No, thanks. I am quite satisfied with the Constitution and the Bill of Rights that we now have. If we do anything, we need to reverse some of the damage that the “progressive” movement has created.cruiserlarry wrote:That's why I'm a progressive, as opposed to a leftist. I am able to assimilate new information and use it to adjust my position on an issue. That's the difference between myself and those who fear their rights are going to be confiscated by some mystical government entity with an agenda - I can rethink my position based on rational thought instead of towing the line of others who "think" for me...
Your turn to progress....
So you see yourself as a “progressive”, eh? These days I find that the label one wears does not necessarily reveal the true political mind set that lurks below. Its so easy to engage in the faddish re-branding of one’s political thinking that it is nearly impossible to know exactly what is what. And in many cases, the definitions have been so badly blurred, that those who call themselves a (fill in name, like progressive), are nothing like those who founded their movement. I will accept that you believe you are a “progressive”, but I will not judge your thinking on the label you wear or refuse to wear (leftist or liberal). You bristled at my use of the word, “left” and were quick to deny that you were one. Accepted. What I will look at is how you have conducted yourself in this discussion.
In that regard, you have not been shy about making assertions and then drawing conclusions. The problem with your assertions is that they are just your opinion and not facts. Examples:
1. You are 100% more likely to be injured if you are armed;
2. Most of the open carry crowd are stockpilers;
3. You are not likely to protect yourself with a weapon.
And, as much as you have attempted to wiggle out of the meaning of your statements below, we have all seen how low you regard gun owners in general. These comments speak for them self:
1.
.Most (gun owners) are not smart enough or skilled enough (to engage in self defense)
Your justification for this was to state,
If you equate an expression of truth as an insult, that's your interpretation.
2.
I do not believe the majority of people are above average in mental capacity - by definition - and fear is a powerful motivator.
You also said,
there are a lot of average Americans who give in easily to fear tactics used to support political ideas they are uneducated about.
The clear implication here is that the majority of gun owners are not smart enough to avoid being fooled by this fear, that you think is false. Put in your terms, we are not smart enough, due to our limited mental capacity, to see the real truth, like you do.
This is elitism, plain and simple.
For those who believe that only the educated and enlightened are capable of knowing what’s best, there is no doubt about their idea for a solution - government.
One of the fundamental differences between the right and the left is the role that each feels the government should play in the lives of it’s citizens. At the heart of this fundamental difference, regarding the role of the government, those on the right believe that people are capable of managing their own lives and the role of the government should be very limited. This line of thinking necessarily accepts that most people are smart enough to run their own lives and rejects government intervention in all but the most extreme cases. In contrast, those on the left prefer to have government solutions for nearly everything and do not believe that people are capable of managing their lives.
I’ll let your actions determine whether you are on the right or the left.
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