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[Truean]

I find it weird that these progressive threads seem to be mostly about rape.  I'm a little sad some of the other topics on the first page weren't picked up on.

Ditto.

[Ogdibus]

.

[Levi]

Levi, what would you rather we talk about? I'll totally push that.

Pretty much anything else to be honest.  Its not a very pleasant topic.  I'm fine if that is what people really want to talk about though.

[Virex]

Levi, what would you rather we talk about? I'll totally push that.

Pretty much anything else to be honest.  Its not a very pleasant topic.  I'm fine if that is what people really want to talk about though.

If we would only discuss pleasant topics, the world would still've looked like 1850 when it comes to woman's rights

[GlyphGryph]

Let's talk about genetically modified food then. First, though - Do people consider this a progressive issue?

[Virex]

Let's talk about genetically modified food then. First, though - Do people consider this a progressive issue?

Considering that they're being used to push small farms out of business (especially in the third world), I don't see how it's not a progressive issue?

[Capntastic]

http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=103267.0  Here's a thread that derailed into a discussion of Reddit's huge problems, I wonder where people weigh in on this?  (I admit that when Cruxador stepped in I felt duty bound to explain to him why he might be wrong-- the dude has expressed similar attitudes before, like poor people deserving it, etc.)

~~~

As for GM food, it's a science tool like any other- one that needs to be regulated and tested, and democratized.  Monsanto is one of the worst corporations in the world, trying to literally corner the market on grains, which are essential to human life.  There's the capacity to do a lot of good, and the capacity to do a lot of harm.  It needs to be controlled, but not by a profit driven entity.

[Loud Whispers]

http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=103267.0  Here's a thread that derailed into a discussion of Reddit's huge problems, I wonder where people weigh in on this?  (I admit that when Cruxador stepped in I felt duty bound to explain to him why he might be wrong-- the dude has expressed similar attitudes before, like poor people deserving it, etc.)

I think it went downhill the moment people started getting offended at the nature of reddit being questioned.

[palsch]

A little casual racism to keep things light...

Let's talk about genetically modified food then. First, though - Do people consider this a progressive issue?

I think it is, but more one where there is a genuine debate to be had.

I'm pretty strongly pro-GM in the general sense, although I think there needs to be strong regulation and more ethical business practices than there have been in the past. It's a field similar to medical science; massive public good can be done but with a huge private profit incentive getting in the way all too often.

There is an interesting blog I haven't hit up in ages called Tomorrow's Table after the book the blogger wrote with her husband. She is a geneticist who has worked on GM rice and he is an organic farmer. There is a massive environmental gain to be had from high intensity farming without pesticides or other outside chemicals being needed. They had some deeply interesting posts I remember reading a few years ago that I can't remember enough about to dig out of their archives now...

[Levi]

I'm pretty strongly pro-GM in the general sense, although I think there needs to be strong regulation and more ethical business practices than there have been in the past. It's a field similar to medical science; massive public good can be done but with a huge private profit incentive getting in the way all too often.

This is pretty much my view on it too.  GM is a great tool and there is a lot of amazing things being done with it, but you can never trust a corporation.

[Sirus]

When you think about it, we've been genetically modifying our food since shortly after we first started growing things. It was accidental and at random, of course, but crop yields have steadily improved and we've introduced new foods to our diet. Did y'all know that the classic yellow banana (the one most people think of in cartoons and stuff) had to be bred that way? They used to be way too starchy to eat raw, sorta like a potato. I think it's a bit hypocritical of some people (I haven't seen anyone on this thread say this yet) to insist on absolutely no modifications to our food, considering how much of it has been modified over thousands of years.

That said, I fully see the need to keep it regulated.

[Truean]

http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/local_news/oh_geauga/chardon-supporters-to-create-human-barricade-against-westboro-funeral-protesters

I'm not really thrilled these people are anywhere near my state. Sadly their hate speech is considered "Free speech." Forgetting the content/substance of their protests, which I clearly disagree with as a GLBT person, the procedure and practice of it is emphatically vile. They make it their business to find funerals and protest at them, and it's well known that they love to ruin the funerals of deceased US Armed Forces Personnel. Id. I keep hearing stuff about certain religions being oppressed in the US for not liking gays, but these guys are somehow protected and it is illegal to stop their protests at your own relatives' funerals.... [sigh]

Various countermeasures are being put into place to contain the wanton hate of the WBC, such as the creation of a wall of people so the families dealing with this tragedy, at the funeral of their own children, will not have to see their hateful signs. It is possible local Harley-Davidson motorcyclists come by to rev their engines so that the mourning families will not have to listen to the WBC, but this is not confirmed at this time.

Finally, it isn't even like these WBC people are protesting the funerals of gay individuals. The servicemen and servicewomen whose funerals they crash are often not gay. These school shooting victims are not gay, nor was the gunman. Not that what they're saying makes sense, but even then, the people whose funerals they are protesting have nothing to do with the thing they have a problem with.

I will never understand the Supreme Court's reasoning and firmly side with the dissent in the above case. The time, place, and method of their protests is assured to cause Emotional Distress (which you can sue over and which someone tried to sue them over). I can't fathom how it is ok to remove political protestors into "Free Speech Zones" where they are supposed to be seen, but in reality often cannot be seen, but we can't do anything about this. At least political protestors have a valid reason to be protesting at some political event or appearance. Why the crap are these guys crashing funerals of people they don't know and who have nothing to do with what is pissing them off again?

[Ogdibus]

.

[Sirus]

Short and simple answer, WBC are attention whores and professional trolls with a supposedly excellent legal team.

Long answer in response to their "logic": Simply because we don't shoot or lynch gay people on sight, the Phelpses think that we are approving of gays and are thus being un-Christian. And because America is the most important country in the whole wide world and founded by Jesus, God is furious at us while ignoring the other places in the world where gay marriage is perfectly legal. Which means that every single tragedy in the country is God saying "See? Quit being nice to gays!", but only the True Believers (WBC) can understand it.

[kaijyuu]

A little casual racism to keep things light...

His... reasoning does not make sense.

"The only reason I can explain it to you is I am not a fan of our president, but this goes beyond not being a fan," Cebull said. "I didn't send it as racist, although that's what it is. I sent it out because it's anti-Obama."

The hell?


I'll accept people can make racist jokes without being racist (same with making a joke about any sensitive topic), but the dude does not make a good case for his doing so here.