Patters

We see the irrational fringe even in this forum, with righties parroting right-wing attacks on the courts. It's too bad many rational righties are being manipulated by their party into pushing our nation, as Sandra Day O'Connor observed, in a direction that could lead to dictatorship. In fact, I would argue that for some Arab-Americans, we already have characteristics of a dictatorship. The righties ought to look in the mirror and listen to people like O'Connor. Your blind loyalty for Bush, your hatred towards Democratic leaders, and your intolerance for judges and juries, tells me some you are behaving more like Saddam's Baathists than champions of democracy.

My comments are prompted by this article:

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/03/15/D8GC8IRO4.html

Pujo

Before we turn this into more of a left-right thing than it needs to be, there are people on both sides of the aisle that stay within acceptable norms while still pushing for change in their direction, and there are people who think the ends always justify the means. I don't think anyone here falls into the later group (e.g., there's nobody here on the right who would seriously call for a judge's murder, and there's nobody here on the left who would seriously call for the president's murder).

Patters

Pujo, when people don't speak out against the type of rhetoric that threatens our democracy, they are part of the problem. While I don't think anyone here favors murdering Supreme Court Justices, there are a number of people here who have joined in the fraudulent attacks on the "activist" judges and have not spoken up against those Republican leaders who have all but threatened the judiciary. ...It certainly is a left-right issue.

Pujo

Hey, I speak for things all the time without condemning people who share my views but choose to persue them in violent ways.

You're an environmentalist, Patters, so am I. Do we go out of our way to condemn the ALF and ELF for carrying out acts of violence against people for just working in a lab?

Are the peaceful Muslims guilty because their voice isn't loud enough in condemning acts of terrorism?

I don't think we can have a double standard.

Patters

You also don't tow the line. I would think if we were having a discussion about ALF/ELF, you would probably have criticized their tactics. And my Arab friends, one of whom is left wing, are always quick to condem the abuses of Al Qaida, as well as the comments of the Iranian leader.

Pujo

But in the example above, if we were talking about the AFL/ELF we would say how we abhor their tactics, but we wouldn't just throw that out in a conversation about the environment. Likewise, conversations about "judicial reform" or "activist judges" don't need a condemnation from the right. I understand what you're saying about people who tacitly show approval for something by remaining silent, I'm just saying that I have no reason to think many (or any) here fall into that category.

shirtsleeve

Just to go a bit off-topic, and yes, this stuff is getting really upsetting, but please dont even mention the ALF/ELF. Those people have hurt and could have killed some of my co-workers in the past. I respect everyone's right to voice their views, but to dangerously disable power plants every earth day, without regard for the safety of the workers therein, those people are no good.

To get back on topic, I feel the same way about the psyopaths that threaten the courts when the courts correctly rule that certain laws are unconstitutional.