I never thought I would say this...but..

[LA_MERC_Sabre]

I think I agree with him on this one.


http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/12/20/061220094102.ixs3bo81.html


I don't know how it will happen, or when....but history shows that he is right.

[LA_MERC_Wetzny]

Well, I think he's F'ing wrong. It may not be the brightest moment in our nation, but considering what this nation has overcome in the past, its not the darkest by far. Eventually those who do not now see and accept the threat of Islamic Extremism, will awaken. Then a great reckoning will occur and then the Radical Islamlic threat will be subdued. This will take time, money and I'm sorry to say many lives. However good will win, evil will be defeated and the world will again be grateful to the United States.

[Chi_Townz]

Feel a little strong on the subject eh Wetz??

LOL, but I agree.

"Evil will be defeated and the world will again be grateful to the United States."

Nice!

[LA_MERC_Sabre]

i just meant that, in the past, countries that are far from God...eventually do go away. I don't mean that Islam should remain...who am I to say that. With the way our country is going, further and further away from God, I can't say that he is wrong by saying this country may go away.

By 'moment' what are you referring to? the war in Irac? I am referreing to the state the country is in...gay marriage, abortion, anti-Jesus on everything, Christianity is the only religion not allowed to be expressed....etc....

I hope you are right about the good over evil thing...but I agree, many lives will be lost. Probably through some sort of nuclear attack. I hope we are on the initiating side, not the retaliating side. <<------that is the reason I support the war on terror.

[LA_MERC_Wetzny]

I gathered what your point was, in referring to those social issues. My statements were meant to include those also.

There will always be a culture that embraces those issues. I happen to believe it is the media that inflates the popularity beyond its true measure. Eventually it becomes deflated either by its own indolence or other events.

Resurgence in a culture true to the foundations of our great and Godly nation is approaching; eventually a leader with the capability to inspire this will emerge.

[LA_MERC_Spark]

Far from GOD? You are serious aren't you.... what god? your god? his god? gods god? This type of talk IS the problem with the world today. It is very sad indeed to see how peoples religious "BELIEFES" have such a profound affect on the others around them. It truely is remarkable. With all of our technological and scientific advances we as a species still have to have some sort of unseen divine entity that is all powerful and capable of swooping down and either obliterating and laying waste to lands or granting forgiveness and everlasting life. It is a topic that makes me wonder about our future. It is not some divine being that will put and end to us... it is US.... the people of this world. We have gone through thousands of years worshiping this and that.. From suns and stars to aninimals and people. At every single point people are convinced without a shadow of doubt that THEY are the ones. The choosen few that have THE knowledge that should be spread to the other nonbelievers so that they may escape some sort of firey damnation. It is silly....very silly indeed. Really I have no problem with anyones religion. Pray to the fall winds for all I care. Just so your belief system doesn't involve making me do or say ANYTHING.

How does history show he is right? History shows that governments fail when the greed of a few men becomes too great to keep everyone else inline. It has nothing to do with religion. AT ALL..PERIOD. What simple arogance man has. To believe that some awsome creator of the universe has only us in mind. We are his focus. Tiny carbon based lifeforms on a rock at the edge of a not so huge galaxy. Us. And he'll be really upset if we don't eat our peas and go to chruch on time too. He's into poitics as well and he really doesn't like those liberals none to much.

The only thing ture about religion is that the closer you get to a fudamentalist belief structure, no matter the religion, the further you drift from an intelligent rational thought process. In my world you get on with the business of doing the things you enjoy in this world before you are gone. I'm not worring about satisfiyng my prayer quota or donating just the right amount to the church basket.

The leader of Iran is either a simple man or one who is smart enough to know that the people around him are simple. He is using this religious banter as a threat. Not a threat meant for the US or Britian, but for the countries closest to him, including his own, that may be seeing the benefits of a free society where you can CHOOSE what to believe. Once again... another bastard that weilds religion as a weapon of fear on those that don't know any better. Keeping the sheeple in line.

[LA_MERC_Sabre]

You are right this type of talk is the problem....and I guess because I believe in God, I am also incapable of intelligent rational thought process, or at least in your opinion..lol

I had to laugh at that comment...you had me going there for a minute....your points almost had credibiltiy.

And I was talking about the God that the founders of this great country believed in, the one that created all living things, the one that destroyed all but a few of those things because everyone was....well....acting similar to the way some are acting now....

To say that I don't care what your feelings are on religion would be a lie, however all but a couple of religions...especially the ones you refer to (worshipping air and trees, or whatever else you mentioned) have died out because there is no validity to them. They are simply a lie...that's why they come and go.

you have to be blind yourself to not see that this country is in a tailspin culturally. I hope that things change...like Wetz said, maybe a leader will come in and straighten things out. I have my doubts that will happen but I can hope for it.

I don't have the answers to all of this...nor do I think I know everything, but I do know that God, yes....God has blessed this country for a number of years with economic and technological prosperity...and he can easily take it away....whether you believe it or not.

[LA_MERC_Captain_Obvious]

you have to be blind yourself to not see that this country is in a tailspin culturally. I hope that things change...

...but I do know that God, yes....God has blessed this country for a number of years with economic and technological prosperity...and he can easily take it away....whether you believe it or not.

completely agree with you there Sabre.

[LA_MERC_Spark]

You are right this type of talk is the problem....and I guess because I believe in God, I am also incapable of intelligent rational thought process, or at least in your opinion..lol

dude... that was NOT a jab at you, but a jab at fundamentalism....



I had to laugh at that comment...you had me going there for a minute....your points almost had credibiltiy.

Laugh at it? Well I guess. Fundamentalist beliefs are what have us bogged down in the middle east right now. Fundamentalist beliefs are irrational. irrational.. definition:not consistent with or using reason; "irrational fears"; "irrational animals" reason..definition:the capacity for rational thought or inference or discrimination.. Fudalmentalist believe in the literal interpretaions of religious text. LITERAL INTERPRETATION... This means there can be no inference or descrimination... so reason is out of the question. If reason is out of the question then BOOM! IRRATIONAL! I didnt say YOU fell into this category, but the leader of Iran certainly does. Women oppressed and whipped? People put to death that try to think for themselves and choose a different life? Are those the actions of a person or people making rational intelligent decisions? NO! IT CLEARLY ISN'T.


And I was talking about the God that the founders of this great country believed in, the one that created all living things, the one that destroyed all but a few of those things because everyone was....well....acting similar to the way some are acting now....

The founding fathers were VERY clear on where they stood with regards to religion. It wasn't supposed to be apart of our government. It cannot be because it leads back to the whole irrational thought process and limits the ability of people to go about their days without the fear of a government that might squash their freedom. Religion crept into thing with McCarthyism and the nations fear of communism. Communist do not believe in religion so it was imperative that we said we did.


To say that I don't care what your feelings are on religion would be a lie, however all but a couple of religions...especially the ones you refer to (worshipping air and trees, or whatever else you mentioned) have died out because there is no validity to them. They are simply a lie...that's why they come and go.

They are in fact alive and well across the world, and they are some of the most peacefull people around. I asume you are telling me that YOUR religion is "valid" and that is why it is still around eh? See post one about everyone believing they know the "truth" about it all.


you have to be blind yourself to not see that this country is in a tailspin culturally. I hope that things change...like Wetz said, maybe a leader will come in and straighten things out. I have my doubts that will happen but I can hope for it.

Nation in a tailspin culturally... Hmmm... I give up... How? Every generation has said the exact same thing. EVRYONE. Suddenly some guy is going to come in here and snap some finger and POOF it's all good? baaaaaaaaaaaa.. wrong! You and me and the rest of us have to make these changes. It will happen. Ebb and Flow. There is nothing permanent except change. Heraclitus


I don't have the answers to all of this...nor do I think I know everything, but I do know that God, yes....God has blessed this country for a number of years with economic and technological prosperity...and he can easily take it away....whether you believe it or not.

PEOPLE my friend... PEOPLE... like my grandfathers and grandmothers... THEY blessed this country! They blessed it with hard work... THEY anointed this soil with SWEAT and TEARS. THEY are the reason we are still here. They are the ones that have gone to battle and won our freedom. They are the one the developed they laws that govern us, and WE are the ones responsible for keeping us here. Not some mystical force that is just sitting back waiting to rip the rug out.

[Chi_Townz]

You both seem to be talking about the same thing all of a sudden...

faith /feɪθ/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[feyth] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun
1. confidence or trust in a person or thing: faith in another's ability.
2. belief that is not based on proof: He had faith that the hypothesis would be substantiated by fact.
3. belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion: the firm faith of the Pilgrims.
4. belief in anything, as a code of ethics, standards of merit, etc.: to be of the same faith with someone concerning honesty.
5. a system of religious belief: the Christian faith; the Jewish faith.
6. the obligation of loyalty or fidelity to a person, promise, engagement, etc.: Failure to appear would be breaking faith.
7. the observance of this obligation; fidelity to one's promise, oath, allegiance, etc.: He was the only one who proved his faith during our recent troubles.
8. Christian Theology. the trust in God and in His promises as made through Christ and the Scriptures by which humans are justified or saved.


Pardon the dictionary definition, but after reading all that, this is the first thing that popped into mind.

[LA_MERC_Spark]

Here's the thing. Comments like "maybe some leader will come in and straighten things out" are just plain worng. That is NOT what we need. We need to go in the other direction and hold on to what is left of personal responsibility. If you want a government to tell you who to marry, who to love, how to act, ect ect.. then you should look into living opportunities in China. If there's one thing you can pull from the stories of Jesus it is TOLERANCE. Anyone ever hear that word before? Why does it matter to you SO much if Paula and Betty are in love with each other? There are so many more important things in life then the awsome strugle to stop the fags from destroying the country. THERE WILL ALWAYS BE PEOPLE WIRED DIFFERENT THEN THE REST. TOLERANCE! Damn it! Do you think for one second that a jesus like figure would condem these people for having different feelings then the rest of everyone? NO! We need to step up, each and every one of us, and not allow our children to act like animals. We need to be tolerant of others. We need to lead by example as well.

edit: I thought it may be important to emphasize a point about children. Children are born only with the same basic instincts as any other animal on this planet. Eat and live. That is all. The rest they learn from us, genetic predispositions not withstanding.

I talk to my kids almost everynight about making good decisions. I try to teach them how to be men. I lead by example. I wait for everyone to be served before diggin in at chow time. I open doors for ladies. We actually eat our meals together as much as possible, and we TALK about some of the crap we see on TV. That is what will make a difference in this country. The lack of good parenting is the number one cause of the cultural crisis facing this country. It has ZERO to do with some divine punishment.

I am not perfect. I have a pretty bad temper, and my language is sub par at best, but we talk about that too. I use it as an example of how we don't always meet our goals, but we have to keep trying. I'll tell you. It has worked pretty well. Both of my boys try really hard to make good decisions. Sometimes they make bad ones, and we sit down and correct them. Sometimes they make REALLY bad ones and there's no real dicussion, we just go right to dealing out punishment.

I really would just like to hear people say thing like, "you know what? IM going to fix this", instead of waiting for someone or something else to do it. I certainly do not want some government to put pressure on me to do things the way they want. That goes COMPLETELY against the idea that was and is America.

[LA_MERC_LaTech]

Having a government that THINKS that they need to step in to control how the common folks go about their daily lives is not the answer. Personal responsibility (being willing to take responsibility for your own actions and the consequences instead of trying to place the blame elsewhere...everyone remember the stupidity of the woman that spilled coffee on herself at McDonalds? Need I say more?), Tolerance (as Spark so eloquently put...amen man!), and Equality for ALL people (just because you're a member of one group or another gives you NO more rights or protection as a citizen than any other) are the only things in my mind that are going to turn America around. Do I think we're going to get there any time soon? Without a great "WAKE UP!" from somewhere (be it another terrorist attack, national crisis or some other event)...no.

I think it's sad, really. America is turning to the sort of Theocratic state (as stylized in V for Vendetta) with Socialistic tendencies. Do I blame the Dems? No...I blame all of us.

[LA_MERC_Wetzny]

A leader like Ronald Reagan would, in my opinion, provide the rhetorical wake up call needed to bind our fractured culture together again. Ever hear the term Reagan Democrats?

My post regarding a leader wasn't meant to have someone "straighten things out", thats not what leaders do. I'm was referring to someone to remind those of us who have forgotten what makes this the greatest nation ever created. An optimistic, God fearing (choose the right one for you) hardworking, innovative and inclusive populace committed to spreading liberty and freedom across the globe. As opposed to our current shallow, celebutard, money-grubbing, I'm-a-victim-pay-me culture.

[LA_MERC_Wetzny]

This is an example of the type of leadership this nation deserve's and is starved of at the moment.

Take five minutes please..

http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=10790

[LA_MERC_Andyconda]

Wait a damn minute:
1. I firmly believe we as a race and as a society are far off now than we have ever been. Read some history books people.
2. I also think it is stupid to not believe in something that you can not disprove. Therefore I concede that there may be an all powerful deity. Does my life revolve around it, NO. If he exsists and wants me to do something he's got to let me know. So until then I'll live my life like I want to.
3. I do think mass religion is silly. I don't go to church and worship and I don't give them any money. Like I said in pint 2. If the good lord needs money from me all he has to do is ask.
4. Worship Me You Ignorant Masses.
5. People need to learn hard and fast that individual beliefs of your own can not be the same guidelines to which you govern a society. Its like church and state. You have to seperate the 2. I'm a very liberal minded person, but I'm smart enough to know that you can't have a very liberal government or these ignorant masses we speak of and human greed will run it into the ground. Happens evey time. Again, read history books peeps.
6. Lastly. Chill Peeps. Don't let the media guide your thoughts. Sensationalism is what they live for. The more we contemplate and argue over it. The more they win.

This concludes Life as described by Andy Bell. Go Forth and Be Happy.

[LA_MERC_Andyconda]

I thought it may be important to emphasize a point about children. Children are born only with the same basic instincts as any other animal on this planet. Eat and live. That is all. The rest they learn from us, genetic predispositions not withstanding.

I talk to my kids almost everynight about making good decisions. I try to teach them how to be men. I lead by example. I wait for everyone to be served before diggin in at chow time. I open doors for ladies. We actually eat our meals together as much as possible, and we TALK about some of the crap we see on TV. That is what will make a difference in this country. The lack of good parenting is the number one cause of the cultural crisis facing this country. It has ZERO to do with some divine punishment.


P.S. Very well said and great.

[Chi_Townz]

Go Forth and Be Happy.



P.S. Very well said and great.


RGR That!

Oh, and play some BF2!

[LA_MERC_Sabre]

i agree that parenting is the main cause of the crap that is going on...

I think we need a leader, that is willing to say what is right...not what is 'politically correct'. After all, the most resistance to our countries way of life...comes from those who have no historical ties to the country. ie...damn foreigners!!! lol

[LA_MERC_Andyconda]

damn foreigners!!!


Al, aren't you Canadian?

[LA_MERC_Sabre]

no, I'm a US citizen!

[LA_MERC_Andyconda]

no, I'm a US citizen!

That's the way to say it. I'm glad to hear you say "I'm American from Canadian Descent"

It doesn't matter if your of Asian decent, Mexican, European, Canadian, or what ever. You can be from anywhere as long as you believe and stand for the good Ole USA.

Kudoos to AL.