Viewed without comment. (Oh crap, that is one, isn’t it?)
Eww, no! I’m still a little grossed out that Monica had “fun” with Clinton. I don’t even want Bush having sex with his own wife for fear that he’ll spawn again.
Yay! I needed a new icon! Thanks! 🙂
If it means Bush booted out of the White House, I’d give him a bløwjøb myself.
Wow. That pretty much says it all.
That sign shows a very limited understanding of what an impeachment actually accomplishes.
“That sign shows a very limited understanding of what an impeachment actually accomplishes.”
Actually, the sign shows a perfect understanding of how the government has allowed itself to conduct business in the last decade plus. Have a fling with an intern, we will turn over all stones to find what it was all about. Send innocent people to get killed for your own agenda’s, and we’ll let you testify off the record about any improprieties. Take this country to the next level of “big brother is watching”, and turn a blind eye to the spit in the face on our freedoms. So yes, the sign applies the logic of government for out times…
Isn’t that woman wearing a blue dress over her jeans? 🙂
If I were told that the action would not only lead to Bush’s impeachment, but his conviction on those impeachment charges — and I were told this, I don’t know, 2 years ago or so. I would have seriously considered getting down on my knees.
But since the process would take a year anyway, it’s just not worth it anymore. Might as well just wait it out.
And I’m straight — just to make that clear.
It seems that may be the only way to get Mr. Bush out of office. It’s to bad that if something like that did happen, we would probably never know about it. And if the story were about to get out in to a ‘legitimate’ press source, some one may be rendered to avoid that.
Somebody get that signholder a cigar! (I’m led to believe that was also part of the…deal)
But seriously, you mustn’t let the desire to trim the Bush make suckers of you.
Looks like the signmaker ran out of room for the full message:
“WILL SOMEBODY PLEASE GIVE BUSH A BLØWJØB AND THEN GET HIM TO LIE UNDER OATH ABOUT IT SO WE CAN IMPEACH HIM!”
Shoulda got a bigger piece of cardboard — or written smaller at the outset.
J.
The sign disappoints me, but it doesn’t surprise me.
Bush will go down (pun intended) into history as one of the worst Presidents, while Clinton will be remembered as a good one (if not a great one).
The bruhaha over Clinton’s sexual pecadillos will be remembered mostly as pettiness and hypocritical opportunism from his adversaries, the same ones that would take the power and produce Bush.
Eventually reason prevails, if only in the History books.
without going into my opinions of any president, i tend to agree with an opinion expressed in an issue of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman in which Richard Nixon said (and this is an approximate quote without my reference in front of me)
“While you’re in office you’ll be the worst president in history until you’re out of office, then it’s some other áššhølë’s turn.”
in other words, we’ll hate the next guy as much as we hate this guy.
Note for the record and the sake of full disclosure that I have no real faith in any of our politicians to give a šhìŧ about much but thier own poitical power anyway, so take the above with however large a grain of salt you require.
without going into my opinions of any president, i tend to agree with an opinion expressed in an issue of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman in which Richard Nixon said (and this is an approximate quote without my reference in front of me)
“While you’re in office you’ll be the worst president in history until you’re out of office, then it’s some other áššhølë’s turn.”
in other words, we’ll hate the next guy as much as we hate this guy.
Note for the record and the sake of full disclosure that I have no real faith in any of our politicians to give a šhìŧ about much but thier own poitical power anyway, so take the above with however large a grain of salt you require.
without going into my opinions of any president, i tend to agree with an opinion expressed in an issue of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman in which Richard Nixon said (and this is an approximate quote without my reference in front of me)
“While you’re in office you’ll be the worst president in history until you’re out of office, then it’s some other áššhølë’s turn.”
in other words, we’ll hate the next guy as much as we hate this guy.
Note for the record and the sake of full disclosure that I have no real faith in any of our politicians to give a šhìŧ about much but thier own poitical power anyway, so take the above with however large a grain of salt you require.
Well sure, Clinton got impeached for lying under oath – but hasn’t Bush committed plenty of his own crimes? Isn’t violating the FISA law with the illegal wiretaps, which he’s admitted to, enough to impeach the guy? I’m just asking…
Here’s something else offered without comment… well, at least for now:
Jerry Falwell dead at 73.
Yup, Falwell is dead. At last Tinky-Winky can rest easy…
Hey, speaking of bløwjøbš, Fox News is giving one to the late Jerry Falwell right now, vis a vis their coverage of his passing…
Falwell’s dead, but his legacy, agree or disagree with it (put me down as the former) lives on.
All I can say about him and his breed is that for proponents of a faith that preaches charity, their biggest donations seemed to be to themselves. Smug so and so doesn’t look like he missed any meals.
Would it be terribly crass of me to say that I think Jerry Falwell is in for a big surprise on the other side?
Would it be terribly crass of me to say that I think Jerry Falwell is in for a big surprise on the other side?
He might be, but I’m sure not.
“Would it be terribly crass of me to say that I think Jerry Falwell is in for a big surprise on the other side?”
A Wiccan arrives in the afterlife. Her guide takes her through a door to a hallway with thousands of doors on either side. As they walk past each door, she looks inside to see various afterlives being lived out.
While passing one door, she sees signs that say “QUIET ZONE”. Her guide won’t open the door to look inside, and keeps her from speaking or making any noise.
After they are through the Quiet Zone, she asks “What was that all about? Every other door was open.”
Her guide replies “That’s the Christian’s room. They think they’re alone here.”
Although Mr. David should, and probably will, start a separate thread on Falwell’s passing, I might shock you by the following statement:
You should all shed a tear for his limited, mis-aimed and sad life.
I always believed a tenet of Christianity of any stripe was that one should seek to see that little bit of God that’s in every human. Falwell couldn’t see that bit of God in gays, lesbians, doctors, liberals and a lot of other people. He led an impoverished life.
And he really believed it. He wasn’t a con man like many televangelists. No one has ever found him fondling høøkërš or choir boys. He really believed and practiced what he preached…may God have mercy on his soul.
That is funny joke.
Though, to be completely fair, it’s not only Christians, but all Abrahamic religions that consider themselves the only and ones that will be saved.
Ðámņ guys, way to make the Extreme Right look like the sane ones there for a minute.
Jerry Falwell was a deeply flawed individual, he made statements and took stands I rarely agreed with and he was one of my least favorite examples of a “Christian” in modern times. Nevertheless, he wasn’t a Hitler, Pol Pot, Osama Bin Laden or Vlad The Impaler. The fact that there are posters here that are celebrating and enjoying the man’s death says a whole hëll of a lot more about about the failings of humanity then much of what he stood for.
Did I like him? No. Did I agree with him? No. Would I agree that he may be facing a judgment in death that may surprise him and his followers? Yes. Would I celebrate and enjoy the fact of his death? Hëll no. This kind of display of what’s worst of humanity is the kind of thing that many who are engaging in it now would chastise and demonize The Right and the Bushies for.
Nevertheless, he wasn’t a Hitler, Pol Pot, Osama Bin Laden or Vlad The Impaler.
Regardless, I wouldn’t wish the Robertsons, Falwells, and Phelps of the world on any of those.
I quietly cheer his passing because Falwell preached hate, discrimination, and more, and those are things that the world can do without.
But that’s supposedly a display of the worst of humanity? Then so be it
At least I’m not the one claiming the gays are responsible for 9/11, or that a world leader should be assassinated in the name of God. Or, if you want to involve politics, writing off the deaths of tens of thousands of innocents as ‘collateral damage’.
So, no, I don’t consider myself on the level of the Right or Bush & Co.
I don’t even want Bush having sex with his own wife for fear that he’ll spawn again.
TOO LATE!
Falwell’s dead, but his legacy, agree or disagree with it (put me down as the former) lives on.
Actually Manny, I think you mean the latter. The former here would be “agree” and your subsequent remarks suggest you don’t have a high opinion of the man.
You should all shed a tear for his limited, mis-aimed and sad life.
Thomas, I might be sad for him if his actions had not made the lives of so many others so miserable. Considering how he helped to make intolerance acceptable for people who consider themselves Christians and gave Christianity as a whole a bad name, to name just two things, I’m primarily happy that he’s no longer around to screw up the world. I don’t know what happened to make him the way he was. If I did I might pity him, depending on what it was. Since I don’t, I just feel that this world is better off. I won’t wish eternity in hëll on him, though, nor would I wish it on anybody.
A Wiccan arrives in the afterlife…
Yeah, I like that punchline. If more Christians kept their mouths shut about any beliefs they may have that they, and only they, are going to get into heaven, non-Christians might be more inclined to listen to them.
To play devil’s advocate (and the identity of the “devil” I’m defending here makes that a bit ironic), I don’t think all Christians are agreed on what exactly happens to those who don’t get into heaven. Whether it’s hëll by default, or whether it’s something like limbo or purgatory, or whether it’s something entirely different that isn’t actually as excruciating as eternal torment but rather just being separated from God. So if you hear somebody saying they think only people like them will get into heaven, they may not necessarily be saying that people unlike them will all go to hëll.
Microsoft Encarta defines deism as: “a belief in God based on reason rather than revelation, and involving the view that God has set the universe in motion but does not interfere with how it runs.”
That’s about as good of an encapsulation of my spiritual beliefs as you’re likely to find. I mention that by way of making clear that I do not subscribe to any religion and have no interest in proseletyzing.
Nevertheless, I believe it is unwise to second-guess God’s will when it comes to who will or will not be saved (assuming the Heaven/Hëll dichotomy is indeed the model upon which the afterlife is based). If there is a God — and I am confident that there is — He is to us as we are to amoebas. Claiming to know the mind of God is, at best, a hubristic conceit.
Falwell’s fate upon leaving this mortal coil may well indeed been markedly different than he expected. As may yours, mine, and everyone else’s. My suggestion to some of you? Don’t be so smug.
If you’re an atheist, there is still a reason not to take glee in Falwell’s death: because it’s really, really, rrreeeaaalllyyy tasteless, crass, and revealing of poor character. As Jerry Chandler already pointed out, Falwell wasn’t a tyrant or a mass murderer. He was a man with beliefs with which many of us here disagree passionately (myself included), but that is no reason to take glee in his passing.
Some of you really need to do some growing up.
Nevertheless, I believe it is unwise to second-guess God’s will when it comes to who will or will not be saved (assuming the Heaven/Hëll dichotomy is indeed the model upon which the afterlife is based). If there is a God — and I am confident that there is — He is to us as we are to amoebas.
I’d contend that being more advanced than another life form does not give one the right to do anything one wishes to that inferior life form. I don’t assume that I know, as others here seem to, where Falwell will end up or if he even still exists in any form. But there are some things that could happen to him which I would consider wrong, whether they’re God’s will or not.
Btw, who’s to say that just because we’re smarter than amoebas, it means we’re morally superior? I mean, have you ever known an amoeba to have sociopathic tendencies or to wish ill on something else? They live pretty simple existences, don’t they? So who’s to say that God has a better sense of right and wrong than some human somewhere? Not necessarily me…but somebody. Who’s to say that God’s sense of right and wrong is perfect, that he’s never made a mistake when passing down sentence?
As Jerry Chandler already pointed out, Falwell wasn’t a tyrant or a mass murderer. He was a man with beliefs with which many of us here disagree passionately (myself included), but that is no reason to take glee in his passing.
What if a KKK member died, Bill? What if it was somebody who had never taken part in a lynching or committed any crimes, but who absolutely despised black people and who enthusiastically applauded whenever he heard that a black person HAD been lynched or gruesomely murdered? What if it was somebody who spoke to other, impressionable, people and convinced them to believe as he did, and stopped *just* short of encouraging them to go out and assault black people? What if he fanned the flames of hatred?
Would you also say that there would be no reason to take pleasure in the passing of this KKK person?
Falwell, as far as I know, didn’t break any laws. He was still able, however, to do a helluva lot to screw up the world. Also, if you consider Bush a mass murderer, it’s worth noting that Falwell was one of his cheerleaders and famously said that we should “Blow (the terrorists) up in the name of hte Lord!”
Here are more Falwell quotes:
“I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way, all of them who have tried to secularize America. I point the finger in their face and say ‘you helped (9/11) happen.'”
Elaborating, he said:
“I therefore believe that that created an environment which possibly has caused God to lift the veil of protection which has allowed no one to attack America on our soil since 1812.”
Would you also say that there would be no reason to take pleasure in the passing of this KKK person?
Yeah, I think it’s wrong to take pleasure in another person’s death. It’s something I am probably guilty of but I don’t kid myself into thinking that it is in any way ennobling.
It also potentially puts you in the awkward position of looking worse than the object of your hatred. I don’t recall Falwell gloating over the death of a political opponent. Maybe he did. If so, you’re only as bad as he is. Was.
But who wants to be as bad as Jerry Falwell?
I say there’s absolutely no good to come from such behavior and considerable harm, at least to one’s own honor. I’m not saying your feeling are alien or something only a bad person would feel. We all have bad feelings. But you should rise above them.
I don’t know about Falwell, but his friend Pat Robertson has prayed for Supreme Court Justices to die so that they could be replaced with more conservative ones.
But you’re right. I should not be sinking to the level of Falwell, Robertson, and the rest.
Jerry Falwell said some things.
No one denies that.
Some of those things could be fairly out there.
Not many will deny that.
Jerry Falwell is dead.
No one denies that.
His family and friends are in pain due to that. As my in-laws prove all the time, no matter how large an unpleasant person you are, your death will bring sadness to someone.
Pulling out quotes, no matter how well known, to prove that this man’s death is a good thimg places you in the same boat that he was in, that being the boat full of people who have to speak ill of others in an overloud voice to make themselves feel important.
Have some respect, people.
as to Falwell –
my two cents – i think he was an áššhølë with some pretty screwed up ideas.
But I neither relish nor mourn his death. It’s just an event that happens to be in the news because he was famous.
We’re all just human here folks – some of us making crude comments because someone died whom we feel did more harm than good, others villifying those comments for what we perceve as lacking compassion. And most of us who’d probably get along if we had a more complete understanding of each other than what we see in these little blurbs of opinion.
if Falwell and Flynt could respectfully agree to disagree – why can’t we?
as to Falwell –
my two cents – i think he was an áššhølë with some pretty screwed up ideas.
But I neither relish nor mourn his death. It’s just an event that happens to be in the news because he was famous.
We’re all just human here folks – some of us making crude comments because someone died whom we feel did more harm than good, others villifying those comments for what we perceve as lacking compassion. And most of us who’d probably get along if we had a more complete understanding of each other than what we see in these little blurbs of opinion.
if Falwell and Flynt could respectfully agree to disagree – why can’t we?
as to Falwell –
my two cents – i think he was an áššhølë with some pretty screwed up ideas.
But I neither relish nor mourn his death. It’s just an event that happens to be in the news because he was famous.
We’re all just human here folks – some of us making crude comments because someone died whom we feel did more harm than good, others villifying those comments for what we perceve as lacking compassion. And most of us who’d probably get along if we had a more complete understanding of each other than what we see in these little blurbs of opinion.
if Falwell and Flynt could respectfully agree to disagree – why can’t we?
Wow. Just wow.
Talk about some rather crass words and opinions. Would any of you really want someone talking about you in this manner after you died? Really makes me rather ashamed to be associated (even in the loose manner that we are) with some of the people around here. What happened to a little common decency? What happened to the “caring” attitude that is supposed to be espoused by the “liberal” contingent of the political spectrum. You may have disagreed with the man about his stance on some issues, but wishing him to burn in Hëll for eternity for those stances?
I didn’t agree with stuff that he said, heck, I don’t agree with stuff that lots of people have said, but I don’t want to suffer for eternity for ’em.
Really guys and gals, some of this is just so over the top and uncalled for. I’m off my soapbox, flame away if you wish.
I try not to take pleasure in Jerry Falwell’s death, or anyone else’s. But I didn’t like him. I don’t like bigotry or intolerance, I don’t much like religion and especially not religious fanatics. I fell he did more harm in the name of Christ’s love than he did good. Still, he was trying to be good, even in his own narrow minded “my way or the highway” mentality.
However, I LOVES me some schadenfreude. Between Gonzales and Wolfowitz and Kathleen Sebelius, I hope Bush’s butt is clenched tighter than the spin on Cheney’s popularity polls.
Posted by: Rob Brown at May 15, 2007 10:15 PM
I’d contend that being more advanced than another life form does not give one the right to do anything one wishes to that inferior life form. I don’t assume that I know, as others here seem to, where Falwell will end up or if he even still exists in any form. But there are some things that could happen to him which I would consider wrong, whether they’re God’s will or not.
Rob… you seem like a nice guy. But — were you high when you read my last post? Seriously. Were you high or something? Because your response is a complete non-sequitur.
My post was pretty clear, Rob. I posited that we cannot know the mind of God anymore than an amoeba can know the mind of man. If I’m right — and I think I am — then it stands to reason that we cannot know what fate was in store for Falwell in the Great Beyond, nor can we know what fate is in store for ANY of us. It is hubris to believe otherwise.
Think for a moment, Rob. The logical implication, which I didn’t spell out because I didn’t want to insult anyone’s intelligence, is that it is also hubristic to believe that one’s preferred construct of God and the afterlife confers any moral superiority. Any belief in God, including my own, is a crapshoot and therefore it behooves ALL OF US to show some humility.
Posted by: Rob Brown at May 15, 2007 10:15 PM
Btw, who’s to say that just because we’re smarter than amoebas, it means we’re morally superior?
Again… were you high when you wrote this? I never said anything about anyone or anything being morally superior!
Posted by: Rob Brown at May 15, 2007 10:15 PM
What if a KKK member died, Bill?
No, Rob. No dice. I will NOT follow people down every single gøddámņ rabbit hole tonight. Bottom line: I abhor the KKK and everything they stand for. But I refuse to take pleasure in anyone’s death. Why is that so hard to understand???
Rob, as soon as I hit the submit button on my last post I regretted it.
I don’t think you’re stupid and I’m sorry for ragging on you like that.
It’s just frustrating to make what I believe is a simple point and then have to chase down and correct interpretations that, to me, bear zero resemblance to what I wrote. But maybe the fault is mine. Maybe I’m a much šhìŧŧìër writer than I like to believe.
Again, sorry.
Posted by: mike “shaggy”g at May 15, 2007 10:40 PM
And most of us who’d probably get along if we had a more complete understanding of each other than what we see in these little blurbs of opinion.
Wow.
Very, very, very well said. I couldn’t possibly add any more to that, other than to say, “Amen.”
So… amen!
I’m not sure I take pleasure in Falwell’s passing – it’s more a sense of relief, like “Whew! He can’t cause any more damage…” The problem is, there’s always someone worse waiting in the wings. I think Pat Robertson was worse than Falwell, James Dobson worse than Ralph Reed, Tom DeLay worse than Newt Gingrich, and so on… It never really gets any better for either “side” – the players just change.
Would any of you really want someone talking about you in this manner after you died?
If I said some of the things Falwell did over the years, then I would at the very least expect it.
What happened to the “caring” attitude that is supposed to be espoused by the “liberal” contingent of the political spectrum.
Is that anything like the “compassion” that conservatives boasted about just a few years ago? I wouldn’t exactly describe liberalism in general as ‘caring’, nor would it apply to conservatives.
But, as a self-proclaimed liberal, this wouldn’t be the first not-so-liberal position I hold, nor will it be the last.
I’ve commented before here that I have a ‘@#$% List’ of those who get my eternal gratitude for kicking the bucket, those that the world is better off without, and Falwell was one of those on the list. It is what it is.
• 
Viewed without comment. (Oh crap, that is one, isn’t it?)
Eww, no! I’m still a little grossed out that Monica had “fun” with Clinton. I don’t even want Bush having sex with his own wife for fear that he’ll spawn again.
Yay! I needed a new icon! Thanks! 🙂
If it means Bush booted out of the White House, I’d give him a bløwjøb myself.
Wow. That pretty much says it all.
That sign shows a very limited understanding of what an impeachment actually accomplishes.
“That sign shows a very limited understanding of what an impeachment actually accomplishes.”
Actually, the sign shows a perfect understanding of how the government has allowed itself to conduct business in the last decade plus. Have a fling with an intern, we will turn over all stones to find what it was all about. Send innocent people to get killed for your own agenda’s, and we’ll let you testify off the record about any improprieties. Take this country to the next level of “big brother is watching”, and turn a blind eye to the spit in the face on our freedoms. So yes, the sign applies the logic of government for out times…
Isn’t that woman wearing a blue dress over her jeans? 🙂
If I were told that the action would not only lead to Bush’s impeachment, but his conviction on those impeachment charges — and I were told this, I don’t know, 2 years ago or so. I would have seriously considered getting down on my knees.
But since the process would take a year anyway, it’s just not worth it anymore. Might as well just wait it out.
And I’m straight — just to make that clear.
It seems that may be the only way to get Mr. Bush out of office. It’s to bad that if something like that did happen, we would probably never know about it. And if the story were about to get out in to a ‘legitimate’ press source, some one may be rendered to avoid that.
Somebody get that signholder a cigar! (I’m led to believe that was also part of the…deal)
But seriously, you mustn’t let the desire to trim the Bush make suckers of you.
Looks like the signmaker ran out of room for the full message:
“WILL SOMEBODY PLEASE GIVE BUSH A BLØWJØB AND THEN GET HIM TO LIE UNDER OATH ABOUT IT SO WE CAN IMPEACH HIM!”
Shoulda got a bigger piece of cardboard — or written smaller at the outset.
J.
The sign disappoints me, but it doesn’t surprise me.
Bush will go down (pun intended) into history as one of the worst Presidents, while Clinton will be remembered as a good one (if not a great one).
The bruhaha over Clinton’s sexual pecadillos will be remembered mostly as pettiness and hypocritical opportunism from his adversaries, the same ones that would take the power and produce Bush.
Eventually reason prevails, if only in the History books.
without going into my opinions of any president, i tend to agree with an opinion expressed in an issue of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman in which Richard Nixon said (and this is an approximate quote without my reference in front of me)
“While you’re in office you’ll be the worst president in history until you’re out of office, then it’s some other áššhølë’s turn.”
in other words, we’ll hate the next guy as much as we hate this guy.
Note for the record and the sake of full disclosure that I have no real faith in any of our politicians to give a šhìŧ about much but thier own poitical power anyway, so take the above with however large a grain of salt you require.
without going into my opinions of any president, i tend to agree with an opinion expressed in an issue of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman in which Richard Nixon said (and this is an approximate quote without my reference in front of me)
“While you’re in office you’ll be the worst president in history until you’re out of office, then it’s some other áššhølë’s turn.”
in other words, we’ll hate the next guy as much as we hate this guy.
Note for the record and the sake of full disclosure that I have no real faith in any of our politicians to give a šhìŧ about much but thier own poitical power anyway, so take the above with however large a grain of salt you require.
without going into my opinions of any president, i tend to agree with an opinion expressed in an issue of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman in which Richard Nixon said (and this is an approximate quote without my reference in front of me)
“While you’re in office you’ll be the worst president in history until you’re out of office, then it’s some other áššhølë’s turn.”
in other words, we’ll hate the next guy as much as we hate this guy.
Note for the record and the sake of full disclosure that I have no real faith in any of our politicians to give a šhìŧ about much but thier own poitical power anyway, so take the above with however large a grain of salt you require.
Well sure, Clinton got impeached for lying under oath – but hasn’t Bush committed plenty of his own crimes? Isn’t violating the FISA law with the illegal wiretaps, which he’s admitted to, enough to impeach the guy? I’m just asking…
Here’s something else offered without comment… well, at least for now:
Jerry Falwell dead at 73.
Yup, Falwell is dead. At last Tinky-Winky can rest easy…
Hey, speaking of bløwjøbš, Fox News is giving one to the late Jerry Falwell right now, vis a vis their coverage of his passing…
Falwell’s dead, but his legacy, agree or disagree with it (put me down as the former) lives on.
All I can say about him and his breed is that for proponents of a faith that preaches charity, their biggest donations seemed to be to themselves. Smug so and so doesn’t look like he missed any meals.
Would it be terribly crass of me to say that I think Jerry Falwell is in for a big surprise on the other side?
Would it be terribly crass of me to say that I think Jerry Falwell is in for a big surprise on the other side?
He might be, but I’m sure not.
“Would it be terribly crass of me to say that I think Jerry Falwell is in for a big surprise on the other side?”
A Wiccan arrives in the afterlife. Her guide takes her through a door to a hallway with thousands of doors on either side. As they walk past each door, she looks inside to see various afterlives being lived out.
While passing one door, she sees signs that say “QUIET ZONE”. Her guide won’t open the door to look inside, and keeps her from speaking or making any noise.
After they are through the Quiet Zone, she asks “What was that all about? Every other door was open.”
Her guide replies “That’s the Christian’s room. They think they’re alone here.”
Although Mr. David should, and probably will, start a separate thread on Falwell’s passing, I might shock you by the following statement:
You should all shed a tear for his limited, mis-aimed and sad life.
I always believed a tenet of Christianity of any stripe was that one should seek to see that little bit of God that’s in every human. Falwell couldn’t see that bit of God in gays, lesbians, doctors, liberals and a lot of other people. He led an impoverished life.
And he really believed it. He wasn’t a con man like many televangelists. No one has ever found him fondling høøkërš or choir boys. He really believed and practiced what he preached…may God have mercy on his soul.
That is funny joke.
Though, to be completely fair, it’s not only Christians, but all Abrahamic religions that consider themselves the only and ones that will be saved.
Fallwell—
Good riddance to bad rubbish.
Burn in hëll Falwell, burn hot, burn bright
I gotta say, Larry Freaking Flynt is showing more class than some of the folks here: http://www.accesshollywood.com/news/ah5356.shtml
Ðámņ guys, way to make the Extreme Right look like the sane ones there for a minute.
Jerry Falwell was a deeply flawed individual, he made statements and took stands I rarely agreed with and he was one of my least favorite examples of a “Christian” in modern times. Nevertheless, he wasn’t a Hitler, Pol Pot, Osama Bin Laden or Vlad The Impaler. The fact that there are posters here that are celebrating and enjoying the man’s death says a whole hëll of a lot more about about the failings of humanity then much of what he stood for.
Did I like him? No. Did I agree with him? No. Would I agree that he may be facing a judgment in death that may surprise him and his followers? Yes. Would I celebrate and enjoy the fact of his death? Hëll no. This kind of display of what’s worst of humanity is the kind of thing that many who are engaging in it now would chastise and demonize The Right and the Bushies for.
Nevertheless, he wasn’t a Hitler, Pol Pot, Osama Bin Laden or Vlad The Impaler.
Regardless, I wouldn’t wish the Robertsons, Falwells, and Phelps of the world on any of those.
I quietly cheer his passing because Falwell preached hate, discrimination, and more, and those are things that the world can do without.
But that’s supposedly a display of the worst of humanity? Then so be it
At least I’m not the one claiming the gays are responsible for 9/11, or that a world leader should be assassinated in the name of God. Or, if you want to involve politics, writing off the deaths of tens of thousands of innocents as ‘collateral damage’.
So, no, I don’t consider myself on the level of the Right or Bush & Co.
I don’t even want Bush having sex with his own wife for fear that he’ll spawn again.
TOO LATE!
Falwell’s dead, but his legacy, agree or disagree with it (put me down as the former) lives on.
Actually Manny, I think you mean the latter. The former here would be “agree” and your subsequent remarks suggest you don’t have a high opinion of the man.
You should all shed a tear for his limited, mis-aimed and sad life.
Thomas, I might be sad for him if his actions had not made the lives of so many others so miserable. Considering how he helped to make intolerance acceptable for people who consider themselves Christians and gave Christianity as a whole a bad name, to name just two things, I’m primarily happy that he’s no longer around to screw up the world. I don’t know what happened to make him the way he was. If I did I might pity him, depending on what it was. Since I don’t, I just feel that this world is better off. I won’t wish eternity in hëll on him, though, nor would I wish it on anybody.
A Wiccan arrives in the afterlife…
Yeah, I like that punchline. If more Christians kept their mouths shut about any beliefs they may have that they, and only they, are going to get into heaven, non-Christians might be more inclined to listen to them.
To play devil’s advocate (and the identity of the “devil” I’m defending here makes that a bit ironic), I don’t think all Christians are agreed on what exactly happens to those who don’t get into heaven. Whether it’s hëll by default, or whether it’s something like limbo or purgatory, or whether it’s something entirely different that isn’t actually as excruciating as eternal torment but rather just being separated from God. So if you hear somebody saying they think only people like them will get into heaven, they may not necessarily be saying that people unlike them will all go to hëll.
Microsoft Encarta defines deism as: “a belief in God based on reason rather than revelation, and involving the view that God has set the universe in motion but does not interfere with how it runs.”
That’s about as good of an encapsulation of my spiritual beliefs as you’re likely to find. I mention that by way of making clear that I do not subscribe to any religion and have no interest in proseletyzing.
Nevertheless, I believe it is unwise to second-guess God’s will when it comes to who will or will not be saved (assuming the Heaven/Hëll dichotomy is indeed the model upon which the afterlife is based). If there is a God — and I am confident that there is — He is to us as we are to amoebas. Claiming to know the mind of God is, at best, a hubristic conceit.
Falwell’s fate upon leaving this mortal coil may well indeed been markedly different than he expected. As may yours, mine, and everyone else’s. My suggestion to some of you? Don’t be so smug.
If you’re an atheist, there is still a reason not to take glee in Falwell’s death: because it’s really, really, rrreeeaaalllyyy tasteless, crass, and revealing of poor character. As Jerry Chandler already pointed out, Falwell wasn’t a tyrant or a mass murderer. He was a man with beliefs with which many of us here disagree passionately (myself included), but that is no reason to take glee in his passing.
Some of you really need to do some growing up.
Nevertheless, I believe it is unwise to second-guess God’s will when it comes to who will or will not be saved (assuming the Heaven/Hëll dichotomy is indeed the model upon which the afterlife is based). If there is a God — and I am confident that there is — He is to us as we are to amoebas.
I’d contend that being more advanced than another life form does not give one the right to do anything one wishes to that inferior life form. I don’t assume that I know, as others here seem to, where Falwell will end up or if he even still exists in any form. But there are some things that could happen to him which I would consider wrong, whether they’re God’s will or not.
Btw, who’s to say that just because we’re smarter than amoebas, it means we’re morally superior? I mean, have you ever known an amoeba to have sociopathic tendencies or to wish ill on something else? They live pretty simple existences, don’t they? So who’s to say that God has a better sense of right and wrong than some human somewhere? Not necessarily me…but somebody. Who’s to say that God’s sense of right and wrong is perfect, that he’s never made a mistake when passing down sentence?
As Jerry Chandler already pointed out, Falwell wasn’t a tyrant or a mass murderer. He was a man with beliefs with which many of us here disagree passionately (myself included), but that is no reason to take glee in his passing.
What if a KKK member died, Bill? What if it was somebody who had never taken part in a lynching or committed any crimes, but who absolutely despised black people and who enthusiastically applauded whenever he heard that a black person HAD been lynched or gruesomely murdered? What if it was somebody who spoke to other, impressionable, people and convinced them to believe as he did, and stopped *just* short of encouraging them to go out and assault black people? What if he fanned the flames of hatred?
Would you also say that there would be no reason to take pleasure in the passing of this KKK person?
Falwell, as far as I know, didn’t break any laws. He was still able, however, to do a helluva lot to screw up the world. Also, if you consider Bush a mass murderer, it’s worth noting that Falwell was one of his cheerleaders and famously said that we should “Blow (the terrorists) up in the name of hte Lord!”
Here are more Falwell quotes:
“I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way, all of them who have tried to secularize America. I point the finger in their face and say ‘you helped (9/11) happen.'”
Elaborating, he said:
“I therefore believe that that created an environment which possibly has caused God to lift the veil of protection which has allowed no one to attack America on our soil since 1812.”
Here`s the link:
http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/09/14/Falwell.apology/
Would you also say that there would be no reason to take pleasure in the passing of this KKK person?
Yeah, I think it’s wrong to take pleasure in another person’s death. It’s something I am probably guilty of but I don’t kid myself into thinking that it is in any way ennobling.
It also potentially puts you in the awkward position of looking worse than the object of your hatred. I don’t recall Falwell gloating over the death of a political opponent. Maybe he did. If so, you’re only as bad as he is. Was.
But who wants to be as bad as Jerry Falwell?
I say there’s absolutely no good to come from such behavior and considerable harm, at least to one’s own honor. I’m not saying your feeling are alien or something only a bad person would feel. We all have bad feelings. But you should rise above them.
I don’t know about Falwell, but his friend Pat Robertson has prayed for Supreme Court Justices to die so that they could be replaced with more conservative ones.
But you’re right. I should not be sinking to the level of Falwell, Robertson, and the rest.
Jerry Falwell said some things.
No one denies that.
Some of those things could be fairly out there.
Not many will deny that.
Jerry Falwell is dead.
No one denies that.
His family and friends are in pain due to that. As my in-laws prove all the time, no matter how large an unpleasant person you are, your death will bring sadness to someone.
Pulling out quotes, no matter how well known, to prove that this man’s death is a good thimg places you in the same boat that he was in, that being the boat full of people who have to speak ill of others in an overloud voice to make themselves feel important.
Have some respect, people.
as to Falwell –
my two cents – i think he was an áššhølë with some pretty screwed up ideas.
But I neither relish nor mourn his death. It’s just an event that happens to be in the news because he was famous.
We’re all just human here folks – some of us making crude comments because someone died whom we feel did more harm than good, others villifying those comments for what we perceve as lacking compassion. And most of us who’d probably get along if we had a more complete understanding of each other than what we see in these little blurbs of opinion.
if Falwell and Flynt could respectfully agree to disagree – why can’t we?
as to Falwell –
my two cents – i think he was an áššhølë with some pretty screwed up ideas.
But I neither relish nor mourn his death. It’s just an event that happens to be in the news because he was famous.
We’re all just human here folks – some of us making crude comments because someone died whom we feel did more harm than good, others villifying those comments for what we perceve as lacking compassion. And most of us who’d probably get along if we had a more complete understanding of each other than what we see in these little blurbs of opinion.
if Falwell and Flynt could respectfully agree to disagree – why can’t we?
as to Falwell –
my two cents – i think he was an áššhølë with some pretty screwed up ideas.
But I neither relish nor mourn his death. It’s just an event that happens to be in the news because he was famous.
We’re all just human here folks – some of us making crude comments because someone died whom we feel did more harm than good, others villifying those comments for what we perceve as lacking compassion. And most of us who’d probably get along if we had a more complete understanding of each other than what we see in these little blurbs of opinion.
if Falwell and Flynt could respectfully agree to disagree – why can’t we?
Wow. Just wow.
Talk about some rather crass words and opinions. Would any of you really want someone talking about you in this manner after you died? Really makes me rather ashamed to be associated (even in the loose manner that we are) with some of the people around here. What happened to a little common decency? What happened to the “caring” attitude that is supposed to be espoused by the “liberal” contingent of the political spectrum. You may have disagreed with the man about his stance on some issues, but wishing him to burn in Hëll for eternity for those stances?
I didn’t agree with stuff that he said, heck, I don’t agree with stuff that lots of people have said, but I don’t want to suffer for eternity for ’em.
Really guys and gals, some of this is just so over the top and uncalled for. I’m off my soapbox, flame away if you wish.
I try not to take pleasure in Jerry Falwell’s death, or anyone else’s. But I didn’t like him. I don’t like bigotry or intolerance, I don’t much like religion and especially not religious fanatics. I fell he did more harm in the name of Christ’s love than he did good. Still, he was trying to be good, even in his own narrow minded “my way or the highway” mentality.
However, I LOVES me some schadenfreude. Between Gonzales and Wolfowitz and Kathleen Sebelius, I hope Bush’s butt is clenched tighter than the spin on Cheney’s popularity polls.
Posted by: Rob Brown at May 15, 2007 10:15 PM
I’d contend that being more advanced than another life form does not give one the right to do anything one wishes to that inferior life form. I don’t assume that I know, as others here seem to, where Falwell will end up or if he even still exists in any form. But there are some things that could happen to him which I would consider wrong, whether they’re God’s will or not.
Rob… you seem like a nice guy. But — were you high when you read my last post? Seriously. Were you high or something? Because your response is a complete non-sequitur.
My post was pretty clear, Rob. I posited that we cannot know the mind of God anymore than an amoeba can know the mind of man. If I’m right — and I think I am — then it stands to reason that we cannot know what fate was in store for Falwell in the Great Beyond, nor can we know what fate is in store for ANY of us. It is hubris to believe otherwise.
Think for a moment, Rob. The logical implication, which I didn’t spell out because I didn’t want to insult anyone’s intelligence, is that it is also hubristic to believe that one’s preferred construct of God and the afterlife confers any moral superiority. Any belief in God, including my own, is a crapshoot and therefore it behooves ALL OF US to show some humility.
Posted by: Rob Brown at May 15, 2007 10:15 PM
Btw, who’s to say that just because we’re smarter than amoebas, it means we’re morally superior?
Again… were you high when you wrote this? I never said anything about anyone or anything being morally superior!
Posted by: Rob Brown at May 15, 2007 10:15 PM
What if a KKK member died, Bill?
No, Rob. No dice. I will NOT follow people down every single gøddámņ rabbit hole tonight. Bottom line: I abhor the KKK and everything they stand for. But I refuse to take pleasure in anyone’s death. Why is that so hard to understand???
Rob, as soon as I hit the submit button on my last post I regretted it.
I don’t think you’re stupid and I’m sorry for ragging on you like that.
It’s just frustrating to make what I believe is a simple point and then have to chase down and correct interpretations that, to me, bear zero resemblance to what I wrote. But maybe the fault is mine. Maybe I’m a much šhìŧŧìër writer than I like to believe.
Again, sorry.
Posted by: mike “shaggy”g at May 15, 2007 10:40 PM
And most of us who’d probably get along if we had a more complete understanding of each other than what we see in these little blurbs of opinion.
Wow.
Very, very, very well said. I couldn’t possibly add any more to that, other than to say, “Amen.”
So… amen!
I’m not sure I take pleasure in Falwell’s passing – it’s more a sense of relief, like “Whew! He can’t cause any more damage…” The problem is, there’s always someone worse waiting in the wings. I think Pat Robertson was worse than Falwell, James Dobson worse than Ralph Reed, Tom DeLay worse than Newt Gingrich, and so on… It never really gets any better for either “side” – the players just change.
Would any of you really want someone talking about you in this manner after you died?
If I said some of the things Falwell did over the years, then I would at the very least expect it.
What happened to the “caring” attitude that is supposed to be espoused by the “liberal” contingent of the political spectrum.
Is that anything like the “compassion” that conservatives boasted about just a few years ago? I wouldn’t exactly describe liberalism in general as ‘caring’, nor would it apply to conservatives.
But, as a self-proclaimed liberal, this wouldn’t be the first not-so-liberal position I hold, nor will it be the last.
I’ve commented before here that I have a ‘@#$% List’ of those who get my eternal gratitude for kicking the bucket, those that the world is better off without, and Falwell was one of those on the list. It is what it is.
Did colbert steal your freedom clock peter?