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

LeGarcon Blowout soon fellow Stalker from Skadovsk Since: Aug, 2013 Relationship Status: Gay for Big Boss
Blowout soon fellow Stalker
#108526: Jan 12th 2016 at 1:34:59 PM

Yep, but of course we can't really do anything major lest we kick off a domestic insurgency.

Oh really when?
TheHandle United Earth from Stockholm Since: Jan, 2012 Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
United Earth
#108527: Jan 12th 2016 at 1:40:08 PM

[up][up][up]The so called "Greatest Generation" had found that something. In fact, it had the same effect on most of the Western world, including the Soviet Block. Especially the Soviet Block.

It's not that these people have a well-reasoned analysis of the situation that has caused them to believe there is a threat to American sovereignty. It's that they're all but begging for one. They're Freedom Fighters without a cause, trying to find the right narrative thread that lets them be the Action Hero they've been preparing for.

I finally understand. It all makes sense now.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#108528: Jan 12th 2016 at 1:57:09 PM

That's it in a nutshell. These dopes believe themselves to be John Wayne and are really upset when the banditos don't show up at High Noon for their heroic shootout scene.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
JackOLantern1337 Shameful Display from The Most Miserable Province in the Russian Empir Since: Aug, 2014 Relationship Status: 700 wives and 300 concubines
Shameful Display
#108529: Jan 12th 2016 at 2:00:12 PM

[up][up] Really? I'd be really interested to hear about the effects that Russia experienced.

Edit: And I've certainly never heard of the Western Europeans looking for enemies to fight.

edited 12th Jan '16 2:04:22 PM by JackOLantern1337

I Bring Doom,and a bit of gloom, but mostly gloom.
Deadbeatloser22 from Disappeared by Space Magic (Great Old One) Relationship Status: Tsundere'ing
#108530: Jan 12th 2016 at 2:04:03 PM

I thought most of them were waiting for the day FEMA shows up in their black helicopters and tries to take their guns away.

"Yup. That tasted purple."
JackOLantern1337 Shameful Display from The Most Miserable Province in the Russian Empir Since: Aug, 2014 Relationship Status: 700 wives and 300 concubines
Shameful Display
#108531: Jan 12th 2016 at 2:05:29 PM

I will never understand the amount of fear FEMA generates, shouldn't they be worried about the FBI or CIA coming after them?

I Bring Doom,and a bit of gloom, but mostly gloom.
TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#108532: Jan 12th 2016 at 2:06:25 PM

That too. They want Obama to personally drive out to their neighborhood with an army of tanks and a million black helicopters behind him, blaring the words "SURRENDER ALL FIREARMS OR BE DESTROYED" from their sirens. They want to tell their grandchildren about the day they heroically defeated Obama bin Laden's tyrannical hordes and defended freedom at the 11th hour, when the pussy Democrats had already rolled over and surrendered to the new king.

edited 12th Jan '16 2:07:23 PM by TobiasDrake

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
Deadbeatloser22 from Disappeared by Space Magic (Great Old One) Relationship Status: Tsundere'ing
#108533: Jan 12th 2016 at 2:06:29 PM

Supposedly FEMA has all these weird far-reaching powers it can use if a federal emergency is declared, which makes them the tool Barry is going to use to start his dictatorship.

"Yup. That tasted purple."
TheHandle United Earth from Stockholm Since: Jan, 2012 Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
United Earth
#108534: Jan 12th 2016 at 2:09:12 PM

[up][up] Really? I'd be really interested to hear about the effects that Russia experienced.

I recommend a trip to the Russia thread.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
AngelusNox Warder of the damned from The guard of the gates of oblivion Since: Dec, 2014 Relationship Status: Married to the job
Warder of the damned
#108535: Jan 12th 2016 at 2:11:55 PM

Conspiracy Theorists had a narrative that since FEMA was the agency responsible for managing catastrophic events and preparing the mass graves and such, they'd be able to push an executive order able to trump over the legislative and judiciary to enforce any draconian measure the president or whoever is pulling the strings want.

Also the conspiracy theorists usually claim FEMA would stage an event like a major disease outbreak as a cover for their covert neutering of the "resistance" nuttbags would form.

But like any other conspiracy theory, the FEMA focus doesn't make much sense beyond how scary they can be.

Like people who claim the HAARP is a secret super weapon able to cause earthquakes, hurricanes and down airliners.

edited 12th Jan '16 2:12:13 PM by AngelusNox

Inter arma enim silent leges
Deadbeatloser22 from Disappeared by Space Magic (Great Old One) Relationship Status: Tsundere'ing
#108536: Jan 12th 2016 at 2:13:49 PM

Or, according to Jesse Ventura, some sort of super-secret mind control device.

"Yup. That tasted purple."
TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#108537: Jan 12th 2016 at 2:25:27 PM

If the government was controlling the population with a super-secret mind control device, they wouldn't be letting people posit elaborate theories about the government's super-secret mind control device.

The thing about the First Amendment is that it actually undermines most people's attempts to accuse the government of violating it.

edited 12th Jan '16 2:25:52 PM by TobiasDrake

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
FalseDichotomy from Your mind :o Since: Oct, 2015 Relationship Status: Tsundere'ing
#108538: Jan 12th 2016 at 3:12:00 PM

That too. They want Obama to personally drive out to their neighborhood with an army of tanks and a million black helicopters behind him, blaring the words "SURRENDER ALL FIREARMS OR BE DESTROYED" from their sirens. They want to tell their grandchildren about the day they heroically defeated Obama bin Laden's tyrannical hordes and defended freedom at the 11th hour, when the pussy Democrats had already rolled over and surrendered to the new king.

I keep imagining these types of douches showing up in Washington armed for Obama's last few days in office, claiming that any minute he's gonna issue an executive order suspending democracy to make himself president for life. Then when Obama doesn't do that and leaves they'll claim responsibility for stopping him, which will just embolden them to be even more obnoxious in the future.

Demonic_Braeburn Yankee Doodle Dandy from Defective California Since: Jan, 2016
Yankee Doodle Dandy
#108539: Jan 12th 2016 at 3:31:12 PM

An Oregon judge says he will bill Ammon Bundy up to $70,000 a day to reimburse Harney County for security costs related to the ongoing occupation of a wildlife refuge.

smile

Any group who acts like morons ironically will eventually find itself swamped by morons who think themselves to be in good company.
LeGarcon Blowout soon fellow Stalker from Skadovsk Since: Aug, 2013 Relationship Status: Gay for Big Boss
Blowout soon fellow Stalker
#108540: Jan 12th 2016 at 3:31:36 PM

Beautiful

Oh really when?
sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#108541: Jan 12th 2016 at 3:58:16 PM

[up][up]

The militants have been widely mocked for first calling for snacks, and then issuing a wish list of items such as flavored coffee creamer, tampons and cigarettes.
While I know I shouldn't be surprised there are women among the YeeHawdists, I'm still finding it hilarious that tampons are among the items they asked for.

Kostya (Unlucky Thirteen)
#108542: Jan 12th 2016 at 4:09:35 PM

How on Earth did these people forget to bring food and basic hygiene supplies?

Kayeka (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#108543: Jan 12th 2016 at 4:12:50 PM

Perhaps they expected to be violently removed within a day? I mean, that wouldn't have been an entirely unreasonable assumption.

Or maybe they really were too busy comparing gun sizes to think the whole thing through.

edited 12th Jan '16 4:13:17 PM by Kayeka

Know-age Since: May, 2010
#108544: Jan 12th 2016 at 4:12:58 PM

I think they originally intended to only stay the weekend.

LeGarcon Blowout soon fellow Stalker from Skadovsk Since: Aug, 2013 Relationship Status: Gay for Big Boss
Blowout soon fellow Stalker
#108545: Jan 12th 2016 at 4:15:41 PM

Nah, they were fully expecting to have been killed by the police before food became an issue.

Being martyrs for some big anti government revolution was their whole plan going in.

Oh really when?
Kostya (Unlucky Thirteen)
#108546: Jan 12th 2016 at 4:18:23 PM

If that was their goal then why ask for food? Just starve and blame it on the government.

Kayeka (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#108547: Jan 12th 2016 at 4:20:36 PM

[up]The government isn't starving them. They can leave whenever they want. If they starve, it would be their own fault for not taking a trip to get groceries.

pwiegle Cape Malleum Majorem from Nowhere Special Since: Sep, 2015 Relationship Status: Singularity
Cape Malleum Majorem
#108548: Jan 12th 2016 at 4:20:42 PM

[up][up]That would require self-discipline and tenacity. Being shot by a masked SWAT officer is a much quicker and easier path to martyrdom.

edited 12th Jan '16 4:21:09 PM by pwiegle

This Space Intentionally Left Blank.
Demonic_Braeburn Yankee Doodle Dandy from Defective California Since: Jan, 2016
Yankee Doodle Dandy
#108549: Jan 12th 2016 at 4:51:39 PM

They probably expected the government to cave to there demands by now. Does anyone remember how long the standoff with Clive Bundy lasted?

Any group who acts like morons ironically will eventually find itself swamped by morons who think themselves to be in good company.
TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#108550: Jan 12th 2016 at 4:59:31 PM

I'm starting to worry about these guys. They were offering to leave if the town asked them to, but then the town started asking them to in droves and they retracted the offer. They are no longer pretending to abide by the wishes of the people whose land they're occupying.

They're also being ridiculed by care packages filled with dildos, which is hilarious but also worrisome because humiliation tends to exacerbate a problem, not resolve it. This is not going at all the way they planned but they may be too deep in the Sunk Costs Fallacy to just give up and go home. I don't know if their pride will allow them to just go, "My bad. We fucked up. We're leaving."

This might get worse before it gets better.

edited 12th Jan '16 5:00:49 PM by TobiasDrake

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.

Total posts: 417,856
Top