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MMMMM in General
By Committee
Member # 4233
Profile #123
Huzzah for Patrick O'Brian! :)
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
The 1 Dollar Question in General
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Member # 4233
Profile #39
Let's not confuse this discussion with time travel. Besides, we've seen the result of such an action played out in Command and Conquer: Red Alert. I don't think it needs to be visited further. :D

It may be a little trite, but I'll go ahead and throw the Gandalf quote out there:

quote:
Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends.
We can't see all ends, especially those of us who only know about others based on hearsay. This makes us extremely unqualified to make such decisions about people, and no better than the murderers we would destroy. Of course, if you aren't concerned with the personal ethical questions involved, then by all means...

[ Wednesday, September 07, 2005 09:43: Message edited by: Drew ]
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Is it still a crime if... in General
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Member # 4233
Profile #23
Well, if the society is democratic, then the answer is, "it depends." The secrecy v. transparency argument goes back and forth there. An autocratic regime, however, is under no such constraint.

The people are welcome to attempt an overthrow of their government at any time. Presumably, learning the "horrid" secret of what death is and that the government euthanizes old people and criminals may give rise to this. On the other hand, since they a.) trust their rulers, b.) have known this as their custom their entire lives, and c.) the government has otherwise not betrayed their trust, do you think they would rebel?
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Is it still a crime if... in General
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Member # 4233
Profile #21
Society has ceded sovereignty/authority to those individuals, though. It's legit, given that the standards apply to everyone.
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Boeing 787 in General
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Member # 4233
Profile #1
It's actually about the size of the 737. I think it seems pretty cool. The best part about it, IMO from what I've read, is its fuel efficiency.
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
MMMMM in General
By Committee
Member # 4233
Profile #118
Hooray for poppies!

IMAGE(http://212.84.179.117/i/Opium%20Poppy.jpg)

Laudanum, like other opiates, has the side-effect of being extremely addictive. Although laudanum isn't really used today, other much more effective opiates, including everyone's favorite, morphine, are in wide use for chronic pain. Opiates, however, are considered "controlled substances" by just about every nation in the world, and as such are strictly regulated.

[ Wednesday, September 07, 2005 05:11: Message edited by: Drew ]
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
The 1 Dollar Question in General
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Member # 4233
Profile #32
Malthusian reasoning is not sound economics. Consider that the US produces (roughly) sixteen times as much food as it needs to sustain its population. There's a lot to go around in our world of six billion, its just a matter of distribution. The pie continues to get larger as technology improves.

And death isn't random. While certain circumstances may seem random - car accidents, for example - there are definite steps we could all take to reduce risk.

If anything, your decision to kill at random only increases the odds that people will die sooner than later, and that isn't happy for people like me, who enjoy living.
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Hurricane Katrina in General
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Member # 4233
Profile #80
quote:
Originally written by Jumpin' Salmon:

If you had instead emboldened the general Welfare phrase, I think you make a better case. I admit the welfare of the the affected states has trended downwards over the past week, but my initial statements on self-sufficency and self reliance still stand.

*this message sponsored by wesco boot company*

So I emboldened the wrong portion of the quote, but the message still stands.

Self-sufficiency is great if you have the resources to be self-sufficient - obviously this isn't a problem for you. I think a pretty easy case can be made though that the victims in this circumstance don't have those same sorts of resources - otherwise, they wouldn't have stayed and died. Note that all the rich white people got out of town fast, because they were able.

And Ben, where does the buck stop? If the President is going to pass on assuming responsibility for poorly-made political appointments to vital agencies, as well as policies that undercut the effectiveness of said agencies, then where does that leave us, and far more importantly, the victims?

Bush has to be one of the least competent presidents ever, if not the absolute least.
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
The 1 Dollar Question in General
By Committee
Member # 4233
Profile #30
0 and 0. "Do unto others..."
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Is it still a crime if... in General
By Committee
Member # 4233
Profile #18
Indeed, y'all are applying our standards on another culture. Given that everyone there is treated equitably under their "law," which is what it is, there is no "crime" to it.
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
This post has been removed from the archive.
The one calculator in General
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Member # 4233
Profile #40
I had a TI-82 back in the day (1994). It was pretty sassy. We wasted most of our time with it playing a "ski" program. Somehow, I still managed to get a good grade in pre-calc.
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
MMMMM in General
By Committee
Member # 4233
Profile #106
How about "By Committee?"
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
My how far we can't get up in Richard White Games
By Committee
Member # 4233
Profile #30
Concerning "hoes" in the 7th Circuit Court of the U.S.
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Hurricane Katrina in General
By Committee
Member # 4233
Profile #65
Salmon, relief is a large part of the reason the government exists. All you have to do is have a look-see at the ol' Preamble of the US Constitution to see that this is the case:

quote:
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
Emphasis added.

It's the government's job to provide relief for disasters, and this was a disaster beyond the scale of anything else in the last hundred years or so on our shores.
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Hurricane Katrina in General
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Member # 4233
Profile #55
While it certainly is the case that the flood does make some of the relief efforts difficult, it doesn't change the fact that a large portion of the people suffering and dying were in the Superdome, which has been accessible from land.
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Hurricane Katrina in General
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Member # 4233
Profile #48
Hybrids already look like good buys. They could be made to look better though with tax incentives. Not that you'll see that coming out of this administration, but I'm hopeful for an impeachment. Can you say "gross incompetence?"
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Who are you? in General
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Member # 4233
Profile #44
I'm Andrew Miller. I live in Arlington, Va just across the river from Washington, DC, where I work as a legal assistant by day, and currently attend George Washington University Law School at night. I'm 27. I have a B.A. in Classical Languages from Lawrence University in sunny Appleton, WI, and an M.A. in International Relations and Economics from the University of Kentucky. I'm recently married. I am a non-smoker, fiscal moderate, social liberal, agnostic, and a proud Kentuckian. In my spare time (which is QUITE sparse these days), I'm training for a marathon, and try to play the odd game every now and again, when I can get away with it.
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Democracy on the March! or Selecting this year's cult slogan in Richard White Games
By Committee
Member # 4233
Profile #6
quote:
Originally written by Zorro:

Look more closely, oh yeh of little faith! The supreme council for the advancement of the cult and birthday party planning committee don't make mistakes. If I must repeat myself, I'll introduce you to a little guy we know around here by the name of "Benny".
Ah! I was blind, but now I see. Very well - I will withdraw my sectarian assertion, and fall back in with the fold. My vote shall remain with "Pan Lever."

[ Thursday, September 01, 2005 08:57: Message edited by: Drew ]
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Avernum 2 keyboard movement in The Avernum Trilogy
By Committee
Member # 4233
Profile #0
I just downloaded A2 (for Windows) to see what all the fuss was about (it seems many people claim it to be their favorite), and noted with irritation that the arrow keys on my laptop starting from the twelve o'clock position correspond with NW-NE-SE-SW as opposed to N-E-S-W. I can't figure out how to change this, and the "10-key" keypad (when I hold down the "function" key) doesn't seem to work. Any suggestions/help/comiseration available? :)

EDIT: I do know that the mouse works, but I find it a pain to use.

[ Thursday, September 01, 2005 06:04: Message edited by: Drew ]
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Do you live in America? in General
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Member # 4233
Profile #20
I work and attend school in Washington, DC, but live across the mighty Potomac River in Arlington, Virginia.
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Kung Fu and Fantasy Challenge in General
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Member # 4233
Profile #1
You fool! Your kung fu is no match for the fact that I have a life. :P

IMAGE(http://www.stang.cc/tmcaalbums/album59/stallowned.thumb.jpg)

[ Thursday, September 01, 2005 06:05: Message edited by: Drew ]
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
MMMMM in General
By Committee
Member # 4233
Profile #33
It does have a pretty enormous "black box" warning in its US labeling though, which spells out lots of unpleasantness, and also, as a rule, prevents it from being advertised at all.
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
An Exhaustive Semi-Chronological Short History of the White Cult in Richard White Games
By Committee
Member # 4233
Profile #13
Zorro, it's "needle/ferrets." Please be careful with your wording - they are inherently testy, short-fused creatures.

[ Thursday, September 01, 2005 05:39: Message edited by: Drew ]
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00
Democracy on the March! or Selecting this year's cult slogan in Richard White Games
By Committee
Member # 4233
Profile #2
I just can't believe my "Proof of Intelligent Design" slogan didn't meet the threshhold for inclusion in the poll!

I may now have to cede from the mother cult to form my own Church of Protestant Richardism. Anyone else what to be Pro-Dick?

[ Thursday, September 01, 2005 04:10: Message edited by: Drew ]
Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00

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