To Idog25
  Paranoia no, just some bad experience from some other places. When one ties to talk common sense these days, one does sound like a revolutionary.
  Anyhow , mea culpa for misunderstanding.
  Case closed.

Where were the real questions about the Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny and of course the big one - Santa Claus. You call that a f**kin debate!

I sent you twice my comment on this issue (“Imagine etc”) which you rejected.
I am mystified by your action since I didn’t use any offensive or foul language (which you often tolerate), didn’t express any “hate” or “racist” opinion and, unlike majority of others, my communication was very much to the point under discussion.
I am forced to assume, reluctantly, that you have decided to silence my opinion because you couldn’t find any arguments against it, which is a sad conclusion for me since I was beginning to be quite enthusiastic about TruthDig as a blog free of tabues.

Though I’m a democrat I’d have to say that Mitt Romney clearly has more credential to lead this country than the rest of his party. Too bad his own party will screw him because he’s a Mormon.  Being a Soldier I used to have respect for McCain and his years of hardship, but it seems over the past 6 years he’s degraded himself into a septagenarian bobblehead for the corporate and conservative interests ruining this great land. 

Mrs. Clinton (no, Bill isn’t coming back, she’ll take the reigns) is simply McCain on the other end of the political spectrum, though still a better altrenative.  I’m hoping Edwards will get some balls and make a strong showing when the time comes.

Kudos to the “logic trap” therory and BTW the 16th Amendment doesn’t require you to pay Federal Income Tax, doesn’t exist, none of it makes it to Congress, only to banking interests.

Well, TruthDig
Where is my comment (the second one you ignore)?
Is it that nobody can argue with it? Too subersive?

My comment on evolution “issue” has apparently been erased, so I will repeat it.
What I said was that I don’t give a hoot if the future president doesn’t accept the theory of evolution, and I dont understand how anyone could possibly think otherwise.
Americans generally believe that they are electing some super-wise man, instead of a shmook we always end up with, who is going to stage exit(with some scandals on his back) in four or eight years ,without the most minimal influence on the thinking of the people.
Did George Washington believe in Evolution? How about Abraham Lincoln? And John Kennedy? Richard Nixon or FDR? Who cares, damn it!
Where the American president can make the real damage to the Nation is in promoting and starting foreign wars. All our would-be Presidents look mediocrities “evolutionwise” or “creationistwise” (to borrow some reaganite expressions) but these individuals have tremendous power to drag us into a cataclysm. For wars are getting more and more dangerous.
This is what should worry us instead.
And, in case anybody thinks that the belief in Evolution represents some higher moral ground, just think of Stalin and Hitler, they both believed fanatically in science.
Let us get a person who is going get us out of this
bloody war which has already morally defeated us.
  This is all that counts.

And so on.  What potential Democrat President would stop this growth in the prison industry, several fold prisoners, half non-violent, of any country on Earth.  Something has got to be broken.  To publicly say the official version of 9/11 is a coverup could be a decent beginning.  Then, abruptly, all would be turned round.  Oh well.  Gads.

Of course it matters whether or not the President believes in evolution. Creationist belief is a world-view built around the required obedience of the many to the absolute rule and divine authority of the few. The war-mongering rule of George W Bush is simply a milder version of the Biblical rule of the almighty god of creationists. We absolutely don’t need another creationist president.

James J wrote above, “Think peace and vote agnostic.”
Bravo!

Frankly, I could not care less if the future president believes or not in the Evolution Theory as long as he happens to believe that the Iraq war is immoral and must be stopped immediately.

Uh, huh. Yeah, I watched as that question was asked. Actually, I watched the whole Dog and Pony show in the same way I’d watch a freak show. Wasn’t it Reagan who thought the world only six millennia old? Think he did, if I recall. I don’t know for certain that G-dub doesn’t believe in evolution, though would expect he doesn’t. Cheney, on the other hand, believes only in the interests of Dick Cheney. He’s never bothered with the “base.”

The power of belief! Assuming candidates were being honest, which involves a more serious leap of faith. Aside from Ron Paul—a quaint, Libertarian (think Tucker Carlson) artifact, if ever there was one—the rest struck me as truly delusional, however they answered the evolution question. I recall one nut-case ranting about Hillary having attempted to institute “socialized” healthcare. What a hoot! As though she attempted any such thing! Or ever would!

Olbermann had a nice line on his program this evening, when he mentioned that all candidates were facing (unbeknownst to audience, apparently) the exhaust end of old Air Force One stationed at the Reagan “Library” (Did Ronald read? Anything other than scripts for aptly named “Death Valley Days”). Not to put too fine a point on it, but it must have seemed to would-be nominees that standing downwind from the possibility of a divine fart gave inspi-rational (not exactly rational) “rise,” as ultimate ecstasy was anticipated.  It’s a wonder the plane’s jet engines weren’t briefly ignited so that candidates might have inhaled (?) the sweet scent of power from The Gipper’s metaphorical hind-end, such that ecstasy might have been fully and spectacularly realized, a la “Dr. Strangelove,” at the point the good doctor launches (?) into a diatribe on the practical need to remove qualified men and countless more qualified women to deep mine shafts! The insane doctor might have added that all property rights would remain in force pending exiting mine-shafts years after the explosion of the Doomsday Device. (Cheney mentioned, in addressing Jamestown during Elizabeth’s visit, that founders of Jamestown had brought along with them the concepts, not only of liberty, but of private property, upon which this great nation was founded. IN-DEED, Richard! As it always was, so shall it ever be! I imagine the Queen must have felt gratified by this nod in her monarchical direction.)

The “Great Communicator’s” name was invoked by all throughout the fab debacle, while I kept by my side David Corn’s 1998 writing, “66 Things About Reagan,” which I recommend to all to find on the web, possibly still at “The Nation.” website. 66 Things, including, “trees cause pollution,” “Voodoo” economics (which amounted to reducing wages as much as possible), to mass murder in a variety of locations, from El Salvador and Nicaragua to Lebanon.

Never mind the evolution question. What about the God-Reagan question? These boys (and I DO mean boys!) fell all over their obsequious selves last night in attempting to outdo one another in expressing their allegiance to Him who was the single worst president in American history, until…? Yep, this latest guy, who has outdone his own hero in wreaking havoc and devastation.

What would Jesus do? Would he deny evolution?

Ultimately it does matter what the president’s beliefs on religion and science are, which come together and clash on evolution. Do we really want the leader of our country , and the free world for that matter , to believe in religious faith over the truths of science? George Bush’s catastrophic leadership has religious undertones in part due to his catering to the conservative right’s bible-based principles. We need something different then this!

Those of you who think it was not important question are wrong.It was the most important question of the boring debate.What someone beleives in will affect how they will decide a whole range of questions.On this particular question you have the answer to how that particular person will treat anything science related.When he makes decisions as President that are deeply rooted in the middle ages that you disagree with you cannot say you were not told.When the religious right opens an office right next to the oval office and James Dobson is appointed head of some agency and you are mystified it is your fault you were told.These are the only questions that matter. A politician on specific issues will say what he thinks will get him the most votes.It is funny that the three with the most in common with gorilla brains do not believe in evolution.I guess they are stuck eating bananas for eternity.Remember this YOU WERE TOLD.

Evolution? Would you expect the average neocon republican to even be able to define the word? How many of them have actually evolved themselves?

Asking someone a scientific question and expecting a religious or faith-based answer is itself ridiculous. Evolution is not a matter of belief! It is a matter of science and the evidence is too overwhelming to treat as though one can believe in it or not believe in it!

And accusiing the democrats who disagree with them about the war of creating gridlock is equally ridiculous - after all the republicans have created a deadlock on gridlock that lasted six years. Get over it neocons!

...Faith must trample under foot all reason, sense, and understanding.  ~Martin Luther

Everytime I read that the hair on the back of my neck stands up as I realize that he said that over 500 ears ago and in all that time there are many people still thinking like this. Hmm, maybe it’s true and evolution isn’t true…at least not in human beings.

These so-called debates are an insult to the intelligence of any real thinking person. There is no debating going on. There is no real free-thinking going on. There is nothing but prepared answers to tailored questions and generic sound bytes designed to play well on TV and “sound” Republican enough to make their supporters happy.

It’s a joke, and the Democratic “debates” are not much better.

The low point of the night would have to be the near seizure McCain had in talking about how after 6 years of no one even caring anymore, he’d get all lathery about going after Bin Laden. The ironic point of the night was at the end of that maniacal statement where he vowed to pursue Bin Laden to the very gates of Hell. Since a lot of the serving Republicans are already in line for V.I.P. Suites at that place I’m sure running into Bin Laden there isn’t really all that fantastical is it? I’d call it inevitable.

This is the most Genious Question of all time. Now you have 2 kind of people here Belivers and Thinkers.
Right now we have a beliver in the White House and he Belives in his strategy and he Belives he is doing the right thing. However when faries and Trolls arnt the problem then holding you eyes tight and beliving a with all your little hart aint gunna change crap. We Need a thinker in the White House who use logic reason and math scince etc to solve real life issues Responsibley and honestly. I think that anyone who Belives will have no quarrel with killing millions of People for jack crap if he might get to heaven.

So Think peace, and vote agnostic

Words mean something. Using the word “believe” with evolution is a signal to the “little god”
Christians that science is just another belief system, no different than their own belief system.

Science is not a belief system.  It is an evidence based system.  No scientist believes in evolution. Evidence is gathered and allowed to lead to conclusions.  Evidence for the old age of the earth and the changes in life over time has been gathered for more then two centuries. This overwhelming amount of evidence all leads to the conclusion that evolution happens.

Science based people accept evidence.  We do not discard inconvenient facts like “belief system” people do. Scientific theory must accept and account for all evidence found.

Good scientists are no different than good detectives at the scene of a crime.  They gather evidence and allow the evidence to lead them to a conclusion about who the probable culprit was. The more evidence the more certain the detective is.  Scientists gather evidence about the earth and its history and allow the evidence to lead them to conclusions. 

If a bloody glove is found at Nicole Brown Simpson’s house and at OJs house, if OJs blood is found at her house and hers at his then logical people allowed the evidence to lead to a conclusion.

Little god Christians believe first and then “fix facts” around their belief.  The facts may be unrelated to each other.  The facts are always carefully selected so as to leave out the greater number of facts and evidence that lead in a different direction.

Whenever any person talks about “believing” in evolution they are falling into a logic trap set up by the little god Christians.

Try saying we understand the evidence and accept the conclusion that evolution happens.

I have my own transcriptof the debate last nite.  BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH REAGAN BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH REAGAN BLAH and repeat until debate is over.

i think i’m going to be sick…only inane whores are in the running… what monkeys.  2007 and we’re going backwards….this planet cannot afford to support these morons any longer….get them off the planet one way ticket to their heaven construct—they’re not afraid to meet the good lord let’s hasten to provide them with a last hemlock supper adios a**hole$........

If he doesn’t accept the scientific evidence, then he’s a moron.

The last 6 years have shown what kind of damage a moron can do.

I care whether they believe in evolution or not. That answer reflects how they consider entitlement by birth for rights on the planet. We have peoples in the Middle East that claim exclusive rights to land by Biblical inheritance. Exclusive rights against peoples they are historically and genetically related to. So, you’ve got the Hatfields and McCoys and we get to play the petroleum carpetbaggers as opposed to being the conscientious peacemakers.

We should be the free nation that enlightens the world. Instead we’re the brain dead bully that wants to keep the status quo. Corrupt carpet bagging US corporations were kicked out of Cuba 50 years ago. The free people of that country have paid the price since and we’ve done nothing. Why? We ransacked most of what Cuba had before 1960 and we decided there was nothing left worth the cost of bringing democracy back to those people. But Iraq and Iran, now that’s a horse of a different color. Those people deserve to live in a democratic society, not the Cubans though. Why do you think so many historical allies of this country are no longer standing by us? Some of them have consciences and the rest have their own petroleum thirsts to quench.

Questions about evolution *are* important - first of all, the answers are arguably indicative of the the candidate’s position on evidence-based decision-making.  A president who discounts amassed evidence is not a good thing (q.v. GWB).

Then, there are obvious implications for science education (and education in general) and medicine/healthcare issues.  You want a president who can make informed decisions.

But foremost, there’s the worrying fact that quickly proclaiming a disbeleif in evolution is an easy way to pander to the far right.  I’m not sure this country can handle yet another president who beleives that the ultraconservative fringe elements are a solid core constituency.

My brief comments:

Mitt Romney was clearly the most poised and articulate. McCain was the most energized and passionate. Giuliani seemed to wander around with his comments. But the top three remained the top three.

Mike Huckabee gave thoughtful responses - but he doesn’t believe in evolution?  Ron Paul was far removed from the others. And Tom Tancredo gets the wingnut prize for calling for repeal of the 16th Amendment.

So, was McCain a bit over the top? Did Giuliani too often hark back to 9/11? And is Romney too smooth by half?

Homer http://www.altara.blogspot.com

Moe, Larry and Curly racing to the bottom and pandering like champs.