Each reply to this thread = $$ for DU

[UrbScotty]

I wil donate six cents for every reply by Wednesday at 9:58 PM EDT (6:58 PDT) PLUS eleven cents for each different DUer who posts at least one reply.

So if 56 different DUers post 89 replies to this thread, I will donate $9.52 to DU.
(.11 x 56 = 3.36; .06 * 89 = 6.16).

Deleted responses and sex-related posts will NOT count.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

1. ok.

[NMDemDist2]

2. screw that, just cough up the dough dude.

seriously!

:rofl:

[UrbScotty]

5. If I had much, I would!

Now shut up and post! :evilgrin:

[NMDemDist2]

10. yes dear

:rofl:

[Cronus Protagonist]

188. You said "scew that" - is that about fucking and therefore disqualified?

I'm just fucking wondering.

[NMDemDist2]

200. nope n/t

[GenDem]

3. nice

[Gormy Cuss]

4. Deal.

ih8thegophasacreativefundingraisingstrategy. kudostoih8thegop.

[agtcovert]

288. why not.

:hi:

[Spacemom]

6. OK

:hi:

[NightWatcher]

7. good on ya

I just wish that we were getting funny little icons as we did with the hearts around V-day. I want peach logos with the letter "m" in the middle. I'll still donate none the less

[DS1]

8. posted

[KitchenWitch]

9. Cool idea!

:thumbsup:

[Gormy Cuss]

18. Hey, if we start a mindless but tame subthread, that's six more cents per post, isn't it?

So in the spirit of mindlessness I offer the following exhibit:

[KitchenWitch]

24. And for tame

A montage of pastry bunnies

[Gormy Cuss]

27. and speaking of

bunnies..







What's up, Doc?

[some guy]

11. kaching for 17 cents.

:)

:hi:

[Shine]

12. Wow, what a specific number and formula. Sure, I'll post!

good on ya, too. :pals: :thumbsup:

May your generosity be returned to you, a thousand-fold. :D

[rug]

13. Throw in the 17 cents, sport.

[BarenakedLady]

14. coolio

:thumbsup:

[InternalDialogue]

15. Cough up a little more!

Another post, another poster.

[SKKY]

16. Just because it seems like you put a lot of thought into this...

...I'll help you get rid of 17 cents...

[UrbScotty]

17. Only 17? (nt)

[SKKY]

25. Well, MY 17 cents...

...I mean I'm not going to abuse this guy or anything.

[UrbScotty]

40. Well, 23 cents now (nt)

[SKKY]

60. That's my point! So stop replying to my threads!!!

You trying to break this guy or something???

[Ellipsis]

19. Easily Done.

[YankeyMCC]

20. Hello there ;)

[NightWatcher]

so we can/are encouraged to post duplicates?

[UrbScotty]

35. Nothing's stopping you

[UrbScotty]

36. Nothing's stopping you

[UrbScotty]

37. Nothing's stopping you

[NightWatcher]

21. so we can/are encouraged to post duplicates?

[huskerlaw]

53. Go for it

:)

[huskerlaw]

55. Go for it

:)

[huskerlaw]

56. Go for it

:)

[NightWatcher]

22. so we can/are encouraged to post duplicates?

[NightWatcher]

23. so we can/are encouraged to post duplicates?

[SteelPenguin]

26. 17 more cents here

[crim son]

28. Put it up!

Six cents right here. :)

[jus_the_facts]

29. Yo...

:D

[Solly Mack]

30. ...

...

[Reverend_Smitty]

31. Will use this thread to say I'm happy to have my own star back...

and am more than happy to help DU raise money

[TOhioLiberal]

32. Hi Ih8thegop...

...This is a cool idea! :patriot: :yourock::headbang:

[I Have A Dream]

33. Count me in! n/t

[I Have A Dream]

34. Dupe. ...but should still count towards six cents; right? :o) n/t

[GreenPartyVoter]

38. Well, ok. Pitching in to do my part.

[KamaAina]

39. I'm bullish on this thread. It's going places!

:-)

[Az]

41. Yay team!

:kick:

[Sydnie]

Well, isn't that special!

thanks for the offer!

[ProgressiveFool]

42. I don't get it

but go ahead and donate

[SallyMander]

43. i can do that!

:-)

[ThomCat]

44. Wow. This is an easy way to donate a little bit more to DU.

:)

[skipos]

.

.

[ThomCat]

77. Yeah, what you said.

:P

[azmouse]

45. This post makes 'cents'.

:hi:

[Lerkfish]

46. okeydokey

but I still don't see a two headed freeper or whatever was promised. :)

[Solly Mack]

51. Oops

[Lerkfish]

78. LOL! ok, much better

:)

[malaise]

83. LOL

:D

[Greyskye]

47. Thanks to

an artful cross-post, here 'ya go! :evilgrin:

[DrDan]

48. well - cough up another 17 cents

[TheFriendlyAnarchist]

49. Peace man.

Yay for weed and booze btw.

[huskerlaw]

50. Is there a limit?

Cuz this could get a bit expensive.

But thanks for doing it!

[babylonsister]

52. I'll help with your donation! nt

[uppityperson]

54. Thanks ih8thegop

[NRaleighLiberal]

57. Sure. I'll play, you pay. nt

[Dogmudgeon]

58. In for a penny, in for a pound

Or at least $0.06 ...

--p!

[gaspee]

59. Post goes

:Here:

[malta blue]

61. I will help!

Thank you for your generosity!
:applause: :woohoo:

[livvy]

62. livvy here. Posting as requested. Interesting idea...go for it!

[datahead]

63. Hats off.

There ya go

[VOX]

64. ***Non sex-related, generic post.*** Value = 6 Cents.

Thanks, ih8thegop! :toast:

[and-justice-for-all]

65. Promise...?

[Silverbug]

66. I'm a noob

and I could use a donation...I think

;)

[femmocrat]

131. Welcome to DU, silverbug!

You are a brand-spanking-nOO nOOb!

:hi:

[Adsos Letter]

67. what lionesspriyanka said.

[TahitiNut]

68. As a former high school math teacher, I'm obliged to support arithmetical ethics.

:evilgrin:

[Hamlette]

69. bite

[annabanana]

70. Well THIS is an easy way to donate again!. . .n/t

[annabanana]

71. and again

[annabanana]

72. and yet again!

[annabanana]

82. Hey! lookit ME! I'm giving out WINGS!

[Phentex]

73. I can't resist anything with multiplication in it.

Great idea! :)

[Fran Kubelik]

74. Right on!

:D

[scarlet_owl]

75. Ok.

[Ilsa]

76. This will bring them in: I'm watching the 2 hour season finale of 24

starting right now. Hubby likes disaster movies, I like espionage and nuclear winter tv shows that show how a president can be really corrupt.

[globalvillage]

79. Cool.

Thanks!

[cwydro]

80. done!

And howdy!:hi:

[BeanCounting]

81. What a Bargin....

[Nickster]

84. Sounds like a great idea. Hope everyone jumps in. n/t

[Nickster]

85. Sounds like a great idea. Hope everyone jumps in. n/t

[laylah]

86. Cool beans!

[WritingIsMyReligion]

87. Is there an echo in here?

[Gormy Cuss]

94. Hi WIMR!

[WritingIsMyReligion]

165. Hi gormy!

:D

[WritingIsMyReligion]

88. Is there an echo in here?

[Sedona]

89. Great!

I had an extra $300 in car repairs the day they started the fundraiser.
Thanks for helping out!

[tjwash]

90. Right on...you reminded me to give some too.

[demobabe]

91. Okay, I'll put in my 2 cents

So you can put in your seventeen cents. :)

[demobabe]

269. kick

:)

[Tektonik]

92. I'm in your threadz, emptyin ur walletz

:P

[MadAnne]

93. Thanks. n/t

[rasputin1952]

141. Welcome to DU MadAnne...

:hi:

[cathandler]

95. Pennies from Heaven, Baby!

[imax2268]

96. Here ya go...

donate some more...!

[bigwillq]

97. How nice of you!

:hi:

[cloudbase]

98. Done

Thanks

[underseasurveyor]

99. Now THAT'S a deal I can't refuse

Great on you ih8thegop:loveya:

[Bluzmann57]

100. Well, heres a post

Nothing much in it, but it's a post nonetheless. Why the 8:58 PM deadline, CDT? Is there some signifigance to that particular time? Inquiring minds want to know.
On edit- And it's post no. 100. Try to contain your boredom.

[Fox Mulder]

101. Neat idea.

:)

[justgamma]

102. ok I'll bite. n/t

[rasputin1952]

103. LOL...nice idea...

:hi:...:D

[nam78_two]

104. Hola

:hi:

[waiting for hope]

105. Hummm.....what could I post?

Wishing I was at the beach...no really, live about 10 miles away from one and can never seem to get there....

[Q3JR4]

106. Okay,

I can't afford to give DU any kind of money (currently unemployed and may not even be able to pay my rent next month), but I CAN sit here in the lounge at the library and reply to threads that offer to do the same thing. :)

[Q3JR4]

107. And again... n/t

[Q3JR4]

108. And again... n/t

[Q3JR4]

109. And again... n/t

[Q3JR4]

110. And again... n/t

[Q3JR4]

111. And again... n/t

[Q3JR4]

114. And a couple more times.... n/t

[Q3JR4]

115. And a couple more times.... n/t

[Q3JR4]

116. And a couple more times.... n/t

[Q3JR4]

And a couple more times.... n/t

[Q3JR4]

117. And a couple more times.... n/t

[riderinthestorm]

112. LOL!!!

[mzteris]

113. Now that's what I call a POST

- er - (would that make it a sex thread if I used that word?) :rofl:

[Staph]

118. Well, who can turn down an opportunity

to make $.17 for DU? Thanks for your generosity!

[Nicole]

119. Here's another post for 6¢

:hi:

[chknltl]

120. Purchasing posts for a thread?

Love it.

[joneschick]

121. great idea

I salute you! :hi:

[rzemanfl]

122. Good for you! n/t

[Tracyjo]

123. ok

Here's my post. You're doing a good thing.:-)

[salin]

124. here's to another .11 cents - and a toast

to a creative 'fundraising' technique! :toast:

[deucemagnet]

125. Nice!

[11 Bravo]

126. OK, but sex posts should count DOUBLE!

[Bright Eyes]

127. hello everyone!

:)

[KamaAina]

128. If you don't reply to this thread, the terrorists win!

So click, already!

[july302001]

129. Thanks! :-)

Thank you for your generosity!

[fizzgig]

130. great idea!

:thumbsup:

[femmocrat]

132. 17 pennies saved is $$ earned for DU!

Great idea :applause:

[hippiechick]

133. Woot for charity !

:applause:

[madrchsod]

134. well you have more money than me.....

so get your 6 cts out

[Canuckistanian]

135. Go, Sens, Go!

[Poiuyt]

136. What happens if we post a really good sex thread?

Will you count it then?

[vanlassie]

137. Well, since you're paying....nt

[Kelly Rupert]

138. Sure; why not?

[haf216]

139. ok, I'll play.

:hi:

[Richard Steele]

140. Im in Ur thred drainin Ur penniez! (kudos to you for doing this) nm

[Pierre.Suave]

142. Sure

I will post.

[Dukkha]

143. ok

[angstlessk]

144. Holy shit man, you gonna be broke by wed nes day

mee too

[DireStrike]

145. +6

[IA_Seth]

Change for change!! n/t

[IA_Seth]

Change for change!! n/t

[IA_Seth]

Change for change!! n/t

[IA_Seth]

146. Change for change!! n/t

[IA_Seth]

Change for change!! n/t

[IA_Seth]

Change for change!! n/t

[IA_Seth]

147. Change for change!! n/t

[IA_Seth]

Change for change!! n/t

[IA_Seth]

148. Change for change!! n/t

[IA_Seth]

Change for change!! n/t

[IA_Seth]

Change for change!! n/t

[IA_Seth]

149. Change for change!! n/t

[IA_Seth]

Change for change!! n/t

[IA_Seth]

150. Change for change!! n/t

[IA_Seth]

Change for change!! n/t

[IA_Seth]

Change for change!! n/t

[IA_Seth]

Change for change!! n/t

[IA_Seth]

151. Change for change!! n/t

[IA_Seth]

Change for change!! n/t

[IA_Seth]

152. Change for change!! n/t

[IA_Seth]

Change for change!! n/t

[IA_Seth]

153. Change for change!! n/t

[IA_Seth]

154. Change for change!! n/t

[LynneSin]

214. Did you lock yourself out?

DU locks out 'spammers' even though you were spamming for a good cause. It's a temp lock

[IA_Seth]

223. Nope, it didn't lock me...

I didnt know it did that. Pretty cool.

And .11 in the old man's hat.

[RevolutionaryActs]

155. You're a good man

Who must be good at math, because you lost me about half way through. :silly::rofl:

[Danger Mouse]

156. The king of the losers here.

My comment is worth its weight in gold!
In other words...nothing!!! :D

[Arugula Latte]

157. Ca-ching!

Another DUer is here chiming in ... :hi:

[Octafish]

158. You are most charitable, ih8thegop.

Thank you for what you do.

[IndyOp]

159. Run Al, Run! Will that do? :-) n/t

[pstans]

160. Feingold for President

We can wish, can't we?

[Maraya1969]

161. OK well here's my 11 cents

[SoCalDem]

162. and I thought you had posted a picture of the JimRob triplets

[MissWaverly]

163. glad to post for a "bleeding heart" liberal

welcome to DU, I hate the GOP, am waiting for
my official Bush Haters handbook to arrive.
I must have missed some official handsign
or decoder ring by not having one by now.

[Blue_Tires]

164. lol...

so let me guess, each one that replies has to start a new thread, and promise each new poster in that thread six cents, and all those people start threads, and so on??:P :silly: :thumbsup:

j/k

four words: rakin' in the dough

[ornotna]

166. Done

Good for you.

[unblock]

167. ka-ching!

:hi:

[VenusRising]

168. This is very generous. Thank you.

:kick: and a rec! :thumbsup:

[DemReadingDU]

169. Thank you, appreciate your kindness!

evening kick

[tmlanders]

170. I'm in!

[dropkickpa]

171. Cha-ching

ring up another 11 cents!!

[intheflow]

172. Thanks, ih8thegop!

You really are a hellova person, no matter what they say about you! :P

[Blue_Tires]

173. kick because i want ih8thegop to be as broke as i am

all you lounge folks need to get off yer asses and step up your games...I bet this thread would have 600+ replies by now if it was about:

Some dude's big-assed TrueGreen ChemLawn
Laura Branigan
Led Zepplin
Those manufactured star losers on American Idol
Anna Nicole's will
Kudzu
Finding nice italian places to eat at while in New York
Uber film/music snobbery
Hillary and Obama
$400 haircuts
What happens if some post gets 9999+ views
Osama bin A-Rod and the other yankee apologists
the fascist BCS
PETA
Those clowns trying to keep the border safe from Mexicans
Castro
Joementum
Chavez
our concerned friends at the DLC
Loose Change
JFK
Suburban living
rich folks
pseudo hollywood celebrities
Don Imus' curmudgeonly ass
Cell phones, ipods and other techno snobbery
breast feeding in public
brats that act up at the Golden Corral or some other quality eating establishment
all those missing honeybees

So now that I've mentioned all these things, everyone should come flocking to the thread, right!!?:o :party: :bounce: :freak: :scared: :nuke: :kick:

[Blue_Tires]

276. hey look!

here is a heated discussion on the 08 primaries! and some demented schoolteacher that likes to hump her students!

[silverlib]

174. Replied and thanks

[Cerridwen]

175. The least I can do is add a recommend to this kick of a post

Never let it be said that I never do the least I can do.

:evilgrin:

Fun idea ih8thgop.

[Scooter24]

176. Adding my presence...

for DU!

[Forkboy]

177. Deleted responses don't count?

You don't make it easy,do ya? ;)

[UrbScotty]

183. Maybe not for you (nt)

[AlecBGreen]

178. dajia hao

:hi:

[BensMom]

179. Thank You!

Thanks for supporting DU

[OregonBlue]

180. Way to go.

[Az_lefty]

181. sounds good!!

:toast:

[il_lilac]

182. so this is how you get people to reply to you

watch out tho, I'm a notorious thread killer.

[Brundle_Fly]

184. CHA CHING

BrundlyFly A Jingling.

[bonzotex]

185. Pony up! n/t

[MLFerrell]

186. Well, here's seventeen more cents that you'll have to shell out...

[lavendermist]

187. I don't reply to many posts but this could be worth it! n/t

[u4ic]

189. This is a fairly good ROI

I put in my 2 cents worth for 17! :P

[ismnotwasm]

190. During a meeting with his advisors at the White house,

Donald Rumsfeld is briefing the President, “Yesterday, three Brazilian soldiers were killed. “OH NO!” cries the President, How many is a Brazilian again?'

[Dem4truth]

191. Just for the good of it !! n/t

[Mabus]

192. Sounds easy enough

but will it work?

[ComerPerro]

204. uh oh. You had to bring the Kansas crowd to this thread. You're gonna break the bank

[Mabus]

215. Yeah, now if my internet will cooperate we'll do okay

It went down (again) last night shortly after I posted my message in the K-Forum. I think it's because of the annual post-graduation/end of school migration. I have to admit that I look forward to this time of year when the town loses about half its population and the roads, stores, restaurants, etc. become less clogged.

[evlbstrd]

236. My share is equal to

the Missouri Medicaid budget.

[Mabus]

237. Huh?

Damn it. I got sucked into a Lounge thread again. :banghead:

[evlbstrd]

240. Sluuuuurp!

[Mabus]

241. Watch it mister!

This might devolve into one of them there sex threads and then these posts won't count.

[evlbstrd]

242. Just testing.

Apparently, nobody is paying attention.

[Mabus]

258. That's something we should be used to

Of course, the minute I say something like that Teacher shows up.

[evlbstrd]

260. Ain't that the truth.

Moderated wherever we go.

[Renew Deal]

193. Deleted Message

:rofl:

[Renew Deal]

194. kick

:hi:

[here_is_to_hope]

195. Thats funny...

[LeahD]

196. Add me to the list! n/t

[ClayZ]

197. r e p l y

[hootinholler]

198. Dude, this could get expensive. n/t

[jgraz]

199. Do I get a star for this?

[Usrename]

201. I hope you're friends with some of the mods here.

I understand they can delete posts!

:)

[Anarcho-Socialist]

202. Good for you!

:thumbsup:

[muriel_volestrangler]

203. Well now that I'm here

Kaching!

[OneBlueSky]

205. show me the money . . . better yet, show it to DU . . . thanks for caring . . . n/t

.

[MissHoneychurch]

206. Good for you

and good for DU. Thanks ih8thegop

:thumbsup:

[NewWaveChick1981]

207. This is not a deleted response.

And sadly, it's not a sex thread. :cry:

But here you go! :hi: :) Thanks!

[Tyler Durden]

208. Robb is a dingbat.

someone had to say it.

[AllegroRondo]

209. done!

enjoy!

[MissMillie]

210. does that mean that all of us who reply

will get a star?

(of course I already have a star, but... well, you know...)

[InternalDialogue]

211. Gotta help out a little more while we have time.

Six more cents, please.

[InternalDialogue]

212. Six more, while I'm at it. n/t

[LynneSin]

213. m'kay

:D

[mainegreen]

216. I'm listening to cheezy space-ambient techno right now. There are aliens on the cd cover.

Specifically: grays!
:P

[Lil Missy]

217. Oy!

[bigwillq]

218. Good Morning!

Just helping out the cause! :)

[TOhioLiberal]

219. Wow...

...excellent idea.

[Hosnon]

220. Ok. NT.

[GirlinContempt]

221. Ok

[BlueIris]

222. Okay, why not. Here is a post for DU.

[TommyO]

224. Wow, isn't that going to be hard to figure out the final total?

Probably, but this post is worth at least six cents.

[SecularMotion]

225. Posting for Dollars

Nice concept

:)

[geiger]

226. thank you.

[Inchworm]

227. Good Morning DU! n/t

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

228. I Drive An SUV, Sometimes Shop At Walmart, Smoke, Am Spiritual, Love Steak And Think Hillary's Fine.

There. That should get ya a couple hundred replies or so. :)

[PeterPuck]

229. ok.... here is my reply

[TZ]

230. okay I will chime in too

thanks for doing this ih8thegop.

[leftofthedial]

231. what a good thing to do!

Thanks!

:thumbsup: :hi:

[grmamo]

232. thanks, count me

[G_j]

233. sure

Impeach them!

[RubyDuby in GA]

234. Here is my 17 cents worth

[evlbstrd]

235. Eleven cents!

Cha ching!

[ceile]

238. ok.

thanks!

[Scriptor Ignotus]

239. mo money mo DU

[KamaAina]

243. This is HUGH!!!!1111!!!111!11!!11

Keep clicking! I'm SERIES!!1111!!11!1!!!

[myrna minx]

244. Thank you/ n/t

[eyepaddle]

245. Well, I'll kick in as well; err, uh compell you to, oh

whatever--here's the response! :hi:

Thanks for helping out DU

[patricia92243]

246. 6 cents in Patricia's name! K&R, also

[aljones]

247. what a wonderful idea!!

[sheerjoy]

248. That's a kind thing to do

Heheheh kinda...well... fun I guess huh. Wish I was rich... what if 1000000 DUers answer?

[Iris]

249. cha-ching! $$$$$

I'll trust you with the math. It sounds complicated.

But thanks for coming up with such a creative way to make your donation!

:toast:

[Fuzz]

250. Does this count?

[sarge43]

251. Here's mine

and thank you for being so generous.

:hug:

[Alexander]

252. Woo hoo! Free DU donations!

:toast:

[Ariana Celeste]

253. Hello!

:hi: This is a cool thing you're doing :)

[ghostsofgiants]

254. Cool.

I have nothing really worth saying here.

[jpak]

255. my $0.06

n/t

[woo me with science]

256. Very nice.

Thanks.

[NightHawk63]

257. I love it (nt)

[LaraMN]

259. Neato!

Checking in!

[Hobarticus]

261. Great idea! eom

[wildhorses]

262. ~

:hi:

:*

:hug:

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

263. ok. n/t

[Blue_Tires]

264. back to the top where you belong!

[MiniMandaRuth]

265. Post post post.

Post post post.

[hippiechick]

266. sure, why not another?

:hi:

[BlueStateGirl]

267. great idea n/t

[GoddessOfGuinness]

268. WooHoo!

Here's another 6 cents! :bounce:

[YellowRubberDuckie]

270. That's very nice of you...

Here's a great smiley break for your readers, and for you, since you rock!

[Joe Fields]

271. You're a good man, Charlie Brown...

[KamaAina]

272. You can pay for your donation by giving up a meal at Olive Garden.

:hide:

[Hersheygirl]

273. Well, add me in.

More than glad to help.:yourock:

[cobalt1999]

274. okay, I'm in.

[Courtesy Flush]

275. Put me down for a few centavos

[yewberry]

277. Can I join in, too?

I'm a "different" DUer.

[Susang]

278. I think that's only fair

What a nice gesture. :thumbsup:

[KT2000]

279. 17 more cents!!

I replied - and I'm different! 6 + 11 = 17 :hi:

[CC]

280. Another one.

:hi:

[Blue_Tires]

281. this thread is going places, baby!

[Terri S]

282. sounds good to me..

here ya go......

[Guava Jelly]

283. What the hell

17 cents :woohoo:

[donheld]

284. what you talkin about?

:D

[fight4my3sons]

285. That is wonderful of you!

I don't even have the $ right now to get my star back :-(

[Fox Mulder]

286. Ok my turn.

:)

[lildreamer316]

287. Whooohoo!!!

thppppppppt.:hippie:

[displacedtexan]

289. What a scathingly brilliant idea!

This has got to be one of the best ever DU posts!

:yourock: :yourock: :yourock:

[Catchawave]

290. This is very generous of you ih8 :)

And a very creative idea :toast:

[LynneSin]

291. Afternoon kick

Let's see if we can take ih8thegop to town

[xmas74]

292. hello!

just posting a reply.

[RedStateShame]

293. My band's new 7" is out.

I didn't know where else to mention it.

[DS1]

294. .

[CaliforniaPeggy]

295. I'm in!

Great idea!

:woohoo:

[Rising Phoenix]

296. my reply

:bounce:

[SheilaT]

297. Sounds good to me.

Hope you post a final tally of the amount you have to donate.

[question everything]

298. Count me in

a nice idea.

Perhaps, if among the replies there are DUers who are starless, you can assign some of your donation in their names.

[no name no slogan]

299. badabing

$$$$ great idea!

[Book Lover]

300. For my post, what I think is a worthwhile read...

You and the Atom Bomb
by George Orwell
Tribune, 19 October 1945



CONSIDERING how likely we all are to be blown to pieces by it within the next five years, the atomic bomb has not roused so much discussion as might have been expected. The newspapers have published numerous diagrams, not very helpful to the average man, of protons and neutrons doing their stuff, and there has been much reiteration of the useless statement that the bomb ‘ought to be put under international control.’ But curiously little has been said, at any rate in print, about the question that is of most urgent interest to all of us, namely: ‘How difficult are these things to manufacture?’

Such information as we—that is, the big public—possess on this subject has come to us in a rather indirect way, apropos of President Truman’s decision not to hand over certain secrets to the USSR. Some months ago, when the bomb was still only a rumour, there was a widespread belief that splitting the atom was merely a problem for the physicists, and that when they had solved it a new and devastating weapon would be within reach of almost everybody. (At any moment, so the rumour went, some lonely lunatic in a laboratory might blow civilisation to smithereens, as easily as touching off a firework.)

Had that been true, the whole trend of history would have been abruptly altered. The distinction between great states and small states would have been wiped out, and the power of the State over the individual would have been greatly weakened. However, it appears from President Truman’s remarks, and various comments that have been made on them, that the bomb is fantastically expensive and that its manufacture demands an enormous industrial effort, such as only three or four countries in the world are capable of making. This point is of cardinal importance, because it may mean that the discovery of the atomic bomb, so far from reversing history, will simply intensify the trends which have been apparent for a dozen years past.

It is a commonplace that the history of civilisation is largely the history of weapons. In particular, the connection between the discovery of gunpowder and the overthrow of feudalism by the bourgeoisie has been pointed out over and over again. And though I have no doubt exceptions can be brought forward, I think the following rule would be found generally true: that ages in which the dominant weapon is expensive or difficult to make will tend to be ages of despotism, whereas when the dominant weapon is cheap and simple, the common people have a chance. Thus, for example, tanks, battleships and bombing planes are inherently tyrannical weapons, while rifles, muskets, long-bows and hand-grenades are inherently democratic weapons. A complex weapon makes the strong stronger, while a simple weapon—so long as there is no answer to it—gives claws to the weak.

The great age of democracy and of national self-determination was the age of the musket and the rifle. After the invention of the flintlock, and before the invention of the percussion cap, the musket was a fairly efficient weapon, and at the same time so simple that it could be produced almost anywhere. Its combination of qualities made possible the success of the American and French revolutions, and made a popular insurrection a more serious business than it could be in our own day. After the musket came the breech-loading rifle. This was a comparatively complex thing, but it could still be produced in scores of countries, and it was cheap, easily smuggled and economical of ammunition. Even the most backward nation could always get hold of rifles from one source or another, so that Boers, Bulgars, Abyssinians, Moroccans—even Tibetans—could put up a fight for their independence, sometimes with success. But thereafter every development in military technique has favoured the State as against the individual, and the industrialised country as against the backward one. There are fewer and fewer foci of power. Already, in 1939, there were only five states capable of waging war on the grand scale, and now there are only three—ultimately, perhaps, only two. This trend has been obvious for years, and was pointed out by a few observers even before 1914. The one thing that might reverse it is the discovery of a weapon—or, to put it more broadly, of a method of fighting—not dependent on huge concentrations of industrial plant.

From various symptoms one can infer that the Russians do not yet possess the secret of making the atomic bomb; on the other hand, the consensus of opinion seems to be that they will possess it within a few years. So we have before us the prospect of two or three monstrous super-states, each possessed of a weapon by which millions of people can be wiped out in a few seconds, dividing the world between them. It has been rather hastily assumed that this means bigger and bloodier wars, and perhaps an actual end to the machine civilisation. But suppose—and really this the likeliest development—that the surviving great nations make a tacit agreement never to use the atomic bomb against one another? Suppose they only use it, or the threat of it, against people who are unable to retaliate? In that case we are back where we were before, the only difference being that power is concentrated in still fewer hands and that the outlook for subject peoples and oppressed classes is still more hopeless.

When James Burnham wrote The Managerial Revolution it seemed probable to many Americans that the Germans would win the European end of the war, and it was therefore natural to assume that Germany and not Russia would dominate the Eurasian land mass, while Japan would remain master of East Asia. This was a miscalculation, but it does not affect the main argument. For Burnham’s geographical picture of the new world has turned out to be correct. More and more obviously the surface of the earth is being parceled off into three great empires, each self-contained and cut off from contact with the outer world, and each ruled, under one disguise or another, by a self-elected oligarchy. The haggling as to where the frontiers are to be drawn is still going on, and will continue for some years, and the third of the three super-states—East Asia, dominated by China—is still potential rather than actual. But the general drift is unmistakable, and every scientific discovery of recent years has accelerated it.

We were once told that the aeroplane had ‘abolished frontiers’; actually it is only since the aeroplane became a serious weapon that frontiers have become definitely impassable. The radio was once expected to promote international understanding and co-operation; it has turned out to be a means of insulating one nation from another. The atomic bomb may complete the process by robbing the exploited classes and peoples of all power to revolt, and at the same time putting the possessors of the bomb on a basis of military equality. Unable to conquer one another, they are likely to continue ruling the world between them, and it is difficult to see how the balance can be upset except by slow and unpredictable demographic changes.

For forty or fifty years past, Mr. H. G. Wells and others have been warning us that man is in danger of destroying himself with his own weapons, leaving the ants or some other gregarious species to take over. Anyone who has seen the ruined cities of Germany will find this notion at least thinkable. Nevertheless, looking at the world as a whole, the drift for many decades has been not towards anarchy but towards the reimposition of slavery. We may be heading not for general breakdown but for an epoch as horribly stable as the slave empires of antiquity. James Burnham’s theory has been much discussed, but few people have yet considered its ideological implications—that is, the kind of world-view, the kind of beliefs, and the social structure that would probably prevail in a state which was at once unconquerable and in a permanent state of ‘cold war’ with its neighbors.

Had the atomic bomb turned out to be something as cheap and easily manufactured as a bicycle or an alarm clock, it might well have plunged us back into barbarism, but it might, on the other hand, have meant the end of national sovereignty and of the highly-centralised police state. If, as seems to be the case, it is a rare and costly object as difficult to produce as a battleship, it is likelier to put an end to large-scale wars at the cost of prolonging indefinitely a ‘peace that is no peace’.

http://www.netcharles.com/orwell/essays/youatombomb.htm

[zappa_parappa]

301. donate!

[CabalPowered]

302. kick!

[geardaddy]

303. another $.06!

[swimboy]

304. Ka-ching!

There's my 11 *uh* OMG! What happened to the cent key?

[Arkansas Granny]

305. Here's another reply.

[taterguy]

306. Everybody knows this is nowhere

[FloridaJudy]

307. I hope you have a good calculator

My brain hurts just thinking about how to set up that equation.

:kick:

[Madspirit]

308. What a nice thing to do.

This post has absolutely NOTHING to do with sex. There.

Lee

[More Than A Feeling]

309. Sure, why not?

[More Than A Feeling]

310. Yes, indeed!

[More Than A Feeling]

311. Rather

[More Than A Feeling]

312. Quite

[More Than A Feeling]

313. Jolly good!

[wildhorses]

314. well what is the tab up to, now??

:applause:

[More Than A Feeling]

315. You can put it on the board...YES! n/t

[More Than A Feeling]

316. Can you say six cents for DU? I thought you could!

[More Than A Feeling]

317. i've upped my number of posts...up yours!

[fishwax]

318. cool!

:toast:

[More Than A Feeling]

319. I expect you to make my donations in wheat pennies!

:silly:

[More Than A Feeling]

320. Six cents? I'll buy that for a dollar!

[More Than A Feeling]

321. Cha-ching!

[More Than A Feeling]

322. Goin' for a dollar now!

[More Than A Feeling]

323. Just wearin' out my carpals now.

[More Than A Feeling]

324. Money for nothing!

[More Than A Feeling]

325. I'm just messin' around now.

[More Than A Feeling]

326. 2...

[More Than A Feeling]

327. 1...

[More Than A Feeling]

328. *Ding* sweet, I just leveled up. New spells, here I come!

[MysticalChicken]

329. well...

I don't have anything to say, but here's a reply anyway. (That did not rhyme on purpose.)

[InternalDialogue]

330. While there's still time

Another post

[InternalDialogue]

331. While there's still time

Another post

[InternalDialogue]

332. While there's still time

Another post

[Book Lover]

334. And another reply

[Book Lover]

333. And a reply to this one

[Rising Phoenix]

335. me again

:loveya:

[crispini]

336. Kickity and in for me!

:kick:

[crispini]

337. And here's six cents more!

[crispini]

339. And here's six cents more!

[crispini]

340. And again!

[crispini]

341. And again!

[crispini]

342. And again!

[crispini]

And again!

[crispini]

344. And again!

[crispini]

345. And again!

[crispini]

346. And again!

[crispini]

347. And again!

[crispini]

348. And again!

[KamaAina]

338. What would a Lounge thread be without a cat picture?

This gabby tabby has a message for Bush** as well as the spineless Dem leadership*:

[Nikia]

343. Alright

Cool idea

[Critters2]

349. You mean, like this? nt

[InvisibleTouch]

350. Great idea!

And a good way to get attention, too. ;)

[CabalPowered]

351. 6 more pennies for the coffers

[Terri S]

352. one mo time ....

[Starbucks Anarchist]

353. Okay.

[ThingsGottaChange]

354. Toss a few more cents in the pot!

Nice going, ih8thegop! :toast:

[Lil Missy]

355. Kickety!

[Coexist]

356. .........

post

[TOhioLiberal]

357. This is awesome!

In under the wire! :woohoo:

[NMDemDist2]

358. one more to get in under the deadline n/t

[redwitch]

359. hey there!

thanks for this, great idea!

[SecularMotion]

360. Almost there n/t

[UrbScotty]

361. THIS IS THE LAST POST TO BE WORTH $$ - THANK YOU!

[IA_Seth]

363. So, how much was it? n/t

[Irishonly]

362. done

[Bassic]

364. That is one sweet deal

:thumbsup: :D

[billyskank]

365. Don't think I've posted yet

That's another 17 cents.

[youthere]

366. Blatter blatter blatter Pffffblllt!

[Maine-ah]

367. it's fucking hot

so hot, BB & I are running around in our underwear. She is in a diaper of course. Hubbie is going to put the AC in tonight, it currently is still in it's winter storage. 90 fucking 1 on the coast o'Maine today!( insert sweaty smiley here)

[CottonBear]

368. Cool idea! I need to donate too so I can get my star back. n/t