Good Old Neon

Good question, I don

To some degree, yes, overpopulation is beginning to have an impact here as well. Also, Americans use more resources than the citizens of any other country, with the exception of China perhaps (where families are limited to one child). So yes, our behavior, our numbers can have a drastic negative impact on countries most of us will never step foot in. But I agree, I

I understand where you

Well, based on previous conversations and posts, your outlook on life seems to be more scientific in nature

Wikipedia - "In the United States the "Separation of Church and State" is generally discussed as a political and legal principle derived from the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, which reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . . ." The concept of separation is commonly credited to the combination of the two clauses: the establishment clause, generally interpreted as preventing the government from establishing a national religion, providing tax money in support of religion, or otherwise favoring

Because the separation of church and state extends to public schools?

Too funny

This board makes it apparent that even relatively like-minded folks can be balkanized and fractured when talk turns to religion. Given the current political religious climate, the introduction of prayer in school, strikes me, as a recipe for unneeded conflict and divisiveness. Now, as the atheist and philosopher Daniel Dennett has stated, a case could be made for teaching the history of religion in school, free of all dogma. From TED.com - Dennett regards religion as a natural -- rather than supernatural -- phenomenon, and urges schools to break the taboo against empirical examinatio

I was being facetious - in theory, I agree with a tidier, streamlined government. But, given the amazing complexity of our society, and the effort required to keep it running, I can also understand how things get a bit bloated.

Rimshot please....

Holy shit and happy birthday!!!

Generalizations, true - as I stated in my opening remark. Condescending, I don

Well, tomorrow (I

Yes, good government policies are usually supported by good, solid research. Otherwise, why not just throw some arbitrary laws and bills together and call it a day? ANWR I

Here

Once someone has committed a murder, they

Fair enough, though according to a Zogby poll, 31% of folks get their news from TV, while only 12% from newspapers - so, in a sense, you could say televised news programs such as Meet the Press play a greater role in shaping public opinion. And, as a result, are even more influential than print journalism.

When phrased that way, no. But if you

I don

That

And, in most instances, demonstrably beneficial for the woman seeking an abortion. You sir, are correct

Aside from offending an individuals moral sensibilities, I think you would be hard pressed to provide demonstrable, scientific evidence pointing to abortions negative effect on society as a whole. I find it interesting that I

Abortion was

No really, aside from religious dogma, there is not a single piece of scientific, empirical evidence to support the claim that same sex marriage is detrimental to society

Ummmmm