> Justinian I wrote:

> > avogadro wrote:

> if theres not a monopoly on force, it doesnt mean there has to be armed conflict between the difference factions competing on force...>

Well guess what, they would have every incentive to engage in coercion and armed conflict.

just because in the scenario you immediatly came up with in your mind, they do. does not mean that it had to be the case in every scenario..

> ☭ Fokker wrote:

> > avogadro wrote:

> > ☭ Fokker wrote:
> "considering the huge penalties for converting from Islam that exist in some countries"

My local shop keeper cannot go home to visit his family because he will be behedded (or something like that) for converting to Catholicism (for love). No one he knows even believes, apparently, but they say that they are for an easy life... kinda like when I used to say I believed in Santa and God.

you think catholics and/or christians are the same way? they'll behead you for converting to another religion? <

  I think, based on 1st-hand experience, 2nd-hand experience, as well as video evidence, that the penalites for... leaving Christianity are much worse than mere death:
Shunned by family, friends, perhaps even work-mates. A fate far worse than death for any social creature.

  Let us take you for example, in your woo-woo-christian community: What would happen if you... chose a new path? Better yet, what would happen if they realised you were even thinking about choosing a new path?

nothing, i have a friend that was raised Catholic and became a Satanist. he hasnt lost any friends that i know of. he hasnt been shunned... it is not a big deal to us...

sure, there might be acouple people counted as christian that arent actually christian. but Christian is largest by a very large factor. and the 2nd largest is Islam, and they're a distant 2nd and if anything they probably have a higher amount of people counted as Muslims that arent and after muslim is Hindu which has less then half the recorded numbers as Christianity and because of its large presence in poor countries, like Islam is, there are probably higher percentages of them that arent really hindu then christians. after Hindu is Buddhists, which have 1/8 the recorded size of christianity, do you honestly think they're larger? and then after buddhists you start having relgioins with less then 1 percent the recorded number of christians...

i am still waiting for someone to state what religion they think is larger then Christianity...

claiming you are a catholic doesnt make you a catholic. but if you consider yourself a catholic, who is anyone else to say you're wrong?  who is a better judge of one's religion then one self?

> &#9773; Fokker wrote:

> You are aware that the Earth is finite, and therefore any natural resources are also finite, right? I ask because I get the impression from your post that you see them as infinite, or at least not finite enough for you to worry about it.

i am aware the earth is finite. the thing is that we are utilizing nowhere near all of the earth. so to say that technology cant increase the amount of humans the earth can support is nonsense, because technology can help us utilize more of the earth, which would allow the earth to support more humans...

we conquered japan, when the American president visits Japan, the American president shoudlnt bow; the Japanese emperor should be giving the American President a BJ....

cant you just see some alaskans sitting down in their log caban at a table, enjoying diner. and then all of a sudden a polar bear breaks down the door, charges in, and eats them all? hilarious!!

"Support our Troops" - donate money to bomb others

that one is wrong.

"support our troops" means dont go Vietnam on their asses and protest against them.

if theres not a monopoly on force, it doesnt mean there has to be armed conflict between the difference factions competing on force...

i dont think monopolies are desirable in any situation. they breed waste and inefficiency. they dont feel the need to innovate because they have a monopoly. then workers get laxed because their company has no competition and its smooth sailing; the company doesnt need to fire bad workers because if they start not making money then they can get permission from the government to raise their rates.

when you think about it; the government is there to provide services to its citizens. and you dont have multiple government vying for power in a single country, so you have a monopoly. and government suffer largely from the same problems monopolies have.

> Little Paul wrote:

> Those words ARE meaningless key.

I agree with avo that having an election system does not mean everyone has a vote. It only means a certain form of control. Its a power balance. The smarter the people vote, the better the system works. If the leading people succeed in misleading the people the system works less good. It has nothing to do with responsibility. Nor with a "voice" for everyone.

There are a whole lot of things in disfavor of the "smart vote" part.
1.) People need correct information. The media to name an important factor, is largely subjective.
2.) The average person isn't very brilliant. Lets face the truth here.
3.) You need a large amount of time to judge the persons in power
4.) People don't have inside information in a lot of official documents.

...and I can go on for hours. The only reason a democracy works is because it has a control system were a despotism has not.

im not entirely convinced that the educated the voter the better the results....   there are intelligent people on both sides of every issue imo. education just means that you are more likely to be biased against some actions, and more willing to oppose them for irrational reasons. while people with less educated would be less likely to be biased towards something being voted on because they have never heard of it, and then they can look at the issue and vote based on merits.

> Key wrote:

> Yes, blame the people for voting in for public servants, who then screwed the pooch.  Economically speaking.

Your right. I blame you. That's if your american.

im american, but my vote doesnt matter. voting is just a method of control. the media tells the masses what to think and then the masses vote 1 of 2 choices into office. i have no say, i have no voice. the only thing the government does with me is rob me of my hard earned money by threatening arrest and imprisonment if i dont give it to them quietly; i am a slave of the state; my goals and ambitions are irrelevant, only the goals and ambitions of the state are supported.