Steve Christian comments

Posted in: 15-year-old alleged rape victim in Maldives to be flogged See in context

If you can't figure it out yourself

Everyone seems awful grumpy today. Is it the weather? I did answer that for myself. But I think it presumptuous to answer for YOU FOLKS. So asked. Never thought I would get raked over the coals for asking!

I, like you, think the crux of the whole issue is having premarital sex as a crime. Others just seem to be against Islam and Shariah automatically.

Pre-marital sex is not a crime anywhere that's not controlled by Islamic law.

Yeah. But on the other hand you won't go to jail for having two wives. No country is perfect! Wherever you go, you get some freedoms and you don't get others.

And while I don't agree with the flogging, it might be better than a few years in jail. Flogging will be finished in less than a hour. Again, I don't agree with it though.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

Posted in: U.S. lawsuit claims 'King of Beers' is watered down See in context

Happily put this stuff in their mouth for years, ...what was the tip-off again?

If and when it changed, did they notice a change immediately and get a lab test done, or did they wait a while? Or what?

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Posted in: Atsuko Maeda's film canceled after studio goes bust due to Senkaku dispute See in context

Article sorely needs an explanation.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Police sergeant arrested on underage sex charge See in context

Having sexual relations in a car parking lot with a 16 year old girl? Disgusting!

Surely they could have gotten a room!

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Posted in: 15-year-old alleged rape victim in Maldives to be flogged See in context

Seems everyone is against this. Strange that no one has said why exactly. This leaves me to wonder if its because flogging should not be a punishment, because some mistakenly think she will be flogged before 18, because some think 15 year olds should be immune from the law, because rape victims should, or just because its shariah and those darned Muslims again.

How many actually read past the headline? She is not going to be flogged for being a rape victim. She is going to be flogged for willingly having had extra-marital sex with another man. Any other Sunday, it seems people are all for punishing teens as adults and are quick to point out that the law is the law so just don't break it and you will be fine. All told, I am a bit confused as to what exactly everyone here is thinking.

Here is my take: Bottom line, she has suffered enough. If anyone thinks extra-marital sex should be punished, she has been punished already. Raped by her step-father? Hey, where were these police and judges while that was going on, hmmm? To have her baby taken from her and murdered too? Definitely, this girl has paid her dues already. Now, here is the rub: I don't think I have ever heard a court make such a decision anywhere in the world. I know of no country with courts that would say, okay, this person has suffered enough, so we will overlook this infraction of the law.

So while I don't agree with the court or even the law against extra-marital sex, I find all this talk of Maldives being barbaric a bit far-fetched if its based only on this case.

-13 ( +1 / -14 )

Posted in: Mount Fuji climbing fee to be introduced See in context

Normally I would be completely against such a measure. But all I ever hear about is how the people who climb Fuji have no sense, respect or ability or desire to clean up after themselves.

I just hope the fees will start and remain appropriate, and the money will go in the right places instead of the wrong pockets. But where money is concerned, I am never too hopeful.

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Posted in: AKB fan threatens sarin gas attack over commercial See in context

Look...when you have middle aged men spending thousands of dollars just for the right to be able vote for their favorite AKB girl in these stupid elections

How many are we talking about exactly? How long has AKB been a phenomenon and how many attack threats have been made in that time? Numbers please, because I have had about enough of these ravings about exaggerated dangers based on a dislike of some people's interests and hobbies.

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Posted in: Afghan president to expel U.S. special forces from key province See in context

What. Have you been asleep these last four years?

Yes but we should not forget the 8 years before that. This Vietnam is only 1/3 Obama's, which is bad enough. Don't fret though. Looks like he is going to claim half ownership over the next four years.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Hiroshima to finally get a Costco - too bad you have to pay Y3,000 for parking See in context

Read the fine print. If I make a trip to Costco, I spend about 3 hours there and spend about 7 man. I will park for free.

Thing is, I don't go to Costco so much any more, because every time I go, I feel I benefited less. Costco is going down hill.

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Posted in: S Korea swears in first female president See in context

Zero tolerance eh? The question is, given that she is her father's daughter, who is going to be on the receiving end of her zero tolerance.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Posted in: Afghan president to expel U.S. special forces from key province See in context

I highly doubt the spec ops were cutting some young boy's throat under a bridge.

And I have no idea why you would doubt without one helluva lot more information. It was just one year ago that an American soldier killed 9 kids and 7 adults for kicks. Then you have the teen girl in Iraq whose family was murdered so soldiers could rape her, then they killed her too. Videos of soldiers peeing on the dead, and point blank executing the wounded. There are reams of reports of crazy stuff happening, as always happens in any war zone.

But some people think Americans can do no wrong just for being born in the right country...which of course fails to explain why America has the highest incarceration rate in the world, with Russia being a distant second.

All this nonsense, and still no Americans going before the ICJ. But oh yeah, lets just take pot shots at Karzai. He is just the leader of the faction that war supporters claim to be standing behind any other day.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Posted in: Obama calls for 'smart' deficit reduction See in context

In 2001.

Thank you. I would have lost the bet,...but, one year hardly counts in decades of borrowing, especially considering that the whole time we were still deep in debt and the surplus hardly dented it.

I don't want my point to get lost on these side issues. America is deep in hock. In the belief that we can spend our way out, the government has been borrowing under both Bush and Obama. But what needs to be done is to cut the fat. The military makes up far too much of the budget. Its either that or stop having the government subsidize Granny's meds...in fact, we might need to do both...but the military should be sharply reduced in expenditure.

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Posted in: AKB fan threatens sarin gas attack over commercial See in context

Yeah Mirai and sillygirl, this loon is just a typical example of an AKB48 fan. Sure. Surprised you did not imply that he was also a typical Japanese male!

Um, anyway, I am so scared right now, because I know he can just mix up a batch of sarin in his backyard with some agricultural chemicals and paint cans...not!

4 ( +8 / -4 )

Posted in: Why aren't Japanese dating and mating? See in context

I think its too easy to knock Japanese men for not being very overt with Japanese women. Ever have any experience trying to talk to a Japanese woman you did not know outside of a club, for even an totally legit reason? Most of them, if they were carrying a pile of boxes and you opened the door for them, would not even give you a cursory "arigatou". If you jumped in front of one and prevented her from falling into an open manhole, she would keep quietly walking while you explained the situation, and never look back. In fact, just getting any Japanese person that you know to waive or acknowledge you in a chance meeting can be like pulling teeth.

Japan is unfriendly, and a big reason is because women tend to treat most of the men around them as psycho-stalkers for some reason I have not figured out yet. Just trying to get a smile or eye contact from a stranger is a very disheartening experience. Japanese are just reaping what they sow.

3 ( +6 / -3 )

Posted in: Obama asks Supreme Court to overturn gay marriage ban See in context

Your statement that laws vary "so widely that its obviously not based on good science" is just ridiculous, as are all of your arguments.

Rude much? Suddenly all of my arguments are ridiculous? In fact, you just made the most absurd statement of the year with that.

24 US states prohibit first cousin marriage dude. 7 permit with special circumstance. You call that continuity? Don't answer that. I don't want any more needless rude posturing over this side issue anyway.

I did not make marriage dependent on procreation

Yes, you did. You just don't want to accept it. If laws against incest are rightly, as you insist, barred on the basis of the procreation result, then its consistent that others will do the same for gay marriage. In other words, if you base the entirety of legally banning one form of marriage on procreation, then it will be done for other forms as well. In other words, if you legally ban one form of marriage on the demand for healthy procreation, then others will do the same for gay marriage, which also will not result in healthy procreation, at least not directly.

No one should ever assume that a married couple will or will not procreate, nor determine their right to marry based on anything to do with procreation. A government accepting a marriage is not a demand to procreate, nor should it be.

A cornerstone of the arguments against gay marriage is that a gay couple cannot procreate. In no way should we lend that argument credence by making an assumption of procreation among married people.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Posted in: Why aren't Japanese dating and mating? See in context

The problem with that is that "cheap sex" doesn't really satisfy the human need to be close to others and have family.

The truth is somewhere between those two extremes. People want to date for a few years generally, not make every partner a spouse.

And while I would not term the desire to have a new prostitute every time as "sexual addiction", I do agree its not the road to happiness for most people. Like I say, dating someone for a few years. You get the intimacy, but ultimately many of us want some freshness eventually. For so many, the idea of complete monogamy until death is just a much a road to unhappiness.

I guess my biggest tip for you is to stop treating humanity as if we all clones with no variety in relationship needs and desires.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Posted in: We hope the U.S. government will send a clear message that any future trade policy with Japan must ensure a level playing field and not come at the expense of American workers. See in context

For the first time, I noticed a Ford dealership while driving tonight.

I have yet to notice a Ford on the road.

Japanese don't want them it seems to me.

That said, I don't know if the Japanese government is taxing the dealerships and cars unfairly or if there are unfair restrictions.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Japan’s favorite alcohol: Beer outranks Japanese rice wine and shochu See in context

I never could understand the layman's fascination with beer. There are about a million different cocktails I would take over a beer. Why aren't cocktails on the list? I mean, I like gin, but I never drink it straight.

Anyway, beer. Few times have I ever desired a bitter drink. But even then, I certainly did not want something that made me bloated and sent me running to the toilet so much just to get a good drunk going. One of my favorite memories was playing hackey sack as a teenager and passing around a bottle of whiskey.

-12 ( +0 / -12 )

Posted in: 98 windows smashed, staff room flooded at Odawara school See in context

Who would do this? In addition to a bad boy of a student, I will add: An angry parent. A disgruntled teacher. A fired teacher, shafted by his coworkers. An annoyed neighbor of the school whose complaint about whatever fell on deaf ears. Someone rightly or wrong labeled as "fushinsha" by the school. And last but no least.....A window salesman who has fallen on hard times.

If anyone wants to be presumptuous I have a tip for you; its best done when combined with a rich imagination. If you don't have one, you probably should refrain.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Posted in: Obama calls for 'smart' deficit reduction See in context

Sorry, Steve - not true. The budget includes payments to service the debt - i.e., to pay interest and principal payments on bonds with maturities of up to 30 years - so while a surplus does not erase the debt, it is an actual surplus of cash.

Yeah, but a man who is bankrupt can still have ten dollars in his pocket.

When was the last time the U.S. Congress put together a budget that did not require borrowing? I can't answer my own question, but I bet was before Reagan. And that is my point. Congress is borrowing America into one tremendous hole. Whatever inflow there is, the outflow dwarfs it.

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Posted in: Why aren't Japanese dating and mating? See in context

So many fallacies. So many misconceptions. So many assumptions. So many stereotypes. Just GAAAAAAAHHHH!!!

For example: " In such an apparent and blatantly sexual society,"

Compared to where? I am sure Japanese think the same thing of western societies when they visit. And the evidence: "Only the other day I pulled up alongside a car while waiting at the traffic lights and glanced over, only to discover a guy watching full frontal penetration on his dashboard DVD screen. It was 11am. "

That one guy does not represent Japan. Neither would ten more like him. The only reason why you don't see that more in western countries is because they would get arrested fast. Also, I am not even Japanese, and I have to say that I RESENT the writing of the term "randy Asians". What a load of dung! And such disgusting cultural relativism in this entire piece anyway.

So much more to say, but I want to hit this one especially hard: "I asked some 24-year-old Japanese males what they consider to be most important when dating the opposite sex. The response came back: “She has to be nice.”

You asked for THE most important thing. You got the ONE answer you asked for. You then go on from there to say: "When intelligence, a sense of humor, and similar interests fail to hold any importance,..." Well HOLY MARY MOTHER OF GOD! You ask for number one on the list, that is what you get! It does not mean that EVERY OTHER THING IN THE UNIVERSE holds no importance. Just GAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!

1 ( +6 / -5 )

Posted in: Obama calls for 'smart' deficit reduction See in context

Don't confuse budget surpluses with dollar amounts held that could actually dent the crushing public debt. Budget surpluses are not actual cash and don't come in amounts to do that. The US government has to borrow to have money for any budget. A budget surplus is basically money that America did not borrow, not money that America has left to spend.

That said, America needs to real in the outrageous spending on the U.S. military that amount to high tech weapons we don't need and lining the pockets of a few rich men. This policy of outspending the world combined on the military will drag America down to the bottom.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Posted in: Iran says it has captured a foreign enemy drone See in context

And Iran has captured a drone before and America has violated many nation's airspace and sovereignty including Iran's.

I think I will wait and see since we are dealing with governments beyond the privilege of trust.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Chinese ship spends an hour in disputed waters See in context

I think Abe is going to do a lot of tolerating! In fact, I hope he does. These teeny islands are not worth a war. Not remotely. Not to you and me anyway. Beware those to whom it would have value though. They will fill your ears full whatever garbage they can dredge up to get their bloody war.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Posted in: Oscar Pistorius gets bail as murder trial looms See in context

Girlfriends you read that ? Don't take the risk of turning your back, if you must go to the toilets during the night, shoot BEFORE going. After, it's too late.

No. The moral of the story is that when living in a crime ridden place like SA, and when sleeping with a paranoid man who owns guns and who has to make a stand because he cannot run, don't slip quietly out of bed to use the toilet, leaving the blankets and comforter piled up so it looks like you are still there.

Again, not saying I believe Pistorius. Not even saying I think he took the right action. Just saying it might really have been a stupid accident and not pre-meditated murder.

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Posted in: Crown prince marks 53rd birthday See in context

songwillem2011 respect and admiration are great when then they are based on good reasons and really not so great when they aren't and in fact, can be dangerous. So what are your reasons for this respect and admiration?

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Posted in: Obama asks Supreme Court to overturn gay marriage ban See in context

Frungy just made marriage dependent on procreation.

Ah, yes. And my point is, what does that mean for gay couples who cannot procreate? Best not to go there. Its irrelevant. Marriage is not and should not be based on procreation.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Posted in: Obama asks Supreme Court to overturn gay marriage ban See in context

Comparing incest and being gay is like comparing apples to oranges.

No its not. Some people just want to put gayness up on a special pedestal of its own so they don't have to deal with comparisons. People try to do this with racial and gender discrimination as well, but unfair and unjust discrimination is pretty much all comparable. A lot can also be fairly equated.

I understand the desire to ram gay marriage through the court of public opinion, as I support gay marriage myself. But basing that on faulty reasoning is just going to mean more trouble in the future. To wit:

The prohibition against close relatives marrying is backed up by good science, it tends to concentrate genetic faults and produces a much higher risk of children with serious disabilities.

Frungy just made marriage dependent on procreation. Close relatives do not need to be married to make children. Nor do they need to make children to have what is, for all intents and purposes, a marriage.

Aside, the laws are not based on good science. Its based on guesswork and unresearched perception. Risks are indeed raised the closer two people are related, but not so high that it was obvious to ancient people's as inbreeding was common. The laws of all countries and states on the subject vary so widely that its obviously not based on good science.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

Posted in: Obama asks Supreme Court to overturn gay marriage ban See in context

We could debate all day about the original definition of marriage, whether it was a meant to be between a man and woman only, or if it is a religious word, whether its eternal, or if its intent is procreation, raising children, stablizing society or whatever.

In the end we won't get a clear answer because its different things to different people at different times.

In the past, we have married children to other children. We have had marriages between on man and several women. We have not allowed divorce. We have forced people to marry. And yes, there have been gay marriages in the past. The meaning of the word has changed and will continue to change until the end of time. So its totally besides the point.

The point here is tolerance. And for the sake of tolerance I would be perfectly happy to allow the religious to keep the word "marriage" and for the government to expunge the word from its documents and instead use the term "civil union" or whatever. This will serve to clarify the separation of church and state on this matter.

But it is not strictly necessary. Its just a bone that would be nice to throw to the intolerant in the hopes that they will change their backward, small-minded and pathetic clinging to intolerance.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Posted in: Pentagon grounds F-35 fleet after engine crack found See in context

The F-35 is the Pentagon’s most expensive weapons program at a total estimated cost of nearly $400 billion.

A lot of money for a weapon we don't need in a country that is technically very, very bankrupt.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

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