Show Posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.


Messages - oldbrian

Pages: 1 [2] 3
51
General Comments / Re: coronavirus
« on: February 05, 2021, 09:35:40 AM »
Rather than dig up the other thread, I will just ask this here -

Now that we have a few months of data, how did the 'Swedish' model of restrictions work out for them?

52
General Comments / Re: coronavirus
« on: February 04, 2021, 08:26:42 AM »
Cherry:
Quote
NOBODY thinks masks provide perfect protection

Every single time someone sarcastically said 'if the masks work, then why do we have to distance?' proves that you are wrong.  People generally try very hard to avoid thinking in terms of statistics - something either is, or it isn't.  Either the masks work perfectly, or they don't work at all.

53
General Comments / Re: coronavirus
« on: February 02, 2021, 09:16:19 AM »
I was always under the impression that Fauci and the CDC were talking about N95 masks.  Save the good stuff for the hospitals, and make your own re-usable mask.
But they never spelled it out like that.  Maybe I was inferring because that made sense to me.

And to be fair, we have an entire generation or two who only listen to 1 or 2 sentences and then stop paying attention, so maybe spelling it out was seen a wasted effort.

But I have 2 cousins and a family friend who work in hospitals down south, and as late as September, maybe October, they were still saying the hospitals didn't have enough masks.

54
General Comments / Re: Semantic validity in 2021
« on: January 28, 2021, 04:37:21 PM »
Is it supposed to make sense today? I obviously am not keeping up with current trends.

55
General Comments / Re: Now you've done it
« on: January 28, 2021, 04:33:47 PM »
Shouldn't all of those senators who voted against the trial on constitutional grounds abstain?  I mean, if they think it is a breach of constitutional power to hold a trial, why would they participate?

56
General Comments / Re: here comes the next ice age
« on: January 26, 2021, 08:31:49 AM »
Quote
So much for it being there, today, than it has been at any time since the previous ice age

What?


10,000 years ago, an alpine valley in Switzerland was ice free for at least 300 years.  Got it.
What was your next point?

57
General Comments / Re: Pencemegeddon
« on: January 20, 2021, 09:40:11 AM »
Does anyone else remember the "Charleton Heston is MY president" bumper stickers, or was that only in my (very rural) area?

58
General Comments / Re: Pre-planned Second Impeachment
« on: January 20, 2021, 09:27:11 AM »
Seriati:
Quote
Trump's team identified "2,423" voters that appeared to have voted without being registered (don't ask me how). 

Shouldn't you be asking Trump's team how?  Before assuming they have an issue that the state of GA needs to address, shouldn't you be asking for even a shred of proof that there IS an issue?

If Trump pulled this claim out of his ass, and the GA SoS dismissed it with a 'thats not even possible, go away', the situation would look exactly the same.  Yet you are insisting that only GA needs to prove their defense.  You are not even questioning whether the original accusation makes sense, even though you yourself can't figure out how they could have come up with it. 

That would be the Kool-Aid doing your thinking for you.

59
General Comments / Re: Now you've done it
« on: January 13, 2021, 02:41:17 PM »
Fenring:
Quote
Is it the consensus among liberals here that this is in fact what he's trying to do? Or is there room in the narrative that his goal was to rile everyone up and where they went with that is more on them?

His goal was to rile everyone up in order to get them to make sure he keeps his job.  How exactly they went about it was up to them.  But still on him.

He didn't send out specific orders to intimidate congress-critters, but he did wind everyone up with a definite goal in mind.

60
General Comments / Re: Now you've done it
« on: January 13, 2021, 02:36:46 PM »
TheDeamon:
Quote
They need to bear in mind that not everyone who found themselves wandering around on Capital Hill did anything to warrant outright denouncement, much like those "useful idiots" I kept complaining about at the Portland riots where peaceful protesters would simply stand around in the street and watch as the rioters went about doing "their thing" at the Federal Buildings there.

I might be misremembering, but you were not so much 'complaining about' as 'advocating beating the hell out of' the useful idiots.  Or was that a different poster? 
Something about if you are in the same general area, and wearing the same clothing, then you should not be complaining if the police beat your ass 4 hours later on your way home.  Because wearing the 'uniform' of the people throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails at the Federal building is equal to declaring allegiance with them.

61
General Comments / Re: coronavirus
« on: December 23, 2020, 08:23:35 AM »
But as long as the markers the vaccine looks for are still there, it will still work against the new version.

62
General Comments / Re: Good time for the UK or no?
« on: December 21, 2020, 08:45:02 AM »
Fishing is probably a huge industry for an island nation historically known for its fleet of ships.

63
How many people remember Thalidomide?  I think it was in the 50's or 60's.  WmLambert might be the only one who still posts regularly.
How many people remember Fen-Phen?  Probably most of us.
How about the amazing energy pill from the 2000's that gave 5% of users a heart attack?

There are good reasons why the FDA doesn't automatically approve drugs, especially ones that are intended to be distributed to the vast majority of the population.

64
General Comments / Re: Extreme Protesters
« on: December 11, 2020, 08:58:31 AM »
Specifically, I was responding to this:

Quote
The armed threat is relatively fleeting, and I can only suppose that they'll move on after their little stint. Some of these online harassment situations with doxxing and all the rest result in people being afraid to go home

...and was trying to nail down what he was referring to.

65
General Comments / Re: Extreme Protesters
« on: December 11, 2020, 08:43:15 AM »
Fenring, you started this by saying that armed protesters showing up outside your home is not as bad as being doxxed.
As support for that statement, you said that people who have been doxxed are even afraid to go back home.

I'm trying to figure out what exactly, other than armed protesters, you think they are afraid of at their home.

The original comparison was between people with guns outside your door, and being doxxed.
I also later said weapons.  You responded with 'guns are the only thing people are afraid of?'  Please enlighten us as to what people are afraid will happen at their home that doesn't involve weapons. Please.

That is my entire question.

TheDeamon: Absolutely.  I agree.  Fenring apparently does not.  I'm trying to figure out why.

66
General Comments / Re: Extreme Protesters
« on: December 10, 2020, 09:29:11 AM »
If a person is doxxed and therefor afraid to return home, what exactly are they afraid of?

I assume people showing up with weapons.  Otherwise, why be afraid?

67
General Comments / Re: Extreme Protesters
« on: December 09, 2020, 11:55:31 AM »
Fenring:
Quote
... all the rest result in people being afraid to go home...

Yeah, afraid because they think people with guns might show up.

How is the possiblilty of armed protesters worse than the actuality?

68
General Comments / Re: Election Results
« on: November 09, 2020, 10:06:02 AM »
One of the results of this election:

I have never seen so many teens participating in the dialogue.  I assume a large part of that is due to social media being so prevalent now.  I am curious to see if this level of engagement continues beyond the Trump Era.

On the other hand, the teens are maybe only superficially engaged.  Mine just came stomping downstairs mouthing off about the 'f-ing liberals' (his parents) requiring him to go to school when he is tired.  And making him feed his pet.  :o

Because apparently education and personal responsibility are now values of those 'pansy liberals' , and good Trumpians should try to avoid them.  ;D ;D ;D

69
General Comments / Re: coronavirus
« on: November 06, 2020, 04:19:09 PM »
I live in a very rural, very Trumpy area, and most of my facebook friends are neighbors and former high school classmates.

The main theme for the last 2 days has been "see - no new cases have been reported since the election. I told you it was all a hoax"

70
General Comments / Re: Predictions and thoughts on the Biden Presidency
« on: November 05, 2020, 09:37:47 AM »
Grant:
Quote
If the Republican Senate becomes fully obstructionist it will not win votes.  To say it would is ridiculous. 

not in 2022.  But if the senate swings (D) because of it, I could easily see the far right stoking up fury of the base to correct the injustice in '24.
I'm not saying that IS the plan, but it could certainly work. 

And I say 'righteous' because of the Trumpians I am surrounded by.  That seems to be the baseline emotion driving them.  I would also use righteous to describe the base emotion of Social Justice Warriors (TM).

I say 'redneck' because that is an easy tag that I believe everyone understands to describe the group of people I am talking about.

71
General Comments / Re: Election Results
« on: November 05, 2020, 09:27:48 AM »
Since I can't edit my previous post, and Seriati's post came in while I was typing:

He has convinced me that even though he says the words 'typical democrat voter' what he really means is 'typical democrat official'  because every single argument he made was centered around what happens in D.C.

So my entire argument with him is out the window, since I was talking about regular people and he was talking about party leaders and elected officials.  Even when I called his attention to the fact that he was supposed to be talking about the voters, his response was about what the party did or what Mueller did.

So I take it back.  I once again believe that HE believes the regular voters are well meaning.

72
General Comments / Re: Predictions and thoughts on the Biden Presidency
« on: November 05, 2020, 08:57:47 AM »
It also sounds like a great way for Trump to run again in 2024.  Or one of his kids, riding the wave of redneck righteous fury.

73
General Comments / Re: Election Results
« on: November 05, 2020, 08:56:09 AM »
Fenring:
Quote
but I'm not sure Seriati was implying that R voters are magically more virtuous or well-intentioned than D voters are.

I am.  He managed to convince me of that.

74
General Comments / Re: Predictions and thoughts on the Biden Presidency
« on: November 05, 2020, 08:49:33 AM »
I predict Biden (if he wins) will accomplish nothing.
McConnell will openly announce that since the election was (rigged, stolen, fixed, whatever Trump eventually settles on as an explanation) the Senate will stonewall everything; nothing will get passed.

75
I just heard Rudy Guiliani on the radio complaining that the poll watchers were not allowed to compare the signatures for themselves on the mail-in ballots. 

Were the pool watchers hovering over peoples shoulders while they walked in and registered to make sure the signatures matched?
I can understand the post-mark thing, if that is what the law is.  But *poll watchers* checking signatures?

76
General Comments / Re: Election Results
« on: November 04, 2020, 02:59:12 PM »
Fenring -
 The tone of his post was that democrats in particular do this, from some sort of virtue signaling impulse.  Just mindless drones, trying to impress each other with how virtuous we are by way of … an anonymous vote....

Also, how many voters went Green or Libertarian?  I don't remember 4 years ago, but both of those parties had someone on the ballot in PA this year.

I voted for Sanders in 2016 anyway.  Actually, I voted for him this time, too.  I almost voted for one of the 3rd parties, just to give them a boost.

77
General Comments / Re: Election Results
« on: November 04, 2020, 01:47:35 PM »
Seriati:
Quote
No, not at all.  Quite the contrary, I think Democratic voters are almost uniformly good people who mean well,
good start.  As a random voter who mostly goes (D), I appreciate that stance

Quote
I just think they overwhelming succomb to a relatively unexamined analysis of "good team" and "bad team."  It's a virtue signalling to the extreme.  They've literally tied their entire identity as a "good person" into voting to support Democrats.
rather than examining the facts and simply coming to an honest conclusion you happen to disagree with. 

Quote
They're absolutely sure Trump is a criminal, but they can't actual show any evidence that supports this (they have all manner of inuendo they believe, but when it comes to evidence is always some form of it's been proven).
Immoral? yes.  Unethical?  Absolutely.  Illegal? Apparently not.  And the proof is in his own books, where he brags about it.  He calls it being a good businessman. 

Quote
They're absolutely sure that somehow Trump is unique in the history of the world is his obvious evilness and rudeness, despite that they watched him for years on tv and never noticed it,
Not even close to unique.  But 'not the worst' is hardly an endorsement.  And I did notice it from his time on TV and even earlier.  But I'M not the one who thought he would make a good president.

Quote
despite that the politicians they admire took money for him and valued him socially, and despite the very real fact that prominent Democrat politicians are every bit as nasty in what they say about Trump and even about Republicans generally, and media and entertainment talking heads are even worse.
Did I mention how poorly you are coming across when you assume that Democratic voters are simply pulling the (D) lever without thinking about issues or character?  Or that I admire the politician some other state elected?

Quote
They believe every rumor they hear about him and repeat it.
like all of stories about the microchips in the vaccines, or the pedophiles operating out of the back rooms of pizza parlors?

Quote
They honestly believe that hiding criminal activity about Biden is a good thing to do,
Nope.  And again you are supposedly talking about the average voter here.  So you think that roughly half the population is so morally bankrupt that we would do anything to get a Democrat - any Democrat - into office.  Rather than looking at the shreds of evidence which have been released so far and saying 'man I wish whoever is sitting on the rest would release it so we could see what is actually going on'. 
Remind me, who is sitting on that evidence?  Who has the ability to broadcast it to the entire world but instead decided to release it to a single tabloid?

Quote
and that violating the Constitution to get dirt on Trump is totally okay (though its criminal if Trump gets dirt on his opponent).
Nope again.  However, reasonable people CAN look at the same evidence and come to differing conclusions.
Man, the (D) voters in your part of the country seem like a bunch of *censored*.  Assuming they even exist.  You did quite a job of disproving your initial statement.  I no longer believe that you see the average (D) voter as "almost uniformly good people who mean well"  You can't have that many derogatory opinions of them, of their intelligence, of their moral standards, or of their gullibility and still think we mean well.

78
General Comments / Re: Election Results
« on: November 04, 2020, 01:18:26 PM »
TheDeamon:
[q] hard to admit new states to the Union which haven't met the standard of 50%+1 of all eligible voters voting in favor of statehood when there's an opposition party in control of one of the relevant legislative bodies that would have to vote against its interests to make it happen.[/q]

Are you saying that there is a way to admit a new state even when more than half of the area's populace voted against it?  Or am I parsing that incorrectly?

79
General Comments / Re: covid-19 outside the US
« on: November 02, 2020, 01:53:07 PM »
How did the great Sweden experiment work out?  I remember they went full open back at the beginning of summer, right?  And they eventually leveled off?

Are they seeing the same upswing as the rest of Europe?

80
General Comments / Re: Voice of America
« on: October 28, 2020, 11:58:42 AM »
Were you a big supporter of McCarthy, WmLambert?

81
General Comments / Re: coronavirus
« on: October 23, 2020, 08:27:00 AM »
1) It has been several months now since President Trump famously stated that anyone who wanted to get tested could go down to the testing spot and get it done.

2) The entire IDEA of an overarching federal government is to do nationwide projects that private business is not motivated to do and is beyond the scope of the states.

Question:  wouldn't it make more sense to test everyone who has been 'exposed' (by whatever criteria you want) so we actually know where it is and who has it?  Isn't that why we pay taxes?  I think even small-government Libertarians would agree that a national pandemic response falls into the 'needful' category.

Yes?  No?

82
General Comments / Re: Who will be next to speak out about Trump?
« on: October 21, 2020, 10:34:12 AM »
Although, there is a difference between not holding to your side of the deal while staying in the agreement; and telling your partner that you want out, and won't hold to your side anymore.

83
TheDeamon:
Quote
So. About California and a few other Democratic strongholds with large populations of illegal immigrants that they want to have counted towards their population for the purpose of allocating seats in the House of Representatives even though those persons are unable to vote?

The founding fathers were perfectly fine with people who didn't even count as people being counted for the population.  Maybe bring back the old 3/5 rule?
Originalism and Textualism For The Win!

Plus, we will finally get an accurate count of all the illegals

84
Fenring:
Quote
The first is unethical, but the second is a much bigger deal, worst case scenario treason. Hardly the same.

Noel:
Quote
Beyond that, you would elect an individual who is beholden to, and blackmailable by, China?


What if it was a legitimate business run directly by the president's child and the scion in question asked Chinese officials and businesses for sweetheart deals because 'my father is now the President'?  Would that be any different?


I asked William Lambert this question and few days ago and he ignored it.

BTW, Noel, how many syllables are in your name?

85
General Comments / Re: How to save the country
« on: October 16, 2020, 01:54:26 PM »
Quote
The Right to Privacy never appears in the Constitution
My search function is acting up - so excuse the paraphrase, but the Constitution has a line in the part separating states rights and personal rights saying 'the fact that a right is not explicitly written here doesn't mean it doesn't exist'

The right to be free always belonged to black people, and any laws to the contrary were unconstitutional.  We didn't need laws freeing the slaves.  They were always free, and having their rights suppressed. If a law was necessary to spell it out, then it wasn't - and still isn't - inherent. There is no other way to read it.

We have always had the right to privacy, but past generations refused to acknowledge it.

Of course, this assumes you believe that rights are unalienable, gifted to us from our Creator.


ETA
and yes, that means the parts of the constitution dealing with slavery were unconstitutional.  paradox.  One part of the document spoke of 'all people' and another part said 'but not these people'.  It was written by humans, and is a flawed document.  You can't even go by what the founders and drafters meant because they certainly put slavery in there deliberately.  We have to look at what they thought they meant.  Or should have meant, based on other things they said.

86
General Comments / Re: We gotta talk about Uncle Joe
« on: October 15, 2020, 11:48:38 AM »
I tried to go to the NYpost page, but it was so loaded down with ads that I couldn't get it to finish loading.

I assume Hunter gave them some kind of assurance that that there would in fact be some quid for the extra pro quo he was getting?  I mean anyone can [I[claim[/I] to have the ear of someone powerful, but if they can't deliver, why pay them for it, right?

It would be like Trump's daughter going to a company in China and trying to pressure them into doing business with her by pointing out that her dad is now the president.

87
Quote
Within the next few months the team was shot down by Stinger Missiles with serial numbers from the US stockpile.

Do you have a source for this?  My understanding is that they were being dropped off as reinforcements and their chopper was shot down.  How did we get access to the wreckage to sift for evidence?

And when exactly did Biden 'out' the team?  I know it wasn't at the speech two days later when he referenced the work done by '...the intelligence community, the CIA, the SEALS...'

88
Quote
But I see no reason for a Trump supporter in rural Pennsylvania...(to be shy about it)

Good God, no.  If anything, it is the democrats who have to walk carefully around here.  My county tilts about 2:1 Republican, but counting the banners and yard signs would indicate more like 10:1

89
Quote
You are hiding behind an old CDC bulletin in order to justify hypocrisy. They are publicly available, walk the talk.

I have two relatives and a former neighbor who have moved down south in the last several years, all working in hospitals down there.  S. Carolina, Georgia, Texas.

All of them say that the hospitals are having trouble getting enough non-vented N95 masks for everyone.   So it is not just the CDC from a few months ago saying that there is a shortage.

Also, I wear a cloth mask all day long and my safety glasses do not fog over.  You just need to take a few minutes to ensure everything is in the proper place.

90
General Comments / Re: Voting mechanisms
« on: September 25, 2020, 04:47:13 PM »
Thank you, Deamon!  I did not want to do all of that work myself, and did not intend that you should do it on my behalf.  I would have accepted a shrug and a 'dunno'.  You went above and beyond.  Thank you.

91
General Comments / Re: Who will be next to speak out about Trump?
« on: September 25, 2020, 01:54:00 PM »
TheDeamon:
I believe you yourself described Pres Trump as a 'raging dumpster fire'.

But every single person who speaks against him must be politically biased?  Every single one?  No room for conscience or honesty?

92
General Comments / Re: Voting mechanisms
« on: September 25, 2020, 01:51:10 PM »
Did...did that actually answer my question?  Is there a statute or law or amendment somewhere that explicitly states that the ballots must be counted al on the same day?

Or is the deadline Jan 20th, and that is why they get sworn in on that day?

93
General Comments / Re: Voting mechanisms
« on: September 25, 2020, 11:54:25 AM »
Does anyone know offhand when exactly (or even roughly) we decided that all votes must be counted on election day?  Way back in the 1700's and at least early 1800's we didn't care if it took a few days to count and announce.  Did that officially change at some point, or are we just so used to instant communication that we cannot now conceive of waiting?

94
General Comments / Re: We gotta talk about Uncle Joe
« on: September 21, 2020, 11:42:05 AM »
Then again, on second thought, I guess it was an attempt to mobilize the Biden voters by scaring them?

Or, you know, honest reporting.  That thing you are convinced doesn't exist?

95
General Comments / Re: read any good books lately?
« on: September 18, 2020, 04:00:55 PM »
You mean SF's "50 shades of gray?"

I thought that was L Ron Hubbard's 'Mission Earth' series.  He wrote a decent trilogy, but he wanted to be the only SF author with a decology*, so he padded it with 7 books worth of sex and general stupidity.  Would not recommend.


* It's right on the cover in big bold print - THE ONLY SF DECOLOGY IN EXISTANCE!

96
General Comments / Re: read any good books lately?
« on: September 18, 2020, 10:11:56 AM »
Fizz -
What are the infamous John Ringo books?  I can't open livejournal

97
General Comments / Re: coronavirus
« on: September 17, 2020, 11:04:02 AM »
Cherry-
If the person is going to self-quarantine after getting a positive test, then they don't have to worry about being arrested.  I'm not sure I see your point.  The only people worried about being arrested are the ones who want to still go out after they know they are spreaders.

98
Can anyone with actual inside knowledge of police answer my question, since TheDeamon is apparently ignoring me:

Do 'regular' police actually hate Internal Affairs as much as is portrayed in popular fiction?

99
The Deamon,
   I know you are a... paramedic(?), so I assume you interact with police regularly.

What is your take on the Blue Wall of Silence?  Are police who observe, or hear about, another officer doing a 'bad apple' thing also complicit if they do not immediately remove themselves from the vicinity?  And if they dress in the same 'uniform' as the bad apples are they declaring unity with them?

And is the general view of Internal Affairs as seen on TV or in movies accurate?  DO the regular cops hate IA?  I'm actually not sure if your area is big enough for the police force to even have an Internal Affairs.  I know mine certainly doesn't.

100
General Comments / Re: coronavirus
« on: September 03, 2020, 08:39:12 AM »
And the best way to get vitamin D?  Soak up the sunlight.  And with the northern hemisphere heading into 6 months of decreasing sunlight, I can't imagine that this is good news.  On the other hand, the idiots down south who are running up the national numbers DO get a lot more sun than the rest of us, so here's hoping for a mild, sunny fall and winter.

Pages: 1 [2] 3