Protestantism

» pink101 - Top Ten

In response to Top Ten posted by BrianTubbs:

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Using them in such a bold and presumptuous way to presume to speak for AND interpret the thoughts and intentions of millions of others is quite another.
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Are you thinking about how George W. Bush has created war in the name of the American public?
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-- posted by pink101

» EvilChihuahua - Evil Bible: A perfect example of an extremist site

In response to Top Ten posted by BrianTubbs:

From what I've seen, the Evil Bible website's main goal is, sadly, to help religionize Atheism, Agnosticism and Secular Humanism. They're a perfect example of an extremist site. Don't people like this pay attention to history? They religionized Christianity, and look what happened.

Do we really need another Dark Age? I ask that because many of these Atheist/Agnostic/Humanist Religionists, such as Richard Dawkins, Brian Flemming and those who run misinformative propaganda webistes such as EvilBible, Skeptic's Annotated Bible, Religion is Bullshit.Com and AntiChrist.Net, like Stalin, Pol Pot, Mussolini and Hitler before them, seem to think that it's better to rid the world of all religion and force eveyone believe what they want them to. Of coarse they say that what present is not religion but what they are presenting has become religionized by them, and they are no different from the corrupt bigwigs of the State Church of the middle ages, that, for centuries, forced the people of Europe to follow their teachings and tortured and or/killed those who dared believe otherwise.

A woman named Madalyn Murray O'Hair devoted much of her life campaigning for the seperation of church and state, and presented Atheism as a lifestyle and a philosophy, but never as a religion. She never truly wanted Atheism to be forced down our throats (that's what religion does). She just wanted Atheists to go about their every day lives without fear of someone forcing their faith on them. I believe she'll be appaulled by what some of these morons have done to Atheism.

One such Atheist I was talking to on other site was telling me her view on all this. From her own experiences, she has put Atheists into 2 groups:

1. Friendly Atheists (or FA's)

2. Asshole Atheists (or AA's)

Her definition for the 2 are:

Friendly Atheist - A non-religious Atheist who goes about their everyday lives without forcing their views on others. They often avoid debates and arguments, and are quiet happy to co-exist with non-Atheist. They believe everyone is free to believe what ever they want and have respect for their beliefs, but don't like it when believers try to force their faith on others. Madalyn Murray O'Hair is a great role model.

Asshole Atheists - Someone who wants every single person on the planet to convert to Atheism and rid the world of religion, particularly Christianity. They will force people to convert if they have to, often using ridicule, childish name-calling, bullying and sometimes violence. They want to muscle Atheism into everything, from education to politics, while slamming other people who do the same with their faiths (ie. Fundamentalists). They refuse to accept that Atheism isn't perfect and will deny historical facts if need be to make a point (eg. some will deny Hitler followed Atheistic philosophies, claim that people such as Charles Darwin and Albert Einstein were Atheists and deny that Christians have done great things to help mankind, such as Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa or Abraham Lincoln). They have narrow-minded views on non-Atheists, and will often resort to stereotyping (eg. all Christians are pedophiles and homophobes, all Muslims are bearded terrorists, all Jews are money hungry Barbra Streisand fans with hunched backs and curved noses, etc), and will often remain neutral on a topic until the Christians voice their opinions in which case they'll take the opposing side. But most importantly, they treat Atheism like a religion. Richard Dawkins is a perfect role model.

She said a few other things too but I can't remember them that well (it was few months back). I'll see if I can find the actual post though.

I don't what kind of people she's been hanging around with but she state that (quote) "asshole atheists are dangerous". She includes the great and powerful religious leader, the Almighty Richard Dawkins, in this category and has gone as far as to say (quote) "he's is an embarrisment", "sometimes sounds like Hitler" and "the aa's should take their tongue out of his ass".

In closing I'll just ask one question for any of our Atheist friends here: are you an FA or an AA? BTW, if you don't like her definitions, take it up with her, not me.:)

-- posted by EvilChihuahua

» Migisi - Exploiting Iraq, Big Oil profits

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Can't afford a full tank of gas? How about those outrageous heating fuel bills?
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Was Iraq invaded to boost oil prices?
Value of Exxon reserves rose by $666bn
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By Sherwood Ross
Middle East Times
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06/01/07 "MET" --- - CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA, USA -- Iraq was invaded in order to limit its oil production and thus keep world oil prices artificially high, a noted investigative journalist reports.
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"Iraq's output in 2003, 2004, and 2005 was less than produced under the restrictive oil-for-food program," writes Greg Palast in his new book Armed Madhouse (Plume). Oil-for-food allowed Iraq to sell 2 million barrels per day during the 1995 to 2003 period.
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"Whether by design or happenstance, this decline in [Iraqi] output has resulted in tripling the profits of the five US oil majors to $89 billion for a single year, 2005, compared to pre-invasion 2002," Palast writes.
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"When OPEC raises the price of crude, Big Oil makes out big time," says Palast, who has contributed to BBC Television and the Guardian newspapers.
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He points out the oil majors are not simply passive resellers of the Organization for Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) production but have reserves of their own which rise in tandem with oil prices.
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"The rise in the price of oil after the first three years of the [Iraq] war boosted the value of the reserves of ExxonMobil Oil alone by just over $666 billion," Palast wrote. What's more, Chevron Oil, "where [Secretary of State] Condoleezza Rice had served as a director, gained a quarter trillion dollars in value."
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Another big winner in the Iraq war is Saudi Arabia. The war-stoked jump in oil prices, Palast writes, put $120 billion in Saudi Arabia's treasury in 2004, triple its normal take.
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Among the big losers have been American motorists, now paying about $3.30 for a gallon (3.8 liters) of gas. The oil price spike has also punished US industry, costing America an estimated 1.2 million jobs. "Higher borrowing costs for business since the beginning of the Iraq war are bleeding manufacturing investment," Palast adds.
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Rising oil prices are an anomaly. The world's petroleum reserves have doubled from 648 billion to 1.2 trillion barrels in the past 25 years, Palast reports. According to free market laws of supply and demand, discovery of these immense new pools should cause prices to drop.
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Big Oil's interest is in "suppressing production," Palast writes, stating "An international industry policy of suppressing Iraqi oil production has been in place since 1927." Former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein was described as threatening price stability by unilaterally increasing and decreasing production.
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Iraq has 74 known oil fields but only 15 are in production and 526 known pools of oil of which only 125 have been drilled. Again, only 15,000 rigs in Iraq are pumping up black gold, compared, for example, to 1 million rigs in Texas. [Migisi notes: Bush's home state!]
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In 2005, Iraq exported only 1.4 million barrels of oil daily, less than under Saddam, less than half its old OPEC quota, and less than a fourth of its ultimate capacity, Palast reports.
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"Though technically owned by the Iraqis through their state oil company, we can expect the [Iraqi] crude to be gathered and controlled downstream by the same old hands, British Petroleum, Chevron, and other IOC's [international oil companies] that first drew that nation's borders, politely fulfilling Iraq's quota assigned by the Saudis, no more, maybe less," Palast writes. [Migisi notes: corporate colonization!]
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In addition to clapping a lid on Iraqi production, Palast charges the US "promoted sabotage of oil piping, loading, and refining systems in Venezuela" to limit that country's production.
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Palast reminds that Venezuela, once the top exporter to the US, broke the back of the 1973 Arab oil embargo by replacing the oil withdrawn by Saudi Arabia. "[Venezuelan President Hugo] Chavez, despised by [US President George W.] Bush, was not likely to save Bush's bacon by busting another embargo. Therefore, Chavez had to go immediately," Palast writes.
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Palast says OPEC is a front for the international oil companies. "If oil companies had created this cartel to fix prices, that would have made it a criminal conspiracy - cartels are illegal. But when governments conspire for the same purpose, the illegal conspiracy turns into a legitimate "alliance" of sovereign states. OPEC's government cover makes the price fixing perfectly legal, and Big Oil reaps the rewards."
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Palast said Saudi Arabia and other OPEC nations take Americans' money at the pump, and in their heating and electric bills, and use it to buy up US government notes. In 2005, $243 billion in petro-dollars was collected from Americans by OPEC. Foreigners then bought up $311 billion in US government debts, he said.
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"All the goodies, from nuclear subs to tax cuts to war in Mesopotamia appear to be 'free' to the taxpayer," Palast writes. "It's all just put on the tab, the national debt, including the interest on it. The actual cash needed to pay for these budget busters is first collected from US consumers via the hidden oil tax for which Mr. Bush takes no blame." (end)
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This war ISN'T about bringing freedom and democracy to Iraq. It's always been about gold -- black gold. And you and I are paying the price on SO many levels.

-- posted by Migisi

» Brian Tubbs - Top Ten

In response to Top Ten posted by Migisi:

I was commenting on your WORDS and your STATEMENTS of judgment of the U.S. government. Not your thoughts and intents of the heart.

» Migisi - Evil Bible: A perfect example of an extremist site

In response to Evil Bible: A perfect example of an extremist site posted by EvilChihuahua:
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are you an FA or an AA?
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According the the definition, FAs 'avoid debates and arguments'. Every nonbeliever here at Suite who debates religious issues and concepts, and perhaps argues their point, would therefore have to be labeled an AA. That would be me then.

-- posted by Migisi

» Migisi - Top Ten

In response to Top Ten posted by BrianTubbs:

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My WORDS and STATEMENTS of judgement on the US government come directly from my thoughts and heart.
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Just as the founding fathers and patriots criticized and opposed King George and his governing, I criticize and oppose this King George and his governing.

-- posted by Migisi

» pink101 - Be Careful, Migisi.

In response to Top Ten posted by Migisi:
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Be careful, you could be guilty of an infringement of the Patriot Act. And, that would be against the law.
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:~)

-- posted by pink101

» Brian Tubbs - Many who disagree

While I may be in the minority here at the Suite, there are millions of Americans who strongly disagree with the judgmental and cynical accusations made against the US government by the likes of Cindy Sheehan, Noam Chomsky, and sadly many here as well.

Do not confuse opposition to the war with belief that the US government is evil and corrupt. Public opinion polls favor troop withdrawals or redeployments. This is true, but this does not mean that a majority of Americans see George W. Bush as traitorously corrupt and/or evil.

And since this thread is about Memorial Day, I will also add that most of our young men and women who have died in Iraq (including Casey Sheehan) didn't see America's presence in Iraq as evil.

The fact of the matter is that public opinion has turned against the war because the war has been prolonged. This is often the case with our wars. The American people don't like long wars. They like short, decisive ones that end in victory parades and with minimal loss of life. Unfortunately, not all wars can be like that.

It is my belief - and the polling history supports this - that if the Iraq War had truly ended when George W. Bush foolishly declared "Mission Accomplished" on that aircraft carrier, then the American people WOULD by a clear majority have stood behind the war and our President. It is only because the war hasn't gone well, that a majority have turned against it.

This is NOT the case with a few of you here - nor is it the case with the likes of Chomsky, Howard Zinn, and other anti-war leftists. They would be against any US involvement in any war...period. They campaigned against the US attack on Taliban-run Afghanistan after 9/11/01.

I think we need to differentiate between those who are tired of the war and ready for it to end -- and those who believe the US is evil, corrupt, etc. and that the Iraqi insurgents blowing up our troops are "freedom fighters." I can respect the former camp, but I have zero respect for the views of the latter.

» Migisi - More lies

In response to Many who disagree posted by BrianTubbs:
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Iraq PM: 'Our forces will be ready by June '07'
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15946832/
MSNBC News Services
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Nov 30, 2006
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"AMMAN, Jordan - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said Thursday that his country's forces would be able to assume security command by June 2007 - which could allow the United States to start withdrawing its troops.
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"I cannot answer on behalf of the U.S. administration but I can tell you that from our side our forces will be ready by June 2007," Maliki told ABC television after meeting President Bush on Thursday in Jordan.
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"Maliki was replying to a question about whether U.S. troops could start withdrawing at that time."...
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What's today? June 2nd... 2007... and NO U.S. TROOP WITHDRAWAL. Instead, we've had troop INCREASES!

-- posted by Migisi

» Migisi - Remember the walking wounded!

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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15946832/
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Go to "Impact of Iraq War" on the right side bar,
and click on "Scars from Iraq".
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See and hear the physical and mental wounds of war:
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"Facing the Future"
"Hidden Wounds"
"Change of Pace"

-- posted by Migisi