Trump pardons Blackwater contractors jailed for massacre of Iraq civilians | Iraq | The Guardian

Paul4747 comments on Dec 23, 2020:

Because obviously, Americans can't murder foreigners. Foreigners don't count. Except, that's not what the UCMJ says. That's not what the Rules of Engagement say. That's not what they taught me in basic training. Too bad everything Trump knows about combat, service, decency, and honor came from watching Tony Scott and Jerry Bruckheimer movies, where the Americans are always the heroes and there are no moral issues.

When people with horribly bad ideologies prey on their peers with the same horribly bad ideologies, ...

Paul4747 comments on Dec 22, 2020:

Is it wrong that the single most disturbing thing to me was the phrase "communities in which we can live in"? Horrible grammar is the sign of a diseased mind.

This tells us how much they care about Americans.

Paul4747 comments on Dec 22, 2020:

Um.... approximately 145,000,000 taxpayers in the USA (we'll use that figure for ready money, so to speak; it doesn't subtract the number who will not get the full $600 stimulus due to having a higher income bracket, but nor does it add the $600 per child that many families will receive) x $600 per = very roughly 87,000,000,000 in stimulus money alone. That's $87 billion. And I haven't mentioned small business relief either, which is also a hefty part of the bill. While the numbers for foreign aid may seem excessive to *you, *in a budget of $4.79 *trillion* (pre-pandemic), 1.3 bn for Egypt or 500 bn for Israel, for instance, are drops in the bucket, especially considering that this money is supporting friendly nations in some of the most volatile areas in the world- the areas most likely to sprout another world war or a nuclear incident or another 9/11. I also have no problem with *public* money supporting *public* institutions. The Smithsonian, to name one, isn't an MJR theater, it's a national fucking treasure. It's worth the billion. Get over your populist outrage and see more of the world than your own wallet.

Man Charged for Voting as Dead Mother for Trump in 3rd Case of Voter Fraud in Pennsylvania

Paul4747 comments on Dec 22, 2020:

Isn't it strange, the way seemingly *every* case of voter fraud and *every* ballot harvesting scheme we learn about is for the benefit of and by Republican candidates? There are two possibilities: either the media really are engaged in a massive conspiracy to cover up all the fraud committed by the Democrats; or the Republicans are a bunch of crooks who refuse to admit their own real malfeasance, while simultaneously throwing baseless accusations at the other side to muddy the waters. I know which one I think is more likely.

Censored vs.

Paul4747 comments on Dec 21, 2020:

Having never seen any of these people before in my life, and with no context whatsoever, I'm taking a guess here: A bunch of right-wing video bloggers who repeatedly post false information are bemoaning the fact that you can't lie your ass off at will anymore? "Independent media" is a code phrase for fake news (I mean fake in the sense that it's actually not real, not the Donald Trump sense where real news is called "fake news")? Some losers are off to the land without fact-checking? Tell me if I'm getting warm here, because I couldn't bring myself to sit through 25 minutes of this, especially with no captions. (In a word, they are grating.) By the way, a private media enterprise can't censor anybody. They are allowed to set the terms of use, and if you violate them, you're out. That's all there is to it. Same as this site or any other. I do wish people would stop crying "censorship" when it's not accurate.

"Love knows no distance." Was my reply too snarky?

Paul4747 comments on Dec 17, 2020:

".... you hold a long skinny thing in your hand while nothing happens for days at a time..." Is it just me, or does this sound like a guy who needs a Viagra prescription? Or am I being (more than usually) uncouth?

Feedback on the new layout for the list of posts?

Paul4747 comments on Dec 13, 2020:

As I said elsewhere, the full-size photos on the browse list are not an improvement. Show me a thumbnail, and if I'm sufficiently interested I'll click over to the post. As it is now, these photos are filling my entire screen.

It took me seconds to decide I didn't like the new visual style of this site.

Paul4747 comments on Dec 12, 2020:

I don't understand all the comments about the background, it's the humungous full-size pictures on the "browse" page that are annoying me.

Flamethrower drone incinerates wasp nests in China

Paul4747 comments on Dec 12, 2020:

I could weaponize that mother in a heartbeat.

Something is different about the layout. I don't care for it. Anyone else want it switched back?

Paul4747 comments on Dec 12, 2020:

Yo. The new design takes up most of my screen to see about 3 posts. Huge white spaces around the text and then huge full-size pictures. This was not an improvement.

Texas GOP chair calls for SECESSION after SCOTUS rules against Trump

Paul4747 comments on Dec 12, 2020:

Oh my lack of god. Article 2, Section 1: "Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector." You can't get much more constitutional than that. Nowhere in there does it grant any other state the least bit of say in how any other state's legislature chooses to hold their elections. SCOTUS ruled precisely the way they should have. No other state has standing to sue on how my state holds an election. It does no conceivable harm to any other state if we have at-will absentee voting (why not name Nevada, which has had statewide absentee voting for years?). It does no harm if we have poll watchers standing 12 feet or 6 feet or 30 feet from the counting. The harebrain conspiracy theories being peddled by the Trump campaign mean nothing in court. Or, alternately, why not let the blue states sue for every other state to allow at-will absentee voting? It devalues our votes if Democrats in other states are willfully suppressed, as they were in Texas, Florida, the Carolinas, basically every state with a Republican legislature. This "legal" theory opens a huge can of worms. And there's no way to get worms back in the can. Kudos to the court for slamming the lid down on it. 2020 will be remembered not only as the year of the pandemic, but the year of the sore losers.

It's a Christmas miracle!!! Jenna Ellis has COVID-19!!! [cnn.com]

Paul4747 comments on Dec 10, 2020:

That's what happens when you hang around Giuliani too long.

French army gets ethical go-ahead for bionic soldiers [cnn.]

Paul4747 comments on Dec 10, 2020:

And the cost will be 6 million francs each.

‘Keep doing what you’re doing’: Top politicians and newsmakers congratulate RT on 15 years of ...

Paul4747 comments on Dec 10, 2020:

Yes, just imagine a world where we had to go without Russian state propaganda broadcasts. I wouldn't want to live like that.

REPORT FROM A RED STATE: Button 2 on my car radio is set to the local Fox News station.

Paul4747 comments on Dec 10, 2020:

I can get the same effect by hitting myself over the head with a hardcover copy of the book "A Very Stable Genius". It's actually less painful in the long run.

I have just received the following information from Gogle. Have you?

Paul4747 comments on Dec 10, 2020:

Thank you for that addition to the paranoia quotient, which is already *wayyyyyyy* above what is justified in some parts around this forum. No names, no pack drill. You grossly overestimate your importance if you think anyone is interested in spying on your computer traffic, other than advertisers. And that boat sailed years ago. They don't care what you write, just what you might buy. Get some privacy software with a good ad blocker and you're good to go.

Nationalism and Populism Are the GOP's Future | Opinion

Paul4747 comments on Dec 9, 2020:

Another Republican "America First"-er. Terrific. The global economy is not a zero-sum game. Globalization is not a dirty word. And you can't wave a magic wand and bring manufacturing jobs back. If the last four years taught anything about the economy, they should have taught that. It's extremely disingenuous, to say the least, for a Republican to bemoan the wealth gap when their party has had so much to do with increasing that gap. Republican tax policies have favored the richest Americans for the past 40 years, at the expense of everyone else, and show no signs of changing. "Populism" is simply code for distrusting anyone with a degree (anyone not a Republican, anyway). I don't buy it for a minute. This is the MAGA movement in fancy dress.

Fox Host Melts Down Over Election Results

Paul4747 comments on Dec 9, 2020:

I'd wondered why CNN dumped Lou Dobbs. Now I get it.

Why are people so supportive of Trump?

Paul4747 comments on Dec 9, 2020:

No no no no. You're applying objective measurements. That will never do. If you could measure the number of prejudices confirmed, preconceptions reaffirmed, grievances aired, urban legends repeated as fact, then you might be on to something. Past presidents have often challenged people to be better than they are. Trump dares them to be as bad as he is. That's a liberating feeling for those who think that the last 60 years have all been a plot to discriminate against white people. (Even though they're objectively worse off under Trump's economy than they would have been otherwise, but they want to believe the lies because they go along with the comforting worldview. And that's all fake news anyway.)

Cookies for who?

Paul4747 comments on Dec 9, 2020:

Why not? *Cookies for everyone!!*

Who remembers Farrah Fawcett

Paul4747 comments on Dec 7, 2020:

I could be ashamed at how many times I masturbated to that poster.

Right-Wing Pastor: The “Coup” Against Trump is a Sign of the “End Times” | Beth Stoneburner ...

Paul4747 comments on Dec 6, 2020:

So, now Joe Biden is the antichrist? I thought it was Barack Obama. I wish they'd make up their minds.

Rudy Giuliani says 'we don't need courts' after judges dismiss appeals

Paul4747 comments on Dec 6, 2020:

So, why has he been wasting all this time in court? A bit of a conundrum there, surely.

'MyPillow Guy' Wigs Out At Trump Rally, Says 'People Will Go To Prison' For Georgia Vote | HuffPost

Paul4747 comments on Dec 6, 2020:

Remind me to never buy his junk products.

The MSM has been caught in an obvious lie by saying the DOJ investigation has been wrapping up with ...

Paul4747 comments on Dec 4, 2020:

Drop your spin. The facts are being *reported*, not "misrepresented". On Dec. 1, AG Barr told the AP that U.S. attorneys and FBI agents have been working to follow up specific complaints and information they’ve received, but “to date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome in the election.” "Following up specific complaints and information"= investigating. Courts at all levels, judges appointed by Republicans and Democrats alike, have rejected the complaints and so-called "affidavits" as, to put it in a word, baloney. For example, volunteer poll watchers who skipped poll watcher training and had no idea what was going on, swore that violations were happening when what they saw was normal procedure. If you go in convinced that dirty tricks are afoot, everything you see is going to be interpreted as dirty tricks. The only people- *the ONLY people*- trying to misinform the public, are the Trump campaign, his lawyers and his apologists. This was, in the words of the DHS CISU, the most secure election ever. EVER. There was no evidence of widespread voter fraud found because, surprise, there was none. The election was won fair and square by Joe Biden. Just get over it.

As a smart mother fucker I approve this message....

Paul4747 comments on Dec 4, 2020:

But crazy motherfuckers sound like crazy motherfuckers to smart motherfuckers, so are you absolutely certain which one you are?

She's looking for friends on Facebook. Look her up.

Paul4747 comments on Dec 4, 2020:

I'm not on Facebook, she won't find me there.

Activists make some very interesting points regarding city funding.

Paul4747 comments on Dec 4, 2020:

I agree, it's not a radical idea. The problem people have with it is not (or would not be) the concept, it's the label. "Defunding the police" is just a horribly unfortunate phrase to have landed upon for this idea. To people who don't look any deeper into it- in other words, about 70% of people, and 100% of the right wing- it still sounds like a call for getting rid of the entire budgets of all police departments, everywhere. I know, and you know, and anyone who actually looks at the proposals knows, that the idea is much more complicated and subtle than that, and that it's an idea geared toward helping the police do a better job, not do less of a job; but right now we're the exception. (On a side note- isn't it ironic that the same people who like to say you can't solve social problems by throwing money at them, seem to think you can solve the crime problem by throwing money at it?) Thing is, I can't think of a different slogan that gets the idea across- which probably indicates that any idea you can put on a sign and wave around is too complex to actually reduce to slogan form, put on a sign, and wave around.

Venezuela fire: Thousands of voting machines burned March 9th [bbc.com]

Paul4747 comments on Dec 1, 2020:

> This is from March, so it doesn't have to do with Dominion. Also notable that Anthony Mugica, CEO of Smartmatic, the company that manufactured the machines, himself blew the whistle on Venezuela's inflated vote numbers in the last election; and this is a compnay with no connection at all to Dominion. It does go to show that the companies have a vested interest in the integrity of their systems, and any suggestion that they participate in a rigged election is just ridiculous. How did Venezuela inflate their voting statistics? A very simple answer would be running a load of ballots through the machines over and over and over. No mythical "logarithm" or any such involved.

I can't be more elated to see these assholes destroy themselves! [thehill.com]

Paul4747 comments on Dec 1, 2020:

I couldn't disagree with you more strongly. DeWine is one of the few Republican governors who actually responded to the pandemic by paying attention to science and medical experts, following their advice, and putting public health ahead of party politics. He actually ordered a lockdown before Michigan did, back in the early stages of the virus, and continues trying to do what's right. Why would you want to encourage extremists to destroy the moderates? Who does it help? It only tips Ohio (a Republican-majority state) further into the grip of the far-right politicians. We should be speaking up against these kind of short-sighted demagogues.

Yes I am...

Paul4747 comments on Nov 30, 2020:

And it's okay if you want to dress as a lady, too. Honestly. Whatever does it for you.

Hey, I made it to level 7! 🎶 go me! 🎶 go me!🎶🥳🕺💃 Wonder if I’ll still be ...

Paul4747 comments on Nov 30, 2020:

I made it to 8.2 recently. There's hope for us all. You Cann due it.

Wilson Cruz kicked out on Christmas Eve after telling his dad he was gay

Paul4747 comments on Nov 30, 2020:

Guess I'll have to take a look at that series. Yet another streaming service... *sigh*

The South’s Deadly Revenge for the Emancipation Proclamation

Paul4747 comments on Nov 30, 2020:

It's a commonplace to say things like, "There are atrocities on both sides," and many bring up the bloody guerrilla warfare in Kansas as evidence that Northern troops were far from innocent. But the fighting in the Kansas theatre was in large part a continuation of the internecine conflict before the war, going back over a decade and involving local factions and grudges with little connection to the overall conflict. The Southern attitude toward Black soldiers was an unvarnished atrocity. Their regard of Blacks as sub-human (even as Southern men frequently raped Black women under their power, who had no realistic ability to resist) is a stain on their conduct as a military and as human beings in general. Beyond the massacre at Fort Pillow, Confederate troops as a rule became enraged whenever they found Black soldiers fighting against them, often refusing to give quarter, and on the occasions when they did accept surrender, it was only to send those soldiers into slavery (many of whom were actually free men from the North who had never been enslaved to begin with). And their refusal to include captured Black soldiers in prisoner exchanges led directly to the barbarous conditions at prison camps like Andersonville, where POWs died in squalor, disease and starvation. The refusal of Southern Whites- indeed, of White people from whatever region- to admit that *this* is what the Confederate flag stood for, is an act of willful ignorance. They would not fly the Nazi flag (mostly, anyway, although even that isn't a sure bet anymore), but they display this banner as a sign of "heritage". Yet they refuse to face the fact that it is a heritage of racism and slaughter.

This new generation. Their skills surpass the parents'.

Paul4747 comments on Nov 30, 2020:

What in the absolute hell....

No caption 😁

Paul4747 comments on Nov 30, 2020:

That is, in itself, a caption. :D Like "This page intentionally left blank."

Trump was the conservative American's response to extremist Socialism developing in America.

Paul4747 comments on Nov 30, 2020:

One more thing- the paragraph is your friend. Try using them from now on.

Trump was the conservative American's response to extremist Socialism developing in America.

Paul4747 comments on Nov 30, 2020:

I only joined this group long enough to say- What rubbish. If "universal health care" is your definition of socialism, you have a severely limited political understanding. Allow me to accurately rephrase your first sentence: "Trump took advantage of conservative accusations of socialism to aid his campaign for the White House." Even Democrats who are openly socialists don't want to do away with the free market or assume centralized control of people's lives. Even a single-payer health system (as most Western nations already have) does not equate to socialism. Your utter lack of real knowledge shows in your comments about immigration, among other things. The notion that a wave of illegal immigrants are welcomed because they're going to vote Democrat? Number one, *illegal immigrants can't vote*, despite what Mr. Trump says. Second, study after study has found that immigrants commit crimes at a *lower* rate than American citizens. So much for the "massive crime wave". By "censorship" I assume you mean that social media are finally fact-checking and labeling lies on Twitter posts. Censorship means the *government* is doing it, not a private industry. Trump is the one calling for censorship, when he demands Senate hearings over the social media companies fact-checking him. Indeed, it's a sad day when the president can't lie without being called out on it. You've spewed far too much disinformation and nonsense to respond point by point, so I will merely reiterate- Rubbish. I'm out.

This pretty lady has star power.

Paul4747 comments on Nov 30, 2020:

*Gulp* "Dining under the stars" is the first thing that popped into my head.

The ‘Kraken’ Lawsuit Was Released And It’s Way Dumber Than You Realize [thebulwark.

Paul4747 comments on Nov 30, 2020:

The sad thing is, she was once an actual lawyer. Then, during the Enron case, she developed a bizarre obsession with the idea that Justice Department prosecutors were conspiring against innocent people like her clients, and it all went downhill from there. She even accused the government of suppressing sales of her book.

This is a fantastic way to point out privilege.

Paul4747 comments on Nov 30, 2020:

I always thought of it as "being a Republican asshole", but I guess the two may be synonymous?

Happy Friday all

Paul4747 comments on Nov 29, 2020:

On second glance, she reminds me of a very young and much more endowed Teri Garr. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9K9wiH2Lko

Pennsylvania Supreme Court dismisses another election case brought by Republicans - - The ...

Paul4747 comments on Nov 29, 2020:

Yes, it was a "beyond trivial" lawsuit. The rules have been there for well over a year, the time to challenge it in court was 2019, not after your side lost an election. It's like objecting to the designated pitcher rule, but only after you lost the World Series. You shouldn't have been playing the game if you're going to be such a sore loser.

11/27/2020 Making sense of current events gets weirder every day, but I keep trying.

Paul4747 comments on Nov 29, 2020:

How long until he becomes a parody of himself? Or has it already happened?

Whole Foods CEO blasts socialism: It's 'trickle-up poverty' that 'impoverishes everything'

Paul4747 comments on Nov 29, 2020:

Uh huh. Consider the source; the *Washington Times* is a conservative rag that puts out anti-immigration pieces and climate denial articles. This is exactly as persuasive as a *Mother Jones* article criticizing capitalism. Neither system works as the theorists claim. Adam Smith said an "invisible hand" would see to it that the markets were self-regulating and labor would be rewarded as it was worth. We've also seen how that works out.

You know this is true for some

Paul4747 comments on Nov 29, 2020:

Hey, I know this guy from work!

Winter is coming? No problem!

Paul4747 comments on Nov 29, 2020:

I don't remember her in Game of Thrones...

Yeah most won' t get it

Paul4747 comments on Nov 29, 2020:

You knew someone would post this...

Happy Friday all

Paul4747 comments on Nov 29, 2020:

Good lord, I hope the poor girl doesn't fall over. :D

What the heck, I posted a picture of a leggy actress from long ago (Charlotte Rampling), let's have ...

Paul4747 comments on Nov 29, 2020:

In that case, posting her picture would be an act of Justice. Justice is seen to be done... I could go on with this, but it would be an in-Justice to take up more space with this rubbish....

The French government is attempting to push through an authoritarian measure to restrict the filming...

Paul4747 comments on Nov 28, 2020:

On the other side of the issue; *nobody* likes to be filmed while doing their job. There's generally no reason to whip out a phone and start recording your own traffic stop, unless you're the one who intends to get antagonistic. But I say that from my own perspective, and I know others have very different experiences. I will say this from personal experience, though; I have been in a situation where someone having a drug trip was trying to throw himself over a railing with a 15 foot drop, and it took 6 officers, one using a taser, to get him under control so that he didn't hurt himself or any of us. And afterwards I heard someone who only saw how the incident ended, but not how it began or why we had to do what we did, comment "That's not right what they did." That's part of my wariness about the widespread recording of police incidents; they can't always capture the entire thing or what brought an incident about. It doesn't get put in context. That's why I feel all departments ought to have body cams on the street.

I wonder if my thought is true that a sequel to a horror genre will always be an action genre.

Paul4747 comments on Nov 28, 2020:

It's debatable whether any example other than *Alien* really fit the horror genre in any case. While both *Predator* and *Terminator* certainly had elements of horror- a seemingly unstoppable, monstrous enemy being foremost among them- they fit better in the science fiction/action category. *Predator 2* wasn't any more action-oriented than the first film, considering the protagonists were a group of police detectives rather than heavily armed mercenaries; it could even be argued that it leaned more heavily on typical horror elements, such as creepy indoor settings, that weren't possible for the first film. The Predator himself, while a "monster", doesn't fit the mode of a horror-movie antagonist. He's more similar to the sharks in the *Jaws* movies, since he's an entirely different species, not simply an evil human killing for some twisted motive. *Terminator*, again, has certain elements of the horror genre- the unexplained killings of women bearing our hapless protagonist Sarah's name, her flight from a ruthless, inhuman, and implacable enemy- but the fact that her defender, Kyle, appears at the same time as the Terminator does, makes the crux of the film a race between the two to reach Sarah first. Then it becomes a chase movie, as the odd couple of Sarah and Kyle flee one encounter after another and he tries to prepare her to survive the future he predicts for her- as well as a somewhat awkward (yet touching) love story. Possibly the difference between these two films and *Alien*, and the reason I don't believe they fit the horror genre, is best summed up by Schwarzenegger's line- "If it bleeds, we can kill it." In both *Predator* and *Terminator*, the protagonists know they are up against a foe that can be hurt. They see the blood and know that they have a chance to win. They gain small victories along the way, even if those are snatched back, which give the characters a belief in the possibility of ultimate victory. In many horror movies the villain is effectively invincible; this is certainly the stereotype in any case, and the main interest is in seeing how each successive victim is dispatched. *Alien* is an exception in that the characters plan intelligently, but are undone by the sheer unstoppable nature of the creature. Even so, Ripley defeats it in the end through a use of technology that the Alien could not have imagined; there's never a time when she "saw it bleed".

Lucky little dudes!

Paul4747 comments on Nov 28, 2020:

A fetish is born. (Several, probably.)

I would like some opinions! (And these are examples of why some women are disdainful of some men .

Paul4747 comments on Nov 28, 2020:

By the way, all is not lost. I have several very dear friends who I met on dating sites and never dated, but through our texting we found we had so much in common (or at least they like my severely warped sense of humor) that we've kept communicating, in a couple cases for over 3 years now. I consider one of them my best friend. It can happen.

Election Results [youtu.be]

Paul4747 comments on Nov 28, 2020:

Glory!!

I would like some opinions! (And these are examples of why some women are disdainful of some men .

Paul4747 comments on Nov 28, 2020:

It's not easy for me to read the minds of assholes, but.... it's a cliche that when a woman says she's not interested, that's code for "Do or say something that will get me interested." And maybe that's how it worked, in high school. I don't know, I never dated in high school. But that's certainly the way society portrays it, in every movie, every novel, every TV show. (Okay, I exaggerate, but *most* to be sure.) So, some men may persist because they think this persistence is bound to be rewarded. They have an unrealistic expectation, or the women they've been with are the type who did indeed reward that sort of behavior because they took in the stereotype that said, "Ladies are supposed to flirt and feign disinterest to make the man come on stronger." People lie a lot. People hide what they mean. It's rare to find someone who will straightforwardly say what they mean. And I suppose there's an assumption, on a dating site, that what people are there for is sex. Unwarranted, but there it is.

A Man-Child in A Promised Land Paul Street: "Reading between the lines of the ...

Paul4747 comments on Nov 28, 2020:

What's *really* depressing is the tendency of progressives to turn on anyone who they find not sufficiently progressive for them; on anyone who realizes that politics is the art of the *possible*, not the ideal; on anyone who will not die on the hill that they've chosen, but who will settle for the good instead of what the self-anointed progressives have declared is the best; on anyone who tries to govern for the whole country, not just the coasts; on anyone who concedes that capitalism is what drives our economy; on anyone who compromises with their deadly enemies, the Republican party and the rest of the Democratic party. I'm not surprised when Trump still blames President Obama for anything that goes wrong in the country. I'm surprised when people blame Obama for Trump.

Wisconsin Recount Demanded By Trump Boosts Joe Biden's Margin Of Victory | HuffPost

Paul4747 comments on Nov 28, 2020:

That's *One Hundred and Thirty* two votes. He who demands a recount had better be damn careful what he wishes for. The same thing happened in Georgia, where Trump's campaign has demanded a recount... of the automatic recount. Really can't see that going anywhere either. Georgia's results also demolish the conspiracy theories about computers flipping votes, since GA uses the same Dominion computers to tabulate votes, and a count of the paper ballots confirms the computer count. For that matter, to think that a Republican governor and Republican secretary of state would conspire to elect a Democrat president- yet not bother to fix the Senate races at the same time, but leave them for a January runoff election- is the height of fantasy. Unfortunately, to the conspiratorial mind, the more ridiculous a plot is, the more that means it *must* be true.

Former CIA head, Cruz trade jabs over killing of Iranian nuclear scientist: 'You are unworthy to ...

Paul4747 comments on Nov 28, 2020:

It's true that Cruz has displayed an extremely simplistic, "us vs. them" view of foreign policy in which "we" and our hand-picked allies, like Israel, are the "good guys" and everyone else is "the bad guys". There is no room for nuance in such a view, where America can operate as an honest broker between nations. This kind of thinking is why, for all the talk about minor nations recognizing Israel, the peace process has gone exactly nowhere. Cruz also appears to have no idea of how international law operates. If, in fact, we "gave" $1.5 bn to Khomeini's government way back in 1979, it was because international law and obligations meant we had to. We frequently condemn other nations as "lawless". We only get to use that sort of language if we ourselves follow international law; not just when it's convenient or when we agree with it, but when it's difficult and when we would prefer to do as we please instead. That's why international law has to exist, so that everyone plays by the same rules.

Paranoia of this time: Is anyone watching how many Electoral College members are getting calls from...

Paul4747 comments on Nov 28, 2020:

That was a foolish Wayne County Board of Canvassers member in Michigan, and I should know, I live here (to my growing shame). Even worse was Norm Shinkle of the State Board, who voted against certification because he apparently endorses the conspiracy theories about voting machines changing votes from one candidate to another. But now that Michigan has certified the vote, our electors are locked in. It would take a large number of faithless electors to change anything. And in 2016, the only faithless electors voted for Clinton rather than their states' vote for Trump.

tbt — Thomas Sowell Educates Joe Biden - YouTube

Paul4747 comments on Nov 27, 2020:

I used to read Sowell's column in the daily paper. I never once felt more educated afterwards, except insofar as seeing how many twists someone could put in a "logical" argument to get it to come out at the conclusion they want. He takes his own life experience as an excuse to deny the reality of everyone else's; since he (or so he claims) "never experienced systemic racism", therefore there's no such thing as systemic racism. The student protesters in the '60s were "hoodlums with academic problems who were admitted under lower standards"- in other words, they didn't deserve to be in college in the first place, affirmative action created the problem instead of solving it. Sowell has always struck me as protesting too much; as if he's denying his own history because that will make it go away.

GOP Group Files Pennsylvania Lawsuit to Invalidate State's Mail-in Ballots—All of Them

Paul4747 comments on Nov 24, 2020:

The Pennsylvania constitution states: > The Legislature shall, by general law, provide a manner in which, and the time and place at which, qualified electors who may, on the occurrence of any election, be absent from the municipality of their residence, because their duties, occupation or business require them to be elsewhere or who, on the occurrence of any election, are unable to attend at their proper polling places because of illness or physical disability or who will not attend a polling place because of the observance of a religious holiday or who cannot vote because of election day duties, in the case of a county employee, may vote, and for the return and canvass of their votes in the election district in which they respectively reside. It conspicuously does **NOT** state that these are the *only* reasons for which a voter may receive an absentee ballot. The Legislature *shall* provide a manner in which voters may cast their vote when they are absent from the municipality of their residence or because they are unable to attend their polling places for the above reasons. The Legislature certainly *may* provide for absentee voting for any other reason, if they so choose. And if Trump had won the state? There would not now be a lawsuit against any absentee ballots he may have received. That's the central point in all of these actions. The rules were set ahead of time. The time to object was before November 3, not once your team lost the game.

Can a conservative News outlet survive if they speak in facts?

Paul4747 comments on Nov 24, 2020:

If any news outlet is dealing in facts, then they're neither liberal nor conservative. They may have opinion commentators of either stripe (or both), but news reporting itself is not- or shouldn't be- inherently one or the other. People who talk about a "liberal" media should look at the treatment given Al Gore vs George W. Bush, where the stories on each candidate were found in an academic study to be about equally favorable, but with many fewer neutral stories and a *lot* more unfavorable stories on Gore. The press decided a narrative in which Gore was a serial exaggerator, and then- rather than check the facts of the stories- they simply repeated one another over and over. ("Gore Exaggerates Again!" "Al Gore- Chronic Exaggerator or Liar?"") Example- Gore never claimed to have "invented" the internet, in the sense that he personally wrote computer code. Gore was behind the bill that founded DARPA, which led to the invention of DARPAnet, which became the internet as we eventually would know it. What he actually said, in an interview with Wolf Blitzer, was "During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet. I took the initiative in moving forward a whole range of initiatives that have proven to be important to our country's economic growth and environmental protection, improvements in our educational system." But it was too much work to look up the original quote, when repeating "Gore claims he invented the Internet" was so easy and entertaining to boot. Likewise, when John Kerry ran for President, the supposedly liberal media gave several consecutive news cycles to the allegations of the "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth"- most of whom were not veterans from the Swift boats and none of whom were peddling the truth. But for fear of being labeled with a liberal bias, they reported slanderous allegations against Kerry uncritically and without fact checking or researching for themselves. This is not a sign of a "liberal" media; it's a media bending over backwards to avoid taking sides, and so playing into the hands of the actually biased conservative outlets like Fox, which make no bones about which party they prefer.

Bill Gates Dismisses Parler App, Says It's 'Great' for People Who Want Holocaust Denial

Paul4747 comments on Nov 21, 2020:

Consider this quote from the Parler CEO: > "It's not yet against the law to think for yourself. People with differences in opinions should have discussions not censorship," he wrote on the platform today. "Our leaders who push for authoritarian measures to control speech online are fighting for an evil cause. Handing our version of 'truth' to a handful of ideological fact checkers creates increased centralization of power... fact checkers of history called Tesla a hack, said Einstein was a fraud and they believed in witches. Fact checking is wrong." And then recall what the late, great Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan said: "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts." Without a shared set of factual assumptions, such as, for instance, "Nazi Germany carried out the Holocaust", "Al Qaeda carried out 9/11", "there is a global pandemic caused by the Covid-19 virus", "Joe Biden won the election of 2020", we are increasingly not going to have a national conversation; we're going to have splinter groups, each with their own "alternative facts" (and what is the "alternative" to facts? it used to be "falsehoods"), all talking *past* one another instead of *to* one another. Providing a "safe space" for those groups to purvey lies- and let us be frank here, we're not talking about differences of opinions, we're talking about *lies* about what happened historically and what is happening right now- does no-one a service except for those who have an ideological interest in furthering the worldview that those lies support.

Geraldo Rivera wants to name the Covid-19 vaccine after Trump

Paul4747 comments on Nov 21, 2020:

After all, he's been so personally involved in researching it at his golf courses. The "Par 4 Vaccine"? Or "The Mulligan"?

Something I'm sure a lot of us have thought

Paul4747 comments on Nov 21, 2020:

I can actually hear that in his voice. Well done.

Never noticed this before....

Paul4747 comments on Nov 21, 2020:

I'm going to have to take issue with points #1, 4, and 5. To clarify- "being a prejudiced jackass" is not the same thing as "fighting political correctness", it's just being a prejudiced jackass; and if anybody's persecuting Trump, it's in his own mind. Or maybe he's confused "prosecuting" with "persecuting". I used to get those mixed up too, when I read at a 4th grade level.

SKIVE verb, to find a way of evading work or duty.

Paul4747 comments on Nov 21, 2020:

"Blessed are the bone idle, for they shall sit and watch other people working." One of the lesser-known beatitudes.

I just had to laugh at this one 😂

Paul4747 comments on Nov 21, 2020:

Anybody who gives Mom a vacuum for Xmas is a dick.

The real 2020 election scandal: voter theft targeting Black people, youth The real 2020 election ...

Paul4747 comments on Nov 21, 2020:

Seriously? Which party has been fighting to expand access to absentee voting, encourage same-day voter registration, fighting against voter ID laws, and in more ways than I can recall right now encouraging the greatest voter turnout possible? Not the Republican party, I'll tell you that for free.

This may have been posted many posts ago but it's worth reading again - the very last sentence is my...

Paul4747 comments on Nov 21, 2020:

Strewth!

What the absolute fuck is wrong with these people?

Paul4747 comments on Nov 21, 2020:

The same thing that's wrong with Holocaust deniers, 9/11 conspiracy theorists, Oklahoma City bombing conspiracy theorists, Area 51 conspiracy theorists... I could go on. There are even people who claim WW2 was all just a hoax; those 85 million people didn't die. If Authority says it's true, there's always going to be someone who says it's a lie. The times when Authority actually *is* lying (WMDs in Iraq, bombing Cambodia, the Pentagon Papers) don't help matters much.

Donald Trump has signaled that he knows he has lost the election.

Paul4747 comments on Nov 21, 2020:

Trump's behavior has not been consistent with the responsibilities of his office, period, from the beginning of his time in office. His approach to the economy was "do my plan, and if the GDP goes to hell in 6 months, we can reverse it." He has always been resistant to taking advice from anyone with any subject expertise, stating outright multiple times that he "knows more than anyone". He takes his own opinions as the final word, and the more reality pushes back, the more he doubles down. This is not the behavior of a responsible leader. Now we see even more clearly why he has declared bankruptcy 6 times. It wasn't "smart business", as Trump would have us believe. It was because he has no skills as an executive beyond self-promotion and bailing himself out of the jams he gets himself into. He is finally in one jam he can't get out of.

Just a compilation of evangelicals freaking out after they falsely prophesied Trump's victorious ...

Paul4747 comments on Nov 20, 2020:

Sticking their fingers in their ears and yelling "I don't hear the election results! I don't hear the election results! I don't hear the election results! I don't hear the election results!"

I just heard Donald Trump Jr. tested positive for COVID-19. All those unmasked rallies.

Paul4747 comments on Nov 20, 2020:

Confirmed 40 minutes ago https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/20/politics/donald-trump-jr-coronavirus/index.html and the result came in at the start of the week, so he's been hiding this for as much as 6 days. What a wretched, hypocritical little toady.

A Modest Proposal For Centrist Democrats: Join the Republican Party.

Paul4747 comments on Nov 20, 2020:

Can't do it. The "center" of the Republican party is now so far to the right that a moderate Democrat like me looks like a leftist by comparison. The only way to save that village is to burn it. Also, this author's obvious contempt for moderate Dems like me is exactly what's wrong with a lot of "progressives". It's a "with us or against us" mentality that's no different than the Republicans.

What would you do if you had evidence of Biden voter fraud?

Paul4747 comments on Nov 20, 2020:

I guess your question could mean one of two different things. If I had evidence that some individual had committed a crime related to the election, which affected a few votes? In other words, the kind of fraud that actually happens and, even if proven, doesn't change the result of an election with this big of a margin? I would report any evidence I had to the proper authorities and let them sort it out. That's what they're there for. On the other hand, if you're postulating a multi-state fraudulent scheme, involving both Democratic and Republican election officials, who were coordinated enough to change the vote for President, and yet didn't think to fix the races for the Senate or the House while they were at it, and couldn't come up with a way to do it on election day, but had to let it run its course over days and days... Good thing I'll never have to deal with such a patently ridiculous scheme being true, eh? No matter what Rudy's insane press conference says.

Oh oh wrong question lmao

Paul4747 comments on Nov 20, 2020:

This is why I never lend anybody anything without pausing to consider all the possible ramifications.

Good morning to all of you.

Paul4747 comments on Nov 19, 2020:

For some reason I've been awake, other than a couple 15 or 20 minute catnaps, for just over 45 hours now. I have no idea why. I guess I don't want to waste any of my vacation with something as trivial as sleeping? But since it's 4:30 in the morning here, I think I had better try for 6 or 7 hours of shuteye. Thanks for the music....

I'm a few points from level 8! Can I get a few comments to put me over the top?

Paul4747 comments on Nov 18, 2020:

Comment inbound. Also, your reply should net you another point. (& me as well.)

68% of Republicans concerned election was ‘rigged’ A new Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll found that ...

Paul4747 comments on Nov 18, 2020:

Well, 75% of Republicans surveyed last year also said whites and Christians are discriminated against (https://thehill.com/hilltv/what-americas-thinking/433270-poll-republicans-and-democrats-differ-strongly-on-whether-white). They also thought atheists were the *least* likely to face discrimination because of their beliefs. So, clearly, there's self-serving and wishful thinking going on here. As noted in *The Hill* article, people tend to see their own group as more disadvantaged or targeted, even if they acknowledge that others suffer discrimination as well. In terms of politics, this would translate to, "Yes, all sides do some bad things, but *this* year those Democrats went too far!"

Of course, I care more about some people than others.

Paul4747 comments on Nov 18, 2020:

I'm touched by your concern, but you overestimate how flexible I am these days.

America’s largest militia says it will refuse to recognise Biden as president and ‘resist’ his...

Paul4747 comments on Nov 18, 2020:

What he thinks about what "half the country" thinks is grossly overestimated. His group is among a loud minority of a minority. Most people, after January 20, will settle down to the status quo and get on with things like: How am I paying the rent in the middle of a pandemic?

What's your attitude about eating?

Paul4747 comments on Nov 18, 2020:

Sometimes I forget to do it. I eat what occurs to me to eat when I remember about eating. I don't usually plan ahead more than... Maybe chicken tonight. That sounds good.

Did Lindsey Graham push Georgia to throw out legally cast ballots?

Paul4747 comments on Nov 17, 2020:

Yes, I have no problem believing he did. The SecState of GA has been nothing but honest, when it goes against his political interest to do so. We need more of this kind of Republican. (The Secretary of State, obviously, not Graham.) Unfortunately, unless there's some kind of seismic shift in the Republican base, he is probably finished in his party.

Do you guys really vote when you got worse and worst option .

Paul4747 comments on Nov 17, 2020:

You ask a biased question. Your opinion is that both options are worse, or, one might say, the lesser of two evils. I disagree; in each election I have found a qualitative difference between the candidates, and no more so than in the last two. If you did not see either candidate Clinton or President-elect Biden as vastly better choices than Trump, in terms of temperament, experience, dedication to public service, and overall commitment to the nation over their personal interests, you just weren't paying attention.

Vaccine rumours debunked: Microchips, 'altered DNA' and more [bbc.com]

Paul4747 comments on Nov 16, 2020:

Personally I hope there *is* a little alien DNA in my vaccine. Like the stuff on *The X-Files*. Just wait until some s.o.b. tries to mug me, knifes me a little, and my blood boils out and burns his eyes? How cool would that be? Like a super power, baby!

Finished my Christmas shopping already!

Paul4747 comments on Nov 16, 2020:

I take a 3XL, just so you know. (Friends say I'm full of shit)

Barack Obama Says Issues, Policies, Facts Don't Matter to American Voters Anymore

Paul4747 comments on Nov 16, 2020:

Another headline that takes a person's words out of context. The full quote: > issues, facts, policies—per say [sic]—don't matter as much as identity and wanting to beat the other guy. That's taken priority -is much more revealing and less insulting to the American voter. Just as, in 2016, many Democrats (and they're not going to want to hear this again) didn't look at what Clinton's actual policies were; they simply didn't support her because they hated her for getting the nomination over Sanders. This is not simply a right-wing problem. People have become so emotionally attached to the notion that it is a zero-sum game, and for me to win, you have to lose, that we've lost sight of the possibility of a win-win solution. There are some fundamentally decent people on both sides of the aisle, but it's the extremes who are the loudest and draw the most attention. Therefore we tend to paint everyone with a broad brush and demonize one another. And, admittedly, the Republican party has spent the past 40 years upping the ante and making politics into a blood sport. But there are still plenty of Republicans at all levels who are sick of this and who are ready to put the people before their party. We need to incentivize that behavior by rewarding it somehow. I'm prepared to vote for a good, middle of the road Republican as much as for a Democrat, as long as they will get things done.

Well that's Ironic.

Paul4747 comments on Nov 16, 2020:

Yes, but when the presidential archives are 250,000 twitter posts, how seriously can anybody take that?

It is SO sad that the majority of Americans were not able to hear and accept the opinion of hundreds...

Paul4747 comments on Nov 16, 2020:

I warned them. I warned them, but did they listen? Oh, no, it's just a harmless little billionaire, isn't it? Well it's always the same, I always warn them and nobody listens.... *(in voice of Tim the Wizard, Monty Python & the Holy Grail- Killer Rabbit speech)*

Sierra Skye is just about the fakest model name I've seen, but I think we can let it slide

Paul4747 comments on Nov 16, 2020:

(*Thinks....*) I knew a dancer by that same stage name once. No, wait, it was two different dancers. One was "Sierra", and the other was "Skye". That was it. I drank a lot in those days, hence the confusion...

Political Memes:

Paul4747 comments on Nov 16, 2020:

50% of these memes are full of crap. I'll let you work out which 50% I'm talking about.

I will use the flu vaccination as an example for this question.

Paul4747 comments on Nov 16, 2020:

Your premise, that there is a risk associated with getting vaccinations, is flawed. Yes, some individuals have a reaction to getting vaccinated. Some individuals have a reaction to taking Tylenol. There's a small percent of the population that has a reaction to anything. Shellfish. Peanuts. Wheat. That doesn't mean there's some inherent risk in getting a vaccination.

This Isn't Feminism, It's Imperialism In Pumps Caitlin Johnstone “Let's clear this up ...

Paul4747 comments on Nov 16, 2020:

I'm disgusted by the characterization of our highly professional military as "mass murderers" and "ghouls". It's not the Department of "Defense", as Ms Johnson terms it; it's the **Department of Defense**. No "quote unquote" marks. The department that has been defending- imperfectly, yes, because human beings are involved- America and the free world from the threat of World War 3 for 75 years and still counting. The department under which hundreds of thousands of Americans this very minute are serving, so that Ms Johnson is free to insult them. She is welcome to her grotesque mischaracterization. And if Michele Flournoy is chosen as Secretary of Defense, she will no doubt defend Ms Johnson's right to insult her as an American freedom, as would I. That doesn't mean I'm any the less revolted by her utopian drivel.

1202021 January 20, 2021, inauguration Day It’s a palindrome ❤

Paul4747 comments on Nov 16, 2020:

Only in North America. In Europe (and for our military, for that matter) it's 20012021 or 20 Jan 2021. (Sorry... I guess I'm genetically pedantic or something.)

Federal Court Shoots Down Trump Immigration Stupidity! [alternet.org]

Paul4747 comments on Nov 15, 2020:

Well, we knew Chad Wolf's appointment was illegal to begin with; now the ramifications are becoming clear. This is what happens when you have a Hitleresque/Stalinesque chief executive, who demands personal loyalty above all else, driving out every department head with a hint of independence and factual knowledge in favor of those who will blindly answer "Yes, sir" and follow his inane, illegal orders. Kjirsten Nielsen was no wild-eyed progressive, but she pushed back on the stream of orders that actually violated the law and put immigrants in danger of their lives. It's documented that ICE and Border Patrol went behind her back on a lot of issues, actually cutting her out of the loop because she tried to restrict them to what authority the law provided them, in order to do what they considered Trump's bidding.

Too early for Christmas memes?

Paul4747 comments on Nov 15, 2020:

Yes. Yes it is.

I just switched over to Fox News to hear what they're selling.

Paul4747 comments on Nov 15, 2020:

Did anyone on Fox mention that Clinton conceded the 2016 election in a phone call to Trump shortly after 2 a.m. on election night and gave a public concession speech to the nation Wednesday at noon? Or that President Obama invited him to come to the White House Thursday to discuss the transition? Both showing more grace in their little fingers than he has in his entire family and, apparently, in his entire administration? No, of course not. That's just fake news. Besides, Trump *won* the popular vote (if you subtract all the imaginary illegal votes, that is). He said so himself, and who are we to cast doubt on what The Donald says? *Of course* she conceded.

I feel my blood pressure rising as my family talks about how prophets say Trump will be president.

Paul4747 comments on Nov 15, 2020:

Funny, I had a lot of people explaining about all the prophets he was giving up by going to the White House. Oh, I beg your pardon, that was "profits". Anyway, the only true prophet was *this* guy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqaQ_Bhgmrc