johnzo Posted March 12, 2020 Report Posted March 12, 2020 Wrote this on Facebook today, just in case people ever wonder why I engage with political discussions with strangers on the internet, and why these issues are personal to me. Context is a lot of left wingers in my circles being grumpy at Joe Biden's sudden phoenix-like rise in the Dem primary. most of the audience for this is American. Quote Hey folks, one thing you should know about me is that I am an immigrant who married into America and the trumpist rhetoric and action on immigration targets me pretty directly. but I'm legit! I followed the rules! Doesn't matter. Green cards are taking years to renew. folks are being deported for technicalities on naturalization paperwork. I am legally obligated to carry my green card on me at all times and to share my immigration status with law enforcement. It's not so bad in Seattle but man I am not super keen on driving through Texas anytime soon. and of course since I'm a big old white guy, whiter than Kenny G sitting in on a Rock Band game with Steven Colbert and Rush, I'm not targeted with nearly as much enthusiasm as others. I get anxiety, others get terror. so if you need a reason to hold your nose and vote for Biden in the general, you can have that from me. Maybe there is no difference between the major parties to you, but there is to me. and ****, I don't even know how much better Biden will be. Obama was no hell on immigration enforcement; he ramped that **** up. but at least those Dems didn't campaign on a "let's finally give the job-snatching parasites among us a good native-born *******" stance like Trump did to roaring applause. Trump makes nice Americans mean and ugly Americans into creatures of greek legend. That he represents the id of a bunch of pissed-off voters is a legit indictment of this country and it's a problem that's about way more than him. dude is just a symptom .... but the first phase of fighting any disease is to get the symptoms under control because it's not the disease that kills you. It's the symptoms. And let me reiterate that to me, the harm is theoretical and I don't dwell on it endlessly. To folks in less privileged positions it is about secret police and no-knock goon raids, indefinite detention, deportation to "home" countries in which one has never lived, kafkaesque laws, all that good stuff that America oughtn't be good at. (even the laws for legal immigrants are vague and empirical and have lots of grey areas that say "officer's discretion." that's the real frightening bit, the voids in the law that let these creeps run amok, making it even more critical that we elect the lesser creep) anyway, I love you all and I was really looking forward to seeing Bernie give this country a little taste of modernity. because who knows what happens then? Seeing this country catch fire for a little bit of single-payer or income redistribution would be ******* sweet, though the backlash from the bosses would be intense. I lived through Ontario in the 1990s, I know what the establishment does to left wingers who rise too far. CodyT, Wanna-B-Fanboy, The Unknown Poster and 1 other 4
The Unknown Poster Posted March 12, 2020 Report Posted March 12, 2020 (edited) But it’s a hoax and just a flu. And go to work. And it’s nothing. and thankfully the virus respects the special relationship between the US and UK.... Edited March 12, 2020 by The Unknown Poster
johnzo Posted March 12, 2020 Report Posted March 12, 2020 (edited) 3 hours ago, Zontar said: As far as governmental red tape and beurocratic mismangement surely youre not suggesting this was invented in 2016 ? Surely youre not ignoring state and city governments, many of which arent republican, have a role to play? Surely youre not ignoring how globalism, which both parties worship, has robbed countries of the ability to be more self sufficient in extraordinary times like this. Exploiting a crisis like this to score points is despicable but not surprising. if globalism caused or complicated pandemics, why haven't they gotten more frequent or more intense in the years since the 90s when Clinton liberalized American trade with China and really kicked off the modern economic age of outsourcing and the freedom of capital? red tape is one thing. The Trump decision to defund pandemic response in 2017 was a different thing, an act of foolish mismanagement akin to Bush's not bothering to read "Bin Laden determined to strike in USA." and yeah, I know that state and local governments have a role to play. but the federal government has/had more resources and better labs. Also state and local governments have no control over airports and airport security, and a large component of an effective pandemic response is to identify high-risk passengers and taking the appropriate precautions with them. so while Seattle is busy outlawing gatherings of 250+ people, setting up quarantine shelters, and working on a business rescue strategy for all the small businesses that can be killed by a bad month, we are also freely exporting our coronavirus load to the rest of the USA and to the world because the people who could help with that don't have a clue, or don't give a ****. people say "oh let's not politicize this" are people who are against accountability. We grant the president near immunity from criminal prosecution and give him a free flop on top of that, why is it so distasteful when we hold him to the low standard of merely doing his job? What's wrong with accountability? I know where the buck stopped in 1948, where does it stop now? TLDR: another typically empty post that reeks of bothsidesism and punches the globalist strawman for good measure. (edit: I guess we're not exporting our coronavirus load to the world anymore. just to africa, asia, australia, and the UK.) Edited March 12, 2020 by johnzo blue_gold_84 and Wideleft 2
bustamente Posted March 12, 2020 Report Posted March 12, 2020 NBA suspends the season, Tom Hanks and wife have tested positive johnzo 1
bustamente Posted March 12, 2020 Report Posted March 12, 2020 (edited) Looks like a statement is coming from the NHL latter tonight, Flights to and from Europe suspended Edited March 12, 2020 by bustamente The Unknown Poster 1
The Unknown Poster Posted March 12, 2020 Report Posted March 12, 2020 This hoax isn’t funny. Can someone ask the Democrats to knock it off please. Wideleft and blue_gold_84 2
johnzo Posted March 12, 2020 Report Posted March 12, 2020 (edited) 7 hours ago, wanna-b-fanboy said: Its not the platform and ideas that are being rejected- it's the question of electability. polll after poll after poll shows that US citizens want the stuff Bernie is putting out there. People who have polled on Obamacare are well acquainted with this dynamic. When you describe a lot of the stuff that Obamacare does, people like those things -- preexisting condition coverage, college students stay on their parents' insurance, requiring a basic level of care from an insurance plan, contraception coverage -- this stuff is enjoys a high approval rating. But when you say "are in you favor of Obamacare?" the affirmatives plummet. A lot of that is due to the grotesque romneycare public+private/tax penalty for not buying insurance thing. Fair enough. But still that ridiculous individual mandate is gone now, and many people don't realize that Obamacare survives and has a lot of good and necessary stuff in it .... because it was endlessly marketed to them on its weakest points and also it was named after a scary foreign islamic devil who broke the law by even trying to become president. just gotta figure out how to market social democracy for the American public. Neither "competent middle-aged librarian type who collects plutocrat scalps" or "angry flailing Brooklyn oldster who stokes the hardcore kids" got it done, we'll see what's next. Edited March 12, 2020 by johnzo Wanna-B-Fanboy and Wideleft 2
johnzo Posted March 12, 2020 Report Posted March 12, 2020 9 minutes ago, The Unknown Poster said: This hoax isn’t funny. Can someone ask the Democrats to knock it off please. I can't believe the Woke Basketball Association canceled its season just to own Trump. Sad! Wanna-B-Fanboy, blue_gold_84 and The Unknown Poster 1 2
bustamente Posted March 12, 2020 Report Posted March 12, 2020 Trumps glorious economy is a thing of the past, he skirted by without of big event, now the idiot is truly f'd The Unknown Poster 1
The Unknown Poster Posted March 12, 2020 Report Posted March 12, 2020 Do we need a world health thread?
17to85 Posted March 12, 2020 Report Posted March 12, 2020 7 hours ago, pigseye said: Finally, something closer to the truth. People hate Trump because he is an awful person, not because of his policies, which the Democrats continue to slide through the house. Only the far left eco-terrorists despise his energy policies and the environment. What a load of crap. Wideleft and blue_gold_84 2
Wanna-B-Fanboy Posted March 12, 2020 Report Posted March 12, 2020 7 hours ago, Wideleft said: You have admitted to being a troll. The question is why do you do it? Better question... why do we fall for It? The Unknown Poster and Wideleft 2
The Unknown Poster Posted March 12, 2020 Report Posted March 12, 2020 So no surprise. Trump screws up his address and misrepresents the European travel ban. What a small small man.
do or die Posted March 12, 2020 Report Posted March 12, 2020 4 minutes ago, The Unknown Poster said: So no surprise. Trump screws up his address and misrepresents the European travel ban. What a small small man. He still seems to act like it is a financial problem, not a health crisis
The Unknown Poster Posted March 12, 2020 Report Posted March 12, 2020 26 minutes ago, do or die said: He still seems to act like it is a financial problem, not a health crisis He knows the only thing he can hang his hat on is the great economy he inherited from Obama. Bad economy guarantees his defeat. So all he cares about are his own selfish desires. He’s a loser. Capital L. His racist buddy Miller wrote the speech so it was fake tough and designed to make people think they’re doing more and it’s a foreign problem. Gross. Let’s hope mitigation efforts work and it fizzles our. But man, trump needs to wear this. What a piece of work. Wideleft 1
The Unknown Poster Posted March 12, 2020 Report Posted March 12, 2020 When will the orange goblin ask about suspending the election.... blue_gold_84 1
Zontar Posted March 12, 2020 Report Posted March 12, 2020 "He's not doing enough, he's doing too much. Hes overreacting. He's not serious. Hey, hear what Buzzfeed thinks" Won't be a fun and satisfying game for long.
The Unknown Poster Posted March 12, 2020 Report Posted March 12, 2020 10 minutes ago, Zontar said: "He's not doing enough, he's doing too much. Hes overreacting. He's not serious. Hey, hear what Buzzfeed thinks" Won't be a fun and satisfying game for long. There is nothing he could do to disappoint you is there?
Zontar Posted March 12, 2020 Report Posted March 12, 2020 21 minutes ago, The Unknown Poster said: There is nothing he could do to disappoint you is there? Plenty of disappointments. Said so many times. Stop exploiting a pandemic to score imaginary points for the game in your mind. It's unhealthy.
Wanna-B-Fanboy Posted March 12, 2020 Report Posted March 12, 2020 21 minutes ago, Zontar said: Plenty of disappointments. Said so many times. Stop exploiting a pandemic to score imaginary points for the game in your mind. It's unhealthy. So... he can't be criticized for his poor handling of this pandemic and the fact his focus is on the economy and not people- because that would be exploiting the pandemic? The Unknown Poster and blue_gold_84 1 1
The Unknown Poster Posted March 12, 2020 Report Posted March 12, 2020 29 minutes ago, Zontar said: Plenty of disappointments. Said so many times. Stop exploiting a pandemic to score imaginary points for the game in your mind. It's unhealthy. hahaTalk about unhealthy. The idiot-in-chief gave that speech like he was seeing the words for the first time as he read them. He looked like he had just added a fresh coat of orange primer. He looked and sounded awful. He lied to the American people. He was Xenophobic (no surprise there) and purposely confusing. If someone were demonstrating examples of Presidential leadership in times of crises, they'd show that speech to show you what *not* to do. Empty suit. He's been exposed now.
17to85 Posted March 12, 2020 Report Posted March 12, 2020 This is what a president looks like when all they know how to do is stick to a lie and hope people believe you. He is damned lucky there are as many rubes in the world as their are.
blue_gold_84 Posted March 12, 2020 Report Posted March 12, 2020 20 minutes ago, wanna-b-fanboy said: So... he can't be criticized for his poor handling of this pandemic and the fact his focus is on the economy and not people- because that would be exploiting the pandemic? Don't forgot how he chose to blame Europe for this pandemic. Wanna-B-Fanboy, The Unknown Poster and Wideleft 1 2
The Unknown Poster Posted March 12, 2020 Report Posted March 12, 2020 7 minutes ago, 17to85 said: This is what a president looks like when all they know how to do is stick to a lie and hope people believe you. He is damned lucky there are as many rubes in the world as their are. Dont you love that this really important speech was written by Miller with input from Jared? Are there no real speech writers or communication advisors in the White House anymore? Trump is isolating himself to the people with an agenda.
bustamente Posted March 12, 2020 Report Posted March 12, 2020 32 minutes ago, The Unknown Poster said: hahaTalk about unhealthy. The idiot-in-chief gave that speech like he was seeing the words for the first time as he read them. He looked like he had just added a fresh coat of orange primer. He looked and sounded awful. He lied to the American people. He was Xenophobic (no surprise there) and purposely confusing. If someone were demonstrating examples of Presidential leadership in times of crises, they'd show that speech to show you what *not* to do. Empty suit. He's been exposed now. Well at least he has figured out his goggle eyes, as for the travel ban can you figure out why his travel ban does not include the UK and Ireland especially since the UK health minister has Coronavirus?, here's a hint......................................four Wideleft 1
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