[quote user="Dave Hanson"]Sometimes you amaze me, Gip.[/quote] Yes Gip really does have a way with words...great post. Since Edward, E. Durane, Robin and now Gip have set the bar so high, the rest of us might as well take the week off!!!

[quote user="Clonnie Yearout"]In past years I have used Christmas as an opportunity to upgrade Mrs Yearout's kitchen utensils, and I had hoped to buy her an electric mixer this year, but I'm having second thoughts.[/quote] Clonnie, I really admire and respect you for the obvious love, respect and consideration you have for your wife

[quote user="Edward Lyons"] I am a card-carrying Christian, & Christmas is the second-highest holy day in the Christian religion. It therefore has a spiritual meaning on which I meditate on that particular day. It is a selfish, crass & deadbeat society that depends on milking its income from the memory of a poor couple, far from home

[quote user="David Horn"]That's the primary reason I favor a draft, as unpopular as that position tends to be. [/quote] David, That position is not unpopular with me. I have long advocated that all young people (male and female) be required to serve two years of service to their country in the military, peace corps or some equivalent type

[quote user="Gibson Brown"]My heart hurts for our fellow member Joe Campbell , who lost his wife of many years recently[/quote] Joe, I also missed this. My thoughts and prayers are with you at this difficult time.

[quote user="Ricky"]We might agree that captured terrorists are human vermin, and in the field they are fair game, but once in captivity and harmless, a trial seems appropriate (he says). Whether it is a military tribunal or criminal court seems too much like legal hair-splitting to me; more the fodder of attorneys and tv pundits paid by the

[quote user="Nick Prout"] In a way, I wish this topic had come up next week as the circus gets better with each passing day, but (to quote Paula Abdul) it is what it is. [/quote] Nick, You are right...we could have benefited from all the news exposure on the topic this week...but I guess Luanne wanted the RT readers to have the benefit of

[quote user="Dave Hanson"]Tough security is fine, but how do we settle the Arab-Israeli disputes in a way that will bring justice and peace to all the stakeholders? [/quote] Dave, Thanks for a great two paragraph history of Israel (Seriously.) I was familiar with the early part that is covered in the Bible and correlates with other histories

[quote user="bobchristenson"] I make two assumptions. First, President Obama has all of the facts and knows what he is doing. Second, that our justice system is fair to all parties regardless of their beliefs. [/quote] Wow, Bob, You start out with two dangerous assumptions. I disagree with the first and, in many cases, the second also.

[quote user="Dave Hanson"] (Gip's comment) We keep sending our finest to countries we have no business being in, and always just enough troops to secure a spot in some one else's country, never enough troops to do the job quickly and return home[/quote] [quote user="Dave Hanson"] It seems to me there are many difficult questions