Extremism In Congress: 'Even Worse Than It Looks'?

Don Exnihilote · Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 9:57 pm Post subject:

Anybody watch this and tell me just one side is the problem.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EW5IdwltaAc
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"Constant development is the law of life, and a man who always tries to maintain his dogmas in order to appear consistent drives himself into a false position." – Gandhi

"It is not the responsibility of knights errant to discover whether the afflicted, the enchained and the oppressed whom they encounter on the road are reduced to these circumstances and suffer this distress for their vices, or for their virtues: the knight's sole responsibility is to succour them as people in need, having eyes only for their sufferings, not for their misdeeds." – Don Quixote

*The poster formerly known as Exnihilo, Exnihilo2, Exnihilotto, Ron Burgunihilo, and counting...

SerScot · Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 10:05 pm Post subject:

Wayfriend,

I have 30,000+ posts at Westeros. I promise you, on certain subjects, I have been subjected to "you always say...".
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"Futility is the defining characteristic of life. Pain is proof of existence" - Thomas Covenant

Ananda · Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 1:51 am Post subject:

Zarathustra · Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 2:25 am Post subject:

SerScot · Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 2:50 am Post subject:

Anada,

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"Futility is the defining characteristic of life. Pain is proof of existence" - Thomas Covenant

Ananda · Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 2:55 am Post subject:

Don Exnihilote · Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 6:32 am Post subject:

Ananda, let me preface this post by acknowledging that in many ways your advice given above is perfectly sensible, if somewhat patronizing. But let me be perfectly frank about how we've been interacting.

There is no doubt that I am no Saint in this forum. That said, I've been irked by your Swede-centric attitude in combination with disparagement of the United States. I understand that Sweden is a perfectly nice place to live, filled with sensible people who generally agree on what society expects from everyone, but that is not my reality. Swedish common sense does not work in the United States. The United States is a multicultural nation that is deeply divided by politics, economics, culture, ethnicity. We are unable to agree even on the nature of the hazards we are facing, much less on a plan for successfully navigating through them. Perhaps the rancor in the US seems silly from a Swedish perspective, and of course we should all be more sensible about it, but that is a very easy thing to say from where you are sitting.

Maybe our arguments won't change anything, but they are part of a larger debate over the future of our nation -- something that I can assure you all of us are highly concerned about. We are dealing with an approaching fiscal crisis that, unless resolved via painful and socially divisive reforms, will tip us into the same kettle with Greece, or worse yet, Revolutionary France. So yeah, things are a little heated, maybe too heated, but there's a lot at stake.

I welcome your opinion and your advice as I welcome the opinion and advice of everyone. The function of this forum is to provide a place for people to present their points of view. I suggest with respect, however, that carefully considering non-Swedish perspectives might be in order when commenting about places and problems outside of Sweden. For better or worse, the US isn't -- and can never be -- Sweden.
_________________
"Constant development is the law of life, and a man who always tries to maintain his dogmas in order to appear consistent drives himself into a false position." – Gandhi

"It is not the responsibility of knights errant to discover whether the afflicted, the enchained and the oppressed whom they encounter on the road are reduced to these circumstances and suffer this distress for their vices, or for their virtues: the knight's sole responsibility is to succour them as people in need, having eyes only for their sufferings, not for their misdeeds." – Don Quixote

*The poster formerly known as Exnihilo, Exnihilo2, Exnihilotto, Ron Burgunihilo, and counting...

Cybrweez · Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 1:32 pm Post subject:

Ananda · Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 3:05 pm Post subject:

Avatar · Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 6:21 am Post subject:

Don Exnihilote · Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 7:24 am Post subject:

Denigrate, you mean in the same way some people denigrate Americans i.e. "you people"? If Europeans and others want to consider themselves superior to and denigrate Americans that is their right, but it is also my right to issue an appropriate rejoinder, which I did. Two way street and all.

Personally, I'd rather have a thoughtful discussion than a recitation of our collective prejudices, which is why I provided the advice I did: meaningful commentary on US DOMESTIC politics should, in fairness, entail at least an attempt to consider the existence if not the intricacies of a spectrum of US perspectives before making sweeping judgments about the inherent incapacity and unreasonableness of Americans in general.
_________________
"Constant development is the law of life, and a man who always tries to maintain his dogmas in order to appear consistent drives himself into a false position." – Gandhi

"It is not the responsibility of knights errant to discover whether the afflicted, the enchained and the oppressed whom they encounter on the road are reduced to these circumstances and suffer this distress for their vices, or for their virtues: the knight's sole responsibility is to succour them as people in need, having eyes only for their sufferings, not for their misdeeds." – Don Quixote

*The poster formerly known as Exnihilo, Exnihilo2, Exnihilotto, Ron Burgunihilo, and counting...

Cail · Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 9:26 am Post subject:

wayfriend · Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 2:01 pm Post subject:

Cybrweez · Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 3:35 pm Post subject:

Yea, I treat you like shit.

Maybe you're right Av, I'm done.
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--Andy

"Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur."
Whatever is said in Latin sounds profound.

I believe in the One who says there is life after this.
Now tell me how much more open can my mind be?

Cail · Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 4:38 pm Post subject:

No one's treated you like shit wayfriend. You've been handled with kid gloves by everyone here. You just can't handle the fact that not everyone is going to agree with you 100% of the time.
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"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." - PJ O'Rourke
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"Unfortunately, freedom allows sh*theads to get away with stuff. You always know the mark of a coward. A coward hides behind freedom. A brave person stands in front of freedom and defends it for others." - Henry Rollins
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"I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." - James Madison
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"Beware the fury of a patient man." - John Dryden

wayfriend · Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 6:10 pm Post subject:

Ananda · Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 6:15 pm Post subject:

Guys... Reset button. Let'a give it a try, shall we?

[I would put a reset button graphic here but I cant figure out how to open an image in a new window to get the url from this ipad! If someone knows how, I would love the tutoring.]
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Monsters, they eat
Your kind of meat
And they're moving as far as they can
And as fast as they can

Cail · Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 6:17 pm Post subject:

Hashi Lebwohl · Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 6:24 pm Post subject: