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Sen. Obama is a covert Muslim operative who molest little boys he can't convert in his sleeper cell located in Connecticut suburb!
or
An aide to Sen. McCain today announced that he tears the heads off young Asian males in order to perform a Satanic ritual that guarantees his albino like appearance for another 1000 years, or whenever the war in Iraq ends, which ever comes first.
Are you sick of the political trolls who propose an endless series of idiotic BS while jumping up and down, frothing at the mouth like rabid dogs in heat? Each new piece centered around some tiny nuanced gaff, misspoken word, or association as though it was a revelation of the exact day that dooms day would arrive?
How did we get to this?
When I look back over my many years of political discussions with academics, lay persons, friends, family, and neighbors, I recall volumes of topics ranging from the mild to the wild, and for the most part 99% of them were civil. Is this just a product of the internet anonymity age, where any person or pin head can espouse the most stupid and ignorant piece of garbage without fear of actually having to base it upon something they themselves know? (as opposed to yet another google search)
Could this just be that the general public in America is really that ignorant and detached from the political process that they cannot use some level of critical thinking to assess this information on their own so take it as part of their political scripture and in turn, offer faith unto it?
Just how much has the internet really helped the American political process?
This is a good question. It's a double edged sword. Many hundreds of thousands of young voters have been revved up on politics this year because of the internet. Youtube has been the main factor here. Look at how Ron Paul attracted a loyal and vocal young college like following. Amazing. The internet has taken away the 30 second or less sound bite the major networks run on the candidates each day. You see extended interviews and speeches from the candidates and hopefully can make a clear and educated decision on who to support. However the danger is that there's a lot of crap on the internet and you can easily fall into the trap of what is truth and what isn't. Again education and doing your homework to filter out these flame throwing sites will eliminate any second guessing on whether an internet site about a particular candidate is valid. Unfortunately we're also a very lazy society where easy access means why do the work to check it out.
Just a reflection on the state of our nation/politics today. The chasm is wide and deep and the resentment and bitterness, on both sides, is tremendous. Have we ever been this evenly divided politically, socially, culturally? I have heard historians that claim our politics today are tame compared to our early years.
I have no solutions. In fact, I think it rather good that we have such partisanship. The less the government can agree on, the more they stay out of our lives, and pocketbook.
Just a reflection on the state of our nation/politics today. The chasm is wide and deep and the resentment and bitterness, on both sides, is tremendous. Have we ever been this evenly divided politically, socially, culturally? I have heard historians that claim our politics today are tame compared to our early years.
I have no solutions. In fact, I think it rather good that we have such partisanship. The less the government can agree on, the more they stay out of our lives, and pocketbook.
BTW, do you go hilltopping?
90-95% of Americans want more government, even if they claim they don't. The squashing of Ron Paul and any libertarian substitute was proof of that.
The internet has exacerbated the extremes. Those who are educated and well read are now vastly more informed than they were 10-15 years ago. The nation's newspapers are at your fingertips. If you thought you remembered a certain Senator proposing one thing 4 years ago and offering something different now, you can confirm this in a quick google search. The positions of every candidate, should they choose to make them available, are available at the touch of a button.
On the other hand, it's given the stupid among us enough chain emails and bogus youtube videos so as they have more misinformation to work up their angry little heads into a tither faster than ever before.
But, since those who know the least know it the loudest, its impossible to discuss politics absent heavy moderation, and since this board doesn't attempt to be a heavily moderated political board, all one can do is sit back and stare at the madness.
I couldn't disagree more. Show me proof of this figure.
Ron Paul turned a lot of people off with his rants blaming america for the 9/11 attacks. That's what squashed him.
Please cite proof that "blaming" America caused his downfall? Also, he only said what the CIA has been saying for years about blowback in foreign policy. The CIA blames America too? As an example of blowback, Woodrow Wilson's intervention in WWI began Hitler's ascent to power vis-a-vis the humiliating terms of the Versailles treaty after the war ended, even if the consequences weren't intended. Several have claimed that Hitler would be no better than postmaster general if it weren't for Woodrow. Ironic that the only Ph. D. in the presidency could screw up so badly (not to mention help install the cause of the great depression, stealing from the American people all of the gold in Ft. Knox that was supposed to back our money, nasdaq bubble, and the real estate ponzi scheme: the Federal Reserve system)
I also mentioned libertarian alterantives. Bob Barr, Alan Keyes, etc
The overwhelming majority of Americans want more government, whether it be the gay marriage/abortion police, an overstretched military paid for by hyperinflating the dollar into the value of monopoly money, or the welfare state. I expect nothing less from the liberals, but the RINO "conservatives" are the real hypocrites.
Last edited by ViewFromThePeak; 05-29-2008 at 09:30 PM..
The internet has exacerbated the extremes. Those who are educated and well read are now vastly more informed than they were 10-15 years ago. The nation's newspapers are at your fingertips. If you thought you remembered a certain Senator proposing one thing 4 years ago and offering something different now, you can confirm this in a quick google search. The positions of every candidate, should they choose to make them available, are available at the touch of a button.
On the other hand, it's given the stupid among us enough chain emails and bogus youtube videos so as they have more misinformation to work up their angry little heads into a tither faster than ever before.
But, since those who know the least know it the loudest, its impossible to discuss politics absent heavy moderation, and since this board doesn't attempt to be a heavily moderated political board, all one can do is sit back and stare at the madness.
Well it is true that this is an information web site meant to provide information to people wishing to relocate. As time went on, more areas were added, including an area for politics, which in my opinion is a fair sample of the general public.
My fear is that of several things, one being information overload. Where there is so much information that some people will spend countless hours tracking down yet more and more information, but spending little time dissecting this information for what it really contains or means.
The other is that we are losing an aspect of critical analysis of any information regardless of its source. For many, if the information was provided by site "X" then it is the word of God and thus beyond question.
This tendency that I am seeing to overlook the substance in favor of the sensational is more than prevalent, it is saturation to the extreme. Even simple discussions from multiple political philosophies on the direction of contemporary Liberalism/Conservatism is usually interjected with, "All libs/repubs" this or that. This lack of depth that is a mile long does tend to wear ones sensibilities down, and finding lucid discussions is fast becoming much more difficult despite the numbers of people engaging.
Who knows, maybe the days of honoring those who pondered have passed in favor of all that glitters as gold.
90-95% of Americans want more government, even if they claim they don't. The squashing of Ron Paul and any libertarian substitute was proof of that.
Ron Paul freaks me out. Are you sure he isnt a looney from the left?
He is flat out scary and so goofy acting. He just looked like a fool at the debates, like the odd one one out or something.
I think politics have changed allot since the Clinton days, Clinton gave the liberals reason to fight and claw for everything they believe in and it has gone to far. The new democratic party is all about power and control and the aggressive forceful ways of the left have grown even more since they lost the congress in 94 and Gore lost in 2000. Since then the left has been way overboard with the way they go about things. I have voted democratic all my life but cannot any longer, there is hardly anything left I believe in with this new democratic ways.
There is nothing wrong with balancing information out. But I have found that the right is more honest when someone steps out of the line while the left urges it and protects them if they do.
I agree with your analogy of the politics forum, but if you look around not many people who post in this forum post in other places. And if you look at other political forums is almost the same thing. They are all very similar, in fact I see some of the same posters on several forums.
I know you job as a mod is tuff, but as long as it goes without personal attacks and stays within the TOS we will be fine. We can agree that we all will disagree at some point.
I couldn't disagree more. Show me proof of this figure.
All the proof you need is even in the Republican debates this go round. I only heard two candidates, Ron Paul and Fred Thompson, actually pay any lip service to shrinking the Federal Government.
Democrats are just for bigger government, its in their nature. But so many "conservatives" today, support larger government, through the PATRIOT Act, the No Child Left Behind act, and an escalation of the drug war, terror war, Iraqi war, possible Iranian war etc, etc. Not to mention the idea that social conservatives have, that it is the Federal Government's job to enforce morality.
Ron Paul turned a lot of people off with his rants blaming america for the 9/11 attacks. That's what squashed him.
Would you be a little pissed if China built several military bases in Canada and Mexico, with guns pointed our way? Look at it from another prespective.
Back in the eighties terrorist groups tried to recruit people to fight against the Great Satan for the reasons cited by the president, "they hate our freedom", etc. It didn't work. No one was willing to fight and die, just because some are more fortunate than they were. They then tried to recruite with the strategy of "Look at these foreigners building bases all over our holy land and meddling in our affairs". That one worked, and what we got was 9/11.
We didn't deserve it, and there is no excuse for it. But it is ignorant to ignore the results of our foreign policy for the last half of the century.
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