At 12/4/09 04:08 AM, yurgenburgen wrote:

People who believe in god believe that god loves them because they are convinced that they are living their lives as god would want them to. If they believe god doesn't want them to work on the sabbath, and they abstain from working on the sabbath, god loves them for it.

If they find something in one of their holy books that would inconvenience their lives in some way, they can simply ignore it or interpret it wildly enough so that it fits into their life as it already is. In a roundabout way, god still loves them.

Essentially, it doesn't matter what they do or how faithful they are, as long as they believe in god, that's all that seems to matter to them.

Quoted because this should really end the discussion right here...

Man you guys are sooo late. But what do you expect when this incident happened during the Michael Jackson lovefest...

At 11/11/09 08:08 PM, mayeram wrote: This is only big news because A) she was killed in a courtroom, and B) she was Muslim.

Media reports say Mr Okaz was injured both by the attacker and when a policeman opened fire in the courtroom.

Even though the husband had been stabbed almost as many times as his wife (his injuries later putting him in a coma), the officer walking in assumedhe was the assailant and shot him.

Thats juicy stuff for pundits to tear up right there...

They are saying the FBI investigated him but his actions didn't meet the criteria...

While that may be legit...the fact remains, someone is probably gonna lose their job over this...

At 11/9/09 02:46 PM, Elfer wrote: Unfortunately for proponents, it doesn't look like this one is going past the senate.

It passed...but if any changes were made in the Senate before it passed, then that means it has to go back to the House...again...

PLEASE don't let this be another failure in our "intelligence community"...

I mean, sure it isn't on par in casualties to that of 9/11...but still, one expects shit like this to not happen when you know of it in advance...

I mean, was it because he was a Major?

At 11/9/09 08:58 AM, gumOnShoe wrote: The path to a Holocaust is paved with the demonetization of a culture for the illusion of security.

I just had shivers. Remember The Siege?!

"In the bill's most controversial provision, the government would sell insurance, although the Congressional Budget Office forecasts that premiums for it would be more expensive than for policies sold by private companies."

Wait...so are the prices gonna go down or not?!?!?!

At 10/29/09 11:27 AM, morefngdbs wrote: CAN YOU NOT SEE THE FOREST PEOPLE,,,WHAT,,, BECAUSE ALL THE TREE'S ARE BLOCKING YOUR VIEW ?

All the services you mentioned are vital and necessary for all in some way.

Except school.

You get done with k-12, but your expected to pay taxes towards it for the rest of your life. I think thats bullshit.

At 10/25/09 08:48 PM, gumOnShoe wrote: Nothing short of this can ever bring peace to humanity. The question is, would this peace be the equivalent of a death sentence for humanity as well?

Didn't we see a complacency of this sort in George Orwells 1984?

I don't understand why any of you are finding this surprising.

Heaven forbid the day you see an American politician bring up Tienanmen Square in the presence of Chinese diplomats...

http://politifact.com/truth-o-meter/pers onalities/glenn-beck/

At 10/19/09 05:15 PM, TheMason wrote: So NG I want proof that Beck is lying or a racist.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RVcbmw9r dQ

He admits the question was "poorly worded"...but any way you look at it, his view summed up as this.

- You are one of many people advocating we "cut-and-run"
- You are a senator
- You are muslim

Glenn Beck also contradicted himself with regard to his position on healthcare. (its a clip from The Daily Show...)

The only thing one could be favorable about with regard to Glenn Beck is maybe his take on the economy. He's pretty much aligned with Ron Paul...

At 10/19/09 12:36 PM, gumOnShoe wrote: The man who thought men would colonize the galaxy seriously misunderstood, miscalculated or was just ignorant of what would be needed to do so. In fact, the idea of men making much further than we have in any reasonable amount of time is just about over because its time for the next step.

Remember when they thought we would all be "The Jetsons" by now?

This genome is a strong and vigorous one, and it did well getting us here, but we've had to modify it far long enough. Its a xenophobic genome that we have consistently had to repair and fix its deficits for long enough.

We....modify and repair DNA? I mean maybe for bacteria and such but where have we done it for humans?

Considering we are the stage of human face transplants and what not, science is hesitant because it doesn't believe its ready...not because it is afraid...

It is time to begin, with utmost urgency, to begin to find an alternative.

But the economy is in the shitter? Can't we put this off just a little longer?

:Our tech, both biological and mechanical ought to be put forth to its fullest capacity without letting anything get in the way of progress.

Like money...or laws...those shouldn't get in the way...

We should not be afraid of merging our bodies with the mechanical devices that have enabled us to move further than any other species before.

You mean like cyborgs?

Cause technically artificial limbs fall in the realm of what your talking about. Plus scientists are experimenting with nanobots to put in your blood...this is hardly a field that is being ignored...

Neither should we be too proud to admit weaknesses in our biological bodies that could be corrected.

Fuck you! There is nothing wrong with being "ginger"!!!

Seriously though, we have seen plastic surgery that is done for purely "cosmetic" reasons. I'm certain "genetic modifications" and the high price associated for it wouldn't be sought out for eliminating asthma or diabetes so much as it would be used to make my dick bigger. (there's a gene for that right?)

There is no reason we should not devote more money and time into developing a robust genome that upon replication produces bodies nigh impervious to infection, with an equal potential for mental capacity and abstract thought.

What a shame Billy Mays is gone...he could have pitched this idea to the UN. Then there would be soooo much money for research, cause if there is anything a nation has, its an abundance of money and willingness to part with it for experimental research with no possibility of immediate results...

The time of true equality should be not only upon us, but welcomed and ushered in.

The world isn't even equal in its present state.

And who is to say this technology will bring equality to everyone? Again, plastic surgery hasn't wiped out the plague of ugly people on our planet.

Plus your saying with this technology, we would all be eager to run out and share it with the world...just like how the UN ran out and setup the internet! :P

Intelligence is a natural right where it can be provided and we should provide it to everyone as soon as possible, just as we provide public education.

Public education has a cost too. How much would this natural right cost us? And do you think we live in a society that would accept it?

We should begin human experimentation, in earnest.

Ugh!!! We lose our shit over experimenting with stem cells...we aren't ready!!!

Mutations, or rather, improvements, should be one of the main focuses. We should seek to integrate this into our DNA so that as a species we can replicate and replace the old model of homo sapiens sapiens.

Again...the nanobots!

Science is already doing this...they aren't taking their sweet ass time. They are doing what they can with the money. And you can't expect immediate results either. Look how long the artificial heart took us? Look how long it took us to map the human genome? And the nanobots will probably take a long time before any scientists suggest we start using them...

We should also seek immortal preservation of consciousness via the abundance computer memory and processing power. Letting our greatest thinkers die and deteriorate has been one of humanities greatest crimes.

Yes, they should sit in jars like in Futurama!

:The catastrophic loss of ideas over the centuries is a horror and should be ended.

When was the last time we had a serious loss of ideas? The Dark Ages?!

Do you see that happening again and having the same impact?

In short, we should move to enact laws and educate our children so that the future will be a brighter place for all.

When you stake your claim for Emperor, I will dedicate my Gundam legions to you. Then we can create this fanciful utopia unapposed.

And they all lived happily ever after.

:We should funnel as much money and research into these under developed sciences as possible, for they are the greatest hope for the survival of our collective consciousness.

Can you show me just "how little" the money is going into this research?

What say you?

How many science journals do you read? And where is this money being wasted? Where are we not spending time focusing on things like nanomedicine?

I've seen plans to create a new type of "milky" substance to replace the blood bags hospitals depend on with the Red Cross.

But whatever...it sounds to me like your impatient and are desperately hoping for things like immortality in your lifetime...

Regardless, I despise the implication that we as a society are throwing our money away at these universities and scientists...who do nothing but sit on their asses all day...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yw6G32DGb -Y

"Linda Tisdale, the district's managing director, said employees must ask in advance before wearing any deviation from the standard uniform. "

That was all it would have taken...screw the bus driver. Each independant company can have its own dress code. You think they would allow girls in sweaters/hoodies to work at Hooters?

Man, why doesn't prostate cancer get this much attention? Doesn't that have like a higher mortality rate?

omg...$30 million creates only 622 jobs so far?

Is that good?

At 10/15/09 10:49 AM, satanbrain wrote: i know that some troops did bad things. let usinvestigate this.

At 10/16/09 12:49 AM, bcdemon wrote: Why, so there can be more stories like Captain R. Guy empties his clip into a 13 year old school girl, and gets promoted to Major for it.

Oh my... Israeli "investigations" lasted for two days. What a joke...

At 10/15/09 12:47 AM, SevenSeize wrote: We all want to be the pack leader.

I'm pretty much gonna go with this.

There have, after all, been plenty of examples of individuals with extravagant power. But they all go across the spectrum; few being extremely evil, few being extremely benevolent, and most just being in the middle.

There are three things you should consider though:

-Self preservation: Its easy to not give a damn when you don't have it to begin with. We all have a comfort zone with regard to our preferred lifestyle because its what we are accustomed to. This level can easily go up, but its difficult (sometimes impossible) to accept it going down.

For example, I was fine riding my bike through long distances and atrocious weather because it was all I knew at the time. Now that I'm driving, it seems absurd to consider ever going back. Regardless of whatever "health benefits" and "going green" type of attitude you would give me. The convenience and ease is something I have become just too accustomed to.

I'm sure we all have examples of stuff we use to do but find absolutely inconceivable going back to now... (returning to dial-up internet...)

-Justification: Cyrus the Great created a vast empire that was tolerant of all religions, promoted human rights, served the people, etc. But he did it all with the force of armies and despite having a "diverse counsil", made no attempt at relinquishing any of his power. Would you say he was corrupt?

How about Emperor Augustus? Who ushered in an age of relative peace and prosperity that was made even better by the "Five Good Emporers" . Had he not turned the roman "republic" into an "empire". One that would answer to him and him alone. Isn't abandoning a democracy considered a step back? Then again, the Senate was quite corrupt and self-interested...but wasn't Augustus as well?

-Figure heads: In relation to what I said about "self preservation", consider many of todays monarchs that wield virtually no power. They have traded their power away in exchange for keeping their lavish way of life. Can it really be said that its about power then?

At 10/14/09 02:15 PM, zoolrule wrote: Turkey not in the middle east

What?

Jordan constitutional monarchy
Kuwait constitutional monarchy

"in the middle of an area that rejects Western culture..."

Gosh...doesn't Europe have a bunch of those? Like the UK even...

Yemen Ali Abdullah Saleh president since 1978.

How evil! I mean people keep voting for him so he stays! Bastard!!!

Oh wait, they are probably corrupt...good thing America condemns them like they do with North Korea...

Azarbeijan not in middle east.

Okay.

Lebanon closest to be a democracy and still far far away, confessionalism.

Yeah, scew those guys for making alterations to their system after a violent and long sectarian civil war...that shit never happens in America.

At 10/14/09 01:08 PM, AapoJoki wrote: Israel, while not in the top end of the list, is miles ahead of every single country you mentioned.

*facepalm at missing the point

I never said it was garbage.

I also never said those countries were "awesome" democracies. My post was meant to be educational for those who are SOOOOOO ill informed about the Middle East, that they are of a mind set that believes:

- " Israel [still] has its back against the wall" (cause the arab nations are so eager to get their asses handed to them again)

- "a shining gem of democracy and Western culture" (but hey, Israel and other Middle Eastern nations aren't doing too bad when you consider their age group)

- "in the middle of an area that rejects Western culture" (ugh)

At 10/14/09 01:08 PM, AapoJoki wrote: Yes, just because a country considers itself a "constitutional democracy", it must be democratic, right? I mean North Korea is officially a "people's democratic republic, so it must be good, right?

FFS...how did you miss the point of my post?

Maybe I should have written it better...I never said they were perfect. I never said Israel sucks. I was contesting false notions and prejudices. I was arguing that Democracy comes in more than one flavor! So many, in fact, you could go on and on arguing which system is the best. That Israel isn't a perfect gem. That the nations of the middle east do not hate us and our ways and everything about us...

I agree with the sentiments most of you have posted, but I'm gonna have to go off a bit. I don't wanna derail the topic, but too many people "think" (if thats what you wanna call it) like Christopherr...so excuse me for a moment while I clear some things up for those who form opinions from tv shows and video games....

At 10/13/09 05:12 PM, Christopherr wrote: a shining gem of democracy and Western culture in the middle of an area that rejects Western culture...

SHUT THE FUCK UP, YOU DOLT.

I mean, REALLY! To think people believed Iraq was going to be the first true democracy...what is "liberal democracy" the only true form now?

At 10/14/09 09:04 AM, Jinzoa wrote: Although there are cases where you get around to learning a caertain part of maths and god knows you will never end up using it.

Fool! I just used derivatives to get laid last night. You know not what you speak!!

At 10/9/09 09:07 PM, SevenSeize wrote: I can cook.

Can you cook psychotically?

WTF!

They give Obama a Nobel Peace Prize for his "efforts" but they still haven't given shit to Edhi?

Are you fucking kidding me?

What about Warren Buffet?!

Seriously...fuck all of the guys who decide this shit...

If At 10/9/09 10:08 AM, Proteas wrote:

Well... if this doesn't convince you of the political nature of the Nobel committee, then I don't know what will.

"I do not view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments, but rather as an affirmation of American leadership," Obama said from the White House Rose Garden.

Good thing he tacked on that first half...

I think Ed Rollins said it best...

"I think at this point, the thing I'm curious about is, this is a storybook made-for-TV story. A young senator basically gets elected president after a very short period of time. Nine months into his administration, when the world is still at war - he's sitting down at a war council today - he gets the Nobel Peace Prize. I mean, if you presented that as a made-for-TV, you probably would get the script rejected."

But whatever...I guess I can't find myself in a mood to reward Obama after he failed to bring Israel/Palestine to a beer summit- I mean peace talks.

Hell, the man didn't even get Israel to stop settlement expansion...but whatever, maybe it has less to do with a backbone and more to do with the fact that its just "politics" and words...now that he's elected, Obama has changed his tone on the Armenian Genocide...

At 10/7/09 08:07 PM, SkunkyFluffy wrote:

At 10/7/09 06:18 PM, yurgenburgen wrote: If Cuban cigars were legal in the U.S., the U.S. cigar industry would crash and burn.

You obviously know absolutely nothing about cigars if you genuinely believe this.

I know right...at least my conspiracy theory acknowledged they would still exist.

I mean candy corn still exists!

At 10/6/09 02:05 AM, lapis wrote:

At 10/5/09 07:45 PM, hansari wrote: I see your Telegraph and raise you Guardian!

Haha, a rebuttal. But I don't really find it that convincing, as they don't address one of the main arguments in the Telegraph article. I agree that the name ending in -jian is a weak argument per se, but according to the Telegraph, "the name(Sabourjian)is even on the list of reserved names for Iranian Jews compiled by Iran's Ministry of the Interior." Considering this, it has no relevance to point out that the name is not so popular among Iranian Jews. It was apparently at some point popular or exclusive enough to make in on a list.

Yeah, and if I know anything about lists, its that they are never wrong. Especially those made by the government!!

By the way, did you know Nazi's scoured the streets for girls named "Rachel"?

I wonder how many non-jews there are today named Rachel...

At 10/7/09 04:43 PM, poxpower wrote: He flat-out wondered how on earth I could know you can lose that amount of weight in 7 weeks. I'VE DONE IT IN LESS.
In fact, TONS OF PEOPLE HAVE.

I'm not disagreeing with the statement.

But "medical qualifications" sounds like he is asking for the degrees that represent your understanding of personal fitness. Or the total hours you have put in practicing medicine.

Using that insane experiment to signify that...well thats hilarious!!!

I mean...imagine if someone is applying for a job in construction and is asked about his "qualifications." And then the guy replies, "well, I have put in a lot of hours working with my legos..."

At 10/7/09 04:43 PM, poxpower wrote: You don't need to be a fucking doctor to know this.

No, but I'd take his proposal a little more seriously...not the guy who starved himself for fun...

At 10/7/09 04:43 PM, poxpower wrote: In fact, even people who's entire knowledge on health, medicine and fitness was watching the show "The BIggest Loser" would know this.

Doesn't that show have a cash incentive of getting hundreds of thousands of dollars?

I missed that awesome part of your proposed program...cause people will do things for money...even for a little...

At 10/7/09 04:43 PM, poxpower wrote: Man this is too easy. I should have been a lawyer.

Maybe you should shoot this idea the next time you go see your doctor.

Or for more convenience, my enlightened word-weaver (I made that up just for you as "lawyer" doesn't do you justice), you could post this idea on a forum for doctors and see what they have to say!

Plenty of resident doctors frequent this one.

Please post a link to the thread you make there over here as well, so that we may all revel in your mastery of the art of persuasion.

At 10/7/09 06:03 PM, SkunkyFluffy wrote: Well, now that Obama has signed the flavored cigarette ban into law, flavored cigar sales will skyrocket, and maybe the Cigar Lobby will finally back off the Cuban embargo...

What?!! No!!! After working so hard to push that legislation! It would be counter-productive to lift the Cuban Embargo...

Look at the profits these guys are already making!

At 10/7/09 06:05 PM, RubberTrucky wrote: Honestly, Wilders is a demagogic trash politician who hopes to become popular by trashing one ethnicity.

I don't know...he does rag on muslims exclusively, but his ban on immigration would cover all "non-western" nations...

So I'm sticking to my "super pale force" theory since that includes russians, asians, africans....

At 10/6/09 01:03 AM, TheReno wrote: Fifty years my ass. Reagan. nuff said.

Reagan economics: End the Cold War with trillions of dollars worth of debt...

At 10/6/09 08:48 PM, Aughiris wrote: Even though he is a complete jackass, he is the only one with the balls to take on the Islam because those terrorist fucks tend to kill anyone who disagrees with their fascist views.

Cause the Netherlands is rampant with terrorism...

In May 2006, a poll by Motivaction / GPD (1,200 Dutch adults +/- 3%) found that 63% of Dutch citizens felt that Islam is incompatible with modern European life. A poll of June 2004 found that 68% felt threatened by "immigrant or Muslim young people", 53% feared a terrorist attack by Muslims in the Netherlands, and 47% feared that at some point, they would have to live according to Islamic rules in the Netherlands.

According to Statistics Netherlands (CBS), a Dutch governmental institution, about 5% of the total Dutch population are Muslims....They are concentrated in low-income neighborhoods with poor housing quality, chronic unemployment, and high levels of crime.

Boy...now it makes sense why you guys are afraid of them taking over...I mean they make up like 5%!!!

At 10/5/09 01:16 PM, Mastercoder wrote: Post what you think about Geert Wilders here.

Wilders is best known for his criticism of Islam, summing up his views as being that "I don't hate Muslims. I hate Islam."

...

Although identifying Islamic extremists as a small 5-15% minority of Muslims...

The polling info says only 5%...unless Wilder wants to get rid of all people of questionable non-white descent.

...that Muslims should "tear out half of the Koran if they wished to stay in the Netherlands" because it contains 'terrible things'...

I forgot how the Koran is the only religious text that states 'terrible things'...

"The book incites hatred and killing and therefore has no place in our legal order."

Why is the Netherlands afraid of Shariah law? Some idiot talked about how it could be implemented if ever there were a muslim majority...muslims are 5%...

...all Muslim immigration to the Netherlands should be halted and all settled immigrants should be paid to leave.

Oh, okay...so he is a racist.

I love how he compared the Koran with Mein Kampf...then talks about this dream to create a super-pale-white nation...hahahaha

"Take a walk down the street and see where this is going. You no longer feel like you are living in your own country. There is a battle going on and we have to defend ourselves. Before you know it there will be more mosques than churches!"

5%

An immigration ban of five years for immigrants from non-western countries. Foreign residents no longer shall have the right to vote in municipal elections.

This stuff is hilarious... its like he is a white Ahmadenijad...
"Islam is the Trojan Horse in Europe. If we do not stop Islamification now, Eurabia and Netherabia will just be a matter of time. One century ago, there were approximately 50 Muslims in the Netherlands. Today, there are about 1 million Muslims in this country. Where will it end? We are heading for the end of European and Dutch civilisation as we know it. Where is our Prime Minister in all this?

In reply to my questions in the House he said, without batting an eyelid, that there is no question of our country being Islamified. Now, this reply constituted a historical error as soon as it was uttered. Very many Dutch citizens, Madam Speaker, experience the presence of Islam around them. And I can report that they have had enough of burkas, headscarves, the ritual slaughter of animals, so-called honour revenge, blaring minarets, female circumcision, hymen restoration operations, abuse of homosexuals, Turkish and Arabic on the buses and trains as well as on town hall leaflets, halal meat at grocery shops and department stores, Sharia exams, the Finance Minister's Sharia mortgages, and the enormous overrepresentation of Muslims in the area of crime, including Moroccan street terrorists."

...

You support this guy? Cause he will do wonders for the way the world portrays the Dutch.

He has already done wonders on how I portray you ;)

At 10/6/09 04:36 PM, TomFulp wrote: Denzel-Crocker and pupart were evacuated from their homes due to the flood in the Philippines.

Good thing Newgrounds has a record of all the valuable work they may have lost...