Right, well I just don't like the continual anti-US bias I am reading. That part is pretty clear. If I latch on to a comment out of the middle of what someone writes because I don't like it, maybe there was something wrong with the particular comment. Even though there may have been only one thing I didn't like, I might have disliked it quite a lot. At one point the rest of it doesn't matter so much. Context doesn't fix the problem.

I think the trouble here may in fact be ideology. In my opinion, freedom of the way a person lives their life is very important. I think that the US supports freedoms for individuals. I think Russia does less so, China does less so, Iran does not at all unless you walk the party line. Generally it is a communism vs capitalism issue, but it is more complex when you throw religion and socialism into the mix.

My personal political view has room for the needs of the people who can not take care of themselves, and opportunities to get ahead for those who apply themselves. And in either case the right to enjoy your life and do the things you want, so long as your choices are not likely to harm others.

What I would like to see is some movement towards moderation in such things in all countries. I do not favor one world government.

I want to see more focus on development of food and water supplies for those who need them, and a trend away from petroleum resources as a source of energy.

I do not want to see people bombing others to make their politics prevail, in the case of terrorists or countries. But I prefer to have the power in the hands of a law driven government rather than in the hands of renegade zealots. I will support that with my views and my actions.

Countries who are law driven now, in this age include mostly countries of Europe, the United States, Canada, Australia and to a lesser degree some few others. As governments move towards totalitarian regimes they move away from the rule of law and towards the rule of force, within their own country. Their international politics follow the same pattern.

Countries who run their world like an open book, such as the United States are easy to criticize. But they have a tendency to actually behave more reasonably, because public opinion has such heavy weight in decisions. Not always are the perfect choices made, but they work towards getting better, and those who make mistakes get a lot of trouble for it.

I hardly think that half the people in the US are war hawks. Most would prefer to never fight a war. It took years to get the US into WW2, so hard was the resistance to involvement. So don't get the idea that the United States needs to be chastened nearly so much as it needs support, ideologically and in other ways. Needs support, and deserves it too. Whichever country you live in, when some outside power wants to crush your government and shackle your people, the United States and the people of the United States would be opposed to that action. Don't forget it.

It isn't unpatriotic to be against
this war.

It isn't anti-US if you oppose
the policies of the Bush Administration,
who started the Iraq War on false information.

I find it interesting that Biblical prophecies
are tossed around when describing this war or
the events surrounding it.

Bring on Armageddon.

Or when Bush referred to the
war on terror as a "crusade".

I'll bet most of the Muslim
world just loved to hear that.

I just love it when Bush
supporters categorize other
people, put them into little
convenient boxes and
stick labels on them.

Like when someone disagrees
with their black and white world
view, they call them "liberals"
or "socialists" or something else
offensive to their jaded sensibilities.

Not everything is black and white.
There are a lot of shades of gray.

This war isn't WWI or WWII.

Nothing like those wars.

Other than people getting killed
and "our side" and "their side".

It's not Vietnam, except for
the fact that it could become
the expensive protracted quagmire
without end that Vietnam became.

The people who started this
war, the so-called neo-cons,
a lot of them got military
deferments and did everything
they could to stay out of the
Vietnam War.

Those are your brave heroes,
Bush supporters.

They like to call anyone who is
against this war an "appeaser".

They don't like to face the fact
that they got special treatment
and avoided Vietnam when many others
who weren't as fortunate got draft
notices and had to go over there
to fight the Viet Cong.

No wonder they're defensive.

They take a tough stance,
cultivate an us-vs.-them,
black and white world view
to hide behind their fear
of someone discovering the
truth about their draft-dodging
pasts.

Some of the people against this
war actually served in the military
honorably and did their own service
to this country.

And some of them know the horrors of
war and imprisonment firsthand.

Unlike the neo-cons.

Those people who you call
"liberals" might actually just
be Veterans, Independents or maybe
even Republicans.

Hardly left-wing "liberals" who
want to burn flags or ban the
Pledge of Allegiance.

Oh, and that first part,
where I said "I just love it"?

I lied.

I really hate it.

The Middle East is going to ferment until the Jewish people get their "promised land" back. They must have the land back before the second coming of Jesus Christ can occur.
Ariel Sharon was struck down by God for giving the West bank of Jerusalem back to the Palestinians. It is NOT their The Palestinians) land. It belongs to the Jews, Hebrews, Isrealites whatever you want to call them. The chosen people of God, which the Old Testament and Revelations in the New Testament is based. Its not a fantasy. It is a reality. It will happen. We must help it to happen. That land is "The Promised Land". It belongs to the Jewish people. We(all Christians) must help the Jewish people to take their land back and hold it, so they can gain control of the Temple of Jerusalem, as it is written and Christ will come again, to judge the living and the dead. To loose Satan on the earth and finish this paultry existence you all are arguing over. None of that matters. Not Iraq, Iran, Russia, The US, except that we all must help the Jewish people get the land back so The Lord may come and make a "New Jerusalem".
All this action in the Middle East is a portent of what will come. We have no control over it. We (the United States and the rest of the world) have to have our hands in it. I am not sure exactly why.
I do know that we all must help the Jews get their promised land back and be ready for the final judgement days. When God will come and judge the living and the dead, in final judgement so that a "New Jerusalem" will be made and it will be God's Kingdom come on earth and there will be no death after all that has been prophesisied. You of no faith make me tremble, but, I know what is to come, and all your arguing cannot stop it. I am not afraid of these wars or your words. They matter not. George Bush is a distraction. Iraq, Iran, Russia, China and the big world powers are just a simple distraction while the plan of God is finalized. I plan to live on this earth where there will be no death, no poverty, no hunger.
Concentrate, my brothers and sisters, on the best way to get the Land of the Hebrews back into their hands so the end of this horrible earth may come and peace will reign forever and ever. Amen and Amen.

What about all the people that don't believe in any of what you just said? Don't they have a say in what happens?
I personally don't!

no, i'm sorry. you don't. It is written that everyone will have the opportunity to know the Word of God and Jesus Christ before the end of the "World" as we know it, occurs, and accept it. I suggest you pay attention or start to study. I believe this.

There comes a time to speak up for what you believe and while people are running around and clucking that "the sky is falling" I feel I must try to comfort those who are stirred in any way by the upsetting things that are happening in the world today. Here I am. Standing on the promises of God.

Well,

It looks like I wrote a prophecy a few posts back.

'donnar' you wrote the '1st degree' discourse of a summary I made a few posts back, which I lend to varying degrees, to roughly 50% of the US population whom believe in THE WORD of the bible.

You see 'donnar', you and a large group of 'word for word bible believing' friends truly live as though you KNOW THE TRUTH!!! Right?!?!?

Now, if you were the only group with THE TRUTH, there wouldn't be a problem.

But, given human nature, many groups on the planet, as it turns out, BELIEVE THEY HAVE THE TRUTH just like your group,

... unfortunately, it's a DIFFERENT TRUTH!!!

And just like your group, they believe theirs is the ONLY TRUTH, as you BELIEVE "TO DEATH" yours is.

The problem 'donnar'?!!?!?

Neither your group, nor the other groups, SEE the profound LIE of your TRUTHS!!!

If yours is the ultimate truth, theirs can't be! On the other end, they claim theirs is the truth, threfore yours is the LIE! Why fight, and risk the planet on a lie?!?!?

It makes ALL your ultimate truths PURE DELUSION!!!

But delusional believers (disinct from legitimate and lucid believers) don't see it this way.

Logic, intelligence, 'what's good for me must be good for others', and true compassion for other human beings gets in the way of their blind beliefs.

It locks 'bull-horns', in a combat to the death between 2 or more goups, beieveing that this life is just 'practice life', and that a 'cleansing' must take place for REAL LIFE to begin.

Wake-up!!! An oblitaration of the human race is all you're delusionally fighting for.

There isn't a 'savior' coming!!!

You, and we all are our own savior, and IMO, delusional groups, unless they wake-up, couldn't save their cat!

Your heaven on earth will only happen when enough people raise their level of compassion for all others, above and beyond the current barbaric 'us-good' vs 'them-evil' reptilian brain 'cave(wo)man' level.

Fighting over the good or bad 'gods' are instincts worthy of our neanderthal ancestors.
Believe in what you chose, but please don't check your brain in with your god. She doesn't ask as much!!!

Blind beliefs bring otherwise intelligent people to play blind poker with 'my' planet, and 'my' brothers and sisters (Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, Atheists, Agnostics, and all others) living on it.

And that religious dogmatic delusion IS THE ONLY DANGER THAT WILL OBLITERATE THE HUMAN RACE!

And believe only this,

... the universe will not even notice!!!

I support the notion that the future can be anything we make it. Hopefully cool heads will prevail and prevent anything resembling armegedon.

Well, well, well,

There you go 'philosopher', WE FULLY AGREE!!!

Voil,

How sure of these statements are you? There will be a second coming and you can read and watch as it all unfolds. Amazing Grace. The Holy Spirit has silenced me. I believe! Do you? I am comforted in my beliefs.

I believe there are people trying to force these fairy tales to come true at any cost and using religion and supposed prophecies written in "holy" books as an excuse to do so. Do you believe in the tooth fairy? How about Bugs Bunny? At least you can "see" him on TV!!

kidatheart70,

You wrote:
'... I believe there are people trying to force these fairy tales to come true at any cost and using religion and supposed prophecies written in "holy" books as an excuse to do so...'

Exactly my point. And my truest and most compelling theory for the extinction of mankind.

You and I must develop a therepeutic drug, pill, or cure for this delusional sickness!!! And if we call it 'jesus candy', I'm sure they will all take it!!! The alternative is that they going to kill us all!!!

Beats me!!!

The end of the world will
come one way or another.

But it will come sooner
than we think if we keep
putting our faith in elected
leaders like George W. Bush and
the other neo-cons, who,
under the mantle of Religion,
pervert the very concept
of a loving Jesus who
would never have been
for this war.

If we keep them in power,
they will bring on an
Armageddon of such
magnitude it will
make the Middle Age
Crusades look like
tiddlywinks.

Under the guise
of protecting us,
these zealots will
destroy us with
their misguided
patriotism.

bravo hiker....

Very nice Hiker!!!

Spider not to single you out, but 1991-2003 was 12 years. More than 1 President, you forget the elder Bush. With US Army troops within 75 miles of Baghdad and an unobstructed path to take Saddam out, he choose not to!

Why? Do you remember?

I do, he decided against it because he was advised that doing so would involve years and years of maintaining an occupation force in Iraq. Payed for with American lives and fraught with the same problems we see now.

Smart man, Bush senior, he listened to his military advisor, destroyed most of Saddam's Military, and choose a policy of containment instead!

That same policy was maintained and was successful for the next 12 yrs. Saddam was monitored and contained with very little danger to American Military personnel or his neighbors, and a hell of a lot cheaper price tag.

Then along comes a moron, who cast aside all his experts advise that Saddam was contained and eventually would die of old age, if his own people didn't take him out first, and instead listened to, as Hiker said, a group of cowards with their own greedy agendas.

Ironic and sad that this moron happens to be the formers very own Draft-dodging son!!!

You claim that everyone is just anti-Republican, and yet you fail to mention that it was a Republican who choose the path that was followed by 8 years of Democratic leadership.

8 years of a successful containment in which the Democratic leadership did support a Re publican's policy decision.

You claim that the Democratic President was an idiot, and yet his decision did not bring us into this chaotic SNAFU that is the neo-con Bush's making!

Fanta and Hiker:

We need the two of you in the White House! You guys RULE!

I couldn't have said anything better than you two. BRAVO, gentlemen!

Thanks, knoxman and Fanta!

The problem with government
these days is that it rewards
the scoundrels.

Take Shooter (um, **** Cheney).

Shooter got in so he could pad
his retirement plan, which is
his stocks in Halliburton.

Now this used to be considered
war profiteering, to directly
benefit financially from a war.

But instead of going to prison,
we let this maniac stay in office.

He really is a sociopath.

He's like the Wizard of Oz,
the man behind the curtain.

He's the puppetmaster who
works behind the scenes while
Bush smiles his goofy smile,
says and does stupid things.

And all these sycophant Republicans
go along with him, like when they
shot down children's health care.

That's because they're a herd,
with long memories and they
will smear and destroy anyone
who doesn't agree with them.

Because that's the state of things,
that's what greed, corruption
and K Street lobbyists have
done to this country.

Where's the outrage at
what they're doing to
this country.

All you Republicans who
voted for Bush can now
hang your heads in shame.

You should apologize.

Go ahead and make your
excuses about how you
don't like the direction
he's taken this country.

But the fact is, you
voted him into office

Twice.

And that should be on
your consciences for
many years to come.

Right again, Hiker.

Like any good criminal mastermind, Cheney's running the show behind the scenes.

And Bush? Well, every criminal gang needs a dope to drive the getaway car ! Knowing Bush, tho, he's probably lock the keys in the car!

I admit, I voted for him once, but it didnt take long for his lies to become a little too coincidental!!!!

It would have taken a fool to vote for him a second time!!!

Well, Fanta,
you're a hell
of a lot smarter
than the loyal
30 percenters!

I'll give you that!

And the Republican
Senators that keep
supporting this
lame duck clown.

They have become
part of his clown
circus.

Even at the risk
of not being re-elected
by their constituents!

I think this
circus will someday
leave town
for good!

And I for one
will celebrate
when it does!