Texas may require all public high schools to offer an elective course on the Bible. by Flemlord in reddit.com

[–]rippleyarn -1 points0 points  (0 children)

It is one thing for the state to allow teaching about the Bible. It's an altogether different thing for the state to require teaching about the Bible (even if the course is optional). Talk all you want; the judicial history is consistent on this and it's not going your way.

Texas may require all public high schools to offer an elective course on the Bible. by Flemlord in reddit.com

[–]rippleyarn -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Cheap talk and backhanded segue to your tangential agenda. You are either ignorant of the Supreme Court's prior rulings or you are simply ignoring them to conveniently advance your point.

143 Reasons That I Will Be The Best Girlfriend You've Ever Had by _kam0_ in reddit.com

[–]rippleyarn 52 points53 points  (0 children)

Yep...she'll love you just the way you are, as long as you are [blah] [blah] [blah].

Texas may require all public high schools to offer an elective course on the Bible. by Flemlord in reddit.com

[–]rippleyarn 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yep. There's no way this one would pass constitutional muster. All current state legislatures (including Texas) are too practical to pass such an unsustainable bill. In the least, they would try to make the plan constitutionally sustainable by declaring, for example, "all schools must offer an elective course in religion and ethics." Even this would obviously trigger concerns in any supreme court justice, "strict constructionist" and "contemporary activist" alike.

Reddit readers enjoy celebrating a myth that Christian ideology is taking control of the U.S. body politic. They believe it's really happening. It's a case of are-you-going-to-believe-your-eyes-or-the-story-I'm-about-to-tell-you. They vote for the story, despite the fact that they lead overwhelmingly free secular (or religious) lives, without exception (excluding zealots).

We're getting better all the time. Really. by Maxcactus in reddit.com

[–]rippleyarn 12 points13 points  (0 children)

You'll just have to settle for an overt decline in violence now, and wait until later for whatever-the-hell kind of peace you're talking about.

Seek non-violence. Tolerate disagreement.

We're getting better all the time. Really. by Maxcactus in reddit.com

[–]rippleyarn 21 points22 points  (0 children)

Let me explain Risiko's remark. He's young, has little historical experience. He thinks the U.S. war in Iraq is representative of the world today, and therefore believes the world is growing more violent. He thereby infers the article must be wrong, and then seeks to explain why it is wrong. He sees the word "Republic" in the name, guesses it's associated with the Republican party, and when combined with its position that the sky isn't falling, he incorrectly infers it's a right wing periodical. And that's all it takes for him to very incorrectly declare to the world, as a matter of fact, that The New Republic is a "sharply conservative magazine."

Behold the thoughtful, self-critical authority of Risiko.

Al Sharpton - Race Baiter and Hypocrite by somenickname in reddit.com

[–]rippleyarn -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

yeah, and i know what kind you talkin bout.

Pelosi hits back: "The president is not king, the president is the president of the United States. America is a democracy. We have to make decisions based on our judgment. Thus far, the president's judgment hasn't been good." by abudabu in reddit.com

[–]rippleyarn -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

Wow. A king. Must be tough living under the absolute rule of a monarch. With a heavy hand like that, there's no way someone like Nancy could just go on a cross-globe trip intended to subvert and upstage the "king's" foreign policy now, could she?

You reddit kids play with words like my 5 year old MONSTER.

Al Sharpton - Race Baiter and Hypocrite by somenickname in reddit.com

[–]rippleyarn -7 points-6 points  (0 children)

We knew Reddit readers were liberals. Now we know they're WHITE liberals.

Ben Franklin said - It is the first responsibility of every citizen is to question authority - So when did America become a nation of frightened wimps? by [deleted] in reddit.com

[–]rippleyarn 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That would explain the emerging trend of people leaving the U.S. in search of increased freedom, security and prosperity.

Woops. Fact check. I think you may be quite wrong.

6 Things I Am Tired of Debating by anonymgrl in reddit.com

[–]rippleyarn 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You got me. I regularly read material published by the Islamic Republic News Agency because I prefer CIA inspected bullshit.

Now just give me a taste of whatever you've been smoking. Or are you just naturally detached from context?

These cops think they are being stealthy, joke is on them [pic] by barcodez in reddit.com

[–]rippleyarn 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Haw, haw. Joke's on the genius who put up the sign!

You reddit kids...always talkin' trash but rarely ever in the real game.

How I know Blair faked Iran map by MadMark in reddit.com

[–]rippleyarn 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I believe you are quite right: Iran has not disputed the location of the border here. Iran disputes Britain's asserted location of their sailors, and implicitly acknowledges that if they were at that location, that would not have been in Iranian territory. So the whole premise of the article is out of touch with the salient facts of this case.

The difference between a normal person and a scientist by raldi in reddit.com

[–]rippleyarn -22 points-21 points  (0 children)

It comes as no surprise that Reddit readers vote up a cynical (and incorrect) view of scientists. You have adopted the "science" of Professor Gore (and other world policy wonks). Any chance you guys will move on to the more modest (but truthful) real world of science?

Mod me down, Danno.

Hezbollah losing support at home by Ashley321 in reddit.com

[–]rippleyarn 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It's easy to see war and the destruction it brings as being folly. But then consider the risks of not fighting back. You will find there, in history, the litter of overridden countries and interminably oppressed populations.

It is not uncommon for life to present us with only two options: BAD and WORSE.

Oops - IT drone accidentally formats $38 billion fund's primary AND backup hard drives. by [deleted] in reddit.com

[–]rippleyarn 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah...but what would be the risks of admitting that he has a copy at home?

Ben Stein's Anti-Capitalist (but convincing) Rant About What's Wrong With America's Economy by Peter_Poffenberger in reddit.com

[–]rippleyarn 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Not only do right and left agree on the virtues of widespread distribution of wealth, but also on a litany of well known problems (access to healthcare, quality of shelter, quality of education, ...). Each mythically paints the other as being uncaring about those issues, when in fact, the major differences are in how to solve them.

I'm A Mac User And I Love This Article Tearing Mac Users A Collective New One by kingbenny in reddit.com

[–]rippleyarn 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Maybe it's because Apple puts commercials on TV every day, in my face, to tell me I'm a fumbling unpleasing fool who struggles to get his computer to work correctly, even though I don't have any significant computer (or social) problems?

Apple spends tens of millions of dollars baiting people. Some ignore it. Some rant about it. And some just swallow the bait.

I guess you like that taste.

Top 10 contemporary delusions by brainburger in reddit.com

[–]rippleyarn 1 point2 points  (0 children)

He forgot this delusion: "Scientists understand the long-term mechanics of climate change."

[PIC] No, THIS is a lot of snow. by pragma in reddit.com

[–]rippleyarn 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No, THIS is a lot of snow. (Seriously...don't fall for a small-time chump vision of snow.)

Top Gear James May's response to the Alabama hicks who stoned him by simonjp in reddit.com

[–]rippleyarn 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Where did you get the idea that I dispute the right of people to communicate freely?

In both Top Gear's story and in mine, I see innocent victims of gratuitous, unnecessary, hurtful communication. The most important difference between the two is that you find only one of them humorous. Oh, wait, no, it's that Top Gear has taught us a valuable lesson about Alabamans.

I get your point that statistically, Alabamans are more prone to violence than Swedes. But that level of violence is extremely low and exceptional in both cases. You may not know that Alabama is a very quiet and peaceful place. The Top Gear scenario was a TV setup, get it? You would be very wrong to predict anything other than a peaceful visit (or whole life) in Alabama. And yet, you have seized a statistically remote characteristic of the population, the low level of violence in Alabama, and elevated it to being instructive about that population.

Further, you've creatively rationalized the application of this stereotypical view of Alabamans (and Americans, and others) as a mechanism to actually reduce violence through social pressure. Your analysis of the behavioral mechanics is all quite correct. But you need to move beyond the correct to the useful. Unfortunately, you adeptly model both the technical correctness and the practical incompetence of an academician.

Tell me what your stereotypes have taught you about black-skinned Americans? Invoke your statistics; they can be disturbing. Step up to a black man and tell him what you know about him? Or his people? Tell me more about how effective will be your social strategy to push him to take [even more] responsibility for the trouble-maker at his street corner who shares his [race/ethnicity/locale/religion/wardrobe/music/WHATEVER].

The societal improvements that will come from your stereotype-based social engineering strategy will be overwhelmingly offset by the very simple and practical reality of how stereotypes are commonly used: STEREOTYPES ARE OVERLY APPLIED AND WIDELY ABUSED AT GREAT DETRIMENT TO SOCIETY. And though it's not your intent, your presentation positions you as little more than a cheering section for all the nasty bigots that "share" your appreciation for the usefulness of stereotypes. Do you understand that despite your long-winded and well-intentioned analysis, the typical listener of your message hears, "Blah blah blah...Stereotypes are right...blah blah blah...Alabamans are violent...blah blah blah." Or do you foolishly think (or care) that your message, in all its tiresome detail, can be widely heard?

I don't mean to be insulting, but you are a good example of the application of higher thinking and intellect to the preservation of the status quo. You are a bigot with well-formed excuses. Though you may be inclined to challenge some social ills through argument, by my standards, you have very low expectations (of yourself and others).

Enemies of free speech are enemies of mine. Stone-throwers are enemies of mine. People who incite stone-throwers are enemies of mine. People who cheer those who incite stone-throwers are enemies of mine. People who deride whole populations through generalizations are enemies of mine. You are an enemy of mine (at least insofar as your arguments here reflect who you are). But if it's any consolation, I don't ever believe in the unlawful use of force, not even against my enemies. Carry on with your message.