Recently it has been brought to my attention by the Seoul Times that there exists the possibility that, brace yourselves, the Chinese are eating aborted fetuses for health.  Enjoy that link by the way, it contains fetus carnage.

To be a logical person at all, one of the first reactions that you should have felt upon hearing and seeing this is, well, doubt.  Skepticism is vital to finding the truth.  But, is there really enough disproof of this to assume that it is false?  Well, one foul mouthed and very rude "journalist of 30 years" certainly thinks that the "truth is out there" and that he has single-handedly debunked this "myth" by straining really hard to disbelieve.

I tend to take a more rational approach in my methods, holding this "baby soup" phenomenon in the space between belief and disbelief.  Being open to rationality, I will list a few things that can be used as evidence both for and against the possibility of this being true.

Evidence:

• Chinese Traditional Medicine (alternative medicine), approves, condones and encourages the consumption of foods such as bats, tiger penises, and other obscure foods and herbs ... often regardless of the legality or ethical considerations of consumption of that food (such as the fact that tigers are endangered).
• Humans have a long history of cannibalism, both in times of need and ritualistic cannibalism.  Since we know this, and that traditional medicine exists, the concept of eating babies for health concerns is suddenly plausible.
• Photographic evidence of the reported evidence exists.
• No concrete disproof of Zhu Yu's art exhibit "Eating People" ... despite many sites claiming it as fake.

Piracy is popular because prices are too high.

Feel free to re-read that opening, underlined sentence as many times as it takes for you to understand it completely, because it is an irrefutable truth. 

According to this article, The Pirate Bay guys actually got convicted for the high crime of having a website that can be used to steal software (Like Google!).   

It is unrealistic for the music and video game industries to believe that people will pay $15 for a CD that has only 2 songs on it that people want, or $50 for a game that might not run properly, will break, or just plain sucks. These prices were alright when the technologies were new, but, now music and video games have been in the format long enough that they are everywhere.

To try so hard to "fight piracy" and keep the prices reasonable is an act of nothing but pure greed. Yep, people deserve to be paid for their work, but, as thousands and thousands more games are created each year, and thousands and thousands of new artists emerge each year, the VALUE of the individual song or game decreases.

That's basic supply and demand, but, the stranglehold in place by the big corporations that operate the creation, distribution, and retail of games and music is so tightly organized that prices are FIXED. Walk down the aisle of a game or music store. Look at the CDs and Games. Do you *honestly* think that all of the little boxes are worth what's on the sticker? Do you *honestly* believe that each one of those had the same production cost from soup to nuts, the same packaging and shipping cost, and the same procurement cost and profit margin placed on it by the retailer? Of course not. The prices of brand new games or CDs should be HIGHLY VARIED based on production cost and several other factors... but, they aren't really priced fairly.

I've paid $50 for several games that got no more than 2 evenings of play because they sucked. I've bought CDs that got maybe one playing on my CD player. You can scream that "piracy is wrong" all you want and type up all the snarky little responses you want about "stealing" and "artist compensation"... but the fact is, piracy will always be a "problem" of anything of a digital nature with an inflated and overly controlled value. 

Piracy is the natural market response to overpriced goods. Yep, there will still be SOME piracy when games cost $0.18... but, not very much. You want to take less damage from pirates? Reduce your prices. You want to seem like an overbearing, terrible, old-school, nasty company? Prosecute people for enjoying your games enough to share them with other people who don't have the cash to shell out for them, but still want to experience what you've put together. 

Anyway, congratulations on your symbolic little victory there... your draconic adherence and following of mentally retarded copyright laws will serve you well for the next few years, until service-based gaming takes over, and rental-monies and individual track sales are the best you'll get out of your preciously overpriced games and music. 

Assault Weapons?

As an American and owner of "assault rifles", I am highly offended that my freedoms would be intruded upon out of a lack of trust in me as a loyal, law-abiding citizen. An "assault rifle" does nothing that a normal hunting rifle cannot do. Conversion to "fully automatic" is as easy in a handgun as it is in a semi-auto AK-47. It all has to do with spring tension/hammer types/etc, which can all be modified easily. If you intend to disagree with me on this point, I will REQUIRE that you have watched in full the following youtube video:

That being watched, I anticipate zero arguments... because you have none.In reality, the common shotgun, used for hunting, is far more lethal than any of these "assault rifles" (which isn't a real classification of weapon, by the way, look it up). The shotgun leaves behind less evidence for forensics teams, and discharges a large, red shell that is easy for a criminal to walk over and pick up after he has committed his crime. Since almost everyone has access to a 12-gauge, if you really want to tackle gun-crime, you need to start with the 12 gauge, .38 caliber, and 9mm pistol, as they are the ones that most crimes are done with, and the most police officers have been killed with, while "assault rifles" don't even make up 1%. Source: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/pub/bjs/pdf/guic.pdf

Why do you have one?

People have asked "What are you doing with an assault rifle if it's not for killing people." I have a few answers:

1) Target practice, as, an AK-47 is affordable and easier to modify to fit my hands and body than any regular "hunting rifle"... with easily available extendable stocks, easy to swap out scopes and sights, and readily available magazines for ammo.

2) Defending my home/property from both criminals and dangerous animals. Try to take down a bear with a 9mm sometime, and tell me if your child survived the attack, then come and tell me I shouldn't have an AK-47.

3) Collecting. It is a historical, beautiful piece of machinery that I enjoy having as a conversation piece and as a functional tool... and I should have every right to do so, since I'm not a criminal.

4) In the event of a national catastrophe, which, you may choose to deem impossible, situations could arise in which I am pitted against foreign invaders or my own lawless countrymen. Should this unlikely and horrifying event take place, a properly armed populace (as the founders of this country proved, espoused, and wrote into the Constitution which we are both bound by law to uphold) is essential for safety.

5) In the event of a tyrranical government, the founding fathers, and myself and many others, support the right of the populace to oust the ruling caste and establish their own government. Even if that government is the one THEY established, they understood the necessity and importance of policing those who govern with the threat of being replaced. "Assault Rifles" as you call them, are suited for this task far better than pistols.

From the United States Declaration of Independence:

"That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from theconsent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."

Since said government being replaced might opt to violently oppose its citizenry, our founding fathers were wise enough to include the second amendment: "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."

Play it how you'd like, but to prevent pre-1800's style tyrrany and imperialism, people must be allowed to arm themselves against possible oppressors.  A very large part of the reason that you are not right now oppressed is because of the firearm, and the difficulty it imposes upon despotism.  You've taken it for granted, and forgotten why we are free.   

Why do I care?

I live in a place that is known to have a serious drug and burglary problem, and even just last year, a house two down from mine had its front window shot out by a criminal who got caught breaking in. One block from there, an arsonist burnt down a house and killed an elderly woman on the top floor. My next door neighbor had a brick thrown through his window while he was away as someone tried to break into his house. Diagonally across the street in both directions in plain view from my porch have lived drug dealers, and a friend of mine and myself have both had our vehicles broken into. I need to be able to protect myself and my family, and the weapons I choose with which to do so are none of anyone's business, but I'll tell you right now... it's a .45, a 9mm, a 12 gauge, an AK-47, and various knives and swords. 

Naturally, when national importance is given to this subject, I get a little upset.  I am highly disappointed in many people who otherwise espouse really good sentiments about how we should take care of one another, and how corporate America has devolved into a mercenary-economy.  I am highly disappointed in people would would call themselves "liberals" who then turn around and want to take away a "freedom" from people just because it's one they don't enjoy, and one they erroneously blame on the tool of the crime.  And of course I am greatly embarassed that the majority of those who agree with me are the ones who so loudly scream that they are "patriotic" and "Christian" that it lumps me in with said idiots.  If you were "patriotic" before 1776, it meant you supported the King of England.  This is a Democracy of Free Individuals, kiddos... don't try to legislate against me.  My right to swing my fist ends exactly where your nose begins.  My right to crack off rounds from my AK-47 ends when the sound would be disturbing the peace and/or the bullets would be causing property damage or killing you.  Punish the criminals, not people who happen to use the same tools for good purposes. 

Conclusion:

This right is not something to play with and invent terminology for. If you rally to ban a type of gun, all guns that fit the FUNCTION, not the FORM of said gun must also be up for banning, not just a particular subset. But, you don't want that because you know the overwhelming answer to your political move would be "NO". This would, without a doubt, cripple your political wrangling, so, you give it up.If you read my whole post, you assumed I was a conservative republican the entire time. You are incredibly, incredibly wrong. I am a very Liberal Democrat in all social matters, and this is my honest opinion. I am not an ignorant, toothless moron. I am a college educated, gainfully employed, taxpaying member of society... and I think I should be treated as one, and not as an idiot or criminal because I enjoy the firearms hobby. Republicans and conservatives are wroung about many, many issues, but gun control is one that they tend to be correct about. Freedom is freedom.

Comments welcome, but if you're an idiot, go ahead and keep to yourself.

Regarding an article discussing the decrease in the number of Chrisitians in the USA and the increase in the number of Atheists...

(It cannot be lifted, mended, or repaired with hostility nor hubris...)
Reply:
As a Christian, I am glad to see the religion decline. Why? Because too many Christians don't read and think about the Bible, and consume themselves with judging others. This is the result.... just like a bad parent, who brow-beats a kid for every halfway ill-step and won't let their kids watch even remotely tasteless TV, alienation is the end result. So, not only will these people see the country turn against them before they die, but most of them will probably have kids that move across the country and never speak to them again.

It's tragic, really, but, thus is the wage of judging.

Some tips for the modern Christian:
1) Teach by example.

2) Try to lean towards saying "I don't do that because..." as opposed to "never do that."

3) Respect the beliefs of others, even when they differ from your own.

4) This is a logical age, do not make statements that you cannot logically support, (Abortion is wrong!!! won't get you anywhere... you need a solid, prepared argument, and the ability to discuss it rationally to make an impact... and, sadly, that one's not even in the Bible unless you wrangle "murder" into it.)

5) Give up the focus on homosexual lifestyles. Your anger and distaste for them is not going to change them. They are people, and it's really sad that you have to be reminded... but their "sin" of homosexuality is no worse than your sin of thinking actor X or actress Y is sexy. All things of the flesh, people.

6) Stop trying to fight Science. Science, whether you like it or not, has the capability to greatly reduce human suffering. The teachings of it that conflict with the bible must be tolerated, if not incorporated into your beliefs. Scientific understanding is humanity discovering the tools of God. Stop with the "playing God"... if God didn't want man to learn from stem cells, he would have made them so mysterious that we couldn't learn from them, or he would have at least told us in the Bible.

7) Watch some racy TV or Movies, even rated R. Relax. Quit thinking that things are going down hill. In the time of Jesus, public executions, gladiators, disease, and poverty were completely commonplace by comparison to the modern world... quit pretending like the world's on fire in order to promote your religion. 

People don't buy it when they hear you saying that and then immediately two blocks over they hear the ice cream truck. If they heard the rumble of chariots and the murder of children a couple streets over on a regular basis as in Roman and Greek times, maybe you'd have a point. My point is... things aren't that bad... get with the times... and ease up... your kids will love you and people will listen.

 Just some thoughts.