We, ATS Members, Must Focus On Politics

reply to post by OzWeatherman


Meh...throw it in anyway.

Sometimes outside eyes can be clearer ones. Sometimes.

Add to that that America is an 'elephant'.
When it moves even us smaller mice on the other side of the world feel the rumbles.



...and, as said in the last thread:
"Its not what you say, but HOW you say it"
Debate/discuss with vigor - never with venom.

The T&Cs are pretty simple underneath it all...as long-winded as they may appear ultimately they boil down to one single simple concept: "Don't be a dick"



Peace.

Originally posted by SkepticOverlord


However... it is exceptionally disappointing to have seen how many ATS members avoid politics completely. And that must change... here's why.



We are obligated to be political...

As people who claim to be concerned about conspiracy theories, we cannot and should not avoid politics.

I have to agree with you...

I am one of those that tried to get involved in political discussions, but I just felt as though my understanding of politics was nowhere near the level that some ATS members seem to have regarding such a topic.

Maybe it is the way we all percieve things differently. Maybe there are some important things I/we are missing regarding the knowledgable facts of politics.

I found that some things have a form of 'hidden meaning'. For example, Fractional Reserve Banking is a hidden truth. Pure, simple sentences is all it takes to fully understand the banking system, yet it is uncovering this truth that many find difficult, yet is relatively easy to explain and understand.

Time travel is another such issue. In my logical thinking way, time travel, as we currently believe to only be possible by travelling really really fast, makes absolutely no sense to me whatsoever.

In my logic it's the same as sitting in your car and doing 30 or 60 or 120 mph.
The only thing that changes is the time it takes for you to get from a to b. You've traveled a certain distance faster yet time has not changed. But most of the subject 'masters' seem to follow the 'faster than light' idea.

So, this is where I feel locked out of most discussions. My thoughts and feelings are my own and i am guided by the information available to me. If i don't see something the same way that someone else does, then who is right or wrong?

We all read, or hear about, political issues every day. Currently we hear a lot about Afghanistan, the war there and the massive increase of Opium sales. This reaks of politics and profits... and not much else. Yet the media candy covers such news in a way that makes it seem like there is a major issue that is not political.

Diving into the world of politics is daunting for many. I love to discuss it, yet from my attempts, I felt like I was a little fish on a big hook.

I have ne real comprehension of what a 'far-right' or 'on the left' politician/person is... it just makes no sense to me. Never has.. Yet I am old enough to have worked out what it means over twenty years ago... Is it because I have missed some meanings, or a point...

Or is it simply that all politicians are all on the same side yet fake their viewpoints in order to gain favour? Many of us here on ATS now know that all parties and politicians are one and the same, no matter which way they lean. They are all snakes.. We have to be the lawn mowers to expose these people for the fakes they really are...

What can I, and other members, do to improve our understanding of politics so we can at least have a chance of a discussion without being shot down by some other member who uses political jargon which confuses and distracts.. just as politicians do...

ATS topics are riddled with politics... everything from earthquake and crop circle watchers to aliens/ufo topics and general chit chat... Many members may not even realise the vast amount of political chat that they throw into their threads/posts.

Writing this, I wondered how many threads and posts actually discuss politics away from the political discussion threads... A map of this would be a wonder to see. We might realise that politics on ATS is not dead... it's just spread across many different areas.

A believer of aliens and UFOs will discuss politics in the correct area, but may not discuss the same in a religious forum...as would someone who believes in a deity will discuss the politics of his/her beliefs is not going to go discuss aliens.

This reminds me of the Kinsey scale

Males do not represent two discrete populations, heterosexual and homosexual. The world is not to be divided into sheep and goats. It is a fundamental of taxonomy that nature rarely deals with discrete categories... The living world is a continuum in each and every one of its aspects.

While emphasizing the continuity of the gradations between exclusively heterosexual and exclusively homosexual histories, it has seemed desirable to develop some sort of classification which could be based on the relative amounts of heterosexual and homosexual experience or response in each history... An individual may be assigned a position on this scale, for each period in his life.... A seven-point scale comes nearer to showing the many gradations that actually exist." (Kinsey, et al. (1948). pp. 639, 656)

en.wikipedia.org...

We could apply this form of scale to all members of ATS (not their sexuality, of course) but their methods and areas that they post plus what they discuss in those sections.

The political discussion areas cannot be an overall measure of all ATS discussion of politics.

reply to post by SkepticOverlord

With four-million visits a month and eight-million posts, the ATS platform is a powerful one. Your efforts may not make a difference nationally and/or internationally, but you will be noticed.

At another members suggestion not to long ago I performed a Google Search on ProtoplasmicTraveler and was amazed to find my posts on ATS quoted and cited to me and ATS on nearly one hundred websites around the world.

ATS does in fact provide a platform and a much respected one considering the tinfoil had reputation the people who pursue conspiracy theories are sometimes labeled with.

More importantly still is this quote from Marshall McLuhan a respected Canadian philosopher and communications expert who passed away in the early 1980’s well before the advent of the Internet and the World Wide Web as we know it today.

"World War III will be a guerilla information war, with no division
between military and civilian participation." Marshall McLuhan

Some people would argue this war is well underway just as McLuhan envisioned. Whether it is or not, chances are some of the most critical information will come from the exceptional minds on ATS.

Thanks for providing us all that well respected, and well run platform!


[edit on 1/3/10 by ProtoplasmicTraveler]

Once a tulipwalker, always a tulipwalker.

Those were the good ole days.

I have to agree with you SO. We need more people, not just in the U.S., but around the world to get more involved in the political. Not just the garbage that is spewed from the talking heads but the history adn facts behind them. It is one thing to spout a political ideology to prove a point, it is another to uncover a truth behind the political that changes your reality. IMO that is what we need more of. Either way the partisan sniping and hatred towards outside ( of the U.S.) views needs to be curtailed. While someone from New Zealand may not be familiar with all the nuansces of our political system we are not as well of thiers. Alot of times it helps to have an outsiders view of something we are butting our heads against and vice versa.

[edit on 1-3-2010 by djvexd]

humboldtherald.wordpress.com...

I have nothing further as of now...

I have been a lurker at this site for a long time. SkepticOverlord has successfully nudged me out of apathy; enough to join ATS and start doing my civic duty by being part of the critical thinking that this site embraces.

I check this site several times a day to monitor the pulse of "whats happening". ATS supplies a macrocosm cross section of daily events with a wide demographic of comments, thoughts, and reactions. If I wanted a regurgited soundbite I could watch MSM.

I look forward to being a proactive part of the ATS community.

S1J1A1

reply to post by OzWeatherman


That is exactly the point of this thread as well as the previous thread...EVERY OPINION COUNTS. The US is mired in the rest of the worlds politics and so the rest of the world should have a say.

We must concentrate on every aspect of the Political Game, as let us make no mistake it is a game and one that we are not winning at the moment.

The US does not make many moves without the consent of other goverments...sometimes it may not be that they agree with our policies but they see something in it for themselves.

We cannot allow them to win by simply distracting us from what is really going on in the world by dividing us...We must debate politics at every level...elections...wars...drugs...but we must do it together and learn from one another without bickering and name calling.

The "Its the economy stupid" slogan that has been used more than once has been used against us to divide us into one side against the other. Our slogan needs to be "Its the Politicians Stupid".

They are the reason we are where we are today...it does not matter whether its democrats or republicans or progressives or independents it should matter whats best for the country and in the long run the world.

If we continue to fall into the trap of division, no ground is gained and the same ole same ole is what we get. Listen to your neighbor and hear what he or she has to say. We may not always agree on how to get there but generally we all want the same things. By listening and yes civil debate we can eventually get there and IMO this is what SO is asking of each of us. Stop the name calling and listen and share ideas on how to get what we all want because we can only get what we want together not divided.

At no point in this thread or the first thread did I see SO say no debate on politics just the frustration with how we are going about it. This is what TPTB want to distract, Divide and thus Conquer. Lets not make it easy for them and turn the tables and get informed by listening and making the changes that will get everyone what they want and need.

reply to post by SkepticOverlord


Excellent thread. I've been shouting against this two party scam for a while now, it's nothing more than theater, like professional wrestling. Both parties go out on camera, throw each other around and hit each other with chairs, then go back into the locker room and smack each other on the ass while counting their lobbyist money. They've all hijacked our country, and most people are too blind and ignorant to see what's in front of their faces. Time to take the power back, one post at a time.

reply to post by SkepticOverlord


Hello,
I'm guilty of unwittingly perpetuating the malicious us-versus-them distraction of contemporary US and international politics. I apologize. I mean no malice. I don't know enough about politics/history/economics to really contribute anything even remotely educated. My posts in political threads are based solely on my own ignorant opinion. I find that I agree with alot of different perspectives though, as I read through the threads and get educated. Slowly thanks to ATS and it's members, I'm learning how to deny ignorance...I need a bumper sticker BTW.

There seems to be only two politicians I care to hear what they have to say. Allen Grayson, and Ron Paul. As far as knowing who belongs to which party, I only know that Ron Paul is a Republican. I have to go and learn now which party Allen Grayson belongs to! I really don't have a party preference. I only know how bad I want the world's leaders to pull us out of this destructive cycle of "Horray for me, and F*** you mentality."

I consider myself to be honored to be a member of ATS. I'm hear to learn. Thanks to everyone who aids me to deny ignorance!

Being political is being part of a belief system.

Not all of us require that kind of validation by being part of a collective.

I hope you are able to garner qualified, reposnsible posts. It is a passionate subject for many as their politics is their validation... like religion, belief systems provide many with this sense of community and or justification for their play on holding the power.

I'm not sure how successful this venture will be when we consider these factors, but good luck!

reply to post by ProtoplasmicTraveler

At another members suggestion not to long ago I performed a Google Search on ProtoplasmicTraveler and was amazed to find my posts on ATS quote and cited to me and ATS on nearly one hundred websites around the world.

I just tried doing that...5810 hits...most of them are nothing but ats webpages...some of them things that have nothing to do with me.

How did u narrow down your search to find websites that quoted you? i guess it's easier with the unique name you have.

Just curious...sorry for being offtopic?

[edit on 1-3-2010 by David9176]

And with that said, the call to action and involvement should encompass all that is possible to do and perform, no matter where you are geographically.
The immediate local level is a great place to start because it all starts there and ends there.
A weak participation by local citizens allows corruption to form and grow at the roots of any community, county, state, country, etc.
It is not fast paced and exciting, it's not enjoyable, it's not point and click, it's pretty boring and sometimes annoying, yet the reward is NOT having the current conditions prevalent as we do in all locations the world over.
The freaks in the seats of power got there while we watched, and while we did nothing.
IF....the local interaction SURGED there would be the reformation of COMMUNITY which in the end, is where we all live.
Drive, walk, bus, to your next local government meeting and jump in and get WET.

My God. Its nice to hear the site owner say it.

The two Party System is complete nonsense and its about time everyone understands it. While you're divided against each other the politicians are playing chess. But, they're not playing chess against each other (Dems verses Repubs), they are playing it against us. Guess who almost has checkmate???




[edit on 1-3-2010 by EvolvedMinistry]

We should dedicate a section to flame wars for those who can't contribute intellectually.

Truth is, even professionals use insults and degrading remarks.

reply to post by SkepticOverlord


While ATS has interest in political conspiracy, most of the political stories that hit the front page don't belong there. For example, the recent one implying religious conservatives are unintelligent did not belong on the front page but it got there.

Political issues should not go on the front page unless there is something more to it than just politics as usual.

[edit on 1-3-2010 by truthquest]

Originally posted by David9176
reply to post by ProtoplasmicTraveler

 

At another members suggestion not to long ago I performed a Google Search on ProtoplasmicTraveler and was amazed to find my posts on ATS quote and cited to me and ATS on nearly one hundred websites around the world.

I just tried doing that...5810 hits...most of them are nothing but ats webpages...some of them things that have nothing to do with me.

How did u narrow down your search to find websites that quoted you? i guess it's easier with the unique name you have.

Just curious...sorry for being offtopic?

[edit on 1-3-2010 by David9176]

It's official: A Corporation is running for Congress!, page 1Jan 29, 2010 ... reply posted on 29-1-2010 @ 05:23 PM by David9176 .... ATS site home ATS board home site map top terms & conditions privacy policy contact about ...
www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread539346/pg1 - Cached
Magnitude 8.8 Offshore Maule, Chile, page 2‎ - Feb 26, 2010
Sen. Bunning blocks unemployment benefits extension, page 1‎ - Feb 26, 2010
Where is the anti-war movement?, page 1‎ - Jan 3, 2010
Glen Beck: Prepare For The Worst (Must Watch), page 1‎ - Feb 19, 2009

More results from abovetopsecret.com »

reply to post by SkepticOverlord


1. Thanks Bill. I was glad to see you authored the O.P.

2. However, I was still a bit wary on reading about your aversion to "us vs them" mentality etc. SOME things ARE by nature dichotomous--e.g. GOOD VS EVIL etc. I think it's DENYING IGNORANCE TO REALIZE THAT and write accordingly.

3. However, as I read the rest of your post, I largely agree. The globalist machine is on all sides of many issues and working all sides against the middle. They WANT to trash all sides and end up on top of a much reduced pile of struggling serfs and slaves.

4. And, we certainly, on ATS, are in a better position than most to stand up and be heard warning and articulating the dynamics of such treasonous horrors as are already well along to being implemented.

5. Politics rightly has a bad name and leaves a bad taste in most folks mouths--well earned. However, the fact is, when there's a group of more than a handful of people and often enough even amidst a handful of people--politics is a real dynamic that must be considered if one wishes to be dealing in realities.

6. Personally, I think awareness of political dynamics help minimize the destructive manipulations of political factions. I sure hope so.

7. Thanks again for pointing out an urgent focus for timely important, if not crucial attention and writing.

Where is this new found interest coming from? I see the sycophants have already S&F the great SkepticOverlord, probably before they even read the thread (that is the NORM here), but why two back to back threads?

reply to post by SkepticOverlord


The only reason i even decided to begin participating in any of the political debates on ATS is because of the stance of the overwhelming majority who believe in the most important thing: nation before party. Political parties are the bane of our great nation here in the US, and if we do not do something about it as The People, we risk losing our nation altogether.

Bravo to you, SkepticOverlord. Keep doing your part to provide a corner of sanity, ironically among the tinhatters.