Search Results for 'nA'

[JoB]

mellaw6565..

i found i can’t say those words in the pledge… so i don’t. i bow my head silently during them.

And i am a christian.

it’s the assumption built into the statement …one nation under god.. that we are talking about only one god… that this nation is a theocracy.

this is considered the promised land by many because of the religious freedom embedded in our constitution.

When those words were added to our pledge they had little to do with religion and more to do with patriotism and the battle against communists… who were considered godless people.

It was code for “I am not a communist”…

It has evolved to become something different.. but still a code for patriotism.. God and country!

I don’t recognize the god that those on the religious right keep quoting… and supposedly we share the same god.

Religion is a private matter in our constitution.. it should remain one in our communities… with freedom to practice as ingrained as the freedom from practice.

I just spent a couple of hours out in the community and i am not sure that any religious symbol gets top billing during the holidays… no matter how incensed some people are that religious symbols are displayed at all..

even santa has been challenged by a plethora of cartoon animals and snowmen and yes.. even the grinch.

if there is one graphic that most symbolizes christmas in our society these days.. it is santa’s hat… which says little about anything except that you are trying to embrace generosity during the holidays…

i can live with that.

[villagegreen]

Everyone makes judgements when they look at other people. There’s no way around it. It’s instinctual and as Zenguy said based “largely on past experiences.”

The important thing is to not let these snap judgements cloud our overall view of the person or affect our actions towards the person. Unless you acknowledge that you make judgements when you first look at a person I don’t think you can really confront the issues that you yourself may need to deal with. This can lead to irrational beliefs such as claiming that racism no longer exists (for example).

[JoB]

WesCAddle….

i agree that an anti-religion statement doesn’t make much of a holiday decoration… but i am not sure what the atheist holiday symbol would be. LOL… I don’t think a true atheist even believes in Santa Claus.

i suppose that is the point..

datamuse…

they could have as easily talked about celebrating family during the season in spite of the fact that there is no god…

the reception to their message would still have been as negative by those on the righteous religion bandwagon.. but more palatable to those of more moderate inclination.

…

As for the in God we Trust on our money… God is actually a pretty generic term. it means many different things to many different people.

and these days it looks like we would do better to trust in whatever god we trust than trust in our government when it comes to our pocketbooks:)

[villagegreen]

NR – I didn’t saying not making judgements was naive, I said making a judgement (whether it be positive or negative) without knowing the person could be considered naive.

[mellaw6565]

Most people don’t realize that the words “under God” in the Pledge were added by moral conservatives in the 1950’s – our Grandparents and perhaps parents said it differently when they were children but yet sometimes they are the first to complain when we want to take it out and restore the original Pledge.

Makes it hard for me to pledge secularly to my country when I have to include God in it.

[Anonymous]

“if you really feel that “In God We Trust” on a nickle is equivalent to “cramming religion down your throat” you need to get out and realize there are bigger fish to fry”

There most certainly may be bigger problems to address, but I also don’t think dismissing essentially what amounts to a state sanctioned religious motto, to represent a secular government, is appropriate.

It is establishing a tone for our entire financial infrastructure, whether it be personal or business transactions. Something I doubt the christian god would even endorse. Wasn’t it jesus after all, who was most upset with the money changers?

Our currency influences every aspect of our lives. Whether it be giving tithes to our church or purchasing goods and services. That motto implies we do all things in gods honor. Perhaps that is true and fitting for your life, but does not reflect mine or a system that I feel should be neutral.

I imagine most christians would not be thrilled to live under the umbrella of in wicca we believe. Or brahmaa, allah, or satan for that matter. In that light can you not see how this could be offensive? You may not give it a second thought, or care, but it does have an influence.

[Anonymous]

I am NOT religious – at all. That being said, I don’t understand why the plaque has to SAY something. The nativity scene doesn’t say anything (unless, I guess, if you are Christian, perhaps it speaks to you).

The fact that it seems to degrade all religious beliefs makes it a poor choice as a display, JMO. I think atheists would have a far stronger leg to stand on had it simply been a symbol.

I think a point can be made without attacking an opposing point.

[Anonymous]

charla – I completely agree. I think to live life without making judgments about others, for what ever reason, without personally KNOWING them, is a pretty good life to live. I guess you could call that naive, but I like to think of it as being unbiased and fair.

Like charla pointed out, it works both ways. It would be considered immoral to judge an individual like charla describes as NOT hardworking, smart, or motivated. Just the same could be said to judge the complete opposite individual.

[villagegreen]

It’s also naive to feel happy for a successful person that you don’t know when they may have in fact gotten that way on the backs of others or via immoral actions. I’m not saying you should assume that’s how they’ve gotten there, but it’s something to consider.

Also, everyone wants more money whether they like to admit it or not (including myself). It’s just that some people aren’t willing to do certain things to get it or aren’t lucky enough to get the breaks. I’m not say that money rules everything, but who would turn down free money if it was offered to them.

Judging others by their possesions/money is easy because that’s what most of the public sees. It’s only when you really get to know someone personally that you can judge them on something deeper.

[Anonymous]

“That said, I still question why is that I measure my own success by the intangible yet am more prone to measure someone elses by the material (job/suit/butt warming seats, etc.)?” – Bayou

I love that question, Bayou. It’s a really honest admittance. I think I do the very same thing, maybe everyone does.

I also feel that part of being successful, is to not harbor any preconceived notions about people I don’t know personally. For example, I wouldn’t look at a seemingly successful, well-to-do person/couple and imagine their life is horrible, or imagine they are selfish, immoral or miserable. I think it’s a sign of success when you can simply feel happy for others, even if you consider them to be better off than yourself.

[JoB]

Bayou…

i loved that you made this point…

“I measure my own success by the intangible yet am more prone to measure someone elses by the material”

you are very brave to admit what is true for most of us. It isn’t right. we may not like that about ourselves. We probably work hard to overcome our initial impressions and move beyond the surface. but those first impressions still remain.

as crass and as wrong as we may personally think that statement is… it is the way we all honestly view other people to at least some extent..

and it is the primary reason that some people get so many more opportunities than others…

it is human nature to give opportunity to someone you think can do something with it.. someone who already looks, talks, walks and projects success.

If we truly want to level the playing field, anything we can do to help disadvantaged young people gain confidence and teach them how to build an outer shell that allows that confidence to shine makes a huge difference in their ability to capitalize on their opportunities.

charlabob.. i haven’t read Malcom Galdwell’s book yet but the reviews are intriguing. it appears that he does a good job of laying out the factors that create success.

[inactive]

Does everyone know who their Blockwatch Captains are and whether there is a current Blockwatch Mailing List for your street? If not, call Benjamin Kinlow at SW Precinct. He is the Community Crime Prevention Coordinator.

684-7724

email: benjamin.kinlow@seattle.gov

“Call the Crime Prevention Coordinator to set up a Block Watch meeting date and time for your block.

Talk about ongoing crime problems and work to resolve the crime on your block.

Set up a “CPTED Block Tour”, so everyone understands the problems on your block and how to fix them.

Check out our new web-page:

http://www.seattle.gov/police/precincts/southwest/prevention.htm,

Please share our information with others.”

[Bayou]

JoB & GenHill & RS- Thanks for furthering on the scenerio. I was in a pretty goofy mood yesterday. ;)

Anyways, all of the possible scenarios really bring home a couple of points. One, that ones physical possessions are not an accurate litmus test for success. Secondly, that we can not realistically measure other people’s success because we have no idea what their idea of success may be.

That said, I still question why is that I measure my own success by the intangible yet am more prone to measure someone elses by the material (job/suit/butt warming seats, etc.)?

[squareeyes]

I had not seen Forever Plaid. The gentleman sitting next to me had seen it and gave me a synopsis but it ended up not being necessary because they do a recap in the first act.

Absolutely suitable for kids. Nothing naughty about it!

[JoB]

Zenguy…

i have to point out the backstory to Bill Gates.

yes he did build his business on a $500 loan from his parents..

but he built the opportunity for his business on the family wealth and connections that put him in the right place at the right time with someone else smart enough to both recognize the opportunity and carry off the implementation.

Being where he was a the right time was very dependent upon the opportunities that created the moment that he took advantage of…

and those opportunities were created by his parent’s wealth.. as were the unlimted educational opportunities that nurtured his intelligence… and the role models who taught him what a successful business model looks like.

and.. his parents loaned him the seed money.

and i would guess if they didn’t personally co-sign on his initial loans, the family banker made them.

and.. he had insider knowledge that helped him market his business.

and.. he knew many of the right people at the right time so that he had access to the brightest minds to help him get his business off the ground.

Tell me again how a poor kid who is struggling to afford community college if he’s lucky.. does that?

you can choose not to call what happens in the United states a class system.. call it a wealth and privilege system instead.. but it is still what it is. The level playing ground is a myth. A nice myth, but a myth nevertheless.

That is not to say that bright kids from poorer backgrounds can’t make it any more than to say that women can’t make it.. they just have to work a whole lot harder to do so and have an incredible amount of luck combined with a few really good mentors along the way.

The deck is stacked against them.. the opposite of what occurs for those in our society born into wealth and status.

and surprisingly.. it doesn’t take that much wealth and status to make a pretty huge difference in the amount of opportunity available.

[Sue]

Squareeyes, we’re going on Sunday. Had you seen the previous one, Forever Plaid? I understand this one is a sequel to that one, and we hadn’t seen the original – we were wondering if you really needed to see the original to understand the sequel. We’ll be going regardless (season tickets) but were just curious.

[Magpie]

What everyone has made clear here is that we all have differing opinions. That part is great. Will this question ever be answered, probably not. I love the pageant of the holidays, but do agree there is too much commercialism. As far as religion goes, that’s a completely personal choice, however, nothing more bothersome to me when someone tries to sway me as my beliefs are my own (my husband and I happen to have vast differing beliefs). Whether it be religion or politics, there has been a lot of bad things gone on in the world in its name.

That said, action speaks loudern than words and what I love about this blog is all of the differences of opinions, but when it comes down to it, so many of you band together for fundraisers, etc in the community and do a lot of good in spite of your obvious differences in viewpoint.

That said, my favorite card that I recieved last Christmas had George Bush in the manger instead of the baby Jesus and the caption read “and come let us abhor him” I saved it for posterity.

[Kayleigh2]

HMC, I don’t see a need for you to defend the Christian faith. This isn’t Tibet and the Chinese aren’t tearing down churches. This is where the authoritarian aggression stuff bothers me.

Do you seriously think a small plaque is a threat to all Christianity? Really?

The governor’s office is getting 200 calls an hour from the freeper set who apparently has nothing better to do. And somebody *else* wants to put up *another* sign.

We are a nation of 5-year-olds.

[Zenguy]

I would argue that religion is just a belief as well, organized but still just a belief.

While I consider myself an Athiest, I do believe in spirituality. That the world has forces both positive and negative, that if I do good things good things come to me. I continually see this being proved over and over and over again.

As humans we struggle to make sense of things we do not understand. Humans thousands of years ago were no different, God is an easy way to explain a lot of things. What is unfortunate is that some men wanted power and saw the opportunity to use God as a way of controling the masses. If you do not behave, you will go to HELL!

Why have humans been on the Earth for approximately 500,000 years but religion only about 3,000? That question still baffles me.

[HeavyMetalConservative]

PS … My wife wanted me to re-iterate that she is a proud liberal. She’s English you see. Loves the Labour Party and she would have voted for Obama if she was allowed to vote.

Additionally, whatever YOU say, she agrees with you. I love her very much (despite this character flaw). She says our kitties are Democats. My Bassett Hound is a Democrat too, she is always looking for a free handout. JUST KIDDING!!!!!!

[HeavyMetalConservative]

Good Evening fellow citizens. I love your answers. Please, please let me tell you that I do not want to hurt anyone. I did this for robust and passionate debate. I do not go to church, these days due to working on Sundays (OK and a love for watching the Green Bay Packers play) but I consider myself a Christian.

Conversely I have had my eyes opened the past few years by a friend of mine. Lets just say she and John Edward have much in common. Plus when our indoor cat escapes, she always finds him immediately with the help of her spirit guides. I find it fascinating. I am not supposed to believe in false prophets etc, but whether the powers are God given or natural, they are interesting.

How do you break a philistine’s finger?

Hit them in the nose.

Sorry, couldn’t resist.

I had heard of the state law saying that all religions could put up a symbol before I posted. I clearly believe in everyone’s freedom of speech guaranteed by our federal and state constitution, but that was not conveyed in my message. I will try to make my point more clearly.

When I said “There is no reason it should be there and it is attacking people’s faith, not just Christianity but all faiths.”

I was coming from a point of view that Atheism is not a religion but a personal belief (with many different layers and shared by about 15% of the US population) that is slightly to absolutely against supernatural beings and religions. Not a religion, but in fact an anti-religion. And the groups spokesmen backs me up with a quote. “It’s not a religious display, it is an attack on religion,” the President of the Freedom from Religion Foundation, Dan Barker said. From a KGW Report.

When Grant signed the bill in 1870, Christmas became a federal holiday. Washington State’s Constitution addresses what is allowed for Religions. I believe Gregoire is viewing it only as a freedom of speech or constitutional issue. She said… “Once government admits one religious display or viewpoint onto public property, it may not discriminate against the content of other displays, including the viewpoints of non-believers.”

I say that since it is not a religion it should not be near the other religious symbols.

If Atheists want their own holiday, then go for it, but would that not give validity to religion? Mmmm maybe not.

I must admit reading about the different points in Atheism is fascinating and all peoples should know about it and learn. I am a lay person in understanding that point of view.

Additionally, the State of Washington Constitution says a little something about faith in the preamble.

We, the people of the State of Washington, grateful to the Supreme Ruler of the Universe for our liberties, do ordain this constitution. IMO they recognized the moral need of our creator in addition to secular laws of humanity and this state.

On a lighter note, if Skeletor were the Supreme Ruler, I would admit to being very surprised!!!

Here is the State’s Constitutional Article:

SECTION 11 RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. Absolute freedom of conscience in all matters of religious sentiment, belief and worship, shall be guaranteed to every individual, and no one shall be molested or disturbed in person or property on account of religion; but the liberty of conscience hereby secured shall not be so construed as to excuse acts of licentiousness or justify practices inconsistent with the peace and safety of the state. No public money or property shall be appropriated for or applied to any religious worship, exercise or instruction, or the support of any religious establishment: PROVIDED, HOWEVER, That this article shall not be so construed as to forbid the employment by the state of a chaplain for such of the state custodial, correctional, and mental institutions, or by a county’s or public hospital district’s hospital, health care facility, or hospice, as in the discretion of the legislature may seem justified. No religious qualification shall be required for any public office or employment, nor shall any person be incompetent as a witness or juror, in consequence of his opinion on matters of religion, nor be questioned in any court of justice touching his religious belief to affect the weight of his testimony. [AMENDMENT 88, 1993 House Joint Resolution No. 4200, p 3062. Approved November 2, 1993.]

As a Christian I must defend my faith otherwise I would not be a Christian. I do expect others to defend their views or faiths AND that they should ALL be respected by others whether you agree or disagree. If I missed any other Govermental Amendments or Articles, please let me know.

I will be addressing other things said in this string later. I have to read the links you sent.

Have a nice evening and a great day. HMC

[RainyDay1235]

High Point Tutoring Center could use more tutors in January. We’ve had to start doubling up students and when you only have them for an hour at a time that really cuts down on the homework help we can provide…great program, check it out!

http://www.ccsww.org/site/PageServer?pagename=childrenyouth_ytp_contact

[PDieter]

EDCA roofing, honest, clean, thorough, reasonable. Ask for Camilio to come give you an estimate. I’ve used him/them for several roofs and several more referrals and never anything but total satisfaction.

[Cait]

I’m really glad someone brought this back – I never got to see it.

A shoutout to my best friend’s dad’s old shop – Dogmeat’s Turnabout Records. I miss it and him often.

[allidennis9]

Hi Flowerpetal,

You ask good questions and raise good points.

Firstly, yes, I’m recommending we write Eileen Cody because we in West Seattle are in district 34. Folks in other districts should write their legislators, some of which are already co-sponsoring the bill. Either way, more noise is always good – and no, they shouldn’t wait until the bill progresses. It is up for review next week and the more support we have up front, the better our chances overall.

Here is the list of current sponsors of the bill (and their district): Sen Prentice (11), Sen. Fairley (32), Sen. Kohl-Welles(36), Sen. Rockeller(23), Sen. Roach(31), Sen. Regala (27), Sen. Oemig (45), Sen. Tom (48), Sen. Swecker (20),, Rep Green(28) Rep Morrell(25), Rep. Campbell(2), Rep Anderson (5), Rep Appleton(23), Rep. Williams(22), Rep. O’Brien(1),

Rep. Rodne(5), Rep. Sells(38), and Rep. Kagi(32).

I hear your comments about increased costs and if I understand you correctly, here we are talking about getting insurance coverage for treatments, not state funding. The Washington bill would generate an estimated impact of 0.0023% on claim costs in Washington to employers/employees (taken from Marginal Costs of Mandated Benefits, Health Watch, January 2007). Conversely:

* According to the Harvard School of Public Health, the average societal cost of caring for 1 person with autism who does not receive treatment is $3.2 million over their lifespan.

* WA State costs when a person becomes a ward of the state is $4.3 million – $7.2 million per person over their lifetime.

So aside from looking at the minimal impact the bill would have on WA state claims’ costs, the long-term view shows dramatic savings overall.

I hope this information is of help to you and others who have questions about this bill and its impact on WA.

Allison