Dude, we actually did rely on citizen militias back then (in large part for 'protection' against the natives) and the tradition of the amateur citizen-soldier was very important. It's not at all absurd to think that protecting that was the primary purpose of the 2nd amendment. At the least, the wording strongly conflates privately owning weapons with serving in a militia, in a way
Your Remington argument isn't nearly the GOTCHA! that you seem to think it is. The fact that Madison etc didn't shut them down suggests that he did not feel that, at that point in our history, they were a problem (and in a mostly rural, largely homogenous country, they probably were not.) It does NOT suggest that he felt that owning firearms was a sacred right that deserved to be enshri
since I don't really post and you have no idea who I am, but given the bizarrely negative response you've gotten from some people here, I have to. I've read a lot of your posts about your life and your family in the past year, and even before your wife left you (wow that sounds harsh) the way you wrote about and obviously deeply cared for her and your daughter made me really respec
Their chat interface is kinda clunky, but a lot of people are willing to add you on skype or AIM. And it's got a friendly helpful atmosphere, most people are genuine learners and not looking to use it as a dating site.
In particular, friends of mine have seen targeted ads for things I'm 90% sure we've never talked about on Facebook, but have definitely talked about elsewhere. I don't know how they do it, but it doesn't make me trust them, and I'm no conspiracy theorist.
If someone kills in self-defense, that is not considered murder, from either a moral or legal standpoint. If someone kills accidentally, that is not considered murder, from either a moral or legal standpoint. And most people would not refer to it as such. If you do, that's fine, but that's not what the word means, either by the dictionary or in common parlance. And understand that unort
The ability to respond to stimulus is not the same as perception. The former does not imply the latter, and claiming that because plants "respond" to light and music, they also "recognize" and "like" it, is false anthropomorphization. (not really your fault -- our language did not develop for us to talk about these issues with this degree of subtlety and precision.)
Sentience most nearly means consciousness, or the ability to perceive. Are you sure you aren't confusing it with sapience? (a lot of people do)
There's even a section in there about animal rights and sentience. I didn't know that til I searched it, but it probably has some relevant things to say.
Artificial: OK, first, like I said I am not a vegetarian. I sympathize with
I'm not a vegetarian, but how is killing something without a nervous system even comparable to killing a sentient animal that can clearly feel pain? They're not morally equivalent at all.
Hey, this is Kite. If you're interested in keeping in touch, at least till the next incarnation of POS shows up, PM me or drop me a line at pesliai at gmail dot com.