Maybe it's just me but I think most people have inconsistent political and philosophical beliefs.

wordywalt comments on Apr 19, 2018:

You are totally off base! Conservatives tend to obscess on ideology and on maintaining the status quo (instead of what is needed and postive for the people). Progressives rely much more on reason and hard data. With your statement, you simply show your lack of objectivity.

wordywalt replies on Apr 19, 2018:

@MetalHeadJason Your perceptions are far from reality. And, I am being biased?

FOOOOOD!!!

wordywalt comments on Apr 19, 2018:

I tried chitlings once -- only once.

wordywalt replies on Apr 19, 2018:

@ArdentAtheist Not justr kinda gross!

Anyone watch the James Comey interview?

wordywalt comments on Apr 16, 2018:

No, it was not a bombshell. But, that is not the point, at all! What it does show is what a crrooked, duplicitious, lying, morally bankrupt cretin Trump is, We have known that, but Comey makes the pattern abundantly clear. That IS important!

wordywalt replies on Apr 18, 2018:

@SynergySeeker Yes, he made a mistake in how handled the Hillary e=mail issue. But Both the Russians and Hillary's inept campaigning deserve much more of the blame for her loss. I am still angry with Hillary for her lack of righteous zeal and stupid campaign decisions.

I will predict that the reason that both Cohen's and Trump's lawyers die not want to reveal ...

stinkeye_a comments on Apr 17, 2018:

Sounds like a perfectly devious plan...for someone with brains and a solid grasp of reality. No way it was cooked up by DJT.

wordywalt replies on Apr 17, 2018:

Give Trump more credit: He has proven himself capable of all sorts of sculduggery, with the aid of his army of unethical lawyers and crooked deal-makers.

Do you like being intelligent?

wordywalt comments on Apr 17, 2018:

I have an IQ of 145, but I have almost always fought most of the tendencies you describe. As a child and young man, I had the privilege of knowing some remarkable uneducated people and from whom I learned some important things. I am repulsed by elitism, including intellectual elitism. In 1968, ...

wordywalt replies on Apr 17, 2018:

@Nickbeee Your statement is false. More than a few people with high IQs are full of themselves and do see themselves as superior to most people. Those people have high IQs, but little real intelligence or wisdom.

Any non-US, non-English users here?

Spinliesel comments on Apr 16, 2018:

Ja, was denn? Kannst Du deutsch verstehen?

wordywalt replies on Apr 16, 2018:

@Spinliesel Ays welcher deutscher Gegend? I have zwei und half Hahren in Berlin Verbracht -- aber schon lange her.

Any non-US, non-English users here?

Spinliesel comments on Apr 16, 2018:

Ja, was denn? Kannst Du deutsch verstehen?

wordywalt replies on Apr 16, 2018:

Ja. Ich kann Deutsch lessen. Sind sie ursprunglish aus Deutschland, oder worden Sie in Amerika gegoren?

It is said that the way to a mans heart is to keep his stomach full and his balls empty.

wordywalt comments on Apr 16, 2018:

That may be enough for some men, but not for me.

wordywalt replies on Apr 16, 2018:

@VAL3941 An intelligent, caring and sharing relationship in every sense. I am not an unintelligent animal who screws, eats, belches, and scratches his ass end genitals in public.

Everything is nothing.

wordywalt comments on Apr 14, 2018:

Are you saying that nothing matters, ergo, hedonism is justified? If so, I heartily disagree.

wordywalt replies on Apr 15, 2018:

@FinchiMcQ A lot. Many things DO matter -- things worth fighting for, and destructive things well worth resisting. If you are not willing to stand up and be counted, YOU don't matter.

Registering Journalists

wordywalt comments on Apr 12, 2018:

I do believe that journalists need thorough training and a commitment to objectivity. Many in the right wing media, including Fox News, are not journalists, but propagandists.

wordywalt replies on Apr 13, 2018:

@Freedompath When I taught at the college level, I started my classes with the statement " I try to be as objective as possible, but I do have biases or learnings toward certain positions. To my knowledge these are my biases *( and I would state them). them)..." Please analyze carefully what I say and take what I say with that forewarning." Similarly, journalist should also make their assumptions and biases clear. Right wing "journalists" arte incapable of such honesty.

Registering Journalists

wordywalt comments on Apr 12, 2018:

I do believe that journalists need thorough training and a commitment to objectivity. Many in the right wing media, including Fox News, are not journalists, but propagandists.

wordywalt replies on Apr 13, 2018:

@Thomas3 There is one helluva difference between the right wing media and the mainstream media on the issue of objectivity. It appears that you are falling victim to what those right wing media are trying to do.

History repeating itself? Different face same mind set!

wordywalt comments on Apr 12, 2018:

That has been the strategy of Fox news. It was also the strategy of Mitch MCConnell some 30 years ago when he began saying that dollars equal speech and that corporations are people. People shook their heads and laughed then. But more and more Republicans began repeating the lie. Now, the ...

wordywalt replies on Apr 13, 2018:

@Freedompath His departure is long, long overdue!

Garret's Thermodynamics of Civilization vs McPherson's Near Term Human Extinction

wordywalt comments on Apr 12, 2018:

Yes, we can stop the carbon-based fossil fuels expansion -- if we have the political will to do so. An equally important, if not more important question is whether we have the will to stop the mushrooming rowth in human population. It is that population sexplsion that is fueling the destruction ...

wordywalt replies on Apr 12, 2018:

@Greymattersuit Government action, by itself, will never be enough. The entire culture has to change, as it has in most of Europe. Most of Europe has low birth rates -- because the people, themselves. have decided the lower birth rates are in their own interest.

Just finished reading "The Virtue of Selfishness" by Ayn Rand.

wordywalt comments on Apr 11, 2018:

Back in the 1960s I read wverything that Rand wrote. I found her writing interesting, but somehow off key. After thorough analysis, I determined that her main points were (1) I can do anything I want to and dno one can limit that, (2) greed is good, and (3) all governments are bad. Anyone who ...

wordywalt replies on Apr 11, 2018:

@OnaM I like your reference to Frankel. He was a brilliant, truly moral man.

Just finished reading "The Virtue of Selfishness" by Ayn Rand.

pilotlight11 comments on Apr 11, 2018:

I've always preferred her fiction. I have always agreed with her underlying message that the intellect is far more powerful and useful than brute force. While it seems many have recently started to bad mouth Atlas Shrugged I still consider it one of the best examples of what happens with run away ...

wordywalt replies on Apr 11, 2018:

That was not her message. Her message was that (1) lI can do whatever I want and no one has anything to say about it, (2) greed is good, and (3) all governments are bad.

Just finished reading "The Virtue of Selfishness" by Ayn Rand.

IAMGROOT comments on Apr 11, 2018:

I have read most of Rand's works and happen to agree with the Objectivist philosophy. I think her fiction does a great job of illustrating that philosophy. She uses pure archetypes and obviously many people have an issue with that, having been spoon-fed "flawed" heroes their whole lives. I think ...

wordywalt replies on Apr 11, 2018:

Rand was a totally self-absorbed philosophical hack. I have read all of her works.

Just finished reading "The Virtue of Selfishness" by Ayn Rand.

BD66 comments on Apr 11, 2018:

The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged, We the Living were all good books. She lived through a leftist takeover of her country and witnessed and experienced the resulting misery first-hand. We the Living should be required reading on college campuses.

wordywalt replies on Apr 11, 2018:

Not unless it is to be examined for its many philosophical and moral flaws.

Does it matter how a gift is wrapped or is it only the gift that matters?

wordywalt comments on Apr 10, 2018:

Your quesrtion does not matter.

wordywalt replies on Apr 11, 2018:

@scurry You totally misrepresent what I said. Why?

Liberal Ideals

wordywalt comments on Apr 9, 2018:

Your question is so wide open that there is no way that I can respond to it.

wordywalt replies on Apr 11, 2018:

@Lincster45 It bothers me when people post things of no value just to gain points. To me, that cheapens and trivializes this site and genuine communication on it.

Does it matter how a gift is wrapped or is it only the gift that matters?

wordywalt comments on Apr 10, 2018:

Your quesrtion does not matter.

wordywalt replies on Apr 11, 2018:

@LadyAlyxandrea It bothers me, I think correctly, when people post things with no substance or value just to gain points. v I value communication of substance and meaning, not inanity -- and it is my right to say so. I do not intent to be rude, but to be truthful. Truth matters.

Can we have a civil conversation about American policy without getting emotional?

wordywalt comments on Apr 10, 2018:

Excuse me, but it is terribly hard to understand how any rational and moral person can fail to understnad whata despicable and sociopathic person Trump is and actually support this traitor and moral disaster.This man will destroy our democracy, given half a chance. Similarly, I am also a gun ...

wordywalt replies on Apr 10, 2018:

@FinchiMcQ Not a single word of your response is true. I don't need to provide you proof. The man's entire life record is proof and if you can't see it, you have a real perception problem.

What would cause you to lay down your life willingly?

wordywalt comments on Apr 9, 2018:

As a former soldier, we all knew that could be asked of us, and accepted the fact. If I were convinced that my action would result in saving someone else, I would so act. If my death would advance a human cause I truly believe in as moral and needed, I would.

wordywalt replies on Apr 9, 2018:

@paul1967 Yes, I would risk my life to save a child of the enemy if that child were not trying to kill me or my comrades.

Who do you support, the teachers of Oklahoma or the Republicans and Betsy DeVos, who claim the ...

wordywalt comments on Apr 9, 2018:

As a retired educator, I support the striking teachers in all states in which this action is occurring. For far too damned long, morally and patriotically bankrupt Republican legislatures in far too damned many states have gutted and decimated public education -- as most of the other essential ...

wordywalt replies on Apr 9, 2018:

@Freedompath Your fear is exactly how DeVos and people like her think. They want to see a privileged few completely dominate our society.

What's something that many people haven't done, but that you have?

wordywalt comments on Apr 8, 2018:

Yes, I have been over the Gliedecke bridge (in the movie "Brodge of Spies" with Tom Hanks. It was the dividing line between West erlin and East Germany from 1945 and 1989.I still remember the Russian sentries with submachine guns and the sentry tower with machine guns.

wordywalt replies on Apr 8, 2018:

@babsy I was there from 1959 -61 in the Army, then again in 1962-3 as a civilian living on the Germany economy.

If we ever officially devolope time travel, when would you go to?

wordywalt comments on Apr 8, 2018:

It'll never happen!

wordywalt replies on Apr 8, 2018:

@evidentialist Laws of physics.

The evidence suggests we just cease to exist when we die. Does this bother anyone?

wordywalt comments on Apr 8, 2018:

The only reason that it shoud bother you would be that if you are facing death as a young peoson being deprived of most of the experiences of life. You are not facing hell. It is simply reality. think of it as peaceful oblivion.

wordywalt replies on Apr 8, 2018:

@SalC I would tell him that I think that is sucks that he will not have the opportunity to live a full life, but that there is nothing that we san do or say to alter that fact. Just ell the young pson that there are people who care about him/her and who will stand by as long as they can. That is the best we can do.

Have you ever felt suicidal?

wordywalt comments on Apr 4, 2018:

Yes, when in the depths of despair of a horrible marriagel. The only thing that kep me from committing suicide was that I did not want my daughters to be ashamed of me.

wordywalt replies on Apr 8, 2018:

@CeliaVL Much happier, thank you. My second marriage is a good one.

Ever had a magical close encounter with wild animals, with no bait food involved?

wordywalt comments on Apr 7, 2018:

As a young man, I was working on a woods crew, getting rid of scrub oaks in an area where St. Regis Paper Company was planting pines. As I was swinging my axe, I caught the flicker of movement at my feet in the corner of my eye. I looked down and saw a 2 to 2 and 1/2 foot pigmy rattler coming from...

wordywalt replies on Apr 7, 2018:

@birdingnut O did not say that it was a magical moment, but a close encounter. I think that crawling between my legs was a pretty close encounter. Pygmy rattlers are not endangered or even threatened.

Do you think anything can be accomplished by hard work?

wordywalt comments on Apr 7, 2018:

Most people never find their professional or occupational passion. Most people simply work. Those who truly love their work and throw themselves into it because they loive it were very fortunate people. I was one of thos fortunate people for almost 20 years, and I loved it.

wordywalt replies on Apr 7, 2018:

@Shellbell I know exactly what you mean. I moved into higher paying administrative jobs which were not nearly as satisfying.

How would you handle this?

wordywalt comments on Apr 6, 2018:

Let it be. Some people find comfort in those words.

wordywalt replies on Apr 6, 2018:

@KKGator I'm sorry. It was not my intent to say that you were attacking anything. What I was trying to say was that often indirect approaches can often be as successful, if not more, without rasing the hackles of ultra-sensitive conservatives.

How would you handle this?

wordywalt comments on Apr 6, 2018:

Let it be. Some people find comfort in those words.

wordywalt replies on Apr 6, 2018:

@KKGator Let me suggest that if you an find a copy, read Postman and Weingarten's little bookj entitled THE SOFT REVOLUTION, written around 1972. Two important messages I took from that book (among others) are (1) if piecemeal change is not working, it is because we have not changes enough pieces, and (2) DO NOT attack the opposition's major symbols -- it causes increased resistance. Instead, take their symbol and attach new meanings to it.

We are an eclectic group on this site: gay, straight, American, Brit, Aussie, Kiwi, agnostic, ...

wordywalt comments on Apr 4, 2018:

Hear! Hear!

wordywalt replies on Apr 5, 2018:

@BettyColeman I reject your assessment. Yes, I am an atheist and I state my opinions, which you have every right to reject, if you see fit. I do not hate believers -- my wife is a devout Catholic and I respect her right to believe as she chooses so long as she respects my right to believe as I choose. I do not hate religious people, but I do hate religious people trying to cram their religion down my throat and trying to mix politics and religion to enact their theology into law. You obviously don't know who I am at my core, nor what I want from a dialogue. It does bother me that you accuse me of things that are not true.

Is emotional intimacy related to honesty in relationships?

wordywalt comments on Apr 5, 2018:

I dare to say that almost all of us in close relationships still have secrets we do not wish to reveal. But, I do not see that having secrets is being dishonest. It is simply deep privacy. In a persisting close relationships, more and more secrets are revealed over time, as one becomes more and ...

wordywalt replies on Apr 5, 2018:

@StarvinMarvin I have never done any of the things you suggest or anything which might qualify as of the same disrepute. What I choose to withhold is for me to judge and none of your business.

We are an eclectic group on this site: gay, straight, American, Brit, Aussie, Kiwi, agnostic, ...

wordywalt comments on Apr 4, 2018:

Hear! Hear!

wordywalt replies on Apr 5, 2018:

@BettyColeman What is that all abou?

So, are you the vehicle or are you the light?

DZhukovin comments on Apr 4, 2018:

Isn't this question a false ultimatum, or maybe also a loaded question?

wordywalt replies on Apr 4, 2018:

@Razorjelly Your explanation makes little more sense than the question you posed. What is it that you are really getting at and why?

So, are you the vehicle or are you the light?

gater comments on Apr 4, 2018:

I am the sword in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls. I am the fire that burns against the cold, the light that brings the dawn, the horn that wakes the sleepers, the shield that guards the realms of men. - from Game of Thrones

wordywalt replies on Apr 4, 2018:

If you love Trump, I have zero respect for your judgment!

Have you ever felt suicidal?

wordywalt comments on Apr 4, 2018:

Yes, when in the depths of despair of a horrible marriagel. The only thing that kep me from committing suicide was that I did not want my daughters to be ashamed of me.

wordywalt replies on Apr 4, 2018:

If or when I reach the stage that the quality of my life is not worth sustaining, I plan to end it myself.

Welcome. Come on in and join the fight.

wordywalt comments on Apr 1, 2018:

I am an angry, feminist, anti-ethnocentrist, progressive white guy. These guys, above, are either stupid, or greedy, or both.

wordywalt replies on Apr 1, 2018:

@BettyColeman He is not half as smart as he thinks he is. As undisciplined as he is, he WILL stumble, and all of his fawners will have to eat crow. Then, some of them will wise up at little.

Stumbled on this article today.

wordywalt comments on Apr 1, 2018:

If you have lost your faith in reason, what anchors you?

wordywalt replies on Apr 1, 2018:

@Reignmond If you do not have emotional and attitudinal anchors, you are drifting without purpose or direction.

Does hardship make a person stronger?

GipsyOfNewSpain comments on Mar 31, 2018:

Do you think trump is strong? Picture him without resources... will he be strong?

wordywalt replies on Mar 31, 2018:

I think that we will soon find out how capable Trump is in dealing with real hardship. I predict that his lack of intelligence and wisdom will cause him to collapse in a whining mass or quivering of mental and physical flab.

What constitutes a 'healthy' society & is it attainable?

wordywalt comments on Mar 31, 2018:

A healthy society is one that is open to change, but also carefully analytical about what the effects of such change could be. It is one which has concern for ALL of its people, one which treats all with dignity and respect, which provides real opportunities for growth and learning and encourages ...

wordywalt replies on Mar 31, 2018:

@atheist Right on!

Former Supreme Court Justice Stevens: Repeal the Second Amendment I don’t believe it need ...

wordywalt comments on Mar 27, 2018:

Jefferspn also said, "The earth belongs to the living, not the dead." Scalia's judicial philosophy of "original intent"-- the we should always go by what the original intent of the founding fathers was, as expressed in the Constitution was nothing short and stultifying. And Gorsuch believes in ...

wordywalt replies on Mar 28, 2018:

@Trajan61 Evidently you have a bad case of impaired judgment.

Picture of my tomato plants and me yesterday.

KKGator comments on Mar 27, 2018:

Nice!!! What are you feeding them? They look amazing!

wordywalt replies on Mar 27, 2018:

@KKGator Sounds good. By the middle of July I will have some dry seeds from this year's crop. Just send me a message with your mailing address then, and I'll have you some seeds within 2 - 3 days.

Picture of my tomato plants and me yesterday.

Lisav1961 comments on Mar 27, 2018:

Love, love, love growing and eating my own tomatoes!

wordywalt replies on Mar 27, 2018:

I agree. By the way, I lived in Kansas for 17 years, and my grandson lives in Lawrence. I had some great gardens in Kansas with the good soil!

Picture of my tomato plants and me yesterday.

KKGator comments on Mar 27, 2018:

Nice!!! What are you feeding them? They look amazing!

wordywalt replies on Mar 27, 2018:

@KKGator When I apply the 10-10-10, I scatter it evenly across the surface and rake it in. Then I put the plant in the soil. One other key to the size of the plants is a sturdy cage for each plant. I made my own tomato cages by using 5 foot high concrete reinforcing wire and making hoops 30 - 36 inches in diameter. As the plants grow, I train the branches on the wire of the cage, and keep doing that as the plant grows higher. The plants in the cages will grow 8 feet tall or more. My cages have lasted over 18 years. Other wire, like fence wire will also work. And, by the way, My tomatoes are black heirloom -- really delicious If you can't get the black heirloom seeds, I would be happy to send you some later this year from this years crop.

Picture of my tomato plants and me yesterday.

atheist comments on Mar 27, 2018:

I see lotsa green but no red?

wordywalt replies on Mar 27, 2018:

@atheist Yeah, sure. Do you want them gift-wrapped?

Picture of my tomato plants and me yesterday.

atheist comments on Mar 27, 2018:

I see lotsa green but no red?

wordywalt replies on Mar 27, 2018:

They should start ripening by the 2nd week in April.

Picture of my tomato plants and me yesterday.

markdevenish comments on Mar 27, 2018:

just remember raw tomatos are not so good for males . something to do with prostate

wordywalt replies on Mar 27, 2018:

They taste so good that, as an old man, I'll take my chances. Mark Twain commented that could say one shouldn't eat this or drink that because it is not good or your health. He then said, It's like paying a fortune for a dry cow. All you get is health."

Hey coffee snobs, have you ever tried the other species of coffee?

wordywalt comments on Mar 27, 2018:

Those are not separate species, but onoy different sub-species or varieties.

wordywalt replies on Mar 27, 2018:

@PJWanders Could the varieties interbreed and form a hybrid. If so, they are different sub-species.

Picture of my tomato plants and me yesterday.

KKGator comments on Mar 27, 2018:

Nice!!! What are you feeding them? They look amazing!

wordywalt replies on Mar 27, 2018:

I use regular 10-10-10 fertilizer when putting the plants in the ground. Well into the growing season, I add some Miracle Gro occasionally

Picture of my tomato plants and me yesterday.

HippieChick58 comments on Mar 27, 2018:

WOW. I hate you! We still have nights below freezing, no tomatoes going out yet. Those are magnificent plants!

wordywalt replies on Mar 27, 2018:

I grow the plants from seeds from last year's crop, and nurture the plants very carefully..ve grow them, eat them, and share them with neighbors.

Picture of my tomato plants and me yesterday.

BlueWave comments on Mar 27, 2018:

OMG!!!!! I want those plants!!!!! I'm sooooo envious!

wordywalt replies on Mar 27, 2018:

I can send you some of the seeds from this year's crop -- for planting next year 00 if you will send me your mailing address using the messaging feature on this site.

Picture of my tomato plants and me yesterday.

CallMeDave comments on Mar 27, 2018:

Rockin. Get insects?

wordywalt replies on Mar 27, 2018:

In Florida, oh, yes. I only use an insecticide if I have an outbreak and use only one which biodegrades in 2 days.

How good of a consumer are you?

wordywalt comments on Mar 26, 2018:

I buy only what I need. I ignore 99.0 of all advertising.

wordywalt replies on Mar 26, 2018:

@atheist Ues, but I shift my attention to other things during commercials.

About you?

wordywalt comments on Mar 26, 2018:

My DNA says that I am am a mixture of German, Scotch, Irish, English, 3.0 percent Neanderthal, !.0 percent Scandanavian, !.0 perent southern European (probably Spanish), a trace African, and a Trace of either Pima or Aztec Indian.Does it matter? In what sense? I am who and what I am.

wordywalt replies on Mar 26, 2018:

@ailurophile Huh?

Are Some Men Reluctant to Talk on the Phone?

wordywalt comments on Mar 26, 2018:

All people who choose to text rather than talk are avoiding direct human contact for one reason or another.

wordywalt replies on Mar 26, 2018:

@Crimson67 My phone conversations are usually short and to the point. I generally spend no more than 6 minutes a day on the phone. My communications which is non-immediate is by e-mail or facebook message. I see absolutely no point in texting.

How do you make friends? Do you randomly talk to anyone, or are you selective?

wordywalt comments on Mar 24, 2018:

I would like to read your post, but it is a long rambling single paragrahp. Form your paragraphs around a single theme and link all senstences directly. Form a new paragraph for each new chain of thought. If you do that, your writing will improve, as will your own clarity of thought.

wordywalt replies on Mar 24, 2018:

@Sarahroo29 No, you are not. Just make a conscious effort to improve your writing.

Do humans have a innate affinity for drugs & is this natural behaviour for humans?

wordywalt comments on Mar 23, 2018:

Humans have an innate curiosity and sample things to see what happens. Since the beginning of the speciies, humans have always sought things that they an smoke, snort, eat, chew, or drink which might produce an altered state.

wordywalt replies on Mar 23, 2018:

@atheist Some people show more discretion in what they smoke than others.

I'm usually happy, but have encountered a nemesis and need some ideas.

LeighShelton comments on Mar 22, 2018:

it would be nice to know what your actually facing please

wordywalt replies on Mar 22, 2018:

@scurry If you have a boss, I would inform the boss of the situation and ask him to hold a meeting with the two of you to come up with some ground rulews twhich both must follow to resolve the problem. If you don't have a boss, then you must demand to sit-down meeting with the guy to come up with ground rules.

Donald Trump is a lazy, not too bright, and weak coward.

tioteo comments on Mar 21, 2018:

tRUMP sees himself as king of a feudal state.

wordywalt replies on Mar 21, 2018:

I think he sees himself as a modern day Mussolini. The similarities are huge.

Atheists are nicer to Christians compared to the other way around if their religious identity is ...

wordywalt comments on Mar 21, 2018:

True. Many Christians are unchristain to atheists.

wordywalt replies on Mar 21, 2018:

@HippieChick58 Phelps and his son and daughter were all lawyers in Kansas. All three were disbarred for unethical conduct. Their ethics did not improve when they established the Westboro Baptist Church.

I have noticed that theists seem to more readily accept "I'm a nonbeliever" than "I'm an atheist.

wordywalt comments on Mar 20, 2018:

We should always avoid using labels to desribe ourselves, as more than a few people will react to the label and forget about you as a person.

wordywalt replies on Mar 20, 2018:

@atheist True, but some nouns carry a lot more baggage with them than others.

If the government picked up the slack, would America become less religious?

wordywalt comments on Mar 19, 2018:

Please explain what you mean by "picked up the slack."

wordywalt replies on Mar 19, 2018:

@silvereyes It could make a difference on how people identify with religions, but I'm not sure. I wish that both government and private non-religious charities would take a greater role in promoting and sustaining the well-being of people -- all people.

As a progressive liberal I just want to point out that we should not permit anyone who has opposing ...

wordywalt comments on Mar 18, 2018:

I do not believe that universities should ever allow a person from an extremist point of view -- left or right -- speak, except in the framework of a real debate in which a person of equal or greater stature and intellect also provides an opposing point of view. Otherwise, it is license to engage ...

wordywalt replies on Mar 19, 2018:

@Marine Your statement is a deliberate misrepresentation. You are saying that demagoguery should be condoned in our institutions of higher education. That is repugnant!

In my opinion, the only reason that people fear death is the religious hellfire and damnation myth.

Meiliken comments on Mar 16, 2018:

Conquer the fear of death and nothing else is worth fearing. So no, this agnostic does not fear death.

wordywalt replies on Mar 18, 2018:

@Meiliken I did not intend to insult. I stated my opinion and I stand by it, just as I stand by my original statement. It is obvious that neither is going to cede, so I suggest that we both drop it.

As a progressive liberal I just want to point out that we should not permit anyone who has opposing ...

wordywalt comments on Mar 18, 2018:

I do not believe that universities should ever allow a person from an extremist point of view -- left or right -- speak, except in the framework of a real debate in which a person of equal or greater stature and intellect also provides an opposing point of view. Otherwise, it is license to engage ...

wordywalt replies on Mar 18, 2018:

@norealgod so long as it is in the context of a real debate. Otherwise is it demagoguery.

In my opinion, the only reason that people fear death is the religious hellfire and damnation myth.

Meiliken comments on Mar 16, 2018:

Conquer the fear of death and nothing else is worth fearing. So no, this agnostic does not fear death.

wordywalt replies on Mar 18, 2018:

@Meiliken You have never seen a totalitarian situation in which doing and saying anything would lead to prison, beating, or death. I saw that in East Berlin in the 1960s. The streets were crawling with police and soldiers armed with submachine guns. People did not dare talking with anyone else in public. The expressions on their faces were those of fear, despair, and heart-wrenching sadness. Grow up, young man: Some things ARE worse than death.

Do you feel that our society is getting far to used to the violence we see in today's media?

Rugglesby comments on Mar 18, 2018:

Violence is everywhere, I blame over crowding, in towns, on highways. Too many people,

wordywalt replies on Mar 18, 2018:

Such population density does create stress. But, that is not the primary cause. The real cause is a collapse in civility from segments of our population and culture -- fostered by the political reactionary and racist right wing and by the NRA.

CNN headline quoted the minority-elected one as saying, "I like conflict.

wordywalt comments on Mar 17, 2018:

He would provoke a civil war if he could. We must not let him.

wordywalt replies on Mar 17, 2018:

@EllenDale Trump really reminds me of a not-too-bright 7th grade bully I knew who seemed to be able to say and do outrageous things and get away with it. That bully attracted an army of weak sycophants who wanted to be his toadies. Because of his wealth and army of vicious lawyers, Trump has been getting with anything and everything for his entire life. The only thing that matters to him is that which feeds his sick, sociopathic ego.

In my opinion, the only reason that people fear death is the religious hellfire and damnation myth.

Meiliken comments on Mar 16, 2018:

Conquer the fear of death and nothing else is worth fearing. So no, this agnostic does not fear death.

wordywalt replies on Mar 17, 2018:

@Meiliken I do not fear death, but there are possibilities in life that I do fear greatly -- th possibility of a dictatorship, the possible collapse of our democracy, religious groups gaining and exercising power, etc. There are worse things than death.

In my opinion, the only reason that people fear death is the religious hellfire and damnation myth.

JohnnyThorazine comments on Mar 16, 2018:

no, we fear the unknown and death is the final unknown. I would bet you fear it too, unless you have emotional issues...hehe....it's one of the factors of being human...aware of our mortality but unable to imagine ourselves not existing. I often posit that Atheism is just another way of saying what ...

wordywalt replies on Mar 16, 2018:

No, at age 81,I do not fear death at all -- and I do not have emotional issues. I have lived a full life. Death is not a doorway, but an end to existence as an entity. What happens afterward? simply that I no longer exist as an entity -- nothing more.

In my opinion, the only reason that people fear death is the religious hellfire and damnation myth.

Meiliken comments on Mar 16, 2018:

Conquer the fear of death and nothing else is worth fearing. So no, this agnostic does not fear death.

wordywalt replies on Mar 16, 2018:

I do not understand your logic.

In my opinion, the only reason that people fear death is the religious hellfire and damnation myth.

Aralt comments on Mar 16, 2018:

I'm not afriad of being wrong as long as I have very good reasons for it.

wordywalt replies on Mar 16, 2018:

And, what would be such "good reasons"?

In my opinion, the only reason that people fear death is the religious hellfire and damnation myth.

JimG comments on Mar 16, 2018:

No, I believe that some people also fear non-existence and the end of awareness. People may also fear being forgotten or not finishing something meaningful to them. Humans have always feared the unknown.

wordywalt replies on Mar 16, 2018:

Why would one fear non-existence and the end of awareness. That to me would be a state of peaceful oblivion.

In my opinion, the only reason that people fear death is the religious hellfire and damnation myth.

ErichZannIII comments on Mar 16, 2018:

People fear death because it's unknown. Even the most religious people in the world who claim to be absolutely sure of what will happen after they die have a tiny seed of doubt in them, and that's why they fear death. Death is the final frontier, so to speak. What happens when we close our eyes for ...

wordywalt replies on Mar 16, 2018:

If one accepts the certainty of death and the fact that death means that we simply cease to exist as any kind of an entry, all of those other questions go away.

In my opinion, the only reason that people fear death is the religious hellfire and damnation myth.

atheist comments on Mar 16, 2018:

I think a big part is the fear of the losing the people & things that we are emotionally attached to & a fear of the unknown.

wordywalt replies on Mar 16, 2018:

I have long since come to terms with the fact that my death will separate me from those I love. But, I will not mourn them, as I will no longer exist.

In my opinion, the only reason that people fear death is the religious hellfire and damnation myth.

TerriCity comments on Mar 16, 2018:

I think non religious people could fear death as much as those afraid of hellfire. Non- existance may not be something to look forward to.

wordywalt replies on Mar 16, 2018:

Why should one fear non-existence?

In my opinion, the only reason that people fear death is the religious hellfire and damnation myth.

Uncorrugated comments on Mar 16, 2018:

I disagree. I fear dying too early. I have too much to do and not enough time to do it. I know that when I die it's over and I'm not ready for that yet. My current form of life knows nothing from before it took its current form and will know nothing of what happens next. It won't hurt and life...

wordywalt replies on Mar 16, 2018:

When we were young none of us wanted our lives to be cut short -- we all had so much to do. But, that, to me, is different from a fundamental fear of death.

Getting desperate

wordywalt comments on Mar 14, 2018:

Call your senator and tell him or her not to vote for Mike Pompaeo (or however you spell his name) for Secretary of State. Pompaeo is a militaristic right winger who is not to be trusted with the task of conducting our foreign relations. He tells Trump what Trump wants to hear.

wordywalt replies on Mar 15, 2018:

@Blindbird Especially Rubio. I'm a Floridian, too.

If you are a conservative, do consider insulting the president a personal attack on you?

wordywalt comments on Mar 13, 2018:

There is a huge difference between an attack and an insult. An attack may be justified. An insult is a deliberate aspersion, often knowingly false.

wordywalt replies on Mar 13, 2018:

@Crimson67 Let me clarify. No. I would consider it a breach of the values I adhere to, but not an insult to me personally.

If you are a conservative, do consider insulting the president a personal attack on you?

wordywalt comments on Mar 13, 2018:

There is a huge difference between an attack and an insult. An attack may be justified. An insult is a deliberate aspersion, often knowingly false.

wordywalt replies on Mar 13, 2018:

@Crimson67 No.

Defence of significant other

Crimson67 comments on Mar 11, 2018:

Depends... Are they valid insults? Is this a constant or one time thing? Can she not defend herself? What is the context?

wordywalt replies on Mar 11, 2018:

@Crimson67 Describing a behavior for what it is and letting it be known that the behavior is inappropriate is civil. Going beyond that and labeling the person in a hurtfully aggressive manner is NEVER appropriate in any social relationship. If you engage in such behavior, you are inviting resentment and rifts in the relationship. Why would you want to do that? To feel that you are better than them?

Defence of significant other

Crimson67 comments on Mar 11, 2018:

Depends... Are they valid insults? Is this a constant or one time thing? Can she not defend herself? What is the context?

wordywalt replies on Mar 11, 2018:

Insult, by definition, are NEVER valid. They are deeply cutting remarks designed to hurt and/or offend. There is NEVER any justifiable context or reason for an insult.

It has been a very gloomy birthday.

wordywalt comments on Mar 10, 2018:

When I was your age, I hadmy best years ahead of me. My most productive time was from the age of 40 - 60 and I loved those times and the friendships they afforded. Even at the age of 81 and with increasing health concerns, I do not feel the malaise you express.

wordywalt replies on Mar 11, 2018:

@Freedompath Welcome to that place of comfortable integrity.

What's something you didn't learn until you were an adult?

Shawappa44820 comments on Mar 10, 2018:

I was like 35 before I learned how to brown hamburger for things like tacos, Hamburger Helper and spaghetti sauce...

wordywalt replies on Mar 10, 2018:

@Shawappa44820 I was 24 before I ever cooked a meal for myself. Now, at the age of 81, I do more than half of the cooking in our home and have learned to cook a variety of ethnic foods. I enjoy cooking today.

Chernobyl, I have seen that several different kinds of animals are genetically changed from that ...

MrPKitty comments on Mar 8, 2018:

Mutations and evolitionary changes are two different things

wordywalt replies on Mar 8, 2018:

Mutation, combined with natural selection, constitute the primary vehicles of evolution.

If applicable, how did you quit smoking?

wordywalt comments on Mar 7, 2018:

Started with the gum to get away from the habits of smoking, then switched to the patch to diminish the nicotine craving and quite completely.

wordywalt replies on Mar 7, 2018:

@WizardBill sorry for the type. Should have been gum.

Anybody here see the parallels between believing in and and obeying an all-powerful god, and ...

wordywalt comments on Mar 5, 2018:

Most religions are a total system ideology -- ideologies which purport to include and explain everything. Communism is a total system political ideology -- equally as controlling and fallaciious. If you are implying that our govwernment is one of those ideological systems, you are not in your ...

wordywalt replies on Mar 5, 2018:

@GlyndonD You are not a libertarian, but an anarchist. You are against government in any form.

Anybody here see the parallels between believing in and and obeying an all-powerful god, and ...

wordywalt comments on Mar 5, 2018:

Most religions are a total system ideology -- ideologies which purport to include and explain everything. Communism is a total system political ideology -- equally as controlling and fallaciious. If you are implying that our govwernment is one of those ideological systems, you are not in your ...

wordywalt replies on Mar 5, 2018:

@GlyndonD And, you are dead wrong. You apparently do not live in the same country that I do -- the USA.

Sixteen years ago today, I married my ex.

wordywalt comments on Mar 4, 2018:

I can understand your feelings. I left a terrible marriage after over 30 years of really trying. Yes, I regretted the wasted time in that relationship. But pne cannot dwell on the "lost" time if one is to have a life. Chalk it up to experiene and move on. Just don't make the same mistakes ...

wordywalt replies on Mar 4, 2018:

@Nottheonlyone Don't even be concerned about forgiving your ex. Just focus on moving on with your life, on making life good for yourself. My ex used to say to me, "You will grow old alone and miserable." Her own punishment for her behavior is that she has grown old alone, with her daughters tolerating her, but spending as little time as they can with her. I actually feel sorry for her, but she did it to herself.

If man doesn't exist does the the universe exist?

wordywalt comments on Feb 20, 2018:

That is not an intelligent question. Man is not the crux of the universe and the universe will be here long after all traces of the human species are gone.

wordywalt replies on Mar 1, 2018:

@the8thyamger That illogic is more silly than the first one.

Well - after reading the many posts on the subject, and after being on other dating sites ...

wordywalt comments on Feb 28, 2018:

If you both can truly respect each other's right to believe as you do, there is a real chance. My wife of 23 years is a staunch Catholic and I am an atheist, and our marriage has been a good one.

wordywalt replies on Feb 28, 2018:

@evergreen You are right. People simply have to make up their minds what is really important: Making an issuye out of something, or sustaining a caring relationship.

Well - after reading the many posts on the subject, and after being on other dating sites ...

wordywalt comments on Feb 28, 2018:

If you both can truly respect each other's right to believe as you do, there is a real chance. My wife of 23 years is a staunch Catholic and I am an atheist, and our marriage has been a good one.

wordywalt replies on Feb 28, 2018:

@evergreen We each simply accept that is who we each are.

When we finally start living in the moon or mars when will those people be classed as another ...

wordywalt comments on Feb 27, 2018:

Your question is moot. The nature of lunar dust makes the possibility of human colonization unlikely.

wordywalt replies on Feb 27, 2018:

@SimonMorgan1 Until they do, and it is unlikely that they will, your question is still moot.

YES! I'm turned loose from PT and OT and home health.

wordywalt comments on Feb 22, 2018:

Go for it! Do whatever it takes to provide yourself with some quality of life in your remaining time. I am 81 and 11 years ago after a heart attack and having a pacemaker implanted, I started an exercise routine with weights at the gym I have stayed with and steadily increased the weight ...

wordywalt replies on Feb 26, 2018:

@ForTheBirds I understand. Do what yoiur body lets you. Staqrt the physical activity at a level that is comfortable or slightly stretching your comfort. Gradually increase over time. If it weight activity, when you reach a point that feels very comfortable, try adding 5 or 10 pounds. If cardio-vascular exercise, try gradually increasing the rate and/or time gradually. Listen to your body" Don't try to increase too much too quickly. Once you start, the key is sticking with it. You will eventually reach a point at which you will look forward to -- actually need -=- the activity. Good luck. If you need any encouragement or advice, don't hesitate to ask.

This one is for all the pro-life people on here.

wordywalt comments on Feb 25, 2018:

All pro-life advocates should realize that to choose a pro0life stance for their own lives is find' but when they attempt to force all people to act in accordance with their beliefs they are acting in a totalitarian manner that, in itself, is reprehensible.

wordywalt replies on Feb 25, 2018:

@TheMiddleWay Is is always improper for a person who holds an opinion not accepted by the vast majority to try to force their minority opinion on others.

Religion and politics are the same - it's all about control

MrLink comments on Feb 19, 2018:

No. One is about clinging to dogmatic beliefs to make sense of your existence in a world where you are miniscule and ignorant, and resigning yourself to the fact that you are powerless to understand, much less do anything about, the seemingly random tragedies that befall humanity; and the other one...

wordywalt replies on Feb 24, 2018:

You need to read Milovan Djilas's book, THE NEW CLASS. In spite of your protestations to the contrary, there are political total system ideologies. They are fatally flawed, just like religion. In fact, the worst of them, including communism, parallel religions in their intellectual structure and control devices.

I'm a college professor and for the past 10 years, I've noticed and my colleagues have as well, that...

wordywalt comments on Feb 24, 2018:

As a retired former high school and college teacher, it is my experience that, as a whole, when students do not perform well or do not meet expectations, it is usually because they have not been taught well or that directions or expectations have not been made clear.

wordywalt replies on Feb 24, 2018:

@DUCHESSA There are always a few students we fail to reach, but I would not generalize from them.

OK.

stinkeye_a comments on Feb 22, 2018:

Because we have to be able to physically resist a potentially tyrannical government, which in no way already has far more advanced weapons, technologies, tactics, and strategies (that we probably don't even know about) that would render our guns useless or ineffectual. In a world of GPS, drones, ...

wordywalt replies on Feb 22, 2018:

@TheInterlooper Typical tactic of a sloppy thinker: Ignore the main point and drum up a side issue. My main point was that your argument was terrible. The misspelling was just more sloppy work.

OK.

rosscann comments on Feb 22, 2018:

Mostly our permissive gun culture is about pigheaded, paranoid ignorance.

wordywalt replies on Feb 22, 2018:

@atheist Excessive power in the hands of special interests, and political corruption of politics and politicians by the money from those special interests.