This is America Today!


If ya've difficulties puking, watch this video. It'll make ya puke just fine.

What is he saying? He's calling Obama a long-legged... something.

But I really loved "quasi-muslim, socialist commie"... I mean... It's poetic...

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No, it really isn't Francois. And you shouldn't inflate the hit count for the moron, makes him think folks are buying his wares.

Originally Posted by clownboy

No, it really isn't Francois. And you shouldn't inflate the hit count for the moron, makes him think folks are buying his wares.

I wished you were right, but I wouldn't bet on it. I found this link at TB2K.

TB2K is one of the oldest Internet boards, in continuous operation since 1998. It's a huge site; American dominated; mostly right-wing, i.e., typical for American-dominated boards.

Read the comments and you'll understand my reaction. They are almost exclusively positive about Manning. Many of the posters confess that they feel just the same way.

I am afraid, it is not a small minority that thinks this way. They are the tea-partiers.

I visit TB2K sometimes, because it is the best prepper board around. If you want discussions for how to grow veggies in your backyard; if you are interested in the newest news about alternative medicine; this is the place to go and read all about it. That is, where I found out about Curcumin (the basic ingredient of curry), for example, as a remedy against inflammations in the joints (rheumatic pains; tendonitis). I tried it, and it works better than ibuprofen with much less undesired side effects.

I usually stay away from the political threads though, because I don't get anything useful out of them.

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That is, where I found out about Curcumin (the basic ingredient of curry), for example, as a remedy against inflammations in the joints (rheumatic pains; tendonitis)

Curcumin, otherwise known as tumeric, is one of several spices used in Indian subcontinent curries (which differ widely across the region). It would be a mistake though to describe it as "the basic ingredient", as this British recipe indicates.

The US National Institutes of Health National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine observes that there is not enough scientific evidence to firmly establish that complementary medicines are safe and effective for rheumatoid arthritis, but recommends that:

Mind-body therapies—such as meditation, relaxation, and tai chi—are among the most commonly used types of CAM in the United States. They have been used and studied for a variety of pain conditions, including RA. Results from clinical trials suggest that mind-body therapies may be beneficial additions to RA treatment regimens. They may have particular value in helping people cope with their disease.

It goes on to observe that:

In animal studies, extracts of turmeric (Curcuma longa) containing the chemical curcumin were found to protect joints from inflammation and damage. Basic research looking at the general anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin is ongoing. There may be a potential role for curcumin in preventing or slowing RA disease, but studies in people are needed to determine this.

My point in citing all this is that while conventional medications are rigorously tested, there may be some substances which are physiologically active but yet to be qualified by science and others which have no particular physiological effect but have strong effects in placebo treatment.

It is possible that curcumin belongs in the former category, but if the effect is real it does not matter whether it does or not.

This must be one of the fastest segues that a topic on this board has ever done.

Let's suppose Francois that it's the largest forum ever established on the web, and that all the members were American, and all agreed with Manning. It would still be only represent a miniscule fraction of the US.

How many of those forum supporters of Manning just agree with a fraction of what Manning is saying? How many are just defending and arguing for Manning's principles purely because they oppose the ideology of the detrators? And how many would be able to defend those views, or hold to those views, when faced with a real life situation?

Are you claiming that polls are never representative? Do you believe that the general tenor that you find on US-dominated boards is not representative of the distribution of opinions in the country?

You could be right that there is a broad base of sheeple who don't hold opinions on their own; don't ever attempt to inform themselves about anything; and don't visit Internet boards. You could be correct that you only meet those people on political Internet boards who are politicized, i.e., who think that politics matter and consider it important to be informed. Thus, a "poll" on the Internet may only sample a small subset of the American public.

The problem with this argument is that the sheeple probably don't matter, even if they represent the majority. They'll go along with anything and everything and will continue to pop popcorn and eat large swats of ice-cream in front of a TV set watching the current football game even while the world falls apart around them.

I don't think the internet has an unusually high proportion of politically aware punters, rather the opposite in fact. CB, tghe problem is that you bump into Americans with extreme right-wing views, with which they feel perfectly free to regale you, in pretty much every place that Americans are found. The tea party movement for all its flaws appears to be a genuinely bottom-up phenomenon in its origin, which implies a wide spread base of support.

You make light of this phenomenon, but the argument you've used would have been relevant to sundry militia groups and white supremacists who essentially appeared as little pockets of special interest. But the TPM is not like that at all, it is much more representative and has a popular momentum those little groups did not.

Manning and his ilk are in main probably just riding this bandwagon. It's not important whetrher people agree with him specifically, or can defend the things he says cogently; what is important is that he has currency and relevance because of the movement, and simultaneously justifies and eggs it on. This is dangerous stuff.

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tghe problem is that you bump into Americans with extreme right-wing views, with which they feel perfectly free to regale you, in pretty much every place that Americans are found.

Nucking fonsense. Check out Brad DeLong and his bookmarks as just one of millions.

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The tea party movement for all its flaws appears to be a genuinely bottom-up phenomenon in its origin,

Do we know that? Astroturf can look very real: