The good stuff.

[Bun-Bun]

Indeed, I've had a few discussions with Mormon missionaries and I had some Jehovah's Witnesses as neighbors. Interesting talks, nobody's mind changed. The thing that disturbed me was the use of thought control techniques. It was fairly chilling, and keeps me from being totally flippant about some missionary-prone organizations.

The missionary impulse is a normal, human drive, often grounded in an altruistic intent. At least, I think it is when I advocate Macs. :D What gets people in trouble is when the missionary drive is grounded in absolute certainty. This certainty often proceeds from religious doctrine, where "taking it on faith" is the whole point of the exercise. After all, who wouldn't want to keep dire consequences from falling on others, in this world or the next?

Absolute certainty can make people do things beyond the pale. Elisabeth Smart's kidnapping is a case in point. It also causes me to worry a bit about Shrub's "resoluteness". Sometimes I'd like to see a bit more doubt.

[Elric of Grans]

Hail Quark,

What's wrong with the missionary posi... oh, never mind :blink:

[Chaerophon]

First of all, NICE SIG! :)

Anyways, just thought you might be able to take some comfort in the fact that atheists aren't alone. You're free to be prejudiced against the French, the Okies, and Communists if you feel like it :) I'm sure that there are a few more that could be added to the "fire away" list I haven't thought of!

[Chaerophon]

Wow.

Those videos clinched it for me. We should figure out a way to keep track of "the score" in wars. How sweet would that be! We could turn it into a sporting event and those "good friggin' videos" could be the soundtrack. I'm guessing that it would turn out to be just like Olympic Basketball for guys like you - just another sport in which Americans dominate.

Seriously though, you're an idiot.

[--Pete]

Hi,

While normally I'd agree with you, in this particular case I think Quark has a fair bit of right on his side. Albion Child's ignorant and arrogant post (par for him) is probably enough to piss off an atheist saint ;)

Truly, the implication that he knows TRUTH while we know nothing from someone who misuses "qualm" and whose first line, assuming he meant "quarrel", is pure hypocrisy is an offense both to the nose and to the mind. And his dogmatic "It doesn't matter . . . God still exists." with which he ended his post shows a degree of stupidity that cannot be passed without comment.

So, yeah. "Thanks". And if he cares to put his missionary nose into my business, I'll gladly flatten it as I slam the door in his face.

--Pete

[WarBlade]

Yeah, I'm giggling again. Thanks Pete. :D

[Occhidiangela]

As I limited my remarks to the 'pray for you' issue I may have done poor justice to the entirety of the message, which you have taken care of rather succinctly.

*bows*

Now, as to that athiest saint . . . *chortle* I like that one, and will plaigerise it in the future with your permission. :)

[Occhidiangela]

The most recent international basketball competition was a complete cock up by the U.S. 'we were dreaming we are a team' pro hoopsters. IIRC, both Argentina and Croatia (Vlade's team) schooled some NBA'ers on that one, and I saw those two games from start to finish. Bad example, considering current events, but I catch your drift. :)

[Skandranon]

Albion Child's ignorant and arrogant post (par for him) is probably enough to piss off an atheist saint ;)

Well, it annoys ME quite a bit, and I'm not even atheist.

[--Pete]

. . . I don't believe in copyright :)

Now, as to that athiest saint . . . *chortle* I like that one, and will plaigerise it in the future with your permission.

So, it's all yours to do with as you please ;)

--Pete

[Chaerophon]

That IS true - but I'm willing to bet that the average soldier is a little bit more dedicated and a HELL of a lot more disciplined than your average spoiled millionaire ;)

"Our forces are armed with young guns like Iverson, T-Mac and Kobe.  What do you have, some guy named Vlade or Yao?  Our ballhandling will buckle your knees and leave you breathless.  Our shooters are so accurate, we'll drop threes right over top of you all night - with no glass necessary.  Our rebounders are prepared for any type of opposition.  United States 'ballers' fire with superior marksmanship and are armed with superior weapons."

Brings whole new meaning to "let the bodies hit the floor" :)

[Elric of Grans]

Occhi: "That's good! `An athiest saint.' That's very good!"
Pete: "You like it?"
Occhi: "Yeah!"
Pete: "It's yours!"
Occhi: "Thanks!"

(I hope at least most people pick up on what those posts above reminded me of :huh: )

[Occhidiangela]

. . . guys who knew how to play as a team, to set up plays, to pass effectively, to move without the ball.

While I was disappointed with the American team's lack of energy and fundamentals, the Argentines were a pure pleasure to watch from a basketball perspective.

[Quark]

It wasn't just Argentina getting better (though the gap in basketball is obviously getting smaller). The original Dream Team was that ... it had true stars of the NBA. Look ahead to the next group: Allen Iverson wasn't even invited, even as the Olympic Coach wants him. The last few groups had quite an interesting batch of players too. Not just who picks the players fault, though. Some players just aren't interested.

Olympics are supposed to show the best yet that rarely happens in basketball anymore. It's the same with NHL hockey, except there teams are basically telling players they shouldn't go because of the restrictive scheduling.

[Nystul]

The original Dream Team was not only the stars of that generation of the NBA, but probably the best team that ever has been or ever will be assembled. Use of that Dream Team moniker to describe anyone since that group is just a sad joke.

[Chaerophon]

I would say that Olympic hockey, for the most part, showcased the best talent that could be assembled at that point in the season. Obviously players like Bertuzzi and Thornton were left out due to their last season's being "breakout" years, and there were key Russians who did not participate for other, valid reasons, but it was certainly a much more entertaining exhibition, as was the edition before it, than has been Olympic basketball in recent years.

[Quark]

I really meant coming olympic events in hockey. Because of tight scheduling in the NHL, including the all-star break, they don't want to cut out extra time for Olympics. Last Olympics, many players from lesser-known countries in Europe were stranded because their countries and their NHL teams had games on the same day. It'll only become more of a problem if, like proposed, the NHL takes less time off. This puts the teams and players in a bad position.

[Chaerophon]

True enough, I also forgot about players who were unable to participate in the qualifying rounds due to NHL scheduling... :)

[Conner Macleod]

Don't post that drivel here, it falls on deaf ears. No offense intended, just an experienced poster. LOL

I got my hand slapped for it, and I'm happy to know my soul is prepared. That's my choice in life, call me a jerk, ridicule me for it, but I will see you in Hell (from the cheap-seats looking down of course. BAHAHAHA).

Ok, I'm wearing my flame-proof asbestos suit - NAIL ME.

[LiquidDamage]

I hate basketball. Watching the original dream team was VERY entertaining (just parts of one game, obviously it would be very boring to watch several one-sided matches of that sort).

Also, back to the original topic:

http://www.snopes.com/military/reinwald.htm