radarig
It's not perfect either, but it's better than the one-dimensional model.

That's a great site Radarig! They've got some good points there, I really love what they're trying to do.

But most of all I loved point 22 in their FAQ:

Political Compass
22. When are you guys gonna learn to spell?

This grievance comes from those who aren't aware that British and American spellings sometimes differ.

We've been at the centre of some rancour, but we're not going to take offence or harbour any grievances. The catalogue of complaints won't colour this organisation's programme. It's a grey area anyway. And we don't want to labour the point.

I'd actually make your linear line like this:

LEFTRIGHT

… but that's just me.

As for the Fascism/Communism argument, I think you're having a semantic argument.

True communism isn't anything close to the governments that call themselves communist. As far as I know, there is no communist government that has ever actually had true communism.

Communism is - very simply - “to each according to their needs, from each according to their ability.” In theory, that would mean that every member of the country has exactly the same amount of wealth and power as the other. In reality, they have political leaders, corporate leaders and all sorts of inequality.

So it might be accurate to place Communism on the far left if you mean the idealized Marxist version that has never had a chance to exist, but it would be grossly inaccurate if you meant communism as it exists in the real world.

Mazoo
Wisconsin passed an amendment to ban gay marriage and other, similar civil unions. Bascially it means that if you've been together with a person (be they gay or straight) for like, 20 years, but not married, and one of you gets into a coma-inducing accident or something, your partner will have no say in what happens to you. The person who knows you best can't choose if you live or die or anything of that nature.

Wisconsin, you disappoint me.

Disappointed as well - and slightly disturbed. What's more disturbing to me is the people I've run into here who don't seem to have thought the issue through very well. My roommate in college, for example, said there should not be gay marriage - we need more families to produce more children because the world is underpopulated.

Whirlwynd
… My roommate in college, for example, said there should not be gay marriage - we need more families to produce more children because the world is underpopulated.

Huh??? Other than that, how's the lobotomy working out for her?

I suppose it's possible that some states will overturn the gay marriage thing, now that the Dems are running the House and the Senate. But I doubt it because a lot of Democrats won't back that horse. That, and I just see Bush using his Veto pen more now.

On a related note, I happen to think that a party that is opposite from the Prez will always be more productive and better for America. Stops the rubber stamping. ;)

Also, I can't tell you how happy I am that Rumsfeld got the boot, too.

So, when will impeachment proceedings start?

I actually hope they don't try to impeach.

It's time consuming and ultimately causes little more than a slap on the wrist. The Dems only have 2 years to prove that they can do things more worthwhile than this past congress has.

And Bush is pretty marginalized now, if the dems are careful.

ozoneocean
Ok then, lets cut the crazy-talk because I get really know-it-all and stuck-up over this sort of thing.

Fine, but you're still wrong.

Whirlwynd
Disappointed as well - and slightly disturbed. What's more disturbing to me is the people I've run into here who don't seem to have thought the issue through very well. My roommate in college, for example, said there should not be gay marriage - we need more families to produce more children because the world is underpopulated.

Tell that to the people stacked on top of each other in Japan. Or how about all the millions and millions in India? The world is more populated now than it's ever been, yet an individual is asking for more resources than ever before to keep up a “21st Century Standard of Living”. I think it would be great if there were less people in the world. A lot less.

ccs1989

Whirlwynd
Disappointed as well - and slightly disturbed. What's more disturbing to me is the people I've run into here who don't seem to have thought the issue through very well. My roommate in college, for example, said there should not be gay marriage - we need more families to produce more children because the world is underpopulated.

Tell that to the people stacked on top of each other in Japan. Or how about all the millions and millions in India? The world is more populated now than it's ever been, yet an individual is asking for more resources than ever before to keep up a “21st Century Standard of Living”. I think it would be great if there were less people in the world. A lot less.

look at all that unpopulated land!

Now all we need is to be able to convert salt water into freshwater… and run on cleanly created hydrogen power… and live off of mold… or something…

thegreatjoebivins
Fine, but you're still wrong.

Ooooooooooh reeeeeaaaaly? :)
Would that I were. It'd be nice to live in such a simple world…


I doubt Gay marriage or unions or whatever will get much serious traction anywhere… Give it a few more years, we've come a long way already, just need to keep up the struggle for it I suppose. -It wouldn't do to go backwards!

Ha, ha, ha!

Look what we did:

What happens if we talk about Optimus Prime…?

Yay! This is the Google add I got:

“Lesbian comics
Meet Tens of Thousands of Lesbian Singles for Love. Register Free.
www.LDate.com”

Groovy. B)

AQua_ng
What happens if we talk about Optimus Prime…?

What, you mean gay Optimus, co-habiting with gay Megatron?
Will Democrat control over both houses really be enough to make legal unions a reality for our robosexual tranformers?
Walk on the Wild side!

-you see what I did there? huh, huh?
come on, it's Lou Reed's most famous album!

Whirlwynd

Mazoo
Wisconsin passed an amendment to ban gay marriage and other, similar civil unions. Bascially it means that if you've been together with a person (be they gay or straight) for like, 20 years, but not married, and one of you gets into a coma-inducing accident or something, your partner will have no say in what happens to you. The person who knows you best can't choose if you live or die or anything of that nature.

Wisconsin, you disappoint me.

Disappointed as well - and slightly disturbed. What's more disturbing to me is the people I've run into here who don't seem to have thought the issue through very well. My roommate in college, for example, said there should not be gay marriage - we need more families to produce more children because the world is underpopulated.

Another Wisconsinite! If you don't mind me asking, what college do you go to?

One thing that really irks me off is how uninformed the public was about this amendment. There was a lot of propoganda targeting the older or more religious crowd by just saying it was about gay marriage, and leaving out the fact that it now bans all types of civil unions. Glad to know that I've now lost all my rights because of ignorant parochials!

I had a US Government class a few months ago where the Professor decided for an excercize to split the class up into the two sides of the Gay Marriage argument. I was surprised at how many people were against. Plus neither side really had any good arguments and the asshats running the pro side didn't use my argument, which I can't remember at the moment but it was really quite convincing. People are such bungholes.

To: ozoneocean
From: USA
Subject: Re: Congratulations on your elections USA.
Body:
Mr. Ocean:

Thanks.

Sincerely,
USA

Nah, there won't be an impeachment. The political landscape is moving toward bipartisanship, as we're all so fucking tired of the petty bickering.

But hell yeah to the newly reestablished balance of power. Hell yeah to gay robots.

Volte6
look at all that unpopulated land!

And people wonder why I plan on moving to the Dakotas or Alaska someday. There ain't any people around to bother me there!

thegreatjoebivins

Hawk
I think it's bad to vote only democrat or only republican for no other reason that political alleigance. You really gotta look into their individual platforms. Simply putting more Democrats in power doesn't automatically mean you'll get the results you want. I've always felt like America needs a generous mix of both parties, whether you hate one of the parties or not.

But the parties ARE the political platforms. If you're left of center on the political spectrum Democrats are the way to go, if you're right of center Republicans.

If thing only thing worth noting of any political leader was their party affiliation, then each November they'd just poll us and ask if we were Republican or Democrat. Then they'd fill the government with the most popular party.

But even within each party there are differences between candidates. They don't always support every view of the party they belong to. It's up to us to educate ourselves on what each candidate stands for, or else we're ignorant voters. Ignorant voters are worse than non-voters.

Anyone else here selfish like me and votes for whatever benefits them most?

Hawk
They don't always support every view of the party they belong to.

If you rule out third-parties, simply based on the fact that they rarely win, you have two choices in any race. If you're a moderate or some mix of views then yes, you will have to look at the individual candidate. But if you lean left or right, the guy that leans in your direction is always going to be more your speed than the alternative.

Like, I vote Democrat, because I'm leftist, but even if I didn't care for the Democrat running the Republican's not a safer bet, and in our screwy system a third-party candidate is a throw away vote.

I have no faith in representative government anyway. They're all assholes, none of them actually represent my views.

I should move to Alaska :O
Are there any mountains in Alaska???

Knuckles
I should move to Alaska :O
Are there any mountains in Alaska???

Tons, I thihk.

Mazoo
Another Wisconsinite! If you don't mind me asking, what college do you go to?

I went to UW-Milwaukee =) Graduated last year.

I always wanted to see Alaska myself -

thegreatjoebivins
But if you lean left or right, the guy that leans in your direction is always going to be more your speed than the alternative.

Like, I vote Democrat, because I'm leftist, but even if I didn't care for the Democrat running the Republican's not a safer bet, and in our screwy system a third-party candidate is a throw away vote.

I voted for a republican in a local election because the democrat was a corrupt douchebag. While you have a point, it's not quite so simple.

I think the very best argument about gay marriage comes through the separation of church and state.

If a church doesn't want to marry a gay couple. Fine. Or as Chenk Yuger says, “God Bless, Go Forward” If a church doesn't want to recognize a marriage? Fine.

But, the since the state allows certain benefits for marriage, the state should apply the *exact same* benefits that would go to a hetero couple marrying.

Even though I have nothing but disdain for liberatarians, I do think the state got too involved in the whole marriage issue. Why should the state reward (or penalize) marriage?

But they did, and since they do, they shouldn't discriminate.

yeahduff
I voted for a republican in a local election because the democrat was a corrupt douchebag. While you have a point, it's not quite so simple.

Sucks when that happens. Frankly, the quality of our leadership is so low, and participation so low, you can usually knock the ones you really don't like out in the primary.

I'm torn. Republicans always vote their party. Always, which means when Tom Delay was charged with supporting corrupt business practices (and forced prostitution) in the Marianas Islands, the Republicans voted to waive senate rules to keep his sorry ass around.

Republicans will *always* be anti-choice, which is something I feel very strongly about. So, I have to fight the idiots at the primaries, but even if a Dem is an idiot, I can't trust a Republican to do anything about the environment, or choice, or racial discrimination because while your candiate may be a good guy/gal, the party is hopelessly corrupt and will sabotage your guy. So your guy turns coat on you.

Guh. Try living in Kansas sometime.

Gay Marriage, nope. No good here. We've banned civil and common law marriages, and we no longer teach evolution in our science classes. ALSO, they're trying to teach intelligent design, as an ‘alternative theory.’

Because, as we all know, evolution is just a theory as well, and theories are not to be trusted. They're all..shifty and all that.

Thank god I live in a University town, an oasis in a desert of mental stagnation.


Grrrr…I'm not bitter, not bitter at all.

So Jesus rides a dinosaur in Kansas, huh?

You know it. Jesus, as we all know, is one of the famed Zionist Velociraptor Knights.

He rides into battle, a bottle of whiskey in one hand, a battle axe in the other, and 3 katanas that he is juggling with his mind.

I thought everybody knew that!

See?



*all images blatantly ripped from Google image search, and crappily photoshopped in 5 minutes.

Canada's (relatively) new conservative government recently tried to re-open the gay marriage bill and was voted down. I'm thinking it was all the liberal politicians who jumped ship onto the winning party last minute… “Yay! We won! No, wait, don't change any laws.”

Intelligent design, eh? Almost as backwards as the sex ed classes they teach in the Catholic schools up here. “Abstinence, abstinence, abstinence. Any questions-no? On to math.”