Sensitive Question


agentduder

New member
I spend a good portion of my day listening to talk radio. It doesn’t do a whole lot of good for my blood pressure however on some dark level I do enjoy listening to people fight about which side is right and wrong and which politicians are idiots and which ones are the good guys. The key I think to all of this is 1.Take what you hear with a grain of salt 2. Have an open mind 3. Last but probably the most important STAND for SOMETHING.

I will get to the question……..I promise…..Please bear with my rant.

I believe in taking care (this includes protection) of my family first, friends second, and every else next, if I have the first two squared away and it is my decision to do so.

I believe in keeping the little freedoms we have left. (I’m no anarchist I just want to be left alone.)

I believe in Patriotism. Love of Country. Love of State.

I believe in being responsible for my own actions. I also believe everyone else should be responsible for their actions. I shouldn’t have to dole out for your mistakes if I don’t want to.

I believe in preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. (In people and events.)

Now I have told you a few of the things that I believe in. I’m getting to the question. I get emails about people calling for revolution, secession…..I got to say I believe this should be a last resort. I see the Tea Parties and like what I see. Then the media does a hit job on them. (I also have a side point on the Tea Parties. Do some of the guys look like baby boomers/ Hippies that are just looking for some thing to fight against but don’t agree with the lefties? (Not the main question))

I talk with my friends and others about the things going on and sometimes I feel like the NSA is coming to get me…..

Now or the question….I’m in South Carolina (why I’m posting in the local forum) where do I find other people to talk to about this stuff that are not in my circle of friends without getting the tin foil hat wearing crazies that just want to fight, disrupt order, or create pandemonium? Reasonable people that believe in things like myself and have a good dose of common sense with it as well.

Thanks for your comments. If any one takes this the wrong way I apologize…I didn’t write this with the intent of attacking anyone, more to get some things off of my chest on a day I had too much on my mind.
 

don't let it get you down. i basically have the same fundamental values you do.

do you listen to podcasts? check out "the gun rights radio network" & "the survival podcast".

like minded, level headed, fun & normal folks to listen to.
 
I'm with ya....I believe in exactly what you do however many of the people you are referring to is what I call the radicals. Your right, everyone needs to be more open minded because what you hear whether it is the TV or some talk show on radio....they only want you to hear what they want. My Grandfather always told me." only believe half of what you see and nothing that you hear".
 
The thing about what you hear...it doesn’t matter what side it comes from you can only believe half. A lot of people may take offense to this but you have to watch the same story on Fox and CNN (or comparable networks) and take the middle of both and you are going to be as close as you can come to news.

I hear people talking about radical things left and right wing......

Either one makes you an extremist.....I may not have said that right. Think of it as a circle, with the left in west and the right in the east and radicals in the north and the south. If you go too far either way you end up in the extreme. Now, some things require extreme thinking however ending up in this region should not be the norm.
Sometimes I think I’m the radical because I’m trying to apply common sense. People just BE reasonable. This doesn’t mean compromising your principles.
Keep the comments coming…If nothing else for stress relief.
 
Absolutely correct! I speak about this very thing. "Acountability" Belief in the ideas, principles and values that formed this great country we all live in. I enjoy and love the freedoms we have and I really enjoy the choices I have available to me, my family and my friends. I do not believe those who would dismantle our constitution and the bill of rights have the best interest of this country at heart. I believe it's a personal agenda they follow because they have some great ax to grind. People in this country need to be accountable. If you want to live here, learn to speak the language that my ancestors had to do to become americans. Embrace the durites and responsibilities of being an American Citizen. Afterall any american Pledges their aligence to our flag which is the symbol of our country and all it stands for. Anyone who is a certified citizen either naturalized or otherwise.. supports and defends the constitution of the US of A. To abandon those beliefs and ideas, principles and philosophies will be that our country will fall into decline and eventually diappear. I am one American who will stand for what our forefathers crafted together to create a country of the people, by the people and for the people. A country where all people have certain inaliable rights... Thomas Jefferson penned it carefully and clearly. Let there be no misunderstanding on what we have been given and must stand up for. For those who don't wish to stand for those beliefs, you are welcome to freely leave.
 
. A lot of people may take offense to this but you have to watch the same story on Fox and CNN (or comparable networks) and take the middle of both and you are going to be as close as you can come to news.
.

Actually, this is not true, and the belief is part of the problem. Fox News, as a whole is center, with certain elements to the right. CNN is left. If you watch both, you perception of the news will be left. Then, left of center becomes center, and the left moves farther left, and the center becomes the right wing extreme. Sound familiar? (Media Bias Is Real, Finds UCLA Political Scientist / UCLA Newsroom)


We have to stop being quiet, we have to stop apologizing for our beliefs. We have to stop being afraid to offend people.

We no longer have the liberty of avoiding conflict with those who would shout us down. We have to stand up and be heard, or die.
 
We have to stop being quiet, we have to stop apologizing for our beliefs. We have to stop being afraid to offend people.

We no longer have the liberty of avoiding conflict with those who would shout us down. We have to stand up and be heard, or die.

+1 (from personal experience)
 
Wolfling68, I may have come across wrong in the point I was trying to make about the news. While I do agree with you and I do understand the difference in reporters and commentators in my opinion is to try to get some angles on the story then apply common sense and you will probably be closer to the real story.

Now I’m going to contradict my last statement. In the case of the news of our politicians in Washington (for the most part especially the ones currently in power) if what they say makes sense they didn’t say it. LOL but true………

In reply to your “We have to stop being afraid to offend people.” I agree completely. If more people would say what’s on their mind in a calm cool manner and the other side had the self respect and dignity to take constructive criticism we would have less problems. Whenever one or the other side gets out of control it is over…..That being said I could give a rat’s ass about offending some one if it meant compromising my principles.

Thanks for the comments.

The ones that stand/ defend/ and fight for liberty will be the salvation of this country. I just hope its not too late…
 
where do I find other people to talk to about this stuff that are not in my circle of friends without getting the tin foil hat wearing crazies that just want to fight, disrupt order, or create pandemonium? Reasonable people that believe in things like myself and have a good dose of common sense with it as well.

That is extremely hard to find on the Internet no matter what the subject. If you listen to Talk radio (political type), Sports Talk, Religious Talk or whatever else you find you will find those that have strong opinions one way or the other are the ones who call the shows. If you get on the Internet you start to find the same group of "crazies" doing the posting.

If you start a gun board for discussion even if intended to be only discussion you soon find that it either turns into an argument board or a radical board. Why do people log on to a gun board? Becasue they are interested in guns, and owning and keeping their guns. Any restriction whether real or perceived causes an outcry and the more vocal make the most noise.

People who are centric on the issues don't care to get into arguments and heated discussions so they don't post or call the station. But while listening please listen very closely and do not accept their opinions as fact or reality. Some of my relatives became very upset when I started talking about watching the Davinci Code and other religious based shows. They told me how their pstor had told them not to watch it as it was full of lies and sacreligious.

I find that most of those shows, if you leave out the entertainment value, actually teach me more about religion and my religious beliefs than most preachers. Many of them have left me with a much stronger belief and better understanding of the Bible than any radio talk show ever has. Even the very controversial one that intended to show a completely different side than I came away with. The understanding of the Bible is much like the understanding of the US Constitution as you have so many people running around quoting a small part of if with no real understanding of what is actually means or how it was intended.

I also find that much of the "Federalist Papers" are exactly like much of the "Original Interpretations of the Bible" and were written by people with a great command of the language but only to enforce their personal beliefs and well being. As fron finding people other than your circle fo friends with a similar attitude you are going to have to search but do not expect it to remain for long.

/Climbing down from soapbox/
 
Wolfling68, I may have come across wrong in the point I was trying to make about the news. While I do agree with you and I do understand the difference in reporters and commentators in my opinion is to try to get some angles on the story then apply common sense and you will probably be closer to the real story. …

No truth in the news, no news in the truth. The problem I have is that no news source is reporting the news, so applying common sense to misinformation and disinformation probably won't have the desired effect. Garbage in, garbage out, and finding real information is difficult, sometimes impossible.
But your, I think, is about the best you can do. But it shouldn't be that hard.

We need to find a way to force the media to tell the truth.


In reply to your “We have to stop being afraid to offend people.” I agree completely. If more people would say what’s on their mind in a calm cool manner and the other side had the self respect and dignity to take constructive criticism we would have less problems. Whenever one or the other side gets out of control it is over…..That being said I could give a rat’s ass about offending some one if it meant compromising my principles.

I read an interesting study, scientists monitored brain activity of liberals and conservatives while they asked them about politics. Both sides activated the emotional centers of their brains, even when they said they were using reason and logic. These are not rational issues, they are emotional ones. You can use a rational basis for your arguements, but, ultimately, the foundations of the arguments are emotional.

I believe (in my non-scientist opinion) the only way to keep this rational is to ask the question "how has this worked in the past?" Use math and history to support your beliefs. Use philosophy and logic to articulate your opinions and their basis. This requires a greater amount of effort than most are willing to put forth (have you read Locke and Rousseau?), even for the professionals (politicians). It is easier and more effective to motivate through fear and hate.

If we want to prevail, we have to find a way to engage the emotional makeup of the people we are dealing with. This, currently, is most often done by demonizing our enemies and shouting them down. Can we find a better, more effective way?
 
Sorry to turn the discussion into media and the state of the nation, but I reallly do not like how the majority of people (present company excluded) want to be spoon fed. They jump on any bandwagon without informing themselves on both sides of the "story" or using to reason and logic when making a decision.

Quite honestly, social media is making me sick (all the comments on blog stories news articles) because it is a representation of our neighbors and people we work with. I had no idea, up until the last few years, that people are such jerks. Complete assclowns.

I still have faith that I'll find people who I can trust to transfer information back and forth with me with true kindness and common sense (and I've found some my wife included) ... but wow; egos and evil personal agendas abound. I'm really jaded about people and friends anymore.
 
mistertaco,
Don’t feel like the lone ranger on being jaded about people and friends...Once I turned 30 I have noticed my circle of friends has decreased drastically, down to about three of four families. Not to be misunderstood, these are the friends you call at 3:00 in the morning because you need some help. It could be that my perception of friends has changed and now I class the others as acquaintances.

My wife says that my problem is that I don’t like people in general, and for the most part that is true my nature has changed to the point where I feel like I’m just tolerating most people. I have to be around someone several times and discuss multiple things before I can begin warming up to them…..

It’s a lot like dealing with family. You have to tolerate them (at least sometimes) because their your family but that doesn’t mean you have to like them…..LOL
 
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