Should the United States outlaw Socialism?

[Col. Roosevelt]

Socialism and Communism have been responsible for the deaths of millions and have added comparatively little of value to the world. If we're going to outlaw Columbus Day, let's make it fair and also outlaw Socialism.

[YaBoyNY]

Somebody is a little salty that not everybody thinks Christopher Columbus is the greatest man in the world, nor is his holiday the greatest ever.

[Brewer]

lol

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

yes #guillotineTNF

[Ebsy]

Outlawing a political party or a political ideology would be breathtakingly unconstitutional.

[Clark Kent]

I despise socialism, but banning it outright would go against the ideals of freedom and democracy that I support.

[Stand With Israel. Crush Hamas]

I despise socialism, but banning it outright would go against the ideals of freedom and democracy that I support.

Exactly. We're not socialists in this country, despite the best efforts of those who would start banning parties if they had the power.

[Horsemask]

I despise socialism, but banning it outright would go against the ideals of freedom and democracy that I support.

[7,052,770]

Socialism and Communism have been responsible for the deaths of millions and have added comparatively little of value to the world. If we're going to outlaw Columbus Day, let's make it fair and also outlaw Socialism.

If we had a Stalin Day (because we lurved him so much during/shortly after WWII), virtually all liberals would want to abolish it along with Columbus Day.

So if you'd made the correct apples to apples (holiday to holiday) comparison, you'd have been right.

[Oswald Acted Alone, You Kook]

No, Devoted Democrat.

[The Arizonan]

If we're going to ban Columbus Day because Christopher Columbus was a murderer, can we ban religion too? People have been murdered thanks to religion, especially the religion Christianity.

[Oswald Acted Alone, You Kook]

If we're going to ban Columbus Day because Christopher Columbus was a murderer, can we ban religion too? People have been murdered thanks to religion, especially the religion Christianity.

Hasn't every religion murdered?

Well, I'm not sure about the Far East stuff, but the rest certainly have. I don't think Rastafarfianism has killed anyone either

[The Arizonan]

If we're going to ban Columbus Day because Christopher Columbus was a murderer, can we ban religion too? People have been murdered thanks to religion, especially the religion Christianity.

Hasn't every religion murdered?

Well, I'm not sure about the Far East stuff, but the rest certainly have. I don't think Rastafarfianism has killed anyone either

I forgot about Buddhism and other far eastern religions. They're pretty peaceful.

The most insidious thing about Christianity is that the deity is a mass murderer and is supposedly perfect.

[All Along The Watchtower]

If we're going to ban Columbus Day because Christopher Columbus was a murderer, can we ban religion too? People have been murdered thanks to religion, especially the religion Christianity.

Hasn't every religion murdered?

Well, I'm not sure about the Far East stuff, but the rest certainly have. I don't think Rastafarfianism has killed anyone either

I forgot about Buddhism and other far eastern religions. They're pretty peaceful.

I somehow get the feeling that this is one of those myths coming out of the West's romanticized notions of the East.

[Oswald Acted Alone, You Kook]

If we're going to ban Columbus Day because Christopher Columbus was a murderer, can we ban religion too? People have been murdered thanks to religion, especially the religion Christianity.

Hasn't every religion murdered?

Well, I'm not sure about the Far East stuff, but the rest certainly have. I don't think Rastafarfianism has killed anyone either

I forgot about Buddhism and other far eastern religions. They're pretty peaceful.

The most insidious thing about Christianity is that the deity is a mass murderer and is supposedly perfect.

Abloshing religion has killed people too. See pretty much every communist dictator.

[Mr. Reactionary]

I despise socialism.

[dead0man]

If we're going to ban Columbus Day because Christopher Columbus was a murderer, can we ban religion too? People have been murdered thanks to religion, especially the religion Christianity.

This would have made sense if you had said "If we're going to ban Columbus Day because Christopher Columbus was a murderer, can we ban religious holidays too? People have been murdered thanks to religion".  Columbus Day is a day, where some people get off work/school, some other people do some parades and some other people complain about it.  Religion is not a day.

and FTR, I agree with that statement, we should remove Columbus Day and Christmas as federal holidays.  Not because religions murder though, but because the US govt is not supposed to sanction any specific religion.  And CHRISTmas is a more religious specific than say, the ten commandments.  Odd that the people that complain about the ten commandments (or random cross that happens to be in a park somewhere) never fight to end Christmas as a holiday.

[Lexii, harbinger of chaos and sexual anarchy]

Outlawing a political party or a political ideology would be breathtakingly unconstitutional.

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

The most insidious thing about Christianity is that the deity is a mass murderer and is supposedly perfect.

The thing about Christianity is that God is at least indirectly responsible for pretty much everyone's death, but that comes with the territory of being God. One can't be a Christian and believe that bodily death is always and at all times to be avoided at all costs.

The specific talking point that you're using is based on the same sort of Biblical analysis that atheists justly criticize when it's Christians doing it, though. Most reputable non-Evangelical scholars consider that a lot of the instances in the Bible where God directly kills a lot of people at once are what would on Atlas Forum be considered excessive hyperbole. This is particularly true of the especially horrific descriptions of divinely-sanctioned conquest and massacre in the Book of Joshua, which was written as an attempt to make the Israelite state seem more legitimate by ascribing to it the same genocidal tendencies as the empires that conquered it even though it didn't actually have them.

I forgot about Buddhism and other far eastern religions. They're pretty peaceful.

I somehow get the feeling that this is one of those myths coming out of the West's romanticized notions of the East.

Very much so. The fact that Zen in particular managed to become so chic in the United States less than fifteen years after World War II ended is, uh, really remarkable.

[All Along The Watchtower]

The most insidious thing about Christianity is that the deity is a mass murderer and is supposedly perfect.

The thing about Christianity is that God is at least indirectly responsible for pretty much everyone's death, but that comes with the territory of being God. One can't be a Christian and believe that bodily death is always and at all times to be avoided at all costs.

The specific talking point that you're using is based on the same sort of Biblical analysis that atheists justly criticize when it's Christians doing it, though. Most reputable non-Evangelical scholars consider that a lot of the instances in the Bible where God directly kills a lot of people at once are what would on Atlas Forum be considered excessive hyperbole. This is particularly true of the especially horrific descriptions of divinely-sanctioned conquest and massacre in the Book of Joshua, which was written as an attempt to make the Israelite state seem more legitimate by ascribing to it the same genocidal tendencies as the empires that conquered it even though it didn't actually have them.

I forgot about Buddhism and other far eastern religions. They're pretty peaceful.

I somehow get the feeling that this is one of those myths coming out of the West's romanticized notions of the East.

Very much so. The fact that Zen in particular managed to become so chic in the United States less than fifteen years after World War II ended is, uh, really remarkable.

Exhibit A:

[RI]

Even if someone wanted to outlaw socialism, they'd need to create a workable and specific definition of socialism first, wouldn't they?

[OSR stands with Israel]

I despise socialism, but banning it outright would go against the ideals of freedom and democracy that I support.

[Skye]

Nah. Be wary of it though. It arrives, and next thing you know the country is in shambles.

[Crumpets]

Nah. Be wary of it though. It arrives, and next thing you know the country is in shambles.

Of course. Just look at how small this middle-class apartment is in Sweden:



Oh wait, that's a prison cell. But look at their crumbling infrastructure - truly in shambles!



Oh, actually that's in Skagit County, Washington.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

You know what I despise? People (usually Americans) spouting political theory terms and having not one idea what they actually mean.