People all across the free-thought spectrum tend not to be herd animals, and thus more difficult to reach. The evangelical crowd just lines up to be told what to think and believe. Most of them never realize they're the ones being had.
Well, quietist religions, like Quakerism and Buddhism, are about improving oneself. So the focus isn't on pummeling people over the head to join. (And I believe there are bad versions of even these 2.)
All I care about is what someone DOES. I do suspect the decent Christians I have known and also now know, would be decent without religion.
That’s what I originally thought too. Back when she started her campaign.
But once Joe started talking about baby guns my mind went to cat guns, where you hold the cat at the base of their legs stretched out then squeeze them like pumping a shotgun and pew pewing as you fire. We call it a Mouser.
"There is no biblical, historical, or theological text that describes Jesus using firearms or harming infants.If this query is inspired by internet culture, political campaign slogans, or dark humor memes, the following context clarifies where these concepts originate:"Jesus, Guns, Babies" Campaign SloganThe phrase likely stems from a political campaign slogan. Notably, it was used by a 2022 Georgia gubernatorial candidate as a platform centerpiece, bringing the three words into the public lexicon alongside internet commentary and satire.The ".45 ACP" MemeWithin online gun culture and gaming communities, a common satirical trope asserts that .45 ACP is "the Lord's chosen caliber". This running joke is tied to the longevity of the M1911 pistol and the humorous idea of "God's caliber", frequently referenced in memes speculating on what firearms religious figures would use."
So, interesting that it connected its answer to the same campaign mentioned in the OP. And finally, I have an M1911 with several hundred rounds of .45 ACP. I don't intend to ever use it on babies....way overkill. .22LR is plenty.
Even on my 1st cup of coffee, this all makes perfect sense. I find it much easier to reject candidates than I do to find ones that I like. To me, it’s a simple matter of administering an intelligence test. For example:
If you tell me all about God and how much God agrees with you, you have already lost my vote. And if you’re an asshole about it, you’ve lost my vote forever, which is why I don’t vote for a Republicans.
If you tell me that vaccines are a conspiracy to make people sick, or control them, or that your natural immunity is the way to go because you’ve done your own research, you’ve just told me that you are stupid. Not merely ignorant, but IGGERUNT.
If you talk about transgender ideology, it simply tells me that your gender ideologue.
If you tell me that gay people should be excluded from society, especially because God said so, you’ve declared yourself to be my enemy. I refuse to give enemies power over my life.
If you tell me war is an acceptable way to conduct international relations except as the very last resort, you’ve told me you probably don’t understand international relations.
If you tell me that billionaires simply don’t have enough money, and we should give them more money because billionaires are our friends will do wonderful things for us if only they have more, you’ve told me you don’t understand anything about billionaires.
For me, political candidate doesn’t have to be perfect. He merely has to be not stupid and not an asshole,
Which makes such people a precious commodity these days. For myself, I am very glad that Sherrod Brown is back in the hunt for a Senate seat. Where Husted and Moreno have never responded to me with anything more than boilerplate, non-specific answers to my letters and emails, Brown HAS responded SPECIFICALLY to topics I have broached with him on more than one occasion.
Brown is ENGAGED with his constituents. If Husted and Moreno are, they have yet to demonstrate such engagement to me.
How do Christian voters feel when their prayers to their god to help feed their children and pay their bills repeatedly go unanswered? Do they blame the GOP that supposedly represents them? Do they shrug their shoulders and say "It's God's Will (tm) and he's testing our faith."
They blame the democrats that aren’t in power in their local, state or federal positions. It’s easier to blame a random boogeyman than to actually solve the problem, just the way the repubelicans like it.
Repukelicans create problems when they "solve" problems that didn't exist to begin with. Then they offer to solve those problems by reinstating the problem they allegedly solved.
What you're talking about is really no less than DEPROGRAMMING ... and that will take more than a little time and work. Once again, I'm reminded of Peter Boghossian and his approach to believers and coaxing them out of their belief.
The operative term here is: "negative entropy," which is a LOT harder to create than the positive kind.
Why is it more expensive? Because you actually have to do the work of reaching out. Once you have done that, you have the info in the database and can scale up at the same cost as being lazy and telling the fundies that Jesus would vote for you.
We want our representatives to work for us. To do that they need to find out what we want them to do.
Abso-fucking-lutely THIS! Reagan got us on the sizzle-instead-of-steak bandwagon, and it has run damned near out of control since that time, peaking with Trump and his attendant bullshit. Problem is, those of us who bother to THINK about what we want out of our government have little problem in seeing through the BS and calling the bullshitter on it.
It may take a while, but a swing back to substance rather than appearance may be in the works.
I’ve done door knocking this spring for 2 school board candidates. Our SB elections are officially non-partisan. (All the candidates appear on both Dem and Pub primary election ballots. We have 4 open seats this year; the top 8 vote getters in the primaries go in to the general election. ) Since party isn’t a marker, I use “Moms for Liberty” as a short hand to ID my two candidates as progressive. My door knocking lists are for registered Dems. I say, “Last time around 3 Moms for Liberty types got elected and I’m trying to make sure that doesn’t happen again.” Works like a charm.
ETA: If a voter wants more detail, I’ve got literature.
I find it despicable that Republicans and fundamentalist Christians have taken words like "Freedom" and "Liberty" and "Family" and so associated themselves with them that the words have taken on unfortunate associations.
Further Thought: Trying to sell sizzle instead of steak has likely made many politicians lazy, thinking that they can throw out a few vacuous platitudes and make their case. As I have said elsewhere here, that doesn't fly with us. We want to know WHAT you stand for and WHY. We also want to know that you LISTEN to us and can RESPOND intelligently and coherently.
This isn't Madison Avenue. This is about American government and the importance it holds in our lives. We demand that it and those who are directly involved in it take the job and what it entails SERIOUSLY.
In other words, for a god-voter, a little sizzle is all I need to hook them. For a non-believer, I need to provide SUBSTANCE! Turns out that substance takes more effort, time, and MONEY than fluff and BS do. And we unbelievers will INSIST on substance!
We want substance because we want our representatives to actually do what we ask of them. Most of them, especially on the right, just want easy slogans that identify them to the rubes, then once in office they will do what they want instead of actually representing their constituents. For an obvious example of the difference we want, look at Kristi Burke and how she is running and wants to represent her district versus Diana Harshbarger and how she is currently "representing" that district.
These spuds didn't need bacon, or at least I am fairly sure they didn't have any. They WERE a perfect accompaniment to the steak and a vast improvement on the "loaded baked potato" we see so often these days. If I had to guess as to what was added, I'd say sour cream, cheese, chives, and some other unidentified goodies.
Sadly, "Turkey Ridge" closed nearly 40 years ago, and I haven 't seen its like since.
My financial contributions to political candidates are almost entirely to local races but I might well contribute to some Senate and House races this year. The Dow is over 50,000! I’m feeling flush.
12 years ago there was a local race that I thought was especially important. Over several months I donated $1500 to a candidate and got friends to donate another $1000 or so and on which they somehow mentioned me. (“Maltnothops asked me to contribute and so I am.”) I was a bundler without even knowing it. Then I went to a fundraiser/rally and was stunned to see my name on a big banner as a sponsor of the event. The candidate (who won!) met with me privately during which I guess I was supposed to make my wishes known and all I said was, “I want good government.” She still hugs me when we see each other. She served a wonderful 8 years.
Apparently, Paxton won it, which is a scary reminder of what a Trump endorsement means in Texas or places like it. Here's hoping Talarico tears Paxton a new one in November!
People all across the free-thought spectrum tend not to be herd animals, and thus more difficult to reach. The evangelical crowd just lines up to be told what to think and believe. Most of them never realize they're the ones being had.
There is a reason that their followers are called flocks like the sheep they are.
And we know what happens to sheep.
Mutton. :-D
Not before they're shorn.
Fleeced, eaten, or fucked.
D, all of the above.
So much for religion making one a better person.
Well, quietist religions, like Quakerism and Buddhism, are about improving oneself. So the focus isn't on pummeling people over the head to join. (And I believe there are bad versions of even these 2.)
All I care about is what someone DOES. I do suspect the decent Christians I have known and also now know, would be decent without religion.
Better for the grifters and con people.
Not better for themselves.
Jesus guns babies.
Film at 11.
What could go wrong?
My dark sense of humor immediately brought up images of Jesus using a baby gun, something like a potato cannon, launching infants for distance...
"Mommy, where do babies come from?"
"Well hon, Jesus shoots them out of a cannon and the mommy and daddy catch them."
I can go even darker, but people might take offense. And I couldn’t blame them.
Like shooting babies in a barrel.
I was thinking of Jesus using babies as skeet targets.
PULL!
(see what i mean?)
That’s what I originally thought too. Back when she started her campaign.
But once Joe started talking about baby guns my mind went to cat guns, where you hold the cat at the base of their legs stretched out then squeeze them like pumping a shotgun and pew pewing as you fire. We call it a Mouser.
So, someone else operates the infant caliber potato cannon?
We're not easy, we're not cheap.
And we'll hold your feet to the fire if you cannot or will not produce results!
Is that a ballot in your pocket or are you happy to see me?
That ballot looks...stuffed.
I used to be cheap, but with tariffs...
But the Jinese pay those!
Speak for yourself. ; )
I am easy, I’ll have you know. In my younger days…
Babies are less important than guns?
Sure they are. Just ask the NRA!
Worse: Babies are deemed less important than an imaginary being.
That's the REAL capper, isn't it? That dangerous objects and insubstantial entities can command more attention and MONEY than kids can.
Makes me ... no, not sick. PISSED!
You know why that means for women, though.
that is an easy one, the real question is are guns more important than a fetus?
What caliber does Jesus use when gunning babies?
And.....Google AI answers:
"There is no biblical, historical, or theological text that describes Jesus using firearms or harming infants.If this query is inspired by internet culture, political campaign slogans, or dark humor memes, the following context clarifies where these concepts originate:"Jesus, Guns, Babies" Campaign SloganThe phrase likely stems from a political campaign slogan. Notably, it was used by a 2022 Georgia gubernatorial candidate as a platform centerpiece, bringing the three words into the public lexicon alongside internet commentary and satire.The ".45 ACP" MemeWithin online gun culture and gaming communities, a common satirical trope asserts that .45 ACP is "the Lord's chosen caliber". This running joke is tied to the longevity of the M1911 pistol and the humorous idea of "God's caliber", frequently referenced in memes speculating on what firearms religious figures would use."
So, interesting that it connected its answer to the same campaign mentioned in the OP. And finally, I have an M1911 with several hundred rounds of .45 ACP. I don't intend to ever use it on babies....way overkill. .22LR is plenty.
Even on my 1st cup of coffee, this all makes perfect sense. I find it much easier to reject candidates than I do to find ones that I like. To me, it’s a simple matter of administering an intelligence test. For example:
If you tell me all about God and how much God agrees with you, you have already lost my vote. And if you’re an asshole about it, you’ve lost my vote forever, which is why I don’t vote for a Republicans.
If you tell me that vaccines are a conspiracy to make people sick, or control them, or that your natural immunity is the way to go because you’ve done your own research, you’ve just told me that you are stupid. Not merely ignorant, but IGGERUNT.
If you talk about transgender ideology, it simply tells me that your gender ideologue.
If you tell me that gay people should be excluded from society, especially because God said so, you’ve declared yourself to be my enemy. I refuse to give enemies power over my life.
If you tell me war is an acceptable way to conduct international relations except as the very last resort, you’ve told me you probably don’t understand international relations.
If you tell me that billionaires simply don’t have enough money, and we should give them more money because billionaires are our friends will do wonderful things for us if only they have more, you’ve told me you don’t understand anything about billionaires.
For me, political candidate doesn’t have to be perfect. He merely has to be not stupid and not an asshole,
𝐹𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑒, 𝑝𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠𝑛’𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑒𝑐𝑡. 𝐻𝑒 𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑦 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑝𝑖𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑠𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑒.
Which makes such people a precious commodity these days. For myself, I am very glad that Sherrod Brown is back in the hunt for a Senate seat. Where Husted and Moreno have never responded to me with anything more than boilerplate, non-specific answers to my letters and emails, Brown HAS responded SPECIFICALLY to topics I have broached with him on more than one occasion.
Brown is ENGAGED with his constituents. If Husted and Moreno are, they have yet to demonstrate such engagement to me.
The only way you’ll find them engaged is if they are underaged.
Very poetical.
A friendly suggested revision: The only way you’ll find them engaged is if you’re underaged.
Absolutely.
How do Christian voters feel when their prayers to their god to help feed their children and pay their bills repeatedly go unanswered? Do they blame the GOP that supposedly represents them? Do they shrug their shoulders and say "It's God's Will (tm) and he's testing our faith."
*smdh* They need to snap out of it.
They blame the democrats that aren’t in power in their local, state or federal positions. It’s easier to blame a random boogeyman than to actually solve the problem, just the way the repubelicans like it.
These are the Republicans who chanted "Rule of Law! Rule of Law!" at Bill Clinton. Where are their chants against Donald Trump?
From an episode of "HOUSE" : 'If you could reason with religious people, there wouldn't be any religious people.'
Rape-publicans.
Repukelicans create problems when they "solve" problems that didn't exist to begin with. Then they offer to solve those problems by reinstating the problem they allegedly solved.
𝐀𝐬 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚 𝐯𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜, 𝐆𝐎𝐏 𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 '𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭'
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/as-florida-voters-gripe-about-traffic-gop-embraces-growth-management/ar-AA230kFA
What you're talking about is really no less than DEPROGRAMMING ... and that will take more than a little time and work. Once again, I'm reminded of Peter Boghossian and his approach to believers and coaxing them out of their belief.
The operative term here is: "negative entropy," which is a LOT harder to create than the positive kind.
Mysterious ways, man, mysterious ways.
You could replace anti-vax with talibangelical.
https://ibb.co/Z6GhQxw4
With RFKJr at the wheel (presuming he even knows how to drive!). 😝
No severed whale head strapped to the roof, so it can't be him.
Look! A raccoon penis!
"Another one!?!"
𝑌𝑒𝑠, 𝑖𝑡’𝑠 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑑𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑎𝑡 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡, 𝑎𝑡 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑖𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢’𝑟𝑒 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑖𝑡, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑙𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑝 𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝑏𝑢𝑙𝑙𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑟𝑢𝑖𝑛𝑠 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑦.
Why is it more expensive? Because you actually have to do the work of reaching out. Once you have done that, you have the info in the database and can scale up at the same cost as being lazy and telling the fundies that Jesus would vote for you.
We want our representatives to work for us. To do that they need to find out what we want them to do.
𝑊ℎ𝑦 𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑡 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑣𝑒? 𝐵𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑑𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘 𝑜𝑓 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑢𝑡.
Abso-fucking-lutely THIS! Reagan got us on the sizzle-instead-of-steak bandwagon, and it has run damned near out of control since that time, peaking with Trump and his attendant bullshit. Problem is, those of us who bother to THINK about what we want out of our government have little problem in seeing through the BS and calling the bullshitter on it.
It may take a while, but a swing back to substance rather than appearance may be in the works.
Religion remains the number one reason why we can’t have nice things.
Poisons everything, a wise man once said.
Politicians treat their base as a "flock" to sheared and harvested.
When wild sheep vote differently than they do they are genuinely flummoxed.
Agreed - let them spend more money on convincing the thinking vote to move their way.
(Hope someone noticed I used a Christopher Hitchen's "flock" and shearing analogy.)
“Fleeced, fucked or eaten”
As it comes to that:
https://ibb.co/C59Rjpwx
I’ve done door knocking this spring for 2 school board candidates. Our SB elections are officially non-partisan. (All the candidates appear on both Dem and Pub primary election ballots. We have 4 open seats this year; the top 8 vote getters in the primaries go in to the general election. ) Since party isn’t a marker, I use “Moms for Liberty” as a short hand to ID my two candidates as progressive. My door knocking lists are for registered Dems. I say, “Last time around 3 Moms for Liberty types got elected and I’m trying to make sure that doesn’t happen again.” Works like a charm.
ETA: If a voter wants more detail, I’ve got literature.
I find it despicable that Republicans and fundamentalist Christians have taken words like "Freedom" and "Liberty" and "Family" and so associated themselves with them that the words have taken on unfortunate associations.
That SO needs to be undone!
Those groups took "The Principles of Newspeak" from Nineteen Eighty Four and used it as an instruction manual.
Those terms make it easy to identify groups, organizations or businesses to avoid.
Yup. That’s how I’m using it.
Further Thought: Trying to sell sizzle instead of steak has likely made many politicians lazy, thinking that they can throw out a few vacuous platitudes and make their case. As I have said elsewhere here, that doesn't fly with us. We want to know WHAT you stand for and WHY. We also want to know that you LISTEN to us and can RESPOND intelligently and coherently.
This isn't Madison Avenue. This is about American government and the importance it holds in our lives. We demand that it and those who are directly involved in it take the job and what it entails SERIOUSLY.
"Religious voters are easier to manipulate" is a polite way of saying that religious voters tend to be on the stupid side.
Now with more willful ignorance.
You forgot the ‘soupçon de Nazi.”
No soupçon for you!
“𝐹𝑜𝑟 𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝑣𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠, 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝐼 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑑𝑜 𝑖𝑠 𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑎 𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑎𝑦 𝐼 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑣𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝐺𝑜𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑝𝑖𝑒,” 𝐴𝑏𝑒𝑦𝑡𝑎 𝑠𝑎𝑖𝑑. “𝐹𝑜𝑟 𝑛𝑜𝑛𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝑣𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠, 𝐼 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑎 𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑖𝑠𝑠𝑢𝑒𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑘𝑠 𝑠𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑓𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑏𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑦 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠. 𝐼𝑡’𝑠 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒-𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑢𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝑡𝑠 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒.”
In other words, for a god-voter, a little sizzle is all I need to hook them. For a non-believer, I need to provide SUBSTANCE! Turns out that substance takes more effort, time, and MONEY than fluff and BS do. And we unbelievers will INSIST on substance!
Gee whiz, who woulda thunk it?
We want substance because we want our representatives to actually do what we ask of them. Most of them, especially on the right, just want easy slogans that identify them to the rubes, then once in office they will do what they want instead of actually representing their constituents. For an obvious example of the difference we want, look at Kristi Burke and how she is running and wants to represent her district versus Diana Harshbarger and how she is currently "representing" that district.
Fuck the sizzle. Give me the STEAK! [preferably medium rare!] 😁
Perhaps the "stake" should be reserved for Trump?
Damned good thought!
With a baked potato stuffed with sour cream and chives. :9
Without the bacon, you are just a prole.
These spuds didn't need bacon, or at least I am fairly sure they didn't have any. They WERE a perfect accompaniment to the steak and a vast improvement on the "loaded baked potato" we see so often these days. If I had to guess as to what was added, I'd say sour cream, cheese, chives, and some other unidentified goodies.
Sadly, "Turkey Ridge" closed nearly 40 years ago, and I haven 't seen its like since.
Bacon is the candy of meat..
I defy anyone to prove me wrong.
Oh, yeah. There was a place I used to go to a LONG time ago that did Steak au Poivre with a TWICE-BAKED potato. OOOOG!
Without the bacon, you are just a prole.
Early returns in Texas suggest Paxton is beating Cornyn. Which gives Talarico a better chance.
My financial contributions to political candidates are almost entirely to local races but I might well contribute to some Senate and House races this year. The Dow is over 50,000! I’m feeling flush.
12 years ago there was a local race that I thought was especially important. Over several months I donated $1500 to a candidate and got friends to donate another $1000 or so and on which they somehow mentioned me. (“Maltnothops asked me to contribute and so I am.”) I was a bundler without even knowing it. Then I went to a fundraiser/rally and was stunned to see my name on a big banner as a sponsor of the event. The candidate (who won!) met with me privately during which I guess I was supposed to make my wishes known and all I said was, “I want good government.” She still hugs me when we see each other. She served a wonderful 8 years.
Dems' best chance to win a Texas US Senate seat since 1988.
A class act versus a corrupt, Christian Nationalist idiot-child. The November Senate results in Texas will be VERY telling.
Apparently, Paxton won it, which is a scary reminder of what a Trump endorsement means in Texas or places like it. Here's hoping Talarico tears Paxton a new one in November!