Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: JohnM who wrote (141657)	10/4/2005 3:34:54 PM
From: LindyBill	Respond to of 793912

The New Yorker style of memory association complicates the complication. So Harvard doesn't admit "short with big ears," eh? Now you know why....:>)

To: JohnM who wrote (141657)	10/5/2005 7:47:48 PM
From: LindyBill	Respond to of 793912

Here's a comment about and an excerpt from your favorite Texas columnist. Weekly Jackass Number Forty-Six: Molly Ivins Decision 08 Maybe it’s because I’m a Texan myself, and one with a pretty heavy accent to boot, but I am particularly annoyed by that certain breed of aw-shucks, cornpone punditry typified by former Weekly Jackass Jim Hightower and our newest award-winner, Molly Ivins. These faux populists with their folksy, belabored mannerisms (reminiscent also of the extremely annoying Ann Richards) have as little to do with the spirit of modern Texas as Paris Hilton does to actual accomplishment. Now, the opponents of the Miers nomination have begun to capture my attention with some quite excellent arguments, but their reasoning is in danger of being drowned out by the shrill, prepesterous rantings of partisan hacks such as Ivins. You see, Ivins has figured something out: Harriet Miers professes to be a Christian. And that, you see, totally disqualfies her from government service of any kind. Do I exaggerate? Tell me, then, how to interpret the following: sltrib.com Uh-oh. Now we are in trouble. Doesn’t take much to read the tea leaves on the Harriet Miers nomination. First, it’s Bunker Time at the White House. Miers’ chief qualification for this job is loyalty to George W. Bush and the team. What the nomination means in larger terms for both law and society is the fifth vote on the court to overturn Roe v. Wade. …Miers, like Bush himself, is classic Texas conservative Establishment, with the addition of Christian fundamentalism. What I mean by fundamentalist is one who believes in both biblical inerrancy and salvation by faith alone. …Miers’ church states on its Web site that it believes in biblical inerrancy, full immersion baptism, original sin and salvation dependent entirely upon accepting Jesus Christ. Everyone else is going to hell. I have said for years about people in public life, ‘’I don’t write about sex, drugs or rock ‘n’ roll.'’ If I had my druthers, I wouldn’t write about the religion of those in public life, either, as I consider it a most private matter. Separation of church and state is in the Constitution because this country was founded by people who had experienced both religious persecution and state-supported religions. I think John F. Kennedy’s 1960 statement to the Baptist ministers should stand as a model of how public servants should handle the relation between religious belief and public service. Nevertheless, we are now beset by people who insist on dragging religion into governance - and who themselves believe they are beset by people determined to ‘’drive God from the public square.'’ This division has been in part created by and certainly aggravated by those seeking political advantage. It is a recipe for an incredibly damaging and serious split in this country and I believe we all need to think long and carefully before doing anything to make it worse. As an 1803 quote attributed to James Madison goes: ‘’The purpose of separation of church and state is to keep forever from these shores the ceaseless strife that has soaked the soil of Europe with blood for centuries.'’ So, to recap; because Harriet Miers is, from all indications a self-professed Christian, and (get ready, conspiracy buffs!) so is George W. Bush(!!!) (never mind that so are 70.8% of Americans - or that 54% are affiliated with religions of a Protestant nature that, yes, teach salvation through faith and not works, a reform necessary because of such practices as Middle Ages ’selling’ of salvation through indulgences), that means religion is being dragged into the public debate, something that Molly would never, ever, ever do - except maybe this once. And people wonder why the Left is perceived as being hostile to people of religious faith. You don’t have to be a Christian to see that this argument is not one of the better ones to oppose Miers with - indeed, it is an argument worthy of a Jackass - of the Weekly variety, of course… decision08.net