Dennis Hardin

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About Dennis Hardin

  • Birthday 02/22/1948

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    http://www.thelivingimage.com
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  • Interests
    Philosophy, psychology (Ph. D., licensed therapist)
  • Location
    San Pedro, California
  • Gender
    Male

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    Dennis Hardin
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  • Description
    NOTICE: I regard civility as an important principle of social interaction. I do my best to convey a certain measure of respect to those I interact with online. If someone responds to my messages with a personal attack, I will place that person on “ignore” status, which means I will not see their posts and will not respond to their posts from that point forward. About me: I work full time in the psychology field; I work out 5 days a week and ride my bike on the other two; I reserve at least an hour a day for reading (typically 3 books at a time); I eat and sleep regularly; I follow football like it was a religion; I enjoy movies and live theater; I fantasize that I have a social life—and when I am done with all that, I pause to remember that some day I really must revisit OL.

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  1. Prison rape is obviously a horror story for its victims. The fact that it remains a reality of prison life is a moral outrage. Those prison administrators who allow it to continue without doing everything possible to stop it are utterly reprehensible. On the other hand, there are those potential victims for whom I am unlikely to have a shred of pity, any more than I would feel a moment’s sadness for a serial killer who died in a car accident. If a scumwad like Jeffrey Dahmer were gang-raped a dozen or more times a day, I would not lift a finger to stop it. I cannot conceive of any form of punishment that could be described as excessive for a Ted Bundy or an Ed Gein. I am tempted to say the same thing, incidentally, about a serial child abuser. As a victim of childhood sexual abuse myself, I can testify to the inestimable, long-term damage it does to your life. I am still dealing with its consequences today, and feel quite certain that I will continue to do so for the rest of my life. I would not feel sympathetic for a child abuser who was taught what it feels like to be the victim. I will readily acknowledge that this is probably just an emotional reaction on my part, however. My statement about the rape of an imprisoned hacker was simply an acknowledgment of fact. Without dancing around the issue, let me just say that It reflects my unqualified hatred for such individuals and the damage they do to their victims. As human beings, they are lower than the muck I scrape off the bottom of my shoes. At the same time, I would obviously not defend the rape of such individuals as just.
  2. More information about "sextortion" cases in the US and Canada: Grand Sudbury Police Department website The fact that the perpetrator is outside the United States is no reason not to report the threat to the FBI. Here is a case in which Canadian police arrested a man on a tip from the FBI: Ontario Man Arrested in "International Sextortion" Case If you happen to be a hacker, you may want to start greasing up your little bunghole, because Bubba is gonna be happy to meet you. (Especially if you're the type who tends to cry a lot while getting fucked up the arse.)
  3. Dennis Hardin

    Sextortion

    I thought perhaps OL members might be interested in knowing more about a relatively new cybercrime—sextortion--and its criminal consequences. Here’s a link to an interesting case involving a man recently sentenced to six years in prison: Orange County Man Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Hacking And, for anyone who has been a victim of such crime, here’s a link to the FBI’s internet crime complaint center: Federal Bureau of Investigation website
  4. Does his mommy know he's playing on the internet?
  5. Thanks for your very thoughtful contribution and references, Stephen. Much appreciated.
  6. A celebration 45 years in the making. . . The Los Angeles Kings and fans celebrate the team's Stanley Cup win during a parade in Los Angeles, Thursday, June 14, 2012
  7. “Rubio was more likely to read the sports page than weighty philosophical tomes. But by the time he finished his first legislative term, he had devoured Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged twice.” And Paul Ryan was in the habit of requiring that his staffers read Atlas and giving it to friends at Christmas—that is, until some prominent Catholics pointed out her philosophy did not exactly coincide with the teachings of Jesus. From an interview with National Review: In view of his abject betrayal, I consider Ryan more of an enemy of Objectivism than someone who never read one word written by Ayn Rand. It’s nice to know that Rubio has read Atlas Shrugged, but it really means absolutely nothing.
  8. David, Maybe I haven’t been keeping up on current events, but the last time I checked, it was okay for me to express my honest opinion here on OL. Michael’s rules don’t say anything about sugar-coating. All I did was point out that Brant’s comments on morality are not remotely consistent with Objectivism. Since this webforum is called “Objectivist Living,” I thought maybe that was relevant. Brant calls that “going off the ratiocination tracks.” I call it expressing my opinion.
  9. My behavior on OL is due to circumstances beyond my control . .
  10. Okay. I get it. This is a joke. Right? Ha Ha. Very funny. Please don't expect me to take you seriously if it isn't.
  11. C'mon now! Was that real??? You enjoyed yourself so much, I figured I must have been dreaming. . . Nice save , dear. Now it is time for you to start fulfilment of prenup conditions ii.(b) - seek out and pay reverence to Stanley Cup at any and all LA locations ii,© - find name of Beliveau and say prayer or appropriate quote from Ayn Rand at your discretion ii,(d) - find names of Toronto Maple Leafs and weep bitter tears I need to see a copy of this prenup. I suspect my scrawling signature would never hold up in a court of law. I'm not responsible for anything I signed within 12 hours after game six. As I recall, you said it was the tab for room service. Naughty, naughty.
  12. Do the words 'objective code of morality' mean anything to you? Abandon hope, all ye who buy this crap.
  13. C'mon now! Was that real??? You enjoyed yourself so much, I figured I must have been dreaming. . .
  14. Dennis, Why the yawn? I absolutely agree that an Objectivist defense of markets is necessary. But the fact that moving more towards markets and away from controls creates more wealth for everyone isn't something to be greeted with a yawn. It is enabling more people around the world to live their own lives on their own terms, to pursue their own happiness and fulfillment. Objectivists should welcome this with open arms! Poverty is not conducive to the life of man qua man. Also, I should add another thing; it isn't necessarily a choice between pragmatic and moral arguments for markets. Even Rand conceded that the pragmatic argument was empirically true about the benefits of freedom. But here's another thing; we Objectivists defend markets on the basis that they are the only social system compatible with human nature (a nature which necessitates individual rights). Do not organisms thrive in environments that are suited to their nature? It is quite viable to say that the utilitarian benefits of markets in fact prove the Objectivist contention that markets are suited to human nature; if markets were not suited to human nature, they wouldn't create positive results. The consequentialist case for markets is evidence for the natural rights argument. Andrew, Thanks for your interesting comments. However, quite frankly, I must tell you that I find your points utterly irrelevant to the key issue here: until and unless advocates of the free market dispense with collectivist-utilitarian defenses and acknowledge every man’s right to live for his own sake, they are wasting their breath. That’s why I respond to this sort of hair-splitting with a yawn. Nobody cares, and no one is going to be convinced, because it completely sidesteps the fundamental issue that must be confronted and disposed of philosophically. They aren't "miserably slow on the uptake." They know who Ayn Rand is. They just reject her entire philosophy because they do not believe man exists with his own happiness as the proper moral end of their lives. They believe man exists to serve god. This is why the arguments against Ryan were so effective at making him backtrack. This is why Brooks uses a consequentialist defense of markets (Rawlianism, in his case). None of them accept the moral legitimacy of the individual non-coercive pursuit of happiness. They reject Rand's philosophy because they are wearing religious blinders, and that's why they are, as I said, "miserably slow on the uptake." Some of them may know who Rand is, but they make no genuine effort to come to grips with her philosophy, because they are too threatened by it. She defies everything they stand for. And because of their fear, they cannot see the obvious that is staring them in the face.
  15. Hello…What day is this? Just one more Bloody Mary and I know my eyes will start to focus again. Now what’s this about Carol and I going on a Honeymoon? Tell me more. That would be worth sobering up for….