I didn't say anything about LGBT folks not being allowed to live where they want. I was clearly referring to the Republican efforts to make it illegal for them to BE WHO they want. Such as the freedom for a man to identify as a woman or vice versa... or for anyone to identify as some in-between sex. To be honest, I don't really understand any of that but I can tell from here, that these people for whatever reasons just want to identify in certain ways. To me that's a form of self-expression, a freedom that could actually be protected by the 1st Amendment and yet Republicans are clamoring for ways to make it illegal.

"Oh... so hard... They expect us to know all these pronouns, it's so confusing." Bull... sh.t! It's no harder than remembering someone name and you don't have to guess, the person will tell you what they want to be called. Seriously... WTF is the problem? WE know there are only two sexes biologically speaking, THEY know there are only two sexes, biologically speaking. So what if they want to identity as something else? If a woman wants to be called sir... call her sir. how hard is that really?

You folks act like total morons... "uhh, sooo confusing." Jesus.

The one that really gets me is this BS about gay marriage... yet another freedom the political right felt they HAD to take away. If Mike and Steve want to get married WTF business is it of yours?

"Oh, but God doesn't like it."

Then let God deal with it on their judgment day. Stop trying to use God as an excuse to force others into what YOU want!

And this is just the beginning... I can't believe you actually thought I would come up empty. I could write a book on all the freedoms the right is constantly trying to take away from people.

Fox recently published a rant on how the Democrats once-again blocked GOP efforts to stop counting non-citizens in the census. The suggestion is that Democrats are trying to gain votes from immigrants that are here illegally, as if for some weird reason anyone here illegally would fill out a form to let the government know where they are.

That's the hilarious part. Now for the sad part.

One of the many things the right seems to be utterly clueless about is the fact that there are millions of people living in America as perfectly LEGAL residents who are not actually citizens. These people are subjected to the same exact laws that citizens are subjected to, including taxation and the call of duty. Indeed, these residents are contributing the economy and our security as law-abiding, tax-paying, workers and servicemen... It seems most people on the right don't even know these people exist. They apparently think that if you're not a citizen you must be an "illegal immigrant".

Something else they don't seem to realize is the difference between being represented and being a citizen. Representation means that if you think a law is unfair you can appeal to your representative. It does NOT mean you can choose WHO your representative is. In most districts today, you would have to be a citizen for that right. This means that if a non-citizen IS counted in the census it does NOT mean he can vote.

Democrats are blocking these Republican efforts to exclude non-citizens because most of their constituents actually understand these simple facts and they agree with the moral idea that if someone is subjected to the laws of the land, they should also be represented, even if they can't chose who their representatives are.

So, why do Republican leaders keep trying? Again, it's quite simple... They know that the majority of the law-abiding residents live in urban districts, wherein citizens typically vote Democrat and that even though non-citizens can't actually vote, their numbers still contribute to the size of the district, which could lead to splitting one blue district into two blue districts.

So why can't they just say that? Well, because taxation without representation is a violation of American morals and that is the condition that their strategy leads to. So instead of being honest, they take advantage of the ignorance of their own constituents to push the lie that counting non-citizens gives "illegal immigrants" a right to vote.

Once again, Republicans prove to be the party of lies and immoral behavior and once again, Democrats are proving to be the party that champions American values.

EmilyD wrote:
Telling someone - even if it's just ONE person - that there is "no room" for their fears or their bigotry in our wonderful Land of Freedom is just as bad as if you said it to a million people.

straightUp wrote:
You just don't get it do you? This so obviously flying over your head. I'm not referring to personal fears that people have whatever they might be. I am making a generalized statement about any country that could be described as "free". So yes, it would apply to millions.

Look, whether you want to come to terms with it or not, freedom and fear do NOT mix! Ben Franklin basically said the same thing when he said people who chose security over freedom deserve neither. I agree 100%.

Trumps wall is a perfect testament... You folks want the wall so you can feel more secure. Apparently you are scared of immigrants. But walls obstruct the freedom of movement, that is just a simple fact. Alternatively, we can have someone like me say screw the wall, let people come in and yes it does take courage to stand up for that freedom, because there is the chance that bad people can come in.

Most people draw a line somewhere between security and freedom. My point is that the line drawn by the right is a LOT closer to the fearful need for security and the line drawn by the left is a LOT closer to the courageous stance for freedom.

I'm sure you HATE what I just said. But that's the way I see it.

EmilyD wrote:
It's not how many people you tell (nice try at deflection 😏) -

straightUp wrote:
I don't see my quote, so I don't know what you are referring to. Apparently you think I'm deflecting - or at least that's what you are trying to claim.

EmilyD wrote:
it's about telling someone they don't have the same rights that YOU have. So here's a question for you: Is there room for YOUR fears and bigotries in this land???

straightUp wrote:
That depends... on how free I want the country to be. If I want America to be 100% free then no, there is no room for my fears or my prejudices.

EmilyD wrote:
And don't tell me you have none -

straightUp wrote:
I didn't.

EmilyD wrote:
I see both right here as you post things. Narcissists are afraid of being caught as one - It's one of their main symptoms. Narcissists like you are terrified that someone will see through to your true colors! And as a poster on this board, you have shown your bigotry over and over. Also, your fear of being caught - which in your case is akin to your being wrong about something - is another major symptom of a Narcissist...

straightUp wrote:
So you making some really big assumption about me. I don't think I'm any more a narcissist than anyone else. I think I make valid points that piss you off and your only comeback is to attack my character. I also see you doing the same thing to others who you disagree with. 'Don't know what else to tell ya.

EmilyD wrote:
And of course you will not believe this...narcissists never do. In fact, if you watch videos from experts talking about people like you, their collective advice is to just stay away from them if you can. And if you cannot (if it's a relative, spouse, co-worker, etc.) the best thing to do is ignore them as much as you can. That's why I haven't responded to any of your posts in quite a while. It's nicer when I don't.

straightUp wrote:
I wouldn't have a problem if you go back to ignoring me... I get pretty tired of your endless insults and baseless character attacks.