There's something very familiar about this type...hmm...
Christian Republicans:
These Republicans are hypocrites. They do everything in the name of Christ, while simultaneously acting as un-Christlike as humanly possible. They support the right to carry assault weapons, are pro-war, and completely ignore the fact that the Bible depicts Christ as a liberal who was opposed to capitalism and violence. They sincerely believe that this is God’s country and that God loves us Americans more than anyone else in the world. They think that anyone who is not 100 percent pro-Israel is anti-Semitic. They hate everyone who doesn’t agree with them and think the Bible tells them to… and they hate gay people because they think they are sinners.
The problem with this type of Republican’s views:
They do terrible things in the name of their Lord. They think that anyone who doesn’t agree with them is damned to hell or hates America. They believe that we are a Christian nation even though the Founding Fathers made sure they did not brand this country as a Christian nation. The Founding Fathers wanted a country of religious freedom, free from religious persecution, but these Republicans will never admit that.
What to remember when debating them:
There’s a list of all the quotes that prove our Founding Fathers wanted a country of religious freedom. The link is HERE. Another thing to remember is that the Christian Right is neither. Start asking them questions like “how would Jesus feel about war?” “how would Jesus feel about assault rifles?” or “do you REALLY think that America is God’s favorite country, in the ENTIRE universe?” And, of course, these questions should yield a response that thoroughly proves that they are hypocrites, and continuing to argue with them would be a waste of time.
Waste of time...hey! I resemble that remark!!
Tuesday, October 01, 2013
Good Words
“That religion, or the duty which we owe to our Creator, and the manner of discharging it, can be directed only by reason and conviction, not by force or violence; and therefore all men are equally entitled to the free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience; and that it is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian forebearance, love, and charity towards each other.”
~George Mason, Virginia Bill of Rights, 1776
Tea Party Republicans Hate Democracy
Last night the federal government shut down because Tea Party Republicans hate democracy. A small but vocal minority of Republicans has demanded that John Boehner prevent the Senate bill to temporarily fund the government (the "continuing resolution," or CR) from coming to the House floor for a vote.
After George Bush won reelection in 2004, Republicans crowed about it. People like John Bolton said that Bush had the right to do what he promised and complete what he had set into motion in his first term because he owed that to the people that voted for him. The people had spoken, Republicans say. That's how democracy works.
For all his faults, John McCain has admitted this. He said:
I’d remind my colleagues that, in the 2012 election, Obamacare, as it’s called — and I’ll be more polite, the ACA — was a subject that was a major issue in the campaign. I campaigned all over America for two months, everywhere I could. And in every single campaign rally I said “we had to repeal and replace Obamacare.” Well, the people spoke. They spoke, much to my dismay, but they spoke and they re-elected the President of the United States. No that doesn’t mean that we give up our efforts to try to replace and repair Obamacare. But it does mean elections have consequences and those elections were clear, in a significant majority, that the majority of the American people supported the President of the US and renewed his stewardship of this country. I don’t like it, it’s not something that I wanted the outcome to be. But I think all of us should respect the outcome of elections, which reflects the will of the people.In 2012 Democrats won the election fair and square, winning the presidency and the Senate outright. Democrats also received a majority of the popular vote in House elections, but due to the vagaries of gerrymandering, integer arithmetic and varying state sizes, Republicans won a sizable majority of seats. As McCain implies, the 2012 election was the closest thing to a referendum on Obamacare we've had, and Obama won.
But the Tea Party now rejects the same argument Republicans made in favor of moving Bush's agenda forward. For six weeks worth of government funding they produced a gigantic laundry list of demands in exchange for passing the CR. Then they demanded that Obama give up the Affordable Care Act. Now they're demanding Obamacare be delayed a year. Maybe they'll settle for a pony and a BB gun.
Now the government has shut down. Why? Because Tea Party Republicans hate democracy. They can't stand it when they don't get what they want, even when they're in the minority, and they'll hurt innocent people to get it, even when they know they can't win in the end. They're just hoping to rile up the troops for 2014 and 2016.
John Boehner could put the Senate's continuing resolution for an up-or-down vote this afternoon, and it could very well pass: it would only take 17 Republican votes (there are 233 Republicans and 200 Democrats in the House). But Boehner won't because Republicans -- not just the Tea Party -- don't believe in democracy.
Republicans even have a term for their hatred of democracy: the Hastert Rule, which says only bills that have the support of the majority of the majority will be brought to the floor. That means that it takes only 117 votes to prevent a bill from reaching the House floor. A minority -- 27% -- of the House dictates all the government's business.
Republicans like to pretend Obama is the one guy who's causing the shutdown to save his evil plan to reduce the number of Americans who die and go bankrupt because they have no health care.
But the one man responsible for the shutdown is John Boehner. He refuses to put the CR up for a vote because he's pretty sure it could pass. And that would anger Tea Party Republicans, who have threatened to ruin Boehner by primarying him out of his safe Ohio seat if he crosses them.
John Boehner is not just a coward for kowtowing to the doctrinaire and dictatorial Tea Party. He's also foolish: by letting these hooligans run roughshod over the political process he's given them the power to destroy him. A speaker with any brains would use this crisis to crush them and their petty blackmailing tactics. In the worst case he would find a way to enlist House Democrats to help him keep his position and get this country out of this endless bickering over the CR, next year's budget and the debt ceiling. After all, the speaker of the House is elected by a majority of the House, not each party.
But Boehner seems more concerned about his tan than stable financial markets and a government that efficiently provides needed services.
Shutdown A Go Go
The Republican adolescent temper tantrum has resulted in the first government shutdown in 18 years. It represents another nail in the coffin that is the conservative movement. They have been reduced to having one central ideology: be against anything and everything that the Democrats support. With this shutdown, that basically means the federal government...the same entity that employs them.
If the shutdown lasts more than a few weeks, it will likely erode our already fragile economic growth. Early estimates put .3 to .4 less GDP because of the shutdown. It makes sense given that 800,000 employees are being furloughed as of this morning. That's a hit to aggregate demand that will surely be felt in an extended shutdown.
I have to admit that part of me feels sorry for the Republicans. In reality, they had no choice.If they caved (which they will anyway), they would have seemed weak and the moonbats from their home districts and states would have primaried them. We don't have problems like that in the Democratic party. In fact, we like it when moderate Democrats win in red states:)
If the shutdown lasts more than a few weeks, it will likely erode our already fragile economic growth. Early estimates put .3 to .4 less GDP because of the shutdown. It makes sense given that 800,000 employees are being furloughed as of this morning. That's a hit to aggregate demand that will surely be felt in an extended shutdown.
I have to admit that part of me feels sorry for the Republicans. In reality, they had no choice.If they caved (which they will anyway), they would have seemed weak and the moonbats from their home districts and states would have primaried them. We don't have problems like that in the Democratic party. In fact, we like it when moderate Democrats win in red states:)
Hee Hee
ObamaCare ‘glitch’ watch: Exchange site posts error messages
It's going to be amusing to watch their adolescent "n'yah n'yah" here replaced by "oh shit" when they realize why people are having trouble accessing the health exchange sites.
It's going to be amusing to watch their adolescent "n'yah n'yah" here replaced by "oh shit" when they realize why people are having trouble accessing the health exchange sites.
Monday, September 30, 2013
Mailbag!
I've decided to start a regular feature here at Markadelphia in which I showcase a submission from the new contact form. I got this one last night.
Dear Markadelphia,
I live in Idaho and use your site in my class at the college where I teach as a shining example of the drivel peddled by the left. It's a private college so I can say whatever I want to in class without fear of the PC Cops banging down my door. I'm very active in the Tea Party and spend most of spare time volunteering to take our government back from the statists who have overtaken her.
I don't have time to comment on your site but I wanted to let the three morons who comment on every post you put up that they are being most effectively played by you. They could be using their time like I do and actually making a difference. Blog comments don't make any difference. No one reads them. No one cares. No one is going to change their mind by reading a blog comment. It's quite a little Venus Fly Trap you are running here. While they are wasting their time in comments, you are out teaching hundreds of children every year.
This will be my only contact with you as I will now turn back my attention to stopping you and your ilk in a more substantive format.
Fuck you.
Big Jim Slade
Obviously a Kentucky Fried Movie fan and I always love being called a statist and a shining example of blah blah blah but he does make a good point. This would be why I allow open comments:)
Dear Markadelphia,
I live in Idaho and use your site in my class at the college where I teach as a shining example of the drivel peddled by the left. It's a private college so I can say whatever I want to in class without fear of the PC Cops banging down my door. I'm very active in the Tea Party and spend most of spare time volunteering to take our government back from the statists who have overtaken her.
I don't have time to comment on your site but I wanted to let the three morons who comment on every post you put up that they are being most effectively played by you. They could be using their time like I do and actually making a difference. Blog comments don't make any difference. No one reads them. No one cares. No one is going to change their mind by reading a blog comment. It's quite a little Venus Fly Trap you are running here. While they are wasting their time in comments, you are out teaching hundreds of children every year.
This will be my only contact with you as I will now turn back my attention to stopping you and your ilk in a more substantive format.
Fuck you.
Big Jim Slade
Obviously a Kentucky Fried Movie fan and I always love being called a statist and a shining example of blah blah blah but he does make a good point. This would be why I allow open comments:)
Good Words
“In regard to religion, mutual toleration in the different professions thereof is what all good and candid minds in all ages have ever practiced, and both by precept and example inculcated on mankind.”
~Samuel Adams, The Rights of the Colonists (1771)
You're Not The Boss Of Me!
I've had some pretty interesting emails since I put up the contact form at the right of the page. A common request of late has been for me to explain exactly what the "adolescent power fantasies" tag means. So, without further adieu, here it is.
Conservatives today can be easily explained if you imagine them as 8th grade boys (age 13-14). They hate the government in the same way a teenager hates their parents and the house rules. They are eternally in "You're Not The Boss Of Me!" mode on all the major issues of the day. Take a look at how they react to the budget (they are stealing my hard earned money!), health care (fuck everyone else, I only care about myself), climate change (I'm not going to change my life just because some adults made up some stupid lies to try to force me to do stuff), guns (don't take away my cool toys!), education (stupid liberal teachers telling me what I should and shouldn't do), or any other issue of the day and it's the same thing: I DON'T WANNA!!!
Like any teenager, they are very distrustful of authority and make overly emotional and ridiculous statements about the federal government....the same government that they are very likely receiving benefits from in more than one way. Again, just like a teenager that doesn't like the house rules and bloviates to his parents in a never ending goal to be contrary.
So, how do you deal with such a mentality? Well, you ignore the adolescent baiting and everything else falls into place after that. The primary goal of any teenager is to get the people they are rebelling against to stoop down to their level. Once that happens, they can play the Cult of Both Sides card and say, "See? Liberals are just as bad." They want the voting public to be confused and angry so they can get away with a bunch of bullshit. Up until the last few years, this has worked quite well. Unfortunately, the issues we face as a nation have become more serious and their solutions (if they even have any), are being revealed for exactly what they are: an ongoing temper tantrum with no concrete action items.
Ultimately, the only real response to the adolescent stomp down the hallway is to remind whomever you are talking to that if they want to stop being treated like a child, then they should stop acting like one.
Conservatives today can be easily explained if you imagine them as 8th grade boys (age 13-14). They hate the government in the same way a teenager hates their parents and the house rules. They are eternally in "You're Not The Boss Of Me!" mode on all the major issues of the day. Take a look at how they react to the budget (they are stealing my hard earned money!), health care (fuck everyone else, I only care about myself), climate change (I'm not going to change my life just because some adults made up some stupid lies to try to force me to do stuff), guns (don't take away my cool toys!), education (stupid liberal teachers telling me what I should and shouldn't do), or any other issue of the day and it's the same thing: I DON'T WANNA!!!
Like any teenager, they are very distrustful of authority and make overly emotional and ridiculous statements about the federal government....the same government that they are very likely receiving benefits from in more than one way. Again, just like a teenager that doesn't like the house rules and bloviates to his parents in a never ending goal to be contrary.
So, how do you deal with such a mentality? Well, you ignore the adolescent baiting and everything else falls into place after that. The primary goal of any teenager is to get the people they are rebelling against to stoop down to their level. Once that happens, they can play the Cult of Both Sides card and say, "See? Liberals are just as bad." They want the voting public to be confused and angry so they can get away with a bunch of bullshit. Up until the last few years, this has worked quite well. Unfortunately, the issues we face as a nation have become more serious and their solutions (if they even have any), are being revealed for exactly what they are: an ongoing temper tantrum with no concrete action items.
Ultimately, the only real response to the adolescent stomp down the hallway is to remind whomever you are talking to that if they want to stop being treated like a child, then they should stop acting like one.
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Good Words
“Manufacturers, who listening to the powerful invitations of a better price for their fabrics, or their labor, of greater cheapness of provisions and raw materials, of an exemption from the chief part of the taxes burdens and restraints, which they endure in the old world, of greater personal independence and consequence, under the operation of a more equal government, and of what is far more precious than mere religious toleration–a perfect equality of religious privileges; would probably flock from Europe to the United States to pursue their own trades or professions, if they were once made sensible of the advantages they would enjoy, and were inspired with an assurance of encouragement and employment, will, with difficulty, be induced to transplant themselves, with a view to becoming cultivators of the land.”
~Alexander Hamilton: Report on the Subject of Manufacturers December 5,
1791
Republican Type #2
The next type of conservative (and the best description of a few of my commenters). I'd add in that these are also "Right Wing Blogger" Republicans.
Fox News and Conservative Talk Radio Republicans:
This is one of the angriest groups of Republicans. They watch Fox News or listen to conservative talk radio and they think it makes them an expert on politics. The only knowledge they have of politics are parroted talking points without any facts to back them up. When you defeat them in debate, they will resort to calling you names like “liberal,” “commie,” “socialist”; “baby-killer,” etc. They think all liberals are socialists who want to take their money and give it to people who don’t deserve it.
The problem with this type of Republican’s views:
They have no idea what they are talking about. Usually they’re just repeating things they’ve heard from Fox News or Rush Limbaugh. They think that liberals want to take away their freedoms and they clearly don’t know what the word “liberal” means, or what liberals have contributed to our country and our freedoms. They think President Obama is comparable to Hitler for passing healthcare reform. They accuse you of watching MSNBC if you don’t agree with them. They call you a sheep but expect you to blindly believe everything they tell you, without question.
What to remember when debating them:
Keep demanding facts from them to back up their assertions until they break down and call you any of the aforementioned names. Ask them to name specific freedoms that liberals have taken away from them. They have a tendency to become violent so watch their hands if you are debating them face to face.
Fox News and Conservative Talk Radio Republicans:
This is one of the angriest groups of Republicans. They watch Fox News or listen to conservative talk radio and they think it makes them an expert on politics. The only knowledge they have of politics are parroted talking points without any facts to back them up. When you defeat them in debate, they will resort to calling you names like “liberal,” “commie,” “socialist”; “baby-killer,” etc. They think all liberals are socialists who want to take their money and give it to people who don’t deserve it.
The problem with this type of Republican’s views:
They have no idea what they are talking about. Usually they’re just repeating things they’ve heard from Fox News or Rush Limbaugh. They think that liberals want to take away their freedoms and they clearly don’t know what the word “liberal” means, or what liberals have contributed to our country and our freedoms. They think President Obama is comparable to Hitler for passing healthcare reform. They accuse you of watching MSNBC if you don’t agree with them. They call you a sheep but expect you to blindly believe everything they tell you, without question.
What to remember when debating them:
Keep demanding facts from them to back up their assertions until they break down and call you any of the aforementioned names. Ask them to name specific freedoms that liberals have taken away from them. They have a tendency to become violent so watch their hands if you are debating them face to face.
Children and Guns
Absolutely fantastic piece in the Times today about children and guns. Very illustrative about how statistics lie.
A New York Times review of hundreds of child firearm deaths found that accidental shootings occurred roughly twice as often as the records indicate, because of idiosyncrasies in how such deaths are classified by the authorities. The killings of Lucas, Cassie and Alex, for instance, were not recorded as accidents. Nor were more than half of the 259 accidental firearm deaths of children under age 15 identified by The Times in eight states where records were available.
Of course, this more or less ends the whole "Gun Free Zone" debate as well. Lift the perfectly legal ban on guns (see: Scalia, Heller, 54-55) in certain areas and you see more incidents like those described in this story. Compare the number of people (not just kids) that die in gun full zones with those that die in gun free zones. Discussion over.
The facts are very simple. There are many people in this country that are simply irresponsible and do not honor their right to bear arms appropriately. That's why we shouldn't let anyone who wants to carry a gun do so in a school, for example. Or even have a firearm to begin with if they are a convicted criminal or mentally ill.
This would be why I've told my kids that when we go to a house where there are firearms present (sadly, a few of my relatives) to be extra alert and vigilant for arrogant, gun owning parents who think they have trained their children just fine. They haven't. Their hubris (combined with heavy drinking and mental illness as is the case in a few of these homes) is exactly what causes accidents like these to happen.
A New York Times review of hundreds of child firearm deaths found that accidental shootings occurred roughly twice as often as the records indicate, because of idiosyncrasies in how such deaths are classified by the authorities. The killings of Lucas, Cassie and Alex, for instance, were not recorded as accidents. Nor were more than half of the 259 accidental firearm deaths of children under age 15 identified by The Times in eight states where records were available.
Of course, this more or less ends the whole "Gun Free Zone" debate as well. Lift the perfectly legal ban on guns (see: Scalia, Heller, 54-55) in certain areas and you see more incidents like those described in this story. Compare the number of people (not just kids) that die in gun full zones with those that die in gun free zones. Discussion over.
The facts are very simple. There are many people in this country that are simply irresponsible and do not honor their right to bear arms appropriately. That's why we shouldn't let anyone who wants to carry a gun do so in a school, for example. Or even have a firearm to begin with if they are a convicted criminal or mentally ill.
This would be why I've told my kids that when we go to a house where there are firearms present (sadly, a few of my relatives) to be extra alert and vigilant for arrogant, gun owning parents who think they have trained their children just fine. They haven't. Their hubris (combined with heavy drinking and mental illness as is the case in a few of these homes) is exactly what causes accidents like these to happen.
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Cheerleading California
Bill Maher tells quite a different story from all the griping I hear from conservatives about California. I wonder why. Could it be that the things he says in this video are true? Crap. Now what? Quick! Time to make up some bullshit!
Republican Type #1
Matthew Desmond over at Addicting Info has put up an hilarious typography of conservatives and how to debate them. Here is the first one.
The Educated Republicans:
These are the rarest of all Republicans. Occasionally you will run into one in public or in a public forum online. These Republicans can be the most difficult to deal with. They have learned everything there is to know about their position… from a Republican perspective. They’ve educated themselves on all the reasons why their position is correct, and are not concerned with anything that contradicts their beliefs.
The problem with this type of Republican’s views:
Anyone with the Internet and five minutes can find something that thoroughly discredits their version of the “facts.” Even when confronted with contradictory facts, they continue to fall back on their original arguments; try to change the subject to something they are more comfortable talking about, or start expressing opinions with no factual merit.
What to remember when debating them: Keep them on-topic. Don’t let them ignore your counterpoints and then change the subject on you. They’re masters of that, but if you can keep them on topic, eventually they will just start expressing opinions to which you can say “do you have any facts to back that up?”
The Educated Republicans:
These are the rarest of all Republicans. Occasionally you will run into one in public or in a public forum online. These Republicans can be the most difficult to deal with. They have learned everything there is to know about their position… from a Republican perspective. They’ve educated themselves on all the reasons why their position is correct, and are not concerned with anything that contradicts their beliefs.
The problem with this type of Republican’s views:
Anyone with the Internet and five minutes can find something that thoroughly discredits their version of the “facts.” Even when confronted with contradictory facts, they continue to fall back on their original arguments; try to change the subject to something they are more comfortable talking about, or start expressing opinions with no factual merit.
What to remember when debating them: Keep them on-topic. Don’t let them ignore your counterpoints and then change the subject on you. They’re masters of that, but if you can keep them on topic, eventually they will just start expressing opinions to which you can say “do you have any facts to back that up?”
Good Words
“When a religion is good, I conceive it will support itself; and when it does not support itself, and God does not take care to support it so that its professors are obligated to call for help of the civil power, it’s a sign, I apprehend, of its being a bad one.”
~Benjamin Franklin, letter to Richard Price, October 9, 1780
IPCC Report Findings
The IPCC released its fifth assessment yesterday and, as expected, found that it is extremely likely (95 percent) that humans are causing climate change. It's key findings:
— Global warming is "unequivocal," and since the 1950's it's "extremely likely" that human activities have been the dominant cause of the temperature rise.
— Concentrations of CO2 and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have increased to levels that are unprecedented in at least 800,000 years. The burning of fossil fuels is the main reason behind a 40 percent increase in C02 concentrations since the industrial revolution.
— Global temperatures are likely to rise by 0.3 to 4.8 degrees C, or 0.5-8.6 F, by the end of the century depending on how much governments control carbon emissions.
— Most aspects of climate change will continue for many centuries even if CO2 emissions are stopped.
— Sea levels are expected to rise a further 10-32 inches (26-82 centimeters) by the end of the century.
— The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have been losing mass over the past two decades. Glaciers have continued to melt almost all over the world. Arctic sea ice has shrunk and spring snow cover has continued to decrease, and it is "very likely" that this will continue.
— It's "virtually certain" that the upper ocean has warmed from 1971 to 2010. The ocean will continue to warm this century, with heat penetrating from the surface to the deep ocean.
All of this means we need to take action now to avert the various international stability issues that are going to arise as a result of these facts. Whatever money we invest now in reducing emissions will be paltry compared to how much we are going to spend in the next century on dealing with the fallout.
Naturally, the Church of the Climate Deniers are raging in full mouth foam (complete with tin foil hat) about how they are going to be controlled by some sort of secret cadre of New World Order folks. Sadly, they fail to note the number of new markets this could create, the innovation that will occur (most of which will likely come from our country), and ultimately the amount of money to be made from this technology. That latter is what is finally going to get them to come around.
The link above contains quite a bit of data and research for you scientists to pour over. Check it out!
— Global warming is "unequivocal," and since the 1950's it's "extremely likely" that human activities have been the dominant cause of the temperature rise.
— Concentrations of CO2 and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have increased to levels that are unprecedented in at least 800,000 years. The burning of fossil fuels is the main reason behind a 40 percent increase in C02 concentrations since the industrial revolution.
— Global temperatures are likely to rise by 0.3 to 4.8 degrees C, or 0.5-8.6 F, by the end of the century depending on how much governments control carbon emissions.
— Most aspects of climate change will continue for many centuries even if CO2 emissions are stopped.
— Sea levels are expected to rise a further 10-32 inches (26-82 centimeters) by the end of the century.
— The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have been losing mass over the past two decades. Glaciers have continued to melt almost all over the world. Arctic sea ice has shrunk and spring snow cover has continued to decrease, and it is "very likely" that this will continue.
— It's "virtually certain" that the upper ocean has warmed from 1971 to 2010. The ocean will continue to warm this century, with heat penetrating from the surface to the deep ocean.
All of this means we need to take action now to avert the various international stability issues that are going to arise as a result of these facts. Whatever money we invest now in reducing emissions will be paltry compared to how much we are going to spend in the next century on dealing with the fallout.
Naturally, the Church of the Climate Deniers are raging in full mouth foam (complete with tin foil hat) about how they are going to be controlled by some sort of secret cadre of New World Order folks. Sadly, they fail to note the number of new markets this could create, the innovation that will occur (most of which will likely come from our country), and ultimately the amount of money to be made from this technology. That latter is what is finally going to get them to come around.
The link above contains quite a bit of data and research for you scientists to pour over. Check it out!
Good Words
“It is only when the people become ignorant and corrupt, when they degenerate into a populace, that they are incapable of exercising the sovereignty. Usurpation is then an easy attainment, and an usurper soon found. The people themselves become the willing instruments of their own debasement and ruin. Let us, then, look to the great cause, and endeavor to preserve it in full force. Let us by all wise and constitutional measures promote intelligence among the people as the best means of preserving our liberties.”
~James Monroe, First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1817
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