IS IT GETTING MEAN AROUND HERE??

In the interest of not derailing the thread from the original intent, I am not going to argue any further.

Well, I guess that makes me an agnostic. A lot of people would say I'm a terrible person for not voting, but I won't violate my conscience.

That is factually and demonstrably true.

But, for what I care, you can always pretend to have the ethical upper hand...

Good on you, edgar.

Endless arguing usually achieves nothing, and is such a waste of life.

Took me ages to realise this, but I got there in the end.

Go ahead... I am waiting...

(You do know what the word 'demonstrable' means, right?)

OH YEH? well Im not gonna argue a lot more than you arent.

I don't function like you and others.

I don't feel compelled to obey your desiderata, even though I saved it for later.

If ever I so feel inclined, I'll post it.

You can always start a fight, like Frank did..

As a Christian, I would be accurately described as believing there's a true religion; but I also want to treat others the way I'd want to be treated, especially if they're different from me or don't happen to belong to my tribe. History is replete with horrible acts of violence and cruelty that arose out of intolerance.

To this day I believe that many Americans have no appreciation of the nobility and great moral courage of those who were involved in the civil rights movement of the 1950s and '60s. The toughest man I've ever known was a white Southern WW2 veteran who became a civil rights attorney during the early 1950s. He and his family were subjected to death threats, but he couldn't (and wouldn't) be silenced. In the early '70s we learned that Army Intelligence had spied upon him because they considered him to be a subversive -- which was quite ludicrous, considering how patriotic he was. I was angry about it, but he just laughed about it.

Another one of my heroes was the eminent Soviet physicist Andrei Sakharov, who was one of the leading dissidents in the former Soviet Union. He was an atheist, but he bitterly condemned religious persecution by the government of his country. This sort of selfless concern for the rights of others was an inspiration to me.

So, I don't believe that those who don't follow "the one true religion" should be silenced.

The problem with people on both sides of the political divide in the U.S. (and elsewhere) is that they believe their side is the true religion. So, we have manifestations of intolerance of one kind or another.

In just a moment, I've got chores to do. So, have a good day.

You've always been civil in your arguments, Ed. You're a true gentleman.

You are clearly just making stuff up.

Everything I have ever said is on the record for you to see and search. I act according to my principles. I argue my opinion and I don't make personal attacks (and if I have, it was only as a response to particularly nasty attack against me).

The thing that gets me into trouble here is that I have opinions that your clique doesn't agree with. I have no problem with you disagreeing with my opinions.

I stand by my record here. It is all in the open. If you are going to make accusations, then back them up.

The last few pages were not a derailment of the thread so much as a vivid demonstration that the Topic of the thread is indeed a truthful statement.

You haven't argued at all. Instead you merely cast repeated aspersions on others. Name calling is not argument.

Of course, your posts have been nonconfrontational, friendly and brilliant. Teabaggers.

Thanks. Of course, I am a right bastard at times.

These things get me angry.

I'm not affiliated to any clique.

You are a consummate liar and a pervert while pretending to be a goody two shoes.

I never started a fight with you...but as I have always done...I finished it.

So...are you starting again?

You never finishing anything but you are starting it again..

You are much more a man of your word than I.

A pervert???

heeheeheee

Timur, it is the bullying behavior that is the hallmark of the Able2know clique. It always comes down to name calling and personal attacks. You are even recycling Izzy's personal attack.

You could chose to not be part of the bullying crowd in Able2know. Instead you are jumping in on the personal attacks against those few of us who are left who don't fall into lockstep with opinions enforced by Setanta/Izzy et al.

Step back and read your own posts... and see if they don't remind you of middle school bullying behavior.

Don't try that crap with me.

People like you lie, assert stuff without foundation and then pretend to be the good ones.

The kind I abhor..

I never bullied anyone and I'm not aware of your conflict with Izzythepush.