'Surge' didn't work, war won't be won
I thought this war was won five years ago. What happened? http://www.huffing tonpost.com/2008/0 5/01/flashback-rea d-mccains-mi_n_995 85.html Good thing we're done in Iraq and our combat readiness is in full swing for wrapping up Afganistan before we slide back into cold war with Russia. Being the world's policeman is wonderful! (1 hr ago | post #39)
Drinking age call draws outrage
I see that having the drinking age set at 21 didn't do much to keep your godsons off the juice when they were teenagers. Certainly raising the age limit to 25 would have prevented that. Great logic there. (4 hrs ago | post #120)
Drinking age call draws outrage
So you're saying that certain legal thresholds should have a built-in buffer since people won't obey them anyway? Great way to instill respect for the law. Great way to send a mixed message to young adults learning to set their own boundaries. (11 hrs ago | post #22)
Drinking-age proposal draws attacks
Why should being in the military make any difference? (21 hrs ago | post #6)
College drinking debate: 18 or 21?
I've spent a good deal of time in the Netherlands where, legally speaking, pretty much everything goes. Young adults in Dutch culture consequently learn restraint and personal responsibility at a very early age. Unlike many Americans, whose first trip to the land of windmills and wooden shoes becomes an intoxicated, sexually deviant free-for-all, the Dutch mostly frown on such demonstrations of irresponsibility. Such a loss of control is seen as childish, where in America it passes for "cool". For all our boasting and bluster about America being "the land of the free," we, more than any western culture, attempt to legislate acceptable behavior. In the process, we have disempowered generations from learning the value of establishing their own boundaries. My thoughts? Eliminate the drinking age altogether. That is a decision for parents to make (not to say that some parents won't screw up that responsibility catastropically, but they do that already). Driving licensure should be subject to much more stringent testing and regular oversight. Perhaps lowering the drinking age and raising the driving age is a fair compromise; driving a motor vehicle requires much more maturity and control than drinking an alcoholic beverage, in any case. And what of DUI's? It's a victimless crime -- quit messing up people's lives with huge fines and penalties for the off chance that they would have caused an accident. But feel free to throw the book at anyone who breaks the law or causes harm to someone else from behind the wheel of a car while intoxicated. (Yesterday | post #19)
Democrats warm up to oil drilling
I hope you're right. The GOP has managed to dupe the electorate with lies and obfuscations long enough I'm starting to think that's the way to do politics in America. The Democrats need to get their hands dirty and jump right into the mud with the GOP. Rovian campaign strategies included. (Tuesday | post #12)
Democrats warm up to oil drilling
Was he also right about breaking America's addition to oil as he boldly proclaimed in his 2006 SOTU address? http://www.whiteho use.gov/stateofthe union/2006/ (quoted portion begins about 2/3 of the way through the speechMcCain was against drilling as well until only a few months ago when both Bush and McCain changed their tune and went back to fearmongering. At the heart of things, it's the best mechanism they have for controlling a gullible and intellecually challenged electorate. Orange Alert! Duct Tape! Drill! (Sunday Aug 17 | post #10)
In Central Africa, kidnapping is industry
The point of the article is that the PRIMARY motive is financial gain. Hence, capitalismTake a man's only child and sell it back to him--capitalism to the extreme. Talk about spiking the supply/demand curve. I'm not sure what's worse ... having to worry about roving armed bandits or regularly getting rolled by your own government in broad daylight. Surely there is a happy medium somewhere. (Sunday Aug 17 | post #4)
Minorities expected to be majority in 2050
No, we've been benefiting from that for the past 7 years already. (Saturday Aug 16 | post #1145)
Minorities expected to be majority in 2050
OK ... you pack some Ramen noodles in ziploc bags and hunker down with a shotgun in a bunker somewhere until it's all over, OK? Just don't shoot when you hear a knock on your door, 'cause it might be Jeebus. (Friday Aug 15 | post #753)
Blindfolds on, autopilot engaged. A reflection of the American electorate, no? I imagine Dawkins and yourself have shared some interesting conversations over a scotch, no doubt. I recieved "The Selfish Gene" as a gift in my youth and it has left it's mark on my understanding of biology and evolutionary science. I recently read "The God Delusion" which, despite the many criticisms from religious apologists, is a necessary slap in the face for a culture that has been too slow to throw off superstitions that have outlived their utility. Thanks for the kind words earlier, and cheers to a fellow voice of reason in a morass of superstition, bigotry, and rigid thought! (Friday Aug 15 | post #29)
Minorities expected to be majority in 2050
You mean I have to wait 42 F(*&#ing years to benefit from affirmative action? Jeez... (Thursday Aug 14 | post #390)
True enough. The world is full of Sunday morning saints who go to church as a manner of habit but don't really buy into the fantasy. Gotta give them credit for letting common sense win out over dogma. Heck, even I used to go to church; considered myself a "believer ". Nobody's perfect. My issue is not with those who have a casual belief in God; it is with those who BELIEVE, they believe because the BIBLE says so, and the BIBLE is written by the hand of GOD, right? These people are hopelessly lost in their own circular logic, with the Church and the Pope at the foci. As for "religious scientists", the debate between Richard Dawkins and Francis Collins is a good one, and it touches on the (ahem) "science " of intelligent design. On that note, I'll side with Richard Dawkins, who articulates an open-mindedness that transcends any of the paltry religions we've made up thus far: "[intelligent design] does seem to me to be a worthy idea. Refutable--but nevertheless grand and big enough to be worthy of respect. I don't see the Olympian gods or Jesus coming down and dying on the Cross as worthy of that grandeur. They strike me as parochial. If there is a God, it's going to be a whole lot bigger and a whole lot more incomprehensible than anything that any theologian of any religion has ever proposed." http://www.time.co m/time/magazine/ar ticle/0,9171,15551 32-1,00.html (Thursday Aug 14 | post #26)
Rage Against the Machine to perform in Denver during convention
Actually, I heard Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) is going to lead a toe-tapping Riverdance routine from the men's restroom at the Xcel Center. Thereafter, attendance at the RNC is expected to be spotty. (Thursday Aug 14 | post #5)
JIMR - you took the words right out of my mouth. All this hype about gas prices is just that. As a percentage of total expenditures, it really doesn't amount to that much. I'll say it again; anyone who needs to make a drastic change in lifestyle because of the price of gas was living WAY beyond their means to begin with. (Thursday Aug 14 | post #7)
Olympics