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All the Perl that's Practical to Extract and Report

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Re: But not now 10 Comments More | Login | Reply /

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  • Of course, the greatest argument against Kyoto is simply that the U.S. doesn't need an international treaty to fix its problems, and therefore we are better off doing it on our own.

    I'm not sure if I read that right.

    Are you suggesting that the U.S. can solve the world's pollution problems all by itself, so why bother with getting others involved?
    • Are you suggesting that the U.S. can solve the world's pollution problems all by itself

      No, I thought it was clear "the U.S. ... fix its problems" referred to the U.S. pollution problems. Each nation can deal with their own pollution problems.

      • Each nation can deal with their own pollution problems.
        So you're saying pollution doesn't cross borders? If I dump toxic waste in the Rio Grande, it will know to stop at the Mexican border? If we release smoke into the atmosphere, it will know not to go over the ocean?

        Pollution is not a local problem, and shouldn't be treated like one. I know this won't change your mind because "you're cool like that", but your argument is becoming nonsensical.

        • So you're saying pollution doesn't cross borders?

          No, I said nothing of the sort.

          your argument is becoming nonsensical.

          No, it isn't. Rather, you don't understand it, so it seems nonsensical.

          Of course pollution can be a problem that crosses borders. So too with many things, such as the economy. If the U.S. has to have certain pollution standards for Mexico's sake, does Mexico have to have a certain economic standard of living for the U.S.' sake?

          Pollution is not a local problem, and shouldn't be tr
          • What does that mean? The U.S. should follow some international agreement to do something it doesn't want to do? If so, then how could that treaty or law ever be ratified, if it is not something we want to do? And if we want to do it, why do we need an international agreement?

            Agreements, be it between people or nations, are all about not doing what one wants to do. Compromises. Living together. My freedom ends where my neighbour's begins. (And this is how the construction of the European Union happened.) T

            • This selfish, arrogant, egoist, asocial statement "We're the US, we do only what we want to do" is precisely the root cause of the raising anti-US hate everywhere in the world since the Republicans took over this country.

              That's ridiculous. Every country always does only what it wants to do, unless it is forced to do otherwise, or gets something in return. The U.S. is no different.
              • Every country always does only what it wants to do, unless it is forced to do otherwise, or gets something in return.

                You're confusing countries with corporations or sociopaths. Maybe that's due to this scary right-wing meme, "running the country like a business".

                • You're confusing

                  Not remotely. In fact, it's true of all organizations and all people, including yourself. You never do what you don't want to do.

                  If you could offer a counterexample, please feel free.

                  Perhaps you're thinking of charity. But that's a poor example, since the U.S. is the most charitable nation on Earth. And it's a poor example also because people only give charity if they WANT to give charity.
                  • You never do what you don't want to do.

                    If you could offer a counterexample, please feel free.

                    Ever been in the military?

                    Ever kill someone?

                    Just because something is the best course of action*, doesn't mean you actually want to do it. What you wanted was the outcome, and many other ways of achieving it would have been preferrable.

                    * As defined by the person that survived the ordeal.
                    • Just because something is the best course of action, doesn't mean you actually want to do it.

                      I don't mean "want" in some emotional sense, relating to "desire" or somesuch. Realize the context: we are relating to the acts of a national government. I am using it in the utilitarian sense, where is it nearly synonymous with "will."

                      So if you do it, then yes, it does mean you want to do it, you have a will to do it. If I intentionally killed someone, it would be because I wanted to.

                      The point is that everyt
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