Deozaan: I'm not going to claim I know a truckload about global warming, but fact is that it's happening and very noticable - the winters in Denmark are very different now than 5 years ago. School vacations have been moved because of climate changes. Ice is melting at greenland, and at a faster/accelerating rate that's pretty unnerving. Whether you believe it's caused by man or not (I personally believe we've at least influenced the trend negatively), we definitely should try to do something about it, because things aren't going to be nice when the water levels rise and the deserts spread.
-f0dder
Sure, the temperature may have risen on average over the last however many years, but I'm under the impression that that's just natural, periodic heating and cooling of the earth. Just 30 years ago scientists were saying that the earth was entering another ice age, and panicking about how to heat the earth up. Some groups even suggested dumping something like ash or sulfur on the ice caps to get them to melt. The idea of doing that now, with Global Warming on the brain, seems so ludicrous. Yet science and celebrities were so sure that the world was freezing. Personally I think scientists and people are overreacting in the same way, but focusing on the opposite extreme of temperature. I'd like people to just take a step back, relax, and really research and study and find out if it's really happening.
The document everybody refers to as proof of global warming happening was not a consensus among all the scientists who contributed to the document. Each scientist contributed a little part that may or may not have been meant to support the idea of Global Warming. Those who asked to have their names removed from the document when they found out what the agenda was for it have since been defamed. And anybody in a prominent position who disagrees about the validity of Global Warming is ostracized, criticized, and defamed.
Personally, I have questions, and they're not being answered because everyone is too busy telling me that to question is scientific heresy and I ought to be strangled for even doubting. It's so strange to me because the people who tell me that religion was invented to control people and looks down upon those who ask questions and don't blindly believe are the same people who tell me I should blindly believe in global warming and that asking questions about it's truth is wrong. And they also try to control me by telling me stay away from airplanes, automobiles, and technology in general and go green, all the while riding private jets across the world to preach global warming, owning 3 mansions, several SUVs and recreational vehicles, etc. In my opinion, the hypocrisy isn't helping their credibility. If they really believed what they were spouting off, they would be living differently.
I liked it better when science was a search for truth. Not when it was a method of twisting facts to "prove" our own opinions.
Gay marriage is probably not something that should be discussed here at DC 
-f0dder
Exactly. That's why I didn't go into any reasons.
Illegal immigration is a problem, but I wonder what would happen to the US economy if all the slave underpaid workers were thrown out of the country; face it, how many jobs are filled that no sane person would take?
-f0dder
That's one of the reasons I'm all for cracking down on illegal immigration. The only reason a "sane" person would not take these jobs is because they really are modern day slavery/sweatshops right here in the USA. The people who employ illegal immigrants in these situations are also breaking the law by not paying minimum wage, having unsafe work conditions, and depriving illegal immigrants of other benefits that all people are entitled to according to US law. The problem is that they can't complain about it to the government because their employers threaten to fire them or get them deported. If we take away the incentive to hire what is essentially slave labor by severely penalizing companies that knowingly employ illegal immigrants, those jobs which people argue are "undesirable" will become desirable because they will be meeting governmental regulations when it comes to pay and work conditions. Not only that, since no one would want to hire illegal immigrants for fear of the penalties closing them down, the illegal immigrants will have very little incentive to come here illegally because they would not be able to find work.
Personally I think the economy might stutter a little in the transition period, but it would quickly boom back and perhaps be better than ever.
But, see, the point of this thread was to talk about what annoyed me, which was people who immediately call me names or defame me instead of speaking logically and civilly like you and I have here. It wasn't my intent to explain my position. My intent was just to say that it really annoys me that I'm labeled as a hate-monger because I have questions about the validity of the concept of man-caused global warming and how bad it really is; I have problems with illegal immigration; and I have other opinions on other controversial subjects that people won't take the time to hear the reasons behind my opinions.
People usually hear that I don't like illegal immigration and they call me racist against latinos. People hear that I doubt that global warming is a big catastrophe or that it's even man made and people call me stupid, wasteful, that I don't care about the environment, etc. People hear that I'm against gay marriage and start telling me I'm homophobic. Instead of listening to my reasons, they just defame me.
I also have to admit that I don't know every bit of detail on every topic, but an important difference between me and the people I'm complaining about is that I'm willing to change my mind if enough logical information is presented to me where I can say "Oh yeah, that makes sense. Okay I support that." I don't mind that other people disagree with me. That's just a fact of life. But the people I'm complaining about are the ones who immediately, upon hearing your differing opinion, will seek only to discredit you and your opinion instead of encouraging communication so the issue can be discussed and a resolution made, even if that resolution is just to agree to disagree.
