How many people have been damaged by the acts of out of control politicians who answer to anyone that has the price to pay? When do the voters get their chance to be heard?

Once every election cycle. Unfortunately the vast majority doesn't have a clue.

I once caught a small terrier standing on top of the couch in order to reach the Labrador bitch.

The pups were bigger than their dad within a few weeks after being born ;-)

Growing food covered in biohazardous poison doesn't exactly conjure up images of healthy and nutritious.

Neither does the image of food covered in faeces, but we've been doing that for quite a while too.

2. The autism rates are still climbing. It's now like 1 in 50. And that's with the recent adjustments in diagnostic criteria which was intended to lower the rate, not raise it. We have a serious epidemic which no one is reporting or talking about. If this were the common cold, people would be freaking out!!! (1 in 50... more among boys than girls, so the current odds are at least one "special kid" in each class! And at this rate of increase it will be reported as 1.5 to 2 per classroom next year.)

A significant chunk of what we now call autism has for centuries been considered perfectly normal behavior in boys and men. What has changed is society's expectations on what behavior is acceptable and desirable, and hence all the outliers now get rubberstamped as "wrong" somehow.

In the past unruly boys were taught by other men, and if they acted up they'd get their head slapped. These days they're taught by women and supposed to be in touch with their feelings.

The level of distrust China now has may lead China to crack down domestically and build more effective domestic spying capabilities.

When it comes to the US snooping in one's affairs, strong distrust is not only healthy, it can only be called reasonable.

Remember, it's not paranoia if the NSA is actually checking out your internet history.

Britain is hardly a good example of "europe". While I will happily admit that the leaders of my own country have the american cock firmly entrenched in their throats, it doesn't go anywhere as far as the "special relationship" between the UK and the US.

Would it not make more sense to wash one's hands *after* checking out the shit?

The vast majority of books are uninspired pulp. Same for music, movies, and other forms of expression, including Slashdot posts.

Sure they can. They just keep on choosing not to.

As far as Impy is concerned...staying out of the kitchen?

Now sudo go and make him a sandwich...

There are some similarities with religious debates, that's true. Unfortunately that similarity is mostly that one side is dominated by reasonably rational minds while the other is mostly stark raving mad.

You are walking through the desert as you see a turtle lying on its back. You do not help the turtle. Why won't you help the turtle?

Most atheists are brainwashed into thinking that if they ask about the beginning of the Universe, they are ignorant. Worse, they are taught that anyone asking the question is ignorant. It's a complete appeal to emotion argument to prevent people from asking the questions, which could be the most important you could ever ask (assuming you came to the conclusion that maybe there is such a thing as a creator).

That has to be one of the largest balls of shite i've seen on slashdot in a while.

Some atheists (who by definition are not a homogenous group as you like to paint them) ask those kinds of questions all the time. The difference is that we're willing to accept "we don't know (yet)" as an answer instead of having to dive into fantasy land to make up something to make us feel better.

Hey, maybe there is some vastly more powerful being out there who created the universe. And maybe, just maybe, said being takes more of an interest in us than we do in, say, the lives of the bacteria in our guts. That's still no compelling reason to dive down into heaven and hell fantasies. If said being really wants something from us, it could pop down to Times Square some time and make its wishes clear. But don't expect me to believe some guy who just wants a cushy job inside with no heavy lifting that if I don't do as he says I'll burn in some fantasy oven forever and ever.

I might have to sit next to someone that doesn't think or look like me!

Looking or thinking is fine, it's not smelling and acting like me that is bothersome ;-)

Not really, since in all 3 of these "theories" we pretty much agree that the phenomenon is real, we just haven't quite figured out how it works exactly.

Besides, folks that argue against evolution tend to not overly involve themselves with actual arguments anyway...