Let's step up, fellow members. We are better than this.

a reply to: Wide-Eyes

Psychological warfare can turn into physical, I would like you to go into detail a bit if you don't mind, though. I'm not entirely familiar with what you're talking about, and am interested in your posts.

a reply to: Wide-Eyes

Who is Alex Jones?

I just mis read what you typed before, i thought it was funny as my mind reeled about Aled Jones.

But, seriously, who is Alex Jones? I genuinely don't know.

a reply to: deadlyhope

Hahaha...., I understood your initial post and of course you made a good point.

I wanted to test you to see if you do what you preach. Sorry, couldn't resist.

ATS is supposed to be fun and offending others makes it less enjoyable.

originally posted by: MrsNonSpecific
a reply to: Wide-Eyes

Who is Alex Jones?

I just mis read what you typed before, i thought it was funny as my mind reeled about Aled Jones.

But, seriously, who is Alex Jones? I genuinely don't know.

Alex Jones is a conspiracy theorist that manages to get airtime on hugely popular media channels and then makes a complete idiot of himself, thus portraying all conspiracy theorists as morons.

He's good at what he does.

Good thread message reminder to have once and a while. So far the reminder hasn't done much but here's hopes to that it will with the circus that's now being torn in the presidential candidates circle.

originally posted by: deadlyhope
a reply to: Wide-Eyes

Psychological warfare can turn into physical, I would like you to go into detail a bit if you don't mind, though. I'm not entirely familiar with what you're talking about, and am interested in your posts.

I feel it affect me. I bombard myself with current affairs. I feel my mindset sway with the wind. I feel my opinions change from one horror story to the next.

Most of what I read and see on the msm is genuine horror but they are selective about which horror they want you to see.

If it doesn't fit the current agenda, you won't see it on the msm.

Of course, we use alternative media but the amount of people on this site alone that won't believe anything until it's on CNN/BBC et al is absolutely shocking.

Generally, we are told what the puppet masters want us to hear.

a reply to: TerryMcGuire

Note to self: TerryMcGuire hates the word "forward".

I haven't been posting as much either, deadly.

I am a pretty liberal sort of person, who grew up in a pretty darn conservative family, which is getting more conservative as the years pass.

I respect my family, and can't imagine putting them into some category of monstrous "other." So it is with that in mind that I approach the boards, and while I get incredibly frustrated at times with the entrenched partisanship and rigid thinking I encounter, I always try to remember that there are a lot of good people here, just like my family.

Tolerance begins within me. I may disagree, but I won't denigrate.

Thank you for your enlightened point of view. See you on the boards!

- AB

a reply to: Wide-Eyes
Wide-Eyes, if you feel your opinions change with each passing news story, I hate to say it, but you're a bit malleable and that is exactly what the shadiest news sources want -- malleable consumers who will be manipulated or dedicated to them & buy what they put out even if it's flat wrong or utter hoaxes. That's the problem with even the alternative news, they're pandering to whom buys their stories without question as well. It's not so much the nature of the individual news company, but the nature of the news media business.

The more unapologetic the source is at playing the personal opinion or emotion card, the less I'm going to pay attention to them. As should you. See the articles, read the articles, but don't get suckered in so far as to lose yourself over it. I read many news sources, conservative, liberal, center, but don't read the extreme sources with much faith. Put it this way -- I have about as much faith in Fox News' or Breitbart's motives as much as do Huffington Post's or MSNBC's. I'll pay more attention to neutral articles from any of them, but as soon as the personal opinion & emotion card comes in to play on behalf of the author, buh-bye.

a reply to: Nyiah

I'm with you about neutral sources - I don't care for any major news broadcasting stations. Most are owned by liberals now, it seems, as Fox gets bashed on the only conservative news sources, though that doesn't make me like fox anymore than others anyways. I come here, and read independent articles on situations as often as I can. That way I get the real story, then opinions afterward - Rather than a narrative written to fit an agenda.

a reply to: AboveBoard

I'm about the same. I grew up mormon, so about as conservative as they come - And I really respect my family and the community, I don't dislike them for their views or anything even though I've become more liberal myself in ways. On a personal level I still hold some of the beliefs, but on a large-scale level, and what I would actually vote for, I'm quite liberal.

a reply to: deadlyhope

You were mormon! ....., that explains your kind of gentle style of reply.

I've been in that church too until I found some stuff I don't believe, like the magic underwear.

I was educated in the Catholic strain although I was non-catholic so saw out the last of the rules and nonsense imposed through catholicism, most of which I found bewildering and actually quite unpleasant. However this branch of religion has lost its sting, but I have to ask myself do I want to see another religion slyly starting to force its own nasty brand onto everyone.

If you look at Iran, before the Aytollah Khomeini forced his brand of belief onto all the public there, it was a very different and delightful country with people on the beach in their bikinis etc - once he got his religious police on the job the whole character of the country changed.

I do feel you make a terrible blanket judgement because you assume that because someone stands up against Islam and its crucifixions, religious police and Sharia, you think their dislike and judgement is placed personally against all the people who find that perfectly acceptable or just have to live with it. This isn't what is in many people's minds whatsoever. I could't think of anything worse than an islamic society and its rules - but in my family we have Muslims who are as uncomfortable with Islams extremism as most people.

Islam is not only a religion its a political system protected by Sharia because of what Sharia demands - "lie to non muslims to protect yourself and Islam and what Sharia demands comes above the law of the land you live in". If you are actually fine with that being slyly brought into your country by the little PC people telling you how lovely Islam actually is and how peaceful, then great for you. I think you are lulling yourself into a false sense of security because people are being radicalised from both the ignorant in society and also the well educated professionals. We have even had Doctors trying to kill people in the UK which should warn people of how dangerous this religion can be and its intended agenda of ruling the world if not peacefully then simply by force.

a reply to: deadlyhope

I was thinking this morning about how cynical, angry and hateful people are these days. Any news story that comes up seems to start the flow of criticisms pouring out. People seem to feel the need to "take a side" at the first mention of an event in the news.

I just happened to hear about the president's visit to the families of the San Bernardo victims this morning (I think it took place last night). My thoughts were of how difficult it would be to sit and hear about each person who died, their likes and dislikes, their personalities and accomplishments, knowing that it was all stopped short. I felt compassion, not only for the families, but for the president, whose position entails soaking up the grief of so many people.

The commentators were talking about how much time he spent with them and how he embraced each person... They also mentioned something about how he should make sure that he's following some sort of "proper" protocol in consoling the families.... and also that critics are calling his visit a "fly-by" because instead of making a special trip to SB, he had stopped on his way to Hawaii for his Christmas vacation. Criticisms were fast and furious, as I've come to expect.

The only thing that explains this NEED to firmly take a side and criticize is hatred. And hatred is spewing all around these days. Start a thread about something and the haters will come out of the woodwork to spew their criticisms, founded or not. I feel sorry for people whose first response is hatred, cynicism and anger... What a sad existence.

deadlyhope, you may enjoy listening to this PODcast of mine... From 10 years ago: files.abovetopsecret.com...

originally posted by: Trueman
a reply to: deadlyhope

You were mormon! ....., that explains your kind of gentle style of reply.

I've been in that church too until I found some stuff I don't believe, like the magic underwear.

Magic Underwear....are you serious?

I'm not a Mormon but can anyone get some of these garments? I'm open minded and I can use all the help I can get.

a reply to: Trueman

The underwear is more representative of promises made to their God - To live a worthy life, to be a good person, you know the drill. The clothing is just another reminder of those promises made, they're not bulletproof or mystical or anything, not even in the opinion of the wearers

originally posted by: deadlyhope
a reply to: Trueman

The underwear is more representative of promises made to their God - To live a worthy life, to be a good person, you know the drill. The clothing is just another reminder of those promises made, they're not bulletproof or mystical or anything, not even in the opinion of the wearers

Thanks for the information. So my Boxers with a nice paisley print could serve the same purpose if I promise to be good and live a worthy life? Actually I strive for those ideals even with out the underwear. I guess symbols are important as C G Jung suggest in his "Man and his Symbols"

www.amazon.com...

a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

I've been extremely cynical myself - But I don't feel it's justified, at least in my own opinion it's not. I've become cynical because I've looked for fights, I've looked for contention, I've dived into things I knew would only make me upset, and while these things hold significance on a grand scale, and while I would do something if I had the power... I've lately felt a little less cynical, and a little more power-less. I can help my neighbor shovel their driveway, I can listen to someone vent after they've had a bad day, I can make a post on ATS that I hope will inspire someone, if only just one...

Yes, I did like that podcast, it's very... Familiar, I guess you could say. I've never been completely in touch with my emotions - I don't know why, I don't know how to get there, but on 9/11 I was just in school, watching the tv - Every teacher in every classroom had the news on. The footage played over and over and I was more confused than anything. I wasn't upset, I wasn't thinking of war or retaliation - I was just a kid. I was wondering what everyone else was thinking, what the significance was and what it meant, I didn't have extreme emotions for those lost on that fateful day because I can't let things get to me - If I do, I think of the exponential amount of people that die every single day from things we can prevent, things we can do something about. We go to war for money, oil, for power, for greedy reasons, for reasons unknown to most of the public and myself - But it never seems to actually be for the good of humanity, why would killing people be for the good of anyone?

I could write on and on, but perhaps it's an entirely different post or thread, thanks for the thought provocation, Benevolent.

a reply to: olaru12

Not within this religion, no. It'd be akin to taking whiskey as your sacrament - You could call it a worthy and reasonable ritual, but it would not mean that any religion would back your actions I've become more spiritual, less religious in recent years and believe people should just do what they can - Not be pigeonholed into anything, not defining themselves in extreme ways and limiting themselves.

The mormon religion is interesting, though. A lot of people make fun of it- But it's one of the most organized, moral, ethical, structured religions I've ever seen. Look up it's charity efforts, look up it's morals and guidelines and such, then study psychology, and science, and such - The mormon religion makes more sense on a logical level to me than any other.

On the other hand, it's full of HUMANS, lol. Therefore, you're bound to see some asshole that's mormon getting up on his high-horse and preaching how you're going to hell. Definitely not a principle within the religion, for the record.

originally posted by: olaru12
So my Boxers with a nice paisley print could serve the same purpose if I promise to be good and live a worthy life?

Post a picture and I'll let you know.