Cheer me up, friends?

[Fred Cole]

I'm kind of down right now.

Isn't there a Republican who can engage in sensible public policy w/o mixing it with Christian mysticism?

Yes, yes, Gary Johnson. But I have this feeling that he cannot gain traction.

[Brant Gaede]

I'm kind of down right now.

Isn't there a Republican who can engage in sensible public policy w/o mixing it with Christian mysticism?

Yes, yes, Gary Johnson. But I have this feeling that he cannot gain traction.

I'd advise not to be emotionally invested in Presidential campaigns.

--Brant

[Selene]

I'm kind of down right now.

Isn't there a Republican who can engage in sensible public policy w/o mixing it with Christian mysticism?

Yes, yes, Gary Johnson. But I have this feeling that he cannot gain traction.

Fred:

For over two hundred [200] years the defense of the limited American Constitutional Republic has been predominantly in the court of religious conservatives with a touch of libertarian secular players. So accept this fact, for now, and work with them to decentralize and limit the central power of the state.

Then, through building a actual grass roots election district by election district organization, we can take over local electoral offices, from school board and city/town/village counsel and then, with a real field organization as the foundation, build a national movement.

In other words, do everything that the original Libertarian Party forgot to do.

Adam

[BaalChatzaf]

I'm kind of down right now.

Isn't there a Republican who can engage in sensible public policy w/o mixing it with Christian mysticism?

Yes, yes, Gary Johnson. But I have this feeling that he cannot gain traction.

Fred:

For over two hundred [200] years the defense of the limited American Constitutional Republic has been predominantly in the court of religious conservatives with a touch of libertarian secular players. So accept this fact, for now, and work with them to decentralize and limit the central power of the state.

Then, through building a actual grass roots election district by election district organization, we can take over local electoral offices, from school board and city/town/village counsel and then, with a real field organization as the foundation, build a national movement.

In other words, do everything that the original Libertarian Party forgot to do.

Adam

There is not a scintilla of Christianity in the Federalist Papers. It is all deist brain work.

Ba'al Chatzaf

[Fred Cole]

I think its types like Bachmann that depress me. She claims to read von Mises at the beach, then she chases it with pledges about persecuting gays and hookers. And sometimes I feel like there's no hope.

[Selene]

I think its types like Bachmann that depress me. She claims to read von Mises at the beach, then she chases it with pledges about persecuting gays and hookers. And sometimes I feel like there's no hope.

pledges about persecuting gays and hookers

Might you have those quotes and/or sources where she wants to "persecute" those folks?

How would she "persecute" them?

Adam

curiouser and curiouser as we look through the looking glass

[Fred Cole]

This explains it pretty well:

http://reason.com/blog/2011/07/08/michele-bachmann-pledges-to-in

[Rich Engle]

I think its types like Bachmann that depress me. She claims to read von Mises at the beach, then she chases it with pledges about persecuting gays and hookers. And sometimes I feel like there's no hope.

You still have whitebread, generic-Christian America. Most generic church-goers go there for reasons far outside of understanding and experiencing spirituality--they look to the church for some kind of "structure." They go there for a sense of community, and that's good. But by and far, the majority is not out to look under the covers. The homophobia, and fear regarding open sexuality runs pretty much as strong as ever. Most people don't get past nebulous concepts about the Bible. A vague feeling of knowing they are here and things happened before they were here. There is a lot of fear involved, and most fear, I think, comes from ignorance. Just like so much evil comes from hateful thinking, which comes from ignorance. Welcome to mainstream humanity.

This all makes for good business. So of course you can talk about being academically tight on something like economics. But, you better be sure to go after those GLBTs, hookers, and anyone else that might open up things.

All of this is the usual circus. What is going on at the higher levels, the elite levels, that is what is really fucking frightening.

But quitting on trying is not a very viable option. Not if you have any belief in goodness--that the Universe is a good place.

r

It'll Be Alright<tm>

[Selene]

This explains it pretty well:

http://reason.com/bl...n-pledges-to-in

Fred:

Did you read where the "study" came from?

One of the statements in the study was:

Our analysis of US data revealed the legislative change had caused female suicide to decline by about a fifth, domestic violence to decline by about a third, and intimate femicide - the husband's murder of his wife - to decline by about a tenth.

Someone better tell the Feds because they claim that Domestic violence is on the rise! Additionally, the actual numbers on domestic violence are that it is basically 50 - 50 in heterosexual relationships and that accounts for only 50% of the total domestic violence in the US with the other 50% being between homosexual couples.

Once again, violence between partners is a human problem. It is not a male on female problem.

Second, all I see is a pledge to "...require signatories to provide 'humane protection of women and the innocent fruit of conjugal intimacy' from 'seduction into promiscuity, and all forms of pornography and prostitution, infanticide, abortion and other types of coercion or stolen innocence.'

That translates to you as "persecution?"

Finally, these types of wacko moralistic positions by politicians are meaningless because they will not be passed into law and if they were, they would be declared unconstitutional.

You will note the trend which is towards libertarian initiatives that basically could care less what two or more consenting adults do with each other sexually.

Now the film rights might interest me! lol.

Adam

methinks you are overly concerned with these tangential "social" issues

Edited July 12, 2011 by Selene

[Fred Cole]

Well, typically I see it as posturing by opportunistic politicians who want to play redneck anti-Darwinians like fiddles. But I think in the case of Bachmann she's a true believer.

What give me a little hope is that there's too many theo-cons in the field and maybe they'll all split the vote.

[Selene]

Well, typically I see it as posturing by opportunistic politicians who want to play redneck anti-Darwinians like fiddles. But I think in the case of Bachmann she's a true believer.

What give me a little hope is that there's too many theo-cons in the field and maybe they'll all split the vote.

If the general election was between Bachman and O'biwan and on election day the polls had it in a dead heat and the talk was that this could come down to a few thousand votes in key states and you are in a key state, who would you pull the lever for?

[Fred Cole]

Im in NY, a lost cause. If it were Bach v St. Obama, I'd hold my nose and vote for Bachm.