Ok have to ask this question

[SargeUNN]

With the WBC case, the Tn. Fire, the bullying of gay children, the taunting of a dying 7 year old girl, and other events that seem to put us asking this question, at what level do we place the line on what is decent and what isn't? It is obvious that it is subjective and while one would assume the limits wouldn't be too far apart we seem to have quite a difference. So where do we draw that line?

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. Competing visions indeed

and I fear will not end well... last time this country was this friggin' divided the calendar read 1859.

[JuniperLea]

2. Excellent question...

I'll be interested in seeing some answers... I'm looking to pad my iggy list... I've had just about enough barbaric and subhuman bullshit for one InterTube lifetime.

[The Blue Flower]

3. Certainly puts the lie to "this is a Christian nation"

nt

[TBF]

9. That's for sure -

I keep wanting to ask these individuals to "define Christian" because it sure seems to have changed lately.

[DailyGrind51]

14. This is a "Mammon-nation"! (Mammon being the pursuit of wealth)

[seabeyond]

4. i would say it is where one is putting the victimhood. the one that is powerless....

i think the big difference in the fire, is your victim is not others victim. your victim is the one i see with the power/choice along with county. the victim to me is the neighbors, FF, city taxpayers and animals that has no choice. your victim is the man that lost the house

we can clearly see the 7 yr old child is a victim

bullying gay children has the power, the kids bullied are the victim.

wbc?

[SargeUNN]

7. WBC = Westboro Baptist Church lead by Fred Phelps

[seabeyond]

10. wbc are the bullies. their action is bullying. their action is the power. those being protested

are powerless.

you will always always always find me on the side of the person that does not have the power.

every. single. time.

[SmileyRose]

5. I use the "do unto others" meme.

But then I have a soul............

I wonder about some people.

[seabeyond]

6. ah,... who would those be that are "soulless". would they be the ones the op is saying kicks the

dying child??

[SargeUNN]

11. state your proof

you are stating something you can't prove and offensive. Hopefully the mods. will remove your statement since you are calling me out.

[seabeyond]

15. here you go.

"that attack the man whose house burned down and the FD watched. We have people here that I have wonder if they wouldn't blame the child's family. "

but then, since they are your words, you already know.

and ya... offensive. highly, horribly, disgustingly .... offensive.

if mods had no problem with you going after all the duers that dont agree with you in such an insulting fashion. i see no reason they would have a problem with me challenging you on your stance.

[SargeUNN]

16. you are strangely not posting your proof

so I think you are showing us where you are coming from. However, I am more interested in seeing what people think who will post their answers honestly and not be bothered by someone who seems more interested in a personal battle. Therefore I will not continue with this useless exchange with you.

[seabeyond]

18. the post above, where you gave me wbc is dishonest? you dont think i was sincere?

because one part does not meet you criteria, it is invalid?

it was very much sincere. adn respectful. nor did i feel the need to call you a liar. and yes... "people think who will post their answers honestly" this is you calling me a liar. again, it lacks any kind of respect.

[SargeUNN]

20. excuse me?

your post ended with WBC? so I thought maybe you were asking what W B C stood for. As for the rest of your reply there I didn't reply to it because I asked a question seeking knowledge not to ambush you or anyone else so I didn't agree or disagree with you or any other poster. Maybe you have some complex but you seem to be making a lot of assumptions.

[seabeyond]

22. words matter. to tell me you will look for the poster that will post honestly

suggest i am not being honest. or sincere

yes, i was asking what wbc meant. and thank you for the reply.

i was pointing out that subthread, that yes i was being sincere. or honest....

[SmileyRose]

17. I wasn't talking about anyone specific

We all have our flaws. Part of the human condition is being oblivious to the suffering of others to some degree or another. IMHO

But yes, I do wonder about the kind of person who would drag a gay kid behind a pickup until he's dead, or lock a foster kid in a closet until he dies of starvation and then burns the remains to try and evade criminal charges, or rapes a child for years, or enslaves other humans, or bombs the limbs off kids on the other side of the planet for mere profit.............

Those folks I do wonder about. Those of us who walk by and do nothing, for whatever reason, disappoint me.

and yes, sometimes I have disappointed myself. Usually for not seeing what's right in front of my face in the first place.

[seabeyond]

19. i hear ya. thank you for the clarification smiley. i agree. nt

[slackmaster]

8. It seems to me you and a lot of other people are being manipulated by the media

I suspect the Tennessee incident is not the first time in the history of this country that a fire department intentionally failed to extinguish a fire.

Kids have always been bullyed and taunted. According to the CDC there were 1,665 documented suicides of children and teenagers in 2007, the most recent year for which data is available through WISQARS.

...at what level do we place the line on what is decent and what isn't? It is obvious that it is subjective...

No, it's not subjective when you are talking about how people treat others. Mistreating others in any way for any reason is not "decent" behavior.

[leftstreet]

12. +1

[sarge43]

13. I think a good place to start is the medical rule: Do no harm. n/t

[seabeyond]

21. wrong place

[SargeUNN]

23. where would you say is the place to start?

that would be actually be helpful to know.

[seabeyond]

24. lmao... ah sarge. totally open to the question because there is much opportunity in where to start.

but

"wrong place" is cause i put a response to you in the wrong place. i was responding to your post above. i ended up responding to your op. so i moved it

but... if there is a question in place to start? you would have to be more specific and i will be open to reply

[SargeUNN]

25. ok simply put

what are your ideals in what the line to decency is? I will give you my answer to the original entry here and let you use it as a guide.

When human life or people's property can be protected and aren't then that is unaccepted. When a person is in grief such as the 7 year old and her family, and the soldier's funerals being protested by WBC, then even though the acts might be within the limits of the law, they aren't decent and such acts are disgusting and shows a threshold that I believe is too low. I once had a lawyer friend of mine explain to me that law has 2 ways of being viewed, one is the spirit and intent of the law and the other is how it is actually applied in court. So while one might declare something legal it doesn't mean it is not lacking in decency.

[seabeyond]

26. post 4 and post 10. i gave you mine. nt

[seabeyond]

28. things, property does not out rank abusing power. having leverage over someone

or lots of someone.

things is well below people.

[HuckleB]

27. 91!

[REP]

29. Do you really, really think this is anything new? Really? Read some history.

A good place to start is The Devil in Massachusetts, a Modern Enquiry into the Salem Witch Trials, by Marian L Starkey. Stripped of the excitement of 'witchcraft' and reading the contemporary documents, it's a case study in bullying. Where do we draw the line? Same place we always have - when the object of torment dies, or the someone with enough authority finally says, "Enough."