I Miss Gus Hall

[JimT]

http://theanswerorg.wordpress.com/

[JReed]

Good post as always Jim. You have to admire a man that stands by his convictions weather or not you agree.

[Blaine]

http://theanswerorg.wordpress.com/

Pastor Jim, I don't know if you wrote that tongue in cheek or not. I hope so. It truly pains me to see Republicians morally aligned with the Socialist trash that Democrats have become. I'll cede that the country, in my lifetime, has slid solidly to the left and that brings me gread sadness. Stalin said that when America hangs, it will be done with rope sold to Her by Socialists. How true. Now, Sir, why do you wish to take action that will hand America over to Socialists as opposed to a bad Republician? Just imaine the two SCOTUS replacements if Gore or Kerry had done the picking as opposed to Bush? Repent and Thin (the vote) No More

[Blaine]

Good post as always Jim. You have to admire a man that stands by his convictions weather or not you agree.

Yep, Old Uncle Joe and Uncle Ho sure were men to be admired....... JReed, that's about the most wrong headed thing I've read in weeks One does not admire evil.

[JimT]

Good post as always Jim. You have to admire a man that stands by his convictions weather or not you agree.

A "Conviction" is something that a person will not change, no matter the circumstances, the pressure, or the consequences.

A "Preference" is something that one prefers, will give money to, support in many tangible ways, but will change if the pressures, circumstances or consequences get too hard.

Not too many people have convictions.

As a "PS" .. a person's conviction may not be right. Having a conviction does not make a person right. It only makes them a person of conviction.

Again .. not too many people today have convictions. I personally like to look at people of conviction .. whether or not I agree with them.

[JimT]

Now, Sir, why do you wish to take action that will hand America over to Socialists as opposed to a bad Republician? Just imaine the two SCOTUS replacements if Gore or Kerry had done the picking as opposed to Bush? Repent and Thin (the vote) No More

I sorta had my tonque in my cheek on that .. sorta....

But .. please do not mistake McCain for a "bad" Republican. He is a socialist as much as any of the other socialists who are running.

- now .. the answer to that .. from republicans is .."Yes, but he's our socialist!"

[Blaine]

Satan smiled when Gus came home

[Griff]

The only saving grace that any politician can possess IMO, is that they have a vision of what they think America can be. The fact that so many of them are willing to sell their soul so they can implement same, is the only true indication of their hunger for power, not a true desire to do "right" by their fellow citizens.

As a boss I admired used to say of Texas, "you have every right to be afraid, for the Legislature is in Session, and therefore the Republic is very much at risk!"

[spurgon]

Jim
I like your style. I understand what you're saying.
spurgon

[Charles]

A man of "conviction" is only as admirable as the content of his convictions.

It could be said that Jesus, Mohamed, Washington, Hitler, Paul of Tarsus, Stalin, Chairman Mao and a host of others were men of conviction. Sticking to one's guns, come hell or high water does not necessarily make one "missable". I am glad many of them are gone. I miss some of them as well.

That said, there are few, if any, people of conviction in American politics.

[oldgerboy]

I also have to give a nod of the head to people who have convictions and stick to them. I also give a nod to them if they also respect another's right to disagree.

Some of them have been a smudge on the toilet paper of history while some have been fine examples to live by.

Some have been totally blinded to facts by their convictions to the point of being impossible to nod to.

I definitely do not agree with many of them or even some of them at times ... but they don't waffle like a fairly large number of the current crop of politicians. You know/knew where they stand/stood.

[JReed]

Yep, Old Uncle Joe and Uncle Ho sure were men to be admired....... JReed, that's about the most wrong headed thing I've read in weeks One does not admire evil.

Ok and this has anything to do with what I said how? We weren't discussing Stalin or Ho Chi Mihn. They were both extremists and not true Leninist comunists. And how are you evil for having a certain political view.

I never said I agreed with their views. What I did say is that I admire a person that stands by what they believe regardless of what others say or think. That wont stop me from standing against them if what they stand for goes against what I believe. It just makes them more of a worthy enemy.

[Blaine]

Yep, Old Uncle Joe and Uncle Ho sure were men to be admired....... JReed, that's about the most wrong headed thing I've read in weeks One does not admire evil.

Ok and this has anything to do with what I said how? We weren't discussing Stalin or Ho Chi Mihn. They were both extremists and not true Leninist comunists. And how are you evil for having a certain political view.

I never said I agreed with their views. What I did say is that I admire a person that stands by what they believe regardless of what others say or think. That wont stop me from standing against them if what they stand for goes against what I believe. It just makes them more of a worthy enemy.

You might respect such an evil, like one might respect a rattler....... I hope this is just a matter of word play Warrier, because admire is just the wrong word here......

[Charles]

"I never said I agreed with their views. What I did say is that I admire a person that stands by what they believe regardless of what others say or think. That wont stop me from standing against them if what they stand for goes against what I believe. It just makes them more of a worthy enemy."

What I can't quite get in this discussion is the difference between a man of conviction, a man who is subborn, a fool and a man who is just plain ignorant? A man who stands by what he believes could be either of these kinds of folks.

I for one, see nothing to admire about Gus Hall or folks like him, but maybe I am missing the whole point. I see Gus Hall as a man who adopted a wrong headed anti[American social/economic view and rode that horse to death. Whats to admire about a man who is wrong his whole life long and seek to undermine his country of birth? In my view, he is a sad pityfull man.

I just don't buy the premise that a man who has conviction (or is stubborn or ignorant) about a wrongheaded or evil point of view and sticks with that is somebody to be admired.

"Foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds!" ..Ralph Waldo Emerson.

I do realize the whole point of the original blog was to put American politicians down by comparing them to an uplifted Gus Hall. The contrast was intended to be instructive.

[KWK]

I think Jim is just trying to say politics would be easier if you could reliably figure out what a candidate's position is. Most politicians today have very elastic principles, so selecting one is primarily guess work.

[Scott Young]

i think this is a perfect example of loosing the forest for the trees. i agree with jimt.

jim used a style of writing that not only expressed a point but did so emphatically by the use of contrast. this is the greatest way of driving home a point using words and ideas rather than short pithy statements and empty rhetoric.

good writing as always jim.

[Blaine]

i think this is a perfect example of loosing the forest for the trees. i agree with jimt.

jim used a style of writing that not only expressed a point but did so emphatically by the use of contrast. this is the greatest way of driving home a point using words and ideas rather than short pithy statements and empty rhetoric.

good writing as always jim.

The irony is too much not to comment on.....

[Charles]

Well to be certain the thread has disgressed or strayed from the original central point of the blog to the form in which the orginal central point was presented. But such is the nature of conversation in general and internet threads in particular.

[Blaine]

Well to be certain the thread has disgressed or strayed from the original central point of the blog to the form in which the orginal central point was presented. But such is the nature of conversation in general and internet threads in particular.

I hope that's not a lack of conviction

[Charles]

Blaine..... I have no convictions, other than a speeding ticket or two!