Fauci Says Only Way to Herd Immunity May Be Through Natural Infections - Second Nexus

TomMcGiverin comments on Sep 1, 2021:

And yet, after the deaths begin piling up, the Repubs and Trumpers will still put the blame on Biden for it, somehow...

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 1, 2021:

@OldMetalHead Good. I hope it does thin their numbers at the polls. I call that self-imposed voter suppression, and it's entirely legal and poetic justice as well.

We keep trying to put band-aids on societal issues that require tourniquets.

LenHazell53 comments on Aug 28, 2021:

This is very one sided. Service industries are there to provide a service, one that is paid for, often by other service employees who themselves have had to put up with toxic customers and have done so. Now entitled behaviour and bullying is NEVER acceptable from anyone, and the answer is simple, ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 1, 2021:

I don't think that applies equally here in the US, compared to the UK. The customer here is often a psycho or a bully, and they do not deserve to be coddled. They deserve clear rules that are always enforced, and also the clear message that if they don't like it, go patronize another business. And if enough businesses in a given industry adopt this, then the government does not have to get involved and regulate behavior, as eventually the assholes realize they have to conform to reasonable rules that an industry has adopted, or be left out of mainstream business and services. And it works. Here in my state, I still remember how much whining and outrage happened when smoking was finally banned from almost all public places as well as most businesses that served the public. In some ways it was similar to the protests over mask orders, but it eventually was accepted because almost all the business owners, even tho they were Repubs by and large, realized this was not going to be defeated or dropped by government, and that there was no competitive disadvantage to complying, since all the businesses were in the same boat, so they enforced the law and very soon the whining smokers gave up fighting it. And finally, non-smokers like me, who were by far the majority of the public and the voters, finally were able to visit bars and restaurants without having to risk second hand smoke and the diseases that come with it. Sounds to me a lot like the Covid situation. This new law, called the Clean Air Act of 2008, was passed back when my state was still a blue state, but privately, most of the Repub legislators in the state supported it, and only put up token opposition to it, since they knew most of even their base supported it. But it was also long before Trump and all the current bullshit on the right about my liberties, my freedoms, etc.

Focusing on the Problem!!!!!!: Is there any legal way to shut these bastards up? [theguardian.com]

SnowyOwl comments on Aug 31, 2021:

Usually there is a lone gunman involved in these sorts of scenarios, at least in the US of A.

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 1, 2021:

@SnowyOwl Whatever that means, I guess so.

Focusing on the Problem!!!!!!: Is there any legal way to shut these bastards up? [theguardian.com]

SnowyOwl comments on Aug 31, 2021:

Usually there is a lone gunman involved in these sorts of scenarios, at least in the US of A.

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 1, 2021:

In the US, the way it goes is this: Assassinations of those on the right are rare, and usually unsuccessful, that is because in those cases it truly is a lone gunman nutcase making the attempt. In assassinations of those on the left, they are way more frequent, and they usually succeed. Why? Because the publicly identified shooter is usually a patsy to provide a cover story and even when they are the real shooter, they always have help from a government agency with the hit.

Jim Jordan gets schooled while attacking Dr Fauci

Lauren comments on Aug 31, 2021:

Jim Jordan is a bully who never communicates, he just shouts people down. He's had entirely too much latitude these past five years, and needs put down like the mad dog he is. Or at least jailed for his part in the insurrection.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 31, 2021:

@Lauren I don't pretend to know it all, esp. about medicine. But I do know that I trust in and believe in science more than in religion or conspiracy theories about Western medicine. As someone with a couple of inherited heart conditions from my parents, I, like you, am glad that Western medicine can at least help me cope with the conditions, even if there is no cure for one of them. My quality of life is much better because of that help. The woman I wrote about is also home schooling her daughter, why I don't know. She says it is not because of her fearing the kid would get Covid attending school in person. But even this friend is already admitting that she is emotionally overwhelmed keeping the kid at home instead of attending school. We'll see how long she holds up.

Church annoyed after...

Barnie2years comments on Aug 31, 2021:

Hardly makes up for the thousand of religious fake bills these clowns have been leaving laying around and even using as tips, for decades.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 31, 2021:

If there were any justice in the restaurant business, those who leave fake tips would be permanently thrown out and banned from the place if they showed up and were recognized by the wait staff that they cheated, but that will never happen, as restaurant owner and managers will continue to gladly exploit and not support their wait staff of low wage and tip slaves. I am happy tho, that with Covid and The Great Resignation lately, some of these restaurant owners are starting to have trouble filling their wait staff positions and realizing that they might have to start treating them decently in order to not have constant turnover.

Jim Jordan gets schooled while attacking Dr Fauci

Lauren comments on Aug 31, 2021:

Jim Jordan is a bully who never communicates, he just shouts people down. He's had entirely too much latitude these past five years, and needs put down like the mad dog he is. Or at least jailed for his part in the insurrection.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 31, 2021:

@Lauren I have only one friend, and no family members, who won't get vaxed. Her reasons for that are that she is a Libertarian and very anti- government. She also doesn't trust traditional Western medicine. I only see her at karaoke shows in bars, a hobby that we share. I am willing to take the risk of being around her at karaoke, because she has two young kids who can't be vaxed yet, anyway, so I know that she is being very careful to avoid Covid, at least for their sake. If she does get Covid tho, and then either transmits it to me or refuses to get vaxed after getting Covid, I will no longer be willing to sit around her at karaoke. Because that would be the ultimate choice of her putting her ideology ahead of my health and safety as a friend.

I don't drink however I found this amusing.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 30, 2021:

I haven't drank alcohol since 1996. Originally, it was because my late wife was married to an alcoholic before she met me, and she asked me to stop drinking so she could feel more emotionally secure with me, but after 2010, I no longer had any choice in the matter, as I had developed atril ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 30, 2021:

Thanks Larry.

I don't drink however I found this amusing.

mischl comments on Aug 30, 2021:

I drink, mostly just as my doctor recommended. A glass of dry red wine in the evening two to four times a week.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 30, 2021:

@mischl Glad you are still able to safely enjoy that. We all need our vices and pleasures, otherwise, why is life worth living?

I don't drink however I found this amusing.

mischl comments on Aug 30, 2021:

I drink, mostly just as my doctor recommended. A glass of dry red wine in the evening two to four times a week.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 30, 2021:

Wish I still could drink socially. I have to settle nowadays for NA beers and once in a while fake champagne this is NA grape juice.

I work in "member" service for a federal credit union.

dkp93 comments on Aug 29, 2021:

That poor, dumb, pitiful man is about to learn a very expensive lesson.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 29, 2021:

This sounds so much like that reality show on WE TV, Love After Lockup, where the vast majority of released cons are just using their free world partners as tricks, meal tickets, or ATMS. It's not that surprising, when I see what happens with online dating, that some people are willing to just break down and try to buy someone's company and involvement with them, but it seldom seems to actually work, at least not as long as the person being bought has any other options, such as going back to prison or finding a better arrangement. Even those are probably tho better options than staying poor in a hellhole of a third world country.

I work in "member" service for a federal credit union.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 28, 2021:

I guess for every scammer there is at least one poor sucker like this guy. Sorry you ended up in the middle of this train wreck in progress. This guy is probably not very good looking or at best average-looking, and he is clearly seeking a modern version of the old mail order bride. How sad, as the ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 29, 2021:

@GeorgeRocheleau I suppose sometimes it actually ends up in mutual love, but I'm sure it usually ends up being more of a business arrangement. I would be curious what usually happens when the mail order bride gets older if her looks really fade...

I work in "member" service for a federal credit union.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 28, 2021:

I guess for every scammer there is at least one poor sucker like this guy. Sorry you ended up in the middle of this train wreck in progress. This guy is probably not very good looking or at best average-looking, and he is clearly seeking a modern version of the old mail order bride. How sad, as the ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 29, 2021:

@GeorgeRocheleau They usually have to be. I am not judging them, but the reality is that they are participating in prostitution-lite...

Opinion | Professors indoctrinating students?

Wangobango3 comments on Aug 29, 2021:

I am surprised that they made it through high school without ever having a black teacher. I guess that is how the powers that be want it.I don't think the USA will ever overcome it's racist inclinations. The only solution is to apply the law in every situation where race has displaced constitutional...

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 29, 2021:

@Beowulfsfriend Growing up in Iowa, I sometimes heard the half serious jokes that most rural-raised kids had never seen any blacks in person, nor any Jews, unless they saw them in a museum on display, lol.

Can US Elections Really Be Stolen?

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 29, 2021:

They can always be stolen as long as most of the voting is done electronically with touch screen voting machines and no paper receipts, instead of paper only ballots so there can be accurate recounts. I would prefer a mix of mail in ballots and paper in person ballots, instead of what we have, but ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 29, 2021:

@William_Mary Can't disagree with any of that. The Venezuala voting system sounds good, way better than America's.

Well, boy did I get played.

racocn8 comments on Aug 27, 2021:

You can't expect equality, especially in such a dishonest and contrived exchange. Good luck any way. Keep trying. It IS worth it. Sort of.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 28, 2021:

@RonWilliam53 Fuck you, time to block.

Robert F. Kennedy’s sons support release of dad’s assassin

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 27, 2021:

I sadly have to agree with you. Like what really happened on 9-11, the American public will never get to know the real stories behind the assassinations of JFK, RFK, and MLK, nor even about Paul Wellstone or Mel Carnahan, probably all of which involved the assistance of the CIA or military ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 28, 2021:

@David1955 You are right about all of it and covered all of it. Here in the US we are completely screwed between the system, the corporate media, and the sheeple behavior of the masses.

Because as we all know EVERYONE can be a PERFECT person ALL the time.

Gwendolyn2018 comments on Aug 27, 2021:

I am careful with what I say because I have been hurt too many times in the past by insensitive things people said to me when I was young and impressionable. I don't get hurt any longer, but I have been known to make some caustic comments to people who make such comments. The comments don't even ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 27, 2021:

You make a good point, Gwen. Most of us, including me, have our moments when we carelessly or thoughtlessly make a rare remark that is in bad taste or accidentally mean or hurtful. But I think there is a difference between that and someone regularly or frequently saying things that are mean, hurtful, or insulting to others who are worse off or less advantaged, etc. If that happens regularly, then you know it is the person's true character, and an ugly, nasty one at that. I have no time or interest in involvement with those people as friends, much less as a significant other, because it is only a matter of time until they begin mistreating and abusing you verbally and emotionally.

Because as we all know EVERYONE can be a PERFECT person ALL the time.

Druvius comments on Aug 27, 2021:

It is distressing that someone in the public eye can indeed lose their job or even ruin their career with a single ill considered tweet. Still, this phenomena predates the Internet, if one is the public face of anything, one needs to be careful of what they say or do in public. Look up Fatty ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 27, 2021:

I think you have a very healthy perspective on this. I personally don't give a fuck about celebrities and the rich and powerful, as far as their personal lives. They may as well live on a different planet than peasants like us. They don't know shit about us or care about any of us, in most cases, so why do so many of our fellow peasants get so concerned or enamored with them? I have never understood it, unless it just gives them some free entertainment or a chance to live vicariously thru them a more interesting or better life than they have as a peasant. However, having said that, I do care about their personal lives, esp. how they have treated others who had less fame, money, or power than them if they chose to become involved in politics. In that situation, they do have an effect on my life and that of fellow peasants, and their character, at least involving the public and others less powerful, as well as how corrupt they are, matters big time to me, as well as their policy positions, in who I will support or vote for.

Well, boy did I get played.

RonWilliam53 comments on Aug 27, 2021:

Online dating is just like real world dating-unless somene says he/she is talking exclusively to you, assume they aren't. Same with if they meet for coffee or whatever. They're certainly not assuming you are. Quite frankly, anyone deciding after a text or two that "this is the one" ain't dealing in...

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 27, 2021:

@RonWilliam53 That may very well be true, Ron, but it still does not excuse or justify women being cruel, dishonest, and manipulative to men like me whose only crime is being sincerely, respectfully, and appropriately interested in getting to know them and possibly dating them. In my opinion, if a woman is so damaged, fearful, and guarded towards men, maybe they shouldn't be on dating sites and should stay off them and leave the rest of us the fuck alone....

Well, boy did I get played.

racocn8 comments on Aug 27, 2021:

You can't expect equality, especially in such a dishonest and contrived exchange. Good luck any way. Keep trying. It IS worth it. Sort of.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 27, 2021:

@RonWilliam53 Who said I was considering "paying back" any innocent parties, Ron? I approach each new woman in the dating process with as much of a clean slate as other people do, probably more than other people do. How about you, paragon of mental health as you claim to be? You're not my therapist and you aren't qualified to be anyone else's. Piss off...

Well, boy did I get played.

racocn8 comments on Aug 27, 2021:

You can't expect equality, especially in such a dishonest and contrived exchange. Good luck any way. Keep trying. It IS worth it. Sort of.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 27, 2021:

@racocn8 I have seen it from both genders. Once went to a singles dance and met a guy who was leaving right as I was coming in. We chatted a minute or so about how the event seemed to be shaping up, and he told me that after being there about 15 min., that he was leaving for, as he put it, "somewhere with better prospects", which I suppose meant a bar or dance club with single women that were better-looking. I judged him to be about an 8 in looks, while I am a 5 or a 6 at best. I met a woman later at that dance that seemed like an 8 to me in looks, who was there before this guy left, but apparently he wanted a 9 or better. So, you're right, people are strange, as the Doors sang, or different as you say. The woman who was an 8 was someone I danced with a few times, chatted with and traded phone numbers, but she turned out to be a stuck up game player who made plans to meet me the next week, but then ghosted me. I wish her and the guy that left had gotten together, they might have deserved each other, lol.... The dating site research seems to match my own experience, including what I have heard from single women on Batch as well as on Agnostic.com. Women seem to have somewhat higher standards, in general, than men regarding looks and who they choose to date and eventually have sex with. And that does not work well for average-looking men like me, as most women seem to focus their sights solely on the men who are 8s or better in looks. As a guy I know posted on FB in a discussion on looks and dating, he said that research on Tinder showed that most women put all their interest in men who were 8s and 9s in looks, who were not really interested in LTRs with these women, but after some experience and sex with these great looking men, the women ended up disappointed with not being able to land these men in LTRs, but still developed high expectations for looks and great sex from other men, thus continuing to ignore and reject men who were average-looking, while wondering "Where are all the nice guys and good men?". So they end up unhappy and alone, with their overly high standards for looks and sex, while the average looking guys end up feeling the same, unhappy and alone while being left alone on the sidelines. Sure as hell matches my experiences with online dating.

Well, boy did I get played.

racocn8 comments on Aug 27, 2021:

You can't expect equality, especially in such a dishonest and contrived exchange. Good luck any way. Keep trying. It IS worth it. Sort of.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 27, 2021:

@RonWilliam53 Fuck you, Ron. I am not an incel, just a man with a healthy comfort with my emotions, including anger. I vent, let it out, and then move on in a day or so. So easy for you to judge not being in my shoes. Fuck off or I block you. I really doubt you would react that much differently emotionally if you were in my shoes on this incident, way to blame the victim, Ron. She is the horrible and defective person, not me. Just because you may not have the guts to openly share your feelings of hurt and anger openly here when you are wronged in the dating game, doesn't mean I am an incel just for sharing them. Maybe that's why this group is so inactive lately, because too many members of the group feel intimidated that if they openly share their bad experiences and openly share their emotions about it, they will instead be blamed for their mistreatment and bashed by smug arrogant folks like you. So they stay quiet and don't post here anymore. If the genders were reversed in this incident, and I was a woman who called the man who played me a prick, would that make me some kind of female incel, according to you? I doubt it...

Well, boy did I get played.

RonWilliam53 comments on Aug 27, 2021:

Online dating is just like real world dating-unless somene says he/she is talking exclusively to you, assume they aren't. Same with if they meet for coffee or whatever. They're certainly not assuming you are. Quite frankly, anyone deciding after a text or two that "this is the one" ain't dealing in...

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 27, 2021:

I have always understood that, and have been on dating sites for almost four years now. I know that it is all like gays in the military during the Clinton era, Don't Ask, Don't Tell, as far as who else someone is seeing or messaging from a dating site. But that still doesn't include or excuse someone continuing to make excuses for not meeting you in person or stringing you along about eventually meeting you in person when they secretly have no intention of meeting anyone else in person from the dating site except their top pick from the litter, which is clearly what this woman was planning from the git go. She just wanted to have at least several choices to meet once she finished her move, was settled in, and then ready to meet men in person. She planned from the beginning, clearly, to set this up and leave several men waiting on the side while she met her first pick and would then come back to the men in waiting only if the first guy didn't work out. What a selfish, lying, manipulative bitch!

This guy has balls of steel! He goes right in the belly of the beast to expose the Trumplicans for ...

silverotter11 comments on Aug 26, 2021:

This is great!! So much ignorance packed into 6 minutes.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 27, 2021:

@Barnie2years This is true, because those people figured that Trump would protect them from being prosecuted or punished, and they were probably right about that.

Well, boy did I get played.

HippieChick58 comments on Aug 27, 2021:

I don't remember the exact number of times I've been corresponding with some male from a dating site and we've scheduled a meeting, and I get ghosted. It isn't exclusive to gender. It is a shitty way of doing business and a waste of my time, which is why I dropped out of dating sites. The last dude ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 27, 2021:

And the real kicker, the added pity of it, is that if you message someone who behaves this way thru the dating site, and tell them off in your message, no matter how accurately and fairly, for their own misconduct, even if you are not threatening or insulting in your language, you run the risk of them reporting you to the dating site and being banned from the site for violating the site's TOS, because the site only cares about money and maintaining it's paid membership. They don't care about it's members being treated fairly and courteously by other members when it comes to ghosting, lying to other members, etc. You are completely on your own regarding that, and the dating sites will not takes sides against a member just because they choose to, as you say, do business in a lousy way. Their TOS allows completely for that and they won't get involved in policing or sanctioning people for that. So when another site member wrongs you, you are just supposed to take it, without telling them off, and just block them, without confronting them, because that would violate the TOS, no matter how appropriately you do it thru a message sent to them. I think that double standard is bullshit.

Sturgis South Dakota has had a1500% increase in covid cases

Mooolah comments on Aug 26, 2021:

Folks leave town during this abomination in the Black Hills. The problem is the spread. These are the people spreading the disease. As knowingly dispensing HIV or syphilis, they are the irresponsible who belong in solitary confinement.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 27, 2021:

@Mooolah I agree with you about the flaws of living out in the country. I would not like the isolation and the lack of law enforcement closed by. I do not like the idea of depending on neighbors for my safety, instead of cops. And it is much easier to kill somebody stealthily and get away with it out there, as you say.

Well, boy did I get played.

HippieChick58 comments on Aug 27, 2021:

I don't remember the exact number of times I've been corresponding with some male from a dating site and we've scheduled a meeting, and I get ghosted. It isn't exclusive to gender. It is a shitty way of doing business and a waste of my time, which is why I dropped out of dating sites. The last dude ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 27, 2021:

I understand and don't blame you, but who knows how many years I have left to live, and I don't want to spend all the rest of them alone. I am retired and not interested in volunteering just to have the opportunity to meet single women thru that. And I already tried joining groups to meet women and that doesn't work either, any better than a dating site, as it also provides way fewer potential opportunities, numerically, than a dating site. Finally, a married friend that enjoys discussion way more than me, has continued to attend meetings of groups like your humanist group, and he agrees with me that those groups are pretty useless for meeting single women my age, as very few of them ever show up and all the women my age at those meetings are there with a partner. I have never ghosted anyone from a dating site or stood anyone up for a date in my whole fucking life, and I am very proud of that, but it seems that for many men and women, those behaviors are not only acceptable, but even seen as healthy and guilt-free, since to them dating behavior is all about one's personal comfort and convenience, with no regard for others or their feelings. In the old days, we called that selfishness and immaturity. Nowadays, it's seen as realistic and being appropriately protective of one's personal comfort zone. Sticks 48 has told me that in his short experience with a dating site, I won't share which one, he discovered that there were fake profiles of some women, who were good-looking, that were actually plants from the dating site, put on there to sucker men into thinking there were more women on the site than there actually were, to get more paid male members, even tho these women were staffers of the dating site and they never ended up meeting any of the men they messaged with for the site they worked for. Four years ago, before I ever tried online dating, I was already fairly cynical about big business, but even then I would have been skeptical of whether that kind of claim was true, but after my own experiences with online dating, it seems entirely believable and probably likely with most dating sites. I have even been told by a local woman, who I used to know from a Meetup group for singles that I used to attend with her, that she used to get solicited by matchmaking businesses to meet male clients for them just so they could claim they had a pool of women who were interested in meeting the business's customers for dating and relationships. She turned them down.

I find it interesting that many atheists, including ones on this platform, give up their belief in a...

Diagoras comments on Aug 27, 2021:

I'm certain just as conservative atheists or even conservatives overall have different views within the same group that liberals do. Do I need to explain to you the strategy and purpose of coalitions? I am progressive because I would like my tax dollars to support the side of several issues that ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 27, 2021:

I am a socialist, or what they call these days, a progressive, but in no way does that mean I follow a herd mentality with them. For example, I get fed up with the obsessive focus of some progressives on PC culture, to pretty much the exclusion of any focus on class warfare and economic inequality. I get sick of people on the left who use PC as a weapon against anyone who is not as extreme as them in their virtue signaling and their strict adherence to being PC in all speech, etc. Progressives these days are the same people that used to be called socialists, before the term was corrupted, stigmatized, or damaged by decades of propaganda and lies lumping it in with communism, etc.

Well, boy did I get played.

racocn8 comments on Aug 27, 2021:

You can't expect equality, especially in such a dishonest and contrived exchange. Good luck any way. Keep trying. It IS worth it. Sort of.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 27, 2021:

@racocn8 I have an old story that can top yours about the woman calling you obese. Back in the early 90s, before internet dating, I met a woman once thru the voice personal ads, which was truly blind dating, as you never saw them or any photos before you met in person. I arranged to meet her in the lobby of a science center to watch a laser show and then go out for coffee afterwards. She looked in thru the glass doors to see me sitting there waiting for her, like I told her I would. So she came in and told me bluntly that she usually just looks in the door before meeting a man from an ad and if she is disappointed in his looks, she doesn't come in and just stands him up. As if I am supposed to be flattered and positively impressed by that? She then told me that she was disappointed in my looks, to my face, and she would usually have just left me there, but she wanted to be nice, so she decided to at least watch the show with me. What a bitch, like she was doing me a favor out of pity or some noble virtue on her part. I watched the show with her, but I was seething inside, and I let her have it on the way out of the building. And trust me, while I am a 5-6, this woman was an 7- an 8 at most, so where did she get off feeling entitled to stand up any man that didn't meet her looks standards, when back then I was probably a 7, with the full head of hair and athletic body I had back then. Like her shit didn't stink?

Well, boy did I get played.

racocn8 comments on Aug 27, 2021:

You can't expect equality, especially in such a dishonest and contrived exchange. Good luck any way. Keep trying. It IS worth it. Sort of.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 27, 2021:

@racocn8 So far, I have resisted the urge to pay back the rest of the gender for what these bitches have done to me, including the four different women who stood me up in a four month period a couple years ago before Covid, from Batch. I really try to give each new woman a clean slate, but at the same time, I rightly recognize red flags from my previous experiences and do my best to avoid being played or conned. Easier said than done on both counts, not being conned or not holding similarities against new women. All this proves Sticks 48 right, it truly goes both ways. This woman was a recently retired career school teacher and coach. I can only imagine what kind of role model and influence she was on her school kids and athletes about ethics, integrity and teaching kindness. Maybe she was phony enough in her roles there to be a good influence, but I doubt it. My guess is that, like many pols and business people, she compartmentalizes a lot in her life and that allows her to be so selfish and callous to others in her personal relationships outside of work.

Well, boy did I get played.

racocn8 comments on Aug 27, 2021:

You can't expect equality, especially in such a dishonest and contrived exchange. Good luck any way. Keep trying. It IS worth it. Sort of.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 27, 2021:

@racocn8 Well, my latest experiences, with her, the two other women I mentioned, and another one that messaged back and forth with me a few times, then video chatted with me, then told me she was going to be busy the next week and to message her this last Mon. after she was over that busy week, well, I messaged her on Mon., no reply, then on Wed. she blocks me, both on Batch and FB, where we went to video chat after the video chat on Batch didn't work on her end. So I knew her full name and her occupation, lawyer, and called her office, left a VM telling her how shocked and hurt I was that she blocked me on FB and Batch with no warning or explanation, and that I felt I deserved an explanation. She got on Batch later that evening, I don't know how she removed the block on there, maybe she contacted customer service, I dunno, but she replied to me that she had accidentally blocked me on Batch, while trying to block another man. Didn't say anything about blocking me on FB as well, so I really don't believe her, since her law specialty is probate, estates, and trusts, which is very precise, detailed work and she is very smart. So I pretended to accept her apology, but I think the reality is that she decided in the week after the video chat to dump me before meeting me in person and was too embarrassed to admit it after I called her and confronted her in the VM, she felt too guilty about it, since she knew my recently deceased father professionally as well.

Well, boy did I get played.

racocn8 comments on Aug 27, 2021:

You can't expect equality, especially in such a dishonest and contrived exchange. Good luck any way. Keep trying. It IS worth it. Sort of.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 27, 2021:

Do you agree that she was just making excuses after she finished her move to the new town and was putting me and probably some other guys off? Wouldn't you be damned angry at her?

Well, boy did I get played.

racocn8 comments on Aug 27, 2021:

You can't expect equality, especially in such a dishonest and contrived exchange. Good luck any way. Keep trying. It IS worth it. Sort of.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 27, 2021:

She was being dishonest and she engineered a contrived, manipulated exchange. You got it exactly right. Or are you talking about the structure of dating sites in general. I'm sure she was playing several guys at once and had only the intention of meeting her first pick and then letting the other guys die on the vine, never planning to meet them unless the first guy didn't work out as hoped.

I find it interesting that many atheists, including ones on this platform, give up their belief in a...

David1955 comments on Aug 26, 2021:

That's quite a piece of false assumptions about atheists, and conflation of issues. I assume you did mean atheists and not non religious people generally - atheists and agnostics -- and while I've read some rants against atheists, this one takes the cake. I might say I find it's agnostics who often ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 26, 2021:

What he said..

This guy has balls of steel! He goes right in the belly of the beast to expose the Trumplicans for ...

silverotter11 comments on Aug 26, 2021:

This is great!! So much ignorance packed into 6 minutes.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 26, 2021:

I have always come away with that reaction to all his videos of right wingers, just jaw-dropping in their ignorance, stupidity, and paranoia. You sometimes wonder why they all aren't mouth breathers and how they have lived as long as they have. I have also concluded the only way Jordan has never been punched out at one of these rallies is that he has cameras on him all the time to document any possible assaults for later use by the cops or in lawsuits against the attacker, otherwise, these fools would have beat the crap out of him long ago. So they are smart enough not to physically attack someone on camera, I'll give them that.

Sturgis South Dakota has had a1500% increase in covid cases

Mooolah comments on Aug 26, 2021:

Folks leave town during this abomination in the Black Hills. The problem is the spread. These are the people spreading the disease. As knowingly dispensing HIV or syphilis, they are the irresponsible who belong in solitary confinement.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 26, 2021:

Sometimes I really wish it was legal and constitutional in the US, for the rest of us to be able to force these assholes into quarantine, with each other and away from the rest of us, until the virus is under control and we reach herd immunity. I mean, why would they be unhappy, surrounded by only their kind and not having to deal with libs and others who aren't like them? Wouldn't that be, for them, like reaching paradise early? Nope, they would still bitch about their rights and freedom to make the rest of us sick and be obnoxious jerks to others who aren't like them. It's what they live for and what their whole identity is all about. If only we could keep them in group quarantine until they are all either dead, vaccinated, or free of Covid.

Find out what's been happening as we review the last two weeks worth of news regarding atheism and ...

Leelu comments on Aug 14, 2021:

Spam? Is this a spam account?

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 25, 2021:

@Leelu Fuck you. Looks like about everybody here agrees that you are in the wrong, not that you ever care about that...

Find out what's been happening as we review the last two weeks worth of news regarding atheism and ...

Leelu comments on Aug 14, 2021:

Spam? Is this a spam account?

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 25, 2021:

@Leelu And as always, fuck off.....

Well folks it's been pretty well confirmed that I will be dying of cancer is spread now from my ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 25, 2021:

I am very sorry to hear this. It takes guts to come out publicly about one's dying, and I admire you on that. Hope I have the same when my time comes, if there is any advance notice.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 25, 2021:

@oldFloyd I can only hope. I hope it is in my sleep after my quality of life has been permanently diminished for a while.

Find out what's been happening as we review the last two weeks worth of news regarding atheism and ...

Leelu comments on Aug 14, 2021:

Spam? Is this a spam account?

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 25, 2021:

@Leelu And there are no blocks in General Forum or Community Senate, so we have to put up with each other, but you are still a bitch....

It Took Divorce to Make My Marriage Equal | Glamour

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 24, 2021:

This kind of essay makes me so glad I never had kids, because working out a marriage of equals can be hard enough without bringing kids into the mix, but almost all the women in my state end up so brainwashed with the farmer's daughter mentality, that never having kids never occurs to them, or if it...

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 25, 2021:

@HippieChick58 I think your sense of balance and independence with your family is very healthy, but rare in the Midwest, and I'll leave it at that.

Find out what's been happening as we review the last two weeks worth of news regarding atheism and ...

Leelu comments on Aug 14, 2021:

Spam? Is this a spam account?

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 25, 2021:

@creative51 You will never get her to admit when she is wrong. I know, and ended up having to block her.

Is it Information or Misinformation?

JonnaBononna comments on Aug 25, 2021:

I didn't know it was a thing. I'll have to check it out and get back to you!!

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 25, 2021:

@Unity I haven't seen the film, but I already knew Bernie was robbed of the nomination, and that his people got bashed for crying foul, not the winning side that cheated. The corporate media never sides with a progressive in a fight against a corporate Dem.

It Took Divorce to Make My Marriage Equal | Glamour

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 24, 2021:

This kind of essay makes me so glad I never had kids, because working out a marriage of equals can be hard enough without bringing kids into the mix, but almost all the women in my state end up so brainwashed with the farmer's daughter mentality, that never having kids never occurs to them, or if it...

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 25, 2021:

@HippieChick58 Another woman here on Agnostic explained it really well, I think, about what I am dealing with in my local dating pool. She said that most women who get divorced and live in the Midwest have all their identity wrapped up in their role as a mother, and so they retreat and hide behind their adult kids and grandkids, clinging to them for comfort and purpose after the divorce, and that's why they appear "family-oriented" and even use that term in their profile essays on dating sites. To me, that is a red flag, that the woman does not have any balance in her life, is not independent enough in a healthy way from her family, and I want nothing to do with her. The woman on Agnostic who was explaining this said she had seen this many times with divorced female friends of hers and said the problem is not me, but the culture and its influence on women in my dating pool. She also said in most cases these family-oriented women are clinging to their families after their divorce and having way more contact with their kids and grandkids than the family actually desires from them, lol. It is sad and pathetic that their divorces leave them so hurt, scared of men in general, and afraid of another close relationship with a man, that they retreat into excessive contact with their family to avoid potential hurt and disappointment again. Too bad that they never get the kind of therapy post-divorce that they need and would help them get on with their life.

The King Master nailed it

BD66 comments on Aug 23, 2021:

And the new guy is even worse: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DbE2SmV2bs

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 25, 2021:

@BD66 Feel free to post it there. You'll probably get crickets for a response.

The King Master nailed it

BD66 comments on Aug 23, 2021:

And the new guy is even worse: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DbE2SmV2bs

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 25, 2021:

@HippieChick58 There is a Biden Pinata group, and I am even a member of it, but it has been noticeably inactive for several months. I'm guessing that's either because the conservative Agnostics haven't been able to come up with anything substantial to bash him on, except maybe the tired old stuff about his son Hunter, or maybe they just think it will be a waste of time to post it there. Either way, it is sort of interesting how that's gone so far. The guy who originated it is a lefty, like me, but he doesn't seem that interested in censoring anybody...

From the past, remember this we didn't learn anything

HippieChick58 comments on Aug 24, 2021:

Sadly our education system is failing, the meds work fine. Making America Great Again needs to start with our schools. Teach true history, teach critical thinking skills. We shouldn't have to reinvent the wheel when there is a public crisis. There shouldn't be public crisis of this sort.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 24, 2021:

@silverotter11 Nurture is clearly more important than genetics in many cases, such as yours... You two had the same background, but something or someone prompted you to break away, while the other stayed in that world. Interesting...

Update: This afternoon, I watched the live video webcast of the memorial service for my former ...

Deb57 comments on Aug 24, 2021:

I have never worried about Big Brother. I know exactly what flags they might pull up on me based upon my lifetime of interests and activities, and there are a few. All I have to say is that whomever gets stuck monitoring me will need a big supply of caffeine to keep from nodding off. If they ever ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 24, 2021:

Believe it or not, the guy at the memorial service read an excerpt from the FBI file that said the deceased "was a member of several subversive organizations, including the Democratic Party".. Sounds like McCarthyism and Hoover at their finest. And Deb, cruel fuckers that they are, if they took you to jail for being subversive, they would just have the cats put down. Because you and my coach Mike, were both cat lovers, which in my experience, is usually a sign of being good folks.

It Took Divorce to Make My Marriage Equal | Glamour

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 24, 2021:

This kind of essay makes me so glad I never had kids, because working out a marriage of equals can be hard enough without bringing kids into the mix, but almost all the women in my state end up so brainwashed with the farmer's daughter mentality, that never having kids never occurs to them, or if it...

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 24, 2021:

@HippieChick58 I respect those that chose different, but I haven't enjoyed being so roundly rejected by women, both when I was a young man, and pretty much left out of being considered for LTRs by women then who only wanted men willing to become stepfathers or make babies with them. I wanted no part of either, but it was tough on me emotionally to be rejected so often for anything beyond casual dating. It's hard being part of such a small minority in my local culture. And now the same thing is happening to me long after the age of having or raising children, even by women who also, like me, ended up not having kids, probably because they are doubtful that their own extended family will be there for them in old age to comfort them and take care of them, so they are hedging their bets by only choosing men with kids, to date, even when they and I are in their 60s. I am fine with dating someone who does or does not have kids, all other things being equally compatible with them, but I am not making that a priority in who I choose to date. If only most of the women in my local dating pool on Match were were so open-minded, but few of them are. And I know this for a fact as when I view a woman's profile on Match, I can see what preferences she is looking for in a partner regarding their kids situation. And few of them include No kids in their list of preferences regarding that trait. As if there is really any sure thing that the in-laws from whatever man they choose are going to be there for her when she gets old and sick..... From my point of view, why not take a chance on dating me, a childless man? If she's with me long enough, she will inherit whatever money I have left, plus, if she's still in decent shape, she might well be able to find another man with kids and extended family who will look after her after I am dead. So why be so tunnel-visioned and focused on the near future so much about inheriting a family of in-laws as soon as possible thru a dating relationship now? To me it all seems way too pessimistic and sort of desperate on their part... Can I get an amen, Paula?

New here! How is everyone!

bb54165 comments on Aug 22, 2021:

Doing great, just joined this tonight.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 23, 2021:

Good luck with that, chief, if you are here to date. It appears you have only one woman with a compatibility rating of over 50% that lives anywhere in your area of WI, and she hasn't been on this site for over a month or two. All the other few women who meet that criteria, haven't been on here for a year or more. Rotsa ruck, and welcome to my local dating situation on Agnostic. Maybe you and the Texas gal can get together for a LD romance, lol...as that is all that is available to most of us from this site. Except for a very lucky few here, you need to join a real dating site, like Match or POF, and pay for it, to have any actual chance of meeting people to date online.

New Rule: Your Phone is Turning You into an Asshole | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO) - YouTube

Mooolah comments on Aug 22, 2021:

I still do not have a phone except the hard line. No pictures of me on the internet. I hate the intrusion & obsession, face recognition tech etc. People whine about not paying the rent & then have these unnecessary contraptions. Toys are unnecessary. I subscribed to Discovery +for the 7 day free ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 23, 2021:

@Mooolah I have not used You Tube and have no real interest in it. Many of my favorite films are docs.

New Rule: Your Phone is Turning You into an Asshole | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO) - YouTube

Mooolah comments on Aug 22, 2021:

I still do not have a phone except the hard line. No pictures of me on the internet. I hate the intrusion & obsession, face recognition tech etc. People whine about not paying the rent & then have these unnecessary contraptions. Toys are unnecessary. I subscribed to Discovery +for the 7 day free ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 22, 2021:

You speak so much truth and I am with you on all of that. I only recently got Netflix, after all my friends were nagging me to get it, but only because it costs me nothing, using the subscription of a friend who came over and installed it on my TV using my wi-fi I already had for my laptop. I still have only used it a couple times to watch anything, as I already watch too much TV with my satellite Direct TV, and continue to have plenty of movies I record and watch later from TCM. I would rather spend most of my waking hours at home doing phone calls with friends, reading, or getting out into the world to hear live music, sing karaoke, watch live theater, etc. Netflix is a nice option to see some movies that I miss in the theaters when they come out or certain movies that never come out on home video or end up on TV, such as Springsteen Live On Broadway, which I finally got to see, but little else is on there that really interests me much.

New Rule: Your Phone is Turning You into an Asshole | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO) - YouTube

BufftonBeotch comments on Aug 22, 2021:

Our great-grandparents watched a giant radio every evening, Stared at a radio. Some of the favorite radio performers were tap dancers and ventriloquists. Think about that just a minute.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 22, 2021:

@BufftonBeotch My beef is not so much that smartphone addiction is a waste of time and ridiculuous. My beef is that it is leading to shorter attention spans, greater rudesness and self-centeredness, an absence of face to face social skills, and the further atomization of society, including the family. Those things were probably already happening, but the addition of smartphones and social media have greatly sped up the process, made it even more convenient and impersonal to behave worse, and also provided an excuse for people to blame it on their phones and not own up to their own conscious personal choices to let the new tech become so important in their lives. Because there is a personal choice involved, and mine is to reject the new tech as much as possible, and I don't think my personal willpower or self discipline are that extraordinary. BTW, I bet the old practice of the family sitting around the radio or television probably didn't really atomize or take away from family interaction or relationships, in fact, it may have enhanced them in some ways.

Scammer messaging me wants to know how I can tell he's a scammer.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 20, 2021:

Is that on a dating site, Deb, or on FB?

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 21, 2021:

@Deb57 I thought so, but wasn't sure.

"I heard the news today, oh boy.

Budgie comments on Aug 21, 2021:

Sir PTerry said that a man is not truly dead until his name is no longer spoken. When the ripples from the actions of these men have finally stopped. So while you talk of them and while you embody the best of them they live on.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 21, 2021:

I agree with that. It's like the Mexican Day Of The Dead. After no one who is alive remembers you, only then are you truly dead to the world.

"I heard the news today, oh boy.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 20, 2021:

Thank you for all your supportive reactions. It makes me realize how many of you are much like my old friend and coach, which is always good for me to be reminded of, that I am not alone in being a square peg in a round hole culture, at least where I live and probably also where a lot of, if not all...

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 20, 2021:

@Petter Sad, but true.

"I heard the news today, oh boy.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 20, 2021:

Thank you for all your supportive reactions. It makes me realize how many of you are much like my old friend and coach, which is always good for me to be reminded of, that I am not alone in being a square peg in a round hole culture, at least where I live and probably also where a lot of, if not all...

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 20, 2021:

@Petter You have a point, many Americans are now identifying as non-religious, but I bet you that relatively few of them live in the Midwest and particularly in Iowa in general and esp. where I live. My city has tons of churches, and even a Bible college. Way more churches than bars, which tells you something about the local culture. There is also almost no entertainment here for mature, educated thinking adults, as high school sports are the main entertainment here, same as in some small, rural podunk town. There really is no nightlife here and they roll up the sidewalks at 9 pm., figureatively. They may as well as practically everyone is young families and old retired folks. That is why I drive to Des Moines or West Des Moines for all my entertainment, culture, and seeing my local friends, because they all live there.

"I heard the news today, oh boy.

Mooolah comments on Aug 20, 2021:

How fortunate you were to have such a mentor. We are all flawed in some way. To be a positive influence on a young life is a most valuable gift.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 20, 2021:

It really is and for me, someone like him, a true fellow non-conformist, is very rare in Iowa and the Midwest in general, as the mainstream culture is so militantly about enforced politeness, conformity, etc.

"I heard the news today, oh boy.

Pralina1 comments on Aug 19, 2021:

So he is not really dead Tom , in a way , through u and your actions and your character , part of him will remain alive . And as u passing and sharing his lessons along to others , parts of him will remain alive even longer . I am sorry u feel his loss and the sadness today . 🙁🙁🙁

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 19, 2021:

Thanks Pralina. If I may share a song with you, by one of my old fav bands, The Velvet Underground, I have been thinking of this song all day and evening after I got the news. The song is called Last Night I Said Goodbye To My Friend. It was written and performed, just once, by the three surviving members of the band, just months after the death of their other founding member, when they were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1996. Listening to the song on You Tube has always choked me up. I hope the song moves you as well, if you give it a listen. And yes, I agree that none of us is completely dead or gone for good, as long as we are remembered and live on in the hearts, character, etc. of those we have influenced or loved. However, once all of those people are gone, then were truly gone for good and probably forgotten as well, for the most part, with the exception of the famous and infamous.

Not a lot of difference is it

powder comments on Aug 17, 2021:

The difference is the Taliban are the winners.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 19, 2021:

@powder I could be a starry-eyed idealist on this, but I really think the vast majority of eligible voters in America are sick of the corruption of both major parties and have figured out that both of them are only responsive and interested in serving the rich and corporations, and are sick as well of the legalized bribery that is American politics, esp. at the federal level. So if a third party could raise the kind of money that Sanders did, poll as high as he did for their candidate, I think they could convince the voters to drop the duopoly for them, and at least try it for one cycle. Because most voters, esp. the ones who stopped voting, really want a better choice and would risk voting for it if they thought their vote for it would actually make a difference.

Not a lot of difference is it

powder comments on Aug 17, 2021:

The difference is the Taliban are the winners.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 18, 2021:

@powder I think those are good ideas, and another idea would be supporting single payer healthcare, and campaign finance reform, including overturning Citizen's United with a constitutional amendment, and finally, a wealth tax on the top 1% and Wall Street speculation on stock trading. The third party should couple the wealth tax with a tax reduction for lower classes of Americans and increase the income tax rates back to where they were before Reagan for the top income groups. Of course, the corporate media and both major parties would oppose all this, but those policies would attract a hell of a lot of votes if the public thought the candidates from that party had a chance of winning. Another policy would be lowering the prices of prescription meds for all Americans by allowing importation of drugs from Canada and Europe as well as allowing Medicare to negotiate directly with drug makers on prices for drugs in Medicare drug plans.

Not a lot of difference is it

powder comments on Aug 17, 2021:

The difference is the Taliban are the winners.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 18, 2021:

@powder I do agree that in America from Trump's term on we will keep getting one-term presidents as the voters ping pong back and forth between the two parties over who controls the federal government, and that is because of how similar the two parties are on the most important policy areas, like war, taxes, corporate rule, etc. The voters are tired of having little real choice between the two major parties on much besides the usual culture wars, and so most voters either drop out of voting or blindly hope that the party out of power at any time would maybe be better than the one in power, so they ping pong back and forth. If a third party was viable enough to raise the money needed, get on TV to run ads thru the whole campaign. etc., I think most voters would gladly give them a try, instead of voting for one of the two major party candidates for prez, but only if some independent polling showed them the third party candidate had a real chance of winning. That would be enough to get most voters to stop choosing the lesser evil and their fear of wasting their vote, etc. which keeps most people from voting their real choice for prez. Of course, ranked choice voting would solve all that, but the two major parties will never allow that in federal elections.

Not a lot of difference is it

powder comments on Aug 17, 2021:

The difference is the Taliban are the winners.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 18, 2021:

@powder You may have misunderstood me, powder, maybe not. I was trying to say that the Dem Party is pretty likely to lose control of the congress in the next elections, so after that, the Repubs and the Taliban will both be the winners and those in power over the respective countries. I won't be surprised if Biden steps down before his term is up.

Dare to question god's wisdom?

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 18, 2021:

It's not about feeling protected, it's because, for many of them, having a gun makes them feel like more of a man....

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 18, 2021:

@MrDragon Very possible..

Haha!!! Alabama's completely out of ICU beds... pathetic.

hankster comments on Aug 18, 2021:

wow.. not too often you run across someone who's willing to laugh at the sick and dying. they must really be superior to do so.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 18, 2021:

Why be so hard on people like Gwendolyn for being uncaring about the anti-vaxers? They sure as fuck don't care about their effect on us, so let them die...

Dare to question god's wisdom?

MrDragon comments on Aug 18, 2021:

Has nothing to do with god, packing a gun makes them feel like they have a dick and balls.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 18, 2021:

That's what I said below, about at least some of them.

Dare to question god's wisdom?

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 18, 2021:

It's not about feeling protected, it's because, for many of them, having a gun makes them feel like more of a man....

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 18, 2021:

@Mooolah I don't know, but I suppose that women mainly own guns for protection or because they enjoy target shooting.

Not a lot of difference is it

powder comments on Aug 17, 2021:

The difference is the Taliban are the winners.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 18, 2021:

That difference may not last very long, powder...

Perspective

JonnaBononna comments on Aug 17, 2021:

Success for me is being happy- having enough to get by, people who love you and people you love, the ability to do things you love- preferably for work, but at least the free time to do it if not.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 17, 2021:

To me, that sounds like not only a successful life, but also one with a healthy balance. The former is not possible, to me, without the latter.

The covid-19 pandemic in the United States is likely going to have waves of mutation and reinfection...

Notlost comments on Aug 17, 2021:

Even though, and possibly BECAUSE my husband is antimask, antivax, despite the fact that we have grandchildren and children with asthma, I do think we need to heavy-handedly segregate antivaxers. Round em up. Free the children & put the antivaxers in those cages!

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 17, 2021:

@domos You sound like you are in favor of letting the anti vaxers and right wingers hold us hostage against doing the best thing for the public health because they threaten violence against the government and those on the left don't? Man, that sounds a bit like maybe the left should have taken up violence and threats of violence against our corrupt government long ago, if that is what it takes to influence policy...It's interesting that the last times the left threatened or committed violence against the government to influence policy, the 60s thru the early 80s, the federal government quickly moved to crush and sometimes murder them, but if the groups on the right threaten or use violence, the government is either slower to respond, or goes lighter on them, since the 80s. And don't talk about Ruby Ridge or Waco as examples, as Ruby Ridge was one person killed, versus a mass murder of Black Panthers or of the MOVE organization in Philadelphia, and Waco was people being killed by their own leader's actions, not the FBI.

The covid-19 pandemic in the United States is likely going to have waves of mutation and reinfection...

jlynn37 comments on Aug 17, 2021:

I personally believe that segregation of "the other", in the general population, is almost always bad. One can segregate themselves if they choose to do so, which is an individual choice. There are exceptions of course, e.g. prison populations.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 17, 2021:

@domos So maybe they are hoping to commit sort of a genocide against those who are to the left of them politically, even tho it will probably have an equal effect on those from their political side?

To all those democrat supporters whom everytime there is criticism of Biden/ Harris/ Democrats they ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 16, 2021:

I began criticizing Biden as soon as I knew the fix was in with the Dem leaders for him to get the nomination instead of Bernie, so, yes, I was never waiting on this mess to begin criticizing him, esp. with all the campaign promises he has already dropped without even trying to get them passed in ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 17, 2021:

@powder I am. Most people do not have the moral courage to continue to support someone like Bernie, for example, on principle, after they lose a primary race. They just switch to backing the winner, whoever it is, because they care more about supporting the winner on their side, regardless of how corrupt or bad a choice they might be. They keep settling for less and they keep getting worse and worse leaders for their side. And that gets easier and easier to do when you have no real firm principles, and instead have only a principle of Blue No Matter who....

I don't believe in government authority, the only reason I pay any taxes is to avoid jail or being ...

Deb57 comments on Aug 16, 2021:

What a convoluted way of saying you refuse to accept any kind of civic or community responsibility or accountability. All I see from your "stance" is a failure to carry your fair share of the load of humanity.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 16, 2021:

Agreed. That's why I hate Libertarian political philosophy, it's the ultimate form of selfish individualism and seems very immature to me, since selfishness is very natural in very young children and these people seem to have never grown out of it. They want all of their freedoms, but don't want to sacrifice or give anything to the common good, which most adults are mature enough to realize is necessary, unless you are living on your own island,,,,,,

Let's Start "Nation Building" America, Again.

JonnaBononna comments on Aug 16, 2021:

We need to drop imperialism completely. Give all US territories and DC statehood, stop being the world police and cut the "defense" budget by about half. Then we can talk about nation building. But I know, it's a pipe dream. We'll be in another war soon enough.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 16, 2021:

So true! Nation-building is code language or rationalization for imperialism, which the US has been in the business of for most of its existence, following in the footsteps of the British, who taught the practice to our leaders. At least the British learned enough from their mistakes to get out of the practice of imperialism decades ago, but not us..

Let's Start "Nation Building" America, Again.

HankHunter13 comments on Aug 16, 2021:

Wow, So Much Positivity. You Can't Piss All Over The Good News, To Me.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 16, 2021:

@JonnaBononna You got it! I am so fucking sick of how deluded Americans are about where our politics stand against Europe or the rest of developed countries that are so-called democracies, where Bernie Sanders, for crying out loud, would be seen as a centrist, not a communist or even a socialist, under Euro standards. But few Americans will ever realize this, as about the only ones who ever actually travel abroad and learn what the rest of the world is like, are the rich, who have a vested interest in our corporate media keeping the rest of America ignorant and gullible for all the lies about America being the best system around. And outside of the rich, the few other Americans who end up traveling abroad and seeing how the rest of the world works, are those career military personnel, and they, like the rich, end up buying all the propaganda the military gives them about how we are the best, etc., since it helps them feel more comfortable and proud of their occupation, instead of living with doubts or guilt, which most people are not strong enough to allow themselves to feel.

Let's Start "Nation Building" America, Again.

WilliamCharles comments on Aug 16, 2021:

An Eisenhower era tax structure would sure help.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 16, 2021:

Can't do that, (sarcasm) or it would be penalizing the job creators, punishing success, etc...

Let's Start "Nation Building" America, Again.

HankHunter13 comments on Aug 16, 2021:

Wow, So Much Positivity. You Can't Piss All Over The Good News, To Me.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 16, 2021:

What is your point, that we are overly negative because we don' throw a parade for Biden because he finally finished a withdrawl that Trump had already begun? This war should have ended long ago, while Biden was Obama's VP, so no hero cake for him....Unless one is not cynical enough or brain dead, as I said below, we will begin the next long war soon enough, in a country to be named later...

Let's Start "Nation Building" America, Again.

JonnaBononna comments on Aug 16, 2021:

We never built this nation properly to begin with.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 16, 2021:

No shit..

Afghanistan Irag BushSr BushJr DickCheney MedicareForAll NoMoreEndlessWars

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 16, 2021:

Simple. Those 45K deaths are of peasants, while the endless wars were for the profits that wars generate for corporations and a few wealthy individuals. The 3000 dead Americans from 9-11 were just an excuse for beginning endless wars, not the real reason for the wars. But the corporate media and the...

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 16, 2021:

@HankHunter13 Glad to see you recognize that war is nothing but a racket and all for the benefit of the ruling class and corporations, never for the good of us peasants who are sent to fight it. Too bad the sheeple never catch on to this.

Sunday morning cuteness...Sweet dreams

Spinliesel comments on Aug 15, 2021:

Lots of catnip?

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 15, 2021:

Yup, that cat looks very stoned or buzzed.....

How many of you can be single and happy

Barnie2years comments on Aug 13, 2021:

Define happy? I’m content, and compared to how unhappy I was in my marriages, I consider myself lucky to be single. At this point I can’t imagine subjecting myself to that kind of unhappiness again.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 14, 2021:

One of the best lines I ever read on the subject was on the reality dating show Blind Date, where one of the single women on the show said, "I'd just like to meet someone I didn't want to kill at the end of the day..." Talk about a low bar, lol....

US coronavirus: 'This is starting to look really ominous in the South,' expert says, as US is among ...

bookofmorons comments on Aug 14, 2021:

Is this part of the Make America Great Again strategy? if so it seems to be working

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 14, 2021:

@mischl You are surely joking with you beginning line about Alaska, as I've always heard the ratio of women to men there is extremely low.

US coronavirus: 'This is starting to look really ominous in the South,' expert says, as US is among ...

bookofmorons comments on Aug 14, 2021:

Is this part of the Make America Great Again strategy? if so it seems to be working

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 14, 2021:

@mischl I understand. I might have to move myself if the US splits, as Iowa is a red state. But for me it might be worth moving, if I went somewhere with a better dating pool, lol..

US coronavirus: 'This is starting to look really ominous in the South,' expert says, as US is among ...

bookofmorons comments on Aug 14, 2021:

Is this part of the Make America Great Again strategy? if so it seems to be working

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 14, 2021:

If the South seceded again and we let them go this time, that might make America great again, as far as I'm concerned.

Stupid and religion is a plague. How to tell from the stupid from the smart?

MrDragon comments on Aug 13, 2021:

They are trumptards, and they are selfish, and braindead, and they don't care about anyone and are only focused on their own bellybutton.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 13, 2021:

@CatManDoDeDo I really think that in the case of those elites you are talking about, it is not about intelligence, but about their anger and oppositional defiance of any authority they disagree with. And in that sense, they have the emotional maturity and emotional intelligence of a toddler... "You can't make me!" No, we can't make you, but if you die, that will take care of all of it, won't it?

I'm at a loss on more of these dating profiles. This has to be fake, right?

Lavergne comments on Aug 12, 2021:

I believe he thought he was posting this on Indeed (the job site). He's looking for an employee....with benefits. hahahahaha

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 12, 2021:

Probably like most jobs I had, where the benefits were not so great, lol. Of course, I'm only talking about real employment positions.

I'm at a loss on more of these dating profiles. This has to be fake, right?

Pralina1 comments on Aug 12, 2021:

I wish i was encountering this , preferably in a night that I am off and rested and after coffee 😂 This is at least hilarious . “ bitch , if I am young and healthy and Btwn 29-40 , like hell I need a boss or someone to tell me what time of the day is for work and what time of the night is for...

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 12, 2021:

Pralina, you are the queen of the snappy put down! If you were my age, I would have such a crush on you....

I'm at a loss on more of these dating profiles. This has to be fake, right?

dalefvictor comments on Aug 11, 2021:

I am a guy and I would not let an enemy answer this has to be fake, as who in their right mind would give half a good business to someone who may sue them for half of it in the future. At least this is my opinion.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 12, 2021:

A wise answer. Only an idiot would mix his sex life, and romantic life from the git go with his business partnership, with all the potential that the first two could go sour or south, and then endanger his business/work life, ending in losing half or it, if it didn't already fail from the bad working relationship, to the woman...

The FDA is expected to approve covid19 vaccine booster shots for the immunocompromised within the ...

Lauren comments on Aug 11, 2021:

I've been hoping for this. I was vaccinated in February, and a lot of Phfizer materials state a 6-month efficacy before effectiveness diminishes. I got a cold with a bad cough last week, so it's been on my mind.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 12, 2021:

@KKGator I am not immunocompromised, but I got my shots in that same time period, so their effectiveness may run out sometime fall..

P.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 11, 2021:

None of us are getting any younger. You are nice looking and seem compatible on your profile info, but you aren't getting any closer to where I live than several hundred miles away from me, so I'll have to pass. Where the hell is Hurst? I have no idea where you live, but I hope your local dating ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 12, 2021:

@SonderOpia I feel your pain, Texas could only be worse than Iowa for a dating pool, unless you like cowboys, rednecks, and asshole Trumpers or religious men. And I thought I had it bad here...

The FDA is expected to approve covid19 vaccine booster shots for the immunocompromised within the ...

HippieChick58 comments on Aug 11, 2021:

I am not immunocompromised, so I am going to wait til it is recommended for everyone to have an additional shot, or maybe if they think the over 60 set should have an additional shot. I am willing to wait for those more in need than I am to have another shot.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 12, 2021:

I'm in the same boar as you, I will wait until my primary doc recommends it. I was vaxed in Mar. April, so my shots should still be effective for a while longer.

I find that it is usually best to date women with low expectations.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 11, 2021:

It depends what areas of expectations you are talking about. I don't have high or medium expectations, for example, on how many of my interests they share, as long as they share some of them. I don't expect them to have above average health, since mine isn't either. Same with looks. I don't expect ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 11, 2021:

@hankster Exactly! Save the expectations only for the areas that really matter, not the fantasy wish list, etc...

I find that it is usually best to date women with low expectations.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 11, 2021:

It depends what areas of expectations you are talking about. I don't have high or medium expectations, for example, on how many of my interests they share, as long as they share some of them. I don't expect them to have above average health, since mine isn't either. Same with looks. I don't expect ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 11, 2021:

Glad you like it, hankster. As the guy said in Goodfellas, "So, do I amuse you, like a clown?"..... Just messing with ya...

We need a patch. [agnostic.com] .

ADKSparky comments on Aug 11, 2021:

Like a nicotine patch? 🤣

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 11, 2021:

Probably more something more like the Vulcan Mind Meld, from Star Trek...

I'm at a loss on more of these dating profiles. This has to be fake, right?

Detritus comments on Aug 11, 2021:

He might be recruiting for a sex slave ring.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 11, 2021:

That's really not a wild leap, as I have heard that many sex slave rings use ads seeking foreign women to immigrate, promising legit jobs that always turn out to be non existent once the women show up and are captured.

I'm at a loss on more of these dating profiles. This has to be fake, right?

Lauren comments on Aug 11, 2021:

It's odd to consider the women who will find him to be a real catch (and be assured some do). Here's an assignment for an aspiring Nellie Bly.

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 11, 2021:

It might make for a good investigative story. He seems to want a serious girlfriend who will also become a business and work partner. And do so fast...If he is sincere, maybe it is more honest and upfront than most single men on dating sites. But I would think most women would see this ad or profile and feel he is putting the cart before the horse and asking for too much too soon from a woman who doesn't know him at all.

Well, I'll be damned (again), Cuomo was finally forced to resign.

ThinkingFree comments on Aug 10, 2021:

Well said, Tom !!!

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 10, 2021:

Thank you, I try...

Well, I'll be damned (again), Cuomo was finally forced to resign.

silverotter11 comments on Aug 10, 2021:

Good post. Too bad he was so old school touchy feelie Italian male. I grew up around guys like that, usually if you put them in their place life goes on. It was clear to me early on the gop party is the worst when it comes to how women and minorities are treated. Remember Phylis Schlafly, she ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 10, 2021:

Makes you wonder sometimes. Those women seem to have no sisterhood loyalty to their gender. I guess if you buy the "rugged individualist" Kool-Aid, enough, you are willing to leave your gender membership behind...

Well, I'll be damned (again), Cuomo was finally forced to resign.

Pralina1 comments on Aug 10, 2021:

🙌🙌🙌

TomMcGiverin replies on Aug 10, 2021:

Thanks, Pralina, I try...