bakerstreet

Reply to CUT SPENDING! in Politics JoeUser Forums

What sort of person, how utterly naive or dishonest, would it take to equate paying taxes with charity? Does anyone, anywhere in America believe that when they mail in their taxes they are actually giving money to the poor? Hardy friggin har. Jesus did say 'render unto Caesar', but in a Democracy WE ARE CAESAR. Soliciting donations at gunpoint isn't charity, it is a mugging. I wouldn't feel like I had committed a charitable act if someone broke into my house and stole my TV, nor do

Reply to Is this the start of something bigger to come?? in War on Terror JoeUser Forums

Why do you keep calling Sulejmen Talovic a terrorist? I pointed out that there was a white guy that went nuts and shot people on the SAME DAY in Pennsylvania and you don't call him a terrorist. The FBI says he wasn't a terrorist, and couldn't even find proof of Muslim faith on his part. Could you tell me how you know he is a Muslim? Because his family is? If the guy in Pennsylvania's family is a Christian, can I make some long, empty-headed diatribe about Christian terrorists? Joel

Reply to Is this a fad – His and Hers Bedrooms? in Personal Relationships JoeUser Forums

It isn't a fad. Most periods in human history wherein a lot of people could afford larger homes had it. Americans have more living space per person than most people in the world, so no surprise that we do it to. I think most notably you saw it in Victorian England in terms of more common people. In terms of nobility it has always been a common practice throughout history. Some of it now is decoration (his and hers bedrooms), some of it is just "personal space". We don't, but honest

Reply to Scary but ture in Politics JoeUser Forums

Heh, so far as I know I have never blacklisted you from my blog. I just checked and two out of the three had since been exiled, and the other is Dan Greene. If you were ever blacklisted temporarily from my blog I'd be willing to bet it wasn't because of your passionate advocacy of immigrants. *snort*

Reply to Scary but ture in Politics JoeUser Forums

I think that that if you make guns illegal, only criminals have guns. If you make it difficult for honest people to come to the US, you'll have a lopsided number of criminals immigrating. There was nothing uncalled for about SanChanino's comment.

Reply to Scary but ture in Politics JoeUser Forums

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Reply to The Jewish Canon in Religion JoeUser Forums

Here is a perspective on apocryphal works. Not only did the early "councils" lean on apocryphal works, the New Testament cites them.

Reply to CUT SPENDING! in Politics JoeUser Forums

Col Gene: Passionate advocate of Tammany Hall style politics. Thieves and liars always try to swaddle themselves in the self-righteous cause of poverty. Oddly enough, though, they are always the ones who whine about how bad the poor have it. If these programs were successful, it seems odd that the poor would be suffering so much. It's convenient, because government charity is 10 cents for the poor, 90 cents in operational costs. We call charities that function like that a sham in th

Reply to CUT SPENDING! in Politics JoeUser Forums

P.S. Does anyone find it a tad dishonest that when the Col talks about raising taxes, it is to fix 600 billion, but when someone proposes a cut he compares it to the ENTIRE budget, not the 600 million? I proposed cutting billions in aid and payoffs to other nations, but that is "less than 1% of the budget". Odd, were we trying to cut the whole budget, or 600 billion?. Maybe the percent it constitutes of the 600 billion is a bit more than he's comfortable to admit. Like, when

Reply to CUT SPENDING! in Politics JoeUser Forums

1% seems like a negligable amount until you realize it is compounded and copied over and over throughout different branches of the government. Add them all up and I'd be willing to bet you could cut a LOT more than 600 billion.

Reply to The Jewish Canon in Religion JoeUser Forums

"No canon or council of the Christian church for the first 400 years recognized the Apocrypha as inspired." You are way off on that. There are several versions of the Bible from the first couple of centuries that not only included stuff we reject now, but also disputed the validity of books like Revelation. The fact is there was NO accepted new testament for the first three centuries of the church at all, so your assertion seems a little weak.<

Reply to The Jewish Canon in Religion JoeUser Forums

"Not really. God knew what he was doing. Men don't give birth to babies either. In that case, women are greater then men. Men and women were given diff roles. When the roles get switched it's not God's perfect plan. When Adam and Eve slipped out of their roles that's when the trouble began. It's no diff today." And yet, you assume Paul really didn't mean women shouldn't speak in church? Make it whatever suits you, I guess. On the one hand you

Reply to CUT SPENDING! in Politics JoeUser Forums

"I posted the Web site that shows the FEDERAL BUDGET. Just because I can not point to the subset where foreign Aid, which is less then 1% of the federal budget, is contained does not mean I do not understand where the money is being spent." Actually, if you think about it... that is EXACTLY what that means. I'd be willing to bet that is just a drop in the bucket of things you don't know about the federal budget. Waste is something they DON'T want you t

Reply to CUT SPENDING! in Politics JoeUser Forums

"No you missed the point-- ALL those cuts do not come CLOSE to the $600 Billion needed to Balance the budget much less the added money to repay the debt." If you don't know what is spent, where it is spent, and what it is spent on... well... it sounds like you are just talking out of your ass, frankly.

Reply to CUT SPENDING! in Politics JoeUser Forums

And the sub-point is why sit around claiming that there isn't enough stuff to cut from budgets when you don't even know what those budgets are made up of...

Reply to The Jewish Canon in Religion JoeUser Forums

Didn't elevate any to be apostles, though. Odd, that.

Reply to The Jewish Canon in Religion JoeUser Forums

Come on KFC. Women couldn't vote in the US until the last century. Don't start talking "context". Sure, Paul was focusing on a particular problem in a particular place, but the social values of the time are pretty well known.

Reply to CUT SPENDING! in Politics JoeUser Forums

You didn't answer the question, Col. Where in your pie chart of government expense is that aid listed? You keep saying for us to look at those broad definitions, Defense, Social Services, Transportation, etc., as if there isn't anything in them that can be done away with. According to you, if we cut social services, people starve or go without healthcare. If we cut defense the huns will come over the wall. It's idiotically simplistic and facetious, and you aren't changing anyone's m

Reply to CUT SPENDING! in Politics JoeUser Forums

I see the Col can't seem to answer the question. I'll ask it again, with reference this time . "Aid is central to Washington's relationship with Cairo. The US has provided Egypt with $1.3 billion a year in military aid since 1979, and an average of $815 million a year in economic assistance. All told, Egypt has received over $50 billion in US largesse since 1975." That's just one

Reply to Is homosexuality normal? in Religion JoeUser Forums

You assume that the equal protection clause even applies, frankly. Who decides that? We do. We might tag sexual orientation onto that in terms of state licenses. We might tag favorite colors and the great social divide between people who like chocolate and the minority that doesn't. Who knows? The fact is if you start applying that universally, then there's no end to it. Given that no one really even knows whence commeth sexual orientation, there's no way to define it. Is it a disa

Reply to CUT SPENDING! in Politics JoeUser Forums

I am tired of people who look at the bogus, broad bullet list of expenditure and then pretend that it is at all accurate. It's like me looking at Democrats who wanted to stop the Alaskan "bridge to nowhere" and say "HOW DARE YOU CUT OUT TRANSPORTATION BUDGET"!!! I could look at the millions put into needless crap in the military, things like memorials, museums, kickbacks to the flunkies of Senate whores, etc., and when I proposed stopping it the Col would say "HOW DARE YOU CUT INTO DEF

Reply to Is homosexuality normal? in Religion JoeUser Forums

"They need reasons to support why the criteria matters if they are going to specify it." Why? You keep saying that, but I don't see you backing it up. We can pass any law we like, otherwise it isn't really a democracy, it is a democracy overseen by some esoteric list of ideals people make up off the top of their heads... like the one you are espousing. You can point to the Constitution, but you know very well we can amend that, too. If you ar

Reply to Is homosexuality normal? in Religion JoeUser Forums

My point about the animals thing wasn't a 'slippery slope' one, anyway. It was why you think we need discussion on the validity of homosexuality in order to deal with gay marriage, when obviously we DON'T need to discuss bestiality to make a decision about animal marriage. Why? Gay people can't procreate with one another either. A Man/Cat marriage could demand adoption rights, too. My insurance currently offers pet insurance, and spouse insurance, so... well, I'm not seeing the prob

Reply to Is homosexuality normal? in Religion JoeUser Forums

"yes they aren't necessarily banning homosexuality, but they are putting a limit on how far the relationship can go... at that point they should have reasons to do so." No, they are defining the criteria for a government license in a situation where that criteria is in question. "Heh, there are no reasons for there to be a state recognized marriage or similar union between a human and an animal... insurance, kids, taxe

Reply to Is homosexuality normal? in Religion JoeUser Forums

I think your misunderstanding springs from the idea that we have some "rights" that our society, itself, didn't define. We don't. You make the assumption that there is a rule that we should have reasons to make a law. Why? Where is that written? If it is... well, wouldn't that be a law, too? The overall discussion has been about gay marriage. Marriage in terms of the government is just official recognition and a piece of paper. I can call myself married all I want, and the govern