MYOB & STFU

[NanceGreggs]

Ever think about how many of the nation's ills would disappear if Certain People (R) just minded their own business and shut the fuck up?

[bucolic_frolic]

1. The Bill of Rights granted freedom from government, but not from Republicans

The Founders thought people were kind and independent.

[Better Days Ahoy]

11. With the possible exception of Founding Father Ben Franklin

Who was less confident in many of his colonial fellow folk. He felt as Samuel Clemens and Abe Lincoln did about the gullibility, naivete and ignorance of many of us, leading to the risk of being led down the garden path. Then there was Hannum, a banker who said: "There's a sucker born every minute" in reference to a P.T. Barnum exhibit.

[KS Toronado]

16. Often wondered if any of our Founding Fathers

saw a day when the wealthiest among us could buy Politicians with their money and instruct them how to make
laws that would only benefit the rich.

[modrepub]

19. Most of the Founding Fathers

were men of means who were motivated primarily by not being included in the British Hierarchy of decision making (no taxation without representation). The famous saying for the American Revolution was one third of the people supported the Revolution, one third didn't give a damn and one third supported the British Crown. One of the primary reasons for the colonist's eventual victory was the monetary and military support of France (secured by Ben Franklin) and the fact that Britain had a hell of a lot of other colonial problems which had a much higher monetary value (i.e. the British west Indies sugar plantations and British East Indian Company) than the colonies.

I think the Founding Fathers would be taken aback by how many folks now share the reigns of power in the US; think women, minorities and people of other religious backgrounds. You may not realize it but people today are far more knowledgable than they were back in colonial times. In the field of medicine and science we are far more advanced today than in the past (and folks many years from now will be much more knowledgable than us).

While things change there are some parts of the human condition that don't. I think we all admire those folks past and present who recognize human failings. We call that "wisdom".

[KS Toronado]

22. Exactly along the lines of my thoughts.

"I think the Founding Fathers would be taken aback by how many folks now share the reigns of power in the US"

[Better Days Ahoy]

25. Thank you for sharing!

More of what I appreciate about DU.
Thanks for taking the time.

[Swede]

2. It really is that simple.

Leave folks alone to live their lives.

[SheltieLover]

3. Yup. Every single day.

Every single time I see news about them pushing their religious delusions on others, anti-abortion nonsense, lgbtq folks, etc., etc.

[gab13by13]

8. We got a new priest 5 months ago

and I have been trying to figure out where he stands politically. Our priest who retired was anti-Trump.

I got my answer, he gave a blistering sermon blasting the killing of babies 2 Sundays ago. 3 Sundays ago he gave a sermon where he said that it is not enough to be a good Catholic to live a good life, live and let live. Catholics are charged with stopping other people who are committing sin.

I suspected this is who he was, maybe I will ask him to give me ideas about how to stop a person who told me they masturbate at home?

[Better Days Ahoy]

12. Wow. Tell him that Pope Francis is not in his court

Reason #856 why I bolted from the Catholic Church as soon as I could. Couldn't abide the hypocrisy.
I left the day after my Confirmation at 13 -- I had an agreement with my Catholic Dad to finish that sacrament. He'd signed a contract to raise me Catholic and Confirmation sealed the deal. He was shocked when I held him to our deal.
My Trinity Episcopalian Mom, raised by a Bostonian of English heritage (think: Anglican, Church of England), had no problem with my decision.

[Quakerfriend]

15. About "charged with stopping other people from

committing sins”,
Yeah, their silence on pedophile priests was deafening.

[Bluethroughu]

21. Exactly!

[modrepub]

20. Another Weird Point

It seems the religious folks are absolutely convinced that sining is the reason humans suffer. God's punishment for sining, send a Hurricane or have some disaster befall somebody. So this goes onto some weird level that bad things happen (to good folks) because other people are sining.

My question would be, if we could somehow stop all sins would that mean bad things wouldn't happen to anyone? To me, this seems to be the general line of thought and the reason they think we need to tightly control everybody's actions.

And how does that commandment about treating others as you would want to be treated fit into this discussion?

[Backseat Driver]

26. My Missouri Synod church called a new pastor from

Texas in the mid 60s who had some hardline views. (Think racist, misogynist, and anti-semitic. He declared that one couldn't even say, "Gee whiz, oh boy, etc...because it was a substitute for taking God's name in vain. Then there was that "pray continually", admonition, and our kitchen radio blasted religious programming dawn to dusk. I think I can point to his arrival for the very literal biblical RWNJ views my mother was developing as well as the trauma of her father not coming home from WWII and my paternal grandmother not attending my parents wedding soon after my dad split with a Catholic finance to whom he had given a ring and whom my grandmother was set to welcome as her son's bride. He was supposed to get the lady's agreement to convert, but the lady would not. Thereafter, mom, who had little childhood religious training, was on a course to be "the best" little Lutheran she could be. On the day we became estranged at her request, she told me, "Your father and I gave you away on your wedding day, and you and yours are your DH's problem now" as well as other hurtful and abusive things about our family of two little girls, her grandchildren. Let's just say that over the ensuing years, if nothing else, I had learned the consequences of not being obedient!

Oh yeah, that congregation doesn't exist anymore in the face of changing demographics that never made anyone new feel welcome.

[Ferrets are Cool]

4. But then, how would they get the attention they so desparately crave?

[twodogsbarking]

5. I need that on a shirt, with a smiley face, upside down.

[2naSalit]

6. More often than I care to think about.

I wonder what will be the thing that makes them stop or go away.

[Turbineguy]

7. They are working for Putin

Either on purpose or as useful idiots.

[MiHale]

9. Yes...

but if I think about it too much my sociopathic friend buried deep inside tries to surface.

[Bucky]

10. Maybe. I think they do more damage by actively obstructing necessary work

We need to reform and overhaul the for-profit medical care system, in a way similar to what every other developed nation on the Earth has done.

We need to start addressing climate change starting about 20 years ago.

We need to start balancing the budget again and start paying down the national debt, just like Clinton had us doing in the 90s. The problem is so severe now it's like everyone has just giving up.

We need to regulate the amount of high capacity firearms that are on our streets and in our communities. Yes, in a way similar to what every other developed nation on the Earth has done.

We need to get the hundreds of thousands of Americans who are homeless off the streets and into transitional housing situations.

[niyad]

13. Absolutely spot on!

[Upthevibe]

14. Kick. N/T

[Evolve Dammit]

17. and just respected others rights to exist?? (which would include your two points). But they won't.

In fact, most consider it either their mission or divine duty to attack and/or abuse and demean others. Just like Jesus taught, right?

[rubbersole]

18. Or if Rupert Murdoch was back in Australia selling above ground pools.

[Major Nikon]

23. Trump et al gave stupid people a voice

When intellectualism was respected by both sides of the political divide, stupid people were marginalized. Then the GOP found itself with having to get a larger share of a shrinking demographic and they only way they could do that was appealing to rubes who devalue education and intellectualism.

Now the voice of the GOP is filled with those who are a stupid person's idea of what a smart person sounds like.

[Javaman]

24. Welcome to humanity

History is replete with people who would have served us all better if they had shut the fuck up

[IronLionZion]

27. If people don't like abortions or gay marriage, they can just not get one

it's a bit different for stuff that impacts others like guns and viruses. Plenty of people get shot or infected without choosing to do so.

[Skittles]

28. OMFG

YES, ALL THE FUCKING TIME