Mars

What makes you so sure? Reading over my post above, I make it sound as if the "tipping point" is a model set it stone. That wasn't my intention. My point, in bring up the tipping point, is that an idea doesn't need a massive following to take hold, only a few "true believers" with unwavering belief in their idea, sprinkled in among the population.

it is not the bias most people take issue with. it is the dishonesty, lack of context, and misrepresentations. The purpose of Fox News is to tell conservatives what they want to hear. The purpose of MSNBC is to tell liberals what they want to hear. All news networks lie, misrepresent, and frame issues to support their side. Fox News isn't any different. you really do not think there is a fundamental difference between being biased with the type of stories you cover and how you cover them? there is bias and then there is misinformation and disinformation. Are you trying to say that Fox News is the only news network that puts out misinformation?

675,000 people = .0021% of the population. Frankly, I think there's way more crazy out there than this. It's not a large number by any means. But that number could grow over the coming years. And once an idea is adopted by 10 percent of the population, it spreads like wildfire and becomes the opinion of the majority. The tipping point is a fascinating sociological model: Link

it is not the bias most people take issue with. it is the dishonesty, lack of context, and misrepresentations. The purpose of Fox News is to tell conservatives what they want to hear. The purpose of MSNBC is to tell liberals what they want to hear. All news networks lie, misrepresent, and frame issues to support their side. Fox News isn't any different.

Fox News is conservative and MSNBC is liberal. They balance each other out. The news networks have their agendas, and it is tiring to watch.

On the flip side, would anyone on this forum support a one world government, modeled after the American system of government?

How do improvements in technology diminish the importance of cultural, economic, and geographic factors?

Charles Krauthammer says that the White House tried to blackmail Petraeus. What's the general opinion on Krauthammer? Isn't he a neoconservative?

White House secession petitions reaches 675,000 signatures, makes front page of Drudge Report: Link

I didn't realize that we could reduce the size of the federal government just by snapping our fingers. It was so easy! How stupid of me not to think of such an easy, entirely uncomplicated solution! Thank you for the sarcastic reply. Much appreciated. I know that it would not be an easy task to reduce the amount of "big government" that is going on, but quite simply, it needs to be done. And it starts with the people that we elect to the Presidency/Senate/House. They are the ones in the end that have to collectively decide to make this change, and we are getting nowhere with the types of people that America votes in. I proposed an idea to fix the problem, and your response was to call it the "stupidest thing you've ever heard". You added nothing to the discussion with your first response. Much appreciated. I agree with you that if the problems are to be corrected, we need to start with our elected representatives. But after this last election, nothing has changed. The White House is the same, the Senate is the same, and Congess is the same. People understand that a change has to be made, but they keep electing the same people to office. Barring some kind of catastrophic event, I don't see any kind of change happening.

Solich was fired because he was a poor recruiter. I don't think Pelini was Osborne's first choice, but Pelini was a fan favorite and a booster favorite. Money makes the world go round.

Pro-secession movement grows to 40 states: Link Texas secession petition hits 83,000 signatures by Tuesday evening: Link

Article from Corn Nation sums it up quite well: Link

As long as he keeps winning, his name will pop up. And with Osborne leaving, Pelini loses his security blanket. I don't think Perlman has a very high opinion of Pelini, and the hiring of Eichorst with little to no input from Osborne or Pelini was a reminder to everyone who is in charge. If Pelini gets a good offer, my guess is that he will take it.

Nation building and warmongering go hand in hand with massive government spending and abuse of power. Hence the proposal to break apart the empire into smaller pieces. No one is making this an issue of Middle East versus West. You're not derailing the thread either. So, by all means, continue the discussion. Here's a poll conducted by the Middlebury Institute: Link The "bible thumpers" are less likely to favor secession. Where do the "brains in the nation" reside exactly? California? Why would the youth flee? Why would they leave the regions that they grew up in? Why would the tech industries flee? For that matter, why would businesses in general flee?

I didn't realize that we could reduce the size of the federal government just by snapping our fingers. It was so easy! How stupid of me not to think of such an easy, entirely uncomplicated solution!

I ask you why our lives are more sacred than theirs, and your response is...IED's? Did you ever bother to ask why those people are setting up IED's on their roads in the first place? You say that not having wars is a good reason not to divide the nation, but you're perfectly comfortable spreading wars to other parts of the world? Stanford and New York University law schools released a study not too long ago detailing the casualties of drone strikes. Here's an article: Link 1 person out of 50 of the those killed by drone strikes was a terrorist. Is that what our founding fathers fought for? So that the generations that followed could bomb the hell out of innocent civilians in the Middle East? Not all of them are terrorists strigori. The point that I was trying to make is that we wouldn't be in the Middle East, and Middle Eastern citizens wouldn't be setting up IED's to kill our soldiers, if our monstrosity of a government no longer existed, and was instead replaced by a group of smaller, less powerful nations that lacked the funds to police the world and invade other nations. Show me the proof that backs up this statement. And while you're at it, explain to me why these nations would become "third world".

Article in Politico today about Texas: Link

Crappy way to end your career. People were calling for a Petraeus presidency not long ago.

I think Nebraska is a natural fit in the Big 10, and I believe that Nebraska's decision to join and the Big 10's decision to accept was the best course of action for the future of both parties. So, I'm happy about the decision.

I guess I wasn't the only person that was thinking about secession yesterday. Here's an article posted on Reason today about secession: Link

Are you referring to me when you say "you're having problems coping with political reality"?

Can't wait for this movie. I've watched the LotR trilogy a hundred times, it never gets old. Jackson should direct the new Star Wars movies while he's at it.

I guess I'm just acknowledging to myself that I didn't think through the argument I was trying to make. But I most certainly agree with what you are saying. The reason I post on forums is to improve my own logic and rhetoric.

Sh#t. I think I just messed up my own argument. knapplc, I think you've beaten me in this discussion.