Politics

The International Astronomical Union has finally come to a consensus in a meeting of over 2,500 astronomers, deciding to demote Pluto from its status as a planet. The resolution has created a new class of planets, "dwarf planets," that includes Pluto and two other objects. This should clear up most ambiguity, as the definition of "planet" now requires the planet to clear the area around its orbit of debris - giving astronomers something to look for specifically to determine just what is a planet. http://www.newscientistspace.com/article.ns?id=dn9824

Since we've got the 'White Scholarship' discussion going, I thought this might be a good one to compliment it. Personally, I see this whole thing blown out of proportion and this "apology" as an empty, hollow act on the part of Richards, Jesse Jackson, Sharpton and etc.. And of course, they're using the good ole buzz words and phrases - "healing", "injury", "psychiatric help" and blah blah blah. Does anyone else see this whole thing as a shallow, phoney act on the part of all involved? I hear cracker used all the time but I don't feel injured or in need of "healing". I realize that I nor my ancestors have been through the oppression and the dehumaniza…

Hello! I have always been said that the buildings in the US has been destroyed by terrorists. But recently I have heard that the reports of for example the Pentagon is not quite right... I would like to have further Information about this topic. What happened really? Does somebody know? Thanks in advance. Shiney

Thought this was an interesting story. I've always thought that discrimination was discrimination, no matter who's the majority or what the intentions may be. This is long overdue. BU - White Scholarship to protest race-based scholarships

Anyone heard of this book - Who Really Cares? This guy, Arthur Brooks, has put together some detailed studies and discovered that conservatives are more compassionate and giving than liberals, in terms of charity and philanthropy. In fact, one thing that surprises me is that religious conservatives give the most. I tend to see religious conservatives as exclusionary, stuffy types. You wouldn't think the same people who kick homosexuals out of their churches would actually care and give more to society. And according to John Stossel, I'm in the category of folks that don't give a damn thing. I'm a selfish, middle class, cheapskate. If it wasn't true, I…

http://www.forbes.com/entrepreneurs/feeds/ap/2006/10/09/ap3077504.html A boy took an AK-47 assault rifle to school with the intent to kill. He got this weapon from his parents. I think the parent(s) who owns the gun should go to jail. It is ridiculus to allow a child access to a gun and not know that they took it to school. No need to comment about gun control, everyone has discussed that to death. Shouldn't the parents have some responsibility if they own weapons?

http://www.foxnews.com/projects/pdf/iran_pres_letter.pdf Was wondering if anyone has read this and what they think about it. After a quick read I can say that I see some inconsistencies with his logic and I can't help but to be suspicious. That said, it's an interesting idea at the least. I'm saving any other opinions until I've thought about it more.

Bushenfreude is a term used by Daniel Gross in this article called "The Rich Aren't Republican Any More", which appeared in Slate the day after the election: http://www.slate.com/id/2153272/ The term is defined as "angry, well-off, well-educated yuppies, generally clustered on the coasts, who were funneling windfalls from Bush tax cuts into the campaigns of Democrats and preparing to vote for those who would raise taxes on their capital gains, their incomes, and their estates". ROFL! It's an interesting look at the demographics of the election. His main point seems to be that biggest change from Republican to Democrat was the wealthiest kind of voter. …

Does anybody else think the protests over the papal visit to Turkey are ridiculous. From the BBC: "Tens of thousands of people protested on the streets of Istanbul at the weekend, calling on the Pope to stay away or apologise for comments he made about Islam in a speech in September." Considering that he already apologized numerous times and has justified his perfectly legitamate intellectual speach analyzing past christian attitudes. It seems that middle eastern Muslims don't even need a real reason to protest christianity or the West anymore. edit: by the way, why is Turkey being considered entry into the EU? Are they even in Europe, or is this…

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2006/11/29/pelosi_drops_her_intelligence_post_pick/ Credit where it's due -- Pelosi denied Alcee Hastings the chairmanship of the intelligence committee, in spite of MAJOR pressure from the black caucus, which was already pissed off at her for putting pressure on Jefferson to resign after they found $90,000 in his freezer. (Yeah right, it's all just a racist plot. Yeesh.) It would have looked awfully hypocritical if she had folded and let him in, given her stance on political corruption in the Republican party prior to the election. So this is a double-win and an encouraging sign for skeptics like myself. …

does anyone else think that there may be an Iranian invasion of Iraq following a US withdrawal? I say this because of the long standing gruge between the two countries, and with the US gone There wouldn't be any major opposition to an Iranian invasion. There is also a fairly large contingent of shia muslims in Iraq tht practically demand a theocracy and ouldn't mind at all if the Iranians gave it to them. EDIT: sorry for the poor grammar and spelling, th keyboard i'm on sticks alot.

This story has been making the rounds the last couple days since MADD launched its new initiative. Basically they're pushing for legislation that would force all first-time DUI offenders to install ignition interlocks on their cars. The story has gotten a lot of play, but with very little counterpoint. For example, the ACLU would presumably oppose this measure, which would set left against left in an interesting political correctness showdown. I haven't seen any discussion on that point. Mostly reporters are just rebroadcasting MADD press releases. The idea does have a lot of appeal, but this interesting article from the AP wire today shows that this is perha…

Is it just me, or does the situation in Iraq suddenly look a lot more grim this week? American politicians right now are debating whether to send more troops or begin to schedule a distant withdrawl timetable. But I'm getting a vibe here that that decision is about to be made for us. I could be wrong, of course. It's not just the escalation in sectarian violence that has me thinking this. The fulcrum, if you ask me, is the Iraqi government ordering us not to intercede on behalf of Sunnis. After which they promptly swoop with a death squad in faster than you can say "pogrom". Watch to see if the "more troops" option comes off the table this week. If it…

Interesting position from a democrat. I would never agree to conscription. All military should be volunteer only. If you are fighting a noble and worthy campaign, then the country will be behind it and volunteers will be plentiful. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,230598,00.html http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11/19/rangel.draft.ap/index.html It's funny too, because democrats are supposed to be the anti-war crowd. I guess Rangel didn't get the memo. I wonder how many New Yorkers are feeling betrayed after voting for him. These next two years with the Dems in power are going to be so awesome...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6185380.stm Any chance that it will stick? It's going to be hard to control the many groups that are out there, especially considering that leadership isn't centralized. But, I think it's a good sign that mid-east leaders are able to make agreements on their own volition.

Hello For those of you who not do believe it wise to allow citizens to possess firearms, read here to see just what a weapon can do to help stop crime. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061116/ap_on_fe_st/groin_shot The grand and glorious comedy of life continues. Mr D =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Added by Moderator Pangloss: Mr D's question for your consideration is as follows: In countries that allow citizens to possess fire arms should there be a test for a bare minimum level of intelligence for a person to own a firearm. And what would you propose that test to be? Remember people can still possess a weapon but what level of competence, and i…

Note: it's from Argentina, as opposed to America, where political ads are 99% mudslinging and lies.

This thread is here to discuss the possible candidates for the 2008 presidential elections (yeah I got sucked intowatching the regular new yesterday and it was all they were talking about). To get the ball roling Rudy Giuliani (mayor of NYC 92-02) has anounced an exploritory comittee to investigate his chances at winning te presidency. Personally I think he would sweep the national elections because o his strong liberal leanings, charisma, hero status, and he's a republican. However if he ran as a republican he would have a difficult time winning the republican base in the primaries because of his liberal leanings (supports stem cell research, Gay rights, the enviro…

Socialized medicine is one of the few things I tend to be quite liberal about. It seems natural for the government to handle medicine. Police, fire, medical - all fall under the same basic category in my opinion. There is a place for private industry within all of these things, however. Which leads me to this thread. There are a number of negatives associated with socialized health care that are unacceptable. Government efficiency, or lack thereof is a biggie. Lack of appeal for doctors and researchers is another biggie, as I've heard the capitalist approach to medicine does seem to attract leading talent from all over the world. I've heard nothing but horror …

http://thinkprogress.org/2006/11/17/inhofe-hoax/ His argument in a nutshell: 1) The globe is not warming, only parts of it are 2) The effect of greenhouse gasses is negligable 3) What warming is occuring (only in the northern hemisphere) is the result of (unnamed) natural forces 4) There is no scientific concensus 5) Global warming is a fabrication of the far left, including "George Soros, the Hollywood elitists," and "the far left environmentalists on the committee that I chair" I felt this was a pretty clear indication of how global warming has been politicized. Is there a need for a basic degree of competency in holding an office where you make policy …

Hello So Pangloss would like the 'wisdom of' post to have a discussable question attached, fair enough. So kindly read the link the story in that post leads to and the question for discussion is this. In countries that allow citizens to possess fire arms should there be a test for a bare minimum level of intelligence for a person to own a firearm. And what would you propose that test to be? Remember people can still possess a weapon but what level of competence, and in what area - plus what does your test consist of in written-verbal-physical or combination. Mr D

http://redtape.msnbc.com/2006/11/post.html#posts This is an interesting article about how integrating new technology in the voting process maybe introducing a whole lot of security problems, and nobody who's making these programs nor the politicians want to talk about it, because it's too expensive. I'm curious to how likely it would be that somebody hacks into the system to change election results. Obviously we won't know for sure until it happens, but is it worth it to wait and see?

There is at least one difference between politics and science. The Laws of Nature aren't capricious (at least I hope not) Gravity has nothing to gain by making things fall up. Politicans generals do, and can fudge the numbers. Thomas Jefferson said the price of freedom is eternal vigilance. I've recieved some censure for saying some things were fudged: inflation, facts on 9/11 (although I doubt many of you believe that Bush didn't lie about Iraqi WMDs),previous election results. Despite what you may think, it's not true that I never saw a conspiracy I didn't like: I THOUGHT this election would be stolen, but based on the little time I've had to look, there is not enough …

One of the fallouts of the mid-term election is that gun control is actually now LESS likely to pass in the coming year. Not that it was especially likely in the Republican-controlled legislature, but Democrats have clearly pushed it to the back burner in order to keep the Big Tent open for moderates who are angry about Iraq. This will be one of the areas where you'll want to watch and see if Democrats can stay together under the Big Tent, or if they instead start to fragment and disperse. This is one of those subjects that often play very well with a local constituency but very poorly on a national level. So you won't see it raised by any of the Democrats with 200…

i know there are lots of arguments in favour of capitalism, and arguments against communism, technocracy (the bit about money, not the meritocracy bits), etc, but reguardless of these, do they have merits as temporary emergency measures in the case of a huge economic emergency? a few things to bear in mind: surely, all pros of capitalism have to be ignored in the middle of a stock-market crash or hyper-inflation? reguardless of the benifits to innovation etc that normally come with capitalism, if money is worth so little that its more economical to burn it than to use it to buy firewood or pay for electric heating, or if farmers stop producing food for the cities …