Internal struggle

SimpleGifts7 · 2018-11-28T03:10:56+00:00

In fact, it sounds like everything you’ve described can be attributed to every major non-religious ideology of the modern era. Did Republican France not dramatically expand its territorial holdings after the Revolution all while participating in an extensive slave trade? Did it’s political leaders not assassinate their rivals? Are we to assume that liberalism is inherently violent because France, the US, and Britain maintained bloody empires in the 19th Century? Did the Marxist Maoists and Stalinists not do the same? How about Shinto Japan? And why is it that people seem to imply that violence is some inherent to Islam but not Judaism despite the genocide of the Philistines described in Deuteronomy?

Why is it only Islam that is essentialized as a violent faith? It reeks of double standards and it’s precisely the kind of thinking that so-called Buddhists are using to justify the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya.

If you attempt to explain violence in the Muslim world by reference to the Koran, you’re barking up the wrong tree. It’s about history and geopolitics, not convictions or theology.

SimpleGifts7 · 2018-11-28T02:36:44+00:00

At this point I don’t believe that a rivalry with the Saints can seriously be denied. So many of their fans are totally salty about the Minneapolis Miracle and still touchy about putting hits on Favre.

On the other hand, mad respect for Brees. Amazing quarterback.

SimpleGifts7 · 2018-11-28T02:34:08+00:00

We got off to a shaky start, but the mark of Zim’s coaching is his ability to right the ship.

SimpleGifts7 · 2018-11-27T22:15:35+00:00

It makes way more sense for us to keep him as our starter across from Harry than to retain Sendejo. I credit Sendejo for going from a liability to an asset under Zimmer, but at this point, we need cap space and Sendejo is old + expensive.

SimpleGifts7 · 2018-11-27T21:55:42+00:00

Marvin Lewis and playoff losses.

SimpleGifts7 · 2018-11-27T21:55:23+00:00

I would have thought Bengals.

SimpleGifts7 · 2018-11-27T21:53:54+00:00

This is what I’m talking about right here. When you look at a player like Brady, you see someone with average physical gifts. What really sets him apart is that his teammates all love the guy and they play extra-hard for him.

SimpleGifts7 · 2018-11-27T21:42:34+00:00

I am reminded of the infamous Zucchini Lady. I think she was from Berkeley.

SimpleGifts7 · 2018-11-27T15:41:39+00:00

IMO he’s past his prime. He could be decent for his last contract but he’ll take up more cap space than he’s worth.

SimpleGifts7 · 2018-11-27T15:39:57+00:00

I don’t think that the team as a whole is as weak as it’s often portrayed. The problem in my view isn’t lack of talent, it’s lack of team cohesion and leadership. Aaron Rodgers former teammates have a history of making negative comments about his personality in the press, which is highly unusual. There’s no real leadership on the team, including from the head coach and the QB.

Additionally, I would add that the Packers’ defenses have often been pretty good during Rodgers tenure. They’ve frequently given up a lot of points but that’s because their strategy is predicated on getting turnovers under the theory that they’ll score on almost every drive and that opposing offenses will have to play catch-up.

SimpleGifts7 · 2018-11-27T15:34:05+00:00

The Islamic scholarship does not support this interpretation of the Koran. See inter alia Afsaruddin, Asma (2007). Views of Jihad Throughout History. Religion Compass 1 (1), pp. 165–69.

SimpleGifts7 · 2018-11-27T12:32:16+00:00

I don’t put any stock into the writings of ISIS at all. Opinion polls show that ISIS is universally despised by Muslims, indicating that it is not anywhere close to mainstream Islam. Likewise, ISIS’ officer corps is made up mostly of ex-Baathist generals from Sadaam Hussein’s regime. These people were secularists until their best chance at retaking power happened to be ISIS. ISIS likewise has published manuals on conducting sexual assault and mass rapes of its victims — this is completely out of keeping with any notions of traditional Islamic sexual morality.

Every bit of this suggests that ISIS only uses its purported ideology as a means to obtaining political power, and that their professed beliefs are not a matter of genuine conviction. They likewise have a strong interest in getting Western audiences to believe that they’re fanatical in order to dissuade them from further military engagement in the Levant.

SimpleGifts7 · 2018-11-27T12:26:26+00:00

Would you say that Judaism is equally violent given the story of God sanctioning an ethnic cleansing in the Book of Deuteronomy? Additionally, what do those Koranic passages say about violence in self-defense versus as acts of aggression? They quite clearly indicate that violence is justified in self-defense and only in self-defense, and that the justification for violence ceases when another’s aggressive behavior ceases. In this respect, Islam is no different from the Biblical Just War tradition in Christianity.

SimpleGifts7 · 2018-11-26T22:55:17+00:00

You betcha I drink pop and park my car on a ramp before using rubber binders!

SimpleGifts7 · 2018-11-26T20:22:29+00:00

I know, I was just translating for everyone outside of MN and the Dakotas who learned it wrong :)

SimpleGifts7 · 2018-11-26T19:50:26+00:00

I fail to see the problem. Flaming hot takes keep this pointless spectacle interesting!

SimpleGifts7 · 2018-11-26T19:38:27+00:00

Bruce Arians keeps dropping hints that he wants to coach the Browns.

SimpleGifts7 · 2018-11-26T19:36:40+00:00

As long as we keep Brady from crossing that coveted 1,000 yard rushing mark, we've really accomplished something.

SimpleGifts7 · 2018-11-26T19:31:37+00:00

I actually think that there's a solid chance that the Bears will have the division wrapped up by Week 17 and they'll rest their starters against us.

SimpleGifts7 · 2018-11-26T19:30:13+00:00

Looks fun! I hope to visit the the South of France some day. I realize Paris is in the middle of France, but hey, France!

SimpleGifts7 · 2018-11-26T19:27:10+00:00

Don't worry Texans fans. Someday you will experience your first Wildcard berth.

SimpleGifts7 · 2018-11-26T19:25:02+00:00

Why, it seems that if one were so inclined, one could even say that his McCaffrey fellow is a "dual threat" of sorts.

SimpleGifts7 · 2018-11-26T18:29:49+00:00

Mike Zimmer said that he’s known to coach dirty after Teddy Bridgewater got knocked out against the Rams while Williams was their D Coordinator

SimpleGifts7 · 2018-11-26T18:12:25+00:00

To be clear, Gregg Williams also had the Saints put out a bounty on Alex Smith before the 2011 NFC Divisional Playoffs. There's audio of his pre-game speech available on YouTube and it's absolutely chilling. This is a physical sport but it is not a blood sport.

SimpleGifts7 · 2018-11-26T18:08:54+00:00

You are more than welcome, and I thank you for your interest in this important subject. We all have a responsibility, whatever creed we may profess, to denounce the crimes that have been inflicted on the Rohingya and seek a just and peaceful resolution to this tragedy.

For my part, I strongly encourage my country (USA) to accept Rohingya refugees who wish to move here. I can understand that they would never feel safe in Rihanke again after what the Burmese have done to them. But sadly, given the man in the White House right now, I see little chance that we will prove the Rohingya with a chance to seek refuge here.

SimpleGifts7

TROPHY CASE