AZGrizFan wrote:∞∞∞ wrote:AZ - I actually sit here and feel bad for you, although I know you don't care for my pity.
It's just that you live by an oath, yet the same oath would be swept aside by the courts if you went through with your suggestions. And the Constitution your oath so vigorously defends does not care to defend you in the same way; in fact it would be kinder to the other party.
I don't disagree that the Constitution is a mean to the goal, but we can differ on the means without differing on the goal. That shared goal - not the means - is what makes us both Americans.
Yeah, don’t weep for me. I am doing just fine, and sleep very very well at night.
Trip, you live in the greatest country on the planet, a country that has given you (a minority and first generation American?) a broad array of opportunities that (based on what you’ve posted) you’ve been able to take full advantage of to advance yourself in your education and your life. And yet you singleminded want to tear down that very country, driven by some misguided and misplaced “empathy” for some mysterious group who, were they in literally ANY OTHER COUNTRY would be significantly worse off. You have a misplaced need for a “level playing field” when no structure, anywhere, will provide that.
We differ on the goal AND the means, trip.
Means: I believe it’s perfectly acceptable to promote and affect change to the existing Constitution through established means. We’ve been through that argument ad nauseum. I do NOT believe it’s ok to promote what would amount to anarchy: the disposal of the constitution altogether and the dismissal of the constitution as a mere “tool” for outlining the operating of government. That may be true of most constitutions, in countries where anarchy and war are commonplace, but OUR founding fathers actually hit a home run and got it right. We live in the richest, most powerful country on earth, the envy of every other country (that’s why they flock here), with the richest poor, the richest rich, etc. etc. Are we prefect? No...is the document perfect? No...But to view that document as a mere tool is to do it (and America) a huge disservice.
Goal: I want limited, smaller government, out of our hair. I want limited, safety net social programs, not the myriad money sucking, economy-killing, initiative-limiting programs that we continue to add to on an almost daily basis. I want a government that provides for our defense, builds nice roads and infrastructure, has limited laws that impinge on capitalism, and generally just get the fuck out of the way. I believe in live and let live. Sleep with who you want. Marry who you want. Abort a child if you want. Do drugs if you want. As long as your decisions don’t affect ME, I couldnt’ care less. What I will NOT tolerate is some marginal fringe group trying to push THEIR agenda on me, and making broad generalizing statements like “the vast majority of Americans agree with me” in an effort to push that agenda.
I operate under the assumption that the ANTIFA-like troublemakers of today (include yourself with them at your peril), or some group similar to that will be the domestic enemies we may at some point be called upon to defend our way of life against—and I’ll have zero problem pulling the trigger in that scenario. Zero. Zip. Zilch. Nada. And if it ever comes to that (and I hope it doesn’t and don’t believe it will), honestly I’m not sure I’ll care how it’s viewed at the time. I’m sure there were lots of people in WWII Germany who later wished they’d put up more of a fight against the facism promoted by early Nazi Germany (and yes, that’s how I view the views of the alt left...just as dangerous). And please don’t go off on how Trump is just like Hitler, because OUR system does have checks and balances to prevent exactly that scenario.
