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Posted

I have not voted FOR a presidential candidate in my lifetime.  That's 9 elections.

Our politicians generally suck ass.  It hardly affects my opinion of the country as a whole.

I'm gotdam sure not going to let them steal my personal happiness and joy, regardless of how fucking insane they are.

Posted
1 hour ago, 'stache said:

I’ve long found forced displays of patriotism annoying. The words “pledge of allegiance” is creepy, very Big Brotherish. It’s by pure chance that I happened to be born within the US borders. It’s not an accomplishment or reason to have personal pride. I’d like to not be so embarrassed by this country and its voters but again it’s largely out of my control. I do take some pride on a local level because it’s more of a choice where I chose to live and I have tangibly contributed to some of the good things happening in my city. It’s still somewhat arbitrary and it’s not a big deal to me but city pride makes far more sense to me than country.

It’s kinds why the singing of God bless America has somewhat bothered me. In someways, it comes across as a bit arrogant - that were more deserving of God’s favor than we are his mercy. Whenever I hear the chorus of America the Beautiful, in my mind, I think these words: America, America. God have mercy on thee…

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Posted
1 hour ago, Hank Kingsley said:

I'm going to London in a couple of months with my son (his first overseas trip).  I used to spend a month there many summers as a kid at my grandparents' house. Any time I brought up I was American or from Texas, every local's eyes lit up. They'd ask if I had a horse or a ranch (thanks to Dallas and the Ewings) and people had reverence for our country and state. I was always proud to mention it.  

Now we'll understandably be met with this anytime I bring up where we're from: 

giphy.gif

This is true. 

My kid is finishing college in Scotland. Once upon a time an American abroad (and especially a Texan!) was treated like a visiting celebrity. Not so anymore. It's more a mix of sadness and dismay mixed with superiority - like the way we treated Croat and Bosnian refugees in the 90's. Now the first question she gets is "Do you have guns?"

After Uvalde the jokes wore thin and she pitched an opinion piece for the student newspaper called "The mass shooting in my home is not your punchline," but they didn't want to run it because if America doesn't like being the butt of jokes about shootings we shouldn't let so many people get shot. 

 

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Posted
I have not voted FOR a presidential candidate in my lifetime.  That's 9 elections.

9 elections ago = 1996. You’ll never guess what year Fox News was founded…

I know it seems too easy of an explanation, but there really is a clear inflection point of how we got here.
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Posted (edited)
6 minutes ago, Chuckie Finster said:


9 elections ago = 1996. You’ll never guess what year Fox News was founded…

I know it seems too easy of an explanation, but there really is a clear inflection point of how we got here.

1992, sir.  1992.  I turned 18 in NOV of 1988, but after the election.

and for the record, that shit ain't allowed in my house. "We report, you ignite!"  I pretty much hate all of the alleged news channels, much in the same vein as I hate MLB umpires.-  just call the fucking pitch, which is seemingly impossible these days.

Edited by Iceman
Posted
1992, sir.  1992.  I turned 18 in NOV of 1988, but after the election.
and for the record, that shit ain't allowed in my house. "We report, you ignite!"  I pretty much hate all of the alleged news channels, much in the same vein as I hate MLB umpires.-  just call the fucking pitch, which is impossible these days.

Fox News also is the reason I’m bad at math.

Jokes aside, I’m not necessarily saying folks watching that specific channel is the issue. But the absolute polarization that has resulted from the way they cover politics and how it has seeped into all corners of political discourse is the root cause of most of this.
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Posted
28 minutes ago, Iceman said:

I have not voted FOR a presidential candidate in my lifetime.  That's 9 elections.

Our politicians generally suck ass.  It hardly affects my opinion of the country as a whole.

I'm gotdam sure not going to let them steal my personal happiness and joy, regardless of how fucking insane they are.

More 

6 hours ago, Underdog said:

IMG_8636.jpeg.9f091dcb4901241a2bf2780f95bc9761.jpeg

by Slorch 

 

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Posted
29 minutes ago, Iceman said:

I have not voted FOR a presidential candidate in my lifetime.  That's 9 elections.

Our politicians generally suck ass.  It hardly affects my opinion of the country as a whole.

I'm gotdam sure not going to let them steal my personal happiness and joy, regardless of how fucking insane they are.

Electing a piece of shit like Donald Trump not once but twice definitely affects my opinion of this country!

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Posted
1 hour ago, 4th&Five said:

I don’t see things improving as long as FOX and the like are allowed to spew hate and lies 24/7. 

But again, you have to subscribe to it. Now if it becomes part of the youths school curricula, then we have a certified brainwashing happening. 

Posted

I’ve lived overseas a long time and listened to people moan about their governments.  Most of the time— with rare exceptions, like when a regime is imposed from the outside— people have the government they deserve. 
 

That’s where we are in America. It’s a country I still love. Up thread someone mentioned that it’s by sheer luck we were born here. I disagree, gently. My parents were from Texas. Their parents were from Texas. Their parents were from Texas and back to Virginia.  Where else could I have been born?  
 

That’s simply to say that this is my country and I don’t have another one.  I love it like I love my family, of which I also don’t have another one.  I’m not going to labor under the delusion that it is better or more special than any other family, but it is mine and so I love it for how it is.  And I want it to be better, and kinder, and braver.

Which is what I wish my country could be. There’s never been a place in history where it’s easier to be kind and brave. We are richer and safer beyond measure than anyone in the world. I’m ready for us to choose to be so. 
 

 

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Posted
19 hours ago, Orale said:

I saw a post on a Surly thread the other day I can't find now about how baseball games at Dallas Baptist University pause and everyone stands at attention at a certain time in the evening when Taps is played at the adjacent U.S. Cemetery to honor veterans buried there. It was a bit dusty when I watched it.

Then I became sad and despairing thinking how we are throwing away all that sacrifice for this orange piece of shit and his corrupt minions at all levels of government and his corporate counterparts. Our country has gotten through plenty of dark times and I try to remain optimistic we can get through this period, but it's more and more difficult. 

We will get through it. Fascists have a shelf life. Some longer than others, but it always fails. The length of this dumpster fire depends on the American people and just how much we are willing to put up with from TFG and his clown car all-stars.

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Posted (edited)
5 hours ago, Iceman said:

I have not voted FOR a presidential candidate in my lifetime.  That's 9 elections.

Our politicians generally suck ass.  It hardly affects my opinion of the country as a whole.

I'm gotdam sure not going to let them steal my personal happiness and joy, regardless of how fucking insane they are.

Sure, that makes sense and all until a family member is picked up off the street and taken to a gulag.  That will steal your joy and happiness.  

It's not a problem yet, as they have only kidnapped citizens who are brown ("When they came for the Latinos, I wasn't Latino"). 

They're just testing the waters.  They'll get around to anyone who disobeys, eventually. 

 

Edited by Bullneck
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Posted
1 hour ago, 4th&Five said:

Electing a piece of shit like Donald Trump not once but twice definitely affects my opinion of this country!

It influences my opinion of the education level  of America as a whole. 

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Posted

Our country pre-2016 is never coming back. Materialism, apathy, lack of morality, consumerism, and misinformation has been chugging along for most of my lifetime, getting more over the top year by year. That aint turning around. 
 

Most of this country doesnt give a fuck about conservation, their neighbors, or the rest of the world. All they care about is having more money to spend and having cheap diversions to distract from the shit show that is their day to day life. Especially with the increases in technology, AI, connectivity, and the worsening of food and sedentary lifestyles… to think that one day we will be like 9/12/2001? Lolol the only way that is happening is if there is a WW3

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Posted
I’ve lived overseas a long time and listened to people moan about their governments.  Most of the time— with rare exceptions, like when a regime is imposed from the outside— people have the government they deserve. 
 
That’s where we are in America. It’s a country I still love. Up thread someone mentioned that it’s by sheer luck we were born here. I disagree, gently. My parents were from Texas. Their parents were from Texas. Their parents were from Texas and back to Virginia.  Where else could I have been born?  
 
That’s simply to say that this is my country and I don’t have another one.  I love it like I love my family, of which I also don’t have another one.  I’m not going to labor under the delusion that it is better or more special than any other family, but it is mine and so I love it for how it is.  And I want it to be better, and kinder, and braver.
Which is what I wish my country could be. There’s never been a place in history where it’s easier to be kind and brave. We are richer and safer beyond measure than anyone in the world. I’m ready for us to choose to be so. 
 
 

9547955b2b9f676ddd549d586c4ba5ed.jpg
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Posted
21 minutes ago, Bullneck said:

Sure, that makes sense and all until a family member is picked up off the street and taken to a gulag.  That will steal your joy and happiness.  

It's not a problem yet, as they have only kidnapped citizens who are brown ("When they came for the Latinos, I wasn't Latin").  They're just testing the waters.

They'll get around to anyone who disobeys, eventually. 

 

Yep. If you don’t do politics, politics will do you.

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Posted
3 hours ago, Bama Llama said:

Check out the Netflix doc “What the hell happened to Blood, Sweat & Tears? Filmed in 1969 or 70, the setting was very interesting.  The State Dept essentially forced them to play behind the Iron Curtain.  In Romania, they practically brought thd house down.  Thousands were chanting “USA! USA!” in fucking Bucharest at hearing tight American jazz and rock with horns and a Canadian singer. It’s worth a look, and made me proud. They returned to a bunch of sourpuss reviews accusing them of being sellouts to Nixon. You can’t please everyone, so you What, Rick? gotta please yourself.  Be kind, help those less fortunate, and aspire to happiness.  ☮️♥️☘️🇺🇸

Fuck yeah

 

 

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Posted
1 hour ago, Bullneck said:

Sure, that makes sense and all until a family member is picked up off the street and taken to a gulag.  That will steal your joy and happiness.  

It's not a problem yet, as they have only kidnapped citizens who are brown ("When they came for the Latinos, I wasn't Latin").  They're just testing the waters.

They'll get around to anyone who disobeys, eventually. 

 

Surly lawyers will protect me. Right?
69ceda02-e281-4ad5-aad7-d5889546796f_tex

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Posted (edited)

Yeah, I don’t think we are coming back from this.  This country has set the precedent that you can openly lie, break laws, make up bullshit facts, steal money and attempt to overthrow an election without consequences.  We took massive steps back instead of progressing.   Both parties take money from corporations and billionaires and could give two shits about the average American.  Hell, all the maga policies don’t even benefit their fucking base yet they still vote the way they do.   It’s all rooted in racism.
 

Even if we were to elect a decent human, republican or democrat, that could change things here… the rest of the world hates us, even our Canadian brothers north of us.  
 

Let’s say we elect a decent person and gain back trust with our allies...  what changes?  We can never truly own our homes, we get taxed more to give tax breaks to billionaires and to bail out corporations, healthcare is a joke, insurance is the biggest scam here, no privacy, all of our data is stolen and sold…. What’s so great about living here?  Freedom of speech?  Yeah okay… unless you are brown, then you can fuck off to a Salvadoran prison.  Freedom of religion? Sure if you’re Christian or the rest of the humans here don’t feel welcomed.  Own a gun?  Great, I feel so safe with the lunatics shooting up schools and malls.  Justice? Hah… better hope you’re not black.
 

At least we have college football… 

Edited by victory88
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Posted

 

7 hours ago, Hank Kingsley said:

I'm going to London in a couple of months with my son (his first overseas trip).  I used to spend a month there many summers as a kid at my grandparents' house. Any time I brought up I was American or from Texas, every local's eyes lit up. They'd ask if I had a horse or a ranch (thanks to Dallas and the Ewings) and people had reverence for our country and state. I was always proud to mention it.  

Now we'll understandably be met with this anytime I bring up where we're from: 

giphy.gif

I think many Brits will be more simpatico with Americans than you expect given how the far right has fucked up their own country.

Posted
13 minutes ago, victory88 said:

It’s all rooted in racism. 

It’s rooted in a much broader concept. It’s rooted in the idea of kicking down at people you perceive to be “beneath” you.

This is probably the last worthwhile New Rules segment Bill Maher did before succumbing to insanity.

 

Posted
22 hours ago, Fastbreak said:


Many people propped up FDR knowing he had issues. Biden knew what was at stake and what was coming.

Fastbreak, my dad enlisted when FDR was President.  I read about FDR in the encyclopedia. I feel I sort of know and he was almost like a friend.  Fastbreak, Biden is no FDR.

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Posted

We have a really screwed up, toxic admixture of politics and religion that has brought us to the brink and both have clearly lost their way:

 

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Posted
Fastbreak, my dad enlisted when FDR was President.  I read about FDR in the encyclopedia. I feel I sort of know and he was almost like a friend.  Fastbreak, Biden is no FDR.

Agree. But It's the same thing however. The people around Biden were trying to help him because he was the president. It's thier duty. It's also a hard thing to look at a macro view when your job is mostly micro.

Imagine what would have happened if Biden had stepped down. Fox News would have went extra nuts. Kamala would have never had a chance. There would have been woke and DEI accusations flying. I woukd bet she would have been impeached within a few weeks.

If FDR stepped down, then our whole alliance would have possibility have been threatened. FDR was the only one who could keep Churchill and Stalin from stabbing each other.
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Posted
13 hours ago, GreenspointTexas said:

Our country pre-2016 is never coming back. Materialism, apathy, lack of morality, consumerism, and misinformation has been chugging along for most of my lifetime, getting more over the top year by year. That aint turning around. 
 

Most of this country doesnt give a fuck about conservation, their neighbors, or the rest of the world. All they care about is having more money to spend and having cheap diversions to distract from the shit show that is their day to day life. Especially with the increases in technology, AI, connectivity, and the worsening of food and sedentary lifestyles… to think that one day we will be like 9/12/2001? Lolol the only way that is happening is if there is a WW3


I like how someone put it when they said that Trump, MAGA, the movement, a s people in it are all the wrong answer to the right question.

Post Cold War is an unmoored ship that has been damaged in storms of economic shocks, 9/11, wars that didn’t solve anything, debt, general migration from the global south, and a pandemic.Sounds a lot like late 19th / early 20th century IMO More of that later

We have issues that we have we have left unattended that have festered and metastasized. We don’t have a tethering enemy outside of China really, but we do business with them. It’s not the clean USSR foil. We have lingering inequality and a large number of new people coming into the county. That’s always been a recipe for turmoil.

If it was just that , I think we’d be fine.

However, $ being speech, the tsunami of AI, disinformation WITH AI, and the celebration of stupid is what scares me to death.

The destabilizing force of AI added to the inequality and mass movements of peoples really has me worried we’re a political upheaval not seen since the fall of the old European empires in the late 1880’s - 1910’s/20’s and the rise of nation states / revolutions / new economic and political orders.

Good thing I have plenty of tequila to sip on for now.

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Posted (edited)

Just remember that every action counts. Do what youre capable of every day. Especially the little things. Pick up litter instead of walking by it, help a butterfly with wet wings back onto a tree, call out any and all terrible behavior. Whether its friends/ family or a stranger being an asshole at a restaurant or grocery store line. 

To be silent is to be complicit. 

Change what you can and dont sweat what you cant. 

serenity GIF

Edited by MissingInAction
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Posted
3 hours ago, Fastbreak said:

Imagine what would have happened if Biden had stepped down. Fox News would have went extra nuts. Kamala would have never had a chance. There would have been woke and DEI accusations flying. I woukd bet she would have been impeached within a few weeks.

Biden could have stepped down with more than a year to the election.  The Dems could have had an orderly process of picking a candidate, who would have been able to distance himself from the Biden Administration on immigration.  There was a thread here where people suggesting this were slammed because incumbency was such a strong advantage. An attack on Kamala as a woke candidate would have been advantageous.

Yes it's hindsight, but the Dems need to be better.  And if Biden had been as infirm there isn't much of an excuse.

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Posted
14 hours ago, hpslugga said:

It’s rooted in a much broader concept. It’s rooted in the idea of kicking down at people you perceive to be “beneath” you.

This is probably the last worthwhile New Rules segment Bill Maher did before succumbing to insanity.

 

Bill Maher farts into a brandy snifter so that he can hear himself smarmily describe the top notes of cabbage and a hint of...what is that, lemongrass? Maybe only one person on the planet is more in love with himself.

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