The General Politics Thread

Goat · **Posted:** Thu Jan 15, 2015 12:35 pm

Interesting:

http://www.indexoncensorship.org/2015/0 ... te-muslim/

Quote:

The function of all this, unwittingly perhaps, is to reinforce a power dynamic. This is about “us” and what “we” did to “them”. “Us”, roughly, being liberal democracy: “them” being European Muslims who somehow, “we” have decided, are something outside.

Worse, we have decided that there is a continuum of “Muslim anger”, at the end of which is inevitable violence. This is to imagine a homogenous bloc of believers, and to ignore the sectarian and political struggles that exist within Islam. By ignoring these struggles, we in fact junk normal Muslims (enough of the “moderate”) in with those for whom the faith is a political project and even an imperial war with the intention of “restoring the Caliphate”.

noodles · **Posted:** Sat Jan 17, 2015 8:07 pm

https://nplusonemag.com/online-only/onl ... -in-paris/

so this article on the debate around charlie hebdo's racism is pretty great

and a good glenn greenwald piece about free speech, racism, islamophobia, etc:

https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015 ... -cartoons/

Quote:

When I first began to see these demands to publish these anti-Muslim cartoons, the cynic in me thought perhaps this was really just about sanctioning some types of offensive speech against some religions and their adherents, while shielding more favored groups. In particular, the west has spent years bombing, invading and occupying Muslim countries and killing, torturing and lawlessly imprisoning innocent Muslims, and anti-Muslim speech has been a vital driver in sustaining support for those policies.

So it’s the opposite of surprising to see large numbers of westerners celebrating anti-Muslim cartoons - not on free speech grounds but due to approval of the content. Defending free speech is always easy when you like the content of the ideas being targeted, or aren’t part of (or actively dislike) the group being maligned.

...

Nor is it the case that threatening violence in response to offensive ideas is the exclusive province of extremists claiming to act in the name of Islam. Terrence McNally’s 1998 play “Corpus Christi,” depicting Jesus as gay, was repeatedly cancelled by theaters due to bomb threats. Larry Flynt was paralyzed by an evangelical white supremacist who objected to Hustler‘s pornographic depiction of inter-racial couples. The Dixie Chicks were deluged with death threats and needed massive security after they publicly criticized George Bush for the Iraq War, which finally forced them to apologize out of fear. Violence spurred by Jewish and Christian fanaticism is legion, from abortion doctors being murdered to gay bars being bombed to a 45-year-old brutal occupation of the West Bank and Gaza due in part to the religious belief (common in both the U.S. and Israel) that God decreed they shall own all the land. And that’s all independent of the systematic state violence in the west sustained, at least in part, by religious sectarianism.

noodles · **Posted:** Sat Jan 17, 2015 11:07 pm

Goat wrote:

Interesting:

http://www.indexoncensorship.org/2015/0 ... te-muslim/

I thought this article was interesting but a little unclear. What points did you think it was getting at?

North From Here · **Posted:** Sun Jan 18, 2015 8:52 pm

Goat wrote:

Think that's the issue; like all religions Islam isn't one big hivemind where everyone agrees with everyone else on every aspect of it, but has its own mormons, 7th day adventists, evangelicals, Westboro Baptists Church etc. Sadly this means dangerous nutballs like IS and Al-Q...

Right, at one point the vast majority of Christianity took every word of the Bible literally as the word of God, and thus justifications for anything from Polygamy to Slavery could be drawn from it. To get back to your point Thrash, Islam has not historically evolved past that point like Christianity did, but that doesn't mean it is categorically incapable of doing so. That said, it might be harder for a number of reasons for mainstream Islam to exit the 'Medieval Mindset', perhaps most importantly, and not completely unjustified, is its perception of repeated injustices at the hands of the West. Victim culture does not erode easily.

And Noodles, stop linking your lefty crap. :wink:

North From Here · **Posted:** Sun Jan 18, 2015 9:20 pm

noodles wrote:

Goat wrote:

Interesting:

http://www.indexoncensorship.org/2015/0 ... te-muslim/

I thought this article was interesting but a little unclear. What points did you think it was getting at?

I think he was primarily speaking to the idea that the 'homogenous Muslim' argument is a dangerous oversimplification and the West gives too much fuel to the fire of the extremists when it says there can be no debate in Islam. If Muslims are a perpetual dangerous other in Western societies then the battle is already lost, because over 1 billion people worldwide are not magically going to convert, be bombed into graves or submission, or stop finding ways into European countries. So allying with the less extreme element in Islamic society in the hopes they gain ground against the Caliphate-wishers appears like the rational choice, though I'm not sure how practical this is: even non-violent elements of Islam in Europe are challenging old European traditions, and are not entirely unfairly perceived to threaten European culture. It is a very tricky tightrope to walk.

traptunderice · **Posted:** Fri Feb 06, 2015 1:04 am

Go, go Greece lightning! Anybody? I can't think of Syriza without thinking of that song.

cry of the banshee · **Posted:** Fri Feb 13, 2015 5:06 pm

Fucks sake

https://gma.yahoo.com/notorious-ruth-ba ... ories.html

Goat · **Posted:** Fri Feb 13, 2015 10:46 pm

Thought you'd be on her side, who wants to watch an Obama SOTU sober? ;)

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 43969.html

IS are decapitating people for smoking ('slow suicide'). Just when you thought they couldn't get any more insane...

cry of the banshee · **Posted:** Sun Mar 08, 2015 3:37 am

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/0 ... lp00000592

Quote:

President Barack Obama says it was through news reports that he first learned that Hillary Rodham Clinton used a private, nongovernment email account while serving as his secretary of state.

How many times is this piece of shit gonna use that line?

Hopefully this while sink that vile cunt-hag Hillary, but going on the ignorance of this country's general population, I wouldn't bank on it

North From Here · **Posted:** Tue Mar 10, 2015 2:34 am

I'm just hoping for a candidate who will ramp down United States intervention/presence across the globe, but other than Rand Paul, I have not heard any candidate on either side suggest that. It makes even less sense now that the US is the #1 producer of Oil across the globe to get massively entrenched in the Middle East, again. So intervene indirectly on IS, with a very hidden profile, and then stay out.

cry of the banshee · **Posted:** Thu Mar 12, 2015 5:03 pm

http://news.yahoo.com/st-louis-post-dis ... 52082.html

Hmmm. no mention of race, in stark contrast to the Michael Brown shooting... strange...

cry of the banshee · **Posted:** Fri Mar 13, 2015 9:19 pm

Goat · **Posted:** Fri May 08, 2015 8:39 pm

Pleased with the UK election results, with the Conservatives rightly rewarded for forging the best economy and job creation in Europe. Sad that the liberals took the punishment for entering coalition, and not happy with the Scottish nationalists taking Scotland, but think both were inevitable - liberals had no arguments for voting for them, while the Scotch have been building momentum despite losing the independence referendum. Interesting few years ahead.

Edit -
http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-com ... carries-on

Goat · **Posted:** Thu Jun 18, 2015 10:36 pm

Just in case you were worried that I haven't changed from my forum persona of five years ago, I'm currently finding myself defending American gun laws to British people who decide to criticise them immediately after a shooting. It's tragic, of course, but I don't see how a sudden change in ownership laws would change things.

traptunderice · **Posted:** Thu Jun 25, 2015 5:31 am

Vom.

http://www.theguardian.com/business/201 ... -track-tpp

Thrash til' Deth · **Posted:** Thu Jun 25, 2015 5:50 am

traptunderice wrote:

Vom.

http://www.theguardian.com/business/201 ... -track-tpp

“It’s a rare thing for members of Congress to go against the money these days,” said Mansur Gidfar, spokesman for the anti-corruption group Represent.Us. “They know exactly which special interests they need to keep happy if they want to fund their reelection campaigns or secure a future job as a lobbyist.

“How can we expect politicians who routinely receive campaign money, lucrative job offers, and lavish gifts from special interests to make impartial decisions that directly affect those same special interests?” Gidfar said. “As long as this kind of transparently corrupt behavior remains legal, we won’t have a government that truly represents the people.”

Pretty much says it all right there.

RelentlessOblivion · **Posted:** Thu Jun 25, 2015 9:10 am

Something I've noticed as a result of beginning the house-hunting process with my girlfriend (admittedly we're only looking to rent): to actually buy a house which can be lived in immediately is exorbitantly expensive. The cheapest I've seen a house in the paper is three quarters of a million and that's in one of the lower socio-economic areas known to have high rates of crime and unemployment. For a decent house in a decent neighbourhood you're talking over 1 million and that just isn't affordable for most upper middle-class South Australians let alone first home owners. There is a government grant available to all first home buyers under the age of 25 but it's only seven thousand dollars which frankly might as well be nothing when even a 1 bedroom apartment in a decent neighbourhood costs nearly half a million. Following up on that because I was curious to how property values could be so high when Australia is technically a nation in recession and here is what I found. Over half the houses in Australia's property market are snapped up by foreign investors mostly from China. the remainder are often renovators suited for those looking to build up and sell as domestic investment homes. The market as it stands holds prejudice against those looking to actually buy and live in their home. I know foreign investment is a great thing but they actually have no obligation to reside in the property meaning they manage from overseas and none of that money comes to Australia aside from expenditure on the house and land itself plus property tax. Surely it's ok for a government to protect itself from such obvious pitfalls by impossing a minimum period of residence for property investors? Though it would be tough to police.

traptunderice · **Posted:** Mon Jul 06, 2015 7:45 pm

Hopeful for Greece! Thumbs up?

RelentlessOblivion · **Posted:** Tue Jul 07, 2015 4:21 am

Big problem with the Prime Minister refusing to allow a conscience vote for his party on the legalisation of gay marriage bill. Particularly when his sole reason for refusing to do so is "the bible says marriage is between man and woman. Also God hates the gay". I shit you not Tony Abbott pretty much said that to the word in an interview on the subject. It's 2015 Tony the world has moved on so why can't you.

Thrash til' Deth · **Posted:** Thu Jul 09, 2015 2:24 am

RelentlessOblivion wrote:

Big problem with the Prime Minister refusing to allow a conscience vote for his party on the legalisation of gay marriage bill. Particularly when his sole reason for refusing to do so is "the bible says marriage is between man and woman. Also God hates the gay". I shit you not Tony Abbott pretty much said that to the word in an interview on the subject. It's 2015 Tony the world has moved on so why can't you.

This whole gay marriage thing should be such a non-issue in comparison to actual problems that need to be addressed in government. People hardly bat an eye over extreme financial mismanagement and blatant corruption in their own governments but will flip shit over two dudes making out in public. It's so bizarre why it bothers some people so much.

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