You are on the right track here, but I think the conclusion is imprecise. Using the recent U.S. as an example, the issue is not belief vs. belief. That’s holy war in a nutshell. Rather, in this case, it is belief vs. opinion based on facts and reason. The “belief” is no more valid than superstition.
I cite “alternative facts” and demonstrative lies treated as opinion.
Some on my perspective here with regards to why forum policy changed.
I agree that political debate aboard in public spaces can get tedious fast. That was part of the justification in allowing it in the scuttlebutt section in the first place. Because otherwise it creeps into other discussions and mixes with other topics…
After the policy was changed to allow political topics things seems to be going OK for a while, discussion on scuttlebutt bubbled along at a low level. But as the election grew closer things heated up.
Some new members joined just to participate in the political discussions with no other contributions. In some or maybe most cases they claimed to be mariners.
The moderators were spending more and more time exchanged pm’s of the “Does this new member seems like a mariner to you?” type. Not only a time suck but moderation was ineffective as the scuttlebutt section continued to boil over.
That was basically why it was decided to shut it down.
ok, the moderator wins, having to read all our bs about politics … a HUGE time suck.
most of that we’ve said in other topics a few hundred times probably anyway.
and it’s bad for your health … mental and physical. I am training myself to not check the headline news every 15 mints … actually, twice a day is enough !!
It’ll make your ears fall off.
gCaptain isn’t the only net community having problems related to politics.
Business insider reported on a site “Bumble” where the girls on the site were luring guys who were at the Capital Riot to send them their selfies. The girls then turned the photos over to the FBI. Didn’t say if they were looking for a monetary reward for the photos or what. Or if Bumble would be liable in some way or not. .But Bumble quickly removed their Political filter from the site when they learned of what was going on
A post was merged into an existing topic: Talking Politics Aboard Ship
“Two lovely black eyes” by Charles Coburn is the song du jour.
I think the media likes to throw gasoline into the fire and I see the current developments with a mix of “I knew something like this was going to happen sooner or later” and real sadness, as I still have friends in the country, and most people are not as polarized, I think. At least people who had other things to do besides internet trolling.
How this is going to play out in the international arena with treaties and trade agreements remains to be seen. Hopefully calm and good sense prevail.
My post is not meant to be incendiary:
I never thought that it was illegal for a US citizen to be at the US capitol (capital?)
The way the media was reporting and what they were filming wasn’t exactly matching.
JFK got assassinated and I don’t recall reading anywhere the next president had such large military presence to cushion him into office.
Just my opinion as outsider.
JFK was assassinated in Dallas, TX. Lyndon Johnson, as Vice President was sworn in as President on Air Force One at Love Field, Dallas TX. There was no inauguration ceremony on the steps of the capital.
That said, if there were groups indicating their wish of overthrowing the duly elected government of the people, then yes, there might have been a presence to guarantee their safety.
On a regular day the Capitol is full of security like Secret Service, FBI, CIA and grandmothers with rolling pins. But tens of thousands of National Guard deployed on top of riot police?
And what if there’s a sudden earthquake or tsunami and they need to be deployed to another area ASAP?
Shouldn’t the National Guard be helping with the vaccination program, setting up vaccination stations and securing vaccine refrigerators or something like that?
They have not been given that task. Consult your congress critter and suggest your idea, which sounds good.
Oh. I thought they would be the obvious solution to help with a consistent nationwide vaccination campaign since they are experienced with emergency situations. The inauguration hardly qualifies as an emergency in the middle of a health pandemic.
Do a search of “national guard help with vaccinations” and you will find in some locations, they are helping.
Thankfully there isn’t a small supply of National guardsman. I also don’t think the ordinance specialists, infantrymen, and MP’s that have been sent to the capitol are required to help administer vaccines. The National Guard isn’t the only governmental organization that responds to national disasters either.
This is why we can’t talk about politics. People say their opinion, someone provides a opinion that differs and then more people chirp on sensitive topics and things get heated. there are, as some posters would like to put it, “snowflakes” on both sides of any argument and then it gets out of hand turning into mostly bs arguing with no constructive conversation because people hiding behind a keyboard are much more courageous and tough than they are in person when you have to look someone in the face and articulate an argument.
Look at this thread, the question was why can’t we talk about politics? It’s been morphed into why are there National guardsmen in DC when they could be used elsewhere. Start another thread if that’s what you want to talk about.
This thread wasn’t supposed to be about forum policy, but it’s clear that my original premise didn’t find much resonance, so that’s fine. It definitely wasn’t supposed to be about establishing the events at the Capitol, although they are germane to the subject I intended.
Maybe. But first there needs to be a plan from the federal government. That doesn’t come until after noon on Jan. 20. It’s not an either or proposition.
Oops, looks like I took the title too literally and in very narrow sense.
I did spend some time looking at stuff at the link in the OP.
Well, I think the NG like ordinance specialists and infantrymen have other skills to assist the trained medical staff like setting up medical facilities, direct traffic and stuff like that (logistics?). Right now it’s a question of the organizers knowing what they are doing, like how many vaccines are available and avoid waste. Right now, each state is moving at their own pace but any disease doesn’t stop at the border.
I guess you didn’t read the rest of my response
I think it’s been well established here the reason why it’s hard to talk politics but when we are making an effort to maintain a civil discourse, I think it’s not a bad thing. It’s up to people who wish to maintain a free speech to make the effort to keep discourse civil, otherwise who wins are the people engaged in shutting you down.
Of course, in a professional forum, these things matter as they tend to spread to your very important positions.