Akita Suggagaki said:

Really? If one does not agree with him they are committing treason.​

From the Department of Justices to the most peripheral federal agencies, Trump and his political appointees are weaponizing the bureaucracy to go after hundreds of the president’s political opponents and public officials who attempt to hold him accountable.
To carry out this effort, Trump has obliterated the longstanding firewall protecting the Department of Justice (DOJ) and other agencies from bhttps://www.democracydocket.com/analysis/trump-administration-weaponization-government-targeting-political-opponents/being used for political ends.

Trump’s Chilling Retribution Campaign Poses a Grave Threat to Democracy

You mean aside from ignoring court orders​

The Trump administration’s conflict with the courts, explained

​

Stripping Power from Independent Regulatory Agencies​

https://www.npr.org/2025/02/19/nx-s1-5302481/trump-independent-agencies

DOGE Access to Government Payment Systems​

Executive Order Freezing Federal Grant Funding​

​

Rollback of Healthcare Regulations​

Reducing Administrative Support for NIH Grants​

Executive Order to Dismantle the Department of Education​

Attacks on the Department of Education and Locking Lawmakers Out​

Rollback of EPA Regulations​

Executive Orders Targeting Law Firms

Executive Actions Targeting Colleges and Universities


Unfortunately the GOP is ok with all that.

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As much talk as there has been in this thread about Western Journal and Fox News, these sources are the same thing just from the left

Glory to God!

The Liturgist said:

The Bishop of Rome was not among the 318 Holy Fathers at Nicaea, although his two legates were and he acceded to the binding ecumenical authority of the Council which was derived from its churchwide acceptance including by the laity (for this reason the Orthodox at the behest of St. Mark of Ephesus reject the Ecumenical status of Florence and regard it as something like a latrocinium).

I would note that the idea that Nicaea was a Roman Catholic thing and not a Catholic / Apostolic / Orthodox council conducted according to the ecclesiastical principle of conciliarity or sobornost is one of the more dangerous falsehoods spread by those who excessively criticize your church leading to an arbitrary Catholic vs. Restorationist narrative that does real harm by squeezing out the Greek and Syrian churches from the historical record in favor of an assumed anachronistic proto-ultramontanism.

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This doesn't address my post.

@prodromos said men are prone to error, if that is true, then the profession of faith developed at Nicea is prone to error. And I asked a follow up which remains unanswered.

probinson said:

Yep. With the reasons for it.

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No, you have not articulated any reasons beyond your own incredulity.

probinson said:

You made stuff up that may or may not be true. It proved nothing other than your imaginative abilities.

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Which is no less substantive than the basis of your skepticism.

probinson said:

But the bank robber still took the money in your analogy, didn't he? Your analogy doesn't even fit your point.

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This sort of thing doesn't have to operate on the timeline of a bank heist. Why would you assume that they'd make their demands immediately? They've demonstrated their capabilities. It's the computer equivalent of brandishing a weapon.

probinson said:

How would breaking into US election systems translate into being able to hack into ANY election system? It's already been pointed out that election systems aren't even consistent across various counties in the same state. Demonstrating your ability to hack into a single system in a single county in the US isn't exactly compelling stuff.

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They didn't merely hack into a single one. They hacked into a lot of them.

probinson said:

I would posit that incessantly TALKING ABOUT their hacking efforts has fueled far more discord than their actual hacking efforts.

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I agree, completely, but that's a distinction without a difference and a hallmark of good psyops. If you want to cause some trouble, you don't necessarily have to cause all of it yourself. If you can identify a situation that's about ready to pop, all you have to do is go in and poke it a bit and it'll take care of the rest on its own.

Valletta said:

Investigators eventually discovered she owned six different businesses that generated more than $9.5 million between January 2020 and December 2024, according to court documents.

Louisiana ‘Medicaid millionaire’ bought Lamborghini while claiming government benefits for years

Investigators say Taylor flaunted luxury lifestyle on social media while fraudulently receiving government benefits.

nypost.com

Yes, people are being taken off Medicaid or forced to work or give community service is they are able-bodied. I don't consider this "cuts" in Medicaid.

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Ah, Reagan's Welfare Queen anti-aid rhetoric. A golden oldie.

Go after the doctor's and institutions that steal. But the horrors of an unemployed person receiving treatment for a strep throat when they should be working is the real crisis.

Ghislaine Maxwell moved to minimum security federal prison camp in Texas​

Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein's co-conspirator and confidant, was moved to a minimum security federal prison camp in Texas, prison officials said Friday.

Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for her role in recruiting and trafficking minors for sex, was being held at a low-security facility in Tallahassee, Florida, that housed men and women.

The camp in Bryan, Texas, is minimum security and only houses women. A majority of the inmates at the facility are serving time for nonviolent offenses and white-collar crimes.

concretecamper said:

So using that logic, the profession of faith at Nicea in 325 is prone to error?

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The Bishop of Rome was not among the 318 Holy Fathers at Nicaea, although his two legates were and he acceded to the binding ecumenical authority of the Council which was derived from its churchwide acceptance including by the laity (for this reason the Orthodox at the behest of St. Mark of Ephesus reject the Ecumenical status of Florence and regard it as something like a latrocinium).

I would note that the idea that Nicaea was a Roman Catholic thing and not a Catholic / Apostolic / Orthodox council conducted according to the ecclesiastical principle of conciliarity or sobornost is one of the more dangerous falsehoods spread by those who excessively criticize your church leading to an arbitrary Catholic vs. Restorationist narrative that does real harm by squeezing out the Greek and Syrian churches from the historical record in favor of an assumed anachronistic proto-ultramontanism.

Phil G said:

No, that's not what you say. You say it circles in and out of sight above us. God says it rises and goes down. Your description differs from what God has told us in Scripture. He never says it circles in and out of a vanishing point -never! You are contradicting the very words of Scripture. You are in error.

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So what your saying is that the earth orbits the the sun ?
Tell me something, if the sun doesn't circle the heavens, how come the sun stopped for Joshua ?

2PhiloVoid said:

Indeed, I've seen plenty of examples of anti-religionists (or ex-Christians) making the same, stupid, illogical and fallacious methodological mistakes as do the Christians whom they oppose.

But, I r'lize these'r wild times we're living downs here in Plural County.

And there's nothing wrong with that.

I think you've misunderstood my insinuation. Obviously, cherry-pickinig is still going on. What is over, however, is an era in which the utterly ignorant are still justified in cherry-picking simply because no one is around who knows better. Well, some of us do know better.



Oh well. At least ICE is getting rid of undesirable gang members, drug cartel members or possible terrorists instead of just letting them run roughshod within apartment buildings or local communities. I can support that effort and I've always been politically non-partison like that.

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You are missing the implication that by declaring all illegal aliens as enemies of God they justify not prioritizing those people.

2PhiloVoid said:

At the same time, if ICE members are going to quote the Bible as fellow Christians, I expect them to interpret the Bible responsibly, in context.


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“There may be babblers, wholly ignorant of mathematics, who dare to condemn my hypothesis, upon the authority of some part of the Bible twisted to suit their purpose. I value them not, and scorn their unfounded judgment.” -- Nicolaus Copernicus

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BelieveItOarKnot said:

So your own image then? Is that what you're saying?

And past tense, as in was, meaning no longer applicable?

You get the point yet?

There's an issue at hand here. IF this deception is merely "me" or "you"

THEN

Jesus was tempted by Himself, as there technically is no Satan as an adversary that is different from the person.

Are we creeping up on this thing yet or will you still insist that you used to be your own adversary but have now transcended?

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“So your own image then? Is that what you're saying?”

What did the people see when they saw Jesus hung on a tree/cross … was it a serpent?

The image is that of a man (one who tills the ground from whence he came (“Where art thou”), but the son of man (to God) is the son of God, which is a truth relevant to all mankind …

“And past tense, as in was, meaning no longer applicable?”

“ … when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

“There's an issue at hand here. IF this deception is merely "me" or "you" THEN Jesus was tempted by Himself, as there technically is no Satan as an adversary that is different from the person.”

It is symbolic in what God’s word (thou art my beloved son/thou shalt not eat) became to him in a/the wilderness (part of a cohesive narrative that also plays out in us … in a garden); a word that both led and drove him to it …

Did God knowingly create his own adversary … twice? (Satan,man/flesh)

“ I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these …”

“And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah.’

“And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.”



“God is not the author of confusion …”

“Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them.”

“ Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.”

Have you seen God, or Satan … all we have to go by is the words on a page, and our perception of them …

Job (helps) define the rod of God in the context of consciousness (or our soul) in relationship to the son we are) …

Lily76_ said:

Hello everyone unsure if anyone remember me i have not been on for a year , my mum passed away from Terminal Cancer two months ago thankfully in her sleep. My husband and sister with her . It was too triggering for me to be there. I said goodbye to her the night and I went home when we knew she didn't have long she down hill. We had 24-hour notice from her nurses and Dr. . i am doing OK drinks a little but i am back to my recovery so all good .

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I’m sorry for your loss. God’s love be with you.

A New Dawn said:

The Palestinians and Hamas are the same at this point. Even though Hamas is just as evil to the Palestinians as they are to the Jews, the Palestinians keep putting them back in office.

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There has only been ONE election in the past two decades and at that time the majority did not vote for Hamas. Not long after that election, Hamas forced its rule on the people of Gaza outside of the political process. They were not elected to power, they took Gaza by force.

A New Dawn said:

Hamas needs to be totally destroyed

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We agree.

JosephZ said:

Hamas must be destroyed

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JosephZ said:

The terrorists must be hunted down, held accountable for their actions, and the terrorist group eliminated.

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JosephZ said:

Hamas is clearly an enemy to both Israel and the Palestinian people and must be eradicated.

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A New Dawn said:

Hamas takes the aid sent in and it is they, themselves, who is responsible for starving the Palestinians

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There's no evidence of widespread theft of food and humanitarian aid to Gaza by Hamas.

U.S. government analysis found no evidence of massive Hamas theft of Gaza aid

No Proof Hamas Routinely Stole U.N. Aid, Israeli Military Officials Say

A New Dawn said:

what do you think should be done?

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Israel has to allow more food and humanitarian aid into Gaza.

A New Dawn said:

Saudi Arabia and others have started air-dropping aid into Gaza and have stepped up to warn Hamas that their actions are unacceptable. Are you willing to step up and say the same?

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As I've said before, Hamas is clearly an enemy to both Israel and the Palestinian people and must be eradicated.

Larniavc said:

Not the white supremacist?

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I believe strongly that I am to love my enemy, so as St. Paul writes if I see my enemy hungry or thirsty, I give them food and drink. My compassion doesn't stop at only those who return love for love; but even those whose response to love is hate--to love those who hate me.

But what that doesn't mean is that I excuse white supremacy itself as though it is acceptable. If I see a white supremacist starving, then I give them food--even if that runs contrary to my own "instincts"; to overcome my impulses which say I should only offer kindness to the kind, or only show mercy to the merciful. It's why the ancient fathers of the Church often spoke of the appropriate way of responding to their Roman persecutors with compassion; but that compassion does not mean the failure to call evil evil; forgiveness is not forgetfulness nor excusing the wrong that has been done; turning the other cheek is not compliance with evil, but an active rejection of evil without furthering evil or reciprocating evil with evil.

What I'm seeing in this thread however isn't showing mercy to the merciless, or kindness to the unkind; but a moral complicity that seems far more concerned with the desires of the belligerent than the needs of the suffering. If I see the strong bullying the weak, do I believe I am to love both the bully and the bullied? Yes; but the difference is that my love for the bullied is to compel me to act on behalf of the bullied; not defending the bully--whereas my love of the bully is not complicity with their action but to not reciprocate evil with evil--I am morally obligated to intervene on the side of the weak; even as I refuse to become evil toward the evil. I must call evil what it is, and speak and act in such a way that conviction isn't meaningless, while defending the weak, calling the strong to repentance and grief over their actions, with the ultimate desire to see peace and reconciliation. But peace and reconciliation cannot exist where the strong bully the weak without consequence; nor can I be a servant of peace if I fail to speak against evil and injustice, and to call evil evil. "Can't we all just get along?" Is meaningless unless the one who does evil ceases to do evil; there can be no peace while the aggressor continues to be aggressive; while the victim continues to be a victim.

So while I believe in peace, in reconciliation, in mercy, and forgiveness--even toward the worst; it can never be a complicity that amounts to collaboration with evil.

But this thread is full of just that: Complicity. Saying that one must tolerate the intolerable; to "live and let live" with those whose entire paradigm is one in which other human beings are less-than and who, if granted power to do it, would see the subjugation and eradication of others. This isn't hyperbole, that is what white supremacy of this caliber looks like--that is the mental space in which persons such as this inhabit. This isn't the neighbor who holds evil thoughts but keeps them tucked away and hidden (though that too is bad), this is pride and hate mixed to create an environment of hate that breeds violence. And even if we permit that it is their right to be evil as long as they do not act or actually do that which is evil and result in material harm; that does not provide a moral excuse.

I can love the white supremacist; but I should not tolerate the white supremacist, excuse the white supremacist, or justify that they should be white supremacists. I do not believe that white supremacists ought to exist, even as I do not believe the murderer should exist, the rapist, or the one who preys on children; not meaning the termination of their life; but rather the termination of what they do, how they think, and their entire disfigured and grotesque view of the world and how they engage the world producing and creating harm and perpetual evil. The white supremacist should not exist, because none ought be one.

And if one suggests that to claim "no one ought to be a white supremacist" is of a kind of intolerance equal or of like-kind to those same white supremacists who say "no one ought to be black" or "no one ought to be a Jew" then that is itself white supremacy, evil, and intolerable. It is not like for like; one is not a white supremacist because that is what they are in their humanity--but in their rejection of their own humanity. I believe that to hate other human beings is a fundamental rejection of one's own humanity; it is a self-dehumanization. There are theological reasons for why I believe this, namely the idea of the Image of God; but even if one wishes to speak purely in a pragmatic sense--such things are injurious to the ordinary course of building human communities in which, by necessity, we must get along because we survive together, rather than alone. I believe that society-building and mutual survival are good, but as a religious person I think it is also much bigger than that.

-CryptoLutheran

The Green Mile

Twilight Zone

stevevw said:

I am not sure as I think this order was there before the fall. When God created Adam first and Eve from Adam. God said man needed a helper and not the other way around.

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If you examine the Hebrew word for "help" used there and how it's used in the rest of the Old Testament, it becomes obvious that by "help" God meant "rescue"...because that's how the word is used in the rest of the Old Testament, in most cases referring to God Himself.

Robban said:

Looks like something from the Titanic.

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Versailles.

L'etat, c'est moi!

Tuur said:

Because shuffling the distribution of genes in an environment doesn't produce changes like the number of genes a species has. For that you need mutation.

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Sure, but why does that mean we shouldn't have a word for all of the genetic changes to a population? Mutation is part of evolution, but so is natural selection, and so is genetic drift. Evolutionary biology studies all of them, along with speciation, hybridization, extinction, and so on.

Illegal immigrant crime is lower than domestic; so what? It is high enough and increasing;

Jack Terrence said:

None of the Jews to whom he was speaking, that is. "No one" just like "everyone" is qualified by the context.

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It doesnt matter ethnicity, all are sinners by nature. He may have been talking to jews, but all humans are sinners like them by nature.