclusively from organized religion.

[Not Me]

Originally posted by sebastian_dangerfield
My gripe was with these idiots telling me that I can't criticize their dubious beliefs (creationism, women should be home, heaven, hell, holy war, etc...) because to do so is offensive.

This is my beef, too. Even on this board some of these assholes start screaming you are a bigot or a racist (which is idifuckingotic since religion is a choice, not a race) when you criticize an offensive religious belief. Islam is a fucking misogynistic belief system. It is an offensive, harmful and evil belief system.

There are others that are, too. But that doesn't make islam any less horrifying than it is.

[bilmore]

Originally posted by taxwonk
You keep pointing to the two successful examples in all of world history. You ignore all the unsuccessful examples.

Do I now need to consider the failure of British colonization whenever we talk about Iraq?

Even more important, you aren't willing to support a higher level of government support in this country for the displaced and disaffected.

Wonk, were we to triple-fund every need for every "disaffected" person in the world - (WTF does "disaffected" mean, anyway? - vague whiney complaints that someone isn't as happy as they should be?) - you'd be here on this board claiming that I'm a heartless bastard because I won't adequately fund the critical "buy every kid in the world a tuba" legislation. There's just no end, and the definition of "need" always expands to a point well past supply.

Are you seriously suggesting that the American people are going to pay for another Marshall Plan in the Mideast today? C'mon, Bilmore.

I think we're doing the right thing, in almost the right way, at almost an acceptable price, today in Iraq. So, yeah, I think we will.