Pursuit of Happiness or Self-Destruction

[GammaEta67]

One of the things that I have found interesting is Sarah Palin's vehement defense of people's right to be fat. Perhaps she stopped short of calling it a "God-given right", but she came very close.

I am not aware of anything in the Bible that suggests that overeating or gluttony is in any way pleasing to God. If anything, quite the opposite is the case. Jesus taught by the example of fasting, meditation, and prayer, and counseled us to set our hearts on the things of heaven rather than the things of this world. Sarah Palin must have been thinking about something else.

But what?

Do we suppose she was thinking about the Declaration of Independence with it's inalienable right to the "pursuit of happiness"? Can we imagine that that the Founders foresaw America's love affair with McDonald's Happy Meal? Is it possible to argue that putting aside the Happy Meal will actually make us happier than if we don't put it aside? Most rational people would probably say yes, but it is obvious that most people are not rational when it comes to their culinary pleasures. How can any of us say that a deep dish cheese pizza and a half-gallon of Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla ice cream won't make us happy, at least temporarily?

Under these circumstances, it is entirely possible that the linguistic and philosophical anomaly inherent in the Founders' words is the root of the problem. Have we created a syllogistic self-destruct mechanism? Will the pursuit of happiness in the form of Happy Meals and/or any of the other thousands of variants thereof now present in the American marketplace lead to our happiness?

Or will it lead to our self-destruction?

What say ye?

[scout3dave]

Originally Posted by GammaEta67

One of the things that I have found interesting is Sarah Palin's vehement defense of people's right to be fat. Perhaps she stopped short of calling it a "God-given right", but she came very close.

I am not aware of anything in the Bible that suggests that overeating or gluttony is in any way pleasing to God. If anything, quite the opposite is the case. Jesus taught by the example of fasting, meditation, and prayer, and counseled us to set our hearts on the things of heaven rather than the things of this world. Sarah Palin must have been thinking about something else.

But what?

Do we suppose she was thinking about the Declaration of Independence with it's inalienable right to the "pursuit of happiness"? Can we imagine that that the Founders foresaw America's love affair with McDonald's Happy Meal? Is it possible to argue that putting aside the Happy Meal will actually make us happier than if we don't put it aside? Most rational people would probably say yes, but it is obvious that most people are not rational when it comes to their culinary pleasures. How can any of us say that a deep dish cheese pizza and a half-gallon of Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla ice cream won't make us happy, at least temporarily?

Under these circumstances, it is entirely possible that the linguistic and philosophical anomaly inherent in the Founders' words is the root of the problem. Have we created a syllogistic self-destruct mechanism? Will the pursuit of happiness in the form of Happy Meals and/or any of the other thousands of variants thereof now present in the American marketplace lead to our happiness?

Or will it lead to our self-destruction?

What say ye?

I am afraid I haven't been keeping up, what did she say?

[GammaEta67]

Originally Posted by scout3dave

I am afraid I haven't been keeping up, what did she say?

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_1...-10391704.html

(CBS) Americans don't usually get fitness advice from Sarah Palin, but last week the mother of five lashed out at Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" program to help curb childhood obesity by helping kids eat well and stay active.

"Take her anti-obesity thing that she is on. She is on this kick, right. What she is telling us is she cannot trust parents to make decisions for their own children, for their own families in what we should eat," Palin said on Laura Ingraham's national radio show. "Instead of a government thinking that they need to take over and make decisions for us according to some politician or politician's wife's priorities, just leave us alone, get off our back, and allow us as individuals to exercise our own God-given rights to make our own decisions and then our country gets back on the right track."

The "God-given rights" Palin hopes to protect apparently involve not having to listen to healthy eating advice, learning about portion size and encouraging kids to play more sports and watch less TV.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, childhood obesity has tripled in the last 30 years, putting millions of kids at risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease and bone and joint disorders.

[Diverdog]

Originally Posted by scout3dave

I am afraid I haven't been keeping up, what did she say?

Dave:

She has been blasting Michelle Obama's efforts to keep our children from getting fat. Even Huckabee supports Obama and has told Palin she is wrong. But that does not stop Palin.

[GammaEta67]

Originally Posted by Diverdog

Dave:

She has been blasting Michelle Obama's efforts to keep our children from getting fat. Even Huckabee supports Obama and has told Palin she is wrong. But that does not stop Palin.

What did she call herself? A pit bull with lipstick? Apparently all she knows is to fight against whatever Obama wants. No independent vision about what's best for the country. No discernment. No fairness. No judgment. Just negative reactionary partisan politics, pure and simple. I think she's right, she really is a pit bull with lipstick. And that kind of mentality is precisely the reason we are in the situation we are today. No national vision. No national leadership. No national unity. None!

[Duke Silver]

Originally Posted by GammaEta67

One of the things that I have found interesting is Sarah Palin's vehement defense of people's right to be fat. Perhaps she stopped short of calling it a "God-given right", but she came very close.

I am not aware of anything in the Bible that suggests that overeating or gluttony is in any way pleasing to God. If anything, quite the opposite is the case. Jesus taught by the example of fasting, meditation, and prayer, and counseled us to set our hearts on the things of heaven rather than the things of this world. Sarah Palin must have been thinking about something else.

But what?

Do we suppose she was thinking about the Declaration of Independence with it's inalienable right to the "pursuit of happiness"? Can we imagine that that the Founders foresaw America's love affair with McDonald's Happy Meal? Is it possible to argue that putting aside the Happy Meal will actually make us happier than if we don't put it aside? Most rational people would probably say yes, but it is obvious that most people are not rational when it comes to their culinary pleasures. How can any of us say that a deep dish cheese pizza and a half-gallon of Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla ice cream won't make us happy, at least temporarily?

Under these circumstances, it is entirely possible that the linguistic and philosophical anomaly inherent in the Founders' words is the root of the problem. Have we created a syllogistic self-destruct mechanism? Will the pursuit of happiness in the form of Happy Meals and/or any of the other thousands of variants thereof now present in the American marketplace lead to our happiness?

Or will it lead to our self-destruction?

What say ye?

It is simply that her political enemies are for trying to limit obesity, therefore she must be against it. That she gets to throw in a little anti-nanny state government talk is a bonus. That is the beginning and end of her motivation, gamma. I highly, hightly doubt the Bible or the Declaration of Independence ever entered her mind.

[GammaEta67]

Originally Posted by Duke Silver

It is simply that her political enemies are for trying to limit obesity, therefore she must be against it. That she gets to throw in a little anti-nanny state government talk is a bonus. That is the beginning and end of her motivation, gamma. I highly, hightly doubt the Bible or the Declaration of Independence ever entered her mind.

I think you're right, Dukey. See my last post above.

[editionshield]

Originally Posted by GammaEta67

What did she call herself? A pit bull with lipstick? Apparently all she knows is to fight against whatever Obama wants. No independent vision about what's best for the country. No discernment. No fairness. No judgment. Just negative reactionary partisan politics, pure and simple. I think she's right, she really is a pit bull with lipstick. And that kind of mentality is precisely the reason we are in the situation we are today. No national vision. No national leadership. No national unity. None!

Many if not most of us have been well aware of this from the outset with her. What was the reason it has taken you so long to come around?

[GammaEta67]

Originally Posted by editionshield

Many if not most of us have been well aware of this from the outset with her. What was the reason it has taken you so long to come around?

I usually like to give people the benefit of the doubt until they show me they're not entitled to it. I was willing to do that with Obama, and I was willing to do that with Palin. Unfortunately, neither Palin nor Obama has proven to be worthy of the kind of hope I was willing to associate with them. But there were a lot of things I liked about Palin. Her Alaskan lifestyle was a breath of fresh air that seemed to hearken back to a younger, freer, and more optimistic and hopeful America, with our best days still ahead of us. And that's the America I'd like to see again. But as Barack Obama said, in the strained and steadily worsening circumstances we find ourselves today, to entertain any real hope about anyting takes an enormous amount of audacity.

[scout3dave]

Originally Posted by Diverdog

Dave:

She has been blasting Michelle Obama's efforts to keep our children from getting fat. Even Huckabee supports Obama and has told Palin she is wrong. But that does not stop Palin.

Thanks, people need to pick their battles or you just look foolish.

[NeverAgain]

Originally Posted by Diverdog

Dave:

She has been blasting Michelle Obama's efforts to keep our children from getting fat. Even Huckabee supports Obama and has told Palin she is wrong. But that does not stop Palin.

Drivel.

She's against the Fed dictating who is and isn't overweight.

She's not pro-fat.

Besides, have you seen the size of Michelle Obama's ass ?