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Deb Hill's avatar

Bill is emotionally crippled child. And like the child who has never been told no, he will drop on the floor kicking and screaming at the adults who told him no.

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BB Borne's avatar

Mr. Grant, do you simply wish to flip the script and insert the word Democrat for Republican in Mr. Bill’s article?

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Cecil A. Grant Jr's avatar

I believe that can be done, yes.

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BB Borne's avatar

Should we not just have a conversation and acknowledge the legitimate concerns that each side has? For example, I am a democrat who believes that immigration is a fundamental aspect of our society. Immigrants as a group should not be demonized. However, I agree that the problematic border issues need fixing. The problem is that public dialogue and debate about this and other pressing topics has become so positional, and extreme, that propaganda and gaslighting rhetoric frames the issues. We believe the people “on the other side” are monsters threatening our existence.

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Cecil A. Grant Jr's avatar

I agree. A conversation should always be had acknowledging legitimate concerns. I agree with your position on immigration. The challenge is finding someone willing to talk facts and not name call. I've had conversations with some people who think differently and I've learned a thing or two and adjusted my beliefs. As I said in my essay, too many people find it easier to call me and those like me names instead of debating the issues. Specific issues that need to be addressed were not mentioned in Mr. Bill's note. I don't believe you or anyone is a monster threatening my existence until you do something to me or someone else that proves otherwise.

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Dave Vierthaler's avatar

It is both concerning and scary that there are those among us that think like that and after “thought” come to those conclusions. Most assuredly their news sources are very limited and recite the same propaganda….MSNBC comes immediately to mind. To say he is unaware is an understatement. I would say he has succumbed to brainwashing.

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Cecil A. Grant Jr's avatar

Mr. Bill probably wishes Trump had been shot and believes it's Trump's fault that crazy libs are trying to kill him.

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michael w malsberger's avatar

Bill Penzey is the guy who once told his customers (of which I was one) to take their business elsewhere if he didn't like their politics -- so I did. I suspect that many others did also, because a year or so later he was begging us to come back (which I didn't).

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Cecil A. Grant Jr's avatar

Money speaks loudest as it's walking away.

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Mack D. Burke's avatar

You might also like this one on the cultural front...Was looking at this one in the Atlantic…

How the Church Helps Black Men Flourish in America

The structure it provides, along with the values it instills, strengthens employment prospects, family life, and more.

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/02/soul-mates-black-church-marriage/470760/

Looked him up, he is at UVA out of sociology. Interesting work…would think there is some bridge-building that could be done with the Black and Hispanic church tradition with White Christians. Interesting guy- out of sociology at UVA- likely a liberal in the sense that I am more used to...more of the JFK liberal...not sure what happened to them...

https://sociology.as.virginia.edu/people/brad-wilcox

A bit different than what you sometimes see come out of many of the gender studies or related areas- where the argument is often we are to be a “post-family society….which is the way Europe and other countries in the West are going as "the West does away with itself"

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Belle Moon's avatar

I'm a neurodivergent, chronically ill, bisexual, Atheist, freaky female and I'd vote for Trump if I could (I'm Venezuelan and not in the US). The issue isn't Republicans or Democrats alone though, I see many people who lack critical thinking skills (on both sides, but more on the left) and lack emotional intelligence. Politics has turned into the candidate I like the most personally and not the candidate that's better suited to guide the country.

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Cecil A. Grant Jr's avatar

-Politics has turned into the candidate I like the most personally and not the candidate that's better suited to guide the country.-

You speak the truth you freaky female LOL.

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Belle Moon's avatar

I try my best! My substack Nuanced Free Souls is all about speaking the truth, searching for nuance, and combining empathy with critical thinking. I hope to live up to my own mission 😅

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Mack D. Burke's avatar

It isn't so clear what the difference is between the liberal and conservative or Dem and Republican is...I always thought of them as referential- the debate is about what to conserve or keep? and what to liberate or change? No one approach works for everything all the time and every stage of history.

The old saying is "there can't be any progress without change, but not all change is progress" I think holds true currently. On Cheney and the Never Trumpers- they are called "neo-cons" for a reason- they are like conservatives but really aren't- some call them moderate socialists. Domestically they are more like progressives, they started out as but then became cold war warriors.

Maybe they had a place but they have lost their way...it is about defending the legecy of the middle eastern wars to them...and not having it be viewed like Vietnam. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neoconservatism

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trotskyism

Started by Irving Kristol (you likely saw his son Bill Kristol on Fox news every night promoting/defending the war...)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irving_Kristol

The dems have embraced the New Left politics and there is a good case to be made the Neo-Cons are coming back home:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Left

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Tessa Lee's avatar

It’s the Democratic Party, not the Democrat Party.

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