Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for May 31, 2013

Hello Redkaycei, Trolls attack messengers in order to trivialize the message. They hope you will be angry enough to make a comment that will make your comment seem unimportant in comparison. When they do attack messages, they often do so by changing the topic with comparisons to other administrations or issues that have little to do with the topic of the day.As members of a “civil society”, the first requirement of a democracy, we must first be civil in our discourse, otherwise, our democracy is truly going to fail.Respectfully,C.

Nixon normalized relations with China, championed universal health insurance, created the EPA, called Reagan a “know-nothing,” championed renewable energy, ended the draft, etc. “I don’t know why an individual should have a right to a revolver in his house […] the kids usually kill themselves with it and so forth. Why can’t we go after handguns, period?” — President Richard Nixon. P.S. “Today’s so-called ‘conservatives’ don’t even know what the word means. They think I’ve turned liberal because I think a woman has a right to an abortion. That’s a decision up to the pregnant woman, not up to the pope, or some do-gooders, or the Relgious Right. It’s not a conservative issue at all.” — Barry Goldwater

gosh the excuses that are the Right. everytime they open their mouth or write words to excuse either St. Reagan or Nixon and their evil, lol. it is proof positive that even Satan is a “less evil” creature.

justifying evil aka St. Reagan/Nixon Republican ideas, though they do what they can, the reality of their actions belie whatever pitiful and base excuses are.

that won’t ever change, no matter how many trolls they trot out.

of course Obama is just as bad as Bush, so it’s not like the Democrats aren’t all Benedict Arnolds for their complictity in selling us out. but please, grow up. The Evil that is Republcanism, via Nixon, St. Reagan, Bush, et al. well i wish it could be “written away.” Sweet Dreams.

Last line shoulda said “Desperation breeds inspiration, sir, it’s a recent thing.”

I have no dog in this fight – so what I see is that ALL of you protect and praise and see your party as perfect with the same vigor some mothers reserve for their thuggish children. My party – he was turning his life around, doing the best he could, when the other guys disrespected and attacked him…

Is this any way to run a government?

Errrr……..Nope.

I still can’t figure out why posters engage the trolls, here and on other sites. You wouldn’t debate a raving lunatic in the real world, why do it on a webpage?

Nixon wasn’t as bad as he’s made out to be? Give me a break. He was a criminal and a pathological liar who shamed his office and would quite rightly have been successfully impeached if he hadn’t resigned in disgrace first. But he was also a mystery. Did his Quaker upbringing stop him from destroying the incriminating tapes, as almost every modern politician would do? Was his midnight visit to the protesters at the Lincoln Memorial sincere? Or was he in a booze and pill haze at the time? He doesn’t deserve to have the stake removed from his heart – let him continue to be a cautionary tale for other American leaders.

After a bit of reflection, I’d like to apologize to any raving lunatics I might’ve insulted by my associating them with internet trolls. That was unfair.

Oh, Tushie! Get over it

….Well, I give up. Back to the 1970 archives I go!

Please, enlighten the tribolites on which sections of the Constitution should be “fluid”, dynamic and swinging with the times? Separation of powers? Bill of Rights? The 22cd Amendment limiting presidents to two terms? I’m sure you would endorse repealing the 22cd amendment to allow your side to create a one-party dictatorship.

Ahh,good to see enlightened political discourse coming from both sides of the political spectrum. Although it would be refreshing if it wasn’t about a comic strip.

♫♪ Taking care of business, and working overtime… ♫♪

I grew up in the McCarthy witch trial era, and later viewed Richard Nixon as Vice-President under Eisenhower and then as JFK’s opponent. I idolized Kennedy in those days and detested Nixon. I was none too pleased when I had to return to the U.S. from overseas in late 1969 and endure a Nixon Presidency. I watched with glee and rapt attention to every moment of the Watergate Hearings and was overjoyed when Nixon was forced to resign in disgrace.Amazing what about 40 years can do to change one’s opinions. Richard Nixon, in viewing the entire body of his political work, I have to say that, in actuality, was like LBJ, powerful, reviled, distrusted, and ironically, they actually did a lot of great things for our nation.Hubris was RMN’s downfall. Arrogance and greed marked his administration, as it did Bush II’s. As history dims the eyes or perhaps sheds more light – we are just beginning to admit that Eisenhower wasn’t the bumbling dolt that his own party painted him to be – maybe we will look a little more kindly or at least realistically, at Richard M. Nixon.I still don’t like the man, but he was a product of his time, and not without a great deal of merit..

RR turned the party on it’s ear reaching out to the Moral Majority. This got him the evangelical Christian vote. The party has used these voters and has somewhat been taken over by them. These are the children of the “Solid South” Democrats the never wanted any change.Nixon was a turncoat Republican – Truman saw his true colors. It appears that he was run as vice-president to keep him from doing even more damage.

Geez guys, what do you not understand? They are all crooks! Both sides!!! Their goal is to keep you off balance and fighting with each other while they all carry out their agenda. Meanwhile, we lose more freedom and liberties everyday. Divide and conquer!!! They are doing a fabulous number on us all! We have to quit fighting each other and turn to fight the to ones are tearing us apart!

How about just telling the truth? “Yes, we ordered the IRS to go after pro-life and conservative groups as part of their mandate, and ignore utilitarian and pro-abortion groups at the same time. Yes, we ordered the EPA to deny access and funding to conservative-leaning scientists. Yes, we screwed up big time and gave weapons to drug runners. Yes, we made lots of mistakes at Benghazi and shouldn’t have lied about what we did or what happened, nor tried to pawn off blame onto the CIA. Yes, we admire the Catholic Church for getting so much done to lessen gang killings and crime in El Salvador and Honduras, and are ashamed to be part of the problem there. Yes, the sequestration seems to have been a good idea and has helped steady the real economy.” You know, stop lying when you’ve been caught, do your job like other Presidents did (Come on, even Bush Junior passed budgets!!), try and learn from your mistakes, give credit where it’s due to those who earned it.

I notice that today the White House is not jumpin’ and jivin’ and tiltin’ around. That means that GT doesn’t feel that anything evil is being said or done under its roof at the strip’s present moment.

NIxon DID do a lot of good things, like NEPA, EPA, despite continuing to run the Viet Nam war longer than Lyndon. GHW did at least foster and sign the ADA.

Comparing the “intelligence failures” of Benghazi vs 9/11/01, and starting TWO idiot wars in response? Ashcroft and Gonzales tried to set fire to the Constitution daily, and yes, DID spy on people illegally, on a regular basis. NIxon/Reagan/GHW/and “W” all had “enemies lists”, and used numerous agencies, not just IRS to go after those enemies.

Given the history, and offenses, the significant difference today is that Pelosi said (I didn’t agree) that “Impeachment is off the table”, to pursue instead a House trying to work FOR THE PEOPLE and the NATION. Boehner and the “TEA party” morons (traitors actually) keep dragging up any incident to “scandal”, and keep calling for impeachment, for comparatively, chewing gum in class.

Former president Nixon was many things.. A dirty politician. He was not afraid to get in the mud with the rest of them.

Watergate however, was something that had he been a president and not a friend. he could have been forgiven for the stupidity and the blatant illegal break in..

Instead he fed one friend after another to the lions and then still had to fall on his sword. his resignation and being vilified as he was at the time and since. Was really hating the man for all the wrong reasons in my opinion.

On trolls: originally, I think, it meant someone who did not sincerely hold the extreme opinion he or she was posting, and was only posting to stir up outrage or even intentionally get banned from a site – sort of a badge of honor to get banned from certain sites. Now, it seems that people all along the social and political spectrum just use it as shorthand for (at best) someone who is posting nonsense, or (at worst) just someone with a different opinion.

As to replying to someone with an extreme or factually-inaccurate POV, I don’t harbor any delusions that I will change that person’s mind. However, there may be others reading who will take falsehoods as truth simply because they are referenced with a link. If I see lies posted, I want to refute them with facts. Not to persuade the liar (or someone who may actually believe the falsehoods) but to get the facts out in the open.Unfortunately, on most sites, posts sink rapidly, and the person posting the baloney just posts it again.

How much time would it take for the Republicans to admit that they are not after the truth but the destruction of the President?

Line Item Veto? you want to give the most powerful man in the world even more power? Maybe you should try to be a citizen of North Korea.We need the checks and balances in government – it is bad enough when 1 party gets total control, but one man’s agenda?

<I remember this kind of behavior being described in my college psych classes. I forget what exactly they called this kind of behavior, transference or some such thing.>

It’s called “Projection” — I believe it was one of Freud’s Defense Mechanisms. It’s also one of the favorite tactics of the neo-cons and republicans of late — often used by candidates.

Yes, exactly.

Clinton was decidedly right of center too. The easiest way to deal with all this is just to acknowledge that the entire government (apart from a few fringe whackos who probably don’t have the money to play with the big boys) is straight right wing.

It gives a slightly clearer picture …

What trash? Every single word in that quote is true. The Tea Party does control the Republican Party agenda.

Barry could reduce his damage control time to less than 5% if he’d just tell the truth.

Maybe if EVEN ONE of the so-called scandals were true, that’d be reasonable. However, they’ve ALL been shown to be fabricated by the GOP. Is it REALLY your belief that a President should resign because he’s ACCUSED of something without evidence?