I yearn for the old days when 'practising your religion' meant taking the moral high road on your own personal affairs. Now 'practising your religion' just means opening a business, loudly pointing out the perceived sins of other people, kicking up a fuss and generally seeing how much you can get away with. Then playing the 'persecution' card when you get called out on it.
Selling a wedding cake to a same-sex couple does not make you a participant in their marriage any more than selling a gun to someone makes you a participant in a murder they later commit. If gay nurses can manage to wipe the backsides of every senile, religious bigot in aged care then Christians can bake a wedding cake.
Those are some pretty old days. Jesus complained about hypocrisy in his time. Buddha did too. Chuang-tzu as well. Come to think of it i am pretty sure the Upanishads mention complaining about the sins of others while ignoring your own. That would have been about 600 BCE.
Does tyranny, and oppression only come in the form of taxation? Why did they flee the country to begin with?
And why would you assume that all or many expats took flight from America?
Many an expat (myself included) found the lifestyle abroad to our liking. It's only in recent years that our small bit of everlasting homesickness has been replaced by an equal amount of reassurance that our gut instinct was/is reliable
Does tyranny, and oppression only come in the form of taxation? Why did they flee the country to begin with?
And why would you assume that all or many expats took flight from America?
Many an expat (myself included) found the lifestyle abroad to our liking. It's only in recent years that our small bit of everlasting homesickness has been replaced by an equal amount of reassurance that our gut instinct was/is reliable
They took flight to America. Only to be followed by the oppressive government they were fleeing from.
I don't recall the US taxing expats who have fled to other countries, spurring them to rebel.
They have been known to tax expats. The father of some friends of mine was audited by the IRS despite living in Australia since the early 70s. (They ultimately decided he didn't owe them any money.)
Also, the colonists weren't really expats in the way we think of them. For a start, they were subjects of the Crown, living in British territory. The colonies were essentially governed by the British parliament and subject to British law, and British taxation. (There was a question of taxation without representation that needed to be addressed, but most people living in Britain at the time didn't have any say over who got elected to parliament, either.)
Quote:
Originally Posted by dasanman69
They took flight to America. Only to be followed by the oppressive government they were fleeing from.
"Followed"? The first British settlers were sent by the Crown to further the reach, wealth, and power of the British Empire (and stop the French getting any more of the continent). As for fleeing persecution, many of them had no say in whether they went or not, either as military personnel, indentured workers, or convicts. And most of those who did go voluntarily were seeking financial wealth or political power.
The Puritans who left after Charles II regained the throne mostly left because they had lost the political power they had under Cromwell et al. They weren't so much fleeing religious persecution, as trying to find somewhere they could persecute others, just like the good old days. They were the equivalent of the kind of person who says "If X wins the election, I'm going to leave the country." only they actually did it.
I don't recall the US taxing expats who have fled to other countries, spurring them to rebel.
It probably depends how you define expat. If they're still US citizens yet living abroad, they still file US returns. It also means they have to keep track of exchange rates on income and any foreign taxes paid, which can be credited against US taxes owed. If they actually renounced US citizenship, then they don't file tax returns with the IRS.
I don't consider civil rights to be political, even if some politicians try to make it so. Cook celebrated a ruling by the Supreme Court that gives people more freedom. It's no more political than ending legal segregation or supporting equality for women. John Lennon [/QUOTE]
Civil rights? Segregation? Suffrage? Let's not pretend it's same thing.
Comments
I yearn for the old days when 'practising your religion' meant taking the moral high road on your own personal affairs. Now 'practising your religion' just means opening a business, loudly pointing out the perceived sins of other people, kicking up a fuss and generally seeing how much you can get away with. Then playing the 'persecution' card when you get called out on it.
Selling a wedding cake to a same-sex couple does not make you a participant in their marriage any more than selling a gun to someone makes you a participant in a murder they later commit. If gay nurses can manage to wipe the backsides of every senile, religious bigot in aged care then Christians can bake a wedding cake.
Those are some pretty old days. Jesus complained about hypocrisy in his time. Buddha did too. Chuang-tzu as well. Come to think of it i am pretty sure the Upanishads mention complaining about the sins of others while ignoring your own. That would have been about 600 BCE.
Them is some old days you are yearning for son...
I don't see why Tim Cook should have the same freedom that I have. Surely I'm more American than he is, or something.
/s
Does tyranny, and oppression only come in the form of taxation? Why did they flee the country to begin with?
And why would you assume that all or many expats took flight from America?
Many an expat (myself included) found the lifestyle abroad to our liking. It's only in recent years that our small bit of everlasting homesickness has been replaced by an equal amount of reassurance that our gut instinct was/is reliable
They took flight to America. Only to be followed by the oppressive government they were fleeing from.
Explain this: "only to do it to others"
I don't recall the US taxing expats who have fled to other countries, spurring them to rebel.
They have been known to tax expats. The father of some friends of mine was audited by the IRS despite living in Australia since the early 70s. (They ultimately decided he didn't owe them any money.)
Also, the colonists weren't really expats in the way we think of them. For a start, they were subjects of the Crown, living in British territory. The colonies were essentially governed by the British parliament and subject to British law, and British taxation. (There was a question of taxation without representation that needed to be addressed, but most people living in Britain at the time didn't have any say over who got elected to parliament, either.)
They took flight to America. Only to be followed by the oppressive government they were fleeing from.
"Followed"? The first British settlers were sent by the Crown to further the reach, wealth, and power of the British Empire (and stop the French getting any more of the continent). As for fleeing persecution, many of them had no say in whether they went or not, either as military personnel, indentured workers, or convicts. And most of those who did go voluntarily were seeking financial wealth or political power.
The Puritans who left after Charles II regained the throne mostly left because they had lost the political power they had under Cromwell et al. They weren't so much fleeing religious persecution, as trying to find somewhere they could persecute others, just like the good old days. They were the equivalent of the kind of person who says "If X wins the election, I'm going to leave the country." only they actually did it.
Explain this: "only to do it to others"
I don't recall the US taxing expats who have fled to other countries, spurring them to rebel.
It probably depends how you define expat. If they're still US citizens yet living abroad, they still file US returns. It also means they have to keep track of exchange rates on income and any foreign taxes paid, which can be credited against US taxes owed. If they actually renounced US citizenship, then they don't file tax returns with the IRS.
I don't consider civil rights to be political, even if some politicians try to make it so. Cook celebrated a ruling by the Supreme Court that gives people more freedom. It's no more political than ending legal segregation or supporting equality for women. John Lennon [/QUOTE]
Civil rights? Segregation? Suffrage? Let's not pretend it's same thing.
One of these things is not like the other
March on Selma
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Suffrage march
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Workers rights
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Pride
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THIS is why Christopher Street Day exists:
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[IMG ALT=""]http://forums.appleinsider.com/content/type/61/id/60712/width/350/height/700[/IMG]
[IMG ALT=""]http://forums.appleinsider.com/content/type/61/id/60713/width/350/height/700[/IMG]
and this is how it started out:
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[IMG ALT=""]http://forums.appleinsider.com/content/type/61/id/60715/width/350/height/700[/IMG]
Look up "Stonewall Riots" for the background.
Civil rights only matter if the protesters are wearing suits and ties.