"but I'm not going to pretend this traitor will be in my prayers either."

What an awful thing to say.

does not sufficiently express my contempt for your attitude. Perhaps dailykos.com would be more your speed...

Here's an idea: if you have wretched thoughts like that, keep them to yourself. That way, we don't get angry and you don't look like a d-bag.

Just an idea.

In politics, you have your word and your friends; go back on either and you're dead. (Rule #11 of the public policy process)

This is a good opportunity to show that horrible comments about the sick or the dead are hallmarks of the left.

I vehemently disagree with pretty much everything Ted Kennedy stands for, but unlike folks on the left, I don't wish to see my opponent die a horrible death.

Ted Kennedy has been a great Senator to his constituents and a loyal public servant. Nobody has authored more legislation than him, and he's a respected on both sides of the aisle.

I wish him and his family the very best during these trying times and they will be in my prayers.

We all remember what was said about Tony Snow on the lefty blogs, so if for whatever reason you were born without basic human emotions like empathy, at least pretend.

Feed your brain at The Hot Joints

They pray for their *enemies* to surrender or die.

Kennedy is an opponent, not an enemy.

And I prayed for the Holy Spirit to comfort him and his family in their time of need. To say that conservatives don't pray for their opponents health is a totally absurd comment. My prayers have very little partisanship to them, maybe you pray differently.

"Land of the Free and Home of da Whopper" Peter Griffin...Family Guy

conform and celebrate diversity....or else!!!

GP: Cons pray for enemies
Me: No they don't, they pray for opponents. Kennedy is not an enemy, he is a political opponent

Or you meant to reply to the other guy and not me.

never really meant any of the things he said regarding Conservatives/Republicans and was secretly helping us to gain our objectves. That his efforts to undermine and discredit our beliefs was his way of showing his love for us? That he was really trying to show us the 'error of our ways' to guide us into a Democratic version of 'Heaven on Earth'???

An 'opponent' disagrees with you but respects you and your beliefs and will not denigrate or belittle you.

An enemy wants to destroy you and everything you stand for using any and all weapons at his disposal.

Sen. Kennedy is fighting to destroy what I believe in, therefore he is my enemy. Just because he's not trying to physically destroy me, doesn't change his objective. Despite what you may believe, Sen. Kennedy is an enemy!

I'm still praying for him and his family. His family loves him. Its a tough thing to watch someone you love go through something like this. They'll need all the prayers they can get and they'll get mine!!!!!

He does not want to "destroy you and everything you stand for using any and all weapons at his disposal". This is just hyperbole. Do you think he would shoot you in the head if he passed you in the street? Do you think he would like to sit in a golden palace and have us all build him temples on land that we once owned?

If you want to call him your enemy, fine, that's your prerogative. I choose to reserve that word for other types of people. If you can still pray for the speedy recovery of the kinds of people that I consider enemies, well, you are one heck of a Christian is all I can say.

from the Collins Essential English dictionary:
enemy
Noun
pl -mies
1. a person who is hostile or opposed to a person, group, or idea
2. a hostile nation or people
3. something that harms or opposes something

From the American Heritage Dictionary:
en·e·my (n-m)
n. pl. en·e·mies
1. One who feels hatred toward, intends injury to, or opposes the interests of another; a foe.
2.
a. A hostile power or force, such as a nation.
b. A member or unit of such a force.
3. A group of foes or hostile forces. See Usage Note at collective noun.
4. Something destructive or injurious in its effects
(my emphasis)

Does Sen. Kennedy oppose my beliefs? Yes
How far would he go to gain advantage over those who share my beliefs? Pretty far!
Does he personally dislike me? He doesn't know I exist.
Do I hate him personally? No
Do I intensely oppose what he stands for? You betcha!
Does he support my physical destruction? No
Would he try to kill me or anyone else? No
Would he stop someone who was trying to kill me/anyone? I don't know.

Using the commonly accepted definiton of enemy, he is my enemy, and I'll still pray for him and his family!

You're right, according to the dictionary, he is your enemy.

And the guy across the street that wants to put in a double-wide is my enemy.

And the drunk who hit my dog is my enemy.

And the terrorist who blew up buildings in my country is my enemy.

Guess which one I would not be praying for if he had a brain tumor? I'm pretty sure you know where I was going with my original point.

and when my Lord said:

"But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you," (Mat 5:44 NASB)

I figured He meant what he said so I do it! Even for the muslim terrorists!

If you start changing what words mean soon words won't mean anything.

Conservative does not necessarily equal Christian.

I'll just leave our discussion there.

Wanted to apologize for that before I ended this thread, as EPU said.

See Lincoln, in his First Inaugural Address (1861), addressing himself to pro-slavery secessionists (who were much more his political opponents as Kennedy is ours):

"We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection."

And here he is after the secessionists had indeed become his (and the Union's) enemy:
With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.

"People will not look forward to posterity who never look backward to their ancestors." -Edmund Burke

And yes, my voice is raised. This has turned into a ridiculous sideshow. This is about Ted Kennedy, and ONLY Kennedy and family. Two options:

(1) give your best wishes to them
(2) STFU.

Argue the semantics of "opponents" or "enemies" on your own diaries, if you have to have that argument.

At RedState we do not mock or wish ill for fallen Democrats. That's our culture.

IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?

Unfair. Unbalanced. Unmedicated. -- IMAO

to keep this thing civilized and on track. It just got to sounding like kids bickering in the hospital room while grandpa's over there trying to get some rest.

But yeah, I'm feeling real saucy today, I should be more ...... well, not so surly. Sorry man.

Unfair. Unbalanced. Unmedicated. -- IMAO

You get all loud and stuff.
But, that is okay. These two needed to take it elsewhere.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just a typical, small town, white girl...

I know. I'm not young enough to do that anymore. I been a bit surly at work today too.

Unfair. Unbalanced. Unmedicated. -- IMAO

Gaw, I need my sleep now. At 20-something, not so much.
Walk on over to Starbucks and have a Mocha Frap, make it a venti for me. Your co-workers will thank you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just a typical, small town, white girl...

Unfair. Unbalanced. Unmedicated. -- IMAO

As we say in the south, I usetacould stay up till 3, then get back up at 4:30 and run 5 miles.

Nowadays I'm ready for bed by 3 alright. PM.

Sigh.

absentee
Also Find Me Here.

Just a typical, small town, white girl...

Tim Schieferecke

I apologize for jumping the gun....But I am still glad I said it just in case someone thought they could get away with not having a comma.....;)

"Land of the Free and Home of da Whopper" Peter Griffin...Family Guy

conform and celebrate diversity....or else!!!

"People will not look forward to posterity who never look backward to their ancestors." -Edmund Burke

At this risk of this turning too religious, conservatives may pray for their enemies to surrender or die, but Christians pray for our enemies to convert.

www.republicansenate.org

the most angry Daily-Kos poster with the average liberal.

That's the problem with the internet as a forum (or series of fora) for political discussion. Very tempting for people to just unload their emotions, and then therefore the reader gets a grossly caricatured view of their opponents.

"People will not look forward to posterity who never look backward to their ancestors." -Edmund Burke

the most angry Daily-Kos poster with the average liberal."

Assuming there's a spectrum in between, where does this guy fit?

http://anglonoelnatter.blogspot.com/2007/11/jello-biafra-for-white-house...

Democrats don't claim him and he wouldn't claim to be one. He's tried for the green party nomination before and was trounced.

He's a punk rock legend. His notability comes from his musical history not from his occasional dalliances into electoral politics. Some people on the left find him entertaining, but few would vote for him. I suppose you could compare him to someone like Ted Nugent on the right. Both make their over the top politics part of their act.

In 1979 he ran for mayor of San Fransisco against DiFi and got something like 3% of the vote. I think his platform included banning cars and making businessmen wear clown suits.

and I did at my own blog. But I'll just add my post as a comment here.
--------

When a political opponent suffers a personal crisis, especially one of health, we have a choice to make. When that opponent has been a powerful foe, strident and even demagogic at times, it's tempting to express pleasure. I, of course, am not above such low sentiments. I wish that I were, but it's one area where my humanity makes me appear inhuman.

But now it appears that Senator Edward "Ted" Kennedy has not suffered a stroke, but a seisure brought on by a malignant brain tumor.

Those saying "It couldn't happen to a nicer guy" or "Serves him right for doing X for Y years" need only know that they, too, will have an end, leaving behind people who love them.

My own father and I disagreed politically. He was a lot more liberal than I am, and an atheist. He contracted cancer and died after a long illness. Our disagreement on politics and religion didn't harm our relationship, as far as I know, and in his later years we would have discussions that we could not have had without our differences.

He was a good man, and Senator Kennedy reminds me of him. Dad was a hearty drinker, and never lost his small-town ways. Arrogant and something of an intellectual snob, he regularly bent over backwards to help those less fortunate than himself.

Though I think his policies are misguided, Senator Kennedy is at least genuine, and believes in what he professes. In a government full of windsocks, that is something to respect.

Now, those rejoicing over the Senator's pain may be convinced that they themselves are better people than he, and so are more deserving of health and life. Then surely their own loved ones will be all the more disappointed when those now rejoicing do themselves begin the universal struggle at the end of life.

For those who love us do not necessarily agree with us. Senator Kennedy may be loved by people who agree with you in every detail except for their affection for him. And you rejoice when they are stung by the news of his illness.

If you cannot think of those affected by his eventual passing, of which this hospitalization is a stark reminder, think of those who will be affected by your own. Who will weep? Who will miss your patronage?

If no one springs to mind, then I wonder who indeed has the better of whom?

--
Gone 2500 years, still not PC.

I view Ted Kennedy as a political opponent that is diametrically oppossed to my views.

Nevertheless, I still feel compassion for the man and for his family, and I wish them all my heart felt condolences for Sen. Kennedy's condition.

I'm also happy to see that the vast majority of postings here on RedState have been of a similar nature.
______________________________
"The truth is not for all men, but only for those who seek it."
-Ayn Rand

I hope that along with a recovery, he retires from the senate.

His personal suffering will never mask the fact that no one man I can think of has done more to foster harmful and hateful ideas in this nations history.

"Nothing works like freedom, Nothing succeeds like liberty"
Kyle

As much as we vehemently dislike Teddy I can't imagine wishing this on him or anyone else. I hope this gives him chance to make amends with the guy upstairs, as well as helps us moderate our views towards political opponents. We have to assume Ted is doing what he thinks is right for our country, and we need to appreciate that. His family has paid a huge toll to our nation by any measure so I suppose that justifies (to some extent) the near-royal treatment we give the Kennedys.

Get well Teddy!