Better to die on our feet than live on our knees.
Not scared. I am as ready to die as they are.
CZAR
czarofmischief
JoinedPosts by czarofmischief
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12
Bin Laden threat
by JH inal qaeda: countdown for ?biggest operation yet inside america?.
monday, november 24, al qaeda marked eid al fitr, the festival closing the muslim festival of ramadan, with a dramatic warning.
debkafile?s counter-terror sources reports that a message published over al qaeda?s electronic channels and websites declared that the countdown has begun for the biggest operation ever carried out in the united states.
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Well, it's going to be an interesting couple of weeks
by logansrun inso, my cousin is getting married next weekend and i'm invited.
relatives flying into town on monday, family dinners before the wedding, all that good stuff.
of course, they are all jws.
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czarofmischief
Scoring on Witness chicks is practically a holy duty. It helps them so much... and you... hur hur hur...
CZAR
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Did You Ever Feel Refreshed As A Jehovah's Witness???
by minimus inthe "truth" is supposed to be sooo "refreshing".
the publications talk about how "happy and refreshed" witnesses always are.
was that your experience?
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czarofmischief
I used to have spiritual experiences on my own, out in the woods or something, that helped me feel redeemed and special. I don't think that anything in the borg was ever refreshing, although I've had some experiences where I felt appreciated and loved - they were fairly refreshing and redemptive.
But they were just drops of water to someone dying of thirst - nice, but essentially useless because they weren't enough. I had emotional needs that the borg wouldn't fill. needs like creative expression, sexual intimacy, beer...
CZAR
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OMG....what a show up !!
by ScoobySnax injust got in from a night out for aleaving do for a colleague at work.......you know the drill, plenty of beer music etc.....i was off.
at one point 30 women surrounded me in a circle on the dance floor, and i had to take my shirt off and belt and unbutton my jeans....whilst dancing to a crap song......my bosses were there......what the hell am i gonna say to them on monday!!!!
it seemes oh so funny when everyone was cheering, but oh the shame now i'm sobering up!
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czarofmischief
My first day at one job, I got piss drunk at the company picnic and got into a shouted debate over religion during the wiffle ball game.
Then I sobered up and got wrecked AGAIN!
Wow... what an ass I was.
You'll be all right. People will forget, as long as you do a good job in general.
Plus, nailing your boss is always a sexual fantasy for American men working for women. Kind of a power reversal, like, "You've got the Lexus, but I've got the key you need..."
CZAR
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20 Years Ago Today
by RAYZORBLADE inwell, it's officially, november 22, 2003. .
20 years ago today, was the beginning of the end of my life as a jehovah's witness.
when i think back to 10 years (1993) after leaving the jehovah's witnesses, i can remember not quite being so well-adjusted.
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czarofmischief
Congratulations. It's also my birthday.
I hope you are feeling better about yourself now than the elders made you feel. I know I've gotten over it, mostly, but sometimes it still hurts.
It's my belief that homosexuality is just one of those things that makes us different from each other, like hair color. Can't help it, it just is. So enjoy it!
CZAR
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NOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! , Why do you think Bush went ahead to invade Iraq ???
by run dont walk inthe war is going on and on, and may be awhile before it actually officially ends.. the original reason for invasion was because of weapons of mass destruction, but that has fizzled,.
so why do you think bush was so keen on invading iraq ???.
oil, money, power, helping the iraqi people, ???.
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czarofmischief
The next anti war protest will see my fury...
CZAR
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17
e-watchman responds!
by czarofmischief inhttp://www.e-watchman.com/commentaries/nov_21_oblivion.html
this inane gibbering reveals the real motives behind e-watchman!
i will post my rebuttal of this bonehead's commentary in a minute.. czar
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czarofmischief
My comments are boldfaced, e-watchmans article is italicized
In view of numerous emails from readers in response to last week's comments about Ray Franz, it seems appropriate to set a few matters straight.
Vulnerable to public opinion, are we? This shows just how much e-watchman relies on the public's response.
First, on the matter of judging others: It is somewhat dismaying that apparently even some of Jehovah's Witnesses suppose that the Bible's injunction against judging our brothers somehow applies in the case of those who would mislead us. That is a wrong application of a biblical principle. For example, in the very same sermon where Jesus told us not to judge our brother or presume to extract the splinter of fault in our brother's eye, Jesus also warned us to be on guard against those who would defraud us of our faith, saying at Matthew 7:15: "Be on the watch for the false prophets that come to you in sheep's covering, but inside they are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will recognize them."
Fruits? Very well, then, e-watchman has set forth the criteria by which we shall judge him. "Out of his own mouth," will he be condemned. Let us read and examine the "fruits" he reveals.
Jesus' graphic illustration ought to help us appreciate the fact that spiritual predators may be very hard to recognize as such. They may appear to be genuine Christians?but appearances can be very deceiving. But, how is it possible to ever "recognize them" without using our faculty of judgment? It is not possible. The very act of identifying a wolf in sheepskin is to judge that one. Not only is it our right to make judgments in these matters, it is also the moral obligation of good watchmen and shepherds to sound the alarm when there is clear evidence that proves a wolf has donned a sheep's cloak and is on the prowl among the flock. Why should any clear-thinking Christian even question the appropriateness of that?
The question is, "Who appointed e-watchman to be our shepherd, to be our "watchman", in fact?" The answer is, e-watchman! Jehovah did not reach down and anoint him, Jehovah did not reach down and pour out his holy spirit upon him! Ergo, e-watchman is either delusional, or far worse. He is presumptuously claiming the prerogatives that belong to appointed shepherds - determining if a man (ie. Ray Franz) is a wolf or a sheep. While Moses had a column of fire, and Joshua dried up the Jordan, and Elisha raised the dead as testimony to their divine appointment, what has e-watchman done? Has he even revealed himself with his real name?
Secondly, some readers have expressed indignation that e-watchman has cited Ray Franz by name. But, there is no impropriety in that. Ray Franz is a well-known public figure?at least among Jehovah's Witnesses. It is not as if I used the name of a private individual who would otherwise be unknown to the reader. Most of the anti-Watchtower websites on the Internet make liberal use of Ray Franz. His books are considered "must reading" by opposers of Jehovah's Witnesses. In fact, it is not at all unfair to consider the growing number of ex-Jehovah's Witnesses as disciples of Ray Franz. So, to connect Ray Franz to the anti-Watchtower movement is simply to state the obvious.
I do not think anyone considers themselves as disciples of Ray, and from my readings I do not think that Ray seeks such a following! When has Ray ever asked a follower for money? But the Watchtower recently devoted a lengthy article urging its followers to give up their jewelry and savings. When has Ray ever asked anyone to die for the sake of his pride? But the Watchtower condemned Christians in Malawi to death by refusing to allow them to buy political cards, and AT THE SAME TIME urged brothers in Mexico to bribe officials to escape military service. Their pride, their need to "give a witness" is what actually condemned those Christians, not Bible principles, which urge all to "render unto Caesar those things that are Caesar's" and to "Go a second mile" with the one who impresses you into service.
Besides, in the 1 st Century the apostle Paul named the names of those who were notorious in wrecking the faith of fellow believers. For instance, in his 2 nd letter to Timothy, Paul mentioned Hymenaeus and Philetus by name, saying of them: "These very men have deviated from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already occurred; and they are subverting the faith of some." Was Paul judging them? Yes, of course he was. But, he rightly judged them on the basis of the criteria Christ laid down for us?by their fruits. The fruitage that allowed Paul to recognize those men for what they were was that they were "subverting the faith of some."
The importance of fruitage in judging is important in determining true motive. Do you trust the Watchtower to be candid and honest about its shortcomings? In his books, Ray details his personal quest, and constantly urges a personal relationship with God. Do you realize that if we held the Watchtower accountable for all of its false predictions and error-ridden theology, its constant need to dictate our life choices, and its inconsistent stance on various issues - if we could sue the Watchtower in the Court of God, we would not only have a case, we would win! But Ray never makes any promises not found directly in the Bible. He merely relays the Bible's promises, not putting undue emphasis on minor points of dogma and prophecy. What about e-watchman? He picks up some points of Witness dogma and tosses others aside as "obviously incorrect" and makes his own predictions, which have always been incorrect, as in when he predicted that the war with Iraq would not happen.
Jesus also named names. In the 2 nd chapter of Revelation, Jesus actually commended the brothers in Ephesus because they hated the deeds of the sect of Nicolaus. Jesus said to them: "Still, you do have this, that you hate the deeds of the sect of Nicolaus, which I also hate. Let the one who has an ear hear what the spirit says to the congregations." Conversely, Jesus rebuked those in the Pergamum congregation who were "holding fast the teaching of the sect of Nicolaus."
We are not told anything about the man Nicolaus. Perhaps he was not even personally a member of either congregation. Neither are we told anything about the teaching of Nicolaus and why Jesus hated the deeds of his followers. But, evidently the sect of Nicolaus was not a stand-alone sect as we might think of a sect today as being; but rather, the sect of Nicolaus evidently operated as a sub-sect, submerged within the congregations back then. Likely the sect of Nicolaus accepted much of the teachings of the apostles but differed only in a few key doctrines?or perhaps just one. At any rate, the sect posed a very real spiritual danger to Christ's congregation. But, the point is: How would it be possible for the Ephesians to "hate the deeds of the sect of Nicolaus" without also judging Nicolaus as an enemy of the truth?
Who also promotes sects? e-watchman does! He picks up some doctrines and drops others, willy-nilly.
Paul similarly instructed Christians to reject any man who promotes a sect, saying: "As for a man that promotes a sect, reject him after a first and a second admonition; knowing that such a man has been turned out of the way and is sinning, he being self-condemned." (Titus 3:10-11)
Does the act of rejecting a man involve judging him? Yes, of course it does. But in the case of a promoter of a sect, Paul said that such an individual is self-condemned. So, rather than making our own judgments in such matters, it is merely a matter of accepting the judgment that is self-evident.
Now, the question: Is Ray Franz a promoter of a sect? Yes, absolutely! Why can we say that? Because Ray Franz promotes teachings that run counter to the truth that is held in common by Christ's anointed congregation. Just as Jesus condemned those who were "holding fast the teaching of the sect of Nicolaus," so too, the followers of Ray Franz holds fast to unbiblical teachings.
So is e-watchman. Could you please, tell me again, why holidays are so unholy - when Paul says that he who observes the day observes it to Jehovah, that all things are allowed while not all things are advantageous? Why is blood transfusion so foul, when in fact the Bible does not condemn its use as medicine and merely prohibits its eating? So you are keeping some of the trappings of Jehovah's Witnesses while discarding the central doctrine of 1914 - the very doctrine that tells us we are living in the time of the end.
What are some of these sectarian teachings? For one, Ray Franz teaches that there is no distinction between the little flock of the anointed and the other sheep. He basically teaches what Christendom teaches?that all Christians go to heaven. Franz teaches that God may or may not literally burn the earth up some day. He doesn't feel that anyone can really know the truth on such matters. It is a weasely wishy-washy position to take to be sure. But the point is: The teachings of Ray Franz run completely counter to the core doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses as to Jehovah's purpose to provide a kingdom of 144,000 to rule over a paradise on earth. Those who embrace such teachings may be said to hold fast to the teachings of the sect of Ray Franz.
I would say that the Jehovah's Witnesses core doctrine revolves around the Kingdom as preached by people who believe that it came invisibly in 1914 and thus they were appointed by Christ himself to spread the word of its presence. Since e-watchman dicards this doctrine, it is hard to see exactly where he is getting his authority.
Paul said in reference to Hymenaeus and Philetus: "Their word will spread like gangrene." How true that has been of Ray Franz's words as well. Like the 1 st Century Cretins, Franz's teachings have also subverted the faith of entire households of Jehovah's Witnesses. The Internet has literally dozens of ex-JW anti-Watchtower websites, and nearly all of them promote Ray Franz or his teachings in some form. For a certainty, the teachings of Franz are truly comparable to a rapidly spreading, gangrenous, faith-destroying cancer.
Judging by the end results of Ray Franz's writings, namely the stumbling of many thousands of Jehovah's Witnesses and interested persons; we may rightly judge Ray Franz as a promoter of a sect and an enemy of the truth. As Jesus said, "by their fruits"?and the fruits of Franz's teaching is demonstrably rotten!
No doubt, the Devil would prefer that Jehovah's Witnesses today would suspend their God-given powers of judgment under the rubric of not judging our brother. However, it is our right and obligation to judge such a man. Moreover, we may also expect to hear Christ's eventual commendation for hating the deeds of the sect of Ray Franz.
Threats, mudslinging, and statements that cannot be either disproved or proven. For all we know, the Devil is helping e-watchman maintain loyalty to a corrupt and tyrannical organization! Who is to say that the "fruitage" of being "loyal" to a stultifying and oftentimes indifferent organization is a good thing? Not me! I say that's a bad thing, to live a life of desperation, pain, and sacrifice when such is patently unnecessary. When the organization comes between you and God, how can it be a good thing? The Bible says there is one mediator between God and Man, that is Christ, since the abolition of the Mosaic Law. How often we have heard these threats of Armageddon and judgement, and they have NEVER proven accurate. While the rarely heard injunctions to be "peaceable towards all men" are the ones that work in day to day life.
Here are a few questions from a reader on this topic that would normally appear in the mailbag.
Hopefully they haven't been made up.
You made the following statement regarding Raymond Franz: "It is not that Franz himself is the source of the stumbling blocks though. For the most part such men have merely capitalized on the Watchtower's own folly, knowing that the average Jehovah's Witness or person studying simply does not have the depth of knowledge and faith to counter such things." This seems to be a judgment as to motive, but since we are not a reader of human hearts, what qualifies you to determine another's motive? *****
If someone were to purposefully dump a vat of cyanide into a city's drinking water, would it be unfair to judge that person as to their motive? By the same measure, when a man of Franz's stature in the organization writes books directed to Jehovah's Witnesses and a large percentage of those who read his writings are stumbled, many ceasing to continue as Jehovah's Witnesses, we are left with only two conclusions: One, the writer knows full well the result his writings will have on others. Or two: He is stupid and does not realize the effect of his influence. Personally, I do not think Ray Franz is stupid.
False argumentation. Ray did not murder anybody. He just told the truth - what actually happened, and let the majority of people who were living in ignorance decide for themselves.
Can you provide actual evidence that Raymond Franz has anywhere said that Witnesses are better off leaving the Watchtower organization and "going it alone"? Please provide a verifiable reference. ****
I did not say that Ray Franz ever advised Jehovah's Witnesses to leave the Watchtower. He is much too clever for that. But, if you look at the end result of his teaching, and the faith-destroying effect his writings have upon the reader, then it is obvious what he is all about. II Peter the 2 nd chapter warns us, the same as Jesus warned us, that there will be false teachers in our midst. The 3 rd verse says that "they will exploit you with counterfeit words."
A person may unknowingly accept counterfeit currency because they are unable to detect the fraud, but that does not mean that they are genuinely enriched and can use the currency themselves. They are stuck with it?to their loss. By the same token, those who accept "counterfeit words" from the smooth-talkers may imagine them to be genuine words of faith. However, we can no more benefit from false words than we can pass counterfeit currency with impunity. The end result is spiritual ruination. Obviously, many believe that Ray Franz is the genuine article, but, like Jesus said: "By the fruits you will recognize those men."
Personally, I think that Ray's words, which encourage a personal relationship with God and Christ are far more encouraging than the latest Watchtower exercise in manipulation through fear. E-watchman likes to threaten with prophecy as well - and his fruitage is a terrified, cowed following that flocks to him because he is an extremist, willing to go out on a limb with ridiculous threats and prophecies. Much like the radical imams that recruit terrorists in Islam, e-watchman is building a power base through radicalism. Is this the rational act of a man who truly preaches that we "serve God with a sound mind?" E-watchman's fruitage will be the failure of all of his interpretations. All of his studies, all of his learning, will do him no good when the Bible does not live up to his expectations. In many ways, e-watchman is to be pitied for his stance, because it does not allow for a true relationship with God, and therefore his own spiritual ruination is assured.
Can you provide actual evidence that Raymond Franz has anywhere said anything about the Watchtower organization that is not true? Please provide a verifiable reference. *****
Again, I did not say Ray Franz was a liar. While his doctrinal teaching is false, as mentioned above, more than likely most of what he says is true. But, on the other hand, we are just hearing one side of the story?his side.
The letter of Jude is very similar to the 2 nd chapter of II Peter and it relates that the false teachers are "the ones that make separations, animalistic men, not having spirituality." Now, ask yourself: Have the writings of Ray Franz caused "separations"? Without a doubt, yes they have. Conversely, have his writings benefited anyone spiritually? No, no one could make the case in the affirmative that their faith has been strengthened by his teaching.
Just like unreasoning animals, animalistic men also instinctively know the weaknesses and fears of others. They know that if they can subtly create enough doubt within a person's mind, then their faith will give way and they will have their intended prey. The victim may not even know he has been devoured.
Again, who is trying to rule by fear? How about the man with the nuclear bomb on his website? Who lives in fear and tries to project that fear onto others? How about the man who refuses to reveal his identity to the Watchtower, thereby allowing him to remain in the organization where his words will be more effective in building a cult around himself? Who is afraid of being disfellowshipped? The answer is e-watchman!
How is it that you view your website as somehow more justifiable, more righteous than Franz' writings, when both of you have caused Witnesses to be stumbled from the organization by what you have said? *****
At least the questioner here admits that Franz's writings have stumbled people. But, the question is: Why would you defend anyone who knowingly stumbles others out of the truth?
BECAUSE IT ISN'T THE TRUTH, idiot! Even you admit that the doctrines are false in many respects, although you seem to want to keep the control mechanisms in place - like guilt over holidays, sex, and pleasure.
Actually, there is a huge difference between Ray Franz and e-watchman, and many readers are well aware of those differences. For one thing, Ray Franz only presents his readers with negativity. He gives them no reason whatsoever to continue to believe that Jehovah's Witnesses are the true Christian faith. On the other hand, even though I am deeply disappointed in the Watchtower at times, e-watchman does not give away the faults of his brothers that are not otherwise public knowledge. For example, I have frequently focused attention on the Watchtower's child abuse issues and their NGO membership. But, these things are common knowledge. The child abuse thing in particular was published in many lands on national television and major newspapers.
While the depth of our error may come as a shock to some of the friends, rather than leaving the reader with the sinking feeling that the organization is hopelessly corrupt, e-watchman has delved into the prophecies with the intent of shedding light on our situation from Jehovah's perspective in order to impart hope. My purpose has always been to reach out to those who have been stumbled, as well as those who are yet to be stumbled, in order to impart some measure of hope and faith to the discouraged soul. Judging by the hundreds of emails and Guest Book entries, my writings have had an overwhelmingly positive effect upon the spirituality of Jehovah's Witnesses, particularly those who are disheartened. I have received many letters of thanks for providing a basis to continue to trust Jehovah's purpose in connection with Jehovah's Witnesses. I unhesitatingly recommend my faith as one of Jehovah's Witnesses.
I wonder, would e-watchman do the same if he stepped forward, revealed himself, and suffered the indignities of a Judicial Committee? Of being shunned, hated, spoken against? From his hiding place, it must be easy to condemn all those who have chosen to leave the organization. If he were disfellowshipped, as he assuredly would be if he stepped forward, would he still direct strangers to the organization as the proper place for people to be? I think not. But the proof is in the pudding, or the fruitage, as it were.
Can Ray Franz say that? What does Ray Franz stand for anyway? Okay, so he left the Watchtower, now what? What is the truth? He admits that he is not really sure. He advises a wait-and-see approach, much like the atheist or agnostic who shrugs off any commitment to search for the truth by saying 'we'll find out when we die.' Franz has no burning passion for truth. He demonstrates no commitment to the glorification of Jehovah God. Franz and men like him are exactly described by Jude as "stars with no set course, for which the blackness of darkness stands reserved forever."
Hm, a wait and see approach to prophecy? It's called humility, e-watchman! Admitting that you don't have all the answers, that you haven't been anointed by God when you haven't been, is called honesty. If e-watchman were truly anointed by God, he wouldn't fear the Judicial Committee as much as he does. What Ray is continually sure of is his love for God and God's love for him! That is the only truth that stands the test of time! There is no "new light" that can change that, in fact, as Paul said, "Nor angels, nor heights nor depths, nor things now here nor things to come can separate us from God's love that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Ultimately, who we choose now for our guide will determine whether we reach our goal of salvation or not. The Bible advises that we keep focused on God's prophetic word until the daystar arises in our hearts. During the darkest hours of the end of the world we may expect the sealed sons of the kingdom to shine as brightly as the stars of heaven and lead God's people to life. Contrasted with that, Jude describes the animalistic misleaders of God's people as lost stars hurtling into eternal blackness. You would do well to seriously reflect upon the course Ray Franz has provided by his pattern and decide if you really want to follow his wandering star into oblivion.
Oh, but fortunately, e-watchman is here to save us! Oh, thank you, sir. Shall I call you master, now? Shall I leave you my grandmother's jewelry? Shall I devote my youth to your pronouncements? Shall you set up a commune and we can all live there according to your regulations against all things that God has put here for our use and enjoyment?
If e-watchman is serious, then we shall see the marks of a true prophet in him. For one thing, he will reveal his true identity. No prophet ever hid himself in fear, but showed himself in the public squares when pronouncing his message. Sometimes THEN they ran for it, but their trust was in God, not in secrecy. For another thing, his prophecies will come true. They haven't.
This is a flake, a nutjob, trying to recruit followers to his extremist Witness cause. Don't follow e-watchman. Trust in Jesus Christ and in the God who sent him.
CZAR
Jeremy Tennent of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania
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e-watchman responds!
by czarofmischief inhttp://www.e-watchman.com/commentaries/nov_21_oblivion.html
this inane gibbering reveals the real motives behind e-watchman!
i will post my rebuttal of this bonehead's commentary in a minute.. czar
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czarofmischief
http://www.e-watchman.com/commentaries/nov_21_oblivion.html
This inane gibbering reveals the real motives behind e-watchman! He wants his own following!
I will post my rebuttal of this bonehead's commentary in a minute.
CZAR
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Im tired of the media showing this picture when discussing meteor strikes
by IronGland ina meteor the size of the one shown would probably liquify the crust or smash earth to rubble.
it's the size of a continent.
a 10 kilometer meteor or less will do the extinction job just fine.
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czarofmischief
I remember when I was a kid my dad dropped the scientific ideas on my little head of
a) the Big Bang with ensuing chaos
b) meteor strikes with ensuing chaos
c) how the sun worked and would run out of hydrogen and go nova someday, with, of course, ensuing chaos
I didn't sleep for weeks. Finally, he just said that Jehovah wouldn't let that happen, and it was enough for me - kind of how religion works, ain't it?
No chaos.
CZAR
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NOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! , Why do you think Bush went ahead to invade Iraq ???
by run dont walk inthe war is going on and on, and may be awhile before it actually officially ends.. the original reason for invasion was because of weapons of mass destruction, but that has fizzled,.
so why do you think bush was so keen on invading iraq ???.
oil, money, power, helping the iraqi people, ???.
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czarofmischief
All right then.
no more talk.
CZAR