"....Hundreds of thousands of rounds,..."

Yes, the Middle Ages were quite the period for oppression, not just from the Church, but from many. It was a very difficult time period in the history of man.

But again, that is the Middle Ages, a world that is so far removed from today. In today's world, Catholic Churches are built from the same donation dollars that come from its congregation, just the same as any Protestant church,  - each congregation builds their own church. Some Protestant churches are just as big, if not larger. I was born and raised in the Catholic Church, and every church I belonged to had membership around 500 - 800 members, several had schools that were attended by Catholics and non Catholics alike.  Today's Catholic Church is nothing like it was in the Middle Ages.

You sound just like the minister of this one Protestant church I attended with my ex's relatives. He told the story of his trip to Europe, and he went on and on about his visiting the old Catholic Churches with their "golden idols". I walked out, and refused to attend any so called church that puposefully denigrates another because they happen to worship a bit differently. As a Catholic, I can assure you and anyone else that there are no "golden idols" being worshipped. I've even  been told that Catholics are not Christians. I certainly believe that I am Christian as I believe in Jesus Christ.  There is enough hate in this world that we don't need crap attitudes like yours.

So quit your hating on the Catholic Church.  The Pope certainly deserves protection from assassination.  The Church is nothing - NOTHING - like the oppressive Church of the Middle Ages.  Take a little time and educate yourself about the modern Catholic Church, get past 500+ year old history, and quit holding people to the mistakes of the Middle Ages when the Catholic Church was the ONLY Christian church.  Have you ever even been inside a modern Catholic Church? You know NOTHING about today's Catholic Church - your own words prove MY POINT. 

(My apologies to Todd - but this public denigration of the Catholic Church is just out of line and I feel I have the right to defend my church, one that is one of the most generous charitible organizations worldwide - one that sits firmly on the top of the charities that I contribute.) 

No apologies necessary, you defence of the Caotholic Church was nicely stated because you're obviously not interested in attacking the other person, just saying some good things about the Church.  I also don't like when people slam the church because of things that took place in the dark ages. 

People need to remember how nothing they know about today is anything like what those people went through.  People did what they could to survive, and they did not have the scientific knowledge to understand the world around them.  They were scared, and scared people can do some awful things.

Today, the Catholic church does a lot of good for a lot of people.  There are some who slam the church, but anyone who is so angry at a church (of all things) is angry for a reason.  I'm not going to get into reasons why that may be, but the reasons likely have little to do with the church itself.

One thing I iwll request at this point:  let's let the subject of religion and church be continued in a blog, if at all, but let's not continue a religious flame war in the forums.

My one suggestion to this winner is to keep the family out of the financial decisions. Let them reap some benefits, but seriously having the *AUNT* give financial advice is asking for trouble. Unless she is a merrill lynch employee or someone of financial degree, I'd caution him to allow an objective person guide his financial decision. Families have a tendency to be bias.

It was pure luck that he played it when he did and how he did. Its a blessing for him and may he enjoy the goodness that can come from it.

Agree

If I were that young and won a lottery that large.  I would continue my education and travel.  There are so many things to learn out there and life is so short.

The money would last me forever.  I am not into fancy clothes, diamonds, cars or etc.

I like Freedom...  and eating in good restaurants.

Yep! Owning a gun and using it as a paper weight is a waste of money.  As the stats show, most criminals take the guns away from their owners and use it on the owners - and other innocent people.  When you learn how to use your firearm, prepare youself, and really want to protect your family (not just be macho), the the criminal never has the chance to make you, or your little girl, a victum.  I have spent my life doing everything I can to secure my daughter, including spending time with her at the firing range.

Look at all these college kids being killed.  It is all over the news. The safety of the 60's is long gone.  People still wait to be victums and druggies do their best to accomidate them.  Crime is up, and their just aren't enough cops to protect YOU.

justxploring and tntea are two of the most intelligent people on the LP!  Others need to pay more attention to your wisdom!

Aside from drug arrest, crime for the most part has been for the most part on the decline for the last couple decades with homocide rates at the lowest since the 60s. Though non-fatal gun crime was on the rise as of 2005 or 2006, but admittedly the data I'm looking at only has to do with reported crime and is a bit old so that might changing recently and either risen more or dropped, I doubt it's skyrocketed to where it's beyond what it was a decade ago and yeah I'm know there are areas where crime has certainly increased but certain areas go through that all the time, the problems with certain downturns in the public sector and the economy probably have at least some hand in it. The advent of 24/7 news media (who feed off bad news) over the last 20 years or so we hear about it a lot more about the bad things going on all over the country and I think that gives the illusion that things are worse than what they actually are.

The 60s weren't all sunshine and rainbows either, two examples of that that come to mind would be Charles Whitman and Charles Manson (who's criminal history goes back into the 50s as well). Oh yeah and I guess there's the Kennedy assasinations as well as Martin Luther King Jr. Obviously I'm only using big examples because those are the only ones that really got reported outside of the local news back then due to the limits of the time.

I am pro-gun and concealed weapons laws for law biding, sane citizens who actually take the effort to train with the weapon properly and not just buy a gun and think "yeeehaw, Imma cowboy naw!" While firing off a few rounds in the air like they're Yosemite Sam.. Nothing really good has ever come from taking rights away from upstanding, lawbiding and again, sane citizens.

Good points.  Just remember, since the intial ten ammendments, the U.S. Congress has NEVER written a law giving Americans more freedoms, but have spent the following years trying to take away freedoms.  America is the greatest country in the world, not because of its politicians; because of its workers.