Seriously, this is creeping me out.

Maybe the fanatics were lifted up to heaven and we're all left behind.

green witch, our pagan incantations worked (shhh...don't tell anyone)

A2k is in the throes of trouble posting, given difficulties with the site - that are just futzing along until there is a planned general site revision.

Alas, some weary of it assume that the next time they try they won't be able to post either. patience is a virtue

Usually, given a bit of pause, people can still connect.

God willing.

and the creek don't rise.

Funny, I was freaked out by the wave of S&R posters who flooded the site for those couple of months.

Amen.

The voices are telling me, "Diest TKO is next."

I think that there are a lot of reasons, some already covered. A2K IS slow, and probably frustrating to all but those of us who are the most connected to the site.

Also, I think that people who are here to proselytize move on to more fertile fields when they realize that most of us are just ain't buying into their ideas.

I also think that politics may have something to do with it. For awhile, the radical rightists were riding high, together with their fundamentalist leanings. I think last November gave them pause.

It's one long grind, of arguing the same points over and over, with no one ever changing in a telling way. Eventually, you've got to back away and recharge the batteries. The wars aren't over, just in temporary armistice.

Diest

I've noticed it too. What's up?

I've been having problems logging on to A2K lately. Sometimes there's just infinite loading, and nothing happens.

Other times I get this message:

"php:BB critical error
could not connect to database"

Sometimes it even occurs when I am logged in, switching from one page to another, or when I am about to post a reply or a new topic. It's tiring, and I can imagine that it would discourage some if I'm not the only one having the problem.

Oy- Right now, apparently A2K is running on library paste and masking tape. Craven has a ***New*** ***Improved*** version coming down the pike, but there have been no announcements as to when this will happen.

A creaky A2K is better than no A2K at all!

You're never alone, it just seems that way. Enough with the metaphysics, right?

O.K. A2K has been SLOOOWWWWWWWWW of late. Even with continuous feed digital cable it takes sometimes as much as 10 minutes to connect to A2K.

I doubt if anyone here is ever so persuaded that they abandon any of their fundamental beliefs. That's alright, a bit of seeing the world through other eyes is a good thing, especially if we aren't blind. Forty years ago, I sought out opportunities to try and persuade Abrahamic types of the silliness of some of their beliefs. It did no good. When someone asks a sincere question, then there is time enough to speak to an issue that folks just might listen to. Maybe not. We are warned never to discuss politics or religion, yet these are topics that emotionally engage a lot of people. They, we, become attached emotionally to belief sets that are fundamental to the way we see and react to the perceptual world. In a world view that is finite, there is never enough time. With an acceptance of infinity (or zero), time is no longer such an issue.

Relax and pay greater attention to each of those moments that are all we really have of this perceptual world. The past is gone, and the future flees before us more swiftly than our little vessel can travel at hyper-light speeds.

As a conservative, I'm not "given pause" by the success that of the Democrats last November. They have for a long time been a minority in Congress, but have only in the last day or so begun to enjoy acting as the majority. Personally, I was gratified to see that most of the new Democrats are from the middle, rather than from the more radical wings of the Party. Much has been made of the Democratic Party's success in the last election, but none of those races were landslide victories signaling a dramatic shift in American opinion. I'm confident that the great majority of Americans hold the middle of the road politically, and that's a good thing for the nation. We conservatives are relatively quiet now, because it would be unfair and improper to argue against what a Democratic Congress MIGHT do. We reserve our opinion awaiting actual events. Hopefully, the new Congress will behave responsibly. Even it the Democratic Congress chooses to advance policies quite different than those espoused by the GOP, I doubt that conservative Republicans will mimic the hysteria and low attacks that have characterized the left wing of the Democratic Party long before Gore lost to Bush. The Democrats have promised that they will resolve all the problems facing America. The Peace will be won in Southwest Asia, Iran will not constitute a threat to their neighbors nor the world, the DPRK will become a responsible member of the world community, and radical Islamic terrorists will abandon their attacks against anyone who doesn't follower their version of Islam. The National Debt will be radically reduced, Universal Health Care will become a reality while Social Security no longer be threatened by problems going back many decades. Education of our young people will be improved, and everyone will have a meaningful and secure job that pays well. They promise us a dynamic economy and equitable taxation. They've been clamoring about how poorly the GOP has performed, and promising that they can do far better. Alright, now they have to perform and bring all those glittering promises to fruition. They have a couple of years to prove that they haven't just been spouting off a the mouth, but that they really do have practical solutions to the problems they've so long complained about.

We conservative Republicans actually wish them well, but pardon us if we remain doubtful until we taste the pudding they've promised us.

I've locked my doors!

You've got to come out sometime....

Oh snap!

zing!

Or by relativity, I'm the only one out of the closet and everyone else is IN the closet!

...

****, I sound like a pious religious zealot.

LOL.

*comes out of closet... well dressed.*

None of us, myself included, ever want to admit that to others our fundamental beliefs are "silly", or "wrong". Shucks, we even have difficulty in admitting our own errors to things that aren't part of our fundamental belief system.

I was raised on a remote ranch down along the border by folks who were mostly nominal Christians. One of whom was radical born-again bible thumping Baptist preacher who was well-known in the area, who felt right up until his death that God meant that I should be a preacher of his Word. I had an Aunt who was a Catholic, but never tried to force her beliefs on other family members. There were Quakers who burned copies of "impious books" that I liked and had lent to them. My stepfather's family was Mormon, and thats where were mostly affiliated. I rose naturally to become a Priest, but was unpopular with church leaders because I asked too many disturbing questions. By the time I had returned from military service, I was no longer even a nominal Christian. My Grandmother once said, "you can be any religion you like, so long as its Christian". She wasn't joking. I was drawn to Buddhism while attending college in Oregon, though at the time I know little about it. I became a Buddhist while living in a monastery "situation" in San Francisco while attending the Zendo of Roshi Suzuki.

Now I've been a Buddhist for about 42-43 years. I've benefited greatly from the practice of Buddhism, and, I think, have had some small influence in spreading that religion in America. Having had Enlightenment experiences, I no longer regard my religion as a matter of unproven belief. What I've experience, I believe is true ... right down to the marrow of my bones.

Why should not the followers of other religions hold to their fundamental beliefs as strongly as I do? As a semi-silly youth, I was on a "crusade" to correct all the world's foolishness (as I saw it), and probably was a damned pain in the neck to most of the people around me. I'm still probably a difficult person, but not usually over religion.

Does that answer your question, Bartikus?

Phew! It's good to know that the site is under some construction and that is why it is running slow and funky at times.

Interesting how reactions to this are different among people. I wasn't wondering where the high rollers were at, I was starting to wonder if I had been given a Time Out for misbehavior in the relationship forum.

In the case of A2K, absence does make the heart grow fonder. I am reminded of how much this place ROCKS. Intelligent people, interesting discussions, and the moderators treat us like adults.