Incredibly cool. Ol' Dave Ward is as ancient as those pyramids.....been watchin' him since a whipper-snapper.....that's right, choggie is a Houstonian.....born an' raised

Cardinal Points-Best way to find em.....these looks more massive than the ones in China....

From wikipedia:

"During the presidential campaign of 1800, the Federalists attacked Jefferson as an infidel, claiming that Jefferson's intoxication with the religious and political extremism of the French Revolution disqualified him from public office. But Jefferson wrote at length on religion and many scholars agree with the claim that Jefferson was a deist, a common position held by intellectuals in the late 18th century. As Avery Cardinal Dulles, a leading Roman Catholic theologian reports, "In his college years at William and Mary [Jefferson] came to admire Francis Bacon, Isaac Newton, and John Locke as three great paragons of wisdom. Under the influence of several professors he converted to the deist philosophy." Dulles concludes:

“In summary, then, Jefferson was a deist because he believed in one God, in divine providence, in the divine moral law, and in rewards and punishments after death; but did not believe in supernatural revelation. He was a Christian deist because he saw Christianity as the highest expression of natural religion and Jesus as an incomparably great moral teacher. He was not an orthodox Christian because he rejected, among other things, the doctrines that Jesus was the promised Messiah and the incarnate Son of God. Jefferson's religion is fairly typical of the American form of deism in his day. ”

Biographer Merrill Peterson summarizes Jefferson's theology: “First, that the Christianity of the churches was unreasonable, therefore unbelievable, but that stripped of priestly mystery, ritual, and dogma, reinterpreted in the light of historical evidence and human experience, and substituting the Newtonian cosmology for the discredited Biblical one, Christianity could be conformed to reason. Second, morality required no divine sanction or inspiration, no appeal beyond reason and nature, perhaps not even the hope of heaven or the fear of hell; and so the whole edifice of Christian revelation came tumbling to the ground.”

Jefferson used deist terminology in repeatedly stating his belief in a creator, and in the United States Declaration of Independence used the terms "Creator" and "Nature's God". Jefferson believed, furthermore, it was this Creator that endowed humanity with a number of inalienable rights, such as "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". His experience in France just before the French Revolution made him deeply suspicious of Catholic priests and bishops as a force for reaction and ignorance. Similarly, his experience in America with inter-denominational intolerance served to reinforce this skeptical view of religion. In a letter to Willam Short, Jefferson wrote: "the serious enemies are the priests of the different religious sects, to whose spells on the human mind its improvement is ominous."

Jefferson was raised in the Church of England, at a time when it was the established church in Virginia and only denomination funded by Virginia tax money. Before the Revolution, Jefferson was a vestryman in his local church, a lay position that was part of political office at the time. He also had friends who were clergy, and he supported some churches financially. During his Presidency, Jefferson attended the weekly church services held in the House of Representatives. Jefferson later expressed general agreement with his friend Joseph Priestley's Unitarianism, that is the rejection of the doctrine of Trinity. In a letter to a pioneer in Ohio he wrote, "I rejoice that in this blessed country of free inquiry and belief, which has surrendered its conscience to neither kings or priests, the genuine doctrine of only one God is reviving, and I trust that there is not a young man now living in the United States who will not die a Unitarian."

Jefferson did not believe in the divinity of Jesus, but he had high esteem for Jesus' moral teachings, which he viewed as the "principles of a pure deism, and juster notions of the attributes of God, to reform [prior Jewish] moral doctrines to the standard of reason, justice & philanthropy, and to inculcate the belief of a future state." Jefferson did not believe in miracles. He made his own condensed version of the Gospels, omitting Jesus' virgin birth, miracles, divinity, and resurrection, primarily leaving only Jesus' moral philosophy, of which he approved. This compilation was published after his death and became known as the Jefferson Bible. “[The Jefferson Bible] is a document in proof that I am a real Christian, that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus, very different from the Platonists, who call me infidel and themselves Christians and preachers of the gospel, while they draw all their characteristic dogmas from what its author never said nor saw.”

However, early in his administration he attended church services in the House of Representatives. He also permitted church services in executive branch buildings throughout his administration, believing that Christianity was a prop for republican government.

Church and state:

For Jefferson, separation of church and state was not an abstract right but a necessary reform of the religious "tyranny" of one Christian sect over many other Christians - and of the interference of the state in affairs of religion. Following the Revolution, Jefferson played a leading role in the disestablishment of religion in Virginia. Previously the Anglican Church had tax support. As he wrote in his Notes on Virginia, a law was in effect in Virginia that "if a person brought up a Christian denies the being of a God, or the Trinity …he is punishable on the first offense by incapacity to hold any office …; on the second by a disability to sue, to take any gift or legacy …, and by three year' imprisonment." Prospective officer-holders were required to swear that they did not believe in the central Roman Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation.

From 1784 to 1786, Jefferson and James Madison worked together to oppose Patrick Henry's attempts to again assess taxes in Virginia to support churches. Instead, in 1786, the Virginia General Assembly passed Jefferson's Bill for Religious Freedom, which he had first submitted in 1779 and was one of only three accomplishments he put in his own epitaph. The law read: “No man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burdened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer, on account of his religious opinions or belief; but that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish, enlarge, or affect their civil capacities.”

One of Jefferson’s least well known writings is: "Millions of innocent men, women and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burned, tortured, fined and imprisoned. What has been the effect of this coercion? To make half the world fools and half hypocrites; to support roguery and error all over the world"- Thomas Jefferson, in his Notes on Virginia.

Jefferson sought what he called a "wall of separation between Church and State", which he believed was a principle expressed by the First Amendment. This phrase has been cited several times by the Supreme Court in its interpretation of the Establishment Clause. In an 1802 letter to the Danbury Baptist Association, he wrote: “Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between church and State.”

Jefferson refused to issue proclamations calling for days of prayer and thanksgiving during his Presidency, yet he did do so as Governor in Virginia. His private letters indicate he was skeptical of too much interference by clergy in matters of civil government. His letters contain the following observations: "History, I believe, furnishes no example of a priest-ridden people maintaining a free civil government", and, "In every country and in every age, the priest has been hostile to liberty. He is always in alliance with the despot, abetting his abuses in return for protection to his own." "May it be to the world, what I believe it will be, (to some parts sooner, to others later, but finally to all), the signal of arousing men to burst the chains under which monkish ignorance and superstition had persuaded them to bind themselves, and to assume the blessings and security of self-government". Yet, Jefferson advocated the influence of religion in abolishing the institution of slavery in America stating, "Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with his wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that his justice can not sleep forever: that considering numbers, nature and natural means only, a revolution of the wheel of fortune, an exchange of situation is among possible events: that it may become probable by supernatural interference!”

While the debate over Jefferson's understanding over the separation of Church and state is far from being settled, as are his particular religious tenets, his dependence on divine Providence is not nearly as ambiguous. As he stated, in his second inaugural address: “I shall need, too, the favor of that Being in whose hands we are, who led our fathers, as Israel of old, from their native land and planted them in a country flowing with all the necessaries and comforts of life; who has covered our infancy with His providence and our riper years with His wisdom and power, and to whose goodness I ask you to join in supplications with me that He will so enlighten the minds of your servants, guide their councils, and prosper their measures that whatsoever they do shall result in your good, and shall secure to you the peace, friendship, and approbation of all nations."

"this is not supposed to be neither cute nor funny.

i hate what they did, too, and that's a valid reason to KEEP watching this.

every "bad taste"-like comment is a hit straight to whoever fights against experiments such as this."

They broke the cardinal rule-Thou shalt not dose, if the dosed, is unaware of the dose......"

I think I'd like to be a cardinal; the robes are awesome.

This is game 7 of the 2006 National League Championship Series. Endy Chavez (lf) of the Mets catching a ball hit by Scott Rolen (3b) of the Cardinals.

The Cardinals went on to win the game 3 to 1 after a two run Home Run by light hitting catcher Yadier Molina in the ninth inning.

Alright, I'm not one on stupid conspiracy.

But the speculation is started by the US crusade against the middle east benefiting haliburton.

Follow my logic here:

1) Terrorist Attack - world trade centers blow!
2) Smoking gun tape arises.
3) tali ban accused, harboring terrorists.
4) Attack Afghanistan. (Coalition Troops are still there)
5) Win! Now we attack Iraq in the ongoing war on Terror.
6) No WMDs - Habeas Corpus Destroyed.
7) Troops keep dying in the middle of a civil war.
Spending more money, and loosing controll.
9) Sending more Troops over to "help", (more like putting gas on a fire)
10) Mission Accompolished? Missions accompolished means major troop movement in a place are over, and they can begin to come home!

Last but not Least: All these bullshit excuses. I think that this situation is FUBAR, and SNAFU. It is all a complete Lie! Conspiracy or not, it smells pretty fishy to me.

Colin Powell Resigns, after lying to the UN about false Intelligence, Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld says that WMDs are North South East, and west of Tikrit. HOLY crap he just said the cardinal directions. Forgive me but any one who doesn't believe that there is something else going on here is completely hypnotized by prime time television.

My feeling is: There house of cards is built on a foundation of lies, and its about to start raining fiery truth. The lies cannot last another term.

down??! BROKEN-the cardinal rule of the poet, writer, etc, who reads, memorizes, or otherwise espews their own musings, aloud, in public,no less, without request for their rendering the same for the sake of intent, and inflection.....oh god, how to say in other words..
NEVER READ YER OWN SHIT, ALOUD, UNSOLICITED, OR WITHOUT HAVING BEEN REQUESTED 3 TIMES!!!!! and even then, with out such pathetic bi-polar fervor!('specially for either free drinks or renumeration monetarily)

hell, for that matter, never proof-read a reminder note!!

I don't know how this will one will do considering the strong bias around here. I'm hoping people find the hipocrisy funny as I did. I hate seeing political ads and don't upvote them unless they are too funny.

Background:
Michael J. Fox did an ad for Ben Cardin in Maryland similar to the one we all know for McCaskill in Missouri.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CXwHc-RgCs

This is a response ad where they shame them for using a "victim" of a horrible disease by using a "victim" of another horrible disease!

And to set the record straight, Michael Steele says he supports embryonic stem cell research if it doesn't destroy the embryo. Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/29/AR2006102900240.html

Incredible spin. I can unspin it for those who are confused.

MJF did another ad for Ben Cardin which is almost exactly the same as the one for McCaskill. Ben Cardin voted against a bill which would allow only adult stem cell research. Therefore people can spin it and say he's against stem cell research. Truth is Ben Cardin doesn't want to restrict stem cell research to only adult stem cells and he favors embyonic stem cell research.

How convenient that Slyrr didn't mention Ben Cardin anywhere but mentions McCaskill deliberately trying to confuse people.

And it's quite clear that Talent opposes embryonic stem cell research, but favors adult stem cell research. So we can spin that too and just say he favors stem cell research and therefore we can say MJF lied. It's just playing with semantics to twist reality to your own view.

I'm still curious how the fact that MJF did an ad for Arlen Spector in 2004 fits into this tin foil hat conspiracy. In the 2004 ad for Arlen Spector, MJF makes it quite clear that the Republican candidate is the white knight on the silver stallion riding to the rescue of those who suffer from Parkinson's and other diseases. Convenient how the people who attack MJF leave that tidbit out.

Only thing I agree with Slyrr is: "All they hear is what they want to hear". Yup. I don't know why I bother responding.

I really shouldn't throw overbroad rhetorical bombs out there. I do think that the "use it or lose it" and "google bomb" initiatives are valuable in that they invite the media to cover things that would not otherwise be covered.

"Net roots" may yield results in 10-15 years, but there were no real accomplishments in 2004 and it doesn't look like progressives will make a leap forward in 2006. If Dems prevail in a few days, I think that you will see wins from Dems who act like Republicans but do not act like religious nutjob Republicans (i.e. James Webb in VA; Ben Cardin in MD; Lieberman in CT; Tester in MT).

The problem is that affluent white men and women aged 18-29 (the core of the net roots movement) are predominantly urban and have little connection or feel for rural areas. Merely Dean-dropping the kids into Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and the West will always be a recipe for disaster.

The ideological progressive purity demanded by the Kos and his ilk will only ever yield that intensely great and beautiful man, Dennis Kucinich. It will not produce a person who can ever hope to be elected on a nationwide basis.

Tags changed from "arbor day, carly, cardinal, trees" to "arbor day, carly, cardinal, tree, psa" by gold star member joedirt.

It wasn't about war, she was protesting the Church's views on birth control, abortion and its' general ill-treatment of of women and children.

_________________________________________________

Perhaps Sinead O'Connor is angry with the pope because, in 1988, he and Carlo Caffarra of the Pontifical Institute for Marriage and Family Matters suggested that, if an AIDS-stricken hemophiliac husband could not abstain from intercourse, it was better to infect his wife than to ever resort to using a condom. Perhaps it was such systemic misogyny, ensconced in the civil laws of her native land, that gave rise to the "breach of faith" committed by O'Connor on "Saturday Night Live."

Unfortunately, such facts aren't at the disposal of the average "SNL" viewer. In a nation with a long history of nativist anti-Catholicism, it wasn't surprising that blue-collar ethnics would shortly thereafter boo Sinead O'Connor off the stage at a Bob Dylan tribute. Few (if any) reporters took the time to provide a context for O'Connor's seemingly inexplicable actions, leaving them seemingly inexplicable. (And this is not to say that O'Connor herself can't say some truly stupid things. Her defense of rapist Mike Tyson in a recent interview with Rolling Stone as a "little boy" persecuted by a "bitch" is difficult to comprehend; and, like many militant ex-Catholics, she is prone to see the sinister hand of the church everywhere - even running the World Bank - without a shred of evidence to support such beliefs.)

But without this frame, the Catholic hierarchy was able to turn ignorance to its advantage, decrying Sinead O'Connor as simply an anti-Catholic bigot - or worse. One week after the "SNL" episode, Cardinal John O'Connor wrote a rather loopy column in the archdiocesan paper Catholic New York in which he likened the Irish singer's performance to "voodoo" and "sympathetic magic." In short, his eminence resorted to an old but effective tactic long used by the Catholic church to silence and condemn unruly women: he simply called Sinead O'Connor a witch.

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1374/is_n1_v53/ai_13307994