Does Italgato know that there are some things more valuable than money? Apparently not..........pity, there are so many very good things that out rank money that it's a sad story to believe that some people don't seem to know anything about them.
I don't know about the marines, but I'm sure we've all heard that term, "they jerked us along."
Mr. Blatham:
I am fascinated by your thesis> I have read much about Darwin and natural selection but have yet to come across evidence that we landed on top not because daddy was already there but because we merit our position.
A nephew of mine applied for admission to Harvard. He had excellent scores on his SAT's as well as straight A grades. Furthermore, his father had graduated from Harvard in 1970. My nephew was not accepted at Harvard.
Is this an exception to your thesis?
I would say that it is quite clear that landing on top is related to the possession of quite a few attributes rather than merely the "Simplistic" daddy was already there.
I am very much afraid that you have been watching too many cheap B movies.
Italgato wrote:Sofia:
I am sure that you are aware that the Senate of the United States voted for the Patriot Act, 98-1.
It did not spring completed from the Ashcroft brow.
If, pray God it would never happen, the Muslim crazies would strike us again in the USA, I am sure that the left wing extremists like Molly Ivins and Krugman would excoriate the president for not properly setting up defenses.
How many of those who voted for it got a chance to read it?
Three!
That they voted for it without reading it is in itself disgraceful.
Still no corroboration of your assertions "The far right wants to be able to execute people who send money to relatives in Afghnanistan via a hawalla that is also used by terror members. They also want to be able to execute you for not turning in your neighbors", hobitbob. Not that I expect any corroboration ... I just note none has been provided.
If the Patriot Act makes it easier to jail and hold without bail, people who blow up nuclear sites, if their action results in death--why the Hell are you worried about these people? Don't you want them in jail?
I did get an Eeck Factor at using the Patriot Act to categorize drugs as a WMD...
But, most of the expansions are sensible.
They do need to get the slap down on the POT=WMD.
Okay, edited. Lost my temper. Trying to find the quotes from a Utah senator that was in the print edition of the Sunday Denver Post and RMN. He described the things that would garner death penalty, including cointributing to a "terror organization," and "failing to inform authorities if one had knowledge of an attack."
<edited>
<nothing to see here>
However, I agree that the manner in which the act was legislated into being was execrable, and the fact nearly none of the legislators familiarized themselves with the act is just as inexcuseable. The current outrage within the Legislative Branch is ridiculous in the face of the dictum Read What You Sign, or, in this case, Vote For. That whole episode was truly shameful.
Dear Professor Hobibob:
I never heard that the Senators did not get a chance to read the bill. Can you provide some evidence?
Are you trying to tell us that such beacons of morality as
Edward ( Chappaquiddick) Kennedy
Joseph( Plagiarism) Biden
Robert (KKK) Byrd
Patrick( Leaker) Leahy
would vote for a bill they have not read?
I am sure that their sense of rectitude would at least lead them to vote "present" or not vote at all until they had a chance to read the bill.
I am not seen a source that said they had no chance to read the bill.
Would you please provide it?
Aha! Here we go...sort of...
Yahoo News.
Quote: Mr. Bush also wants to expand the use of the death penalty in crimes like terrorist financing...
...But Mr. Specter, who said he had worked on the issue for months before the White House asked him to sponsor legislation, said his measure would allow execution for "gateway" crimes like terrorist financing, even if the defendant does not carry out the attack.
"The financiers are really the principal culprits," he said.
The proposal would also extend the death penalty to a number of other criminal activities, including sabotage of a defense installation or a nuclear facility.
for those who feel they might be better citizens through studying about the patriot act, as opposed to just assuming it is the cat's meow...four part piece here...
http://slate.msn.com/?querytext=patriot+act&id=3944&action=fulltext
Lola indicates that there are things more valuable than money.
Indeed there are- Lola. You exhibit great wisdom.
I would opine that one thing more important that mere money is medical care.
That is why so many Canadians come down to the Mayo Clinic for the best medical care instead of waiting in line in the socialized Canadian system.
Sofia wrote:
Sorry to see you sink so low, hobit. I had liked you. Your comment sucked from several different angles.
I think you're just burned because we caught you in a lie. There was no mention of execution for the reasons you stated in any of your three links.
You owe Timber an apology.
I apologize for mouthing off to timber. I have provided a link to the evidence. What do you expect, I'm an arab..I eat babies and want to blow up Christians, remember?
..."wants to"..."proposal"....
Hobit--
You said--though I can't imagine why--
Quote:What do you expect, I'm an arab..I eat babies and want to blow up Christians, remember?
Please stop besmirching the Arabs.
I said I was sorry. Good grief!
You know, Italgato, I think Timber knows something about natural selection here. If a person has had a dad or brother or uncle or mother or sister there before him, it is always more likely they will be admitted, given preference, especially if Daddy or Mommy have been big contributors or can pay the tuition, even. You may not know this, but I do. I know it from experience. So if the applicant has the right connections, his chances of survival are greater, that is, he's more "fit." A definite advantage. Of course, for some people even this and good scores too isn't enough.
While I do agree with increasing punishments for sabateurs, I do not agree with the death penalty at all. Sorry. I certainly don't think it should be applied to those who have contributed money to an organization. If that were the case, then Americnas who contribute to the IRA or Sinn Feinn should get the death penalty, because their donations have gone towards the deaths of innocents. The same for people who contribute to Israel.
I read Professor Hobitbob's link to Yahoo.
After reading the link, I can only point out the following:
a. The president does not legislate. The Senate and the House does.
b. If,as Professor Hobitbob and Mr.. Blatham say, the additions to the Patriot Act are so execrable, why, of course, the Senate or the House and vote it down.
Professor Hobitbob and Mr. Blatham seem to be excoriating President Bush and Attorney General Ashcroft for their backing of the new provisions.
Of course, they may, but I hope that they realize that if the extension of the Patriot Act passes, it will be with the legal consent of the legislative branch.
We shall see.
