[LxtdK9i4]

Too late!

Jim, it's not exercising the gray matter that is the problem...it's KNOWING that this topic is gonna get heated...aaargh!!!

Hehehe. Yeah, it is common knowledge that discussion of religion and politics are the two topics that get to peoples emotions. And your sweetheart got both in one thread!

But remember, we don't have a trouble-maker on board right now and we already know that the more active members here who aren't afraid of a good discussion know how to agree to disagree.

Have a little faith in us, Okay?

Peace & Love!

[Annevecenqp]

Did you notice how attendance dropped off once the troublemaker was gone? People like to watch a good fire or accident. BTW: I banned Jesus, don't think I'm afraid of this topic. Yep...me, Herod and Pilate!

It used to be common sense, in the "olden days," that one never discussed sex, religion or politics in mixed company. (as in men, women and children together.) It wasn't as much a chauvanist pig sort of thing as it was that the topics were considered too sensitive to force upon the unwary and fragile. Yeah, everyone who was anybody was or admitted (lied about) to being Christian (in the western world) then, so there were fewer disagreements and arguments over religion. (although America has a great, rich heritage of Theists, many well known names from those times, that are almost completely ignored.) But the B.S. about politics was occurring then. I've got the old political campaign badges to prove it.

But as was mentioned by one of you: political parties have to be one of the most dogmatic types of organizations in the world. And I'll add: yet allegedly sane, spiritually enlightened, rational human beings will follow them without question through life, while they may change their religious or spiritual beliefs several times during that same period, standing there in their sacred robe, burning incense, and communing with invisible beings. My god/dess.....there are humans who belief in fairies, elves and angels who are also some of the most devout Republicans. It boggles the imagination.

On the other hand, as was mentioned, religion, spirituality and politics are three different things. What happened to the renaissance (hu)man? The intellectual-liberal who could be all things? The long hairs? When did rational beings become so oriented on the faces and words of people who have done nothing but lead them astray for centuries now? Caring nothing about these individual's behaviors or pasts? Why aren't human beings able to assimilate these 3 aspects of mind into a sensible philosophy of life?

Here's an example: How could a rational, sane human being look at all of the data, read the news stories, study the facts, and not see what occurred from approximately 2000 to 2008 and not understand why the world's economy is in the state it's in? (Actually, the middle class was already being disassembled and the wealthy well taken care of during Reagan's era, and Clinton signed legislation into act that reversed all of the laws that were created to protect the littler people after the Great Depression during his era. Bush II was the final crowning glory of all of their crimes though: complete, mindless, leaderless incompetence, putting us in 2 futile wars that are seemingly pointless and without end, while his and daddy's rich buds played with our money.)

It doesn't really matter which party was in control of what. And let's be clear: the responsibility lies with both major political parties in this country. (although thank goodness the Tea Party is splitting the Republicans in half, only Nazis could frighten me more. Democrats at least mostly only just annoy people.)

Yet, "spiritual" people keep following one or the other party, espousing their mindless propaganda; like millions of headless proselytizers preying on innocents waiting in Life's airports for a plane ride to Heaven, away from them and finally free. Because those parties are their true salvation, and their path towards nirvana.

Go ahead, agree with everything I just said. Bet you can't, you'd have to hazard a political belief.

[POMAH_K]

first i can agree with you,and second,i don't have to hazard a political belief.my idea on the whole system,a new face every 4 years.course as you pointed out,alot can happen in 4 years.

[Loxaeed]

Go ahead, agree with everything I just said. Bet you can't, you'd have to hazard a political belief.

Well, either you have had this on your chest for a while or you spent a little time preparing this post.

Well, there was the Hippie era so the intellectual-liberal isn't dead, he is just sleeping.

And I do suggest that both political parties are responsible for the current economic situation. But even here, the bust of the economy is not effecting everyone negatively. There are still a lot of people making lots of money and finding way to avoid paying their fair share of taxes. (And that's not hard to do if you can afford to hire a creative accountant.)

And again I will state that dogma is dogma, whether it is religious or political, always going to the same church and always voting a political party ticket. Hey! It's always nice to be a member of a herd.

Spirituality, on the other hand, does not require one to be religious or a member of a given political party. In fact, some of the people I have seen and heard at some of these demonstrations and rallies present the appearance of having no spirituality what-so-ever. Their goals are selfish and very exclusive.

In your second to last paragraph I am glad you put the quotes around the word'spititual' because I don't think these people you are speaking of hold to any form of spirituality. Yes, they brag about what religion they follow but this only shows what hypocrites they are. And you know what? Most of them don't even know they are hypocrites. Afterall, they are just following the herd doing as the shepherd tells them to do.

Tea Party? I'm not going there because of the sexual connotations to the term tea bagging but perhaps they are both the same at the basic level.

Peace & Love!

[TubOppomo]

doubtful,but i can't begin to explain that here.

[sztc38tg]

We need our representatives to come up with a plan to stop the severe bleeding of our monetary system. By improving the outlook for people to start their own businesses to improve the out look for people to work. But we need to stop fooling around but take strong steps toward going green and getting people jobs. We need to do a program like the Roosevelt administration that generated and motivated people and got them out of bread lines but put them to work. We need to improve transportation --new trains , we need alternative fuel plants. I am wondering why there is so much talk about change but no one has the gumption to get off their bottoms and quit sitting on their hands. We need leadership not whining. It might take strong measures to get us in the right progressive direction. But we need to strengthen our country not by wars but by peace and not by old means but green and innovative. Small plant one world-- lots of competition.

[NikitahDE]

This is just a parenthesis (I hate politics).

[Gabbavnf]

GOP chairman: Afghan 'war of Obama's choosing'

By PHILIP ELLIOTT, AP

WASHINGTON — Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele says Afghanistan is "a war of Obama's choosing" and the conflict "is not something the United States has actively prosecuted or wanted to engage in," comments that drew an immediate rebuke from Democrats and a call from at least two Republicans for him to resign.

In remarks captured Thursday on camera and posted online, Steele criticized President Barack Obama and his handling of the nine-year-old war begun by Republican President George W. Bush in response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. He suggested the war cannot be won.

"If he's such a student of history, has he not understood that, you know, that's the one thing you don't do is engage in a land war in Afghanistan? All right? Because everyone who's tried, over a thousand years of history, has failed," Steele said. "And there are reasons for that. There are other ways to engage in Afghanistan."

Republican officials confirmed Steele made the comments at a Connecticut fundraiser, which was closed to the media. The remarks, at odds with members of the Republican Party, were caught on camera and posted on the Web.

"This was a war of Obama's choosing," Steele said. "This is not something the United States has actively prosecuted or wanted to engage in."

The United States and allies overthrew Afghanistan's Taliban government after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. The war lagged as the United States shifted its focus to Iraq, but Obama shifted the focus to Afghanistan and planned to send 30,000 more troops to the country.

Looking to mitigate the political fallout, Steele issued a statement Friday, saying, "There is no question that America must win the war on terror. ... And, for the sake of the security of the free world, our country must give our troops the support necessary to win this war."
He said, "The stakes are too high for us to accept anything but success in Afghanistan."
Steele's comments came as Obama's new chief in Afghanistan, Gen. David Petraeus, arrived in the country Friday to take over the war. Obama last week dismissed his previous commander, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, after he made disparaging comments about his superiors in a Rolling Stone interview.

Steele called the dismissal "very comical" but said it shows the frustration members of the military have with Obama.

Democratic National Committee spokesman Brad Woodhouse said it was "simply unconscionable that Michael Steele would undermine the morale of our troops when what they need is our support and encouragement. Michael Steele would do well to remember that we are not in Afghanistan by our own choosing, that we were attacked and that his words have consequences."

Conservative Bill Kristol, writing for The Weekly Standard, was among the first to say Steele should resign.

"There are, of course, those who think we should pull out of Afghanistan, and they're certainly entitled to make their case," wrote Kristol, a consistent supporter of the Afghanistan war. "But one of them shouldn't be the chairman of the Republican Party."
Erick Erickson, the editor of the popular conservative website RedState.com and an opinion driver among younger Republicans, also called for Steele's ouster.

"Michael Steele must resign. He has lost all moral authority to lead the GOP," Erickson said.
RNC spokesman Doug Heye said in a statement that Steele "clearly supports our troops but believes that success of the war effort in Afghanistan requires the ongoing support of the American people. The responsibility for building and maintaining that strategy falls squarely on the shoulders of the president."

Steele has been prone to gaffes that have enraged congressional Republicans. In the last year, he predicted the GOP won't win House control this fall. He also drew GOP ire when he criticized fellow Republicans in a book that party leaders didn't know he was writing until it was published. His GOP critics were irked further when he told them to "get a life" and "shut up."

Earlier this year, his oversight of the RNC was called into question because of lavish spending, including money to entertain donors at a lesbian bondage club in Los Angeles. That incident led to the departure of a key Steele adviser, the party's finance chief and the top committee staffer.

Wow!

[xIuvyAuT]

Well folks. All I can do is ask: What happened to the concept of truth in government?

Politics doesn't have to be based on lying to the people. It can be based on telling the truth, making the truth available to all and allowing the people decide what we want this country to be.

Of course, I now have to question the value of what the majority of the people want today. But that is a different story.

[jhfkgkfdvjk]

Well folks. All I can do is ask: What happened to the concept of truth in government?

Politics doesn't have to be based on lying to the people. It can be based on telling the truth, making the truth available to all and allowing the people decide what we want this country to be.

Of course, I now have to question the value of what the majority of the people want today. But that is a different story.

The lack of truth in government is part of a larger picture. Our businesses have no ethics and constantly seek to evade government regulation. Major corporations pay zero taxes. College students pay others to write their papers. Public School administrators tamper with student grades to make their schools look better than they are. Patriotic feel-good companies are out-sourcing jobs over-seas. C.E.O.s plunder their own companies and collect massive bonuses. Profesional athlets are on "performance enhancing" drugs. Clergy are having sex with children.

Why should we expect honest politicians, when society is so accepting of coruption everywhere else?

Why should politicians be honest, when they get caught with their hand in the cookie jar -- and still get reelected?

[kKFB1BxX]

Yep. Excellent questions and statements of conditions.

Seems that the evolution of man has gone astray.

But in all fairness, there are a lot of people who understand the difference between 'right' and 'wrong' and always do their best to do the 'right' thing.

I have no idea where this nation of mine is headed but I don't like many of the indicators. I just hope it doesn't fall apart until after I die. I doubt that I will care much after that.

[c2siOlIk]

Yep. Excellent questions and statements of conditions.

Seems that the evolution of man has gone astray.

But in all fairness, there are a lot of people who understand the difference between 'right' and 'wrong' and always do their best to do the 'right' thing.

I have no idea where this nation of mine is headed but I don't like many of the indicators. I just hope it doesn't fall apart until after I die. I doubt that I will care much after that.

Like everything else, there are cycles of coruption and honesty. The wheel turns. The pedulum swings.


About 2,000 years ago, Cicero said, "O'temperah, Omores." (Oh, the times. Oh, the customs.)

[GinaGomesz]

Like everything else, there are cycles of coruption and honesty. The wheel turns. The pedulum swings.


About 2,000 years ago, Cicero said, "O'temperah, Omores." (Oh, the times. Oh, the customs.)

You are probably right. Things change. When we go too far to one side and finally realize it we rush to get back to the other side. Of course, we generally goo too far to the other side and have to make additional corrections.