willhelm, how did you ever manage to acquire such an astonishingly high
opinion of yourself? Personally, I suffer from occasional bouts of
self-doubt and even sometimes imagine that I might be wrong. I want to
be more like you, though. Can you explain how you made it to this level
of supreme self-confidence?

I,ve been wrong, I've been a complete loser, I've been a complete failure, I have been a dispicible person, and have shamed myself. You learn a lot through life experience. I consider myself a tet-case for failure.
Having lived in the depths of depair I know a little something about life. I do not claim to have all the answers. But, I do know what I know about success, f...

willhelm, how did you ever manage to acquire such an astonishingly high
opinion of yourself? Personally, I suffer from occasional bouts of
self-doubt and even sometimes imagine that I might be wrong. I want to
be more like you, though. Can you explain how you made it to this level
of supreme self-confidence?

I,ve been wrong, I've been a complete loser, I've been a complete failure, I have been a dispicible person, and have shamed myself. You learn a lot through life experience. I consider myself a tet-case for failure.
Having lived in the depths of depair I know a little something about life. I do not claim to have all the answers. But, I do know what I know about success, failure, wealth, and poverty, and I am very confident, yes. How about yourself, given the fact you disagree with about everything I say, How is it you came to your understandings?

The use of the word "appear" implies that is your problem. No wonder you are baffled. When you apply subjective bias to your ideas, this is what you get.
Your continual antagonism of me aside, it appears you are more concerned with gray rather than black and white. This leads many astray. As you have said before, truth is relative.
I can't help you there. You will need to search yourself on that one and continue in your perpetual self-doubt.
However, your biggest presumption is the idea I have never struggled to acheive understanding. This is an area where I hope you realize your error. However, I do nor presume so. Just be sure, I am very well aware and certainly capable of holding clear ...

The use of the word "appear" implies that is your problem. No wonder you are baffled. When you apply subjective bias to your ideas, this is what you get.
Your continual antagonism of me aside, it appears you are more concerned with gray rather than black and white. This leads many astray. As you have said before, truth is relative.
I can't help you there. You will need to search yourself on that one and continue in your perpetual self-doubt.
However, your biggest presumption is the idea I have never struggled to acheive understanding. This is an area where I hope you realize your error. However, I do nor presume so. Just be sure, I am very well aware and certainly capable of holding clear and logically sound positions. If it is the challenge you object to, then I suggest you do not ever comment. I enjoy the challenge. In fact, youre entire premise is garbage when you look at my profile in which I state: I use clipmarks because I enjoy seeing others views and having my own challenged.
I truly am sorry for your inability to acheive confidence in your opinions, knowledge, and life philosophy.
I hope you come to peace in this regard, truly.

Okay, willhelm, i guess i should have known it was coming, but you totally lost me again. I know you pride yourself on the clarity and logic of your thought, but to my mind that previous comment made no logical or even grammatical sense. Starting with the first sentence, I have no idea what you're referring to -- not to mention that it's not even grammatically correct. "That" is your problem? What is "that"? The fact that i use the word "appear"? How is that a problem? Subjective bias? As opposed to what -- objective bias? Are you implying that the use of the word "appear" implies bias? How so? I could go on, but I expect you'll just accuse me once again of not "being up to the task o...

Okay, willhelm, i guess i should have known it was coming, but you totally lost me again. I know you pride yourself on the clarity and logic of your thought, but to my mind that previous comment made no logical or even grammatical sense. Starting with the first sentence, I have no idea what you're referring to -- not to mention that it's not even grammatically correct. "That" is your problem? What is "that"? The fact that i use the word "appear"? How is that a problem? Subjective bias? As opposed to what -- objective bias? Are you implying that the use of the word "appear" implies bias? How so? I could go on, but I expect you'll just accuse me once again of not "being up to the task of having an exchange with you." All I'm doing, though, is pointing out that your comment simply doesn't make logical sense.

I haven't meant to seem antagonistic towards you -- really. I was only asking a question about how you achieved your remarkable level of self-assuredness. You continually make comments suggesting that you are "one of the few people on Clipmarks who actually understands what logic is", you tell me how proud you are of your clear thinking, you repeatedly insist on your superiority over others. I am just asking why. Is it your religious background? Your past experience of transformation? But you appear to have trouble telling the difference between an honest question and "antagonism." That's OK, many people have this problem.

The thing is, willhelm, you're obviously an intelligent guy with a good heart. You seem to have formed some erroneous notions about what I think -- for example, I don't believe you've never struggled for understanding, I am sure you have, and I am sure you are sincere about that. Certainly I have immense respect for that and for you generally. I'm just trying to understand. For someone who insists on his willingness to face "challenges," you seem to take questions addressed to you as an expression of ill-will or antagonism.

My point here is, you're clearly a decent person with a strong faith, who's faced enormous challenges and has faced them successfully, and who's experienced real transformation in life. All of that I can basically understand (though of course I don't know you personally and haven't been in your shoes) and I have a great deal of respect for that. At the same time, you've reached completely opposite conclusions about a lot of things from what I believe in. As a human being and as a believer in reason and dialogue, I think it is my responsibility to try to understand people with whom I disagree. That's why I'm constantly asking questions that may strike you as stupid or disagreeable or confront...

My point here is, you're clearly a decent person with a strong faith, who's faced enormous challenges and has faced them successfully, and who's experienced real transformation in life. All of that I can basically understand (though of course I don't know you personally and haven't been in your shoes) and I have a great deal of respect for that. At the same time, you've reached completely opposite conclusions about a lot of things from what I believe in. As a human being and as a believer in reason and dialogue, I think it is my responsibility to try to understand people with whom I disagree. That's why I'm constantly asking questions that may strike you as stupid or disagreeable or confrontational. In fact that's one of the main reasons i use Clipmarks to begin with. I'm sorry if you don't like it, but i don't intend to stop.

I cannot say that I held Atheism as a personal truth and as a life principal. However, I can say that I was generally in rejection of the idea of God's existence.
I know the personal transformation that occured in my life was my acceptace of the fact that I was incapable of managing my life on my own. When this realization and acceptance of it hits you in the deepest part of your being, it opens up the door for transformation.
That's where it began for me. But it did not end there. I continue to be shaped everyday by be the struggles I face everyday on my walk toward God. I am challenged by the forces of temptation, society, greed, and so many other things.
So, I know the ...

I cannot say that I held Atheism as a personal truth and as a life principal. However, I can say that I was generally in rejection of the idea of God's existence.
I know the personal transformation that occured in my life was my acceptace of the fact that I was incapable of managing my life on my own. When this realization and acceptance of it hits you in the deepest part of your being, it opens up the door for transformation.
That's where it began for me. But it did not end there. I continue to be shaped everyday by be the struggles I face everyday on my walk toward God. I am challenged by the forces of temptation, society, greed, and so many other things.
So, I know the revelation continues in my life with the knowledge that I do not face my struggles alone. I would not be able to fight them otherwise.

I agree with Socratoad. The idea of the left killing Bush is
ridiculous. Executions are a right-wing practice; the left isn't that
barbaric.
And if you have seen it on "lefty blogs", show some proof. Give us a link. That is, if you can find one.

Sorry to disappoint you but not all of us on the left are
against executions. That is just a stereotype. To the Bush thing. Yes Bush
should be executed on Prime time television for his treason and crimes against
humanity. And one day I do believe someone will put a bullet in his head. Bush
is now one of “Parades” top 10 tyrants of this world. As for those
who premeditate murder, without a doubt, should be executed,
and not 10 to 15...

I agree with Socratoad. The idea of the left killing Bush is
ridiculous. Executions are a right-wing practice; the left isn't that
barbaric.
And if you have seen it on "lefty blogs", show some proof. Give us a link. That is, if you can find one.

Sorry to disappoint you but not all of us on the left are
against executions. That is just a stereotype. To the Bush thing. Yes Bush
should be executed on Prime time television for his treason and crimes against
humanity. And one day I do believe someone will put a bullet in his head. Bush
is now one of “Parades” top 10 tyrants of this world. As for those
who premeditate murder, without a doubt, should be executed,
and not 10 to 15 years later. If someone is convicted of premeditated murder
and all the evidence is clear, that person should be put to death within 3 to 5
years. Accidental deaths, death caused in some kind of conflict. no. We the
taxpayers pay enough as it is. I am one of the many Americans who want to see justice
for his greed and war crimes.

We should try, convict and execute Bush

By Ed Marshall, Clarion

For Bush's prima facie violation of the laws of the United States, our House of Representatives is obligated to begin an investigation of Bush's violation of our treaty law, and to impeach him with a recommendation of trial and removal by the Senate for his violation of their law endorsing the requirements of the charter of the UN.

Once removed, he can be tried and hopefully convicted and executed for his violation of our constitutional requirement that a commander in chief only exercise his war powers upon specific authorization of Congress and never against the laws of our country.

If our courts do not choose to in...

We should try, convict and execute Bush

By Ed Marshall, Clarion

For Bush's prima facie violation of the laws of the United States, our House of Representatives is obligated to begin an investigation of Bush's violation of our treaty law, and to impeach him with a recommendation of trial and removal by the Senate for his violation of their law endorsing the requirements of the charter of the UN.

Once removed, he can be tried and hopefully convicted and executed for his violation of our constitutional requirement that a commander in chief only exercise his war powers upon specific authorization of Congress and never against the laws of our country.

If our courts do not choose to invoke the highest penalty for treason that Bush's crimes deserve, death, our country must deliver him up to the international community to be tried for crimes against humanity.

We are the forefathers of the living constitution of our country for the future. The decisions we made are the precedents that future generations will cite to further define their liberties or their slavery. We must be the statesmen that our country needs now, true "patriots" in the sense of "fathers" of our country's future. A true patriot says of his offspring for the future not, my country right or wrong but "My Country right its wrongs!"

Right now, our country has committed many wrongs for us to right in Operation Iraqi Rape. We dare not sleep until we have set the precedents of righting those wrongs and removing and punishing, where it might be helpful to stop future violations of our land, those national and international crimes against humanity and our constitution by those who have been using our government to wage a religious crusade for Christians and Jews against Muslims. Neither the people nor the legislature of our country have legally authorized those crimes against humanity.