Civil War 2? (2 Viewers)

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    Optimus Prime

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    Very sobering article
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    If you know people still in denial about the crisis of American democracy, kindly remove their heads from the sand long enough to receive this message: A startling new finding by one of the nation’s top authorities on foreign civil wars says we are on the cusp of our own.

    Barbara F. Walter, a political science professorat the University of California at San Diego, serves on a CIA advisory panel called the Political Instability Task Force that monitors countries around the world and predicts which of them are most at risk of deteriorating into violence.

    By law, the task force can’t assess what’s happening within the United States, but Walter, a longtime friend who has spent her career studying conflicts in Syria, Lebanon, Northern Ireland, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Rwanda, Angola, Nicaragua and elsewhere, applied the predictive techniques herself to this country.

    Her bottom line: “We are closer to civil war than any of us would like to believe.” She lays out the argument in detail in her must-read book, “How Civil Wars Start,” out in January. “No one wants to believe that their beloved democracy is in decline, or headed toward war,” she writes.

    But, “if you were an analyst in a foreign country looking at events in America — the same way you’d look at events in Ukraine or the Ivory Coast or Venezuela — you would go down a checklist, assessing each of the conditions that make civil war likely.

    And what you would find is that the United States, a democracy founded more than two centuries ago, has entered very dangerous territory.”

    Indeed, the United States has already gone through what the CIA identifies as the first two phases of insurgency — the “pre-insurgency” and “incipient conflict” phases — and only time will tell whether the final phase, “open insurgency,” began with the sacking of the Capitol by Donald Trump supporters on Jan. 6.

    Things deteriorated so dramatically under Trump, in fact, that the United States no longer technically qualifies as a democracy. Citing the Center for Systemic Peace’s “Polity” data set — the one the CIA task force has found to be most helpful in predicting instability and violence — Walter writes that the United States is now an “anocracy,” somewhere between a democracy and an autocratic state.

    U.S. democracy had received the Polity index’s top score of 10, or close to it, for much of its history. But in the five years of the Trump era, it tumbled precipitously into the anocracy zone; by the end of his presidency, the U.S. score had fallen to a 5, making the country a partial democracy for the first time since 1800.

    “We are no longer the world’s oldest continuous democracy,” Walter writes. “That honor is now held by Switzerland, followed by New Zealand, and then Canada. We are no longer a peer to nations like Canada, Costa Rica, and Japan, which are all rated a +10 on the Polity index.”…….

    Others have reached similar findings. The Stockholm-based International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance put the United States on a list of “backsliding democracies” in a report last month.

    “The United States, the bastion of global democracy, fell victim to authoritarian tendencies itself," the report said.

    And a new survey by the academic consortium Bright Line Watch found that 17 percent of those who identify strongly as Republicans support the use of violence to restore Trump to power, and 39 percent favor doing everything possible to prevent Democrats from governing effectively……



     
    Easy. The message is standing with Palestine. Not Hamas. People on both sides of this, Palestinian and Israeli both, have been subjected to some disgusting, inhumane stuff. Those are the people we should be standing with. The message is half-right in my opinion.
    The hang glider cancels out the support Palestine message IMO. What about a support Isreal post with a picture of a dead Palestine child?
     
    The hang glider cancels out the support Palestine message IMO. What about a support Isreal post with a picture of a dead Palestine child?

    Again, I agree that the image was decidedly messed up. I don't agree that the notion of supporting Palestinians is a bad thing. We should support everyone who wants to be free to live their lives without oppression.
     
    Just to clarify- you do understand that there is a difference between supporting Palestinians and supporting Hamas, right? Additionally, you understand that there is a difference between supporting a fight for freedom and supporting vile, disgusting, stomach-churning atrocities, right?
    No, there is no difference. They voted for Hamas to be their government. If you support Hamas in any way including calling for a cease fire (you are actually just supporting Hamas), you also support baking babies in ovens while the mother is raped.
     
    No, you failed again. You know why law enforcement was targeted. Tell you what let us ask George Floyd or Breanna Taylor.

    Your insipid comment about the Vietcong is meaningless. Your Reich Wing Fascist party and the fellow travelers I listed are self-explanatory. That includes Trump as well although he has no philosophy beyond grifting.
    Drugs and overdoses? That is why you think LE was targeted? I don't follow your thinking but then again, you believe men can have babies so you do you.

    I know, your team really has the high ground. They are one tweet away from supporting the murder of infants, (Hamas, not planned parenthood), the rape and murder of women (again, Hamas, not Hollywood) and the torture and death of the elderly (Hamas, not Canada). Great team you go there. It would be smart to believe everything they say.
     
    Again, I agree that the image was decidedly messed up. I don't agree that the notion of supporting Palestinians is a bad thing. We should support everyone who wants to be free to live their lives without oppression.
    Do you support them if their answer to 'oppression' (for the sake of argument, I will grant the notion of oppression, although that is highly arguable) is the rape, torture, murder and decapitation of infants, children, women and the elderly? If that is how those people want to fight oppression, they deserve the oppression and also deserve to not walk the planet any longer (how do you fellow travelers say....FULL STOP?)
     
    Easy. The message is standing with Palestine. Not Hamas. People on both sides of this, Palestinian and Israeli both, have been subjected to some disgusting, inhumane stuff. Those are the people we should be standing with. The message is half-right in my opinion.
    I think the message there is mixed at best with those words combined with the imagery. I take to mean support for Palestine AND support for Hamas.
     
    I think the message there is mixed at best with those words combined with the imagery. I take to mean support for Palestine AND support for Hamas.

    I can agree with that. Take the image and leave the words and the message is fine.
     
    Do you support them if their answer to 'oppression' (for the sake of argument, I will grant the notion of oppression, although that is highly arguable) is the rape, torture, murder and decapitation of infants, children, women and the elderly? If that is how those people want to fight oppression, they deserve the oppression and also deserve to not walk the planet any longer (how do you fellow travelers say....FULL STOP?)

    I don't support anyone who does that, period. Are you saying that every single Palestinian engages in those activities?
     
    No, there is no difference. They voted for Hamas to be their government. If you support Hamas in any way including calling for a cease fire (you are actually just supporting Hamas), you also support baking babies in ovens while the mother is raped.

    By this logic, it would be accurate to say you support Joe Biden because we, as a country, voted for him to lead the government.
     
    Drugs and overdoses? That is why you think LE was targeted? I don't follow your thinking but then again, you believe men can have babies so you do you.

    I know, your team really has the high ground. They are one tweet away from supporting the murder of infants, (Hamas, not planned parenthood), the rape and murder of women (again, Hamas, not Hollywood) and the torture and death of the elderly (Hamas, not Canada). Great team you go there. It would be smart to believe everything they say.
    Wow. Your first two questions are stunning. But you keep pondering on it and maybe it will come to you.

    As for men having babies you are a liar.

    As for murder of infants? Perhaps Israeli missiles and tanks are more accurate than Hamas but I doubt it.

    Great team you have there. Christofascist speaker of the house, brainless idiot as front runner for the Republican nomination for president. Paul Gosar, Empty Greene, Lauren Boebert, Chip Roy, Clay Higgins, Gym Jordan et al. Not a brain in the bunch.

    But you do you.
     
    By this logic, it would be accurate to say you support Joe Biden because we, as a country, voted for him to lead the government.
    Yes, that is correct. Joe Biden is my elected President. Just like Trump was yours when he was elected.
     
    I don't support anyone who does that, period. Are you saying that every single Palestinian engages in those activities?
    I have no idea. I don't know all of them, but I am pretty familiar with their religion so to me, it tracks. How many Christian and Jews live in Gaza?

    Well get ready, because the Palestinians plan to do it over over again. Why kill innocent women and children just once when you can do it over and over again to teach those jews a lesson, am I right? Here is a big boy talking big


    Oh yeah, and remember the big push to help our struggling students pay their student loans? These are the kids we are suppose to feel for and want to help? Yeah, count me out and as I have said in the past, when these animals show you who they are, believe them. That goes for the universities and academics as well.

     
    Wow. Your first two questions are stunning. But you keep pondering on it and maybe it will come to you.

    As for men having babies you are a liar.

    As for murder of infants? Perhaps Israeli missiles and tanks are more accurate than Hamas but I doubt it.

    Great team you have there. Christofascist speaker of the house, brainless idiot as front runner for the Republican nomination for president. Paul Gosar, Empty Greene, Lauren Boebert, Chip Roy, Clay Higgins, Gym Jordan et al. Not a brain in the bunch.

    But you do you.
    So you agree with me that men cannot have babies?

    Do you support Hamas and the 'military' action they executed on 10.7?

    Yes, I do like most of those you mentioned. They will at the very least be on the right side of history although I don't think many of them are very bright, they are politicians. How do I know the right side of history? The side that doesn't target specifically and kill specifically civilians, especially children. But yeah, keep backing your monsters.
     
    Yes, that is correct. Joe Biden is my elected President. Just like Trump was yours when he was elected.

    That's not what I said and you know it. By your logic, you are a Joe Biden supporter. Would you agree with the statement that you support the policies of Joe Biden and his administration?
     
    I have no idea. I don't know all of them, but I am pretty familiar with their religion so to me, it tracks. How many Christian and Jews live in Gaza?

    Well get ready, because the Palestinians plan to do it over over again. Why kill innocent women and children just once when you can do it over and over again to teach those jews a lesson, am I right? Here is a big boy talking big


    Oh yeah, and remember the big push to help our struggling students pay their student loans? These are the kids we are suppose to feel for and want to help? Yeah, count me out and as I have said in the past, when these animals show you who they are, believe them. That goes for the universities and academics as well.



    I have no idea what point you are trying to make. You seem so intent on gotchas and owning the libs that you are completely overlooking the point that I am trying to agree with you on most of what you are saying.
     
    So you agree with me that men cannot have babies?

    Do you support Hamas and the 'military' action they executed on 10.7?

    Yes, I do like most of those you mentioned. They will at the very least be on the right side of history although I don't think many of them are very bright, they are politicians. How do I know the right side of history? The side that doesn't target specifically and kill specifically civilians, especially children. But yeah, keep backing your monsters.
    So, you back groups that do kill babies, children and women as long as you like that group or groups. Got it. Thanks. As for right side of history? That is a laugh. Trump praised Hamas and Hez’bollah for being “smart”.

    The Middle East is a muddle and has been for centuries. Israel has a right to exist. Palestinians who were living along side Jews before the establishment of Israel have rights too. Hamas is a criminal organization. Israel’s hands are not lily white either. The Arab nations didn’t and do not give a schlitz about Palestinians as shown by their unwillingness to even think about acceptance of the UN agreement that established two states.

    As for you stupid, insipid question about men having babies? It is meaningless. And you like the idiots I mentioned will be on the wrong side of history regarding trans people.
     
    So you agree with me that men cannot have babies?

    Do you support Hamas and the 'military' action they executed on 10.7?

    Yes, I do like most of those you mentioned. They will at the very least be on the right side of history although I don't think many of them are very bright, they are politicians. How do I know the right side of history? The side that doesn't target specifically and kill specifically civilians, especially children. But yeah, keep backing your monsters.

    Nobody here supports that. Everyone here thinks it's wrong, it's sick, it's despicable. Maybe if you shut TF up and listened and engaged with people, you would see that. Instead, you want a win so badly that you accuse us of supporting that shirt. That's so messed up, Farb.
     

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