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The way the situation is set up now it's unlikely that there will be any serious or sincere dialogue in political circles about actually addressing poverty - black or white. Neither blacks nor whites are monolithic communities working toward their respective goals. The whole thing's a...

It's not my intention to label you a racist. 'Racist' is a word that can be applied to almost everybody or to only a small minority - depending on the context; it's a heavily loaded word that should be used carefully.

Many African blacks and most inner city Americans are in a hole so deep they can never get out without a helping hand. I don't think we're necessarily patronizing or crusading if we help out; it can be perceived as simply helping out a bunch of people in a miserable situation. Blacks...

China = Japan x 10. In 20 yrs China dominates the world. Let's hope they're as nice to us as we've been to them. I say this tongue-in-cheek but we actually did rescue them from a brutal domination by Japan ( 200,000+ unarmed citizens murdered in Nanking in a few days ).

There are race genes.. but certainly economics is becoming the driver of our value system.

Depends on how you're using "reasonable".

America keeps making the same mistake - meddling in other cultures' affairs without understanding those cultures. The latest example is Iraq; what on earth made Bush et al think that Iraqis were ready for an overnight shift to democracy. The probability of democracy succeeding in Iraq...

Depends on whether you're white or you're black.

Even the most rational person will react emotionally to the situation you describe. If the victim hates blacks ( at least in the short term ) after he's been grievously damaged by a black it's arguably only human, especially given all the ambient negative images of blacks we have available...

Good point. It's like the effect of boiling water in a cauldron; eventually all that's left is an unworkable residue. An alternative metaphor might be that the wheat is separating itself from the chaff and what's left may be of questionable economic relevance. If we accept this as...

Point taken, but... in this particular venue there are very few, if any, innocents; after all, we're in the business of trading stocks and derivatives - an endeavor that requires a high degree of skepticism. I was shocked by '77's comments, not because I don't think there are...

Hey, that's all you need do here, KJ - demonstrate that whatever scenario you're presenting is.. well, I wouldn't ask that it be restricted to being 'scientifically possible'; if it's at all logically possible or even logically intriguing that's certainly enough for me. I have a problem...

Aha! Interesting. Very interesting. You allow for the coexistence of a possible god and evolution - not only evolution but a failed evolution - the embedded supposition being that this evolution would be purposeful, i.e. part of some grand design! From this I deduce that you are...

If by parties you mean political parties I have to agree with you. Those who declare themselves enemies of democracy should not be allowed to compete for power; their organization into official parties should be forbidden by law.

True, but it seems we're always on a slippery slope; if we manage to scramble back up the one we're on we start sliding down the other side. We're doomed to forever claw our way around on the icy roof of fate. Alas.

Cosmologists are always discrediting each others' theories. The Hindus are probably closer to the truth than are the scientists even if their numbers are out a little. An oscillating Universe works but only if it exactly repeats itself.

Yeah. But we're screwing it up.

I'm sure my analogy is not a particularly good one - at least insofar as it failed to confine the discussion to a 2-option scenario as I had intended. So... what sort of combinations and permutations might [i]you[i/] suggest lurk in terra incognito? If the Universe was not either brought...

You protest that the concept "beginning" is restricting because it's only a human construct - but aren't all things conceivable to us, including a universe without a beginning also human constructs? OK, KJ - let's say the coin analogy unintentionally let in a 3rd option which you have...

Maybe Nik is suggesting that proseletyzing evangelicals' beliefs are fairy tales with no reflection on your beliefs. Seems like a reasonable dude. I go to bed.