1
General Comments / Re: GOP nutbag of the week
« on: August 07, 2022, 08:11:16 AM »
Have to agree with Tom. Biden may claim to be a Democrat and some of his policies have been but most are Right leaning moderate.
Speak Your Mind, Never Argue
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.
2
General Comments / Re: What are some things that Biden gets right?
« on: August 06, 2022, 07:59:53 AM »
The early church supported pacifism and wealth sharing that is not overtly supported by the current biblical narrative. I have always wondered what changes were made to the texts when the Roman Empire decided to claim Christianity as it's religion.
3
General Comments / Re: Alex Jones, scumbag
« on: August 04, 2022, 02:13:31 PM »
I think if Jones is not charged with perjury it will look bad. This case is too public to let him off. Couldn't happen to a more deserving individual.
4
General Comments / Re: OAN Network being cancelled
« on: July 28, 2022, 11:28:13 AM »
WM- I try very hard to keep an open mind with your posts. You make it difficult.
Everything is hackable. There is however no proof that Dominion was hacked with regards to the 2020 election.
I also find it incredibly unlikely that none of the "2000 Mules" have come forward to confess. Especially with the large amount of money offered for information and proof of fraud. That's just too many people to keep quiet.
You seem to be of the opinion that anyone who does not love and support Trump are either stupidly naïve or evil. I have to ask. Is there any source of information that you would believe if they presented proof of Trump doing something wrong? I completely agree that there are biases in the media. I will also note that these biases go both ways. When in doubt about what someone said or did I try to find the actual transcripts. As an example there are those on the left trying to claim that several Supreme Court justices lied under oath. I read through the transcripts and while what they said was certainly designed to give certain senators like Collins plausible deniability there were no actual lies.
You stated you support a Free Enterprise but have an issue when it impacts negatively on conservative businesses. The market drives things. Businesses need to be aware that their support comes from their consumers. It is possible Soros could have it in for OAN and pressure advertisers to pull their support. It is just as possible if not more so that the Koch Brothers (OK Brother now) have spent millions to influence the public.
I grew up conservative. I find it incredibly sad that my values haven't shifted much but the definitions of conservative and liberal have shifted drastically right in the last 30 years.
Everything is hackable. There is however no proof that Dominion was hacked with regards to the 2020 election.
I also find it incredibly unlikely that none of the "2000 Mules" have come forward to confess. Especially with the large amount of money offered for information and proof of fraud. That's just too many people to keep quiet.
You seem to be of the opinion that anyone who does not love and support Trump are either stupidly naïve or evil. I have to ask. Is there any source of information that you would believe if they presented proof of Trump doing something wrong? I completely agree that there are biases in the media. I will also note that these biases go both ways. When in doubt about what someone said or did I try to find the actual transcripts. As an example there are those on the left trying to claim that several Supreme Court justices lied under oath. I read through the transcripts and while what they said was certainly designed to give certain senators like Collins plausible deniability there were no actual lies.
You stated you support a Free Enterprise but have an issue when it impacts negatively on conservative businesses. The market drives things. Businesses need to be aware that their support comes from their consumers. It is possible Soros could have it in for OAN and pressure advertisers to pull their support. It is just as possible if not more so that the Koch Brothers (OK Brother now) have spent millions to influence the public.
I grew up conservative. I find it incredibly sad that my values haven't shifted much but the definitions of conservative and liberal have shifted drastically right in the last 30 years.
5
General Comments / Re: conspiracy detector
« on: July 28, 2022, 10:52:46 AM »
Sent you one from one of my burner emails to the second account.
6
General Comments / Re: GOP nutbag of the week
« on: July 24, 2022, 07:05:20 PM »
Matt Gaetz stoops to an all time low. You can't make this stuff up.
"Have you watched these pro-abortion, pro-murder rallies?" the Florida congressman asked the teenagers gathered at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit in Tampa, Florida.
"The people are just disgusting. Why is it that the women with the least likelihood of getting pregnant are the ones most worried about having abortions? Nobody wants to impregnate you if you look like a thumb," Gaetz commented.
https://www.newsweek.com/sex-trafficking-probe-mentioned-after-matt-gaetz-makes-odious-women-jibe-1727430
"Have you watched these pro-abortion, pro-murder rallies?" the Florida congressman asked the teenagers gathered at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit in Tampa, Florida.
"The people are just disgusting. Why is it that the women with the least likelihood of getting pregnant are the ones most worried about having abortions? Nobody wants to impregnate you if you look like a thumb," Gaetz commented.
https://www.newsweek.com/sex-trafficking-probe-mentioned-after-matt-gaetz-makes-odious-women-jibe-1727430
7
General Comments / Re: The Biden Economy
« on: July 15, 2022, 03:38:34 PM »
Funny how conservatives believe anyone can get ahead if they work hard enough but don't want to pay for it. No one wants to work for minimum wage. The market is doing as much to drive up wages as the law and companies are raking in profits despite having to pay more.
8
General Comments / Re: The Jan 6 Commission
« on: July 13, 2022, 04:37:47 PM »Quote
Let me help you understand the legal nuances. The chain of custody makes admittance of the laptop a done fact.
Remember, the assertion here is that it is a "legal fact" that the data on the laptop was not hacked or altered in any way since it was obtained. There is an actual meaning of the phrase "legal fact," and I am asking if there has in fact been a finding of fact to this effect.
To the best of my knowledge, there has not.
Of course do we have actual proof that Hunter dropped the laptop off himself? If not whoever had it before him could have done anything they wanted to it.
I also just read that a laptop is not considered abandoned in Delaware for a year. Based on the timeline the Mac Issac only had it for 9 months before he "found" his damning evidence.
9
General Comments / Re: The Jan 6 Commission
« on: July 13, 2022, 11:11:05 AM »
The only reason you should care is if there is confirmed, validated information in the computer that attributes criminal activity to the president. Hunter by all appearances is a scum bag. That may reflect poorly on the president's parenting skills but last I heard that was not a crime. If it was Trump would be in prison for his parenting skills also. I'll be surprised if at least one of Trump's kids doesn't end up serving time at some point.
10
General Comments / Re: The Jan 6 Commission
« on: July 12, 2022, 05:13:54 PM »
I prefer the term Trump Crazy.
WM- You failed to answer my questions.
If Trump is such a great man how come there were no significant investigations into Clinton during his presidency? As the head of the Executive branch and the man who appointed the head of the DOJ it didn't happen despite his calls to lock her up.
While pointing your finger at Hunter who used his name to gain contracts with foreign powers so have Trumps family. Since they promoted Trump's businesses he directly benefited. He also benefited by staying at Trump properties forcing the Secret Service to drastically increase spending. This also benefited Trump. I am not a fan of Biden, Clinton, or Trump. If any of them are charged with a crime and convicted I would happily see them in prison. What I see you doing though is pulling long lists of alleged crimes against Clinton and Biden many of which have been investigated and totally ignoring those against Trump who has a long history of cheating others for his own gain. You can look at the many lawsuits filed long before he expressed any political aspirations.
I actually agree that the current hearings are political showcasing. I would prefer that the investigation be completed outside the public eye until a decision is made whether there are grounds to hold a formal trial. I am also aware that there can never be a trial free of political influence from both sides. However at that point the American Public could weigh the information presented by both sides and make their own decision.
WM- You failed to answer my questions.
If Trump is such a great man how come there were no significant investigations into Clinton during his presidency? As the head of the Executive branch and the man who appointed the head of the DOJ it didn't happen despite his calls to lock her up.
While pointing your finger at Hunter who used his name to gain contracts with foreign powers so have Trumps family. Since they promoted Trump's businesses he directly benefited. He also benefited by staying at Trump properties forcing the Secret Service to drastically increase spending. This also benefited Trump. I am not a fan of Biden, Clinton, or Trump. If any of them are charged with a crime and convicted I would happily see them in prison. What I see you doing though is pulling long lists of alleged crimes against Clinton and Biden many of which have been investigated and totally ignoring those against Trump who has a long history of cheating others for his own gain. You can look at the many lawsuits filed long before he expressed any political aspirations.
I actually agree that the current hearings are political showcasing. I would prefer that the investigation be completed outside the public eye until a decision is made whether there are grounds to hold a formal trial. I am also aware that there can never be a trial free of political influence from both sides. However at that point the American Public could weigh the information presented by both sides and make their own decision.
11
General Comments / Re: The Jan 6 Commission
« on: July 11, 2022, 04:17:40 PM »
And since you bring up Hunter.... Shall we talk about the Trump children trading on their name to rake in money. Since much of that goes to Trump Companies it DID directly connect the funds to Trump.
12
General Comments / Re: The Jan 6 Commission
« on: July 11, 2022, 08:52:22 AM »
WM-As you state Trump was president for 4 years. He promised to Lock her Up. Funny that there were no significant investigations into all of these issues while he was president. You mention he served as president without pay yet he chose to stay at places where he was enriched by the SS being billed for their stays. The tax payers would have been better off paying him and then either providing free room and board or stayed somewhere that wouldn't put the responsibility of paying huge amounts of taxpayer dollars to properties that directly benefit him.
13
General Comments / Re: We gotta talk about Uncle Joe
« on: June 29, 2022, 10:21:26 AM »
WM-Yes there were two indicted however this was NOT in the general election. It was the primary. No one here claims NO fraud occurs. We know it does. But the presumption that massive fraud exists because a few examples of small time fraud are identified is Trump Crazy.
14
General Comments / Re: The Jan 6 Commission
« on: June 13, 2022, 01:48:27 PM »
What really amazes me that the Stable Genius Business tycoon didn't seem to be able to hire anyone who was not a Never Trumper. It would almost make you question his ability.......Naw......
15
General Comments / Re: The Jan 6 Commission
« on: June 13, 2022, 01:37:02 PM »Quote
What came out this morning in the hearings.
Trump did not like the results. So he insisted it was stolen. Even though all of the professional lawyers said no.
No surprise there. He insisted that before the election
16
General Comments / Re: Inflation, Gas Prices, and what have you.
« on: June 13, 2022, 01:34:53 PM »Quote
Didn't Trump convince the Saudis to cut production? Presumably to keep the US's production profitable.
Honestly it was probably to make more room for Russian oil...
See the attached article from Fox Business I posted when i started the thread. Funny that none of the Biden bashers remember that. I would also point out that while prices have risen it looks much worse because we hit record lows during the lockdowns because of reduced travel and the Russian Saudi oil price war.
17
General Comments / Re: Thoughts and Prayers - Again...
« on: June 08, 2022, 09:00:49 AM »Quote
Quote from: Mynnion on Today at 07:49:49 AM
Quote
And how can you feel safe knowing that their next-door neighbor has a 10-kiloton atomic bomb, and you don't??
My god, how could you possibly defend yourself?
You think the next door neighbor can shell out millions to aquire a nuclear bomb and the roughy $1.8 million per year to maintain it? Really?
My god, do you even hear yourself?
Maybe not my next door neighbor but there are individuals who could. There are also corporations that could. But why choose the most extreme. The Oklahoma City bomber used fertilizer. Is C4 more affordable? How many people can you kill with it detonated at the correct time and place? I know I need it to protect myself from the nut cases in the government, roving gangs of thugs, and/or the next zombie apocalypse.
corporations are not people and I think we would all agree that treating them as though they are is a bad idea. It’s also extremely unlikely Gates, Musk, Bezos, et al are going to buy WMDs. They’ll buy politicians, cheaper and easier to do.
Heard of Citizen's United?
You are also ignoring the questions about cheaper means of mass killing. I agree that Nukes are a long shot but you refuse to recognize limits so all possibilities are fair game.
18
General Comments / Re: Thoughts and Prayers - Again...
« on: June 08, 2022, 07:49:49 AM »Quote
And how can you feel safe knowing that their next-door neighbor has a 10-kiloton atomic bomb, and you don't??
My god, how could you possibly defend yourself?
You think the next door neighbor can shell out millions to aquire a nuclear bomb and the roughy $1.8 million per year to maintain it? Really?
My god, do you even hear yourself?
Maybe not my next door neighbor but there are individuals who could. There are also corporations that could. But why choose the most extreme. The Oklahoma City bomber used fertilizer. Is C4 more affordable? How many people can you kill with it detonated at the correct time and place? I know I need it to protect myself from the nut cases in the government, roving gangs of thugs, and/or the next zombie apocalypse.
19
General Comments / Re: Thoughts and Prayers - Again...
« on: June 07, 2022, 12:07:43 PM »
Maybe I'm missing something but it seems to me that defining the limits of acceptability is critical to this discussion. A free for all would appear to allow those with significant wealth to own any weapon systems they want and to basically build their own armies. This could be construed to include corporations. How many nukes can Musk (or Soros or Gates) afford to protect himself against a government he feels is stealing his tax dollars?
20
General Comments / Re: Cryptocurrencies
« on: May 18, 2022, 05:33:04 PM »
The only way I could see to truly set a value to crypto would be to tie it directly to computing time/power as a commodity. The tangible "rental" associated with processing power could have real value with the right software. Think SETI but with the processing power for sale.
As it is someone claimed it had value and so it does but only as long as others share that view. Frequent mass swings and thefts don't help promote confidence.
As it is someone claimed it had value and so it does but only as long as others share that view. Frequent mass swings and thefts don't help promote confidence.
21
General Comments / Re: Whose cell/womb is it anyways?
« on: May 17, 2022, 12:03:45 PM »
Take it a step further. To force someone to provide blood or organs you would also have to force them to be tested and force those testing to share that information (bye bye HIPAA).
22
General Comments / Re: Whose cell/womb is it anyways?
« on: May 05, 2022, 11:37:15 AM »Quote
So Roe v Wade as settled law and the Law of the Land is not lying?
I have not reviewed the transcripts and am strictly going by what NPR posted and while it says Kavanaugh told Collins it was the law of the land he did not make that statement during the hearings.
Those listed stated that it was precedent but left the door open to review. Kavanaugh stated that it was the Law of the Land but that is just a statement not an intent. I believe the answers given under oath were specifically designed not to be lies but rather to give an impression of impartiality.
23
General Comments / Re: Whose cell/womb is it anyways?
« on: May 05, 2022, 10:54:40 AM »Quote
Should the Justices who committed perjury under oath in their confirmation hearings be impeached?
I can't believe that I am agreeing with Crunch but at least based on the article below none of the judges came out and lied under oath. It looks like their answers contain a lot of plausible deniability for apologists such as Susan Collins but no overt lies.
https://www.npr.org/2022/05/03/1096108319/roe-v-wade-alito-conservative-justices-confirmation-hearings
24
General Comments / Re: Whose cell/womb is it anyways?
« on: May 05, 2022, 10:45:48 AM »
If I was going to leak this type of document and I was a left leaning activist I would have waited until September to make sure the media and Left were at a maximum level of outrage to "Get out the Vote." I am sure that those with access to this document are at least as intelligent as I am and know that US voters have incredibly short memories releasing it now seems more likely to have had a conservative source. Add to that the fact that releasing this basically provides states to use it as a play book to submit a direct challenge to RVW.
25
General Comments / Re: Recession, inflation, disruption
« on: April 30, 2022, 09:22:57 PM »
Since the price of oil is one of the driving forces I have to wonder if the deal Trump forced the Saudi's to sign reducing production might have at least some impact.
https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/trump-saudi-arabia-russia-opec-oil-deal-role
https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/trump-saudi-arabia-russia-opec-oil-deal-role
26
General Comments / Re: coronavirus
« on: April 21, 2022, 08:51:05 PM »
I think some of the restaurant masking was fall out from the large number of cases traced to bars and clubs. Completely agree about public transit and stores. I don't like wearing a mask but it really isn't a big deal. I am amazed at the number of stoic "real" men who seem unable to bear it for an hour or so 
27
General Comments / Re: Inflation, Gas Prices, and what have you.
« on: April 21, 2022, 05:14:50 PM »
I did hear that several countries are freezing the foreign purchase of property and that some municipalities are putting residential requirements (must live in property for so long before you can rent). Growing up the interest rates (outside of the blips in the 70s) ran between 6% and 8% I have to wonder if the large financial groups pushed the rates so low to force investment in the market rather than savings. With rates as low as they are it is impossible not to lose money by just saving. I suspect the same forces are what pushed companies to switch from pensions to 401Ks.
28
General Comments / Re: coronavirus
« on: April 21, 2022, 04:49:00 PM »Quote
I never felt the airplanes were the issue. unless the guy infected is setting next to you. With the effectiveness of masks reducing over time so your probably hooped.
I suspect the airports them selves are a pretty good petri dish.
The small regional airport are probably reasonably safe however at airports like O'Hara and Charlotte (yes I fly American) people can be pinned together by large crowds gather to board. Especially since the regional jets all seem to board around the same time.
29
General Comments / Inflation, Gas Prices, and what have you.
« on: April 21, 2022, 04:45:26 PM »
I was reading the We gotta talk about Uncle Joe thread and Cherry mentioned the term political feeblemindedness. It started me thinking about What Biden is doing wrong and what I would change. First, Lets be fair. Biden has had a lot to deal with. Covid, inflation, and Ukraine are biggies. I certainly don't envy him having to try and juggle these and keep as many folks in the US happy.
There is a whole thread on the Ukraine and I guess history will tell us whether the right choices were made.
Covid- At the beginning of his presidency I wish he had backed off and had the Surgeon General step up to take the lead. I am sick of the messaging on Covid coming from politicians rather than from medical professionals. One of the few Trump statements that I agreed with was when he stated we were at war with Covid. Rather than follow though with his war he proceeded to undermine his own programs to stop it. I was hoping that Biden would step up on it however while he has promoted a more scientifically based agenda the leadership is still missing.
Inflation- There are a number of factors impacting inflation and most of them are outside of Biden's control.
Currently about 18% of housing is being purchased as an investment driving up the demand and cost for home buyers.
https://www.fool.com/real-estate/2021/12/08/investors-buy-almost-one-fifth-of-all-houses/#:~:text=In%20the%20third%20quarter%20of%202021%2C%20investors%20made%20up%2018,be%20used%20as%20rental%20property.
While claiming the need to raise prices corporations are raking in record profits.
https://fortune.com/2022/03/31/us-companies-record-profits-2021-price-hikes-inflation/
Gas peaked a couple of weeks ago at it's highest level ever however it is not much higher than it has been in the past.
https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=pet&s=emm_epm0_pte_nus_dpg&f=m
Speaking of gas prices I was trying to figure out why Biden was not pressuring OPEC to increase production. It seems like he has been but has not had much success. It appears that during the height of the lockdown when prices were at record lows the US brokered a plan leading to significant production to bolster the price of oil. Basically w asked them to cut their own earnings to promote production in the US. Now we are asking them to cut profits to make fuel cheaper in the US. I'm not sure I'd be keen to jump at Washington's request.
https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/trump-saudi-arabia-russia-opec-oil-deal-role
My biggest disappointment with the price of fuel is that it seems Biden lacks the vison to use it to sell electric to the American people. During the 70's when the first big crisis hit Carter took the opportunity to create significant tax breaks for alternative development as well as government investment in R&D. Unfortunately Reagan removed most of them as wasteful of taxpayer money.
Are there other opportunities that Biden is missing?
There is a whole thread on the Ukraine and I guess history will tell us whether the right choices were made.
Covid- At the beginning of his presidency I wish he had backed off and had the Surgeon General step up to take the lead. I am sick of the messaging on Covid coming from politicians rather than from medical professionals. One of the few Trump statements that I agreed with was when he stated we were at war with Covid. Rather than follow though with his war he proceeded to undermine his own programs to stop it. I was hoping that Biden would step up on it however while he has promoted a more scientifically based agenda the leadership is still missing.
Inflation- There are a number of factors impacting inflation and most of them are outside of Biden's control.
Currently about 18% of housing is being purchased as an investment driving up the demand and cost for home buyers.
https://www.fool.com/real-estate/2021/12/08/investors-buy-almost-one-fifth-of-all-houses/#:~:text=In%20the%20third%20quarter%20of%202021%2C%20investors%20made%20up%2018,be%20used%20as%20rental%20property.
While claiming the need to raise prices corporations are raking in record profits.
https://fortune.com/2022/03/31/us-companies-record-profits-2021-price-hikes-inflation/
Gas peaked a couple of weeks ago at it's highest level ever however it is not much higher than it has been in the past.
https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=pet&s=emm_epm0_pte_nus_dpg&f=m
Speaking of gas prices I was trying to figure out why Biden was not pressuring OPEC to increase production. It seems like he has been but has not had much success. It appears that during the height of the lockdown when prices were at record lows the US brokered a plan leading to significant production to bolster the price of oil. Basically w asked them to cut their own earnings to promote production in the US. Now we are asking them to cut profits to make fuel cheaper in the US. I'm not sure I'd be keen to jump at Washington's request.
https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/trump-saudi-arabia-russia-opec-oil-deal-role
My biggest disappointment with the price of fuel is that it seems Biden lacks the vison to use it to sell electric to the American people. During the 70's when the first big crisis hit Carter took the opportunity to create significant tax breaks for alternative development as well as government investment in R&D. Unfortunately Reagan removed most of them as wasteful of taxpayer money.
Are there other opportunities that Biden is missing?
30
General Comments / Re: coronavirus
« on: April 21, 2022, 04:24:04 PM »
I am currently at a regional airport. About 50% of TSA were masked and about 20% of travelers. It will be interesting to see if I see the same mix in Chicago. My N-95 is firmly in place.
31
General Comments / Re: We gotta talk about Uncle Joe
« on: April 21, 2022, 01:06:39 PM »
To be fair The Left pulled the same stuff with Trump. He trips walking down a ramp. He has mental degradation because of the way he speaks. Both sides seem to be guilty of either wishful thinking or nastiness. Neither Trump nor Biden are 20. They will have a reduction in balance and sometimes may even have an "Accident." They are human not Superman. I am a long way from a Trump fan but I don't see a significant change in the way he uses language now from what he used 20 years ago. Basically that of a carny pitch man. Biden has always spoken deliberately with lots of pauses because of his stutter.
It is absolutely appropriate to find fault with someone because of his/her policies and choices. It is less appropriate to take every slip moment of distraction as a weapon. Grow up folks. Don't let your political biases mess with your common sense. People can be clumsy and/or stupid without being senile.
It is absolutely appropriate to find fault with someone because of his/her policies and choices. It is less appropriate to take every slip moment of distraction as a weapon. Grow up folks. Don't let your political biases mess with your common sense. People can be clumsy and/or stupid without being senile.
32
General Comments / Re: coronavirus
« on: April 21, 2022, 08:27:29 AM »Quote
How much less? Come on somebody, help us walk through this.
Not that this has not been covered many times but if you are interested here is an article from JAMA. Feel free to post information from a reliable source that counter this.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2776536
33
General Comments / Re: coronavirus
« on: April 21, 2022, 06:12:58 AM »Quote
The judge does make a good point though about the law. Just because something like masks is absolutely necessary to keep hundreds of thousands of people from dying and millions from getting sick doesn't necessarily mean the CDC is the governmental entity with the authority to issue a nationwide mandate.
Looks like the judge purposely missed the last part of the statute at least assuming the Surgeon General issued the order with the CDC. From Section 361 of the 1944 Public Health Service Act. It seems to me the "and Other Measures" would include a mask mandate.
The Surgeon General,[44] with the approval of the Secretary, is authorized to make and
enforce such regulations as in his judgment are necessary to prevent the introduction,
transmission, or spread of communicable diseases from foreign countries into the States or
possessions, or from one State or possession into any other State or possession. For
purposes of carrying out and enforcing such regulations, the Surgeon General may provide
for such inspection, fumigation, disinfection, sanitation, pest extermination, destruction of
animals or articles found to be so infected or contaminated as to be sources of dangerous
infection to human beings, and other measures, as in his judgment may be necessary.45
34
General Comments / Re: coronavirus
« on: April 19, 2022, 12:59:38 PM »
Like Cherry I was extremely disappointed with this ruling. Especially since I spend a lot of time flying. I also agree that it would have been helpful for the Biden administration to have planned for the possibility and been ready for an immediate stay.
Where we differ is that he seems yet again to give the conservatives a pass (both the group that brought the suit and the Trump appointed judge). It is the conservatives who made wearing a mask into some kind of torture and an assault on freedom that will traumatize our children and cause PTSD. Without their constant assault the mandate would never have been brought to court. Now even if a stay is issued it will cause more confusion and stir things up more than they already are.
Where we differ is that he seems yet again to give the conservatives a pass (both the group that brought the suit and the Trump appointed judge). It is the conservatives who made wearing a mask into some kind of torture and an assault on freedom that will traumatize our children and cause PTSD. Without their constant assault the mandate would never have been brought to court. Now even if a stay is issued it will cause more confusion and stir things up more than they already are.
35
General Comments / Re: I'm not a bioligist
« on: April 08, 2022, 02:42:58 PM »
I had a boss once tell me if you wanted to know the truth you needed to follow the Benjamins. When you start to add up the costs of incarceration, police forces, the criminal court system we are looking at something like 1/2 a trillion dollars a year. We have for profit prisons which have in some case cozy relationships with both police and judges. These costs exclude the massive economic cost of removing a potential bread winner/provider from a family unit.
We as a culture are fixated on incarceration as the answer to everything. At the same time as the government has been pushing military grade equipment through grants to police forces (likely backed by the manufacturers of said equipment) cuts have been made in programs designed to provide mental health and substance abuse services that are far more effective than dumping the mentally ill on the streets.
Defunding isn't the short term answer although effectively reducing the number of incarcerated may have that impact in the long run. Re-imagining how we view Criminal Justice is. We can play hard ass folks who are only interested in dishing out the maximum punishment or we can be smart and change how we do things.
Our nation has moved to an US/THEM mentality and those who are benefitting from that will do all in their power to keep the divide in place. Terms like Defund the Police just give them ammunition to prevent any real change.
We as a culture are fixated on incarceration as the answer to everything. At the same time as the government has been pushing military grade equipment through grants to police forces (likely backed by the manufacturers of said equipment) cuts have been made in programs designed to provide mental health and substance abuse services that are far more effective than dumping the mentally ill on the streets.
Defunding isn't the short term answer although effectively reducing the number of incarcerated may have that impact in the long run. Re-imagining how we view Criminal Justice is. We can play hard ass folks who are only interested in dishing out the maximum punishment or we can be smart and change how we do things.
Our nation has moved to an US/THEM mentality and those who are benefitting from that will do all in their power to keep the divide in place. Terms like Defund the Police just give them ammunition to prevent any real change.
36
General Comments / Re: I'm not a bioligist
« on: April 07, 2022, 05:01:38 PM »Quote
Except there wasn't any momentum. We tried a lot of things.
Retrain the police
Militarize the police
Community relations
Federal oversight
De-escalation training
Non-lethal weapons
Body cameras
Citizen lawsuits
None of these strategies held police accountable. None of it resulted in very widespread reduction of violent encounters.
So you're left with a very basic strategy. The less money cops have, the fewer no-knock warrants they can serve. The fewer cops are out on the street able to shoot, choke, and beat suspects. The less money cops have, the more selective they'll have to be about who gets a uniform, a badge, and a gun. The less money cops have, the fewer racially motivated traffic stops they can make.
There are other things that could work, potentially, but the best way to get there is to threaten departments with the one thing they can't stand - budget reductions and freezes.
Of course its easier to get along with people who attempt to do nothing.
Which circles us back around to the Left's inability to control the dialogue. All's I am saying is that using terms like defund the police when the news is covering riots in the cities isn't going to win any supporters and is going to provide plenty of the wrong kind of message.
To be clear I fully support a major overhaul of our criminal justice system. My views line up with many of the Defund the Police supporters. I just feel that the term is to provocative and in the end counter productive to real change.
37
General Comments / Re: I'm not a bioligist
« on: April 07, 2022, 03:27:27 PM »Quote
especially since 99+% of the "privilege" is the absence of discrimination
I'm not sure I buy this. I think it is an absence of opportunity. Much of which has been through discriminatory processes at a societal level (Jim Crow, War on Drugs, Separate But (UN)Equal.
38
General Comments / Re: I'm not a bioligist
« on: April 07, 2022, 03:20:04 PM »
It isn't about what the movement would like to happen. It is about the gut reaction to the term and the Right's ability to use that reaction to destroy momentum and prevent systemic change.
39
General Comments / Re: I'm not a bioligist
« on: April 07, 2022, 03:08:56 PM »Quote
I see the appeal, they want to help people. They are just freaking tone deaf to the national conversation and broader optics in how they're helping people.
Couldn't agree more. I sometimes wonder if those promoting these ideas want them to fail.
Another great example is the use of terms like defund the police. Yeah there are some who actually want the police to disappear but most just want to see demilitarization and an increase in programs that promote de-escalation over the shoot first ask questions mentality that seems to have become the norm. Why not "Re-imagine Criminal Justice" or something similar. The same thing with the term "White Privilege." The term always rubbed me wrong even though I support the idea. I think of privilege as something you earn not something associated with racial opportunity.
The Left seems to be constantly trying to recover from self-inflicted wounds.
40
General Comments / Re: The Jan 6 Commission
« on: April 05, 2022, 06:40:28 PM »
The fact that this happened in the middle of one of the most questionable parts of his presidency may not be illegal but strongly suggests there were reasons for him to avoid normal procedures. Is there proof of illegal activity? We may or may never know.
41
General Comments / Re: The Expanse - Scifi Network Show
« on: March 07, 2022, 11:08:30 AM »
Of course, That is if we don't create an AI that wipes us out or makes us slaves. OR if we don't wipe ourselves out playing with superbugs, start WW3, get wiped out by something like the Yellowstone volcano......
42
General Comments / Re: The Expanse - Scifi Network Show
« on: March 07, 2022, 10:00:25 AM »Quote
Not really.
50 years ago the cell phone was already in development(April 1973), car phones already existed.
Everything else about it is largely just the application of miniaturization. While many advances in materials science are involved in making the modern smart phone viable. Nothing about it would be seen as "science fiction" as it is largely applications of science that was already understood by 1972.
Heck, the C programming language already existed by 1972.
The thing that would blow their minds, and is an ongoing issue for Japan to this day, is that software has almost become more important than the hardware. For a generation of people who went from non-mechanical to mechanical systems, the idea of hardware being that flexible in what it can do would be quite the mind-bender, but again, that's all about application, not the underlying science and tech.
IE: They'd be more surprised by how we're using it than they would be by what we're using. At least if they were working in science and tech fields in 1972. Everyone else would likely think it's sci-fi.
I wasn't really referring to the basic cellular functionality but to the full smart phone capability. I believe that would have been considered SCIFI. You can quibble about the specifics but it doesn't really change the point.
43
General Comments / Re: The Expanse - Scifi Network Show
« on: March 06, 2022, 08:13:55 AM »Quote
It's just interesting seeing a more realistic version of science fiction without faster than light travel or force fields.
I believe that FTL travel is theoretically possible and may eventually even be practical based on DARPAs recent creation of a WARP bubble. Depending on how forcefields are defined they may also be possible (they are already being used for containment in fusion reactor testing.
Our cell phone would have been sci fi to someone living even 50 years ago. With the massive rate of tech change declaring anything unrealistic in the future seems short-sighted.
44
General Comments / Re: coronavirus
« on: February 16, 2022, 02:03:05 PM »
To be clear I was referring to hospitalization because of Covid not deaths. I have no reason to doubt that the numbers of deaths are not accurate and have probably be under counted.
45
General Comments / Re: coronavirus
« on: February 16, 2022, 12:24:48 PM »Quote
This was an issue related to hospitalizations up to about a month ago when the reporting rules changed to "hospitalized For" from "Hospitalized With" so older statistics need to be looked at carefully. This is however independent of deaths from which have been accurately tracked for the most part despite claims from deniers.
Where are you seeing this new "for vs with" data? Most recent CDC is still showing "Hospital Admissions of Patients with confirmed covid-19...", which simply confirms TheDeamon's point above.
I try to be as accurate as possible with my data. I frequently call out individuals I support on using misleading numbers even when I agree with their point. This is the site I se for most of my data. There is a section on hospitalizations.
https://ourworldindata.org
46
General Comments / Re: coronavirus
« on: February 16, 2022, 06:41:57 AM »
This was an issue related to hospitalizations up to about a month ago when the reporting rules changed to "hospitalized For" from "Hospitalized With" so older statistics need to be looked at carefully. This is however independent of deaths from which have been accurately tracked for the most part despite claims from deniers.
47
General Comments / Re: The Real Disinformation - spying on the president
« on: February 15, 2022, 04:35:36 PM »
I find it difficult to believe Junior would take a questionable meeting if he did not see a benefit far exceeding 25K.
48
General Comments / Re: The Real Disinformation - spying on the president
« on: February 15, 2022, 11:33:50 AM »
Thanks. To clarify if the Clinton campaign was guilty of violating any laws in their spying they should be held accountable. I generally think of spying being observation that crosses the line into illegal activity but maybe that's to loose a definition.
49
General Comments / Re: The Real Disinformation - spying on the president
« on: February 15, 2022, 11:18:55 AM »
Isn't there a process for declassifying documents? Unless that process was followed while Trump was president then he had no right to declassify them after the fact.
As far as the spying on the Trump campaign. If there is proof then all the individuals that were involved including Clinton should be charged and held accountable.
As far as the spying on the Trump campaign. If there is proof then all the individuals that were involved including Clinton should be charged and held accountable.
50
General Comments / Re: here comes the next ice age
« on: February 11, 2022, 09:17:44 PM »Quote
Once Fusion starts to look viable, they'll likely start getting into the "theoretical byproducts" (which may be radioactive) and the sheer scale and type of rare earth materials needed to build a plant and try to attack it that way. It shouldn't get anywhere nearly as much traction as it did with fission, but time will tell.
That is why the use of boron instead of tritium looks so good. Tritium has potential radioactive elements whereas boron doesn't. Cheap energy will be game changer but you are right that there will always be those who scream about anything new. But to be fair there are also those who fuss about anything not new.