Politics & Other Mistakes: Our resident hater

5 mins read
Al Diamon

Can a creepy racist weirdo be elected to high public office?

Well, obviously.

But I’m not talking about THAT creepy racist weirdo. No need to search so far afield to find repulsive political mutants, when we have a sizable septic-tank clog of them right here in Maine.

The local variety is easy to spot, not attempting to hide all that hate behind catchphrases like “Build That Wall” or “Send Her Back.” The native scum come right out and say whatever’s on their diseased little brains.

Prime example: Republican state Rep. Larry Lockman of Bradley.

Earlier this month, Lockman, who is term-limited out of his House seat, announced he’s running for the state Senate district including Bucksport, Brewer, Holden, Castine and numerous other towns and unorganized territories. This is rock-solid GOP territory, so if Lockman wins next June’s primary, he’s virtually assured of taking the seat.

He is not, however, virtually assured of winning the primary. Republican state Sen. Kim Rosen of Bucksport is the incumbent, and she’s seeking another term. Rosen is rarely in the limelight, tending to concentrate on local issues, but two years ago, she did manage to make the enemies list of (speaking of racists) former GOP Gov. Paul LePage for the heinous crime of voting to keep state government open, even though LePage preferred to shut it down.

Naturally, the ex-governor is endorsing Lockman.

Some slimy baggage comes with that. In announcing his candidacy, Lockman was uncharacteristically restrained, merely accusing Democrats of being more concerned with helping “new Mainers” than “old Mainers.” But to put that in context, he had previously characterized a proposed state office to aid immigrants as part of a “war on whites.” In letters to newspapers, he’s described homosexuality as “a perverted and depraved crime against humanity” and argued that if abortion is legal, rape should be, too. In 2016, he mailed a campaign flier (without required information on who paid for it) that called Portland an “ISIS incubator.” This year, he tried to pass a bill making it illegal for public-school teachers to discuss instances of racial discrimination or oppression. As reported in The Bollard, his Maine First Media website has run stories headlined “EXPOSED: Open Border Leftists Plot to Invade Rural Maine with Muslim Refugees.” Lockman told the magazine, “It’s called civilizational jihad. I mean, some of them brag about it. ‘We will outbreed the infidels.’ And when you look at birthrates among those Somali women, it won’t take long in Lewiston. One or two generations and boom! We need extreme vetting.” According to a 2016 op-ed, that vetting would require “a minimum five-year moratorium on all immigration into the United States.”

Lockman insists none of this is racist. In an op-ed last year, he said he’d welcome immigrants, so long as they’re “English speaking U.S. citizens from other states.”

Lest you think Lockman is a one issue candidate, know that back in the 1980s, he embraced the cause of so-called sovereign citizens, filing a lawsuit against the federal government claiming he was exempt from paying income tax. And lest you think his ideology is consistent, know that in 2013, he published an op-ed chastising Democrats for failing to compromise, followed less than two months later by one criticizing Republicans for even considering making a deal.

He’s correct about not compromising, at least when it comes to Larry Lockman holding high public office.

No way.

I hate to appear racist, but I prefer emails to aldiamon@herniahill.net be in English.

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74 Comments

  1. Paul and his wife had planned to adopt a toddler from Jamaica (their regular vacation spot) but found the bureaucratic/legalistic barriers exhausting. A woman working at the Jamaican agency suggested her son. So they adopted (de facto) an adolescent, brought him up in their home and say him through college.

    Al calls him a racist, because his actions are meaningless, but he says things that violate the political correctness code,. Al, as far as I know, has never done anything significant for any POC but he has never written anything that violates the PC code so he get to call anyone he likes a racist.

    I like Larry, he enjoys igniting Al and other guardians of the prevailing pieties. He enjoys being the object of hatred and he enjoys raising political hell. He serves as a one-man antidote to the sticky blob of sensitivity that engulfs our declining Republic.

  2. Catholic Charities of Maine has aided 12000 Muslim refugees since 2011, while helping a mere 3000 Mainers during the same time frame. Currently there are around 20,000 Muslim refugees living between Portland and Lewiston and all points in between. And with Mills wanting to allow more and has granted them full state benefit eligible, that is 20,000 benefit packages that Mainers aren’t going to get. So if an elected official has a colorful way of saying they support Maine and Maine citizens over an influx of Muslim refugees, I can say that is not a real big turn off for me. If an elected official CAN’T put Maine and her native population FIRST, that is a major turn off for me. Maine is 95% white, so by majority rules if you are not in favor of helping Mainers you are by definition anti-white when looked at by race, so if by helping Maine citizens whose largest group is white and the other racial groups that make up Maine’s native population as well is racist, well then so be it. Hey here is a thing to get your racial justice funny bone, the Maine state prison system has a larger population of whites than blacks, go figure.

  3. Well Thanks Al,,

    I know who I am voting for now..

    “Anyone” is better than a PC Hypocritcal Liberal.
    If the Libs are howling,,,Vote for that person.

  4. Its often the case that the person yelling the loudest is often the person hiding their own racism.

  5. I am not surprised at the people here defending Lockman and LePage. Accuse them of being racists, some of them will object with vigor, but their words condemn them.

  6. Governor LePage did right by Maine. Paul wasn’t a big fan of welfare handouts and he would tell you exactly that without sugar coating. The recent wave of illegals arriving in Maine are here for the free taxpayer welfare ride promised by our gov. Ironically, all this fawning over these illegal folks is wasted because, most if not all will never qualify for asylum. They would have a better chance in Canada and it’s a short drive.

  7. Just an observation from a simple man. If the words racist, nazi, homophobe, neocon, islamaphobe, sexist,
    Xenophobe, bigoted, and white supremacists never existed in the English language there wouldn’t be a single
    Democrat holding public office today.

  8. Larry’s House district was redrawn by the Dems to include Bradley, a town they thought was blue enough to result in his ouster. Turns out they like Larry, and last year he moved there from Amherst.

    So his challenge to Senator Rosen is a consequence of Democratic gerrymandering. Gotta love it.

  9. Many people (seems Wayne, too) seriously confuse statements of fact with ‘racism’. Discussing facts is NOT racist…such as the recent “what human being would want to live there?” (Trump re. a section of Baltimore that is hell on earth)….NOT RACIST.

    It really appears that the more ‘educated’ some folks in a ‘college town’ become, the more they cannot grasp the most simple of concepts. I think people really ARE becoming unable to think for themselves.

    “Hrtlss” nailed it.

  10. Words like racist and racism should be in quotation marks when in print these days.

  11. I’m going to let my hair go white, wear ridiculous hats put Bernie stickers all over the back of my car and only shop at Renys. Funny how most liberals are all old hippies who may have ingested too much LSD back in the day, Al you included .
    Hope this isn’t considered racist because you don’t agree with me.
    By the way I love Renys.

  12. Once a Muslim refugee takes residence in Maine, that person is a Mainer. Helping them means helping Mainers. America is all about diversity. Once it was the Irish, the French, the Chinese who were hated for being dfiferent. Now it’s the Muslims. But they are becoming part of the state and the country, and will be part of the rich tapestry that America is all about.

  13. It’s amazing how triggered and sensitive the above commenters get and swing blindly to defend Lockman or just throw red herrings to distract the social responsibility of the party. It’s like you have nothing real to say in his defense so you just start name calling based on what your social media memes told you to think Liberals are. Here’s a fun game. Google the things lockman has said that get him media attention and you will find that he is no stranger to using controversy to excite his base but then google what he has done for his district and you will find virtual crickets. Why? My take is that the guy uses the media to promote his personal brand and ideas instead of representing his constituents. Why does he get elected? Last election he or some dark money group sent out door to door flyers saying his opponent gave food stamps to terrorists… humm, far stretch of non facts because of how someone voted but under that same rationalization Lepage would have also been guilty of feeding a terrorist. This leads to my next comment.

    @I Am “IN”, !!: You sum up all that is wrong with our county right now. I understand that you are just releasing your hounds in anger but seriously, your comment is exactly why we can’t have nice things in this country. Your simple method of “Anyone” being better sure explains the candidates the GOP has put forth lately? Even the angriest of people can see the danger in blind faith mentality.

  14. Scott, you may have consumed too much of the liberal kook aid for your own good. Other people’s money is a terrible addiction that has consumed our political elites and cost Mainers dearly. Americas success isn’t based on diversity, rather, on ones individual aspirations to work and prosper on their own merits. Do the math on the welfare costs and understand that supporting all illegals that flock to Maine is a bad idea. Mainers need the help first not illegals. You may want to do a little research on the muslims, their history doesent exactly support peace, equality or any virtues currently in vogue in the circles of your elites.

  15. Scott Erb, 9/11, Paris, Brussels, Boston, San Bernardino, Tenta, Fort Hood, and countless other instances, tell me everything about Muslims I need to know. If you have a stock portfolio that you want to diversify, you don’t do it with companies whose stock has nearly bottomed out. and continues to fall. But I do agree with the Dalai Lama, “All refugees must go home.” of course he was including himself in reference to his now 60 year exile in India, but still, once these refugees come they never leave unless forced out, like the Haitians were. Refugees are a cancer to any country and they are running from a country that they themselves screwed up, to a country that they want to screw up, ours. They refuse to assimilate, I’m all in favor of helping them since they want us to give them everything, they can live anywhere in the country, so why not build them a town or give them one of the Marshall Islands where they can live with their own kind and still be safe, oh wait, it’s because they lived with their own kind in their home country that they destroyed, ok so maybe they should just stay in their home country and enjoy the thing they created.

  16. Slow Lane objects to name calling,,, unless it’s directed at someone else. I noticed he didn’t mind these “labels” from Al,
    creepy racist weirdo
    repulsive political mutants
    The native scum
    diseased little brains
    Where’s the outage??

    Slow Lane,, you provided the standard liberal scolding.
    I know you can’t see it but YES, the vast majority of our citizens reject your stance…
    Nothing original. You just marched out the same old liberal drab that caused Trump to be elected.,,,
    So,,, who’s blind??
    And who represents “what’s wrong with the country”???

    DO “BLINDS” REALLY HAVE MORE FUN ??

  17. Scott
    I don’t think the French or Irish are trying to kill us. The Muslims hate us

  18. Wally, you are so wrong. Almost all Muslims in America are peaceful. Fear of a whole religion makes no sense, just because there are extremists. Muslims fear Muslim extremists too, that’s why so many fled Syria when ISIS was threatening them and their children. I have studied Islam, and it is truly a religion built on the same kind of strong values as Christianity and Judaism. Forced conversions and killing anyone who does not want to fight are forbidden by Muhammad. Muslims in the West are in fact an important group for trying to fight extremism in the Mideast. The extremists are a tiny minority, and time is against them.

    Back in the year 1000 the Christian world was backwards, and the Muslim world was for advanced. Cordoba in Muslim Spain had 43 libraries, each had more books than all of France at the time. When the Ottomans took over they altered the theology by replacing Islamic rationalism (tolerant, open to science, etc.) with a very conservative form of Islam. That stopped Islam’s progress, though the West benefited as Islamic philosophers helped inspire the renaissance and theologians like Thomas Aquinas. Now Islam is in a transition away from that conservative past, and the worst thing we can do is have irrational policies based on fear. Islam is a good religion, it’s good to have Muslims in America. In fact, I donate monthly to Ilhan Omar (who represents a district in Minnesota I used to live in) as she works to try to help all Americans.

    So put aside your fear. It’s not based on reality. There are Muslim students in Farmington who are kind, generous, and work well with all groups, including Christian and Jewish students. The future will be grand if we don’t let irrational fear cause hate, prejudice and bigotry. I know I’ll work hard to defeat fear and in particular Islamophobia.

  19. Hrtless, you’re not being rational. You cherry pick a few cases of crazies and extremists and try to pretend that it applies to the entire religion. I could pick out lots of western crazies and extremists – Charles Manson, Timothy McVeigh (a libertarian and veteran), the Westboro Baptist Church, etc. – and if I claimed that described everyone in the West it would be just as irrational. So I’ll continue to donate to help bring refugees in and care of them. I have friends who volunteer. Love defeats hate, fear is a bad path to take. Fear destroys.

  20. Scott Erb, I didn’t cherry pick anything. Ok, here, in last 18 years Muslim terrorists have killed more Americans on US soil than school shooters have in the last 100, yet every time a school shooting happens, people call for gun bans and other restrictions on the second amendment that would affect millions of gun owners even though the shootings are committed by one or two people. What if there were calls for Muslims to be stripped of the first amendment every time a “peaceful” practitioner of Islam killed Americans on US soil? How do you think that would go over? And they come to the US and form groups like CAIR whose intentions are to undermine the rights of any non-Muslims, and that have been linked to known terrorist groups.

  21. Why shouldn’t WE cherry-pick too, Scott? Gun control advocates certainly do, and I hear nobody on the Left complaining. Left-wing violence vastly dwarfs that of the right…but, media cherry-picking is the norm – it’s the narrative, in fact. You’re just engaging in the routine Liberal ‘gas-lighting’ of people who don’t agree with them…try to minimize the facts the other party is describing, say they’re not rational, etc. I mean, “if it can save just ONE child”, RIGHT?

    Sorry, but ALL the facts suggest that such different cultures with polar opposite values are NOT compatible with each other, and simply having 2 eyes in your head backs this up. Cultures which do not assimilate create friction and chaos. Many of the ppl we’re talking about dislike OUR culture just as much! Europe learned the very hard way (and it’s really only just begun), and we will, too. What is not rational is engaging in the systematic violation of our immigration laws under the guise of ‘we need diversity’ – yet another self-proclaimed Leftist idea where it’s OK to do anything you like since you have some ideological self-justification. By this measure, the Right should mandate public prayer (like Islam does…) and engage in “Handmaid’s Tale” treatment of women; after all, if we ‘feel it is right’…..correct? I mean, “I FEEL…” and all – let’s go make some public policy.

    Unless ALL parties, globally, are self-destructing their culture and playing “the love game”, all you’re doing is assuring that your culture recedes and eventually becomes minority – at which point it gets swept into the dustbin. Winners don’t worry about your has-been history. Those you admire would LOVE to climb on top, and they aren’t as accepting as we have been. Looking at the entire planet, the “West” is the minority, not the other way around. Russia, China, Iran, could not do a better job than we are of rotting our nation from inside. Where’s the rationality in that?? How many will be helped when we are Third World?

    Don’t whine when it’s YOUR children going without. They already are, and will have to more and more if we keep allowing the Left to run rampant.

  22. There it is again!!! Dr. Erb, who is more Educated than allllll of us simple minded conservative folks, is telling
    Hrtlss Bstrd that he is not “being rational”. The smartest man in the room (?) Is telling the rest of us that we
    Are foolish and irrational if we don’t agree with him. I don’t always agree with Hrtlss, but he is spot on with
    This one as is OverRegulated and some of the others.

  23. Muslim terrorism is very rare. Timothy McVeigh was a good libertarian veteran terrorist who killed a lot of people. There are extremists everywhere, and the only reason there have been more Muslim extremists (but still very few) is that the culture is modernization. That process is very difficult, look at how violent we’ve been in our modernization. Fear of Islam is not rational – hence the term Islamophobia.

    If you want a violent civilization, look at the West – communism, the holocaust, fascism, WWI, WWII, nuclear weapons, colonialism destroying cultures and stealing resources. That said, we in the West have gotten better, but it’s always when we avoid fear and bigotry, embrace freedom and diversity, and work together. Fear is what drives us to our worst behaviors. The modernization process is difficult, but the extremists are going against history, and 99.99% or more of Muslims want peace and a better life. If we work with them rather than letting the terrorists bring out fear – which is weakness – things will be good. There are about 10 million Muslims in America, and that number is growing. In fact, western Muslims are the ones leading to change and modernization in the Arab world. But you can choose fear if you want. That says more about you than it says about Muslims.

  24. Mike, you seem to be taking disagreement far too personally. I appreciate your comments, Hrtless’s comments (I often agree with him) and others. Disagreement is good, I really never take it personally even if I sometimes craft a comment that annoys. Disagreement is what makes democracy work!

  25. Yes, Scott – they DO need to modernize (in my opinion; it’s THEIR culture, not MINE to mess with. FIRST rule of sociology is to NOT judge a culture by the standards of your own, or your own TIME! Libs might take note).

    This is why us and them really don’t mix well. Unless, of course, WE are willing to accomodate and put our own culture in the background. You (you people; the Left) are far more interested in imaginary racism from US, other Americans, than the real issues of lack of respect for basic human rights and so on, which others here are pointing out. You welcome the Trojan horse into the city, essentially. You guys seem VERY uninformed about these troubling issues! They are cultural, embedded, and not ‘outliers’.

    You admit this, basically. And that is the crux of the Conservative angle on things…if you want to APPLY to come here, for merit or some for asylum…and you are APPROVED entry (unlike a huge batch of people, ones we just got here and must support now)…and you will ASSIMILATE into OUR culture to be a productive part of our society – we WELCOME YOU WITH OPEN ARMS. I’m not singling out Muslims…Congolese, Vietnamese, Nigerians, Norwegians…ANYONE. If you want to keep your home country’s culture as dominant, then you probably should stay there and make it great again for yourselves rather than come try to change mine. Love ya if you want to be us and join us, but if you want to gain from us with no assimilation…SEE YA!

    Not too many (illegals) go on to assimilate, having NO skin in the game by not investing in application and so on. Asylum requests are made OUTSIDE the USA, not by jumping the fence to get at the lovely benefits. The whole world talks about how non-citizens are treated far better than US citizens, BY the US citizen taxpayers’ earnings, and WITHOUT our consent!! The 2nd generation is even worse; it’s where the real america-haters come from, since their parents didn’t join in and do things right, to instill a sense of pride in their kids about being Americans.

    This is a crisis of a magnitude this nation has never seen. Guess we’ve become so used to the drug-addicted, shiftless non-workers and fake disabled that we’re having trouble seeing that we’re being pushed down the ladder, with its attendant loss of citizenship ‘value’ and rights. It’s ironic, we are FAR down the road to serfdom already, and nobody is smart enough to compare say, life NOW and life in the 60s, 70s, 80s (when racism was minimal, people got along, and politics stayed the h3ll in its place, OUTSIDE our homes). It’s an old Leftist tactic to sow chaos, and that’s exactly what most of this is all about.

  26. Scott,you sound like a good,decent and earnest guy who is usually set upon by the local chapter of “Cult 45” but I’m with H.B. on this one. I have seen firsthand, before and after what they have done to my beloved Germany as well as the Scandinavian countries,one of which was the location of my first marriage. Angela Merkel should be deported.

  27. OverRegulated – thanks for a thoughtful comment. I disagree with a lot of it, but it’s well thought out and has a logic to it. I guess my response is that we have no choice but to figure out how to mix cultures because globalization makes that inevitable. Migrations are going to continue, especially as the world is in such transition. I have faith in modernism – I think people, Muslims included, want freedom and are basically decent. Every Muslim I know personally is very kind and caring. My grandparents came from Germany, and my grandfather was a German Luthern pastor who gave sermons in German in a German community. Like so many immigrants, the first generation didn’t assimilate, but the children did.

    I don’t think Muslims here hate America. I think that children will assimilate, even if they stay Muslim (like my family stayed Lutheran – though there were cultural differences when my dad’s German family had to accept my mom’s Norwegian family). I do think that there are Islamic fascists who want to fight modernization and hate the West, and I agree that we need to eliminate them. But I think the best strategy is to support Muslim moderates and modernizers – the fascists want it to be “us vs. them.” The Islamic fascists want to have Muslims hated by the west because that will make it easier for them to peddle their “westophobia” (the Islamic extremist version of Islamophobia, but directed against the West). So I’m all for fighting against Islamic fascists – but I think it’s defeating to lump all Muslims into that small group.

  28. I can’t disagree, Scott…I think MOST people who wish to come to the US, and most people in general, are basically harmless and have dreams of their own they want to pursue. I see very few moderates, but then again, I see very few “normal” black families on TV as well (extend that to any group, issue, etc)…I see what the media WANTS us to see. A huge problem is the minority media which forces lifestyles on others, makes people change to accomodate those who you just said are not the majority, but who may be the ‘favored sons and daughters’ of that religion (extend to all issues, gender, sexual preference etc). Media is nothing but propaganda, from Fox to CNN. This really isn’t about the people, it’s about those using them as pawns.

    All the average conservative that I know wants is for the process to be respected. Apply for a visa or asylum – wait your turn. Demonstrate a love for this country, do what is required, and perhaps become a citizen. Glad to have you. It is the media BS all around people who enter illegally that has us (most of the country?) up in arms. Ex:, the people illegally brought to the Portland Expo – called here by the Left, who demand that the rest of us provide for them instead of our own families. Ideas that the future holds promise and unity like on Star Trek fall flat when you realize that people don’t WANT to see their own go without while bringing the entire world here, at our expense.

    I said it 20 yrs ago, nobody listened: “Wealth Redistribution” is GLOBAL, not just LOCAL. WE here don’t benefit a BIT from it – it is designed to drain the standard of living from the USA, spread it around globally, and put the elites in control. Look around you – believe me NOW? Give it ANOTHER 20 years, and I bet you will…

  29. Overregulated – yeah, there has been a massive shift of wealth from the middle class and working class to the wealthier, starting around 1980. The US has also become less dominant in economics. But I guess I’d just ask you to think about who really is at fault. Is it immigrants or poor people? Or maybe it’s the wealthy corporations who dominate in both parties and who seek profit above all else. Maybe both Trump and ‘the squad’ have a point. Maybe those with the wealth and power are securing their hold, and getting us to fight over emotional issues, thereby letting them continue.

  30. There is a HUGE difference between “asking” versus “demanding” …….

    People are not racist if they object to having what’s theirs forcefully taken from them.

    I’d like to thank the liberals for changing the definition of Racist.
    Based on their recent “Howling” , Racist now means “I don’t like you”.
    They don’t like anybody.
    Ditto…..

  31. Scott,
    Have you been in a refugee camp? Have you worked with the children? Not here, but let’s say in Greece?

  32. Scott, I believe there is a lot of truth in both of our positions. Maybe the difference is that I think gov’t is part of the problem, makes things worse, and cannot find its rear with both hands even if it WANTED to solve a problem! At least corp’s don’t have armies…

    I don’t blame ‘big corporations’ per se, but those certainly are an ingredient the elite are using to get ever more control. Once you have all the money, I suppose you want to shut the door on others and play God. There’s not a thing wrong with profit, the more the better (!), the problem is really in what you USE it for (from my perspective).

    The next decade is going to be very rough, I believe.

  33. If you were not born in Maine …you are not a ‘Mainer’
    While everything else is changing in our beautiful state let us not loose that fact to ‘diversity’

    All the Immigrants in Europe have formed ‘Ghettos and have NOT assimilated into the Anglo society.
    The reason the Irish, Italians, French, and Asians did assimilate was because there were no free benefits handed to them and they had to find work in the American Anglo culture so they assimilated. Not so today. Stand in line…like so many did at Ellis Island and Angel Island in San Francisco for over 30 years.
    Get vetted and a health check. Learn English and read the Constitution as entering the greatest country in the world….Born Mainer who ‘Served.

  34. And another day goes by with a white supremacist ideology based shooting on American soil and the above commenters supporting misinformation about the “Other” people. Great job far right commenters, you are a part of of the ideology that activates this home grown xenophobic terrorism. Terrorism against Americans is by the very definition an anti American based ideology whether you live her or not. Try facing your fears and the unknown by going out and learning first hand about people rather than sitting at home listening to the rally cry of fearmongers paining an imaginary picture of people you actually know nothing about. History is laced with hate movements that merely generalize and create fear based lies about groups of people rather than highlight the good of individuals. Once you believe these lies you can justify your hate. Above all publicly elected representatives need to choose their words and social media messages carefully or they are complaint with the actions of the terrorist they activate.

    “Since 9/11, white right-wing terrorists have killed almost twice as many Americans in homegrown attacks than radical Islamists have, according to research by the New America Foundation.” -https://time.com/3934980/right-wing-extremists-white-terrorism-islamist-jihadi-dangerous/

  35. I’d love to know how many of the asylum supporters offer space in their OWN homes for the “seekers”…
    The “plan” seems to be for everybody else to do that…

    Btw,, Being White or Male or Christian or Conservative or a Real Mainer is not a crime.
    Sorry for you.

  36. “Too Far”, in your comment you do the same hate mongering you are preaching about! Your side dehumanizes normal patriotic Americans, glorifies your Antifa terror group, paints any opposition to your ideas as “hate”. You guys literally attack people in public because they don’t agree with you, you violently silence people – your side brings in illegals, forces citizens to support them and their offspring…and so very much more. I don’t reveal my name because of this.

    This is the gist of most of my posts and is the only reason I ever post here…the total hypocrisy of the Left.

    As society continues to break down, these events will sadly become more and more common. A nation that casts off its foundational values will reap the results. But you folks simply won’t see that. You act like all is normal and ‘progressing’, LOL. Nope.

  37. Overregulated – since the dawn of the enlightenment the watchword of the West has been progress – ending slavery, expanding worker protection, allowing women to vote, allowing women to work, equal rights, allowing gay marriage, etc. It’s all about expanding human liberty, and diminishing tradition, religion, and anything deemed irrational. That is what western civilization is at its core. It is opposition to racism, bigotry, and embraces the notion of common humanity. I think you have a point, though, when you mention values. The enlightenment embraces rational thought, but that in and of itself does not yield “values.” Values come from someplace else. Some turn to religion or tradition (a more conservative approach), others try to use philosophy or choice.(usually a more liberal approach). I think that is the real debate – what values do we embrace. We can’t simply embrace the founders because, well, they had slaves, women couldn’t vote, and they believed a lot of things we now reject. They were also a mix of Christians and Deists. My own personal belief is that values matter, and I focus on kindness as a main good, and fear as the main path to evil. I try to see other humans as like myself, probably reflecting the fact I was brought up as a Christian and those core teaching (love your enemies as yourself, be kind to those who would hurt you) were internalized. But values are what matter, and neither the left nor the right can claim they can prove their values – or how they get interpreted into action – are correct.

  38. Dear, Awww. Thank you for backing me up with that article from the Auburn pub, a NY based online news and entertainment source? I am confused but not surprised that you go to the “misinformation aka LIES” statement then link me to an article that literally says that Republican lawmaker made up a lie and couldn’t support it with facts. So the gist of the Article you source is about a Republican Lawmaker claiming that Democrats are the real mass murderers? But even in the article it stated that she had no proof other than just saying it made sense and that multiple fact checking sources have proven the statement false.Then we have the El Paso mass murderer who like many other domestic terrorists in the past two years have written hate filled manifestos mimicking far right platform and thanked the President for his support. Do some research from multiple sites before making commenting please. Personally I check Maine papers, other State papers, and Fox news for the same subject then uses reading comprehension skills to separate unified facts and the papers personal political agenda so I can then use the old school critical thinking skills to pull together an informed opinion from multiple perspectives. Sorry, that was a lot to say in one sentence. Now, I used to be a moderate conservative but it seems impossible to have this part of my political values becasue of the reactionary anger towards anyone who calls out the present conditions of the far right and holds them accountable for the things they say in public speeches and forums. The second you do you are called names and labels as if you know me, but you don’t know me any better than I know you. Now you can try to spin it, mask it, paint it over and over but there is the other problem of someone like me now being grouped into the “far left liberal” category becasue I refuse to ignore the problems plaguing the Party. And yes, the Dems have issues too but I’ll let them try to fix it themselves rather than projecting my feelings about it. Thank you for you post and I missed your point with the link then please elaborate, I’m listening.

    @OR: Wow, something is very obvious in your statement but I don’t think you would like to know what it is. I will send peace of mind, sound thoughts, and prayers your way.

  39. Too Far….. how many have been killed in Chicago since 9/11 and were they killed by white right wing terrorists? While you are checking that out… tell us how many were killed on the past weekend and where it was reported…

  40. Too Far,,,(Left)…
    Didn’t sense much Peace of Mind, Sound Thoughts or Prayers in your comments but… Who cares.

    Sooooo,, what about them “issues” every you say the Dems also have..???
    They get a pass huh..

    Sorry,. no they don’t get a pass.
    Notice who’s in the White House as proof that they don’t.

    Trump 2020.

  41. Too far you did miss the point of the article. The article concludes that your assumption that since 9/11 right wingers are doing the shooting. Most shooters are unregistered perhaps you didn’t read the whole article after you see democrats weren’t at fault. As for the shooting in El Paso. The shooters manifesto pointed at a number of things not just what the msm reports on. He was very disturbed over immigration, climate change, income inequality, big corporations. Do any of those things sound vaguely familiar? Not to mention the guy in Dayton was a Bernie and Warren supporter. Have a great night.

  42. “@OR: Wow, something is very obvious in your statement but I don’t think you would like to know what it is. I will send peace of mind, sound thoughts, and prayers your way.”

    What – I’m a racist? LOL Or are you just doing the ‘I feel sorry for you’ so you can win thing? I didn’t virtue signal, that I do recognize. Done with that BS.

    Real progress is great. Conservatives love real progress…womens’ rights, workers safety, environmental protection, ending slavery in the Islamic nations that practice it – that stuff. You operate from info given you by a biased and fake media that slanders people. I am implying that what the Left calls “progress” is actually regression. Ours is a culture now full of snake oil salesmen.

    Millennials addicted to to video games and the 4:20 obsession at 30 yrs old in their parents’ basements, shooting up malls and schools etc, the normalization of hard drugs and loose sex, open borders and feeling ok with ignoring any law you want, and more…symptoms of something degrading in society. And no, I’m not an active religious person simply putting my dogma out front; I’m non-practicing. Just calling what I see – a large bunch of people justifying any behavior under the sun if it fits their agenda.

  43. Awww
    Okay, I see what you are saying there are people capable of violence and obtaining guns to carry out that violence on both sides due to the polarized and aggressive political rhetoric of our times but that doesn’t remove responsibility of the far right since the majority of shooters in the past couple years are motivated by far right support and promotion of radical white Supremacist ideology. It’s just a simple and indisputable fact. Remember the Republican Mayor of Lew Auburn who resigned amidst a dirty scandal ? Even he claimed that the GOP meetings were comparable to a Klan meeting. Are you so defensive and in denial becasue you are trying to protect this secret image? So as other commenters have stated, “Sorry,. no they don’t get a pass.” And as the article is actually talking about Larry Lockman and his open commentary I would go back and say he is a part of the problem with the far right republican party that’s too extreme for me. Maybe your real point is access to guns since that’s another common thread between increased mass shootings? Didn’t peg you for a gun regulation supporter but I see your point now.

    Other commenters berating me: You are the reason so many of us have left the R party. That’s on you and the obsessive nature of your fears but don’t think we will be silent.

    (Anyone with sincere integrity 2020) And that excludes you know who.

  44. Over – I actually think part of the problem is that the left and right demonize each other, when really they have far more in common than they realize (they look to the extremes on each side and then see people as caricatures of the extremes). If people communicated and understood people on the left and right both want what’s best, and have good reasons for their views, then more could get done. Olympia Snowe was an example of someone who tried to do that, I think. I try to avoid labeling or criticizing either side as a group – I don’t think we’re truly a nation of two rival gangs.

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