Paul4747's Profile

Agnosticism is not the same as atheism.

brentan comments on Mar 29, 2019:

I'm always interested. I think the atheists often forget what site they are on.

Paul4747 replies on Mar 29, 2019:

Well said, sir! The smugness of atheists who are *certain* there is no god rivals that of theists who are *certain* that there is. Even the vanishingly small possibility of some godlike being having created everything, unlikely as it is- a Clockmaker god- cannot be disproved and must therefore be accepted as *possible*. Even though this falls victim to the fallacy of the Infinite Regress (if God created everything, who created God?), it's not impossible for a godlike being to exist who was able to set the universe in motion. Possibly that being came about by natural processes from a previous universe. Obviously, we'll never know, but it's a valid speculation.

Was sex more fun when you still believed in original sin?

Paul4747 comments on Jan 4, 2019:

I never actually thought about it during the act, and if I gave it any thought at all, it was kinda creepy that a guy in an imaginary place was watching me get it on. However, the very best sex of my life was with my married neighbor, who was also a Jehovah's Witness, and I guess by her standards...

Paul4747 replies on Mar 28, 2019:

@miked3003 .... Interesting. I wonder of it's something about the religion? I know mine was very frustrated because her husband viewed sex as mainly for making kids, and they had done that, so except on the rare occasions he was super-horny, he wasn't interested. If their church indoctrinates people that way, then those who aren't good at suppressing a normal sex drive *are* going to seek outlets outside of marriage...

She's way too excited

Unclehotrod comments on Mar 25, 2019:

You guys are missing it, they aren't showing her from the waist down. She's probably riding the producer.

Paul4747 replies on Mar 25, 2019:

Then he's smiling even bigger than her

If it were legal, do you think it would be possible to love and be married to 1 0r 2 women or 1 0r 2...

Allamanda comments on Mar 25, 2019:

It's a curious question, why bigamy / biandry has stayed illegal without even being questioned in most coutries, despite the relaxation of all other marriage mores... I can't really see why.

Paul4747 replies on Mar 25, 2019:

@SeaGreenEyez I try to be a nice guy :)

If it were legal, do you think it would be possible to love and be married to 1 0r 2 women or 1 0r 2...

Allamanda comments on Mar 25, 2019:

It's a curious question, why bigamy / biandry has stayed illegal without even being questioned in most coutries, despite the relaxation of all other marriage mores... I can't really see why.

Paul4747 replies on Mar 25, 2019:

@SeaGreenEyez I'm a blue dot in a 4/3 red corner of the state (according to the 2016 election results), so logically there must be at least *some* other liberals out there, and yet it seems I'm the only one outside my immediate circle I ever meet on a personal level. And yet most of the people I meet professionally seem like we would be compatible, if only we weren't already in a professional relationship (dammit!). So, logically, there must be more. I figure I just need to change the circles I move in. I would bet there are a lot more people like us in your area too, they just keep quiet about it because of the number of... is it rude to say "idiots" they're surrounded by?

If it were legal, do you think it would be possible to love and be married to 1 0r 2 women or 1 0r 2...

Allamanda comments on Mar 25, 2019:

It's a curious question, why bigamy / biandry has stayed illegal without even being questioned in most coutries, despite the relaxation of all other marriage mores... I can't really see why.

Paul4747 replies on Mar 25, 2019:

@SeaGreenEyez I'm only 1 state away. There are neighbors, and then there are neighbors.

If it were legal, do you think it would be possible to love and be married to 1 0r 2 women or 1 0r 2...

Allamanda comments on Mar 25, 2019:

It's a curious question, why bigamy / biandry has stayed illegal without even being questioned in most coutries, despite the relaxation of all other marriage mores... I can't really see why.

Paul4747 replies on Mar 25, 2019:

@SeaGreenEyez Ah yes... the "criminalization of Christianity". "It's illegal for me to discriminate in the name of my imaginary god." As for loving my neighbor, I'm open to all reasonable offers ;) (KIDDING!!!)

If it were legal, do you think it would be possible to love and be married to 1 0r 2 women or 1 0r 2...

Allamanda comments on Mar 25, 2019:

It's a curious question, why bigamy / biandry has stayed illegal without even being questioned in most coutries, despite the relaxation of all other marriage mores... I can't really see why.

Paul4747 replies on Mar 25, 2019:

@SeaGreenEyez That's good to know, then. And yet, I still see news stories about county judges and so forth refusing to recognize couples and whatnot? Or maybe it's just people trying to overturn the ruling?

Britain is dying a painful death.

PalacinkyPDX comments on Mar 25, 2019:

Yaay, we've got a new incel UKIP troll here on agnostic.com. We prayed to Jeebus for someone to speak out against the horrors of pluralism, tolerance and multiculturalism and the Lord Jeebus delivered. [speaking in tongues]

Paul4747 replies on Mar 25, 2019:

(Homer Simpson voice) But I don't even believe in your god Jeebus!

If it were legal, do you think it would be possible to love and be married to 1 0r 2 women or 1 0r 2...

Allamanda comments on Mar 25, 2019:

It's a curious question, why bigamy / biandry has stayed illegal without even being questioned in most coutries, despite the relaxation of all other marriage mores... I can't really see why.

Paul4747 replies on Mar 25, 2019:

@Allamanda I read it once a year, probably. It's on my classics list.

If it were legal, do you think it would be possible to love and be married to 1 0r 2 women or 1 0r 2...

Allamanda comments on Mar 25, 2019:

It's a curious question, why bigamy / biandry has stayed illegal without even being questioned in most coutries, despite the relaxation of all other marriage mores... I can't really see why.

Paul4747 replies on Mar 25, 2019:

@Allamanda I agree completely. I was merely speculating regarding why monogamy has remained the sole legal form, not prescribing a solution. I admit to being vulnerable to the same jealousy impulses myself. I'm sure I'm not as evolved as I want to be. But, given the right person, in those circumstances, who knows? I particularly recommend Heinlein's *Stranger In A Strange Land* for a portrayal of a poly society, even if it is based around a weird Martian religion at the same time. (Although said "religion" turns out to be science-based too, sorta...)

If it were legal, do you think it would be possible to love and be married to 1 0r 2 women or 1 0r 2...

Allamanda comments on Mar 25, 2019:

It's a curious question, why bigamy / biandry has stayed illegal without even being questioned in most coutries, despite the relaxation of all other marriage mores... I can't really see why.

Paul4747 replies on Mar 25, 2019:

We still haven't got around to recognizing same-sex marriage in all 50 states as far as I know, this would be an even bigger hurdle. Sexual jealousy is deeply embedded in the primate consciousness, and as many people forget (or don't like to be reminded), we are primates. It takes a very civilized group of people to get past that and share partners in a truly equal way. Also, there are stereotypes of Arab harems and so on which have to be overcome... and it's true historically that women were treated as property for a long long time, so rulers and the wealthy would have a wife and numerous side women, effectively a harem by any other name. I think those memories left a bad taste for a lot of people who see them as stereotypes for how any poly marriage would be.

If it were legal, do you think it would be possible to love and be married to 1 0r 2 women or 1 0r 2...

LiterateHiker comments on Mar 25, 2019:

I prefer to focus on one man at a time. In my 20s, I had two lovers. It was crazy-making for all involved. The men were jealous of each other. Both wanted more of my time.

Paul4747 replies on Mar 25, 2019:

I can understand that :)

For 2nd amendment avid supporters: you need to learn to argue with better and reasonable points.

Novelty comments on Mar 23, 2019:

I've seen our war machine in action. I guess they think they can hold off 50mm rounds (the smallest ammo they're likely to encounter in a stand off) with AR15s, I don't think so. Pretty dumb ass argument there. Weirdly enough these people actually believe that they are what's between them and ...

Paul4747 replies on Mar 23, 2019:

That's ".50 caliber", not "50mm". The point is in the principle, not necessarily in practice. And there are other types of government overreach than full-fledged armored attack. We have a government of checks and balances. The ultimate check on governmental authority is the fact that we, as citizens, outnumber those whom we elect to govern us. There is always the danger that they will forget their place and act as rulers rather than representatives. (Remember Wounded Knee?) It's important that we, the people, retain the ability to overthrow a government that no longer represents us, just as happened in 1776. Do you really trust someone like (for example) Donald Trump, with unlimited power and a population that has no defense against his forces? There's a reason he admires people like Kim Jong Un and Putin; they're dictators with no effective opposition. That's because their opposition has no real chance of rising against them without being slaughtered. Trump would love that kind of power. To your second point: Many, many people feel we would be better off eliminating all handguns, and shotguns, and rifles, in private hands. And I hate to trot out an old cliche, but if you outlaw guns, only outlaws will have guns. The problem is, what do you define as "rational" gun control? That's an entirely subjective term, though you probably think it's self-evident. I support closing the gun-show loophole and instituting universal background checks, with a very few exceptions such as guns that are part of an estate. Then we impose harsh penalties on anyone violating those laws. That seems rational to me.

Calling Women "the Office Bunny"

Paul4747 comments on Mar 22, 2019:

It is a pejorative term. It is also, very sadly, still a fact of life. There is, in my workplace (a state prison), an employee who, with zero custody experience, zero experience outside the records office, and a total of three years experience in the Department of Corrections, was put in charge ...

Paul4747 replies on Mar 22, 2019:

@MarkiusMahamius "Wallow"? I know how many women are harassed, and some use this type of career advancement as their weapon in retaliation. It's their way of getting even with a system that allows men with power to get away with it. It's possible for both sides to be wrong. I don't believe male executives (or female, because I've seen boy-toy assistant managers too) (let's just generalize it to "anybody") should be able to get away with their behavior, and I don't believe underlings should be able to trade on looks in lieu of actual job performance.

Was sex more fun when you still believed in original sin?

Paul4747 comments on Jan 4, 2019:

I never actually thought about it during the act, and if I gave it any thought at all, it was kinda creepy that a guy in an imaginary place was watching me get it on. However, the very best sex of my life was with my married neighbor, who was also a Jehovah's Witness, and I guess by her standards...

Paul4747 replies on Mar 22, 2019:

@Jerry8472 They were sinning with the atheists and agnostics like me :D

The Emptiness of Atomic Space.

Happy_Killbot comments on Mar 21, 2019:

I'm not a physicist but what little I know about the photoelectric effect suggests that the probability that a photon will interact with an "orbiting" (they are actually in a probability cloud) has more to do with the wavelength of the photon and energy level of the electrons. That is why some ...

Paul4747 replies on Mar 21, 2019:

And there are more molecules in one glass of water, than there are glasses of water in all the oceans of the world... (paraphrasing Richard Dawkins)

The Emptiness of Atomic Space.

Paul4747 comments on Mar 21, 2019:

I was with you right up to the "Supreme Programmer". Wasn't that the villain in the Tron movies?

Paul4747 replies on Mar 21, 2019:

@bigpawbullets I don't think I ever did see it, but I probably spent $100 at the arcade to beat the video game... over and over and over

Applause for the changes in the view of post displays.

indirect76 comments on Mar 20, 2019:

I’m not seeing these changes in browser or the app. I’ll reboot and reinstall my OS to see if it fixes it.

Paul4747 replies on Mar 20, 2019:

I don't know about the phone but I see it in win10.

Ilhan Omar is not deserving of her seat in The House.

Paul4747 comments on Mar 19, 2019:

If you're truly freedom-loving, why not move to Israel, where there is no Constitution, no civil marriage, no civil divorce, and orthodox Jewish religious law is the basis for almost everything?

Paul4747 replies on Mar 19, 2019:

@mcgeo52 ......maybe

I haven’t seen anything here about Alabama being the first state to introduce Sharia law.

Paul4747 comments on Mar 19, 2019:

All Middle East- based religions treat women as property. I'm not surprised to find the Xians at it again. Disappointed, but not surprised.

Paul4747 replies on Mar 19, 2019:

@jerome4377 confused by your reply

I haven’t seen anything here about Alabama being the first state to introduce Sharia law.

Freedompath comments on Mar 19, 2019:

Putting words that do not represent the facts, adds nothing! It starts a train of misinformation!

Paul4747 replies on Mar 19, 2019:

The shoe seems to fit, though. If it were a Middle-Eastern country, this would be denounced as barbaric. Since it's Alabama, it's "the will of the people".

Ilhan Omar is not deserving of her seat in The House.

Paul4747 comments on Mar 19, 2019:

If you're truly freedom-loving, why not move to Israel, where there is no Constitution, no civil marriage, no civil divorce, and orthodox Jewish religious law is the basis for almost everything?

Paul4747 replies on Mar 19, 2019:

@SidneyWinston I'm not sure what my weight has to do with anything, but my Master's in History begs to differ with the rest of your reply. And it's easy to check, Israel has no formal written Constitution.

Perfect takedown of moron claiming nazis were socialists. [comicsands.com]

powder comments on Mar 19, 2019:

Yep weird logic. If your political party has "socialist" in it, it must be socialist like Hitlers socialist party. If your party has "Peoples Democratic Republic" in it it must be democratic like Laos PDR and Nth Korea. American "Democratic party" doesn't exactly represent democracy either. Ask ...

Paul4747 replies on Mar 19, 2019:

I don't ask the Berniecrats much of anything. Too many of them think "gun control" means nobody should own any guns. I'm a lifelong Democrat... yet they're too liberal for me on some issues. We need to appeal to the center of the country. If you want to bring the movement to the people, you have to start where the people are.

No underwear..

Paul4747 comments on Mar 18, 2019:

I don't really expect him to lose sleep if I don't like his movies. On the other hand, I don't know him personally, so I have no idea if I like him or not. He's probably a decent guy...

Paul4747 replies on Mar 19, 2019:

@Jolanta Okay, I know this is a sign of my twisted mind, but my very first thought was, "Hitler did paintings too..." And I immediately felt bad that the thought even entered my mind. :|

The 'I could care less' movement..

Paul4747 comments on Mar 15, 2019:

I couldn't care less about this issue.

Paul4747 replies on Mar 16, 2019:

@Athena Then possibly I could care less?

In the Bible where Jesus says "He who is without sin the first stone" Two questions come to ...

Gwendolyn2018 comments on Feb 7, 2019:

Technically, both she and the man should get stoned, but women received the brunt of the punishment, and for at least a couple of reasons: 1. There was a double standard. It was generally accepted that men could play around but women needed to be faithful (this thought continued for centuries ...

Paul4747 replies on Mar 12, 2019:

@Meili I could go further into this topic, but... no. Just no.

Your thoughts on pubic hair fashions?

Wisewoman3 comments on Feb 14, 2019:

I remember when I had my children, back in the 60's. The nurses shaved every single hair on my pussy. It felt very weird and itched when it grew out. It never entered my head to keep it shaved. When I became a nurse in labor and delivery, all I ever saw was hairy pussies. In the 80's I saw my first ...

Paul4747 replies on Mar 12, 2019:

As a man with body hair, thank you. It seems like every guy you see on TV or anywhere else is waxed from the neck down, and at the same time has a week's worth of stubble on his face. I grew up thinking it was supposed to be the other way around- shave the face, not the rest. (That said, I have been known to shave the nethers, but it takes more time and effort than it's worth when I'm the only one looking at them, so mostly I just settle for a neat trim, just in case.)

I had some one put it to me very interesting about what a ghost and such could be.

Green_eyes comments on Mar 12, 2019:

The stored energy in our bodies simply goes back into the earth upon our death to continue the circle of life. If there were ghosts or spirits of the formerly living, the rule wouldn’t apply to just humans. We’d see ghosts of every fly or mosquito we’ve ever swatted. Why do people never ...

Paul4747 replies on Mar 12, 2019:

What you said.

In the Bible where Jesus says "He who is without sin the first stone" Two questions come to ...

Gwendolyn2018 comments on Feb 7, 2019:

Technically, both she and the man should get stoned, but women received the brunt of the punishment, and for at least a couple of reasons: 1. There was a double standard. It was generally accepted that men could play around but women needed to be faithful (this thought continued for centuries ...

Paul4747 replies on Mar 12, 2019:

@Meili Interject away. That's got mine beat, I suppose... I've never really tried to count the settings... I suppose it might vary depending on the operator?

I've recently started a group with @misterinvisible and it has yet to be approved, or not.

Paul4747 comments on Mar 9, 2019:

I would definitely join that group ?

Paul4747 replies on Mar 9, 2019:

@Wildflower Best invitation I've had in months ;)

In the Bible where Jesus says "He who is without sin the first stone" Two questions come to ...

Gwendolyn2018 comments on Feb 7, 2019:

Technically, both she and the man should get stoned, but women received the brunt of the punishment, and for at least a couple of reasons: 1. There was a double standard. It was generally accepted that men could play around but women needed to be faithful (this thought continued for centuries ...

Paul4747 replies on Mar 8, 2019:

@Loridae Thank you, you don't know how much that means to hear (read ;)) especially just lately. I won't bore you with my recent events but it's been a messed-up few months in between weather, a bout of depression probably connected with the weather, and then hitting the 18 month unniversary of my divorce.

Trump chasing a Nobel Prize

Novelty comments on Mar 1, 2019:

Oh yea, and I deserve the Pulitzer Prize for literature just from my post here in agnostics.com.

Paul4747 replies on Mar 1, 2019:

Yours has been more literate by far than anything I've seen Trump write (or his ghost writers either).

History will judge Mr.

Renickulous comments on Feb 26, 2019:

Cant find him inciting violence(in that thread), what did he say exactly or can you cite it please

Paul4747 replies on Feb 26, 2019:

@Renickulous "stating the opinions and policies of Democrats is a efficient way to sway opinion." Except that it's a lie. I'm done with you.

History will judge Mr.

Renickulous comments on Feb 26, 2019:

Cant find him inciting violence(in that thread), what did he say exactly or can you cite it please

Paul4747 replies on Feb 26, 2019:

@Renickulous A late term abortion is not "murdering a child after birth". I can refute Shapiro quite simply, because he calls for a blanket ban on all abortion, even in cases of rape and incest, and he does it on religious grounds. There is no god, therefore we make our judgement from biology. Before the forebrain forms, there is basically nothing we can call a "human" there. Potential human, sure, but we can say that of every sperm and egg cell. Many fetuses abort themselves naturally, without the mother ever realizing it. Where is the "human" being killed? Up until the third trimester, the fetus is just a developing human. Even in the third, it is a medical judgement where the line is. And the health of the already-born mother takes priority over the possible child. My point about opinions is, any male's is an uninformed one, since you are not the one risking your life and health. You have no right to force it on a woman.

History will judge Mr.

Renickulous comments on Feb 26, 2019:

Cant find him inciting violence(in that thread), what did he say exactly or can you cite it please

Paul4747 replies on Feb 26, 2019:

@Renickulous To say "Group X won't even put a stop to murdering babies" puts a label on that group. It makes them an acceptable target. Trump knows he has followers who have already, for example, sent pipe bombs to media outlets after he called the media "Enemies of the People". It's an implicit incitement. Do you not get that when a president accuses an entire opposition party of being complicit in killing babies, it is predictable that his less stable followers will take that as a call to do something about it? He is not just speaking as Donald Trump, private citizen, he's speaking as (supposedly) the leader of the nation, and as such his words are supposed to be measured. His words carry weight. And they are supposed to be thought out. Yet they are not.

History will judge Mr.

Renickulous comments on Feb 26, 2019:

Cant find him inciting violence(in that thread), what did he say exactly or can you cite it please

Paul4747 replies on Feb 26, 2019:

@Renickulous You don't seem to know much about the difference between an abortion and a delivery. There are two different goals. Once more, there is no such thing as a baby accidentally being born instead of an abortion being performed. You don't need a law against this case, any more than you need a law against killing visiting Martians. It just ain't going to happen. The "evil" is in creating a fantasy world where abortion providers are actually Doctor Mengele and need to be put out of business by any means necessary. In that world, people act on the delusion that murder is justified when it's to protect the "unborn". Fact is, neither you nor I have the right to say a damn thing against abortion, because neither of us have to go through the process of carrying a fetus or giving birth, risking death or permanent harm if something goes wrong in that process. The woman takes the risk, the woman has the choice. And believe me, it's not a choice that's ever made lightly.

I find this striking:

brentan comments on Feb 18, 2019:

You guys just wait until employment is up and immigration is down.

Paul4747 replies on Feb 26, 2019:

I did. It was the Obama administration.

Did you consent to being born?

Bob4Health comments on Feb 11, 2019:

Life is a gift. Parents make decision for their children, as they have since before primates existed. Every animal has the will to survive. It's the ultimate purpose of life, to live and reproduce. Everything else is opinion, and not part of science.

Paul4747 replies on Feb 26, 2019:

A gift from whom? Life is an accidental conjunction of egg and sperm, out of their thousands, nay millions of possible meetings. A gift must be intentionally given.

History will judge Mr.

Renickulous comments on Feb 26, 2019:

Cant find him inciting violence(in that thread), what did he say exactly or can you cite it please

Paul4747 replies on Feb 26, 2019:

@Renickulous Yes, he's lying. The bill has nothing to do with newborn children, but with a fantasy world where babies miraculously live through abortions and then have to be "murdered" by doctors, which *does not happen in real life*. It's a stalking horse specifically written up to draw No votes from Democrats which can then be used to appeal to the far-right-wing base, which has to be mobilized and mobilized "YUGE" if Trump is going to have a remote chance of re-election next year, or if the Republican party as a whole is going to maintain any kind of control nationwide. Trump is a sinking ship and he's dragging the party down with him. Bills like this are a poison pill tactic to make Democrats go on record as being more sane than Republicans. In the cloture vote (along pure party lines), 3 Republicans didn't vote at all, but you notice that Trump didn't call them out for not supporting a baby's right to life. Why? Because he's not interested in scoring points against Republicans, only Democrats. https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=116=1=00027

So, maybe I was in an abusive marriage after all?

A2Jennifer comments on Feb 24, 2019:

A person is allowed to have absolute control over their own sexual activities, and to decline them for any reason or no reason. Attributing this to “control games” is to view it entirely from the perspective of what you wanted. If all the issues you highlighted, “emotional withholding” and ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 25, 2019:

I only wanted something if she wanted it too. When she would tell me, essentially, I could do whatever I wanted but she had no interest in it... I didn't know what to do with that.

So, maybe I was in an abusive marriage after all?

linxminx comments on Feb 24, 2019:

I wondered too after leaving my marriage if what I experienced was abuse. I never experienced anything physically hurtful or harmful, it was all emotional, and at times could be subtle and confusing. I was talking to a friend one time about what I dealt with in my marriage and she said, "Everyone ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 25, 2019:

I asked her to go to counseling with me. Her only response was, "I'm not the kind of person who's comfortable talking about my feelings." I asked her to think about it. That's where it ended.

What accent does your Alexa have?

Paul4747 comments on Feb 16, 2019:

I've never met anyone called Alexa, but I guess different people have different accents. I'm confused by this question...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 16, 2019:

@Amisja They never sent me one. I don't know how I've done it all this time.

Three Things President Trump Must Do Immediately to Destroy the Deep State - YouTube

Paul4747 comments on Feb 16, 2019:

"Call them what I will..." Your paranoid delusion? I think that is what I will call "them". Or "the Deep Lie". "The Deep Fantasy"? Oo, I like that one. That's going to be the title of my book. I'm copyrighting that one right now, baby.

Paul4747 replies on Feb 16, 2019:

@CallMeDave Tell that to George Lucas. Then try titling your next work of fiction "Star Wars". But just for you, I'm coining the phrase instead.

Politics is just coffee table fodder.

Paul4747 comments on Feb 16, 2019:

Not with *that* attitude, you're not. Apathy is what got Trump elected. Democrats who stayed home because they thought the election was sewn up and their vote didn't matter. Or people who thought, "They're all the same, all politicians are liars and crooks, nothing I do will change the system."...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 16, 2019:

@goldenvalleyguy They say atheists are more intelligent than the average population. Thank you for disproving that myth.

What Can a President Do During a State of Emergency? - The Atlantic

Marine comments on Feb 16, 2019:

Congress had better get control!

Paul4747 replies on Feb 16, 2019:

That was my thought, back in the Bush II administration when they were a rubber stamp for whatever W and Cheney wanted to do. Now it's verging on too late. And what party let it go this far? (Answers on a postcard, please.)

Republican Who Claims Holocaust Was Orchestrated by Gay Nazis Wins Enough Support for Massachusetts ...

Jolanta comments on May 22, 2018:

People obviously have no clue that Hitler killed all the gays he could lay his hands on.

Paul4747 replies on Feb 16, 2019:

Thank you for knowing history. As opposed to the "history" that people try to write these days.

In the Bible where Jesus says "He who is without sin the first stone" Two questions come to ...

Gwendolyn2018 comments on Feb 7, 2019:

Technically, both she and the man should get stoned, but women received the brunt of the punishment, and for at least a couple of reasons: 1. There was a double standard. It was generally accepted that men could play around but women needed to be faithful (this thought continued for centuries ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 16, 2019:

@Gwendolyn2018 I love that line... "Oh, I want to have sex, just not with you." If I ever write a great American novel, my heroine will speak those words to somebody. If I have your permission to quote you, that is.

hi i want links to go to the red rome can you help me

Green_eyes comments on Feb 16, 2019:

This should help https://dating.christianmingle.com/en-us/mb6t4e/669111/?seg=sem=CUS_SEM_101_975839420_47136327823_45155762_christianmingle=CjwKCAiAhp_jBRAxEiwAXbniXWH5q6zXPcM0CXhkv1FSiF94U5SecTY2VLmxYvlYZ9ktof6oX95PExoCwW4QAvD_BwE

Paul4747 replies on Feb 16, 2019:

@Green_eyes I've never been either. I think it's the secret part of the site. I don't have a link to it myself. But I bet it's a bunch of fun. ;)

hi i want links to go to the red rome can you help me

Green_eyes comments on Feb 16, 2019:

This should help https://dating.christianmingle.com/en-us/mb6t4e/669111/?seg=sem=CUS_SEM_101_975839420_47136327823_45155762_christianmingle=CjwKCAiAhp_jBRAxEiwAXbniXWH5q6zXPcM0CXhkv1FSiF94U5SecTY2VLmxYvlYZ9ktof6oX95PExoCwW4QAvD_BwE

Paul4747 replies on Feb 16, 2019:

It just occurred to me... does he possibly mean "Red Room"?

I feel that a majority of the populous is actually devolving. Anyone else share this sentiment?

Paul4747 comments on Feb 16, 2019:

Theory: There is a finite amount of intelligence in the world. Population is increasing.

Paul4747 replies on Feb 16, 2019:

@Matias There you go; We used up the intelligence.

I'm still not convinced climate change is a problem. Can you convince me otherwise?

Shouldbefishing comments on Feb 16, 2019:

It depends. You used two different terms in your post, "climate change" and "global warming". They are not mutually exclusive, although most people use them interchangeably just like how people use the term "agnostic" to describe a theological middle ground between Theism and Atheism. Is it ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 16, 2019:

And yet you don't see the contradiction of "I don't want to further destroy the environment" and "I won't support environmentalists." Thanks for helping the cause. Change on a micro level isn't going to do shit if our nation continues polluting on a macro, corporate level. The Bush II administration put the lobbyists for polluters in charge of the EPA, gutted protection for the environment, pulled out of the Kyoto accord, and helped put us decades behind in any effort to solve the problem. Trump is doing the same. No individual, however committed, can equal the collective weight of nations regulating polluters and cleaning up the environment. Imagine if a Gore administration had started, in 2000, working on reversing the damage from climate change. (Plus, the Twin Towers would probably still be standing, but that's another thread entirely.)

In the Bible where Jesus says "He who is without sin the first stone" Two questions come to ...

Gwendolyn2018 comments on Feb 7, 2019:

Technically, both she and the man should get stoned, but women received the brunt of the punishment, and for at least a couple of reasons: 1. There was a double standard. It was generally accepted that men could play around but women needed to be faithful (this thought continued for centuries ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 16, 2019:

@Gwendolyn2018 Well, if anyone were ever going to tempt me, I would want it to be someone like you. ;) And I would definitely ask permission before giving in to the temptation, although I think in that situation permission is implied. I mean, if the lady is doing the actual tempting. That came out wrong, I think, but I think you know what I mean....

It's Packed I tell ya!!!!

Paul4747 comments on Feb 15, 2019:

I've been trying to find the name of the illness where you overestimate everything. So far, all I can find is "egotism".

Paul4747 replies on Feb 15, 2019:

@Charlene That's overestimating himself... :D

Has Modern Cosmology Really Become A Quasi Faith-Based ‘Religion’?

Paul4747 comments on Feb 13, 2019:

So, what filled space before the Bang, in your view? What was the Universe full of, if not the Universe? What reason do you have for thinking that the speed of light has changed over the millennia since the formation of the current universe, any more than assuming that the atomic weight of ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 15, 2019:

@johnprytz One last try: It's not "faith" to make a reasonable assumption that the speed of light is a constant, rather than something that fluctuates. The only reason you challenge it is to fit with your pet theory, You might as well guess that the ratio of pi has varied when we weren't looking, or the size of the planet changes during the night. Measuring the red shift gives us all the information we need about the expansion of the Universe.

I have a friend who describes himself as a fiscal conservative and socially progressive.

Paul4747 comments on Feb 14, 2019:

I'm a fiscal "whatever". I'd rather have a balanced budget, but not at the cost of social programs and infrastructure. It's a funny thing; "conservatives" say tax cuts (for the rich, naturally) pay for themselves, when in fact, infrastructure improvements pay for themselves with a better economy.

Paul4747 replies on Feb 15, 2019:

@ToolGuy 1945 through 1980 called and they all said they disagree. https://www.thebalance.com/us-deficit-by-year-3306306 You would not call any of those budgets "austerity" budgets; GDP growth varied, as growth will, but other than the postwar contraction of 1946, there was no major recession in those years. The overall trend was growth, growth, growth. And America had the fastest-growing middle class in the world. http://www.multpl.com/us-real-gdp-growth-rate/table/by-year Austerity budgets don't become necessary until you start mortgaging future generations so you can spend now, the way we did beginning with Reagan and continuing until... well, with only one brief interruption for the Clinton administration, continuing until this day. Bush II decided that balanced budgets were just not a priority beside tax cuts for the rich, or 9/11, or tax cuts for the rich, or the Iraq war, or tax cuts for the rich, or Homeland Security, or tax cuts for the rich, or another tax cut for the rich,

In the Bible where Jesus says "He who is without sin the first stone" Two questions come to ...

Gwendolyn2018 comments on Feb 7, 2019:

Technically, both she and the man should get stoned, but women received the brunt of the punishment, and for at least a couple of reasons: 1. There was a double standard. It was generally accepted that men could play around but women needed to be faithful (this thought continued for centuries ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 15, 2019:

@Gwendolyn2018 True. And I blame their weak-willed asses. (The men, that is.) Seeing something desirable doesn't force one to reach out and take it. Temptation is not coercion. Attraction is not compulsion.

The Democrats want a national gun registry which is always the first step to confiscation.

Paul4747 comments on Feb 14, 2019:

Your "always" is a typical NRA/ far right scare tactic. Not impressed by your source, either. Reschenthaler opposed closing loopholes in background checks. https://www.wesa.fm/post/reschenthaler-opposes-bipartisan-background-check-legislation-house-judiciary-hearing That's the only legislation ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 14, 2019:

@dahermit One by one: 1) I don't know what this link is supposed to be about; 2) You have an issue with people with a domestic violence personal protection order having their guns held by the police for the duration of the order? 3) It amuses me how conservatives can A) cheer for potential terrorists to be put on watch lists and locked up, and at the same time use their cases as a cautionary tale about gun confiscation.... 4) "...it was assumed that Americans who had that freedom would use it responsibly...When personal freedom is being abused, you have to move to limit it." I don't disagree with this. Among a number of quotes that I do disagree with, plus the inflammatory title of the article. And I read (refreshing my memory) that was during a situation of basically martial law, after a week of armed looters roaming the city. And it was the Bush administration's belated response that set up the situation, and his federal law enforcement who assisted local police in their efforts.

LAND MINES cannot be ruled out as something that can be placed at our border with Mexico according ...

Paul4747 comments on Feb 14, 2019:

"Is he deranged?" Probably.

Paul4747 replies on Feb 14, 2019:

@Diagoras I'm not sufficiently skilled to diagnose at this distance.

The Democrats want a national gun registry which is always the first step to confiscation.

Paul4747 comments on Feb 14, 2019:

Your "always" is a typical NRA/ far right scare tactic. Not impressed by your source, either. Reschenthaler opposed closing loopholes in background checks. https://www.wesa.fm/post/reschenthaler-opposes-bipartisan-background-check-legislation-house-judiciary-hearing That's the only legislation ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 14, 2019:

@dahermit And a giant meteorite "could" hit the planet tomorrow, obliterating life as we know it. Let's back up to reiterate the point that *nobody has proposed a national registry.* Furthermore, many (probably most) states have a state registry of all sales and especially handgun ownership. So far, somehow, there haven't been any state confiscations that I've heard of. Probably because of this thing called the Constitution.

Has Modern Cosmology Really Become A Quasi Faith-Based ‘Religion’?

Paul4747 comments on Feb 13, 2019:

So, what filled space before the Bang, in your view? What was the Universe full of, if not the Universe? What reason do you have for thinking that the speed of light has changed over the millennia since the formation of the current universe, any more than assuming that the atomic weight of ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 14, 2019:

@johnprytz Your definition of "faith" includes "anything that is not under constant measurement from the beginning of time", then? Should someone be monitoring the speed of light, the number of electrons in each carbon atom, whether there are still two hydrogens and one oxygen in a molecule of water? I believe it's possible since the model is based on the phenomena that's been observed. From these observations, it has been extrapolated how the universe began. No contrary evidence has emerged. Simply calling this "faith based" reveals your lack of understanding of how science works.

[alternet.

BD66 comments on Feb 13, 2019:

This is nuts. It's been going on for 2 years. Mueller needs to either present his evidence of collusion or end his investigation. He's becoming Ken Star 2.0.

Paul4747 replies on Feb 13, 2019:

@BD66 Whitewater was an Arkansas land deal. What does that have to do with foreign collusion?

In the Bible where Jesus says "He who is without sin the first stone" Two questions come to ...

Gwendolyn2018 comments on Feb 7, 2019:

Technically, both she and the man should get stoned, but women received the brunt of the punishment, and for at least a couple of reasons: 1. There was a double standard. It was generally accepted that men could play around but women needed to be faithful (this thought continued for centuries ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 13, 2019:

@Gwendolyn2018 Might have meant that the temptresses are fiction...

[alternet.

BD66 comments on Feb 13, 2019:

This is nuts. It's been going on for 2 years. Mueller needs to either present his evidence of collusion or end his investigation. He's becoming Ken Star 2.0.

Paul4747 replies on Feb 13, 2019:

Let's compare the number of prison sentences and guilty pleas out of Ken Starr's investigation vs Mueller's. Let's compare the issues involved. Then let's think about your comparison again.

In the Bible where Jesus says "He who is without sin the first stone" Two questions come to ...

Gwendolyn2018 comments on Feb 7, 2019:

Technically, both she and the man should get stoned, but women received the brunt of the punishment, and for at least a couple of reasons: 1. There was a double standard. It was generally accepted that men could play around but women needed to be faithful (this thought continued for centuries ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 13, 2019:

@AmmaRE007 and stereotypes

I'm no expert in this subject, But I have learned a little something about the stone ape ...

KKGator comments on Feb 11, 2019:

Okay, first of all, you can NEVER "smoke too much weed". Let's just be really clear about that. The rest of it, I have no idea. Never really cared for the hallucinogenics. Definitely don't like mushrooms, and LSD never did a thing for me. That said, I think that just about anything is possible ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 11, 2019:

@KKGator You mistake my meaning. I was implying "inattentive", not stupid.

I'm no expert in this subject, But I have learned a little something about the stone ape ...

KKGator comments on Feb 11, 2019:

Okay, first of all, you can NEVER "smoke too much weed". Let's just be really clear about that. The rest of it, I have no idea. Never really cared for the hallucinogenics. Definitely don't like mushrooms, and LSD never did a thing for me. That said, I think that just about anything is possible ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 11, 2019:

What if you smoke so much you accidentally mark the wrong box in the voting booth? It's as good a theory as any for how we got Trump.

Would someone please explain to me how being against Israel's actions somehow makes one an ...

bigpawbullets comments on Feb 11, 2019:

I think the age of the country (nationalism?) has a lot to do with it. Wasn't Israel founded in 1945 or so? I found the same sense of religion/culture/nation as all merged into one while in Saudi Arabia. So, by attacking one part, it's perceived as attacking, or for that matter, supporting the ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 11, 2019:

@MissKathleen As if we need more.

Would someone please explain to me how being against Israel's actions somehow makes one an ...

bigpawbullets comments on Feb 11, 2019:

I think the age of the country (nationalism?) has a lot to do with it. Wasn't Israel founded in 1945 or so? I found the same sense of religion/culture/nation as all merged into one while in Saudi Arabia. So, by attacking one part, it's perceived as attacking, or for that matter, supporting the ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 11, 2019:

@MissKathleen Israel has been at war almost constantly. War of Independence (1947-1949) The Sinai Campaign (1956) The Six-Day War (June 1967) The War of Attrition (1968-70) The Yom Kippur War (October 1973) The Lebanon War (1982) The Gulf War (1991) The Second Lebanon War (2006) This is not to mention the basically continuous low-level terrorist attacks on military and, more often, civilian targets both inside Israel proper and in the territories, as well as against Jews abroad. While I condemn Israeli methods of suppressing Palestinian civilians and annexing more and more territory, and argue that this is a primary cause in keeping their anger stoked and the conflict ongoing, it's hard not to have some sympathy with the siege mentality of people who never know when the next suicide bomb might go off. And it's not really the politics that's the problem. It's religion that poisons the whole region. Israel's hardliners insist that "God" deeded them the whole of historic Israel, and they have a duty to annex the entire map. Palestinians and other Muslims insist that they have the most recent revelation, and Allah commands them to convert the infidel dogs, or at least to rule over them. Forget about religion and the whole mess is susceptible to a political settlement. We can have a two-state solution tomorrow.

Would someone please explain to me how being against Israel's actions somehow makes one an ...

Beowulfsfriend comments on Feb 11, 2019:

Same way as being pro people economic and personal rights makes you a flaming socialist communist. All of which, we know, is bollocks and a confusion of language perpetrated in order to push other people's agenda.

Paul4747 replies on Feb 11, 2019:

Why you commie pinko. ;)

"The entire capital of our bankers, merchants, manufacturers and large landowners is nothing but the...

Paul4747 comments on Feb 10, 2019:

Instinctively, I want to say there's something wrong with this statement as a whole. Merchants sell things. In order to buy things, somewhere along the way, *somebody *got paid for their labor. We can argue about whether that compensation was fair or not (and I frequently argue that it needs to ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 11, 2019:

@Mortal It depends on how they got into a position to make those millions. Did they build a company from the ground up, employ thousands, and create an entirely new industry? They just might have earned it. (Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs) On the other hand, did they start out with Dad's money, lose Dad's money, borrow some other people's money, lose *that* money, con still other people into loaning them money, rinse and repeat, figure out how to skim a few more million at every step along the way due to some nifty legal loopholes, and then *claim* that they started out from nothing, but it all turns out to be a tissue of lies? They didn't earn it. (You know who I'm talking about)

Liam Neeson: Us and them.

Paul4747 comments on Feb 9, 2019:

But, as Ryan Reynolds notes in *Deadpool*, Liam Neeson let his family get kidnapped like three times now, he's a horrible father. Just a bad example all around. :D

Paul4747 replies on Feb 11, 2019:

@Geoffrey51 I'm wondering when people will learn that they don't have to share *everything.* Sometimes, it's better to just keep things to ourselves. There are plenty of things I don't even tell my *therapist*, ffs. Because I just don't think she needs to know the details of my fantasy life or every thought in my head. Or every thought about my fantasy life.

Due to the overwhelming hatred of Trump on this site, would you vote for the genius Ocasio Cortez ...

Paul4747 comments on Feb 9, 2019:

Your biased poll is biased.

Paul4747 replies on Feb 11, 2019:

@Emanuele Number one, there's no shortage of people on the site who fanatically hate Obama; see any number of posts by Trajan61 for example. He regularly makes exactly the same type of remarks about President Obama and any number of Democrats, not to mention their supporters here. Are they tolerated? They certainly are. Second, if anyone formed such a group, why wouldn't it be tolerated? I don't see it having a large membership, any more than the Conservative Atheists, in fact I believe the members would be pretty much identical, but it would be tolerated. The main reason Trump draws so much hatred, frankly, is that he makes a lot of hateful remarks and does a lot of hateful things. He bragged about sexual assaults on women. He lies about illegal immigrants being violent criminals; in fact, the crime rate is lower among immigrants. He makes up statistics that can be proven to be lies, and then repeats them. He currently (by Politifact's fact check rating) lies 69% of the time in his public statements. He once lied *83 times in one day* on the campaign trail. And when his lies are shown to be lies, he doubles down and keeps lying. By the end of 2018 he was over 7,500 lies. He lied once every 2 minutes during the State of the Union address, for the love of... whatever you love. By way of comparison, Obama had a 23% rating for False and Mostly False statements combined, and 1% Pants On Fire lies. Would I prefer that he had never told a lie? Yes. But that's probably not going to happen for any politician. I think the important thing is that Obama is not the kind of man who would think that having an affair with a porn star while his third wife wife was in the hospital having his fifth child qualifies him to give other people moral advice. Trump does. That's why people hate him. Among many other reasons, but that's an outstanding one.

47 Signs You’re From Michigan | Thought Catalog

LiterateHiker comments on Feb 10, 2019:

I grew up on a lake in Michigan with three sailboats and no guns. At age 21 after graduating from the University of Michigan, I moved to Washington State to climb mountains and stayed. But I still: 1. Talk like a duck: WAH-shington," "AW-portunity," "HAM-mock." Quack, quack, quack. 2....

Paul4747 replies on Feb 10, 2019:

@LiterateHiker I have a migraine this morning, it's hard for me to spell...

47 Signs You’re From Michigan | Thought Catalog

LiterateHiker comments on Feb 10, 2019:

I grew up on a lake in Michigan with three sailboats and no guns. At age 21 after graduating from the University of Michigan, I moved to Washington State to climb mountains and stayed. But I still: 1. Talk like a duck: WAH-shington," "AW-portunity," "HAM-mock." Quack, quack, quack. 2....

Paul4747 replies on Feb 10, 2019:

!. unless you're on of those bizarre Youpers

Take a picture of your face and post it below

Paul4747 comments on Feb 10, 2019:

Look to the left. That's as good as I get.

Paul4747 replies on Feb 10, 2019:

@celticagent Believe me, you don't. I woke up with a migraine and it's just going downhill. And nonetheless I need to get ready for work soon...

Who’s seen The Phantom of the Opera (2004)?

Paul4747 comments on Feb 10, 2019:

My daughter watched it quite a lot about 5 years ago. I found it too full of singing. Don't operas have any speaking parts in them? Anyone who wants to *really* know my feelings about the world of opera should read Terry Pratchett's *Maskerade*. It pokes holes relentlessly in all the cliches of ...

Paul4747 replies on Feb 10, 2019:

@pasha-one-nine Either one has too much singing in it. I was once dragged to *Evita*. Three lines that were spoken, everything else was singing. For three hours as I recall. And I'm not sure whether the word "No" counted as a spoken line, or if she just sang it on a sad descending note.

ASK A QUESTION -- FOR A FRIEND - What's a fair price for a pair of Kim Kardashian's panties?

Sgt_Spanky comments on Feb 10, 2019:

I'm not looking for replies to my question, I'm encouraging you to ask your own embarrassing questions "for a friend" so we can all have a laugh at your "friend's" expense. Too conceptual?

Paul4747 replies on Feb 10, 2019:

@Sgt_Spanky Always the problem with high concept.

ASK A QUESTION -- FOR A FRIEND - What's a fair price for a pair of Kim Kardashian's panties?

Sgt_Spanky comments on Feb 10, 2019:

I'm not looking for replies to my question, I'm encouraging you to ask your own embarrassing questions "for a friend" so we can all have a laugh at your "friend's" expense. Too conceptual?

Paul4747 replies on Feb 10, 2019:

Maybe it was, a little. It went right over my head.

What are you doing this Saturday night?