Black Dog

Everyone has the right to practice their own religion and live according to its doctrines. I have no problem with that. I myself take a rather dim view of religious institutions myself, but respect other people's right to believe what they wish. However, the Alabama 10 Commandments incident underscores the importance of a healthy separation between church and state, something the Christian right in the States has been trying hard (and making strides) at undermining. That the judge was forced to remove the monument in question is a victory on this front, but there are others to be fought. On a side note, did anyone else notice the behavior of the Talibama residents who rallied 'round the Commandments monument bore an uncanny resemblence to worshipping a graven image. Just one more sign that the U.S.A seems to be losing its collective marbles.

On the contrary. Law enforcement techniques, combined with competent intelligence gathering, has long been the most successful weapon against terrorism. The application of conventional military force against terrorism is like trying to kill a fly with a bazooka: lot's of noise and a big mess, but you never know if you actually got the fly. Utterly simplistic claptrap. Islam is not some enormous completely homogenous entity. Al Q'aida is a relatively small group armed with a radical interpretation of the religion that by no means represents the feelings of most of the Muslim world. However, black and white worldviews like the above certainly feed into the unease many of the followers of Islam feel. It's a simple matter to stoke that unease into resentment and on to hatred. By this logic, the 9-11 attacks were justifiable. Outright statements of imperial ambition, support for the crushing of national soverignty by foreign military force, and the goal of remaking another religion (undoubetdly in your own image): and you wonder why people fear and hate America.

As Lost said, this is just another byproduct of the fear-mongering the Christian right has been perpetuating in this country. Churches currently have the right to refuse to marry indivduals who do not conform to the tenents of the faith (ie. a Jew cannot get married in a Catholic church). The same would likely go for gay couples.

And most Christians I know are small-minded, ignorant bigots. That and a twonie will get you a cup of coffee.

Just a few notes... Japan has a relatively massive military and is the fourth largest military spender in thw world ($40.4B in 2002) As the current state of the U.S. economy would suggest, massive military spending does not equal a robust economy. The economy has tanked, the U.S. has hit it's debt ceiling and yet the military continues to swallow billions of dollars. Why? Because the U.S. military industrial complex is the largest welfare recipient in the world (witness the laughable missle defence program and the hideously overrun Joint Strike Fighter program). It's a neat little system they've got going: defense contracters get huge contracts for useless weapons programs to enrich thei rbottom lines with a generous injection of public money. In turn they use their welfare money to "buy" voices in the corridors of power through massive campaign contributions and nudge nudge business deals (see Bush I and the Carlyle Group), thus ensuring teh quid pro quo relationship between the defence industry and government continues. But I digress... Funny, because egomaniacal torture fiends have been some of America's best customers. But I will agree with you on the necessity of stability to a global capitalist economy. That's why so much money pours in from western nations to repressive third world despots: it doesn't matter how evil someone is or how many of his own people he tortures and murders: if he can maintain a positive business climate, he's A-OK with the West (witness Suharto in Indonesia and the dude in Sudan who's name currently escapes me). I don't know any countries that do this. Just how many functioning democracies have ever been installed by a foreign power through force of arms? A European view of GM (exerpted from the Guardian). Surprise surprise: GM food has little do do with feeding the hungry and plenty to do with profits. Don't give that bullshit. Clean water is a huge issue for many NGO's and developmental agencies. problem is, western governemt's are too busy propping up bloated militaries and funneling public money into private hands (or into repressive anti-democtratoic regimes) to have any money left over. By that same token, how many of the same poor families could be fed, given clean water, housed and trained for the cost of a single Stealth bomber? At $2 billion a pop, I'm thinking quite a few. Bullshit. Al-Q'aida, the Taliban: they are no threat to me. Just another cunning distraction from the real villains: the likes of Proctor and Gamble, Monsanto, Exon-Mobil, Eli Lilly and the rest of the pirates who are polluting our air and water, poisoning the very ground we live on for short-term profit.

I thought you didn't like people making judgements on groups based on the actions of a few of its members.

The institution facilitated the actions of abusers in the Church by covering up allegations of abuse, moving pedophile priests from paqrish to parish with full knowledge of their deeds. That's a cold, hard fact, not ageneralization. People who had the power to put a stop to the actions of these perverts didn't and now they expect to be taken seriously as an arbiter of morality? Sorry, but it doesn't work that way. It may be unfair to judge an institution on the actions of a few of its members, but that's how it goes. It's callled credibility and when the Church covers up sexual abuse of minors on one hand and then condemns relationships between consenting adults on the other, credibility is something they don't have. As for NAMBLA, that's a straw man that has no bearing on the issue of the Catholic Church vs. homosexuality. (That said, I think NAMBLA is disgusting and wish more mainstream gay rights organizations would step up their condemnation of that group But that's a discussion for another time).

I hope when they start forcing us heterosexual guys to marry other guys that we at least get to pick our partner. I sure wouldn't want to end up with an ugly homosexual partner.

Catholic doctrine is that once a Catholic, always a Catholic (barring excommunication and so forth) So someone like me, a baptised, confirmed and raised Catholic who hasn't set foot in Church in years (and wouldn't go back unless forced to at gunpoint) is still considered a Catholic. Oh, I'd say the Church has done a far better job discrediting itself than any of its opponents ever could.