A challenge for all Bush-Haters

[Hoshiko]

You lost me when you got to Mother Teresa. She was no saint, my friend. She used the dying and sick as cash cows for the Catholic Church and horded most of that away.

Link, please.

"The suffering of the poor is something very beautiful and the world is being very much helped by the nobility of this example of misery and suffering," said Mother Teresa.

First link that came up via google.

There was a thread on the Straight Dope that shocked the hell out of me when I read it and has many, many cites and proof. I'll see if I can dig it up.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

There's been no proof that he's serious about doing that as of yet. So far, that war is being fought at a state level.

This is the incorrect religious fanatic.

The proposed FEDERAL amendment in question was struck down last August.  Bush was very vocal in supporting it.

[Scytano]

You lost me when you got to Mother Teresa. She was no saint, my friend. She used the dying and sick as cash cows for the Catholic Church and horded most of that away.

Link, please.

There's a most excellent essay on Mother Teresa in the book "Love, Poverty and War" by Christopher Hitchens...he was involved in giving testimony during the beatification process, and testified that she did not deserve it.

Another link... http://slate.msn.com/id/2090083/

[agent compassion]

2. Separate but equal! THAT will work!

Um, you are relying on a single source?

You only asked for one. If it's true I'm sure there are more sources out there, but I wanted you to have that one since it's a first-person account.

[Scytano]

Not if Pat Robertson has his way.

"I want you all to pray with me that God strikes down the liberals on the supreme court."

No shit.

But Robertson is a blithering imbecile.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

You lost me when you got to Mother Teresa. She was no saint, my friend. She used the dying and sick as cash cows for the Catholic Church and horded most of that away.

Link, please.

"The suffering of the poor is something very beautiful and the world is being very much helped by the nobility of this example of misery and suffering," said Mother Teresa.

First link that came up via google.

There was a thread on the Straight Dope that shocked the hell out of me when I read it and has many, many cites and proof. I'll see if I can dig it up.

Actually, I was looking for a news link, etc.  That site, rationalist international is long on the membership braglist, but short on the whole documentation thing.  I saw opinion, but not much supporting evidence.

I googled as well, and basically found similar links, plus a shitload of MT apologist links, but nothing hard.

[B_M_W]

So, then, is there no hope, nothing that can be done, just waiting until we are nothing but shell, no compassion, no humility, no understanding, just hate and greed and ignorance, where the world is cold and I won't care about the suffering of others? Is this what we are headed towards?

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Not if Pat Robertson has his way.

"I want you all to pray with me that God strikes down the liberals on the supreme court."

No shit.

But Robertson is a blithering imbecile.

He is also pretty tight with Bush, as is Jerry Falwell.

Nice crowd.

[Cain]

So, then, is there no hope, nothing that can be done, just waiting until we are nothing but shell, no compassion, no humility, no understanding, just hate and greed and ignorance, where the world is cold and I won't care about the suffering of others? Is this what we are headed towards?

Yes.  Go to Switzerland instead.  Thats my back up plan in case it all goes bad here, in the UK.

[agent compassion]

Hoshiko wrote:
There's been no proof that he's serious about doing that as of yet. So far, that war is being fought at a state level.

This is the incorrect religious fanatic.

The proposed FEDERAL amendment in question was struck down last August. Bush was very vocal in supporting it.

Both are true. With the federal amendment gone(for now), states took up the charge. Eleven states passed laws banning gay marriage. More will surely try it in 2006. I don't doubt for a minute that the Senate or the House are going to try to revive the FMA first chance that they get, though....with Bush's approval all over it.
:thinks:
Now that he's no longer running for re-election, though, he might back off it, since it was a total ploy to get the panicky religious conservative voters on his side...

[The Good Reverend Roger]

So, then, is there no hope, nothing that can be done, just waiting until we are nothing but shell, no compassion, no humility, no understanding, just hate and greed and ignorance, where the world is cold and I won't care about the suffering of others? Is this what we are headed towards?

No.  That's where we ARE.

You can't save the world, because the world doesn't WANT to be saved...and even if it did, you'd still be screwed, because the problem isn't in the SITUATION, the problem is in our heads.

I'd suggest you check out Sermons 1-28 (especially 10-20), but they'd probably just make you feel worse.

[agent compassion]

The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice.

There's a book for ya Rog. Hitchens again. He seems to have spent a lot of time looking into her life.

And forgive me for suggesting that the greatest source of unbiased fact may not, after all, be the Internets.

[B_M_W]

No. That's where we ARE.

No, you are wrong. Because I still care. The thought of not caring scares me, but I still care. It is not here yet, but it is close. This is why I am so desperate.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

And forgive me for suggesting that the greatest source of unbiased fact may not, after all, be the Internets.

Great.  There goes my whole worldview!

[agent compassion]

Quote:
No. That's where we ARE.


No, you are wrong. Because I still care. The thought of not caring scares me, but I still care. It is not here yet, but it is close. This is why I am so desperate.

You're both right ok?

Rog is right - the world is a cold place, it's fucked up and frequently resists any effort for us to make it any better.
However, what we call "The World" is not just one giant loveless gestalt entity- it's PEOPLE, it's INDIVIDUALS - you CAN effect change in small ways at that level, and that's where Ythacta is right to care....because there's still small hope, that some things will get slightly better if you keep on caring.

Just not EVERYTHING.

But nobody laid the burden of saving EVERYTHING on any single one of us in the first place...