livendive

There are many "non judeo-christian" societies in the world. How many of them encourage murder, theft, lying, etc? Our "moral compass" encourages an orderly society that facilitates the propogation of the species. What else would/should it do? Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Dude, why would you want to call out Billvon? Don't make him open up a new can of...."ya know"! Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

it doesn't take any effort Speaker's Corner is the McDonald's of debate - fast, stupid, easy, and very harmful to those that partake I don't find it harmful. I wander in, make fun of a couple of the especially retarded arguments, and then wander back out. Theoretically, I imagine the proponents of those arguments could get their feelers hurt by being proven so horribly wrong, but most of the time they seem blissfully ignorant of their defeat. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Sorry, gotta differ with you on that one: the so-called "Marriage Tax". Married filing jointly costs more than if two people file separately. mh . Only true for couples with very similar incomes. Couple with dissimilar incomes pay less taxes, and the bigger the gap between those incomes, the bigger the tax break they get by marrying. The guy with the stay at home wife gets to suddenly take two standard deductions, and enjoy a reduced tax bracket, despite making no more money than he did when she was still giving him BJs (i.e. a girlfriend). And that's just based on simple tax brackets without even taking other factors into consideration. For example, my partner is on my medical insurance. Since we are not married, the portion of her insurance that is paid by my employer is considered "imputed income", i.e. a taxable perk of my employment. At the end of the year, I'm responsible for taxes on my pay plus the taxes on an additional $9k that they spend on her insurance. Married couples get to dodge that tax, same sex couples cannot. To my partner and I, that tax is a conscious choice because our naughty bits are quite different from each other's. But the fact that she has an innie and I have an outie seems like an odd factor for deciding whether we pay an extra ~$3k/year to the federal government each year, doesn't it? Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

TMI is a perfect example of the Hollywood effect I'm referring to. Contrast and compare your perception of the incident at Three Mile Island with the actual number of lives lost as a result of it. More people have been killed from static electricity discharges while fueling their cars, but that doesn't sell as much advertising. Is that "Hollywood" or "the news"? Same same these days. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

The only difference between the two is competence. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

TMI is a perfect example of the Hollywood effect I'm referring to. Contrast and compare your perception of the incident at Three Mile Island with the actual number of lives lost as a result of it. More people have been killed from static electricity discharges while fueling their cars, but that doesn't sell as much advertising. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

This. The US *should* be investing much more heavily in nuclear energy, however Hollywood and events like this have people far more timid than they should be. The number of lives lost and environmental impacts of coal and petroleum power production don't seem to affect people near so much. Blues, Dave Yeah, because we all know "Hollywood" runs things and have always gotten their way when it comes to issues. Let's completely forget Reagan came from Hollywood and was the chief spokesman for GE for decades. Let's also forget that Disney introduced the vast majority of baby boomers to safe, clean nuclear power in "Our Friend the Atom." (sigh) It's the perception that nuclear power = 3 headed freaks of nature and superhuman villains that I blame on Hollywood. Silly? Sure. But having gotten emails from my mom asking if I'm ok because someone found a radioactively contaminated rabbit, and a 5 AM phone call from her after she dreamt that I was embroiled in a Silkwood-like fiasco...yeah, the power of suggestion won in this case. The American people are bamboozled on the true risks of nuclear power. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

The hullabaloo about TMI was similarly blown out of proportion. For example, this accident last year, was more deadly than TMI by 5, so why didn't it get a cute name and it's only special place in public perception? Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

This. The US *should* be investing much more heavily in nuclear energy, however Hollywood and events like this have people far more timid than they should be. The number of lives lost and environmental impacts of coal and petroleum power production don't seem to affect people near so much. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

reads as "so they must be racist" to you? English much? Blues, Dave i Wow, you're right, Dave - they're only PROBABLY racist because they act the part of Rebels. Amazing logic, there. Using that line of thinking, Woody Harrelson is possibly a serial killer, what with that whole "Natural Born Killers" thing. And so is Mark Harmon after "Deliberate Strangers", or is he really a cop due to "NCIS"? "More likely" /= "probably", "general trends" (your words) "More likely" were also my words, one sentence prior. Let's assume for the sake of argument that 70% of fatal hook turns occur during high performance landings. One could accurately state that swoopers are more likely to hook in than non swoopers. Certainly all swoopers will not hook in, and some non swoopers will, and overall, both are fairly trivial comapred to the general population. If I note this trend, I am not saying anyone in particular is probably going to hook in. *** What "entirely different motivation" would the re-enactors have, Dave? That 'probable racism' because they're wearing a gray uniform instead of blue? One of them is being paid to act like a douche, the other is doing it because they enjoy it. Kinda like how Remi wearing diapers and sucking on a pacifier doesn't mean he's actually a baby, he just enjoys role playing as one. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

reads as "so they must be racist" to you? English much? Blues, Dave Wow, you're right, Dave - they're only PROBABLY racist because they act the part of Rebels. Amazing logic, there. Using that line of thinking, Woody Harrelson is possibly a serial killer, what with that whole "Natural Born Killers" thing. And so is Mark Harmon after "Deliberate Strangers", or is he really a cop due to "NCIS"? "More likely" /= "probably", and professional actors are a poor comparison due to an entirely different motivation ($) Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

One side wanted to abolish slavery, the other side opposed this. Those who side with the latter are more likely to be racist than those who associate with the former. The correlation is certainly not 100%, but that doesn't mean we have to ignore general trends. Blues, Dave Have any proof of that, or are you judging ahead of evidence? I don't feel compelled to prove it to your satisfaction, but for my own purposes I'd say it seems self-evident. One group thought negroes should be free, the other thought they should be tax-deductible. If you think the latter were the good guys, well, here's your sign. I don't think all southerners are racist, nor do I think all racists live in the south. There's a sizeable population of skinheads in nearby northern Idaho who seem overwhelmingly in favor of confederate flags. Blues, Dave Ok, so your argument seems to be 'but they play Rebels in re-enactments so they must be racist'. Great logic, there - about in line with the attempted stealth PA. Here's your sign. What part of reads as "so they must be racist" to you? English much? Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

The president of a company with an inside track on the work said it's more complicated than it looks and might be expensive? Shocker!! Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

One side wanted to abolish slavery, the other side opposed this. Those who side with the latter are more likely to be racist than those who associate with the former. The correlation is certainly not 100%, but that doesn't mean we have to ignore general trends. Blues, Dave Have any proof of that, or are you judging ahead of evidence? I don't feel compelled to prove it to your satisfaction, but for my own purposes I'd say it seems self-evident. One group thought negroes should be free, the other thought they should be tax-deductible. If you think the latter were the good guys, well, here's your sign. I don't think all southerners are racist, nor do I think all racists live in the south. There's a sizeable population of skinheads in nearby northern Idaho who seem overwhelmingly in favor of confederate flags. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

One side wanted to abolish slavery, the other side opposed this. Those who side with the latter are more likely to be racist than those who associate with the former. The correlation is certainly not 100%, but that doesn't mean we have to ignore general trends. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Political movements sometimes attract less than desirable elements, and it's expected they'll take the bad with the good. I think it's fair to say that the Tea Party movement has more racist people than its leadership (such as it is) would like. When courting civil war re-enactors, that's gonna happen. It doesn't necessarily mean the movement itself has any sort of racist underpinnings. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

I disagree, taking money from people for the sole purpose of social engineering should not be the role of government. We need to eliminate incentives and breaks, and treat all individuals equally. Taking the biased benefits away from married people is fair. TIPPING the scales the complete other direction is just another form of bias. And people thinking that making us all equal is "ignoring reality" are just fulfilling their own prophecy. "I give up, so I want mine too" is quitter talk. but I understand your point, and you make it well - but I disagree This man is wise beyond his plentiful years. There's no need for tax incentives for not having children, just take away the incentives for having them. Under the current system, families with kids get tax breaks for said kids, who in turn use public schools. I.e. they pay less taxes and use more goverment services. On the flip side of that coin, families without kids pay more taxes and use fewer government services. In what world is this not backwards, besides one in which government is relying on the future earnings of those children to fund the welfare given to their retired parents? Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Does anyone happen to know why police and firefighters are exempt from this? Is there some reason they have a greater need for collective bargaining? Or do police and firefighters just more commonly check "R" boxes on their ballots, whereas teachers more frequently check "D" boxes? Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

plus two german shepherds = win. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Teen hits overtime game winning shot to close the books on a 20-0 season, then collapses to the floor and dies. http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/04/teen-hits-game-winning-shot-dies/?hpt=T2 OK, so it's not being shot at the age of 80 by the husband of the 21 year old with whom you're having carnal relations. Still, for a kid that age, it's pretty much going out on top of the world. Simultaneously amazing and sad. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

So you meet the perfect woman...gorgeous, active, sexually adventerous, devoted, and financially self-sufficient. Not wanting to risk losing that winning lottery ticket, you marry her, and a year later you crash your car coming home from a party, permanently disfiguring her and reducing her sporting and employment opportunities. After doing this to her, do you bail? Eat a bullet? Realize that she's the same beautiful woman you married? Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

My guess is those are not work-appropriate links, so I didn't clickie. I love me some short women, my best friend goes brain dead in the company of any woman over 6'. I think internet porn is a good gauge of physical attraction, as nobody would maintain a site without a substantial customer base (sites that Remtard visits being proof of the rule). So yeah, there are guys into giants and midgets, shaved and hirsute, young and old, doms and subs, and everything else. Of course this doesn't take into account the fact that I cannot abide an idiot, hypocrisy be damned. Blues, Dave P.S. More petite redhead sites please...just to remind me how good I have it of course. "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Good for him. Beat/lost to a girl issue notwithstanding, being uncompromising in his values is a commendable thing. My values may be different, but so long as he harms no one else, he should follow his heart. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Your delightfully Palin-esque appeal to false authority is somehow lessened by simply clicking the "search" hyperlink, which chronicles considerably more than five years of your bigotry in this forum. It's odd how your recent observations so perfectly match the pre-conceived notions you approached them with, eh? Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)