Ugh! "W" speaking at commencement at MY college!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(coloradospringsprius\";p=\"92809)</div>

Hmmmm... based on the other posts in this thread, and yours, it's no wonder the left in this country is faring so poorly. Positive press about the Prez is "stupid news". Whatever happened to open-mindedness and logic.

The news "almost badmouthed the 'dissenters'!!

Newsweek almost reported a fact.

JFKerry almost won an election.

CBS almost had a career-ending story - oh, wait, it was; for Dan the man.

Jason Eason almost got away with calling soldiers assassins of reporters!


Tom Delay almost went to jail after he almost got convicted after he was almost indicted after he was almost charged with an unspecified crime. [and Howard Dean is sticking to his story!]

And so on............ "Outrageous. Outrageous!" - said in hushed, hissing intonations of the former Senator, and Senate majority leader; the ever popular Tom "the Lobbyist" Daschle.

Sorry to use your post to get in my retort. Don't take it personally. Most of the posters in this thread would be politically aligned with my brother. We get along famously - as long as we talk about wine and cars and family stuff. :roll: This is my first, and last foray into OFF TOPIC posting. Hereinafter, I shall pretend I'm dialoguing with my virtual brother![/b][/quote]Why did you stop when you did? The list could go on and on:

Saddam was almost a threat to the US, and almost had plans to restart WMD programs.

The situation in Iraq is almost improving. The Iraqis are almost better off now than they were before our invasion.

Social Security needs to be overhauled because it's almost in a state that could almost be described as a crisis.

The Clear Skies initiative has almost made our air cleaner, and almost decreased our CO2 emissions.

The trade deficit is almost decreasing, and the budget deficit has almost stopped increasing. This means the economic recovery is almost gaining traction.

I agree, the left gets pretty hysterical at times. But the right still takes the laurels when it comes to letting ideology trump open-mindedness and logic.
[/b][/quote]

Just a small point, but trade deficits don't matter. Having federal debt isn't a sin either, consider that two nations paid off their federal debt in the 1980's, Iran and Bulgaria. Neither became an economic powerhouse for it. Debt levels of twice GNP are a potential problem though, but we are not there yet, however some Western European nations are. The USA never got to the environmental problem levels of even London, when killing fogs would roll indoors in some post WWII years, a lethal brew of toxic pollutants from factories. The real pollutors were the communist bloc nations, they did not or don't give a damn about anything but keeping power to the party.

 

If no one is an outcast at Calvin, then why the snit. Are you going to clasp your hands over your ears, stomp your feet and shout "I can't hear you". But isn't Calvin big on predestination? So its a bit unfair to blame Bush for the path God set for him. But Calvin was known for lopping off the heads of Genevans who disagreed with him, so maybe your behavior is in character.

 

Re: Ugh! "W" speaking at commencement at MY colleg

coloradosprings (one of my favorite locals; we had a maint hangar there),

Please refer to my post, wherein I noted:

Not going to be taunted into falling off the wagon [to massakree a cliche :roll: ].

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Denny_A\";p=\"92836)</div>

I saw that, but figured, no harm in trying! :wink:

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(naterprius\";p=\"93043)</div>

So, if Bush had come in January, there wouldn't have been any protest? That's a bit disingenuous. Also having not had the benefit of liberal arts education, I'm a little rusty on my theology, but if Bush is predestined by god to kill Arabs won't it happen regardless of what he believes or you do? Isn't it part of god's plan?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(naterprius\";p=\"93043)</div>

My comparison of your dissent to that of Calvin's murderous followers was a clumsy rhetorical device and I did not mean to imply any such behavior on your part. I apologize.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(RonH\";p=\"93066)</div>

Following this line of thinking to its logical conclusion; it would also be part of God's plan for those people who don't agree that W is predestined to kill Arabs in the name of American hegemony to do everything possible to get him and the rest of the neo-cons out of control of our country. And if that happens, then that would have been God's plan all along. Although why a plan that involved the deaths of tens of thousands of people would be on God's to-do list is way beyond me... :roll:

And now that certain key-words have been mentioned in this thread, I'll give a :wave: to any Secret Service agents peeking in to see what exactly is going on here. :angel:

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Greyskye\";p=\"93085)</div>

Read the old testament.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(RonH\";p=\"93089)</div>

Thanks, but I did that when I was in high school, and I just ate lunch. The hatred, bigotry, bile, hypocrisy and viscousness of the OT is a little too much over the top for me to do it again. ukeright:

Props to Naterprius for his summation and comments above. :iagree

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(coloradospringsprius\";p=\"92809)</div>

Hmmmm... based on the other posts in this thread, and yours, it's no wonder the left in this country is faring so poorly. Positive press about the Prez is "stupid news". Whatever happened to open-mindedness and logic.

The news "almost badmouthed the 'dissenters'!!

Newsweek almost reported a fact.

JFKerry almost won an election.

CBS almost had a career-ending story - oh, wait, it was; for Dan the man.

Jason Eason almost got away with calling soldiers assassins of reporters!


Tom Delay almost went to jail after he almost got convicted after he was almost indicted after he was almost charged with an unspecified crime. [and Howard Dean is sticking to his story!]

And so on............ "Outrageous. Outrageous!" - said in hushed, hissing intonations of the former Senator, and Senate majority leader; the ever popular Tom "the Lobbyist" Daschle.

Sorry to use your post to get in my retort. Don't take it personally. Most of the posters in this thread would be politically aligned with my brother. We get along famously - as long as we talk about wine and cars and family stuff. :roll: This is my first, and last foray into OFF TOPIC posting. Hereinafter, I shall pretend I'm dialoguing with my virtual brother![/b][/quote]Why did you stop when you did? The list could go on and on:

Saddam was almost a threat to the US, and almost had plans to restart WMD programs.

The situation in Iraq is almost improving. The Iraqis are almost better off now than they were before our invasion.

Social Security needs to be overhauled because it's almost in a state that could almost be described as a crisis.

The Clear Skies initiative has almost made our air cleaner, and almost decreased our CO2 emissions.

The trade deficit is almost decreasing, and the budget deficit has almost stopped increasing. This means the economic recovery is almost gaining traction.

I agree, the left gets pretty hysterical at times. But the right still takes the laurels when it comes to letting ideology trump open-mindedness and logic.
[/b][/quote]

Here! Here! Well said Mark!

 

Re: Ugh! "W" speaking at commencement at MY colleg

...and the results of the visit:

Bush's Calvin College surprise
by Jim Wallis

As I've traveled the country this spring - 82 events, 48 cities, and hundreds of media interviews since January - I've witnessed a new movement of moderate and progressive religious voices challenging the monologue of the Religious Right.

An extremely narrow and aggressively partisan expression of right-wing Republican religion has controlled the debate on faith and politics in the public square for years. But that is no longer true.

At packed book events around the country these days, I often make an announcement that elicits a tumultuous response: "The monologue of the Religious Right is finally over, and a new dialogue has begun!" Smiles light up the faces of thousands of people as they break out in thunderous applause.

That new dialogue was visible recently at Calvin College. Karl Rove, seeking a friendly venue for a commencement speech in Michigan, approached Calvin and offered President Bush as the speaker. The college, which had already invited Nicholas Wolterstorff of Yale to deliver the speech, hastily disinvited him and welcomed the president. But the White House apparently was not counting on the reaction of students and faculty. Rove expected the evangelical Christian college in the dependable "red" area of western Michigan to be a safe place. He was wrong.

The day the president was to speak, an ad featuring a letter signed by one-third of Calvin's faculty and staff ran in The Grand Rapids Press. Noting that "we seek open and honest dialogue about the Christian faith and how it is best expressed in the political sphere," the letter said that "we see conflicts between our understanding of what Christians are called to do and many of the policies of your administration."

The letter asserted that administration policies have "launched an unjust and unjustified war in Iraq," "taken actions that favor the wealthy of our society and burden the poor, " "harmed creation and have not promoted long-term stewardship of our natural environment," and "fostered intolerance and divisiveness and has often failed to listen to those with whom it disagrees." It concluded: "Our passion for these matters arises out of the Christian faith that we share with you. We ask you, Mr. President, to re-examine your policies in light of our God-given duty to pursue justice with mercy...." One faculty member told a reporter, "We are not Lynchburg. We are not right wing; we're not left wing. We think our faith trumps political ideology."

On commencement day, according to news reports, about a quarter of the 900 graduates wore "God is not a Republican or a Democrat" buttons pinned to their gowns.

The events at Calvin, along with the growing crowds at our events around the country, are visible signs that the Religious Right does not speak for all Christians, even all evangelical Christians. What I hear, from one end of this country to the other, is how tired we are of ideological religion and how hungry we are for prophetic faith. The students and faculty at Calvin College are the most recent sign of that hunger.

 

Don, do you have a link to the above? I'd like to post it at a political web site I'm active on. PM me if you would like more info. Thanks!

 

'On commencement day, according to news reports, about a quarter of the 900 graduates wore "God is not a Republican or a Democrat" buttons pinned to their gowns.'

Think they would have worn them if a Kennedy or Clinton had shown up?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Danny\";p=\"93351)</div>

Oh, please. Believe what you want. I believe I'll have another beer.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Danny\";p=\"93351)</div>

Yeah, right.

Clinton was repeatedly photographed carrying around a lectors Bible, the over a foot tall version for those who read bits of scripture to the congregation. Clinton had a trainload of ministers coming by all the time, even though they were typically thought to be on the left politically, they were still recognized ministers.

Clinton was a Bible thumping tent preacher turned pol. The guy always reminded me of Jimmy Swaggart. Clinton even fashioned his non specific confessions after Swaggart, whose "I have sinned" line was totally without any specifics of any kind, and the early emulation of it was the March of 1992 Clinton "I have caused pain in my marriage" line.

Of course, some of you were not paying a lot of attention to politics then.