TVTropes Now available in the app store!
Open

Follow TV Tropes

Following

The General US Politics Thread

Go To

Nov 2023 Mod notice:


There may be other, more specific, threads about some aspects of US politics, but this one tends to act as a hub for all sorts of related news and information, so it's usually one of the busiest OTC threads.

If you're new to OTC, it's worth reading the Introduction to On-Topic Conversations and the On-Topic Conversations debate guidelines before posting here.

Rumor-based, fear-mongering and/or inflammatory statements that damage the quality of the thread will be thumped. Off-topic posts will also be thumped. Repeat offenders may be suspended.

If time spent moderating this thread remains a distraction from moderation of the wiki itself, the thread will need to be locked. We want to avoid that, so please follow the forum rules when posting here.


In line with the general forum rules, 'gravedancing' is prohibited here. If you're celebrating someone's death or hoping that they die, your post will get thumped. This rule applies regardless of what the person you're discussing has said or done.

Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM

Ogodei Fuck you, Fascist sympathizers from The front lines Since: Jan, 2011
Fuck you, Fascist sympathizers
#98426: Aug 11th 2015 at 8:31:30 PM

He's actually saying he'll beat up any BLM protestors that try to mess with him.

TheWanderer Student of Story from Somewhere in New England (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: Wishfully thinking
Student of Story
#98427: Aug 11th 2015 at 8:38:32 PM

Regarding Oath Keepers: they're real, and they are nothing to fuck with from what I know. They're a newer right wing militia, (though oddly enough a bunch of new ones started around 2008/9, as the Oath Keepers did. I wonder why?) but they are very serious. They were involved in the Cliven Bundy standoff, and they have a very right wing philosophy, (complete with the founder accusing liberals of being in cahoots with Radical Islam to destroy Western Civilization) and the couple that ambushed and killed those cops in L As Vegas last year were wannabe Oath Keepers.

And according to articles I'm reading they're saying they are there to protect reporters for Alex Jones' infowars site, not anything about the protestors. If anything, protestors and police seem to be trying to figure out how to toss the Oath Keepers out before anything escalates.

Some past articles about them.

They're also nastily anti-LGBTQ and called for resistance to striking down bans on gay marriage, among many other things.

| Wandering, but not lost. | If people bring so much courage to this world...◊ |
SciFiSlasher from Absolutely none of your business. Since: Dec, 2011 Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
#98428: Aug 11th 2015 at 8:48:40 PM

This is not on-topic with the Oath Keepers, but what I want to know is-in Baltimore,they rioted because of another death involving several cops, and then when the cops pull out to give the middle finger to all of the citizens who hate them and the homicide rate skyrockets, they suddenly say that the police aren't doing enough.

Basically, if the police are so generally disliked in America and the police despise the communities that most actively hate them and everyone who sympathizes with them, how are relations ever supposed to improve if both sides are constantly at each others throats?

Note: Really trying to avoid starting a flame war.

"Somehow the hated have to walk a tightrope, while those who hate do not."
LeGarcon Blowout soon fellow Stalker from Skadovsk Since: Aug, 2013 Relationship Status: Gay for Big Boss
Blowout soon fellow Stalker
#98429: Aug 11th 2015 at 8:51:20 PM

Quite simply they're not going to improve.

Oh really when?
TheWanderer Student of Story from Somewhere in New England (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: Wishfully thinking
Student of Story
#98430: Aug 11th 2015 at 8:54:11 PM

It's going to require a major break from the way we approach law enforcement, and our entire attitude about life, authority, and how we approach everything from dangerous situations to everyday interactions with each other.

Or at least that's my lame ass opinions as a white guy who hasn't lived in the city in 20 years. tongue

| Wandering, but not lost. | If people bring so much courage to this world...◊ |
Protagonist506 from Oregon Since: Dec, 2013 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
LeGarcon Blowout soon fellow Stalker from Skadovsk Since: Aug, 2013 Relationship Status: Gay for Big Boss
Blowout soon fellow Stalker
#98432: Aug 11th 2015 at 9:02:54 PM

Stop treating minorities like threats and criminals as the default would be a great start.

Oh really when?
SciFiSlasher from Absolutely none of your business. Since: Dec, 2011 Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
#98433: Aug 11th 2015 at 9:23:08 PM

[up] I don't want to be that guy, but...

...I think we also need to stop being so suspicious of cops.

Oh, fuck, now I've done it.

"Somehow the hated have to walk a tightrope, while those who hate do not."
shimaspawn from Here and Now Since: May, 2010 Relationship Status: In your bunk
#98434: Aug 11th 2015 at 9:29:24 PM

[up] Yes, and the biggest thing we can do to help that is for police to stop murdering random unarmed people and getting off scott free. Another thing that would help is if the police stopped acting worse than soldiers in actual war zones when it comes to interacting with citizens. Or maybe for them to not make racist, bigoted and sexist remarks about the people that they're supposed to be protecting and serving where all the world can hear them.

Reality is that, which when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. -Philip K. Dick
AceofSpades Since: Apr, 2009 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
#98435: Aug 11th 2015 at 9:30:06 PM

You... haven't really done anything but look self important and kind of ignorant.

And there's pretty good reason that certain parts of the population are suspicious of the cops. There's a good portion of them that have done a crapton to earn that suspicion.

That said, I'd like an environment of better oversight. That body cameras are being picked up for use slowly in police departments across the country has shown to be a good step. Another one is changing how they're trained and to stop giving them military grade equipment. Except for the SWAT and other specialized groups cops don't need that shit. That stuff can be recycled if the military isn't using it anymore. Cops need to be geared towards de-escalation of situations again. A lot of the cases that have shown up on TV probably could have been avoided if the cops hadn't pulled their guns out.

LeGarcon Blowout soon fellow Stalker from Skadovsk Since: Aug, 2013 Relationship Status: Gay for Big Boss
Blowout soon fellow Stalker
#98436: Aug 11th 2015 at 9:32:06 PM

No need to be nervous or anything. If you've got opinions or questions ask them. We're pretty open and happy to have nice intelligent discussions

Oh really when?
Canid117 Since: Oct, 2010 Relationship Status: Hello, I love you
#98437: Aug 11th 2015 at 9:39:47 PM

It's hard not to be nervous when that other poster started making a minor semantical point and the thread escalated to the point where he got chased off and banned.

"War without fire is like sausages without mustard." - Jean Juvénal des Ursins
LSBK Since: Sep, 2014
#98438: Aug 11th 2015 at 9:46:57 PM

They got banned because they were strawmanning and making personal attacks.

edited 11th Aug '15 9:47:26 PM by LSBK

Canid117 Since: Oct, 2010 Relationship Status: Hello, I love you
#98439: Aug 11th 2015 at 9:50:52 PM

As I said it escalated. He wasn't the only one strawmanning or making personal attacks but he was the only one punished. Maybe his posts were worse than those he was getting short with (I didn't see as his posts were thumped) but it that situation wasn't handled... elegantly.

edited 11th Aug '15 9:51:21 PM by Canid117

"War without fire is like sausages without mustard." - Jean Juvénal des Ursins
shimaspawn from Here and Now Since: May, 2010 Relationship Status: In your bunk
#98440: Aug 11th 2015 at 10:12:10 PM

No, but nor did anyone else send me obscenity laden P Ms for daring to give them a warning. I was going to thump some more posts before he committed suicide by cop and he wasn't the only one warned. Then we got a rash of ban evaders, and I forgot to get back to what I was doing. I'm sorry.

Not everything happened on screen, and I apologise that we were not more transparent nor more fair.

Please, we would love it if everyone would be a little more respectful and attack arguments, not people.

Reality is that, which when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. -Philip K. Dick
TheyCallMeTomu Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
#98441: Aug 11th 2015 at 10:17:25 PM

/me stabs the argument for 1d8+2 damage.

LeGarcon Blowout soon fellow Stalker from Skadovsk Since: Aug, 2013 Relationship Status: Gay for Big Boss
Blowout soon fellow Stalker
#98442: Aug 11th 2015 at 10:18:34 PM

Why do you get a +2? I never get modifiers.

Oh really when?
Aprilla Since: Aug, 2010
shimaspawn from Here and Now Since: May, 2010 Relationship Status: In your bunk
#98444: Aug 11th 2015 at 10:22:39 PM

^^ Because you set all your stats to 11.

So, what are people's thoughts on Jeb's comments that we spend too much money on women's health?

Reality is that, which when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. -Philip K. Dick
TheyCallMeTomu Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
#98445: Aug 11th 2015 at 10:23:11 PM

We all missed something. and then I made a D&D joke about it.

We missed it because we fumbled our attack roll. Heyo! Okay, back to US politics.

[up] Jeb's a dumbass. Nough said.

edited 11th Aug '15 10:23:47 PM by TheyCallMeTomu

LeGarcon Blowout soon fellow Stalker from Skadovsk Since: Aug, 2013 Relationship Status: Gay for Big Boss
Blowout soon fellow Stalker
#98446: Aug 11th 2015 at 10:25:13 PM

I'm confused, we don't spend nearly enough.

What does he think we're spending too much on?

Oh really when?
shimaspawn from Here and Now Since: May, 2010 Relationship Status: In your bunk
#98447: Aug 11th 2015 at 10:30:53 PM

He said in a town hall meeting that he wasn't sure we should be spending half a billion dollars on women's health issues.

Reality is that, which when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. -Philip K. Dick
Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#98448: Aug 11th 2015 at 10:34:26 PM

Then he feebly backtracked and tried to say that he was only talking about PP. Which is bullcrap, plain and simple.

edited 11th Aug '15 10:43:47 PM by Rationalinsanity

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
Aprilla Since: Aug, 2010
#98449: Aug 11th 2015 at 10:36:32 PM

Others have done the math already, but it bears repeating.

500 000 000 dollars divided by about 143 000 000 (the US female population) gives us about 3 dollars and 50 cents per woman. Most of the women here can tell you that's not enough for basic birth control. Certainly not a juvenile gynecology visit.

Mathematically speaking, he's full of shit.

...I think we also need to stop being so suspicious of cops.

While this view is incorrect upon closer observation of law enforcement practices throughout the country, it's not emotionally invalid.

There are clearly some great police officers doing superb work on our streets, but one of the biggest obstacles to law enforcement's perspective on the matter of BLM is the insistence on defending corrupt cops. Inappropriate police behavior has metastasized in our law enforcement structure, and those within the criminal justice community (not just law enforcement) need to reassess the dangerous side effects of their fraternal bond.

I think the "fire all cops" demands are inappropriate, but it's time to clean house and make room for the ones who are actually doing their jobs right.

edited 11th Aug '15 10:49:08 PM by Aprilla

Cronosonic (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#98450: Aug 12th 2015 at 12:24:35 AM

The police union is far too defensive of any and all cops regardless of their competency, and loathes the notion of greater transparency and oversight. It's pretty much one of the biggest obstacles towards actually making things better.


Total posts: 417,856
Top