The Democrat Party Hates America

[Gary Childress]

Don't you? If not, then maybe you can explain why looting, pillaging, burning, assaulting and trashing cities are not examples of doing evil.

Violence is bad. However, what protests have been led and organized by looters, pillagers, arsonists, or violent people?

All of them, recently.

Just because those things happen at a protest doesn't mean it was the organizers or leaders of the protest who are evil or responsible for whatever violence occurs in them.

"Organizers"? I said "protesters." I'm judging by what they actuall do, not by what the (perhaps well-intended) fools who ginned them up think is going to happen. I'm just pointing out that what we call "protest" today isn't pacific and dignified civil disobedience of the sort practiced in the Civil Rights era, but tawdry, criminal rioting, instead.

OK. You seem to have a fair point.

[Immanuel Can]

Violence is bad. However, what protests have been led and organized by looters, pillagers, arsonists, or violent people?

All of them, recently.

Just because those things happen at a protest doesn't mean it was the organizers or leaders of the protest who are evil or responsible for whatever violence occurs in them.

"Organizers"? I said "protesters." I'm judging by what they actuall do, not by what the (perhaps well-intended) fools who ginned them up think is going to happen. I'm just pointing out that what we call "protest" today isn't pacific and dignified civil disobedience of the sort practiced in the Civil Rights era, but tawdry, criminal rioting, instead.

OK. You seem to have a fair point.

Fair enough.

[Gary Childress]

All of them, recently.

"Organizers"? I said "protesters." I'm judging by what they actuall do, not by what the (perhaps well-intended) fools who ginned them up think is going to happen. I'm just pointing out that what we call "protest" today isn't pacific and dignified civil disobedience of the sort practiced in the Civil Rights era, but tawdry, criminal rioting, instead.

OK. You seem to have a fair point.

Fair enough.

Thank you.

[Immanuel Can]

OK. You seem to have a fair point.

Fair enough.

Thank you.

I like honest discussion. I've never suspected you of trying to lie. That's why I like talking to you, even when we don't always see things the same way.

[Mickey76]

It's undeniable that some protests have turned into unacceptable violence, and not everything can be excused under the banner of civil disobedience. But I’ve always found it a bit reductive to equate all protesters with “criminals” or to claim that any progressive ideology is rooted in hatred for America.

I believe it's entirely possible to disagree with certain political directions while still loving one’s country, sometimes precisely because we love it. That tension between criticism and loyalty is part of what makes democracy meaningful.

I wonder if, by making the debate so binary, we aren’t playing into the hands of those who would rather see Americans divided. What do you think?

[Immanuel Can]

It's undeniable that some protests have turned into unacceptable violence, and not everything can be excused under the banner of civil disobedience. But I’ve always found it a bit reductive to equate all protesters with “criminals” or to claim that any progressive ideology is rooted in hatred for America.

Well, the so-called "protesters" don't protest. Instead, they burn, loot, assault, silence and pillage. That doesn't "equate them" with criminals: it makes them criminals.

Progressive ideology is Marxist. Hence, it has to hate all freedom of enterprise, ownership of property, hierarchy of value or quality, and all Western values of individual human rights, for which it substitutes collectivism and tyranny, the very thing from which America took dissent at its founding. So...yeah...they're aren't fond of America.

I believe it's entirely possible to disagree with certain political directions while still loving one’s country, sometimes precisely because we love it. That tension between criticism and loyalty is part of what makes democracy meaningful.

Criticism is fine: burning, looting, assaulting, stealing, ginning up hatred, censorship...these things have nothing to do with love of country or intelligent criticism.

I wonder if, by making the debate so binary, we aren’t playing into the hands of those who would rather see Americans divided. What do you think?

It's not binary, in the sense that it's not between a presumed-righteous "us" and a totally evil "them." In this case, it's between those who think protest should be civil, and those who think "protest" means burn, loot and pillage without consequences.

[commonsense]

So, do you believe that current protests are led by or full of "evil people"?

Don't you? If not, then maybe you can explain why looting, pillaging, burning, assaulting and trashing cities are not examples of doing evil.

Look closely. The people who are pillaging, burning, assaulting, and trashing are not there to protest. They are just there to pillage, burn, assault and trash property.

[Immanuel Can]

So, do you believe that current protests are led by or full of "evil people"?

Don't you? If not, then maybe you can explain why looting, pillaging, burning, assaulting and trashing cities are not examples of doing evil.

Look closely. The people who are pillaging, burning, assaulting, and trashing are not there to protest. They are just there to pillage, burn, assault and trash property.

Oh, I see, alright. They are today's nominal "protesters," though, like the kind CNN celebrates by calling them "mostly peaceful" while sheets of flame leap up from the burning buildings in the background...

A real protester shows up with a sign making their point. A fake protester shows up with a brick and a shopping bag, and no sign.

[commonsense]

Don't you? If not, then maybe you can explain why looting, pillaging, burning, assaulting and trashing cities are not examples of doing evil.

Look closely. The people who are pillaging, burning, assaulting, and trashing are not there to protest. They are just there to pillage, burn, assault and trash property.

Oh, I see, alright. They are today's nominal "protesters," though, like the kind CNN celebrates by calling them "mostly peaceful" while sheets of flame leap up from the burning buildings in the background...

A real protester shows up with a sign making their point. A fake protester shows up with a brick and a shopping bag, and no sign.

Right. And yet the hooligans are labeled as protesters.

[Immanuel Can]

Look closely. The people who are pillaging, burning, assaulting, and trashing are not there to protest. They are just there to pillage, burn, assault and trash property.

Oh, I see, alright. They are today's nominal "protesters," though, like the kind CNN celebrates by calling them "mostly peaceful" while sheets of flame leap up from the burning buildings in the background...

A real protester shows up with a sign making their point. A fake protester shows up with a brick and a shopping bag, and no sign.

Right. And yet the hooligans are labeled as protesters.

Well, where are the real "protesters"? Where are those that simply exercise the democratic right to be heard, without throwing rocks, or insulting and censoring the opposition, or burning car dealerships, or beating up shopkeepers, or taking over city districts and buildings, or attacking strangers, or looting...

[commonsense]

Oh, I see, alright. They are today's nominal "protesters," though, like the kind CNN celebrates by calling them "mostly peaceful" while sheets of flame leap up from the burning buildings in the background...

A real protester shows up with a sign making their point. A fake protester shows up with a brick and a shopping bag, and no sign.

Right. And yet the hooligans are labeled as protesters.

Well, where are the real "protesters"? Where are those that simply exercise the democratic right to be heard, without throwing rocks, or insulting and censoring the opposition, or burning car dealerships, or beating up shopkeepers, or taking over city districts and buildings, or attacking strangers, or looting...

You’ve described the fake ones well. Open your eyes, and your mind, and you’ll find the real ones.

[Impenitent]

how much do you pay a protester to take your SAT?

-Imp

[Immanuel Can]

Right. And yet the hooligans are labeled as protesters.

Well, where are the real "protesters"? Where are those that simply exercise the democratic right to be heard, without throwing rocks, or insulting and censoring the opposition, or burning car dealerships, or beating up shopkeepers, or taking over city districts and buildings, or attacking strangers, or looting...

You’ve described the fake ones well. Open your eyes, and your mind, and you’ll find the real ones.

Point them out, then.

[Alexiev]

Well, where are the real "protesters"? Where are those that simply exercise the democratic right to be heard, without throwing rocks, or insulting and censoring the opposition, or burning car dealerships, or beating up shopkeepers, or taking over city districts and buildings, or attacking strangers, or looting...

You’ve described the fake ones well. Open your eyes, and your mind, and you’ll find the real ones.

Point them out, then.

They'll occur today. We'll see how well behaved the protesters are. I could hardly blame them if they object vocifrously to their basic rights being threatened and the separation of governmental powers bring dismantled.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... -hands-off

[Immanuel Can]

You’ve described the fake ones well. Open your eyes, and your mind, and you’ll find the real ones.

Point them out, then.

They'll occur today. We'll see how well behaved the protesters are.

Oh. So you don't know of any such real "protesters" these days, but just hope that today's will turn out to be the good, non-violent kind?

I could hardly blame them if they object vocifrously to their basic rights being threatened and the separation of governmental powers bring dismantled.

"Vociferously" has never been a problem. But "violently, " that absolutely is. So is "criminally," as when looting, burning, beating and pillaging are reframed as forms of "protest."

So yeah, I guess we'll see what this lot is: we've already seen what the last lots have been like recently.