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Knowing and Holding to Your Convictions

A ''No'' uttered from deepest conviction is better and greater than a ''Yes'' merely

uttered to please, or what is worse, to avoid trouble. Mahatma Gandhi

Since 3-19-2003 4393 U.S. service men and womens lives have been cut short in Iraq,942 in Afghanistan, and it is estimated that 320,000 returning vets have traumatic brain

injuries due intolerance and argumentation over politics, religion and cultural differences

in Iraq. This does not account for non-combatant causalities. The ripple effect willundoubtedly wash over hundreds of family members and friends of the slain for years to

come.

Yes there are still those conservatives who will spout comments like all believers inAllah and the religion of Islam are terrorists, and paint the people of Iraq with colorful

metaphors as sand niggers, dune coons and rag heads in an attempt to de-

humanize them. The logic goes something like this. The terrorist who flew the planes in

the twin towers on 9-11 were Muslims. They all practiced the religion of Islam; thereforeall Muslims who practice the religion of Islam are terrorists.

Lets put it into a western context. Ted Haggart is a Christian pastor. He admitted to

purchasing drugs and having a fling with a homosexual, therefore all Christians pastors

must use drugs and have affairs with homosexuals. It doesnt sound good when the shoe

is on the other foot does it.

This example and the aforementioned is a prime example of Post hoc, faulty logic. I

simply dare any news paper columnist print such an assertion when the next evangelicalscandal comes along. The out cry from Christian conservatives would be to demand a

written retraction, apology, termination from his/her position and be rode out of town ona rail. Furthermore this person would be lucky to get a job writing queue cards for JerrySpringer.

Any action based on a false premise about religious ideology and conviction no matterhow much one believes it too be true doesnt make it so. Mark Twain said In religion

and politics, people's beliefs and convictions are in almost every case gotten at secondhand, and without examination. False premises lead to false conclusions, convictions

and what is worse is when such conclusion leads to toxic faith and killing of the infidelsand unbelievers.

You see it makes it easier to kill a human being if we can first elevate our selves to aposition of superiority through convictions based on belief in a particular ideology; all the

rest who do not hold to our particular ideology are then demonized especially if a hand

full of wack jobs use their ideology to inflict pain suffering and death on us.

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When this happens as then we are off to the races. Its time to open a can of whip ass on

these people;

Its my way or the highway, our cause is right-eous one, we have God on our side, wehave the truth, our Country is founded on Christian principals, and the lists of reasons go

on and on.

Before you go spitting vile generalities at me like Michael Svage might and has the right

to do, jut remember you can fit any dogma, religion, ideology into what I have said.

Having the proper conviction boils down to starting from a correct premise backed upwith proper information.