Phantom Stranger

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Posts by Phantom Stranger

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  51

  Liberal Equals Ex-JW

  by patio34 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  something i've noticed on this board is that there seem to be many more liberal-left types than conservative-right types.

  what do you think of my following theories?

  in the 70s, many converts to jw-dom were influenced by the anti-establishment philosophy and anti-viet nam war.

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  Phantom Stranger

  You mean so that they can be placed on pallets? :)

  What are you trying to say? I'm not clear...
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  242

  USA Election 2004

  by Simon in

  1. social
  2. current

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  may the best man win !.

  ... and that means not bush

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  Phantom Stranger

  9/11 Victims' Kin Angered by Bush Ads

  By LIZ SIDOTI, Associated Press Writer

  WASHINGTON - Relatives of victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and a firefighters union said Thursday they're angry that President Bush's new campaign ads include images of the destroyed World Trade Center and firefighters carrying a flag-draped stretcher through the rubble.

  They say the ads are in poor taste and accuse Bush of exploiting the attacks. Bush's campaign defended the commercials as appropriate for an election about public policy and the war on terror, saying they were a tasteful reminder of what the country has been through the last three years. The campaign had said in the past that it would not use the attacks for political gain.

  "It makes me sick," Colleen Kelly, who lost her brother Bill Kelly Jr., in the attacks and leads a victims families group called Peaceful Tomorrows, said Thursday. "Would you ever go to someone's grave site and use that as an instrument of politics? That truly is what Ground Zero represents to me."

  "September 11th was not just a distant tragedy. It's a defining event for the future of our country," Karen Hughes, a Bush campaign adviser, told "The Early Show" on CBS on Thursday. "Obviously, all of us mourn and grieve for the victims of that terrible day, but September 11 fundamentally changed our public policy in many important ways, and I think it's vital that the next president recognize that."

  The first ads started running Thursday on broadcast channels in about 80 markets in 18 states, most of which are expected to be critical to the election, and nationwide on select cable networks. The ads do not mention Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, focusing instead on improving Bush's image after criticism by Democrats in recent months. Bush is expected to spend a large part of his $100 million war chest on ads.

  One of the ads shows the charred wreckage of the twin towers with a flag flying amid the debris. Another ad ? and a Spanish-language version of it ? use that image as well alongside firefighters carrying a flag-draped stretcher through the rubble as sirens are heard. Firefighters are shown in all the ads.

  Harold Schaitberger, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, on Thursday called the ads disgraceful and said they should be pulled.

  "We're not going to stand for him to put his arm around one of our members on top of a pile of rubble at Ground Zero during a tragedy and then stand by and watch him cut money for first responders," Schaitberger said. He said his union is politically independent even though it endorsed Kerry and has donated money to Republicans.

  Barbara Minervino, a Republican from Middletown, N.J., who lost her husband, Louis, in the attacks, questioned whether Bush was "capitalizing on the event."

  David Potorti, an independent from Cary, N.C., whose brother Jim died in the north tower, called the campaign's use of the images audacious.

  "It's an insult to use the place where my brother died in an ad," Potorti said. "I would be just as outraged if any politician did this."

  Until Bush cooperates with the federal commission that is investigating the nation's preparedness before the attacks and its response "by testifying in public under oath ... he should not be using 9/11 as political propaganda," said Kristen Breitweiser, of Middletown Township, N.J., whose husband, Ronald Breitweiser, 39, died in the World Trade Center.

  "Three thousand people were murdered on President Bush's watch," Breitweiser said. "He has not cooperated with the investigation to find out why that happened."
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  20

  Do you ever feel like a member of the XJW cult??

  by DIM in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  what i specifically mean, is, sometimes do you feel frustrated that you are bound to xjw things / topics / issues?

  once an xjw, always an anti jw type thing?

  since leaving the organization in 2002 i've done a pretty good job of moving on, making "worldy" friends, met up w/ some wonderful xjw's (princess and family), and really don't think too much about how much pain jw's have caused me.....but every now and then i find myself compelled to read this board for hours...look up new teachings that make no sense......so in a way i feel forever bound to the xjw world....which i'm not sure is a good thing or a bad thing.

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  Phantom Stranger

  You make a good point, as the only place I tie into that part of my past is here...

  TIme for another vacation.
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  242

  USA Election 2004

  by Simon in

  1. social
  2. current

  .

  may the best man win !.

  ... and that means not bush

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  Phantom Stranger

  The Wall Street Journal today figures that at this stage of the campaign, Kerry is in the strongest position of any Democratic nominee in years. He has "unity within a normally fractious party, a positive introduction to the American public and a narrow national lead over President Bush." "You probably have to go back more than 50 years to find a nominating process less divisive," said Wesley Clark's former pollster. "There is no meaningful group of disaffected Democrats coming out of this process." The Journal notes that Bush, by contrast, has been moving to the right to placate his base.

  Course, it's a long course...but it's looking like a horse race.
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  51

  Liberal Equals Ex-JW

  by patio34 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  something i've noticed on this board is that there seem to be many more liberal-left types than conservative-right types.

  what do you think of my following theories?

  in the 70s, many converts to jw-dom were influenced by the anti-establishment philosophy and anti-viet nam war.

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  2. 
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  Phantom Stranger

  They are not equivalent terms.

  Many would describe the Democratic Leadership Council, of which Clinton and Gore were members, of being centrist and not liberal. Zell Miller (D-Ga) is definitely conservative.

  Arlen Specter is a Republican in good party standing, but is fighting a bitter primary battle for his Senate seat because he is not viewed as a conservative.

  Liberal and conservative are descriptions of points on a spectrum or continuum - not party identifications, and not universal touchstones.
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  13

  Democrats Who Support Bush/Cheney ticket

  by Double Edge in

  1. social
  2. current

  someone posted the topic about republicans who are not supporting president bush.

  i think in politics that is not unusual, people switching allegences.

  here' s the other side of the coin..... http://democrats.bushblog.us/

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  Phantom Stranger

  Farkel, go breathe into a paper bag. As a mark of respect for Craig, I will not go into what I think of you or your silly rant.

  That link was every bit as "real" and "consistent" as the link at the beginning of this thread - a subtlety lost on you, for whom "subtle" apparently means insulting someone without talking about their mother. You think a site by "Democrats for Bush" really posts links to the Oliver North Show to reinforce its position?

  You know, there are several decaffeinnated brands on the market that are every bit as tasty as the real thing. Val Kilmer, Real Genius
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  4

  An interesting perspective

  by Phantom Stranger in

  1. social
  2. current

  "there is no better time and place to establish and illustrate the primacy of conservatism than now.

  -- rush limbaugh, last summer (or any random day).

  "we're winning!".

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  Phantom Stranger

  I am a social liberal in the classic sense of the word, and I tend towards fiscal conservatism on some issues... however, I also think that if corporations paid their share for the infrastructure they require, we could fund every social program ever conceived, including Hillary's health care plan.

  lib·er·al adj.

  2. Not limited to or by established, traditional, orthodox, or authoritarian attitudes, views, or dogmas; free from bigotry.
  3. Favoring proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others; broad-minded.
  4. Of, relating to, or characteristic of liberalism.
  5. Liberal Of, designating, or characteristic of a political party founded on or associated with principles of social and political liberalism, especially in Great Britain, Canada, and the United States.
• Tending to give freely; generous: a liberal benefactor.
• Generous in amount; ample: a liberal serving of potatoes.
• Not strict or literal; loose or approximate: a liberal translation.
• Of, relating to, or based on the traditional arts and sciences of a college or university curriculum: a liberal education.

http://prodtn.cafepress.com/6/4406746_F_tn.jpg