How the fuck do these people get so damned mean?

[A HERETIC I AM]

What is it about a conservative political ideology that makes people.....mean?

Referencing the EarlG story on the front page of DU re: Kansas, with more from "Addicting Info";

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/04/07/kansas-republican-bill-literally-bans-poor-people-from-having-lives/

When, OH WHEN will someone...anyone...ask the Republican party why it is they hate Americans so much?

What the hell did the common people do to that party that makes them ooze hatred? From "Right to work" laws to restricting voting rights to restricting women's health care to saying 'fuck off' to millions that NEED health insurance (by way of not expanding Medicare like in my state) to the revolving door of money soaking that is the municipal offense/fine/court system to telling poor people they can't have a steak or take a cruise....all of it. What in your gods name makes you so bloody uncaring? How does an otherwise rational adult (and I'm guessing with that assertion) get to the point that he or she wants to legislate meanness?

How the ever living fuck can you be so god damned mean?

I've said this before....I love my country, but it embarrasses the shit out of me these days.

And for those lurking and viewing that post on other websites who might think my outrage is funny, shame on you. If you call yourself a Christian, and statistically, at least 80% of the people reading this will consider themselves so, and you don't see a problem with the linked story above, or simply think conservative political ideology has it all correct and us "bleeding hearts" are always wrong..... shame on you.

Shame, shame shame.

You're no Christian.

[still_one]

1. because they think they are good "christians"

[amuse bouche]

109. These creeps are cowards

They use religion to justify their hatred of others

[still_one]

125. Absolutely

[certainot]

129. i think it has less to do with the church than talk radio.

religion has always been a refuge for hypocrites and criminals and the ignorant.

what has allowed the GOP to pump the hate and ignorance to a new level in the last 25 years, and coordinate it to help them pass legislation like this and turn the party into a pack of irrational loons and sycophants, is the classic PSYOPS we call RW talk radio. 400 think tank-coordinated blowtrolls and liars on 1000 radio stations, reaching 50 mil a week.

worst of all, at least 25% of those stations depend heavily on our publicly funded college sports programs for community cred and ad dollars.

unfortunately the left has almost completely ignored that.

[bobalew]

143. In trip across Amerikka in the northern states, all you can get on the radio is FOX bulls*t.

No NPR, Nothing but saturated Fox propaganda.

[chervilant]

144. And, the fearful.

The worse things get, the more fearful the "religious" become.

[certainot]

168. there's a theory for that fear/authoritarian dynamic

(and the 'worse' things get, such as during the 'revolution that some on the left want, the more dominating those giant free radio stations become)

[F4lconF16]

2. They are Christian.

They are complete and total assholes, but they are Christian.

[atreides1]

11. Not really!

It's just a label they love to wear, like a model wears a Vera Wang dress!

It gets them in all the right clubs and they don't really know why!

[F4lconF16]

13. So just how good do you have to be to be a Christian?

If I punch someone in a bar fight, am I not a Christian? If I rape someone, am I not a Christian? What if I tease a dog? Am I a Christian?

Are there limits to how many times I can do bad things before I'm not a Christian? Are there certain things that are okay if I wait a while before doing them again? Are there things that are an automatic ban for life?

If doing bad things means you're not Christian, then the Catholic Church is one of the least Christian organizations out there--and that's patently false.

Christians do bad things. So does everybody else.

Also, I direct you to President Obama:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141060913

[demwing]

20. To be a Christian, you have to follow Christ

none of these fuckers is a Christian.

[F4lconF16]

24. I would argue that the Catholic Church is not Christian, then.

Because they have sure as hell opposed Christ many a time over the centuries, and continue to do so today.

[whathehell]

35. Certainly no less so than the science denying Evangelicals.

Catholics, at this point in time, do not, at least, deny evolution and insist on a literal interpretation of the bible.

[F4lconF16]

43. Exactly.

Though the church is still actively anti-gay, so, you know. Progress is slow.

[Enthusiast]

115. They imagine themselves to be Christians. Just my take.

[demwing]

120. Agreed

And they have such active imaginations

[mountain grammy]

28. Yes they are. They attend church, they tithe to the church

they have a personal relationship with Jesus. They are certified, baptized, born again Christians. They walk the walk and talk the talk. All the denial in the world will not make them not Christian.

[F4lconF16]

30. +1 thank you.

I'm getting tired of having to point this out on this forum.

[mountain grammy]

33. Me too.

[ohheckyeah]

50. You're actually

incorrect -https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+7%3A21-23&version=NKJV.

[FiveGoodMen]

75. This is all about labels and it gets in the way of the practical conversation we all need

"21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’"

Granted, Jesus would not be okay with them, but...

Is that what 'Christian' means? And in the here and now, does it even matter?

A large group of people who self-identify as 'Christian' are trying to turn our country into the same kind theocratic nightmare as much of the middle-east.

We need to do something about THAT GROUP.

The fact that Jesus might some day tell them to fuck off does nothing for us now.

We have to deal with those people who THINK they are Christians. Those who blindly follow what they consider 'Christian' leaders.

They are a huge threat to democracy.

We should focus on what they might do (to us) not what Jesus might eventually do to them.

[ohheckyeah]

99. I didn't start the label

discussion.

[FiveGoodMen]

140. You pointed out how the label doesn't fit

My point is that the label doesn't matter

[ohheckyeah]

141. If I want

to discuss the label I will. Whether or not you think it matters is of no importance to me.

[sammythecat]

157. With Your permission, Your Grace,

I'll squash this bothersome insect for You.

Your Grace.

[ohheckyeah]

158. Thanks.

Feel free to call me ohheckyeah, my faithful subject.

[jaysunb]

146. Gimme Five :) n/t

[FiveGoodMen]

149. !

There's not an actual 'high-five' smilie

[Enthusiast]

117. I think it comes down to a matter of opinion.

[Jackpine Radical]

162. "No true Scotsman…"

[F4lconF16]

164. Yup.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=6438630

[hifiguy]

38. Yep. This is what a significant plurality

and probably the largest plurality of so-called christians believe, so it IS christianity.

[alfredo]

39. Too many have been deceived by the political church.

[mountain grammy]

46. Deceived or not, they are Christians and supporting their churches..

financially and spiritually, so they are willingly deceived, in my opinion.

[alfredo]

64. I don't see following someone else's interpretation as spiritual. It is laziness.

[mountain grammy]

80. and that's good for you, but Christians are Christians, good and bad.

Some of the most generous and wonderful people I know are good, Church going Christians and some of the most hateful and mean people I know are also good Church going Christians. Some of them even go to the same church! All cite their faith as the reason behind their politics. Go figure.

[alfredo]

94. I wasn't denying that they are Christians. I just don't see the need for someone else interpreting

the ancient writings for me. I believe there are as many gods as their are people who believe in such a being.

[FiveGoodMen]

119. Yes, but how does that affect the rest of us?

If they turn their ideas into our laws, we're screwed.

We need to do something about that.

What difference does it make (to us) why they do what they do --- unless we can use that knowledge to stop them?

[alfredo]

137. Know the enemy. GW Bush invaded Iraq completely blind to what makes the people click. He didn't

think it mattered. He didn't even know the difference between Sunni and Shia. What a clusterfuck.

Successful insurgent movements are usually led by a young, educated, middle class population. The Christian Right doesn't fit into that description.

We know the Christian right is arrogant and greedy, so time is on our side. If history repeats, and I'm pretty sure it will, they will crash and burn.

[Fred Sanders]

49. Christians in a secular state do not try to interfere with political policy and would respect

secularism and actively protect the secular state they agreed to live in and are privileged by.

These folks are not Christians, they are extremists.

[alfredo]

73. Separation of church and state is biblical.

"And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marvelled at him." Mark 12:17 King James Bible.

[lark]

41. Oh, so, wrong!

How do you know they attend church and tithe? They don't walk the walk or talk the talk. Santorum and Romneys wives both had abortions, yet they want no abortion for any reason, even life of the mother, for anyone else. They walk and talk like evil doers and hate the ways Jesus preached. they hate the poor and Jesus said to take care of them. They want the poor to die from bad health so that the richest of the rich can be even richer. God is ashamed of them and I can hardly believe you are standing up for pond scum. Do you also sing the praise of Catholic priests that are pedophiles?

[mountain grammy]

44. I'm not singing their praises, I'm just saying they are Christians.

Bible reading, church going, god fearing Christians. I know plenty of them. They are conservative, even teabaggers, but they are also Christians just like the pedophile priests are Catholic.

[ohheckyeah]

54. Not what the bible says:

Matthew 7:21-23New King James Version (NKJV)

I Never Knew You
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

[Lars39]

74. But we are not privy to all their sins and all their "wonders".

According to the Christian faith only God can make that determination. The rest of the Christians are not supposed to judge others., which means taking people at their word that they are Christian.
These people are Christians with neon bright sins.

[ohheckyeah]

78. I disagree -

The bible says you will know them by their fruit, not what they claim.

[PeaceNikki]

79. Judge not, that ye be not judged.

[Lars39]

85. Ah, but that fruit could be God's plan for them, therefore the other Christians should *not*judge.

On edit: left out the 'not'.

[ohheckyeah]

89. Frankly that's

ridiculous. Read the whole scripture.


And you don't know that I'm not a Christian.

[mountain grammy]

76. Ha, that's good. One verse. They can throw a thousand more back at ya.

you can justify anything with the bible, slavery and segregation are biggies there. Whatever, on any given day, the bible says what anyone wants it to say.

[ohheckyeah]

82. There are plenty of

verses for that position. I know more than most Christians and I understand the intent, which they don't seem to.

"You will know them by their fruit."

[mountain grammy]

95. I know there are and, honestly, I'm not dumping on your faith.

I respect people's faith, and many do good and wonderful things because of their faith and that's good, but too much evil is justified by faith. I think we have to acknowledge that and respect it too.
Good, faithful Christians have some pretty mean things preached to them on Sundays from the good book, and they have accepted the word and become quite influential in America. The establishment of religion is happening before our very eyes.

[ohheckyeah]

108. I don't know

what my faith is.

[F4lconF16]

77. Dude, the Bible says a lot of stuff.

I'd be willing to bet that not a single Christian today follows all of the shit that's in there. Sorry, but following a perfect interpretation of the bible is a horrible way to define Christianity.

And I'd repeat the stuff I said either upthread or in a another thread: if that's how you define it, than the Catholic Church is one of the least Christian organizations out there. Which is a ridiculous statement.

[ohheckyeah]

87. I'm not

a dude and that isn't an interpretation...it's what the bible very plainly says.

[F4lconF16]

98. Apologies; I even call my girlfriend dude.

A bad habit online.

[ohheckyeah]

93. I would be

willing to agree that the catholic church is oneof the least Christian organizations out there. I'm not sure why you would drag the catholic church into it.

[F4lconF16]

100. Because I think it makes the argument you are making plainly false.

If you are claiming that the Catholic Church is not Christian, then I think your argument has no merit, end of story.

[ohheckyeah]

126. And I

disagree - end of story.

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

81. I get your point, the same one Maher tries to make when he says Islamic terrorists

ARE representing their religion.

I am not saying I agree with Maher or you, necessarily, but I do get your point. I think

They call me an atheist for some reason, not sure why, probably cuz I dont believe in invisible people in the sky that see all and know all.

I think if we had NO religion, EVER, of ANY kind, we would have a whole lot less death and destruction.

We might still find shit to fight over like land and natural resources, but without religion I truly believe the deadly nature that is humanity would have one big less reason to kill over.

[mountain grammy]

84. I couldn't agree more.

[hifiguy]

97. Yep. "Doing skydaddy's will" allows people

the mental leeway to commit unspeakable atrocities. "We're only doing what gawd wants us to do!"

[lark]

166. I have a different definition of Christian.

I also don't believe that all of them go to church or read the bible, they sure seem very ignorant of what's in it. I don't believe they fear god, they do not follow God's teachings. God says to take care of the poor, they hate the poor and want to take all their money and dignity and give it to those who don't need it. God says to take care of the earth, they want to destroy it for $$. Remember the parable of the Philistines, how they pray on street corners and profess to love God but only love wealth and the "appearance" of Godliness, that's the teabaggers and most of the party.

I do agree that there are some right wingers who don't have hate in their heart, who aren't hypocrites and who do care about their fellow people, even the poor. My parents were an excellent example. They were politicized by their southern baptist church, but they were 100% honest and good people and had no hate in their hearts for "the others". There was no hypocircy, they lived the life they preached about. They weren't like the teabagger pols who have one set of rules for them and the rich (do whatever you want, it's OK, my wife needed that abortion) and a different set for the working class (abortion is a sin).

To me it's the hypocricy and hatred which makes so many fake Christians, not the politics.

[demwing]

121. "they have a personal relationship with Jesus"???

they have a personal relationship with Jesus in the same way that darkness has a personal relationship with the light.

[mountain grammy]

133. Just repeated what's been said to me..

It makes no sense to me.

[demwing]

153. oh c'mon! "All the denial in the world will not make them not Christian." ???

that's adamancy, not "just repeat(ing) whats been said to me" ?

[hifiguy]

173. Just how you can have a "personal relationship" with someone

who has been dead for 2000 years, even assuming he once walked the earth, is something I have never been able to make head or tail of. To this hyper-logical Aspie it's logically not one bit different than saying you have a "personal relationship" with King Tut.

[AgingAmerican]

148. They go through the motions of being Christian

But they do not share the same beliefs.

[hollysmom]

3. I have a friend that has lately hidden that she is addicted to FOX

I think we are getting to her, most of her friends are liberals and she hears us talk
any way, I had a discussion with her of how she got herself out of poverty - her husband died left her with 5 kids under 10 and no insurance and an empty bank account. She had family to turn to, but she did build a successful business chain.

anyway, she was saying that all the poor people should get off their asses and do what she did, start a business, as if it is that easy, She sincerely believes that anyone can get a job, her grandson (with a prestigious college degree) just got out of school and got a job, why can't poor people, All her arguments end with "well I did it". She never acknowledges the help, that she was educated (although apparently badly) and that she got money from the government for the surviving children.

[A HERETIC I AM]

4. I like to explain to people who are against any kind of government assistance....

that before Social Security came along (and yes, I know it is an insurance program, not really assistance) that the (edit here to be more accurate) one of the most common causes of unnatural death among the elderly was hypothermia.

Old, poor people froze to death in the winter as a matter of course in the 1920's and before.

[elleng]

7. 'Poor people' HAVE jobs,

many of them have more than 1 job. Their pay, however, is inadequate. You know this, but she may not. Thanks for working on getting to her. And tell her to pay her employees minimum wage+.

[SomethingFishy]

106. ^^This^^

I work 70-80 hours a week and still barely make ends meet, and that's not a minimum wage job it's a career.

[hollysmom]

150. of course, you are correct.

Look I argue what I can make this woman understand when I can. I think the fact she denies she watches FOX is a good sign, now to get her to understand what her privileges were that allowed her to survive is my next goal. If I tell he r the poor have jobs, she will decided they don't need help = baby steps. Now if she were good at math I would have a greater shot at it. I have no idea how she started a chain and how she survived her bad accountant. How bad? I was just talking about something I had to convince my accountant sister of as an relatively unknown deduction I had been taking for years (to be honest it was local to me and not in my sister's state) - and it applied directly to this woman and she was not taking this deduction - when she asked her accountant about it, the woman said - you never said you wanted me to take that deduction so this was not taken in the 7 applicable years! uh, that is the accountants job to ask.

you kind of have to personalize your arguments to some people.

[mountain grammy]

32. Wonder how she would have done that without

survivors benefits for the 5 kids. I had a friend with 5 kids who was divorced. No support from the deadbeat dad until one day when he drunkenly crashed his Harley and was really dead but no longer a deadbeat. Suddenly the survivors' benefits started and their lives got a whole lot better.

[hollysmom]

151. well, I brought that up and she looked confused, nest time we talk I will be more forceful

[Wellstone ruled]

5. Steady drum beat of

subtle distrust and envy of your neighbor or friends. Said this before,the Bircher's and their mouth pieces such as Lee Attwater and Karl Rove, are masters of the twisted message . It works and history says it works. People are wired to be envious of others.

[A HERETIC I AM]

6. "Thou shalt not covet" be damned, eh? n/t

[Aerows]

8. There are a certain group of Christians

that think they aren't "godly" if they aren't gossiping, berating and judging their neighbors.

You could pretty much call them Southern Baptists.

"Don't have anything good to say about anybody? Come sit by me."

That was a joke in a movie, but they *absolutely* mean it. They judge, and you are judged from the second you get out of bed in the morning. Judging isn't a hobby, it's a competitive sport.

[herding cats]

12. Yep. Hate filled, backstabbing hypocrites.

They tear everyone else down to make themselves feel superior. While they ignore the plank in their own eye.

These are the types who thrive on the looking down on the poor and endorse penalizing them for the sin of being poor.

[get the red out]

9. Right wing media

People are being literally being cheered on into their lowest, most hateful mentality. They do not have to be like this. The brainwashing has gone on for years, through the radio, the Churches, local news slant.

I will be honest, I know some VERY good people who are righties, they, personally, will bend over backward to help a friend out. They are very decent people, but they've been conditioned and a switch flips and the left is the cause of all the problems, and they are going to lose their "way of life', people on welfare live it up while others work hard, all that spew. BUT they really are good people in their daily lives.

[pansypoo53219]

10. divide & conquer. its not the RICH, blame the POOR! reagan's genie.

[A HERETIC I AM]

15. "I feel so sorry for the poor, but excuse me for a moment.....

while I park my boat in my boat"

[hifiguy]

36. There is no excuse for not marching people like that

straight to the National Razor. Yesterday.

[3catwoman3]

86. I fancy myself to be reasonably...

...well-informed. I had no idea one could park a boat within a bigger boat. Probably no elevator, tho.

[A HERETIC I AM]

101. You would be surprised.

Google "Yacht octopus"

Paul Allen, one of the co-founders of Microsoft owns a yacht called "Octopus".

It is currently the FIFTEENTH largest privately owned yacht in the world.

It is 413 feet long. That's basically a Navy Destroyer.

The "Tender" - the auxialliry boat......is...ready? Something over 60' in length! And it has it's own garage.

Now I don't begrudge Mr.Allen and his yachts (yes, he owns 3 "mega yachts&quot one bit. He was savvy in his early years and he profited from it. Good on him.


This thread isn't about Yacht owners, or even the very wealthy. It is about Republican politicians (and those that support them) who put forth legistlation designed specifically to punish people who have done nothing to them.

[el_bryanto]

14. That is pretty lousy. It doesn't seem in accord with the principles of Christianity I believe in

But then many of them would decry me as not a real Christian. What are you going to do?

Bryant

[Initech]

16. I'd be willing to bet good money that Ayn Rand has a lot to do with it.

[MynameisBlarney]

17. 20+ years

Of hate radio & tv will do that to a person.

[The Wizard]

18. Nietzsche was right (NT)

[abakan]

19. Bravo!

[appalachiablue]

21. 'Prosperity Christians', the new kind justify their wealth from selected passages in the Bible.

aka 'God wants you to be rich!'.

[world wide wally]

22. Forget Christian, Muslim, Buddhist or anything else.

Why can't people just be good and decent?
It works out so much better that way

[F4lconF16]

26. The human race is long past due to grow up.

Though when you look back through the years, what's happened is about what you would expect from historical conditions. We make progress, but it takes a long time because of self-interest. That's pretty much what it all boils down to, imo. When people become convinced that the good of all is in their own self-interest, we can make not just strides of progress, but leaps and bounds.

But yeah, I swear, I look at the world every day and wonder, how f@#$ing hard is it? C'mon, people.

[hifiguy]

34. If the species is to progress, it has to outgrow its childish need

to believe in imbecilic Iron Age fairy tales. Once you even begin to comprehend the size of the universe you should instantaneously realize how unnecessary and laughable their tiny little "gods" really are.

[F4lconF16]

42. Exactly.

I have never, ever understood religion. Believing in a god, that, I think, there may be a case for (albeit a rather poor one). But any specific religion, or belief structure associated with it? I think that makes no sense at all.

[hifiguy]

45. Religion trades on fear of death and the unknown.

Always has, always will. Accepting that the human life is finite and comes to an absolute end is just too much for people to deal with, though I truly cannot imagine why. It has always seemed to me to be something that is perfectly easy to understand and accept as the natural and necessary order of things. But then I am a hyper-logical Asperger's person.

[F4lconF16]

58. Yes, it absolutely does.

You're not the only one who doesn't understand the fear of death. As you say, it's but the natural order of things. Things were not, then they were, and then they are not. For whatever reason, it's just never bothered me. I always kinda liked the way this put it:



As I'm also someone who doesn't believe in the concept of free will. As far as I can determine, I am made up of elementary particles of things, that may or may not be elementary, and I am the product of of an immense number of interactions of those particles. Those particles behave by universal laws, though maybe those laws are not always immovable (quantum physics is...very cool). They govern who and what I am. I really don't understand how anyone who has a basic understanding of what the world is made of can believe in free will--it makes absolutely no sense. There is no ethereal force that we can use to affect a physical world.

On the other hand, I absolutely believe in the illusion of free will, and with it, I plan to live the life I've got with everything I have, till the day I die. And maybe when I'm gone, the people who come after me might find a slightly better place for their lives.

[hifiguy]

65. Physics, especially theoretical physics,

is my current obsession. Been reading Brian Greene's books, The Elegant Universe, The Hidden Reality, and am 2/3 of the way through The Fabric Of The Cosmos. Brain-bending and immensely enlightening stuff.

Quantum mechanics is fascinating and baffling, especially "delayed choice" and non-locality, which defy everything even Einstein took for granted. I don't get parts of it, but then even a certifiable scientific genius like Richard Feynman once said that "if you think you understand quantum mechanics you don't understand quantum mechanics." That makes me feel better about not getting some of the subtleties.

[F4lconF16]

83. I love those books!

I've made it through the Elegant Universe and the Hidden Reality, and I haven't yet started on the Fabric of the Cosmos--I got distracted by feminism and socialism

As for understanding, I won't even pretend I grasp a significant chunk of it. Utterly confusing and wonderful, at the same time. I figure that if I can make sense of about half of what is in those books, I'll be happy. Luckily I think I was able to get most of it--just not the technical aspects, usually. Thankfully my physics and mathematics background is decent enough that I can get my brain wrapped around enough to make it meaningful. I hold no hope of understanding more than that.

Happy reading, and may your brain forever be twisted into knots

[hifiguy]

91. Greene has an almost Sagan-like knack

for writing about incredibly complex and abstract topics in a way that is accessible to smart people who don't have the math. I actually can get a grasp on most of the concepts except for the weirdest ones in quantum mechanics, but I am hopelessly mathlexic. Multiple universes is the most thought-provoking thing I have encountered in quite a while, and to me it actually makes a certain amount of intuitive sense.

I wish I'd gotten the math gene so many other people on the spectrum have. I'd have become a cosmologist or a theoretical physicist instead of going to law school.

[F4lconF16]

107. He does, and I enjoy his writing, too.

In more than just an accessible way--some writers just make me want to keep reading, and he is definitely one of them.

See, for me, multiple universes has always left me hopelessly lost I can never figure that one out. Whereas I have no problem with things like non-locality or the idea that you change the past (kinda--I suppose it would be reasonable to say that there really is no past, present, or future, but only different reference frames).

Hey, we all are born ourselves. I think as much as we might wish that we could have studied one thing or another, it's what we made of what we did that counts (also, read that as cosmetologist--I was a little surprised to see that there )

[Roy Rolling]

23. Self-righteous

Sorry, folks. Being self-righteous about NOT being a Christian is equally as offensive as hypocritical self-righteous Christians. That is the same approach, that when it gets religions, becomes unbearable. Know-It-All-ism is the disease, and a dose of humility is the cure.

I often don't know nearly as much as I think I know.

[A HERETIC I AM]

27. Are you talking to me?

I'm asking a question. Why are republicans so mean?

The fact is, the overwhelming majority of the legislators putting forth the kind of laws I referenced in my OP are from people who identify as Christian.

THATS the only reason I brought it up.

The hypocrisy is clear, even if you don't see it

[F4lconF16]

29. Who here said that?

You're attacking people who have been "self-righteous about NOT being a Christian", but the only thing I have seen in this thread is the exact opposite: being self-righteous about being a "real" Christian.

But a nice dig at everyone who identifies as something else, and are proud to be so. That's the only thing you could be doing, considering no one here said what you claim.

[valerief]

25. I guess Christianity is, for the most part, just plain mean. nt

[whathehell]

47. Certainly no more so than Islam or Judaism..It's about specific followers and "interpretations".

[valerief]

51. Yes, organized religion is just plain mean. I'm most familiar with Christian meanness. nt

[whathehell]

56. I don't necessarily believe that "organized religion is just plain mean", but

we're all entitled to our own opinion.

[valerief]

60. I know we're all entitled to our own opinion. Why did you think I didn't know that?

I also know the capital of Kentucky and lots of other things.

[whathehell]

102. Goody for you

I was actually trying to express disagreement in a respectful way.

Given that it's DU, I guess I shouldn't be surprised to get snark in return.

Back at ya.

[PeaceNikki]

62. Agreed. They are about inclusion, exclusion, and good vs evil.

[valerief]

68. And their trump card is magic thinking. Getting people to deny what they

see with their very own eyes. If people can be brainwashed one way, they can be brainwashed any way.

[PeaceNikki]

72. It's true.

Fuck, I'm so glad I escaped that shit. I see my evangelical relatives preach that nonsense often.

[hifiguy]

31. They have been carefully trained and propagandized

by hate radio, fundy churches and what the Repuke party has become since the mid-1970s - the whole shitaree is a carefully coordinated and managed machine to gin up hate of everything that isn't white, stupid, "xtian" straight and wealthy. The machine now works 24/7/365 and has bought all of the major mass media outlets. The message is always the same and invariate. That is what best serves those who own the machine.

[arcane1]

55. And television too. How much of what's on tv is ridicule and humiliation now?

[hifiguy]

59. Good point. nt

[Enthusiast]

118. We must promote cruelty and intolerance to make the world safe for Fascism.

[URL=.html][IMG][/IMG][/URL]

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

90. Personal responsibility (wow does that sound familiar!) comes into play though, as I

have known a handful of "christians" who fall way short of what a christian really has to be per the bible, but are way better at it than these teaparty fucks.

These few I speak of believe abortion is murder and homosexuality is a terrible sin, but they dont judge others in an outward fashion. They hold those beliefs but you wouldnt know it by the way they treat others, I guess is the best way to say it.

So it is possible to hold the beliefs of a religion, many of which are bad or nonsense (beliefs, or dogma, that is) and still be a decent person.

Very few manage it, but it is possible.

So, in conclusion, since your typical American Taliban, aka TeaParTY asshole is a big believer in personal responsibility, lay a little of this on them...

The stupid bigots wont be able to manage it, but if they are, they deserve praise.

[hifiguy]

103. If the Tealiban were actually able to understand the concept of

a logical paradox, it would be effortless for sane people to make their heads explode en masse.

[Oneironaut]

37. "Believes employment best way out of poverty"

Create jobs then, dumbshits. Stop allowing Walmart to monopolize your entire state, almost guaranteeing more people needing assistance. Stop cutting job assistance and safety net programs. Stop allowing greedy assholes to pillage the middle class and send our jobs away.

They don't care. Typical, "I've got mine, fuck you!" red state leadership. Someone who makes $500,000 per year does not need another $100,000. They won't miss it. To a family with nothing, even a fraction of that amount is everything.

[whathehell]

48. Exactly. n/t

[calimary]

66. Welcome to DU, Oneironaut!

Glad you're here! You understand "IGMFU" very well (I Got Mine, F-U). That's the "phrase that pays" for that side of the aisle. They're the Party of Cain in my opinion. Remember Cain? Confronted by God about where Abel was, and Cain whined - "am I my brother's keeper?"

The answer is YES, Dammit! YOU ARE your brother's keeper! WE ALL are our brother's keepers! That's what the sign-off means when the speaker says "Take care of one another!" That's what the whole "do unto others thing" stems from. WE DO have to take care of each other.

Makes me think of the graphic I copied into my own downloads file - a quote from Jimmy Carter, who STILL knows a thing or two about what it means to be true Christians - as in - actual followers of Christ, and of His teachings:

[img][/img]

[RKP5637]

40. They are diabolical bully assholes, like the ones you knew in school and they've never

grown up. In short, they are shit heads! And their followers adhere greatly to the Stockholm Syndrome.

[StarzGuy]

52. I have asked the same question...

...to my two repuke senators in the great state of Arizonaee. No reply of any kind except to be put on their email list. So now I get senator McSame's web content. I started to laugh, then I almost lost it as I began reading through the talking points being given to me in a newsletter.

I am exactly opposite to what ever McCain and Flake are for. But, I live in a deep red state so I see no hope of unseating McSame as he is running for reelection, again. I've been in Arizona since 1977, never voted for McSame nor boy Flake, and never will in the future.

I also asked why is it that republicans hate disabled Americans? Again no answer.

In either case I hadn't really expected a reply of any but a form letter.

[d_legendary1]

53. Why are people attacking their religion when the assholes are just plain greedy?

They may go to church, donate some money, read the holy book, and do photo ops but at the end of the day they are counting the money that corporations have given them to ruin the state and increase their profits.

[A HERETIC I AM]

57. Do you really think the motivation behind the Kansas initiative was greed?

Is it your opinion that the legistlator in Kansas was greedy when he put forth the bill restricting those on public assistance from taking a cruise?

No. That's not greed.

That's flat out just being fucking mean.

[PeaceNikki]

61. Yup.

[world wide wally]

105. just flat out fucking stupid too

[d_legendary1]

160. Of course it was greed!

You take from the people who have very little AND you blame them for your own short comings. Greed and not giving a fuck go hand in hand when the only thing you care about is your own pockets.

[truebluegreen]

63. They are broken, mis-formed humans...

Raise a child in a coercive, authoritarian manner and you end up with empathy-free self-righteous 'bots to direct as you will. Are all Christians like that? Of course not, but the conservative ones certainly trend that way.

[PeaceNikki]

70. They are also taught the good vs evil shit.

They foster a belief system that people or systems are explicitly one or the other. You're going to heaven or hell, you're good or evil, never any shade of gray.

[G_j]

67. Attacking endangered species protections

wanting to sell off the national forests. They are like the Orcs out of LOTR.

[V0ltairesGh0st]

69. the hard and short truth is .....

YOU have to get mean BACK !!!!

[gwheezie]

71. the negative fallout of being christian rightwing

True story of a neighbor. Then 17 year old daughter becomes pregnant by boyfriend in college. Being s Christian dad forbid abortion. Insisted they get married. Boyfriend and daughter did not want to get married. Dad forbid any kind of financial government assistance yet ordered daughter out of home to what? Get a job? Mom wanted family to stay together to help daughter and unborn fetus. Dad insisted get married or get out. Mom and daughter left home. Dad proud he forbid abortion and drew the line that only moral christian option was to get married. Fast forward dad is alone. Has no contact with daughter and grandchild. Daughter is living indrndently with assist from government and going to school. Father of child also assisting in support now ex wife has her own business. Rightwing christian neighbor alone and angry that liberals ruined his family.

[A HERETIC I AM]

88. Fascinating.

In an incredibly morbid, for lack of a better term, way.

Utterly fascinating.

[mountain grammy]

110. I've see a variety of that story a few times during my life..

and it's always the liberal's fault.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

92. Reagan used to talk about the "thousand points of light" the poor could turn to...

Turns out they had burned out bulbs.

Then you have people who claim government should give money to (white) churches to help the poor but not help the poor itself because "government" by definition is wasteful and can't do anything right (like give ONLY to white folks).

[longship]

96. I spent 18 years in Kansas, much of it highly involved in Dem politics.

Many of my good friends from those days have died. Steven Hathaway who ran for state rep. John Stanga, a PoliSci professor at WSU specializing in constitutional law (one of the smartest persons I ever met), who lost a Wichita City Council election. And Ralph Ross, who was one of the most dear and lovable yet unflappable politicos in the state, a former Sedgwick County party chair who kept his untiring political advocacy.

I remember the abortion clinic protests and Wichita mayor Bob Knight more or less endorsing them. We know where that ended.

And Democratic Governor Joan Finney allowing the death penalty to return to Kansas. At the state convention I told her to her face that if she did not veto it, how could she claim any ethical mandate. (She ran as a known Catholic.) She let it go into law without her signature, a spineless way out.

Now Kansas has been taken over by the Christofascists, which is precisely what we were fighting in the 80's and the 90's there.

Thankfully I now live in Michigan. Unfortunately we have the Michigan GOP here. Also taken over by Christofascists, funded substantially by the DeVoss family who all but own Grand Rapids and whose money comes from pyramid marketing lousy soap (AmWay), and exporting war (Black Water), but whose ideology is Dutch Reformed Calvanist fundementalism. It must be that predestination shit, or something.

And these idiots have majorities in both state houses, thanks to Gerrymandering. We also have a mostly spineless Republican governor, who claims moderation.

I think I am going to be ill.

[A HERETIC I AM]

104. I lived in the Detroit area all through the 90's.

And since then, I have watched Michigan politics from afar.

It is a shame what has happened to a state I grew to love.

[longship]

113. Born and raised in Detroit.

Graduated from Cooley High in 66. Yup, unlike many who claim to be from Detroit -- Cough! Eminem! Cough! -- I actually lived in Detroit for my first 38 years. I love how pretenders stake the claim. NOT!

I remember street cars on Woodward Ave and Livernois. I remember taking them downtown to shop at Hudsons. And I remember going to Briggs Stadium to see the Tigers play.

Detroit is my home town. I went to Wichita to work at Boeing after graduating university.

Thanks for the response.

[A HERETIC I AM]

134. The closest I lived to the city limits was the corner of Wyoming and Diversy, north of Warren,,,

in Dearborn, almost due north of the River Rouge facility

I rented houses in Dearborn (2 addresses) Redford and Inkster and an apartment in Farmington Hills.

I first moved to the metro area in July of 1989. I left my last place in Inkster after almost 10 years exactly.

When I first moved there it was the height of the Dr. Kevorkian era! By then, Downtown was nothing like the days you remember, I'm sure.

Based on your grad date, you are 11years older than I am.

Cheers!

[longship]

135. My best to you!

Skäl!

[Matrosov]

111. Fear

Fear makes them mean. The world is changing. The country is changing. Regardless of which party is in power, it's undeniable that everything has seen a steady push toward the left over the past few decades. African-Americans can drink at the same fountains as whites. Homosexuals are allowed to marry in more and more states. The influence of the church is in a steady decline.

Conservative America is slowly but surely fading into the past, and present day conservatives are full of fear and anger because of it.

[A HERETIC I AM]

112. I get that. I put up an OP with that theme last week.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026427459

They see their influence on the wane and they don't like it, not one little bit.

I fear it will get a LOT worse before it gets better.

[GoCubsGo]

132. Yep. Well said and spot-on. n/t

[Enthusiast]

114. The Republicans believe their own propaganda.

They believe the needy are mostly black and Hispanic lazy moochers and welfare fraudsters that drive a Cadillac and eat steak and lobster. They feel their meanness is justified.

[DawgHouse]

116. They used to keep their bigotry and hatefulness

to themselves. But for the past few years, the normally quiet have become emboldened by the brazenness of the open bigots. JMHO

[YOHABLO]

122. Republians don't hate other Republicans, they just hate the rest of us. They love their money more >

than anything.

[mallen]

123. 80%! what are you on?

exaggeration and contempt seem like christian values to me. what does being a asshole have to do with assholes that fake everything.they don't care about other humans,plain and simple.they have theirs,and they want yours.we are not a christian nation.we are a nation of humans.power and control is the main tenant of most religions.

[NRaleighLiberal]

127. don't forget fear - and welcome to DU!

[Hamlette]

124. conservatives mean because they believe people are "bad" and no government help will change them

If your world view tells you helping people will do no good, giving them anything is a waste.

The next step is, if people are inheriantly evil, and nothing government can do can change that, then you changed it in yourself BY yourself. You overcame and are better than everyone else.

The next step is you feel entitled as in "I earned everything I got". Everything you have you got because overcame your nature, worked hard and became good. All on your own. No one helped you. See, if you admit someone helped you (your family, that you were born into the middle class in the United States, the government etc) your whole world view falls apart.

And it pisses them off when someone "gets" more than they do. They got it because they cheated or were given preferential treatment, or used government hand outs.

If you feel entitled to everything you have, you quickly resent every cent of YOUR money going to anyone, especially "blacks" who have made your life so much more difficult/miserable by getting all those things at your expense. Had it not been for a black being promoted over you, you'd be better off. Why should you have to pay for them to get the "best medical care in the world"? There is no paying it forward because you don't owe anyone for anything. (No wonder they need Christianity to breathe a little humanity into that awful world view.)

I work with a woman who hates all welfare because when she was a young mother and "struggling" she saw someone in the grocery store check out who had a pretty little girl's dress in the cart. And the woman paid in food stamps. Some 30 years later, it still pisses her off. Why should HER money buy that woman's daughter a pretty dress when she could not afford one for her own daughter.

[raccoon]

154. Something's not clear here--food stamps doesn't pay for clothes.

who had a pretty little girl's dress in the cart. And the woman paid in food stamps.

Other than that, good post.

[Hamlette]

175. I challenged her on that

her response was "if my tax dollars were not paying for her food she wouldn't be able to afford the pretty dress".

Since both of us work in the "welfare" and food stamp (and unemployment) office, we both obviously knew it.

[raccoon]

176. Thanks for clarifying. That woman sounds like a hopeless case. nt

[HockeyMom]

128. What you do to the least of mine,

you do to ME. Something like that from my Catholic school days 50 years ago. They don't want to think about that quote, do they?

[blkmusclmachine]

130. n/t

[MicaelS]

131. They sincerly believe they are hardworking and upstanding citizens.

And their hard earned money is being taken from them via taxes and given to a bunch lazy people who don't want to work hard enough to achieve "The American Dream."

That is make take on it in a nutshell listening to various Republican and Libertarians.

Also, many Conservative Christians think that government should not be in the business of "charity", it should all come directly from the churches.

Christian Charity and the Welfare State

http://www.christianity.com/11649056

There is near universal agreement among Christians of all political stripes that one of our great privileges and duties is to do charitable deeds. Where we disagree is on the question of whether the secular authority of the state should be an agent of Christian charity. To some, such an alliance seems logical; to others, it is a non sequitur to conclude that, because we are expected to perform acts of charity, we should enlist the state to help us.

Charity is abused when those who are capable of working, but prefer to accept a handout than lift a finger in productive labor, divert scarce resources from the minority of truly needy persons who are absolutely incapable of caring for themselves. There are those who assert that there are no “undeserving poor,” but the Bible contradicts this assertion. Proverbs 10:4; 13:4; 19:15; 20:13; 23:21; and 28:19, 22 all declare that moral weaknesses, such as laziness and foolishness, may be the cause of poverty.

[ybbor]

136. They believe that the poor should never enjoy anything.

They should never be allowed to know what a steak taste like. If only once a year.

They should never know what it's like to have nice things. If only one.

They should never get to see someplace nice, that is travel. If only once in a lifetime.

They should only live in squalor, eat shit, look like shit, and for gods sake act like their poor!

And never let their kids know any different!

They, republicans, are the definition of pure evil!

[KT2000]

138. they believe in sterotypes

not real people. Their hatred makes them feel superior.

I recall when the government was giving out cheese. A friend's very wealthy uncle was so upset that people were getting free cheese he drove his Cadillac to get some for himself. Hence - the Cadillac driving "poor" person was really a hate-filled republican. He got his cheese.

[moondust]

139. Elysium States

I suspect this may be a deliberate strategy some red states are using to try to drive away the poor while attracting the rich. Creating a haven for oligarchs to come and live in luxury, invest and spend lavishly--unburdened by poor people and taxes--will make the politicians popular among the oligarchs and bigots they need to keep getting elected. Not expanding Medicaid is another part of the plan to make life miserable for the poor until they pack up and move to more hospitable states.

[AgingAmerican]

142. Their ideology codifies sociopathy

...and narcissism. They see empathy as a weakness. Empathy is what makes us 'Human'.

They are anti-everything and for nothing. They suck.

[Zorra]

145. Really shitty parents teaching their kids to be really shitty people.

It's a vicious cycle.

[McCamy Taylor]

147. Fear.

[raven mad]

152. I had a really nice person come over -

with a handful of tracts. I said, no thanks, gave him a cup of coffee.................... THAT is a Christian.

[Dont call me Shirley]

155. Majority of Kansans are uppity closed-minded people who believe they are better than anyone else.

They have had this thought virus drilled into their heads for years and years. They have never really taken much care of the poor or the sick and dying. It was the same back when bob dole was senator. The difference between now and then is now their dirty little secret is out in the open for all to see.

[Hotler]

156. It's all about selfiishness.

Last night on All in With Chris Hayes, Chris ask the repug that was on from Kansas when they are going to control how framers spend their farm subsidies.

[PatrickforO]

159. Reminds me of the Jimmy Carter quote. That great man said,

"If you don't want your taxes to help the poor, then STOP saying you want a country based on Christian values, because you DON'T."

[Bettie]

161. They are Christians, technically

in that they believe that they have that "get out of hell free" card because they believe what they were told to.

Unfortunately, that "card" comes with carte blanche do do as they please. They have salvation, so it doesn't matter if they screw people over, individually and as a group.

Then we have the modern right wing version of Christianity, which is much more about punishing those who do not believe exactly as they do than it is about anything Jesus said.

Meanness of spirit is actively encouraged and praised. Kindness to others is on a case-by-case basis and only to be bestowed upon those you personally know and then only if it is received with the proper groveling gratitude.

(Note: I'm not a fan of organized religion of any stamp and am regularly disgusted by my many right wing "Christian" relatives.)

[DesertDiamond]

163. I seriously believe it starts in childhood because a lot of conservatives believe in beating their

children as a necessary part of parenting. And, though they aren't aware of it, a way to vent and feel powerful because it was done to them. Instead of turning their rage and hatred toward the parents that beat them, they turn it toward the outside world. That's my theory.

[drokhole]

165. "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me."

- Matthew 25:40

Straight from the big guy's mouth. Must've skipped over that one in Sunday School.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

167. hear here!!!!!!!!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Tsiyu]

169. Two Words:

FOX NOOS.

Everyone I know who regularly view that channel is infected with rage. FOX NOOS is propaganda that continually feeds these people's hatred and worst instincts.

The sad thing is, these people are generally uneducated and unsophisticated. They aren't equipped to discern what is fabrication and what is truth.

They actually believe Ailes and Murdoch and all of the Saudis and others who own FOX NOOS really, truly CARE about them.

They believe that OBAMA is the DEBBILL because FOX NOOS sez so and why would those bejillionaires who run FOX NOOS have any reason to lie?

People who watch FOX NOOS are like cattle with rings in their noses. They are led around by those rings, as evidenced by the fact that every single one of them will repeat FOX NOOS talking points verbatim. They are little dutiful hate-filled puppet bull slaves, led around by their noses at the beck and call of the very, very wealthy.

But they think they are free. And that the bejillionaires are the only ones telling them the truth.

Propaganda works, people.

[Hestia]

170. We are ALL responsible by reading Clickbait articles that further embolden the asses to make the

most outrageous statements because nothing ever happens to those who do and the media will keep on following and printing/posting these articles because they know real people will be tut-tutting over the statements - and all the while, while we are distracted with reading and commenting on these nonsense articles, the damage is being done in secret behind closed doors, which is where our attention really should lie.

and the beat goes on, and the beat goes on...

[Dr. Xavier]

171. I don't know if you remember when that right wing blogger

posted a photo of herself posing with an assault rifle, the bible, and the flag. She posted it with the intention of making liberal heads explode. Well liberal heads did explode (with laughter) after someone found and posted a photo of a Muslim woman around the same age; who was posing with an AK 47, the Koran, and her country's flag. Small minded people are the same the world over.

[Pakid]

172. They are Christian alright they just forgot that it Christ who they should be following

Instead they are busy following that other guy you know good old Beelzebub the real God of the GOP and right-wing America

[ballardgirl]

174. They are

Hatriots!