i don't think we've had one for a while, i can't find the last one anyway!
so just to satisfy my curiosity it would be great to see some of your photos, of you, your family even your pets (they're family too!
) then i'll know if any of you do look like your avatars cos that's what i'm always wondering!
Here's me a few weeks ago. I got hit by a car, and am lucky to be alive. My eye later swelled shut.. Really attractive, and a great conversation starter... lol... Btw, I am fine and got a haircut. I just have to battle the nitwits at the insurance company now....
you know him, every hall has one.. he really knows fashion.
he hangs out with all the middle aged women at the hall.
his gait, voice and gestures are feminine.. if he were a "wordly" man he'd be a "flamer".. well, here's my question: is he or isn't he?
Bethel has a ton... one was a definite flamer who was our table head.. he is in the service dept.... I couldn't believe all the closeted gays. It is a real situation there.. I wonder if the GB is clued in?
what should i do with it???.
changeling.
I found $20 in my old elders bag last month, so I did what any good ex elder should, I went and watched the game and had some hot wings and beer!
i went to see prince in concert at the o2 in london last week.
i didn't really want to go, he's not my thing but my wife wanted to see him so i went along for the ride.
he is actually an extremely talented guitarist and pianist and he can sing too.
Ahh, come on, they were all hoping he would rip into an impromptu performance of Kiss or Little Red Corvette.
Like newbie bethelites have any idea what the first few words of "Little Red Corvette" is referring to? Is it the car??? LOL!
it was a total sermon about their (islam) version of god and how he feels about the entire scientific and academia communities.
.
your take on the whole thing?.
It's all good Iron Rod. I fundamentally agree with your point about comparing Bush to Hitler. (Although the differences in how the government is administered would make a Hitleresque leader here in the USA impossible...) And I respect your thoughts about Bush agressively going after terrorists. (that as I am sure you know is a debatable point, seeing how he went after Saddam instead of Bin Laden....) But there are a lot of people who like that about Bush. I think he just got mixed up and went into the wrong country, lock, stock and barrel. And he is rightly being called on it... belatedly.
Christine Amanpour of CNN interviewed several western educated Iranians and trolled Tehran. I watched the program, and while I didn't mean to insinuate that real democracy and full civil rights for women and gays is right around the corner in Tehran, there is a strong undercurrent of western sympathy in Iran. This is a direct result of western educated Iranians....
Free speech must be free for all. Thomas Jefferson said that:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men* are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes;
(* all men and women.....)
Even if the Iranian President doesn't honor this, we do! The United States was founded by brilliant thinkers who put their trust in the ability of the people to think for themselves. Let him have his say. We are the better people for it. We will certainly disagree with him, and vigorously so. But imo, the USA should not ever be in the business of shutting down controversial speech. The consequences are too dangerous.
it was a total sermon about their (islam) version of god and how he feels about the entire scientific and academia communities.
.
your take on the whole thing?.
Hi there Iron Rod... No anger here! Glad you have a take... Here are some further observations before I go to work....
Iran has one of the highest per capita ratios of western, college educated grads in the muslim world. The (college educated) population itself is quite liberal. Most journalists who go there will tell you that. Iran got hijacked by the Ayotollah (sp?) in the late 70's and the governement has since been run by theocratic muslim zealots, like Ahmadinejad. It isn't Iran that is thumbing it's nose at the world, anymore then I would allow someone to think that Bush represents me! (he doesn't...) He is the leader. You don't let him sniff ground zero of course, unless you can turn back time and have him stand under the buildings as they fell. But he wanted to represent Iran as he felt it should be. AND HE DID!
As far as the state sponser of terrorism, no country except the USA could have pulled the UN's arm around it's back, made it cry "mercy!" and got an authroization for a war on the grounds that they did. Bush has allowed torture and an invasion of privacy. This isn't the point of this thread, but my point wasn't to say directly that Bush and Ahmadinejad are from the same piece of cloth. But they aren't that far away from each other in allowing their ideological and political views to be directly influenced by their sure "knowledge" of what their god wants. (Which coincidentally, each of their gods want their respective countries to kill each other and prove that his god is the true one....)
When was the last time you heard of Bush having homosexuals and political opponents executed?
See, you can't do that in the USA and get away with it. It's been a long time, fifty whole years! 50 years ago, you could get away with killing a black man or a homosexual, esp in the South! Thanks goodness we as a country did away with that so long ago...... (sarcastic response...)
Since the time that America embraced civil rights and not killing people who were different they they, Bush through the GOP machine actually took an honorable fellow republican running against him in 2000 (John McCain) and implied in the S Carolina primary that he fathered an illigitimate black baby. In 2004, he took an honorable Vietnam war veteren, (a war that Bush got out of serving in) and thanks to Swift Boat, made it seem that he was never there. Thats more then politics as usual, thats character assasination. The GOP has mastered that kind of execution very well.
As far as homosexuals, what do you think banning gay marriage is all about? Do you believe the fundies who have hijacked the GOP don't want homosexuals destroyed by god? (Fallwell? Pat Roberston anyone?) Several Republicans say that homosexuality is destroying the "American" way of life. Lewis Black has a great take on this, it's on youtube. It even has a JW reference...
http://youtube.com/watch?v=XK5gGATcF_4
Interested in your responses! Always good imo, to have an intelligent discussion on the facts.....
I would be a lion, but only if I could be Mufassa. I like his nobility. (and I am sick of Lions representing Christ.....)
LOL!!!!
Yeah, I like "cough cough" um Yeah, I like cats too.....
it was a total sermon about their (islam) version of god and how he feels about the entire scientific and academia communities.
.
your take on the whole thing?.
I hate to say this, but the first person you ban because his mere appearance offends you, or if he is a dictator who has blood on his hands (and Bush doesn't?) takes away all of our freeness of speech. Our freedoms are only as strong as our weakest links. I applaud Bollinger. It shows his confidence in the intellgence of the audience who chose to listen. And Ahmadinejad's comments show why you should allow freedom of speech. His assertions about the Holocaust and that homosexuality doesn't exist in Iran speak for themselves! It's called giving him enough rope to hang himself.
Ahmadinejad is one of many dictators in the world who are repugnant and immoral. But they are allowed in a free and democratic world to talk. That is because the general public is allowed to judge him by his talk. In Iran, Ahmadinejad quashes dissent. He can't do that here. And he can't deal with cross examination. That was very clear by how he handled criticism. It is clear that he isn't use to it. He can make his assertions as he always does, but he can't back them up, and he can't supress questioning, so he will go back home and claim that Allah will kill us all. (if Jehovah doesn't get us first!! lol)
Those of us who use to be JW's certainly have our own points of view. But one thing we do appreciate is the ability to be ourselves, to speak our minds, and to let our ideas or lack of them stand on their own merits. Sometimes, we might argue about points of view (thiestic versus athiestic is always a popular one) but I would rather argue myself into a dirtpile then not have the freedom both to speak and to hear dissenting points of view. Remember, we weren't allowed to consider other points of view while in the borg...
Edited for PS: I butchered the spelling on this post... SHEESH!!
I am still lmao! It was awesome.
