[QUOTE=John_T_Mainer;608650]That is the glory of Asatru.  Only here can one be comfortable as a conservative who judges people as individuals reguardless of their sexual orientation or race, and holds all to the same standards of behaviour.  It drives those who want to lable us nuts.  We just don't stereotype the way they want us to.  Too F'ing bad hey?[/QUOTE]

Hey, as an Asatruar, I'm more conservative than almost all the politicos out there.  They're trying to maintain something 233 years old, while I'm trying to do the same for something at least 1000 years old.  Asatruar are the hands down winners in the "most-conservative" contest!

Still, I don't mind being slapped with a label, as long as it's a correct one.  "Gun-toting maniac" is one of my favorites. 

Frith,
GP

I'm not your typical Asatruar, more than likely.

I'm pro-choice, pro-gun, and a vegetarian. I'm half-black and also a lesbian. There's not really a lot of support in the Asatru community for queers, which is why I don't like to call myself Asatru, even though that's probably the label that fits me best.

I agree with most of the things said. But I object to many people's ideas about what is "traditional" marriage. What does that mean, anyway? Arranged marriage? Marriage for political alliances? Female genital mutilation? Only within your race? Gay marriage has appeared in many societies.

Besides, there are queer overtones to many of the myths.

Mind_Zenith, I couldn't agree more.

Interestingly, I identified myself as an "anarchist" (the political philosophy, not the crazy fifteen year-olds who want to seem "rebellious") long before I came across Asatru.  My opinion was then, and is now, that society would be much better off if people were to live in smaller communities, where individual needs and opinions could be addressed, and then each smaller community would in turn meet with the community at large.  This reminds me a lot of the individual villages that existed in Northern Europe prior to Christian interaction.  I tend to vote liberal, because of my social views, and my opinion that those who are actually -unable- to take care of themselves should be provided for.  But I think poverty and many other issues would be much easier to handle in smaller groups, where individuals could work together to serve the community.

In addition, if someone didn't agree with the views or customs of the community in which he or she lived, there would be plenty of others, and most likely, one or more would suit said person's taste.

I know this is "utopian," because a system the size of the United States government would never break down that way, especially not peacefully.

Also, despite all this, please don't think I don't love America.  I do... I just love the American people, and the ideas we're supposed to represent, more than I love the way our government has become more and more corrupt.

Now that I've sufficiently rambled, and probably made several people very very angry, I'll stop talking for a little while.

[QUOTE=NorthernHeathen;993166]Hello All! I figured this would suite as a intro thread.
A couple of abstract thoughts as the thread is getting long.

John T your description of family folk kindred and race was nail on the head with Thors hammer.

Religion is not something that is to be practiced in mass, supported but not practiced.
If you honestly feel Odin(example) honors you whether gay, straight, black, yellow, midget, obese, handicaped, hermaphrodite, whatever, then Honor him! Follow the vitrues and be an honorable man or women. You might even come to my house and I'll tell you Odin doesnt like you, asatru doesnt want you and your mother is ashamed of you. You owe me nothing. Prove yourself to yourself and the gods.

Some Priests molest children.
Some muslims are suicide bombers.
Some "Asatruars" neglect to educate themselves on Sunwheels.
I could goto the Faiths list and be at this for hours but I'm sure you get the point.

Drkness I literally laughed out load when I realized you said you agreed completly with John.

For my opinions on gays, do I understand? no. do I want to? no. do I care? no. I'll slap my sister for making out with her boyfriend in public as quickly as I'll say something to gays. There is a time and a place. What I dislike about some gays is them putting it in my face. ie parades ect. My Sister also had a teach when she was 14 that admitted she was gay to the class. This is not needed.
Other than that hit on me in the bar, buy me some drinks, stand in line at the dj and request the songs I want, I'll take the ego boost but if you're lookin for anything more than friends you'll be disapointed.

Anyways. I live and work in Northern Alberta, originally from  the East.
I am conservative. I love my dogs. I also love my guns. John you've obviously not spent enough time at the range with Assault rifles and hand guns :D hunting rifles are fun but no one comes to your house and askes to see your 300 win mag :D I think Canadians in Afghanistan Is an honorable cause. I voted for Harper. I'm Pro Choice, a womens body is hers alone and the thought of a coat hanger is disturbing. I enjoy making Christians, Muslims and Jews feel uncomfortable but they're still my best friends and family. Topic of choice dinausours. To quote my mother "Everyone needs Faith." Except for my Father apparently.

Thats it for now.

Hail The Gods![/QUOTE]

I miss my assault rifle.  I have to admit 3L8378, the feel of her, the scent when all the break free starts cooking about your third mag in, the extra kick when you have to adjust the gas valve because you've been firing long enough that buildup is starting to foul her a bit, and you trade extra kick for no jamming.  She was heavy on patrol, fired damn near flat (slightly high but when you know her well you just kind of factor it in), and gave me tighter groupings than some of my girlfriends.  I also remember her better than half of my girlfriends which is probably saying something bad about me.

If they would have let my buy my old FNC1A1 when they decided that they weren't going to keep them in war stocks I would have been a happy man.  The C7 they could keep (sorry, but .556 just struck me as a submachinegun with delusions of adequecy).

Outside of collectors, you just can't get assault rifles down here.  Truth be told though, if I need to reach out and touch someone badly enough for an assault rifle, I can generally rely on my Enfield to free up one from whoever is being impolite enough to require an assault rifle to repel.  I never got the knack for the rate of fire my old man could coax out of them, but my basic was on the FN and switched to the C7, whereas he trained on the Enfield and didn't get the FN till Petawawa on the way overseas.

Some of our Kindred are either just back from Afghanistan, or working up to go back again.  For that matter some of the guys I trained still keep in touch, and are so much more positive about what we are doing in Afghanistan than any of that Blue Beret BS that it pretty much decides the issue for me.

As a total aside, there is a game called Airsoft that does allow you to take the old carcass out and dust off the old infantry skills.  Granted the penetration power of a .25mm at 330fps is a joke, but any excuse to get an old ground pounder to keep the rust off basic infantry observation, movement, fire coordination, communication, stealth and whatnot is probably worth it.

Hunting never really gave me the same feeling as I got from the old field ex, or gods help me, the few times when we were getting shot at for real.  There is just something about going out after your fellow armed humans that makes you feel so alive the air is like mead, and even the cold mud is exciting.  Gods does that sound sad.  Oh well, I was young and stupid once, but they can only take away the first!

Hail the gods my friend.

Honestly I don't bound from position to position like I used to either.  And much as it pains me to admit it, the scopes actually help at ranges I could see a heck of a lot clearer before I started getting grey.

Still, old age and trickery still count for a lot.  There is a lot to be said for the joy not only of sharpening your old skills, but teaching the next generation.