Merv's Politically Incorrect Audio Blog

Club Fed or a Supermax cell isn’t consequential enough. If you want to dine like an emperor when Rome burns, you should be able to die like an emperor. Less than a third of Roman emperors died natural deaths. The families, backers, and friends weren’t allowed to live and take revenge. That was a big mistake by Caesar.

Historically, the only way smug thieving kleptocrat learn is in their last moments before being horrifically publicly executed.

 

One of the big ironies of human affairs (and it is much older than Trump or even the United States) is that anyone who wants power enough to hold public office probably should never be trusted with the power that comes with the office. The real headscratcher is that we collectively keep expanding the power that we allow these narcissistic egomaniac assholes to wield. Isn't anybody paying f'ing attention?

 

And I chose SBAF of all places to do it? Funny. I'll go back to listening to my music while I figure out how to infiltrate another minor niche hobby forum in order to bring down the most powerful country on Earth lol.

I thought this was the politically incorrect thread. Should I only say things everyone agrees with and accepts? Didn't mean to ruffle any feathers, will remove myself now.

 

For the record, I don't watch or regurgitate CNN.

It also doesn't take a genius to see that Trump is a psychopath narcissist. That is why he actions are so predictable.

Also for the record, I am not backing Pelosi or Newsom either. I am not sure with exactly what you are referring to, but no matter, agreed that is not how real leaders are supposed to act. I see your point.

However, the list of Trump's though is like a CVS receipt. So unless Pelosi or Newsom paid off a hooker to be quiet, or threatened to withhold aid for political dirt, or asked a state for more votes, I don't see an equivalent argument here.

And yes, @Senorx12562 if they abuse their position and lie and contradict themselves and keep getting re-electing them, what good is it? Where is the accountability? We have a US Congressman here in Tennessee (DesJarlais) had admitted under oath to at least six sexual relationships with people he came in contact with while chief of staff at at a hospital, including three co-workers, two patients and a drug representative, as well as convinced his mistress to get an abortion (and yes, a pro-life Republican). He lost is medical licence, but he still continues to get elected every year.

I know there are examples of corrupt or sketchy persons on the other side of the isle as well. Power corrupts. Politicians suck.

 

Valid question. I found SBAF while doing research on the Schiit Aegir. I wanted to join but at the time the forum was locked or not accepting new members or something. By the time I was able to register, I had read enough to know that on SBAF you're expected to contribute instead of just asking questions. I'm a noob in the head fi space (I did car audio and home theater installs many years ago) so I don't feel that I can contribute in a meaningful way in those threads.

My second biggest draw to this forum (the first being no-nonsense equipment discussion) was the general openness and acceptance of all points of view. I stumbled on this thread and the rest you know.

 

Our system is a non-fragile non centralized system, among other things. One thing it is not is a virtue building/promoting system. Indeed for the last 100 years or so virtue, truth, beauty, and the like have all been thoroughly debunked as universals or even existing at all. We don't have virtuous men and women governing because we don't believe it is even possible, let alone have an agreement as to how to create them. Reaping what we sow and all that...

 

That's just hippy dippy "can't we all just get along" nonsense. I have lots of views, the majority aren't worth nuttin. I would say rather SBAF is about competency - a point of view gets a fair hearing, but if it's bullshit it's called out as such.

 

At least Dubya didn't want to put Christian Kings in Jerusalem and Egypt for the Antichrist to kill so Jesus would come back. That's what some of the Crusaders wanted and some Bible thumpers still believe

 

My point is that voters (collectively) are stupid, or more broadly, people (collectively) are stupid. The politicians are just acting in character, i.e., doing what we let them get away with. People who continue to vote for these p.o.s. es (and neither major party has a monopoly on them) deserve exactly what they get.

 

This thread is super refreshing, with all of its different view points and give and take. I'm in the moderate wing of the D. First gen Vietnamese; got off the boat (in Guam) in 1975; had to leave all my toys behind, literally, as a 7 year old. (Now that I have kids I am beginning to understand the trauma of that time.) First hand experience with communism. Never going to be in the AOC wing. I thought it was important to disclose a little bit of my political bent.

Would Newsom make that GA phone call? I don't think so. I understand Trump won't succeed with his bid to subvert the election and stay in power. But don't we care that he tried? And it wasn't just "college" try either. He's going all out, and if the R controlled both houses of Congress would he have come frighteningly close, if not succeed?

 

Two thoughts:

1) Don't we care that Eve gave that apple to Adam, or Cain bashed Abe'sl brains out (insert here equivalent realistic narratives of human nature from your religion)? Well yes we care...and so did the early Americans who wrote the constitution and circumscribed presidential and governmental power in just such a way to limit the power of those in power over those with less power.

2) Do you as a moderate Dem not care that your party led an impeachment - much more than a college try - to remove a legitimate sitting president with half truths, lies, and deceit just so that they could gain a bit more power? Imagine the outcome if the D controlled both houses of congress...

 

I rest my case.

 

@crenca

Trump wants to change the rules of the game/system. The system is inefficient, leading to Getty/Newsom/Pelosi playing the system to their own advantage, but that's the price we pay and are seemingly willing to pay. Trump apparently wants to ditch this system, and stay in power by means other than majority vote. Are you arguing that the system is repelling Trump, so that's good enough? So therefore, we shouldn't care too much that a majority of his party is behind him?

As a moderate Dem, I care that Trump tried to use the full power of his office to attack a political rival. That he didn't succeed doesn't matter. @will_f already litigated the Trump impeachment argument; we can agree to disagree here.

 

But the Dems (my party) would get a leadership that could possibly change, in the next election cycle. If the Republicans get what they want, do elections really matter? If you believe elections don't really matter, then I get your point. But there's proof elections do matter: it's been argued here that Trump was never a con man, and I do agree with that. He was very open about his positions and what he wanted, and the US did go down those paths.