I just finished watching "Aliens of the Deep" which is another one of Cameron's adventures in a submarine. Toward the end of the film (I watched the extended version) there was a lot of discussion about life on other planets. So, what if we actually got to other planets and found intellige...

I think OS Card's view is mostly accurate, and I'm certain he has done more research on the topic of government than a lot of us combined. And while it is true that terrorism cannot ever be completely wiped out, we can focus on eradicating the largest cells of terrorist activity. And not all terrori...

So you are playing with the Predator?

Of course, I always operate with an open mind, and what that means is that if someone can convince me, I will believe it. But we all know there are some (from both sides) who refuse to even listen to the opposition. They don't want to even admit their minds can be changed. Does this do anybody any g...

I'm certainly not an expert on Catholic dogma but I do know individuals (associated with the church or not) that think abortion is wrong, regardless of circumstance. To kill the infant to save the mother is like (in a manner of speaking) "playing God". If both die, then that is God's will ...

Xenofreak, what's your MOS? I'm a combat engineer.
The shirt says National Guard. Me too. Pvt? PFC? I'm an SPC.

Here's something this topic made me think of: In the Star Wars universe (forgive me OSC, GL is my first love) they have lightsabers, which can pretty much cut/melt through anything. Do you think it would be possible (yeah, in the Star Wars universe) to create a lightsaber cloak around your spacecraf...

I think a clarification of "natural" is also in order. After all, I can suck down the most processed chunks of food and I can claim its "all natural" because every element of it is naturally found in...nature. And if we state that processing something negates its natural qualitie...

We want to feel dominant over something. We like to feel a little bit like a God. That little reptile will live or die solely based on our personal desire. Maybe it's nice to feel that for a while. ...and then flip the thing back on its feet.

Maybe we disagree so much because we can't understand, and we'd like to understand. So, in frustration, we try to make others understand us. I have this problem every time I discuss gun control (almost a religion within itself). I can't understand the logic of the opposition. My logic is so clear (i...

Are certain individuals more important than others, in the "grand scheme of things"? I would think so, for I certainly know some completely worthless individuals. But I ponder something else: are celebrities (actors, musicians, athletes, etc.) important in the grand scheme? If so, are they...

Another hypothetical (with all respect to all people, regardless of opinion): If pro-life individuals (you don't necessarily have to be Catholic to be pro-life) who think that abortion is murder, under any circumstance, then they would not be willing to abort a pregnancy in order to save the mother'...

Dante's Inferno discusses the different levels of hell as they are punishments for certain levels of sin. It also describes purgatory and the garden outside of heaven for all those who never learned of god. You can't really punish them for not knowing. So that's where all the Greek and Roman (pre-Ch...

I'm here when I can be here. I'm military and in these times...well, I'm all over the place. But I like to see what's happening here whenever I come back. It's nice to see that some things are still almost the way you remembered them.

Thanks, Rei. I study modern Hebrew but I've never actually come across the word for era. Do you know how close modern Hebrew is to the classic Hebrew? Have you found mostly similarities or are there big differences? I've never read any classical texts in Hebrew.

Shenanigans

I'm not any manner of biblical authority but I have always wondered something: if, on the first "day," God said let there be light, but there was no sun or stars, then was that "day" a day like we experience it or did it mean more like "period of time"? I ask because we...

I second that.

I agree with neo-dragon and AnthonyByakko. I hear people say far too often that if that person was involved in an armed conflict (both parties having guns) they would "shoot the other person in the knees." As has been said, this usually does not have the desired effect (it is not Hollywood...

The story has a good hook and I'd be interested in reading more. However, I was rather put off by the phrase "corpse of a dead tree" for the simple reason that "dead" is rather redundant, having already used the word "corpse". Other than that, well done.

I agree with AnthonyByakko. If it is the American Constitution that these people are supposed to uphold, shouldn't that be the text upon which they swear? America was founded as a country of religious freedom, with a separation of church and state. It seems impossible for this government to guarante...