Creation vs. Evolution

[adurso]

Please, I must have missed something, I'm also confused.

andy tells me I do not understand the enemy, re: radical Islam wanting to rule the world etc. I have asked for enlightenment

 

[H2Andy]

the danger is two-fold, as explained in the book:

A radical Islamic regime taking over Saudi Arabia (it could happen) and offsetting the oil balance in the region (which is why we need Iraq's oil to counter that possibility);

and

a coup in Pakistan bringing a radical Islamic government to the head of a nuclear power. India will probably launch a pre-emptive strike, and the region will be radioactive for centuries

other than that, there is no possibility of any radical Islamic government coming anywhere close to being able to threaten the US globally for the next 100 years.
if Iran starts to develop nuclear weapons, they are one surgical strike away from starting all over again.

"radical Islam" is (and will continue to be, with the above two exceptions) small-scale terror-based groups fighting for what they consider to be independence.

the US will live with a series of small, far-off wars (in Iraq, Afghanistan, Colombia, Yemen, etc.) fought by specialists and with relatively small costs to the US

 

[TCDiver1]

the danger is two-fold, as explained in the book:

A radical Islamic regime taking over Saudi Arabia (it could happen) and offsetting the oil balance in the region (which is why we need Iraq's oil to counter that possibility);

and

a coup in Pakistan bringing a radical Islamic government to the head of a nuclear power. India will probably launch a pre-emptive strike, and the region will be radioactive for centuries

other than that, there is no possibility of any radical Islamic government coming anywhere close to being able to threaten the US globally for the next 100 years.
if Iran starts to develop nuclear weapons, they are one surgical strike away from starting all over again.

"radical Islam" is (and will continue to be, with the above two exceptions) small-scale terror-based groups fighting for what they consider to be independence.

the US will live with a series of small, far-off wars (in Iraq, Afghanistan, Colombia, Yemen, etc.) fought by specialists and with relatively small costs to the US

That's pretty shortsighted thinking IMO. Somehow i don't think the people running these radical organizations will be limiting themselves to just those options.

 

[adurso]

the danger is two-fold, as explained in the book:

A radical Islamic regime taking over Saudi Arabia (it could happen) and offsetting the oil balance in the region (which is why we need Iraq's oil to counter that possibility);

and

a coup in Pakistan bringing a radical Islamic government to the head of a nuclear power. India will probably launch a pre-emptive strike, and the region will be radioactive for centuries

other than that, there is no possibility of any radical Islamic government coming anywhere close to being able to threaten the US globally for the next 100 years.
if Iran starts to develop nuclear weapons, they are one surgical strike away from starting all over again.

"radical Islam" is (and will continue to be, with the above two exceptions) small-scale terror-based groups fighting for what they consider to be independence.

the US will live with a series of small, far-off wars (in Iraq, Afghanistan, Colombia, Yemen, etc.) fought by specialists and with relatively small costs to the US

Thank you. This is one scenario, and I do not disagree that this is likely. There are other scenarios that may play out; my training is worst case preparation. There are variables not in play that affect the middle east. The former Soviet Union's stance on matters, their recent oil embargo of the Ukraine, the muslim populations there and Europe. If there were no global interference the middle east would quietly implode with no US involvement.

 

[H2Andy]

That's pretty shortsighted thinking IMO. Somehow i don't think the people running these radical organizations will be limiting themselves to just those options.

it's not what they "want to" do, it's what they are "capable" of doing


it's not shortsighted, it's realistic


fear will make you see monsters where there are only shadows

please provide me a realistic scenario where the US is ruled by a Muslim government.

There are other scenarios that may play out; my training is worst case preparation.

certainly, but will they bring about Muslim rule over the US?

please cite for me any realistic scenario where we end up with a Muslim government ruling the US


what i have done is outline the realistic dangers (and they are there) to the US

what Rick was talking about (Muslim rule over the US) is just fear speaking

 

[adurso]

it's not what they "want to" do, it's what they are "capable" of doing


it's not shortsighted, it's realistic


fear will make you see monsters where there are only shadows

please provide me a realistic scenario where the US is ruled by a Muslim government.






certainly, but will they bring about Muslim rule over the US?

please cite for me any realistic scenario where we end up with a Muslim government ruling the US


what i have done is outline the realistic dangers (and they are there) to the US

what Rick was talking about (Muslim rule over the US) is just fear speaking

I do not have the time right now, I am off to converse, convive, and otherwise hobnob with my fellow wizards. I will be speaking to some intel wonks this weekend and will get back to you with a realistic scenario.

As an aside, the Marine Corps is spinning up a det for the MacDill Command in your neck of the woods, so in less than 5 years we will sort of be neighbors. My wife will be working there while I enjoy the fruits of retirement...
Sorry, just saw you are in Jax, but close enough for government work...

 

[H2Andy]

I will be speaking to some intel wonks this weekend and will get back to you with a realistic scenario.

man, that'd be sweet

Sorry, just saw you are in Jax, but close enough for government work...

dang right ... you must come to the Conchs get-togethers ... we'll run into each other, it's ineveti .. innivate.... inevetelble

 

[Uncle Pug]

Evolution in no way, shape or form disproves Christianity. You can no more use evolution as disproof of god, then you can use the bible to disprove the existence of atoms.

Bryan, the Bible isn't a science text book and isn't focused on a precise explanation of natural phenomenon but rather on a unfolding revelation of the person and plan of God.

Even so, there are hints in it about our natural world that run counter to what was *known* at the time of their writing but today make sense.

It was Democritus who coined the term atom and described it as the smallest indivisible particle of matter after observing grains of sand on the beach. But we know today that matter is actually composed of something much smaller (and weirder) ~ particles/waves so small that they are *invisible* because they are smaller than the wavelength of light.

The Bible indicates that "what is seen is made out of that which has no appearance" ~ literally: 'does not shine'. The Bible also indicates that elemental matter is 1) held together by a force 2) can be unloosed 3) that unloosing elemental matter results in the release of an extreme amount of energy. This isn't presented in the Bible as a precise explanation of the sub-atomic nature of matter but only mentioned incidentally to the spiritual message. However, the Bible if believed, would have shown that Democritus was wrong about the nature of the *atom* as being the smallest indivisible unit of matter.

That is about as logical as me wanting quantum theory taught in Sunday school. You want religious philosophy taught in school - fine. Just don't put it in science class.

Personally, I wouldn't want Christianity taught in public schools and especially by those who did not believe and/or understand Christianity... any more than you would want Evolution taught by someone who didn't believe and/or understand Evolution.

However, I think that quantum theory, the popularized and accessible version, would fit well in a Sunday School class that was focusing on the nature of creation.

 

[bwerb]

This thread is becoming a cloth...so many different threads of discussion at once.

Maclean's Magazine (Canada's "Time" or "Newsweek") just ran a really interesting cover story on how Islam is in the process of completely changing society in Europe not from direct terrorism but through demographics...since the birthrate is declining in all the European countries for "natives" but the immigrant populations are having far more children, they are actually projecting serious flip-flops in many communities which in turn lead to much more political clout in those communities etc. The immigrant populations in Europe are largely Muslim...brought in largely to do the jobs that the "natives" were no longer willing to do, cab drivers, maids, restaurant workers, labor, truck drivers etc. The "first generation" immigrants were willing to do these jobs, the second generation who hadn't experienced the poverty and often hellacious existence is much more attuned to wanting the affluence and affluent lifestyles that they see around them in their adopted communities...but...have the societal deck largely stacked against them and are young, volitile, angry etc. Take a look at the riots of "youth" in Paris as an example.

Here is a link to the entire article http://www.macleans.ca/culture/books/article.jsp?content=20061023_134898_134898

In the US, this same type of demographic and cultural change is also taking place but the immigrant population is Hispanic (read nominally Catholic). I don't think that the US needs to worry about a conversion to Sharia law anytime soon.

 

[bwerb]

Also...in response to UP's question about politicals earlier in the thread, instead of naming political parties or allegiences, I have found that the "political compass" is a much better determinant of where someone's thought patterns lie. I disagree with the typical "left-right" false paradigm and think the compass is a much better tool...and it avoids breaking the TOS for political discussion.

http://www.politicalcompass.org

-3.88 Economic Left/Right
-3.08 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian