Hey, I acknowledged that all I knew about the subject came from watching a couple of movies on the issue. I freely acknowledge that additional literature may have additional facts that would sway my view.
Bricker dah mannnn 
Yes, the literature displays non-mutants as fairly McCarthyanistic. While I would vote with you in real life, in the comics, humans are largely evil evil people.
Actually, not so much. Someone did point out that there is a slippery slope as far as gun control goes (I believe the laws in Chicago and Washington D.C. are particularly harsh, but this is not my area of expertise) and I did use the asian relocation camps as an example of registration gone awry (post #76 in that thread). To my knowledge, Bricker did not refute those points. Not that any of this helps Scott Plaid much. I just don’t want this to turn into to much of a Bricker appreciation thread. 
No no, you were fine. I could’ve brought in way more than I did, but I wanted to keep the thread quasi-realistic as far as the serious argument goes. I also figured that the “giant mutant hunting robots controlled by a secret government agency” could’ve been dismissed as cia black helicopter tin foil hat nuttery. 
No puppy in the fight, just wanted to say that, Bricker, your conduct is both admirable and remarkable. I for one hope that no matter how many people on the left/center/whatever want to debate you, that you don’t give up on this message board.
Namaste.
I’ll add my admiration of **Bricker **and further salute Shodan’s far-more-reasonable-than-I-would-ever-be response.
I just wish it were making as much of an impression on Scott Plaid as it does on those who read more than they post.
Well…no, just the vocal ones, some of whom are in major positions of power.
Most humans are ignorant and easily swayed, but not evil.
Same goes for the mutants, except few of the dangerously evil ones have positions of power.
To ALL the posters in this thread;
Some of you may recognize me, most of you won’t. I joined the SDMB about the same time Scott did but I screwed up early on and went into mostly lurker mode. (Sir Lurks-a Lot). However I continued to read and the more I read the more confused I got. At first I somewhat admired Scott, the way he jumped right in, answering questions,posing questions, offering opinions on everything. At first I did. Then I started to ask myself if I couldn’t understand him, could the other members? More and more of what he wrote made little or no sense to me. Was it because you were all so much smarter than me, was there something I just wasn’t getting? Finally, after much rational deliberation and perhaps a modicum of ego stroking, I decided that the problem wasn’t in my comprehension but in Scotts writing. But at that point, I couldn’t reconcile that with the idea that no one was pointing this out to him. Well, finally someone did!
Now to my point. Yes, I do have one.
In my short time here I have never witnessed a more thoughtful, constructive and time-consuming effort on behalf of the members of this board to straighten out another poster. I realize that many of you are frustrated and are coming down pretty hard on him but even in those posts(for the most part) there is a good amount of constructive criticism included.
I don’t know if your efforts will bear fruit and at this point, neither do you and all the more credit to you for that. No one would ever mistake me for Willy Shakespeare but Scott even gives me a headache. I really hope this works out for him but if it doesn’t, it certainly won’t be your fault.
Makes me proud to be a member. GOOD on all of ya!!!
Do you mean “…by the person you are speaking to?”
“…becomes not a fallacy…” hurts my brain.
Yoda you are not.
Damnit, I’m not just nitpicking grammar. That shit makes reading your text about as easy and enjoyable as trying to help a grizzly floss its teeth. Daily.
It almost seems like you’re madly trying to get your posts out as fast as possible. And yes. I can understand that sometimes happens. But, if it gets to the point where you’re writing prose that’s awful to read, nobody’s gonna wanna read it. Writing is re-writing. Ya know?
Instead of saying you’ll work on it, work on it. Start now.
Scott looks like the model of clarity compared to alaric…
His posts are like alternate lyrics to “I Am the Walrus.”
Mother of mercy John, that first sentence is like doing a logic puzzle written by a chimp on acid.
Actually, Bricker did refute the WWII concntration camps in this context. He pointed out that there was no slippery slope. We did not register Japanese Americans, then impose restrictions on their movements, then finally imprison them. Rather, we destroyed all their rights in one fell swoop–no slippery slope.
The thread was in GD, and not Cafe Society, for what I thought was precisely that reason: we were to treat the issue as one that existed in real life. Although there was some karping about the thread being in GD, it was appropriately placed if and only if the discussion was applicable to real life – right?
I sit corrected. Thanks tom.
Oh please, Scott, don’t do this. It embarrasses me just to read that you’re planning on doing it, so I can only imagine how mortifying it will be when you actually do it.
Maybe what really needs to change, more than your writing style, is your reason for posting to threads in GD. It seems that you’re posting there to win, to score points, to prove how right you are and how wrong the other guy is. This assumes that you know all there is to know and are completely right, so your only task in the debate is to prove your points and defeat your opponent. Yes, that’s part of debate, but maybe not the best part. The best part about debate and about the SDMB in general, is how much you can learn from people with whom you disagree. Your mind has to be open to the possibility that you don’t know everything and that you can learn from your opponents, maybe even change your mind :eek: . When you’re only out to win the argument, your mind is closed to the education you could be receiving, and your tone tends to drip derision and disrespect.
Is there nothing I can say to convince you to take another break, maybe reevaluate your concept of the SDMB and your role here? Just lurk for a while, read threads, and think? Because you’re getting utterly creamed but you claim, stridently, that you are kicking ass. You say you’re going to revise your posting style, but you never say how you’re going to do that, and you haven’t done it yet that I can see. You scoff at the beliefs you don’t agree with, which alienates everyone.
I would like to see you be a success here at SDMB. This requires reflection. Reflection requires time, quiet, and solitude. JMO.
I am about to submit a hypocritically long and probably meandering post.
Scott Plaid is digging the deepest hole I have ever seen for a grave. He better stop when he hits the Great Wall; I doubt the Chinese government will appreciate it. I offered lukewarm support to his presence on these boards. I feel the fool now. Next time I will just shut my fucking mouth.
Scott Plaid reminds me of my younger brother. Lil’ Bruddah is 22 and acts like he is 2. I blame myself for dropping him repeatedly as a child. Anyhoo, Lil’ Bruddah will pick a fight with me to see me get mad. Really, that is his stated objective. And it always works no matter how many times I try to be the better person. There hits a point in every fight where I know that if it does not stop someone will come away with irreparable physical and/or mental harm. I say in the calmest voice possible: “Let’s just end this now. No last words, no nothing. Just stop talking and pretend this never happen.”
Lil’ Bruddah: I was just saying.*
Me: No. I said not. one. more. word. Or I will kill you. I promise.
Lil’ Bruddah: It will be all right. I was just saying.*
Me: NO! That is a word. Many words, in fact. Do not ever talk to me again! ::growling and slathering::
Repeat until my mother comes out to physically restrain me.
Well, you have to be there. No. It is very much like this discussion here. **And Scott Plaid ** is Lil’ Bruddah.
For the love of all things holy, ** Mr.Plaid **, just accept, concede, take the hint, etc, that every single person, excluding yourself, has outright stated that, made inferences to, or created songs memorializing the fact that you are near coherent in the majority of your posts. I am not going to discuss if you “won” or not. Let’s start slowly. Let’s work on the writing style. I am sure there are online tutorials to help out.
(You know, I think you may just be my brother. When he writes he adds commas anywhere he wants. “I put them in where I would take a pause.” Apparently he has emphysema. No no no no no. I am not even a prescriptive grammarian. But there are just some things that are right. Devon, if this is you, just log off. Okay? )
So, let’s work on those pesky common mistake words: than/then, there/their, your/you’re, its/it’s and their kin.
Punctuation. It is your friend so treat it nicely. Another ally: Merriam-Webster. Your enemy: unclear pronouns.
Clarify and proofread, proofread, proofread.
And for God’s sake, man, THINK. You cannot be reading, thinking, and responding with any sort of understanding. I am assuming and your post count says that you are responding, multiple times. But the time between your first post, the posts of the others and then your “rebuttal” is so ridiculously short that you cannot be putting any sort of care into your responses.
This has all been said before. It bears repeating. And it bears being listened to.
No “just sayings” or “just one more things.” Surrender and take the comments as truth. There is a time when you just have to accept you are wrong. Save up and use the righteousness for the fight against Pres. Bush and religion.
*I am convinced that these sentences were created to activate my berserker mode.
~Motorbike pulls up. Rider lifts visor, unlocks top-box, removes refrigerated container and takes out clipboard~
New Assholes Express. Who’s signin’ for this?