Priest killed

[StrangeSox]

If the economy is getting better then that will help us greatly. Might even help me not get laid off. Hopefully that is happening.

You know my feelings on No. 2.

As far as the Christian thing, cmon Quin. You know Christians have been silenced effectively. Yes by the mass media mainly but tons of believers can't even say they go to church on Sunday without getting looks of disbelief or getting mocked. I know. People around here think I'm an idiot for going to church every week.

[Iwritecode]

As far as the Christian thing, cmon Quin. You know Christians have been silenced effectively. Yes by the mass media mainly but tons of believers can't even say they go to church on Sunday without getting looks of disbelief or getting mocked. I know. People around here think I'm an idiot for going to church every week.

 

I know this won’t make a difference but I’ll post it anyway.

 

Depending on which source you read, something like 70-80% of Americans identify as Christian.

 

[StrangeSox]

I do appreciate your statistics and believe them. I am pleased crime is down overall and did read it is going up in NY again with people blaming the mayor.

 

A lot of conservatives attribute NYC's crime rate decline to Giuliani without paying attention to the nation-wide drop in crime. They weren't always fond of Bloomberg's policies, but they loved his stop-and-frisk arrest-the-blacks policing support. As soon as liberal De Blaisio was elected, conservatives were saying that NYC was doomed to return to a Charles Bronson Death Wish era because he was going to stop or reform the stop-and-frisk policy.

[greg775]

Simple put, you are wrong. Today is "World Day Against Child Labor", completely irrelevant, but there is a great quote by a photographer Lewis Hine, "“Perhaps you are weary of child labor pictures. Well, so are the rest of us, but we propose to make you and the whole country so sick and tired of the whole business that when the time for action comes, child labor pictures will be records of the past.”

 

So you need perspective. The reality is, never has it been better in society than it is right now in the US. Sometimes I stay up at night and I worry that I will have lived in the golden age of civilization. That the this time period will be like the Renassaince, sandwiched by cruelty and horror on each side. The United States is in no way perfect, nothing ever will be, but it is the best that we have right now.

 

And so every day the hope is we get a little better. But ultimately that begs the question "What is better?" And that is what is great about America, we can argue about it. We dont have to stand lock, stock and barrel in agreement. You can believe the most absurd idiotic thing because its your right. And sometimes that will bite us in the ass, and sometimes people will use their talent, ability, to wrong other people. But you know what, other people will use their talent and ability to do good. So its up to us.

 

But its not going to be easy. There are going to be tragedies, there is going to be suffering, heartache, misery. Thats the only certainty in life, that it always ends sad. So you push forward, not because any of this matters (it doesnt), not because you have to, not because you want to, but because the simple truth is that when you run the numbers, every single human life is so exceptionally rare, that we should do everything in our power to give everyone the chance to enjoy it.

I hope you are right Badger. I will trust you are correct. If you are correct, the next 2 generations say THANK YOU.

 

Proves my point. Look at all those christians and look how the small minority have stifled us completely.

 

I know this won’t make a difference but I’ll post it anyway.

 

Depending on which source you read, something like 70-80% of Americans identify as Christian.

Yes but we've been silenced. It's not cool to admit you are Christian. I've been mocked in a s***ty small state like Kansas.

[Quin]

If the economy is getting better then that will help us greatly. Might even help me not get laid off. Hopefully that is happening.

You know my feelings on No. 2.

As far as the Christian thing, cmon Quin. You know Christians have been silenced effectively. Yes by the mass media mainly but tons of believers can't even say they go to church on Sunday without getting looks of disbelief or getting mocked. I know. People around here think I'm an idiot for going to church every week.

 

I have the same feelings on 2. Gun laws in Israel are tight (for obvious reasons), so when I saw someone walking down the street with an M16 (which was not rare) I felt safe because it was a trained soldier.

 

 

As someone that was raised religiously Jewish and is now non-religious, I get s*** for not being religious and told that due to my lack of morals I'm an awful person. Goes both ways. Christians haven't been "silenced," it's that vocal Christians are giving the majority a bad name and that the religious norm (Church every Sunday, prayers at dinner) are no longer the norm.

 

Not being the norm =/= silenced.

[StrangeSox]

Proves my point. Look at all those christians and look how the small minority have stifled us completely.

 

 

:lol: :lol: :lol:

[StrangeSox]

seriously thanks for making my day, greg!

[caulfield12]

That deadspin article was great. I know it was a joke but it makes you think. Right now America is like Gordon Beckham of last season. Or DeAza of this season. Really very very very little about it makes you think anything positive is going on.

Horrific leadership in government. Horrific economy. Terrible crime rate of American nutjobs killing innocent Americans, making us look very bad internationally and nationally, and pretty much nobody caring about doing anything about it. A Godless loud minority effectively silencing those who believe, pretty much making believers shut up when they would like to talk about morals and values and pleasing the higher power. Horrific business leaders who have set the trend of laying off hordes of people just so they can staff unpaid interns and/or parttimers who get no benefits. Horrible healthcare system that even s***s on the U.S. veterans.

Right now the USA is trending down down down.

Can the USA pick it up as Beckham has and start inching upward?

Good luck to us all. Hillary's not going to lead the change parade to greatness as she fulfills her destiny of being awarded the presidency which people feel is owed her for some reason. Obama has jumped the shark in that regard in that he's thrown up his hands against the assholes in congress.

 

God bless us all as we try to prove the odds wrong and pull a Beckham like recovery out of nowhere.

 

 

 

 

 

Then how can you explain the success of so many recent Christian-oriented movies like Noah, God's Not Dead, Heaven is for Real and Courageous (The Promise Keepers movie for dads)???

 

The Kirk Cameron movies? The Left Behind Series? The revival of the C.S. Elliot trilogy, especially The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe...and the resounding failure of The Golden Compass?

[Quin]

Proves my point. Look at all those christians and look how the small minority have stifled us completely.

 

This might be the greatest post of all time.

[caulfield12]

I do appreciate your statistics and believe them. I am pleased crime is down overall and did read it is going up in NY again with people blaming the mayor.

At any rate, these bulls*** American nutjob on innocent American deaths definitely are on the rise as our president stated how they are becoming the norm.

 

But I do accept your statistics on the overall crime scene. Please comment on the rest of my own rant. You can't deny that right now America is trending downward in a huge way. You can't be happy with all these school shootings and the economy and everything I listed and deadspin listed in a joking way.

 

Read Piketty's "Capital in the 21st Century Century" and you'll see this is just a blip on the radar.

 

America has the advantage of higher growth rates because of a rising population and immigration, compared to the stasis which is commonplace in Europe, where birth rates are falling and falling.

 

The main difference is that wealth is being transferred from public/government to private hands, and has been happening since the Reagan/Thatcher revolutions of the late 80's/early 90's. With everything that already taken place with the home mortgage crisis, almost nothing has changed in terms of true government reforms of the economic system, which happened worldwide after The Great Depression and World War II. Despite the 99%/Occupy movement, Tea Party, etc., more power going to the people is just an illusion. The Koch Brothers have a lot more power than all of those guys combined, although the Eric Cantor loss in VA might make you believe otherwise.

 

In case you hadn't noticed, the Dow Jones is hitting new highs every week. That's exactly what the majority of Christians favor, is it not, since 90% of them are also Republican? If they are "peace and social justice" Christians/Catholics, they might vote Democratic, but not usually over economics and moral issues like abortion or gay marriage or immigration reform.

Edited June 12, 2014 by caulfield12

[witesoxfan]

/praying

 

God, please make greg stop saying that Christians are oppressed.

 

/praying

 

(this is a trick, because if greg responds, then he's oppressing the Christians but it's a Christian person doing so, but if he does not, then he proves that solid fundamental Christianity still exists in the world today)

[caulfield12]

This might be the greatest post of all time.

 

 

Stifled who? Fred Phelps? Ten Commandments in the classrooms and courtrooms? Gay marriage? Christmas being taken away? David Koresh? No prayer in public schools? Every athlete in the world who gives thanks or praise to God, especially Tim Tebow?

Edited June 12, 2014 by caulfield12

[Soxbadger]

Im not sure what is so outrageous about Greg's post. People like me are trying to stifle Christian influence in govt. But I want there to be no religion in govt. We can start by changing the US motto from "In God We Trust" back to "Out Of Many, One."

 

That is way more badass.

[StrangeSox]

Im not sure what is so outrageous about Greg's post. People like me are trying to stifle Christian influence in govt. But I want there to be no religion in govt. We can start by changing the US motto from "In God We Trust" back to "Out Of Many, One."

 

That is way more badass.

 

greg wasn't complaining about losing influence in government but about Christians not having a voice in public and having to hide their faith, which is lol-worthy:

 

As far as the Christian thing, cmon Quin. You know Christians have been silenced effectively. Yes by the mass media mainly but tons of believers can't even say they go to church on Sunday without getting looks of disbelief or getting mocked.

[cabiness42]

Im not sure what is so outrageous about Greg's post. People like me are trying to stifle Christian influence in govt. But I want there to be no religion in govt. We can start by changing the US motto from "In God We Trust" back to "Out Of Many, One."

 

That is way more badass.

 

That's the exact opposite of Michelle Duggar's motto.

[Soxbadger]

Its his opinion. I think that sentence can be read a few different ways. Ultimately its not a shocking conclusion that a Christian would feel that way. Its definitely not the height of their power.

[greg775]

This might be the greatest post of all time.

What's so outlandish about my statement? Do you not believe me when I say I get weird comments and looks when I tell people I believe?

 

Its his opinion. I think that sentence can be read a few different ways. Ultimately its not a shocking conclusion that a Christian would feel that way. Its definitely not the height of their power.

Badger is a great man. He does not judge Greg.

[Quin]

What's so outlandish about my statement? Do you not believe me when I say I get weird comments and looks when I tell people I believe?

 

 

Badger is a great man. He does not judge Greg.

 

the third person,

 

And you wouldn't believe me when I say that I get told I'm getting/deserve eternal damnation from people when they find out that not only am I not religious, I was raised Jewish and therefore never knew peace/God.

 

I got this s*** from my friends growing up until they reached the point where they decided "being a good person" overrode the "what religion are you" qualification. Most of them are still religious.

 

You live in a liberal college town filled with young adults. Go anywhere else in Kansas and it's a different story. I feel uncomfortable in parts of Missouri and Illinois where being an Jewish (culturally) atheist puts a giant target on my back.

[greg775]

the third person,

 

And you wouldn't believe me when I say that I get told I'm getting/deserve eternal damnation from people when they find out that not only am I not religious, I was raised Jewish and therefore never knew peace/God.

 

I got this s*** from my friends growing up until they reached the point where they decided "being a good person" overrode the "what religion are you" qualification. Most of them are still religious.

 

You live in a liberal college town filled with young adults. Go anywhere else in Kansas and it's a different story. I feel uncomfortable in parts of Missouri and Illinois where being an Jewish (culturally) atheist puts a giant target on my back.

 

I believe you. I guess we're all doomed in this great world of ours.

[LittleHurt05]

They should change the name from The Filibuster to the The gregbuster. He owns this forum.

[caulfield12]

The great irony is that Beckham went out of his way to criticize Obama on twitter or FB...I can't remember exactly what the situation was, Gordon was frustrated that the President's motorcade or Secret Service or something was blocking his route to the ballpark one day and he went on and on about it.

[witesoxfan]

The great irony is that Beckham went out of his way to criticize Obama on twitter or FB...I can't remember exactly what the situation was, Gordon was frustrated that the President's motorcade or Secret Service or something was blocking his route to the ballpark one day and he went on and on about it.

 

Where in the world did this come from

[caulfield12]

Where in the world did this come from

 

That deadspin article was great. I know it was a joke but it makes you think. Right now America is like Gordon Beckham of last season. Really very very very little about it makes you think anything positive is going on.

 

Blame it on the Jayhawker.

 

Just made me laugh, the comp. Greg is always anti-Obama, and then he's using the one example from the White Sox of someone who has made derisive statements about the president.

Edited June 14, 2014 by caulfield12

[greg775]

There's a protest on the Brooklyn Bridge today calling for policy changes in the aftermath of the recent violence. Good job, America. This is a start.

[Jake]

So here is my rant.

 

Do people not realize that in a free society bad things are going to happen? That the whole entire point of freedom is giving people the choice to make good or bad decisions. That is what being part of a free country is. So even if I think I am right, that I have the best answers, everyone else in America is free to disagree.

 

I hate f***ing defeatists and their mindless followers.

 

You're fixated on what political theorists call "negative liberties." Negative liberties are the types of things where we seek to be free of outside interference. Freedom of speech is considered a negative liberty because it is a natural right to not be prevented from speech. Some feel the same way about property rights, too, for instance (some think property rights are the only natural right and that all others derive from it).

 

Positive liberties are ones that you lack if you lack the societal structures or personal agency to carry them out. For instance, in 1900, women had the negative liberty to free speech. However, they had no real liberty to speech because they were structurally discriminated against and lacked the agency to make their voices heard publicly. In most discussions of women's rights at the time, people would stress those negative rights; hey, they have the right! Their husbands take their opinion into account when they vote!

 

You can never promise all of the rights, positive or negative. But we do have to consider both. At some point we have to ask, "at what does our right to own guns infringe upon our other rights too much?" You can just say "we have the right to own guns and we have the right to do this, that, and the other thing" but at some point, the 300 million guns around this country might start to interfere with our ability to do this, that, and the other thing. When you know that the lived experience of some of our rights are going to be different from our expectation, compromises must be made. How dear do we hold gun ownership in comparison to other things, like safety?

 

You can see how much we sacrifice other rights, like privacy, in cities ransacked by gun violence. Surveillance cameras on every corner? Photographing every license plate that comes into town? Stop and frisk? These aren't necessary measures if the guns aren't there. But we chose guns.