lastknightleft
Hondamx21 says:
"Back to the issue, I just feel everyone should say it from a sense of patriotism, that if it's part of the pledge, don't take offense to it, but just say it for the nations sake. If one group of people is able to change it, it will happen again and again. You don't edit something like that. Know what I mean? You aren't being forced to believe in God by saying it.
Problem is no one has ever been convinced to take something seriously by being forced to repeat it every day. I went to school where it was said every morning and the reason I stopped saying it was because you could litterally hear the boredom of the recitation. I wanted it to mean something, they are powerful words and so I vowed to only say it if I knew I meant it. But for most of the students I went with it was just something they had to do. Now are you telling me that legislation forcing children to do something that has no meaning to them is going to be useful or worthwhile? This isn't a debate on whether the pledge is good or not, the pledge is a wonderful thing, but legislating it so that it's mandatory, is that really something needed in law?
Hondamx21 says:
"Back to the issue, I just feel everyone should say it from a sense of patriotism, that if it's part of the pledge, don't take offense to it, but just say it for the nations sake. If one group of people is able to change it, it will happen again and again. You don't edit something like that. Know what I mean? You aren't being forced to believe in God by saying it.
Problem is no one has ever been convinced to take something seriously by being forced to repeat it every day. I went to school where it was said every morning and the reason I stopped saying it was because you could litterally hear the boredom of the recitation. I wanted it to mean something, they are powerful words and so I vowed to only say it if I knew I meant it. But for most of the students I went with it was just something they had to do. Now are you telling me that legislation forcing children to do something that has no meaning to them is going to be useful or worthwhile? This isn't a debate on whether the pledge is good or not, the pledge is a wonderful thing, but legislating it so that it's mandatory, is that really something needed in law?
Actually I think that the pledge of allegience should be something one does as a chosen action in adulthood only, I don't like the idea of someone saying, now every day you say the pledge Jimmy. Because ultimately it becomes a meaningless ritual. Pledging your alliegance should be something you do as an adult when it is a concious choice that you really mean, that's true patriotism (the ability to say, for right or wrong I will stand by your decisions and treat you as an ally) and a promise that means something. Not something you do as a child because you are told to. I mean, I still am wavering about moving to a foreign coutry some day, I couldn't in good concious make that pledge, because that means I am bound to something that is no longer my home and whose policies I might not always agree with. I see the pledge as a powerful and moving gesture if it was actually used in the way the word are meant to be used, (I wouldn't even care if people saying the pledge chose to leave out under god just because as I keep rehashing, its the pledge and not the under god that is important) and when I choose to say it I will mean it. If people treated the pledge like that then we wouldn't need a debate about pointless legislation
HelloDollyLlama says: Fox
Hate to break it to you, but FOX news is a legitimate source, just because you consider it not to be due to its right wing slant, if you think it isn't then you have to discount MSN, And MSNBC due to their left wing slant. So stop with saying it isn't a legitimite source. And just so you know, no i do not watch nor endorse fox news, I just hate that they are discounted by the left wing for no justifiable reason.
I think that the problem with which you encounter is that organizing and forming a militia isn't something that a group of reasonable and responsible people can easily do. In most instances you have to join one that is already there and I wouldn't join any local militia living in the south because they are comprised by a bunch of redneck gun nuts (not all members or militias are like this in the south, but I have met enough militiamen in FL to put the FL militia firmly in the I would never take part category), and by the way militia's are able to obtain them despite the ban. In the meantime I am a believer in the fact that citizens should have a way to rebel against the government if necessary and a ban on assault weapons does mean that for all intents and purposes if I ever felt the need to rebel (say to increasing loss of individual liberties in the cause of fighting terrorism and keeping me safe despite the fact that to me a life without freedom isn't "safe"), I would be put down in about 2.5 seconds by said government due to lack of competative firepower. I do however feel that restrictions are called for, but an outright ban just doesn't sit well with me.
If the issue at hand was explicitly abortion...
Making abortion illegal will have the same effect that making drugs illegal has, namely no effect on those who want to get abortions, an increase in cost and a decrease in safety to those who want abortions, and a stronger criminal element. Oh but what of the postitives, well, we will see fewer abortions from those people who are on the fence about getting an abortion, although this won't lead to any significant curtailing on the loss of "life" because for every moderate fetus not aborted you'll lose an adult to complications from a dirty and illegal abortion. Oh well, but they were a dirty murderers anyways, not some confused teenager or victim of sexual abuse or person who just couldn't physically or mentally handle childbearing so in the end net gains for those who want to criminalize it.
A war that we're really losing
The war on drugs takes the slippery slope argument and makes it policy when it ignores half the things that also factor into its slippery slope. You know, the war on drugs will always be stupid, but I think what makes it truly grotesque is the arguement of marijuana as a gateway drug and yet never talks about alchohol. We really need politicians that understand most drug users aren't criminals.
