The point Mikey, is that fringe groups can overthrow a system. It doesn't always need to be violent. Stay on point.

You refuse to acknowledge that a fringe group of people want to fundamentally alter the fabric of American society and government. You refuse to acknowledge they have the power, even though it's demonstrably true (just look at the role Hollywood has played in shaping our culture). A small group can do amazing things when they control the narrative, and that was and is the long time goal of that fringe group. If the right fights fire with fire, we will lose American values. If the right maintains it's principles, the left will eventually overwhelm it. I believe we are close to that tipping point. 4 years? 12 years? Doesn't matter. Change is coming. The fringe will bring it. The majority in the middle will just wonder how it came to be like this. Well, I'm telling you.

Fringe groups cannot overthrow the system, unless the military and police forces decide to either fully participate in the overthrow, or stand aside and let it happen.
There are a lot of lessons you can take from Jan 6, that's just one.  
You need to acknowledge that that day was as fragile as our republic has been since 1865, and, that it was "your side" that did it.  Then we can have a firm basis for conversation about threats to the republic.

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January 6 was the closest thing we've had to an overthrow of our system of government, at the federal level, since 1861.

Overthrow or brief interruption?

What do you mean "brief interruption"?
It actually was a brief interruption. Thank God.
But it was an attempt at a permanent interruption. An attempt at an overthrow.
Is that unclear? Do you dispute that?
Mitch McConnell doesn't.

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My fellow southpaw Mark Brunell will probably always be my favorite Jaguar.

Mike, what the [BLEEP] are you talking about?

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"Mike is my boy. Backoff!"

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Mike, what the [BLEEP] are you talking about?

I ask you the same question, only more politely.
You wrote that we are at a precipice where only way to defeat the Marxists is by siding with fascists.
Which is imaginative hyperbole at best.
So I'm trying to bring you back to reality.  January 6 was just a month ago.  How do the events of that day fit with your thesis?

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My fellow southpaw Mark Brunell will probably always be my favorite Jaguar.

Okay, so the "state" does nothing (and preserves their values in the process) the marxists win and the country goes to [BLEEP].

Or

The "state" says they're not going to take this beating so they fight back, become fascists and the country goes to [BLEEP]. I

Outstanding.

Fortunately neither will happen.
Most people aren't marxists.
Most people aren't fascists.
Those tendencies will always be at the fringe, and unfortunately the people who believe them will get bones thrown their way from time to time, but ultimately our republic is stable enough that one or the other philosophy would need much, much more support than it has now to prevail.  This isn't Weimar Germany where you can become chancellor with less than 1/3 of the vote and the chancellor gets to do whatever he wants.

Most people aren't racist or homophobic yet that is what is being shrilled from the mountaintops of MSM and the progressive left. Those types are fewer than most people think but you would think the average white person is a closet KKK member according to the screaming minority. 

Germany and Hitler and all that was a long time ago. History can and often does repeat itself to varying degrees because the people who believe in the extreme ideologies never go away. Just ask the Middle East. The Taliban and al Qaeda are still around. They're not going away as long as just one of them, and it only takes one to still believe and teach someone else and the cycle starts all over again. 

Don't be dumb enough (willfully ignorant?) to think the current rhetoric is not shaping the opinions of people against this country's interests in general and that it won't be an issue. I may not particularly like you or your opinions but I know you're not stupid. You're not stupid, right?

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Mike, what the [BLEEP] are you talking about?

I ask you the same question, only more politely.
You wrote that we are at a precipice where only way to defeat the Marxists is by siding with fascists.
Which is imaginative hyperbole at best.
So I'm trying to bring you back to reality.  January 6 was just a month ago.  How do the events of that day fit with your thesis?

He did not say that at all. Read what he wrote again. Or my Cliff's Notes version neither of which say that. I'm not spelling it out for you.

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Yeah, Mike tends to hone in on something and instead of taking something in context, he argues with his interpretation of it. I was distinctly lamenting the fact that fighting fire with fire would destroy American principles. Not advocating for it. I think conservatives are in a lose/lose situation. I'd be open to hearing the alternatives, but most people here that disagree with me have their head buried in the sand. The zeitgeist of the American is moving towards progressivism, and the mechanisms for overcoming it peacefully have been rendered moot.

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I agree with you. I wish I was as well read on the subjects so I could have meaningful conversation or debates, but it's not something that was ever in my mind to read about. The first 38 years of my life was about surviving. The moments I had for fun were spent in books by Michael Connelly, John Sanford, WW2, biographies and autobiographies, etc. The last 9 years has been a time of settlement and learning to live in place and relative peace as opposed to the chaos I was used to. What light reading would you suggest to start with?

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Well, I kind of have ADD, so it's not super easy for me to read. In the past, I read a decent amount of history and philosophy, but not so much any more. These days, I tend to only read studies or articles that get brought up in debate or lectures that I am listening to. I don't really like to trust people in this politicized climate, so I will often skim through these studies to verify the information is true. Oftentimes, this will lead me down a rabbit trail as I compare new data to older studies to get a less slanted view. That kind of stuff is pretty boring, though, and I try to avoid it unless it seems necessary to challenge my world view.

I listen to a LOT of online lectures from various professors, and I try to stay balanced. If I listen to a conservative, I listen to a Marxist. I want both the critique and rationale for an idea. A lot of what I listen to is long form, though, so you have to be ready to settle in for a while. My favorite intellectual at the moment is James Lindsay. He's a mathematician that became interested in the social justice movement. He wrote a series of articles that won him awards in social justice circles, but he was just doing it as parody to expose the movement as a sham. As he learned more about it, he began sharing it with people online. He does a VERY good job of taking complicated principles and distilling them into digestible chunks. Like most people taking large works and condensing them, he won't be perfect, but he'll get you close enough. His worst critique is in the post modern movement (which is a problem for everyone), but he is getting better as he studies it more. I would really throw on his podcasts if you want to get the best bang for your buck.

One of my favorite Marxists to listen to is a Pakistani  professor named Taimur Rahman. He is really well learned and does a great job of passionately sharing philosophic principles from various authors. Some of his videos aren't in English, so if you end up on something speaking gibberish, try a different one. I'll post one of his lectures below.

I also listen to a lot of speeches given by influential figures to their base. As I am typing this, I am listening to Mark Bray, writer of the Anti-Fascist Handbook, give a speech to a bunch of students at Dartmouth. I feel like you can learn more about genuine motive when you get outside of what it produced for us to consume. The raw versions are always more revealing.

I probably watch between 5-10 lectures a week, and I will link a couple that I watched last week.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rf8YpfTCXLs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Fe9PUFW0Uk

Watched both 1 and 2 of that lecture. If that interests you, I will start sending you videos I watch.

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Word of caution, Taimur is a very persuasive and knowledgeable speaker. You might not want to watch his stuff on Marxism if you don't want to have your world views challenged.

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Thank you. I have the ADD issue as well. Fun times but reading is my escape. I need it. I'll check these out. I don't mind being challenged as I believe we can always learn something new even if we don't agree with it. I don't have to agree with someone to appreciate their perspective. It's when I'm being forced to accept something is when I have a big problem with.

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Well, if you want to read something that gives you insight into ANTIFA, read a book called Beautiful Trouble. It's a snapshot into how social radicals can effectuate change. You will get an understanding for how many of these "random" events are actually very calculated. Cynical Theories would also be a book I would recommend. The first book is written by activists, and the second is written by a critic of activism. I'd also be down for doing a book club, if anyone was interested. We could look at a history, philosophy, or organization. I don't care.

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Interesting..

https://summit.news/2021/02/17/why-did-c...ter-35000/

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This can’t be real. Can it?

https://summit.news/2021/02/08/tom-brady...ory-month/

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This can’t be real. Can it?

https://summit.news/2021/02/08/tom-brady...ory-month/

Why are you acting racist all of a sudden?

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“An empty vessel makes the loudest sound, so they that have the least wit are the greatest babblers.”. - Plato

Why is the background on this message board white? Y'all are some racist [BLEEP]!!

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Looking to troll? Don't bother, we supply our own.

 

 

Why is the background on this message board white? Y'all are some racist [BLEEP]!!

Mine's African American.

#woke

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“An empty vessel makes the loudest sound, so they that have the least wit are the greatest babblers.”. - Plato

Why is the background on this message board white? Y'all are some racist [BLEEP]!!

Mine's African American.

#woke

I kind of chuckle every time I see that phrase used.

My friend's (white) wife was born in Africa to military parents who were stationed there at the time.  She actually has dual citizenship.  When they were applying for a grant when opening their business she put down that she was "African American" on the application.  The grant was approved.

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There are 10 kinds of people in this world.  Those who understand binary and those who don't.

Why is the background on this message board white? Y'all are some racist [BLEEP]!!

Mine's African American.

#woke

You have used the word mine's in the Caucasian connotation. You are a friggin racist obviously.

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Looking to troll? Don't bother, we supply our own.