Fred Thompson for Poker?

[TheEngineer]

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This type of thinking is very near sighted and shows a lack of understanding on what principles/morals this country was founded upon by our founding fathers. If you believe that strong conservative morals and policies haven't ruled this country from day 1, then a history lesson is needed. The morals, laws and attitudes of this country become more liberal and less conservative every year and it started 200 years ago. Most, if not all of our founding fathers held most of the same beliefs as FOF. To call FOF anti-American is comical, since their beliefs are exactly what this (Christian) country was founded upon.

I'm sorry but I just think it's ridiculous to act like strong conservative morals and Christian influence in government just came about with George W.

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I think Skallagrim was talking about the America of today, not the one of 200 years ago, complete with slavery, insane per capta liquor consumption, and scarlet letters for adulteresses. Today, the idea of the federal government forcing morality on people by banning Internet poker through banks spying on financial transactions and ISPs spying on citizens' web browsing habits is anti-American, at leat IMHO.

[Cactus Jack]

"Things ain't like they were in the old days. They never were." Will Rogers

People in this country have always had a fond, but irrational view of the past. They also have a strong desire to return to a past that never was what they remembered it being. Things were the same then as they are today, and always will be. The hope is by returning to the past, we can control the chaos of today, as if it were controlled back then.

I grew up in the Sixties. Some remember it fondly. Not I. It was pretty horrible. Much of the worst parts of the present started back then.

We are always looking for simple solutions where none exists. We want leaders who lead, yet are afraid of anyone with new ideas, as if the old ones have been tested and we're going in the right direction. It's a weird psychosis.

The biggest problem in this country is fear, and it dominates everything. Fear of foreigners, of losing what little you have, fear of government, fear of people who don't believe as the person holding that fear believes. Fear has been the foundation of those who've been holding the Republican Party hostage for the past 30 years, and as such, the whole country hostage. Until a leader comes along who can break that hold of fear and pushes the people to rise above it and have hope, we're going to continue along the path we've been on, and go nowhere.

As to the original question, it doesn't matter what Fred Thompson believes or doesn't. He won't be there. He was a light-weight Senator who accomplished nothing. If he gets into the race, he'll be quickly found out and that will be that. One actor per 200 hundred years, please.

[LuckyTxGuy]

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Today, the idea of the federal government forcing morality on people by banning Internet poker through banks spying on financial transactions and ISPs spying on citizens' web browsing habits is anti-American, at leat IMHO.

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I totally agree with you on that.

I just think it's easy to try and look at the current politics of the country and forget 200 years of history and what this country was founded on, which was strong Christian morals. I only have a minute, so I can't properly respond to OldBookGuy, but while he does bring up some decent points, I slightly disagree with some other points.

All I'm saying is this, our founding fathers were for the most part very devout Christians who held strong Christian beliefs and morals. Our country, our rights, and our founding papers all show this strong Christian influence. I just don't think we can ignore all of this and say that legislating morality is anything new or something that any one party just dreamed up. I also believe our founding fathers would most likely be a part of FOF before the ACLU.

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

On religion, it was he who coined the phrase, WALL of Separation.

The phrase "wall of separation between church and state" was from Jefferson's letter to the Danbury Baptists. He was assuring them that government would not interfere with their free practice of religion.

I think it is safe to say that while all of the founders came from the Christian tradition, their feelings on what "morals" should be incorporated into law varied as much then as they do now, running the gamut from basic libertarian libertines like Franklin to fundamentalist followers of Cotton Mather and Jonathan Edwards.

I do agree though that the influence of evangelical Christianity on American politics did not begin with GWB. It didn't begin with William Jennings Bryan either. It has been a constant throughout our history as has the resistance to it by more secular factions.

[CountingMyOuts]

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I do agree though that the influence of evangelical Christianity on American politics did not begin with GWB. It didn't begin with William Jennings Bryan either. It has been a constant throughout our history as has the resistance to it by more secular factions.

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Agreed. But it became a much bigger problem in this country starting with GWB.

[Emperor]

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Hi Everyone:

Not too long ago I heard an interview on Hannity and Colmes with Alphonse D'Amato where he stated that he had already endorsed Fred Thompson for president. Now the interview had nothing to do with poker or gambling of any sort, but I can't help but wonder what Thompson's views are in this area?

Best wishes,
Mason

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Ron Paul > Fred Thompson

Best Wishes

Emperor

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

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I do agree though that the influence of evangelical Christianity on American politics did not begin with GWB. It didn't begin with William Jennings Bryan either. It has been a constant throughout our history as has the resistance to it by more secular factions.

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Agreed. But it became a much bigger problem in this country starting with GWB.

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Much bigger problem than when? 1918? Like FoF has anywhere near the power of, say the WCTU. Do you honestly think that the UIGEA is a bigger threat to individual freedom than amending the constitution to criminalize alcoholic beverages?

Christian evangelicals are nowhere near as powerful as they were 100 years ago.

[LuckyTxGuy]

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I do agree though that the influence of evangelical Christianity on American politics did not begin with GWB. It didn't begin with William Jennings Bryan either. It has been a constant throughout our history as has the resistance to it by more secular factions.

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Agreed. But it became a much bigger problem in this country starting with GWB.

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That is the exact type of near-sighted thinking I'm talking about. These types of comments show how poorly our public schools are really doing in teaching the real history of US.

Oh and Kurn, I agree 100%

[Legislurker]

The Founding Fathers weren't mostly Christian. They were male elites in a society where going to church was THE social/political center of life. You bit your tongue and used sound bytes, and spoke in code. A lot were out and out criminals. They drank, gambled, womanized, and scoffed at authority, political and religious. In private the scoffed at the religious order of the day. Hell, George Washington had no problem using lottery money to fund the Continental Army. He was one of the biggestdistillers of rum for use in triangle trade. He started a damn civil war
to go after unlicensed and unregulated distillers whom he saw
as business rivals.

[CountingMyOuts]

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I do agree though that the influence of evangelical Christianity on American politics did not begin with GWB. It didn't begin with William Jennings Bryan either. It has been a constant throughout our history as has the resistance to it by more secular factions.

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Agreed. But it became a much bigger problem in this country starting with GWB.

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Much bigger problem than when? 1918? Like FoF has anywhere near the power of, say the WCTU. Do you honestly think that the UIGEA is a bigger threat to individual freedom than amending the constitution to criminalize alcoholic beverages?

Christian evangelicals are nowhere near as powerful as they were 100 years ago.

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You are right, Kurn. There were thousands of people working in past administrations from Pat Robertson's box top law school helping to shape policy. Now there are only a hundred or so in W's administration. Things are much better now.