Do our lives depend on facts or values the most?

wordywalt comments on May 31, 2018:

The course of our lives depends on our knowledge of facts and on our choices. Our choices depend on both our knowledge of facts and on our values. There is no way to that one is more critical than the other.

wordywalt replies on May 31, 2018:

@x0lineage0x I have never in my entire life heard your definition of belief and perception as values. People do attach values to their beliefs, but the belief is not the value. Your are way off base.

BREAKING: "We have to believe that at some point, common sense will prevail.

wordywalt comments on May 31, 2018:

Trump is a modern day Nero, in the process of destroying his realm. He is a destructive sociopath.

wordywalt replies on May 31, 2018:

@mtnhome I agree with everything you say except your misuse of the word "reactionary". Its real meaning is irrational, extreme right in speech and behavior.

Do our lives depend on facts or values the most?

wordywalt comments on May 31, 2018:

The course of our lives depends on our knowledge of facts and on our choices. Our choices depend on both our knowledge of facts and on our values. There is no way to that one is more critical than the other.

wordywalt replies on May 31, 2018:

@x0lineage0x Yes, we can have a fact without feeling any particular value for that fact. No, we cannot have a value for a fact without having the fact. We can have a value for a belief or for a perception without supporting facts.

Italy is in the midst of a constitutional crises.

wordywalt comments on May 29, 2018:

The EU has always shown more intelligence, rationality, fiscal sanity, and moral authority than has Italian politics and political figures. .

wordywalt replies on May 29, 2018:

@cava I probably did take the analogy too far. I apologize.

Italy is in the midst of a constitutional crises.

wordywalt comments on May 29, 2018:

The EU has always shown more intelligence, rationality, fiscal sanity, and moral authority than has Italian politics and political figures. .

wordywalt replies on May 29, 2018:

@cava Italy voluntarily agreed to join the EU and to abide by its joint decisions. No one outside of Italy forced Italy to make that decision.. And, yes, because of its corruption and irrational populism, Italy is having difficulty doing in living up to its commitments. It me, Italy withdrawing now is the equivalent of the American south Seceding from the United States to bring on the Civil War.

Why do we pay twice for the same services, police and military with our tax money?

wordywalt comments on May 29, 2018:

Your question does not make sense to me.

wordywalt replies on May 29, 2018:

@IpraiseMYSELF I did propose a solution, but you ignored it-- perhaps because it was not what you wanted to hear.

ABC just cancelled Rasanne's show after her disgusting behavior.

BucketlistBob comments on May 29, 2018:

Barr apologized before ABC’s statement on Tuesday, saying that her statement suggesting that former Barack Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett is a product of the Muslim Brotherhood and the “Planet of the Apes” was a “joke” that was “in bad taste. “I apologize to Valerie Jarrett and to ...

wordywalt replies on May 29, 2018:

If it hadn't hit her in the pocketbook, she would never have apo9logized. She did not mean it. She is just a crude, loud, female lout.

Why do we pay twice for the same services, police and military with our tax money?

wordywalt comments on May 29, 2018:

Your question does not make sense to me.

wordywalt replies on May 29, 2018:

@IpraiseMYSELF You ignore he truth of the adage that "power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Your idealism ignores human nature and the results would inevitably be catastrophic.

Why do we pay twice for the same services, police and military with our tax money?

wordywalt comments on May 29, 2018:

Your question does not make sense to me.

wordywalt replies on May 29, 2018:

@IpraiseMYSELF The only societies in which the military takes on the added role of policing are completely authoritarian regimes. The roles MUST be kept separate in ANY democratic society, or we will all lose our civil rights and freedoms. We must deep the roles separate and improve the selection, training, and control of the police.

What type of tomatoes does everyone like to plant?

wordywalt comments on May 27, 2018:

Over the years, I have grown many varieties, including the Cherokee Purple.. After receiving a gift of black heirloom tomato seeds from my daughter, I was so impressed with the taste (sweet and tangy), texture and juiciness, That they are the only tomatoes I grow any more. They are head and ...

wordywalt replies on May 27, 2018:

@DotLewis I'm not sure./ The package simply said black herloom. They are not the krim vaireity. They are good slicers.

Boy I miss having a Garden so much.?

CraeftSmith comments on May 27, 2018:

I need to find some food plants that grow in partial to full shade. I have a lot of trees.

wordywalt replies on May 27, 2018:

That will severely limit your choices. Try green beans and lettuce -- maybe potatoes. Not good for most others.

It was suggested to me by someone on this site to read Nietzsche.

wordywalt comments on May 25, 2018:

There no intelligent and moral Ayn Rand fans I have read all of her major works. Her twisted ideology is laid bare in her books: (1)greed is good, (2) all governments are evil, (3) I should have the freedom to what I want, regardless of the consequences.

wordywalt replies on May 25, 2018:

@jellyfish You are wrong. Your do not know Rand's personal history. She was an angry, bitter women from a family of privilege and extreme wealth in czarist Russia. When the Bolsheviks took over in Russia, they took away all of her family's wealth and privilege. As a result, she moved to condemn all forms of government, not just the communists. In fact, she became an anarchist -- denouncing all forms of government. All she espoused was the right to amass power, privilege, and wealth by any means -- and to lounge in the lap of luxury from such wealth and privilege. Wise up, young man.

Centrists Are the Most Hostile to Democracy, Not Extremists

Ellatynemouth comments on May 24, 2018:

It's the New York Times. They are part of the establishment.

wordywalt replies on May 24, 2018:

So what? What is your point?

Centrists Are the Most Hostile to Democracy, Not Extremists

Trajan61 comments on May 24, 2018:

The New York Times is a left wing piece of crap and therefore very unreliable.

wordywalt replies on May 24, 2018:

In saying that you show little intelligence and bad judgment.

Why do we hate?

wordywalt comments on May 23, 2018:

There is no one answer. Sometimes, it is ecause the persons DNA hard-wired the person to be a vicious sociopath. In other caswes it is due to a twisted personality development. Some cultures harbor much hatred. Sometimes is is a mixture.

wordywalt replies on May 24, 2018:

@RonWilliam53 True, some people, like Trump, Hitler, and Stalin are so evil and destructive that they earn hatred. I do not extend such hatred to an entire culture or nation. The culture in the American south is full of racism, bigotry and destructive reactionary ideology. I hate that and will fight against it with everything I have, but I do not hate sourtherners as people. I detest those destructive behaviors and aspects of of southern culture.

Why do we hate?

wordywalt comments on May 23, 2018:

There is no one answer. Sometimes, it is ecause the persons DNA hard-wired the person to be a vicious sociopath. In other caswes it is due to a twisted personality development. Some cultures harbor much hatred. Sometimes is is a mixture.

wordywalt replies on May 24, 2018:

@WillP2020 Your response seems simply uncivil, and seems to indicate an inability to deal with complexity and no desire to do so.

Do you want to "evangelize" chistian family and friends?

wordywalt comments on May 22, 2018:

They have to find their own way to truth. Many of them never will. The best way to promote change is to immerse a person in a different culture which gets them to challenge their beliefs, but treats them with dignity.

wordywalt replies on May 22, 2018:

@WilliamFleming No, ultimate truth has not been discovered. As for Einstein, even geniuses have feet of clay.

How do you define a quality of life that makes life worth living?

wordywalt comments on May 20, 2018:

I am 81 years old. Over time aging and its effects have caused me to give up things that I really enjoyed -- that I often thought I could not do without. The hardest has been giving up reading due to vision problems. But, there are still things that I still enjoy and I focus on them. Still, my...

wordywalt replies on May 21, 2018:

@blueskies Many thanks! I will be looking into that. It would be great if I can re-open reading as a major part of my life.

How do you define a quality of life that makes life worth living?

wordywalt comments on May 20, 2018:

I am 81 years old. Over time aging and its effects have caused me to give up things that I really enjoyed -- that I often thought I could not do without. The hardest has been giving up reading due to vision problems. But, there are still things that I still enjoy and I focus on them. Still, my...

wordywalt replies on May 21, 2018:

@blueskies I have macular degeneration, too -- blind spots in the center of the field of vision, and considerable distortion in the remaining field of vision. Makes reading hard, even with a magnifying glass. I used to read 60 - 70 pages an hour, now cannot do 10 in an hour. I used to average at least a book a week. Yes, giving up reading was a real loss.

What is your opinion on boycotts?

wordywalt comments on May 21, 2018:

Publix and Putnam have common roots. It is as simple as that. I don't agree with hum, but Putnam is neither the rapid reactionary nor the corrupt moral idiot that many Republicans are. As Republicans go, he is not the worst of the lot and a much more honest man than Rick Scott.

wordywalt replies on May 21, 2018:

@poetdi56 I am not sure that it is a sellout. Given the beliefs of the rural Florida culture in which Putnam grew up, beliefs in gun ownership are almost a given. I knew and grew up in the same kind of a culture in rural north Florida. I outgrew those beliefs, but then, again, I did not stay imbedded in the culture that I grew up in.

How do you define a quality of life that makes life worth living?

wordywalt comments on May 20, 2018:

I am 81 years old. Over time aging and its effects have caused me to give up things that I really enjoyed -- that I often thought I could not do without. The hardest has been giving up reading due to vision problems. But, there are still things that I still enjoy and I focus on them. Still, my...

wordywalt replies on May 20, 2018:

Thank you.@bigpawbullets

I have a friend in Illinois who's daughter came home from school yesterday and said the following.

Emme comments on May 19, 2018:

That sad and true. Home school may become common.

wordywalt replies on May 19, 2018:

Let's hope not. I would hate to see all of our essential public institutions destroyed by greed, aberrant and reactionary ideology, and sheer stupidity.

Science can answer moral questions

jjhagen comments on May 18, 2018:

Morality is also completely subjective.

wordywalt replies on May 18, 2018:

That is a drastic overstatement -- so much so that it is a misrepresentation.

Aspartame Side Effects

wordywalt comments on May 18, 2018:

That is a bunch of garbage. I have been using aspastame for decades. I have never had a migraine or epilectic seizure. My mental health is good and I do not suffer from depression. I have no phobias. No proof exists that use of aspatame have ANY relationship to hyperactivity, MS or chronic ...

wordywalt replies on May 18, 2018:

@sassygirl3869 I have had a rare form of non-Hodgekins ymphoma for 60 years. It appeared 30 years before aspartame went on the market and has not increased due to my 30 years use of aspartame. The disease is largely genetic, shown by the fact that it has several genetic markers. Your daughter's reaction is unintelligent superstition.

How supportive were your parents when they learned you were not religious?

wordywalt comments on May 16, 2018:

Both of my parents were religious. When I made it clear that religion was no longer a part of my life, we simply never broached to topic again. Other than that, our relationship did not change.

wordywalt replies on May 16, 2018:

For their time and place, I agree.@robdowney

The whole thing with ZTE is such brazen corruption. All it took was a $500,000,000.00 bribe.

wordywalt comments on May 16, 2018:

The deal,by itself, should be grounds for impeachment.

wordywalt replies on May 16, 2018:

@shockwaverider Let's hope that the tide turns in November!

A scenario. You can host dinner for people who are dead. Who would you invite?

wordywalt comments on May 16, 2018:

Hermann Hesse, Mark Twain, Carl Sagan, Charles Darwin, Barbara Jordan, Reinhold Niebuhr.

wordywalt replies on May 16, 2018:

@Palindromeman Hermann Hesse did no such thing. He was anti-war and won the Nobel Prize for literature. Get your facts straight before you embarrass yourself.

Bye Bye 4th amendment.

wordywalt comments on May 15, 2018:

Both Thomas and Gorsuch are died-in-the-wool ideologues with real judicial temperament. Both should never been placed on the bench.

wordywalt replies on May 15, 2018:

@Lukian One morer rreson we need to get Trump out of office ASAP.

To Bother Or Not To Bother: Finding Your Myers-Briggs Personality Type – HealthyWay

wordywalt comments on May 7, 2018:

I took the Briggs-Myers yars ago, and did not find it informative or useful. I found Anthony Gregorc's Style Delineator much more accurate.

wordywalt replies on May 14, 2018:

@AstralSmoke Experience, my friend, experience. At age 81 I have done a lot.

Too Many Atheists Are Veering Dangerously Toward the Alt-Right - VICE

wordywalt comments on May 6, 2018:

In the first months of this site, there were a number of these aggressively far-rights on the site. But, as time went on, they got little reinforcement from the vast majority of site members and most have gone away.When they appear, we must hake it clear that they do not represent the most of us.

wordywalt replies on May 12, 2018:

@memorylikeasieve Don't worry. People like Countrycuz666 do not have the intelligence, civility, or courage to stay on a site like this for long. They simply lack to ability to engage in genuine dialogue and eventually get the message that they are out of place.

Americans - How corrupt is your government? If at all!

wordywalt comments on May 12, 2018:

With the Trump cabal in power and with today's morally bankrupt Republicans in power, our government is becoming more and more corrupt by the day. As an 81 year old man, I am voicing my opinion in every medium that I can, contributing money to anti-corruption causes, and making sure that I do not ...

wordywalt replies on May 12, 2018:

@AstralSmoke I beg to disagree -- strongly!

The Butterly Effect, the straw that breaks the camel's back, both overlook key forces.

wordywalt comments on May 8, 2018:

Your interpretation of the butterfly effect is not which i have heard. The version which I endorse tyakes the position that in huge, multifaceted systems, such a the earth's weather, the beating of a butterfly's wings, at the right time and place, in conjunction with the confluence of other events...

wordywalt replies on May 8, 2018:

@TheAstroChuck Yes, it is unlikely, but it can happen. You are discounting the whole concept of the uncertainty principle in the reality of bounded chaos. You haven't dispelled anything, but have merely stated a premise without proof. I would rather believe Lorenz.

Where are the liberal blind spots?

wordywalt comments on May 2, 2018:

What facts are you purporting that we are blind to? Be very specific, or it is immediately obvious that you are just belching into the wind. When you attempt to get specific, we will be able to show that your "facts" to be simply more horse manure and misrepresentations. Either way, you have set...

wordywalt replies on May 8, 2018:

@skeptic99 You conservatives have a bad habit of turning truth on its head. That is one thing you just can't seem to stop doing.

How do you want to be buried?

Anniemae comments on May 3, 2018:

I’m donating my body to science.

wordywalt replies on May 6, 2018:

You had better check carefully. I wanted to donate my body to sci9ence, but when I contacted the responsible agency, I was told that my estate would have to pay to have my body embalmed. They wanted something for nothing. That is when I decided on cremation.

Who or what would I be when I disassociate from my mind, intellect, brain, and body?

wordywalt comments on May 6, 2018:

The pictured statement is utter nonsense.

wordywalt replies on May 6, 2018:

@TuyTran888 And, if he says that he has disassociated himself from those facets of himself, he is lying.

Who or what would I be when I disassociate from my mind, intellect, brain, and body?

wordywalt comments on May 6, 2018:

The pictured statement is utter nonsense.

wordywalt replies on May 6, 2018:

@TuyTran888 If one disassociates himself from those things, he simply does not exist. No more analkysis needed.

My picture is in my tomato patch.

FrayedBear comments on May 6, 2018:

From the height of the plants it looks like you have got the soil into peak condition. It looks fabulous.

wordywalt replies on May 6, 2018:

Thank you. The plants are now producing prolifically.

When did confront become offense?

wordywalt comments on May 5, 2018:

Dialogue is possible only when both sides agree to remain in the rational and empirical realm and when both sides to remain civil and to allow their ideas to be tested. Those are conditions that the right winG seldom allows or meets. Your statement about the left is a load of crap.

wordywalt replies on May 6, 2018:

@powder And you generalize from one poor case -- not very smart. In your episode, both your comments were unintelligent.

My picture is in my tomato patch.

DotLewis comments on May 5, 2018:

Wow! I have a niece in Florida, I live in Kansas, the northwest part. I was benching my niece's garden recently but you have weeks on her. I haven't even put in tomatoes yet. Mothers day is the magic moment here.

wordywalt replies on May 5, 2018:

I lived in Salina for 12 years, and in Great Bend for 6 years. In my role as an staff developer for teachers and administrators, as a consultant, and as an educational service center director, I travelled though the entire state.cove

I'm so glad there was no internet or social media when I was growing up. I mean, REALLY glad.

Clauddvon comments on May 4, 2018:

Same. Kids today don't know what it's like to play in the woods, ride bikes, or just do any of the fun things we did as kids. I have a lot of kids, but I have to "barter" them to go outside to play. "If you play outside for an hour, you'll get 1 more hour of "electronics time." It's really ...

wordywalt replies on May 5, 2018:

One of the delightful memories I have was in my early teens. Every July or August a small group of us boys in our rural village would get some older guy to buy some Cuban Crook rum-soaked cigars for us and we would go down to the woods around Norton Creek and find a wild grape vine and shake the grapes down. Then we would spend the afternoon lazing around, smoking cigars, and eating wild grapes. Those were the good times.

Sense of Purpose

Spongebob comments on May 4, 2018:

Without a sense of purpose there is no sense of belonging. Most of us want to feel belonged somewhere. So, I think without a sense of purpose we feel unhappy.

wordywalt replies on May 4, 2018:

Simply belonging is a motivator for some people, but certainly not all. I have never felt a great urge to be accepted or to belong to most groups. In that sense, I have never been a "joiner." I am who I am, and try to treat others with respect.

Wow! They have legal wiretaps on Cohen.

LucyLoohoo comments on May 3, 2018:

Yes...I'm feeling better about this, myself. Won't we have the most JUBILANT party...the day that SOB is gone?

wordywalt replies on May 3, 2018:

I will join that celebration.

When you think something that benefits you. Do you even think how does such thing benefit everyone?

wordywalt comments on May 3, 2018:

Acting only when something benefits you is the behavior of a sociopath.

wordywalt replies on May 3, 2018:

@TuyTran888 It is acting willfully and knowlingly stupidly.

Where are the liberal blind spots?

wordywalt comments on May 2, 2018:

What facts are you purporting that we are blind to? Be very specific, or it is immediately obvious that you are just belching into the wind. When you attempt to get specific, we will be able to show that your "facts" to be simply more horse manure and misrepresentations. Either way, you have set...

wordywalt replies on May 3, 2018:

@skeptic99 You are playing word games to avoid the substance and potential impact of your words.

I worked for him for many years - built Trump Tower - exec.

wordywalt comments on Apr 29, 2018:

Is Trump really as morally bankrupt and sociopathic as he seems?

wordywalt replies on May 3, 2018:

@RavenCT He might be experiencing increasing dementia. I believe that the real problem is that he has always been a total sociopath.

How do people within this group define "liberal"?

wordywalt comments on May 3, 2018:

To me, being "liberal" means (1)supporting democracy and civil rights, (2) treating ALL people with full dignity and respect, (3) not controlled by dogma or ideology, but by reason and evidence. (4) wanting to get needed things done politically that benefit our people.

wordywalt replies on May 3, 2018:

@dede18 Absolutely!

How do you want to be buried?

TweedleDee comments on May 3, 2018:

I have donated my body to science, I believe there are already too many people buried in caskets and the amount of people in the future will be overwhelming. I think it is important that we recycle our bodies as a way to give back and find more ways for others to survive a long life.

wordywalt replies on May 3, 2018:

I looked into donating my body to science, but found that my estate would hstill have to pay to have my body embalmed before they would agree to take it. They wanted a lot for no cost or effort on their own.

Does marketing influence our sense of security?

wordywalt comments on May 2, 2018:

All advertising is made to make us feel that we urgently need or want someone. In some cases, it uses fear as the motivation for need or desire. Of course, it is designed to make inroads into our senses of security.

wordywalt replies on May 3, 2018:

@atheist Because it is specificaloly designed to play on human weaknesses.

Where are the liberal blind spots?

wordywalt comments on May 2, 2018:

What facts are you purporting that we are blind to? Be very specific, or it is immediately obvious that you are just belching into the wind. When you attempt to get specific, we will be able to show that your "facts" to be simply more horse manure and misrepresentations. Either way, you have set...

wordywalt replies on May 3, 2018:

@skeptic99 Your response is a damnable lie -- the worst I have seen in a long, long time. You seem to have no shame.

I worked for him for many years - built Trump Tower - exec.

wordywalt comments on Apr 29, 2018:

Is Trump really as morally bankrupt and sociopathic as he seems?

wordywalt replies on May 3, 2018:

@nobullshithere Thank you for your honest response.

When making a political decision do you elect someone who supports your biases or for the good they ...

wordywalt comments on May 1, 2018:

I have alays voted for the person and the party most likely to strengthen our democracy and act on the true behalfof us, the people. I have voted for individual Republicans, but seldom.

wordywalt replies on May 1, 2018:

@NotConvinced Yes, a few.

God and the State

wordywalt comments on Apr 30, 2018:

No. I do not accept the premise of your question.

wordywalt replies on Apr 30, 2018:

@Bakunin So, you are an anarchist? That is a recipe for chaos.

God and the State

wordywalt comments on Apr 30, 2018:

No. I do not accept the premise of your question.

wordywalt replies on Apr 30, 2018:

All governmens -- even democratic ones, will inevitably include some hierarchical structures. That is a simple inevitability not to be disparaged per se. What must be fought against is excessive and unnecessary hierarchies with too much power. . @Bakunin

I'm just wondering what other people (around my vintage)think about the lack of civil disobedience ...

wordywalt comments on Apr 29, 2018:

The 60s and 70s were a special time. I genuinely thought that the spirit of that time would produce more change. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Let's hope that the young people's anti-gun movement will merge with the "me too", and the thrusts of people like Elizabeth Warren, and with the ...

wordywalt replies on Apr 30, 2018:

@hemingwaykitten Keeping the forces of greed, corruption and moribund ideology is always a struggle. It will never be perfect, but the fight is what is important.

Everyone is so quick to pick at their own faults so, What trait do you like the most about yourself?

wordywalt comments on Apr 29, 2018:

My knowledge of and acceptance of myself, bolstered by my ability to think and by my concern for human dignity.

wordywalt replies on Apr 30, 2018:

Thank you.@evestrat

I'm just wondering what other people (around my vintage)think about the lack of civil disobedience ...

wordywalt comments on Apr 29, 2018:

The 60s and 70s were a special time. I genuinely thought that the spirit of that time would produce more change. Unfortunately, I was wrong. Let's hope that the young people's anti-gun movement will merge with the "me too", and the thrusts of people like Elizabeth Warren, and with the ...

wordywalt replies on Apr 29, 2018:

@hemingwaykitten It isn't capitalism per se, Well-regulated capitalism can be positive. The problem is rampant greed, moral bankruptcy, corruption, racism, and moribund right-wing political and economic ideology. We do not need a revolution, but a true social democracy in the European model. Marxist ideology is as phony is religion -- in fact it is a political religion -- a total system ideology just as intellectually and morally bankrupt.

Sometimes I find an American post that I cannot understand because we have different words; or ...

germangirl90439 comments on Apr 28, 2018:

Please repeat all this in German ?

wordywalt replies on Apr 29, 2018:

@jacpod Ich war in Berlin von 1959 bis Sommer 1962. In wurde an US Army Hospital Berlin sationiert,,' dann habe ich in Tegel gowohnt.

Sometimes I find an American post that I cannot understand because we have different words; or ...

germangirl90439 comments on Apr 28, 2018:

Please repeat all this in German ?

wordywalt replies on Apr 28, 2018:

Jeder Staat, sogar Gegende innerhalb einem Staaat, hat sine eogene idiuomatiche Ausdruecke. In Berlin, Berliners nuzten Ausdruecke eunzenartug zu Berlin, Susdrucke nicht verstandbar zo anderen Deutscher.

The death of democracy: Why the radical Left may end up killing what it loves, The BigThink ...

wordywalt comments on Apr 27, 2018:

Her presentation is odd. What she is describing is the culture promoted by the irrational right and Fox "News."They absolutely refused to cooperate and try to cram their perspective down other people's throats. They thrive on constant emotional conflict.

wordywalt replies on Apr 27, 2018:

@NotConvinced To meet your specious objection, I will change the statement from "they have absolutely refused to cooperate" to "they have consistently refused to cooperate" That still makes my point, and refutes your assertion. I don't compromise truth.

The death of democracy: Why the radical Left may end up killing what it loves, The BigThink ...

wordywalt comments on Apr 27, 2018:

Her presentation is odd. What she is describing is the culture promoted by the irrational right and Fox "News."They absolutely refused to cooperate and try to cram their perspective down other people's throats. They thrive on constant emotional conflict.

wordywalt replies on Apr 27, 2018:

@NotConvinced I am sorry, but I am absolutely sure that you are wrong. It is NOT practiced equally by both sides. If you say that, your "crap detector" is broken.

Some of the people who have supported Trump wanted to hop on the gravy train of greed, and others ...

Kaara12 comments on Apr 26, 2018:

Trump made it clear where he was coming from when he first announced his candidacy. You don't call people murderers and rapists, talk about building a wall that another country will pay for and expect to have any credibility IMO. On top of that you have his treatment of women. I fail to see how ...

wordywalt replies on Apr 26, 2018:

I agree. The man is a totally destructive sociopath.

The Rapture is April 23, Says Man Whose 2017 Rapture Predictions Never Came True – Friendly ...

wordywalt comments on Apr 23, 2018:

These religious nuts never give up, do they. They have been making such predictions for many centuries. Looks like people would wise up eventually.

wordywalt replies on Apr 24, 2018:

@BufftonBeotch The idea of "the rapture" comes directly from the book of Revelations in the bible. It has been around as long as the Bible has.

I sometimes think there is too much emphasis on science (ie, physics, chemistry, etc.

wordywalt comments on Apr 23, 2018:

Science is science, whether physical, biological, cehemical, or social science.It is the approach and the data derived that matter.

wordywalt replies on Apr 24, 2018:

@GipsyOfNewSpain What is the point you are trying to make? I do not see one. All that I see are snarky comments with no explanation -- or substance.

Donald Trump is a lazy, not too bright, and weak coward.

mssuzieq550 comments on Apr 23, 2018:

I would never say he is unintelligent. He is intelligent enough to fool plenty of people. That makes him dangerous.

wordywalt replies on Apr 24, 2018:

Trump hasn't fooled those who support him. They really see him largely for the lying, corrupt, treacherous oaf that he is. Their support of him is an indication of lack of character on their part.

I sometimes think there is too much emphasis on science (ie, physics, chemistry, etc.

wordywalt comments on Apr 23, 2018:

Science is science, whether physical, biological, cehemical, or social science.It is the approach and the data derived that matter.

wordywalt replies on Apr 23, 2018:

@GipsyOfNewSpain Flawed data and data manipulation were examples of pseudo-science, not science. Your supposed point?

Are there any spiritual atheists out there?

wordywalt comments on Apr 21, 2018:

I disagree. Please explain.

wordywalt replies on Apr 23, 2018:

@Sneded I agree that humans are capable of deep, poignant thought, but I would never call that "spiritual." But, humans do not have a spirit: That is a religious invention.

Evolution operates on populations of species, each having a range of traits.

Mea comments on Apr 22, 2018:

How are new traits brought about? Mutation.

wordywalt replies on Apr 22, 2018:

@kcuhcortsa I fail to understand why you are so insistent on denying the importance mutation in evolution. You remind me of a religious "true believer" who cannot face facts.

Lost in Translation

wordywalt comments on Apr 21, 2018:

I applaud you for telling it like it is. But, calling someone a dumbass is simply tsatless and not necessary.

wordywalt replies on Apr 22, 2018:

@Crimson67The examples I gave, if I had actually said them, would have been accurate descriptions of my perceptions. The condescension you see in them is in your mind, not in the fact. We obviously have very different ways of viewing the issues.

Lost in Translation

wordywalt comments on Apr 21, 2018:

I applaud you for telling it like it is. But, calling someone a dumbass is simply tsatless and not necessary.

wordywalt replies on Apr 21, 2018:

@Dawgismygawd I think you really meant acceptable. If so, I disagree. I can say something like :"what you are saying doe snot make sense" or ""you are completely off base:, or :all of the acts say that you are dead wrong" without labeling abrasively.

Is it important for you to think that you have contributed in some small way to the benefit of ...

pepperjones comments on Apr 21, 2018:

Decades ago I owned a coffee stand in Seattle. There was a young girl, about 12, who would come and hang out sometimes. She was a self professed loner, said she had no friends. I talked with her and gave her free hot cocoa for about 6 months until my stand closed. About 6 years later I got a ...

wordywalt replies on Apr 21, 2018:

It is rewarding to find out -- years later -- that you played a real part in shaping another person's life in a positive way. That has happened to me several times.

What is your greatest resource of meaning in life?

wordywalt comments on Apr 20, 2018:

Whyen I was in such a situation it was my work and my daughters.

wordywalt replies on Apr 20, 2018:

@Thinks22much My girls were out of the home, but my best relationship with them has been when they were adults and out of the home. . Without them, however, that would be tough.

Royals: They are born; they urinate; they defecate; they copulate; they flatulate.

wordywalt comments on Apr 20, 2018:

While I agree with your point, your writing skiills are terrible and your your post is crude and tasteless.

wordywalt replies on Apr 20, 2018:

@Josephine Sorry. I had forgotten that you Brits have a quaint way of spelling some words.

A lot of us here , seem to be of retirement age , plus .

wordywalt comments on Apr 18, 2018:

I am 81 years old and have no intention to EVER be in an assisted living facility or nursing home.

wordywalt replies on Apr 20, 2018:

@Azatheist Unless a sudden event incapacitates me to the extent that I cannot act, I will exercise the choice not to end up in such a facility.

Royals: They are born; they urinate; they defecate; they copulate; they flatulate.

wordywalt comments on Apr 20, 2018:

While I agree with your point, your writing skiills are terrible and your your post is crude and tasteless.

wordywalt replies on Apr 20, 2018:

@Josephine You are correct. At my age, my vision is not good, and I miss my spelling errors. Incidentally, you misspelled criticize.

Ever been called ugly or some other mean spirited slur to your face?

wordywalt comments on Apr 19, 2018:

Sounds like you are hanging around some mean-spirited people. Maybe you should try to find a different social scene in which to operate.

wordywalt replies on Apr 19, 2018:

@jioo087 In my adult life, the closest I ever lived to my parents, sister and cousins was 130 miles awayles away, and for many years from 1.100 to 1.300 miles away. I never wanted to live where I grew up.

Maybe it's just me but I think most people have inconsistent political and philosophical beliefs.

wordywalt comments on Apr 19, 2018:

You are totally off base! Conservatives tend to obscess on ideology and on maintaining the status quo (instead of what is needed and postive for the people). Progressives rely much more on reason and hard data. With your statement, you simply show your lack of objectivity.

wordywalt replies on Apr 19, 2018:

@MetalHeadJason Your perceptions are far from reality. And, I am being biased?

FOOOOOD!!!

wordywalt comments on Apr 19, 2018:

I tried chitlings once -- only once.

wordywalt replies on Apr 19, 2018:

@ArdentAtheist Not justr kinda gross!

Anyone watch the James Comey interview?

wordywalt comments on Apr 16, 2018:

No, it was not a bombshell. But, that is not the point, at all! What it does show is what a crrooked, duplicitious, lying, morally bankrupt cretin Trump is, We have known that, but Comey makes the pattern abundantly clear. That IS important!

wordywalt replies on Apr 18, 2018:

@SynergySeeker Yes, he made a mistake in how handled the Hillary e=mail issue. But Both the Russians and Hillary's inept campaigning deserve much more of the blame for her loss. I am still angry with Hillary for her lack of righteous zeal and stupid campaign decisions.

I will predict that the reason that both Cohen's and Trump's lawyers die not want to reveal ...

stinkeye_a comments on Apr 17, 2018:

Sounds like a perfectly devious plan...for someone with brains and a solid grasp of reality. No way it was cooked up by DJT.

wordywalt replies on Apr 17, 2018:

Give Trump more credit: He has proven himself capable of all sorts of sculduggery, with the aid of his army of unethical lawyers and crooked deal-makers.

Do you like being intelligent?

wordywalt comments on Apr 17, 2018:

I have an IQ of 145, but I have almost always fought most of the tendencies you describe. As a child and young man, I had the privilege of knowing some remarkable uneducated people and from whom I learned some important things. I am repulsed by elitism, including intellectual elitism. In 1968, ...

wordywalt replies on Apr 17, 2018:

@Nickbeee Your statement is false. More than a few people with high IQs are full of themselves and do see themselves as superior to most people. Those people have high IQs, but little real intelligence or wisdom.

Any non-US, non-English users here?

Spinliesel comments on Apr 16, 2018:

Ja, was denn? Kannst Du deutsch verstehen?

wordywalt replies on Apr 16, 2018:

@Spinliesel Ays welcher deutscher Gegend? I have zwei und half Hahren in Berlin Verbracht -- aber schon lange her.

Any non-US, non-English users here?

Spinliesel comments on Apr 16, 2018:

Ja, was denn? Kannst Du deutsch verstehen?

wordywalt replies on Apr 16, 2018:

Ja. Ich kann Deutsch lessen. Sind sie ursprunglish aus Deutschland, oder worden Sie in Amerika gegoren?

It is said that the way to a mans heart is to keep his stomach full and his balls empty.

wordywalt comments on Apr 16, 2018:

That may be enough for some men, but not for me.

wordywalt replies on Apr 16, 2018:

@VAL3941 An intelligent, caring and sharing relationship in every sense. I am not an unintelligent animal who screws, eats, belches, and scratches his ass end genitals in public.

Everything is nothing.

wordywalt comments on Apr 14, 2018:

Are you saying that nothing matters, ergo, hedonism is justified? If so, I heartily disagree.

wordywalt replies on Apr 15, 2018:

@FinchiMcQ A lot. Many things DO matter -- things worth fighting for, and destructive things well worth resisting. If you are not willing to stand up and be counted, YOU don't matter.

Registering Journalists

wordywalt comments on Apr 12, 2018:

I do believe that journalists need thorough training and a commitment to objectivity. Many in the right wing media, including Fox News, are not journalists, but propagandists.

wordywalt replies on Apr 13, 2018:

@Freedompath When I taught at the college level, I started my classes with the statement " I try to be as objective as possible, but I do have biases or learnings toward certain positions. To my knowledge these are my biases *( and I would state them). them)..." Please analyze carefully what I say and take what I say with that forewarning." Similarly, journalist should also make their assumptions and biases clear. Right wing "journalists" arte incapable of such honesty.

Registering Journalists

wordywalt comments on Apr 12, 2018:

I do believe that journalists need thorough training and a commitment to objectivity. Many in the right wing media, including Fox News, are not journalists, but propagandists.

wordywalt replies on Apr 13, 2018:

@Thomas3 There is one helluva difference between the right wing media and the mainstream media on the issue of objectivity. It appears that you are falling victim to what those right wing media are trying to do.

History repeating itself? Different face same mind set!

wordywalt comments on Apr 12, 2018:

That has been the strategy of Fox news. It was also the strategy of Mitch MCConnell some 30 years ago when he began saying that dollars equal speech and that corporations are people. People shook their heads and laughed then. But more and more Republicans began repeating the lie. Now, the ...

wordywalt replies on Apr 13, 2018:

@Freedompath His departure is long, long overdue!

Garret's Thermodynamics of Civilization vs McPherson's Near Term Human Extinction

wordywalt comments on Apr 12, 2018:

Yes, we can stop the carbon-based fossil fuels expansion -- if we have the political will to do so. An equally important, if not more important question is whether we have the will to stop the mushrooming rowth in human population. It is that population sexplsion that is fueling the destruction ...

wordywalt replies on Apr 12, 2018:

@Greymattersuit Government action, by itself, will never be enough. The entire culture has to change, as it has in most of Europe. Most of Europe has low birth rates -- because the people, themselves. have decided the lower birth rates are in their own interest.

Just finished reading "The Virtue of Selfishness" by Ayn Rand.

wordywalt comments on Apr 11, 2018:

Back in the 1960s I read wverything that Rand wrote. I found her writing interesting, but somehow off key. After thorough analysis, I determined that her main points were (1) I can do anything I want to and dno one can limit that, (2) greed is good, and (3) all governments are bad. Anyone who ...

wordywalt replies on Apr 11, 2018:

@OnaM I like your reference to Frankel. He was a brilliant, truly moral man.

Just finished reading "The Virtue of Selfishness" by Ayn Rand.

pilotlight11 comments on Apr 11, 2018:

I've always preferred her fiction. I have always agreed with her underlying message that the intellect is far more powerful and useful than brute force. While it seems many have recently started to bad mouth Atlas Shrugged I still consider it one of the best examples of what happens with run away ...

wordywalt replies on Apr 11, 2018:

That was not her message. Her message was that (1) lI can do whatever I want and no one has anything to say about it, (2) greed is good, and (3) all governments are bad.

Just finished reading "The Virtue of Selfishness" by Ayn Rand.

IAMGROOT comments on Apr 11, 2018:

I have read most of Rand's works and happen to agree with the Objectivist philosophy. I think her fiction does a great job of illustrating that philosophy. She uses pure archetypes and obviously many people have an issue with that, having been spoon-fed "flawed" heroes their whole lives. I think ...

wordywalt replies on Apr 11, 2018:

Rand was a totally self-absorbed philosophical hack. I have read all of her works.

Just finished reading "The Virtue of Selfishness" by Ayn Rand.

BD66 comments on Apr 11, 2018:

The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged, We the Living were all good books. She lived through a leftist takeover of her country and witnessed and experienced the resulting misery first-hand. We the Living should be required reading on college campuses.

wordywalt replies on Apr 11, 2018:

Not unless it is to be examined for its many philosophical and moral flaws.

Does it matter how a gift is wrapped or is it only the gift that matters?

wordywalt comments on Apr 10, 2018:

Your quesrtion does not matter.

wordywalt replies on Apr 11, 2018:

@scurry You totally misrepresent what I said. Why?

Liberal Ideals

wordywalt comments on Apr 9, 2018:

Your question is so wide open that there is no way that I can respond to it.

wordywalt replies on Apr 11, 2018:

@Lincster45 It bothers me when people post things of no value just to gain points. To me, that cheapens and trivializes this site and genuine communication on it.

Does it matter how a gift is wrapped or is it only the gift that matters?

wordywalt comments on Apr 10, 2018:

Your quesrtion does not matter.

wordywalt replies on Apr 11, 2018:

@LadyAlyxandrea It bothers me, I think correctly, when people post things with no substance or value just to gain points. v I value communication of substance and meaning, not inanity -- and it is my right to say so. I do not intent to be rude, but to be truthful. Truth matters.

Can we have a civil conversation about American policy without getting emotional?

wordywalt comments on Apr 10, 2018:

Excuse me, but it is terribly hard to understand how any rational and moral person can fail to understnad whata despicable and sociopathic person Trump is and actually support this traitor and moral disaster.This man will destroy our democracy, given half a chance. Similarly, I am also a gun ...

wordywalt replies on Apr 10, 2018:

@FinchiMcQ Not a single word of your response is true. I don't need to provide you proof. The man's entire life record is proof and if you can't see it, you have a real perception problem.

What would cause you to lay down your life willingly?

wordywalt comments on Apr 9, 2018:

As a former soldier, we all knew that could be asked of us, and accepted the fact. If I were convinced that my action would result in saving someone else, I would so act. If my death would advance a human cause I truly believe in as moral and needed, I would.

wordywalt replies on Apr 9, 2018:

@paul1967 Yes, I would risk my life to save a child of the enemy if that child were not trying to kill me or my comrades.

Who do you support, the teachers of Oklahoma or the Republicans and Betsy DeVos, who claim the ...

wordywalt comments on Apr 9, 2018:

As a retired educator, I support the striking teachers in all states in which this action is occurring. For far too damned long, morally and patriotically bankrupt Republican legislatures in far too damned many states have gutted and decimated public education -- as most of the other essential ...

wordywalt replies on Apr 9, 2018:

@Freedompath Your fear is exactly how DeVos and people like her think. They want to see a privileged few completely dominate our society.

What's something that many people haven't done, but that you have?

wordywalt comments on Apr 8, 2018:

Yes, I have been over the Gliedecke bridge (in the movie "Brodge of Spies" with Tom Hanks. It was the dividing line between West erlin and East Germany from 1945 and 1989.I still remember the Russian sentries with submachine guns and the sentry tower with machine guns.

wordywalt replies on Apr 8, 2018:

@babsy I was there from 1959 -61 in the Army, then again in 1962-3 as a civilian living on the Germany economy.

If we ever officially devolope time travel, when would you go to?

wordywalt comments on Apr 8, 2018:

It'll never happen!

wordywalt replies on Apr 8, 2018:

@evidentialist Laws of physics.