continuing proofs America is wacko [3]

Pettytyrant101 wrote:Americans often seem to take personal safety as a group responsibility- Halfwise

Why dont you have a national health service then free at the point of use to all equally?

Pettytyrant101 wrote:I ha a look at the US news headlines this morning- and saw the tragic story of the guy who hit the toddler with his van, when the kid ran out onto the road, and then someone shot the driver in the head, and a seemingly random teenager.
Then I went on a bit later and saw that you let Americans, whose cars are designed to go steadily and reliable in a straight line for long distances, go on a race track with corners, in a twitchy if you don't know what your doing and aren't used to it sort of way, lamborgini, to drive round as fast as they liked, so long as they were willing pay enough bucks- with the likely result they end up dead.
And then I go on a short while ago and read someone has been shot dead at a campus library.

You know sometimes I think what your country really, really needs, is a large does of common sense.

bungobaggins wrote:
Because Americans don't give a shit about each other, especially when their own money is involved. It's everyone for themselves. Fuck the poor. There's a feigned, frosting of courtesy in our daily interactions, but people here really don't give a fuck about anyone else.

Roark’s science tests included a fill-in-the-blank question that said, “ISN'T IT AMAZING WHAT THE _____________ HAS MADE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” and students were expected to write in “LORD.”

bungobaggins wrote:http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-watch/wp/2015/04/17/state-seizes-11-year-old-arrests-his-mother-after-he-defends-medical-marijuana-during-a-school-presentation/?tid=trending_strip_6

In the face of declining sales, McDonald's has been making a number of moves to bolster its market share -- and its reputation. Over the last few months, the world's most profitable fast food chain announced that it will stop selling chicken raised with antibiotics, raise its U.S. employees' salaries by at least $1 an hour, and bring back "third pounders" to compete head-to-head with its premium burger rivals.

But the company saved what could amount to be its most important announcement for today. It pledged to only buy food and raw materials from around the world that don't contribute to deforestation, a significant contributor to global warming. Given McDonald's reach, that's a potential game-changer.

Two other top fast food chains -- Dunkin' Brands, parent of Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins, and Yum! Brands, owner of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell -- have made commitments to stop buying palm oil linked to deforestation. That's a big deal. Palm oil, which is used in a wide range of baked goods, packaged foods and personal care products, is the world's most popular vegetable oil, mainly because it's cheap, naturally saturated, and free of trans fat. But oil palm trees only grow in the tropics, where unscrupulous growers have been leveling forests for oil palm plantations, releasing massive amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. In Southeast Asia, where 85 percent of the plantations are located, those forests provide critical habitat for elephants, orangutans, rhinoceros and tigers.

McDonald's commitment could be an even bigger deal. The company pledged to eliminate deforestation from its entire global supply chain. Specifically, the company singled out beef, coffee, fiber-based packaging, palm oil and poultry. Like palm oil, cattle production is a major driver of deforestation.  

halfwise wrote: I don't think it's the food....

When nonviolence is preached as an attempt to evade the repercussions of political brutality, it betrays itself. When nonviolence begins halfway through the war with the aggressor calling time out, it exposes itself as a ruse. When nonviolence is preached by the representatives of the state, while the state doles out heaps of violence to its citizens, it reveals itself to be a con. And none of this can mean that rioting or violence is "correct" or "wise," any more than a forest fire can be "correct" or "wise." Wisdom isn't the point tonight. Disrespect is. In this case, disrespect for the hollow law and failed order that so regularly disrespects the rioters themselves.

So these conditions, existence of widespread poverty, slums, and of tragic conniptions in schools and other areas of life, all of these things have brought about a great deal of despair, and a great deal of desperation. A great deal of disappointment and even bitterness in the Negro communities. And today all of our cities confront huge problems. All of our cities are potentially powder kegs as a result of the continued existence of these conditions. Many in moments of anger, many in moments of deep bitterness engage in riots.

Let me say as I've always said, and I will always continue to say, that riots are socially destructive and self-defeating. I'm still convinced that nonviolence is the most potent weapon available to oppressed people in their struggle for freedom and justice. I feel that violence will only create more social problems than they will solve. That in a real sense it is impracticable for the Negro to even think of mounting a violent revolution in the United States. So I will continue to condemn riots, and continue to say to my brothers and sisters that this is not the way. And continue to affirm that there is another way.

But at the same time, it is as necessary for me to be as vigorous in condemning the conditions which cause persons to feel that they must engage in riotous activities as it is for me to condemn riots. I think America must see that riots do not develop out of thin air. Certain conditions continue to exist in our society which must be condemned as vigorously as we condemn riots. But in the final analysis, a riot is the language of the unheard. And what is it that America has failed to hear? It has failed to hear that the plight of the Negro poor has worsened over the last few years. It has failed to hear that the promises of freedom and justice have not been met. And it has failed to hear that large segments of white society are more concerned about tranquility and the status quo than about justice, equality, and humanity. And so in a real sense our nation's summers of riots are caused by our nation's winters of delay. And as long as America postpones justice, we stand in the position of having these recurrences of violence and riots over and over again. Social justice and progress are the absolute guarantors of riot prevention.