Posted on 10/04/2005 6:07:06 PM PDT by Chieftain
We'll talk with Ashley Smith who became a heroine to millions of Americans when she was taken hostage by accused Fulton County Courthouse killer Brian Nichols. Smith tells the story of her life and her harrowing ordeal in her new book "Unlikely Angel: The Untold Story of the Atlanta Hostage Hero."
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
I don't know. I was at a local Republican function today. An Air Force captain who was in Iraq and Afghanistan spoke about the good things that were happening in that area. He said the President has a lot on his plate and desperately needs our prayers.
And most everyone I talked to were not unhappy with this nomination.
You are correct sir. If I am not mistaken, though, I think I only missed by one in my mental track listing. ;-)
I didn't watch, and I don't have time to read the thread. Just want to say that you were righter about her than I was, and I thank you for being a gentleman about it.
What was this thread about again? Can we drag it out to 10,000 posts?
You, and a few other Freepers, were right from start about Ashley. Some of those who slammed you for it have a habit of doing that. They don't care what the issue is. They just enjoy the opportunity to be insulting. It didn't mean anything to them. They don't care what they say, and probably don't understand why anyone else would either. Maybe some others actually believed Ashley's story, but you know the posting history of some of them is full of baiting and flaming. After a while, you just stop taking anything they say seriously. It's just a shame they don't come with a warning label for the newbies.
She better hope she doesn't run out of meth. She could be the next one to disappear.
Ashley is a LIAR, and you and many other FReepers trashed me and others when we stated that her story was full of holes last March. If she was on the witness stand, her testimony would be impeached by her own admission of lying. She mislead everyone and many of you bought it. She was awarded $60K reward money (taxpayer) and given heroine status, and now admits she wasn't truthful from the gitgo!
There are plenty reasons to call Ashley Smith on her deciept, but folks like you are willing to turn a blind eye.
You were duped, admit it.
Watch out, you are sure to get flamed by those who claim I am a jerk!
Thank you.
The further the President strays from his Base and a true Conservative agenda for the country the more he puts on his own plate, IMHO.
You nailed that!
If you look at Chieftain's posting history you will see this poster has an ax to grind with christians.
All of those threads were post-incident. You were only correct if she didn't use that night as a life changing event and didn't clean up her act and quit drugs. So far all the evidence suggests that she did change, and the person we saw in the early interviews was in the process of turning away from her bad habits and past.
Again, if she hasn't changed, why would she discuss the drugs? It will surely hurt her book sales.
Why is it so hard to fathom that a woman, however flawed, who found herself captive with a known murderer on the loose, would turn to God? Why is it so hard to fathom that a drug addict with a daughter might be reading a religious-based book about how to change one's life around? Why is it so hard to fathom that someone in her position might be realizing that it wasn't the way she wanted to live, that she couldn't continue on that way, and be seeking a way out?
You do realize that persons who change their life by turning to God don't instantly become perfect, and will still struggle afterwards (though over time it often gets easier as one settles into new healthy habits and routines.)
It takes a real big man to continue to kick at and take joy in the struggles of an addict trying to clean up her life for some silly prideful ego trip. Your mother must be so proud...
Isn't it interesting that in such a free country, where anyone can believe or not believe any kind of religion, that some who don't believe in Christianity can't simply live the way they see fit, but obsessively go way out of their way to trash those who do chose to humbly live a Christian lifestyle? It would be easy (and in some ways condescending) to ascribe that to perhaps guilt, but it seems to be for other reasons in many cases.
Gadzooks! Chieftain I remember the old thread where you said something didn't smell right. I disagreed with you at the time but by golly you were right! Good nose!
It is much easier to stay within our delusions than to see reality. My reaction of upset with Ashley is to the intolerance of the religious fundamentalists. The Christians I admire just don't have such a closed circuit to their religion that allows immediate defense without any questioning and the putting frosting on everything.
False accusation ping.
If you look at Chieftain's posting history you will see that he does not like Christians being painted as evil. Ashley did not behave in a Christian way, and Chieftain pointed that out. Just because someone defies God does not mean they are Christians. On the contrary, it decreases the likelihood. Anti-Christians are continually trying to redefine what Christianity is. True Christians aren't buying it.
Today on Sean's radio show I heard Ashley say that she has failed at 2 previous rehab attempts, that her family had shunned her, and that at the time of the incident with the killer, SHE WAS STILL A PRACTICING ADDICT. Then she went on to say that somehow, she was able tell the killer, without prompting. "I've got ice."
She was asked if she had been attending NA (narcotics annonymous) or another similar program, to which she replied. "No, I have been too busy with the book to go to those. My family has kept me safe." Again, my own personal experience caused red flags to wave. If her family had done such a great job protecting her before, why had they shunned her and allowed her to fail at 2 rehab attempts? Are they going to do something magic for her this time? Insanity is doing the same thing, and expecting different results. The answer is: Ashley is not telling herself, or us, the truth. Again.
I am not condemning her for her addiction - she needs help. I am condemning her continuous dishonesty, something which must be done to enable addicts to realize their denial will not allow them to continue their destructive behavior.
Lastly, if you go to any 12 step program and you will hear this: "You want to find religion, go to church. You want to overcome your addiction, come here."
Ashley is still in denial and unless she gets the 12 step help she needs, she will be using again, if she isn't already.
Thank you.
The Bible's New Testament is full of persons who didn't behave in a Christian way, and the Old Testament is full of persons who at times failed God. In fact there is only 1 person throughout the entire Bible who didn't fail and commit some sin or evil action.
The entire theme of the New Testament is that man is sinful and only God can save us, through Jesus, by FORGIVENESS.
BTW, was Rahab the Harlot pure and living the wrong life when God used her to advance his people's cause at Jericho? Yet after she helped the Israelites God honored her forever. Did David commit an evil act when he sinned with Bathsheba and had her husband killed? Yet he also was honored by God, because he repented and changed. How about Paul, who persecuted Christians, but he changed, and then became a N.T. hero and one of God's messengers. How about Matthew the tax collector, a dishonest profession, who follwed Jesus and became an apostle? Peter, the apostle who lied 3 times in the garden when the captured Jesus, yet who was forgiven and used by God for good long afterwards? The woman at the well who he forgave and told to go and sin no more? The woman of shady background who annointed Jesus' feet with oil and he blessed for her good heart?
Do you see a pattern? Fallen persons who God and/or Jesus either changed or recognized the potential in their hearts and blessed them with a better life.
Isn't the Christian message about reaching out to the imperfect and helping them if they are seeking to change, to repent, to do better? Why would Ashley be any different, and why wouldn't a true Christian err on the side of hope and give her the benefit of the doubt instead of kicking her back to the curb? Kindness shouldn't be naive, but it also shouldn't be opportunistically judgemental and harsh for pride's sake. If Jesus gave these persons a second (or third or fourth or...) chance, should not we also consider that maybe, maybe, a peson might sincerely be trying to change and moving down that path? Do we have to wait until someone is in a coma to show any mercy?
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