"I mean, if you buy a dog and you feed it and pet it and walk it, the dog will love you.
You can't starve the dog, kick the dog, scream at the dog, and then be mad when the dog runs away.
“Hey dog, I realize you don't agree with my philosophy on pet ownership, but can't we disagree and still be friends?”
That's a great analogy. Dogs have a better sense of when someone is acting badly than people do. And they always remember the people who treated them badly, and try to avoid their "type".
This article is the “long” iteration of the one I run & rerun in my head (e.g. There appears to be no middle ground between the reds and we blues). Too many citizens have their basic reasons for living tied up in staunch support for their parties. It’s discouraging🤔
The reason we can't get along is because the reds believe in violence, ethnic cleansing, and other things even more horrible. When they can behave like decent human beings, we can talk.
Unfortunately we have hundreds and hundreds of role models for the a-hole: the president, VP, speaker of the house. All of the Republican representatives, all of the Republican senators, all of the leaders of the red states, Fox News, etc., etc.
We have a scant few progressives who are great role models and all of them are marginalized by all of the Republicans, independents and most of the centrist Dems.
Everyone is calling us the assholes. And then we all need to be friends? Haha!!!
We are in big trouble, Walter. I do love listening to your podcasts and reading your stories and musings.
Each of us has the right to live our lives in peace and safety. We all need to stick together to prevent these white nationalist fascists from taking control of our country.
The U.S. definitely has its flaws, but our collective potential is limitless. And I am a white, straight, old dude who has been woke since my teenage years as a hippie in the 1960s. We knew what was right then and need to get that thinking back into the mainstream today. Be strong.
The only entitlement program in my estimation, is the entitlement of the gop to take away everything that "the others" have and then expect us to thank them for putting us on the street, no food, no resources. I don't want to be friends with those who hate and live to harm. Great thoughts, Walter!
Great points here. Reps are great at blaming the victim; I think what you’re describing is an extension of that. They will no doubt blame democrats when the fascists finally come for them.
They have to blame the other because they can’t bear to face their shame, of which they have tons because they keep piling it on themselves by their behavior. Bullying is a defensive response against shame. Wouldn’t it be a great thing if they all had to go to treatment and take classes about emotional intelligence as a consequence to hold them accountable. If that doesn’t work, shunning. The only reason this can continue is too many look the other way, or capitulate.
Hard to have real friendships when you suscribe to the moral code of a sociopath, an economic system based on a cancer cell, and a mandate of conquest in the name of God of war and his Son, the "Prince of Peace."
Trying to understand how it comes (because I was having difficulty understanding it) that undocumented immigrants can end up paying tax, I asked that question, on a blog that was discussing the matter of the contribution made by undocumented immigrants to federal income.
Because my references to "your" country and "your" government eventually raised the suspicions of one of the parties (guess which one), he sent me a message asking outright: "Are you European?" I could have denied it. I can deny anything, but I admitted, to my eventual shame, my calumny of being European. This was the breach in the dam. What ensued was a tirade of criticism and invective aimed at European freeloading on the backs of the magnanimous (his word) US.
If a mere enquiry as the nature of the heart of a dispute gets answered in such a hostile manner, virtually being told to butt out, buddy, then what hope for a friendship based on "agreement to disagree"?
They hate you if you disagree with them. And they hate you if you agree with them. And that is a signal element of evil.
It’s easy to answer. They have to pay sales tax on everything they purchase. If they work, they pay into Social Security. Immigrants are great for the US economy. Too bad the US has been waging a war on immigrants for as long as I can remember.
Republicans have been entitled, abusive and anti social since Reagan
"I mean, if you buy a dog and you feed it and pet it and walk it, the dog will love you.
You can't starve the dog, kick the dog, scream at the dog, and then be mad when the dog runs away.
“Hey dog, I realize you don't agree with my philosophy on pet ownership, but can't we disagree and still be friends?”
That's a great analogy. Dogs have a better sense of when someone is acting badly than people do. And they always remember the people who treated them badly, and try to avoid their "type".
This article is the “long” iteration of the one I run & rerun in my head (e.g. There appears to be no middle ground between the reds and we blues). Too many citizens have their basic reasons for living tied up in staunch support for their parties. It’s discouraging🤔
The reason we can't get along is because the reds believe in violence, ethnic cleansing, and other things even more horrible. When they can behave like decent human beings, we can talk.
Walter this is perfectly written. There is no middle ground with. Thank you for this today.
Unfortunately we have hundreds and hundreds of role models for the a-hole: the president, VP, speaker of the house. All of the Republican representatives, all of the Republican senators, all of the leaders of the red states, Fox News, etc., etc.
We have a scant few progressives who are great role models and all of them are marginalized by all of the Republicans, independents and most of the centrist Dems.
Everyone is calling us the assholes. And then we all need to be friends? Haha!!!
We are in big trouble, Walter. I do love listening to your podcasts and reading your stories and musings.
I keep so busy with these podcasts and writings that I don't have time to fret about how much trouble we're in.
Ever onward!
‘I do love … your stories and musings‘
yo tambien
Thank you!
Would love your support ❤️
Each of us has the right to live our lives in peace and safety. We all need to stick together to prevent these white nationalist fascists from taking control of our country.
The U.S. definitely has its flaws, but our collective potential is limitless. And I am a white, straight, old dude who has been woke since my teenage years as a hippie in the 1960s. We knew what was right then and need to get that thinking back into the mainstream today. Be strong.
The only entitlement program in my estimation, is the entitlement of the gop to take away everything that "the others" have and then expect us to thank them for putting us on the street, no food, no resources. I don't want to be friends with those who hate and live to harm. Great thoughts, Walter!
To be Republican, first you must be a sociopath. To be MAGA, you must also be a psychopath. Got it. No disputing that.
That cartoon MAGAgoon has too many teeth.
Fuck tRUMP
Far right Republicans feel they are entitled to nonconsensual everything.
Great points here. Reps are great at blaming the victim; I think what you’re describing is an extension of that. They will no doubt blame democrats when the fascists finally come for them.
They have to blame the other because they can’t bear to face their shame, of which they have tons because they keep piling it on themselves by their behavior. Bullying is a defensive response against shame. Wouldn’t it be a great thing if they all had to go to treatment and take classes about emotional intelligence as a consequence to hold them accountable. If that doesn’t work, shunning. The only reason this can continue is too many look the other way, or capitulate.
Hard to have real friendships when you suscribe to the moral code of a sociopath, an economic system based on a cancer cell, and a mandate of conquest in the name of God of war and his Son, the "Prince of Peace."
Erik Prince, perhaps.
"And his name shall be called....wonderful....counsellor...."
"Almighty fraud..."
“And he shall reign for ever and ever.” Not likely….
Trying to understand how it comes (because I was having difficulty understanding it) that undocumented immigrants can end up paying tax, I asked that question, on a blog that was discussing the matter of the contribution made by undocumented immigrants to federal income.
Because my references to "your" country and "your" government eventually raised the suspicions of one of the parties (guess which one), he sent me a message asking outright: "Are you European?" I could have denied it. I can deny anything, but I admitted, to my eventual shame, my calumny of being European. This was the breach in the dam. What ensued was a tirade of criticism and invective aimed at European freeloading on the backs of the magnanimous (his word) US.
If a mere enquiry as the nature of the heart of a dispute gets answered in such a hostile manner, virtually being told to butt out, buddy, then what hope for a friendship based on "agreement to disagree"?
They hate you if you disagree with them. And they hate you if you agree with them. And that is a signal element of evil.
It’s easy to answer. They have to pay sales tax on everything they purchase. If they work, they pay into Social Security. Immigrants are great for the US economy. Too bad the US has been waging a war on immigrants for as long as I can remember.
I'm always relieved when we agree, Walter! https://endlesschain.substack.com/p/what-the-marcinelle-mining-disaster