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Quote:

Originally Posted by KillerGremlin (Post 280049)

Thank you for the link. My only food for thought response would be to factor in the amount of civilian casualties and wars caused by Republicans vs. Democrats.

I think wars are a muddier comparison because they can be considered just or unjust, while charity is simply a moral good. But using your new comparison, let's compare the casualties of the Iraq wars that were the responsibility of Republicans to the civilian casualties created in WWII and the Korean and the Vietnam Wars under Democrats... I don't think we actually have to pull up the numbers, do we? In WWII alone a Democrat authorized the use of nuclear weapons... twice. Want to compare the use of smart bombs with carpet bombing, fire bombing and napalm?

I happen to agree with the use of the weapons considering the times, but by your terms Democrats are the greatest offenders BY FAR.

Dont forget chemical warfare.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Professor S (Post 280066)

My only response to that would be that World War 2 was a response to Nazi Germany and was more out of self-defense. Vietnam and the Korean War were both effed, so I can't disagree there.

The War on Iraq had some religious context, but I think deep down we all know that it wasn't really about religion. And Obama hasn't had any staunch opposition to messing with the Middle East, so boo on him. He seems just as pro-war as any Democracy-spreadin' American Politician.

So I respectfully appreciate that Republicans are more charitable than Democrats. Ideally I wish both parties would stay the hell away from religion. :lol:

Also, random tangent, but what the fuck? "Effed" is a word now? It's not coming up on my browser spell check...it's defined if you Google search for it, and it has a Wikipedia thingy:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effed

That's fucking awesome! I use "effed" in professional settings all the time.

Is anyone here knowledgeable of history?

I've always wanted to ask: Did Hitler plan to win, or just stir up a whole lot of shit?

Was there any journals or documents recovered where Hitler stated a clear manifesto or something?

Quote:

Originally Posted by KillerGremlin (Post 280070)

My only response to that would be that World War 2 was a response to Nazi Germany and was more out of self-defense. Vietnam and the Korean War were both effed, so I can't disagree there.

I agree that the reasons for entering WW2 were far less muddled than Vietnam or Korea, but the discussion was based on civilian casualties during the war and not the justification; military methods and not politics. WW2 methods were BRUTAL to civilians.

Again, the times considered and technology available, I'm not fully disagreeing with the methods used during WW2. Well, I have to disagree with the use of firebombing in Japan. The US targeted civilians in these campaigns, burning down most of the country in the process (most Japanese homes were made of wood at the time.) Firebombing was far more horrific than even the nuclear bombs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KillerGremlin (Post 280073)

I'm not a historian by any stretch, but I can safely say Hitler was a true believer in his cause, and he absolutely intended to win. By the way, if he had listened to his generals he probably would have won. Engaging a war on 3 fronts is madness, and attacking Russia was the nail in the coffin even though, again, his military almost pulled it off even though Hitler was diverting supply trains to transport Jews for execution.

I would argue that the surface atrocities of WWII are extreme, with firebombing and overt use of nuclear strikes unavoidably horrendous by the sheer immediacy of their effects.

Depleted uranium, which is in every ballistic fired from personal defense weapons and advanced missiles, is decimating the populations in a way that is just as horrendous. Women in Faluja are told not to attempt conception for the fact that birth deformities(let alone less detectable ills) have increased by thousands of times since the recent wars began.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seth (Post 280103)

Depleted uranium, which is in every ballistic fired from personal defense weapons and advanced missiles

I dont actually know this, but im pretty sure standard issue personal defence weapons, such as hand guns and rifles, dont have depleted uranium rounds. I think thats just for the higher caliber weapons like anti-tank guns, or artillery cannons.

Personal Defense Weapons are actually a classification of firearm. Examples are the p90 and the HK MP7. They fire smaller caliber rounds with heavy penetrating power. I think the bullets rely more on their design and less on the materials. Plus Depleted Uranium seems to expensive for smaller caliber weapons. The GAU-8 Avenger on the A10 Thunderbolt however is the perfect platform and makes better use of its rounds when taking out tanks and such, or the Sabot rounds from most modern tanks.

Marines used to be versed in the proper handling of their ammunition. Automatic rifles fire D.U. rounds. I meant P.D.Weapons to include standard issue rifles.

It's a really good way of getting rid of a substance that is a pain in the neck to store with environmental watchdogs raising heck.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KillerGremlin (Post 280063)

No...I'm just kidding. You want to read Jean Piaget.

Judgements are based on abstract thought. Until a child can understand the world and form abstract thoughts - the Concrete stage - they rely largely on reflexes and motor skills, and then eventually symbols. A baby may feel "cold" or "hot" or "pain" or "no pain," but they can abstractly conceptualize these things.

I never said they're capible of making a complex judgement. It's not like they'd have time to weigh out all their options and decide.. their life to that point is all they know.

KG - hasn't Jean Piaget been fairly discredited in the Psychology field? I know his stages and such are a nice general framework, and he did some pioneering work, but he also primarily studied his own children.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bond (Post 280156)

This is correct. Much of Piaget's frameworks and theories are still applied to modern psychology, and used in the education system. But quite a bit of his stuff has be deconstructed, challenged, and shown to be plain wrong. I believe development is seen more as a smooth continuum and complex process than Piaget originally imagined.

He's still a good place to start, influential, and probably not completely wrong. Psychology usually has a number of frameworks that can be used to describe/theorize a situation. The best developmental frameworks probably focus on a mesh of Biology/Neuroscience/Psychology. I'm not a developmental psych guy, and the neuroscience and biology stuff is definitely out of my realm.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KillerGremlin (Post 280163)

Developmental Psychology was the only Psychology class I ever had that made me want to blow my fucking brains out.

Every other psych class I had was a fucking pleasure cruise though.

http://beforeitsnews.com/story/1460/...ew_Months.html

Religion is about love. I believe that the Bible promotes this. This is why Wyclif in his oxford environment strove against the church's determination to keep scriptural truths away from the native language. The church saw a split which has been part of political wars since. Members who identify with either a reformed denomination or the mother church have been, since young, taught why the other doctrinal teachings are bad and, in Wyclif's preferred indictment, "of the antichrist".

I don't want my religious beliefs to interfere with people's ability to comprehend the love of Jesus Christ, and its transformative power in the individuals who claim him as their saviour. I look at all religions this way, in that the moral lessons of each are what sustains the people who follow its teachings, but at the same time, because of my unique circumstance, I have been made aware of century old prophecies that identify the messiah, the saviour of society, and the subsequent time that we live in. The Bible says that God judges all according to their unique existence, which I find completely reasonable, and answering to the issues that so many people have with 'labeled' religion.
Jesus is love, and this is profoundly delivered in the gospel stories of his time on earth. I am so grateful for the way that his word changes my approach to daily life, when I take the time to acknowledge his role and learn from his example, in my own pursuit of happiness.

The main deterrent for me, in reading the Bible, is my rationalizing that I have no time when so many other things are required of my waking hours. However, it is intuitively beneficial to study the life of Jesus as it seems to give me more time for everything else. Something along the lines of putting Him first, and all these things will be added on to you.

Quote:

In the spiritual realms we are watching with joy as humanity intensifies its efforts to release the unloving attitudes that have never served it and embrace the loving ones that are leading you onwards towards awakening. You have made enormous strides in the last few months, and the results are plain to see all over the planet. The most obvious ones, of course, are the “Occupy” demonstrators who, despite quite intense provocation, have remained peaceful and have focused their intent on sharing love and compassion in all their interactions. They are being greatly supported and encouraged by their angels and guides, and their efforts are inspiring and uplifting vast numbers who, for whatever reasons, cannot physically take part in this spiritually motivated grassroots movement that resonates with everyone on the planet. Even those who disparage, discount, or attempt to crush it. All your hearts are beginning to open, and those who would control and manipulate others, in any manner at all, are finding themselves unable to resist the call of Love that is being broadcast indiscriminately all over the world.

As you know, Love is the power and the Intent of creation, It is God, It is All that is, and everyone of you is held eternally in Its divine embrace. Your unawareness of this, your inability to feel It and to know It, is purely as a result of your decision to build an imaginary and illusory environment, separate from God, in which to experience existence without Him. It was but a momentary thought that you had, and within which you built what appears to be an almost limitless universe where you are but tiny insignificant beings, alone and lost in its vastness. But it was only conceived of for a moment. Nevertheless, you split Yourself into billions and billions, or maybe trillions and trillions – it does not matter how many, because despite how real it seems to you, it still does not exist, Only God exists, and You are eternally one with Him – of bits, beings, or aspects of God’s Son scattered and abandoned throughout its apparent vastness. When you awaken into Reality the insignificance of the illusion and all that it seems to contain might just amuse you, but only momentarily, because existence – awareness of being one with God – offers such boundless opportunities for creative ecstasy that the illusion will be instantly forgotten.

You never needed it – but you chose to build it and experience the severe limitations it imposed on you. During the apparent eons you have spent enclosed in it, the God Spark within you has been burning constantly, so that when you were ready It would light your way Home. Many of you are now getting enticing glimpses of It as you let love instead of fear direct your thoughts, words, and actions. And as you allow Love to increase Its influence upon you, those brief glimpses will increase in frequency and become longer lasting, to ensure that you cannot lose your way.

Divine guidance has always been available to you from this Light within you, and now, in ever-increasing numbers, you are noticing It, focusing on It, and intending to follow It Home. The intent that you are holding is strengthening and intensifying in every moment because the divine Will is for you to awaken into the bliss that is God, and now that you have chosen to align yourselves with It there is no going back. You are on course to your awakening, as your Father, your angels, and your guides rush to support you and ensure your safe, speedy, and complete awakening.

Your loving brother, Jesus.