One of the funniest things I've ever heard in my life.

Troubleshooter · 12-24-2004, 10:07 PM

Penn Jilette on airport security:

"You know, we have the solution on how to do all the security: Have a man and woman at each gate leading to the airplane strip. They’re stripped from the waist down, and every passenger has to lean over and lightly kiss the genitals of the person of the same sex and then have a piece of bacon. And all hijacking just goes away."

Whole thing here.

xoxoxoBruce · 12-28-2004, 01:30 AM

Quote:

I get that feeling that maybe I endorse some stuff that doesn’t make sense, and I’d like someone to beat me up about that a little more. I have a certain kind of peacenik default in all my interactions. If you ask me, “Should we have been in World War II?,” I instantly say no. World War I, certainly no. Vietnam, certainly no. Iraq, no. I really seem to think that the answer to everything is peace, and I’m not sure I can support that. I have this weird kind of feeling that if I knew enough, maybe peace isn’t always the answer. - Penn Jillette

Now that's an interesting conundrum.

Undertoad · 12-28-2004, 09:23 AM

I was thinking about pulling that paragraph for here too, B!

Penn is my hero - really! Always has been. I've read all the P&T books, seen their stage show countless times, read the guy's writings... He always comes through with thoughts like that.

And here he's one of the smartest people I've ever seen, and yet he admits that he could be wrong, always wants to be challenged. Well that's probably why he's one of the smartest people.

xoxoxoBruce · 12-28-2004, 10:44 PM

I would debate WW II with him, but none of the others.

Radar · 12-29-2004, 04:24 AM

Penn Jillette is actually a friend of mine. He's also an outspoken libertarian. I grew up in Vegas and have known him for years. I've been to his house a number of times and was going to be his new computer man at one point.

I'm going to Vegas for New Years and was going to give him a call for tickets. Usually when I'm in town he gets me VIP tickets, but New Years is tough. The tickets are very expensive and that's a loss for him. I'll see if I can go the day before or after.

Undertoad · 12-29-2004, 07:31 AM

Well take his words to heart then: you, too, could be smarter if you could admit that you may be wrong.

Radar · 12-29-2004, 07:42 AM

I can admit when I'm wrong. In fact I've done so many times, especially when I was married the first time. But there are some things I just know are right....at least for me. Asking me to change my mind would be like me asking a devout Christian to consider Buddhism. Once your mind is made up, and you've got credible evidence to back your beliefs as I do, there's no need to change your mind. I know that 2+2 = 4 so if someone were to come to me and say, "Why are you being so closed minded and a jerk? Why can't you just admit that 2+2 = 22?" I'd argue until I can't anymore. I might give basic math lessons, or links to pages that have the answer. But in the end I can't force someone else to see the truth, I can just repeat it in hopes someone might agree with me and I don't feel like I'm alone.

And believe me when I say, if you tell Penn there is a god, he'll laugh at you. If you tell him you do psychic surgery, or read crystal balls, etc., he'll likely insult you and attack you. He will never change his mind on these things, but he tells people, "I could be wrong" as a means of sounding humble, when he knows he's not wrong."

Penn would need about the same evidence as me to believe in a god. He'd need actual entity of god to show themself and make a suitable demonstration of power to prove his identity and a means of recording and measuring his presence so we'd know it wasn't a hallucination. So I guess I could be wrong, but it's not likely.

Undertoad · 12-29-2004, 07:52 AM

Well sure, but you're still in a very different place than Penn. When he says I get that feeling that maybe I endorse some stuff that doesn’t make sense, and I’d like someone to beat me up about that a little more. I can't imagine you saying that. EVER

You seek to validate your views, not question them, which is why you employ a math analogy to describe them. Math is absolute, you are dealing with imperfect humans and an imperfect you.

OnyxCougar · 12-30-2004, 09:38 AM

Hey Radar, hit Yolie's for me while you're in Vegas. It's the only thing I miss about that shithole.

12-24-2004, 10:07 PM	#1
Troubleshooter The urban Jane Goodall Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Florida Posts: 3,012	One of the funniest things I've ever heard in my life. Penn Jilette on airport security: "You know, we have the solution on how to do all the security: Have a man and woman at each gate leading to the airplane strip. They’re stripped from the waist down, and every passenger has to lean over and lightly kiss the genitals of the person of the same sex and then have a piece of bacon. And all hijacking just goes away." Whole thing here. __________________ I have gained this from philosophy: that I do without being commanded what others do only from fear of the law. - Aristotle

12-28-2004, 10:44 PM	#4
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	I would debate WW II with him, but none of the others. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

12-29-2004, 04:24 AM	#5
Radar Constitutional Scholar Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Ocala, FL Posts: 4,006	Penn Jillette is actually a friend of mine. He's also an outspoken libertarian. I grew up in Vegas and have known him for years. I've been to his house a number of times and was going to be his new computer man at one point. I'm going to Vegas for New Years and was going to give him a call for tickets. Usually when I'm in town he gets me VIP tickets, but New Years is tough. The tickets are very expensive and that's a loss for him. I'll see if I can go the day before or after. __________________ "I'm completely in favor of the separation of Church and State. My idea is that these two institutions screw us up enough on their own, so both of them together is certain death." - George Carlin

12-29-2004, 07:42 AM	#7
Radar Constitutional Scholar Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Ocala, FL Posts: 4,006	I can admit when I'm wrong. In fact I've done so many times, especially when I was married the first time. But there are some things I just know are right....at least for me. Asking me to change my mind would be like me asking a devout Christian to consider Buddhism. Once your mind is made up, and you've got credible evidence to back your beliefs as I do, there's no need to change your mind. I know that 2+2 = 4 so if someone were to come to me and say, "Why are you being so closed minded and a jerk? Why can't you just admit that 2+2 = 22?" I'd argue until I can't anymore. I might give basic math lessons, or links to pages that have the answer. But in the end I can't force someone else to see the truth, I can just repeat it in hopes someone might agree with me and I don't feel like I'm alone. And believe me when I say, if you tell Penn there is a god, he'll laugh at you. If you tell him you do psychic surgery, or read crystal balls, etc., he'll likely insult you and attack you. He will never change his mind on these things, but he tells people, "I could be wrong" as a means of sounding humble, when he knows he's not wrong." Penn would need about the same evidence as me to believe in a god. He'd need actual entity of god to show themself and make a suitable demonstration of power to prove his identity and a means of recording and measuring his presence so we'd know it wasn't a hallucination. So I guess I could be wrong, but it's not likely. __________________ "I'm completely in favor of the separation of Church and State. My idea is that these two institutions screw us up enough on their own, so both of them together is certain death." - George Carlin Last edited by Radar; 12-29-2004 at 07:45 AM.

12-30-2004, 09:38 AM	#9
OnyxCougar Junior Master Dwellar Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Kingdom of Atlantia Posts: 2,979	Hey Radar, hit Yolie's for me while you're in Vegas. It's the only thing I miss about that shithole. __________________ Impotentes defendere libertatem non possunt. "Repetition does not transform a lie into a truth." ~Franklin D. Roosevelt

12-28-2004, 09:23 AM	#3
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	I was thinking about pulling that paragraph for here too, B! Penn is my hero - really! Always has been. I've read all the P&T books, seen their stage show countless times, read the guy's writings... He always comes through with thoughts like that. And here he's one of the smartest people I've ever seen, and yet he admits that he could be wrong, always wants to be challenged. Well that's probably why he's one of the smartest people.

12-29-2004, 07:31 AM	#6
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	Well take his words to heart then: you, too, could be smarter if you could admit that you may be wrong.

12-29-2004, 07:52 AM	#8
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	Well sure, but you're still in a very different place than Penn. When he says I get that feeling that maybe I endorse some stuff that doesn’t make sense, and I’d like someone to beat me up about that a little more. I can't imagine you saying that. EVER You seek to validate your views, not question them, which is why you employ a math analogy to describe them. Math is absolute, you are dealing with imperfect humans and an imperfect you.

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