StillWitnessing

I’m sorry to hear about your job.  My employment situation  also seems rather grim.

Thanks for admitting what many deny, that the carbon will be released anyway.  Still, I’d like to point out an inconsistency: when Obama created temporary jobs by borrowing, he was a hero.  But when private individuals invest their own money and create a mix of temporary and long term  jobs, your  response is a vague assertion of a conspiracy to export the oil after all.  Hmmmm

You are welcome.

As for your article recomendation, it reminds me of a comment from a Caribbean friend of mine.  He was surprised when I told him how common it was for slaves to be raped in the American South.  This was in contrast to S. Africa (where he often travelled for work), where any form of sexual mixing was taboo.

My comment today is that both historical situations were very, very sad.  But we can rejoice at the fact that today, at least some of God's laws are being followed in these areas: Sex is for marriage only, and we are not to steal labor from or otherwise oppress the weak.

A fair question, Hazel.

And, for the columnist:

What, exactly, constitutes structural violence?  The Canadian tar sands oil will be burned here, or in China.  It won’t stay in the earth, yet the “morally pure” crowd wants the blame for the pollution, and all the jobs, to go beyond our borders.  This is absurd: we are hobbling our amazing productivity and technology with endless regulations and short sighted decisions.  We kick the can down the road so the next generation is obligated to pay for our “stimulus” bills—which haven’t worked, by the way.  The youth of today will  pay interest on their elder’s mistakes, and everyone pays for it with high unemployment.  Yes, the rich and the entrepreneurs shouldn’t be allowed to break the law, but when they do their job right, everyone benefits.  We need better structures, and less of the “blame the Republicans” rhetoric that this column reeks of.

That approach (true diversity, as opposed to "I know what diversity is and I'm going to MAKE you accept it") could work for many things, like sex ed.  Instead of arguing over the  One Best Curriculum: abstinence only v. Planned Parenthood style, different speakers could advocate each point of view.  In the arena of international health education, this is already done, after a fashion.  Different HIV educational materials are needed in Muslim countries (this last point is from a friend of mine who works on WHO programs and has a Ph.D. in Health Education.)

Thank you for pointing this out, Borgata.  The country isn't really divided into Blue States and Red States, but Blue and Red counties.  Countrywide, the Blue Counties are the cities AND their suburbs.  Even in so-called "blue" states, the rural counties consistently voted Republican in 2008; the few exceptions were in states with very large black populations.  There are, of course, many low income people who do not live in cities.

BlueDeacon, I count you as a friend and brother in Christ, yet you are not advocating Peace on Earth toward anyone.  You have refused olive branches from at least two posters here, including my appeal to the examples of Cal Thomas and King.  Are you certain that the only reason King was nice to the Birmingham clergy is that they were sympathetic liberals?  Would King have assumed that I am an enemy, as you are doing, in violation of Sojourners charge to you to give me the benefit of the doubt?  Are all conservatives hopeless? Should I just "chill out" and shut up?

Well, no, except maybe the ones who snip out the verses they don't like;-)

And you are doubtless more clever than the redaction-maniacs.

(  Don't forget Lk. 9:58, while you're at it)

...and, according to Cal Thomas, Ted Kennedy spoke at Liberty U. at Falwell's invitation, and was a guest in his home.  You are only noticing the bad stuff--and there is plenty, I'm sad to say--and ignoring anything that doesn't fit with your chosen position.  You are contributing mightily to the partisan rancor Cal Thmoas denounced in this book, co-written with a liberal. "Common Ground: How to Stop the Partisan War That Is Destroying America  "

However, I do agree with this: ' Besides, political action (which is what he [Jim] is talking about) should not be confused with "big government." '

I'm not exactly sure what you meant, but I can't see how the poor are empowered by paying one in six federal employees $100,000 yearly, or more, with lavish benefits and lifetime empolyment.  The poor would have much more influence if government employee unions had less. A smaller government needn't mean less influence for "the least of these."

Sorry, both sides are guilty here.  And ranting and raving about "the 1%" isn't making anything better.  You aren't doing that, and neither is Jim, but the anger is out there: I don't hear Elizabeth Warren warning Occupy Boston to tone down their rhetoric.   Christmas wouldn't be overcommercialized if only "the 1%" were getting it wrong!

You make some good points, Jim.  but Fox News didn't invent the commercialization of Christmas; that was going strong long before Fox even existed.  And there are many who disagree with you that religious symbols are an appropriate display, including the Freedom From Religion Foundation, who insists that  depecting the Incarnation is an insult.  (This, interestingly, is not due to FFR's ignorance, but because of their understanding of the connection between the Incarnation and human sin!)

I didn't say a word about forcing "faith" on anyone. But the entire “God’s Politics” blog is about how best to mix Religion and Politics. While the author is free to hold her opinions, it baffles me why she is expressing such views here!
Freedom FROM religion would involve its suppression, which goes against the free exercise clause.

Wanting someone to have a job is compassionate, it's conservatism, and there is nothing oxymoronic about that.  If you want an oxymoron, how about "government jobs:" a solution that's been tried, and obviously doesn't work.

I suggest you reread Jim's column, and the comment guidelnes, before you post again. 

Please, don't hate.