I just read a comment that “Americans can’t catch a break” in reaction Amy Coney Barrett’s ...

Paul4747 comments on Oct 27, 2020:

Remember that it was a minority who voted for Trump. As @RoboGraham says, the system was set up so that smaller states would have an outsized influence due to their Senate seats, but Trump did not win the small states; he won in the Rust Belt and the Plains States, which have a medium population. It...

Paul4747 replies on Oct 27, 2020:

@RoboGraham All tyranny is equally bad. It's not quantitative.

Trump signs order to ease packing government with loyalists

barjoe comments on Oct 27, 2020:

He must think he's gonna win. This would enable Biden to drain the swamp himself. Let's hope so.

Paul4747 replies on Oct 27, 2020:

Not so much that. It's an anti-union and anti-civil service measure. "The swamp" is made of lobbyists and big donors who write bills and then present them through congressmen and senators, tailored to their special interests. The swamp is all about money. Weakening the professional civil service and driving expertise out will make the swamp even murkier.

The Atheist organizations like FFRF need to get involved in Politics just the Christian Churches are...

Thirst2learn comments on Oct 22, 2020:

Yall communists already set up institutions to destroy the world, the IMF and the Federal reserve

Paul4747 replies on Oct 27, 2020:

Are you for real??

A REAL president speaks.

Willow_Wisp comments on Oct 27, 2020:

I just find it depressing that a fully qualified competent rational woman was passed over to put this shit stain in office. They can kill me but I'll spout truth and resentment until everything Trump dies just as a quarter million of my fellow citizens have. No one in this administration should be ...

Paul4747 replies on Oct 27, 2020:

Okay, had to read twice to make sure you were referring to Trump

Wood screw spill on Interstate-90 causes multiple flat tires.

Paul4747 comments on Oct 27, 2020:

That's screwed up. A screwy situation. Screw that guy. (I'd better stop now.)

Paul4747 replies on Oct 27, 2020:

@starwatcher-al I'm here all week. Tip your server.

California GOP stands by unofficial ballot boxes, won't remove them

RoboGraham comments on Oct 27, 2020:

I hope there are abundant prison sentences resulting form this.

Paul4747 replies on Oct 27, 2020:

It's a dubious situation, since CA law allows for "ballot harvesting", which the local Republican party claim this is a form of; they also claim an overzealous party worker put the word "official" on the boxes. There's been no allegations of actually going through the ballots and discarding those turned in by Democrats, for instance. On the other hand, they are defying a state order to take their collection boxes down. The state has its own boxes, which are set up in a prescribed manner, and the Republican Party boxes are unauthorized. You can't just go around slapping "Official Ballot Drop Box" on a container and make it so. It will be interesting to see what the courts do.

CBP Refuses to Tell Congress How it is Tracking Americans Without a Warrant The CBP is buying ...

Paul4747 comments on Oct 26, 2020:

Link results in a 404 error

Paul4747 replies on Oct 27, 2020:

@FearlessFly Depends on whether there is truly an investigation, I guess. Anyone who comes out with any unflattering facts about CBP would have to go.

Damn! The inevitable has just happened on the US senate.

CourtJester comments on Oct 26, 2020:

I know; right??? It’s rare to see an elected official do their job.

Paul4747 replies on Oct 26, 2020:

Except that they didn't. The Senate is supposed to *advise* and consent on judicial appointments, not "hold a 2-hour hearing on whoever is crammed down the public's throat before the lame duck session." Also, you and they are utter hypocrites, since 4 years ago they refused to "do their job" and hold a hearing on Merrick Garland. But that was different, wasn't it, he was an Obama nominee, so obviously that seat had to be held open for 8 months. Y'all make me sick.

CBP Refuses to Tell Congress How it is Tracking Americans Without a Warrant The CBP is buying ...

Paul4747 comments on Oct 26, 2020:

Link results in a 404 error

Paul4747 replies on Oct 26, 2020:

@FearlessFly The vice.com link is still dead, the post link works. So that's another IG Trump will have to fire before January, then?

Amy Coney Barrett: Senate confirms judge to Supreme Court

CourtJester comments on Oct 26, 2020:

Beautiful

Paul4747 replies on Oct 26, 2020:

@CourtJester Oh, goodie. A veiled threat of armed violence over changing the number of justices on the Supreme Court. Your idol has taught you well. You must be one of those "Second Amendment people" he was talking about who could stop Hilary from nominating judges had she been sworn in as President.

I had in interesting session with my therapist.

Sofabeast comments on Oct 26, 2020:

I'm not fully qualified yet, but I feel I could do a better job for you already. Firstly she should forensically regress your life history and observe you, your spoken and body language. Then investigate the route through what you need for whatever your psychological answer is.

Paul4747 replies on Oct 26, 2020:

When you say "forensically regress your life history", are you talking about recovered memory therapy? I only ask because there is no scientific verification of recovered memory, and a ton of evidence that it leads to confabulation and the construction of false memories.

White House signals defeat in pandemic as coronavirus outbreak roils Pence?

FearlessFly comments on Oct 26, 2020:

“We’re not going to control the pandemic,” Meadows said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “We are going to control the fact that we get vaccines, therapeutics and other mitigations.” I don't think those words mean "signals defeat" :P

Paul4747 replies on Oct 26, 2020:

@FearlessFly Now I understand what the "Fly" part of your ID is about. You just keep buzzing on meaninglessly.

White House signals defeat in pandemic as coronavirus outbreak roils Pence?

FearlessFly comments on Oct 26, 2020:

“We’re not going to control the pandemic,” Meadows said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “We are going to control the fact that we get vaccines, therapeutics and other mitigations.” I don't think those words mean "signals defeat" :P

Paul4747 replies on Oct 26, 2020:

@FearlessFly I related to you a fact. I then summarized half of a book, which is where I learned said fact. We learn facts by reading. I could have written, "Trump ignored the advice of every economist in his Cabinet except for Peter Navarro and Wilbur Ross when he decided to impose tariffs." That is a fact. It's a summary of every documented account I've ever read about how Trump decided to impose tariffs. See how that works?

White House signals defeat in pandemic as coronavirus outbreak roils Pence?

barjoe comments on Oct 26, 2020:

Mark Meadows is a true fucking piece of shit just like everybody else in the administration.

Paul4747 replies on Oct 26, 2020:

@barjoe It's funnier the first way.

White House signals defeat in pandemic as coronavirus outbreak roils Pence?

FearlessFly comments on Oct 26, 2020:

“We’re not going to control the pandemic,” Meadows said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “We are going to control the fact that we get vaccines, therapeutics and other mitigations.” I don't think those words mean "signals defeat" :P

Paul4747 replies on Oct 26, 2020:

@FearlessFly Yes, it was a fact. Don't try to parse my words and pretend you're proving a point.

Pair of studies confirm there is water on the moon - The Washington Post

Druvius comments on Oct 26, 2020:

When miniscule amounts of water was detected in samples brought back by the Apollo missions ... it was dismissed as contamination, since there "couldn't" be water on the Moon's surface. Even scientists can be blinded by preconceptions. :)

Paul4747 replies on Oct 26, 2020:

The key difference between science and dogma is that (most) scientists admit when evidence proves them wrong.

White House signals defeat in pandemic as coronavirus outbreak roils Pence?

FearlessFly comments on Oct 26, 2020:

“We’re not going to control the pandemic,” Meadows said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “We are going to control the fact that we get vaccines, therapeutics and other mitigations.” I don't think those words mean "signals defeat" :P

Paul4747 replies on Oct 26, 2020:

@FearlessFly That's a summary of a recurring theme which crops up again and again; it would be onerous to quote an entire book. In particular, Trump repeatedly complained about the cost of maintaining troops in S. Korea and said he didn't understand why we were there, "they should be paying us". I believe it was James Mattis who finally replied, somewhat testily, "We're preventing World War 3."

Looking so forward to the Biden administration.

Paul4747 comments on Oct 26, 2020:

[insert comment about chickens]

Paul4747 replies on Oct 26, 2020:

@Storm1752 Not counting them until they hatch. I thought everybody knew that one.

White House signals defeat in pandemic as coronavirus outbreak roils Pence?

FearlessFly comments on Oct 26, 2020:

“We’re not going to control the pandemic,” Meadows said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “We are going to control the fact that we get vaccines, therapeutics and other mitigations.” I don't think those words mean "signals defeat" :P

Paul4747 replies on Oct 26, 2020:

@FearlessFly Read "Fear" by Bob Woodward. Trump not only wanted to pull out of Afghanistan, but out of Europe and South Korea as well. It took several senior advisors to explain to him why having allies and having troops in place overseas protects America.

White House signals defeat in pandemic as coronavirus outbreak roils Pence?

FearlessFly comments on Oct 26, 2020:

“We’re not going to control the pandemic,” Meadows said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “We are going to control the fact that we get vaccines, therapeutics and other mitigations.” I don't think those words mean "signals defeat" :P

Paul4747 replies on Oct 26, 2020:

@FearlessFly Actually a better metaphor would be, "We're pulling our troops out and just hoping to shoot down the next airliner they hijack." Which was, in fact, Trump's basic plan until General Mattis talked him out of it. I think I see a pattern emerging. It's obviously too much hard work to wear masks and do social distancing, so they're counting on a magical vaccine instead. That's what Meadows admitted.

White House signals defeat in pandemic as coronavirus outbreak roils Pence?

FearlessFly comments on Oct 26, 2020:

“We’re not going to control the pandemic,” Meadows said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “We are going to control the fact that we get vaccines, therapeutics and other mitigations.” I don't think those words mean "signals defeat" :P

Paul4747 replies on Oct 26, 2020:

@FearlessFly So, "Meadows Looks Forward To Nonexistent Vaccines as Solution to Pandemic", then? But that's much longer. You're mistaking interpretation for opinion. It's an identical situation if he had said, for instance, "We're not going to control Afghanistan, we're going to control the rest of the Middle East." That would be signalling defeat by the Taliban.

White House signals defeat in pandemic as coronavirus outbreak roils Pence?

barjoe comments on Oct 26, 2020:

Mark Meadows is a true fucking piece of shit just like everybody else in the administration.

Paul4747 replies on Oct 26, 2020:

You can say "shit" on this site, it's okay. The filter will *** it out if anyone doesn't like reading those type of words. :D :D :D

White House signals defeat in pandemic as coronavirus outbreak roils Pence?

FearlessFly comments on Oct 26, 2020:

“We’re not going to control the pandemic,” Meadows said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “We are going to control the fact that we get vaccines, therapeutics and other mitigations.” I don't think those words mean "signals defeat" :P

Paul4747 replies on Oct 26, 2020:

No, that's admitting defeat. Completely giving up on masks, social distancing, and any other measures to prevent the disease's spread- the sole idea they have is, let people catch it and then hope the voters aren't paying attention to how many of us fucking die. "We can't do anything to stop anyone catching this disease, we're just hoping like hell someone announces a vaccine by November 3." Hell's bells, they can't even stop Trump and family catching it. They can't stop it racing through Pence's office. They can't protect themselves- how are they going to protect the nation?

At least the trains run on time. [youtube.com]

Paul4747 comments on Oct 26, 2020:

So because Jake Tapper mentions a gofundme charity site; that's "profiteering"?

Paul4747 replies on Oct 26, 2020:

@Fred_Snerd What percentage is there in voting against the CARES Act? It provided direct relief for *everyone* who filed a tax return in 2019, and provisions for other adults who did not file a return to still get direct financial relief; assistance to qualifying small businesses; targeted assistance to industry to keep workers on payroll; and assistance to state, local, and tribal governments who needed it desperately. It pumped $2 trillion into the economy at a time when we were on the verge of another Great Depression. Who was to know that the Treasury Department would make such a hash of the small business grant program? Could there have been a better deal? Probably, BUT: Compromise is a neccesary part of politics. As I've said many many times; the best is the enemy of the good.

'60 Minutes' Reveals What Was Really In That Giant Trump Health Care Plan Book | HuffPost

Paul4747 comments on Oct 26, 2020:

She's nearly as horrible a liar as he is. Remember when press secretaries answered questions for the press, instead of shilling for the administration?

Paul4747 replies on Oct 26, 2020:

@Storm1752 The press secretary used to answer questions, not deliver propaganda for the President.

At least the trains run on time. [youtube.com]

Paul4747 comments on Oct 26, 2020:

So because Jake Tapper mentions a gofundme charity site; that's "profiteering"?

Paul4747 replies on Oct 26, 2020:

@Fred_Snerd I'm afraid I still don't follow what he claims to be his logic; by voting for pandemic relief, the liberals in the Senate gave up their "leverage"? What leverage? when the Senate is Republican-controlled anyway? Oh, wait- he's a comedian! This is some kind of subtle humor!

At least the trains run on time. [youtube.com]

Paul4747 comments on Oct 26, 2020:

So because Jake Tapper mentions a gofundme charity site; that's "profiteering"?

Paul4747 replies on Oct 26, 2020:

@Fred_Snerd I think the late, great Stan Lee would have called that a No-Prize.

Pastor Curt Landry: A Vote for Biden is a Vote for “Evil” and God Will Curse You | Beth ...

barjoe comments on Oct 26, 2020:

I'll consider that an endorsement for Biden.

Paul4747 replies on Oct 26, 2020:

Yep

Pimping out a friend on dating sites. What's up with that?

ASTRALMAX comments on Oct 26, 2020:

Hmm! I smell something fishy here. In the words of Captain Black Adder: " I smell something fishy and I don't mean the content of Baldricks's apple crumble." I agree with your reply and think that he comes across as bit of a creep.

Paul4747 replies on Oct 26, 2020:

@ASTRALMAX ... so was my reply, just trying to run with it

Pimping out a friend on dating sites. What's up with that?

ASTRALMAX comments on Oct 26, 2020:

Hmm! I smell something fishy here. In the words of Captain Black Adder: " I smell something fishy and I don't mean the content of Baldricks's apple crumble." I agree with your reply and think that he comes across as bit of a creep.

Paul4747 replies on Oct 26, 2020:

There's fish in apple crumble?

How much usa knows about recently gnews.

dalefvictor comments on Oct 25, 2020:

All this shit is put onto Biden and a laptop is the source for all the information. This is bullshit, everything that is put on the Internet and all E-mail is copied by the Government. The fact that his source has not been mentioned by any other people shows that it did not exist at all. Anon is ...

Paul4747 replies on Oct 26, 2020:

@luckytobealive You might want to read this too: https://www.newsguardtech.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/The-Gateway-Pundit-NewsGuard-Nutrition-Label.pdf "The GatewayPundit.com is owned and run by its founder Jim Hoft, a conservative blogger with a background in biology." "The site includes a slogan at the top of its page, stating, 'We report the truth- and leave the Russia-Collusion fairy tale to the Conspiracy Media'" "Headlines and articles are highly opinionated and right-leaning" "The Gateway Pundit's articles have regularly been declared false by numerous fact-checking organizations and news publications" "Headlines are often sensational and misleading, and information is regularly distorted." Be careful what you put into your brain.

How much usa knows about recently gnews.

dalefvictor comments on Oct 25, 2020:

All this shit is put onto Biden and a laptop is the source for all the information. This is bullshit, everything that is put on the Internet and all E-mail is copied by the Government. The fact that his source has not been mentioned by any other people shows that it did not exist at all. Anon is ...

Paul4747 replies on Oct 26, 2020:

@luckytobealive The allegation has already been investigated by multiple (non-Fox News) sources and found empty. Joe Biden has no connection with any business his son was in. Trump's campaign is trying everything they can to keep the accusation alive, even though Hunter Biden's business dealings and personal past have nothing to do with Joe Biden's potential conduct in office, because they're desperate to distract from Trump's disastrous behavior over the last 4 years. Consider: Disregarding the advice of professionals in every field, because he considers himself smarter than any expert. Insulting and abandoning allies while cosying up to dictators and authoritarians. Reckless (not to mention feckless) economic and trade policies, summed up as "try this and see if it ruins the economy in 6 months, if it does, we'll undo it". A foreign and domestic policy based on unpredictability, nobody knowing what Trump might do next, and actually preferring it that way. A presidency based on fear of what he might do next. Destroying the norms of our democracy, like respect for a free press and assuming the patriotism of the other party; labeling anyone who disagrees with him as "traitors". A total and complete lack of understanding of the law and the Constitution. No respect for the system of checks and balances. Claiming unlimited power. Nepotism; appointing his daughter and son-in-law to executive posts within the White House, unanswerable to anyone, while both have deep conflicts of interest and pursue business dealings that are directly affected by their actions as advisers to Trump. Concealing his knowledge of the true dangers of the coronavirus pandemic from the American people, downplaying it as "no worse than the common cold", because his greatest concern was for the economy on which he pinned his hopes for reelection. His lies and disregard for the advice of his own medical experts has led to America suffering 20% of the world's deaths due to Covid, while we have 4% of the world's population. The latter, of course, fits his pattern of over 25,000 documented lies since being elected. His very first day in office started with a lie; claiming to a meeting with Congressional leadership that he won the popular vote. Trump will go down as *THE WORST* president in history. He's driven out almost everyone with a shred of competence in his administration, surrounded himself with enablers and yes-men, and grifters. Against this, you expect people to worry about... Hunter Biden's sex tapes.

Editorial: Barrett's moral relativism is cause for rejection from the bench | National Catholic ...

Flowerwall comments on Oct 22, 2020:

Why do people consistently mention RBG's dying wish , as the Notre Dame faculty members did? Do they not realize how illegitimate personal wishes are in these circumstances? Is our government meant to function that way? I do think there are some legitimate concerns that need to addressed in the ...

Paul4747 replies on Oct 26, 2020:

@Flowerwall If you're asking, "Would the party in power take advantage of having that power?" In general, yes. If you're asking me, "Do I think a Democrat-controlled Senate would have held up a Republican Supreme Court nomination for 8 months, announcing a principle that 'the next President should choose the next Justice', and then turn around and push through a nominee in 8 weeks, precisely contrary to that principle"; no, I honestly don't think so. I don't think they would have held up the nomination in the first place. The Republicans controlled the Senate. They had 54 seats in 2016. If they didn't want Merrick Garland to be on the Supreme Court, he would not have been. The issue was that there was no basis for turning him down, other than the simple fact that he was an Obama nominee and therefore insufficiently conservative. To avoid his caucas being seen voting down a perfectly well-qualified, moderate nominee, Mcconnell simply denied him a hearing, period. Perhaps I'm utterly naive, but I don't think the Democrats are *that* ideologically driven as to deny a nominee even a hearing.

How much usa knows about recently gnews.

dalefvictor comments on Oct 25, 2020:

All this shit is put onto Biden and a laptop is the source for all the information. This is bullshit, everything that is put on the Internet and all E-mail is copied by the Government. The fact that his source has not been mentioned by any other people shows that it did not exist at all. Anon is ...

Paul4747 replies on Oct 26, 2020:

@luckytobealive Right. Another October surprise, just in time for the election, like Hilary's emails. These laptops (there were 3) have been around for *a year and a half*. And you don't find it the least coincidental that the story is coming out only weeks before the election, just in time to influence undecided voters, through Trump's *attorney*?? A man who intelligence warned was being targeted by foreign sources for disinformation, and who actually went to Ukraine trying to dig up dirt on the Bidens? Let me put it another way... If a personal friend of Joe Biden suddenly revealed the existence of videos on a private laptop which supposedly showed Trump cheating on Melania with a bunch of Vegas strippers, would Fox News insist that the story had to be investigated? Or would they denounce it as a hoax? There's a double standard. (For the record, I would find the Trump videos suspicious too, although it's definitely in character for him.)

Editorial: Barrett's moral relativism is cause for rejection from the bench | National Catholic ...

Flowerwall comments on Oct 22, 2020:

Why do people consistently mention RBG's dying wish , as the Notre Dame faculty members did? Do they not realize how illegitimate personal wishes are in these circumstances? Is our government meant to function that way? I do think there are some legitimate concerns that need to addressed in the ...

Paul4747 replies on Oct 26, 2020:

@Flowerwall There was never a doubt that the Republicans could ram through the nomination; the rush is to get it done before Trump becomes a lame duck. The hypocrisy of reversing their position of 4 years ago, when McConnell held a seat open for 8 *months*, compared to now when they rush to fill one in 8 *weeks*, is vile. Their claim that "the voters should have a say in who chooses the next Justice" should be sticking in their throats. Lindsey Graham said, "I want you to use my words against me. If there's a Republican president in 2016 and a vacancy occurs in the last year of the first term, you can say Lindsey Graham said let's let the next president, whoever it might be, make that nomination." Unfortunately, they have not a shred of self-respect. They've sold their souls to the Trump movement. I can only hope enough voters are as pissed about it as I am and make them pay. The goal here is that by stacking the courts with conservatives, Republicans will block any Democratic initiatives for the next 30 years (an end to gerrymandering, universal health care, voting rights) by taking it to the courts. That's why they're so desperate to give Trump just one more Justice, and why they blocked Obama's moderate and somewhat liberal nominees; not only the high court, but all through the federal courts. Now the bench is filled with right wing religious conservatives, hand-picked by the Federalist Society. Despicable.

A great example of the irrationally fanatical commitment that too many gullible people have for our ...

Bobbyzen comments on Oct 25, 2020:

WTF kind of a shirt is that??? Holy shit. Can’t believe it’s real. Motherf&$£%#

Paul4747 replies on Oct 26, 2020:

@yvilletom Fair enough.

Subject: EISENHOWER WAS RIGHT Subject: EISENHOWER WAS ...

Paul4747 comments on Oct 25, 2020:

Okay, I was... *kind of* with you up until it turned into a right-wing "put prayer back in schools, war on Christmas, fly the flag from your pickup window" screed. History is history. It has nothing to do with reciting the pledge of allegiance in school. For that matter, the pledge I recited as a...

Paul4747 replies on Oct 26, 2020:

@dave1459 No, the comment was *not* limited to the UK debate. You go on to implicate Muslims in further revisionist history and denial. > How many years will it be before the attack on the World Trade Center 'NEVER HAPPENED'? Because it offends some Muslims??? You accuse me of taking comments out of context, but you take my introductory comment out of its context. Well played. Hypocritical, but well played. Let's see that full paragraph again: > And pretending that Holocaust denial is all due to Muslims is frankly just... well, someone has their head up their ass. From George Lincoln Rockwell to David Duke to Arthur Butz, there are, sadly, plenty of Holocaust deniers right here in the good ol' US of A. Here's a list. [en.wikipedia.org] Since Muslims are the only group mentioned in your post as being the reason behind Holocaust denial or revisionist history, and mentioned twice, can you see how it comes across as an anti-Muslim post?

How much usa knows about recently gnews.

Paul4747 comments on Oct 25, 2020:

Let's see if I have this straight: Wayne Allyn Root, conservative commentator, has "sources as high up as it gets" who have seen compromising videos on Hunter Biden's supposed laptop. The laptop which has not been verified to be his, because it was turned over by a shopkeeper (who took NO ...

Paul4747 replies on Oct 26, 2020:

@luckytobealive So, you don't have any *independent* sources not shilling for Trump. You don't find it the least bit suspect, I suppose, that this is being released through an outlet connected with Steve Bannon (the accused swindler) and his Chinese partner. Regardless of whether it is or is not Hunter Biden- and case not proven, since no independent source has been allowed to examine this alleged laptop- there's still nobody killing or torturing anybody in these videos. Why not go with the strongest evidence first, if it exists? Or is the theory that China is going to hold these supposed tapes over Biden's head for four years, should he win? Give me a break. Joe couldn't possibly do worse dealing with China than Donald has done with Russia- with Trump openly denying every conclusion of our intelligence agencies.

The side that gets violent is the side that loses. What Can You Do If Trump Stages a Coup?

TomMcGiverin comments on Oct 25, 2020:

We on the left have been losing every prez election since 1964, but the radicals on our side soon gave up armed struggle in the late Seventies. On the other hand, the violent radicals on the right have been active most of the time ever since the left gave up violence.

Paul4747 replies on Oct 25, 2020:

@TomMcGiverin I can and I do. All were Democrats, all were liberals. Clinton attempted health care for all and Obama succeeded in the largest expansion of health care since Medicaid. You're using your own personal definition of "the left". Quibbling over a matter of degree is what has kept the Democrats divided and enabled the Republicans, a minority party, to take 3 out of the last 5 presidential elections. They don't worry about "who the true conservative is" when it comes time to vote- they just worry about who is close enough to their own interests. Oh, that 1 percent more Democrats had done that four years ago, instead of complaining that Hilary wasn't a "true" liberal. The best is the enemy of the good.

A great example of the irrationally fanatical commitment that too many gullible people have for our ...

Bobbyzen comments on Oct 25, 2020:

WTF kind of a shirt is that??? Holy shit. Can’t believe it’s real. Motherf&$£%#

Paul4747 replies on Oct 25, 2020:

@yvilletom That's a maga hat that he himself is wearing, we just can't see the front. I have no doubt it's genuine....

.

St-Sinner comments on Oct 25, 2020:

Try glorifying but it won't sell. No more lipstick. We used it too much since 2015. Bernie is a Huge Fraud. Nothing More. All that passion is on a wrong path and useless. If his passion was genuine, he would not a senator for 30 years and run for president as a heart attack patient, with ...

Paul4747 replies on Oct 25, 2020:

@St-Sinner You're not worth my time anymore.

.

St-Sinner comments on Oct 25, 2020:

Try glorifying but it won't sell. No more lipstick. We used it too much since 2015. Bernie is a Huge Fraud. Nothing More. All that passion is on a wrong path and useless. If his passion was genuine, he would not a senator for 30 years and run for president as a heart attack patient, with ...

Paul4747 replies on Oct 25, 2020:

@St-Sinner Gore *did* win. Hilary *did* win. More people voted for them. And Republicans *still* can't get over it. Republicans are a minority party, and have been for the past 30 years. They rely on voter suppression and flukes of the electoral college to cling to power. It's going to be over soon. Get over it.

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St-Sinner comments on Oct 25, 2020:

Try glorifying but it won't sell. No more lipstick. We used it too much since 2015. Bernie is a Huge Fraud. Nothing More. All that passion is on a wrong path and useless. If his passion was genuine, he would not a senator for 30 years and run for president as a heart attack patient, with ...

Paul4747 replies on Oct 25, 2020:

@St-Sinner You're mistaken. He nearly succeeded in 2016. In 2020, the field was so crowded it could have been anybody's ball. The Democrats, I think, were looking for a centrist more than anything to make sure that their candidate could appeal to the middle. Sanders won the early caucases and eventually took 8 states and 27% of the delegates. His policy positions are left of mine, but he's far from being a "communist". And he's much more qualified than Trump. Then again, one of those little wind-up monkeys with the cymbals could be behind the Resolute Desk and do far less harm than Trump has done.

The side that gets violent is the side that loses. What Can You Do If Trump Stages a Coup?

TomMcGiverin comments on Oct 25, 2020:

We on the left have been losing every prez election since 1964, but the radicals on our side soon gave up armed struggle in the late Seventies. On the other hand, the violent radicals on the right have been active most of the time ever since the left gave up violence.

Paul4747 replies on Oct 25, 2020:

Every presidential election since 1964? You're saying my memories of Carter, Clinton, and Obama were just drug dreams?

Subject: EISENHOWER WAS RIGHT Subject: EISENHOWER WAS ...

Paul4747 comments on Oct 25, 2020:

Okay, I was... *kind of* with you up until it turned into a right-wing "put prayer back in schools, war on Christmas, fly the flag from your pickup window" screed. History is history. It has nothing to do with reciting the pledge of allegiance in school. For that matter, the pledge I recited as a...

Paul4747 replies on Oct 25, 2020:

@dave1459 > the UK debated whether to remove The Holocaust from its school curriculum because it 'offends' the Muslim population which claims it never occurred So, how is that not about Muslims? And it says right in the post that it is an email. "This e-mail is intended to reach 400 million people! Be a link in the memorial chain and help distribute this around the world." When you present an entire argument, I will consider the entire argument. And I agree that history must be remembered and studied; after all, that's my degree. I would be a damn poor historian if I didn't agree with that. But naming a single religious group, *twice*, without mentioning any others that you could have named- for example, the 9/11 deniers and conspiracy theorists right here in America- comes across as an anti-Muslim screed. And if that was not your intent, nevertheless you did a hell of a good job making it look that way.

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St-Sinner comments on Oct 25, 2020:

Try glorifying but it won't sell. No more lipstick. We used it too much since 2015. Bernie is a Huge Fraud. Nothing More. All that passion is on a wrong path and useless. If his passion was genuine, he would not a senator for 30 years and run for president as a heart attack patient, with ...

Paul4747 replies on Oct 25, 2020:

@St-Sinner That's certainly your opinion.

.

St-Sinner comments on Oct 25, 2020:

Try glorifying but it won't sell. No more lipstick. We used it too much since 2015. Bernie is a Huge Fraud. Nothing More. All that passion is on a wrong path and useless. If his passion was genuine, he would not a senator for 30 years and run for president as a heart attack patient, with ...

Paul4747 replies on Oct 25, 2020:

> A Huge Fraud. Nothing More... lying and covering it up all the time..., huge un-electability and constantly asking for poor people's money while being a millionnaire Are you.... Are you trying to talk about Bernie Sanders, or did you get confused and start talking about Trump?

How much usa knows about recently gnews.

AnneWimsey comments on Oct 25, 2020:

Ohferpetessake, do you have any critical thinking skills At All?

Paul4747 replies on Oct 25, 2020:

@luckytobealive In this context, it means, "Have you examined the source of this 'news', asked yourself whether it might be biased, checked any other sources regarding the whole 'Biden laptop' story," or are you just swallowing the bait that's dangled there?

How much usa knows about recently gnews.

t1nick comments on Oct 25, 2020:

I hope the people that peddle in this type of pathetic conspiracy baiting are finally silenced when they lose their orange messiah.

Paul4747 replies on Oct 25, 2020:

We can only hope.

Subject: EISENHOWER WAS RIGHT Subject: EISENHOWER WAS ...

Paul4747 comments on Oct 25, 2020:

Okay, I was... *kind of* with you up until it turned into a right-wing "put prayer back in schools, war on Christmas, fly the flag from your pickup window" screed. History is history. It has nothing to do with reciting the pledge of allegiance in school. For that matter, the pledge I recited as a...

Paul4747 replies on Oct 25, 2020:

@Varn Np Varn, happy to help.

How much usa knows about recently gnews.

luckytobealive comments on Oct 25, 2020:

At least i like the responses..it gives me insight whats happening in the us and how media is accepted ... Apperently grap m by the pussy is more damaging then covering up multi billion deals with china and being blackmailed by the CCP trying to becoming a president....just wow...

Paul4747 replies on Oct 25, 2020:

It is, when you have Trump himself on tape saying the words, as opposed to allegations in the far right social media with nothing to back them up, and other allegations which have been repeatedly debunked.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday that he saw nothing criminal in Hunter Biden’s ...

AnneWimsey comments on Oct 25, 2020:

Kicking Donnie to the curb, is he?

Paul4747 replies on Oct 25, 2020:

Putin will use whatever tool is handy. It's even odds whether he's calculating that this will somehow hurt Biden (another October Surprise), whether he thinks it will somehow get him on Joe's good side since Biden looks to be the likely winner, or if he's just sowing chaos.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday that he saw nothing criminal in Hunter Biden’s ...

t1nick comments on Oct 25, 2020:

Putin's goal is to de-stabilize American society. By weighing in on Hunter Biden he gets a win win. He gets Dems second guessing the veracity of the claim, simply because it came from Putin. Plus, while they are certain that Hunter did nothing wrong, having Putin say it creates a conundrum....

Paul4747 replies on Oct 25, 2020:

Yep. The old disinformation double-shuffle. (I meant to use that phrase earlier, but couldn't fit it in in a way that "sang".)

Cardinal Raymond Burke: God Says Gays Have No Right To ‘Form Families’ | Michael Stone

Budgie comments on Oct 25, 2020:

But but but are they not supposed to obey the speaker of god's word on Earth? (ie the pope) to criticize the pope is to criticize god's chosen.

Paul4747 replies on Oct 25, 2020:

Beat me to it. I feel a schism coming on!!

US Election 2020: Inside the Pennsylvania church where they pray next to their AR-15 rifles | US ...

redhog comments on Oct 24, 2020:

Let them pray next to their sissy rifles. Ive got bigger ones and don't feel the need to carry them everywhere. They're a low caliber binkie to those people.

Paul4747 replies on Oct 25, 2020:

@redhog What comes around goes around. I commented upon your useless comment. You are free to block me, should you not like it. My contribution is above in the thread, by the way.

The only way to end rape culture is by replacing oppressive religious values with sexual freedom and...

Heavykevy1985 comments on Oct 23, 2020:

There is not a rape culture in the West. The end.

Paul4747 replies on Oct 25, 2020:

@Gareth Much obliged, my comment updated to reflect same.

US Election 2020: Inside the Pennsylvania church where they pray next to their AR-15 rifles | US ...

redhog comments on Oct 24, 2020:

Let them pray next to their sissy rifles. Ive got bigger ones and don't feel the need to carry them everywhere. They're a low caliber binkie to those people.

Paul4747 replies on Oct 25, 2020:

@dahermit I beg your pardon, I should have said "Nobody is attacking WHITE Christian churches in America." The vast majority of attacks target either Black churches or mosques. And certainly nobody, including the Democratic Party, is plotting a systematic war against them, which is what these bozos are planning for.

Residents of Wisconsin town near Kenosha in uproar over teacher's racism lesson

holdenc98 comments on Oct 24, 2020:

oh god, i smell another politically correct pep rally for au currant conventional racial dogma coming. please!...... make it stop!,........... no more! ill say or do whatever you want!.............but first, lets all re read brave new world and 1984 _less holy than thou. but more into the...

Paul4747 replies on Oct 25, 2020:

@holdenc98 You mean... when exposing your own ignorance?

Residents of Wisconsin town near Kenosha in uproar over teacher's racism lesson

PBuck0145 comments on Oct 24, 2020:

"How do we stop systemic racism?" is similar to "Have you stopped beating your wife (yes/no)?"

Paul4747 replies on Oct 25, 2020:

@PBuck0145 You assume the assumptions are unsupported because you haven't bothered to examine your own assumptions. A Black person is roughly 3 times more likely to be killed by the police than a White person in the US. Black drivers are stopped at a higher rate than White and Hispanic. And at a traffic stop, a White driver is the *least* likely to have their vehicle searched, by a huge margin. Statistically, about 1 out of 1,000 Black men *can expect to be killed by the police.* That's 3 times the chances of a White male and twice the risk of all ethnic groups combined. Blacks make up 13% of the population, but Blacks are 34% of the total male prison population. Blacks receive longer prison sentences, are less likely to get bail, less likely to receive a probation sentence, and less likely to be paroled. I'm not making this up. These are statistics that you can look up in 20 minutes. Moreover, Black people live with the assumption of guilt. Imagine walking into a store and having the clerk follow you, making sure you're not a shoplifter. Imagine being pulled over because you drive a vehicle that's too new or too nice. Imagine the police stopping you because you're wearing suspicious-looking *clothing*. Imagine being asked by the police *to produce ID and prove that you live in your own home.* Yes, Virginia, there is systemic racism.

US Election 2020: Inside the Pennsylvania church where they pray next to their AR-15 rifles | US ...

redhog comments on Oct 24, 2020:

Let them pray next to their sissy rifles. Ive got bigger ones and don't feel the need to carry them everywhere. They're a low caliber binkie to those people.

Paul4747 replies on Oct 25, 2020:

@redhog I haven't re-blocked Trajan61 yet, why you?

The only way to end rape culture is by replacing oppressive religious values with sexual freedom and...

Heavykevy1985 comments on Oct 23, 2020:

There is not a rape culture in the West. The end.

Paul4747 replies on Oct 25, 2020:

@Gareth Comment retracted after correction

US Election 2020: Inside the Pennsylvania church where they pray next to their AR-15 rifles | US ...

redhog comments on Oct 24, 2020:

Let them pray next to their sissy rifles. Ive got bigger ones and don't feel the need to carry them everywhere. They're a low caliber binkie to those people.

Paul4747 replies on Oct 25, 2020:

@dahermit Nobody is attacking Christians in churches in America. These people are arming themselves to attack a nonexistent left-wing uprising. They are, in fact, the threat. And my facepalm was over the "mine is bigger".

The buffoon in the White House just brokered two Middle East Peace Accords, something that 71 ...

Paul4747 comments on Oct 24, 2020:

So much wrong with this post, especially considering it was evidently a cut & paste from another source without consideration for whether any of it was based on reality.... *Anybody* can be nominated for a Nobel by anybody who is eligible to make a nomination. Trump's nominations were courtesy of...

Paul4747 replies on Oct 25, 2020:

@Trajan61 Which post? The one to which I replied with a 3 inch column of statistics? Or your very latest one? The money Pres. Obama supposedly "gave" to Iran was Iran's money. It was paid to us under the Sha's government for arms deals that were cancelled after the revolution. The money had been sitting in a bank for decades. Not only would we have had to give it back had the case gone to the WTO, but also paid a penalty. Trump has tried to pull out of every international alliance we have. For instance, he has made multiple threats to abandon South Korea, possibly the most volatile area on the planet, because he thinks the government there should be paying us for our troops. American soldiers are not mercenaries. We don't hire them out. We are in South Korea to prevvent WW 3. Trump has pulled troops out of Germany, emboldening Russia and raising doubts for the first time since the founding of NATO that America would follow through on our obligations for mutual defense should Putin choose to attack a fellow NATO member. Your interpretation of the 2nd Amendment is not relevant. All judges "believe in the 2nd Amendment". What is more concerning is Trump's appointment of judges who don't believe in the 1st Amendment's separation of church and state. I would have thought that you, as an atheist, would find people like Amy Coney Barrett alarming, seeing that she said in a commencement address that "your legal career is but a means to an end, and... that end is building the kingdom of God", but apparently you don't care about such trifles as long as we don't have background checks at gun shows. The ACA was not socialized medicine, but why bother to refute you in detail; you'll just ignore this entire reply and come up with something different. Trump has insulted our allies, cosied up to dictators, made the US a subject of ridicule, destroyed environmental regulations, denied the established facts of Russian interference, denigrated our own intelligence services and military leadership, denied science, called a free press "the enemy of the state", and in all ways behaved as the dictator he apparently wishes he was. He has no knowledge of the law, the Constitution, the separation of powers, or the basics of democracy. He didn't even know why there's a memorial at Pearl Harbor. There has never been a candidate not only less qualified to be president, but positively anathema to the office. He has done incalculable harm to our institutions, and we will be recovering for years. He has coarsened the public discourse and behaved as a playground bully. In retrospect, I can see why you like him.

I hadn't seen this for a while.

Word comments on Oct 25, 2020:

Out of Jurisdiction using the old testiment laws in countries other than Israel. They cite biblical text to use it as a precedent and reason for establishing current modern laws in countries out side of Israel.

Paul4747 replies on Oct 25, 2020:

As usual, you completely missed the point; which is that barbaric rules from a nonexistent god some 6,000 years ago are irrelevant today.

I hadn't seen this for a while.

Marionville comments on Oct 25, 2020:

Do we have any record of whether and how Dr.Laura responded to this?

Paul4747 replies on Oct 25, 2020:

I doubt she ever acknowledged it. But was that really the point?

I hadn't seen this for a while.

altschmerz comments on Oct 25, 2020:

I posted that in a group in December and I got the following comments: "20 years ago." "Old."

Paul4747 replies on Oct 25, 2020:

Well, I'm an old guy.

Lincoln Project Attorney Scorches Lawsuit Threat over Ivanka, Jared Billboards

Varn comments on Oct 25, 2020:

Thank you (yet again!) for posting the actual text. And, for highlighting the best: ***“Your clients are no longer Upper East Side socialites, able to sue at the slightest offense to their personal sensitivities.” They are “public officials” due to a “gross act of nepotism” when ...

Paul4747 replies on Oct 25, 2020:

Early in his term Trump asked Chief of Staff John Kelly about changing the libel laws to make it easier to sue people over things to which he took offense. I presume this is the kind of thing he had in mind. You know... truth.

A recent visit for a haircut at my favorite local Snipit place had me discovering that it is under ...

Fernapple comments on Oct 25, 2020:

Does she know that the O.T. bans tattoos ?

Paul4747 replies on Oct 25, 2020:

@Fernapple Just plant some corn and beans next to each other, and you'll have all the bases covered.

A recent visit for a haircut at my favorite local Snipit place had me discovering that it is under ...

Fernapple comments on Oct 25, 2020:

Does she know that the O.T. bans tattoos ?

Paul4747 replies on Oct 25, 2020:

And garments made from more than one kind of cloth, and all kinds of things....

US Election 2020: Inside the Pennsylvania church where they pray next to their AR-15 rifles | US ...

redhog comments on Oct 24, 2020:

Let them pray next to their sissy rifles. Ive got bigger ones and don't feel the need to carry them everywhere. They're a low caliber binkie to those people.

Paul4747 replies on Oct 25, 2020:

Need a facepalm emoji for this reply....

The Atheist organizations like FFRF need to get involved in Politics just the Christian Churches are...

Paul4747 comments on Oct 22, 2020:

If only organizing atheists weren't substantially more difficult than herding cats.

Paul4747 replies on Oct 25, 2020:

@Mvtt @JeffMurray I can't believe I started all this with a throwaway joke. Which sort of proves my point.

Even if Trump loses, Trumpism may outlast him - Los Angeles Times

St-Sinner comments on Oct 23, 2020:

**DON'T CRY FOR ME AMERICA!** If Trump loses, he will launch his own party because his philosophy mix is different from the Republican philosophy. This time it will be more radical than what Tea Party was. 1. He will raise money, he certainly has the clout with the rich and powerful 2. He will ...

Paul4747 replies on Oct 25, 2020:

@St-Sinner He doesn't owe the money to our banks. We don't know who exactly he does owe it to. The smart money is on Deutsche Bank, which is also involved in shady money laundering from Russia; maybe one reason he's so cosy with Putin. I'm curious why you feel that a man who's had to declare bankruptcy 6 times and had multiple businesses fail outright, is some kind of financial genius. He ran for president, not expecting to win, but to reinvigorate the Trump brand. He was out of money. Now he's in over his head to basically loan sharks. Trump is not worth 1/10 what he claims. That's the real reason he won't release his tax returns.

Even if Trump loses, Trumpism may outlast him - Los Angeles Times

St-Sinner comments on Oct 23, 2020:

One strong suit of Trump is whatever he gets into he learns it quickly. He mastered the Washington game, so he will capitalize on his campaigning and political experience, he has known secrets of countries, he knows Saudi Arabia and China very well, he will expand his businesses there like crazy. He...

Paul4747 replies on Oct 25, 2020:

@St-Sinner So, being only the 3rd president in US history to be impeached; that doesn't count? The fact that he learned absolutely nothing from it, and was let off the hook by his syncophants in the Senate, is immaterial; he will forever and ever be impeached of high crimes and misdemeanors. And just wait for November.

The buffoon in the White House just brokered two Middle East Peace Accords, something that 71 ...

Paul4747 comments on Oct 24, 2020:

So much wrong with this post, especially considering it was evidently a cut & paste from another source without consideration for whether any of it was based on reality.... *Anybody* can be nominated for a Nobel by anybody who is eligible to make a nomination. Trump's nominations were courtesy of...

Paul4747 replies on Oct 25, 2020:

@Trajan61 Funny, I thought I muted you a long time ago. Statistics don't lie. For the first 3 years of his term- *before* the coronavirus pandemic- the average monthly jobs gain under Trump was 191,000 — compared with an average monthly gain of 217,000 during the four years of President Obama's second term. GDP grew at less than 3%- not the 4 to 6% that candidate Trump repeatedly promised, and only marginally faster than under Obama. It also slowed to 2.1% in 2019, probably as a result of Trump's repeated tariff wars. Trump promised to "bring back coal mining jobs". Only 1,200 jobs had come back as of 2019, compared to over 35,000 lost due to lower demand for coal. Carbon emissions went up, which, I suppose, if you're a fan of greenhouse gasses, you can consider that a good thing. Over 90% of scientists consider it a terrible thing. All the economic trends that began under President Obama- the stock market boom, lower unemployment, rising wages- continued under Trump. Our overall trade deficit *increased* 21%, despite (or because of) Trump's supposed deal-making skills, treaty renegotiations, and tariff wars. Our trade surplus with Canada, for example, almost disappeared. The number of people lacking health insurance rose by nearly 2 million under Trump. The federal debt went up more than $2 trillion under Trump, as trillion-dollar annual federal deficits returned. And there’s no end in sight. The federal debt held by the public stood at $17.2 trillion on Jan. 16 — an increase of nearly $2.8 trillion since he took office. That’s a 19.3% increase under Trump. And those debt figures are pre-pandemic. Trump and the Republicans, who controlled both houses for 2 years, have no excuses. And let's not forget the more than 220, 000 Americans dead to a pandemic that Trump has insisted for 8 months was going away any day now, while he contradicted the advice of his own medical experts, refused to model behavior that helps reduce the spread of the disease, and in fact encourages it by hosting events that lead to multiple people contracting it- including himself, his wife, his son, and several of his top aides. **More than 220,000 dead.** America has 4% of the world's population. But, thanks to the "leadership" of Pres. Trump, we have 20% of the world's deaths due to covid-19. And you're telling yourself that Donald Trump has been a better president than Barack Obama was, or than Hilary Clinton would have been? Who's living in a dream world?

The only way to end rape culture is by replacing oppressive religious values with sexual freedom and...

Heavykevy1985 comments on Oct 23, 2020:

There is not a rape culture in the West. The end.

Paul4747 replies on Oct 25, 2020:

@Heavykevy1985 Good grief. https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/investigations/2020/10/21/trump-sexual-assault-allegations-share-similar-patterns-19-women/5279155002/ None of these 19 women is Stormie Daniels. None of them are sex workers. None of them invited Trump's attentions. And they are almost certainly not the only ones, just the ones who have gone public- at great cost to themselves, when people like you question their motives, their honesty, and their complicity. I can't decide if you're just incredibly uninformed or willingly ignorant of everything Trump has done. Because "He's a billionaire and can do things regular people can't." Can you, in any degree of honesty, imagine if it were "Bill Clinton" and not "Donald Trump" in these allegations and then tell me you would not be outraged by his conduct? Once again, goodbye.

The only way to end rape culture is by replacing oppressive religious values with sexual freedom and...

Heavykevy1985 comments on Oct 23, 2020:

There is not a rape culture in the West. The end.

Paul4747 replies on Oct 24, 2020:

@Heavykevy1985 > He is saying as a billionaire, he can do things regular people cannot do. Like commit sexual assault. Multiple women have described him doing just that. He has also walked in unannounced on nude and topless beauty pageant contestants, some in their teens. He makes no bones about being a sex predator. It's beyond me how pointing this out supposedly reflects some type of hatred in me, and yet defending this behavior does not reflect a willful ignorance in his supporters; apparently you are one of them. I'm through pointing out the obvious. Good day.

The buffoon in the White House just brokered two Middle East Peace Accords, something that 71 ...

Cutiebeauty comments on Oct 24, 2020:

Lies, all lies...

Paul4747 replies on Oct 24, 2020:

@Leetx I see no need to double-check the *Post* fact checker. They have no axe to grind for or against Trump. The trade deficit being down, means there is still a trade deficit, just a slightly lower one. While the overall trade deficit with all nations combined is up 21%.

San Francisco, California October 24, 2020 Charles Hugh SmithDear Reader, The belief that the...

Paul4747 comments on Oct 24, 2020:

Ah yes, the Federal Reserve is evil, paper money is evil, we need to get back to silver, or better yet, the gold standard.

Paul4747 replies on Oct 24, 2020:

@LovinLarge P J Proudhon, "Property is theft." He also wrote, "Property is liberty," and "Property is impossible." He wasn't being deliberately contradictory, or even just being French. He was describing the complexities of property in a libertarian society. "Property" which must be enforced by deeds and claims of eminent domain, is theft. When a tyranny of all imposes its will on one, or the strong on the weak. "Property" which is mutually agreed to as the rules of the game; for example, your home is yours, my home is mine, money you earn is yours and I have no claim to it, is liberty. We may agree to make rules like taxation by which we collaborate and pool monies to achieve goals we could not otherwise achieve; this is supported by left-libertarians. Right-libertarians tend to see the world as a war of all against all, and reject taxation and mutual cooperation. "Property" in the form of landlordism and rents is impossible, because it demands Something for Nothing. Proudhon believed that in a libertarian society, land should be the property of those who worked it, or those who lived on it. Proudhon was also a mathematician and philosopher, and his arguments are rather hard to follow at times; but I think that's the gist of it. Forgive me for any infelicities or misunderstandings.

The buffoon in the White House just brokered two Middle East Peace Accords, something that 71 ...

Cutiebeauty comments on Oct 24, 2020:

Lies, all lies...

Paul4747 replies on Oct 24, 2020:

@Leetx Actually, I must correct you. While the trade deficit in goods and services overall has grown, specifically with China, it has gone down recently. Per the *Washington Post Fact Checker* website: "At first the trade gap with China continued to go up, but that turned around in 2019, when the US-China trade gap went down 19% compared with the previous year. During the most recent 12 months on record (ending in July), the gap was 11.9% lower than the year before Trump took office, according to BEA’s figures." It's not stunning, but it's a technical truth to say the deficit with China has gone down. How much credit the President deserves is, of course, up for debate.

The buffoon in the White House just brokered two Middle East Peace Accords, something that 71 ...

Cutiebeauty comments on Oct 24, 2020:

Lies, all lies...

Paul4747 replies on Oct 24, 2020:

@AnneWimsey Aw shucks. I just had to look most of it up for myself, instead of relying on a cut & paste post. Although some of it (like the Israeli embassy deal) is history knowledge.

Rachel Maddow delivers stinging rebuke of Donald Trump's "ego-feeding" pandemic rallies

Paul4747 comments on Oct 24, 2020:

Crowd size at a rally is the only area where he's still beating Biden. Like all insecure men, Trump is obsessed with size.

Paul4747 replies on Oct 24, 2020:

@freeofgod And bikers at the Sturgis rally.....

Virginia Pastor Lies About Being a Navy SEAL, but Gets Caught Thanks to His Own Stupidity | Hemant ...

Jolanta comments on Oct 23, 2020:

Even if he was, it is nothing to be proud of.

Paul4747 replies on Oct 24, 2020:

@SeaRay215ex Hoo-ah.

Even if Trump loses, Trumpism may outlast him - Los Angeles Times

St-Sinner comments on Oct 23, 2020:

**DON'T CRY FOR ME AMERICA!** If Trump loses, he will launch his own party because his philosophy mix is different from the Republican philosophy. This time it will be more radical than what Tea Party was. 1. He will raise money, he certainly has the clout with the rich and powerful 2. He will ...

Paul4747 replies on Oct 24, 2020:

Trump has hundreds of millions in loans coming due. His "celebrity" is short currency. The world has had enough of his act. Once he's out of office, there's nothing to gain by flattering and bribing him.

Even if Trump loses, Trumpism may outlast him - Los Angeles Times

St-Sinner comments on Oct 23, 2020:

One strong suit of Trump is whatever he gets into he learns it quickly. He mastered the Washington game, so he will capitalize on his campaigning and political experience, he has known secrets of countries, he knows Saudi Arabia and China very well, he will expand his businesses there like crazy. He...

Paul4747 replies on Oct 24, 2020:

Trump didn't "master the Washington game", he tried to wipe the pieces off the board and smash the table. His only major piece of legislation was a tax cut that his party wanted anyway. Prison reform was Jared's pet project (because Chris Christie put Kushner Sr. in jail for fraud all those years ago). Trump came to DC as a human hand grenade. He has smashed and shattered the norms of civility, diplomacy, and decency, and especially tried to undo everything President Obama did, but he hasn't built a damn thing. Trump has been played by every foreign leader, who know that the way to his heart is flattery and lies. That's why he's more cozy with dictators who praise him than with allies who tell him the truth. That's why he has turned his back on over 50 years of American diplomacy, and is ready to abandon Europe to her natural enemy, Russia; because Putin told him what a wonderful friend he is and convinced him that his own intelligence establishment was out to ruin their beautiful relationship. (Of course, we don't know what *else* he told him, because the notes of thier private meeting are STILL secret.) Xi won the trade war, and at the same time arranged a trademark deal for Ivanka. How thoughtful. Trump is a diplomatic novice who fondly imagines himself an expert. Trump managed to run roughshod over the Constitution for 2 years because the Republican Congress kowtowed to him. He systematically purged all the adults from the room and surrounded himself with yes-men who confirm his worst instincts. Trump's surviving impeachment was not due to any particular skill of his own, but the Republican Senate's reprehensible walking in lockstep as a show of party unity and their cowardly regard for their political survival over their duty to the Constitution and the nation.

The buffoon in the White House just brokered two Middle East Peace Accords, something that 71 ...

Cutiebeauty comments on Oct 24, 2020:

Lies, all lies...

Paul4747 replies on Oct 24, 2020:

@CourtJester Here you go. To save @Cutiebeauty time debunking in detail, I'll just repeat my post from further up the line. Anybody can be nominated for a Nobel by anybody who is eligible to make a nomination. Trump's nominations were courtesy of a far-right Norwegian politician and a Swedish parliamentarian. According to the Nobel Prize website, simply being nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize is “not an endorsement or extended honour to imply affiliation with the Nobel Peace Prize.” STALIN was nominated for a Nobel. It's actually winning one that matters. ISIS was not "destroyed". The territory of the caliphate in Syria was finally reclaimed, little thanks to Trump, who decided without warning to pull out our troops as a favor to Turkey's PM Erdogan, leaving our Kurdish allies hanging and ready for the Turks to slaughter. But ISIS remains a threat. “Isis is about ideology, not fighters or territory. The group has already adapted to territorial defeat by returning to insurgency in areas with pre-existing sectarian fault-lines. It has gained renewed momentum in recent months across Iraq’s northern provinces using tactics it was always more comfortable with than holding territory. In areas freed from their terror, local sleeper cells have already reappeared to spread panic and fear.” [theguardian.com] Job growth slowed in the first 3 years after Trump took office, compared to the last 3 years of President Obama's term. Unemployment went down in all groups, but still remained higher among Blacks, while average wages remained lower than among Whites. > deep, widespread, and long-standing corruption in the FBI, the CIA, the NSA, and the Democratic party This doesn't even deserve to be addressed. It's "deep state" fiction and only a step away from Qanon conspiracy theories. Trump and his supporters have a deep misunderstanding of NATO. The commitment to spend a certain percentage of GDP on defense is simply that- a commitment. It's not a case of paying rent to be in NATO. And the allies were already increasing spending during the Obama administration, in response to Russia's aggression in Chechnya. (Remember Russia? The nation that hacked the Democratic party's emails, used social media to influence the 2016 election, and is doing the same thing right now, by order of Trump's good friend Vladimir Putin?) Trump failed to hold China to account for any of its human rights violations, the concentration camps for its own citizens, and suppression of Hong Kong; and when making a speech about an intellectual rights investigation, he removed every mention of China, the only nation being investigated, for fear of angering Xi and hurting a trade deal. The tariff war has been a failure, with the US actually subsidizing farmers for money they've lost ...

Virginia Pastor Lies About Being a Navy SEAL, but Gets Caught Thanks to His Own Stupidity | Hemant ...

Jolanta comments on Oct 23, 2020:

Even if he was, it is nothing to be proud of.

Paul4747 replies on Oct 24, 2020:

As a veteran, I respectfully disagree with your opinion, although I will still defend to the death your right to hold it.

I got off in a wrong political crowd last evening as a political activist.

Mick72 comments on Oct 24, 2020:

They get their information from social media (Facebook, Twitter), websites (Fox News, Drudge Report) and radio talk shows (Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity) and radio podcasts. The podcasts are especially dangerous and completely misinformative and, worse, they've combined religion with it. You'll find ...

Paul4747 replies on Oct 24, 2020:

Well put. It's a conservative echo chamber, the result of the fragmentation of our information sources. Liberals and moderates get their picture of reality from one source, conservatives from another, and increasingly never the two shall meet. Even fact-checking is dismissed because it's from the "liberal media", and they assume any source that disagrees with them is biased.

The only way to end rape culture is by replacing oppressive religious values with sexual freedom and...

Heavykevy1985 comments on Oct 23, 2020:

There is not a rape culture in the West. The end.

Paul4747 replies on Oct 24, 2020:

@Heavykevy1985 > What she wearing pertains to her recollection of events and also, wearing more revealing clothing like a mini-skirt makes you a very appealing target Again, this has nothing to do with it. Rape is a crime of violence, not sex. Rape victims range from 3 year olds to women in their 90s. They are not targeted because they're wearing sexy clothes, but because they are in a position of vulnerability. Asking questions like "What were you wearing? Why were you in the parking lot at that time? Where were you going?" is a subtle but implicit form of victim-blaming; it plants the seeds of doubt, raising the question in the victim's mind about whether she bears some responsibility for her own rape. Women have the right to wear what they want, go where they want, do what they want, without fear. And questioning otherwise is in fact what a rape culture does. Rape is not "human nature" any more than murder is human nature. It's a crime. And you took my words out of context; the "boys will be boys" reference was in regards to the excusers of Donald Trump after the *Access Hollywood* tape came out. Of his remarks about "grabbing women by the pussy", he said it was "just locker room talk". And 47% of voters apparently accepted it, even conservative Christians. Personally, I've never been in a locker room where we bragged about committing sexual assault.

I just found out why I have never known of an atheist eating dijon mustard.

Cutiebeauty comments on Oct 24, 2020:

I like most condomments...

Paul4747 replies on Oct 24, 2020:

I got that!!

SNATCH. MOIST. CUNNILINGUS. WHY DO FEMALE SEX WORDS HAVE TO BE SO GROSS-SOUNDING? [melmagazine.com]

Paul4747 comments on Oct 23, 2020:

"I snatched a moist strawberry from the bowl and popped the succulent fruit into my mouth..." I don't see what's so bad about "snatch" or "moist", at least, and "cunnilingus" sounds so close to "cunning", well, it's quite a clever word, isn't it? ;)

Paul4747 replies on Oct 23, 2020:

@Lauren I speak several languages. I am a cunning linguist.

The only way to end rape culture is by replacing oppressive religious values with sexual freedom and...

Heavykevy1985 comments on Oct 23, 2020:

There is not a rape culture in the West. The end.

Paul4747 replies on Oct 23, 2020:

Western culture persists in seeing rape victims as somehow complicit in the crime; "What was she wearing? What was she doing alone at that time of night? She should have known something like this could happen"; and in writing off rape as somehow a part of male nature, when it's no such thing. To that extent, yes, there is a rape culture in the West. To the point that a large minority of Americans, including a distressing percentage of women, voted for a candidate who bragged on tape about committing sexual assault. They simply wrote it off as "boys will be boys".

Editorial: Barrett's moral relativism is cause for rejection from the bench | National Catholic ...

Flowerwall comments on Oct 22, 2020:

Why do people consistently mention RBG's dying wish , as the Notre Dame faculty members did? Do they not realize how illegitimate personal wishes are in these circumstances? Is our government meant to function that way? I do think there are some legitimate concerns that need to addressed in the ...

Paul4747 replies on Oct 23, 2020:

@Flowerwall Barrett has gone out of her way to avoid giving answers about her legal views now that she's in hearings for a seat on the high court, but her speeches in the past (from what I've read) suggest that she considers Roe "ripe for review", as opposed to settled precedent. And I am very troubled by her speech saying that a lawyer's primary job is "building the Kingdom of God", or words to that effect. The problem with trying to divine the founders' intent is, what sources do you use? The Constitution, as it's written down? The Federalist Papers? Their diaries and correspondence? And how much of that is relevant 250 years later, in any case? Whatever the founders may have intended when they wrote the 2nd Amendment, for example, they wound up writing "The right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed"- comma problems and references to militias aside. So we're left trying to divine whether it's merely an introductory phrase, or the entire reason for individual ownership of firearms. Does the 10th reserve all the non-enumerated powers to the states first, and whatever's left over to the people, or do the people have all rights not specifically granted as a power of the state? That's the heart of the right to privacy. The founders could never have foreseen cell phones and computers, not to mention electronic transmissions, so the court had to decide if the protection from unreasonable search and seizure applies to them or not. That's why it's utterly ridiculous claiming to be an "originalist". One might as well be saying they're only prepared to judge for a world where the horse and buggy is the pinnacle of technology. The world has moved on. The Constitution is a living document, and we need judges who can interpret it for the world as it is, not as they wish it was.

As a corrections officer, this scares the crap out of me

girlwithsmiles comments on Oct 23, 2020:

Oh dear, here’s hoping you guys all stay safe 🙁 obviously the guys on the inside are at more risk from you. Scary times.

Paul4747 replies on Oct 23, 2020:

I think, personally speaking, I'm at more risk from their reckless behavior, but in general terms I sort of see your point. In an ideal world, there would be no infected individuals coming in, but since there's no such thing as an instant test, it's impossible to be 100 percent sure. The trouble is that many of them seem to think we have all the responsibilty to keep them from being exposed and take no steps to protect themselves; no masks, no social distancing except when forced to. That's how outbreaks happen.

As a corrections officer, this scares the crap out of me

Cyklone comments on Oct 22, 2020:

Seems to me that putting time limits on contact like 5 or 15 minutes is like tbe 10 second rule in dropped food. Bullshit. Contamination occurs immediately.

Paul4747 replies on Oct 23, 2020:

@Fernapple Yes, but it's looking like the curve may be a lot shorter than previously thought.

There is no depth to which this president will not stoop.

CourtJester comments on Oct 22, 2020:

Best President in decades

Paul4747 replies on Oct 23, 2020:

@CourtJester I can see your mind is made up about Trump, I won't confuse you with any more facts.

There is no depth to which this president will not stoop.

Paul4747 comments on Oct 22, 2020:

Another clear sign that Trump expects to lose. He's just salting the earth for the next administration. It's going to take decades to rebuild what Trump and his enablers tore down in a matter of months.

Paul4747 replies on Oct 23, 2020:

@p-nullifidian We've seen the opposite as well, though; legislatures determined to stymie any progress on the president's agenda, simply because it denies them any record of accomplishments on which to run for another term. Recall McConnell's quote that his greatest priority was ensuring Obama would be a one-term president. The relative power of legislative and executive is not the main issue, as Trump would have been gone long ago without his enablers in his own party. The framers simply did not foresee an era in which an entire party would kowtow to the lowest common denominator, for fear of losing their grip on power. They did not foresee a group of such short-sighted cowards who would be so wedded to achieving the policy priorities of seating judges and tax cuts (which would have been equally possible under a President Pence, post-impeachment) that they would toss aside any vestige of conscience and knuckle under for fear of the Twitterocracy. They did not foresee this tyranny of the loudest voice.

There is no depth to which this president will not stoop.

CourtJester comments on Oct 22, 2020:

Best President in decades

Paul4747 replies on Oct 23, 2020:

@CourtJester @dahermit Funny thing, the far right had the exact same reactions to Clinton and Obama. But they made death threats, too. That's the difference between liberals and conservatives today; you don't see Biden supporters standing outside voting stations with AR-15s trying to intimidate Trump voters. The Far Right owns the patent on trying to take by violence what they can't win by a fair election.

There is no depth to which this president will not stoop.

CourtJester comments on Oct 22, 2020:

Best President in decades

Paul4747 replies on Oct 22, 2020:

He will certainly go down in history as the greatest President between 2016 and the end of his term. Other than that, I'm not sure by what standards you are measuring that Trump could be considered a "best" anything. Liar? Self-deluder? TV watcher? Twitter user? Science denier?

As a corrections officer, this scares the crap out of me

Cyklone comments on Oct 22, 2020:

Seems to me that putting time limits on contact like 5 or 15 minutes is like tbe 10 second rule in dropped food. Bullshit. Contamination occurs immediately.

Paul4747 replies on Oct 22, 2020:

@Cyklone "Contact" in this sense means, the longer one spends around someone who is actively expelling the virus. True, there's obviously a chance to inhale it after 1 second, but it gets exponentially greater the longer you're in that zone.

As a corrections officer, this scares the crap out of me

Cyklone comments on Oct 22, 2020:

Seems to me that putting time limits on contact like 5 or 15 minutes is like tbe 10 second rule in dropped food. Bullshit. Contamination occurs immediately.

Paul4747 replies on Oct 22, 2020:

I don't have the science background to debate that with you. Take it up with the CDC.