Please post often. I am evangelical and wasn't offended by your comments. My Welsh forebears were Chapel not Church (C of E). My grandfather belonged to Baptist Chapels and my grandmother belonged to Welsh Independent (Wesleyan). My boyhood pastor was the Rev. Guy Jones--who remains, to this day, one of the greatest orators in my memory.

Hey, if you like martinis, the olives are all yours. I don't post often here, and my opinions can seem a bit uncompromising, but then, I don't believe in half-measures - I try always to say what I mean and mean what I say, but to do it with tact, which isn't always easy.

I have always supposed that my Welsh upbringing was shared by all Welsh people. I was orphaned at age 4, so, I was reared at the same table as my father before me--sitting in his chair. My grandfather would often initiate discussion at the dinner table based on current events. He would assign a "side" for each participant. We were expected to defend our assigned topic to the very best of our ability. And, no, it did not descend into the type of debate one hears in the House of Commons or on MSNBC. It was never allowed to turn into a raucous food fight. The only way to lose this contest was to fail to give it our best. My grandfather believed that the only way to reach an objective conclusion on any given subject is to know and try to understand the arguments of both sides. He did not believe that truth lies in the middle betwixt the two--except on some occasions. But he firmly believed it is possible to be 100% correct while being a bigot at the same time. He thought it was more important to knowwhy we believe than to know what we believe. I passed this philosophy along to my daughter and I cannot tell you how many times I have watched her flawlessly, effortlessly lead an unsuspecting foe to the horns of dilemma.

Na na, we'll keep our olives to ourselves for the moment! It was the appearance of a vilified generalization by one respondent that I took issue with, and that's been quite resolved, and with considerable grace on his part. Your initial post might be perceived as having a tinge of it, but not so much that I feel the need to take it up, nor do I feel you need apologize in any way whatsoever.

I apologise if I've started something which has offended in any way. While I generally stick to Welsh subjects, there are situations going on in the world which have the potential to affect all of us, wherever we come from. As for olives, big juicy ones this way please!

Offended - yes, you could say that. And yes, it will more than do, as olive branches go. In turn, if I misjudged what you were attempting to say, I apologize as well. I'm not here to joust with anyone for my part. I THINK in general I am willing to hear different sides to most topics (perhaps some would disagree with me on that), but I can be a bit (over-)protective of people I care about, and I have a huge soft spot for anyone who is being put down, or appears to be. How moderate I am is probably open to some debate. My conservative friends think I'm too liberal, and my liberal ones, too conservative. I suppose, by definition, that would would make me a moderate - albeit a bit of a reactionary one.

'Nuf said. I haven't read much that you've posted or been involved in, but I suspect we may perhaps share some interests. If so, I look forward to interacting with you. And if ever I misjudge you again (as the tone of your response indicates that I apparently have) - just throw the olives, and hopefully you can keep the branch.

Todd, my apologies if I've offended you. I know the crazies are not, by any means, a majority, and I certainly did not mean to imply that you were one. FTR, I'm not opposed to the Second Amendment at all, nor do I have a general hatred/disgust toward Christians (I know plenty who are decent, kindly folks who actually practice something like what Jesus really taught, as opposed to what certain people would like to have us believe). My disgust for the crazies made me appear to generalise, which was never my intention. And I myself was a Christian for a few years in my life - I found that it was not the spiritual path for me and went elsewhere. (Not atheist, however - there are also militant atheists, and I find them distasteful and best kept at arm's length as well. I'm Wiccan, and have been so for the last 22 years...oh, and I'm a moderate there, as well!)

I did make the point that there are plenty of moderates on both sides - on all sides, really - and most are very uncomfortable with extremists and choose not to associate with them. My guess is that you're a moderate as well, in which case I respect you fully. Hope this'll do for an olive branch, as I prefer calm and rational discourse to screaming matches!

I'd just like to amplify an earlier remark by Harold Powell and in doing so, hopefully provide a modicum of reassurance for other members and readers:-

Nevertheless, you'll find that political talk occupies only a tiny fraction of discussion on AmeriCymru.

Whilst we do allow a measure of political discourse in the forums it is certainly not our main focus. Here is our mission statement:-

Our Mission Statement

Croeso i AmeriCymru. The Americymru network was created for a number of reasons:-

Firstly we seek to provide a social network for the Welsh, persons of Welsh descent and cymruphiles all over the world . It is intended that the network should be a place where members can share their experiences of Wales and engage in friendly debate in our forums. The network has many features which allow people with a shared love of Wales to communicate and share photos, videos, links, blogposts etc and we will be adding new features from time to time. We also extend a warm welcome to our cousins from other Celtic nations.

Secondly we seek to promote Wales in the USA as well as the Welsh-American community and other communities of the Welsh 'diaspora' in Wales. It should be stressed that we have no political agenda in so doing but merely a desire to help familiarize our members and readers with the best of traditional and modern Welsh literature, music and culture. For this reason we encourage the use of the site as a 'shop-window' in most instances.

Of course members do, occasionally want to discuss the political issues of the day on the site and we allow that within certain bounds ( see the Rules page here ) However it needs to be stressed again and again that this is a site which seeks to unite all those who love Wales for whatever reason. Consequently we strive to avoid divisive political issues as much as possible. It's a question of striking a balance and it's not always easy to get it exactly right.

Having said that, I should stress that AC has NO political orientation and will continue to refrain from editorializing on contentious issues whilst simultaneously allowing members space for ( hopefully ) respectful debate.

I think several domestic agencies are doing themselves and their government no favors in the fight against paranoia amongst fringe groups.

Social Security Adminstration (SSA) orders 174,000 rounds ofammunition:

https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=6c39a2a9f00a10187a1432388a3301e5&tab=core&_cview=0&fb_source=message

Scroll down to first .pdf file and read the actual RFQ (Request for Quote).

I didn't even know the Social Security Administration had an armed wing (raising eyebrow like Mister Spock)? Why do they? Are retired senior citizens really that dangerous? I suppose a cane or aluminum walker could be hurled like a missile at SSA employees?

Department of Home Land Security (DHS, ICE) orders 450 millions rounds ofammunitionfrom just one manufacturer.

See the company's own press release (they are rightfully proud, I suppose, of this contract):

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/atk-secures-40-caliber-ammunition-contract-with-department-of-homeland-security-us-immigration-and-customs-enforcement-dhs-ice-142304055.html

When combined with other recent contracts issued by DHS, the total number of rounds ordered by that agency are 1.6 billion rounds. Again I ask why (ringing hands like Dr. McCoy)? Perhaps there are rational reasons for this enormous stockpiling of ammo by domestic agencies. Maybe they're expecting a massive migration of hungry, rabid gophers. Think of the havoc these burrowing, hellish digging machines could reek on the richest golf courses and country clubs of the nation. I hope there's a rational reason (such as invading gophers) because, otherwise, it might needlessly fan the flames of paranoia already flickering among fringe groups.

Ooops! Nevermind (like Gilda Radner)... I see my problem. I forgot to put on my foil hat this morning.

If "these people" are the ones looking to start something, I'm game. I would imagine that one would be able to lease a fair section of Greenland at a fairly reasonable rate....

We used to have the perfect island for that in San Francisco called Alcatraz. But in times of economic downturn its imperative, I guess, to seek out every penny for the public purse by selling tours to that infamous real estate.

I wish there was an island (only just habitable) where we could put all these people (of all flavours) and just leave them to get on with it. Presumably whoever had the "true" god would be rescued and taken up into heaven - or not, as the case may be.

Harold -I didn't find your comments in the least offensive. And you have just stated exactly my primary concern. This nation is being torn apart by extremes. That tension, in my opinion, is far more dangerous than anything either side fears. Let's cease attacking everyone who is different, whether we agree with them or not, and focus on what binds us. We have a nation to preserve, and a little courtesy goes a long, long way. Thank you very much for your response.Todd

Todd, I apologize if I have said anything offensive. I agree that most journalism today is nothing more than "caricature" assassination. Admittedly, many times it isn't the journalist himself, but his editor whoarbitrarilydeletes a paragraph or two before writing a headline befitting his personal political agenda. The first rule of warfare is to dehumanize the opponent. The same is true in political warfare.Instinctively, we all know that is wrong, In private letters between Adams and Jefferson the two agreed that the biggest threat to any form of government is partisan politics. They sought to create a government where political parties would be relegated to the past. They failed. And in subsequent letters it remained their greatest regret.

Nevertheless, you'll find that political talk occupies only a tiny fraction of discussion on AmeriCymru.

My sister has really adapted to Texas. When I telephone her I am always shocked, at least for the first few minutes, because she sounds as if she were born and reared in Texas. Funny thing, that. As we speak on the phone her normal, childhood accent returns to her. A friend of mine said women pick up accents more easily than men. He may be right, or a simpleton, or a chauvinist or just making it up.

I think every state (and every country for that matter) has its share of loonies. We do. We had one dock a canoe under the Missouri River bridge and hang about town for three weeks or so while handing out literature. He was living in a canoe down by the river. Anyway he stayed until after the first Council meeting where he was allowed to speak in its bi-monthly televised session. His beef was "flush toilets" and urged the city "to pass" environmental laws mandating an outhouse or ty bach behind every home."Flush toilets," he said, "...are destroying America." The next day he got back into his canoe and paddled down the river on the next leg of his across the nation quest.

Agreed....plenty of loonies on both sides of the political divide. God forbid they ever get together and take over the asylum. Not much fear of that though, seeing as none of them can stand to be in the same room together.

I know a lot of folks (myself included, at times) who think the US would be better off without Texas, given the embarrassments it's produced in the last decade (Dubya and the state's current governor, Rick Perry). I also vividly remember the Branch Davidian standoff and the rather bloody and fiery end it came to on April 19, 1993. That standoff, and other times when the US government has intervened, has been a rallying point for the Tea Party and those whose agendas mesh with theirs, particularly the rabid gun owners who support the NRA blindly and are convinced the "n****r President is coming to take our guns away!" (A very jingoistic part of me often wishes that would happen, just so all these whackjobs who promise "Watch what's gonna happen" can be surprised when the FBI, ATF and other agencies don't back down and chlorinate America's increasingly nasty gene pool - most of the gun nuts aren't people I want living close to me. Sadly, I work side-by-side with at least two of them - the hatred I have to listen to many nights at work makes me ill - but being the lone liberal/progressive in the bunch, I have to keep my head down and my opinions to myself, and it should not surprise anyone reading my comments that I am actively considering other employment.)

The really sad part is how many of these folks claim to be "good Christians" - you can imagine how this phrase acts on me, especially knowing what that entails far too often (e.g. scoundrels, cheats, liars, abusive husbands/fathers [and sometimes wives/mothers], and generally scummy people who think that all they have to do is "pray to Jesus" and everything will go away - they don't believe in karma, but if I could get it through their thick skulls and past their inflated egos, karma believes in them [and will bide its time] is what I would tell them). Many moderate right-wing people are embarrassed by these folks as well, and here in New England where I live, there are lots more moderates in the Republican Party than hard-righties. I don't stand with the extreme leftists, either - given that the NOI has preached hatred, most of the left and most true Muslims don't stand with them - as you get way too many self-righteous bicyclists, vegans and extreme feminists, none of whom bathes with any great frequency!

Politics make for strange bedfellows, though...

My sister lives in Dallas and I can guarantee that this little group is nothing more than a fringe, fringe group. The political left has those too; groups like Jim Jones and the People's Temple who had a propensity to stockpile assault weapons and Kool-Aid. The fact that the Southern Poverty Law Center did notforesee problems with the People's Temple shows that they, themselves, are not exactly mainstream. Other left-wing groups urging violence have included the Weather Underground, the New Black Panthers, and the Nation of Islam. But I doubt one in 100,000 self-described left-leaning US citizens agrees or have ever agreed with any of those groups. The same is true for the opposite end of the spectrum.

I think The Times reporter may be confused by American English versus British English. When Americans use the word "government" they mean thepoliciesand administration of the current government. When Americans say they'reanti-governmentthey're not talking about changing their system of government, they're talking about replacing the current policies and the way those policies are being administered.

Unlike the UK, there can be no real talk of secession in the U.S. The civil war settled that question with the loss of over 1/2 million lives, and when taken as a percentage of the total population during that time, represents about the same level of fatalities suffered by Germany in WW II. The losses on both sides were atrocious. The Supreme Court back then ruled that no state could leave the Union unless it received permission from the other states. This was the legal basis for prosecuting the war against Southern states.

Bill the two Georges and Obama as the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse eh? Cries out for a Photoshop job. Beyond my technical abilities unfortunately

Those of you with a subscription to The Times can see the full article at thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/Magazine/Features/article212253.ece but I will try to summarise the article myself.

Elsewhere on this site, we've discussed guns in America and no one will forget David Koresh who, in February 1993 (can it be that long ago?), led the Branch Davidians into an armed standoff with the FBI, with appalling consequences.

12 miles north of Waco, the pastor of the local church, Charles Pace, is aiming to create The Garden of Eden. The Branch Davidian movement began in the 1930s, started by a Bulgarian immigrant called Victor Houteff who split from the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. Charles Pace, who also calls himself Joshua ben David, is the current leader.

Alex Hannaford, the writer of this feature, says that Davidian theology is meeting a disturbing ideology that is gaining traction in America. "According to a report by the human rights group Southern Poverty Law Center, since Barack Obama's first election win in 2008, there has been a revival of the rabidly anti-government, so called "patriot" movement of the 1990s: civilian militias, tax defiers, Second Amendment "righters", united in their determination to oppose a "socialist" president.... Some of these militantly anti-government forces think an elite group is plotting to take over the world and create a new world order. The theory also attracts radical end-times fundamentalist Christians, who say that at the head this group is the devil himself. Pace's conspiracy theory is difficult to articulate, but it goes something like this: Roman Catholicism and Islam are one and the same ("The Jesuits wrote The Koran"), the Federal Reserve is run by The Vatican; and the four beasts of Revelation are Bill Clinton, George Bush Sr, George Bush Jr and Obama - with the latter intent on imposing sharia after he's destroyed the constitution."

Naturally, Pace believes that God is on his side. He also believes that Texas will secede from the Union and American gun-owners are gearing up for civil war. He wants Mount Carmel to become a rallying point and a place of refuge.

updated by @gaynor-madoc-leonard: 12/04/15 03:57:27PM