Take Up Arms Against the Gov't?

[whell]

According to a University of Chicago poll conducted in May 2022:

And 28 percent of voters, including 37 percent who have guns in their homes, agree that “it may be necessary at some point soon for citizens to take up arms against the government.” That view is held by one in three Republicans, including 45 percent of self-identified strong Republicans. Roughly one in three (35 percent) Independent voters and one in five Democrats agreed.

Nearly half of Americans (49 percent) agreed that they “more and more feel like a stranger in my own country,” with 69 percent of strong Republicans and 65 percent who call themselves “very conservative” leading the way. Fully 38 percent of strong Democrats agreed.

About three-quarters (73 percent) of voters who identify themselves as Republican agree that “Democrats are generally bullies who want to impose their political beliefs on those who disagree.” An almost identical percentage of Democrats (74 percent) express that view of Republicans. A similarly
lopsided majority of each party holds that members of the other are “generally untruthful and are pushing disinformation.”

Sobering stuff. Bottom line, folks are feeling more powerless than ever, and certainly don't feel like our current elected class is proceeding "what the content of the governed."

[finnbow]

Originally Posted by whell

Sobering stuff. Bottom line, folks are feeling more powerless than ever, and certainly don't feel like our current elected class is proceeding "what the content of the governed."

And Republicans love to keep these people outraged with their Fox News and talk radio agitprop and are determined to ensure that these angry people have easy access to weapons of war and buy into the idea that the Second Amendment was intended to facilitate insurrection against the government. Hell, over 100 Republican politicians posed with assault rifles in recent campaign ads.

And after they incited people to attack the US Capitol in support of a coup, Republican leaders and media insist they were only tourists or peaceful patriots exercising their First Amendment rights (or that they were Antifa or that Nancy Pelosi was somehow responsible). Bottom line - Republicans no longer believe in democracy and openly promote the use of guns to stage an insurrection that would allow them to impose their authoritarian beliefs on the country.

[Oerets]

Take up arm, yes.

Against the government, no.

To protect one from all those who are the self appointed protectors of the constitution and liberties.

[Dondilion]

Originally Posted by finnbow

And Republicans love to keep these people outraged with their Fox News and talk radio agitprop and are determined to ensure that these angry people have easy access to weapons of war and buy into the idea that the Second Amendment was intended to facilitate insurrection against the government. Hell, over 100 Republican politicians posed with assault rifles in recent campaign ads.

And after they incited people to attack the US Capitol in support of a coup, Republican leaders and media insist they were only tourists or peaceful patriots exercising their First Amendment rights (or that they were Antifa or that Nancy Pelosi was somehow responsible). Bottom line - Republicans no longer believe in democracy and openly promote the use of guns to stage an insurrection that would allow them to impose their authoritarian beliefs on the country.

The guy to look at is the governor of Florida. He has his hand in everything, is extremely vindictive and is more coherent, and organized than Trump.

If there is one person who should not be anywhere near power in the United States it is this guy.

[finnbow]

Originally Posted by Dondilion

The guy to look at is the governor of Florida. He has his hand in everything, is extremely vindictive and is more coherent, and organized than Trump.

If there is one person who should not be anywhere near power in the United States it is this guy.

No shit. He gives autocratic wingnut dipshits a bad name. To wit:

Public universities in Florida will be required to survey both faculty and students on their political beliefs and viewpoints, with the institutions at risk of losing their funding if the responses are not satisfactory to the state's Republican-led legislature.

https://www.salon.com/2021/06/23/des...ws-with-state/

[whell]

Originally Posted by finnbow

And Republicans love to keep these people outraged with their Fox News and talk radio agitprop and are determined to ensure that these angry people have easy access to weapons of war and buy into the idea that the Second Amendment was intended to facilitate insurrection against the government. Hell, over 100 Republican politicians posed with assault rifles in recent campaign ads.

Why is it, Finn, that the first thing you do is play point fingers and play "whataboutism"? Especially with a story like this, that shows that folks of both political stripes have equivalent concerns about the direction their country is headed and, maybe worse, feel nearly powerless with their ability to change it?

Originally Posted by finnbow

Bottom line - Republicans no longer believe in democracy and openly promote the use of guns to stage an insurrection that would allow them to impose their authoritarian beliefs on the country.

That's YOUR bottom line. It's not mine, and I suspect it reflects your fears more than it reflects reality.

[finnbow]

Originally Posted by whell

Why is it, Finn, that the first thing you do is play point fingers and play "whataboutism"? Especially with a story like this, that shows that folks of both political stripes have equivalent concerns about the direction their country is headed and, maybe worse, feel nearly powerless with their ability to change it?



That's YOUR bottom line. It's not mine, and I suspect it reflects your fears more than it reflects reality.

You obviously don’t understand “whataboutism.” Your numbers clearly show that Republicans are far more inclined to believe in the need to take up arms against the government. Moreover, Republican politicians are the only ones who fetishize guns and “Second Amendment solutions.” Own it, Whell.

[whell]

Originally Posted by finnbow

No shit. He gives autocratic wingnut dipshits a bad name. To wit:

Public universities in Florida will be required to survey both faculty and students on their political beliefs and viewpoints, with the institutions at risk of losing their funding if the responses are not satisfactory to the state's Republican-led legislature.

https://www.salon.com/2021/06/23/des...ws-with-state/

Well, that's what that bastion of balanced journalism "Salon" says about it, in a piece that has more to do with an editorial than a hard news piece. The Salon story was sourced, and then embellished upon, from a Tampa Bay paper. Did you happen to have a look at the source story?

What is specified is that the state university system’s Board of Governors and the State Board of Education will be required to select or create an “objective, nonpartisan, and statistically valid survey,” presumably through the boards’ public procurement or rule-making process.

In addition to the survey, the measure DeSantis signed into law will bar university and college officials from limiting speech that “may be uncomfortable, disagreeable or offensive,” and will allow students to record lectures without consent for educational purposes or to support a civil or criminal case against a higher education institution.

First, I'll state that I'm not thrilled with the idea of a survey being used for this purpose. However, I'm also not thrilled with the level of indoctrination - and chilling of free speech - that goes on in public schools and universities. Even back in the early '80's when I was attending Michigan State, it was going on back then (oh man did they ever hate Reagan). Hell, I work for a large corporation and it's going on here.

Free speech is being replaced by people who lack tolerance and respect for the beliefs of others. I have no problem with folks whose beliefs on certain topics are different than mine. I do have a problem with folks demonizing, villainizing and dehumanizing people whose beliefs are different than their own.

So, DeSantis and company have decided to take on public universities for their role in contributing to the chilling of free speech and the lack of diversity of thought that comes with it. Those institutions have earned this scrutiny, and if they refuse to clean up their act, the state gov't has every right and responsibility to force the issue.

So, the Florida legislature has passed this law. Fine, the state has every right to police its own education system that they fund. If it ends up hurting the State's colleges and universities, and/or if students and their families decide they don't like it and vote with their pocketbooks by attending school elsewhere, so be it.

[bobabode]

Originally Posted by whell

Why is it, Finn, that the first thing you do is play point fingers and play "whataboutism"? Especially with a story like this, that shows that folks of both political stripes have equivalent concerns about the direction their country is headed and, maybe worse, feel nearly powerless with their ability to change it?



That's YOUR bottom line. It's not mine, and I suspect it reflects your fears more than it reflects reality.

It's bald faced lying like what I've bolded is why I don't engage with this poster.
You're dishonest, Mike.

[finnbow]

Originally Posted by whell

I do have a problem with folks demonizing, villainizing and dehumanizing people whose beliefs are different than their own.

Yet you defend Trump at every turn, a person who has demonized, villianized and dehumanized anyone and everyone who doesn't overtly kowtow to him and now defend DeSantis' campus thought police. You are a confused mess.