"Truckers Protest, the Resistance Begins"

[sisterfunkhaus]

I love this article. I hope the truckers DO take a stand. They can essentially hold this country hostage and affect change since they do have such a HUGE influence on our food and such. I know it would be difficult, but my guess is that it wouldn't last to long. People who run oil companies have to eat too Honestly, I would be willing to ration what food I have and tough it out to see a real change affected. And truck drivers affecting that change would make it all the more sweet. We always think of big companies and government having the power. Power has always been for the rich,sophisticated and intellectual. The idea that normal, average, people could affect change is exciting.

[sisterfunkhaus]

OneHalfFull-
No worries. I understand how you feel about anyone making more can seem rich to you. My husband said he heard somewhere that Pres. Bush said anyone making $30K a year was considered "rich" or something to that effect. Maybe in South Africa but not in the US!

I'm sorry about your car. We are in the same boat. We have to surrender ours next week.

Well then let's start paying him $30,000 a year if he thinks it's so freakin great! That's way more than he deserves.

[BKOnce]

Oil speculators are also causing oil prices to go up.

I second that. Here is an example :

For every, ONE (1) person that requests government or oil companies to regulate or decrease oil prices, there will be TEN (10) other people request their stock/commodity brokers to BUY MORE OIL SHARES for them (futures/reserves or whatever they called) BECAUSE OF GREED$, AMBITION, FUTURE SPECULATION. (Don't hate the news either, hate the stock players!)

Now, the question is, who will win "the economic game of prices" by majority? Ten people or that one person? A large crowd heard or a small voice listening? The one rich millionair/party or the ten poor farmers win?

Your choice, their picks, but our world's reality still sucks big time!

Yes, definitely the right word is ===>> SPECULATION!

[sisterfunkhaus]

Take Martha Stewart for example. She's worth more money than any 50 families could ever burn through in their lifetimes, yet she went to jail over insider trading that amounted to a net gain (IIRC) of like a couple hundred grand? I just can't fathom that. You're got hundreds of millions, why do you need more?

It's because she has a sense of entitlement. It's not about the amount of money. She felt like she was entitled to not lose ANY money because she is rich and greedy and "important". She always wants more, more, more. It's great that she got punished so severely over something so seemingly small in her world. When money is your God, you will stop at nothing until something stops you. She was stopped, at least temporarily. What's funny is that I am a huge fan

[AMISLANDER]

I'll have to check the ensure stock at my local Publix sometime this week...

But seriously, everything is so totally out of control.

[Trader62]

Oil speculators are also causing oil prices to go up.

Oil is priced in US Dollars and $USD is going down the toilet so far. The more $USD loses it's value, the more expensive oil will be.

It's only hope Helicopter Ben (Fed chairman) will stop cutting interest rates so USD will have chance to recover. Then we'll see oil prices to go down, and all this talk about supply/demand, geopolitical situation etc is a pure BS.

[sisterfunkhaus]

The funny thing is, most of these people are conservative Republicans, those who are supposedly upholding their religious beliefs above all else. Liars. At least I'm not hypocritical, I tell anyone that asks me that I'm Agnostic. IMO, how can there be a God involved in such a evil, nasty, world? And if there is, why is he/she allowing all of this to happen?

I agree with you on the counts about the conservatives and them being liars. But as far as God is concerned, God is no puppet master. We were given free will. God has left us to make our own individual choices with the knowledge that they can either make us or break us. I for one really appreciate having the choice. The ones who have made the evil choices will have to answer for it just as children answer to their parents when they do wrong. As a parent figure, God can want for us to do right, but ultimately, we must decide. As a far as God not being here. God is certainly in my world. Yes, many things stink. But when I look in my child's eyes, see my husband's smile, and laugh and enjoy life despite what is wrong in the world, that is my God.

Just know that I am not arguing with your choice or trying to sway you or evangelize to you. I totally respect people's choices of belief. I am Unitarian and am very open minded and liberal about religion and beleifs. I just wanted to answer your question from the point of view from someone who does see God here.

[sisterfunkhaus]

Never try to make sense of things or prove it to agnostics, there is no solid factual answer to any of it except for your own personal faith/beliefs & no one can prove or disprove such things.

And that includes you. You have no proof either way either. You are simply speculating as are we.

And yes, you are correct many people of various religions do not believe in the concept of free will. I would never try to force that on anyone. That is MY belief. My belief works well in my world.

As for the starving people and slaves, that is sad. I'm not sure what to make of it. I certainly do not believe in Satan. I believe in men and mans' choices that have driven the world into such a state. Man is often evil enough, man certainly doesn't need a devil to propel his choices. Man just wants something to blame it on (satan) so as not to be held accountable. I believe in greed, power, and hate as catalysts for much of what is happening all over the world, and yes, even in many religons. I pretty much am of the belief that all religions are man made and are designed so that some sub group of the religion (like men, or whites, or whatever) can dominate another group, all in the name of God. It's really sad what man has done to the image of God all in the name of power, control, and domination. It has turned so many people away from God.

[sisterfunkhaus]

you can provoke a human & the human also will attack you...

Yes but the human can choose not to attack you because we can fight our instincts.

I don't see how that says anything about God though b/c I don't necessarily consider myself superior to other non-human beings. I consider myself different.

[Bandit]

I love this article. I hope the truckers DO take a stand. They can essentially hold this country hostage and affect change since they do have such a HUGE influence on our food and such. I know it would be difficult, but my guess is that it wouldn't last to long. People who run oil companies have to eat too Honestly, I would be willing to ration what food I have and tough it out to see a real change affected. And truck drivers affecting that change would make it all the more sweet. We always think of big companies and government having the power. Power has always been for the rich,sophisticated and intellectual. The idea that normal, average, people could affect change is exciting.

I have been wondering if government has been allowing it to happen so they can finally have control over every aspect of americans lives...you know, the governments own trucking industry?...kind of like a UPS only owned & governed by our crooked politicians & the wealthy 1%. AS it is now, this is one of the very few fields left the government does not have complete control over & maybe they want to force the truckers out on purpose? (just a thought I had a few days ago)

They already have their hands in agriculture & construction so the only thing that is left that really uses diesel to get the job done are the truckers.
Like for example, open up this new line of miltary who does all the trucking & transporting of goods. I see that as a future possibility.

After all, the interstates & freeway systems were originally built for miltary use as in, to move military equipment from and to various bases located in the country. They were not originally built for our personal rush hours to get to work, nor travel vacations & trucking industry.
I am not saying that is it, just a thought I had about it.

all because the truckers really can bring the country to a complete stop, including much of governments needs!

[sisterfunkhaus]

Hey if the truckers stop taking deliveries UPS will take the loads.... Lot of public owned companies will still work. The small truck owners dont stand a chance they dont have the backing to compete//////

My husband used to work for UPS. UPS is not set up for such an act. These private companies do not have endless resources (like trucks) available to them to pick up what the truckers drop. Plus, the cost would be exorbitant. UPS is WAY more profit minded than the individual trucker. They have to buy gas too. I can assure you that they would never haul a load that only netted them $100 a load like what is happening now. They make WAY more off of package delivery. If they got into the food hauling business, our food prices would be cost prohibitive.

[sisterfunkhaus]

Which ones?

The jerk who cuts you off in his/her SUV that has the tailgate plastered with "Jesus Saves" bumper stickers or the one who smiles to your face and shakes your hand, but then turns around and talks smack about you to your (insert persons of choice here)? How about the white suburbanite who gives $5 a paycheck to the United Way, but gets nervous and suspicious every time they see a "black person" driving through their neighborhood?

I call a spade a spade.

Okay, you are good

[Bandit]

Yes but the human can choose not to attack you because we can fight our instincts.

I don't see how that says anything about God though b/c I don't necessarily consider myself superior to other non-human beings. I consider myself different.

animals also can choose not to attack you & fight their instincts. I see them do it all the time. They can also follow commands, to attack or not attack- just like soldiers follow commands in battle...that is why we have police dogs, eye seeing dogs, guard dogs & things like that...

do you have proof that animals do & do not choose to attack when provoked? or they also do not fight their instincts? I can prove that my three dogs both, fight their instincts & can also attack when provoked.

You need to go farther back in this thread to see why you are saying your second sentence about a god to my comments. I am agnostic in many ways so I wont care either way what people think when it comes to that because they are things that can/have not been proven or disproven & no one has been able to do so.

[Bandit]

My husband used to work for UPS. UPS is not set up for such an act. These private companies do not have endless resources (like trucks) available to them to pick up what the truckers drop. Plus, the cost would be exorbitant. UPS is WAY more profit minded than the individual trucker. They have to buy gas too. I can assure you that they would never haul a load that only netted them $100 a load like what is happening now. They make WAY more off of package delivery. If they got into the food hauling business, our food prices would be cost prohibitive.

Exactly. UPS is about carrying all the dinky individual stuff people order online & small business (more like fed ex) & most of it we could live without. They do carry some hazard materials but it cost a lot. They could not compete with freight the way truckers haul it. A gallon of milk would rise to 15 bucks a gallon if UPS tried to do that Think about it...they would charge you 4.00 for the milk plus 10.50 to deliver it. & if milk is going to Alaska it will cost you 35.00 to deliver one gallon of milk. That is comical

[Bandit]

And that includes you. You have no proof either way either. You are simply speculating as are we.

And yes, you are correct many people of various religions do not believe in the concept of free will. I would never try to force that on anyone. That is MY belief. My belief works well in my world.

As for the starving people and slaves, that is sad. I'm not sure what to make of it.

I certainly do not believe in Satan. I believe in men and mans' choices that have driven the world into such a state. Man is often evil enough, man certainly doesn't need a devil to propel his choices. Man just wants something to blame it on (satan) so as not to be held accountable. I believe in greed, power, and hate as catalysts for much of what is happening all over the world, and yes, even in many religons. I pretty much am of the belief that all religions are man made and are designed so that some sub group of the religion (like men, or whites, or whatever) can dominate another group, all in the name of God. It's really sad what man has done to the image of God all in the name of power, control, and domination. It has turned so many people away from God.

You are not sure what to think of it because why?

no one chooses their
1)free will to be a slave or to starve to death?, 2)to be murdered in secret & 3)little children do not choose to be raped & sold as sex toys...do they?
4)Did you choose with your free will who your parents would be? 5)or the day you would be born?
6)Did you use your free will the day you will take your last breath in your world?

7)Does free will (in your world) make people chose to be born with ritardation in your world? & get alzheimers late in life?
8)Do people choose to suffer for years with cancer in your world? 9)Do thousands of people who are brutally tortured for no reason but for some for some sick religious/political mens entertainment, CHOOSE their tortures?

10)Have you chosen all your jobs, or was there also someone else there choosing the one you will get? & the one you will not get? or was it all simply destined to be that way?

11) Did the people of New Orleans choose of their free will to have their city destroyed by Katrina, or is that just in your world they choose it?

I have plenty of proof that religion does not know the difference between faith & fact & has a bad habit of preaching fear & contradictions of faith as if it were fact!

Excuse me, but I am not speculating, agreeing or disagreeing or trying to prove or disprove any faith as any true agnostic knows better- but I will certainly ask hard questions including the forbidden questions since I know they cannot be answered honestly as in (I DONT KNOW) & when it is honest it is rare- that is not a speculation while such promoted religions who claim to have it all, in history, all lack consistency & integrity & we do not have to go very far to see that.