WTF? Terrorist killing in Woolwich, London.

[christian]

But more importantly when folks think & feel that violence is getting worse they mean violence is getting worse in my area, in my lifetime. And I would agree. The level of terrorism in my lifetime, in my part of the world, has gone up.

The statistics don't back this up, either, I'm afraid. Crime rate in Dallas, Texas (TX): murders, rapes, robberies, assaults, burglaries, thefts, auto thefts, arson, law enforcement employees, police officers statistics People "feel" a lot about crime based on the evening news. They're generally wrong.

I would do whatever I needed to do to obtain the plan & route from the one I caught to protect innocent people. Saying that is an equivalent evil to the one perpetrated by the terrorists in mis-guided.

I'd argue that systematized state-sanctioned torture is, broadly, a worse evil than savage acts by perpetrated by any one person. Potato, Potahto.

[Matthew J]

The level of terrorism in my lifetime, in my part of the world, has gone up. I don't think the fact that 200 years ago things were worse in sub-saharan africa plays into it much.

You may want to look at what was going on in the United States as it then was and in the lands which later came under control in 1813 if you think life then was more peaceful.

[davids]

I was wondering when Steven Pinker would come up. I think comparing 'the past' (which included two world wars and much more violence before that) , to 'now' and saying society was more violent in the past isn't a fair analysis. Maybe it is, I'm no expert. But more importantly when folks think & feel that violence is getting worse they mean violence is getting worse in my area, in my lifetime. And I would agree. The level of terrorism in my lifetime, in my part of the world, has gone up. I don't think the fact that 200 years ago things were worse in sub-saharan africa plays into it much.

So you think a fair analysis is to restrict the scope to some arbitrary subset centered on an individual's experience? I hope you're not doing science.

There's some fair criticisms to be made of Pinker's book, which is really more a survey of the literature than a study of its own. But the trends are pretty compelling, despite horrific anomalies like the World Wars. Human beings are less likely to die violently now than at any other time in our history. That doesn't mean I won't get knifed by a psychopath when I step out of the subway tonight, which would definitely be an increase in the amount of violence in my area, in my lifetime.

I truly despise this sort of 'That makes us as bad as them' cliche that gets thrown around all too often. Comparing a police/cia/fbi/etc officer who over-steps his authority in the process of preventing a terrorist attack on innocent poeple TO a bloodthirsty compassionless terrorist who kills & maims innocent people is bullshit.

Those two douchebags in Boston were planning to drive to NYC to kill & maim more innocent people in times square. Say things turned out differently, and I caught one of them & the other got away, I would do whatever I needed to do to obtain the plan & route from the one I caught to protect innocent people. Saying that is an equivalent evil to the one perpetrated by the terrorists in mis-guided.

Eh, never mind. Christian said it better than I can. You support State-sanctioned torture? I think that's revolting.

[bertiewhang]

So do we think that treating terrorists fairly will stop them from doing their thing?
I think that if you don't care about other peoples human rights then you rescind your own.

[davids]

So do we think that treating terrorists fairly will stop them from doing their thing?
I think that if you don't care about other peoples human rights then you rescind your own.

So tell me, how does that work? Really - who makes the determination that you don't care about other people's human rights? What criteria do they use? Sounds to me like we need to establish a process, and some rules.

[Matthew J]

So do we think that treating terrorists fairly will stop them from doing their thing?
I think that if you don't care about other peoples human rights then you rescind your own.

An argument which of course must be as applicable to the society that supports state sanctioned terror as the terrorist.

[Dallas Tex]

The statistics don't back this up, either, I'm afraid. Crime rate in Dallas, Texas (TX): murders, rapes, robberies, assaults, burglaries, thefts, auto thefts, arson, law enforcement employees, police officers statistics People "feel" a lot about crime based on the evening news.

The Dallas Police Department is well known for changing & modifying reporting standards and crime classifications to spin these numbers. The Chief of Police is bascially a politician. Yes the department that planted ground up particle board & prosecuted/jailed innocent men for possession of cocaine just might not the best folks to provide their own grades for their own report card.

[Dallas Tex]

So you think a fair analysis is to restrict the scope to some arbitrary subset centered on an individual's experience? I hope you're not doing science.

thats not any less fair than including anomalies like two world wars and the chinese cultural revolution in an analysis that tells someone living in Detroit that they are safe and getting safer every year.


Do you honestly think we are going to experience less and less terrorism in the coming years?

I hope you're not teaching children.

[christian]

Ok you win. I hereby concede that Dallas, TX in 2013 is the most dangerous place there ever was. It's a near miracle you haven't been abducted by a stranger during the course of this thread. I also concede that, in order to ensure the continued safety of the most dangerous place in the world, we'd best immediately institute Yezhov-era police tactics. Luckily, those same corruptible, statistics-influencing cops will always have perfect judgement about who is worthy of torture and not. (Man, doesn't living in Dallas stress you out, if it's really that bad?)

[Dallas Tex]

Ok you win. I hereby concede that Dallas, TX in 2013 is the most dangerous place there ever was. It's a near miracle you haven't been abducted by a stranger during the course of this thread. I also concede that, in order to ensure the continued safety of the most dangerous place in the world, we'd best immediately institute Yezhov-era police tactics. Luckily, those same corruptible, statistics-influencing cops will always have perfect judgement about who is worthy of torture and not. (Man, doesn't living in Dallas stress you out, if it's really that bad?)

If you got this ^^^

from this vvv

The Dallas Police Department is well known for changing & modifying reporting standards and crime classifications to spin these numbers. The Chief of Police is bascially a politician. Yes the department that planted ground up particle board & prosecuted/jailed innocent men for possession of cocaine just might not the best folks to provide their own grades for their own report card.

than you might be operating on all cylinders.

[edoz]

Ok you win. I hereby concede that Dallas, TX in 2013 is the most dangerous place there ever was.

I will admit I fear for my life when I drive through Dallas. Mostly cause I'm afraid some fuckwit's gonna run me over. Once I get off the highway, my only fear is that I'll commit suicide from strip mall/Applebee's/Best Buy overexposure.

[maunahaole]

I've been to Dallas. I am in no hurry to return.

[davids]

thats not any less fair than including anomalies like two world wars and the chinese cultural revolution in an analysis that tells someone living in Detroit that they are safe and getting safer every year.


Do you honestly think we are going to experience less and less terrorism in the coming years?

I hope you're not teaching children.

Read Pinker's book and read up on statistics and then we can have a meaningful conversation about statistical anomalies.

And while past trends are no predictor of the future, I do think that humanity will experience less & less terrorism - and other kinds of violence - over the long term. Despite pockets of reactionaries who feel unlawful violence is best met with unlawful violence.

I try to focus on one child at a time.

[Jonathan]

I don't know how I feel about a lot of this conversation but I'm amazed that many of my friends who live in gated subdivisions feel that trayvon Martin is still out to get them. Seems like everyone in FL is packing or signing up for gun class so they can. The stupid shit I did as teenager, the stupid shit teenagers do, can get you capped now. Personally I've never felt safer. I know that not every region is the same, but I'm planning to hike the length of Manhattan with with DavidS, Toots and whoever thinks I'm cool enough to hang out with. I don't think we'd have considered it 20 years ago. I wish people would back off the ledge and consider what's real wrt to our safety and how to approach keeping us safe.

Ps, I'm part North Carolina Cherokee Indian, don't try to bullshit me about safety within our borders in some lame ass historical context that actually ignores history.

[Dallas Tex]

I will admit I fear for my life when I drive through Dallas. Mostly cause I'm afraid some fuckwit's gonna run me over. Once I get off the highway, my only fear is that I'll commit suicide from strip mall/Applebee's/Best Buy overexposure.

I have a picture of Doz actually riding a bike through the mean streets of dallas.......while carrying another bike. Doz, post that pic.

[Dallas Tex]

......... I do think that humanity will experience less & less terrorism.....

Well, we will have to disagree on that point. I sincerely hope that you are right and I am wrong.

[Roman]

You are three times more likely to be killed by lightning than by a terrorist. That doesn't make terrorism any less abhorrent, it just puts the threat in perspective. I say we develop resouces to ensure that practicing terrorism is not rewarding for the terrorists, to make the terrorism irrelevant, unrewarding, and unproductive for them. Then, the jihadists can go back to surfing american porn and maybe coming here for a nice education, a bucket of chicken, and a little action on the weekend instead. In that sense, it is money well spent, as long as you don't create collateral damage and use the threat to scare us all out of our wits and our democratic essence, all for political gain.



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[Dallas Tex]

...... read up on statistics and then we can have a meaningful conversation about statistical anomalies.

I got an A in graduate level stats class. Feel free to conversate.

[Roman]

Did the course cover probability, sampling, distributions, and statistical power, or are they not included in the creationist curriculum?

[maunahaole]

Did the course cover probability, sampling, distributions, and statistical power, or are they not included in the creationist curriculum?

As those words were not used in the bible, those topics were not in the curriculum.