You all will never believe what I saw this morning.

[The Backlash Cometh]

I live in an intensely red county. One where every kind of Republican converges so you get to see the hypocrisies of the various "kinds" as they undermine each other. It's a divisiveness that you don't normally see on a national level, but something that will probably become more evident if they lose the next election and begin their civil war amongst themselves.

So we ran out of coffee this morning and I drove to the convenience store to pick up a couple of cuppas. On the way back, what do I see when I come to the creek? A white male kneeling on the ground next to the railing with his clasped hands resting on the rail. He was praying, okay. Right there in the open, not caring who was watching. This never happens.

So I say to myself, I bet he's praying that McCain will win. I figure this, because, if he's upset about losing a loved one, he has dozens of churches to go to with plenty of church ladies to give him sympathy. So what he's praying for is something...else. This is my translation of what I think he said, "Dear Lord, we have a way of life here which I've grown accustom to and now I'm afraid of losing. Yes, I know that we don't follow the rules around here and we break them whenever a small powerful group of us find it convenient. Yes, I know it's not fair to many people who never even cotton on to the fact that most of the community decisions are made on the golf courses, church socials, charity meetings, quasi secret organizations and in phone conversations between our lawyers and their lawyers. But, Lord, those people don't love you the way I do. They don't deserve your omnipotent attention and they certainly don't deserve a miracle on Election day. So, I'm praying, Lord, for a miracle. Send me a sign that I am still in your good graces and let McCain win on election day."

Now, I'm not too concerned that the place he picked to pray was the best choice for him, because you see, I've been using the same spot for the last eight years to pray for exactly the opposite of what he was praying for. Now, I don't kneel before the creek, but I do watch the bitter cypress waters below while I say the important things, and mostly, I think it's a spiritual place because of the indigenous history of this area. Frankly, I don't think the land or the spirits of any indians that may lurk around would be too happy to amplify the prayers of a man who belongs to a tribe that has never seen a forest or wood that wouldn't make a great parking lot for a mall. But, that's just me.

In the end, the only prayer I have to God is to prevent the Republicans from stealing a third election and let the will of the people decide. And just in case my prayer gets answered, I'm going to the grocery store to stock up to get enough food to hole up in my home the day before election and the day after, because, this morning's display tells me that it's going to get ugly in Florida.

[ogneopasno]

1. Wow, that was quite the assumption.

I almost feel like praying for him, now. Sheesh.

[The Backlash Cometh]

5. I felt part sympathy, part fear.

This has never been an openly friendly place.

[ogneopasno]

37. Yeah, I got that impression from your OP.

About not being an openly friendly place, I mean.

[smalll]

60. I Don't Pray With YOU!

:rofl: Rgbolen better watch out -- he can't stay on top forever - we have a new challenger!

[The Backlash Cometh]

63. Could you explain what you mean by that?

Have no clue what you're referring to.

[smalll]

66. Sure. I'm referring to a great comedic thread here at DU --

I don't remember if it was in GD or the Lounge - one of those two. Authored by a certain "RGBolen." Search for it - "I don't drink with you" was the key line.

It was a great inadvertently comedic thread (although there are those who speculate that the poster is kind of an Andy Kaufman-type comedian.)

[The Backlash Cometh]

70. Well, okay, could you give me more detail so I can form a response

that will be in context?

[liberalhistorian]

35. Agreed. The OP has no way of knowing who he

was, or what party, if any, he belongs to, or what he was praying for. Don't we slam freepers for such broad, sweeping generalizations?

[The Backlash Cometh]

36. You're entitled to your opinion.

Those of us who live in these kinds of counties may call it differently.

[liberalhistorian]

38. I understand what you're saying; I do live in

South Dakota, after all. But I still say that you don't know who he was, what, if any party, he belonged to, or what he was praying about. He may have just been thanking the Big Guy for the beauty of the area. The point is that you just don't know, and it's unfair to make such sweeping assumptions.

[The Backlash Cometh]

41. Oh, I'm very much entitled.

The expression on his face was not very Kumbaya.

This precinct when I moved in, was 60% Republican. There was also a way of life which is probably like no where else, except for other pockets around Florida. And now there is a major shift of power which may be happening soon, and they will be most affected. You see, they should have faced accountability eight years ago for the way they network around here and operate. It's a way of life mixing politics, business and religion. Eight years ago, if Gore had been elected, things may have turned out differently. But they skated for eight years and probably have come out of it no more richer than they were before Bush came into office. The only thing that the Republican years bought them was time. I see their apprehension everywhere I look. In their conversations, and sometimes, in their quiet. I would call that moment of prayer, one of their quiet moments.

[snake in the grass]

87. Matthew 6: 5-6

"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

I pray that Lord Cthulhu, upon his return, will give these sanctimonious, hypocritical turds exactly what they deserve so that we can finally be FREE! FREE! FREE I tell you!



Hail Lord Cthulhu!

[The Backlash Cometh]

89. I pictured someone taller.

[snake in the grass]

99. Perhaps the scale of the picture...

doesn't do justice to the actual size of Lord Cthulhu. According to one eyewitness, who was present as The Great One left His prison and later went insane, "a mountain walked or stumbled". I'd say that is pretty damn big. As a matter of fact, I'd say my god is bigger than anybody else's god, which, of course, makes Him a bad ass.

Hail Cthulhu!

[Dorian Gray]

103. Yeah

but the only problem is that the guy was alone, in a private space, until the OP stumbled upon him. In a place where the OP says that he likes to pray himself.

And it wasn't the other man who started a post online saying how he was praying and some guys stumbled upon him.

[The Backlash Cometh]

107. Dorian.

Read the posts that have already been made on all the points you bring up and all shall be clear.

You don't even have to google.

[Dorian Gray]

108. I've read

and the one thing that I was mistaken about was that the stream was very close to the highway and you pray anywhere.

I still think you jumped to unnecessary conclusions about what this person was praying about, though. I know that we all make
judgements like that every day about the millions of things that we see, but in this particular case, even though there is a chance
you are correct, it reads to me as though this election and your frustration with the religious right are taking too strong a place
in your heart, leading you to make presumptions that have a huge chance of not being true.

I'm in NYC (Brooklyn, to be exact), and it would be really unusual here to see someone drop on their knees to pray in the Prospect Park.
But if I did see it, I wouldn't presume that they were praying about the political race. My first assumption would be that they had a
family member who was ill and they were beseeching God for help. And that STILL would be a total ASSUMPTION with no basis
in reality!

[The Backlash Cometh]

110. Brooklyn, is that a Republican place?

Where every aspect of your life is judged based on what church you go to and if you have a membership to the Country Club or any other indoctrinating organization? And Democrats are welcome only if they sacrifice one of their own before their altars to show they can switch loyalties on the "important" things?

If Brooklyn is not all those things, then we don't have the same experiences or perspectives, do we?

Dorian, I wrote the piece, not for you or people like you, but for people who share my experiences and "get it," and need that affirmation in order to trudge on fighting their own lonely wars. Because, we might as well draw the lines here and now. Not only are they fighting their own personal battles, but when they come here, they also have to take on the liberal PC Police. For now, it's an unfortunate, but necessary confrontation.

This clarification is not directed at you, Dorian, so don't take it personally. But because I think that it's time for me to move on and the following should summarize what I'm seeing here, on this thread.

When it comes to Democrats and religion, there are three kinds of people on DU:

Those that absolutely *hate* Christians in the same way that the Freepers *hate* Muslims. Now, I've not met any DUers that were quite like this. After you read their posts, you generally can filter it down to a specific experience or behavior that has more to do with the way people are interpreting the religion that is interfering with somebody else's American rights. Separation of Church and State and all that.

The second kind of DUer is the other extreme. The PC Police. You just can't say a bad thing about a Christian, at all. Nothing is allowed to be vetted.

The third kind of DUer, in a nutshell, knows the dangers of sacred cows. They could be activists who have been following how the religious right has infiltrated politics. They know that people who feel they are religiously justified may find reason to break "man's law," in favor of "God's law." And once it begins, there is no telling where it ends. These people know how religion has been used in the wrong way, by people like Ralph Reed. Only, there are literally several degrees of Ralph Reeds. They don't have to be leaders in the church to do damage in the community. They could just be people who donate to the church, knowing they can exploit the goodwill. And how do they exploit it? These people use these organizations for quick cover, knowing that by joining a particular church and talking a particular creed, they get instant acceptance and their reputations are insured, and once insured, they can continue a way of life in business practices and politics that the rest of us would like to see challenged.

Hope that sums it up.

[BrklynLiberal]

2. If we are lucky, they will all get so angry, they will all move to Alaska...

Sorry about that, all you Blue Alaskans. :(

[The Backlash Cometh]

7. I think that we will go a long way to winning them over if we hold some

of them accountable for misleading the rest. You see, if none at the top get punished for doing the things they do, why shouldn't the rest think that it's an acceptable way of life?

[BrklynLiberal]

13. I sure hope that repuke accountability is a strong priority in Obama's administration.

[The Backlash Cometh]

16. Just "accountability" would be great.

He can start with all those partnerships between government and the private sector. That would be a good place to find where corruption has circumvented the process and made things harder for civilians.

[begin_within]

3. Did you yell, "Jump!?"

[The Backlash Cometh]

9. Nope.

Wouldn't knock him for praying, just that if he was praying for the election results I think he misses out on the reinforcement which will encourage him to change his ways.

[Heidi]

4. If it'd been me, I'd have been praying I could get back up.

Just sayin'. He might have dropped something, or been catching his breath, or any number of things.

[The Backlash Cometh]

10. I thought about that, but this was not anything like that at all.

I've gone to church enough to know what it looks like.

[Ms. Toad]

6. Encountering someone praying,

in a place you regularly pray yourself tells you it's going to get ugly in Florida?

It may well get ugly - but it seems to me you're reading a bit much into what amounts to someone adopting a different prayer posture than you use.

[The Backlash Cometh]

8. It's never happened before, anywhere.

It's uncommon, I thought it was worth pointing out. And I'm a Matthews type Christian. I don't believe that open displays of prayer get you closer to God. That's how I interpret my religion.

[mwb970]

11. Can you petition the Lord with prayer? /nt

[mobrady]

12. kneeling

Maybe someone he knew died there? Just because he is a white male doesn't mean he is a conservative does it?

[The Backlash Cometh]

15. Nobody died there.

This is a very strange place. They aren't shy about showing their hostility or distaste around here. What you hear on the Limbaugh radio, those hostilities get played out in various subtle ways.

[ogneopasno]

39. How do you know? And as far as showing their hostility or distaste...

...well, pot, kettle and all that.

[The Backlash Cometh]

42. How do I know?

I've researched the area for several reasons. And, in my case, I admit I expected better from them.

[mwb970]

100. Um, OK.

Your non-sequitur suggests that you missed my allusion.

[zanne]

14. If I came upon someone praying out in the open by him/herself....

I'd respect it and realize that the faith of that individual is very strong.

[The Backlash Cometh]

17. I don't doubt that his faith is very strong.

If the last eight years tell us anything, it's that Republicans use their religion and faith to convince themselves of a great many things.

[zanne]

18. Well, I'm assuming that the prayer would be the silent type.

I think that the act of prayer is a beautiful thing; especially a lone figure praying silently. If the prayer is praying for a certain political party to win, he may as well be praying for the Yankees against the Red Sox.

[The Backlash Cometh]

19. As I said, I'm not against prayer. Just very attuned to picking up changes

in the landscape.

[cherokeeprogressive]

20. "He was praying... Right there in the open, not caring who was watching"

The absolute fucking NERVE of some people! Couldn't he say his prayers in private where none of us rational people have to be exposed to the insanely ugly sight of someone on their knees with their hands clasped? My kids could see that, and then what? Fundie grandchildren?

Ya shoulda run him over. After all, YOUR prayers are much more important than his.

[The Backlash Cometh]

21. You don't get it. -- Updated

That kind of display I've never seen before around here and it's worth noting because religion is very tied to politics around here. You can't separate the two. I wonder if I can do searches on cherokeeprogressive to find if you have ever made a comment that showed frustration in that very fact.

Updated:

I did a search and it appears you DO have an agenda. Though you believe in the separation of church and state, it seems to get in your way of finding enough polling places on election day. You just can't stand those poll workers who walk out on you once they figure that out, eh? So you come out and fight anyone, who from your perspective, isn't showing the level of tolerance that would fit your personal experiences. Here, I'll make it easier for you. You live in California. I live in Florida. 'nuff said.

[Heidi]

22. I grew up in the south. The polite thing to do when you see someone praying

is to politely avert your eyes. You have no idea what was in the heart of the person you _think_ you saw praying. Starting a thread presuming to know the content of another person's heart is self-serving at best. I consider myself an atheist, but really, that guy wasn't hurting you in any way beyond what you imagined. I don't understand why you're defending your OP with such vigilance. :shrug:

[The Backlash Cometh]

24. I'll tell you where you're very wrong.

You stated that the guy wasn't hurting me. You don't know that. In fact, you don't know anything about my community. That's the disconnect here. There are some very strange things going on in Florida, and a lot of it has to do because people can't separate their politics from their religion.

Just out of curiosity, how many people have you seen get on their knees on the edge of sidewalk, praying? Does it happen often where you live? Because this was a first for me.

[Heidi]

26. For cryin' out loud, I was born in Arkansas and raised in Oklahoma and Kentucky.

I've seen PLENTY of people get down on their knees on sidewalks, in movie theatres (praying for us who were lined up to see "The Passion of Christ"), in churches, in front of family planning clinics, you name it.

If you'd gone to the trouble of looking at my profile, you'd know I live now in Switzerland. I've seen Muslims praying on trains, a Hindu guy praying before we went through airport security to Geneva a week ago, Catholics praying for their grandkids to be safe in soccer matches, the Buddhist monk on retreat at the compound down the road from us praying as he walked back to the retreat center the other night. So, it's not just a Florida thing, bubba.

Just so you know: just because something's a first for you does _not_ mean it's a first for the other billions who inhabit the planet. Good grief. At first I thought you were just being presumptious but I'm left now with no choice but to consider you arrogant for presuming to know the content of another human being's heart.

And while we're at it, why don't you tell us how that guy was hurting you?

[The Backlash Cometh]

29. Oh, please. Look at your examples.

Everyone of the places you picked suggested a group activity. Stop being disingenuous. What I saw was not the same thing.

You know, Heidi, if you want to figure out why this kind of thing would catch my attention, you do the research and look up my posts and answer your last own question.

[Heidi]

31. A Muslim praying alone on a train is a group activity?

Would you care to explain how one young woman praying is a group activity? Or would you rather continue to defend a post that is based more on your imagination than any rational evidence that the man you saw was praying for a McCain victory?

[The Backlash Cometh]

33. Now you're pulling in strawmen, aren't you, babe?

Don't bring in the Muslim into this to try to justify your position. We're talking about Christian beliefs and practices. What I'm talking about has no precedent in my area. As for abortion clinics, there is a long precedent of prayer and protest. So try again.

And, yes, I have a right to voice my opinion on the matter and that is truly my best guess for what I saw. Deal with it.

[hfojvt]

48. the issue was not your opinion so much as the vigor with which you defend it

or attack those who disagree with you

as Heidi wrote:
"I don't understand why you're defending your OP with such vigilance."

to a degree though, cherokeeprogressive made a smart-aleck strawman argument, equating your post with a call to kill the person praying, but he also made two points (or at least Heidi followed up that way) - a) you don't know what the person was praying about, and b) he wasn't hurting you.

So why not leave him alone? Except you did leave him alone. All you did was write a story on DU speculating that he was praying for a McCain win and sorta laughing about it. Except that instead of answering CP's hyperbolic strawman, you seemed to go vigilante moderator on him/her.

[The Backlash Cometh]

50. But, but, I like vigor.

Some may feel threatened by it, but, it comes to me as easily as holding a conversation. Well, actually, I debate better in this format and I admit I enjoy responding to posters, if for no other reason, to ensure they are not defining my position. And if cherokeeprogressive had wanted to make those exact points, he was free to do it. He wasn't here to debate. That's not what his comments communicated.

[hfojvt]

85. you cannot be sure about anybody's motives

His comments were perhaps directed towards your hostility to this man's praying. Coming the day after a thread about "hatred of Christians", your OP, while quite mild in this regard, seems to fit in that vein. So he took a few liberties with a paraphrase. Regardless of his/her motives, babe, you continued the same vigor with Heidi. Not everybody who disagrees needs to have a sinister motive or flawed logic circuits, do they?

[The Backlash Cometh]

88. Ah, well that might explain some of the hostility.

Frankly, though, their convictions were no less "vigorous." And, I don't think less of them for their opinions, nor the way they've expressed them.

I did pick up that thread you're talking about as I was doing the research but thought nothing of it one way or another. If someone's bad experiences lead them to certain conclusions, I generally listen instead of launch into an attack unless I have a link to a reference that might provide them with more information to change their mind. Especially when it comes to religion and politics. Not so much because I agree with the person expressing the negative opinion, but because I know if the experience is bad enough, you won't be able to silence them forever, and, also, no number of positive rebuttals will change their mind if they have deep scars from their experiences.

What does come out of the discussion, however, is why things will not change in a society that desperately wants change. When you have members of both parties protecting sacred cows, that sacred cow provides cover for anyone who wants to move around in society, undetected, indoctrinating and cultivating his own following. So while you're busy attacking Monsieur Messenger, the people you really want to stop in their tracks are quietly multiplying.

Phenomenal cover for anyone who is shrewd and unethical enough to exploit it.

[Dorian Gray]

104. Ew

Please don't call women "babe." I find it annoying.

[The Backlash Cometh]

111. What an odd post.

What makes you the PC Police today?

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

47. There's a great Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers song.......

....called "Southern Accents" (off the album of the same name).

I've got my own way of prayin'
But every one's begun
With a southern accent
Where I come from

[Posteritatis]

94. Okay, tell us how he was hurting you, then. (nt)

[hfojvt]

40. there is a big push to 'pray for the healing of our nation'

by which many of the fundy preachers mean, a nation where abortion is legal and homosexuality is out of the closet. So there is a better than even chance that he was part of that crowd, although you are right in that he might easily have been praying for any number of other reasons - maybe he has lost a spouse, maybe somebody close to him has cancer or other serious health problems, maybe he's worried because he cannot find a job, etc., etc.

In 2006, we were having a meeting on the night before the election. Because of the way the doors worked and an accidental proximity, we had to walk by the Republican Headquarters to get to our Headquarters. We all commented on the fact that the Republicans were sitting in a circle, holding hands and praying. It is offensive that they think God is on their side. Which is the assumption of the OP.

[The Backlash Cometh]

43. I believe in the power of group prayer.

Praying for the healing of the nation is a good cause. But praying to continue a way of life that is driving this country into the ground, no. I don't think so.

[RedCappedBandit]

81. "You have no idea what was in the heart of the person"

Blood?


:hide:

[ben_meyers]

23. So a guy that hides his profile does a search on someone

who doesn't to prove what point? Sounds freeperish to me!

[The Backlash Cometh]

25. What a weird thing to say.

Are you so lazy that you would have to rely on a profile to get to know your opponent? I never looked at the profile. I looked at the person's past posts. I have literally tens of thousands of posts on DU which are available on the search engine. They could do the same.

I just can't get over the naivete of your post. Freeperish because I read past posts to see if I could find some disconnect in the poster's comments? I call that good research.

[cherokeeprogressive]

65. I live in California and you live in Florida. Sucks I know. Sorry.

I really don't see how a person praying in public violates the separation of church and state. Was the person wearing some kind of state sponsored uniform? If not, I don't even see how it brings the subject to mind. Nor do I see how voting in a church building on a Tuesday violates it. Not a whole lot of prosyletizing going on in an auditorium on Tuesdays, unless I missed something during my time working for the Registrar. In my experience, once the Inspector gets the key, we've had no interaction from the church people whatsoever, short of poll workers being brought soft drinks or snacks during the course of the day.

I lived in the Orange Park section of Jacksonville for five years. I didn't find anything having to do with religion to be intolerable, or even worth commenting on. The humidity and the fucking exotic bugs however were a different story. That and the fact that every fourth song on the radio station was by a band with a Van Zandt brother in it. Oh yeah, and the fact that every month it seemed there was a tribute of some kind to Ronnie Van Zandt and Steve Gaines.

I'm afraid that maybe you misread or maybe just misstated what I posted about losing poll workers. I NEVER said or even suggested that I lost poll workers due to their strong feelings regarding the separation of church and state, and their being asked to practice democracy in a place of worship. I DID say that I lost untold numbers of competent poll workers due to abusive voters, and working 15 hours or more for a hundred bucks. Making a wild assumption here; I'm guessing you'd be one of those abusive voters at the drop of a hat.

What you WERE right about, is that I live in California, and you live in Florida. Sucks, don't it. Here at 7000 feet, we've already had our first snow of the season, and the trout on the lake I live on are practically jumping into the boat.

For the first time, I'm working in the polls this election. I got my assignment the other day. Guess what? It's in a church. Guess what else? The Pastor is a fishing and drinking buddy of mine. I don't attend his church, we met on the lake. Lastly, in all the time I've known him, he's NEVER mentioned God except when the Raiders lose or when that record breaking fish gets off the hook.

Now if I could just convince him to support the Dodgers...

[The Backlash Cometh]

69. When did you live in Jacksonville?

I've lived here since the 80s and things changed drastically since 1998. If you haven't been here since then, you don't know what's going on here. We have what we call Taliban Christians, and that's what the left-wing of the Republican party calls them! Again, here, they do not separate religion, politics and business. That's why you stay alert to see what's happening next.

You're right California is different. But you obviously understand at some level that things are not as tense in Californa, judging by your swagger. They are extremely tense over here.

By the way, how many people have you seen that are just walking on a sidewalk and are not there for any reason such as a protest of any kind, suddenly drop to their knees and pray by the side of the road? I've only seen it once. I wrote about it. Since this has happened often to you, could you share when and where you saw it?

[cherokeeprogressive]

77. Lived there from 81 to 90.

I lived off of Blanding Blvd., in a place called London Towne. Huge apt complex. Free happy hour for residents on Fridays. Nice place. After that I lived off of 103rd while I was stationed at Cecil Field. So you're right, I have no idea what's going on in Florida at the moment with regard to politics and how it relates to religion. I concede that point to you.

Not so laid back here as you might think. I actually live on a mountaintop about a hundred miles from the L.A. suburbs. On the news last night they had footage of a violent incident at a No on 8 rally that happened somewhere in the L.A. basin. It's pretty tense down there as well. Very laid back here on the mountain though.

I admit that I've never seen anyone drop to their knees and begin praying all by themselves on a public street, or in a public place. Or maybe I didn't notice, I can't be sure. I'll say this though, if I know myself like I think I do, seeing someone praying in public wouldn't cause me to be alarmed or afraid, as you stated in one of your previous posts. Granted, you say the climate there is tense, but even so; I don't see a reason to feel bad things if someone were to pray in public, out in the open, without caring who might see them.

FWIW, I didn't mean to start a pissing match with you. I was just a little concerned that it could be considered in some way wrong for me, if I were the type, to pray wherever and whenever I felt the need. To whomever I felt the need to pray to.

By the way, what makes you sure that person wasn't praying to his/her God for His/Her assistance in getting Obama elected?

[The Backlash Cometh]

82. I pray that they were praying that Obama gets elected,

But, mostly, I am surprised that what is going on here in Florida doesn't seem to be widely understood outside of Florida. A lot has changed since you've been gone.

As far as expecting the worst out of the people around here, I do that because I don't like surprises. If I think the worst, I just never seem to get disappointed. DAMN IT!

Too much backstory, but the short notes are, that this is what happens when an ordinary person pulls lawsuits from the public files and reads them and recognizes the names and understands what it means in the big picture. It's not so much that they could do such conniving things, but how they try to cover-up by acting like these holier than thou types. Like I said before, politics, business and religion are all interrelated. You can't begin to untie the knot without touching a nerve that's connected to religion.

[lonestarnot]

27. I love this post!

[Heidi]

28. I, too, find it entertaining,

albeit in a "Is he SERIES?!?!" sorta way.

[The Backlash Cometh]

30. You still think that a group protest at an abortion clinic is the same

thing that I saw this morning. I'm telling you, that it is not.

[Heidi]

32. And so freakin' what if it's not? You have NO IDEA what that guy was praying about,

even if he WAS praying.

[The Backlash Cometh]

34. It was ODD to see in my area, Heidi. THAT's the first point.

Sorry you can't deal with that. In time, we may all be falling to our knees in prayer, but for now, it's a first. This was not like the kind of prayer protest at an abortion clinic or infront of the Passion of Christ. This was something else.

[timtom]

46. I'm not sure what the issue is here.

The OP has shared an impressionistic view that he had.

To argue with that is like asking Van Gogh if he hadn't ever studied astronomy because his "Starry Night" doesn't look like anything you've seen through a telescope.

[The Backlash Cometh]

49. That's all an opinion is.

And, yes, it was impressionistic, based on more than a decade of observation.

[Tulum_Moon]

51. If I had witnessed the same thing

I would have thought, what a beautiful place to pray. It is sunday BTW. Politics would not have entered my mind. Would your thoughts have been different had he been of another race?

[The Backlash Cometh]

53. Well, it's not all that comfortable place for prayer.

Not just because of the concrete, but because the cars are driving by just a few feet away. Perhaps anywhere else in the country, a person can get up without thinking of politics, but not here.

I think I would have posted about my observations if the person were of any other color, though not made the political connection to the "Angry White Male" cliche. As I said, it was an odd place for prayer. Very unusual.

[cherokeeprogressive]

67. "I've been using the same spot for the last eight years to pray ..."

I'm sensing a contradiction here. It's comfortable for YOU to pray there, but not him?

Inconsistencies like that always raise a red flag for me, wondering if all or part of the story was either made up or exxagerated.

[lonestarnot]

71. Why "pick a spot?" LOL

[cherokeeprogressive]

72. Word.

My place of worship is nestled safely in my heart and goes with me wherever I go.

Peace, lonestarnot.

[The Backlash Cometh]

74. The piece was to give more impact to a twist, which you all missed.

The reality is that I pray just about anywhere, anytime. Though I find natural bodies of water, particularly relaxing.

[lonestarnot]

80. I did not miss it, I loved the piece. Not looking for an argument. Too each his own on their spot.

I'm always on a spot! :evilgrin: :hug: Oh but I was told yesterday that I swear like a sailor, but no, I'm Irish! :crazy:

[The Backlash Cometh]

83. Thanks, appreciate it.

I try to loosen up on DU, but sometimes when I get writer-block, I spend too much time here. Believe it or not, this thread gives me more of a sense of productivity than what I'm working on.

[The Backlash Cometh]

73. No, it's not an inconsistency. It's a twist. If we were on a british newsgroup

the subtly would have been picked up without question. It means that my Shock and Horror! was not as much Shock and Horror! as I first let on. This wasn't about praying. This was about the first time that I had seen someone do so, so openly, in an unlikely place. It will probably not be the last.

Now, when have you ever seen someone talking a walk outdoors for casual reasons, suddenly drop to his knees two feet away from the road and begin to pray? I'm not talking about a protest.

It's a new experience for me. Obviously you've seen it before. Where and when?

[cherokeeprogressive]

78. LOL! Never in my life have I claimed to be even HALF as smart as a Brit.

I do know how to spell subtlety though! :hide:

[The Backlash Cometh]

79. Put it through the spellchecker too.

Gave me subtle and got lazy and added a "y." Mea Culpa.

[Dorian Gray]

105. But you said in your OP

that you go there and pray yourself. Just not on your knees. So what's that about?

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

44. You know, not every person in the world cares about politics.....

....in fact, it sounds like some people need to stop thinking about it for a few minutes before it consumes them......

[The Backlash Cometh]

45. LOL! Well, I imagine that between now and the elections, it will only get worse.

[Lifetimedem]

52. Could be he was praying for Obama

and did it alone because he could not do it at church :)

[The Backlash Cometh]

54. LOL!

I'm seeing a few signs of Democrats coming out of their shells. Could be.

[Vinca]

55. The real question is whether the guy praying by the bridge

will consider it a sign from God when Obama wins and change his asshole ways.

[The Backlash Cometh]

56. After what I saw today, I hope the priests in these churches are prepared

to give the right sermons when it happens. They should remind them that there is a time for everything. And right now, a little introspection might do them a little good.

Another thing that I learned today with all this discussion is that I'm going to always be sure to carry my cell phone when I'm driving around because the next time I see someone on a bridge like that, I'm going to hang around just long enough to be sure they're not planning to jump.

[MadHound]

57. Wow, what an assumption to make

I realize, living in a very red area myself, the temptation to believe the very worst of my fellow citizens when they are doing something spiritual. But the fact of the matter is that if you do, you are no better than they are, and in fact quite worse, since one would hope, being a liberal sort, that you have the brains and empathy to not jump to such conclusions.

This is doubly astounding in light of the fact that you yourself admit to praying at this creek:wtf: Hell, did you ever think that this person was just like you, concerned about the same things you are, they just happen to like to address spiritual matters on their knees rather than standing?

Sorry, but I find your rip on this person rude and uncivilized, more akin to the attitude that RW fundies would take. Congratulations, you've become that which you hate. Perhaps you should stop, step back, and do something about that before your soul is consumed by hatred.

[The Backlash Cometh]

61. Sometimes it's just a word, sometimes it's a phrase...

The fact that I shared in the post that I also prayed in the area is a twist. One that should tell you that I have no problem with prayer. But, that he was kneeling was a first. That was uncommon. To describe that "first," was the first motivation of this piece. The second was to give my conjecture of what he was praying about.

And it's time you get off your high horse because you don't have high ground when it comes to this subject. I have stated that in my area they don't separate religion, politics or business. It's all interrelated with them. So let's see how you feel about combining religion and politics:

"Obama has come to the conclusion that the religious, no matter their creed, must be pandered too. It is rather disturbing. I don't mind discussions like this, what bothers me are Obama's policy positions favoring religion, like his promise to expand faith based funding. We really, really need to get religion out of our politics. We've already seen too much of this, we don't need to see anymore." Madhound.

Well, I couldn't agree with you more. If you can figure out how you can get the right-wing from separating their politics from their religion, you let me know.

[MadHound]

68. I'm not the one defending baseless assumptions that I pull out of my ass

Unlike you, who is doing just that. You are assuming that this guy was praying about the election. What made you come to that conclusion? Simply the fact that you live in a red area where politics and religion mix? Hate to tell you this, but people in those areas prey about many more things than political contests. I know, I live smack out in the middle of them, know them quite well, they are friends and neighbors. You see, unlike you, I don't assume crap about people and don't make judgements about them based on personal prejudices.

Oh, and just for a comparison of the redness of our respective counties, the county where I live finally decided to formally rejoin the Union about ten years ago, over a hundred and thirty years after the end of the Civil War. Is that red enough for you? So stop acting like you're in some unique fundy hell place, you're not, there are places like this spread throughout the country, and lots of us have experiences just as bad, if not worse than yours.

And frankly, public prayer is not that rare a thing. I used to live in Springfield Missouri, you know, Ashcroft country, home of the World Headquarters of the Assembly of God church. Public prayer, on the sidewalk and off, was a common thing. Even in larger, urban, blue areas, you can find people praying in parks, sidewalks, what have you. Are they praying about politics also?

You're getting too cute for own good there BC, looking up the past posts of those who've taken you to task here. One could almost classify that as stalker like behavior. But be that as it may, the fact of the matter is that you, yes you, made a baseless assumption about a complete stranger using only your own personal prejudices and hatreds as a guide. That makes you no better, no less judgmental than those which you hate, RW Christian fundies. Again, congratulations, you've become that which you hate. Again, I suggest that you step back and do some reflecting about what you're doing, what you've become. Who know, perhaps you should pray about it, at that creek you like so much, the same one that this other person was praying at.

[The Backlash Cometh]

75. Did you catch your freudian slip? Those people "prey."

Here's your quote: "Hate to tell you this, but people in those areas prey about many more things than political contests."

Don't I know it.

By the way, who's stalking me? Or are you saying I'm stalking someone else? Who?

[MadHound]

76. Sad, pathetic really, is that the extent of your rebuttal, a spelling mistake?

Excuuuuse me, I've probably typed over 2500 words today, and thus getting a little punch drunk at the keyboard. But it really isn't surprising that you would read more into a spelling slip than what was really there. After all, you're the one assuming that a complete stranger is by the side of the road praying about the election when you have absolutely nothing, zip, zero, nada to back your happy ass assumption with.

Oh, please go back and read for comprehension rather than the quick snark. I'm stating that your researching the past posts of those who are disagreeing with you in this thread is an action that could almost qualify as stalker like behavior. Got it this time, or do I need to write in a larger font for your drive by reading abilities?

[The Backlash Cometh]

84. Snarky? I haven't even started snarky. Here's snarky:

You're on a newsgroup which attracts professionals from the fields of journalism and politics; people who live and die by their research and you're posting on a board which can be accessed by Google AND your DU identity is MadHOUND. I mean, is that snarky enough for you?

Snarky, really.

[MadHound]

86. Wow, trying to insult somebody on their nickname now eh.

Talk about intellectually void:eyes: What, getting too much of your ass handed to you concerning your OP, so now you're just gratuitously slamming people on their nicknames? Sad, pathetic really, and shows just how baseless your OP is that you're now having to resort to this sort of tactic. Give it up, let this thread drop and stop embarrassing yourself.

Oh, and next time you see somebody praying by the side of the road, don't make assumptions about their motivations, or what they're praying about. You only wind up looking foolish and mean.

[The Backlash Cometh]

90. You really have no sense of humor, do you?

Alright. Have you yet figured out that you won't change my opinion, nor will I change yours? Was that so much of a surprise? It wasn't for me.

[MadHound]

92. Oh I have a fine sense of humor,

However it goes right out the window when somebody starts acting just as badly as a RW fundy. It goes right out the window when somebody starts tracking my posts and even starts using Google to track me across the web, downright stalker behavior. It goes right out the window when somebody says "Here's snarky" and then proceeds to live up to the threat.

I'm not looking to change your opinion, I'm looking to change your abysmal behavior. Your assumptions about some random person praying by the side of the road are simply wrong, and like I said earlier, you're exhibiting a thought process that is much like those exhibited by RW fundies, only coming from the left. If you're not going to change that behavior, and no, sadly I don't think that you will, then perhaps you'll at least learn to not brag about your callousness on an internet chat board. Or maybe not and we'll repeat this exchange at some point in the future. However I agree with your sentiment that we've reached an impasse here and further back and forth will accomplish nothing. So get your last shot in and we'll go ahead and move on. Peace:hi:

[The Backlash Cometh]

95. What's to say? You're on the internet, a public forum, and everything you

write can be perused by anyone on and off DU. The only wrong assumption I made today was that someone with name "MadHound" had a journalistic background and understood research. I'll happily take you on again and your little cabal too because I'm confident that in time you'll see that my general opinion about sacred cows is the correct one.

Take Care, until then.

[Marrah_G]

109. Your posts are getting more bizarre. There is no group out to get you.

[The Backlash Cometh]

112. You probably read it too literally.

It was a take-off on the Wizard of Oz. "...and your little dog, too." You failed to pick up on the lightened tone.

I was referring to a comment that one of the posters made, suggesting that the hostility on this thread was partly due to the fact that someone had written a thread with a very provocative title the day before. What would probably be better referred to as, the PC Police.

[Marrah_G]

113. Doh- I did !

Sorry for being a jerk :(

[smalll]

58. There is NO LOGIC to your post, right here:

"A white male kneeling on the ground next to the railing with his clasped hands resting on the rail. He was praying, okay. Right there in the open, not caring who was watching. This never happens.

So I say to myself, I bet he's praying that McCain will win. I figure this, because, if he's upset about losing a loved one, he has dozens of churches to go to with plenty of church ladies to give him sympathy. So what he's praying for is something...else. "

So people only pray for two reasons, right? A family member died, or they're asking for an electoral victory. That's a problem right there. And your church lady point has issues too: if someone's praying for something they really care about (the fact that Mama just died, or the fact that they want to get to 270) don't you think they may want to pray in solitude? Even if someone wants to pray in a church, they most likely want to do that in a quiet spot, and commune just with God rather than with Dana Carveys in drag.

Plus, even if we grant that church-lady-sympathy is a powerful attraction to your average man at prayer, since you live in such a red area, wouldn't those church ladies show a lot of sympathy for a man who wants to pray for McCain's victory? Hmmm?...

I guess what you're really trying to say with your story is something along the lines of "I don't pray with YOU!!!"

[The Backlash Cometh]

62. Speaking of a lack of logic.

Explain to me how someone is praying in solitude when they're a foot or two away from a road?

And I would like to respond, but what do you mean, "I don't pray with YOU?" Of course I don't agree with a Republican prayer. What they want and what I want are not the same.

[donheld]

59. Ass u me

Maybe he was praying for Obama's safety and his victory. Maybe he's one of the good guys.

[The Backlash Cometh]

64. Could be. Anyone can make whatever assumption they like.

[KoKo]

91. Well...many of us are "praying 24/7" than an end to Bush is Coming! PLEASE LET IT BE!

If I have to pray in a "sacred stream, creek or before an "altar" ..I don't care...just LET THEM BE GONE and LET HISTORY deal with them as they did the NAZI's. We will HUNT THEM DOWN throughout the 21st Century BECAUSE they need to be held accountable for their CRIMES AGAINST ALL HUMANITY!

It's a cause that will live long after the "PARDONS" have been issued. "CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY!" Fewe are not held accountable throughout history for those. Even if JUSTICE takes till the ends of the earth.

So...I could pray on "side of road, cleaning my house, doing my laundry, sitting in traffic to get to my job...I pray and do what I can, in every way I can...which is what many of us DU'ers have been doing since "SELECTION 2000" have been doing.

All we have is our prayers...and that we can be a person that a President Obama listens to. It's HEARING US...that's the key to unlocking the mighty FIGHT of the People across AMERICA! NOT..."SHOP till YOU DROP..and Credit Card to the MAX" ...but DIG IN AND FIGHT ...CREATIVELY!

[carlyhippy]

93. hopefully he wasn't sick and was trying to get up after fainting near the rail

Carly

[The Backlash Cometh]

96. Hey, Carly.

This is the last post of the night. He wasn't sick. As I mentioned in another post, I was looking at him intensely because he looked like a friend of mine. I couldn't believe it was J- because the posture was very obviously that of a praying man and I knew J- wasn't religious. As I passed him, he got up and looked around and I could confirm that it wasn't J- at all, but in looking longer than I would have normally, there was no question that the man was not a happy camper, but he was also not sick looking. Though, the next time it happens, I will think to hang around a while, just in case I have to call 911.

Weird things happen at that creek. My dad, who likes to walk very early in the morning said that he saw what looked like a man inside the tree line as he was coming to the creek. He sounded like he needed assistance so my dad went to offer it and the man, very angrily, called him off. My dad said that he thinks the guy was taking a crap.

[carlyhippy]

98. LOL OMG! I think I would walk another path in the early mornings from now on LOL

people are strange.....Jim Morrison

[Minnesota_Lib]

97. Actually RW Palinite fundies are praying for two thngs: "Dear Lord let John McCain win....

..and then smite him."

[Marrah_G]

101. That was quite an assumption. You have no idea what the man was doing or why.

He may have been a Democrat. He may have been an Obama supporter. He might have been another human being in hurting or in need.

YOUR response is so backward and over the top that I have to wonder if this election season has truly driven you over the edge.

[Dorian Gray]

106. Seriously.

The OP was truly bizarre.

[Dorian Gray]

102. So

the guy was praying.

I don't understand what you find offensive about this, though? You are presuming that he's praying for the Republicans to win, but for all you know, he's praying that his home isn't taken away from him, that his wife doesn't die from some illness, that his parents will be healthy for a long time or.... just thanking God for giving him such a beautiful place.

I don't understand why seeing someone kneeling down and praying in a place where they think that they are alone is so offensive to you. Especially when YOU say that you pray in that same exact place.

Bizarre.

[deaniac21]

114. Take your lithium.