The fact that she has been forced to do this by these inhuman hatemongers is simply intolerable. Note that her profuse apologies made no difference. We should all take this as a lesson: there is NO compromising or negotiating with these sorts of people. They will kill us if they can. We can't allow people like them to run the world, and certainly not to determine what we Americans can and cannot do in our own country.

I hear you, man. I feel the same way - Angie Harmon and Sandra Bullock have long been at the top of my list. Angie Harmon is a stunningly beautiful woman, and the fact that she's conservative just makes her that much more attractive.

My understanding is that Speedy Gonzales was a quite popular character among Latinos.

Hear, hear! I'm sick to death of the romanticizing of divorce and abandonment. I've seen more than one so-called 'romantic comedy' that began with this vile old chestnut, and it never fails to make me instantly dislike the protagonist. Everything that follows is tainted by that act of unfaithfulness and betrayal.

It would be so refreshing to see a movie in which a character remains faithful despite temptation and difficulty, instead of abandoning all they pledged to keep sacred because "It just wasn't right for me," or any of the hundred other ways of trying to justify simple human selfishness.

I've had mixed feelings about the label "Christian", but ultimately, I've concluded that the important thing is to get your meaning across in any given situation. The fact is, people have had bad associations with the label "Christian" since the Romans first started using it. There are records that ancient Romans accused Christians of "hating humanity". Whether this was a misunderstanding of Christian beliefs (which were totally at odds with Roman virtues) or a criticism of hypocrisy among followers of Jesus, we still see the same reactions from people today. So, in short, I don't worry about it so much any more. People will think whatever they think about the Church - what's important is that I do my best to follow Jesus.

I have started self-identifying as a "born-again Christian," because I've found that while a lot of people will identify themselves as Christians, they will espouse beliefs that are in absolute opposition to what the Bible says. Very few of these people will identify themselves as "born-again", which Jesus said was synonymous with entering the Kingdom of Heaven.

As far as my reaction to Anne Rice's statement, I sympathize with her, but I would encourage her to consider that these are the people Jesus died for and considers His Bride, as others in this thread have pointed out. I've been hurt by people in the Church, and I've felt like an outsider among them. It happens - the Church is made up of human beings, many of whom have come to realize how screwed up they are (and sometimes they forget!). And I know people outside of the Church who are people I respect and enjoy being around far more than Church-folk. Sometimes it seems like all of the best people are non-Christians. In some cases, maybe they are.

But that's not the point. The point is to love the unloveable, like Jesus did. As much as I want to offer Anne my sympathies, and I recognize that people in pain need to be able to express that, I also want to encourage her to let these experiences increase her love of and awe toward God, that He could not only put up with all of our selfishness and cruelty and fractiousness, but love us so much that He would sacrifice Himself for us, and offer to make us His own children.

Same here. I've always loved Superman; it's a shame he doesn't get the respect that Batman gets from comics fans. Bats is great and all, but Supes isn't just heroic, he's also likeable.

It's tragic that so many of the people writing these iconic heroes seem so determined to water them down or even to outright betray what they've always stood for, not just in movies but also in the comics themselves.

On the Fourth of July I was marching down the street with a group of Patriots chanting, “We’re an Angry Mob! Have a Nice Day! Read a History Book! Have a Nice Day!”

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I love this.

That's a good point. Considering how much of Leftist thought is based on hatred as motivator (class hatred, to take an example from the Communist Manifesto), this Newspeak definition makes perfect sense. To those indoctrinated into such a philosophy, hate is a perfectly legitimate response toward those perceived to be in power, or otherwise in a class scapegoated as being responsible for social injustices (such as the wealthy Bourgeoisie).

Marvel already published "Truth: Red, White and Black," in which it was revealed that the super-serum which turns Steve Rogers into Captain America was first tested on black soldiers, many of whom were killed by it.

So I wouldn't be surprised.

Considering how quick he is to condemn, antagonize and harass his fellow Americans - everything from specifically naming Rush Limbaugh as an enemy in speeches to calling Sgt. James Crowley "stupid" without knowing the facts of the Gates arrest to pursuing a lawsuit against the state of Arizona for protecting American citizens, something the Federal government was supposed to be doing and wasn't - versus how quick he is to bow down and kowtow to our nation's enemies, I'd have to say he's anti-American.

While I wouldn't claim President Obama was unintelligent, I would say that he was and is not qualified to be the President of the United States of America. From his diplomatic gaffes (bowing to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia; giving lame/nonfunctioning gifts to dignitaries) to being neutral when he should have taken a stand (the pro-democracy rallies in Iran; the Turkish flotilla incident) to his questionable leadership abilities (his ridiculous delay in dealing with the BP oil spill; his handling of the War on Terror - er, the Nonspecific Campaign Involving Man-Caused Disasters In Some Way - and the war in Afghanistan), I must conclude that he is terribly unwise, and certainly an incompetent President.