I received a notification from Agnostic that I have a new follower! I've pasted her bio here.

TomMcGiverin comments on Sep 1, 2020:

"She" visited me too today, obviously a scammer and a fake account. Seems like these days they don't even try to appear real..

Christian Booted from Alaska Walmart After Screaming About Satanic Face Masks | Hemant Mehta | ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Sep 1, 2020:

Where I live just about all businesses are requiring masks for customers, even tho my Repub governor won't order masks in public or allow local governments to require them. The only stores I've seen that don't require them for customers are grocery stores, probably because they are too chickenshit to confront customers and deal with the hassles. It's possible they are afraid of losing customers over it, but some customers are worth losing if they endanger the healthy of your employees and other customers. And the grocery stores probably know that most customers would support a mask requirement. If all the grocery stores required them, then the customer would have to suck it up and comply or else order their groceries for pickup or delivery. Too fucking bad if they refuse to mask up and have to go those routes.

Polish bishops call for "clinics to help LGBT people regain natural sexual orientation"

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 31, 2020:

Maybe the church needs to pay more attention to converting priests from being pedophiles..

Christian Booted from Alaska Walmart After Screaming About Satanic Face Masks | Hemant Mehta | ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 31, 2020:

It really stinks that we have to depend on corporate America to start implementing mask restrictions because our Repub governors and prez are not willing to do it.

Those folks are absolutely knocking it out of the park. Truth-tellers all. [m.youtube.com]

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 31, 2020:

Watched the rest of the video and feel sad that most blacks in SC and the Super Tuesday states chose to listen to Uncle Tom Clyburn and other corrupt black leaders instead of Nina Turner, a black leader who is the real thing. I like her term for the ruling class who control both parties, the "owner-donors".

Republican Lawmaker Wears ‘Kill ‘Em All, Let God Sort Em’ Out', To QAnon Meet-Up

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 31, 2020:

I heard that's what the bomber pilots and some of the troops used to say in the Vietnam War...

Can an atheist and an Evangelical be friends?

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 31, 2020:

Yes, but it hasn't worked that way between me and my sister.

Those folks are absolutely knocking it out of the park. Truth-tellers all. [m.youtube.com]

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 31, 2020:

I have now watched most of the video and the best part was the platform. If we could get even a fraction of that implemented, it would be such an improvement on the status quo. The only platform part I would disagree with might be the animal rights plank, as I don't want to become a vegetarian and that trying to force that on all Americans would be a losing strategy. Most Americans would never stand for it. It would be like trying to take away all guns from Americans.

White supremacy is the true religion of the United States.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 31, 2020:

The true religion of the US is white supremacy AND greed.

Well. A nice strong relationship AND...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 31, 2020:

Sexual content, or at least sexual innuendo, has always sold..

Meant to post this earlier but had a bit of laundry that was urgently needing doing.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 31, 2020:

You sound a bit like me. Sometimes it's more fun to make a little trouble than to be polite and PC.

Those folks are absolutely knocking it out of the park. Truth-tellers all. [m.youtube.com]

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 31, 2020:

Too bad Bernie cares more about his token standing in the Senate than actually changing the system, or he'd be there instead of shilling for Joe at the DNC. Thanks for posting the link. I'll try to watch some of it this week.

Nice Bell Bottoms? ... I thought they were way cool! Did you like them too?

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 30, 2020:

Is the photo vintage or present day? She looks like a model.

I’m healing, it’s starting to itch so I just have to avoid scratching, elevation and ice still ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 30, 2020:

Glad it's better and here's to a speedy recovery.

Hello non believers. I'm fresh and wait for new and unexpected relationships.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 30, 2020:

Good luck with that..

One of the few times I agree with Joe 100%.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 30, 2020:

Good one. Somehow I see Ron Swanson from Parks And Rec, which is who is in your pic, as either a Trump voter or someone who would vote Libertarian because for him even Trump would not be anti-government enough for him.

It hurts too much to laugh and I'm too old to cry.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 30, 2020:

I'm well aware of all this and it's obvious it was all rigged and the Dem leaders are playing to lose. Their followers just haven't caught on yet and probably won't even if they lose in Nov.. Instead, they will just blame the progressives and Russia, same as last time. Suckers...

Hi.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 30, 2020:

Good luck with that, right-wing Trumper...

I'm wondering how many of you believe that it is acceptable behavior to tresspass on private ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 30, 2020:

Vandalizing and stealing campaign signs tends to be a Repub thing because Repubs are more likely to be chickenshit bullies who want to muzzle their opposition, but don't have the guts to do it to their face. They are more likely to be sneaky about breaking the law and practicing a philosophy of "It's not wrong or immoral if you don't get caught".

Spent some time looking into suicide statistics today.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 30, 2020:

The cause is pretty obvious. America is a terrible place to live if you are not rich, aren't healthy and don't have affordable insurance, job and educational opportunities are poor or non-existent for tens of millions of people, our political system offers no real hope for the future of most Americans, esp. the young, and lastly, we have the opioid epidemic. It's called an epidemic of "deaths of despair". Almost forgot to mention all the suicides of military vets of our Middle East wars, that outnumber the number of battlefield deaths in those wars.

My dad isn’t voting for Trump because Trump is really going to screw up social security.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 30, 2020:

Take a closer look at Biden's record. He's not that supportive of SS either. He would be glad to cut it if he had political cover where he could blame the Repubs or justify it to cut the deficit.

And that goes on many levels.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 30, 2020:

No shit. The Dems, as a whole, have not been on the side of the non-wealthy or workers since Bill Clinton got elected prez. Since then, the people running either party have been against us. That's why we have such low voter turnout these days, because most of the non-voters have woke up to this. A lot of the people who still vote tho haven't yet.

Why has it taken this long for someone to be honest?

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 30, 2020:

Can't get your link to work.

Christian Crowdfunding Site Hosts Drive For Alleged Kenosha Gunman

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 29, 2020:

Even if he doesn't go to prison, he'll need the money to go into hiding and get a new identity, because if he doesn't, I bet someone is going to hunt him down and kill him. And he'll deserve it.

I Could Have Suffered Breonna Taylor's Fate. Being White May Have Saved My Life.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 29, 2020:

I think both your skin color and someone knowing you were factors. Also, in your case the police at least knocked and identified themselves, in Taylor's they didn't, they just busted in and began firing.

This one speaks for itself.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 28, 2020:

The one on the right gives Trump too much credit. He's way too proud and arrogant to hide behind a sheet, like he said, he could shoot someone in the middle of the street with no consequences, so it's not like he's afraid of getting caught and punished for anything. He always wants the credit..

Ok single mingle friends.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 28, 2020:

That looks really nasty.

Wife Takes Nonbeliever Husband to Court to Block His Medically Assisted Death | Val Wilde | Friendly...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 28, 2020:

This kind of "well-meaning" interference by clueless family members reminds me of Paul Newman's line from Cool Hand Luke, one of my fav classics. "I wish you'd quite being so good to me, Captain"..

Hi all, Sorry I’ve been mostly MIA lately, Lots going on at work and once I’m done I want ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 28, 2020:

Henry looks like a low maintainence hound.

GOP Senate Candidate: Years Ago, in a Hotel Room, God Told Me to Run for Office | Hemant Mehta | ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 28, 2020:

"God told me I should be rich, famous, and talk about him all the time. So I became a televangelist". Seems to explain a lot..

A blank verse sonnet on politics.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 28, 2020:

I don't know about socialist candidates, but this socialist is not a phony or a sellout. I don't live large, altho I could live larger than I do. I never went to private schools and if I had kids, they would attend a public school. I live in a 2 bedroom condo apt.. I agree there are some socialist pols that don't live the talk, but I do. I agree that liberals are the worst, they do not really put themselves at risk or on the line for anything in most cases. They want their liberal culture, but also want to live very posh.

Why do Atheist like to talk about God so much?

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 27, 2020:

Speak for yourself. I very rarely do and seldom feel any need to. It's an important party of my identity and values, but nowhere near the most important part. I would say that part is my socialist values and political views.

A satirical sketch to remind us how much we all have in common. [youtube.com]

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 27, 2020:

I've watched this a few times now and the point of it is that working class blacks and the same class of whites have more in common than they do differences. But the whole point of culture wars and identity politics that the Repubs and Dems play act about in the political version of pro wrestling is that they get these two groups at each other's throats instead of uniting against their real common enemy, corporate America, the rich, and the two corrupt parties that serve the rich and corporations. If only most Americans would realize that class is way more important than identity stuff, then we could actually get some radical change and socialism. But most people are too stupid to see this and fall for the whole rope-a-dope every time, from both parties.. The end of the sketch, tho, rightly brings up the whole BLM- Blue Lives Matter divide and then we see how the two groups are right back into having the differences played up.

Sadly, as relevant as ever, posting again.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 27, 2020:

We now have more awareness, but still have a lot of places where the local power structure doesn't give a damn about demands for action, no matter what happens with street protests. Louisville, KY for one. In some other places, the protests have gotten action because the local power structure decided they didn't want to have continued fires, looting, etc., so they caved and allowed firings and arrests. Protests by themselves don't force change. Violence, the threat of further violence, and continued disruption related to protests are what force change from power structures. I think the 60s proved that non-violence is only capable of producing some temporary changes that get reversed later after the movements have died down. Look at our endless wars now, even after protest ended the Vietnam War. All the ruling class had to do after Vietnam to keep the masses from repeating that anti-war movement was to end the draft, then they could again start waging far away wars of choice anytime, anywhere without consequences.

Playin.......

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 27, 2020:

Cute and creative kitty..

The "law and order" president.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 27, 2020:

In their mind, there is no hypocrisy with a Law And Order campaign, because they see street crime and white collar crime as two different things. As far as white collar crime, they don't believe it exists because in their mind, anything goes in business as well as tax evasion and the only rule is getting rich by any means possible.

Kyle Rittenhouse, charged in Kenosha shooting, was obsessed with cops - Insider

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 27, 2020:

Hope he ends up in general pop at a real prison, but I won't hold my breath..

Trump Demands Biden Be Drug Tested Before Their Presidential Debate In a recent Oval Office ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 27, 2020:

All kidding aside, I will not be surprised if we don't see any debates between these two because they each have good reasons to avoid the debates. It would not be unprecedented in modern times, either....

Special prosecutor appointed in the case of Hannah Fizer, unarmed Missouri woman slain by police ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 27, 2020:

No surprise. Outside of Kansas City and St. Louis, MO is nothing but hicks and rednecks...I just pass it all by as much as possible whenever I visit my old friend in KC. Not that rural Iowa is any better..

What is the most embarrassing question that you would not answer?

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 26, 2020:

Like I'm going to admit it here on the boards?

There are many reasons why a person might not comply with an order given by a police officer.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 26, 2020:

It may be time for some black men to revisit the words of Malcom X and The Black Panthers regarding self defense as intelligence. And then consider arming themselves if they live in an open carry state.

There are many reasons why a person might not comply with an order given by a police officer.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 26, 2020:

Too many cops would rather be like Judge Dredd and play executioner... They think it's non-fiction...

[news.yahoo.com] Shooter in Kenosha found

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 26, 2020:

I really hope they send that twerp to the big house and he gets some special treatment from the other cons. The cops need to tell those armed wannabees to get off the streets during the protests and let the cops handle it, but they won't... That's the problem with open carry, it emboldens those assholes who are looking for trouble and wanting to be like George Zimmerman. He's probably lucky to be in custody and if he's smart he'll stay there. Safer than on the street where family or supporters of the people he shot might find out where he was staying and provide some street justice of their own.... But that's just wishful thinking on my part, people on the left pretty much reserve vigilante stuff to rednecks and right-wingers...and in some cases that might be a little naive on their part...

And we don't bitch about it because we fully understand we're responsible for making life and death ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 26, 2020:

The local alternative newspaper in Des Moines Iowa recently ran an article in which they interviewed several local Des Moines cops and asked them what qualities made a good cop. I found it very interesting and will quote it: "Integrity, good morals, courage, and common sense....You need to be honest and do the right thing.. You have to be a good critical thinker and communicator". It sounds to me like a lot of those things are not things you get from a college, or even from training, but more often from life experience. Thoughts?

And we don't bitch about it because we fully understand we're responsible for making life and death ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 26, 2020:

De-escalation training is fine and dandy, as well as trying to weed out psychos from becoming cops and also eliminating the pervasive mentality among cops that black and brown men are their enemy combatants in the streets, as well as hiring too many cops that are ex-military, and making sure that cops get the message that everyone they meet in the streets are also members of their community and fellow citizens that deserve protection and service, regardless of color. Until those changes happen, I think it's wise to remember the words of Malcom X and The Black Panthers, namely that if someone is a black man living in an open carry state, it might be worth thinking about arming yourself. They both said that self defense and intelligence are the same thing. Because even if it makes you a target by carrying a gun while black, you at least have a fighting chance against the cops. As the gun nuts say, better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6. I can't believe it here, I'm actually agreeing somewhat with right-wingers, altho I'm sure they would never support open carrying of guns and self defense by blacks, as most of them are racists, whether they know it or admit it or not..

Republican convention lies put news broadcasters in awkward spot

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 26, 2020:

Not really. The corporate media is on the same side as both major parties when it comes to all the most important issues: Economics, war, taxes, foreign policy, civil liberties of citizens, trade policy, climate change, and corporate power. All the other issues where the parties differ and pretend to be bitter opponents are just a sideshow of theater. So it really doesn't matter whether the corporate media points out lies from either party on the less important issues, it won't make any difference in how the rich and corporations get whatever they want from the government. The corporate media never points out lies from either party on the list of most important issues I listed. They just act as stenographers on those issues.

Seeing this on FB tonight made me think about what I really want to know about people.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 26, 2020:

Exactly true. That's what pissed me off about Unitarians went I rejoined their church in Des Moines long after I had moved away from there. It was always the first ? they would ask me at coffee hour or any other social situation at the church. It was clearly their way of sizing up whether I measured up to their income level and job status. If I didn't, they would quickly excuse themselves and literally walk away. The most blatant form of classism I ever experienced and I never forgot it, that's why I have seldom come back to that building even tho I am still nominally a member, because from what I have heard, nothing much has really changed on that front with them.

The Platform the GOP Is Too Scared to Publish - The Atlantic

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 25, 2020:

Neither voters nor candidates give a damn about party platforms, at least in the two major parties. Platforms are just things for the party activists to care about and for the media to get some light reading out of.

Social Security could be depleted by 2023 if Trump eliminates the payroll tax, chief actuary says

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 25, 2020:

Guess it looks like Trump isn't killing off enough old people with Covid to make up for what revenue SS will be short. I suppose he could urge more seniors to vote in person and for their relatives to start visiting them face to face. That might do the trick...

Ever just feel like Fannie Lou Hamer said, "I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 25, 2020:

I've always been fine with your comments.

A GOP convention surprise: Trump goes all-in on race

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 25, 2020:

Trump has no other cards to play other than race and attacking other countries as some kind of threat to America because too many people are catching on that he lied to working class whites about trade and helping get factory jobs returned to the US. Of course, he also blames the Dems for anything he can think of.

Surprise: Many ‘Black Trump Supporter’ Social Media Accounts Are Fake | National | BET

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 25, 2020:

Same here. I can't imagine why any aware black person would support Trump unless they are wannabe rich or rich, the other reason being abortion. At the same time, I feel the same way about Biden, because anyone aware of his overall record would see that he has not been that favorable to blacks, but that doesn't seem to make any difference to most black Americans. They seem to blindly support him out of nostalgia for Obama, just because Biden was his VP. In my mind, he does not deserve their loyalty and support when you look at his record outside of when he was VP.

As you hereby see, we poor unfortunate males have no chance.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 25, 2020:

Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Sometimes, you just can't win. He's lucky to be rid of her.

Tuesday morning cuteness

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 25, 2020:

Kitty looks displeased with the human.

Two important things you can take from this study 1) The virus is airborne.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 25, 2020:

I live alone and will be that way for the rest of Covid, at least. So my only occaisional risk is going to a store.

The fatal consequences of believing misinformation on the Internet: [bbc.com] Covid19

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 24, 2020:

Darwinist thinning of the herd. We already have too many stupid people, we're better off as a society without them.

What creeps out women?

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 24, 2020:

"I'm asking for a friend"...Sure you are, I always get a good laugh out of that one....I'm curious to see the answers.

Is monogamy a biblical idea?

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 24, 2020:

Who cares? I may not be interested in poly or open relationships, but as long it involves consenting adults and is not an institution of oppression, I don't give a rat's ass what arrangements people get involved in.

What We Need To Curb Violence In The U.S. (And It Isn’t More Prisons And Policing)

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 24, 2020:

We need gun control without all the loopholes in order to stop the mass shootings. To reduce crime, we need more anti-poverty programs like RoboGraham suggested. They are two separate problems.

How many more years...?

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 24, 2020:

Even if religion goes away, the ruling class will always have other things to divide the lower classes on, such as race, nationalism, guns, etc. They only need a few issues to make that work as long as critical thinking is rare and the mass media is controlled by and supportive of the ruling class. If the gullible and weak don't have religion around to tell them what to think and what to do, they will gladly take on whatever a demagouge or the mass media tell them to believe or do. Few people have the strength and guts to think for themselves.

Falwell: I Had Depression Because My Wife Had an Affair With the Pool Boy | Hemant Mehta | Friendly ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 24, 2020:

You can always count on celeb evangelicals to provide low comedy. They are a cultural bookend to country song lyrics as they share a lot of the same yokel audience.

Renfield being a good boy... momentarily.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 24, 2020:

Hey Deb, nice to see you again. Good job naming him Renfield, assume that is inspired by Bram Stoker's Dracula and your cat being a stalker of mice. He looks big and fluffy..

Once again as this election comes around, the Middle class unaffected cry out that they are ignored ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 24, 2020:

The problem is many people are just gullible. Some of them got a college education, some didn't, but they all failed to develop critical thinking skills, so they just swallow whatever corporate media news and political channels they watch, whether it's Fox or MSNBC. So they buy the propaganda of whichever major party they choose to back, never realizing how corrupt and similar the two parties are.

Morris relaxing while watching pigeons on my neighbor's roof.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 23, 2020:

Cats love the bird channel..almost as good as fish..

Why The "Squad" was shut out of the convention: [theguardian.com]

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 23, 2020:

That's why we should tell the DNC to fuck off by refusing to vote for their corrupt candidates and instead support any progressive party that can be built by 2024.

Watch These Non-Religious Lawmakers Talk About Being Atheists in Public Office | Hemant Mehta | ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 23, 2020:

It's pathetic that so few pols can afford to come out of the closet and publicly admit they are non-religious. I know in my bones that there are probably many more out there that remain in the closet, including Bernie Sanders, who clearly seems atheist or agnostic, but is a secular Jew. Too many bigoted voters out there in most states, like mine, so it won't change anytime soon.

Makes way too much sense... meaning Dems will just continue to vote shame.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 23, 2020:

Centrist Dems can never be shamed into doing the right thing because money talks way more than public opinion.

Some folks simply do not understand this concept.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 23, 2020:

No surprise here. Plus, this turd O'Donnell now gets to keep on shitting on the left from his perch as a pundit on MSNBC with his own show five nights a week. Should lay to rest any doubts, besides the network's blackout and bashing of Bernie this time around, that the network is as bad as Fox, only they back the DNC rather than the Repub Party.

Yeah... what if?!?

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 23, 2020:

How dare they think of putting anything ahead of profit?

Iris using my nephew's laptop

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 23, 2020:

Kitty wants some rubs before the human is allowed to use the laptop.

I started talking to someone in February.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 22, 2020:

His canceling behavior is bullshit. Time to throw this fish back and keep casting to find someone that's ready to date like a grownup. No offense, but I can't believe how many second chances that some guys seem to get from women I've seen post here on Agnostic. I just must not have the looks to get that kind of consideration or maybe it's some other area I come up short against the competition I encountered on Match. In my experience, you get no second chances if you say one wrong thing in an online message, cancel an in person meeting, etc., at least with the women in central Iowa that date online. My guess is that this guy is an 8 or so with a full head of hair while I am at best a 6. And before anyone says it, I am not this brutally honest while beginning to get to know a woman, so there...

The poet Charles Bukowski had a great quote on those in charge.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 22, 2020:

Ralph Nader had a similarly wise observation. "If you ever wonder how much oppression the ruling class will impose on their lesser classes, it will be exactly equal to how much the lower classes will accept without revolting. It has always been that way and will always be". And yet most Americans instead envy and admire the ruling class instead of hating them and being disgusted by them, which is why we get what we get, for one reason. Too many wannabees, as in wannabe rich.

Asteroid Headed Toward Earth a Day Before the November Elections In case you haven’t had ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 22, 2020:

It must be a sign. We are officially doomed and Trump is going to win, unless we are all wiped out before the results are counted.

10 Reasons we Need the Puke Emoji Back 10 Trump Supporters 9 Nancy Pelosi/MitchMcConnell 8...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 22, 2020:

We already have the angry emoji, that's probably enough as it makes the same point.

If only we could make this happen sooner vs later.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 22, 2020:

You lessen social problems by providing people with hope, confidence, and security, so that they do not need to prey on others in order to survive, nor turn to chemicals to cope with the stress, worry and fear about whether or how they can survive. When people are living in desperation and constant survival mode, they are forced to make choices that people with secure lives would not likely make because they have that luxury and are able to see things from a long term perspective. The most obvious examples of this are poor people being more likely to smoke and have more children than people with more money and security in their life. Poor people have few other pleasures and easy ways to relieve stress, so they smoke. They have little perspective beyond the short term, so having kids seems natural and not something that would be a liability or long term cost to them. Besides, sex is also one of the few low cost pleasures in life. I am not being classist here, because if I was poor I would likely not be any different. Research studies have even simulated the effect of poverty on decision-making, so I am not just making judgements. As Michael Moore said long ago, if you live in a place where everybody is able to have a lower middle class income (40K back then), you are much less likely to see somebody ripping off their neighbor's home to get their TV, cash, jewelry, etc. Would that end all crime? Of course not, because there will always be greedy people, which we already have plenty of in the top income groups, but we will have a hell of a lot less street crime. Most people have a desire to work because it gives them a feeling of pride and purpose. A small minority don't, but the cost of providing for all would be worth it, at least to me, if the costs were progressively taxed. But right now our tax system is anything but progressive...that's a whole other discussion.

My boys out exploring.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 22, 2020:

Not only the chickens, but I have learned that hawks and eagles have been known to attack cats in yards.

Some people poo-poo "conspiracy theories" out of hand, they hear the term, and immediately assume ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 22, 2020:

I agree that many people are too quick to dismiss conspiracy theories out of hand. I have read a lot about both the JFK assassination and 9-11 and still believe there were conspiracies around each event. People can easily dispute exactly who was involved and who knew what, but there's plenty of reasons to believe that the people who benefited from each event were not only capable of such treachery, but had plenty of loyal people who would keep their secrets. In a non-political vein, how can people say that conspiracies are too tough to keep secret when, for example, we have never gotten a real answer to what happened with Jimmy Hoffa? We all know he was murdered, but that shows how easy is is to keep a conspiracy secret for several decades if you have loyalty like the Mafia has. One other thing that makes it easy for me to believe in conspiracies when it comes to the assassination of pols who are on the left, like JFK, his brother, MLK, Malcom X, and even Paul Wellstone, is that, unlike assassination attempts on conservative pols (who are on the side of great wealth and power), is that they always have help for the patsy who may get conveniently caught by the authorities, including a backup assassin or two. That is why they always succeed, because the hit involves professionals while hits on conservative pols really are done by lone wolf nutjobs and rarely succeed.

it just don't seem to matter when we post our political opinions much.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 22, 2020:

Nothing is in the bag for Biden as the polls were wrong four years ago in predicting a Clinton win and the virus makes this election even more unpredictable as we just don't know what voter behavior will be with Covid and what will happen with all the mailed ballots.

Sen.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 22, 2020:

Shows that she's a typical "Let them eat cake" Repub who is totally out of touch with the working class as well as not giving a fuck about anyone who is low income.

The latest ad from the Trump Administration is surprisingly honest. [youtube.com]

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 22, 2020:

If only either party were this honest about their policies. The Dems are barely any better than them policy-wise, but at least they use some lubricant most of the time while the Repubs just fuck you in the ass dryly after pretty much telling you straight up that they are going to do so, thru trickle-down economics and lowering taxes to "reward success" and "increase your freedoms".

How to vote by mail without the Postal Service: Yahoo News Explains

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 22, 2020:

That's what I'll be doing, using the drop box outside the building with my county auditor's office in it.

Just think about it.....

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 22, 2020:

I sort of see heaven the same way as Homer did on The Simpsons. If it was full of people like Ned Flanders, I'd probably prefer no afterlife, because that sort of afterlife would be too hellish for me. The wickedly funny twist to that episode is that Flanders turned out to be the devil in disguise, at least to Homer as he imagined the afterlife.

Does anyone really care that there is no afterlife?

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 22, 2020:

Some people I have known I would like to see again, some I wouldn't. It doesn't matter because I believe when we die it's over and that's it, except for the memories that we carry of those that have died. And unless those memories are passed on from us to others that live on after we die, we generally cease to be part of the living experience of humanity. There are, of course, exceptions, like buildings and records, books, etc. that inform people about us after we have died, but that is not the same as having living people that have known you or heard about you personally from people that knew you in life. I still dream about my late wife who had dementia, as well as my dead mother, who also had dementia and was crippled from a stroke the last few years of her life. In my dreams, both of them are without their illnesses, and I find that comforting, even if it's probably self-editing on the part of my subconscious. I am weary enough of how this life, on the societal and world level, seems to just keep getting worse, so I kind of like the idea of eternal rest, so to speak, rather than an afterlife, even if there was one. I fear what the future is going to be like in this life, at least at the societal and world level. It sure seems to keep getting worse for the most part since the mid-70s, despite advances in tech and increased tolerance and acceptance of diversity for those who are not traditional or mainstream. The main reasons life is getting worse for most people who are not wealthy is the increasing amount of forced change which is being brought down on them by corporations and their technology as well as trade treaties that keep ratcheting down the standard of living for most people. The mass media also contributes as it continues to preach consumerism, greed, individualism and celebrity over any humanist values like solidarity, empathy, peacemaking, historical perspective, etc. All the emphasis is on the now and the short term future. Human beings have no intrinsic or societal value except as consumers or obedient taxpayers to support the war machine, American empire, and the profit of corporations. A relatively limited number of Americans also have value as cannon fodder for our wars for empire. Lastly, our planet is dying from climate change and the destruction of our natural environment thru deforesting, fracking, and oil drilling.

Being a responsible adult.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 21, 2020:

I give you props for being responsible and careful to protect yourself. As far as finding one person to be with long term, good luck with that. Seems like we all struggle with that one.

Our platform - The People's Party

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 21, 2020:

I agree with all their platform policies. This idea should proceed forward, because it's clear the Dem Party will never promote or enact any of these policies. We need to unify all the tiny parties that are left of center in the US into one party, hopefully this is it.

It's ironic that this happens at the same time as the recent controversy with the site over some ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 20, 2020:

I'll let you know if anyone in my conservative Christian, Republican dominated town sees the shirt and remarks about it.

Over Half of Unemployed Older Workers at Risk of Involuntary Retirement So far, the Covid-19 ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 20, 2020:

They won't be exploiting them that long. As Yang said in his book, driverless trucks will eliminate most of the jobs in ten years or less. I know exactly what you mean. I used to work and live in a university town where anybody over 50 could never get a decent medium or so-called low skill job, because the uni supplied a constant stream of young, exploitable college kids who would work for peanuts and then be graduated and gone before they ever asked for or qualified for a raise. Plus, they didn't need or demand benefits and even if the employer provided benefits, they cost much less to insure for medical. I left town with my wife because after I lost my last good-paying benefitted job ( My back wore out and I wasn't going to stay in it and cripple myself or get back surgery, plus I couldn't transfer to another job with that employer) there, I was soon going to be unemployable at my age. So I moved away down the road to a larger city, but even there I had no opportunity as I had no contacts to help me get in anywhere. I decided I was too damn old to start over, so I cashed in on my long experience with driving jobs and got a CDL so I could drive a school bus, which is what I did for my last six years before retiring (after I qualified for SS Survivor's Benefits as a widower and inherited some money). But man, was that gig ever about exploitation. Most of the drivers were retirement age, some were young adults. But none of us got benefits except UE each summer we could collect. No paid time off except a few holidays. Seemed like everybody there that was not retirement age was there because they couldn't get anything with benefits and then as soon as they got a job with benefits, they were out the door. The ones who were retirement age either worked there just for kicks or else because they needed the extra money badly as their SS was low or they were supporting a spouse who was retired.

My name is Layla.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 20, 2020:

I wish you the best and am sorry for your loss. You should be able to make some online friends here. As far as finding someone to date, you appear to live in the Bible Belt, so it will be a challenge, but on the other hand you have more looks going for you than the average person here on Agnostic, so you may have a chance. Don't know if you want to lead with that info about your chronic pain, but I give you props for being honest and open.

OMG, this arrogant, privileged woman verbally assaults this man proclaiming proudly that it is ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 20, 2020:

I hate Karen types, even tho they come in both genders. Glad she got arrested for assault. It rarely happens even tho it should.

Nancy Pelosi, republican lite, has endorsed Kennedy over Markey.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 20, 2020:

No surprise there. I hate Pelosi for the out of touch, sellout collaborators with the GOP that she, Schumer, and Stoyer have all been for some time now.

Political Humor [youtu.be]

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 20, 2020:

I hate them all, Biden, Trump, her, and Pence. None of them are good for us.

Make Orwell Fiction Again

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 20, 2020:

I'm afraid it's too late, at least here in the US.

When Andrew Yang, an American entrepreneur and a Presidential hopeful suggested a Universal Basic ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 20, 2020:

People would still need to work, because it's damn near impossible for even one person to live on just that amount. Also, back in the mid-60s when this was first being discussed, the promoters of UBI were proposing an even higher amount, around 2000 a month. And imagine how much more that would be today with inflation?

"This is pretty fvcked up right here." Stan Marsh

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 20, 2020:

That's because the DNC doesn't care about winning, just about defeating progressives within the party.

Don't forget if you don't sin Jesus died for nothing.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 19, 2020:

"Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine" - Patti Smith

He sees his owner’s video who died a year ago.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 19, 2020:

Altho most cats have a reputation of being indifferent to their owners, I have known a few that were very attached and comfortingly affectionate to their owners, even seeming to sense when their owners were hurting.

Some of them even have difficulty with simple counting.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 19, 2020:

We are living the movie Idiocracy..

Green Party and other third-party candidates may be electable to some state and local offices.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 18, 2020:

"On the highway to hell"- AC/DC. Voting for either major party this time is the bus to hell... Get bent, Safa...

I sent a "Hello" to numerous gals at Agnostic, and I only got a response from one of them.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 17, 2020:

Good luck with finding a dating partner on here.

AUGUST 17, 2020 Kamala Harris Represents Everything Wrong with Empty Identity Politics by ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 17, 2020:

Identity politics is bullshit and a distraction away from the much more important issues of whose side pols are on in the class war, climate change, war and peace with the rest of the world and whether government serves the 99% and workers or instead serves only billionaires and corporations. I am proud to say I have never fallen for identity politics and always voted based on a candidate's policy stances and whether their record matched their rhetoric. O