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SukiRainbowPup -- Trust me, Thom realizes it.
Global -- How does one determine if one is the foremost expert on climate change?
I heard that the number of major weather events has increased 8-fold in the last decade. I don't think that counts as being anecdotal. What does count as an anecdote is the Oklahoma tornado being the strongest ever recorded.
Global -- Next the Koch Brother owned republicans will want trees in red states to be counted as 2/3 of a person.
Is the opposite of "fatal conceit" to sit on your butt and do nothing? The solar systems in Germany eliminated the need to build 8 nuclear power plants. Because they have a cloudy winter, are you suggesting they wished they had built those nuclear power plants? Do you disagree that CO2 traps heat? What the planet does with that heat is very complex, and I do not think any of the climate scientists have the "fatal conceit" to think they know what it wil do next. Almost all of them work in the realm of probabilities. As a conservative, I would think one would not want to experiment with what 400 ppm will do to the earth.
Incidentally, do you receive any monies from the CATO institute?
Palindromedary ~ Welcome back! That was quite an interesting article. Motivating yet not very helpful. It's one thing to call a shot and quite another thing to make it; and, even quite another thing to tell someone else how to make it. Pool was never my game. However, it is nice to know we're all doomed. I already kind of assumed that anyway! LOL Keep up the "good" work, buddy.
By the way, if you haven't already, you might want to check out the movie, "Idiocracy." It's a brilliant comedy satire about what the future will probably look like if the Corporations get their way. Its funny, sad, and sobering all at the same time.
http://www.11points.com/Movies/11_Hidden_Secrets_in_Idiocracy
As far as that article you recommended is concerned, I tend to side with the wisdom of St. Thomas Aquinas who said that only an act that has the support of the vast multitude can succeed. If the state of affairs continues to deteriorate as described in the article--and it certainly seems like it will--that support will not be a long time coming. Till then, the best we can do is to watch, learn, and educate each other. Unfortunately, anything more than that would be futile.
Kend, do you live in a wormhole? Just because you aren't capable of empathizing doesn't mean that every single person has different struggles and opportunites in life. Yes, even in both of our great nations. It's a statistical fact that the vast majority of people are what they are born in to. If you are born poor then you stay poor. If you are born rich then you stay rich. And when people change their course so drasitcally that it bumps them up or down a class it's because of a multitute of things. Not just because they decide, hey I want to be rich instead of poor, therefore I am. This isn't philosophy class afterall. Life is very complicated and just because you were able to achieve one thing doesn't mean the next person can achieve the same. And the likelyhood you, yourself, would have been able to achieve it without the superior infrastructure in place in our countries is pretty much nil. You are just a small business owner afterall, that wouldn't amount to squat if you were born into a place like say...Somalia. Imagine what kind of grand small business you could create there...with their vast, astounding infrastructure giving everyone that leg up they need to be successful in life. Do you honestly think you could be all you can be anywhere you live? (I realize you didn't say this specifically this time, but I've seen this type of thing out of you in the past.)
And are you really so dense that you don't know that the lower class has less ability to pay for birth control? We call it disposable income and they don't have it. And, no, people aren't going to stop having sex. We are animals afterall, it's primal.
Using anecdotal arguments is a joke. But, hey, maybe you were a jester in a past life. We don't know.
__
In reference to "the natives didn't" build houses on river banks or ocean fronts...
Wow. hahahahah...pretty much every civilization in human history built their civilizations by the water. We can't survive without water, Kend. We never could. Now that we can transport it better we don't necessarily have to live within walking distance of a river or what have you, but yet again it's a social pattern. Most people live where they are born. It's just the way it is.
Dj, he doesn't write his own blogs. That's the consensus at least.
"
Gun Control Advocates ~ Check out what just happened today in Damascus, VA. Elderly handicapped man in car sends 60 people to the hospital when he runs into a crowd in a parade.
http://news.yahoo.com/60-injured-car-drives-va-parade-212302227.html
No guns involved. Most likely it was a terrible. terrible accident. Very fortunate! Imagine the carnage if it was a severely mentally disturbed individual who intended to kill as many people as he could. You see, a gun isn't the only way to kill a lot of innocent people.
Stop the person, not the device they use. Do we ban cars now? "
I'm disappointed, DAnneMarc...liberals/moderates generally know better than to use strawman arguments in their debates. What a comparison! So valid.
A friendly reminder, a car is not intended or made for weaponary purposes; therefore, it does no one any good to lead an argument with apples and oranges. You're just throwing mud in the water.
Sorry I left you guys Friday I should have replyed to a couple of you but I was up in the Mountains and had no internet. it was interesting that the girl with 4 children from 4 different fathers, her choice, is the victim and I pay for her and her kids and don't like it and I am the $&%hole.
Global warming, is this the first time there has ever been a tornado in Oklahoma? Hasn't earth been warming and cooling for 50 million years? Why do people build houses on a river bank or ocean front? The natives didn't. Why when world wide there has been billions maybe trillions spent on global warming oh sorry climate change has the climate not changed at all? I think George Carlin was right, humans are pretty arrogant to believe they can control the earths tempature.
"I’m tired of these self-righteous environmentalists. These white, bourgeois, liberals who think the only thing wrong with this country is there aren’t enough bicycle paths" George Carlin, Rest in peace my freind.
Now who will pounce upon me for foolishly switching from 3rd to 2nd person in mid-stream?
I ackowledge that Thom is a veritable genius and an admirable scholar and author. So, how did this English usage peccadillo get past him? Paragraph 2: "that means you and me are subsidizing...". Ouch! "And" is NOT a preposition! Change "me" to "I" to keep your subject in the nominative case! I know you took Latin!
I am a former Latin teacher who needs to learn tolerance. For content, however, you earn another A.
Magister David
Talk about "Red" and "storms"..here's another one brewing ::
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/revenge_of_the_bear_russia_strikes_b...
Since there is a new flash update, the flash option on your website does not work. Can you check on it?
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/rise_up_or_die_20130519/
Watermelon philosophy and liberal statist control; green on the outside and red on the inside.
Nobel laureate, economist and philosopher F.A. Hayek explained how there are limits to the knowledge that any one individual can possess, yet many have the “fatal conceit” that they know more than they do, and thus, they think they can plan and predict in ways they cannot. It is no surprise that climate models were wrong. For them to have been right, the model builders would have had to know all of the significant variables that affect climate, and the magnitude and interaction of each of those variables. There is virtually no single variable on which scientists are in total agreement about the magnitude of its effect. Carbon dioxide (CO2), for example, is considered to be very bad by most global-warming alarmists, including many officials in governments. We know that some level of CO2 is necessary for life, but we do not know the optimum level. The higher the level, the more rapidly plants grow, and the cheaper food becomes. It is just as plausible to say that there is too little CO2 in the atmosphere as that there is too much to maximize human well-being.
One of the world’s foremost experts on climate change, professor Roger Pielke Jr. of the University of Colorado at Boulder, recently wrote: “Flooding has not increased over the past century, nor have landfalling hurricanes. Remarkably, the U.S. is currently experiencing the longest-ever recorded period with no strikes of a Category 3 or stronger hurricane.” These anecdotes, along with a cold March, prove nothing one way or the other except that human beings know very little about what drives the climate.
Germany has spent more than 100 billion euros ($130 billion) on subsidizing the solar industry; yet, as Der Spiegel reported, “the 1.1 million solar systems have generated almost no power” this winter, and Germany is forced to import power from elsewhere. They are paying three or four times the U.S. rate for electricity, making many of their industries noncompetitive. The U.S. has been equally stupid. Even The New York Times has acknowledged that the U.S. ethanol experiment has been a disaster. It has actually increased carbon emissions and the price of fuel and world food, which really whacks the poor — all because of a “fatal conceit.”
I disagree, Thom. The Republicans were indeed elected to do the bidding of conservative think tanks. If not, then why did VP nominee rush off to meet Sheldon Adelson immediately after mittwitt chose him? Adelson reportedly offered 10 million reasons for Ryan to do his bidding. Or was Ryan chosen for the ticket at the "secret" BBQ held at one of the Rmoney family palaces in Massachusettes where Charles Koch allegedly offered another $10 million to the campaign if their lapdog Ryan was chosen? Was the party of obstruction driven by their own personal agendas to vote 37 times to repeal the ACA or was it driven by their desires to please their corporate masters? 80 percent of the country demands gun control legislation to include background checks but the NRA throws a fit and guess who wins? The New Republican Authority gets their way, not the people. And it happens that way every damn time something boils down to corporate profits vs. the good of the country - the GOP sides with the corporations.
The other afternoon I was watching Rand Paul make a presentation to the Republican Party in New Hampshire. Anyway his presentation was bitter sweet, with his dark sided shifty rhetoric always peeling off character flaws about the Democrats or President Obama or Liberals in general. In what I think poets call “Caesurae” or a pause. A caesura is a strong pause within a line, and is often found alongside enjambment. That is the change of pace in the poetry or music. Rand Paul developed the way to hypnotize his audience using poetic geometry.
Now for my Archimedes eureka moment that I would like to share with all of you on this blog and perhaps many would agree that the Republican Party is the Tea Party not only of tax issues, but audio mixing rhetorical paranoia laced with subtle notions in stone walling through hate. But really the core message is of the simple Lewis Carroll model Alice in wonderland.
The Republican Party is a pseudo tea party, not of the Boston type, scripted from that weird story old English or better explained as medieval Jabberwocky, all examples of the genre of literary nonsense.
Every bit of the very reason our forefathers ran away from in old Europe. The Republicans lie with the rhetoric of cheap nonsense. They are Jabberwocky. It must be a thing rather than the science of words maybe both. Louis Carol definitely points out; "Beware the Jabberwocky, my son!
Few people understand what the poem is about. "...Somebody killed something: that's clear, much to relate to old government operation in old English style, at any rate--," Alice continues after all, what is a Jabberwocky anyway?”
How is it that a poem can be full of nonsense, and seemingly devoid of meaning, but still sound like proper English? The answer to these questions lies in Carroll's unique ability to manipulate language.
Here is where I am in total agreement that our American Commercial time especially in cable that is selling a culture. If we had enough startup money to compete with the Geico lizard to sell insurance following that culture by saving fifteen percent by taking fifteen minutes out to talk to a Geico representative; we could easily transform the purple trex Barney types for baby insurance saving eight five percent. Huhoo, yikes too many ideas now time for oversight.
Here the Republicans pick up on the Alice in wonderland tea party of nonsensical rhetoric. Limbaugh is master at jabberwocky, as are major new media. It could be from Rachael Maddow’s bull pucky to O’reilly jabberwocky America is getting punked by both media and party. My conclusion is that the Republican Party is of old medieval Anglo-Saxon Poetry, red states.
The masters of tyranny.
MMmmNACHOS ~ Thanks! That No Fraud song is spot on. You enjoy this day too.
2950-10K ~ Thanks for the Richards/Berry tip. I'll check it out when I get home tonight.
Thank you DANNEMARC, I found your editorial on "American Culture" to be insightfull. For years...many years, I have felt strange about how commercialized this country is...Even more troubleing is how Homoginized the American way of life has become. It's really getting harder and harder to find anything original, natural, and unique about America/American
The only thing unique about America is its War Machine and bloated Prison Population. Oh and more Americans believe Unicorns than any other culture of people. Welcome to America, now obey!!!
I like the Stones reference...Here's one from my favorite thrash metal band No Fraud;
Whenever I'm feel'in down
I've lost my place, lost in space, just fallen down.
I take a ride to the biggest store in town [these days that store is Wal Mart]
I walk around and look at the faces so empty
Consumer crap won't fill that gap
Did tv do this to me?
Who's behind those commercials?
Will I ever get enough money
To buy the things they make me want?
I'm out on loan I'm out on loan
And when the bills come I'm all alone
Alone out on loan All alone out on loan.
Fascinated by the stereotype
You buy you try to live up to the hype
That plastic will devour everything that is you
That is if you believe in materialism too
Consumer crap ain't where its at!
So you ask what's the answer
Isay there isn't one
Except maybe some laughter and a whole lot of fun
The sex is great so lets have some.
Enjoy this day. ;)
ArizonaMike thinks our Prez is a king? If he was able to do what Mike proposes, he would be savaged by the right for thinking he's a king. Not a cogent argument.
DAnneMarc, Hey speaking of the Stones, somewhere there's a youtube of Keith Richards recording with Chuck Berry and the bass player is NRBQ's Joey Spampinato. I'll see if I can find it.
Found it ....it's called "Chuck Berry vs Keith Richards-hilarious -youtube"...check it out my friend....the music is great the last couple minutes!
Thom points out how Heritage Action wants Teapublicans to use the corp media to keep the focus off getting any real work done, in other words keep our democracy dysfunctional. This dysfunction reminds me of Battered Woman Syndrome. The Teapublican Party has used the media as a weapon to beat the crap out of the Democrats so many times that this exposure to abuse has turned into a form of learned helplessness. There's now a perceived inability on the part of the Democrats to go on offense and take the fight to the real battlefields of social injustice where it belongs.
A great example of this learned helplessness is the democrats buying into the spin and hype about the IRS targeting so called conservative social welfare groups...what the hell, there's no such thing, conservative political groups yes, but conservative social welfare groups...give me a freaking break. ? First of all it's pretty god damn obvious that this group called Heritage Action is committing tax fraud, just as are all of the other Teabagger groups that were granted this tax exempt status. They all lied on their applications, there is no way in hell they PRIMARILY promote social welfare and everyone knows it. I want an investigation of all these groups and I want someone to go to jail. If they can put Chuck Berry in jail for tax problems, they can sure as hell lock up these guys for tax fraud, Rove included.
For right or wrong, the shellacking happened and if it’s bad for Democrats then it means Obama acted incompetently, in addition to the Republicans being filth. And frankly, given everything else, I’ve had it with both of them.
Both Democrats and Republicans are guilty of trying to overthrow our Democracy in favor of some fascist Corporate Dictatorship for the wealthy and they should all be jailed.
And furthermore, before you go blaming the Republican Filth for the failure of the Democratic Filth to get anything done, why don’t you ask yourself how come the Democratic Filths’ substantive progress for the People (relative to the wealthy and their corporations) never really changed after the shellacking. And continues to be a national disgrace to this date.
Democrats didn’t do shit for the People before the shellacking and they still aren’t doing shit for the People after the shellacking. The only difference is that after the shellacking the Democratic Filth changed their excuse for not serving the People to blame the Republican Filth. So Heritage Foundation letter? yea whatever....as if
Both Democrats and Republicans are a CANCER on the 99%.
When it comes to congress,
I want to start a website that says "reelect no one,until congress works for you!!""
Just sayin
US system has a flaw unforeseen by founders.
While our checks and balances prevent tyrants, they can not handle
two large extremely polarized parties.
While other democracies have their own problems, Europe, Japan, and Israel
are at least able to govern despite such divergent parties.
Look to local governments to solve problems as our federal system
is now in permanent paralysis.
ct
What u need to remember about food stamps, is that food stamps are a retail value kickback to the corporate republicans. Poor people get food, rich corporations get money. Now if Obama was smart and god knows he is not he would do this; He would force companies that do not want their products sold to the poor to make them uneligible for food stamps. The corporation of course will refuse to do this. If they whine again he tells them "ok here is the new deal, poor people get food but the federal government will only reimburse super markets for 50% of the wholesale value of the food. This would reduce the cost of food stamps by 60% for the federal government. Meaning that corporations will no longer get a dollar for dollar reimbursement for their products Including their profits. Remember that is the fair market value that is included in the retail price. Cut the imbursement amount in half of the whole sale price and u will here them cry to a direct tune.