I do agree that banning online gambling while allowing for local gambling (in some states) is stupid, as well as banning drugs but not cigarettes or alcohol. As for public nudity, I personally wouldn't want to see most people nude as most people don't have attractive bodies. There's also the hygienic issue of naked people preparing and serving food, sitting on public benches and seats, etc. While there certainly is a naturist movement, it's comprised of a tiny portion of the population and is in no way indicative of the general views towards public nudity. Public nudity is banned because the vast majority of the population finds it offensive. Private nudity, however, is not banned, unlike Falun Gong which is banned outright and cannot legally be practiced anywhere in China, in private or public.

That's all besides the point, however. There is still no case where the U.S. government will imprison people (without even a trial) simply for practicing a spiritual belief. That's exactly what China is doing to Falun Gong practitioners. Despite what you said earlier, it really does seem like you're trying to condemn the U.S. above all else. I'm not patriotic by any means but we're talking about blatant religious persecution here and it simply isn't comparable to bans on drugs, gambling or public nudity.

What you seem to be saying is that you generally agree with the choices the U.S. has made, and that you disagree with the choice China has made in this case.

I personally find many forms of gambling offensive, so struggle to argue for it... I only brought it up because it is a case where U.S. law is out of step with other countries. That said though, what is the real difference between a room full of poker machines (legal) and an on-line version which could conceivably even be running the same software (illegal in the U.S., but subject to a WTO complaint)? The difference, in my opinion, is one of control. In the case of gambling, the U.S. government has made a choice to outlaw what they can't control, just like the Chinese government has done for religion and/or spiritual movements.

The acceptability of public nudity varies from place to place, but I find it hard to think of a way it harms anybody. In fact the naturist movement is quite pro public nudity. You are used to it being unlawful, but this is far from universal. Should it be outlawed in places it's currently legal just because you are offended? Even if they are far from your home and you are unlikely to actually go there to be offended?

Speaking of drugs, why have we chosen to allow alcohol and tobacco, both of which cause huge amounts of harm, and yet outlaw marijuana and LSD? Who made that choice?

Falun Gong is a meditative practice. It involves no nudity, no harassment, no physical contact and literally nothing that could offend anyone in public. It doesn't cause harm to the people who practice it and poses no threat to anyone who observes it. There is absolutely no logical reason to ban it.

Gambling, drugs, public nudity, etc, are not valid comparisons because they are either potentially harmful (financially or physically) or generally offensive (most people are against public nudity because the average body is not appealing to look at). A meditative practice that you perform in the privacy of your own home or with others who share your beliefs isn't analogous to any of those things.

Again, if you want a valid comparison, you should compare Falun Gong to a religion. In the U.S., there is no ban against any religion. Actually, gay marriage is an example that could work in your favor. There are no victims as a result of gay marriage (though the long-term effects of having gay parents hasn't been well-researched) so the ban isn't really justified. And while it is indeed banned in many states, the government isn't sending gay couples to prison camps and you won't be arrested for trying to get married if you're gay. The state just won't allow it.

So when you consider the crime and the punishment, there is no U.S. equivalent of how China is dealing with Falun Gong.

Getting even part time minimum wage work can take months, at least where I live. When McDonalds had a hiring day for all their locations in the area, there were huge lines of people hoping to get a job there. I counted close to twenty at the one I was at (which was a fairly small McDonalds compared to the rest in the area), most of them twenty to forty something aged people. Every time I checked on my status, up to a month later, they were still evaluating people from that day. I would guess the weed part was a joke, but even then I wouldn't judge the guy, some people waste their money on alcohol (far worse for the person and society), others waste their money on tobacco (he does, and again far worse for the person and society), some waste their money on the lottery, gambling, clothes, movies, games, cable... who cares what they spend money on. Everyone spends money, if they got it, to help hide the misery of their life or improve their life. So long as they aren't spending it on actively hurting others (hiring hitmen, dog fights, etc.) who cares what the money is being spent on? I can think of billions of things better to spend money on than drugs (I personally don't get the point of drugs unless it is for medical reasons, but I don't get alcohol or legal depression drugs and the like either), but I'm not going to fault the guy for doing them.

Anyhow, I have a part time (barely more than minimum wage) job, and still can't pay any creditors (largely just a student loan and some old utility bills and one credit card that is all of a thousand or less that keeps trying to garnish but child support is in the way, you would think they would give up)... hell, my kids will have a very disappointing Christmas this year... I have to borrow money some weeks just to get gas to get to work (very poor gas mileage and work is 20 or so miles each way) so getting a part time job likely won't help pay the debts at all. Even a full time minimum wage job doesn't make enough to pay for basic living expenses like rent, food and essential utilities (that is no cable) let alone cover any debts created while better employed. Who knows how many applications/resumes he'll send out that day, its only 11 am (although the place looks excessively dark for daytime), so he could be heading out later. I don't expect an unemployed person to spend 8 hours a day 40 hours a week driving all over town, especially since a great many jobs only take applications/resumes online these days (especially the part time minimum wage ones).

That all said, I agree any company scared of being recorded is sketchy... how do they know you are actually recording for one, and then who cares second unless you are breaking or at the very least bending the law?

I'm also from upstate NY and I thought I should point out that you forgot the most important winter driving trick: Learn to drive in the snow.

My father taught me to pretend there's an egg on the pedals when driving in the snow. Applying gas or break needs to be gradual and smooth. Any sudden change means loss of traction. The ditches are filled with people who thought AWD made them invincible.

Adding weight hurts as much as it helps. It may make it easier to get out of your driveway but it's not your friend in a skid.

My final tip is that snow is manageable if you are patient and drive smart but ice is always a gamble. In either case, no matter how safe you drive, you're at the mercy of the idiots you share the road with.

Well don't just languish and pine, go down and volunteer down to the gambling addiction hotline!!

And that's why I don't gamble!

Paint some numbers and black and red squares on the inside of the ring and you can introduce kitty to the joys of gambling addiction.

This rigged machine theory is based on actual reporting on Tagg Romney’s Solamere and its cozy relationships with many businesses interested in lobbying the government. However, there is absolutely no evidence that this crony capitalist network extends to interference with voting machines. Furthermore, Hart Intercivic machines are only being used in two counties in Ohio. Though it is not implausible that the election could come down to two Ohio counties, it seems like quite a gamble to plant these supposedly rigged machines so sparsely.

Source

Just because I condemn riot police ripping into peaceful protesters does not mean I adhere to the "fuck the cops/fascist police state" mentality. Moreover, it's useful to remember that the cops themselves are under a lot of pressure: http://videosift.com/video/Secret-Recording-of-NYPD-Stop-and-Frisk

edit: completely unrelated, but I just had to say that I love your new avatar pic
In reply to this comment by gorillaman:
Your ignorance/paranoia speaks for itself.
In reply to this comment by hpqp:
Fuck everything about this. I usually am very pro- law enforcement but this isn't law enforcement, this is totalitarian oppression. And yes, it is mostly "the rich"'s fault. It's the fault of those who gamble with the funds and resources of whole populations and then get reimbursed when they lose their bets by robbing said populations blind. Spain is doing what the Rethuglicans in the US are doing and want to do even further: raise taxes on the poor and middle class and cut the most vital social spending (education and health) so they can pay debts caused by criminal banking shenanigans and fill their thieving pockets. Keep the people poor, hungry and uneducated so you can have an easily manipulated mass to generate riches for a tiny elite, who have the government solidly in their pocket. It's the middle ages all over again.

Your ignorance/paranoia speaks for itself.
In reply to this comment by hpqp:
Fuck everything about this. I usually am very pro- law enforcement but this isn't law enforcement, this is totalitarian oppression. And yes, it is mostly "the rich"'s fault. It's the fault of those who gamble with the funds and resources of whole populations and then get reimbursed when they lose their bets by robbing said populations blind. Spain is doing what the Rethuglicans in the US are doing and want to do even further: raise taxes on the poor and middle class and cut the most vital social spending (education and health) so they can pay debts caused by criminal banking shenanigans and fill their thieving pockets. Keep the people poor, hungry and uneducated so you can have an easily manipulated mass to generate riches for a tiny elite, who have the government solidly in their pocket. It's the middle ages all over again.

Fuck everything about this. I usually am very pro- law enforcement but this isn't law enforcement, this is totalitarian oppression. And yes, it is mostly "the rich"'s fault. It's the fault of those who gamble with the funds and resources of whole populations and then get reimbursed when they lose their bets by robbing said populations blind. Spain is doing what the Rethuglicans in the US are doing and want to do even further: raise taxes on the poor and middle class and cut the most vital social spending (education and health) so they can pay debts caused by criminal banking shenanigans and fill their thieving pockets. Keep the people poor, hungry and uneducated so you can have an easily manipulated mass to generate riches for a tiny elite, who have the government solidly in their pocket. It's the middle ages all over again.

Here's what wiki has to say about Ford and his high wages -- that he called profit sharing for qualified workers. Started in 1914. By the Great Depression, no more profits, I guess, and therefore no more high wages:

Ford was a pioneer of "welfare capitalism", designed to improve the lot of his workers and especially to reduce the heavy turnover that had many departments hiring 300 men per year to fill 100 slots. Efficiency meant hiring and keeping the best workers.[20]

Ford astonished the world in 1914 by offering a $5 per day wage ($120 today), which more than doubled the rate of most of his workers.[21] A Cleveland, Ohio newspaper editorialized that the announcement "shot like a blinding rocket through the dark clouds of the present industrial depression."[22] The move proved extremely profitable; instead of constant turnover of employees, the best mechanics in Detroit flocked to Ford, bringing their human capital and expertise, raising productivity, and lowering training costs.[23][24] Ford announced his $5-per-day program on January 5, 1914, raising the minimum daily pay from $2.34 to $5 for qualifying workers. It also set a new, reduced workweek, although the details vary in different accounts. Ford and Crowther in 1922 described it as six 8-hour days, giving a 48-hour week,[25] while in 1926 they described it as five 8-hour days, giving a 40-hour week.[26] (Apparently the program started with Saturdays as workdays and sometime later it was changed to a day off.)

Detroit was already a high-wage city, but competitors were forced to raise wages or lose their best workers.[27] Ford's policy proved, however, that paying people more would enable Ford workers to afford the cars they were producing and be good for the economy. Ford explained the policy as profit-sharing rather than wages.[28] It may have been Couzens who convinced Ford to adopt the $5 day.[29]

The profit-sharing was offered to employees who had worked at the company for six months or more, and, importantly, conducted their lives in a manner of which Ford's "Social Department" approved. They frowned on heavy drinking, gambling, and what might today be called "deadbeat dads". The Social Department used 50 investigators, plus support staff, to maintain employee standards; a large percentage of workers were able to qualify for this "profit-sharing."

Ford's incursion into his employees' private lives was highly controversial, and he soon backed off from the most intrusive aspects. By the time he wrote his 1922 memoir, he spoke of the Social Department and of the private conditions for profit-sharing in the past tense, and admitted that "paternalism has no place in industry. Welfare work that consists in prying into employees' private concerns is out of date. Men need counsel and men need help, oftentimes special help; and all this ought to be rendered for decency's sake. But the broad workable plan of investment and participation will do more to solidify industry and strengthen organization than will any social work on the outside. Without changing the principle we have changed the method of payment."[30]

Yeah, "Clean Coal" is a sham.

Anyway, against Romney it's a lay down misere.

...and I just found out that 'lay down misere' is only used in Australia and New Zullund. It's a gambling term for a 'sure thing': http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lay_down_misere

Good job helping Procter & Gamble reach their goals.