Who will be the next President of the United States?

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by silentrunner

I think you should visit this website.http://www.escrivaworks.org/

Why? You want me to bite them to death?

[silentrunner]

I am saying that you should read some of the works by Saint Josemaria Escriva, and learn about Opus Dei.

[Skybird]

Don't get me started!

You are probably not around the GT forum for much time, else you would know that every nuance of theistic religions and me are natural enemies. But when it comes to both the church and Islam, I really would prefer to see both destroyed for all the abuse of man's most precious potentials they are responsible for. the only good thing to say about the church is that it is not Islam, but that's as far as the positive goes.

"Keep thy religion to thyself!"

[silentrunner]

Where there is no self-denial, there is no virtue. St. Josemaria Escriva

To become a soul of prayer one must deny himself the regular sinfull human activites.

[Skybird]

Good ol' Arnie definitely has some healthy attributes and views on things!

http://www.spiegel.de/international/...526202,00.html

(...)
SPIEGEL: Your party makes a big deal out of God and the Bible. Do you pray in office?
SCHWARZENEGGER: I don't pray in office, but I pray.
SPIEGEL: How important is faith for politics? You have two candidates on the Republican side, Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney, who are talking a lot about faith. Mike Huckabee's favorite Proverb is:"Trust in the Lord, and lean not upon thine own understanding." Do you think it qualifies him to be President?
SCHWARZENEGGER: I cannot say how much he means what he says, because candidates sometimes say things to get a point across.
SPIEGEL: Imagine he meant it.
SCHWARZENEGGER: Then I would say it is a big mistake if you lead by having God guide you. I think it is important that we recognize there is a God, and I think it is great when someone lives by the Bible. I also think it is great when you have your own religion and you are a religious person. But I think you have got to keep politics and religion as far apart as possible.
SPIEGEL: You grew up in Austria and you have lived in Germany. How much do you think this experience has helped you in your political career? It is certainly a different biography than most Americans have.
SCHWARZENEGGER: I would say that you inevitably think more globally about decisions rather than relying solely on an American way of thinking. When you are in the movie business you always need a story for your film to have a universal appeal. That way, you always get the money in and become much more successful financially. I think the same is true in politics. I always check out what the world is doing -- not just the US. For example, I look at what lessons we can learn from Shanghai on port security or what we can learn from the Netherlands on levees. We don't always have to reinvent the wheel.
SPIEGEL: American presidents haven't always followed that philosophy -- particularly the one currently inhabiting the White House.
SCHWARZENEGGER: Whether it's for diplomacy or business or even show business, I think it's critical to learn all you can about the countries and cultures you have to interact with. It can be daunting because there is so much to know but it will increase your chance of success every time.
SPIEGEL: Obama would agree with you. He claims that having lived in Indonesia for a couple of years gives him a good perspective on foreign politics.
SCHWARZENEGGER: I totally understand that. Living overseas can show you another way of thinking and expose you to new ideas and experiences. But Hillary Clinton probably argues that she has dealt much more with leaders of foreign countries, and therefore, she is more experienced. Which experience will make a better President? I think both would be able to handle foreign policy situations.
(...)
SPIEGEL: Could you imagine being a cabinet member in a bi-partisan government under Hillary Clinton?
SCHWARZENEGGER: I work every day with Democrats, and I work every day with Republicans. To me, I don't see a difference. There is a difference in opinions, but I enjoy working with people that have a different opinion than I do because you can get much more accomplished. When you come together with different opinions, different backgrounds, I think you come up with better ideas, and I, for instance, welcome the combination that we have right now in Sacramento with a Democratic legislature and a Republican governor.

Pity that by constitution's rules he is not allowed to terminate some of the competition. All in all he did far more impressive in office than I would have ever imagined when he was elected years back. When I remember correctly I somewhat laughed about him to be over-ambitious. I wouldn't laugh about him today.

Yes, even Skybirds change.

Sometimes.

[silentrunner]

I do have to somewhat agree with him on keeping religion and politics apart. That is a primary teaching of Opus Dei. Opus Dei is based on personal devotion and relationship with the LORD not social relationship.

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by silentrunner

Where there is no self-denial, there is no virtue. St. Josemaria Escriva

Self-transcendence is something different than self-denial. setting up prohibitions for yourself and act as if your self is not there, only is theatre-playing, more or less enforced. You still fall victim to your ego - no on the hedonistic but on the asketic extreme of the scale. therefore asketic practice or self-denial hold not the smallest level of insight.

To become a soul of prayer one must deny himself the regular sinfull human activites.

And here comes the institution's dogma of sin again. Kill it.

Blindly believing is neither a virtue nor is it knowledge, but a sign for stupidity. Trust is the result of an empirical examination of experiences that cannot be replaced by simply believing somethign, anything, jut becasue somebody said soemthing or absues children to shove this crap into defenseless children's young minds.

And religious leaders should have nothing to look for in the White House. It even is against the spirit of the principles on which the US has been founded. and these were not about "free march for religion into office", but freedom from religion - and also letting everyone have his private religion inside his own house, if he wishes (that is what is called freedom of religion). Nowhere there is an excuse to say that the US have been founded on the principle of having to be in support of christian religion, or sects.Freedom of relgion does not mean the right of religion to impose itslf onto social life and stick it's nose into other people's business.

Keep politics and religion separate. Keep thy religion to thyself. give religion all the mockery that it fully deserves - before it gets us all killed: in the name of love, Allah and Jesus, of course.

http://www.youtube.com/profile_video...patcondell&p=r

Laughing is healthy, and gives wings to your mind! for the concerned, this:

http://www.odan.org/

The great tragedy is that most Opus Dei members do not realize that the ideals they aspire to do not correlate with their actual practices, which include a culture which demands aggressive recruiting, especially at the numerary level; the withholding of information from new recruits and new members; the imposition of intense coercion and guilt on those who wish to make free decisions; and blind obedience to superiors as the Founder of Opus Dei commands in Maxim 941, The Way: "Obedience, the sure way. Blind obedience to your superior, the way of sanctity. Obedience in your apostolate the only way, for in a work of God, the spirit must be to obey or to leave."

All this are symptoms of a typical psycho-sect. Others olwuld point out that Opus Dei is extreme hardcore fundamentalism. Needless to say what i think of fundamentalists, no matter what origin.


And now back to the topic: the upcoming presidential elections.

[Jimbuna]

Well, here we go....first of the new year

[sonar732]

I think a better way of putting it is to remember the last scene of Rocky 3. Apollo Creed and Rocky are about ready to spar when Apollo inserts his mouthpiece and states "ding, ding". :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by sonar732

I think a better way of putting it is to remember the last scene of Rocky 3. Apollo Creed and Rocky are about ready to spar when Apollo inserts his mouthpiece and states "ding, ding". :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

You could be right

[STEED]

If comrade chair person Clinton wins I wonder how many Americans will pack there backs and go bye, bye? :hmm:

[geetrue]

At this present moment Mrs Clinton is running third in the polls in Iowa ...

She won't give up though ... Like Mccain she's not the kind of person to give up.

Interesting race ...

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by STEED

If comrade chair person Clinton wins I wonder how many Americans will pack there backs and go bye, bye? :hmm:

"chair-what...?"

[Fish]

Originally Posted by STEED

If comrade chair person Clinton wins I wonder how many Americans will pack there backs and go bye, bye? :hmm:

No one!

[Sailor Steve]

Not me. I've stated more than once that it's common to hear people talk about America "going to hell in a handbasket" every time a new president gets elected. Some are better, some are worse, but the system is designed to work around them, and none of them have managed to wreck it yet.

Yet.

Yet.

Yet.