Sarah Silverman is scared when she see's the American Flag.

[Glocktogo]

makes perfect sense doesn't it?

While i'm certainly no fan of Sara Silverman and wouldnt put myself through even listening to her nonsense, i'm glad I live in ONE OF the countries that will allow her to spout her views without fear legal prosecution.

The "AMERICA - like it or leave it" crowd really seems to miss the boat on what America is really all about.

"AMERICA - if you don't like it, gripe about it and/or change it" is way more in line with what it means to be an American.

And when someone's desire to change America is complete nonsense, the best response is

 

[huntemup]

And when someone's desire to change America is complete nonsense, the best response is

See, that's your right as an American. You get to have your opinion on how things should be and they get to have theirs. I'm glad i don't live in a country where everyone has to agree with me on everything. Hell, i'm glad my opinions were allowed to change and evolve on many things over time. Some of those changed opinions happened as a result of me getting outside of my box and actually listening to differing/competing opinions. I'm also glad that there are all kinds of thoughts competing as we move forward as a people. That's how we grow. That's how we become better. That's how we ensure we arent left behind as a nation. The healthy exchange of ideas even the absurd ones keep us from being stagnant.

There were many who thought the idea of a Revolt against England was complete nonsense. In fact many of them did all they could to help bring about a victory for the crown. Thankfully there were others who were able to see and share that vision of a Free America. There were many who thought the idea of freeing slaves was nonsense. There were many who thought integration was nonsense. There were many who thought black people didn't really count as a whole person. In many circles, those thoughts were the norm and the nonsense of the time was the opposing view that said slavery was evil. We are all equal. We all deserve to have our voice heard and our rights as human beings protected. Thank God the nonsensical viewpoint won out. But imagine if even mentioning such "nonsense" was merely given the metaphorical "talk to the hand". Imagine if you were banished to some other country for expressing an opposing viewpoint.

America, like all things changes over time. While some of that change might hurt, in the long run, not changing will hurt much more. One day things that we think are completely outlandish will be looked back on by our great grandchildren as completely normal. It's just the way it goes. It's a sign that you've gotten old when the clothes, music, trends in popular culture, ideas of the day don't fit with what you're accustomed to and that's fine. That's normal. Some of those things might sit better with you as time passes and some of them never will - depending on your age, education, worldview, etc. All of that is completely normal.

That said, It's a sign that this country and perhaps this world is better off without you when you think others shouldn't be able express the views you find ridiculous or that they should somehow be punished simply for expressing those views.

America as a strictly conservative country, regardless of how conservative you think you are, is no place you'd want to live. Don't believe me? Tell me just how much you'd enjoy living in a puritan society.
We need conservatives and liberals in order to have a healthy America. I know sometimes it doesn't seem that way when the ideas of the other side seem to come from another planet but it's true. Liberals keep us from getting too comfortable. They keep pushing the envelope further than we are comfortable with so that we don't get stagnant. Conservatives on the other hand, by their very nature pull back against the movement. This push and pull, at least in a normal political climate, allows us to change not too fast and not all at once. 3 steps forward and 2 steps back, if you will. We need to get back to seeing politics as something other than an all or nothing proposition. Both sides need to be willing to give and take.

 

[gerhard1]

See, that's your right as an American. You get to have your opinion on how things should be and they get to have theirs. I'm glad i don't live in a country where everyone has to agree with me on everything. Hell, i'm glad my opinions were allowed to change and evolve on many things over time. Some of those changed opinions happened as a result of me getting outside of my box and actually listening to differing/competing opinions. I'm also glad that there are all kinds of thoughts competing as we move forward as a people. That's how we grow. That's how we become better. That's how we ensure we arent left behind as a nation. The healthy exchange of ideas even the absurd ones keep us from being stagnant.

There were many who thought the idea of a Revolt against England was complete nonsense. In fact many of them did all they could to help bring about a victory for the crown. Thankfully there were others who were able to see and share that vision of a Free America. There were many who thought the idea of freeing slaves was nonsense. There were many who thought integration was nonsense. There were many who thought black people didn't really count as a whole person. In many circles, those thoughts were the norm and the nonsense of the time was the opposing view that said slavery was evil. We are all equal. We all deserve to have our voice heard and our rights as human beings protected. Thank God the nonsensical viewpoint won out. But imagine if even mentioning such "nonsense" was merely given the metaphorical "talk to the hand". Imagine if you were banished to some other country for expressing an opposing viewpoint.

America like all things changes over time and while some of that change might hurt, in the long run, not changing will hurt much more. One day things that we think are completely outlandish will be looked back on by our great grandchildren as completely normal. It's just the way it goes. It's a sign that you've gotten old when the clothes, music, trends in popular culture, ideas of the day don't fit with what you're accustomed to and that's fine. That's normal. Some of those things might sit better with you as time passes and some of them never will - depending on your age, education, worldview, etc. All of that is completely normal.

That said, It's a sign that this country and perhaps this world is better off without you when you think others shouldn't be able express the views you find ridiculous or that they should somehow be punished simply for expressing those views.

America as a strictly conservative country, regardless of how conservative you think you are, is no place you'd want to live. Don't believe me? Tell me just how much you'd enjoy living in a puritan society.
We need conservatives and liberals in order to have a healthy America. I know sometimes it doesn't seem that way when the ideas of the other side seem to come from another planet but it's true. Liberals keep us from getting too comfortable. They keep pushing the envelope further than we are comfortable with so that we don't get stagnant. Conservatives on the other hand, by their very nature pull back against the movement. This push and pull, at least in a normal political climate, allows us to change not too fast and not all at once. 3 steps forward and 2 steps back, if you will. We need to get back to seeing politics as something other than an all or nothing proposition. Both sides need to be willing to give and take.

So then you want conservatives to be suppressed in order to give liberals free reign. Gotcha.

 

[TerryMiller]

There were many who thought the idea of a Revolt against England was complete nonsense. In fact many of them did all they could to help bring about a victory for the crown. Thankfully there were others who were able to see and share that vision of a Free America. There were many who thought the idea of freeing slaves was nonsense. There were many who thought integration was nonsense. There were many who thought black people didn't really count as a whole person. In many circles, those thoughts were the norm and the nonsense of the time was the opposing view that said slavery was evil. We are all equal. We all deserve to have our voice heard and our rights as human beings protected. Thank God the nonsensical viewpoint won out. But imagine if even mentioning such "nonsense" was merely given the metaphorical "talk to the hand". Imagine if you were banished to some other country for expressing an opposing viewpoint.

You do understand why that in bold was initially enacted? It wasn't because of racism.

 

[Dave70968]

You do understand why that in bold was initially enacted? It wasn't because of racism.

Well, yes it was; racism just wasn't the proximate cause.