Ethan Allen2 said:Anyone imagining a country where the church holds any role beyond spiritual guidance is basically describing some kind of theocracy. Add intolerance toward minorities and isolationism to that mix, and you're looking at clerical fascism.
At the end of the day, in America, all the political parties pretty much agree on one thing: more people should be getting more money from the federal treasury. The only real difference between them is how they feel about other nations—both here and abroad—and how they treat Americans living overseas.
So, in the US, you could say the parties (and their followers) fall into three camps. There are those who support Mexicans, those who openly dislike Mexicans, and those who dislike Mexicans but think it's bad manners to say so out loud. Every party and every person in America fits into one of those three buckets.
Look at it this way: in Ireland, parties and their followers split into three groups. You have the ones who love the Englishman, the ones who hate the Englishman openly, and the ones who hate him but feel it's unrefined to shout it from the rooftops. Everyone in Ireland falls into one of those three buckets.
In Poland, political factions can be broken down into three camps. Some love the Russians, some openly despise the Russians, and others harbor resentment toward them but choose to stay quiet to avoid being uncivilized. Every single person and party in Poland belongs to one of these three groups.
In Armenia, you see the same three-way split among parties and partisans. There are those who support the Turks, those who are openly hostile toward the Turks, and those who hold animosity toward them but believe silence is more polite. All Americans in Armenia—metaphorically speaking—fall into these three classes.
In Israel, political players and their bases divide into three camps. You have the supporters of Arabs, the open critics of Arabs, and the critics who hide their feelings behind a mask of politeness. Every soul in Israel lands in one of these three categories.
Actually, in every nation on Earth, political parties and their followers can be sorted into three camps. There are those who love Jews, those who openly hate Jews, and those who hate them but decide it isn't classy to speak up. Every person on this planet fits into one of these three categories.
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Is that really your logic, Paul?
