When arguing with a serial liar like Putin33, nothing is likely fine. I'll say it again, it's stunning how he's picking this fight, which is the weakest possible way to make his argument.

"Serial liar" and the best your research assistant can do is come up with a thread from a year and a half ago.

Don't metathread

As long as you american morons insist on NOT REPEALING your stupid racist second amendment, your worthless progeny will continue to be slaughtered.

Stupid people dying stupidly.

...for MY entertainment.

lol.

Don't call me a serial liar then, asshole.

Compulsive liar better?

What's the over/under on when the N.R.A. shows up? 8 months? That would be a tough call. I'm taking the under.

OVER UNDER

Under : 1

Is anyone asking WHY a 12-year-old decided to shoot three people and then himself?

Yes. He didn't like people who bullied him, and he had easy access to a gun. That's why.

The constitution only protects bigots, corporations and gun hobbyists. Everybody else is to fend for themselves.

And those pesky atheists who might find their freedom of speech taken away form them...

Ask any atheist living in the Bible belt if being an atheist is 'protected speech'.

Ask any atheist living in the US if there are any laws *against* their right to speak *in public* of their views.

Atheists are not allowed to run for public office in Texas, among other states.

http://www.godlessgeeks.com/LINKS/StateConstitutions.htm

@ Putin33

The Constitution doesn't protect anyone and it's not designed to do so. It is intended to restrain the federal government

Restrain the federal government from what? Abusing people?

Actually, I misspoke. It's more of a contract between the federal government, the states, and the people. The Constitution specifically and explicitly lays out which tier of government is supposed to do what. Alternatively, it can be thought of as a 50-way treaty/resolution between all 50 states.

The Second Amendment, among other God-given freedoms, is intended to restrain the federal government from abusing its power. Even in the era of drones, airborne divisions, strategic bombers, cruise missiles, and aircraft carriers, nothing is more powerful than 300 million armed and angry Americans.

At least that's the theory. In practice, the mass media has done an extraordinary job of pacifying the American people into overwhelming apathy. If the federal government had behaved this way during any other time in our history, we would have had armed revolution. Hell, we *did* have an armed revolution over a minor tax on our favorite beverage!

You said the constitution was not meant to protect anyone, but that these divisions of powers serve the purpose of restraining the government from "abusing its power". What, then, pray tell, is abuse of power, and how is curbing that abuse not protecting people?

I don't get what you were objecting to in the first place.

"Atheists are not allowed to run for public office in Texas, among other states."

Good luck enforcing it, though. That's a religious test and would be struck down whenever its challenged. It probably already has, but a law getting declared unconstitutional doesn't mean its just torn out of the books. They tend to stick around as utterly unenforceable lines of text that are too politically bothersome to get rid of. For example, lots of states still technically have unconstitutional abortion laws and laws banning flag desecration, but they're just ink on dead trees and wholly impotent.

It's still "illegal" in Texas for atheists to run for public office because nobody's done a revision of Texas' legal code lately, not because they really can't do so. But why let reality get in the way of a good jab at the opposition?

"but that these divisions of powers serve the purpose of restraining the government from "abusing its power"."

I never said that the division of powers serve the purpose of restraining the government. Like I said in my most recent post, it's just so every tier of government is clear on their responsibilities.

I see these are part of state constitutions, not laws. That just means it's even harder to get rid of the unenforceable text. Constitutions are hard to amend, and you're unlikely to get the political support to cut out an archaic and unenforceable clause about atheists.

But why divide the powers to begin with?

Exactly. Why not give all the powers to a central committee which can then run the government, economy, and people's individual lives?

Shut up troll. I'm trying to get at why he objected to my original point about the constitution. You're not following along and you're making an ass of yourself, as usual.

I wonder how many americans die every year unjustified. And they call it the greatest democracy on earth.

@ Putin33

But why divide the powers to begin with?

I don't think of it as a division of powers. I think of the federal government as an interstate governing body that shouldn't do anything unless the shit really hits the fan and the state governments as the most visible instrument of law and order. The United States of America should really only exist in practical terms during wartime.

To play along with your exact wording, the powers should be divided so that every person can choose to live in the state that they think governs the best. There are 300 million Americans, all with vastly different ideas about what the role of government is. Let's give those 300 million people 50 different choices (and even more choices if you include outlying islands/territories) instead of no choices.

I disagree with a whole lot of people in California, Illinois, and New York when it comes to politics. They disagree with me and the state in which I live. Let's preserve and protect our differences, not try to eliminate them. How would you like to live in Texas or Alaska, Putin? Don't ask me to live as a Californian and I won't ask you to live as a Texan. Don't ask me to compromise and I won't ask you to compromise.

@ taos

We're not a democracy, and unjustified death has nothing to do with republicanism or democracy.

wtf makes no sense^
just jumping on the america sucks bandwagon