Brother Kaman

Just as the Holy books are paper and ink, so is Les Chants de Maldoror. Good or evil come from interpretation and belief.

Please do. I am sorry they are not all gems.

We all expect to be treated the way we would like to be treated. When we are not, we cry, "unfair!" I don't understand the concept of fairness being a biological reflex.

All is fair in war but I would approach love with only honesty.

I waste time each day watching them polish the bars around my soul

The only real answer is to contact the state where the license was issued.

Do you, Ealdraed Wodensson, cast spells and do magic?

If we were free to post anything we like, there would be no banned members.

Are you quoting the TOS of this web site/forum? It is the web site's TOS that determines the freedom of those who visit and use the web site/forum.

Good luck, scott_edward

Just as a marriage, friendship takes two. I learned a long time ago that it was unseemly of me to run after friends who did not respond to my out reach. The road runs both ways, the telephone makes calls as well as receives calls, the internet sends as well as receives, and the postman delivers to me as well as my friends. Time on earth is to short to beg people to spend time with me.

Most state's social services has an elder abuse agency. I know it may be trouble for uncle and dad but nothing is without consequences.

Understanding the people of South East Asia and particularly the Vietnamese in the 50s and 60s would have been a smart thing to do. Did anyone bother? No. Understanding the Muslims religiously and culturally would certainly be a wise thing to do. Do we bother? No. We hardly bother to understand our children and their evolving culture. We are so arrogant, aren't we? As far as debate goes, the forum seems to have a debate club. Debates are governed by rules of order and presentation. With the exception of the debate club, these are discussions are quite similar to coffee shop discussions. Opinions are bandied back and forth and everyone who wishes, has the opportunity to learn something from the other. I don't look to "prove" my points, I don't care if anyone agrees with me or not (although I do get warm fuzzies from time to time when one of you do). I offer my opinion and I do not back my opinion up with proof of any kind. My opinion evolves from my having lived on this Earth as long as I have and paid a little bit of attention to what has transpired around me. Proof is for debates. Opinions are for coffee shop discussions. It would be terribly boring if everyone shared the same opinion, wouldn't you say?

If I thought that there were many, many Islamist trying to kill and terrorize me and those around me, I would be, not only very cautious of PEOPLE, but very, very, very cautious of middle eastern Muslims. Hey! I am. That is not to say I am going to destroy a neighborhood mosque or shoot my local convenience store owner, but I am not going to be too trusting, either.

I find myself in agreement with you this time, Youch, though I find most Christians I have met defend Israel simply because of a shared God. You have brought an educated point of view to the discussion.

Like I always preach, Atwater Vitki, I am God, you are God, and, collectively, we all are God.

I was using up my GI bill's education benefits during the Iranian hostage crisis in the 80's. There was an Iranian in my speech class who was very personable, friendly with a well spoken gentle manner. He as also a Major in the Iranian army reserves. I had no question of where his allegiance lied. At the same time, I enjoyed knowing him. Anecdotal? For sure. Could I draw any conclusions about Islam from it? Absolutely not.

Topic: Understanding Islam - Worth the Effort To my way of thinking it is worth the effort to understand any religion, culture, society, etc. Not only will one grow wiser, one will be more fitted to make informed choices in one's own life. It worth the effort just to understand human behavior, if nothing else. If Islam as a whole is wicked terrorist or if Islam as a whole or part, is benign and loving does not enter into whether we should try to understand them or not. Perhaps I err. If Islam as a whole or part is wicked terrorist then it is even more important to understand and well worth the effort.

At the quantum level, all things are the same, all things are the source, all things are God. I am God, you are God, collectively we are all God as well as all the things around us and thru out the universe.

I agree that it SHOULD be the responsibility of family, local government (city, county) and religious groups to provide the charity necessary to cover for the misfortunes of others. All to often and more and more each day, many families are saying, "Screw it. It is not my job to take care of my immediate family, much less mom and dad when they can't hold their water anymore." Even the more affluent families treat their children's school as a day care and abdicate all responsibility for them. There is much that SHOULD be. There is very little that IS.

Let us not forget that free speech plays no role in a web site's terms of service.

Ok, panpareil, it was the misfortune of the husband, not the wife. Perhaps my sense of humor is tied into my misreading of the joke. As far as taking suffering too seriously, we as a society or. perhaps as a specie, take everything too seriously.

If this is a joke, not recent history, I have two comments: First of all the poor wife's deafness is the whole crux so that is where misfortune of others comes in to play and, Second I don't find it funny. I mean no disrespect, Songster. Maybe my sense of humor is different from other's.

Absolutely, scott_edward. Whatever mojo works to bring you peace within your soul is good.

I cannot look into the hearts of other men. I must do what I believe to be right and not focus on what others are doing. If one breaks the law, then one should pay. I am not the law nor a mind reader. When I see things that I believe are not right I report it or let it go. I cannot make judgement on anyone who is on welfare or SSI or SSD or any other government supplemental program. I can only know for sure my own situation. For those who are interested, I worked until I was 62 and retired because I was not physically able to continue working. My only income is my Social Security and a very, very, very small pension.