That’s because all the rest of us aren’t anti-vax nutjobs, so there’s no smallpox going around, but if you increase the number of anti-vax nutjobs…
(ETA: I know Smallpox as a disease is basically extinct, so this argument doesn’t apply to it, but I don’t believe the other diseases we vaccinate against are extinct. Also, do we even vaccinate against smallpox anymore?)
My understanding is that smallpox is no longer extinct - it has had some limited outbreaks recently. I may be mistaken about that, though.
Either way, you’re right - it’s not a fair counter to the claim that anti-vax people are nutjobs.
A better disease to consider would be asking whether Dumbguy’s friends have really thought about the damage late onset mumps or measles can do to a person. IIRC both often cause sterility in males who catch it around or after puberty. (Which might be improving the gene pool, but still a crappy thing to set one’s kids up for.)
I’ve got a magic rock that protects me from tiger attacks, and I’ve never been attacked by a tiger.
I’ve never heard of NAFTA Superhighway before. Not much from the mainstream media, but evidently this has came up in The House, here’s something from whitehouse.gov: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/09/20070927-6.html
And other Comgressmen(women) are talking about it as well: http://www.kaptur.house.gov/PressRelease.aspx?NewsID=1598
A lot of legislators seem to be talking about it, look at this Google search: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=nafta+superhighway++site%3A.gov&btnG=Search
A lot of people would consider NAFTA to be a bad deal to begin with.
You have one, too? The man who sold me mine told me it was unique! Boy, if I ever find him again… :mad:
I was just thinking how funny this thread would be if it were about Ru Paul.
I heard Ron Paul on NPR the other day. He sounded sane, but it was only a 20 second bit. Having seen his views here, all I can say is: :eek:
Whether NAFTA is a good thing or a bad thing is certainly debatable.
I have to say that I am skeptical of this NAFTA Superhighway’s existence, given that no one seems to have produced any documentary evidence of it to date, simply vague allegations. I’d also love to see any reference to it prior to the Ron Paul’s breaking of the story.
I’m also disgusted that the House could actually pass a bill forbidding construction of this super-secret thing, and actually think that would do any good, if such a project were actually in the pipes.
If I somehow blackmail my Rep into getting a bill considered to make it illegal for aliens to keep anal probing me every All Hallow’s Eve, would you consider that proof that aliens have been sexually assaulting me in the past?
A lot of people also believe the Loose Change videos.
Doesn’t make them, nor this, any more credible in my eyes.
Yet another site , from the gov’t. So obviously it can’t be telling the truth.
It’s very obvious that there are many people (mostly Democrats) that would love to take away firearms. Sarah Brady, George Soros, Diane “If I could have banned them all - ‘Mr. and Mrs. America turn in your guns’ - I would have!” Feinstein.
Personally, I disagree with a lot of the ideas Libertarians have so that’s a strike against Paul for me.
Second, I don’t feel he’s a very good Libertarian. His stance on gays and abortions shows that he’s willing to use government power to enforce his views if he feels he’s right. So the only difference between Paul and Hillary Clinton is what particular opinions they happen to be willing to impose on the country.
His gold standard ideas are so wrong they can’t even be defended as a matter of opinion.
Which bears only the most tenuous of connections to the post you were responding to. Unless George Soros is also a secret UN helicopter pilot.
Pilot? Dude, Soros is BANKROLLING 'em! He doesn’t want a return to the gold standard because he needs gold cheap so he can make strips of gold-pressed latinum to pay the aliens. Just ask Ron Paul.
I saw a homemade Paul sign that read:
RON PAUL
REVOLUTION
Notice that “EVOL” is “LOVE” backwards? Clever, huh? Now explain what love has to do with a cranky old man.
He’s a little nuts, but I think he honestly believes in what he’s saying, and I think that’s what his fans are responding to. When he talks about Iraq, he’s spot on and he puts the other Republican candidates to shame. I think a lot of his supporters are Republicans who do not support the war and they’re willing to ignore some of his more kooky ideas because they like what he says about Iraq. I would certainly vote for him over any other Republican because I believe he’d get us out of Iraq ASAP.
Smallpox has been eradicated (the first and so far only disease to be completely eradicated), so even the most resolute of vaccination opponents (AKA anti-vax nutjobs) isn’t going to get it–barring something really extraordinary. As the CDC notes “a case of smallpox today would be the result of an intentional act.” There has been some renewed fear after the September 11 attacks and the 2001 anthrax attacks that there might still be some samples beyond the two which are officially declared (the CDC still has some of the virus in deep freeze here in Atlanta and the other remaining sample is in Russia). Someone like the North Koreans might have retained a sample of the virus, and IF that were the case, then smallpox might therefore have gotten or someday get into the hands of terrorists. There have, however, been no outbreaks since 1977–to quote the CDC again “A single confirmed case of smallpox would be considered an emergency”. It will probably not happen–as noted above, there’s a fairly long chain of “mights” and “ifs” between the world and a smallpox epidemic–but it was a truly horrendous disease that killed hundreds of millions of people throughout history, and maimed or blinded countless more, and of course most people aren’t vaccinated any more, so even though it’s unlikely, a smallpox outbreak that wasn’t properly contained could be catastrophic.
Since the disease no longer exists in nature, routine vaccinations aren’t being done, but as precautionary measures there are stockpiles of the vaccine and teams of public health workers are being currenlty vaccinated so they could safely treat everyone else.
The arguments about vaccination, public health, “herd immunity” and so on can of course be made about various other diseases which are no longer widespread in the U.S. (thanks to vaccination) but have not been eradicated.
By unborn people do you mean fertilized eggs or a form that could be recognized as a person ?
Monavis
I quoted the whole thing on purpose, because I don’t believe that black helicopters and gun banning should be in the same category; there are most certainly people out there that would disarm the populace if they could. And it’s already happened in England and Australia.
Well that’s where it gets tricky ain’t it? Not gonna fall into that trap in this thread.
Nonsense. Ron Paul believes in the U.S. Constitution. A novelty, isn’t it? As much lip service as they give the Constitution, no other congresspeople I’m aware of actually follow it.
The U.S. Constitution specifically enumerates the powers available to the federal government. If a proposed law falls outside of the enumerated powers, even if the congressperson personally believes the law to be a good idea, they should still vote no. This is their duty, something they swore an oath to, but Ron Paul is the only one to actually do it.
You could say… Ron Paul is against murder, so it’s inconsistent of him to advocate anti-murder laws at the state level but not the federal. But the federal government has no grounds on which to outlaw murder (except, perhaps, on federal property) as it’s a state issue.
No logical headstands are required. Protection of the rights of individuals is a core philosophy in libertarianism, and the right to life is the most fundamental. So, just like in other cases, it comes down to whether or not you believe an unborn human is a life. If you do, as a libertarian, then you have a moral obligation to be against abortion.
I had no idea that libertarians had a monopoly on interpreting the Constitution. Somebody better alert the Supreme Court that they better get in line with Mr. Paul’s views! No view of the Constitution is correct but his!
No more ASAF, eh?
You’ve not considered that it is an anagram of ‘VELO’, the French word for bicycle. See? It all makes perfect sense now.