Should we reach out to people who display swastikas?

[Feanorcurufinwe]

After all, the swastika is an ancient design, predating the Nazis literally by thousands of years.

The swastika (Sanskrit "good luck" or "well-being", literally "it is good") appears in art and design throughout human history, symbolising many different things; such as luck, fascism, samsara, or the sun The swastika is used by Buddhists, Hindus, Jainists...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika

Isn't it time we reclaimed this ancient good luck symbol for the Democratic party? I can just picture our national convention, with thousands proudly waving their confederate and swastika flags...

Don't we want to be the party of inclusion? Why exclude people who display swastikas, confederate flags, or wear white, hooded cloaks? Don't we need their votes to win the South?

[Forkboy]

1. Here we go again

like the other 1000 threads about this weren't enough.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

5. So, are confederate flags and swastikas OK with you, or not?

[LuminousX]

14. Is the Swastika protected by the First Amendment?

Do people who fly the Swastika understand the meaning behind it?

Have you ever seen the movie "American History X"?

We should reach out to everyone. It is the only way you can save them from their ignorance.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

22. "We should reach out to everyone." One vote in favor.

:puke:

[LuminousX]

24. Answer my question

[Feanorcurufinwe]

29. Hate speech is indeed protected by the first amendment.

That's no reason to endorse it.

[LuminousX]

32. No one endorsed it or the confederate flag

You are jousting strawmen with this pure flame bait thread and have caused me to Ignore you once again.

[Forkboy]

36. I answer you you when you tell me

when you stopped beating your wife.

[7th_Sephiroth]

7. actually

the swastika hitler used was the reverse swatika wich means death

[Feanorcurufinwe]

12. So are you in favor of confederate flags and swastikas, or against?

You didn't say.

[LuminousX]

15. No one here has ever said they were in favor of the Confederate Flag

Choose another strawman.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

19. Dean want to reach out to people who use

the Confederate flag. A lot of the same people use swastikas. They must just mean it as a good luck symbol, right? Just like the Confederate flag is just about southern pride.

It's just a symbol, right?

[LuminousX]

21. Get real

Dean never said it was ok and is on record as being opposed to the confederate flag but has clearly stated it is a state issue since flying the flag is protected by the First Amendment.

This topic has been covered to death.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

2. WOW!

Inanity! Gotta love it! :eyes:

[elfwitch]

3. Sure we can reach out...

And smack them in the back of their damn stupid heads.
If someone is displaying any of those symbold, they don't want to be included. Once some things are runied, they just are.

[billbuckhead]

4. Dean already has the NRA and Confederate flag boys

I guess we could reach out to Al Quaeda and the Taliban, after all they too have healthcare problems.

[RogueTrooper]

9. I believe Al Queada and the Taliban favor

the Republicans.

[Nazgul35]

11. so we are traitors now....

Is that were you're going with this?! Boy, where have I heard that type of argument from before....hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm......

[LuminousX]

6. Hyperbolize much?

[Feanorcurufinwe]

10. So are you in favor of Confederate flags and swastikas, or against?

You didn't say.

[LuminousX]

17. Are they protected by the First Amendment?

[slackmaster]

25. Have you ever heard of a False Dilemma?

It's a common logical fallacy, also known as False Dichotomy, False Bifurcation, and Black & White Thinking:

http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/false-dilemma.html

Believe it or not, it is possible to gain favor in the South without giving quarter to racists, neo-Nazis, etc. There are a lot of decent people living in the Southern states.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

35. "possible to gain favor in the South without giving quarter to racists"

Why don't you tell Howard Dean that?

[redqueen]

39. I think that's the whole reason people don't understand - why *that* flag?

There are a lot of ways to address Southerners... why that? Dumb dumb dumb.

[Nazgul35]

8. please.....

what a silly argument.....

So your suggestion is to ignore the underlying causes of racism and focus soley on the symbol.....kinda like GW's view of the world...your either with us or agin us huh?

Come on...stop using exclusionary tactics and race baiting to further your political goals and focus on solving the problems in society that cause racism to florish....like education, fair wages, health care, environmental policies that improve every human life....

As long as the conditions exist for the repugs to feed on the fear of the poor and divide them, there will be no moving forward on issue of race!!!

Using the rallying cry of Dean's going to betray african americans to white southern racists is no better than saying that the Dems are going to take your jobs and give them to underqualified blacks.....nice company this argument keeps!!!

[Feanorcurufinwe]

16. So where do stand? should we use confederate flags and swastikas?

You didn't say.

[LuminousX]

18. Are the protected by the First Amendment?

[Feanorcurufinwe]

28. Hate speech is indeed protected by the 1st amendment.

That's not a reason to endorse it.

[LuminousX]

30. Who endorsed it?

[Feanorcurufinwe]

33. You know as well as I do.

[Nazgul35]

41. I would suggest,

even though this is one of the stuoidest posts i've seen to date...that confederate flags and swastikas a protected symbols of free speech....

what would concern me more is the underlying problems that would encourage an individual to want to display such symbols....but that's probably to nuanced for people....oh wait...doesn't Kerry like nuance?

Here's another thought.....perhaps, just like people see the American flag differently, people see these flags differently....and one would need to ask two questions:

1) Why are you using these symbols?
2) What created the conditions in your life that brought you to this point?

But that's not your concern...you're too busy trying (rather ineptly) of trying to score political poins for a rather lame political candidate who seems to like to divide people more than bring them together....or am I mistaken?

Many people who have jumped on this band wagon in thread after thread have failed to address the underlying points raise by the opposite side......and the silence is deafening!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So continue to spin, exclude and race bait...that'll win us the presidency!!!!

Continue to pretend that African Americans can only be encouraged to vote for our party over fear of "the man" overturning 60 years of civil rights instead of producing policies that will actually make life better for all Americans...I understand it's easier to do this....it's ok....really

Continue to paint people who use these symbols as racists who are beyond redemption...ignoring the fact that the best way to defeat this type of bigotry is through engagement and education, on top of economic security....we must remove the environment that causes racism to florish....

Or do you agree with Bush that the terrorist attacked us because they hate our freedoms? That's how simplistic your argument is.....they hate us because we like diversity......really deep and thoughtful!!!!

Perhaps there are socio-economic factors that we could eleviate that would undermine the true bigots and not allow them fertile soil in which to plant their seeds of hate....or we could just keep playing the game...hell, we can't see it from our porch....so it doesn't really matter anyway....it's just the game we play to win elections...

[slackmaster]

13. I'm not even a Southerner but your post offends me greatly

I was married to a Southerner for over 10 years.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

20. What do you find offensive about it?

Please elaborate.

[slackmaster]

31. Your suggestion that we need the votes of...

"...people who display swastikas, confederate flags, or wear white, hooded cloaks..."

in order to gain votes in the South.

It's a crock of shit and an insult to all the good people of the South.

[redqueen]

34. Except 'good' people of the South know it's not about them...

it's about people they know and are embarassed by.

[redqueen]

23. I'm a southerner, born and raised, and this cracked me up. n/t

[LuminousX]

26. Pure Flame bait

[mmonk]

27. So lets go to Germany

and try to connect with them by saying to them we want all the swastika wearing, panzer driving people. It will go over just fine. Its not stereotyping. They'll be ok with it.

[Name removed]

37. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Kolesar]

38. How the Hell did you escape my ignore list?

I don't think I have seen one post of substance from you all weekend, and here you are starting a purposely antagonistic thread. Maybe you are happy with degenerating the DU into a flaming slugfest, but I am not. Take your sarcastic, baiting swill to one of the other hundreds of political forums on the internet--with their trademark lack of civility or content--but keep it off of mine.

[Jonte_1979]

40. This is flame bait

I'm locking.