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@zedvictor4
For sure....Religion is a human invention.We haven't really moved on much in this respect have we?
In political terms, we are absolutely moving backwards when it comes to religion-based beliefs driving our laws.
But in general, religion is based on the hope of an afterlife or the hope/fear of supernatural intervention by some unseen entity in our lives (either rewarding us or punishing us - our need for a parental figure in adulthood).
I envision death as a raging waterfall and we humans as occupants in tiny rowboats. At first we are way upriver and everything is calm. But we are steadily moving toward more and more turbulent waters.
Religious people (to me anyway) are unafraid of the turbulence because they believe their spirit, complete with intact personality, will be magically lifted from their bodies as they plummet to their deaths (to live in some imagined utopia called Heaven).
I am headed for the same waterfall. But I would rather do everything in my power to slow down the boat, to thrash and fight, to grab a branch (including science and quantum wierdness) - and even to jump into the water and try to swim to shore - rather than sit calmly in my tiny boat and believe in magic.
But that is just me.
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@ILikePie5
Lol a majority of Americans saw taxes cut because of cut. Every American saw cheap gas prices and groceries under Trump. “Vote against their own financial interests.” If you’re talking about Biden voters sure
Nope! I'm talking about people like Jeffrey Bezos and Elon Musk -- and their corporations that have somehow been deemed to have "corporate personhood".
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@Danielle
I can't imagine what kind of nerd would sit around and watch the Jan 6 hearings. I guess the people who watch CNN might tune in for a little while but I don't think the goal is to impact elections (even though they should).
Well, I did. I watched the entire thing last week, but haven't had a chance to watch today's hearings. But then, I freely admit to being a sci-fi and armchair-politician NERD! 🥴😅
And I agree. These hearings are not directly about elections. They are about ACCOUNTABILITY and the future of our democracy.
What will "WE THE PEOPLE" allow or disallow? What is the price of our inaction upon our democracy (should A.G. Garland choose to do nothing)?
As a nation, we must all decide these things and vote accordingly. The fact that many simply "do not care" is egregious to me.
You know the apropos paraphrased cliche here -- "All that is necessary for evil to prevail is that good men [people] do nothing."
This is why I care.
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@Greyparrot
I agree. Hiring a professional Hollywood director to gaslight the people into thinking Inflation is not a big deal is most certainly what Kim Jong Un would do to keep power in a country of starving people. Their Jan 6 is a Korean state commission blaming Americans for all the problems in North Korea
First of all, that director is famous for his documentaries, not for frivolous films your "Hollywood" adjective implies.
Second, Democrats worst flaw is their inability to communicate in a vivid or charismatic way. They definitely need the help!
That being said, despite their hired director, the Dems stuck to THE FACTS!
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@ILikePie5
You’d be surprised how many promises he has kept.
Of this I have no doubt. Trump certainly kept many promises he made to the richest amongst us. But the most amazing thing he did was convincing everyday-people to vote against their own financial interests (IMHO).
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@Castin
Democracy is the ultimate priority because if it fails, no other priority can be addressed.
AMEN SISTER! 👍😁👍 Two thumbs up!
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@Greyparrot
A NFL football coach just got fined 100,000 dollars for suggesting BLM riots were more damaging to everyday Americans than Jan 6.Cancel culture is the sandbox of a Marxist.
You mean the way TFG tried to "cancel" an election he lost by over 7 million votes? Or perhaps you are referring to the way TFG tried to cancel Raffensperger and Kemp, but failed. He is still trying to cancel anyone who goes against him in ANY WAY. He has probably succeeded with Cheney and Kinsinger.
This all sounds more like something Kim Jong-un would do, not an American president. And an assault on our democracy is FAR MORE damaging than a justified riot that did "unjustified" damage to property.
PRIORITIES people! For God's sake our fair and just democracy, though obviously flawed, IS EVERYTHING. Nothing is more important! Without it, there is no free discussion such as we have on this forum.
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@Greyparrot
How hard would it be for the Democrats to have a committee hearing on inflation and lie to the people about that?
I will concede that all politicians lie to some extent.
But sedition is another matter entirely! Trump lied about ANYTHING and EVERYTHING to stay in power. He tried to make leaders of other countries help him win! Even after he lost, he tried to manipulate Georgia, the military and even the Dept. of Justice, to peddle his lies.
Like the green energy snake oil?
Green energy? Seriously?
So you don't care about the planet? Everything has its pros and cons, but to speak of green energy in the same way Trump speaks of "politics", is not only incongruous -- it is offensive.
Not everything people "push" as green is truly good for the planet, but collectively, we are all trying our best!
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@FLRW
Barr sat down with a reporter from the Associated Press on Dec. 1 and explained that no observable rampant fraud had occurred. Predictably, Trump soon demanded to speak to Barr.“You didn’t have to say this,” Barr says Trump told him. “You must have said this because you hate Trump. You hate Trump.”Then, Barr says, he told Trump that his assertions about a surge in votes in Detroit were meritless.OMG, Greyparrot has been coaching Trump.
😅🤣😂 Sooooo funny!
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@ILikePie5
I’ll bet you 10 bucks nothing happens to Trump lmfao. Nothing has happened for 6 years and counting.
On this point, at least, we agree. I doubt very much that anything will happen to this man, if for no other reason than the fact he was President.
Unfortunately, he has empowered a whole line of conmen who now know they can do whatever they want, lie about it, repeat that lie ad nauseum, and become more popular than ever. This is the power of the SNAKE-OIL SALESMAN!
REAL GOVERNING IS NOT EASY. It is about what is good for the people - even if it doesn't taste as good as something easily peddled to the masses.
Trump successfully speaks only to people's emotions. But fairness in law is done in a dispassionate and deliberate way, a logical and methodical way not immediately appreciated by most people.
Sigh ...
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@ILikePie5
Until there is accountability, "Trumpism", even more than Trump, remains a threat to democracy!Selfishness, self-promoting lies and propaganda lead to autocracy. And what is worse, Trump almost succeeded in overturning a LEGITIMATE ELECTION.We should all be afraid.Tell that to your average American who can’t afford gas and see if they care.
If you honestly feel this way, that is just sad. And if millions feel this way, then I am greatly saddened.
Our problems with inflation are real. But they are in large part due to Putin's war, which came on the heels of the COVID epidemic.
Seditious intentions (i.e. TFG), could mean an end to our democratic Republic. I, for one, do not wish to live in a society where decency and "the greater good" no longer have a voice.
In this country, democracy is the foundation upon which everything else sits, even inflation. So if no one cares about sedition, we are all in a sorry state.
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@ILikePie5
4. Not wanting to participate at all, and yet still wanting to derail the committee, Kevin McCarthy submitted names with an OBVIOUS CONFLICT OF INTEREST.What? Like who and how?
Nancy rejected only two of the candidates, namely Jim Jordan and Jim Banks. Kevin McCarthy then withdrew ALL names.
Adam Kinsinger and Liz Cheney agreed to participate despite Kevin's refusal to participate.
I suppose I would be skeptical of a committee that was all Republican except for Joe Manchin and Kirsten Sinema. So I understand why you scoff.
But you simply cannot scheme to overturn a valid election, still lying in the face of over 60 court rulings, and expect to get away with it.
I will have lost ALL faith in our democracy if Trump is not held to account. And, at this point, I am certainly not holding my breath!
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@ILikePie5
Americans have short memories in terms of politics. Most people tune out for 2-4 years until it’s time to vote again. How long have we heard “Trump is a threat to democracy?”
Until there is accountability, "Trumpism", even more than Trump, remains a threat to democracy!
Selfishness, self-promoting lies and propaganda lead to autocracy. And what is worse, Trump almost succeeded in overturning a LEGITIMATE ELECTION.
We should all be afraid.
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@ILikePie5
J6 Committee lost all credibility when Pelosi rejected GOP appointees. It’s a political charade. Nothing more. It’s a selective portrayal of events.
That isn't the way things played out at all.
1. It was SUPPOSED to be bipartisan! The Republicans voted it down. They DID NOT want any investigation into things they knew were seditious.
2. At this point, Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House, decided to exercise her right to begin her own investigation into Jan. 6th.
3. She was under NO obligation to include Republicans. But nonetheless, she asked them to voluntarily submit names.
4. Not wanting to participate at all, and yet still wanting to derail the committee, Kevin McCarthy submitted names with an OBVIOUS CONFLICT OF INTEREST.
5. Nancy, as would any judge, rejected the conflict of interest candidates. And yet, she still put two very conservative Republicans on the committee.
CONCLUSION: Republicans had EVERY chance to fully participate in this process. They chose to vote it down and then to select only candidates that would sabotage the effort -- if for no other reason than their own individual guilt.
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@Lemming
It isn't moral to 'others, to advance your own people by war,But one 'could argue it is moral to your 'own people.As well as sensible, depending on one's value, reasons, risks, benefits.
I think you may be confusing self-interest with morality.
A wife may think it is moral to kill her husband, citing emotional abuse. But it is really only in her own self-interest to do so. She doesn't NEED to kill him. She has other options.
It may make "sense" to her, but it is NOT moral in any way.
America also advances Democracy by propaganda, backdoor dealings, I imagine.Central Intelligence Agency.
Very true for all countries I would imagine.
But to kill without provocation for nothing other than the desire to have "more", to deliberately enter into international agreements that you know you will break -- just for more power and control -- this is not moral.
Russia is a "bad actor" in every sense of its political meaning IMHO.
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@Castin
All of this is happening because of Biden’s weakness and incompetence in foreign policy. Period. Full Stop.FFS. In 2020 I had a choice -- I could vote for weakness or for cancer.
😅🤣😂 I made the same choice and it sure as hell wasn't a vote for "cancer".
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@ILikePie5
All of this is happening because of Biden’s weakness and incompetence in foreign policy. Period. Full Stop.
All of this is happening because of Putin's aggression and desperate need to reinstate the former USSR.
Period. Full Stop.
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@Greyparrot
In a democracy we don't punish people for what they "might" do.That platitude is not much consolation for the dead people in Ukraine right now
So you are arguing that you should punish someone BEFORE they commit the crime?
The casualties in Ukraine are the result of Putin's aggression. It is his fault and no one else's.
Are you really blaming the sheriff of one town for not preventing a murder in another juristiction?
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@Lemming
Yassine asked me what America 'ought do, and I think I'll still not say,But a reasonable position, it seems to me, is advance one's own narrative,Culture, blood, politics, power, position,
It seems to me that to advance "one's own narrative" makes sense if it is non-violent. Otherwise it is pure fascist imperialism.
America "advances" democracy, for instance, but we usually only enter wars defensively (i.e. NATO).
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@Greyparrot
PM Chamberlain had exactly the same response when Poland fell. The measure of a competent leader is to prevent these things from happening, not "wisely" proclaim it's bad after it happens.
If you think Biden "proclaimed" it to be bad "after" it happened, you haven't been paying attention. Ukraine is not the US, so Biden didn't have to prevent anything, although he used every diplomatic means available to him and the rest of the free world.
In a democracy we don't punish people for what they "might" do.
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@Greyparrot
A reporter asked Biden today why he is refusing to personally sanction Putin now.Biden ignored the question. Who is the actual puppet here?
Biden answered that "it" was still on the table. But it did piss me off that he didn't say WHY he wasn't sanctioning Putin himself -- and why not now!
As to who is the actual puppet here?
Trump is without a doubt the puppet!
Trump will ALWAYS act in his own best interests, not the country's best interests. This makes him EXTREMELY exploitable by dictators like Putin.
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@Greyparrot
The fall of Ukraine mirrors the fall of Afghanistan, and Biden can't do anything about it as usual.
It was Trump who withdrew most of our troops in Afghanistan. Biden merely finished the job.
And Biden is doing plenty BTW, along with 30 other sovereign nations and full UN collaboration.
53% of Americans do not want us to send troops into this Russian-provoked war. But they DO want us to support them in every other way we can!
But the U.S. WILL defend ALL of our NATO allies with troops if necessary.
I wish Biden spoke more forcefully, I do. But just because he doesn't speak charismatically, doesn't mean he doesn't "speak softly and carry a BIG stick"!
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@Mharman
And honestly, I think Trump in office over Biden would've resulted in a tougher America with a better chance of peace (albeit uneasy) between the two countries.
Seriously?
Putin and Trump were not equals.
Trump was Putin's stooge.
Until Trump's last days in office, he lobbied for getting Russia back into the G7. Remember Russia was kicked out for invading the Ukraine in 2014 and annexing Crimea.
The Ukraine had the 3rd largest nuclear arsenal in the world after the US and Russia. We ALL brokered a deal and the Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons with our SIGNED promise NOT to invade.
Russia has proven their promises and treaties mean nothing!
Trump wanted to let Russia back in the G7, despite breaking these treaties.
Yesterday Trump called Putin a genius. You actually think Trump would broker peace?
Trump worships autocrats, especially Putin. He would have supported Putin's desire to squash democracy and bully the Ukraine.
TRUMP WISHES HE WAS AN AMERICA AUTOCRAT, SUPPORTED BY HIS HAND-PICKED GOP OLIGARCHY!
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@Dr.Franklin
I probably have more cultural and ideological ties to the average Russian than the average American. Which is why I am supporting Russia.
And just when I was about to get back on this site ...
This comment goes against democracy (which the Ukraine is), against an international treaty that Russia swore to uphold, against decency and against what the Ukrainians WANT FOR THEMSELVES!
Over 90% of their country voted to become a democracy, to become independent. That is 44 million people who DO NOT WANT a dictator telling them what to do.
I am not a regular here, so I can say this.
ANYONE WHO SIDES WITH OUR LONG-TIME ENEMY, PUTIN, OVER A DEMOCRATIC NATION IS A TRAITOR.
If I get banned for this, I get banned. Democracy is WORTH IT!
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@Castin
- Your personal anecdotes usually contributed to the discussion and never appeared to be inflammatory bullshit.
- I could go on.
Oh do go on ... and on ... *bats eyelashes*.
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@Incel-chud
This is exactly what happened to me and I swear to Locic, I'm not Wylted!bullshit.
And I'm twice the lady Victoria will ever be!
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@Castin
You mean, I shouldn't just lurk and stare at them in accusatory silence until I'm sure they're not Wylted?I don't understand.
This is exactly what happened to me and I swear to Locic, I'm not Wylted!
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@oromagi
Our God on this site needs to be locicNever heard of him. Was he on DDO?
All hail the one true God, Locic!
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@Castin
I'm sorry to hear that. I hope you give us another try. I remember your posts in the politics and religion forums and always wished you'd stuck around.
Thanks Castin! That was so nice to hear. I definitely plan to give it another go.
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@Mikal
Sounds interesting. I used to get buried in the political forum under the weight of greyparrot's massive responses; and all of his conservative pals who used to "parrot" 🤣 everything he says right back.
Don't get me wrong. I like greyparrot, or I used to anyway. He disappeared for awhile after Trump lost and from what I've seen, his posts seem different now.
There were simply no liberals in the politics forum at the time. Castin tells me that this has changed a little though. I plan to try again.
Thanks Mikal.
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@RationalMadman
It would help you more so to look through Lunatic's previous threads than mine, I do encourage you to look as hard as you like though.
Thanks and hello RM! It is nice to finally meet you. I will read and learn.
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@Mikal
I doubt you would think we are that bad either. You just caught the end result of me being really harsh to him because he deserved it.
Like I said to Lunatic, RM was on a 3 month ban when I started. However, I don't like it much when the "many" attack the "one" and then keep on attacking with gifs and character assassinations.
That makes him the underdog for me.
But I don't really know him, so I am reading through some old threads to get a better idea. But attacking your competition in an election is called "opposition research". It is one of the few times it is acceptable to criticize on a massive scale. Even then, though, it is circumspect.
People should be able to defend themselves of course. So, if he attacked, you certainly have a right to attack right back.
You guys just seem to pour it on though.
I will admit you are hilarious and obviously very talented. But you guys hit like a Mac truck. And, in general, with great power comes great responsibility (said in the deep and dignified voice of James Earl Jones - no wait - Morgan Freeman!).
Okay. Okay. The bottom line is that I don't really know what I'm talking about.
But I'm learning.
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@Lunatic
Despite his claims of being bullied, he actually dishes a lot of it out himself. You are seeing like 1% of the context here.
I will admit that when I first started on DART, RM was on a 3 month ban. So I've never actually had a convo with him.
It just seems to me that he is one, and all of you are many; and I don't like it when the "many" attack the "one".
He may deserve it, I don't know.
But again, he seems to only attack one-on-one and you all seem to attack en masse. I may be wrong, but I never see anyone on his side.
But I have been where he is (I am a liberal in DART's VERY conservative-filled political forum - or used to be). But I will spend some more time reading through old threads to get a better picture.
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What about those of us who were never on DDO? What are we -- chopped liver? 🤣
Just teasing. I am only descended from chopped liver. My mother's name actually is "Sherry Whatamichoppedliver". At least that is what she has said to me my entire life.
Seriously though, I'm not very active on DART. I switched to Twitter because there didn't seem to be many folks in the politics forum.
I'm hoping Airmax can change this.
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Although I don't really know Airmax or 3RU7AL, I read their respective plans and Airmax's plan seems much more expansive and well organized.
I worry about his "laissez-faire" policy, but this isn't a moderator position and he seems to be supremely qualified as a great PR guy. His friends on the other hand ...
But then again, my lack of recent activity probably makes me unqualified to vote.
Then I thought, so are most Americans and they still vote. So why the hell not! 🤣
I vote for Airmax.
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@Castin
Ugh. More of this shit? You make me regret casting my vote.
Thank you for saying this Castin. I haven't been on in a very long while and this is one of the reasons why.
I appreciate satire, after all I am very active on Twitter 🤪. But I don't like it when users, who are part of a clique, find a way to bully someone without breaking the CoC rules.
This happened to me in the political forum and I wouldn't wish this on anyone!
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@Castin
Intimidating," pfft. This from the person who apparently reads quantum mechanics and astrophysics books in her spare time.
WARNING: Rumors of my intellugence have been grossly exaggerated.
I buy the books. I "try" to read them. I LOVE what I learn. Sadly, I don't always learn much. Lol.
But I DO love science, especially quantum physics and relativity (as it applies to black holes, the multiverse and time-space). Unfortunately, I'm not just a layman, I'm an assistant laman!
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@Castin
This was HILARIOUS to read! Piasing off each side is the only "fair" way to go. Lol.
It was also a bit intimidating. I don't begin to know as much as you do about Ehrman or any of the agnostic/atheist scholars. I know only a little. But now I know who to turn to when I need a juicy quote! Lol!
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@Castin
isn't Bart Ehrman an agnostic? I'm only asking because he does believe Jesus existed, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't buy into the Christian mythology piece that makes Jesus a God.
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I am soooooooooooo happy (about this at least)! Shocked, but happy. Flabbergasted, but happy. Mentally and emotionally exhausted, but happy. Still waiting for another catastrophe from the ReTrumplicans, but happy . . . about the Georgia Miracle anyway! The insurgence . . . well, that is a shameful outrage for another thread.
WAY TO GO GEORGIA!!!
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Joe Biden tweeted:
"Today is a reminder, a painful one, that democracy is fragile. To preserve it requires people of good will, leaders with the courage to stand up, who are devoted not to pursuit of power and personal interest at any cost, but to the common good."
ELECTORAL VOTE OBJECTION (Arizona)
93 Senators voted AGAINST the objection - (including Mitch McConnell)
06 Senators voted FOR the objection- (including Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley)
06 Senators voted FOR the objection- (including Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley)
303 Representatives voted AGAINST the objection-(reps. and dems. who care about the common good)
121 Representatives voted FOR the objection- (consumed with desire for power and personal interest)
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@oromagi
@Wagyu
baseless efforts back then, and we just spent four years condemning Democrats’ shameful attempts of the validity of President Trump’s own election. So, look, there can be no double standard.
I liked, in general, what Mitch McConnell had to say when I watched the news earlier. However, most of the challenges questioning Trump's "validity", was not about the election itself, but about the legitimate allegations of Russian collusion and later impeachable international bribery offenses (though they chose to call it abuse of power).
These charges were overruled by a Republican majority and, in the case of Russian collusion, Trump was more or less exonerated. He also was accused, and even proven by the Special Council, to have committed serious "obstruction of justice" offenses. He was not officially charged, merely because he was the President and the FBI had a policy of not indicting a sitting president (policy, NOT LAW). Still, we accepted it. We didn't stage a coup. We focused on the next election.
In other words, Mitch was not comparing apples to apples. For the most part, we accepted the election itself . . . grudgingly of course . . . and focused on impeachment and the Special Council when his "actions" were brought into question. I'm just saying, we NEVER questioned his legitimate democratically won electoral votes (even though he lost the popular vote by 3 million!!!).
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@HistoryBuff
Most Republicans (office holders) are not so loyal to Trump, as they are loyal to his devoted VOTERS!this is the only part of your post I disagree with. They aren't loyal to republican voters. They are bottom feeding parasites that are loyal to themselves. They don't back trump because they believe that is what the people want. They back trump because they fear losing their power and wealth. They are doing it out of self interest.
Oh, don't misunderstand. I agree with you completely. When I say they are "loyal to his devoted voters", I really mean they are loyal to the ability of those voters to keep themselves in power. I never for on instant believed they cared about the "well-being" of their constituents. They have proven repeatedly, that even in a world-wide pandemic, the "People" deserve almost nothing while the corporations (who fund their campaigns) deserve much.
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@HistoryBuff
Because trump is much, much more popular among republican voters than they are. If they criticize him, they will be primaried and lose their jobs. So instead they play along or hide and refuse to comment.
THANK YOU! Yes. Many Republicans are quite intelligent (even Ted Cruz is not the bumbling idiot he appears to be). The Republicans in Congress know Trump is not a fit leader. They know that he is corrupt and they know how much he lies. Most Republicans are smarter than Trump! But they are afraid of the voters. And Trump CONTROLS the bulk of republican voters.
Trump, much like a cult leader, commands the emotional loyalty of millions who have felt angry and invisible for years. Without a formalized system of logic (definitely not saying they are inherently stupid -- they're not), the Trump followers seem incapable of overriding his direct appeal to their emotional limbic system. I'm no exception. I dislike Trump to the point of addiction.
I mean, I took one look, and knew instantly that he was nothing more than a con-man with an incredibly fragile ego. Trump supporters see something different I think.
One of the many problems with democrats, is that they SELDOM EVER know how to appeal to people's emotions (the real reason we do everything). They come across boring, which is probably how it should be. We should be governed by logic, not our base emotions. But for the average person, emotion in politics looks like passion, inspiration and very often, the truth. "It makes me feel good, therefore it must be true."
As for the Republican lawmakers, I believe they would MOST CERTAINLY speak out against Trump, if 73 million people hadn't voted for him. Most Republicans (office holders) are not so loyal to Trump, as they are loyal to his devoted VOTERS! I'm not saying this is okay, because IT ISN'T!
In fact, to this I say, COUNTRY OVER PARTY people! COUNTRY OVER PARTY!
(independent)
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@Castin
Who thinks nothing will be achieved by midnight Monday and there will be a government shutdown? Takin' bets, y'all.
I heard tRump was going to sign it tonight. It will be the $900 billion bill, not the modified bill with $2000 stimulus checks. So it will be $600 per person and per child. Buuuuuuuuttt . . they said he would sign it before. Trump is impossible to predict right now. His ego is in crisis!
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@ILikePie5
Again, if you’re wanting to keep one and not the other, why should the one that does less harm be abolished? Logically speaking, shouldn’t the one that does more harm get abolished? You saying oh their dangerous is true but it’s a red herring for the real issue: deaths.
Because it isn't about doing harm. It is about doing "unnecessary harm". What do I need to protect myself and my family? I need a handgun. I don't need a semi-automatic to do that --- unless the other guy has one as well. What is the minimum needed for a civilian? If they take away my AR-15, I lose nothing. I can still protect myself with my handgun. If they take away my handgun, I lose my protection.
We don't ban handguns because we all have the right to protect ourselves. But that right should not extend to unnecessary force. That is going above and beyond our need. It isn't about the number of deaths. Maybe it should be. I don't know. But for me, I need a gun, because a guy with a knife would be too much for me without a gun.
You dodged. You and I can both agree that scientifically birth is either at conception or after exiting the mother’s womb. You’re in favor of abortion. By logic, you support abortion up till the third semester because the thing in the womb is not a human and therefore has no rights and therefore the mother can terminate the pregnancy.
I support abortion ONLY IN THE 1ST TRIMESTER (3 months). There is no real brain tissue yet. I wasn't dodging. I separate the terms "life" and "consciousness-capable life". The is just me, but this is what I go by. The brain tissue doesn't really even begin to form (in the cranial cavity) until after the 1st Trimester. So, yes, there is "life", but no, it is not yet "consciousness-cable life" in the first 3 months. So yes, for me, it is not yet human. It is life, but so is a blade of grass. I don't mean that to sound harsh. I just don't believe it is anything yet.
Thank you for clarifying. As you stated, banning “assault weapons” entails banning guns including handguns, rifles, and shotguns, so either Biden supports that or you don’t. If you don’t support that policy of Biden then you agree he is going to take away gun rights.
I believe in handguns. Even though the formal definition includes them, I don't believe Biden does. But I would be just as happy with a revolver if it came to that. I don't want my gun taken away. I just want excessive force gone -- like I said above.
I hope I explained it well enough above. I think there is logic to it. I hope Biden hasn't gone too far. But if he has, I will SPEAK OUT AGAINST IT --- AND HIM IF NECESSARY.
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@ILikePie5
I am interested to know where in Ohio you are specifically from. If you’re in the three counties I mentioned earlier, it makes sense why you see so much support. The shy Trump voter is the reason why the polls were wrong, cause let’s face it: conservatives aren’t going to go out of their way to key your car if you support Biden. Certain Democrats will. How many times has Trump specifically called out the general supporter of Biden and how many times has Biden called out Trump supporter of Trump. Biden called us ugly, chumps, liars, he even called a dude fat. I’m a firsthand witness to cancel culture and what Donald Trump says is not even close to what it is. He calls out career bureaucrats and officials.
I grew up in Columbus, Ohio. But I moved further south for a bigger house with a little bit of land. Wow! Culture shock! And I'm not even that far out. But no, I don't live in any of the counties you mentioned. And I never knew any Democrats who would stoop so low as to scratch somebody's car, but hell, what do I know? I don't live on campus anymore.
And I'm not saying that Democrats didn't slam Trump supporters. I know they did, and do. I'm just saying that Trump shames everyone -- and not just politicians and bureaucrats. He only shames them because he is in politics now. He shamed his porn-star mistresses too (Horseface). Hell, he even shamed the National Weather Bureau for disagreeing about the path of that hurricane I mentioned earlier. These people did nothing but tell the truth about a hurricane.
Anyway, I know all politicians run down their opponents. That is democracy. I'm just saying that if Cancel Culture is something you hate, then choosing someone like Trump, who seems to thrive in that environment, seems counter-intuitive. You have to admit. Trump took criticism to a new level. It was like watching a 2nd-grader, and a bullying 2nd-grader at that. I'm not talking about Republicans here, just Trump.
I just want to be respected again. The world is saying "Welcome back America". Don't you think that means something? I understand (a little anyway) why people liked Trump. He was charismatic and he made politics simple -- chant-able (lol). But the thing is, politics isn't simple. And if you vote based on rhetoric, your vote is misguided --- ON BOTH SIDES!!
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@bmdrocks21
- Restricting gun rights: He only wants universal background checks and an eventual ban on assault weapons.
Patently false. That's all he wants? Not allowing law suits against gun companies for misuse of their products? Ban "high-capacity" magazines? Forcible registration of assault weapons (aka the first step towards confiscation)? Take guns from people convicted of MISDEAMEANOR hate crimes? End all online sales of firearms? If firearms are "accessible" to children, they can be prosecuted even if the kid never even saw or touched the gun?
Okay. I am really tired of hearing about "the first step towards confiscation". No one is trying to pry your gun out of your fingers! But WHY do you need more than a handgun???? Why? I REALLY, REALLY WANT TO KNOW?
- Raising taxes: He is ONLY raising taxes on people whose income is over 400K a year (don't know much about corporate taxes, so I won't comment there).
Said he is repealing Trump tax cuts. Those included middle class tax cuts. Corporate taxes are going to be raised from 21% to 28% if he gets his way.
What I heard was that he was repealing the Trump tax cuts for the wealthy. As for corporations, Amazon paid nothing for 2 straight years!
www.cnbc.com › 2020/02/04
After two straight years of paying $0 in U.S. federal income tax, Amazon was on the hook for a $162 million bill in 2019, the company said in an SEC filing on Thursday. ... In fact, thanks to tax credits and deductions, Amazon actually received a federal tax refund of $129 million.Feb 4, 2020
- Late-term abortion: It has nothing to do with "the balls to try it". They don't believe in it! No one does! (I'm not saying there isn't some wierdo faction out there).
Depends. New York passed a bill that allows abortions in the third trimester and use ambiguous, undefined terms such as "health" as a valid reason for abortion. It is de facto late-term abortion, not explicit.
What? Really? Unless by "health" you mean "death" --- then that is horrible. New York really passed a bill like that? I'll have to do some research on that tomorrow. But really, that is truly unprecedented. As for de facto late-term abortion, do you mean they passed an ambiguous law so that anyone wanting a late-term abortion could more easily get one? I can't believe they would create a bill like that without spelling it out in VERY specific terms. Like I said. Horrible if true.
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@ILikePie5
Handguns kill more than “Assault Weapons.” Why isn’t Joe banning them if your goal is to prevent deaths?
As I said before, he only wants to stop sickos from mowing down 15 people in 30 seconds. The goal is to NOT to "prevent death", it is to prevent "unnecessary death". If you kill someone protecting your family, so be it. You needed your gun. You did not need an assault weapon. But to kill 15 with a single flick of your finger? THAT IS NEVER OKAY, unless you are in the military and fighting a war. Responsible gun ownership is all that Biden wants. No citizen should ever want or need that kind of fire power.
It’s either abortion up till birth or no abortion at all. You can’t set an arbitrary method that goes against science. If you believe life begins after coming out of the womb then abortion should be legal up till the third trimester. The other side is life begins at conception. There’s no scientific argument that life begins somewhere in the middle.
I'm not going against science. Heaven Forbid!!! I love science (especially layman-level quantum physics)! I'm not suggesting a time when life begins. But I do know that it takes quite awhile for the tissue in the brain to even develop (not the brain stem which starts a little earlier). I believe in abortions in the first trimester --- under certain conditions --- incest being foremost among them.
I don’t think you know what an “Assualt Rifle” is. No one wants mass shootings. But that’s all you hear about in the media. How many times have you heard of a gun saving lives? Just take a look at Sutherland Springs, where a man with an AR-15 stopped a shooter.
Drawing from federal and state law definitions, the term assault weapon refers primarily to semi-automatic rifles, pistols, and shotguns that are able to accept detachable magazines and possess one or more other features. I, personally, care the most about the AR-15 type rifles. As for Sutherland Springs, that is a ridiculous example because the shooter wouldn't have been there if semi-automatic rifles weren't available to citizens. And if he had gone anyway, the death toll would have been much lower. And the guy who stopped the shooter was a firearms instructor -- not an average citizen. If not, I would have to ask, what was an average citizen doing close to a church, armed with an AR-15?
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@ILikePie5
Yup. Just a take a look at the polls. Horribly wrong. Why? They overestimated Biden’s vote with people that hold a bachelor’s degree by a mile. People either outright lied to pollsters, or hung up after learning they were talking to a pollster.
Okay. So you're saying people didn't want to tell anyone they were voting for Trump. And this makes sense if what you are saying about Cancel Culture and being a Trump supporter is true. On a college campus this makes even more sense. But in general? The Trump supporters in Ohio were loud, arrogant and defiant. And it can't be Cancel Culture in general, because Trump is the King of Cancel Culture.
What I mean is that Cancel Culture publicly shames people for not conforming to whatever seems to be culturally relevant at the time. Trump does this to everyone and every group that goes against ANYTHING he says or does. He doesn't just stop there either. He calls them names. He gets hundreds of people to CHANT and humiliate them publicly. He fires them for simply doing their job, if in the course of doing that job, they might disagree with him (such as with the path of a hurricane or the existence of a virus).
I'm beginning to think that things are changing so fast now (i.e. the hi-tech or the LGBTQ community) that people just want to slam on the breaks sometimes. And I get that. But why Trump? Are they really that afraid of the extreme liberals? I see them as harmless I guess. But I suppose to their victims they are most certainly not! I've just seen so many of Trump's victims. And this week alone, he has fired so many more, putting in more Trump loyalists despite their expertise or viability.
I think half the nation voted for Trump because he was emotionally interesting to watch, spoke simply and gave them permission to engage their pettiest instincts. I think they were sick of politicians and rightly so. But Trump has all the elements of a good soap opera, not a good president ---- a lack of MORAL INTEGRITY and a LOT OF CONFLICT. But a president isn't supposed to get down in the mud with the people. He is supposed to be the best of us, or at least attempt to be a shining example. He called people names; so Americans started doing even more of it. He wanted to build a wall; so Americans starting building hundreds of their own. We are now more divided than ever.
I don't want that.
So, I am glad there is a letter going around condemning Cancel Culture with so many famous names on it. But Trump, the President of the United States puts down more people and organizations in 1 day of tweets than most of us could muster in a year. Knowing this, how could Cancel Culture then be the reason that people voted for Trump? Trump seems to embody the worst of what Cancel Culture is.
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