Vile wrote:
[ Given that your stated goal is to disrupt us as much as possible, I typically ignore everything you say, even when it has merit, which it frequently does, in between the ad hominems and bile. But this reply exceeds even my tolerance for insult and faulty logic.

You claim that I'm so rabid in my hatred for bush that I would respond with unchecked vitriol and fury were the situation reversed. That I am, in fact, unable to think rationally about the president. You clearly believe this of me with the very same unreasoned passion you ascribe to me, so I imagine argument isn't likely to have an effect. Still, I do defend that I would treat this rule as dumb regardless of the target. You may, happily, continue to think otherwise since it can't be *proven* either way.

I'm neither fanatical nor obsessive about John Kerry. I don't particularly like the guy, but I think he'll do a substantially better job than Bush, period. I have never pretended to be anything but accepting of Kerry as the nominee and support him precicely insofar as he is not Bush. I'd love to have better options than "not Bush", but I've only got one, and Kerry's it, so I favor him.

Really, you don't get insipid until the second section where you imply that my argument is without merit, and that my right to exist is questionable. As if that silly threat weren't enough, you claim you'll leave it at that, and then don't, dribbling on and completely misunderstanding the simple concept of trust. In fact, what I said was, I don't think we need written rules to proscribe the President and candidate from "cheating." These men should be honest enough not to cheat without a proctor leaning over them with a copy of the rulebook. So, in fact, my argument is precicely that dishonest men have no business being on the podium. It is, actually in *no* sense, the converse argument you claim it to be.

Presumably the remainder of the slander you spew is supposed to convince someone of something, or perhaps you're simply fullfilling your promise to be the local troll. If I thought you knew even half enough about me to honestly mean any one of those asisne things, I might take them seriously, but as it is, I don't mind when people marginalize themselves further with half sentient rants. I'm glad you've managed to slough off all the blame for society's ills on "middle-class, apathetic, cynical, pseudo-intellectuals" and I can only hope it fills you with all the joy and hope you deserve as a great paragon of virtue. -k]

RE: DRUDGE REPORT 2004: Did Kerry Cheat?

] Now, any Californian who shares files with more than 10
] people must add their e-mail address to the file. Those
] who break this law could be fined up to $2,500, spend a
] year in jail or both.

Anonymous speech on the Internet is now illegal in California. The MPAA is coming to your state next.

Wired News: California bans anonymous speech on the Internet

] Your brand new U-Lock is not safe. Please read this RIGHT
] NOW.

This forum (and the .mov http://thirdrate.com/misc/krypto.mov) shows you that you can pick one of the new Bike U-locks w/ a bic pen.

Yet another video: http://www.engadget.com/common/videos/pt/lock.wmv

[ Hah! I used to have one of those Kryptonite locks. Maybe that's how my bike got ganked freshman year. -k]

Your brand new U-Lock is not safe. Please read this RIGHT NOW.

] A television journalist was shot dead as he made a live
] broadcast from Baghdad yesterday when United States
] helicopters fired on a crowd that had gathered round the
] burning wreckage of an American armoured vehicle.

Hard to spin or deny that...

Telegraph | News | TV reporter killed by US fire during live Baghdad broadcast

] Having exchanged intellectual curiosity for ideological
] certainty, they had forfeited their powers of observation
] as well as their senses of humor; no longer courageous
] enough to concede the possibility of error or enjoy the
] play of the imagination, they took an interest only in
] those ideas that could be made to bear the weight of
] solemn doctrine, and they cried up the horrors of the
] culture war because their employers needed an alibi for
] the disappearances of the country's civil liberties and a
] screen behind which to hide the privatization (a.k.a. the
] theft) of its common property%u2014the broadcast spectrum
] as well as the timber, the water, and the air, the
] reserves of knowledge together with the mineral deposits
] and the laws. Sell the suckers on the notion that their
] "values" are at risk (abortionists escaping the nets of
] the Massachusetts state police, pornographers and
] cosmetic surgeons busily at work in Los Angeles, farm
] families everywhere in the Middle West becoming chattels
] of the welfare state) and maybe they won't notice that
] their pockets have been picked.

[ A good article. It's obviously from a left perspective, but removing the few potshots, there's a cogent analysis of the way in which the right has conciously, deliberately and effectively controlled the entire tone of american political and cultural debate for the past 30 years.

You wonder why the left seems to be on the defensive all the time... it's because it *is* on the defensive all the time. The intrinsic liberal philosophy of ideological tolerance and equanimity is the very weakness which demolishes cohesion and precludes the kind of lockstep certainty and consistency available to the right. Logic and truth have trouble keeping up with constant, disciplined distortion. -k]

The Republican Propaganda Mill, a Brief History | Harper's

This is the adult version of a test we give children in school to figure out how they learn best thus telling us how to be more effective teachers. So if you are interested take the test and see what it has to say about your learning style. This is all based on Gardner and his theory of multiple intellegences. (he recently added 1 that deals with technology)

[ Hmm... I got

Linguistic: 7
Logical-Mathematical: 8
Spatial: 3
Bodily-Kinesthetic: 6
Musical: 11
Interpersonal: 5
Intrapersonal: 9

I'd be interested to see what the description is of "spatial" since I've always considered myself quite good at things like spatial translation and ability to position myself in surroundings, directions, etc.

As for my highest score being musical, I find that very interesting since, while i love music, I've never considered it a prime vocational candidate. Either I'm very wrong about myself, or this test doesn't adequately differentiate someone who really loves to listen to music and someone who really wants to create music.

Other than that, it's ok, though I'd have guessed the linguistic number to be a bit higher. -k]

Multiple Intelligence Test

] 'I've seen things...'
]
] Our expert panel votes for the top 10 sci-fi films

But where's "Tron"?

[ Tron's a good flick... at least an honorable mention.

For the record, i've never liked 2001, as blasphemous as that may be. Otherwise, good list. Blade Runner truly is a masterpiece. -k]

Guardian Unlimited | Life | 'I've seen things...' -- Top Sci-Fi Movies

This article points to one of many of my problems with organized religion. What has the content of the wafer has to do with accepting Jesus as your Savior? Why should the content of the wafer have anything to do with your acceptance into the church?

More importantly, do the church leaders honestly think that Jesus Christ would deny this little girl communion on account of a digestive order?

[ Because, dude, if it's not wheat it won't *actually* transmute into the body of Christ. Only wheat has the power to become the flesh of Jesus. Rice wafers only transmute into Jesus' sweat, or if you're really lucky, a hair or something. And that's just not sufficient. I guess she'll just have to burn in hell.

Stupid religion. Morons seem to attribute a lot of hateful and malicious viewpoints to Jesus. If the word Christian actually meant "follower of the teachings of Jesus" rather than "psychotic, rigid, moralist who conflates any part of the bible necessary to reinforce hate and bigotry" i might still call myself one. -k]

CNN.com - Church says girl's communion not valid - Aug 19, 2004

This pretty much sums up why I hate apple weenies.

[ Yeah, tards come in all flavors. Fortunately it doesn't matter. What will kill real is the fact that they have *no* product differentiation, and a nasty stigma from past indiscretions. I have somewhat mixed feelings on this particular case, but it seemed pretty pointless. If they offered a bigger or better selection than iTMS, then there would be incentive to care. But they never bothered to convince anyone why they should bother to use the Real store. -k]

Apple zombies attack RealNetworks

] Taken together, the report finds that the Bush programs
] "mark a major shift in the constitutional separation
] of church and state."

The key word here is [CHRISTIAN] church.

Bush's faith-based changes scrutinized