patrick.net

Quigley says

I think the “harassment” charge is going to be hard to prove.
Sheesh it’s a dang kid who should get a talking to and maybe some detention. Involving the law is really going way too far. If the state law makes what is effectively speech a crime, it’s unconstitutional on its face and should be abolished. This isn’t the U.K.!

Agreed. Detention and the parents being informed is enough. Anything more is stupid.

Going back to "Where he learned" for a moment, y'all might remember that guy who defaced the Temple, the Genderqueer/WhateverBlack kid who was adopted by rich Jews, got a City Internship in an Anti-Hate/Pro-Diversity Office, then got a free ride to Brandeis.

Where did he learn to hate Jews? Why, his major was African American Studies. His Black Muslim Professors taught him.
https://dailycaller.com/2018/11/03/nyc-synagogue-vandalism-suspect/

The ironic thing is that he was profiled as a success story by the NYT almost a year to the day of his Vandalism.

But only Whites can be racist.

OccasionalCortex says

Nope. A lot sooner than that.

Well, maybe so. But the past 10-20 years have shown no quantum leaps in this. Perceiving the environment uses Mucho Computing power.

OccasionalCortex says

Today is not going to be tomorrow.

50 years from the GM commercials, and there are still no Automated Highways/Self-Driving Cars. BUT, we discovered DNA and there's computers everywhere, even inside fridges.

We'll see what we shall see!

OccasionalCortex says

The Left will overreact by sending in the military.

Even in CA most military and police are overwhelmingly far right, I don't think such a thing would work out well for the left.

Ceffer says

Canada could be conquered in a couple of days by USA or any of it's civil war splinters. The consciousness of taming the whims of the beast on their southern border has been an ongoing historical Canadian concern, and they are tied inextricably to our trade.

This is not an exaggeration. Just to come up with a brigade or regiment for regular active service, Canada's military becomes hamstrung and at wits end to put one together. They can't even patrol it's own Arctic to peacetime levels without substantial USAF and USN assistance.

Canada spends about 1.25% of it's GDP on Defense, which includes SAR and resupplying far flung communities. It's less than the pathetic NATO median spend.

I heard that Canada's one frigate makes the entire Oceangoing Canadian Pacific "Fleet", but that it's mostly been in drydock due to various issues.

The US could invade Canada with just the Domestic Active Units and completely overwhelm the country within 24-48 hours. Even if the Canadians had called and readied every last reserve formation a week in advance while we went with whatever we had right away.

Michael Cohen - There Won’t Be 'Peaceful Transition Of Power’ If Trump Loses In 2020

“Given my experience working for Mr. Trump, I fear that if he loses the election in 2020, that there will never be a peaceful transition of power,” Cohen told the House oversight committee at the end of his hours long testimony.

The statement was especially dark considering Cohen was Trump’s former personal attorney for more than 10 years and admitted Wednesday to threatening hundreds of people on the president’s behalf.

The big fear is that if Trump loses in 2020 he will refuse to transfer power and leave quietly. Trump will lose then try to invalidate and discredit the election. Trump will try everything that he can to stay in office because for Donald Trump, the presidency is the only thing that is keeping away from being indicted or in prison.

https://www.politicususa.com/2019/02/27/michael-cohen-warns-that-there-wont-be-a-peaceful-transfer-of-power-if-trump-loses-in-2020.html

Kakistocracy says

“Given my experience working for Mr. Trump, I fear that if he loses the election in 2020, that there will never be a peaceful transition of power,” Cohen told the House oversight committee at the end of his hours long testimony.

Still posting quotes from a known liar under oath?

Kakistocracy says

The big fear is that if Trump loses in 2020 he will refuse to transfer power and leave quietly. Trump will lose then try to invalidate and discredit the election. Trump will try everything that he can to stay in office because for Donald Trump, the presidency is the only thing that is keeping away from being indicted or in prison.

THE TDS is now officially off the charts at new levels.

OccasionalCortex says

The Left keeps pushing and pushing. At come point, they will cross a line and yes, the Right won't take that shit anymore.

This is what's coming.

OccasionalCortex says

The Left will overreact by sending in the military. Civil War, baby!

That's NOT what will happen. We will see how many enlisted will actually shoot/attack the American population. The military won't be able to do much, as this next war will be fought in the streets. The enemy can be your neighbor across the street.

OccasionalCortex says

Why do you think they passed a law in NY to confiscate guns? Totally and blatantly unconstitutional, but they passed it anyway.

The Liberals are scared shitless that the Conservatives will eat them for lunch. The only way the Liberals think they can control the population is by gun control. The NY SAFE act had like a 3% compliance rate. Plus, there are a bunch of rural Sheriffs that refuse to implement unconstitutional laws.

It's not going to be pretty..

Reminds me of an incident in second grade when our group of four had to draw eskimos in the "indian tribe" exhibit our class was working on.
I put a pair of levis on my eskimo and my group mates misinterpreted the button and zipper I drew as something else. I then saw it too. We all couldn't stop laughing.

Our "dirty little minds" earned a quick public swat on the butt with "the paddle" and the incident was over.

We were just happy our parents weren't called.

MisterLearnToCode says

No robot has yet taught itself to open a simple push-down lever on a door. Every video you see of Robots opening simple latches is 100% programmed, scripted to the last movement.

Isn't every robot 100% programmed for anything it does?

Did you see this door opening robot?

www.youtube.com/embed/wXxrmussq4E

15 MrMagic ignore (10) 2019 Mar 1, 5:53pm ↑ like (0) ↓ dislike (0) quote flag

Kakistocracy says

“Given my experience working for Mr. Trump, I fear that if he loses the election in 2020, that there will never be a peaceful transition of power,” Cohen told the House oversight committee at the end of his hours long testimony.

Still posting quotes from a known liar under oath?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Still ?

Cohen can't even place a respectable "show" in the liar category considering the competition - Potus, Sanders, Conway, Hannity, Carlson, Pence, Pompeo, Mnuchin, - the list is too long to finish

FortWayneIndiana says

No reason for civil war. Life is too good for most.

Yes true. The only ones who can push a Civil War are Democrats. Extreme statism always leads to civil unrest.

India and Pakistan engage in a high-stakes game of brinkmanship

Narendra Modi is under pressure to act over terror groups in Pakistan but may need to engage with his counterpart, Imran Khan
When Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba staged a sophisticated terror attack in 2008 in Mumbai — striking the main train station and two luxury hotels — Narendra Modi, then chief minister of Gujarat, raced to the Oberoi Hotel, where Indian security forces were battling the militants.Although Indians were clamouring for a military strike on Pakistan to avenge the assault, which claimed 166 lives, the then prime minister Manmohan Singh exercised extreme restraint and eschewed talk of retribution. Standing outside the Oberoi, Mr Modi lashed out at Pakistan and criticised Mr Singh, calling his response to the grave provocation “disappointing”.

In the years since, Mr Modi, now India’s prime minister, has repeatedly mocked the previous government’s response to the Mumbai carnage and said his predecessor lacked the “courage” to conduct surgical air strikes against Pakistan, as some Indian security hawks had then advocated.

This week, as he gears up for an unexpectedly competitive election just months away, Mr Modi proved that his tough talk on terrorism was not mere political bluster. On Tuesday, 12 days after 40 Indian paramilitaries were killed by a Jaish-e-Mohammad suicide bomber in Kashmir, Mr Modi authorised an airborne missile strike on Pakistani territory — the first Indian use of air power against its neighbour since the two countries went to war in 1971.India's prime minister Narendra Modi has displayed a new level of aggressiveness on the campaign trail this week .

The message, says one Indian official, was clear: India, with its growing affluence and superpower aspirations, would no longer remain idle if attacked by terrorists harboured by Islamabad. “February 26,” the official says, “marked the end of strategic restraint when it comes to counter-terrorism.”

Yet India’s new military assertiveness has not delivered a clear strategic advantage for New Delhi — nor given Mr Modi the unambiguous political boost he had been hoping for. A day after India’s strike, Pakistan retaliated, sending planes to attack military installations in India. In the ensuing aerial skirmishes, an Indian MiG-21 was shot down. The pilot, commander Abhinandan Varthaman, was captured by Pakistani soldiers and later paraded on television, bloodied and blindfolded.

The risk that hostilities could rapidly spiral out of control eased slightly after Imran Khan, Pakistan’s cricket-star-turned-prime-minister, announced on Thursday he was returning the pilot to India in a “goodwill gesture”. commander Varthaman was handed over to India on Friday. Mr Khan — elected with military support just last year and still wrestling with a severe economic crisis — has also implored New Delhi to engage in dialogue and avoid “miscalculation” that could lead to greater conflict. Pakistan releases captured Indian fighter pilot.
Tensions still remain high, however, with Mr Modi touting his new aggressiveness on the campaign trail. “This is a new India,” he declared at a large political rally on Friday. “This is an India that will return the damage done by terrorists — with interest.”

And even if this particular episode passes, political analysts are trying to assess how the bitter and volatile relationship between two nuclear-armed neighbours may evolve after their worst outbreak of hostilities in decades.

“India was very eager to convey to Pakistan that it was willing to strike at Pakistani territory in retaliation for terrorist acts against India, and that is very different from the past,” says Ashley Tellis, at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “The difficult question is, does this fundamentally change the character of Pakistani terrorism to India?” he asks. “If it does, it’s all to the good. If it doesn’t, things look a little more dicey. This is a new threshold that India has set and in the future, things could be even more violent.” Pakistan's prime minister Imran Khan has implored New Delhi to engage in dialogue.

Srinath Raghavan, a former Indian army officer who now teaches international relations at Ashoka University in Haryana, says it remains unclear whether even the current round of hostilities is definitively over. “All the Modi supporters feel that India should still land one more punch before calling this off,” he says. “Even if we manage to get out of this crisis, expectations are being set in ways that will make future management of this relationship difficult if terrorism continues.”

Enmity between New Delhi and Islamabad dates backs to 1947, when the departing British colonial rulers partitioned the subcontinent into Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan. Since then, the two have fought three times over the Muslim-majority Kashmir region, which both claim as their own. In 1971, India used its military to help Pakistan’s rebellious eastern wing break away to become independent Bangladesh, a source of deep resentment in Pakistan.

But since the 1990s, Pakistan’s military establishment, particularly its Inter-Services Intelligence agency, has relied on unorthodox tactics to bleed its bigger neighbour: using committed Islamist militants to conduct suicidal terror attacks, both in restive Kashmir, and major Indian cities.
The leading actors in this asymmetric warfare have been Lashkar-e-Taiba (Army of the Righteous) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (Army of Mohammad), both led by veterans of the US and Pakistan-backed mujahideen war against Soviet forces in Afghanistan in the 1980s, and both close to the ISI.

For two decades, the LeT and JeM — which openly recruit and train jihadis in Pakistan despite their UN designation as proscribed terror groups — have carried out numerous attacks in India, including a 2001 assault on India’s parliament and the 2008 Mumbai attacks.The Muslim-majority Kashmir region is a site of dispute and terror attacks.

These violent onslaughts have been coupled, since the two countries’ 1998 tit-for-tat nuclear tests, with Pakistan’s ambiguity about its willingness to use those weapons in a conflict, a threat that left India wary of military action.

Mr Modi has positioned himself as a strong, decisive leader willing to launch a robust response to Pakistani provocation. It’s also personal: early in his tenure, he expended personal capital to improve ties with then Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif, only to see his outreach undercut by militant attacks on two Indian military bases in 2016.

Days after the second of those assaults, a small team of Indian ground forces were dispatched into Pakistani-held territory for a “surgical strike” to destroy shelters used by militants waiting to sneak into Indian Kashmir. That action has since become the subject of relentless political propaganda from New Delhi, as well as a slick Bollywood action thriller that Mr Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata party urged Indian voters to see ahead of the elections.

In this climate, Mr Modi was compelled to hit back after a Kashmiri suicide bomber affiliated with JeM obliterated a military bus on February 14, the deadliest attack on Indian forces in Kashmir in decades. “The way we have portrayed the surgical strike implied there would be much bigger things if there are bigger attacks,” says Mr Raghavan. “This government has created that mood among the people.”

Precisely what India hit during its missile strike on Tuesday remains a matter of fierce dispute. New Delhi says it carried out a “pre-emptive strike” on a JeM training camp in the town of Balakot, acting on “credible intelligence” of jihadis planning attacks in India. Pakistani flags are burnt by Indian activists in protest.

Pakistan claims the missiles fell harmlessly on to a hillside and caused little damage, a claim seemingly supported by eyewitness accounts from the region and independent analysts who have examined satellite imagery. But the Indian military has been adamant that its “strategic objectives” were met.

Analysts suggest that regardless of what was, or what was not, hit in the attack it is India’s use of air power and the demonstration of its willingness to strike Pakistan’s territory that is more significant. Both are escalatory red lines that New Delhi was previously thought unlikely to cross.

“This was a change from the normal patterns of security competition, with deliberate pre-mediation to signal to Pakistan that India is willing to take the risks of escalation if necessary, and that attacks in India will not be cost-free,” says Mr Tellis.

But Pakistan has also displayed its own willingness to take risks, even through conventional military engagement, where it was considered to be at a disadvantage. “If you are a big power out to teach a lesson to an upstart, and it’s a draw — especially a messy draw of this kind, then the upstart has won,” says Ajai Shukla, a retired Indian army colonel. “We’ve actually achieved the near impossible feat of making Pakistan look statesmanlike. Imran Khan comes out smelling of roses.”

Ahmed Rashid, author of several books on Pakistan and South Asia, says he believes Mr Khan is genuinely keen to improve relations with India and is “sympathetic” to the need to crack down on extremists. “These small groups of extremists almost led us to war,” he says. “Obviously they are out of control and it’s an issue that Pakistan can’t ignore any longer.”

But he says Mr Modi’s “unflinchingly hard line” and refusal to engage with Mr Khan will make progress difficult. “There is now room for a change of policy here, but it has to be reciprocated, and I don’t see that,” says Mr Rashid.

Indians and many observers are sceptical of the chances of a genuine crackdown. “I do think the Pakistanis will be more careful about where their terrorism infrastructure is located to make sure it's not within striking distance,” says Mr Raghavan. “But to get Pakistan to totally change its game will be a long-term play.”

Still, Vipin Narang at Massachusetts Institute of Technology says India has created “uncertainty and ambiguity” about whether “all of Pakistan” is a target after future attacks. “If you’re Pakistan and you don’t know how India is going to act after the next provocation, you may rein in your provocateurs.”

https://www.ft.com/content/3705ee32-3c17-11e9-b856-5404d3811663

12 OccasionalCortex ignore (1) 2019 Mar 1, 1:43pm ↑ like (0) ↓ dislike (0) quote flag

d6rB says

We had a similar case back in Soviet Union at a school where I was studying in 1980's. Kid got yelled at by a local Communist functionary, his parents were called (and they probably spanked the kid at home), and it ended right there...seems like a correct punishment for a 12-yr old idiot

Exactly. Should be the same here. Would have been back when I attended school also.

Hugolas_Madurez says

What a pile of horseshit.

Yes, a troll. But @Patrick won't let me ban his ass from this thread. I am thinking of simply replacing all the text in my post with TROLL WON, THIS IS FUCKED UP! to make a point. It certainly proves my original contention that it isn't worth my time bother posting anything if trolls can just shit all over it.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OccasionalCortex - I am thinking of simply replacing all the text in my post with TROLL WON, THIS IS FUCKED UP


Go for it !

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

OccasionalCortex - It certainly proves my original contention that it isn't worth my time bother posting anything if trolls can just shit all over it


Now we have something in common.

Perhaps a chat with the fellow Trump supporters is in order - maybe if they stopped, others would stop

Never did hear a complaint though when it is someone else's thread - why is that ?

As it stands now looks like Indos got their clock cleaned by Pakis.

The biggest problem we face these days, imho, is the extreme intolerance of politically incorrect speech. Everyone has the right to hurt everyone else's feelings. It is a fundamental human right from the earliest Neanderthal days of humanity. If one can't even offend someone, one has no rights at all.

We live in fascist times, and the fascists, ironically, are entirely on the left. They make right-wingers look like paragons of true classic liberal virtue.

Patrick says

We live in fascist times, and the fascists, ironically, are entirely on the left. They make right-wingers look like paragons of true classic liberal virtue.

This is true.

The post just above yours is proof.

Kakistocracy says

Still posting quotes from a known liar under oath?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Still ?

Cohen can't even place a respectable "show" in the liar category considering the competition - Potus, Sanders, Conway, Hannity, Carlson, Pence, Pompeo, Mnuchin, - the list is too long to finish

How many of them have lied under oath to Congress?? TWICE....

I'll wait for that list until you confirm that answer with Rachel Maddow.

Folks... TDS... it's real.

Kakistocracy says

Still posting quotes from a known liar under oath?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Still ?

Cohen can't even place a respectable "show" in the liar category considering the competition - Potus, Sanders, Conway, Hannity, Carlson, Pence, Pompeo, Mnuchin, - the list is too long to finish

Let's see what the consensus is:



Shall we count you in that 37%?

Patrick says

The left have become the Nazis of the current day, violently intolerant of even the mildest forms of dissent.

Very true again.

We see that on a daily basis here on the forum.

After two years, It's actually getting worse, too.

Tim Aurora says

There is also going to be looting

Yes, looting by the Left (i.e., AntiFa, etc.)

Tim Aurora says

Buy a property in Canada

Hat tip to Heartiste

Kakistocracy says

Cohen can't even place a respectable "show" in the liar category considering the competition - Potus, Sanders, Conway, Hannity, Carlson, Pence, Pompeo, Mnuchin, - the list is too long to finish

Is he a liar or not?

Patrick says

The left, and the left alone, created Trump and got him elected.

The SJW Left is about 12%, no more than 15%, of the population.

Problem is, they dominate Media, Big Tech, Universities, and control the Communication "Commanding Heights" making their numbers seem greater than they really are.

The good news is that the Media (and Universities) are increasingly irrelevant. When a Film Studies PhD tells me something socio-political, I'm less inclined to give it credence than if I heard it from Juan the Janitor and School Dropout, because I know Juan is less brainwashed with some PoMo theory.

Liberals used to lose their shit if some nowhere town tried to get rid of Harry Potter from the Public Library.

Now Liberals lose their shit if Dinesh D'Souza or Ben Shapiro comes to speak at a university. NAZI! FASCIST!
Meanwhile the Admin tries to find some lawfare reason to ban them, like making them put up a 5 or 6 figure "Security" deposit.

There is no brinksmanship. Hindu Terrorists funded by India and settled in full time camps along the Frontier are not attacking Karachi Shopping malls.

Kings of Denial, Pakistan intends to allege India bombed a Forest Preserve - no mention of the JeM Madrassah/Terrorist School.

Indian warplanes on Tuesday bombed a hilly forest area near the northern Pakistani town of Balakot, about 40 km (25 miles) from India's border in the Himalayan region of Kashmir. New Delhi said it had destroyed a militant training camp and killed hundreds of "terrorists".

Pakistan denied there were any such camps in the area and locals said only one elderly villager was hurt.

Climate Change Minister Malik Amin Aslam said Indian jets bombed a "forest reserve" and the government was undertaking an environmental impact assessment, which will be the basis of a complaint at the United Nations and other forums.

"What happened over there is environmental terrorism," Aslam told Reuters, adding that dozens of pine trees had been felled. "There has been serious environmental damage."

Two Reuters reporters who visited the site of the bombings, where four large craters could be seen, said up to 15 pine trees had been brought down by the blasts. Villagers dismissed Indian claims that hundreds of militants were killed.

The United Nations states that "destruction of the environment, not justified by military necessity and carried out wantonly, is clearly contrary to existing international law", according to the UN General Assembly resolution 47/37.

India and Pakistan are also engaged in a diplomatic tussle, with New Delhi vowing to isolate Pakistan over its alleged links to militant groups. Islamabad is currently putting pressure on the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to uninvite India's foreign minister from their next meeting.

https://www.timesnownews.com/international/article/pakistan-rewrites-the-definition-of-denial-calls-indian-raid-eco-terrorism-will-approach-un/375178

And of course Al-Jazeera English is parroting Pakistani Officials about Indian atrocities.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/02/indian-air-raid-site-casualties-mysterious-madrassa-190227183058957.html
How to flip out a Paki in 5 seconds:

"This picture doesn't exist... uh uh uh... it's a signing of a commercial pact to allow pine tar to go over the border... yeah, that's the ticket."

MrMagic says

This is true.

The post just above yours is proof.

No, the proof would be trying to hide behind the guise of "transparency" to allow certain respondents to run freerer than they are now to do the exact bullshit Occasional Cortex is whining about.

MrMagic says

Very true again.

We see that on a daily basis here on the forum.

After two years, It's actually getting worse, too.

The trolling and thinly disguised personal attacks from the "attack gang" of which the individual being quoted is a founding member - it sure is.

MrMagic says

I'll wait for that list until you confirm that answer with Rachel Maddow

Have to pass until the attack gang member coughs up that dissertation on inventory

Patrick says

We live in fascist times, and the fascists, ironically, are entirely on the left.

I think this stems from a few things - people have not thought out in any great depth the positions underlying their beliefs. It may be also that people don't really care, or that logical thinking may result in conclusions that do not feel good. Possibly they just want to promote beliefs that benefit themselves, or that harm people they hate or resent, dressing up policies in nice sounding language like "affirmative action" or "diversity."

Perhaps from laziness of lack of grey matter, folks seem to use feelings instead of logic for justification for taking action. Witness Tlaib attempting to justify her claims of racism over the Lynne Patton prop remark. She "felt" it was racism. The underlying dynamic is that because something feels like it is true, then it must be absolutely true for everyone. In essence, these adults haven't progressed much beyond child-like thinking.

Tim Aurora says

It seems that many in the media are now bracing a new threat, Civil War.

Patrick says

We live in fascist times, and the fascists, ironically, are entirely on the left.

I'd correct to "almost entirely on the left" but I completely agree with sentiment. Although one can find a few fascists on the right, they are few and far in between, and are generally shunned and shamed. Fascists on the left though appear to be numerous and they are given voice by MSM, and their opinions are supported by quite a few on left.

Kakistocracy says

MrMagic says

I'll wait for that list until you confirm that answer with Rachel Maddow

Have to pass until

Just what I expected... nothing to back up statements...

Kakistocracy says

The trolling

Which is what your daily posts have turned into. Proof positive is the lack of supporting your previous troll post above about liars.

Please continue to "project" and blame others for trolling. Typical Liberal M.O. Might want to look at that thing over the bathroom sink.

I agree that this push is coming from the left now. I meet many covert trump supporters in the bay area who after carefully feeling out your political leanings tell you they stopped mostly talking politics to their lefty friends since they cannot debate accordingly without the triggering. And they say they have many friends like themselves who lay low politically in an area as batshit crazy left as the bay area. But all of them are the nicest people, usually accompanied by a hot gf/wife and a pleasure to talk to, not just about politics but everything else. And most of them are socially actually relatively liberal as long as you don't push your beliefs onto them or their family. If Trump would win 80% of the votes tomorrow the US would be transformed into a polite, grounded, no-nonsense and confident country. Civil War my ass.

Tenpoundbass says

This is what's called right wing dirtbag virtue signaling.

We have the most corrupt incompetent President in history, and guess what, all of the sudden liberals are baby killers again.

Transparent much ?

Patrick says

The left have become the Nazis of the current day, violently intolerant of even the mildest forms of dissent.

You live in the Bay area, so your view is warped. I argue with you guys all the time, and yet I don't like SJWs, or what they stand for with respect to freedom of speech, and I at least partially agree with your views. I'm definitely on the left but I don't fit your definition of the left at all.

(OMFG - you mean it's not black and white - you don't have to always take one of two extreme positions ? )

You don't have to decide whether homosexuality is good or bad, and allowing gays to exist freely and without a lot of hate directed at them is actually a different question than whether it's ultimately good or bad ?

And yes, for example race can exist, and still most significant differences - even the ones "on average" can be almost entirely due to cultural factors.

THe shocking thing to realize is that what Trump voters really want is a dictator.

marcus says

You don't have to decide whether homosexuality is good or bad, and allowing gays to exist freely and without a lot of hate directed at them is actually a different question than whether it's ultimately good or bad ?

I guess the meaning of freedom is lost on Trump supporters.

ThreeBays says

Patrick says

The left, and the left alone, created Trump and got him elected.

What else stupid will the right do, that's the lefts fault? Isn't the right supposed to be the party of self responsibility?

What's been lost is the moderate.

We're most of us moderates. 82% of the country hold moderate views and believe in dialogue or even compromise.

What is presented in popular media today is nothing but the fringe. We're exposed to nothing but the looney margins of political thought (if you can even call it thought): the foaming, myopic Trumpers, the hate-filled pussyhatters and antifas.

These bizarro characters are a laughably small minority, and yet they occupy the lions share of public media attention. Moderate voices don't get your ire up, and open dialogue isn't salacious enough to sell clicks, but it is imperative to the survival of our culture that we start paying more attention to the moderate middle, and stop wasting our attentions on the trash peddlers and tantrum throwers of the far right and left.