Balta1701

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Feb 5, 2015 -> 01:58 PM) Where are you getting that i'm approving of this system, let alone "praising" it? I'm saying it's the better of two awful choices. That's it. "I was sexually harassed, complained, was labeled a witch and beheaded" = an improvement. I think I'm on pretty solid ground here. People are happy to type how awful beheading and other insanely terrible forms of death are, but oh sweet mother no I'm not giving up my gasoline because of it and how dare you ever consider asking me that.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Feb 5, 2015 -> 01:38 PM) Anyone have any cruise experience? (Sorry had to)

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Feb 5, 2015 -> 01:52 PM) They behead journalists. Completely innocent people who just happen to be associated with a western country. You're delusional if you don't think that's just as cold, calculated, and deliberate. Yes, SA's actions are also reprehensible, but in the land of "which is worse, cancer or cancer," I'll choose at least having the option of NOT being killed. I'm not sure how sophisticated the "witchcraft" laws are, but I suspect you have to be found guilty of doing something. You're not executed just because of your citizenship. Seems legit. That's the kind of legal system we need to be praising. Swift and efficient.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Feb 5, 2015 -> 01:36 PM) ISIS's barbaric actions were carried out against a foreign prisoner of war. Saudi Arabia's is cold, calculated, deliberate and carried out against their own citizens. That they have a legal system that explicitly endorses such barbaric actions is morally worse, in my opinion, than the seemingly crazy violence of ISIS. edit: the SA beheadings are also over witchcraft. Not exactly a legitimate law there. Yeah, I mean, all they had to do was not be a witch. That would have avoided a beheading. They should not have been a witch.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Feb 5, 2015 -> 11:31 AM) I don't think anyone is saying it's ok, but, if we're being honest, at least that's all based on law that people know about. They're not kidnapping and then beheading/setting someone on fire because their country didn't offer ransom money. It's not ok, but here's a justification. And they accuse liberals of being relative on morality.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Feb 5, 2015 -> 11:38 AM) We'll see if this gets passed / moved forward in California. Some of my least favorite politicians behind it but the message and the action is spot on. And as I've said, I think Jerry Brown, who I didn't like or vote for, has done a nice job and why he got my vote this past election (for actually working with repubs...despite obviously having the heavy majority in the state). http://news.yahoo.com/california-lawmakers...-203726688.html They pretty much have to pass it. The state's been left with no choice. if it doesn't pass this round, then whenever the next big outbreak hits they'll have people holding up pictures of the dead kids and asking why.

QUOTE (soxfan2014 @ Feb 5, 2015 -> 12:50 PM) Between Cueto, Porcello, Greinke (most likely), Zimmermann, Fister, Price, Latos and Samardzija I feel there are too many arms available and not enough teams willing to throw huge bucks around now. i feel like Samardzija (knowing who else is out there next winter) may be wise to take a good extension from us now. A couple of those guys will probably be off the market before reaching it.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Feb 4, 2015 -> 03:12 PM) You rooting for and/or watching a second of the NFL means you support murderers, drug addicts, alcoholics, rapists, adulterers, wife beaters, child abusers, animal abusers and unethical rich people. How dare you. So tell me, why is it ok for Saudi Arabia to behead someone for witchcraft? Why does that deserve our strong support?

QUOTE (TaylorStSox @ Feb 4, 2015 -> 11:05 AM) And Lenny Kravitz' guitar was actually plugged in too. You do realize that having guitars that broadcast to a wireless receiver is pretty standard in arena shows, right?

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Feb 4, 2015 -> 09:15 AM) Just remember, every time you buy Chicago Bears tickets or merchandise, you're making a strong statement in support of anti-vaccination. Go Bills.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Feb 3, 2015 -> 08:06 PM) I've already said, I'm not even thinking about Christie cause of his dumb comments. Same for Paul. Idiotic. (applauds)

QUOTE (Jerksticks @ Feb 3, 2015 -> 06:29 PM) 2/40M sounds pretty juicy actually. Even less maybe? That actually sounds like "No he will not take a physical before signing this contract" money.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Feb 3, 2015 -> 05:50 PM) I don't think the autism-vaccine science was all that inconclusive in 2008, though. People knew Andrew Wakefield was a fraud pretty much right away. It was known that vaccines did not cause autism at the time, but it was not understood what caused autism. We're still not all the way there but we're getting better ideas that it relates to things that happen during infant development. Stating "we need to do better research on the causes of autism, but it's not related to vaccines" was a totally appropriate response in the mid-oughts. After the wakefield fraud, as scientists do, they jumped in worldwide to do better versions of that study and evaluate it. By ~2000 it was pretty clear that there were some inaccuracies, within a couple years it had been outright blown away.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Feb 3, 2015 -> 05:41 PM) There are wishy-washy quotes from both Obama and Clinton from the 2008 campaign on vaccines and autism. For the handful of Republicans who have come out against mandatory vaccination and in favor of "both sides," there have been just as many if not more who have come out very strongly in favor of vaccination. The Obama one was a quote-mine that was taken out of context. It read "this person" as referring to himself but he was actually responding to a person in the crowd. As of 2008 I think pretty much his statement is accurate. The NYT ran with it and issued a correction after looking at the video.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Feb 3, 2015 -> 05:20 PM) It is always political. Always. I will complain as vehemently, perhaps more so, when a democratic presidential candidate does the anti-vax thing that we've seen twice in 2 days. Hell, you know what, I'll pledge right here any Democrat does the anti-Vax thing I will vote against him or her and strongly consider giving money to opponent. Who's in with me?

QUOTE (Swingandalongonetoleft @ Feb 3, 2015 -> 05:20 PM) I unfortunately came across this news right around lunch time. Appetite swiftly vanished by the time I was done reading the title of the article. They were talking about swapping the Iraqi woman from the failed suicide bombing in Jordan for this guy as recently as this week, yet he's been long gone (January 3). As shocking as s*** like this is for everyone, I can't imagine how the family of this guy must feel right now- being led on and hopeful that somehow this would end differently only to learn that it was never an option... How did vermin like this manage to come into existence? It's mind-boggling that they breathe the same air as we do. Just remember, every time you fill up your gas tank, you're making a strong statement in support of beheading.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Feb 3, 2015 -> 02:29 PM) They'll show that the requirement dropped the number of minority visitors by X% so, racism. I'm half-kidding here, but it wouldn't shock me if that would turn into a "Disney just wants suburban white people" in their parks argument. I'm pretty sure "keeping out the unvaccinated" = "Disney is refusing to admit suburban white people".

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Feb 3, 2015 -> 02:23 PM) It's pretty awful that vaccinations are becoming a partisan political issue. Until this week, the Republicans could say that vaccinations is a scientific issue where Democrats were worse than Republicans on average and I'd generally agree.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Feb 3, 2015 -> 02:19 PM) They should yes. I'm sure the ACLU would scream discrimination, however. Just to answer your other question...anyone entering this country with a legal visa is required to have their vaccination status examined. It obviously doesn't stop undocumented...but since Mexico's measles vaccination rate is better than ours, that seems like it should not be nearly as important of a focus as getting our own house in order.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Feb 3, 2015 -> 02:16 PM) How do you plan to enforce that? Do we have to carry around papers showing we've been vaccinated? I know some people that think that type of requirement is intrusive... If a place like Disney wanted to institute that requirement...would they have the right to do so as a private business? I have trouble saying that they shouldn't have that right. If this became a major issue with constant outbreaks among kids, Disney is going to have dead children on their hands. That will be terrible for business.

Oh, and according to World Health Organization data, Mexico has a 99% measles vaccination rate, compared to 92% in the U.S. the only country in Central America that doesn't have a higher measles vaccination rate than the U.S. is Costa Rica. Therefore, it's more likely that Mexico should blame the U.S. for a measles outbreak than the other way around, and blaming immigrants across that border has no factual basis whatsoever. It is simply being assumed that those countries have a lower vaccination rate because...well, I'll stop there and let people fill in that blank.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Feb 3, 2015 -> 01:46 PM) Not sure of the answers there. The real question is....where did the virus come from then? Vaccinated Americans traveling overseas? In 2011 a fully vaccinated person developed a case of the measles and spread it to another 88 people as one of the first "anti-vaxxer measles outbreaks" in recent memory. That transmission including getting 2 people sick who had been vaccinated. It does happen, that was an example of "waning immunity" which seems to happen in some cases. That outbreak in 2011 was in New York City, and measles has been slowly burning underground in this country among anti-vax groups for >5 years. No reason whatsoever why we should assume "undocument immigrants" are the most likely arrival point for any infection without evidence. Not many of them cross the Mexican border and wind up in NYC within an incubation period.

Just finished skyping with some 3rd graders talking about volcanoes

By the way, if you know any neighbor/relative/friend who genuinely doesn't know much about this, just has heard hearsay, and wants to know more to make an informed decision rather than watching me make fun of idiotic republican presidential candidates, this episode of NOVA from last fall on the vaccination issue is spectacularly done. It's not just a rant, it looks at where this round of skepticism came from, some actual cases where vaccines hurt people and what was done about that, how vaccinations relate to other diseases, where these "my kid suffered brain damage from vaccines" fit into actual medical diagnoses, and the autism paper controversy. Well balanced, detailed, chock full of experts, etc.

(Nigerian based satirist)