Nishnabe's Comments (182)

“"Almost an atheist?" Hmm, two people are about to make love, so then she is "almost pregnant?" Interesting point. By reading the article you have in fact used a form of birth control on your way to atheism. Taaa Da, you are not converted. Wonder if we can use this tactic on born agains and Repugs.”

“They take it seriously because 90% of Oklahoma high school students cannot name the first president, 38% of Americans still believe in Noah's Ark, 80% still believe in the virgin birth, and 48% believe that evolution is a religion whose god is named Darwin. With that kind of a market and that kind of a voice on Faux news, Beck could sell snake oil as a remedy for alzheimers and probably make a killing on it.”

“Anti-semitism much? The center tracks hate groups who espouse a form of worldview that leads to violence. It is neither liberal or conservative. Do some research before you accuse others of what you believe.”

“My friend, you have not been to Pine Ridge Indian reservation, the Mississippi Delta, or the supposedly middle class neighborhood in Indianapolis where I live. Here every fourth of fifth house is empty. Meaning, no property taxes for schools, absentee landlords, boarded houses and despairing elders who must choose between medications or food. America is more than what you see through your rose colored glasses.”

“Sorry, Peter was written in Greek long after Peter died and was attributed to him in order to sustain the argument of the Gentiles that Paul was anointed to the position he usurped. Let me say it again, the other of The Twelve did not consider Paul to be of their rank in terms of followers. You, like most 2nd C. Christian writers, are back-reading and interpolating in order to elevate Paul. The bio details of Jesus are also interpolations (Virgin birth, flight to Egypt, slaughter of the Innocents, and so on),”

“Sorry, the mention by Josephus is considered spurious although he does mention the Baptizer. There are arguments for and against the historical Jesus and the evidence leans toward a real figure. That said, most of what he is alleged to have said are parables or stories, enigmatic at best. I find it disconcerting that 1.5 billion Christians would embrace the sacred history of the Jewish people when only a small percentage can even trace themselves genetically to the region that spawned those myths. Kinda like cats claiming ancestry to elephants, at some point they are kin, but they have long since colonized a completely different ecologica niche.”

“167 or so sayings are attributed to Jesus and most are parables because that is the way he taught. Paul's rant was directed at what he considered a heretical sect of Christianity. As for Peter "and others" viewing Paul as an apostle, where is the proof? And Jesus remained silent about the incest that led his cousin John to get his head lopped off. Finally, most of the New Testament is made up of people putting words in his mouth he probably did not say.”

“You really mean that this is the first time you heard that her mother is alive? Cause we all gots mommies.”

“WDiary, I am as left as they come. To say the Senate or House operates without quid pro quo is to say the sun is responsible for global warming. And it is "losing" not "loosing." I am also a pragmatist. The corruption in Lousiana is well known and to think that Landrieu will cast her vote without some kind of exchange is ludicrous. As a progressive I am deeply discouraged by the course this "reform" has taken. I come from Indiana and the Demos are so blue here they make the sky look dark for any kind of reform.”

“Here's an idea. The Democrats should offer Ensign oh, I don't know, say ten million dollars for his vote on health care. Ensign can use the money to pay off the husband. Husband is a money-grubber, Cindy is a consenting adult obviously willing to parley with Ensign, and they are all Republicans without a shred of the morals they want us to suffer. It is a win/win/win situation and the Democrats can be truly bipartisan. Nothing else seems to be working on the Repubs. Landrieu's vote was 300 million. By my count, they can throw her under the bus and drag in at least ten Republicans having affairs. What a mess this is.”

“thanks stoat, one of the best reviews out there. fanned.”

“one geneticist is "most?" And, at what point do immigrants become native to the area? In America, it is when you raise your hand and become a citizen, or are born here. Why are we being put in the same bag with "illegal aliens?" Washington is considered the "father of America" and he and Martha gave birth to no children. Think about it.”

“According to whose history? You probabaly didnt hear the news. Footsteps were found in the melting ice in Greenland and they were all pointed toward Europe. Among the baggage they found with the footsteps were Books of Mormon, Ayn Rand, and the writings of someone named Sarah. Clearly the right wingers were expelled from America at least once in the pre-historic period. Thank the Indians for doing that, bringing corn, beans and squash, quinine, cocaine and chocolate to the world. We tried.”

“You folks don't like to hear this, but as a native person, you are all illegal immigrants. Blaming the current unemployment situation on immigrants is like blaming global warming on the sun. Yes, it is hotter, but the sun was there before. We are in a post-industrial age where some advocate in the most despicable ways (tea baggers for instance) a return to some golden age back there. Looking forward, we have to find our value outside the box of this modern consumer society. One other note of hypocrisy. There is a home developer in Indianapolis who is absolutely opposed to illegal immigration and yet employs the same in his housing developments not one of which has been greened. I am old enough to get over being amazed at the ability of humans to carry two conflicting ideas in their heads at the same time and although mutually exclusive, are both considered to be true.”

“Maverick, 50% of medicine and 70% of all foods come from tribal gardens. Democracy is a marriage of tribalism and anti-colonialism. B.Franklin said in 1751 that if six nations (referring to Iroquois confederacy) can bring about a union why not 12-13 colonies (paraphrasing). Do your homework before you attack tribal nations. It is the most successful social organization withstanding 500 years of warfare by EuroAmericans. Nuff said.”

“Mayhaps people of color throughout the world are just sick of American greed and a unilateral foreign policy that strips them of resources under the guise of exporting democracy. Venezuela is a country, Chavez is a duly elected sovereign, and he is/was opposed to the Bush Cowboy Doctrine which our first tribal president is trying to clean up. Two tribal men, one American, the other African American, maybe can find common ground. Give them chance.”

“Actually there are only a few passages that refer directly homosexuality, and it was in reference to a larger context of the influence of Greek culture. There are a lot of passages that are used to slam homosexuality, but many of those are in reference to temple-based prostitution, or some other "aberration" to orthodox sexual behavior. "Go forth and multiply" could be interpreted to mean anti-gay or a directive to study physics. I prefer to think it means having wild inter-group sex, but that is just me.”

“I teach college and many students are American or foreign born Muslims. They hear these things and consider it is the opinion of many Americans. While we are free to express our opinions and we should, citizens in countries where there is a tightly controlled press do not understand that these idiots are not making sanctioned statements. Many believe, and are led to believe, these musings represent official policy. If you watch how they speak, O'Reilly, Beck, Hannity, "think" out loud and say things that a rational person would filter out of their speech. In our class discussions, American students know less about the Islamic world, don't watch Islamic or foreign press, while overseas they do. Not only are there 1.5 billion Muslims, there are more than thirty countries with predominantly Islamic govts. O'Reilly likel did not even know that the invasion of thirty countries would be utterly impossible. Stupid is as stupid does.”

“Folks, Couple of things to consider. The only real legal precedent for criminal charges is child neglect when parents refuse treatment to their children because of religious beliefs. But these were adults who willingly entered the sweat house. The other thing is the corruption of native beliefs as only being about "the spiritual warrior," the margin or boundary of human endurance as being the source of enlightenment. Homicide requires intent, or neglect, and the point of Ray's corruption of native philosophy is to push the limits of human ability to withstand the "rituals" he runs. Prosecutors would have to prove that he was doing the ceremony wrong, and knew it was a corruption of native ways. Don't get me wrong, he deserves to be exposed and prosecuted, but it will be a tough row to hoe.”

“This man went through army training where we can assume he learned to kill people. Killing is taught, not inborn in humans. He purchased a weapon that should be illegal, designed not for hunting, but for killing humans. He violated his Hippocratic oath. At the bottom of his list of reasons or possibilities or training, was his religion. If you want to bless the innocent, or kill the unbeliever, you can find justification in the Bible or the Quran, but you first have to make the decision that you want to bless or kill. Making a decision to support the innocent is sanity. Making a decision to kill is insanity. He was walking a line between sanity and insanity for years and was put into a position where he listened to soldiers recount the insanity of war. This not Muslim or Christian, this is insanity on top of insanity. If we as a society do not figure out another way to deal with the world other than killing each other don't be surprised by these outbursts. What religion was the guy in Florida in the shooting the next day? The same as Timothy McVeigh.”

“Thanks for this. I did a lot of hunting as a kid, no more of course. My guess was a heavy bullet (shotgun slug or muzzleloader) both of which lose a lot of velocity, make a lot of noise, and yet could be heard hitting the siding. 22 is too small, and too much velocity. A rifle has too much velocity and would have penetrated the house if it was close enough to hear, and if spent to the point of bouncing off the siding, would have been to far away to hear.”

“plaidlemur, you failed to factor in that Dobbs is at least 100 foot tall, and thus could have been the target of the shot. And, he is so powerful that he likely slowed the bullet down, deflected it into the house. Superman did that, I saw it on TV once. BTW, interesting post.”

“I went to a small Catlick school where the nuns were sisters of gashed and bleeding heart of Jesus. I know that cause they all wore gold and ceramic bloody hearts that hung in our faces as they bent over our desks. Having that hang in our faces was much more painful than the alternative. Because the parish was so small, we were "blessed" with nuns and priests who were on their way to the rest home or could not be sent where they might be "exposed" (pun intended) for their behavior. The nuns wore floor length black habits , faces encased in starched white concrete, and sported gold wedding bands. Entering the order, they were given silver engagement rings, and then married Jesus when they took the full orders. Celibate women who married a dead Jewish rabbi and then stood in the bathroom while the boys went to make sure we didnt "horse around" in the stalls. Truthfully, I still cannot take a dump in a public bathroom for fear Sister Rosanna will kick open the door to make sure I am not committing a mortal sin. We are a terribly sexually repressed society that gives women the alternative between virgin or prostitute, and that natural urges are sinful. Nuff said.”

“"struck the siding and fell to the ground" I am an ex-hunter, when I as way younger. A spent bullet of small caliber might, as in might, strike something and fall to the ground. A large caliber bullet fired from a distance might strike the siding and fall to the ground. Convenient that he gets hammered for his vitriol and now a bullet strikes the siding and falls to the ground. Makes me wonder.”

“Coyotes were confined to west of Mississippi until the eradication of the eastern wolf. It is likely they attacked this woman because she was on her menstral cycle. Indian women knew not to go alone into the woods when on their cycle, predators mistake the scent for wounds. Finally, Mr. Webster. I would not trust the NASS reports on livestock kills by coyotes. The govt reimburses ranchers for predation and often lost or poorly managed animals are reported as such when they are not. One of the longest wars against animals is against coyotes and they have flourished. Wolves, not so, but coyote have just gotten smarter and rangier.”