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 was a fluke of electoral college numbers that gave him the win. There are legitimate reasons for equal representation in the Senate and the Electoral College. Direct democracy results in a tyranny of the majority, who may not respect the rights of the minority. The system is not fundamentally broken. The real problem is that American democracy works under the assumption that voters will study the issues and act in their enlightened self-interest and the interest of the nation. They did not foresee something like Trump coming along. Nor did they expect blind party loyalty to keep him in office after impeachment.

E. Jean Carroll lawsuit: Judge rejects DOJ effort to end suit - CNNPolitics

Paul4747 comments on Oct 27, 2020:

If only he had also admonished Barr for patently acting as Trump's private attorney and fixer, instead of an Attorney General of the United States.

Trump signs order to ease packing government with loyalists

Paul4747 comments on Oct 27, 2020:

This is revenge against the professional civil service which he feels has tried to thwart him for the last four years. Biden can undo most of it with another executive order; a Democrat Congress can codify protections for the civil service into law to protect against future wannabe dictators.

Trump says that if Biden is elected, seniors will have 'no air conditioning during the summer'

Paul4747 comments on Oct 27, 2020:

And once again Trump displays his ignorance of how wind power works... same speech. Wind power is only part of an overall electric grid....

Trump says that if Biden is elected, seniors will have 'no air conditioning during the summer'

Paul4747 comments on Oct 27, 2020:

Trump has no plan whatsoever, he's just peddling fear everywhere he goes along with a couple vague promises. Pretty much 2016 again.

A REAL president speaks.

Paul4747 comments on Oct 27, 2020:

This is the one that Trump referred to as the "no crowd, fake speech"? Because the crowd was following social distancing instead of clustering together like a covid incubator experiment?

Chachi Is Furious About "Marxist" Happy Days Reunion - Joe.My.God.

Paul4747 comments on Oct 27, 2020:

Just because his spinoff series tanked..... Also, a stinging commentary from Richard Marx on the twitter feed. > I’m also someone who’s never been vile enough to imply Sandy Hook was faked and also never bashed the parent of a murdered child. You?

Ex-Christian: My Faith Shifted After Seeing Ken Ham Get “Destroyed” by Bill Nye | Hemant Mehta ...

Paul4747 comments on Oct 27, 2020:

The essay itself is very good to read. https://www.christianpost.com/news/i-lost-my-faith-in-a-chick-fil-a.html The following reminds me of the time I was struggling to "try" to be a Christian, for my wife's sake: > It’s impossible to say when doubts first began creeping in. I remember spending hours on my knees in prayer, my entire emotional focus pinned on talking to God, only to hear nothing back. I would feel my stomach churn wondering if there was nobody there to hear me, then convince myself it was my fault that I didn’t believe hard enough, or that I was trying to connect with God on my own strength, or something along those lines. Then, I’d redouble my efforts to connect to God more strongly in worship, or in Bible reading. If I ever felt doubts, my focus was to study to show myself approved, a workman who need not be ashamed. Well, apart from the hours on my knees, but the spirit of trying to hear some reply from something, anything, resonates with me.

Preacher: I Just Cured Rush Limbaugh’s Terminal Lung Cancer With My Prayers | Hemant Mehta | ...

Paul4747 comments on Oct 27, 2020:

Uh huh. And what do the doctors say about that?

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.)

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

I had in interesting session with my therapist.

Paul4747 comments on Oct 26, 2020:

A therapist is there to ask you questions about your own beliefs, not to explain theirs.

GOP House Candidate Was a Sexual Predator in College, Say Christian Classmates | Hemant Mehta | ...

Paul4747 comments on Oct 26, 2020:

Wow. A religious school that *isn't* automatically backing the Republican? Suddenly I like them a little.

Looking so forward to the Biden administration.

Paul4747 comments on Oct 26, 2020:

[insert comment about chickens]

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"?

'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?

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

Paul4747 comments on Oct 26, 2020:

"With only two viable candidates on the ballot, it’s unrealistic to always pick someone who will perfectly align with your values... That may be unfortunate, but it’s the reality we face." I'm going to have to remember that for use in other discussions.

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

Paul4747 comments on Oct 26, 2020:

My vote's long since cast, so here I go... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l482T0yNkeo

Religious Conservatives Lash Out at Kellogg’s Over “Anti-Christian” Cereal | Hemant Mehta | ...

Paul4747 comments on Oct 26, 2020:

I know my Corn Flakes made a *very* nasty comment about Pat Robertson the other morning...

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

Paul4747 comments on Oct 26, 2020:

Sounds legit. And did he mention his friend's fortune in the Czech bank account that he can't access right now, but if you front him 4 grand for expenses he can pay you back $30k?

Old Disney films have stronger warnings of racist content and no guns.

Paul4747 comments on Oct 26, 2020:

Okay, I don't remember a damn thing about Disney, but Looney Toons was a staple of Saturday mornings. That's just silly. Cartoon violence is *cartoon *violence. It's deliberately over the top. I never once thought of looking down the barrel of a gun to see if there was one buwwet weft.

WTH?

Paul4747 comments on Oct 26, 2020:

That's actually 20% above average. I'd say that's not so bad, although it could be better. Also, what's the source for the study?

Trump Lashes Out At 'Borat' Creator Sacha Baron Cohen: 'He's A Creep' | HuffPost

Paul4747 comments on Oct 25, 2020:

And Trump, as usual, talks like a tough guy. "If it had been me (that Cohen had pranked at a red carpet ceremony) he would have been lying unconscious on the ground". Men with weak, or might I say cowardly, characters are generally tough-talking bullies to compensate. And this is why he shouldn't have nuclear codes. Let's hope they gave him fake ones.

A trump-supporting troll made a post here, containing a list if Russian-style talking points.

Paul4747 comments on Oct 25, 2020:

Yes, but that means the original post is just an echo chamber where only comments that agree with the OP show up. Replying means that a true critique can be read by anyone who might benefit from it. We can't let the right put out propaganda without fact-checking. That's what Fox News Channel is for.

Trump struggles to defend lie about Mexico 'paying for the wall'

Paul4747 comments on Oct 25, 2020:

It's no surprise that Republicans believe this stuff. They also believe that China pays for tariffs on importing Chinese goods.

People Can’t Believe This RNC Tweet About Donald Trump’s Priorities Isn’t A Parody | HuffPost

Paul4747 comments on Oct 25, 2020:

I think this was one of the best replies... > To use Trump's rhetoric from [the debate]: he has been President for four years... why hasn't he gotten any of this done?

Health Agency Halts Coronavirus Ad Campaign, Leaving Santa Claus in the Cold The $250 million ...

Paul4747 comments on Oct 25, 2020:

By all means, let's turn Santa's house into a superspreader.

If Amy Barrett were an honorable woman and fit to be a Supreme Court justice, she would decline the ...

Paul4747 comments on Oct 25, 2020:

The rush is precisely because they expect Trump to lose. They have to act now before he's a lame duck and has a thin veneer of plausibility to claim the right to make the nomination; even though it means reversing all their arguments from 4 years ago.

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 documentation and made NO receipts from the customer who supposedly turned in *3 laptops* for repair, but never came back for even one of them) to the *New York Post, *a paper owned by Rupert Murdoch, also owner of Fox News. The laptop which has not been made available for examination by any independent source. The laptop which the FBI reportedly has had for months, and has not made any arrests, which you would think they would do if there was video of someone torturing and killing children... and if such video existed, you would also think that the *Post* would have turned it over to Fox News where it would be running day and night. This is what you're saying? Uh huh. I see no reason not to buy this entire story.

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 boy was unhistorical; it had the words "under God" as added during the Eisenhower administration, compared to the original which simply said, "one nation, indivisible". Ironic that you hold up Ike as a defender of history on one hand while he did not respect tradition on the other. 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. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:American_Holocaust_deniers Sorry, I won't be forwarding this email.

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

Paul4747 comments on Oct 25, 2020:

While neatly putting the subject back out on the front page. Well done, Vladimir. This is just another way to try and influence the US elections by mentioning the non-story of Hunter Biden once again. Hunter Biden is not running for President, and he won't have an office in the West Wing if Biden wins- unlike Ivanka Trump and her husband, who were installed as "senior advisors" despite lacking any expertise whatsoever other than their relation to Trump. They're the kids we should be talking about.

My cousin's son in law committed suicide.

Paul4747 comments on Oct 25, 2020:

I think you said it yourself. Just express your sorrow, but leave out the prayers and other flimflam. Speak from the heart.

'Worship protest' expected to draw thousands to National Mall [thehill.

Paul4747 comments on Oct 25, 2020:

Not meaning to offend, but at first I thought this was a Trump Twitter post.... then I realized the grammar and spelling were much better than his.

Lincoln Project Attorney Scorches Lawsuit Threat over Ivanka, Jared Billboards

Paul4747 comments on Oct 25, 2020:

Being quoted accurately sucks, doesn't it, Jared?

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

Paul4747 comments on Oct 25, 2020:

I could've been a preacher with a few less scruples and a lot more gullibility. And I've been told I have the face to work in radio. *But seriously folks....* My ex goes to a church where they have what they call a "special music" segment, where someone volunteers to perform a song. I offered to sing *The Man Comes Around* by Johnny Cash. I thought it would be very appropriate, since they're a fundamentalist church and believe in the Apocalypse and so on. Oddly, nobody ever got back to me on that. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiMXK9eDrMY

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

Paul4747 comments on Oct 25, 2020:

Here's the problem, as I see it; *real* right-wing militias are preparing *real* arms and ammunition to fight against an *imaginary* left-wing revolution. And in the process, some of them are plotting a preemptive counterrevolution, before the imaginary revolution has a chance to kick into gear real good. This is how the Civil War started. The Southern states were so convinced that Lincoln was going to act against them, that they decided to preemptively act and leave the Union. And then a hothead fired on Ft. Sumter, and it was all over bar the 618,222 deaths.

Trump Says He Now Identifies as a Non-Denominational Christian, Not Presbyterian | Hemant Mehta | ...

Paul4747 comments on Oct 24, 2020:

He can identify as a purple spotted schnozzlepuss if he wants, that doesn't make it so.

Am I a radical?

Paul4747 comments on Oct 24, 2020:

I have always felt, and continue to feel, that it's a mistake to lower ourselves to the opposition's level. It is perfectly legitimate to point out that the Republicans frequently court the support of white supremacists, and many refuse to denounce them; some *are* outright white supremacists, and should be called out as such. But we should stay on the high ground. (And the best thing about the high ground is that one can chuck rocks down off it.)

Secret Chinese bank account remains a problem for Trump

Paul4747 comments on Oct 24, 2020:

It's one more thing for him to be a hypocrite about; like trying to call out Hunter Biden while he ignores Ivanka's million-dollar Chinese trademark deal and Kushner's multiple foreign entanglements that prevented him from getting a security clearance without Trump's personal intervention. Trump's entire family is built on nepotism and foreign double-dealing, but his supporters will continue turning a blind eye. "But- Hilary's emails!!"

Preacher: Trump Spoke to God When He Had COVID, So He’ll Win Re-Election | Beth Stoneburner | ...

Paul4747 comments on Oct 24, 2020:

It's more likely that he said, "Why did I have to catch this god damn virus? God, it's so unfair! Why does God hate me so much?" Or maybe he said, "My God, look at the body on that nurse!!" If he referred to God at all.

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.

Donald Trump Jr.’s ‘Pumped’ Fox News Interview Gets The Jimmy Fallon Treatment

Paul4747 comments on Oct 24, 2020:

404 error....

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

Paul4747 comments on Oct 24, 2020:

One thing you DO NOT do, if you're for real, is brag about your accomplishments. Anyone who had ever been SpecOps or SOCOM wouldn't be talking about it in a convention hall. As a Private at Fort Benning, I once had to report to the infirmary and saw there 2 men, bearded, in camo fatigues with no insignia. My buddy asked me, in a none-too-quiet voice, "Who the fuck are those guys?" I nudged him hard and said, "Shut up!!" out of the corner of my mouth. I explained later that Fort Benning was home to the School of the Americas, where Special Forces trains foreign operators in counterinsurgency tactics. We had almost certainly just seen a couple of Green Berets dropping by to talk to the medic on call, who had a Special Forces crest on his uniform. These were guys who didn't officially exist. Spooky encounter.

White supremacist group talked about paramilitary training in secret vetting calls – Boston News, ...

Paul4747 comments on Oct 24, 2020:

> “The Base is a survivalism and self-defense network. Our objective is sharing knowledge and training to prepare for crisis situations” Yeah. What does Al Qaeda translate to in English? The Base. Hate is hate.

Does anyone really believe, (as trump says) that the IRS has been auditing his taxes for FOUR years ...

Paul4747 comments on Oct 24, 2020:

Filing fees are paid to your tax preparer, not the IRS. They certainly don't appear on the bottom line of your return. It's not so much they don't care he's lying, it's that they find excuses and distract themselves into believing everyone else is just as bad. "But- Hilary's emails! Hunter's laptop!!"

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.

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 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.” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/mar/23/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-isis-caliphate 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...

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

Paul4747 comments on Oct 24, 2020:

Prejudiced morons? Seriously though, people who assume that someone named "Harris" has a bunch of relatives overseas just waiting to emigrate... what the hell? And they ignore, or never bothered to wonder, where Melania Trump came from (Slovenia) and how her family became US citizens (why, chain migration!)....

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

Paul4747 comments on Oct 24, 2020:

Oh. I thought it was named after Dijon Talton.

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? ;)

Biden still has issues with stuttering.

Paul4747 comments on Oct 23, 2020:

Yep, and I still have issues with IBS. I guess you could say, shit happens.

Religious Leaders Lash Out at Pope Francis for Supporting Civil Union Laws | Hemant Mehta | Friendly...

Paul4747 comments on Oct 23, 2020:

I thought he *was* the religious leader. Isn't the Pope infallible? Does a bear shit in the woods?

Analysis Paralysis

Paul4747 comments on Oct 23, 2020:

Sorry to say it's going to be much more than 12 days. Think somewhere around 19-33; 12 days until the election, then 7 to 21 to finish counting and certify the ballots, unless it's a crushing Biden victory at the polls themselves on the 3rd. Right now it looks like more Republicans are planning to vote in person, while Democrats voted early or absentee; therefore it will take time for their votes to be counted, providing an opening for Trump to try to claim victory based on election night exit polls and then scream fraud when the count turns against him.

British journo nails it: ‘we have people being beheaded for showing cartoons.

Paul4747 comments on Oct 23, 2020:

This goes all the way back to supposed advocates of free speech saying it was Salman Rushdie's own fault for having a fatwa put out on him when he wrote *The Satanic Verses*... by the Ayatollah Khomeini, who neither read nor knew anything about the novel other than being told it was "offensive to Islam". His publisher's agents in Norway, Japan, and other countries were attacked, some murdered, theoretically because they had some connection with the novel or knew his whereabouts. French citizens abroad (and Europeans in general) were targeted because a newspaper printed cartoons depicting Mohammed- and along with the cartoons were three pictures of some bearded men wearing pig snouts, which actually had nothing to do with the newspaper, but were from a French feature on a local hog-calling contest. The newspaper itself was firebombed. *People died.* Again, the newspaper was blamed for its "insensitivity to Islam", rather than the murderous thugs being blamed for taking deadly offense at mere ink on paper. (And how did these pictures turn up in places like Ethiopia, along with French flags to burn during their protests?) No belief is immune to criticism and analysis, and certainly none is immune to satire. Yet religion, as Douglas Adams observed, is placed in a mental box labeled "Do Not Touch". Religion is somehow considered off limits to moral criticism. We can criticize a politician all we want, but if someone is doing things in the name of their God- of whom we have no empirical evidence that they even *exist*, by the way- that's a special case and we should not only withhold judgment, but grant them special license to be outraged if their imaginary god is "insulted". How fragile is God's ego supposed to be, that He (or His Prophet) can't stand seeing a cartoon, anyway?

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.

Let's brainstorm snarky replies to the lame first message, "How is it going?"

Paul4747 comments on Oct 22, 2020:

"Is this just a superficial, pulp social inquiry, or are you really concerned about my physical and emotional well-being?" (Swiped from Scott Adams' *Dilbert* comic)

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.

Televangelist Kenneth Copeland: Satan is the Reason Muslims Are in Congress | Hemant Mehta | ...

Paul4747 comments on Oct 22, 2020:

I thought voters were the reason... I dunno, *anyone*, was in Congress?

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

Paul4747 comments on Oct 22, 2020:

> I didn't see this coming from a Catholic publication. I'll bet you didn't see the Pope's pronouncement on same-sex unions coming either...

Trump will end his presidency as he began it: Whining.

Paul4747 comments on Oct 22, 2020:

Most offensive of all is the fact that, as more than 220,000 Americans have been dying to the Covid pandemic, Trump whines about how unfair it was that a pandemic happen to *him* of all people during a reelection year. https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/05/trump-whines-about-his-covid-19-victimhood-as-campaign-flails His utter lack of empathy and inability to feel for anyone other than himself will (by all rights) be his undoing.

An Anti-Abortion Activist Filmed Her Own Sitcom.

Paul4747 comments on Oct 21, 2020:

"This week on The Facts Of Life, Toodi gives birth to her demon child!" No?

Where is the weirdest place you have seen religious propaganda?

Paul4747 comments on Oct 21, 2020:

There's a barn in a town near me; painted on the side of this, so that oncoming drivers can read it from a good 1/4 mile away, is the message "Behold, I Come Quickly- Rev 3:11". I used to drive past this every day when I had a job as a bank courier. The first time I saw it, I thought, "Huh. So Jesus had trouble with premature ejaculation?"

Christians Held a Huge COVID-Denying Event to Whine About Being “Non-Essential” | Hemant Mehta |...

Paul4747 comments on Oct 21, 2020:

Churches are a *lot* less essential than, for instance, liquor stores. Even gun stores might be essential in remote areas for hunting and so on. But what does a church do that you can't do over the phone?

I have always thought that A.

Paul4747 comments on Oct 21, 2020:

But it's not evil if it's to your advantage. This is the subjective morality by which the human brain operates. Theoretically, it's wrong to take advantage of others; but confront someone with evidence that they're taking advantage of others lower down on the economic ladder, and the response will be, "I'm just doing what the system allows," or "If they worked harder they'd be better off too." The brain has built-in filters that paint our own behavior in a positive light, and other peoples' in a more negative light; so that the wealthy see poor people using the Earned Income Credit as "gaming the system" and "too lazy to work", while the poor see the rich as "cheating the system" and "not paying their fair share". Both may be doing the same thing- following a tax code built by competing interests to achieve conflicting ends. Neither one is trying to hurt the other. But they subjectively see each other as an enemy, and therefore "evil". That's just one example. I'm sure others could occur- police vs protesters, liberals vs conservatives, cats vs dogs. Most of us are the same as who we see as our opposites- just trying to feed ourselves, pay the bills, and hoping tomorrow will be better than today.

Memphis poll worker fired for turning away voters wearing BLM shirts.

Paul4747 comments on Oct 20, 2020:

I was once told I had to cover up my *Firefly* fan t-shirt, just like this one. Even though the Browncoats only exist in science fiction. EDIT- that's Brown*COATS*, not brown*shirts*

Watched, A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood.

Paul4747 comments on Oct 19, 2020:

> Apparently Mr Rogers believed in God, but he seemed so great, you can’t really hold it against him It's not what you believe, but how you act toward other people that matters. I've met dozens of Christians and Muslims and "other" believers in the prison system, and many of them have been decent, friendly, kind people with a sense of humor, willing to help others and looking out for those among them who needed support. And this is a community of convicted felons I'm talking about; I don't usually discuss religion with other staff. Then again, there are some who wouldn't piss on you to put you out if you were on fire. But that's true anywhere you go, and I don't think either religion or incarceration influences that. Some people are just miserable.

Who believes in the Scientific Big Bang myth?

Paul4747 comments on Oct 19, 2020:

Please.... Get a dictionary.

Christian Hate-Preacher Steven Anderson Is Banned from Entering New Zealand | Hemant Mehta | ...

Paul4747 comments on Oct 19, 2020:

Nonexistent God bless those Newzies!!

An Ode to the Mute Button

Paul4747 comments on Oct 18, 2020:

I'm not criticizing your personal choice. I'm just mentioning that television is our modern equivalent of the stage in past times, and has made available some of the finest comedy, drama, and even tragedy I've ever vicariously experienced; not to mention current events and the shared experience of news events in real time. I will never forget some of the moments in history, tragic or inspiring, that I've shared with millions through live news. Also, there are controls that would let you fine tune the sound to your preference so it's less jarring. I prefer a high mid range myself, to compensate for some hearing loss I've had. ;)

Atheists Call for Removal of Jesus Painting from Shreveport (LA) Police Dept.

Paul4747 comments on Oct 18, 2020:

Why is it there? Simple. Christianity works on the guilt principle. Anyone there waiting to talk to the police (and in LA everyone is assumed to be a Christian) sees the painting, and subconsciously starts thinking about Jesus watching over everything they do, and judging their actions... hearing their words... knowing whether they're lying or telling the truth. And in theory, they're going to show more discomfort if they're lying, because *Jesus is right out there in the hall, listening to them lie*. How this is supposed to work on Jews, atheists, etc., I don't suppose they thought through. Those are just mythical people anyway, they don't really exist. Only Southern Christians are real.

Christian “Prophetess”: I Can Draw God “Because of My Photographic Memory” | Hemant Mehta | ...

Paul4747 comments on Oct 18, 2020:

I can top that. I have a picture of Him!

Tim Wildmon: Liberals Want to “Close Down Every Christian Church in America” | Hemant Mehta | ...

Paul4747 comments on Oct 16, 2020:

Tim should study American history. Some of the founders opposed giving churches tax exemption because it was a form of favoritism. If a church can't support itself without tax breaks, it can't support itself period.

Savannah Guthrie to Trump: "You're not someone's crazy uncle!"

Paul4747 comments on Oct 16, 2020:

Technically he ***IS*** someone's crazy uncle. https://twitter.com/MaryLTrump/status/1316904814467600386?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1316904814467600386%7Ctwgr%5Eshare_3%2Ccontainerclick_1=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsweek.com%2Fmary-trump-savannah-guthries-crazy-uncle-president-1539661

A Wisconsin Man is Angry the Mayor of Ashland Skipped “Under God” in the Pledge | Hemant Mehta |...

Paul4747 comments on Oct 16, 2020:

The city of Ashland has existed since before time? Did Stephen Hawking know about this??

Ken Copeland: Jesus Christ wants me to be the first Billionaire preacher.

Paul4747 comments on Oct 16, 2020:

For anyone who wasn't reading closely, this was a satire piece. The sad real-life piece it's making fun of was when 'Multi-millionaire televangelist Kenneth Copeland tells viewers that even if they lose their jobs because of the coronavirus outbreak, they must continue giving to the church: "Whatever you do right now, don't you stop tithing!"' https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2020/03/19/scamvangelist-if-you-lost-your-job-in-the-pandemic-dont-you-stop-tithing/ which I think we've already covered here, although it's worth reading again.

I’d like to get members opinions and thoughts and feelings about agnostic theists; of which I am ...

Paul4747 comments on Oct 16, 2020:

"Not knowing" and "having doubts" makes you wiser than all the televangelists combined. If you question your beliefs sincerely, examine the evidence rigorously, and then at the end of it, you still hold those beliefs and find they're consistent with the evidence, more power to you. It's those who hold a blind faith in the face of all evidence to the contrary that drive me batshit.

Rudy Giuliani’s Daughter Caroline on Voting for Joe Biden | Vanity Fair

Paul4747 comments on Oct 16, 2020:

It never occurred to me to compare Trump to a Bond villain, but now it's going to stick forever. He's almost crossed that line between everyday villainy and cartoonish super-villainy. Like Mr. Burns, without the spark of humanity. https://comb.io/xKgpsO

Throughout my life, I've had to slowly learn that Perfection doesn't exist.

Paul4747 comments on Oct 15, 2020:

My daughter has a birth defect, which I'm not going to get into but will say that it is visible, but doesn't stop her from any of the activities of life. Something didn't trigger in her DNA when she was developing in the womb, and that's that. Anyway, my ex used to tell her, "God doesn't make mistakes," in other words, she was **intended** to have this imperfection. I know my ex meant this to be comforting, but to me (at the time, I was already agnostic and well on the way to becoming an atheist) it seemed to be an example of cruelty. If "God" was supervising the fetal development of every single child, why not make sure they were all perfect? Why have birth defects at all? Why let children be born deaf, blind, or with some other handicap? Is it supposed to build character? So, unwittingly, my ex contributed greatly to my journey as an atheist. If I still believed in God, I think I'd have to hate him for inflicting so much suffering on innocent children. My daughter not least.

Kenneth Copeland: “Lazy Christians” Are Why Michele Bachmann Isn’t President | Hemant Mehta | ...

Paul4747 comments on Oct 15, 2020:

He "visibly saw the anointing of God take over..." Is that like when they drench the coach with Gatorade after winning the championship? I mean, he doesn't describe what it looks like, so I just have to let my imagination take over.

BIDEN-HARRIS VICTORY DANCE.

Paul4747 comments on Oct 14, 2020:

Not to criticize, but if we're talking creepy costumed dancers, I prefer the Safety Dance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjPau5QYtYs

Church burns altar where priest had sex with two women, Louisiana archbishop says

Paul4747 comments on Oct 14, 2020:

What's appalling to me (and I've been a Paul all my life, so I have some expertise here) is the attitude toward sex; "obscene", "unholy", even "demonic". What's the message for parishioners about their sex lives? Okay, granted it was probably the wrong place; after all, nobody is meant to have sex at the office (and on camera, to boot). But everyone involved was a consenting adult. So they did some kinky stuff; that's not "obscene". I really don't give a rat about the community standards in Louisiana. Any locality's definition of "obscenity" is irrelevant in this day when you don't have to go to the adult store wearing a coat with the collar turned up for fear of disapproving looks; you don't have to go at all, you can shop online. We're moving toward the liberalization (and liberation) of the entire world eventually, and that's what people like this priest truly fear. That's why they still oppress the normal sex drive, in the 21st century.

Authorities investigating large religious event in Nashville with maskless crowds

Paul4747 comments on Oct 13, 2020:

The stupid! It burns! It burns!! *THE GOGGLES DO NOTHING* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkaBT-u7qn8

More proof that there did not need to be a god involved to create life.

Paul4747 comments on Oct 13, 2020:

I feel it's sufficiently proven that there is no Creator, simply because there's no way to answer the question, "Who created her? him? it?" There is no solution to this infinite regress. Saying "the creator has always been here" is far less satisfactory than accepting that the Universe, in some form, has always been here. Accepting the existence of the Universe does not require violating any physical laws or invoking the supernatural. It merely requires us to accept that we'll never know for sure. The question now driving research is how exactly life might have come about; something else we'll never know, but we can come closer and closer to a good guess.

I have a friend that constantly says.

Paul4747 comments on Oct 13, 2020:

"Catholic" is defined as "all-embracing", so the Catholic church is supposedly THE One True Church. Needless to say, they worship God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and that Son is Jesus. It's.... kinda hard to get more Christian than that. Some Protestants, Baptists, Evangelicals and other churches claim the Catholics aren't true Christians (and in fact are violating commandments) because they have graven images, they venerate Mary and the various Archangels, guardian angels, and patron saints they've made up. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_patron_saints_by_occupation_and_activity I'll give them this- the Catholics move with the times. Just under the letter A there are patron saints responsible for motorists (St. Anthony the Abbott), scientists (Albertus Magnus), and arms dealers (Adrian of Nicomedia). What that says about Heaven's tacit approval for arms dealers, I'm not going to get into.

I am not a religious person, I don't give a damn about religions but .

Paul4747 comments on Oct 13, 2020:

In my book (soon to be published, visit your favorite bookstore), "Holy Moses" is no more religious than "Holy shit!" or "Jesus H. Christ", or, in extreme cases, "Jesus H. Christ on a jumped-up, motorized, chariot-driven crutch." Enjoying a song with an Old Testament name in it does not make you religious. (My book may be a little delayed, actually. It's my life story. All I have so far is the title: "Sit Down Before I Knock You Down.")

I do this all the time.

Paul4747 comments on Oct 13, 2020:

Sometimes I'm angry with God for not existing. I want someone to *blame*.

Carlo Acutis: Italian teenager could be first millennial saint [bbc.com]

Paul4747 comments on Oct 12, 2020:

How exactly do they figure it was *him* that cured cancer from heaven? Was he on Heaven.com?

French knots make it snow!

Paul4747 comments on Oct 11, 2020:

So you believe in sympathetic magic? I would never have guessed it, knowing you as we do.

This is very interesting, but I think my favorite line is that the unfortunate man died in the ...

Paul4747 comments on Oct 11, 2020:

I think the lesson here is "don't have a god-emperor". *coughRepublicanscoughTrump*

Here's my follow-up article to the priest having a threesome in the church.

Paul4747 comments on Oct 11, 2020:

I don't think the argument about a church being a "private place" is valid. Churches are open to the public; that means by definition it's not a private place. A church is equivalent to a business or school, not a private home (ignoring all the blather about being "the house of God"). Furthermore, this was not a peeping Tom, it was someone (if I read it right) who saw unusual activity in what was supposed to be a closed building- the same as you or I walking by a business at night and seeing people moving around inside. We would be curious if these were legitimate employees cleaning after hours, or maybe burglars or vandals. It's the same as looking through the window into a school office and seeing two teachers doing it on the desk. The issue isn't people having sex; it's the venue they chose. The place was inappropriate. And you can definitely face charges if you're exposing yourself even in your own home, in such a way that passersby can see you just by looking in. Someone that lives in an apartment that does not draw the shades or curtains can engage in indecent exposure if others are able to see the person naked from outside. Having sex with the curtains open would just compound the matter.

Trump is The Drowning Man by Michael Moore

Paul4747 comments on Oct 11, 2020:

Interesting metaphor.

Good morning all.. She isn't fully awake yet... Any suggestions?

Paul4747 comments on Oct 11, 2020:

A facefull of water

Ebony and Ivory : Part II Which do you prefer?

Paul4747 comments on Oct 11, 2020:

Why do we have to choose?

Pretty in plaids.

Paul4747 comments on Oct 11, 2020:

Whaddya know, that's my clan tartan.

Should Colleges Do Admissions Without Standardized Tests? why/not ?

Paul4747 comments on Oct 11, 2020:

A better question is- should standardized tests better reflect the times we live in? For example, Standard English has changed. Maybe the tests should too.

Something occurs to me that I don’t want to believe but I think it may be true.

Paul4747 comments on Oct 11, 2020:

I can't agree. Please allow me to present my own analysis; voters choose the candidate they feel most comfortable with; the one they find, for lack of a better phrase, most likable. Example: Trump v Clinton. Clinton is a devastatingly intelligent woman, which is exactly what many non-college educated males (and, I hate to say, some female voters) are uncomfortable with as their elected leader, especially since she lacks a certain finesse sometimes in her public comments- even though she's very charming in person and with smaller groups. In short, she was saddled with the caricature of being "a bitch"- unfairly, in my view. Trump, on the other hand, is an utter baboon (no offense, baboons) who boasts about his sexual escapades, is hilariously uninformed about international and even national events, and doesn't even try to hide his prejudices- exactly what the above non-college educated male sees when he looks in the mirror. Trump doesn't challenge the voters to strive for more, he tells them they're just fine the way they are. In fact, they're *better than *those stuck-up intellectuals! Voters who were already comfortable with the idea of powerful women in high places had no problem voting for Hilary. But those who resented having a female boss in the front office- those who heard Trump giving them license to let loose with all their worst impulses- swung to vote for him. They fantasized Donald as the drinking buddy with whom they could spend the evening griping about those freeloading immigrants and foreigners; and he could actually do something about it as President! Yeah! A border wall! Great idea! A fence worked on the neighbor's dog, right? More examples- Reagan v Carter; Reagan was the friendly uncle, full of folksy stories, whereas Carter was a rather uptight Sunday-school teacher. Bill Clinton v George H W Bush; Clinton (although extremely smart and studious) had that Arkansas accent and Southern charm, against Bush' clenched patrician manner. George W Bush made his boyish charm work for him against Gore's stiffness; people just couldn't imagine sitting down with Al for an hour for fear it would turn into a lecture on climate change. In the current contest, part of the reason Biden is faring better than Clinton did four years ago is because he's exuding an air of "Comforter-In-Chief", reassuring people that everything will be alright under a President Biden, compared to the chaos of four more years of Trump. He's a grandfatherly figure, and at this moment, that actually works.

Fake 'progressive' mailers urge yes on Uber/Lyft's Prop. 22 [sfgate.com]

Paul4747 comments on Oct 11, 2020:

Typical corporate underhandedness at work. Thats why I toss all the political mailings in the garbage.

Antiabortion groups don't mind Trump used drug tested on fetal tissue - Business Insider

Paul4747 comments on Oct 11, 2020:

Yes, and they don't mind benefiting from centuries of Black slavery because they personally didn't enslave anyone... you see how their line of thinking goes.

“There’s a transition integrity project, high-level people from the Republicans and the ...

Paul4747 comments on Oct 11, 2020:

What you don't mention is that this is Noam Chomsky *talking about* the work of the transition project, not the words of the actual project members themselves. The actual conclusions of the Transition Integrity Project, if you're interested, were: Game One: Ambiguous. The first game investigated a scenario in which the outcome of the election remained unclear from election night and throughout gameplay. The results from three states are in contention and ballots are destroyed in one of the states, making it unclear who should have won that state. Neither campaign is willing to concede. Game Two: Clear Biden Victory. Biden wins both the Electoral College and the popular vote. Trump alleges fraud and takes steps to benefit himself and his family but ultimately hands the White House over to Biden. Game Three: Clear Trump Win. The third scenario started with an Electoral College victory for President Trump (286 to 252), but a popular vote win (52% to 47%) for former Vice President Biden. In this scenario Biden refused to concede, convinced the Democratic governors of two states that Trump won to send separate slates of electors to the Electoral College, encouraged three states to threaten secession and convinced the House of Representatives to refuse to certify the election and declare Biden the victor. Game Four: Narrow Biden Win. The final scenario explored a narrow Biden win where he leads with less than 1% of the popular vote and has a slim lead at 278 electoral votes. The Trump campaign sows chaos but Senate Republicans and the Joint Chiefs of Staff eventually signal that they accept Biden's win. Trump refuses to leave and is removed by the Secret Service. *NONE* of these scenarios lead to a civil war. On the other hand, Trumpists claim that the Project is a secret conspiracy to encourage a civil war on behalf of *Biden* if Trump wins. Beware of quoting from alarmists like Chomsky (who, just in my opinion, has never been quite all there to begin with). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transition_Integrity_Project#Analysis

Anyone else making Christmas gifts?

Paul4747 comments on Oct 11, 2020:

Wait- you're thinking about Xmas and it's not even Halloween yet? I have to file a report with the Holiday Police. I'm sorry, but that's a violation of code XT9-77R, "Separation of Holidays Act". It is *wayyyy* too early for that stuff. :D