We need to be out there, people! This isn't about partisan politics. It's about saving our country... maybe even the world!
Also, I just want to bring this to the top. My apologies to TW for misreading what he said about Ukraine and tariffs... but we are dealing with a criminal and wannabe Nazi in the White House. So I am reposting this here.
Okay, so we agree on some things regarding Ukraine and the tariffs being bad policy.
But HOW is it or SHOULD it be his "choice" to even accept that kind of gift, or to do the cuts through DOGE/Musk the way they are doing, or to tear down vital government functions and security... to illegally fire people for no just cause, to 'disappear' people with no due process, to threaten judges, universities, media outlets... and the list goes on and on.
He is obviously usurping power that does not belong to him, just bypassing Congress and the judiciary illegally. He is doing all KINDS of illegal things and threatening our whole system of democracy and checks and balances... but you only oppose about "half" of what he says or is doing?
IMO, you should be out there with the protestors if you want to save our democracy from this vile and illegal regime. The group I am with is called "Indivisable"... it is non-partisan and non violent. They are planning a "No Kings" rally right now for June 14th. You should go!
Also
Posted by Skye on May 19, 2025, 1:08 pm, in reply to "No Kings Rally" Valued Poster
I’m thinking that the only sign needed is this one…
IMPEACH
CONVICT
REMOVE
That says it all really.
Anyone who is informed should be able to get behind that… at least any patriotic American who believes in what they recite in the pledge of allegiance…. “Indivisible, with liberty and justice for all”
Dems need a couple House recalls to get under way
Posted by Pikes Peak 14115 on May 19, 2025, 11:16 pm, in reply to "Also"
Get that majority back so they can stop bad things and at least advance good things for the GOP Senate to kill. Stop Trump's big beautiful bill from passing like a thief in the night when it is voted on by night thieves.
The calls to impeach now waste time. No republican will vote for that. Sh!t is thicker than blood. You can look away from a painting, but you can't listen away from a symphony
for protestors to continue to call for impeachment, if for no other reason but to let Congress know that WE know they are not doing their job, and they will not be voted back in along with Trump. We still care about this country even if they do not, and we will not be silent.
Not sure we can unseat Lauren Boebert. Her new congressional district is home of the stupid. Possibly half the population of the district never heard of her. Protest? They never do words they can't spell. Recall? Why? If they have phones, they have auto dial. You can look away from a painting, but you can't listen away from a symphony
Great sign idea!
Posted by Sia on May 19, 2025, 4:11 pm, in reply to "Also" ADMIN
Sounds like a good idea! BTW, TW didn't say that he opposes half of what dt says, he said that
Posted by Sia on May 19, 2025, 1:05 pm, in reply to "No Kings Rally" ADMIN
"No I don't! I think we should continue to support Ukraine. I think many of his statements
Posted by TW on May 19, 2025, 9:14 am, in reply to "Wallowing in the mire?"
concerning Russia and Ukraine have been ludicrous. I think he and DOGE have been ham-handed about the cuts. I think accepting a Boeing 747 from Qatar would be a terrible choice. I think about half the time he opens his mouth, he says something stupid. I think the tariffs are bad policy as well.
Woe is us! Both parties seem to be populated with far too many loser politicians."
I'm not saying that he doesn't only disagree with half of dt's positions, but he didn't actually SAY that. Just said that half of what he SAYS is STUPID. That doesn't mean that the other half is "smart", just that it's not stupid. I suppose dt might not always say stupid things, but I hear very little that I'd consider "smart" and quite a bit that I also think is STUPID, because it absolutely is stupid.
dt DOES have a "choice" in whether to accept or refuse the plane. Not a LEGAL choice, but obviously, he can do whatever he decides to do and THEN face the legal consequences. Just as all of us have a choice to obey laws or not. Our choices decide our future if we break the law in them. If he accepts the plane, he may very well face some serious opposition from both sides and some support by idiots who don't think beyond their noses as to the precedent it would set for future presidents. I don't think that ANYONE is okay with bribing our president. Some are just dumb enough to think there would be NO strings attached. THAT is ludicrous on its face.
I'd GUESS that he doesn't oppose a heavier focus on border security, but may very well disagree with HOW it's being done without due process for those being deported.
He has repeatedly said that he believes that our government is TOO BIG and TOO WASTEFUL, and really, who doesn't even if only certain segments of it? We all know that there is waste in our government. Is there major fraud too? I rather doubt it is anywhere NEAR the claims being made about fraud, but surely SOME exists. People are routinely caught in fraud so it's not a stretch to guess that some goes undetected.
However, TW DID say that he thinks that the methods of DOGE are far too ham-handed.
He doesn't say that he's good with tearing down essential services, in fact, the opposite. IOW, he disagrees with the methods used, but not the "goal" of a pared down government. I suspect that we might disagree on which parts of government he and we might consider needing paring down but surely we all think that SOME parts of it should be smaller than it is.
As for the rest of the stuff, perhaps TW might enlighten us as to where he stands on those things given that he actually didn't mention them.
It's not fair to ASSUME his positions by reading into things that are too loosely related to be considered valid conclusions.
As I've noted many times, I've known TW for over 2 decades. I've always found him to be civil, reasonable, and quite moderate. Center Right on some things and dead Center on others. He's always been polite about disagreements on topics and willing to hear out opposition. Sometimes he's changed his view, other times he did not. Sometimes he convinced me of his viewpoint when he's made the case solidly.
He always offers me insight into the "opposition views" so that I can recognize that "we all want the same things, but just have different views on the methods employed to achieve them".
TW is NOT MAGA. Not by a LONG SHOT. He's a traditional Republican who embraces a traditional conservative view in politics which includes fiscal as well as social responsibility. He has compassion, kindness, and generosity of spirit for the oppressed and the needy so approves of necessary social safety nets. He just opposes throwing money at problems instead of carefully examining them to decide what will work and what is a waste of resources. I agree with that part 100%.
I am fiscally conservative while socially liberal. I'd say that he is also fiscally conservative but socially moderate. For example, his position on transgenders is that they have every right to exist, to be safe, and to be treated equally. However, they don't have the right to be treated BETTER than others. ( I agree on that too!) IOW, they don't belong in women's sports competing with cis-women. I'm pretty sure that he believes that minors shouldn't have surgical procedures and no hormonal treatments until they are adults. * I think that he's fine with civil marriages for gays, but doesn't think any church should be forced to marry them against their beliefs.**
* I disagree on having hormonal treatments but I'm good with it only for teens, not preteens because they are so young that they haven't necessarily "found" themselves at that age and may change their minds later on about their gender when it's too late because their bodies have been permanently altered with the hormones during a pivotal growth period.
**I'm okay with that too. There are enough churches who will marry them that it's unfair to demand it from those whose beliefs so vehemently oppose it. They are not MORE equal than anyone else.
Anyway, I've gotten "off topic" now, so I'll stop here. I just wants people here to recognize that TW is NOT our "enemy". He just sees the world a little differently than we do. He's willing to discuss those differences civilly so why not talk to him like he's a neighbor instead of "THE OPPOSITION" ?
..is that he sees the parties as roughly equivalent. They aren’t, as you know.
Democrats haven’t run criminals for office..haven’t tried to overturn an election..aren’t appointing compliant idiots to office…don’t have a rage-tweeting MORON in the White house.
He doesn’t like Trump? Good for him. But he’s more MAGA than not, whatever you choose to believe about him.-greenman
I'm pretty sure that he thinks that both parties have serious problems
Posted by Sia on May 19, 2025, 4:07 pm, in reply to "TW’s big problem" ADMIN
and certainly are not the SAME, but they may be equally deceitful, equally partisan, and equally capable of doing the wrong thing in any given area.
For example: DEMs seem to support trans-women competing in women's sports while GOP seems to not want them to even have a voice and reject them completely. Which is worse? IDK. But neither position is good.
Of course, when trump is in the mix, there is ZERO comparison between parties. trump is SO EXTREME and SO EVIL that there is simply no one in office that compares. Some of his appointments come close though.
So, TW should be more specific about what he means there. Is he suggesting that the DEMs kept Biden, whom he & they believe was seriously compromised? Even if that were to be true, it's NOWHERE NEAR the trump fiasco.
TW and most Republicans think that Biden and Kamala were NOT great choices. Think about it, do you think they were the BEST the DEMs had to offer in 2024? I detested Kamala during the 2020 election cycle, but grew to almost like her during her run in 2024.
Anyway, I don't think that we are getting the cream of the potential crop because those who can't compromise their ideals, morals, and beliefs when necessary just don't run for office or drop out early in their "career" because of it. Politics is a DIRTY business and those who are decent but driven do what they have to so as to rise high enough to do the good things they got into it for.
Biden really screwed up in running for reelection. I don't think that anyone can really dispute that given the results. However, he made that choice prior to becoming so frail and his poor showing in the debate. Did that debate define him? To many, yeah. However, I think that he was too run down from two overseas trips the weeks before it and then having to cram for the debate. The old Joe would've been fine, but the current Joe was not fine. His fatigue and a mild cold REALLY showed in his performance. It was pathetic really.
Was he in charge of the country then? Most likely he made all of the decisions. But was he able to do the job in an unexpected emergency at 3am? Most who were around him say NO, he wasn't.
It's a shame because I think that he was a good POTUS overall. He did a LOT of good things, but some of them won't stay because congress is overriding them and some weren't laws passed by congress, but presidential decrees.
To use one example you cite, I believe in equal fairness to everyone, and oppose mistreatment of trans people. But I also oppose trans ‘women’ participating in women’s sports. I don’t see those as equally bad.
And while Trump is vile, he’s just the popular figurehead of American Right, which is fascistic in nature. The Dem Party is a bunch of bunglers, but not fascists.-greenman
I don't believe that most Dems support trans people playing on women's sports teams.
It's another mostly fake issue, IMO... much like saying Dems support murdering babies. It's just another dishonest way to get votes, IMO.
At least Biden had a competent VP. I don't think he was as compromised as many wanted to make him out to be, either, but even if he was... so what? Kamala could have taken over and done the job with a lot more competence and integrity than any of the candidates we have seen on the Republican side. I think she lost mostly because of how they spun her position on helping trans people who needed medical help.
If Trump was incapacitated, look at who we will get... JD. He might well be even worse than Trump, if that is possible! And look at the pathetic do-nothing Republicans in Congress, too cowardly and ethically bankrupt to even do their job. Who do they have to even step up that has not been compromised by all the corruption they are just allowing to happen? I can at least think of a few on the Democrat side who could step up and do the job of CINC... not that anyone would even want that job these days, but someone has to do it.
Probably most don't, but those who do, in office, are pushing hard for it and
There may be a few, but I haven't seen anyone pushing hard for it.
From what I have read, trans issues affects very few people, and while there may be some politicians who care about protecting the human rights and well being of trans people, I don't know of any who are actively pushing for trans women to play on cis-gender sports teams. At any rate, I think the whole issue is overblown to make political hay, much like the abortion issue.
I think dt probably says a lot of ‘stupid’ things on purpose just to gaslight or distract from all the corrupt, dangerous, illegal and destructive things he is doing.
I notice that TW often does the same thing…. always attacking Biden and any “stupid” thing that Democrats supposedly do, but not talking about the major ILLEGAL things much less the lies and “stupid things” that dt and Republicans often say and do.
Perhaps he uses trolling headlines. But do you blame him?
Posted by Sia on May 19, 2025, 3:17 pm, in reply to "Well…." ADMIN
It doesn't matter what he says, he gets attacked and views that he may or may NOT hold assigned to him in the process. He CANNOT win for losing, so, maybe it's a bit fun to get folks riled up... a form of trolling I guess.
Merlin ALWAYS did that, but mostly no one here minded. That's because we nearly always agreed, but those on the other side would bite hard and a certain few would go ballistic, which would amuse the hell outa him. The same few who still hang around on these Boardhost platforms and STILL go ballistic on the slightest opposition by demonizing the others.
You don't know this, but Merlin and TW (and others, including me) constantly posted "baiting headlines" on the forums we frequented to get bites. We all knew that the headlines were bait and just the beginning of discussions that were usually civil, but lively. TW continues to do that in spite of the fact that Merlin is no longer able to post and most here didn't frequent those places back in the day.
Habits die hard.
Take it for what it really is... Just a little bait to get discussions going and to lightly pinch folks who typically overreact to everything he posts. He KNOWS that the reactions of many here will be negative no matter what he actually posts.
If you look at him as your next door neighbor who enjoys a little jousting during discussions, but respects you at the same time and will hear you out if you joust friendly in return.
He doesn't take this stuff to heart or let it insult him personally. Perhaps try to do the same. Instead of getting SO ANGRY, respond with specifics that you disagree about, sans insults, and see what happens?
It certainly doesn't make for civil discourse as he claims to want. We all know that he is or should be better informed than to post lies and fake equivalencies, so yeah... it seems very deliberate, much like the person he says he doesn't like.
Perhaps if this were normal times, it wouldn't matter so much. But this isn't normal times, and yes, it does make me angry that we are even in this constitutional crisis situation right now, basically because of all the lies and baiting.
I would love to be able to talk to my neighbors and discuss politics in a civil and thoughtful way, but I don't even dare bring up the subject to most of the people around here. That's how bad the political climate is. Again, this is NOT normal times.
feel comfortable discussing politics with those whose views they don't already know. Politics has become SO HATEFUL that it can be dangerous to speak your mind if you live where most disagree with you. People around you can harm you in real ways, both physical and socially. Relationships can be destroyed, jobs lost, families split into sides, and more.
Here, that is not the case. We have WORDS, not fists and NO power to harm anyone else aside of maybe hurting their feelings.
What each of us say is only as important as we and others think it is. No one here can make or change laws and no one can do anything to any of us.
So, why take it so seriously?
TW isn't SES or mongo. Nowhere close. He's not hateful and he doesn't target any of us for ridicule or nastiness.
He doesn't agree with some of our views of the world, but SO WHAT? Talking to him can help us all understand why others might think what he thinks if he's able to explain where he's coming from. Perhaps we can make him see things differently if we spell out our views and experiences. Perhaps he can do the same with us... on SOME things. Certainly not on all things.
He doesn't hate any of us, so why hate him? He's actually a really nice guy that you would probably have fun with if politics wasn't always so prickly.
TW and Merlin went back and forth with humorous jabs and respectful attitudes and got along wonderfully for years. I always did the same. Given the climate here, I don't think that he'd be likely to humorously joust with most here because he can certainly read the room and knows better.
I just think he is sadly misguided. I get that he may be a social conservative, and he may have a nice family. I am personally conservative, too, really... but I just don't care what other people are doing in their bedrooms, and I don't worry about some trans person being in the bathroom stall next to me. He doesn't really talk much about why he believes what he does, or what he thinks should be done differently. It's usually just the normal dishonest trolling, as if it is just some game with winners and losers. It's not a laughing matter anymore, IMO. The situation is dire.
Nor do I
Posted by greenman on May 20, 2025, 8:29 am, in reply to "I don't hate him..." Valued Poster
I just despise his politics and the way he posts them, which is just like every other right-wing troll.-greenman
So, ask him why.
Posted by Sia on May 19, 2025, 6:21 pm, in reply to "I don't hate him..." ADMIN
Why....?
Posted by Skye on May 19, 2025, 7:25 pm, in reply to "So, ask him why. " Valued Poster
he does the dishonest trolling, or why he believes what he does?
I get the general impression that he is anti-government and wants to see the government torn down. So maybe he is more aligned with Republicans who want to deregulate and cut taxes and waste?
The problem is that Republicans often identify as the party of "law and order" while cutting regulations every chance they get which leads to fraud, waste, corruption, crime and lawlessness. Also, they pretend to be about 'fiscal responsibility' and cutting waste while having a record of driving the deficits and debt up much higher than Democratic administrations, perhaps because they care more about cutting taxes and regulations for the rich than they do about actual law and order, fiscal responsibility or balancing the budget? They also talk about the "sanctity of life" and "protecting the unborn" while wanting to cut programs and aid that protect the lives and welfare of born children, elderly and those in need. So those are just a few reasons I find it hard to believe anything they say. Sorry....
Yeah...
Posted by Sia on May 20, 2025, 1:54 pm, in reply to "Why....?" ADMIN
Skye: He doesn't really talk much about why he believes what he does, or what he thinks should be done differently.
I'm pretty sure that he's stated that he and the company he works for have done a ton of work for the government and his experiences there have caused his belief that there is a ton of waste going on as well as excessive regulations that don't really accomplish anything but to inflate costs.
But you should ask him yourself because my memory may very well be flawed.
Exactly.
Posted by greenman on May 19, 2025, 3:07 pm, in reply to "Well…." Valued Poster
He loves to create false ‘equivalencies’ between the parties, but almost NEVER criticizes Repubs or the Right.-greenman
on May 19, 2025, 10:45 am
