Conspiracies, right and left...
Hillary Clinton has trotted out the phrase "vast, right-wing conspiracy'' again in reference to certain Election Day shenanigans.
There could be such a thing as a vast, left-wing conspiracy too, except that liberals never shut up, and are so ego-ridden they can't keep quiet.
Actually, the very nature of conspiracy generally prohibits a "vastness.'' You need to keep a conspiracy small and mum if it's to be effective. And even then, as in the case of an extramarital affair, a conspiracy of precisely two, the odds are that it ain't gonna be kept in the dark for long.
But I think we can all agree on this: Conservatives sometimes try to keep people of color from voting.
Liberals try to make sure that dead people exercise their franchise.
There could be such a thing as a vast, left-wing conspiracy too, except that liberals never shut up, and are so ego-ridden they can't keep quiet.
Actually, the very nature of conspiracy generally prohibits a "vastness.'' You need to keep a conspiracy small and mum if it's to be effective. And even then, as in the case of an extramarital affair, a conspiracy of precisely two, the odds are that it ain't gonna be kept in the dark for long.
But I think we can all agree on this: Conservatives sometimes try to keep people of color from voting.
Liberals try to make sure that dead people exercise their franchise.
posted by Michael Riley at 10:00 AM
20 Comments:
I'm no linguist, mind you, but I think Senator (then First Lady) Clinton's remarks about the motivations of the right-wing in this country would have been so much more effective had she used the word "cabal" instead of conspiracy. To me, cabal implies a commonality of thought and/or approach, and does so without the sinister implications that the word conspiracy tends to conjure up. (e.g., "There is a left-wing 'cabal' in this nation that tends to feel it has free license to be overly critical of conservative Christians, particularly those Christians who dare to express conservative political positions. Moreover, this criticism is often expressed with a venom that would never be directed towards Jews, Muslims or other non-Christians.")
Hey, wait a minute. I think I just described Reverend Riley's approach to the Christian right. :-)
Cabal
Hillary Clinton vs. Rudy Giuliani debating family values, now that would be neither a conspiracy nor a cabal-just hypocrisy..especially with Bill Clinton standing in the wings grinning and "supporting" his wife..
"...but they [Christians] think they're in a position to limit the rights of others." -- Ray
Care to cite any examples, Ray, or is this rant of yours going to include just vague generalizations?
glad to see bad anonymous is even too cowardly to use his old blog name and is now "papinian" spewing same narrow-minded nonsense..a fanatic can't change his crazy stripes...
Margaret,
I don't think Ray objected to one's personal views on subjects such as abortion or gay rights.
But I think he proved his point when he said that Christians step over a line when they attempt to legislate based on personal religious beliefs like that.
I agree with him.
"Let's see, how about all of the rights that you guys don't believe we should have?: Choice ..." -- Ray
Is this what you meant by "choice," Ray?
"Thomas Jefferson said our laws derived from the Magna Carta and was of the opinion that the Magna Carta was written before there was any knowledge of Jesus." -- Ray
Thanks for the scatterbrained history lesson, Ray. Thanks even more the laugh it gave me.
Psst... Jesus died in 33 AD. The Magna Carta was written in 1215 AD. Plenty of people knew of Jesus before the year 1215. If you doubt that, read the Magna Carta itself. (I'm sure Thomas Jefferson did.) The Magna Carta not only mentions the Church that Jesus founded, the Catholic Church, it also goes on to name specific bishops, cardinals and even Pope Innocent III.
The Magna Carta
The English Translation of The Magna Carta
"My daughter is being confirmed today...very busy." -- Margaret
Congratulations, Margaret! My prayers will certainly be with your daughter and her sponsor on this special day. Hopefully your husband and yourself will not choke up too much when your daughter is anointed and symbolically "slapped," a powerful reminder that your daughter may, hereafter, be called upon to suffer in defense of our common Faith. Again, congratulations. (They sure do grow up fast, don't they?)
What Difference Does Confirmation Make?
Incidentally, St. Mary's is one beautiful parish you have down there! My wife and I very much look forward to seeing your new church on May 4 & 5th when we will be there to listen to Father Corapi preach. That your parish would be able to get Father Corapi to come says a great deal in and of itself!
Father Corapi
Ray's use of the Magna Carta may not have been the best defense of his case about our founding fathers, but he is absolutely correct in his assertion that the philosophies of most of our founding fathers are SO far removed from what most contemporary and conventional Christians would call "Christianity."
Our nation's principles stem from the Enlightenment Era. Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and Ben Franklin were all Deists, not conventional Christians. The "God" mentioned in the Declaration of Independence and several other founding documents is not the "Abrahamic God" that Muslims, Jews, and Christians worship.
He's a watchmaker.
"That makes a pretty good argument for birth control, doesn't it?" -- Ray
Considering that many if not most of the women seeking to secure a legal abortion are doing so because their attempts at birth control failed, then no, murdering millions of innocent children in the name of "choice" most certainly doesn't make a compelling argument for birth control. But then again, if one is inclined to think that "the Word of God is whatever you want it to be," then I imagine one so inclined would have little or no difficulty morally justifying the genocide of millions in furtherance of a particular political ideology. God knows the Nazis did precisely that.
Birth control failure among patients with unwanted pregnancies: A study
"Besides, I'm not sure that the fetus was only 24 weeks old and it could have been a miscarriage." -- Ray
You need to see more pictures of the murdered babies that you dismiss as "a choice", Ray? Isn't the blood on your hands enough? Very well ...
Patrick & Sarah
"Here's a quote from Jefferson to Major John Cartwright ... Thus, in the opinion of perhaps our most important founding father, this is not a Christian nation guided by biblical principles." -- Ray
Thomas Jefferson: Deist or Christian? (Meet The Real Thomas Jefferson)
"Wasn't it God who said: 'And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard. And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die.'" -- Deuteronomy 21:20-21. -- Ray
Well isn't this cute? The very same guy that, just days ago, rejected the veracity of Sacred Scripture when it spoke to the historicity of The Resurrection of Christ is now quoting Scripture himself. How convenient. I am reminded of Satan quoting Scripture whilst tempting Christ in the desert.
That said, and while I would certainly encourage you to continue your newfound appreciation for Sacred Scripture, please know the following, Ray: "Text without context is pretext."
"BTW, D.James Kennedy, your source, is a Christian supremacist and has been blasted by the Anti-Defamation League." -- Ray
You say that as if it were a bad thing.
"Well there we have it. Papinian is an anti-Zionist bigot. Most people who talk the way he does are. I knew it would come out sooner or later." -- Ray
What you know, Ray, wouldn't fill a thimble. Incidentally, who said anything about Zionism? Or in your mind is anyone that is troubled by the ADL and its activities a de facto anti-Semite or an anti-Zionist?
You are in over your head and your grasping at straws in desperation. Incidentally, given the ADL's history, I certainly wouldn't want to be affiliated with them.
In all seriousness though, Papinian, Kennedy is a pretty bad source
Ray, Jesus fulfilled the old covenant. Accordingly, "Christians are not required to follow the Old Testament rules about crimes and punishments, warfare, slavery, diet, circumcision, sacrifice, feast days, Sabbath observance, ritual cleanness, etc." So, no, Christians would not stone a drunk or a glutton.
See ...
click here
Also, while the word of God does include what is contained in the Bible, it also includes Sacred Tradition and The Magisterium.
Anonymous, if you read the Kennedy link, you'll see that Kennedy says that Thomas Jefferson was NOT a genuine Christian. Kennedy writes ...
"Jefferson was a true friend of the Christian faith. But was he a true Christian? A nominal Christian – as demonstrated by his lifelong practice of attending worship services, reading the Bible, and following the moral principles of Christ – Jefferson was not, in my opinion, a genuine Christian. In 1813, after his public career was over, Jefferson rejected the deity of Christ. Like so many millions of church members today, he was outwardly religious, but never experienced the new birth that Jesus told Nicodemus was necessary to enter the kingdom of Heaven."
Respond to what, Ray? Those times when you called me a bigot, an anti-Zionist, an anti-Semite, a Christian supremacist and now, by implication, a white supremacist? Is that what you wanted me to comment upon? Or were you looking for me to comment on your belief that only politically liberal Christians are interested in what Jesus taught? Or were you looking for me to say even more on your always funny, always absurd claim that "the Word of God is whatever you want it to be."
Very well. First and foremost, thanks for the laughs, Ray. This first-hand glimpse into how you think and how you reach conclusions has been very entertaining. Secondly, that you would make these allegations about me without any basis for doing just that speaks volumes about your character -- or, rather, the lack thereof. You are either not much of a man or you are a sick man. Either way, I'll pray for you, Ray. I hope you get the help you need.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and his name was not Ray.
All Ray is saying is "nor is it 'Donna' or 'Papinian'"...I think that's all he was saying. I do think the continued extension to white supremecist was a bit extreme though.
Ray wrote:
"Okay, let me explain what I'm doing here. I've spent hundreds of hours in blogs, debate forums and chatrooms arguing with people over their beliefs. I've pushed and prodded just to see what would happen. No matter what their belief or who they are, I've argued with them."
I guess this is the poor man's alternative to therapy. What's the matter, Ray? Didn't you get enough hugs as a child?
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