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Списък с дискусии
Тук не Ви е разрешено да публикувате съобщения. Изисква се ниво на членство най-малко Мозъчна Пешка.
Artful Dodger: Thank you for your well-considered response. As long as I am not restricted, I am happy. I note in passing that this is your first response to any post of mine in about 3 weeks....even to posts that were directed to you. That is your privilege. And as long as it is my privilege to post things of interest to me, whether or not others choose to ignore those posts, again....I am happy.
As to my "mission," everyone who posts brings a point of view to the table. Especially on a Politics board. This seems a good place to me to challenge the views of others and to present my own views. Again, this is politics.
As to 9/11, it is one subject I've posted a great deal about. The posts have been fewer of late...I've made my points. But I also post on a variety of other subjects, politics-related. The "theme" of my posts is that there is an elite conspiracy we ought to be aware of & try to stop. 9/11 seems to be a good catalyst for waking people up to that. But there are other avenues. Lately I've been focusing on some of those other avenues.
I'm learning too. I've even been forced to abandon some well-cherished positions I formerly held, the further I've researched & thought about the issues at stake. Where my opinions have changed, I've been honest enough to point it out here, and to concede points scored by my debating opponents.
To sum up....I have posted here not only because I think it is potentially useful for others, but also because it is useful for me, to clarify my thoughts, to hear objections & consider them. Once I feel that the law of diminishing returns makes it no longer useful to myself and/or potentially to others, I will probably move on.
Czuch: "so thats it then???? Im taking my ball and going home??? If I cant post 9/11 links, then im outta here?"
Actually, AD is right, in one sense. I came here to open doors of thought, make points most don't think about. I've done that. What I've talked about takes a lot to absorb, and can't be absorbed at all without serious & time-consuming study. I could be wrong, but I question whether you or anyone here will put in that kind of effort.
The "one thing" AD talked about....the fall of the towers...can be used as the lever to bring the whole official story down. It just takes the courage of conviction. But there are other "one things", equally valid. The standown of NORAD on 9/11...the behavior of Bush on 9/11....all the prior knowledge of the impending attacks...etc.
But a dead horse is a dead horse. I'm only here to make points in discussions of real importance, on issues that effect us & the world. I'm not really here to play online games & pop in once a while for a one-liner on the Politics DB. I am mission-oriented.
Because of that, it is true, I have to be able to post on the issue that concerns me, because to me, it is the important post to make. To this point, AD has not blocked any of my posts. But he has maneuvered to put himself into a position to be ABLE to block them, with an official excuse for doing so to explain his moves. And his continual posting of these "new guidelines" are intended to announce the fact that the board needs to be controlled, and he is going to do it.
I'm not much interested in a controlled board, except the basic need to not use profanity & to keep discussion more or less civil. Nor will I consent to allow my debating opponent to use his authority as a moderator to "guide the debate."
Now, we could debate all day on whether he is actually attempting to do that. Although, strictly speaking, such a debate is already off-limits, and a challenge of moderating principles is supposed to be handled by PM. Now, I'm not here to attack or harass the moderator. I'm here to discuss what I like to discuss, make the points I like to make, copy-&-paste items of interest, provide links I consider useful, etc. When the moderator tells me I must begin censoring myself or he will do it for me, he goes too far, in my opinion.
You said, again: "so thats it then???? Im taking my ball and going home????"
That's a good analogy. The playing field must be even & competitive. We don't need an umpire with a personal stake in which team wins....whatever the reasons for that stake, or whatever the game. Otherwise, sure, why not go home? When I played pee-wee football, we were undefeated and went into a team's stadium where the local refs were determined to give the other team the game. Finally, shortly into the 3rd quarter, our coach looked at the team and pointed up the bleachers and said: "To the bus!" We left the stadium in mid-game. I've always admired him for doing that.
Czuch: "We have less than 10 regular contributors here.... only reason to enforce this is to silence Usurper, no?"
Looks like it's about time for me to bow out of here. I've seen it coming for awhile. Thanks for seeing it too.
"I know this will kill you to hear... but thats exactly how it is supposed to be, right? That we pay other people to take care of this crap so we can enjoy our lives at the end of the day?"
Actually, it is not supposed to be that way, at least according to Thomas Jefferson, who said: "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance." His point is that, however we might like it to be, at the end of the day we are personally responsible for securing our freedom, and if we neglect this duty or attempt to leave it to others, the price we pay will be the loss of freedom we took for granted.
Bernice: "If you are trying to prove something give us something that the average busy working stiff has time to contemplate."
I know time is of the essence in everyone's lives. Unfortunately, there is really no short cut to taking the time to learn about these things, just as it takes time to become knowledgeable about any number of subjects. The best I can do here is stress the importance of the subject and entice readers of the Politics DB to sacrifice the time required. Ultimately, of course, each person will decide for himself/herself what is worth pursuing...or whether, perhaps, their hard day's work has earned them the right to not have to think when the day is done. This is perhaps true....but unfortunately it will leave us with a lack of insight into the world & into the events that shape our lives.
"Investigation of 9/11: Produced in Europe. So far this is the best overview we have seen. It's hard to believe that anyone can see this and still believe the official myth of 9/11. Watch before it is pulled from the Internet." Google Video 2009 Mar 17 --Unfiltered News
"The illegal alien crisis is a mechanism for achieving the globalists' NAU goal by creating a de facto erasure of the border. Both subjects are discussed in depth here in many well-researched and documented articles."
There's no point in hating Mexicans. They're here because that's where the pressures & the opportunities are leading them. If you were Mexican, you'd probably be here too.
But they are here by grand design, just not their own. It is by design of the Global Elite, the same people who brought you NAFTA & CAFTA.
Относно: Re: The plan is to make a North American Union of Canada, the U.S., and Mexico, to make the whole thing subservient to the U.N., and to end our sovereignty as a nation.
(V): It would meet with resistance if people were informed. The problem is, they don't hear about it on the nightly news so automatically that means anyone who brings up the subject must be a conspiracy nutcase. Talk about being deeply imbedded in the Matrix. If Democrats don't hear about it on Olbermann, or Republicans don't hear about it on O'Reilly, why it can't be true.
They're getting to that. The plan is to make a North American Union of Canada, the U.S., and Mexico, to make the whole thing subservient to the U.N., and to end our sovereignty as a nation.
The most difficult step, it seems to me, for conservatives....is to recognize that the Bush administration and the Republican party is an enemy of our Republic & the Constitution & Declaration of Independence on which the Republic is founded....that the party is just as Collectivist as the Socialists, though the Collectivism takes a different form.
And the most difficult step, in my opinion, for progressives/liberals, is to recognize that the Obama administration and the Democratic party is an enemy of our Republic & the Constitution & Declaration of Independence on which the Republic is founded....that it embraces the socialist model of Collectivism, and this model is equally subversive to the cause of Liberty, as envisioned & understood by our Founding Fathers & embedded in their documents & debates.
Americans on both the "Left" and the "Right" must come to grips with the fact that both parties reject the principles upon which this nation was founded. And they must turn back to those principles, and rediscover them. Those principles are the hope not only for America, but for the world....not that we can force these principles on anyone or that a One World Republic is desirable, but that the principles themselves are the hope of humanity, for each nation of people to discover & implement for themselves....us being the great Beacon.
The wisdom of our forefathers has been abandoned. It took me a long time to understand just how wise they were, and I am still learning. America truly was the Great Experiment, as expressed in The Federalist #1:
"It has been frequently remarked that it seems to have been reserved to the people of this country, by their conduct and example, to decide the important question, whether societies of men are really capable or not of establishing good government from reflection and choice, or whether they are forever destined to depend for their political constitutions on accident and force."
As of this moment, the Great Experiment is failing. We need new Patriots to rise to the occasion.
Относно: Re: LEFT VS. RIGHT: THE ILLUSION OF OPPOSITES
Charles Martel: I frankly don't know much about George Soros. Looking him up on Wikipedia, here is my quick analysis:
1. He is a progressive, which means he is a Fabian socialist, at least in heart if not in name. He may be very sincere in this. He speaks against totalitarianism, having experienced it. He recognizes the Neo-Con agenda & the Bush administration as being a grave step towards Fascist dictatorship in America.
2. However, by focusing on the "Right," he is missing the point. He supports organizations of the "Left." This causes me to believe he is a Fabian socialist, in which case he holds much common ground with the Fascists. Both believe in Collectivism. Both believe the Government ought to coerce people to "do the right thing." Both believe rights come from the Government, not that they are intrinsic to the individual, and so on.
3. He claims he is for a free market, but who doesn't? A truly free market eliminates governmental coercion from the equation, and a truly Constitutional government does not apportion taxes unequally.
4. As a progressive of the "Left", he is aiming for the same kind of future as are the so-called conservatives of the "Right." He only thinks there is a nicer way to do it. But this future is a Collectivist future, which necessarily leads, in my opinion, to the totalitarianism he supposedly resists. So despite his criticism of the Bush administration, which in my opinion is proper in itself, his solution is equally detrimental to liberty. The same criticism can be leveled at those who now reject the Obama administration. While it also is proper in itself, it misses the bigger picture, that those who do so offer a solution equally detrimental to liberty.
My quick analysis may be way off base. I took a quick glance at Wikipedia, a George Soros website, both more or less favorable, and one unfavorable article.
Относно: Re:The sub prime loans began under Carter but flourished under clinton..
(V): In America, Republicans are conditioned to blame Democratic politicians for everything wrong, and Democrats are conditioned to blame Republican politicians.
On this board, I see the pattern repeated on the Republican side, just as among members of my family, I see the same pattern from the Democatic side. It's as if both sides believe that, were all U.S. citizens to convert to THEIR party, everything wrong with America would be set straight.
But you've raised a great point, which is that the politicians of both parties may say different things to get elected, but in office they ACT THE SAME WAY!
The two-party system is an illusion. It is one party with two branches....and that party has abandoned the principles & the laws of the Constitution (our SUPREME LAW OF THE LAND) and is selling America's future.
Though it is a difficult process of confrontation, and sometimes of accusation and counter-accusation, it still bears fruit.
Even if, in the middle of heated debate, it seems that no one's mind or position is influenced by his debating opponents, it can still....in the honest mind...produce thoughtful reflection afterwards.
AD has been researching 9/11. I don't know where his research has led him to this point. But it is a good thing, regardless. Czuch I'm not sure about, although I hope he is at least considering the possibility that handouts to banks & corporations is at least as detrimental to liberty as handouts to the poor.
As for myself, I've been forced to look more closely at the global warming issue, and more generally & importantly, I've been forced to examine my opinions on Individualism vs. Collectivism...to delve more deeply...and I've arrived at some different conclusions than I previously held in my arguments on this board.
Specifically, I discovered the inconsistency of my position, that handouts to the poor are ok, whereas handouts to the rich is not ok. What I learned is that it is the same mechanism at work. The government that has the power to favor certain classes of individuals, be they poor or rich, also has the power to destroy individuals.
(V) and I have generally supported each other, though we certainly don't agree on everything. It is his willingness to examine the issues that most impresses me, and his willingness to enter the fray.
The point of this post is that, debate is a good thing. Discussion is a good thing. Feedback is a good thing. The more of it, the better for all of us.
"Those who would give up essential Liberty to purchase a little temporary Safety deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
— Benjamin Franklin
The so-called "War on Terror," just like the so-called "War on Drugs," is really a War on Liberty. The "USA Patriot Act," the "Military Commissions Act of 2006," and other new laws require that we "give up essential Liberty to purchase a little temporary Safety."
Относно: Re: As our PM and Gov say.. why should failure be rewarded?
Czuch: "But it all starts with the government.... you cant have bad corporations and monopolies etc, without first having a government that allows all this crap!"
That is true. If we reel in the excesses of the government, the Monopoly Capitalists will be cut off at the source. To do this, we need to return to Constitutional restrains on government and abolish the Federal Reserve.
Czuch: --What is the upside for a bank to become "predators"?--
The upside is that periodically they get to tighten the money flow, call in loans, not allow more loans to cover payments due, and foreclose....thus transferring property up the line.
It does come down to greed, including greed from customers, for which they are responsible. That doesn't change the fact that the entire social mechanisms in place are designed to cultivate that greed...that it is in a very real sense programmed in.
You are right in that there is no governmental solution. The solution is for the government to step out of the way, let the competition of the free market decide these issues...and stop bolstering these banks which don't mind getting into financial trouble because they know the government will bail them out. Socialism at EITHER END...for the banks or for the customer....is destructive to liberty.
Относно: Re: As our PM and Gov say.. why should failure be rewarded?
Czuch: "I am almost rady to join Usurper, and hold a peoples revolt against this governemnt of ours!"
I don't advocate taking up arms against my government, which would require more stupidity than bravery. I don't even advocate violating unjust laws, unless push comes to shove. I mean, if they make a law saying I have to shoot my dog, it is time to break the law. But if they make a law saying I have to wear a seat-belt, I'll do it, whether I agree with it or not.
Intelligent "Revolt" requires a real recognition of the dangers we face as a nation & world, and an examination of our own willingness to stand up and be counted for the long haul. It requires a strategy with a true possibility for eventual success. It isn't easy to come up with that kind of strategy.
"True Christian consistency does not consist in stereotyping our opinions and views, and in refusing to make any improvement lest we should be guilty of change, but it consists in holding our minds open to receive the rays of truth from every quarter and in changing our views and language and practice as often and as fast as we can obtain further information. I call this Christian consistency, because this course alone accords with a Christian profession. A Christian profession implies the profession of candor and of a disposition to know and obey all truth. It must follow that Christian consistency implies continued investigation and change of views and practice in conformity with increasing knowledge. No Christian, therefore, and no theologian should be afraid to change his views, his language, or his practices in conformity with increasing light." --Charles G. Finney, 19th Century Revivalist
I would only add that his point speaks a general truth about intellectual candor, or philosophical honesty, and therefore holds true even if one removes the "Christian" from his statement.
Even over the last couple of months, during the time I've been debating on this board, some of my views have changed. Generally, it is not that I reject the conspiratorial view of many events, such as 9/11 and others. I do not. But it is that I recognize the solution has to be a return to Constitutional principles of liberty and therefore all forms of collectivism must be dethroned.
Относно: Re: As our PM and Gov say.. why should failure be rewarded?
Czuch: The revolt I have in mind holds both government leaders & financial/corporate leaders to the fire. It is the unwholesome partnership that is destroying our Republic. Please note there is a great difference between Constitutional Government & Corporate-Controlled Government. And please note also, that there is a great difference between free market Capitalism (the only Capitalism really worthy of the name) and Monopoly Capitalism, where governments collude essentially with economic & corporate cartels, and competition is eliminated. This is an arrangement which is destroying our free enterprise system, which has always been the backbone of the America. That's what we have. And if we blame the government alone without seeing the bigger picture....or vice versa, if we blame the business cartels alone without seeing the bigger picture....then whatever revolt we organize will fall short, for lack of real understanding of the enemy.
Относно: Re: As our PM and Gov say.. why should failure be rewarded?
Artful Dodger: I also agree that the money has been squandered. I see (V)'s point, that the business sector must be accountable. But I also see Viking's point, that the government leaders must be accountable. My perspective is that we are looking essentially at a partnership. These business leaders fund the politicians & offer them jobs upon leaving office. While in office, these politicians serve those who put them there. You and I, the voters, are forced to choose between "picked" candidates...not ones we we really want, but ones put forward & funded by the business men. I hope we can all agree that, whatever one chooses to call this process, it is neither Capitalist nor Representative.
"We are grateful to the Washington Post, The New York Times, Time Magazine and other great publications whose directors have attended our meetings and respected their promises of discretion for almost forty years. It would have been impossible for us to develop our plan for the world if we had been subjected to the lights of publicity during those years. But, the world is now more sophisticated and prepared to march towards a world government. The supranational sovereignty of an intellectual elite and world bankers is surely preferable to the national auto-determination practiced in past centuries."
--Almost all of the new laws focus on Americans citizens rather than potential foreign terrorists. For example, the definition of “terrorism,” for federal criminal purposes, has been greatly expanded. A person could now be considered a terrorist by belonging to a pro-constitutional group, a citizen militia, or a pro-life organization. Legitimate protests against the government could place tens of thousands of other Americans under federal surveillance.--
Ron Paul, addressing the House of Representatives on November 29, 2001
Listen to Gatekeepers of the Left like Keith Olbermann, Noam Chomsky, Bill Maher or Jon Stewart, and you get some truth. Listen to Gatekeepers of the Right like Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, Shaun Hannity or Neil Boorz, and you get some truth.
A lie must be mixed with truth to be successful. Some argue that the best lies are 90% truth. What none of these Gatekeepers do is trace their statements, even the true ones, to the ultimate source. What they don't do is connect the dots, or reveal the real culprits. What they ALL do is ridicule real truth-seekers as conspiracy nuts.
This is what is meant by the term, "Gatekeeper." Because the elite understand the importance of misleading people as to its true agenda, it recognizes that it must guard the "gates" of Truth on both the Left & Right. Truth is the enemy. Thus we have CoinTelPro, i.e., Counter-Intelligence, i.e., Info-Wars.
Some would argue that "it can't happen here." It happened in Germany. It happened in Russia. It happened in Rome. Indeed, it is THE PATTERN. Yet now, because of technology, more deadly than ever. Because, in WWII, for example, other nations could fight against Hitler's vision of fascist world rule. But when the New World Order is established, as much by stealth as by power, and it becomes the only de facto government that exists....who shall fight against it?
Most even refuse the examine the clear-cut evidence that it has been building for some time and is now almost upon us. "As in the days of Noah....."
It is important to understand that the Fascists & Fabian Socialists have the same ultimate goal...the reduction of humanity to serfdom after reducing the global population by 80%, so that the elites will have a wonderful planet all to themselves. It is essentially over the MEANS to achieve this, that they differ. The Fascists favor military destruction, genocide & subjugation of peoples. The Fabians favor "peace," i.e., using stealth, science, technology, indoctrination, 3rd world reduction of food supplies, gradual stealing of our wealth through monetary policies....i.e., a gradual approach to the same Endgame. Unquestionably, a combination & interplay of both Fascist & Socialist policies and models is working to bring this about. And as always, it is the same men pulling the strings of both parties at the top...the Money-Changers.
Hats off to Czuch & AD for calling this one right. I am now convinced it is pseudo-science and a part of the elite agenda for world dictatorship.
I highly recommend a 2-DVD set by Alex Jones called "Endgame: Blueprint for Global Enslavement." I know some of you have a low opinion of Alex Jones, but it is frankly misplaced. In this documentary, he examines not only Global Warming, but also the Eugenics Movement, the Bilderberg Group, the Fascist, Communist & Fabien Socialist movements, the North American Union & the Trilateral Commission....just a host of things...a web really, controlled by the same people at the top. He explores the roots of these institutions & processes and demonstrates where they are inexorably leading us.
Another document highly worth reading is: "The Report from Iron Mountain," by G. Edward Griffin. This report was the result of a think-tank study issued in 1966 by the Dept. of Defense, discussing stratagems for merging the U.S. into a world government. It was understood that a "credible threat" is necessary to cause people to surrender sovereignty. Under the topic, "Finding a Credible Global Threat," there is this interesting statement in the Report, about using the "Environmental-Pollution Model":
"When it comes to postulating a credible substitute for war … the “alternate enemy” must imply a more immediate, tangible, and directly felt threat of destruction. "It must justify the need for taking and paying a “blood price” in wide areas of human concern. In this respect, the possible substitute enemies noted earlier would be insufficient. One exception might be the environmental-pollution model, if the danger to society it posed was genuinely imminent. The fictive models would have to carry the weight of extraordinary conviction, underscored with a not inconsiderable actual sacrifice of life. … It may be, for instance, that gross pollution of the environment can eventually replace the possibility of mass destruction by nuclear weapons as the principal apparent threat to the survival of the species. Poisoning of the air, and of the principal sources of food and water supply, is already well advanced, and at first glance would seem promising in this respect; it constitutes a threat that can be dealt with only through social organization and political power. …
"It is true that the rate of pollution could be increased selectively for this purpose. … But the pollution problem has been so widely publicized in recent years that it seems highly improbable that a program of deliberate environmental poisoning could be implemented in a politically acceptable manner.
"However unlikely some of the possible alternative enemies we have mentioned may seem, we must emphasize that one must be found of credible quality and magnitude, if a transition to peace is ever to come about without social disintegration. It is more probable, in our judgment, that such a threat will have to be invented.8"
INVENTED! A la, "Global Warming!" Here is Griffin's article:
Finally, here is a link to several valuable papers on these issues written by G. Edward Griffin who, whatever else he might be considered, is certainly no liberal. There are about a half-dozen articles in pdf format very worth reading.
(V): Thanks for the clips. That's the only REAL way the get & hold the attention of the world's psychopathic leaders. Otherwise they sit & listen to a child with expressions of profound conviction on their faces...immediately after which they carry on business as usual without a second's hesitation. Psychopaths don't stop themselves. They must be stopped.
Heres' a current example of how the Military-Industrial-Complex in collusion with the MSM (Mainstream Media) plays us for fools....
"We are being spoon-fed stupid again..."
"I think we are witnessing the military industrial complex defying the President of the United States and using the attacks of 9/11 to upset the public and gain support for their own objectives. That is the nut graph people. The media has spent all day rehashing this, calling in military experts to decipher the minds of the accused without ONCE asking the two obvious question: how and why?"
Относно: "I called it a corporate coup, they call it looting... either way, we got robbed..."
"Read this first.
"Now, let me explain the Wall Street scam, subsequent crisis, and bailout in a very brief, but effective way for you:
"A thief breaks into your house, steals everything, and leaves you nearly broke. Law enforcement responds by visiting with the thief and the resellers of the thief's stolen goods in a very friendly setting, perhaps lunch at the Four Seasons. Law enforcement then takes the information to government officials who respond by writing the thief and the resellers a check from what is left of your checking account. They decide this too over lunch, perhaps also at the Four Seasons and on your dime.
"Then the same government officials declare that a new and better alarm system should be installed in your home and in the home of all Americans, at a high cost to you of course (The reality is that the alarm system worked perfectly, but that does not matter).
"The thief and the resellers in turn thank these government officials by contributing to their electoral coffers, so they stay in office to help with future robberies. The alarm companies also thank these same government officials by also contributing to their electoral coffers.
"It sounds obscene and seems impossible that such a scam would be taking place, right? You would be outraged if someone who robbed you was rewarded with money from your checking account, right? You would go ballistic if this happened to you, right? Well it is happening to you. This is exactly what is happening to you. The only difference is that you don't realize it because of the confusing nature of how this was done and the jargon used to describe it. Forget derivatives and the other voodoo of it. You were robbed. The robbers are getting rewarded with what is left of your savings. Get it now?
"The role of government in the modern era has become rather clear to me: it acts as a broker for the transfer of public money to private hands. There is no actual governing."
Относно: Re: And Bwild is right, all these scriptures have been doctored, not to mention mistranslated to support various dogmas.
gogul: Great! Steiner started out a theosophist but left the society when the (by then) neo-theosophical leaders started to promote & teach absurdities. I've only read his book, "Knowledge of the Higher Worlds," which is pretty heady stuff.
Относно: Re: And Bwild is right, all these scriptures have been doctored, not to mention mistranslated to support various dogmas.
gogul: She is dense reading and even the earlier "Isis Unveiled" has its tough spots. The "Secret Doctrine" can be well nigh impenetrable in places. No surprise it was a dust catcher. A fairly accessible book by her is "The Key to Theosophy," and well worth reading.
After Blavatsky's passing, The Theosophical Society splintered and its largest branch became a forerunner of the New Age movement and all sorts of hocus-pocus. But from a smaller branch, the writings of G. de Purucker, mainly philosophical but varied, are pretty excellent.
"War is Peace Freedom is Slavery Ignorance is Strength"
The "Ministry of Love" tortures people. The "Ministry of Peace" wages war.
"Newspeak" and "Doublethink" are words which express how our minds are conditioned through language.
If you haven't read this book, it is a must read. It is one of the most chilling novels you'll ever read. What is most chilling is not how society is enslaved physically, but how it is programmed psychologically to accept its slavery and to "love Big Brother."
(V): Marijuana is a good political topic. Despite all the propaganda against it, it isn't harmful, unlike - for example - alcohol. I remember back in the 80s it was legal in some places like Alaska, and in the small town of Cordova we'd smoke it in daylight.
Now our prisons are FULL of those convicted of non-victim crimes (an oxymoron), for the imbibement of various kinds of drugs, or for selling drugs in a few cases, mostly small timers on the street. Naturally, no CIA officers are in prison for smuggling heroin into the U.S. from Afghanistan or Cocaine from Central America.
And we have the War on Drugs, which is a War on Freedom, since - first easy point to make - it's none of the government's business what a person does, or buys, or smokes, or sells, or whatever, on his/her own time, and as long as no one else's rights are violated in the process.
The fact that alcohol is legal removes the excuse that it's done to protect others. With alchohol, we rightly demand that people act responsibly, and prosecute them when they don't. It should be the same rule for marijuana, at the very least.
Относно: Re: And Bwild is right, all these scriptures have been doctored, not to mention mistranslated to support various dogmas.
(V): Very true. From a political standpoint, when people through religion or any other "ism" are encouraged to suspend their critical thinking faculties for a false idea of "faith," they are ripe for exploitation. Thus the mass hypnotists of religion do a service for greedy politicians also, who thrive on a populous who have lost the capacity to think. True "religion" is wedded to philosophy & science, producing a holistic understanding not as easily deceived. But we all have a long way to go.
Относно: My Liberal Friends will hate me for this....
The Obama Deception (Google Video)
03-12-2009 • Google Video The Obama Deception is a hard-hitting film that completely destroys the myth that Barack Obama is working for the best interests of the American people. The Obama phenomenon is a hoax carefully crafted by the captains of the New World Order.
Относно: Re: And Bwild is right, all these scriptures have been doctored, not to mention mistranslated to support various dogmas.
(V): "Quite frankly, in America religion has become too much of a business."
I think the larger issue is materialism over spirituality, which is a fault of all western religions & also western science. Science is changing by degrees as new mysteries are explored and the old pat answers are found to be inadequate.
Eastern religious and philosophical thought is definitely a guiding light both to science & religion in this regard.
In America's case, the word "materialism" ought to be exchanged for "crass materialism" or "gross materialism." You are correct, in that in some of the religious branches, most notably some fundamental (but not all) and some pentecostal (but not all) & charismatic groups, materialism has gained the upper hand until material prosperity is a mark of God's approbation almost beyond anything else, and what's more, God is there like a puppet to answer all prayer for wealth according to the petitioner's faith. As Blavatsky rightly surmised, any kind of prayer or meditation or "magic" for purely selfish motives is necessarily "black magic."
So these TV preachers, the televangelists, the faith healers, these are the con artists that unfortunately all these ignorant Christian masses, none of whom apparently can "discern the spirits," fall prey to & hand over their money for blessings. It's to the point now that any sincere seeker for a spiritual faith, or any disinterested observer, can immediately see through the manipulation & is turned off from Christianity as a result. And that is a shame, because of what you suggest....that "there is much to see," if one knows where & how to look.
I think organized religion is often the antithesis of true spirituality. And Bwild is right, all these scriptures have been doctored, not to mention mistranslated to support various dogmas.
But they still have value. And it doesn't mean, for example, that Jesus the "Christ" or Gautama the "Buddha" didn't teach some of the most sublime truths, or live them.
One shouldn't swallow the whole turkey, nor throw out the baby with the bathwater. "There is no religion higher than Truth," says H.P. Blavatsky. But truth is not only mundane, but also divine.
Only a little reflection tells us that the physical universe, of which our bodies & world are composed, is only the tip of the iceberg.
"We also have to work, though, sort of the dark side, if you will. We've got to spend time in the shadows in the intelligence world. A lot of what needs to be done here will have to be done quietly, without any discussion, using sources and methods that are available to our intelligence agencies, if we're going to be successful. That's the world these folks operate in, and so it's going to be vital for us to use any means at our disposal, basically, to achieve our objective." --VP Dick Cheney to Tim Russert on 9/16/01
Cheney ran a secret death squad 03-11-2009 • Rawstory Investigative reporter Seymour Hersh dropped a bombshell when he told an audience the military was running an "executive assassination ring" throughout the Bush years which reported directly to former Vice President Dick Cheney.
Относно: Re: we are a beacon around the world, and poor oppressed and hopeless people all around the globe dream
Czuch: It is just like the situation with the poor in America. The very best solution is to strip the government of all its power and then people will find ways to take care of themselves free from the oppressive influence of the Overlord, whose power is wedded to large corporations & banks for the purpose aggregating ownership & wealth into a few hands. The second best solution is for the enormous power of the government to be directed towards helping lives, not destroying & enslaving lives. But this seems to be impossible in our current situation...and perhaps always, since the nature of strong government is to rule with an iron fist.
"The power to tax is the power to destroy." (forget who said it, I think one of the chief justices, maybe Marshall)
Czuch: Well, it is a fact that the Western world created & maintains the global apartheid system. You seem to be wanting to expand the debate. So there's a bit of history for you. You can research the details at your leisure, or else maybe just tune in to Fox News for the latest "truth implant." lol