Speak,

"If it was president kamala doing this you'd be crying about how it was the dumbest worst thing in the world."

You think someone known for cackling, and who people don't even bother to refer to by her last name, would have taken the same path as Trump?

Your question is pointless.

Snoofy,

I've made my point.

I'm done playing Whac-A-Troll.

Snoofy,

You should look at the very article you linked to.

Cor,

"Their nuclear weapons tests have been confirmed.
No one is disarming Pyongyang."

North Korea is a deterrence problem.

Iran is a prevention problem.

We want to keep Iran that way because they already make threats and a nuclear Iran will destabilize the Middle East.

How many Middle Eastern countries are coming to their defense?

Corky,

What if disarming Iran prevents a much larger loss of life?

Iran has already shown what it's willing to do, even to its own people.

This isn't about reacting after the damage is done. It's about preventing it before it reaches that point.

That kind of foresight is always a hard sell.

Trump needs to stop making references to the Pope.

I haven't seen him claim anything close to being a deity. However this kind of talk drags everything into a religious context.

At this point, I'm disappointed in how both Trump and the Pope are communicating.

Corky,

I did look at it.

Apparently the writer thinks the only religion that exists in America is Christianity.

Zed,

"Jesus would calmly remind us that we shouldn't worry about nonsense."

I think Jesus would care very much about people being taught false gods.

He said, "No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6)

Corky,

"Of Course Jesus Was Political (And We Need To Be Too)"

Are you suggesting America should be led by Christians who impose their beliefs into law?

Will you pick and choose, like a menu, what aspects of Christianity you want made into law?

Think about what you're saying.

Then how about other religions who want their beliefs made into law?

Are you ready for Sharia Law to be forced on your community where you live?

Snoofy,

"Is Jesus's emphasis on moral ideals helpful or unrealistic when applied to real-world policy decisions?
Whaddya say, BillJohnson?"

To begin, Trump isn't Jesus.

Jesus wasn't speaking about world policy. He was speaking to individuals and their personal conduct.

Trump is dealing with global politics and power struggles among nations. That's a completely different arena.

btw...that was a good question.

Laura,

Sorry this question was lost on you.

Redial,

I don't agree with you that Trump is only seeking things in his own interest.

Iran has been a boiling pot for decades just waiting to boil over.

We've all known it and some even have tried to address it but efforts to deal with it have fallen short.

I can't speak for Trump's motives but I agree with the direction he is going attempting to extinguish the source of the fire.

Here's the question we should be discussing.

Is the Pope's emphasis on moral ideals helpful or unrealistic when applied to real-world policy decisions?

Bottom line, I think the Pope is speaking from a Christian moral perspective.

At the same time, Trump is dealing with the practical realities of a complicated world where ideals are often not possible.

Over and over I've said we are Christians living in a non-Christian world. We sometimes face choices that fall short of those ideals. We can still strive for personal standards even when society does not.

The ideal of a perfect world doesn't exist.

Lamp,

"you are OK with what Pres Trump said to the Pope?"

Are you asking if I agree with Trump, or if I agree that it is fine for Trump to openly disagree with the Pope?

Yes...I think Trump has every right to disagree with the Pope.

I am a Protestant, not a Roman Catholic.

The Pope is revered by many Christians.

To others, including me, he is the head of the Catholic Church, not a leader of Protestants.

His views may matter to Catholics, but they don't carry any special authority for me.

Alex,

"Bill has no spine."

Conversations with Snoofy nearly always transition to personal attacks.

I said what I wanted to say and don't want to follow-up to discuss his misguided opinion.

Also, if I did respond, he'd likely come back with a strawman and expect a conversation about that.

So...no...I don't have to waste my time on that.

And I have a spine which is why I take this sort of approach these days.

Snoofy,

Answer if you want, but I won't reply.

Snoofy,

Are really that biased and blind you can't see the big picture?

Apparently so.

Db,

"BillJohnson is concerned with the commons"

You can't assume that from my post.

I'm talking about Iran having the ability to choke off a major portion of the world's oil supply.

That's basic supply and demand and it impacts the entire global economy.

messed up...try again.

Trump wants to rename the Strait of Hormuz to the Donald Trump Freedom Passage.

Corky,

Trump wants its rename the Strait of Hormuz to the Donald Trump Freedom Passage.

And the posters on this site who side with Iran are ignoring what that strait means to the entire global economy.

It must be safely free to use.

American,

The first time Iran takes action against a ship, Trump has already said the response won't be limited.

I believe it.

That waterway is an international passage.

It's not theirs to control.

American,

"So, now Trump is blockading a strait Iran is already blockading."

The US is clearing a path and reopening it.

And the US isn't going to let Iran operate like pirates running a toll booth.