pirana

And I thought I heard a statistic that something like only about 20 or 30% of our consumption was for transportation. " . . . 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 it has already happened a few times. I recall at least one prominent story a while back. Can't remember details other than some columnist or commentator giving that same warning. " . . . 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

That is very funny. Be funnier though if it read "Because really obese kids are harder to kidnap." Of course it would only be funny if a fat kid was wearing it. " . . . 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 got an idea that I think is fair. Instead of a ticket from the government, they just copy you on the notice they send to your insurance company that you were seen not wearing the belt. The insurance company then gets to jack up your premiums as they see fit, but within certain guidelines as determined by the proven financial costs of not wearing seat belts. Combines my favorite preferences in life - - freedom of choice and ownership of consequences. " . . . 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

Uh huh. More inpingement on my personal freedoms. I say we reject our govenment, declare all laws null and void, and start from scratch. " . . . 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

To what degree? I'm guessing not to the point of complete anarchy, where everybody just does as they please. Complete lawlessness works for you? It is what this discussion comes down to. Almost every single law impinges on individual freedom, so playing the freedom card becomes meaningless. The freedom to not wear a seat belt and the freedom to kill people randomly are miles apart, but they are just points on a scale. And at what point each individual would personally draw the line is only relevant when all those collective lines are codified via a representative ruling body. If said ruling body says it is legal to skydive, but not legal to drive without a belt, that's the way it is. Obey or suffer the consequences. If it really bugs somebody, work to change the law. (And I can't imagine why anybody would actually work to undo the seatbelt laws. Given the evidence of their benefit, it must just be a personal pride you-can't-tell-me-what-to-do thing). " . . . 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

Interesting to find you keeping track of my missing-the-point frequency. Anyway, it's a form of inspection, all for the good and with no harm done. Not much different than being screened at the airport, or the USPS inspecting packages, or vehicle inspections where they are required, or checking your trunk at the drive-in or any other of the many situations that require you to give up a teeny little bit of privacy to ensure public safety and/or playing by the rules. " . . . 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

Agree. And I've never heard anyone else use that phrase, which I had on a t-shirt I bought back in the 70's. " . . . 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

Is there anything in those Principles about eating one's own shit? One of our dogs still eats it's own shit. I'm thinking with all the dog food it eats, combined with the fact that it eats it's shit; that he should explode like an overblown balloon at some point. I mean, all that is really being voided and not reconsumed is the piss. Where is he puting all the shit? " . . . 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

It does not violate any laws of physics that Angelina Jolie and Scarlett Johannson would have a threesome with me. According to your theory then, that will happen.

Step away from the bong Momenschwanz. " . . . 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

Eggs were definitely around long before chickens. " . . . 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

Yeah, it's a nasty and thankless job interupting people just having fun, but somebody has got to do it. But ticketing the multiple DUI offender is so ineffective. Better way would be to take them to the nearest test drive track/police training facility. Make sure they are good and drunk, strap them in the seat, set the cruise at about 120MPH and jimmy so it can't be released no matter what for at least 2 minutes. Force them to navigate a course, but not with cones. Build it out of those huge concrete barriers. And if they've also had a seat belt ticket, make them go at it without one. Sometimes I think we should just remove all the warning labels and let nature take it's course. " . . . 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 true. My wife comes out a few times each season around sunset for cocktails and socializing; but has no interest in being there during the day for all that boring skydiving stuff. " . . . 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

It's just a humorous jab at the absurdity of the dogmatic beliefs of organized religion. Or maybe it is an absurd jab at the humor of organized religion. Either way, it's all in good fun. Unless a person believes that religion is beyond humor. " . . . 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

Oh man, you are in trouble. When a woman resigns with the "Fine, just go then" line, the last thing it means is that it is fine and you can just go. " . . . 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

That is an unnecessary measure and a burden for business that operate multiple centers for purposes of managing outages, load sharing, acheiving an economy of reasonable scale, etc. I did not read the actual copy, so maybe there are details or exceptions that make the scope reasonable. " . . . 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

Let's see, I've shot myself, and need to decide what to do about it. Hospital, nah - too easy. Call 911 - too typical. DZ - yeah that's it, let's head over to the drop zone. " . . . 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

Definitely imperialists. By any historically accurate definition I've ever seen. " . . . 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

From the perspective of good-sized chunks of the ME population, the answer is yes. They see the US, and most of the other industrial nations of the Earth, as having exploited them for their resources and in the process as imposing an ill-fitting culture on their society. Posed as it is, the question points out why a solution is still so long away. Failing to recognize the perspective of those you disagree with ensures that finding a solution will be very difficult, if not impossible. It's easy to say "Yes, we have behaved badly over several generations, but not as bad as you." Says who, and from what perspective? The conversation quickly devolves into a rather childish arguement of "I know you are but what am I?" as one side bullshits and lies and tries to cover for the past and the other side resorts to extremes to get everybody's attention. " . . . 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

Deserve is the wrong word. It would be more accurate that our role in the affairs of other countries and peoples played a big part of the chain of events that led to 9/11. Dreams of empire come with a price tag. Stick your nose in other people's business often enough and long enough, and in a way that is seen by so many as parasitic and overbearing; and someday somebody will strike out. We've assasinated leaders, propped up puppet governments, bullied on behalf of corporations, and on and on. Anyone that was surprised by 9/11 has not been paying attention. But deserved is the wrong word. " . . . 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

Colonialism certainly set the foundations for the problems Africa is having; or to be more accurate, the rather abrupt end of colonialism. The nationalism that rose from the ashes of fuedalism and family dynastic rule in Europe got transplanted to Africa via colonialism, whose societal structure (outside the Mediteranean areas) had not yet even grown past a tribal level of organization. Most of sub-Saharan Africa went from tribal structure and subsistence levels of agriculture with barely any commerce (much less international trade) to colonial satellites indentured to one empire or another to overly sudden independents left to their own devices with no infrastructure to support the workings of a modern nation-state. Their tribal culture got put on steroids for the gain of the empire. Then as colonialism was ending, control got thrust into the hands of some elite, usually chosen by the colonial power as they withdrew (authoritus interuptus). They appear to have done what tribes do best, hoard everything and fatten their coffers (though their western teachings appear to have taught them to do this under the disguise of fostering development for the whole). The developed countries of the world put the culture of these tribes on steroids, then turned them loose on each other after drawing rather arbitrary lines on a map. They have never had time or opportunity to mature on their own and self-identify as nations. My guess is there will still be a few decades of tribal-based slaughter and boundary-based warfare before it is somewhat settled. Not to be unexpected though; it is after all only recently that the last of the fuedal-based western empires (USSR) finally crumbled into it's more natural divisions. That one only lasted as long as it did because of the centrally planned and heavy handed attempt to enforce the state religion of Communism. It's going to take a while to sort out, and the leaders of the developed nations are not terribly interested in the sufferings of individuals, even large numbers of them, unless they have some significant stake in the game - - such as valuable resources, or exploitable markets. " . . . 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 for anyone not intimately involved in the actual research, there is too much propoganda via the media going on to be able to discern the truth - - if the truth can be known. Next to the evolution debate, this has got to be the science topic that generates the most emotions (and also the most armchair experts); and is therefore worthy of the most skepticism as each article in the mainstream press seems to warrant more than anything else a little research into whether or not the author has an agenda for which they need evidence. I have no idea what exactly to believe, but hockey sticks do tend to get your attention. Try this one on: It took approximately 150,000 years for the human population to reach a billion. The most recent billion was added in 15 years. Maybe a connection? " . . . 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

Ummm.... that's really bullshit. Want to take a wild guess about who has the lowest number of sex related health risks and STD rates? I'll give you a hint, ok? They're not straight and they wear comfortable shoes. Starts with a "L" and ends with "esbians" It could be argued that 50% of the "homos" you are speaking of are healthier than heteros. And this has zero to do with this asshat in Ohio regardless. OH! OH! I know this one. It's, uh, Lancastrians. No that's not it, uh, uh, . . . Lesthosians. Damn. wrong ending. I'll have to get back to 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

So you decided to nip the Who's-got-better-hygeine-homos-or-heteros debate in the bud heh? " . . . 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