Come now, Choggie. You've been reading my comments long enough to know that if I was trying to insult anyone, they'd know it. I posted this because it's a good resource for people who still have family/friends who think Obama is a Muslim.

I was raised in an immediate family that practiced Islam, but all my extended family stateside are evangelical Christians. Even though they've been around me all my life, they still wouldn't vote for a Muslim. I imagine I'm not alone in having family members like this, so I posted this website so people could pass it along to "thems that needs it." I specifically picked it because it has all the requisite documentation.

In other words, it was a resource for Sifters to use in combating the ignorance of those that aren't so enlightened as yourself.

In reply to this comment by choggie:
Is he a mystery, enigma, or a dubious consort.....mostly.
Does anyone here on the sift besides perhaps QM give a fiddler's fuck if he's a Muslim? Probably not, so why the post?? Most folks here are smart enough to have already figured out the answer to the question posed.....so, are you trying to insult us??

Is Obama suited, given the current geopolitical climate to govern this fucked-up country's government, after Bush/Clinto/Clinton//Bush/Bush/......
Fuck no...but Giant Iron Robot with Laser beam eyes, is.

Vote, Giant Iron Robot with Laser Beam Eyes, in 08'.

*"I am Giant Iron Robot with Laser Beam Eyes, and I approve of this puny human's message."

" Does anyone here on the sift besides perhaps QM give a fiddler's fuck if he's a Muslim? Probably not, so why the post?? Most folks here are smart enough to have already figured out the answer to the question posed.....so, are you trying to insult us??"

Come now, Choggie. You've been reading my comments long enough to know that if I was trying to insult anyone, they'd know it. I posted this because it's a good resource for people who still have family/friends who think Obama is a Muslim.

I was raised in an immediate family that practiced Islam, but all my extended family stateside are evangelical Christians. Even though they've been around me all my life, they still wouldn't vote for a Muslim. I imagine I'm not alone in having family members like this, so I posted this website so people could pass it along to "thems that needs it." I specifically picked it because it has all the requisite documentation.

In other words, it was a resource for Sifters to use in combating the ignorance of those that aren't so enlightened as yourself.

LOL he just gose on about some BS story that really is nonsense. I think if you are willing to send troops to war then you have to go and fight in that same ware with them, along with your extended family.

He's a Jew no matter his personal beliefs, so those personal beliefs can be openly shared. Its an extended family; you don't all have to feel the same religious pull to remain brothers and sisters.

Exactly, what she said ^ about the kids and the gifts... if its a big family, extended or otherwise, and cash is strapped, just focus on the kids. This is what my extended family has done (which really isn't that big compared to some, but still), primarily our nuclear families exchange gifts privately xmas day, and the night before when the extended clan gets together the only gifts that are exchanged (aside from some small sweets and treats among my mom and her sibs) are between grandma and grandkids, and everyone spoils the two grandchildren that are actually still children (they're 6 and 9, the rest of us are in college or older, there was a huge age disparity between my one aunt and the rest of her sibs, so her kids are still pretty young)... but basically, we all came to this recognition several years ago that the gift giving was not what we should focus on and that xmas should be for kids... and anyway we adult grandkids were just like "whatever, the only thing we really want is someone to pay our credit cards off, but that's not gonna happen so we'll just settle for spending time together".

Exactly, what she said ^ If you feel a little something would help, by all means go to the doc and get something. If your family is the type that everyone exchanges gifts, then just announce that the adults should just concentrate on the kids. Suggest letting the kids in the family all draw names and buy a gift for the one they pick.

In my family, there aren't many little kids left in the extended family. That makes it easier just to concentrate on my two. The adults in our family don't exchange gifts.

If it weren't illegal, I would advocate the murder of the board and executives including their extended families and the confiscation of all their respective property.

Actually, now that I've thought about it some more, berticus' assertion that by having homosexual individuals occasionally crop up in the mix this could be beneficial to the extended family by producing adults that do not reproduce and therefore work to support the group without making more mouths to feed, sounds like a good plan when thought of on a species wide scale.

Because, if looked at from that angle, one could say that encouraging gays to live as they choose, we would effectively be helping to cap our own population growth, something that seriously is needed, (as it might not be so apparent now, but by they time I am old and grey I believe it will be... worldwide, there are too many mouths to feed, too many cars to fill with oil). I think it would behoove us as a species to encourage a segment of the population to sit out from the reproduction game... too bad though, that will never happen, it might in this country, if only out of dogged determination to uphold the individual's rights, but otherwise, a worldwide application of this would take a massive species wide shift in perception... and, sigh... that will never happen, or at least it won't in time to make a difference.

It's true. In particular, the episode "Extended Family" or some such has a perfect adaptation of "Have You Passed Through This Night" to the Robert Hayden poem "Full Moon" somewhere in the middle. It's here (You have to scroll through the select episode tab): http://www.nbc.com/Friday_Night_Lights/video/episodes.shtml

Can´t miss em. Brett is the 1,95 tall guy with the hair that looks like an exploded sofa cushion...

Oh and another guy worth checking out is Tim Ireland, also from the same Sydney gang. Bit more folky so it might not fit your bill but who knows...

Actually you should browse around Peregrines Myspace contacts. They have heaps of cool musical friends from around Sydney. Extended family (very bluesy, funky) Entropic (more electronic) Melanie Horsnell (folk meets pop) Bertie Blackman (very rocky)...

Well aren't you interesting...
Bravo.
I'm going to tell my extended family about you.

I'm not a Michael Moore fan, but this did prompt some interesting thoughts. For what it's worth, my wife is Canadian, and all of her extended family lives up there. Things aren't as rosy as Moore makes them out to be. First, they do pay for it, in the form of higher sales tax and gas prices. Be honest-- Americans would whine about that, too. Second, her grandfather, who passed away last year from cancer, frequently waited much longer than he would have waited here in the states for medical care. Care is regularly dependent on where you live-- the metropolitan areas have more availability, but people in small towns struggle to find adequate or timely care. My wife is a nurse here in America, so we know that things are out of shape here, too, but I don't know that socializing health care is the way to go. After seeing how FEMA responded to Katrina, do we really want the government in charge of all health care decisions? Isn't that like a big, government-run HMO?

First the person above is totally insane. And needs medication. I fear for her children, especially since they are all daughters. So much heartache comin'. AM suprised the husband didn't step in smack her and tell her to calm her ass.

Faith is needed at a certain level however, I mean I agree with everything you guys say. I know that religion and all is a strech on our preceptions, I respect all religions and tolerate them all (I can't stand people converting me, its creepy). However I do believe faith is needed. In my extended family alot of my uncles and aunts have reached ripe old ages and retirement. In the closing years of their life they commit to religion and such because they had little less left, their children had grown and moved elsewhere, they could no longer work, they threw themselves selflessly into their communities and turned things around by doing charity and donation work under religion. They didn't do it becuase they were fundamentalists, they did it because they were coming close to crossing over, and in those times of solitude they needed the comfort and support that is offered at most religious gatherings. This is why religion in some sense is important. There is alot of instances where faith is regained because of a particular traumatic experience, I used to belittle such instances of lapse of reason but slowly you understand that for some the shock of lose or death is so great that they cannot cope on their own and need the psychological comfort offered through faith.

And that's all that religion is, psychological comfort. You don't die you progress to either heaven or hell based on your behaviour. Someone is always watching after you. You are never alone. So on and so forth.

My ex, has a deep fear of being alone. Over many covnersations I have had with her, her main driving reason for believing (but not practicing) is the fact that believing makes her feel like she is not alone. And in some people that is such a large psychological controlling factor, that institues faith. She is totally a rational person, but this psychological fear she possess drives this link to religion.

Thats my 2 cents. Myself? Am agnostic, I believe in the life, and not a religion because for all the shit out in the world, you can always go to the edge of the ocean and marvel at the beauty, complexity, and vastness of nature.