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[penguinofhonor]

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[smjjames]

Welp, Rand Paul is officially in the race.

Part of his banner speech was a rallying cry to "take our country back". Which is all well and good, since we've been living under foreign occupation since...umm...when again?

Much of the Republican base has been living under the shadow of Northern aggression for the last century and a half, of course.

My response would be, 'From what, Obama? The Democrats? your neignbor?"

[penguinofhonor]

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[smjjames]

Who is Rand Paul? It's the onion, but it's spot on.

Political Vision: Supports bipartisanship between the Tea Party and GOP
Campaign Strategy: Hoping college-aged white males come to comprise over half of U.S. population
Platform: Heavy focus on abolishing and repealing, with lesser focus on dismantling, rescinding, and abrogating
Opinion On Big Government Reaching Into Our Pockets And Taking Away Our Personal Freedoms: Anti
Current Campaign War Chest: 10,000 bricks of Spanish gold bullion

Edit for the lulz

[Sheb]

I dunno, Rand Paul strike me as the kind of person who might end up being a great president, because many of his worse ideas would require Congress' cooperation (which he won't get), while he could leash in the whole intelligence apparatus.

[smjjames]

I dunno, Rand Paul strike me as the kind of person who might end up being a great president, because many of his worse ideas would require Congress' cooperation (which he won't get), while he could leash in the whole intelligence apparatus.

Do you even realize which party has a majority in both houses of congress right now?

[nenjin]

I dunno, Rand Paul strike me as the kind of person who might end up being a great president, because many of his worse ideas would require Congress' cooperation (which he won't get), while he could leash in the whole intelligence apparatus.

Do you even realize which party has a majority in both houses of congress right now?

If you think Far Right Conservatism is cohesive now (which it isn't), just wait until they only have to fight with each other to get legislation passed. I think the Far Right needs an enemy to attack most of the time for their schtick to work. And they will naturally turn on each other when their interests part (like Tea Partiers wanting to pass destructive legislation, and more moderate establishment Republicans are the only ones that can stop them.)

[RedKing]

I dunno, Rand Paul strike me as the kind of person who might end up being a great president, because many of his worse ideas would require Congress' cooperation (which he won't get), while he could leash in the whole intelligence apparatus.

Do you even realize which party has a majority in both houses of congress right now?

If you think Far Right Conservatism is cohesive now (which it isn't), just wait until they only have to fight with each other to get legislation passed. I think the Far Right needs an enemy to attack most of the time for their schtick to work. And they will naturally turn on each other when their interests part (like Tea Partiers wanting to pass destructive legislation, and more moderate establishment Republicans are the only ones that can stop them.)

I see you've been to the NC Legislature!

Seriously, this is pretty much what our state government looks like -- a three-way power struggle between a corporate-friendly GOP governor, establishment crony-capitalist GOP lawmakers and Tea Party/climate-change-denier/culture warrior far-right Republicans. The token Democrats in the legislature are there mostly for comic relief and to give the Republican rank-and-file someone to blame shit on.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

The token Democrats in the legislature are there mostly for comic relief and to give the Republican rank-and-file someone to blame shit on.

Though it's excellent comic relief. Jackson for Consul!

[nenjin]

...a politician with an actual sense of humor? How has NC not sunk into the sea by now?!

[FearfulJesuit]

...a politician with an actual sense of humor? How has NC not sunk into the sea by now?!

Don't worry, the legislature is doing its best.

[nenjin]

...a politician with an actual sense of humor? How has NC not sunk into the sea by now?!

Don't worry, the legislature is doing its best.

Touche' NC, touche'.

[Baffler]

...a politician with an actual sense of humor? How has NC not sunk into the sea by now?!

Don't worry, the legislature is doing its best.

There's a way around it. You just take this clause here:

SECTION 2.(a) Article 7 of Chapter 113A of the General Statutes is amended by
adding a new section to read:
"§ 113A-107.1. Sea-level policy.
(a) The General Assembly does not intend to mandate the development of sea-level
policy or the definition of rates of sea-level change for regulatory purposes.
(b) No rule, policy, or planning guideline that defines a rate of sea-level change for
regulatory purposes shall be adopted except as provided by this section.
(c) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit a county, municipality, or other
local government entity from defining rates of sea-level change for regulatory purposes.
(d) All policies, rules, regulations, or any other product of the Commission or the
Division related to rates of sea-level change shall be subject to the requirements of Chapter
150B of the General Statutes.
(e) The Commission shall be the only State agency authorized to define rates of
sea-level change for regulatory purposes. If the Commission defines rates of sea-level change
for regulatory purposes, it shall do so in conjunction with the Division of Coastal Management
of the Department. The Commission and Division may collaborate with other State agencies,
boards, and commissions; other public entities; and other institutions when defining rates of
sea-level change."

And get all the counties on the Atlantic coast to agree on a standard. The standard might vary somewhat between counties but as long as they all meet some kind of baseline it should work out alright. Just a lot less efficiently than it should have.

[nenjin]

And they're going to pay for the kinds of protections they need out of...individual county budgets? It's basically saying "You can say and do whatever you want, the state will not factor in scientific predictions of sea level changes into our decision making. We'll use our gut, which means we won't pay because we're not drowning." I can't imagine sea wall construction and redesigning harbors to accommodate the rise comes cheap.

I wonder at what point a scientific prediction becomes a scientific certainty.

[SalmonGod]

Good point. So you should just have said "Yeah, go on, stab that banker SG" and then try to frighten the riches with that. 

FYI, and I'm sure you guys probably understand, but that's not what I'm about.  I don't see revolution or retribution as a means to an end.  Change happens when people start living differently because it makes sense to them, and it will always be a minority who change their behavior for ideological reasons.  So until the cliimate is right for change, there's not even a point.  Tear down the evil order and if it's still the only way people know once the smoke's cleared, then it will just be re-built the same way again.  BUT... sometimes there will be obstacles that do not stand aside peacefully, even when the climate is right for change... and sometimes self-defense is just self-defense.