especially those seeking asylum from violence and **ESPECIALLY CHILDREN** who are being harmed by this brutality. All Catholics need to be united against these atrocious actions. Call your representatives, stage protests, sit-ins, prayer vigils, call in the press to cover it. Unite with the people of your parish and discuss ways each of us can help. Speak loudly and clearly that the Church will not sit idle before the evil actions of these men. Call them out by name. Gather at the gates of the concentration camps and detention centers. Demand immediate disclosure of the whereabouts of all the young girls taken by ICE. Demand that the children be returned to their parents. Let them know that the Holy Church will not rest until these crimes against humanity cease and all asylum seekers are treated with dignity and respect and families are no longer separated.

etc.

Or...thoughts and prayers, have a sad and thank Mexico for being nice.

I don't normally start threads here but I didn't see this on DU and thought this was a brilliant exchange that highlights the *major, major* difference between republicans and democrats. It's the kind of thing you don't typically hear in the mainstream.

https://mobile.twitter.com/EgbertoWillies/status/1027587160491401216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1027587160491401216&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailykos.com%2Fstory%2F2018%2F8%2F9%2F1787063%2F-Alexandria-Ocasio-Cortez-torches-CNN-s-Chris-Cuomo-for-slamming-Progressive-Agenda

Direct video link

Text:
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez torches CNN's Chris Cuomo for slamming Progressive Agenda (VIDEO)

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Ocasio states it brilliantly. This is a message that can get people off their asses and vote - it matters and Democrats have *great* ideas and plans to make our system of government work for as many people as possible, not just the rich. The republican said, "...my tax dollars...". No, OUR tax dollars.

Great point she makes - Why do we only have empty pockets for the things that are morally right to do - education, health care, environment - but seem to have limitless funds for military spending, tax cuts for the rich, etc. I'll add a few more examples here - subsidies for big businesses, and endless loopholes for people to hold their money offshore, free from taxes while the workers of this country are nickled and dimed for everything they earn?

As she said in the end, "it belies the lack of moral priorities people have right now, especially [in the] republican party."

Damn straight.

It's not just the "far right" as he says but republicans in general who are being duped by Putin. They just refuse to own up to anything they fuck up, which, politically speaking, is just about everything these days.

I'm sure they would be happy to be able to persecute men and women here for being gay, lesbian or transgender. In their lust for blood they apparently don't want to see just how badly they are being manipulated.

Sadly, most of these people will wake up tomorrow and continue being the same assholes just as they were today. These fellow Americans... these repug types... love America... other than its people and its diversity of culture. But by God they love America!

The absurdity of the republican mindset grows ever more ridiculous with each passing day and I suspect we are going to be shown just how low they are willing to go. I think, however, that every time one of us tells them to fuck off when they spout their conservative bullshit it throws them off guard. Let's keep it up and this last ditch effort to install the fascists will fail miserably because we are laughing at them and spitting on their ideology whenever they try to legitimize their version of idiocracy. Don't let them get a toe hold anywhere.

military hardware. We would be light years ahead as a planet from where we are today. The only thing that's stopping us? Capitalists who think it's okay to manipulate people and economies for their own personal gain and who have no regard for all the people that are hurt and repressed by their selfish actions.

comeuppance because they had the gall to stand up against the gun lobby. This article in Salon I think explains it well:

http://www.salon.com/2013/09/12/colorado_proves_politicians_cant_fear_gun_reform/

In brief:


Do gun owners really resort to threats of violence against pro-gun-control legislators?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/05/worst-regards-colorado-democrat-lawmakers-threats-gun-control_n_3874035.html

How is that wanting a reasonable debate? Both sides have extremists, but only one has guns to back up the violent threats.

It would seem that both sides of this issue would agree that we don't want innocent people getting killed. So let's take a step back and get away from the rhetorical arguments on both sides and figure out a way to stop it. Remember, not everyone wants to own a gun, myself included, so I would reject out of hand any proposal to require gun ownership as a way to stop violent crime (which to me is a ridiculous argument).

There are already laws that limit weapons ownership - the obvious being nuclear weapons, missiles, and other heavy artillery reserved for the military. In exchange for universal background checks, mag limits, and restrictions on convicted domestic abusers owning firearms (these are the restrictions the Colorado representatives supported that got them canned), what do you think is reasonable?

Your fear of confiscation is not really reasonable given that it's not ever been brought up for serious discussion on a bill. Sure there are people who would love to see all guns confiscated from owners but since when did the extremes of an issue become the starting point of coming up with solutions to a problem. It seems to me that if there were sensible measures in place to keep guns out of the hands of people we *know* should not have them - convicted violent criminals, domestic abusers, mentally incompetent, etc. - then there would be far less outcry about the ease of access to firearms. It would protect against any movement to confiscate all guns (of which there is none - repeat, there is no movement to confiscate all guns from lawful gun owners).

So what is it you want that you do not have now that you would like to get in exchange for things such as universal background checks, mag limits, and restrictions on gun ownership for those reasons mentioned above?

money. Hallelujah the guns are safe from libruls but it's not the only issue on the table and probably the one that will least effect our standard of living *and* our freedoms. Republicans will fight against any and all legislation to curb pollution in any form, they will support any efforts by the oil and gas industry to frack wherever they want and completely dismiss out of hand any and all environmental studies, they will defund public education at the drop of a hat, they will do anything their highest bidder wants, and the last thing they will do is represent the interests of people.

So you saved yourself from the inconvenience of gun registration, background checks, and safety classes. But now you get representation for the real purpose republicans have in mind... full corporate control over all issues. Profits before people every time. That is the hallmark of republican representation.

Until a better system or method can be implemented with the same level of convenience as usernames and passwords, we are stuck with them. In the meantime, we use them to stop most crimes of opportunity. But our sense of security that allows us to function normally in this world still requires us to trust each other to a certain degree. Your only other option is to give in to fear and paranoia.

Being wealthy doesn't automatically exclude one from being a citizen. Taibi is referring to an attitude that many of the 1% feel no obligation to the countries in which they live - let alone the world in which they live. Is that the point of humanity? To create the king or queen bee while the rest serve their needs or drown in poverty? Or is it to have a democracy in which the majority can find a place in which the needs of the community are considered important along side the needs of the individual? Or is it something else? It isn't wealth that determines what ideology one should follow. That's a matter of personal integrity. It seems that Taibi is pointing out a host of reprobates currently running rather large corporate empires that feel they can do whatever they want, regardless of the consequences that ripple out from their privileged position. That's not a consequence of wealth but a consequence of low character.