President Biden urges Congress to pass bipartisan gun framework: '

Druvius comments on Jun 12, 2022:

Political theater and military pork is all Washington is good for these days.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 13, 2022:

Of course, and why should the pols of both major parties do anything differently from that when almost all the rubes keep voting for the duopoly instead of voting their hopes and supporting a third party instead of the duopoly?

President Biden urges Congress to pass bipartisan gun framework: '

Barnie2years comments on Jun 12, 2022:

Like Obama and the ACA, with an evenly split (and remember,if Manchin and Sinema changed their Party designation, McConnell would be the Majority Leader instead of the Minority and even less would get done. Besides Biden having to veto a lot of Republican bills coming out of the Senate), you take ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 13, 2022:

@SeaGreenEyez You said it precisely, and that is why I am resigned to a country that will only get worse from now until my death. I am increasingly hoping that I die before it becomes unbearable...

I blocked Druvius because I get frustrated seeing a troll post propaganda for Putin.

Moravian comments on Jun 12, 2022:

Very interesting. There are a least another two Putin apologists who post on here . I try to ignore them.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 13, 2022:

One of them would undoubtedly be Archeus Lore.....

I tell ya.

Archeus_Lore comments on Jun 12, 2022:

I'd bet you'd have better luck with this: https://www.meetup.com/topics/agnostic/

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 12, 2022:

@Archeus_Lore Say what you want to about me, AC, I reject your advice. It's as ridiculous as all your Russia-loving stuff in the Progressives group you seem to have taken over. I have no problem socially interacting, I just want it to serve a purpose and be worthwhile to me, not a waste of time that leads nowhere as far as adding anything to my life that I need and desire. I didn't ask for your fucking advice, you arrogant asshole, and my point still stands, that you appear to not be involved in the actual dating game and tho you think that makes you more logical than me, it also makes you more ignorant than me of what is actually going on these days in the game. Reply to me again on this thread and I will gladly block you.

I tell ya.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 12, 2022:

Unfortunately, there really isn't a better way, at least not at our age. You and I are both retired and not actively involved in any churches, so that eliminates two of the most common ways, work and church, that people would meet in the past. Other common ways are school and friends, both of ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 12, 2022:

@TheoryNumber3 So true on both counts. Esp. the one about good catches not staying on the market long. That flies directly the face of that line about not looking anymore and suddenly finding the right person. So wrong. That is not how it works. When you are an outlier like me or you, that doesn't fit into the mainstream or majority in your dating pool-in my case based on culture and lifestyle differences-that rare person that fits you and comes on the market- is not someone you can afford to miss by dropping out of the search. As they or others like them, may only come into the dating pool a dozen times or more a year. And you could miss out on even getting to take a shot at connecting with them if you drop out at the wrong time. However, what's really discouraging for me, is that even if I do end up connecting with them on Match thru messaging soon after they come onto the market and join Match, I still have to compete with a lot of other men and hope that I not only connect with that rare woman who seems to be compatible with an outlier with me, I also have to win the competition over the other dozen or two dozen men that she will choose to reply to and be lucky enough for her to choose me for an in person meeting during her first round of meeting men from Match in person. My experience shows that often I end up connecting with a woman like that, trading some messages, then she meets one or a few men from her first round of top picks, while I get benched as a backup in case none of them work out, then she either locks down into one of them and I never get to meet her in person, or she gets frazzled with the disappointment over the one or two guys she actually met and great hopes for, leading to her dropping out of Match and never even giving me the chance to meet her. This exact process has happened to me several times in three years.

I tell ya.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 12, 2022:

Unfortunately, there really isn't a better way, at least not at our age. You and I are both retired and not actively involved in any churches, so that eliminates two of the most common ways, work and church, that people would meet in the past. Other common ways are school and friends, both of ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 12, 2022:

@TheoryNumber3 It's Tom, but you've got it. The demographic I encounter at group events is the same bad ones for me, married couples and other single men. Plus a few women who are either clearly not my type in profile traits or else are just not physically attractive at all to me. Finally, I also encounter women once in a while at group events that do seem compatible and attractive to me, but are single AND either not interested in dating anyone at all, or at least not me. The line about finding when you stop looking is bullshit. It is magical thinking, for one thing, and also just glib happy talk. You can't ever stop looking, esp. if you are like me and you, people that are out of the cultural and lifestyle mainstream, because our numbers of compatible people are so limited to begin with, so we have to always be looking in order to not miss out on the rare outlier like us that comes into the dating market and make a connection with them. There is a saying that no one is terminally unique, but when you have tried unsuccessfully as long as we two have in the dating game and not found someone that really felt right and attractive to you, it may be more than just a cliche. I know it is for me, since I live in a dating pool where probably only a few % of the women in my age group and local area would be mutually compatible with me, after meeting the five dealbreakers that seem to be there in profile traits, three dealbreakers on their side and two on mine. I have also verified, thru some browsing, that on Match in my local dating pool for my age group, there are at least two to three men with profiles that come up in a search as there are for each woman in that pool. So on top of all the other stuff, I have too much competition as well.

I tell ya.

Archeus_Lore comments on Jun 12, 2022:

I'd bet you'd have better luck with this: https://www.meetup.com/topics/agnostic/

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 12, 2022:

@TheoryNumber3 They've been suggested to me before too, ad nauseum, including the guy above me in this thread, Archeus Lore, who admittedly says he doesn't care about being in a relationship, which is why I take his advice as worthless. He clearly is not out there making the effort or doing the research, shall we say, like I have the last several years. I am not an introvert, but I abhor lowering myself to schmoozing a group of people just to network and hope that they know some single women that might be compatible for me, and have the interest and presence of mind later to refer them to me or me to them. Sorry, I don't have that kind of faith in casual acquaintences and leaving my fate all in their hands. I'm glad you have your cat, but I prefer a partner and don't want the mess of a cat to deal with.

I always heed a woman's subtle signals.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 12, 2022:

If you're not getting the message until their hands are around your throat, it's too late by then...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 12, 2022:

@Petter I don't think I am on the autism spectrum, but when it comes to reading women's signals regarding being physically attracted to me, I am probably about as clueless as you. They would have to either say something very direct or make a very clear physical move regarding me before I would ever pick up on them being attracted and interested in becoming physical with me. And that is not likely to happen very easily in my very traditional, conservative area I live in.

I tell ya.

Archeus_Lore comments on Jun 12, 2022:

I'd bet you'd have better luck with this: https://www.meetup.com/topics/agnostic/

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 12, 2022:

@Archeus_Lore What you are suggesting is simple networking, the same as people have been doing for a few decades in order to find a decent job in a very competitive, impersonal job market. That process is very hit and miss, requires a lot of time, patience and luck in order for it to ever, if ever, pay off. For myself, I don't have that kind of patience or want to put that kind of effort into gladhanding and kissing ass to groups of people in the blind hope that they will be altruistic and generous enough to keep me in mind and help me network my way into a match. Sorry pal, my experience is that most people my age are too self-absorbed to play matchmaker for me. assuming they even have any single friends that would be compatible for me. As for friends, I already have enough, so no thanks to your suggestion. I prefer the dating site because I am a very good writer and at least there I have more of the process within my own hands and under more of my control. I only have to depend on the women I am pursuing, not the friend of their friend, etc., paying attention to my information of what I am looking for.

I tell ya.

Archeus_Lore comments on Jun 12, 2022:

I'd bet you'd have better luck with this: https://www.meetup.com/topics/agnostic/

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 12, 2022:

I beg to differ. While I can only speak to the Meetup groups for non-believers in my area, and there is only one of them, my married friend who is culturally Jewish but Atheist, has been to many of those meetings. And he has found that overwhelmingly, the meetings are mostly men, who are middle-aged or senior citizens. And while that may be good for a woman who is seeking a non-religious partner, it won't help me. He also said the few women who attend are usually coupled and there with a partner. So, maybe it would or wouldn't be worth a woman's time to attend those meetings in their area, in my case it wouldn't be helpful as far as finding someone to date.

I was communicating with a guy from a dating site.

Tiredofdrama comments on Jun 1, 2022:

Yeah Red Flag. I answered questions honestly. 2 ladies I met on line gave me questionnaires to see how I answered stuff. They were not that hungry to see what I did before. Everyone I dated had employee pensions , some made more on pension than I ever made in sales. Some had large amounts in the ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 12, 2022:

Some women in online dating only want men with a lot of money, for whatever reasons. Sometimes it's because they want someone with more money than them to be their Sugar Daddy. Other times they simply want a man with the same amount as them so they feel secure he isn't after their money. And other times they want a man with a lot of money simply so they can brag that they got a "good catch". The latter one is the same as women who only want to date a man with a high status career, as I discussed in my comment below. I call them the status-seeking women. I think they are kind of messed up. Like you, I could write a book about what I have encountered in women on dating sites. It's not surprising to me that all the women who were used to only being with high status men and were looking for more men of the same, came from messed up marriages that ended in divorce. What was it Einstein said about doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result? Continuing to choose the same kind of partner, and getting a bad result, actually says more about you, than about the people you choose, and not in a good way... I have never been given a written questionaire from a woman on a dating site, but if those women find it necessary to vet men that thoroughly themselves, maybe they would belong more and better spend their money on E-Harmony than the other dating sites, since that site has by far the most though system of vetting people. Unlike you and some of the women you met on dating sites, my life has not been interesting enough to turn up in a Google search, so I only turn up on a FB search. I must not run in the same kind of circles as you and them.

George Carlin | The Smothers Brothers Show (1975) - YouTube

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 11, 2022:

This clip is funny, but it's not his best work. I prefer his later stuff, when he really tears into religion and politicians.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 11, 2022:

@Flyingsaucesir Yeah, he came up with that one..

George Carlin | The Smothers Brothers Show (1975) - YouTube

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 11, 2022:

This clip is funny, but it's not his best work. I prefer his later stuff, when he really tears into religion and politicians.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 11, 2022:

This was network TV in the mid-70s, so he was restricted in what he could talk about. His later work was on cable networks, so he had free rein on both language and topics he could cover. Without Carlin and Lenny Bruce, we never would have had Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, or Bill Maher today....

Trying to rationalize their censure of Lyn Cheney for her participation on the Select Committee, the...

David1955 comments on Jun 10, 2022:

Sorry to say, but I don't think of this will make any difference. Come November they'll vote like droves for the Trumplican Party, then again in 2024, then it's all over folks. 4 years of Trump corruption and incompetence, and about 75 million voted for him in 2020 -- more than 2016. (So, who's ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 11, 2022:

I agree with you and hope we are both wrong, but we keep being right about this stuff.

Can't y'all, Americans, mind your own business and leave each other alone instead of getting in each...

racocn8 comments on Jun 9, 2022:

Proselytizing is all about "Believe or die". Christian fascism is spreading as insecure morons buy guns to prevent themselves from going extinct.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 10, 2022:

@twill They are too arrogant and deluded to see their hypocrisy..

I totally support what the Jan 6 Committee claims to be trying to do.

Garban comments on Jun 9, 2022:

New source for me so I checked them out. https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/the-19th-news/

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 10, 2022:

@racocn8 The corporate media coverage and later investigation of 911 were, in my opinion, just as bad, so why is anyone surprised that this is turning out any differently?

Kids, you'll be voting age soon.

Druvius comments on Jun 9, 2022:

The Dems have controlled Congress and the White House a number of times and didn't pass gun control legislation, just two parties playing "good cop, bad cop" while they both sell us out to the Pentagon and corporate America.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 10, 2022:

@Flyingsaucesir He never even tried to fight for it. He cut a backroom deal with the drug companies and insurance companies before the public debate even started. He sold out all the people who voted for him expecting him to at least fight for Medicare For All. You are the one who is wrong, as you are naive and deluded about how much better the Dems are than the Repubs. I will not lighten up, as you say and maybe you should start listening with a little more open-mindedness to your elders, me and Druvius, who have been observing this dance by the Dems for decades, probably before you were even born... The Dems could have a 60 vote majority in the Senate, still refuse to pass Medicare For All, because they claimed they needed bipartisan support so they blame the big meany Repubs, and you would still fall for it and blame the Repubs with them..... Wake the fuck up, man!

Kids, you'll be voting age soon.

Druvius comments on Jun 9, 2022:

The Dems have controlled Congress and the White House a number of times and didn't pass gun control legislation, just two parties playing "good cop, bad cop" while they both sell us out to the Pentagon and corporate America.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 9, 2022:

@Flyingsaucesir It was not, it was a gift to the private insurance industry and the drug companies, and was also based on a Heritage Foundation, a right wing think tank plan. I call bullshit on that argument about the ACA. You say realistic, I say corrupt and not only selling out his voters, but lying to them about what he was going to do after being elected. Barry was a liar and a sellout and I'm sick of Dems making excuses for him.

Can't y'all, Americans, mind your own business and leave each other alone instead of getting in each...

racocn8 comments on Jun 9, 2022:

Proselytizing is all about "Believe or die". Christian fascism is spreading as insecure morons buy guns to prevent themselves from going extinct.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 9, 2022:

@darren316 I live in a rural state, and agree, I am sick of the nosiness of most people in my state to not mind their own business.

Can't y'all, Americans, mind your own business and leave each other alone instead of getting in each...

Apunzelle comments on Jun 9, 2022:

Some sad sobering stats in this article. • 75% of African Americans worry they or a loved one will be physically attacked because they are Black. • 70% of African Americans think at least half of white Americans hold white-supremacist beliefs. • 75% of African Americans say white ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 9, 2022:

I can't argue with any of that, and if I were a black person, I would consider arming myself with a gun, except the problem with that, is that doing so would make you a target of the police, esp. racist white cops. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

Kids, you'll be voting age soon.

Druvius comments on Jun 9, 2022:

The Dems have controlled Congress and the White House a number of times and didn't pass gun control legislation, just two parties playing "good cop, bad cop" while they both sell us out to the Pentagon and corporate America.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 9, 2022:

@Flyingsaucesir You are being naive. Obama had a super majority when he took office, and yet he still didn't do much with it, and lost it soon after he took office. There are way more corporate Dems and DINOs than just Manchin and Sinema, they just don't have to come out front and show it, because those two take the heat and play the role of spoiler on stopping progressive bills.

Kids, you'll be voting age soon.

Druvius comments on Jun 9, 2022:

The Dems have controlled Congress and the White House a number of times and didn't pass gun control legislation, just two parties playing "good cop, bad cop" while they both sell us out to the Pentagon and corporate America.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 9, 2022:

@Druvius And neither is ending permanent war, reducing economic inequality, or codifying abortion rights. Or regulating Wall Street or enforcing anti trust laws.

Kids, you'll be voting age soon.

Druvius comments on Jun 9, 2022:

The Dems have controlled Congress and the White House a number of times and didn't pass gun control legislation, just two parties playing "good cop, bad cop" while they both sell us out to the Pentagon and corporate America.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 9, 2022:

They are two wings of the same party, owned by and serving the same people. Don't be fooled by all the culture war stuff and the Kabuki theater.

Armed Man Arrested Near Brett Kavanaugh's House | Time

Buddha comments on Jun 8, 2022:

And Kyle Rittenhouse murders 2 people in cold blood and cries and gets off

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 9, 2022:

I figured out long ago the cops and criminal justice system have one set of rules for people on the left and another, more lenient set, for people on the right...

Christian hate-preacher calls for the execution of 'every single homosexual'

OldGoat43 comments on Jun 8, 2022:

I thought it would be useful to see the ugly face of Dillon Awes.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 8, 2022:

Yeah, he got beat with the ugly stick..

Well worth the 20 minutes.

linxminx comments on Jun 7, 2022:

I applaud him. However, he needs to say all of this again to Congress. With a few choice words delivered Texan-style about how these legislators need to get up off their asses and do something about gun violence!!

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 8, 2022:

@linxminx I know I won't be holding my breath on it.....

I was not surprised by this.

Organist1 comments on Jun 7, 2022:

COVID, also lifestyle: poor nutrition and medical care, inadequate education, obesity, smoking, lack of exercise, guns, etc.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 8, 2022:

@Surchin Physically demanding jobs, like field work or continuous heavy lifting, may be good exercise, but over a lifetime of working probably also lead to earlier deaths, as the worker's body is literally worn out early like an overworked machine.

Well worth the 20 minutes.

Sierra4 comments on Jun 7, 2022:

"There is nothing we can do about mass shootings", says the only country where it regularly happens. *the Onion. I have no faith that **anything** will be done and I am usually an optimistic person.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 7, 2022:

As Lily Tomlin used to say, " You can never be too cynical. I try, but it seems like I can never keep up"....

Well worth the 20 minutes.

BufftonBeotch comments on Jun 7, 2022:

They could only ID her body because she had drawn a heart on the toe of her Converse sneakers..

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 7, 2022:

@SeaGreenEyez Which makes the argument for why no one needs them for hunting, since they would leave a torn up animal corpse that would be useless for meat or the hide, or any sort of trophy.

Well worth the 20 minutes.

Sierra4 comments on Jun 7, 2022:

"There is nothing we can do about mass shootings", says the only country where it regularly happens. *the Onion. I have no faith that **anything** will be done and I am usually an optimistic person.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 7, 2022:

You are so right, sir. You can bet the house on it that nothing real and effective will be done about it. Too many people in congress, including some Dems, are too corrupt and soulless to value human life as they should and restrict guns the ways that are necessary.

Did anyone else get a complaint warning message?

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 7, 2022:

I got one a while back when I flamed some guys that I had blocked earlier. But since it was in General Forum, the blocks were off, so I ended up engaging with them. I got a three day suspension from posting or commenting on Agnostic. Frankly, Barnie, I'm surprised about your warning, since you seem ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 7, 2022:

@Barnie2years On the one hand, I think you were totally justified to tell her that if her dog did not stay under control and attacked your dog again, you were going to take care of her dog. I don't know if that threat against her dog would be criminally liable on your part or not, but I don't blame you for telling her that. On the other hand, I'm not surprised that FB would be iron-fisted about anyone making a threat of violence against another person or their pet, no matter how justified, and would consider that kind of thing over the line and a form of misconduct.

Let's be very clear about one thing: if you want to find American supporters of PUTIN's illegal ...

Druvius comments on Jun 6, 2022:

Russiagate is brilliant propaganda. The Dems can support continuing a horrible war Washington's expansionist policies in Europe made inevitable, while virtue signaling to the Moon. Like Vietnam and many other US proxy wars, it likely won't end well, but Lockheed etc will be rolling in the bucks so ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 7, 2022:

@Flyingsaucesir You got it, Ace, buckle up...

Did anyone else get a complaint warning message?

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 7, 2022:

No, but I found some text in one of my posts got altered mysteriously. I do not think God did it. 😂

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 7, 2022:

You never know, maybe we're all wrong and there is a God, one that did it? NOT!

Let's be very clear about one thing: if you want to find American supporters of PUTIN's illegal ...

xenoview comments on Jun 7, 2022:

We should deport all russian loving maga to russia.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 7, 2022:

I have to disagree. I don't want the MAGAs getting their way and having everyone like me that opposes them to be deported, imprisoned, or stripped of our rights and citizenship. I want to instead have a free and open society, where dissent is allowed and supported, as long as it doesn't involve insurrection or violence against one's opponents. But I also realize you were probably joking...

Let's be very clear about one thing: if you want to find American supporters of PUTIN's illegal ...

Druvius comments on Jun 6, 2022:

Russiagate is brilliant propaganda. The Dems can support continuing a horrible war Washington's expansionist policies in Europe made inevitable, while virtue signaling to the Moon. Like Vietnam and many other US proxy wars, it likely won't end well, but Lockheed etc will be rolling in the bucks so ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 7, 2022:

@Flyingsaucesir I don't think you need to worry about that ever happening...

Let's be very clear about one thing: if you want to find American supporters of PUTIN's illegal ...

Druvius comments on Jun 6, 2022:

Russiagate is brilliant propaganda. The Dems can support continuing a horrible war Washington's expansionist policies in Europe made inevitable, while virtue signaling to the Moon. Like Vietnam and many other US proxy wars, it likely won't end well, but Lockheed etc will be rolling in the bucks so ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 7, 2022:

@Flyingsaucesir You give Biden too much credit. On climate change, like other corporate Dems, he's more interested in talking about it rather than actually doing anything on it, like reducing emissions thru electric cars, etc..

Let's be very clear about one thing: if you want to find American supporters of PUTIN's illegal ...

Druvius comments on Jun 6, 2022:

Russiagate is brilliant propaganda. The Dems can support continuing a horrible war Washington's expansionist policies in Europe made inevitable, while virtue signaling to the Moon. Like Vietnam and many other US proxy wars, it likely won't end well, but Lockheed etc will be rolling in the bucks so ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 7, 2022:

@Flyingsaucesir Well then, you seem to be admitting that the Ukraine war is serving as a distraction, in the same way, for both Biden and Putin, to get their subjects to look the other way instead of focusing inward on how the masses in each country are being fucked by the ruling class to a miserable life of economic oppression and inequality.

Let's face it: the Republicans in Congress will continue to block any meaningful gun control ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 6, 2022:

I agree and would love to see it, but President Manchin won't support it, so, good luck with that...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 6, 2022:

@Flyingsaucesir I really doubt it. We are way more broken and divided than during the Great Depression, and back then we didn't have all the automatic weapons flooding our population. Back then people lacked hope, but they didn't have all this hatred and distrust for anyone outside their tribe. And we also didn't have a government like now, that is owned by a corrupt oligarchy that no longer needs the vast majority of us, as workers or consumers. Back then, the rich and corporations needed the masses for them to survive, operate their businesses, and consume their products and services. Nowadays, the world is their market, rather than just the US, and with outsourcing and automation, they don't need us like back then. So they can sit back, let the fur fly, and pick up the pieces for their global markets after things play out. They don't need us to pick their cotton anymore, so to speak, so we really don't matter, not most of us. Thinning us out saves them money on social programs for the poor, education, health care, etc.

Let's be very clear about one thing: if you want to find American supporters of PUTIN's illegal ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 6, 2022:

The MAGA crowd, regardless of what happens in Ukraine or with Russia, do want to take control of the US government in DC and commit genocide, or at least condemn, everyone who is not a White Christian nationalist, to limited citizenship, internment, or exile. They will target anyone who is not part ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 6, 2022:

@Flyingsaucesir I hope so too, but, like Chris Hedges, who is also pretty bleak, I just keep being right about this stuff, year after year...

Let's face it: the Republicans in Congress will continue to block any meaningful gun control ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 6, 2022:

I agree and would love to see it, but President Manchin won't support it, so, good luck with that...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 6, 2022:

@Flyingsaucesir Me too, but they never really got their shit together, the corporate media ignored or discredited them, and convinced everyone on the left to not vote for them, not to waste their vote, etc. And the Dem Party did a great job blaming them, not the SC, for Bush's victory in 2000, a lie that continues to this day, where progressives, not just Greens, get blamed for every loss the Dems have in federal elections, rather than accepting the fact that the Dems have no real message except, "Vote for us, we're not the Repubs", rather than try to win over working class voters with progressive policies...

Let's face it: the Republicans in Congress will continue to block any meaningful gun control ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 6, 2022:

I agree and would love to see it, but President Manchin won't support it, so, good luck with that...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 6, 2022:

@Flyingsaucesir Agreed. We will have violent civil war soon and after that, likely not before either of us is dead, will we have any non-violent political reform thru electoral politics. I think it's too late for our country to get out of this thru electoral politics. Everything, including our society, is too broken, and the ruling class has no interest in fixing it. They just want to let it happen, wait it out, and then carry on after the dust settles and the bodies of collateral damage like us are buried. I think the next couple elections are going to be it, at least until the normal is restored much later, if ever.

Let's be very clear about one thing: if you want to find American supporters of PUTIN's illegal ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 6, 2022:

The MAGA crowd, regardless of what happens in Ukraine or with Russia, do want to take control of the US government in DC and commit genocide, or at least condemn, everyone who is not a White Christian nationalist, to limited citizenship, internment, or exile. They will target anyone who is not part ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 6, 2022:

@Flyingsaucesir Well, frankly, I don't know if that's possible, since, first of all, they don't plan to accept any election results that don't have them winning. Secondly, the Repubs plan to suppress voting enough for anyone likely to vote Dem in a red state next time in Nov. and in two years, so they may very well win enough federal elections to control DC anyway. Finally, I think they will bring on a violent civil war anyway, since they feel they need to purge the country of those unlike them who are contaminants.

Let's face it: the Republicans in Congress will continue to block any meaningful gun control ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 6, 2022:

I agree and would love to see it, but President Manchin won't support it, so, good luck with that...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 6, 2022:

@Flyingsaucesir I've heard that one many times before, and the problem is not electing more Democrats or better Democrats, because as long as almost all of the Dems elected in congress are corporate Dems, and accepting corporate campaign cash, there will be ten or more Machins or Sinemas behind every one or two of them who come to the front to play the spoiler of any progressive legislation. Even The Squad is fake or a fraud when it comes down to actually voting on the bills that would offend Dem corporate voters. We need a third party in control of DC, plain and simple...

Let's be very clear about one thing: if you want to find American supporters of PUTIN's illegal ...

Druvius comments on Jun 6, 2022:

Russiagate is brilliant propaganda. The Dems can support continuing a horrible war Washington's expansionist policies in Europe made inevitable, while virtue signaling to the Moon. Like Vietnam and many other US proxy wars, it likely won't end well, but Lockheed etc will be rolling in the bucks so ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 6, 2022:

@Flyingsaucesir I hope you're right.

💜💜💜 A Democrat FINALLY showed up!!! [youtu.be]

Garban comments on Jun 5, 2022:

Stalwell’s rage, conviction, and arguments are compelling and justified. But with the filibuster in place only 41 senators in the pockets of the NRA can hold the nation at literal gun point. The filibuster must go before any progress can be made in my opinion.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 6, 2022:

@glennlab Well, that would be wonderful, but even that will never happen, as both parties love their duopoly stranglehold on our political system and won't give up their campaign bribes. The only way out is if the majority of eligible voters, including the 80 million non-voters, collectively dump the two major parties and vote in a third party congress and president. But that is unlikely to happen because of the blind allegience of most voters to sticking within the duopoly, for fear of "wasting their vote", like it isn't already wasted when you vote for pre-selected candidates from the rich and corporations. And on top of that, the corporate media is still very powerful with most eligible voters in shaping their perceptions of who can win and ignoring or smearing any candidates or political parties that are not part of the duopoly.

💜💜💜 A Democrat FINALLY showed up!!! [youtu.be]

Garban comments on Jun 5, 2022:

Stalwell’s rage, conviction, and arguments are compelling and justified. But with the filibuster in place only 41 senators in the pockets of the NRA can hold the nation at literal gun point. The filibuster must go before any progress can be made in my opinion.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 6, 2022:

@glennlab I have never heard of that before. How could that get around being overturned by the SC? As I understand it, the two SC cases I cited have been established as precedent that campaign contributions are protected under the First Amendment as free speech and therefore not subject to restriction under any kind of campaign finance laws. In other words, all such laws would then be unconstitutional.

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.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 6, 2022:

@Barnie2years I understand and agree with that being a fact, but in my mind, pols who have so little integrity that they will sell out to that degree, are the last people that should be given or trusted with power, so they don't get my vote.

💜💜💜 A Democrat FINALLY showed up!!! [youtu.be]

Garban comments on Jun 5, 2022:

Stalwell’s rage, conviction, and arguments are compelling and justified. But with the filibuster in place only 41 senators in the pockets of the NRA can hold the nation at literal gun point. The filibuster must go before any progress can be made in my opinion.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 6, 2022:

@glennlab I honestly don't see either one happening in my lifetime. Campaign finance reform won't happen because neither major party supports it, the SC won't overturn Citizen's United or Buckley v. Valeo, so money will remain as protected speech, and so congress would then need a constitutional amendment to overturn those decisions. None of that will ever happen.

It would be funny if it weren't so goddamn serious. And cynical. And mendacious. And pathetic.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 6, 2022:

That's really not exaggerated much from the Repub distractions from their cowardice on gun control. The line between satire and reality is often very thin...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 6, 2022:

@Flyingsaucesir Wow, that is something. The last time I heard of something like that, was when John Lennon was murdered, and a lot of radio DJs actually cried on the air after they got the news. That was over 40 years ago, and the country has become much more callous since then. Nowadays, most radio music stations don't even have on air DJs most of the time.

It would be funny if it weren't so goddamn serious. And cynical. And mendacious. And pathetic.

KKGator comments on Jun 6, 2022:

I cannot find anything they do remotely amusing. I fucking hate those assholes.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 6, 2022:

I do too. I wish death for them, as long as I'm not the one killing them and going to prison for it. They really are traitors who are destroying our country, so in my mind, they deserve whatever bad may happen to them, since no punishment will come to them under the political or criminal system...

It would be funny if it weren't so goddamn serious. And cynical. And mendacious. And pathetic.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 6, 2022:

That's really not exaggerated much from the Repub distractions from their cowardice on gun control. The line between satire and reality is often very thin...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 6, 2022:

@Flyingsaucesir I didn't know they were, seriously, guys like Colbert?

Link between religious fundamentalism and brain damage established by scientists [rawstory.com]

LucyLoohoo comments on Jun 5, 2022:

No doubt about it! There must be a reason that so many of us cling to conspiracy therosies/fundamentalist myths, etc! We do have a logical primate brain, after all!

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 6, 2022:

And conservatives seem to have only the reptile brain! No wonder they are cold-blooded, slimy creatures...

Yes. How come???

StoicsFuckBest comments on Jun 5, 2022:

Because you're not going to be able to stop men's inability to control their emotions with legislation, but you may be able to reduce the ease in which they are capable of acting on it.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 6, 2022:

Reduce both the ease of acting on it and also the severity of how much damage they can do when they act on it. It's pretty hard to kill a dozen people with a knife in a attack during a short time, for example. It's very much the same argument as those for civil rights laws and hate crime laws. You cannot legislate away prejudice or hate, but you can criminalize the actions of those who hate or act with prejudice, with enough force or punishment to deter them from acting in those ways. But only if the laws end up being consistently enforced and followed up with serious sentences. Of course, many or most mass killers do not act rationally and are not concerned about legal penalties because they kill themselves before being captured or have no desire to survive their attack, they only care about killing as many as they can, many desire to commit suicide by cop...

💜💜💜 A Democrat FINALLY showed up!!! [youtu.be]

Garban comments on Jun 5, 2022:

Stalwell’s rage, conviction, and arguments are compelling and justified. But with the filibuster in place only 41 senators in the pockets of the NRA can hold the nation at literal gun point. The filibuster must go before any progress can be made in my opinion.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 6, 2022:

@glennlab I would rather just see the Senate abolished. It's too much like the British House Of Lords, a chamber designed to protect the rich and the oligarchs.

I have rarely ever commented on social media, but Republicans are burning my ass right now and I ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 6, 2022:

Unfortunately, I'm afraid that nowadays rational, sane gun owners like you are far outnumbered in the NRA and the Repub Party, so your voice would be drowned out when it comes to policy decisions by either group.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 6, 2022:

@GreenAtheist Not surprising. Toby Keith says he is actually more of a Democratic politically than a Repub, but he's also a capitalist, so he writes songs to please his redneck fans who are pro war and nationalist, as well as racist. All of which confirms my opinion of him as an asshole who only cares about being rich, famous, and popular, rather than having any real ethics or principles guiding him, besides being successful in his career.

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

Garban comments on Jun 6, 2022:

Brilliant, it only took him 17 months to realize this, or to grow the balls to call it what it is?

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 6, 2022:

The turncoat Repubs always tell the truth or grow a conscience long after it's too late for it to make a difference, usually only after they write a tell all book for money, or parlay it into a commentator job on MSNBC..

I have rarely ever commented on social media, but Republicans are burning my ass right now and I ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 6, 2022:

Unfortunately, I'm afraid that nowadays rational, sane gun owners like you are far outnumbered in the NRA and the Repub Party, so your voice would be drowned out when it comes to policy decisions by either group.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 6, 2022:

@GreenAtheist I'm amazed he got Lee Greenwood to boycott the NRA convention. I have always particularly hated Greenwood's God Bless The USA, which I call the redneck national anthem, and loathe the way that song is worshipped by the rednecks and country music fans around where I live. Same thing with that tall tub of shit, Toby Keith, and all his redneck nationalist warmonger songs.

I find myself wondering how a suicide or self murder as it is called in Scotland of a prominent ...

Gwendolyn2018 comments on Jun 5, 2022:

Maybe the explanation will be that she "lost her way," and listened to Satan.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 5, 2022:

That wouldn't surprise me. I can just hear the SNL Church Lady saying it was " Satan!", that was behind all of it...

Let's imagine Pete.

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 5, 2022:

My answer is that Pete is probably not actively racist in how he treats people, but he is also part of the problem by remaining oblivious and not caring to become part of any solution. When it comes to power and privilege, neutrality IS taking a side against oppressed minorities, because it is ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 5, 2022:

@Matias Spoken like a true Libertarian or conservative.. Your sane selfishness is at the root of our sick society and its problems. Individualism to the extreme is also at the root of our problems..

I posted something of a personal nature and it's taken down.

Mooolah comments on Jun 4, 2022:

SpikeTalon has me blocked. So why am I seeing his posts? This is a 1st time I am seeing his posts.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 5, 2022:

@skado Or to General Forum, for that matter. In either of them, I get to see all the members that I have already blocked or have blocked me. Sort of like a reunion in hell, I suppose... Speaking of that, hi Anne....

Arizona GOP Gubernatorial Candidate Proposes Different Tiers for US Citizenship Kari Lake, the ...

puff comments on Jun 4, 2022:

Different types of citizens hey, seemed to be plenty of support for that regarding vaccinated Vs un-vaccinated. I think both ideas are discriminatory, but at least I'm consistent. :D

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 5, 2022:

I was not in favor of differing citizenship based on vaccination status, but I do support not letting unvaxed people participate in social activities or transportation that would give them the chance to infect innocent people and endanger their health. Those who refused to vax need to respect that their choice does have its consequences and may prevent them from fully participating in some social parts of society. And if they don't like it, they can always stay home or get vaxed... This Repub candidate is about preventing people from full citizenship simply because they don't agree with her, not because they are putting themselves selfishly above the health and welfare of others. Big difference.

Let's imagine Pete.

Scott321 comments on Jun 4, 2022:

Oblivious maybe. Hey I get it. I thought racism had receded after Obama was elected and projected my own assumptions and preferences upon others. I was so very wrong. Racism went covert for a while but has gone much more overt. The birth certificate thing was front and center as the right ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 5, 2022:

You see the truth and also say it so clearly... And I promise you the next prez, which won't be Biden, will probably be worse than Trump or Biden. I'm hoping it's not Trump.

Senior Trump Administration advisor Peter Navarro first defied a congressional subpoena to testify ...

Garban comments on Jun 4, 2022:

He went on Ari Melber show 3 times and confessed. What an idiot.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 5, 2022:

@Flyingsaucesir I doubt it. He'll take the Fifth..

Does anyone believes in life after death or has ever been to the after life and still lives today?

Garban comments on Jun 4, 2022:

Of course. They’re called zombies, and the run they GOP.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 4, 2022:

Don't forget the Covid zombies!

Does anyone believes in life after death or has ever been to the after life and still lives today?

Betty comments on Jun 4, 2022:

They live in our hearts and memories. :) That is the only life after death that can be proven.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 4, 2022:

Agreed. And I also believe that after all the people who remember you are gone, then you are totally gone from the world of the living, for all practical purposes, except, I suppose, for when some building or other societal thing is named after you. In those exceptional ways, I suppose a person lives on even after all those that knew them are dead...

Hippie Chick, who is the moderator of the Trump Pinata group, got into an argument with me a couple ...

Garban comments on Jun 4, 2022:

Is the purpose of your post reconciliation or sympathy?

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 4, 2022:

@Garban Well, no doubt. The issue I'm presenting is, did she act unfairly or not? You see, I am a proud socialist, and to me, fairness should be the primary value in a society. So I am asking the community whether they feel I was treated fairly or not. You might or might not be surprised how many other members here feel fairness should be an important thing on this site or not. Just because the world at large is unfair does not, in my mind, provide an excuse for people acting unfairly, otherwise we wouldn't bother with having ethics. You seem to be supporting an attitude of " Everybody does it- as in acting unfairly- so that makes it right or ok". I disagree, what most other people do does not let someone off the hook morally or ethically, as far as I'm concerned. To me, that kind of rationale is a cop out... The world at large, or at least most Americans, seem to think we are untrustworthy or possibly even immoral, because we are non-believers, but you and I know differently. Another example of how just because people are in the majority, it doesn't mean they are always right. Most people don't obey speed limits when they drive. Does that mean those limits shouldn't matter or that we should just quit trying to enforce them? Should they instead just be posted as suggestions? The world will always be an unfair place, overall, but attempting to make it more fair is not a bad thing nor is it something that should just be dismissed as foolish and worthless.

Hippie Chick, who is the moderator of the Trump Pinata group, got into an argument with me a couple ...

Garban comments on Jun 4, 2022:

Is the purpose of your post reconciliation or sympathy?

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 4, 2022:

Neither. I'm interested in finding out whether other members think that sort of practice is fair or if it is someone misusing their power, plain and simple. I have no interest in apologizing to her.

Being an Atheist isn't always an easy path to walk, so many people will criticize and attack you for...

Petter comments on Jun 4, 2022:

Take heart from the knowledge that the myth-believing populace of the USA is dwindling more and more rapidly. The country is only about 50 years behind Europe.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 4, 2022:

I'll be long dead before the US catches up with Europe.

Wow.

BitFlipper comments on Jun 3, 2022:

The Q-anon, trumpanzee, Fox-watching crowd believes every word. If human civilization is going to survive, we must eliminate these dumb fucks from the population.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 4, 2022:

I was hoping that Covid would do some of that for us, but it seems most of them still manage to survive, even if they get Covid...

Being an Atheist isn't always an easy path to walk, so many people will criticize and attack you for...

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 4, 2022:

What a coincidence! I just heard some interesting commentary on the role of tribalism in the current gun violence crisis. I posted it only a moment ago. 😂

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 4, 2022:

I'm not able to view your post because it is probably in the Trump Pinata group, where Hippie Chick, the moderator, barred me a while back, not for anything I said in there, but because she blocked me personally over an argument somewhere else on Agnostic. How petty to bar me from the whole group just because she is the group's moderator and had trouble with me somewhere else. What about the other members there who might enjoy my comments there? I doubt she consulted any of them, because it's all about her....

Being an Atheist isn't always an easy path to walk, so many people will criticize and attack you for...

Betty comments on Jun 3, 2022:

I feel fortunate, in my town of just over 8,000 we have 11 churches and in the 9 years I've lived here, I have not been harassed or even approached to join any of them. The topic of religion rarely comes up and on the occasion it does it has not been treated as a big deal. It's a nice friendly ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 4, 2022:

Lucky you! I lived in a town even smaller than that and it had even more churches and only two bars, a very bad cultural ratio in my book. Unlike yours, most of the people there were very negatively judgmental towards those who were different or new in town. I think I was somewhat notorious for not attending any church there.

We should definitely acknowledge the failure of the police to stop the carnage, but ultimately that ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 3, 2022:

It is a distraction, but it is also telling. The fact that almost all the victims were Hispanic, instead of white, probably had something to do with why the cops didn't go in for over an hour. Colored lives are considered a lot less valuable than white lives by cops thinking of risking their own ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 3, 2022:

@Flyingsaucesir I wonder how that case came out. He deserved to go to prison for it.

We should definitely acknowledge the failure of the police to stop the carnage, but ultimately that ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 3, 2022:

It is a distraction, but it is also telling. The fact that almost all the victims were Hispanic, instead of white, probably had something to do with why the cops didn't go in for over an hour. Colored lives are considered a lot less valuable than white lives by cops thinking of risking their own ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 3, 2022:

@Flyingsaucesir That person should not only have been fired, but also prosecuted for some sort of negligence or depraved indifference manslaughter... If you're armed, trained, and not willing to risk your life to protect, then you need to be in another line of work.... I hope the guy was shamed enough to be run out of town...

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

Betty comments on Jun 2, 2022:

Gun violence and mass shootings are so common now that it has become the norm. I think the whole country would go into shock if it suddenly stopped. Since the elites are not targeted, I doubt anything will change.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 3, 2022:

@Betty That makes perfect sense, as religion is great for social control in softer ways than government is able to do it. And corporations would rather have compliant, obedient workers than have to use harsher tactics like they did in the days of private detectives, etc..

We should definitely acknowledge the failure of the police to stop the carnage, but ultimately that ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 3, 2022:

It is a distraction, but it is also telling. The fact that almost all the victims were Hispanic, instead of white, probably had something to do with why the cops didn't go in for over an hour. Colored lives are considered a lot less valuable than white lives by cops thinking of risking their own ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 3, 2022:

@Flyingsaucesir I didn't know that detail, so you're almost certainly right. In that case, the cops stayed out because they were outgunned and didn't want to go on a suicide mission. But even in that case, I ? if maybe then they ought to be in some other line of work, the same as firefighters, who are expected to risk their lives going into burning buildings. The cops were being cowards, in my opinion, and maybe not upholding their duty to protect.

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

Betty comments on Jun 2, 2022:

Gun violence and mass shootings are so common now that it has become the norm. I think the whole country would go into shock if it suddenly stopped. Since the elites are not targeted, I doubt anything will change.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 3, 2022:

@Betty I agree with everything you're saying except I don't think government by itself is the problem, the problem in the US, unlike most so-called democracies, is that ours is way more corrupted by money from donors, esp.at the federal level, than other countries. If we had either strong campaign finance laws regulating contributions to pols, or better yet, publicly financed campaigns and shortened campaign seasons, plus free air time for all qualified candidates, we would not have federal pols who care only about their donors. If our government was not so bought off, the rich and corporate CEOS would not feel so protected and insulated from what they do to the masses, even with their security details, as they would not be so above the law and having to face consequences for their evil, but they own the pols who work for them, so they fear nothing for the actions because their government, not ours, will never punish or regulate them. As for seeing the cracks, we are becoming like the old Soviet Union, where the majority lost faith in the system and even the military would no longer defend the system. But look what they ended up with instead. I think we are in for an even worse outcome when it all collapses.

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

Betty comments on Jun 2, 2022:

Gun violence and mass shootings are so common now that it has become the norm. I think the whole country would go into shock if it suddenly stopped. Since the elites are not targeted, I doubt anything will change.

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 3, 2022:

Like I have said before, I'm starting to think that targeted assassinations against the rich, corporate CEOs, and some pols might not be a bad idea if we want any real change for the better in our system...because right now they really don't fear or care about the masses. During the 60s, the ruling class had some of that fear, and that's why, for the last time in my lifetime, they made some concessions to improve things for the masses.

Graduation speaker tells students to honor the Bible by avoiding gay marriage

Betty comments on Jun 2, 2022:

It is the downplaying of these kinds of remarks that encourage and embolden others to bully, harass, and indulge in violent acts. To suggest that romantic love is restricted to male/female relationships is belittling and disrespectful. To experience love and have it reciprocated is truly ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 3, 2022:

I'm way more concerned with who people hate, rather than with who people love, esp. when the haters possess automatic weapons...

Graduation speaker tells students to honor the Bible by avoiding gay marriage

Flyingsaucesir comments on Jun 2, 2022:

Jim McGuire is obviously a knuckle-dragging cave man. Who the hell gave him the microphone?

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 2, 2022:

That would have been funny as hell, at least to me, if the school officials had cut his mic or kicked him off the stage...

Graduation speaker tells students to honor the Bible by avoiding gay marriage

Beowulfsfriend comments on Jun 2, 2022:

A pure dick move, hijacking a ceremony for religious purposes. When I was in school, we had some such benediction ceremony bullsit on a separate night. I got a note from my parents that I would not be going. It was a public school, and that should have been enough, but I got called into the ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 2, 2022:

Where I live, local churches still hold those kind of benediction services, for their student members, around the time of graduation, but at least the public school students are not obligated to attend any of them. The public schools all also cater to the churches by not having any school activities, including sports, on Wed. evening during the school year, in order to not compete with church night activities on Wed., which are common. The only time they have school activities on a Wed. school night are during sports playoffs during the school year.

From our Twisted Priorities Department:

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 2, 2022:

Bullshit culture war issues to distract people from seeing how the Repubs won't do anything about guns, and also about how they only care about the rich and corporations, altho Dems do the same thing with all the identity politics to distract from how they too only care about the rich and ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 2, 2022:

@Flyingsaucesir It is easier for them, they unite around being rich, white, Christian or Catholic, and hating everyone who is different from them: Immigrants, colored people, non-Christians, and queer people, as well as poor people. That's a pretty small tent and easy to unite.

From our Twisted Priorities Department:

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 2, 2022:

Bullshit culture war issues to distract people from seeing how the Repubs won't do anything about guns, and also about how they only care about the rich and corporations, altho Dems do the same thing with all the identity politics to distract from how they too only care about the rich and ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 2, 2022:

@Flyingsaucesir True, the Dems are often spectacular failures when it comes to messaging. I think that's because the Repubs have deeper pockets, so they end up hiring the better PR folks, such as Frank Lutz...

I stated 10 years ago that we could have a shooting damn near every day in this god infested ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Jun 1, 2022:

I don't blame god for how fucked up our system is, I blame our voters for not waking up long ago and voting out the two major parties for a third party that would be responsive and effective on not only gun control, campaign financing, and economic reform, because it's not like the Soviet Union, ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 1, 2022:

@Flyingsaucesir The major parties would never allow that. They love having their duopoly and not having to be responsive to anyone but their donors.

I stated 10 years ago that we could have a shooting damn near every day in this god infested ...

Davekp comments on May 31, 2022:

You win. 🫤😢

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 1, 2022:

@Buck And maybe both major parties. Like abortion, they both raise tons of money and rile up their bases over these two issues, but generally don't do anything serious and lasting about either one of them, until now, on abortion, from the Repubs thru the SC.

Looks are not deceiving

davknight comments on May 31, 2022:

What's that stuff in her mouth?

TomMcGiverin replies on Jun 1, 2022:

@TheoryNumber3 Not only is that true, but she looks uncomfortable enough that it appears she is coping with a mouth full of crap, not sure whether to swallow it, chew it, or spit it out....

Arizona lawmaker Rick Gray: Atheism caused the shooting in Uvalde

JeffreyL comments on May 27, 2022:

Religion is the main cause of abject stupidity!

TomMcGiverin replies on May 31, 2022:

@NostraDumbass I would agree, so much research has at least correlated religiosity inversely with level of education. Also, the states in the US with the levels of average or mean levels of education are also the ones with the highest levels of religiosity. In other words, most people seem to seek and/or end up with a lot more of one than the other...

A really sad group. Sorry they have to be associated with him.

TomMcGiverin comments on May 31, 2022:

Need to remember there are lots of centrist, corporate Dems that are just as spineless, except when it comes to serving their corporate donors.... or supporting tax cuts, or military spending, or unneccessary wars or fascist laws like the Patriot Act or the NDAA...... it goes on and on.......

TomMcGiverin replies on May 31, 2022:

@glennlab True, Glenn, but those Dems sure don't seem willing to risk anything of theirs to defend us peasants who they are no personally connected to....

Has a Christian ever said any of these frustratingly dumb things to you?

puff comments on May 6, 2022:

I say I'm fine with god, it's just all his fuckhead fan's piss me to tears.

TomMcGiverin replies on May 31, 2022:

Agreed, I'm not mad at God, even if one existed, I'm just sick and fed up with the ignorant idiotic followers...

In the United States, market extremism (which one might expect to be purely materialist, and ...

David1955 comments on May 31, 2022:

In other words, toxic American capitalism has merged with toxic individualism and toxic Christian saviourism to form a lethal irrational brew that threatens the existence of the country. I've been projecting this since this rise of Trump.

TomMcGiverin replies on May 31, 2022:

Yup, we now have the most dysfunctional and dangerous society in my lifetime, so yes, civil war seems inevitable...

From our Role Reversal Department:

twill comments on May 31, 2022:

Ron Desantis......Have you MET these parents you are so concerned about?

TomMcGiverin replies on May 31, 2022:

If he met those parents, privately and without his security detail, he might get the shit beat out of him, so I'm guessing the answer is a NO...

Sorry, I'm on a tear this morning.

anglophone comments on May 29, 2022:

"I know how to treat a woman" are the words of a self-confessing sexist with added arrogance. What is so hard about ask first, listen second, and reply if asked third?

TomMcGiverin replies on May 31, 2022:

@Gwendolyn2018 Finished with you too. You simply can never admit that you might be wrong about something and cannot accept someone disagreeing with you. Too bad that anyone who disagrees with you is "the enemy" or stereotypical, in your mind. I hear and listen. You don't seem to do that yourself, unless the other person agrees with you completely. I will not cave and pretend to agree with you just to satisfy your insecurity. It's good that you are no longer on dating sites or trying to date, because you are too hostile and distrusting of men to have any business being involved with either one. Your experiences may justify your feelings about men, but that does not justify your feeling that I or other men need to feel the same amount of distrust towards women or even that other women need to feel your same amount of distrust towards men. You are only you, Gwen, and not everybody, who has had differing experiences, needs to see and feel your way about the world for them to be right or truthful about themselves. " A woman who is too open on a first meeting can be inviting disaster", that may be true, perhaps one in a thousand or less cases, but most of the time nothing bad or unusual happens, and instead, the two people have a good, enjoyable and useful convo, without the woman having to hold everything back, make the man or woman uncomfortable, or anyone having to play your preferred game. Trust and reciprocity, what a concept! Too bad you can't enjoy those things. I would love to see a woman on here have the guts to disagree with you about your points, Gwen, not that it's going to ever happen, but if they did, would you then label them as "stereotypical" or dysfunctional, insincere, etc.? I bet you would....

Sorry, I'm on a tear this morning.

racocn8 comments on May 29, 2022:

People of both sexes can be assholes. The trick is to not let it get to you. Some people WANT to be assholes. It may be harder to let that go, but that is still necessary.

TomMcGiverin replies on May 31, 2022:

@racocn8 Social media, due to its impersonality, certainly does not bring out the best in people.

Sorry, I'm on a tear this morning.

racocn8 comments on May 29, 2022:

People of both sexes can be assholes. The trick is to not let it get to you. Some people WANT to be assholes. It may be harder to let that go, but that is still necessary.

TomMcGiverin replies on May 30, 2022:

Notice how few people will agree with you openly here? And yet the statement is so evenhanded and should be easy to accept. The acceptance of misandry continues.

Sorry, I'm on a tear this morning.

anglophone comments on May 29, 2022:

"I know how to treat a woman" are the words of a self-confessing sexist with added arrogance. What is so hard about ask first, listen second, and reply if asked third?

TomMcGiverin replies on May 30, 2022:

@Gwendolyn2018 And you also don't need to shout at me in ALL CAPS. I may not be as smart as you, but I'm sure I'm intelligent enough to get your points in regular case letters...

Sorry, I'm on a tear this morning.

anglophone comments on May 29, 2022:

"I know how to treat a woman" are the words of a self-confessing sexist with added arrogance. What is so hard about ask first, listen second, and reply if asked third?

TomMcGiverin replies on May 30, 2022:

@anglophone I agree, I have never been stalked, and, as a man, I have probably been privileged compared to women by never having been sexually harassed or sexually assaulted. So I have less reason than Gwen to fear for my safety, but I agree, she seems to be somewhat emotionally damaged or traumatized by her experiences, and thus, I feel, is extremely distrustful and self-protective of herself regarding men esp.. I'm not saying it's unjustified or unwise, but I'm not interested in dating women who carry all that baggage and self-protection. My personal opinion is that nobody who has been stalked and is still so traumatized by it that they are extremely distrustful, has any business being on a dating site. Hell, if I had my way, nobody would be allowed on a dating site without proof of recent therapy! But it's a free country and the sites have the right to set their own standards. I must have some trustworthy qualities, as more than a few of the women I have dated in the past have trusted me enough to tell me about having been raped, so I must not be too insensitive or untrustworthy of an asshole male. I probably share some of your qualities, which is why those women shared their experiences with me, as well as some of my female friends.

Sorry, I'm on a tear this morning.

anglophone comments on May 29, 2022:

"I know how to treat a woman" are the words of a self-confessing sexist with added arrogance. What is so hard about ask first, listen second, and reply if asked third?

TomMcGiverin replies on May 30, 2022:

@Gwendolyn2018 So tell me Gwen, exactly how is this supposed to work out if you meet a man for coffee or whatever for the first meeting, and he chooses the same tactic as you, by not asking any ?s of you, or insisting that you do all the talking first off? Do you stare into each other's eyes and attempt telepathy? How comfortable would you be with that? I have a pretty good idea that you would get uncomfortable and just leave. I know that you are not interested in relationships with men anymore or even in dating, so I think your attitude on all this is by now pretty moot and abstract, rather than based on any real, present day reality and actual interest in dating, unlike me. And yes, I have no doubt that no men were put off by your lack of ?s or that they were more interested in your looks than what you said, but I would fit neither of those, and I doubt that I am unique in that respect. As Sticks once said recently on here, it may have had more to do with your choices in who you met, than in any universal traits of men.

Sorry, I'm on a tear this morning.

anglophone comments on May 29, 2022:

"I know how to treat a woman" are the words of a self-confessing sexist with added arrogance. What is so hard about ask first, listen second, and reply if asked third?

TomMcGiverin replies on May 30, 2022:

@Gwendolyn2018 Sorry Gwen, but I don't agree. You and I are different genders and have had different experiences. Both of ours are valid, as far as I'm concerned. Sitting back and being guarded, while not asking any ?s is a power game, plain and simple. It was back in the job interviews and it still is in the dating game. If a woman chooses to simply put all of the pressure and burden on me to share who I am and be judged on that, while taking no risks to reveal who she really is, or at least give me some feedback and reciprocation of my trust and openness with her, then maybe she is too damaged and distrustful for me to date. That is how I see it. You seem to treat dating as some kind of war in which the man is untrustworthy or unworthy of you until proven otherwise. I choose to operate more as an equal and a likely friend to the woman until proven otherwise or incompatible. If a woman chooses to be emotionally guarded the whole time they are meeting with me for coffee the first time, as you seem to say you would be, then she would not be for me. I want someone who is trusting enough to give me some unguarded communication in return to what I am giving them. You seem to be saying that the man does not deserve any reciprocation from you on that score, until maybe later on, if at all, you deem him worthy. Says who, you? Why do you get to be guarded all the time in the first meeting and the man is obligated to reveal himself and be so judged by you and you are not obligated to return the favor at all and be judged on any of that yourself? Isn't that a bit sexist?

Sorry, I'm on a tear this morning.

anglophone comments on May 29, 2022:

"I know how to treat a woman" are the words of a self-confessing sexist with added arrogance. What is so hard about ask first, listen second, and reply if asked third?

TomMcGiverin replies on May 30, 2022:

@Gwendolyn2018 I don't doubt the veracity and accuracy of your observations Gwen. At the same time, I am wary and, to be honest, turned off by people who choose to be very closely emotionally guarded and closed in their communication with me early on, and especially after they have spent some time with me. Probably, like you, they are being cautious and self-protective for good reason based on their previous experience. Or maybe, as Sticks might say, they have something to hide about who they are emotionally and regarding their character or personality. But I have nothing to hide and I prefer to date people who are emotionally whole, healthy and able to trust that they feel no reason to have such big protections around them, rather than playing power games or being the grand analyst. And I also prefer someone with enough generosity and empathy to treat me kindly and as an equal from the start of the dance, rather than sitting back playing the grand inquisitor and holding back on letting their guard down until they deem me being worthy of being candid and emotionally open with me. They may have very good reasons, like you, for operating like they do with the opposite sex in the dating game, esp. early on, but to me, that is too much drama and spycraft for my taste. I prefer a process more like a presumptive "I'm Ok, you're Ok" basis for communicating, rather than yours, which is based on so much distrust and testing. Some people are ready for and willing to do that ( my preference), some aren't. I'm not interested in those that aren't, for dating purposes, and you wouldn't be interested in me. I do sense a fair amount of cynicism and general negative feelings about men in general from you, Gwen, and I don't doubt you have good reasons for both of them, but I just don't share that attitude about women, so I don't approach women with all those sort of guards or barriers to hold back from them who I am or everything I'm thinking or feeling about them. If you can't allow or approach people with some trust and openness after deciding you want to meet them and maybe get to know them, why even bother with the exercise, assuming you are actually seeking an ongoing relationship? I think it's sad that you feel the need to let so few people know who you really are, Gwen. I think, despite your attitude towards men in general, that you are quite likeable. But personally, I would be intimidated by you in person, knowing that you were holding so much back while being so judgemental and critical of anything I said, without tipping any of your hand or your inner thoughts.

Sorry, I'm on a tear this morning.

TomMcGiverin comments on May 30, 2022:

First off, I agree with your attitude. We are all individuals, in each gender. Hard as it is to do, with all the rejection and disappointment that teaches us in the dating game to be wary of red flags and negative patterns in dating and messaging behavior with online dating, we still need to ...

TomMcGiverin replies on May 30, 2022:

@TheoryNumber3 You're very sweet. If you lived in my area and were younger, I would surely want to meet you.

Sorry, I'm on a tear this morning.

TomMcGiverin comments on May 30, 2022:

First off, I agree with your attitude. We are all individuals, in each gender. Hard as it is to do, with all the rejection and disappointment that teaches us in the dating game to be wary of red flags and negative patterns in dating and messaging behavior with online dating, we still need to ...

TomMcGiverin replies on May 30, 2022:

@TheoryNumber3 It's Tom not Tim, lol! And no, I didn't take it that you were implying that about me. But you do have a point, that many men who are widowed are looking for that. And unfortunately, I have run across a lot of divorced women on Match in my local dating pool who will not give widowed men a chance because they wrongly assume that all widowed men are either not over their dead wives, looking for a duplicate of their dead wife, (and the divorced women think they would be competing against the dead wife, etc.), etc. All of that is wrong-headed and narrow-minded, but I can't do anything about it. And right now, I am too young for most of the widowed women in my local dating pool. In another five or ten years, I might be old enough for most of the widowed women in my area, but I don't want to wait that long or be alone until I die, which may be sooner than I expect. Only about 15% of the women my age in the local Match dating pool are widowed, so I am pretty much forced to pursue divorced women, since they make up 80% of the dating pool, and many of them won't date widowed men, for the reasons above, as well as my guess is that they want to just stick with the familiar of fellow divorced folks, which is really pretty irrational and foolish, when you think about relationship track records, but they seem to care more about similarity and maybe also finding sympathy and understanding about their hurts from divorce than finding a more healthy partner. I wish you the best luck too.