United(?) States of America
 

I said in the other thread I'm taking a break, but of course the mind doesn't always let that happen...

So instead, I thought maybe we could have a thread equivalent to the Good News thread, but about the politics that unite us a country. What a great idea I thought to myself, until I tried to bullet point some of the uniting aspects of our country.

So to Chico, Punch, Mooby, G1, and Matty I ask for your help specifically. What are the things about the US that unite us a country. Political choices and thoughts which all of us agree on. My problem was that once you get past the platitudes (Mom, country and apple pie, land of the free), or the utopian idealisms (all people are created equal, or our constitution is the foundation of our country) , I can't find specific political policies that unite us.

So please, help me understand what unites us.

Thanks

Re: United(?) States of America
 

Beer

Re: United(?) States of America
 

[quote=MTK;1195662]Beer[/quote]
:food-smil:food-smil:food-smil
agreed

Re: United(?) States of America
 

Seriously though if we were able to have these discussions in person over a beer we’d probably find more common ground than we think

United(?) States of America
 

Great idea C Red. It is alot tougher to talk about what divides us rather than what unites us unfortunately. What unites us? We all want healthy happy prosperous lives for us, our friends, and our families. How do we get there? That is where we run into differences of opinions. Than we have discussions. Which up until a couple years ago was pretty easy to do. What divides us? Trump. It is that simple. I seriously think he has changed the landscape of what used to be simple conversation. Maybe if he could apologize, admit he was wrong, or just not lie about stupid shit than it would not be so difficult for us to come to terms with one another on our own differences. I mean it is no coincidence that the divide in this country has deepened since he became candidate Trump. When the guy at the top constantly plays the blame game and has an ego the size of Texas that he needs stroked constantly that all trickles down into what used to simple differences of opinions. It is like all or nothing now. It is terrible.
And i agree with Matty 100%. It is hard to really grasp someone’s demeanor on a message board. Sometimes we might come across angry or sarcastic when we aren’t really angry or sarcastic. So let’s go to the bar in a couple hours and continue this conversation. [emoji2]

Re: United(?) States of America
 

Anyway for the sake of this thread Ill try and pretend like Pence is President. Still think he is an Asshole but don’t feel my blood boil every time he opens his piehole. 🤪

Re: United(?) States of America
 

Ironically one of the things that unites us as a country is our freedom to have these conversations. Hell in alot of places half of us would be hiding from the rebels and the other half would be hiding from the government.
I have alot of close lifelong friends that are pro Trump, and we go at it on Facebook and it gets pretty nasty. But thankfully when we are out and run into each other we have a drink and laugh about it. Talk about our families and our lives and that usually supersedes or even prevents any future arguments. We come to the conclusion that in a few years this will all be over and the right and left will be more side by side than worlds apart.

Re: United(?) States of America
 

[quote=punch it in;1195671]Great idea C Red. It is alot tougher to talk about what divides us rather than what unites us unfortunately. What unites us? We all want healthy happy prosperous lives for us, our friends, and our families. How do we get there? That is where we run into differences of opinions. Than we have discussions. Which up until a couple years ago was pretty easy to do. What divides us? Trump. It is that simple. I seriously think he has changed the landscape of what used to be simple conversation. Maybe if he could apologize, admit he was wrong, or just not lie about stupid shit than it would not be so difficult for us to come to terms with one another on our own differences. I mean it is no coincidence that the divide in this country has deepened since he became candidate Trump. When the guy at the top constantly plays the blame game and has an ego the size of Texas that he needs stroked constantly that all trickles down into what used to simple differences of opinions. It is like all or nothing now. It is terrible.
And i agree with Matty 100%. It is hard to really grasp someone’s demeanor on a message board. Sometimes we might come across angry or sarcastic when we aren’t really angry or sarcastic. So let’s go to the bar in a couple hours and continue this conversation. [emoji2][/quote]

Ugh to the first part. I think since Bill Clinton/Newt Gingrich we have only grown more divided. Then 9/11 which united in rallying but really sent a strong backlash of division - i mean, alot of the division now comes from security issues which never took on the same level before 9-11. Then came social media, then came Obama, which led to Trump. Trump wasn't an isolated divisive factor , he may be the lava spewing out the top, or the crack in the ground after the earth shifted years ago, but i dont' think it started with him.

A bar sounds good.

Re: United(?) States of America
 

[quote=punch it in;1195673]Ironically one of the things that unites us as a country is our freedom to have these conversations. Hell in alot of places half of us would be hiding from the rebels and the other half would be hiding from the government.
I have alot of close lifelong friends that are pro Trump, and we go at it on Facebook and it gets pretty nasty. But thankfully when we are out and run into each other we have a drink and laugh about it. Talk about our families and our lives and that usually supersedes or even prevents any future arguments. We come to the conclusion that in a few years this will all be over and the right and left will be more side by side than worlds apart.[/quote]

This is an excellent point and post.

Re: United(?) States of America
 

[QUOTE=CRedskinsRule;1195675]Ugh to the first part. I think since Bill Clinton/Newt Gingrich we have only grown more divided. Then 9/11 which united in rallying but really sent a strong backlash of division - i mean, alot of the division now comes from security issues which never took on the same level before 9-11. Then came social media, then came Obama, which led to Trump. Trump wasn't an isolated divisive factor , he may be the lava spewing out the top, or the crack in the ground after the earth shifted years ago, but i dont' think it started with him.



A bar sounds good.[/QUOTE]



Didn’t mean to make it sound like it was all kumbaya until Trump. Lol. But I would say that divisiveness is at an all time high.
Can you guys make it to the Jersey Shore because I gotta work in the morning. [emoji22]

Re: United(?) States of America
 

[quote=MTK;1195662]Beer[/quote]
.........this.

Re: United(?) States of America
 

[quote=MTK;1195667]Seriously though if we were able to have these discussions in person over a beer we’d probably find more common ground than we think[/quote]

I agree but I all so think you will find it is a different thing for different people .We all have had different experiences growing up ....good and bad and to me anyway that is what forms us and our opinions.
I grew up in a very "Rockwellish" way ,I walked to school ..always grade school ,Jr High and High school and they weren't all right next to each other and no BS ..during the summers at the shore we never ever locked the doors to the house.We all ate dinner together (7 kids) and we were all taught by our parents to say yes sir ,no mam and please and thank you...all the time.I was born in 1956 which makes me a child of the 60's and early 70's and it was great and bad at the same time the bad ,both Kennedy's and Martian Luther King murdered and the Vietnam war and riots in the streets and then on the other hand you had the race for space ....the greatest music ever and sports seem a little bit more magical then. Even sex seem more wholesome then..no aids ,Playboy was awesome then!
People talked more to each other,no internet,no cell phones no video games and kids could get part time jobs,they weren't all taken by adults trying to make ends meet. It was all so a time I grew up ,as I mention the Vietnam war and there were 7 kids in my family , well there were 4 girls and 3 boys my oldest brother was declared 4F as was my youngest for health reasons so guess who was lucky enough to be the one that might have to go ...yup and yes my number was pulled but the draft had been stopped by then. Had a cousin who had already been killed over there so it made for some very interesting discussions with a Dad who served in WWII but as I told you my year of birth maybe you can understand that as a kid in grade school and hiding under your desk during drills could make you have differing opinions on Atomic bombs and Wars.
Now I fast forward to today's world and the two girls I have who are married to military personnel and I know what the guys and their wives and children go through all the time, so yes it to alters my opinion on things .
My point is all that is what to me has made America great,it's bad and it's good the one thing this country has always done,I mean always done is come back stronger after some tragedy but I do honestly not know if this country will ever come back from trump as president,yes I really mean that.
Sorry for the rant.

Re: United(?) States of America
 

Of course this country will come back from Trump. God is great.

Re: United(?) States of America
 

God must have one hell of a sense of humor, or he’s just plain evil

United(?) States of America
 

[QUOTE=MTK;1195763]God must have one hell of a sense of humor, or he’s just plain evil[/QUOTE]



Aint it the truth....wish I hadn’t said God. I hate to sound like a religious person. should have said the universe works in kind and mysterious ways.

Re: United(?) States of America
 

Progress isn’t always a straight line

Re: United(?) States of America
 

Amen.

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[quote=MTK;1195763]God must have one hell of a sense of humor, or he’s just plain evil[/quote]

If God controls the land and disease,
Keeps a watchful eye on me,
If he's really so damn mighty,
My problem is I can't see
Well who would want to be
Who would want to be such a control freak?

- Modest Mouse

Re: United(?) States of America
 

This thread is weird.

When you ask what unites us, are you asking for opinions on which we all agree? You won't find many of those.

Aside from that, a common will to survive. The times when the US was most 'united' came when there was a true existential threat out there. Nazi Germany and Japan. Great Britain during the revolution. Russia's cold war threat, particularly during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

We were divided during wars with enemies that didn't represent a true existential threat to us. Vietnam. Iraq. Some could see the logic in being there, others couldn't. But nobody felt the United States's very existence was ever remotely in jeopardy.

A common will to survive. That's the only thing that truly unites us. We don't have that much else in common with one another - speaking broadly.

Re: United(?) States of America
 

Well we'll always have the Redskins at least.

Don't want to stray off topic though, even though I can't think of anything ATM I like this thread Cred.

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Until everyone is willing to listen to each other and have a willingness of intellectual curiosity....I don't see much change.

Also need to keep an open mind to the fact media and social media companies are attempting to generate revenue by sensationalizing emotional issues to get emotional responses. They knows what works.

The idea of protesting someone's different viewpoint at Universities and Safe Spaces which allow for discrimination...what are we teaching kids? Run away or don't listen? This isn't progress when you have to buffer people because your so sensitive to a viewpoint.

Re: United(?) States of America
 

There are going to be the occasional issues where the vast majority of people agree. But to even get 90% to agree on something is rare.

But that's the great thing about this country, you can be one of those other 10% who just don't agree, and you're free to speak your mind, even if you make no sense.

Re: United(?) States of America
 

[QUOTE=Schneed10;1195834]If God controls the land and disease,

Keeps a watchful eye on me,

If he's really so damn mighty,

My problem is I can't see

Well who would want to be

Who would want to be such a control freak?



- Modest Mouse[/QUOTE]



Just got tickets to see them in October [emoji106]

Re: United(?) States of America
 

[url=http://abc7amarillo.com/news/local/billboard-on-i-40-asking-liberals-to-leave-texas-goes-viral]Billboard on I-40 asking 'liberals' to leave Texas goes viral | KVII[/url]

Type of thing that generally does nobody any good and segregates ideas. This is the type of thinking that worries me

Re: United(?) States of America
 

[quote=Chico23231;1195862][url=http://abc7amarillo.com/news/local/billboard-on-i-40-asking-liberals-to-leave-texas-goes-viral]Billboard on I-40 asking 'liberals' to leave Texas goes viral | KVII[/url]

Type of thing that generally does nobody any good and segregates ideas. This is the type of thinking that worries me[/quote]

Yup. :(

Re: United(?) States of America
 

Say someone I strongly disagree with on multiple levels of about everything, Bernie Sanders. There is a need for him as a voice of dissent against me for this thing called murica to work. I respect and recognize that his ideas matter. I think most would agree but just don't actually respect or practice this thinking in the long run.

Plus I like Bernie’s hair and delivery, even though he is a communist

Re: United(?) States of America
 

[quote=MTK;1195763]God must have one hell of a sense of humor, or he’s just plain evil[/quote]

I thought this when I had my third and final child and like the first two it was a girl!:banghead: