tso-d_chris

I'm not avoiding the question. I just don't view the world in such black and white terms. Ever looked at a black and white photo? It's all gray.

Nice post, Chris. I view happiness as asymptotic. It is much like the speed of light. Nothing can accelerate to the speed of light. However, if nothing traveled at the speed of light, we would have no vision, no radio, no TV, no microwaves. So particles can move at the speed of light, they just can't accelerate to that point. In other words, trying to attain happiness is an excercise in futility. No matter how hard we try, it will always elude us. If, however, we simply choose to be happy, the characteristics of happiness will manifest in our lives. For those that are happy, helping others is its own reward.

I wouldn't send anyone to jail for having three (or more) joints, rap sheet or not.

Please explain why blacks are arrested and sent to prison at a far greater rate than whites for drug offenses, in spite of the fact that whites use drugs at a much higher rate than blacks. Drug laws are the easiest laws to selectively enforce, due to the fact that there are no victims. The police have to "discover" the crimes themselves.

I would prefer to look at enforcement of drug laws, as it gives us a larger sample of "criminals," and is a crime that can be selectively enforced on a broad scale, which is not the case with murder. http://www.drugwarfacts.org/racepris.htm It appears there is some selective enforcement/sentencing going on after all.

I get the impression that Billvon has that kind of integrity. I agree with many of your observations, though, especially with respect to the wars. As much as I would like to believe that many people are starting to see what I consider to be the error of Bush's ways, it would be naive of me to believe that the bandwagon is not affecting some peoples' opinions more than any real critical thought.

I know it wasn't an attack; I was kidding. Sorry if I didn't make that more clear. Thanks for your thoughts.

>No, in fact I'd vote for Clinton first. Hey now. No veiled personal attacks!

I doubt the parents would be in any danger of being found guilty by a jury. At any rate, that we haven't come up with a suitable solution yet does not indicate one does not / cannot exist.

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People have sex. That is the one constant throughout human history. Have you ever had sex without fully intending to procreate?

There are other issues. I, however, limited my comments to the absurdity of large scale abtinence based AIDS prevention. If you want to argue something else, make your point, and someone will respond. I don't have time to do your research for you. If you want to search for literature, feel free. It never hurts to remain informed.

That is a good question, and I don't think there is an easy answer. There is aproblem that needs to be addressed, but I don't think giving the police greater power is the answer. I don't have an alternate solution, but the internet stings stink of entrapment, especially since there is no minor involved.

No I don't fail to see that. I just also see that when you withold that aid unless ineffective policies (abstinence based AIDS prevention) are implemented, it should come as no surprise that those policies fail to make a difference. Its not fair to the aid recipients, and its not fair to the taxpayers footing the bill. That is what "is not right with the equation."

What effective means are you referring to? I do don't see condoms promoted and made available in high schools in this country. Much of our African foreign aid has strings attached requiring the promotion of abstinence. People have been having sex since, well, since we've been people (and before). Saying "don't do it" accomplishes nothing.

Promotion of abstinence on a large scale amounts to nothing more than sticking our heads in the sand and hoping the problem will go away all by itself. It is naive, and irresponsible.

Do you really believe this is a feasable solution on a large scale? Humans have a natural tendency to have sexual intercouse. It is an instinctive enjoyment to promote the survival of the species. To believe that everyone in a large sample of any population can repress that instinct is not only naive. Large scale abstinence is a biological impossiblity.

Agreed. It also makes sense like this: "Sadly, US elections are now less about a candidate's qualifications and more about the candidate's ability to withstand the inevitable attacks."

The older I get, the more I believe that "political experience" is nearly synonymous with "won't disrupt the staus quo." I would prefer an informed, intelligent candidate without political experience to someone who has that political experience, but is unwilling to ruffle the feathers of their political party members. Maybe I'm one of few that is sick of the left vs. right stautus quo.

When you said: the answer became inadequate. It has nothing to do with whether I agree with you or not. Please don't take it personally.

Reread what you wrote. The questions were not adequately addressed.

I agree with him, and here is why. First, he says we, as a nation, are ignorant. This in no way means that he thinks they are stupid. It means he believes they lack knowledge of facts, not the intelligence to understand those facts. I truly believe if we had an informed populace, and higher turnout for all elections we would have had completely different candidates on the ballots for nearly every election I have been alive to witness. If you have mediocre candidates, you will get mediocre results. The media enables this. Some of the journalists, but primarily the owners. The news should not be entertainment. The news should not be propaganda. The news should be non-profit. It loses credibility when the advertisers and the owners get to bias the content, even indirectly. The news should be about the latest facts about what is happening in the world around us. I give two shits about celebrities or their personal lives, except that they should be left alone to live them. Please don't waste my time with it. I would much rather hear about the things that actually affect my or others' lives, now or in the future. One needs to look no further than Speakers' Corner to see how much internet commentary is left vs. right, instead of honest dialogue. God forbid anyone should ever be swayed by a good argument. Blogs are no different. One thing I have figured out in life is that the elderly tend to have wisdom far beyond mine. I'm seldom quick to discount what they say simply because I don't immediately see that wisdom. Cronkite is a pretty old guy, and has seen far more in his lifetime than many others his age. You never know, he may just have a clue.

Or you realize that there are many white criminals that are never given a second thought by the police because they are clean cut white guys. And that happens all the time.

Then why can't Liquor Control impersonate minors? What was the crime? Who was the victim of the crime?