I didn't say anything about who was or wasn't to blame. My point is just that it's weird to say "there's not much more we can do" when that funding package is still in limbo.
You didn't say it, but it is the Republicans that are to blame. They seem to believe that obstruction is a form of government. And the weirdest thing is that their supporters seem to believe this is true.
I agree, but the person I was responding to seemed to think that I was somehow blaming Congress in general rather than the Republicans, which is reading something into my comment that simply wasn't there.
<< They seem to believe that obstruction is a form of government.
It may come as something of a shock to some, but US constitution effectively guarantees gridlock if the various blocks are unable to agree. It is a feature and not a bug.
In other words, obstruction, such as it is -- last time I checked there were still talks about aid package slowly making it through house with pieces being cut out -- is a valid form of political expression.
History is not a set of if/then statements. It is not written in stone. My most charitable interpretation of the post is that history can be a useful heuristic, but to blindly assert 'future will be' x is inaccurate at best.
I think I understand where you am coming from, but the post I see from you are all unnecessarily 'angry' presenting an opinion as an axiom. It may be worthwhile to take a step back and consider whether those contributions are useful to the community. Frankly, it may be detracting people from the message you intend to spread.
> but the post I see from you are all unnecessarily 'angry' presenting an opinion as an axiom.
Ah, ok so until things really derail you shouldn't be upset. Sorry but I'm not 'angry', I'm ANGRY and that is mostly because I spent a long time working through my various family's stories about WWII, what led up to it and how it all ended up and that nobody that could have done something about it acted when they still could. This isn't some kind of abstract mental exercise. If you're not angry that simply means you haven't thought it through yet.
<< I spent a long time working through my various family's stories about WWII
I do not want to seem dismissive, but I am from the old country and, well, we all have family stories about WW2. I am not going to delve deep into into it though.
<< If you're not angry that simply means you haven't thought it through yet.
I personally think it is a common misconception. Yes, anger can be a good catalyst and may force a person to act, but I am not entirely certain anger is a good advisor. On a personal scale, I rank it just below fear in terms of usefulness.
My actual point: If you are angry, you are not thinking clearly. I tend to remove myself from conversations if I find myself so.
> I do not want to seem dismissive, but I am from the old country and, well, we all have family stories about WW2. I am not going to delve deep into into it though.
Proceeds to be dismissive.
> I personally think it is a common misconception. Yes, anger can be a good catalyst and may force a person to act, but I am not entirely certain anger is a good advisor. On a personal scale, I rank it just below fear in terms of usefulness.
I don't want to be dismissive, but you are giving undue weight to your own opinion over those of others when you probably should at least give them equal weight, on the off chance that you are simply wrong.
> My actual point: If you are angry, you are not thinking clearly. I tend to remove myself from conversations if I find myself so.
What you meant to say: "If I am angry, I am not thinking clearly. I tend to remove myself from conversations if I find myself so."
<< you are giving undue weight to your own opinion over those of others
Are you sure you not projecting a tad bit here?
<< Proceeds to be dismissive.
Would you feel better if I wrote 'too dismissive'?
<< What you meant to say
Heh.
<< you are simply wrong.
What exactly am I being wrong about?
We established we share some ww2 background with its survivors and their descendants and, as a result, your opinion is, at best, as unimportant as mine.
I think we established that emotion ( anger ) may not such a great way to establish whether one is paying attention.
What did I miss?
Friend, I am trying to give you the benefit of the doubt, but so far your responses are not very inspiring. Hell, I am not even sure what you are angry about.
I mean, I can talk generalities too you know. People suck. See?
The question that kicked off this discussion was "What do you want [the] world to do?" In that context it's pretty obvious what it means to say that the US Congress could approve more aid to Ukraine. Of course some people don't want to do that. That's why it remains something that we could do rather than something that we're doing.
But the US Congress can no more approve significant aid to Ukraine than it can make pi == 3.
In a platonic ideal world, sure. But in the world as it stands, this is not possible. The constraints on the system prohibit it as surely as if the Constitution specifically forbade it.
