31. Mo,
First let's start with the issue of gay marriage. Of course there are more people who are for it in this generation, there are more gays (and people who know them personally and such) in this generation. I personally don't approve of it, but since when has a Christian's religious beliefs ever been part of the government (though it is, and should be, or else we wouldn't have any rules and then we'd probably go up Canada. I pretty much agree with Seth (taking out all the curse words) that Christianity is seen as a plague, as though it were the cause of all our troubles. It's not. It was on Christianity that our country was founded.
Alright, now to abortion. Again, this is something I object to. It's been scientifically proven that it's a baby from the moment of conception, no need to argue. Also, rape victims. Only about 2% of women who are raped in the USA actually become pregnant, and even then there's adoption. So pretty much most of the people are getting to kill somebody for not using protection. I mean seriously people. Here's my final comment on the subject. If a person is responsible enough to hold the choice of life or death for a person, they should be responsible enough to use a condom.
Also, although I don't agree with everything Bush does, I do think that it's important that we stand behind him. It's like we're his parent, in a way. Like the way your parents used to offer you advice, but you still ran your own life. Yet, whenever you failed, they helped you back up. Even though you may not agree with him, or may have low opinion of him, it's still important to give some support
Alright, Mo, I'm done.

lviskool at 10:29AM on Jun 27th 2007

32. Seth I'm going to pass on some advice I'd received a long time ago. It was more a passing statement, but it has remained with me. "I've met non-Christians who are more Christian than Christians. As for all that butt-sex stuff. I have a suspision you might have been raped, or even molested by a family member. You might seek some counseling if that's the case. I don't think God is telling you to hate someone because of their sexual orientation. That might be your excuse.

MrWiteKES at 10:27AM on Jun 27th 2007

33. To the over sensitive James:
I should have known that you did not have the thinking power to truly benefit from that article. What was I thinking?!? I have to agree I do think you’re a little off your rocker. Perfect description. And lets not tell me what to do seeing as how over the internet that would be rather improbable; but you are crazy maybe a little stalking is in order. I of course can suggest whatever I like, whether you read it or not is of course your right. That’s Mrs. Manager to you. “your laughter at my obviously inferior intellect failed you” I believe I said misinformed not inferior, but again you did suggest you were crazy. Wow, hate for successful young people is not new to me, I usually see it in unsuccessful old people. And in your last statement you again prove that you did not truly understand the article. Also I see you did not counter to what I said in response to your view on gays and passing genes.

Omega_leaf at 10:29AM on Jun 27th 2007

34. Dear Mo,

I think your article is very thought provoking, I don't personally believe the polls in all respects to the college kids having that much confidence in the US winning the war, but ok it is still good to know that at least some of the younger generation is concerned and to some degree attentive to what is happening with our country.
I am a soldier myself currently serving in the war in Iraq, from my personal perspective this war and the support is very touch and go right now. I think to win we will need time, maybe more time then we are willing to give as a nation. I encourage everyone, no I beg everyone to be active in the decsions of our goverment, at the local, state, or federal level. I don't care if you are left, center, or right. I serve my country for you and your rights, that is it.....bottom line and I vote at every level and as much as I can if I have a understanding of the issues and canidates. I would also encourage everyone to read a article written recently by a LTC. that I believe is retired. It is called "A Failure Of Generalship" and will give you some insight into this war and the obligations of you the people and us the military before we commit to these wars in the future. Thank You and Have a Great Day

Elliot at 10:40AM on Jun 27th 2007

35. Mo in the blog writes: "They're already more favorable to gay marriage than the rest of America and moving steadily more so in that direction. (This makes sense since opponents of gay marriage have yet to offer any sensible objection beyond fear of cooties.)On Abortion - and this is often overlooked - their feelings are consistent with the rest of the country - i.e., the battle line is not about to shift or blur any time soon. . . . But here's the big surprise for me: 51% of young Americans believe we're very or somewhat likely to succeed in Iraq. That's higher than the 45% of all Americans who believe the same. It simply could be that young Americans have more confidence in our military might."

Hey Mo - Very interesting blog. At 51, it seems to me that we have gone almost full circle back to the mid-to late Seventies when I came out as a gay person at 1975. The Vietnam War had ended and young people were ready disco and be hedonistic, since the Selective Service was no longer like black cloud filling the imminent horizon.

On the issue of gay marriage - back in the Seventies it was the issue of simply allowing someone not to be a closet case and still treat them like human beings. People like me were coming out all over the place so that our relatives and friends could associate a face they both recognized and loved with someone being gay. As long as most gays lived their miserable lives in the closet it was very easy to believe that almost no gays existed.

Up until Bush, the last civil rights front, gay rights was coming along fine. However, Bush helped to immensely politicize the radical Christian Evangelical right with a simple two point program: (a) steadily work to decrease gays civil rights in housing and employment till we had our own version of the Nazi's Nuremberg Laws, then ultimatly work to eliminate gays (which is impossible because new gays and lesbians are born every day).

However, as you say, there is no cogent support for the discrimination - when people cite the Bible with SELECTIVE QUOTATION once you ask then about slavery, killing misbehaving children, stoning the shrimp eaters, etc., all in the Bible, they quickly run away, because they have no response. Today's youth (at lease in urban and Democratic areas) have been exposed to gays among their peers (high school students now come out) and others they know. They recognize that we are people, believe the genetic argument (as they should - because that is what the evidence suggest), and have no objection to giving committed gay couple's the 1500+ rights rights given to heterosexual married couples. Personally, I don't care if they label "civil unions" or "equality unions" if hetetosexual couples are hung up on the work "marriage in relation gays - I just think we deserve the rights, and our youth appear to agree.

Re abortion, that does not really surprise me. Although the Catholic Church and the Evangelical have led the pro-life movement, it really comes down to where you believe life begins. A lot of times, that depends on upbringing (because there are VERY few women who come out of the closet about an abotion).

I think in regard to Iraq, I agree with you that they have more faith in America's military might than their elders. Todays young only know of Vietnam as a history lesson, where the baby boomers saw that even if you saturated a country with US troops, napalmed and otherwise bombed the whole country, and ruthlessly treated enemy captives and Vietnam civilians - and STILL could not reach our objective. I think its one of those things you have to see with your own eyes, and as a baby-boomer the draft ended one year because I turned 18. I already had a plan at 17: had the raft continued past me being 18, I could have gotten a college deferral; and if it was continuing after that - if my flat feet and wearing a dress to report didn't work, I would now be a citizen of Canada.

I had absolutely no faith in our involvment in Vietnam; each evening's newscasts showed we were not succeeding, and was not about to sacrifice my life for a war against a people who posed no threat to America.

Tmes are changing, and the last 7 years have been the grimmest I have ever seen in my lifetime. Apparently our youth, while having less time on this earth than I, apparently agree.

Phil at 10:34AM on Jun 27th 2007

36. When I was in college our main focus was women, keg parties, and sporting events. We let the nerds with the 4.0 grade average watch the news and worry about the world.
Guess I should of stuck to that format instead of making a living, watching the news and listening to people complain all the time.

roanbadger at 10:49AM on Jun 27th 2007

37. Thank you Elliot for your words. At this I bow out of the discussion as what is most important has just be said. I pray for your safety.

Omega_leaf at 10:52AM on Jun 27th 2007

38. Young people, especially college students, have always leaned to the left. As they leave college and start to deal with the world, worry about taxes, financing their childrens education, planning for retirement, watching out for their elderly parents, etc., they move toward the center. I't also true that, while young people have a lot of physical and intellectual energy as well as curiosity, they lack wisdom that comes with experience. Young college students are overwhelmingly for gay marriage. What they don't think about is that with the right to marry also comes the right to adopt children, which is a goal of many same-sex couples. The chances are that any baby they adopt will be heterosexual ( I believe sexual orientation is genetically determined). These children grow up in a home where their role models are homosexual. When they reach puberty, and their urges are heterosexual, a strong conflict occurs which is not subject to logic. I have set in therapy groups with young adults whose parents were same-sex, and in plain language they are really screwed up mentally. Besides the orientation conflict, they had to endure a fair amount of ribbing and ostracization because their parents were gay. Gay couples who want to assert their rights should think of the children, as should the young people when considering this issue.

wayne woodson at 11:32AM on Jun 27th 2007

39. Children need love and stability. Anyone who can offer that to a child who desperately needs it should be able to adopt.

Tasha at 12:05PM on Jun 27th 2007

40. I'm not exactly sure how to react to all of these comments, some are civilized, and others are not at all. So many people talk about tollerance and open-mindedness, and criticize people who aren't, yet... look at this, all the hateful speach here. It breaks my heart.

To every Christian that has posted, with which some I'm rather ashamed to associate: have you forgotten the most quoted verse of our faith? "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world but that the world might be saved through Him." John 3:16-17. Even if you don't support gay marriage or abortion(neither of which do I support either), we are called to be like Christ, and He did not come to judge the world. I emplore you to reevalute your attitudes to people who do not believe as we do. Their beliefs .do.not. devalue them.
-holly

holly at 12:24PM on Jun 27th 2007

41. OK kids, let's try to think further out than what party you are attending this weekend.

So America pulls out of Iraq and all the troops are back home and out of any danger...then what.

Iraq explodes into a religous war, Iran comes in a takes contral, fanatical Islam takes over the Middle East, women get no rights, mass murder, Isreal is gone, gas prices skyrocket, a stronger Islamic government focuses on the West...World War.

Or maybe we pull out and the Iraq people decide to all get along, Iran becomes a good neighbor, and we all hold hands and sing happy songs in a perfect world. Hey, maybe Rosie is right!

Which one do you think is more realistic? Either we deal with it now or deal with it later.

Brian at 1:03PM on Jun 27th 2007

42. Cecil Jones... I doubt you will see this, but you really should buy a dictionary. You aren not right at all. You are ignorant. You don't need to look that up. It is not an insult, it is a simple fact that you lacking knowledge or are unlearned. Cynical and stupid have no correlation to each other at all and you totally missed the point of the article.

Am I being cynical if I believe Cecil's comments are an example of the typical attitude of our society? That he would rather make remark that not only is rather negative and close to cynicism itself, it doesn't really pertain to the conversation. It is a knee jerk reaction to one word he focused on and yet didn't understand.

Mo was coyly pointing out that although "young people" feel the country is headed in the wrong direction, they don't believe the war is doomed to failure. Many of us may not agree with that, but then again... there is nothing wrong with being hopeful we will come out of it ok. The only "war" the young people can relate to is Desert Storm and many of them probably don't remember that conflict either.

So it is easy to see that they would believe that we can succeed in Iraq. What bothers me the most is no one asks about Osama anymore.

Tom at 2:00PM on Jun 27th 2007

43. First to seth, HIV/AIDS did start with Gays however the virus was first found in sub saharan Africa. Secondly, there are more STRAIGHT people with AIDS than Gays. So you can't really call this the Gay man's disease. Also yes College students like myself usually are exposed to a liberal education however if i were to categorize myself i would technically be a moderate. America's problem is not that we're too liberal, what we need is to be more in the middle of the road . Neither too conservative or liberal. Both are bad if youre only fixed into one idea.

Jacquie at 2:10PM on Jun 27th 2007

44. Brian... how do you propose we deal with it. that's what I thought. We had no business being there. I know that realistically we can't just pull out, but we... by we I mean America, have created a civil war in a country we invaded without provocation.

There were no terrorist cells in Iraq until we invaded. We created the mess, so yes, I agree we can't just pull out the troops. However, we need to get out regardless. I don't have an answer for it and I'm sure neither do you. But to say we have to deal with it means what??? Good, glad you could help.

Tom at 4:08PM on Jun 27th 2007

45. Don't we believe in the seperation of church and state in america? Isn't that why we left England in the first place?

If you'd like to live in a religious state, move to Vatican City, or Pakistan.

Keep your religion out of my vagina and out of my marriage. Thank you!

Maggie at 8:55PM on Jun 27th 2007