The13thMan

[COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]The whole trenchcoat deal seems perfectly fine to me. A school has the right to protect its students. Sure, you may not have known him to be a person who might be capable of bringing a gun to school, but how are the teachers going to know that? And even if they did know the kid really well, should they take that risk? Your whole idea of the teachers getting to know the students better is a bad idea on the whole. Sure, the teachers might be able to better tell who could bring a gun or not but is that enough to protect the students? This could also be very easily manipulated. If i planned on going to your school to shoot somebody and knew that the teachers would treat students differently based on their perceptions of me then i'd probably go for about a month with perfect behavior. Then all of a sudden i'd just show up one day and do it. This also is promoting special treatment among students and teachers which is in no way fair to those students who get labeled as the "type" that would bring a gun to school. Also, it would almost certainly promote an outlash against those same students. Think of how you'd feel if you felt you were being treated unfairly just because you gave off that certain vibe. Whether the teachers being as strict and on edge as you say is causing more violence, i wouldn't be surprised. The extra precautions they are taking seem necessary to me. What would happen if they took absolutely no precautions? Maybe on the whole things would settle down. But it only takes one socially inept kid with access to a firearm to completely outweight those benefits. It only takes one person. The whole situation is quite sad. The fact that you got pulled into a fight you weren't a part of is horrible. I don't honestly know what it is you should do. I think the best thing you can do is just to go along with your business and try your best not to piss off the wrong people. Or heck, you could start a student organization promoting peace in the hallways or something. Just an idea. Anyways, best of luck to you. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[quote name='SunfallE'][COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]Personal problems have no place in a discussion like that. If that really is the case, he should not have even been involved if he could not leave them behind.[/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE] [COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]I thought about this for a good moment before coming to a decision. And... as usual, i come to a mixed conclusion. But i did realize one thing, i believe truth should always prevail. I think it is the most important thing of all here. As i said before, ******* politeness if it weakens truth. [/FONT][/COLOR] [quote name='SunfallE'][COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"] Yes I would, and for the same reasons that DK and James mentioned in their posts right before this one. My personal feelings are not the issue and should not be when dealing with the President of another country. If one can't leave that behind when engaging in a debate or discussion, they need steer clear of said discussions. [/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE] [COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]Ok, but why? Why do we need to leave emotion out of political discussions? Is it because we are afraid of some sort of conflict? War? Then shouldn't it be those things that should be controlled and not the speech? Unfortunately i realize that these are my own personal feelings on the matter and have little bearing on what actually should(n't) happen. People get offended at rudeness. People can get so angry to the point that if they're in a point of power they can lift their fists (be it literal or metaphorical) and strike. I see this as one of the true problem behind war, conflict, and politics. We as a race possess so much raw emotion that we often times cannot control ourselves and we resort to our brutish nature. It's too bad we have not evolved in maturity past that. We have so much pride in our thinking and rational minds and yet we still allow ourselves to be controlled by the very instincts that we look down upon. There needs to be change. [/FONT][/COLOR] [quote name='SunfallE'][COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"] Because Bollinger supports increasing the University of Columbia into the Manhattanville neighborhood, including using eminent domain to help with seizing the needed property there. If you want to know more, look it up. That along with his behavior in regards to the President of Iran is why I think he's an idiot. [/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE] [COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]I still think you judge harshly. But i'm one of those guys that really needs to get all the information before making a judgment. I know how biased information can be. It would take me a long time before i could form an opinion on Bollinger or even Ahmadinejad. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[quote name='SunfallE'][COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]I personally hate it when I state what I think and people insist on continuing the debate when it's clear I have no intention of changing my stance. ^_~ I don't mind arguing and debating to a certain extent, but when that argument starts to go in circles a bit, I lose interest.[/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE][COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]The end result of a debate doesn't always have to be somebody changing their stance on a subject. To my experience it rarely occurs. Instead i find debating a great way to strengthen your own beliefs by having to defend it against an equal on the other side of the fence. I barely had an opinion on the matter before this thread. Now i have a strong one. So, i guess it worked for me. [/FONT][/COLOR] [QUOTE=SunfallE][COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"] That's a bit of the circular deal I was talking about actually. [/QUOTE][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]I don't know if i agree if it's circular or not, but if it is then i'd say the only reason it is is because there is a misunderstanding somewhere. Either with me or you. And let me make this abundantly clear, i'm not suggesting it's with you. I really don't know. I wouldn't be surprised at all if i was mistaken somewhere. I do hope most arguments can be fairly linear, but if it has to loop back for a moment for the sake of clarity then so be it. Especially in the case of a message board where the last bit of the argument was probably read a day ago. [/FONT][/COLOR] [QUOTE=SunfallE][COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]What you did was first, ask me if I was going by what others said and I explained that I went by what the actual people said. Your counter if you will, was nothing more than a warning to not simply state what others think after I just stated that I don't? That's not a continuation of the debate that's being insulting and ignoring my clarification that I do think on my own. It doesn't make the debate any clearer, it comes across as you not believing what I already told you, I don't need the speech of it's okay to agree with others if you have the same opinion, but not if you're just doing it to agree. Especially since I already told you I don't do that. I live in Utah, a state that's so Republican that it's painful and yet I did not vote for Bush. I prefer to do things based on forming my own opinion instead of following others. So instead of following up with that... [/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE][COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]That's not being insulting and ignoring your clarification at all. I think it's very important to get that point across for anybody and everybody. I accepted that your opinion was your own very happily. Seriously. I apologize if it was insulting, it wasn't my intention. [/FONT][/COLOR] [QUOTE=SunfallE][COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"] Why not ask what it is about their speech that had me thinking they were idiots instead of pointlessly continuing the bit about thinking for yourself when I already said that I do. I'll give an example of why I think Bollinger is an idiot, he told the President of Iran that he exhibits all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator. And my thought is why not call him out on just what these signs are? After all he is democratically elected by the people no less. It was in my opinion a rude statment that did nothing to further the discussion at all. It made Bollinger look like an idiot. [/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE][COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]Why not say why you thought they were idiotic right when you stated that thought? It really is pointless to ask me why i didn't do this or that when i can just as easily counter it with an equally just question. And i honestly didn't think to ask it. Perhaps i should have, and perhaps you should have. Whatever man. Or...woman? Yeah... i think so. And actually, i find it kind of funny that you didn't say why you thought they were idiotic up front when you're complaining about Bollinger doing the same thing to the Iranian President. It's not quite the same situation, but they are strikingly similar. Wouldn't you agree? [/FONT][/COLOR] [QUOTE=SunfallE][COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"] Is my opinion of them harsh? Not in my eyes. Both of these men are in a position of power, different forms of power but still, one of influence. If that means they can't be a bit more polite or more direct with their conduct and discussions then I find that idiotic and stupid. Honestly, it looked more like a stupid, I can be rude to you so there deal instead of someone truly questioning the president of Iran.[/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE] [COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]I don't think he was being rude for the sake of rudeness. I think he had a personal problem with him and was angry at him. And so that we don't go in circles again, i won't continue this train of thought any further. I have a question though, what would you have said if you were in Bollinger's position? Would you have been really polite while on the inside wishing you could speak your mind and call him a moron? In all honesty, that's probably what i'd do. I don't think i have the guts to call the guy out the way Bollinger did. Another question: You feel that Bollinger is an idiot and the only reasons that you've come up with so far (that i've heard) is what he said during the introduction of President Ahmadinejad. What other reasons do you have for feeling that he's an idiot? [/FONT][/COLOR]

[quote name='Rachmaninoff']The13thMan, honestly dude, you drag things out and keep insisting that everyone is misunderstanding you when all that's going on here is they have a different opinion than you do. :animesigh As well as having underlying implications as to what others think that when called on you change your stance. Talking to you is like talking in circles since you always come back with 'you are mistaken and didn't understand me' You questioned if Beth was simply agreeing with everyone and she said no in the context of the boards. Whether or not you were talking about everyone is pointless since her statement said she was going on what the two people said and not what others did. There really is no need to completely nitpick every single word when the general statement of what people are saying is obvious here. Like the openly speaking their mind and not sugar coating things. No one is saying they should! Only that often we expect people in a higher position to at least try to be politer. It's got nothing to do with sugar coating the content. Your arguing semantics and giving meaning to people's statements that isn't there. I think he shouldn't have been so rude, you think it was fine. XP How hard is that to understand? That's what's making you look pig headed and stubborn, you're arguing that it's freedom of speech and such when it's merely a difference in opinion here. lol[/QUOTE] [COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]I personally hate it when people try to end or sum up an argument by simply stating that it's a difference of opinions. I know it's a difference of opinions, i know it very well, that's why we argue. If it was anything other than opinion (fact) there would be no arguments. Difference of opinion is no mere thing. I'm trying to convince someone else to see my side of things and make them come over to the dark side. I know that it rarely ever works. I actually enjoy arguing. So sue me. =P Actually, i prefer to call it debating. It seems less negative. And i think that she actually did misunderstand a number of things i said. What's wrong with me thinking that and stating it? I admit that there's a possibility that she did not mistake and it's i that is mistaken, that is i've mistaken as to whether she's mistaken. I also disagree with what you said regarding what i said being pointless about Beth simply agreeing with other members of the OtakuBoards. My point was that you need to think on your own. Don't be such a sheeple, basically. I didn't accuse her of it, only warned her of it. This is also not to say she needed to be warned of it (how exhausting). I'm sorry if ask too many questions and am repetitive! God!! :animecry: [/FONT][/COLOR]

[quote name='SunfallE'][COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]You're not listening at all here. Try re-reading what I just said? [I]in my opinion[/I]? being rude is not necessary, you think it was fine, I think it was not and that there is no need to give him credit for doing so. I think one can speak their mind without being rude, it?s that simple. Being blunt does not require being rude. There is nothing fake about being to the point without the added rudeness. What?s fake is thinking that blunt and being rude must go hand in hand. Being real does not equal being rude. I?m not talking about being politically correct here, I?m talking about having better manners than Bollinger did. [/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE] [COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]I think i'm listening perfectly well. It seems to me that you're the one that's misinterpreting what i'm saying. You gotta realize that not everything i said was a direct response to something you said. I never claimed you said anything about being politically correct. It was more of a side point of mine. You're very mistaken in the fact that you think that i think rudeness and speaking your mind freely must go hand in hand. That's absolutely absurd. I don't know how you could have gotten that from what i said. Instead i said that i simply prefer that a person be rude and open instead of polite and reserved. Of course the opposites are possible. You can very easily be rude and reserved or open and polite. I prefer to go the open and polite route myself. But if i need to be rude and open i sure as hell will be. I think my main point here is that people need to speak their mind and speak whole truths instead of sugar coating things. People care too much about what other people will think of them so they will answer with restraint which often times lessens their true feelings towards something. Like... if a woman asks you if they look fat you shouldn't say no if she truly does. Unfortunately the truth (in this example) is often times connected to being rude. Rudeness is a creation of society and culture, truth is not (and if you disagree with that then i won't argue it here, that's a whole other matter). [/FONT][/COLOR] [quote name='SunfallE][COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]I?m going on the statements made by Bollinger as well as the equally stupid statements made by the President of Iran. Not on what was posted here in the thread. My opinion may agree with others, but it did not stem from them. Yes it was likely that Bollinger was uncivilized on purpose and I?m still saying that to me that makes him an idiot who?s no better than the man he was rude to.I think it shows a distinct lack of education really, the notion that being loud mouthed and obnoxious is somehow better than being more polite. I can speak my mind, get my true feelings out in the open without being rude in the process. It?s not about going behind their back, it?s about being direct instead of taking cheap shots and thinking that doing so is cool. To give an example I think you are so caught in the idea that being rude is necessary for free speech that you've missed the point of what it's really about. [/COLOR'][/FONT][/quote] [COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]If that's truly the case then i think you're being a bit harsh labeling these people as idiots. There are real idiots all over the place, i don't think the president of either Columbia University or Iran qualify as being an idiot. I actually wasn't implying that you were agreeing with people exclusively on this thread. I think the dislike and in some cases hatred of the Iranian President is very common everywhere. That's more what i meant. It's ok to agree with others when you truly feel the same as they do. It's not ok to agree with others purely to agree and especially to deceive yourself. [/FONT][/COLOR] [QUOTE=SunfallE] [COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"] All your doing here is reinforcing the image that all Americans are pig headed idiots who think being rude makes them civilized or somehow better since they have the right to be rude. Again, free speech really is more about not having the right to express how you feel openly taken from you, not the right to be rude. Though some see it as that and on some level it's true since that is a part of it, but it's not a required part of it and that's what I'm getting at here. [/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE] [COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]Hahaha. You're so very wrong here. I'll disect it a bit and respond to each part seperately. Reinforcing the image of Americans as being pig headed idiots? Am i doing so unjustly? Most people aren't very intelligent here in the US. The majority of America's citizens are frightenly ignorant when it comes to politics, laws, foreign affairs, sciene, medicine, spiritualism... the list goes on and on. I'm not calling out any individual here. I'm more going on polls that i've heard and observed and plain speculation (be it a slightly pessimistic one). Rude makes people civilized? Dear God! How on earth did you get that out of what i said? I'm fairly certain i said the opposite to some extent, though not exactly. There can be a connection between the two, but there certainly doesn't have to be. And if there is a connection then i'm not saying it's directly or inversely proportional. It differs, i believe. Free speech is about having the freedom to speech. That statement is quite plainly A=A. Freedom of speech isn't about not having the right taken away from you. It's about having the right and being able to choose how you use it freely. Certainly i prefer all people to be civilized and polite, but i will never require it. And i openly suggest (and in some cases demand) it when the opposite results in something "less" than the truth. I agree with you. Being rude is not required of free speech. Barely anything is required of free speech. The only thing that i can think of required in free speech is simply not saying something that will directly cause physical harm to another person or take away the rights of another. [/FONT][/COLOR] [QUOTE=SunfallE] [COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"] And my feeling on this is that Bollinger was a jackass instead of having the wit and intelligence to really carry out a good session of questioning the President of Iran. The hypocrisy is thinking that one [I]has[/I] to be rude or loud mouthed or obnoxious in order to be expressing their free speech rights. [/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE] [COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]One doesn't have to be at all. My point is only that i prefer it when it will help the truth to be adequately presented. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]Uh, as for the new people concern i would have to say it depends greatly on the college you go to. Make sure you visit all of the colleges you're looking at and get a good feel for them. When you're there you want to really like it. Pick the one you feel that you fit in the best. And don't base your decision too heavily on national standings. Your college experience and education isn't based on that number. Just try joining clubs and talk to people. Don't be shy. Have fun man. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[quote name='SunfallE'][COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]I think you're missing what Rach and Crystia were getting at. ^_~ Because in a way I agree, for someone in a higher position or rather in one where they can speak to the President of another country, it is, kind of expected that they aren't rude. Doing so, in my opinion, made him look even more foolish than the President of Iran. He was invited to come and yet they couldn't even attempt to be polite to him? [/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE][COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]Am i missing what they're getting at? There's no real way that i can tell. How would i know if i was without somebody telling me? If the point you made was what you thought i was missing then you were mistaken. I know quite well how innapropriate it was for Bollinger to say what he said. He invited the guy and dissed him in his intro. Not very nice. I'm saying that i don't have a problem with it. I even give him some credit for speaking his mind with little restraint. Often times being politically correct isn't something we should strive for. Sometimes people need to be blunt and real instead of fake. It seems to me that Bollinger did this. [/FONT][/COLOR] [QUOTE=SunfallE][COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"] Seriously, for someone who is educated, [I]supposedly[/I], that's just low and stupid. [[SIZE="1"]in my opinion[/SIZE]] I already know that the President of Iran is an idiot, only now I know that Bollinger is also an idiot as well. lol I don't expect him to not have his views or to not bring them up, only for him to at least try to be more civilized about it when addressing someone else. I guess what makes me sad is that it was a hate fest from the start instead of any real attempt to talk to the guy. [/FONT][/COLOR] [/QUOTE] [COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]You sure do seem to know a lot of idiots. Perhaps you are judging unfairly? I mean... is it truly an opinion based on a decent base of knowledge of these two people or are you just agreeing with everybody else? I'm not accusing you of it, i'm just asking cuz i know too many people do this. I think Bollinger was uncivilized on purpose. I think the implications and attitude of his introduction was part of the overall message. It was a mean message and i think that's what he wanted. [/FONT][/COLOR] [QUOTE=SunfallE][COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"] In other words, we often get too caught up in our [I]we have free speech so we can be as rude as we want[/I] attitude. I consider that to be a form of hypocrisy in itself. [/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE] [COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]I'm going to have to ask you to elaborate how you see that to be hypocrisy in itself. I'd rather people be loud mouthed and obnoxious rather than reserved. At least when you're speaking your mind the true feelings come out. I get tired of all the back handed behind your back bullcrap. (Whoo, alliteration! And i didn't even do it on purpose) Sensitivity is for people who have emotionally tied themselves to certain beliefs and should be left with those people and those beliefs. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[quote name='indifference'][COLOR="Indigo"]He could have easily addressed all those points without being rude. lol And yet still fall into the free speech bit just fine. Don't confuse being a jackass and speaking your mind with freedom of speech. In this case he could have been the better man instead of making a point of being rude. That's not hypocrisy, but rather being smart enough to openly criticize someone without looking stupid in the process. [/COLOR][/QUOTE] [COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]Of course he could have expressed all his points without being rude. He also could've done it while wearing a chicken suit. The point is he [B]was [/B]rude. I'm sure he knew that what he was reading was rude, it was almost certainly what he was going for. This is just speculation of course, but seeing as i'm not nearly as educated as the president of Columbia University is i'm sure he would have seen the implications of his own speech. Everybody here is saying that he was rude, no arguing it. I'm just saying that i'm fine with him being rude. Don't confuse being a jackass and speaking your mind with freedom of speech? What's there to confuse? Freedom of speech protects the right of its citizens to choose to be jackasses who speak their minds whenever they wish. The hypocrisy comes from when people spew pride all over the place about how great it is that we're Americans and have such great freedoms when they themselves don't fully believe in it. Lots of Christians love America and freedom of speech and praise God for America and yet they sometimes try to take away the rights of those who express anything negative towards Christians and/or Christianity. [B]That [/B]is hypocrisy in its finest. (Sorry if that offends anyone, it's just an example. I'm not accusing all Christians of this, only a few ignorant and hypocritical radicals.) I don't want you to think, though, that i think freedom of speech is absolutely limitless. I know that when this speech crosses over into mongering hate and violence it crosses a line. If a KKK member got up and tried to convince us to start killing off minorities and whoever else they have a beef with, then yes, they are violating their freedom of speech and don't deserve to speak. But the President of Columbia most certainly did not do anything like that. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]Werewolves are much better than vampires. I think my criteria of judgement is a bit different most others though. I personally try to see which is generally happier and leads the most pleasing life. When looking at pirates vs ninjas i always say pirates because they get booze and treasure whereas ninjas get the darkness and discipline. Werewolves lead perfectly normal lives until nights of the full moon. And when it's the full moon all hell breaks loose. I imagine it must be a lot like binge drinking. You start off the evening kinda slow, but eventually everything takes off and before you know it you find yourself in the middle of a pile vomit or blood in some back-town alley totally confused and not sure what you did the night before. Vampires on the other hand seem to be loners that seduce women just to suck their blood. They don't even have sex with the women before hand! Where's the fun in that? Nowhere, that's where! Besides, ya gotta let the beast out from within you every now and then, if you know what i'm saying. And i think you do. Oh yeah. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[quote name='Rachmaninoff']Censor? Speak his mind? All he did was make himself look like a [I]jackass[/I] even more so than the President of Iran. Honestly, he didn't need the President there to state all that stuff. Free speech isn't about mouthing off in an attempt to look smart, it's about not having that right to have said opinions taken away. The President of Iran looked like an idiot on his own, he didn't need the President of Columbia University to do that. Really, all he did was look stupid right along side with the President of Iran. He could have easily directed his comments as more politely spoken questions instead of being rude. The whole thing was silly, they had the chance to let the President of Iran look like an idiot all by himself, but instead took the low road of trying to look clever by deliberately insulting the guy when it wasn't necessary.[/QUOTE] [COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]All he did was make himself look like a jackass? I believe you're underestimating the effect of Bollinger's introduction. It's obvious a lot of people feel quite strongly about the Iranian President. Perhaps he was one of these people. Actually, considering the bit he mentioned about the alumni being held under house arrest (among other things), i think he almost certainly does have some emotional stake in the whole matter. Now, this is not to say that i agree with the way he introduced him. It was rude, i'm not here debating that. My point is that he should and is perfectly within his rights to say what he said. He spoke his mind. He didn't hold back like so many people do in those situations. The man's got cojones. It's unfortunate, though, that it was rude and innapropriate for the setting. Free speech is about saying whatever the hell you damn well want. If that's "mouthing off in an attempt to look smart" then so be it. Too many people these days have mixed and greatly hypocritical views on the rights of the American citizen. Free speech does [B]not[/B] mean you can say whatever you want as long as it's nice or agrees with popular points of view. This is the case for other rights of Americans, but that's not for this discussion. I just have a problem when people don't realize the hyprocrisy of what they say. I'm not talking about anybody in specific though, so don't get me wrong. =D [/FONT][/COLOR] [quote name='AceBurner']People=Stupidity[/quote][COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]Hah, somebody sounds a bit angsty. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]I only saw a bit of this on the Daily Show the other day so i really know very little about the whole affair. I heard some random girl (probably a student at Columbia) remark that she thought it was horrible that such an evil man would be allowed here in the US and not instantly locked up. I thought that comment was pretty lame. I honestly know very little about the Iranian president, so i can't really give my feelings in that regard. I also don't know much about the meeting besides the very small portion i saw on the Daily Show and what you just said so yeah... I actually don't have a huge problem with the president of Columbia University bad-mouthing the Iranian president. I'm all for free speech, and unfortunately that's part of it. Disrespectful? Sure. But i'd rather him speak his mind than censor himself for the sake of diplomacy. That's just me though. =D [/FONT][/COLOR]

[quote name='Lethargy'][SIZE=1][COLOR=DarkGreen][B]The13thMan[/B], just wondering, but what is your [B]avatar[/B] from?[/COLOR][/SIZE][/QUOTE] [COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]Ni[B]ck Sward[/B]son [/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]Oh sweet jesus... Scarlett Johansson is absolutely gorgeous. [/FONT][/COLOR] [IMG]http://imstars.aufeminin.com/stars/fan/D20061121/1549_216956734_scarlett2_H095826_L.jpg[/IMG]

[quote name='indifference'][COLOR="Indigo"]At this point, you're really dragging this out far more than is necessary. If Vegeta Rocker feels I was a little too harsh, it's up to them to either post or pm me on that. At this point I'm poking you and saying, don't tell me I need say I was wrong when you don't even know how they feel. Yes I was blunt, but I already looked back at what I said and don't see a need to retract it. It's not that hard to see that I was pointing out that the student who got arrested was an idiot and that a little research would show his rights were not violated as far as police procedures go. The only thing that might be called into question is the use of a taser. I was not directly calling anyone here an idiot, I was telling people to look things up [I]instead[/I] of saying the police did it wrong. You're reading more in my posts than there was to begin with. I may have been blunt but I have no hostility towards anyone here. Also, you're being silly by implying I attacked them. On some level discussions require an element of picking apart what the other person said. And so long as people are being reasonably polite, it's not required to attempt to be politically correct because you just [I]might[/I] make someone feel silly for stating a view before getting more information as to what happened. If you can't take having a statement challenged, then why bother to post? So lets stop derailing the thread with this assumption you are making here. There never was any intention to verbally attack or be hostile towards anyone here.[/COLOR][/QUOTE] [COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]You missed my point and mistook what i said as hostility towards you. I was only saying how i felt on the situation in general, not this situation in specific. I felt like you were a bit rude, and you feel you weren't. That's perfectly fine. I didn't say you were calling anybody here an idiot. I'm trying to drag anything out, i'm only replying to your post. (Sometimes this board is too heavily modded) The tntention and the actual repurcussions of an action are often times two totally different things. So anyways, back to the dead discussion at hand. Uhhhh... yeah, the guy's dumb. =D [/FONT][/COLOR]

[quote name='indifference'][COLOR="Indigo"]Honey is disgusting, so no thanks. :p Seriously though, think about it, sometimes it takes a good smack to get people to quit emoting and thinking about what happened, was it done correctly, were procedures violated, etc. General statements saying they should have done this or they should have done that are meaningless without some form of research or understanding of how the law works. [[SIZE="1"]and by the way, I'm not saying people were emoting here, but people kept coming back with the police [U]should[/U] have done this instead of looking up how the police [U]actually[/U] handle things[/SIZE]] As for being more direct and blunt... Though it was not criminal law, my father[B] is[/B] a lawyer. Though he retired a few years ago. But the one thing I learned from him was to never, ever, take the news or someone's account as the truth. It's important to think for yourself and find out instead of jumping on the bandwagon and assuming things were done wrong. If pointing that out makes me seem harsh or even mean, so be it. [/COLOR][/QUOTE] [COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]Hey buddy, i really don't appreciate what you're saying here. I mean, where do you get off, huh!? Honey is [B]not [/B]disgusting! It goes good with graham crackers! And ya know who else liked honey? Jesus, that's who! And i will not have you bad mouth him! =P I totally get what you're saying. I actually admire how strongly you feel on independent thinking. It's very important to me to be sketpical when looking at anybody's argument and point of view. I know that most of the time people are just blowing crap outta their bums. Too many people out there present biased points of view, altering the truth, and just blurring the reality of events. If a person feels personally invested in something he'll go pretty far to get you to feel the same way. So yeah, it sounds like your father taught you a really good lesson there. =D As for the good smack thing being better sometimes. I can definitely agree with ya there as well. Though, don't you need to get to know the person to know whether the smack is appropriate or not? Maybe i'm wrong here, i really have no idea how well you know Vegeta Rocker. I'm only saying it's usually better to be nice than mean. Often times showing that hostility will just make a person defensive and feel crappy. And that helps nobody. I think it takes a lot of self control to say something and then get attacked for what you said by somebody else then realize you were wrong and retract what you said. Most people are pretty proud, ya know? [/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]Hell-o, my name is Nick and i like beaches and ho's. I think it's essential that a person be a little vain in describing him/herself. And with that said! I'm the most incredible and amazing person you'll ever have the good pleasure to almost know! =D I'm 19 and single. Hah... My current major is biomedical engineering. I'm very interested in science, art, anime, video games, Halo 3, stand up comedy, pr0n, my electric guitar, music (mainly punk and other forms of rock), and blah, and blah. I'm also a fledgling skeptic. ;D [/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]Well, some good points were made. I learned a bit about arrest procedures, so that's nice. Indifference, you made some good points to Vegeta Rocker. It's definitely important to get your facts straight and do your research. Though... ya gotta ask why it is that this wasn't and (i fear) usually isn't done in today's society. I won't get into it too deeply, i'll just say people are lazy and that you shouldn't trust the news (especially in matters of science). Anyways! You were still kinda mean about it. =P You'll attract more flies with honey. Or... was it bees? Flowers? God, i don't know. You get what i'm saying though, right? I think too many people get this idea in their head early on that the cops are out to get us. We get cocky and think somehow that they don't have the right to enforce the law. Shows like Cops and all of those lame reality shows don't help real them out either. I saw an episode of Cops the other day and the officers involved just came off as complete jack-(butts). One of 'em kicked a sickly drunk fellow in the chest for seemingly no reason! Through the telivision the officer came off as in the wrong here, but i have a feeling that he was misrepresented by the big tv execs just trying to make a buck. There's also the image portrayed in comedy of the typical chubby cop at the donut shop scarfing down pasteries. It's unhealthy to have a "healthy" disrespect for law enforcement. Too many people are biased and judge too quickly. This kid being tasered is a perfect example of it, in my opinion. The cops were doing their jobs. They took care of a complete jerk-off that was disrupting the peace using necessary precautions. A few of you have said that you think the cops should've let the guy go when he said he would leave peacefully. Others and myself have already pointed out the flaw in the logic, but i'll say it again. You can't just listen to the guy when his behavior was so out of line. He was already resisting arrest by the time he "attempted" to leave peacefully. As a cop you can't just say, "oh ok, i guess i'll let this complete stranger that has already broken the law go. I mean, he did say that he would leave peacefully. What reason do i have to distrust him/her?" Oh wait... there's a great reason to not trust them. I actually heard somewhere (it could've even been from here, i'm not sure) that the guy was so much of an attention whore that he only acted out when he knew he was being filmed. When the cameras left - according to one of the officer's accounts of the event - the guy was completely relaxed and submissive, but as soon as the cameras came rushing down the stairs he started to act out again. This, to me, is very telling of his actual motives. He just wanted to start crap. Unfortunately, he was very successful. This entire thread and all the news coverage is proof of it. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[quote name='D. Resurrected']I saw FLCL again.thats a total of watch all episode 58 time.[/QUOTE] [COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]HOLY BUTT CRACK! That's a lot of FLCL! That's like.... 6 x 58 times! I don't know what that number is off the top of my head. I've probably seen it 4 or 5 times myself. It'll be a while before i can watch 'em again. Luckily though i do have their dvds if i decide to. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[quote name='Aceburner']Who wouldn't? Those things are way too smart for their own good. You know what I love about this thread? every time someone else posts, I get a chance to terrorize it with my bizarre sense of humor. [/QUOTE] [COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]I'll tell you who wouldn't! Anybody who realizes they've been extinct for nearly 65 million years! And of course you love this thread. I started it. It's science, baby. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[quote name='Aceburner']I kind of clicked "random" when I got there. I believe the comic's title is just "Bill Nye." EDIT: Here it is. I'm linking it for mild language. [URL="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/bill_nye.png"]http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/bill_nye.png[/URL][/QUOTE] [COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]Ohhhhh, it's one of the comics on xkcd! Ok! Xkcd is a great webcomic. Don't forget to roll your mouse over the actual image because the guy leaves little humorous side notes in the little text that pops up if you keep your mouse over it long enough. He also has an irrational fear of velociraptors... [URL="http://xkcd.com/87/"]link[/URL]. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[quote name='Darren'][SIZE="1"]I disagree with the way police handled the situation, but at the same time, I agree with what the kid did in response to their methods. It's human nature, when you don't think you're doing anything wrong and then a bunch of guys just try to wrestle you to the ground without a word of warning or anything. (And somehow Neuvoxraiha, I just don't believe that cops [I]don't[/I] have to read you your rights. Which includes what you're being arrested for.) [/SIZE][/QUOTE] [COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]You agree with what the kid did in response? I can understand a guy doing something like that if those people were anything but cops. But considering they [I]were [/I]cops i'd say he was a complete fool. Now, i'm not necessarily saying that i agree that cops should be allowed to do what they did in the case of this guy, but i do think it's ridiculous to react the way he did and be surprised when he got his a#$ tazered. If you resist arrest then you're not very smart. Unless you're some sort of super spy like the guy off of Burn Notice you're not going to be able to get out of an arrest. Aaryanna, thank you for the information about the cops and when they are required to read Miranda rights, it was very imformative and useful. Law unfortunately is something i know very little about and i really value any bit of info i get (as i'm too lazy to look it up on my own). =) [/FONT][/COLOR]

[IMG]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b89/vash331/motivator5362542-1.jpg[/IMG] [COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]Ba bop ba baa baaa, i'm lovin' it. =D [/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]My only word of advice is just not to do anything that would hurt another person. If you're in a relationship just for the sex, then make sure the other person doesn't get too close or you could really hurt him/her. If you're both in it just for the sex, then let the good times roll! As long as you're young, don't worry too much. =D Later. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]First off i would like to say, Ikillion, hilarious picture. You should enter it in that contest. Secondly, i agree more with Neuvoxraiha and Ikillion than the rest of you guys. I wasn't sure about reading the guy his rights, but as Neuvoxraiha said, the police don't really have to when escorting a person away from an event or whatever. Also, I?m not sure if they were real cops or just campus police. I disagree with how the cops started off, they probably should've attempted slightly less aggressive methods at first, but once the guy started resisting arrest then I?d say it was within the cops' rights. I don't have all the facts though, so I could be wrong here. I only watched the linked video and read all of the posts before mine. As for conspiracy theorists, you guys are morons, complete and utter morons. Uhm... i don't think anybody here on Otaku is one, but if you are one, I'm calling you out! =D Haha. Give me a break. A few of you said that you thought the cops should've got off of him when he said he'd leave peacefully. I disagree with you guys there. A cop can't just get off of a guy after displaying such aggressive behavior based only on what he says. If you take into consideration the context and tone of his voice when he said it I don?t see how you could really believe he?d just get up and leave... unless you?re just gullible. Regardless, the cops can't take chances like that. They're there to protect the peace.... with violence if necessary. Funny little contradiction there, isn't it? But is there another way? Just like Neuvoxraiha, I?m no fan of police. But I do see them as a necessary in this world of idiots and fools. Anyways, the whole event was embarrassing for both the cops involved and the jack-hole that resisted. Oh well. [/FONT][/COLOR]

[quote name='Aceburner']I'll try it, but here's a test. Do you find this funny? [IMG]http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1128/1403471295_c1302d6d08.jpg?v=0[/IMG] I'm having way too much fun with Flickr toys. EDIT: Just read the "Tribulations of Bill Nye" one. I believe I was just won over by another web comic.[/QUOTE] [COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]I find that humorous. It's not quite laugh out loud funny. Tribulations of Bill Nye? I love Bill Nye! I think you're going to have to get some link-age going, asap. [/FONT][/COLOR]