2024 US Presidential Election

Both you and France now have "progressive" leadership.Some of us are frightened to see a global coalition of progressives. (Perhaps frightened is too strong of a word...how about concerned?

It is beginning to look more and more like she might win so you can relax. I hope that at the very least it is an honest election with no cheating.

On the contrary, the Aeon Essay that you are spreading is itself dangerous and misleading.You likely will *scoff* at such a notion, but if you really want to follow the science, take a gander at this seminar concerning the Healing Of An Addicted Brain. Note the process of addiction. Note how the prefrontal lobe of the addicted brain lacks rational reasoning and decision-making capacity. Next, read the article that you sent us carefully and note the words...the conclusions, and the propaganda against reasoning regarding belief and decision-making.You will find that the dangerous fiction is actually what you are sending people rather than the story outline of Christian belief itself. Quit spreading poison.Sorry if this is a bit off-topic but scoff needs challenged. Perhaps any further comments regarding scoffs link should follow what Percy suggests and take it over to Message 3813.
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You don't have the facts and the data to accurately broadcast "the truth". Neither does your party. Not to say you are all bad people. Yet you say that I am a defacto member of a cult. As if I do not think for myself. Am I wrong? You have a rock to crawl under just as I do. But your peanut gallery will defend you. They will claim that I surely must be delusional and unable to think. Never mind that I might have arrived at some sane conclusions.

What? Elon Musk defected to the "dark side"?! It used to be that Americans could disagree and still be thought of as sane. You have fallen for the lie that only one side represents truth and the other side is a cult. And you see no problem with this?
I'll tell you a bit about my side. We believe that the world is embroiled in a spiritual war for the very soul of humanity. So do you, but you believe it is entirely human-caused. You believe that Trump is a threat to Democracy, while I believe that Democracy (or the American way of life) was in trouble before Trump, during Trump, and after Trump.Kamala won't fix that. All that we agree on is that there is a war. Perhaps we can form a consensus without pointing the blame at each other. All that I see is that both MAGA and the Kremlin are conservative. We differ from Putin's autocracy. Why do you think we warn people about the authoritarianism of the Left? But of course you see it as progress.

The problem is that you think that only your side possesses facts and evidence, little realizing that you have taken it upon yourselves to define truth and rationality to the exclusion of many people.

I dont see the system collapsing just yet, but I do see a definite Recession bordering on being a Depression starting late this year into next year.When I get time later today I am going to research your stats in Message 1484

Thanks, Percy though I am a bit puzzled why you think you have me figured out. My A1C data is sound.
7 Day Average: 178
14 Day Average: 196
30 Day Average: 199
45 Day Average: 208In other words, it is dropping. So now what? A Psychiatrist? A Psychologist?I will admit that there are days when my mental cognition is not what it used to be.So in the spirit of EvC, I will takle your advice as a positive.

Thanks for assuming my ignorance, but I know more facts about diabetes than most of you, and I also knew that Percy knows how to convert the percentages. My A1C is 7.5 and dropping. (it was over 8.0 a month ago) Why do you always attack my intelligence? Perhaps you have doubts about your own.

And here comes the forum owner who also assumes he knows more than I do. I am telling you the truth about my numbers and have the Libre 3 App on my smartphone and a sensor in my arm to verify it. Why do you people think that you know so much? That's part of the problem with the Democrats who are learned yet clueless about quite a lot of things. Perhaps you think I am unable to think simply because I don't arrive at the same conclusions that you do...but I often think the same thing regarding your conclusions about the idea of God.This is a free country and freedom of thought and ideas has always been respected until recently. Part of that is because of your ideology and not just mine.My Doctors are not as worried about me as you are but hey, you know everything, right?

7.5 is too high. Damage starts over 8, and I was above 8 for a long time. I have worked quite hard to lower it by nearly 2 points in 4 months, but I am far from where I need to be, which is under 6. Hopefully, I can get it under 6 in two more months.

I have finally decided not to vote for Donald Trump but take offense to the idea that conservatives themselves should be rejected and scorned. There are some advantages for conservative ideas.

When Trump first got elected, I really didnt like him. I voted for Hillary back then mainly because of my sister, though I went against a large portion of the conservative church at that time. The main talking points as to why to support Trump have not changed over the years from the conservative church viewpoint. Abortion, the repeal of Roe v Wade, Societal breakdown in areas of gender identity and expression, and overall moral decline were the main arguments being emphasized.One area of concern for me was the whole idea of helping the world at the personal expense of a declining middle and working class caste within the United States. I personally was struggling to make ends meet and felt that the whole idea of helping the poor impoverished masses should not be a government mandate but, rather, should be the decision of the individual. I supported less government and less bureaucracy and found myself siding with Trump after the January 6th debacle and was puzzled by the groundswell of indignation from the progressive and traditional Democratic majority. In a way, I think I began to identify with the underdog narrative and found myself targeting an entire political movement as if it were anti-christian. Percy could well be right that my erratic blood sugars played a role in my delusional state, but as my blood sugars have dropped recently, I feel the fog lifting. (Im rather glad that Theo is still tough on me, for I am only now understanding his cynicism as a helpful trait)So my sister is back in town and just in the nick of time! There was a fire in my building that destroyed a condominium down the hall and released potential asbestos contamination throughout our building. We all were forced to evacuate and I suddenly found myself homeless (for a week) My condo was undamaged but I was prohibited from living there. Fortunately, my sister took me in as she had just arrived in town, and I also received assistance from the Red Cross (notably not from any church)So I have been doing a lot of thinking and reasoning as to why I have endured so much stress in life and yet have been so blessed despite my challenges. Were it not for the Democratic state in which I live, I never would have received any assistance from anyone.The debate between Harris and Trump was the deal breaker. I saw a different Trump than I had seen during his many rally's with his supporters. I finally threw away my preconceived notions in my head about a man of destiny protected by God and saw, rather, an angry and bitter old man who grasped at straws and had no plan that did not in some way involve hate and bitterness toward entire groups of people. In Harris, I saw a woman who was entirely unlike the socialist liberal portrayed (again)by the propaganda voiced by the Trump campaign. I saw an intelligent woman with a heart who had solid answers and who made Trump out to be a senile and bitter old man, much as I had become (unknowingly until that revelation) and in essence realized that the media Emperor wore no clothes!Im not saying that a Harris victory will make America great again, and I do honestly think that we will go through some major financial turmoil in the coming year but I also feel that supporting her will unify my heart with the people rather than divide me and cause my heart to be divided and bitter. As a Christian, I also feel that this is the right course of action for me to take and goes against mainstream Christian thought. For me, this seems like the right decision and I feel as if God is somehow on my side. The haters will hate, but I no longer feel as if I am one of them.In conclusion, I am not trying to be a progressive butI think I am making progress towards peace of mind.

I think I was about that young or younger too. I remember that I scored high and that my forte was reading. The fact that I have been too comfortable with "feeling special" and my reluctance to employ critical thinking when it challenges my comfort zone is a large part of what holds me back.