Steve_Tiger - Network

MAGAt's reveal how they plan to Make America Great Again:Ensure that all Americans hate the same people and the same ideas that they...

MAGAt's reveal how they plan to Make America Great Again:
Ensure that all Americans hate the same people and the same ideas that they hate.

To save American democracy, we must:1. Mandate secular education emphasizing critical thinking.2. Recognize that freedom of speech is not...

To save American democracy, we must:
1. Mandate secular education emphasizing critical thinking.
2. Recognize that freedom of speech is not license to lie.
3. Abolish the Electoral College.
4. Establish a single primary day across all states.
5. Define freedom of religion as freedom to believe and worship within the limits of the same laws that apply to all, with no special privileges or exemptions.
6. Discourage participation in polls, which distort the election process.

BLASPHEMY: Insulting God or insulting things held sacred by believers (objects, places, concepts that believers associate with...

BLASPHEMY: Insulting God or insulting things held sacred by believers (objects, places, concepts that believers associate with God)

Bibliolaters insult God by upholding biblical depictions of God committing atrocities.

Non-believers dismiss things held sacred by believers.

Which "crime" is more serious?

In America today, populism = demagogy.The defense against populist demagogy is conservatism, but that has become extinct. Those who call...

In America today, populism = demagogy.
The defense against populist demagogy is conservatism, but that has become extinct. Those who call themselves "conservatives" today are the opposite of conservative; they are cheap demagogues who use populist tactics to promote faux-religious fascism.

NY Times article says "Donald Trump's conservative populism" is a new era in American politics.If so, it is not about politics...

NY Times article says "Donald Trump's conservative populism" is a new era in American politics.
If so, it is not about politics or conservatism but language: When language was meaningful, "conservative populism" would have been called an oxymoron, because conservatism is the antithesis of populism (and it does not automatically imply right-wing).

Though I sneer at most analyses of the election outcome, I recently read an interesting claim: Some young men who had been Bernie Sanders...

Though I sneer at most analyses of the election outcome, I recently read an interesting claim: Some young men who had been Bernie Sanders supporters voted for Trump... because they despise the status quo.
Such voters exemplify "Special Kind of Stupid."

Why do we forbid false advertising but protect blatantly false political hatemongering as "freedom of speech"?False advertising...

Why do we forbid false advertising but protect blatantly false political hatemongering as "freedom of speech"?
False advertising cheats people out of some money; false political rhetoric merely cheats people out of democratic freedoms.
It is a matter of what America deems sacrosanct.

ANSWER TO THE QUESTION ABOUT BANNING HATS AT GOV'T JOBS:Religion is irrelevant.* If there is a valid reason for a hat-ban, there can be...

ANSWER TO THE QUESTION ABOUT BANNING HATS AT GOV'T JOBS:
Religion is irrelevant.
* If there is a valid reason for a hat-ban, there can be no religious exemption, else we have a 2-tiered legal system, in violation of 14A.
* If there is no valid reason for a hat-ban, the law should be repealed as pointless, not as anti-religious.

Wearing a hat that does not hide the face is a harmless aspect of some religions. Suppose a law is passed banning hats indoors at gov't...

Wearing a hat that does not hide the face is a harmless aspect of some religions. Suppose a law is passed banning hats indoors at gov't jobs. Some gov't employees are members of a religion that requires head-cover. They protest against the law.
Question: Are they facing a religion-based special penalty? Or are they seeking a religion-based special exemption from the law?

Thanksgiving as a formal holiday seems meaningless. If we are thankful for something, then we are, and not just on an arbitrarily selected...

Thanksgiving as a formal holiday seems meaningless. If we are thankful for something, then we are, and not just on an arbitrarily selected day.
Even so, a happy day to all, to remember and acknowledge what is good.

America always defers to claims made in the name of "freedom of religion" but does not define that freedom.Try this: "People...

America always defers to claims made in the name of "freedom of religion" but does not define that freedom.

Try this: "People have the right to believe and worship as they choose, as long as their actions are within the limits of the same laws that apply to all, with no religion-based penalties, privileges, or exemptions."

Any questions?

Let's not pretend there is any intellectual component to doctrinal religion. There is nothing intellectual about a religion that assumes...

Let's not pretend there is any intellectual component to doctrinal religion. There is nothing intellectual about a religion that assumes science is wrong when it conflicts with the Bible.

Trump's cabinet appointments are entirely consistent with his campaign strategy--piss off sane Americans, so that his worshipful base...

Trump's cabinet appointments are entirely consistent with his campaign strategy--piss off sane Americans, so that his worshipful base will cheer in glee. The fact that the people he named are obviously unqualified does not matter at all.

"In God We Trust" is a meaningless slogan signifying nothing more than faux-piety.What do we trust God to do?Save us from Earthly...

"In God We Trust" is a meaningless slogan signifying nothing more than faux-piety.
What do we trust God to do?
Save us from Earthly woe? No, there is no evidence that God has ever lifted even one divine finger to save those who trusted him.
Save us from hell? No, the entire notion of hell is unprovable, unlikely, and blasphemous.
So in what sense do we trust God?
Maybe we just like to say the phrase to make a public show of faith?

Hello, Jill Stein voters!Are you pleased with yourselves for contributing, however slightly, to the election of Donald Trump, who will be...

Hello, Jill Stein voters!

Are you pleased with yourselves for contributing, however slightly, to the election of Donald Trump, who will be pursuing an aggressively pro-Israel stance?
Is your righteous sense of moral purity now happy?

The "experts" say Harris lost various demographic groups because her proposed policies alienated them.B.s.It was NEVER about...

The "experts" say Harris lost various demographic groups because her proposed policies alienated them.
B.s.
It was NEVER about policies. Trump peddled a clear image of American patriotism--a vile and phony image, but it was clear, and that sense of identity is what the voters responded to.
Someday, the Dems may learn that their self-styled strategists are f*cking morons.

Democratic Party STILL thinks in terms of where they should position themselves on the left-right spectrum. Futile. Trump voters don't...

Democratic Party STILL thinks in terms of where they should position themselves on the left-right spectrum. Futile. Trump voters don't care where he is on the spectrum, just as they don't care about his criminality and immorality. They voted for him because he gave them an identity they could wear proudly. He pandered to their hatreds and biases and said those attitudes define American patriotism.
Dems need to offer a healthy vision of America and the meaning of patriotism.

All the Very Smart People are explaining the election outcome, and they are all wrong. The economy, immigrants, etc were the EXCUSES people...

All the Very Smart People are explaining the election outcome, and they are all wrong. The economy, immigrants, etc were the EXCUSES people gave themselves for voting for Trump. The actual REASON is that Trump offered people who felt socially-politically ignored an identity by which their suspicions and resentments became the defining marks of American patriotism. They would have followed him no matter what he said on any policy issue.

The lesson America refuses to learn: Democracy cannot survive unless the population maintains a respectable level of knowledge & reason;...

The lesson America refuses to learn: Democracy cannot survive unless the population maintains a respectable level of knowledge & reason; and that requires mandatory secular education emphasizing critical thinking and civic responsibility. Instead, we have treated freedom of speech as license to lie. So it was inevitable that Big-Lie demagogy would prevail.

Recent refugee from Twitter/X, which has become toxic.I look forward to interactions with smart people who welcome novel viewpoints. Mostly,...

Recent refugee from Twitter/X, which has become toxic.
I look forward to interactions with smart people who welcome novel viewpoints. Mostly, I post on religion and politics, less often on veganism, cats, and classical music.