Aussie friends - Everyone okay?

[Phoenix]

I didn't catch the whole story in the news broadcast the other day but have they been arresting people for intentionally setting fires?

[Minister Of Silly Walks]

I didn't catch the whole story in the news broadcast the other day but have they been arresting people for intentionally setting fires?

Yes. Fire nuts, stupid teens, various idiots, get caught up in the excitement and start fires. So they can watch "their" fire on the news, I guess. They've caught at least one volunteer firefighter as well.

Happens every year. The difference this year is that it's much drier and there is more fuel to burn, combined with extreme heat and wind, so the consequences are much worse.

84 Canadians and more Californians are here helping. That's awesome. The worst may be yet to come.

[Phoenix]

I didn't catch the whole story in the news broadcast the other day but have they been arresting people for intentionally setting fires?

Yes. Fire nuts, stupid teens, various idiots, get caught up in the excitement and start fires. So they can watch "their" fire on the news, I guess. They've caught at least one volunteer firefighter as well.

Happens every year. The difference this year is that it's much drier and there is more fuel to burn, combined with extreme heat and wind, so the consequences are much worse.

84 Canadians and more Californians are here helping. That's awesome. The worst may be yet to come.

I simply cannot fathom intentionally setting fires like that. It makes me so sad and angry to think about what people have lost, what the animals have lost, how much it changes the landscape the biodiversity for the country.

Yes, they sent out more from our country (Canada) the other day. I have a lot of firefighters in my family.

[Pyraxis]

Not surprising. We are both raving lefties.

I'm not sure Walkie's politics can be summarized in being a lefty.   

[Minister Of Silly Walks]

Not surprising. We are both raving lefties.

I'm not sure Walkie's politics can be summarized in being a lefty.   

 
"Lefty" is a very broad category. Not intended to be an accurate summary of one's political position.

Do you have a presupposition of what "lefty" means, and why it might not be applicable to Walkie?

[Charlotte Quin]

Fires are also caused by arrogant, overconfident cowboys who think it's ok to do a little unauthorised burning off on their own rural properties.

[Pyraxis]

Do you have a presupposition of what "lefty" means, and why it might not be applicable to Walkie?

I remembered her posting a bunch of things in the Brexit thread...

Starting about here? http://www.intensitysquared.com/index.php/topic,23725.msg1128657.html#msg1128657

[Minister Of Silly Walks]

Do you have a presupposition of what "lefty" means, and why it might not be applicable to Walkie?

I remembered her posting a bunch of things in the Brexit thread...

Starting about here? http://www.intensitysquared.com/index.php/topic,23725.msg1128657.html#msg1128657

I just read from there to the end of the thread. Based on that, Walkie is even more of a lefty than I thought.

Are you basing your opinion off Walkie being pro-Brexit, and the case for Brexit was mostly being pushed by right-wing nationalists? Rightist by association in this case?

Bear in mind that the "political left" is very different from the "ideological left". And the traditional left which represents the interests of the working class is very different from the more modern concept of the left which represents the interests of minorities and is socially progressive.

And then there is what the conservative right wing wants people to think the left is about. Which is another thing entirely, a fantasy.

I'm happy to discuss this and provide info and references in another thread if you are interested.

[Phoenix]

And there's some of us who are a mix of the two kinds of lefts (not counting the one that the rightists think is left). Very confusing sentence.

[odeon]

And there's some of us who are a mix of the two kinds of lefts (not counting the one that the rightists think is left). Very confusing sentence.

Thank you for clearing this up.

[Phoenix]

And there's some of us who are a mix of the two kinds of lefts (not counting the one that the rightists think is left). Very confusing sentence.

Thank you for clearing this up.

You're welcome. It's my super power 

[Pyraxis]

I just read from there to the end of the thread. Based on that, Walkie is even more of a lefty than I thought.

Are you basing your opinion off Walkie being pro-Brexit, and the case for Brexit was mostly being pushed by right-wing nationalists? Rightist by association in this case?

Bear in mind that the "political left" is very different from the "ideological left". And the traditional left which represents the interests of the working class is very different from the more modern concept of the left which represents the interests of minorities and is socially progressive.

And then there is what the conservative right wing wants people to think the left is about. Which is another thing entirely, a fantasy.

I'm happy to discuss this and provide info and references in another thread if you are interested.

I don't need references. I spoke too hastily, and I think I was confusing personal conversations with Walkie with what she'd said on the board. At any rate, I shouldn't try to represent her opinions, she can give them herself. I think the left/right dichotomy is nonsense anyway.

[Minister Of Silly Walks]

I just read from there to the end of the thread. Based on that, Walkie is even more of a lefty than I thought.

Are you basing your opinion off Walkie being pro-Brexit, and the case for Brexit was mostly being pushed by right-wing nationalists? Rightist by association in this case?

Bear in mind that the "political left" is very different from the "ideological left". And the traditional left which represents the interests of the working class is very different from the more modern concept of the left which represents the interests of minorities and is socially progressive.

And then there is what the conservative right wing wants people to think the left is about. Which is another thing entirely, a fantasy.

I'm happy to discuss this and provide info and references in another thread if you are interested.

I don't need references. I spoke too hastily, and I think I was confusing personal conversations with Walkie with what she'd said on the board. At any rate, I shouldn't try to represent her opinions, she can give them herself. I think the left/right dichotomy is nonsense anyway.

Currently the left/right dichotomy is nonsense. I would agree with that. This is a good, not too long article which puts forward the proposition that there is no left. The context is Australian obviously, but it's probably just as relevant to the US:
https://www.themonthly.com.au/blog/russell-marks/2014/27/2014/1417038528/there-no-left

Sorry, I didn't mean to come across as condescending. It just seems that we are working off very different ideas of what "left" and "right" actually mean. That's all I was getting at.