No*s - Moderator (Earth, hell, God, Christian, heaven)

[No*s]

Originally Posted by FeathersinHair

I look forward to learning more about the Jeffersonian party!

It's a nice party. I'm not too fond of compulsory military service, and I think public schools a failure (we need to find another approach to the issue), but other than that, I agree with them most. They don't always argue deregulate (that seems naive to me), but they aren't about regulating our lives like the Dems and Reps.

[No*s]

Originally Posted by Buttercup

Are you sure?

Nice to know more about you pardner.

Pretty sure, yeah .

Originally Posted by Angellous_evangellous

You should post your IQ as well

Uh, no.

[fromthe heart]

Originally Posted by No*s

It's a nice party. I'm not too fond of compulsory military service, and I think public schools a failure (we need to find another approach to the issue), but other than that, I agree with them most. They don't always argue deregulate (that seems naive to me), but they aren't about regulating our lives like the Dems and Reps.

I agree with public school being for the most a failure but I'll bet the teachers wouldn't...I would like to see a better ciriculum and have it done remotely so that kids were at home safe and still got what they needed educationally say via computer and web cam. I also feel home schooling is fantastic because you can select what your kids take in and don't have to worry so much that their minds are being corrupted.

What are your views on public education and it's short-comings?

[No*s]

Originally Posted by fromthe heart

I agree with public school being for the most a failure but I'll bet the teachers wouldn't...I would like to see a better ciriculum and have it done remotely so that kids were at home safe and still got what they needed educationally say via computer and web cam. I also feel home schooling is fantastic because you can select what your kids take in and don't have to worry so much that their minds are being corrupted.

What are your views on public education and it's short-comings?

On the first level, it's just been turned into a baby-setting system. It passes people regardless; children graduate scarcely able to read. It has, thus, failed in its primary purpose (i.e. educating children adequately). My little brother was learning about the Roman Empire, for instance, and the teacher didn't teach him who the first Roman Emperor was (and didn't know after I told him to ask). Colleges teaching a foreign language (I am familiar with ancient ones) must give definitions even for basic structures like nouns, and someone coming into college should already know that.

This failure slows down the secondary education process from the second example above. The university must teach them concepts they should be able to take for granted. This, in its turn, weakens the university, so that our youth fail to get as good an education as they can there.

This is something new. I talk to my former professors, and they explain to me that they didn't always have to do this. I talk to other older folks, and they tell me about learning grammar even into high school. It's a change, and it's a change for the worst. I suspect this has something to do a) with the degradatin of American sense of responsibility so that it leaks into the family and b) the monopoly of the public education system.

I, therefore, support a voucher system, but one that is intended to replace the public schools. Let parents hire a home schooler or take the kids to another school. The competition and capitalism will drive down prices and increase the quality of the product. It would work like our capitalist system has in other areas.

It would also remove a stumbling block to the separation of church and state. No matter what, schools must teach children something relating to religion, some philosphy, some morality. This removes this problem. Nobody can complain their kids are taught materialism or that some form of far east meditation was used or that they were forced to pray a Christian prayer. In each case, it was a private institution or individual teaching the practice. Just pull the kid out and transfer him/her.

[robtex]

Ken:

Which philosophers do you admire both theistic and secular? When you say Jeffersonian, do you mean what would be a modern-day libertarian? Did you ever think or dream of writing comics when you were younger? Nate might be hinting that you drew philosophical opinions from comics on the boards. Is there any truth to that and if so what?

[dawny0826]

Do you eat Texas Barbeque? I hear our Barbeque out here...is different...(I know...pathetic question)

What kind of music are you into?

[No*s]

Originally Posted by robtex

Which philosophers do you admire both theistic and secular?

My favorite is Plato. His dialogues are absolutely beautiful. He's a theistic (albeit not Christian) philosopher. I am also fond of St. John of Damascus as an example of a Christian philosopher. For a non-theistic author, I am rather fond of Marx, actually. I don't agree with him a lick, but there's something powerful about his writing, and I can see why so many fall under its sway. I'm also rather fond of Sun Tzu's The Art of War.

Originally Posted by Robtex

When you say Jeffersonian, do you mean what would be a modern-day libertarian?

I actually selected the Jeffersonian Party, because it is closest to my opinions. In general, I like a smaller government, but I realize there is a place for federal power. The Libertarians (I assume you mean the party) seem to be rather naive on this point, in that they want almost everything deregulated (Will the farmers along the Mississippi ever regulate themselves for a problem that only specialists foresee? Having been raised on a farm, I realize they won't and government intervention in such situations is required).

Originally Posted by Robtex

Did you ever think or dream of writing comics when you were younger?

Sometimes I still do . I've written (and subsequently deleted) a large number of fanfictions lol.

Originally Posted by Robtex

Nate might be hinting that you drew philosophical opinions from comics on the boards. Is there any truth to that and if so what?

It's inevitable that I draw opinions from comics, given the massive amount of time I've spent in them. I can't help but be affected by them. What Nate refers to, though, is I will quote any source if I see a catchy phrase. On one occasion, I wrote a paper for one of my philosophy classes (can't remember which one), and I quoted Spider-man for the catchy phrase "With great power must come great responsibility." It summed up the point I had otherwise arrived to nicely: We have freewill, and we must use it responsibly. It is an ability granted to us alone of all the animals. Since I didn't feel I could use it without citation, I cited it. In response, the professor dropped me a letter grade for it .

EDIT:

He might also be referring to the fact that comics enter into my philisophical and theological conversations that the two seem to be intimately connected. I can be discussing the doctrine of theosis or the importance of checks and balances in government and move immediately to Superman or the personas of the Hulk and remain on topic (only to return to the philosophy five minutes later where I left off). I mentioned this in the 'fess up thread, so it made me think of it (We have a RL friend of mine who has the same trait who just joined lol).

[No*s]

Originally Posted by dawny0826

Do you eat Texas Barbeque? I hear our Barbeque out here...is different...(I know...pathetic question)

Regularly. I am preparing myself for Heaven. It is written in the book of II No*s, "Thou shalt eat real BBQ, and verily, shouldst thou cook it improperly, thou shalt be smitten." Unfortunately, I cook it very poorly, and have since gotten much shorter. Other times, the Good Lord simply sees fit to let me suffer the penalty of my cooking.

Seriously, though, I haven't had Virginia BBQ, but I wouldn't doubt it. It's a different culture, but I do have BBQ as often as I can (Great Lent can be very trying, since BBQ ranks among my favorite foods lol).

Originally Posted by Dawny0826

What kind of music are you into?

I like video game remixes quite a bit, since they remind me of the games I love. I also listen to quite a bit of classical, Handel's Messiah being my favorite piece (I use "classical" fairly imprecisely since I'm not a music man). I also like choral music, particularly liturgical chant. I can add to this that I like old school country. I do like some of the contermporary Christian music (albeit it's heterodox), but it's not at the top of my list.

[Master Vigil]

Ever think of writing a comic, and me illustrating it?

[angellous_evangellous]

Originally Posted by dawney

Do you eat Texas Barbeque?

I misread this as do you eat Texas Baptists?

to which No*s replied

Originally Posted by No*s

Regularly. I am preparing myself for Heaven. It is written in the book of II No*s, "Thou shalt eat real [baptists], and verily, shouldst thou cook it improperly, thou shalt be smitten." Unfortunately, I cook it very poorly, and have since gotten much shorter. Other times, the Good Lord simply sees fit to let me suffer the penalty of my cooking.

So do you eat Texas Baptists?