nky_harry

Not saying things were perfect back then, but if you think our society today is more civil than it was 230 years ago ... well, I don't know what to say.

True. It's been going on for at least 80 years. But it has accelerated quite a bit in the last 20 years.

Exactly. From another thread, allow myself to quote ... myself...

1. Form a Union Agree 2. Establish Justice (Fairness, equity - Justice isn't only about restitution in court) Agree, if we're talking about the protection of our rights, and not equal outcomes. Justice isn't "everybody wins." 3. Secure the peace within our borders - sometimes very difficult, sometimes means limiting rights, or expanding them Agree 4. Provide for a defense of these freedoms Same as #2 5. Promote the general welfare This could mean anything and when taken too far leads to gov't entitlements, healthcare, social security, etc. 6. Secure the blessing of liberty Yes, it secures the blessing of liberty by limiting the power of the government. Our rights are, as you said, are blessings - unalienable rights. They are not granted by the Constitution, the Constitution limits the gov't from trampling those rights. Don't see where it says it was written to limit the power. It was written to do these things. Written to define the powers of gov't. Obviously some power must be granted to the gov't, but it's purpose is to not hinder individual's rights.

There is a mechanism available for changing/updating the Constitution, and I agree that perhaps there needs to be some change to keep up with the times. But I think that it should be done within the framework of the Constitution. So many unconstitutional things have been done in the last 80 years, and the rate is accelerating, that they become acceptable. I think Levin is correct that we are living in a post-Constitutional time, and when we are a society living outside the Constitution, we are lawless. Not a good thing. Regarding poverty, etc., I don't see the Constitution as a document that was meant to deal with problems like that. It was written to define the limited powers of government in relation to our individual liberties. It was never meant as a blueprint for preventing all of society's ills, rather to preserve personal liberty. That's Levin's point - Marx and the rest were attempting to design a Utopia, the U.S. Constitution is not.

One of the best summations of where we are and where we may be headed I've seen since - well, maybe ever. Good job. As you alluded to, I'm afraid people's infatuation with "change" and "improvement" make it nearly impossible to bring this country back to it's founding principles.

Okay, I agree McCain did not vett her - I don't think he knew what he was getting with her.

You think the mainstream media took a more critical look at Obama than they did Palin last election? Really? I'm not a huge Palin fan, but she was put through the ringer, while Obama got a big time pass.

The website is not showing the 2012 dates, but in 2011 it was during the first two weeks of the (KY) season - actually one game in week 1 and then games Thursday thru Sunday of week 2. If they do that again this year, HHS has games scheduled for those two weeks with a bye in week 3. Thing is, Dixie is available week two because they dropped Highlands and then Highlands picked up Scott County.

Dale has never struck me as one who would play the Sr. just because he's a Sr. As he said, "No starting position is guaranteed at this time. They have to be the best to play." I think he'll do what's best for the team, and that will become apparent in Spring practice.

The answer to the bolded above is, yes. This is what the Bible says, this is what Jesus said. Now, if God has some other plan that is not revealed to us, I don't know. There are some schools of thought that allow for the salvation of Jews due to their being the "chosen" people. Also, the age-old question of what to do about those that have never heard the gospel - are they lost? Personally, I'm not sure what God does in those cases - he's God and he can do what he wants. But if we are going by the information God has revealed to us through the Bible, then the only way to salvation is through Christ.

From a Christian perspective it's not about what God you worship, it's whether you're saved from spending eternity in hell. The only way to avoid that is salvation through Christ. This is something Muslims and Jews don't have. Re: Tebow Church evangelizing Catholics in the Philippines - I actually emailed them to ask about this. Not sure if I'll get an answer, but if I do I will post it here. In some research I did, wikipedia states that 80% of the Philippine's population are Catholic. According to the Tebow Church website 65 million of the 85 million population have never heard the Gospel. Obviously a conflict, or at the very least a difference in what the Tebow Church would define as "never heard the Gospel."

Oh, and it also sounds like the door has been left open a crack for Houliston to be the starting QB. If he (Houliston) can handle it and McCoy and his athleticism can be used elsewhere, I think it makes the team better.

Dale is so slippery. Every time he's asked to specifically compare A and B he refuses to give a definitive answer. I think this is due to his refusal to say anything negative about anybody. Not meant as a negative or to bash Dale (I think he's awesome!), but it's got to be frustrating for a reporter trying to get a straight answer!

Isn't some guy named Pike going to Auburn?

I thought he was going to wrestle at a big-time D1 wrestling school. Or am I confusing him with someone else?

Are you saying you would like a closer relationship with God/Christ, but the actions of Christians are keeping you from that?

I've always thought that the founders assumed a certain amount of civility that, sadly, doesn't exist today. "We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion . . . Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." John Adams By citing the above quote, I'm not trying to start the "Christian nation" debate, just pointing out that, whether through religion, morality, philosophy - whatever - I think there needs to be an underpinning of civility for us to have the freedoms we were meant to have.

Habib, just occurred to me that I'm probably ranting on about something completely off of your original post. When you asked "Where'd they go?", what exactly were you asking? Were you asking "Where did our rights go?" and if so, what rights were you talking about.

Private property rights (via the abuse of eminent domain), right to get a job or education (affirmative action/reverse discrimination), right to earned income (due to high tax rates to pay for entitlement programs). Coming soon: Right to choose type of medical care I want (Healthcare legislation aka ObamaCare), unlawful detention (Indefinite Detention laws). Habib, I'm not looking for a debate and these are a few examples of what I meant by my previous post - it's just that I see a trend over the last 80 years (and speeding up considerably over the last 10-15 years) of more government control and when that happens, rights and freedoms disappear. It can be summed up by this quote, "A government big enough to give you everything you need, is a government big enough to take away everything that you have...."

I assumed when you asked "Where'd they go?" you were asking what is happening to our rights. I've always believed that the founders set this country up so that we all have equal opportunity. They set up as fair and level playing field as was possible. Does someone born into a wealthy family with both parents present have a better opportunity than someone born into a poor, single-parent family? Of course - but that will always be the way it is. And the fact is, there are success stories of people overcoming great obstacles to achieve success in the U.S. But, I think that our society (and, it follows, our government) has become fixated on equal outcomes versus equal opportunity. This is where entitlement programs (Social Security, Welfare, Medicare, Affirmative Action) come from. When the government controls more and more of our lives (retirement income, healthcare) the cost is our freedom.

I've always viewed the US Constitution as a document that defines the limitations of government, not as one that grants rights to the people. The people have inalienable rights that are granted by (gasp!) God. Or, if you're uncomfortable with that, call it "human rights." Anyway, we as humans enjoy rights that we get just because we're human - life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, private property, etc. These can't be given by any document, they just are. The constitution limits the government so that it will never infringe on those rights. Where'd they go? They're being chipped away, little by little in the name of "fairness," "equality," and "social justice" and many Americans don't even realize it.

I agree 100%. And when I said "It's scary where this country is headed" this was from a perspective of what's been happening to our freedoms over the last 80 years or so - not bashing only the current administration.

And it's unconstitutional. The argument that "The previous president did it too!" is like when a 7 year old says the same thing when he gets caught doing wrong. Every POTUS (Dem & Rep), it seems, is intent on pushing the envelope further and further, and congress is full of people that refuse to do anything about it, unless it's a POTUS from the opposite party. All of congress should realize that by letting the POTUS do these things, they are relinquishing their own power, which in turn relinquishes the power of We the People. It's scary where this country is headed.

Specifically, Latin, short for ibidem, meaning "the same place."