....constantly belittle people of faith as "believing in fairy tales and myths"? "Shouldn't they just be smiling, knowing to themselves that the other person is deluded and will be shown that they are wrong eventually?" I have yet to meet an atheist who refers to a believers faith in any other way but derogatory. Believe, don't believe, personally, I could care less. However, I am a believer. Telling me that the basis of my faith is akin to something out of the work of Grimm or Aesop or Dr....

I say hooray for him. It's really sad that the RW fundies have so tainted the intersection of religion and politics to the point that if one dares mention God or faith they're automatically accused of "acting like a fundie", as the OP so eloquently put it. The Matthew 25 project refers to Matthew 25:31-46, the "whatever you do for the least among you, you've done to me" parable. In it, it talks about clothing the naked, feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty. It DOES NOT talk about ...

Before I start, yes, I agree that "God Damn America" is over the top and patently offensive. Do I think this as a "middle income white Democrat"? No. I think this as a Christian... one of them evangelical types. There has been a lot of talk about how "angry" Rev. Wright is. And my answer is simply, "so"? There is no biblical or scriptural prohibition against being angry. In fact, if one reads the Gospels, Jesus spent alot of time pretty pissed off... not just at the world around him, but a...

It's as stupid as judging Sen. McCain by what Rod Parsley or John Hagee have said. It's as stupid as judging Ron Paul by what David Duke has said. It's as stupid as judging Sen. Clinton by what Anthony Pellicano has said. This story is such a big deal for one reason. Race. Pure and simple. Don't try to say it isn't, because if that were true, the words those endorsing McCain would be getting as much airtime and print space as this story. It's true that 1Cor 15:33 says: Do not be deceived...

"Among Clinton voters, only 16 percent said they would be satisfied if Obama wins the party's top spot." Really? 16%?

Wow, has this turned into a 3rd grade playground or am I missing something? You can't turn around in here without running into a "I won't vote for ____" thread or a "____ is a liar" thread. Primary season is supposed to be fun and exciting and the time to sharpen our political acumen, but somewhere along the line, things have devolved into a shouting match reminiscent of the old Yahoo message boards. First, for those that won't vote for xyx if they get the nomination..... shut your yaps. D...

(I wrote this and submitted it to the local paper. I got notice today that it'll probably be printed) It's become inherently obvious that most people discussing GW on the 'internets' haven't the first clue about the science involved. Extremists in both camps have it wrong. GW does, in fact, exist, and no, it is not completely human caused. I don't know how many times and how many people have emphasized this point, but there are those who still refuse to listen. So, as a scientist, and a chemi...

So, there I am, involved in a discussion about the Iraq war on another board, looking up the AUMF to use as a hammer to defeat a neocon talking point that the AUMF made the Iraq war legal when it hit me. It is. Believe me, it causes me no joy to admit this, as it goes against everything in me. Before I don my flame-retardant suit, allow me to explain. From the AUMF (Public Law 107-40) itself: SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION FOR USE OF UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES. (a) IN GENERAL- That the Presid...

(Image) Well, the 2006 mideterm elections are barely over and already sour grapes are being spewed from the GOP. "Democrats didn't win, the GOP lost!" "The Dems only won because they ran conservative candidates!" "They'll do nothing but investigate and waste money!" "This is a truly disgusting night. Outside of 9-11, I cannot think of a worse day. I really want to hurt somebody." Even some conservative talking heads are already looking to hang the Iraq failure upon the Democrats. Sounds to me...

We are 15 days away from an election where the results could make 1994 look like childsplay. Fifteen days from sending this aberration of the Republican Party into political exile where it belongs. Fifteen days from possibly bringing oversight and sanity back to this country. There is one thing that can piss that all away in less than 24 hours. That thing is a pre-election call for impeachment from our party. Do these bastards deserve it? Yes. Is there enough legal ground to forge an air-ti...

....simply called it 'The Storm'. In most circles, Katrina has become a nameless entity. Souvenir shops are full of shirts disparaging FEMA (Fix Everything My Ass and FEMA evacuation plan - run motherfucker run!). There are numerous photo books and personal stories published and for sale. Waitresses, grocery store clerks, students, teachers....they all have stories to tell. When you listen you hear two conflicting ideals. Despair and hope. Despair over what was lost, not only things, but ...

......and I'm as liberal as they come. The difference is in literalism vs. the more 'esoteric' view. I sincerely believe that the problem with most RW evangelicals is that they take too much too literally too far out of context without understanding the historical and cultural influences on what was written. They stand up proudly proclaiming their morality while casting dispersions on those they feel are below them. They use the Bible to beat everyone over the head. This is not what I consi...

A federal judge on Wednesday rejected the legislative plan to provide more funds for English learners, finding the financing insufficient and some provisions outright illegal. U.S. District Court Judge Raner Collins said the plan to boost funding by $77 a year to $432 for each of the 160,000 students classified as English learners was not based on what it costs for the state to comply with federal laws to ensure that all students learn English. In fact, he said, that amount is $18 less than a...

I found this today googling information on the history of US refining capacity. Some high points include 1) Refining capacity has increased every year to a 2005 level of 17mbpd, equalling US consumption. 2) Oil companies refuse to open new refineries because the profit margin makes it economically unfeasable. 3) Transport by pipeline from Houston to NYC costs $1, or 2.5 cents/gallon at the pump, per barrel. ...

Mexican flag burned at Apache Junction HS (Image) Tensions over immigration reform heightened in the Phoenix area's East Valley Thursday when students raised a Mexican flag over Apache Junction High School — and then other students yanked it down and burned it. ==================== It's getting tenser and tenser here in the great southwest.

I don't understand how one can live a full life being so full of anger, hatred, and just general contempt of anything or anyone that disagrees with you. Here's some of the knuckledraggers comments on the rescue: To: Echo Talon I am glad these fools were released but hope they keep their mouths shut. So the torture/murder rate for this group was 25%. I suspect we'll hear how their captors were kind and how the US is evil. Idiots. ========== To: prisoner6 Apparently their little charad...

"If you're agaist war and all that stuff, I hope you and people like these protesters are in a building when a terrorist blows everyone in them up. Then this world would be a much nicer place to live in. Might even give the terrorist a purple heart! " What a typical display of compassionate conservatism, wishing death on those you disagree with. You, sir, are a disgrace to your fellow soldiers. Killing people who disagree with you is the way of dictatorial regimes. I'm ex-Navy, myself, so I ...

...is that the big part of the story is on WND. This should tell you all you need to know. "Among the first batch of the thousands expected to be declassified over the next several months, the Al Mukabarat document was translated from the original Arabic by a contributor to the online forum Free Republic."

It seems to me that the GOP just loves to play the 'victim' card. They don't actually want to do anything, just whine, bitch, and moan. It's becoming more and more apparent that the only thing the GOP wants to accomplish is whip up the base for fundraising.

Fired for gross incompetence. Granted, you started out as a great idea. The "New Democrat" model embodied by President Clinton gave us all hope. It restored our faith in our party. You took this idea and ran with it. Then, you dropped the ball... big time. In the 2000 election you advised Vice President Gore to run a milquetoast campaign. Get along to go along...don't ruffle too many feathers. You took a campaign that should have been a run away victory and turned it into a nail biter. ...