News-Record.com

This one letter and the letters above it, shows where 5 years of hyped mis-information and political manipulation can lead.

Real danger could result from folks getting overly excited when they lack critical data, or similarly, where the accept erroneous interpretation - especially when it is delibrately spun to incite.

"Incite and Insight": two Very Different words.

And I gotta say, I found very disheartening the last few posts on this thread (recently expired):

http://blog.news-record.com/staff/letters/archives/2006/03/dont_even_consi.html#comments

Here's my interpretation:

Someone asked Dan why he support Bush, and Dan said one reason was because he paid lower Federal taxes.

I pointed out to Dan that the small reduction was at the expense of the future. I used minimum credit card payments as an analogy, and provided - imho - quite a list of data to back up my statement, including at least one link to a highly credible conservative organization.

Carol pointed out her Federal Tax Reduction has a monthly worth of about 2 gallons of gas.

Dan puffs it off: he has issues with GWB's spending, but it's the Dem's in congress that are not whining enough to hold their Rep' colleagues in check.

So at the end of the thread - Dan: a reasonable and intelligent person, is gonna do what he's programmed himself to do, and no amount of non-fiction or other insight will cause him to reconsider his position.

MRProduce's suggestion we throw the bums out falls on deaf ears and incited minds

So I'm sad. I've been hit in the face once again with the reality that folks polarize themselves - like the old ladies that still wear 50's beehive hair, and the balding hippies that play only Grateful Dead music and the Soccer Moms hung-up on either Kenny G or Duran Duran ... Teddy Lovers will always love Teddy and Tom Delay is just misunderstood.

MRProduce's suggestion we throw the bums out falls on deaf ears and incited mind

You got a better suggestion JDR? Actually I called for term limits to help eliminate this problem.

No, I'm with you, MRP - the point was this:

Minds are Made at an early age, and few care to reconsider what they learned by age 20, and of the few that care to pursue post-formal learning, few of them have the balls to actually do anything.

I am a self-educated person. I did not go to college but in my 30's decided I could do better and spent several years at the dining room table. I am now a legally liable engineer, registered in two states. For those that don't know the stat's, 99% of those vying for that stamp are 4-year Grad's. 50% dont get past the first 8-hour written test of general technical skills and ony 35% of those pasting the first test get past the second 8-hour written test of specific technical skills.

Politically I've swung quite a bit in the past few years. My head was elsewhere (see above) when the Iran Contra thing caught my interest, and I started paying attention. Since 9-11, I've taken it to a new level and have read more in the past 3 years than the previous 30, and I've swung from naive leftist to informed centrist - seeing the folly of both sides.

I've also taken to speaking out on it - but the overwhelming ignorance, laziness, and blank-faced pigheadedness of the average Joe still stuns me.

What does all this have to do with the original letter from Mr. Marschall?

Dear interested, sometimes we wander in these blogs...

I ask the LTE writer if he thinks folks in Iraq see Christianity as a peaceful religion. I think most religions are peaceful. Not all "religious" people are peaceful. Peaceful people do not start wars, they don't seek vengence at any cost, do not set off roadside bombs, are not suidice bombers, they do not claim God takes sides in wars.

Anyone hear about the Iranian student who rented an SUV on Friday and purposfully ran down students in the Pit at UNC then claimed he did it as retribution for the way Muslims are treated around the world?

Good example of The Religion of Peace.

Hugh: What are your suggestions?

... and Carol, I disagree:

"... with God on our Side" is a pretty universal call to arms ... even Alvin York (remember him?), "received this assurance direct from God".

... of course once captured, those on the losing side quickly jump to "The Devil Made Me Do It."

jdr, suggestions for what?

I suggest that the N&R stop running these same ole some ole lte subjects. The camel has been beat to death and should have been buried long before now. It is beginning to stink. However I suppose if they didn't print junk from the uninformed and ignorant they would have little to print in the LTE's.

They are even running out of titles and using the same one over and over. Note: Freedom of the Press requires responsibility. Didn't they use that at least twice or more in the past weeks?

I agree, Mr.P, Also, we need to stop responding to all letters, it is wearing me out reading all the comments on all the letters. Let's make a deal to pick the best of subject and write on that one. We never stick to the subject anyway.

Speaking of straying, can anyone tell me why the weeds in my garden are growing like weeds, and the weeds that I call my yard are still brown?

JDR, I'll take your comment about me being a reasonable and intelligent person as a compliment. I didn't expect a long comment about me and my stance on taxes from a LTE that has nothing to do with the subject. You are correct, I'm not going to change my mind about wanting higher taxes. I have yet to meet a single human being who thought they were not paying enough in taxes and decided to send some extra $$ to the IRS. Gov. Mike would like some too.

Hugh, I read about the Iranian pit massacre. From what I read they are charging him with 9 counts of attempted murder. That should mean a few years. Hey does that classify as a hate crime?

"jdr, suggestions for what?"

The cynic would say ... "Something, Anything ...", but being a kinder, gentler, compassionate conservative ...

What's your solution for dealing with the 1%, 10%, or 100% ... "Muslim's of Non-Peace"? You tell me the applicable percentage. Here're some ideas to get you thinking:

Genetic Cleansing?
Thoughtcrime Rehabilitation at the Ministry of Love?
Wholesale Nuclear Action from Gibralter East?
Univeral Conversion of the West to Islam?

I'm kidding in these ... but you might not be.

Seriously - If you were King - what would you do? What are your suggestions?

By the way, to answer the LTE writers question, there is no federal law, it's called political correctness.

Political correctness for calling a religion "peaceful?" Is that not the claim of nearly every religion?

The question is how many adherents to a specific religon practice & promote peace? That is where "the shoe leather hits the road" as a dear old professor used to put it!

Talk is cheap, action is where the real proof lay. Until we each begins to practice & promote peace in our every day life and actions, we cannot hope for anything more in our society. Peace, like hate and all things is a learned element. Sometimes we have to relearn/retrain ourselves from earlier incorrect teaching.

Anyone want to join in on working to practice & promote peace on these blogs?

Shalom

Dan:

I continued in this thread our earlier discussions about your stance on taxes because I was so grieved by your lack of thought that I could not let it go unchallanged.

While this LTE that has nothing to do with the taxes, it was the third or forth LTE in a row about mis-information and political manipulation .. which in my humble opinion is why you (and many others apparently) are near-sighted on the subject of taxes.

I agree, no one wants higher taxes, but - and forgive me in advance - but you are being ignorant in your statement that the current White House and Congress have not raised your taxes. They have ASSURED that you and everyone else in this country WILL face significantly higher taxes in the near term - and all for the sole-sake of near-term political advantage.

Did you know the new Med' plan has 5 times the unfunded liability of Social Security (a program infamous for it's unfunded liability)?

Blame the Dem's - but for over a decade the Party of Small Government has held the Congress. Under Clinton, there was gridlock and fiscal restraint.

For the past half-decade, the Party of Small Government has held both the Congress and the Whitehouse. Under Bush, there is no gridlock and there is no fiscal restraint.

Did you know EVERY Federal entitlement plan has been under completed when one party held both the Congress and the Whitehouse?

The main point is if a guy like you can be so ignorant (or partisan, or blind, or __ ), then the rest of America is in real trouble.

Again - forgive me, the above may sound like a personal attack, but it's not meant that way. My guess is at the airport we'd be good friends, but after we had tower clearance and reached for throttle I'd still tell you you were dead wrong about this issue.

JDR, It's going to take a civil war in Islam between those who want the peaceful version vs. those that beleive jihad is their holy duty.

Hugh:

I totally agree - and also know that Civil War comes in many shapes and sizes, from near coup to our one half-a-million in the 19th century.

As a courtesy, I won't ask what the hell we're doing in the middle of their civil war. opps, too late.

"and the Soccer Moms hung-up on either Kenny G or Duran Duran ... "

JDR, don't you EVER speak ill of Duran Duran, because they're not just for soccer moms anymore.

:)

JD, if the peaceful Muslims don't contain the radical, out of control jihad element, we'll have to do it ourselves.

And the peaceful Muslims will have to decide for themselves it they want to tacitly support the Jihadists or not.

Just for you, Ms. Denizen:

http://www.google.com/musica?aid=NMPHFlKpPzE&oi=musicr

To one and all...please read the comments from a member of the Muslim community in the letter from Mr. Kennedy.