sensationalist political bullshit

[BustedS13]

i'm not saying Sarah Palin's stupid asshole website is why a democrat was murdered today. i am saying, however, that this shit is in really bad taste, and would have been even if there hadn't been a shooting.

http://i.imgur.com/Uw4RS.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/GVDLP.png

there are a million other examples of conservatives jerking off their guns. and i'm not saying guns are bad, i'm a liberal and love guns. this isn't about guns. i don't know. i'm really pissed off at the way politics are handled in this country right now. i guess that's the point.

[blownmotor]

Someone messed with the wrong type of republican.

[upsdude]

if the guy was crazy enough really, REALLY wanted to hurt people he would have done it regardless of what gun laws exist. i think it's unfortunate what happened today, and it's going to be more ammunition (pun intended) for the "see i this is why we have to outlaw all guns" crowd.

and how is the site in bad taste? did she make it after the shooting? looks like the announcement was made last year anyways. people are too damn sensitive these days-oh no the site is using crosshairs!-well it fits with the gun theme that's all.

[ESmorz]

You remember that scene in Dead Alive?

The one with the lawnmower?

[upsdude]

god that movie sounds so familiar...is that the one where a doctor injects people with some glowing goo to bring them back from the dead? oh nevermind that was "the reanimator"

[Corbic]

i'm really pissed off at the way politics are handled in this country right now. i guess that's the point.

Yeah, like how people get elected promising hope and change and all they do is bring fear and debt into office!! and also how they make grand promises like shutting down Gitmo by the end of January 2010 and having trials for its prisons in civilian court and it never happens!!1

Yeah!!

[upsdude]

i kinda don't feel bad for her...only because these ppl should remember they're not as untouchable as they think they are. it's about time politicians fear the people.

[S14DB]

i kinda don't feel bad for her...only because these ppl should remember they're not as untouchable as they think they are. it's about time politicians fear the people.

Wow, that is truly ignorant. One of the great freedoms we have is access to our representatives. Having them be in fear of their constituents limits our access to them.

[BustedS13]

Yeah, like how people get elected promising hope and change and all they do is bring fear and debt into office!! and also how they make grand promises like shutting down Gitmo by the end of January 2010 and having trials for its prisons in civilian court and it never happens!!1

Yeah!!

we get it, you lean right. you should bring that up in every political thread. oh, you do? awesome.

i kinda don't feel bad for her...only because these ppl should remember they're not as untouchable as they think they are. it's about time politicians fear the people.

people died today, you heartless sack of shit.

[upsdude]

hey you posted in loud noises...if you don't want to hear other people's opinions don't post. people die every day what's your point?

[BustedS13]

hey you posted in loud noises...if you don't want to hear other people's opinions don't post. people die every day what's your point?

no no, you're right, murder is the answer. good call on this one, high five bro

[gearhead55]

wow there are some seriously ignorant people on here.

you people are defending the use of crosshairs under the headline "We've diagnosed the problem, help us prescribe the solution."???

i kinda don't feel bad for her...only because these ppl should remember they're not as untouchable as they think they are. it's about time politicians fear the people.

are you fucking kidding me? Why should anybody fear getting killed because they hold public office? Democracy is about open debate, not using violence in order to secure your power and ideology. Utilizing violence to obtain a political goal is the way that totalitarian fascist governments function, not the way the United States is supposed to function. Read a fucking book for christ's sake, start with George Orwell's Homage to Catalonia and Mussolini's La dottrina del fascismo...

People talk about how we need to get back to the constitution and then say things like "it's about time politicians fear the people" in the next breath.

Sensationalist news media (Fox news being BY FAAAAR the worst, though others are not far behind) only serve to create and widen the divisions that exist in our society. Any student of modern history can tell you that the American left and the American right are extremely similar in terms of political ideology, but the fact that there are only two viable parties on serves to further entrench each side and stagnate political debate. The founding fathers said specifically that our system of government must not be allowed to fall into a two party system or it will not function efficiently.

[Gaijin Smash Wayhoff]

are you fucking kidding me? Why should anybody fear getting killed because they hold public office? Democracy is about open debate, not using violence in order to secure your power and ideology. Utilizing violence to obtain a political goal is the way that totalitarian fascist governments function, not the way the United States is supposed to function. Read a fucking book for christ's sake, start with George Orwell's Homage to Catalonia and Mussolini's La dottrina del fascismo...

People talk about how we need to get back to the constitution and then say things like "it's about time politicians fear the people" in the next breath.

Sensationalist news media (Fox news being BY FAAAAR the worst, though others are not far behind) only serve to create and widen the divisions that exist in our society. Any student of modern history can tell you that the American left and the American right are extremely similar in terms of political ideology, but the fact that there are only two viable parties on serves to further entrench each side and stagnate political debate. The founding fathers said specifically that our system of government must not be allowed to fall into a two party system or it will not function efficiently.

This is one of the most intelligent posts in a political thread that I've ever seen on this site and I thank you. It honestly shocks me at how blind most of the American public is to the intentions of right wing media. Then ignorant statements like the one made earlier about politicians fearing the public make it pretty obvious. Everyone needs something to believe and something to hate two entities have that in spades: religion and fox news

[BustedS13]

This is one of the most intelligent posts in a political thread that I've ever seen on this site and I thank you. It honestly shocks me at how blind most of the American public is to the intentions of right wing media. Then ignorant statements like the one made earlier about politicians fearing the public make it pretty obvious. Everyone needs something to believe and something to hate two entities have that in spades: religion and fox news

just because that kid said something retarded doesn't necessarily mean he's a republican.
....and conservatives aren't inherently evil.

edit:

http://globalgrind.com/channel/news/content/1899875/she-has-a-name-christina-taylor-greene-9-yr-old-killed-in-tucson-massacre-born-on-91101-photos/
hey, a 9 year old was murdered in the shooting yesterday, too. but it's all good because politicians should fear the people, right, dipshit?

[upsdude]

lol so it boils down to fox news is evil? LOL

and what's with the name calling? have i once called you anything derrogatory busted13? look you wanna open up a thread then get all defensive because i post something that doesn't line up with with what you wanna hear. talk about ignorant.

but it's all good because politicians should fear the people, right, dipshit?

yeah it's sad a 9 year old got killed...nevers tried to say it wasnt. all i'm saying is politicians are disconnected from the voters (obamacare, anyone?) and should start to fear the people in the sense that, really, we're their boss. and they should keep that in mind. they're not sent there to get freebies from lobbyists, and spend our tax money into oblivion-this goes for both dems and republicans.

"When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty."
-Thomas Jefferson

[gearhead55]

This is one of the most intelligent posts in a political thread that I've ever seen on this site and I thank you.

thanks, i try to call 'em as i see 'em.

lol so it boils down to fox news is evil? LOL

yeah it's sad a 9 year old got killed...nevers tried to say it wasnt. all i'm saying is politicians are disconnected from the voters (obamacare, anyone?) and should start to fear the people in the sense that, really, we're their boss. and they should keep that in mind. they're not sent there to get freebies from lobbyists, and spend our tax money into oblivion-this goes for both dems and republicans.

"When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty."
-Thomas Jefferson

fox news is by far the worst but, sensationalist media IN GENERAL is the problem. No one said its "evil", it just cannot exist in a society in which we need unbiased information in order to make informed decisions.

While watching the news about the shooting unfold on fox news the anchor would repeatedly ask questions to the correspondent like "Do we have any indication yet that there may be a link between this event and Islamic terrorism?" and "In light of the recent Maryland incendiary packages, are we seeing an increase in danger for political officials?". Completely unfounded remarks with absolutely no evidence behind them. Yes they are just 'asking questions', but why? They do so because by even mentioning connections between events like those is a very powerful message to a huge portion of the viewers that won't the time to weigh the evidence and think critically for themselves.

You mentioning Obamacare is a perfect example of this. You no doubt have heard constantly through media that the "people" don't want Obamacare, but i would bet that you couldn't tell me why that is. People act as if it is some revolutionary change of our system, but if you look AT HISTORY and at other countries you can see that it is a very conservative adjustment of our current system, which, by the way, is on the ABSOLUTE BRINK of collapse. Because of the unregulated nature of medical insurance in this country, doctors, some of the most highly trained people who have devoted their lives to keeping you alive, are getting paid literally HALF of what they made ten years ago while doing nearly double to work. Why? Because insurance companies have realized that there is no government regulation and they can consistently lower reimbursement rates and deny more and more healthcare without any repercussions. They are fucking us. If you think that this system doesn't need to be reformed you either a) have never had a family member with a serious illness, or b) are a complete idiot.

And the biggest thing that people who are against Obamacare because its "socialized medicine" don't get: We ALREADY HAVE socialized healthcare! Its called Medicare. If you are so against socialized medicine, go tell your grandma that she should get rid of medicare and pay for that hip replacement of hers out of pocket with aaaaaalllllllll that retirement money that she has saved up, that, by the way, is worth just about jack shit now.

The majority of people who are against Obamacare are only against it because they are misinformed, or more likely, completely uninformed. Why? because sensationalist news media doesn't discuss the actual content of any of these debates, they simply pick two people from opposite ends of the political spectrum and let them yell at each other for 3 minutes and then move on to another topic. That is not what news needs to be for a democratic country to function. We need in depth discussion of all important issues by intelligent moderates that are smart enough to realize that partisan divisiveness will be our undoing.

And your jeffereson quote, guess what, he wasn't talking about the government fearing getting SHOT by the people, he was talking about the government getting voted out of office by the people. thats called DEMOCRACY.

[upsdude]

And your jeffereson quote, guess what, he wasn't talking about the government fearing getting SHOT by the people, he was talking about the government getting voted out of office by the people. thats called DEMOCRACY.

wow what a long ass post...btw we live in a republic not a democracy.

oh and you seem to forget that during the american revolution we SHOT AND KILLED british soldiers.

[ESmorz]

Democratic Republic.

Something something can't see the forest for the trees.

[S14DB]

wow what a long ass post...btw we live in a republic not a democracy.

oh and you seem to forget that during the american revolution we SHOT AND KILLED british soldiers.
Last time I checked she wasn't a soldier. I think you are taking major leaps in logic here.
Democratic Republic.

Something something can't see the forest for the trees.

:stupid:

[gearhead55]

wow what a long ass post...btw we live in a republic not a democracy.

oh and you seem to forget that during the american revolution we SHOT AND KILLED british soldiers.

cool don't read or respond to anything i wrote...

I guess that proves me right.

and our government is both a republic and a democracy you ignorant fuck.

S14db is right, shooting soldiers in a WAR is completely different than shooting a bunch of civilians and a politician at a fucking get together in a parking lot.

[Quail]

This is saddening, although what is more disturbing is some of the attitudes and reactions after the event (although somewhat unsurprising?).

Some of the political rhetoric from Palin's side is unnerving to say the least.

As for Fox News and some of the other American networks, its scary that such clear bias and negative ideology can be attributed to something which calls itself "news". (Our tabloid media is no better, although luckily it usually stays in print form).

i kinda don't feel bad for her...only because these ppl should remember they're not as untouchable as they think they are. it's about time politicians fear the people.

The rest of the world is laughing at people like you. You and your peers are literally a joke.

[TheWolf]

I think the issue is with not left or right but the spread from left to right. Right now I think the distance from side to side couldn't be further apart.

Conservatives feel that enough is enough. You spend what you take in. You value marriage, unborn, and work ethic. They feel the other side is like a teenage boy. Can't tell them anything and have now just quit.

Republicans feel that the world can be saved with tax breaks to all and cut spending except in important areas like defense, medicare, Social security. They're now an empty shell of what they were. Expect implosion.

Meanwhile on the other side, democrats are extolling the vast importance of gay rights, social progressiveness, universal healthcare for all, and more stimulus.

Liberals feel the only way to save us from this recession is for rich to become poor, universities to pump out more PHD's, and world peace. Nothing can't be fixed by an inner city school teacher that cares and more money.

Needless both sides have grown apart. Like couples that used to argue all the time but fix things, they're now into divorce proceedings and they just pass notes back and forth with their lawyers. Quite frankly as a conservative, I just don't have anything in common with a liberal anymore. It's like talking to a martian. Most conservatives just have zero faith in obama, and washington itself. They don't feel politics is something that can be reasoned with any more. It's no longer logical in anyway shape or form but now has to be fought. So you'll see a change in the tone to "resistance".

And while all this vitriol is going on about politicians being gunned down by nutjob wackos. No one has said one peep that "I bet this is what it feels like to be a soldier in afganistan. Always on the lookout for the one crazy dude who wants to kill you". Two wars, thousands of soldiers dead, for what? a national debt that beyond out of control and will bankrupt everyones savings? 1 in 7 people relying on the government to feed them? The US is a mess much larger than bitching between two sides or some crazy dude shooting someone. Implying that sarah palin is responsible for this congresswoman's assassination is like saying "grand theft auto" said it was ok to run around and kill people and steal cars.

[ronmcdon]

Lol, Palin always has been bad taste.

[J3123MY]

I have the exact same initials as the shooter .... JLL

oh and you seem to forget that during the american revolution we SHOT AND KILLED british soldiers.

.....??? horrible comparison, technically, British Soldiers shot at Americans first.

[theicecreamdan]

Fuck the right-left Fox-comedy central, AZ shootings and anything else.
WTF did she think that map would look like?

Doesn't she plan on running for president? Or have we finally figured out that she couldn't cut it?

I would have SERIOUS issue with somebody running for president that thinks its OK to put "targets" anywhere on the United States. And just as serious an issue having a president dumb enough to not see far enough in the future to put that up on the web.

[gearhead55]

Palin is as dumb as a brick. She doesn't believe in evolution.

A person that doesn't believe in evolution sure as fuck isn't intelligent enough to run a country.

[kingkilburn]

How in the hell have I stayed out of this thread? lol
I'm libel to blow my political science and history stacks over some the bull shit spewed in this here.

I guess if ESmorz and S14DB agree on a political topic the spectrum is mostly covered so I'll just watch for now.

:drama::drama::drama::drama::drama::drama:

[Corbic]

Palin is as dumb as a brick. She doesn't believe in evolution.

A person that doesn't believe in evolution sure as fuck isn't intelligent enough to run a country.

Or she is pandering to an entire group that feels that way and is getting fucking rich doing it.

Google some polls. About half of American believes in creationism and around 25% feel God controlled Evolution to create man. Only 25% feel it was dumb luck humans came to be.

http://www.religioustolerance.org/ev_public.htm


I highly doubt she is planning a serious run for president, it's to easy and profitable to stand by a bitch about policies and lawmakers and say what you would have done.

[bb4_96]

I agree with dumb as a brick Palin pandering... I don't think it's about money though.

I think politicians should fear the wrath of angry constituants but not in form of gunshots.

The targets are bad taste now... probably should be changed.

[Corbic]

I agree with dumb as a brick Palin pandering... I don't think it's about money though.

I think politicians should fear the wrath of angry constituants but not in form of gunshots.

The targets are bad taste now... probably should be changed.

The congresswomen shot, was shot by a deranged man who obsessed about her for two years after a chance encounter and snapped when he was expelled from school for needing mental help. He was not a political assassin or an angry constituent.

It's like saying Regan's would be assailant was a bleeding heart liberal fueled by the Democrats rhetoric and doctrine.

Hinkley was just out of his fucking mind, just like this kid.

[gearhead55]

Or she is pandering to an entire group that feels that way and is getting fucking rich doing it.

That is possible, but i get the impression that it is what she truly believes. If she is just pandering that makes me respect her even fucking less.

Google some polls. About half of American believes in creationism and around 25% feel God controlled Evolution to create man. Only 25% feel it was dumb luck humans came to be.

I could give less of a fuck what half of the United States believes. The only thing that that poll shows is that half of the population is uneducated and ignorant. People like Karl Rove get on the TV and talk about polls and what percentage of the population believes what, THAT DOESN'T MATTER. What matters is the TRUTH and factual information.

The fact that you say that evolution is "dumb luck" shows that you don't understand how that process works. Evolution has nothing to do with "luck". Random mutation is the closest thing to "luck" (which is actually a ridiculous word) in the theory, but it is not the mutation that drives the process, it is the selection against mutations that are detrimental that drives the process.

People like Sarah Palin gaining recognition because they share a common ignorance with "the people" is very dangerous.

[S14DB]

Why would you trademark your name unless you are trying to profit off it?

FoxNews.com - Palin, Daughter Bristol Seek to Trademark Names (http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/02/08/palin-daughter-bristol-seek-trademark-names/)

[ronmcdon]

how can you profit off something like that?
charge royalties to other ppl who have the same name?

there is something very wrong with this woman.

[ESmorz]

Better make you're "Nailin Palin" look alike prons real quick like.

[BC S14]

You are all idiots if you think palin, obama, or any politician has anything to do with whats going on. Left, right, white, black, armed or not it doesn't matter. Because you've bought into the game, you've lost.

[ESmorz]

You are all idiots if you think palin, obama, or any politician has anything to do with whats going on. Left, right, white, black, armed or not it doesn't matter. Because you've bought into the game, you've lost.

http://www.jonathanrosenbaum.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/the-manchurian-candidate.jpg

[kingkilburn]

You are all idiots if you think palin, obama, or any politician has anything to do with whats going on. Left, right, white, black, armed or not it doesn't matter. Because you've bought into the game, you've lost.


7xxgRUyzgs0

[BC S14]

They're feeding everybody through a tube. You see what they need you to see. You have to cut the chord because when you take all the bs away, in the end, all you have is your people. They give you things to talk about, things to pin you against me, it's entertainment for them. You want the truth to come through any media source? unbiased? Not going to happen. I'll give you the truth right now. The real news. IT DOES'NT FUCKING MATTER! Take care of you and your own and live a good life. Don't eat they're mcdonalds, to watch they're american idol and top models, don't check out cnn and glen beck. Don't buy everything you need and more at walmart. Cook your own food, and if you can't grow it yourself, buy organic and local. We all have the ability and funds to live independent so much so, that we should only have to depend on them for 3 things, tv, gas, and medical. And we should be smart enough to be healthy so we only need that for freak accidents. If they'res any kind of revolution that needs to happen, it's an independent one. All news is today is gossip. The more they piss you off, the more money they make. Stop watching and caring about them. It's you and yours that you need to worry about. Everybody on this website is halfway there. It was established by us, a group of smart people who found something to do instead of boozing it up, getting high, and running up medical bills, filling up the shopping malls, and making them rich. The purpose of life is to live it. And please drop the titles, they were off since day one for the plain and simple fact that every single person is absolutely different.

[Corbic]

I could give less of a fuck what half of the United States believes. The only thing that that poll shows is that half of the population is uneducated and ignorant. People like Karl Rove get on the TV and talk about polls and what percentage of the population believes what, THAT DOESN'T MATTER. What matters is the TRUTH and factual information.


Clearly you are not one to lead, represent or speak to Americans if you don't care what they want or believe. Evolution is also not a "Fact" but one of several scientific and religious beliefs.

I would argue Belief is more important than fact. Facts or truths can be used to shape belief but at the end of the day people act and utilize their beliefs.

Germans killed millions 60 years ago using what they felt as evolutionary truths to justify their genetic superiority Beliefs.

Today, the west struggles with Islamic terrorist who believe God wants them to kill infidels in his name.

So forth.




The fact that you say that evolution is "dumb luck" shows that you don't understand how that process works. Evolution has nothing to do with "luck". Random mutation is the closest thing to "luck" (which is actually a ridiculous word) in the theory, but it is not the mutation that drives the process, it is the selection against mutations that are detrimental that drives the process.

It is, unless you feel a divine hand has secretly guided the process.

It was dumb luck that amino acids floating in mud was hit by lighting and became Pre-Bacteria. (Scientists are unable to replicate this). It was bad luck that a astroid hit the planet and killed the Dinosaurs clearing the way for mammals. It was dumb luck that over millions of years your personal ancestors didn't get eating, killed, plagued et al and you now exist.

If life truly adapts and finds ways, then why did nothing adapt to life on Mars? In fact the entire Earth is dumb luck. A little closer to the sun and it would be too hot, a little further and too cold. Planet a little bigger, to much gravity; too small, not enough. Moon size? Speed of rotation?

There is a reason the galaxy is void of life, because the amount of variables needed is so great that it's stupid dumb luck - or maybe divinely inspired.

[BC S14]

Water killed the dinos. Not an asteroid. Thats been a long time myth. Anyway no need to live n the past.

[kingkilburn]

It was dumb luck that amino acids floating in mud was hit by lighting and became Pre-Bacteria. (Scientists are unable to replicate this). It was bad luck that a astroid hit the planet and killed the Dinosaurs clearing the way for mammals. It was dumb luck that over millions of years your personal ancestors didn't get eating, killed, plagued et al and you now exist.

If life truly adapts and finds ways, then why did nothing adapt to life on Mars? In fact the entire Earth is dumb luck. A little closer to the sun and it would be too hot, a little further and too cold. Planet a little bigger, to much gravity; too small, not enough. Moon size? Speed of rotation?

There is a reason the galaxy is void of life, because the amount of variables needed is so great that it's stupid dumb luck - or maybe divinely inspired.

Just because you believe all that doesn't make it true. You shouldn't start poking holes in science until you actually know what's going on.

dumb luck lol

[Corbic]

Just because you believe all that doesn't make it true. You shouldn't start poking holes in science until you actually know what's going on.

dumb luck lol

Oh enlightened, where did life come from?

[gearhead55]

Clearly you are not one to lead, represent or speak to Americans if you don't care what they want or believe. Evolution is also not a "Fact" but one of several scientific and religious beliefs.

Do you see me running for office?? I don't care what people believe if what they believe is not based on rational thought. I DO care that the American people are educated to a level that allows them to base their beliefs and decisions on reason and logic rather than beliefs and decisions based on blind faith. And I can speak to every single person i encounter regardless of whether they agree with my opinions or not.

The fact that you say evolution is not a "fact" shows that you are scientifically illiterate. Evolution is a THEORY, just like the theory of plate tectonics and the theory of relativity. Theories are either supported by evidence or falsified by evidence, they can never be "proven" or considered to be "fact". No one disputes plate tectonics because all the evidence we find supports that theory in exactly the same way evidence from many fields supports the theory of evolution. Evolution has supporting evidence from every field that could possibly provide evidence for it, from geology to genetics to psychology. No one in the scientific community disputes it.

Simply calling it "one of several scientific and religious beliefs" implies that because there are multiple hypotheses we cannot decide which hypothesis is most accurate. That's bullshit. No one believes in a geocentric solar system anymore because all the evidence we have points to a heliocentric solar system. That argument has died because one hypothesis was supported by evidence and one was not. Guess what, the same thing has happened in regards to evolution, it just takes religious believers a while longer to accept the evidence.


I would argue Belief is more important than fact. Facts or truths can be used to shape belief but at the end of the day people act and utilize their beliefs.

Germans killed millions 60 years ago using what they felt as evolutionary truths to justify their genetic superiority Beliefs.

Today, the west struggles with Islamic terrorist who believe God wants them to kill infidels in his name.

So forth.


Maybe you're right, maybe belief is important that fact when looking at behavior. Humans are naturally often illogical and they do act on unsubstantiated beliefs everyday. BUT, we now live in a world were access to information is easier than it has ever been before, so why not educate the population instead of allowing people to act on beliefs that clearly contradict factual evidence?

And BTW, if christians read the bible (which they clearly don't), they would realize that it too tells them to kill those who believe in other gods. There are many instances but i only have the energy to find one at the moment, Exodus 23: 24.

It is, unless you feel a divine hand has secretly guided the process.

It was dumb luck that amino acids floating in mud was hit by lighting and became Pre-Bacteria. (Scientists are unable to replicate this). It was bad luck that a astroid hit the planet and killed the Dinosaurs clearing the way for mammals. It was dumb luck that over millions of years your personal ancestors didn't get eating, killed, plagued et al and you now exist.

If life truly adapts and finds ways, then why did nothing adapt to life on Mars? In fact the entire Earth is dumb luck. A little closer to the sun and it would be too hot, a little further and too cold. Planet a little bigger, to much gravity; too small, not enough. Moon size? Speed of rotation?

There is a reason the galaxy is void of life, because the amount of variables needed is so great that it's stupid dumb luck - or maybe divinely inspired.

You are thinking from a very homo-centric perspective. It is not the case that humans were destined to live on earth and everything happened to be right for that to occur, it is the other way around. Life exists on this planet BECAUSE the conditions are right for it. Because the planet is where it is in relation to the sun, etc., life occurred.

Also, just because scientists cannot replicate something does not mean it did not occur. We cannot replicate the big bang, but all the evidence still points to its occurrence.

Also, we have no evidence that the galaxy IS indeed void of life. We have only explored ONE solar system, and not very thoroughly at that! The variables that need to be within a certain range do seem to be extensive (to our knowledge, we are learning of life in places all the time that we once thought impossible), but the unimaginable number of solar systems and galaxies points many scientists towards the belief that life elsewhere in the universe is all but inevitable.

We think we are some great achievement of a life form because it is we that are thinking that thought. In some other galaxy or in some other time there may be life that looks at us and sees us as primitive, illogical, and self destructive. For a person to look at the evidence we currently have and come to the conclusion that we are so close to perfection that a god must have created us in his own image and guided us in our development he or she must be extremely deluded...

[gearhead55]

You are all idiots if you think palin, obama, or any politician has anything to do with whats going on. Left, right, white, black, armed or not it doesn't matter. Because you've bought into the game, you've lost.

Very cynical. You're right that the president probably has very little say in how the country actually operates, but i think it IS important who is seen as the head of the state. People automatically personify almost everything we encounter, so people naturally look for a single personality to define countries or political parties. Hell we even give names to hurricanes...

Also, while we may have little control over how the state controls us, the mindset that the people are in does effect our day to day lives. If you neighbor thinks he is a "conservative" and thinks you are a "liberal", he will treat you differently than if he thinks you're conservative. For that reason the people that represent each political mindset are important to all of us.

I think paying attention to the game is necessary, but i think you're kind of right, if you believe everything you see/read hook-line-and-sinker then you are a sucker. Reading about history really puts everything into perspective.

In the longer post you posted after the one i quoted, i think you are partially right. People lose sight of their immediate surroundings and situations. That is the most important aspect of all of our lives, but i believe that being aware of the larger picture is important as well.

[BC S14]

Well I look at it like this. Am I going to run for office? Not with my record. :Ownedd: If I wear a stupid t-shirt or retarded bumper sticker, get up early and go vote, is that person going to keep they're promises? elephant or ass? nope. But I still humor myself. If a nuke drops am I even going to feel it? huh uh. So my plan..-effort is to aid them as least as possible. The only way I would be affected from decisions made by other people is if they step foot on my property. People call ''congressmen'' all day, every day. They either ignore you or just nod they're head. People protest thousands strong, they do the same only this time, they throw you a beating. That cop shooting you with rubber bullets may agree with how you feel, but he's got bacon to bring home. It's kind of like when a disaster happens somewhere in the world, and hundreds of thousands die. We feel bad but deep down we tell ourselves, dam... glad I'm not them. Thats exactly how they feel about us. Every person in america is a person without a country. You are an employee, not a citizen. The thing to do is to know exactly when to jump ship. This is just my opinion.