I only happened onto this message board because I was curious as to what could be controversial (besides the taxation/banning issue) about this article. Gfunk, I am a conservative and I agree with the science you stated. My husband is even more conservative than me and he is a man of science and reasoning! Please don't make such broad-based assumptions. Most conservatives don't check their brains at the door, although there are people from all points on the political spectrum that do.

I did not delete my remark on this thread because it was nasty. I do not like to engage in nastiness. But I deleted it because it was an off-the-cuff remark that served no purpose.

Gover, God's Word IS infallible, but human translations (and interpretations) are not. The New Testament passages you quote were originally written in Biblical (or Koine) Greek. When you look at the scripture from Matthew, for instance, in it's original language and historical context, you will find that these things have already happened. The thing is, Scripture has yet to be proven wrong. There are many brilliant people who have become believers while trying to disprove it. And there are many brilliant people who simply cannot wrap their mind around the complexity, and the simplicity, of faith. But the main thing that we need to remember in venues like this is that God gave us all free will. We can choose to believe in and follow His leading or not. There is a natural consequence for either choice. Mature followers of Christ do not belittle others, yet they are still human and make mistakes just like anybody else. Scripture teaches us that all are sinners--including Christians. We have simply accepted the free gift of forgiveness through Christ.

Actually, this is not a sport for me. I have probably posted less than 10 times in the past several months on all message boards combined, and none before that. But I do like to read messages because it helps me keep my finger on the pulse of our nation’s citizenry with regards to political thought. I’m just not sure that I have the stomach for this, as it really makes no difference at all. Most people are just venting—or jabbing for chuckles.

One of the biggest problems that I find with this medium is that you cannot hear vocal inflections or know a person's character—with the exception of the few who “shout it out” for the world to see. It just really bothers me to read the name calling that is aimed primarily at the right. It can be found anywhere and everywhere. Check out the messages after nearly any political article and you'll see conservatives called every dirty name in the book, the only cause being that they don’t share the same opinions. Seldom do those posts have anything of substance to add, just insults. Check out the late night talk shows or many of the news stations. Hollywood is uber-liberal and they have the ability to spread their beliefs, as well as their ridicule of the right. It’s absolutely everywhere! Conservatives have few outlets and there is a move to silence those. Even if the tables were reversed, I would see danger in it.

I am a conservative because it makes sense to me. But there are liberals in my life that I love more than life itself. We respectfully disagree and keep our dialogue open. These few have chosen to treat the conservatives in their world with respect and dignity. One is my own child. His college professors influenced him heavily. I taught him respect, honor, faith….then they molded his political opinions. I hope that one day he opens his eyes to the truth of those teachings; but even if he does not, I know that he believes in the wrong things for the right reasons. His heart is good, and his honesty and integrity dwarfs that of most.

Although there are exceptions, I don’t believe that the majority of those on the right enjoy the filthiness of politics, but they do enjoy a vigorous debate. When dirty tactics come into play, however, most of them pull back because they don’t want to belittle fellow Americans. I made my remark because I was appalled at the constant barrage of assumptions that we are idiots who simply don’t “get it”. Anybody who doesn’t support the direction this administration is taking us is called a racist, capitalist pig or far worse. We are told that we are bitter because we lost, and “ha ha ha, in your face” remarks are common. The truth is, we “get it” far more than realized.

I've tried to be fair-handed and have noted that nasty posts come from both sides. And, Northpark, I've read the things you've written and respect your opinion of Mrs. Palin's readiness to serve. I disagree because I believe that character and morality are some of the most vital attributes for a President. And that person can then surround himself/herself with experienced advisers of quality. Beyond that, the U.S. Constitution needs to be honored, as it was written with timeless wisdom. But you gave your reasons without name-calling. That’s all most people want.

I’m not necessarily a huge fan of Voltaire, but he did say something that Americans need to heed: “I disapprove of what you say, but will defend to the death your right to say it.” When that right is gone, everybody loses.

Far from it. I've said plenty on here and only two of my remarks were brief, as the above statement is. It is simply a waste of time to argue with people who refuse to make intelligent remarks and rely solely on insults. It's as if they receive some perverse satisfaction from dissing fellow Americans from the anonymity of their computer. One of the things that made this country great was diversity of thought and rugged individualism, but political correctness is now being used as a hammer on the heads of people who are not marching lock-step. Rather than stating that a person is pro-abortion and believes that the government should make our decisions for us, they call Sarah Palin nasty names and say that she scares the "insert nasty word here" out of them. Shouldn't they instead simply state their reasons for believing as they do and include why it would be wrong to support somebody who doesn't support those same ideas? The vitriol comes from posters on both sides--but I've yet to see very many coherent and cogent arguments from the liberals in the comments on any news article. They prefer insults and name calling.

You words are indeed a lovely tribute to a woman who "gets it". She understands that governing is not about garnering power, but about doing what is right and true. It is about leading in a way that displays honor and integrity. Those are foreign ideas to many in this country. But fire does harden and perfect steel. Sarah Palin, and what she stands for, is like a lifeline thrown to a drowning man. We had better embrace those ideals as a nation or this nation will fall. It is not hate. It is morality. No nation stands without it.

Okay....let me spell it out for you. But before I do, let me tell you that I know many wonderful people who vote for whoever is on the Democratic party's ticket. They have unrealistic ideals of a utopia where all people treat each other with kindness and generosity--believing that we will eventually all stand around with flowers in our hair, holding hands and singing songs. As James Madison said...."if men were angels...." But I digress. So here it is in small words---the left relies on the votes of the uneducated and ill-informed. This group has a tendency to eschew their responsibilities. But with enough incentive, they are more than happy to vote for whoever promises them the biggest handout. Without that voting block, the left could not and would not be able to maintain power. That group simply does not understand the ramifications of their vote. I do not fault them for their ignorance, but instead fault the vermin who feed on their votes. Voting statistics show that the less education a person has, the more likely they are to vote for the Democrat on the ticket. If you don't believe me, look them up yourself. These stats can also be found in textbooks (published by liberals, mind you).

When you can't argue on substance.....LOL

Good grief! Have you ever taken a look at the demographics of the Democrat party?! If not, then you need to do so---and then check out the Republican party's demographics as well. If you're incapable of checking out facts, then I'll break it down for you----the more intelligent a person is, the more likely they are to pursue higher levels of education; the higher level of education a person has obtained, the better job they are able to obtain; the better job they are able to obtain, the higher their income is likely to be; the higher their income is likely to be, the more likely they are to vote Republican. Conservatives tend to appreciate initiative and a strong work ethic. These are, of course, only generalizations. There are many intelligent people who do not pursue education, but have the drive and fortitude to succeed. And there are also intelligent people who are lazy. Intelligence does not equal work ethic.

Although there are many intelligent liberals, you will also find the nearly all of the lazy on the left. They want others to take care of them so they don't have to. One segment of this party wants control and the other segment wants to be provided for. That's a marriage made in heaven! This voting block is becoming larger because organizations such as the Democratic party, ACORN, and their contemporaries will offer a pack of cigarettes to any bum on the street to get their vote. As long as people vote who have nothing vested in the success of this country, we will continue to have left-leaning election results.

I'm not incredibly fond of the Republican party as it is today, but I AM a conservative and will vote accordingly. When conservatives finally become completely obscure, then yes---our reign of terror, as you call it, will be over. But so will the ideals that made this country great. At that point, the lemmings on the left will scratch their heads and wonder what on earth just happened!

Below are a couple of quotes from brilliant minds. There are many more to be found---many are chilling in their accuracy.

“The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.” Thomas Jefferson

“Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word, equality. But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude.” Alexis de Tocqueville