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Post by a on Aug 17, 2011 15:39:26 GMT -5
The definition of US politicians coming from the two totally corrupt political parties in absolute power in this winner take all, two party system.
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Post by beags on Aug 17, 2011 16:11:09 GMT -5
Rose, imo Shirina did not place all christians in the same boat. She did state religious fanatics. The key word you missed there is fanatic. I use the same word for those christians way off in left hatred land. By that I mean they hate everything . . . Their self righteous noses are so far up in the air, I'm surprised they don't drown when it rains. They are the ones that think they are better than everyone else . . . and yet fail so terribly when it comes to being a real christian.
What is a real christian? One who doesn't judge, one who follows the one rule treat others as you would like to be treated. I am a christian . . I have no problem with gay people marrying one another. Why shouldn't they? How can their marriages be any worse than your hetrosexual couple who stay together for maybe one month? some of them last a year. Those marriages who have lasted anything over 5 years are a rarity. So to say they are ruining the sanctity of marriage is laughable. Oh, and don't get started on the kids issue. There are many hetro couples who cannot produce children and have to adopt also.
Now that I opened up pandora's box . . I can leave.
The point is, a real christian does not judge. They help where it is needed. They don't try to say this person shouldn't have the same rights as others. They don't judge a child because he/she may not wear the proper clothing. I get real tired of watching some christians say a teenager is going to go to hell because they wound up pregnant before marriage. HOW is any of that Christian like? IF anything that pregnant teen needs the help, not the hatred that some will give to her. Kids make mistakes, adults make mistakes. Some are larger mistakes than others. Who is anyone to judge and say they are better?
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Post by beags on Aug 17, 2011 16:13:18 GMT -5
If you ask me, there are more non christians who are more understanding than the SOME of the christians are.
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Post by shirina on Aug 17, 2011 18:50:11 GMT -5
I never said all Christians are bigots. That term was aimed specifically at the American Family Association who are, in fact, bigots. If you're a Christian but do not belong to the AFA, then I wasn't calling you a bigot.
And beags is right, as well. A religious fanatic is a different animal than someone who simply "believes in God."
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Post by Forever Sunshine on Aug 17, 2011 18:55:51 GMT -5
IMO, true believers LIVE their belief, their faith; not run around touting it all over the place.
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Post by a on Aug 17, 2011 19:24:55 GMT -5
Fred Phelps
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Post by beags on Aug 18, 2011 15:58:38 GMT -5
A great example IIF the founder of the Westboro Baptist Church.
They don't belong in any christian category. They may call themselves christian, and they may say they are a baptist church. Or even call themselves a church . . . what they are is simply a hate group.
I don't know much about the AFA. We use to get some material from them. I had stopped reading it as there was so much I didn't agree with. When we first started getting material from them they were ok. Over the last ten years they have become intolerant of so many things that I cannot support them. (I had stopped supporting them about 8 or 9 years ago)
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Post by shirina on Aug 18, 2011 16:48:26 GMT -5
The AFA is just another misguided collection of bigots and non-thinkers who feel that their religion should be the law of the land. More importantly, however, they are poster children for the modern activist Christian - they have no priorities.
Right now, there is massive price gouging taking place with life-saving drugs. Some drugs have been marked up by 4,500 percent! This isn't Viagra or vanity drugs, but cancer drugs, high blood pressure drugs. surgery sedation drugs ... drugs that save lives. This is happening because Big Pharma is colluding with third party vendors in an effort to create an artificial drug shortage in order to jack up the prices. Third party vendors are selling drugs at an inflated price while Big Pharma claims the shortage exists because of "manufacturing problems," "production delays," and in some cases, an outright refusal to continue making the drug.
I'm fairly certain that the Big Pharma companies are receiving a nice, healthy kickback from these third party vendors, making a higher profit through inflated prices than they could by selling their medicines at market value.
Why do I bring this up? Because as Christians, this should INFURIATE people! We are being robbed and desperate people in need of life-saving medicines are either going without or being taken for a ride. But where is the Christian outrage at this lack of ethics and morality as sick people are being exploited?
I can tell you where ... it's all being directed at gays! You go to the AFA's main site, and it is littered with information about their campaign against the gays - their "culture war" as they call it.
Like I said, no sense of priorities ... instead of attacking Big Pharma which really IS behaving sinfully, the AFA is on a crusade against gays. People will actually die because of drugs being overpriced, but gays, to them, are the most important issue in the world today.
This, by my definition, is sick and twisted. I think perhaps THEY are in need of some overpriced drugs ... of some sort.
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Post by beags on Aug 18, 2011 17:53:29 GMT -5
Don't worry I am outraged at the big pharm. I have a husband who is diabetic. The co-pay on one of his medications is $160. That price went up considerably from $40 just last year. We told the pharmacy we couldn't afford it. He is currently not taking a medication needed for his diabetes because the co-pay is simply too high. (btw that is after the insurance has paid)
I don't know what the AFA has to do with big pharm, but I do know there are many groups out there who are too powerful.
I would agree that it's the AFA's fault if it was JUST meds going up for people with AIDS. But you can see what just happened to us. My husband is obviously not gay, he is diabetic.
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Post by susala on Aug 19, 2011 16:15:57 GMT -5
Hmm, Obama and Big Pharma have a relationship. Remember when he made a behind doors, contrary to the public interest deal with them before Congress began to address healthcare reform. It was such a sweetheart deal for them that you'd think that he could use some of that goodwill from the second most profitable industry in the USA to do something more than just contribute to his next campaign.
Speaking of Obama's next campaign, Obama took a short trip to the midwest this week. At two different "townhalls", he likened dealing with Republicans to negotiating with his "honey" over how many dresses and shoes she should buy versus his purchase of new golf clubs. It was nauseating. Not only was it straight out of Ozzie and Harriet, it was demeaning to the people to whom he was speaking. Does he really think that he needs to employ a simplistic, dated stereotype to explain his negotiating style to the members of the "flyover states"?
Obama is arguing the Republican side on every issue. He's calling for everyone to "sacrifice" without noting that the sacrifice he's promoting won't even be noticed by the wealthy but could be a life-or-death issue for the poor and middle class citizens of this country.
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Post by susala on Aug 19, 2011 16:20:21 GMT -5
Just shaking hands with a known member of the AFA disqualifies someone from running for the Presidency, imo.
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Post by soflamom on Aug 22, 2011 18:42:37 GMT -5
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Post by Forever Sunshine on Aug 23, 2011 7:25:03 GMT -5
Yes, he does. I remember Obama making a problematic judgment call in trying to explain Pennsylvania's working class culture to a much wealthier Californian audience. He described blue collar Pennsylvanians with a series of what, in the eyes of Californians, might be considered pure negatives: bitter, guns, clinging to religion, antipathy, xenophobia.
He has such a hard time making a connection with many working class Americans.
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Post by shirina on Aug 23, 2011 15:07:25 GMT -5
I used to live in the very same region of Pennsylvania that Obama was talking about, and I dare say, Obama was right on the money. It may not have been the most "PC" description, but it was honest and accurate.
One of the local teachers said to me once, "You have to either have been born here or have lived here for 20 years before they'll accept you."
And that was from a local citizen!
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Post by susala on Aug 23, 2011 20:08:59 GMT -5
Shirina, Obama was pandering to a group of wealthy donors by ridiculing the working people that the Democratic Party has represented until very recently and he was doing it behind their backs. If he didn't so blatantly disdain working people, he might not be trying to gut Social Security and Medicare as Republicans have wanted to do since both programs were instituted.
Finally, someone who attended Jeremiah Wright's church of hate, whether it was politically advantageous or because he was a true believer, should really think twice about commenting on anyone else's religious motivations.
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Post by Thor on Aug 23, 2011 20:59:31 GMT -5
...someone who attended Jeremiah Wright's church of hate, whether it was politically advantageous or because he was a true believer, should really think twice about commenting on anyone else's religious motivations. ======================================== Yeah...ol Jerry [ "God <bleep> America!" ] is a real prize, and you may be on to something with that observation.
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Post by a on Aug 25, 2011 9:11:12 GMT -5
Another Fred Phelps type, so called christian preacher....
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Post by beags on Aug 25, 2011 18:12:50 GMT -5
"Well I see him on the tv, preaching about the promised land. He tells me believe in Jesus and steals the money from my hands. Some say he was a good man, but Lord I think he sinned ya ee ya aa." Guess what song that comes from?
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Post by shirina on Aug 25, 2011 22:28:34 GMT -5
The song "Something to Believe In" by Poison. I have it in my random song shuffler on iTunes (big 80's music fan here).
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Post by shirina on Aug 25, 2011 22:39:22 GMT -5
This area is staunchly Republican, susala. My mother even had no less than 14 John Kerry signs destroyed during the 2004 election. Obama never had a shot at getting their votes and no Democrat will ever be elected by the folks there. Even though Pennsylvania's electoral vote more often goes to the Democratic candidate, northwestern PA is conservative to the point of fanaticism.
Pandering or not, Obama spoke not one lie with his statement. Like I said, it may not have been the most politically correct statement ever made, but it was spot-on accurate. Obama does not represent them, and they don't want him to. That's a foregone conclusion.
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