HAAHAAAHAAAHAAAHAAAHAAAHAAAA!!!!!!!1!!!!!!11!!!!!

#87, this is for you!

WAT ABUNCH A NUTZ!!!!!1!11!!!!

Democracy means government forcing conformity to the rules selected by the majority of voters. Democracy is about the suppression of the losers.

American Democracy is about suppressing the election losers without killing them (we call that tolerance).

They should not be banned out of vulgarity or because of them being a distraction; the fact that they are supremely stupid should be reason enough to ban them.

The fact is these plastic adornments are stupid just puts them into a class of a whole bunch of other stupid things. Sort of like those black velvet Elvis Poster art thingys a few years back. Whatever the heck they were called. Believe it or not, there are still people today revering them as true works of art. Who am I to tell you to take it off your wall?

If the plastic balls are banned, what about the propeller spinners some put on the hitch? What about those stupid spinners on the wheels? What about those even stupider lights under the car? What about those trucks with more lights than the New York skyline?

In other words, stopping stupid begs the question; where do you stop?

I’d thank you except that later you say… (see below)

Absolutist positions are inane and therefore irrelevant. The closer you are to an absolute position, the more inane and irrelevant you become.

I reject this statement because it is absolute.

Perhaps if you understood there is more than just one right in the Constitutition you would see the need to balance?

There is one right that makes all the other rights possible to preserve. The First Amendment is the opposable thumb of civilized society. Without, no other right matters because we are savages.

There is no need for balance. You either preserve the First, or society isn’t worth a damn.

Now, in a discussion of the right to free speech vs the right to public safety,

There is no right to public safety.

it is fair to come down on the side of free speech when it comes to car ornaments–but not with the rational you give.

Absolutely it is, with my rational.

Understand… I don’t care about the academics or theory of it. It’s not a brain teaser to get my IQ jollies with. You can do your fun little pedantic wordgames all you like, but I will kill people to defend the First Amendment, were it to become necessary.

Absolutist positions are inane and therefore irrelevant. The closer you are to an absolute position, the more inane and irrelevant you become.

Perhaps if you understood there is more than just one right in the Constitutition you would see the need to balance?

Now, in a discussion of the right to free speech vs the right to public safety, it is fair to come down on the side of free speech when it comes to car ornaments–but not with the rational you give.

But white and male (adding rich to that) make up the majority of the power base in the USA and responsible leadership, in my opinion, allows for cultural differences.

I’m not saying that white, male, Christians are bad leaders. I’m saying that “”some”" white, male, Christians (probably not even most) abuse their power to try and shape a world that meets their personal standards and not a standard that can be accepted by all, or at least most.

I guess I’m saying that intolerance is generally bad.

I’m also still saying that rubber balls are stupid. (although if I hung a pair on my 1999 Mercury Villager, they cease to be stupid and become ironic) (not entirely unlike the spinners I saw yesterday on a run down mid 90s Toyota Corolla)

My preference is that we live in a society that actually rejects our basest elements and celebrates excellence over mediocrity and crudity. I’d rather we listened to the best music and sought diversity rather than rushing to the bland and familiar. I’d rather we watched movies by the best writers and directors and actors than bought tickets to sensationalist pablum. I prefer the wit of Oscar Wilde over Larry The Cable Guy.

The reality is different and if I am to live up to my notion that diversity is a virtue then I must support the right of people to hang plastic testicles on their hideous redneckmobiles as readily as I support the things that I actually like.

But I agree with everyone here who says its crude and stupid. I just don’t agree that I have any right to do anything about it beyond voicing my opinion that it is crude and stupid.