tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674333464171899932.post4751057493567797030..comments2023-09-15T08:07:28.542-06:00Comments on Western Hero: Footloose in IraqSilverfiddlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13541652236676260219noreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674333464171899932.post-27845588429896682812012-03-18T13:30:00.194-06:002012-03-18T13:30:00.194-06:00z, i may have miss-read tour initial statement whi...z, i may have miss-read tour initial statement which i thought you disagree with the principle that you cannot blame the whole for an act of the few.<br /><br />the rest i was providing support to some valid points you made.<br /><br />D CharlesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674333464171899932.post-54085737887631445042012-03-18T13:22:16.678-06:002012-03-18T13:22:16.678-06:00vebinium,
I started supporting Pipes for a while ...vebinium,<br /><br />I started supporting Pipes for a while until I read through his carefuly written work.<br /><br />in a nutshell, he puts priority on bagging and then covering his bases to avoid being identified with other haters.<br /><br />just my view, and of many, many others<br /><br />D CharlesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674333464171899932.post-84859171692433556592012-03-18T10:08:52.824-06:002012-03-18T10:08:52.824-06:00Z,
When you deign to ask questions of a snot, you...Z,<br /><br />When you deign to ask questions of a snot, you may expect to get a snotty response.<br /><br />My questions to you are, "Why do you bother? What good could you possibly hope to achieve?"<br /><br />Stay positive. Ignore knaves, fiends and fools. Jesus would be pleased, if you did.<br /><br />A lesson every one of us needs to learn: The amount of time wasted trying to reason with the moral equivalent of tombstones, tree trunks, brick walls, pickup trucks and sundry is time taken away from loving and serving Our Dear Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.<br /><br /><b><i>"Let all bitterness, and wrath and anger, and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice <br /><br />"And be Ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God, who for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."</i></b><br /><br />Whenever we fail to "Do unto others as we would have them do unto us," we <i>insult</i> Almighty God, and subject His Only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to the pain of Crucifixion all over again.<br /><br />~ FreeThinkeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674333464171899932.post-17424336656906658702012-03-18T09:45:01.087-06:002012-03-18T09:45:01.087-06:00Ducky, can you show me Rick Warren mentioned in th...Ducky, can you show me Rick Warren mentioned in that article? thanks.<br /><br />-------<br /><br />If you can't read then my pointing it out won't help.Ducky's herehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14608115001116619877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674333464171899932.post-61992843324173996392012-03-18T06:33:42.553-06:002012-03-18T06:33:42.553-06:00SAINT PATRICK'S BREASTPLATE
"...and havi...<b>SAINT PATRICK'S BREASTPLATE</b><br /><br /><i>"...and having on the breastplate of righteousness;”</i> <br /><br />~ Ephesians 6:14<br /><br />Not our righteousness; Christ’s. <br /><br />PRAYER UPON ARISING<br /><br /><i>I bind unto myself today<br />The strong Name of the Trinity,<br />By invocation of the same,<br />The Three in One and One in Three.<br /><br />I bind this day to me for ever.<br />By power of faith, Christ's incarnation;<br />His baptism in the Jordan river;<br />His death on Cross for my salvation;<br />His bursting from the spicèd tomb;<br />His riding up the heavenly way;<br />His coming at the day of doom;<br />I bind unto myself today.<br /><br />I bind unto myself the power<br />Of the great love of the cherubim;<br />The sweet 'well done' in judgment hour,<br />The service of the seraphim,<br />Confessors' faith, Apostles' word,<br />The Patriarchs' prayers, the Prophets' scrolls,<br />All good deeds done unto the Lord,<br />And purity of virgin souls.<br /><br />I bind unto myself today<br />The virtues of the starlit heaven,<br />The glorious sun's life-giving ray,<br />The whiteness of the moon at even,<br />The flashing of the lightning free,<br />The whirling wind's tempestuous shocks,<br />The stable earth, the deep salt sea,<br />Around the old eternal rocks.<br /><br />I bind unto myself today<br />The power of God to hold and lead,<br />His eye to watch, His might to stay,<br />His ear to hearken to my need.<br />The wisdom of my God to teach,<br />His hand to guide, His shield to ward,<br />The word of God to give me speech,<br />His heavenly host to be my guard.<br /><br />Against the demon snares of sin,<br />The vice that gives temptation force,<br />The natural lusts that war within,<br />The hostile men that mar my course;<br />Or few or many, far or nigh,<br />In every place and in all hours,<br />Against their fierce hostility,<br />I bind to me these holy powers.</i><br /><br /><b>Against all Satan's spells and wiles,<br />Against false words of heresy,<br />Against the knowledge that defiles,<br />Against the heart's idolatry,<br />Against the wizard's evil craft,<br />Against the death wound and the burning,<br />The choking wave and the poisoned shaft,<br />Protect me, Christ, till Thy returning.</b><br /><br /><b><i>Christ be with me, Christ within me,<br />Christ behind me, Christ before me,<br />Christ beside me, Christ to win me,<br />Christ to comfort and restore me.<br />Christ beneath me, Christ above me,<br />Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,<br />Christ in hearts of all that love me,<br />Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.</i></b><br /><br /><i>I bind unto myself the Name,<br />The strong Name of the Trinity;<br />By invocation of the same.<br />The Three in One, and One in Three,<br />Of Whom all nature hath creation,<br />Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:<br />Praise to the Lord of my salvation,<br />Salvation is of Christ the Lord.</i><br /><br />Submitted by FreeThinke<br /><br /><i>[NOTE: "St. :Patrick's Breastplate" has been set to music, and may be found in The Episcopal Hymnal]</i>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674333464171899932.post-72550285958939052732012-03-18T05:07:45.141-06:002012-03-18T05:07:45.141-06:00DC: " Daniel Pipes is not a source, he is a f...DC: " Daniel Pipes is not a source, he is a fund-raiser.<br /><br />He plays the rather nasty game of a non-Muslim telling all other non-Muslims that only ultra-conservative and radical Islam of the Salafi and Wahhabi movement is the only real Islam and the rest are neither serious or bad Muslims."<br /><br /><br /> "It’s a mistake to blame Islam, a religion 14 centuries old, for the evil that should be ascribed to militant Islam, a totalitarian ideology less than a century old. Militant Islam is the problem, but moderate Islam is the solution." ... Daniel Pipes<br /><br />"... Pipes stated that Muslims can be divided into three categories: "traditional Islam", which he sees as pragmatic and non-violent, "Islamism", which he sees as dangerous and militant, and "moderate Islam", which he sees as underground and not yet codified into a popular movement ..."viburnumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15381796879179539552noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674333464171899932.post-71763905976042363952012-03-17T22:25:52.547-06:002012-03-17T22:25:52.547-06:00Ducky, can you show me Rick Warren mentioned in th...Ducky, can you show me Rick Warren mentioned in that article? thanks.<br /><br />And, by the way, any time any non muslim rages against them all, that's HYPERBOLE, Ducky. And, of course, there's no "you get what you give" here. What a ridiculously immature thing for you to say.<br />Rabid islamists and their terror, and the sheer amounts of them, have little to do with a lousy nut who once taught Sunday school and now has killed someone.Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15989573357446569262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674333464171899932.post-30252386267793811612012-03-17T22:22:07.912-06:002012-03-17T22:22:07.912-06:00Damien, I believe you just parroted exactly what I...Damien, I believe you just parroted exactly what I've said...what difference do you see?Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15989573357446569262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674333464171899932.post-87393479157174703592012-03-17T20:28:36.389-06:002012-03-17T20:28:36.389-06:00On St. Paddy’s Day
On city streets and hills and ...<b><i>On St. Paddy’s Day<br /><br />On city streets and hills and village squares<br />Neighbors celebrate with ethnic pride<br />Something ancient –– veiled in mist –– with airs<br />That sound like merry mourning countrywide.<br />Pipes of clay so white and pints of brew<br />Abound among the throngs that flood the pubs ––<br />Declaiming Emerald the sacred hue ––<br />Decrying England’s cruel historic snubs.<br />Yet, maudlin sentiment soon drowns the ire.<br />‘Tis nostalgia that’s the order of the day ––<br />Sweet dreams of something mythic –– far away ––<br />Dissolve with drink the potency of fire.<br />A nation’s wounded pride may fill its heart<br />Yet give no strength save that which tears apart.</i></b><br /><br />~ FreeThinke - Spring 1997Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674333464171899932.post-40076447261153252122012-03-17T20:07:28.973-06:002012-03-17T20:07:28.973-06:00LEST WE FORGET:
To St. Patrick
Teacher of the C...LEST WE FORGET:<br /><br /><br /><b><i>To St. Patrick<br /><br />Teacher of the Christian faith of old<br />Once a boy in Britain, then a priest,<br />Stuff of myth and legend you were sold<br />As chattel into Ireland, where you ceased<br />In slavery your native pagan ways.<br />Needing help, you found, while tending sheep,<br />The Master Shepherd, who then filled your days<br />Plenteously with zeal that spoiled your sleep.<br />A fierce determination to convert<br />The Irish to the ways of Christ the King<br />Resolved the old religions to subvert.<br />Instilling awe, which steeple bells still ring,<br />Christian rites set Gaelic hearts ablaze<br />Kindled by a man of English ways.</i></b><br /><br />~ FreeThinke - Spring 1996Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674333464171899932.post-43312931663268901162012-03-17T18:54:19.015-06:002012-03-17T18:54:19.015-06:00Z,
regardless if you do not like it or your tired...Z,<br /><br />regardless if you do not like it or your tired of it, regardless the fact remains that you cannot blame the acts of a few on the majority. There is a space to argue of the silence of that majority in response to the few.<br /><br />In fact I would go further with that argument - it is their silence that has created a void that automatically must be filled in. It gets filled in by more from the Islamists but in fact it gets filled in by those that attack Islam in general. Then it is purpetuated by stronger responses by Islamists and ever increasing anger by the anti-Islam and so on, spiralling.<br /><br />Another point you made, I find it not wrong or incorrect to target those Muslims that do bad things - if they did something bad or wrong, then they should be attacked like anyone else. The important word here is "Muslim" not "Islam". I never target Islam but I do target groups such as "Islamists", I target "the Muslims that" keep silence, and I target weak western liberal policies by governments that are either scared or are so stuck on the concept of freedoms that they have yet to realise that freedoms can be abused as well.<br /><br />Cheers<br /><br />Damien CharlesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674333464171899932.post-74800806770458639362012-03-17T18:48:48.574-06:002012-03-17T18:48:48.574-06:00I always have a laugh when the word "taqiyya&...I always have a laugh when the word "taqiyya" is used. That is a sure sign that the source is a part of a hate-agenda or worse.<br /><br />Go and find any Muslim, particularly in the real and actual Muslim world. Ask them, can you tell me what taqiyya means? 95 per cent of answers will be, "eh? what? can you repeat that?, er, sorry, no idea?" In simple terms, it is not known. The other 5 per cent will say, yes that is a historic Islamic term given that during the time of the Quran that Mohammed instructed his followers that if they or their family were captured, threatened with execution that it was permisible to simply lie to save you and your family's life. They will say, it is a historical time when Islam was under threat.<br /><br />The reality is that this modern term of "taqiyya" was the result of some very clever (if not desperate) searching in the Koran to find something to focus on. In other words it is in reality a form of deliberate islamophobia.<br /><br />Ultimately, it is a way of saying that no matter what a Muslim says, it is a lie. In otherwords, it is a form of classic textbook bigotry.<br /><br />Damien CharlesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674333464171899932.post-44918872424272436292012-03-17T18:37:52.870-06:002012-03-17T18:37:52.870-06:00AOW,
most mosques on this planet to do not have a...AOW,<br /><br />most mosques on this planet to do not have a Wahabi Imam. That you do not hear about them does not mean they do not exist. Rather like the average bulk of Muslims that are not after conquering your town, raping you and destorying your life - because they are moderate and normal you do not know about them - that again does not mean they are not there.<br /><br />We can argue that they should be known, heard and make a scene - I actually support that view, but as long as you face a bit of reality and accept that there is more to Islam than the ugly side, your neither grasping the reality nor in fact facing it. Rather like your own blog that I comment on - by simply spending all your time pointing out examples of the bad and not balancing it with context about the rest of the Muslim world, your blog not longer represents that reality and thus is not successfully facing it.<br /><br />Damien Charles<br /><br />ps, I grew up, as I suspect you did, with the assumptions that teachers thrive on context.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674333464171899932.post-76601109219838743742012-03-17T18:33:37.583-06:002012-03-17T18:33:37.583-06:00Free Thinkie, often I like your material but here ...Free Thinkie, often I like your material but here is an example of your falling into the trap of basing your material on the agendas of others and nothing to do with either logic or Islamic studies.<br /><br />Daniel Pipes is not a source, he is a fund-raiser.<br /><br />He plays the rather nasty game of a non-Muslim telling all other non-Muslims that only ultra-conservative and radical Islam of the Salafi and Wahhabi movement is the only real Islam and the rest are neither serious or bad Muslims. That fails when you realise in fact how small (albiet influencial, dangerous and noisy) that community is. It is also an insult to every single non-Salafi and Wahabi Muslim (ie 90 plus per cant of the Muslim world) that does go to their Mosques, prayes five times a day, fasts, fears God and gives to the poor, etc, etc).<br /><br />I am rather tired of remarks and cut & pasts from professional haters like Pipes, Spencers et al, that simply enjoy playing a game to a hungry, confused and worried western bloggosphere that laps it up because they want to have a clear enemy to fix on and vent their frustrations and angers.<br /><br />The average Muslim is in fact just like you and me, want to live a life and prosper, have some happiness and a chance for the children to grow up with a chance of success in their lives more than they had.<br /><br />Damien CharlesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674333464171899932.post-29799902158088409112012-03-17T17:54:15.355-06:002012-03-17T17:54:15.355-06:00Secondly, when a nut kills someone and he (maybe 2...Secondly, when a nut kills someone and he (maybe 20 years ago) taught Sunday School, he's labeled CHRISTIAN, you know that.<br /><br />------------<br />While I am in sympathy with your point, z, the fringe right's willingness to condemn all of Islam whenever a Muslim goes nuts means you get the same treatment.<br /><br />Unfair? Absolutely but those are the rules.Ducky's herehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14608115001116619877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674333464171899932.post-13668699608779786002012-03-17T17:50:01.673-06:002012-03-17T17:50:01.673-06:00Fundies; America's finest
I thought this was...<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/04/world/africa/04uganda.html?_r=1" rel="nofollow">Fundies; America's finest</a><br /><br /><br />I thought this was common knowledge, z.Ducky's herehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14608115001116619877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674333464171899932.post-55330067172826657642012-03-17T16:19:37.205-06:002012-03-17T16:19:37.205-06:00If I were Europe, I'd be more worried about ou...If I were Europe, I'd be more worried about our not having bases in that area than we are. <br /><br />I do think that that region could become a hotbed threatening to us, what with rogue nutcases, nukes and dirty bombs, etc..... I suppose, given enough time without worrying about us, they could be a threat.<br /><br />I'm going to just hope you're right. You have way more information and experience than I do. Thanks.Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15989573357446569262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674333464171899932.post-80857470144495767922012-03-17T15:43:46.671-06:002012-03-17T15:43:46.671-06:00Of course Karzai is in cahoots with the Taliban. ...Of course Karzai is in cahoots with the Taliban. He was our channel to the pre-911. Now he and they conspire to keep the Uncle Sam Gravy train running. We are fools.<br /><br />No, they won't be a threat to us after we leave. We are vigilant in a way we were not on 911. <br /><br />We will lose the ability to "reach out and touch someone" in that part of the world once we have no bases. The armchair generals discuss strategy, the real ones focus on logistics.Silverfiddlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13541652236676260219noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674333464171899932.post-90357708271731055702012-03-17T15:29:04.431-06:002012-03-17T15:29:04.431-06:00"Muslims who come here are escaping the dysfu..."Muslims who come here are escaping the dysfunction and seem to appreciate being able to worship (or not) freely and without all the freakshow stuff that goes on where they came from"<br /><br />For many, that might be true. SO many of us just wish those muslims would speak out in droves... Odd that so many think the West should constantly keep on its toes about not hurting muslim feelings when, really, I think it's up to the majority of good muslims to put OUR minds at rest after what's happened and been threatened.<br /><br /><br />SILVERFIDDLE: How much of a threat do you think it will be to the West if/when we do leave Afghanistan and the Taliban gears up again?<br /><br />And Kharzai's so ugly toward us lately; I'd have thought he needs us so that he can remain the King of the Hill ..unless he's in cahoots with the Taliban? What do you think?Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15989573357446569262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674333464171899932.post-83886003461997752662012-03-17T13:04:25.647-06:002012-03-17T13:04:25.647-06:00FreeThinke mentioned Takiyya, and that concept com...FreeThinke mentioned Takiyya, and that concept combined with our vast cultural differences should inform our immigration policy.<br /><br />Having said that, I think the success of Muslims in this country argues for Damien Charles' insistence that it's the culture, not the religion.<br /><br />I don't think it's quite that simple. Culture and religion inform one another, but someone's got to answer the question of why we don't see the dysfunction here among Muslims that we do see in other areas of the world.<br /><br />My own answer, completely unmoored from anything other than anecdotal information I've picked up, seems to be that Muslims who come here are escaping the dysfunction and seem to appreciate being able to worship (or not) freely and without all the freakshow stuff that goes on where they came from.Silverfiddlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13541652236676260219noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674333464171899932.post-3421123822016482512012-03-17T12:09:49.964-06:002012-03-17T12:09:49.964-06:00My own biological sister is a convert to Islam. He...My own biological sister is a convert to Islam. Her husband is also Muslim. The child growing in her womb right now will likely be Muslim.<br /><br />I love them all. 'Nuff said.(((Thought Criminal)))https://www.blogger.com/profile/17311656184275255223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674333464171899932.post-2259227664801968312012-03-17T11:37:02.094-06:002012-03-17T11:37:02.094-06:00OH, darn...your trash can feature isn't workin...OH, darn...your trash can feature isn't working...can't scroll down to DELETE!<br />ANyway, what I meant above is, of course, the hypocrisy of not labeling "all Muslims" while it's so easy to label "All Christian" is what bothers me.<br />I certainly know that not ALL MUSLIMS want to perpetrate any form of terror on anyone.Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15989573357446569262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674333464171899932.post-62151361461986857022012-03-17T11:11:59.153-06:002012-03-17T11:11:59.153-06:00Ducky, I don't at all admire Rick Warren, but ...Ducky, I don't at all admire Rick Warren, but could you link to how he advocated for making being gay an offense anywhere in this world? thanks.<br /><br /><br />Silverfiddle...I usually use "Islamist", too, but I will say I'm tired of hearing conversations about how one can't label all Muslims negatively for the sins of "a few"... <br />First of all, since terrorism, it might only take ONE to REALLY ruin our day (and our lives).<br /><br />Secondly, when a nut kills someone and he (maybe 20 years ago) taught Sunday School, he's labeled CHRISTIAN, you know that.<br />It's astonishing to me that we need to be so careful about anything we say against Muslims but NO PROBLEM how we attach labels to any Christian.Zhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15989573357446569262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674333464171899932.post-65566521530186728342012-03-17T08:36:03.470-06:002012-03-17T08:36:03.470-06:00dmarks, how do you use the term materialism?
In h...dmarks, how do you use the term materialism?<br /><br />In he classic sense the enlightenment was based on materialism. Or maybe you don't find Newtonian physics useful. <br /><br />Anyway, you seemed confused.<br /><br />Go look for Wahabis under the bed with AOW.Ducky's herehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14608115001116619877noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7674333464171899932.post-60640437082200235322012-03-17T07:35:28.098-06:002012-03-17T07:35:28.098-06:00"(a might-makes right, obsessed with material...<i>"(a might-makes right, obsessed with materialism and gratification ideology), and with this comes a brutal disregard for civilized values."</i><br /><br />With all due respect that sounds perilously close to the barbarous carryings on chronicled, celebrated and even glorified in our Old Testament.<br /><br />I think a point we might want to draw is that while most of the Islamic World appears mired in ignorance and poverty informed by a primitive barbaric mentality, the West long ago moved onward and upward under the aegis of Jesus Christ to reach heights of material advancement and enlightened humane thinking undreamt of by the ancients.<br /><br />Unfortunately, in having allowed ourselves to be seduced by a malignant, envy-inspired, materialistic, pseudo-idealistic philosophy called Marxism we have turned away from God, as revealed in the Personhood of Jesus Christ, and are busily regressing towards the same old dog-eat-dog primitivism from which we had all-too-recently begun to escape. <br /><br />Hatred coming at us from every angle seems to be at an all-time high.<br /><br />IF we Christians, so called, were true to Our Lord and Savior, we would not join the Hatefest, but instead -- as Lord Jesus instructed -- "overcome evil with good" instead of letting ourselves be swept away by evil.<br /><br />Not hating our enemies, however, does not mean that we should not recognize them for what they are. Awareness of Truth -- however unflattering and disturbing -- is the beginning of Wisdom, and only through acquiring Wisdom and Understanding could we hope to advance towards Peace and Concord.<br /><br />Permitting oneself and one's children to be "conditioned" to accept malignancy as just another facet of normality is the <i>direct opposite</i> of acquiring Wisdom. <br /><br /><b>Ye shall now the TRUTH, and the TRUTH shall make you free.</b><br /><br />Our job is to learn and discover the difference between Truth and Falsehood -- no small task.<br /><br />"Facts" are not Truth. Facts are to Truth what tiny fragments of colored stone are to a mosaic.<br /><br />~ FreeThinkeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com