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Re: If might always made right, we'd all be in trouble

Isolation vs. Intervention has been an ongoing debate in America since the founding (isolation starting with Washington's Farewell Address and continuing until T. Roosevelt and especially Wilson's administration) and will likely continue to be a hot topic in the 21st century. It is difficult to take a definite stance on either side and the issue probably needs to be handled on a case-by-case basis as America's position as the world's first global superpower has given us...

Posted by maxmccauley on 12-17-2007 in Does might make right? -- America's global role

Re: Re: One (wo)man, one vote

Couldn't agree more, the electoral college needs to go. It had its purpose at one time when the founders (specifically Federalists like Hamilton and Madison) were worried the uneducated public would be unable to vote for president in an intelligent manner, but it is way past its usefulness. Just like how we passed the 17th amendment to directly elect senators, we need to further democratize our process and do away with our antiquated electoral system. Let the people decide.

Posted by maxmccauley on 12-17-2007 in Is the electoral college an outdated institution?

A difficult question to answer

I am a huge NBA fan, I watch most nationally televised game and nearly every Suns game, and I often think about the question of who the best player is. A lot of it depends on the criteria one uses to determine what "best" means. Is it the most skilled player? (I'd say Kobe). The most athletic player? (LeBron would be my choice here). The player who most helps his team go? (Steve Nash would be my homer pick). When it comes down to it--as much as it pains me to say...

Posted by maxmccauley on 12-21-2007 in Who is currently the best player in the NBA?

Re: Humans, what's our value?

An interesting question. I believe the reason we value human life over other life on earth is simply because we are humans. It is instinctual for us to survive and procreate, therefore naturally we value human life above everything else. It is ingrained in our DNA to do anything to survive individually, and that seems to apply race-wide as well. So the next question would be, why not hold animal life as sacred also? I would argue that we are moving in that direction. One hundred...

Posted by maxmccauley on 12-21-2007 in Are humans the most valuable organisms on the planet?

I'm a turncoat.

I was always a Coke person when I was a little kid, but once I became a teenager I decided I really liked Pepsi better. I prefer Root Beer over either of them, but I don't drink much soda anymore :)

Posted by maxmccauley on 12-21-2007 in The debate to end all debates

Some things to be happy with, other somewhat concerning.

I figured now would be a good time to bring up the Suns as they just finished going 2-2 against 4 of the better teams in the NBA: the Spurs, Mavericks, Hornets, and Jazz. There were a few things about what I saw that I really liked. Grant Hill has been an absolute stud (his dunk vs. the Mavs was like going back in a time machine) and I couldn't be happier with the way he has played. His play against the Spurs was very promising, he did a lot of the little things that didn't...

Posted by maxmccauley on 12-21-2007 in Suns Fans: Let's discuss the status of the team

Re: Bond. Dashing Bond.

Bond. This isn't even close. The first Austin Powers movie was funny, but James Bond is the man.

Posted by maxmccauley on 12-21-2007 in Austin Powers or James Bond?

Evolution is real.

Evolution is real and it is only a matter of time before everyone will accept it. If you want a good example of the way Natural Selection works you can take the AIDS virus. The virus goes through generations extremely quickly and therefore can evolve much more quickly than a race with 20 year or so generations like humans. When we attack the virus with treatment it kills all of the disease which is not resistant to that specific treatment. The portion of the virus that was resistant then...

Posted by maxmccauley on 12-21-2007 in Darwin v. God

Earth, a stepping stone?

All of those harms we have done to the planet were necessary to our evolution as a species, in my opinion. We were completely unaware when the majority of the damage was done (we were killing the planet at a much faster rate in the 50's than we are now) and will take steps to temper that destruction. The earth will be important to humans for another 100-200 years (arbitrary guess) until we become able to leave it. Humankind is bigger than this one planet, it is just our current...

Posted by maxmccauley on 12-21-2007 in Are humans the most valuable organisms on the planet?

Re: What do Humans add?

You are answering a different question that was originally asked, I think. I would tend to agree that humans are not valuable TO the planet, as we use its resources and (unfortunately) pretty much destroy it. However, my answer to the original question (are we the most valuable ON the planet) would be an emphatic yes. The human brain is the most complex and powerful thing we know of (so far)...human life is by far (in my opinion) the single most important thing and must be valued above...

Posted by maxmccauley on 12-22-2007 in Are humans the most valuable organisms on the planet?

It is ingrained in our DNA

We have been eating meat for our survival as a race since we've been a race (however long one wishes to believe that is) and it is very natural for us to do so. Only very recently (especially in evolutionary terms) has it become possible to eat a vegetarian diet in a healthy matter. Consuming necessary amounts of protein, iron, etc. without eating meat was something that was unknown until the last generation or two. If you choose to be a vegetarian, good for you. There is...

Posted by maxmccauley on 12-22-2007 in To be, or not to be... a vegetarian?!

Re: Humans, what's our value?

In response to the Original Post: I read this response again more carefully and came across something that struck me. You said that humans do not show more of an affinity towards members of their own species than towards dogs/cats or other household pets. I don't think this could be further from the truth. You use the example of a beloved pet dying and the sadness derived from it but don't really give it a fair comparison under similar circumstances. What about when a mother...

Posted by maxmccauley on 12-22-2007 in Are humans the most valuable organisms on the planet?

Re: Re: Re: Humans, what's our value?

The points you make are valid but the one thing I think you are still overlooking is the different level of emotion involved. Sure, there are endangered species and people are concerned about their welfare, etc. That gets coverage, but doesn't inspire the kind of widespread emotion that an event like September 11th does. I did not know a single person who died on September 11th, 2001, not one, yet it still is one of the most devastating days I can remember from my childhood. I do...

Posted by maxmccauley on 12-22-2007 in Are humans the most valuable organisms on the planet?

Re: This is ridiculous.

People like you hold back the progression of the human race. People thought exploring out of Europe would cause them to fall off the face of the earth, too. Should they have stayed on their continent? Seriously, why should I be worshiping a huge rock when I am the most complex organism living on it? The human race (as we have already PROVEN by landing on the moon) has the ability to up and leave this one small planet so why should we tie ourselves down to it? "By declaring that...

Posted by maxmccauley on 12-24-2007 in Are humans the most valuable organisms on the planet?

Re: Re: Re: This is ridiculous.

Ok, this post I like a lot more. You made some valid points. First of all let me get this out of the way: YOU: "Who really cares if you can land on the moon? Only humans do." ME: "What else, that we know of, even has the capacity to care about us landing on the moon?" YOU: "So are you trying to tell me that the capacity of the human mind/intelligence, is way more valuable and impressive then a plants ability to photosynthesize, a cheetahs ability to...

Posted by maxmccauley on 12-24-2007 in Are humans the most valuable organisms on the planet?

Re: Definition

Well, I think the problem lies in the fact that judging value is subjective. It really depends on what one considers to be "valuable" The way I read the question it asks which organism is the most valuable overall. It says on the planet but that can be ignored because the only organisms we know of are on this planet. It seems like some people in this post are taking valuable to mean how much they help the other organisms and the planet. That is certainly one interpretation. ...

Posted by maxmccauley on 12-26-2007 in Are humans the most valuable organisms on the planet?

Re: aliens, big foot.. hmm?

I believe it is nearly impossible that we are the only species capable of intelligent thought (talking, writing, etc.) in the entire universe. Space is vast beyond our imagination. Conservative estimates place the number of galaxies in the universe at around 120 billion (although there likely are 3 or 4 times as many). Our Milky Way Galaxy has 193 billion stars alone. If you do the math, there is an amount of stars in the universe that probably exceeds the sextillions. That is,...

Posted by maxmccauley on 12-27-2007 in Do you believe in life outside the earth?

Re: Re: aliens, big foot.. hmm?

How do we know that the conditions able to support human and animal life are the same that would be able to support life of some other lifeform in which we have ZERO knowledge of? The Drake equation is worthless...it relies on far too many assumptions on which humans know absolutely nothing about. If you read that wikipedia entry you'll see that everything is estimated. We have NO idea how many planets there are that could support life. The fact of the matter is that it is...

Posted by maxmccauley on 12-29-2007 in Do you believe in life outside the earth?

Re: Too Many Minutes

I agree completely. In fact, I listened to a radio inteview with Kurt Thomas when he was traded to the Sonics and he was asked what he thought the primary thing D'Antoni did wrong was. Thomas said that he used too few players in the rotation. Charles Barkley has also been harping on it, and it is true. Having a high seed and homecourt advantage is great and all until your players burn out and get bounced in the 2nd round. We should be playing Strawberry, Tucker, Piatowski, Banks,...

Posted by maxmccauley on 12-29-2007 in Suns Fans: Let's discuss the status of the team

Re: Dangerous

First of all, the implications on menstruating women and masturbating men would be non-existant. It says fertilized egg; neither of those result in the creation of one. In addition, a woman obviously wouldn't be charged with murder if her unborn baby died due to reasons outside of her control. Is a woman charged with murder if her son commits suicide? As far as census and tax systems, exceptions could obviously be made. Now that all of the "what if" questions are out...

Posted by maxmccauley on 12-30-2007 in Does legal personhood begin at conception?

Re: definition again

Very good post. I think that we can all agree that due to the subjective nature of the word "valuable" it is nearly impossible to reach a consensus on this debate. Value is relative, it depends entirely on eye of the beholder.

Posted by maxmccauley on 12-30-2007 in Are humans the most valuable organisms on the planet?

Re: humans are not the most valuable organisms on the planet

"i can comfortably say this because we cause the most harm to the planet of all of the organisms, thus negating any value we might actually have." I don't understand this comment. The question is if we are the most valuable organisms ON the planet, not FOR the planet. Your argument seems to be that just because we don't improve the earth (at this present time) we are not valuable. I disagree. To use an analogy; if I drank chlorine it certainly would not be the most...

Posted by maxmccauley on 12-31-2007 in Are humans the most valuable organisms on the planet?

Re: The moderatization of Mrs. Clinton

Hillary Clinton really shouldn't be supported by conservatives or liberals. She is scum; the ultimate politician. When people say they hate politicians...this is the reason. She wichange her beliefs and views to get elected faster than you can say "flip-flopper." Don't get me wrong, most politicians Republican and Democrat do this, Hilary is just the queen of it. I don't understand why anyone supports her. Is it name recognition? The whole "woman...

Posted by maxmccauley on 12-31-2007 in Video game censorship, do you support? Clinton does.

Re: Re: Re: humans are not the most valuable organisms on the planet

Why should humans deign to compare themselves to the other organisms on this planet? Ok, phytoplankton provide half of this planet's oxygen. It is probably more valuable to THIS planet right now. Its potential also ends there. As humans we have the potential to one day leave this planet and explore many others (I would argue that the question of our space exploration is when, not if). Phytoplankton, as well as every other organism on earth, is not going to do this unless humans...

Posted by maxmccauley on 12-31-2007 in Are humans the most valuable organisms on the planet?

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: humans are not the most valuable organisms on the planet

"Again, you're framing what is "valuable" in your own terms." You are accusing me of the exact same thing that you are doing. What does value have anything to do with what we do to the planet? The question has absolutely NOTHING to do with interaction with the planet...that is of course unless that is how you define valuable. "For that matter, what planets have we saved to date?" Read my post, I admit multiple times that right now we cause more...

Posted by maxmccauley on 01-01-2008 in Are humans the most valuable organisms on the planet?

Re: Where's the proof?

Where is the proof that aliens do not exist? I do not believe--although I must admit I did not read every post thoroughly--that anyone in this thread claimed aliens definitely exist. I certainly did not, and for anyone to do so would be without any kind of evidence. "Many of you think that aliens exist without any creditable evidence at all, that's is really quite amazing! Well if we can all make bullshit claims like that then, shit, the flying spaghetti monster must be...

Posted by maxmccauley on 01-02-2008 in Do you believe in life outside the earth?

Re: Obama

Something I observed in the debates last night that I felt was interesting is the division that has grown between the democratic candidates. It seems like Edwards and Obama have labeled themselves the "agents of change" in the party and have attacked Clinton as being the "status quo." Richardson appears to either be on Clinton's side or simply believes the democratic candidates should remain united. The debate last night appeared, at least to me, like it was Obama...

Posted by maxmccauley on 01-06-2008 in Democratic Primary

Re: Waterboarding IS torture

I have never experienced waterboarding myself so I turn to someone very experienced in the subject--John McCain. The torture has been performed on him before and he is adamantly against it. From his description it fits every requirement of being labeled cruel and unusual punishment. It should be illegal.

Posted by maxmccauley on 01-06-2008 in Waterboarding - Torture?

Re: Simulated Drowning

While I agree with your point I want to clarify your definition. I cannot take credit for this (I read it on CNN.com, if memory serves me correctly) but saying that waterboarding "simulates" drowning is a bit of a misnomer. Simulating implies that actual drowning does not take place but that the victim will feel a sensation of drowning without actually experiencing it. This is not the case. The victim IS drowning, it is just controlled. A more accurate description of...

Posted by maxmccauley on 01-09-2008 in Waterboarding - Torture?

Re: i think both are good but should be used in different cases

Obviously texting is more convenient, not only can you convey your message without the nuisance of actually having a real conversation but you can also alert many people at once if you so desire. Perfect for letting your friends know where to find the best party or where and when the pick-up basketball game is. However... Breaking up with your girlfriend? Putting in your two weeks notice? Finally telling your step-mom that you do in fact "love her?" Press the call button,...

Posted by maxmccauley on 01-09-2008 in Which is better Texting OR Calling?

Re: We Have Become the Nanny NO ONE Likes

This has already been addressed under the thread "Does might make right? -- America's global role" -- if you click the browse button you can find it, it is towards the bottom. You'll find lots of discussion about this subject has already taken place...and I'm sure people are still willing to debate this subject. It is a very important topic. I'll answer you here. "America has completely shifted from the isolationist principles our founding fathers...

Posted by maxmccauley on 01-09-2008 in United States Intervention

John McCain

I am a conservative-leaning independent so I do not necessarily vote by party identification, although in this election I will be supporting one of the Republican candidates. John McCain is by far the most experienced out of all the candidates running. He truly understands the complexities of foreign affairs and has personal relationships with many of the people running the countries around the world. I like Barack Obama and would support him against a few of the Republican candidates,...

Posted by maxmccauley on 01-24-2008 in Who should be elected President of the United States in 2008?

Re: What search engine are you using and why?

Google. This isn't even close in my opinion. I have used plenty others before. I remember before Google I would use about a dozen search engines interchangeably to find the results I was looking for...it was tedious. After being introduced to Google those days soon came to an end. It is by far the most popular search engine and I think this is a case where popularity does equal quality.

Posted by maxmccauley on 01-24-2008 in Yahoo!, Google, MSN or something else?

Re: I think McCain, while favored by the media, will lose.

Being way up in delegates at this point is rather insignificant considering the lead is something like ~60 to ~30 and they need well over 1000 to win. It is way too early to factor delegates into anything, in fact most presidential primaries are decided well before the delegates are handed out. Also, I'd like to know what source you have that says it looks like Romney will win in Florida. Every poll I have seen has McCain with a very small lead over Romney. Either could win, but...

Posted by maxmccauley on 01-25-2008 in Who will win the Republican primary?

Re: Re: Re: I think McCain, while favored by the media, will lose.

First of all, whether you like him or not doesn't make him the most unlikely candidate. The question of this thread is "Who will win the Republican primary?", not whether or not you like the candidate. Secondly, all McCain is saying is that we aren't going to simply abandon Iraq after the mess we caused. He cites Japan as an example of somewhere we still have a military presence. Is that really bothering you? Do you want to "get the troops out of Japan?" ...

Posted by maxmccauley on 01-25-2008 in Who will win the Republican primary?