Comments on: The Western Strategy http://bennett.com/blog/2006/11/the-western-strategy/ A regular old blog Fri, 04 Sep 2009 23:51:11 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Richard http://bennett.com/blog/2006/11/the-western-strategy/comment-page-1/#comment-363793 Richard Fri, 10 Nov 2006 21:27:41 +0000 http://bennett.com/blog/index.php/archives/2006/11/08/the-western-strategy/#comment-363793 Why do you think that? Why do you think that?

]]> By: Ron Compos http://bennett.com/blog/2006/11/the-western-strategy/comment-page-1/#comment-363769 Ron Compos Fri, 10 Nov 2006 18:52:59 +0000 http://bennett.com/blog/index.php/archives/2006/11/08/the-western-strategy/#comment-363769 Greetings Neil "Blue State" B- You indicated: So my question for you, then, is why has there been no effort by the church or nutjobs like you (hey, you called yourself it, so if the shoe fits…) to go and stalk doctors who perform in-vitro insemination? Your right, I did take on that moniker. I was being facietious as that term has been thrown around pretty loosely by people lately. I walked into that....I'm sorry. Thing is......neither me, people like me nor any church has any business stalking ANYONE at all, which is why all of the people I have hung out with over the last 38 years dont do that. I am not using science pro or con, as I see fit, or at all. My only point is that we need to be aware that this technology and it's potential abuses is every bit as serious as the afflictions that need to be treated. Greetings Neil “Blue State” B-

You indicated:
So my question for you, then, is why has there been no effort by the church or nutjobs like you (hey, you called yourself it, so if the shoe fits…) to go and stalk doctors who perform in-vitro insemination?

Your right, I did take on that moniker. I was being facietious as that term has been thrown around pretty loosely by people lately. I walked into that….I’m sorry.

Thing is……neither me, people like me nor any church has any business stalking ANYONE at all, which is why all of the people I have hung out with over the last 38 years dont do that. I am not using science pro or con, as I see fit, or at all. My only point is that we need to be aware that this technology and it’s potential abuses is every bit as serious as the afflictions that need to be treated.

]]> By: Richard http://bennett.com/blog/2006/11/the-western-strategy/comment-page-1/#comment-363360 Richard Thu, 09 Nov 2006 21:36:49 +0000 http://bennett.com/blog/index.php/archives/2006/11/08/the-western-strategy/#comment-363360 As you note, Mr. Compos, it's a bit of a stretch to say that marriage works "perfectly fine" when most people have opted out of it, either through divorce or out-of-wedlock birth. But if it is such a great institution - and I believe it is, when used as intended - for raising children and encouraging sexual modesty, don't the gays need it just as much as the rest of us? And are those of us who haven't been made gay by the Creator harmed in any way if others imitate our lifestyles? It seems to me more a compliment to the straight way of life than a threat to it. Regarding the questions of abortion and stem cell research, as Neil points out the definition of "life" you're using is so narrow as to be utterly inconsistent, and given that the Bible is silent on these subjects, there doesn't appear to be a legitimate theological position on them. So just as The Rapture is an extra-Biblical construct that was invented in the 19th century, the religious opposition to stem-cell research and first-trimester abortions is simply an arbitrary position justified with a lot of made-up theology. Consequently, I don't think it's fair to say I don't understand the born-again mind set. If anything, I understand it all too well. As you note, Mr. Compos, it’s a bit of a stretch to say that marriage works “perfectly fine” when most people have opted out of it, either through divorce or out-of-wedlock birth. But if it is such a great institution – and I believe it is, when used as intended – for raising children and encouraging sexual modesty, don’t the gays need it just as much as the rest of us? And are those of us who haven’t been made gay by the Creator harmed in any way if others imitate our lifestyles? It seems to me more a compliment to the straight way of life than a threat to it.

Regarding the questions of abortion and stem cell research, as Neil points out the definition of “life” you’re using is so narrow as to be utterly inconsistent, and given that the Bible is silent on these subjects, there doesn’t appear to be a legitimate theological position on them. So just as The Rapture is an extra-Biblical construct that was invented in the 19th century, the religious opposition to stem-cell research and first-trimester abortions is simply an arbitrary position justified with a lot of made-up theology.

Consequently, I don’t think it’s fair to say I don’t understand the born-again mind set. If anything, I understand it all too well.

]]> By: Mike Nelson http://bennett.com/blog/2006/11/the-western-strategy/comment-page-1/#comment-363351 Mike Nelson Thu, 09 Nov 2006 20:55:10 +0000 http://bennett.com/blog/index.php/archives/2006/11/08/the-western-strategy/#comment-363351 On immigration: In the next recession (don't kid yourself, there will be one) all the white-collar jobs will be taken up by imported H1-B visa workers, and all the blue-collar jobs will be taken by illegal immigrants. Why? Because business don't care about the US middle-class, which drove more than 60% of the US economy with consumer spending. Business doesn't care about the US economy at all. They are playing in a much bigger world economy, and they will do whatever it takes to compete. That means lowering labor costs by any means necessary. If they can't "outsource" it to a cheaper labor market, they will "insource" cheap labor from outside the US with H1-B visas (and all the other variations on that theme) and illegal immigrants. The next recession will wipe out what is left of the US middle-class. On immigration: In the next recession (don’t kid yourself, there will be one) all the white-collar jobs will be taken up by imported H1-B visa workers, and all the blue-collar jobs will be taken by illegal immigrants. Why? Because business don’t care about the US middle-class, which drove more than 60% of the US economy with consumer spending. Business doesn’t care about the US economy at all. They are playing in a much bigger world economy, and they will do whatever it takes to compete. That means lowering labor costs by any means necessary. If they can’t “outsource” it to a cheaper labor market, they will “insource” cheap labor from outside the US with H1-B visas (and all the other variations on that theme) and illegal immigrants.

The next recession will wipe out what is left of the US middle-class.

]]> By: Neil "Blue State" B http://bennett.com/blog/2006/11/the-western-strategy/comment-page-1/#comment-363350 Neil "Blue State" B Thu, 09 Nov 2006 20:49:14 +0000 http://bennett.com/blog/index.php/archives/2006/11/08/the-western-strategy/#comment-363350 A couple of items - I live in AZ, and Jim L. is correct - the gay marriage law was completely too restricitve, and would have passed here too if it wasn't for these restrictions. I have a question for Mr. Campos regarding the chuch's stance on stem cell research...if you feel that a few cells in a jar on a scientist's desk is "human life", then what is your view on artifical insemination? Because according to you, if you do in fact feel that four cells in a petry dish constitutes "human life" (a concept that I find so ludicrous that I cannot even put an apprpriate response in words), then according to you NO woman should be allowed to use artifical insemination to have a baby. It is a fact that due to the small success rate of implanting the fertizlied egg into the woman, the process involves fertilizing up to 100 eggs for use. Once there is sucess (or three or so failures), any remaining eggs are either frozen for future use or tossed. Literally hundreds of thousands of fertizlied eggs are tossed or frozen each year. So my question for you, then, is why has there been no effort by the church or nutjobs like you (hey, you called yourself it, so if the shoe fits...) to go and stalk doctors who perform in-vitro insemination? You can't have your cake and eat it too - either you are against a process that as a rule destroys hundreds of thousands of "human lives" each year, or you allow science to use these discarded eggs for the advancement of scientific study. Seems like you're using science as you see fit... You position on the matter seems intellectually inconsistent and frankly hypocritical.... A couple of items – I live in AZ, and Jim L. is correct – the gay marriage law was completely too restricitve, and would have passed here too if it wasn’t for these restrictions.

I have a question for Mr. Campos regarding the chuch’s stance on stem cell research…if you feel that a few cells in a jar on a scientist’s desk is “human life”, then what is your view on artifical insemination? Because according to you, if you do in fact feel that four cells in a petry dish constitutes “human life” (a concept that I find so ludicrous that I cannot even put an apprpriate response in words), then according to you NO woman should be allowed to use artifical insemination to have a baby. It is a fact that due to the small success rate of implanting the fertizlied egg into the woman, the process involves fertilizing up to 100 eggs for use. Once there is sucess (or three or so failures), any remaining eggs are either frozen for future use or tossed. Literally hundreds of thousands of fertizlied eggs are tossed or frozen each year.

So my question for you, then, is why has there been no effort by the church or nutjobs like you (hey, you called yourself it, so if the shoe fits…) to go and stalk doctors who perform in-vitro insemination? You can’t have your cake and eat it too – either you are against a process that as a rule destroys hundreds of thousands of “human lives” each year, or you allow science to use these discarded eggs for the advancement of scientific study. Seems like you’re using science as you see fit…

You position on the matter seems intellectually inconsistent and frankly hypocritical….

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