Okay, whats with all the threads meant to make DU look like

[Coexist]

-we want to take away your budweiser
-we all smoke pot
-we want to jail people who spank their kids.

Just add a gun thread, and mention how saving an endangered species of cockroach will mean putting 8,000 Americans out of work, and we will look like the caricature of what America is just starting to NOT see us as.

(BTW- I am not actually saying that this is the objective of all the OPs, but the titles only, taken as a whole, will confirm the fears of those not left of center.)

[marmar]

1. I guess I'm not noticing that....

and pass the spliff!:smoke: :)

[mongo]

2. Because there is a vocal nanny state contingent on DU

and they all have their own little ideas of how we should be butting into everyone else's lives.

Ban porn.
Ban cigarettes -- almost 1 in 5 according to that recent poll :crazy:
Ban guns.
Increase DUI to .5 or any amount of alcohol.
Raise the rights of animals to that of human beings.

Except for marijuanna -- only 5% want it to be criminalized as it is today, or even lowered to a civil offense -- go figure. As long as you're not smoking it in a bar I guess.

And if you don't agree with their great ideas for making society better, you'll be branded a "libertarian".

[porphyrian]

5. "As long as you're not smoking it in a bar I guess."

Ooo, let's not resurrect that one. You're right, of course.

[seabeyond]

10. a moderate.... so much worse. bah hahahahah

and i didnt even know it was our post. he pal.

nanny mentality it is.

[Irreverend IX]

18. Nanny-statism and DLC corporatism go hand in hand.

Attacking porn, explicit lyrics in music, guns, violent video games and so on is a great way to be seen as benevolent without addressing the real problems in society. In most cases, only a few small subsets of US business stand to lose anything, and brainless suburbanites will love you for doing it. It basically amounts to fiddling while the corporations torch jobs and workers' protections and the American standard of living.

[havocmom]

30. BINGO

Great analysis

[Jed Dilligan]

37. All part of the politics of fear

One hand holds a plastic shield in front of you while the other picks your pocket. I hope all the nanny staters eventually find themselves in a third party with the terror-mongers and bedroom-snoopers of the GOP.

[cwydro]

29. vocal nanny contingent!

I love that!:rofl:

[porphyrian]

3. I'm not scared of appearances right now. Are you?

We just won Congress by a mandate. This is one message board. Anyone dumb enough to think this represents all Democrats exactly deserves it.

[Coexist]

7. No, not scared of appearances

I just popped in and out today and it seemed there were a lot of these personal issue threads.

[porphyrian]

9. Just wait until tomorrow's obsession du jour. It'll change. Probably. - n/t

[BlooInBloo]

4. Um, general DU opinion IS to jail spankers. And budweiser sucks.

EDIT: Just to be clear: I think people who think spanking a child should be a blanket crime are fools - I was just reporting on my take of general DU opinion - not endorsing that opinion.

[Goblinmonger]

26. Budweiser should be fucking outlawed.

Why do you drink American beer cold? So you can tell the difference between it and piss.

Mmmmmm Guiness Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[siligut]

6. There's always some posts like that, but you're right.

There seems to be more now, and more demographic sorting posts too. People will see and believe what they want, but I wouldn't put it past trolls to seed the threads.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

8. I know I saw a "lets reinstate the assault weapons ban" earlier

I just can't find it now that I'm looking. :freak:

I think I understand what you're talking about. Who knows for sure, perhaps this is the new face of DU now that we're the ones who hold congress? Or, perhaps it's just a few people who want their own "pet" legislations addressed? :shrug:

[seabeyond]

11. i dont know. i have been fighting this shit a lot of years with repugs

really dont want to have to start a whole new battle with the libs about their rules i am suppose to follow, but fight them i will. whether i do them or believe in them or not.... i will fight for a person t decide for themselves and not lawed into behavior

[Lone_Star_Dem]

19. I feel we'll see some staged outrage on selective hot wedge issues

Don't let it get under your skin too quickly is my suggestion. We've knocked the wind out of some nasty, greedy repugs who are going to try and split us apart at the seams. If we can stand strong and hold to our convictions (BUT not before investigations. Ha! I slay me.) we will give them a second spanking in 2008. And that's what they're really afraid of.

Edit: punctuation

[benEzra]

12. This one?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=364&topic_id=2690708

The (Republican) head of the Brady Campaign has been stumping for a new version of the Protruding Rifle Handgrip Ban over the last few days, and that crap has been crossposted here a few times.

Considering how rarely rifles are misused (less than 3% of homicides annually involve any type of rifle), and how popular modern-looking carbines are, that crusade is quixotic, to say the least.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

15. That was it

It's a long dead horse if you ask me. But, I've always been of a mind to believe that if we could heal our society violent crimes and would lower in correlation. I'd rather focus on providing a living wage and health care at the moment.

[Coexist]

16. the problem with any gun control, imho, is that regions see it so differently

Urban centers see it as taking away criminals handguns

Rural sees it as taking away your hunting and personal protection (when you live 20 miles from a sherrif's office). Take away assault weapons, and your antique rifle collection is next.

I don't think that there will ever be a happy medium.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

20. You're correct

And I agree with the fact that there is no happy medium on the issue. That's what made it such a successful wedge issue for the republicans for all these years.

[benEzra]

23. I agree 100% (n/t).

[Toots]

13. You want cheese with your whine?

Grow up. We are a diverse community and have many opinions. What is wrong with airing those opinions? I personally think smoking should not be allowed in public but I don't give one whit what you do in your own home as long as you don't hurt any living being..You smoke in public you hurt people and animals. I can't imagine why any DUer would wish to do that.....:shrug:

[seabeyond]

22. o a person expressing a view different from you is a whiner?

heard that all the time from repugs on dem/repug board i was on. until i got so tired of eveything i said being accused of a whine. good way of telling someone to shut up.....

[Toots]

25. Wasn't that the intent of the OP?

Make everyone shut up? I for one will not shut up. I am not whining just expressing opinion and it is a shame you are unable to distinguish between the two...I will not be silenced by people whining that they don't like my opinion...

[Coexist]

28. Ummm.... NO! It was NOT my intent to ask anyone to shut up

read it again.

Lighten up, Frances.

[benEzra]

24. What about smoking in the company of other smokers

who voluntarily assemble in a smoking establishment to socialize?

I'm a nonsmoker, but I think prohibiting an establishment from allowing smoking is wrong. You could do everything you want with air-quality standards for nonsmoking sections of establishments and such, and ventilation standards for smoking-only establishments. Unless what you want is to make pariahs of smokers, which seems to be the motive behind some of the outright bans.

I can't stand the smell of cigarette smoke (damn stuff gives me a headache). But if my neighbor who smokes wants to attend a bar that allows smoking, *I* am not going to presume to tell him he's not allowed to.

[skypilot]

27. OK, I waited...

...and waited but I see that until now no one has responded to your post. Sometimes the most reasonable posts get NO responses. In fact, that's how you know they are reasonable. :)

[benEzra]

38. Thanks. :) (n/t)

[EFerrari]

14. The Democratic Party can't even see "left of center" from here.

lol

Who's been watching Faux? Come on, 'fes up!

[Spider Jerusalem]

17. Yeah, seriously.

Those people are obviously insane.

Personally, I think we should send anyone who drinks Budweiser to jail until they develop better taste, and make people who spank their kids smoke pot because it will have a beneficial calming effect.

[pauliedangerously]

21. I agree with your point in many ways

Of course we have the right to say what we want, but this is a public forum and I occasionally think people around here (including me) should be a little more mindful of PUBLIC RELATIONS. Sometimes I hang out here on Friday night, have a few drinks, and say all kinds of stuff that I wouldn't say otherwise.

Then again, people who really think these things:

-we want to take away your budweiser
-we all smoke pot
-we want to jail people who spank their kids.

are on the fringes.

I wonder how many DUers Google their user names. It's interesting to see what tidbits of ours the wingnuts choose to ridicule.

[Pithlet]

31. I know what you mean.

I think I have the solution. Because I think people who don't agree with me on every issue just want to wreck the party, too. Everyone should just consult with me, and things would go a lot smoother. If you're not sure what the correct issue should be, just PM me and I'll be happy to tell you. If not, I'll be happy to label you and start a whiney flame bait OP blasting you for making us look bad. Either way works for me.

[treestar]

32. The Board Police, reporting for duty

Let's not censor people here over what the group will look like to people who read only thread titles. There's really no point. The board looks different every five minutes. Come back at another time and it may "appear" more moderate to you.

[mmonk]

33. If you insist.

:rofl:

[lectrobyte]

34. What threads? I must have missed them. It's a big board with a lot

of topics, read the ones that interest you, and don't get too concerned about the ones that don't, although I can see where you might be coming from. I personally gave up trying to worry about other people's opinion a long time ago, life is just too short for it. Not too worried about some strawman "those not left of center", either, that you are so concerned about. It's not like someone is forcing middle America to read DU... Besides, not everybody will agree on everything, don't let it rain on your parade, it's not on mine.

[TahitiNut]

35. "... meant to make ..."??? Where does one acquire mind-reading skills??

Simply remarkable. I can only sit in awe at folks able to divine intent on the Internets. :dunce:

[Coexist]

36. all right - not ver y well put.

The OP was really a snapshot of my reaction to the list of thread titles on the front page at the time I popped in.

Curiously, it being such a random reaction, I assumed this thread would quickly disappear. However it has stayed alive for quite awhile.

A thread I posted on over 100 kidnappings that shut down the universities in Iraq - I have to keep kicking.