Isn't It Funny...

Discussion in 'Political Opinions & Beliefs' started by Ethereal, Mar 31, 2020.

  1. Dayton3

    Dayton3 Well-Known Member

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    Prove both of those assertions.
     
  2. perotista

    perotista Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Perhaps it's our two party system. Both major parties owe their heart and souls to corporations, wall street firms, lobbyist, special interest groups, mega money donor, etc. That's where they get their tens and hundreds of millions of dollars to run their campaigns and organizations.

    To top that off, it's Republicans and Democrats that write our election laws and they do so as a mutual protection act. If there is one thing both major parties agree on, it's that no viable third party ever will rise to challenge them.

    We, the people help them. When we don't like either major party candidate, what do we do? We vote for the lesser of two evils, the least worst candidate, the candidate we want to lose the least. We won't vote against them because we bought into the idea a vote for a third party candidate is a wasted vote since they can't win. We do want to vote for a winner. So we continue on as usual. We continue to elect and reelect those whom you complained about. It doesn't matter whether there is an R or a D behind any of the candidates names, they still owe their heart and soul to the moneyed folks.
     
  3. ECA

    ECA Well-Known Member

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    Nope. You are categorically incorrect. Below is the most “detail” he gave. That’s it. Not much.
     
  4. ECA

    ECA Well-Known Member

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    No one has rotted in jail solely for being caught with cannabis. You are being disingenuous.
     
  5. Ethereal

    Ethereal Well-Known Member

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    So as long as your life is good, America must be great?

    You absolutely are, whether you realize it or not. That said, the question of America's supposed "greatness" does not depend on how any one individual is living, but on how the society performs as a whole.

    Yeah, the US is not as bad as some other countries. The US is definitely better than Saudi Arabia, for example. But I have this weird belief that being better than complete shitholes is nothing to be proud of, and that Americans should have much higher standards and expectations for this country than being slightly above average.
     
  6. Surfer Joe

    Surfer Joe Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    The ones who make this possible are the same ones who ridicule and demonize those who would change it, so you get what you deserve.
    Maybe we should all support Bernie.
     
  7. Ethereal

    Ethereal Well-Known Member

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    So are you lying or are you just woefully ignorant?

    No, that would be you, as always.
     
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  8. Ethereal

    Ethereal Well-Known Member

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    Maybe you should talk to your fellow Democrats about that first, since they're the ones who keep doing everything in their power to prevent him from becoming president.
     
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  9. Ethereal

    Ethereal Well-Known Member

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    Prove that either of them rely on protection from the USA.
     
  10. Ethereal

    Ethereal Well-Known Member

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    But who is responsible for perpetuating the two-party system?

    Voters.

    That they may have been hoodwinked or bullied into it is no excuse in my opinion. A truly "great" people would never tolerate it.
     
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  11. ECA

    ECA Well-Known Member

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    To “rot” in jail means to be sentenced for a very long time. No one caught with some pot is rotting in jail. Stop your nonsense
     
  12. kriman

    kriman Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    That would be my first consideration since just about every one else I know is doing very well. I look around and that is what I see. Not doom and gloom around every corner.
    Society, as a whole, can waste their time on trying to achieve your perfection, but I will not waste my time doing it.
    I have never lived in Saudi Arabia or any other sh/t hole, so I cannot comment on it.
     
    Last edited: Apr 4, 2020
  13. kriman

    kriman Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    You keep making declarative statements as if they are absolutely true. I know of no good reason why "truly great people" would never tolerate it. If the people are satisfied with two viable parties, that is the way it should be. That is the way democracy works. A major problem with more than two viable parties is that you will rarely pick someone with a true majority. Two parties may not be ideal, but they are most likely better than the alternative.
     
  14. Ethereal

    Ethereal Well-Known Member

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    Yes, he specifically said nonviolent drug crimes. That is an example off entire class of imaginary crimes that have resulted in countless lives being ruined by the legal system. What about that is confusing you so much?
     
  15. Ethereal

    Ethereal Well-Known Member

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    If a "great" people would tolerate being hoodwinked and robbed and lied to on a regular basis, then greatness is nothing to aspire to.
     
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  16. Ethereal

    Ethereal Well-Known Member

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    So when given objective data that proves you wrong, you just shift the goalposts and make some other BS up.

    Yeah, I figured.
     
  17. Dayton3

    Dayton3 Well-Known Member

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    The U.S. "nuclear umbrella" that is where the U.S. basically is supposed to use its own nuclear arsenal to retaliate on behalf of any nation on Earth that does not have nuclear weapons of its own extends over those three nations you mentioned.
     
  18. Ethereal

    Ethereal Well-Known Member

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    Our entire society going into lockdown is very well? Having over $20 trillion in debt is very well? Having cities full of poverty and crime and crumbling infrastructure is very well?

    Having basic freedoms be respected by a government that doesn't waste trillions of dollars is far from perfection. It's the bare minimum that any "great" people should demand.

    I can comment on it.

    Saudi Arabia is a disgusting authoritarian shit-hole.

    It's also one of our "allies" who we send billions of dollars to every year.

    I suppose that just adds to our greatness?
     
  19. Ethereal

    Ethereal Well-Known Member

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    Germany could easily build their own nuclear weapons. They don't need the USA for that.

    And Switzerland has no protection from the US nuclear umbrella as they are not a member of NATO or the EU.

    The US has no legal obligation whatsoever to protect Switzerland. And the Swiss are not the least bit interested in creating such an obligation because they simply don't need it.
     
  20. ECA

    ECA Well-Known Member

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    Which was vague. I had also asked him for examples, as in plural, of all these “invented” crimes. He as well as you have fail at providing such
     
  21. Dayton3

    Dayton3 Well-Known Member

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    https://www.defense.gov/Explore/New...nds-to-allies-partners-defense-official-says/

    No legal obligation but look at Swiss defense planning. Behind all their talk of armed neutrality their entire national defense structure is basically "hunker down in the mountains and wait for the U.S. and NATO to come to their aid".

    What Germany could do doesn't matter. They have no nuclear weapons and most certainly never will given the diplomatic outcry across Europe that they would cause.

    Swedish cooperation and alliance with NATO in the event of a major war in Europe was (and is) a forgone conclusion that both sides readily acknowledge.
     
  22. ECA

    ECA Well-Known Member

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    Didn’t shift at all. It was you who clearly didn’t understand what “rot in jail” means. You’re not really giving me much to work with here
     
  23. Ethereal

    Ethereal Well-Known Member

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    There is nothing vague about it. You're just being extremely disingenuous because you have no counterargument.
     
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  24. ECA

    ECA Well-Known Member

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    My argument is people shouldn’t break the law if they don’t want to go to prison. Pretty simple formula
     
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  25. yabberefugee

    yabberefugee Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    ....and why aren't they there?
     

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