I can't add much to what has already been said by these fine people. You may find that your attachment to the Borg is a symptom of an underlying depression which needs to be treated. When I was a JW I was also an alcoholic. Both the cult and my drinking were ways of avoiding dealing with painful childhood issues. After leaving the Borg I dealt with those issues. It certainly ain't easy, but I am now sober and thinking entirely for myself. It seems very hard now, and it is, but you are on the right track. Be strong!
Commie Chris
JoinedPosts by Commie Chris
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37
Feeling So Alone
by troubled ini have to post tonight.
i'm feeling so alone.
stopped here at the library to post this, on my way to the book study.
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113
Next get together in Toronto!!! :-)
by peterstride inhi gang, .
to make it easier for the out of towners (especially the ones driving in from the us), how does everyone feel about having our next get together on a saturday...say saturday, august 18th, starting at 4pm?
(i'll be working on the 11th and the 25th...).
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Commie Chris
Angel: you're a food writer!? That would be a dream job for me. Food is my first love, after my kids. I once seriously considered dropping out of law school to be a chef. Isn't it difficult being a food writer in a small town?
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Concerning Innateness
by dunsscot indear wonderful folks of j-w.com,.
the other day, one of my distinguished interlocutors contended that if joelbear says he is innately gay, then he is innately gay.
it seems that my interlocutor is saying the following.. 1) s verbally claims that his sexual orientation is innate.
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Commie Chris
Although it pains me to say it, I agree with duns on this one. Sexual orientation may well be innate, but just saying it is doesn't make it so.
BTW duns, this is probably the clearest post by you so far. I beg you not to follow through on your threat to "develop it in more detail".
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113
Next get together in Toronto!!! :-)
by peterstride inhi gang, .
to make it easier for the out of towners (especially the ones driving in from the us), how does everyone feel about having our next get together on a saturday...say saturday, august 18th, starting at 4pm?
(i'll be working on the 11th and the 25th...).
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Commie Chris
I'm available Aug. 18-19. In fact, it's the only weekend this month that I will be in TO.
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US Law & Presidency
by Amazing inus law & presidency .
many non-american people as well as many american citizens do not fully understand the legal premise of our system, nor how the system is designed to function.
because so many have a hazy idea, they often make mistakes in voting and involvement in the political system.. the presidency: the office of the us president was designed to be weak and largely one of administration.
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Commie Chris
Amazing:
1.Sources: Madison's Federalist Papers are quite unambiguous in arguing against democracy. In addition to these original sources, I suggest reading Toward an American Revolution, by Jerry Frescia. The brilliant American linguist and social commentator Noam Chomsky has also addressed this subject in several publications, including Class Warfare, The Responsibility of Intellectuals and Manufacturing Consent. Chomsky is very dilligent in foot-noting his sources.
2. I am not a Marxist, despite my handle, but I stand by my comment that American politics is largely a game played by the elites. You describe this as a "socialist myth". Why? How is my assertion incorrect?
3.Your comments about the failure of communism are a puzzling diversion. I do not believe that I ever held up the Soviet Union or any other Marxist state as an example to be followed - nor were any of those states "socialist" in my view, despite the fondness of both the American elites and the rulers of those states for describing them as such. My views on this subject, and my definition of "socialism", are briefly outlined in response to a question under My Story under Personal Experiences. I suggest you read that before assuming that my views fall under the heading of those which you consider "simplistic".
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US Law & Presidency
by Amazing inus law & presidency .
many non-american people as well as many american citizens do not fully understand the legal premise of our system, nor how the system is designed to function.
because so many have a hazy idea, they often make mistakes in voting and involvement in the political system.. the presidency: the office of the us president was designed to be weak and largely one of administration.
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Commie Chris
Amazing: You are essentially correct, but it is also important to note that the U.S. political system was never designed to be a democracy. The idea that the Founding Fathers set out to design a political system which would ensure that the masses would exercise democratic control over “their” government is a myth. Madison, who had more to do with drafting the U.S. constitution than anyone, was strongly opposed to democracy and warned against it. He and the other Founding Fathers felt that the prime responsibility of government was to protect the property of the rich minority against majority. They feared that a genuine democracy would result in the “ignorant masses” taking political power and then taking the property of the rich. Madison and the other Founding Fathers thought this would be a disaster. Alexander Hamilton called the masses the “great beast” and warned against “letting the people take control”. Their vision was of a government of enlightened, benevolent aristocrats who would rule in the best interests of all. However, this was in the very early days of capitalism and the Founding Fathers did not imagine that the government system which they designed would soon be controlled by a business class which was not a group of nice gentlemanly aristocrats or Enlightenment philosophers. By the 1790s, Madison was appalled at the way the increasingly powerful business class exercised power. He called them “tools and tyrants” and denounced their “daring depravity”.
It’s hardly surprising that today the U.S. political system is essentially a playground for the elites - that's what it was designed to be.
- Commie Chris
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White House Lunatic Imperils Us All.
by Englishman innot just content with attempting to scuttle the kyoto accord by claiming it was anti-american, bush has now pulled the usa out of an international agreement on tightening up controls on chemical warfare, citing almost exactly the same concerns.
can't you blokes across the atlantic impeach this lunatic?.
..... fanaticism masquerading beneath a cloak of reasoned logic.
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Commie Chris
hawkaw: I agree with you that Gore is a hypocrite too. His Party is owned by the same multi-national corporations that own the Republicans. Both U.S. Parties serve the interests of their owners and both parties are all for "big government" when it serves the intersts of those corporations. The difference is only one of minor degrees. However I do not agree with you about socialists wanting government to "do everything". In my view real socialism is libertarian socialism, not the phony big government "socialism" of social democrats and liberals. See my explanation under the My Story thread under Personal Experiences.
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Hello-New Again and Pierced!
by Pierced Angel ini've posted in the past under the nic, "doubting sister", but i'm no longer doubtful.
i'm totally convinced, the witnesses are just another religion like any other.
actually, i consider them a cult, but i think many religions have cultish tendencies anyhow, so i'll refrain from calling them that for now.. because of this site i've been able to see things more clearly and i'm feeling better about leaving.
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Commie Chris
Hello Angel, and welcome. I am quite new here as well - I joined about a month ago. I look forward to seeing you in Toronto the next time the group here gets together.
- Chris
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60
White House Lunatic Imperils Us All.
by Englishman innot just content with attempting to scuttle the kyoto accord by claiming it was anti-american, bush has now pulled the usa out of an international agreement on tightening up controls on chemical warfare, citing almost exactly the same concerns.
can't you blokes across the atlantic impeach this lunatic?.
..... fanaticism masquerading beneath a cloak of reasoned logic.
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Commie Chris
Bush is essentially irrelevant. He was bought and paid for a long time ago. He is merely a loyal servant of the multi-national corporations which own both American political parties and which dictate the U.S. agenda. The U.S. is not rejecting the Kyoto Accord because it’s bad for the U.S. economy - it isn’t. In fact, at the insistence of the U.S. negotiators who worked on Kyoto, market mechanisms are built into the Accord to ensure that the effect on the U.S. economy will be beneficial (by promoting alternative energy and conservation industries), or neutral at worst. The Kyoto Accord is not being rejected because it will result in a net loss of jobs (it won’t), it is being rejected purely at the demand of the petro-chemical industry which contributes huge amounts of money to the Republican Party and has enormous lobbying influence in Washington. It does not matter to them whether the U.S. economy as a whole would be better off with the Kyoto Accord, or whether the world would be better off with the modest reductions in greenhouse gasses that the implementation of the Accord would bring. All that matter to them is their profits. Ergo, that’s all that matters to Washington. And yes, Canada, Japan, Russia and Europe are also hypocritical in their approach to implementing Kyoto. Those governments are also major polluters which have caved in to the pressure of the multi-national petro-chemical industry lobby.
Likewise, the so-called “missile shield” now being promoted by Washington would be dangerously destabilizing if it worked, but it won’t, and it doesn’t matter to those promoting it. Like most American military projects it is designed to ensure that billions of dollars in tax-payers money are delivered to the big corporations which will have the contracts to build it. Ironically, these are the same corporations that complain about the evils of “big government” whenever governments consider modest environmental or public health legislation. They are not against big government, they are only against government when it acts in the public interest.
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Flowers For Erica
by silentlambs ini received the suggestion below in an email and thought it might be a nice gesture.
if you would like to send flowers or cards of support to the courthouse the address is:.
adams county courthouse.
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Commie Chris
Bill: This is a really good thought, but I suggest you check with Erica's lawyer, or the prosecuting lawyer if she is not directly represented by counsel. I am a lawyer and I have seen judges become annoyed by what they consider "theatrical gestures" in the courtroom. I realize that is not your intention, but it might work against the prosecution if there is a constant stream of flower deliveries interrupting the proceedings. Perhaps if it can be arranged so that all flowers are delivered at once it would not be disruptive.