and who said that all Republicans/Conservatives are heartless?

[melm00se]

from Facebook:

Mike S. Adams (yes, this Mike Adams: http://townhall.com/columnists/MikeAdams/)

We went caroling tonight at an assisted living home in Wilmington. The best quote of the night came from an elderly woman who said "No one's ever come to sing to me before. You made my Christmas." They sang to us when we were young. Why don't we sing to them when they are old?

and before you get all worked up by how I have him on my Facebook feed, after all he is a slimy, neo-con, religious fanatic: I read him, like I occasionally listen to Limbaugh, Hannity and Beck, read Coulter and a few other right wingers. Why? You can't make comments and honestly analyze someone/something without gathering primary source material.

I really hate forming opinions based upon secondary, tertiary or further down the line sources.

[CBHagman]

1. The other day I went to the bookstore...

...to pick up a copy of Tear Down This Myth, which had been shelved in the wrong place. While going through the politics section with a fine-toothed comb, I noticed how the number of titles seemed to have proliferated, and that many of those were simply a variation on "We're right, those people are wrong," which seemed counterproductive, mostly because it means reading only what you agree with already and risk losing sight of the humanity of your political opponents.

So I applaud what you're doing. Perspective matters. Depth matters.

[Anakin Skywalker]

2. And tonight I hoisted a car all by myself to save a person trapped beneath it

Talk is cheap on the internet. Anyone can claim to have done anything.

[Democracyinkind]

3. That was you?

I was wondering how I was gonna thank you. I guess there's no need to call the news now anymore...

Anyways... Photo-Opping with the poor is not having a heart for them. Indeed, I think it's rather the opposite: Do you really think the Rep in your post would have done it for other reasons than PR?

It's like Palin in Haiti. I don't consider that charity nor do I consider that "having a heart for the poor". Anyone who is in congress and has " a heart for the poor" should be enacting legislation that shows it, not some stupid photo-up pie-in-the-sky shit that may make Granny feel good for one evening while she's going hungry the next.

Trickle-down PR-singing gags can't compensate for the fact that Congress and especially the R-side of it are engaged in class warfare against anyone who hasn't sammed his own personal American Dream fortune into existence yet.

[Anakin Skywalker]

4. Exactly! You said it.

RepubliCON/CONservative economic policies are consistently brutal towards the poor and working class. And then around Christmas they like to do a little PR campaigning.

I don't buy it.

[Obamanaut]

7. Photo ops are a common thing with politicians, all politicians, all the way

to the White House - especially T'giving and C'mas.

If it's a pol we don't like it's grandstanding, it we do like him/her/them then it is the most awesome thing since sliced bread. If we *really* like them, one can almost hear a host of angels singing through the computer speakers.

[Democracyinkind]

10. Photo-opping while simultaneously legislating for the poor is different from ....

photo-opping with the poor while screwing them with every bill you pass.

I can't and won't condone any politician photo-opping with the poor schmuck of the day if said politician spends all of his energy in congress legislating against the very people he just photo-opped with.

Of course that counts for dems just as much as for rethugs.

Of course there's always hipocrisy in politics, but taking smiling-it's-all-happy-and-neat-photos with the very people you're legislating into the economic purgatory is taking it too far.

[Obamanaut]

14. Here's a most interesting thread ->

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=9764371&mesg_id=9764371

Looks like money is being taken from the food stamp program to fund school lunch improvement. Or maybe I read it wrong. It I read it correctly, it seems borderline screwed up to me.

[Vinca]

5. Singing, fine, but what if Grandma asks for a social security increase?

[stray cat]

6. Heartlessness or compassion is not linked to a D or R -neither is the label friend or enemy

Poeple are not a D or R and each is an individual

[Lint Head]

8. If you voted Republican the blood of innocent men, women and children

are on your hands. Re-Pubics have gone over the line. Re-Pubics could reconstruct a replica of the Sistine Chapel and it would not bring back the tortured dead and useless slaughter of innocence nor forgive the blatant disregard for human life related to health care and conflict. All re-pubic-rats should repent, recant and start caring about the 'least of these'.

[melm00se]

11. WOW!

If you voted Republican the blood of innocent men, women and children...

big frigging stretch there...I doubt Stretch Armstrong could stretch as far as you appear to have done.

No where did I say that I did or would vote Republican.

All I said is what this one individual did, in this one case, is laudable and that I like to know what they are thinking so I can fight from an educated position rather than from a bastion of ignorance.

If that makes me a Republican, can you give me a ride down to the Election Bureau so I can change party affiliations?

===================================================================

This kind of attitude is EXACTLY why people don't like politics and, as I said in this thread (http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9762354 specifically post #41), anything that strays from the orthodoxy (as defined by fundamentalists) hints at a deeper, subconscious or unconscious flaw in character or thoughts.

Folks like this, who show some (imagined flaw) should be (metaphorically) stoned in the village square.

That attitude (and one that is becoming more and more pervasive here) is becoming quite tiring...

[Democracyinkind]

12. Any thoughts on the hypocrisy of it?

Since you actually follow the facts, and not the look of things, would you care to elaborate on Mr. Mike Adams stance and voting records concerning welfare and the poor?

This is not a partisan issue. It's just hypocritical to make photo-ops with the very people who you're legislating out of existence.

As for Adams character - I tried some fact getting myself.

I stopped reading after this:

"Officials on college campuses across the nation are alarmed at a wave of recent suicides involving Christians who have been harassed by homosexual activists."

http://townhall.com/columnists/MikeAdams/

Anybody willing to write that kind of tripe doesn't strike me as unrepublican (if you take republican in the "bad sense", that is)... Can't imagine someone writing this kind of stuff having much compassion for the poor. Agreed, that's a non-sequitur. So, since you're familiar with the facts - what has Adams done for the poor while in congress that would justify photo-opping with them?

[melm00se]

13. sure

from what I have read, Dr. Adams positions himself as a Christian and is a visiting professor at some fundamentalist college somewhere out west. based upon that I can hypothesize on his stance on the poor but i don't remember reading anything specific regarding the poor.

What Dr. Adams will tell you is that he takes a Christian approach to the poor which is one of personal giving rather than relying on the government to do what a private charity is capable of. Additionally, he will point out that while saying things like "I sang at..." is nowhere near what he does behind the scenes and when pressed for examples he will pull out the scriptural admonition on publicly proclaiming one's charitable acts.

As you couldn't get past: ""Officials on college campuses across the nation are alarmed at a wave of recent suicides involving Christians who have been harassed by homosexual activists." I'll summarize his "hot button topics" and what I think about them:
Of his opinions that I disagree with him are:

His stances on racism and sexism.

He really despises the UNCW (aka UNC by the Sea) Women's Center as he feels (and proclaims) that their behavior and presentations (which are contrary to his christian beliefs) would be met by vociferous protests if men or any rightward leaning groups were to hold similar events using the same...um...colorful words.


the on campus African American center is also a target as he claims that these groups do nothing more than promote a segregationist mindset. His logic is that the African Americans who belong to/run this center chose to segregate themselves from the mainstream university. according to Dr. Adams: Self-segregation vs forced segregation, what's the difference? (which, if you are illprepared, might find a certain level of logic which is the 1st step on the road to be persuaded)

me: on the surface both of these argument can be compelling but omits the the institutional/long term racist and sexist positions that were pervasive for decades if not centuries which can be best addressed via unity and education something that these centers provide. Additionally as it relates to colorful phrases, this akin to the use of the n-word. In some situations it is acceptable, especially when presented in a political or artistic context and by limiting those you limit the 1st amendment. If you drive straight through with these counterarguments you are well ahead of the game and can put them on the defensive.


Abortion rights - as a fundamentalist Christian he is off the charts when it comes to this.

me: this is a tough one to argue with anyone as it really leaves the factual realm and goes into the realm of hyper-emotional and then you feed in fundamental Christianity and you are better off disengaging as there will be little or, more than likely, no persuasion

There are others

Some things I sagree with him on:

Dr. Adams is an ardent 1st and 2nd amendment supporter (which is one of the reasons that he came on my radar).

On the 1st amendment side, Dr. Adams opposes overly broad and selectively enforced on-campus speech codes as well as a higher bar for some groups vs others for things like recognition. In this area, I believe that he has been party to more than one court victory. As a 1st amendment supporter, I can understand his stance and, when you remove ideology from the mix, he has an extremely laudable and defensible stance.

On the 2nd Amendment, he is almost an absolutist when it comes to the RKBA
I, too am a 2nd amendment supporter, but am nowhere near the point on the scale he is...and I am not sure that I would want to be.

One very positive thing I can say about Dr. Adams (from some of the videos I have seen of his events) is that he is a pretty good public speaker, very engaging and personable and is more than willing to address contrary viewpoints by engaging in discussion that is more than just a shouting match. He presents reasonable and cogent arguments (from his point of view) that, unless you are properly armed and prepared, are difficult to counter.

=======================================

at this point, you are surely thinking that I am a wolf in sheep's clothing..I am really a republican/right wing agitator who lurks and springs out from time to time. To that, I say...frankly...bullshit.

What I do is arm myself with their arguments so if one of them is brought up I:

- have heard it before
- did enough research to know if its (a) complete bullshit; (b) half truths; (c) logically inconsistent.
- depending upon which of the above guides me to which one of the counter-arguments I am going to use.

then I can address their "points" in a cogent, reasoned discussion rather than folding my tent and retreating, resorting to emotional based arguments or just plain old making shit up as I go along.

By reading thru their arguments and positions, you are prepared and you don't get ambushed. Perhaps this is because I am salesman and I am used to reading through contrarian points of view and have had the mantra "never ask a question you don't already know the answer to" hammered into my head.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

9. It's A Great Point

I have met Republicans who are the nicest people in the world but collectively they are selfish pricks.