Disqus - Friends of aeschines

Re: Doomsday Eve

NoCountryForYoungMen — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 00:17:38 -0000

I live in BC, Canada. We have socialized health care here... and there have been several pushes to allow people to pay to jump the wait line.. so far it has just been talk though. I would think a voucher system would be the best way to deliver affordable and flexible coverage and not just in health care - education too. Also Health care needs to reward those who live healthy lifestyles (don't smoke, do drugs, have bad diet, or never exercise ect).

The fact of the matter is that while this obamacare might be bad economically in the long term. In the short term it will give medical benefits to millions of low income people simply don't have the money.

Re: Doomsday Eve

NoCountryForYoungMen — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 01:02:38 -0000

Since the Union victory in the Civil War, states are not independent in confederation but more like provinces in a federation. Libertarianism and freedom was squashed in the name of civil rights and the collectivism of the eternal union (emergence of just 2 parties contributed to this). So yes we have been moving towards socialism and collectivization... but I would argue that anyone who holds a steady full-time job or is down on their luck is a socialist - the only exception to this is religion ... but that skews all rational evaluations of reality and is by nature extremely collectivist (the opiate of the masses).

My vision I suppose is a world where most people have the tools, the intelligence, and the time to be a innovative capitalist. But this is impossible without advanced robotics, colony client-states, or a slave class.

Till now the capitalist or insiders (applies to so called Communist states too) still remain such a tight nit group that even when a publicly known and obvious slave class or colonies/client-states were working for the 'home country/society' only a small percentage gained. Consider Great Britain during the age of empire. It was possible at the British Empires hight that every Briton could have lived like a lord off the labours of the colonies if the wealth of the capitalists was shared between every white british citizen. Instead an elite 10% (generous guess) received the majority of the wealth. True wealth trickles down... but only crumbs.

Re: A state condemned

NoCountryForYoungMen — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 13:34:52 -0000

World events move on in all their typical insanity. Religion not oil is the greatest cause of strife in the middle east.

My parents believe that this confrontation between Obama/ the Arab states is a test ordained by god for his chosen nation of Israel.... They view this time as especially auspicious being right before passover.

This world view makes me sick in so many ways... but circumstantially it is true that around the dates of religious festivals, political incidents often occur as well. Not because 'GOD EXISTS' like the parents say, but because people are religious and their religions are political - and often they are willing to die for their beliefs (usually a strange mixture of patriotism, reality and delusion/myth)... these beliefs often work up to a frenzied crescendo on the 'holy days.'

Obama's presidency is about Obamacare... The goodwill he garnished around the world has mostly died. He has failed all foreign policy objectives. China is turning into a neocolonial imperialist master, taking resources, manufacturing and selling the cheap often hazardous pirated products back to the colonized country turning them into client dependencies. Even the US itself and Canada have been subjected to this colonization that takes wealth and jobs from the majority, back to china. In the colonized countries only the corporate/governmental elite gain wealth. It could be said that while china grows a middle class the rest of the world losses theirs.

The free market has failed with the admittance of china into the capitalist fold... And Monsanto is the most monstrously evil US corporation.

I suggest reading the book, China Wars, that I am listening to now.

Re: Doomsday Eve

NoCountryForYoungMen — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 13:55:17 -0000

I have way more vision than 0'Bama could even dream of... even being the sickly lowly professional student I am. His hope will turn later to despair. His change a victory for defeat. Obama has Cut the space program a more positive area to expend national energy than war, given up military superiority, given bailouts to a failed system, fraternized/sympathized with the enemy, almost completely ignored china effectively stealing from the US... the list goes on.

Most amusing to me is how Bush invaded Iraq under the premise of their being weapons of mass destruction. Now under Obama we cede the gains in Iraq (we don't even use the oil wealth to pay for the war), and refuse to invade Iran and Pakistan two terrorist nations - Pakistan is already nuclear and the Secular friendly government is already extremely unstable, while Iran has crushed democratic protests - has been building nuclear weapons and even stated it plans to wipe Israel (the only democratic semi-secular nation in the area) off the map... a goal Obama seems sympathetic to.

America the Irrational
America the land of squandered wealth and power
America the divided

Re: A farewell to freedom

NoCountryForYoungMen — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 15:49:04 -0000

Really I have always been dependent my whole life so far on my fanatic crazy religious parents. Although they give lip service to freedom - I have none, except for the internet. Now you might ask why I don't just leave - I am legally an adult after all. Well I can't - I am disabled and sickly to the extent that I cannot work a Job - I mean sure I could work If I could show up whenever I feel up too it - couple days here some there spread over a month... But employers want simple and steady work schedules. So dependence on the state seems to me to be a little better than dependence on the parents... of course I am still in limbo because of my unusual case (I was a minor when I was in a car crash so I can't claim any potential lost wages or general function from the accident) so I might end up getting absolutely noting... In which case I must hone my computer skills and find some way to work from home... If I ever want to gain a little independence, or dignity... something I must do soon to keep my sanity.

But intellectually and strategically I agree that the US is going in the wrong direction - an unsustainable one is many ways. You don't have to take away choice and innovation in the quest for helping the 'lower classes' gain a social safety net... but politics is not a particularly innovative sector so what can I say.

I just realized that WW3 and Armageddon could really just be around the corner - there are so many potential triggers. Iran, Israel, China, North Korea, Taiwan, Pakistan.....

Re: A state condemned

NoCountryForYoungMen — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 15:59:17 -0000

Research it... or go here and watch the documentary:
http://topdocumentaryfilms....

I have am all for GM technology - just the way Monsanto uses it is foolish or evil.

Re: Lambs voting for the butcher

NoCountryForYoungMen — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 16:22:37 -0000

When you talk about jews are you talking Judaism, or the ethnic group. I can say this confrontation will only serve to deepen the religious views that the chosen nation Israel is being tested once again with enemies on all sides but no friends... another boost to the zionist complex.

Sometimes I wish Rome, Jerusalem, and Mecca would just disappear by some means. Without these physical and geo-political beacons - a lot of religious people would think more freely, and maybe adopt a more realistic world view. Or at least disengage from geo-millitaristic politics and stop continuing to support their own tragic self-fulfilling prophecies.

But yes you must admit that once again Israel is being picked on like the jewish nerdy kid in high school. Intelligence and religion seem like a mix of fire and water but pride and self delusion is a powerful thing.

Re: The world on fire

NoCountryForYoungMen — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 02:18:47 -0000

Really I can't imagine it...even the most evil sane person who has any greed would not want to start ww3.

Obama is so ridiculous to me so far in what he has done as a president, especially foreign policy wise.

He has broken solidarity with traditionally close US allies: the UK (over the falklands), and Israel (over their capital city).

He has refused closer discussion and cooperation with Europe.

He has failed to even embargo Iran. Never mind calling Iran's leaders what they are... aggressive Totalitarian Theocratic Fascists. Mr. Aqmindinjihad (hehehe) threatens to wipe Israel and America off the map, but Obama does not condemn Iran, instead he picks a fight with Israel.... and sends more troops to Afghanistan, while abandoning infant Iraq.. even when control over Iran (trying to build nuclear weapons) and pakistan (Islamic country with nuclear weapons and named often as the root of all terrorism) should be the much more important objective.

Obama has not addressed china's annexation of world trade! Not even the bare minimum equalizing tariffs to counteract chinese currency manipulation.

All the while he is dismantling the worlds main peacekeeping deterrent. The US nuclear arsenal... Ok maybe if the US now has space based advanced laser or atom stabilizing field technology that obsoletes nuclear weapons it makes sense.... but this is highly unlikely. Even if this is so the US is encouraging future conflict by even discussing nuclear reduction without first 'Denuclearising' Iran, Pakistan, North Korea - and involving China in any talks with Russia in reducing nuclear stockpiles.

Re: Ghana, stuck with the wind

NoCountryForYoungMen — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 16:48:24 -0000

Alas if the rest of the world wants to live as 'wasteful people in the US' - the world will eventually be barren and devoid of biodiversity. If you are familiar with the global warming, pollution, and dimming phenomenon, ozone depletion or ideas of sustainability you would realize that the rapid industrialization of the rest of the world using the same energy source as industrial England will inevitably result in depletion of environmental resources. Indeed if you actually believe the science the question becomes 'do you want to live better for a time and then die, or do you want to slowly improve your situation sustainably?' This is not a discussion about the elusive 'fairness' that Africans should live the same way people in the US do.

So far in human history societies and economies have not been regulated as resources appeared infinite. In the future the currency must be pegged to the physical reality of limited resources, many that may only be harvested after a certain period or cycle - or there must be a massive global population decline. Of course the other option to human conscious adoption of the sustainable paradigm in all of society is the creation of at least a content sized nature preserve - in which no human presence exists. Indeed global industrialization is not possible without greater regulation. The US, and British Empire could only have a free trade system divorced from consideration of natural resources because they were/are imperial nations that import many raw material to manufacture. There was the city and then the country side - so to speak.

There was Europe (as city) and then the rest of the world (as countryside to be stripped of natural resources - that would eventually regenerate to some extent with little human presence). Now with all the world wanting to live as 'Europeans' (who noticeably have no great forests or biodiversity) there will be no global equivalent to the countryside to the city of Europe, America, Asia, Africa.

Of course technology may make it easier and more comfortable to live within our means... and we may even be able to extract extra planetary resources in the future. But it doesn't change the fact that at some point an escape from the downward spiral - a rebalancing must occur or we face the extinction of much life on earth.

My point is proven by the steadily increasing cost of drinkable water. A freshwater spring in the future may be what an oil well was to a farmer in texas a decade ago. Even president Bush said the US had an addiction to oil and that other energy sources must change that. Iraq was not for the oil, but a naive sense of justice, based on faulty intel.

Re: The left stamps on the Cuban heels

NoCountryForYoungMen — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 16:55:18 -0000

Isn't it interesting How while Canada is run by conservatives, communist China is becoming the home of wild west capitalism, the UK is becoming more conservative and decentralized, the EU is cutting back on socialism, and Cuba may become less authoritarian - the US seems to be going towards deeper regulation, collectivism, centralization, and authoritarianism...

Re: Much more to fear than fear itself (2)

NoCountryForYoungMen — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 17:00:50 -0000

More bureaucracy is rarely a good thing... but there have been rare cases when a meritocratic system of civil servants were considered heaven born - read the history of China, and the British administration in India.

I just finished reading 'Empire: how Britain made the modern world' and 'The coming China Wars'

Re: Much more to fear than fear itself (2)

NoCountryForYoungMen — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 17:03:07 -0000

I don't see why the federal government doesn't stay out of healthcare and leave states that want it to create their own plans? One size rarely fits all... and for a confederal system the US is becoming much to centralized.

Re: Ghana, stuck with the wind

NoCountryForYoungMen — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 15:28:45 -0000

I will give a quick response to each of your points:

First - I can be an environmentalist and a conservative (to me all conservative means is giving more choice and money to spend to the consumer, while cutting back on myriad little special interest bureaucracies ).

The pure free market is naturally based on making profits as fast and easy as possible and therefore rarely invests in long term projects with high up front cost (like space exploration and R&D). So the environment suffers as a consequence based on the principle that infinite liner economic growth is possible on a biosphere based on cyclic cycles.

America operates in a global market of it's own partial making (the British Empire built it) therefore the cheapest oil, and natural gas is used up first. The price of oil is determined both by the ease of extraction and myriad economic and political forces (OPEC for example).

I will now tackle this aspect of 'Conservatism' that I think comes from the fundamentalist Right (there is a fundamentalist Left in Christianity). The view that humanity can do what it wants and still not 'change things.' This is simply not true, with our current technology we can wipe all (most) life off the face of the earth. Earth cannot absorb all the waste products (especially inorganic's) that humanity produces. Another form of this is the view that "I don't have to care about what happens on earth (to my children/grandchildren) because we live in the end times." Talk about self fulfilling prophecy. Ok, sure, if you do not care about the future because after all everyone says were mortal and all going to die sooner or later. Than yes lets use all the gas and oil available to hell with the future. What this will do (sooner or later) is result in a crunch time known as peek oil. Where we could have spent time developing renewable non fossil fuel energy sources we now have an economy that has no motor. All hell breaks lose over oil or more likely… fresh water. Of course their is synthetic diesel - made by GM bacterium… so yeah technology might saves us after all… but what I am saying is that a more responsible approach that consistently funds R&D rather than requiring a mad dash at the end like a cramming student before an exam. Even the global elite wealthy beyond my imagination procrastinate. LOL.

As for Nuclear Power - sounds great! In a world with a United States of Earth where Terrorism/Organized Religion has gone the way of the dodo, and Nuclear waste can be reused, stored in the Sahara, or ejected into space.

About Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, UK, and now China. All these places are indeed successful without any natural resources. Why? Because they import them in their raw form from the rest of the 'third' or undeveloped world... therefore the developed countries actually have a global economic interest in keeping the third word undeveloped but stable with good transportation infrastructure to export raw materials.

As for declining population in europe… this is a result of culture and culture conflict. The religious actually use having more babies as a weapon in their arsenal of conquest and domination. Human cloning is always an option ^^… and elimination of STD's so people will have more sex. ..Or Funding a massive program to pay for a babies living expenses thereby eliminating a lot of abortion. Also simply accepting that discrimination is a must for self preservation…. and closing the borders to muslims, africans… or all uneducated religious people. Then there is genocide of course, maybe some fascist will rise again in europe and put the muslims in concentration camps. Or maybe a government program to fund the breeding of the perfect citizen/soldier. Or maybe a virus that targets people of certain 'races deemed undesirable.' Notice: I do not necessarily advocate the above - simply brainstorming.

I suggest reading The Coming China Wars by Peter Navarro to see why regulation in the end produces more wealth than without it. Of course I am a Libertarian, so regulation must have a very good reason.

Re: Ghana, stuck with the wind

NoCountryForYoungMen — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 16:20:23 -0000

I am just going to say LOL to this response.. so many conflicting ideas you have... some right connections some wrong... some dare I say 'pharisaical' literalist tendencies that take ideas out of context... there is extreme egalitarianism, while an aversion to socialism... Indeed the core truth of Malthus's argument does live ultimately... The earth is not infinite. But there is also the disciplines known as science, technology, and efficiency that can vastly expand the population limit on earth. Oh and yes Africa should try the one-two child policy - so they can live within there means without destroying ecosystems.

PROJECTION. It is amazing what people can see in another's argument - arguments that they never considered, arguments that are not there. Seeing the big picture is very hard. Maybe with google earth and sensor overlays we can stop debating semantics and misreading intentions and realize the truly huge and seemingly contradictorily interactions that occur on the global scale.

Re: Aide-memoire

NoCountryForYoungMen — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 16:28:50 -0000

LOL.. hillary Clinton the feminist wearing a symbol of submission, an islamic headscarf used to hide the sexy nape of the neck that induces muslim men to rape women.

Really good conspiracy theory material.

Re: Honored and dishonored guests at the White House

NoCountryForYoungMen — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 16:31:17 -0000

Agreed. His pastor is racist against white people - it was in my local newspaper as a quote.

Re: Thomas Jefferson said …

NoCountryForYoungMen — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 15:42:51 -0000

Agreed, great quotes... As for the rebuttal yeah you can't argue against that... Jefferson was living off the backs of his slaves so you can't really criticize people who want dependence on the government... otherwise known as living off the taxes of the not so smart hard working rich/upper middle class in exchange for less choice, less motivation/innovation, and more intrusion by the government into your life (the true elite is above the system)... oh and don't forget the 10+% that just disappears. Hopefully in the future we will have robots and greater automation to do the work of slaves. ^^

Re: Blood sacrifice in spring

NoCountryForYoungMen — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 16:34:37 -0000

Religion is naturally absurd as it has no basis in logical thought - but only fear. What you mention here is correct and in quite plain view (or perhaps it [Faith, Church, Religion] is nothing at all but somewhat comforting smoke and mirrors for the weak and lazy). But this does not seem to be a problem for so many religious people... Faith is the operative word here - and also one of the most deceptive false positives in existence. Faith has a positive connotation - but it is actually the word symbolizing suppression of the intellect, and of curiosity; The blurring of reality and fiction. The far left (much more popular than the far right) also suffers from similar issues.

Re: British Conservatives embrace Marxism

NoCountryForYoungMen — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 16:39:01 -0000

Well if the British conservatives (the party of the old capitalist elite) think community organizing is a good idea - then it most certainly will not empower the people but is possibly another means to control the people using the old 'divide and conquer'.

Now that British mainstream politics has moved far to the left, the fascist BNP will take up the slack... Either way nothing good can come from it.

Re: Yezidis and Mandeans

NoCountryForYoungMen — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 00:44:45 -0000

Interesting, I have never heard of these religious groups before... I am surprised they have survived this long in the Islamic middle east.

Re: Dreams of his mother

NoCountryForYoungMen — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 16:19:53 -0000

Reality seems so hard for so many people - even the 'elites' to grasp.

Re: Speaking of secession

NoCountryForYoungMen — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 14:09:11 -0000

A lot of people considering this think that the federal government would occupy the resistant states by military force if necessary. It seems the balance has shifted towards the central government having powers numerous and indefinite instead of the other way around. The union is perpetual and indissoluble, but then this was decided during the American civil war. This war is what changed 'these united states' to 'the United States of America'

Any such parting of ways would require the Democrats and Republicans to become so radicalized to be unable to cooperate at all. I can't see a single state declaring independence alone, so you would probably see the red states of america and the blue states of america... and depending on who actually runs this country... most likely another civil war, or rather nation wide martial law and the use of the US army on US soil. A massive devolution of power back to state governments would be the best solution in such a situation but the potential of states declaring independence all at once and going their separate ways after the crunch is possible.

I think all us atheists/agnostics should move to Hawaii and declare an independent republic ^^... but with sea level rise maybe that is not such a good idea.

Re: Three As for failure

NoCountryForYoungMen — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 21:34:07 -0000

I agree obama is worse than bush was for the US. That is bad. About supporting a presidential candidate... I cannot in good conscience support anyone who is not at least openly agnostic. But compared to Sarah Palin... Liz Cheney is leagues above.

Re: Iran almost ready

NoCountryForYoungMen — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 13:18:15 -0000

Well if Iran does launch a nuclear attack all hell on the world stage will occur. It will herald a new age.

The fact is that the US cannot unite the world against Iran - it is a sharply divided country its self, and there simply isn't the political capital to act unilaterally. And yes nuclear disarmament is a fanciful idea. When war between modern powers occurs there will be no limited conventional war. This is ridiculous. A nation would always chose mutual destruction over a shameful surrender - without even using all means of war that are available.

Re: Relax and enjoy

NoCountryForYoungMen — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 14:12:30 -0000

I can't help but wonder what the world would be like with the survival of the greek philosophical schools through till present day. What would an society with an epicurean belief system look like? How would such a civilization develop compared to it's neighbours? Maybe why such realistic philosophies never became popular is because people prefer hope and 'fantastic' fantasy over serenity... also atheist philosophies don't have the same authoritarian structure that makes people work themselves to death for the profit of the elite. People not wasting their time seeking material wealth - because their is no afterlife... no hell if you're bad or heaven if you are good... No reason to live in cities apart from nature. The philosophy contains no people organizing structure - so maybe that is why the truth is so damaging to traditional civilization (serve the elite) - and why in England at least, Atheist or Deist ideas were fine as long as you kept quiet and did what you were expected to do. The idea was called dangerous - that the traditional hierarchy was not the natural order but the effect of a big lie. Atheism especially before the industrial revolution was inherently anarchistic by itself.