Just why is it that the sick bastards seem to rise to power...

[SnoopDog]

instead of decent people.

Why is it that some/most/powerful humans crave death and destruction? Why cannot the caring, logical, and intelligent humans prevail and bring the good things in life and our society?

Would it not be something that the greatest debate in our Senate be just how much health care to provide our citizenship? Or how a massive undertaking is underway to put solar cells on every roof top? Or how all major thrusts are for peace? Or how all our efforts are to rectify hungry and cure diseases?

[rpannier]

1. Because they'll step on anyone

and destroy anyone who gets in their way.

They have no soul.

[SnoopDog]

4. Does that mean that there are more of them...

than decent people such as you and I?

In my heart I know there are more decent people - but, why does evil prevail? (I qualify that last statement to mean that good does prevail but we have so many periods of this kind of evil - you would think 'good' would stomp their ass...)

[Erika]

8. Evil cares nothing for the poor. Nor do the Republicans. n/t

[rpannier]

14. There are less of them

But they've been at it for a long time. So they've built up a strong base of support either financially, militarily or both. They and their ancestors have killed thousands (in some cases millions) of people to achieve their ends. They've achieved enough wealth and power that it is easy for them to network with each other long before the internet (internets for the bushies out there) was invented.
They recognized one key feature of human nature (and this applies to all races)...People are basically trusting and assume that you are telling them the truth. They've been able to rip-off and destroy people because of this. They move into an area, befriend the population and look for weaknesses. They destroy or undermine any legitimate opposition. Once they've raped and pillaged the region, they move on -- unless by staying they can achieve more wealth and power.

[Evoman]

2. Every time one of us gets close

one of them puts a bullet in us.

Thats how it works. Good, caring person....instant assasination.

[Zorra]

3. And people and corporations with lots of money finance campaigns

of corrupt, ruthless people who will serve their master's greedy self interests in exchange for wealth, power, and fame.

[Robbien]

7. Bingo

Exactly right.

[mikelewis]

5. Some people believe in God and if he exists...

... so must the Devil. If the spirit of the Lord can work through the acts of people then so can the Spirit of the Devil. The root of all evil is the Love of money. Since money is a cheap key to power, these people sell their souls to achieve their ends. If evil spirits or demons exist, the most likely place to find one seems to in Washington.

[SnoopDog]

9. I guess that is my problem and also my saving grace...

Being more of a realist, I do not believe in God or Jesus, but ironically, I do believe in the devil. It seems many people have the devil controlling their minds.

I take the track of life, science, nature, and cooperation between all humans, as it is positive and more self sustaining.

For example, while this administration priorities death, destruction, and ruin of our country and planet, I seek means to sustain the very opposite.

As silly as this is for me to type this, God help us....

[mikelewis]

21. If there is a Devil...

then there must be a God. Every action must have an equal and opposite reaction. If the Devil exists, so must God.

So to believe in one necessitates the belief in the other. You can't have Evil without Good. I am also a realist who takes the track of life, science, nature and cooperation between all humans. None of these tracks have yet to invalidate the existence of God. For me, the deeper I look into these issue, I can't help but find God.

You also are under no requirement to believe in God or Jesus. You don't have to follow Mohammad or Moses. If there is only one God, then whoever you pray to is God. When you call for God to help us, that's not silly at all. If God is the spirit of Good, then asking for help from such an entity can't hurt. If God is merely a figment of our collective imaginations, then identifying that you are are asking for the collective good-will of people to prevail over the machinations of evil people can also do no harm. Anyway you shake it out, asking for God's help is far from silly and definitely appreciated.

But keep this in mind, if God does exist then he cares for you too. He doesn't care what silly rituals people concoct when they pretend to worship him. If you need him, you can pray to him in any manner you choose. He already knows what you need anyway but the prayers really meant to comfort you. Jesus teaches us...

"When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
"This is how you are to pray:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread;
and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors;
and do not subject us to the final test, but deliver us from the evil one.

You may not believe Jesus is the Son of God and that's absolutely fine. It's not a requirement. But his words can bring comfort in dark times and lead you when you're unsure of where you're going. Jesus was a man who believed he was doing the will of God. Like Gandhi or to a lesser extent Martin, to me Jesus represents what a Good person should hope to imitate; self-sacrifice, devotion to good, intelligence, humility, dedication to truth and perseverance. If you can find any malice or evil in his words or deeds that would detract from the "Good Spirit" in humanity, then please point it out to me because I looked long and hard for it. There was a time I too didn't believe but when I tuned into Fox news and saw the Devil, I knew God must exist. It wasn't long before I found Jesus and if the Good Spirit were to have a Son, I imagine Jesus could definitely fit that bill.

Anyway, never feel silly for invoking God's name in a call for help. For those of us who know Him, it's never an insult. You can call it out everyday if you like but maybe one day, He just might answer; so be careful how you use it. And before you let logic creep back in and convince you God can't exist, remember what the Bard tells us.

HORATIO
O day and night, but this is wondrous strange!

HAMLET
And therefore as a stranger give it welcome.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

Shibboleth

[Erika]

11. The root of all evil is money. Wahington is the best to find it

and they are giving the rich tax breaks. Might tell you where Satan is alive and doing extremely well.

[SnoopDog]

16. But, why is it they seem not to take care of their own home...

And by that I mean, why do they insist in allowing more pollution of our/their air, water, land, and food supply? You would think that these evil bastards would want a clean place to live in.

Is that not one of those godly things? I just don't understand it. They don't care if they take your last dollar, but they also will drink a cup full of polluted water and let their children wheeze with asthma.

I just don't understand....

[Blue_Tires]

6. i've been thinking about this recently as well

[Erika]

12. and n/t

[Blue_Tires]

24. i'm not sure

but i will say that (without going too far into my own crappy situation) i've come to the realization that the ONLY group of people that get ahead in the U.S. by hard work alone are the thieves and criminals....

I used to have a much more idealistic view about the economics of American society, but as i near my 30th b-day, i see there has been this gradual change in perception over the years...From the 'we're all in this together' mindset to one that only sees people as 'winners' or 'losers' by means of their material gains....also, morality (especially in the name of making a profit at any cost) has gone out the window--I know it did a long time ago for the mega-rich, but now that attitude has trickled down to the wannabe- and never-will-be-rich folks out there...just look at the way the environment and labor force is shamelessly exploited...

[magellan]

10. It's not always the most depraved

But after many years of observing it certainly has struck me that the people who usually succeed in business (and gov't is a business) are usually lacking a conscience, so they simply don't care if they do wrong.

The people we know who skate along and get all the breaks are generally nice but are also the most incompetent people on the face of the planet. One of them, who was born into money, could be sitting on a real fortune right now if she ever bothered to bill for the work she does...when she does it. And yet she continues to get tender offers and find her way into new contracts....

It's who you know and like to like...nothing at all to do with talent or integrity.

[Erika]

15. It's like Linda Chavez, the Bushbot, defending her right to use an

illegal alien as her housekeeper, and not paying a cent in employer taxes for it. Laws aren't meant for the GOP. It's the new W executive order.

[AndyTiedye]

13. Because They Own the News, The Churches, and The Voting Machinez

[Erika]

17. No, Satan owns the GOP Churches

Their discrimination against the poor and laughing at the Golden Rule is disgusting.

[AndyTiedye]

18. No Way! Even Satan Has Higher Standards Than That

[DanCa]

19. Scum rises to the top (nt)

[Patchuli]

20. Because they don't have

love in their hearts like we do. Dems, real Democrats are loving, kind, warm people. That is not a Republican characteristic.

We're good folks. We will prevail and we will bring honor back to us all...:grouphug:

[Raksha]

22. Having no conscience is a short-term evolutionary advantage,

There is no question about that. We've all seen it over and over, how ruthless, amoral people rise to the top because they don't have the moral constraints normal people have. The vast majority of us aren't interested in making the big time if it means selling our souls, so yeah, in the short term the bastards walk all over us.

But in the end they ALWAYS fail, because good people have the long-term advantage. They are willing to work together against a common enemy, and sooner or later (like right now) the threat from the dark side becomes so obvious they are willing to put aside their differences and put everything they have into defeaing it.

I firmly believe there are some characteristics of the Light that the dark side doesn't have, and I mean NOT AT ALL! One of the big ones is creativity, but that's for another post. Another one is true cooperation. Sure, they can have temporary alliances (conspiracies) for their mutual short-term advantage, but these fall apart the second one of them starts to feel the heat. I'm sure Patrick Fitzgerald can depend upon their well-known tendency to sell each other out, and so can the rest of us.

[NuttyFluffers]

23. because post-natal abortion is too often considered illegal

:evilgrin: