In Reply to: Interesting poll results posted by Alan on June 10, 2004 at 11:04:52:
Hey Alan, I like your analyses. Congrats on thos 3 semesters of stats, I am sure that helps you undestand better all those numbers. I normally just let them skip my mind because normally the basic assumptions are related to the actual methods to use. I know a little about stats, enough to stay away from those numbers when the assumptions are not made public. That's why I like the way you explained these (not the same on those below, of which I am still skeptical but there is little we can do to change my mind on that - maybe 2-3 more semesters :-).
What is sinteresting to me is a fact in one of your last paragraphs... "people who have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ and who believe in the traditional tenets of the orthodox faith -- such things as the reality of Heaven and hell, the accuracy of the Scriptures, and salvation by grace"
I believe that this point was one of the most important advances of R Reagan on his policies, to define the goodness of the cause against the evil of the enemy. At the same time, I think it is a very terrible and sad error of the current neo-conservatives to use this same principle, which is correct and useful for foreign policy, and use it in domestic matters so that all other ideological camps are demonized.
The danger of such approach is one of irreversible polarization capable to drag the country into a civil war of major proportions.
There are some voices heard that proclaim just that type of polarization but they have normally been confined to radical fringes however it has been gamore and more