Jamie

Insightful article. I don't really care for what Pat Robertson says though (can someone remind me why he's always in the news? Is he like a Billy Graham?)

Just a few facts about the War on drugs:
50% of young men in the black community have been incarcerated in the U.S. mainly due to the federal war on drugs, despite rates of drug use being similar between both blacks and whites.

Consequently, this policy legally locks many in the black community to suffer from lifetime inferior status and limited access to equal opportunities.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_R0niQgkAa4 http://www.democracynow.org/2012/1/13/on_eve_of_mlk_day_michelle

Obama last September actually sold bunker buster bombs to Israel. U.S., an expert in proxy wars.

-In the short term, U.S. would be committing economic suicide if they decide to invade Iran mainly because they can't afford it; U.S. had already spent and are still spending money on at least four other active wars. If they do attack Iran, expect them to do so later down the road, after saving up more money, allocating it into the budget, and after developing their bunker buster and drone bomb technology (on Feb 11, US approved the Pentagon to improve upon its bombs). Until then, expect smaller proxy wars in places like Syria. Right now, U.S. policy makers within think tanks are split 50/50 on whether to invade Iran or not. Iran is the last nation that stands in U.S.'s way for long term dominance in the world market, but at a very costly short term risk if they decide to invade. 

-However, Obama did secretly sell Israel bunker buster bombs last year for Israel to possibly or threaten to attack Iran if they wish. However, if they do so in the short term, it'll make the economy more volatile. No world leader at the moment is ready for a world war. 

-Unless Saudia Arabia starts supplying Europe with more oil, expect gas prices to steadily rise in the U.S. because U.S. sanctions are currently in place to prevent Iran from selling oil to Europe and these sanctions will become stronger in effect come this July. 

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/09/23/president-obama-secretly-approved-transfer-of-bunker-buster-bombs-to-israel.html

This cartoon pretty much sums it up: http://vastleft.blogspot.com/2012/03/american-extremists-do-you-like.html

I guess Obama doesn't bluff; when he means it, he means it. Libya got a first hand taste of it.

The issue is that U.S. in the short-term can not afford to invade Iran. They'll try to stall as long as possible until they got both the money and the weapons they want to develop in order to do so, like that bunker buster bomb.

Politically speaking, in Canada, they started 3rd parties like the NDP who only recently became the official opposition party.

To be frank, does it really make sense to vote for a party that may on rhetoric say they represent you but are worse on every issue you care about than even the GOP??

Think about how in 60 years, society continues to get worse where the poor get poorer and people's defense is, 'oh well the other party would be worse.'

Choosing the lesser of two perceived evils is still evil and in fact you basically say, evil is ok which is what has happened with Barack Obama.

Obama's abusive and oppressive record:
--the top recipient of money from weapons dealers and Wall street in all of U.S. history.
----spent billions on an illegal war without Congressional approval,
--surrounded himself with the very people who caused the crash as his financial advisors.
-- codified indefinite detention of Americans without a trial
-- targets and drone bombs civilian rescuers and funerals in Pakistan
--funds children armies in Congo and Yemen,
--selectively arms and aids Al Quaeda forces in Libya and Syria,
--gave oligo-poly power to health insurance companies while cutting from Medicare and stripping power away from patients and doctors,
-- targeted American civilians including a 16 year old without a trial, which has even previous CIA agents under Clinton and Bush come out confessing their uneasiness of such policies.
-- cut funds for fighting HIV in Africa
---Despite 9/11 having occurred over 10 years ago, Obama has increased war spending way beyond the previous administration, thus having the fastest rate of debt in U.S. history. He's also outlined a 10 year deal to continue to increase spending on wars with an emphasis on covert drone attacks.

Speaking of Dr MLK, check out some of the following quotes. Keep in mind he protested hard against both Republicans and Democrats for the war in Vietnam.

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter."
“I agree with Dante, that the hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in a period of moral crisis, maintain their neutrality”
"Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity." - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Does this imply that Obama's a Christian who stands for justice? If you follow the logic of this article, you would think Obama's a Christian based on his words, but you'd express doubt whether Obama is indeed a justice believing Christian based on his actions.

It's time to stop painting a glorified picture of Obama or any leader for that matter... because it allows his oppressive policies to be cemented as the new normal. You aid in disarming the protest of those who actually advocate justice and peace and aren't hypocritical about it. 

Obama's abusive and oppressive record:
--the top recipient of money from weapons dealers and Wall street in all of U.S. history. 
----spent billions on an illegal war without Congressional approval, 
--surrounded himself with the very people who caused the crash as his financial advisors.
-- codified indefinite detention of Americans without a trial
-- targets and drone bombs civilian rescuers and funerals in Pakistan
--funds children armies in Congo and Yemen, 
--selectively arms and aids Al Quaeda forces in Libya and Syria, 
--gave oligo-poly power to health insurance companies while cutting from Medicare and stripping power away from patients and doctors,
-- targeted American civilians including a 16 year old without a trial, which has even previous CIA agents under Clinton and Bush come out confessing their uneasiness of such policies. 
-- cut funds for fighting HIV in Africa
---Despite 9/11 having occurred over 10 years ago, Obama has increased war spending way beyond the previous administration, thus having the fastest rate of debt in U.S. history. He's also outlined a 10 year deal to continue to increase spending on wars with an emphasis on covert drone attacks.

If you still support Obama after knowing the murders done under his administration, I call you an accomplice.

Obama will be increasing the use of covert wars and predator drones and thereby increasing military spending over the next 5 years which kill as many as 50 civilians or every target.

Yes, less troops will die but more women and children will die as well and b/c of no costs to troops at home, there will be hardly any resistance among the average citizen, which makes this a new era of bloodshed against humanity like no other where the voices of the innocent are truely lost.

ABC news Was Teen Killed By CIA Drone a Militant -- or Innocent Victim?: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/tariq-khan-killed-cia-drone/story?id=15258...

CNN news: Obama's drone comment was no slip-up, official says - CNN.com http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/31/politics/obama-pakistan/index.html

Data on some of the killings: http://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/2012/02/04/obama-terror-drones-cia-...

Warning graphic war clips: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmubZ04j5YU

Facebook.com/moonjp

Let me shift the focus and apply those same quotes to the deliverer of the message because to me, Obama is the biggest hypocrite of them all. And I feel such indignation at the crimes Obama has committed that anyone who wilfully supports Obama knowing them is an accomplice of war crimes and murder (hope Shane's not in that category and playing the same game. I feel he's smarter than that but he should come out stronger if he does know the horrors that has happened under the Obama adminstration)

If you knew of a mayor who killed a 16 year old without due process and you still supported this mayor's rhetoric using Dorothy as his cover up then such willful ignorance I have to protest against it.

It's sad that partisan politics trumps Jesus that we continue to permit such atrocities just because we perceive someone as the 'lesser of two evils.' I say, evil is evil and continual blind support for a candidate is what allows these horrors to continue.

Warning * graphic images on Obama's new era of warfare- Prediator drones attacks that kill 50 civilians with every target http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmubZ04j5YU&feature=youtu.be

Sincere question:

1. The buffett rule and the savings on the Iraq/afganistan war sounded appealing but does anyone know how much revenue would these two initaitives bring in when you combine in with his proposed 10 year increases in other military spending and his proposed corporate tax cuts? I.e. how much of the defecit would be reduced? Will it be back to pre-Obama/Bush numbers?

With all due respect to Sarah's statement, 'But I’ll offer a critique with as much kindness as I can muster, because I’m worried about Driscoll — and about the church — for expecting pastors to be experts in subjects that are best left to trained, licensed professionals.'

Really? marriage and sex advice should be left up to professionals like medical doctors- a profession with a high rate of divorce?  I don't recall Mark suggesting against going to a therapist, so why can advice ONLY be given out by professionals?


I suppose parents would need to have licenses as well in order to give sex or marriage advice to their kids? or even married couples need licenes to give counsel to another?  

Come on now.. one would expect Driscoll to have a hard stance against polygamy, gay marriage, etc but what's wrong with talking frankly about how powerful sex can be and the importance of friendship to ground the marriage?

It sounds to me the Driscolls get it on quite often and maybe David and Sarah are missing out on the action or something--- perhaps feeling a bit envious of what Mark and Grace have- a wonderful sex life and an awesome family life.

The controversy made through this review wants me to go buy it. Of course, I'll find disagreements,  but I doubt any 'licensed,' marriage counsellor is the only people who can give advice on sex.  

We can learn from many different people-- and for Mark to promote friendship and sex within marriage doesn't seem all that bad. I must be missing something.

If the Driscolls' advice helps people, is it that bad?  Mark and his wife have something special that I hardly see in other couples -- whatever it is, it has worked for them. 

I got a feeling David's projecting himself too much on Mark especially when he doesn't even know him.  If you've watched some of Driscoll's marriage sermons, what David describes is off base. 

Is it me, or did his review sorta sound kind of harsh.. I wanted to see more examples to support his points, but there were none.

All I got was how this books is just Driscoll creating rules for marriage that we have to obey for marriage to be successful.. but for some reason, especially if driscoll had even advocated the importance of love languages and 'hates religion,' why one would critique the way David did.

 

Take it with a grain of salt.

If you really care about the environment, then your foreign policy needs to change. i.e. no more wars that are connected to the oil industry with the OPEC countries.

You should also realize that Obama's panel released a 72 page document on their plan to drill for more oil at home and more corporate tax cuts; I guess he's looking to see if there's more oil in the U.S. before asking Canada for some. And if neither of those two options work, then Iran's there.

http://news.firedoglake.com/2012/01/17/presidents-jobs-council-pushes-co...

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-01-18/obama-jobs-panel-urges-broad...