Posts

Revolutionizing Online Debates: A Proposal for a More Organized and Informed Future

The current state of online discussions often results in a cacophony of voices with little to no structure or organization. In this digital era, we need a space where debates are not just noise, but substantive conversations that lead to deeper understanding and informed decisions. Here, we propose a revolutionary online debate format that could transform the way we engage with and understand various perspectives on any given issue. Reducing Chaos in Online Discussions Current online forums often descend into chaos due to their unstructured nature. Our proposed system would counter this by enabling users to categorize their comments as either reasons to agree or disagree with a particular issue, making discussions more orderly and less confusing. Organizing Discussions for Deeper Understanding Think of our proposed format as a structured debate, where every perspective is clearly articulated and organized. This structure allows for more meaningful conversations, enabling users to delve...

The Power of Organized Debate: Why We Should Separate Reasons to Agree and Disagree

Today, I want to talk about an idea that I firmly believe in - organizing reasons to agree and disagree with concepts into two separate columns. This simple change could revolutionize the way we approach debates and discussions. Here's why: 1. Streamlining the Decision-Making Process By separating reasons to agree and disagree, we can create a computer algorithm that assigns points to the main idea based on the number of reasons in each column. This would streamline our decision-making process and allow us to reach more balanced conclusions. 2. Creating a Clear Overview of Every Issue Imagine if every issue had its own website with a comprehensive list of reasons to agree or disagree. It would make understanding complex topics much easier and encourage more informed discussions. 3. Prioritizing the Best Arguments Separating reasons to agree and disagree also allows us to highlight the most compelling arguments. By placing the best reasons at the top of each column, we ensure that t...

Building the Future of Ideas: An Internet Stock Market for Beliefs

Hey there! I'd love to share something my folks taught me when I was just a kid. Whenever I faced a decision, they encouraged me to make a list of reasons to agree or disagree with an idea. Looking back, it seems like this simple method laid the foundation for an exciting idea: what if we could collect all such lists ever made on the Internet and organize them on a single platform? This concept became clearer as I delved into the world of stock market investing. The beauty of investing lies not just in the act of buying or selling shares but in the conviction behind these actions. When you put your money on a stock, you're essentially betting on an idea, a belief in the company's future success. This parallel between investing and belief system is fascinating, don't you think? Imagine if we could create a 'stock market of ideas,' where people could invest in concepts and beliefs as they do in companies. This wouldn't just be a game-changer for scientific adv...

Year 1

A Different Christmas Poem

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    A Different Christmas Poem    The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,  I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.    My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,  My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.  Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,  Transforming the yard to a winter delight.  The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,  Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.    My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,  Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.  In perfect contentment, or so it would ...

A Landslide

Can supporters of same-sex marriage and those protesting the Mormon Church's involvement help me with something? President-elect Barack Obama won the election by 6.5 percent nationwide. This is being described as a "landslide" and a "mandate" by the media, Obama supporters and other prominent democrats. Conversely, the legality of same-sex marriage was on the ballot in three states, two of these states won by President-elect Obama. Of the nearly 20 million votes cast in these three states on the same-sex marriage issue, legal same-sex marriage was defeated by a margin of 56 percent to 44 percent. An 8 percent margin of defeat, larger than Obama's margin of victory. Should logic not command that this result be defined as a mandate against same-sex marriage? If not, why not? And instead of blaming "confused" Black voters and the Mormon Church, why are supporters of same-sex marriage avoiding the real culprit? Barack Obama! Yes, the head of you...

JUST "SIN TAXES"

Whatever you tax, you punish. Why would you punish people for working and making money? Remember that I am not saying that the government should collect any more money. Just that we should eliminate the income tax. In order to replace the revenue loss each city, and state will have to decide which usage fees, and "sin taxes" they will use to replace the income tax. Republicans have good principles, but they rarely follow them. One of the good principals that republicans talk about, but never seem to follow threw is the principle of rewarding good behavior and punishing bad behavior. We should lose taxes that tax good behavior, like income tax and increase sin vastly increase sin taxes. The Republican Party is typically seen as your father's party. The democrats are like your mom. They care about your feelings, but the republicans have tough love, and tell you to stop feeling sorry for yourself, and get to work. Parents tend to learn, that if you do stuff for their kids al...

Obama is wrong to say that we should "slow development of Future Combat Systems."

Reasons to agree We live in a world were millions of middle-age minded people would like to destroy America. We could throw away all our weapons, and fight them with bronze spears. However diverse modern populations, with equal rights for minorities, that promote civil rights, a free press, the rule of law, and invests in education, health-care, etcetera... these societies are going to have a technological advantage. Those societies that work hard, educate their public, that work efficiently, and allow their women to be productive members of society... those societies that embrace science, reason, law, and education... these societies are the best care-takers of the future. Human histories are full of war. We live in a time when dictators still build statues to themselves, and enslave their populations. Therefore it is important that modern societies have modern weapons.  Societies that use irrational extremism to motivate their geneses to build weapons fo...

A great article from Michele Obama

This is a great article by Michele Obama. It is unfortunate that we have a double standard. If a republican woman was to say something like that, they would be looked down upon. People would call them Stepford Wives. But it is great for Michele to say it. Exit question: What would you say to someone that Michele Obama (a democrate) is a more devoted mom than Sarah Palin? Does it matter how much time Mr. Palin spends with the kids?

A great article from Michele Obama

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This is a great article by Michele Obama. It is unfortunate that we have a double standard. If a republican woman was to say something like that, they would be looked down upon. People would call them Stepford Wives. But it is great for Michele to say it. Exit question: What would you say to someone that Michele Obama (a democrate) is a more devoted mom than Sarah Palin? Does it matter how much time Mr. Palin spends with the kids?

Sarah Palin is wrong to pit one part of the country against the other.

Reasons to agree We don't choose where we are born, so it is kind of silly to be proud of it. People aren't all that different, in different states.  Their are liberals in Alaska, and conservatives in New York. Sarah Palin accuses those who live in New York of being "elite", and then when asked what she means by "elite" she says people who think they are better than others. Sarah Palin seems to think she is better than New Yorkers because she is from Alaska.

A great read

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=29105

Obama: "a civilian national security force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded"?

"Finally, a gaffe that is far more worrisome than the others: According to Obama, the U.S. "cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives we've set." He continued, "We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded." Whoa there, compadre! (That's a little Spanish there for the man who wants us all to learn it.) Will this "national security force" also wear brown shirts? Oddly enough, it seems that Obama's campaign realized that wouldn't fly—the line was stricken from the transcripts given to the media, though it is still in the video posted on YouTube."

"Obama's civilian national security force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded"

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"Finally, a gaffe that is far more worrisome than the others: According to Obama, the U.S. "cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives we've set." He continued, "We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded." Whoa there, compadre! (That's a little Spanish there for the man who wants us all to learn it.) Will this "national security force" also wear brown shirts? Oddly enough, it seems that Obama's campaign realized that wouldn't fly—the line was stricken from the transcripts given to the media, though it is still in the video posted on YouTube."

A. Lincoln

Congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime that damages morale and undermine the military are saboteurs and should be arrested, quickly tried and hanged!

Applauding the Supreme Court's Gun Ruling

Applauding the Supreme Court's Gun Ruling   The Supreme Court got it exactly right today in their decision affirming an individual right to bear arms.   What concerns me is that four members of the court dissented. The narrow 5-4 ruling is yet another reminder of the importance of appointing strict constructionist judges who will not read rights out of the Constitution but instead affirm the ones that are plainly stated there.   In striking down the DC ban on handgun ownership, the Court stood up for one of our most cherished freedoms, the freedom to defend our lives, our property and our liberty. This should put to rest once and for all the fanciful notion that gun ownership in America is tied to membership in a state militia.   added on 06/26/2008 by Mitt Romney

philanthropy at Security National Servicing Corporation

Ann Corkery, who directs philanthropy at Security National Servicing Corporation, introduced Governor Romney as he received the Canterbury Award from the Becket Fund. "As it turned out, the governor's speech of December 6th last year was the high point of the entire primary season. It was one of those moments when a serious thought managed to break through the noise. What left an impression was not just the power of the words, but also the qualities of the man, and of the wife beside him. "One quality of note is surely their forbearance, at that moment and throughout the campaign. If you wonder exactly what it was like for Catholics, in other places and other times, Mitt and Ann could share some details from their own experience. At every turn, they had to explain their faith — to defend the good and venerable teachings of the Mormon Church. They were constantly called to account, even by people not usually interested in spiritual matters … and by others with creeds and ...

Religion and Freedom

Religion and Freedom As prepared by Mitt Romney for delivery to the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty Dinner May 8, 2008 Thank you. It is an honor for Ann and me to be with you this evening. We have a lot of friends who work with the Becket Fund . As you can imagine, that makes your recognition even more meaningful. Your mission – and my topic this evening – involve the intertwining of religion and government. It's not a new topic. It was in the 12th century that Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Beckett famously refused to allow Henry II to control the Church of England. As you are well aware, his conviction came with a high price: he was killed by the king's soldiers in his own cathedral.  Our religious liberty in America was bought in large measure by the sacrifice of men and women like Thomas Beckett . The battle for religious freedom is not over, nor is it likely to ever be.  I appreciate the work you do to protect a fundamental human liberty and to defend those w...

Obama says, “Yes we can”… Yes we can what?

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Images are from : http://markcronan.livejournal.com/ From HotAir: Beware the cult of personality in all its forms . From Wikipedia: A cult of personality or personality cult arises when a country's leader uses mass media to create a heroic public image through unquestioning flattery and praise. Cults of personality are often found in dictatorships but can be found in some democracies as well. A cult of personality is similar to general hero worship except that it is created specifically for political leaders. However, the term may be applied by analogy to refer to adulation of non-political leaders. Background Throughout history, monarchs were almost always held in enormous reverence. Through the principle of the divine right of kings , rulers were said to hold office by the will of God . Imperial China (see Mandate of Heaven ), ancient Egypt , Japan , the Inca , the Aztecs , and the Roman Empire (see imperial cult ) are especially noted for redefining monarchs a...