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Is the left becoming more and more authoritarian?

Is the American left becoming more and more authoritarian?

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An interesting point, one I will bring up to the mods-this thread has already been tampered with, to show some quite impractical results, ones that change the results.

Kinda makes my point.
 
US Conservative said:
But the left and right aren't equivocal. Are you suggesting otherwise?
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The left AND right are equivocal in some ways which are quite substantial. One of which is that they both have authoritarian tendencies.
 
US Conservative said:
Which, in your view has more of these authoritarian tendencies?
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It depends on which ones you are talking to. But they are all power hungry authoritarian control freaks who can't stand anyone that they think is in their way.
 
US Conservative said:
We hear from lefties how anyone who disagrees with them are racists, sexists, bigots, homophobes, etc-in other words modern lefty versions of the word heretic. The left declares what speech is appropriate (PC). They force Americans to engage in interstate commerce. They have also become increasingly violent, reference the recent officer involved shootings, occupy, etc. All with no new ideas-just rhetoric to explain their policy failures.

There have even been calls to arrest those who disagree with them on global warming... Arrest Climate-Change Deniers

We are told (by them) that "the debate is over". :doh

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Is the left becoming more and more (nakedly) authoritarian?
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Undeniably yes. Consider the almost 1,000 new laws liberal/progressives put on the books in California this year. From pets allowed in restaurants, to controlling how teachers and schools can respond to unruly students, the left is on, and has been on, an authoritarian juggernaut for at least the last 15-20 years.

Hiding under the undefined and mysterious "social justice" banner, they are seeking to control society, and move it in the direction they have defined. Such manipulation requires obedience from society, and an effort to denigrate and destroy anyone who doesn't toe the line. The pejorative "deniers" label is a perfect example of this effort.
 
ocean515 said:
Undeniably yes. Consider the almost 1,000 new laws liberal/progressives put on the books in California this year. From pets allowed in restaurants, to controlling how teachers and schools can respond to unruly students, the left is on, and has been on, an authoritarian juggernaut for at least the last 15-20 years.

Hiding under the undefined and mysterious "social justice" banner, they are seeking to control society, and move it in the direction they have defined. Such manipulation requires obedience from society, and an effort to denigrate and destroy anyone who doesn't toe the line. The pejorative "deniers" label is a perfect example of this effort.
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This certainly appears to be the case. I too am a California resident and its astounding the direction the left is going down. Its like they are trying to rip off an Orwell novel. :shock:
 
US Conservative said:
This certainly appears to be the case. I too am a California resident and its astounding the direction the left is going down. Its like they are trying to rip off an Orwell novel. :shock:
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Adding credibility to your OP, consider the fact the C.A.R.B., the evil twin to the EPA, is allowed to set environmental policy and standards that are far beyond those set on a national basis.

Why? Because they go farther and effectively set national standards all citizens must live by, since, for example, a car company can't afford to manufacture vehicles under two different sets of standards.

Normally, a separate set of environmental standards would not be allowed by a state, except liberals want the more controlling standards, so they allow a single state to establish what in effect becomes national policy.

That can only be viewed as a liberal effort in a minority position imposing control on the unrepresented majority, whether they like it or not. Proof positive of their authoritarian views and objectives.
 
PeteEU said:
LOL it is the right that is becoming more and more authoritarian and has been for decades. Everything from denying rights to minorities to GITMO and the Patriot Act.. all acts by the American Taliban Right.
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It seems like race relations are as bad or worse today than at any time in the last 20 years.

Has the current administration done anything to restrain the Patriot Act? It seems like the suing on the citizens programs have only expanded under Obama.

GITMO is not an appropriate inclusion in the list.

The comparison within the topic of GITMO is not how the government treats its citizens. It is how the current administration treats those that would have gone to GITMO. The current treatment is summary execution in he field, not detention.
 
US Conservative said:
Funny I remember Obama being against gay marriage until it was politically convenient, and re-signing the Patriot act after greatly expanding it. I think the left changed in the 1960's. If you think the American Right is at all comparable to the Taliban-you might be a lefty. How did you vote?
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Obama's changing positions are all not so much the result of Evolution as they are the result of Intelligent Design.
 
PeteEU said:
Considering the authoritarian nature of the American right on social and sexual issues, then yes.
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What are your examples? The laws favor the left position.

Pro life advocates are shouted down and defamed as sexist homophobe racists.
 
AJiveMan said:
You're not interested in that, everyone knows you.
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Oh.....so you have the ability to read minds, huh? Ya might want to contact BO peep. As he needs all the help he can get. Course you know he will have to validate that you can actually read minds and be able to get it Right. As just having a big paint brush wont work.
 
US Conservative said:
We hear from lefties how anyone who disagrees with them are racists, sexists, bigots, homophobes, etc-in other words modern lefty versions of the word heretic. The left declares what speech is appropriate (PC). They force Americans to engage in interstate commerce. They have also become increasingly violent, reference the recent officer involved shootings, occupy, etc. All with no new ideas-just rhetoric to explain their policy failures.

There have even been calls to arrest those who disagree with them on global warming... Arrest Climate-Change Deniers

We are told (by them) that "the debate is over". :doh

IMG_2645_1.jpg


Is the left becoming more and more (nakedly) authoritarian?
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They have always been more authoritarian. They believe in the supremacy of the state over the individual. They want the state to control more of our money so people can have what the left believes they should have. They want to limit speech to what they believe is politically correct. They want the state to fulfill the obligations that charities take on. Recently I had a conversation with a leftist friend who believed that all of the functions of the Wounded Warrior Project should be done by the state and not a charity. Basically they view life as a puppet show with the government pulling the strings.
 
code1211 said:
What are your examples? The laws favor the left position.
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No it favours what should be the "right wing" position. Personal liberty and accountability has always been part of the right. Not having government butt into personal lives at least use to be a right wing mantra.

Pro life advocates are shouted down and defamed as sexist homophobe racists.
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And the shoe fits. The pro life side is authoritarian as they want to dictate what people can and can not do with their own bodies.
 
code1211 said:
It seems like race relations are as bad or worse today than at any time in the last 20 years.
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In many ways it is. And that is not because of the left, but because of the right losing grip on power they have held for so long, both politically and socially. The right is a wounded animal and is doing everything it can to maintain its power base... and this includes everything from gerrymandering to backing openly racist members of congress.

Has the current administration done anything to restrain the Patriot Act? It seems like the suing on the citizens programs have only expanded under Obama.
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Nope they have not. But expanding.. not really. At best the actions of previous governments and present have been revealed which alters the perception that the programs have "expanded" under Obama, when in fact they are not much different than under Bush where they were enacted.

GITMO is not an appropriate inclusion in the list.
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Why on earth not?

The comparison within the topic of GITMO is not how the government treats its citizens.
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LOL it has everything to do with it. It has to do with how a country/government looks at and treats human beings. There is not much between having non Americans in a GITMO to having Americans in a GITMO. Now you can complain that the US government now targets US citizens working for the enemy... and you would be right, but who is not to say they have not done this before? The difference again is that under previous administrations there were relatively few leaks and admissions of guilt... now days, it is a whole other ball game thanks to people like Snowdon and Wikileaks.
 
ocean515 said:
Adding credibility to your OP, consider the fact the C.A.R.B., the evil twin to the EPA, is allowed to set environmental policy and standards that are far beyond those set on a national basis.

Why? Because they go farther and effectively set national standards all citizens must live by, since, for example, a car company can't afford to manufacture vehicles under two different sets of standards.

Normally, a separate set of environmental standards would not be allowed by a state, except liberals want the more controlling standards, so they allow a single state to establish what in effect becomes national policy.

That can only be viewed as a liberal effort in a minority position imposing control on the unrepresented majority, whether they like it or not. Proof positive of their authoritarian views and objectives.
Click to expand...

Sounds authoritarian to me. Quite authoritarian.
 
The idea that the left is either more or less authoritarian than the right is one that is only believed by the true believers that their side is the embodiment of all things good and the other side is the personification of evil.

I expect nothing less from the OP.
 
US Conservative said:
It appears that you think rhetoric and ridicule is a substantive reply. Whats that about?
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You thought that rhetoric and ridicule was a substantive OP. You set the bar at roughly tripping height to begin with.
 
MMC said:
Oh.....so you have the ability to read minds, huh? Ya might want to contact BO peep. As he needs all the help he can get. Course you know he will have to validate that you can actually read minds and be able to get it Right. As just having a big paint brush wont work.
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This could also apply to the OP. Strange, isn't it?
 
AmericanSpartan said:
How are we denying anyone their rights?

You DO NOT have the right to force a church to perform gay weddings.
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No one is claiming that the government has the right to force a church to perform a same sex marriage. It's a straw man argument. The only time this issue even remotely came up was with a for profit wedding chapel in Idaho, not a church. Churches have always been free to recognize whatever marriages they choose. For example, if you divorce and remarry, the government will recognize your second marriage, but the Catholic Church will not. Similarly, if you live in a state that legally recognizes same sex marriage, the government will recognize that marriage while the local Pentecostal Church probably won't.

I find it ironic that the right wingers are accusing the left of authoritarianism when Social Conservatism by its very definition is an authoritarian ideology.
 
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