On 2011-06-01 23:39, magicfish wrote:

Landmark, I'm sure you are a good man. I don't know you from adam, but it is my opinion that if you were flying the enola gay it would mean that you were a military man and ahad made a commitment to serve your country, and that you would feel as strongly as any in that military operation that saved the planet that this bomb would save hundreds of thousands of lives. It is my opinion that as pilot of said plane, you would be all too aware of the japanese no surrender policy, and the sensless deaths of countless thousands of young men to save the world from an evil empire bent on world domination.It is my opinion that you would not only drop the bomb, but would feel justified in doing so.
This is my opinion not of landmark the Café member, but of landmark- pilot of the enola gay.

On 2011-06-02 05:46, Andrew Musgrave wrote:
Gdw-

Were you hoping for a different response? The seeds of totalitarianism were planted a long time ago. At this point people are either afraid to say something that'll draw the ire of the goose-steppers, or else they're goose-stepping themselves.

On 2011-06-02 17:54, Andrew Musgrave wrote:
I was talking about oppressive governments in general, not Nazi Germany. That's all you.

And, incidentally, improperly invoking Godwin's Law is itself considered poor rhetorical form, as it's seen as attempt to stifle discussion.

You, erm, did READ that wikipedia article you posted, yeah?

PS: Normally I'm not one to point out typographical errors, but in this case I'm make an exception. Danny, if you're going to call somebody "intellectualy bankrupt", you might want to learn to spell it right.

On 2011-06-02 18:03, Dannydoyle wrote:

Quote:

On 2011-06-02 17:54, Andrew Musgrave wrote:
I was talking about oppressive governments in general, not Nazi Germany. That's all you.

And, incidentally, improperly invoking Godwin's Law is itself considered poor rhetorical form, as it's seen as attempt to stifle discussion.

You, erm, did READ that wikipedia article you posted, yeah?

PS: Normally I'm not one to point out typographical errors, but in this case I'm make an exception. Danny, if you're going to call somebody "intellectualy bankrupt", you might want to learn to spell it right.

YOU WIN THE BONOUS PRIZE!!!!!! When you can't have an actual point, be critical of spelling!! That instantly makes it so you actually have a point!

Wanna go for the trifecta?

Oh so you were NOT talking about the Nazis? So ALL oppressive governments "goose step"? Come on that is laughable. You can hit the trifecta in 3 posts. Come on I have confidence in you.

Dancing can be dangerous. In Ceausescu’s Romania I was arrested for dancing without a partner. In newly independent Guinea Bissau, my dancing partner was thrown in jail for boogying before the President and his wife had the first dance. In Cuba I was awoken at 4am to bail out a friend who had been locked up for “lesbian dancing.” And in Afghanistan I narrowly escaped arrest for dancing on a “men-only” dance floor. On each occasion I was shocked by the misuse of government power and disrespect for personal freedom.

So I naturally felt the same sense of outrage when I heard about the case of Mary Brooke Oberwetter, who was arrested for dancing quietly (with a headset on) at the Jefferson Memorial back in 2008. She sued the Park Police, lost and then appealed. On May 17, 2011 the U.S. Court of Appeals ruled against her, saying that that dancing at memorials is forbidden “because it stands out as a type of performance, creating its own center of attention and distracting from the atmosphere of solemn commemoration.” Never mind that Oberwetter was arrested at midnight, when there was nobody but her and her friends around. Never mind that tourists at these memorials are always talking loudly, posing for photos and making all kinds of “distractions.” Never mind that dance can be a way to express joy at the freedoms espoused by our founding fathers.

To protest this absurd ruling, some folks put out a call on Facebook to gather on Saturday, May 28, to dance at the Memorial. I heard about it from my friend Adam Kokesh, an Iraq war vet and producer of the show Adam vs. the Man on the network Russia Today. A committed libertarian, Adam decided to help spread the word and join the protest. . .