K-Mac

I guess I think animals are smarter than most give them credit for. I think the buffalo "know" they are stronger as a herd than as individuals (that is why they are herd animals after all) and why they retreated and regrouped for their attack. Now why this particular heard decided to take it upon themselves to act in their best interest, is beyond me. Maybe they're evolving? (They're mad as hell and they're not going to take it anymore! ) I found it particularly interesting to see the inner conflict going on within the herd. You can clearly see individuals stepping forward, then back, then forward, then back. It's as though they know they shouldn't be doing this, yet they can't help themselves. Amazing to witness. Just goes to show the power of the masses. Just like the buffalo, many of us are hesitant to step up and work toward change, but when we work together toward a common goal, even the unheard of is possible. Hey, maybe we can write a fable about this?

Well a police raid might offend them, and we certainly don't want to offend anyone.

Well I feel like I'm pretty social; however, I think that bars are tricky social situations. I typically do not make lasting friendships or engage in meaningful conversations when in bars. If I'm looking to strike up a conversation with a stranger in a bar, which I haven't done in quite awhile, I try to find someone else that looks the way I feel...probably doesn't really want to be there and looks a bit more intelligent than the rest of the crowd. That being said, you could also try getting drunk which will allow you to speak with anyone about anything, but you would probably not escape with your brain intact.

Good stuff! Thank you!

Yes, that's what I intended. And I agree with everything else you said. We would have to remove all forms of welfare to get these people to help themselves. It all makes me sad and angry. Pitiful.

Are you suggesting that they would turn to crime rather than actually attempt to make a living for themselves? If so, you are probably right. These people have been so indoctrinated with the welfare system for so many generations, they probably do not know how to get by in life, much less succeed.

I guarantee you that if FEMA kicked them out of those trailers tomorrow and they were left standing in a parking lot with their few belongings, they would figure out how to live. I lived in Houston when Tropical Storm Allison flooded the city for three days. I stacked my furniture on paint cans, hoped the water wouldn't come into my home any higher than it already had and watched the local news channels go off the air because their studios were flooding. I saw the world's greatest medical center under water and 18-wheelers floating down I-10. I find it hard to believe that a city of 4 million-plus people could get over that within a year, yet a city of 500,000 is still having a hard time with Katrina. For me, there is no better example of how liberal leadership and welfare simply do not work.

Well, his is a good actor, just a horrible person. If he were a real life Spicoli, that would be an improvement.

If you have a sibling, you can relate... Someone already posted this somewhere else, but it's one of my favorites...

One of my favorite Chavez quotes is, “Capitalism is the way of the devil and exploitation. If you really want to look at things through the eyes of Jesus Christ — who I think was the first socialist — only socialism can really create a genuine society.” —Hugo Chávez

Thank you, sNerd! That is an interesting post, and although not about marriage, it is certainly relevant. I guess it also explains why I recently joined FROG and look forward to future meetings...looking for like-minded, new friends.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070803/ap_en_...ple_sean_penn_2 Of course, with a father who was a Stalin supporter, what else should one expect from this Hollywood, spoiled brat, liberal? They should cast Penn as one of the antagonist in the film version of AS. Which role do you think he should play?

I agree! Everyone keeps giving me their condolences like someone/something has died, but I look at it as a new beginning, my renaissance I keep calling it. I understand and appreciate their condolences and I'm sure I will have my moments, but I already feel so much better just having made the decision and I'm looking forward to moving on.

I'm so excited for you, Cogito! Have a nice trip and let us know when you're settled.

Since I still consider myself a student of Objectivism, I hesitate to say that Objectivism changed my relationship with my husband, but discovering Ayn Rand's philosophies and reading Atlas Shrugged definitely gave me the clarity I needed to make the recent decision to divorce my husband. We've been together 14 years and married 9 of those, and although I still love him and care for him deeply, I recently realized that he is, quite literally, the only thing in my life that makes me unhappy. I have lost quite a bit of weight and my broken leg is healing nicely, so physically, I feel the best I have in years. (And look much better too!) I love my career and my employer is awesome and compensates me well. I love my home, my neighbors, even my car. I certainly love myself, I think I'm reasonably intelligent, and I think I have a lot going for me in general. So why am I letting my husband bring me down? He has obvious issues with stress/anger management, and I'm simply not willing to continue to try to help someone who claims he needs no help. I feel very confident with my decision, but these things take time and as the weeks go by before the divorce is finalized, I'm sure some doubt will creep in. I feel weird crediting a philosophy and/or a book with my decision, but I feel they played a key role in my decision. Is that nuts? Everyone said that AS can change your life, but is this too much? I don't think so. I need to be happy and his emotional and psychological problems seem to be the only thing standing in my way. So my question to you is, has Objectivism and/or AR's philosophies changed your relationships, and if so, how?

I know...it's terrifying really. These people hate everything we stand for. I saw a really good show on National Geographic Channel about the Mujahideen and the birth of Al Qaeda. Unfortunately, I cannot remember what it was called, but it was a two hour special and was VERY interesting. I highly recommend it if you ever catch it on...I'm sure they'll rerun it.

Since Al Qaeda is part of the Islamic Totalitarian movement, I certainly consider them an enemy. I'm speaking of Al Qaeda because this thread is about the US arming its enemies. We armed the Mujahideen against the Soviets, then after the war, they formed Al Qaeda and the Taliban. Now they hate us and fight us, with our own weaponry in some instances. [Edited for typo.]

I think people are sick and tired of having no choices and many are unsure of what to do about it. All of us are here bitching and moaning, debating to each other, blogging to each other...but who's out there really doing anything about it? Very few of us, I would imagine. (And w/ McCain/Feingold campaign finance reform, who could start a grass roots campaign anyway? You can't even put a home made sign in your yard around election day anymore.)

I will have to look into that because everything I've ever read or seen about the formation of Al Qaeda seems to go back to that point. Granted, radical Muslims are not all Al Qaeda and all of the various groups of radical Islam hate us for a variety of reasons, but the thread here was about arming what soon become our enemies, so I was speaking to that. I think there's no denying that many in the rest of the world, radical Muslims included, are sick and tired of us arming one enemy to fight another. It just keeps coming back to haunt us and no one in Washington seems to have any desire to end that policy.

I saw this on the news yesterday. Very disappointing, and scary, again. Why do our leaders keep making this same mistake? This is precisely why they (radical Islam) already hates us. It all started with the Afghan/USSR war! And as we speak, we are systematically shredding what's left of our Tomcat fleet so that Iran won't get their hands on any parts. Why can't our leaders learn from their past mistakes?

Well, I feel like I see both sides here. I think that Objectivists want to support a party they believe in (and that's certainly not the Democrats or the Republicans at this moment in time), but like most Americans, they simply try to vote for the lesser of the evils. The debate here seems to be which is the lesser of the evils. I think what intellectualammo was trying to get at, and correct me please if I'm wrong, was that a mass exodus out of the Republican party would send them a strong message that they are heading down a slippery slope that many Americans (hopefully most) will not take with them. If we can get them, some other party, or even a single candidate for that matter, to get back to the basic principal that the only job of government is to protect freedoms, then I'm certain Objectivists will be on the same page with one party and/or one candidate. This is a tumultuous time for our nation and I think that's evident by the amount of debate going on among groups of people who usually believe the same things. Hell, even the Christian right is fractured right now. It seems like it's all up for grabs by the narrowest of margins and everyone is frustrated and fighting for what they think is right and where the country should go, or shouldn't go. At least it shows we're all passionate and ready for change. I'll quit rambling now.

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Entertainment...en_served/8497/ 1.) I find it very hard to believe that emergency workers in NYC, particularly those that belong to unions, do not have good health care plans. 2.) Is he suggesting that we not provide adequate care for the detainees? Because I thought the US was criticized for that too? This man is such an idiot.

I am so sorry to hear of your grandmother's diagnosis, Cogito. I have only known one person with pancreatic cancer. My friend's father was around 60 years old when he was told he would have 6 months or less to live. He spent a ton of money doing some experimental treatments in Houston and lived for a year after his diagnosis. Unfortunately, pancreatic cancer is a bad one and does not have a high rate of survivability. I hate to say that and sound harsh, but I want to be honest with you. My friend had to accept this fact as well. She just spent as much time as possible with her father and made sure that she told him all the things that are important for one to tell those they love. If anything, that's the good side of all of this. You have time to tell your grandmother how much she means to you and how much she's loved. Tell her what kind of impact she's had on your life and how important she is. So many of us take our loved ones for granted and never get to say goodbye. It's really a lesson for us all...don't wait, say it now. Appreciate them now. Tell them that you love them now. If you would like, I'd be happy to call my friend and find out more about the experimental treatment her father received. It certainly seemed to make a difference in the longevity and quality of his life during his last year. The only other thing I would say is, get your grandmother down to Houston to be diagnosed/tested/treated by the MD Anderson Cancer Center. People don't come from all over the world to MD Anderson for nothing. It's the best possible cancer care available. Period. Your family needs to ask her doctor about it and see if he thinks they can help her. I wish you, your family and your grandmother all the best!

Someone last night in the chat room mentioned that they couldn't believe this thread was still going. I can. I think rational Americans are sick and tired of the irrational slut-culture infesting our young people. Paris Hilton should not be the poster child for prosperity in this country nor the idol of our little girls. When I look around at what some preteen girls are wearing these days, I think to myself, it's no wonder there are so many child predators in our society today...people are letting our children dress like hookers and they think it's cute!

I'm not really happy with any of the media or news outlets, TV or print. I occasionally enjoy the WSJ, but the only thing that a newspaper is really good for, is my grocery coupons or lining an animal's cage. If I could do the same with TV news, I would.