tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12177833.post266593104823144420..comments2024-03-21T02:16:25.967-07:00Comments on Freethought Weekly: Progressive Popular Front - I think we're going to do thisDeltahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15708796218860983185noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12177833.post-76737424066780171962007-09-23T10:14:00.000-07:002007-09-23T10:14:00.000-07:00neil,Welcome! I share your concern. Although I t...neil,<BR/><BR/>Welcome! I share your concern. Although I think if we want meaningful change in the country we need to not simply say that we would like a president with 'reading and grammar skills', but actually put forth the idea that we want one who represents our views. Bush is quite likely very unintelligent, but it's his policies and those of the people who surround and support him which make him a bad president.<BR/><BR/>breakerslion,<BR/><BR/>I'm glad that you're interested. I think you are absolutely correct that any progressive movement in this country faces <B>substantial</B> obstacles to its success. But I think this requires us to test new strategies to see what works and what doesn't. I hope that this effort will bring some positive results, if not simply to provide lessons, as you suggested, to future movements that will ultimately bring success.Deltahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15708796218860983185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12177833.post-44430691108213342662007-09-22T19:21:00.000-07:002007-09-22T19:21:00.000-07:00It is a worthy effort, if only to inspire those th...It is a worthy effort, if only to inspire those that come after. The death-grip that the two party system has on power in this country must be tested from time to time. I suspect that your effort might be doomed by scruples. You have them, the short-sighted and greedy people you seek to replace do not. They will say anything. They actually prefer to pander to people who maintain ignorance among the governed. People who feed on confusion, who maintain that the earth is 6,000 years old while using 200 million year old fossil fuel to power their houses and cars. They do this not because they believe it necessarily, but because they can convince ignorant people that it is important that <I>they</I> believe it. Confuse people sufficiently, and critical thinking shuts down. Now you can get these people to believe <I>anything</I>. <BR/><BR/>You will be discredited. The truth of the assertions is irrelevant, they will be believed. You are, unfortunately, outnumbered and outgunned. That said, count me in. I haven't tilted at a windmill in a long while.breakerslionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14327290369084118043noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12177833.post-82124812842620442462007-09-21T20:07:00.000-07:002007-09-21T20:07:00.000-07:00I am new to the community, having been an loner at...I am new to the community, having been an loner atheist for the last several years. I like your motivation, it is inspiring. I heard a piece on NPR today about South Carolina voters (due to the upcoming early primary) not being happy with the current not-socially-conservative enough republican candidates. One voter claimed he voted on 3 things, pro-life, anti-gay marriage, and family values. These are the 3 things that got George W. elected.<BR/><BR/>In a world of executives, would you think a CEO would last long based on his views on abortion, religion, and "family values"? I would like a president that has left the United States a few times, pays attention to the geopolitical climate, and has basic grammar and reading skills. Qualification, not socio-political preference.<BR/><BR/>I know I am preaching to the choir (and happy to), but it's stories like these that scare me. I don't fear any man, woman, or beast, I fear massive brainwashed fanatical movements.Neil Phalanxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11724312676809556291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12177833.post-7352621430804021622007-09-17T18:18:00.000-07:002007-09-17T18:18:00.000-07:00Hi Patrick,No, I didn't actually know that. I che...Hi Patrick,<BR/><BR/>No, I didn't actually know that. I checked it out and it says that they are not accepting appliations for hosting at this time, but that is something that we could certainly check out in the future. I'm not sure if the organization would be sufficiently 'humanist' for them to want to support the Popular Front, but it's certainly not obvious that they wouldn't.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the link!Deltahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15708796218860983185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12177833.post-85722255167796704162007-09-17T15:32:00.000-07:002007-09-17T15:32:00.000-07:00Hey, I don't know if you know about this already, ...Hey, I don't know if you know about this already, but http://humanists.net/ provides free web hosting to Humanist-related sites. You might want to check it out.<BR/><BR/>PatrickEdgarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10174913308457649647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12177833.post-9410831191985958682007-09-12T12:58:00.000-07:002007-09-12T12:58:00.000-07:00I would like very much to see an effective, issue-...<I>I would like very much to see an effective, issue-based movement that does not resort to the use of scare tactics to change the political landscape. I don't know if that's even possible, but it seems to me that as soon as we start scaring people, we undermine our efforts by encouraging people to vote with fear and emotions, rather than through careful scrutiny and consideration of the issues</I><BR/><BR/>I absolutely agree. I also think it's possible that we could build the movement more on the disparity between our current sociopolitical conditions and what's possible living in the world's most 'wealthy country', rather than build it on fear. Another reason to not build it on fear is that, as you say, we need to encourage critical thinking and not simply fear responses. A movement built on fear responses has no defense to a counter movement based on fear, but one built on ideas, that's harder to counter.<BR/><BR/><I>Depending on the level an issue is being addressed, voters may make different decisions. Covering issues from multiple levels may make them more palatable and targeted, and would allow for a multi-faceted approach to solutions. For example, to curb pollution, a city might introduce a mass transit system, whereas a state might monitor pollution from factories in it, while the national level works on a comprehensive plan to switch to renewable energy</I><BR/><BR/>That is a <B>fantastic</B> point. This kind of organizational structure could also be very effective on the local level. But I think to get this thing started we'll need to build the national level PPF, since we'll be taking in volunteers from all over the country. But I think encouraging other local, independent organizations of this type could also be one of our primary missions. They would be something like, for example, 'Austin Popular Front' or whatever they wanted to call themselves. Yes, that could be very effective in local elections, and easier to do than in the national sense because you could very rapidly build up visibility if you confined yourself to a small area.Deltahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15708796218860983185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12177833.post-70682867789814116162007-09-12T09:15:00.000-07:002007-09-12T09:15:00.000-07:00"how the idea would be presented to the public"One..."how the idea would be presented to the public"<BR/><BR/>One super big issue I have with politics, conservative politics especially, is the use of fear to induce people to do what politicians want. It is so prevalent because it works. The problem, of course, is that in the course of being stricken with fear, the voter is now prone to making poor decisions. I would like very much to see an effective, issue-based movement that does not resort to the use of scare tactics to change the political landscape. I don't know if that's even possible, but it seems to me that as soon as we start scaring people, we undermine our efforts by encouraging people to vote with fear and emotions, rather than through careful scrutiny and consideration of the issues.<BR/><BR/>"...the list of progressive issues that we want the Popular Front to represent has to be decided upon."<BR/><BR/>In regards to this, perhaps a focus level would help. Some issues definitely affect voters on an individual level, while others concern themselves with community, state, or national matters. A conservative, for example, might focus on tax breaks for himself, whereas a liberal might be concerned with big companies skirting tax obligations.<BR/><BR/>Depending on the level an issue is being addressed, voters may make different decisions. Covering issues from multiple levels may make them more palatable and targeted, and would allow for a multi-faceted approach to solutions. For example, to curb pollution, a city might introduce a mass transit system, whereas a state might monitor pollution from factories in it, while the national level works on a comprehensive plan to switch to renewable energy.Mookiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04796691428737135749noreply@blogger.com