SuperJerk

That comment was based on projections made in 1997 that have since been revised. Because we're taking in so much more money now? I see your point.

The quotaton marks denoted my belief that they did not have the right to own slaves, in spite of what the Constitution says. I'm ignoring the bits that would suggest that Lincoln was responsible for the war because they are not true. Lincoln's responsible for the war in one way only: he wouldn't let the South leave. The South chose to leave. The South chose to attack Fort Sumner. That verson of events has no basis in historical fact. And I'm saying you're wrong. The majority of the people who make a living from researching the past and who have concentrated on the Civil War have came to the conclusion that slavery WAS the key issue in the war. Yeah, they wanted make sure they continued to have the right to won slaves. The South wanted slaves because it made them money. The North didn't want slavery because they had no use for it. Certain northern politicians saw slavery as an issue they could use to further their political careers by exploiting the growing anti-slavery sentiment in the North. Slavery, like gay marriage was in 2004, was a wedge issue used to further a political agenda that was exploited by politicians on both sides. The South favored states rights because it was their way of justifying slavery. That has nothing to do with why George Mason, Thomas Jefferson, John Randolf, St. George Tucker and John Taylor supported states rights. People can ebleive the same things, but have different reasons for doing so, you know.

That comment was based on projections made in 1997 that have since been revised. I'm not saying there's not a problem with Social Security, but to use a 7 year old Clinton quote as proof of a future event is dubious reasoning.

Just because one person who claims to support an ideology is a liar/hypocrite doesn't mean that everyone who claims to support said ideology is a liar/hypocrite. No offense, but if your point was that this news somehow invalidates liberalism as an ideology, you're employing some very Coulter-esque logic. RobotJerk = fair and balanced.

Except they're arging for Constitutional protections for people who are not covered under the Constitution. Many people believe that the US government should follow its own rules whether it is dealing with actual US citizens or not.

credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PG-13

Hey, he's no big prize himself.

Hey, here's a whacky question: Can someone defend the idea that there should even be a Pope? Yeah, I know all about the Jesus giving keys of heaven to Peter...yada, yada, yada, but is there really any need for a Pope in the modern age? Maybe I'm showing my Protestant bias, but I'd be interested in reading some differing views on what necessary function a Pope plays in modern society.

I don't think the Border Patrol is ALLOWED to do its job correctly, so joining would be a futile gesture.

Just because one person who claims to support an ideology is a liar/hypocrite doesn't mean that everyone who claims to support said ideology is a liar/hypocrite. No offense, but if your point was that this news somehow invalidates conservatism as an ideology, you're employing some very Coulter-esque logic.

Yeah, why else would there be a South Vietnamese flag on that building at Independence and Prospect? And I've seen a Vietnamese restaurant in one part of KC, closer to downtown, north of 24. Actually, the Asian population is 2% in the district (both with the student percentage and the population percentage) I should have said "relatively large". Which makes 98%. ANYHOW... Even if KCMOSD was allowed to join with the other districts, that wouldn't change how crappy Central, Southeast, and Westport are. It'd just mean that they'd have a few other schools to pull up their average without really needing to address the fundamental problems. Westport tried to break away as a charter, and was making a little progress, but got caught in a political battle which exposed its mismanagement (as if KCMSD wasn't even more mismanaged). None of this, however, explains why kids feel like they should be able to set fires, box on the front lawn, and rush the police.

I'm pretty knowledgable about the English Civil War, if you ever feel like being lectured on THAT. You got me on the places where it acknowledges slavery as a legal institution, though. Forgot about taxes and But you were trying directly to tie the comparative number of anti-slave groups in 1826 to the events of 1861, and thus ignoring all the years in between. Sorry, but I totally agree with Lincoln's choice. Having Southerners attack a US fort is plenty of reason to call up the militia. You must be reading different historians than I did, because that's totally not the consensus of opinion I'm aware of. Nice ad populum argument, by the way. Most of those problems and disagreements were caused by slavery. That's why I used the words "was seen as". Just because the South saw him as something didn't mean that he was. In the last presidential election, Bush WAS SEEN AS favoring a draft by some, even though he explicited said he did not. Do you understand my meaning now? Yes, tariffs were an issue which helped cause the war, but not a big an issue as slavery. HOWEVER, the reason the South didn't want tarriffs is because slavery made agriculture so profitable that they didn't need tarriffs to still make money. Their "right" wasn't in danger until they rebelled. Fortunately, that right was taken away after the war.

What are you saying?? That we must destroy the Catholic Church to save the Catholic Church. -=Mike If people don't like the Catholic Church's teachings, its not that hard for them to find another church where they'd be more comfortable. That's why there's Protestants, after all. And when the Church violates its own teachings --- they don't really serve a purpose. -=Mike That's not say that the Church can't change some of its teachings to some degree without violating its basic principles. Such was the case in the Counter-Reformation, which was of great benefit to the Catholic Church. Acceptance of homosexuality would violate the Church's principles. Like I said, if people have that much problem with the Catholic Church's principles, maybe its time for them to decide whether they really even want to be Catholic or not. Just because you're born into a system of beleif doesn't mean you have to participate or believe in it. You do have free will, after all.

I bet Carter and Ford are feeling really left out right now.

Odd, because if that really was the case then I'm sure we'd hear more about the ACLU's efforts to keep State and religion separate in places like China. You guys really misinterpreted my post. I was talking about the ACLU not caring about the nationality of people who are subject to US law. Of course they're not going to try to apply the US Bill of Rights to the Chinese government. I thought that was kind of a given. I swear to God, 90% of the arguements around here are over semantics.

Eddie Izzard had a joke about this back in his concert special "Circle". He said his sidekick should be named "Altar Boy".

I finished the book. Jar Jar made a brief appearance towards the end. Damn it. Immediately after finishing the book, I began watching my STAR WARS dvd. Really alters your perception of the movie once you know what really happened during Obi-Wan and Anakin's final confrontation, why the Emperor dissolving the Imperial Senate was such a big deal, and just what the hell Obi-Wan was really up to on Tatooine all those years. Also according to the book, C3PO gets his memory wiped, but R2D2 doesn't...which explains why R2D2 seems three steps ahead of him in STAR WARS.

The Annoted Screenplays book is my source as well. The line makes sense even without Vader being Anakin because we've known from the beginning that Luke's father was a Jedi Knight. I considered that Leigh Brackett's screenplay isn't exactly George's vision, but surely she would have gotten THAT detail right if she was working from his notes. I'm of the opinion that George didn't decide that Vader was Luke's father until the second draft of Empire, and that Leia was Luke's sister until Jedi was written (which explains the whole kissing thing). I think Vader assumed Yoda was dead, and that Obi-Wan had trained Luke to be a Jedi before A New Hope.

Was Steph in a movie? 'Cause it looks to me like she's already got her "SAG" card! **rimshot**

The "American" in ACLU stands for what country the organization is located in, not what nationality the organization is only supposed to care about.

Parts of the city have large Asian populations. Thanks for the stats, BTW. This was my favorite part:

At what point do we quit blaming the school? Many of the kids at these schools laugh at any and all consequences that are put in front of them. The school didn't TEACH those kids to rush the police officer, after all.

Of course it would have. Reagan's policies only helped accelerate what would have occurred later. The metaphor I'm used to hearing from conservatives is that the Soviet Union was on the edge, and Reagan gave it the final push. Soviet Communism was destroying itself long before Reagan came onto the scene. Reagan, the Pope, Thatcher, and Gorbachev all had roles in the Soviet Union's final collapse. If go you on an issue-by-issue basis, liberalism is alive and well. The movement lacks any strong leaders that make it a politically viable alternative, however. Conservatives are also a minority, just a more vocal and more organized one. If you conducted a poll to see who identifies themselves as "liberal", "conservative", or "moderate," you'd find none of them reaches close to 50% or more of the general public. Many conservatives look to Bush's electoral win as proof of their dominace, but the reality is that so-called red states only contain 51% of the total US population.

What are you saying?? That we must destroy the Catholic Church to save the Catholic Church. -=Mike If people don't like the Catholic Church's teachings, its not that hard for them to find another church where they'd be more comfortable. That's why there's Protestants, after all.

Are there any news articles someone can link to for more information? The only legitimate complaint I can think of would be if these guys were either abusing suspected illegal immigrants, or if they are harrassing American citizens of Mexican descent, or Mexicans who are here legally. Otherwise, I don't see anything wrong with this, other than its a shame they even need to do it.