I was a Cable Guy. I saw the worst of America.

TomMcGiverin comments on Dec 31, 2018:

Very insightful article about how the elite and upper middle class treat the servant/service worker class as well as how corporate America treats its employees like machines or robots that are all expendable and replaceable. I have always, as a socialist, thought that workers in physically demanding jobs should have a lower retirement age, like they do in Europe, than those in desk or non-physical jobs. The reason being that death and disability often come earlier to people with a career in those jobs than the rest of us. So the fair thing would be to not penalize them for dying younger or having their bodies wear out sooner than other workers. Why should they have to spend all or most of their retirement years with already wrecked bodies? Unless of course, the intent of government is to save money on them by making them wait to retire later than they should and not having to be disabled first. I bet this woman's employer made it very hard to retire on disability for work related injuries or conditions. Electricians are another field that working in it as a career usually means your knees and back are shot by age 55.

Ahhhh, I joined yet another dating site.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jan 2, 2019:

I was on OT for six months. It was worse than Match because there were not only way more scammers, but the site didn't seem to even try to get rid of them or watch for them. I may have to switch tho from Match to OT in the next couple years tho because it's starting to look like I'm getting too old for Match. Even tho I am willing to date someone 8 years older than me, which would be 68, Match seems to be running out of women in my area that are in their mid to late 60s. And I've had no luck with women in my area that are younger than 60, my age. So, like in foster care, I appear to be aging out of the program, at least as long as most women in my area and age range refuse to date men who are more than a few years older than them.

Rant.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jan 6, 2019:

I'm so sorry it's pouring on you at this time. Seems bad stuff does happen in batches. Wonder if the newbie at work is connected to the person who made the decision or is just a kiss ass that got it that way. I do know in my work experience it always seemed like loyalty, dedication, and performance never mattered much in who got what from the bosses. Sucks to get used by bosses.

Dixie, the country’s most divisive song

TomMcGiverin comments on Jan 7, 2019:

I hate that song too, but luckily, I rarely hear it. The two songs I really hate, besides other country songs in general, are the two I always hear sung at karaoke shows around 9-11 and the 4th of July, namely God Bless The USA by Lee Greenwood, which I call the unofficial redneck national anthem, and the Toby Keith song, Courtesy Of The Red, White And Blue. What an asshole!

And - in other news.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jan 8, 2019:

I think I would pass on both of them by watching something else on TV, reading or taking a nap, but fortunately this evening is my weekly karaoke show, so I'll be joining a few of my karaoke peeps there and singing. Sadly, this is my main social event and highlight of each week until I meet someone to date. Not interested myself, but my guess is once Stormy's affair with Trump became public, most men in America have already seen her in less than her underwear somewhere online or off.........I assume she's getting some $$$ for her appearance online.

Hello, I’m new to the site.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jan 11, 2019:

She's so cute and sweet-looking.

What is your opinion on this?

TomMcGiverin comments on Jan 11, 2019:

I think the Beats and Hippies were the same types as far as personality and the transition from one to the other being the main counterculture group occurred sometime around 1966 or 67. The biggest difference between the two is that the hippies tried to take communal living further than the Beats by establishing their own autonomous communities, tho many of the Beats would live together and even share sexual partners. The rest of the differences were more about fashion and which drugs were the most preferred as well as music choices. The Beats were into jazz and folk, while the Hippies were into rock and folk. Same people, just different generations....

Florida Woman Put Her Dad with Alzheimer’s on a One-Way Flight to Denver | The Hearty Soul

TomMcGiverin comments on Jan 13, 2019:

This will become more and more common as the Boomers come down with dementia. I am lucky that my wife had plenty of income and money to pay for her care so I didn't have to do much for her at home in the early stages, then moving to assisted living with me in the late middle stage. The article didn't provide details about the old guy and his daughter's experience with him so I am reluctant to judge. I did know caregivers who were practically hostages in their own homes trying to care for relatives who needed to be in care facilities because of the level of their needs, but weren't due to lack of money or refusal to place them in one. The tragedy is that in these cases dementia destroys at least two or more lives most of the time. I never had kids and neither did my late wife, so unless I meet someone with kids, I will be on my own when I get old and sick. If my health fails years from now (more likely from something other than dementia), I will take my life rather than live in misery or as a burden to someone if my quality of life is poor. I fear that way more than death.

Mine was, Overgaard Arizona.?

TomMcGiverin comments on Jan 13, 2019:

Hampton, Iowa. Pop. 2500. It was hell....

Cat thugs:

TomMcGiverin comments on Jan 13, 2019:

No different than people swooping in like vultures to scoop up the cash from a crashed armored car.

Serial vs parallel dating.. have i posted this topic already?

TomMcGiverin comments on Jan 14, 2019:

From what I've read here over time on these boards, it appears that for most people on dating sites, esp. average-looking people, that parallel dating rarely comes into play as a choice because of how rare those folks make it far enough in the process to actually meet anyone in person. Thus, the choice of serial vs. parallel dating is more a choice reserved for those above average looking or better in their appearance.

Already had one rude comment! I posted some pictures of when I was performing as a burlesque ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jan 14, 2019:

My late wife and I went to a burlesque show in Buffalo NY, where she was from. It was very entertaining and artistic. Your critic has probably never even been to one. Your costume is beautiful.

Empathy.... Can you have too much?

TomMcGiverin comments on Jan 15, 2019:

I wanted to post this and get some feedback on whether others feel this way about visiting a Walmart. When I do visit a Walmart, because I am still not well off enough to always buy mundane stuff at a Target store instead, I always feel kind of depressed whenever I visit a Walmart. Because I look at the faces of both the shoppers and the employees and I see so much sadness and depression. Neither group looks like they really want to be there and I know way too much about how shitty Walmart treats its employees. So when I go there I feel like someone visiting someone in a prison, at least the way I've heard it makes people feel who've done that. The employees and the shoppers, for the most part, look defeated and that they know they are poorer than most and living on the bottom rungs of the society. This stuff is one reason I have always felt very angry at people who post stuff on FB and other online places showing pics of Walmart shoppers making fun of the poor people. Thoughts?

Speed Dating. What do you think?

TomMcGiverin comments on Jan 16, 2019:

Wish they had it in my area. Would probably work way better for me than Match. I say this somewhat sarcastically because I already know how bad Match is and this couldn't be any worse. In either format, looks are going to still be the most important factor by far in who rejects you and who doesn't. My three?s would be: Are you very religious? Do you like country music? and what is your political viewpoint? Those three would tell me all I need to know about their personality compatibility. If I traded contact info with them, I could quickly tell in one phone call if we shared enough common interests.

2 YEAR AGO.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jan 17, 2019:

Yup, America the great, with free speech and right to protest, as long as and until it butts up against corporate power.....

WAS IT SOMETHING I SAID?

TomMcGiverin comments on Jan 17, 2019:

At least she canceled and didn't stand you up. I think doing the latter is inexcuseable, not matter how scared you are. A couple months ago a woman from my local area on this site messaged me after having ghosted me several months before when she apparently left the site for about six months. When she came back, she messaged me, as I said, by replying to a PM I had sent her before she left. In the new PM, she said she hadn't meant to seem rejecting and gave me her e-mail address. I tried contacting her on that and she never replied. The games people play..

Rape Culture No Myth.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jan 21, 2019:

Reminds me of the swimmer from Stanford. This guy got away with it because he was rich and connected. The rich and connected have always gotten away with things, whether they are a Kennedy or a Repub.. It's not about their politics, it's about their class status.

This is so bad, but so funny. ????

TomMcGiverin comments on Jan 27, 2019:

Kitty doesn't know any better....unless it was watching Anchorman..

Mean Kitty Song appropriate here... [youtu.be]

TomMcGiverin comments on Jan 27, 2019:

Big and bad, large and in charge!

I thought it might be a good idea for us to look at some of the dating terms out there.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jan 30, 2019:

I've experienced most of these without knowing the terms. In the end, they all boil down to people who are selfish, immature, dishonest and love playing their games. Anyone with integrity, kindness, strength, and emotional health would not do this stuff to others.

Thanks to @actofdog, maybe that explains it...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jan 30, 2019:

That is one very fat cat.

I don't always make stupid mistakes...

TomMcGiverin comments on Feb 4, 2019:

I also look around in each direction when I fart so people will think it was someone else...

Midnight the Cat Saves Baby's Life [youtu.be]

TomMcGiverin comments on Feb 7, 2019:

That cat's face seems to be saying "Please go away..".

Had a very disheartening experience yesterday at a grocery store.

TomMcGiverin comments on Feb 7, 2019:

PS- I expect this kind of shit from Walmart, who we all know is evil, but it was sickening to see it done by this long-time, family-founded grocery chain.

I can't believe this! A woman that I have gone out with on approximately 6 or seven dates in the the...

TomMcGiverin comments on Feb 8, 2019:

In the words of one of my fav movies, " What we have here, is a failure to communicate...". Seriously man, I have no idea. Unless she is mentally unbalanced, I have no idea what is going on in her mind to say something like that. Maybe you got off easy with this one. Flush.......

How do you deal with someone you really like, have to deal with an hour or more transit and might ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Feb 10, 2019:

Good luck, taking turns staying overnight sounds good, like cutie says. But I won't do LD.

Only packing the essentials.

TomMcGiverin comments on Feb 11, 2019:

So cute. It would be hard to leave them behind for a trip.

What do you do for self care?

TomMcGiverin comments on Feb 11, 2019:

Talk to friends, exercise, reading. Going to karaoke once a week to sing.

Another missive from Irinushoka Woman today! She's moved from reaching out to campaigning.

TomMcGiverin comments on Feb 12, 2019:

Deiter- How is it you track down where the pic is really from anyway?

Oh no... not wine....

TomMcGiverin comments on Feb 12, 2019:

Poor scared kitty. Those crazy unreliable hoomans....

Every time I get on plenty of catfish, I immediately get messages from random women looking to ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Feb 12, 2019:

See Deiter's two posts about an alleged Russian beauty that is after him, lol. I personally don't have any experience with that on this site. Had a lot of it on Our Time and only a bit of it so far on Match. Match seems to do pretty well at keeping them off their site because the staff appears to be actively patrolling the site for scammers. I think another reason Our Time has more scammers is that the site is more geared for older people, who scammers think are easier marks than younger people.

Attention Wal-Mart shoppers, Feb. 15th is 50% of Chocolate day.

TomMcGiverin comments on Feb 13, 2019:

Walmart is fucking evil. I hate them too much to go out of my way to buy chocolate there, no matter what the price.

Zoe has not said that she is sorry for scratching my arms .

TomMcGiverin comments on Feb 16, 2019:

The hooman is supposed to wear protective padding....

Cute boots

TomMcGiverin comments on Feb 17, 2019:

I love GrumpyCat!

So.

TomMcGiverin comments on Feb 19, 2019:

I side with the rest of the jury. When you add up all the info you've shared, it spells scammer. You said it yourself, seems incredible..... as in too good to be true.

Okay today has been a really strange day.

TomMcGiverin comments on Feb 21, 2019:

Well, good luck with the woman you just met. Personally, I would never open with a long message to a woman on a dating site. Even if it's written with genuine enthusiasm, a long message to start will come off as desperate... But in this case, it appears to have worked anyway....

Oy.

TomMcGiverin comments on Feb 22, 2019:

What is it with men from online dating being so damn aggressive with grabbiness and immediate tongue-kissing. How can people be that desperate and clueless?

I believe most people on this site are liberal and probably democrats, not that it matters.

TomMcGiverin comments on Feb 22, 2019:

I voted liberal-Democrat, but that party really doesn't represent my views very well as they are so corrupt and concerned only with the rich and corporations. I am more of a socialist in my political views and the only political party that really represents my views is the Green Party.

Although, i'm an agnostic i'm kinda leaning towards God as a malicious prankster.

TomMcGiverin comments on May 25, 2022:

I've always pictured God, if there was one, as a cruel jokester, who created, sat back, and let humans be an ongoing experiment..

How DISGUSTING! And out there right now, is some girl saying, "Yes! Oh course I'll go with ...

TomMcGiverin comments on May 28, 2022:

If the poster of the thing is named publicly and they get death threats, I will not feel sorry for them. They better hope nobody comes after them... That is just really sick, hateful shit... Just wait and see, if the kid gets death threats or his family is harassed, the kid's parents will go public and issue a fake apology on TV, not because they are sorry or think he did anything wrong, but just to stop the harassment. That is the standard practice when those kind of folks get what's coming to them...

Reading so much on this site, I have become interested in why a culture of fear and hate seems to be...

TomMcGiverin comments on May 29, 2022:

It's probably no accident that theocracy and capitalism go hand in hand. I think that in the US, religion is used and promoted by the capitalist ruling class to discourage the people from ever thinking of supporting socialism or revolting against the system here. It's a distraction against class warfare and class consciousness among the peasants and it also encourages obedience to authority, which also comes in handy to the ruling class and the system here.

Looks are not deceiving

TomMcGiverin comments on May 31, 2022:

Yeah, but she owns the libs and is so hot-looking, that she's the right wing male's wet dream... Kind of a blonde, stupider, trashier version of Sarah Palin...

Religion without belief — Most Japanese reject religious belief while embracing multiple forms ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 1, 2022:

I think it is possible to enjoy religious, or secular, rituals without believing or adopting the religion associated with them. Rituals by themselves can involve only some sort of mental discipline or meditation, without any religious or spiritual belief. I have known so many Unitarians who are Atheists that still love things like yoga, tai chi, or Buddhist meditation. All of those are about mental or physical discipline and ritual, without needing to get into any religion or belief..

Ordained by the power of beer?

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 3, 2022:

When I first started reading this, Julie, I thought it was another comedy posting by Johnnyrobinish..... Too funny. It seems to me that many men are already married.... TO beer, not by beer!

Five People Dead at Tulsa Medical Center in the 233rd Mass Shooting This Year NPR reports that at...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 3, 2022:

So it really does amount to a little more than one a day....

Former GOP congressman: Jan. 6 was an "attempted coup" by Trump

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 6, 2022:

Rare honesty that, nowadays, only seems to come from Repubs after they leave the party.

Well worth the 20 minutes.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 7, 2022:

I watched this whole thing live. It's sad that he was pretty much giving the same kind of speech as his lawyer character did in closing arguments in the movie A Time To Kill. This time he was talking about an equally horrific crime.

Day 1 volunteering at the animal shelter and I didn't steal any kittens.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 8, 2022:

So cute! Reminds me of a neighbor cat from somewhere I used to live.

Armed Man Arrested Near Brett Kavanaugh's House | Time

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 8, 2022:

I share your skepticism. It wouldn't be the first time that conservatives used a plant to discredit the left or Dems and generate sympathy for them or for their policies restricting civil liberties.

😳😲😤 Again, when I think it just can't get more disgusting.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 10, 2022:

No surprise to me. Repubs feel they are above all laws and rules that apply to the rest of us, so they will attack a person, as a mob or individually, if they see the other person as the enemy. They smugly feel the cops and courts will always take their side and let them off scot free. And they feel that way because, most of the time, they get away with their violence exactly like that. Most people in my town are like that, so I would never show up at one of their events wearing something that would offend or oppose them, because I am not ready to fight a mob or anyone, for that matter, unarmed. I am not even willing to fight them one on one physically, because I know the cops and the system won't treat me fairly or protect me. The only place I will wear a shirt like that around a group of these assholes, is the senior center in my town, because the staff there would have to do something and punish people there if they attacked me. Any place else, I'm not going to risk being victimized for my dissent.

Quinceañera! My baby girl is turning 15 years old 15 years ago I saved 3 kittens from someone who ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 12, 2022:

How did you get that party hat one her without being scratched or bit? Same with the bow?

You know this is true. [scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net]

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 15, 2022:

That is exactly how it would go down..

Possibly guilty 😅

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 22, 2022:

Hooman taking porno pics of cats...

The Justices that overturned Roe are “Constitutionalists.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 26, 2022:

In more plain language, they will make it up as they go along as far as coming up with some dishonest reason for whatever policy they want to impose, regardless of the law or precedent.

LAPD OFFICERS BEAT TO DEATH A FELLOW OFFICER (When will it ever be enough?

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 29, 2022:

Guess for once one of these murderers and bullies with a badge got weeded out before he murdered his first civilian......Doesn't happen near enough, as far as weeding them out... Guess someone went a little overboard in telling them that anything worth doing, is worth doing all the way...

For many evangelical Christians, God and guns are inextricably linked

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 29, 2022:

They believe in Republican Jesus, not whoever the real Jesus may have been. They wouldn't know the real Jesus, as the saying goes, if he crawled up their pant leg and bit them on the pecker, or the ass!

Lauren Boebert's Jesus Christ Superstar: Coming Soon To Broadway - YouTube

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 29, 2022:

Too funny. That bitch needs to go back to the sex work as an escort that she was probably much better at!

Where Does This Test Put You?

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 2, 2022:

I agree that the quiz is flawed because it makes no distinction between attendance or participation in something that is a secular as a Unitarian church and similar involvement in a mainstream Christian or Catholic church. Some non-believers are very involved in such Unitarian churches, but it doesn't make them at all religious. Few Unitarians are, they just want to be part of some community where they can openly be who they are and their kids can have some sort of education about humanism and world religions. It gives their kids a way to be part of a peer group that is not religious so they don't have to fake it and join their school peers in a youth group at a church that is religious.

Doing the Numbers Tomorrow we celebrate our nation's birthday.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 3, 2022:

No offense, but people use paragraphs for a reason....

The women’s reproductive rights march was excellent! I met a lot of very fired up pissed off Texas...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 4, 2022:

Too bad the five assholes on the SC will never see those signs, nor would they care even if they saw them..

Given that the United States is diving head first into the cesspool of theocracy, what can we ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 4, 2022:

I'm ready to fight those pricks in the streets if any of those are implemented, because at that point, there's no freedom left for those remaining here or any point in continuing to live here. I'd rather die fighting them than living under the American Taliban. And, yes, the list looks pretty accurate...

Americans Have Lost Confidence in Government, Religion, but Not Unions

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 6, 2022:

It all depends on the union, some of them are honest, some are corrupt. Some are actually on the side of the their rank and file members, some have leaders that are more on the side of Repubs and management than the workers. Nowadays most of the unions that are still left, are public employees unions, since in private industry, most unions were broken long ago and everybody scabbed out. In general, I would much rather work in a job that had a union representing me, and gladly pay dues, than work in a non-union job.

My rant for today.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 8, 2022:

I agree. I would say, however, that people on the political right tend to be way more obedient and unquestioning of authority than people on the left. Which explains why so many Trumpers and members of the GOP are so quick to believe in conspiracy theories that have no basis in fact. I also agree that most people aren't evil, but so many are dumb. As Sticks 48 has often said, half the population have IQs below 100. It is easy, on a site like this, where the vast majority of its members have IQs well above 100, probably because non-believers tend to be smarter and more intellectual than most believers, to forget we are mostly way smarter than most Americans. It lulls us into feeling more normal or average than we are and thus, easily frustrated with why most of the herd outside of this site is not as intelligent or critical in their thinking as most of us. If only most Americans were like us, we wouldn't have a government chosen by sheeple..

Churches closing their doors in record numbers

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 9, 2022:

Most likely the closings of most churches, the small ones, is due to the strains of the Covid pandemic and the economic effects on their members, who can no longer donate like they used to, with losing jobs and not being able to keep up with inflation. The smaller churches tend to be mainline denominations and also tend to be mostly older people, who are dying off and not being replaced with younger members, who do tend to choose mega churches over smaller ones.

I believe it is too late for this but if it isn't, this is the choice we have: [theguardian.com]

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 10, 2022:

The loss of working class white voters is the fault of the corporate, centrist Dems, not the progressives, tho the latter group is always blamed for the election losses of the corporate Dems. Reich seems to have conveniently forgotten how he aided Slick Willie in his betrayal of the working class.

In praise of difficult women, women who know their own mind and speak their own thoughts.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 10, 2022:

My late wife was strong, independent, and outspoken. I hit the jackpot with her.

Donald Trump Already Fundraising Off Ivana Trump's Death As New York City police investigate ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 15, 2022:

Shameless grifter will use anything to scam money off his gullible followers. You have to wonder, exactly what is this money going towards that might involve "saving America"?

Commentary from Jeff Childers at 'Coffee & Covid' - Remember how Moderna and Pfizer always said ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 15, 2022:

I've had Covid twice, the last time very recently, so it had to be one of the new Omicron variants, and this time it was much milder than last time overall, so I am glad I have had the vaccines and boosters. If not, I assume it would have been much worse for me this time.

A friend of mine had posted this on Facebook, he is one of those guys that is more than a little ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 19, 2022:

That actually seems rather wise and profound. Reminds me of a couple things an old friend told me, that we are all works in progress and each writing our own essay on existence.. On the other hand, it is also clear that many people simply sleepwalk their way thru life, never examine themselves or anything in their life, and in some ways are no more aware or conscious of higher things than animals.

Would you go to the convince store in you`re PJs?

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 24, 2022:

Well, it does pass the test of "No shirt, no shoes, no service"..... Flip flops do count as shoes these days for that test...

Trump Says 'Americans Kneel to God' As Christian Nationalism Grows in GOP

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 25, 2022:

Even if God and Jesus existed, in the way the Bible says they did, Trump wouldn't know either of them if they bit him in the ass!

Lauren Boebert Claims House Same-Sex Marriage Bill 'Undermined Masculinity’ Colorado Rep.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 26, 2022:

What a hypocrite! She doesn't want the government involved in her marriage, but she does want it involved in other women's uteruses, in laws against abortion. Can't have it both ways, bitch, and still be morally consistent.

Islam allows a man to have four wives. Why does Islam not allow a woman to have four husbands?

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 27, 2022:

Patriarchy.

Bond set for Sebring man charged with murder in death of fetus | WYTV

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 28, 2022:

Unfortunately you are so right. Back in the day, public hangings and lynchings were festive events and people even brought their kids to it. I live in Iowa, so that qualifies just as much for the middle of flyover country. Most people have not changed that much since those old days of public executions, at least not the ones that vote Repub. No wonder the series of Purge movies even came to include foreign tourists coming to America to participate in the night of purging where they could get away with murder and all other crimes that were still illegal in their own countries. That seems to be where we are heading, a dystopian future that is a mix of The Handmaid's Tale and the Purge movies. But as far as I'm concerned, when it's getting close, I will buy and learn to shoot my gun, so I can kill some of these pricks as they come to get me, as I doubt we will get any protection from the cops or the military. And if my side somehow decides to organize and fight them in the streets, I am up for that too.., but I really doubt they will. We will be on our own as individuals, as most libs are content to keep their heads in the sand as to what's coming, and will just smugly assume they will be ok because of their comfortable finances.... they obviously haven't watched the Purge movies, where armed mobs come and break into the buildings and homes of whoever they want to kill. Even gated communities will not be safe from militias going hunting libs, even well off ones... They will only be safe if they arm themselves or hire bodyguards, unless they decide to just flee their homes and communities permanently. My guess is that libs with the money will just flee the country and emigrate somewhere else.

Alito Decries 'Hostility to Religion' in First Public Remarks Since Abortion Decision

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 29, 2022:

How about hostility, on his part, towards freedom and democracy, fuckface?

Scientists establish link between religious fundamentalism and brain damage - Alternet.org

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 30, 2022:

Not surprising, but it seems like the most common reason people are fundies is that they were raised that way by their parents, who were also fundies.

My back is killing me...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 31, 2022:

Exactly how it would go. Cats are heat-seeking machines...

What have you learned in life?

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 31, 2022:

With apologies to Frank Sinatra, " Regrets, I've had a lot, but none right here, I'd care to mention.... But I did it my way..."....

Is Religion Built In? Noam Chomsky [agnostic.com] .

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 31, 2022:

I dunno, but I do know that humans, at least most of us, are wired to see things in the natural and physical world, that are mysterious and unexplained, and to then want to find reasons or explanations for those things, even before we are old enough to learn and understand science. Hence, the urge to create religions, long before there was science..

Iz my burffday, I iz thurrteen...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 1, 2022:

She looks very regal and proud. Good for her!

My powerball ticket didn't win, but...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 3, 2022:

Worth a try, since Trump seems to think it's a winning strategy, pun intended, and he's such a stable genius.. I'd like to be dating Susan Sarandon, but I'm willing to accept the fact that I've lost out on that ever happening, without making a public fool out of myself...

Kitty is focused on hunting through the screen door.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 3, 2022:

My brother lives in Puerto Rico, where the lizard population is off the charts. Everyone has a cat for the lizards, but after a while, the lizards got the better of his cat, and it disappeared, later found dead. He hasn't gotten another cat since then.

True! Atheists in the Pulpit: Clergy Who Are Non-Believers How Many Atheist Clergy Are There?

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 4, 2022:

This doesn't surprise me at all, and I do think that clergy who lose their belief in religion deserve compassion and sympathy, rather than condemnation. The other thing is, they can always stay in the clergy as a non-believer, and not have to lie, by switching to the Unitarian Universalist Church, which is currently really hard up for clergy, mostly due to the high cost of their seminaries. They get no financial support from churches for their seminaries, compared to Christian and Catholic seminaries. The other common path for people who leave the clergy, but still want to help people, is that they become social workers, therapists, or counselors. By the time they leave the clergy, they are usually too old to want to go back to college and get a teaching degree, tho that would be a natural fit for them, so they go with one of the three paths I mentioned together.

Got this one today: I am Edgar Andersen I am a Medical Doctor working with the American Red ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 8, 2022:

Another laughable scammer...

Brianna Grier’s Brain Shifted in Her Skull During Fatal Arrest, Expert Says

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 8, 2022:

Why does it seem like this never would have happened with a white suspect?

"The only absolute knowledge attainable by man is that life is meaningless." -Tolstoy

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 9, 2022:

Sounds a bit like Shakespeare's A Winter's Tale, " Life is a tale, told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing"...

Here is an interesting question (probably asked by an American person) and a few Brits responded.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 11, 2022:

I wish the US was much more like the UK in these ways. It sounds so much more sensible and civilized.

Choking hazard 😃

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 13, 2022:

Repubs are incapable of feeling shame, unless it's about getting caught at something criminal, and also immune to admitting hypocrisy, no matter how clear and obvious it is..

Former Trump Press Secretary’s Sister Launching Dating App for MAGAs Former Trump Press ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 15, 2022:

I know two MAGA types at my local senior center that appear to be single. I'll need to tell them about this..

Boston Children's Hospital Staff Under Death Threats Over Child Transgender Rumors NBC News is ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 17, 2022:

Like you say, you can't outlaw hate or ignorance, just like the old saying that you can't legislate morality, tho the modern Repubs sure seem bent on doing that. But, like you say at the end of your post, you can outlaw behavior, and fortunately, for now at least, those behaviors are illegal.

I’m scratching my head on this one.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 18, 2022:

The 62% stat sure seems correct to me, as I have tested my local dating pool on Match by making up a dummy female profile with similar traits to mine, and then doing a search on the site. I found that there were two to three men on the site for every woman on the site in my age group and local area. Way too much competition for most men to have a chance of finding a compatible and acceptable partner. And most of the women on dating sites know this, so they are raising their standards, often to ridiculous levels, since they can do so and still get tons of interest, since they have the pick of the litter. And a man can be emotionally healthy as all get out, as well have great relationship skills and reasonable standards for women they date, but it will make no difference if his looks are not competitive with the other men in his online dating pool and the women in his dating pool prefer men with more money than him as well. I think the loneliness and unhappiness of both men and women in the online dating game is related to unrealistic expectations on the part of both genders, but in the case of men, it is the greater competition they face as well as the likely fact that in the age groups over 50, women are usually way more ambivalent than men about finding a partner and that probably explains why many women, way more than men, choose to drop out of the dating game or give up rather than keep trying to find a partner. Thus, way more men remain in the dating game than women in the over 50 age groups and that is never likely to change. Which may mean, that my only hope is to wait it out, until most of my male age cohorts in the local dating pool die off, and then be able to finally have a more level gender ratio of men to women on dating sites. But I'm really not interested in waiting another ten years and going it alone until then. If my late wife hadn't developed dementia, even tho she was much older than me, I would still probably be happily married and with her for another five years from now, instead of having become widowed five years ago. And wouldn't have been facing this online dating shit like I have been for the last few years. So yeah, life sure as fuck isn't fair...

Why does my Oliver have to look like this?

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 20, 2022:

Oliver is cute just the way he is. Why ask why?

Saying your anti mandate, is like the same as, saying your anti vaxxers.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 20, 2022:

Your false equivalencies are laughable...

Ok... maybe the guys can answer this. What's the deal with the dead fish?

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 22, 2022:

Who knows? Obviously they are not aware of how many women on dating sites are not interested in men who have hunting and fishing as their main interests, but of course there are exceptions and it may vary drastically based on which area dating pool you are talking about for that site. For example, the OP lives in the Chicago area, very urban compared to where I live, which is a much smaller metro area, and the vast majority of women in my local dating pool grew up in rural areas, where hunting and fishing are very popular with men, as well as fishing being popular with a lot of women in my local dating pool. I esp. see this with women who never went past high school for education and are probably working class or working poor for their economic class. Hunting and fishing are popular among rural men, as well as lower income folks, because it provides free or extra food, and is a low cost form of recreation as well, same as camping, also popular with most women in my dating pool, esp. the ones with lower education levels and financial levels. Or the men may be aware of how this comes across to women like the OP, but simply don't care, because she is not the kind of woman they want anyway. They want someone who grew up in a rural area and a working class or lower income family that is more likely to share their interests, culture, education level, etc. The OP appears to be more of an college-educated, higher income level city slicker, not their type to begin with, so why would they give a fuck what her kind thinks about the fish pic?

Seems we have a bit of a knife problem in the UK. [cnn.com]

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 22, 2022:

I would gladly trade the knife problem there for our gun problem here. At least they don't have the frequent mass killings like here. And it's impossible to kill two dozen people in a matter of a few minutes with a knife, or in any short amount of time, unless all the victims are trapped with the killer and can't escape. Very unlikely still, since several of them could easily rush and overpower the killer.

Trump says he stole the classified documents to put them in his Presidential Library.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 25, 2022:

I can think of a similar thing about W.. The whole idea of that dim chimp having a Presidential Library seemed like the reference below to a goat stealing toilet paper...

Republicans Who Had PPP Loans Forgiven - Furious Over Student Debt Forgiveness Republicans such ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 26, 2022:

Hypocrisy, thy name is Republican... Giving government money and tax breaks to rich people is seen as righteous because they are seen as job creators, even tho we all know that is a myth.... Speaking of PPP loans, in the city where I live, one small businessman, who owns an arts movie theater, got a ton of loan money from the feds during early Covid under this program for the purpose of supposedly keeping his theater open and continuing to pay his employees, etc. Instead, he never reopened his theater after Covid hit, tho all his competitors here eventually did. I don't know if his loan was forgiven or not, but as far as I'm concerned, he is a crook and has cheated the taxpayers, but nothing is ever going to happen to him over it. I think he should have to give all that money back, but that's just my idealistic morality. I have no idea if he's a Repub, but he sure acts like one, typical greedhead businessman. There is another art house movie theater, a non-profit one, that is being started, after Covid hit, that is supposed to open soon, and if the crooked businessman reopens his theater, which I doubt he will, but if he does, I will boycott him and continue to spread the word about this crook. I hope the new art house theater puts him out of business for good, should they both be open this fall. But I doubt he will ever reopen, nor does he care what happens to his theater.

Former Elder Robert Lee Harris Convicted Of Killing Wife In Kansas

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 29, 2022:

Sounds like a church chock full of ignorant, religious nuts... If Jerry Springer were still on TV, that church would be worth a whole episode...

Love will come your way

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 30, 2022:

If I were a betting person, I'd say the odds are better than even that I will die before I find my next long term relationship, which would only be the second one in my life. I am too much of an outlier for my local dating pool..

Anti-gay WI GOP candidate had 'many sexual encounters' with male colleague

TomMcGiverin comments on Sep 5, 2022:

The right wing male Repubs that are anti gay almost always turn out to be closet cases. Both hypocrites and self-hating gay men... Sounds like this guy also has some anger management issues.....