Say your piece W/O
Aug 02 '04
The Bottom Line I join the Coalition of the Willing.
After reading the questions posed by spongebob_man1 in his “Say your piece W/O” I couldn’t pass it up. Here’s my take:
1) Do you believe in science's evolution theory or the Bible's creation theory? First and foremost, I truly believe that our world, the galaxies around us and the entire universe was created by God. I believe that there is a place for evolution in the creation theory. We as people have “evolved”, so to speak. I don’t think we evolved from primates but I also don’t believe everything is as God initially created it. That’s not to say he screwed up but more like things worked out according to His laws. Plants have adapted to the climate, animals have always migrated to find food, and humans are still adapting to their surroundings. (For better or worse)
2) If you believe in the Bible's creation theory do you disbelieve science in other areas such as medical research, geology, astronomy, physics, biochemistry, etc? If you look at sciences, such as physics, it becomes apparent that “thought” or “intelligence” went into the design of such laws. Even at the quantum level, when things appear “random” they can, nevertheless, be represented by statistics and behave in a manner that is expected. So no, I don’t disbelieve science, not one bit.
3) Why do you think "we are here?" (Why do humans exist?) Many reasons, but one would be to learn and grow and help each other out. We just can’t figure how to do it, sometimes.
4) Can we ever truly be happy by grasping for material things (cars, houses, CDs, movies, clothes, etc.) or should we be more concerned about affecting/improving others' lives? While it’s true that money can’t buy love or happiness, it sure comes close. That being said, it is imperative to love others, helping were we can, donating our time and talents. It feels good to do something good. But truly happy with material things? Nope, I find I am most happy when I'm on the floor, playing with my daughter. Money sure can’t buy that.
5) Do you think ADD/ADHD are more a product of environment or genetics? Why do you think ADD/ADHD has become so prevalent in the last 20 or so years? Excellent question! It’s easy to look at this question from a distance and say a kid is out of control because he has ADD. Or he’s hyperactive because his parents are never around. But when you are involved with the child at hand, I'm sure it’s a different story. I have a friend with a child who has been diagnosed with a “learning disability”. He refuses to accept the diagnosis, saying she’s just fine, learning at her own pace. It’s easy to be detached and say it is the environment or genetics. I think genetics play a small role, as does the environment, but I’d say it’s really just a kid being a kid. There are extreme cases, and those are the ones that should be diagnosed as such. We need a JAK (Just A Kid) diagnosis.
6)Are you a Democrat or Republican or something else? Why do you subscribe to that ideology? I am a registered Republican. That being said, I've slowly become disenchanted with my political party. We are drifting away from core beliefs such as limited government and government spending. I'm starting to have Libertarian leanings. But it’s hard to defend their beliefs without looking crazy. I think they have it right, but the entrenched bureaucracy will take years to dismantle. Too many people are too comfortable in their cushy government jobs.
7) George Bush or John Kerry for President? Why? George Bush. Because he has stood by his guns, withstanding all the negativity and attacks on him as a person, not just his executive decisions, good or bad they may have been. I don’t agree with all his decisions, but his principles and beliefs more or less align with mine.
8) How do you feel about Ralph Nader getting most of his support from long time Republicans in the form of campaign contributions and signatures to get Nader on the ballot this fall? I feel it’s politics, nothing more. Democrats are notorious for getting votes from questionable sources, this is just another form of that type of chicanery. It’s unfortunate but it is politics.
9) Has toppling the regime of Saddam Hussein really made us safer? Or has it infuriated more Muslim fundamentalists and made us a bigger target? Absolutely. There is no doubt in my mind. We know there are terrorists in Iran, Afghanistan, Spain, France, Turkey, Egypt, and we’re to believe there weren’t terrorists being harbored in Iraq? Saddam made payments to families of suicide bombers! He gassed his own people and would have gassed our soldiers if he wasn’t hiding in his little fox hole. The world is better without his regime and Muslim fundamentalists will always target us. It may have incited them more, but it doesn’t matter. They want to kill us regardless of what we’ve done.
10) Was the Abu Ghraib torture scandal a big deal to you? I was sick to my stomach and saddened by what I saw that happened there, but it’s got to be put in perspective. In Saddam’s Abu Ghraib, people had holes drilled in their hands and were dipped in acid baths. A few misguided, untrained prison guards put women’s panties on some Iraqi’s heads. While it is degrading to them, it pales in comparison. Nevertheless, it was a terrible way to treat human beings and I wish it didn’t happen, but it did.
11) Why has Osama Bin Laden, the mastermind and financier of 9/11, been virtually ignored since the Iraq Invasion began? I wouldn’t say he’s been ignored, but man it would be great if they could nab him. I don’t think the terrorists would give up, but knowing he was going to face American Justice would be good to hear.
12) Do you think America should support and/or participate in a possible invasion/attack against Iran? Preemptive action is a slippery slope. Europeans had signs that something was amiss with Hitler but didn’t act until he started killing people. If Iran has nukes and won’t conform to international standards then something may have to be done.
13) Have you seen or plan on seeing Fahrenheit 9/11? If you've seen it what did you think about it? Haven’t seen it, most likely won’t see it. I believe Moore succeeded in whipping his contingency into a frenzy with half truths and camera tricks, but it’s been widely discredited and will soon just be a blip on the political landscape.
14) Do you think we, as a nation, are more united or more divided since 9/11? I would like to say more united, but politically we are drifting farther and farther apart, which is a travesty. Both sides have valid points, both have kooky ideas. But regardless, we are all Americans and should be more understanding of each other’s opinions and political alignments.
15) The Terminator is Governor of California, Madeleine Albright was Secretary of State under President Clinton, and other foreign born American citizens have contributed to this country. Should foreign born American citizens be allowed to run for President? No, I don’t think foreign citizens should be allowed to run. While they may appreciate their freedoms more than we do, there are nuances and idiosyncrasies that may go under their radar and cause deep problems. Americans should run America.
16) Do you trust the electronic voting machines that will be used in some states this election? As an electrical engineer who goes ga-ga for electronic gadgets and solutions, I would like to trust them, but paper receipts are still needed. Another way to validate and account for votes is necessary.
17) Does the United Nations fill a relevant or necessary role in todays world? As an idea, the U.N. is a great idea and could do much good in our world. But in actuality, it’s rife with corruption and it’s really self-serving. Iraq was going to serve as chair on a disarmament conference! The UN food-for-oil program was just a way for certain, nameless, countries to live high on the hog. Cuba and Libya were both part of the UN’s Human Rights Commission. Is that a joke?
18) Why are you Pro-Choice or Pro-Life? I am Pro-Life because I believe that at conception a human being has begun its path to mortality. The time to decide that you aren’t ready for a child or don’t want a baby has passed. You’ve made your bed, it’s time to lie in it. Barring extreme cases of rape, incest or danger to the mother, I wholeheartedly oppose abortion. Even then, an extremely difficult decision would have to be made, one that I hope would never be forgotten.
19) Why do you support or condemn the death penalty? Man, spongebob_man1 is on his game with these questions! Another toughie. I support the death penalty, with one giant caveat. There most be absolutely no doubt, whatsoever, that a murder occurred. If four people see a guy walk up to another person and shoot him dead, then yes, he made a decision to take someone’s life and he should be prepared to lose his. I think that when evidence and facts and witnesses absolutely prove murder occurred, then yes, the death penalty is necessary. Other than that, serving life in prison certainly isn’t a picnic and I think justice is still served.
20) Any final thoughts or feelings? It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything here, but this write-off is great. I had a lot of fun doing it. Thanks for reading it, I don’t normally do this, but I really wanted to say a few things about how I feel and where I stand. Thanks and kudos go to spongebob_man1 for hosting a thought provoking write-off and opening to anyone who wanted to have their opinions voiced.
(NB: Flames and incendiary comments will be summarily ignored. Disagreements and well-thought-out comments are welcomed and encouraged.)
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rice75
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Member: Tony Rice
Location: Columbus, OH
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About Me:
Resident Evil 4 will own your soul. Do not resist.
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