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GOP War On Communists, Socialists, And Atheists
- Thread starter Cheerful Charlie
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SLD
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Odd. Our laws already prohibit communist party members from immigrating to the US. Although there are a number of exceptions.It is getting crazier by the day.
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This past week, Donald Trump announced that if elected he will prevent “foreign Christian-hating communists, socialists and Marxists” from coming to the U.S. He also suggested he would do something about the un-Christian socialists who already live here. He asked, “What are we going to do with the ones that are already here, that grew up here? I think we have to pass a new law for them.”
The audience at the Faith and Freedom Coalition Conference cheered Trump’s speech. Which makes you wonder about the relationship between faith and freedom in America. Will Americans round up and expel communists, atheists, and others?
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Trump’s speech on socialists was downright un-American, but our freedoms allowed it | Opinion
Commentary by Fresno State Professor Andrew Fiala: Banning ideas goes against the ideal of freedom of speech.news.yahoo.com
I looked at the speech, but didn’t have the time to listen to it the whole way through to find the exact spot where he said he’d throw out Americans he considered socialist. I wanted to hear the crowds reaction to that; I suspect they cheered it. They were cheering every time he inflected his voice.
He did use a lot of violent rhetoric. Called it a war. Says we have to fight them and that they hate America and are destroying it. If that’s the case, I suppose violence is acceptable. Obviously can’t let that happen.
Listening to it, I fear we are witnessing the downfall of our country. Even if he loses, his movement won’t go away. Does this happen in every Republic? I was reading of the history of Republican Florence, and Rome. They had similar issues. Growing income inequality, and a capture of the ruling class by certain elites that led to friction. In Rome’s case it took 70 years of civil strife before the people simply had enough and let a strong man take over. Florence was taken over by the money powers, the Medici’s, and they simply ensured that anyone who dared to contradict them was shut out of power. And when some tried to rebel against the growing tyranny, the people turned on their would be liberators.
People may give lip service to freedom, but what they want is order.
That’s what we are witnessing in Donald Trump. That’s what he really promises. Order. Everyone will be like us. We will then have “freedom” but fuck everyone else.
I really don’t have an answer to this mentality. It won’t end with Donald Trump for sure. I think our court is to blame for a lot of it. Decades of conservative rulings that have strengthened money’s power over our politics. But so too have many in the Democratic Party, who’ve ignored some of these fundamental issues and whose solutions only exacerbated the problems. Income inequality has become the serious issue that threatens our future. But Democrats are pansies who don’t want to tackle it. They’re afraid of their backers. That’s the problem that the Court has created.
We have a brutal and elitist right wing and a romantic and incompetent left.
I am reminded of a rebellious King who fought against Rome who said, “When the Romans have no one else to fight, they will turn on each other.”
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southernhybrid
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"Deja vu all over again"!
I've been reading a very long, detailed book about Abe Lincoln and his era. Last night I read something that I'm going to quote that reminded me of this thread. It's a quote from James Henley Thornwell, a Presbyterian clergyman, and a defender of slavery from South Carolina.
There's more. It was part of a sermon given by Thornwell.
Sound familiar? It did make me wonder if the White Christian Nationalists knew about this historical claim or what.....
I've been reading a very long, detailed book about Abe Lincoln and his era. Last night I read something that I'm going to quote that reminded me of this thread. It's a quote from James Henley Thornwell, a Presbyterian clergyman, and a defender of slavery from South Carolina.
There's more. It was part of a sermon given by Thornwell.
Sound familiar? It did make me wonder if the White Christian Nationalists knew about this historical claim or what.....
laughing dog
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I don't think so. Fundamentalists of any religion believe it is the world against them.
southernhybrid
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I agree they probably don't know about this quote, but the more leaders of the cult are often educated and they at least know that these three groups are despised by their followers.
I was raised by fundamentalist Baptists, during a time when Baptists still respected the SCS, so things were very different back then, at least in some places. Until recently, Things sure have changed.
I just thought it was interesting that things seem to be heading back to the pre civil war days, especially culturally. And, it's amusing in a dark humor way, that these fanatics are still attacking the same groups that they did over 100 years ago. Yet, they have never won the battle. At least atheists are growing in numbers. Apatheists like Trump have learned they can manipulate these little people this way. I seriously doubt many of the cult leaders give a shit about any gods or religion. They are using the cult to maintain their status. The next election will be interesting and hopefully not to violent.
I know a few of these average cult followers. They mean no harm and are basically decent people, but they are being used to vote for Fascists, and they are unaware that they are voting against their own interests.
The bad guys are always Atheists, Socialists and Communists. /s
bilby
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Fascists have always been basically decent people, who mean no harm, and who are in many cases unaware that they are acting against their own best interests.
The caricature of the jack-booted thug beating people in the street enables such "decent people" to believe that, as they don't behave or dress in that manner, they therefore are not fascists.
But they are. It's just as much fascism to stand by and watch the beating take place, smug in the assurance that the victim deserved it because they wouldn't be getting beaten if they didn't, as it is to be the one administering the beating.
Defending police brutality, on the basis of supporting law and order, obedience to the rule of law, and the maintenance of good social behaviour, is fascism.
southernhybrid
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The few Trump supporters who I know personally don't fit your description at all. There are lots of Trump supporters who are very hateful White Nationalists, but I hate it when any one group of people, even Trump supporters are stereotyped. Some have just received all of their "news" from right wing propaganda sources or they've been told that all Democrats are atheists, socialists and communists. /s
My neighbor knows we are atheists and he doesn't care. He's a non practicing Christian who still believes that Obama was born in Kenya. My husband probably felt it was hopeless to try and reason with him. It's more a lack of intelligence or a lack of ability to discern truth from propaganda that creates some of these people, not their support for police brutality or racism. The only police officer who lives on my street is a Black detective. I have no idea who he supports, but a Black friend of mine told me that she has known at least one Black Trump supporter. She and I don't understand that, but Trump has some minority supporters too. Trump supporters aren't all the same, and a lot of them are simply ignorant about what's happening in the country and/or, like the nurse I used to work with, loves some of the Fox pundits and believe what they say. I can't explain it, but I know that Trump supporters aren't all alike.
There are also some like my bro in law who is wealthy and who voted for Trump for the tax breaks for the rich. He claims he won't vote for him again, but knowing him, he'll probably vote 3rd party to avoid having to vote for a Democrat. He doesn't follow the news or think much about politics. He's a cultural Catholic and according to my spouse, all he has ever cared about his entire life is how much money he can make. I'm sure there are others like him. In fact, that's the real goal of politicians like Trump, which is why so many of the wealthy support the Republican Party. Imo, they are worse than the ignorant ones who simply vote based on the propaganda they hear on right wing "news" sources.
lpetrich
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Not just communism, but also Stalinism. In the next chapter, Acts 5, we find that a certain Ananias and Sapphira were to turn over all their property to the Church Apostles, but that they did that with only some of their property, keeping the rest for themselves. The apostle Peter confronted them about that, and both Ananias and Sapphira mysteriously collapsed and died.
So Comrade Peter demanded that those two kulaks collectivize all their property.
bilby
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