Well, at least, they're releasing the Amelia Earhart files...

[Mudfuzz]

It occurred to me almost as soon as I wrote that that my poor carpentry skills would have been an analogy.

To answer the question: more than some, less than others.

carpentry skills can be taught, it's the amount of time and effort someone puts into it. Sorry I have had to teach carpentry to too many people

[Jwar]

Everyone is different in what they believe and that doesn't make them dumb, it makes them unique.

I am a uniquely bad painter. My paintings should not be hung in the same room as someone who has the ability to paint well beyond an illustration of what a bad painting looks like.

extend the analogy accordingly.

Ok. So let's say everyone is dumb because that's probably more true than anything. The entire human race is full of dipshits. Now how you do solve the issue of having a good elected official, when the populace is full of idiots? Not only that but almost all the elected officials are dummies themselves.

[D.o.S.]

Entirely too pessimistic. There are as many smart people as there are dumb people -- in the true sense of the word, they lie on either end of the bell curve and most of us fall somewhere in the middle -- so I can't go along with your proposal.

Also I'm a bit busy but I will answer more later.

[decomposing]

Everyone is different in what they believe and that doesn't make them dumb, it makes them unique.

I am a uniquely bad painter. My paintings should not be hung in the same room as someone who has the ability to paint well beyond an illustration of what a bad painting looks like.

extend the analogy accordingly.

Ok. So let's say everyone is dumb because that's probably more true than anything. The entire human race is full of dipshits. Now how you do solve the issue of having a good elected official, when the populace is full of idiots? Not only that but almost all the elected officials are dummies themselves.

the problem is ignorance and apathy to do anything about it.
even though almost everyone has a smartphone nowadays.
education is the answer which leads to empathy.
which leads to bigger things than all of this squabbling.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLV4_xaYynY[/youtube]

[Gone Fission]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wK2K5v5bm0Q[/youtube]

Again, horseshit discredited so long ago the horse is long dead. If someone can't find factually accurate reasons to be anti-Hillary, I really can't take them too seriously. Totally valid for her not to be your candidate, but this is the opposite of persuasive.

[Iommic Pope]

The problem is not intelligence so much as its agenda.

There are extremes on the bell curve true, what makes it seem as though everyone is a fuckwit is the simple fact that they are. Being an ignorant asshole is an exclusive condition from being smart or dumb, and most people get caught up in waves/tides of idiocy because those things protect THEIR interests, so fuck everybody else.

I could launch into a whole tirade of selfish gene theory, ingroup herd mentality and conspiracies of basic education of the idea that we are all connected being undone through systematised bodies of governance, but I think all of that is implicit in the current situation.

TLDR, what decomposing said when he bought Hendrix into this.

[Chankgeez]

selfish gene theory

I read this as "shellfish game theory".

[Mudfuzz]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wK2K5v5bm0Q[/youtube]

Again, horseshit discredited so long ago the horse is long dead. If someone can't find factually accurate reasons to be anti-Hillary, I really can't take them too seriously. Totally valid for her not to be your candidate, but this is the opposite of persuasive.

I agree, there is plenty of reasons to not want this person as the leader of our country except to not have Cruz or something worse that have nothing to do with conspiracy theories and maybes.

[Jwar]

She's ugly. Is that a good enough reason? LOL

Also Cruz is the fucking devil. UGH. I hope he doesn't somehow slide in from a contested convention. He'd be worse I think than anyone.

[snipelfritz]

She's ugly. Is that a good enough reason? LOL

Not if you're trying to be a feminist.

Hillary's record of hawkishness (aka voting for the Iraq war) is cause for concern for me. That said, I'll likely end up voting for her unless someone can sell me on Jill Stein or something (don't you DARE say Gary Johnson. My utter disdain for libertarianism aside, that dude is an absolute turd.)

[Jwar]

I'm no feminist. LOL. I'm for equal rights, but I wouldn't say I'm a feminist.

[Mudfuzz]

She's ugly. Is that a good enough reason? LOL

Not if you're trying to be a feminist.

Hillary's record of hawkishness (aka voting for the Iraq war) is cause for concern for me. That said, I'll likely end up voting for her unless someone can sell me on Jill Stein or something (don't you DARE say Gary Johnson. My utter disdain for libertarianism aside, that dude is an absolute turd.)

The problem with Jill Stein is that she is too close to Bernie in terms what she stands for but she doesn't have enough coverage anywhere to make a viable stake on the attention of the voters. Also the way the green party was brought onto the stage with Nader instead of building up through local governments they allowed Nader to basically drag them down with him in terms of popular opinion in the idea that he stole votes from Al Gore and therefore blame him and the green Party for getting Bush elected.. [and no I voted for Gore] also this is the 2nd time that Jill Stein has been the green party candidate, which even though I think she is nifty as fuck bothers me that the green party is still basing too much on a president cult of personality angle than a true movement.. [IMPO]

[snipelfritz]

Non-feminist cismale scum must burn! (I am just doing you a sillies, "feminist" has become a word with more connotation than denotation and is pretty much useless except for incensing people)

Yeah muddy, I think progressive youth need to get more involved in local and state politics. State governments have a lot of power over our lives and have been getting overrun by shitty Republicans.

I also really don't believe the third party vote does much but split the vote. Also don't see a third party as some magical cure-all for our problems especially when the most viable third party is based on some of the dumbest thinking porsiburrrrr.

[Mudfuzz]

Non-feminist cismale scum must burn! (I am just doing you a sillies, "feminist" has become a word with more connotation than denotation and is pretty much useless except for incensing people)

Yeah muddy, I think progressive youth need to get more involved in local and state politics. State governments have a lot of power over our lives and have been getting overrun by shitty Republicans.

I also really don't believe the third party vote does much but split the vote. Also don't see a third party as some magical cure-all for our problems especially when the most viable third party is based on some of the dumbest thinking porsiburrrrr.

Exactly. Without the 3rd part [or more] actually having a percentage in the city and state governments then getting a 3rd part president would be pretty useless because the other two parties would lock the whole fucking thing up for four years… and really we do have something close to a 3rd party already there.. the tea party… they are either going to take over the reds or split at some point at the rate they are growing…

[decomposing]

I'll probably end up moving to another country no matter what.
or another planet.
shit.