News of the day

[Uncle Al]

Dillon,

I heard that Isis won the game toss

Isis and Football 2015-11-16.jpg

Who wants to signal the kick-off

Uncle Al

[r.m.anderson]

Need to go in and Carpet Bomb their Ali Baba carpeted domain but also need to reduce the exposure of innocent country folk !

[Caultron]

?..I heard that Isis won the game toss...Who wants to signal the kick-off?...

Ah, but the problem is to find them, living and looking exactly as they do like the peaceful local population.

[crfriend]

I'm about ready to let God sort out the good ones from the theocratic dupes.

In which case, your God will likely damn you as surely for judging as their God damns us for being infidels.

This -- no matter what the propagandists are feeding us -- is NOT about religion, theology, or matters of the spirit. It is about power and control. Period. Most things when it comes to matters of organised religion are about power and control: this is precisely why it enrages folks and makes them do things they might otherwise not. Face it, when somebody else uses overt force to compel one to believe in, or otherwise act in accordance with, their mode of behaviour (term used deliberately to avoid theology) most rational individuals will tend to rebel against it -- and that cuts both ways -- for the zealous will ratchet up the pressure when they start to feel resistance.

On radicalism, thanks to some goings-on in the past few months, I have gained a new understanding of how it works and how it happens -- first-hand. It's easier to radicalise a rational person than you might imagine, and it's only the notion of "civil society" (a concept now largely becoming obsolete in the West, at least in the USA which has thrown off the mantle of being a Republic and is now an oligarchy like Russia) that keeps the lid on things. If the State (or whomever is in power) disenfranchises people and removes the people's power to at least control basic aspects of their own lives and then abuses them, they start to harbour ideas about bringing the thing down, and, without civility as the brake (which cuts both ways) will act on those ideas. This is why theocracies, unless the society is monolithic (or can be made so), fail -- unless you're part of the "in crowd" then you're entirely disenfranchised. It's also why most Western states have tended to shy away from theocratic leanings.

Do not take what the propagandist feeds you blindly. Do a little bit of research and digging on the matter. While you still can, of course. Short-wave radio used to be a great source of independent points of views on matters, as did reading a number of different newspapers. SW is now effectively dead, having been taken over mainly by preachers of various ilk, and all the newspapers are owned by a few powerful consortia or families so those, too, are essentially useless. The S/N ratio on the Internet is so bad that it's close to worthless, but gems can be found if one is willing to do the mental gymnastics to sort the wheat from the chaff. It's worth the time and effort; unfortunately, the picture that emerges is not a particularly pretty one.

[dillon]

With all due respect, Carl, I don't believe that you or anyone else is qualified to speak to my personal spiritual beliefs. Too, the tenor of your response, and those implied by others, reveals that your guesses are widely off the mark. You presumed a figure of speech to be some testament of faith.

Clearly you don't understand my outrage in the same way that I do not understand your lack of outrage. Further, you presume yourself to be authoritative on the intent and belief of the Islamic State, and me to be uninformed. Again, you are off base. If you want a treatise on the matter, just ask and I will post one.

Until then, go find a Wahabi Imam who speaks against the extreme views of this enemy, and I do use the term enemy intentionally and with the full weight of its implications, and I will retract anything you find malicious in my words. Im sure our enemies are a small portion of the billion muslims in the world, but it's not easy to tell so. And while you're at it, find persons of any other faith who are strapping on suicide vests and blowing themselves up in night clubs crowded with young people. Even kamikaze pilots targeted other warriors, not innocents. Perhaps if you had children who have studied abroad and could have been one of those clubs, you would understand outrage.

On a final note, it is not a "civil society" that makes a Republic succeed. If you have ever seen a "civil society" then you must be far older than I am. I am not too senile to remember the sixties, seventies, eighties, and nineties, and can't recall much civility. The times we live in simply reveals the same public ignorance exploited, exacerbated and fueled by a milisecond media. What makes a successful Republic is a populace that understands and respects the concept of loyal opposition, which is rare in this world. There are only a handful of nations where leadership changes without a shot being fired.

[Uncle Al]

OK kiddies, let's play nice

I'm starting to feel something warm, and I don't want to see
any FLAMES being tossed around. We don't need that.
Each of us are entitled to our own opinions. Each of us has/had
different experiences, which these opinions are based.

Dillon - Carl has a few HEAVY THINGS on his personal plate
at this time. Hopefully, after Wednesday, they will be lightened
up quite a bit. These 'things' may be influencing his thoughts
and writings at this time.

So - PLEASE - play nice - I don't want to put the blasted
MOD HAT on and lock this thread down. This thread
has turned 90 degrees from what was originally posted.
We are adults here.
Remember - We are civil to each other and those
around us.

Uncle Al

[moonshadow]

I have been checking in on this thread from time to time... (couldn't resist), and now that I have had a few days to absorb the news, and mull it over, this is what I have concluded thus far:

I had a somewhat enlightening discussion with a co-worker tonight. I read the thread to myself on my phone (I was on lunch) while he put a plug on a band saw. I didn't discuss the thread, but simply stated "It's a wild night online tonight!" He asked what for, and I told him it had to do with the attack on Paris.

My co-worker friend has spent a good many years studying Christianity, and Islam alike, along with a few other religions. He himself is a Christian, but we have civil and frank discussions on the matter. To put it another way, he's really on top of his game when it comes to this stuff, and when he talks, I tend to shut up and listen.

He told me the story in the bible that spawned the great holy war that has been raging that continues to this day between Jews, Muslims, and later on, Christians. I sat there and listened to his story, which I can't quote because I can't remember enough of the details to quote reliably. But I know it had to do with Abraham and his sons. After he finished the story, I sat and looked at him.... though for a moment, and offered my thoughts on the matter which was.... and I quote "that's it?"

He said "yep".

I continued... "thousands of years of bloodshed over a stupid family feud? An old man who's wife was barren, got a mistress pregnant and pissed God off? THAT'S IT!?!?!"

*face palm*

I was ashamed to call myself a human being!

I continued... somewhat in awe... "see (____name withheld____) this is why I'm a Wiccan. What waste, what folly. All's I believe is God is out there, she doesn't speak for me, I don't speak for her, we seem to get along just fine."

And finally wrapped it up: "I don't have a problem with peaceful Muslims.... however if what you say is true, and it is a fact that the Quran orders Muslims to murder non-Musims.... then the Quran needs to be amended... If your religion orders you to kill, change your religion, or find another one!"

He agreed.

And that's about it!

*sighs* Beam me up Luna, there's no intelligent peaceful life down here! Gheeze the stuff people kill over....

..............

Hopefully, after Wednesday, they will be lightened
up quite a bit.

Good luck Carl! My thoughts are with you!

[crfriend]

With all due respect, Carl, I don't believe that you or anyone else is qualified to speak to my personal spiritual beliefs. Too, the tenor of your response, and those implied by others, reveals that your guesses are widely off the mark. You presumed a figure of speech to be some testament of faith.

Actually, I was making an example of how narrow-minded thinking can work. It was not any sort of supposition of faith at all; in fact the only thing probable about whatever faith you may hold -- if any -- is that you're not Muslim. Certainly no offence was intended.

[dillon]

OK kiddies, let's play nice

I'm starting to feel something warm, and I don't want to see
any FLAMES being tossed around. We don't need that.
Each of us are entitled to our own opinions. Each of us has/had
different experiences, which these opinions are based.

Dillon - Carl has a few HEAVY THINGS on his personal plate
at this time. Hopefully, after Wednesday, they will be lightened
up quite a bit. These 'things' may be influencing his thoughts
and writings at this time.

So - PLEASE - play nice - I don't want to put the blasted
MOD HAT on and lock this thread down. This thread
has turned 90 degrees from what was originally posted.
We are adults here.
Remember - We are civil to each other and those
around us.

Uncle Al

My apologies, Al and Carl. I had figured that it was apparent that we weren't going to change each other's opinions by this point. I have no more to add.

[Judah14]

*sighs* Beam me up Luna, there's no intelligent peaceful life down here! Gheeze the stuff people kill over....

Why bother about lunar colonization if it is better to...

(picture from https://shop.spacex.com/tshirts/occupy- ... shirt.html)