My latest rant.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 4, 2022:

I have always seen conservatives as basically selfish and progressives as being more generous towards others and more interested in the greater good than their own self interest.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jul 4, 2022:

@FvckY0u That may be true that many conservatives are church goers that are generous to strangers, etc., but at the same time, I bet those same conservatives vote for Repubs like Trump that are NOT generous or compassionate towards others, and to me that matters just as much or more than mission trips that conservatives go on or what they contribute to strangers. In other words, their individual acts of mercy and charity are more than undone by their political support of uncompassionate Repubs who want to dominate and oppress those who are different than them.

My latest rant.

Theresa_N comments on Jul 4, 2022:

I would say liberalism is for the status quo while progressiveism is for moving forward..

TomMcGiverin replies on Jul 4, 2022:

Agreed, I don't see most liberals as much better than the conservatives these days. The liberals don't care about changing the status quo, as far as economic equality that would cost them or corporate America anything. Instead, they only seem to care about PC, identity politics, and preventing theocracy. Well it's their indifference to economic reform, and the working class, as well as their support for corporate Dems and the DNC, that have given us Trump and now the very real threat of theocracy coming here soon. They deserve as much blame for all that as the Repubs...

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....

TomMcGiverin replies on Jul 4, 2022:

@Flyingsaucesir Thank you. I will attempt to read it again.

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....

TomMcGiverin replies on Jul 4, 2022:

@Flyingsaucesir I haven't and I probably have a lot of company in that. And that may be be at least partly because of his style.

Just curious what most others think.

cyaegha comments on Jul 3, 2022:

I am happy with the block function available to me on this site, but also appreciate the idea of a site moderator to ban scammers, trolls etc. It just makes the site a bit more pleasant to navigate if I encounter fewer of those posts in the first place, or if someone who causes trouble in some ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jul 4, 2022:

@cyaegha Thanks.

Just curious what most others think.

cyaegha comments on Jul 3, 2022:

I am happy with the block function available to me on this site, but also appreciate the idea of a site moderator to ban scammers, trolls etc. It just makes the site a bit more pleasant to navigate if I encounter fewer of those posts in the first place, or if someone who causes trouble in some ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jul 3, 2022:

Right now that type of moderation appears to be mostly absent, as far as I can tell. While I agree with you about policing scammers, I don't agree with you regarding trolls and repeat troublemakers in groups. Because the vast majority of us are mature enough to deal with trolls and troublemakers on our own by either ignoring them or blocking them, We don't need Big Brother to defend us against them. And also because it is easy for moderators to play favorites and let those they like get by with being assholes and others get booted for lesser behavior. I am a socialist and I demand equality, something you rarely get from those with power. So I am rightfully distrustful of giving power to people with no accountability for practicing favoritism, something I have seen practiced over and over in my lifetime by people with undeserved power. I am not a Libertarian by any means, but on a site like this, I say let people protect themselves as much as possible rather than group mods or site modes refereeing things, since it seems like most mods can't be fair in handling conflicts between members.

So the guy I've been crushing on chose someone else.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 1, 2022:

Sounds like too much of an age difference to begin with. I lose out all the time in the online dating game, just have to roll with it. A woman gets interest from a whole bunch of men, then begins messaging with maybe ten of them, or more. Ends up meeting six of them in person, then chooses a couple ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jul 3, 2022:

@UrsiMajor Sounds impressive. Glad to hear he doesn't sing country like Willie, not that I don't like Nelson. I just hate the genre, esp. the newer country and the bro-country bullshit... To me the latter stuff is music for morons who just want to hear the same formulaic cliches repeated over and over in every song along with all the twang in the singer's voice and a steel guitar. Nothing intelligent people would enjoy..

A joke about second hand cars.

Julie808 comments on Jul 3, 2022:

Yes, I believe you are right about that. I spent a good 2-3 hours one Saturday, looking at cars with my father and bought my first car that afternoon. Lucky for me, my dad was fond of Mustangs, so I had a pretty cool car for my hard earned baby sitting money of $900. I spent at least 20 years ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jul 3, 2022:

@Julie808 I hope that is true and that more people are actually examining what they are told to think and how to live. Life should be a process in which we make conscious, well-thought out choices, at least concerning what we do with our lives, like having kids, going to college, where to live, what political views to have, what groups to join, what causes to support, who to partner with, etc., rather than just falling into our choices, like most Americans seem to do, either out of pressure to conform from peers, parents, or society. Most people seem to be very lazy intellectually and morally, they just go with whatever the majority of people around them are doing, because fitting in matters more to them than anything else. The people on this site are, or appear to be in my experience, way more non-conformist than most Americans, and along with that, they seem to be more intellectual, more politically left wing, and also more independent. And I think all of those are good and positive qualities. Too bad we are such a minority in our country.

So the guy I've been crushing on chose someone else.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 1, 2022:

Sounds like too much of an age difference to begin with. I lose out all the time in the online dating game, just have to roll with it. A woman gets interest from a whole bunch of men, then begins messaging with maybe ten of them, or more. Ends up meeting six of them in person, then chooses a couple ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jul 3, 2022:

@UrsiMajor I am with you on rejecting traditional lifestyle. Have to disagree with the rest of it. I hate country music and would never date someone who was the female equivalent of him, since there would always be too much competition for them, but I am average looking and you are not, I'm guessing, so you might be able to compete with the other women who are after him. I don't get the contradiction, you said he was a rocker, but that he sings like Willie Nelson?

A joke about second hand cars.

Redheadedgammy comments on Jul 3, 2022:

https://youtu.be/VPf6ITsjsgk When I first saw this movie and heard this song, I had my aha moment about religion!

TomMcGiverin replies on Jul 3, 2022:

It applies to religion, prejudice, or any ideology, for that matter...

A joke about second hand cars.

Julie808 comments on Jul 3, 2022:

Yes, I believe you are right about that. I spent a good 2-3 hours one Saturday, looking at cars with my father and bought my first car that afternoon. Lucky for me, my dad was fond of Mustangs, so I had a pretty cool car for my hard earned baby sitting money of $900. I spent at least 20 years ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jul 3, 2022:

I would also add that most people end up having kids without ever really putting much thought into the decision. They simply become parents because it's what everyone else does and what they are expected to do. Conformity is so American, despite the myth of rugged individualism here.

So the guy I've been crushing on chose someone else.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 1, 2022:

Sounds like too much of an age difference to begin with. I lose out all the time in the online dating game, just have to roll with it. A woman gets interest from a whole bunch of men, then begins messaging with maybe ten of them, or more. Ends up meeting six of them in person, then chooses a couple ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jul 2, 2022:

@UrsiMajor So it's all about the physical chemistry or attraction. Great for a fling or casual relationship, not for the long haul. It all depends on what you want..

It must be silly season! I put this under dating for real people only because I didn't know what ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 1, 2022:

Maybe it's the same guy, but my 71 yo widowed friend on Match was recently contact by an 80 yo guy that had the same kind of behavior. She blocked him on Match and I told her to report him to the site, as he wouldn't stop bugging her.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jul 1, 2022:

@Organist1 Yeah, we are like that internet meme where we are a man or woman on a dating site that connects with a new person and inside we are saying, "Please be as weird as I am"..... And yes, some people are only interested in looks. I have run across a few women in my Match dating pool that are white professional women and they are only interested in dating black men who are well below them in education level. It's not hard to decipher their intent, they want a hot-looking stud that is not their social equal, that they can have casual sex with. That is their business, but now that Match has taken away our ability to view things like that in the member's traits checklist of their profile, we have no way of knowing who wants an outlier like us and who doesn't. We have to strike out blindly, as men, and message women with no idea whether they will reject us on some trait this is different from them on any traits, unless the women specifically mention it in their profile essay. And few people are going to do that, esp. in my local dating pool, because in Iowa conflict is greatly feared, and everybody is told that in online dating, you are never supposed to mention any negative things in a profile essay. Hence, we are almost always left in the dark about what traits they are looking for. Most people just write a bunch of cliche platitudes in their profile essays, which makes it really frustrating for men, since in my area, the man is usually expected to pursue the women and make the first message, not the other way around.

For many evangelical Christians, God and guns are inextricably linked

rainmanjr comments on Jun 29, 2022:

I think every lib should get armed, arm their children (at any age), and once the media takes note of all the money suddenly exchanged for firearms we should declare open season on Christians. Every. Single. One. Of. Them.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jul 1, 2022:

@rainmanjr No worries, high or not, we all make mistakes in attribution on the net, so no one should get excited about it.

For many evangelical Christians, God and guns are inextricably linked

rainmanjr comments on Jun 29, 2022:

I think every lib should get armed, arm their children (at any age), and once the media takes note of all the money suddenly exchanged for firearms we should declare open season on Christians. Every. Single. One. Of. Them.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jul 1, 2022:

@rainmanjr Actually, I think you are referring to the folk rock band The Byrds, who had a hit song based on the words of Ecclesiastes, not Psalms, called "Turn, Turn, Turn"... Showing my Boomer age here.

It must be silly season! I put this under dating for real people only because I didn't know what ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 1, 2022:

Maybe it's the same guy, but my 71 yo widowed friend on Match was recently contact by an 80 yo guy that had the same kind of behavior. She blocked him on Match and I told her to report him to the site, as he wouldn't stop bugging her.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jul 1, 2022:

@Organist1 True, it is the same with me. No doubt that, like most non-believers, we are outliers in our dating pools, and the people that are fellow outliers, few that they are rare that they come along in the online dating pool, will probably have few others to choose from besides us at any given time. My statements about competition are probably more true for people who are much more mainstream in culture and lifestyle than us.

For many evangelical Christians, God and guns are inextricably linked

rainmanjr comments on Jun 29, 2022:

I think every lib should get armed, arm their children (at any age), and once the media takes note of all the money suddenly exchanged for firearms we should declare open season on Christians. Every. Single. One. Of. Them.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jul 1, 2022:

@rainmanjr Bringing superior intellect, superior knowledge or morality and non-violence to a gun fight doesn't usually end well. Take a look at what happened to the pacifist White Rose Society in Hitler's Germany. They were all hanged...

It must be silly season! I put this under dating for real people only because I didn't know what ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 1, 2022:

Maybe it's the same guy, but my 71 yo widowed friend on Match was recently contact by an 80 yo guy that had the same kind of behavior. She blocked him on Match and I told her to report him to the site, as he wouldn't stop bugging her.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jul 1, 2022:

@Organist1 While it is true that some singles on dating sites are more selective than others, the reality is that whenever a new member joins a site, no matter what gender, if they are above average-looking or better, they get way more attention and interest than those who are average looking or worse. This is also basically true even after they have been on the site a while. So people can rationalize all they want about how online dating is not competitive, but if they are interested in dating someone who is better looking than most, there is always a lot of competition for them, assuming all other things are equal or compatible between the people, like interests, religion, kids situation, etc.. Even if you are so selective that you never are considering more than one man at a time for dating, if the man you are interested in is less selective and open to dating women are have some differences from you, then you are certainly in competition with those women.

For many evangelical Christians, God and guns are inextricably linked

rainmanjr comments on Jun 29, 2022:

I think every lib should get armed, arm their children (at any age), and once the media takes note of all the money suddenly exchanged for firearms we should declare open season on Christians. Every. Single. One. Of. Them.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jul 1, 2022:

@rainmanjr I agree with you that bullies and fascists only respond to strong aggression being mounted against them. They only understand power. This is not like some program to change school bullies by reasoning with them and helping them feel more secure or accepted. It's more like stopping power-mad, aggressive people who enjoy bullying others and dominating them. They are beyond any kind of national therapy or reconciliation program of teaching them to accept others who are different from them.

For many evangelical Christians, God and guns are inextricably linked

rainmanjr comments on Jun 29, 2022:

I think every lib should get armed, arm their children (at any age), and once the media takes note of all the money suddenly exchanged for firearms we should declare open season on Christians. Every. Single. One. Of. Them.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jul 1, 2022:

@rainmanjr I do agree with some of that. Non-violence is only a tactic, not a thing to be worshipped or treated as sacred. Since the Left gave up violence as a political tactic, beginning in the late 70s or early 80s, most on the left, esp. liberals who are comfortably middle or upper middle class, have thought or acted like non-violence is the only way to go. preferring to romanticize the non-violence of the civil rights movement and the anti-Vietnam war movement. But this is no longer the 60s. Our media, unlike then, are all owned by billionaires, and they do not provide any fair or balanced coverage of struggles on the left against corporate rule or the right. Also, people no longer have the capacity for outrage like they did in the 60s. Finally, our cops and fed government, are clearly against us as well, and instead sympathize way more with the right wing fascists and militia groups. We are in for a civil war and people on the left will need to arm and protect themselves, because the cops won't do it for them and they will be hunted down by the fascists on the right if those on the left are openly dissenters from the right wing program. That is, if they aren't already put in camps.

For many evangelical Christians, God and guns are inextricably linked

GrooshStar comments on Jun 29, 2022:

That's a warped way of thinking. How does Jesus have ANYTHING to do with guns. It's about the power to force other to do their bidding. I don't hate guns. I grew up around guns my whole life. But I don't get off in my pants about them either.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jul 1, 2022:

@OldMetalHead Both.

A liberal friend of mine posted this on her FB page today, and while I'm not religious, I thought it...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 1, 2022:

That is what liberals think regarding values and what matters. But Republican Jesus doesn't agree with any of that...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jul 1, 2022:

@DenoPenno You're so right. In that internet meme video, Republican Jesus said almost the same thing, that we should all give all our money away to a solid mutual fund, rather than to help feed and care for the poor...

It must be silly season! I put this under dating for real people only because I didn't know what ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jul 1, 2022:

Maybe it's the same guy, but my 71 yo widowed friend on Match was recently contact by an 80 yo guy that had the same kind of behavior. She blocked him on Match and I told her to report him to the site, as he wouldn't stop bugging her.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jul 1, 2022:

@Organist1 Yes, she got rid of him. She has met some nice men, but nobody so far that worked out for dating. She just met a guy that she says is the best one so far she's come across, but she has no idea where she stands with her competition on Match. The guy just rejoined and probably is sorting out at least several other women besides her that he has messaged with and met. So I told her, it's like a job hiring process, he may be the best man she's met so far on Match, but if she doesn't win the competition with the other women he's connected with on Match, it doesn't matter at all. Online dating is much more competitive than organic dating, because in the latter, all you need to do is meet the other person's standards, and they will start going out with you. In online dating, you not only have to meet their standards to date them, you have to win the competition against all the other people they are currently also considering.

Falling into the (non) religious trap?

KKGator comments on Jun 30, 2022:

I don't recognize "leaders", atheist, agnostic, or any other kind. I think for myself, and say what I please. Like-minded people may come together for community, but that doesn't mean we're anything like a religion. It annoys the fuck out of me when people say we are.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 30, 2022:

As the bard Bob Dylan himself said, " Don't follow leaders, watch the parking meters"...

It's speech that should be protected just as much as Christian prayers, right?

LucyLoohoo comments on Jun 28, 2022:

Good luck with that!

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 30, 2022:

@LucyLoohoo Of course, do they have any other kids, at least in their eyes? They would never admit that it was ill-gotten gains or stolen from gullible victims..

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!

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 30, 2022:

@snytiger6 Yup, it covers just about all the Repub gospel, with all the cruelty, heartlessness, and selfishness.

Boebert says she is ‘tired’ of separation between church and state: ‘The church is supposed to...

FvckY0u comments on Jun 29, 2022:

Lying to the American people is not unlawful and republicans know this very well and fully use it to their advantage feeding people full of bullshit and delusional thinking. Obviously she's wrong and immoral but sadly legally speaking she's doing nothing wrong.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 29, 2022:

@FvckY0u Good move. Showing more class than someone else is usually the better move, tho I am often guilty of doing otherwise.

Boebert says she is ‘tired’ of separation between church and state: ‘The church is supposed to...

FvckY0u comments on Jun 29, 2022:

Lying to the American people is not unlawful and republicans know this very well and fully use it to their advantage feeding people full of bullshit and delusional thinking. Obviously she's wrong and immoral but sadly legally speaking she's doing nothing wrong.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 29, 2022:

@FvckY0u As do I, don't we all?

Boebert says she is ‘tired’ of separation between church and state: ‘The church is supposed to...

FvckY0u comments on Jun 29, 2022:

Lying to the American people is not unlawful and republicans know this very well and fully use it to their advantage feeding people full of bullshit and delusional thinking. Obviously she's wrong and immoral but sadly legally speaking she's doing nothing wrong.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 29, 2022:

@FvckY0u She blocked me long ago and I considered it a gift!

For many evangelical Christians, God and guns are inextricably linked

GrooshStar comments on Jun 29, 2022:

That's a warped way of thinking. How does Jesus have ANYTHING to do with guns. It's about the power to force other to do their bidding. I don't hate guns. I grew up around guns my whole life. But I don't get off in my pants about them either.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 29, 2022:

@GrooshStar Overgrown boys with their toys..

Mr. Attorney General, ITMFA!

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 29, 2022:

Too funny! But I have no faith in Merrick Garland, or the Dems, having the balls to make it happen...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 29, 2022:

@Flyingsaucesir Have to respectfully disagree with you on Obama, Med4All, and on Trump ever being indicted by Garland. I have already argued on these boards many times about Obama and how we got cheated out of single payer by Obama and the corporate Dems in congress, not by just the Repubs. I agree with you that what Trump did is far worse than Nixon, but those days are gone and now the Dems are pussies and the Repubs are the only party that plays hardball against the other major party to get what they want. Back then, most Repubs pols also had a conscience and would put country ahead of party, those days are gone too.

For many evangelical Christians, God and guns are inextricably linked

GrooshStar comments on Jun 29, 2022:

That's a warped way of thinking. How does Jesus have ANYTHING to do with guns. It's about the power to force other to do their bidding. I don't hate guns. I grew up around guns my whole life. But I don't get off in my pants about them either.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 29, 2022:

In reference to your last sentence, I often wonder with some of these gun fetish wackos, if they actually jerk off while cleaning their guns, lol....

Mr. Attorney General, ITMFA!

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 29, 2022:

Too funny! But I have no faith in Merrick Garland, or the Dems, having the balls to make it happen...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 29, 2022:

@Flyingsaucesir I hope I'm wrong, but I've seen this movie too many times, like with Medicare 4 All that the Dems ended up trading for Obamacare. Lucy is always there to take away the football from poor Charlie Brown. I won't fall for it anymore. It's all an act, like pro wrestling, when it comes to the Dems and Repubs on anything that involves their corporate donors, powerful people or the rich...

For many evangelical Christians, God and guns are inextricably linked

OldMetalHead comments on Jun 29, 2022:

*"Anything politicians do to keep weapons off the streets in inherently seen by these zealots as anti-Christian."* Well, that's a win/win for me.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 29, 2022:

Keeping guns off the street and them and their pols out of office, sounds like all winning ideas for me.

For many evangelical Christians, God and guns are inextricably linked

FvckY0u comments on Jun 29, 2022:

Take gun rights, god and anti abortion and look at it this way. Anti abortion stance is all about telling others what to do. Religion is all about telling others what to believe and/or think. Guns are simply an extension of that. It allows a person the power to control others. It's all the same...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 29, 2022:

Yup, all three are about power, control and domination over others.

Half in new poll say Trump tried to stay in office through illegal means | The Hill

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 27, 2022:

The amount of denial and mindless loyalty to Trump among Repubs doesn't surprise me at all.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 29, 2022:

@snytiger6 The evangelicals don't care that he is immoral and not Christian in his morality or lifestyle. They support him because he is against Muslims, colored people, queer people, and feminists. More importantly, to them, he is determined to appoint conservative, anti-abortion judges. So they are willing to ignore his personal faults regarding morality or religion because he is on their side for the other stuff I mentioned. They are trading their integrity and religious beliefs in exchange for political power and in my mind, it makes them hypocrites and religious phonies.

Half in new poll say Trump tried to stay in office through illegal means | The Hill

Leetx comments on Jun 27, 2022:

I am speechless. Anyone who watched any of the hearings knows that trump tried to stay illegally. I don't know what, but, something is wrong with these people.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 29, 2022:

@snytiger6 Yup, they are deluded shitheads, at least to me. I will not waste my time trying to educate them. They need to be outvoted and if they refuse to accept election results, then they may need to be fought in the streets, collectively. I really don't care if some of them are killed should they want to fight out political conflicts in the street. They are, like the Nazis, a sick and dangerous group that our country would be better off if they were dead, at least the ones that are violent.

Biden is starting to display more and more signs of mental decline.

Garban comments on Jun 28, 2022:

Rationality is not sign of mental decline. He’s not as sharp or witty Obama, his humor is a little off, sometimes way off. But he’s got another 10 years easy in my opinion.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 29, 2022:

@Garban It's not about direct answers, he won't even subject himself to the ?s that are not already ones he is prepared for. When they ask him something he is not prepared for, he just walks away and ends the conference. The pols who are still mentally functioning normally, stay with it and come up with some spin or BS. He is too mentally off to be able to do that.

January 6 hearings: Trump urged armed supporters to storm Capitol - aide [bbc.com]

SeaGreenEyez comments on Jun 28, 2022:

Of course he did. He also knew play by play that some of those barbarians were only very away from Pence. He's a monster.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 29, 2022:

Yup, so what else is new? It's nice to know that I am never too cynical and that I have plenty of good company in that on this forum.

January 6 hearings: Trump urged armed supporters to storm Capitol - aide [bbc.com]

BitFlipper comments on Jun 28, 2022:

Everyone who watched it live that day knows this already.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 29, 2022:

NO fucking shit! I am the only one of my friends who did watch it live on Jan. 6, 2021, and none of this shit today surprised me, except the part about him grabbing the steering wheel from his SS agent so he could be there with the mob to either enter the capital with them or watch it up close. I expected he might be smart enough to want to avoid looking that involved in the coup and rioting, but I guess I was wrong about that...

Biden is starting to display more and more signs of mental decline.

Garban comments on Jun 28, 2022:

Rationality is not sign of mental decline. He’s not as sharp or witty Obama, his humor is a little off, sometimes way off. But he’s got another 10 years easy in my opinion.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 29, 2022:

Sorry, I cannot agree at all on his mental abilities. Haven't you noticed how he can't do live press conferences and answer any tough, unexpected ?s,,,,? The other commenter above said it brilliantly, he is just the figurehead for his corporate donors who he was speaking to when he said, "Nothing will fundamentally change" if he was elected prez. That is the one campaign promise he has kept. Too bad it was to his donors in private, rather than any of the ones he made publicly to the voters....

Mr. Attorney General, ITMFA!

Scott321 comments on Jun 29, 2022:

That chant against Hillary was pure projection on his part. She should visit him at his cell to smirk and admire his orange jumpsuit. Then she should leave after laughing at him saying how fun it is to have freedom to do what she wants.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 29, 2022:

I like your sentiment, but I am pretty sure Trump will never see prison. The system is too corrupt, and so is AG Garland and the Dems. I would just about bet the house on it that it will never happen. These pols take care of each other when it comes to being punished for political crimes.

I just kinda stay in a pissed off mood: U.

Barnie2years comments on Jun 28, 2022:

You can clock that up as dead and buried until at least three Justices are dead or too sick mentally to serve. By then, depending on how the 2022 and 2024 elections go, we will be in a contest with the Taliban and Iran to see who enforces Sharia law the best and how many beheadings and stoning take ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 28, 2022:

@Gwendolyn2018 Indeed..

It's speech that should be protected just as much as Christian prayers, right?

LucyLoohoo comments on Jun 28, 2022:

Good luck with that!

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 28, 2022:

@JonnaBononna The budget of the ACLU is a drop in the bucket compared to what the religious right and conservatives have on their side. The right has lots of rich donors with very deep pockets. The left does not.

It's speech that should be protected just as much as Christian prayers, right?

LucyLoohoo comments on Jun 28, 2022:

Good luck with that!

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 28, 2022:

@JonnaBononna I know, but unfortunately, plaintiffs on the left don't have nearly the same kind of funding and lawyers to litigate free speech cases.

It's speech that should be protected just as much as Christian prayers, right?

LucyLoohoo comments on Jun 28, 2022:

Good luck with that!

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 28, 2022:

@JonnaBononna Lawsuits take time and money that most ordinary working people don't have, and few lawyers are willing to take those cases, when there is little money to be won if they are successful. And with the way the courts are now packed, even at lower levels, with conservatives, the odds of winning are slim..

So apparently scotus has seen that the younger generation isn't into religion as much as the older ...

rainmanjr comments on Jun 28, 2022:

They were raised on killing games and war (a real life killing game). It's quite possible, and I hope too see it, that they will vomit up the Jesus meal in a violent way. I think it's time to use the guns Americans seem to love.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 28, 2022:

@rainmanjr Interesting perspective.

So apparently scotus has seen that the younger generation isn't into religion as much as the older ...

rainmanjr comments on Jun 28, 2022:

They were raised on killing games and war (a real life killing game). It's quite possible, and I hope too see it, that they will vomit up the Jesus meal in a violent way. I think it's time to use the guns Americans seem to love.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 28, 2022:

Unfortunately, way more of their side are armed with guns than our side, and I don't think that is going to change soon enough for us to win any civil war that may break out. And the cops and military are not going to side with us...

It's speech that should be protected just as much as Christian prayers, right?

LucyLoohoo comments on Jun 28, 2022:

Good luck with that!

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 28, 2022:

And with keeping your job.... In theocratic America, only Christians and Catholics have rights and freedom of expression, other viewpoints, including Muslims and non-believers, don't....

Excuse me while I sit here pointing and laughing at this pervert facing the consequences she ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 28, 2022:

I wonder if she too, like Epstein, will suffer a prompt and convenient death by suicide, like he did, once she is in prison. I'm disappointed that The Guardian simply repeats the official story that Epstein killed himself as if it were undisputed fact and doesn't even mention the suspiciousness of ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 28, 2022:

@DenoPenno, @p-nullifidian As I said above, that is why she is not likely to live long enough in prison to be able to inform on them.

Excuse me while I sit here pointing and laughing at this pervert facing the consequences she ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 28, 2022:

I wonder if she too, like Epstein, will suffer a prompt and convenient death by suicide, like he did, once she is in prison. I'm disappointed that The Guardian simply repeats the official story that Epstein killed himself as if it were undisputed fact and doesn't even mention the suspiciousness of ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 28, 2022:

@DenoPenno Yup, it's the same as when the mob, as in Mafia, takes out a witness to a crime and everybody else that knows something about the crime suddenly loses their memory or refuses to cooperate with law enforcement. Because in cases like Epstein, even those in politics and high places know that the people who are involved in the crimes have all the money, connections in law enforcement, organized crime, and the intelligence community to be able to kill you, no matter where you are, and nobody will ever be able to prove it or punish them for it. Even going into federal witness protection probably wouldn't work, since there are probably moles inside there that would give away someone's new identity and whereabouts.. As they used to say on the TV show The X-Files, " Trust No One"... If she were free and not in prison, this would be one of those cases where the best thing you could do, the same as a stalking victim or the spouse of an abuser who wants to kill you, is to simply disappear on your own and tell no one where you are going....

Interesting encounter at the local senior center during lunch.

FvckY0u comments on Jun 28, 2022:

I will add I just turned over to Foxnews again and they are talking about the border. Kind of says it all.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 28, 2022:

Of course. You were giving them too much credit...

Interesting encounter at the local senior center during lunch.

FvckY0u comments on Jun 28, 2022:

I flipped over to Fox news a couple of times just to see what the enablers had to say. They simply couldn't deny reality. It was great! With that said, hard line republicans just want it all to go away but guess what, it's not going to. If anyone thinks republicans are going to unite behind ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 28, 2022:

But you know they will blow it, they are masters at it. But the reason why becomes obvious, along with everything else about the Dems, once you realize that winning general elections is not their priority, and that instead their real priorities are getting the corporate campaign cash, serving their corporate donors, and defeating progressive candidates in primaries. They even knock themselves out every time in general elections to defeat progressives that somehow survive a Dem primary... And as far as Repubs uniting behind a prez candidate in two years, don't be so sure they won't. They have always had way more unity than the Dems, which is not hard when all they have to agree on is being racist, religious, pro-corporate, and wanting lower taxes. A pretty small tent to gather them under and plenty of people interested in going in for that.

I just kinda stay in a pissed off mood: U.

Barnie2years comments on Jun 28, 2022:

You can clock that up as dead and buried until at least three Justices are dead or too sick mentally to serve. By then, depending on how the 2022 and 2024 elections go, we will be in a contest with the Taliban and Iran to see who enforces Sharia law the best and how many beheadings and stoning take ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 28, 2022:

@Gwendolyn2018 I share your feelings of hopelessness. I think people our age are going to spend our remaining years as mostly helpless witnesses of a dystopian nightmare of which we are also victims in it.

I just kinda stay in a pissed off mood: U.

Barnie2years comments on Jun 28, 2022:

You can clock that up as dead and buried until at least three Justices are dead or too sick mentally to serve. By then, depending on how the 2022 and 2024 elections go, we will be in a contest with the Taliban and Iran to see who enforces Sharia law the best and how many beheadings and stoning take ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 28, 2022:

@Gwendolyn2018 It makes me even more relieved and glad that I never had kids..

The Supreme Court rewarded religious coercion by a Christian football coach

BitFlipper comments on Jun 27, 2022:

That coach is using his position to push his religious fantasies on his subordinates. He gets to decide who plays and who doesn't. He gets to decide who gets encouraged and who doesn't. It's the essence of American Christianity.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 28, 2022:

@BitFlipper Yup, that's the way it always works in America's legal system. The side with more money and better lawyers almost always wins, no matter who has the better case and no matter what the law says...

40 Pages Of Evil: Exposing Texas GOP's Heinous Party Platform - YouTube

linxminx comments on Jun 27, 2022:

If Texas secedes, I bet some other states will follow, and then we will truly be divided. Right-wing religion has taken hold of the GOP. That's for sure.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 28, 2022:

I would love it if they seceded.

Every SCOTUS decision falls in the lap of Hillary and the DNC's abysmal failure against the worst ...

BitFlipper comments on Jun 27, 2022:

Still clinging to that "worst candidate" fairy tale? Or should I call it "сказка"? The plan was to de-motivate as many Hillary voters by spreading lies about her. That's elementary Russian disinformation technique.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 28, 2022:

Believe me, I've been hating her and Bill as soon as he got elected prez and I saw all his Goldman Sachs cabinet members, followed by his other later betrayals of working class Americans and welfare moms. I didn't need any Russian or domestic lies about her during this century to already know that she was a deeply corrupt corporatist. She supported all of his DLC shit policies, same way Biden supported all of Obama's sellout corporatist policies.

Every SCOTUS decision falls in the lap of Hillary and the DNC's abysmal failure against the worst ...

Druvius comments on Jun 27, 2022:

There were many other forces in play, but yes, she campaigned like she'd already won and Trump squeaked out a victory. She is indeed the proximate reason the Bible thumpers now control the SCOTUS.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 28, 2022:

But, but... it had to be Bernie's fault and all the progressive voters....

Every SCOTUS decision falls in the lap of Hillary and the DNC's abysmal failure against the worst ...

dalefvictor comments on Jun 27, 2022:

Yes, let us blame the people who did not vote the way you wanted. Remember always shoot the messenger.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 28, 2022:

You got it, whenever the DNC corporate Dems lose, it's always the fault of progressives, never the candidates themselves or the party leaders.

The Supreme Court rewarded religious coercion by a Christian football coach

Heraclitus comments on Jun 27, 2022:

Freedom of religion is not just about freedom of religion for the individual, but for the freedom of belief for all of us. It is not just about the freedom of the coach to express himself, but also for all the the other student players who are under tremendous social pressure to join this ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 28, 2022:

It should equally provide freedom FROM religion...

The Supreme Court rewarded religious coercion by a Christian football coach

BitFlipper comments on Jun 27, 2022:

That coach is using his position to push his religious fantasies on his subordinates. He gets to decide who plays and who doesn't. He gets to decide who gets encouraged and who doesn't. It's the essence of American Christianity.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 28, 2022:

I bet if that school is in some area where open enrollment is available for players to transfer to other nearby schools, the better players and the less religious ones, are getting the hell out of there to play somewhere else, rather than put up with this horseshit...

Anybody else noticing any weird stuff happening on the ordinary ground level that might be related ...

creative51 comments on Jun 27, 2022:

That is very unfortunate you have to deal with that. I usually go to bars (rarely) in the college town 17 miles from my small town. It is much more liberal and I have not had such experiences there. Not all college towns are liberal and I do not know if you have any liberal college towns in Iowa. I ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 28, 2022:

There is a lot of truth to that last sentence. As far as college towns and bars that are higher class, and less likely to have redneck bullies in them, I do have two karaoke shows each week, each at a different bar, that attract a higher class crowd for the most part, and they are more liberal. I can still safely go to those two weekly shows. But as for the other two bars where I was bullied last weekend, it would be a risk, esp. if I go by myself and don't hang with anyone. The bullies always like to pick on the loner men, esp. libs like me. They are less likely to if you have a companion with you to witness it and tell the guy to fuck off as well, since these guys never hit or pick on women, since, as I noted elsewhere on here, they know the bars do want to protect women from male assholes and keep a safe rep.. So the bullies know that messing with a woman victim will get them barred from there. Guys are mostly on their own as far as anyone getting barred for bullying them, it seems. It wasn't always that way around my metro area, but these days, karaoke shows are mostly a blue collar working class crowd that is into country music and politically conservative. So I am an outlier and not the typical karaoke customer. There used to be more educated middle class people like me at karaoke shows a couple decades ago, but those people have mostly aged out of the scene or retreated to buying a home karaoke machine or system and just having private karaoke parties, so they don't have to deal with or mix with lower class people. Sort of the karaoke version of gated communities... Most of my friends are very highly educated and middle class and married. They almost never go to bars, probably mostly because they feel bars are for lower class and single people, so they stay away from them and don't want to be exposed to any of that, tho they probably aren't even conscious of that bias..

Anybody else noticing any weird stuff happening on the ordinary ground level that might be related ...

BitFlipper comments on Jun 27, 2022:

Bullies just like to intimidate people, and they want to be seen by the group as intimidating. It's how they keep their shallow egos inflated.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 27, 2022:

True, I just wish that bars wouldn't keep siding with them, no matter what their behavior. The classy ones don't, but those are usually not the ones having karaoke around here. The bars only try to police or punish the bullies after violence has occurred or in the moment to prevent violence in their bar. Because it is bad for their rep, it is a hassle for them if the police are called, and because they don't want to get sued by a customer who is attacked. Otherwise, they don't care at all if a customer is verbally bullied and harassed, as long as the customer is not a woman, a big spender, someone with friends who are regular customers,, etc. I fit the profile of the disposable customer: only show up one or two nights a week, don't spend more than about ten bucks, usually by myself, not friends with any regulars. The don't want women bullied or harassed, esp. by men, because that really hurts a bar's rep if it becomes common knowledge that women are not safe there, because then the men quit coming, since many men at bars are just there to chase sex. Something I learned from a bar owner when I was a young man. Bars sell booze and the prospect of sex, at least the successful ones seem to.

Anybody else noticing any weird stuff happening on the ordinary ground level that might be related ...

rainmanjr comments on Jun 27, 2022:

I had more or less taken for granted that they will become more hostile and feel justified. As I say, I've started carrying my gun, this week. America doesn't get better. We just go downhill at different speeds and this roll is accelerating.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 27, 2022:

What kind of places are you allowed to carry your gun in LV?

Anybody else noticing any weird stuff happening on the ordinary ground level that might be related ...

rainmanjr comments on Jun 27, 2022:

I had more or less taken for granted that they will become more hostile and feel justified. As I say, I've started carrying my gun, this week. America doesn't get better. We just go downhill at different speeds and this roll is accelerating.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 27, 2022:

@rainmanjr I hear you. I hope that these two guys leave me alone and that it ends with them, at least. But at the same time, I think you're right, their type will still be around and they will continue to feel more emboldened, thus, it will probably be an ongoing problem, with new bullies popping up from time to time to bully me, as long as they think most people agree with them and that they will not suffer any consequences for bullying people like me. You might say that even as a privileged white male, I am getting a regular taste of what queer people have been dealing with for decades, even tho I was already aware of it, just hadn't been experiencing it. Of course for them, it has usually been worse and more violent.

The Supreme Court rewarded religious coercion by a Christian football coach

xenoview comments on Jun 27, 2022:

US Supreme Court: Should this coach have been punished for praying? https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-61224856

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 27, 2022:

@Redheadedgammy He loves playing the martyr...

The Supreme Court rewarded religious coercion by a Christian football coach

Anabucerias comments on Jun 27, 2022:

A travesty to have to watch such a spectacle. Watch the ones that actbs9 damned pious. You are right TomMcGiverin

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 27, 2022:

The biggest phonies are always the biggest showboaters in staying in the spotlight...

Anybody else noticing any weird stuff happening on the ordinary ground level that might be related ...

rainmanjr comments on Jun 27, 2022:

I had more or less taken for granted that they will become more hostile and feel justified. As I say, I've started carrying my gun, this week. America doesn't get better. We just go downhill at different speeds and this roll is accelerating.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 27, 2022:

I'm not afraid yet of them coming after me outside a bar after I leave, where they might have a gun in their car or truck, and they will never be able to carry inside a bar. But if I start getting stalked by any of them looking for me away from karaoke bars, yes, I may get a gun, learn to shoot and start carrying it in my car. That is only if one of them stalks me and seems to have a gun of their own. I may also consider changing my stance on having a smartphone so I could record someone stalking me and get a dashboard camera for my car if I think someone might come after my car to vandalize it at a karaoke bar, so I would have evidence if they trashed it. So far none of them know what my car looks like.

The Supreme Court rewarded religious coercion by a Christian football coach

Castlepaloma comments on Jun 27, 2022:

Many Christians love their football. Lots of alcohol and watching players get their heads smashed in. A bloody head smashing celebration for the lower IQ.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 27, 2022:

That is why I have lost interest in football, both college and pro, decades ago, since the game seemed so grossly violent. Then the news came out about concussions and dementia, along with other brain damage, and I had even less interest in watching the modern version of gladiator fights... I think that latter discovery has also turned off a lot of people from the game, same as with boxing...

Anybody else noticing any weird stuff happening on the ordinary ground level that might be related ...

silverotter11 comments on Jun 27, 2022:

Growing up in a really white suburb in NJ I was aware of hypocrisy, racism, wealthy folks have the control/power and the mafia. America's very fucked up, all attempts to un-fucked things have met with resistance from the hypocrites, ignorant redneck types, the wealthy, big corporate and the ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 27, 2022:

@silverotter11 Thanks for the props, sad but true. I wish I were wrong about what is happening these days.. The fascist, bully type whites do seem to be emboldened, as do the racist haters. It won't be long before racist white cops go back to beating and executing black people and other hate crimes will continue to get more frequent as well. And yes, I do remember the way the racists and rednecks lost their shit when Obama was elected and the whole time he was in power..

The RCC Supreme court shocked the entire western word, Vote in November to expand the court to 13 ...

Redheadedgammy comments on Jun 26, 2022:

I went and had lunch with 2 friends that lived in my old neighborhood today. One of these ladies was a registered repub along with her husband. She has a transgender son who she loves with all her heart. She and her husband have left their hateful, bigoted church and are now Independents. Diane is ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 27, 2022:

@Redheadedgammy The men's loss...

Anybody else noticing any weird stuff happening on the ordinary ground level that might be related ...

Garban comments on Jun 27, 2022:

Are there security cameras in the bar? If so: Option 1: You get a few stitches and he gets a few weeks in jail and a restraining order. Option 2: You give up karaoke.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 27, 2022:

@Garban I figured that was your intent and I agree with you. I have no intention of hitting back, just covering up and ducking, while waiting for the cops. I don't own a smartphone, but my friends I go to karaoke with do, and they would be at the ready to call the cops for me and record the bully as soon as they start hassling me. As for challenging their manhood, I am not interested in poking that bear. I am not going to call them names or challenge their brawn. I will simply tell them in advance that I will press charges, sue them, and get a restraining order, not that they may care. I may also point out, if a friend is there, that they will be calling the cops and recording them. If they are already recording them, I will make sure the guy knows that too. The second guy appeared from his clothing and grooming to have some money, so suing him would matter. The first guy was probably closer to white trash, so suing him would probably be fairly useless, but karaoke is probably most of his social life..

Half in new poll say Trump tried to stay in office through illegal means | The Hill

Leetx comments on Jun 27, 2022:

I am speechless. Anyone who watched any of the hearings knows that trump tried to stay illegally. I don't know what, but, something is wrong with these people.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 27, 2022:

Sometimes, I don't know if it's more delusion or intellectual dishonesty, probably some of both..

Half in new poll say Trump tried to stay in office through illegal means | The Hill

Barnie2years comments on Jun 27, 2022:

The idea that Republicans, and even more so Trumplicans, can be reasoned with is absolutely ludicrous. It is the equivalent of trying to explain how over the top religion is to a fundamentalist.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 27, 2022:

Or like trying to talk to an inanimate object and expecting an answer.... It's a pity that these people were not at Jonestown and drinking the Kool-Aid there as well. It would greatly improve our politics, the same as the South and Midwest seceding from America..

Having lived in Malaysia I can see this being something that could catch on as a trend.

Garban comments on Jun 27, 2022:

I think litigation would be imminent. 🤣

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 27, 2022:

Probably. I remember how decades ago bars used to have ladies nights, with drink discounts for women, but they got sued for sex discrimination and had to drop it.

Anybody else noticing any weird stuff happening on the ordinary ground level that might be related ...

Garban comments on Jun 27, 2022:

Are there security cameras in the bar? If so: Option 1: You get a few stitches and he gets a few weeks in jail and a restraining order. Option 2: You give up karaoke.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 27, 2022:

There were at the bar on Sat. night. To address your points, in order: One, I also hire a lawyer and sue him for attacking me, and I not only get some jail time for him, as well as a fine and a restraining order, I get some of his money. I know a few lawyers and could easily get some referrals. Two, I am not going to let them win by making me give up karaoke, even if I have to protect myself by always having a companion when I go there to be my witness and stick up for me., You either obviously don't understand that letting the bullies win never changes anything or them for that matter, and also that some principles are (figureatively) worth fighting for. I let a bully run me out of a bar when I was 30 years younger, I let another one run me out about fifteen years ago, so I am tired of being pushed around and I have felt ashamed and regretted it ever since, so I am not going to let them run my out of my hobby. Call me a fool, but I value my pride and self respect more than letting them run me out of karaoke. Three: The bully also gets barred from the bar where he attacked me and, if he is a karaoke singer, as the first one was, that is one less place that he can sing at, so there is also that penalty, plus, the restraining order would prevent him from going anywhere that I choose to sing at. Pretty quickly, he could become very limited in where he could still go sing karaoke. I think this last one would hit them where they live and they might become fairly socially isolated because of that. If they don't learn from that, then they are beyond learning, except maybe to not get caught... How ironic if this caused THEM to have to give up karaoke...... The second bully wouldn't care, since he hates karaoke, but he might get barred from his favorite bar, which would sting some. Sorry to be so sensitive, as I'm guessing you were just being honest and logical about it, but the suggestion of giving up my favorite hobby just seemed too dismissive to me.

The RCC Supreme court shocked the entire western word, Vote in November to expand the court to 13 ...

Redheadedgammy comments on Jun 26, 2022:

I went and had lunch with 2 friends that lived in my old neighborhood today. One of these ladies was a registered repub along with her husband. She has a transgender son who she loves with all her heart. She and her husband have left their hateful, bigoted church and are now Independents. Diane is ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 27, 2022:

@Redheadedgammy I would say so. They would probably get a lot of quality interest from men if they were available and on a dating site with men their age.

It must be silly season! I put this under dating for real people only because I didn't know what ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 27, 2022:

First off, why is a man that much older contacting someone that much younger than himself? Secondly, he is either mentally ill, demented, or simply clueless to think that someone wants to be lectured for 25 min. by someone they just connected with on a dating site. He clearly has no social skills or...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 27, 2022:

@Organist1 I think you indulged him more than enough..

Anybody else noticing any weird stuff happening on the ordinary ground level that might be related ...

silverotter11 comments on Jun 27, 2022:

Growing up in a really white suburb in NJ I was aware of hypocrisy, racism, wealthy folks have the control/power and the mafia. America's very fucked up, all attempts to un-fucked things have met with resistance from the hypocrites, ignorant redneck types, the wealthy, big corporate and the ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 27, 2022:

Yup, not all country music fans are assholes or conservatives, but just about every asshole or conservative bully I've ever encountered was a country fan who preferred it to rock. So that's a big part of why I hate the genre, because it is such a hostile culture to me. Hearing it gives me the same discomfort and creepy feelings as someone hearing banjo music after watching the movie Deliverance... It's becoming like the movie Cabaret, and our American brownshirts are becoming really emboldened, so they are feeling more open about picking on guys like me who sing lefty songs at karaoke and appear to obvious to them as their political and cultural enemies. More and more of our public places will be come political battlegrounds in some aspects. At the beginning of Cabaret, the brownshirts only beat up people outside the club, because they were still not popular, later in the movie, they beat up one of the main characters inside the club, because they are by then mainstream politically...

The Supreme Court rewarded religious coercion by a Christian football coach

rainmanjr comments on Jun 27, 2022:

Posted, by me, on FB: Some of us (like me) have been warning about a Theocratic coup taking place and been rebuked for being hysterical. I think it is now very clear that The Federalist Society, a Christian org set up by and for the purpose of eliminating all secular decisions from SCOTUS, has ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 27, 2022:

@rainmanjr I get your point, if you resist violently, you are playing for all the marbles, and if you lose, you will probably be killed. But the way the election system is being rigged and the way the right is willing to use violence to get what they want, no matter how an election may come out, as well as the SC doing whatever it wants, despite public opinion and precedent, violent opposition may be our only option in the future to resist and oppose them. Non-violence is only a tactic, and sometimes it is a luxury we don't have. I don't think it worked out too well in Nazi Germany for the White Rose Society...

The RCC Supreme court shocked the entire western word, Vote in November to expand the court to 13 ...

Redheadedgammy comments on Jun 26, 2022:

I went and had lunch with 2 friends that lived in my old neighborhood today. One of these ladies was a registered repub along with her husband. She has a transgender son who she loves with all her heart. She and her husband have left their hateful, bigoted church and are now Independents. Diane is ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 27, 2022:

@Redheadedgammy You three don't look old to me...

The Supreme Court rewarded religious coercion by a Christian football coach

rainmanjr comments on Jun 27, 2022:

Posted, by me, on FB: Some of us (like me) have been warning about a Theocratic coup taking place and been rebuked for being hysterical. I think it is now very clear that The Federalist Society, a Christian org set up by and for the purpose of eliminating all secular decisions from SCOTUS, has ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 27, 2022:

If it takes violence to resist it, and I'm afraid it will, I am onboard with that...

It must be silly season! I put this under dating for real people only because I didn't know what ...

LucyLoohoo comments on Jun 26, 2022:

CHANGE YOUR PHONE NUMBER! And--did your phone record his number? SAVE THAT. You never know when you might need it for law enforcement.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 27, 2022:

@Organist1 Being 500 miles away, I think you have nothing to worry about as far as him bothering you in person. As far as cyber stalking, who knows, if he has what he needs to track you down online? Few people that age will still drive those kind of distances. I would definitely report him to the dating site.

Anybody else noticing any weird stuff happening on the ordinary ground level that might be related ...

KKGator comments on Jun 27, 2022:

That's fucked up. It's a good thing I don't go out. I'd either end up dead, or in jail.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 27, 2022:

I hear you. It's part of why I would never host a karaoke show, much as I like karaoke, because I have no tolerance for bullshit, don't drink, don't want to deal with drunk assholes, or even any assholes, etc.. So if I hosted karaoke, I wouldn't last even one night and would probably end up in jail for trying to strangle the living shit out of someone who deserved it! I only go to bars for karaoke or to hear live music. So for me it's all for music. And the bands I go hear at bars do not attract rednecks in the audience, so I am always safe there.

Buy two, get one free.

RichCC comments on Jun 27, 2022:

I've seen it attributed to Simon Cameron, 1967. -- **An honest politician is one who when he's bought stays bought**. But I'm not sure today's GOP even qualifies by that standard.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 27, 2022:

I'm guessing he was talking particularly about Chicago pols, as they had a great rep for corruption and being reliable assets.

The Justices that overturned Roe are “Constitutionalists.

KKGator comments on Jun 26, 2022:

Alito cited some bullshit 16th century English dude as some sort of "explanation". Along with a lot of other bullshit. Fuck the 6 justices who ruled to strip basic rights from Americans. They're all liars and scumbags. I hope they die painfully, and soon.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 27, 2022:

@Flyingsaucesir I remember that, which is why I still referred to him as a conservative asshole..

Now that the USA has taken its first step into a right-wing theocracy is there any way to stop it if...

rainmanjr comments on Jun 26, 2022:

You are one of the very few I've seen address this as a question about Theocracy. People do not really believe that's what is happening, or think their specific concern only happens to involve religion, so are still talking about issues from a personal POV. I think they make us less productive ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 26, 2022:

I think you are a clear-minded realist, not a cynic. I wish more people shared that with you rather than being overly romantic or sentimental about our society's members. The faults of most of our fellow Americans are not merely stupidity or ignorance, it's also this extreme individualism and selfishness.

Now that the USA has taken its first step into a right-wing theocracy is there any way to stop it if...

rainmanjr comments on Jun 26, 2022:

You are one of the very few I've seen address this as a question about Theocracy. People do not really believe that's what is happening, or think their specific concern only happens to involve religion, so are still talking about issues from a personal POV. I think they make us less productive ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 26, 2022:

@Mooolah Boomers advanced us during the 60s and 70s, but then most of them sold us out later by becoming supporters of Reagan and then corporate Dems, beginning in the 90s. So they still deserve some blame overall as a generation group.

Now that the USA has taken its first step into a right-wing theocracy is there any way to stop it if...

dalefvictor comments on Jun 26, 2022:

We white people now get to experience the full power of the elite against our race. As a people we are now now longer of privilege and we will get to experience what black, Latinos, and other foreign people have for hundreds of years. The only way I see to solve the problem is a civil war, we see ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 26, 2022:

Totally agree. Being white itself, or even being a white male, will no longer be a protection against being persecuted, if you are not also straight, Christian, and on board with the right wing theocratic program. You will be treated by them as an enemy of the state, the same as foreign terrorists, and they will show you no mercy.

The Justices that overturned Roe are “Constitutionalists.

KKGator comments on Jun 26, 2022:

Alito cited some bullshit 16th century English dude as some sort of "explanation". Along with a lot of other bullshit. Fuck the 6 justices who ruled to strip basic rights from Americans. They're all liars and scumbags. I hope they die painfully, and soon.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 26, 2022:

@KKGator Can't agree with you on extremes, but I do on the rest of it.

The Justices that overturned Roe are “Constitutionalists.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 26, 2022:

Maybe those assholes have no right to breathe. Color me not sympathetic if any of them are assassinated, not that it will ever happen. They have too much security provided them by now, and anyway, the left gave up violence decades ago, unlike our own modern domestic terrorists on the right.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 26, 2022:

@Buck That's true, I am often an asshole and I am offended to be lumped in with these pricks and bitches..

They know who you are, no matter where you are.

Garban comments on Jun 26, 2022:

How did he get on the bed?😱

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 26, 2022:

@glennlab They are heat-seeking felines...

The Justices that overturned Roe are “Constitutionalists.

KKGator comments on Jun 26, 2022:

Alito cited some bullshit 16th century English dude as some sort of "explanation". Along with a lot of other bullshit. Fuck the 6 justices who ruled to strip basic rights from Americans. They're all liars and scumbags. I hope they die painfully, and soon.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 26, 2022:

@KKGator I hear ya. That's why I'm a socialist, not a Dem, because I believe in fighting these assholes by all means necessary, as Malcom X would say, rather than this centrist Dem Party bullshit of bipartisanship and civility...

Will this latest Supreme Court decision cause birth control stocks to increase substantially?

BufftonBeotch comments on Jun 25, 2022:

The right wing fascists are not going to allow people to have birth control either. Pubic hair Thomas said so.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 26, 2022:

If only his viagra could be taken away as punishment...

Is this what the Supreme Court intended?

BufftonBeotch comments on Jun 26, 2022:

Slaves. At least Jefferson had the decency to free his own children fathered with slaves. Some women forced their husbands to sell their own children away because they couldn't stand looking into the obvious face of their husband's infidelity.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 26, 2022:

That is probably more accurate. Breeding slaves like the young black women enslaved on the plantation, to provide more slave stock for the master, and then when they weren't pregnant, to work in the fields or in the big house. The Handmaid's Tale is now becoming reality..

The Justices that overturned Roe are “Constitutionalists.

racocn8 comments on Jun 26, 2022:

This is NOT about abortion. It was never about Pro-Life, which is obvious. This was ALWAYS about having a dog-whistle to mobilize fascist Christian voters. And NOW, that has morphed into a culture-war sledge-hammer. The fascist Christian judges have openly admitted they intend to undo every ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 26, 2022:

That is why, even tho I have always been antiwar, if it comes down to fighting these pricks in the street, I am willing to buy a gun, learn to shoot and give my life if necessary, to kill a few of them to take with me if I end up dying for it. This is the first war that actually would be worth fighting in during my lifetime. I will not die passively or let them take me to a camp.

The Justices that overturned Roe are “Constitutionalists.

FvckY0u comments on Jun 26, 2022:

Absolutely 100% agree. Nor does the constitution explicitly lay out the right to have high powered semi auto rifles. It's an application of law that they only apply to certain things and not others. Very intellectually dishonest.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 26, 2022:

Intellectually dishonest. You know that is the definition of every conservative I've ever encountered. I hope you are not naive enough to still think that intellectual honesty means anything to conservatives...

The Justices that overturned Roe are “Constitutionalists.

KKGator comments on Jun 26, 2022:

Alito cited some bullshit 16th century English dude as some sort of "explanation". Along with a lot of other bullshit. Fuck the 6 justices who ruled to strip basic rights from Americans. They're all liars and scumbags. I hope they die painfully, and soon.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 26, 2022:

To be fair, John Roberts did vote in favor of upholding Roe, even tho he is still a conservative asshole. He probably did so in order to make the SC look less partisan and extreme, but he already knew, I'm sure, that voting with the liberals would not affect the outcome.

If this is what they mean by "conservative," I'd hate to see their "radical."

FvckY0u comments on Jun 25, 2022:

it's all going to come back to the conservatives. The right to carry a high powered semi auto rifle is not explicitly defined in the constitution. The argument used to take away the right of an abortion can also be used to take away other rights such as gun rights. Once the supreme court sees fit...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 26, 2022:

@FvckY0u I agree with those statements, and would add, that sometimes, the same with a mule, you first have to hit it on the head with a two by four to get its attention! Then you can try leading it to water... That would probably be the kind of reality hit you are talking about....