[HLPhat]

In my opinion, the "Nastiness" is relative to the degree to which Bezmenov was correct about the end result of the process of demoralization and subversion:

 

"According to my opinion, and the opinions of many defectors of my caliber, only about 15% of time, money, and manpower is spent on espionage as such. The other 85% is a slow process which we call either ideological subversion, active measures, or psychological warfare. What it basically means is: to change the perception of reality of every American that despite of the abundance of information no one is able to come to sensible conclusions in the interest of defending themselves, their families, their community, and their country.

 

It's a great brainwashing process which goes very slow and is divided into four basic stages.

 

The first stage being "demoralization".

 

It takes from 15 to 20 years to demoralize a nation. Why that many years? Because this is the minimum number of years required to educate one generation of students in the country of your enemy exposed to the ideology of [their] enemy. In other words, Marxism-Leninism ideology is being pumped into the soft heads of at least 3 generation of American students without being challenged or counterbalanced by the basic values of Americanism; American patriotism.

 

Most of the activity of the department [KGB] was to compile huge amount / volume of information, on individuals who were instrumental in creating public opinion.  Publisher, editors, journalists, uh actors, educationalists, professors of political science.  Members of parliament, representatives of business circles."

--KGB Defector Yuri Bezmenov

--Soviet Subversion of the Free Press (Ideological subversion, Destabilization, CRISIS - and the KGB)

 

 

Observe how many of the  people are unable to articulate their own definition of "Conservatism".

Thus, as Breitbart has observed, it becomes an exircise - not in Conservatism - but in Nationist Populism  (which smells alot like 1933)

"Trump won't be able to trump Cruz on conservatism. So now he's making clear that he isn't running a conservative campaign - he's running a nationalist and populist campaign. His enemies include both Republicans and conservatives"
http://www.breitbart.com/2016-presidential-race/2016/02/11/cruz-knocks-trump-as-non-conservative-trump-admits-it/

 

[reaganaut]

Well said but it gets this way every election cycle, sadly.

[StAnDeliver]

Praise Beck but ignore Palin. Nice. < /s >

[Mariner]

It is and always has been OK to bash or support any candidate of your choosing...until Jim makes the call.

It has never been and never will be OK to bash a fellow Freeper.

Those who take the basing of THEIR candidate personally are the ones who turn around and bash a Freeper.

Don't take it personally and don't bash Freepers.

[tubebender]

I don’t log in to FR as much as I use to but you are 100% right about the infighting between members and it influenced how much I donated to the current freepathon. FR has slipped into the gutter of some local blogs I used to enjoy

[BradyLS]

Were you here for the Schwarzenegger/Tancredo Wars of 2003? I’m not sure these days are as bad as those. But I’m often reminded of them.

[jimbo807]

I turned nasty about the time that the Carson and Cruz supporters started implying that I was going to hell for not buying the product being sold.

[MortMan]

Anger has supplanted reason, poisoning many debates. With so many furious at the political class but unable to act on the anger, it spills over into the supporters debate.

[BluH2o]

I've been around Freeperland quite a few years now ... it's always been a tad testy. Have a few war stories of my own ... ;)

[TruthWillWin]

Nothing new. Flame wars have occurred ever since I have been here. (1998) We did have some fun ones however, “Ash Alerts” for example, but some were just nasty.

[al baby]

The primary season is always tough but I notice a very distinct change around 2008 or so coincident no it was the won that got in to power I think we are all just sick of it and deep down we know our best days are not ahead we peaked in the late 60’s with the moon deal then when Reagan had us on life support and we rallied that culminated when bush Sr. Wusses out going into Baghdad and finishing off Hussein big mistake and we should have just kept going and take it all it was supposed to be about oil then we elected Clinton then another bush had is dad finished the first one be no need for the second one the towers would still be there bush fell short I like bush 43 with his 45 or so resting heart rate but he failed to go into Saudi Arabia and finish them off but they are all family so he would not do that and then a Chevys face said it all at the inauguration of a Hussein to the White House the calipite was over the west was won Islamist extremist but I digress

[HandyDandy]

“It is wiser to not hit send, and be thought a fool, than it is to hit send and remove all doubt.”

[GSWarrior]

After the elections all of the greasy posters who recently registered here will vanish back into the swamp from whence they came.

[JoeProBono]

[SZonian]

Once it was deemed appropriate via the lack of maintaining decorum, civility and the policing of threads by both sides and mods, it was game on.

I think some are just using this election as cover to show what they really think of some FReepers...disguised as political contempt or disagreement.

Some of the posts cross way over the line of just simple disagreement, they’re going well out of their way to make it very personal.

The purported “rationale” for many of the posts is that of a 1st grader...”He said something first!”.

[going hot]

When? Longer than I have been here.

We simply simmer between elections, but each one of us, in our hearts and minds, know we, each of us, is right, and all the rest are wrong.

Just ask us.

[livius]

Thank you for posting this. I have been disgusted by the gross, vicious attacks not only on candidates but on FReepers who don’t support that candidate. I don’t particularly support any of them yet, btw, and one of the reasons is that one candidate and his followers have created such noise that it’s impossible to actually discuss the issues.

FR always goes crazy around election time, because some people get way too invested emotionally in their candidate. However, there has previously been room for discussion of issues.

Not now. Every post is about how well this candidate is polling, how everybody who doesn’t like him is an elitist enemy of the people, etc. all very leftist, in other words.

I’d like to get back to talking about issues.

[Fitzy_888]

What I’m about to say might be seen as victriol, but bare with me.

We have one candidate, Trump, that is in part riding a wave of pop-culture appeal.

That is probably to some extent troubling to most here, as it should be, what does it say for the future.

Some just except it now for what it is. They want the win by hook or by crook.

Where the alternative is Hillary Clinton? Most anyone would take Trump, just not yet for many.

[Qwackertoo]

Just Simply . . . Thank You.

Been here 16 years . . . in all, started just reading, I don’t post a lot and these days hard to read very much of it.

I’d hate to see it get to the point I come here just for the story and never scroll to the comments like I do many other news sites.

[13foxtrot]

This is nothing compared to how the BernieBros and HillBots are going at it across town.

FR always has its contentious topics that some people get heated over. Presidential elections is just one of them. You will see hot threads concerning many issues, such as, religion, pornography/first amendment issues, war on drugs, or the like.

It is all part of the fun.