A good uplifting point of view from God.....
Posted By: sm on 2008-09-01
In Reply to: I've been asked "What is bootstrap mentality?" - The answer is complicated. Could use some help..s
http://www.sjchurchofchrist.org/freeboot.shtml
Complete Discussion Below:  marks the location of current message within thread
The messages you are viewing
are archived/old.
To view latest messages and participate in discussions, select
the boards given in left menu
Other related messages found in our database
Good point. I see no problem with both points of view being taught...
and letting indivdiuals decide. Isn't that what America is about?
Another point of view...
Thinking About Iraq on King Day
By Star Parker
Monday, January 15, 2007
The characteristic of greatness - whether we are talking about a great man or great art - is that it transcends time and place. It dips into that which is universally and eternally true and applies those truths to a particular moment and a particular place.
Re-reading, after many reads, Dr. Martin Luther King's words of Aug. 28, 1963, the famous I Have a Dream speech, his greatness rings clearer than ever.
Because King did indeed touch the heavens on that day and pull down kernels of eternal truths about freedom and the condition of man, those words of 40-plus years ago have relevance to our struggles today. They can serve as guidance in these difficult times.
Am I saying that King's message from 1963 can guide us in today's conundrums _ about our embroilment in Iraq, about the Middle East, about America's role in the world? Yes, I am saying this.
The power of King's message, the unquestionable reason that the movement he led was successful, was his appeal to the truth of freedom and its universal applicability to all men.
By identifying and appealing to the freedom of man as a universal and eternal truth, and going on to make clear that this truth defined what this great country is about, then King's conclusion _ the intolerability of conditions that denied any American full participation in this freedom _ could not be denied.
Beyond this central message, King made other very important points in this speech.
One of key importance was that responsibility for solving a problem does not necessarily imply direct responsibility in having caused that problem.
Although the responsibility clearly was in the hands of those Americans with power, overwhelmingly white Americans, to fix the problems in the country that limited the availability of freedom to all, this did not mean that all those same Americans were racists or had caused the problem to begin with.
The responsibility for fixing these problems came, rather, with being the beneficiaries of a country whose destiny and identity was fundamentally linked with the enterprise of freedom.
In King's words, white Americans have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.
He appealed to blacks not to allow suffering to translate into bitterness nor into categorical hate of white Americans. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.
Instead, King exhorted black Americans to Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.
So Dr. King accomplished a lot of business that August day in 1963.
He recognized the universal truth of human liberty. He recognized our country as a unique vessel of that truth. He appealed to Americans with power to assume their responsibilities as the beneficiaries of liberty to make this a better and freer country. And he appealed to black Americans to assume a different kind of responsibility _ to not allow themselves to be destroyed by unearned suffering but to be redeemed by it.
The prophet is a lonely man because he brings a message that people do not want to hear.
Dr. King's activism was not welcomed by most whites and a good many blacks.
There is natural appeal in the inertia of the status quo. Change and assumption of new responsibilities and challenges are welcomed by few.
Turmoil tells us that something is wrong and we have no choice but to open our eyes and ears and assume the responsibilities that are cast upon us.
I am, of course, not a military tactician and am in no position to speculate about how best to use American troops to midwife a portion of the world that clearly needs help in becoming more modern, more civil and freer.
However, I can say, that I am in complete sympathy with our president who senses that America has a unique and special role to play in this world. We cannot shirk responsibilities that are clearly ours.
I cannot help but think that it is not an accident that the United States stands so alone, despite many other nations that claim to have similar commitments to and stakes in civility and liberty. The way they act makes clear that they don't.
The truths that Dr. King articulated in so crystal clear a way in 1963 continue to resound today. Freedom is what this country is about. We have no choice. It is our heritage. We thrive and prosper from it. And we cannot avoid the responsibilities that come with it in our engagement with the rest of the world.
I appreciate your point of view, Just Me....
and I will be the first to admit, as I admitted right up front to GT/GW/BW/FPJ who knows what else, she pushed my buttons and took great joy in doing so. She attributed things to me I never said, condemned an entire political party en masse and had the nerve to call me a bigot and that was the nicest thing she called me. If you followed the posts you know that most of the name calling from my end was just repeating back to her what I had been called. The same kinds of exchanges happen on political talk shows every night. Have you ever watched Chris Matthews or Keith Olbermann?
Her parting shot...Time to take out the trash.
In deference to your request, I will say this...I believe that GW believes with every fiber of her being that she is right and is passionate about her beliefs, and I certainly understand that. I think she is probably a nice person to those who share her views, loves her family like the rest of us and would like to fix all the perceived injustices in the world, just like the rest of us would. But you can't move forward if you don't let go of the hate and the blame game. There is plenty of blame to go around, on both sides of the aisle. No law, no program, no nothing can be passed in this country without both Republicans and Democrats voting for it, fact. We can't blame it all on the left and we can't blame it all on the right or the middle or whoever. In fact, we shouldn't be blaming at all, just trying to fix. But...as I am sure you well know, Just Me...the radical side of BOTH parties don't see the middle road.
The irony of the whole thing is that I am not a registered Republican...registered Independent. Only register Republican in primary years because I can't vote if I don't register Republican or Democrat...that's the law. Yet I was thrown right in and condemned right along with every other "pub."
Just Me, sometimes you just have to stand for what you believe, and not let a bully pigeon hole you and call you things you are not. And sometimes you have to fight fire with fire. That is just a part of life. I apologize if you were offended by witnessing it. I truly do. I apologize to anyone who was.
Just to clarify: I don't hate immigrants or immigration. That is how this country was born. Save Native Americans, we ALL descend from immigrants. I just feel immigration should be legal, and that immigrants should become tax-paying citizens before they get the benefits of citizenship. That's it. Real simple. And not bigoted.
And for the record, I don't hate all Democrats or blame them for all the ills in the world. Like I said...plenty of blame to go around on both sides. My parents were Democrats (old school Democrats). There have been Democrats I greatly admired...John Kennedy...Zell Miller. Great Americans in my opinion.
My point of view
I really don't care if a president cheats on his or HER spouse under most circumstances. But when his little playmate testifies he was being "serviced" by her with talking on the phone with important people, that bothers me. She very well could have heard confidential things she shouldn't have. When you are in the Oval Office you are on the clock and should act like it.
Another point of view...or two (sm)
http://www.israeltoday.co.il/default.aspx?tabid=178&nid=17587
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-11/20/content_10388377.htm
exactly my point of view, thanks, just me'.......nm
nm
You're entitled to your point of view
but not everybody thinks he has lied. Just because people say he has lied does not make it true. There has been nothing substantial to support that he lied. I just wish people would just quit throwing the word lie around so freely, because they are jumping to conclusions with no substantiation.
What scares me is I wonder how many people could withstand a real threat to this country. We are so un-unified if it came across the television that we were being attacked....I'm not sure some of you would believe it....you'd just say, "another Bush lie..."
Our generation knows nothing of true hardship. The Iraq war is not a quagmire...it's not another Vietnam...it's not anything like the dems are whining about it being....
what a bigoted point of view!
I suppose it is okay for the "men" to have affairs and the other issues they have had? that's not dysfunctional? It is okay to leave it to the women to take to fix their crap?
This really makes me both mad and sad --
I'd like to see things from your point of view but
I can't seem to get my head up that far in my behind.
Someone who respected her point of view
Both similar to yours. Though her point of view was a little different from yours, she had a great sense of humor. She knew she was going to be attacked by certain posters on this board no matter what she said and she never cared and never caved in to the ridicule and the ignorance.
If they finally got to her, then I'm really sorry about that, though I can understand why. I considered her a friend, and I miss her. 
Case in point...what a democratic view....NOT.
YOu have been exposed for what you are, and in typical spin, turn it on to someone else and make them the villain. You guys are like the Wizard of Oz...one head and lots of little bodies running around. :)
Simply displays a different point of view...nm
x
Clarification...do not allow dissention to their point of view...nm
x
Yes, but if it were FOX and an anti-liberal view point ad...
all liberals would be screaming "censorship".
Case in point. Complete intolerance for any view other than their own.
This is what the Democratic party has become.
My point of view was stated quite clearly. People on the left may be blinded....
Kind of sad, actually.
My point of view was stated quite clearly. People on the left may be blinded....
Someone less partisan and more uplifting
Joel Olsten. If he was looking to "reach out" to the conservative right, I'd much rather see even Pat Robertson (!), who at least has shown some capacity to embrace the realities of the demise of his party and some insight into where they REALLY need to be focusing their energy.
Dyn-O-mite ! ! ! What a great uplifting story
x
Good point, good post. Thanks.
Good point...sm
There is no blaming liberals for Bush's inaction. He hasn't paid us any attention for the past 6 years, so anything that he has done is of his own accord, including the handling of the war in Iraq.
Suzie mentioned not taking out al Sadr above (sound familiar?).
Good point
I remember a disagreement several of us had with our pastor years ago. Several folks were talking about leaving. One of the elders told us, "You don't leave, I don't leave, this is our church, not his. He needs to remember that he works for us, not the other way around." Brought lots of things into perspective for me.
Good point
Yeah, they are both raking in the dough, but why should Hillary or anyone be forced to pay our health care costs? Your right, the post makes no sense.
Good point - :-)
xx
Good point. nm
nm
Good for you! Well-said and to-the-point, too.
x
Good point. nm
nm
Good point! nm
Good point :-) nm
x
Good point - He won by only 4%
They did not get 100% of the vote and he did not win by a landslide. I would say more like "squeaked by".
Good point there
Many of the people that carry on about the sanctity of human life have no problem rushing out during hunting season to bag their quota of wildlife, no problem trashing the environment/planet for profit, etc. Either all life is sacred, or none is, IMHO.
good point s/m
Methodists share that belief as do most protestant churches I believe. I don't believe that politics has any place in the pulpit.
Good point....nm
x
Good point
nm
You have a good point there..........sm
By comparison, what I meant was that if he fails to bring us out of this downward spiral we are in then America would fail. I was looking at it as if Obama was doing what was the best thing for this country, and certainly, none of what he has accomplished thus far has been for the good of the country. I stand corrected!
Good point. (nm)
*
That is a very good point.
All the sex and drugs that goes along with rock n roll. There is always going to be something you don't approve of one way or another whether it be who they sleep with or how much drugs they do. I would not deprive myself of good music just because that particular artist is gay.
That's a good point and it's true. sm
I am sure all of us have things we do in the name of kindness. The rest of us just don't talk about it.
Rush may have a good point here.
From an email I got:
"Love him or loathe him, he nailed this one right on the head..........
By Rush Limbaugh:
I think the vast differences in compensation between victims of the September 11 casualty and those who die serving our country in Uniform are profound. No one is really talking about it either, because you just don't criticize anything having to do with September 11. Well , I can't let the numbers pass by because it says something really disturbing about the entitlement mentality of this country. If you lost a family member in the September 11 attack, you're going to get an average of $1,185,000. The range is a minimum guarantee of $250,000, all the way up to $4.7 million.
If you are a surviving family member of an American soldier kill ed in action, the first check you get is a $6,000 direct death benefit, half of which is taxable.
Next, you get $1,750 for burial costs. If you are the surviving spouse, you get $833 a month until you remarry. And there's a payment of $211 per month for each child under 18. When the child hits 18, those payments come to a screeching halt.
Keep in mind that some of the people who are getting an average of $1.185 million up to $4.7 million are complaining that it's not enough. Their deaths were tragic, but for most, they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Soldiers put themselves in harms way FOR ALL OF US, and they and their families know the dangers. (Actually, soldiers are put in harms way by politicians and commanding officers.)
We also learned over the weekend that some of the victims from the Oklahoma City bombing have started an organization asking for the same deal that the September 11 families are getting. In addition to that, some of the families of those bombed in the embassies are now asking for compensation as well.
You see where this is going, don't you? Folks, this is part and parcel of over 50 years of entitlement politics in this country. It's just really sad. Every time a pay raise comes up for the military, they usually receive next to nothing of a raise. Now the green machine is in combat in the Middle East while their families have to survive on food stamps and live in low-rent housing. Make sense?
However, our own US Congress voted themselves a raise. Many of you don't know that they only have to be in Congress one time to receive a pension that is more than $15,000 per month. And most are now equal to being millionaires plus. They do not receive Social Security on retirement beca use they didn't have to pay into the system. If some of the military people stay in for 20 years and get out as an E-7, they may receive a pension of $1,000 per month, and the very people who placed them in harm's way receives a pension of $15,000 per month.
I would like to see our elected officials pick up a weapon and join ranks before they start cutting out benefits and lowering pay for our sons and daughters who are now fighting.
Good point - forgot about that
x
oh, good comeback. What is the point
nm
You bring up such a good point...
my partner drives a school bus in 2 areas, a very impoverished area, and then in the 'upper class' area, and he never gets over all the kindness and gifts he gets from the poorest of people during holidays, while the more affluent areas not even give nothing, they do not even treat him as a person.
I have noticed that during post office drives, you always see the most donated goods hanging on the mailboxes in poor neighborhoods, and very rarely anything from the huge gigantic housing developments. not to say they do not give but it really says SO MUCH.
we are musicians here where I live also and even the money-making machine bars and restaurants, they want to get everything free, they are making musicians around here go broke and do not care at all. they hold open mics and get everyone to play for free, while over-charging for every other little service, and give the musicians nothing, not even a free pop or coffee (or drink if you drink).
by the way, these establishments all boast they are christians/family establishments.
I think wick has a good point here..
That's a good point. I'm like you in the middle -nm
.....
Good point - what about HC's suits.
How come nobody commented on Hillary Clintons outfits. She doesn't shop at Penny/Sears or any of the other stores I do. Her clothes are very expensive but nobody made any comments about her spending money on clothes.
Good point, I agree with that...nm
nm
Good point. Actually, I think he wants to be Denzel
nm
Good point, Amanda. sm
If you had really listened closely to Prez Obama's speech earlier, he clearly stated the government is willing to give them a boost up in order to stabilize them and give them a chance to revamp their manufacturing in order to be competative with the global car manufacturers. I am so glad to hear that one of the plants that will be shut down is Hummer. We don't need gas guzzlers like that on the road. They serve no purpose other than to satisfy the egomaniacs who need a huge obnoxious vehicle in order for them to feel superior. We are not all going to be driving Smart cars. For pete's sake, be realistic. There is a solid purpose to keep manufacturing trucks and SUVs, and they can be made more energy efficient. We desperately need a new mindset in this country, one that insists on less consumption, more cost effectiveness with an eye to achieving freedom from foreign oil. In other words, we need to adapt a new attitude of learning to live without all the disgusting excess that goes on in this country. People need to wake up and reprioritize what is really important, which is not more, more, more. We can be the leaders in the world and set an example to everyone else that our values are more important than the trappings that we have prostituted ourselves for decades. This is not a bad thing!
"'The truth is that the president is just doing with GM what we, the people elected him to do: manage America’s decline and do it gently, painlessly, without seeming to abandon the old tropes of American Greatness."
That Bill WAS our president at one point and a good one at that....sm
DUH!
lol
Good point. Yeah, maybe that is the norm there.
nm
Good post. I think you made your point!
Go McCain/Palin 2008
|
