Who's lying to themself? You think Obama would extend the war indefinitely to enrich military contractors? The ones he's been constantly pissing off by killing their pet projects like the F-22 and C-17?

I'm suggesting that it's quite possible that Obama actually thinks America's national security interests demand that we try to address the continued existence of Al Qaeda.

I'm personally in total agreement with Zakaria that the war seems wrongly disproportionate, but I refuse to categorically declare that there is no possible sense in doing anything to go after Al Qaeda, and that therefore Obama is only interested in enriching future campaign donors.
-@NetRunner

Read the history of my comments and you may find that I harbor no love for the enrichment of the Military Industrial Complex. I find the creation of the F-22, and C-17 a little like creating weapons platforms just so money can be wasted. In reality, is it really necessary to have a F-22 when there are Nuclear devices?

I guess it's fine to violate a nations sovereignty in the pursuit of justice, but to use military force is another thing completely. - Sarcasm. I point to the US and its relation ship with South America.

Okay, so what are Republicans arguing we should do with the war? End it, or ramp it up and keep it going as long as it takes?

Aside from Ron Paul, is there anyone in Congress speaking against the war who isn't a Democrat? Hell, what's Rand Paul saying? More war, or less war? I also have a hard time believing that Ron Paul is the saint that he's made out to be.
-@NetRunner

It is quite clear that the Republican party is pro war. I can't argue that and to do so would betray my opinion of a corrupt party so bathed in neo-conservative foolishness.

You sorta point out the problem with your own logic here. If the whole reason for the war is because the military-industrial complex demands a war, and the conservative majority of the Supreme Court wants to systematically eliminate limits on corporate money being used to influence elections, then having more or even just new parties won't fix a damn thing.

People who refuse to get partisan about what's going are the ones who are deluding themselves.
-@NetRunner

EDIT: I shouldn't have to remind you of my stance on Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. Corporations are not people, they are conglomerations of people. But that's the problem with this country isn't it? The root of the problem, is that this country's policies are dictated by the almighty dollar, and who has the most; corporations.

What is clear to me about the Supreme Court is that it is divided by partisan ideology. They are not impartial, and pragmatic about laws. They constantly make decisions based on political ideology. For example, the 2nd ammendment. I wonder if anyone from the Judicial Branch has taken a good look at unbiased statistics (I'm not concerned with how the statistics point now, for gun or against gun). If arguments could be put in a more emotionally independent fashion, perhaps that would make a difference. To often is politics a game of ideology and emotion. Although I wonder if this solution is simply evil arbitrarily.

The military industrial complex does not demand war. Supply and Demand. The Military Industrial Complex exists out of a need to meet supply, and make a profit on it. For this I point you to Germany, a Documentary called "Bullet Proof Salesman". How do you stop supply and demand? Stop the wars, no war at all. Cut military spending. I think that would have been the best way to deal with Terrorism with good police work and diplomacy. The military is, by design, not for police work; they exist to fuck shit up.

I never think of the Democrats as perfect -- they're most certainly flawed in all kinds of ways -- but the story always comes out the same, no matter the issue.

Democrats may be split on whether to do the right thing or the expedient thing, but the Republicans all scream and howl for the wrong thing to be done and done immediately.
-@NetRunner

The elimination of one party would leave only the other party. A situation rife for Majority Rule, which is counter to a Democratic Republic, or a Republic at all.

But know this, I agree with you that it's time for a change of scenery; republicans need the boot.

The US hasn't declared war since 1944. Congress has simply authorized the use of force. "War does not decide who is right, only who is left" - George Bernard

>> ^L0cky:

>> ^conan:
I don't know. Somehow it's pleasing to see that it got back to them but nevertheless this is anarchy were're wittnessing here. wo do have laws and a legal system to keep folks from doing self justice, and i'm convinced we have it for good reasons. i see this with mixed feelings.

For some reason while I was watching this I thought of ants. If people were ants, this would be a self reparing colony. Something went wrong, everybody surrounding the incident felt responsible for fixing it, it got fixed, everything went back to normal.
I see that as organised and sophisticated rather than anarchic.
actually no, people see the chance to abuse others without fear of repercussions.
here's some more very NSFW videos of this "self-repairing" colony
http://theync.com/media.php?name=2166-brutal-and-barbaric-beating-of-a-theif-in-china
http://theync.com/media.php?name=4448-chinese-store-owner-beats-a-theif-right-outside-of-his-store
it seems like China and South America are really good at practicing this street justice
savages

Tags for this video have been changed from 'GOOAAALLL, soccer, south america, long kick' to 'GOOAAALLL, soccer, football, south america, long kick' - edited by kronosposeidon

I have to admit that I might be a convert about this. I mean, the reason I'm an atheist is because of the artificial tribalism and division that it creates. Biologically we are all the same species, so I wonder if people would be so obsessed with race if we called it what we do in the rest of the animal kingdom - breeds. That term carries a far less glamorous connotation. Cultures and civilizations might be significant, but race is not.

I'm a jaded bastard, so it's hard for me to completely believe that this wasn't enacted for racist purposes, but if good things happen for bad reasons then it's still good, isn't it? The key is that teaching history needs to include everyone's history. Specialized studies are great electives, but if we are teaching kids world history, then it should actually include the entire world, not just the white parts. I know I never learned shit about Mexican history growing up except how we took the West from them. And I may as well have not known that Africa and South America even existed, for as much as we were taught about them.

Now, whether that inclusion is ever going to happen...? I mean, they are taking Jefferson out of text books, for Christ's sake (Ha! Double entendre)! People have a bad track record for doing the right thing.

I didn't watch the video, but I literally spat my food out while reading this.>> ^Hawkinson:

from http://scienceblogs.com/retrospectacle/2008/01/brain_hydatid_
cyst_with_surgic.php (not verified by me)
"The cyst is a hydatid cyst, which is the result of a parasitic infection by tapeworm larvae(Echinococcus). Generally speaking, it does not occur in the USA, but rather occurs in Mediterranean countries, the Middle East, the southern part of South America, Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, and southern parts of Africa. The cysts, which are initiated by one larvae, eventually come to house thousands of tapeworm larvae. So it is very important not to rupture the cyst during its removal, else the host could easily die. The cysts can occur in any organ, in this case, the brain... "

>> ^Hawkinson:

from http://scienceblogs.com/retrospectacle/2008/01/brain_hydatid_
cyst_with_surgic.php (not verified by me)
"The cyst is a hydatid cyst, which is the result of a parasitic infection by tapeworm larvae(Echinococcus). Generally speaking, it does not occur in the USA, but rather occurs in Mediterranean countries, the Middle East, the southern part of South America, Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, and southern parts of Africa. The cysts, which are initiated by one larvae, eventually come to house thousands of tapeworm larvae. So it is very important not to rupture the cyst during its removal, else the host could easily die. The cysts can occur in any organ, in this case, the brain... "


Damn nature, you scary!

from http://scienceblogs.com/retrospectacle/2008/01/brain_hydatid_cyst_with_surgic.php (not verified by me)

"The cyst is a hydatid cyst, which is the result of a parasitic infection by tapeworm larvae(Echinococcus). Generally speaking, it does not occur in the USA, but rather occurs in Mediterranean countries, the Middle East, the southern part of South America, Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, and southern parts of Africa. The cysts, which are initiated by one larvae, eventually come to house thousands of tapeworm larvae. So it is very important not to rupture the cyst during its removal, else the host could easily die. The cysts can occur in any organ, in this case, the brain... "

They don't really like the Catholic Church...in fact the US was at war with the Catholic Church in the 80s in South America when Priests were working for what they called "The Preferential Option for the Poor."

Why can't we arrest the Pope? Isn't this what the UN is for?

I see what you mean though...they just asked Hitchens to speak...didn't interrupt and didn't rush him...gave him plenty of time to make complete thoughts.

>> ^laura:
^speaking of gaelic, can we add viddies like that, or w/ bagpipes if they might be scottish? oh my, everything is so complicated


Yes! This channel can contain anything like that. There are Celtic people all over the world, even in South America and South Africa (and lots and lots of bagpipes to go along with them So that means there's a lot of viddies that will fit quite nicely in here.

I didn't say death was an appropriate punishment for working at the IRS (its not), I said there isn't an innocent person working there. Its no different than being a police officer who enforces drug laws, or a solider who invades a sovereign country. So yeah, while I think you shouldn't fly planes into buildings; (didn't I say that in my post?) what else is this guy going to do? Walk in there and charge them with a crime? Kidnap them and keep them in a homemade jail? Nobody has a way to punish these people or defend themselves...thats what initiates vigilante justice - and vigilante justice is often as swift as it is brutal.

If you don't want vigilante justice, then you should support a lawful government that punishes all criminals - including those working for the government itself. I'm not going to applaud a vigilante, but I'm not going to condemn one either. Look at Central/South America...police are often corrupt and sometimes refuse to punish criminals. The people usually are too scared to act, but sometimes an evil enough criminal comes along and they burn him in the streets. Is that justice? Probably. Is it civilized? No. Is it better than violent criminals roaming around unpunished and unafraid? I'd say yes.

Personally, I'd rather live in a society where criminals are (over) punished by mob/vigilante justice than one where criminals are not punished at all. Maybe you have a different opinion, but who doesn't? You shouldn't take such a unilateral view to the subject because your ideas are far from enlightened. There is a lot of the world you haven't experienced, and I don't think you are nearly wise enough to patronize the views of others.
>> ^dystopianfuturetoday:
>> ^imstellar28:
Violence against innocent bystanders is unequivocally wrong, but at what point does violence become self defense? There wasn't a single innocent person working in that building. You shouldn't have to crash a plane into a building to get people to realize this, but what else is going to wake people up at this point?

So..... working for the government is justification for death?
Tough talk from a spoiled brat.

i want to tell you about the creationist museum, which is funded by the same people who fund Don Mcleroy's campaigns and the other young earth creationist who have been elected to the board over the last decade.

so about 30 minutes south of my town is "dinosaur valley state park".
which is awesome. on the paluxy river and full of fossils.

just outside of the park however, is the creationist museum.
run by a man who awarded himself a phd from his own unaccredited university.
this man claims to have found proof that dinosaurs and man walked together along the banks of the paluxy river.
he fancies himself a jr paleontologist.

you can purchase replicas of his "proof" for $25, he of course can't display the ACTUAL proof because that's locked away in a safe deposit box somewhere.

the creation museum is housed in a small trailer filled with beautiful art work of the 6 day "creation" event. there is also a giant piranha in small, dirty fish tank. the existence of this giant piranha is supposed to prove that under certain conditions (special lights i think) that things can grow giant sized, and somehow that proves the earth was created in 6 day.

the main feature of the museum is an hour long video which details the creation and how the flood caused the continents to split, sent beautiful pink lights into the atmosphere, changed the climate and killed off the dinosaurs. in the video, mr. dr. phd, uses extremely large scientific sounding words rapidly and in succession. this causes some confusion. it caused my friend and i too look at each other and raise eyebrows to confirm that what was just said didn't actually make any sense. it made the family in the front row nod in understanding. we could tell by looking at them they'd never actually bothered to find out what words meant before seeing this video.

the museum also contained some plants. and i think what was supposed to be a replica of a hyperberic oxygen chamber, but i don't know why this was there. and i don't really remember now anyway.

at the front desk there are all kinds of books for sale. books written by mr. dr. phd explaining how dinosaurs walked with man, and how he discovered the proof along the banks of the paluxy river in the late 70's or something. we attempted to browse the books without laughing hysterically. but i had to go after we overheard the family talking to the volunteers at the counter about how someone found pterodactyls alive and well in south america recently. and the wife proclaimed that she often prays to god for an explanation of dinosaurs and how mr. dr. phd answered her prayers. after that i about lost it and had to go out to the parking lot so i could laugh a lot.

oh, also on the property is a large glass building that is the future of home of the new and updated creation museum. before mr dr phd decided to build that, he was going to build a huge biosphere and pump it full of pure O3. because if O2 is good for you, O3 must be really good for you, he was attempting to prove that it would turn him into a giant. But then, someone informed that O2 is actually mixed with heavy amounts of nitrogen before you inhale it, and that O3 is actually ozone and would kill him.

in conclusion,
please, please start messing with Texas.
though i'm sure if you do at least 26% of the population will just demand that we succeed from the union again.

EDIT: so it's been about 2 years since i've been to the museum, they apparently have a website now.
http://www.creationevidence.org/

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

I was wondering more If NI is referred to - or if they refer to themselves that way.>> ^papple:
>> ^heathen:
However, it is British.Would you refer to Chilean nationals as "American", simply because they reside in South America? You're very, very wrong.
But by all means, don't take my word for it. If you're ever in Ireland, please visit Cork and refer to the locals as "British". Please.
Also, this is not a 24hr news station, merely an excerpt from a 30 minute bi-nightly news programme.
>> ^dag:
How about Northern Ireland then- would we say that's British?

Yes, Dag, NI is within Great Britain. The Republic, however, gained independence in 1921 and severed all Commonwealth ties in 1949. The Republic of Ireland is in no way British.
/history lesson

>> ^heathen:
However, it is British.Would you refer to Chilean nationals as "American", simply because they reside in South America? You're very, very wrong.

But by all means, don't take my word for it. If you're ever in Ireland, please visit Cork and refer to the locals as "British". Please.

Also, this is not a 24hr news station, merely an excerpt from a 30 minute bi-nightly news programme.
>> ^dag:
How about Northern Ireland then- would we say that's British?

Yes, Dag, NI is within Great Britain. The Republic, however, gained independence in 1921 and severed all Commonwealth ties in 1949. The Republic of Ireland is in no way British.

/history lesson

Tags for this video have been changed from 'Gibson, Christian, Freedom' to 'Mel Gibson, South America, Mesoamerica, Kukalkan, Human Sacrifice, Freedom' - edited by Throbbin

According to a comment here: "The Olive Whipsnake of South America is a member of the family Coulibridae - a large family of non-venomous snakes that includes more familiar species like corn snakes, garter snakes, gopher snakes, and most of the other small non-venomous snakes."

If that's true, the bird wouldn't have died from any venom in the bites, so as long as it didn't receive any major physical injuries it was probably ok. It's offspring were probably lunch though.

Great video!