FYM BIG issues - your stance?

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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Iraq War- I was for it. Now I am in the middle. I support the troops 100000000000%

Religion- I am Catholic (but a wavy one.) I now believe religion should not exist and to be closer to god you must act like him and be kind to one, help each other, go meditate some where. His church is in all of us.

Abortion- I am 99% against it. I will support it if it's incest,rape or deformaty. There are other options. A) adoption. B) Maybe the father wants the child and he can take full responsability for the child. C) Maybe a family member would like to have the child, due to infertility? And for you anti-DP advocates. The baby has not killed and there for is innocent and thats why abortion is wrong and executing a inmate for the murders is sometimes justifiable.

Stem Cell- For it if it saves lives.

Gay Marriage- Was against it. I don't really care now. I go on with my life.

Death Penalty- For it. Death knows no race. They killed a human and there for should face the same.

Gun Controll- People have a right to bear arms for protection of one self or family.

Political Views- Democrat Conservative.
 
Iraq War - Wrong war for wrong reasons, it had nothing to do with saving the Iraqis from a despot or democracy, all about oil reserves and securing resources

Religion - Non-theist humanist, religion is a structure designed by humans to cope with a world they don't understand

Abortion - Pro-choice, not pro-abortion

Stem Cell Research - Support embryonic stem cell research and federal funding

Gay Marriage - Support the right to same sex marriage. Although, just because people are gay, doesn't mean they have to get marriage. Marriage is a joke these days with a few exceptions

Death Penalty - Against it. It is an immoral and inhuman form of punishment.The system of finding guilt is biased and flawed leading to false convictions. Until they solve these inadequacies, the death penalty is ineffective.

Israel Conflict - " Israel has the right to defend itself and does not intentionally target civilians" is the new mantra replacing " because of 9/11" Terrorist acts do not give governments the rights to behave as terrorists and kill innocent people. So long as Israel reponds with disproportionate force, it just increases the long-term risk to the region. I don't see an end to this.

Gun Control - Support it. Hunting rifles are acceptable, handguns and the AK-47s,etc should be banned. The whole argument of protecting oneself is bullshit. If NRA people think having a gun makes one safe, they are sorely mistaken. The right to bear arms amendment is an archaic document written during frontier times when life was totally different.

Terrorism - Terrorists are winning the so-called " war on terror" Governments have changed their behaviour to deal with terrorism despite the bravado of how we won't let them take away our freedoms or lifestyles. Statistically, terrorism is a minor annoyance yet huge resources are used to deal with it. Terrorism has been empowered by the response to these groups.

Political Views - Liberal, generally. Some things conservative but not Republican conservative,. Generally, I am for giving people choices and not about legislating rules which prevent choices. Total separation of church and state and totally against legislation regarding personal lifestyles.

Edited cause someone's feelings got hurt.
 
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trevster2k said:
Republican conservative, those people are wacko.

I thought this thread was for posting our political stances, and was supposed to be argument-free. I don't believe it was intended to be a place where you could feel free to take potshots at people without fear of them fighting you on it.
 
Irvine511 said:
:shrug:

does everything have to be a battle?
I'm not battling anyone, Irvine. I'm just asking for equal treatment. If you and I gave respectful answers, why isn't everyone expected to do the same?
 
80sU2isBest said:


I thought this thread was for posting our political stances, and was supposed to be argument-free. I don't believe it was intended to be a place where you could feel free to take potshots at people without fear of them fighting you on it.

I was wondering how long it would be before someone just had to sneak in a little retort. The way it stays argument free is in choosing not argue the points here. I've read a lot of stuff I disagree with hetr, but if we're going to argue about, for example whether "Republicans are wacko" that should happen on another thread. I agree, it's not fair for someone to use this thread to "take potshots" but in order for the thread to serve what I understant to be it's intended purpose, we have to grit our teeth and ignore the occasional cheap shot.

IMHO. I'm not a mod or anything.
 
maycocksean said:


I was wondering how long it would be before someone just had to sneak in a little retort.

I wasn't "sneaking in" anything. The "wacko" statement was a sneak-in. I was openly stating that this was not the place for it.

maycocksean said:
I've read a lot of stuff I disagree with hetr, but if we're going to argue about, for example whether "Republicans are wacko" that should happen on another thread.
IMHO. I'm not a mod or anything.

I'm not arguing about whether Republicans are "wacko". I'm pointing out that this thread is not the place for it.
 
Oh well, now I'm arguing. Sorry, Dazzling Amy. I just didn't like the fact that someone took a potshot.
 
OMG!! Get over it!! Start a thread proclaiming Republicans aren't wackos. Get Yolland to ban me, whatever. Referencing my personal opinion to show what extremes I consider to be acceptable is not a cheap shot but it shows my perspective as to use of conservative. Some people here consider Liberal to be an offensive term.

I'm not ashamed of my views, and I do feel very strongly about them (as im sure everyone does) but I also like to see other peoples opinions and their reasons why they believe what they do!


I changed it, and for someone in FYM to be whining, yes, whining now, about the possibility of a thread derailment is ridiculous. I could have said much more worse things. Sheesh!!

Wow, I must be having a crappy day, normally, I don't let this kind of thing annoy me. That's all I have to say about that.
 
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trevster2k said:
OMG!! Get over it!! Start a thread proclaiming Republicans aren't wackos. Get Yolland to ban me, whatever. Referencing my personal opinion to show what extremes I consider to be acceptable is not a cheap shot but it shows my perspective as to use of conservative. Some people here consider Liberal to be an offensive term.




I changed it, and for someone in FYM to be whining, yes, whining now, about the possiblity of a thread derailment is ridiculous. I could have said much more worse things. Sheesh!!

Wow, I must be having a crappy day, normally, I don't let this kind of thing annoy me. That's all I have to say about that.

Call me a whiner - whatever you want. If I'm expected to play by the rules, you should be also.
 
Iraq War - completely against.

Religion - Lapsed Catholic...strong spiritual connection to Christianity, low tolerance for the constructs and dogma of the church and communities. Bit of a rock and a hard place at times.

Abortion - pro-choice and pro-life. I support a comprehensive, preventative approach to unwanted pregnancy and better social support (healthcare, education, employment, childcare) to make parenthood a viable option for women with limited support and means.

Stem Cell Research - full support since the real choice is medical waste versus new life through new treatments and cures. Seems like a pro-life choice to me.

Gay Marriage - full support. It will be interesting when the day comes that Church and State meet in court to determine whether churches refusing to perform ceremonies are subject to human rights violation laws.

Death Penalty - completely immoral in theory and ridiculously ineffective and wasteful in practice.

Israel Conflict - the idea that Israel is just defending itself is laughable. Israel isn't any more independent of the USA than Hezbollah is from Syria/Iran.

Gun Control - if someone wants to own an assault weapon, they will, it's as simple as that. I'm not sure gun control measures have proven any level of effectiveness in preventing gun crime...maybe they have...I'm just not that familiar with the issue.

Terrorism - apparently has become an effective tool in driving public policy. So far everything is on schedule for Al Quaida's long-term plans. Keep it up.

Political Views - Fiscally conservative, socially liberal for the most part.
 
• Iraq War – a necessary action
• Religion (those that have those that don't) – Christian, I attend a Presbyterian church but do not identify by the denomination as a label. I take the Bible as the authoritative, inerrant Word of God.
• Abortion – a sad practice that exists because we refuse to answer the difficult questions. I find that people support abortion on principles that they usually cannot apply in a consistent fashion. As a practical matter, I do not see this as an important issue to abolish the practice.
• Stem Cell Research – the new political companion to the abortion debate. Stem cell research wasn’t going to save Christopher Reeves. The arguments seems to have boiled down to lack of support for federal funding = hating people with disease. Silly. As a practical matter, do all the research you want. I don’t see it as yet another government funding requirement.
• Gay Marriage/Rights – all domestic partnerships need a consistent body of laws, with the use of a civil union to benchmark corresponding rights.
• Death Penalty – a valid punishment meted by government to punish the members of society who, with premeditation, take the life of another.
• Gun Control – a misguided attempt to regulate otherwise legal behavior instead of focusing efforts on illegal behavior. If you don’t want a gun, don’t buy one.
• Israel conflict – the stench of anti-Semitism continues to linger in our world. People are more bothered by Israel’s attempt to defend itself today and in the future than they are bothered by holocaust denying head of state in the region.
• Political Views – lean conservative both fiscally and socially, not defined by political party.
 
I'm not from the USA (that since many of the questions are made from that context ), but I would like to say a few thing about each issue from my POV and my background :) :

* Iraq War
I've never though this was a good idea. Our president supported it against this country's opinion, doesn't he see the damage that violence has caused in our own country?

* Religion
I have a catholic education, most of people here are catholic. I don't agree with many things the Church has done and said.

* Abortion
Abortion was completely banned until a few time ago, when the goverment made it legal for rape cases, fetus' anomalies and health risk for the mother. In my opinion, abortion is a sympton, not the problem itself. Personally I wouldn't be comfortable facing an abortion, but I support the right to choose.

* Stem Cell Research
Don't know enough about this topic

* Gay Marriage/Rights

I don't know why gay people are considered dangerous for society. I don't know why their behaviour is considerated a sin. So i'm in favor

* Death Penalty

hmmm... for me this is a hard issue, because our constitution is against death penalty but the military forces (the goverment) has to kill terrorists in our own territory.

* Gun Control

Honestly I thank God to live in a country where the law doesn't encourage people to have guns, and most of people think that they don't need them. many of you may think this is kind of ironic but I haven't met the first person who has a gun or even considered to have one. I think that if you have a gun it means that you are willing to use it, and you won't mind if you hurt/ kill anybody whatever your intentions would be. I'm not saying that there aren't people without guns here, but you won't find guns and bullets in our supermarkets.

* Israel conflict
I'll have to get more information about this...

* Political Views

Indiferent :S...
 
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Iraq War
The Bush Doctrine of preemptive invasion of sovereign nations is not conservatism. Iraq has alienated us diplomatically around the world and has tied our hands to deal with the very real threat of global Islamic Fascism. The War on the War, however, is almost enough to convince me otherwise. Ask me again in 25 years.

Religion
God has blessed me in more ways than I can count. Trying to be His servant in this life keeps me humble...well, humbler.

Abortion
Medical technology is winning the battle for people's hearts on this issue; Ultra-sounds, fetal surgery, earlier and earlier prenatal viability. Fewer abortions through education, not laws.

Stem cells
As a medical professional I'm hopeful but also skeptical. The list of amazing advances in medicine is indeed impressive but the list of dead-end research, failed therapies, unforeseen side effects and outright quackery is unfortunately longer.

Gay marriage
Call me old-fashioned.

Death penalty
I used to live in Texas. Hang 'em high.

Gun control
"There's no such thing as a good gun. There's no such thing as a bad gun. A gun in the hands of a bad man is a very dangerous thing. A gun in the hands of a good person is no danger to anyone except the bad guys. ..."
Not sure how Charlton Heston's quote ended up in BBS on the Elevation Tour. It is after all true.

Israeli conflict
It's seems some people don't recognize Israel's right to exist as a nation in the Middle East.

Politics
A Bono conservative.
:)
 
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Going to Hawaii tomorrow. If or when I get access to a computer there I know what thread I'm gonna start. . . .

gun control.

I got me some things to say!
 
Iraq War
Huge, colossal mistake. Should never have happened in the first place and it's gone downhill from there.

Religion
Agnostic. I don't particularly like organized religion.

Abortion
Pro-choice. I don't know if I would personally have one myself, but every woman should have the right to choose.

Stem cells
It could save countless lives, so I'm for stem cell research.

Gay marriage
100% in favour of. Yo can't help who you fall in love with.

Death penalty
Completely opposed. It's revenge, not justice IMO. It doesn't deter people either and is very very flawed.

Gun control
In favour of. Hunting rifles are fine, but guns that are made specifically to kill people should be regulated.

Israeli conflict
Israel has a right to exist, but they are going about things with Lebanon etc the wrong way.

Politics
Liberal.

:)
 
* Iraq War
-I agree with most of you. We shouldn't have started it, but since we did and we're still there, we gotta fix it. I just want it to be over with....but will it ever? I don't think America and Iraq will ever be too close...
* Religion (those that have those that don't)
-I'm not sure what you're asking here....I'm a Seventh-day Adventist...:wink:
* Abortion
-Personally I'm against it, but if there's a pregnant 12 year old and it's gotta be done then it's gotta be done.
* Stem Cell Research
-Again, personally I'm against it, but if it will save lives then I'm all for it.
* Gay Marriage/Rights
-Gay/Lesbians are people too. If getting married is their priority, so be it. I don't like all the bashing against them. It is their decision, although my state (WA) just recently voted against it.
* Death Penalty
-Thou shall not kill....but if the man's killed dozens perhaps it's the only way he'll learn. But I believe everyone deserves a second chance.
* Gun Control
-Don't shoot people and I'm fine.
* Israel conflict
-Meh...
* Political Views
-I'm only a freshman....but I don't really like Bush...bring back Clinton! Hehehe
 
I think I've only posted here once or twice, but I do love the idea behind this thread, so here goes...


* Iraq War.
Short answer - Supported at first but now I feel duped.

I completely support our troops - I love the soldier but I hate the mission, and I don’t get how some people can’t understand that, especially because I’m the wife of a veteran who feels the same way I do about this. I'm almost ashamed to admit I considered voting for Bush in the last election because I didn't want a regime change at home in the middle of a war. Not because I thought he was handling it all that great, but just changing hands didn't make sense. (Think FDR in WWII.) Then the whole WMD issue came out - or didn't come out, as it happened, and I just felt duped. Yes, we need to finish the job now - I just wish there were clearer objectives stated other than rhetoric "When they stand up, we stand down" bullshit. With all the abuse scandals and whatnot it's obvious to me that there isn't any clear leadership happening and we have kids who are running on their own without anyone watching over them. Which isn't by any means excusing what's happened in regards to the abuse scandals - and trust me, I'm not losing any sleep because a true terrorist may be receiving less than Geneva-approved accommodations - I just worry how many more terrorists are being created out of the publicity. I had mixed emotions about Al-Zarqawi being killed; on one hand, I won't miss him, but on the other - how many kids saw that and now hate America? How many more Zarqawis did we create by doing that? I feel like we’re fighting a gang war on a global scale. You kill our guys, we retaliate and kill your guys – it’s just a vicious circle.

* Religion (those that have those that don't)
Short answer – Organized religion scares me.

I wasn't raised with any religious faith. I was a hard atheist for a long time; now I'm really intrigued by the idea of a god. Organized religion makes me want to run away fast, but Eastern philosophy intrigues me. I like thinking that God is all around us, through us, beside us, within us, rather than looking down at us from some far, far, away mysterious place. I still have issues with the ‘traditional’ notion of the faraway God that I'm working on.

* Abortion
Short answer – For it because it needs to be a safe procedure

I believe it's a terrible thing. Even though I wasn't raised with religious issues, I do believe life begins at conception (you have 46 chromosomes, what do you think it's going to be? A turkey? A piece of paper?). On the other hand, it's just not possible for us to go back to the days before abortion was legal - the days of women doing horrific things to themselves to 'get rid' of their unwanted pregnancies are too frightening for us to go back. It should be a safe procedure. I'm thankful that it was a safe procedure for me when I had to have one because I truly believed my life was at risk. However, there was no follow up other than 1 medical check up afterwards. I still struggle with the decision I made almost 15 years ago. Sure, I can see someone about it now; I just wish someone would have told me I could do that back then when I was a scared teenager losing 20 pounds in 2 weeks because I couldn't eat or drink anything and my doctor wanted to 'punish' the little girl for having sex and not do anything for me.

* Stem Cell Research
Short answer – For it

I don't understand why anyone would be against it. The embryos are slated for destruction anyway; we may as well gain some knowledge from them if we can. Fetal farming on the other hand - that's a shady area, and without knowing much about it, other than it's implanting embryos into a woman and harvesting them, I'm against it.

* Gay Marriage/Rights
Short answer – 100% for it

Get over it. If we're so worried about the sanctity of marriage we need to focus on why the divorce rate is so high. I don't think people can choose their sexual orientation any more than I can choose to change the color of my eyes - I mean, nobody ever asked me, "When did you know you were straight?" The only choice homosexuals make is the choice to live honest lives and be brave enough to be themselves in the face of hostility and closed-mindedness (which IMO just stems from fear of the unknown). Mind you, I don't believe all homosexuals are saints either; they’re every bit as good and every bit as bad as anyone else. When I say living honest lives, I mean living knowing that they're gay and not being ashamed of it. I'm not saying anything about their moral fiber.

* Death Penalty
Definitely needs an overhaul but I am generally in favor of the concept.

* Gun Control
I think it was Larry the Cable Guy who said it best - "If we can blame guns for killing people, I can blame misspellings on my pencil."

* Israel conflict
Short answer – I don’t know

I'm too ignorant about the situation to have an opinion, but from what I can tell, Israel has a right to defend herself. And maybe Israel has gone a bit too far, but I'm not sure. Unfortunately, what passes for news in America is more like entertainment, so I try to catch international news on the bigger subjects, and I haven't been able to actually do that as of late. (Ironically, I do get most of my news from The Daily Show, which isn't supposed to be a real news show but I find that I get more relevant, objective facts from that show than CNN or Fox News. And I get a few laughs out of it too.)

* Political Views
Quite moderate, I suppose…? I guess at this point in time I really don’t know. It’s gotten really bad in the U.S.; lately the only thing that matters in our elected representatives is whether they have a D or an R next to their name, and I hate that it’s come to that. I don't blindly support one party or another (in fact, blind loyalty scares the shit out of me), but I am in favor of a 2 party system because having a 34% majority (as would be the case in a 3 party system) scares me. I have found myself voting democrat down the line - not intentionally, but just finding the lesser of two evils to deal with in most cases. I believe children should be raised in a loving, 2 parent home, and, ideally, one parent should stay home with the children. (I didn't say the parents have to be of the opposite sex though.) I believe in personal responsibility and accountability - I don't understand why people want to sue the bartender when it’s the drunk driver who kills/injures someone. I believe if you don’t vote, you don’t have the right to bitch. (Assuming you are fortunate enough to live in a country where voting is a right.) I saw a great bumper sticker the other day: If you don’t vote, people like Bush get elected into office.


Damn. I didn’t mean to write a book. But it was a great idea for a thread. :up:
 
Iraq war: Against it, but now *we are there, we should do more ( i am ashamed that my governmed is not doing more to help there, we are better in peacekeeping )

Religion : protestant


Abortion : Against it, but pro-choice. I don`t have the moral superiority to forbid people to do it. I see more future in sexual education and birth control, free daycare ect.


stem cell research : For it. For what it know, they use embryos from fretility threatment and the* leftovers*are thrown away,.....better use them for research.


Gay marriage and rights : equal threatment please :up:

Death penalty : i don`t believe in revenge. so against.


Gun control : For gun control because i think it is illusion to believe that having a gun is safer

Isreal conflict : Isreal has the right to defend,..but now it is revenge. The biggest problem i have with it, is that civilian victims on Lebanese site are called *collateral damage* and on isreal site, awfull victims of babaric people.

Political views : Left wing socialist. I believe that everyone should have a same start in life. Same healthcare, same education ect. I also believe that one income should be enough to support a famliy,...

I am glad that in my country we have 7 + politic party`s so everyone can feel represented and they always need a coalition to form a government. So left will never be realy left and right will not be realy right .
 
Iraq War
I was in favour of getting Sadam out of there. The way this was carried out and since it seems really random to do this in Iraq but not in about at least 5 other countries with "confused" leaders does blemish it.

Religion
Roman Catholic. If I never set foot in any church ever again I will still call myself this.

Abortion
Pro-choice. If we trust our politicians to do the right thing then we can also trust pregnant women to do the right thing.
Personally I don't think I would ever opt for it (though as a man I alwready feel a bit uncomfortable saying that) but give others the freedom to make their own decisions. I still don't believe that people view having an abortions like having a haircut adn this is how some people against abortion make it sound like

Stem cells
In favour. Don't really understand what there is to be against to.

Gay marriage
In favour. Don't really understand what there is to be against to.

Death penalty
Opposed. Besides our justice system not being 100% waterproof I don't see it solving more than jailing someone for a good couple of decades (for live) which is more human. If we would treat everyone the same way they treat us earth would either turn into heaven or hell and I fear it would be hell.

Gun control
In favour of.

Israeli conflict
A very complex situation. Both parties are entitled to some rights and both abuse the recognition of these rights.
Israel latest actions in Lebanon appear completely inexcusable to me.
The entire situation including the way other countries treat it is the most embarassing/shameful thing mankind has to show for. The amount of money, resources and energy being wasted here could have brought so much good in Africa instead of feeding negative behaviour in the Middle East as is the case now.

Politics
In The Netherlands my voting behaviour would be considered conservative. I vote based on economic ideas. In the US I would probably be described as a flaming liberal.



My apologies for articulating all of this quite poorly.
I don't like big posts.
 
Bono'sTyee said:
** Religion (those that have those that don't)
-I'm not sure what you're asking here....I'm a Seventh-day Adventist...:wink:

Hey, me too! You're the only other Adventist I've seen on here!
 
IRAQ- Another American Colony

GAY MARRIAGE- It's like interracial couples,you get use to it.

DEATH PENALTY- Only if there wasn't a shred of doubt.

GUN CONTROL- One day we will need them.

Israel- We should have put them in Denmark! I hear that it's a happy place.

STEM CELL - Science is real

ABORTION - Unfortunate but a choice

RELIGION- Used to control the weak

POLITICS- I love my country!I like our diversity. I do not like the way this government treats it's citizens.Illegals,taxes,corruption,lies........


Thank's
 
Well, having returned from my annual Tour de Europe to see family, friends and people-I-try-to-network-with-but-usually-fail-to-call it’s time to get back to FYM. I had a great time and many odd experiences that might or might not turn up here in the coming weeks – including a peculiar conversation with a fellow Spurs supporter in a train from Florence to Milan about the current state of anti-Semitism in Europe. A bit more highbrow than you’d normally expect from a semi-serious hooligan prospect. Anyway, on with the show.

* Iraq War

I was against it before the invasion and still am – for many reasons. However, as much as I dislike war it is not right to leave Iraq now. I don’t really think that there is a chance for a positive outcome anymore but we started it and to leave Iraq in chaos because we’ve suddenly realised the human cost of our actions would be wrong.

* Religion (those that have those that don't)

Can I list football? The real kind where 22 men chase a round ball for 90 minutes and Germany win in the end? No? Okay (sigh).

This is a very complex question for me. I don’t come from a Christian or even monotheistic background. I’ve been perplexed by many things here on FYM that I later realised stemmed from a completely different basic world view. And the strange thing is that I’ve spent most of my life being told that by virtue of having grown up in a predominantly Christian society, that I am by definition ‘culturally Christian’. Christianity does not resonate with me and the religious writings from within my cultural background that I have found to be relevant to me pose such ludicrous claims that I find it hard to view them as more than philosophical guidelines – especially with respect to their presentation of the divine. In some ways I meet the definition of an atheist – but I also have deeply held spiritual beliefs. Maybe I’ll get around to elaborate in the ‘conversion’ thread.

* Abortion

Pro-choice. Don’t tell me what I can and cannot do to my body and I won’t bother you either.

* Stem Cell Research

I don’t think that it will have the impact on healthcare that some people claim but it is a necessary field of study by virtue of being firmly in the realm of the unknown for us.

* Gay Marriage/Rights

Emphatically for.

* Death Penalty

Emphatically against.

* Gun Control

I’m not American so it’s not my issue but I do hate guns to the point of felling physically ill if I have to be around them.

* Israel conflict

Oh dear. I simply fail to see what it is that Israel is hoping to gain in the long run. I’m fresh out of illusions to have shattered.

* Political Views

Labour – card-carrying in fact.

Oh, and maycocksean, I know it’s a bit late but have a great trip!
 
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