DPR is thus a man who frequently quotes an overly simplistic book of philosophy that provides no evidence for its claims, and uses it to justify a quest to overthrow civilisation via crime in order to established a promised utopia. That description reminds me of another category of criminal that has occupied a lot of attention from western governments in the last decade.
Ooh, I know! It's investment bankers, right?
As for adopting the ways which the State has provided for remedying the evil, I know not of such ways. They take too much time, and a man's life will be gone. I have other affairs to attend to. I came into this world, not chiefly to make this a good place to live in, but to live in it, be it good or bad. A man has not everything to do, but something; and because he cannot do everything, it is not necessary that he should do something wrong. It is not my business to be petitioning the Governor or the Legislature any more than it is theirs to petition me; and if they should not hear my petition, what should I do then? But in this case the State has provided no way; its very Constitution is the evil. This may seem to be harsh and stubborn and unconciliatory; but it is to treat with the utmost kindness and consideration the only spirit that can appreciate or deserves it. So is an change for the better, like birth and death which convulse the body.
Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience, 1849
Eugenics is the theory and practice of improving the genetic quality of the human population. In the 20th century we didn't have genetically altered humans, so the only way to do it was to make some humans not reproduce, either by sterilization or murder. Now we are adding a new scientific option, but the end result is the same, only living humans that we consider 'perfect'. Humans need diversity, in the future there may be good reasons to keep about populations with traits we don't agree with now.
In the sense that anyone means when talking about Eugenics, its "sterilization or murder" not "improving the genetic quality of the human population".
And, its pretty safe to say the vast majority of the moral outrage was because of the sterilization and murder, not the concept of improving humanity.
Once they were given a proper warrant, complying is the principled thing to do.
No, that's the safe thing to do. The principled thing to do is to engage in civil disobedience.
Hitler would be proud. Once this can be done on a regular basis, the differences between the born-privileged (children born to parents with money to custom design their child to have movie-star looks and high IQ) will relegate the masses to a modern serfdom.
Hitler wasn't selecting for an Aryan nation. He was killing for an Aryan nation. So that's really a poor example.
And here's a secret -- children of the privileged already (and have always) had that benefit. The wealthy and successful rarely have children with sloth like troglodytes -- they meet people of similar educational, physical, economic and other qualities. They don't send their children to a random selection of schools. Their children, more often than not, end up equally successful and privileged.
And the masses are already relegated to a modern serfdom.
Francis Galton came up with this idea over a hundred years ago. It wasn't a good idea then, it still isn't.
Its not Eugenics. All of evolution happens because of trait preference. Eugenics is the trimming of less desirous genetic traits through sterilization (preventing a new generation) or more direct ending of the current one. Picking traits isn't that. People who seek out companions of their race, or their ethnicity, or with ripped abs or big boobs are all selecting for traits in the next generation. Or, as another modern example -- China's allowing of a second (or third) child( for couples with graduate degrees. Also not eugenics.
And come away very disappointed. I tried that in my 20s, I found a bunch of 50 year old women, and 1 or 2 15 year olds. Nothing in between.
Plus, generally speaking, its not all that hard to get into Mensa. Maybe harder than to get into the cub scouts or something, but its not rocket science... so the people who end up in there tend to be a lot less intelligent than they want to believe they are, or have crushing self doubt and are looking for validation. In either case, unless you happen to be one of those, too, not a good way to meet people.
this is just as petty as blocking if war mamorials in parks and threatening old vets with arrest for wanting to view an open memorial
And nobody will start to scream bloody murder when the trash starts piling up and the graffiti appears?
The entire department is shut down. Why should there be special exceptions made for ones that are visible from Capitol Hill? The Photo Op Exception Act of 2013?
Why haven't we moved food inspection to the states/territories already?
Because, among other things, "food safety" and "race to the bottom" are two things that shouldn't go together.
The Pure Food and Drug Act is over a century old now. Try asking why a federal law was enacted to begin with.
Speaking of Seattle, don't forget the Living Computer Museum.
http://www.livingcomputermuseum.org/
This is just an example of Washington Monument Syndrome , wherein the government (or a branch of it), when faced with budget cuts, first shuts down whatever site or service will cause the most uproar.
If you think parks and monuments are the only things that have been shut down, you haven't been paying attention at all.
But regardless, what does this say of House Republicans trying to now fund parks and monuments piecemeal, ignoring things like food inspection in the process?
In the Westminster system... pick a new government/senate
In Westminster, the "senate" is chosen exclusively by Betty Windsor.
Never test for an error condition you don't know how to handle. -- Steinbach
