Firestarter

When did anyone stop? Is this your first time on this planet? Flyboy and Tom have both commented on it, so that's at least two other people to date. I'm not counting TheGame2705 because, well, no one else does either, really. Whether he should or shouldn't is somewhat irrelevant, since he just was. Or someone who wants to pretend he is. I hardly think CJ needs his shirt's help to accomplish that. Disappointment helps us mature. You're welcome. I wasn't flaming anyone in the first place. Merely explaining. Ditto here.

If you don't want normal people to assume that you talk like a "playa pimp masta" in a "gangsta" rap music video, you might want to stop dressing like you belong in one. Losing the gold chain, buttoning your collar, and tucking in your shirt would be a good start; it wouldn't hurt to learn how to shave, either. Seriously, even if Ripper really has been a crackhead for the last three years, at least it doesn't look like he picked out his clothes and dressed himself while he was high. Just sayin'. PS. And before you come back with "Don't hate tha playa, hate tha game," let me just point out that I hate both "playas" and TheGame (2705) about equally.

This is the one sectarian point on which I'll agree with SP. Christians can't be held responsible for Mormons; no one can. No Earthling of any creed is responsible for the behaviour of Martians.

WTF? Agent's one of the coolest guys on the board.

From the CIA Factbook, as of July 2003: Japan, 127,214,499; United States, 290,342,554. Really, the Japanese must've had one hell of a population boom. Or does it depend on what the meaning of the word "is" is? Perhaps if the - if he - if "is" means is and never has been, that is not - that is one thing. If it means there is none, that was a completely true statement. Edit: Bob, you scooped me while I was flipping through my books, and I applaud you.

"Fag?" I thought gay men were supposed to dress well.

Ah, the immortal dream that is Joe Smloe.

I assume you're talking about the Red Indians. And how many republics have the French gone through since then?

No and yes.

JotW is actually correct in a limited sense. From a psychological perspective, rape can certainly be more traumatic when a family member is the criminal - it's a deeper betrayal, a worse violation of trust, and its repercussions can tear families apart. But being raped by a stranger or a casual acquaintance can be equally shattering under different circumstances. In the end, criminal penalties shouldn't be based on the emotional trauma suffered by the victim. If one rape victim commits suicide after 4 months, and another goes back to her family and publishes a book about her experience to help other victims, should the criminal who attacked the second woman get a lighter sentence than criminal who attacked the first? Of course not. Penalties aren't assessed on the basis of a victim's emotional strength, resources, or support.

Yes.

Thomas Jefferson enrolled at William and Mary when he was 16 and studied law for five years after he graduated (which took him 2 years). He was fluent in Latin and Greek. James Madison graduated from Princeton (then the College of New Jersey) when he was 20. George Washington's brilliance in mathematics was such that he became a professional field surveyor at 15. At 17 he was commissioned as the surveyor of Culpeper county. Johnny Depp is a high school dropout, arrested at least three times for violent crimes. What was your point again?

In the first generation, yes. Then say that generation does the same thing, ie: boy fucks mom, inbred daughter fucks her father/half-brother. Her child will have an exponentially higher risk of birth defects. Since acceptance of such practices would be limited in scope, the likelihood is that they would be confined to small and probably self-contained communities. Over time the population of such communities would inevitably degenerate.

Bring it on.

Consensuality is also questionable in such relationships. Parents always have influence over their children. Determining whether such influence is undue, excessive, or improper would be impossible. The certain harm far outweighs the good that might result.

I like you a little better now.

Have to disagree with the ostensibly libertarian attitude in this thread. There is a perfectly valid social interest in reducing genetic birth defects in the population through the regulation of inbreeding.

Uh, you're joking right? Nope. Under the pending rules (not just HR 1119), people who earn $65k per year or more for "white collar" labor wouldn't be given overtime pay. But almost one and a half million people making less than $22k per year would be. Who has more money, someone who earns $65k or someone who earns $22k? Some people making six-figure salaries also get overtime. Trial lawyers are agitating against the Department of Labor because they get big cases as a result of the messiness of the current rules. Try actually reading the resolution itself instead of relying on your premasticated partisan bullshit for the facts. Really, let's be serious. The old rules are from the '70s. It's way past time we revised them. Actually, I'm one of the least partisan people on the board. I've attacked Santorum and Lott in the recent past, I hated Strom Thurmond, and I disagree with the Republican Party on a lot of issues, including but not limited to abortion, freedom of and from religion, drug prohibition, gun control, homosexual rights, mandatory minimums, and sex education. And that's just for starters. But on this issue the Democrats have been bought and paid for by the lawyers and the unions, as they usually are, and the Republicans are right. Sorry.

<blinks> Ripper's actually pretty cute. Damn. For some reason I can't quite define this depresses me.

But would he want his sister to marry one?

We have the oldest Constitution in the world. America as a country is far, far older than any nation in Europe, and our legislative, judicial, and executive branches are much more extensively tested, much more sophisticated, and much more mature. Europe is the snot-nosed little brat in the relationship. America is the long-suffering parent.

The media isn't making it a story because if people had the facts they would understand that the proposal actually benefits those who make the lowest salaries - as opposed to trial lawyers. Your statement would only be true if you redefined "every average American" as "every American with below average intelligence," or, alternately, as "every Democrat." Which is much the same thing, of course.

Hilarious. Ignorant cretin.

Islam has been around for approximately 1400 years. The Arabs have been around for much, much longer. Many of their current misogynistic practices are reversed remnants of pre-Islamic traditions established by matriarchal societies who worshipped Ishtar/Astarte/Astoreth.

Quite correct; most people are smarter than you. But you'd be more than welcome to try. It might divert me for all of twelve seconds if I'm bored.