[Julie Steiner]

Charlie, your reference (now deleted, due to my bonehead mistake above) to Jesus coming again in his glory made me think of Jesus's own description of that scene, at Matthew 25:31-45.

I wonder what you make of it, in the context of turning refugees away.

My take is the same as our own Matt's, in his poem "The View from Samaria".

[Charlie Southerland]

Julie, if everyone is so truly worried about the children of Syria, why don't they go there and gather them up and remove them? It is so much easier to bemoan the fact that kids and women are suffering than to remedy the situation. It is a war zone without a boundary. Helping little kids and women is not the issue here. The issue is grown men of age to fight, jihad that Trump is talking about. There is a process for insuring the safety of our own people so that we can help others. One has to consider that process, don't you think? We might be able to help, but make our own land a safe place to do it from.

In Revelation, Jesus comes and slays the wicked, whoever they might be. Some of those who are wicked now are related to those John the Revelator is talking about. There is a long list that is defined. If the shoe fits...

I see no reason to brag on me and what I do or have done for others in my life. God knows, and he knows my heart. The judgement here of me by some who know absolutely nothing about me smacks of opportunism without knowledge. Common sense should prevail but it doesn't because the left is furious and want their pound of flesh that they can't ever get out of Trump. So, they say really ignorant things and disparage anyone who disagrees with them. It isn't anything new around here. I expect it. I don't live my life in a defensive position, although I get defensive when people don't think things through and make silly statements that they can never back up with truth. Blind leads blind and stumbles off cliff. Buzzards pick their bones clean.

I'm used to it.

[Brian Allgar]

Charlie, I note that in all your latest self-centred blather, you don't reply to my question higher up.

As for your remark: "Julie, if everyone is so truly worried about the children of Syria, why don't they go there and gather them up and remove them?", words fail me. It is so cynical, so contemptuously unrealistic, and so uncompassionate, that I all I can do is feel disgust, and thank my non-existent God that I don't call myself a Christian.

[Andrew Mandelbaum]

When voter suppression is met with cynicism because "how could you know who to unregister", just think about this new info below.


http://motherboard.vice.com/read/big...a-brexit-trump

[Charlie Southerland]

Honestly Brian, I didn't think your silly question merited comment. I didn't want to irritate you with that fact. Proving my point, once again, you pick and choose what I say, ignore the relevance of it and try to twist it into something else altogether. I'm used to that tact as well. You should try something different, a different approach would be most welcome.

[Julie Steiner]

Charlie, you can characterize my social justice blatherings as leftist hogwash if you wish, but when your own God is saying something in your own Bible--over and over and over again--you might do well not to harden your heart to that, at least.

I don't think it's necessary for me to trot out specific verses to convince you that the Bible is emphatically in favor of people doing things to take care of widows and orphans. And the poor and oppressed. And foreigners.

Furthermore, the Bible frequently defines evildoers as those who fail to respond with mercy and compassion to those in need.

So when you're talking of the smiting of evildoers...are you 100% sure that your definition of evildoers agrees with the definition that the one actually doing the smiting goes by?

[Then again, maybe a specific verse will help. Take another look at Matthew 25:31-45.]

[Charlie Southerland]

William, it's a pretty simple thing to answer if one does just a little bit of thinking. I'm not disparaging you when I say that. So please don't take offense.

Trump has been a businessman his whole life. He has employees in all the nations Brian mentions. Wouldn't it stand to reason that if there was trouble in those countries Trump would be the first to know? Now that he's president, it doesn't change the facts on the ground.

I, for one, find it impossible for Trump to separate business from government. Is that a bad thing? It remains to be seen.

[Nigel Mace]

You are absolutely right, Andrew. May's supine, indeed grovelling, obeisance before Trump and Erdogan - especially her point blank refusal, today in Ankara, to criticise Trump's refugee ban, touched a new low for a 'British' PM.

[Andrew Mandelbaum]

Originally Posted by Charlie Southerland

William, it's a pretty simple thing to answer if one does just a little bit of thinking. I'm not disparaging you when I say that. So please don't take offense.

Trump has been a businessman his whole life. He has employees in all the nations Brian mentions. Wouldn't it stand to reason that if there was trouble in those countries Trump would be the first to know? Now that he's president, it doesn't change the facts on the ground.

I, for one, find it impossible for Trump to separate business from government. Is that a bad thing? It remains to be seen.

This just gets better and better. Yes, Charlie. When the Wahhabists in Saudi send out a terror hit they check in with all the American linked business men in Riyadh. As they do before they perform all of their violations of human rights. Egypt as well. And the violent crushing of dissent, the collusion with Isis, and the war on the Kurds carried out by Erdogan, totally run across the desk of Trump before hand. Cause he is like an expert on the bigly geopolitics in, you know, those cities over there.

Just stop. Please. Stop.

[Brian Allgar]

Originally Posted by Charlie Southerland

I, for one, find it impossible for Trump to separate business from government. Is that a bad thing? It remains to be seen.

That's exactly the kind of conflict of interest that is illegal. You really think it's OK for him to run the USA in order to further his own business interests, which are not necessarily (and in many cases absolutely not) those of the country?

Those are grounds for impeachment - but foul as he is, I hope not, since the result would be the even more disgusting Pence as President.