john5746

I suppose we should also shut our mouths about Islam extremism and any other issue that might cause people to do stupid things? Great way to run a country. If we can't get reasonable gun laws passed, we could at least stop this "welfare gun" stupidity. We are not charging for the true cost of guns and ammo. As you said, demand is up. Ok, well let's tax the ammo and use that money to pay for extra law enforcement, the military type equipment they need to fight mini-militias and for the victims of gun violence. That will either raise some good money or quell the demand.

Yes, and why aren't they reporting about the 5 year old's mental health? We need to think about that. Guns don't kill people, mentally deranged, evil people do.

In the article, it said they thought it was empty. Quite a few guns go off when being cleaned or otherwise thought to be empty. Always assume a gun is loaded, it is always dangerous. A 5 year old should not have a gun. Dad might hunt with a gun, but he also drinks beer and watches porn. Doesn't mean junior needs to do the same. I would even be against a kid that age having a toy gun. If a kid is to have a toy gun, they need to be able to understand that a real gun isn't a toy.

http://www.freep.com/article/20130501/NEWS07/305010075/child-shoots-kills-sister-rifle-gift 5 Year old boy kills 2 year old sister with gun given as gift. I bet he gets a shotgun for christmas.

I think the line between physical objects and information makes sense, but I wonder with the advent of 3d printing, etc. People will basically be able to download the printing data for weapons. I think this blurs the line. It would be nice to have something in place for monitoring downloads of this kind at the very least. Even currently, I think intent is brought into play, so that if you provide bomb instructions and then say go use it on X, then that would be illegal, but not sure anyone is dumb enough to do that. I think providing instructions to make a weapon should be justification for monitoring at least, i.e a dot in the equation.

In regards to Jeremy Glick, from what I understand, he had knowledge of the fact that the flight was doomed. That is why he took action that would almost guarantee the deaths of those aboard. The terrorists did not intend to land safely. So maybe he had faith in himself and a few others to defy the odds and overtake the plane. Maybe he said a short prayer for his loved ones or maybe asked god to help him get out of this one alive. But, he took action, he did not wait for jesus to take the wheel. In this case, he was trying to avoid taking out more lives on the ground. But people do sacrifice for the imaginary all the time. If it is real in your head, then that is all that matters. This is why it is important not to believe in mythology. You can enjoy it, even be inspired, but don't really believe it.

The world is watching, but NC doesn't care, because NC knows best. I mean you have Europe = Greece and Asia = Communism and everything else is poverty. So why listen to anyone else? Its really sad. I live in NC as well, which has been progressive for a southern state, but that has ended. You have the following: With voter ID, the House is launching the most politically volatile issue of the session at the same time Senate Republicans explore a major income tax overhaul that would redefine who carries the burden of the state's tax system and Gov. Pat McCrory readies a long list of policies to reverse course on Democratic rule for the past 20 years, starting with his Medicaid overhaul and state budget proposal, while other lawmakers push plenty of smaller but equally major bills to create a separate governing system for charter schools, repeal the state's renewable energy credits, support gun ownership, restart the death penalty, legalize some sweepstakes, put restrictions on those seeking public assistance, consider an Arizona-styled immigration checks and establish a resolution that says N.C. towns and cities can set an official religion. http://projects.newsobserver.com/node/27275#storylink=cpy Trying to limit voting, like taxing parents if their kids vote at their college and reducing early voting days. Both of these actions would affect democrat votes mostly. http://www.wect.com/story/21874842/nc-parents-of-college-students-could-lose-tax-credits-if-child-is-registered-to-vote

In regards to the smashed cell phone, why not just pray? Surely god works better than a phone without a battery? Anyway, haven't been in a situation like this, so not sure how I would respond. I probably will cry and yell at myself for getting in that situation. But, if I do pray to something in that situation, its quite different than leading my life that way. I mean, if you and I were stuck in a situation with no food and you were sick, I might eat you. That doesn't mean I think we should eat people, just a desperate situation.

I was basically saying the same thing to you. Those statements look contradictory, unless you think theoretical physics has nothing to do with the scientific method. Seems like you are being vague and talking in circles. Do you mean physics can't answer the Why questions? Like Why are we here? Or do you mean it can't answer the meta questions like Why does physics or the scientific method work so well? or something else?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kN1MqbLZZ5I

Are you OK with people having pets? We don't generally eat them, but Pets aren't really free. On a small farm, the animals are almost like pets, except you eat them instead of letting them go blind, get arthritis and die slowly.

Would be interesting for you to expand on this. What questions do you think that science offers no insight? Perhaps provide an example.

I'm an atheist, but my manhood is thick enough. Thank you very much.

You can argue against any issue with slippery slope. There are always people who want to go to one extreme or another on any issue. Perhaps you have forgotten what COMPROMISE means, since the republicans have destroyed it in politics. What matters is the law or bill at hand. I could say the republicans will never be happy until the rich have all the money and have everyone else as their personal slaves. Doesn't mean that a balanced budget must be avoided. Anyway, the point John was making earlier could be taken more moderately. It is easier to regulate guns than to regulate human behaviour.

The guy in the link shot kids on a bus, I guess I shouldn't pay attention to any links you provide. Forget page, I like to be on a different book than you. As far as sanely rational, well unfortunately, 100% of us are "insanely" irrational at some point in our lives. If we happen to have a gun handy, it makes this temper tantrum become very deadly. Well, that depends on what "like this" means. If we are talking just school shootings, maybe once a week is a closer estimate. But, I think an innocent person is shot daily in the US. Tyranny to ban guns? I disagree. We already do it to some extent.

that is innovative - a poor man's take a number system. Much cheaper than the digital display at the DMV. That song has nothing to do with welfare. If your gonna put up some country, put up something good. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJ9OzIn9-o4 Yep, whitey been crying about losing America for a long time. Probably since the british left.

something like this happens almost everyday in the US. Let me guess, you wish all the kids on that bus would have a gun?

I think this is what we have been dancing around, the amount of conviction in a belief. I think Phi is right, at least in my case, but some people seem to have strong convictions, that should lead them in the wrong direction most of the time, but can have huge payoffs. This would explain the Donald Trumps of the world. He certainly didn't acquire his wealth with his IQ. sorry about linking to TED again, but I found these vids to be relevant to the topic. One is regarding marketing. people don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it. I think for most people, science is sold at the what level, not the why level. They don't "feel it" in their gut. No emotion. Self-transcendance - losing oneself and becoming part of the group.

hmmm... for some reason, I'm reminded of this

Basically, what you are saying is should we eliminate livestock, because if we can't eat domesticated animals, they will vanish. That's kind of the picture I had until recently. Humans growing plants with the occasional wildlife parks. It does seem the closer we can get our energy from the sun, the better for all. This video changed my mind somewhat. He is basically saying that the vast grasslands evolved with mass animal herds being the lawn care systems. Humans disrupted that system and now they are turning into vast deserts. So, if he is correct, eliminating livestock would be the exact opposite of what is needed. Even if he is wrong, it does show the complexity of this issue. In the end, the only solution may be a drastic reduction in human population, but as with any animal without a predator, nature eventually finds a way

Oh, I thought it was this one. Not really, just wanted to share some good music. They can really sing down there.

Why do you use the parachute? Have you seen one used on every point on earth, to make sure it works? Would you use it on the moon? On Mars? Science is more then merely guessing from past experience. Science builds models and those models make predictions and results can be verified, modified or overturned at any time. It is a work in progress, yes but it provides the best way known at any point in time. How else can you learn without knowing when your wrong, making the correction and proceeding? It is in our best interest to know what is wrong as quickly as possible. Having ideas that can't even be proven wrong is entertainment at best. So will the parachute work? Most likely and we know why. We know it won't work on the moon and can make better designs for Mars. We might be surprised when we actually try it, we are open to new data, but initially we go with the model we have. You are quite right that one cannot sit in a closet, never observing and understand reality. In fact, I would argue you don't learn much of anything that way. Sure, you might learn to meditate endlessly and become happy by doing nothing, like a dog chasing its tail. If you are in solitary confinement, then kudos, but if you have a choice, experience reality. Assumptions were made that there is some consistency to reality, but the scientific method doesn't rest firmly on those assumptions. QM and blackholes are blasting holes in it. Results trump any assumption. The Abraham/Isaac story, even as a metaphor should just be regarded as crap, IMO. Like discussing ethics in light of the Texas Chainsaw massacre movies. Simply say "Don't do this" would suffice. Very interesting discussions can be had in regards to subjective experience, mythology isn't needed. I do see a use for "faith". Faith is that which gets you back on your feet when all your experience tells you to stay down. Tells you that you will win, when you know down deep that you are doomed. Tells you that the future "you" will be awesome, although the past says something different. Yeah, I do need faith just to get out of bed sometimes or even to convince a group that we will succeed. But this pails in comparison to sober practice, planning and execution. To use the parachute metaphor, design and pack your parachute carefully and learn how to use it correctly. If it does fail, then you can kick in your faith and try to deal with the situation at hand. To me, faith has some emotional use, much like anger or love. But to wrap it in stories that make a mokery of reality and morality should be avoided.

drug dealers do it for the money, same reason big pharma does it. People try them to escape themselves, I guess. That organic bran muffin you ate had something extra in it.

Well, to start doing drugs, people had to be able to get them. The more prevalent they are in society, the more people will be able to easily try them and become addicted. Also, the age of first use will probably decrease as well. So, that is an argument for prohibition. Its why we don't just have any chemical on Wal-Mart shelves for anyone to buy. Drugs is a big category. We have prescription medication that is already regulated. Weed should be made legal, IMO. Looks like it is heading that way. But, to say all drugs should be legalized is a huge step. Meth and crack don't appear to have any benefits, but they cause some serious health issues. I understand the argument that its better to bring the use out in the open, but its going to result in more people using. This causes permanent brain changes over time. These people won't quite be the same again. Society requires maintenance. Maintenance isn't fun, its tedious and thankless work. That doesn't mean we shouldn't do it.

good excuse to provide a Louis CK link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0rSXjVuJVg We should strive to be content with what we have and not be envious, but we are social creatures and don't like getting the shaft. When we see the system is stacked against those that have the least, it really becomes unbearable. Of course people can scrap by on little, but they will be much more susceptible to surprises, like layoffs, illness, accidents.