HeyYou

Mine isn't there once I load a game....... What version are you running?

Where was it? Some high-powered items are static in the world, and not from a leveled list.

It is a natural human activity. The proof is in the history records that date back to Roman and Greek times where it was normal for men to have young male lovers. But you just have to look around. Men and women are in same sex relationships in every country in the world regardless of race or creed. If you want proof then I suggest you go to University and study Psychology or medicine or social work but posting links from the internet from obscure web sites just to support your idea of normal is an activity I can only laugh at. You can find anything on the internet if you look long enough. Link something from a reputable university and maybe then I will find the time to continue this discussion It is a natural human activity. The proof is in the history records that date back to Roman and Greek times where it was normal for men to have young male lovers. But you just have to look around. Men and women are in same sex relationships in every country in the world regardless of race or creed. If you want proof then I suggest you go to University and study Psychology or medicine or social work but posting links from the internet from obscure web sites just to support your idea of normal is an activity I can only laugh at. You can find anything on the internet if you look long enough. Link something from a reputable university and maybe then I will find the time to continue this discussion I was going to stay out of this but Hey You needs a University degree for his opinion to have validity? Talk about dismissive elitism, OK then, I have a Bachelors, a Masters, took Psych courses and agree with the carefully selected snippet you decided to respond to from his overall posts. One caveat I would add is that treating anyone poorly for their opinions, predilections, lifestyle or sexual orientation because you do not agree with it, is simply bad manners...something I was always taught / raised not to do. Ya Aurielius you know what, you should follow you first instinct and stay out of this if you are unable to control your emotions. You are now make accusations that have nothing to do with the topic. If you continue to insult people then I will report you. Please I welcome your input but conduct yourself appropriately. This is already a heated topic and there will be many different opinions. However opinions are different than facts. You can express your opinion even if it is not true but what we are doing here is having a discussion. If you continue to insult people here it only make yourself look bad. So where are those good manners you were raised with huh? I am not liking the direction of this thread so I am happily leaving it alone. I am going to enjoy the rest of the evening with my elitist family :laugh: But just to reiterate; homosexuality is normal human behaviour. The burden is not on me to prove it to anyone but theirs to dis-prove it to the rest of the world. Good luck with that :thumbsup: I note you cleverly edited out the part in your post where you felt it was ok to insult me, and then have the audacity to take A to task for supposedly similar behavior?? (I would point out, the unedited text from your post is quoted in his.) I don't see where he is tossing insults..... (but then, I am not a mod, and therefore, my opinion doesn't count. :) ) Also, no, you cannot simply make a statement, and then declare that you are correct, and people have to prove you wrong. You would be laughed out of the scientific community if you tried to pull that stunt. You are just expressing an opinion otherwise. Terribly sorry, just doens't work.

I do not have a degree, but, I did have a minor in psychology while in college....... Not that I think I need a degree to read the works of others, and see what conclusions they drew from them....... If you need to attack me personally in an attempt to discredit my arguement, what does that say about YOUR arguement? To date, there is NO scientific consensus on the gay lifestyle being anything other than an aberation. We have had murders, rapes, wars, genocides, etc, throughout history as well. Are those to become acceptable behaviors also? And what about pedophiles? At one time, it was accepted for adult men to have sex with very young boys. Is THAT a behavior you want to bring back as well??? (or, at least, make it legal) Are we discriminating against pedo's by putting them in jail?? Which behaviors do we allow, and which do we not?? Where do we draw the line? If you go back far enough, you can find a time period where just about anything was 'normal'. Does that mean it is behavior we should accept? Hardly. Trying to use animal behavior to justify a human behavior is also somewhat less than scientific. Not like you can ask a pair of female albatrosses WHY they pair bonded. Shortage of males? Seemed like the thing to do at the time? Other? That said, I don't have a problem with gays. They can live however they choose. Some of my friends are gay. I don't care. It isn't a criterion that I use to measure them by any means. What I DO have a problem with, is the various gay organizations screaming to high heaven about their 'rights', and 'discrimination'. It seems that today, gay rights trump the rights of freedom of religion, in that a business owner cannot refuse service to someone because they are gay. So, for instance, a very religious business owner cannot refuse to provide wedding cakes for a gay wedding, even though that goes against his religious beleifs. He is forced to provide the service even against his objections. So, it would seem that somewhere in the neighborhood of 3% of our population, have more rights than the other 97%. What ever happened to "We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone, for ANY reason."?? Does business no longer have that right? You MUST provide service to EVERYONE that walks thru the door, regardless of how objectionable you find them? Does that mean that "No shoes, no shirt, no service" is ALSO a form of discrimination? and should be illegal??

Please show me where it has been proven to be a "natural human activity". So far as I know, the jury is still out on that one. It was removed from the mental illness list because of politics, not because of any scientific proof.

Here is an article that goes against the rationale that 'animals do it, so, humans should do it as well'. You may draw your own conclusions.....

Homosexuality in animals is almost always an expression of pathology or extreme environmental turmoil. And i dont think we will ever find "Sick" Animals in the normal beauty of nature by itself. Good Job humanity your not only killing yourself with certain life styles but our friends the animals suffer too if not worse. :smile: (ps im not refering to homosexuality captain obvious) Never doubt humanities ability to come up with newer, faster, more efficient ways of killing their fellow man. It is what we are best at.

Most of the literature I read use the terms interchangeably. :) So, since we live here, experience it directly, participate in it, and defend it, we must have too much information to form an unbiased opinion. :D

Yep that would be exactly right , that's the whole point. You don't need them. So strange listen to people belly ache about how things are messed up in Washington , then show there is actually a way provided to them to whap Washington up side the head by their founding fathers only to have them slide right back into the belly aching as to why that can't be done . Forgive me if I point out (once again) the methodology of your argument ignores the process that amendments must surmount. The flaw that I have yet to see being addressed, is how you get thousands of individual state legislators to vote against their own interests. These are the same people that voted for mandatory health care for you but reserve their privilege of private congressional care for themselves. Sorry, but I am too old in the ways of the world to believe in the altruism of politicians, the gun to their head that you postulate isn't loaded and they know it. . Well how many rep's are in the California State Legislature , 100 - 200 ? somewhere and yet they went against their own interests as you put it . So why did they do this , because its being done on the local level , the guy who represents you locally , who lives down the road or across the way or where ever in your area and instead of petitioning Congress you can bang on his door or call him on the phone or whatever . So when the moment comes and just as in the California Legislature when the speaker stood and asked does anyone (reps) want to stand and speak out against this , no one did because they knew they would be committing political suicide on a local level . That's how its done. No it has not been done on a fairly regular basis , only twice in American history and its got nothing to do with Congress . Them providing themselves with preferential healthcare or ignoring what the majority wants has nothing to do with it , because they (Congress) have no say in this , I'll repeat that, they (Congress) have no say in this. In an Article V Constitutional Convention what Congress , the President , the Supreme Court or any of their lobbyists or donors say or want is irrelevant and using arguments based on that is likewise irrelevant . The only people to which this applies is you and your local representative. Its the safety valve the founding fathers put in the Constitution in order to save the Republic from itself. And once again, never happen. If you look, you will see that no matter which way this goes, it either has to originate in congress, or be requested by a two thirds majority of state legislatures. Currently, there are TWO states that are considering this. Neither has accomplished it yet. Also, if you actually READ what I posted, you will note that I stated "Bills of this nature.....". That is, in fact, correct. There was one just recently, within the last two months. It went nowhere. (not a surprise.) In all reality, the elite do indeed own the government, and the Supreme court is making rulings that ensure that their hold will only get stronger. Citizens United decision was only the first in a series of dominoes that are falling, leading us to a plutocracy, that pretends to be a representative democracy. The voters voice means absolutely nothing here.

Not like this is new. Bills of this nature come up in congress on a fairly regular basis. 99.99% of them never even make it out of committee. Aurielius, and TRoaches have both already demonstrated why this legislation has zero chance of getting anywhere. You are asking the very people that benefit the MOST from the current system, to end it. Terribly sorry, that is NEVER going to happen. How many of the voting public are actually in favor of this is irrelevant, as congress has already more than adequately demonstrated that what the majority wants, doesn't figure in to their votes in any way, shape, form, or manner.

What's happening in Iraq is EXACTLY what Bush senior used as reasoning NOT to topple Saddam when he was there the first time. We KNEW this was going to happen, yet in we went anyway. I am real curious what "Victory" we had in Iraq as well. We overthru a legitimate, if distasteful... government, that denied terrorists a region to operate from, and turned it into yet another huge terrorist training camp, complete with real americans to shoot at. This was a war based on lies. Not just from OUR government, but from our 'allies' as well. Israel even ADMITTED that they 'may have overstated the threat'...... The relatively complete withdrawl of american forces from iraq was NOT because of OUR government, it was because the Iraqi's didn't like the 'immunity' clause for american troops on Iraqi soil. A sticking point they seem to have gotten over, as the current crop of 300 have that included in their conditions of being there. I think Elmer Fudd would be an improvement in our government at this point...... :D

Do we really want to become everyones air force? We spent the better part of a decade training the Iraqi army..... and this is what they have to offer? Our guys get a max of 8 weeks training, and off they go. These guys get ten years, and run at the first sign of trouble.... There ain't no fixin' that. We are not the worlds police force. We cannot become involved in every civil war. We can't afford it. I will grant you, that we are indeed DIRECTLY responsible for the situation in Iraq, but, at some point, the government there is going to have to take ownership of their internal issues.

I never really cared what people thought I *should* be doing, or what I *should* be like. I was my own person, albeit, not a very nice one.... (I was the kid your parents warned you about......) Took getting married, and a couple years in the service for me to sort out my life. I think I finally got it figgered out when I was around 25...... That was 28 years ago. I am happy with who I am, but, not particularly happy with my situation, but, it is what it is, and nothing to be done about it now.... (I am medically disabled... so, no work, no school, no "real" job for me.) I still don't really care what other people think. :D But, I am a much nicer/better person now, than I was when I was younger. And just as poor. :D

I agree. Justice, and revenge are simply two sides of the same coin. The ONLY difference being who is performing the act.

You might just get another Joel Myrick. But that would be just terrible. At least according to Bloomberg & Pals anyway. Exactly. Thank You Very Much.

People are falsely accused in any event. Just recently here (Michigan, USA), a man was accused of molesting a 4 year old girl, (not his daughter) by his ex-girlfriend, shortly after he broke up with her, to get back together with his wife. (and his own children.) At the time, the girl was then 5 years old. In an interview, she as much as stated "Mommy told me to say.....". But, as this paricular crime carried a mandatory 25 year sentence, if convicted..... and the prosecution succesfully suppressed the childs responses in the interviews, the man was forced to plead guilty to a lesser charge, to avoid a long prison term. (he got five years instead) And he was innocent. Any system can be gamed. Here in the US, the criminals have more rights than the victims. The old 'innocent until proven guilty' no longer holds. Especially in crimes against children. So far as I am concerned, the two rapists in your story got almost exactly what they deserved. In my view, they should not have survived it.

Take a look at what has happened in history in just about EVERY society that the government decided to ban guns. Thousands, if not millions killed by their government. Armed citizenry is the ONLY defense against tyrannical government. Also, take a look at all the anti-gun legislation that has actually passed in the last decade or so, then notice that it has had ZERO affect on the number of mass-shootings. Please take note that almost EVERY SINGLE mass-shooting, has taken place in a "Gun Free Zone". Notice that 'assualt rifles', or even rifles in general, are used in less than 1% of gun crimes. A gun is only a tool. The recent california "mass shooter" killed his first three victims with a knife, injured 7 with his CAR. Only then did he pull his pistol, and kill three more. (in a gun free zone.) When a gun is used to PROTECT someone, or prevent a crime, that is not news, and you don't hear about it. So, why do the mass-shooters go to gun-free zones to commit their atrocities? Because they KNOW FOR A FACT that THEY will be the ONLY one there with a weapon. By the time the cops arrive, (the 'good guys with guns') the shooter has already left the scene, or, taken his own life. So, what would happen if we simply dropped the Gun Free zones? Potential shooters would no longer be assured of being the only one there with a gun. There would be no need to post armed guards to prevent mass-shootings, as the shooters would be well aware that ANY adult on the scene could potentially be armed. (yet more 'good guys with guns') Instead of staff trying to hide, or block access, they could take an active role in STOPPING the shooter. In all reality, the staff wouldn't even necessarily NEED to actually be armed, the mere possibility of armed resistance would be enough to prevent most mass-shooters from even going there. And that is what "responsible" gun ownership is all about. Knowing when to use it, and when not to. If you aren't sure of your target, you simply do not pull the trigger.

It isn't just the guns issue that is devisive. Look at ANY political issue, and most of the comments I see from BOTH sides pretty much boils down to "you have a differing view than mine, therefore, you must be a crazed, psychopathic, mentally challenged, sub-human that lives in his/her momma's basement......." (and you can see this in comments coming out of washington as well.) We are a country divided, right down party lines. THAT is what is going to spell the downfall of this country, more than any one, single issue. The best way to stop a bad guy with a gun, is a good guy with a gun. Legislation, no matter how comprehensive, will do absolutely nothing.

how do you get justice for murder? There is no 'fair' solution. The victim is still dead. Nothing can change that.

I suspect that the demographics here are mostly folks that aren't that familiar with war..... just what they read in the papers, as it were. I don't expect a lot from them..... To anyone out there that has served: THANK YOU! To those that have lost loved ones to war, my sincere condolences. Let us remember what has gone before, so that we may learn from the mistakes of the past.

Semantic difference. That's it. Take murder, for example. Do we put the killer to death? Is that 'justice'? The victim is still just as dead, killing the killer isn't going to bring anyone back. Or, do we put them in storage for the rest of their life? A place to sleep, cable TV, three squares a day. To me, that most certainly is NOT justice. Why should the killer live, while the victim is dead? So what ends up happening is, we extract revenge on the killer, by killing him as well.

I agree on a number of your points there, but, I wouldn't restrict the 'dysfunctional' lable to JUST the republicans. It's Washington DC in general. With the current situation, neither side can do a darn thing. There is no compromise. The only thing we see coming out of washington is minor, and unimportant issues, to distract us from the REAL problems..... One of which, as I see it, is the Supreme court. They have pretty much handed government to the ultra rich. None of that is going to change though. To much money in maintaining the status quo. So, we will continue down the same path, until the inevitable collapse. At that point, if we survive it, things might change..... of course, life after the crash will be DRAMATICALLY different...... and not necessarily better.

Obama is percieved as a weak president, who has no teeth. He has been called out as a liar, ineffective, and is seen the world over as pretty much a joke. His red lines are meaningless. His threats are empty. His race is irrelevant , it is his actions that folks base their opinions on. Quite frankly, I believe he is 'leading' this country in the WRONG direction. He is the opposite extreme of Bush Jr. (Of course, I didn't like HIM either.) Is anything going to change? Nope. Are things going to get any better? Again, nope. The 'global economy' has neutered america. We are a dim shadow of what we once were. And political correctness has a fair bit to do with that.

And here in the states, they want MORE H1 visas..... (the ones for 'guest workers')..... Not sure what it is going to take for the folks in washington to wake up. I suspect it involves a scaffold, and a rope.

Varies from person to person. If you asked 12 people what they considered "attractive", you would get 13 different answers..... For me, personality is definitely most important, along with good personal hygiene. But then, that depends on what I am looking for as well... If I just want sex, then, personality is a lot less important..... (yeah, I can be a tad mercenary about such things.....)