Maybe we should just start a The World Has Gone Mad thread

[kgbsquirrel]

Cool! Where do I sign up? Does the VA offer it?</Sarcasm></LightenUp></DarkHumor>

Only in Canada.  For now.

[dogmush]

That's just one reason why the feds should get out of K-12 education entirely.

And, no, she's not right. If "society" is going to contradict what most parents want for their children, then "society" should get out of the teaching business.

No arguements,  I'd like to see the fed.gov out of education entirely.  Fed.gov, however, feels they have a vested interest in education.

[HankB]

No arguements,  I'd like to see the fed.gov out of education entirely.  Fed.gov, however, feels they have a vested interest in education.

Lots of people making lots of money - government programs are a GREAT, time-tested way to force the taxpayers to line select people's pockets.

[cordex]

Lots of people making lots of money - government programs are a GREAT, time-tested way to force the taxpayers to line select people's pockets.

We spend about a quarter of every dollar the government collects in taxes (across state/federal/local) on education but we're constantly told that it is not enough. 

That is twice what we spend on defense.  The Military-Industrial Complex ain't got nothin' on the Public Education-Industrial complex.

[HankB]

We spend about a quarter of every dollar the government collects in taxes (across state/federal/local) on education but we're constantly told that it is not enough. 

That is twice what we spend on defense.  The Military-Industrial Complex ain't got nothin' on the Public Education-Industrial complex.

I've seen publik skuul spending up close. I've posted this before, but back in the mid '70s a student project at my high school that should have taken <$2000 was quoted by the Chicago Board of Education at $43,750. The BoE became VERY upset that the students went to the news media with this disparity and that it was widely reported. (SOME of the media back then still had "journalistic integrity.")

So I don't believe education money is being spent wisely - not even close. It wasn't back then, and IMHO careless waste, politics, and poor judgement - along with outright graft and corruption - have only made things worse now.

[Perd Hapley]

I am surprised no one in the US seems to be talking about repealing truancy laws. I mean, look at the outrages going on in some of these schools.

[WLJ]

Oh the horror

    NEW: Sources in the LA DA’s office tell me the @GeorgeGascon admin has suspended the lead prosecutor who handled transgender child molester James “Hannah” Tubbs’ case for 5 days without pay for “misgendering” & “deadnaming” Tubbs by referring to him as a https://t.co/GSDQ1U10J3… https://t.co/9ArNu09w82

    — Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) February 24, 2023

 LA County DA George Gascón reportedly suspends prosecutor for misgendering/deadnaming child molester
https://twitchy.com/sarahd-313035/2023/02/24/la-county-da-george-gascon-reportedly-suspends-prosecutor-for-misgendering-deadnaming-child-molester/

[Perd Hapley]

Oh the horror

 LA County DA George Gascón reportedly suspends prosecutor for misgendering/deadnaming child molester
https://twitchy.com/sarahd-313035/2023/02/24/la-county-da-george-gascon-reportedly-suspends-prosecutor-for-misgendering-deadnaming-child-molester/

Sounds like another prosecutor moving to Florida.

[Perd Hapley]

Just a thought on the madness:

I'm sitting in church right now, taking in a hellfire & brimstone sermon, and I begin to wonder about the connection between our politics, and our belief (or not) in hell. I think it's true (could be wrong) that most people on the far left do not believe in hell. Certainly communism discourages such. Left-wing religion tends to disbelieve. Do such people seek to punish their enemies in this life, because they have no hope of divine justice in the next?

[dogmush]

Just a thought on the madness:

I'm sitting in church right now, taking in a hellfire & brimstone sermon, and I begin to wonder about the connection between our politics, and our belief (or not) in hell. I think it's true (could be wrong) that most people on the far left do not believe in hell. Certainly communism discourages such. Left-wing religion tends to disbelieve. Do such people seek to punish their enemies in this life, because they have no hope of divine justice in the next?

*citation needed.

Certainly atheists don't believe in hell, and true Communists tend to be atheists, but I don't think that's very common in America.  All the left leaning people I know believe in an afterlife.  Several are active Christians that believe in the Biblical Hell explicitly.  Certainly Rev Wright and the Obama's profess a belief in the Christian afterlife, as do the Bidens.

[RocketMan]

Certainly Rev Wright and the Obama's profess a belief in the Christian afterlife, as do the Bidens.

I think in these and many similar cases this profession of belief is more a matter of political convenience.

[cordex]

https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/religious-landscape-study/religious-family/atheist/party-affiliation/
In context of other religious groups
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/02/23/u-s-religious-groups-and-their-political-leanings/

I think Perd has a point about it being easier to accept temporal injustice if one believes in an eternal reckoning. A pragmatic government or politician might even see that as beneficial regardless of their actual belief.

[dogmush]

https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/religious-landscape-study/religious-family/atheist/party-affiliation/
In context of other religious groups
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/02/23/u-s-religious-groups-and-their-political-leanings/

I think Perd has a point about it being easier to accept temporal injustice if one believes in an eternal reckoning. A pragmatic government or politician might even see that as beneficial regardless of their actual belief.

I wasn't arguing Perd's point that it's easier to accept temporal injustice if one believes in an eternal reckoning.  I was objecting to the statement that "I think it's true (could be wrong) that most people on the far left do not believe in hell. Certainly communism discourages such. Left-wing religion tends to disbelieve."

Atheists and some Agnostics certainly fall into that category, but are a pretty small percentage of the population.  (Wiki says 6ish %)  but most everyone else has an afterlife and some kinda of incentive to be good, It's kinda a defining point of religion writ large.  I think your links, cordex, bear that out:



Everyone of those, even the blue leaning ones have an afterlife with a reckoning.  Hinduism and Buddhism with continual reincarnation are the least explicit, but still there, and the rest of those pretty much explicitly believe in the Christian Judgment and Hell, or a very close analouge.


Full on Communists aside (and they are another conversation, despite their small numbers)  Faith in God{s} and an afterlife does not  seem to correlate to any particular ploitics or moral stance in the US.  In Perd's defense he said he was just musing and could be wrong.

I'll now brace myself for the "No True Scotsman Christian" arguments.

[JN01]

Interesting chart.  The Christian denominations identified as "Mainline" appear to be the ones that are accepting of Biblically unsupported behavior and/or push leftist ideologies.

[dogmush]

The chart came from the link cordex posted.

As far as the behavior, I guess that depends on one's point of view.  I suspect the churches identified as "mainline" have folks that can biblically support their doctrinal choices.

[JN01]

Christian Identity churches used biblical quotes out of context to support their racist teachings, doesn't mean that it is sound Christian theology.

[MillCreek]

I was unfamiliar with the term 'Christian Identity', so I googled it and found this explanation: https://www.middlebury.edu/institute/academics/centers-initiatives/ctec/ctec-publications/christian-identitys-new-role-extreme-right  I was unaware of the connection with the Aryan Nations, which had a compound up in the Idaho Panhandle and they got a lot of attention in the Pacific NW at the time.

[dogmush]

Christian Identity churches used biblical quotes out of context to support their racist teachings, doesn't mean that it is sound Christian theology.

100% correct.  As did churches like Westboro Baptist church, with similarly dodgy theology.

[K Frame]

Interesting chart.  The Christian denominations identified as "Mainline" appear to be the ones that are accepting of Biblically unsupported behavior and/or push leftist ideologies.

The leadership of the national Methodist church helped found Handgun Control, Incorporated, and was very active in the anti-gun fight for a very long time.

I believe they've calmed down somewhat, but ideologically the United Methodist church is still VERY left.

[WLJ]

 

Woman posts some of the hot catches on her friend’s lesbian dating app
https://twitchy.com/brettt-3136/2023/02/25/woman-posts-some-of-the-hot-catches-on-her-friends-lesbian-dating-app/

[dogmush]

Woman posts some of the hot catches on her friend’s lesbian dating app
https://twitchy.com/brettt-3136/2023/02/25/woman-posts-some-of-the-hot-catches-on-her-friends-lesbian-dating-app/

I feel like Zachary got drunk and made that profile after one too many "I must be a lesbian too" frat jokes.

[WLJ]

If it wasn't for those darn kids Christofascists

Teacher’s thread claiming sex between adults and minors is not ‘intrinsically harmful’ HORRIFIES Twitter
https://twitchy.com/samj-3930/2023/02/26/teachers-thread-claiming-sex-between-adults-and-minors-is-not-intrinsically-harmful-horrifies-twitter/

[Pb]

I have heard a lot of people claiming that pedophiles are perverts the left will be normalizing next.

This seems likely.

[RoadKingLarry]

You're not paying close enough attention if you don't see them already working towards that.
Drag queen story hour, sexualizing 5 year olds and throwing around terms like "minor attracted person" has a goal.

[cordex]

I was objecting to the statement that "I think it's true (could be wrong) that most people on the far left do not believe in hell. Certainly communism discourages such. Left-wing religion tends to disbelieve."

Atheists and some Agnostics certainly fall into that category, but are a pretty small percentage of the population.  (Wiki says 6ish %)  but most everyone else has an afterlife and some kinda of incentive to be good, It's kinda a defining point of religion writ large. 

I guess that kind of depends on where fistful was drawing the "far left" line.

It would absolutely shock me if there was any truth whatsoever to the idea that only 6% of the population of the US are atheist or agnostic.  Seems like you'd have to be exceptionally narrow in your definition of non-religious to get there.  The surveys I've seen are closer to 30% non-religious, and that has doubled in the past 20 or so years.  Also, a whole bunch of "religious" people of all flavors are socially religious but by any measure of observance or belief are entirely irreligious.  As the social stigma of atheism has declined more people are willing to admit to their lack of belief both publicly and to pollsters.  That doesn't even get into the "I'm not religious, but I'm spiritual" crowd whose beliefs are almost completely indefinable.