stutefish

Reply to DANGER! Throwing Rocks In Glass Houses in Religion JoeUser Forums

The Lord of the Israelites makes it clear that war is His province (not unlike vengeance) and that when the Israelites go to war, they go to serve His purposes, not their own. What I get from the Old Testament is this: First, that war is the way of Fallen Man. Second, that God had set aside the Israelites for a special purpose (namely, to establish the traditions and prophecies that would be climaxed and fulfilled by the sacrificial and redeeming death of His son). Third, t

Reply to BUSH Iraq War produses nuclear backfire in Politics JoeUser Forums

COL Gene , there are solid military, political, and practical reasons for dealing with Iraq first, and other rogue states afterwards. For example: We'd been in a state of war with Iraq since about 1991. The UNSC had repeatedly found the Hussein regime to be in violation of UNSC resoutions. Iran is difficult to pressure, without strong bases in the region; access to Iraq ends up being a strategic prerequisite to pressuring other state sponsors

Reply to Every Human Being is Perfect and Unique in Art JoeUser Forums

Sorry, but I disagree . (Warning: I am a cranky curmudgeon. Don't pay any attention to me unless you like being lectured to by self-righteous asshats.)

Reply to Americans All too Eager to Surrender Liberty in Politics JoeUser Forums

Am I the only one who fears the potential misuse of a smalltown cop who, through the convenience of a national ID, can now gain information to harass innocent civilians without the benefit of a warrant? Sure, a warrant will supposedly be needed, but warrants USED to be needed for wiretaps, too." border=0 ALIGN="absmiddle"> Gideon, you have a well-deserved reputation for being a sensible fellow. That makes the above remark appear eve

Reply to BUSH Iraq War produses nuclear backfire in Politics JoeUser Forums

Nuclear technology, like all other kinds of technology, will only get cheaper and more accessible with time. Such is the blessing of Civilization. Therefore, it is only a matter of time before Rogue States acquire nuclear weapons. Many Rogue States have been working towards this goal for many years. As that day approaches when Rogue States acquire nuclear weapons, and with those weapons acquire the ability to perpetrate their horrors on a larger region, and force even greater

Reply to The Right Answer in Politics JoeUser Forums

"Send me money. Send it to this address: [insert PO box and mailing instructions for international donors]. Send me all the money you can. Cash, personal checks, traveler's checks, cashier's checks are all accepted. I also accept PayPal payments. Dig into your pockets, dig into your wallets and send the me money. Dig into your purses and pouches and send me the money. Dig into your checking accounts, your savings accounts your retirement account

Reply to Celebrities have flaws too... in Misc JoeUser Forums

That is not a boob, that is a rogue rib. Meg Ryan is not being brave and human, she is being incompetent and unspeakably alien. Her overlords on the mothership will punish her severely for letting her peoplesuit slip like that in public.

Reply to Ban THIS! in Current Events JoeUser Forums

MasonM , are you saying that you don't like negative acts against others? And that you want to ban them? Banination for you!

Reply to Ban THIS! in Current Events JoeUser Forums

Acts of pedophilia. Illegal immigration. Unlicensed drivers. Public nudity. A short list of the most commonly-acknowledged "rude words" in broadcast media and public displays. Most, if not all, instances of public sexual intimacy. State sponsors of terrorism. People who make it necessary for establishments to hire some guy to stand in the restroom and supervise you to make sure you don't tr

Reply to How Lightsabers work in Gadgets & Electronics JoeUser Forums

I think that picture sums it up best: How Lightsabers Work: 1. Encounter mugger. 2. Brandish lightsaber. 3. Get head caved in by a nonfictional tire iron.

Reply to Why Don't More Leftists Support the LP? in Politics JoeUser Forums

The problem with libertarians isn't their philosophy. The problem is their idea of how to implement their philosophies as government. From everything I've ever learned about the Founding Fathers, I'm convinced that if they thought libertarianism would work, that's what we'd have today.

Reply to Gideon's Points Whore-a-Thon! in Humor JoeUser Forums

We interrupt our Presidential Pointwhore Parade to bring you... Winston Frickin' Churchill. And now back to our regular programming.

YAPUT in Blogging JoeUser Forums

You ever get that thing, with the sink? You know, the thing? No? Seriously? Come on, I bet you do. Hrm. Maybe I should explain: You know how sometimes, when you turn on a water faucet just a little bit, the water comes out in a thin, steady stream? But by the time that steady stream of water reaches the bowl of t

Reply to Why Don't More Leftists Support the LP? in Politics JoeUser Forums

Leftists don't support the LP because Libertarianism is founded on the principle that everybody should be almost entirely free to manipulate their neighbors for their own profit. If people make poor life choices, they should be free to suffer the consequences of those choices, without government assistance or baiouts. Liberal philosophy, on the other hand, is founded on the principle that people should not be so free, and that the prof

Reply to Warren Buffett says Increases Taxes on the wealthy! in Politics JoeUser Forums

Wake me up when Buffet's reasoning makes sense. As far as I can tell, he thinks we should raise taxes on the rich simply because they can afford it and we need the money. Personally, I'm in favor of basing my budget on what I can afford, rather than what some other guy can afford. If taxing everybody equally would put an unsupportable burden on the low and middle classes, then I say by all means, let us put an unsupportabl

Reply to Warren Buffett says Increases Taxes on the wealthy! in Politics JoeUser Forums

Wake me up when Buffet's reasoning makes sense. As far as I can tell, he thinks we should raise taxes on the rich simply because they can afford it and we need the money. Personally, I'm in favor of basing my budget on what I can afford, rather than what some other guy can afford. If taxing everybody equally would put an unsupportable burden on the low and middle classes, then I say by all means, let us put an unsupportabl

How I Think The Supreme Court Is Supposed To Work in Just Hanging Out JoeUser Forums

How I Think The Supreme Court Is Supposed To Work: THE PEOPLE: These are the laws we want. SCOTUS: And this the justice we will hand down, based on your laws. THE PEOPLE: This justice sucks! SCOTUS: You don't like it? Change your laws. Meanwhile, these are your laws, and this is your justice. We're just working with whatever you give us

Reply to The Myth of Overpopulation in Politics JoeUser Forums

Ah, but how much acreage (and what quality of acreage) is necessary to feed a person. It may be that we only need North America to house everybody, but what if we don't have enough farmland to grow everybody's food?

There's Something About Furries in Current Events JoeUser Forums

This gentleman explains that his tranformation is part of his "[Native American] Indian background as a member of the Huron and Lakota tribes... Following an ancient Huron tradition, Avner said he is changing himself into his totem of a tiger." According to the article: <B

Reply to The Myth of Overpopulation in Politics JoeUser Forums

Not just Stalin, latour999 . Lenin, Mao, Ho Chi Minh... there's not a Communist out there who didn't find that Marxist theory led directly to totalitarian practices.

What The... ?! in Current Events JoeUser Forums

It appears that terrorist attacks are way up in Afghanistan. On the other hand, Afghanistan recently booted its Islamofascist dictatorship, and held successful democratic elections. I wonder if there's a connection? And while I'm at it, could it be that terrorism was once much lower in Afghanistan because the terrorists considered Afghanista

The Ends DO Justify The Means in Philosophy JoeUser Forums

In fact, the Ends are the only thing that justify the Means. Here is a trustworthy saying: "Desperate times call for desperate measures." I haul my ass out of bed each morning, crawl into the office, and put in a good eight- to ten-hour day for The Man. What could possibly justify such exertion, such servitude, such sacrifice? Oh, that's rig

An Idea So Crazy, It Just Might... Ah, Who Am I Kidding? in US Domestic JoeUser Forums

What if the Democratic Party abandoned the whole "us vs. them" calculus? Obviously, the Republicans would have to follow suit pretty quickly, but okay--what if either party abandoned the "us vs. them" calculus? I imagine something like this: "The Democratic Party pledges itself to the well-being of all Americans, of every color and cr

Japan Got What It Deserved in Current Events JoeUser Forums

I see in the news that both China and South Korea are complaining about Japan. Apparently, both countries have decided that Japan needs to be more apologetic and contrite about its evil imperialistic past. And it's true, Japan does have a pretty grim past. But without taking away anything from the grave and awful horrors that Japan has perpetrated

Reply to The Irony of Bush attending the pope's funeral in Politics JoeUser Forums

I suppose its always possible that Bush and the Pope have much more in common than you think. Consider, for example, Winston Churchill's devastating idictment of Neville Chamberlain's policies regarding National Socialist Germany, prior to Hitler's invasion of Poland in 1939. Consider also Chamberlain's utter disregard for Churchill's well-researched and clearly argued dire warnings on the subject. Then consider how, after the fall o