Zeph, the breakdown of society is a myth. Yes, things are changing, but you are missing all the ways in which things are changing for the good.
Fact: The percentage of people who attend church every year has not really changed for the past 20 years.
Fact: The amount of alcohol and tobacco consumed per person continues to decline every year.
Fact: We went from poor American's malnourished back in the 50's and 60's to people being overweight in the 90's.
Fact: The average lifespan continues to rise in the US.
Fact: War is being fought with less loss of American blood than in traditional wars of the past.
Fact: Technology has allowed us to feed the world, even thought the world population continues to grow.
Fact: The danger of nuclear war has been radically reduced;
Fact: The level of divorce has stabilized and gone down in some cases.
Fact: America has some of the cleanest air and water on the planet, reversing a serious downward trend in pollution from the 70's.
THis is just a quick list, but things have gotten better. Are there huge problems? Yes. But let's not forget the good things.
zephyp wrote:@Cody - based on your logic everything should change as we move forward in time...morals, laws, standards, etc....I'll give you a litte run down on changes I've seen...
Never said morals should change. Of course laws should change and standards should change as technology allows and as people change.
zephyp wrote:- Prayer removed from schools
- Legalized abortion
We are not all Christians, it is unAmerican to force your religion on someone else...that goes for Muslims, too. Abortion is based on the right to privacy....don't we want to protect a private decision like abortion and contraception and which other adults we sleep with?[/quote]
zephyp wrote:- Advancement of the homosexual agenda in schools
If you are talking about teaching tolerance towards gay people, then there is nothing wrong with that. But nobody is trying to teach kids to be gay. Besides, nothing wrong with being gay, right?....this is America...home of LIBERTY, right?
zephyp wrote:- Self professed communists working in the white house
This is projection based on misinterpretation. Obama is certainly not a communist. Have particular individuals worked in the whitehouse who at one time or another believed in socialism or communism or Naziism?...Yes. Andrew Jackson was accused of turning the whitehouse into a whorehouse. The political enemies make up lies and distort stuff to attack the other side. Nobody in the whitehouse is trying to turn America into a socialism or communism...that is sheer political propaganda.
zephyp wrote:- Same sex marriage
This is America....home of LIBERTY, right?
zephyp wrote:- Bias towards sharia law by some courts
More political propaganda. Individual court cases are trumped up and distorted to make it seem like this is a trend. There is no trend. There are simply more cases making their way into the courts. I suggest you check your personal bias on this issue...we want America to be a place of religious tolerance, not Christian indoctrination, right?
zephyp wrote:- Legalized euthanasia
Have to be clear here. Sheer political propaganda to suggest euthanasia is being forced on ANYONE. However, I do believe is a LIBERTY to CHOOSE your place and time of death. This is America...home of LIBERTY, right?
zephyp wrote:- Mandatory euthanasia for terminal patients
Where do you get this stuff? This is sheer political propaganda used to drum up false pretense for going after government regulation of medicine. Nobody is suggesting this except for political enemies.
zephyp wrote:- Public worship forbidden unless state sponsored
This is a tough issue. There has to be a balance here. It's not right to have Christian prayer at the opening of a public event, such as High School Graduation, because it will offend too many non-Christians at a time of great celebration. On the other hand, if people want to pray publicly without disturbing the peace, they should be free to do that. I see people praying in front of abortion clinics on public property, and I think that is fine. I think the best balance is a non-religious "moment of silence" that allows people to pray privately at public events if they choose to do so and that should be respected by the nonreligious. But NOBODY is suggesting state-sponsored worship....again sheer political propaganda.
zephyp wrote:- Dissolution and/or radical change of marriage
This is a tough issue too. I personally think that marriage should be a private affair and the state should not discourage nor encourage marriage. LIBERTY should prevail here and adults should be able to define marriage how they want. When it involves children, that is when the State needs to get involved to establish and enforce parental responsibilities and entitlements.
zephyp wrote:- Complete decriminalization of all sexually related crimes except forcible rape
Pure political propaganda. Nobody is suggesting laws against incest and statutory rape should be abandoned. If anything, there are more laws going on the books to better protect minors. I do think the laws need to be more lenient when it comes to teenagers and young adults. In some states an 18/19 year old adult dating his 17 year old girlfriend could be accused of statutory rape. That should change. But nobody is suggesting improper sex with minors should be decriminalized. Should a 15yo boy be charged with rape because he had sex with a 13yo girld?...NO. They are doing what a lot of youngs teens are doing...we shouldn't criminalize that. Should we educate them and encourage them to be abstinent until a later age? YES.
zephyp wrote:- Mandatory abortion unless pregnancy state approved
Where do you get this stuff???LOL Ridiculous.
zephyp wrote:I believe in trends and natural extrapolation. If we see a constant decline in morals (what you might see as an increase in tolerance) over a period of years then we can expect that trend to continue. So, lets take the other side...an increase in tolerance. make it positive for you and the other leftists...
I don't see a decline in morals. If anything, I see an increase in morals that justify harsher punishments for crimes. Also, morality and tolerance are not conflicting values...they are very much a part of the American fabric. It is very moral to be tolerant. Remember Christian charity and forgiveness? THAT is tolerance. That is not to say we should tolerate things that are clearly harmful to our families: lying, cheating, drug abuse, sexual promiscuity, etc.
zephyp wrote:So, if we continue to see a steady increase in tolerance where does it stop....at what point do even the most liberal among you stand up and say enough is enough...murder ok, rape ok, hands on homosexual classes in grade schools....where is the line...complete acceptance of sharia law...where will it stop...
Nobody is suggesting we be tolerant of behavior that is clearly harmful or discriminatory. But if Muslims wish to have the LIBERTY to live privately under muslim code, as long as it doesn't violate the common standards of morality, then isn't that what the Constitution should protect? Common standards of morality are not going away and nobody is suggesting they should. But, should the laws change to reflect modern values and support religious and individual preferences? YES. That is what Liberty envisions, right?
zephyp wrote:Ooops. I think it just did. Kinda like one of those unintended consequences. Sharia law. Lets look at that for just a moment. So, liberals want to welcome muslims and their beliefs here with open arms. Ok, thats all well and good but where does it stop. What happens when they implement sharia law.
You have your facts wrong. Liberals have just as much, if not more, difficulty with Sharia law than conservatives. Please don't confuse religious tolerance with embracing their religion. I don't like the head scarfs. I don't like the way Muslims treat their women. There are a lot of problems with Islam and Christianity due to the ancient religious nature of the Bible and the Koran. But people should be free to believe in their religion of choice and should be able to practice it privately as long as non one else is harmed or forced in the process.
zephyp wrote:Did you know that there have been at least 2 cases I am aware of here in the US where a judge has stated that a matter between 2 muslims in his court would be settled according to sharia law. How well do you think that would go over if a muslim judge decided that sharia law would rule in a case between a muslim and an American...or 2 Americans...how about 2 homosexual American citizens....ooops...
I could envision a court accepting as a matter of CIVIL LAW, that religious matters would be settled by religious authorities. In Criminal cases judges are obligated to use the common law statutues that are race, gender and faith neutral. But in CIVIL LAW, that involves cases between two private parties, and if they agreed to be judged by Sharia law, then that is their freedome...LIBERTY, right?
zephyp wrote:So, better think about where all this is headed. We have to draw the line some where.
I think we already have drawn the lines and I don't think we are in that much disagreement over where it should be drawn. I would check your facts, though, and ensure you have real facts and not just somebody's propaganda.
Speaking of drawing lines, where do you draw the line on firearms and weapons? Machine Guns? Tanks, Nuclear Weapons? Chemical Weapons? Nuclear tipped Missiles?...where?
Dems4Guns
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