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Jimmy_Reynolds
New Member
USA
47 Posts |
 Posted - 06/20/2003 : 16:20:00
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Poll Question:
A couple of years ago, I kept track for a while of the number of times I was called a Communist. I only counted separate episodes of what I believed were serious characterizations, in person, on the net, and (in two cases) in anonymous hate mail. It came to about 20 in a few months time. Of course, I live in West Texas, where even Barry Goldwater would qualify as a little pink at least, so this may have skewed the results. I was a little curious about how often this happens elsewhere, since it is common "knowledge" among religious rightniks that skeptics and atheists are all reds anyway. (Or is it that "reds are all atheists"? I have trouble keeping the hierarchy of demonization straight at times.)
Poll Question: How many times have you been called a communist in the past year? Please include such terms as "red" "commie" "bolshevik" or "trotskyite". If you were called one of these from a pulpit somewhere, please count it double.
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| Results: |
| 0-5 |
 [65%] |
13 votes |
| 5-10 |
[0%] |
0 votes |
| 10-50 |
[15%] |
3 votes |
| over 50 |
[5%] |
1 vote |
| I really am a Communist |
[10%] |
2 votes |
| Jimmy Reynolds is a Communist |
[5%] |
1 vote |
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Poll Status:
Locked »» |
Total Votes: 20 counted »» |
Last Vote:
10/21/2003 13:21:02 |
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gezzam
SFN Regular
Australia
751 Posts |
 Posted - 06/21/2003 : 13:27:03 [Permalink]
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I am left in my leanings, however I have only been called a commie once....by someone at work when I was arguing agains the war in Iraq. "A chardonnay drinking left wing communist" was the quote...I don't even drink chardonnay....
I have voted conservative a couple of times and would be classed a swinging voter.
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Mistakes are a part of being human. Appreciate your mistakes for what they are: precious life lessons that can only be learned the hard way. Unless it's a fatal mistake, which, at least, others can learn from.
Al Franken |
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Gorgo
SFN Die Hard
USA
5310 Posts |
Posted - 06/21/2003 : 20:07:35 [Permalink]
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| I voted for Gus Hall once. Don't remember the year. He was getting pretty old, though. Gus was the Communist Party candidate for Prez. |
I know the rent is in arrears
The dog has not been fed in years
It's even worse than it appears
But it's alright-
Jerry Garcia
Robert Hunter
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Jimmy_Reynolds
New Member
USA
47 Posts |
Posted - 06/21/2003 : 23:33:06 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by Gorgo
I voted for Gus Hall once. Don't remember the year. He was getting pretty old, though. Gus was the Communist Party candidate for Prez.
I don't remember how old he is, but I think he knew Karl Marx personally.
Some years ago, there was an episode of (iirc) Amazing Stories that directly tarred skeptics with the red brush. The show was about a haunted house. It featured a dogmatic and arrogant caricature of a skeptic as a foil for the bright young ghost-hunter. In one of the early scenes, the ghost-hunting heroine comes to the skeptic's home one night and he is shown answering the door in a red t-shirt clearly emblazoned with the words "CAPITALISM IS ORGANIZED CRIME." Naturally, this character gets his comeuppance and mends his closed-minded, pedantic ways when the ghosts turn out to be real. |
| Edited by - Jimmy_Reynolds on 06/21/2003 23:34:44 |
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Renae
SFN Regular
543 Posts |
Posted - 06/22/2003 : 08:34:16 [Permalink]
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I've been called a communist, a socialist, a lunatic leftist, a pagan, and anti-American. Mostly though, I'm viewed as a curiosity because of my agnostic beliefs.
What I really am is a Democrat who simply doubts the existence of a God and is fairly certain that if there were a God, he would bear no resemblence to the American Christian fundamentalists' incarnation of judgmentalism and hate.
PS Hello, everyone. This is my first post. I love your site!
*shakes cyberhands* |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 06/22/2003 : 10:25:29 [Permalink]
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Hi Renae, and welcome to Septic Fiends! Great to see ya here.
I myself, am an atheist (that means that I have no theology, not that I'm plotting to kill all theists -- well, maybe -- never mind!), and something of a naturalist. Again, welcome!
From the poll, I see that thus far that we have only one god-hating, slimey, rotton-to-the-core, poltroon of a traitorous, cess-pool concieved, VD infected com-symp doer-of-great-evil, who should be taken outside and shot, and will be if Ashcroft gets his way. Wonder who the bastard is?
Ain't politics and profiling wonderfully stupid? 
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist! 
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ktesibios
SFN Regular
USA
505 Posts |
Posted - 06/22/2003 : 12:55:25 [Permalink]
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I'm not any kind of ist.
Isms all seem like excuses for using someone else's thinking instead of your own, and that sort of thing just gives me the fantods.  |
"The Republican agenda is to turn the United States into a third-world shithole." -P.Z.Myers |
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tw101356
Skeptic Friend
USA
333 Posts |
Posted - 06/22/2003 : 16:10:44 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by filthy
Hi Renae, and welcome to Septic Fiends! Great to see ya here.
I myself, am an atheist (that means that I have no theology, not that I'm plotting to kill all theists -- well, maybe -- never mind!), and something of a naturalist. Again, welcome!
From the poll, I see that thus far that we have only one god-hating, slimey, rotton-to-the-core, poltroon of a traitorous, cess-pool concieved, VD infected com-symp doer-of-great-evil, who should be taken outside and shot, and will be if Ashcroft gets his way. Wonder who the bastard is?
Ain't politics and profiling wonderfully stupid?
You forgot "fellow traveller" and "running dog lackey". No. Wait.
Running dog lackey goes with capitalist roader in the Communist (Maoist) anti-right litany.
Maintaining hatred is just so confusing.
- Henry (who's position on the politcal spectrum is non-determinant)
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- TW
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 06/22/2003 : 16:48:02 [Permalink]
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quote:
Maintaining hatred is just so confusing.
It's also tiring and even debilitating. To do a proper job of it, you must sacrifice your sense of humor, leaving you crippled. 
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist!
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Valiant Dancer
Forum Goalie
USA
4826 Posts |
Posted - 06/23/2003 : 08:29:00 [Permalink]
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I'm still a member of the Augusta Chronicle message board after the "disgusting atheist" flap almost two years ago.
Since I'm defending non-Christian theology, atheism, and disagreeing with the assertation that McCarty was an effective Communist fighter, I have been called a Communist over 50 times. (Many by the same lying sack of shit that calls himself sniper.)
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Cthulhu/Asmodeus when you're tired of voting for the lesser of two evils
Brother Cutlass of Reasoned Discussion |
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Tim
SFN Regular
USA
775 Posts |
Posted - 06/23/2003 : 12:48:34 [Permalink]
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| I think I've been called a Socialist a few times, but never a Communist. Very rarely am I presented the opportunity to debate political or religious subjects. I guess everyone knows me too well. Personally, I think they may say those things behind my back, but seldom does anyone confront me face to face any longer. Maybe, it's my personality, or maybe it's my appearance, or maybe a bit of both. Either way, most of my conversations with peers tend to be more about sports, music, or life in the swamp. |
"We got an issue in America. Too many good docs are gettin' out of business. Too many OB/GYNs aren't able to practice their -- their love with women all across this country." Dubya in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, 9/6/2004
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Computer Org
Skeptic Friend
392 Posts |
Posted - 07/03/2003 : 07:24:16 [Permalink]
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quote:
Originally posted by filthy
Hi Renae, and welcome to Septic Fiends! Great to see ya here.
Septic Fiends?? Anything like the Creatures from the Green Lagoon?quote:
I myself, am an atheist (that means that I have no theology, not that I'm plotting to kill all theists -- well, maybe -- never mind!), and something of a naturalist. Again, welcome!
Lizards, Snakes, and Turtles are all theists. Sharks, Skates, and Rays are theists. The Bears and the Lions are theists.quote:
From the poll, I see that thus far that we have only one god-hating, slimey, rotton-to-the-core, poltroon of a traitorous, cess-pool concieved, VD infected com-symp doer-of-great-evil, who should be taken outside and shot, and will be if Ashcroft gets his way. Wonder who the bastard is?
Aha! Except for the "VD infected com-symp", I've been found out! But not from the poll, though: I voted "0".
I have had people look at me pretty squinty-eyed, though----as if they were about ready to call me a Commie; but no one ever has.
quote:
Ain't politics and profiling wonderfully stupid?
quote:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men . . . ."
I BELIEVE all of this----the most fundamentalist of American things: even more so than the Constitution, itself! So what does the Declaration require of American government(s)? In my view:- Life:
- Free, nutritious food;
- clean, pure, abundant water;
- shelter from "the elements" (to include, I suppose, clothing);
- clean, breathable air
- Liberty:
- The above stuff without anyone telling you what to do;
- A certain degree of privacy;
- The ability to pursue any religious beliefs in a hassle-less manner
- Pursuit of Happiness:
- Ah. A tricky one since everyone has different ideas of what "happiness" is. I don't know.
________________________
IIRC, the last two times I voted in the Presidential Derby, it was Libertarian; but I don't think that that's anywhere near "Communist". I do think, however, that the Libertarians are a little too "fascist" for my tastes: Not quite enough Declaration of Independence-style liberty for me. (The Greens, of course, IMHO, are a a complete, utter FRAUD. Too bad!!) But all of this is near hijack-level digression.  |
Do thou amend thy face, and I'll amend my life. --Falstaff |
| Edited by - Computer Org on 07/03/2003 07:33:37 |
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Doomar
SFN Regular
USA
714 Posts |
Posted - 07/06/2003 : 08:31:34 [Permalink]
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If it looks like a chicken, smells like a chicken, runs like a chicken, sounds like a chicken...the closer your ideology comes to communist ideology, the more you will be called a communist. Do you think being called a communist is a good, bad, or indifferent thing? Sounds like a derogatory remark most of the time. If you lived in China, you might be called a right leaning socialist. Guess the point of view is important.
What is a communist to most people? communists are atheists that believe in a state run sort of business structure. They mistakenly place a huge amount of trust in the people in power. They believe that all should be treated equally, regardless of how they perform in life. They oppose religion, as they see religion opposing the atheist view of the state. They don't believe in absolutes, but act like the government does. They are pragmatic and laced with many hypocrisies/contradictions in their courts. Punishing people for holding views different from the state is common place in such countries. People are not allowed to travel freely, as they realize that many will flee their country for a more free society. It's funny how so many liberals in America tend to agree with many of the communistic ideas. Guess they should study the countries that have put their views into practice and notice the results. |
Mark 10:27 (NKJV) 27But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”
www.pastorsb.com.htm |
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Trish
SFN Addict
USA
2102 Posts |
Posted - 07/06/2003 : 13:00:44 [Permalink]
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Doomar,
Sounds like you need to read 'An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations' by Adam Smith, then read 'Das Kapital' by Marx before you start saying what communism is and isn't. Study abit about PolySci first. You'll find that Marx agrees with Smith, but takes his thoughts on economics further.
What the USSR had, was called communism, but is not what the philosophy of communism is about. |
...no one has ever found a 4.5 billion year old stone artifact (at the right geological stratum) with the words "Made by God."
No Sense of Obligation by Matt Young
"Say what you will about the sweet miracle of unquestioning faith. I consider the capacity for it terrifying and vile!"
Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
They (Women Marines) don't have a nickname, and they don't need one. They get their basic training in a Marine atmosphere, at a Marine Post. They inherit the traditions of the Marines. They are Marines.
LtGen Thomas Holcomb, USMC
Commandant of the Marine Corps, 1943
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Doomar
SFN Regular
USA
714 Posts |
Posted - 07/06/2003 : 14:45:28 [Permalink]
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[quote]Originally posted by Trish
Doomar,
Sounds like you need to read 'An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations' by Adam Smith, then read 'Das Kapital' by Marx before you start saying what communism is and isn't. Study abit about PolySci first. You'll find that Marx agrees with Smith, but takes his thoughts on economics further.
Perhaps you can give me the gist of communism as you've read about it. I was taught that it is a type of communal system where everyone shares with everyone else. It's true that each country that has tried it uses their own version, but isn't it true that atheism is a main tenent? I think when someone is called a communist, it has to do with the relationship the accuser sees with a person's beliefs and the Stalin type communists of USSR, rather than the "ideal" communists. |
Mark 10:27 (NKJV) 27But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”
www.pastorsb.com.htm |
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Doomar
SFN Regular
USA
714 Posts |
Posted - 07/06/2003 : 15:13:59 [Permalink]
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The following is from the Congressional Record. Source is noted.
Communist Goals (1963)
Documention below
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Congressional Record--Appendix, pp. A34-A35
January 10, 1963
Current Communist Goals
EXTENSION OF REMARKS OF HON. A. S. HERLONG, JR. OF FLORIDA
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Thursday, January 10, 1963
Mr. HERLONG. Mr. Speaker, Mrs. Patricia Nordman of De Land, Fla., is an ardent and articulate opponent of communism, and until recently published the De Land Courier, which she dedicated to the purpose of alerting the public to the dangers of communism in America.
At Mrs. Nordman's request, I include in the RECORD, under unanimous consent, the following "Current Communist Goals," which she identifies as an excerpt from "The Naked Communist," by Cleon Skousen:
[From "The Naked Communist," by Cleon Skousen]
CURRENT COMMUNIST GOALS
1. U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war.
2. U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war.
3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament [by] the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength.
4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war.
5. Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites.
6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination.
7. Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N.
8. Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev's promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free elections under supervision of the U.N.
9. Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress.
10. Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N.
11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.)
12. Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party.
13. Do away with all loyalty oaths.
14. Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office.
15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States.
16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.
17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks.
18. Gain control of all student newspapers.
19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack.
20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policymaking positions.
21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures.
22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to "eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms."
23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. "Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art."
24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press.
25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.
26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy."
27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a "religious crutch."
28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state."
29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.
30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man."
31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the "big picture." Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over.
32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture--education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc.
33. Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus.
34. Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities.
35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI.
36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions.
37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business.
38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand [or treat].
39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals.
40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.
41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.
42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use ["]united force["] to solve economic, political or social problems.
43. Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government.
44. Internationalize the Panama Canal.
45. Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction [over domestic problems. Give the World Court jurisdiction] over nations and individuals alike.
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Mark 10:27 (NKJV) 27But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”
www.pastorsb.com.htm |
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