Re: a comment on Bri's Room (not done) by Sunshine Conkey	zodiac 69.132.67.140	16-Dec-05/5:32 AM
Why don't you read your Fountainhead Anniversary preface again? A lot of this ground has already been covered. For one, your refusal to hand out is partly what made them thugs. And we're not talking about giving food to Osama; we're talking about giving food to the moderate Muslim before he radicalizes and carries Osama's bomb into, say, Concord Mills (www.concordmills.com ). That's not giving into extortion, since the future bomber is currently not an enemy. My question is, if you can prevent him from becoming an enemy, at a very low cost, isn't that the self-interested thing to do? For two, it's all well and good to be so high-minded, until some guy shoots you for your TV. Roarkian as I'm sure you are, you will not be able to stop him from shooting you. Nor will you be able to stop the bomber from blowing you up in Concord Mills. However you look at it, the self-interested position is to stop him from wanting to kill you before he tries and succeeds. re [North] Korea, etc: Yes, we're conceding tons *after* they've already become an enemy and extortionist. Of course they're going to just ask for more without changing their policies; they have no incentive not to. And yes, there's very little supporting information, as far as world politics go, for the notion that handing out *before* one becomes an enemy works, mostly because governments aren't very good at doing that. There is, however, this: Since 1998, at-risk youth outreach programs in NC have reduced incarcerations for juvenile delinquents by 65%, have lowered recidivism and gang application across the board, and have significantly increased college enrollment by at-risk youth, at the expense of about $8 million (since 1998). That means, for less than 14 cents per year for the last 7 years, you've been able to reduce crime - ie, the risk that you'll have your self-interest compromised by some gun-weilding mugger. What have you got to compare with that? "Give a man a fish" :-( This has nothing to do with wealth=intelligence, and a lot to do, I suspect, with being your pet tirade. Let's go back to what we were originally talking about, okay?
Re: a comment on Bri's Room (not done) by Sunshine Conkey	ALChemy 24.74.101.159	16-Dec-05/5:21 AM
I think Flowers for Agernon covered this topic pretty well already. For those of you unfamiliar with the story see Stephen Kings Lawnmower Man.
Re: a comment on Bri's Room (not done) by Sunshine Conkey	zodiac 69.132.67.140	16-Dec-05/4:59 AM
In my opinion, you don't have a very good idea what socialism is. You seem to think it has something to do with money buying power and presidents.
Re: a comment on Bri's Room (not done) by Sunshine Conkey	Niphredil 192.115.56.3	16-Dec-05/4:57 AM
this was for LittleMsLady, zodiac, sorry.
Re: a comment on Bri's Room (not done) by Sunshine Conkey	Everyone 69.132.67.140	16-Dec-05/4:57 AM
I'm 26. Apparently you did mind my asking, so forget it.
Re: a comment on Bri's Room (not done) by Sunshine Conkey	Niphredil 192.115.56.3	16-Dec-05/4:56 AM
Just out of curiosity, how exactly do you plan to go about educating an individual past his/her intelligence level? If they don't understand a concept, would you just say, 'I guess you're simply not smart enough to grasp this, let's move on to something else?' Incidentally, Ayn Rand never said anything like that. What she states is that each individual should strive to create the best he could to the best of his ability. "Over-education for the un-intelligent" necessarily places bounds on the limits which a person can achieve, and is therefore diametrically opposed to what Ayn Rand is stating. P.S. And it's "intelligent", with two 'i's.
Re: a comment on Bri's Room (not done) by Sunshine Conkey	zodiac 69.132.67.140	16-Dec-05/4:53 AM
(1) Of course, this is all "opinions". That is, none of this has been confirmed by God to be true. It's not going to be useful to add "In my opinion" to everything we say. (2) That said, it's obvious I've been talking about the best available knowledge on the subject, while you've been talking about what you wish was true. Consider this: If new evidence came out on the matter, I'd revise my opinions accordingly. Yet no amount of evidence, I'd wager, could make you change your opinions on this subject. Does that sound like a very strong position to be coming from?
Re: a comment on Bri's Room (not done) by Sunshine Conkey	zodiac 69.132.67.140	16-Dec-05/4:37 AM
No, I'm not saying one should dismiss all of Ayn Rand's ideas. However, if one of Ayn Rand's ideas was that educating people beyond their "intelligence levels" makes them monsters, I think one should dismiss that. I love Ayn Rand, and daresay I've read more of her, and more thoroughly, than you have. But I've come to see most of her ideas as kinda silly and simplistic, or at the very best limited to an antiquated "captains of industry" view of things.
Re: a comment on Bri's Room (not done) by Sunshine Conkey	zodiac 69.132.67.140	16-Dec-05/4:33 AM
re "rich, famous, and well-known" You didn't know who de Tocqueville was. Most poemranker users probably still don't. So what's the difference?
Re: a comment on Bri's Room (not done) by Sunshine Conkey	zodiac 69.132.67.140	16-Dec-05/4:31 AM
What, as a Quote-Seller? Oh, a Quote-*Patenter*.
Re: Oh Merry Fay (part 1) by ALChemy	Niphredil 192.115.56.3	16-Dec-05/2:42 AM
Heh. Jabberwock was the first thing that came to mind. Very nice :-)
Re: a comment on The Cowardice of Francis Evans by Caducus	Caducus 80.168.198.70	16-Dec-05/1:42 AM
You're a hard one to please but i like that about you. The frost on blades of grass melting is to imply the grass weeping for whats underneath it as everything else blooms the rest is not. Technically its a turkey but its a hybrid, a experimental piece and all points made are fair by you all. So long as it hits its a breather.
Re: a comment on I love to see the sunrise by amanda_dcosta	amanda_dcosta 203.145.159.44	15-Dec-05/11:26 PM
thankyou. i'll try and see what i can do to edit it. good review.
Re: The Cowardice of Francis Evans by Caducus	LilMsLadyPoet 207.69.137.27	15-Dec-05/10:32 PM
Dawn dances in its white gown On empty graves dressed in nettles The wind has come to moan The sun has (risen) to fall And like the crown of winter's queen All that lives is all that's green. (This is awesome, but to me the rest does not have the same high quality of flavor...this was rich, the rest was flat, comparitively.) 9 on this part alone, minus the spelling errors.
Re: I love to see the sunrise by amanda_dcosta	LilMsLadyPoet 207.69.137.206	15-Dec-05/10:27 PM
I see the steps my life's taken.< seems alittle awkward in the rythm. Through remorse and a helping hand.<One less syllable would help. I would shorten the second to last line. Just my thoughts.
Re: Privacy by Dovina	LilMsLadyPoet 207.69.137.206	15-Dec-05/10:22 PM
Oh God...this is mortifying...and good! Man...Great...goes right to the stomach...justas it should. Very good!
Re: Blah Blah by Blindpoetry	LilMsLadyPoet 207.69.137.206	15-Dec-05/10:19 PM
Now that you got that out of your system, got anything else?
Re: a comment on Bri's Room (not done) by Sunshine Conkey	LilMsLadyPoet 207.69.137.206	15-Dec-05/10:13 PM
But...I thought we were on a quotefest...seems you listed quite a few in a list...oh, do we have to only quote people who were rich, famous, and well-known? Was there a problem, since mine was sourceless? Does that make it any less valid, especially considering the context in which it was quoted? Sorry, no one told me the rules. I thought you'd appreciate a 'reply quote' since you use them so often.
Re: a comment on Oh Merry Fay (part 1) by ALChemy	amanda_dcosta 203.145.159.44	15-Dec-05/10:09 PM
Yep, I get it! hmmmmm :-)
Re: a comment on You Have It Backwards by LilMsLadyPoet	LilMsLadyPoet 207.69.137.206	15-Dec-05/10:06 PM
sums up MY thought, rather...even.