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All the philanthropy in the world can't save him.

snoogit

By snoogit
in Grand Rapids Coffee House

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GRDadof3 Ecumenopolis

GRDadof3

Posted
Posted
i'm fascinated by the fact mr. devos is such a staunch republican, doesn't believe gays should have the same rights as he, refers to "them" like they're 2nd class citizens, tells "them" to go do something else and he won't stick his nose in their lives and yet...

he started a health and beauty company...

he started a hospitality company...

one of the wives is a fashion designer..

one of the grandsons started a movie website...

they're creating the world's largest art competition...

he's one of the biggest arts and entertainment philanthropists.

not that the gays have a lock on all of these things but you can't deny they are heavily influenced by the gay community. reading this list you'd think they'd be going into the floral business next! i kid, but, you'd think he would have gained a little more compassion for other people... being a "christian" as he says he is. maybe there are no gays in the devos family he could learn something from. or they're just to scared to let anyone know.

west michigan owes a debt of gratitude to the devos' and van andel families. we'd be hurting big time without them. at the same time, i hope the younger generation is more inclusive of ALL types of people.

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MJLO City

MJLO

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I dunno, i'm really not moved either way. Devos represents an old school train of thought, and it doesn't bother me at all. I've never been a big fan of the one dimensional CRC view so prevelant in the Dutch Heritage of West Michigan. But that's the Calvinist school of thought. The problem I have with these people is that the majority of them, (tho not all) Have their views because they are told that these are their views. My life and experiences and mistakes, shape my views, not a one sided homogenous population, that I dont question, where I know nothing else, and cannot fathom a different point of view. Believe it or not I think these views, brings in a bit of social balance. Haha, publicly he exudes a libertarian position on the issue, " i dont care what the gays do, I dont care if they have legal rights, I just dont want them to call it marriage". (This is the borderline PC opposition to the arguement, that the media wont call out and out, bigotry. ) Where privately I'm sure he and the rest of the Calvinists, want to set the clocks back a couple hundred years, In a utopian society where we churn are own butter again, the women are barefoot and pregnant, and the gays where big scarlett "G's" on there chest. (I'd put glitter on mine ;) ). The modern definition of this, is simply known as "Zeeland". I digress, To me, it's little different than the opposite side. The koolaid drinking college students who voted for Obama because he represented "hope" and "change", but outside from that cannot articulate a single issue he stood on. Alot of these people take it as a personal attack if someone has a differing opinion than they do, get offended and downright mean. That and they cant define what hope and change meant. :D

It's one of the things that frustrates me, and why issues like gay marriage get me so fired up (because the literalists come out of the woodwork telling everyone how they should live their lives). Many times in this argument, literalists come to the debate carrying their bibles assuming that everyone should live by their code. I'm not gay, so allowing gay marriages wouldn't benefit me personally.
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GRDadof3 Ecumenopolis

GRDadof3

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Now the controversy is the story:

http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/ind..._about_gay.html

I should also add in this thread that I wasn't earlier suggesting that Devos bought the interview with the Press (my apologies Chris). It's that the wealthy are able to buy influence, even if their opinion is neither innovative nor noteworthy.

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mgreven Hamlet

mgreven

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So kinda on topic, kinda off topic...

Isn't tomorrow night the night Wynton Marsalis is playing at DeVos Hall for Amway? Wasn't there talks of a fireworks display afterwards on the Grand? While all these great concerts are private I'm assuming if you just happened to be downtown tomorrow night you'd see one heck of a fireworks show, right? Anybody know what time..or maybe whenever Wynton is done?

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jbr12 Hamlet

jbr12

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http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/ind...ary_firewo.html

Amway's 50th anniversary fireworks celebration to light up downtown Grand Rapids tonight

GRAND RAPIDS -- An eight-minute display "much larger and much more intense" than the longer Celebration on the Grand fireworks show will light up downtown over the Grand River tonight.

But the public is being discouraged from taking in the spectacle.

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wingbert Burg

wingbert

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Why do bible thumpers have to explain that inconsistency to you? Hypocrisy isn't limited to Christianity.

Seems a true Christ follower would eschew anything the Bible tells him is sin, regardless of perceived severity. Would demonstrations in the streets full of Christ followers decrying lust, gluttony, and disobedience to one's parents in the Lord remove the appearance of hypocrisy? It would look ridiculous. Trouble is, those things aren't all that sensational. It won't get you on the front page of the Press, that bastion of journalistic integrity and gravitas. It saddens me to know that Christians withhold their love from people based on the simple fact that they are homosexual.

It also seems to me sensible Christ followers don't go looking for confrontation on the issue, and by sensible, I don't include the God Hates hags crowd. When asked, answers will be given based on their beliefs. When they give to charity, chances are money will be given based on their beliefs.

Has anyone imagined what kind of city Grand Rapids would be without the DeVoses and VanAndels? Does their presence and influence prevent anyone in anyway from doing whatever they want whenever they want? Just curious...I was thinking about that myself.

I agree with the title of this thread. Salvation isn't contingent on philanthropy.

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d8alterego Whistle-Stop

d8alterego

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It's ironic how I moved from GR to Florida for a job and then a year later I tried to stop the Florida proposal that DICK was financially supporting in Florida. It felt great knowing someone in my former town was still influencing my life in Florida. And yes, his personal beliefs do influence my life b/c, now that the amendment passed, I can no longer give my employer benefits to my partner. Thanks DICK. Keep your nose in your own business, hypocrite.

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PolarBoy Unincorporated Area

PolarBoy

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I've said it before and I'll say it again. Someone once pointed out that God provided 10 Commandments for people to live by. Not one of them mentions homosexuality. So obviously God felt there were at least 10 other things more important than homosexuality that he would like his true believers to focus on. Get those 10 things in line and then let's worry about this other muckity muck.
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Veloise City

Veloise

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Fireworks: Front page, above the fold. So much for the KIAS effort.

Last time I checked, the airspace above the city was available for public viewing. What are the cops gonna do for spectators who stop to watch? "Nothing to see here, move along..."

ETA: City came through with the FOIA.

UPDATE: Tonight's display is expected to include 4,500 shells shot over 8 minutes, a mammoth, but brief display by downtown standards. The information was contained in permits released this afternoon by the City Attorney's office after the Press filed a Freedom of Information Act request.

By comparison the 20-25 minute Fourth of July fireworks typically includes around 1,500 shells. The 20-minute Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival show includes about 5,600 shells.

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Kib Whistle-Stop

Kib

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Might be fun just to go down there to see if you could get a ticket for trespass or loitering if for no other reason than filing counter-charges with Amway for pandering.

(The Supreme Court of the United States defined pandering as "the business of purveying textual or graphic matter openly advertised to appeal to the erotic interest of their customers.”)

Me likes fireworks.

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GRDadof3 Ecumenopolis

GRDadof3

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Might be fun just to go down there to see if you could get a ticket for trespass or loitering if for no other reason than filing counter-charges with Amway for pandering.

(The Supreme Court of the United States defined pandering as "the business of purveying textual or graphic matter openly advertised to appeal to the erotic interest of their customers.”)

Me likes fireworks.

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GRGridGirl Hamlet

GRGridGirl

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Amway brought in LeAnn Rhimes for a private concert last Friday too. I was a city tour guide on Saturday for 100 Amway folks from Taiwan, China, and Hong Kong. We had a late start because Joel Osteen was the lunch keynote and I guess getting a photo with him was very popular.

What the Press article didn't say was how difficult it was to enforce the "no camera rule" to the Amway distributors during the Sting concert.

I wonder how much Amway spent on their celebration...

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fotoman311 Burg

fotoman311

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Amway brought in LeAnn Rhimes for a private concert last Friday too. I was a city tour guide on Saturday for 100 Amway folks from Taiwan, China, and Hong Kong. We had a late start because Joel Osteen was the lunch keynote and I guess getting a photo with him was very popular.

What the Press article didn't say was how difficult it was to enforce the "no camera rule" to the Amway distributors during the Sting concert.

I wonder how much Amway spent on their celebration...

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GRGridGirl Hamlet

GRGridGirl

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We rode by a bus full of what I can only guess were Amway's Asian distributors on Sunday on Fulton in front of GVSU's downtown campus. We were riding our interesting looking semi-recumbent tandem with our dogs in tow in a trailer on our way to Grandville. I kind of hope we made someone's tourist video. :)
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RegalTDP Burg

RegalTDP

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Count Bill Simonson as an admirer. You should call his show, Snoogit.

Orlando Magic's Success Begins with Rich DeVos - MLive

I sure am rooting for Orlando on this one though. They definitely deserve it.

[DeVos] never has sought the spotlight. He never has wanted his name connected to any building or donation made on behalf of him or his family.
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