Conan O'Brien's Twitter stunt turns tear-jerker

marshallt

I thought that was a great article. Well written and pleasantly surprising.

marshallt

I find it particularly interesting that the Red Scare tactics that Cheney is promoting were once used against homosexuals as well. It seems like human nature to ignore the past and the sacrifices others made for our freedoms while we work tirelessly to limit the rights of the next group. Cheney has no shame, but she also has no grasp of modern history or irony.

marshallt

My Congressman is Rob Bishop (R-UT) and he's a class A mormon. Go ahead and get rid of him. But what did Massa do that was so terrible? Sexual harassment? What did he say that was so bad that he had to resign over it?

marshallt

Damn straight.

marshallt

Police are expected to play Kid Selzy's latest album, The Creepshow, at the next hearing.

Can't they get arrested for that?

marshallt

That's easy. Let's look specifically at the most devastating terrorist attack in our lifetime and compare it to the U.S. reaction to it. On Sept. 11, terrorists killed about 3,000 people.

The U.S. reaction to that attack was to go to war in Afghanistan and in Iraq. The conservative estimate of civilians deaths caused by direct U.S. military action in Afghanistan is more than 5,000 people). If you look at indirect deaths because of the Afghanistan War, it's much higher.

In Iraq, about 100,000 people have died because of the war we started without provocation, ostensibly as a reaction to 9/11.

So, here are the numbers you asked for:

Terrorists: 3,000 civilian deaths

U.S. reaction to terrorists: 105,000 civilian deaths

How does that make sense?

marshallt

More directly, compare the number of people terrorists have killed in the last decade to the number the U.S. military has killed in the last decade as a reaction to terrorism.

marshallt

You can never destroy all those who threaten peace and security. As you attempt to, you create more and more enemies until eventually you are weakened and outnumbered. The only way to ensure long term peace and stability is through cooperation, communication by identifying mutual benefits and maximizing them. That said, I believe your "teacher" is under the assumption that there is some sort of international conspiracy of terrorists who are jealous of our liberty. This simply isn't true. There are terrorist organizations that are unreasonable and should be hunted down and put in jail. There are others who could legitimately make the argument that their actions are justified by the same rational your teacher is promoting. So, the first step toward better national security would be to learn more about our "enemies" and truly develop some empathy. Then we can rationally and logical look for ways to maximize our shared best interests.

marshallt

I'm not suggesting that you kick him in the nuts so hard that it causes him to feel pain or suffering equal with death and organ failure. I'm just talking about a good old fashion American nut-kicking. Oh and good luck with grad scool.

marshallt

If you take the opportunity to find Professor Yoo and kick him in the nuts, then I think it would be worth it.

marshallt

He's not well tanned.

marshallt

As long as health insurance is affordable, I can understand the compelling public interest for mandatory coverage. I want healthcare reform now and I don't care how it will affect the insurance industry. If affordable, quality healthcare makes the insurance industry broke, so be it. If affordable, quality healthcare makes the insurance industry rich, so be it.

marshallt

I live in a small town in Utah. Most people are extremely conservative and I've heard some people say some horrible things. Mostly, however, they're just repeating what they've heard Glenn Beck and the rest say. When I talk them through it, most of them are quite reasonable. For instance, the last mayoral election in my home town of 50,000 featured two candidates who both promised to support gay rights ordinances in the city that included employment and housing protection. So, to answer your question, the crazies are out there, but they're few and far between. None of this, however, applies to the Utah Legislature, which is, in fact, insane.

marshallt

I don't think there's any way we can know for sure.

marshallt

Here's another parallel for you that I hope won't completely ruin your day: Both Bush and Obama use the same legs they propped up on the Oval Office desk to walk around on - sometimes even run. It's a sick conspiracy.

marshallt

Thanks, Dwight.

marshallt

Does anyone have more info on the occiput lobotomy?

marshallt

I agree. It will take a long time, but it will be done.

marshallt

Holy Crab!

marshallt

The best is a combination of access and popular protest. However, if you don't have anything else to work with, a small protest is better than nothing. It may not appear to be terribly effective at first, but there's something to be said for making an act of conscience.

marshallt

The U.S. doesn't prop up North Korea in the same way we prop up Israel. All in all, I think it's good that Israeli representatives feel some pressure when they come to the U.S. Too bad the protesters got arrested.

marshallt

It's funny cause she's stupid. edit: But then it's also not funny, because people are still taking her seriously. D'oh.

marshallt

I agree that I was wrong and that I got carried away when I wrote that. Sorry.

marshallt

Ok. Good to know. I'm obviously not a biochemist, so I appreciate it.

marshallt

I agree.

marshallt

TROPHY CASE

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