So Cliven Bundy Turns Out to be a Crackpot

[BarryBobPosthole]

Who'd a thunk it?

He seemed so sane, not recognizing the federal government's right to manage something the federal government bought and paid for. He seemed so logical in refusing to hold up his side of a lease arrangement. He seemed so down right common sensical.

Its astonishing, to use a word I heard in another story this morning.

BKB

[HideHunter]

First word was that the government was refusing to hold up *their* end - expanding their turtle refuge on ground he had already lease rights to. I was totally pulling for him until I found out he was way behind on his payments. Never mind the fines. Should have been gone anyway.. *Then* the whole race thing... yep - crackpot.

See the "conservative' view is he has no right to things he hasn't paid for.

[Chicken Dinner]

Don't go talking sense now, Barry.

[HideHunter]

Jeezuz..CD... He's not talking sense.. He's being facetious.. Bucky would say "a stab at the "establishment". ;)

[Penguin]

Lol, it has been one hell of a ride for Bundy and his supporters. Of course getting some hoopy like Bundy to say something outrageous and/or racist in order to win an argument is one of the oldest tricks in the book. I guess it is so common because it is so successful.

I laugh at the miscues and fumbles by Bundy, but the argument and discussion surrounding this issue is one of the more unsettling I have seen. You go anywhere that political issues are discussed and you see one right wing guy after another pointing at anyone who thinks he is a piker and yelling "Liberal!" And you see halfassed commentary that takes court cases on western grazing rights out of context, jumbles them together without regard for context, and then comes to the conclusion that the US government really doesn't have the right to that land at all.

The biggest thing I see is an utter and complete inability of US citizens to discuss political issues in a coherent and productive way.

More than that we don't have any historical context to our arguments. I'll bet you a quick $20 right now that not one in a hundred religiously motivated ring wing fundamentalists knows that their current position on everything from monetary policy, to trade policy, to social policy runs counter to what was roundly considered the "christian" position for most of this nation's history. I'll bet you another quick $20 that not one in a hundred self branded liberals in this nation knows that the current stated Democratic policy on everything from trade, to monetary policy, to immigration runs counter to what was roundly considered "liberal" for most of this nation's history.

My god, I even saw one desperate Bundy backer call on old Tom Jefferson to lend credence to his case. Thomas freaking Jefferson! It is obvious that the man had never read much of Jefferson's works because if he had he would have known that he was a damned commie to be dismissed out of hand. At least by today's standards. :)

Politically we are unmoored from reality and rudderless. I'm telling you that it is starting to unnerve me. I'll take a low information voter over an incorrect information voter any day.

Will

[BarryBobPosthole]

Well put. and most conservatives today don't know that the tenets for the Affordable Care Act were almost to the letter the policies that the Republican party offered up as an alternative to the Clinton health proposals.


BKB

[Chicken Dinner]

The fact that he was being facetious is what makes sense to me.


Jeezuz..CD... He's not talking sense.. He's being facetious.. Bucky would say "a stab at the "establishment". ;)

[Penguin]

Well put. and most conservatives today don't know that the tenets for the Affordable Care Act were almost to the letter the policies that the Republican party offered up as an alternative to the Clinton health proposals.


BKB

One of incalculable thousands of examples of hypocrisy accepted as gospel.

A blogger I love to read refers to what we have now as "political pornography". Hyperbole is understatement. Anything less than total annihilation as consequence for humanity if the other guys wins is unacceptable in the public sphere. Even words like "liberal" and "racist" have lost their meaning and translate only as "I don't like you!"

And all the while on policy issue after policy issue there is absolute agreement between the parties.... and not coincidentally these same issues are ones where both are in opposition to the views of the citizens.

Will

[Gunther]

More than that we don't have any historical context to our arguments. I'll bet you a quick $20 right now that not one in a hundred religiously motivated ring wing fundamentalists knows that their current position on everything from monetary policy, to trade policy, to social policy runs counter to what was roundly considered the "christian" position for most of this nation's history.
Will

That's correct! Any good Christian should be willing to pay for those who don't wanna work. And they should pay for the arms that will be used against themselves and Israel and such. And as for abortion, any good Christian sees the need for unlimited abortion.