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POPSWhy I am not an Ignorant Loon! We are all born ignorant. It's the default position. It's only after education, logic, and experience that the position changes. An ignroramus, after being given evidence and logic, will deny and blather incessantly. And will continue to vomit their ignorance in the face of decent, clear-thinking individuals who actually have an education. The difference in a person like that and an intellectually equipped person is that they fail to grasp that the acceptance of ANY proposition is backed by perspective, logic, plausibility, and evidence that anyone can examine and challenge. The difference between that and science is that science ends at CERTAINTY. Oops, I think I just heard the Theory of Relativity is out the window. It's good to know that the enlightened can move past the default position.
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POPSConservative Humor Glenn Greenwald and Steve Benen comment on Cliff May's hilarious joke about killing people because they are from Yemen.
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POPSIs bicycling safer than driving? On this forum, a participant misuses statistics to show that bicycling is safer than driving. These statistics do not prove anything about the inherent safety of either mode of transportation. (the first comment is a sarcastic response by an anti-bicyclist commenting on a Philadelphia bicyclist who got critically injured by a car on a busy intersection).
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POPSState Report: Philadelphia swim club discriminated against black children Earlier this summer, a dispute between an affluent, white-dominated suburban private swim club and a camp serving minority children caught the attention of the national news. The camp accused the club of refusing to serve the kids because of members' racial bias. A state report just released bears out the club's claims. In e-mails complaining about the camp's visit, members expressed "racial animus" and "racially coded comments".
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POPSDo Tax Cuts Starve the Beast? No. indeed, the point estimates suggest that tax cuts increase spending. The results also indicate that the main effect of tax cuts on the government budget is to induce subsequent legislated tax increases. Examination of four episodes of major tax cuts reinforces these conclusions.
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POPSProtesters demand justice for man injured at health care town hall Tea Party member starts brawl in town hall during health debate, gets injured and is now asking for donations for health bills because he has no insurance. Maybe this is how they think all Americans should pay their health care bills. Instead of putting an 'unfair' hardship on the poor health care providers, thereby cutting into their profits, we should instead ask for donations.
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POPSSane Republican Hunt John Quiggin asks if there are any Republicans who reject all forms of delusion propounded by that party: delusionism... Birtherism Creationism... 9/11 Trutherism (not, in most cases, the “Bush knew” version, but the “Saddam organised it, via meetings in Prague” version) Crank medical theories: on passive smoking, the Terri Schiavo case, abortion-breast cancer link, AIDS reappraisal, claims about stem cells (to make it easy, getting any of these right will suffice) Rejection of plate tectonics... Bonus points if we can find one who’s not from Maine.
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POPSAmerica's Hidden Nightmare for its Sick Poor It is part of the paradox that while, for instance, the USA is light years ahead of Europe in research into and treatment of cancers, its basic services lag far behind. The interest in universal healthcare is motivated surely by a response to what is available for the most vulnerable. Whatever, the 'interest' is surely worthwhile, and should be inflected by morality rather thanm rigid political dogma.