Perhaps it was a bad idea to let extremist wealth control our sources of information for profit. Our best tools for change have been corrupted.

12 minutes ago, Phi for All said:

Perhaps it was a bad idea to let extremist wealth control our sources of information for profit. Our best tools for change have been corrupted.

Yep, but there's many a slip twixt cup and lip.

4 hours ago, dimreepr said:

Yep, but there's many a slip twixt cup and lip.

 I honestly think religion bears a large amount of responsibility. Religion has little to no limits on it's desire for power, control, and money or the methods used to acquire that power. Considering that religion straight up states it's intent to control the world that is not really unexpected but once religion was mixed with conservative capitalism suddenly the desire for power, control, and money acquired the same aura of "good" that religion enjoyed. From that point on people pretty much stopped questioning the morality of capitalism unchained and began to assume conservative capitalist politics deserved the same right to deception and amorality that religion had convinced most of it's followers it deserved by divine right. legalising bribery among other things has cemented the hold of capitalism on power and given the pursuit of money at all costs a religious mantel that is difficult for most people to even question much less actively oppose..   

I can imagine Chris Wallace ending up in an accident after this interview involving a white cleaners van, a few guys in branded cleaner uniforms and a secret prison in Siberia.

 

 

Edited July 18, 20187 yr by koti

15 hours ago, Moontanman said:

 I honestly think religion bears a large amount of responsibility. Religion has little to no limits on it's desire for power, control, and money or the methods used to acquire that power. Considering that religion straight up states it's intent to control the world that is not really unexpected but once religion was mixed with conservative capitalism suddenly the desire for power, control, and money acquired the same aura of "good" that religion enjoyed. From that point on people pretty much stopped questioning the morality of capitalism unchained and began to assume conservative capitalist politics deserved the same right to deception and amorality that religion had convinced most of it's followers it deserved by divine right. legalising bribery among other things has cemented the hold of capitalism on power and given the pursuit of money at all costs a religious mantel that is difficult for most people to even question much less actively oppose..   

While I realise you have a good reason for your biased view of religion, but you're conflating what people do with what religion intended.

 

Maybe D Trump should have been asking the questions C Wallace asked of V Putin.

I can't believe Fox news shows more integrity than the President, Koti.

That rant by S Colbert about D Trump being V Putin's 'holster' finally makes sense.

28 minutes ago, MigL said:

Maybe D Trump should have been asking the questions C Wallace asked of V Putin.

I totally agree. 

Quote

I can't believe Fox news shows more integrity than the President, Koti.

This seems to be the case here. 

1 hour ago, MigL said:

Maybe D Trump should have been asking the questions C Wallace asked of V Putin.

I can't believe Fox news shows more integrity than the President, Koti.

That rant by S Colbert about D Trump being V Putin's 'holster' finally makes sense.

I can't believe the Trump admin says there is a special place in hell for your PM yet kisses up to Putin. Who needs friends with a POTUS like Trump. 

15 minutes ago, Ten oz said:

I can't believe the Trump admin says there is a special place in hell for your PM yet kisses up to Putin. Who needs friends with a POTUS like Trump. 

The enemy within; that's your country's problem at this point.

9 minutes ago, StringJunky said:

The enemy within; that's your country's problem at this point.

And the 40% or so of our country that thinks everything is a-ok; that anyone who disagrees is subhuman moron who should be deported or shot

2 minutes ago, iNow said:

And the 40% or so of our country that thinks everything is a-ok; that anyone who disagrees is subhuman moron who should be deported or shot

These are interesting times wrt watching your country. In sharp relief to the Obama years, we are seeing the expression of a different part of the voting population via this administration. Quite frankly, this side of America is not pretty. I sometimes wonder if the UK would see such a seismic shift if Labour got in now, which is pretty left wing atm.

6 minutes ago, StringJunky said:

These are interesting times wrt watching your country. In sharp relief to the Obama years, we are seeing the expression of a different part of the voting population via this administration. Quite frankly, this side of America is not pretty. I sometimes wonder if the UK would see such a seismic shift if Labour got in now, which is pretty left wing atm.

Let's not get too complacent, this side of the pond, the EU has effectively called our bluff by preparing to walk away; at least America can change its mind in a couple of years...

6 minutes ago, dimreepr said:

Let's not get too complacent, this side of the pond, the EU has effectively called our bluff by preparing to walk away...

I think that should happen... and then survey the damage to see what needs fixing.

19 minutes ago, StringJunky said:

I think that should happen... and then survey the damage to see what needs fixing.

In the best case scenario, although I fear the ship may have already be scuppered.  

43 minutes ago, StringJunky said:

Quite frankly, this side of America is not pretty.

This is the side that Fox News has been trying to mold emotionally into a single block of fearful people composed of millions of differing views on what "conservative" really means. Fox News is comforting entertainment, chipping away at the reasoning power of an electorate that wants to keep what they have from disappearing any faster than it already is. 

3 hours ago, StringJunky said:

Quite frankly, this side of America is not pretty.

If only it were a problem limited or isolated to America...

9 minutes ago, iNow said:

If only it were a problem limited or isolated to America...

You've only got two parties to choose from.

On 7/19/2018 at 8:54 AM, dimreepr said:

While I realise you have a good reason for your biased view of religion, but you're conflating what people do with what religion intended.

 

The road to hell is paved with good intentions my friend... 

1 minute ago, Moontanman said:

The road to hell is paved with good intentions my friend... 

And the road to heaven is paved with yellow bricks and many friends, my friend...

2 hours ago, dimreepr said:

And the road to heaven is paved with yellow bricks and many friends, my friend...

Too bad nether road can be found to be confirmed, all we have is the results of how boths paths seem to lead to the same place... nowhere.... 

On 7/19/2018 at 12:58 PM, StringJunky said:

You've only got two parties to choose from.

And both represent only the ethics of wealthy folks. 

5 minutes ago, Phi for All said:

And both represent only the ethics of wealthy folks. 

True, but where in the world are poor to modestly affluent folks represented? Power goes with wealth, unfortunately. It's a shame intelligence and wisdom isn't held in higher esteem in politics. 

50 minutes ago, StringJunky said:

True, but where in the world are poor to modestly affluent folks represented? Power goes with wealth, unfortunately. It's a shame intelligence and wisdom isn't held in higher esteem in politics. 

It is. Just not by FoxNews and it's audience. 

57 minutes ago, StringJunky said:

True, but where in the world are poor to modestly affluent folks represented? 

Those states that have a moderate election process and choices of party seem to have the best representation for non-wealthy citizens. Many EU member states have enviable social structures that take the poor and modestly affluent into account. States with ranked choice voting allow for fairer representation. 

If campaigning is too quick, it favors those in power. If it drags on too long, money has too much influence on the working and middle classes. In the US, billions of dollars are spent just on presidential elections. It's become just another way for the wealthy to drain the non-wealthy with nothing given in return. 

Interestingly, here's a study that claims Fox News is responsible for Bush and Trump getting elected. Without Fox, it would have been Democrats only since Clinton made Fox possible. 

34 minutes ago, Phi for All said:

Interestingly, here's a study that claims Fox News is responsible for Bush and Trump getting elected. Without Fox, it would have been Democrats only since Clinton made Fox possible. 

Not for nothing neither Bush or Trump won the popular vote and in both cases there were legitimate arguments of corruption and voter suppression at the state level to secure needed electoral wins. FoxNews is just PR division of a much larger and more insidious system.