Borrowed from Facebook. Message to the Tea Party...

[LiveonJG]

[turk]

Here's what I think glasseye, and what I care about politically: The "progressive liberals" who have controlled congress for the last 4 years, hence discretionary spending, have an agenda to "transform this nation". I don't like what they think they are transforming it into.

OK. What, specifically and exactly do they "think they're transforming it in to"?

No jargon, please. No generalities.

Specifics.

you'd have ask them, but since you want me to answer what I think hope and change looks like: someplace where there is no death, fear, pain or struggle and the government is god. Going back to the origin of this thread: we had 2 "reasons" to be motivated: the race card, and humans damaging the climate (MY disincentive to your politics). So those were cards you put on the table. I'm spposed fold? I raise and say show yer hand busybodies.

[Westy78]

I could see that you just have different beliefs, based on whatever. But it's beginning to look as though when you take a stance it's for the fun of taunting people, or to keep an argument alive, or something. I don't get that.

Jim

Aaahhh looks like someone is finally getting it. My question is why do all of you keep taking the bait?

[glasseye]

Aaahhh looks like someone is finally getting it. My question is why do all of you keep taking the bait?

I keep asking myself that.

Sometimes, we have good, interesting discussions. That's why, even though I hardly ever drive my VW, I hang around here. It's can be fun, friendly, interesting and educational. Sometimes it's necessary to be a little provocative, just to promote discussion., but unfortunately the discussion frequently spirals in to the same old tired dogma.

My question is "Why do they keep baiting us?" What's in it for them?

[BellePlaine]

My question is why do all of you keep taking the bait?

Because it's worthwhile to examine and test what we believe against why we believe it? Do we really need to use man-made global warming to tax and threaten us into conserving our resources? Personally, I would much rather buy local/organic/ma&pop for reasons that these things are of a higher quality then their industral/disposable/bigbox counterparts.

Even if you are cemented in your beliefs that global warming is man-made, you have to concede that the Earth's temperatures are naturally cyclical. Being that we've never had man-influenced global temperature changes before, how do we know that we're doing it now?

[turk]

PC fascism operates in that way. Make heavy-handed claim appealing to morality, change subject to attack anyone who call it out, reinforce groupthink in attack.

[Velokid1]

Do we really need to use man-made global warming to tax and threaten us into conserving our resources?

This is a very important question to ask, BP. And it's also crucial that we all dare to admit if the answer happens to be one we don't want. Assuming for a moment that the science is wrong... do we need something to force people to conserve OUR resources?

I know it riles us all to think that the answer could be Yes, that 95% of Americans (for instance) do not feel the way you do, are NOT willing to buy local/etc because it conserves resources. But what's the alternative: watch everyone carelessly burn through resources while we cling proudly to our High Principles that "no man should be forced to do what he doesn't want to do."

We aren't talking about forcing someone out of their home or going hungry or even compromising their quality of life. We're talking about building infrastructure that makes a different way of life possible, not giving a free pass to private industry to pollute and evade taxes, etc.

It's not about relinquishing freedom and compromising principles to me; it's about embracing principles that are of much greater benefit, to a much greater number of people.

I know that argument really riles up those with a libertarian stance, but keep in mind that according to most of the world's scientists, the presumption that ^ argument is based on is false, namely that mankind isn't contributing mightily to climate change.

[Velokid1]

post deleted. sigh

[glasseye]

If I insisted on frequenting a D.A.R.E. forum and harping incessantly on the repeal of marijuana prohibition, I would quickly arrive at the conclusion that the forum was riddled with "groupthink." If I were really insecure, I might hang around just for all the attention I got.

=D>

Fuck. I wish I'd written that.

Meanwhile, returning to the topic of the (most excellent) OP :

"Commerce cannot be the sole guide of human behavior. This utopian fantasy, embraced by the tea party as well as the liberal elite, defies 3,000 years of economic history. It is a chimera. This ideology has been used to justify the disempowerment of the working class, destroy our manufacturing capacity, and ruthlessly gut social programs that once protected and educated the working and middle class. It has obliterated the traditional liberal notion that societies should be configured around the common good. All social and cultural values are now sacrificed before the altar of the marketplace."

http://www.truth-out.org/a-recipe-for-fascism64916

[Velokid1]

Fuck. I wish I'd written that.

Ach. I wish I hadn't. Sucked in again. Sedona, AZ ain't got nothing on this vortex. Gotta hand it to him.

[MeyerII]

I'm finding that the 'ignore' feature is a path to peace, so long as it isn't overused.

I'm just sayin'.

[glasseye]

I've had those misgivings, too. Sucked in.

[Velokid1]

I'm finding that the 'ignore' feature is a path to peace, so long as it isn't overused.

I'm just sayin'.

Yea but when everyone else is engaging someone who you have on ignore, you can't tell what the heck they're all talking about.

[RussellK]

I'm finding that the 'ignore' feature is a path to peace, so long as it isn't overused.

I'm just sayin'.

Yea but when everyone else is engaging someone who you have on ignore, you can't tell what the heck they're all talking about.

That sounds like my high school experience

[dtrumbo]

... and inevitably, someone will quote the ignored. Kinda how GE quoted Velo's deleted post. Magically un-deleted. I've learned to scroll past the trolls.