News that makes us laugh, cry, or both

[Orion]

JP Nickel brings you both sides

Frank, there are so many other reasons criticizing Israel is not anti-semitic that pretending you don't know what the word *means* is really not necessary.

Counselors:

Okay first of all, the american counseling association's code of ethics says that you can't try to impose your values on your clients. So you pretty much have to be able to interact with a gay person without trying to convert them or preach at them.

And you can't predict when something like that will come up. You can't just refuse to take gay patients because, guess what!, a lot of gay people are CLOSET CASES who aren't going to discuss it except maybe in private with their THERAPISTS.

Finally, on a broader level, therapists have to deal with people whose choices they don't like ALL THE TIME. Career criminals have psychologists; alcoholics have psychologists; rage-poisoned assholes have psychologists. Even if you thought homosexuality was a vice, you'd still be able to do what counselors do, which is to suggest ways for people to change aspects of their lives that they don't like.

[Kaelik]

I can only assume he meant "European funded death camp"

Because that would actually make sense.

It's abrahamic. It's more or less a death cult by default. Now, it may not be european funded (I honestly don't know), but abrahamic religions are more or less all about how this life is shit, and a test to get into the awesome after party, so you're supposed die as pious as possible, and you get bonus points for doing something fanatical on the way out, whether by refusing to recant your beliefs and mustering cheap jokes at your own expense while being painfully torture executed, or killing as many people as possible while you commit suicide.

I think it's a fair characterization that all Abrahamic religions are at least death cultish, that's not what I was disputing.

The Palestinians aren't European funded. The Isreal State is (well, and the US, but we consider ourselves Europe 2: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut). So the point being that the camp is built by European funding, the cult isn't supported by that. The cult, like all cults, is relatively self sufficient when it comes to propagating cult ideas.

[CatharzGodfoot]

(well, and the US, but we consider ourselves Europe 2: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut)

Actually, we usually consider ourselves 'Europe 2: Bigger, Longer, and Cut'. But I'd rather not get into that can of worms.

[Psychic Robot]

Lol, circumcision.

[Crissa]

but ultimately that doesn't matter, because he is popular in Maricopa County. If he ceases to be, the good people of Maricopa County will vote him out.

Of course, he could just arrest his political opposition.

I also know why Palestine doesn't have a military or a police. They don't have either because Hamas doesn't want them to.

What?

The "Arab Street" could solve this problem with the stroke of a pen if they wanted to. Jordan could settle them all in the East Bank. Syria could put them up in Golan. Egypt could settle them in the Sinai. They already control southern Lebanon.

Wait, wait? We could make the problem better by displacing a few million people for a few million more people who are already displaced? What? How would that make things better, to have even more displaced peoples?

people like you Crissa, because you like to ghettoize people by skin color and see the Jews of Israel as "white", and the Palestinians as "brown".

What? Do you have any proof of that?

C'mon, insult me all you want, but don't lie about my position.

-Crissa

[Psychic Robot]

Fix your quote tags.

[Clutch9800]

What? Do you have any proof of that?

C'mon, insult me all you want, but don't lie about my position.

Touche'

I did infer a bit. I have a date tonight, so we can debate more tomorrow.

Clutch

[mean_liar]

As far as "deportation" goes, that's spilt milk. The vast majority of Palestinians live as refugees now, so moving them to an autonomous, contiguous Palestinian State would be a step up in the world.

The question is where? I think the East Bank would be the best place, but Jordan (as a stable Arab state) would have to step up and offer the land.

I know I come across as a rabid Arab hater in this, but I'm not. The Palestinians have some very legitimate beefs. That said, clinging to the past is not the answer. We need to move forward.

That is such utter bullshit. First, if the Palestinians had any contiguous land, say along the '67 border or really any contiguous state that didn't involve them moving from their land again, then a lot of steam would go out of this. If they were given autonomy - real autonomy, the kind you need to have an economy and employ some of their 60%+ unemployed - a lot of steam would go out of this.

Also, who the hell would take in the Palestinians? Why would they? If Jordan took them in, then Hamas would fight from Jordan and Israel would invade them every once in a while like they do to Lebanon. No one wants to deal with that. If Israel is going to invade a country and decimate your infrastructure because a foreign terror organization that hides in your territory kills some people, then you're looking at a situation where a good thirty+ assholes can get your whole country bombed. No one wants to own that.

The fact is that the best way to fight crazy people is to suffer gravely while you make them unpopular, not shoot at them and everyone who happens to be around them. You fight them by putting Palestinians to work and giving them consistent electricity and water rights and get them worried about mortgages and car loans and diabetes, not by doing the same oppressive crap you've been perfecting to no great profit over the last four+ decades. You certainly don't oppress people with a legit beef and then get upset when they try to fight back.

The diaspora IS spilt milk, I'll give you that. But the fact is that it is continuing, and Israeli settlers are purposefully pursuing an aggressive acquisition and Jerusalem is off the table for Arab settlement. Israel is just as committed to dragging this shit out as the Palestinians are, it's just that the Israelis are winning.

[cthulhu]

The problem is both sides are full of fucktarded religious power groups that will never let go.

[TOZ]

Okay, so I've been following the discussion of illegal immigration here, and I have to ask what the liberal side plans to do about it. I've gotten the impression from the brief search I did that they want to reform the system to make it easier for the people we want to immigrate get in. But that only reduces the number of illegals. What do we do about them?

[Clutch9800]

Okay, so I've been following the discussion of illegal immigration here, and I have to ask what the liberal side plans to do about it. I've gotten the impression from the brief search I did that they want to reform the system to make it easier for the people we want to immigrate get in. But that only reduces the number of illegals. What do we do about them?

I think there must be some kind of "Guest Worker" system put in place. Illegal Immigrants are spread far and wide in this nation and by conservative estimates there are 7 million of them already in the country, it's probably closer to 12 million, but it's a moot point anyway. Here's why:

If you counted every single jail cell in the nation, everything from Andy Taylor's lock up in Mayberry to the Supermax we can jail about 3.5 million people. But the thing is, those cells are already occupied by people that raped thier father and other nasty things.

So, problem number one is where do we put them?

Problem number two. Rounding them up. If every cop in the United States worked on illegal immigration alone it would still take years to round up 7-12 million people. But then again, the Police are kind of busy putting Father Rapers in jail.

Problem number three. Transport to the border for processing and deportation. I don't know, I've got an old Volvo that can seat 6, but I need it for other stuff. We have school busses, but they take kids to school. We have Greyhound Busses, but they are busy taking Father Rapers from Mobile to Jacksonville.

Anyway, long story short. They're here, they drink Modelo Beer, get used to it.

Guest worker program, get them on the tax rolls, and seal the border while still facilitating legal immigration and cross border trade.

Clutch

[Clutch9800]

Of course, he could just arrest his political opposition.

I'm sorry Crissa, but I work in Federal Law enforcement and this is nonsense. Do you have any idea how raging a hard on the FBI has for busting crooked cops? If there is one iota of truth to these allegations, then the FBI is up that Sheriffs butt with a microscope. I'm not saying that they aren't, and I could be proven wrong, but I've not heard of the FBI taking over the Maricopa County Sheriffs department.

Not to mention that COLEA would pull that departments accreditation in two shakes of a lambs tail if it was a crooked as some people want to make it out to be. (I'm not talking about his tent jails, no way will they keep accreditation, but that's a different accreditation body)

As hard as it may be to believe, there is a little bit more to law enforcement than hitting people of color with telephone books.

Clutch

[Count Arioch the 28th]

Do you have any idea how raging a hard on the FBI has for busting crooked cops?

Then why is it so hard to get them to get off their asses and do something about crooked cops? The attitude they give off is less "Rar! Time to bust crooked cops!" and more "The bitches in this town won't leave me the fuck alone, someone is paying for getting me off my comfy chair!"

I have yet to live in a town that didn't have blatant police corruption, and no one does anything about it no matter who you file a complaint to.

[Crissa]

Strangely, the fact that Arpaio has a really terrible record comparing arrests to successful prosecution hasn't gotten the Feds much involved past the thousands of lawsuits against him and his county. I don't want to say you're an idiot, Clutch, but... You're an idiot. Anyone could have typed something into Google and gotten back the fact that Arpaio is constantly facing investigations and lawsuits, none of which get thrown out of court. I don't care that you're in law enforcement, although that you can't use the Google only makes me fear Bones is more right than it should be about federal agents.

-Crissa

[Wesley Street]

I have yet to live in a town that didn't have blatant police corruption, and no one does anything about it no matter who you file a complaint to.

Ditto. Our sheriff and prosecutor are arm deep in skeevy political contribution shit and I haven't heard boo about the Feds investigating it.

As far as I can tell the FBI has a raging hard-on for busting terrorists and whining that there aren't enough agents to investigate, oh, corruption in the financial sector. Or organized crime.

[Clutch9800]

Strangely, the fact that Arpaio has a really terrible record comparing arrests to successful prosecution hasn't gotten the Feds much involved past the thousands of lawsuits against him and his county. I don't want to say you're an idiot, Clutch, but... You're an idiot. Anyone could have typed something into Google and gotten back the fact that Arpaio is constantly facing investigations and lawsuits, none of which get thrown out of court. I don't care that you're in law enforcement, although that you can't use the Google only makes me fear Bones is more right than it should be about federal agents.

Crissa. You're an idiot.

I don't live in the "Google" world. I live in the real life world.

Clutch

[Username17]

Okay, so I've been following the discussion of illegal immigration here, and I have to ask what the liberal side plans to do about it. I've gotten the impression from the brief search I did that they want to reform the system to make it easier for the people we want to immigrate get in. But that only reduces the number of illegals. What do we do about them?

As a genuine illegal immigrant in Eastern Europe, I can tell you that people become illegal immigrants because of simple cost/benefit analysis. Make the legal system too costly, unreliable, or just fucking annoying and people won't do it. I spent the entire last year without proper documentation because the Czechs made it fucking annoying to deal with. I objectively decided that I would rather take my chances with getting found by La Migra and have a gun pointed at my head than register with the foreigners police and chance the same situation from them losing my paperwork or denying my application.

There are efficient ways to reduce illegal immigration. The most efficient is to go after the jobs that illegals do. That is, if you enforce the laws against hiring illegals and actually punish companies that do, companies will do their job to check for valid SSNs and shit when hiring people, and then there will be a lot less benefits for people coming here illegally.

The thing is that running background checks on people at random is really fucking inefficient. It's costly and hardly ever catches anyone. People come here illegally to work. Check people when they hire on to work. That means hitting companies hard and often when they fail to do that.

The conservatives don't like this plan, because it hurts businesses. Businesses who are breaking the law, but businesses nonetheless.

-Username17

[Crissa]

ADL decides bigotry is okay with them and support violating freedom to religion that they recognize in the same statement.

Then again, maybe the ADL's just started to go off the deep end.

-Crissa

[Gnosticism Is A Hoot]

I don't live in the "Google" world. I live in the real life world.

Clutch

What does that even mean? What does that have to do with your failure to engage in even the most basic research RE: Arpaio's appalling actions?

[mean_liar]

It means he doesn't Google, and therefore information that doesn't support his position doesn't exist.

[Clutch9800]

I don't live in the "Google" world. I live in the real life world.

Clutch

What does that even mean? What does that have to do with your failure to engage in even the most basic research RE: Arpaio's appalling actions?

Arpaio is the Sheriff of the fifth largest and one of the most politically charged counties in the United States.

If he were truly dirty, I wouldn't have to fucking Google it. He's be inside one of his tent jails.

Give me a break!

Clutch

[Crissa]

Politically charged? What does that mean? Anyhow, sure, it's the fourth most populous county in the country, but how does that affect the thousands of lawsuits and dozens of settlements the county has paid out? Or that violent crime has dropped everywhere but where he is sheriff, however his numbers look even worse if you look and find out that the majority of the population in his county belongs to urban areas where the crime has dropped similarly to the rest of the state?

Oh, wait, I'm stupid, because I read statistics and Google for my news, rather than relying upon rumor and hearsay. 9-9

-Crissa

[Gnosticism Is A Hoot]

I don't live in the "Google" world. I live in the real life world.

Clutch

What does that even mean? What does that have to do with your failure to engage in even the most basic research RE: Arpaio's appalling actions?

Arpaio is the Sheriff of the fifth largest and one of the most politically charged counties in the United States.

If he were truly dirty, I wouldn't have to fucking Google it. He's be inside one of his tent jails.

Give me a break!

Clutch

Let's set this out clearly.

We have two pieces of information which seem to contradict each other -

1) Arpaio is widely reviled (outside of his stomping grounds), and is the target of innumerable lawsuits and accusations of unlawful conduct.

2) Arpaio has not yet been curb-stomped like the fascist motherfucker his opponents accuse him of being.

Your conclusion is -

3) Therefore, he cannot have done anything wrong, because if he had, he would already have been punished for it.

My conclusion is -

4) Therefore, he has used his position as sheriff, his widespread local popularity, and the overall inefficiency of federal law enforcement to his advantage to avoid/delay the righteous punishment that must surely follow his manifest wickedness. The fact that he is *getting away with* his right-wing wankfest law enforcement style is just another damning indictment of the American justice system.

See where I'm coming from?

[Clutch9800]

My conclusion is -

4) Therefore, he has used his position as sheriff, his widespread local popularity, and the overall inefficiency of federal law enforcement to his advantage to avoid/delay the righteous punishment that must surely follow his manifest wickedness. The fact that he is *getting away with* his right-wing wankfest law enforcement style is just another damning indictment of the American justice system.

Your conclusion is incorrect.

There is no overall ineffeciency of Fedral Law Enforcement at play here, unless you count Mexican Federal Law Enforcement.

The violence in Maricopa County is "Henco in Mexico". It's cross border shit and drug related kidnappings in Phoenix.

Listen, I don't agree with everything that Joe Arpaio does. That said, I know how this shit works. You guys can throw links at me from every dipshit outlet on the internet and it really won't make a difference.

You know why?

Crissa stated that I relied on "rumor and hearsay".

Yet the vast majority of the shit on the internet is "rumor and hearsay". That seems to be what you're basing your arguments on. Hell, that seems to be what you base all your arguments on.

So.

When they indict Arpaio, I'll humbly say that you all were right and I was wrong.

Until then, shut the fuck up with your half-assed conspiricy theories.

Clutch

[Crissa]

Justice's wheels turn slowly. It took more than three years for a local court to give a decision on the wrongful death suit carried against the officer who killed my father, and that was twenty-five years ago. Things have not gotten faster.

Just because he's not in jail (besides, officers and politicians hardly ever go to jail, even if they're found guilty in a criminal court) means little.

I don't even know if he's guilty other than bad judgement and a foul tongue.

But I can say the county has settled out of court many times before rather than have him cleared of the claims in court. And crime is higher than similar areas around the country and even inside his county.

-Crissa

...Wait, Googling up a News publication of FBI statistics and court documents is hearsay?

Maricopa doesn't even border Mexico. Why isn't there a similar rise in crime inside urban Phoenix, or Tuscon, or San Diego and subsequent lack of drop of violent crime? Where are the parallels? Where are your facts?