Joinerism...

[JarheadAZ]

Look it up.

It was the way we got beaten, and is an equally good means by which to return the favor.

It's not about the truth; it's about subversion, and mass intimidation.

[ArizonaGunOwners.com]

[coelacanth]

A parable for modern times.      I always took Washington's warning to " .  .  . avoid foreign entanglements .   .   . " to be good advice and applicable across a broad range of topics - but that's just me.  Carry on, sir.   

[Mr. Nobody]

I agree. This is the problem with people today, especially the young, dumb, and ignorant among us... too eager to "join a cause", and it's usually not for the good.

At the same time, as the saying goes, good for the goose and all that...

I believe independent liberty is absolutely essential in life.

[coelacanth]

I think we owe our success as a species to our ability to communicate and work cooperatively over time frames necessary to accomplish abstract goals, but ( and its a BIG but .  .  . ), that advantage comes with a downside as well. 

As you point out, the young ( inexperienced  ), the dumb ( stupidity has no cure  ) and the ignorant ( invariably with strong opinions and the apparent need to voice them  ) walk among us every day and are the same obstacles and object lessons they have always been. 

[Mr. Nobody]

I think we owe our success as a species to our ability to communicate and work cooperatively over time frames necessary to accomplish abstract goals, but ( and its a BIG but .  .  . ), that advantage comes with a downside as well. 

As you point out, the young ( inexperienced  ), the dumb ( stupidity has no cure  ) and the ignorant ( invariably with strong opinions and the apparent need to voice them  ) walk among us every day and are the same obstacles and object lessons they have always been. 

You would be correct!

While teamwork (general broad term) has been needed for many of histories greatest advancements, I still believe outside of that, that personal liberty is essential and should be VALUED.

These fools of today don't know what they got, and won't until it's gone.

They want socialism and communism so bad, why can't they just go where it already is...?

As the saying goes... America. Love it or leave it.

[GTGallop]

I have always been leery of people that salute a political party along side of the American Flag and draw their own identity from it.  Drinking the Koolaide - red koolaide or blue koolaide - is never a good option.

And Primaries?  If you are registered to a political party, you can't vote in the primaries unless you are voting for that party.  Which means all of the Lefties come out and vote for the deepest Lefty they can find.  Republicans seem to be split on voting for a hard liner or a populist that has better odds of winning.  But in that strategy, they let the Left redefine where the populist stance is by constantly moving the goal posts further and further left.

The one stark contrast I've noticed in recent years has been he words "control" and "power."
Republicans talk about deregulating industries, making things easier for business, supporting the economy, growing the middle class by lifting people out of lower class socioeconomic positions, and they talk about reducing taxes (but don't do it near as much as they flap their gums on the topic).  Dems talk about "we must get control!" They talk about "We have to seize the power!"  They come across as almost drunk on the notion that there needs to be a world according to their whims and beliefs and if you don't fall in line you are too ignorant to participate in the process and you must be dealt with by cancel culture until you no longer have relevancy.

[Mr. Nobody]

GT is also correct and I agree.

Don't blindly follow people! Unfortunately, most people are comfortable being naive sheep these days.

I don't trust the average Republican politicians either. I only trust them more then the demoRATS because the ideals of the party itself line up to my own. I'll be the first to tell you, we need to DITCH THE RINOs.

We got too many ass hats in DC who are swayed by cold hard cash, bribes, or simply being a salty douche like Mittens Romney who didn't like Trump and act like children. This includes warmonger Liz Cheney.

If Republicans really got to their roots, shed the dead weight, get more real America First candidates in power (and I mean REAL Americans, not these ivy league knobs who have never known hard work in their life), man the country would be on the right track.

Simply put, the system is inherently rigged for special interests and those with lots of $$$.

[coelacanth]

I have always been leery of people that salute a political party along side of the American Flag and draw their own identity from it.  Drinking the Koolaide - red koolaide or blue koolaide - is never a good option.

And Primaries?  If you are registered to a political party, you can't vote in the primaries unless you are voting for that party.  Which means all of the Lefties come out and vote for the deepest Lefty they can find.  Republicans seem to be split on voting for a hard liner or a populist that has better odds of winning.  But in that strategy, they let the Left redefine where the populist stance is by constantly moving the goal posts further and further left.

The one stark contrast I've noticed in recent years has been he words "control" and "power."
Republicans talk about deregulating industries, making things easier for business, supporting the economy, growing the middle class by lifting people out of lower class socioeconomic positions, and they talk about reducing taxes (but don't do it near as much as they flap their gums on the topic).  Dems talk about "we must get control!" They talk about "We have to seize the power!"  They come across as almost drunk on the notion that there needs to be a world according to their whims and beliefs and if you don't fall in line you are too ignorant to participate in the process and you must be dealt with by cancel culture until you no longer have relevancy.

The process you refer to is called the "Overton window".   Back when democrats were still "liberals" instead of straight up Marxists Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan described the same phenomenon as " Defining deviancy downward.".  It has also been referred to as the "slippery slope" or "letting the camel get his nose under the tent".  The point is when you become more concerned with how, when and why to compromise than with how to utterly defeat your enemy - you lose.  The rate at which you lose is in direct proportion to how "reasonable" you wish to appear in the next election.   

[ArizonaGunOwners.com]