More Than Half The Budget....

[abandonconflict]

I'm addressing the quote in the OP.
"If half the budget is military spending, then less than half of it goes towards whatever it's defending" is the premise.

To me, that implies that military spending is not counted as "toward whatever it's defending", which would be the nation and its citizens. To me, that seems like fractured logic, which I classify as in the same moral corner as a (more outright) lie. It strikes me as obvious that defense spending is spent in support of the nation and its citizens.

That has been my focus all along: not whether the statement is good or bad or moral or whatnot ... it seems internally inconsistent to me. I posit that until that inconsistency is fixed, there really is nothing to discuss. Closer to the point: I cannot recommend holding a sociopolitical opinion based on fractured logic. Our responsibility as engaged adults is ... other. cn

Musical lyric started a thread. Despite that it doesn't make sense pragmatically (I'm about to roughly define rhapsody) it conveys a conscientious attitude toward several loosely connected concepts to plant the seed of 'peaceful' (lack of a better word) thinking. It is rather effective but I think the concept it conveys is similar to this poster:

I can't explain to you why people like hip hop.

 

[cannabineer]

As a literalist, all I had were the words. Parsing poetry is a thankless task. cn

 

[MellowFarmer]

As a literalist, all I had were the words. Parsing poetry is a thankless task. cn

Has one ever stopped to ponder why?

 

[cannabineer]

Has one ever stopped to ponder why?

All the time! cn

 

[MellowFarmer]

All the time! cn

And One's conclusion so far/

 

[MellowFarmer]

Why must good posts be diverted? Abandon is making good points yet...

 

[cannabineer]

This teenytiny aspect of the One really likes precision in language when discussing serious things. Poetry is the art of evocation, and as such relies on a certain beautiful ambiguity. but to a literalist like myself, ambiguity is more often ugly.

That was my complaint with the Bill Hicks vid ... it was an extended metaphor, and those almost always don't work 100%. There was no reduction to the brass tacks, the discussible/falsifiable. To me that's at the heart of a philosophical debate. I realize that I'm in the minority with that approach. cn

 

[MellowFarmer]

This teenytiny aspect of the One really likes precision in language when discussing serious things. Poetry is the art of evocation, and as such relies on a certain beautiful ambiguity. but to a literalist like myself, ambiguity is more often ugly.

That was my complaint with the Bill Hicks vid ... it was an extended metaphor, and those almost always don't work 100%. There was no reduction to the brass tacks, the discussible/falsifiable. To me that's at the heart of a philosophical debate. I realize that I'm in the minority with that approach. cn

Sometimes being a perfectionist works against us.

 

[cannabineer]

Sometimes being a perfectionist works against us.

I know; I know. But it's my nature. cn

 

[MellowFarmer]

I know; I know. But it's my nature. cn

Come join the Eyes of Love then we don't believe in perfectionism.

 

[MellowFarmer]

Look at me swimming in my ability

[video=youtube_share;fq8dY8Bec2U]http://youtu.be/fq8dY8Bec2U[/video]

 

[Red1966]

That is so openminded of you! Who is going to attack us if we use this approach? Who do we need to defend ourselves from? Besides the evil greedhead fucks running us, I mean?

Let's see. China, Russia, Brazil, Syria, Canada, Mexico, .... If we spent nothing on defense, even our allies would find us a easy and irresistible target. The world is not the peace-loving entity you think it is.

 

[Red1966]

I seem to be better at debating in the morning before I'm really stoned.

............lol..............

 

[Red1966]

Constant progress is the highest aspiration imo. On a personal level, on an evolutionary level and on a social level. Currently, I would compare our civilization's growth upon the earth with that of mold on an orange. Perfection seems unachievable to me.

Given the nature of human behavior, you are, sadly, correct.

 

[haight]

This is a Must Share line I just overheard by Iriscience of Dilated Peoples 3
If half the budget is military spending, then less than half of it goes towards whatever it's defending
Discuss

Who says half the budget goes to our security? Why does it think the preceding was less than ten characters?

 

[cannabineer]

Constant progress is the highest aspiration imo. On a personal level, on an evolutionary level and on a social level. Currently, I would compare our civilization's growth upon the earth with that of mold on an orange. Perfection seems unachievable to me.

Except ... the mold is green. cn

 

[MellowFarmer]

Let's see. China, Russia, Brazil, Syria, Canada, Mexico, .... If we spent nothing on defense, even our allies would find us a easy and irresistible target. The world is not the peace-loving entity you think it is.

Misinformation

 

[desert dude]

I have a much misunderstood and underapreciated philosophy on why other peple choose to hurt other people.

Don't we all?

 

[MellowFarmer]

Don't we all?

I don't reckon you are.