We don't elect clowns? How do you explain Jesse Venture and Al Franken? Surely Minnesotans are Americans. ;)

Ben Carson is a brilliant neurosurgeon and was chief of the department at John Hopkins. He may be many things but I don't think he falls in the category of clown.

Still, in goes without saying, you are certainly entitled to your own opinion.

So what is the argument? Do you find his personal observation of the Affordable Care Act abhorrent? I'm not sure of the point you're making here. Surely you respect this man's right to voice his own opinion, no?

:) Oops, you're right, I did have that backwards. My bad.

You make a good point Paul. However, I believe there are some in MSM who must just be dismissed out of hand. Their credibility so damaged, their rhetoric so h**e-filled and dis-ingenuousness that I can't listen to anything they say.

Al Sharpton is another one on that list for me. He could tell me grass is green and sky blue and I would question the t***hfulness of his statement. I'm not saying that's right, it's just how my mechanism of discernment works.

Come to think of it, I can't think of a soul on MSNBC I would give any credence to. But that's just me. :)

(Full disclosure: I don't get any news of any kind from MSM. It's all tainted by the corporations that own them).

Molly/jelun, rights and liberties are often intertwined in conversation. While in some ways similar, they are also quite different. I believe jelun is referring to liberties she feels are being lost while Molly is referring to our specific Bill of Rights.

Because you've ask - yes, to me it does. But I am not one to argue the point with you. For me, God is the one true constant. When I begin to drift off course (which I do far too often I'm afraid), I rely on the compass in my pocket to get me back on course. For me that compass is the inerrant word of God and the teachings of His son.

But I say this most emphatically: this is the compass I have chosen to follow. Even if I were able, I would never force anyone else to follow it. By the same token, I will not allow anyone else to force me to follow theirs ... even if I am the last man standing against the tide.

Really? You're using an article my Rachel Maddow to discredit Ben Carson? Why not ask Satan what he thinks of Jesus and then post it here so we'll all know what a bum he really is. Come on, seriously? This undermines your credibility from jump street.

Carol, have you misunderstood something I've written? Do you believe I'm professing some sort of moral relativism? I assure you I am not. I mean only to point out the fallacy of arguing morality amongst ourselves. Unless we start from a common point of reference (e.g. the Bible) we can not have a meaningful discussion or exchange of ideas where morality is concerned. I say a******n is immoral. Others will say a woman should have the right to choose. Where does one find common ground in that argument? Better just to say "I disagree" and move on.

You are not wrong. The wound has become infected and gangrene is setting in. People who are not protecting themselves will be decimated. Unfortunately, the MSM is telling us all is well and the patient is recovering. Nothing could be further from the t***h.

Well, it doesn't work that way I'm afraid ... as we will all soon see.

Christian is an extremely broad term today; and I would agree, many who profess to be Christians live hypocritical lifestyles. Christians are FAR FAR from perfect - they're just forgiven (if you believe in that sort of thing). But to lump them all under the same umbrella is a bit short-sighted I think.

I'm not sure what your last sentence is referring to but I would never advocate that selfishness is ok. Nor would I profess tolerance and acceptance at all cost to be a mandate of the Christian faith.

rkevin, what you say is all true ... except it began much earlier under the Clinton administration. Gingrich's Congress had an opportunity to repair the damage of Dodd/Frank before it got started but he let the opportunity slip away. I will try to research the bill Clinton signed that was the genesis of the sub-prime mortgage crisis of 2007.

Marvin, you list several references at the end of your essay. I believe all these gentlemen come from the same ilk of economists who believe our only problem is that government isn't spending enough. Might I suggest a book by James Rickards called The Death of Money. He refutes, in great detail, almost every point you've made here. Just thought you might want to balance out your knowledge base a bit before committing to one economic religion over the over.

So by that rationale, let's give everyone everything they need at wh**ever cost to society. Millions now have insurance at a cost of Trillions of unfunded dollars. I'm pretty sure you don't run your own house this way. If you do, not for long. Why then, on a much grander scale, do people think this is sound governance.

I'll tell you why ... because liberalism is all cotton candy and unicorns and has very little basis in reality. But in this backward, upside-down world the dreamer is the genius while the realist is painted as in-compassionate and evil.

Jelun, my hope was that this would not turn into a religious discussion. My original point was simply that we shouldn't argue morality. How can we? I believe the Bible is the inerrant Word of God. By your own admission, you do not. As a result, we do not start the argument from the same point of reference, so any attempt to argue each others point is point-less.

Regarding your reference to Leviticus, it is my belief that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His instruction for our lives may change (like allowing us to eat Pork today as an example), but his pronouncements do not change (I believe). If He says he is God, then he is God forever. If he finds something abominable or detestable, then he finds it abominable forever. He is not forced to change his opinion with every society.

Two things I know with absolute certainty: 1). God either exists or he doesn't. He can not be create or destroy based on our say so. and 2). God is not all things to all people. He is not forced to become wh**ever deity, or take on wh**ever persona, we human's dream up. If He does exist (and of course I believe He does) than it is for Him to tell us who He is and what His desire is for our lives - not the other way around.

But again I digress ... we are given the freedom and free will to believe wh**ever we wish to believe and live our lives according. As others have already pointed out in this blog, there are and will always be consequences to our actions.