chooch's past comments

  • 6

    chooch

    If you want to have your naitivity scene, by all means enjoy it. On your property or on church property that doesn't enjoy tax exempt status. If you keep it out of the public, I guarantee the atheists will take theirs down. Atheism only exists in opposition to religious infringements.

    Also, why do Christians get all offended about Christmas? It is not "Christ's" birthday. It is a mix of Saturnalia and other pagan customs which Christianity piggybacked on.

    As a hard agnostic who is sick of the dangers of religion, just keep it to yourself and practice it at home. You wouldn't even know that someone is an atheist until you start forcing your beliefs on them.

    Posted in: Fight over nativity display goes to LA court

  • 2

    chooch

    StrangerinaStrangeLand:

    logically and dispassionately

    And there is the rub. If the victims made the laws, we'd be beheading people for stealing car stereos.

    Posted in: Man gets 7 years for killing two kids with car

  • 1

    chooch

    southsakai:

    Having extreme penalties for these sorts of things will pretty much ensure drivers are serious when they are behind the wheel and are accountable. With these pathetic sentences, why should drivers be scared ?

    Imagine the freedom you've enjoyed for the last 365 days. Think of how life has changed over that time. Remember every cold or flu, every night out for drinks, every family gathering, every morning you got to sleep in, or listen to the rain hit your windows while you're curled up with a glass of wine. Now take all that away times seven and replace it with a life of hard labour, waking up at 6am every day, being a number, never being able to pick up the phone and chat to a loved one. Never being able to make love to your partner. Think of how awful your life would be.

    Do you think anybody in the world thinks seven years of that is worth making a red light? No. Do you think that this guy isn't remorseful? Mistakes happen and life is unfair. What you're trying to do is to bring a semblance of fairness to a world where these things happen. Hurting this man further is merely a symbolic gesture for people like you. You cannot live with the idea that we can lose our loved ones so easily. But we can. That is life. You can kill or imprison everybody who makes mistakes and guess what: another fallible human will step up and make a mistake. I promise you.

    Posted in: Man gets 7 years for killing two kids with car

  • 1

    chooch

    It's so telling that people are saying that "those kids' lives are worth only seven years". It shows that you want to punish to make yourselves feel better, not to ameliorate society.

    There is no equation for what a life is worth, and it can't be counted in years. Yes, it's horrible. Yes, it was probably avoidable, but keeping this guy in jail for life will not bring those kids back. Honestly, if you're one of those people who is, as SIASL aptly put it "baying for blood", then please point out one study that shows retributive justice reforms criminals.

    This guy made a mistake and it was probably stupid. But stupid doesn't mean malicious, and death doesn't mean murder. An enlightened society doesn't punish wantonly.

    Posted in: Man gets 7 years for killing two kids with car

  • 3

    chooch

    JeffLee:

    Evil people are the ones who willfully commit evil acts.

    It's easier to look at life like this, but it is not accurate. A person is a product of their environment and biology, neither of which anybody has any control over. The idea of Free Will has been roundly disproven by philosophy and neuroscience. Nobody chooses to have wicked desires or bad tempers; they simply have them.

    These parents did a terrible thing, but I doubt there was any rejoicing in the children's deaths. In their effed up way, they were doing what they thought was best. It was wrong, but not evil.

    Posted in: Family of 5 found dead in sealed van

  • 1

    chooch

    Hogtie for people who won't keep still. It's basically harmless and nobody can move in that position. Sitting on somebody's back is a new low in the annals of stupidity.

    Posted in: Woman dies after being 'restrained' by police

  • 0

    chooch

    "Unique, isn't it? I have a blacksmith make all my undergarments."

    -Nobody Ever

    Posted in: Restoration Bra

  • 2

    chooch

    sfjp330:

    People should be able to cease contact with another person at any time.

    Posted in: Student arrested under anti-stalker legislation after sending over 1,000 emails

  • 2

    chooch

    Fadamor:

    It doesn't fight anything except normal metabolism. It slows the whole body. You move slower, you think slower, and therefore you react slower.

    Citation, please.

    Posted in: Woman dies after inhaling herb in Tokyo hotel

  • 0

    chooch

    Sioux Chef:

    Please check the links I've provided above. While it is not "hemp oil" that can help fight cancer, the fact is that cannabinoids are showing a lot of promise in the fight against cancer.

    Posted in: Woman dies after inhaling herb in Tokyo hotel

  • 1

    chooch

    But as for it being safe, it has been proven to be 20 times more carcinogenic than nicotine. But of course it won't kill you quickly like this nasty, artificial stuff does.

    This is absolutely not true. In fact, scientists have not been able to isolate lung cancer in those who only smoke marijuana as it is often concurrently used by tobacco smokers. Doubly in fact, the chemicals in marijuana have been proving to, ironically, provide promise in the fight against cancer: "Mounting evidence shows ‘cannabinoids’ in marijuana slow cancer growth, inhibit formation of new blood cells that feed a tumor, and help manage pain, fatigue, nausea, and other side effects." DailyBeast Sept. 6/2012

    bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aLRKiCeoXoRQ This one shows that cannabinoids fight tumors in mice. (add w w w)

    I highly suggest that people recognize the world is nuts on the subject of drugs and that anybody legally trying to stop an adult from ingesting anything by law or force is mad for power.

    Posted in: Woman dies after inhaling herb in Tokyo hotel

  • 3

    chooch

    Whatever they're doing in school isn't working.

    Well, just do it more then. It just has to work.

    Posted in: Osaka to reintroduce Saturday classes for elementary schools

  • -1

    chooch

    Personally, I won't allow my kid to go to school on Saturday. What can they do? Nothing.

    And I refuse to get worked up about this kind of thing. This is their problem, not mine. It's been made plain that I'M not included. So, Japanese kids whose parents won't protest against these shenanigans: I'm sorry for you.

    Once my time here is done, it will mean even less to me than it does now.

    Posted in: Osaka to reintroduce Saturday classes for elementary schools

  • 1

    chooch

    "Hey kids, there was a bad shaky thing and now the big energy factory shoots out little tiny energy demons you can't see. If you get these little demons, the red juice in your body will be unhappy."

    Yeah, it's called "leukemia".

    Posted in: Cartoon bird warns Fukushima children of radiation

  • 2

    chooch

    That kind of thing is not gangster where I come from. You get no stripes for hitting old men.

    If you haven't seen the video, it's much tamer than described. It's all slaps, no punches. The guy who does it is typically skinny, with too many layers of clothes and long pointy shoes. Gangsters like this can only exist in this population.

    Posted in: Club boss caught on camera beating elderly taxi driver

  • 7

    chooch

    The most deplorable part is that they chose to attack people who are already the lowest rung of society. It's not a crime of revenge or greed or comeuppance. It's simply a crime of wanton violence on the people society will care least about.

    Posted in: Gang of youths arrested over robbery suspected of beating homeless man to death

  • -1

    chooch

    bringing an end to a brilliant career

    Blatant editorializing. Please have higher journalistic standards.

    Posted in: CIA chief Petraeus resigns over extramarital affair

  • 7

    chooch

    It's a massive problem in Japan with a mind-bogglingly simple solution: record every moment of incarceration and interrogation. Do this and watch the conviction rate fall by 30% in the first year.

    Posted in: Justice minister says sorry to wrongly-jailed Nepal man

  • 3

    chooch

    While I in no way defend murderous actions, we should be careful to avoid bashing mothers as though they have a higher proportional propensity for violence. We have to remember that women in Japan are the primary caregivers, so it is unsurprising that the murderers would be women. Men are at work or doing something else.

    I couldn't guarantee this, but I have a suspicion that the numbers would be more even if fathers were more involved in their children's lives.

    Posted in: Woman arrested for strangling 2-year-old daughter

  • 0

    chooch

    I'm surprised nobody is lamenting the lack of shared parenting in Japan. Being a parent is very hard work yet somehow the concept of sharing the responsibilities between both parents hasn't gained much traction. A stumbling block to this is that most men are forced to work so long that they couldn't take care of a child if they wanted to. Another is not having daycares at companies. Another is the sexism that blocks women from working after a certain age.

    It's like this country has created a type of perfect storm for itself and can't see the obvious steps that need to be taken to take the burden off of one single parent, while simultaneously ameliorating everybody's life by keeping both parents in the child's life.

    I won't hold my breath for change.

    Posted in: Woman arrested over 12-year-old son's death

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