Respectful answers please, anything immature will just be ignored.

Anyway, I know that many Atheists argue that religion was and still is the cause of intolerance and hatred (although I believe that people who try to use religion to fuel hatred have other motives) but you cannot deny that it’s what gives many people hope and keeps them going. For an example, people in rural villages in Tanzania have nothing. They live on maize and beans and even the children have to work hard all day. They’re villages are riddled with Malaria, Yellow Fever and many other diseases but guess what? They smile, they’re hospitable and welcoming and little things make them happy. Most of them were Christian or Muslim and devote followers of their faiths and it was clear that this is what kept them so positive. I rarely see livelihood and friendliness like theirs in my country, where many people are agnostic. I think that believing in God generally makes people happier individuals (I’m talking about the majority, not extremist cases).
People real the whole thing before answering. I love and believe in God too.
Hi Brain *waves*
I’ve been there, that’s how
I know that there are bad people out there who give religion a bad name but you can’t deny that it’s the greatest source of hope for many who may have otherwise given up.

I think it does all kinds of good, and while I don’t particularly care to get involved with it, or hold any particular religious views, I think most of the atheists you see running around the internet are pretty much just thin skinned, pretentious little jerk offs, so to speak.

Anyways, just to make a quick example, go read your local scandal sheet, whatever it is, the one that reports all the swell murders that take place in your area every weekend, and count how many of those events took place in religious places, like churches, versus how many took place in nice, a-religious places, like bars.

No I think anyone who bothers to look for any amount of time would have to conclude that religion does all kinds of good in the world. Nothing is an unalloyed benefit of course, but I won’t waste my time trying to discourage it.

rural livelihood

People are struggling around the world and going without many of the basic needs such as medical care and food. The United States is no exception.

essential and lifestyle items in the countryside.

What is your opinion of Along Mexican border, US ranchers say they live in fear Despite government assurances that they’re safe, they say the level of violence is rising ?

FALFURRIAS, Texas — While walking along a dirt road bordering his property, a South Texas farmer complained about living in fear of Mexican traffickers smuggling drugs and illegal immigrants across his land. He would later ask his visitor not to reveal his identity, for his safety and that of his family."I’m a citizen of the United States. This is supposedly sovereign soil, but right now it’s anybody’s who happens to be crossing here," he said. "I’m a little nervous being here right now. Definitely don’t come down here after dark."

The farmer said a federal law enforcement agent told him to buy a bulletproof vest to use while working in his fields. Whenever he goes out to survey his agricultural operations, he always tells his office where he is headed, and he has purchased a high-powered rifle.

"One of the basic points of the federal government is to protect the people of this nation to secure the border, and they’re not doing that," he complained.

Story: Cartels using Ariz. mountaintops to spy on cops
The Obama administration and many local officials have said the U.S.-Mexican border is safer than ever and that reports of violence on the American side are wildly exaggerated. But the farmer scoffed at that argument. "I walk this soil every day and have since I was old enough to come out on my own," he said. "In this part of Texas, it is worse than it’s ever been."

Moving families to safer ground
A report recently released by the Texas commissioner of agriculture said cross-border violence was escalating. "Fear and anxiety levels among Texas farmers and ranchers have grown enormously during the past two years," the report said, adding that some “have even abandoned their livelihoods to move their families to safer ground."

Retired U.S. Army Gen. Barry McCaffrey, who served as the U.S. drug czar during the Clinton administration and as an NBC News military analyst, is a co-author of the report. During a recent interview, McCaffrey said that while major cities along the Texas border are "pretty safe," the rural areas between towns are "largely unprotected, and across those areas the (Mexican) cartels are conducting massive movements of illegal drugs and other criminal activity."

read more @ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45440385/ns/nightly_news/

You know, I am a US citizen living in Mexico. I moved here last year from Phoenix, AZ. I am here to tell you that it is safer living in Mexico than it is in Phoenix. The border cities are beyond dangerous.

I do live in a border city in Mexico but it’s kind of the exception to the rule. It’s no more dangerous than your average US city. But cities like Juarez, Tijuana and the US bordering cities are simply dangerous. The US govt doesn’t care, they pretend it’s fine, they lie to citizens, but when you live there and see it day after day you realize just how bad it is.

I’ve been told that enterprise is something cannot be taught. You’re either business-minded or you’re not.

I’ve been raised in a family of academics, so I don’t believe in knack. While people have told me that I’m bright and multitalented, there’s nothing I’m good at that I didn’t learn methodically from someone else and practice over a long time.

Having said that, I’ve been interested in owning a business since I was very young. Although I’m passionate about academic research, I want to use it to create jobs and better livelihoods for other people. I don’t think academics should be penniless geeks who spitefully blame the rich for the world’s problems; on the contrary, I think they should get out of that campus, use their knowledge to make exciting innovations, turn those ideas into money-making ventures that benefit the greater good. Plus I’ve never really liked the idea of working for a boss, especially in today’s economy where everything is uncertain and compromise is often demanded.

I spent a year in business school but grew skeptical about its ability to provide what I really want to learn because everything was so conventional. I got hooked on Kiyosaki for awhile and tried to cross the Cashflow Quadrant by trying my luck at network marketing, but I didn’t make enough money to cover my costs for the system’s "business developing program" (books, audio, seminars) and promotional tools. Frankly, I’ve never really been interested in selling any product myself, although I’ve always been interested in product design, innovation, branding, and marketing strategies.

My educational background is culture and communication. I’m currently a journalist by profession, but I’m really more interested in making stories happen rather than spending my life writing other people’s stories. I live in a developing country where many daytime professionals have a moonlight business. I want to make the most of my background by setting up a company in the rural area, which gives people jobs that make use of their traditional skills (e.g. weaving exotic textiles, carving, making music instruments, farming, animal husbandry, fishing, making food and beverage products), combine them with modern design (e.g. collaboration with high fashion designers, contemporary interior design, international music education, modern food processing, climate change strategies etc), then package these products into an attractive brand and market them to an upscale consumer base in big cities. The money made from this business can free a lot of people from poverty and provide all sorts of needs, including decent housing, health services, sanitation, and education.

While production itself is out of my expertise (and I’ll hire other people to take care of that anyway), I’ve always been interested in drawing up a solid business plan, branding, marketing strategies, and corporate culture. I took courses in these areas in college, as well as attended seminars in my own time. I have a sizable professional network, mostly interviewees for my stories as a journalist. So taking these into account, what can I do to start learn entrepreneurship and practice the skills necessary for running my own future business?

No school can teach business, entrepreneurs arent taught they simply have a nack for what they want to do.. You say you dnt have a nack but you do you just have to find it.

pro lifers, please actually read my points before responding

I could probably never have one myself, but it is absolutely none of my business — nor is it anyone else’s and especially not the government’s — if other women make that decision for themselves. I do agree on a late-term abortion ban except in medical emergencies and in the cases of rape and incest, because the fetus would be viable outside the womb. The thing is though — and most people don’t think of it this way — is that the vast, vast majority of abortions are performed very early on in the pregnancy. Very, very few women, if any, are going to decide in the 6th month that they don’t want the pregnancy anymore.

Most late-term abortions are due to medical necessity, either for the mother’s health or because the fetus isn’t developing properly. These are, for the most part, wanted children. Many devastating birth defects — like anencephaly, which I dare you to Google — don’t manifest until later in the pregnancy and in some cases after the legal cutoff for an early-term abortion. I’ve heard of women more or less forced to carry stillborn or severely malformed children (who only survive maybe 15 minutes outside the womb, in agony) to term, simply because no one is willing to perform an abortion for them. If a woman chooses to carry such a pregnancy to term, that’s her choice, but to force her to do it is, I think, a form of torture.

Think of it this way, also. Say that you’re sick and need a life-saving organ. Say that my organ would be a match, maybe the only match. You would die if I didn’t donate it to you. Nonetheless, I am not legally compelled to donate my organ to you, even if you’re my parent or child or other relative. So why should a fetus, unable to survive on its own outside the womb, be allowed to hijack its mother’s livelihood without her consent, when a living breathing person could not?

You ask why people just don’t use birth control and condoms. Condoms break, and there are people out there who view oral contraceptives of any kind as a form of abortion, especially the Plan B pill. What’s your advice for a girl in a rural town whose lone pharmacy won’t issue her the pill? I’d also like to see these people give more support to women who choose to keep their children and be more supportive of early childhood education, children’s health services and the like. Too often, it’s not that they care about the child or what happens to it when it’s born. To them, it’s about punishing women (and it’s always women) for having and enjoying sex. A baby should not be a punishment.

Finally, on the issue of adoption: I respect any woman’s choice to put her child up for adoption. But no one owes anyone else a baby. Women are not brood mares, and this reminds me uncomfortably of The Handmaid’s Tale. And the adoption and child welfare infrastructure is such in this country that even adoption and/or foster care is no guarantee of happiness. Children with special needs or illnesses or who aren’t perfect blonde angels are hard to place. There are hundreds of thousands of unwanted children already in the U.S. Adoption is not always a happy ending or a cure-all and to think that it is is naive.

Also, to pro life men, Do you want a bunch of female politicians, the vast majority of whom are not doctors, making medical decisions about your cock and balls?

If they think a clump of cells is enough of a human being they are crazy enough to believe anything.

I could probably never have one myself, but it is absolutely none of my business — nor is it anyone else’s and especially not the government’s — if other women make that decision for themselves. I do agree on a late-term abortion ban except in medical emergencies and in the cases of rape and incest, because the fetus would be viable outside the womb. The thing is though — and most people don’t think of it this way — is that the vast, vast majority of abortions are performed very early on in the pregnancy. Very, very few women, if any, are going to decide in the 6th month that they don’t want the pregnancy anymore.

Most late-term abortions are due to medical necessity, either for the mother’s health or because the fetus isn’t developing properly. These are, for the most part, wanted children. Many devastating birth defects — like anencephaly, which I dare you to Google — don’t manifest until later in the pregnancy and in some cases after the legal cutoff for an early-term abortion. I’ve heard of women more or less forced to carry stillborn or severely malformed children (who only survive maybe 15 minutes outside the womb, in agony) to term, simply because no one is willing to perform an abortion for them. If a woman chooses to carry such a pregnancy to term, that’s her choice, but to force her to do it is, I think, a form of torture.

Think of it this way, also. Say that you’re sick and need a life-saving organ. Say that my organ would be a match, maybe the only match. You would die if I didn’t donate it to you. Nonetheless, I am not legally compelled to donate my organ to you, even if you’re my parent or child or other relative. So why should a fetus, unable to survive on its own outside the womb, be allowed to hijack its mother’s livelihood without her consent, when a living breathing person could not?

You ask why people just don’t use birth control and condoms. Condoms break, and there are people out there who view oral contraceptives of any kind as a form of abortion, especially the Plan B pill. What’s your advice for a girl in a rural town whose lone pharmacy won’t issue her the pill? I’d also like to see these people give more support to women who choose to keep their children and be more supportive of early childhood education, children’s health services and the like. Too often, it’s not that they care about the child or what happens to it when it’s born. To them, it’s about punishing women (and it’s always women) for having and enjoying sex. A baby should not be a punishment.

Finally, on the issue of adoption: I respect any woman’s choice to put her child up for adoption. But no one owes anyone else a baby. Women are not brood mares, and this reminds me uncomfortably of The Handmaid’s Tale. And the adoption and child welfare infrastructure is such in this country that even adoption and/or foster care is no guarantee of happiness. Children with special needs or illnesses or who aren’t perfect blonde angels are hard to place. There are hundreds of thousands of unwanted children already in the U.S. Adoption is not always a happy ending or a cure-all and to think that it is is naive.

Also, to pro life men, Do you want a bunch of female politicians, the vast majority of whom are not doctors, making medical decisions about your cock and balls?
based on the first two answers. Can I assume nobody will actually read the points I bring up?

Why did people against slavery believe that they could force their views on others? The NERVE of those people!

Why does every government in the world believe that they can focibly conscript men for military service? What NERVE!

I want Liberals and Conservatives to see the best of each angle.

I. Liberals TO APPRECIATE MISSISSIPPI
I want Liberals to realize how fascinating Mississippi is as a state

Mississippi has amazing architecture that dates back to those English settlers who came across the sea for religious freedom. They escaped European feudalism in search of liberty and dutiful family values, and they were hardworking farmers, many of them quite poor. They cultivated the land with Cotton and fell on hard times… They also had dark moments in race relations, but today they have corrected those mistakes and have continued to demonstrate co-existence with all groups of people.
Today Mississippi are united in their state heritage, no matter who they are, as they choose to live in the state. Together they encounter hard times with the realities of recent hurricanes and now the BP oil spill threatening the livelihoods of these modest and hard workers. Together they stand strong, dutiful, believers, and known for hospitality and overly welcoming to tourists abound, from all across the world.
Mississippi at its best can be found just meeting people, talking to them, greeting them in small businesses and stores, passing them by on Gulf Beaches, and visiting pristine wetlands (hopefully not messed up by the oil spill….sometimes tough situations make it more possible to appreciate the good that was given to all of us. Overall, Mississippi is a good mark on the American quest for freedom, from turning from bad, learning from sin, repenting, enduring…believing in freedom….moving on strong.

II. Conservatives TO APPRECIATE MASSACHUSETTS

I want Conservatives to realize how fascinating Massachusetts is as a state or perhaps commonwealth.

Massachusetts has some of the most eccentric politicians like Barney Frank and the Kennedys(though they have different ideas than Conservatives, they love this country) , of course the great patriotism of the Boston Tea Party. Massachusetts has an interesting mix of Italians, Irish, Scots, Englishmen, celtic roots, great beers (Samuel Adams), Boston’s architecture is quite something.

rural Massachusetts has really delicious ice cream and when autumn comes to New England, it is a very colorful site. Massachusetts has a lot of happy people of both sexual orientations.

So isn’t America great in every corner?

Yes it is–this is an amazing country.

BISBEE — Arizona legislators were clued in to the terrifying effect that illegal drug and human smuggling has had on ranchers.

Tuesday, Arizona Cattle Growers Association members and ranchers from across the state painted a picture of crime gone wild on the lands they depend on for their livelihood. In memory of slain rancher Robert Krentz, they named their proposal ROB (Restore Our Border).
Association spokesperson Patrick Bray said Wednesday the meeting with the Senate Appropriations Committee went well and the speakers who told their experiences were well-received.

State Sen. Russell Pearce was one who listened to the stories of families afraid to go out after dark, of cattle found slaughtered and partially eaten, of beloved pets and ranch dogs shot, of thousands of dollars in destroyed fences; and numerous home burglaries and invasions.

“I was personally taken aback by the stories of our ranchers who live in fear every day of their lives. All across this state the stories are similar,” Pearce said in an interview. “People just didn’t know how bad it was.”

The association offered an 18-point plan that includes calling the National Guard to the border, beefing up the number of Border Patrol agents in the state, creating a new Border Patrol sector, establishing permanent forward operating bases and establishing cell phone and communication coverage for the eastern side of Cochise County and western New Mexico.

Gary Thrasher, a local veterinarian, said at the meeting, “The policies that our federal government have in place are inhumane, letting illegals travel through the desert for days before catching them. They need to be stopped at the border.”
Bray added, “The ROB plan is a common-sense approach to securing our border. We do not call for more legislation or unnecessary laws. We call for the politicians and government officials to take the necessary steps to enforce our laws and protect our fellow Arizonans. We must put the necessary manpower directly on the border to stop the foreign invasion. We must give law enforcement and the judicial system that ability to enforce every immigration law. We must provide our law enforcement with the proper funding and equipment to outsmart and outmaneuver the criminals.”

Pearce heard one rancher say 400 to 500 illegals cross his ranchlands daily. The fact that some ranchers would not give their names impressed upon him the fear that these rural residents feel for their safety.

But Pearce is no stranger to the crimes of illegal drug dealers and cartels. Phoenix has seen significant increases in crimes committed by and for the drug cartels. Fifty percent of the burglaries, home invasions and kidnappings are blamed on illegal immigrants.

http://www.svherald.com/content/news/2010/04/15/why-ranchers-fear-their-safety-and-what-lawmakers-want-do-about-it

I still think a neighbor shot and killed him. If you knew anything about the trafficking, they have lookouts and no one would ever have come in contact with that man. They avoid everyone.
Nice to see she thinks the drug cartel are such an outstanding organization and such a well ran organization that they never make mistakes, they never encounter anyone, it’s almost like the cartels have such Divine Powers they can make time stand still and travel through areas undetected and without worry and anything else that happens is someones elses fault but never the drug cartels or illegals

http://www.sigtarp.gov/reports/audit/2010/Factors%20Affecting%20the%20Decisions%20of%20General%20Motors%20and%20Chrysler%20to%20Reduce%20Their%20Dealership%20Networks%207_19_2010.pdf

Decisions on which car dealerships to close as part of the auto industry bailout — closures the Obama administration forced on General Motors and Chrysler — were based in part on race and gender, according to a report by Troubled Asset Relief Program Special Inspector General Neal M. Barofsky.

[D]ealerships were retained because they were recently appointed, were key wholesale parts dealers, or were minority- or woman-owned dealerships.

Thus, to meet numbers forced on them by the Obama administration, General Motors and Chrysler were forced to shutter other, potentially more viable, dealerships. The livelihood of potentially tens of thousands of families was thus eliminated simply because their dealerships were not minority- or woman-owned.

"Obama official, manufacturing czar and "Auto Team" leader Ron Bloom admitted that the dealerships could have been kept open, saving those jobs, "but that doing so would have been inconsistent with the President’s mandate for ‘shared sacrifice.’"

As has been widely reported, the Inspector General’s study skewered the Obama Gang for strong-arming the companies into closing 2,000 dealerships, costing an estimated 100,000 people their jobs during a recession.

Why ?

Records indicate that in 2008, Obama lost the vote totals in the nation’s 1,300 rural counties by nearly 80%.

Nevertheless, as Barofsky notes, "ultimately close to half of all of the GM dealerships identified for termination were in rural areas." Despite the fact that most of these were the only GM dealership in the area and had little competition.

Inspector General is an Obama appointee
Zodiac Man.. Can you READ ?

Almost all of GM dealerships were and are owned by white males. What are you complaining about? If the ownership and location, among other things, were considered as factors that seems fair.