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Government is not the solution to our problem, it IS the problem - Page 2

post #41 of 560
10/1/10 at 8:56am
Thread Starter 
Well at least they were able to focus on this vitally important piece of legislation before scrambling for the exits:

Senate votes to turn down volume on TV commercials

Malo periculosam, libertatem quam quietam servitutem.

(I prefer the tumult of liberty to the quiet of servitude.)

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Malo periculosam, libertatem quam quietam servitutem.

(I prefer the tumult of liberty to the quiet of servitude.)

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post #42 of 560
10/1/10 at 9:37am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jazzguru View Post

Well at least they were able to focus on this vitally important piece of legislation before scrambling for the exits:

Senate votes to turn down volume on TV commercials

It's about time.....
yes I want oil genocide.
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yes I want oil genocide.
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post #43 of 560
10/1/10 at 10:22am
US apologizes for infecting Guatemalans with STDs in the 1940s:

Quote:
The United States apologized Friday for a 1946-1948 research study that purposely infected people in Guatemala with sexually transmitted diseases.

Quote:
A similar study was conducted between 1932 and 1972 in Tuskegee, Alabama, on nearly 400 poor African-American men with syphilis whose disease was allowed to progress without treatment. The subjects were not told they were ill.

When the government wants to stick a needle into your body it might be a wise idea to be a little bit skeptical.

The state is nothing more than a criminal gang writ large.

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The state is nothing more than a criminal gang writ large.

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post #44 of 560
10/1/10 at 10:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jazzguru View Post

Senate votes to turn down volume on TV commercials

Better idea: trash your TV.

Quote:
... the average American spends the equivalent of a part‐time job watching television.

Over an average life time, it's the equivalent of thirteen years.

I hesitate to pull-quote the following, since you can read the ebook yourself, but it's simply too outrageous to omit (the document contains references for all of them):

Quote:
  1. People who watch 3 hours of TV per day are twice as likely to be obese than people who watch less than 1 hour per day.
  2. Average US parent spends only 38 min/week in meaningful conversation with children vs. 31½ hours/week watching TV.
  3. TV viewing in children at ages one and three is associated with ADHD symptoms at age seven.
  4. Viewing TV violence is the single strongest predictor of aggression later in life, according to long‐term study.
  5. Children witness 16,000 TV murders by age 18.
  6. Viewers watch an average 40,000 commercials per year.
  7. Commercials aimed at children influence an estimated $300 billion/year in sales.
  8. Students who watched an hour of TV per day or less scored the best on achievement tests.
  9. TV is addictive.
  10. The average American watches 4 hours 35 minutes of TV per day.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Wormhole View Post

It's about time.....

I rest my case.

---

TVs effect on individuals is bad enough. Its effect on society has more extensive implications:

Quote:
When a society is addicted to TV, democracy suffers

... Imagine politicians who no longer beg for money to cover the escalating costs of TV ads. Imagine voters who read about the debates, instead of watching the TV debate spectacle. Imagine engaged citizens, who debate the issues with their neighbors and participate actively in the community, instead of watching TV for 4½ hours every day (1.33 billion hours per day for the entire US population). Imagine a press that is not beholden to merely five multinational corporations. Imagine news where the sources of the story are transparent. Nothing would be the same.

One wonders how many intelligent, qualified leaders would emerge from this great country if not for the effects of how they're perceived on the boob tube.

---

There are two easy ways to add a dozen or more years to your life:

1. stop smoking
2. stop watching TV

Yet it's cigarette packs that have government health warnings.

I want cold turkey on TV about that many years ago. Wish I had done it much earlier.

http://www.trashyourtv.com/ebooks/ATATV.pdf
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post #45 of 560
10/1/10 at 12:00pm
Thread Starter 
Assassinating Americans, Secretly

Quote:
The Justice Department's motion to dismiss the ACLU's lawsuit in the Anwar al-Awlaki case confirms, once again, that when it comes to civil liberties, the Obama administration is no different from the Bush administration, and in fact is arguably much worse.
The al-Awlaki case involves President Obama's order authorizing his military and paramilitary forces (i.e., the CIA) to assassinate al-Awlaki, an American citizen. The proposed assassination is being justified under the Bush-Obama "war on terrorism."

No warrants. No grand jury indictments. No jury trials. No due process of law. Simply, assassination.

Welcome to the United States of Oceania.

WAR IS PEACE

FREEDOM IS SLAVERY

IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH

Malo periculosam, libertatem quam quietam servitutem.

(I prefer the tumult of liberty to the quiet of servitude.)

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Malo periculosam, libertatem quam quietam servitutem.

(I prefer the tumult of liberty to the quiet of servitude.)

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post #46 of 560
10/1/10 at 12:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jazzguru View Post

Assassinating Americans, Secretly

Few could be opposed to assassinating terrorists, until you learn how the law defines "terrorist":

'Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT ACT) Act of 2001'.

As Senator, in a rare act of doing something other than campaigning for President, Obama criticized the Act, due to sunset last February.

As President, he extended it, without the civil liberty protections he advocated as Senator, despite having more than enough Congressional support to incorporate them.

Big-government advocates often cite emergency circumstances in which our Constitutional protections should be suspended, when it's precisely those circumstances in which its guidance must be followed.
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post #47 of 560
10/1/10 at 2:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by john galt View Post

Better idea: trash your TV.





---

TVs effect on individuals is bad enough. Its effect on society has more extensive implications:



One wonders how many intelligent, qualified leaders would emerge from this great country if not for the effects of how they're perceived on the boob tube.

---

There are two easy ways to add a dozen or more years to your life:

1. stop smoking
2. stop watching TV

Yet it's cigarette packs that have government health warnings.

I want cold turkey on TV about that many years ago. Wish I had done it much earlier.

http://www.trashyourtv.com/ebooks/ATATV.pdf

Good for you. I did the same about 5 years ago, though I hardly watched any since i was about 18.

But sitting in front of a screen on the Sinternet is hardly good exercise either.

"If your enemies cannot find a flaw in your reasoning, they will find it in your reputation".

~ William Hazlitt

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"If your enemies cannot find a flaw in your reasoning, they will find it in your reputation".

~ William Hazlitt

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post #48 of 560
10/1/10 at 2:15pm
Think texting-while driving laws decrease accidents? Think again:

Quote:
"Texting bans haven't reduced crashes at all. In a perverse twist, crashes increased in 3 of the 4 states we studied after bans were enacted. It's an indication that texting bans might even increase the risk of texting for drivers who continue to do so despite the laws," says Adrian Lund, president of both HLDI and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

... "But this doesn't explain why crashes increased after texting bans," Lund points out. "If drivers were disregarding the bans, then the crash patterns should have remained steady. So clearly drivers did respond to the bans somehow, and what they might have been doing was moving their phones down and out of sight when they texted, in recognition that what they were doing was illegal. This could exacerbate the risk of texting by taking drivers' eyes further from the road and for a longer time."

Most states already had laws against driving while "distracted." This one wasn't necessary.

Shut up and drive.
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post #49 of 560
10/1/10 at 2:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by john galt View Post

Think texting-while driving laws decrease accidents? Think again:



Most states already had laws against driving while "distracted." This one wasn't necessary.

Shut up and drive.

Did they? Then why the hiding? Were the penalties changed etc?

"If your enemies cannot find a flaw in your reasoning, they will find it in your reputation".

~ William Hazlitt

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"If your enemies cannot find a flaw in your reasoning, they will find it in your reputation".

~ William Hazlitt

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post #50 of 560
10/1/10 at 3:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hands Sandon View Post

Did they? Then why the hiding? Were the penalties changed etc?

Who knows. From my informal observation of drivers while I'm biking or running along the road though, I'd estimate approximately 100% of drivers are on the phone. Approximately.
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post #51 of 560
10/1/10 at 3:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by john galt View Post

Who knows. From my informal observation of drivers while I'm biking or running along the road though, I'd estimate approximately 100% of drivers are on the phone. Approximately.

Would you apply the same criteria for illegal drug use?

"If your enemies cannot find a flaw in your reasoning, they will find it in your reputation".

~ William Hazlitt

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"If your enemies cannot find a flaw in your reasoning, they will find it in your reputation".

~ William Hazlitt

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post #52 of 560
10/1/10 at 4:00pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by john galt View Post

Who knows. From my informal observation of drivers while I'm biking or running along the road though, I'd estimate approximately 100% of drivers are on the phone. Approximately.

Slight exaggeration there, but agree it is a problem. I personally let the cell phone go to voice mail or give my phone to someone in the car and have them talk on my behalf if I'm driving.

One of the worst cases I've seen was a lady holding her cell phone to her left ear with her right hand, holding the steering wheel with her left hand, and then reaching over with her left hand to the shift lever to shift gears.

Malo periculosam, libertatem quam quietam servitutem.

(I prefer the tumult of liberty to the quiet of servitude.)

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Malo periculosam, libertatem quam quietam servitutem.

(I prefer the tumult of liberty to the quiet of servitude.)

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post #53 of 560
10/1/10 at 4:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jazzguru View Post

Slight exaggeration there, but agree it is a problem. I personally let the cell phone go to voice mail or give my phone to someone in the car and have them talk on my behalf if I'm driving.

One of the worst cases I've seen was a lady holding her cell phone to her left ear with her right hand, holding the steering wheel with her left hand, and then reaching over with her left hand to the shift lever to shift gears.

Who hasn't done that?!

I've done so much crazy stuff driving and I've never hurt anyone in more than 20 years. The most dangerous people on the roads are sometimes the safest, if you catch my drift.

"If your enemies cannot find a flaw in your reasoning, they will find it in your reputation".

~ William Hazlitt

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"If your enemies cannot find a flaw in your reasoning, they will find it in your reputation".

~ William Hazlitt

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post #54 of 560
10/1/10 at 7:13pm
By Howard LaFranchi, Staff writer / October 1, 2010

Quote:
Washington
Senior US officials responded swiftly and contritely Friday to revelations of a secret 1940s medical research project in which US scientists infected hundreds of Guatemalans with syphilis.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius issued a joint statement Friday condemning the appalling violations of medical ethics and human decency that occurred as a result of the research.

The two cabinet officials in the Obama administration apologized on behalf of the US to the individuals affected by the abhorrent practices revealed in the uncovered project. At the White House, press secretary Robert Gibbs said President Obama was informed of the research and planned to call Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom to offer official apologies.

Still, the revelation of the six-decade-old project, first made by a Wellesley College professor, is likely to revive perceptions among many Guatemalans that the US long used their country as well as Central America as a whole as a colony where it did as it pleased. The US assisted a military coup in Guatemala that toppled a democratically elected president in 1954, and sided with a number of repressive regimes during a 36-year civil war that ended in 1996.

Although these events occurred more than 64 years ago, we are outraged that such reprehensible research could have occurred under the guise of public health," the two secretaries said. We apologize to all the individuals who were affected by such abhorrent research practices.

The experiments occurred in Guatemala from 1946 to 1948 and involved sending prostitutes infected with syphilis into army barracks, a prison, and a psychiatric hospital to have sexual relations. Those exposed to the disease were then treated with different potential cures, including penicillin.

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Foreign...s-in-Guatemala

THEN THERE'S THIS

The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment


Quote:
The United States government did something that was wrongdeeply, profoundly, morally wrong. It was an outrage to our commitment to integrity and equality for all our citizens. . . . clearly racist.
President Clinton's apology for the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment to the eight remaining survivors, May 16, 1997

Quote:
For forty years between 1932 and 1972, the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) conducted an experiment on 399 black men in the late stages of syphilis. These men, for the most part illiterate sharecroppers from one of the poorest counties in Alabama, were never told what disease they were suffering from or of its seriousness. Informed that they were being treated for bad blood,1 their doctors had no intention of curing them of syphilis at all. The data for the experiment was to be collected from autopsies of the men, and they were thus deliberately left to degenerate under the ravages of tertiary syphiliswhich can include tumors, heart disease, paralysis, blindness, insanity, and death.
Quote:
As I see it, one of the doctors involved ehttp://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0762136.htmlxplained, we have no further interest in these patients until they die.

無心 The idea of wilderness needs no defense, it only needs defenders., Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit__Edward Abbey
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無心 The idea of wilderness needs no defense, it only needs defenders., Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit__Edward Abbey
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post #55 of 560
10/2/10 at 12:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hands Sandon View Post

Would you apply the same criteria for illegal drug use?

I don't understand the question. Are you referring to using drugs illegally, or using illegal drugs? A whole thread can be devoted to the "war on drugs" subcategory of endless wars to end all wars.

Quote:
Originally Posted by jazzguru View Post

One of the worst cases I've seen was a lady holding her cell phone to her left ear with her right hand, holding the steering wheel with her left hand, and then reaching over with her left hand to the shift lever to shift gears.

Oh, I've seen her left hand holding a phone, the right poking at the GPS, and the steering wheel presumably being manipulated by a knee. I guess the makeup was applied earlier. Running tends to improve one's situational awareness.
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post #56 of 560
10/2/10 at 5:52am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jazzguru View Post

Let's document the many, many instances of government action, inaction, policy, mismanagement, etc. which have exacerbated more problems than they have mitigated, or caused more problems than they have solved.

The list grows daily.

I'll kick things off with this little gem:

The Pollution Solution: Stopping the environment's worst enemy

There is no government in the world that is perfect.Every country has flaws.Some have more than others.There is no utopia.
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post #57 of 560
10/2/10 at 12:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jazzguru View Post

I'm so glad the government is working hard and spending so much of our tax money to protect us from the damaging effects of capital letters.
Quote:
Originally Posted by john galt View Post

To say nothing of the damaging effects of the metric system:

Add the scourge of toxic paper clips to the growing threats among us.
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post #58 of 560
10/2/10 at 9:33pm
  • BR
  • Justified Arrogance
Quote:
Originally Posted by john galt View Post

To say nothing of the damaging effects of the metric system: Metric Interstate Divides Arizonans

Or rather, the damaging effects of the ignorant masses who desperately cling to an inferior system of measure. Why not just go back to rods and furlongs and fortnights?

Your namesake was a fictitious, genius engineer (and genocidal maniac). Moreover, he was a fictitious, brilliant scientist. Randians should really try to embrace the science side of things a bit more.

 

“The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.” 
-Sagan
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“The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.” 
-Sagan
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post #59 of 560
10/2/10 at 10:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by gerald apple View Post

There is no government in the world that is perfect.Every country has flaws.Some have more than others.There is no utopia.

True. However, contrary to the premise of this thread, lack of government is far worse than flawed government.
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post #60 of 560
10/2/10 at 11:21pm
oops wrong thread
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post #61 of 560
10/3/10 at 7:36am
Quote:
Originally Posted by tonton View Post

True. However, contrary to the premise of this thread, lack of government is far worse than flawed government.

I'd disagree and the (far from complete) list of examples (there are many more) in this thread provides evidence for the part that says flawed government can be really, really bad...so I'm already have way there.

The state is nothing more than a criminal gang writ large.

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The state is nothing more than a criminal gang writ large.

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post #62 of 560
10/3/10 at 8:47am
Quote:
Originally Posted by MJ1970 View Post

I'd disagree and the (far from complete) list of examples (there are many more) in this thread provides evidence for the part that says flawed government can be really, really bad...so I'm already have way there.

There's a thin line between Libertarianism and anarchism. And I think you've just crossed it.
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post #63 of 560
10/3/10 at 9:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by tonton View Post

There's a thin line between Libertarianism and anarchism. And I think you've just crossed it.

I did? Care to explain how exactly?

The state is nothing more than a criminal gang writ large.

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The state is nothing more than a criminal gang writ large.

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post #64 of 560
10/3/10 at 3:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by BR View Post

Or rather, the damaging effects of the ignorant masses who desperately cling to an inferior system of measure. Why not just go back to rods and furlongs and fortnights?

Your namesake was a fictitious, genius engineer (and genocidal maniac). Moreover, he was a fictitious, brilliant scientist. Randians should really try to embrace the science side of things a bit more.

Yes, John Galt, the genocidal maniac! Closely allied with those great Objectivists Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Chairman Mao, Kim Il Sung, Hussein (the Saddam version) and genocidal wannabee Mahmoud Ahmadinejad!

Statists throughout history have considered people opposed to their beneficence as a contaminant to be exterminated; an infestation upon the Earth.

Dead people are of no use to capitalists.

---

One unit of measure is not "inferior" to another. They're just different, like languages. Or people. The fact that some are more common than others doesn't make them superior.

There's nothing particularly superior about the English language, arguably, it's inferior to many others. It has countless contradictory rules and inconsistent sentence construction. Concepts commonly expressed in other languages lack any English equivalents. English isn't particularly easy to learn, yet it's commonly spoken throughout the world. Should the entire world abandon English because it's "inferior"?

In Arizona, car buyers know a 315 HP Mustang accelerates from 0 to 60 in about 5 seconds and gets 17 MPG. Translating this to SI (232 kW, 0 to 97 km/h, 7 km/l) would make no sense to Ford's largest market. Should they change all that simply because engineers and scientists use SI in their calculations?

"Science side of things"? Ridiculous. A yardstick has nothing to do with science. Neither should rulers.

It is arrogant to impose one's opinion of the "superiority" of one measurement system over another. Exploitation of taxpayers toward that goal is wasteful. Engineers abhor waste. Taxpayers can't afford it. Is that not the reason for this thread?

It's a big world, with lots of room for more than one system of measurement. I thought you liberals are supposed to embrace diversity?

Quote:
Why not just go back to rods and furlongs and fortnights?

"Conservative" ≠ "Reactionary"
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post #65 of 560
10/3/10 at 7:00pm
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In the book, did he not deliberately bring about the collapse of society? If it looks like genocide, walks like genocide, quacks like genocide...

And yes, of course, let's keep all the confusing and inconsistent conversion factors in place because real patriots hate the French or something. Brilliant.

Furthermore, I wouldn't mind the world switching over to a language with more consistent rules. From what I understand, Norwegian is actually rather amazing in that regard.

 

“The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.” 
-Sagan
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“The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.” 
-Sagan
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post #66 of 560
10/3/10 at 8:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by BR View Post

In the book, did he not deliberately bring about the collapse of society? If it looks like genocide, walks like genocide, quacks like genocide...

Fascinating perspective! What color is the sky on your planet? Oh, I see it's Mars. That explains much. Should you one day decide to visit Earth, you may have trouble becoming acclimated. You see, some of Earth's inhabitants are literate. A few don't even speak Norwegian.

I have no objection to you "switching" from English to whatever language you desire. The lack of profanity alone will improve AI immeasurably.
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post #67 of 560
10/3/10 at 8:51pm
  • BR
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In Atlas Shrugged, what do you believe brought about the collapse of society?

 

“The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.” 
-Sagan
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“The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.” 
-Sagan
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post #68 of 560
10/4/10 at 6:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by BR View Post

In Atlas Shrugged, what do you believe brought about the collapse of society?

Martians.
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post #69 of 560
10/5/10 at 11:38am
http://redtape.msnbc.com/2010/10/20-...sized-pay.html

The state is nothing more than a criminal gang writ large.

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The state is nothing more than a criminal gang writ large.

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post #70 of 560
10/5/10 at 2:26pm
  • BR
  • Justified Arrogance
Quote:
Originally Posted by john galt View Post

Martians.

Ah, the ignorant, evasive answer. I'll ask again. In Atlas Shrugged, what do you think brought about the collapse of society?

 

“The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.” 
-Sagan
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“The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.” 
-Sagan
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post #71 of 560
10/5/10 at 2:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by BR View Post

Ah, the ignorant, evasive answer. I'll ask again. In Atlas Shrugged, what do you think brought about the collapse of society?

Massive government intervention and creeping economic fascism and socialism.

The state is nothing more than a criminal gang writ large.

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The state is nothing more than a criminal gang writ large.

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post #72 of 560
10/5/10 at 2:51pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MJ1970 View Post

Massive government intervention and creeping economic fascism and socialism.

And what did John Galt do as a response to the perceived injustice against him? What did he incite others to do?

 

“The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.” 
-Sagan
Reply

 

“The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.” 
-Sagan
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post #73 of 560
10/5/10 at 2:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by BR View Post

And what did John Galt do as a response to the perceived injustice against him? What did he incite others to do?

Remove himself (and encourage others to also) from the tyranny and injustice and theft and coercion that was being visited upon him and others.

The state is nothing more than a criminal gang writ large.

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The state is nothing more than a criminal gang writ large.

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post #74 of 560
10/5/10 at 2:52pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MJ1970 View Post

Remove himself (and encourage others to also) from the tyranny and injustice and theft and coercion that was being visited upon him and others.

And thus leading to...

 

“The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.” 
-Sagan
Reply

 

“The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.” 
-Sagan
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post #75 of 560
10/5/10 at 2:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by BR View Post

And thus leading to...

The collapse of society. Now, what is the root cause in that story?

The state is nothing more than a criminal gang writ large.

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The state is nothing more than a criminal gang writ large.

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post #76 of 560
10/5/10 at 3:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by BR View Post

...I'll ask again. In Atlas Shrugged, what do you think brought about the collapse of society?

In Ayn's novel, Atlas Shrugged, the failure of society is prompted by the nation's brightest innovators and business leaders abruptly disappearing; interestingly enough, just as is happening today! Rather than some plot, however, these innovators and business leaders are disappearing due to the socialistic thrust from the White House! And rather than the citizens saying, "Who is John Galt?" some of the citizens today are saying "Why did we vote for this socialist loser?"
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post #77 of 560
10/5/10 at 3:05pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MJ1970 View Post

The collapse of society. Now, what is the root cause in that story?

John Galt not reading the terms of his employment properly, getting all pissy about it, and then selfishly orchestrating the deaths of millions?

 

“The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.” 
-Sagan
Reply

 

“The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.” 
-Sagan
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post #78 of 560
10/5/10 at 3:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by BR View Post

John Galt not reading the terms of his employment properly, getting all pissy about it, and then selfishly orchestrating the deaths of millions?

Bzzzt. Wrong answer. Try again.

The state is nothing more than a criminal gang writ large.

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The state is nothing more than a criminal gang writ large.

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post #79 of 560
10/5/10 at 3:13pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MJ1970 View Post

Bzzzt. Wrong answer. Try again.

You see a person fighting for his ideals and blame the downfall of society on the government. I see a selfish asshole who didn't care about his fellow man.

Did John Galt do the Christian thing? Would Jesus have done the same thing?

 

“The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.” 
-Sagan
Reply

 

“The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.” 
-Sagan
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post #80 of 560
10/5/10 at 3:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by BR View Post

You see a person fighting for his ideals and blame the downfall of society on the government.

Yes I do.


Quote:
Originally Posted by BR View Post

I see a selfish asshole who didn't care about his fellow man.

I see.

No which of us has the more rational and sensible and correct interpretation?


Quote:
Originally Posted by BR View Post

Did John Galt do the Christian thing? Would Jesus have done the same thing?

Not sure. Would really have to read the book again and analyze things with a fresh mind on it. Back at you, what characters in the novel do you think did what Jesus would do?


It's rather fascinating to see non-Christians beating other people over the head with the Bible and defining "being like Jesus" as capitulating to the coercion and tyrannies they personally support and advocate.

The state is nothing more than a criminal gang writ large.

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The state is nothing more than a criminal gang writ large.

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