2/3 rds of all food sold in america is GMO.
that would qualify as "almost all".
http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/ideas/2012/06/food-modified-food/
which is friendly to the GMO debate.
http://www.disabled-world.com/fitness/gm-foods.php
not so friendly to the debate.

while i will agree this is not a one dimensional discussion i cannot agree with your statement that this video would be considered uneducated slactivism.

corporations are amoral,not immoral,by design.
monsanto has purchased legislators and judges to enact laws which solely benefit them at the cost of society.veiled in secrecy and an army of lawyers that would make scientology blush.

you should really check the documentary channel out.there is a wealth of information concerning this behemoth corporation and how it does far more harm to our future food supply than good.

Although I don't disagree that there is an edge of fear or paranoia in many Americans, this video hardly represents reality in my opinion. Slavery was not the cause of America's posterity and although fear was present I don't believe it was the primary motivation behind how the Native Americans and African Slaves were treated.

Unfortunately greed and racial ignorance would shoulder most of the blame for how colonists dealt with these groups.

It's also my opinion that fear is often used to veil things like greed and persecution in order to make them more acceptable to the general population.

I suppose if you specify "fear of losing their money/land/social norms/position of power" then yes, I suppose you can say that fear drove a lot of this. But fear of losing these things is more indicative of greed than it is fear of the groups in question.

I dont expect a slanted and simplified cartoon to capture the reality of history but this is pretty revisionist in the opposite direction from the text book history that American's are criticized for teaching ourselves.

Please, for your sake and the sake of others, go get therapy. Preferably with voluntary internment, until you sort out your aggressivity and thinly veiled homophobia (or FashionPolicitis, whichever).

"Hey ladies, remember how good it felt down there when you were eleven?"

Thanks to internet porn, even your fucking grandmother trims the beaver hutch nowadays....Quite frankly, we miss the thigh furbies......can't stand stubble and ingrown hars down thars, OH, and tell me this ladies..

Does rendering your snatch hairless make that particular area of your anatomy more desirable or aid in her proper function? NO. Hairless beavers are tantamount to corsets and high heels-It's a discomfort endured, touted by horny douchebag males as a hip, new style. Not so thinly-veiled pedo-bear new rules....

Notwithstanding my personal tastes, some nappy dugouts are quite hard to regard with relish.....Maybe YOU should consider the laser, hon....

I actually disagree. My interpretation of the wikileaks approach is that transparency in government is important. They release a whole lot of information that they believe the citizens of respective countries deserve access to should they choose. The fact that most of it is banal or not evidence of corruption is not the point, in my opinion. The fact is, our governments do so much wrong while hiding behind weak claims of 'national interest' in their secrecy - and the trend of secrecy grows. I think what wikileaks does is make those in governments think about what they do behind the veil, because it may one day be out in the open at a time not of their choosing.

Working with government from time to time, I see some merit in this argument.

Milkens' worthy of derision not for his ethnicity, but for his abject sliminess cloaked in a measly veil of philanthropy.
98 counts of racketeering and fraud back in 89'?? He's a chump who gives fuck-all for humanity.

Still on the Forbes 500 list which comprises mostly douchebag fucks.

Notice the thin veil of misogyny in the comments... especially on youtube.

Eric3579 somehow got the lyrics:

When I was in the 3rd grade
I thought that I was gay
Cause I could draw, my uncle was
And I kept my room straight
I told my mom, tears rushing down my face
She's like, "Ben you've loved girls since before pre-K"
Trippin', yeah, I guess she had a point, didn't she
A bunch of stereotypes all in my head
I remember doing the math like
"Yeah, I'm good a little league"
A pre-conceived idea of what it all meant
For those who like the same sex had the characteristics
The right-wing conservatives think its a decision
And you can be cured with some treatment and religion
Man-made, rewiring of a pre-disposition
Playing God
Ahh nah, here we go
America the brave
Still fears what we don't know
And God loves all His childrenIs somehow forgotten
But we paraphrase a book written
3,500 hundred years ago
I don't know

[Hook: Mary Lambert]
And I can't change
Even if I tried
Even if I wanted to
And I can't change
Even if I tried
Even if I wanted to
My love, my love, my love
She keeps me warm [x4]

[Verse 2: Macklemore]
If I was gay
I would think hip-hop hates me
Have you read the YouTube comments lately
"Man that's gay"
Gets dropped on the daily
We've become so numb to what we're sayin'
Our culture founded from oppression
Yeah, we don't have acceptance for 'em
Call each other faggots
Behind the keys of a message board
A word routed in hate
Yet our genre still ignores it
Gay is synonymous with the lesser
It's the same hate that's caused wars from religion
Gender to skin color
Complexion of your pigment
The same fight that lead people to walk-outs and sit-ins
Human rights for everybody
There is no difference
Live on! And be yourself!
When I was in church
They taught me something else
If you preach hate at the service
Those words aren't anointed
And that Holy Water
That you soak in
Is then poisoned
When everyone else
Is more comfortable
Remaining voiceless
Rather than fighting for humans
That have had their rights stolen
I might not be the same
But that's not important
No freedom 'til we're equal
Damn right I support it
[Trombone]
I don't know

[Hook: Mary Lambert]

[Verse 3: Macklemore]
We press play
Don't press pause
Progress, march on!
With a veil over our eyes
We turn our back on the cause
'Till the day
That my uncles can united by law
Kids are walkin' around the hallway
Plagued by pain in their heart
A world so hateful
Someone would rather die
Than be who they are
And a certificate on paper
Isn't gonna solve it all
But it's a damn good place to start
No law's gonna change us
We have to change us
Whatever god you believe in
We come from the same one
Strip away the fear
Underneath it's all the same love
About time that we raised up

[Hook: Mary Lambert]

[Outro: Mary Lambert]
Love is patient, love is kind
Love is patient (not cryin' on Sundays)
Love is kind (not crying on Sundays)

When I was in the 3rd grade
I thought that I was gay
Cause I could draw, my uncle was
And I kept my room straight
I told my mom, tears rushing down my face
She's like, "Ben you've loved girls since before pre-K"
Trippin', yeah, I guess she had a point, didn't she
A bunch of stereotypes all in my head
I remember doing the math like
"Yeah, I'm good a little league"
A pre-conceived idea of what it all meant
For those who like the same sex had the characteristics
The right-wing conservatives think its a decision
And you can be cured with some treatment and religion
Man-made, rewiring of a pre-disposition
Playing God
Ahh nah, here we go
America the brave
Still fears what we don't know
And God loves all His childrenIs somehow forgotten
But we paraphrase a book written
3,500 hundred years ago
I don't know

[Hook: Mary Lambert]
And I can't change
Even if I tried
Even if I wanted to
And I can't change
Even if I tried
Even if I wanted to
My love, my love, my love
She keeps me warm [x4]

[Verse 2: Macklemore]
If I was gay
I would think hip-hop hates me
Have you read the YouTube comments lately
"Man that's gay"
Gets dropped on the daily
We've become so numb to what we're sayin'
Our culture founded from oppression
Yeah, we don't have acceptance for 'em
Call each other faggots
Behind the keys of a message board
A word routed in hate
Yet our genre still ignores it
Gay is synonymous with the lesser
It's the same hate that's caused wars from religion
Gender to skin color
Complexion of your pigment
The same fight that lead people to walk-outs and sit-ins
Human rights for everybody
There is no difference
Live on! And be yourself!
When I was in church
They taught me something else
If you preach hate at the service
Those words aren't anointed
And that Holy Water
That you soak in
Is then poisoned
When everyone else
Is more comfortable
Remaining voiceless
Rather than fighting for humans
That have had their rights stolen
I might not be the same
But that's not important
No freedom 'til we're equal
Damn right I support it
[Trombone]
I don't know

[Hook: Mary Lambert]

[Verse 3: Macklemore]
We press play
Don't press pause
Progress, march on!
With a veil over our eyes
We turn our back on the cause
'Till the day
That my uncles can united by law
Kids are walkin' around the hallway
Plagued by pain in their heart
A world so hateful
Someone would rather die
Than be who they are
And a certificate on paper
Isn't gonna solve it all
But it's a damn good place to start
No law's gonna change us
We have to change us
Whatever god you believe in
We come from the same one
Strip away the fear
Underneath it's all the same love
About time that we raised up

[Hook: Mary Lambert]

[Outro: Mary Lambert]
Love is patient, love is kind
Love is patient (not cryin' on Sundays)
Love is kind (not crying on Sundays)

I believe this topic is about downvoting and the purposes behind it.

I'm making my point and @shinyblurry is helping me prove it. The main thrust of zappa's post is about downvoting for ideological reasons and shiny is wrapping himself in the idea that he's "picked on" because sifters hate religion.

This is an untrue statement. regardless of the topic, people downvote you if you make a comment that's full of shit.

Shiny's own post makes the claim that he perceived that this site was full of anti-christian videos. I'd argue that this is yet another fallacy and probably just him projecting his own insecurities. Sure there are people here that are very anti-religion. But I'd argue that most people just want to call out the bullshit when they see it. I've argued on a few occasions that religion is not inherently good or bad, it's what you do with it that is good or bad.

I get that the sift wants to bring in a more diverse group, but make sure you're doing it for the right reasons. If you're just trying to be diverse for diversity's sake. Then it's already a failed venture. Because bringing in "token" groups just so you can cloak yourself in the veil of diversity has not played out well over the years in various venues and basically insults the people in those token groups because you're not bringing them in because they have something valid to say or because they can debate and communicate their viewpoints well, you're bringing them in just to fulfill a demographic.

We've had plenty of sifts where religious people DO have valid and thoughtful things to say that contribute to debate and discourse. Pick just about any topic and you'll find a sift both pro and con for it.

Doesn't matter if you're religious, atheist, liberal, conservative, X, Y, or Z. If you make shitty arguments that don't hold up, regardless of topic, you're going to get called out...period. This is the nature of the internet. As @Boise_Lib alluded to earlier, we've all been downvoted at some point and probably for good reason. Logic and reason doesn't discriminate

>> ^BoneRemake:

At least demand money or such from Zappa if you are going to rob his thread. Shiny has the right idea, take it elsewhere.

Don't do the Crime, if you can't Pay the Fine.

otherwise... game on for profits!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiasso_financial_smuggling_case

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financial-crime/9089268/Italian-police-seize-6-trillion-of-fake-US-bonds-in-Switzerland.html

http://www.cfr.org/uk/understanding-libor-scandal/p28729

http://www.businesspundit.com/the-25-most-vicious-iraq-war-profiteers/

and those above are just the ones we KNOW were out to screw us... the veil has been lifted on big pharma... and we're all to sick to do anything about it so we buy more pills! yay cycles of despair

accept science and legalize cannabis, in conclusion. anytime now... would be great... thx DEA

Nemesis was an embarrassment. Primarily because whoever wrote the screenplay (I believe Brent Spiner had a lot of influence on it or even wrote it himself), they wanted to recreate the Wrath of Khan for TNG era. It was completely, obviously a failed attempt to harken back to the blockbuster day of Star Trek film, and was so amateurishly crafted that it was obviously a thinly veiled rewrite of ST2's plot in a TNG skin. You did well to avoid it.

Genji,

I appreciate your words, Ezra, thank you. Let's say that you're right, that my life is meaningless, and that I am the one who determines what is true. Do you know what I would determine to do? What I would determine to do is to do the same things I am doing right now. Even if I knew Jesus Christ was not God, I would still determine to follow His blueprint for the ideal person, because following that blueprint has radically transformed my life for the better. There are many who aren't Christians who feel the same way, that Jesus got it right. If I wasn't a Christian, I would follow the ideal He set forth, summed up in the great commandment, to love your neighbor as yourself. To turn swords into plowshares. To pray for your enemies and hold banquets for the homeless. To walk two miles when someone asked you to walk one. To give the shirt off your back to someone else who needs it. To love everyone unconditionally, and see every person as fundamentally worthy of my respect. That is what my life about it, and I wouldn't consider that to be a wasted life, even if I was wrong.

I've also lived the alternative. Contrary to what you say, I was never really afraid of death. I can't say I liked the idea of death, but I accepted it; and so I was resigned to triviality, and meaninglessness. I was also content to go to the grave with those beliefs. Like everyone else, I got by on my dreams, my relationships, and whatever gratification I could get out of the moment; I indulged in the pleasures of sin freely, and felt little shame.

So I didn't come to be a Christian out of fear, or a need to be comforted. I came to be a Christian because God touched my life and shook me from my agnosticism. He showed me I wasn't quite as smart as I thought I was. He showed me that the material reality is but a thin veil covering a much greater truth. He showed me that the truth was always staring me right in the eyes, but I was too blind to see it. What He showed me was that He had always been there, my entire life, and that many of the things I wrote off as coincidence really were not.

You see, it is perfectly reasonable and rational for me to believe there is a God. He has simply given me too much evidence to deny it. It's not a convenient belief that fills in all the scary things about life; rather, it is my reason for being, my logos. It is also my eternal gratitude to the Creator for rescuing me and loving me even though I don't deserve it. To know God is to know truth, to know who you are, and why you're here. To know God is to have hope for your future, and an ever present peace and contentment. You believe I am fooling myself, but I say that even if you're right, it is a life worth living, a life well enjoyed, a life that hopefully will touch many others in positive ways. If that is the only meaning I die with, its worth it to me.

>> ^GenjiKilpatrick:

Shiny.
Accept it. You're an ape.
You're a conglomeration of amoeba.
Your life is a just a blip in the twinkling of the universe.
There is probably no god or gods.
There's probably no purpose or reason for your existence.
You are the being that gives purpose or meaning to your life.
When you realize that.
When you realize that there's not supernatural sky daddy to hold you when you're scared or confused..
You'll understand that you've been talking all this nonsensical religious babble in order to establish that purpose.
That the only reason you and jihadist are so adamant about your own personal interpretation of the essence of the abyss..
Is to distract yourself from the fact that your life is just another series of events in this long chain of entropy, chaos, disorder.
The only reason you're so religious is because you're an ape that's too scared to accept your death and the triviality of your existence.
One day, I hope you'll realize this.
On that day, you'll be "born again" just like you were when you accepted "Jesus Christ" and Christian doctrinal teachings.
On that day, you may become self-actualized..
And from then on, understand that we homo sapiens are very lucky.
For we, among few other animals, are able to choose their life's meaning and purpose.
Please don't waste yours.. being a religious troll on the interwebs.
Your brother,
Ezra.

Mitt's not so thinly veiled smirk of delight during the booing leads me to believe that this was as calculated as it comes. It was exactly the reaction he hoped to garner ... disgusting. =o(

Hey Adam,

Thank you for sharing your background with me, and for your kind-hearted attitude. I haven't taken any offense to what you've said. I'll try to answer your questions as best I can.

I'll relate some of my background to you first of all. I grew up in a secular home, and there wasn't any talk of religion in my household, for or against. There was a bible in my house, and although I attempted to read it as a child, I didn't get past the "begats" in Genesis. I thought that perhaps that was the entire rest of the book. I grew up knowing nothing much about religion, and so I was agnostic by default.

It wasn't until a bit later in life that I received revelation that there is a God. At the time, I had started to ponder what the truth actually was. I started to search for it, because I felt that the love was slowly draining out of this world, that things were going really wrong, and it got to the point where I felt personally convicted to stand up and do something. What, I had no idea, but more than anything else, I wanted to know the real truth.

It was very shortly after this that I received revelation from God of His existence. Although I wasn't precisely looking for God at the time, I believe that He gave me this revelation because I was searching for the truth. God showed me that He was there, and that He is personally interested and involved in my life, and that He loved me. Needless to say, this was utterly shocking, and as naturalistic materialist, my mind was blown. I found out in a moments time that all that I knew was in some way, wrong. There was no room in my worldview for a Spirit, but God shattered that mold.

He didn't come out and say who He was, though. Instead, He had me investigate all of the various religions, belief systems, philosophies etc that I could..everything from Asatru to Zen Buddhism, and while I was doing this He gave me clues about Himself along the way. What I ended up believing was that none of the worlds religions were correct. I essentially believed that while they all might contain some element of thetruth about God, they were imperfect representations of who He is. I definitely did not believe that Christianity could be the one true faith. I had that picked out from the beginning as something I profoundly disagreed with.

Which is why it was the last religion I investigated. The actual truth was that I didn't know very much about it. I had, like many atheists do, a lot of things picked out of the bible which made me believe I could just dismiss it outright. It turned out though when I actually really read the bible that the understanding I thought I had was incredibly superficial (and self-deceiving). I had tried to read it before, but there was always veil there that prevented me from really understanding it. This time though that veil was taken away and everything became alive to me. The reason for this was that what I was reading was corresponding to those clues that God had given me about Himself that I had mentioned earlier. God had reinforced certain ideas and principles about Himself to me, which didn't really make any sense at the time (and indeed drove me crazy trying to figure out what He meant), but suddenly the meaning was unlocked and made crystal clear through what I was reading in scripture.

Because of that, I started to develop a simple faith in what I was reading. On that basis I put some faith in the bible as being at least potentially accurate, and I decided to give my life to Jesus Christ. That's when God showed me that is who He is. When I gave my heart over to Him, He supernaturally transformed me, and He gave me a new life free of anxiety, addiction and depression. He exchanged those things for peace and love and joy. Where there was darkness before, He had brought light.

So, that's my testimony. When you ask why didn't God reveal Himself to you at that time, a few things come to mind. The first is that everything is done in His timing. God has a plan, much bigger than our plans, and I believe that there were many things God wanted to show me before He brought me to Christianity. He wanted me to experience what I did so that when I became a Christian, I would be more effective in communicating with others who are seekers like I was. So that I would be able to relate to them better than someone who grew up in the faith could have. It could be the same for you, that God has had many things to teach you, to give a certain ministry to others, and for your own understanding.

Second, although you are a non-believer, you seem to have a genuine desire to know the truth, and to know, if there is a God, who He is, and what He wants from you. I believe God has placed that desire into your heart so that it would lead you to find Him, as He did in mine. I believe that you're asking me this question for a reason, and that reason is that God is reaching out to you. I would suggest to you that you pray to God and invite Him into your life, and ask Him to forgive your sins. Part of the Lords prayer is "Your will be done, your Kingdom come". Tell God, if this is so, that you're willing to surrender your will for His will in your life. I have prayed that God would hear your prayer and lead you to Him. I also recommend that you read the Gospel of John.

You're right, that from your perspective there may be no reason why you should believe one religion is any better than the other. I shared that view for all of the years I was searching. I can give you a lot of good reasons why Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, but only God can change your heart.

What God doesn't expect is that you are going to figure Him out. Only He could reveal the truth to you. What He does do is give you opportunities in life to get closer to Him. They could be, for instance, situations that test your moral fabric. "What does he do when no one else is looking?" "How does he treat people when he has nothing to gain?". It's how you live your life that is proof of what is in your heart, and that is what God is interested in. I think that is what determines how close to Him you will get. What scripture guarantees though, is that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. That you would have the desire to do that is a gift from above.

In regards to your forest question, God speaks to us in many different ways. A person doesn't need language to understand that there is a higher power. In Romans 1:18-21 it speaks to the fact that God gives a general revelation through His creation of His power and Godhead. How could this man learn about who God is? Well, no one is unreachable on this planet. God could lead him out, or lead someone in. He could give the man dreams and visions.

So I hope that is a satisfactory answer. I couldn't tell you precisely why God hasn't reached out to you before, but what I feel is that He is reaching out to you now. The question is, will you answer His call?

God bless you,

Joshua

>> ^PalmliX