I just got a call on my work phone.  I have no idea who it was because a recorded voice just kept saying - what if the government could tap your phones and search your house without a warrant, what if the government could make it so that the right to bare arms was only for the government, what if the government were able to prosecute anyone as many times as possible until they got the verdict they were looking for, what if the government..., etc...   What was this all about and why were they doing it?  I can say what if - and proceed to say any random crazy idea and it has no real purpose other than to bring up a hypothetical and promote conspiracy thinking and irrational skepticism.  Anyone else get one of these calls or know what its purpose is or who is sponsering it?

see my post for Issue Description - it was too long

Discovery of potentially habitable planets in other solar systems has opened up the real possibility of humanity one day colonizing these planets and building a galactic civilization.  Do you think we should do this? Why or Why Not?

Nano-scale physical understanding and manipulation has been developing steadily.  Nano-tech has been part of sci-fi movies, videogames, and television shows over the past few decades.  Do you believe that nano-machines will advance to the point of active use in typical medical practices within the next ~50 years or so?  Why or Why Not? and Would you be completely cool with people injecting machines into you?

I was recently dating a girl, only went on 3 dates in about three weeks, we both seemed to like one another more and more on each of the three dates and things progress well, introducing me to her friends and keeping in touch frequently. On the third date we slept together.  However, on that date, prior to having sex, she told me some things which shocked me and I told her that I had some hesitations about dating because of those things.  At one point in the evening she got serious and told me about her past and what she wanted from a relationship, also saying that she had been raped on two occasions in the past couple years.  This night was when things got a bit too serious for me and I told her that i was a little bit shocked by her having been raped and also the talking about how many kids she wants, marriage soon, and having a different ideology.  In spite of my shock, because of mutual sexually attraction, we both allowed things to progress to sex - it was completely mutual and I had even given her the option to go home to her place (to nip sexual likelihood in the bud) rather than come with me and she decided to come to my place.  She provided the condom and 'warmed me up' prior to sex, and was entirely agreeable before, during, and after sex. We were supposed to talk about how I felt about things about a week later but, due to circumstances and a lack of good planning, we were not able to meet up. We finally talked about things a week later and I told her that I needed to think about things, about wether or not i wanted to pursue the relationship any further.  A week later, I told her that I wanted to stop dating and be friends.   I work an odd schedule so although it is hard to be in touch as frequently as people that have similar schedules do, i tried to communicate with her whenever i could and whenver it seemed prudent (i.e. not in the middle of the night). When I told her that i didnt want to date anymore, She claimed that i had lied to her about my thoughts and feelings to get her into bed (i didnt do this in the slightest), had been out of touch for days on end (max of 36 hours at any time), and that I was using the fact that she had been raped against her (it wasnt the rape that bothered me so much as how serious things had gotten so soon).  When we talked things out she agreed that i didnt lie, and that it was more about the seriousness of things that bothered me. She then redacted and said that i was holding the fact that she had been raped against her again. Was what I did in any way a dick move?  I was really trying to be straight up with her about things.  I told her that because things took a sudden turn toward the serious my emotional response was to turn off - seemed a bit soon to discuss personal history on that level.  it is important to discuss certain things before sex but as far as i am concerned, i only want to know if you are game, on the pill, and disease free (these things seem sufficient to me, not ).  In other words i didnt think that her having been raped was necessary, that it was too serious for a 3rd date.   So was I/ am I a dick?

Please go to this page - http://www.facebook.com/#!/permalink.php?story_fbid=177950522309293&id=147347798702899 - and read the theory.  It is a little rough but it should motivate the idea enough to be discussed. 

Abortion is a huge ideological wedge between people of various beliefs.  I can understand the perspectives of each group, given their ontological assumptions, but then i contemplate the politicallity of the issue.  It seems intuitive to assume that an ethnocentric legal system is unjustified insofar as it does not recognize or allow for diversity of thought and belief based upon an arbitrary status quo.  But, many people think that abortion should be legally impermissible.  I am wondering why people believe they have the right to impose their moral ideology on others via political power and legal measures? 

Given the evidence for evolution, which exceeds any reasonable doubt regarding the validity of its being a fact, any position that is contrary to this idea is epistemologically flawed and ontologically narrow minded insofar that it is merely the denial of anything contrary to ones ontological framework and therefore has no arguable merit.  Similarly, to assent that god exists is to exceed any possibly provable proposition.  there is no way to prove or disprove the existence of god.   There is nothing to say about this.  it is a fact that it is impossible to prove a negative assertion.  This is a logical truth.  However, to believe that there is god based on the fact that it is impossible to prove a negative flys in the face of this basic logical truth and ignores the anthropomorphic anthropocentric and superstitious tendencies of humankind.