2 legged dog and american troops

please watch this video at http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=6445f9fdd7

Although I typically do not agree with the stance of PETA, in this situation, this behavior is acceptable. The quality of human beings can be measured by how they treat those that they do not have to treat well. Clearly, these men demonstrated their quality, and it is a sad statement, because their behavior reflects poorly upon the men and women fighting in Iraq and around the world. Causing animals to suffer unnecessarily is a crime in the United States, where citizens refuse to stand for such cruelty. There is simply no excuse for this kind of cruel and barbaric behavior on the part of soldiers.

and, before people comment about supporting the troops, etc., i will not entertain those sort of comments, those fall under the emotional arguments exception. this is not about supporting the troops, this is about the rule of law, which is important to the mission of the united states.

good night.

scarborough got this wrong

scarborough was wrong here, in this argument, when he compared jessie ventura's statement to statements made by hitler. in fact, hitler repeatedly remarked about the religiousity of national socialism, and its close ties to the christian belief system. hitler believed that the new germany would be a christian nation, and was clear about this belief in several speeches. a little cursory research of the legitimate historical record and research would have made this fact clear to scarborough. sadly, for talking heads, on both sides, even cursory research appears to be too much to ask. it is perspectives like this, and ad hoc comparisons, and the seemingly common rhetorical technique of comparing opponents to fascists that is polluting our political discussion. this statement goes too far, it is not this alone, but this is a key factor in the weakening of american political discourse.

so, i would like to lay out two basic tenets of understanding human beings:
1] everyone lies
2] everyone acts from a self-interested perspective

and a good piece of advice when having a rhetorical discussion with someone like scarborough, o'reilly, hannity, franken, or any one you meet in a bar; never trust historical examples implicitly, double check their facts, and question their facts, make them back it up.

and when someone compares someone or something to an atrocity, call them on that unfairness.

joshua 6:21

hello. i have created this site, in order to address ideas. my ideas. to explore them, and to begin an intellectual process which will be the basis of my moral, political, and legal philosophy. this site will be a sounding board with a focus on legal, political, scientific, and religious ideas; there will be no discussion of my emotional state or issues, these will continue to be presented on my myspace page, so if you care about me personally, and not simply intellectually, that information can be found there.

welcome.
i hope to have a positive and interesting discussion on these pages.

early copies of my work will most likely be presented here, and in the vein of the blog of University of Chicago professors Posner and Becker, I hope to create a forum for discussion among not only my friend, but others who also wander here. please post comments, the only restriction will be that arguments are logical and based on reason, attacks or emotions will not be tolerated.

i look forward to your participation.