Memo to godly (and other) U.S. folks

19 years ago

The radio reports that an error at the U.S. mint that went undetected ...

... meant that a number of the new U.S. Dollar coins have been put into circulation, lacking the slogan, "In God We Trust".

They are being referred to by the title of "Godless Dollar"s.

Perhaps a number of godly U.S. people would like to grab as many of the new dollars as possible, seeking the godless ones, to take them out of circulation!

Other people may want to do so, as well.

They are reputed to be saleable for $60.00 each!

ole joyful ... who hasn't seen any - or of the regular kind, either, for that matter

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (15)

duluthinbloomz4
19 years ago
I haven't seen any of them either. Went to the bank yesterday, but forgot all about asking for a roll or two. So far, the "mistakes" seem to have come from the Philadelphia mint; perhaps 50,000 out of a mint run of 300 million coins between the Philadelphia and Denver mints. They were initially going for $600 on ebay, but once the possible large number of errors was known, the value dropped sharply. Being "mistakes" they'll probably always have a higher value - but the true value of something is what someone is willing to pay for it.
rivkadr
19 years ago
As one of those "Godless" types, I certainly would like to get my hands on one of these "Godless dollars". It would be nice to own a piece of currency that actually did meet the definition of separation of church and state :)
Related Discussions
Pet Peeves
Q
Comments (72)
Just a few questions...I pretty much don't watch T.V. I do watch it when I'm in a friend's home or visiting one of my kids or when I'm at the dentist. (I don't have anything against T.V. either. I just got out of the habit when we moved to this house without a cable connection.) Anyway, I always thought if I were going to watch T.V. that I'd like HGTV because of their gardening shows. So I want to know what they do on these shows that I'm not aware of? As for hiring people to garden for you, my husband (when he was alive) and I did all of the work ourself. I feel good knowing it's our own creation, but I've been tempted to hire help; however, it just never worked out. For example, I happened upon a really cool web site that belonged to a local gardening expert. I contacted him for an hour consultation to give me tips. He never showed then called two weeks later to say he'd forgotten. More recently, I contacted a native plant expert who does "garden coaching" to see if she could give me plant recommendations for the right-of-way outside my fence.--It's a difficult area with dry shade. She charged $185.00/hr and that was more than what I could afford. (I can figure it out myself, but I thought it would be nice to have someone see what I see with fresh eyes.) I'll have to look that "piss off" plant up. :-)
...See More
Where are the bees?
Q
Comments (29)
Yes we're building a little subdivision, or maybe it will be a row of townhouses for these super little pollinators. DH started out by drilling holes in some old cedar fence posts and hung these up, cedar is not the best wood for these houses apparently, cedar unless it is very old is an insect repellant . DH found this info on the internet yesterday on how to make the houses and the tubes inexpensively. Here's a link to a document, it might show up on your desktop. I believe these guys are around till the end of may. It's fun to watch these little guys fill the holes up. Google Orchard Mason Bee's loads of info there. A......
...See More
Oil prices unstable -- let's count the reasons
Q
Comments (26)
Oils well that ends not so well?? End of Oil Could Fuel 'End of Civilization as We Know It' By Robert Roy Britt LiveScience Senior Writer posted: 14 December 2004 03:28 pm ET SAN FRANCISCO -- Opponents in a long-running debate over when the world will run out of oil squared off Tuesday in a crowded room of scientists, reaching only one conclusion: The supply of fossil fuels is fixed and the world economy will eventually have to wean itself from oil. The most dire and perhaps speculative forecast calls for global oil production to peak next year -- specifically on Thanksgiving. Others say the end can't be accurately predicted, but that it is likely decades rather then centuries away, and that the consequences will be grave: huge inflation, global resource wars -- China vs. the United States was emphasized as a possibility -- and the end of civilization as we know it. Other experts at the face-off, held here during a meeting of the American Geophysical Union, said there is nothing to worry about in the short term. U.S. peaked already The argument stretches back to a 1956 prediction by M. King Hubbert that oil production in the lower 48 U.S. states would peak in the early 1970s. He was right. The United States now imports nearly 60 percent of the oil it uses. Kenneth Deffeyes, a Professor Emeritus at Princeton University, has taken Hubbert's logic a step further and predicts the world's oil production will top out late in 2005. "It's Thanksgiving plus or minus three weeks," said Deffeyes, who grew up in the oil fields and was a researcher at Shell Oil for several years. Deffeyes second book on the topic, "Beyond Oil: The View from Hubbert's Peak" (Hill and Wang) is due out in March. His crystal ball is full of complex formulas and, most scientists agree, numbers that are impossible to accurately pin down, such as the amount of oil in known fields and how much more will be found. "This is not science," said Michael Lynch, a political scientist and energy consultant. "This is forecasting." Lynch agrees there are problems with relying so heavily on oil, and he sees more price volatility ahead. But he argues that many smaller deposits will be found and they will add up to "a lot of oil" over time. He also faults the running-dry-soon predictions as being based not on geology, but on politics and economics: Oil production in various countries has flattened or fell at certain times for reasons having nothing to do with how much they could produce, Lynch says. Further, Lynch contends, it is not possible to predict the discovery of new oil fields or the true size of existing in-ground reserves. He likens current oil forecasts to stock market prediction. Charts fit history well, he says, "but they're not predictive." Alternatives? Likewise, analyst Bill Fisher of the University of Texas at Austin sees plenty of oil over the next few decades. Fisher sees no reason to panic. He expects the world to gradually transition to an economy based on natural gas during the first half of this century, then to a hydrogen economy before 2100. He pointed out that estimates of oil reserves tend to grow over time, no matter who does the guessing. The debate got more complex at this point. Caltech physicist David Goodstein sees little hope for hydrogen, which he said requires fossil fuels in order to extract. And natural gas, like oil and coal and shale (another proposed alternative) are all finite, Goodstein argues. "The oil will run out," he said. "The only question is when." Goodstein puts little stock in nuclear fusion, which for decades has been proposed as the cousin of fission with unlimited potential. "Fusion and shale oil are the energy sources of the future, and they always will be," he quipped. Solar energy shows promise, he said, but "we haven't figured out how to use it." So Goodstein takes a pragmatic approach. It doesn't matter so much when we run out, he argues, but what we do about it. Global trap Goodstein, author of the book "Out of Gas: The End of the Age of Oil" (W.W. Norton & Company) sees a looming world crisis that could fuel war and bring society to its knees. "We have created a trap for ourselves," Goodstein said. The United States has so far avoided serious consequences from the trap by relying on imports. The country uses about 7 billion of the 30 billion barrels of oil produced annually around the globe. And it makes us rich. Oil consumption equals standard of living, experts agree. Meanwhile, other countries are beginning to clamor for oil at unprecedented rates, and therein lies the recipe for potential disaster. China uses a comparatively modest 1.5 billion barrels a year (perhaps 2.4 billion this year) according to some estimates. India consumes less. Both countries' economies are becoming increasingly dependent on oil, however. China's consumption is expected to grow 7.5 percent per year, and Indias 5.5 percent, according to the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security. By 2060, oil production will have to triple just to meet global population growth and maintain current standards of living, said Stanford University geophysicist Amos Nur. Yet China's own production has been flat since the 1980s and it now imports 40 percent of what it needs. 'When do we panic?' "What matters in the short term is, when do we panic?" Nur said. "In my opinion, the point of panic has already taken place." It's a behind-the-scenes sort of panic. The two largest economies on Earth -- China and the United States -- have already incorporated the finite nature of oil into their national security policies, Nur argues, citing policy statements from both governments reflecting the need to secure stability in oil-producing countries and a free flow of the resource. The war in Iraq, a country second only to politically unstable Saudi Arabia in oil reserves, is another clue, he said. "There is a huge conflict that might be emerging," Nur said. Some of the fine points of the various presentations were argued, even resulting in one shouting match over how much oil is in Saudi Arabia. But none of the roughly 500 scientists in the room voiced disagreement with Nur's view of the potential for war. If the world is sliding toward global conflict over oil, the skids may be pretty well greased, politically speaking. Governments do not have the political will to prepare for the end of oil, says Goodstein, the Caltech physicist. "Civilization as we know it will come to an end sometime this century, when the fuel runs out," Goodstein said, adding that "I certainly hope my prediction is wrong."
...See More
Are people becoming self important?
Q
Comments (33)
Do you think it's possible for us to move toward a friendlier, more helpful state where people are more considerate, patient, helpful. Less stressed overall. I would like to see less crime, less anger, more kids with two parents and grandparents involved. More interest in finding solutions to the things that cause disease, despair and isolation. If we all said we wanted that, couldn't we make it happen in a few generations? To be human is a great gift. Some people want to act like animals instead. I wish we could all move forward together and be happy. I dream of a world where everyone has enough to eat and something useful to do. There is no fear. You can walk about freely. Someone needs help and people aren't afraid to offer it. That world could be a reality but I don't see people in the media or the internet saying they want it.
...See More
joyfulguy
Original Author
19 years ago
Hi rivkadr

One doesn't have to be related to a church to believe in God.

There are lots who do who don't have a connection with any religious organization.

Jews also qualify.

Muslims as well.

Some folks who claim to believe in God claim that God should run the (various) state(s) ...

... through them, as local managers in charge, of course (in many cases).

Have a momorable weekend - for good things, of course.

ole joyful
rivkadr
19 years ago
And there are many, many people who do not believe in God. That's what makes our country so great -- so many different people, believing (or not believing) so many different things.

Regardless, I personally don't believe that our money should make a statement about God on it. I don't "trust" in God, so why should I have be forced to use currency that proclaims such? That is a personal statement of faith -- not something that should be on a national currency, especially in a country that has no national religion, and which supposedly gives lip service to the separation of church and state. But...I have a lot of gripes about how our country handles religion in relation to the state ;) I'm sure that those of you who do believe in a higher power couldn't fathom what I'm talking about. Those in the majority rarely do.
pineviewplanter
19 years ago
Riv, I hope I NEVER am able to fathom what you are saying. Regardless of what you might think, God is still in control, always has been and always will be. This world might belong to Satan, but we will manage to get through the muck and mire of this world to find our way to life everlasting. You my friend are welcome to continue to ride that "Long Black Train" and believe the great deceiver...

And as far as those coins are concerned, they should go to the casinos to play with the devil and his devices.

Humans can NEVER really separate the creator of all things from all things except perhaps in their own mind.
rivkadr
19 years ago
Just because someone does not believe in God does not make them a Satanist. That is an offensive and ignorant statement.
rivkadr
19 years ago
Humans can NEVER really separate the creator of all things from all things except perhaps in their own mind.

Again, that is YOUR belief. Not mine. The hardest thing for people like you to understand is that I have the right to believe what I want, just as you do. And in this great country of ours, MY belief (or lack thereof) has just as much standing as yours does.
edselpdx
19 years ago
I'm with you, rivkadr--good riddance. I would love to run across a few of those coins.

Closed-minded people seem to think that because one does not believe in their god (or any god) that they are incapable of moral behavior and are somehow satan-worshippers. They just can't believe that people would be good people just because it's right, not because their imaginary friend told them to. BTW, we who don't believe in god also don't believe in Satan... it kind of goes hand-in-hand. And no, I don't hate Xians, just their religion when they push it on me...like when it's printed on the money I have to use. To each her own; I don't push my atheism on you, and you don't push your Christianity on me and we're all good.
steve_o
19 years ago
I'm a little surprised this thread hasn't been "disappeared", but...

pineviewplanter, I'm sure you see your view of the world as The Only Way. However, in most of this world your worldview is considered "incorrect" and "unenlightened". The fighting in Iraq (and the fighting in scores of locales throughout the world now and earlier) is being perpetuated by at least two groups who each believe their version of "the truth" is the only version of the truth. (Why God would sanction anyone to kill another of His creation to succeed in making that point escapes me totally.)

The U.S. was founded by people who were escaping a religion (King George's version of Christianity) which did not fit the way they saw God. The Founding Fathers took some pains to make sure that this fledgling democracy did not favor any particular religion, remembering that this country was founded by people seeking such freedom; people who were not willing to trash what they believed for the sake of what someone else declared was correct and true. Though the U.S. is largely Christian (in the broader Judeo-Christian tradition rather than the narrow definitions that keep Protestant sects squabbling among themselves; no offense, OJ), and despite what those hooyocks in Washington are trying to perpetuate, the U.S. remains a country in which one is free to practice any tradition one believes in as long as it does not run afoul of the law (which is agreed to by the majority, not by any religious group that sets itself up as the arbiters).

Courtesy of U.S. law, you certainly are free to hold your belief that those who do not believe in your particular flavor of religion are "doomed". Expressing that thought in a public arena, however (and especially toward specific individuals) is offensive and -- frankly -- off-putting. Instead of divisively assigning people into "us" and "them," how about expressing some of that love and joy that God supposedly has given you?

Whether U.S. currency has "In God We Trust" engraved on it is not a big thing for me, though I certainly can see the point of those who object to it. It should not be there. But I'll settle for more currency floating around even if it has Ronald McDonald's face on it if it gives people a decent standard of living.
duluthinbloomz4
19 years ago
(Waves back at you steve o from Duluth). I don't think the OP's intent was to spark any kind of religious debate. However, if it was, the post would have been more appropriate to the "Hot Topics" forum over on the GardenWeb side. Let's keep this side free of religious and political discussions. Finances, the discussion of money and what it can and can't do for you, how to get more, how to spend less, etc. and not what happens to be on our coinage or bills is what should be under discussion here.
rivkadr
19 years ago
If all the OP wanted to do was let people know that there were rare coins out in circulation, he could have said as just that. But he posted:

Perhaps a number of godly U.S. people would like to grab as many of the new dollars as possible, seeking the godless ones, to take them out of circulation!

Using words like "godly" and "godless" is going to spark debate, whether or not it was intended.
joyfulguy
Original Author
19 years ago
I have been known to speak a bit tongue-in-cheek, on occasion, and this was one.

I think that I've heard that there's been some talk of removing that long-lived slogan from the U.S. currency, and thought that likely the strongly committed while rather doctrinaire Christians would be rather upset about that prospect.

That was the reason for the subject line being as it was and I was rather wondering whether they might not want to grab up all of those distasteful coins, to get them out of sight.

In the line quoted by rivkadr, I think that I should have put quotation marks around "godless", as it referred to the designation that some had given the new coin as the "godless Dollar" that I'd referred to in the previous sentence.

While I may take a different approach to the foundations of living than others, it seems to me that I need to treat those views with respect, so long as they treat this world and its inhabitants with respect.

I don't think that religious people do their God or their faith any favours when they disparage the faith system of others, and in that light I offer you my regrets for the personal attack that resulted from my having composed this post as I did, rivkadr.

I hope that you all have a lovely weekend.

ole joyful

P.S. Will we need to stop referring to that unit of currency as the "Almighty Dollar", do you think?

Some do seem to grant it a level of respect bordering on reverence.

o j
chelone
19 years ago
LOL, Steve. Having read the biographies of Henry VIII, his 6 wives, his children, and the lives of Reginald Pole, Stephen Gardiner, and Thomas Cranmer in the past year, religious persecution is precisely what drove the exodus to the New World. Fascinatin' reading, I assure you, It goes back a lot farther than King George I!

OJ, I "got" your original post, too, have you pulled your tongue out of your cheek yet?

;)
joyfulguy
Original Author
19 years ago
chelone,

A bit hard to talk, if one doesn't ...

... occasonally, anyway.

I'm not above rattling right-wing Christians' chain!

o j
ian_bc_north
19 years ago
From time to time I see signs in businesses which say "In God we trust, all others pay cash."

Memo to godly (and other) U.S. folks

Comments (15)

duluthinbloomz4

rivkadr

Related Discussions

joyfulguy
Original Author

rivkadr

pineviewplanter

rivkadr

rivkadr

edselpdx

steve_o

duluthinbloomz4

rivkadr

joyfulguy
Original Author

chelone

joyfulguy
Original Author

ian_bc_north

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Memo to godly (and other) U.S. folks

Comments (15)

Related Discussions

joyfulguyOriginal Author

joyfulguyOriginal Author

joyfulguyOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

joyfulguy
Original Author

joyfulguy
Original Author

joyfulguy
Original Author