Didja ever notice that whenever Starkers does his version of Cher’s Absolutely Positively Final No, This Time I’m Not Kidding Farewell Tour, the room gets a bit brighter? When he leaves, its like the Most Interesting Man in the World just walked in. Its like I feel a sudden affection for Sixties-style radical chic, his absence makes the heart grow Fonda.
The luminosity of hope!
If that’s true, why do people continue to respond when you post?
But regrettably can’t be turned into as much cheap reusable energy.
Seriously, somebody out there, somebody smarter than me, needs to invent Stubbornly Stupid Power. Infinite resource, infinitely re-usable since they never change their minds about anything and haven’t since before the Roman Empire, perfectly clean as long as you’re out of voice range. Maybe we could harness it by sitting them in front of computers featuring a contrarian version of Eliza masquerading as a message board, and turning their angry disjointed keyboards mashings into electrical impulses. Hmm…
Engage the Dunning-Kruger Overdrive!
You could run Las Vegas off YouTube comments alone!
I don’t think Starving Artist is a conservative – he’s an insult to many of my conservative friends. He went off of the deep end a long time ago.
By that argument you could say Limbaugh or Beck or O’Reilly is not a conservative.
Actually, I would agree with that assessment. The named “personalities” are Far Right Wing demagogues who have very little in common with any serious conservative I know.
(Well, to be fair, they have nothing in common with any serious person I know.)
They’re more like radicals, if you think about it. I don’t think some of them believe half of what they spew out of their mouths. It’s all about the $$$$.
Starving Artist is just a fucking idiot.
RationalWiki is a good source here – page on “Crime Woo”:
So, right there! Prison is so cushy and comfy, 75% of the people who’ve been there want to go right back! Motel 6 doesn’t have a record like that! Just common sense!
Ahem…Arpaio runs a jail, not a prison. Lesser crimes, lesser time - therefore its inmates presumably have more control over whether they wish to engage in future miscreancy. Plus, the jail almost certainly has a deterrent effect on would-be miscreants who don’t want to wind up there. Mustn’t forget to take that into account, too.
Almost? Come back when you are sure.
SA is always sure. 
It would be better to ask to see evidence.
Done that. Not satisfying.
Yes. And yet the recidivism statistics seem to state exactly the opposite.
I will repeat this as needed. This is approximately the 6th time.
Yes, this is approximately the 6th time you have referenced 17 to 20 year old statistics, and it’s probably the 3rd or 4th time I’ve said that since times and Arpaio’s methods have changed, those statistics are very likely worthless. Plus they don’t measure the number of people who take pains to stay within the bounds of the law so as to avoid the risk of being sent to Arpaio’s jail.
I’m not aware of any studies, polls, research or anything else that measures that. So let’s call that number “zero”, since there’s no evidence to suggest that anyone uses that particular rationale for “staying within the bounds of the law”.
[QUOTE=Budget Player Cadet]
I will repeat this as needed. This is approximately the 6th time.
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It won’t help, and this is why.
He approves of Arpaio’s methods; to acknowledge that those methods do not work would be to acknowledge that he supports something that does not work, and is therefore in the wrong. The far right is incapable of admitting they are wrong. So he’ll have to continue to pretend he’s right, regardless of facts. One cannot reason a person out of a position they didn’t reason themselves into. The opinions of those such as Starving Artist are not based in fact, so presenting such as he with facts will not change their opinions.