Death Penalty

[Alan Evil]

"The very idea that the average person can go from nothing to something is bullshit."

Perhaps the stupidist, most self defeating idea you've expressed in this thread. I've met dozens of successful people, white, black, yellow, or whatever, who have risen from humble beginnings to achieve success. Get your head out of your ass and try to think positively, you might be surprised at the change it makes in the way you perceive the world.
And the way the world perceives you.

Hmmm, what was the very next line that you did not quote?

"The very idea that the average person can go from nothing to something is bullshit. It happens occasionally but for most people they'll be lucky to do slightly better than their parents."

Are you one of these people that thinks that every child is capable of being an honor student? The truth is that most people up until the "Republican Revolution" were doing a little bit better than their parents did. Making a little more money, living in a little bit nicer house, retiring with a better pension and more savings. This has been effectively reversed for all but those that started near the top to begin with.

I think positively and live quite a nice life. But I also live in reality. I see people every day that work two jobs and still don't make enough money to move out of the projects. Women coming home dead tired from cleaning up after sick people in the Louisville hospital campus for $7/hr and then leaving to work a shift at McDonalds but they can't afford to get out of Shepherd's Square. A living wage in this city is $12/hr for a single person add children and the amount goes up. When the minimum wage was introduced it was enough money for one person working 40 hours a week to support a family of four above the poverty level. These days two adults working two full-time minimum wage jobs can barely (and not in all cities) have two children and not be in poverty. You (if you're a "conservative") believe it's their fault and they should be punished for it. I think they should be able to work only 40 hours a week and support themselves and their children without needing public housing or welfare and if they do need these things they should be enough to keep them and their children from being hungry or living in a crime ridden housing project.

Still nothing about the death penalty and you managed to distort what I've said to make me more evil than I am.

[Alan Evil]

"In Savannah, Georgia I heard some dumb-ass cracker say 'God I hate a nigger' at least once a month."

Of the hundres of people you interact with every month, one reveals himself to be an out-and-out racist. This leads you to believe that most Southerners are bigots. You need to brush up on the ol' arithmetic, pal.

Oh there were plenty of other little, snide remarks and actions that showed the true colors of the white people in that godforsaken city, but that's the one that made me move. I'm not a violent person but the last time I heard that said I came close to beating the living shit out of that guy. It was a cumulative effect, but if I tried to give every example you'd be reading forever (as if you bother to read whole paragraphs anyway). Do you really think there aren't many bigots in the South? I'm sorry but if that's the case you're a moron. Please tell me you're aware that racism still exists.

Still nothing about the death penalty...

[Alan Evil]

"I used the "n" word because that's the way most white people in the South think of blacks."

Really now? You need to hang with a better class of people. You couldn't choke the "n" word out of most of the Southerners I have known. Our mothers taught us better than to be bigotted idiots. Sure I've known racists in the South, just as I've known Northern racists but most Southerners I know are decent people in every respect and abhor racism.

Well, most Southerners I knew were either overtly racist (small number but prevalent) or they were unconsciously racist. [Note the word "most." I know it's difficult for the "conservative" types to perceive the gray areas between "all" and "none" but there are variants like "most," "some," and "a few." You should watch for them and make an attempt at understanding.]

I'm a musician so I played in bands with mixed races, hung out with my fabulously warm and funny black neighbors and their white friends, and played to clubs with mixed race crowds. It's not all bad. It's never all bad. But in my opinion, the racists outweigh the colorblind in the South, no doubt. The legacy of slavery still leaves the South in the shitty column for me... in general.

Let's see... nope. Still not a word about the death penalty.

[Alan Evil]

"The nuckle dragging south will keep murdering niggers until the rest of us make them stop."

Does "the rest of us" include the citizens of Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexido, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.? All are listed as death penalty states, and none are in what I would call the South.

Finally! Something about the death penalty!

Yes. "The rest of us" includes citizens from every State in this Union, so it also includes those States. It will not be long until most of the States you mention above will have eliminated the death penalty because it's STUPID and BAD. I only hope that the United States decides to join the civilized world soon and just quits that.

You had to have looked up something to know the names of the northern States that have the death penalty. Did you also note how many executions were carried out in each State and compare that to southern States? They're shootin' 'em up with death dope all the time in the Deep South but most States stay in the low single digits per decade.

[L K Day]

I think that maybe you should have beaten the shit out of that guy, or at least called him on his racist remarks. Did you do that? I never give people a pass when they start spouting racist shit. And you know what? They always back off, start qualifying their remarks, and say they "didn't mean all black people, just the lazy, no-count ones." And I say "you mean just like lazy no-count white people". If we all did that, if we never let a racist remark go unchallenged, we really could change things. People will hang on to their racist views as long as we tolerate it.

The point I was trying to make, AE, is that you can't get people to take you seriously, because of the way you come off. First thing you do is start with all that " I hate the stinking South, Southerners, and Texans especially, and White Texans worse than that, and if you are a White Texan Neocon Mofo, you can kiss my ass. Now let's have a nice discussion about your murderous death penalty, but no personal attacks on me, you hear?".

That approach gets you nowhere with me, and by the looks of the responses, doesn't get you far with anyone else as well.

Along the way you can't help yourself, and start railing about the fucking minimum wage. If you check your facts, you'll see that noone has ever been able to support a family above the poverty level on the minimum wage. EVER!

So if you want to talk about the death penalty then maybe you can start by talking about the death penalty.

[L K Day]

AE, You know what they say about wrestling with a pig? You both get muddy, and the pig LIKES it.
You da pig, man.

[Alan Evil]

And YOU like it.

Unfortunately I only allow myself to rant between work and dinner and after I've worked out so the remaining ranting (to everyone else that was kind enough to put up their dukes) will have to wait until tomorrow.

Go back to the implementation of the minimum wage. It was designed to allow a person working 40 hours a week to support a family of four above the poverty level. Within a few years it had slid below poverty level and (admittedly after years of neglect from Democrats and Republicans alike) under the Republicans the minimum wage became a pitiful amount of money. And do you know who it hurts when the minimum wage is raised? Nobody. The very slight bump in prices that go along with a wage increase is minor. It pumps money into the economy, makes life better for the least fortunate amongst us which helps reduce crime, drug abuse, domestic violence, etc. Sure, some business owners might have a smaller profit in the short term but they'll adjust their prices and it all evens out. It's all connected, man. Like the universe and stuff.

Ok, gotta go hit the weights before dinner is cooked (and it's smelling delicious!).

[rhunt]

in my opinioon, a person can not be pro choice for abortion, but then against the death penalty. either all life is sacred, and worth saving, or else humans get to decide what form of life is throw away.

Pigsteak, you played right into AE's "black or white" idea about neo cons. You're assuming you have all the science and know in FACT when a fetus is viable and able to live outside the womb. You can't possibly use abortion and the death penility as a comparison.

To me its like saying stem cell research is abortion or murder.

[pigsteak]

then how does my stand play into AE's ideology? I stated I was pro choice...kind of "different" for all you haters who swear you know exactly how the "neo cons" think... and you think the neo cons are black and white..turn around and listen to the liberal crap you guys spew about your enlightened opponents.

"neo cons are religous nuts"
"neo cons hate gays"
neo cons are all crooks"
neo cons are all liars about the war
neo cons would love to hire illegals and make the min. wage $2
neo cons love the death penalty

yep, sure glad you libs don't think in black and white

[Alan Evil]

Neocons are kind of the reverse of roses. There are many different kinds of roses, different colors, shapes and smells but when you look at them you know they're roses. Neocons also come in many different shapes and shades of white (with the occasional rare mutant colored variety) but they're all basically rotten and bad.