tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15005476.post3554484063249929463..comments2023-10-10T08:02:18.073-04:00Comments on Rationally Speaking: The so-called Bush legacyUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15005476.post-5588930964857271202008-03-18T16:32:00.000-04:002008-03-18T16:32:00.000-04:00And now Barak's Christian ties to Pastor Wright ma...And now Barak's Christian ties to Pastor Wright may do him in. The guy just can't win.Die Anywayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10632857696534495049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15005476.post-26143043547654613672008-03-13T20:11:00.000-04:002008-03-13T20:11:00.000-04:00Obama and Islamtake a look at "Who is Obama?" at s...Obama and Islam<BR/><BR/>take a look at "Who is Obama?" at snoopes. http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/muslim.asp<BR/>The article contrasts the fear mongering of the religious right with the real history of Obama and his interesting childhood. <BR/><BR/>But as I said in another comment: The reality will be seen as worse than Islam. It can legitimately be said that he was raised in an Atheistic home by his anthropolist mother. She believed in none, though educated her son to as many religious holidays as she could. .Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15005476.post-19371039245629028382008-03-12T19:13:00.000-04:002008-03-12T19:13:00.000-04:00I really miss cal. Apparently she's as necessary ...I really miss cal. Apparently she's as necessary to this blog as Satan is to Christianity.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15005476.post-92226220349874419702008-03-11T17:36:00.000-04:002008-03-11T17:36:00.000-04:00I'm sure there are many good Muslims in the US, an...I'm sure there are many good Muslims in the US, and Mormons for that matter, who could do a reasonable job as POTUS. I don't think a Muslim could get elected, however, and that is certainly the reason that the Republicans are spinning this the way that they are. Furthermore, the likelihood of Obama acting any differently from the standard liberal Democrat is miniscule, which is what really worries them. <BR/><BR/>There are, however, important issues related to Obama's connections to Islam. Whether Obama sees himself as a Muslim is irrelevant to some actual Muslims. Since his father and stepfather were Muslims, many will see him as a Muslim too, and they will react in one of two counterproductive ways. 1) They will consider him guilty of apostacy, an opinion which has serious security implications. Obama has, on occasion, deliberately neglected advice on security. 2) They will consider him to be akin to Muslim, almost a Muslim perhaps. In that case, there may be serious disappointment engendered by his likely adherence to a self-interested US foreign policy stance. It could also be a net positive. Who knows. Could a Polish pope be expected to deliver for Poland? It worked out that way, I think, mainly because the interests of the Church aligned with the interests of the Polish.jj mollohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15011855944240477996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15005476.post-53060912896119112102008-03-10T13:54:00.000-04:002008-03-10T13:54:00.000-04:00Of course you aren't joking about the references t...Of course you aren't joking about the references to "Hussein." It's a "known fact" of mid-America chit chat that Obama is a Muslim and will befriend the terrorists. That's what passes for "conservative thought."<BR/><BR/>These are the same people who support Bush's (BushCheney's) push for a stronger executive. They believe, with the force of their faith, in a hierarchical world order; their god at the top, then the man who speaks to god, then the men that the man who speaks to god speaks to, on down to the properly submissive wives who are busily beating their small children with rods no thicker than 1/2 inch as per Dr. Dobson. They WANT the country turned into a "de facto monarchy." It would bring a god-ordained hierarchical order to our country. <BR/><BR/>And if the man who talks to god approves of water boarding, then the people should be trained to submit to his authority.<BR/><BR/>I really don't think people who live in more balanced urban areas take this seriously enough. It seems so idiotic; yet it is so pervasive and powerful. Dangerous.<BR/><BR/>And, by even mentioning it, **I** sound like a wacko.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15005476.post-3760081871075127522008-03-10T13:23:00.000-04:002008-03-10T13:23:00.000-04:00"If cruelty is no longer declared unlawful, but in..."If cruelty is no longer declared unlawful, but instead is applied as a matter of policy, it alters the fundamental relationship of man to government. It destroys the whole notion of individual rights. The Constitution recognizes that man has an inherent right, not bestowed by the state or laws, to personal dignity, including the right to be free of cruelty. It applies to all human beings, not just in America--even those designated as 'unlawful enemy combatants.' If you make this exception, the whole Constitution crumbles. It's a transformative issue" - former Navy general counsel Alberto Mora<BR/><BR/>That's something I haven't see pointed out in any newspaper or network news. <BR/><BR/>Hearing some defenders of this administration (such as Bill O'Reilly) it hard not to wonder why they don't support torture as a police tactic, too. The arguments they offer would seem to warrant that.Hume's Ghosthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13551684109760430351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15005476.post-70728966460316694312008-03-09T19:36:00.000-04:002008-03-09T19:36:00.000-04:00She promised to be gone for awhile.She promised to be gone for awhile.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15005476.post-12403519017769238852008-03-09T16:22:00.000-04:002008-03-09T16:22:00.000-04:00I'm taking bets, on a scale of one to ten, on how ...I'm taking bets, on a scale of one to ten, on how offensive, irritated, childish, or inane Cal's first post in this thread will be.Joseph Frantzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09002838588050900281noreply@blogger.com