I agree with Charley.

Because it's not about me, Brian. Nor is it about Pat Robertson. (Where on earth did he come into the theme that I clearly stated?) Nor did I suggest that all Unitarian churches have preached what I heard and read.

I haven't attended all Unitarian churches, everywhere, every Sunday, every month, of every year and, I suspect, neither have you. In fact, we both know you haven't. We can also be quite sure that we haven't attended the same ones. You attended ones that did not preach that message. The ones I attended did. What's your vacuously aggressive point? That I didn't? Grow up.

Huh? So that's why he said he did it because he hates liberals and gays?

If you really believe Unitarians believe Americans deserved 9/11, why do you keep attending their services? Funny, I've attended their services regularly in very liberal enclaves, and have never heard that. As you no doubt know, Unitarians are completely decentralized and each congregation/minister is self-governing, so there are probably some sermons floating around with some of that message, undoubtedly in the context of strong sympathy for all the victims of the tragedy, and of violence around the world.

Even if you take your assertion as valid, I have no idea what your argument is. Are you saying that because of their beliefs about 9/11, they deserve "vicious hatred and violence"? It's not clear because you end the second paragraph saying clearly they have themselves to blame, then the next sentence says you would disagree, which seems to contradict everything else you're saying. Lastly, if you believe the churchmembers deserved to die for some sermon you read on the internet, what do you propose for the followers of Pat Robertson, who clearly attributed 9/11 to feminists and gays?

I hope this church and all other Unitarian Universalist churches analyzing this horrible tragedy in the days and weeks ahead will use the same philosophical underpinnings on themselves to inquire why they would engender and bring into their own house such vicious hatred and violence. From the consistency of their own preaching for the last 7 years, clearly they have themselves to blame.

I would disagree. But then, I also disagreed with their misguided analysis when it was applied to 911.

"Neutral determinant of human nature"…what a great bunch of nothing that is! Your suggestion that we are inherently virtuous or vicious and that our beliefs have no impact on our actions is utterly laughable—almost as laughable as the insinuation that religion's image is somehow tarnished by a violence-obsessed media culture—but not nearly as laughable as the insinuation that this surfeit of shock is in lieu of salacious imagery, of which we suffer so shortage, I dare say.

Also: "Since" is not a proper word to describe causation. "As" or "because" would be correct. But hey, it's still a living language, despite your best attempts to dismember it.

I'm being incredibly sarcastic.

There are some Queerty commenter's who are rather selective when it comes to history-then or now…

People are people, huh?

This is crazy and so unreal….

I'm at a lost-maybe he possibly, was part of the reverend wright movement?? That would make sense? No?

I'm sorry but it's not AT ALL like a white old man from a conservative background to be prejudice-that belongs to the….well…blacks…

I categorically refuse to believe this but thank you Queerty for bringing it out.

My condolences, all the same.

So let's keep blame and political debate to a minimum and see it for what it is. A horrible, senseless tragedy perpetrated by a man who was not of right mind. This is not the fault of the democrats or the republicans, the liberals or the conservatives. I have no problem removing myself from whatever soapbox I choose to stand on in order to place my passion and heartfelt sympathy in the correct place, the parishioners and families of the victims.

Maybe he watched a lot of Fox news in his free time alone??? Fox’s Network propaganda making normal American’s intolerant and unbalanced. Just a thought!!!

Art

Filibusters and riders have nothing to do with it. The Democrats have spent decades making empty promises and people are fed up with it. That’s why they boycott elections and why Republicans, a decidedly minority party, wins them.

What is it about a prowar party that's for NAFTA, opposes socialized medicine and who utterly trashed our agenda (DOMA, DADT, ENDA, hate crimes, same sex marriage, bribing cult leaders) that you like, Walt? Is it the utterly chickenshit and insulting minimum wage law they passed for $6.25 per hour instead of the$25.00 plus full union benefits that are needed?

I'm not saying there aren't problems with the spinelessness many of the dems have shown on various bills importand to our cause. I'm just saying the dems really are not at fauld in this instance.

Progressives aren't regularly and loudly dehumanizing us over the airwaves.

How exactly does one filibuster a bill that's already passed. Evidsently the Democrats are pandering to the haters. Or are some of them the haters? Like the majority who voted for DOMA and DADT and junked ENDA and the (like I said) already passed hate crimes bills.

Don't blame it on the dems.

Blame it on the haters.

And to be fair, it's not just Obama and McCain. Some of the blame clearly lies with Congressional Democrats and Republicans who decided that our rights and lives were expendable. They gutted ENDA and tossed it and the hate crimes bill into the trash and refused to repeal DOMA and DADT.
The Democrats controlled Congress for the last two years so most of the blame is theirs. The Republicans were delighted to go along for the ride but they weren't driving the bigot bus that ran over us.

The Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes bill passed both Houses of Congress before Reid, Pelosi, Kennedy and Barney Frank tossed it into the trash. These murders belong to them.

McCain is a rancid right-winger with the Rev. Pat Robertson attached at the hip. Obama is Bill Clinton (DOMA, DADT, NAFTA) in drag with the Rev. Donnie McClurkin attached at the hip.