Gas Bandit's Political Thread
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You forget that, as far as GasBandit is concerned, Science is Eviland Corrupt. Any scientist supporting global warming is, de facto, bought and making up figures to support their claim and not neutral or fair in any way.Jake said:
Of course, this has the handy side effect of making all science that could prove a countrpoint invalid, leaving only science that supports his cause. It's very nice and utterly self-defeating.
Exclusive: Norm Coleman's Renovation Project Coincides with Financial Lawsuit
I feel a little bad for Minnesota. This Senatorial election for them was pretty much lose/lose.
I feel a little bad for Minnesota. This Senatorial election for them was pretty much lose/lose.
North_Ranger said:
I
Iaculus
Sorry for the delay - busy day again.
Within the United States, liberalism is no ideological monolith either. Though social liberalism is currently ascendant, equating all liberals (be they neoliberals, conservative liberals, paleoliberals, ordoliberals, or whatever) with them is just as daft as asserting that all conservatives are either neocons or members of the Religious Right. I note that you have often railed against those you deem not to be 'real' conservatives, who are currently ascendant on that side of the fence - would you therefore assert that those who occupy a rapidly-thinning majority are relevant for discussion of a very broad ideology?
Looked that thing up - consensus seems to be that the book's compelling but poorly-sourced (for instance, its assertion of a 93% literacy rate mid-nineteenth century was only accurate for adult white males). I'd treat it with caution. Also, your more relevant assertion of a 'liberal takeover' - mind going into that further?GasBandit said:
Your analogy of 'gay' as 'happy' is invalid. Liberalism worldwide averages out as being closer to its classic, European definition - a centrist ideology promoting individual freedom (consider the ideologies of organisations such as Liberal International and its affiliates) - and liberalism as a pejorative indicating big-government oppression and the erosion of the individual largely occurs only within the heads of rabid right-wingers such as Ann Coulter. It's like saying that 'gay' means 'marshmallow' because that's how it's used in China (not a perfect analogy, I'll admit).
Within the United States, liberalism is no ideological monolith either. Though social liberalism is currently ascendant, equating all liberals (be they neoliberals, conservative liberals, paleoliberals, ordoliberals, or whatever) with them is just as daft as asserting that all conservatives are either neocons or members of the Religious Right. I note that you have often railed against those you deem not to be 'real' conservatives, who are currently ascendant on that side of the fence - would you therefore assert that those who occupy a rapidly-thinning majority are relevant for discussion of a very broad ideology?
Then you have no right to complain about the activities of either side in that debate.
GasBandit
Staff member
It is so well established as to be bordering on trite that academic institutions are overwhelmingly populated by those whose political proclivities tend toward the liberal. Suggested explanations for this come from every angle and are all over the map, ranging from "conservatives just aren't very interested in concepts that don't have a direct financial appliance" to "the shelter of academia protects fragile liberal ideas from being shattered by the reality of the world" to some ideas in between. What is never in doubt from any source, however, is that academia is comprised of many more liberally minded faculty and staff than conservative. As for K-12, the educational system is caught in the maw of the NEA and the AFT, which as you might guess (being unions), are not particularly conservative in nature.Iaculus said:
Actually, "liberal" being a dirty word is more the work of Limbaugh than Coulter.. Coulter's strictly coattails material. It is not, however, "all in their heads." One of the US's most visible liberals, Teddy Kennedy, upon the victory of the Patriots in the 2002 super bowl, said "At a time when our entire country is banding together and facing down individualism, the Patriots set a wonderful example, showing us all what is possible when we work together, believe in each other, and sacrifice for the greater good."
Look, I applaud you trying to "take back" the terminology for sake of correctness, but the fact of the matter is if you want to take part in a discussion/debate of this magnitude already well underway you have to use the terminology as it is established. This is what has been largely defined by the applicable players involved as conservative and liberal. Yes, by that definition canada and the vast majority of europe are waaay liberal. But you know what? They are.
That's silly. Of course I do. Because they're claiming their decisions come about from untainted science and the best of intentions, when in fact it comes mostly from junk science, tainted or selectively picked data, and from an ulterior desire to harm capitalist industry.
Oh, and for all the people saying
I never did. And in fact, for quite a while now, science has actually had very little to do with the global warming debate.Several Boneheads said:
J
JCM
ZING!Jake said:
Not to mention, his tree-hugginess mostly turns into his stance that the government needs to apply the DARPA model to energy research, which is fine by me. Let private industry handle energy-efficiency, where they can conceivably make a return off of it, and use a DARPA-clone to fund alternate energy projects with a low chance of success but high chance of learning how to succeed next time.Bubble181 said:
A
Armadillo
No doubt. That's why I voted for Independence Party candidate Dean Barkley. You may remember him from such Senate appointments as when Paul Wellstone died.Krisken said:
On a more serious note, the DFL (Democratic Farmer-Labor party for the non-hotdish eaters out there) really shot themselves in the foot by choosing Al Franken as their candidate. There were a couple of good, serious Democrats out there that would have mopped the fucking floor with Norm, but NOOOOOOO...we just can't resist a good ol' celebrity politician up here. :roll:
P
Philosopher B.
*Gasp* It wasn't my state!GasBandit said:
North_Ranger
Staff member
Russian newspaper Pravda calls President Martti Ahtisaari's Nobel Peace Prize a sham. Sorry about the link. I would have found you the article proper, but Pravda.ru's search engine works about as well as a Soviet-made car.
Minister of Education Sari Sarkomaa leaves her post to take care of her family.
Minister of Education Sari Sarkomaa leaves her post to take care of her family.
In before feminists who mis-intepret this as the lady wanting to stay in the kitchen.Espy said:
North_Ranger
Staff member
Is it just me or is the reporter reading a wee bit too much into the whole shoe thing? "The sole is considered dirty"? How about "the shoe is sturdy, it'll probably smart if I throw it at him"?JONJONAUG said:
GasBandit
Staff member
Most mainstream media sources are doing pretty good at tiptoeing around the fact that Bernie Madoff, orchestrator of what is being called the world's largest Ponzi scheme ever (to the tune of fifty billion dollars) was a big donor to democrat party concerns and candidates. You can bet if he was a GOP donor, it'd have been trumpeted at every opportunity. If he was a libertarian party candidate the money would have been considered twice as squandered as before 
But really, about all this ponzi scheme stuff... a ponzi scheme is a system destined to collapse which pays off dividends to early contributors with the buy-in money of later contributors and the cycle repeats until it becomes unsustainably large and insufficient new suckers can be found to keep the trickle going to the previous generation of suckers.... What Madoff is really guilty of here is just impersonating the federal government. When Madoff does it they call it a "ponzi scheme" and throw the perp in the slammer. When the federal government does it they call it Social Security and keep the perp in office for 4 terms.
Perhaps the Korean immigrant whose family was killed when an F-18 crashed into his house doesn't blame the pilot, but his neighbors sure want to blame the marine air base. They want that thing closed and outta there. Somehow I find it hard to agree with them when the base has been around longer than any of the complainers has been alive (1917), and THEY chose to move close to IT.
Due to computer glitches and government bureaucracy, widows of our war veterans have been wrongfully denied millions of dollars in government benefits. This is why we don't want the federal government in charge of more stuff.
How do you feel about the government spending your taxpayer dollars to help delinquent mortgage borrowers?
Teachers unions are hindering student learning? There's a real shocker.
It's official .. a court in Germany has ruled that having epic boobies is not an illness.
But really, about all this ponzi scheme stuff... a ponzi scheme is a system destined to collapse which pays off dividends to early contributors with the buy-in money of later contributors and the cycle repeats until it becomes unsustainably large and insufficient new suckers can be found to keep the trickle going to the previous generation of suckers.... What Madoff is really guilty of here is just impersonating the federal government. When Madoff does it they call it a "ponzi scheme" and throw the perp in the slammer. When the federal government does it they call it Social Security and keep the perp in office for 4 terms.
Perhaps the Korean immigrant whose family was killed when an F-18 crashed into his house doesn't blame the pilot, but his neighbors sure want to blame the marine air base. They want that thing closed and outta there. Somehow I find it hard to agree with them when the base has been around longer than any of the complainers has been alive (1917), and THEY chose to move close to IT.
Due to computer glitches and government bureaucracy, widows of our war veterans have been wrongfully denied millions of dollars in government benefits. This is why we don't want the federal government in charge of more stuff.
How do you feel about the government spending your taxpayer dollars to help delinquent mortgage borrowers?
Teachers unions are hindering student learning? There's a real shocker.
It's official .. a court in Germany has ruled that having epic boobies is not an illness.
I am happy that Biden picked a real dog, to fulfill his wife's promise to buy him a dog if he got elected VEEP. He picked out a German Shepherd Dog....!
You missed this piece of kind and tender tolerance to those who have different opinions than yours: http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/12/13/palin.church/?iref=hpmostpop
So don't like the previous veep candidate? What better way to show your tolerance than to torch her church and create over a million dollars in damage and endanger the lives of those inside?
I hope they find the scum who did this.
So don't like the previous veep candidate? What better way to show your tolerance than to torch her church and create over a million dollars in damage and endanger the lives of those inside?
Seriously though, hopefully this wasn't the case but... it's hard to believe it was for any other reason.
I hope they find the scum who did this.
A
Armadillo
Didn't you get the message? We're taking over the world one message board at a time. Lutefisk for all!!!Espy said:
(Note: I am not Scandinavian and do not endorse lutefisk or its usage as a torture device. I'm German, where at least the damn food's better. We also have beer, you Nordic twits.)
A
Armadillo
I watch a lot of hockey. That's something.slothilopolis said:
My toes are still cold from the drive to work this morning.
With this many Minnesota residents, I think we need a frozen emoticon...like this one but smaller:
With this many Minnesota residents, I think we need a frozen emoticon...like this one but smaller:
GasBandit
Staff member
Bush is discussing an auto "rescue" that could cost upwards of $40 billion. Well, at least the man is consistent, I guess. rly:
And while we're on the subject, how about a recap of the worst government waste of the year.
A shout out to all our Minnesotans in the thread. Norm Coleman has asked the Minnesota Supreme Court to get involved in this Senate race with funny guy Al Franken.
I guess even in these troubled economic times, every cloud has a silver lining: Some Mexicans leaving US, planning never to return.
This story is about a supermarket that refused to personalize a birthday cake for a toddler .. Adolf Hitler Campbell. Parents of the year.
Here's a twofer from the UK ... environmentalist protesters and government waste.
What is going on in Great Britain lately? Now the Salvation Army can't ring bells or shake charity tins because it might "offend other religions." (Yes, I realize it's the daily mail :finger: )
Haven't had enough from the UK? Fine. A blind man was turned away from a restaurant because his guide dog was offensive to the Muslim staff. (The restaraunt was apparently one of Indian cuisine)
rly: And while we're on the subject, how about a recap of the worst government waste of the year.
A shout out to all our Minnesotans in the thread. Norm Coleman has asked the Minnesota Supreme Court to get involved in this Senate race with funny guy Al Franken.
I guess even in these troubled economic times, every cloud has a silver lining: Some Mexicans leaving US, planning never to return.
This story is about a supermarket that refused to personalize a birthday cake for a toddler .. Adolf Hitler Campbell. Parents of the year.
Here's a twofer from the UK ... environmentalist protesters and government waste.
What is going on in Great Britain lately? Now the Salvation Army can't ring bells or shake charity tins because it might "offend other religions." (Yes, I realize it's the daily mail :finger: )
Haven't had enough from the UK? Fine. A blind man was turned away from a restaurant because his guide dog was offensive to the Muslim staff. (The restaraunt was apparently one of Indian cuisine)
JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell, Honszlynn Hinler Jeannie Campbell and Adolf Hitler Campbell?
Are you fucking kidding me? You are looking at the next generation of racist idiots, folks. I mean really. It's okay to be racist - it's your right as a US citizen. But these poor kids are going to be persecuted throughout the rest of their lives.
I would LOVE to see the kid date a black DUDE when he turns 16. Just to fuck with the moronic parents.
Are you fucking kidding me? You are looking at the next generation of racist idiots, folks. I mean really. It's okay to be racist - it's your right as a US citizen. But these poor kids are going to be persecuted throughout the rest of their lives.
I would LOVE to see the kid date a black DUDE when he turns 16. Just to fuck with the moronic parents.
You're thinking small, ed. Think bigger.Edrondol said:
Think of the kid dating one of dem Jews.
But yeah, its kinda nasty of the store to refuse to do the cake for the kid. I mean. He's a kid.
Facepalm. Its the Salvation Army. You know? They do charity?
Yes. Muslims do think of dogs as unclean. But they could've placed the dog somewhere for the blind man rather than call security.
Gotcha. Don't get me wrong, it's not GOOD that this guy did this, but it's GOOD to shine a light on this kind of discrimination.GasBandit said:
Also: Sounds like the Palin Church arson fire is heating up: http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/national_world&id=6557103
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