The good stuff.

[Albion Child]

Good friggin videos

I appologize as when I first posted this I forgot to put in mention that I did not write these. My friends and I forward this stuff to each other all the time and these were a few short stories that I liked. I didn't at all mean to take credit for writing anything here if that is how it seemed.




Subject: TIME TO TAKE A STAND

In God we trust speaks for itself.

Samuel Thompson wrote:
I don't believe in Santa Claus, but I'm not going to sue
somebody for singing a Ho-Ho-Ho song in December.

I don't agree with Darwin, but I didn't go out and hire a
lawyer when my high school teacher taught his theory of evolution.

Life, liberty or your pursuit of happiness will not be
endangered because someone says a 30-second prayer before a football
game.

So what's the big deal? It's not like somebody is up there
reading the entire book of Acts.

They're just talking to a God they believe in and asking him
to grant safety to the players on the field and the fans going home
from
the game.

"But it's a Christian prayer," some will argue. Yes, and this
is the United States of America, a country founded on Christian
principles.

And we are in the Bible Belt. According to our very own phone
book,Christian churches out number all others better than
200-to-1.

So what would you expect-somebody chanting Hare Krishna?

If I went to a football game in Jerusalem, I would expect to
hear a Jewish prayer.

If I went to a soccer game in Baghdad, I would expect to hear
a Muslim prayer.

If I went to a ping pong match in China, I would expect to
hear someone pray to Buddha.

And I wouldn't be offended. It wouldn't bother me one bit.
When in Rome...

"But what about the atheists?" is another argument. What about
them?

Nobody is asking them to be baptized. We're not going to pass
the collection plate. Just humor us for 30 seconds.

If that's asking too much, bring a Walkman or a pair of ear
plugs.

Go to the bathroom. Visit the concession stand. Call your lawyer.
Unfortunately, one or two will make that call. One or two will tell
thousands
what they can and cannot do.

I don't think a short prayer at a football game is going to
shake the world's foundations.

Christians are just sick and tired of turning the other cheek
while our courts strip us of all our rights!!

Our parents and grandparents taught us to pray before eating,
to pray before we go to sleep.

Our Bible tells us just to pray without ceasing.

Now a handful of people and their lawyers are telling us to
cease praying. God, help us.

And if that last sentence offends you, well..........just sue
me.

The silent majority has been silent too long.. it's time we
let that one or two who scream loud enough to be heard, that the vast
majority don't care what they want.. it is time the majority rules!

It's time we tell them, you don't have to pray.. you don't
have to say the pledge of allegiance, you don't have to believe in God
or
attend services that honor Him.

That is your right, and we will honor your right.. but by
golly you are no longer going to take our rights away!! We are fighting
back..
and we WILL WIN!

After all the God you have the right to denounce is on our
side!

God bless us one and all, especially those who denounce Him...

God bless America, despite all her faults.. still the greatest
nation of all.....

God bless our service men who are fighting to protect our
right to pray and worship God...

May 2003 be the year the silent majority is heard and we put
God back as the Foundation of our Families and Institutions.

Keep looking up......In God WE Trust
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Marine Corps General Reinwald was interviewed on the
radio the other day and you have to read his reply
to the lady who interviewed him concerning guns
and children.

Regardless of how you feel about gun laws you gotta love
this!!!! This is one of the best comeback lines of all
time. It is a portion of National Public Radio (NPR)
interview between a female broadcaster and US Marine
Corps General Reinwald who was about to sponsor a Boy Scout
Troop visiting his military installation.

FEMALE INTERVIEWER: So, General Reinwald, what things
are you going to teach these young boys when they visit your base?

GENERAL REINWALD: We're going to teach them climbing,
canoeing, archery and shooting.

FEMALE INTERVIEWER: Shooting! That's a bit
irresponsible, isn't it?

GENERAL REINWALD: I don't see why, they'll be properly
supervised on the rifle range.

FEMALE INTERVIEWER: Don't you admit that this is a
terribly dangerous activity to be teaching children?

GENERAL REINWALD: I don't see how. We will be teaching
them proper rifle discipline before they even touch a firearm.

FEMALE INTERVIEWER: But you're equipping them to
become violent killers.


GENERAL REINWALD: Well, you're equipped to be a
prostitute, but you're not one, are you?

The radio went silent and the interview ended. You
gotta love the
Marines!!!!!!
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America

You probably missed it in the rush of news last week, but there was actually a report that
someone in Pakistan had published in a newspaper an offer of a reward to anyone who
killed an American, any American.

So an Australian dentist wrote the following to let everyone know what an American is,
so they would know when they found one:

An American is English, or French, or Italian, Irish, German, Spanish, Polish, Russian, Hungarian
or Greek. An American may also be Canadian, Mexican, African, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean,
Australian, Iranian, Asian, or Arab, or Pakistani, or Afghan. An American may also be a Cherokee,
Osage, Blackfoot, Navaho, Apache, Seminole or one of the many other tribes known as native Americans.


An American is Christian, or he could be Jewish, or Buddhist, or Muslim. In fact, there are more
Muslims in America than in Afghanistan. The only difference is that in America they are free to
worship as each of them chooses. An American is also free to believe in no religion. For that he
will answer only to God, not to the government, or to armed thugs claiming to speak for the
government and for God.

An American is from the most prosperous land in the history of the world. The root of that prosperity
can be found in the Declaration of Independence, which recognizes the God given right of each person
the pursuit of happiness.

An American is generous. Americans have helped out just about every other nation in the world in their
time of need. When Afghanistan was overrun by the Soviet army 20 years ago, Americans came with
arms and supplies to enable the people to win back their country. As of the morning of September 11,
Americans had given more than any other nation to the poor in Afghanistan.

Americans welcome the best, the best products, the best books, the best music, the best food, the
best athletes. But they also welcome the least.

The national symbol of America, The Statue of Liberty, welcomes your tired and your poor, the wretched
refuse of your teeming shores, the homeless, tempest tossed. These in fact are the people who built
America. Some of them were working in the Twin Towers the morning of September 11, 2001 earning
a better life for their families. I've been told that the World Trade Center victims were from at least 30
other countries, cultures, and first languages, including those that aided and abetted the terrorists.

So you can try to kill an American if you must. Hitler did. So did General Tojo, and Stalin, and Mao Tse-Tung,
and every bloodthirsty tyrant in the history of the world. But, in doing so you would just be killing yourself.
Because Americans are not a particular people from a particular place. They are the embodiment of the human
spirit of freedom. Everyone who holds to that spirit, everywhere, is an American.

Pass this around the World.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[yangman]

I don't know whether I should be sympathetic, dissapointed, disgusted, or down right angry at this display of ignorance.
If I'm not mistaken, these texts were not written by you, so do not take it as a personal insult.

I can rant on about a lot of the points listed, but one particular point stood out more so than others.

So you can try to kill an American if you must. Hitler did. So did General Tojo, and Stalin, and Mao Tse-Tung,
and every bloodthirsty tyrant in the history of the world.

Does the writer mean Mao, ZeDong, the famous Chinese communist leader?
What has he done to intetionally harm any Americans?
Chairman Mao came into power years after WWI, and the only nation to have engaged in military combat with China was Japan. During the later part of WWII, Japan was at war with the US. By assosiation, US was an ally of China, fighting against a common threat. (Although a far greater threat to China than the US)
Am I missing something here?

Also, I do not understand the reasoning behind placing him under the category of a "bloodthirsty tyrant".

Anyone care to enlighten me?

[Griselda]

The original post reminds me of this:

http://www.winternet.com/~mikelr/flame29.html

I guess we'll see what happens.

-Griselda

[Scorzonera]

Christians are just sick and tired of turning the other cheek while our courts strip us of all our rights!!

How can the Christians be tired of turning the other cheek when the Christian God specifically instructs them to ?

If I went to a football game in Jerusalem, I would expect to hear a Jewish prayer

Praying to God to win a mundane match of some sort is one thing. Praying to the Christian God to win a war when The Sixth Commandment is "Though shall not kill" is something quite different.

If I went to a ping pong match in China, I would expect to hear someone pray to Buddha

The Chinese are officially atheists, 2-3 % only are Buddhists.

[WarBlade]

Americans are not a particular people from a particular place. They are the embodiment of the human
spirit of freedom. Everyone who holds to that spirit, everywhere, is an American.

Pass this around the World.

Um. Was this utter drivel written by Dean Devlin or something? It could well come from the script of some of the most nausiating excuses for film anyone's ever had the complete misfortune of accidentally failing to avoid viewing. <_<

[Albion Child]

I think Mao Tse-Tung was a communist leader in Vietnam. I could be 100% wrong however, so if I am please let me know.

[ShadowHM]

I think Mao Tse-Tung was a communist leader in Vietnam. I could be 100% wrong however, so if I am please let me know.

He did let you know. You are 100% wrong.

[Occhidiangela]

D.

All this troll got you was Dumped on. Do you enjoy exposing yourself to ridicule?

You post a collection of stuff someone else wrote, and then demonstrate your wit by showing that you don't know Mao Tse Tung from Ho Chi Minh, when a few moments on any search engine will serve to clear that up. Considering that you shared your Air Force ROTC-ness with us a while back, Shame On You! Who those two men are is an important piece of post WW II History that influenced the U.S. considerably. Ho referenced Mao's Little Red Book now and again, which held such aphorisms as

"Ultimate political power emanates from the barrel of a gun."

Digression

To Yzilla: Mao the pacifist? Was that your thrust? Maybe I read your post incorrectly. Explain 1950-1953 to me on that footing. Please feel free to use whatever rhetoric you find appropriate.

Back to A. C. (Hmmm, you might consider changing your nom de lounge to "Alotta Crap.")

Do you think that by posting this drivel you will make an influence? Or were you just sharing? If you don't actually have something to say, in your own words, why not just shut the hell up until you do?

Edit: apologies to all for the atrocious spelling in original post. 'Tis mended.

[Drasca]

I am also disgusted by the post, but I think I'll help clarify a small point.

>> "Does the writer mean Mao, ZeDong, the famous Chinese communist leader?"

Yes. Mao Tse-Tung is an alternative english translation of Chairman Mao's name. You're also right to see the words "bloodthirsty tyrant" as an alarm for propoganda at work. IIRC Chinese troops did help fight with the opposing sides of Vietnam and Korean Wars. There was also the clash between Nationalist and Communist parties before all that where the US supported the Nationalist party.. In my opinion, as my own knowledge fails me to be sure, the US was choosing the tyrant that favored them politically--on the principle what's good for the US is good for them. The US picked one side, China picked the other. People and Ideas clashed, and it wasn't a pretty picture. Of the folk I've talked to about living through Mao's reign in China, they've said he was a mixed bag. Admittedly, he did a lot of good and bad. The "what if?" speculation of rewriting history is a bit of a moot point now. He's gone, so are a lot of his generation, and the new leadership is a few important steps different. The rest is for those of us interested in the historical past.

-Drasca

[Occhidiangela]

He was, among other things, a very astute practitioner in the application of political theory into practice, and some would suggest that he was a bit of a philosopher.

I agree with you completely as regards Chariman Mao on one point: where you sit determines what you see. :)

[--Pete]

Hi,

Praying to the Christian God to win a war when The Sixth Commandment is "Though shall not kill" is something quite different.

Actually, (1) there are no "ten commandments". There's quite a few "laws" and those ten are just the ones the Christians found convenient to keep. And (2) it's "thou shalt not murder" -- but the people translating the King James version weren't terribly good linguists. "Thous shalt not kill" would be a very hypocritical thing for a deity that assigned death penalties for witches, for adulterers, etc. Not to mention demanding the slaughter of whole towns (including the animals) when the Israelites invaded Canaan.

--Pete

[--Pete]

Hi,

From your previous posts, I wondered if you indeed had nothing to say and could not say it well.

Thank you for removing all doubt.

--Pete

[Ackpth]

Also, I do not understand the reasoning behind placing him under the category of a "bloodthirsty tyrant".

Ignorant? Sir, this is quite enough.

Mao Zedong was the founder of the Communist Party in China. He was also one of the most incompetent and ironfisted men to rule that country, and is almost singlehandedly responsible for China's disfunctionality during the latter half of the last century.

Why is Mao Zedong in this group (tyrants)?

HAHAHAHAH!!!!

My parents lived in China when Mao was in power. You could not speak against him. Those that did were publically humiliated, tortured, sent to the country for hard labor, or just killed on the spot. My mother's best friend had this happen to her father. Hell, my father's parents were sent to the countryside to almost starve to death. But no, his "tyranny" is just American propaganda. Mao was just a *really* nice guy with some political issues.

Please.

During the 1960's, he conducted a "Cultural Revolution", which was a campaign of death and destruction against anyone who so much as appeared educated. He had some sort of bullsh*t explaination for all this, saying that the "educated intimidated the poor" and that they needed to be taken out. Great idea Mao, find the smartest, most capable people in your country and kill them.

His solution to China's disfunctional economy (other than NOT killing anyone who was competent, eh?) was to grow the population beyond its capacity and to halt *ALL* production and rely on defeating American dominance with one product: Steel.

Oh wait, we don't have any factories. So be a good Chinese person and melt down ALL your steel in your BACKYARD and send it to the government.

Should I go on?

[yangman]

Well, I'm going to go with the idea what "which side you sit on determines your views".
I sit in the middle, leaning slightly to the side that support what had happened in China, at least what had happened before WWII.

[Mao] was also one of the most incompetent and ironfisted men to rule that country, and is almost singlehandedly responsible for China's disfunctionality during the latter half of the last century.

Yes, he _was_ responsible for the disfunctionality of China. However, would an incompetent leader have gained the support of millions, and steered the people to giving him total power?

Mao is just like Hiter: -- and I know people will hate me for saying this -- they were both brilliant politicians and leaders, but were simply misguided when it came to handling their newfound power.

Hell, my father's parents were sent to the countryside to almost starve to death.

Yes, "almost". What about the people who _WERE_ starivng to death?

Have you seen, first hand, the poverty that plagued, and still plagues China?
They may be poor, but you won't find too many of them starving out of the street. Why? Because a "tyrant" had lead the people to an age of socialist government.

Perhaps Mao was a "bloodthirsty tyrant".
But I hold on to my doubt and not simply dismiss him as some devil bent on bringing suffering to the people. Why? Because I see both sides.

My grandfather on my mother's side hasn't been paid by the communist party in decades.
My parents were held back from the education they so deeply wanted.
I myself was fed propaganda glorifying the accomplishments of the Communist Party.

Yet, on the other hand, I also see that my relatives in the countryside are not dying of starvation.
I recieved the glasses need to be able to see because there is a health care system in place that is avaliable to all.
And my family, as well as many others, were kept alive through the 60's to the 90's because there were "food tickets".

Maybe I'm just buying into the propaganda I was taught in elementary school. Then again, I was actaully in elementary school in China for only a brief period of two-weeks.

[Ackpth]

I'm, uh, not exactly sure what your point is.

Perhaps we've got different views on the word "tyrant". I tend to define "tyrant" as one who brings more sorrow than happiness, and makes no move to change that. Mao did not allow dissent about his incompetent rule. Sure, your parents survived, yet on what? The bare minimum. Your family was kept alive, well, mine didn't get such treatment. Mao did not bring prosperity with his socialism, just some sort of wishy-washy meager existence, and it was going downhill.

I myself am an immigrant from China, and have the slightest experience on what life is like there, and what is being taught about the communist party there. Most of it is glorified rubbish.

Besides, the Communist Party is not Mao. Maoism pretty much ended with his death. Not one of the "benefits" you described resulted from Mao, but from his successor, Deng Xiaoping, who implemented reforms not toward socialism but toward capitalism. If Mao had lived for another 20 years, however, China would be far down the gutter by now.

[Nicodemus Phaulkon]

Damnit, Occhi!

By the time I get the 'thrower out, load up on the appropriate levels of fuel and set the aeration ratio... you've already burnt the place down!

That's twice this week! I won't stand for it! I won't, I tell you!

*stalks off, flamethrower hissing under his arm*

Maybe I should opt for a shotgun, seeing as the ducks are so plentiful at the lounge, this time of year?

*looks thoughtful* :)

*tips helm*

[Elric of Grans]

Hail Pete,

Where does it say in the Bible to put to death those of an alternative faith (eg `Witches')? Agreed, it says "Thou shalt not suffer a poisoner to live," but what about the White Witch? Sure, the Malaeus Malificarum does say to leave them alone, but they were killed none the less. Nay, it was not the Judaeo-Christian God that assigned the death penalty (burning was however the listed penalty for heretics; the Inquisition merely had to `prove' Witchcraft a heresy to burn someone) for being a Witch: it was people who did that. Adulterers and so forth, indeed: I believe a good stoning is the order of the day there. Also, I believe there were just a few more slaughters in the name of God than just the invasion of Canaan, but that's beside the point: your point that killing is advocated in the Bible for certain situations is quite correct.

[yangman]

Bah, I sound like a ranting fool back there.
Probably because it was written so late at night... :blink:

My main point is that the government of Mao did bring some stability to China.
Although the country did not prosper, at times a "wishy-washy" existence is better than none.
However, I seem to have gone on a tangent more about socialism in China than the actual rule of Mao.

I'm still a little confused about the Mao killing American thing. I'm not familiar with the history of my own country as I should be. :unsure:

[keenduck]

Nonetheless, Mao does not satify the point the original poster made:

So you can try to kill an American if you must. Hitler did. So did General Tojo, and Stalin, and Mao Tse-Tung,
and every bloodthirsty tyrant in the history of the world.

Mao did not kill Americans, or at least not at the same rate of Tojo and Hitler. (I'm not sure if the US sent enough advisors to the Nationalists to get hurt fighting the communists.) Neither did Stalin, per say. Funny how Stalin was an ally to the US when we were fighting Hitler.

Whoever wrote the stuff in the original post is very confused.

To back up Ackpth: From this site. "it is thought that 20 million people died of starvation or diseases related to starvation."

Now whether that was a concious decision to kill those people or not, I can't say. That, among other things, tends to put Mao in the bloodthirsty tyrant camp.

[--Pete]

Hi,

But the easiest to use Bible I know of, http://www.wwwddd.com/Bible/Secrets/HBv3087a.pdf which seems to be a King James version has it as Exodus 22:18, "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live."

And that verse is surrounded with a bunch of "laws" for many of which the penalty is death.

--Pete