Mitt Romney Addresses Gay Marriage, Religion In Liberty University Commencement Address (VIDEO)

And therein you have the proximity of belief over fact, myth over morality. To some, religion is faith as the sword, the club of obedience. The morality of community interest, as reflected in teachings of ALL religions (and some non-religions) is to be preferred over the politics of religion reflected in the (purported) advancement of the faith, when that faith is used to mislead, obfuscate and otherwise subjugate people in contravention to their own best interests. My beliefs lie in "personal decisions, personal consequences; individual opportunity, individual achienvement."

When community chooses/volunteers to help those who need it, that's desirable. When government mandates that effort through involuntary taxation and decision-making, that's reprehensible.
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Ashlie Simpson Sues Colorado Christian University

The "progressiveness" of that institution is admirable. I wonder why most can't see the difference between judging on the basis of individual performance and worthiness, and on the basis of specious religious values originating from a myth-supporting and controlling heirarchy?
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Ashlie Simpson Sues Colorado Christian University

It's always amazing to me when religious institutions "discover" their values when a worker is found to be outside their mainstream values. Either they prosecute their values rigoriorsly-up front- in their hiring process, require adherence throughout their employee monitoring process, or quit trying to manage people's personal lives and values. Either the person is evaluated on their job performance, or is fired for non-performance. No in-between "situational morality, circumstantial ethics." If religious adherehnce is the predominat requirement for employment, then stick to it; only invite to apply and hire faithful adherents, only evaluate on religious performance, nothing else. If religious infrastructures want to "have their cake," they must "eat it too."
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Colin Powell's New Book: War With Iraq Never Debated

You go too far. The considered exercise of the war powers constitutionally authorized for the President is allowed as a direct response to imminent threat, or actual attack. When asked to "vote" on war, Americans are always reluctant, having been the biggest provider of peacekeeping "fodder" in all the world's wars.

Time to revisit the Monroe Doctrine (stay at home!) while making sure that our response to circumstances is balanced, and includes participation by NATO and other treaty partners who have continuing stakes in preserving peace.
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Mt. Rushmore Site Should Be Returned To Indigenous Native American Tribes, U.N. Official Says

Brazil and many other countries are doing to their indigenous peoples what we did to American Indian tribes generations ago. Without judging the correctness of "might makes right" over conquered territory of a long-ago era, I an still ponder the correctness, even today, of big government getting it's way through financial and legislative oppression. By all means, if the MT. Rushmore and related territory belongs to the Sioux, give it to them!

Maybe we could negotiate national Park Status, or Visitation and Resort privileges to allow Americans and foreign tourists right to enjoy this wonder. But, if the Sioux insist on religious grounds to manage this territory, and it is indeed theirs, give it to them. Our mistake originally was in granting nation status to native tribes, along with reservation ownership, as recompense for our conquering the.

But, that horse is out of the barn, and today's sense of what's right requires us to be more, not less, supportive. One hundred years from now ( or sooner!) when these independent territories, now able to choose what American laws they honor, yet able to ask for Federal and state help when the need suits them, are going to be in a position to declare independence. What then? Will the U.N. recognize these independent nations?
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Kenlie Tiggeman, Southwest's 'Too Fat To Fly' Passenger, Sues Airline (VIDEO)

The real problem is that the airline industry has always been "protected" by government, and Darwinism has not been allowed to operate. The singular determination of airlines to use this protection to stay in business no matter what has led to the kind of price-cutting and overcapacity that has driven U.S. airline growth to levels that hurt, not help, consumers. The coming revolution in Internet-based "work at home" and Collaboratrive business models offers unimaginably huge savings in pollution, travel time, satisfaction, productivity increases, and more. While I anticipate more "the world is growing smaller" technologies like efficient airlines, to facilitate leaisure travel, the demonstrable savings of Internet-based work and educaion (soon to include health) business models argues in favor of restructuring the airine industry through free-market competition to better allocate resources among competitors, and getting the government out of the business of saving those who make bad busines decisions.
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Bragging Rights

Other than a person's own need for self-esteem, there is no justification for purposefully 'bragging" about children. I think that a "braggart"-not a person who merely responds to questions (also an obvious opening and lead-in for another to respond with a brag)-seeks self-validation though the accomplishments of their children, in many cases. Being proud of children's accomplishments is one thing and maybe some don't feel they need wide acknowledgement of their children to either make themselves or their children "important."

Personally, I value more my children's growth and maturity as caring human beings, or at least equally to their swim and lacrosse trophies. The kids? Well, they value their accomplishments, but since every kid is not destined for a sports or academic scholarship, maybe we could give them all the opportunity to be good human beings through imparting of coping and self-validation skills.
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