OT Alert Here!

Sorry but I have to (I can't let it drop):

Remember when everyone here was bashing Assange? My argument was that the government had done such a poor job protecting the classified data that attacking Assange was akin to shooting the messenger.

Here's an IT perspective on classified info:

http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/66215

Disclaimer, I am a veteran, and was frustrated by the whole way this was handled when I was active.

Could it also reflect some amount of self selection? I mean, a huge number of self-identified black people in America are more genetically non-black (i.e. hispanic, indigenous N.A., and euro-decendnts). Could it be that such people also tend to perform less well than others with similar genetic backgrounds, and therefore skew many of the studies referred to above? As I understand it, most of these studies have no scientific rationale for categorizing by race; it is completely dependent upon self-identification. (Personally, I see no rationale for categorizing by race at all, scientific or otherwise)

how do you define a kids meal?

there is not an exclusively kids burger

there is not an exclusively kids fries

there is not an exclusively kids drink

Thus the toy is what defines the "kids" part of "kids meal"

It is like banning the color red from all red balloons that are sold.

Agreed with Kenneth. Disagreed with Claire.

I read that the floods "will reap for the Islamist terrorists a fresh crop of recruits". The implication is that we should "pay attention" and address the "root causes" or terrorism?

Should we provide universal disaster insurance for the whole world? Would that create fewer terrorists? Are terrorists "created" or are the result of an individual making specific choices.

What else should we take from our blood, sweat and tears to provide [universal health care, enough food for everyone, security] to the world so terrorists are not somehow spawned by our inattentiveness?

Wait! Isn't this Wikileaks guy the same one who leaked ClimateGate?

Are we giving the government/military a pass on their handling of the information?

In my mind:

The government needs the power to keep state secrets.

The government has this power.

The government failed to use this power effectively.

Any solution which effectively gives the government more power should be resisted.

income vs. capital?

Anyone, a rejoinder?

The government needs the appropriate power to maintain state secrets.

The government already has this power.

The government failed.

Do not give more power to the government because it failed to use its existing power effectively.

The income mobility that is cited does not go to the heart of the problem as I see it. My neighborhood has gotten gentrified over the last 30 years, and it is not so much the differences in income I notice, but the huge differences in capital.

Clearly a rich person could "suffer" from downward income mobility while a poor person could "benefit" from upward income mobility. This could happen over a lifetime, and yet the poor man could continue to live a poor man's life and the rich man could continue to live a rich man's life.

I definitely question the "American Dream", a questioning which would unlikely originate from the top of the pile, I might add.

I hear they have renamed the proposed center to Park 51, although Cordoba is still very present in their own literature.

My concern is that Islam is being adjusted by some specifically to come into line with characteristics that America was previously, and still is, against. Maybe America should then change what it was previously against, so as not to be against Islam. Maybe then the last two steps should be repeated. Profit! Now America is not against Islam in any way. Basically, to any extent that America is against Islam (tolerance of homosexuals, equality of women, freedom of religion, etc.) can be perceived as being monolithically Against Islam. Of course, I do not think that this is what is meant by "Islam" in OP's helpful comments. Totally agree with the gentleman on 60 minutes, and his use of Islam is more inline with OP.

Question for you Christians out there:

Is there sex in heaven?

Seems to me any religion looks ridiculous trying to answer this question.

- the dozens of Afghan civilians named are in trouble if USA doesn't take responsibility for the leak (and instead just blames WikiLeaks). If USA takes responsibility, then maybe these dozens and their families can be repatriated here. Or at least we could have the CIA slip them some plane tickets to Mexico so they can at least get here as illegals (safer than being legal in Afghanistan). I served, so I have a pretty balanced view here, and feel strongly that we (USA) screwed up a lot more here being immorally negligent than Assange did with his own set of bads.

- medical rationing? Right now the market is the final arbiter. I was at a benefit at the Canal Room last night for someone who lost his leg to cancer. The benefit was to allow him to get a better prosthetic. Which is better, for a Citi officer in a multimillion$ pad in Tribeca to get his third house in Aspen, or for this 20 year old to get the best prosthetic money can buy? And when I ask "better" I mean "more moral".I think Berwick, whom I despise, is asking theseQuestions.

- reallyAbackground checkThatTakesFingerprintsJustLikeWeHaveAllBeenBefore.AgreedFingerprintingIs Creepy

With minor tweaks looks a little like the Naval Academy/West Pt. requirements. But then you don't get those Ivy League contacts.

A little OT: Can you publish with another publisher in France?

Syria has some sort of ban on the burqua

What is Israel's self-criticism of this? I'd be curious to know since they are like the USA in that, we (USA) could be well in the right given the then-current knowledge, but we would still criticize ourselves for not knowing "what we now know." Especially as regards military operations. Disclaimer that I have not been looking, but this type of thing is sure to come from a democracy like ours, and should be enlightening.