Posts by DJS

43

US World Power: Time Running Out

by metatron in

jw
friends

http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-rise-and-fall-of-modern-empires-2014-9.

tick tock...... forget about that daniel image/prophecy stuff.

the process is being accelerated by trying to sanction russia, as they draw closer to china and thereby build an alternative economic system( including a swift banking arrangement of their own).

DJS

Scotoma,

Some of the people who do not agree with Met do so because he suffers from OCD. Until he or you or anyone else provides relevant data that the US is fading fast we will continue to view him and those like him as a hysterical reactionary. The US has a lot of problems; lack of military strength and a flexible economy are not two of them. He is myopic and only sees what he wants to see.

I think most of us agree the US tinkers around a lot in others' affairs. Shocking. That's been going on since the beginning of clans/caves, and it is being done now by the Chinese and the Russians. Right now we are just better at it. For over half a century the US/West and the Soviets played war games and conducted spy vs. spy against one another, trying to court any nation which provided a strategic or psychological advantage, to their side.

After a half century of it, the US had courted more pretty girls, and the Soviet system failed - miserably, as their republics have gone their merry way absent the iron fist which kept them together.

The Ukraine got rid of a large rat who is currently been charged with stealing 70 billion dolllars from the Ukrainian till. The Ukrainian parliament voted him out, and the people supported it. They did not need the US or the West to make that occur. You insult the Ukrainians by suggesting otherwise. Did the West want them as a Facebook friend? Duh. Did the West help along the way? Again. Effing DUh. That is not new nor is it news.

No one is anywhere near the US/West when it comes to military technology. I think you need to stick to scriptural prophecy and stay out of OPs for which you know little or nothing. As to my participation: I have stated before that I know more than a little about these topics. When Met, you or anyone else can provide relevant data I and those like me will respond accordingly.

The Chinese and Russian economies have so many land mines ahead that if they avoid any of them most economists will be surprised. The US has a lot of problems, but they pale in comparison to these two countries at the moment. The Soviets fought and lost an invasion against Afghanistan a few years ago, the same Flintstones the US owned within a few weeks. In the first Gulf War people like you and Met were talking about how many tanks and solders Saddam had, and by all estimates he had one of the largest and most capable armies in the world. But those of us who knew, knew that he wouldn't last a few weeks against the US. He didn't. His tanks were destroyed without getting off a shot and without seeing what hit them, even when they were buried in the sand, we could see them. He flew his second/third generation Soviet fighters to other countries because he knew they wouldn't last long against US fighters. And so on. We are much, much better now than then. Moore's law alone suggests the guidance/cyber capabiilties of our various systems have improved exponentially. No one else is even close. Are they improving? Yes, the Russians have improved significantly in the past 15 years, as have the Chinese. But lots of soldiers and tanks doesn't mean much when they can't see what hit them or even get a shot off before being hit.

You know nothing of military capabilities, and neither does Met. There are some of us on this site who know a lot about such things. I completely agree with Met that the US should try to address the underlying root causes of some of the world's strife instead of going in and mucking things up. He is right.

However, if you don't take care of your lovely wife, if you ignore her, abuse her and keep all of the family income for yourself and your selfish pursuits, don't whine when someone with some cash and driving a low fast sports car drives off with her - or bends her over the hood. Look in the mirror for the reason why. That's the story of the Ukraine. For Met or the Russians to whine about such is truly pathetic.

The Soviets pulled off a major coup when they entered Cuba years ago, but Cuba wasn't a US state. Other than a failed intervention, we have let Cuba be Cuba - absent US economic support/trade. They removed nukes from Cuban soil; we removed nukes from Turkey (which kinda sorta started all of that). Sounds fair enough to me.

48

Modern Morality .

by jhine in

jw
friends

having recently been posting on a thread about ot moral values , which are not widely "appreciated " to say the least , i have been thinking about our modern morals about sex and reletionships , or more acurately the lack of any sexual morals todays .

i don't think that we are better off as a society which has gone so far to the do want you want , with whom you want and when you want approach to sexual ethics as we have .

i don't think that women are actually liberated by this attitude .

DJS

Jhine,

Re: the sexualization of young children - Ditto times a thousand. It is disturbing. Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of it is a lot of it is coming from the mothers. That's another OP, but I would certainly like to hear from the women on this forum about this. I see so many little girls, pre-teens and barely teens who are encouraged to dress like hookers, by their moms. ???? I do not understand this. They will be grown up, once grown, for the rest of their lives; they are only children once. Why are so many moms sexualizing their daughters?? New OP?

43

US World Power: Time Running Out

by metatron in

jw
friends

http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-rise-and-fall-of-modern-empires-2014-9.

tick tock...... forget about that daniel image/prophecy stuff.

the process is being accelerated by trying to sanction russia, as they draw closer to china and thereby build an alternative economic system( including a swift banking arrangement of their own).

DJS

The Ukraine situation is a post-Cold War event with all of the Cold War rhetoric and drama. Does the West want to court the Ukraine? Of course. Does Putin and Mother Russia want her back? Of course. No one suggests otherwise, but to credit/blame the West for all of this is ludicrous. The Ukrainian President got what he deserved. Will his replacement or the West's guidance improve things dramatically? Likely not in the short run but likely so in the long run.

Putin wanting the Ukraine back makes more sense than the EU and West courting her (she is a neighbor, many are Russians, they have a history - breaking up is hard to do, and the setting sun makes her look so cute).

Sanctions have and will continue to hurt Russia. Russia has and will feel the pain; economists have estimated that Vlad's foray into Ukraine has already cost his country billions. IPOs have been delayed; loans are more difficult to get; oligarchs are transferring even more of their $ out of the country and a whole lot of billions which would have otherwise come into Mother Russia arent. Vlad needs cash flow. Desperately. Oil and natural gas give him that now, but the hand writing is on that wall and he knows it. He also has huge debt (Olympics, infrastructure), a lot of internal corruption, societal and cultural malaise and a hangover from the post Cold War era and what was lost. A lage part of Vlad's peacockery is intended to re-build Russia's pride and self esteem (most of it is he is simply a peacock). He lined his tanks up and no one blinked. He supported the rebels and the Ukrainians didn't really meet them with roses and wine, including the pro-Russian Ukrainians. His rebels shot down the wrong plane and gave him the worst thing he could have gotten at the moment - a loss of prestige, credibility and bad, really, really bad, PR. So he takes his tanks back home, returns to his sand pile, looks over his shoulder and says that 'yeah, but my dad can kick your ass "the West better not mess with nuclear Russia."

Will it cause a lot of changes in their behavior? Who knows, but it appears in the short run to have, and it will likely do so more in the long run. Can it result in unintended consequences? Of course. Can courting the Ukraine also result in unintended consequence? Of course. But consider what all of the whining nannies on this site and around the world would be saying if the West did nothing and Vlad, in a worst case scenario, used his political and economic clout to re-take as much of the former Soviet empire as possible. Coulda, shoulda, woulda. The West should not humiliate or cripple either Putin or Russia, but the measures taken to this point have been methodical. And effective.

As I've pointed out before, new sources of gas and oil are being built, laid, configured, engieered and worked out financially as we speak. Vlad knows that; using his natural resources as a lever is short for his economic world.

It really would help if those making definitive, reactionary and broad brushed statements about such topics knew what they were talking about.

48

Modern Morality .

by jhine in

jw
friends

having recently been posting on a thread about ot moral values , which are not widely "appreciated " to say the least , i have been thinking about our modern morals about sex and reletionships , or more acurately the lack of any sexual morals todays .

i don't think that we are better off as a society which has gone so far to the do want you want , with whom you want and when you want approach to sexual ethics as we have .

i don't think that women are actually liberated by this attitude .

DJS

Jan,

Ditto to double standards being a part of every culture, and religion seems to lead the way in that regard. I have Muslim and Hindu friends; the double standard which exists in those cultures makes the Western world look like we are all feminists.

The divorce statistics are relevant, as they have consistently reflected societal changes; a more 'telling' statistic is that there are more people choosing to be single. Cofty is right; ethics and how we treat one another are what is important. I've avoided this OP because they always turn into someone's pet peeve about sex. Sex is wonderful, natural, amazing, one of the best things that money can buy (just kidding) and when accomplished by consenting adults ---- is none of anyone else's business. Attempting to place pejorative adjectives on normal behavior is much more of a problem. We all understand how and why that occurred, but those conditions aren't relevant in most societies today.

Cheating on a mate, betraying a mate - these are ethical issues. Sex between consenting adults where betrayal isn't a part of the linkage isn't.

If that is what any of you call amoral, then I suggest you find a time machine and go back to the bad old days. Or keep your private parts - and your opinions about such - to yourselves.

43

US World Power: Time Running Out

by metatron in

jw
friends

http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-rise-and-fall-of-modern-empires-2014-9.

tick tock...... forget about that daniel image/prophecy stuff.

the process is being accelerated by trying to sanction russia, as they draw closer to china and thereby build an alternative economic system( including a swift banking arrangement of their own).

DJS

The Brits still have one of the most powerful militaries in the world, and no one at the present time is anywhere close to the US. Fading fast? Vassal states? Is that Germany? Poland? Estonia? Latvia? Just who is the vassal state to the US?

Delusional narcissists and wishful thinkers. Between the US/Brits and Israelis the level of military sophistication and capabilities is unsurpassed. No one comes close. Of course this is the world wide web, and you can find sites which rank Pakistan and N Korea among the top 5 most powerful.

I've tried to avoid this OP but the level of dumbassedness has surprised even me - and I expect a lot of it on this site.

I've read many of the articles that form your beliefs (I'm not the only one who thinks you are OCD on this topic) Met. Between Libertarians and conspiracy theorist nut jobs you seem to have formed a rock solid set of opinions.

The Ukrainian President was robbing the country blind and leading it into 4th world status quickly; he didn't need the US or EU to result in his downfall. At the time of his fall, one poll showed only 2% of the Ukrainians had trust in him, and that included the Crimea and E Ukraine. I suppose you are going to tell me the US/EU rigged the polls. He was imploding on his own. He was a cancer to the Ukrainian economy. Will his replacement be any better? Who knows.

Putin was relying on the ethnic Russians in E Ukraine to rise up in mass support for his separatists, who were being trained and armed by Putin. They have failed to do so to this point. His economy is not big enough and his military not strong enough to accomplish his goals right now. That may change, but the more he bites off at the present the more heartburn he is going to get. The only real leverage he has right now is gas and oil - and nukes as he himself pointed out this week (desperate comment showing weakness).

85

JW GB MEMBER CAUGHT ON CAMERA!!!

by ADJUSTMENTS in

jw
friends

gb member and so called "annointed" person geoffry jackson is caught red handed on video doing some worldly dancing and sexual gyrating (they have spoken against such manner of dancing on several occasions) with a woman who is not his wife!!!

i can only imagine what they do off camera now!!!.

i would not have even considerd doing such a thing on the dance floor with a woman, especially if it was not my wife, and i'm not even one of the so called "annointed" smh!!!

DJS

Adjustments,

I just read your childish rants. Research my comments from this site. No one has more derision for the Dark Lords than I. That hasn't a thing to do with your childish, reactionary whining about this video. You really need to grow up; most of the responses to this disastrous OP were spent telling you that you had lost your mind - or something to that affect.

Attacking me, especially when you've shown yourself to be such an immature child, simply reinforces what the vast majority of us responding already think about you and this OP. Until you mature, a lot few of us will not pay you much attention. You also called Island Man a JW apologist, and his response was spot on and fair minded. I suppose everyone who disagrees with you is an apologist as well. You should be learning from Island Man and those like him rather than childishly lashing out. We could help you, but you won't let us.

Myplasticmike,

Thanks for the information. The hypocrisy, as many of us have mentioned, is a valid argument. Otherwise, this is a non-event. If you were there in present you may have seen or at least inferred things not seen on the video, but that changes not a wit the responses in this OP.

15

US Air Force to Atheist: Say God in oath or dont re-enlist

by Dis-Member in

an atheist airman is being denied the ability to re-enlist in the us air force because he refuses to use the word god in his oath of office, according to the american humanist association (aha).. the unnamed member of the air force refused to take the oath containing so help me god, wanting a secular affirmation instead.

so he crossed out the phrase on his contract.

the airman was told by his superiors that he must swear to god or leave the air force, the aha said in a press release.

DJS

Cadet chapels are a very important facet of all 3 of our service academies. The Cadet Chapel at West Point is historic and beautiful (I've been). The Naval Academy's cadet chapel is also historic and stunning, as is the Airforce cadet chapel. That's part of US history; it is what it is. However, the Air Force appears to be influenced by their X-tian beliefs in stating that the "so help me god" phrase is not optional. There is another view, a secular one, of this. If someone at the Air Force believes the optional phrase is not part of the original oath, they could be requiring the phrase for that reason.

The military acadmies expect cadets to follow rules exactly, without question. I personally think that X-tian beliefs are driving this, but knowing what I know about the miltary academies there could be more to it. Very nice OP, btw. Well stated.

43

US World Power: Time Running Out

by metatron in

jw
friends

http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-rise-and-fall-of-modern-empires-2014-9.

tick tock...... forget about that daniel image/prophecy stuff.

the process is being accelerated by trying to sanction russia, as they draw closer to china and thereby build an alternative economic system( including a swift banking arrangement of their own).

DJS

Fraz,

Glad you pointed this out and I didn't have to. Met is capable of excellent posts, but his OCD with the Western military/economic powers, which start and end with the US in his mind, always colors his views about this topic. He is always seeking news items and sources which support his desires - to see the fall of the US/British/Israeli military system.

I will say one thing; Met is consistent. And predictable. But OCD will cause that. In the past I have responded with economic data which shows exactly the opposite of what he is trying to say, but by now it is a waste of my time. Good luck with this OP, Met. You are a smart guy; I only wish your OCD for the imminent doom of the Western military and economic system would somehow be assuaged.

Russia and China are formidable in many ways; they are also both, in many ways, train wrecks waiting for a place to happen. That's the part he misses.

2596

The Pastor of my Old Church Tried to Re-Convert Me Yesterday

by cofty in

yesterday evening my wife and i were invited to friends house for new year's eve.

we met them when i was a christian and we have kept in touch.

they had a few other friends there as well, including the new church pastor and his wife.

DJS

Psac,

More data which refutes your compassion theory (the study doesn't suggest religious people aren't generous, just that their motivations are more likely due to a sense of responsibility rather than human compassion):

Religious People Less Driven By Compassion Than Are Atheists And Agnostics, Study Says

Published: 05/01/2012 12:11 PM EDT on LiveScience

Atheists and agnostics are more driven by compassion to help others than are highly religious people, a new study finds.

That doesn't mean highly religious people don't give, according to the research to be published in the July 2012 issue of the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science. But compassion seems to drive religious people's charitable feelings less than other groups.

"Overall, we find that for less religious people, the strength of their emotional connection to another person is critical to whether they will help that person or not," study co-author and University of California, Berkeley social psychologist Robb Willer said in a statement. "The more religious, on the other hand, may ground their generosity less in emotion, and more in other factors such as doctrine, a communal identity, or reputational concerns."

The actual study:

My Brother’s Keeper?

Compassion Predicts Generosity More Among Less Religious Individuals

1 University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
2 University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
3 University of Colorado, Boulder
4 Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA

250

Biblical Prohecies That Came True?

by Viviane in

recently there have been several claims made regarding prophecies that came true.

i've not personally seen a prophecy that i would consider as having come true.

i would consider the following as the requirements to say something is a prophecy and evaluate whether or not it came true:.

DJS

Moses Joe,

I try to avoid these theist specific OPs out of respect, as I'm an atheist. However, you have caused a disturbance in the force. Your comments:

" . . . and therefore god, without which there is literally no point to life other than to live and to die. Without these two things there is no reason for people to not behave has ISIS does, there's no reason for people not to just rape and pillage all over because this is the only life they get, so why live by any standards? Why not TAKE what you want?You take away the purpose of life and all we are are animals with no hope."

That is pure and utter bullshit. We have repeatedly cited very good empirical evidence which suggests the more secular and atheistic a state, region or nation the more likely it is to be functional, ethical and contented. Either you can't read, you haven't read it or you are simply brain dead. And your analogy using ISIS? They do what they do because of god - the same god more or less that you worship.

MJ, needing a make believe godlike personage in order to behave is weak. Humans are capable of doing the right thing for no other reason than it is the right thing. Only by continuing to do so will we evolve as a species. The right thing doesn't require a carrot (heaven, paradise) or a stick (destruction, torment).

Those are antiquated, neanderthalic notions. Welcome to the 21st century.