[Grovenet] And so it continues, at least until 01-20-2008 ! ! ! ! !

[Ed Davie]

Very well stated, David!
I think your analysis works for most of us here. 
(including Bob)
Ed
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: David Morelli
  To: Forest Grove local interests list
  Sent: Friday, November 30, 2007 1:33 AM
  Subject: Re: [Grovenet] And so it continues, at 
least until 01-20-2008 ! ! ! ! !



  On Nov 29, 2007, at 2:19 PM, Bob Browning wrote:

  > Gosh, David, I apologize. I guess I made the 
mistake of thinking
  > that "skills" should be something useful to 
others, and not in the
  > sense of tricks needed by a con man...
  >
  > bob "whoo, boy, what a GOP dog fight last 
night" browning

  Bank robbers, safe crackers, extortionists, and 
drug runners all have
  skills that they hone to a sharp edge in their 
chosen fields.

  Con artists, poker players, generals, and sharp 
shooters have skills
  that involve reading their opponents to be able 
to predict their
  future actions and use that knowledge to obtain 
their goals.  Some
  goals may be beneficial and others may be 
harmful.

  As Ron indicated, even linguists can benefit 
from being a "quick
  read", while Carol's meeting suggests that 
Clinton is a very quick
  reader of human behavior.  If the other 
attributes of the person are
  useful to the nation, it may well be a real 
benefit to have a
  charismatic leader as a President.  But, when 
the other attributes
  include a blind passion to pursue a dogmatic 
goal despite the reality
  of the situation, it can be tremendously 
harmful.   Bush seems
  unwilling or unable to admit any error in his 
chosen path, which
  means we cannot avoid the icebergs as he goes 
"full steam ahead".
  His sycophants won't say anything to dissuade 
him, and the financial
  beneficiaries of his policies will support him 
even if it bankrupts
  the honor of this nation.

  I am very sorry that a significant part of this 
nation fails to see
  the evil in what he does.

  It is disheartening to realize that many people 
who believe that they
  are practicing a moral life style, hold to the 
premise that "the ends
  justify the means".  They act as if a financial 
or personal goal
  justifies killing.  Some may draw the line at 
killing animals, others
  at killing fetuses, and others at killing 
civilians, but they accept
  killing for personal or financial benefit.  A 
"moral relativist"
  would say that "it depends".

  I would doubt that many of Bush's supporters 
consider themselves to
  be moral relativists, insisting that they are 
following a strict
  moral code rather than practicing "situational 
ethics".  Well,
  sorry.  Attacking Iraq as a preemptive measure 
and putting into
  motion a process to kill thousands of civilians 
and Americans is
  contrary to the strict Christian moral code. 
So, supporting killing
  in Bush's War just because he will put judges on 
the Supreme Court to
  overturn Roe v Wade is pure situational ethics 
practiced by moral
  relativists.

  Supporting Bush because oil interests may 
benefit is just capitalism
  at work.  Capitalism is amoral, it is the 
driving force behind drug
  smuggling, illegal immigration into this 
country, murder for hire,
  and prostitution.  The Taliban knows this and 
they are opposed to
  free market capitalism for moral reasons.  Bush 
keeps telling the
  fiercely moral religious fundamentalists in the 
Middle East that he
  wants to spread democracy and the free market. 
His supporters
  believe that is a great idea, except that they 
don't want capitalist
  porn shops, capitalist drug dealers, capitalist 
abortionists and
  capitalist prostitutes in their neighborhoods 
either.  And yet, they
  cannot understand why the "Islamofascists" are 
willing to die to
  prevent an immoral economy from entering their 
neighborhoods.

  David




  _______________________________________________
  GroveNet mailing list
  GroveNet at rdrop.com
  http://www.rdrop.com/mailman/listinfo/grovenet