I was just trying to log in to agnostic.

Paddypereira comments on Feb 20, 2021:

I had to reset my password. All good now.

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 20, 2021:

@Paddypereira It probably was a security feature, that the site verifies or checks every once in a while to make sure accounts have not been stolen or hacked, etc.

I was just trying to log in to agnostic.

Paddypereira comments on Feb 20, 2021:

I had to reset my password. All good now.

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 20, 2021:

I had to do that a few days ago. It wouldn't let me in until I reset my password.

Texas Republicans! 🙄

TomMcGiverin comments on Feb 19, 2021:

All three are equally huge assholes. I can't pick one over the others.

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 19, 2021:

@MichelleGar1 My two concerns would be the winters and the higher cost of living. I would have a much easier time there finding someone compatible and attractive to date, compared to Des Moines, but I'm not going to move just for that.

Texas Republicans! 🙄

TomMcGiverin comments on Feb 19, 2021:

All three are equally huge assholes. I can't pick one over the others.

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 19, 2021:

@MichelleGar1 If Iowa joined a new country of red states, I'd probably move to the Twin Cities, assuming I could afford it.

Texas Republicans! 🙄

TomMcGiverin comments on Feb 19, 2021:

All three are equally huge assholes. I can't pick one over the others.

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 19, 2021:

@MichelleGar1 Don't hold your breath. I realize you would have to move if it happened, but personally I'd be happy to see them secede.

Love George Carlin's political commentary. [youtu.be]

TomMcGiverin comments on Feb 19, 2021:

Does anybody recognize who the dickhead was debating Carlin there?

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 19, 2021:

@gigihein Thanks GiGi, you are on the case! I will give the longer video a watch. Watched it. The American Enterprise Institute is a think tank full of extremely conservative dickheads who promote apologist propaganda for capitalism, inequality, and corporate rule. His affiliation explains a lot. While he was making speeches about the importance of maintaining order and the danger of mobs, I couldn't help but want to see him now trying to pretzel dance his way into excusing the Jan. 6 rioters. Would love to see him grilled on that sometime on TV.

Love George Carlin's political commentary. [youtu.be]

TomMcGiverin comments on Feb 19, 2021:

Does anybody recognize who the dickhead was debating Carlin there?

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 19, 2021:

@gigihein No idea, that's why I asked.

Faced with real consequences for participating in insurrection, MAGA followers turn on Trump

TomMcGiverin comments on Feb 19, 2021:

My fear is that most of them will never face much in the way of consequences for the riot, certainly not as much as they deserve. I am also disturbed that whoever killed that one cop does not seem to be likely to be charged with murder and also that Kyle Rittenhouse will probably never be convicted ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 19, 2021:

@rainmanjr I call bullshit on you regarding Rittnehouse. You are entitled to your opinion, but I saw the video and if you try to debate me on this, I will block you. No one has the right to shoot unarmed people that are running away from you, even if they did beat you up, as alleged. He is not a cop and vigilante justice is illegal.

I truly am sad and afraid for our kids

TomMcGiverin comments on Feb 19, 2021:

Part of my reasoning in choosing to never have kids..

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 19, 2021:

@whiskywoman I think that is true with tons of women. There is so much social, peer, and parental pressure for them to have kids, that they just kind of fall into it without ever really thinking it thru and making a conscious decision. Hope it turned out ok or better in your case.

This is a Texas politician We owe you nothing

dkp93 comments on Feb 17, 2021:

Just another deplorable waste of skin. I read he was upset that his family was being harassed as a result of his heartless post. I hope they're strong enough to survive it, right?

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 18, 2021:

I sometimes use the expression, you may say (or think) Jesus loves you, but personally, I think you're garbage wrapped in skin.....

Seems Mexico needs a wall

mcgeo52 comments on Feb 18, 2021:

Send Bitch McCornhole to join him. Then bring them both back via Guantanamo with an indefinite layover.

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 18, 2021:

But only after they've both been thoroughly water-boarded. Wish Cheney would join them there in it as well.

This is a Texas politician We owe you nothing

TomMcGiverin comments on Feb 18, 2021:

Everything's bigger in Texas, including the assholes....

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 18, 2021:

@Mooolah Thank you. I try.

Kroger Closing More Stores to Avoid Paying Workers Hazard Pay Grocery giant Kroger, announced ...

Beowulfsfriend comments on Feb 18, 2021:

"Essential workers" is a phrase created to override the truth of "expendable workers."

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 18, 2021:

Expendable or disposable, same diff..

Does teaching "white guilt" also cultivate a "white pride" backlash?

Deb57 comments on Feb 17, 2021:

I would like to know what anyone thinks would warrant "pride" about having white skin. Unlike people of other nations and races, white people have never endured any kind of persecution, oppression, discrimination, or marginalization purely due to the color of our skin. We are the only race that ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 18, 2021:

That commandment says it all and is all we can ask of ourselves.

Is it just my imagination, or did Match, and probably all the other dating sites as well, get rid of...

TomMcGiverin comments on Feb 11, 2021:

Update: It's also significant that Match eliminated some of the trait checklist that would tell a viewer what the member was looking for in a partner, such as race, income level, baldness or hair color, religion, height, etc. You can still see if they are looking for someone with kids or not and ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 17, 2021:

@VertLyfe I'm guessing more likely that you are only messaging 7s, 8s, and maybe an occaisional 9.

Is it just my imagination, or did Match, and probably all the other dating sites as well, get rid of...

TomMcGiverin comments on Feb 11, 2021:

Update: It's also significant that Match eliminated some of the trait checklist that would tell a viewer what the member was looking for in a partner, such as race, income level, baldness or hair color, religion, height, etc. You can still see if they are looking for someone with kids or not and ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 17, 2021:

@VertLyfe I didn't say that. Look carefully at what I wrote. I said that most people direct their efforts mainly at people who are the same level of looks as them, as well as some who are higher up the scale than them. And then, those people that are contacted tend to only be looking for those on their level and higher. The logic of what I'm saying is that if you contact a significant percentage of people who are on your level or higher, they will mostly reject you as they are looking mostly for people who are better looking than you ( and them as well, for that matter. Everybody is trying to trade up, so to speak, at least some or most of the time). And round and round it goes. As I said elsewhere, the end result of dating sites is that most people crap out on them and a small lucky minority that make up the 8s, 9s, and 10s end up doing all the dating and sex from the site, with that being maybe a slight exaggeration and over- simplification. You get my point.

Is it just my imagination, or did Match, and probably all the other dating sites as well, get rid of...

TomMcGiverin comments on Feb 11, 2021:

Update: It's also significant that Match eliminated some of the trait checklist that would tell a viewer what the member was looking for in a partner, such as race, income level, baldness or hair color, religion, height, etc. You can still see if they are looking for someone with kids or not and ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 17, 2021:

@VertLyfe I've been using Match the last couple months as an unpaid member because they allow me to message one member for free each day and if the woman replies to me, we can trade messages for free for a limited time. So far it looks like they allow that for the unpaid member for at least two months of that, maybe three. I have not had an opportunity yet to test if I could use, as an unpaid member, their video chat function, so we'll see if that too is allowed. I do not plan to pay and sign up again as a paid member until this summer, after I am either vaccinated or the Covid situation is improved enough that I can realistically assume most women are willing to meet a man from Match and risk Covid based on what a stranger has told them about their Covid safety habits. The same goes for my own willingness to risk meeting someone from Match at this time or later. I would be very careful about meeting someone until both of us are vaccinated. I think you are on the mark when you say that many or most guys at this time don't want to pay in order to be able to reply to a woman's message. I know I won't pay for a membership at this time because it's so unlikely that most women I message would agree to meet me since my looks are only average and I want to date someone who is at least average looking, maybe more than that on the scale. Match keeps notifying me about the numbers of women that have sent me Likes or Messages, even how many have viewed my profile, but I'm not gullible or desperate enough to pay to find out, esp. because many of them could be fake or old profiles that are no longer active.

Is it just my imagination, or did Match, and probably all the other dating sites as well, get rid of...

TomMcGiverin comments on Feb 11, 2021:

Update: It's also significant that Match eliminated some of the trait checklist that would tell a viewer what the member was looking for in a partner, such as race, income level, baldness or hair color, religion, height, etc. You can still see if they are looking for someone with kids or not and ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 17, 2021:

@VertLyfe Ok, thanks for the further explanation. Now I am going to say what I was already suspecting regarding your experience with getting so few replies from men. First off, I want to note that you are at least more than average looking. I see you as more attractive looking than most women on Match. Next, you say that you are ok with sending the first message to a man if you find him physically attractive based on the photos and info. If there is not much info, you fall back to sending a Like to the man, instead of a message if their photos are attractive enough to interest you in them. Agree with me so far on how I'm hearing this? I suspect the reason you get such a low reply rate from guys for your messages sent is because most of the men you are messaging are in the top 20% or so, lookswise, of the men on the site in your dating pool. And even tho you are well above average in looks yourself, maybe a 7 or an 8 if you want to get crass and objective about it, the guys you are sending messages to are mostly seeking only 8s and 9s, and getting plenty of response and attention from them. So you may be getting rejected by most of the guys you message because you are trying to date just a little out of your league, lookswise. Don't feel bad, about everyone does it and gets the same kind of response rate, including me, when I message women who are a 6, 7, or 8. Most of these women are higher on the looks scale than me, some of them aren't. And I get the same response rate as you. As for sending Likes instead of messages to men, most men, including me, don't put much stock in a woman sending me a Like, even tho I will usually reply with a message to a woman's Like, but only if her pics and info interest or attract me regarding her. I don't automatically reply to all messages from women either, not if her info and photos do not interest or attract me. It's not worth it in that case because it only gives the woman false hope and encouragement, sometimes leading to her asking me to explain why I'm not interested or attracted. Those situations only end badly, as you can imagine. Match is no better or worse than the other sites and the trends run the same way on any paid dating site like that. I recommend Match only because in most parts of the US, at least, it has the largest local dating pools of any site for most age groups, including seniors.

Is it just my imagination, or did Match, and probably all the other dating sites as well, get rid of...

TomMcGiverin comments on Feb 11, 2021:

Update: It's also significant that Match eliminated some of the trait checklist that would tell a viewer what the member was looking for in a partner, such as race, income level, baldness or hair color, religion, height, etc. You can still see if they are looking for someone with kids or not and ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 17, 2021:

@VertLyfe Can you elaborate more about what you mean regarding replies from men? I'm not sure if you mean that you yourself have approached a lot of men with initial messages or something else by your statement. I know from my own experience as well as chatting with women from the sites I used that few of them would ever make the first move and message men first, instead of always waiting for men to message. I will comment more on what I think is going on with your experience once I hear more from you.

Does teaching "white guilt" also cultivate a "white pride" backlash?

nicestuff comments on Feb 17, 2021:

My ancestors, on both sides of my family, were poor Polish peasants who immigrated to the US in the 20th Century. Being Slavic, one can presume my ancient heritage was more in the slave ("Slavic" means slave) category than in the overlord category. Being descendant of Polish nationality ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 17, 2021:

My ancestors who first came to America undoubtedly had it rough, since back then they were discriminated too for jobs- the old signs used to say back then "No Irish Need Apply", but at least they had rights that blacks and Native Americans did not have in the society. By the time the first members of my family came to Iowa after the Civil War, they were able to get land and be farmers, because they were white, so they had it easier than the ones who first arrived in America in New York. So they had reason to be proud of overcoming their limited obstacles, but they also, as an ethnic group, benefitted from the dominant white society deciding after their group had been in America a while to include them fully into white society, and they reciprocated by adopting the racism of seeing blacks and other minority groups as inferior to them and carrying out the dominant prejudices, esp. against blacks.

For someone who did so much damage to American democracy, and contributed to poisoning the minds of ...

glennlab comments on Feb 17, 2021:

My question is how many days will his grave be urine free this year?

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 17, 2021:

I'm sure that instead of a grave his remains will end up in some high security family crypt, like most rich people, so that peasants and commoners are unable to visit and desecrate their grave. Sort of the cemetary equivalent of gated communities.

New form fitting clothing for men... 🤔😂🤣

TomMcGiverin comments on Feb 17, 2021:

Reminds me of something out of the movie A Clockwork Orange...

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 17, 2021:

@EarnestEccentric That's just sick or not right in some sense....

Texas Republicans Beg Biden for Help Weeks After Endorsing Secession Bill In response to a huge...

TomMcGiverin comments on Feb 16, 2021:

They deserved for Biden to tell them to shove it, same as Trump would have told a blue state in the same boat. Dems are such pussies.

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 16, 2021:

@BirdMan1 I remember very well in the 1980s how Reagan, the same as Trump, got lots of votes from working class Americans who, even tho they disagreed with some or many of his policies, voted for and supported him because he was respected as a warrior who was tough, both with the Russians and the Dems. Bernie understands that, but most of the other Dems in congress, esp. the leaders like Pelosi and Schumer, do not get that or else do get it, but just want to fail at getting anything done.

Texas Republicans Beg Biden for Help Weeks After Endorsing Secession Bill In response to a huge...

TomMcGiverin comments on Feb 16, 2021:

They deserved for Biden to tell them to shove it, same as Trump would have told a blue state in the same boat. Dems are such pussies.

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 16, 2021:

@BirdMan1 That may be, but most voters in the middle, esp. working class voters, will not support someone who is perceived as weak. They vote for people who are willing to fight and play political hardball, who are warriors. That was a lot of Trump's appeal to former Obama voters. Biden does not have any of that image, because that's not him. He keeps preaching platitudes about unity and seeking non-existent bipartisanship, which is why he looks weak and cowardly instead of playing hardball, telling the Repubs to shove it, and passing the Covid bill with reconciliation. You may prefer a kumbaya approach to politics, but that is no longer realistic and relevant. Biden's passive, weak approach will come back to bite him in two years with the midterms and also in four years against whoever the Dems run to replace him.

The price of being single |

EarnestEccentric comments on Feb 15, 2021:

I have married for religion, then for money, then for sex, then for selfless love... all went badly. Everyone has their own interpretation of what everything is and what everything means, but we all run around acting as if it's all the same. It's not. The only way a marriage can continue is ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 16, 2021:

@EarnestEccentric To each their own.

If You Had To Choose?

anglophone comments on Feb 15, 2021:

I would choose Buddhism, and certainly *not* Hindu.

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 16, 2021:

@Mvtt Bores me and puts me to sleep. I prefer reading.

The effect of rich in politics,

LenHazell53 comments on Feb 15, 2021:

War, community and economic depression had made people more humane. Social media, self entitlement and greed have stripped all away those traits. Appreciation has been replaced with criticism, satisfaction with enough has been replaced with dissatisfaction with excess, community spirit superseded ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 15, 2021:

We have a very sick society and the Repubs represent the worst of it.

Secular Dating

NoMagicCookie comments on Feb 14, 2021:

Find a secular partner? lol? Because of my high standards (must be secular) I am alone and will likely remain that way. Good luck.

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 15, 2021:

@NoMagicCookie I can relate. I hope things improve, for both of us..

The price of being single |

TomMcGiverin comments on Feb 15, 2021:

I was with my late wife from 1995 to 2015, when we were medically separated because of her dementia getting bad enough that we had to live apart until her death two years later. I kept visiting her regularly after we had to live apart. Before her dementia began in 2011, those 16 good years with her ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 15, 2021:

@rainmanjr Thank you. I've been done grieving for a few years now. The challenge is finding love again, which is the ultimate step in moving on. I saw and experienced some really bad stuff, as did she, in her last years. I want to get on with enjoying companionship and getting the opportunity to love again. Limited success so far, with only a six month relationship that ended with Covid. Ready to try again this summer with Match.

Families boycotting Publix grocery chain as heir donates 300k to defense fund of Capital rioters.

Lucy_Fehr comments on Feb 15, 2021:

It was not to a defense fund. It was donated to the rally that preceded the riot

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 15, 2021:

I'm still in favor of boycotting any business that donates money to the Trumper cause in any shape or form.

Secular Dating

NoMagicCookie comments on Feb 14, 2021:

Find a secular partner? lol? Because of my high standards (must be secular) I am alone and will likely remain that way. Good luck.

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 15, 2021:

Sorry to hear that. I hope you are proven wrong. We all deserve love, at least those of us that are not wicked... Besides your high standards, I suspect that where you live is also a strongly negative factor in finding a compatible partner. Iowa is not much better, but ND has to be worse for that.

If You Had To Choose?

anglophone comments on Feb 15, 2021:

I would choose Buddhism, and certainly *not* Hindu.

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 15, 2021:

Same here. But I would resist doing the meditation.....

The price of being single |

EarnestEccentric comments on Feb 15, 2021:

I have married for religion, then for money, then for sex, then for selfless love... all went badly. Everyone has their own interpretation of what everything is and what everything means, but we all run around acting as if it's all the same. It's not. The only way a marriage can continue is ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 15, 2021:

I respect your experience and you have the right to your opinion, but I disagree with your analysis and assertion that all great marriages have to come down to one person being the sacrificer and the other being the fulfilled recipient. I suggest there is another way, in which both people compromise and sacrifice for the good of the relationship and each other. My marriage was truly a partnership between us until she got dementia, because that is what we both wanted going into it and we were both stubborn and strong enough to ask for what we wanted from the other and hold our ground about getting it. Marriage can be whatever the two people want it to be and are willing to work for and agree on. I hope I am not considered to be too idealistic or unusual, but that was my experience during the good years we had.

A Bible Thumper told me that “Covid has been around for thousands of years - the is using it as an...

Gator comments on Feb 15, 2021:

I'm good with people going to church and not wearing masks. It's classic Darwinian survival of the fittest and this seems like a good way to cull the herd.

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 15, 2021:

@Organist1 And the worst part is that professional ethics require health care workers to treat them regardless of their behavior and risk their lives being around these maskholes..

Life is to short to wait for love to come to you. That’s why we are all here searching.

HeAdAkE comments on Feb 8, 2021:

Ur not searching if ur a woman ur riding the CC and keeping ur standards sky high and then hitting the wall its simple biology and what we have become woman have the ability to pick as they please, even if theyre fat n nasty dating is dead

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 14, 2021:

@HeAdAkE I agree with your analysis and, trust me on this, I have made the same kind of points on this forum and gotten slammed big time by the bitter single feminists here, most of whom have since moved on. I got called a misogynist constantly and blocked by several women. While many or even most men will have sex with a woman or even choose a partner for a relationship that includes sex that is a couple points or more lower than them on the graph, that is not me. Maybe I just have a lower sex drive, maybe it's cuz I'm old, I dunno, but I am not interested in choosing a mate or even having sex with a woman that is more than a point lower than me on the graph, because I just don't find them attractive enough. That was part of why my last dating relationship ended after six months. I just couldn't see a lasting attraction for me. I know that sounds cold to the women reading this, but at least I didn't keep stringing someone along....

So - my partner died in 20.

HeAdAkE comments on Feb 8, 2021:

Interesting fact : 80% of women are looking for the top 20% of men on dating apps datingapps are not worth it if ur a guy "Women marry Men in the hope that they will change, and Men marry Woman hoping they will not. So each is inevitably disappointed." can u believe that was the great ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 14, 2021:

@HeAdAkE I respect your position and will keep your advice in mind.

Biden's Win Was MUCH Tighter Than Originally Thought - YouTube

RoboGraham comments on Feb 14, 2021:

If not for COVID, Trump would still be in office. But liberals somehow think they've defeated Trumpism. It's close, and if they continue to not deliver on their promises and ignore the needs of the people during this crisis, Trumpism will come roaring back.

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 14, 2021:

Appealing to elitism, cultural snobbery and other culture war stuff is not an effective message to working class people and it will result in net losses in two years and a prez election loss in four years.

Life is to short to wait for love to come to you. That’s why we are all here searching.

HeAdAkE comments on Feb 8, 2021:

Ur not searching if ur a woman ur riding the CC and keeping ur standards sky high and then hitting the wall its simple biology and what we have become woman have the ability to pick as they please, even if theyre fat n nasty dating is dead

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 14, 2021:

@HeAdAkE I tried embracing my autonomy, as you put it, when I was living as a single from my early 20s to when I met my late wife in 1995. Those years from then until 2011 were the best and happiest years of my adult life. I am not going to just settle for permanently going back to those years between college and 1995, because, unlike then, I no longer have youth on my side and I know that I am happier with a partner than I am single. It's the way I'm wired. Watch the movie The Shawshank Redemption. Some of us need hope, even if it's false, in order to cope and survive. I have no hope about religion or afterlife. I need some hope about better times ahead in this life, or else, why go on?

So - my partner died in 20.

HeAdAkE comments on Feb 8, 2021:

Interesting fact : 80% of women are looking for the top 20% of men on dating apps datingapps are not worth it if ur a guy "Women marry Men in the hope that they will change, and Men marry Woman hoping they will not. So each is inevitably disappointed." can u believe that was the great ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 14, 2021:

@HeAdAkE I appreciate your support and concern, man, but I'll live my life my way, even if it is a futile effort. I beat the odds last time, at least to the point of finding someone that was a good companion, so I'll try again. I would rather be trying than resigning myself to being alone the rest of my life without even trying.

So - my partner died in 20.

HeAdAkE comments on Feb 8, 2021:

Interesting fact : 80% of women are looking for the top 20% of men on dating apps datingapps are not worth it if ur a guy "Women marry Men in the hope that they will change, and Men marry Woman hoping they will not. So each is inevitably disappointed." can u believe that was the great ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 14, 2021:

If that weren't bad enough, the 80-20 thing, the other issue is that on almost all dating sites, there are way more men on there than women, so the game is lopsided from the beginning against men, then you add the 80-20 thing, and you're right, it's probably money down the rathole.

So - my partner died in 20.

HeAdAkE comments on Feb 8, 2021:

Interesting fact : 80% of women are looking for the top 20% of men on dating apps datingapps are not worth it if ur a guy "Women marry Men in the hope that they will change, and Men marry Woman hoping they will not. So each is inevitably disappointed." can u believe that was the great ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 14, 2021:

@HeAdAkE It could very well be 90-10 instead of 80-20. It really doesn't matter that much difference. The point is that an average looking guy like me with average money is going to be a losing spectator in the dating game, I'm afraid. But I will still try again this summer, because I may well live another 20-25 years and I don't want to spend all of it as a single. Esp. because I'm not getting any younger and eventually most or all of my friends will die too, so life will be lonelier. I saw that happen to my late father and it's not pretty. You get old enough and all your friends are dead and it's not that easy to make new ones once you get into your elderly years.

Life is to short to wait for love to come to you. That’s why we are all here searching.

HeAdAkE comments on Feb 8, 2021:

Ur not searching if ur a woman ur riding the CC and keeping ur standards sky high and then hitting the wall its simple biology and what we have become woman have the ability to pick as they please, even if theyre fat n nasty dating is dead

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 14, 2021:

@HeAdAkE Nope. To put it simply, I tried online dating for two years on Match and pretty much was spinning my wheels until I met a woman from there in Sept. of 2019. We dated for about six months while I dropped out of Match, but the relationship didn't work out and we called it quits when Covid hit in March 2020. Since then, I've been sitting it out from Match and dating because of Covid. I plan to renew my paid membership sometime this summer after I get vaccinated. No point wasting money on Match until then.

Interesting times ahead for the GOP.

KKGator comments on Feb 14, 2021:

The gop let the cancer in. They shouldn't be surprised about it killing them.

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 14, 2021:

@hankster That seems to be what's shaping up.

Interesting times ahead for the GOP.

KKGator comments on Feb 14, 2021:

The gop let the cancer in. They shouldn't be surprised about it killing them.

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 14, 2021:

@jlynn37 I share your fear. The crazy Trumpers will not go away even if Trump does. They will find another opportunistic Repub who will lead them if Trump does go away.

My summation of Impeachment verdict

linxminx comments on Feb 14, 2021:

We are a plutocracy. The wealthy, mainly corporate wealth, is what really rules America. The first impeachment of Trump brought millions of $$$ of funding to each political party. Is it any wonder we had another? Our government goes from one drama to the next all for the purpose of raising money...

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 14, 2021:

Hedges tells the brutal, depressing truth about both parties. That's why the corporate media won't let him anywhere near one of their microphones.

There are a few good things that came out of the impeachment trial.

LucyLoohoo comments on Feb 14, 2021:

OH, YES! We know that NY can make life awful for him....SOON, PLEASE!

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 14, 2021:

Don't hold your breath. Biden seems very ready and willing to let Trump off the hook. I look for Biden to lean on Cuomo to help him out and quash the NY investigation of Trump, sort of a backdoor pardon.

We are STILL BEING LIED TO.

Freedompath comments on Feb 14, 2021:

I am not clear about anything that was not presented and what video that I have seen come on the news (not fox, or right wing media), It was very serious and a real danger to all the people in the Capital! But this is not over, all those rioters have not been tried in court yet!

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 14, 2021:

@racocn8 I think it's very disturbing and telling that we have heard nothing about the investigation into who murdered the cop that got his head bashed in with the fire extinguisher. His killer may never be punished.

The Democratic Party has for some time now been a moderate conservative ( business ) party.

FearlessFly comments on Feb 13, 2021:

. . . or perhaps Bernie already figures another party would split the 'liberal' vote. :P Perhaps the Rs will split. :O

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 14, 2021:

I agree. The Dem Party will never allow progressives to have any real power in the party or get a prez nomination. If we don't establish a viable third party, the best we can hope for is the Repubs splitting, but I'm not optimistic that either will happen.

The Democratic Party has for some time now been a moderate conservative ( business ) party.

racocn8 comments on Feb 13, 2021:

Let's make sure the stake is securely penetrating the vampire's heart before risking a loss, especially while Trump is still hoping for another run. You can be sure the Republicans will be doing all they can to splinter the Democrat Party. This is not the time to help them. If you love ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 14, 2021:

That's a nice idea, but it will never work. The last two cycles proved that the Dem Party is beyond reform or redemption. Their leaders love that corporate money too much to allow progressive candidates to ever control the party or be nominated for prez.

43 fake Americans in our Senate.

altschmerz comments on Feb 13, 2021:

Yup, disappointed but I knew that would be the outcome.

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 13, 2021:

That is the truth of it, but no Repubs would ever admit to voting not guilty because they either want the votes of the insurrectionists or because they are afraid of them. Admitting that would take too much courage.

By acquitting Trump the GOP senators have shown their disregard for truth and the rule of law in the...

Redheadedgammy comments on Feb 13, 2021:

Well, the party is losing an awful lot of people after this clusterfuck administration made it impossible for those repubs with a conscience to stay in the party. The gop is a dead party now. Let’s cheer their demise!!

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 13, 2021:

@Shaggy2018 I'm afraid you're right. I think we are headed for a second civil war, only this one will not be formally declared between one group of states against another. It will be fought by mobs against the cops and police, who I can only hope will back the rule of law and oppose insurrection. But with all of the current and former members of the military and police that were part of the riot mob, I am not optimistic. My two senators, Grassley and Ernst, predictably voted not guilty.

Snow is a delightful occurrence here, with about 4" today after a night of being blasted with ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Feb 13, 2021:

Our snow ended yesterday, at least for several days. Meanwhile it's crazy cold and windy. Winds around 25-40 mph with air temps as low as -15.

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 13, 2021:

@tinkercreek I'm hunkering down and hiding inside as much as possible until it begins to break on Tue. Will just be going across the parking lot each day to exercise at my condo community's exercise room, picking up carryout food from restaurants tomorrow and Mon. eve. where I can stay in my car, and picking up a newspaper tomorrow. It's going to be brutal until Tue. afternoon, even after that it will be way below normal temps.

43 fake Americans in our Senate.

TomMcGiverin comments on Feb 13, 2021:

10 votes short. Just about what I expected. Since the outcome was already clear long ago, I wish the Dems had gotten it over with quicker.

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 13, 2021:

@altschmerz I agree. They could have gone ahead and called witnesses on the phone call between Trump and McCarthy, but they decided it was not worth fighting on some more over when the Repubs made it clear they would still end up acquitting him. Right now Turtle Man (McConnell) is lying thru his teeth about how the trial was unconstitutional since Trump was out of office, while all the while McConnell was the reason the trial was delayed until Trump was out. What a lying, fuckfaced ratfucker McConnell is. I would love to see somebody assassinate his ass, but pricks like him seem to live forever, instead of dying young like the good...

Trump's Defense Shoves His Biggest Supporters Under The Bus | HuffPost

Namaste comments on Feb 13, 2021:

I wish old white people in politics believed in accountability. This will get worse before it gets better.

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 13, 2021:

I hear you and mostly agree. However, throwing out or dismissing the views and participation would also leave us without people like Bernie and Warren, among others on the right side.

Is hating haters hate?

KKGator comments on Feb 13, 2021:

45 inspires derision. Always has. Even before he ran for president. As far as the republicans banging on about democrats hating 45, that is the absolute height of hypocrisy. For 8 years, without any let up, they hated on Obama. Many still are. I'm sick to death of republican hypocrisy....

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 13, 2021:

@KKGator No worries, I got it that you agreed with me. Their arrogance can be maddening...

Is hating haters hate?

KKGator comments on Feb 13, 2021:

45 inspires derision. Always has. Even before he ran for president. As far as the republicans banging on about democrats hating 45, that is the absolute height of hypocrisy. For 8 years, without any let up, they hated on Obama. Many still are. I'm sick to death of republican hypocrisy....

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 13, 2021:

When you're a Repub, you never have to say you're sorry, be truthful, be consistent, or be guilty of hypocrisy, even when it's plain you're being hypocritical. In their mind, being on the side of God, patriotism, and the right party makes you immune from ever being wrong.

Is hating haters hate?

Wallace comments on Feb 13, 2021:

Not quite your point, but hating hate seems much like being intolerant of intolerance.

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 13, 2021:

That's exactly what I've been accused of in the past, being intolerant of intolerance, esp. bigotry.

Secular Dating

AmyTheBruce comments on Feb 12, 2021:

My method probably won't work so well for you... I got on a senior dating website and stated that I'm atheist. On other dating sites such information was kryptonite, but on the senior site it was met with enthusiasm. I'm not saying that atheism is more popular with the older crowd (it isn't),...

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 13, 2021:

@AmyTheBruce I think it went both ways. That's impressive that you knew after only two dates that he was the one for you. You're more decisive than most people. In my experience with online dating, timing ends up being extremely important, at least for men, because normally the men do all the pursuing and initial messaging in the dating game. And it also appears that most women do not want to do parallel dating, which is dating, or continuing to see more than one man at a time. Most women seem to want to meet multiple men at one time, then settle on just one man to see again for another time or two to help them decide whether to keep seeing them exclusively or instead open themselves back up to seeing and meeting other men. So, if a man initially messages a woman after she has already had first meetings with several men and already decided to see one or two of them another time to decide if they are a keeper or not, that man doing his initial message to her has probably already missed the bus for good. The woman by then will probably have already decided to ignore any new prospects messaging her, and instead is focused on choosing among her current pool of prospects that she has already traded messages with. She may decide later that none of her current pool are keepers and is now ready to go back to square one and look at new prospects that are messaging her. But that doesn't happen very often, I suspect, and even when it does, the men whose messages have been gathering dust will probably have moved on or given up on the idea of messaging her with a confirmation that they are still interested in her. But by then, the newer guy in the competition has a message that's been sitting in her inbox for at least a week or maybe a few weeks that she's hasn't bothered to read. Does anyone honestly think she is going to read these dated messages and bother to respond to them on the assumption that the guys are still available and interested in meeting her? Probably not, because doing so would put her more into the position of being a pursuer, which most women avoid like the plague, as it risks rejection and gives up their privilege of being the decider while the guys message her and she sits back to choose. I have had many women confirm that this is how it usually plays out and that they will not respond to an old initial message from a guy that messaged her while she was actively going on dates and in the middle of her screening and dating process. And one more issue that is compounding the dilemma that guys are put in, is that if they guy chooses to follow up on his initial message to the woman, which came too late to make it into her initial group of prospects of which she made her initial cut of who to meet and who to reject, is that if he sends her a ...

Bruce Springsteen JEEP 2021 Super Bowl Commercial 2021 LV - YouTube

BirdMan1 comments on Feb 12, 2021:

The Bruce's music never appealed to me. I understand that he is a nice guy. Having lived in N.J., my adult son ran into him in a deli, or café "down the shore" as Jerseyites call it, and had a pleasant experience saying "Hi!" The Jeep commercial rubbed me the wrong way, with him seeming to ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 12, 2021:

In the past, Springsteen was a very nice, generous guy who sided with the underdog, such as advocating for Vietnam vets, the homeless, immigrants, AIDS victims, etc. Now he is trying to appeal to Christians and blue collar Trumpers? What a decline....

Bruce Springsteen JEEP 2021 Super Bowl Commercial 2021 LV - YouTube

BirdMan1 comments on Feb 12, 2021:

The Bruce's music never appealed to me. I understand that he is a nice guy. Having lived in N.J., my adult son ran into him in a deli, or café "down the shore" as Jerseyites call it, and had a pleasant experience saying "Hi!" The Jeep commercial rubbed me the wrong way, with him seeming to ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 12, 2021:

@BufftonBeotch True that. There are different types of drudgery and some are much more physical and poorly paid than a music star getting disenchanted with fame and being rich while getting older. No doubt most authentic blue collar workers would gladly trade places and lives with Seger. Or with Springsteen, for that matter.

Secular Dating

AmyTheBruce comments on Feb 12, 2021:

My method probably won't work so well for you... I got on a senior dating website and stated that I'm atheist. On other dating sites such information was kryptonite, but on the senior site it was met with enthusiasm. I'm not saying that atheism is more popular with the older crowd (it isn't),...

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 12, 2021:

@AmyTheBruce Actually, Amy, I know from previous experience with Our Time that it and SeniorPeopleMeet are sister sites and I found out from chatting with women from Our Time that their membership there was also carried over to SeniorPeople. So if you had a profile on OT, it was also displayed on SeniorPeople.

Bruce Springsteen JEEP 2021 Super Bowl Commercial 2021 LV - YouTube

BirdMan1 comments on Feb 12, 2021:

The Bruce's music never appealed to me. I understand that he is a nice guy. Having lived in N.J., my adult son ran into him in a deli, or café "down the shore" as Jerseyites call it, and had a pleasant experience saying "Hi!" The Jeep commercial rubbed me the wrong way, with him seeming to ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 12, 2021:

@BufftonBeotch Oh fuck I hate that song, Turn The Page. I mean, come on, Seger whining about having to "play the star again", as he rakes in the big bucks? Boo-fucking-hoo. Cry me a river, Bob...

California is collapsing - UnHerd

rainmanjr comments on Feb 12, 2021:

I moved out of it twice because I couldn't afford it and couldn't find good work. I'm low skilled.

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 12, 2021:

That's why I never moved away from Iowa, even tho I don't fit in here, because the cost of living is much higher on either coast, I am not high-skilled, and thus, I could never compete or survive without living in poverty. Even in retirement, I'm still not rich enough to move somewhere that is significantly more expensive.

Bruce Springsteen JEEP 2021 Super Bowl Commercial 2021 LV - YouTube

BirdMan1 comments on Feb 12, 2021:

The Bruce's music never appealed to me. I understand that he is a nice guy. Having lived in N.J., my adult son ran into him in a deli, or café "down the shore" as Jerseyites call it, and had a pleasant experience saying "Hi!" The Jeep commercial rubbed me the wrong way, with him seeming to ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 12, 2021:

I agree. I have always hated how popular Bob Seger is in the Midwest, since he is basically a midwest redneck ripoff of Springsteen and always has been. Seger writes and sings basically the same type of songs as Bruce and always has, but the yokels here in the midwest have always been big on Seger instead of Bruce. I could never figure that out unless it's simply a regional thing about being parochial and only supporting singers from your own neck of the woods. I liked Springsteen more when he was a proud Jersey boy who merged and sang from a cross of the hippie music and R&B music he grew up on instead of trying to move to the mainstream. I read his memoir, Born To Run and he said he grew up hanging around with both hippies and greasers, so I guess he also listened to doo-wop stuff like Dion as well as the above genres.

Secular Dating

Sofabeast comments on Feb 12, 2021:

Random chance in a beer tent after I had saved someone else's life.

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 12, 2021:

@Sofabeast Same with me as far as Agostic.com. Met some cool women on here, but they all live at least several hundred miles away. I'm not willing to date LD or move and neither are they. So it's pretty hopeless in that sense.

Roaming Charges: Scene of the Crimes - CounterPunch.org

TomMcGiverin comments on Feb 12, 2021:

I must admit that the older I get, the more I feel like this, feelings of despair, resignation, and an inclination to abandon the fight. I wonder how Bernie Sander privately feels about the future of America and our politics. He knows he will probably die soon.

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 12, 2021:

@WilliamCharles Can't argue with any of that. I'm younger than you and I felt this was probably our last chance.

Secular Dating

AmyTheBruce comments on Feb 12, 2021:

My method probably won't work so well for you... I got on a senior dating website and stated that I'm atheist. On other dating sites such information was kryptonite, but on the senior site it was met with enthusiasm. I'm not saying that atheism is more popular with the older crowd (it isn't),...

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 12, 2021:

I agree that older adults are more willing to come out of the closet and identify as non-believers. When you're young there's more personal desire to fit in and go with the flow socially with the rest of your age group. People tend to be more secure about who they are and willing to buck the flow when they are older and have a support network already in place.

Secular Dating

Sofabeast comments on Feb 12, 2021:

Random chance in a beer tent after I had saved someone else's life.

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 12, 2021:

Nothing more attractive to women than a recognized hero.

Secular Dating

ADKSparky comments on Feb 12, 2021:

I’m not dating but pre-pandemic, I’ve met great people at atheist Meetups, humanist meetings, and at rallies.

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 12, 2021:

I have a married friend who goes to a lot of meetings like that around here. He used to keep pushing me to go with him so I could meet women, but after a while even he started to realize the meetings usually had very few women there, mainly sausage fests, and the women who were there were usually coupled with a guy that was with them there. Same thing with a grief support group I attended for several months after I was widowed, mainly to see if there were any women worth meeting, since my wife had dementia for several years before she died, so I had already done most of my grieving by then. When the group had its monthly gathering at a restaurant to socialize, I quickly realized that almost everyone there was already coupled up, along with the fact that almost all the people there were older than my dating age group. So I gave up on that too and quit attending. Dating over 50 really amounts to going out and doing the research, like I did, on the different ways of meeting people. After a year or so of research, it became clear that the best and most efficient way to meet single women my age would be dating sites, of which Match was the best. Your mileage may vary depending on where you live and what your dating age group is.

Secular Dating

AmyTheBruce comments on Feb 12, 2021:

My method probably won't work so well for you... I got on a senior dating website and stated that I'm atheist. On other dating sites such information was kryptonite, but on the senior site it was met with enthusiasm. I'm not saying that atheism is more popular with the older crowd (it isn't),...

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 12, 2021:

Just out of curiosity, which dating site did you use? I've tried Match and Our Time and neither one seems to have many non-believers in my age group. It also seems like most of the women my age from my area on there want a fellow believer. Of course, I'm an older generation than you and I live in Bible Belt Iowa while you live in liberal, blue, Washington state.

Bruce Springsteen JEEP 2021 Super Bowl Commercial 2021 LV - YouTube

whiskywoman comments on Feb 12, 2021:

he is getting old

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 12, 2021:

That's why he did the high ticket price Broadway show, so he could cash in. On top of that, he and Netflix are milking every last nickel out of it before they will ever release that show for home video. Bruce is starting to act old, greedy and stupid...

So - my partner died in 20.

HeAdAkE comments on Feb 8, 2021:

Interesting fact : 80% of women are looking for the top 20% of men on dating apps datingapps are not worth it if ur a guy "Women marry Men in the hope that they will change, and Men marry Woman hoping they will not. So each is inevitably disappointed." can u believe that was the great ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 12, 2021:

You are right about the stats on dating sites or apps. Both sexes are mostly looking for the top 20% of the respective genders on dating sites. The result is that the vast majority of both sexes end up being frustrated spectators who end up meeting very few people from the dating sites, go on very few dates and seldom end up having sex from it. Most of the actual dating and sex from dating sites is only practiced by the men and women in the top 20% of looks/attractiveness from the site. I do suspect the stats are somewhat different and better for average-looking or below average looking men and women on the sites like Tinder that are more about just hooking up than seeking relationships, but I have no experience with those types of sites or apps.

These Billboards Call Out Christian Nationalist Bills Filed by Iowa Lawmakers | Hemant Mehta | ...

nicestuff comments on Feb 11, 2021:

Glad to see the billboards, but they are not enough. Quote: "House File 170 would allow Christian business owners to discriminate against LGBTQ people. Senate File 159 would send taxpayer dollars to private Christian schools at the expense of public secular ones. House File 272 would eliminate ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 12, 2021:

I'm embarrassed to admit I'm a lifelong Iowan. These Repub retards are rapidly turning my state into North Mississippi, which is what many liberals here already call the state.

Life is to short to wait for love to come to you. That’s why we are all here searching.

HeAdAkE comments on Feb 8, 2021:

Ur not searching if ur a woman ur riding the CC and keeping ur standards sky high and then hitting the wall its simple biology and what we have become woman have the ability to pick as they please, even if theyre fat n nasty dating is dead

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 11, 2021:

@HeAdAkE You are right about much of this, but not about marriage. Mine lasted for two decades, even tho the last several years of it were hell most of the time, as my wife developed dementia. But even with that ending, the whole experience was worth it. It made me a better person, even tho the dementia experience just about broke me emotionally. So I have to disagree with you about marriage. In my case, we both gained much from it and it was worth it for both of us. Your mileage, however, may vary...Marriage is, or at least can be, whatever two people make of it, regardless of what society, the church, or the law think it should be... It's important to remember that.

I sometimes wish this could be enforced.

Sorcha comments on Feb 11, 2021:

I know Fox News and other conservatives point to Venezuala has being their example of socialism and why it is horrible, but they don't look at Scandanavian countries who have a very generous social safety net and some of the highest happiness indices in the world.

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 11, 2021:

Of course they are selective and dishonest in which countries they use to portray socialism. What else do you expect from propagandists posing as journalists?

Life is to short to wait for love to come to you. That’s why we are all here searching.

HeAdAkE comments on Feb 8, 2021:

Ur not searching if ur a woman ur riding the CC and keeping ur standards sky high and then hitting the wall its simple biology and what we have become woman have the ability to pick as they please, even if theyre fat n nasty dating is dead

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 11, 2021:

There is, sadly, some truth to what you are saying. Dating in the traditional sense is mostly dead, as many men are getting demoralized by fruitless attempts to pursue women in the mating ritual while women sit back and wait to be approached. When too many of the women maintain standards that are too high, many of the men give up. Both sexes then often end up alone and frustrated, while the high value men and women continue on their merry way, enjoying the perks and privileges that come with being above average looking or better. They end up being mostly the only ones continuing to do traditional dating and they are the ones having most of the sex in the singles scene. The rest of us become frustrated, disgruntled spectators... Update: After some further thought, I can see maybe one way out of this, tho it's not likely to happen, since it would involve people acting against their biological instincts in favor of their rational intellect. And that would be for men to start choosing women that are lower than their own ranking on the looks scale while women started choosing men that also are lower on the looks scale than them AND also lower than them in their status as far as power, money, and success. Not very likely to happen with either sex as a general trend. Because, despite the denials and virtue posturing by members of both sexes about how they are not so shallow to base their choices of partners significantly or even largely based on looks and sexual attraction, the awful truth is that BOTH sexes want to find a partner that is at least at their same level of looks, if not higher than them on the so-called 1-10 scale. The end result, everybody ends up looking mainly for partners among those who are on the upper end of the scale, namely the 7-9s. I know of no real answers or way out of this. See update above....

What do you think scammer or just a misguided individual? [agnostic.com]

ZantiMisfit comments on Feb 11, 2021:

Not sure. Perhaps she's curious about the other side.

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 11, 2021:

I concur.

I'm quite glad, I'm not participating in this anymore. [m.youtube.com]

Lorajay comments on Feb 10, 2021:

I posted this because I thought it was probably a good example of young people of both sexes that really wanted to meet each other but didn't know how to go about it. I love to dance and I used to go to an old folks dancehall where nobody smoked and there were lots of singles.I started going ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 11, 2021:

@Lorajay I keep my "attitude", as you put it, to myself as I get to know someone. I don't need your help. I have in person friends for that and they do the job. I don't need your smug perspective as a good looking woman. The men come to you with no effort on your part.. You live a different reality than me and you either don't realize it or don't want to admit it. Again, I don't need your help or judgement. Whether you realize it or not, you have the dating game equivalent of white privilege due to your gender and looks. It entitles you and Julie, below, to sit back and do your choosing of the pick of the litter.

I'm quite glad, I'm not participating in this anymore. [m.youtube.com]

Julie808 comments on Feb 10, 2021:

I'm glad that I'm no longer in the mating game. I go out in a mixed gender group bubble once or twice a week - and we dance as a group, individually and spaced out. Lately I've been getting approached from single (strangers) guys and girls who ask me to dance, but I don't want to introduce ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 11, 2021:

@Julie808 I respect your routine and your style, but to me it sounds like having to go thru a lot of trouble and do a lot of work at the dance place to get what you want and still navigate and deal with the attentions of strange men that you encounter. I guess that's the price you're willing to pay to get your dance fix. Wouldn't be worth it to me, personally, but I don't feel as strongly about dancing as you do. I do feel that way about karaoke and getting my chances to perform and sing, at least I do at this point in my life. I put up with some annoying things in order to get my karaoke fix, such as bad singers and lots of country music in order to get my enjoyment of singing myself and listening to my friends sing that I hang with at the show.

I'm quite glad, I'm not participating in this anymore. [m.youtube.com]

Lorajay comments on Feb 10, 2021:

I posted this because I thought it was probably a good example of young people of both sexes that really wanted to meet each other but didn't know how to go about it. I love to dance and I used to go to an old folks dancehall where nobody smoked and there were lots of singles.I started going ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 10, 2021:

@Lorajay I'm not at all surprised and it proves my point about how men my age living in conservative, traditional culture places like Iowa or OK end up having to do about all the pursuing or approaching of women in the dating game, whether it's on a dating site or at an in person event. I wish more women were sensitive and empathetic to what we go thru being pretty much forced into that role if we want to meet any single women. The only exceptions I can think of are when a man is exceptionally good looking, then the women will pursue him, but that's never been me and it isn't most men. I think that most women who do understand are the ones who are below average-looking, as they know the same woes of rejection, tho in their case it stems from being passed over or passively rejected by men who don't pursue them vs. the experience of men who suffer public rejection when they approach a woman in person at an event or private rejection when they message a woman on a dating site. It sucks to be the often rejected no matter what your gender. With your looks, I was ready to bet that both men approached you first and pursued you, it's the perk of being above average looking, no matter which gender you are. Being average-looking, I am forced to play the traditional male role in the dating game. At the suggestion of a married male friend, I even had a sort of business card with my contact info and my hobbies and interests on it to give out to women I meet at live music events, instead of having to ask for their phone number and find something to write it on. You might think that kind of thing following an approach is attractive to you, but after handing out a few of those cards, none of the women ever called me. My guess is that women here in Iowa are just too traditional to feel comfortable calling a man first even if he is soliciting the contact and being New Age sensitive enough to give them the option of calling or not instead of going the traditional route and putting them on the spot by asking for their contact info. Damned either way.. Man I hate traditional culture here and how almost all the single women seem to be conditioned by it. I know in my bones the pickings would be so much better in Chicago or Minneapolis. If only I had ended up there by my age with an established group of friends.....

I'm quite glad, I'm not participating in this anymore. [m.youtube.com]

Lorajay comments on Feb 10, 2021:

I posted this because I thought it was probably a good example of young people of both sexes that really wanted to meet each other but didn't know how to go about it. I love to dance and I used to go to an old folks dancehall where nobody smoked and there were lots of singles.I started going ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 10, 2021:

Your story is interesting and I can relate. I met my late wife at a folk dance while each of us were there with our respective group of friends. Unfortunately, that folk dance scene in my area pretty much died out a couple decades ago, so it's no longer a viable way to meet other singles. Before Covid, there was a small weekly ballroom dance event going on and I checked it out, but lost interest pretty quickly because it involved more dance skill and practice than I was interested in and those were clearly necessary if one was going to actively participate in that scene. I'm also not that good a dancer even if I practice regularly, so I don't enjoy the ballroom dance that much as a single. I enjoyed it more when I went with my wife. It's interesting that both of us managed to meet someone to date as middle-aged or senior adults who were merely showing up to do something we enjoyed attending with our friends. Too bad I don't have a similar group of friends to hang with at social events like that anymore, with the exception of when I used to attend karaoke with my friends before Covid. I would probably qualify as "uptight" about impressions in your book, Lorajay. Nowadays, the only two types of events I attend where I am doing what I enjoy and have any chance of meeting someone to date are karaoke and live music. You have, if I may say so, looks that are easily above average for your age. I, on the other hand, do not and am also male, which means in my local area of mostly traditional-minded people, that I usually have to do the approaching and pursuing. I had to do that when I met my late wife way back then at the dance. I'm curious if both of the men you met for dating approached you or vice versa. My bet is both of them approached you, since this was traditional OK culture. I don't miss the club scene at all when it was the main venue for meeting other singles before internet dating. Even dating sites have way less games and bullshit to have to navigate and risk public humiliation.

I'm quite glad, I'm not participating in this anymore. [m.youtube.com]

Julie808 comments on Feb 10, 2021:

I'm glad that I'm no longer in the mating game. I go out in a mixed gender group bubble once or twice a week - and we dance as a group, individually and spaced out. Lately I've been getting approached from single (strangers) guys and girls who ask me to dance, but I don't want to introduce ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 10, 2021:

Like the women in the video and what you describe about your social bubble/dance group, it seems ridiculous to me that I would even think of trying to approach a woman who is hanging tight to their little group. To me it sends a clear message that they are very unlikely to be interested in meeting single men for dating, so why bother approaching? I will approach a woman at a music event if their body language and eye contact seem open or inviting, but even an idiot should be able to read the body language and facial expressions of the women in the video that they do not want to be approached or meet men. Sometimes I wish more women had to experience what it's like for men to almost always have to make the approach at a dance club or bar, because, unlike you, who seem to send clear messages to men and are sensitive to what is going on at the clubs, I think too many women are very smug and callous about what men, at least the sensitive ones who aren't players or pick up artists, have to go thru in a lifetime....

What dangerous, wrong or false things do Conservatives believe?

BitFlipper comments on Feb 10, 2021:

I know a lot of self-described conservatives and generally speaking, they're not really conservative. But, they're greedy.

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 10, 2021:

Exactly. Conservatives are about greed, selfishness, and wanting to keep everyone below and different from them in the pecking order firmly in their inferior place. They have no sense or concern about generosity, fairness, or integrity. It's all about winning and staying in power. Which is why they are more successful politically than liberals, who instead have to also care about being truthful, fair, consistent, etc. Those are handicaps when it comes to putting together voter coalitions and getting power. The conservative political tent is much smaller than the liberal one, contains fewer issues and coalitions to unite around, and much easier to keep the group united.

What dangerous, wrong or false things do Conservatives believe?

LenHazell53 comments on Feb 10, 2021:

This really misses the point that there are two kinds of conservative, one can almost think of them as Sharks and pilot fish. 1) Rich conservatives who are conservatives because they are determined to stay rich, not matter what the cost, 2) and poor conservatives who have bought in to the myth ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 10, 2021:

I think there is a lot of truth in your comment. The non-rich conservatives make up a huge percentage of Americans, who vote against their own self interest and will probably never change, since the corporate media are still very powerful in convincing them of the myth that they will be rich some day. There are also non-rich conservatives who vote against their own economic interests solely out of fundy religion, esp. abortion opponents. The non-rich conservatives who are very religious don't care about money or getting rich. They vote conservative thinking they can buy themselves a seat in heaven by following their religion strictly and that's enough reward for them. If we got rid of the corporate media propaganda and fundy religion in America, our politics would greatly improve just by those two things, even if the same people and corporations still owned both major parties, because our people would be ready to revolt against the system and vote third party.

ADMIN.

TomMcGiverin comments on Feb 9, 2021:

Same thing happened to me a few days ago. Suddenly I was required to log in, even tho I had gone for more than a year since I last had to do that, instead of just being able to click on a previous alert e-mail sent from the site. None of the password codes the site sent to me worked, so I had to use...

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 9, 2021:

@Sticks48 I get it. My laptop is completely unconnected to my tracphone and I only use my laptop for internet stuff. I don't own a smartphone because I don't want to use it for internet and I prefer my landline for phone talks with people. I almost never use my tracphone by choice and almost no one has that number for me. Guess that makes me borderline Amish these days..

ADMIN.

TomMcGiverin comments on Feb 9, 2021:

Same thing happened to me a few days ago. Suddenly I was required to log in, even tho I had gone for more than a year since I last had to do that, instead of just being able to click on a previous alert e-mail sent from the site. None of the password codes the site sent to me worked, so I had to use...

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 9, 2021:

@Sticks48 I don't erase my site history. Why do you need to do that?

How many atheist/agnostic/secular/humanism sites do you visit and/or interact with regularly?

Paddypereira comments on Feb 7, 2021:

Only this one.

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 8, 2021:

@whiskywoman Exactly. Live and let live, go on with your own life.

How many atheist/agnostic/secular/humanism sites do you visit and/or interact with regularly?

Paddypereira comments on Feb 7, 2021:

Only this one.

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 7, 2021:

Same here. Atheism is really not that important to me, so I don't need to visit other sites.

Enough with America's 'thank you for your service' culture.

TomMcGiverin comments on Feb 7, 2021:

Americans need to get honest about what we now have regarding military service and wars of choice, instead of this strict code of thanking vets for service, supporting the troops (whatever that really means?), and otherwise accepting without question the policies of the pols, the government, and the...

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 7, 2021:

@nicestuff They also aren't supporting them when they come back as far as veteran health care, and supporting vets in transitioning to civilian life. It's more like send them to war and then dispose of them after they discharge. Politicians do not have that same support for the troops when it comes budget time for veterans care and programing.

Sanders criticizes Democrats willing to pare down eligibility for stimulus checks By Celine ...

MsAl comments on Feb 7, 2021:

Its problematic anyway because its based on 2019 and the problem is many lost their income in 2020. It annoys me that these all have to be framed as economic stimulus packages instead of relief packages for people.

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 7, 2021:

That's because most pols, esp. Repubs, believe in the concepts of the deserving poor and the undeserving poor. They also believe that most poor people and others who need financial help from the government deserve their fate, so they only believe in stimulating the economy is good and necessary, not helping people in need. The concepts of the deserving (of help) and undeserving poor go all the way back to Elizabethan times in England, centuries ago, but they have never really lost their popularity in American culture and politics. Time to join the new century.

Im having trouble logging onto this (agnostic.

xenoview comments on Feb 7, 2021:

PM the admin.

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 7, 2021:

How can they do that if they can't get on the site? I was having the same problems earlier today. It's been so long since I had to login, I forgot my password, so I just reset it to something I usually use for everything else.

So, yesterday I posted an interesting news release from my last employer.

powder comments on Feb 6, 2021:

My problem with the Military Industrial Complex is this. The amount of resources including human resources (scientists) they consume. I just feel these resources could be better directed to things like cleaning up our oceans, working out how to rid the world of plastic, sanitation/ water. Just ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 7, 2021:

@bigpawbullets Time to block. Get bent.....

So, yesterday I posted an interesting news release from my last employer.

powder comments on Feb 6, 2021:

My problem with the Military Industrial Complex is this. The amount of resources including human resources (scientists) they consume. I just feel these resources could be better directed to things like cleaning up our oceans, working out how to rid the world of plastic, sanitation/ water. Just ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 7, 2021:

@bigpawbullets Not bitter, just realistic. I do consider myself a peasant in the system of American capitalism. I don't feel negative about myself, just bitter at the ruling class. You need to read some of William Mary's stuff over in the socialist group and Out Of The Illusion group. I think you have quite a lot of illusions left yourself man... Get over your illusions about the American system and quit blaming me for your illusions. In you own way, you're being as ridiculous as those on the left who hide behind and wield strict PC speech codes as a way to prevent anyone from stating ugly truths about what views are held by others, even when those views are obvious fact.

So, yesterday I posted an interesting news release from my last employer.

TomMcGiverin comments on Feb 6, 2021:

A way to heal the cannon fodder quicker so they can get back out there on patrol in whatever countries we're occupying...

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 7, 2021:

@bigpawbullets I didn't label you, I stated what the pols think of you. If you can't accept that, deal with it. Quit blaming me or I'll block you. You are taking it personal and being defensive. I am telling it like it is in real politik these days. If you don't like it, get upset with the pols, not me. My view of most of my fellow Americans is pretty negative, I'll admit that, but it's based on reality, whether you like or agree with it or not.

So, yesterday I posted an interesting news release from my last employer.

powder comments on Feb 6, 2021:

My problem with the Military Industrial Complex is this. The amount of resources including human resources (scientists) they consume. I just feel these resources could be better directed to things like cleaning up our oceans, working out how to rid the world of plastic, sanitation/ water. Just ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 6, 2021:

The MIC sucks up most of our money and resources in order to keep the rich and corporations rich while most of the peasants stay poor or barely get by. That is the system's real purpose, not to protect America from foreign attacks. And those foreign threats are often exaggerated or imaginary in order to justify the military spending and keep the peasant scared of other countries and discouraged from questioning the MIC system and spending. Mission Accomplished... And the ironic thing is that during most of the Cold War, the Soviet Union was doing the same thing to their people in order to get them to support the military spending without question even tho most Russians were suffering from inadequate social spending by the government, same as here. A nice little racket that both countries used to control and manipulate their peasants by stoking fear of the other country.

So, yesterday I posted an interesting news release from my last employer.

TomMcGiverin comments on Feb 6, 2021:

A way to heal the cannon fodder quicker so they can get back out there on patrol in whatever countries we're occupying...

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 6, 2021:

@bigpawbullets I'm not saying you saw them as that, or even that the brass saw them as that, but rest assured, most of the pols that support the MIC DO see them that way when they vote for wars of choice like Iraq, for example. There's a big diff between what most pols say in public and what they privately feel about the troops and the rest of us peasants. Of course, in public it's required for pols to praise the troops and pander to them in order to impress voters. Don't put words in my mouth... When you watch what they do, rather than just listening to what they say, it's obvious most pols in DC have nothing but contempt for us peasants and they also do not support the troops once those troops return home from war and are messed up, at least most of the pols don't.....

I'm curious. What the hell is wrong with Mitch McConnell's chin?

davknight comments on Feb 5, 2021:

Looks like a rare form of mutation, where the head turns into a second butt. Note the mutated, horizontal anus, and the beginnings of a second scrotum growing under the chin. There is no known cure.

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 5, 2021:

No, there is no cure. We can only wish his mother had aborted him..

Doesn't seem fair does it?

Theresa_N comments on Feb 3, 2021:

Doesn't make sense at all. The current minimum wage is lower in real dollars than it's ever been in it's history.

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 4, 2021:

Adjusted for inflation, the real average wages of Americans topped out in 1973, when I was 15 and the minimum wage was something like about $2.65 an hour. I know and remember that because I worked at a McDonald's around then and that was what I earned.

Pastor Claims Biden White House Being Run By the Devil: Conservative evangelical Pastor, anti-gay ...

Canndue comments on Feb 4, 2021:

Tell me he doesn’t look gay....

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 4, 2021:

These guys always turn out to be closet cases.

No the parties are not the same

TomMcGiverin comments on Feb 4, 2021:

Sure, there are stark differences between the parties on culture war issues, and even on real issues that matter more, like taxes, war, economics, health care, immigration, etc. but those differences on the latter issues are only between the progressive Dems like Bernie and AOC vs. the Repubs, not ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Feb 4, 2021:

@BirdMan1 That's bullshit. Bush was appointed by the SC, not elected because Nader ran. You are buying a common myth. The actual vote in Florida favored Gore, but the SC stopped the count. Another factor that favored Bush in the vote were hundreds of elderly voters in Palm Beach that mistakenly voted for Pat Buchanan as a third party candidate, due to the confusing butterfly ballots, when they would have otherwise voted for Gore. These were elderly Jewish voters in Palm Beach. Buchanan's name was right next to Gore's on the butterfly ballot. Do you really think these people intended to vote for an anti-Semitic fascist like Buchanan instead of Gore? Don't spew that false shit blaming Nader for W. becoming presidents. You are showing your ignorance...