Creation vs. Evolution

[Thalassamania]

My take is significantly different, on that. It is too bad he was killed, even by one of his own, and that this was covered up for the longest time, at the highest levels. The whole situation rather speaks for itself. Not pleasant, at all.

Tillman sounds more like modern American unsolved murder, rather than a hero's story. Although significant white-washing has protrayed it differently.

Of course, if you are desperate for heroes, you would grasp at anything.

Certainly no comparison to Leonides at Thermopylae, speaking of heroes. And Thermopylae predates Chaucer, as you know, for those who are easily impressed by a little bit of history.

There are real heroes, and then there are whitewashed ones.

Tillman was not murdered, and his cause of death is not unknown, a Ranger squad leader mistook an allied Afghan Militia Force soldier standing near Tillman as the enemy, and he and other U.S. soldiers opened fire, killing both men. He was not a military hero in the sense of having done great deeds, but was a personal hero in the sense of giving up something most people crave because of deeply held personal beliefs.

 

[Spencermm]

War is young men fighting and old men talking. (Odysseus in the Illiad, 1250 BCE.)

In peacetime sons bury their fathers; during wartime, fathers bury their sons. (Herotodus in The Inquiries, 420 BCE.)

From your photo/avatar, Spencermm, I would think you belong in the father group. Just like Thal and me, now.

The avatar is not me, but rather a character from a movie I like(Slingblade). The character, Karl, is significantly older and, incidently, more insane than I. He spent a good deal of time in a "nervous hospital". I, on the other hand, spent a good deal of time working in a nervous hospital- a clinic actually.
I'm in my mid 40's- 44 to be exact, which I don't think is too old to serve one's country. The recruiter, however, did not ask what I thought.

 

[deco_martini]

My take is significantly different, on that. It is too bad he was killed, even by one of his own, and that this was covered up for the longest time, at the highest levels. The whole situation rather speaks for itself. Not pleasant, at all.

Tillman sounds more like modern American unsolved murder, rather than a hero's story. Although significant white-washing has protrayed it differently.

Of course, if you are desperate for heroes, you would grasp at anything.

Certainly no comparison to Leonides at Thermopylae, speaking of heroes. And Thermopylae predates Chaucer, as you know, for those who are easily impressed by a little bit of history.

There are real heroes, and then there are whitewashed ones.

Jesus probably would have said "oop, my bad" instead of cobbling up a multi-paragraph justification and conspiracy theory.

What branch of Christianity is it that gloats over the death of fallen soldiers? Aside from that Fred Phelps guy.

 

[shoredivr]

Jesus probably would have said "oop, my bad" instead of cobbling up a multi-paragraph justification and conspiracy theory.

What branch of Christianity is it that gloats over the death of fallen soldiers? Aside from that Fred Phelps guy.

You owe me a new keyboard...

And Thermopylae predates Chaucer, as you know, for those who are easily impressed by a little bit of history.

Apples and oranges, yes, apples and oranges.

 

[boulderjohn]

Before I start, I want to say how nice it was to see Thal quote my two favorite works of literature. I will also say that, as one who was once required to analyze Benjamin Franklin's autobiography in detail as part of a graduate degree, Thal's summary of Franklin's take on religion was also accurate.

The Franklin comment (and the earlier one about the difference between Washington's public show of religion and his true feelings) leads to my point about the signers of the Declaration of Independence. They were signing a declaration of independence, not a declaration of a faith in God.

In the decades in which I served in public education, I cannot possibly estimate how many times I repeated the phrase "one nation under god." That does not reveal anything about my beliefs. It speaks to my unwillingness to make a big deal out of something that would have diminished my effectivess, first as a teacher and then as an administrator. For me to refuse publically to utter those words would have led for an outraged call from the community to have me fired. My beliefs, which should have been irrelevant to my effectiveness as an educator, would have instead prevented me from being effective at all.

Similarly, I am sure many political figures of all ages put forth a posture of faith because they know to put forth the opposite means an end to a political career. I doubt if it was any different in 1776.

 

[deco_martini]

I say "bless you" (short for "god bless you") everytime someone sneezes because it is the form and custom of my time. Contrary to what future generations may believe, it is not a statement of my faith.

 

[shoredivr]

My beliefs, which should have been irrelevant to my effectiveness as an educator, would have instead prevented me from being effective at all.

Similarly, I am sure many political figures of all ages put forth a posture of faith because they know to put forth the opposite means an end to a political career. I doubt if it was any different in 1776.

Bravo

 

[shoredivr]

Hold on, lads and lasses. As my Glaswegian mum would've said, "whatta load o' bumph!", or in English, 'lots of onanistic codswollop, yeah?"

I would need to first question the sanity of anyone who would leave a multi million dollar sports entertainment job to take one of the lowliest jobs on the planet, and very dangerous.

Of course, if you are desperate for heroes, you would grasp at anything.

Certainly no comparison to Leonides at Thermopylae, speaking of heroes.

Och, whatta waste o' bandwidth, no?

 

[Thalassamania]

I was just driving down the road thinking about the difficulty of clear communication, especially as it relates to this conversation ... I mean after all, most of us are friends here, and I realized that two adjectives NEREAS used illustrate the problem rather precisely. Simple and plain. "Simple English." "Plain English." "Simply read." Interesting phrases. Was the Declaration written in "Simple English?" The language of simpletons? Was the Declaration written in "Plain English" or rather ... was it written in a larger, more robust and formal style? Should the Declaration be read "simply" again, as an unschooled simpleton might ... or was it intended to be read by men (and women) of education, discernment and refinement? Would these two disparate groups see the same things in the document? Would they take the meaning to be the same. And that doesn't even take into account the changes in usage and style in the time that's past. Not everything is as plain as the nose an your face and as simple as pie. Plain and simple, plain and simple ... interesting, no?

 

[Kim]

Amazing.......
Jindal: Intelligent Design "The Very Best Science" (VIDEO) - Politics on The Huffington Post