Mass shooting or act of terrorism…we won’t know until a motive is uncovered.
Sadly, it’s just another day in the USA.
Personally, I’m happy to see that people are tired of hearing politicians offer their “thoughts and prayers” as opposed to action of some kind–even minimal. By all means, pray your rear end off, but act also in the physical world because the prayers and thoughts don’t seem to be working. I’m sure FOX will have a field day with “The War on Prayer.”
Last week, when a lunatic shot people at a Planned Parenthood clinic, the hysterical leftist media and their Socialist-Democrat political masters blamed the event on “anti-abortion rhetoric.”
Today, the blame for San Bernadino is placed on an inanimate object- “guns.”
It’s interesting that the left never blames the individuals who commit the crime.
Pretty sad commentary when people believe that the only way to stop society from killing each other off is to keep them from procuring modern weaponry.
“Pretty sad commentary when people believe that the only way to stop society from killing each other off is to keep them from procuring modern weaponry.” -frightenedbluehen
Yes, the 14 people killed in San Bernardino are better off because the people who shot them had modern weaponry.
If only everyone was forced to carry guns all the time, we would all be ok
Give it time. Anyone under the age of thirty who isn’t proficient in the use of firearms will someday be a lamb for the slaughter. It’s going to get a lot worse; it isn’t guns, it’s people and thosewho manipulate the people. When a society is lead down the road to orchestrated chaos, what result would you expect?
When I read Burgess’ “A Clockwork Orange” in high school, it never occurred to me that he was actually prescient. We are almost there.
I’m curious as to what the administration’s spin doctors will finally label this event.
I’m thinking something like “quasi jihadist workplace violence”.
“Yes, the 14 people killed in San Bernardino are better off because the people who shot them had modern weaponry.”
I think you missed my point, delecrat. My point is that it’s a pretty sad state of affairs when society is so vicious and uncivilized that we think the only way to stop people from killing each other is to take away their ability to get a gun.
Why are people offended by Christmas Trees, and Nativity Scenes, but they aren’t offended by the date, specifically the year? I mean, that’s something that you have to acknowledge on a daily basis.
And we’re supposed to reley on our government to “vet” the refugees. The San Bernardino killer made multiple trips to Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. That should at least cause a blip on the Homeland Security radar. Did it? No.
There was a time when the United States was pretty much immune from Islamofacism. In these times of international travel and mass communication, that is no longer the case. They are coming for us, and more are coming- many are already here. Eventually, we will be seeing events like this weekly. Islam, in accordance with the Koran, is at war with the infidels of the West.
Muslims are not moving to Europe for economic opportunity. They are using the power of demographics to conquer Europe. The head of the Muslim Brotherhood said as much. That is the plan. And, barring an epiphany within the European population if not their governments, the plan will succeed. Europe will join the Caliphate.
Islam is dedicated to the Koran’s call for conquest. And they will never, ever stop. The West had better recognize that fact. “Liberals” and other deniers had better understand that all of their pet causes- abortion, gay rights, women’s rights, artistic freedom and so on- are not recognized by Islamic states. As a matter of fact, engaging in the aforementioned is punishable by death.
The Christian church was reformed centuries ago. There are no more Crusades, no more conversions at the point of a sword. Conversely, Islam has not changed one iota. Submit or perish.
If we eliminated Islamic terrorism, 10,000 people would continue to be shot to death by others every year in the US. Why should I worry about being shot by a Moslem when my chances are far greater of being shot to death by someone else?
Agreed. Especially if you’re an inner-city black. But, you’re probably not going to get blown-up. Yet.
Just look at the Middle East.. Incessant turmoil. The only “stable” countries (Israel exceptedl) are totalitarian Islamic states. And the reason for the chaos and violence? Not poverty, not geography, not oil. The problem is Islam itself.
I have read parts of the Koran on the internet. And yes, I probably cherry-picked some Suras to accomodate my point-of-view; and yes, you can do the same thing with the Bible. But the Inquisition and the Crusades were centuries ago; radical Islam is contemporary.
The Koran is a political document, designed to offset the gains of Christianity and unite the Arabs. Plain and simple. The Koran is part dogma, part political creed. And yes, Christianity was in many way a political movement in that it offered a means to exert a creative force previously stunted in the ossified Roman Empire. Toynbee investigates this in depth in his A Study of History.
Toynbee, quoting Macaulay;
“The victory of Christianity over Paganism…furnished the orator with new topics of declamation and the logician with new points of controversy. Above all, it produced a new principle, of which the operation was constantly felt in every part of Society. It stirred the stagnant mass from the inmost depths. It excited all passions of a stormy democracy in the listless population of an overgrown empire. The fear of heresy did what the sense of oppression could not do; it changed men, accustomed to be turned over like sheep from tyrant to tyrant, into devoted partisans and obstinate rebels. The tones of an elequence which had been silent for ages resounded from the pulpit of Gregory. A spirit which had been extinguished on the plains of Philippi revived in Athanasius and Ambrose.”
I did not glean the above information from television.
But Christianity changed over time; from the people to money and power and then, through the Reformation, back to the people.
Islam, conversely, is unchanged from the time of Mohammed. And the insanity of Muslim fanatics must be confronted, and in all probability, crushed. It’s either that, or submit.
I wonder Rick how you came about those passages you cherry picked? From entering “why Muslims kill” into a search engine?
I am currently reading the Quran start to finish, you know, in context. I have yet come across anything that tells them to kill anyone, but I will get back to you.
As for it being a political document, well so was the Old Testament, and the New Testament, as you said, but not in the context of how you see the Quran.
Rick how you came about those passages you cherry picked?
The appropriate Suras are used in countless articles. Easy to find.
I am currently reading the Quran start to finish, you know, in context.
Why? Oh, diversity training.
I have yet come across anything that tells them to kill anyone, but I will get back to you.
Don’t bother. I’m way ahead of you;
Sura 2:191-193
Sura 3:151
Sura 56
Sura 2:98
Read and get back to me- try to avoid using your usual rationalizations as an excuse.
The Middle East has been in economic and social turmoil for centuries. Most Muslim countries are either in a state of perpetual chaos or under the boot of a totalitarian dictatorship. This is because Islam is more than a religion; it is also a form of jurisprudence and government.
The problem of Islamic countries- and their victims- is Islam itself.
Now, if Muslims abroad want to live in the 10th Century, fine. Who cares?
If they want to bring their futility, violence and hatred here- forget it.
Who attacked the World Trade Center- twice? Muslims. Who shot-up Paris? Muslims.
Maybe after they gas the DC Metro, you’ll finally face reality. But for now, you sound just like Obama. But don’t worry, your Delaware Liberal friends- Pandora, Geezer, delacrat- will soon arrive to help.
In the words of the de facto head of the Muslim Iranian state, Khamenei:
“Battle and jihad are endless because evil and its front continue to exist. … This battle will only end when the society can get rid of the oppressors’ front with America at the head of it, which has expanded its claws on human mind, body and thought. … This requires a difficult and lengthy struggle and need for great strides.”
Battle and jihad are endless. As instructed in the Koran.
Frank, since you’re a fan of vapid aphorisms, this is for you:
“There are none so blind as he who will not see.”
Well, I can see- and so can the majority of Americans. The blind are the Obamaites and their naive “religion of peace” sycophants in the media. And you.
“This is because Islam is more than a religion; it is also a form of jurisprudence and government.”
And this is the crux of the matter. This is what the western world needs to take into account when dealing with islam.
In Islam everything is based on God’s will. In the strict Islamic world there are no boarders created by man. Deals and treaties struck by men are only created temporarily to accommodate the realities of the modern world. The Western World are the infidel, and Islamic doctrine states that deals of peace can only last a decade. I would assume that this is why the recent nuclear deal with Iran is a ten year deal. Deception is an obligation. Muhammad said, “If I take an oath and later find something else better, I do what is better and break my oath.”
In my personal opinion religious strife between the Abrahamic religions is sort of ridiculous seeing that they are all just bastardizations of of one original monotheistic religion.
The same characters that are in the Bible are also in the Quran and Tanakh. Islam and Christianity both have similar takes on the “apocalypse” or “the rapture” In fact Jesus plays a role in the “end of days”, and according to Islamic prophecies he will side with Islam.
Rick, “Let he who has eyes see”.
You keep quoting “majority of Americans “. What you are actually quoting, unless you have spoken to the majority of Americans, is a pollster’s results. We all know polls can be manipulated depending on who doing the polling and what result is desired. Simply by what area calls are placed to.
So could you clean up your language and say, “a majority of Americans polled” at least.
So, when Rick was asked how he came about the passages he was quoting about Islam, this was his answer, “The appropriate Suras are used in countless articles. Easy to find.”
So Rick is using the views of someone else’s article to define what he could read for himself, shocking.
To answer your question rick of why I am reading the Quran? So that unlike you, I can make educated comments about the topic, and not simply regurgitate what other haters have written.
Now to once again demonstrate that you cherry pick and take things out of context let me address the verses you listed above from the Quran.
You quoted Surah 2. The Cow, 191-193. I have added 190-195 to add a little context.
“190. Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for Allah loveth not transgressors.
191. And slay them wherever ye catch them, and turn them out from where they have Turned you out; for tumult and oppression are worse than slaughter; but fight them not at the Sacred Mosque, unless they (first) fight you there; but if they fight you, slay them. Such is the reward of those who suppress faith.
192. But if they cease, Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.
193. And fight them on until there is no more Tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah. but if they cease, Let there be no hostility except to those who practise oppression.
194. The prohibited month for the prohibited month,- and so for all things prohibited,- there is the law of equality. If then any one transgresses the prohibition against you, Transgress ye likewise against him. But fear Allah, and know that Allah is with those who restrain themselves.
195. And spend of your substance in the cause of Allah, and make not your own hands contribute to (your) destruction; but do good; for Allah loveth those who do good. ”
You see, if we begin where Rick wants us to, at 191, we get, “191. And slay them wherever ye catch them, and turn them out from where they have Turned you out; for tumult and oppression are worse than slaughter; but fight them not at the Sacred Mosque, unless they (first) fight you there; but if they fight you, slay them. Such is the reward of those who suppress faith. ”
Seems like the Quran is simply saying go out and slay people.
But if we back up just one verse to 190, we see, “190. Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for Allah loveth not transgressors.”
Here we see that the Quran is telling them to fight those who fight them, but do not transgress limits. In my view this would seem to mean, defend yourselves, but do not go beyond self-defense.
And here in 192-193 we see, “192. But if they cease, Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.
193. And fight them on until there is no more Tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah. but if they cease, Let there be no hostility except to those who practise oppression. ”
So again it would seem as though the Quran is telling Muslims that they should fight only to defend themselves, and to fight until they win, but if the enemy ceases the fight, they should also cease. ” Let there be no hostility except to those who practise oppression. ”
As for Surah 2:98, again I add 2:97 and 2:99 for context,
“97. Say: Whoever is an enemy to Gabriel-for he brings down the (revelation) to thy heart by Allah.s will, a confirmation of what went before, and guidance and glad tidings for those who believe,-
98. Whoever is an enemy to Allah and His angels and apostles, to Gabriel and Michael,- Lo! Allah is an enemy to those who reject Faith.
99. We have sent down to thee Manifest Signs (ayat); and none reject them but those who are perverse.”
All this is saying is that if you reject God, then God will reject you. How is this any different than what is said in the Bible many times?
As for your other Quran quotes Rick, I have not read through them in their entirety, so I won’t comment on them out of context.
I would say though, you are doing exactly what the religious extremist do, you are taking things out of context to make the point you wish to make. They take things out of context to incite people to violence. You are no better than the terrorist.
You are an intelligent man Rick, why not take the time to actually educate yourself, instead of simply searching for support of what you already believe?
Mass shooting or act of terrorism…we won’t know until a motive is uncovered.
Sadly, it’s just another day in the USA.
Personally, I’m happy to see that people are tired of hearing politicians offer their “thoughts and prayers” as opposed to action of some kind–even minimal. By all means, pray your rear end off, but act also in the physical world because the prayers and thoughts don’t seem to be working. I’m sure FOX will have a field day with “The War on Prayer.”
Tara, you are correct, Fox started this morning, but in fairness they were reacting to the New York Daily News front page.
Last week, when a lunatic shot people at a Planned Parenthood clinic, the hysterical leftist media and their Socialist-Democrat political masters blamed the event on “anti-abortion rhetoric.”
Today, the blame for San Bernadino is placed on an inanimate object- “guns.”
It’s interesting that the left never blames the individuals who commit the crime.
Pretty sad commentary when people believe that the only way to stop society from killing each other off is to keep them from procuring modern weaponry.
” I’m happy to see that people are tired of hearing politicians offer their “thoughts and prayers” – Tara
“thoughts and prayers” is code for don’t think or do anything.
If only everyone was forced to carry guns all the time, we would all be ok
“Pretty sad commentary when people believe that the only way to stop society from killing each other off is to keep them from procuring modern weaponry.” -frightenedbluehen
Yes, the 14 people killed in San Bernardino are better off because the people who shot them had modern weaponry.
If only everyone was forced to carry guns all the time, we would all be ok
Give it time. Anyone under the age of thirty who isn’t proficient in the use of firearms will someday be a lamb for the slaughter. It’s going to get a lot worse; it isn’t guns, it’s people and thosewho manipulate the people. When a society is lead down the road to orchestrated chaos, what result would you expect?
When I read Burgess’ “A Clockwork Orange” in high school, it never occurred to me that he was actually prescient. We are almost there.
I’m curious as to what the administration’s spin doctors will finally label this event.
I’m thinking something like “quasi jihadist workplace violence”.
“Yes, the 14 people killed in San Bernardino are better off because the people who shot them had modern weaponry.”
I think you missed my point, delecrat. My point is that it’s a pretty sad state of affairs when society is so vicious and uncivilized that we think the only way to stop people from killing each other is to take away their ability to get a gun.
Why are people offended by Christmas Trees, and Nativity Scenes, but they aren’t offended by the date, specifically the year? I mean, that’s something that you have to acknowledge on a daily basis.
And we’re supposed to reley on our government to “vet” the refugees. The San Bernardino killer made multiple trips to Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. That should at least cause a blip on the Homeland Security radar. Did it? No.
There was a time when the United States was pretty much immune from Islamofacism. In these times of international travel and mass communication, that is no longer the case. They are coming for us, and more are coming- many are already here. Eventually, we will be seeing events like this weekly. Islam, in accordance with the Koran, is at war with the infidels of the West.
Muslims are not moving to Europe for economic opportunity. They are using the power of demographics to conquer Europe. The head of the Muslim Brotherhood said as much. That is the plan. And, barring an epiphany within the European population if not their governments, the plan will succeed. Europe will join the Caliphate.
Islam is dedicated to the Koran’s call for conquest. And they will never, ever stop. The West had better recognize that fact. “Liberals” and other deniers had better understand that all of their pet causes- abortion, gay rights, women’s rights, artistic freedom and so on- are not recognized by Islamic states. As a matter of fact, engaging in the aforementioned is punishable by death.
The Christian church was reformed centuries ago. There are no more Crusades, no more conversions at the point of a sword. Conversely, Islam has not changed one iota. Submit or perish.
If we eliminated Islamic terrorism, 10,000 people would continue to be shot to death by others every year in the US. Why should I worry about being shot by a Moslem when my chances are far greater of being shot to death by someone else?
Agreed. Especially if you’re an inner-city black. But, you’re probably not going to get blown-up. Yet.
Just look at the Middle East.. Incessant turmoil. The only “stable” countries (Israel exceptedl) are totalitarian Islamic states. And the reason for the chaos and violence? Not poverty, not geography, not oil. The problem is Islam itself.
“Islam is dedicated to the Koran’s call for conquest.”
“Islam, in accordance with the Koran, is at war with the infidels of the West. “
You have read the Koran or do you watch too much TV ?
I have read parts of the Koran on the internet. And yes, I probably cherry-picked some Suras to accomodate my point-of-view; and yes, you can do the same thing with the Bible. But the Inquisition and the Crusades were centuries ago; radical Islam is contemporary.
The Koran is a political document, designed to offset the gains of Christianity and unite the Arabs. Plain and simple. The Koran is part dogma, part political creed. And yes, Christianity was in many way a political movement in that it offered a means to exert a creative force previously stunted in the ossified Roman Empire. Toynbee investigates this in depth in his A Study of History.
Toynbee, quoting Macaulay;
“The victory of Christianity over Paganism…furnished the orator with new topics of declamation and the logician with new points of controversy. Above all, it produced a new principle, of which the operation was constantly felt in every part of Society. It stirred the stagnant mass from the inmost depths. It excited all passions of a stormy democracy in the listless population of an overgrown empire. The fear of heresy did what the sense of oppression could not do; it changed men, accustomed to be turned over like sheep from tyrant to tyrant, into devoted partisans and obstinate rebels. The tones of an elequence which had been silent for ages resounded from the pulpit of Gregory. A spirit which had been extinguished on the plains of Philippi revived in Athanasius and Ambrose.”
I did not glean the above information from television.
But Christianity changed over time; from the people to money and power and then, through the Reformation, back to the people.
Islam, conversely, is unchanged from the time of Mohammed. And the insanity of Muslim fanatics must be confronted, and in all probability, crushed. It’s either that, or submit.
yes, I probably cherry-picked some Suras to accomodate my point-of-view.” – Rick
So, cherry-picking the Koran makes you an authority on Islam.
I wonder Rick how you came about those passages you cherry picked? From entering “why Muslims kill” into a search engine?
I am currently reading the Quran start to finish, you know, in context. I have yet come across anything that tells them to kill anyone, but I will get back to you.
As for it being a political document, well so was the Old Testament, and the New Testament, as you said, but not in the context of how you see the Quran.
Rick how you came about those passages you cherry picked?
The appropriate Suras are used in countless articles. Easy to find.
I am currently reading the Quran start to finish, you know, in context.
Why? Oh, diversity training.
I have yet come across anything that tells them to kill anyone, but I will get back to you.
Don’t bother. I’m way ahead of you;
Sura 2:191-193
Sura 3:151
Sura 56
Sura 2:98
Read and get back to me- try to avoid using your usual rationalizations as an excuse.
The Middle East has been in economic and social turmoil for centuries. Most Muslim countries are either in a state of perpetual chaos or under the boot of a totalitarian dictatorship. This is because Islam is more than a religion; it is also a form of jurisprudence and government.
The problem of Islamic countries- and their victims- is Islam itself.
Now, if Muslims abroad want to live in the 10th Century, fine. Who cares?
If they want to bring their futility, violence and hatred here- forget it.
Who attacked the World Trade Center- twice? Muslims. Who shot-up Paris? Muslims.
Maybe after they gas the DC Metro, you’ll finally face reality. But for now, you sound just like Obama. But don’t worry, your Delaware Liberal friends- Pandora, Geezer, delacrat- will soon arrive to help.
In the words of the de facto head of the Muslim Iranian state, Khamenei:
“Battle and jihad are endless because evil and its front continue to exist. … This battle will only end when the society can get rid of the oppressors’ front with America at the head of it, which has expanded its claws on human mind, body and thought. … This requires a difficult and lengthy struggle and need for great strides.”
Battle and jihad are endless. As instructed in the Koran.
Frank, since you’re a fan of vapid aphorisms, this is for you:
“There are none so blind as he who will not see.”
Well, I can see- and so can the majority of Americans. The blind are the Obamaites and their naive “religion of peace” sycophants in the media. And you.
“This is because Islam is more than a religion; it is also a form of jurisprudence and government.”
And this is the crux of the matter. This is what the western world needs to take into account when dealing with islam.
In Islam everything is based on God’s will. In the strict Islamic world there are no boarders created by man. Deals and treaties struck by men are only created temporarily to accommodate the realities of the modern world. The Western World are the infidel, and Islamic doctrine states that deals of peace can only last a decade. I would assume that this is why the recent nuclear deal with Iran is a ten year deal. Deception is an obligation. Muhammad said, “If I take an oath and later find something else better, I do what is better and break my oath.”
In my personal opinion religious strife between the Abrahamic religions is sort of ridiculous seeing that they are all just bastardizations of of one original monotheistic religion.
The same characters that are in the Bible are also in the Quran and Tanakh. Islam and Christianity both have similar takes on the “apocalypse” or “the rapture” In fact Jesus plays a role in the “end of days”, and according to Islamic prophecies he will side with Islam.
Rick, “Let he who has eyes see”.
You keep quoting “majority of Americans “. What you are actually quoting, unless you have spoken to the majority of Americans, is a pollster’s results. We all know polls can be manipulated depending on who doing the polling and what result is desired. Simply by what area calls are placed to.
So could you clean up your language and say, “a majority of Americans polled” at least.
“Now, if Muslims abroad want to live in the 10th Century, fine.” – Rick
Do you actually know any Muslims ?
“Who attacked the World Trade Center- twice? “ – RicK
Who nuked Japan-twice ?
“Maybe after they gas the DC Metro, you’ll finally face reality. “ – Rick
Rick, take a pill. What is anybody going to “gas”, bomb or whatever in Sussex County?
A cornfield ?
So if I type in Rush for my new anti Islamic terrorist home protection kit, how much is my discount and how much gold do I get? lol
So, when Rick was asked how he came about the passages he was quoting about Islam, this was his answer, “The appropriate Suras are used in countless articles. Easy to find.”
So Rick is using the views of someone else’s article to define what he could read for himself, shocking.
To answer your question rick of why I am reading the Quran? So that unlike you, I can make educated comments about the topic, and not simply regurgitate what other haters have written.
Now to once again demonstrate that you cherry pick and take things out of context let me address the verses you listed above from the Quran.
You quoted Surah 2. The Cow, 191-193. I have added 190-195 to add a little context.
“190. Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for Allah loveth not transgressors.
191. And slay them wherever ye catch them, and turn them out from where they have Turned you out; for tumult and oppression are worse than slaughter; but fight them not at the Sacred Mosque, unless they (first) fight you there; but if they fight you, slay them. Such is the reward of those who suppress faith.
192. But if they cease, Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.
193. And fight them on until there is no more Tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah. but if they cease, Let there be no hostility except to those who practise oppression.
194. The prohibited month for the prohibited month,- and so for all things prohibited,- there is the law of equality. If then any one transgresses the prohibition against you, Transgress ye likewise against him. But fear Allah, and know that Allah is with those who restrain themselves.
195. And spend of your substance in the cause of Allah, and make not your own hands contribute to (your) destruction; but do good; for Allah loveth those who do good. ”
You see, if we begin where Rick wants us to, at 191, we get, “191. And slay them wherever ye catch them, and turn them out from where they have Turned you out; for tumult and oppression are worse than slaughter; but fight them not at the Sacred Mosque, unless they (first) fight you there; but if they fight you, slay them. Such is the reward of those who suppress faith. ”
Seems like the Quran is simply saying go out and slay people.
But if we back up just one verse to 190, we see, “190. Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for Allah loveth not transgressors.”
Here we see that the Quran is telling them to fight those who fight them, but do not transgress limits. In my view this would seem to mean, defend yourselves, but do not go beyond self-defense.
And here in 192-193 we see, “192. But if they cease, Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.
193. And fight them on until there is no more Tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah. but if they cease, Let there be no hostility except to those who practise oppression. ”
So again it would seem as though the Quran is telling Muslims that they should fight only to defend themselves, and to fight until they win, but if the enemy ceases the fight, they should also cease. ” Let there be no hostility except to those who practise oppression. ”
As for Surah 2:98, again I add 2:97 and 2:99 for context,
“97. Say: Whoever is an enemy to Gabriel-for he brings down the (revelation) to thy heart by Allah.s will, a confirmation of what went before, and guidance and glad tidings for those who believe,-
98. Whoever is an enemy to Allah and His angels and apostles, to Gabriel and Michael,- Lo! Allah is an enemy to those who reject Faith.
99. We have sent down to thee Manifest Signs (ayat); and none reject them but those who are perverse.”
All this is saying is that if you reject God, then God will reject you. How is this any different than what is said in the Bible many times?
As for your other Quran quotes Rick, I have not read through them in their entirety, so I won’t comment on them out of context.
I would say though, you are doing exactly what the religious extremist do, you are taking things out of context to make the point you wish to make. They take things out of context to incite people to violence. You are no better than the terrorist.
You are an intelligent man Rick, why not take the time to actually educate yourself, instead of simply searching for support of what you already believe?