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America's evangelical community is a threat to religious freedom and other religious groups.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 25, 2019:
According to one Pew poll I saw, only about 11% of so called evangelicals are “Christian Conservatives”. The largest evangelical group is the Southern Baptist Convention, and that group has passed some decidedly liberal resolutions about separation of church and state, about racism, about ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 26, 2019:
@domos The churches that I am familiar with teach the separation of church and state, obedience to law, loyalty to country, and respect for all religions, as well as love for all of humanity. What is problematic about such teaching?
You have singled out the “evangelical community” as a threat, not only to religious freedom but to other religious groups, and I strongly disagree.
The news media, in their quest for a scapegoat, seem to have created this monster they call evangelicalism, but the definition is unclear and contradictory. Hillary Clinton, for example, is a Methodist. Her church advertises itself as evangelical in no uncertain terms. Even the Catholic Church is evangelical if you look at the meaning of the word.
Perhaps since you have leveled these serious charges you will define just what you mean by “evangelical” and will give evidence that the evangelical community is a threat.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 25, 2019:
According to one Pew poll I saw, only about 11% of so called evangelicals are “Christian Conservatives”. The largest evangelical group is the Southern Baptist Convention, and that group has passed some decidedly liberal resolutions about separation of church and state, about racism, about ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 26, 2019:
@domos The churches that I am familiar with teach the separation of church and state, obedience to law, loyalty to country, and respect for all religions, as well as love for all of humanity. What is problematic about such teaching?
You have singled out the “evangelical community” as a threat, not only to religious freedom but to other religious groups, and I strongly disagree.
The news media, in their quest for a scapegoat, seem to have created this monster they call evangelicalism, but the definition is unclear and contradictory. Hillary Clinton, for example, is a Methodist. Her church advertises itself as evangelical in no uncertain terms. Even the Catholic Church is evangelical if you look at the meaning of the word.
Perhaps since you have leveled these serious charges you will define just what you mean by “evangelical” and will give evidence that the evangelical community is a threat.
Satellite captures rare images of atmospheric gravity waves
[edition.cnn.com]
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 26, 2019:
Fascinating! But why are they called gravity waves? They seem more like just pressure waves.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 26, 2019:
@FearlessFly Holy cow! So much that I don’t understand.
Thanks
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 26, 2019:
Fascinating! But why are they called gravity waves? They seem more like just pressure waves.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 26, 2019:
@FearlessFly Holy cow! So much that I don’t understand.
Thanks
Street Epistemology: Maritza (1) | Truth Valuation (Co-ed Demands the Truth) - YouTube
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 25, 2019:
This “Street “Epistemology” process seems rather arrogant and intrusive to me. Most of these professional skeptics have their own set of irrational beliefs and assumptions, of which they are totally unaware.
One can’t help but wonder what could possibly motivate them to go around ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 26, 2019:
@Charl5 Human bodies are mammal bodies, and that part is correct. What I question is that we are dirty and little. Those are relative states. It would be just as correct to say that we are clean and large.
You are saying that we exist through just lucky chance. There is nothing scientific about such a declaration. It can not be proven that the physical universe just sort of fell into existence by accident. It can not be proven that life arose on its own through random hap-stance events. If you are going to make such ludicrous and meaningless claims you might as well just say that god did it. Both statements are meaningless and explain nothing.
And you say that you are a body existing in the physical universe. But what is this physical universe? Our perception of the universe is nothing but an illusion. If you are going to trumpet science you should get it right. According to quantum gravity theory time does not exist except as an illusion and space is not the smooth, infinite expanse that we imagine. There are no “things”. Particles of matter are events. Surely we can not logically speak of existence in the physical universe in our ordinary everyday way and have it mean anything.
When it comes to the deep questions of reality we are abysmally ignorant. We do not understand reality, and more to the point, we don’t even know what we are ourselves. There is only one thing that we experience, and that is conscious awareness. The only rational response to reality that I can see is total bewilderment, framed in conscious awareness. There’s nothing about it to believe or disbelieve.
In its pure form atheism makes total sense—just that you are not convinced of the existence of God. It is a statement about yourself that requires no argument. But there are often irrational underlying beliefs of which atheists are unaware.
If I were going to walk around on the street and approach strangers about their beliefs, my goal would not be to persuade them to adopt scientism or materialism. My goal would be to wake them up to the absolutely staggering implications of the mystery of existence.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 25, 2019:
This “Street “Epistemology” process seems rather arrogant and intrusive to me. Most of these professional skeptics have their own set of irrational beliefs and assumptions, of which they are totally unaware.
One can’t help but wonder what could possibly motivate them to go around ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 26, 2019:
@Charl5 Human bodies are mammal bodies, and that part is correct. What I question is that we are dirty and little. Those are relative states. It would be just as correct to say that we are clean and large.
You are saying that we exist through just lucky chance. There is nothing scientific about such a declaration. It can not be proven that the physical universe just sort of fell into existence by accident. It can not be proven that life arose on its own through random hap-stance events. If you are going to make such ludicrous and meaningless claims you might as well just say that god did it. Both statements are meaningless and explain nothing.
And you say that you are a body existing in the physical universe. But what is this physical universe? Our perception of the universe is nothing but an illusion. If you are going to trumpet science you should get it right. According to quantum gravity theory time does not exist except as an illusion and space is not the smooth, infinite expanse that we imagine. There are no “things”. Particles of matter are events. Surely we can not logically speak of existence in the physical universe in our ordinary everyday way and have it mean anything.
When it comes to the deep questions of reality we are abysmally ignorant. We do not understand reality, and more to the point, we don’t even know what we are ourselves. There is only one thing that we experience, and that is conscious awareness. The only rational response to reality that I can see is total bewilderment, framed in conscious awareness. There’s nothing about it to believe or disbelieve.
In its pure form atheism makes total sense—just that you are not convinced of the existence of God. It is a statement about yourself that requires no argument. But there are often irrational underlying beliefs of which atheists are unaware.
If I were going to walk around on the street and approach strangers about their beliefs, my goal would not be to persuade them to adopt scientism or materialism. My goal would be to wake them up to the absolutely staggering implications of the mystery of existence.
Street Epistemology: Maritza (1) | Truth Valuation (Co-ed Demands the Truth) - YouTube
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 25, 2019:
This “Street “Epistemology” process seems rather arrogant and intrusive to me. Most of these professional skeptics have their own set of irrational beliefs and assumptions, of which they are totally unaware.
One can’t help but wonder what could possibly motivate them to go around ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 25, 2019:
@Charl5 “We are dirty little mammals lucky enough to spring into existence in this corner of the universe, nothing more.”
You see, you are expressing a belief and that belief can not be proven. It is no more rational than belief in a god.
I care very much about the deep questions of existence. Awareness of the mystery and majesty of reality with its staggering implications brings me continuous joy, appreciation and reverence.
What it does not give is any kind of belief. It gives only bewilderment, but a pleasant bewilderment.
Maybe it’s a good thing to shake peoples belief, but we should also be open to modifying our own beliefs.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 25, 2019:
This “Street “Epistemology” process seems rather arrogant and intrusive to me. Most of these professional skeptics have their own set of irrational beliefs and assumptions, of which they are totally unaware.
One can’t help but wonder what could possibly motivate them to go around ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 25, 2019:
@Charl5 “We are dirty little mammals lucky enough to spring into existence in this corner of the universe, nothing more.”
You see, you are expressing a belief and that belief can not be proven. It is no more rational than belief in a god.
I care very much about the deep questions of existence. Awareness of the mystery and majesty of reality with its staggering implications brings me continuous joy, appreciation and reverence.
What it does not give is any kind of belief. It gives only bewilderment, but a pleasant bewilderment.
Maybe it’s a good thing to shake peoples belief, but we should also be open to modifying our own beliefs.
So this is a poll... do atheists believe in capital in capital punishment?
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 25, 2019:
I have finally, after many years, decided to be against the death penalty. I have no strong feelings—it just seems a rather unsociable thing to kill people.
Actually I don’t identify as an atheist or agnostic. If you are taking a poll strike me out.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 25, 2019:
@Gwendolyn2018 This thing on my ear is thought to be treatable. I’m a little bit concerned because it’s been there a couple of years and might have spread. Cancer runs in my family. I’ve had one version that I don’t like to talk about much. I will say though that it’s a good thing we have two of some things or I’d be singing soprano. :-)
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 25, 2019:
I have finally, after many years, decided to be against the death penalty. I have no strong feelings—it just seems a rather unsociable thing to kill people.
Actually I don’t identify as an atheist or agnostic. If you are taking a poll strike me out.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 25, 2019:
@Gwendolyn2018 This thing on my ear is thought to be treatable. I’m a little bit concerned because it’s been there a couple of years and might have spread. Cancer runs in my family. I’ve had one version that I don’t like to talk about much. I will say though that it’s a good thing we have two of some things or I’d be singing soprano. :-)
So this is a poll... do atheists believe in capital in capital punishment?
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 25, 2019:
I have finally, after many years, decided to be against the death penalty. I have no strong feelings—it just seems a rather unsociable thing to kill people.
Actually I don’t identify as an atheist or agnostic. If you are taking a poll strike me out.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 25, 2019:
@Gwendolyn2018 I do not take death very seriously I’m afraid. Over 150,000 people die each day. My own body is nearing its expiration date and I just today learned of a skin cancer that I have.
Still, out of respect for those who so abhor the death penalty I am giving them a modicum of support.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 25, 2019:
I have finally, after many years, decided to be against the death penalty. I have no strong feelings—it just seems a rather unsociable thing to kill people.
Actually I don’t identify as an atheist or agnostic. If you are taking a poll strike me out.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 25, 2019:
@Gwendolyn2018 I do not take death very seriously I’m afraid. Over 150,000 people die each day. My own body is nearing its expiration date and I just today learned of a skin cancer that I have.
Still, out of respect for those who so abhor the death penalty I am giving them a modicum of support.
Street Epistemology: Maritza (1) | Truth Valuation (Co-ed Demands the Truth) - YouTube
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 25, 2019:
This “Street “Epistemology” process seems rather arrogant and intrusive to me. Most of these professional skeptics have their own set of irrational beliefs and assumptions, of which they are totally unaware.
One can’t help but wonder what could possibly motivate them to go around ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 25, 2019:
@Charl5 From the link above, the creator of street epistemology and writer of *A Manual for Creating Atheists* is being interviewed:
[5. What do you consider to be the core commitments of a healthy epistemology?
1) An understanding that the way to improve the human condition is through reason, rationality, and science. Consequently, the words “reason” and “hope” would be forever wedded, as would the words “faith” and “despair.”]
While reason, rationality and science are great tools for many purposes, IMO those tools can contribute but little to the deep questions of existence. As far as improving the human condition, those tools help us stay alive but they certainly give no hope. The assertion is itself an irrational belief.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 25, 2019:
This “Street “Epistemology” process seems rather arrogant and intrusive to me. Most of these professional skeptics have their own set of irrational beliefs and assumptions, of which they are totally unaware.
One can’t help but wonder what could possibly motivate them to go around ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 25, 2019:
@Charl5 From the link above, the creator of street epistemology and writer of *A Manual for Creating Atheists* is being interviewed:
[5. What do you consider to be the core commitments of a healthy epistemology?
1) An understanding that the way to improve the human condition is through reason, rationality, and science. Consequently, the words “reason” and “hope” would be forever wedded, as would the words “faith” and “despair.”]
While reason, rationality and science are great tools for many purposes, IMO those tools can contribute but little to the deep questions of existence. As far as improving the human condition, those tools help us stay alive but they certainly give no hope. The assertion is itself an irrational belief.
Street Epistemology: Maritza (1) | Truth Valuation (Co-ed Demands the Truth) - YouTube
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 25, 2019:
This “Street “Epistemology” process seems rather arrogant and intrusive to me. Most of these professional skeptics have their own set of irrational beliefs and assumptions, of which they are totally unaware.
One can’t help but wonder what could possibly motivate them to go around ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 25, 2019:
@Charl5 Did you click on that Sam Harris link above? The goal is to create atheists. The founder even wrote a book so titled.
The worst of it is that they are not bringing people to rational thinking, rather they are spreading their particular flawed beliefs in materialistic scientism.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 25, 2019:
This “Street “Epistemology” process seems rather arrogant and intrusive to me. Most of these professional skeptics have their own set of irrational beliefs and assumptions, of which they are totally unaware.
One can’t help but wonder what could possibly motivate them to go around ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 25, 2019:
@Charl5 Did you click on that Sam Harris link above? The goal is to create atheists. The founder even wrote a book so titled.
The worst of it is that they are not bringing people to rational thinking, rather they are spreading their particular flawed beliefs in materialistic scientism.
Street Epistemology: Maritza (1) | Truth Valuation (Co-ed Demands the Truth) - YouTube
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 25, 2019:
This “Street “Epistemology” process seems rather arrogant and intrusive to me. Most of these professional skeptics have their own set of irrational beliefs and assumptions, of which they are totally unaware.
One can’t help but wonder what could possibly motivate them to go around ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 25, 2019:
@LimitedLight Street Epistemology is not research. It was established by its designer as a method for creating atheists.
https://samharris.org/street-epistemology/
Do you really think it’s honest to trick someone into a fake interview in order to convert them to your personal world view? IMO it is the height of arrogance and it is deceptive and dishonest. Even worse, the proposed world view is flawed to the core, leading to depression, psychic blindness, and disease of all types.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 25, 2019:
This “Street “Epistemology” process seems rather arrogant and intrusive to me. Most of these professional skeptics have their own set of irrational beliefs and assumptions, of which they are totally unaware.
One can’t help but wonder what could possibly motivate them to go around ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 25, 2019:
@LimitedLight Street Epistemology is not research. It was established by its designer as a method for creating atheists.
https://samharris.org/street-epistemology/
Do you really think it’s honest to trick someone into a fake interview in order to convert them to your personal world view? IMO it is the height of arrogance and it is deceptive and dishonest. Even worse, the proposed world view is flawed to the core, leading to depression, psychic blindness, and disease of all types.
Land of the free.
BestWithoutGods comments on Oct 25, 2019:
Whatever happened to freedom of speech and the press? :o
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 25, 2019:
@BestWithoutGods The caption says that Amy Goodman was facing jail because of her reporting. The case was thrown out almost immediately.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/oct/17/amy-goodman-north-dakota-oil-access-pipeline-protest-arrest-riot
I realize that this is bad news for those who enjoy self-righteous anger, however we must face reality and somehow move ahead despite painful setbacks. Perhaps another case will arise.
BestWithoutGods comments on Oct 25, 2019:
Whatever happened to freedom of speech and the press? :o
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 25, 2019:
@BestWithoutGods The caption says that Amy Goodman was facing jail because of her reporting. The case was thrown out almost immediately.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/oct/17/amy-goodman-north-dakota-oil-access-pipeline-protest-arrest-riot
I realize that this is bad news for those who enjoy self-righteous anger, however we must face reality and somehow move ahead despite painful setbacks. Perhaps another case will arise.
Land of the free.
BestWithoutGods comments on Oct 25, 2019:
Whatever happened to freedom of speech and the press? :o
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 25, 2019:
@BestWithoutGods Case was dismissed.
BestWithoutGods comments on Oct 25, 2019:
Whatever happened to freedom of speech and the press? :o
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 25, 2019:
@BestWithoutGods Case was dismissed.
Land of the free.
Geoffrey51 comments on Oct 25, 2019:
I don’t think it ever was unless you were of white, Anglo-Celtic stock or affiliated with certain Italian connections.
Again the insidious American Dream projection at play.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 25, 2019:
The case was dismissed
Geoffrey51 comments on Oct 25, 2019:
I don’t think it ever was unless you were of white, Anglo-Celtic stock or affiliated with certain Italian connections.
Again the insidious American Dream projection at play.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 25, 2019:
The case was dismissed
Street Epistemology: Maritza (1) | Truth Valuation (Co-ed Demands the Truth) - YouTube
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 25, 2019:
This “Street “Epistemology” process seems rather arrogant and intrusive to me. Most of these professional skeptics have their own set of irrational beliefs and assumptions, of which they are totally unaware.
One can’t help but wonder what could possibly motivate them to go around ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 25, 2019:
@dare2dream There’s nothing wrong in principle with engaging in dialog. It just seems wrong and arrogant to assume that your thinking is the correct thinking to have and that these others are the ones with cognitive dissonance, and that you should therefore stop people on the street and “help” them.
It is also dishonest. At least the JWs tell you straight out what they are up to. To be honest the “interviewer” should say, “Ma’am, I would like to quiz you about your beliefs. I suspect that some of your beliefs are irrational and I am here to help you fix that. I think you should be an atheist like me. My beliefs are all rational and the correct ones to have.”
In a real dialog there is an exchange of ideas, and there is mutual respect. Each person should have an open mind to the other person’s opinions. Each might learn from the other.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 25, 2019:
This “Street “Epistemology” process seems rather arrogant and intrusive to me. Most of these professional skeptics have their own set of irrational beliefs and assumptions, of which they are totally unaware.
One can’t help but wonder what could possibly motivate them to go around ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 25, 2019:
@dare2dream There’s nothing wrong in principle with engaging in dialog. It just seems wrong and arrogant to assume that your thinking is the correct thinking to have and that these others are the ones with cognitive dissonance, and that you should therefore stop people on the street and “help” them.
It is also dishonest. At least the JWs tell you straight out what they are up to. To be honest the “interviewer” should say, “Ma’am, I would like to quiz you about your beliefs. I suspect that some of your beliefs are irrational and I am here to help you fix that. I think you should be an atheist like me. My beliefs are all rational and the correct ones to have.”
In a real dialog there is an exchange of ideas, and there is mutual respect. Each person should have an open mind to the other person’s opinions. Each might learn from the other.
so climate change doesn't exist, isn't happening etc.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 25, 2019:
I see that the military commissioned a report. But I didn’t read where the military is actually taking steps to deal with the anticipated warming. Reports are a dime a dozen.
Actually very few people say that climate change doesn’t exist. Large numbers of scientists say that drastic action is...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 25, 2019:
@altschmerz yezzir/yezzum, whichever you are.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 25, 2019:
I see that the military commissioned a report. But I didn’t read where the military is actually taking steps to deal with the anticipated warming. Reports are a dime a dozen.
Actually very few people say that climate change doesn’t exist. Large numbers of scientists say that drastic action is...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 25, 2019:
@altschmerz yezzir/yezzum, whichever you are.
so climate change doesn't exist, isn't happening etc.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 25, 2019:
I see that the military commissioned a report. But I didn’t read where the military is actually taking steps to deal with the anticipated warming. Reports are a dime a dozen.
Actually very few people say that climate change doesn’t exist. Large numbers of scientists say that drastic action is...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 25, 2019:
@altschmerz I am a rather lazy person. I was asked to support my claim that large numbers of scientists say that drastic action is not needed, and I provided that information as efficiently as I could. If you want to attack the credentials of that large number, go ahead. My original assertion stands.
Only a relative handful of scientists have their PHDs in climatology, but large numbers are very qualified to give opinions about the climate. If you are going to discredit some of those who have no degree in climatology, then discredit them all, regardless of their opinions either way.
Judith Curry and Roy Spencer are very qualified climatologists who see no reason for alarm, and for this heresy they are demonized at every turn.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 25, 2019:
I see that the military commissioned a report. But I didn’t read where the military is actually taking steps to deal with the anticipated warming. Reports are a dime a dozen.
Actually very few people say that climate change doesn’t exist. Large numbers of scientists say that drastic action is...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 25, 2019:
@altschmerz I am a rather lazy person. I was asked to support my claim that large numbers of scientists say that drastic action is not needed, and I provided that information as efficiently as I could. If you want to attack the credentials of that large number, go ahead. My original assertion stands.
Only a relative handful of scientists have their PHDs in climatology, but large numbers are very qualified to give opinions about the climate. If you are going to discredit some of those who have no degree in climatology, then discredit them all, regardless of their opinions either way.
Judith Curry and Roy Spencer are very qualified climatologists who see no reason for alarm, and for this heresy they are demonized at every turn.
so climate change doesn't exist, isn't happening etc.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 25, 2019:
I see that the military commissioned a report. But I didn’t read where the military is actually taking steps to deal with the anticipated warming. Reports are a dime a dozen.
Actually very few people say that climate change doesn’t exist. Large numbers of scientists say that drastic action is...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 25, 2019:
@Allamanda https://www.google.com/search?q=500+scientists+send+letter+to+un&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us=safari
https://www.google.com/search?q=500+scientists+send+letter+to+un&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us=safari
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 25, 2019:
I see that the military commissioned a report. But I didn’t read where the military is actually taking steps to deal with the anticipated warming. Reports are a dime a dozen.
Actually very few people say that climate change doesn’t exist. Large numbers of scientists say that drastic action is...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 25, 2019:
@Allamanda https://www.google.com/search?q=500+scientists+send+letter+to+un&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us=safari
https://www.google.com/search?q=500+scientists+send+letter+to+un&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us=safari
Street Epistemology: Maritza (1) | Truth Valuation (Co-ed Demands the Truth) - YouTube
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 25, 2019:
This “Street “Epistemology” process seems rather arrogant and intrusive to me. Most of these professional skeptics have their own set of irrational beliefs and assumptions, of which they are totally unaware.
One can’t help but wonder what could possibly motivate them to go around ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 25, 2019:
@Charl5 Ones own thinking will always seem logical and rational to them. It is the thinking of other people that needs to be corrected.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 25, 2019:
This “Street “Epistemology” process seems rather arrogant and intrusive to me. Most of these professional skeptics have their own set of irrational beliefs and assumptions, of which they are totally unaware.
One can’t help but wonder what could possibly motivate them to go around ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 25, 2019:
@Charl5 Ones own thinking will always seem logical and rational to them. It is the thinking of other people that needs to be corrected.
Does democracy need capitalism?
Mb_Man comments on Oct 22, 2019:
I'm inclined to think the oppisite. But what do I know.
Systems have been tried. Systems have strained under the black box that is human instinct. Now, with billions more people than any previous system has ever had to deal with, we find ourselves in late stage capitialism.
Many make cogent ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 25, 2019:
@Mb_Man You make some good points.
One idea I have for social improvement is the institution of state capitalism. It would be very difficult to implement in the US, given our massive public debt and large budget deficits.
I believe though that Canada has moved a little bit in that direction. Norway very much so, and China also.
But here I am, going back to that drawing board, the one I told YOU to stay away from. Sorry.
Mb_Man comments on Oct 22, 2019:
I'm inclined to think the oppisite. But what do I know.
Systems have been tried. Systems have strained under the black box that is human instinct. Now, with billions more people than any previous system has ever had to deal with, we find ourselves in late stage capitialism.
Many make cogent ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 25, 2019:
@Mb_Man You make some good points.
One idea I have for social improvement is the institution of state capitalism. It would be very difficult to implement in the US, given our massive public debt and large budget deficits.
I believe though that Canada has moved a little bit in that direction. Norway very much so, and China also.
But here I am, going back to that drawing board, the one I told YOU to stay away from. Sorry.
Does democracy need capitalism?
Mb_Man comments on Oct 22, 2019:
I'm inclined to think the oppisite. But what do I know.
Systems have been tried. Systems have strained under the black box that is human instinct. Now, with billions more people than any previous system has ever had to deal with, we find ourselves in late stage capitialism.
Many make cogent ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 25, 2019:
@Mb_Man I do lean toward libertarianism—it seems to fit me. What do you mean about being born behind a stake? I don’t get it. I was born in 1943.
Entrepreneurs are working feverishly as we speak to create a bright future. Politicians, social activists and bureaucrats meanwhile are sitting on their asses while they stir up fear and angst. It’s all about ego, money and power.
You are not the eldest sibling to all of humanity. Best to calm down and make the most of your own life. So far as politics, we each get one vote. That’s our share.
Mb_Man comments on Oct 22, 2019:
I'm inclined to think the oppisite. But what do I know.
Systems have been tried. Systems have strained under the black box that is human instinct. Now, with billions more people than any previous system has ever had to deal with, we find ourselves in late stage capitialism.
Many make cogent ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 25, 2019:
@Mb_Man I do lean toward libertarianism—it seems to fit me. What do you mean about being born behind a stake? I don’t get it. I was born in 1943.
Entrepreneurs are working feverishly as we speak to create a bright future. Politicians, social activists and bureaucrats meanwhile are sitting on their asses while they stir up fear and angst. It’s all about ego, money and power.
You are not the eldest sibling to all of humanity. Best to calm down and make the most of your own life. So far as politics, we each get one vote. That’s our share.
Anyone here think that consciousness is a fundamental entity that exists both inside and outside ...
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 23, 2019:
I lean toward the idea of universal consciousness. Many very prominent scientists have made such conjectures in one form or another, among them cognitive scientist Donald Hoffman. Several of the founders of modern physics advocated such an idea.
Here’s an interesting article on the subject....
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 24, 2019:
@JeffMesser I agree. We might not ever fully understand consciousness in the everyday terms that we use today, but maybe a new way of thinking will emerge, a new physics.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 23, 2019:
I lean toward the idea of universal consciousness. Many very prominent scientists have made such conjectures in one form or another, among them cognitive scientist Donald Hoffman. Several of the founders of modern physics advocated such an idea.
Here’s an interesting article on the subject....
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 24, 2019:
@JeffMesser I agree. We might not ever fully understand consciousness in the everyday terms that we use today, but maybe a new way of thinking will emerge, a new physics.
Does democracy need capitalism?
Mb_Man comments on Oct 22, 2019:
I'm inclined to think the oppisite. But what do I know.
Systems have been tried. Systems have strained under the black box that is human instinct. Now, with billions more people than any previous system has ever had to deal with, we find ourselves in late stage capitialism.
Many make cogent ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 24, 2019:
@Mb_Man “If we let the market dictate the future of humanity, that will be the end of humanity.”
Who are the “we” that are going to let or not let humans act as humans. Remember that the market is not some pervasive alien force, created and controlled by a few evil sociopaths. The market is people behaving as people always have.
There is no wise and powerful authority that can step in and control humanity. Anyway, I don’t foresee extinction anytime soon. Everything is temporary but there’s no sense in bringing on extinction sooner than need be through panic-driven destructive actions.
Mb_Man comments on Oct 22, 2019:
I'm inclined to think the oppisite. But what do I know.
Systems have been tried. Systems have strained under the black box that is human instinct. Now, with billions more people than any previous system has ever had to deal with, we find ourselves in late stage capitialism.
Many make cogent ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 24, 2019:
@Mb_Man “If we let the market dictate the future of humanity, that will be the end of humanity.”
Who are the “we” that are going to let or not let humans act as humans. Remember that the market is not some pervasive alien force, created and controlled by a few evil sociopaths. The market is people behaving as people always have.
There is no wise and powerful authority that can step in and control humanity. Anyway, I don’t foresee extinction anytime soon. Everything is temporary but there’s no sense in bringing on extinction sooner than need be through panic-driven destructive actions.
Sex and the religious.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 23, 2019:
What is your source? Just because a particular region is higher in porn searches doesn’t mean that it’s religious conservatives doing the searching.
I suspect there is some major stereotyping going on here.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 24, 2019:
@Jolanta I’m not upset, just very eager to point out erroneous thinking that unjustly demonizes and slanders groups of people and entire regions. If Australia were under constant attack wouldn’t you react?
Nothing personal against you but *Patheos* employs some very scummy journalism.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 23, 2019:
What is your source? Just because a particular region is higher in porn searches doesn’t mean that it’s religious conservatives doing the searching.
I suspect there is some major stereotyping going on here.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 24, 2019:
@Jolanta I’m not upset, just very eager to point out erroneous thinking that unjustly demonizes and slanders groups of people and entire regions. If Australia were under constant attack wouldn’t you react?
Nothing personal against you but *Patheos* employs some very scummy journalism.
Does democracy need capitalism?
Mb_Man comments on Oct 22, 2019:
I'm inclined to think the oppisite. But what do I know.
Systems have been tried. Systems have strained under the black box that is human instinct. Now, with billions more people than any previous system has ever had to deal with, we find ourselves in late stage capitialism.
Many make cogent ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 23, 2019:
@Mb_Man Which resources do you mean? Don’t think for one minute that anybody in government or anywhere else is smart enough to call the shots over such a basic human instinct as production of goods and services and trading.
What parts of the economy do you want checked? Checking the economy is a dangerous gamble. Hell, look at what happened In Cambodia.
Mb_Man comments on Oct 22, 2019:
I'm inclined to think the oppisite. But what do I know.
Systems have been tried. Systems have strained under the black box that is human instinct. Now, with billions more people than any previous system has ever had to deal with, we find ourselves in late stage capitialism.
Many make cogent ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 23, 2019:
@Mb_Man Which resources do you mean? Don’t think for one minute that anybody in government or anywhere else is smart enough to call the shots over such a basic human instinct as production of goods and services and trading.
What parts of the economy do you want checked? Checking the economy is a dangerous gamble. Hell, look at what happened In Cambodia.
Does democracy need capitalism?
Mb_Man comments on Oct 22, 2019:
I'm inclined to think the oppisite. But what do I know.
Systems have been tried. Systems have strained under the black box that is human instinct. Now, with billions more people than any previous system has ever had to deal with, we find ourselves in late stage capitialism.
Many make cogent ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 22, 2019:
IMO no one ever went to the drawing board and designed capitalism. Trading has expanded on its own through better communications and transportation and a larger population world wide. Humanity is currently at an all time high in terms of wealth.
Stay away from that drawing board and the economy will take care of itself.
Mb_Man comments on Oct 22, 2019:
I'm inclined to think the oppisite. But what do I know.
Systems have been tried. Systems have strained under the black box that is human instinct. Now, with billions more people than any previous system has ever had to deal with, we find ourselves in late stage capitialism.
Many make cogent ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 22, 2019:
IMO no one ever went to the drawing board and designed capitalism. Trading has expanded on its own through better communications and transportation and a larger population world wide. Humanity is currently at an all time high in terms of wealth.
Stay away from that drawing board and the economy will take care of itself.
Who is this idiot! I have heard less offensive comments from the religious peanut brains!
I ...
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 22, 2019:
https://www.livescience.com/33992-gay-women.html
“Unlike men, who are usually sexually oriented solely toward men or women, and whose sexuality is essentially fixed from puberty on, a decade of research by the University of Utah psychologist Lisa Diamond and others demonstrates that women have ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 22, 2019:
@Geoffrey51 As long as we keep it at only a “bit” denigrating then I am forced to concur, but only a bit.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 22, 2019:
https://www.livescience.com/33992-gay-women.html
“Unlike men, who are usually sexually oriented solely toward men or women, and whose sexuality is essentially fixed from puberty on, a decade of research by the University of Utah psychologist Lisa Diamond and others demonstrates that women have ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 22, 2019:
@Geoffrey51 As long as we keep it at only a “bit” denigrating then I am forced to concur, but only a bit.
There is a grammatical convention of the English language that is so important that if you do not ...
LenHazell53 comments on Oct 22, 2019:
Spacial description followed by temporal description almost always precedes a physical description, in common speech, probably as an aid to mental visualization.
The building before them was ancient and decrepit,
for example allows for building up of a picture
A building, subject sets up ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 22, 2019:
Great analysis. Thanks.
LenHazell53 comments on Oct 22, 2019:
Spacial description followed by temporal description almost always precedes a physical description, in common speech, probably as an aid to mental visualization.
The building before them was ancient and decrepit,
for example allows for building up of a picture
A building, subject sets up ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 22, 2019:
Great analysis. Thanks.
Who is this idiot! I have heard less offensive comments from the religious peanut brains!
I ...
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 22, 2019:
https://www.livescience.com/33992-gay-women.html
“Unlike men, who are usually sexually oriented solely toward men or women, and whose sexuality is essentially fixed from puberty on, a decade of research by the University of Utah psychologist Lisa Diamond and others demonstrates that women have ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 22, 2019:
@Paul4747 No one is saying that being a lesbian is a horrible fate. If you prefer apples you don’t have to settle for oranges. There are some apples out there if you look.
Nothing wrong with oranges.
Some people must be awfully sensitive and insecure about their choice to have so drastic a reaction to such an innocent statement.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 22, 2019:
https://www.livescience.com/33992-gay-women.html
“Unlike men, who are usually sexually oriented solely toward men or women, and whose sexuality is essentially fixed from puberty on, a decade of research by the University of Utah psychologist Lisa Diamond and others demonstrates that women have ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 22, 2019:
@Paul4747 No one is saying that being a lesbian is a horrible fate. If you prefer apples you don’t have to settle for oranges. There are some apples out there if you look.
Nothing wrong with oranges.
Some people must be awfully sensitive and insecure about their choice to have so drastic a reaction to such an innocent statement.
Inequity of society horrendous
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 22, 2019:
The VA might try to help in some ways.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 22, 2019:
@bobwjr Maybe so but in general I’ve had great experiences with the VA.
It’s up to individuals to come forward however.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 22, 2019:
The VA might try to help in some ways.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 22, 2019:
@bobwjr Maybe so but in general I’ve had great experiences with the VA.
It’s up to individuals to come forward however.
Wolfgang Streeck wrote in his book "How will Capitalism end?
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 20, 2019:
Without reading the book it’s hard to give an opinion. In a free and open society there is constant change, constant shuffling of business formations.
There’s plenty of room for improvement—for reform, but that doesn’t mean that capitalism needs to be brought down and replaced with ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 21, 2019:
@dahermit I did not say that the countries of Northern Europe have either State Socialism or State Capitalism. What I said was that NORWAY has State Capitalism.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_capitalism
I am in favor of a few well-managed social programs, but those programs have to be financed somehow. They are financed by free enterprise.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 20, 2019:
Without reading the book it’s hard to give an opinion. In a free and open society there is constant change, constant shuffling of business formations.
There’s plenty of room for improvement—for reform, but that doesn’t mean that capitalism needs to be brought down and replaced with ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 21, 2019:
@dahermit I did not say that the countries of Northern Europe have either State Socialism or State Capitalism. What I said was that NORWAY has State Capitalism.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_capitalism
I am in favor of a few well-managed social programs, but those programs have to be financed somehow. They are financed by free enterprise.
So is anyone else agnostic about life?
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 21, 2019:
“The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science."
“My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 21, 2019:
@marmot84 One thing that is not a lie or illusion is conscious awareness, a profound mystery. “We” might be slime mold but we are also much, much more. We are consciousness.
Edwin Schrodinger:
“Consciousness cannot be accounted for in physical terms. For consciousness is absolutely fundamental. It cannot be accounted for in terms of anything else.”
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 21, 2019:
“The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science."
“My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 21, 2019:
@marmot84 One thing that is not a lie or illusion is conscious awareness, a profound mystery. “We” might be slime mold but we are also much, much more. We are consciousness.
Edwin Schrodinger:
“Consciousness cannot be accounted for in physical terms. For consciousness is absolutely fundamental. It cannot be accounted for in terms of anything else.”
Pathetic bullies
Florida police
[google.com.au]
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 20, 2019:
I am also disturbed by the guy being tased after he was on the ground. The fact that he offered to surrender and was mistreated—yes, that is shameful. He could have been seriously injured for no reason.
I was faced with a similar situation once. Someone had appropriated my vehicle after being ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 20, 2019:
@Geoffrey51 It’s not all that Wild West. The police do go too far sometimes, but the news media, ever eager for some shocking story will play up those events. For every bad interaction with the police there might be hundreds of good and reasonable interactions that you never hear about.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 20, 2019:
I am also disturbed by the guy being tased after he was on the ground. The fact that he offered to surrender and was mistreated—yes, that is shameful. He could have been seriously injured for no reason.
I was faced with a similar situation once. Someone had appropriated my vehicle after being ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 20, 2019:
@Geoffrey51 It’s not all that Wild West. The police do go too far sometimes, but the news media, ever eager for some shocking story will play up those events. For every bad interaction with the police there might be hundreds of good and reasonable interactions that you never hear about.
Wolfgang Streeck wrote in his book "How will Capitalism end?
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 20, 2019:
Without reading the book it’s hard to give an opinion. In a free and open society there is constant change, constant shuffling of business formations.
There’s plenty of room for improvement—for reform, but that doesn’t mean that capitalism needs to be brought down and replaced with ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 20, 2019:
@dahermit I’m no expert on China but I do know that they have embraced capitalism to some degree. For example, I read that their military is financed by a huge stock market fund. Canada has a large investment account used to fund pensions. Norway is one of the worlds biggest stockholders.
Look up “State Capitalism”
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 20, 2019:
Without reading the book it’s hard to give an opinion. In a free and open society there is constant change, constant shuffling of business formations.
There’s plenty of room for improvement—for reform, but that doesn’t mean that capitalism needs to be brought down and replaced with ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 20, 2019:
@dahermit I’m no expert on China but I do know that they have embraced capitalism to some degree. For example, I read that their military is financed by a huge stock market fund. Canada has a large investment account used to fund pensions. Norway is one of the worlds biggest stockholders.
Look up “State Capitalism”
Wolfgang Streeck wrote in his book "How will Capitalism end?
Storm1752 comments on Oct 20, 2019:
I posit it will become obsolete. Irrelevant. No longer applicable to the "facts on the ground." Technology, I predict, will provide for all physical needs without need for MANual labor.
I believe we are so still in thrall of old thinking generated by the "old religions," which of course are ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 20, 2019:
@dahermit No they are not. And they are not Marxist states either are they? They have seen fit the establish social programs that are of benefit, and those programs are paid for by free market enterprise.
Storm1752 comments on Oct 20, 2019:
I posit it will become obsolete. Irrelevant. No longer applicable to the "facts on the ground." Technology, I predict, will provide for all physical needs without need for MANual labor.
I believe we are so still in thrall of old thinking generated by the "old religions," which of course are ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 20, 2019:
@dahermit No they are not. And they are not Marxist states either are they? They have seen fit the establish social programs that are of benefit, and those programs are paid for by free market enterprise.
Wolfgang Streeck wrote in his book "How will Capitalism end?
Storm1752 comments on Oct 20, 2019:
I posit it will become obsolete. Irrelevant. No longer applicable to the "facts on the ground." Technology, I predict, will provide for all physical needs without need for MANual labor.
I believe we are so still in thrall of old thinking generated by the "old religions," which of course are ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 20, 2019:
Communism was highly touted by the USSR but was eclipsed by the free market. Look at what works, not at some failed utopian bureaucratic solution.
Storm1752 comments on Oct 20, 2019:
I posit it will become obsolete. Irrelevant. No longer applicable to the "facts on the ground." Technology, I predict, will provide for all physical needs without need for MANual labor.
I believe we are so still in thrall of old thinking generated by the "old religions," which of course are ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 20, 2019:
Communism was highly touted by the USSR but was eclipsed by the free market. Look at what works, not at some failed utopian bureaucratic solution.
Wolfgang Streeck wrote in his book "How will Capitalism end?
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 20, 2019:
Without reading the book it’s hard to give an opinion. In a free and open society there is constant change, constant shuffling of business formations.
There’s plenty of room for improvement—for reform, but that doesn’t mean that capitalism needs to be brought down and replaced with ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 20, 2019:
@Haemish1 First question: only partly. It’s been a very long time since the health care industry was subjected to purely supply and demand forces. Due to government policies regarding insurance, patients are unable to shop for the best deal—they don’t even **know** the proposed charges.
Second question: I don’t know a lot about human rights in China. That is a separate issue. I do not propose to copy China in every aspect.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 20, 2019:
Without reading the book it’s hard to give an opinion. In a free and open society there is constant change, constant shuffling of business formations.
There’s plenty of room for improvement—for reform, but that doesn’t mean that capitalism needs to be brought down and replaced with ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 20, 2019:
@Haemish1 First question: only partly. It’s been a very long time since the health care industry was subjected to purely supply and demand forces. Due to government policies regarding insurance, patients are unable to shop for the best deal—they don’t even **know** the proposed charges.
Second question: I don’t know a lot about human rights in China. That is a separate issue. I do not propose to copy China in every aspect.
True just distorted by evangelicals who want a religious state their religion
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 18, 2019:
Good post, thank you.
Very few evangelicals are calling for a religious state. Practically none I would say.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 20, 2019:
@Triphid What you say is disturbing. Maybe I am overly optimistic, but I tend to think that such things would not happen in the US. Courts would be bound by law to support the free speech of atheists as well as everyone else, even Nazis. In some places there could be a protest against the atheists however. I doubt there would be violence over the issue of religious opinion.
Was that magistrate’s ruling appealed to a higher court?
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 18, 2019:
Good post, thank you.
Very few evangelicals are calling for a religious state. Practically none I would say.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 20, 2019:
@Triphid What you say is disturbing. Maybe I am overly optimistic, but I tend to think that such things would not happen in the US. Courts would be bound by law to support the free speech of atheists as well as everyone else, even Nazis. In some places there could be a protest against the atheists however. I doubt there would be violence over the issue of religious opinion.
Was that magistrate’s ruling appealed to a higher court?
True just distorted by evangelicals who want a religious state their religion
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 18, 2019:
Good post, thank you.
Very few evangelicals are calling for a religious state. Practically none I would say.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 19, 2019:
@Triphid, @Deiter There seems to be no end of these left-leaning sources that are busily promoting hatred, fear and division through demonization and stereotyping. Maybe you believe that a grand conspiracy is afoot—not me, but even if there were it would get nowhere. Protestants are fractured and unorganized and have no unified platform. Historically it has been the Catholic Church that wielded political power.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 18, 2019:
Good post, thank you.
Very few evangelicals are calling for a religious state. Practically none I would say.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 19, 2019:
@Triphid, @Deiter There seems to be no end of these left-leaning sources that are busily promoting hatred, fear and division through demonization and stereotyping. Maybe you believe that a grand conspiracy is afoot—not me, but even if there were it would get nowhere. Protestants are fractured and unorganized and have no unified platform. Historically it has been the Catholic Church that wielded political power.
True just distorted by evangelicals who want a religious state their religion
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 18, 2019:
Good post, thank you.
Very few evangelicals are calling for a religious state. Practically none I would say.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 19, 2019:
@Triphid I thought everyone had the right to bring their thoughts, etc to the forefront. Maybe you are being sarcastic?
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 18, 2019:
Good post, thank you.
Very few evangelicals are calling for a religious state. Practically none I would say.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 19, 2019:
@Triphid I thought everyone had the right to bring their thoughts, etc to the forefront. Maybe you are being sarcastic?
True just distorted by evangelicals who want a religious state their religion
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 18, 2019:
Good post, thank you.
Very few evangelicals are calling for a religious state. Practically none I would say.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 18, 2019:
@glennlab They are NOT calling for a religious state and to claim that they do is nothing but hyperbole.
Are you advocating for an atheist state? Maybe you should look at the constitution where it talks about the free exercise of religion.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 18, 2019:
Good post, thank you.
Very few evangelicals are calling for a religious state. Practically none I would say.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 18, 2019:
@glennlab They are NOT calling for a religious state and to claim that they do is nothing but hyperbole.
Are you advocating for an atheist state? Maybe you should look at the constitution where it talks about the free exercise of religion.
True just distorted by evangelicals who want a religious state their religion
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 18, 2019:
Good post, thank you.
Very few evangelicals are calling for a religious state. Practically none I would say.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 18, 2019:
@bobwjr, @glennlab They have every right to advocate for their interests, just as all groups do.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 18, 2019:
Good post, thank you.
Very few evangelicals are calling for a religious state. Practically none I would say.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 18, 2019:
@bobwjr, @glennlab They have every right to advocate for their interests, just as all groups do.
True just distorted by evangelicals who want a religious state their religion
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 18, 2019:
Good post, thank you.
Very few evangelicals are calling for a religious state. Practically none I would say.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 18, 2019:
@bobwjr I think you are referring to my state. A large church run university received permission to have a police force to provide security for their campus. How is that establishing a religious state?
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 18, 2019:
Good post, thank you.
Very few evangelicals are calling for a religious state. Practically none I would say.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 18, 2019:
@bobwjr I think you are referring to my state. A large church run university received permission to have a police force to provide security for their campus. How is that establishing a religious state?
Is physical causality incomplete?
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 17, 2019:
Whether intentionality is emergent or not, I believe that Ellis makes a good point. There is no scientific understanding of conscious awareness or intentionality, and there will never be as long as science continues with its “self-referential incompleteness”.
A robot can be set up to make ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 18, 2019:
@Matias I agree that it is a deep mystery. It amounts to telekinesis which is very difficult to swallow. However I don’t think of it in a dualistic way—dualistic thinking is a mental tool that helps us survive but from a greater perspective the two poles are seen as artificial constructs.
In the case of the so-called physical world vs.some sort of spiritual or higher plane based on universal consciousness, it can be intuited that the physical exists only as a symbolic creation of the mind and that in reality only that higher plane exists. After all, everything that we experience in the physical world is nothing but our own nervous systems.
Maybe another way to look at it if you want to think only in terms of the physical—our bodies pick up a special kind of intelligent information from the environment and we interpret that as consciousness.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 17, 2019:
Whether intentionality is emergent or not, I believe that Ellis makes a good point. There is no scientific understanding of conscious awareness or intentionality, and there will never be as long as science continues with its “self-referential incompleteness”.
A robot can be set up to make ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 18, 2019:
@Matias I agree that it is a deep mystery. It amounts to telekinesis which is very difficult to swallow. However I don’t think of it in a dualistic way—dualistic thinking is a mental tool that helps us survive but from a greater perspective the two poles are seen as artificial constructs.
In the case of the so-called physical world vs.some sort of spiritual or higher plane based on universal consciousness, it can be intuited that the physical exists only as a symbolic creation of the mind and that in reality only that higher plane exists. After all, everything that we experience in the physical world is nothing but our own nervous systems.
Maybe another way to look at it if you want to think only in terms of the physical—our bodies pick up a special kind of intelligent information from the environment and we interpret that as consciousness.
Question.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 17, 2019:
An organized group can do all sorts of things that isolated individuals can not. If individuals come together and pool their resources in order to influence public opinion, isn’t that their right whether needed or not?
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 17, 2019:
@Geoffrey51 I agree that the money would be better spent on directly helping people in most cases. Politicians generally are just seeking ego gratification and to give them money helps no one. Sometimes though there is some cause for which people feel deeply and they want to get their story out there.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 17, 2019:
An organized group can do all sorts of things that isolated individuals can not. If individuals come together and pool their resources in order to influence public opinion, isn’t that their right whether needed or not?
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 17, 2019:
@Geoffrey51 I agree that the money would be better spent on directly helping people in most cases. Politicians generally are just seeking ego gratification and to give them money helps no one. Sometimes though there is some cause for which people feel deeply and they want to get their story out there.
Should the Supreme Court Be Reformed?
Mofo1953 comments on Oct 15, 2019:
If dems get both legislative houses what I would do is the following;
1. Abolish the electoral college
2. Make justices have term limits instead of lifetime
3. Abolish the 2nd amendment
4. Repeal citizens united
But thats just me
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 16, 2019:
@OldMetalHead That makes sense.
Mofo1953 comments on Oct 15, 2019:
If dems get both legislative houses what I would do is the following;
1. Abolish the electoral college
2. Make justices have term limits instead of lifetime
3. Abolish the 2nd amendment
4. Repeal citizens united
But thats just me
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 16, 2019:
@OldMetalHead That makes sense.
Should the Supreme Court Be Reformed?
Mofo1953 comments on Oct 15, 2019:
If dems get both legislative houses what I would do is the following;
1. Abolish the electoral college
2. Make justices have term limits instead of lifetime
3. Abolish the 2nd amendment
4. Repeal citizens united
But thats just me
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 15, 2019:
@OldMetalHead How are you going to overturn Citizens United. Congress already passed a law barring corporations and labor unions from campaigning for candidates within certain periods. The Supreme Court found that law to be unconstitutional because it was a violation of free speech. I don’t see how you can change things except with a constitutional amendment.
Mofo1953 comments on Oct 15, 2019:
If dems get both legislative houses what I would do is the following;
1. Abolish the electoral college
2. Make justices have term limits instead of lifetime
3. Abolish the 2nd amendment
4. Repeal citizens united
But thats just me
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 15, 2019:
@OldMetalHead How are you going to overturn Citizens United. Congress already passed a law barring corporations and labor unions from campaigning for candidates within certain periods. The Supreme Court found that law to be unconstitutional because it was a violation of free speech. I don’t see how you can change things except with a constitutional amendment.
Should the Supreme Court Be Reformed?
Mofo1953 comments on Oct 15, 2019:
If dems get both legislative houses what I would do is the following;
1. Abolish the electoral college
2. Make justices have term limits instead of lifetime
3. Abolish the 2nd amendment
4. Repeal citizens united
But thats just me
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 15, 2019:
How would you get around the required ratification by the states?
Mofo1953 comments on Oct 15, 2019:
If dems get both legislative houses what I would do is the following;
1. Abolish the electoral college
2. Make justices have term limits instead of lifetime
3. Abolish the 2nd amendment
4. Repeal citizens united
But thats just me
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 15, 2019:
How would you get around the required ratification by the states?
This is just a question, not a moral observation or anything else, just a question that maybe the ...
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 14, 2019:
I think not. Every situation is different.
Some states used to impose death for rape, but the punishment was not dealt fairly. It’s just too extreme.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 14, 2019:
@NoPlanetB How do you know with such certainty that I’ve never been raped?
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 14, 2019:
I think not. Every situation is different.
Some states used to impose death for rape, but the punishment was not dealt fairly. It’s just too extreme.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 14, 2019:
@NoPlanetB How do you know with such certainty that I’ve never been raped?
Power causes brain damage! [theatlantic.com]
Allamanda comments on Oct 14, 2019:
and will this prove equally true for women in power? I suspect a little less?
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 14, 2019:
@Allamanda It sort of makes sense. Women have developed a certain toughness because of their childbearing duties, and in order to tend their children they need both empathy and emotional toughness.
Allamanda comments on Oct 14, 2019:
and will this prove equally true for women in power? I suspect a little less?
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 14, 2019:
@Allamanda It sort of makes sense. Women have developed a certain toughness because of their childbearing duties, and in order to tend their children they need both empathy and emotional toughness.
Power causes brain damage! [theatlantic.com]
Allamanda comments on Oct 14, 2019:
and will this prove equally true for women in power? I suspect a little less?
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 14, 2019:
Why do you think that?
Allamanda comments on Oct 14, 2019:
and will this prove equally true for women in power? I suspect a little less?
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 14, 2019:
Why do you think that?
Have all y’all heard about Buy Nothing?
1of5 comments on Oct 14, 2019:
I dunno if i shoud be happy about people helping other people, or despondent about people switching back to a barter economy because the cash economy doesnt work for them.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 14, 2019:
@MissKathleen In that sense it is a sort of moneyless bank except there are no accounts.
What keeps someone from receiving things and selling them? Since the items were freely given no one could really object, except as a matter of principle.
1of5 comments on Oct 14, 2019:
I dunno if i shoud be happy about people helping other people, or despondent about people switching back to a barter economy because the cash economy doesnt work for them.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 14, 2019:
@MissKathleen In that sense it is a sort of moneyless bank except there are no accounts.
What keeps someone from receiving things and selling them? Since the items were freely given no one could really object, except as a matter of principle.
Game theory and human behaviour.
AnneWimsey comments on Oct 14, 2019:
Wait, "a faux Nobel Prize"??? Explain, please?
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 14, 2019:
@ToolGuy Should note that Nash was not an economist but a mathematician. Since there is no Nobel award for mathematics Nash was given that faux award for economics.
Economists seized on game theory on their own. If game theory doesn’t work for economics don’t blame Nash. For Nash, game theory was a somewhat trivial thing that he invented in his youth.
AnneWimsey comments on Oct 14, 2019:
Wait, "a faux Nobel Prize"??? Explain, please?
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 14, 2019:
@ToolGuy Should note that Nash was not an economist but a mathematician. Since there is no Nobel award for mathematics Nash was given that faux award for economics.
Economists seized on game theory on their own. If game theory doesn’t work for economics don’t blame Nash. For Nash, game theory was a somewhat trivial thing that he invented in his youth.
"What marks modernist thought above all is the belief that human existence is contingent - that it ...
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 13, 2019:
Then I disagree drastically with modernist thought.
Our existence is underlain with conscious awareness, timeless and indestructible.
Individual humans are chancey things, temporary and of no import—so is the human species. The entire physical universe is ethereal and could disappear at any ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 14, 2019:
@skado I lean toward thinking that but obviously it can not be proven. I am basically flabbergasted.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 13, 2019:
Then I disagree drastically with modernist thought.
Our existence is underlain with conscious awareness, timeless and indestructible.
Individual humans are chancey things, temporary and of no import—so is the human species. The entire physical universe is ethereal and could disappear at any ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 14, 2019:
@skado I lean toward thinking that but obviously it can not be proven. I am basically flabbergasted.
"What marks modernist thought above all is the belief that human existence is contingent - that it ...
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 13, 2019:
Then I disagree drastically with modernist thought.
Our existence is underlain with conscious awareness, timeless and indestructible.
Individual humans are chancey things, temporary and of no import—so is the human species. The entire physical universe is ethereal and could disappear at any ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 14, 2019:
@skado we don’t know what existence is and we don’t know what we are ourselves. But we know that we are consciously aware of **something**. Time has no meaning without awareness—it is a result of awareness. Even physicists are saying that time does not exist. For that reason I say that conscious awareness is timeless.
WE are not timeless in our bodily state obviously. We are living in a world of illusion. My existence as a body is just an illusion, and I myself as a separate individual is illusory. That seems obvious because if I lose my memory I am no longer the same person. My “self” is just an idea thing, like an acting role. Just as an actor can play different roles, sometimes various personalities are seen to occupy a single body, each unaware of the others, each as legitimate as the others.
It all comes down to the fact that we don’t know anything in a rational way but we experience this mysterious consciousness.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 13, 2019:
Then I disagree drastically with modernist thought.
Our existence is underlain with conscious awareness, timeless and indestructible.
Individual humans are chancey things, temporary and of no import—so is the human species. The entire physical universe is ethereal and could disappear at any ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 14, 2019:
@skado we don’t know what existence is and we don’t know what we are ourselves. But we know that we are consciously aware of **something**. Time has no meaning without awareness—it is a result of awareness. Even physicists are saying that time does not exist. For that reason I say that conscious awareness is timeless.
WE are not timeless in our bodily state obviously. We are living in a world of illusion. My existence as a body is just an illusion, and I myself as a separate individual is illusory. That seems obvious because if I lose my memory I am no longer the same person. My “self” is just an idea thing, like an acting role. Just as an actor can play different roles, sometimes various personalities are seen to occupy a single body, each unaware of the others, each as legitimate as the others.
It all comes down to the fact that we don’t know anything in a rational way but we experience this mysterious consciousness.
Your veiws on Spiritual?
LenHazell53 comments on Oct 13, 2019:
Spirit in any such context is indicative of a supernatural, or at least none material entity of phenomena that impact on the real world in one for or another.
I reject that concept absolutely.
The only other definition of spiritual is as relating to alcohol and or intoxication, I chose then to ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 13, 2019:
@Allamanda Oh, I am with you on spirit! We definitely need the word.
See my response at the top, some quotes by a very intelligent Brit.
LenHazell53 comments on Oct 13, 2019:
Spirit in any such context is indicative of a supernatural, or at least none material entity of phenomena that impact on the real world in one for or another.
I reject that concept absolutely.
The only other definition of spiritual is as relating to alcohol and or intoxication, I chose then to ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 13, 2019:
@Allamanda Oh, I am with you on spirit! We definitely need the word.
See my response at the top, some quotes by a very intelligent Brit.
Your veiws on Spiritual?
LenHazell53 comments on Oct 13, 2019:
Spirit in any such context is indicative of a supernatural, or at least none material entity of phenomena that impact on the real world in one for or another.
I reject that concept absolutely.
The only other definition of spiritual is as relating to alcohol and or intoxication, I chose then to ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 13, 2019:
@Allamanda I’m not sure if I understand you. Are you saying that we need the word “supernatural” to speak of emotions and other intangible things? Offhand I can’t think of the word being used like that. Maybe my mind is in a rut, but I think of the supernatural as something like magic that is imaginary and not real. On the other hand I lean toward thinking that things like ESP phenomena are real and could be understood if we had a better way of thinking—more advanced science.
LenHazell53 comments on Oct 13, 2019:
Spirit in any such context is indicative of a supernatural, or at least none material entity of phenomena that impact on the real world in one for or another.
I reject that concept absolutely.
The only other definition of spiritual is as relating to alcohol and or intoxication, I chose then to ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 13, 2019:
@Allamanda I’m not sure if I understand you. Are you saying that we need the word “supernatural” to speak of emotions and other intangible things? Offhand I can’t think of the word being used like that. Maybe my mind is in a rut, but I think of the supernatural as something like magic that is imaginary and not real. On the other hand I lean toward thinking that things like ESP phenomena are real and could be understood if we had a better way of thinking—more advanced science.
"What marks modernist thought above all is the belief that human existence is contingent - that it ...
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 13, 2019:
Then I disagree drastically with modernist thought.
Our existence is underlain with conscious awareness, timeless and indestructible.
Individual humans are chancey things, temporary and of no import—so is the human species. The entire physical universe is ethereal and could disappear at any ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 13, 2019:
@skado IMO it is illogical to assume that reality is the result of just random, meaningless events, that the universe fell into existence as a chance occurrence and needs no further explanation. It is no more rational than to say that God did it IMO.
For me the most logical position is one of ignorance and bewilderment. We humans simply don’t know what underlies reality, and possibly we lack the ability to comprehend existence outside our delusional sense-world.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 13, 2019:
Then I disagree drastically with modernist thought.
Our existence is underlain with conscious awareness, timeless and indestructible.
Individual humans are chancey things, temporary and of no import—so is the human species. The entire physical universe is ethereal and could disappear at any ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 13, 2019:
@skado IMO it is illogical to assume that reality is the result of just random, meaningless events, that the universe fell into existence as a chance occurrence and needs no further explanation. It is no more rational than to say that God did it IMO.
For me the most logical position is one of ignorance and bewilderment. We humans simply don’t know what underlies reality, and possibly we lack the ability to comprehend existence outside our delusional sense-world.
Your veiws on Spiritual?
LenHazell53 comments on Oct 13, 2019:
Spirit in any such context is indicative of a supernatural, or at least none material entity of phenomena that impact on the real world in one for or another.
I reject that concept absolutely.
The only other definition of spiritual is as relating to alcohol and or intoxication, I chose then to ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 13, 2019:
There’s no such thing as the supernatural. There is however ultimate reality which can not be understood from our frame of reference. It’s still natural even if we can’t grasp it.
LenHazell53 comments on Oct 13, 2019:
Spirit in any such context is indicative of a supernatural, or at least none material entity of phenomena that impact on the real world in one for or another.
I reject that concept absolutely.
The only other definition of spiritual is as relating to alcohol and or intoxication, I chose then to ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 13, 2019:
There’s no such thing as the supernatural. There is however ultimate reality which can not be understood from our frame of reference. It’s still natural even if we can’t grasp it.
"What marks modernist thought above all is the belief that human existence is contingent - that it ...
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 13, 2019:
Then I disagree drastically with modernist thought.
Our existence is underlain with conscious awareness, timeless and indestructible.
Individual humans are chancey things, temporary and of no import—so is the human species. The entire physical universe is ethereal and could disappear at any ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 13, 2019:
@Allamanda To be aware of their illogical assumptions arms us so that we do not fall under the spell of futility, uselessness and depression. That’s my opinion.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 13, 2019:
Then I disagree drastically with modernist thought.
Our existence is underlain with conscious awareness, timeless and indestructible.
Individual humans are chancey things, temporary and of no import—so is the human species. The entire physical universe is ethereal and could disappear at any ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 13, 2019:
@Allamanda To be aware of their illogical assumptions arms us so that we do not fall under the spell of futility, uselessness and depression. That’s my opinion.
Should trump's mouth be washed out with soap?
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 13, 2019:
I hear those expressions a lot, and I am to the point of not even noticing. There is a sharp divide however. Those who are religious and attend churches seldom or never say naughty words. Trump is not very religious.
That “F” word, so common on this forum however, is one so disturbing to me ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 13, 2019:
@Fernapple I got whipped with switches—just little ones.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 13, 2019:
I hear those expressions a lot, and I am to the point of not even noticing. There is a sharp divide however. Those who are religious and attend churches seldom or never say naughty words. Trump is not very religious.
That “F” word, so common on this forum however, is one so disturbing to me ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 13, 2019:
@Fernapple I got whipped with switches—just little ones.
"What marks modernist thought above all is the belief that human existence is contingent - that it ...
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 13, 2019:
Then I disagree drastically with modernist thought.
Our existence is underlain with conscious awareness, timeless and indestructible.
Individual humans are chancey things, temporary and of no import—so is the human species. The entire physical universe is ethereal and could disappear at any ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 13, 2019:
@Allamanda Which part is true and is of questionable use?
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 13, 2019:
Then I disagree drastically with modernist thought.
Our existence is underlain with conscious awareness, timeless and indestructible.
Individual humans are chancey things, temporary and of no import—so is the human species. The entire physical universe is ethereal and could disappear at any ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 13, 2019:
@Allamanda Which part is true and is of questionable use?
Your veiws on Spiritual?
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 13, 2019:
My personal definition of spirituality is to be deeply aware of the staggering implications of the mystery of existence and to live in awe, appreciation, and reverence.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 13, 2019:
@LenHazell53 I had to look up your expressions. I see that “sweet FA” means “nothing” in British usage, and that by “Elysian delusion” you are referring to the fantasyland scenarios in *A Streetcar Named Desire*—very clever! What BTW does FA stand for?
Since you have given up presenting anything of substance I won’t bother you further. :-)
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 13, 2019:
My personal definition of spirituality is to be deeply aware of the staggering implications of the mystery of existence and to live in awe, appreciation, and reverence.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 13, 2019:
@LenHazell53 I had to look up your expressions. I see that “sweet FA” means “nothing” in British usage, and that by “Elysian delusion” you are referring to the fantasyland scenarios in *A Streetcar Named Desire*—very clever! What BTW does FA stand for?
Since you have given up presenting anything of substance I won’t bother you further. :-)
Should trump's mouth be washed out with soap?
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 13, 2019:
I hear those expressions a lot, and I am to the point of not even noticing. There is a sharp divide however. Those who are religious and attend churches seldom or never say naughty words. Trump is not very religious.
That “F” word, so common on this forum however, is one so disturbing to me ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 13, 2019:
@Fernapple yes, and I hear that Koreans are very comfortable talking about their bodily functions.
It seemed to me as a child that the school boys competed to see who could say the most socially unacceptable things, but only when adults could not hear. Do girls do that?
You didn’t do that did you?
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 13, 2019:
I hear those expressions a lot, and I am to the point of not even noticing. There is a sharp divide however. Those who are religious and attend churches seldom or never say naughty words. Trump is not very religious.
That “F” word, so common on this forum however, is one so disturbing to me ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 13, 2019:
@Fernapple yes, and I hear that Koreans are very comfortable talking about their bodily functions.
It seemed to me as a child that the school boys competed to see who could say the most socially unacceptable things, but only when adults could not hear. Do girls do that?
You didn’t do that did you?
Is it too late? Has climate activism failed? Are we into damage control? [grist.org]
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 11, 2019:
Please note that the article is ten years old and we are still here
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 11, 2019:
@ToolGuy “Sea level continues to rise at a rate of about one-eighth of an inch per year.” There is absolutely no way to read that statement as anything but a steady rise, despite what the headline says. No study is necessary. You can simply look at a graph and see that the rate is not accelerating. Here: https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/sea-level/? Look at the first graph. It shows actual average sea levels as determined by satellite measurement since 1963. You can look at the actual data and see that sea level rise is not accelerating.
A study might PREDICT that sea level rise might begin to accelerate in the future, but presently the rate is holding steady.
The second chart is based on tide gauge readings over the previous century, and it actually does show an increase in rate beginning about 1940 but holding fairly steady since then. Of course on both graphs the rate of rise fluctuates a lot over short intervals. You have to look at the overall picture.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 11, 2019:
Please note that the article is ten years old and we are still here
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 11, 2019:
@ToolGuy “Sea level continues to rise at a rate of about one-eighth of an inch per year.” There is absolutely no way to read that statement as anything but a steady rise, despite what the headline says. No study is necessary. You can simply look at a graph and see that the rate is not accelerating. Here: https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/sea-level/? Look at the first graph. It shows actual average sea levels as determined by satellite measurement since 1963. You can look at the actual data and see that sea level rise is not accelerating.
A study might PREDICT that sea level rise might begin to accelerate in the future, but presently the rate is holding steady.
The second chart is based on tide gauge readings over the previous century, and it actually does show an increase in rate beginning about 1940 but holding fairly steady since then. Of course on both graphs the rate of rise fluctuates a lot over short intervals. You have to look at the overall picture.
Is it too late? Has climate activism failed? Are we into damage control? [grist.org]
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 11, 2019:
Please note that the article is ten years old and we are still here
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 11, 2019:
@Paul4747 97% of farms in the US are family farms, and those farms have become more productive for the reasons you say. There has been no downturn due to climate change so far.
This graph based on satellite data shows no acceleration since 1963. Tide gauges show a bit of acceleration since 1870.
https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/sea-level/
3.3mm/yr
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 11, 2019:
Please note that the article is ten years old and we are still here
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 11, 2019:
@Paul4747 97% of farms in the US are family farms, and those farms have become more productive for the reasons you say. There has been no downturn due to climate change so far.
This graph based on satellite data shows no acceleration since 1963. Tide gauges show a bit of acceleration since 1870.
https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/sea-level/
3.3mm/yr
Is it too late? Has climate activism failed? Are we into damage control? [grist.org]
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 11, 2019:
Please note that the article is ten years old and we are still here
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 11, 2019:
@ToolGuy From your NOAA site: “Sea level continues to rise at a rate of about one-eighth of an inch per year.”
One eighth inch is 3 mm.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 11, 2019:
Please note that the article is ten years old and we are still here
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 11, 2019:
@ToolGuy From your NOAA site: “Sea level continues to rise at a rate of about one-eighth of an inch per year.”
One eighth inch is 3 mm.
Three points to go for level eight and this post should do it. :-)
skado comments on Oct 11, 2019:
Order a size bigger. They are small.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 11, 2019:
Well, but I had to decline. I don’t really identify as an atheist or agnostic. I could have worn it inside out—no one would have noticed out here in the country. :-)
Actually I decided that I ought to be supporting the site rather than the other way around.
skado comments on Oct 11, 2019:
Order a size bigger. They are small.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 11, 2019:
Well, but I had to decline. I don’t really identify as an atheist or agnostic. I could have worn it inside out—no one would have noticed out here in the country. :-)
Actually I decided that I ought to be supporting the site rather than the other way around.
Is it too late? Has climate activism failed? Are we into damage control? [grist.org]
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 11, 2019:
Please note that the article is ten years old and we are still here
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 11, 2019:
@Paul4747 Farm production has tripled since 1948.
https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/ag-and-food-statistics-charting-the-essentials/farming-and-farm-income/
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 11, 2019:
Please note that the article is ten years old and we are still here
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 11, 2019:
@Paul4747 Farm production has tripled since 1948.
https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/ag-and-food-statistics-charting-the-essentials/farming-and-farm-income/
Is it too late? Has climate activism failed? Are we into damage control? [grist.org]
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 11, 2019:
Please note that the article is ten years old and we are still here
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 11, 2019:
@bigpawbullets I hope you enjoy your trip.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 11, 2019:
Please note that the article is ten years old and we are still here
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 11, 2019:
@bigpawbullets I hope you enjoy your trip.
Is it too late? Has climate activism failed? Are we into damage control? [grist.org]
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 11, 2019:
Please note that the article is ten years old and we are still here
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 11, 2019:
@Paul4747 True that sea level is rising. It’s been rising at 3mm/year since time immemorial.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevornace/2017/09/09/new-study-finds-8-islands-swallowed-by-rising-sea-level/
You can hardly blame that on atmospheric CO2. Those low-lying islands would have been swamped in any event.
I’ll grant that the arctic is warmer. People are coping though. Some of them are happy to see warmer weather. Farmers are accustomed to weather anomalies. They know how to cope. A single wet spring does not indicate climate change.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 11, 2019:
Please note that the article is ten years old and we are still here
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 11, 2019:
@Paul4747 True that sea level is rising. It’s been rising at 3mm/year since time immemorial.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevornace/2017/09/09/new-study-finds-8-islands-swallowed-by-rising-sea-level/
You can hardly blame that on atmospheric CO2. Those low-lying islands would have been swamped in any event.
I’ll grant that the arctic is warmer. People are coping though. Some of them are happy to see warmer weather. Farmers are accustomed to weather anomalies. They know how to cope. A single wet spring does not indicate climate change.
An explanation of MMT. Comments? [rwer.wordpress.com]
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 10, 2019:
Interesting ideas there to learn about. I gather that MMT is theory only and is widely criticized.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 11, 2019:
@ToolGuy I scanned the article. Maybe I’ll read it more carefully later.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 10, 2019:
Interesting ideas there to learn about. I gather that MMT is theory only and is widely criticized.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 11, 2019:
@ToolGuy I scanned the article. Maybe I’ll read it more carefully later.
Without words, what can beat this?
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 10, 2019:
Nice analogy. The spiritual fish is free to leap out of the water and glimpse a greater reality.
There should also be a bowl for the fish that is caught up in scientism and materialism.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 11, 2019:
@PondartIncbendog
“Scientism is the promotion of science as the best or only objective means by which society should determine normative and epistemological values.”
Wikipedia
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 10, 2019:
Nice analogy. The spiritual fish is free to leap out of the water and glimpse a greater reality.
There should also be a bowl for the fish that is caught up in scientism and materialism.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 11, 2019:
@PondartIncbendog
“Scientism is the promotion of science as the best or only objective means by which society should determine normative and epistemological values.”
Wikipedia
"Farmers in the middle of the country are about to get hit by what could potentially be the worst ...
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 10, 2019:
Yep, meanwhile the southeast has had the hottest, driest September that anyone can remember. It’s all just weather, and these anomalies have been going on forever. It was even hotter here in the twenties and thirties.
I am afraid you are going to get yourself burned at the stake dubious if you ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 11, 2019:
@Beowulfsfriend It is true that temperatures have been slowly increasing if looked at globally. Locally temperatures were much higher in the twenties and thirties.
https://whnt.com/2017/07/19/think-its-hot-enough-now-current-temperatures-pale-compared-to-the-1920s-1930s/
That 0.13C/decade is almost lost in the wild swings in weather patterns.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 10, 2019:
Yep, meanwhile the southeast has had the hottest, driest September that anyone can remember. It’s all just weather, and these anomalies have been going on forever. It was even hotter here in the twenties and thirties.
I am afraid you are going to get yourself burned at the stake dubious if you ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 11, 2019:
@Beowulfsfriend It is true that temperatures have been slowly increasing if looked at globally. Locally temperatures were much higher in the twenties and thirties.
https://whnt.com/2017/07/19/think-its-hot-enough-now-current-temperatures-pale-compared-to-the-1920s-1930s/
That 0.13C/decade is almost lost in the wild swings in weather patterns.
An explanation of MMT. Comments? [rwer.wordpress.com]
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 10, 2019:
Interesting ideas there to learn about. I gather that MMT is theory only and is widely criticized.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 11, 2019:
@ToolGuy I did read that last part about how MMT is being misrepresented, but it sounds like quibbling. If they are opposed to deficits and massive public debts they should come out strongly with those views rather than the opposite.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 10, 2019:
Interesting ideas there to learn about. I gather that MMT is theory only and is widely criticized.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 11, 2019:
@ToolGuy I did read that last part about how MMT is being misrepresented, but it sounds like quibbling. If they are opposed to deficits and massive public debts they should come out strongly with those views rather than the opposite.
An explanation of MMT. Comments? [rwer.wordpress.com]
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 10, 2019:
Interesting ideas there to learn about. I gather that MMT is theory only and is widely criticized.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 10, 2019:
@ToolGuy I think we went through all this before. MMT must stand for money magic theory because it seems to say that governments can run continual deficits and just print more money and that debt doesn’t matter. A government with its own currency will never have to default.
MMT is all about governments and money but I saw nothing in there about the production and distribution of goods and services. If government suddenly disappeared and took its money with it people would continue trading. They’d barter and they’d make new money. The economy is about production and trading. Money is only an accounting system used to facilitate trading.
That’s my non-professional opinion. Maybe you will explain this MMT of yours further.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 10, 2019:
Interesting ideas there to learn about. I gather that MMT is theory only and is widely criticized.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 10, 2019:
@ToolGuy I think we went through all this before. MMT must stand for money magic theory because it seems to say that governments can run continual deficits and just print more money and that debt doesn’t matter. A government with its own currency will never have to default.
MMT is all about governments and money but I saw nothing in there about the production and distribution of goods and services. If government suddenly disappeared and took its money with it people would continue trading. They’d barter and they’d make new money. The economy is about production and trading. Money is only an accounting system used to facilitate trading.
That’s my non-professional opinion. Maybe you will explain this MMT of yours further.
North Carolina law prohibits cohabitation: [npr.org]
Isn't that amazing in these modern times?
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 9, 2019:
This is old, old news. The case has long since been decided and the law struck down by the NC Supreme Court. Why bring up something long since settled, except to have something to feel angry about?
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nc-cohabitation-law-struck-down/
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 10, 2019:
@Stephanie99 Interesting. I don’t see how they can enforce that policy after it was declared unconstitutional.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 9, 2019:
This is old, old news. The case has long since been decided and the law struck down by the NC Supreme Court. Why bring up something long since settled, except to have something to feel angry about?
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nc-cohabitation-law-struck-down/
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 10, 2019:
@Stephanie99 Interesting. I don’t see how they can enforce that policy after it was declared unconstitutional.
North Carolina law prohibits cohabitation: [npr.org]
Isn't that amazing in these modern times?
VictoriaNotes comments on Oct 9, 2019:
*"Commissioner DAVID WILLIAMS (Pender County, North Carolina): I certainly am not one to stand in judgment of Ms. Hobbs, but I know that the sheriff expects everyone that's under his employment to obey all laws."*
Here's a North Carolina state law. ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 9, 2019:
She did win, 13 years ago. This is muck raking.
VictoriaNotes comments on Oct 9, 2019:
*"Commissioner DAVID WILLIAMS (Pender County, North Carolina): I certainly am not one to stand in judgment of Ms. Hobbs, but I know that the sheriff expects everyone that's under his employment to obey all laws."*
Here's a North Carolina state law. ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 9, 2019:
She did win, 13 years ago. This is muck raking.
North Carolina law prohibits cohabitation: [npr.org]
Isn't that amazing in these modern times?
Trajan61 comments on Oct 9, 2019:
That is amazing as I didn’t even realize laws like that existed in the US. I hope she wins her case and is well compensated.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 9, 2019:
She won, 13 years ago. Look at the date.
Trajan61 comments on Oct 9, 2019:
That is amazing as I didn’t even realize laws like that existed in the US. I hope she wins her case and is well compensated.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 9, 2019:
She won, 13 years ago. Look at the date.
North Carolina law prohibits cohabitation: [npr.org]
Isn't that amazing in these modern times?
oldFloyd comments on Oct 9, 2019:
Unbelievable, Oh, North Carolina, nevermind.🙄
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 9, 2019:
Did you look at the date? This case was settled 13 years ago and the law thrown out. According to this article NC is booming, with a large influx of people wanting to move there. Lots of them are moving in from Ohio.
https://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/news/2019/10/09/florida-new-york-among-top-states-where-ncs-new.html
oldFloyd comments on Oct 9, 2019:
Unbelievable, Oh, North Carolina, nevermind.🙄
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 9, 2019:
Did you look at the date? This case was settled 13 years ago and the law thrown out. According to this article NC is booming, with a large influx of people wanting to move there. Lots of them are moving in from Ohio.
https://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/news/2019/10/09/florida-new-york-among-top-states-where-ncs-new.html
North Carolina law prohibits cohabitation: [npr.org]
Isn't that amazing in these modern times?
Joanne comments on Oct 9, 2019:
Another example of the American Taliban wannabes at work.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 9, 2019:
More an example of muck raking. This case was settled 13 years ago and the law thrown out by the NC Supreme Court.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nc-cohabitation-law-struck-down/
Joanne comments on Oct 9, 2019:
Another example of the American Taliban wannabes at work.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 9, 2019:
More an example of muck raking. This case was settled 13 years ago and the law thrown out by the NC Supreme Court.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nc-cohabitation-law-struck-down/
North Carolina law prohibits cohabitation: [npr.org]
Isn't that amazing in these modern times?
Geoffrey51 comments on Oct 9, 2019:
Looks like common sense has flown off for the winter!
I am sure the law is only on the statute book because no one has got around to repealing it yet.
A bit like the witchcraft laws in Britain. I don’t think that was repealed until around the 50s or 60s but obviously not tried for several ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 9, 2019:
@Geoffrey51 I think Michigan and Florida still have such laws, not enforced.
Geoffrey51 comments on Oct 9, 2019:
Looks like common sense has flown off for the winter!
I am sure the law is only on the statute book because no one has got around to repealing it yet.
A bit like the witchcraft laws in Britain. I don’t think that was repealed until around the 50s or 60s but obviously not tried for several ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 9, 2019:
@Geoffrey51 I think Michigan and Florida still have such laws, not enforced.
North Carolina law prohibits cohabitation: [npr.org]
Isn't that amazing in these modern times?
Geoffrey51 comments on Oct 9, 2019:
Looks like common sense has flown off for the winter!
I am sure the law is only on the statute book because no one has got around to repealing it yet.
A bit like the witchcraft laws in Britain. I don’t think that was repealed until around the 50s or 60s but obviously not tried for several ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 9, 2019:
The case was decided several years back and the law was struck down.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nc-cohabitation-law-struck-down/
Geoffrey51 comments on Oct 9, 2019:
Looks like common sense has flown off for the winter!
I am sure the law is only on the statute book because no one has got around to repealing it yet.
A bit like the witchcraft laws in Britain. I don’t think that was repealed until around the 50s or 60s but obviously not tried for several ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 9, 2019:
The case was decided several years back and the law was struck down.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nc-cohabitation-law-struck-down/
Marijuana May Boost, Rather Than Dull, the Elderly Brain - Scientific American
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 7, 2019:
I’ll keep that in mind in case I get old some day. Maybe by then it’ll be legal.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 8, 2019:
@LetzGetReal I know but here in Alabama—well, you know.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 7, 2019:
I’ll keep that in mind in case I get old some day. Maybe by then it’ll be legal.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 8, 2019:
@LetzGetReal I know but here in Alabama—well, you know.
I'm so tired of seeing stories about hunters grinning like imbeciles over their kill.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 7, 2019:
In the article Scott Van Zyl is identified as a crocodile poacher. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Van Zyl was a professional hunting guide. Also the article lumps together trophy hunting and poaching as though they were the same.
It is a deeply flawed article IMO. Before taking all ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 7, 2019:
@altschmerz Well, it’s in our blood to hunt and it’s what some people want to do. It’s part of the human heritage. Those hunts are highly regulated. I saw it in Alaska. Sometimes there are too many moose, bears, etc. and it is permitted to take some of them. In many cases a lot of those animals would die anyway. Wildlife managers look at overall populations and try to make decisions that benefit the entire ecosystem.
Nature is not concerned with individual organisms, animal or human. If you are going to continuously bemoan the death of individuals you’ll live a life of sorrow. It is more realistic and happy to take an overall view of life and identify with the whole process or continuum. After all, our own bodies are fragile and temporary also.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 7, 2019:
In the article Scott Van Zyl is identified as a crocodile poacher. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Van Zyl was a professional hunting guide. Also the article lumps together trophy hunting and poaching as though they were the same.
It is a deeply flawed article IMO. Before taking all ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 7, 2019:
@altschmerz Well, it’s in our blood to hunt and it’s what some people want to do. It’s part of the human heritage. Those hunts are highly regulated. I saw it in Alaska. Sometimes there are too many moose, bears, etc. and it is permitted to take some of them. In many cases a lot of those animals would die anyway. Wildlife managers look at overall populations and try to make decisions that benefit the entire ecosystem.
Nature is not concerned with individual organisms, animal or human. If you are going to continuously bemoan the death of individuals you’ll live a life of sorrow. It is more realistic and happy to take an overall view of life and identify with the whole process or continuum. After all, our own bodies are fragile and temporary also.
I'm so tired of seeing stories about hunters grinning like imbeciles over their kill.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 7, 2019:
In the article Scott Van Zyl is identified as a crocodile poacher. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Van Zyl was a professional hunting guide. Also the article lumps together trophy hunting and poaching as though they were the same.
It is a deeply flawed article IMO. Before taking all ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 7, 2019:
@altschmerz As I said above, it is a deeply flawed article, attempting to link Van Zyl with criminal poachers. He was a professional guide, not a poacher.
Apparently a fair number of local people are eaten by crocodiles.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4422260/Hunter-believed-eaten-crocodiles.html
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 7, 2019:
In the article Scott Van Zyl is identified as a crocodile poacher. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Van Zyl was a professional hunting guide. Also the article lumps together trophy hunting and poaching as though they were the same.
It is a deeply flawed article IMO. Before taking all ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 7, 2019:
@altschmerz As I said above, it is a deeply flawed article, attempting to link Van Zyl with criminal poachers. He was a professional guide, not a poacher.
Apparently a fair number of local people are eaten by crocodiles.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4422260/Hunter-believed-eaten-crocodiles.html
I'm so tired of seeing stories about hunters grinning like imbeciles over their kill.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 7, 2019:
In the article Scott Van Zyl is identified as a crocodile poacher. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Van Zyl was a professional hunting guide. Also the article lumps together trophy hunting and poaching as though they were the same.
It is a deeply flawed article IMO. Before taking all ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 7, 2019:
@altschmerz Ha, I go nowhere. That’s not me. I did kill a deer a couple of years ago on my own property.
Sport hunting is highly regulated and you can bet that it is not permitted to kill endangered animals.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 7, 2019:
In the article Scott Van Zyl is identified as a crocodile poacher. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Van Zyl was a professional hunting guide. Also the article lumps together trophy hunting and poaching as though they were the same.
It is a deeply flawed article IMO. Before taking all ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 7, 2019:
@altschmerz Ha, I go nowhere. That’s not me. I did kill a deer a couple of years ago on my own property.
Sport hunting is highly regulated and you can bet that it is not permitted to kill endangered animals.
Saving the Planet Means Overthrowing the Ruling Elites
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 7, 2019:
Isn’t it too early to take such a drastic step? We are all complicit—we all use fossil fuels. You can not rationally place all the blame on just a few. Revolution means destruction and death. Destroy the infrastructure and means of production and billions might die.
Far better IMO would be ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 7, 2019:
@skado I did read it. I did not see a call for violence, however there is some volatile language in there. Things could easily get out of hand.
I am relieved that you are not recommending violence. I feel better. I hold your opinions in high esteem, even if we disagree on some issues
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 7, 2019:
Isn’t it too early to take such a drastic step? We are all complicit—we all use fossil fuels. You can not rationally place all the blame on just a few. Revolution means destruction and death. Destroy the infrastructure and means of production and billions might die.
Far better IMO would be ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 7, 2019:
@skado I did read it. I did not see a call for violence, however there is some volatile language in there. Things could easily get out of hand.
I am relieved that you are not recommending violence. I feel better. I hold your opinions in high esteem, even if we disagree on some issues
Saving the Planet Means Overthrowing the Ruling Elites
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 7, 2019:
Isn’t it too early to take such a drastic step? We are all complicit—we all use fossil fuels. You can not rationally place all the blame on just a few. Revolution means destruction and death. Destroy the infrastructure and means of production and billions might die.
Far better IMO would be ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 7, 2019:
@ToolGuy According to official satellite measurements the earth’s temperature has been rising at the rate of 0.13C/decade since 1979 when the system was initiated. The increase does not appear to be exponential, rather it is more or less linear. With rising temperatures it is inevitable that records will be set, but that means nothing. Of course records will be set as the temperature rises. If temperatures were falling we’d be seeing record lows. It’s just mathematics and is nothing to be alarmed about.
Before launching a bloody revolution I think we should check back in about twenty years and see what’s happening. 0.26C would not be enough rise in average temperature to even be noticed.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 7, 2019:
Isn’t it too early to take such a drastic step? We are all complicit—we all use fossil fuels. You can not rationally place all the blame on just a few. Revolution means destruction and death. Destroy the infrastructure and means of production and billions might die.
Far better IMO would be ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 7, 2019:
@ToolGuy According to official satellite measurements the earth’s temperature has been rising at the rate of 0.13C/decade since 1979 when the system was initiated. The increase does not appear to be exponential, rather it is more or less linear. With rising temperatures it is inevitable that records will be set, but that means nothing. Of course records will be set as the temperature rises. If temperatures were falling we’d be seeing record lows. It’s just mathematics and is nothing to be alarmed about.
Before launching a bloody revolution I think we should check back in about twenty years and see what’s happening. 0.26C would not be enough rise in average temperature to even be noticed.
Saving the Planet Means Overthrowing the Ruling Elites
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 7, 2019:
Isn’t it too early to take such a drastic step? We are all complicit—we all use fossil fuels. You can not rationally place all the blame on just a few. Revolution means destruction and death. Destroy the infrastructure and means of production and billions might die.
Far better IMO would be ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 7, 2019:
@Allamanda For myself, I am a hundred times more afraid of a violent revolution than I am afraid of the climate.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 7, 2019:
Isn’t it too early to take such a drastic step? We are all complicit—we all use fossil fuels. You can not rationally place all the blame on just a few. Revolution means destruction and death. Destroy the infrastructure and means of production and billions might die.
Far better IMO would be ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 7, 2019:
@Allamanda For myself, I am a hundred times more afraid of a violent revolution than I am afraid of the climate.
I'm so tired of seeing stories about hunters grinning like imbeciles over their kill.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 7, 2019:
In the article Scott Van Zyl is identified as a crocodile poacher. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Van Zyl was a professional hunting guide. Also the article lumps together trophy hunting and poaching as though they were the same.
It is a deeply flawed article IMO. Before taking all ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 7, 2019:
@TheoryNumber3 Chickens eat insects. Does the life of a bug matter? Pigs are omnivores and will eat almost anything. Our closest animal cousins, chimpanzees, sometimes eat each other.
Actually you make a good point. There is enjoyment for me in going on a hunt, but the actual kill gives me no pleasure. I make no judgments though about others because hunting is in our blood and people will be people. I see that cats enjoy torturing mice. That must give you a lot of angst.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 7, 2019:
In the article Scott Van Zyl is identified as a crocodile poacher. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Van Zyl was a professional hunting guide. Also the article lumps together trophy hunting and poaching as though they were the same.
It is a deeply flawed article IMO. Before taking all ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 7, 2019:
@TheoryNumber3 Chickens eat insects. Does the life of a bug matter? Pigs are omnivores and will eat almost anything. Our closest animal cousins, chimpanzees, sometimes eat each other.
Actually you make a good point. There is enjoyment for me in going on a hunt, but the actual kill gives me no pleasure. I make no judgments though about others because hunting is in our blood and people will be people. I see that cats enjoy torturing mice. That must give you a lot of angst.
I'm so tired of seeing stories about hunters grinning like imbeciles over their kill.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 7, 2019:
In the article Scott Van Zyl is identified as a crocodile poacher. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Van Zyl was a professional hunting guide. Also the article lumps together trophy hunting and poaching as though they were the same.
It is a deeply flawed article IMO. Before taking all ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 7, 2019:
@TheoryNumber3 I grew up hunting and I have hunted on and off over the years. Why is the idea so reprehensible to you? Humans have hunted throughout their evolution over millions of years. And we raise livestock for food also. I think it’s safe to say that without hunting none of us would exist, you included.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 7, 2019:
In the article Scott Van Zyl is identified as a crocodile poacher. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Van Zyl was a professional hunting guide. Also the article lumps together trophy hunting and poaching as though they were the same.
It is a deeply flawed article IMO. Before taking all ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 7, 2019:
@TheoryNumber3 I grew up hunting and I have hunted on and off over the years. Why is the idea so reprehensible to you? Humans have hunted throughout their evolution over millions of years. And we raise livestock for food also. I think it’s safe to say that without hunting none of us would exist, you included.
We've never had a more willing ally in a conflict with the exception of the Montagnards whom we also...
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 7, 2019:
The US can not continually police the world forever. It is too expensive and we don’t have enough resources.
The people in each region will have to work out their own problems.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 7, 2019:
@evidentialist Neat! I love Alaska, which is a very beautiful state. I see you like sailing. I used to keep a sailboat in Seward. I sometimes dream that I am still in Alaska.
Then I wake up and realize that the temperature has fallen to 70 and my fan needs turning off.
Lidia Selkregg is a familiar name. You might have been gone by the time I arrived in ‘73.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 7, 2019:
The US can not continually police the world forever. It is too expensive and we don’t have enough resources.
The people in each region will have to work out their own problems.
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 7, 2019:
@evidentialist Neat! I love Alaska, which is a very beautiful state. I see you like sailing. I used to keep a sailboat in Seward. I sometimes dream that I am still in Alaska.
Then I wake up and realize that the temperature has fallen to 70 and my fan needs turning off.
Lidia Selkregg is a familiar name. You might have been gone by the time I arrived in ‘73.
Sir Roger Penrose & William Lane Craig • The Universe: How did it get here & why are we part of ...
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 6, 2019:
Well, it’s Christian based and I didn’t want to watch the whole thing. But I have a LOT of respect for Roger Penrose, who says he is an atheist. He also has a very deep appreciation for the great mysteries surrounding existence. And I believe that he is working on a theory that is somewhat ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 7, 2019:
@zblaze Yes, I watched it. It’s very exciting!
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 6, 2019:
Well, it’s Christian based and I didn’t want to watch the whole thing. But I have a LOT of respect for Roger Penrose, who says he is an atheist. He also has a very deep appreciation for the great mysteries surrounding existence. And I believe that he is working on a theory that is somewhat ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 7, 2019:
@zblaze Yes, I watched it. It’s very exciting!
Sir Roger Penrose & William Lane Craig • The Universe: How did it get here & why are we part of ...
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 6, 2019:
Well, it’s Christian based and I didn’t want to watch the whole thing. But I have a LOT of respect for Roger Penrose, who says he is an atheist. He also has a very deep appreciation for the great mysteries surrounding existence. And I believe that he is working on a theory that is somewhat ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 7, 2019:
@zblaze You are arousing my curiosity.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 6, 2019:
Well, it’s Christian based and I didn’t want to watch the whole thing. But I have a LOT of respect for Roger Penrose, who says he is an atheist. He also has a very deep appreciation for the great mysteries surrounding existence. And I believe that he is working on a theory that is somewhat ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 7, 2019:
@zblaze You are arousing my curiosity.
I just blocked two people which is a rarity for me.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 6, 2019:
So what if the man is jealous of lesbians? He displayed courage and honesty in expressing his feelings and was met with a barrage of demonizing and racist responses.
I’d think that someone with truly liberal characteristics would have engaged in conversation. Nothing but paper liberals around ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 7, 2019:
@JimG You are probably right and I wash my hands of the whole affair.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 6, 2019:
So what if the man is jealous of lesbians? He displayed courage and honesty in expressing his feelings and was met with a barrage of demonizing and racist responses.
I’d think that someone with truly liberal characteristics would have engaged in conversation. Nothing but paper liberals around ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 7, 2019:
@JimG You are probably right and I wash my hands of the whole affair.
I just blocked two people which is a rarity for me.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 6, 2019:
So what if the man is jealous of lesbians? He displayed courage and honesty in expressing his feelings and was met with a barrage of demonizing and racist responses.
I’d think that someone with truly liberal characteristics would have engaged in conversation. Nothing but paper liberals around ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 7, 2019:
@JimG of course the OP has such a right. I haven’t said one thing about the OP. You are trying to divert the issue.
And besides that you totally misunderstand what I wrote. I do not identify as a liberal. There are a huge number of people on this forum who champion liberalism but when it comes to action all they know how to do is demonize, stereotype and attempt to shut down anyone with whom they disagree.
If a guy says he is lonely, unhappy, and jealous of lesbians, rather than offering support and counsel they rush in with fangs bared, making hypercritical and racist personal attacks. These “liberals” fancy themselves the great protectors of victims and banishers of the evil suppressors. It is 100% ego and has nothing to do with true liberalism.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 6, 2019:
So what if the man is jealous of lesbians? He displayed courage and honesty in expressing his feelings and was met with a barrage of demonizing and racist responses.
I’d think that someone with truly liberal characteristics would have engaged in conversation. Nothing but paper liberals around ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 7, 2019:
@JimG of course the OP has such a right. I haven’t said one thing about the OP. You are trying to divert the issue.
And besides that you totally misunderstand what I wrote. I do not identify as a liberal. There are a huge number of people on this forum who champion liberalism but when it comes to action all they know how to do is demonize, stereotype and attempt to shut down anyone with whom they disagree.
If a guy says he is lonely, unhappy, and jealous of lesbians, rather than offering support and counsel they rush in with fangs bared, making hypercritical and racist personal attacks. These “liberals” fancy themselves the great protectors of victims and banishers of the evil suppressors. It is 100% ego and has nothing to do with true liberalism.
What are the best places for people like us to live?
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 6, 2019:
I live in a small farming community in Alabama. This is the best place for me because country people tend to be honest, independent and individualistic, and they respect those traits in others.
If I had grown up in a large city I’d be a different person and would want the social and cultural ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 6, 2019:
@Remiforce They can pick cotton. Ha ha.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 6, 2019:
I live in a small farming community in Alabama. This is the best place for me because country people tend to be honest, independent and individualistic, and they respect those traits in others.
If I had grown up in a large city I’d be a different person and would want the social and cultural ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 6, 2019:
@Remiforce They can pick cotton. Ha ha.
It's Jesus that deserves the credit.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 4, 2019:
76% of medical doctors report a belief in God.
https://www.mdmag.com/physicians-money-digest/contributor/heidi-moawad-md/2016/10/surprising-results-about-physicians-belief-in-god
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 6, 2019:
@Pralina1 I don’t get your point or understand what you think is funny. A religious doctor probably wouldn’t pray right in the operating room but in private. Actually I was operated on once.
Even if I don’t understand I’m happy that you are amused.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 4, 2019:
76% of medical doctors report a belief in God.
https://www.mdmag.com/physicians-money-digest/contributor/heidi-moawad-md/2016/10/surprising-results-about-physicians-belief-in-god
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 6, 2019:
@Pralina1 I don’t get your point or understand what you think is funny. A religious doctor probably wouldn’t pray right in the operating room but in private. Actually I was operated on once.
Even if I don’t understand I’m happy that you are amused.
I just blocked two people which is a rarity for me.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 6, 2019:
So what if the man is jealous of lesbians? He displayed courage and honesty in expressing his feelings and was met with a barrage of demonizing and racist responses.
I’d think that someone with truly liberal characteristics would have engaged in conversation. Nothing but paper liberals around ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 6, 2019:
@darthfaja The guy who was jealous of lesbians was a young Black man from Texas. I looked.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 6, 2019:
So what if the man is jealous of lesbians? He displayed courage and honesty in expressing his feelings and was met with a barrage of demonizing and racist responses.
I’d think that someone with truly liberal characteristics would have engaged in conversation. Nothing but paper liberals around ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 6, 2019:
@darthfaja The guy who was jealous of lesbians was a young Black man from Texas. I looked.
Confederate Flag ::: A comment about those who revere the Confederacy, and the Confederate Flag ...
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 5, 2019:
I’d say the best course of action is for us to just ignore the Civil War and move on to happier and more productive thoughts. Forgiveness should be very easy at this late stage, generations later. It’s a simple matter of analyzing our thoughts, filtering out the ones that are untrue or distorted...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 6, 2019:
@Jacar I see that you live up north. Do you have southern roots?
In my experience northern people are the ones who are still feeling wounds—I’ve seen it many times and have learned to make no mention of the Civil War in the presence of Northerners. But where I live in the South I don’t think I’ve heard a single conversation about the Civil War since I came back ten years ago. There are two or three Confederate flags on display in the county but mostly they are flown underneath US flags and are nothing but ornaments, of little significance.
Might be different in other locations.
I used to have very defensive feelings about the war but through counsel with my parents and neighbors, I have somewhat cleansed myself. Maybe some sort of course in forgiveness would be in order. To forgive is to shine the light of awareness on our mistaken thoughts and allow them to be corrected. Untrue judgmental thoughts about ourselves and about other people will melt away under the spotlight of conscious awareness.
The truth is that we are all brothers and sisters and all are worthy of the utmost love and respect. I think that it is a much happier state of mind than the other way.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 5, 2019:
I’d say the best course of action is for us to just ignore the Civil War and move on to happier and more productive thoughts. Forgiveness should be very easy at this late stage, generations later. It’s a simple matter of analyzing our thoughts, filtering out the ones that are untrue or distorted...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 6, 2019:
@Jacar I see that you live up north. Do you have southern roots?
In my experience northern people are the ones who are still feeling wounds—I’ve seen it many times and have learned to make no mention of the Civil War in the presence of Northerners. But where I live in the South I don’t think I’ve heard a single conversation about the Civil War since I came back ten years ago. There are two or three Confederate flags on display in the county but mostly they are flown underneath US flags and are nothing but ornaments, of little significance.
Might be different in other locations.
I used to have very defensive feelings about the war but through counsel with my parents and neighbors, I have somewhat cleansed myself. Maybe some sort of course in forgiveness would be in order. To forgive is to shine the light of awareness on our mistaken thoughts and allow them to be corrected. Untrue judgmental thoughts about ourselves and about other people will melt away under the spotlight of conscious awareness.
The truth is that we are all brothers and sisters and all are worthy of the utmost love and respect. I think that it is a much happier state of mind than the other way.
I just blocked two people which is a rarity for me.
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 6, 2019:
So what if the man is jealous of lesbians? He displayed courage and honesty in expressing his feelings and was met with a barrage of demonizing and racist responses.
I’d think that someone with truly liberal characteristics would have engaged in conversation. Nothing but paper liberals around ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 6, 2019:
@NHjulie There were a couple of responses that referred to his race. Somebody wrote that what what goes in the ‘hood won’t cut it here or something like that. Very offensive. I think he’s just a forthright young Black guy from a small town in Texas. He might not know anything about ‘hoods.
Do you remember his tag?
WilliamFleming comments on Oct 6, 2019:
So what if the man is jealous of lesbians? He displayed courage and honesty in expressing his feelings and was met with a barrage of demonizing and racist responses.
I’d think that someone with truly liberal characteristics would have engaged in conversation. Nothing but paper liberals around ...
WilliamFleming replies on Oct 6, 2019:
@NHjulie There were a couple of responses that referred to his race. Somebody wrote that what what goes in the ‘hood won’t cut it here or something like that. Very offensive. I think he’s just a forthright young Black guy from a small town in Texas. He might not know anything about ‘hoods.
Do you remember his tag?
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