Topic: The Gift That Keeps On Giving And Giving

[Pandora]

Whoa, why?

[pisskop]

Haven't for half a year.

used to watch news but us it really worth paying for all the extra channels for a few core news networks? 

Also, unlike many of my peers I don't abuse Obama's generosity with our taxes.  I have no time for tv, as I have to study, work, etc.  Lucky me I have a techish job so I can just see the websites.

[warpmine]

Gives new meaning to the phrase "Drop anchor" doesn't it?

[RickZ]

But why it stuck out to me is that here it was Christmas 2012 and they were playing a song produced for Christmas 1984, almost 30 years ago, and has anything really changed? Does it not stand to reason that places like Haiti and Ethiopia will be at least as unadvanced in 2042?

They'll be lucky to be as unadvanced by 2042.  I think regression is their norm and they will continue to backslide, especially with a now broke Uncle Sam no longer propping up the façade of civilization in those countries.  /Potemkin countries.

[Alphabet Soup]

"... as I’ve noted many times over the years when debating both Democrats and Republicans who fall back on empty phrases to justify putting the amnesty cart before the enforcement horse, we are not a “nation of immigrants.” This is both a factual error and a warm-and-fuzzy non sequitur. Eighty-five percent of the residents currently in the United States were born here. Yes, we are almost all descendants of immigrants. But we are not a “nation of immigrants.”

I guess it is all in the way you view it or the context but I don't see this the way she does.

We - virtually every one of us by virtue of our ancestors - came to America from somewhere else. It is the 85% stat that is the non sequitur. I also don't see this POV as inconsistent when what our Founders were saying (in the quotes above). The central idea was that we all came from somewhere but became Americans. And it is that uniqueness called American that is under attack.

The left, through the bastard notion of multiculturalism leads the dull to believe that "diversity is our strength" and that assimilation is intolerably racist. As a consequence we now print voter pamphlets in Sanskrit and Klingon and even cereal boxes look like EULA's full of minuscule print on obscure languages. The left keeps chipping away at anything that even remotely resembles tradition in favor of trendy and insipid.

There is a reason why people come here - it is invariably to escape the sh!thole where they hail from. We should encourage people of value who wish to embrace the American experience to come join us. We should tell the rest to get the hell out.

[Dan]

Oooh, now you're talkin'!

Am I?  My TV would be a disappointment to you, the dryer's prolly almost as old as you.  What I got is food.  If I said knuckle-sammich at this point, would ya be surprised or validated?

Luv ya, Danny-boy.

Got so many of those sammiches from teh wife my teeth have are the same color as her favorite nail polish! So just sore I guess!

And my TV is on teh one-yard line to teh trash heap. At least cable. Can't stand the crap that gets in the way of what little educational TV is worth-while. Disney can't even be trusted and Nickalodeon(sp?) is locked ever since that piece of sh*t Jason Biggs went on his filthy attack on Anne Romney and other Conservative women.

And my dryer? Just had it repaired. Should be good, but as an aside (don't mean to thread-jack, but since I'm sure the R's had a hand in it...) teh repair-guy told me the "Energy Star" appliances are putting him out of business. The cost of replacing the electronics is within spitting distance of a new unit anyway. Shorter warranties, sales at the store, and viola, the prices and logic dictate a new machine! Meanwhile, the old ones get junked, and teh cost and resources for recycling or disposal are passed on, again, to the taxpayers. All under the auspices of a program that is a demonstrable fraud.
f**kin' big gov't solutions always make more messes.
BUt that's preaching to the choir, here.

[pisskop]

So, while I am here.

Pisskop: "Hmmm, I'd always thought that gnetics set a range of possibities but enviornment determines the specific value.  For instance, IQ is a factor of enviornmental training, but the genes determine the potential."

I think its' the other way...IQ is the genetic marker and environment determines the potential. IQ is who you are, as in hair color, height, etc. How you're raised will effect, greatly, how far you go.

Its interesting.  They way I described places a limit on the upper and lower values based upon the purity or potentcy of the genes.  Purebred individuals could expect to be better, and training could only do so much.

The way you describe it the function of IQ (amoung others) is determined by mainly by hard work.  Although genetics provides some 'starter fluid' the real actor is the enviornment.  There would be no arbitrary limitor on IQ in this scenerio, although you could expect something like deminished returns as the value rises (or lowers, in the case of apathytrophy).

I see you and Glock have a interesting way of viewing it.   I suppose mine does place less effect upon the individual and more upon the breeding.  Good point to keep in mind.

Also, typing

Code: [Select]

'[quote]'
into the place you want to quote allows you to do so.  Typing [quote=Name] lets you specifiy whose quote without a timestamp.
'[/quote]' ends a quote.
See?

blah blah

[Dan]

When you say "function", do you mean how far it can take an individual or how high an IQ is? Or can be? If the former, as in how far, I agree. IQ is. Although an individual can improve his test scores, he can only get so high, once his "limit" has been reached. We can all learn teh subject matter being tested, but at some point, we reach our limit of understanding and ability to apply or recall it. The higher teh natural IQ of an individual, the higher the resultant score. To the point of those "diminishing returns" at which point, I would say that's your IQ. I think we see that the same way, but I believe it starts with the individual and environment exacts the full potential. Other factors unique to the individual also come into play, such as focus and discipline, but then you get those "underachievers".
Even then, I've known many folks who're very smart, can grasp and even anticipate new concepts quickly, but don't have the "education" to work some of the problems on the first battery of an IQ test. I have seen one guy score in the 130's on his first test, which isn't bad at all, then go on to hit almost 160. Which is pretty damn good.
And thanks for the tech tip. It's been awhile since I've used this board and it's tools.

Is that pic of you in USMC Class A's?

[pisskop]

Navy Working blues.  They are now obsolete, for some reason they thought we'd look better in imitation chief uniforms. . .  and the picture is 5 years old now.

[Glock32]

My view of it is something like this. Genetics are the hardware and environmental conditions are the software. Either one can be a limiting reagent, to borrow a concept from chemistry, but the genetics are the fixed and immutable one -- to the extent that no amount of wishful thinking or more funding for public education will alter it.

[pisskop]

Agreed.

[Pandora]

"... as I’ve noted many times over the years when debating both Democrats and Republicans who fall back on empty phrases to justify putting the amnesty cart before the enforcement horse, we are not a “nation of immigrants.” This is both a factual error and a warm-and-fuzzy non sequitur. Eighty-five percent of the residents currently in the United States were born here. Yes, we are almost all descendants of immigrants. But we are not a “nation of immigrants.”

I guess it is all in the way you view it or the context but I don't see this the way she does.

We - virtually every one of us by virtue of our ancestors - came to America from somewhere else. It is the 85% stat that is the non sequitur. I also don't see this POV as inconsistent when what our Founders were saying (in the quotes above). The central idea was that we all came from somewhere but became Americans. And it is that uniqueness called American that is under attack.

The left, through the bastard notion of multiculturalism leads the dull to believe that "diversity is our strength" and that assimilation is intolerably racist. As a consequence we now print voter pamphlets in Sanskrit and Klingon and even cereal boxes look like EULA's full of minuscule print on obscure languages. The left keeps chipping away at anything that even remotely resembles tradition in favor of trendy and insipid.

There is a reason why people come here - it is invariably to escape the sh!thole where they hail from. We should encourage people of value who wish to embrace the American experience to come join us. We should tell the rest to get the hell out.

Two issues for me about this, although I understand your reasoning.

One is the precision of word-use leading to correct conceptual thinking.  We "are" a nation of immigrants is strictly not true.  Pushing the notion as fact marginalizes we native/natural born in favor of "celebrating" the recent and current "noble" immigrant, as though they are who matters and the rest of us -- the actual owners of this nation -- exist for them.

To say "We - virtually every one of us by virtue of our ancestors - came to America from somewhere else" is to say "we" are "them".  We aren't.  We are who and what we are -- natural/native born Americans -- they were the immigrants.

We who were born here don't have another country as do immigrants; the Mexicans have Mexico, the Somalians Somalia and so on.  For us, this is it, our birthright, and I won't be disappeared out of reality or merged into a phony category for the purpose of politically correct, multi-culti, di-VER-sity bullsht.

[Libertas]

Our immigrant ancestors came here and assimilated into American culture, they did not set up enclaves meant to carve out a mini-state within our nation like so many are now.  And the libiots have hijacked the meaning of "American culture" to fit their allegiance to the pc/diversity/multi-culti cult!  I accept no deviant definitions of American culture and heritage, they stand on their own, not apart!

"For us, this is it, our birthright, and I won't be disappeared out of reality or merged into a phony category for the purpose of politically correct, multi-culti, di-VER-sity bullsht."

AMEN!

[AlanS]

Our immigrant ancestors came here and assimilated into American culture, they did not set up enclaves meant to carve out a mini-state within our nation like so many are now.  And the libiots have hijacked the meaning of "American culture" to fit their allegiance to the pc/diversity/multi-culti cult!  I accept no deviant definitions of American culture and heritage, they stand on their own, not apart!

"For us, this is it, our birthright, and I won't be disappeared out of reality or merged into a phony category for the purpose of politically correct, multi-culti, di-VER-sity bullsht."

AMEN!

What he said.

[Dan]

ANother of my battle cries will be "No assimilation, no accommodation!"
I don't want my kids growing up in E. Europe, Africa, or some S. American sh*thole country without actually emigrating.

[benb61]

Our immigrant ancestors came here and assimilated into American culture, they did not set up enclaves meant to carve out a mini-state within our nation like so many are now.  And the libiots have hijacked the meaning of "American culture" to fit their allegiance to the pc/diversity/multi-culti cult!  I accept no deviant definitions of American culture and heritage, they stand on their own, not apart!

"For us, this is it, our birthright, and I won't be disappeared out of reality or merged into a phony category for the purpose of politically correct, multi-culti, di-VER-sity bullsht."

AMEN!

The powers that be are the ones creating these un-American enclaves.  When we saw a large influx of Vietnamese immigrants (seeking asylum) in the 70's they were spread out all over America by the government, but now when we have middle eastern immigrants (seeking asylum) they are brought in large groups to just a few areas.  Sure some of the Vietnamese moved around to be closer to other members of their families eventually but usually after Americanizing, now there is no influence on these mid-eastern to become Americans, so they keep their old ways alive and that causes major problems.

[Libertas]

Our immigrant ancestors came here and assimilated into American culture, they did not set up enclaves meant to carve out a mini-state within our nation like so many are now.  And the libiots have hijacked the meaning of "American culture" to fit their allegiance to the pc/diversity/multi-culti cult!  I accept no deviant definitions of American culture and heritage, they stand on their own, not apart!

"For us, this is it, our birthright, and I won't be disappeared out of reality or merged into a phony category for the purpose of politically correct, multi-culti, di-VER-sity bullsht."

AMEN!

The powers that be are the ones creating these un-American enclaves.  When we saw a large influx of Vietnamese immigrants (seeking asylum) in the 70's they were spread out all over America by the government, but now when we have middle eastern immigrants (seeking asylum) they are brought in large groups to just a few areas.  Sure some of the Vietnamese moved around to be closer to other members of their families eventually but usually after Americanizing, now there is no influence on these mid-eastern to become Americans, so they keep their old ways alive and that causes major problems.

I can verify this personally.  My family sponsored one of those families through our church, they were all very hard-working and very interested in learning to speak English and become Americans, and they succeeded on all counts, some still live in this area, others within easy driving distance of each other in CA.  They assimilated.  The Catholic Church and others, the cities and all that set up these "sanctuary" zones for illegals, the backdoor amnesty and anchor baby crap allowed by the libiots...all this is discouraging assimilation and encouraging balkanization!

[Pandora]

Comment from a HotAir thread:

"If they are incapable of enforcement and border control then how can Rubio/Democrats promise enforcement and border control after amnesty?

If they are capable of enforcement and border control then why don’t they do that?

sharrukin on January 30, 2013 at 6:19 PM"

Just a nit, I'd reverse the way that's written, but it IS the bottom line.

[charlesoakwood]

Show me you can control the border
and I'll listen to your immigration proposals.

[IronDioPriest]

Controlling the border is rayciss.