Note to Conservatives: I am not out to destroy the world.

[mhendo]

@World Eater

A horrific attack would do far more harm (the economy, the ensuing bullshit, erosion of rights, etc), then good (uniting country for 2 years).

Not only that, but the whole situation right now feeds straight into the hands of the morons running this country.

If there are no attacks (for whatever reason) then they can claim that their strategies are working, and that they need to continue invading foreign countries and eroding civil liberties at home.

If there is an attack, then this will simply be seen as evidence that their strategies are not being pursued vigorously enough, and that they need to continue invading foreign countries and eroding civil liberties at home.

It’s a beautiful thing, if you’re an administration chickenhawk.

[World_Eater]

@mhendo

Not only that, but the whole situation right now feeds straight into the hands of the morons running this country.

If there are no attacks (for whatever reason) then they can claim that their strategies are working, and that they need to continue invading foreign countries and eroding civil liberties at home.

If there is an attack, then this will simply be seen as evidence that their strategies are not being pursued vigorously enough, and that they need to continue invading foreign countries and eroding civil liberties at home.

It’s a beautiful thing, if you’re an administration chickenhawk.

And don’t forget that us “sane” ones are the ones responsible for ruining the country, ha!

1927…1928…1929…1930…

[gobear]

@mhendo

gobear, known to his friends as Elmer Fudd.

Be vewy, vewy quiet, I’m hunting weftists, hehehehehehehehehehe!

[JohnBckWLD]

@Try As I Might...

Where are our leaders? Where is the next … Lincoln … going to come from? Agree with them or not–they were leaders.

Ironic in that in Lincoln’s second inaugural speech (March 1865), he said this:

Fondly do we hope–fervently do we pray–that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman’s two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn by the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said, “The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.”

Not exactly the words of a leader in my opinion…more like a fire and brimstone sermon. If you’re going to look for leadership, try finding it in yourself – not elected officials of any generation.

[Diogenes_the_Cynic]

I do not deserve to be compared with talk radio morons. I do not EVER make generalizations about conservatives or a Republicans as a whole. I’m just antiBush.

[Diogenes_the_Cynic]

@mhendo

Well, if you were angling for some flaming, i’m afraid you’ll be dissappointed.

Diogenes seems to me to be a leftist, not a liberal. Exactly what flavor of leftist is sometimes a little difficult to tell. At times, he seems to be espousing democratic socialist positions, especially on many economic questions. At other times he offers a more libertarian viewpoint, particularly on social and cultural isses. I certainly think he’s further to the left that what passes for mainstream liberalism in America. Then, at other times, he comes across as an authoritarian Trotskyist.

Again, this is based only on my observations here. I don’t want to speak for him, and if he does, in fact, consider himself a liberal, then that’s how it is.

I’m pretty far left economically and a social libertarian (that includes gun rights despite my personal distaste for much of the gun culture.

I have never been a member of any political party.

[Psycho_Pirate]

@Diogenes the Cynic

I do not deserve to be compared with talk radio morons. I do not EVER make generalizations about conservatives or a Republicans as a whole. I’m just antiBush.

Never?

You apparently think all conservatives either hate their grandchildren, or they want to destroy the planet, or possibly both.

So, do you prefer Rush or Hannity as a nickname?

[Hamlet]

@Diogenes the Cynic

I do not EVER make generalizations about conservatives or a Republicans as a whole.

LIAR.

@Diogenes

The “ultra-nationalist militia movement” of the right IS the Republican party.

LIAR

@Diogenes

I know that the neocons don’t give a shit about culture or history and have no feelings at all about protecting precious artifacts.

PANTS ON FIRE

@Diogenes

in a country which has a majority population of scumbags. bigots and morons. No reason to feel good about that either.

Lick my balls. you fucking fascists.

Referencing the election of Bush.

It took me about 3 minutes to find these quotes of yours. I am simply stunned that you could tell such a bald-faced lie. Well, not actually stunned. Not really surprised either. Your credibility here has taken some major hits recently, and now I know why.

[Psycho_Pirate]

Great simulpost!

Maybe Coulter would be a better nickname?

[Age_Quod_Agis]

@Diogenes the Cynic

I do not deserve to be compared with talk radio morons. I do not EVER make generalizations about conservatives or a Republicans as a whole. I’m just antiBush.

Cough, cough.

@Diogenes the Cynic (3 days ago)

I know that the neocons don’t give a shit about culture or history and have no feelings at all about protecting precious artifacts. We know they let the museums get looted while they protected their oil. I know they’re fucking scum and I shouldn’t be surprised that they would feel perfectly entitled to set up camp in one of the most historically significant archaeological sites in history and treat it like a vacant lot in Jersey.
<snip>
But since the neocons don’t stand to make any money from the site, I guess they can’t be expected to give a shit.

Just one more atrocity committed in a long series of atrocities.

Ahem

@Diogenes the Cynic (3 days ago

Besides, since when do any of the warhawks give a shit about human life. The main reason we’re in Iraq at all is to kill people for their oil.

[whistles softly to himself]

@Diogenes the Cynic

Not to insert a debate into a Pit thread, but my answer is that Hitler was playing on feelings that were already present in his audience. He didn’t invent anti-semitism he just exploited it. He gave people a scapegoat and he gave them a vision- a mythology- about what Germany always was and would be again. When people are fed an ideology that makes them feel superior, special, chosen, entitled to destroy another people they invariably respond to it.

I have now just hit the delete button and will restrain myself from drawing contemporary parallels. Bush lacks vision anyway.

Hmmmm.

@Diogenes the Cynic

I’m getting really sick of whiny conservative bitches who have never seen a Michael Moore movie slandering the guy and shitting all over him becaues he’s made a career out of exposing what a sham their fucking capitalist ideology really is.

I’m sure I could go on, but I assume you get my point.

This is not to say that I’m above the occasional foray into lowbrow shots at the opposition. I’d like to think I generally am, but I’m sure there are posts out there in which my gloves drop below the belt. But sometimes self-awareness is part of improvement. So I hope you’ll take this in the spirit of hopeful improvement, because I find your non-political posts to be generally wonderful, and I hope that your wonderfulness can extend into the political arena, too.

[Try_As_I_Might]

@JohnBckWLD

Ironic in that in Lincoln’s second inaugural speech (March 1865), he said this:Not exactly the words of a leader in my opinion…more like a fire and brimstone sermon. If you’re going to look for leadership, try finding it in yourself – not elected officials of any generation.

Maybe someday we can discuss the merits of his presidency and the context of that quote, but I don’t want to hijack this thread. Your point, on the hand, is well-taken. I was referring to leadership in the sense of how a politically elected individual can affect a county’s sense of unity, and other such qualities. Lincoln pretty clearly suceeded in leading this country through its most difficult period.

However, I am now extraordinarily looking forward to Dio’s response…

[rjung]

@Incubus

Hamlet, it goes both ways, particularly here on the SDMB. Both sides think the other is out to destroy the world.

Yes, but the difference is that us lefty types can pick up a newspaper and see which side is actually doing the destroying…

[Liberal]

@Hamlet

And, just so you know, I re-programmed all the stations to NPR. It’s the little victories that matter so much

A mistake, in my opinion. You are not a part of their target market anyway, and therefore your tuning out will have no effect on them. Instead, it pushes your enemy out of sight and mind — exactly the sort of strategic blunder that has put the left out of touch.

[mhendo]

Well, while a couple of Hamlet’s examples seem to cast some doubt on Dio’s assertion, the examples given by Age Quo Agis are completely beside the point. Dio said:

@Diogenes the Cynic

I do not EVER make generalizations about conservatives or a Republicans as a whole.

Of Age Quo Agis’s examples:

In Number 1, Dio is specifically referring to neocons, not conservatives or Republicans as a whole. If you don’t know how these things differ, i suggest some reading is in order.

Number 2 is referring to “warhawks.” Again, this doesn’t apply to all conservatives, or all Republicans.

Number 3 simply suggested that there might be some contemporary parallels to Hitler’s use of propaganda, scapegoating, and nationalist rhetoric. And it said that “Bush lacks vision.”

Number 4 refers specifically to a subset of conservatives who complain about Michael Moore without ever having seen his movies. Hardly a blanket condemnation of all conservatives or all Republicans.

You might want to work on your reading comprehension, A.Q.A..

[Ryan_Liam]

@Hamlet

I made a mistake yesterday. While driving the office’s pool car, I grew bored of the sports talk radio show that I usually listen to, and decided to try the pre-programmed stations of the car. Within an hour of listening to talk radio, I was told that, because of my political views: I hate America, I want the United States destroyed, I want democracy to fail, I want to oppress Christians, I want the social fabric of America to be rent apart, I want to destroy the family, and I want thousands of U.S. troops to die.

Wow, I’m a busy guy. Who knew?

So, a quick word to conservative talk radio “personalities”, especially Eileen Byrne, Dennis Prager, and Rush Limbaugh:

I do not hate America, I love it.

I do not want America destroyed, I want it to be a beacon in a dark world.

I do not want democracy to fail, I want it to flourish, but I do not believe America has the right to violently invade countries in the name of democratization.

I do not want to oppress Christians, I want a proper separation of church and state.

I do not want to destroy the social fabric, I want it strengthened by the recognition of the value of diversity.

I do not want to destroy families, I want to strengthen them by recognizing the right of homosexuals to marry.

I do not want U.S. troops to die, I want each and everyone of them to return home safely and to be treated well by our government.
The sooner we can stop with the brainless demonization of those who disagree politically with you, the sooner we can start building a better, stronger, more united country. So stop spreading lies about what I want, stop protraying yourselves as victims of some massive liberal plot, and stop with the creation and destroying of strawmen to get ratings. And, lest anyone get the wrong idea, this rant can easily be directed to liberals like Dio who engage in the same fanatical, unthinking hatred of the “opposition”. But, thank God, Dio does not have a talk radio show.

And, just so you know, I re-programmed all the stations to NPR. It’s the little victories that matter so much.

Not all conservatives believe in binding people to one social order, binding Church and State, taking away peoples rights.

We profess freedom of the individual, the right to work and be as successful as you can, to work and attain what you want within a free society.

[World_Eater]

@Ryan_Liam

We profess freedom of the individual, the right to work and be as successful as you can, to work and attain what you want within a free society.

And a free society detains people without due process right?

What is this free society you speak of?

[Diogenes_the_Cynic]

Thank you, mhendo.

I rest my case. After all that searching, not one of you fuckers could come up with an example of me making generalizations about conservatives or Republicans. I said shit about neocons. I said shit about conservatives who trash Michael Moore without watching his movies. I said the Republican party is “ultra-nationalist” (which it is) and I made an election night generalizations about AMERICANS, not just consrvatives.

I was right. I will accept your fucking apologies now…and Hamlet can eat my taint.

[Diogenes_the_Cynic]

@Hamlet

LIAR.

LIAR
PANTS ON FIREReferencing the election of Bush.

It took me about 3 minutes to find these quotes of yours. I am simply stunned that you could tell such a bald-faced lie. Well, not actually stunned. Not really surprised either. Your credibility here has taken some major hits recently, and now I know why.

Did you actually read those things? Which one of those quotes constitutes a generalization about conservatives or Republicans. Surely you know the difference between conservatives and neocons. My last quote was about a majority of American voters, not just conservatives (unless you think only conservatives voted for Bush). In the first quote I facetiously call the GOP “ultra-nationalist” and a “militia movement” and I think that both of those characterizations are rhetorically defensible.

What I do NOT do is constantly talk about how conservative hate America or how conservatives are stupid or any of that shit that those right wing radio assholes do. I am viciously anti-Bush but I do not divide the world into “us and them” and that has never been a characteristic of my posting here.

[Try_As_I_Might]

@World Eater

And a free society detains people without due process right?

What is this free society you speak of?

Please define what you believe a free country is and please give me an example of a country that does not allow a detention without the right to due process of law and does it without exception. I don’t believe one exists. Is this statement purely rhetorical or is it serious?

[Diogenes_the_Cynic]

Ah…well…if other countries do it that makes it ok.
Of course we actually have it written in our Constitution but I guess Constitutions were made to be pissed on.