Grateful Dead

I am old enough to remember how when JFK (philandering, gangster ties and all) was running for president and the cry was, "Booga booga! You can't vote for a CATHOLIC because he'll take his orders from ROME!!!" Whereas even the 12-year-old Catholic schoolchild I was at the time knew it didn't work that way. I am similarly embarrassed for my Muslim counterparts who are no more responsible for the excesses of their co-religionists than I am for the excesses of the IRA. Or Mary Tudor. Or the aforementioned Inquisition. Or, for that matter, a raft of pedophiles. Add that to the fact that when Christianity was the age Islam is now it was massacring people with gusto on numerous theology-related-and-power-driven pretexts, and I just don't have much tolerance for the mine's-better-than-yours attitude.

The Grateful Dead scene never would have happened in a Muslim nation. It took a Christian perspective of limitless possibilities to seek the love and light that LSD teased us with. Thirty years ago the Dead went to the Middle East with plane loads of love. More recently Islam came to America with plane loads of death. "When people talk as if the Crusades were nothing more than an aggressive raid against Islam, they seem to forget in the strangest way that Islam itself was only an aggressive raid against the old and ordered civilization in these parts. I do not say it in mere hostility to the religion of Mahomet; I am fully conscious of many values and virtues in it; but certainly it was Islam that was the invasion and Christendom that was the thing invaded. "A good Moslem king was one who was strict in religion, valiant in battle, just in giving judgment among his people, but not one who had the slightest objection in international matters to removing his neighbour's landmark." G.K. Chesterton, 1911

Last night's debate in St. Louis was rather entertaining. I was impressed with the demeanor of both candidates and their ability to not slam each other, too much. The moderator did not remind either speaker to answer the question asked, so listeners had to endure rhetoric not related to the question. ..." I can't wait much longer Melinda, the sun is getting high...."

thanks man. cool link. definately a "clinch" in the Clinch Mountains for Obama with his support. Jerry definately loved tapers, since he was one, too. Though I can't ever really see Garcia dragging huge mic stands and reels through the rain and mud and trying to find the 'just exactly perfect' angle and position for the mic. I think he was more of a 'try to put it as close as possible to the musician' type of taper. ( -: http://www.morrispr.biz/releases/nr156.htm and Ralph ain't no sell out either, just 'cause Bush gave him an award a couple of years ago. (don't think the Prez. has the voting rights to decide that, not sure who decides who gets those awards.) National Humanities & Arts or whatever that 3 letter gov. agency is. http://drralphstanley.com/index.shtml I started loving bluegrass at about age 7 or 8. when I saw some bluegrass dudes play an assembly at school and started loving green grass (actually it was brown) by around age 9 or 10 or so when I... (ohhh, never mind....) and on tour by age 12. God Bless America!! My last serious comment about the up-coming election, please, if you live in a swing state, please, pretty please with sugar on top, even if you don't like Obama for 'any' reason, please hold your nose and pull that blue lever anyways. throwing more 'red' assed monkeys into the wrench is just going to be a barrel of grinding gears and nothing to laugh about. better dead than 'red' my 2 issues: Obama - says he will cut income tax for seniors earning less than 50 gees a year. McCaine would probably have the chance to appoint a right to lifer into the court. As I am personally the result of an un-wanted prgnancy, TRUST ME when I say, women need the right to choose. ( -: peace.

griped so much about the Dead (or other musicians) supporting obama. This is interesting clip. http://e1.video.blip.tv/1040005601740/Tpmtv-ObamaRadioAdRalphStanley827… FYI-And if you don't know who Ralph Stanley is, he is the guy that Jerry Garcia was 'taping' at bluegrass festivals 'back in the day'. (No wonder Jerry got a kick out of us tapers!)

and to view any group as somehow monolithic (or the same) is a crucial error and a linch-pin for errors of historic proportions. Take a look at the current situation as well as history. Various groups/fatihs have told themselves that they could hate other groups/faiths out of existance, threaten them, abuse them, terrorize them, or exterminate them. Even if everything they were doing went counter to the principles of their belief system. Watch out before you become what you detest. Mark Twain said "It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble, it is what you know for sure that ain't so."

another one of "those" deadheads.... yikes! ( -; * "There's no need for you to be worrying about all 'those' people You never see 'those' people anyway I guess it doesn't matter anyway Well I guess it doesn't matter anyway" -- Dobson . "Like knowledge gained by second sight That strokes a well fed cat Pictures of my past fly by Like petals from a cloud There's just time to wonder why" -- Hunter peace.

Marye, I am aware of what you said, and will keep the tone down. In fact I've known some very nice Muslims in my day, and wouldn't trade them for the world. But there is a radical group out there, that should be differentiated from the more mainstream groups. And those I spoke of refer to more of the radical groups. So with that qualification in mind, what I spoke of them is true. So ... I guess I thought that with all of the swearing on these boards, it wouldn't be a big deal to state some facts. Sorry. Oroboros, The Spanish Inquisition was a State run Inquisition. There were many reasons for it. But the straw that broke the camel's back was the invasion of the Turks on the city of Oranto--where 12,000 people were killed and the rest made slaves. They killed every Catholic cleric, and even sawed the archbishop in two. So Isabella of Spain sent a fleet over to help the Italians. But eventually it became apparent that these Turks were capable of doing this to any coastal city, so the state sought out those people who claimed to have converted to Christianity (Catholicism), but really hadn’t. But those were different times. Greg SC

Tell that to fhe victims of the spanish inquisition, the native peoples of many countries (including america) who were slaughtered in the name of Chist. I disagree in the stongest terms that you can make such sweeping statements about different religious groups. Within each group there are zealots of that are intolerant to the point of genocide towards people different than themselves. And intolerance is the least Christ-like thing I can think of. But it is amazing how perverted dogma is fostered by so many of various 'professed' faiths. Greg, I believe that there are great and true persons of ALL faiths and they are known by their works. Just as there are persons involved in all faiths who make the practice of their beliefs so venomus and toxic that their efforts poison the culture around them. And I have seen and read about both both the glory and abject horror of the practices of groups in ALL the faiths. Including Christianity. Does that mean that I should judge all christians by such works. If not, please don't paint all persons of other faiths (different than yoursand including Islam) as being identical to those that profess, but instead practice prejudice, hate, and carnage. Some facts expressed and much stated is my opinion. Take care.

We have Muslims here. They are your fellow Heads. They are not "those people." Referring to Muslims or anyone else in such terms is not acceptable here. Don't do it. I say this as moderator.