tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12507451.post655270977889581114..comments2024-03-25T04:46:46.000-04:00Comments on Casting Pearls Before Swine: From My In BoxMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15633208787250567256noreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12507451.post-3628359872830089032007-10-21T09:17:00.000-04:002007-10-21T09:17:00.000-04:00I am a father. I have 5 Children and 4 grandchildr...I am a father. I have 5 Children and 4 grandchildren. I would never want any of my kids to have to live in a Communist state, even if I myself had to live there. I would prefer my children to live in freedom. <BR/><BR/>So now you have it from a father's perspective. Now, do you want to argue that I'm wrong to not support forcing a small child to live under an oppressive atheistic regime?Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15633208787250567256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12507451.post-10150589457965141252007-10-21T08:38:00.000-04:002007-10-21T08:38:00.000-04:00As to my "having friends everywhere" comment, I'm ...As to my "having friends everywhere" comment, I'm Baptist. We do missions work, it's what we do.<BR/><BR/>Therefore, yes, I have friends in those places. I have another friend who grew up in Africa the son of a missionary. My pastor's sister is a missionary in China. I've another friend who grew up in Liberia.<BR/><BR/>I've another friend who has traveled at least a few times to India.<BR/><BR/>And, off the top of my head, that's my friends that I can think of living in, or who have lived in, or who have visited other nations.<BR/><BR/>You want names and phone numbers to verify these friends, Eric - if that's your real name?Dan Trabuehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14303597141397042669noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12507451.post-51183525289835583712007-10-21T08:31:00.000-04:002007-10-21T08:31:00.000-04:00you have friends everywhere... friends in Cuba, fr...<I>you have friends everywhere... friends in Cuba, friends in Nicaragua, friends in Morocco. You can see where I'm going so I won't bother....</I><BR/><BR/>No, I don't see where you're going. You doubt me?<BR/><BR/>The thing is, Eric, the LAW supported the son being returned to his father. The father wanted his son back and therefore, MORALITY supported returning him to his father. Them's the facts. <BR/><BR/>We have no evidence that the father was being "coerced" - that is speculation on your part. Bring some actual evidence that the father wished for his son to remain here and you'd have a legitimate case.<BR/><BR/>But breaking the law and going against what's morally right based on your hunch which is based on your fear of communism is not really all that logical, right?Dan Trabuehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14303597141397042669noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12507451.post-15169928402644343152007-10-20T23:34:00.000-04:002007-10-20T23:34:00.000-04:00Yes, you have friends everywhere... friends in Cub...Yes, you have friends everywhere... friends in Cuba, friends in Nicaragua, friends in Morocco. You can see where I'm going so I won't bother....<BR/><BR/>Further, you assume Elian's father WANTED his son in Cuba. It seems to not have occurred to you that Mr. Gonzales might have been coerced into the limelight by his "benevolent" dictator. You also have no idea whether or not Mr. Gonzales would rather have been in Miami HIMSELF rather than see his son returned to Cuba. <BR/><BR/>You seem so willing to give tyrants the benefit of a doubt yet unwilling to give "fellow" Christians the same.<BR/><BR/>I am not a father, but I know enough about the family I do have and love to know that if I lived in the land of Fidel Castro and Che Guavera I'd prefer my loved ones had the opportunity to live beyond the reach of Castro's "Utopian" Society. Just because I'm not a father doesn't mean my opinion on this is in any way invalid.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08874712703862427318noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12507451.post-78418763612694445452007-10-20T08:22:00.000-04:002007-10-20T08:22:00.000-04:00And I'm shocked you would deny a father - A FATHER...And I'm shocked you would deny a father - A FATHER - his legal right - LEGAL RIGHT - to have his son with him.<BR/><BR/>You obviously are no father.<BR/><BR/>And don't believe all the Right Wing gospel about Cuba. It's not perfect, but it's no hellhole, either. I have friends who have visited and who have lived there.Dan Trabuehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14303597141397042669noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12507451.post-71887711305484531202007-10-19T20:59:00.000-04:002007-10-19T20:59:00.000-04:00He had family in Miami... FAMILY. Considering that...He had family in Miami... FAMILY. Considering that conditions in Cuba were/are deplorable-- <I>whatever</I> Michael Moore says --and having seen recently in the news how Elian has been used by Castro as a propaganda tool to illustrate how <I>wonderful</I> Cuba is; turning him into a communistic boyscout; brainwashed and goose-stepping the party line... you mean to tell me you were opposed to letting him stay in a country where he would have received superior medical care, superior education, and superior opportunities?<BR/><BR/>I'm truly disappointed in you, Dan. Janet Reno did not have to send him back. There was and still is a law on the books that allow Cubans to seek citizenship if they make it to dry land... which Elian did.<BR/><BR/>Here's a telling excerpt from Wiki:<BR/><BR/><I>"The wet feet, dry feet policy (sometimes called the wet-foot, dry-foot policy) is the name given to a consequence of the 1995 revision of the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966 that says, essentially, that anyone who fled Cuba and got into the United States would be allowed to pursue residency a year later. After talks with the Cuban government, the Clinton administration came to an agreement with Cuba that it would stop admitting people found at sea. Since then, in what has become known as the "wet feet, dry feet" policy, a Cuban caught on the waters between the two nations (i.e., with "wet feet") would summarily be sent home or to a third country. One who makes it to shore ("dry feet") gets a chance to remain in the United States, and later would qualify for expedited "legal permanent resident" status and U.S. citizenship."</I> <BR/><BR/>That's right! A Clinton policy change! Which Reno summarily ignored in favor of sending a child back to a repressive communist government. <BR/><BR/>If you're going to stand so solidly on the WORDS of Jesus rather than New Testament doctrine <I>per se</I> you should consider Matthew 18:6<BR/><BR/><I>"But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea."</I><BR/><BR/>...or Mark 9:42<BR/><BR/><I>"And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea."</I><BR/><BR/>...or Luke 17:2<BR/><BR/><I>"It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones."</I><BR/><BR/>If you were Elian's mother and you had died in the crossing from Cuba to Florida, would you have wanted your child to be returned to the very repressive regime you had died to escape?<BR/><BR/>Come on, Dan!<BR/><BR/>Reno's actions WERE Gestapo-like. She DID violate her own boss' policy toward Cuban refugees. Why then do you defend her? <BR/><BR/>I grant you the debate is moot at this point as to whether or not he would have been better off there or here. But I'm shocked that you would defend Ms. Reno... ESPECIALLY in this regard.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08874712703862427318noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12507451.post-5570327334442189162007-10-19T06:51:00.000-04:002007-10-19T06:51:00.000-04:00Does anyone remember Reno's Gestapos storming the ...<I>Does anyone remember Reno's Gestapos storming the home in Miami where Elian Gonzalez was staying just so they could ship him back to a Communist nation?</I><BR/><BR/>Ummm, this was to uphold the law and return a child to his father. You're opposed to this?Dan Trabuehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14303597141397042669noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12507451.post-85995133010680684072007-10-19T00:38:00.000-04:002007-10-19T00:38:00.000-04:00Eric, Toad is a perfect example of the kind of Ame...Eric, Toad is a perfect example of the kind of American I was referring to in my previous post. He has never been taught the truth of Communism, and if he was, someone has convinced him the millions of murders committed by Communists is a lie, much like the typical holocaust denier of today.<BR/><BR/>As I said, he is a putz. He has swallowed the Socialist line so completely there appears to be little hope for him now. The only reason I allow his moronic comments is to show everyone what a brainwashed lemming he is.Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15633208787250567256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12507451.post-76272091557625185192007-10-19T00:26:00.000-04:002007-10-19T00:26:00.000-04:00Wow! Toad... you are SOOOoooo brainwashed! It's ab...Wow! Toad... you are SOOOoooo brainwashed! It's absolutely astounding! I offered these links in a previous post here, but I think it <A HREF="http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/DBG.TAB1.2.GIF" REL="nofollow">bears repeating</A> since you can't imagine that China has murdered at least 43 million people. If you don't like charts <A HREF="http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/COM.ART.HTM" REL="nofollow">here's the article</A> that accompanies it. Haliburton may be many things, but Mass-Murderer is not among them. <BR/><BR/>Furthermore, worry about Exxon and Haliburton all you want, but most of us here would love to see an end to Government of the few and powerfully elite, by the few and powerfully elite, and FOR the few and powerfully elite-- namely 'out of touch' Democrats who care more about bankrupting the nation with countless and untold programs designed to enslave and secure perpetual power....<BR/><BR/>It astounds me... there's that word again... it utterly ASTOUNDS me that anyone who grew up under the threat of 'The Red Menace'; seeing the disaster of food lines, toiletpaper lines, gulags, mass murder, and the ever-present threat of nuclear war; having seen the evil of Communism and the collapse of the Berlin Wall, would so blithely defend ANY candidate who has uttered the things Hillary has. What kind of man or woman embraces such a candidate knowing full well the ideology she espouses, if allowed to blossom in 3 houses of government united under the Democrat Banner, could do to <I>this nation!?</I> How utterly incomprehensible it is to me that ANY such person could even look twice at Hillary Clinton. What kind of man or woman...?<BR/><BR/>A fool. And I don't say that lightly.<BR/><BR/>Does anyone remember Tienanmen Square? Where and when in recent American history have Americans been murdered by the government of the United States?<BR/><BR/>Hmmm. Clinton's Atty General Ms Janet Reno murdered women and children at Waco. Does anyone remember Reno's Gestapos storming the home in Miami where Elian Gonzalez was staying just so they could ship him back to a Communist nation? Despite the government policy that states anyone who makes it to shore is given asylum?<BR/><BR/>Good Grief! We're talking about a woman who defends her husbands inaction during the FIRST World Trade Center Bombing... His inaction when given a chance to acquire Bin-Laden... His tail-tucking maneuver in Somalia... His inaction over the bombing of the Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia and the Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania... His lack of leadership during the USS Cole attack. This was an administration that couldn't even say good-morning without first consulting a focus-group! This is the same woman who wrote, <I>It Takes a Village</I>-- forwarded posthumously by Friedrich Engels!!!<BR/><BR/>Go ahead and take a second look at her. No one here will stop you-- because that would be unAmerican --but will she and the rest of the Bourgeoisie/Progressive/Democrats allow ME a second look at a preferred candidate or desired policy change? <BR/><BR/>Or will I be run over by a tank? <BR/><BR/>Or shot by national guardsmen ala Kent State?<BR/><BR/>Burned at the stake by Hillary's version of Janet Reno?<BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/>And by the way, "The Rapture" <B>IS</B> the best exit plan I know of.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08874712703862427318noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12507451.post-32090029300523742002007-10-18T10:07:00.000-04:002007-10-18T10:07:00.000-04:00Millions murdered by China?? Where are these mass ...Millions murdered by China?? Where are these mass graves?<BR/><BR/>Millions were murdered for Democracy and Capitalism here to create the United States, I remember that part (which was the point of my previous post)but I don't remember the genocide in China. Could you refresh my memory?<BR/><BR/>When I look at China today, with their labor conditions and what not it reminds me a lot of the US in the late 1800s and early 1900s until unions were formed which created a middle class where children didn't get fried in the blast furnaces of the steel mills in which they worked.Toad734https://www.blogger.com/profile/01450263690181812924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12507451.post-15524787325311637792007-10-18T10:04:00.000-04:002007-10-18T10:04:00.000-04:00It's time for a new beginning, for an end to gover...It's time for a new beginning, for an end to government of the few, by the few, and for the few...and to replace it with shared responsibility for shared prosperity."<BR/><BR/>Oooh, how radical, she doesn't want Exxon and Haliburton to make decisions which will affect our country in a negative way.<BR/><BR/>I never really liked Clinton but after seeing that maybe Ill take a second look.<BR/><BR/>I know your idea utopia is that the rich will get richer eliminating small businesses and destroying the Unions and thus the middle class leaving 1% to control 90% of the wealth and creating a service economy which would be subserviant to those elite but if you want that you might as well move to Uganda.Toad734https://www.blogger.com/profile/01450263690181812924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12507451.post-36941769418667067662007-10-18T10:00:00.000-04:002007-10-18T10:00:00.000-04:00"Communism seems to be working great for China. Th..."Communism seems to be working great for China. Their economy is growing faster than ours and will soon surpass ours".<BR/><BR/>Yeah, tell that to the millions of people murdered by the Communist Chinese Governemt for daring to disagree with them!<BR/><BR/> Geeez, you really are a putz. Why don't you just pack your things and move to China since you think oppression is so wonderful? You couldn't talk about their governemt the way you talk about ours. You'd be tortured and executed fot that.<BR/><BR/>Their economy is growing faster now because they are copying our economic system.Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15633208787250567256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12507451.post-90272640948474312952007-10-18T09:42:00.000-04:002007-10-18T09:42:00.000-04:00"I probably know it better than you do.""As I said..."I probably know it better than you do."<BR/><BR/>"As I said, I think I'm wealthy and I don't think I'm evil. "<BR/><BR/><BR/>Ever read what the Bible says about pride, Dan?Al-Ozarkahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03034820391347139672noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12507451.post-1692032279289527962007-10-18T08:41:00.000-04:002007-10-18T08:41:00.000-04:00Sorry, BB-Idaho, but MediaMatters.com doesn't disp...Sorry, BB-Idaho, but <A HREF="http://mediamatters.org/items/200707020004" REL="nofollow">MediaMatters.com</A> doesn't dispute the first two quotes at all, only cries about them being taken out of context.<BR/><BR/>Therefore... not an Urban Legend. <BR/><BR/>And despite context, she still advocates raising taxes... which, sorry to inform you, involves taking money away from folk to give to others.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08874712703862427318noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12507451.post-62510181561077573402007-10-18T00:38:00.000-04:002007-10-18T00:38:00.000-04:00Mark,Communism seems to be working great for China...Mark,<BR/><BR/>Communism seems to be working great for China. Their economy is growing faster than ours and will soon surpass ours.<BR/><BR/>Heres a quote from a Capitalist view:<BR/><BR/>"It is America's right to stretch from sea to shining sea. Not only do we have a responsibility to our citizens to gain valuable natural resources we also have a responsibility to civilize this beautiful land."<BR/><BR/>4000 Cherokees died on the "Trail of Tears".<BR/><BR/>A capitalists view on states rights:<BR/>"Our new government is founded upon exactly the opposite idea; its foundations are laid, its corner- stone rests upon the great truth, that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery -- subordination to the superior race -- is his natural and normal condition. This, our new government, is the first, in the history of the world, based upon this great physical, philosophical, and moral truth."<BR/><BR/>Alexander Stephens, vice president of the Confederacy<BR/><BR/><BR/>Heres one from Samuel Gompers, a labor leader you would call a "Communist":<BR/><BR/>"What does labor want? We want more schoolhouses and less jails; more books and less arsenals; more learning and less vice; more leisure and less greed; more justice and less revenge; in fact, more of the opportunities to cultivate our better natures, to make manhood more noble, womanhood more beautiful, and childhood more happy and bright."Toad734https://www.blogger.com/profile/01450263690181812924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12507451.post-29047795438195770822007-10-18T00:27:00.000-04:002007-10-18T00:27:00.000-04:00Ive got some:"Childrens do learn""My job is a deci...Ive got some:<BR/><BR/>"Childrens do learn"<BR/><BR/>"My job is a decision-making job, and as a result, I make a lot of decisions."<BR/><BR/>"I feel strongly that there ought to be fair justice." <BR/><BR/>"I heard somebody say, 'Where's (Nelson) Mandela?' Well, Mandela's dead. Because Saddam killed all the Mandelas."<BR/><BR/>"The same folks that are bombing innocent people in Iraq were the ones who attacked us in America on September the 11th."<BR/><BR/>"I'm going to try to see if I can remember as much to make it sound like I'm smart on the subject." <BR/><BR/>"You helped our nation celebrate its bicentennial in 17 -- 1976."<BR/><BR/>"Information is moving -- you know, nightly news is one way, of course, but it's also moving through the blogosphere and through the Internets." <BR/><BR/>"A dictatorship would be a heck of a lot easier, there's no question about it."<BR/><BR/>"I want to thank the leaders for joining Laura and me and the Vice President and his wife, Lynne, as we commemorated the -- a day that really helped -- or it did define our nation, which is 9/11/2001."<BR/><BR/>"I'm honored to shake the hand of a brave Iraqi citizen who had his hand cut off by Saddam Hussein." <BR/><BR/>Guess who said those?Toad734https://www.blogger.com/profile/01450263690181812924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12507451.post-66710615600100947932007-10-17T19:52:00.000-04:002007-10-17T19:52:00.000-04:00http://www.snopes.com/politics/clintons/marxist.as...http://www.snopes.com/politics/clintons/marxist.asp ..some blogsters have removed this urban legend.BB-Idahohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01168862935045755393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12507451.post-1580173060888182512007-10-17T09:06:00.000-04:002007-10-17T09:06:00.000-04:00"As I said, I think I'm wealthy and I don't think ..."As I said, I think I'm wealthy and I don't think I'm evil. "<BR/><BR/>LOL!<BR/><BR/>We disagree on just about EVERYTHIBG, don't we?Al-Ozarkahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03034820391347139672noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12507451.post-59438546801657875352007-10-17T06:31:00.000-04:002007-10-17T06:31:00.000-04:00The verses you copied and pasted say absolutely no...<I>The verses you copied and pasted say absolutely nothing about surrendering resources to a Government to be redistributed.</I><BR/><BR/>The nation of Israel had laws that required people to give of their resources to the poor. They had a different society and economy than we do (for one thing, there was no money TO tax) and so things were done differently.<BR/><BR/>But the larger Truth is that there were laws that required individuals to give up resources for the betterment of others.<BR/><BR/>And there were warnings saying how bad it would be when a gov't DID require the nation to give up resources for a large military.<BR/><BR/>That's different than taxation, how?<BR/><BR/>In truth, it's not. That's the answer to your question.<BR/><BR/>Additionally, as I'm sure you well know, Jesus does not condemn taxation in the NT, when he says to give to Caesar what is Caesar's.<BR/><BR/>But as I'm sure I've pointed out here before, you're being hypocritical if you call taxation "stealing" when you like taxation for YOUR benefit. It's "stealing" when it has a fiscally responsible reason (ie, reduce recidivism, increase education, etc) but it's Good and Godly when it's to build more roads or the world's largest military-industrial complex.<BR/><BR/>Hypocrisy.<BR/><BR/>Come out against ALL taxation and you can shed the hypocrite label.<BR/><BR/>And Tug? I love the Bible, Old and New Testaments. And, being raised a good ol' baptist boy by conservatives who took the Bible seriously, I probably know it better than you do.<BR/><BR/>Read up on it some.<BR/><BR/>And I'll repeat my question that you did not directly answer:<BR/><BR/>Are you opposed to taxation for a large military?Dan Trabuehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14303597141397042669noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12507451.post-68924436515272486722007-10-17T00:27:00.000-04:002007-10-17T00:27:00.000-04:00My! Look at all the pretty Communists in this room...My! Look at all the pretty Communists in this room!Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08874712703862427318noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12507451.post-58917589491125905052007-10-16T23:35:00.000-04:002007-10-16T23:35:00.000-04:00ER, you are wrong.Abortion IS Murder.Forced Charit...ER, you are wrong.<BR/><BR/>Abortion IS Murder.<BR/><BR/>Forced Charity through Taxation for the purpose or Wealth Redistribution IS Robbery.<BR/><BR/>If I decided that my gun was a resource that I should use to take from the rich and give to the poor in Jesus' name, that would still be robbery.<BR/><BR/>Same with your vote.<BR/><BR/>Use all the capital letters you want...<BR/><BR/>You're still wrong.<BR/><BR/>I'm still praying for you, even though you have told me not to.tugboatcapnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14751281215697965077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12507451.post-12272592387194300422007-10-16T22:57:00.000-04:002007-10-16T22:57:00.000-04:00Re, "As to how one uses one's vote, if one votes t...Re, "As to how one uses one's vote, if one votes to raise taxes to 'help the needy', one is using one's vote to force others to give, particularly when they vote to make the rich pay a greater percentage of their earnings.<BR/><BR/>YES. TRUE. ABSOLUTELY.<BR/><BR/>"This is theft, not doing God's Will. It is a massive stretch to say otherwise. The Captain's right."<BR/><BR/>NO. IT'S DEMOCRACY. YOU MAY CALL IT THEFT, BUT YOU ARE NO MORE CORRECT IN THAT THAN WHEN YOU CALL ABORTION "MURDER." IT IS LEGAL TAKING, JUST AS ABORTION IS LEGALIZED ENDING OF A FORM OF LIFE (AS IS SPILLING ONE'S SEED).<BR/><BR/>" ... It's almost funny, ER. You've said that it isn't up to you to tell people what to believe, that they'll find their own way (or words to that effect), but you'll pick their pockets for the sake of what you believe."<BR/><BR/>NICE RHETORIC. YER RIGHT. IT IS NOT UP TO ME TO TELL PEOPLE WHAT TO BELIEVE. TRUE. HOWEVER, IT IS MY RIGHT AS AN AMERICAN TO USE MY VOTE TO TRY TO TELL PEOPLE ON THIS EARTH WHAT TO DO. ABSOLUTELY.<BR/><BR/>SORRY. CAPS ARE EASIER TNAN USING QUOTE MARKS WHERE I'M SITTING RIGHT NOW.<BR/><BR/>I AM, here, there. I am shameless in this. Yolu are damn right: I have NO QUALMS about using my vote to REDISTRIBUTE RESOURCES in this country.Erudite Redneckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04830721195868387265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12507451.post-63126788042371217172007-10-16T22:28:00.000-04:002007-10-16T22:28:00.000-04:00Oh, Dan, one other thing...ouch?...Dan, please...D...Oh, Dan, one other thing...<BR/><BR/><I>ouch</I>?...<BR/><BR/>Dan, please...<BR/><BR/>Don't pat youself on the back too hard.<BR/><BR/>You have scored no points here with me.<BR/><BR/>You have only further illustrated your own bias and ignorance.tugboatcapnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14751281215697965077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12507451.post-78605679342337883772007-10-16T22:01:00.000-04:002007-10-16T22:01:00.000-04:00Dan, I'm surprized!Your Bible aparently has an Old...Dan, I'm surprized!<BR/><BR/>Your Bible aparently has an Old Testament!<BR/><BR/>Okay...<BR/><BR/>The verses you copied and pasted say absolutely nothing about surrendering resources to a Government to be redistributed.<BR/><BR/>Instead, they tell us personally what to do with our own resources, just like I said. (Except for the verse about the Levites, who were a Priest Class, and are a whole different matter.)<BR/><BR/>And I never claimed that the Bible supports a "large offensive military" (whatever that means).<BR/><BR/>YOU, however, quoted the words of Jesus, and compared them to the statements listed in Mark's post.<BR/><BR/><BR/>Once again, you tried to beat on your chest, and say "Jesus agrees with ME!" (Whether you recognize that you did that or not, it's what you did.)<BR/><BR/>"Hillary is JUST LIKE JESUS!" you said.<BR/><BR/>It's offensive.<BR/><BR/>I hope you are proud of yourself.tugboatcapnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14751281215697965077noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12507451.post-48092580227749606962007-10-16T20:49:00.000-04:002007-10-16T20:49:00.000-04:00Dan,Ignoring or oppressing the poor by the rich in...Dan,<BR/><BR/>Ignoring or oppressing the poor by the rich in Biblical times was commonplace, wouldn't you say? If the rich were helping the rich back then, it would get the same attention, especially in the NT, that homosexuality does. That is, it wasn't happening, so there's no need to preach on it. In other words, they had to be TOLD to be generous or charitable. That's what you're seeing in your examples. <BR/><BR/>As I've stated, economically, our society improves by people striving to make good. George Soros might need your preaching, but not every rich person does. I've read stories of the charity of people like Oprah Winfrey, Alex Spanos, who's autobio is entitled, "Sharing the Wealth", Michael Jordan, Elvis Presley, Charles Givens, even Brittney Spears for pete's sake. People by and large are happy to be generous. People are already happy to give to the poor. But YOU need to earn more so that you can give more to make up for what you believe others failed to give. Not vote to take it from them just to satisfy your idea of what's enough. But even better, there are tons of people out there, like Charles Givens (his foundation, actually. He's passed), Rob't Kiyosaki, Robert Allen, and almost countless more who offer varying degrees and methods of improving one's lot. That's ALWAYS better than charity, if the needy are willing to do their part. You yourself have shown it to be true in supporting educating felons. Give them the means and let them run with it. <BR/><BR/>But to have the feds alone, or at all, be the ones to dole out the charity is far from the ideal. This is what is debated. How the charity gets done. <BR/><BR/>sidebar---some Bibles say "Blessed are the poor in spirit..."<BR/><BR/>But most of your Biblical examples deal with greedy rich or those who put money above God's Will. Not merely with being wealthy. None of them are admonitions against being wealthy. "Do not save riches for yourselves..." refers to doing nothing spiritually while working toward success, not merely against building wealth. It's a fine line and the temptations are many, but being wealthy isn't in itself evil or wrong or likely to, by itself, cause problems at the front gate. <BR/><BR/>Here's my support:<BR/><BR/>Parables. Jesus used parables to teach. In each of his parables were messages of a spiritual nature. But each was based on real world practical advice and teachings. Building a house on a good foundation, planting seed in fertile soil. And in the parable of the talents, he shows that proper stewardship of money is a good thing. When the third guy buried his portion, he was scolded by his master for the stupidity of his actions. Making lots of money isn't the problem, it's how one behaves while doing it and after one has it. <BR/><BR/>Finally, you really need to work on your presentation. You make remarks that carry clear meanings that you then refute when called upon them. This is similar to libs in general. What they do provokes results not intended, yet they insist on their doing it anyway. In your case, you deny that for which you are accused, but most reasonable people would come to the same conclusions we do by reading your words. It happens over and over and you insist your words are being twisted. It doesn't serve us to do that, so it must be you. Just a helpful hint.Marshal Arthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01054268632726520871noreply@blogger.com