Have We Gone Insane?

[Townhallsavoy]

I decided to spend the last hour doing some reading on current events, and unfortunately, what I've read has disturbed the daylights out of me. 

Everything seems to be a conspiracy.  Not one piece of news is just objective, straightforward reporting of an event in the world. 

The government is obviously corrupt - see Fast and Furious scandal - and the media isn't really hitting them hard about it! 

24/7 news networks and websites have minimized big stories.  Everything is just a quick Facebook update about what may or may not be happening in the world.

Then not only that, no one knows what they're talking about.  All people try to do is point out why someone else is doing something wrong.

For example, with illegal immigration.  The left wingers accuse the right wingers of being inhumane and cruel by deporting these poor families back to Mexico.  The right wingers accuse the left wingers of being conniving and crippling by keeping minorities under their control through government acts that prevent the minorities from succeeding in the world. 

This type of bickering is all across the board with every story out there.

I read a story about an Olive Garden in Anniston denying a Kiwanis Club's request to display an American Flag at their club dinner.  One comment mentioned Olive Garden being part of a left wing conspiracy to keep the American Flag suppressed from the public eye!

I think we've all gone insane. 

Some sources:
 
Illegal Immigration:
http://pajamasmedia.com/victordavishanson/the-moral-dimension-of-illegal-immigration/?singlepage=true

Iran Assassination Attempt:
http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/12/us/analysis-iran-saudi-plot/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/13/us/iran-sees-terror-plot-accusation-as-diversion-from-wall-street-protests.html?_r=2&hp

Occupy:
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/my-advice-to-the-occupy-wall-street-protesters-20111012

[GH2001]

I decided to spend the last hour doing some reading on current events, and unfortunately, what I've read has disturbed the daylights out of me. 

Everything seems to be a conspiracy.  Not one piece of news is just objective, straightforward reporting of an event in the world. 

The government is obviously corrupt - see Fast and Furious scandal - and the media isn't really hitting them hard about it! 

24/7 news networks and websites have minimized big stories.  Everything is just a quick Facebook update about what may or may not be happening in the world.

Then not only that, no one knows what they're talking about.  All people try to do is point out why someone else is doing something wrong.

For example, with illegal immigration.  The left wingers accuse the right wingers of being inhumane and cruel by deporting these poor families back to Mexico.  The right wingers accuse the left wingers of being conniving and crippling by keeping minorities under their control through government acts that prevent the minorities from succeeding in the world. 

This type of bickering is all across the board with every story out there.

I read a story about an Olive Garden in Anniston denying a Kiwanis Club's request to display an American Flag at their club dinner.  One comment mentioned Olive Garden being part of a left wing conspiracy to keep the American Flag suppressed from the public eye!

I think we've all gone insane. 

Some sources:
 
Illegal Immigration:
http://pajamasmedia.com/victordavishanson/the-moral-dimension-of-illegal-immigration/?singlepage=true

Iran Assassination Attempt:
http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/12/us/analysis-iran-saudi-plot/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/13/us/iran-sees-terror-plot-accusation-as-diversion-from-wall-street-protests.html?_r=2&hp

Occupy:
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/my-advice-to-the-occupy-wall-street-protesters-20111012

Not trying to be a smartass here THS as I enjoy your commentary, but what's your point?

[AUChizad]

I get your point.

Polarizing politics (on both sides) is going to be our fall of Rome.

Fox News on the right which bred MSNBC on the left and crazy assed blogs and radio hosts in between have dumbed down America into parrots that regurgitate their manufactured outrage over the dumbest shit, and meanwhile it has become impossible for anyone in Washington to get anything done whatsoever, because anything positive for the country is considered a negative to whatever party is not in office. People cheer for their "team", not for a second considering the other side of the argument because it would be perceived as "weak", or "giving in" to "the enemy".

(Poorly formulated metaphor ahead, bare with me.) It's like Auburn and Alabama fans. No compromise, no grey area. The difference is, there's no harm done to the real world when I'm a homer that blindly believes my football team can do no wrong, and the other guy is incapable of anything not saturated with corruption so I want to see them fail miserably at everything they do. Our country suffers when people do the same with their political parties.

Whichever party is not in office wants the country to implode because they are more loyal to their political party than their country. They want to be able to say "I told you so, and it's the President's fault."

Take for example, this latest "strike" issued by Tea Party Nation

I, an American small business owner, part of the class that produces the vast majority of real, wealth producing jobs in this country, hereby resolve that I will not hire a single person until this war against business and my country is stopped.

I hereby declare that my job creation potential is now ceased.

That's patriotism?

Most of you will roll your eyes at this, but if you talked to me in 2003, you would have thought I was Sean Hannity because I was consistent on this same point. The President has our country's best interest in mind no matter how badly you want to paint him as a baby-eating Hitler monster. No one pissed me off worse at the time than the Cindy Shehans and Michael Moores of the world. Many of Bush's stances on immigration, or policies such as No Child Left Behind were the kinds of policies that they should have loved. They were pretty liberal in nature. Yet, to them Bush was straight up Authoritarian. That's called compromising, and unfortunately, it gets you jack shit in politics these days. The people who should be happy about it are too blinded for their hatred for you to recognize it.

Same applies today. If you want to compare Obama to Hitler, that only makes since if you want to compare Islamic dictators to Jews. Osama Bin Laden - Dead. Moamar Qaddafi - Dead. Anwar al-Awlaki - Dead. Khalid Sheikh Mohammad - Facing a military commission in Guantanamo (which Obama never closed). Obama essentially won the War on Terrorism that Bush started, and now we can finally bring our troops home (with a victory). Can't you recognize that as a positive and make a level-headed statement such as "While I strongly disagree with his plan for health care reform, I really appreciate and support his foreign policy"? Does he have to be the the pacifist, multilateralist, the American "apologist", the bad guy that can never do anything remotely positive?

To differ in opinion and express your discourse civilly is patriotic. To blindly refuse to compromise and spend more time hating the other guys and filibustering, the country suffers.

Did not plan on this rant to go on as long as it did. I suppose a simple "I get what you're saying THS" would have sufficed, but it spun in an entirely different direction than I intended.

Politics in general just piss me off nowadays.

tl;dr

[CCTAU]

So now in the interests of "Why can't we all just get along", I need to overlook the actions of this administration moving us toward Socialism just because he continued to war on terror and stayed out of the way enough to let it work?

That is idiotic. Yes, the war on terror has continued and has been successful. Anyone with half a brain knew he would not get into office and stop everything. The fact that he lied his ass off to get into office does bother me. He was against EVERYTHING GWB was doing and claimed he would put a stop to it.

The war on terror has gone on pretty much as planned. And has been successful as much as it can be. That was not his plan, nor did he approve.... until he got elected. Kudos to him for not screwing the pooch on that one.


As for the rest of his policies....WHORESHIT. Total WHORESHIT.

The small business quote above was spot on. If you think that is a little strong , then you are way out of touch with the small business owner. But there in lies the problem with many Americans today. "Why can't we all just get along" usually falls on the back someone else, not theirs.

So if compromising with a trained Marxist is the answer, then there is no answer.

[GH2001]

I get your point.

Polarizing politics (on both sides) is going to be our fall of Rome.

Fox News on the right which bred MSNBC on the left and crazy assed blogs and radio hosts in between have dumbed down America into parrots that regurgitate their manufactured outrage over the dumbest shit, and meanwhile it has become impossible for anyone in Washington to get anything done whatsoever, because anything positive for the country is considered a negative to whatever party is not in office. People cheer for their "team", not for a second considering the other side of the argument because it would be perceived as "weak", or "giving in" to "the enemy".

(Poorly formulated metaphor ahead, bare with me.) It's like Auburn and Alabama fans. No compromise, no grey area. The difference is, there's no harm done to the real world when I'm a homer that blindly believes my football team can do no wrong, and the other guy is incapable of anything not saturated with corruption so I want to see them fail miserably at everything they do. Our country suffers when people do the same with their political parties.

Whichever party is not in office wants the country to implode because they are more loyal to their political party than their country. They want to be able to say "I told you so, and it's the President's fault."

Take for example, this latest "strike" issued by Tea Party Nation

That's patriotism?

Most of you will roll your eyes at this, but if you talked to me in 2003, you would have thought I was Sean Hannity because I was consistent on this same point. The President has our country's best interest in mind no matter how badly you want to paint him as a baby-eating Hitler monster. No one pissed me off worse at the time than the Cindy Shehans and Michael Moores of the world. Many of Bush's stances on immigration, or policies such as No Child Left Behind were the kinds of policies that they should have loved. They were pretty liberal in nature. Yet, to them Bush was straight up Authoritarian. That's called compromising, and unfortunately, it gets you jack shit in politics these days. The people who should be happy about it are too blinded for their hatred for you to recognize it.

Same applies today. If you want to compare Obama to Hitler, that only makes since if you want to compare Islamic dictators to Jews. Osama Bin Laden - Dead. Moamar Qaddafi - Dead. Anwar al-Awlaki - Dead. Khalid Sheikh Mohammad - Facing a military commission in Guantanamo (which Obama never closed). Obama essentially won the War on Terrorism that Bush started, and now we can finally bring our troops home (with a victory). Can't you recognize that as a positive and make a level-headed statement such as "While I strongly disagree with his plan for health care reform, I really appreciate and support his foreign policy"? Does he have to be the the pacifist, multilateralist, the American "apologist", the bad guy that can never do anything remotely positive?

To differ in opinion and express your discourse civilly is patriotic. To blindly refuse to compromise and spend more time hating the other guys and filibustering, the country suffers.

Did not plan on this rant to go on as long as it did. I suppose a simple "I get what you're saying THS" would have sufficed, but it spun in an entirely different direction than I intended.

Politics in general just piss me off nowadays.

tl;dr

You missed a step though Chizad. CBS, Kronkite and NBC bred Foxnews which bred MSNBC.  Its a back and forth that the left really started before the neoconic Foxnews joined the fray. I don't like the fact the MSNBC and CBS push the left and I don't like the fact that Foxnews pushes the neocon crowd - Brit Hume, Bill Kristol, Karl Rove, Rick Perry, Mitt Romney. There is a love fest on Foxnews for the "Bush" type Republicans. Anyone else who challenges that ideology is labeled as unelectable and brushed aside by some of the aforementioned TV personalities. I.e. - Herman Cain and Ron Paul. I don't agree with a lot of Paul's stances, but to steer an entire viewing audience towards or away from certain candidates is bullshit. And the left did it too with Obama.

I saw THS' point. I guess what I meant more was "What's new here?".

I honestly think the public has been brainwashed to not think for themselves anymore. There is no independent analysis or critical thinking anymore. Its a sheepish follow the leader approach and just believe what we tell you. OWS comes to mind here. People think more with empathy and emotion now, and less with BRAIN. People are more turned on by glitz and glamour and style, rather than substance. Its sickening. We, as a country have pandered to the lowest common denominator and this is the result of that. We are dumbed down.

And yes, we will probably end up like Rome and all of the others if we dont pull our collective heads out of our asses and get back right. We're the United States, the greatest, smartest, most free, opportunistic and richest country on the planet. We need to act like it again. We need to be producers and innovators. We need to be hard workers and leaders. All of those things have eroded since the 1960's due to our own leaders and people being oblivious to them. Oh, what a different world it might would be today if the country had simply elected Barry Goldwater in 1964. This was a HUGE turning point in our country's collective attitude and view.

If the Constitution was followed to the letter, then none of this party stuff would matter either. I think thats a stark difference in the tea party vs OWS. One tends to want rule by the Constitution and one wants to totally shit on it because they just don't like it. The same hippies in the 60's that wanted to do the same. We're supposed to be a nation of productive citizens that does things within the boundaries of the law of the land, NOT a nation of whiners who want to disband the law of the land because it's not convenient for the way they want to live.

I said in the other thread that I actually agree with Obama in bringing home the troops. Its the RIGHT thing to do. He only campaigned as a pacifist because he wouldn't have gotten elected without doing so.

Chizad, pleased to be posting some OWS quotes as well. 

[AUTiger1]

We're the United States, the greatest, smartest, most free, opportunistic and richest country on the planet. We need to act like it again.

   (pun intended)


I have no issues with us being the only superpower in the world and I don't know why anyone else would either. 

[GH2001]

   (pun intended)


I have no issues with us being the only superpower in the world and I don't know why anyone else would either.

American Exceptionalism. Nothing wrong with it. When we had it, we were unstoppable in what we could do. Now we are crap. We're a nation of sheep, empathizers and consumers. Reagan and Kennedy reminded us that we were the best and we should act like it. They gave the country pep talks to do our best and be productive citizens.

"Ask NOT what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."

BOOM, that happened. JFK has to be rolling in his grave.

[Vandy Vol]

American Exceptionalism. Nothing wrong with it. When we had it, we were unstoppable in what we could do. Now we are crap. We're a nation of sheep, empathizers and consumers. Reagan and Kennedy reminded us that we were the best and we should act like it. They gave the country pep talks to do our best and be productive citizens.

"Ask NOT what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."

BOOM, that happened. JFK has to be rolling in his grave.

Kennedy only wanted us to do our best so that we could get to the moon.

And why would we want to do that, you ask?

Because an alien robot crashed on the dark side of the moon and we needed to get us some Star Trek advanced technology shit to end the cold war.

Had that robot never crashed, Kennedy would have been content with fucking whores and drinking Scotch.

True story.

[GH2001]

Kennedy only wanted us to do our best so that we could get to the moon.

And why would we want to do that, you ask?

Because an alien robot crashed on the dark side of the moon and we needed to get us some Star Trek advanced technology shit to end the cold war.

Had that robot never crashed, Kennedy would have been content with fucking whores and drinking Scotch.

True story.

Long story short, Kennedy hated the commies and was willing to do anything to defeat the sumbeeches, through strengthening the morale of the people and via technology. After the shit they pulled in Cuba, who can blame him. JFK was a patriot, social and personal issues aside.

[Tarheel]

I am so glad that The Pharaoh Obama 'got' Quaddafi!  Congratulations on a fine job!  Well Done!  I know that His Greatness was acting in the best interest of this nation and not concerned about distracting everyone from His plummeting poll numbers or the horrible economy that His Benevolent and Lofty Leadership has created for our needs which includes the sustained 9+ percent unemployment that would never happen because of the bailouts and troubled asset relief program(s) or the abandonment of the key component of His magnificent Health Program which could not produce the revenue to support itself without a massive, unsustainable tax increase.  No, no!  He was always acting only in the best interest of this nation and not thinking politically!

And I'm sure that the new Sharia-government of Libya will be very friendly to the United States of America and our Allies because of the positive spin that the media is putting on it as an par excellence example of the magnificent foreign policy of The ONE.  And I'm sure that His blunder in not being able to negotiate keeping any forces at all in Iraq was purely made in the best interest of this nation and not as a political move to retain and augment the political support of His angry, moonbat, "pull out now!", leftist base in the upcoming presidential election!  No, no!

I am in stunned awe.

How could I have been so blind?

[AUChizad]

I am so glad that The Pharaoh Obama 'got' Quaddafi!  Congratulations on a fine job!  Well Done!  I know that His Greatness was acting in the best interest of this nation and not concerned about distracting everyone from His plummeting poll numbers or the horrible economy that His Benevolent and Lofty Leadership has created for our needs which includes the sustained 9+ percent unemployment that would never happen because of the bailouts and troubled asset relief program(s) or the abandonment of the key component of His magnificent Health Program which could not produce the revenue to support itself without a massive, unsustainable tax increase.  No, no!  He was always acting only in the best interest of this nation and not thinking politically!

And I'm sure that the new Sharia-government of Libya will be very friendly to the United States of America and our Allies because of the positive spin that the media is putting on it as an par excellence example of the magnificent foreign policy of The ONE.  And I'm sure that His blunder in not being able to negotiate keeping any forces at all in Iraq was purely made in the best interest of this nation and not as a political move to retain and augment the political support of His angry, moonbat, "pull out now!", leftist base in the upcoming presidential election!  No, no!

I am in stunned awe.

How could I have been so blind?

I read that all in Jim from Crestwood's voice.

[Vandy Vol]

Long story short, Kennedy hated the commies and was willing to do anything to defeat the sumbeeches, through strengthening the morale of the people and via technology. After the shit they pulled in Cuba, who can blame him. JFK was a patriot, social and personal issues aside.

No, seriously.  Alien robot technology.

[GH2001]

I read that all in Jim from Crestwood's voice.

Damn.....you don't dislike TH THAT bad do you?

[AUJarhead]

Damn.....you don't dislike TH THAT bad do you?

He could have said "Coach K's voice."

[wreckingball]

tl;dr

Wise man.

[wreckingball]

Damn.....you don't dislike TH THAT bad do you?

I read this like you had a stutter.

[AUTiger1]

He could have said "Coach K's voice."

I actually read it in my head to Coach K's voice.   I think him and Tarheel are a lot alike, he just doesn't want to admit it.

[wreckingball]

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/The-McRib-makes-a-apf-3131095863.html?x=0&.v=3

 This usually correlates with the beginning of the end of a recession. So as you can see, things are looking up.

[GH2001]

I read this like you had a stutter.

Funny.

[Kaos]

I get your point.

Polarizing politics (on both sides) is going to be our fall of Rome.

Fox News on the right which bred MSNBC on the left

You shitting me?  Fox bred MSNBC? 

Fox was a response to the perpetual left-leaning biases of essentially all media (from movies to news).  And Fox is hardly "right"  it's just less left than the ridiculously leftist (and borderline treasonous) shit spewed on MSNBC by dyke cows like Rachel Maddow and elitist fucksticks like Olbermann on networks like MSNBC.