Cantousent

On the shelf right now, and for the past several months... Hmm. Okay, this is actually a chest that sits behind me as I sit at my computer desk. On top it has a single row of books. Over the books is an assortment of weapons. I choose this shelf just 'cause it's close, it's a more or less recent selection of what I've been reading, and the presence of the weapons just now struck me as odd. From left to right: Churchill's History of the English Speaking Peoples (abridged) Great Grilling Tao te Ching A commentary on Homer's Odyssey Plato's Apology (Greek) Georg Autenreith's Homeric Dictionary The New College Latin & English Dictionary Crime and Punishment Six Great Sherlock Holmes Stories Herodotus' The History (in translation) Selections from Herodotus (Greek) The Collegeville Hymnal Athenaze Book II Teacher's Manual Reading Latin An indepentent Study Guide to Reading Latin Homeric Vocabularies Xenophon's Apology of Socrates (Greek) The Iliad trans. Fagles The Odyssey trans Fagles The Odyssey of Homer trans Lattimore Ghosts of Vesuvius Selections from Xenophon's Hellenica (Greek) Athenaze Book I Athenaze Book II Thucydides trans Lattimore Writing Ancient History Gogol's Dead Souls Cervantes Exemplary Stories Jaques the Fatalist Lazorillo de Tormes and The Swindlers Livy's Early History of Rome (in translation) The Brothers Karamzov Virgil: Aeneid VI (Latin)

You must have cast "Confusion of the mods." I'm tempted to lock, but I can't. seem. to. focus. Okay, we can talk about carving Gizka, whatever the hell that is. The song is funny. It's weird, and I don't know why the hell you wrote it, but it is funny. I guess that's reason enough. :Eldar's bemused smile icon:

I'm not an English teacher, dammit. Furthermore, I'm glad I don't have to worry about forcing a bunch of kids to stand still and recite the pledge.

Wasn't lost on my, Calax.

I'm also quite partial to plum wine. A well made plum wine is a great treat. You should find it easily in the asian section of your package store. Don't quaff it like a soda. Enjoy it. Ahh, the last time I had plum wine, I had a Japanese girl sitting on my lap lifting the glass to my mouth. I would suggest using the same method if you have the chance. I recommend letting mead sit on your tongue for a few seconds. Breath it, almost like wine, and then swallow it slowly. You will thank me for the advice. :Eldar's patented reminiscent look icon:

As far as belief goes... doubt isn't reserved for religious folks. As far as the ruling, this is far from over. We don't know what's going to happen on this one. Don't be surprised either way.

I like my new TOMBS report! I especially like my Spellmar rating. I'll just have to get some TOMBS reports out, unless someone beats me to them, I'll report on julian, Darkside, and mothman.

The things you folks say. This is just nuts. This is just as wrongminded, and frankly insulting, as when Christians say that true atheists don't exist. You might have a gut instinct on the issue, but you appear a little too hot headed on this issue. It mars your judgement.

nice one, my flame throwing friend.

Darkside makes her savings throw and survives thread destruction.

good point, mkreku.

I love the way you love me -- John Michael Montgomery I like the feel of your name on my lips And I like the sound of your sweet gentle kiss The way that your fingers run through my hair And how your scent lingers even when your not there And I like the way your eyes dance when you laugh And how you enjoy your two hour bath And how you convinced me to dance in the rain With everyone watching like we were insane But I love the way you love me Strong and wild Slow and easy Heart and soul So completely I love the way you love me I like to imitate old Jerry Lee And watch you roll your eyes when I'm slightly off key And I like the innocent way that you cry At sappy old movies you've seen hundreds of times But I love the way you love me Strong and wild Slow and easy Heart and soul So completely I love the way you love me And I could list a million things I love to like about you But they all come down to one reason I could never live without you I love the way you love me Strong and wild Slow and easy Heart and soul So completely I love the way you love me Oh baby I love the way you love me

I'm Tryin' --- Trace Adkins

It's possible for anyone to get rated on TOMBS. Hell, I did... let me check... eleven of the damned things. Okay, but the way I had it explained to me, you must do a couple of TOMBS reports to get a rating. There doesn't seem to be anyone else waiting for a TOMBS report for right now, so you can choose to issue your own TOMBS report for another member. Since I've suggested this course of action, I must recuse myself from consideration from the extra TOMBS report.

drama turned comedy! This guy stepped down because he was stressed at the tough job.

I actually like Supernatural. I didn't watch it straight through, though. The acting didn't seem all that bad and I expect it to get better as the season progresses. I haven't seen threshold, so I can't comment. I normally play computer games or do other things during programs, so it really won't matter. At the end of the month, I'll probably turn off the tv while I work, so I won't watch anything. Maybe I'll make an exception for Supernatural if it's really good.

Well, he's a likeable guy. I've always thought Gorth should be supreme leader of the boards. Okay, make it so!

Mead is awesome and you can usually get it at places like Trader Joes and World Markets. It's also a favorite at ye olde faires every year. Renaissance faires sell it, but sometimes run dry on the stuff because it's relatively harder to find. Mead has a distinctly honey taste. It's smooth, heavy, and has a sweet taste and aftertaste. It leaves a warm feeling down your throat and in your mid-section, much like brandy or sake. It might be a bit thick for some folks, but I find it quite refreshing. It's one of the few things I'm even tempted to purchase these days. I drink it sparingly because of health reasons, but it's one of my favorite beverages.

Drop the jodo discussion, please.

I agree with you completely in regards to defining the terms and coming to an understanding of what religion and establishing a religion means. In fact, that seems to be the heart of the argument between taks, Gromnir, Commissar, and Shadowstrider. As for the pledge itself, it's become meaningless to most school kids anyhow.

I'm not biased against you, Lucius, just against your arguments. Also, I'm not over the top defensive. Hell, there's not enough at stake in this argument to make me defensive in the first place. You, on the other hand, seem to have a lot more interest in the politics of a foreign country than your own.

I'd assumed that you were an American, colrom. Surely you can understand that one part of my post might address your statements while another part might make a comment about the broader discussion. ...And you're still wrong at any rate. You didn't like the nazi analogy? Fair enough, although you really didn't understand my point. Let me put it in a different way. It doesn't matter what the intention is when a law is passed. It only matters if it is constitutional. Your underlying premise is mistaken. Just because the proponents of the law may or may not have considered it the first step in creating a state religion, the law itself does not create a state religion. For my purposes, "religion" entails an actual set of beliefs, complete with a heirarchy and accompanied by religious rites. "under God" really doesn't describe an actual religion. It could just as easily mean "under the Jewish God" or "Under the god Zeus." Sure, most folks will understand the phrase to mean "Under the Christian God," but the phrase is simply not explicit. So, you want to be a rebel. That's fine by me. My friend of flame is a rebel also, from what I've seen. Be a rebel. Rankle at the flag waving and God Bless America masses. That's your choice. ...But the path from your brief history doesn't necessarily follow a trail of logic clearly showing the phrase "under God" to be unconstitutional. You clearly believe it does, and we must simply disagree. As for you, Lucius, I don't know that my flaming friend seeks affirmation. I'm actually quite proud of him, though. First of all, he's stayed on topic. He's taken a stand on an issue without joking or flaming. He's given what seems like a genuine response. So, yeah, I'm proud of Child of Flame. No doubt he'll be spammin', fightin', and raising some hell later. ...And he has some good points. Trying to change the issue from the argument at hand to how I'll see the argument just seems a bit... I dunno... desperate?

The history of a movement doesn't necessarily prove anything about the product of the movement. If the nazi party enacted a law prohibiting operating a vehilce while under the effects of alcohol, the law would remain reasonable regardless of the source. There is no better example than my own stance, which is that the pledge not be mandatory. I'm a Catholic and have no problem with the phrase "under God." So, while the movement to remove the phrase or change the pledge might find support among atheists, the end product of the movement, namely removing the phrase, is not necessarily anti-religious. In fact, the words "under God" do not create a state religion, which is the only clear prohibition that I've seen so far. Since God encompasses the idea of divinity, it could just as easily serve as a reference for any other deity. I think many atheists cannot help but approach the issue with overt hostility. That doesn't help their case. Also, I'd like to know how many people in this thread are American citizens. It is not a prerequisite in order to comment on the issue, but I am curious as to how many folks from other countries feel compelled to comment on the pledge as it is spoken in the USA. I'm sure I'll get a few flames for bringing up the issue, but it's a legitimate question. It changes the issue from how Americans regard our constitution and the separation of church and state to the issue of church and state in general. Because, if I'm to listen politely to folks argue against the pledge in my country, I should expect folks from other countries to be equally polite in listening to me. Of course, if an American has strong opinions aboutanother country, he's arrogant. That's probably true. By the same token, a citizen of another country who feels compelled to express strong opinions about my country is open to the very same charge.

Was that birthday or personality traits, Child? :D

I don't mind duels. I just hate vendettas. Anyhow, you can't deny that Jefferson was an inluential voice in American politics. The term "fringe politician" doesn't do him justice. I have to admit that many of his views were fringe at the time and some are still fringe today. Nevertheless, while he might not be a framer, he was the very least a founding father. My gut instinct has always been to admire Adams more than Jefferson, but that's my right wing side showing. I haven't been in touch with the massive conspiracy for a while, but I assume it's still there and doing quite well. Thank God there isn't a similar left wing conspiracy. One conspiracy is enough. As for the pledge, I have no problem with demanding that folks recite the pledge, but I think it should be reserved for solemn or special occassions. It's not a pledge. It's a ritual carried out so often and in routine circumstances that it's lost all real meaning.