jcd11235

Isn't a chuch's tax exempt status derived from the first amendment of the Constitution, just like theose other rights you listed? Lincoln disagreed (as do I). Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

Disproving all of the claims made by 9/11 conspiracy theorists with evidence and physics hasn't made those conspiracy theories go away. Why would a additional documents make this one go away? Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

Not necessarily. How many Fischer–Tropsch plants could be built and operated for the money we have spent on the current war in Iraq? From UC Berkeley Prof Richard A Muller's book Physics for Future Presidents (emphasis mine): Coal can be turned into diesel fuel by a chemical factory known as a Fisher-Tropsch plant. The carbon in coal (C) is combined with water (H2O) to make oil (long chains of CH2) and CO gas. The CO (carbon monoxide) can be burned as fuel to run an electric generator. Fisher-Tropsch plants were developed by countries that had lots of coal but no access to oil; these include Germany during World War II, and South Africa when they were denied oil imports during the apartheid era. It was not used in the rest of the world because oil has been cheap. Oil from a Fischer-Tropsch plant costs between $40 and $60 per barrel. When the cost of oil gets above this, then oil from coal becomes economical. We are running out of oil in the U.S., and paying exorbitant prices for oil from OPEC, so why don’t we start making our own oil from our abundant (and cheap) coal? The primary reason seems to be the cost of building a plant. Estimates vary, but numbers I have heard range from $100 million to $1 billion per chemical factory. That could be a good investment, but it could also be a bad one – if the price of oil drops. … [T]here are other sources of oil available at lower prices. If OPEC decided to lower prices back to $40 per barrel, it could make a billion dollar Fisher-Tropsch investment worthless. Some investors had decided to go ahead and build Fisher-Tropsch plants, but only if the US Government will promise to buy oil at a minimum price of about $60 per barrel, even if OPEC drops the price below this. While still only a stop-gap in the quest for cleaner alternative energy sources, such a solution does appear as though it might help eliminate access to foreign oil as a vital national interest. Coal isn't exactly a clean source of energy, but our wars don't seem to be doing the environment any favors, either. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

Among other cases. I'll refer you back to post number 60 in this thread. Do you intend to answer my question and defend your claim that the SCOTUS' opinion isn't really the only one that matters w/r/t interpreting the second amendment? Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

Upon completing his sentence he would once again be a free man. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

You think the Founding Fathers would agree to taking away what they considered to be a basic RIGHT?!?!?!?!? Do you disagree with my assertion that the Founding Fathers empowered the SCOTUS with the final word w/r/t to interpreting US law, including the Constitution? If not, could you please let us know what authority supersedes the SCOTUS w/r/t interpretation of law? If no such authority exists, then Heller is the valid interpretation of the second amendment, regardless of how you or I or the NRA or the ACLU may interpret it. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

I happen to disagree, and I bet the Founding Fathers would disagree as well. Considering the Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution that gives the Supreme Court the final word on interpretation of laws, including the Constitution, I am quite certain the FF would agree with Kallend on this point. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

I think he's definitely on the right track. I generally agree with his choice versus necessity point, although I'm also not sure that I agree with his metric, perhaps for different reasons than you. I would consider Operation Desert Storm a war of choice and not one of necessity. Operation Iraqi Liberation Freedom is also a war of choice, as is Operation Enduring Freedom. I generally agree with Prof Bacevich's assertion that we haven't gotten the fundamentals right since the Cold War ended (longer than that, IMO, e.g. Viet Nam). I'm reminded of the words of President Eisenhower: This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence -- economic, political, even spiritual -- is felt in every city, every State house, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society. In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the militaryindustrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together. We (the USA) have become much too eager to go to war rather than make good faith efforts to resolve problems in more appropriate manners. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

As written, the Constitution actually reserves appointment of officers to the states. Congress has been empowered by the Constitution to organize the militias/military as they see fit (e.g. US Code Title 10 & 32), as well as establish the the rules and regulations by which soldiers must abide. Congress is empowered to establish whatever standards they deem appropriate. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

You can't use current definitions to alter the Constitution. From the Constitution, Article I, Section 8: The Congress shall have Power … To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress; It would appear that current definitions are not contradictory to the Constitution. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

If the military leadership is only now understanding the importance of of the "hearts and minds" strategy, then it is no wonder why Afghanistan has been such a difficult struggle for us. Why do we find it so difficult to learn the lessons of successes in the war on terror? I elaborated further in this post. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

I'm not sure it is possible to effectively plan for future conflicts. I do believe it is possible (and wise) to prepare for future conflicts. Some very important aspects of preparation include understand potential enemies' cultures, familiarizing ourselves with the physical terrain of future battlefields, and understanding the capabilities of future enemies. When it comes to war, knowledge is power. Without knowing and understanding our enemies as well as we know ourselves, the outcome of war is no more predictable than the outcome of a (fair) coin toss. Spending billions on our own military won't change that. Bigger bombs, stronger armor, more powerful rifles, etc. will never effectively replace better intelligence. To paraphrase Sun Tzu, Know your enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

Real Time with Bill Maher is better. Thanks. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

Either way, he loves the children of the world. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

I've provided the source of info in previous threads. If you're interested, you can look them up. If you're not, that's fine, too. Whether or not you choose to do so won't affect the facts. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

Typically, no, but it depends on the industry. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

Mousavi offers the most potential w/r/t women's rights. Aside from his promises of reform, his wife is (publicly) campaigning for him, something I believe to be a first in Iran, at least since their revolution. Women's rights is an issue that requires reform if Iran is to gain the respect of western developed countries. It's nice to see that there is increasing popular support for candidates promoting such reform. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

Not exactly. The SS funds are invested, as required to do by law. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

Nor is the social security trust fund. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

Because politicians have had a bad habit of borrowing from the SS trust fund to fund things like tax cuts for the rich. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

Borrowing from the trust fund is a bad idea (IMO) but is hardly the fault of Social Security. I'm sorry if the reality (average 7% annual return) doesn't support your personal rhetoric. It is, nonetheless, the actual average annual return of Social Security. Social Security is not a pyramid scheme by any objective analysis. It is an insurance policy without a parasitic profit component. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

Shhh … I much prefer playing against people who believe that poker is a game of chance. The mathematics of poker and the mathematics of insurance are very, very similar. The biggest difference is that poker players must make the calculations in real time while actuaries have the luxury of software and peer review. Poker is no more a game of chance than buying or providing insurance. Chance may play a role in any given hand or any given insurance policy, but just as the insurance company does not typically sell just one single policy in an attempt to make a profit, poker players typically don't play just one single hand in an attempt to make a profit. In both cases, it's about making a profit in the long run. Interesting hypothesis. I would offer a counter hypothesis that online poker has increased the popularity of poker, resulting in more poker business for poker rooms and casinos. (I don't have any evidence supporting one hypothesis over the other. Yours could very well be the correct one.) One thing online poker has done is offer the opportunity for players to make money at a faster rate than in a live game. Playing a live game limits players to playing one table at a time (additionally, play tends to be faster online). Playing online, OTOH, allows players to play as many tables simultaneously as they can keep up with. For some people, that number is 12+ tables at a time. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

Sorry. I was just trying to lighten up an abortion thread with some good, old fashioned cannibal humor. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

I must say, you're way cooler than most of the other elderly folks in Florida. edit to add: Happy Birthday! Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!

Some people have some strange sexual fantasies & fetishes. I doubt rape fantasies are uncommon. I have a friend whose wife gets off on being beaten. It has stressed their marriage, because he won't beat her, and she didn't realize just how important she found that aspect of her sex life to be. A few years back, I had a female friend tell me that she had a fantasy of being raped and murdered. (No, I didn't help her live out her fantasy.) The article gave me the impression that the wife had a rape fantasy, and the husband tried to fulfill it. What he failed to realize is that, if she wasn't in on it, it wasn't rape role play; it was rape. Rape tends to be more about violence and control than about sex. I wouldn't expect actually being raped would offer sexual fulfillment to most females, even those who have rape fantasies. I did not get the impression from the article that the husband harbored any malicious intent. His waiver of a public defender might even be an indication that he realizes that he fucked up, and is willing to face the consequences of his mistake. I feel most sorry for the couple's children. I suspect this isn't the first time that one or both parents have demonstrated piss-poor judgement. Even if they haven't, just the repercussions of finding out why their father is in jail from this incident are likely to be fairly long lasting. WTF is wrong with people? Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials!