?
No jokes - just difficult to write questions.

As for the ship incident - we are never going to be sure of what happened - the one thing we are most likely to be sure of is that the official government report? will do anything but ell us what really happeed.

Marvin
?

1.? Should illegal immigrants be allowed to occupy vacant homes without the permission of the owner?

?

I am sometimes staring at these questions for a really long moment, perhaps seeking the joke or the trick hidden in them!

?

In this case, my knee-jerk response was "Only when I can, too!"

?

No. The term illegal immigrant does not mean an immigrant who is exempt from legal restrictions. It refers?to a trespasser?who probably should not be encouraged to polish his skills by taking new steps in his career. Illegal immigrants should be allowed to turn themselves in to the Border Patrol, thus achieving a form of shelter from the experts.

2,? Should individual states be allowed to arrest illegal immigrants for trespassing?

?

I cannot see why not. Despite immigration being?a federal purview, local law enforcement are often supporting?federal agencies. I would even go so far as to say that any law enforcement agent has a duty to make such an arrest.

3.? Should the US laws be reciprocal toward visitors or immigrants to the degree that their home counties are to US visitors or immigrants?

?

I could see some validity to this. Reciprocity exists?between some states, as with various permits and licenses. I would expect such an arrangement to be subject to oversight, of course, and not automated.?

4.? The Baltimore bridge collapse - what happened?

?

Looks like the ship had a mechanical issue and pulled off the road in a bad spot! I understand they?did try to call for help from a tug and they did notify authorities. I am withholding?any more indignant comments until the official investigation results arrive.
?

5.? ?Should the owner of the ship or the company that chartered it be held liable for the replacement cost?

?

See above. Depends?upon the circumstances. Having?said that, I would also have to admit I was assuming that such would be the case anyway.

?

?

When Marvin wrote who is to blame for the famine, I take it as meaning what one person could have stopped or avoided it.

As with Putin and the 100,000 deaths in Ukraine, the famine is due to Netanyahu's action. ?

On Fri, Mar 22, 2024 at 11:30?AM Darrell King <DarrellGKing@...> wrote:

Not sure where the part about Putin having?nothing to do with it came from, Ed? My opinions?in the original response were that everyone and everything had a part in the long run up from the Big Bang to the Gaza war. Ukraine is, of course, just another version of the same phenomenon.?

As for (not) feeding, I do not feel guilt is a required emotion. Or an effective one, for the most part. Yes, though, if I am not feeding or helping to feed (or heal or house or whatever), then I am contributing to the pain felt by those who are impacted. This seems obvious to me.

Note that I am speaking for myself, not as a representative of the U.S., even though I did lace my post with some nationally relevant?thoughts. I do not think that I can speak for the masses even though I do feel the need to feed would be best served by widespread represetationinN!

D

On Fri, Mar 22, 2024 at 11:57?AM Ed Lomas <relomas2@...> wrote:

So would you say the same about Ukraine? Putin had nothing to do with it; the Ukranians should share the burden for provoking the Russians, and we should have some collective guilt for not sending checks to feed the Ukranians?

On Fri, Mar 22, 2024 at 9:27?AM Darrell King <DarrellGKing@...> wrote:

1.? Define the word disinformation

Lying with a goal to gain advantage from the lie. Oh, what a tangled?web we weave...

2.? Should the US unilaterally intervene in Haiti?

Not out of the goodness of our hearts? To jump into the internal affairs of a sovereign?nation without invitation seems like an arrogant and probably dangerous precedent.

If we are invited in, like Kenya has been, then I could see it as more feasible, but the goal should be to establish a safe environment for noncombatants. It feels a lot like eliminating?ISIS, the Viet Cong, the South American cartels or Hamas, though: potentially a long campaign against guerilla forces on their home turf. The single advantage?in this scenario is that the people seem to be callously victimized and voting with their feet, which means the gangs may have lost the most important guerilla advantage of indigenous population support.?

My intuitive feel of the global mood right now is that every national move has become a potential step deeper into a mire intended to take down Western powers. Maybe we deserve it after all the profiteering, corporate abuse and?
general arrogance we have exhibited. I am not convinced we are evil, though, despite the special interest transgressions of the consumer?culture frenzy. The U.S. was built on some pretty defensible?ideals and I think they continue to have moral value. People around the world are hurting?(including inside the U.S.) and I think helping to alleviate some of that pain is a solid step toward a better world.?

Should we build a relationship with Haiti's legal government, provide civil police material help or counseling, or economic aid? Sure, if we are invited and if Haiti's authorities and populace are is willing to take the lead and shoulder the lion's share of the work involved. Crying children look the same no matter where they are photographed. But we would be helping, not rescuing.

3.? Who is to blame for the famine crisis in Gaza?

Hamas, Israel, and every nation, group or individual who has taken a hand in the situation whether this year or 50 years ago. Also the Jewish God, Alah, all the angels and priests throughout history, worshiping populations and the media who report on them. Weather patterns?since the Earth was formed, the celestial bodies that impacted the formation of the Earth and any aliens who visited this planet throughout history...or prehistory.

All things (a humorous?concept, that one) are the consequences of everything that contributed to them and all contributes to each. The Butterfly effect. Blame Buddha for pointing it out.

I ate today and I sent no food to Gaza. Blame me for being responsible. When we each truly grasp that nobody is responsible and that we are all responsible, we may take a collective giant step forward.

The Palestinian State, the Jewish State, Islam, Christianity, nationalism and righteous indignation are all meaningless conceptual thought stories compared to the simple act of handing a sandwich to a hungry child.

4.? What 20th century genocide killed the highest portion of the single countries population?

The Armenian genocide seems to win at 90 percent according to Google. Congratulations to the Ottoman Empire, I believe. Russia?seems to figure in several of the other totals according to Wikipedia, though. Perhaps the wars in Europe and the Middle East will expand to include battlefield nukes and we can get a new record?

5.? ?Are you considering voting for a third party presidential candidate this year?

It has crossed?my mind. Nobody showing an interest?so far has captured mine, though.

Not sure where the part about Putin having?nothing to do with it came from, Ed? My opinions?in the original response were that everyone and everything had a part in the long run up from the Big Bang to the Gaza war. Ukraine is, of course, just another version of the same phenomenon.?

As for (not) feeding, I do not feel guilt is a required emotion. Or an effective one, for the most part. Yes, though, if I am not feeding or helping to feed (or heal or house or whatever), then I am contributing to the pain felt by those who are impacted. This seems obvious to me.

Note that I am speaking for myself, not as a representative of the U.S., even though I did lace my post with some nationally relevant?thoughts. I do not think that I can speak for the masses even though I do feel the need to feed would be best served by widespread represetationinN!

D

On Fri, Mar 22, 2024 at 11:57?AM Ed Lomas <relomas2@...> wrote:

So would you say the same about Ukraine? Putin had nothing to do with it; the Ukranians should share the burden for provoking the Russians, and we should have some collective guilt for not sending checks to feed the Ukranians?

On Fri, Mar 22, 2024 at 9:27?AM Darrell King <DarrellGKing@...> wrote:

1.? Define the word disinformation

Lying with a goal to gain advantage from the lie. Oh, what a tangled?web we weave...

2.? Should the US unilaterally intervene in Haiti?

Not out of the goodness of our hearts? To jump into the internal affairs of a sovereign?nation without invitation seems like an arrogant and probably dangerous precedent.

If we are invited in, like Kenya has been, then I could see it as more feasible, but the goal should be to establish a safe environment for noncombatants. It feels a lot like eliminating?ISIS, the Viet Cong, the South American cartels or Hamas, though: potentially a long campaign against guerilla forces on their home turf. The single advantage?in this scenario is that the people seem to be callously victimized and voting with their feet, which means the gangs may have lost the most important guerilla advantage of indigenous population support.?

My intuitive feel of the global mood right now is that every national move has become a potential step deeper into a mire intended to take down Western powers. Maybe we deserve it after all the profiteering, corporate abuse and?
general arrogance we have exhibited. I am not convinced we are evil, though, despite the special interest transgressions of the consumer?culture frenzy. The U.S. was built on some pretty defensible?ideals and I think they continue to have moral value. People around the world are hurting?(including inside the U.S.) and I think helping to alleviate some of that pain is a solid step toward a better world.?

Should we build a relationship with Haiti's legal government, provide civil police material help or counseling, or economic aid? Sure, if we are invited and if Haiti's authorities and populace are is willing to take the lead and shoulder the lion's share of the work involved. Crying children look the same no matter where they are photographed. But we would be helping, not rescuing.

3.? Who is to blame for the famine crisis in Gaza?

Hamas, Israel, and every nation, group or individual who has taken a hand in the situation whether this year or 50 years ago. Also the Jewish God, Alah, all the angels and priests throughout history, worshiping populations and the media who report on them. Weather patterns?since the Earth was formed, the celestial bodies that impacted the formation of the Earth and any aliens who visited this planet throughout history...or prehistory.

All things (a humorous?concept, that one) are the consequences of everything that contributed to them and all contributes to each. The Butterfly effect. Blame Buddha for pointing it out.

I ate today and I sent no food to Gaza. Blame me for being responsible. When we each truly grasp that nobody is responsible and that we are all responsible, we may take a collective giant step forward.

The Palestinian State, the Jewish State, Islam, Christianity, nationalism and righteous indignation are all meaningless conceptual thought stories compared to the simple act of handing a sandwich to a hungry child.

4.? What 20th century genocide killed the highest portion of the single countries population?

The Armenian genocide seems to win at 90 percent according to Google. Congratulations to the Ottoman Empire, I believe. Russia?seems to figure in several of the other totals according to Wikipedia, though. Perhaps the wars in Europe and the Middle East will expand to include battlefield nukes and we can get a new record?

5.? ?Are you considering voting for a third party presidential candidate this year?

It has crossed?my mind. Nobody showing an interest?so far has captured mine, though.

So would you say the same about Ukraine? Putin had nothing to do with it; the Ukranians should share the burden for provoking the Russians, and we should have some collective guilt for not sending checks to feed the Ukranians?

On Fri, Mar 22, 2024 at 9:27?AM Darrell King <DarrellGKing@...> wrote:

1.? Define the word disinformation

Lying with a goal to gain advantage from the lie. Oh, what a tangled?web we weave...

2.? Should the US unilaterally intervene in Haiti?

Not out of the goodness of our hearts? To jump into the internal affairs of a sovereign?nation without invitation seems like an arrogant and probably dangerous precedent.

If we are invited in, like Kenya has been, then I could see it as more feasible, but the goal should be to establish a safe environment for noncombatants. It feels a lot like eliminating?ISIS, the Viet Cong, the South American cartels or Hamas, though: potentially a long campaign against guerilla forces on their home turf. The single advantage?in this scenario is that the people seem to be callously victimized and voting with their feet, which means the gangs may have lost the most important guerilla advantage of indigenous population support.?

My intuitive feel of the global mood right now is that every national move has become a potential step deeper into a mire intended to take down Western powers. Maybe we deserve it after all the profiteering, corporate abuse and?
general arrogance we have exhibited. I am not convinced we are evil, though, despite the special interest transgressions of the consumer?culture frenzy. The U.S. was built on some pretty defensible?ideals and I think they continue to have moral value. People around the world are hurting?(including inside the U.S.) and I think helping to alleviate some of that pain is a solid step toward a better world.?

Should we build a relationship with Haiti's legal government, provide civil police material help or counseling, or economic aid? Sure, if we are invited and if Haiti's authorities and populace are is willing to take the lead and shoulder the lion's share of the work involved. Crying children look the same no matter where they are photographed. But we would be helping, not rescuing.

3.? Who is to blame for the famine crisis in Gaza?

Hamas, Israel, and every nation, group or individual who has taken a hand in the situation whether this year or 50 years ago. Also the Jewish God, Alah, all the angels and priests throughout history, worshiping populations and the media who report on them. Weather patterns?since the Earth was formed, the celestial bodies that impacted the formation of the Earth and any aliens who visited this planet throughout history...or prehistory.

All things (a humorous?concept, that one) are the consequences of everything that contributed to them and all contributes to each. The Butterfly effect. Blame Buddha for pointing it out.

I ate today and I sent no food to Gaza. Blame me for being responsible. When we each truly grasp that nobody is responsible and that we are all responsible, we may take a collective giant step forward.

The Palestinian State, the Jewish State, Islam, Christianity, nationalism and righteous indignation are all meaningless conceptual thought stories compared to the simple act of handing a sandwich to a hungry child.

4.? What 20th century genocide killed the highest portion of the single countries population?

The Armenian genocide seems to win at 90 percent according to Google. Congratulations to the Ottoman Empire, I believe. Russia?seems to figure in several of the other totals according to Wikipedia, though. Perhaps the wars in Europe and the Middle East will expand to include battlefield nukes and we can get a new record?

5.? ?Are you considering voting for a third party presidential candidate this year?

It has crossed?my mind. Nobody showing an interest?so far has captured mine, though.

1.? Define the word disinformation

Lying with a goal to gain advantage from the lie. Oh, what a tangled?web we weave...

2.? Should the US unilaterally intervene in Haiti?

Not out of the goodness of our hearts? To jump into the internal affairs of a sovereign?nation without invitation seems like an arrogant and probably dangerous precedent.

If we are invited in, like Kenya has been, then I could see it as more feasible, but the goal should be to establish a safe environment for noncombatants. It feels a lot like eliminating?ISIS, the Viet Cong, the South American cartels or Hamas, though: potentially a long campaign against guerilla forces on their home turf. The single advantage?in this scenario is that the people seem to be callously victimized and voting with their feet, which means the gangs may have lost the most important guerilla advantage of indigenous population support.?

My intuitive feel of the global mood right now is that every national move has become a potential step deeper into a mire intended to take down Western powers. Maybe we deserve it after all the profiteering, corporate abuse and?
general arrogance we have exhibited. I am not convinced we are evil, though, despite the special interest transgressions of the consumer?culture frenzy. The U.S. was built on some pretty defensible?ideals and I think they continue to have moral value. People around the world are hurting?(including inside the U.S.) and I think helping to alleviate some of that pain is a solid step toward a better world.?

Should we build a relationship with Haiti's legal government, provide civil police material help or counseling, or economic aid? Sure, if we are invited and if Haiti's authorities and populace are is willing to take the lead and shoulder the lion's share of the work involved. Crying children look the same no matter where they are photographed. But we would be helping, not rescuing.

3.? Who is to blame for the famine crisis in Gaza?

Hamas, Israel, and every nation, group or individual who has taken a hand in the situation whether this year or 50 years ago. Also the Jewish God, Alah, all the angels and priests throughout history, worshiping populations and the media who report on them. Weather patterns?since the Earth was formed, the celestial bodies that impacted the formation of the Earth and any aliens who visited this planet throughout history...or prehistory.

All things (a humorous?concept, that one) are the consequences of everything that contributed to them and all contributes to each. The Butterfly effect. Blame Buddha for pointing it out.

I ate today and I sent no food to Gaza. Blame me for being responsible. When we each truly grasp that nobody is responsible and that we are all responsible, we may take a collective giant step forward.

The Palestinian State, the Jewish State, Islam, Christianity, nationalism and righteous indignation are all meaningless conceptual thought stories compared to the simple act of handing a sandwich to a hungry child.

4.? What 20th century genocide killed the highest portion of the single countries population?

The Armenian genocide seems to win at 90 percent according to Google. Congratulations to the Ottoman Empire, I believe. Russia?seems to figure in several of the other totals according to Wikipedia, though. Perhaps the wars in Europe and the Middle East will expand to include battlefield nukes and we can get a new record?

5.? ?Are you considering voting for a third party presidential candidate this year?

It has crossed?my mind. Nobody showing an interest?so far has captured mine, though.