Friday Fun Thread

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

Have at it!

Criminality vs. Morality: Carthago delenda est.

[sandwichwarrior.livejournal.com]

I found this on my friends page under the caption "Way-to-go big guy!".

From the article...
A slightly built 12-year-old Year 7 student antagonises a larger 16-year-old boy from Year 10, punching him in the face as a friend records it on his mobile phone and at least four other students watch. The fight does not go according to plan. The larger boy appears to snap.

He grabs the other boy, picks him up with two hands and throws him head-first in to the concrete...

...Commenters on Facebook numbered in their hundreds and sided overwhelmingly with the older boy. Their triumphant response to the older boy's retaliation surprised seasoned experts.

( cut for violence against children? )

An open letter to the dirty peoples.

[meus-ovatio.livejournal.com]

( Cut. )

Off Topic Fun? The Livejournal Wingnut Test

[malasadas.livejournal.com]

We've been yelling at each other a lot lately. And there have been many threads with lengthy accusations of each other occupying some bizarre place on the political spectrum. With that in mind, I thought I could dig into my rating scale creation skills and help us all identify where we are on the spectrum from "entirely reasonable political discussant" and "utter and total whackadoodle wingnut".

( The Livejournal Political Wingnut Test )

In an ideal world...

[green-man-2010.livejournal.com]

Ok, in an ideal world, the Italians would never have been allowed to use mustard gas on civilians in Etheopia. In an ideal world, Standard Oil would not have sold Hitler all the oil he needed to invade Poland and then run amok in Europe. In an ideal world, the UK and USA would put ethics before their own economic interests and would never install tyrants like Idi Amiin or Saddam Hussain.

But we don't live in an ideal world. However, if we did, what would happen next in Libya?

Without troops o the ground, wars cannot be won. We bombed germany into ruins, but it was not until Russians, Yanks, and Brits marched into Berlin and flew their flags that hitler's people got down to signing the documents for unconditional surrender.

It may be argued that troops on the ground need to occupy Libya, but whose troops? I think that the only fair and just settlement to the gaddaffi question is that we must let his own people deal with him themselves.

The UK, the US , and even the UN, can send in warplanes to shoot down Gaddaffi's air force, which is currently being used to kill the rebels who want him deposed. We could also attack his tanks and artilliery from the air, but we must let - we should let, the Libyans take care of this tyrant for themselves.

We must not invade and set up a western style puppet government to ensure ourown interests, but rather support the democratic movement within Libya itself. Gaddaffi has it coming to him. he has sponsored acts of terrorism against the West, from arming and funding the IRA to the bombing of a Pan Am jet over Lockerbie. It's payback time, and if his own people depose him and put him on trail, don't ask me to speak in his defence.

However, while air strikes against the Gaddaffian troops and shooting down any planes that threaten the rebel advances must begin immediately, it would be wrong for anyone else to march in and take the victory from the rebel forces. Let's assist from the air, but leave our ground forces out of it. Libya must be liberated by the Libyan people, primarily. And we owe it to them to send in the help that they ask for.

An Important Question

[meus-ovatio.livejournal.com]

States in America provide, on their own, about 50 billion dollars of tax incentives to various companies to lure them in and provide jobs. The financial sector, if you are not aware, recently received Billions upon Billions of dollars in order to stabilize our economy. The auto and airline industries have also received their share of help. Our farming industry cannot survive without steady government subsidies.

Sometimes parents need to be sat down and talked to. It is a very tough and painful thing to address, but somebody has to ask:
( Cut. )

I'm sure she earned it

[kinvore.livejournal.com]

Not too long ago a story broke about Wisconsin State Senator Randy Hopper being called out by his soon-to-be ex-wife, because he allegedly was cheating on her. I dismissed it because quite frankly I'm getting tired of the unrealistic expectations we have on our politicians, just because one cheats doesn't mean that much to me.

However now the plot thickens:

http://addins.wkow.com/blogs/scoop/2011/03/salary-boosted-for-worker-with-ties-to-hopper

Apparently the mistress in question got a state job, and her pay was $11,000 more than the previous person to hold that, um, position. Hey, at least that money wasn't going to a pension fund. While I don't like to assume anything, I'll be shocked if Hopper doesn't get recalled at this point.

I would like to emphasize that not all the facts have been revealed yet. We don't know if Hopper had anything to do with his mistress getting the job and/or the raise, but it doesn't look good for him.

Somehow methinks if the word "Quran" was here this would be more publicized:

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

http://joemygod.blogspot.com/2011/03/killer-confesses-i-stoned-that-homo-to.html

So.....a young man murders a 70-something-year-old man to death by beating him to death with a sock full of rocks and defends this by appealing to the Bible. From a certain point of view he is indisputably accurate that the Old Testament notes that gay men should be put to death (technically by this standard the Old Testament also not merely divinely sanctions slavery, but even beating slaves to death provided you beat the poor fellow so he dies just 24 hours and one minute later. Not to mention outlawing polyester and shrimp and pork.

I also believe that were this Muslims who did this deed, people would be braying about the backwards, savage Mussalmen who stone queers to death while with this, I virtually guarantee that there will be people who defend this cold-blooded murder because the perpetrator used the word "Bible" instead of Quran and "God" instead of "Allah".  I hope this man is prosecuted to the full severity of the law, and while I reject the death penalty, this, like a few other cases, is the rare occasion I feel tempted to see it as just.

Stupid quiz for ya now

[ddstory.livejournal.com]

See, I'm kinda dumb*, so this was the smartest thing I could come up with to-evening. You're welcome to laugh at me.

It's the old worn-out quiz: "Which are the 3 top... X".

So my question to you is this. Which are the 3 things you love the most about your respective society, and which are the 3 things you hate the most?

I'll ask those who choose to participate to please try not to bash other peoples. Just stick to your own society. I'm aware that, since the majority of members are American, we'd probably end up talking about the US (for the most part), but even so, I'd love to see as many perspectives as possible. Also it's not like we don't have quite a prominent "forrinner" base, so... We might learn a few things about each other.

Anyway. Because I started it, I'm first.

( My take on my people )

Your turn!

* well, not really