Rush Limbaugh Forums

The Rush Limbaugh Forum is a pretty good idea. Limbaugh is the most listened too and entertaining Talk Radio host, so why shouldn't there be a political forum expressly intended to discuss the Limbaugh way? The forum is shockingly less active than I first imagined it would be, but it is relatively new. It appears to have been around since the Fall of '07.

The simplicity of the idea should carry this Forum along. If you enjoy Rush Limbaugh, then you should probably enjoy discussions with other people that enjoy him too. If you hate Limbaugh, then, obviously, this site is not for you. Go start a Michael Moore Forum and see where it goes.

The Rush Limbaugh Forum is not affiliated with the Rush Limbaugh Show.

Libertarianism: Visionary or Quaint?

Davocrat has posted a thread @ Political Hotwire concerning Libertarianism.

I reckon that there are more libertarians on Political Hotwire than any other single group.

I'll confess there is something intriguing about the notion of a simple solution of assuring individuals maximum liberty could prevent many of the problems we face day-to-day by limiting the role of government.

On the other hand, I find something quaint but unrealistic about dogmatic devotion to the perceived intent of the men who wrote the constitution.

What do you think?

Essentially, this comes down to an estimation of human nature and of the nature of the world around us. So many influences in our culture are pressuring us to believe that the world is unknowable, that real freedom is unattainable, that because human beings are selfish and evil, that we either need to the force and power of government to temper and subdue the nature of Man or we need to instill the fear of God into the population, as it is only the apprehension of His Wrath that can subdue the spirit of Men. We are told that human beings are a threat to equality, unity, and peace when allowed to express their natures unrestrained by the law and direction of centralized government or institutional religion. I believe it is fear and insecurity, along with a healthy dose of ignorance, that allows people to believe such things.

The Struggle for Political power

From a new blog, National Polemic:

Political philosophy in the United States has all but disappeared as a matter of theory, replaced instead by a national clamoring to get government to do our bidding in a kind of Democratic hysteria. There seems to be no solid principles upon which the US Government is kept in check by the people, who, in an attempt to keep with the times, find themselves desperate to keep their representatives in power in order to shape the direction of an ever growing federal authority. The people never stop to ask, by what right does the government continue to grow and regulate and tax every aspect of their lives. Instead, they consent out of either greed, fear, or ignorance, opting rather to use the hammer and chisel of federal power to define for themselves and their countrymen their rights and liberties as Americans.

The United States was not founded as a Democracy, but as a Constitutional Republic, for the purpose of preserving the liberty of the people by subjecting Government to the rule of law. Yet, over the years the Constitution has been eroded by a nefarious national acceptance of Subjectivism and relativism with regards to the interpretation of nearly every Constitutional article. We hear the Constitution discussed as a “living, breathing document” as if our liberties and rights and protection from the Government is something that ought to be redefined with the times; as if freedom then somehow relied upon different principles than freedom now.

In fact, there seems to be no tribute paid to the political principles of liberty as defined by the Constitution for the protection of individuals against the power of The State. Over the years, we’ve accepted that in times of national emergency or in the presence of social disharmony, that the government should have the authority to manufacture regulations to keep the country moving “forward” (however that subjective direction may be defined). As an alternative, we have become a people who have filled the intentional void of political power in the Constitution with Government. Whatever question arises that is undefined by the Constitution is assumed to be a political “no man’s land” for the federal government, to decide on the basis of popular opinion or the national good how the government should rule on these Constitutionally unaddressed questions; when, in fact, it was the purpose of the Constitution to limit the Federal Government’s power to those areas only prescribed to it through the Constitution.

Our opposition to this political principle has been disastrous and it seems nearly impossible to imagine a day when the federal government would be held to solely to the powers enumerated to it specifically by the Constitution and prohibited to rule or legislate on matters left unaddressed. That which went unaddressed was supposed to be left up to the liberty of the people, who have, stupidly, deferred those liberties back to the government, sacrificing the only real political power they have. Now, finding ourselves dependent upon the good will and graces of our commanding Federal Establishment, we are all that much more desperate to control it. This is the cause for the great fear of our age, that our political rivals would control the Beast into which our government has evolved.

National Polemic is a Socio-Political weblog serving as the homepage for National Polemic Socio-Political Forums.

Political Crossfire

I've been a member at Political Crossfire for quite a while and it's everything you'd expect from a political forum. What it lacks in sophistication, it makes up for in post content, as this is one of the most active forums on the web. It's running PHPBB software, which comes off smooth and efficient, but lacks the user-friendliness of V-Bulletin. There aren't any technical or server problems here, so you'll be able to check through the vast selection of posts as quickly as you'll please.

Political Crossfire has more of a CNN Chatroom feel to it. It lacks the charm and friendliness of those forums whose individual "groups" or "clicks" add to a forums peculiar culture. For the most part, its just people dropping in to comment on the issues of the day. The debates are rational and often times go into great detail. The volume of activity here speaks to the quality of its members and moderator staff. Check it out.

Dealing Objectively w/ Gay Marriage

From Burning Giraffe @ Democracy Forums:

The argument for gay marriage is grounded in civil rights, on the basis that the federal government shouldn't have the right to say that one kind of relationship is worthy of marriage and another kind of relationship is not. The argument against gay marriage is that, historically, marriage has been defined as a contract between a man and woman, and that gay marriage is something new that exists outside of that precedent.

The government looks at gay marriage from the standpoint of taxation and regulation, which is the nature of the governments' relationship to marriage and marriage law. The definition of marriage as between a man and a woman is essentially a religious definition, not a political one, just as marriage has often been the domain of established religious traditions. In my opinion, this is where marriage should begin and end.

The federal government does not have the Constitutional authority to tax or regulate individuals differently one the basis of anything, making a progressive income tax and regulated income tax brackets unconstitutional. All the 16th amendment stipulates is that the Federal Government can collect income taxes without regard to any census or enumeration. Which means that legally, the Congress cannot tax us differently based on whether or not we are married or whether or not our marriage is of a heterosexual or homosexual nature.

Because of the unconstitutional applications derived from the 16th amendment, I believe that it should be overturned and removed from the constitution. In so doing, there will no longer be any tax penalties or privileges for married couples. Marriage could then be turned over to the individuals and the churches, where it belongs. Then the government, if it chooses to, can establish law governing the rights of family members and domestic partners with regard to legal matters of every kind. These "civil unions" would not be allowed to discriminate on the basis of any census data whatsoever, and all domestic partnerships would be equally protected.

This seems to me the only reasonable, Constitutional way to treat the issue of gay marriage.

It also seems to me that the future debate over gay marriage will either lead to more or less government regulation, taxation, and intrusiveness into our lives. It is therefore, advisable that the government indeed remove itself from the issue of marriage all together, and from awarding penalties and privileges based on marital status.

Good News On Iraq

GHook93 at Volconvo has begun an excellent discussion on the positive news coming out of Iraq.

This thread is about us what is happening on the ground in Iraq!
(1) Iraqi civilian deaths are WAY down.
(2) American and Iraqi soldier death are extremely low for a war.
(3) The Iraqi economy is bouncing back
(4) The Iraqi military is starting to gain experience, strength and respect from the populace. See the article below. That is no same feat. The Iraqi military is starting to become the strongest military threat in the country. Not too long ago they were a distant #3 (#1 Al Sadr's Shia militia, Al Qaeda #2). Now they are far in front.
(5) Iraq is starting to become stable.
(6) The secular violence and lawlessness are way down.
(7) Al Qaeda is getting there but wooped.
(8) The Shiite militias fear the Iraqi military, again see the article below.
(9) Iraq has a democracy.
(10) Iraq has a central government

As the Presidential Debate delves deeper into economic and domestic issues, positive news about US and Iraqi successes in Iraq are quietly seeping out of the media. The Volconvo discussion is an excellent demonstration that Democrats are running out of current arguments against the war. Things are going well, and yet, all you hear is that President Bush started the war illegally and that it was all for oil and so on. Yet, when it comes to actually discussing how the war is going, the facts really do speak for themselves.

In other news,

The New York Times leads with word that four big Western oil companies are on the verge of signing no-bid contracts with Iraq. The contracts would take Shell, Exxon Mobil, Total, and BP, who were the original partners in the Iraq Petroleum Company, back to Iraq 36 years after Saddam Hussein kicked them out. The Los Angeles Times leads with, and the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal front, a report by the Government Accountability Office that says the Air Force followed a flawed process when it decided to award a $35 billion tanker contract to Northrop Grumman. The federal auditors said the Air Force "made a number of significant errors" and urged the Pentagon to reopen the bidding process. It marked a huge victory for Boeing, which had appealed the Air Force's decision, saying that it had not been treated fairly and now is likely to get a second shot. slate.com

If President Bush can turn the Iraq War story around in time for the November elections, John McCain could indeed have a chance at winning the presidency. And if the discussion over at Volconvo is any indication, the story, out there in the Nation, is already changing.

House of Politics

House of Politics is a small, up and coming, political forum with a central core of regular members and moderators that keep things going. There have been a number of functional and aesthetic improvements made of the last few months. House of Politics is running V-Bulletin Software and still appears to have plenty of server space. Again, this forum hasn't quite yet developed an identity peculiar to itself, but it's still relatively new and there are enough decent members here to make make one optimistic about its future.

Like most political forums that have popped up over the last two years, the House of Politics has developed a unique and attractive forum design. All it needs now is a diverse and intelligent regular user base to contribute a wide variety of interesting post content.

Democracy Forums

Democracy Forums is a new discovery, but one I'm extremely happy to have made. This is one of the most intelligent forums on political science and current events that I have found. Democracy Forums is running 3.7.0 V-Bulletin Software. It's clean, professional aesthetic is a welcome reflection the quality of its post content.

One of my favorite sections is the Pool Booth. For political forum addicts, we all know how subjective the average poll on a political forum usually is. We see options presented like, "I think George Bush is a great president" followed by "I think George Bush is horrible and I hate America". The polls in this section for the most part offer a wide range of objective options, which really speaks to the intellectual fairness of the regular members at this forum.

Another thing that makes Democracy Forums unique is that its most popular section is Current Events. Members here are constantly posting new news stories for discussion, half of which (this is a relatively high percentage) end up fostering a high quality discussion on the central issues. Like other political forums, the staff here has established a Conspiracy Section. I view this as a plus because moderators can move threads like "George Bush was behind 9/11" and other low quality absurdities out of high traffic sections to the Conspiracy section. This tends to keep discussions in the higher traffic areas a bit more... rational.

With what appears to be a great moderating staff and a fantastic member base, the only flaw that I have found is that it appears to be sharing server space. I'm not sure, of course, but it takes a few seconds to open a section or a thread. But this is a tiny, irrelevant flaw compared to the quality of these forums. I definitely hope to have the time to become involved at Democracy Forums.

Political Forums

Political Forums has left me with no impression whatsoever. I suppose this forum simply demonstrates a complete and utter balance on nearly every category I can think of to define it. Political Forums is running the latest version of V-Bulletin. It's fast, plain, easy to navigate, and one of the most active political forums on the web. The average number of members currently active is around 45 to 50, which is more than any other forum I've visited. I suppose this says a lot.

However, I've come back to this forum again and again, trying to get excited about it, but I can't. They seem to have the same debates and arguments again and again and again, ad infinitum. Of course, people keep joining in, keep the debate going, offering a wide range of perspectives. From the perspective of post content, this is the most comprehensive political forum on the web. Which is why I find it so strange that I can't get excited enough about it to dive right on in. Definitely check it out for yourselves, though, with over 5,000 members, if your into political forums, I assume you're either already a member here, or have been in the past.

Volconvo

Volconvo is one of the more unique V-Bulletin political forums on the web. Its' peculiar and diverse community appears indistinguishable from other political forums. So while looking different, there is hardly anything about it that is unique. It's a well run, well moderated political forum with only seven categories within which to post, which increases the variety of posts you'll find in each particular section. The discussions seem civil enough, but there seems to be a great deal of regurgitation from post to post. Still, as odd of a site as it is, it has a tight-knit, loyal community of regular members that contribute a wide variety of content on a daily basis. In my opinion, this is the kind of site that will appeal to people looking for one forum to which to belong, where they will be a significant part of the group. Thus far, I haven't recognized any of the members of Volconvo from other Forums, which strengthens the case that this is a solitary, rogue, unique community of political spectators. Definitely check it out to see if its for you. I'll drop by from time to time, but I don't see myself as ever "joining the community" they have going on over there.

The Gay Marriage Debate

OK! OK!! I'm Against it!!!!

A dramatic debate has broken out at Political Hotwire over gay marriage. The following are my thoughts and contribution to the debate.



Seriously, as long as Marriage is controlled by the imperial federal government, it must be open to everyone, gays, straights, trans, liquid laundry softener. Whatever. I don't want the Government telling me or anyone else who we have to be involved with in order to gain access to some federal classification called marriage, which I suspect is just another way for the government to rape people in packs, instead of having to hunt us down individually.

Seriously guys: To Everyone who supports Capital Punishment and is Against Gay Marriage - You really want to empower government here? Seriously? You want the government to be able to kill people? You expect them to use such a system honorably? Do you really want the government to not only manipulate you by "allowing" you to get married in order to determine who they can and cannot screw with? There is nothing sacred or meaningful in this issue. Screw gay marriage - GET the damn federal government out of our homes and out of our lives, once and for all. Look at how they put us against each other. These scoundrels don't have any noble intentions or positions when it comes to marriage anyway.

So why do you need the government to "stand up" for your definition of marriage? They don't give a crap about you or what you believe. They are going to use marriage to screw you and the Republicans are going to use it to get votes. It's a giant convoluted boondoggle - and I see no reason for any of us to fight each other over the issue of federally classified unions.

Not 4 Jesus

Not 4 Jesus is a brand new, beautifully designed, comprehensive atheist community and forum. While the site is still awaiting a regular member base, it is primed for success. Easy to navigate, aesthetically pleasing, with a consistent concept - Not 4 Jesus is definitely worth checking out for all you atheists out there.

I'm not an atheist myself, so my interest in this forum is merely an expectation of rational conversation and an insight into the philosophical and sociological foundations of atheist thought. But if I found a website with such an incredible design that catered to my own religious or non-religious beliefs, the likes of this one, I'd be very excited indeed!

Political Forums / Political World

There are few Forums on the web that are capable of attracting a balance of political persuasions from around the world. This is precisely what World Political Forums has done. Each Global region has its own section; and even while the Middle East, Europe/Russia, and the United States are the most active, if you are from New Zealand or Indonesia, you have your place there too. The common language is English. The Forums run V-Bulletin software and has a unique global aesthetic. The Forums are fast and I have never experienced any down time there.

In a way, the forums are still a bit focused on domestic US politics and on US foreign policy, but you can find posts addressing articles related to the EU, the UN, political and economic conditions in the Near East and Persia, and a variety of other interesting topics peculiar to other nations and cultures. This is one of the few boards where I didn't really come away with an impression of their moderation staff, largely because the need for moderation isn't as obvious there. The quality of the post content makes for a relaxed read and discussion, for the most part. That said, the congregation there seems to possess a higher than average level of maturity and intelligence.

I think many Americans will still prefer to frequent their more contentious, American-centric political forums, but maybe not. I see a lot of potential in a Forum dedicated to broadening the discussion to include thinkers from all over the world. Each nation effects the others and so there is something important about sharing ideas across borders, in a spirit of pluralism and not competition (as we have been accustomed to seeing on many forums across the world wide web).

Political Forums / Political World has a great staff, an aesthetically pleasing environment, and a great conglomeration of regulars from all around the world. If that appeals to you, why aren't you already a member? As far as a global political Forum, this is the best around.

Liberal Forum

Liberal Forum: The name speaks for itself. Of all the Left-Leaning Forums I've come across on the internet, this one has the most content and the most diversity in "liberal" perspectives. It's running IP Board software, which while lacking the cleanliness of V-Bulletin, offers a large number of unique features, giving members plenty to do besides posting. As a Libertarian, I didn't know what to expect when I registered. I assumed that anything I had to say would be spit upon and or ignored. This hasn't been my experience.

In the short time that I've been a member, I've found a number of threads there that were not only inclusive of dissenting (non liberal) opinion, but actually encouraging it. There are several members at Liberal Forum who want to have a debate with people who see things differently, who genuinely seem as though they want to understand the arguments and philosophies of others.

There are enough conservatives there to enable debate. The only downside is that the type of conservatives who want to register on a liberal forum are typically the type of people that want to cause trouble by posting threads like, "Liberalism is Stupid" or "Is Liberalism Anti-American?". Obviously, this creates a bit of contention and low quality dialogue. As a result, there is a section "For Liberals Only", where members don't have to worry about conservatives jumping all over every contentious point.

I'd definitely recommend this Forum to Liberals of every denomination; but I would also recommend this to mature conservatives who want to put their arguments up for discussion, testing them, if you will, against the liberal retorts. This site would be much more enjoyable without all the bickering between immature conservatives and liberals who just want to make each other angry and beleaguer every already beleaguered point. That said, the high volume and post content at Liberal Forum speaks for itself. Liberal Forum is a quality site with a great deal to offer.

Religious Forums

It is hard to find diverse Religious Forums on the web. Often times, even when a plurality of religious people are sought, one group tends to move in, alienate others, and take over. Which is why most Religious Forums on the web are dedicated to one specific Religion. But Religious Forums is different in the sense that it has drawn all kinds of people from all kinds of faith, even a large group of mature, tolerant atheists and agnostics.

Religious Forums is running V-Bulletin and offers a complex assortment of topics. Each major religion is broken down into as many of its denominational parts as possible, allowing people the opportunity to share their religious and spiritual experiences with people who share the same specific worldview. Always active, there is a plethora of post content ranging from politics, to the Humanities, to Science.

Personally, I have enjoyed participating at Religious Forums for some time, but there are a few things I would like to point out. Religious Forums is predominantly liberal. Irregardless of the members religious beliefs, the majority of them have a liberal world view. This means that Platonic and Kantian Rationalism rests squarely at the center of the ethical waters you'll be treading in. It is not uncommon to get jumped all over for expressing an opinion that is viewed as promoting selfishness or Individualism (except where you are talking about Individual Religious beliefs - these are always accepted and encouraged).

The Moderation Staff is of the highest quality at Religious Forums. They know when to lay back and when to jump all over you. The one thing that is absolutely not tolerated is the denigration of other people's religious beliefs. Everyone is free to discuss and debate religion, but if you start bashing people because of who they are as a person relative to their faith, you will have an infraction waiting for you. I view this as a virtue of the Board. Religion, being deeply personal as it is, is best discussed with open, tolerant minds.

All in all, if Religion is what you want to talk about, Religious Forums is a great place to do it.

The Mighty Righty

This is a first impression, so I'll post more about this particular Forum later, but this Forum has an excellent concept. It's one of the few places on the web that appears to be a home for rabid fiscal conservatives and old GOP loyalists. TMR is running on the latest version of V-Bulletin, which I always consider a plus, offering blogs and visitor comments. Everything loads quickly, the site is easy to navigate, and you could spend hours just reading through their content. What I expected to find when I registered at Mighty Righty was a slew of meaningless threads bashing Democrats and still harping on the evils of Bill Clinton. What I found was a variety of brands of conservatism discussing all areas of political and bureaucratic goings on.

There are plenty of sections covering a wide variety of topics (my favorite being "Global Warming: The Sky is Falling!"). With hundreds of active members, it isn't hard to find quality post content. Liberal? Good luck. While you'll find your share of salivating President Bush cheerleaders, you will also run into your share of intellectually armed conservative minds.

The Mighty Righty is the place on the Internet for Conservatives and Republicans, especially considering that the vast majority of political forums are left of center. Libertarian minds will find plenty of topics to engage themselves in. Overall, this is a great forum that I'm certain to frequent from here on out.

Political Hotwire

Political Hotwire at Ballot.Com is one of the few political forums on the web where the balance between Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, and Socialists is most equitable. While the aesthetics of the blog and forum are basic, the content is what impresses. Political Hotwire runs V-Bulletin Software, which remains the cleanliest and most user-friendly forum software.

Political Hotwire has a strong, loyal group of regular users who contribute thousands of posts per week on a wide variety of political topics. Individual threads are often debated on for weeks, amassing hundreds of posts, in what is usually a mature dialogue.

The only flaw is the moderation. There seems to be no consistent standard for moderation here, which isn't that big of a deal given that the moderators rarely ban anyone from the site, but it seems as though a significant portion of the regular members are "On Probation". I think it's important for a debate forum to have clearly defined rules that are consistently enforced by the moderation staff. Most of the bickering at Political Hotwire seems to be over Infractions and Negative Reputation, as there seems to be varying standards for different individuals for what is allowed and what is forbidden.

Don't let that scare you! Political Hotwire is a fantastic and inclusive political community. If you love writing articles, you can apply to have them published at Ballot.Com. Published Articles are also submitted to the Forum for debate as well. If you are looking for a real balance of ideas, political philosophies, and quality content, Political Hotwire is the place to start looking.

The Art of Manliness: Blog & Forums

The Art of Manliness is a professionally established blog offering everything from insight on "being a man", to manly merchandise, to help finding a good barber. Subjects are generally consistent with the theme of the blog, which can best be described as an inspirational renaissance of the virtues of manliness. There are plenty of well written articles to read, there are t-shirts to buy, barbers to find, and when you feel as if the tone of this blog has seeped into your skin, register with the Forums.

The Forums lack the professional glitz of the blog, but it serves the functional purpose of bringing like minded people together in one place. The members of the forum are welcoming and friendly in every possible way; and unlike most other forums you might visit, this is a place where you can get some practical advice. You can feel comfortable expecting an intelligent response on topics ranging from how to make the wife happy to how to fix your garage door.

I highly recommend visiting the Art of Manliness.

Political & Religion Forums

This blog will be my record of and evaluation of various political and religious blogs and forums. Forums that I've looked at will be linked to under "links", quite obviously, and I encourage everyone to check them out. Political & Religious Forums are an excellent way to contribute to societies ongoing cultural dialogue.