Hi fellow atheists, sceptics, and agnostics!!! What is the best secular meet up group?

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 13, 2019:

American Humanist Association - Find a Local Chapter: https://americanhumanist.org/get-involved/find-or-start-a-chapter/

Why do they worship?

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 13, 2019:

Praising and worship is a bonding experience. It also is brainwashing, those tunes will stick with you. It is also team building and motivation. It builds that us vs them mentality.

Why are you a humanist?

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 13, 2019:

because I believe in Good and I think it is more socially acceptable to say I'm a secular Humanist rather than Atheist, especially if you live in a conservative bastion.

Did You Predict Trump's Failure? I sure did!

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 13, 2019:

I will say without a shadow of a doubt he is the worst president in my lifetime, far far worse than Tricky Dick, Ronald Raygun, and all of the Bushs combined.

MEMCON--(Washington talk), A memorandum of a conversation

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 13, 2019:

Back in my Army days if was an MFR, memorandum for record. I think in today's lexicon I can see why it might not be used any longer.

Anatomy of the phone call now imperiling Trump’s presidency

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 12, 2019:

Oh FFS...... I have overwhelming fatigue. He keeps doing dangerous, dumb, stupid stuff, and I keep being upset, annoyed, and I am so tired of it.

The man I am dating told me that most women wear thong underwear, at least on date night.

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 12, 2019:

I hate thongs, they are uncomfortable and useless. I don't think I own any now And oh yeah, I haven't progressed to getting down to underthings on a date in a very long time. I think my date should be damn glad I'm showing up clean and now I think I know why I haven't had a date in a long time.

Beginning of Hunting Season in Upstate New York

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 12, 2019:

Sad but necessary.

Anyone have an adult child who is struggling to figure out what they believe?

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 12, 2019:

I have three daughters that were raised IN the church, dad is still in the church. Two oldest are atheists, youngest is laying low, she's living with her dad and doesn't want to have that discussion.

@Marionville's recent post reminded me of this one. edentulous lacking teeth

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 12, 2019:

That can be cute or repulsive, largely depending on the age of the so afflicted.

Good Morning My Hippies! Wearing sweats this morning- 55 degrees inside, no heat turned on yet.

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 12, 2019:

We got below freezing last night, down to 30°!! Kinda early in the season for us. I had my service scheduled to blow out my sprinkler system, I was glad to hear them come on early so I knew they hadn't frozen. Now that has been done for this winter. Whew!! I have a new winter coat, and new boots, and the furnace will be serviced in a couple of weeks. The car was serviced last week and is ready for winter. I need to go out and check the garden, the freeze may have ended the growing season for sure. I need to see what I can salvage.

Another one bites the dust... [cnn.com]

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 11, 2019:

The rats are abandoning the sinking shit ship.

[agnostic.

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 11, 2019:

And I get a Not Available when I checked the link!! Another one's gone, another one bites the dust!

Great and Unmatched?

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 11, 2019:

Unthatched maybe. Well maybe unmatched in lack because he leads the moron set, but it is a close tie.

Amazing interview How Twitter Helped Change The Mind Of A Westboro Baptist Church Member ...

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 11, 2019:

This looks good, I have put it on hold at my library. I'm #21 on 3 copies...

clem·en·cy To ask for mercy; lenience Don't think I ever heard this word (or read) until a ...

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 10, 2019:

I am so glad your vocabulary is expanding. I remember first hearing the word when Nixon was in the WH. Yes, I'm that old.

You survive

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 10, 2019:

My record of surviving is awesome so far, I have the scars and incredibly dark coping skills to show for it.

OUTRE--unusual & startling

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 9, 2019:

Very nice!

Finally a word to describe PresidentIgnoranus

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 9, 2019:

perfect!

Another Illiterate Religious Moron Him: Hi, how are you today?

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 9, 2019:

I debate from time to time about trying a dating site again. So far I'm not convinced it is worth the trouble. However... nah... but... dang.

its 4am and my body needs to shut down for a while .

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 9, 2019:

Meditation helps me, and sometimes large doses of Benadryl or alcohol. And sometimes other.

tRump is now totally obstructing the House Impeachment proceedings.

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 9, 2019:

Just be careful, you never know who is reading this. We do have the legal requirement not to threaten the person of the president.

Top Military Officers Unload on Trump

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 8, 2019:

For most of the past two decades, American troops have been deployed all over the world—to about 150 countries. During that time, hundreds of thousands of young men and women have experienced combat, and a generation of officers have come of age dealing with the practical realities of war. They possess a deep well of knowledge and experience. For the past three years, these highly trained professionals have been commanded by Donald Trump. To get a sense of what serving Trump has been like, I interviewed officers up and down the ranks, as well as several present and former civilian Pentagon employees. Among the officers I spoke with were four of the highest ranks—three or four stars—all recently retired. All but one served Trump directly; the other left the service shortly before Trump was inaugurated. They come from different branches of the military, but I’ll simply refer to them as “the generals.” Some spoke only off the record, some allowed what they said to be quoted without attribution, and some talked on the record. Military officers are sworn to serve whomever voters send to the White House. Cognizant of the special authority they hold, high-level officers epitomize respect for the chain of command, and are extremely reticent about criticizing their civilian overseers. That those I spoke with made an exception in Trump’s case is telling, and much of what they told me is deeply disturbing. In 20 years of writing about the military, I have never heard officers in high positions express such alarm about a president. Trump’s pronouncements and orders have already risked catastrophic and unnecessary wars in the Middle East and Asia, and have created severe problems for field commanders engaged in combat operations. Frequently caught unawares by Trump’s statements, senior military officers have scrambled, in their aftermath, to steer the country away from tragedy. How many times can they successfully do that before faltering? Amid threats spanning the globe, from nuclear proliferation to mined tankers in the Persian Gulf to terrorist attacks and cyberwarfare, those in command positions monitor the president’s Twitter feed like field officers scanning the horizon for enemy troop movements. A new front line in national defense has become the White House Situation Room, where the military struggles to accommodate a commander in chief who is both ignorant and capricious. In May, after months of threatening Iran, Trump ordered the carrier group led by the USS Abraham Lincoln to shift from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. On June 20, after an American drone was downed there, he ordered a retaliatory attack—and then called it off minutes before it was to be launched. The next day he said he was “not looking for ...

What a life to to just wander around and demand and receive massages any time of the day.

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 8, 2019:

I've always thought I wanted to be reincarnated as one of my kitties. Or a kitty to live with one of my kids, especially the one who doesn't have kids :)

Four Benefits of Adopting Two Cats [worldsbestcatlitter.com]

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 8, 2019:

When I was married ex said two pets only, and I went along with that. Post divorce I kept the kitty that was blind, he kept the dog as I could not take him with me. Then the dog was rehomed with his vet so it was a very good fit. I did try to get a second kitty but old kitty's eye issues made her crabby and new kitty picked on her. New kitty went with my daughter after a few months. I had old kitty as an only for the last 5 or 6 years of her life. A few months after she passed I got Xena who was about a year old at the time. Then 10 months later I got Zelda and she was about 6 months old. It is so entertaining to watch them. Xena can groom Zelda, but not the other way around. It seems like they egg each other into mischief, or one will watch for me while the other gets into stuff. Xena is a ginger and she prefers the ginger grandson. Zelda is a dark tabby and she prefers the brown haired granddaughter. I love my kitties, don't ever want to have a single kitty again. I'd like to have a dog one day, but not while I'm working. However, I will never live without a kitty, they just make the house homey.

[agnostic.

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 8, 2019:

I love it when another one bites the dust.

[agnostic.

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 8, 2019:

And then there are his messages. His opener: **Hello dear friend how are you doing today** My response: **I'm far away from you. Seriously not interested in long distance**. Is that plain enough? His responses: **What matters is feelings and understanding distance dooes matter my dear** **Can i have your email or whatsapp number so that i will reach you there** My response: **What part of not interested are you not understanding?** His response: **I don.t understand​ break it down for me** **So that i can understand​ you very clear ** FFS

I am family.

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 8, 2019:

My kitties is my four legged fur kids. I kept my kitties when I had my own babies. Now my kids have all sorts of babies, they're all my kids and grands. I have 5 grand cats and a grand dog, and two human grands.

[alternet.

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 8, 2019:

YAY

Is it possible to fall in love with someone with opposing political views?

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 8, 2019:

My aunt and uncle were married for 50ish years, auntie used to joke that she and uncle used to hold hands going into the polling place so they could cancel out each other's votes. She was Japanese, met uncle during the Korean war (he was stationed in Japan). There was huge anti Japanese sentiment in the US when they married, but they overcame it all. I think they had a good balance and good understanding of what was really important.

Ignorance is intolerable.

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 7, 2019:

My kitties always have been my babies, even when the babies came along. Now my babies have fur babies and hooman babies and they're all my grandbabies.

I've heard of shopping hungry. But the library?

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 7, 2019:

I've done a few things like this, I remember flax meal, and egg, and cocoa powder, maybe honey and baking powder. Quick, chocolate, and high fiber. I haven't thought of that in years. Hmmmmm.

Interesting idea! But many people will be severely pissed off if he doesn't spend any time in ...

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 7, 2019:

We live in interesting times. I it f@@king killing me, but it is interesting.

Crime is a lot of work!

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 7, 2019:

Done right it is like a full time job or something.

Petunia was hitting my deep stash yesterday, thinking if she cleared it out she would have more ...

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 7, 2019:

fill them with water and if they hold you have water balloons, then toss them at kids.

RAISON D ETRE--the most important reason for someone or something's existence

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 7, 2019:

Good freaking morons. Sheeple.

Since this is the "Joker" Weekend at the movies, i was reminded about some Joker quotes.

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 6, 2019:

This is the nightmare that will not end....

Trump Sees New Polls and Orders Ukraine to Investigate Elizabeth Warren | The New Yorker

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 6, 2019:

He's such a pinhead.

What are the things you want most out of life?

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 6, 2019:

I'd love to find a partner, but I'm not holding my breath, also not looking terribly hard. I want to work until I can afford to retire, I want to retire with the bills paid off. I want to spend retirement reading, doing my projects, being with the kids and grands, and traveling some. I'd like to get a small dog. I'd like to get into some sort of meaningful volunteer work, maybe with underpriveleged kids/families in need.

Anything can happen.

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 6, 2019:

We can hope!

Just saw this on Facebook. Yup, that's what we're dealing with.

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 6, 2019:

We are a nation of sheeple.

Give Barnes & Noble a medal for this one.

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 6, 2019:

Damn!! I wish I saw that earlier today when I was down in that end of town. I'd have made a visit.

The Nickelback joke Trump doesn’t get - The Washington Post

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 6, 2019:

Copied and pasted: By Molly Roberts Editorial writer covering technology and society October 4 “LOOK AT THIS PHOTOGRAPH.” These words were made immortal first by the Canadian band Nickelback in a 2005 hit single “Photograph,” a very, very bad song that did very, very well on the radio — and then again this week by President Trump in a tweet featuring a snapshot of Joe Biden, his son Hunter and another man labeled, “Ukrainian gas exec.” The conceit is simple. The “Photograph” music video shows Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger walking down an empty street, holding a framed image of Kroeger and his producer up to the camera. Trump’s riff on an existing meme replaces that image with a Tucker Carlson “scoop” circulating on right-wing media. Trump’s display sent the Internet into fits, partly because it seemed to crystallize the complete craziness of the president’s current impeachment-inspired frenzy. This Ukraine scandal is all so serious, and yet at the end of day it’s all so silly: The commander in chief’s tenure is under existential threat, and his response is to send out a dumb clip of Kroeger preparing to ask “what the hell is on Joey’s head?” Dumb or dumber, the meme bears demystifying. It illuminates a basic truth about our president. People in the meme-generating depths of the Web did not make Nickelback memes because they liked Nickelback. They made Nickelback memes because they did not like Nickelback, and because Nickelback was everywhere anyway. The music was barely musical; it was a crummy commodity foisted upon the citizenry by people trying to sell us stuff. The record industry shoved “Photograph” in our face the same way Kroeger thrusts the frame toward his audience, as if commanding us to care. Representatives argue over Nickelback on the House floor Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) joked March 7 about the “pretty low” number of Nickelback fans while discussing an election measure. (U.S. House) So this begat Nickelbacking, a relative of Rickrolling that involves, basically, calling someone on the phone and playing Nickelback. It begat a Facebook page setting up a contest for likes between Nickelback and a pickle. (The pickle won.) It begat the “Photograph” bit, which struck at the emptiness at the song’s center. You could replace that picture with anything at all, because it all meant nothing. Nickelback didn’t exactly become famous for being famous. It became famous for being famous despite being horrible. That makes Trump the Nickelback president. He was elevated to the top of society despite being utterly deplorable, and also because he was utterly deplorable. But there’s more to it. The initial transformation of Nickelback from anodyne top-40ers to ...

So I haven't been on here lately and aparently no one else?

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 6, 2019:

You had a good day!

New details about a 'troll farm' shed light on Russia's election meddling - Business Insider

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 6, 2019:

Recently revealed details about how an infamous Russian "troll farm" operated and its role in Russia's disinformation campaign shed new light on Russia's interference in the 2016 US presidential race. One former troll, who was interviewed by the independent Russian news outlet Dozhd and went by "Maxim," or Max, spoke of his experience working for the Internet Research Agency, a well-researched Russian company in St. Petersburg whose function is to spread pro-Russian propaganda and sow political discord in nations perceived as hostile to Russia. The secretive firm is bankrolled by Yevgeny Prigozhin, CNN reported, a Russian oligarch who is a close ally of President Vladimir Putin. Up to a third of the company's staff was tasked with interfering in US political conversation during the 2016 election, according to an investigation conducted by the Russian news agency RBC and detailed by another Russian news outlet, Meduza. The Internet Research Agency, Max told Dozhd, consisted of a "Russian desk" and a "foreign desk." The Russian desk, which was primarily made up of bots and trolls, used fake social-media accounts to flood the internet with pro-Trump agitprop and made-up news throughout the US presidential campaign, especially in the days leading up to the November election. The foreign desk had a more sophisticated purpose, according to Max, who worked in that department. "It’s not just writing ‘Obama is a monkey’ and ‘Putin is great.’ They’ll even fine you for that kind of [primitive] stuff," he told Dozhd. In fact, those who worked for the foreign desk were restricted from spreading pro-Russia propaganda. Rather, Max said, their job was more qualitative and was geared toward understanding the "nuances" of American politics to "rock the boat" on divisive issues like gun control and LGBT rights. "Our goal wasn’t to turn the Americans toward Russia," he added. "Our task was to set Americans against their own government: to provoke unrest and discontent, and to lower Obama’s support ratings." An entire department, the "Department of Provocations," was dedicated to that goal: Its primary objective was to disseminate fake news and sow discord in the West, according to CNN. The troll farm also had its own "Facebook desk," whose function was to relentlessly push back against the platform's administrators who deleted fake accounts as they began gaining traction. When Internet Research Agency employees argued against having their accounts deleted, Max said, Facebook staffers would write back, "You are trolls." The trolls would in turn invoke the First Amendment right to free speech — occasionally, they won the arguments. Facebook is now at the center of congressional and FBI investigations that are examining the ...

Maxine Waters rains holy hell on ‘spineless’ Republicans refusing to stand up to Trump: ‘I ...

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 6, 2019:

Good for her!!!

Some feedback from the Finnish president on his visit to the United States - The Washington Post

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 6, 2019:

President Sauli Niinisto! Thank you for visiting the United States and President Donald J. Trump on the 100th anniversary of U.S.-Finland diplomatic relations. Can you spare a minute of your time to tell us what you thought so we can improve the experience for future visitors? What were some highlights of your stay? I enjoyed the museums very much. I visited several, and they were all well lit, clean and informative. I liked that they were free, just like the population is under democracy. I do not think that either of those things should change. If possible, keep both aspects. I also enjoyed the chairs. I sat on a chair that was large and bright yellow, with arms, and although the arms did not provide as much protection of my personal space as I had hoped and I briefly suffered a surprise touch upon the knee (something Moominpappa would have addressed even more sternly than I did), it was not the chair’s fault. I still basically liked the chair. It was clearly not the work of Alvar Aalto, but it was a good chair. Do you have any feedback as to how your stay could be improved? Well, I have to say, I would perhaps have done certain things slightly differently. For instance, it was clear that President Trump had many things he wanted to get off his chest, primarily about someone named Adam Schiff, but also about the governor of California? I found this unseemly emotional outburst off-putting. I would not have asked him to stand there while I had an emotional outburst. To me, a more seemly way of showing disapproval would be to purchase and then quietly hand them a Marimekko design that is in an unpleasing color — although, such a Marimekko design does not exist? I do not understand why it was necessary for me to sit there silently like an Artek daybed (although even when they are silent, Artek daybeds make statements). He kept yelling about a perfect conversation, but if it was anything like the conversation we had, I would say it was not perfect. A perfect conversation, to us in Finland, is one in which the freedom of the press is respected and people do not shout, say inaccurate things about the European Union and give the press mean nicknames. We reserve this kind of saltiness for our licorice. Also, I would say, it is embarrassing for a leader to hector his press and call them fake. It makes him look bad, and it is uncomfortable. It seemed as though this was the kind of thing you would want to save for later, when you were alone, after you were not trying to impress people anymore. Indeed, I started to wonder: Does he know that I am here? I am just sitting here like the "J" in “fjord” or the many treasures of Helsinki: I am there, but nobody thinks about me. I began to feel that I had blended into the chair, but then...

Online dating, now the most common way for couples to meet, is desegregating America

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 6, 2019:

Good article, it could cause some big changes for insular communities.

MAGA-Manipulating America's Gullible Assholes!

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 6, 2019:

Funny, but so horribly sad.

New York's Biggest Cat 😻😻😻 [youtu.be]

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 5, 2019:

That a lotta kitty to love!

SYBARITIC--fond of sensuous pleasure or luxury, self-indulgent

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 5, 2019:

I need more of that!

I am extremely depressed.

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 5, 2019:

So, don't take it anymore. It is hurting you to stay, what is your gut saying?

I have to decide if I want to get up early enough tomorrow to drive three hours to San Diego for an ...

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 5, 2019:

That is a very large investment of time, gas, and wear and tear on your car. My guideline for out of the area trips is will I spend as much time there as it took to get there and back. So you're investing 6 hours of driving for a 2 hour hike that isn't a date. For me, I would be very reluctant to miss my regularly scheduled Sunday activities, especially as I hate being up THAT early. I'd have to be up at 4 to be on the road at 5. For me it would likely be a no unless this is an area I've always wanted to visit. What ever you decide, I hope it turns out great.

So that explains it

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 5, 2019:

It makes so much sense now!

Does anyone know what happened to @Lincoln55?

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 5, 2019:

People come and people go, tis the nature of social media type of sites.

Me: Art class😊

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 5, 2019:

English and History. School was my escape, home sucked.

Would people ever talk to each other if there were not sporting events or political scandals to ...

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 5, 2019:

I can talk to almost anyone about almost anything. And people tell me stuff, it's really weird sometimes.

I know there are not many here, but thought I would share.

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 5, 2019:

Good for you for knowing your worth. I hope you get what you want.

Wow! ‘Felony violation of law’: Experts stunned and horrified as Trump openly calls on China to...

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 4, 2019:

I don't think anything will amaze me anymore.

When you have to self-label, do you describe yourself as an agnostic, skeptic, non-believer--or ...

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 4, 2019:

It depends on the situation. Sometimes I say I'm Atheist, sometimes I say I'm Humanist, and sometimes Agnostic. It kind of evolves. Most of the time I'd go with Secular Humanist and totally confuse them. For most people, especially in the US it is black and white, either Xian or not. They don't care or understand about the shadings.

When Breath Becomes Air: A Young Neurosurgeon Examines the Meaning of Life as He Faces His Death | ...

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 3, 2019:

I read that book a few years ago, very excellently done.

The Guardian Book Review: This Life and Outgrowing God "This Life and Outgrowing God review – ...

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 3, 2019:

I have This Life here at home, from the local library. I probably should get started on it soon.

At this rate, i could be a great-great grandmother when i finally die.

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 3, 2019:

It is very hard sometimes to remain quiet while our offspring make choices we'd rather they didn't make. All you can do is love them and try not to bite a hole in your tongue.

Exactly how I feel.

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 3, 2019:

I would join that party!

I think 45 has grossly miscalculated the "benefit" of attacking Biden and his son.

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 3, 2019:

To paraphrase my Jewish friends, "from your mouth (writings) to God's ears." Let it be so, and soon!

Oh gosh, where to start.

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 3, 2019:

I am afraid I'd have to answer me as well. I don't think I have anything that used to be my moms.

...here's tomorrows news a little early

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 3, 2019:

Paranoid much?

"C" for me 👍😊

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 2, 2019:

My parents we the builder generation, I am a boomer, my kids are millennials. One grand baby is a Gen Z, born in 16. So what comes after Z? Second grand was born in 18.

Would you do your job if you didn't get paid?

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 2, 2019:

The pay and health insurance is the only reason I go to work. Hey, I got a "free" flu shot, but then I work for a hospital and being immunized is required to work there.

VACUOUS.

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 2, 2019:

I know too many people like this.

Another scammer? [agnostic.com]

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 2, 2019:

Not available!!! Woot!

Appropriate for this Group?

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 1, 2019:

Definitely!

It's finally raining!!! Yay!!

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 1, 2019:

Jeebus girl! Be careful what you ask for. We had over 5 inches of rain in September, and we might get 5 more inches today into tomorrow. This is on top of the flooding the cut major roadways and destroyed acres of cropland. Some folks have started to look for that old dude with a boat with all those animals.

Can someone explain what a perfect conversation is?

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 1, 2019:

So tell me how this bashes Drumpf? Please follow the guidelines of the group.

Damn Fake news is apparently enough to get you convicted, and resign from Congress. [cnbc.com]

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 1, 2019:

This is such good news!

Well, I think I've just ended another friendship over 45. Oh well.

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 1, 2019:

If it saves your sanity, it is likely for the best, for you. We have to do what we have to do to maintain our sanity.

I think my greatest contribution to this group is memes.

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 1, 2019:

I enjoy having you as part of the group, no matter how much or little you contribute. And these are great, so thanks!!

Kellyanne Conway launches an insane sexist attack on Nancy Pelosi — 'she only backed impeachment ...

HippieChick58 comments on Oct 1, 2019:

I'm sorry (not sorry) KellyAnne has NO credibility. The woman is a bimbo of the worst sort.

Americans Want to Believe Jobs Are the Solution to Poverty.

HippieChick58 comments on Sep 30, 2019:

Matthew Desmond is a contributing writer for the magazine and the author of “ EVICTED: POVERTY AND PROFIT IN THE AMERICAN CITY,” which won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for general nonfiction. It is an excellent book, made me aware of things that were easier to not be aware of.

I am curious to know how many of you maintain friendships with religious people (particularly those ...

HippieChick58 comments on Sep 30, 2019:

I have a few friends that are pastors, I'm sure I try their patience. One especially I communicate with fairly frequently. He was an enormous help when I had an out of control teenager. He truly has a heart for people, the most loving man I've ever met. His church is doing a program on spirituality and sexuality, I've asked for a transcript. Not for me, but my daughter just came out, and her religious daddy is having conniptions. Actually he's more concerned that she is atheist than she is gay, but neither one is to his liking. Anyway, I will let her check it out and then pass it on to her dad if she wants. I will do anything to support my kids.

One of the most annoying things about Christians is their insistence that god takes care of ...

HippieChick58 comments on Sep 30, 2019:

I remember hearing people (especially youngish women) taking about being in a huge parking lot and finding a parking space just where they needed it and god was soo good to them. And I'm thinking millions of starving babies and god takes the time to clear a parking space for you. Yeah right.

Australia Cuts 80% of Plastic Bag Use in 3 Short Months - EcoWatch

HippieChick58 comments on Sep 29, 2019:

I did make it a point to carry my bags into the grocery store today.

FWB.

HippieChick58 comments on Sep 28, 2019:

I'm not cut out to be a dominatrix. I had a guy that wanted to be my dom, but he wanted to call me "baby girl" and I was to call him "daddy". That is a hard stop for me. That is just a bucket of cold water for me.

"There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been.

HippieChick58 comments on Sep 28, 2019:

Just like "der Donaldo" is a good xian, he's never read the bible, has no idea what is says, and yet he is the chosen. This is Trump Pinata, we gotta connect things to der Donaldo, not just trash/bash xians.

Can you smell it?

HippieChick58 comments on Sep 27, 2019:

Flop sweat!

When one grows up poor, in a loving family, and not in an absolute struggle to avoid starvation, one...

HippieChick58 comments on Sep 27, 2019:

I grew up in a poor but dysfunctional family. Mom died when I was 14, dad remarried the bitch from hell 6 months later. My brothers and dad were abusive, my stepmother was also abusive. Today only my middle sister and I are close. We used to joke that we were the normal ones, both of us in long marriages. Then I got a divorce :) but we're still close. Maybe closer, she didn't like the ex.

oxymoron--figure of speech that juxtaposes things that are contradictory--such as "a good death"

HippieChick58 comments on Sep 26, 2019:

That would give one pause if you took it literally.

Headed for a short trip to Maine in the morning. Surprising my mother for her birthday!

HippieChick58 comments on Sep 26, 2019:

Happy birthday to Mama!! Have a good trip!

Did you grow up with an avocado kitchen? 🤔

HippieChick58 comments on Sep 25, 2019:

Thank goodness no. We had some green stuff, but not much. We mostly had white and no particular style. I am not fond of green so I don't have much green ever in any home I've ever lived in. Yes, if you know me, I did 6 years in the Army and another 12 years as a spouse and I really don't like green, especially OD or Avocado green. I do eat lots of avocados though.

I took myself to lunch ! When I was still dating an over-the-top god person, we discovered this...

HippieChick58 comments on Sep 25, 2019:

I go into restaurants from time to time with just me. Sometimes as a treat, sometimes as a girl has to eat and eating in the car is not an option for me. I try to take a book/tablet with me, or grab a newspaper. Whether with someone or alone, we still gotta eat.

Ok, I just got this overwhelming feeling of dread. Could this all be a set up?

HippieChick58 comments on Sep 25, 2019:

Like riding a roller coaster.

Me an attitude!

HippieChick58 comments on Sep 25, 2019:

Adorable!

Hmmm... any bet on this?

HippieChick58 comments on Sep 24, 2019:

And he has a bridge for sale as well. Would you trust him as far as you could throw him?

Federal judge rules an anti-LGBTQ church can legally be called a ‘hate group’ / LGBTQ Nation

HippieChick58 comments on Sep 24, 2019:

A federal judge has ruled that an anti-LGBTQ Florida-based church, D. James Kennedy Ministries, can be labelled a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) as a matter of free speech. Although the court didn’t decide on whether the church itself is an actual hate group, the SPLC says the church “maligns the entire LGBT community.” The church and its corporate entity, Coral Ridge Ministries Media Inc., sought to sue the SPLC stating that the group “illegally trafficked in false and misleading descriptions of the services offered by [the group] and committed defamation against DJKM arising from the publication and distribution of false information that libels the ministry’s reputation.” The church also sought to sue the online retailer Amazon because the SPLC’s designation rendered it ineligible for charitable donations through Amazon’s giving programs, as well as GuideStar, an organization that connects donors and grant-makers to non-profit organizations, for dropping the church from its services. Judge Myron Thompson of the U.S. District Court in Montgomery, Alabama tossed out the lawsuit, basically stating that free speech rights allow the SLPC to label the church as a hate group if it wants. In a statement, SPLC President Richard Cohen said: “The fact that Coral Ridge claims its statements about the LGBT community are biblically based doesn’t immunize it from criticism. We have a First Amendment right to express our opinions, just as Coral Ridge has a right to express its opinions.” The Miami Herald reports that the church was named after mega-church pastor D. James Kennedy Ministries, a man who co-founded the Moral Majority, a politically influential lobby that successfully tied conservative politics to evangelical Christianity in the ’70s. Church spokesman John Rabe defended the ministry against the hate group designation, saying, “We believe that marriage is a central institution to society and it was ordained by God. [We] would not advocate any sort of violence or any sort of prejudice. We absolutely affirm equal rights for homosexuals and all other people. We believe in equal rights.” However, the SPLC says that every church on its anti-LGBTQ hate group list spreads anti-LGBTQ messages.

Be best y’all!

HippieChick58 comments on Sep 24, 2019:

Melania doesn't strike me as being aware of much going on around her, must be the prozac.

Ya think tRump is bent out of shape tonight?

HippieChick58 comments on Sep 24, 2019:

I hope he is sweating bullets.

My date with the lady I met on the bus last week went splendidly! We split a pizza at a restaurant,...

HippieChick58 comments on Sep 24, 2019:

That is exciting! I'm so happy for you!

Trump mocks teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg - CNNPolitics

HippieChick58 comments on Sep 24, 2019:

I would disagree that Drumpf is leader of the free world, I think that title moved over to Angela Merkel. Whoever it is, it ain't Donaldo cuz the US is no longer part of the free world. Maybe the leader is Justin, I could follow him!

We can but hope!

HippieChick58 comments on Sep 24, 2019:

I love how there is no dissembling with her. You know what she is thinking, and I so agree with her!

Be careful my friends.....

HippieChick58 comments on Sep 24, 2019:

I don't believe in luck, but I also am thankful for menopause.