Winston, you're seriously going to try to turn this into a religious argument? I'll just say that I am a moral agnostic atheist who did not need any sort of deity to tell me what was right and wrong and leave it at that.

I'm not trying to turn it into a religious argument. I'm addressing the point that some have made about "how we make better people" to prevent the bullying from ever happening in the first place - eliminating the need for Caseys to feed Little Jerks the pavement. That question was raised several times, and I merely mentioned that in order to develop a moral people that would not WANT to bully...
(A) You need to instill the population with a moral belief system
(B) Churches are one of only a few organizations which have the development of a moral belief system in the population as their primary function
(C) Supporting religion in this effort of morality development is inherently a good thing for society

I also mentioned that there is a disturbing trend in Western civilization to do the exact OPPOSITE. I.E. to fight against, attack, marginalize, and otherwise ignore religion. I said this was counterproductive to the objective of creating a moral people. The only people who would consider this an attempt to "turn this into a religious argument" are those who believe that undermining religion's efforts to instill morality is BENEFICIAL to society. I know such people exist, but I disagree with that kind of opinion.

You may not yourself feel you have any need for religion, but you cannot deny that an organization whose express purpose is to teach people to "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" is probably a good thing to encourage, rather than destroy, if the objective is to create a moral population. Is it not so?

Winston, you're seriously going to try to turn this into a religious argument? I'll just say that I am a moral agnostic atheist who did not need any sort of deity to tell me what was right and wrong and leave it at that. For now.

For the "violence is not the answer" crowd, I say that violence is an answer, but rarely the right one. You guys keep going on and on about what we should do to keep kids from bullying each other. I agree that bullying needs to be stopped, but that has nothing to do with Casey's situation. Casey did not have the option of starting an anti-bullying campaign as he was being punched in the face. If you have a better solution for Casey then please let us know.

Winstone, uhmm, efficiency in heating water is no more or less efficient then current natural gas and nuclear tech which does the same thing to provide electricity. Also if you bothered to click play, you would have seen they has solved the day night cycle problem by storing the heat, although in the future im sure it will be easier to store the electricity instead.

Of course that fact that there are no fuel cost or waste by products mean that solar towers and the like will have no harmful impacts on the future like every other method of providing electricity out there.

>> ^imstellar28:

You would wish such a thing on someone? From what I can see, democracy doesn't have the best track record especially here in the US in the last few decades. Just what they need, a McDonald's at every corner and a Haliburton running the government.
How about a prosperous, fair, and just government and leave it at that? No need to impart (force) our flawed values on the rest of world; lest you forget it's the democratic US that is backing the very authoritarian dictator Egypt is revolting against...
Democracy is a plague, and this is one of it's many petulant symptoms. Mubarak is a puppet, installed and supported with the help of the US...learn it for yourself instead of parroting the blind patriotism of your beloved "democracy."
I bet it sounds noble of you to those who don't know better, though.
>> ^Ti_Moth:
Good luck people of Egypt I wish you a prosperous, secular, fair and democratic government. (You will need the luck).



Just because democracy in the U.S. is a two party farce doesn't mean the Egyptian people shouldn't strive to reach some democratic ideal.

"It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried."
Sir Winston Churchill

I'm fairly certain that would only make us feel much more frustrated about this whole deal.

It's not like the Quantumushfaces and Winston Picklefarmers of the world are gonna:
[even bother to] Read those documents..
Be astonished by all the lies and distortions..
Round up a bunch of fellow ex-"fox news loyalists"
Start a - "Take Back Our News" Political Action Committee

It would be business as usual for that ENORMOUS demographic.
They would lie and pretend and excuse it all away.
Wait for it to blow over and sweep the rest under the rug.

~~~
Can you even think of an independent, moderate group of people [with the wealth & time & power] that could exert enough political or economic pressure to back up Assange's threat?

CNN would jabber some about it for a segment then cut to the latest viral video.

Rachel Maddow and Ratigan and Cenk would ramble about it.

Tho they aren't organizing peaceful protests that stop traffic in an entire city..
or co-ordinating stadium sized TEDx talks about natural economics and politics and our we're developing as a species..

Or whatever it is we rational non-extremist human apes need to do to absolve ourselves of these assbackwards realities.

~~~
.. Maybe we could start a Videosift PAC.. ?


>> ^dystopianfuturetoday:

Assange needs to pick up the pace.

But the point is moot. Take 9/11--in a way. Passangers, together, could have easily overwhelemed the attackers. But no one tried, from my knowlege... Only when the PA flight knew they were doomed--but that is besides the point. It is a me-first mentality when others are around. Kitty Grovese would still be alive if I had been around--why? Not because I am a hero. No, because I would have shot the bastard. Or, died trying. Either way, my wife would have demanded I ignore it--as though I could.

Sadly, I say a me-first mentality, because you can observe this behavior anywhere. School? No one raises a hand, until someone else does. If humans are good at one thing, its that we are great sheep...

>> ^GenjiKilpatrick:
Actually..
The Kitty Genovese story is a bit over blown as an example of the 'bystander effect'.
First, it was 3 am. Most people were asleep.
Secondly, there were only 6 witnesses. Not a group of thirty watching idly
Third, at least one of the neighbors called out "leave that girl alone" which frightened Kitty's attacker away for a short time.
Lastly, at least two [if not more] of the six witnesses called police/911. Once after the first attack and another after the second.
Not to mention, Kitty's murder, Winston Moseley, was captured thanks to neighbors whom disabled moseley's car and called police after they noticed him causally stealing a television from one of the nearby apartments.
Tho i get what you're saying.
It seems like people in cities are way less caring and considerate.
Lucky.. that's not really the case! =]
>> ^kceaton1:
This behavior is quite common in at least urban society and large suburban areas. Kitty Genovese is a prime example of this effect in society. Sadly, it seems to have changed little no matter where you live.

Actually..

The Kitty Genovese story is a bit over blown as an example of the 'bystander effect'.

First, it was 3 am. Most people were asleep.

Secondly, there were only 6 witnesses. Not a group of thirty watching idly

Third, at least one of the neighbors called out "leave that girl alone" which frightened Kitty's attacker away for a short time.

Lastly, at least two [if not more] of the six witnesses called police/911. Once after the first attack and another after the second.

Not to mention, Kitty's murder, Winston Moseley, was captured thanks to neighbors whom disabled moseley's car and called police after they noticed him causally stealing a television from one of the nearby apartments.

Tho i get what you're saying.
It seems like people in cities are way less caring and considerate.

Lucky.. that's not really the case! =]

>> ^kceaton1:

This behavior is quite common in at least urban society and large suburban areas. Kitty Genovese is a prime example of this effect in society. Sadly, it seems to have changed little no matter where you live.

Ray Winstone.

The Pale Man...second choice.

Both of these (and many more) amazing roles were played by Stan Winston...R.I.P, Mr. Scaryman.

Congratulations! Your video, QI - Winston Churchill's Reaction To Homosexual Shenanigans, has reached the #1 spot in the current Top 15 New Videos listing. This is a very difficult thing to accomplish but you managed to pull it off. For your contribution you have been awarded 2 Power Points.

This achievement has earned you your "Golden One" Level 3 Badge!

Thanks!

In reply to this comment by laura:
*promote

Stiff something, that's for sure.

>> ^ponceleon:

Stiff upper lip chaps!

Your video, QI - Winston Churchill's Reaction To Homosexual Shenanigans, has made it into the Top 15 New Videos listing. Congratulations on your achievement. For your contribution you have been awarded 1 Power Point.

This achievement has earned you your "Pop Star" Level 4 Badge!

You don't think that the fringe that watch Fox feel the exact same way? Seems to me that only the people who are on that fringe would think any of this is "pretty easy". Because wading through all this political bullshit, entertainment media to find truth and compromise is hard. Winston was right.

>> ^Asmo:

>> ^Winstonfield_Pennypacker:
Nope - Maddow goes in the "Kook Shill" pile with Beck, Olbermann, Limbaugh and the rest. Agenda journalism is ugly no matter what side it is on.

Take each persons words and find out if they are true...
The side that is telling the truth is the one you should probably listen to. The side that has been revealed, repeatedly, to be lying and fabricating drama through their teeth should be ignored. No matter which side they are on.
Pretty easy really, children can work that shit out...

>> ^Throbbin:
Oh WInstonfield - gotta love the understated racism (man-child), the hyperbole (radicals), the blanket portrayals of Europeans as poverty-stricken communists (aren't they happier, healthier, and better educated than Americans?), and the rhetorical attacks on Obama (how's his polling these days? Isn't there majority support for Health Care reform? Isn't there still majority support for a Public Option?).
Talk about hardcore dyed-in-the-wool partisans and ideologues eh?>> ^Winstonfield_Pennypacker:
I think ridicule is the best way to destroy nonsensical groups like the Tea Party
Ah yes. A page right out of the Man Child's favorite neolib catechism, "Rules for Radicals".
It is hard to tell if the neolib left is being incredibly devious or incredibly stupid when it comes to the Tea Party. The TP is just a large group of regular folks who believe that the largest obstacle to American prosperity is America's own government. And they have a solid point. Big Government, Big Labor, Big Pensions have castrated the European economy for decades. Even Britain has come to realize that it can't keep the gravy train rolling. But at the time Europe is pulling back on leftist economics, the Man-Child and the neolib left are desperately trying to double-down on it. And the vast majority of the American public don't like it and don't want it.
Poll after poll shows that the neolib agenda is rejected wholesale by all but the most leftist, dyed-in-the-wool groups of hardcore Democrats. The agenda is totally out of step with the public. The Tea Party is nothing more than a group of people who protest the neolib left's advancement of their unpopular agenda against the will of the people. It's that simple.
And the neolibs know all too well they are on the losing side of the vote. The data is clear as a bell. The more they push their radicalism, the more the people object. And so comes the sideshow & circus of accusing the TP of racism, and all the other Rules for Radicals tactics that the Man-Child learned at teats of his communist & totalitarian mentors.
But - like GWB - when you try to advance an agenda against the will of the people then you WILL lose. I still have faith in that. Bush pushed Iraq when the people didn't understand it and didn't like it. He lost the PR war, and then Congress. Obama is pushing radical leftist policy when the people don't like it. He is losing the PR war, and then he'll lose Congress. And then he'll get tossed out of office. Hopefully someone with Tea Party mentality replaces him and undoes everything the Man-Child accomplished. Nothing would make America happier than to repeal every law passed by this out of step, radical congress of neolib idiots.



Hey Throbin, the funny part, we two did not have at it. In fact I was speaking to everyone. But while you and Winston have at it, have fun.