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A Taste of Armageddon RobVG July 2, 2025 8:00 am (CurrentEvents)

Just for the record... ER June 22, 2025 8:59 am (CurrentEvents)

All Along the Watchtower ER July 1, 2025 9:13 pm (CurrentEvents)

Birthright Citizenship RobVG June 29, 2025 3:34 pm (CurrentEvents)

We've got company ER July 2, 2025 7:50 am (Space/Science)

To be blunt, NASA is now dead RL June 27, 2025 11:56 am (Space/Science)

NSIDC offline? ER June 12, 2025 12:19 pm (Space/Science)

Musk trashes his own AI after it chose a liberal worldview. RobVG June 23, 2025 9:56 am (CurrentEvents)

Psyche keeps its date with an asteroid BuckGalaxy June 22, 2025 5:21 pm (Space/Science)

The Three Unknowns After the U.S. Strike on Iran BuckGalaxy June 22, 2025 12:58 am (CurrentEvents)

There are only nine meals between mankind and anarchy. BuckGalaxy June 22, 2025 12:29 am (Flame)

"Remember, what the dormouse said, ER June 5, 2025 4:14 pm (Space/Science)

The triumph of individualism? by TB September 21, 2011 12:34 pm

If the Fundowacko Bible-Bangers were on the Left, the Right would be doing everything they could to exterminate them. But ... by ER 2011-09-21 15:30:46
- What does "individualism" mean? "Hooray for me and the hell with you", in brief. In practice it means ... by bowser 2011-09-22 18:47:03
  - If you can convince everyone they're rugged individualists, they won't organize against you. -Lawrence J Peter by ER 2011-09-23 19:49:07
- "My only question is, 'What Socialists?' I don’t see any organized or influential Left in this country, certainly not ... by TB 2011-09-21 15:34:05
  - Tom, you see creeping socialists everywhere, its part of your charm. I know exactly who and what I am. ... by ER 2011-09-21 16:07:00
    - No organized "Left" in this country? Good, now maybe the Left on this board will concede that the "Right" isn't ... by RobVG 2011-09-21 22:58:59
    - I see. by TB 2011-09-21 16:15:18
      - Yeah, see how arrogant and pig headed that comes across? by ER 2011-09-21 16:30:15

A prediction (of sorts) by TB September 20, 2011 9:36 am

Anything's possible, I guess. But I tentatively disagree. It's a long time before the election and anything can happen. Obama ... by ER 2011-09-20 11:24:08
- Watched Noam Chomsky the other evening. He said that the very rich vote to stay very rich, but they ... by bowser 2011-09-20 22:31:59
  - I wish I shared your optimism. The IQ over 80 plus morals cohort may be the majority, but the majority ... by ER 2011-09-21 04:38:04
    - PS. Beware of Chomsky. He's smart, but he's also crazy. He's sort of a lefty Krauthammer. by ER 2011-09-21 04:43:06
      - Huh. I don't see the meanness and hostility in Chomsky I do in Krauthammer. And you must know ... by bowser 2011-09-21 06:56:15
        
        "People can look at the same thing and see different realities." Liberals know that, but Conservatives refuse to believe it. Chomsky is ... by ER 2011-09-21 09:33:30

An "entitlement" the Republicans simply love. by bowser September 18, 2011 3:49 pm

Bowser, I'm so angry with Republicans and Tea Baggers over this crap that I'm afraid to post. My anger ... by Eri 2011-09-18 21:26:14
- Do you support repealing it? As you recall, I didn't support it in the first place. by TB 2011-09-18 21:33:25
  - Please read my above post. I cannot afford to get emotionally upset. by Eri 2011-09-19 10:34:00
    - Relax and take it easy. by TB 2011-09-19 12:46:29
      - I come play on the sites to which I belong, each one different, but each one with people with whom ... by Eri 2011-09-19 17:00:55
      - Here, have a glass of Kool-Aid. by bowser 2011-09-19 15:53:30
        
        How's Kool-Aid mixed with Gin? by Eri 2011-09-19 17:01:18
        
        Kool-Aid of the sort the TB (Tea Party Lite) is offering you. No gin, straight. Almost. Kool-Aid ... by bowser 2011-09-20 22:20:52
        
        There's nothing like having that big, fat red pitcher man bust through your wall with a bottle of gin in ... by TB 2011-09-19 17:03:34

The only reason I post this on Flame is because by Jody September 15, 2011 8:10 am

I can't remember anything on the TV show West Wing that didn't resonate with me. It also accurately portrayed ... by Eri 2011-09-15 16:27:02
- "well, that’s one helluva sentence; hope you understand it" Unfortunately, I'm sure we all understand it all too well. by ER 2011-09-15 17:22:07
  - Always remember, every poll is comprised of people who did not hang up on the pollster, saying "hey, I've got ... by TB 2011-09-15 17:34:27
    - As an aside, that reminds me that "telephone bias" used to be a problem when taking random surveys. Designers had ... by RobVG 2011-09-17 11:44:59
    - Or of people the pollster didn't terminate early. I've had them do that when they found out my views ... by Eri 2011-09-15 23:26:33
      - I don't take the time for polls that often, but when I do, I engage the polltaker. Politely, of ... by TB 2011-09-16 06:39:42
Yes. Or I think so, because I don't know what this show was about, or what they were discussing ... by ER 2011-09-15 09:04:09
- Thank you ER...I can certainly understand why you perceive Conservative Christians as hypocrites. I don't agree, but I understand, if that ... by Jody 2011-09-15 10:00:12
  - To be fair, he didn't say anything about "conservative Christians" in that post. Nor did he paint with a ... by TB 2011-09-15 10:04:17
    - I agree TB....and this is where I become frustrated with Liberals. I find it interesting that the cliche`, *standing on ... by Jody 2011-09-15 10:32:22
      - EDITED: Liberals know that Conservatives are convinced that they (Liberals) Do not love their country. Don't care about their families. Love to pay ... by ER 2011-09-15 10:55:33
        
        Just leave it be, Jody. by TB 2011-09-15 11:02:46

Democracy in remission, It's ovah, y'all by FrankC September 14, 2011 3:52 pm

It's not a surprise, and thanks for the compliment. by Robert 2011-09-14 19:19:24
- I see nothing's changed around here....;~) by Lindy 2011-09-25 15:57:52
- I know how you feel Robert. I feel the same way...but for different reasons. Encroachment. That word comes in many flavors. by Jody 2011-09-15 09:08:10
- I keep saying it and no one listens. Liberalism and conservatism are just words that mean different things to different ... by FrankC 2011-09-14 21:15:43
  - You're making the same mistake others have made. That people are doing their best to dilute or even destroy the language ... by TB 2011-09-15 08:59:32
    - Observation indicates that both parties should change their mascot to Dr.Doolittle's Pushmepullme. Someone must have noticed that well into his term, ... by FrankC 2011-09-15 11:14:28
      - The idea that there "is no difference" between political ideologies is part of the trap. by TB 2011-09-15 11:18:30
    - Analyze this. People experience things, and give them names. It doesn't work the other way round, unless you were ... by ER 2011-09-15 10:26:16
      - Took you one post to slam the control rods down. Might be a record. by TB 2011-09-15 10:38:33
        
        I believe the correct technical term is "to scram" (verb, infinitive). My BS sensors detected the imminent risk of ... by ER 2011-09-15 10:46:59
        
        ROFLMAO! "imminent risk of a severe meltdown of pompous pseudo-ideological flatulence." Now THAT is a phrase I can love. Oy vey. by Eri 2011-09-15 23:35:12
        
        You have to admit, few people can blow an impotent raspberry more eloquently. :) by TB 2011-09-16 07:00:03
        
        Tom, that was no raspberry. I was in tailgunner, not bombadier mode. by ER 2011-09-16 09:49:35
        
        I'm so glad you and I agree on most things. I'm so out of practice, you'd skewer me in ... by Eri 2011-09-16 13:24:41
        
        And the most important part, any activity has been stopped. by TB 2011-09-15 11:04:55
        
        "Liberalism and conservatism are just words that mean different things to different people." You hate it when people say things like that, ... by ER 2011-09-15 11:20:15
        
        Good God, you actually invoke Orwell and 1984 while lecturing me on the "tyranny of words" and the arbitrariness of ... by TB 2011-09-15 11:30:52
        
        Absolutely. Orwell understood that he who writes the ideological dictionaries gets to control the political language. That is what ... by ER 2011-09-15 11:53:48
        
        I remember what Newspeak was for. It was to obliterate the language that permitted people to discuss or debate ... by TB 2011-09-15 12:17:58
        
        Stop? I'm just getting started! The purpose of Newspeak was to limit the language so that only IngSoc principles could be ... by ER 2011-09-15 12:53:23
        
        I didn't put the link in for your benefit. It's a bit weird to tout Orwell as a great thinker and ... by TB 2011-09-15 13:12:53
        
        Perhaps an example might clarify my position. Conservatives, when trying to emphasize some subtle constitutional point or controversy, often ... by ER 2011-09-15 13:40:21
        
        (Edited) It is quite possible to get past terminology issues in a conversation if both sides are willing. A ... by TB 2011-09-15 13:56:06
        
        Anyway, basically I was just trying to reassure Frank that things aren't as bad as he thinks they are. by TB 2011-09-15 13:26:37
        
        He's right, Frank. by ER 2011-09-15 13:45:06
- Me? Fling poo? by Jody 2011-09-14 20:54:52
  - Heeheeheeheehee. That is one of the cutest pics I've seen. by Eri 2011-09-15 16:31:19
  - I think I'm going into sugar shock! (n/t) by Robert 2011-09-14 21:34:27
Actually, I think things may be looking up. But it's going to be a long year, and not just ... by TB 2011-09-14 15:53:39

A time to remember. by bowser September 11, 2011 11:41 pm

A response to Robert and ER. I apologize for the longer discourse on this post. The more I ... by bowser 2011-09-12 21:26:01
- I think I'm well disabused of the term "morality". by Robert 2011-09-13 14:42:28
I will resist the urge to quote "My Country Right Or Wrong" just to piss you off. You know you can ... by FrankC 2011-09-12 17:04:22
- Frank, you win. I concede. First, I'd like to commend you on your "My Country Right or Wrong" ... by bowser 2011-09-12 20:42:12
  - Just so you know, you've the same editorial powers as anyone else here, with the exception of Robert and Myself. ... by podrock 2011-09-12 21:47:44
    - Thank you. I did not know any of that. Arf by bowser 2011-09-12 22:32:38
      - You should also know that no post of yours has ever been edited by me and that has been established ... by FrankC 2011-09-12 22:53:57
        
        Thanks Frank, for agreeing with me. You do have the ability to delete, etc., my posts. At your whim. Simply because ... by bowser 2011-09-13 09:36:11
        
        To be clear about this, Bowser, you have the ability to delete, etc., Frank's posts. Or my posts, or ... by podrock 2011-09-13 19:46:42
        
        The only reason I could think of to delete a post would be if someone did something like post someone's ... by TB 2011-09-13 08:45:26
        
        The other kind of posts we will not not tolerate are posts that call for or document extreme violence. Such ... by podrock 2011-09-13 19:53:27
        
        What if we call for extreme violence on spammers? by TB 2011-09-13 20:14:29
        
        Allowed, as long as it is not documented. Surely you remember when we all got together and decided these things. ... by FrankC 2011-09-13 21:43:49
        
        I vote that we hang, draw and quarter spammers right after we pepper spray and waterboard them. But I don't want ... by Eri 2011-09-14 09:35:23
        
        You have to pepper spray them after the waterboarding, or it washes right off. I've screwed up on that ... by TB 2011-09-14 09:50:50
        
        You must have done it wrong, then. Dammit, how many times do I have to tell you that water ... by Eri 2011-09-15 16:33:28
        
        My son, in a young and stupid moment some years ago, took a healthy chomp out of one of those ... by TB 2011-09-15 16:56:37
I partially agree with you. It is painful to think of your own country as capable of terrorist acts ... by Eri 2011-09-12 15:41:59
- In every single culture throughout human history, females have been abused and mistreated by males. No, I don't think ... by ER 2011-09-12 16:56:07
  - I could envision a society in which women could win. As an SF/Fantasy writer, that is easy to do. ... by Eri 2011-09-13 18:15:01
    - Don't forget Margaret Thatcher. by TB 2011-09-13 18:38:05
      - Oh Wow! How could I ever have forgotten her. Her voice is forever burned into my brain. ... by Eri 2011-09-14 06:05:09
That's a highly politicized definition of "terror". by Robert 2011-09-12 11:12:35
I understand Bowser. Like ER...I do not *completely* agree, but that is the beauty of our country. We may and ... by Jody 2011-09-12 07:08:22
What you say is true, but like all truths, there are always qualifications, exceptions and hand-wringing uncertainty. The line ... by ER 2011-09-12 06:47:10
- Just about a perfect reply. My only possible exception is on the knight's or gentleman's code of honor. Such codes ... by FrankC 2011-09-12 17:14:31

Tea Party violence by TB September 8, 2011 5:10 pm

There's a Law and Order segment on TV right now from 2009. The Tea Party and Libertarians don't come ... by Eri 2011-09-09 14:33:38
- Um...that's fiction, you know. by TB 2011-09-09 14:52:40
  - Ripped from the headlines. by Eri 2011-09-09 23:26:55
    - There are no headlines, Eri. There's only what TV writers want to believe. by TB 2011-09-10 09:52:01
      - Of course there are headlines. I see them every day and then they show up on TV. Jeez, ... by Eri 2011-09-11 05:36:13
        
        Link to one. Actual Tea Party violence even remotely resembling the union actions. by TB 2011-09-11 08:15:15

Hey, who needs jobs? by TB September 8, 2011 11:22 am

Looks like posting this on Flame didn't have the result you intended, TB. by Robert 2011-09-09 18:34:15
- Candy striper EDIT: Perhaps some explanation would be helpful here. I wrote a long post on the version of this ... by ER 2011-09-10 09:41:47
  - Well God knows I never looked like that...;). Back to your CE post on the idea that the kind heart ... by Jody 2011-09-10 10:20:15
- Sorry to disappoint Robert but this guy has taken the blue pill. "You take the blue pill – the story ... by Jody 2011-09-10 07:57:45
  - Okay, I'll bite...who picks who gets to be unemployed? ...and who would pay for it? by Jody 2011-09-10 08:22:47
    - That's easy, Jody. The boss gets to pick who is unemployed, and he never pays, the rest of us ... by ER 2011-09-10 10:11:25
    - You noticed that too, didn't you? by TB 2011-09-10 09:53:29
EDITED: He's right, you know. There have always been less people engaged in productive activity than in pure consumption, ever since ... by ER 2011-09-08 11:59:40
- There's a story that Milton Friedman was touring a big government project somewhere in China or Asia. There were ... by TB 2011-09-08 12:17:43
  - It doesn't matter how clever our technology is, if it can only support itself by denying employment to a large ... by ER 2011-09-08 12:38:16
    - I agree with you. That article is very interesting. A whole new way of perceiving. by Eri 2011-09-08 20:43:56
      - Heh. You guys never disappoint. by TB 2011-09-09 08:02:24
        
        And you, my friend, never surprise. by ER 2011-09-10 07:09:05

Rising: Rebuilding Ground Zero by FrankC September 4, 2011 8:09 pm

The time between groundbreaking and the ribbon cutting for the original WTC was 6 years and 8 months. 6 ... by TB 2011-09-05 09:21:10
- I understand where you are coming from Tom. I prefer to put fiscal concerns aside in this instance. The towers weren't ... by FrankC 2011-09-05 12:38:08

Dominionism by podrock August 24, 2011 7:31 pm

I don't deny that I find this offensive, but I wonder if it means much. I suspect that the Islamic ... by FrankC 2011-09-07 00:05:22
Tell me you posted that to show how over-the-top critics are being. Government infiltration by Christians? I mean c'mon, 76% of ... by RobVG 2011-08-24 20:32:02
- ...and lest we forget...wasn't Obama the second coming of Christ? by Jody 2011-08-25 12:08:38
On The Road Again by Bob Dylan Well, I woke up in the morning There’s frogs inside my socks Your mama, she’s a-hidin’ Inside the ... by ER 2011-08-24 19:55:29
Tom's a smart boy, OF COURSE he knows all this. He just thinks he can control them. by ER 2011-08-24 19:47:53
- It is apparent that everyone of us has a fear of losing control. Whether to a strong central government, religious ... by Jody 2011-08-25 12:07:10
- Or perhaps the article is just a load of horseapples. Is this going to be the level of the Democratic campaign? ... by TB 2011-08-24 20:02:21
  - TB, if these dingbats were Democrats you'd be howling in derision at how we allowed such terminal losers to rise ... by ER 2011-08-24 21:15:32
    - Um...did you notice who you elected president? Did I vote for Pelosi, Franken, Waters, Reid, or the rest? ... by TB 2011-08-24 21:40:22
      - We voted for the winners. You voted for losers. ba da ba bing! by Eri 2011-08-25 22:04:53
  - By the way, looks like Irene's going to miss you. Good news! by TB 2011-08-24 20:26:57
    - Yeah, but it looks like the entire earthquake-devastated eastern seaboard is now at risk. by ER 2011-08-24 21:19:00
      - Let's hope the track keeps moving east. by TB 2011-08-24 21:43:09

Just sayin'... by Jody August 24, 2011 10:00 am

See what you and Eric started? by ER 2011-08-24 18:40:10
- I *did* post this on Flame. I don't understand your paranoia for the Christian right...but I see that it is ... by Jody 2011-08-24 19:22:55
  - Well, paranoia strikes deep, you know. I had to listen to the wailing about the New Dark Ages through most of ... by TB 2011-08-24 19:51:11
  - Yeah, these guys believe I deserve to spend eternity in god's torture chamber because I don't believe in their crackpot ... by ER 2011-08-24 19:35:59
If you really believe the Universe was created by god in less than a week about 6000 years ago, then ... by ER 2011-08-24 10:43:49
- From one troglodyte to another :-) The people that believe that the planet Earth was created in six Earth days TOTALLY ... by johannes 2011-08-24 19:28:36
  - Franklin Delano Roosevelt. But it was in another context altogether. by ER 2011-08-24 19:38:19
- *Tongue in cheek*....very snarky m'dear ER...:) At least I don't think the Universe is 6000 years old and that is as ... by Jody 2011-08-24 11:52:07
  - A belief in a Supreme Being is not an absurd speculation as to how the world got here. I ... by ER 2011-08-24 12:48:40
    - You mean Santa Claus DOESN'T deliver presents on Christmas Eve? Who delivers them then? by Eri 2011-08-24 21:15:06
      - The government, of course. The only Santa Claus Democrats believe in. :) by TB 2011-08-24 21:41:12
    - I don't believe the world is 6,000 years old any more than you do, or for that matter, any more ... by TB 2011-08-24 13:42:02
      - Your bristling indignation has been duly noted, and will be treated with the contempt it deserves. You have more fear ... by ER 2011-08-24 15:59:32
        
        There was no indignation, bristling or otherwise. There are no "these people." This is why I asked you to consider ... by TB 2011-08-24 16:23:00
        
        My parents were agnostic, my grandparents deist. They believed there was probably some kind of god, but they claimed no ... by ER 2011-08-24 18:01:41
        
        A massive majority of Americans are religious. Most of them believing that we are, at some level, a product ... by TB 2011-08-24 18:17:12
        
        It's precisely those victories of secular society which are so resisted by your fundamentalist allies. They are the ones ... by ER 2011-08-24 18:29:50
        
        Aren't you making my point? The real religious extremists have declined over the years, and are still failing. ... by TB 2011-08-24 18:40:22
        
        TB, those Podunk schools are mostly in Texas, and its Perry who is proud that in his state both "theories" ... by ER 2011-08-24 19:12:34
- Come to think of it, if you really believe the Universe was created by god in less than a week ... by ER 2011-08-24 11:41:18
  - And yet, as irrational beliefs go, this one has done considerably less damage in the past century or so than ... by TB 2011-08-24 12:11:12
    - Quit making excuses for these troglodytes, TB. Dammit, you're supposedly a rational, scientific thinker. I know you yourself do ... by ER 2011-08-24 13:02:44
      - You're not listening. You're still ranting. Four in ten. 78 percent if you count the "God-guided evolution" people. ... by TB 2011-08-24 16:37:01
        
        No. I'm not ranting, I'm merely letting you know that when you step in to defend and back up your ... by ER 2011-08-24 18:17:53
      - EDIT: And you're right, that will not be a killer issue with voters, left or right. But I would ... by ER 2011-08-24 13:06:12

Perry trying to buy Presidency by Eri August 21, 2011 7:31 am

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