thirdworld19

In Egypt earlier this month, a young woman was upset with the increase in food prices and suggested (on her Facebook site) that workers should strike. There was a large strike, followed by riots, where several people were killed. The woman did not participate in these events. The Egyptian government found this woman and arrested her (for organizing a strike). When it comes to first amendment issues, Egypt follows a different path than the US. My question is: (move this whole thing to the US) should this woman be able to say what she likes, regardless of the consequences? This is somewhat akin to yelling "Fire!" in a theatre. Does the 1st amendment protect that right?

Well, as I was driving to work (I live in Egypt), I saw this car on the side of the road. It looked like there was smoke coming out from under the hood, so I stopped to see if something was wrong. Turns out, this woman passed out as she was driving (come to find out she has narcolepsy - not sure why she drives). She hit the curb (a pretty high curb) and somehow this must've done something to the engine, and now there is smoke coming out - I didn't see any fire though. So I try to open the door, but it's locked - and she's still out. I call the regional security officer (RSO) of the embassy. Then, I try to flag someone down to help. I'm deciding between trying to break the window and just assuming that maybe she'll come to. Then all of a sudden, the local police run over and start yelling at me. If you know anything about Egypt, they are not big into human rights. I can't understand what they're saying, but they are making all kinds of hand gestures and yelling. Meanwhile, the woman is still out. I am trying to get them to help this woman, but all they seem interested in is harassing me. Then, completely freaking me out, two of the police grab my arms and start taking me in the direction of their truck. At this point, I'm telling them that I am a diplomat (we get certain perks) and that they need to call the embassy. Again, this falls on deaf ears. I can't reach my phone/purse to call the RSO (thankfully I called once already about the woman). They climb into the back of the truck with me, still yelling at me. I am a bit freaked by now. What the hell are they going to do with me - and why!?! I was trying to help this woman. They take me to the police station - not exactly like what you expect in the States. This place is nasty dirty, hot, and full of men sneering at me (foreign woman dressed in a business suit). I continue to tell them that I am a diplomat and that they need to call the embassy. (The embassy gives us these little laminated cards to hand out if you are in a jam - accident or something). Unfortunately, they've taken my purse with my phone. They stick me in a cell (if you can call it that) with several nasty angry beaten men. I try my best to find an area away from the others, but that is hard as this cell is about 10 by 10 and there are 8 men in there. The police are conferring with each other and looking over at me. And I'm thinking, What the hell just happened to me!?! So I'm waiting for a translator or someone from the embassy to show up and straighten this whole thing out. And I wait, and wait, and wait. They don't keep the place air conditioned and by noon, it's 108 degrees out. And I am dressed in this business suit - I don't dare take the jacket off. So about 4-5 hours go by and I'm fuming! Not to mention hungry. If you ever go to jail in Egypt, you need to find someone to bring you food. They don't feed you there. Plus, I have been holding a massive pee in for like 3 hours. Things move very slowly in Egypt, but I figure that all will be good soon. Sometime after noon, a couple of the police come over to yell at me some more, but since I don't understand a word of what they're saying, I just shrug my shoulders. Bad move on my part. I think they thought that was disrespectful. They open the door to the cell and grab me by my arm. What the fuck now!?! Deep down, I'm hoping they are bringing me to a room with someone from the embassy. No such luck.

I was raised in a home where we went to church every Sunday and attended catechism (Lutheran). I became an atheist at age 13. I believe that the idea of god is a human invention, created to fulfill various psychological and emotional wants or needs. Although it works for many, many people, it doesn't work for me. I believe I have an analytical mind - I like to figure things out. But I am not willing to make something up just so that I can say I have an answer. If I don't know, then I don't know. Long before Christianity (or many modern religions) existed, people believed in gods. And these beliefs morphed over time into what we see today in religion. Why is it that Christians celebrate Easter when they do - because it fits nicely with the pagan celebration of re-birth. It makes it easier for people to buy into the new religion if it is somewhat familiar to them.

At some point, kids need to be able to handle it without an adult becoming involved. Maybe, if it wasn't horrible, let it happen and then talk to your nephew afterwards about what happened and how he could deal with it next time.

I can walk AND chew gum at the same time.

Not sure I would agree. How can Hamas be extending the olive branch with one hand while continuing to fire missiles into Israel with the other. At some point, one side or the other has got to take the high road and stop attacking the other. Carter doesn't have any more political aspirations, but his 22/3 books and his Carter Center certainly benefit from all of this publicity.

I agree - it was not a standing army, but it was able bodied men able to come together in a militia when necessary. This is one of the biggest sticking points - is the right individual or collective. The Militia Act defining it after the fact has no bearing on what the founding fathers intended. But my point is, it is not clear now what it means. There are many arguments on both sides.

XXX years ago, most people belived the world was flat. The fact that so many people believed it obviously makes it true. Democracy determines fact, not fact.

My youngest just turned 9 last week. We had an alien invasion party. All the kids did some "military training". They used air-soft guns for target practice, water balloons for grenades, we played pin the medal on the soldier, they had to destroy the alien's eggs (more balloons), and then they had to track down and kill the alien (with the air soft guns and water balloons). The kids had a blast and it really tired them out. You can also play hot potato (grenade) with a water balloon.

I agree that every man, woman, and child should know how to properly handle and fire a gun. As you said, takes the fear away. You can still choose not to own one (not sure why you wouldn't want to). However, I don't think the 2nd amendment is as clear as we would like on this issue - even in the context of the Bill of Rights. "A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." There are many who would argue that the term "bear arms" (in the 18th century) referred to military service, not firearm usage by civilians. And the 2nd amendment itself refers to this when mentioning a "well regulated militia." So although I am all for gun ownership - and just a general increase in knowledge on the part of the general public, I don't think it's a clear cut issue.

From a woman's point of view - don't do it. Go bald gracefully. So far, my hubby has all of his hair, but many times I ask him to shave it all off (actually, I shave it off) - very sexy. I had a co-worker who did the hair plug thing - not sexy.

Try Robert A. Heinlein: (Paraphrased) 1) That which is good for you is morally superior to that which is not. 2) That which is good for your family is morally superior to that which is good for you. 3) That which is good for your community is morally superior to that which is good for your family. 4) That which is good for your country is morally superior to that which is good for your community. 5) That which is good for the species is morally superior to that which is good for your country. RAH is my god.

I have used vonage for 3-4 years now and it works fine. For the past year, I've used it with DSL. On occasion, I will have some issues with the quality I receive on my end. A friend uses www.magicjack.com and loves it. He tells me it is cheaper and better quality than Vonage.

welcome the crotch greetings - and may even return them.

You do know that ditches today are dug via mechanized equipment that require skilled operators and people who will follow guidelines like co-ordinating with utility companies to prevent cutting underground power, water,phone, and cable lines. There also have to be skilled workers to maintain the equipment.. Shovels and picks are soooo third world ( pun intended) Nice pun. You do know that "ditch diggers" is a line from Caddyshack???

My point remains; why are things so shit these days? Why are social values in decline? I believe that social values historically swing from one extreme to the other. Decline is a perception based on a set of expectations, which are often debatable as real and true values. (If you are speaking of British society and its decline, that happened when it allowed its empire to collapse due mostly to its fiscal irresponsibility. No money to replace its outdated wooden ships as the rest of the naval powers moved to iron and steel. From that point on Britain was a reflection of divergent outside interests with old internal power centers attempting to hold sway at the cost of "traditional" values. Not a decline - just a shift.) Why is my country facing demoralisation? Please explain what you mean - specifically. Why are so many consumer items far more expensive in my country, in comparison to other EU countries? Simple, protectionist taxation to start and now that the taxation is no longer protectionist because the industry has actually moved, it has become taxation without a purpose other than to carry on the programs it once benefited. You welcome the bulk of the third world and ask nothing from them other than to stand in line for their checks and the smartest of the influx use the system to enrich themselves and give little if anything back. (Again, a shift, not a decline.) Why are our hospitals and transport systems becoming so much worse? Be happy that you have them. Not only that, but I'll bet your hospitals are capable of far more now than 20-40 years ago due to advancements in science. People are living longer and longer than they ever have. (Maybe that's not such a good thing) Why is my country experiencing a greater breakdown in marriages, with more single parents struggling to bringup their children? You see many women realizing they don't have to be stuck in shit marriages anymore. They are able to get jobs themselves - as opposed to 20-40 years ago. Women are not completely reliant on men nowadays. Why is there less repect for authority? Respect has never been all that important, fear has, and people do not fear authority as they had. Why do so many political leaders lead so badly and set such bad examples? We allow them to. However, political leaders of the past have just as many fuck-ups, only the media was not right there to capture everything and report it as they do now. Why do we have more celebrity cults? It is the nature of celebrity, it has never been any different be it an artist of some sort, a politician, or a religion. Again, we just hear about them now - the media is a wonderful thing? Why are cases of truency increasing? Because there is no fear of reprisal and the whole intent of compulsory education does not exist anymore. Factory workers skilled enough to do their jobs are not necessary on the same level that brought compulsory education and you actually pay people not to work. Why are more and more teenagers becoming more feral? You mean like the mother of Christ who birthed the son of man at 15? In the US, the number of teen pregnancies has actually been going down over the past 15-20 years - better birth control. Why are more and more people taking drugs? Do you mean illegal drugs? Drugs have always been used: alcohol, caffeine, tobacco, pot, cocaine, you name it - it's just that now, some of those are illegal. Marijuana for instance was made illegal in 1970 (in the US). And there has been a push by some to make certain drugs socially unacceptable. Partaking of (these certain) drugs was accepted 20-40 years ago, but no longer. So their use becomes a "problem" now. I'd worry more about an entire generation that has drugged their children just to have them not act like children. (ADHD - Ritalin) Why do more and more people no longer give a fuck? They don't have to when everything is done for them. "Give me convenience or give me death." Well, you get convenience and loss of care. You don't have that in your country? Egypt, right? I've been there a few times; for work and leisure, and it didn't seem all that wonderful to me. Well, apart from the coral reefs, but they're on their way out too.... I'm from America - just posted here in Egypt for a few years. And it's because of my experience here that I have really learned to appreciate just how good I have it in the States. Again, I'm sorry you see things as such shit. Maybe you should start using Ecstasy and things will be all better.

In this context (as opposed to, for example, "How do you make a PB&J sandwich?") How implies "to what degree?" not a comparison to other countries. Thank you. You proved the point of comparison in the first line of your example. You needed examples as the baselines of maximum racism and total absence of racism. You gave the reader something to compare to (regardless of whether it was another country, another point in time, etc.).

What about all of the children who have fallen out of windows to their death? Is that also a miracle?

Batteries - whatever for!?! Sorry - no matter how difficult, I prefer flesh/blood every time!

Because the US is hung up on anything having to do with sex? I agree. Why is it that you can see any kind of violence on the news, but a bit of flesh puts everyone into a panic. Very sad. Everyone likes it, but no one wants to admit it. Silly.

The world needs ditch diggers too.

The question assumes racism is not a binary quality. It does not, however, imply the requirement of an answer relative to other countries or other eras, such as "How does racism in the US compare with racism in other countries?" or "Has racism in the US increased or decreased in the last x years?" imply. Using the word "How" in the question inherently asks for a comparison. Is America 'very' racist? What exactly does 'very' mean? 'Somewhat' racist? Not racist at all? They all imply comparisons. Please, give an example of an answer that does not use a comparison.

This is exactly what Turkey is going through. They would very much like to be part of the EU, but because of the Muslim population that allows for multiple wives, things are a bit tricky. Kind of funny though, the Bible doesn't forbid multiple wives. Why is the US so hung up on that? Many cultures allow for multiple wives. Some (very few) even allow for multiple husbands.

So, society has gotten shittier in the last 40 years or so? I don't know how old you are. Since 1968 - can we use that as a good reference point for each of your points?

They both believe in only one god, but Muslims must also accept Muhammad and Christians must accept Jesus. They have different guys running interference for them.