peacefuljeffrey

There is no such thing. Democracy runs on the concept of a majority rule. When the majority of the people can vote for one candidate, yet another candidate wins the election, with less votes......it is impossible to call that a democracy. Are you implying that this is what happened in the U.S. in 2000? A couple of points: - The U.S. has never been properly called a "democracy." Remember the quote by Ben Franklin after the Constitutional Convention: they asked him what had been created, and he said, "A Republic, if you can keep it." - You are asserting impropriety when a candidate got more of the popular vote and did not win the election, but if you know anything about our system you know that we never said that the popular vote WAS the basis of winning the election -- the electoral college is. - You aren't even making a clear and proper distinction between "majority" and "plurality." We hardly ever see a candidate for public office win with a MAJORITY -- which means more than 50% of the votes -- unless there are only two people running in the race. Most presidents win with what, 30something or 40something percent? That's because there's at least one other person people are voting for. Get it straight. The word you're looking for is "PLURALITY." It means the greatest share of the percentages. - -Jeffrey "With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"

WE don't have a history of having polls controlled by the minions of warlords, with voters casting their ballots at the muzzle of a gun, or terrorized into voting for the dictator. Who are you kidding? That's exactly the reason why we are exempt. In other countries, the U.N. goes in to "monitor" because everyone knows the powers in those countries are not just corrupt, but violent, and everyone knows that the elections are utter FARCES. There is a HUGE difference between the countries that need such intervention by the U.N., and those that don't. Is anyone suggesting that we have the U.N. monitor elections in England, France, Spain, Australia, Germany...? No fuckin' way should we accede to oversight if they're not. - -Jeffrey "With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"

EXCELLENT point. It reminds me of the way the U.N. removed the U.S. from the Human Rights Commission, while leaving countries like Cuba and Syria and China or something on there (don't quote me on exact countries, but I read a criticism of that move that listed some real human rights abusers who remained on the list). What's further funny about that decision is that when people circulate that email "Bush's Resume," they glory in mentioning that removal (which happened not long after he took office) as though it counts against him, but they neglect to mention that while he's been president the U.S. was restored to the Human Rights Commission (or is it Council..?) Selective criticism is not valid. Not when you fail to criticize even worse offenders. - -Jeffrey "With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"

Never heard of this before. Isn't seasoning just putting whatever spices you want the flavor of on your meat? I myself use some Lawry's Seasoned Salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and sometimes paprika, and also Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce. I do this because I like the flavor of it with the steak, and that's what counts, right? LOL! What is there to be "delicate" about, when all you're doing is "salting"? Is it in how much you put on, or how gently you put it on? What am I missing here? Lisa (reading card): "Come to Homer's BBBQ. The extra B is for BYOBB." What's that extra B for? Homer (sheepishly): That's a typo." Homer, Marge, and Bart: "You don't win friends with sa-lad! You don't win friends with sa-lad!" - -Jeffrey "With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"

"The" local Outback? You mean, your town is not like mine, and you don't have, like, TWELVE of them within a fifteen minute drive?! - -Jeffrey "With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"

How does "grab something to eat" differ from "continue having more sex"... Ohhhh... You meant like a sandwich or something... I answered "cuddle," but "stick around for more and more sex" would probably have been more accurate. There just wasn't a button for it. Never do I just get up and do something else, or roll over and go to sleep. When there's a perfectly good naked female sex partner right there on the bed? You gotta be kidding! I ain't quittin' until one of us has to leave for work or somethin'! After all, who knows when the next chance'll be! - -Jeffrey "With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"

Yep, I play. In fact, I was down near Ft. Lauderdale this weekend at a place called Tradewinds Park (actually in Coconut Creek, FL) playing the 18 hole major big course they have there. At times I've been a paid member of the Ft. Lauderdale Disc Golf Club (based at Tradewinds). I've played as an Am in some tournaments, but I don't chase tourneys around like a lot of guys do. Disc golf is an awesome sport. I think that I don't care so much about playing the game as I care about the satisfying feeling of making a disc fly -- it's so amazingly graceful! I had never heard about it until 1989, when I was high school senior, and a friend of mine told the rest of us that he had heard of "these special, small 'golf discs' for playing disc golf" and we went hunting high and low (this was well before websites, mind you) at all kinds of sporting goods stores until we found one that had ONE MODEL of disc for sale. I bought my first Aviar there, and I still have it.

LOL ... and did you notice that the first two people to reply to this were quick to demonise the Democrates with no mention of any wrong doing by the Republicans. You're right on about the polarization going on in US politics right now and it gets uglier by the day. I didn't mention Republicans because in my view, the malice begins with the Democrats, and they perpetuate it. Isn't it amazing, though, that we all are here roundly condemning and criticizing the "ugliness" of American politics, indicating that there is widespread opposition to it, but it goes on and on, nonetheless. The problem is, everyone on each side is still hoping to use the vitriol to further their own ends, and does not want to be the first side to unilaterally "disarm" the hatred. - -Jeffrey "With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"

I think the line addresses the naivete of the "hopeful" They DEPEND on a world without end. There is no such thing as a world "without end" -- everything ends -- and so they are pointed out as being naive. They are clinging to a false hope. - -Jeffrey "With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"

Okay, I watched both videos -- watched the second one first, actually. The second one did affect me, and I did sympathize with the animals and feel bad for the way they were abused. There were some really grotesque things done to them and you could tell they were suffering. The speakers in the first video, though, were so incredibly condescending, pompous and high-handed in their delivery of the "reasons" to be a vegetarian, that I just couldn't stand it. And they gave bullshit reasons that I don't credit with being true. Things like "Eating meat can cause impotence." What a load of horseshit. What study has ever backed that up? And does the claim stand exist alongside the idea that being a vegetarian is a guarantee to not become impotent? I think there are an awful lot of meat-eaters out there fuckin' up a storm and makin' lots of babies who give lie to this outrageous claim. My dad eats meat, and always has, and he had four kids. Yeah, a meat-eater might become impotent in his late 70s or something, but saying it's due to eating meat is preposterous. Even a person who eats a pound of carrots a day might lose eyesight when he's 78 years old. Show causation, people! So even though the video is sympathy-inducing, the arrogance and condescension of the PETA people is even more stomach-turning than the depictions of violence against animals. And by the way, I can easily believe that the cruelty shown in the videos is more aptly dealt with by punishing the human offenders than by forgoing eating meat as a society. Surely we could get people to work those jobs who do NOT revel in the opportunity to be cruel to animals. - -Jeffrey "With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"

So is it any wonder they gravitated to a Christ-figure charlatan whacko? - -Jeffrey "With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"

Excellent post, excellent points. I have a good friend who is constantly sending me jibes and "questions" (leading questions) regarding politics and GWB, whom he detests; he's constantly trying to point out to me the error of my ways, politically and ideologically. The thing is, the way he goes about it is so JUVENILE -- lacing his comments with things like "the chimp in chief," or "the thief who occupies the White House," or "Shrub," or "the SELected president"... His petty jabs are such a distraction from any validity that his message might otherwise have, that I can't usually get past them. And I note that this is a tendency that is extremely common among liberals as they disparage the president. And lemme tell ya, it comes off sounding really pathetic. You can't tell me that democrats aren't divisive, sniping, whining malcontents when all they seem to do these days is glory in every failure, and minimize every accomplishment, of the sitting president. The name-calling should be beneath anyone who wishes to run a country, but they don't see it that way and they don't stop. - -Jeffrey "With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"

Wait, what's the difference between an AR-10 and an AR-180? I thought it was an AR-10 that I want, since I've heard of that being .308 (as opposed to my .223 AR-15). What's the AR-180? - -Jeffrey "With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"

Don't expect a satisfactory explanation of this. All you'll get is meaningless doubletalk, and possibly a few quotes from (some version of) the bible. - -Jeffrey "With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"

STRAWMAN. I never said he made you do anything. I'm saying, again, "Why would god have to have a person demonstrate what's in his heart, or the depth of his faith, by demanding a sacrifice when without any action or display on the part of the person, god can know what you'd do?" I maintain that was "no big thing' for god to sacrifice "his son Jesus" because god is omnipotent, does not need any one (or any one trillion people, or else he is not god; and god, being omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent, could just will another son to replace Jesus. There is nothing proven, to me, by god sacrificing Jesus. God makes the rules. Why would god have to have his son executed in order to forgive the sins of the world, when he himself is the one who apparently required it? Here you have god saying that this must happen in order for sin to be forgiven, but why? Because god said it had to be this way. How can you say that god was making a sacrifice -- the implication being he wasn't happy about losing his son -- when he himself was the one requiring it be done?! That's circular, and we know that circular logic is false. - -Jeffrey "With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"

There's your problem. Their moronic exploits are what get them into mainstream news sources. Surely you know that's part of their goal. Well, it seems that they are all about moronic exploits, from start to finish. That, and I personally feel that their philosophy is as absurd as it gets. - -Jeffrey "With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"

I have read enough of PETA's moronic exploits in many mainstream news sources to know that I am not rejecting them because my mind is closed, but because they are guided by a bunch of extremist assholes who are as irrational as they are terrorist. - -Jeffrey "With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"

God knows all and sees all, right? Knows every iota that could ever be known about you, and will ever be known about you. And yet, god can't just look inside you and know the depth of your faith? He has to demand an outright display of it that has to involve the killing of an innocent? That is one fucked up god, or one very flawed belief system. - -Jeffrey "With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"

That is rather silly. However, the assault was justified in my opinion. The assault was not justified in the slightest. The BATF is in no way responsible for conducting assaults based on suspicion of child endangerment. The weapons they had in the compound were owned legally. And if they wanted David Koresh, they had every opportunity to arrest him when he was not holed up and well armed inside his compound. He was known to go into town and they knew it and could have arrested him there without incident. They WANTED to raid the compound, so they CREATED their "excuse." Imagine if Saddam Hussein had been known to frequent casinos in Morocco, and the U.S. knew it but did not try to take him out there, instead waiting for him to return to any of his strongholds, necessitating a WAR to capture him. You'd indict the U.S. for that, wouldn't you? - -Jeffrey "With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"

Damn! I thought from the title that this thread was gonna be about the restored bi-plane that AOPA awarded to a member! What happened at Waco was the crown jewel in the fucked-up presidency of William J. Clinton. And don't you love how Janet "He-Man" Reno "accepted full personal responsibility" for what happened? FUCK! I'D accept full responsibility too, if I knew as she did that it wouldn't mean a damned thing as far as personal repercussions! I mean, what the fuck happened to her? Was she fined? Was she sued? Was she imprisoned? "America, I accept the full NULL responsibility for what happened." OOOH, we're all really impressed with your honor and integrity, especially when you don't stand exposed to any PUNISHMENT. Ya fuckin' fascist bitch! - -Jeffrey "With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"

No, I'm saying, if PETA gives this "honor" *chokechuckle* then what do they do if the celebrity is then found to also eat meat, or to otherwise go off his/her proclaimed vegetarian diet? Do they revoke the reward, or do they use their standard tactic of destroying life and property? - -Jeffrey "With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"

Why would got demand a needless sacrifice of a human being? Is this some Aztec or Incan god, demanding blood and killing? Um, where can god "send someone away" when god created everything and god is everywhere? Where could Abraham go that he would be "away" from god? And I think that the land doesn't belong to either son since the whole deal was blown. - -Jeffrey "With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"

Someone please tell me what the fuck this thread is supposed to be here for...! - -Jeffrey "With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"

Heh, if he didn't take an opposite stance now, people would say, "Um, if they're both for the same things, and one is already president, why vote for a different guy?" And they'd be right. Doesn't make it right for Kerry to change his stance just for political expediency and to try to make Bush look like he's doing wrong. - -Jeffrey "With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"

Yeah, well, so you've demonstrated that Democrats are able to plagiarize. - -Jeffrey "With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"