Search found 118 matches

by sear
Mon Feb 11, 2008 11:23 pm
Forum: Help Desk
Topic: A world without war
Replies: 153
Views: 37853

Re: A world without war for humans to read.

New comment: "I've come to the conclusion that it means "it's your choice whether you feel that another person has dishonoured you or not ..." Laird I seriously doubt Carnegie meant that. To accept your interpretation is to subjugate the appraisal of the honor at issue, to the opinion of that one ot...
by sear
Mon Feb 11, 2008 5:19 pm
Forum: Help Desk
Topic: A world without war
Replies: 153
Views: 37853

Re: A world without war

"I hope to be judged on the content of my posts, not on the state in which I'm in when I write them." Laird Not much point to concern yourself with the opinion of any that would do otherwise. Consider the source. "At the very least, as an honest man." Laird "All honors wounds are self-inflicted." A...
by sear
Mon Feb 11, 2008 4:53 am
Forum: Help Desk
Topic: A world without war
Replies: 153
Views: 37853

Re: A world without war

Shah, That's not really my intended meaning. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to clarify. I support Laird's objective; peace on Earth. I don't think his proposed solution is practical. I'd like the world to be free of War, and strife, and plague. But even something as seemingly benevolent as goi...
by sear
Mon Feb 11, 2008 2:24 am
Forum: Help Desk
Topic: A world without war
Replies: 153
Views: 37853

Re: A world without war

"Isn't that pretty close to what the world has now? One man, George Bush, has the power ..." Shah The difference is, Bush is beholden to the U.S. corporate kingpins; in ostensible service to the People of the United States, as defined in law by the United States Constitution. In Laird's proposal, t...
by sear
Mon Feb 11, 2008 1:52 am
Forum: Help Desk
Topic: What is freedom of the press?
Replies: 15
Views: 3482

Re: What is freedom of the press?

Freedom of the press is a right to which everyone that owns a press is entitled. But it does not grant citizens a right to publish whatever they want in any newspaper they want. If the newspaper doesn't want it, they don't have to publish it. The 1st Amendment merely limits the government's capacity...
by sear
Mon Feb 11, 2008 1:37 am
Forum: Help Desk
Topic: A world without war
Replies: 153
Views: 37853

Re: A world without war

DH, While I appreciate Laird's apparent humanitarian concerns and intentions, I substantially agree with your pragmatism. For example: If the one global army is to have 500,000 men among a population of ~10 Billion on Earth, it wouldn't make sense to cluster the entire 500,000 troop strength in one ...
by sear
Sun Feb 10, 2008 1:14 pm
Forum: Help Desk
Topic: Should all drugs be legalized?
Replies: 173
Views: 47696

Re: Should all drugs be legalized?

caveat: This post does not express or imply any threat of bodily harm or malicious ill-will. It is protected speech, within the rubric of the 1st Amendment. "Breathing air is substance abuse." Carl It is if U.S. President Bush (younger) does it. It's substance use for most of the rest of us. abuse (...
by sear
Sun Feb 10, 2008 12:06 pm
Forum: Help Desk
Topic: A world without war
Replies: 153
Views: 37853

Re: A world without war

PS Thanks |read| for the thought provoking post. I share your skepticism about the global army. Frankly, if there's only one, why have it at all? Who would they defend us against? The Martians? None the less, Laird has raised the issue / topic. "A prudent question is one half of wisdom." William Jam...
by sear
Sun Feb 10, 2008 12:01 pm
Forum: Help Desk
Topic: A world without war
Replies: 153
Views: 37853

Re: A world without war

"Sear, Singe is Tomas' little play on the word "sear," as in "Sear that meat on the barbie, Bob. Singe it good." Carl" I appreciate the courtesy of your reply Carl. But what's the matter with Tomas? Not man enough to speak up for himself? He claims to be a VietNam (sic) veteran. If he was, shouldn'...
by sear
Sun Feb 10, 2008 8:14 am
Forum: Help Desk
Topic: A world without war
Replies: 153
Views: 37853

Re: A world without war

"-Singe-" Tomas
What's "-Singe-"?
by sear
Sun Feb 10, 2008 5:03 am
Forum: GENIUS FORUM
Topic: Truth or Contentment
Replies: 17
Views: 1299

Re: Truth or Contentment

"Truth or Contentment" new
False dichotomy.
by sear
Sat Feb 09, 2008 7:41 pm
Forum: Help Desk
Topic: A world without war
Replies: 153
Views: 37853

Re: A world without war

caveat: In U.S. law, the courts interpret, rule on, and in some cases veto (strike down) U.S. law. So the opinions expressed here are subject to U.S. legal review and decision. "Well, there's always the possibility that the Constitution itself will be amended." Laird Correct. When a right is deemed ...
by sear
Sat Feb 09, 2008 5:09 pm
Forum: Help Desk
Topic: A world without war
Replies: 153
Views: 37853

Re: A world without war

"In my opinion the cons far outweigh the pros." Laird In political systems, there's what is best, and there's what is possible. I know the disarming of Australia was fairly quick after the tragic school massacre. I'm not sure it would be so easy in the U.S. For one thing, we've got a 2nd Amendment ...
by sear
Sat Feb 09, 2008 3:43 am
Forum: GENIUS FORUM
Topic: the more entrenched injustices of the world...
Replies: 159
Views: 14386

Re: the more entrenched injustices of the world...

"I'm a newcomer to this forum ..." solitude_Within Hello solitude_Within. Welcome to Genius Forums. "In my experience with hardships, the relief that comes from being helped by an outside influence is one of the best and most hopeful feelings." solitude_Within "One of"? Perhaps. Rescue can be (thou...
by sear
Sat Feb 09, 2008 2:03 am
Forum: Help Desk
Topic: A world without war
Replies: 153
Views: 37853

Re: A world without war

"We are here to nurture and protect, not to kill and destroy." Laird "Says who?" sear "It's my opinion." Laird Laird: Please do not state your own personal opinion as unqualified, universal truth. "OK, so not all idealism is virtuous." Laird Correct. And thus your "... idealism is a virtue" formula...
by sear
Fri Feb 08, 2008 5:42 pm
Forum: Help Desk
Topic: A world without war
Replies: 153
Views: 37853

Re: A world without war

"Yes. Would you like to be hunted?" Laird I'm at the top of my food chain. But if I was a deer, and my choice was to be run down in the snow by a pack of coydogs, mauled over, and then eaten alive as I looked on; or simply be stepping silently through the forest one day (during hunting season) and ...
by sear
Fri Feb 08, 2008 7:16 am
Forum: Help Desk
Topic: Thomas Jefferson
Replies: 13
Views: 2001

Re: Thomas Jefferson

"He was a slave owner." broke Thus my comment: "... despite his manifold flaws." Not only was he a slave owner. Genetic testing seems to prove he had sex with Sally Hemmings. And in my opinion, a slave can't consent to such thing any more than a minor can. And though other U.S. Founders freed their...
by sear
Fri Feb 08, 2008 7:00 am
Forum: Help Desk
Topic: A world without war
Replies: 153
Views: 37853

Re: A world without war

"How can you justify the existence of any armaments at all given what you quoted below?:" Laird It may seem a baffling paradox (even to me). I love the idea of purity of concept and conduct. But bitter experience has taught me that purity in such matters as these is an invitation to huge trouble. P...
by sear
Fri Feb 08, 2008 6:01 am
Forum: Help Desk
Topic: A world without war
Replies: 153
Views: 37853

Re: beat your swords into plowshares

"the ultimate goal of course being that all national armies disappear and there is no longer any possibility of war." Laird That won't do it. Ban kitchen cutlery, and murders will be performed with garden implements and statuettes. The U.S. National Rifle Association (NRA) has a slogan, -an armed s...
by sear
Fri Feb 08, 2008 5:47 am
Forum: GENIUS FORUM
Topic: the more entrenched injustices of the world...
Replies: 159
Views: 14386

Re: the more entrenched injustices of the world...

"Love is a cause of hate." attributed to Carl Psychologist Joy Browne says hate is not the opposite of love; indifference is the opposite of love. If I may: the more entrenched injustices of the world... Perhaps many if not most of them arise from the notion that the use of coercive force or fraud ...
by sear
Fri Feb 08, 2008 5:29 am
Forum: Help Desk
Topic: A world without war
Replies: 153
Views: 37853

Re: A world without war

Thanks Laird. I'm on my way.
"Switzerland is a good example of a neutral country ..." Ryan
Yes, "neutral", but not disarmed.
By some (lame) criteria, Switzerland may be one of the best armed nations on Earth.
by sear
Fri Feb 08, 2008 4:41 am
Forum: Help Desk
Topic: A world without war
Replies: 153
Views: 37853

Re: A world without war

Laird, I appreciate the topic. But I'm not sure defining armies is the issue. War results when loss of what we have seems less of a risk than keeping it. -Diplomacy by other means- I believe is how Von Clausewitz phrased it. It seems to me the best way to insure the end of war is to make peace just ...
by sear
Fri Feb 08, 2008 4:00 am
Forum: Help Desk
Topic: Apology
Replies: 11
Views: 1647

Re: Apology

"You flatter yourself." Carl I'm not the one that went to the trouble to post the imitation. Obviously the one that did thought it was important enough to take the time to do so. That's flattering. S/He obviously thinks I'm more important than I do. And obviously you think it's important enough to ...
by sear
Fri Feb 08, 2008 3:08 am
Forum: Help Desk
Topic: Thomas Jefferson
Replies: 13
Views: 2001

Re: Thomas Jefferson

"Why is everyone here so...frivolous?" ZMD Please don't judge the entire group harshly by the comment of one person. shahrazad is right. And I add, topics probably usually get the seriousness they deserve. Is there some matter of significant consequence in this thread that I'm not aware of? I doubt...
by sear
Fri Feb 08, 2008 2:57 am
Forum: Help Desk
Topic: Should all drugs be legalized?
Replies: 173
Views: 47696

Re: Should all drugs be legalized?

broke, Thanks for the rant. Not bad. Ever think of running for mayor? If you give a stump speech like that, I might vote for you. "... opression is expensive." broke And counterproductive. It's not merely that the money is wasted. The expenditure actually makes matters worse . "... on the land that ...