The Backroom Predefined Positions Thread

[DemonArchangel]

I want to make a reference for use for usage in any future debate. Basically, you describe your position on various controversial issues of the time so that it can be quickly accessed in the future. Try to be honest

The Issues:

*Abortion
*Capital Punishment
*Drugs
*Evolution
*Gays
*Gun Control
*Immigration
*Media Content
*Military in General
*Prostitution
*Race and Racism
*Separation of Church and State
*The Rise of China and India
*The War on Terror
*Welfare
*Your religious beliefs

My Positions:
*Abortion: We need the stem cells.
*Capital Punishment: Some people are a waste of oxygen, enough said.
*Drugs: Legalize them, then tax the **** out of them.
*Evolution: Must be taught in schools, must be learned.
*Gays: What two men do in bed is not my business, what two women do in bed should be filmed and preserved for posterity.
*Gun Control: No.
*Immigration: Yes.
*Media Content: STOP IT WITH PARIS HILTON, STOP IT, STOP IT!
*Military in General: More power to them...but not to the point of a draft.
*Prostitution: Is pimping easy? Hell yea.
*Race and Racism: Racism is stupid.
*Separation of Church and State: Church should be kept well away from state.
*The Rise of China and India: I'm not paying $6000 for my next computer.
*The War on Terror: Not pursued in the right way, or aggressively enough. We don't catch anybody and at the same time, we're stepping on other peoples' toes.
*Welfare: Governments should not let its people starve.
*Your religious beliefs: What?

[Ice]

*Abortion:Yes, until the first trimester.
*CP: Yes
*Drugs: Legalize weed and soft core drugs
*Evolution: Teach it in schools. I believe in Darwinism
*Gays- Don't Care.
*Gun Control- Do not control shotguns, single shot rifles, and handguns
*Immigration- Yes, the more of the better.
*Media Content- More real news
*Military in General- It needs to be expanded. Cut back on nukes.
*Prostitution- Yes
*Race and Racism- No affirmative actions. No racism period.
*Separation of Church and State- YES
*The Rise of China and India- Free Trade
*The War on Terror- Finish the Job in Iraq and Afganistan. Send as many troops as needed. Do not start any new wars.
*Welfare- Eliminate it.
*Your religious beliefs- Agnostic

[CrossLOPER]

*CP: Yes

What's wrong with you?

[GoreBag]

Don't care down the list. The War on Terror is an excellent boardgame, though, very 'beer 'n pretzels'. Easily the best thing to have come out of England since Heavy Metal.

[Ice]

What's wrong with you?

Meh.

I give half ass answers to half ass questions.

[CrossLOPER]

Meh...

lol

[Ice]

lol

At least quote me correctly, CrossLOPER.

[InsaneApache]

*Abortion-It must be up to individual choice.
*Capital Punishment-Used to think it was a good idea, then the judiciary locked up the wrong people and they would be dead now if we had it. So no.
*Drugs-Legalise the lot. Ringfench the tax levied and use it for de-tox centers.
*Evolution-A no brainer for me.
*Gays-None of my business what people get up to in their own bedrooms.
*Gun Control-15 years minimum gaol sentence for anyone caught with a gun, which was unlicensed.
*Immigration-Must be regulated and controlled.
*Media Content-Free press-even the National Enquirer!
*Military in General-A good thing under responsible democratic governments. Under autocracies....?
*Prostitution-should be legalised and monitored medically.
*Race and Racism-Not a good idea to judge anyone by the way they look.
*Separation of Church and State-Yes.
*The Rise of China and India-So what?
*The War on Terror-Good idea. Horrendous implimention.
*Welfare-Only for those that need it.
*Your religious beliefs-You may say that, I couldn't possibly comment. Err....yes I can. None, a load (that's a bunch to our 'Merican cousins) of superstitious claptrap, handed down from our ancestors as a means of social control.

[Redleg]

Ok I will bite

*Abortion - 1st Trimester pro-choice, all others medical necessity only
*Capital Punishment - limited in scope, must have appeal process in detail
*Drugs - Against them, but would not oppose legalization with heavy Taxation
*Evolution - A theory worth considering
*Gays - not a special class, they are citizens just like everyone else.
*Gun Control - regulation is not prohibited by the constitution.
*Immigration - welcome to America if you followed the process as stipulated in the law
*Media Content - Geared to much to commericialization.
*Military in General - Join if you want, serve your nation if you want.
*Prostitution - I don't need it, nor do I care if it is around. Tax and regulated the hell out of it.
*Race and Racism - Normally done out of ignorance of others. However their are racists out there. Miniminize them whenever possible with sound arguement.
*Separation of Church and State - let me have my religion, the state can function without it.
*The Rise of China and India - who cares - the natural cycle is that powers raise and fall
*The War on Terror - possiblity that its an unwinnable fight but one that must be fought. An economic front should probably be opened to defeat one of the main circumstances that lead others to believe violence will change their circumstances in life.
*Welfare - get a job. Government takes care of those who are unable to care for themselves. All others need to work.
*Your religious beliefs - mine. Others can share their ideas on religion with me, but don't degrade me for my belief in a higher power.

[Louis VI the Fat]

Abortion


*Capital Punishment
I'm constantly wavering

*Drugs
They're not for me. Legalise for practical purposes, but stay well clear of them. I've seen the wreckage they cause.

*Evolution
Clear undisputable fact.

*Gays
All homophobes are secretly gay.

*Heterosexuals
You're born one, not recruited as one.

*Gun Control
Ban all guns.

*Immigration
No more mass immigration please. Only for those with qualified, needed skills or refugees.

*Media Content
We are the media.

*Military in General
Burn your uniforms and grow your hair.

*Prostitution
Swedish model. Ban it.

*Race and Racism
I don't have a race. All of you do though.

*Separation of Church and State
A pillar of Western Civilisation.

*The Rise of China and India
Good for them. I secretly dread some of the consequences of it though.

*The War on Terror
There is no war.

*Welfare
Civilisation = welfare state.

*Your religious beliefs
Atheism, which is not a religion.

[Tuuvi]

*Abortion: is wrong

*Capital Punishment: I'm okay with it, but the legal system needs to be changed

*Drugs: that's a hard one...

*Evolution: doesn't come in conflict with the bible, I don't see what the problem is

*Gays: can do what they want

*Gun Control: isn't going to stop criminals from getting them, law abiding people need to be able to protect themselves

*Immigration: borders should be closed to illegals but other than that dosn't bother me

*Media Content: the media sucks

*Military in General: I don't have a position

*Prostitution: that's a hard one...It is wrong, but it already happens anyway...

*Race and Racism: Is wrong and the US is just as racist today as it was before

*Separation of Church and State: they should be seperated

*The Rise of China and India: Doesn't bother me

*The War on Terror: we have so many problems at home we're doomed anyway so who cares

*Welfare: is good to a point, but shouldn't go overboard

*Your religious beliefs:I am a mormon but like most teenagers church is boring to me

[Strike For The South]

*Abortion: is a crime agianst humanity and must be dealt with

*Capital Punishment: Its not like were hurting anyone

*Drugs: Weed maybe but everything else no

*Evolution: Dont care

*Gays: can do what they want

*Gun Control:Im from Texas I need more

*Immigration: 0 would be a good number

*Media Content: Nowadays you can choose what you hear

*Military in General: Good for pwnin n00bs

*Prostitution: Dont care

*Race and Racism: The sooner we stop seeing it the better

*Separation of Church and State: The 2nd most important part of USA

*The Rise of China and India: They will eventually consume themsleves in a war started by us

*The War on Terror: Needs to be looked at allot

*Welfare: Im willing to help people who help themselves

*Your religious beliefs:Southern Baptist and proud

[Reenk Roink]

*Abortion: Irrelevant to me, but a difficult position to hold rationally.

*Capital Punishment: Yes. Retribution is the cornerstone of justice. Eye for an eye.

*Drugs: Weed is less harmful than alcohol...

*Evolution: As seen by this thread, I am extremely skeptical of the accuracy and rationality of the sciences, due to the powerful arguments leveled against it. That being said, creationists who knock on your door piss me off...

*Gays: Irrelevant to me (I just don't get Gay parades though)...

*Gun Control: Concealed weapons are bad. Other than that, let people have their guns, I prefer knives though...

*Immigration: Yes.

*Media Content: Irrelevant to me, I don't watch the news.

*Military in General: Might is right.

*Prostitution: Most are ugly.

*Race and Racism: Wrong. Too bad it doesn't go away...

*Separation of Church and State: Irrelevant to me (probably a passive yes).

*The Rise of China and India: Irrelevant to me (Nikes are still too damn expensive).

*The War on Terror: Might is right. Stop killing women and children though...

*Welfare: Irrelevant to me (I don't pay taxes yet).

*Your religious beliefs: Don't follow any religion. Believe in God though.

[ShadeHonestus]

Wanting people to plainly state their beliefs and ideas? This would never fly in American politics.


*Abortion - Protected as it should be by due-process law. Morally wrong for me. Stem cells are not needed, we have ton, but there is money in "them there hills" for the abortion establishment. Besides stem cells have not offered us anything yet and the same stem cell research can be done with ambiotic cells.

*Capital Punishment - Against. Philosophically, morally, and logically cannot be defended. I did try really hard for years to be pro CP. The argument that what if somebody deliberately and with malice harmed my child. If the circumstances were so great to call for capital punishment, I'd probably kill them myself out of vengeance. This is all CP is for, satisfying the taste for vengeance on our behalf.

*Drugs - sure, legalize it all and let Darwin sort them out. However, no tax dollars derived from anything should be spent on de-tox or help. If you don't want the government to protect you, then it shouldn't free you from responsibility and consequences.

*Evolution - Evolution is a fact and does not kill God.

*Gays - Whatever floats a person's boat. The only problem I have with the gay community is the asking for their rights to be legislated. Any serious law student or individual who has studied law knows that codifying a behavior which supposedly results from biology is extremely dangerous.

*Gun Control - Mandatory sentences. Get rid of the right to bear arms and the same arbitrary basis for getting rid of the interstate commerce clause or right and proper clauses exists.

*Immigration - Legal immigration. However if martians show up packing little green uzi's and start mounting my cattle...I'll probably shoot them, whether they applied for a green card or not.

*Media Content - The great philosopher poet Dirty Ol Bastard once said, "gotta get the creame, dolla dolla bills yall". Every media outlet out there is motivated by money. You never get the whole truth from any one source, but thankfully we have this organ called a brain and most of us are taught how to use it via reasoning so we can gather from more than one source and decide for ourselves. Not to long ago there was a poll which showed 30% of Americans don't believe any given news outlet is biased...of course a separate poll showed 30% of Americans believe in flying saucers.


*Military in General - Strong military, all volunteer. Military spending is about right for us atm. We are lower then we have been in years in relation to the GDP and rank somewhere in the twenties, I think, globally in percentage.

*Prostitution - Legalize and regulate. "Prostitution in the towns is like the cesspool in the palace," St. Thomas Aquinas. "Do away with the cesspool, and the palace will become an unclean and stinking place."

*Race and Racism - Small minds must have refuge somewhere at least their easy to spot when they exhibit prejudice, and that goes in all directions.

*Separation of Church and State - My chuch is my church, my state is my state.

*The Rise of China and India - As soon as they can stop killing 40,000 people per industrial accident and prove they can feed their population past 2040, I'll get concerned.

*The War on Terror - See St. Thomas Aquinas, RE: prostitution, above.

*Welfare - Limited terms of enrollment when not based upon physical or mental disability. Local charity really needs to step up here people, if somebody needs help give them help and tell them they are worth helping. The idea of distancing yourself from not only those in need but the reasons they are in need by delegating "care" to a governmental or some huge charitable organization is going to ruin society.

*Your religious beliefs - Lutheran, but a student of all. I hate to quote from St. Thomas Aquinas again, but "beware the man of one book."

[Crazed Rabbit]

*Abortion
Against - it is murder. Which side of a layer of flesh a baby is on should not give us power to kill it for our convenience.

*Capital Punishment
For - for justice and social benefits.

*Drugs
I'm against the War on Drugs and the resulting destruction of civil rights - legalize pot, but tax it more than cigarettes.

*Evolution
I believe in it. Schools should teach it, but also point out it's not without holes.

*Gays
I don't care, but I don't support them officially marrying (that is, if they want to start some cult and get 'married' whatever, but it should not be state sanctioned).

*Gun Control
None whatsoever. I wish all gun laws were more similar to what Montana is moving towards, with everyone able to carry and own whatever they can purchase. Shall not be infringed means what it says.

*Immigration
Pro educated immigration, very anti illegal immigration, and against shipping in vast amounts of menial laborers for 'guest worker' programs.

*Media Content
Increasingly vapid and stupid - the recent attention on one celebrities death as an example.

*Military in General
Yeah- they are the ones who keep us free. No draft, though, except in times of dire need.

*Prostitution
Against, though police raids on them when they could be doing other things is stupid.

*Race and Racism
Bad, racists are stupid.

*Separation of Church and State
The state should not suppress any religions, though nativities on public property do not do this.

*The Rise of China and India
India - cool, China, not so much. Hopefully they will see the benefits of economic prosperity and not military expansion.

*The War on Terror
Necessary, though waged poorly in Iraq.

*Welfare
Bad.

*Your religious beliefs
Roman Catholic

I like to call myself a 'libertarian conservative'.

Crazed Rabbit

[Devastatin Dave]

*Abortion-against it until they find the "liberal" gene, when that happens, slash and suck away!!!
*Capital Punishment-against it, I believe that death is too easy for scum bags, work them until they die.
*Drugs-more the merrier. I don't do them, but the more wasted losers out there, the better my job prospects are. There needs to be more lethal ones in my opinion.
*Evolution-until the culturely superior homosexuals start popping babies out of there asses, then I don't believe it.
*Gays-see above
*Gun Control-none, nothing like making more laws for people who already break laws!!! see abortion view
*Immigration-how do you say, "get the #### out of my country" in Spanish
*Media Content- bunch of limp-wristed leftists
*Military in General-10 years was enough for me.
*Prostitution-no opinion
*Race and Racism-we are all human so stop whining
*Separation of Church and State-all for it, those "Muslim" countries aren't doing so hot with their theocracies, so the Christians should take note. Look at what happens when you rely on "spiritual" leaders... instead of government, you get BS policies on BS issues that don't mean tit. gay marraige and abortion are BS issues meant to distract.
*The Rise of China and India-Idia, no problem, its them Red Chinese that I worry about. Nothing says "mass execution and censorship" than a smiling Chinese "business" man.
*The War on Terror- we're ####ed on that one. Instead of reading what Muhammed really said and did and just relying on CAIR and "moderate" muslims to tell us what Islam is all about, we should be taking this a LOT more seriously.
*Welfare-work=live, get some skills and get a job. I've got 2 and you can't even find one? BS!!!
*Your religious beliefs-Jesus died for a worthless piece of #### like me and that should be good enough for anyone.

[ShadeHonestus]

Nothing says "mass execution and censorship" than a smiling Chinese "business" man.

lmao, gdit DD, thats almost sig worthy...resisting the temptation.

[Lemur]

*Abortion
Ambivalent. Should be available, but I hate to think of it being used as birth control. Probably way too delicate a matter to involve the courts and law ...

*Capital Punishment
Against. Not cost effective, no deterrence value, doesn't punish bad people nearly so much as a lifetime in our penal system.

*Drugs
Should be legalized and taxed. Anyone who doesn't admit that the War on Drugs is a failure is delusional. Ask Al Capone how well prohibition works.

*Evolution
It's observable, testable and repeatable. You cannot have modern biology (or modern medicine or modern drugs) if you do not accept the premise. Every creationist who swallows an Advil betrays his cause.

*Gays
Live and let live, brother. And my marriage needs defense from gay couples about as much as it needs protection from landsharks. Don't let the rhetoric fool ya — people who write those "defense of marriage" amendments have a much larger agenda. Check out the fallout in Michigan. Good one, kids.

*Gun Control
Increasingly against. The United States has always had an armed populace, and I don't think there's any way to turn back the clock. Politically and practically, I think we are going to have to be an armed society. Let's just hope we can be more like Switzerland, and less like Lebanon.

*Immigration
The U.S. absorbs a huge number of legal immigrants every year. I don't see the fairness or the practical need to allow millions of illegal immigrants into the country just because of their physical proximity. That said, the I.N.S. is a famous wreck ...

*Media Content
I will be very happy when the age of all-celebrity-worship-all-the-time comes to an end. It's nauseating. On the other hand, there's finally some good new music coming out ...

*Military in General
We have a fantastic military in the U.S.A. Now if only we had politicos competent to use them ...

*Prostitution
Should be legal, for the same reasons drugs should be legal. And for an extra reason, namely that the women and men who sell their bodies could use a lot more protection, both medical and legal.

*Race and Racism
As long as members of a species can interbreed, they're the same race. Racism is bad, m'kay? But wild accusations of racism tend to shut down any meaningful conversation about race.

*Separation of Church and State
The bedrock of our society. The founding fathers knew what they were doing on this one, and it's one of the most pernicious lies of the religious right to try (repeatedly) to re-write both the Constitution and history.

*The Rise of China and India
India, yay! Welcome to the club! China, hrm, a little more troubling. All the benefits of capitalism without transparency or democracy? We'll have to see where this leads ...

*The War on Terror
Wars on abstract concepts don't go very well for the U.S.A. See drugs and poverty for starters. There's nothing we can do to stem the tide of religious fanaticism rising in the middle east, but there's a lot we can do to identify, isolate and kill individual terrorists. It's going to be a containment game for at least a couple of decades. In the meantime, good police work is going to yield more results than anything else.

*Welfare
Limited, timed welfare is okay. Americans are not ready to see the destitute dying in the streets, at least not yet. Long-term welfare is a tremendously bad idea.

*Your religious beliefs
I'm some sort of Christian, and the local Episcopalians are good enough to put up with me.

[Kanamori]

*Abortion = meh

*Capital Punishment = get rid of it

*Drugs = decriminalize, use fines to fund more education and addiction treatment, if nothing else legal for purposes of figuring out our brains (research)

*Evolution = why are we getting ornery over this?

*Gays = gay sex is fine, many 'chose' to be gay

*Gun Control = don't make them illegal

*Immigration = more legal immigration

*Media Content = give me the facts, I'll handle interpretation

*Military in General = stop screwing over our soldiers

*Prostitution = heavily regulated, legal

*Race and Racism = racists are retards; equality; stop whining, do

*Separation of Church and State = no partial treatment for church

*The Rise of China and India = meh

*The War on Terror = wtf Iraq? Get Osama; stop supporting smaller idiots over bigger idiots; guidelines for our companies abroad

*Welfare = meh

*Your religious beliefs = strong agnostic -- we don't know about God, He won't be the basis for any of my beliefs

[Yun Dog]

*Abortion
basically I consider it a human from conception - none of this - today its a person BS - its upto you - kill the lil person or not

*Capital Punishment
many people die who deserve to live and many live who deserve death, theres little enough resources to be wasted on individuals who prey on others - you dont want to play nicely with the other apes - goodbye

*Drugs
got any ????? Prohibition and prison doesnt work - maybe we shoud try something else - like not giving a #$^%

*Evolution
happens as surely as %$&*

*Gays
bums to the wall.... whatever dude... but do you have to have parades about your 'private' sexual preference - I really dont care or care to know

*Gun Control
anyone who has met the civilian population of any country - will understand why under no circumstances should they be armed
"the greatest argument against democracy is speaking to the average voter" - W.Churchill

*Immigration
me casa sue casa
nations are irrelevent

*Media Content
the media is the conqubine of the western consumerist SATAN - believe its lies to your own peril

*Military in General
we've goto have our armies just as surely as we have our army lovers and wannabes - maybe one day we grow up and put our toy soldiers away

*Prostitution
been around since people had stuff to barter for sex - dont knock it till youve tried it

*Race and Racism
irrelevent - humans are all the same
racists show what extremely small intelectual capacity they must have by being racists
I wont tolerate it personally - but I find stupidity hard to tolerate however it shows itself - on the positive side think of the ability to outwit your opponent when you know every move they will make before they make it. because like all inanely stupid people - racists,the gun lobby, religious - they are nothing if not predictable

*Separation of Church and State
the sooner we get rid of the church part the better for every human on the planet

*The Rise of China and India
why not - the UK and US have had their time in the sun - and its not like these boys havent been there before - good on em

*The War on Terror
Pfffttt ha ha ha ha ha - sorry - mwha ha aha ha ha ah

the what??

oh that BS - erm if you wanna believe the lies and propaganda of your government - thats your choice

youve goto say its been a great success -

Joe McArthy - whats that !!!! reds under the bed - NO - terrorists hugging the teddy

that guys got a beard - throw him in prison for 5 years without trial

*Welfare
necessay - but GOD help the next bum I find surfing on my tax dollar

*Your religious beliefs
what are they
no religion - hows that for a belief
religions are for people unable to think for themselves and have to be told what they believe

[drone]

*Abortion - sure, why not? 6 billion people on the planet already (I can't have one, so my vote doesn't count)
*Capital Punishment - combined with #1 above, my stance is a consistent "pro-death"
*Drugs - tax the hell out of them, offer treatment with the money collected
*Evolution - most believable theory we have at the moment, aside from FSM
*Gays - who else is going to cut my hair and decorate my house
*Gun Control - both hands, enforce existing laws first please
*Immigration - hit the employers of illegals hard
*Media Content - news outlets should be non-profit organizations, more bOObage on TV
*Military in General - Ooo Rah!
*Prostitution - Oldest profession, start taxing and regulating it
*Race and Racism - we are all pink on the inside
*Separation of Church and State - yes, please
*The Rise of China and India - inflation and overpopulation will eventually slow it down, but something to watch for
*The War on Terror - war? I must have missed Congress declaring war...
*Welfare - limited safety net, can't believe it took a Democratic president to take action on this one
*Your religious beliefs - with these answers, apparently I'm going to hell (lapsed Protestant)

Needless to say, I'm an ex small government Republican turned Libertarian.

[Prodigal]

*Abortion - All for it.
*Capital Punishment - Nope, simply don't trust the police or courts enough.
*Drugs - Yep, they should be decriminalised, taxed & the money put in the health services
*Evolution - Yes, although homosapiens seems to have hit a wall
*Gays - Not bothered in the least
*Gun Control - Too many guns is a bad thing
*Immigration - That's very much dependent upon the countries involved, personally I think the blending going on in Europe at the moments a good thing
*Media Content - I'd prefer it if brainless morons weren't in control of such large media outlets
*Military in General - If used correctly then they're a good thing
*Prostitution - Don't mind it if people, (for people see adults), have chosen to do it, as opposed to being forced into it through whatever circumstances
*Race and Racism - I can't help it, I'm deeply suspicious of anyone speaking french
*Separation of Church and State - I'd rather like to see the entire concept of religion forgotten. While religion exists there is no way to stop its influence on a state.
*The Rise of China and India - Slightly concerned about what China's up to but there's not a great deal anyone can do about it
*The War on Terror - Doesn't work
*Welfare - A good thing
*Your religious beliefs - Pagan

[Adrian II]

I want to make a reference for use for usage in any future debate.

Nice idea. Sadly, nobody will ever refer to it. I believe Kukrikhan (or maybe another old hand) once proposed that we compile something like a Standard Backroom Debating Kit. I imagine it would contain model opening posts, standard come-backs, a Commonplace Calculator and a do-it-yourself guide to innuendo.
It would never work though. People don't read each others' posts.


Most Americans don't even know what it says in the original Second Amendment:

A well regulated fashion police being necessary to the well-being of a free State, the right of Gays to carry bazookas shall not be infringed.

[KukriKhan]

Kinda like the old joke about the prisoners... they'd told the same jokes so many times, they resorted to numbering them, then shouting out the punchline-numbers.

"42!"
"hahahahahaha. But 51!"
"hohohoho!.

That said, DemonArchangel's project here is worth respecting, I think - he obviously gave some good bit of thought to gleaning the hot-button issues back here.

I suggest we keep the commentary to a minimum, to encourage those who'd like to post their thumbnail views, secure in the knowledge that in this thread (only) they can express their views free of criticism; of course they'd be 'fair game' in any other, regular issue thread.

[Orb]

*Abortion - Against, but I don't have the right to choose for other people.
*Capital Punishment - Against
*Drugs - Legalise, at least get some profit from the various idiots killing each other
*Evolution - agree with, but don't actually care
*Gays - Against, but not my place to make their lives a misery
*Gun Control - Tighter control needed.
*Immigration - Immigrants need more integration
*Media Content - Generally insufficient/populist
*Military in General - Necessary
*Prostitution - Against
*Race and Racism - Race should be irrelevant, number of daft cases excessive
*Separation of Church and State - Good thing
*The Rise of China and India - They need to pollute less
*The War on Terror - Vietnam mk. II
*Welfare - People who can't support themselves depress me. Giving handouts to people with poor parents is daft.
*Your religious beliefs - Christian, Anglican, oddball (don't fully agree with some church stances), in that order.

[DemonArchangel]

*Bump*

[Goofball]

*Abortion: I find the idea of it repugnant, but it is not my place to tell a woman whether she can have one or not.

*Capital Punishment: We are not competent enough to administer it on an error-free basis. Get rid of it.

*Drugs: Legalize them, tax them, then spend the tax proceeds on preventative education and recovery programs.

*Evolution: It should be taught in science classes and Creationism in Sunday School. No problem, everyone's happy.

*Gays: I don't understand why this is even an issue. They're people just like the rest of us, no better or worse.

*Gun Control: I'd like all handguns to be banned, but realize that it's not realistic at this point in time. Though I can't understand why, people just love their guns too much. But out of all the issues I consider to be important, guns and the control thereof ranks somewhere below what Australia's national anthem should be (no offence, Aussies...)

*Immigration: The more the better.

*Media Content: If you don't like it, don't watch it.

*Military in General: I wish Canada had a bigger one. I wouldn't be disappointed if my children wanted to join.

*Prostitution: Should be legal to protect the workers. I would be disappointed if my children wanted to join.

*Race and Racism: I don't get it.

*Separation of Church and State: Keep your &?$?%$ peanut butter out of my chocolate.

*The Rise of China and India: The world should stop kissing China's arse just because it contains so many potential customers. India? They seem nice enough.

*The War on Terror: Silliest thing I have ever heard of. But I have nothing against waging war on terrorists.

*Welfare: I'm willing to pay higher taxes so that lazy people can have food to eat, a place to live, and a doctor to see. Being lazy shouldn't be a death sentence.

*Your religious beliefs: Are personal and I wouldn't presume to impose them on others. Talking about your religion in public is no different from talking about the nifty things you learned your wife can do with her tongue last night.

[Hosakawa Tito]

The Issues:

*Abortion- There are enough unwanted,abused children in this world so within the 1st trimester yes. A woman should have control over her body, if a man were capable of giving birth, this wouldn't be much of an arguement,and the human race may well have become extinct by now.

*Capital Punishment- In cases beyond the shadow of a doubt,yes (regular or extra crispy?). Unless the alternative would be a "living death" (no human contact except necessary prison & medical staff, no media access, no packages from home, no visits, letters to/from home only, religious bible/tome of their choice- it's better than the sentence their victims and surviving family received.) Ain't never going to happen, why you inquire? Ask a lawyer.

*Drugs- Decriminalize, with mandatory medical treatment to wean off or manage addiction. Failure to follow through with the mandate = jail time.

*Evolution- No brainer for me.

*Gays- Deserve equal spousal rights/protections as heterosexual couples.

*Gun Control- Sight alignment, breathing control, trigger control.

*Immigration- Legal immigration through the INS process, welcome my fellow Americans. The rest of you, queue up at the end of the line.

*Media Content- Give me the facts, I'll make up my own mind, thank you.

*Military in General- I give thanks to every veteran who serves honorably to protect/guarantee my freedoms.

*Prostitution- I'd rather see it legalized,taxed,regulated than the crime ridden slavery/servitude it is now. A states issue.

*Race and Racism- I don't get it either, but I would hazard a guess that this issue has been with us at least as long as Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens competed over survival resources. A learned, sometimes cultural response with no real basis in fact, but it sure must boost some egos.

*Separation of Church and State- Golly Bob,Howdy Vern, yes.

*The Rise of China and India- The more minds working on mankind's needs/advancements the better.

*The War on Terror- Like racism this one will be with us awhile.

*Welfare- Laziness can definitely be a handicap, but that's not what we had in mind when we put up those Handicap Parking Signs. I don't mind paying taxes to help the truly needy. The rest of you bums can do as you please, just don't expect me to willingly support your beach-bum lifestyle.

*Your religious beliefs- My beliefs are my own.

[Big King Sanctaphrax]

The Issues:

*Abortion-The current laws in the UK are fine.

*Capital Punishment-I disagree with it morally, doubt its effectiveness and, most importantly, regard it as too final for our fallible justice system.

*Drugs-Legalise, tax, regulate. That goes for all of them, what you put into your body is none of my business as long as you do it in private.

*Evolution-Woo, go science. Teach it, banish ID to religious education classes.

*Gays-Fine with me. Marry, adopt, whatever.

*Gun Control-Really in two minds about this. I think different approaches work better in different countries; the situation in the UK is in no way comparable to that in the US, for example. I've never felt the need to carry a gun to feel safe, though, and I think if you do it points to wider problems in society that should probably be solved first.

*Immigration-Legal immigration: good, let's have more of it. Illegal immigration: bad.

*Media Content-You just need to keep your wits about you.

*Military in General-I think they do a very good job, in general.

*Prostitution-Legalise it, regulate it. If we create safe, legal brothels we'll remove all of the problems associated with it.

*Race and Racism-Um, it's bad?

*Separation of Church and State-Total, utter and complete. We should get rid of the Royal Family while we're at it.

*The Rise of China and India-I'm not too keen on powerful authoritarian one-party states, as a rule. I have no beef with India, though.

*The War on Terror-Can you really make war on a concept?

*Welfare-I believe in providing a minimum standard of living for people.

*Your religious beliefs-Atheist.

[macsen rufus]

The Issues:

*Abortion - individual, not societal decision. Limits on time to be assessed according to current knowledge, and regular reviews of unaided independent survival. Both parents should be involved (but the issue often only arises when or because one of the parents isn't there to help...) Any choice of mother's life vs baby's life goes to the mother - first come, first served etc.

*Capital Punishment - No! Our justice system is too flawed. Until we have 100% perfect detection and conviction we shouldn't even THINK about capital punishment - the law is there to defend the innocent, whether victims of crime or the innocent accused. Also two wrongs don't make a right, no matter how good it may feel to take revenge.

*Drugs - should be treated purely as a medical, not a criminal or moral, issue. Legalisation is necessary to get the gangs out of the business, and ensure quality and safety of supply, and cheaper drugs means fewer crimes to support habits. Better education - by which I mean medical & pharmacological textbooks in schools, not rampant scare-mongering tirades and moralistic claptrap. I personally never took any drug I didn't research beforehand.

*Evolution - the best model we have, so far, and constantly being refined. Teaching kids creationism or intelligent design is child abuse, IMHO.

*Gays - I'm happy for anyone to do anything with anyone using whatever aids, costumes, and apparatus they like, so long as all parties consent and are of legal age. I don't accept that who you sleep with should determine what taxes you pay, so any tax breaks (etc) for married couples should apply to any committed couple domiciled together (straight or gay). The one proviso I have is that I'm straight, I don't mind you asking, but no means no (unless you're really cute). As with drugs and weapons, no-one sticks anything in me I don't agree to....

*Gun Control - yes. What you need em for? If they're all illegal, it saves a lot of hassle when you find one - you know it's illegal! And if hunters want to be the "big macho I am", go out and catch it with your bare teeth, one on one.

*Immigration - will always happen, generally a good thing, avoids all those "inbred" and "odd number of toes" vices. Heck, we're British, even the natives are immigrants

*Media Content - I have no TV and haven't bought a newspaper for months. I think that shows what I think of the media these days.....

*Military in General - a necessary evil. I believe a volunteer force is a superior force, and accept that people who serve gain a lot from their experience and often become better people because of it, and society owes them more than they're given. If only I believed in conscription / national service, I'd say round up the chavs and teach them some discipline and respect.... Personally you'll not see me in any uniform, I have "issues" with authority.

*Prostitution - as with drugs, should be legalised to get the gangs out of the business and make it safer for all involved. After all, they reckon the sex you pay for works out cheaper than what you get "for free"...

*Race and Racism - folks is folks, good and bad everywhere. Treating people purely by the "group" you put them in is dumb. And mixed race chicks are so hot

*Separation of Church and State - yes. And when that's done, separation of church and society.

*The Rise of China and India - easy come, easy go. They've worked for it.

*The War on Terror - an Orwellian concept that is hurting us more than it's hurting "them".

*Welfare - necessary safety net, but long-term dependency is a bad idea. As for health care, the best solution, as the most expensive diseases/accidents don't always choose to afflict those most able to pay.

*Your religious beliefs - Thelemite