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Post by lloyd on Nov 10, 2016 0:05:31 GMT -5
I looked through the thread, including my posts. I don't see any derision of anybody. There is condemnation of President Ford for reasons noted in Justin's post. Nobody here has made fun of the the downtrodden who voted for him because they are angry and/or frustrated. I feel compassion for them, for they know not what they do. We understand that they either pathetically hope he will help them or hope he will punish all those who they think are oppressing them. I am disgusted at President Ford for psychopathically or ignorantly using the anger and frustration for his own narcissistic needs. He has sown the wind and will reap the whirlwind. I am disgusted with any well off people who voted for him to further their own antagonistic and dystrophic ends.
We in Toronto, have lived through Mayor Ford, and President Ford is following in his footsteps. We have seen it all before and know just how bad it's going to be for the USA and the world.
So yes we are disgusted by President Ford and fear what he will do to the USA and the world. But we still consider the American people to be our friends.
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Post by Apoplast on Nov 10, 2016 21:47:24 GMT -5
Hi Lloyd - I certainly didn't mean to point fingers at anyone here. It was more of a general response. I feel as though more understanding and less division might lead to a better path. That said, phrases like "for they know not what they do" and "pathetically hope" are at the very least divisive if not derisive comments.
Again, not directed at you specifically, but the scornful approach the left has taken with the supporters on the right, at least in the States, is equivalently horrible to the same rhetoric employed by the right. It only ends up in a mudslinging match. One where everyone is expected to pick a side, each claiming a moral high-ground, while dragging us all further from any chance of compromise or progress. People have gotten so divided as to be unable to even hear from those the do not agree with, and nor can they contemplate working with them politically. And now we have protests. Protests against a fair and legal election. Protests against the basis of democracy, just because they don't like the result.
I am not supporting what has been said. Not in the least. It's just that, in my opinion, the thing we need most in the States right now is an effort to understand where everyone is coming from. Idealistic? Perhaps. But, I can't give up on humanity. Or perhaps, I just won't.
I don't mean to offend anyone. I'm truly only attempting to make the case for trying to open a dialog where people can begin to speak to the "other" again. Maybe even a little compromise. Who knows?
I hope you haven't really canceled your trip to see the eclipse. That would be sad.
As a side note, your using "President Ford" as a parallel to the late Mayor Ford was a bit confusing given that we had an actual President Gerald Ford here. And though he was not known for being a sharpest tool, he was rarely considered to be too offensive. :-)
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Post by lloyd on Nov 11, 2016 0:06:18 GMT -5
I understand and agree with your points, which are well thought out and humane.
However I do feel that the downtrodden who voted for him did so out of naïveté. I believe that they will suffer even more because President Ford was elected. And I do feel compassion and not derision for anyone naïve enough to vote for him.
I was really critical of Mayor Ford and felt the same way about his unwise supporters. They still don't understand how he damaged Toronto.
I hope President Ford becomes a latter day Lincoln and turns the USA into a better place. If that happens, I will buy you a nice Nep. and deliver it personally.
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Post by Apoplast on Nov 11, 2016 11:59:58 GMT -5
Hi Lloyd - I am glad it seems I did not offend with my last post. Certainly don't feel that Trump/Ford will pave the way to a better future personally. My greatest hope is that the left will take a long hard look at their approaches that alienate many poor whites who would otherwise be supporters. You definitely do not need to get me a Nep. if Trump becomes the uniting force (especially not if it involved a civil war like with Lincoln) . Because, though I am rooting for peace (pretty much always), I do not have what could be considered anything close to faith in Trump. Maybe, just maybe people will take pause rather than action - though that doesn't seem to be what's happening.
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Post by lloyd on Nov 11, 2016 14:19:45 GMT -5
No you definitely didn't offend me with your honest and well-meaning thoughts. I just wanted to make clear that my intentions are not to demean anybody for voting in a way that I feel is unwise. There's a saying that the "office makes the man". Hopefully that will apply in this case.
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Post by lloyd on Nov 13, 2016 17:25:43 GMT -5
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Post by amanitovirosa on Nov 13, 2016 20:30:06 GMT -5
...have to do a survey to read your link Lloyd, no thanks.....I will quote this though, from Metallica's One video from years ago. ..."for democracy, any man would give his only begotten son"... . We shall soon see how that will play out. Myself, I have a very optimistic outlook on the entire situation. Cheers.
AV.
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Post by lloyd on Nov 13, 2016 21:07:13 GMT -5
Sorry about the survey, it didn't appear on my phone. I found a better link.
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Post by Apoplast on Aug 18, 2017 20:31:37 GMT -5
Well, I am half way on my road trip to Marion, Illinois (taking a week there and back to visit folks and watch water ski shows, etc.). Got the idea from you, lloyd. Wish you could have made it out here. I think it's going to be awesome! Wish me luck in the traffic...
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Post by lloyd on Aug 18, 2017 21:06:54 GMT -5
Have a great time and send us some pictures.
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Post by nimbulan on Aug 19, 2017 14:03:36 GMT -5
Good luck, hope you have a great trip!
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Post by Samskwatch on Aug 20, 2017 8:17:18 GMT -5
I would've loved to come but I read this thread too late... 😔 I am going to Grand Rapids Michigan in October, though!!
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Post by lloyd on Aug 21, 2017 16:03:56 GMT -5
Perfect view here of 76% eclipse. The sun became dimmer and more yellow, not at all hot on the skin. The birds and cicadas were silent. The temperature fell noticeably. The trees created crescent patches on the ground. I used solar filters plus binoculars to project an image on paper for the neighbours. 2024 in southern Ontario!
How was Marion, seemed to be a bit cloudy there?
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Post by Apoplast on Aug 23, 2017 20:26:52 GMT -5
Clear sky, and no words for the experience. I've seen partial eclipses in the past, but when the eclipse slipped into totality I experienced astronomy. That's all I know.
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Post by Apoplast on Aug 23, 2017 21:40:36 GMT -5
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