FallingOsh

Personally, I think it's healthy to research and study the origins of my beliefs. I don't think there is scientfic evidence that a God exsists and I don't think there ever will be. That's why it's called faith, in any religion. What I find interesting is some people's definition of evidence. The science that so many base their beliefs upon seems to change daily. The book that I base my beliefs upon has remained constant since it was written. The question, imo, is in how you define the evidence you're looking for. An example: My father lost his job and was getting to the end of his emergency funds. While laying on the couch one day saying some casual prayers for help, he heard the mailman go by. When he got the mail, there was a check sent from the church. Now some would call that coincidence. I would call that evidence. I know the reality is that someone in the church probably heard about his financial situation and intiated the check. However, without the church and without his prayer, what would be the odds of a check just appearing in the mailbox? Like I said, the questions is how you define the evidence you seek. -------------------------------------------------- Stay positive and love your life.

For that to be true, he would still have to existed. -------------------------------------------------- Stay positive and love your life.

As far as the OP goes, I voted for 4 out of 5. He was a Jewish preacher, a mortal man, the Son of God, and God in human form. Even if you're not a Christian, I find it hard to believe some don't think He existed at all. -------------------------------------------------- Stay positive and love your life.

That's how it sounded. It could just mean that Gates wants to continue doing what he's done since being appointed. 'Continuing a process that he has done for the past couple of years' doesn't necessarily mean it wasn't done before him. ‘The secretary, I believe, wishes to conduct a similar process to the one that he has conducted as these decisions have been made over the past couple of years,’ he continued. ‘[A process] in which the I'm really just playing devil's advocate because your suggestion is how it initially read to me, as well. -------------------------------------------------- Stay positive and love your life.

What the hell are you rambling about? My response was to your quote "almost every last one of them believe they were too good to actually serve this country as you have done." Who says they think they were too good to serve in the military? Just because they chose not serve in that capacity does not make them inferior. It's just your 'holier than thou' crap again. My reply challenged your claim that it was only this administration. Clinton's was the same and Obama's will be no different. You mean like your hero, who's only served half a term in an elected position. -------------------------------------------------- Stay positive and love your life.

Punch yourself in the nuts. I'm gettin tired of posting the same import records so go look it up yourself. -------------------------------------------------- Stay positive and love your life.

ALL? Like every single American troop? Why not. I'm trying to find what it will take for you to consider the Iraqi government self-sustaining. 'Why not' isn't a sufficient answer. For you to no longer call them a puppet government do all foreign troops need to leave the country? -------------------------------------------------- Stay positive and love your life.

ALL? Like every single American troop? -------------------------------------------------- Stay positive and love your life.

Or maybe that's just not what they chose to do. How many people in the forming Obama administration have served? Did you believe in the Clinton Administration and how many served (besides Monica)? Some choose to serve in the military and some choose to serve through elected government. I would never say one is a better person than another because of their career choices. -------------------------------------------------- Stay positive and love your life.

That's what it costs to get your pardon revoked. Did you read the article? -------------------------------------------------- Stay positive and love your life.

I've been barkin up that tree for months. Good luck. -------------------------------------------------- Stay positive and love your life.

-------------------------------------------------- Stay positive and love your life.

You must not be trying too hard: Several large polls, and a number of smaller polls spanning the entire course of the war suggest that people believe it was about oil. Even way back in 2002, before most Americans realized we were hood-winked, a USA Today poll said that the majority of Americans (55%) thought stabilizing oil was a primary reason for the Iraq war. Britains say oil was the primary reason for the Iraq war. Even the Iraqis under the new regime think it was about oil. By the way, here is Bush himself alluding to oil as a good reason to be in Iraq: Oh, and there's this, too: Even, the official reasons for the war are listed thus: From your first link: "32.7 percent considered Iraq's oil supply a "major factor" 33% is not most. And I read the polls from the "mondo times." The same people who brought us such fair and balanced polls as this and this. This little gem is my favorite. That's some fore-sight right there. I know energy will always be a top national priority. Saying we invaded Iraq to take control of their oil is just ignorant. Securing Iraq's oil infrastructure does not, in any way, mean we're taking it over. It doesn't even mean we're taking more of it, as evidenced by our import records. My original statement still stands. If people think oil was the main reason then they're completely ignoring fact. -------------------------------------------------- Stay positive and love your life.

Oddly enough, I didn't write that it did. You missed the words "in essence". Maybe reading comprehension is the bigger issue with some? Supplying free booze at 20 minute intervals is rather like the tactics used by pushers to get kids hooked on dope. So, in essence, we have the same thing. Do you put any blame on the person who kept taking more to drink every 20 minutes? -------------------------------------------------- Stay positive and love your life.

huh? Both parties sign the documents. But the greedy lender signs many more as they resell and then package into CDOs. And this is where the blowup occurs - people bought buckets of mixed risk investments where the risk rating was lazily done. It's a circular argument. Who's worse; the drug dealer or the drug user; the enabler or the abuser? The left tends to blame the dealer while the right tends to blame the user. -------------------------------------------------- Stay positive and love your life.

Replies like this speak volumes about people's true intent. -------------------------------------------------- Stay positive and love your life.

What legitimate governments in Africa have asked us to come in? Where are those polls? I couldn't find them. If people think oil was the main reason then they're completely ignoring fact. Did you even read the reference I posted about Iraqi oil imports? -------------------------------------------------- Stay positive and love your life.

It hasn't been that many and the vast majority of those killed were by the enemy. Not us. The answer is, as I've said a few times, there's a democracy standing up versus a mass-murdering dictator. The victory is in the purple fingers on election day. Yeah, fuck all the American assets and embassies, right? Those don't count cause they don't fit your argument. Not on major assets, bases, or embassies. In the war zone there are still attacks and those are at a new low. We haven't had an attack on our mainland, assets, or embassies in seven years. That's an improvement from the past. You seem ungrateful or almost sad that we haven't been attacked. What is your point in this argument? Do you think Saddam should've been left alone? Are you pissed that we haven't been attacked since the war on terror started? -------------------------------------------------- Stay positive and love your life.

Should we turn our head and pretend it isn't happening? I think the key word was said before, 'containment'. I've come to think a 'cold war' situation is not really a bad thing. Sometimes decisions are made that don't necessarily benefit you directly. That doesn't make the decisions wrong. As far as the war on terror, we haven't been attacked in 7 years. I would say that's benefitted a few people. So you're saying this doesn't necessarily benefit the tax payers. Interesting. The idea that 'we' haven't been attacked in 7 years means nothing. If you mean 'we' as in an attack on American soil. You're right, we haven't been attacked in 7 years. But prior to 2001 we hadn't been attacked since 1993. Prior to 1993, excluding the Oklahoma bombing, it seems we went much longer without an attack on American soil. If you mean 'we' as in the western world. There have still been plenty of attacks elsewhere. But, to use your logic, you don't see those. So they are of no consequence to you. So again, who exactly is this benefiting? How many people have we saved? For what? First of all, your self-serving 'only if it benefits me' attitude is disgusting. If you want to stick your head in the sand then go for it. Don't expect it to be an effective foreign policy. Second, you're on crack if you think we were attacked once prior 9/11. Google USS Cole, WTC, OKC, Khobar towers, the embassy bombings of '98... -------------------------------------------------- Stay positive and love your life.

So Saddam should've been left to his genocide because other's have done it in the past? Pol Pot wasn't stopped so we shouldn't stop anyone in the future? The thing is, you'd just be bitching about us needing to mind our own business. If you don't think we had a right to be in Iraq then why do you think we have a right to go to Africa? I think we should do more, but you obviously have a problem with our involvement in anything of the sort. You can't bitch at me for being glad Saddam is gone and then claim we should go into more countries. Oil was never an excuse. Our Iraqi imports have remained the same or decreased since 2003 and generally hover just below 4% of the national total. If you're going to fall back on crap like that then we're not going to get anywhere. -------------------------------------------------- Stay positive and love your life.

Should we turn our head and pretend it isn't happening? I hope not. Sometimes decisions are made that don't necessarily benefit you directly. That doesn't make the decisions wrong. As far as the war on terror, we haven't been attacked in 7 years. I would say that's benefitted a few people. -------------------------------------------------- Stay positive and love your life.

Real estate was still booming and the Dow didn't peak until 2006. Some parts may have been struggling, but it wasn't a on a constant downward slide. Read this in it's entirety and get back to me. You are one stupid motherfucker>http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/12/21/business/21admin.php Go fuck yourself. That article says nothing about a constantly sliding economy. It talks about what lead up to the current crisis. -------------------------------------------------- Stay positive and love your life.

Yeah but those programs give the left a hard on...giving away money we don't have to whoever wants it...regardless of effort to better themselves...sticking those who actually work with the bill -------------------------------------------------- Stay positive and love your life.

Real estate was still booming and the Dow didn't peak until 2006. Some parts may have been struggling, but it wasn't a on a constant downward slide. The only reason real estate was booming was the banks were loaning to anybody and everybody. Now see what a wonderful business practice that was. I couldn't agree more. That doesn't change anything about our current conversation. -------------------------------------------------- Stay positive and love your life.

Real estate was still booming and the Dow didn't peak until 2006. Some parts may have been struggling, but it wasn't a on a constant downward slide. -------------------------------------------------- Stay positive and love your life.