George Jerry
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George Jerry commented on What is the state of American theater? on January 20, 2008, 8:33 AM
Economist William Easterly's statement that most of the money donated is not percolating down to the poor is not a shocking revelation. As an economist he should know that the poor have no economic clout and therefore will always get the short end of the stick. That is the way the world works. The major impediment to lifting the poor out of poverty is corrupt national governments. Solve that problem and you will lift billions out of poverty
Re: Is the media responsible for the war in Iraq?
Is the media responsible for the war in Iraq? This question, as it's phrased, is meaningless. A better question: If the media in the United States and Britain had dug deeper, asked more probing questions prior to the Iraq war could the war have been prevented. Let's assume for argument sake that the press did an excellent job of uncovering the facts, i.e. that Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction, and was not collaborating with Al Quida therefore did not pose a risk to national security for either the USA, Europe, or it's immediate neighbors including Israel. For the Iraq war to have been prevented by the press it would, by necessity, have required people/citizens to believe the news media over their government. When Saddam postured that Iraq did have weapons of mass destruction in the face of UN sanctions and non-compliance with UN resolutions 424 everything was in place for commencing the Iraq war. Too many people believed the bluff including the international intelligence community. This is the consequence of having your bluff called when nearly everyone thinks you're not bluffing. … Read More
January 15, 2008 |
George Jerry commented on On the Theory of Divine Law on January 15, 2008, 9:37 AM
The proof of divine law requires a proof that divinity exists or did exist. No such proof exists therefore divine law is unprovable. Proponents of divine law are the very ones that want you to buy into their particular vision of divine law thus making themselves demigods in the process. Having said the above there does exist natural law which is Darwinian; that being preservation of self, preservation of kin, preservation of tribe ... when human sustainence is exceeded by abundance food and population then civilization takes root and it too is based on natural law and further builds upon natural law so humans can enjoy degrees of self actualization.
George Jerry commented on gratitude of a non-believer on January 15, 2008, 7:42 AM
I share your profound feelings of gratitude for the circumstances of my life. I grew up in a Catholic home but by the age of seven I became a non-believer and have remained so for more than fifty years. About twenty years ago my thinking aligned with non theistic Buddhism. One important practice in Buddhism is to deeply and from the heart wish all living creatures safety and happiness. Through this practice and the way I try to live my life I give thanks for my many blessings.
George Jerry commented on What is the state of American theater? on January 20, 2008, 1:33 PM
Economist William Easterly's statement that most of the money donated is not percolating down to the poor is not a shocking revelation. As an economist he should know that the poor have no economic clout and therefore will always get the short end of the stick. That is the way the world works. The major impediment to lifting the poor out of poverty is corrupt national governments. Solve that problem and you will lift billions out of poverty