What's in the news?

[Gadifriald]

Well last time I checked the United States has guaranteed freedom of religion and a 90+ year old war memorial is not hurting anyone's freedom of religion by being in the shape of a cross...

[LisztesFerenc]

Well last time I checked the United States has guaranteed freedom of religion and a 90+ year old war memorial is not hurting anyone's freedom of religion by being in the shape of a cross...

  Religious freedom include the freedom from religion. And whilst, yes in a vacuum the cross is harmless, in context it is a small part of larger relationship the US government has with Christianity that violates the First Amendment.

[Beguile's Mistress]

If someone wants to be nit-picky they can have specific symbols added before and/or after each name on the existing monument. 

I also think that if it is decided to destroy the existing monument so it can be replaced efforts should be made to find out who paid for the monument and private and personal donations be returned to original donors.  The expense should be borne by those who request the destruction of the monument.

[LisztesFerenc]

If someone wants to be nit-picky they can have specific symbols added before and/or after each name on the existing monument.

I also think that if it is decided to destroy the existing monument so it can be replaced efforts should be made to find out who paid for the monument and private and personal donations be returned to original donors.  The expense should be borne by those who request the destruction of the monument.

  So wanting the government to follow the first amendment is nitpicky, and you should should have to pay for it? Christianity isn't special under the constitution, it is equal to all other religions. Would it be nitpicky to protests troops being honoured with a religious symbol that was non-Christian, say scientology? Because those two scenarios are equal under the Constitution, it makes no mention of a religions popularity, reputation or age.

[Beguile's Mistress]

  Religious freedom include the freedom from religion. And whilst, yes in a vacuum the cross is harmless, in context it is a small part of larger relationship the US government has with Christianity that violates the First Amendment.

  So wanting the government to follow the first amendment is nitpicky, and you should should have to pay for it? Christianity isn't special under the constitution, it is equal to all other religions. Would it be nitpicky to protests troops being honoured with a religious symbol that was non-Christian, say scientology? Because those two scenarios are equal under the Constitution, it makes no mention of a religions popularity, reputation or age.

Unless you live in the US you really have no way of knowing how your position effects anyone here.  Whether a person is a believer or a non-believer there is the possibility of fanaticism when expressing opinions on this matter.  I've seen it and experienced it in equal measures on both sides of the line and find little to no tolerance by either the fanatic believer or the fanatic non-believer.

Monitor the issue if you wish and express a personal opinion of your own but please don't make judgments on the opinions of others, at least, not in this thread.  There is a proper place for debating things like this where those of us who wish to avoid unpleasantness can ignore it.

[Gadifriald]

Religious freedom include the freedom from religion. And whilst, yes in a vacuum the cross is harmless, in context it is a small part of larger relationship the US government has with Christianity that violates the First Amendment.

This is the literal text of the part of the First Amendment with respect to religion...

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..."

To say that a monument in the shape of a cross violates that clause of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution is a massively broad interpretation and people going after the monument is the same kind of petty antireligious/anti-Christian idiocy that means we now can't have secular Christmas decoration like Christmas trees in airports.

And so you know, I'm not a Christian and am an agnostic.

[LisztesFerenc]

Monitor the issue if you wish and express a personal opinion of your own but please don't make judgments on the opinions of others, at least, not in this thread.

  This isn't a personal opinion of my own, this the text of the first amendment. Unlike many political documents, its pretty concise, and it clearly says no one religion shall be favored, and makes no mention of Christianity, which is a religion, being an exception. This is no more my personal opinion than claiming that killing someone in cold blood violates the law against murder.

  Maybe people think the Constitution should be changed to reflect the special position Christianity has in the US, that's fine, I disagree but you are entitled to that opinion, but currently, the US government's relationship with Christianity (using it and only it on money, in the pledge of allegiance, ect) violates the first amendment which calls for all religions to be treated equally under the law.

[Beguile's Mistress]

  This isn't a personal opinion of my own, this the text of the first amendment. Unlike many political documents, its pretty concise, and it clearly says no one religion shall be favored, and makes no mention of Christianity, which is a religion, being an exception. This is no more my personal opinion than claiming that killing someone in cold blood violates the law against murder.

  Maybe people think the Constitution should be changed to reflect the special position Christianity has in the US, that's fine, I disagree but you are entitled to that opinion, but currently, the US government's relationship with Christianity (using it and only it on money, in the pledge of allegiance, ect) violates the first amendment which calls for all religions to be treated equally under the law.

You might want to research your position on this and make some discovery of what symbols appear on US currency, where they originated and how they came to be there.  You are making some erroneous claims that need to be qualified by responsible actions on your part.

You might want to begin with the following and expand your search:

http://www.theinsider.org/reports/dollar-bill-symbols/

[LisztesFerenc]

You might want to research your position on this and make some discovery of what symbols appear on US currency, where they originated and how they came to be there.  You are making some erroneous claims that need to be qualified by responsible actions on your part.

You might want to begin with the following and expand your search:

http://www.theinsider.org/reports/dollar-bill-symbols/

  Okay, I read it. I'm not convinced by its reliability, and even if I accept everything written there is true, I'm unsure how this disproves that printing "In God we Trust" on US money violates the First Amendment, so I wouldn't know where to continue this research I allegedly need to do.

  But as you said, this is becoming a longer discussion on a thread that was only meant for a couple of comments per story.

[Lustful Bride]

In other news Fidel Castro died.

There seems to be great celebration.

[Sara Nilsson]

http://io9.gizmodo.com/fireflys-shepherd-ron-glass-dies-at-71-1789386169

Ron Glass passed away, well of course 2016 continues to suck :(

Take my love, take my land,
Take me where I cannot stand.
I don't care, I'm still free,
You can't take the sky from me.

Take me out to the black,
Tell them I ain't comin back.
Burn the land and boil the sea,
You can't take the sky from me.

There's no place, I can be,
Since I've found Serenity.

And you can't take the sky from me

[AmberStarfire]

:(

[Trigon]

Trump's new rant: apparently he thinks that millions of people "voted illegally", thereby denying him the popular vote victory:http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/11/27/us/politics/trump-adviser-steps-up-searing-attack-on-romney.html?_r=0&referer=https://www.google.com/

At the rate things are going, I'm going to bet that sometime in the near future, the Constitution will probably have about as much validity as the toilet paper in my bathroom.

#NotMyPresident

[Beguile's Mistress]

This is the type of hyperbole we are going to be treated to for the next four years.  Much like a tempermental child, he'll continue to act out in the hopes that people will stop challenging him because we'll become of afraid of his posturing.

[Lustful Bride]

Syrian Rebels lose all of North East Aleppo in this recent push.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/syria-rebels-lose-all-of-northeast-aleppo-monitor/ar-AAkPOYD?li=BBnbcA1&ocid=HPCOMMDHP15

[Anteros]

8 People Taken to Hospital After Active Shooter Reported at Ohio State University in Columbus; Suspect Dead: http://ktla.com/2016/11/28/active-shooter-reported-at-ohio-state-university-in-columbus/

[Lustful Bride]

well......this is kind of heartbreaking

http://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/news/7-year-old-syrian-girl-livetweets-harrowing-attack-in-aleppo-that-destroyed-her-home/ar-AAkRh2s?li=BBnbfcL&ocid=HPCOMMDHP15

[Lustful Bride]

Update on Ohio 'Shooter'. They used the active shooter protocol in the school but the man used a car and a knife for his attack.

Drove the cart into a crowd of students and then got out, trying to stab anyone he got close to until an Officer arrived on scene and shot the attacker.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/terrorism-suspected-in-car-and-knife-attack-at-ohio-state/ar-AAkRkmu?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=HPCOMMDHP15

FBI and other agencies are now investigating if this was terrorism related.

[RedRose]

Update on Ohio 'Shooter'. They used the active shooter protocol in the school but the man used a car and a knife for his attack.

Drove the cart into a crowd of students and then got out, trying to stab anyone he got close to until an Officer arrived on scene and shot the attacker.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/terrorism-suspected-in-car-and-knife-attack-at-ohio-state/ar-AAkRkmu?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=HPCOMMDHP15

FBI and other agencies are now investigating if this was terrorism related.

Sounds like what they're doing in France in front of schools and Xmas markets, just sans guns.

[Lustful Bride]

Sounds like what they're doing in France in front of schools and Xmas markets, just sans guns.

*confused* When did that happen? More shootings in france?...or am I misunderstanding you?


In other news. 2,000 US veterans plan to form a human shield/chain around the North Dakota Pipeline protestors, standing between them and the police.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/veterans-to-serve-as-%e2%80%98human-shields%e2%80%99-for-dakota-pipeline-protesters/ar-AAkTOnE?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=HPCOMMDHP15

[RedRose]

*confused* When did that happen? More shootings in france?...or am I misunderstanding you?

No, they're using cars and knives, as guns are hard to come by.
Though I've just read that more cops will be allowed to go around with guns now - great in a way, just hoping they won't get stolen.

[Trigon]

Trump is contemplating the idea of sending those who decide to burn the American flag to jail, or revoking their citizenship: http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_583d6f88e4b0860d61164f72

And so it begins, the American dictatorship...

[Beguile's Mistress]

Many voices have been raised against him.  We have to keep that happening.


YouTube of white woman ranting about discrimination.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/%e2%80%98and-i-voted-for-trump-so-there%e2%80%99-woman-accuses-black-michaels-employees-of-discrimination/ar-AAkTUwa?li=BBnb7Kz&OCID=AVRES007

[Lustful Bride]

YouTube of white woman ranting about discrimination.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/%e2%80%98and-i-voted-for-trump-so-there%e2%80%99-woman-accuses-black-michaels-employees-of-discrimination/ar-AAkTUwa?li=BBnb7Kz&OCID=AVRES007

I feel like you worded that in a weird way. :/ *shrug*

I don't really want to get into it, but from what I have seen both pro and anti trump sides have been both good and pieces of shit to eachother...so its not like she is 100% wrong. But in the situation as is, I feel the woman is in the wrong. She just threw a tantrum like a spoiled child over something mundane, possibly she went in there looking for trouble, idk. *shrug*

I agree with the mother who took the footage, it doesn't matter how bad a day you are having or whatever, you cannot go off on other people like that.

*shivers* I don't even want to check out the youtube because I know itl be "All black people are bad. No all white people are bad!" In one massive circle jerk of hate with everyone being a total asshole and collectively lowering the Human IQ.

[Lustful Bride]

Something sweet to remind us all we are One America. 


http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/good-news/%e2%80%98you-belong-stay-strong-be-blessed%e2%80%99-a-texas-man%e2%80%99s-roadside-message-to-muslims/ar-AAkTTY0?li=BBnbfcL&ocid=HPCOMMDHP15


hehehe I love how the guy in the cowboy hat looks like Santa Clause :)