TheBlackCat's Comments (5532)

“the other thing to think about is that even people with the best health insurance money can buy are regularly denied care. I work in a non profit cancer hospital and research facility, and we are constantly fighting to get health insurances to pay for services patients need TO SURVIVE.

If you hire a mechanic, and you pay him, and he doesn't fix your car, you can take him to court. But in America, you can pay hundreds of dollars a month to a company so they will provide you with health care when you become ill...but then there is nothing which compels them to do so. Health insurances aren't required to provide the services they are paid for. And you can't just say "well if one of them does this it will fall to the free market because people will leave to a better health insurance.­" That's not true because 1. I have never seen an insurance company, ever, which does not do this. Some do it to a greater extent then others, but they ALL do it. and 2. Most people don't chose their health insurance. It is chosen by their employer.

I have seen children get denied the most effective cancer treatment by insurance companies and forced to go on a cheaper, less effective regiment while the CEO of that company gets a ten million dollar Christmas bonus. I don't know how the American health insurance system could possibly get any more corrupt.”

“also when I had to see an allergist in Amsterdam I did have to wait a bit to see them. However here in Boston, Ma I had to wait THREE MONTHS to see an allergist who was in my health plan, which is twice as long as my wait in the Netherlands. Now granted when I lived somewhere else in America, I managed to get an appointment with an allergist the next week. but my point is that there are waits in America for care a lot of the time too.”

“I have lived in The Netherlands and Ireland and had a chronic health condition while there. I actually had less wait time than in America because in America I needed to get prior authorization from my health insurance carrier before I received any treatment. Also my health insurance did not pay for all of my medical care. Luckily for me I have parents with money who could pay it out of pocket, or else I simply would not have received care.

I received excellent care in the Netherlands and Ireland. The only thing I had to wait for was an elective dental procedure. I had a friend who fell and broke his two front teeth while I was over in Amsterdam. He got surgery THE NEXT DAY to fix them.

I also work in health care. In America, I have patients who are denied treatment all the time from their medical insurance. I never met someone who was denied medically necessary treatment while working in healthcare in Europe.”

“it's not like America doesn't have things that are better than the Netherlands, or that the Netherlands is 100% competant in everything they do. They have problems like every other country

But they definitely are ahead of us when it comes to a lot of things.”

“and by the way, I do mean that you are a racist against minorities. Not against whites. One of those self loathing afrolatinas, I guess.”

“whatever. you're not only a homophobe but a racist.

All Adam did was point out that other performers got away with sexualized performances as well. Some of these performers happened to not be white. How is this racism by any stretch of the imagination? It's not like he even had a PROBLEM with these other performers, just stated that they did similar things in their acts and no one had a problem with it.

But to you, that's racist. I assume you are one of those who think that people can't even be allowed to mention the names of people of color unless they are explicitly talking about how wonderful they are. Someone can't even make a neutral comment like pointing out the similarities between their acts and the act of someone who happens to be black.

Minorities are not delicate little snowflakes that need to be coddled every moment of their lives, who should not even be mentioned by white people unless we are fawning all over them about how great they are. They are people just the same as white people are people. it is beyond ridiculous for you to say that someone can't even point out that they have a similar act to a minority without THAT being racist.”

“to be fair she does say that just because this performance upset her does not mean that she is for censoring it, she also said that she did make sure her kids don't see stuff like that.”

“indeed. I used to live in the Netherlands where homosexuality is socially acceptable. They have openly gay CONSERVATIVE CATHOLIC politicians there, and no one thinks twice about it!

Yet I don't see how their society is less moral than ours. Their crime rate is a tiny fraction of what ours is. Their divorce rate is low, they have the lowest teen pregnancy rate in the world (including aborted), they have a much closer family structure than we do in America, even when their children are grown, and all in all people are just much less prejudiced over there than they are here. Tolerance to homosexuals has improved their society, not doomed it.”

“yes you do. We can see your profile history, I hope your realize”

“she's definitely obsessed. The only time I ever see her comment on anything is when she's bashing gays.”

“indeed!”

“back at ya!”

“I agree about the sides. Cranberry sause and mashed potatoes especially.”

“aw come on, you don't have to donate or even agree. It's not like eating meat is going out of style. It's a neat little program for those of us who are interested in such things.

I'm the only vegetarian in my family, so I'll be cooking meat (though local and free range) for thanksgiving day. But I'll also send a donation to the above program.”

“I love this tradition.

However, to PETA:

I am a vegetarian. I haven't eaten a turkey for Thanksgiving in over a decade. However, I must say, tofurkey is the exact opposite of "delicious­."”

“I wouldn't go THAT far. But certainly he makes his brand of Christianity no less nuttier than their "religion" !”

“I'm an anthropologist, but for my job now (while I'm in school) at a Harvard research facility and hospital, I know many other kinds of researchers and doctors as well, and most I know are not atheist. Also most other anthroplogists I know also aren't atheists. Granted most aren't religious either, they just call themselves spiritual or agnositc. And though I am but a very small and unimportant fish at Harvard, I know some of the big fish who are world famous doctors and scientsts, yet are not atheists.”

“I mean they demand it in order to respect someone. For instance I have been told by numerous people on this thread that I am stupid or cannot possibly be a good scientist because I am an agnostic and not an atheist!”

“sarcastic- you put that very well. I feel the same.”

“lol”

“You're missing the point entirely.

I would never say "God did it" as an answer for anything. I think there is a scentific explanation for everything, including our emotions and how the universe first began.

I just also do not completely disallow from the fact that something put it all in motion. Maybe that "thing" is just the universe itself, is just science, with no greater supernatural connotations. But maybe there's something else outside of science.

Again, I don't know. But it's sure fun to talk about in an Amsterdam coffee house. It has nothing to do with me being stupid, as posters such as Dark Side or El sistema or others have called me for not being an atheist, it just has to do with my mind being curious. And probably a steady childhood diet of comic books, Tolkein, and Jim Henson movies.”

“"If their intent was really to find weaknesses in the Theory of Evolution the logical first step would be to know the evidence of the Theory of Evolution"

that is what I don't understand about creationists, because I have never met a single creationist who had actually read "On the origin of species" or who could tell me even the basic concepts and definitions related to evolution. How can you be against something if you don't even know what the something is?!”

“well maybe you shouldn't just assume you know what peoples beleifs are before you tell them they are misinformed and conned (which is just a more civil way of calling them stupid)

Why do you assume if someone says "I believe in the possibililty of something more" that they must be referring to the Judeo Christian idea of God? I said nothing more than I wonder if there's something else out there, and you immediately jumped to the conclusion that I assume that "something else" MUST be a patriarchal Judeo Christian image of a person like entity?

For not being a Christian, you sure have got the judging others thing down pat.”

“"As a scientist, you should understand it is NOT people believing in religion that is the issue"

Yes it IS the issue for many people on this thread. I don't even have a belief system. I'm agnostic. I don't believe there is a God but I don't rule out the possibility. I have expressed this on this thread along with several other people who have said they have no religious beliefs and don't make any claims to have any idea what that "something more" might be. Maybe it's just the universe itself as a creative force. Yet I have been called stupid and ignorant by numerous posters, as have others who have simply said that they aren't atheists.

And then you tell me I'm misinformed and conned. Again, that smug satisfaction that you have it all figured out and I don't. How can I be "misinformed" if I don't accept any concept of God I have ever heard of? Maybe it's not even a persona, just a force, maybe it's just the universe itself. It's not misinformed if I say I have no concept of idea of what "it" might be, if "it" exists at all, which very well may not be the case. How can I have been "conned" if i don't believe in any of the representations of God or the hereafter I have ever heard?

I just wonder if there might be something more that goes beyond our understanding.”

“vorpalmusic-
That is my feeling as well, that I just prefer to not allign myself with organized religion of any kind. I read a lot about them and take what I like from them and am enriched by that, whether it's Buddhist or Taoist or whatever else, but I prefer to be my own person and not be described or lumped in with a set belief system.”