May 3
ace9415 commented on Back in the Game.
Just saw this movie, at the request of friends. One of the worst movies I have ever had the misfortune to pay too much to see. As a species it is clear we are not long for this world.
Feb 27
ace9415 commented on The Future of Gun Control.
"Nothing in any gun control law can do anything about that."
Not true at all. If it were actually in some way taboo to own a gun, or to print a gun from a 3D printer, that taboo would do much to suppress gun manufacturing. That taboo can and should start with laws. If there are people who then want to print illegal guns with 3D printers they're going to have a much harder time doing it when the vast majority of people who could find out about it would then turn them in.
Laws help define and set social norms, and society itself then plays a huge role in curtailing illegal behavior. Doing nothing because of the feeling that it "won't do any good" is the only thing that doesn't do any good.
Not true at all. If it were actually in some way taboo to own a gun, or to print a gun from a 3D printer, that taboo would do much to suppress gun manufacturing. That taboo can and should start with laws. If there are people who then want to print illegal guns with 3D printers they're going to have a much harder time doing it when the vast majority of people who could find out about it would then turn them in.
Laws help define and set social norms, and society itself then plays a huge role in curtailing illegal behavior. Doing nothing because of the feeling that it "won't do any good" is the only thing that doesn't do any good.
Feb 2
ace9415 commented on White House Caves on Birth Control Coverage.
It seems that people are really desperate to ignore the realities of the situation here, mainly that you've got religious groups siting their 1st amendement rights and that if this were all to go to trial the would almost certainly win, unless we're going to amend the Constitution to exclude birth control from religious issues. After such a court case we would have to come up with some sort of solution JUST LIKE THIS. While perhaps that court case would be a good stump for pointing out religious bigotry, do you think that's going to change anything about their bigotry? And is making a statement in court worth the trouble here?
It seems like everyone is suddenly shocked that in fact religious groups do discriminate in all aspects of their businesses, yes including discrimination against us homos (who they just won't hire at all if they are against them), and as long as that discrimination has something to do with their direct religious beliefs then they are protected by the 1st Amendment in doing so. I get the outrage, but the President is not the one who deserves it here. This was prudent and intelligent, everything the religious nut bags are not.
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It seems like everyone is suddenly shocked that in fact religious groups do discriminate in all aspects of their businesses, yes including discrimination against us homos (who they just won't hire at all if they are against them), and as long as that discrimination has something to do with their direct religious beliefs then they are protected by the 1st Amendment in doing so. I get the outrage, but the President is not the one who deserves it here. This was prudent and intelligent, everything the religious nut bags are not.
Feb 2
ace9415 commented on Goldy: I Know You're a Man and Therefore Always Entitled to Be Right But on the Issue of Birth Control, You Are Wrong.
Yeah, this whole argument seem to be missing a very relevant point: there ARE religious groups making this into a shit storm, and they DO have the legal system (that whole 1st amendment thing) to some degree on their side, and they REALLY COULD cause this entire thing to go up in flames. It seems that the author is advocating a big "fuck you, you guys are assholes!" type response to the religious idiots who are causing the problems. Thankfully the President is a bit more intelligent and prudent than that and has gotten you exactly what you need from the situation. Getting what you want from this situation, i.e. full recognition that your vag health really is like any other health, would require misogynistic religious organizations to suddenly stop thinking you were second class citizens. Please don't hold your breath on that one, or you're going to have another serious health problem very quickly. No one, including Goldy, is saying they're right to do what they do, but it's just the sad truth that they do have the right to do it. We'll need to change the entire system of dealing with religion in this country to change that, and that's not a battle to be waged over the health coverage you've just secured.
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Nov 22, 2012
ace9415 commented on One Thing I'm Not Giving Thanks for Today Is the American Work "Ethic" and Our Inhumane Labor Laws.
Vacation (Urlaub) in Germany is sacred. When they go on vacation here, or even when the work day ends, they are GONE. There are no "work cell" in their pocket, there is no more work done, they are GONE. It's annoying when you call someone you've been working with on a project for weeks, get their colleague, and are told "____ is on vacation, call back in 2 weeks". Makes life difficult when you have to start over with someone else, but things somehow work out.
Ultimately though there is one difference between German and the U.S. in this regard; in Germany people guard and fight to the death for their holidays and vacation. No one will take a job that gives them less vacation than they feel they deserve. The U.S. we bend over backward to GIVE UP our vacation, to get that promotion, to suck up to our shitty boss, to beat that person who wanted to spend time with their family from time to time (pussies, clearly). Until everyone stands up and demands some time off, the U.S. won't get any.
Ultimately though there is one difference between German and the U.S. in this regard; in Germany people guard and fight to the death for their holidays and vacation. No one will take a job that gives them less vacation than they feel they deserve. The U.S. we bend over backward to GIVE UP our vacation, to get that promotion, to suck up to our shitty boss, to beat that person who wanted to spend time with their family from time to time (pussies, clearly). Until everyone stands up and demands some time off, the U.S. won't get any.
Nov 19, 2012
ace9415 commented on Welfare State.
Duh you guys, don't you all see what this all REALLY means?? All the in-the-minority dirty pot smoking welfare having Democrats who live in those red counties are demanding more "gifts" and "welfare Cadillac" money from the State, while all the hard working, job creating, way-too-high tax paying minority Republicans in King county, etc., are creating so much money and jobs and economic bliss that all the mooching Dems can take all that sweet state money. It's so clear! One just has to look behind what is obvious and logical and get to the real Truthy Truth underneath!
Nov 14, 2012
ace9415 commented on Atlas Shrugged Fan Fantasizes About an Election-Day McDonald's Showdown with the Takers.
Sophistry FTW.
Oct 8, 2012
ace9415 commented on Hello, I'm Calling to Argue for My Rights.
Those who oppose marriage equality don't see us as a minority, or a group with any rights, or really anything other than deviants to be pitied at best and reviled at worst. They have no problem voting on our rights, because they don't see it as voting for or against our rights, they're voting for right and wrong, and they know we're wrong.
If we could get them to read this, and other things like it, and perhaps even meet a gay person at some point, we can change their minds. It's the only thing that works, otherwise we'll just keep voting on whether there's something wrong with being gay. There isn't. Simple as that.
If we could get them to read this, and other things like it, and perhaps even meet a gay person at some point, we can change their minds. It's the only thing that works, otherwise we'll just keep voting on whether there's something wrong with being gay. There isn't. Simple as that.
Oct 4, 2012
ace9415 commented on Is Tony Perkins Threatening to Sue Me?.
This fantastic blog post explains the problem perfectly I think.
http://weeklysift.com/2012/09/10/the-dis…
They feel like their world is forcibly being pulled apart, like any number of Saturday night activities we terrorist pedophile Satanists might gladly partake in. It doesn't matter to them if they're "right" or "wrong", in their outdated paradigm they are right, and they're angry they don't get to keep living the same confortable, bigoted life they've been living.
http://weeklysift.com/2012/09/10/the-dis…
They feel like their world is forcibly being pulled apart, like any number of Saturday night activities we terrorist pedophile Satanists might gladly partake in. It doesn't matter to them if they're "right" or "wrong", in their outdated paradigm they are right, and they're angry they don't get to keep living the same confortable, bigoted life they've been living.
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Now if this is the ONLY thing the Air Force does in regard to sexual assault, and there is nothing ever mentioned to male officers along the lines of "Don't rape people. Really. Don't do it." then I'd have to agree that they're putting this all on women, as though this is solely their responsibility to watch out for themselves as there's just no stopping men from raping. But I don't find that that's the case from the information I can find online and I would find it hard to believe that they never direct any education toward men.
Are they doing a good job in dealing with sexual assault? No, the number of incidences is way too high. But it seems disingenuous and specious to characterize the message of this pamphlet as "(rape is) a woman's issue, one as natural and inevitable as your monthly menses, one women should just accept..."