pirana

Very good point on why their disasters are so often so disastrous. I mean, they have a train derailment and 8,000 people die. Mostly because there were 400 people on the train and 7,600 hanging all over the outside of the thing when it rolled over. Ever ride a bus in a 3rd world countrry? We were in Kenya and a bus with about 20 seats had easily twice that number inside, and about 200 hanging all over the outside. OK, a slight exxageration, but . . . " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

What about the forgotten old white men. Where do old white men fall? " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Well said. Her blatant pandering and increasingly desperate negative attacks showed her to be the lowest of politicians. A 3 month suspension of the federal gas tax (18 cents/gal) is a joke. Before that, it was not clear to me why her negatives were so high. Did she pull this sort of crap running for senate in NY? She changed hats daily in pandering to every micro-demographic she could. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Don't be daft. For that argument to ring true you must believe that no law will ever reduce freedom, since you'll be 'free' to not break it. And that's just bollocks. Ban alcohol? Free to not drink. Ban guns? Free to not shoot. Ban cars? Free to not drive. Ban dissent? Free to shut your mouth. See what I'm getting at? I'd say laws have the potential to reduce the freedom of people that break them. But everyone is still free to break them or not. I see what you mean. But total freedom would mean total chaos. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Anger resolves problems like a fan resolves a pile of loose papers. I do like the earlier mentioned point about doing something productive though. A good distinction for living effectively. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

I'll just take a drop right here. Don't mind if I play thru do ya. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Keep away from flame. Place on ground, light, and stand back. Emits shower of sparks. And maybe flaming balls. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

You must have watched Conspiracy Theory recently.

Well, there is that. Like I said; we are as free to fail as we are to succeed. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Very good. Kind of what I was alluding to in my smart-ass comments about having to settle their quibbles. The English especially, and the French too, were really getting on the right track; but for the most part the European royal houses couldn't quite get over the hump of not believing they did not own all the lands and all the loyalties they were born to. They really thought their House WAS the country, or nation, or whatever kernel of thought they had before those terms came to be what they mean today. Soveriegn is probably the best word. They thought divine and heriditary reasons were the basis of sovereignty, and that it was extended to groups of people only thru their House's will. Their pride kept them from seeing that their House wasn't at all necessary for sovereignty to exist, that it could be the will of any group of people who so desired to claim it and defend it. Real freedom started when people were not born to nobility, or born to officially state and church sanctioned priveleges such as Kingship and Dukedom. For that reason, the US taking the beginnings of freedom born in England and France and pursuing them as they did constitutionally makes the US the true birthplace of individual freedom. Free at birth to fail or succeed. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

You must have watched Conspiracy Theory recently.

You seem to have missed my point entirely. We have a bad habit in the US of prosecuting, and often imprisoning people for actions that should not be considered crimes in a "free" country. Incarcerating people for such actions does nothing to improve the freedom of others. Conversely, it makes them less free. Yes, I did miss that. We do put some people in jail for stupid reasons. Murderers should go to jail. Joint-rollers should not. In general. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Funny coincidence, neither am I. But I believe it can be done in a medium sized suitcase, maybe even smaller. A single tube, traditional modern explosive at each end, fissable(?) material in the middle. Ignition at both ends, compress the nasty bits in the middle, and stand back. Pretty sure that since the late 70's, that's all there is to it. Just a matter of getting hands on the enriched material. No wonder everyone gets so upset when a bit of it goes missing. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

I think too many people read "free" as "taken care of and not allowed to fail." In my definition of freedom, the US is very near the top of the list. If anything, the freedoms that have been removed are largely the freedom to fail. Related to the number of people in jail - - all those people were perfectly free to make the choices that landed them there. We don't have perfection, but we have pretty close to the best thing going when it comes to freedom. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

As long as you ignore the fact that they'd all be speaking German, goose-stepping to Wagner, and enjoying the fruits of Naziism today if the US had not stepped in back in the middle of the 20th century to put a stop to the last time Europe's big powers reverted to fisticuffs to settle the waning battles left over from a dozen or so centuries of dynastic quibbling. They appear to have finally grown up. Looks like we won't have to ever do that again. It's so nice to have grown up in a place where monarchy, being born to hereditary ownership of Kingdoms, becoming an area's King just by being willing to marry some other King's butt ugly daughter, and crap like that was never even allowed to get started. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

I anxiously await your reasoning that the Netherlands (for example) are less free than the United States, considering the United States imprisons more of its citizens, both in absolute numbers and per capita, than any other nation in the world. That's a very difficult statistic to reconcile with a claim of being among the freest nations in the world. http://www.albany.edu/sourcebook/pdf/t6132006.pdf http://www.albany.edu/sourcebook/pdf/t657.pdf http://www.albany.edu/sourcebook/pdf/t656.pdf http://www.albany.edu/sourcebook/pdf/t619.pdf http://www.albany.edu/sourcebook/pdf/t612006.pdf http://www.albany.edu/sourcebook/pdf/t5372006.pdf http://www.albany.edu/sourcebook/pdf/t5392006.pdf http://www.albany.edu/sourcebook/pdf/t386.pdf http://www.albany.edu/sourcebook/pdf/t387.pdf http://www.albany.edu/sourcebook/pdf/t388.pdf http://www.albany.edu/sourcebook/pdf/t376.pdf http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/correct.htm http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/dcf/enforce.htm http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/dcf/poad.htm Keeping the crooks in jail versus putting them on the dole and setting them loose, improves the freedom for the rst of us. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

BOGUS. What kind of politically slanted crap was used for criteria that resulted in 6 of the 9 being mini- or micro-states smaller than a decent sized urban center? And they also need to learn how to count. Top 10. Ten being the number after 9, but just before 11; 12 being right out. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Depends on the type of party. We've got the pool and we've got the pond. The pond would be good for you. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

You got that right. By about the 4th time they practically yell "Can you hear me now" you'd think a little common courtesy would dictate they take it outside or call back when the rest of the room doesn't HAVE TO listen to the incredibly boring highlights of most people's mundane little lives while I'm trying to have a conversation that I am NOT sharing with the rest of the world. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

They need to do a detailed inventory because suddeny it appears very credible that if some in Kurdistan decided to be a wise guy and cross off MICROWAVE OVEN on the invoice and write in NUCLEAR WARHEAD; some moron in our bureacracy just might ship it to him. "But boss, the paperwork said - 'Fill as requested' - so I did." " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Had the wrong state. Larsen B was the size of Rhode Island. There is mention on wiki of Larsen C (the size of New Hampshire & Vermont combined) probably going in the next decade. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Not even close, is it? IIRC, that resulted in a berg the size of Delaware. Wonder how that progressed? Have to do a little surfing. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

12 out of 16 correct. North Carolina looks to be a real juggernaut. Is there any doubt that Roy Williams is the new Dean? I like Tennessee; and Louisville is good enough to be a threat even if it weren't for Pitino. Game in and game out, he and Williams get the most from their players. I think Kansas and Memphis are the 2 # 1's least likely to make the Final Four. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

I say tomato, You say tomato. " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley

Sounds very much like something I read about incidence of homosexuality. (The epigenetic influence). Can't remember where I read it, but there is a very high correlation to homosexuality and birth order. I believe the incidence of being gay rises, and not just arithmetically, as a woman has more children. Something about carrying boys in the womb that causes future boys coming from the same womb to be much more likely to be gay - - and the more the merrier. Possible epigentic influence on eggs? " . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley