Artful Dodger: I will quote you on this one

Jim Dandy: Dude, I've been off the edge for a long, long time now. Haven't you noticed?

Artful Dodger: Did Republican policy just send you off the edge?

August 18, 2010
Some deluge
Clarice Feldman
Arizona's Espresso Pundit makes fun of the Arizona Republic's predictions about the political affect of the state's immigration law:

I especially enjoyed the commentary by Democrats who "worried" that SB 1070 was going to lead to the demise of the Republican Party. This "concern" was coupled with the "fact" that people were flocking to Democratic Party headquarters in order to register to vote. Here's agood example of the coverage.

I love the headline. "SB 1070 Backlash spurs Hispanics to Join Democrats."

Here's the lede.

In the seven weeks since Republican Gov. Jan Brewer signed Arizona's tough new immigration law, there has been a sharp increase in the number of Latinos registering to vote as Democrats, party officials say, jumping from about 100 a week before to 500 now.

Now that we've had some time to tabulate the numbers, how is that registration drive going? Here are the latest statistics.

The number of registered voters in Arizona has increased 1 percent over the last three months. Statewide figures showed Democratic registration decreased by 530 voters. Registration for Independents rose by more than 25,000 voters and increased by more than 10,000 voters for Republicans.

Wow, down 530. That's really embarrassing...and to think, the registration forms are written in Spanish and everything...

I don't know who should be more embarrassed, the Democratic Activists who thought their SB 1070 demagoguery would lead to increased voter participation...or the naive journalists who cheered them on.

Obamacare - unintended consequences: Health care costs up 9% in big companies. But didn't Obama say that our premiums wouldn't be effected?

Next up: Tax increases to help pay for it.

Übergeek 바둑이: George Sr actually cried that GW ruined it for Jeb

Übergeek 바둑이: It would remind people of the Kennedy family and their problems... George has lost the republicans much appeal.

I always wondered why Jeb Bush never ran for higher office. I am sure he must have some appeal among Republicans.

Tuesday: Have you watched his tv show?
I think every republican candidate is on the Fox payroll

Übergeek 바둑이:

Something I did hear about is about Joe Biden leaving the vice-presidency. If that were the case maybe Hilary Clinton would become the vice-presidential candidate. An Obama-Clinton ticket would be very difficult to beat.

Artful Dodger:

I think that is wishful thinking. I doubt that he would just step away from the presidency. I think the real challenge is on the other side. The Republicans have to mount an aggressive campaign and chose their best possible candiadate. It will be interesting to see who their candidate is. I haven't read any opinion poll results showing who the favorite Republican candidate would be. I imagine that Sarah Palin, maybe even Mike Huckabee.

Artful Dodger: That won't happen.First black president is not going to quit, it would look terrible

Übergeek 바둑이: Some analysts suspect he's not interested in reelection and that he's setting things up for Hillary in 2012.

Artful Dodger:

Reelect Barack Bin Laden!

Übergeek 바둑이: You missed it. He's already in!

Artful Dodger:
> All of the above have been done by our 44th president.

> Again, I ask, what would a jihadist do?

Barack Bin Laden for president! Hurray!!!

Artful Dodger: George Bush had those who were against him taken away into specially designated zones so their protest would not be seen on TV. His heavies tried to have those who protested imprisoned.

Artful Dodger: Sounds like those conservatives in the Tea party who are trying to define what a true conservative is!!

What Would a Jihadist Do?
Eileen F. Toplansky
Would a jihadist:
Cosponsor a United Nations resolution in 2009 imposing "shariah blasphemy" laws that utterly conflict with the American First Amendment's protection of free speech After all, free speech is prohibited within the Muslim-controlled world.
Appoint a sharia finance specialist to the White House to influence American banking transactions to comply with sharia law.
Increase America's debt to ensure that Americans will be interminably indebted to other countries and forced to do business with sharia-compliant banks, thus promoting the quiet takeover of the avowed enemy.
Hinder economic movement in America by setting up roadblocks for small businesses, the lifeblood of American enterprise.
Turn his back on believers in freedom and choice as they are inimical to jihadism.
Hurt Americans ability to stay well. A weakened and distracted America will not worry too much about stealth jihadist movements.
Permit sharia financing to infiltrate American banking by controlling those very banks.
Associate with the Muslim Brotherhood because the Muslim Brotherhood's mission in America is "to destroy the Western civilization from within." In fact, the Muslim Brotherhood "seeks to establish an Islamic Caliphate spanning the entire Muslim world. It also aspires to make Islamic (Shari'a) law the sole basis of jurisprudence and governance...."
Encapsulated in the Brotherhood's militant credo [is the following]

"God is our objective, the Koran is our Constitution, the Prophet is our leader, struggle is our way, and death for the sake of God is the highest of our aspirations"

Thus, "the Brotherhood since its founding has supported the use of armed struggle, or jihad. The Brotherhood supports the waging of jihad against non-Muslim "infidels," and has expressed support for terrorism against Israel, whose legitimacy the Brotherhood does not recognize, and against the West, particularly the United States."

Appoint someone who seeks to promote sharia law throughout America.
Not object to the enforced segregation of Muslims and non-Muslims in the Islamic world since jihadists regard anyone not a Muslim as a second class citizen, at best.
Maintain a double standard concerning freedom and civil rights when it applies to Jews because the Jews are infidels.
Bow to the king of Saudi Arabia to show homage
Show indifference to people seeking independence from a fanatical tyrant.
Ignore the plight of gay people living under Islamic rule; after all sharia law mandates stoning of gays.
Try to undermine a democratically held election in a foreign country as democratic choice runs counter to Islamic belief.
Offend countries that have democratic beliefs.
Disregard the destruction of Christian holy places by jihadists, since Christians are also the infidel.
Lie about issues because taqiyya is an accepted method of jihadist policy in order to spread Muslim rule.
Accept linguistic euphemisms to hide the true intent of jihadist action.
Show disdain for American democratic values and commemorations of American bravery in the fight against totalitarianism, especially since Naziism shares many similarities to jihadist belief.
Bully the only democracy in the midst of all those sharia-compliant countries in the Middle East in order to defeat this outpost of freedom.
All of the above have been done by our 44th president.

Again, I ask, what would a jihadist do?

Nancy Pelosi calls for investigation into opponents of Ground Zero Mosque
Thomas Lifson
The most powerful woman in government "join[s] those who have called for looking into how is this opposition to the mosque being funded." KCBS radio in San Francisco interviewed the Speaker. Listen here.

Pelosi made a fool of herself calling the tea parties "Astroturf," and this remark is, if anything, even stupider. On Planet Pelosi, the only way a political movement happens is with funding and direction from above -- as in the case of the vast network of Soros-funded organizations, and the Axelrod-sponsored Astroturf groups. The concept that ordinary people stand up and protest because of their convictions is alien to her.

So much for her respect for the will of the people. They are but sheep on Planet Peloisi, objects to be manipulated.

Tuesday: They were a way of describing mankind's moods and emotions.

Tuesday: Trying to describe God as a elderly white man was just an offshoot from the Roman and Greek Gods.

Tuesday:

> Name one problem in the word that wasn't man made.

That's exactly my point. A perfect God makes NO mistakes. If God had made even the slightest mistake, then he would not be perfect. Humanity is imperfect. The only way God can be perfect again is to erase his mistakes, but He is a creator and not a destroyer, so He left us to erase our own mistakes. I might be able to become a better person as an individual, but humanity is iincapable of becoming better as a whole. Eventually, our mistake will be fatal and we will completely destroy ourselves and everything in this planet. Then God's mistake will be erased and God will be perfect again. The only way we could save ourselves would be to get rid of every weapon, stop every war, stop every bit of environmental destruction, stop releasing cancer-causing chemicals, stop being greedy, stop being selfish, eliminate all poverty, etc. etc. But we are unable to, and given our history for the last 10,000 years, we never will. Thus it is a matter of time before some insane moron triggers Armageddon. All it takes is a nuclear bomb and the push of a button. That is the ultimate price of free will. It is in free will that God made his mistake. But we are arrogant, and want to see ourselves as more than we are. We want to be God's preferred children, rather than a mere evolutionary mistake.

Übergeek 바둑이: The devil is just a word describing our animal side out of control. As for natural disasters.. we live on a living planet. Yes thousands even millions might get killed in such an event but that is just life. Neither good or evil.. just life.

In a universe filled with billions of galaxies containing billions of stars... in the end.. If the Earth got hit and all life exterminated.... the universe wouldn't even blink. Yet at the same time Jupiter has by it's influence given us time to evolve rather than get hit by asteroids every few thousand years.. that again is life.

Maybe we should adopt the Origen way of thinking that God is an energy. not some bad tempered deity, an energy that is everywhere and in everything.

Tuesday:

There are many things about the Interpretations of the Bible that really bother me. If God created EVERYTHING, did he create Adolf Hitler too, and Osam Bin Laden and Ted Bundy, etc. Then people quote the Devil. Lucifer strayed and became the root of all Evil, but then, who created Lucifer?

Of all things that people interpret from the Bible these are what bothers me the most:

> The Bible tells us that God's ultimate purpose for the universe is to reveal His glory.

God's glory is revealed in nuclear bombs, and gas chambers, and the terrible things that human beings do? After all, if God made people in his own image and we are a reflection of His own glory. I think we are arrogant to think God made us in His image and that His glory is expressed through mankind.

> The Bible tells us that God's ultimate purpose for mankind is to reveal His love.

Every day there are floods, earthquakes, wars, etc. Is that God's love? Then we come to the old "He will reveal His glory and his love on the Day of Judgement". It sounds to me like an excuse. If God loves all of humanity, then why give a child cancer, or let a child be raped in a war? If God loves us, he is sure taking His time showing it.

> In a nutshell, God created mankind for His pleasure. He didn't need to create us, but
> He chose to create us for His own pure enjoyment. God is a loving Father and we
> were created to be His children.

I doubt that God enjoys war and suffering. So we tell ourselves that God aches for us, that he suffers as much as we do when he sees how bad we are. so we keep making excuses for God neglecting us and we keep telling ourselves that some day, somewhere, somehow, God will come and set things straight.

A long time ago I was a child and I understood as a child, and when I became a man I put away childish things, then I understood that God stopped caring about humanity a long time ago, because we have done nothing but disappoint him all along. He sent us prophets, wise men and even His own Son, and we still turned our backs on God. So God stopped loving humanity. Now we make excuses for ourselves and for why God never shows Himself to us.

Thus I developed a simple theory. God created life, and with life He created evolution so that some day an intelligent being would arise. That was Homo sapiens sapiens, the creature that was supposed to be the pinnacle of evolution on this planet and the true expression of God's creative power. But then something went wrong. Homo sapiens sapiens was defective. It started preying on everything, even itself. It destroyed everything it touched. It polluted every river and every lake. It slowly took over and destroyed every corner of the planet. Homo sapiens sapiens was God's evolutionary mistake. God wanted to erase that mistake, but he did not have the heart to destroy intelligent beings, so he left Homo sapiens sapiens to itself, so that it would slowly destroy itself in its own cruelty and arrogance. And so we are slowly killing ourselves. We try our best to get better, to be better, but our basic design flaw rears its ugly head. We keep preying on each other, exploiting each other, using each other for our own pursuit of wealth and power. Now we have the tools to destroy every living being on this planet, and it is only a matter of time before we do. Our own nuclear bombs will soon enough erase God's mistake. Then God can be perfect again, without that mistake hanging over Him. I think the reason why we never found intelligent life in the universe other than our own is because God did not wat to make the same mistake twice, so he never created another Homo sapiens sapiens. Making that mistake once was enough.

Bwild: ?? It's been illegal for a woman to protect herself and the life of her baby in extreme conditions!!

As for helping the economy.. I'm sure those extra souls going into prison will put to work to make goods cheaply.. eg US military gear for GI protection.

blow a 1.5 breathalyzer...mandatory prison time...
no lap dancing....
no alcohol in sex oriented businesses...
abortion now legal if mothers life is at risk
pregnant moms can now use deadly force if baby's at risk of harm..


nothing to help jobs...economy or the environment....but now a pregnant woman can kill someone to protect her child, but cant do a lap dance to feed it!! lol

Bwild: It all started off with saying the Bible does not have boogeyman sections in it. Then if you look back it went onto relativity and God.

But at least we have some sense from the 'conservative' element on this board..

"then likely religion is not the root of the problem but something else is."

Aye.. greed, power and face.

(V): whats this to do with politics?

If one could achieve light speed time stops.. why.. to protect the speed of light which cannot be broken. At the event horizon of a black hole.. time stops.

http://www.costellospaceart.com/html/time_and_the_speed_of_light.html

Artful Dodger:

Bernice: who me?

Pedro Martínez: Ummmmmmm....I always thought we were decendants of the mighty ape....OH, of course...that is only AD.

An electron knows quantum mechanics it can be in more than one place at a time

Plants know quantum mechanics... It's how they manage to convert light so efficiently into energy.

Quantum mechanics 101 ... things can just come into existance. Gravity 101 ... the more G the slower the time. Singularity 101 Einstein's theories do not work at the quantum level.

Time only starts when the Big Bang took place. The rules of gravity were not the same as they are now, from gravity being a strong force it 'leaked' into other dimensions and became a weak force.. that's why magnets can pick up things.

We cannot see gravity with our eyes, we can only see it's effect.

Moses saw the plagues.... how did he see them?

Pedro Martínez: I can imagine it to some extent. But Einstein certainly understood it. We know that time is relative to the observer. And we certainly know that time is not infinite.

AD: In my view, an all knowing all powerful First Cause created. In your view, it created itself.
PM: I also fail to imagine how anything can create itself.

Oops, I misunderstood you there. Got it now. 2:30 a.m. here, time to go to bed, I guess. :)

Artful Dodger: And by the way, by saying that an infinite temporal regress is not possible, you say that the original uncaused action “just happened“.

Artful Dodger: An infinite temporal regress of causes cannot exist.

But that's a philosophical premise. Based only on our extremely limited experience. I believe in the matter of creation of universe, it's not right to rule out a possibility just because it looks impossible to us. :)

Pedro Martínez: God couldn't be "created" because you end up with the problem of infinite regress. An infinite temporal regress of causes cannot exist.