hitler: i wanna kill six million jews and i'll shut down the government if you won't let me.

Paul4747 comments on Jan 19, 2019:

I call Godwin's Law on this.

Paul4747 replies on Jan 19, 2019:

@genessa "Although deliberately framed as if it were a law of nature or of mathematics," Godwin wrote, "its purpose has always been rhetorical and pedagogical: I wanted folks who glibly compared someone else to Hitler to think a bit harder about the Holocaust." Trump, although a nationalist demagogue, is not on the level of Hitler.

Does Game of Thrones get better after episode 1? Because I keep falling asleep....

RavenCT comments on Jan 19, 2019:

Best soap opera - fantasy ever.... but if it bores you? I mean it shouldn't be a hard sell? There's already incest and intrigue - what other shows have that? Attempted murder... And rumor of the undead.... And swords. I had a roommate in college who wouldn't try Star Wars. She thought ...

Paul4747 replies on Jan 19, 2019:

@RavenCT Oh no, I was talking about the little blond prince. He's the bitch.

It really upsets me when it is just getting dark and these people refuse to put on their headlights.

cava comments on Jan 19, 2019:

I'm happy my car has a setting so it does it automatically, and I don't have to worry about forgetting about it. Driving in Florida, especially this time of year, is full of excitement, there are people who know where they are going and those visiting who do not have a clue.

Paul4747 replies on Jan 19, 2019:

A lot of cars have a setting that can turn this to manual, and for some reason a lot of people want to turn these to manual instead of automatic. I don't know if they think the lights put an extra drain on the battery or what. If they do, they understand even less about cars than I do, and even I know that the running alternator charges the battery.

Does Game of Thrones get better after episode 1? Because I keep falling asleep....

RavenCT comments on Jan 19, 2019:

Best soap opera - fantasy ever.... but if it bores you? I mean it shouldn't be a hard sell? There's already incest and intrigue - what other shows have that? Attempted murder... And rumor of the undead.... And swords. I had a roommate in college who wouldn't try Star Wars. She thought ...

Paul4747 replies on Jan 19, 2019:

@RavenCT You can tell me what you think I missed, PM if you want. I oversimplified rather.

How many people have found themselves driving at night in the snow, and seen this annoying trend: ...

Anonbene comments on Jan 19, 2019:

I think its a law that if you are traveling significantly below the speed limit you have to have your flashers on.

Paul4747 replies on Jan 19, 2019:

@Anonbene No, 45 in a 55 zone. Not significantly slow. And not even a blizzard, just blowing snow.

Does Game of Thrones get better after episode 1? Because I keep falling asleep....

RavenCT comments on Jan 19, 2019:

Best soap opera - fantasy ever.... but if it bores you? I mean it shouldn't be a hard sell? There's already incest and intrigue - what other shows have that? Attempted murder... And rumor of the undead.... And swords. I had a roommate in college who wouldn't try Star Wars. She thought ...

Paul4747 replies on Jan 19, 2019:

@greyeyed123 I'm actually trying to watch it. But in answer, YES, Shakespeare was the precursor of the soap opera. Look at Romeo and Juliet. Look at Henry IV and Richard III, which are in the vein of GoT. Much Ado About Nothing is a comic soap opera, or a romantic comedy. But Shakespeare has the advantage of being only a few hours long, not several weeks, and he gets to the point pretty quickly. At least I got to see the whiny prince bitch-slapped just now.

How many people have found themselves driving at night in the snow, and seen this annoying trend: ...

TheAstroChuck comments on Jan 19, 2019:

I totally agree with you Paul. I think part of the problem is the huge amounts of migration between the states. We have largely lost our intrinsic local knowledge. For example, people growing up in the North learned how to drive in snow and icy conditions, while people along the Atlantic South ...

Paul4747 replies on Jan 19, 2019:

Migration could be part of the answer. It seems like every winter, people have forgotten how to drive in the snow. Every single winter. Then again, maybe it's the population. I once read, and never forgot, this simple explanation: "There is a fixed amount of intelligence to divide among everyone in the world. Population is increasing."

Does Game of Thrones get better after episode 1? Because I keep falling asleep....

Highway-Starr comments on Jan 19, 2019:

Lol...I remember the first episode well. If Ros the whore walking around with that beautiful body naked can't keep you awake...I have no suggestions for you! Lol!

Paul4747 replies on Jan 19, 2019:

@Highway-Starr No such thing as too many battle scenes.

Does Game of Thrones get better after episode 1? Because I keep falling asleep....

RavenCT comments on Jan 19, 2019:

Best soap opera - fantasy ever.... but if it bores you? I mean it shouldn't be a hard sell? There's already incest and intrigue - what other shows have that? Attempted murder... And rumor of the undead.... And swords. I had a roommate in college who wouldn't try Star Wars. She thought ...

Paul4747 replies on Jan 19, 2019:

@greyeyed123 The other connotations of "soap opera" are, people lying and murdering left and right, manipulating each other behind the scenes, hiding deep dark secrets, trusting exactly the wrong person... those are all there from the get-go. Now that's also true of a spy thriller like The Americans, but those people are SPIES. They're supposed to be engaging in duplicity and underhandedness. I'm really really hoping it turns into an action series with drama, instead of the drama with possible bits of action (but none right now) that seems to be the case right now. (Somebody got slapped, there was a murder of a 10 year old, that was about it.)

Does Game of Thrones get better after episode 1? Because I keep falling asleep....

maturin1919 comments on Jan 19, 2019:

The books were something I could not put down. Many nights were spent telling myself 'one more chapter' only to finish said chapter and find the next one headed with the word 'TYRION' or 'DAENERYS' or 'ARYA', and me saying 'one more chapter'. The show does a rather great job of recreating the ...

Paul4747 replies on Jan 19, 2019:

Yeah, maybe if I had read the books and knew something about it to start with I would be more interested. I'm trying but it's not grabbing me. Loads and loads of characters talking about other characters.

Does Game of Thrones get better after episode 1? Because I keep falling asleep....

Highway-Starr comments on Jan 19, 2019:

By the way, HBO has announced the Premier of the last season to be Sunday April 14, 2019. Sad about it ending, but promises are being made that some characters will be spun off into other series.

Paul4747 replies on Jan 19, 2019:

All I can say is, so far it hasn't grabbed me. I prefer Walking Dead. (Which I also avoided for years.) Maybe if I had read the books I would be more excited about it, knowing who the characters are.

Does Game of Thrones get better after episode 1? Because I keep falling asleep....

RavenCT comments on Jan 19, 2019:

Best soap opera - fantasy ever.... but if it bores you? I mean it shouldn't be a hard sell? There's already incest and intrigue - what other shows have that? Attempted murder... And rumor of the undead.... And swords. I had a roommate in college who wouldn't try Star Wars. She thought ...

Paul4747 replies on Jan 19, 2019:

@RavenCT Well, same here (Dungeons & Dragons much?). It just seemed really really slow getting anywhere. I'm trying again though... oy.

I just was wondering why those people who criticize others so often on this site do not post any ...

Marine comments on Jan 19, 2019:

It is easy to criticize however one should also be able to offer something of value for debate on this site. One does not need to agree or disagree with everything but it is interesting to see other people views and how they got there.

Paul4747 replies on Jan 19, 2019:

@AmmaRE007 When you make an assumption, you make an ass out of you, and Umption.

How many people have found themselves driving at night in the snow, and seen this annoying trend: ...

maturin1919 comments on Jan 19, 2019:

You're awfully riled up by this.

Paul4747 replies on Jan 19, 2019:

@maturin1919 Not meaning to insult Pennsylvania, I love Gettysburg, been there twice... but does that mean I broke the law by not turning mine on in the 15 and 25 speed limit zones in the national park? Flashing lights by themselves are different to flashing lights through a curtain of snow. We're going to have to disagree here.

I just was wondering why those people who criticize others so often on this site do not post any ...

Marine comments on Jan 19, 2019:

It is easy to criticize however one should also be able to offer something of value for debate on this site. One does not need to agree or disagree with everything but it is interesting to see other people views and how they got there.

Paul4747 replies on Jan 19, 2019:

@maturin1919 They're unwritten.

I just was wondering why those people who criticize others so often on this site do not post any ...

Marine comments on Jan 19, 2019:

It is easy to criticize however one should also be able to offer something of value for debate on this site. One does not need to agree or disagree with everything but it is interesting to see other people views and how they got there.

Paul4747 replies on Jan 19, 2019:

@stinkeye_a Then post your own opinion in the question post. That's my opinion. But it's a minor criticism.

How many people have found themselves driving at night in the snow, and seen this annoying trend: ...

Anonbene comments on Jan 19, 2019:

I think its a law that if you are traveling significantly below the speed limit you have to have your flashers on.

Paul4747 replies on Jan 19, 2019:

How significantly? These characters were doing the same 45mph in a 55 that I was. Flashers are for emergencies, not for visibility while driving.

How many people have found themselves driving at night in the snow, and seen this annoying trend: ...

maturin1919 comments on Jan 19, 2019:

You're awfully riled up by this.

Paul4747 replies on Jan 19, 2019:

Possibly because it's adding a hazardous condition to a hazardous condition. As if they're trying to blind other drivers. Hazard lights, as Wildflower points out, are for emergency situations, not because it's snowing. If someone has an emergency and it's causing them to go 15mph, that's one thing. These people were doing 45. I have never, in 38 years of driving, seen this. It's as if people keep finding new stupid things to do.

How many people have found themselves driving at night in the snow, and seen this annoying trend: ...

Wildflower comments on Jan 19, 2019:

It's a law where I am that a car cannot be traveling with their flashers on. "Hazards lights are for stopped vehicles only, officials say. ... The one situation where Florida drivers are allowed to use their hazards when in motion is when the vehicle is being used in a funeral procession . A ...

Paul4747 replies on Jan 19, 2019:

*Thank* you!!!

I just was wondering why those people who criticize others so often on this site do not post any ...

Marine comments on Jan 19, 2019:

It is easy to criticize however one should also be able to offer something of value for debate on this site. One does not need to agree or disagree with everything but it is interesting to see other people views and how they got there.

Paul4747 replies on Jan 19, 2019:

@thinktwice Hadn't noticed that... good point. I don't care about points myself, but I think it's poor form.

I just was wondering why those people who criticize others so often on this site do not post any ...

Marine comments on Jan 19, 2019:

It is easy to criticize however one should also be able to offer something of value for debate on this site. One does not need to agree or disagree with everything but it is interesting to see other people views and how they got there.

Paul4747 replies on Jan 19, 2019:

@maturin1919 Internet etiquette in general. It's poor form to self-reply in order to boost your "trending" status.

I just was wondering why those people who criticize others so often on this site do not post any ...

Marine comments on Jan 19, 2019:

It is easy to criticize however one should also be able to offer something of value for debate on this site. One does not need to agree or disagree with everything but it is interesting to see other people views and how they got there.

Paul4747 replies on Jan 19, 2019:

Does it count as a criticism to note that you're breaching etiquette by replying to your own post in order to jack up your points?

Does Game of Thrones get better after episode 1? Because I keep falling asleep....

RavenCT comments on Jan 19, 2019:

Best soap opera - fantasy ever.... but if it bores you? I mean it shouldn't be a hard sell? There's already incest and intrigue - what other shows have that? Attempted murder... And rumor of the undead.... And swords. I had a roommate in college who wouldn't try Star Wars. She thought ...

Paul4747 replies on Jan 19, 2019:

I do see what you're saying, and I resisted Zombieland (wait, I mean Walking Dead) for years, because anything that popular must suck, plus, why isn't it on an actual network? And I enjoy Walking Dead to some extent, so far anyway. But there's a lot of action there. Character driven but also all kinds of badass. And Star Wars, well, it goes without saying. But I avoided GoT for the same reason... it's on something I have to pay extra to see, and everybody talks about it as if it's bigger than the Beatles. Nothing is bigger than the Beatles. I have yet to see the equivalent of a star destroyer chasing a rebel ship entering from overhead to grab my attention. But I suppose I will rewatch Ep I and try to give it a shot. It's like watching Star Wars Ep I in a way; a lot of politics, no Death Star.

Does Game of Thrones get better after episode 1? Because I keep falling asleep....

RavenCT comments on Jan 19, 2019:

Best soap opera - fantasy ever.... but if it bores you? I mean it shouldn't be a hard sell? There's already incest and intrigue - what other shows have that? Attempted murder... And rumor of the undead.... And swords. I had a roommate in college who wouldn't try Star Wars. She thought ...

Paul4747 replies on Jan 19, 2019:

@greyeyed123 All My Children? I only said Waltons because of the rural setting.

Does Game of Thrones get better after episode 1? Because I keep falling asleep....

orange_girl comments on Jan 19, 2019:

Do you have narcolepsy? ? Seriously, yes, please give it a chance!

Paul4747 replies on Jan 19, 2019:

@orange_girl Just tell me this... do all those swords get put to good use, or are they just carried around the whole time? I'm looking for big badass battle sequences. Basically, HBO doesn't have the latest Conan movie but it suggested this as "related", and I'm not seeing the resemblance. :D So far, as Thanos would say, "Your politics bore me."

Does Game of Thrones get better after episode 1? Because I keep falling asleep....

Highway-Starr comments on Jan 19, 2019:

Lol...I remember the first episode well. If Ros the whore walking around with that beautiful body naked can't keep you awake...I have no suggestions for you! Lol!

Paul4747 replies on Jan 19, 2019:

I think I dozed off before that actually. Someone was talking about a wedding or something? And then the king showed up and took forever to ride into the courtyard, and I dozed off again before his procession finished arriving, so I have no idea what he said to Lord... I never caught his name. A lot of pageantry and character introductions, a lot of swords and nobody putting them to good use (except I recall an execution in the very beginning). When does the action start?

Does Game of Thrones get better after episode 1? Because I keep falling asleep....

maturin1919 comments on Jan 19, 2019:

The books were something I could not put down. Many nights were spent telling myself 'one more chapter' only to finish said chapter and find the next one headed with the word 'TYRION' or 'DAENERYS' or 'ARYA', and me saying 'one more chapter'. The show does a rather great job of recreating the ...

Paul4747 replies on Jan 19, 2019:

Maybe it's the setting and the slow, slow pace. Remove the magic and dragon references and you have the BSG 2004 series, which I loved, possibly because it jumped off to a rousing start before delving into politics and revenge, and never really lost its basic center of action and war drama (although it wanders in the later seasons).

Does Game of Thrones get better after episode 1? Because I keep falling asleep....

RavenCT comments on Jan 19, 2019:

Best soap opera - fantasy ever.... but if it bores you? I mean it shouldn't be a hard sell? There's already incest and intrigue - what other shows have that? Attempted murder... And rumor of the undead.... And swords. I had a roommate in college who wouldn't try Star Wars. She thought ...

Paul4747 replies on Jan 19, 2019:

Now there, with the words soap opera, I think you solved the riddle. I was expecting a Dungeons and Dragons adventure. It's more like the Waltons go to Middle Earth (only R rated).

Does Game of Thrones get better after episode 1? Because I keep falling asleep....

SleeplessInTexas comments on Jan 19, 2019:

I've never watched it and have no interest in ever watching it.

Paul4747 replies on Jan 19, 2019:

I'm not all that interested either, but I wondered if it's all it's cracked up to be.

Does Game of Thrones get better after episode 1? Because I keep falling asleep....

orange_girl comments on Jan 19, 2019:

Do you have narcolepsy? ? Seriously, yes, please give it a chance!

Paul4747 replies on Jan 19, 2019:

I did have a very long day and there's a lot of... it's people talking and being introduced and things being explained. I think I slept through most of the nudity and sex that I heard about,

The Extinction of the White American Male Dinosaur

Paul4747 comments on Jan 4, 2019:

Wait just a minute now... Not having read the article, isn't the title a bit combative? Does it kind of make the point why some white men refer to themselves as "the only unprotected class in America"? I'm generally not in the least reactionary, and yet, seeing this, my neck hackles start to ...

Paul4747 replies on Jan 18, 2019:

@ninjarider1 Economic class has more bearing than ethnicity (although there is an overlap involved). I would be far more receptive to a call to have the wealthy 1 percent step aside and let someone else run the world for a while, that's the real power structure. It doesn't matter what color or sex the other 99 percent are. When I stop replying to your further replies, it means I'm tired of the subject, it doesn't mean you won. I'm tired of the subject.

The Extinction of the White American Male Dinosaur

Paul4747 comments on Jan 4, 2019:

Wait just a minute now... Not having read the article, isn't the title a bit combative? Does it kind of make the point why some white men refer to themselves as "the only unprotected class in America"? I'm generally not in the least reactionary, and yet, seeing this, my neck hackles start to ...

Paul4747 replies on Jan 18, 2019:

@ninjarider1 Being color-blind means being color-blind. And gender-blind, and all the other qualifiers-blind. I don't care *who* has the ideas, if they're good. I only judge the idea.

How do you get the Jesus/Jehova people off your doorway?

JGal comments on Dec 20, 2018:

I answered the door once completely naked! Problem solved.

Paul4747 replies on Jan 17, 2019:

@JGal I'll take that deal

How do you get the Jesus/Jehova people off your doorway?

JGal comments on Dec 20, 2018:

I answered the door once completely naked! Problem solved.

Paul4747 replies on Jan 17, 2019:

I will be knocking on your door soon! ;)

Do you believe aliens exist?

Paul4747 comments on Jan 14, 2019:

In the sense that something exists somewhere in the universe, it's almost entirely certain. In the sense that they're visiting Earth to strap people to their Probulator, almost certainly not.

Paul4747 replies on Jan 14, 2019:

@Donotbelieve I wish I could take credit for it... it was from Futurama :)

Do you believe aliens exist?

48thRonin comments on Jan 14, 2019:

The evidence is there it’s always been there but when you take in account that no one wants to be a cast out or risk defying their government because they’re already conditioned and loyal just as they were under religion. Which surprises me when people who claim to be non believers of faith ...

Paul4747 replies on Jan 14, 2019:

"Which surprises me when people who claim to be non believers of faith are so willing to perpetuate the ideology of the abrahamic faiths that there can possibly be no others because we are god’s Devine creation." Okay, what? Pretty much a basic tenet of most atheists/agnostics is that all life evolved, not that it was created. Whether it evolved in other places is subject to opinion, since we lack evidence one way or the other. "All while every civilization on the planet was pointing at the same constellation and saying that’s where we originated from. We have societies that never met and share little to identical alphabet or vocabulary but they all call those who have come from space the exact same name." This is unintelligible, sorry. I can't even respond to this. "We’re still discovering petroglyphs and other anomaly’s that can only be seen from heights and distances that we weren’t able to achieved until the mid 20th century so once a fucking gain who was meant to see them?" When people believed that Gods lived up in the sky, they built designs for them to look at and in order to worship them. It's not necessary to postulate aliens in order to account for the Nazca lines. "But as I said I don’t ever expect anyone to share my level of beliefs in that we didn’t just show up out of a female chimpanzees birth canal nor did we crawl out of pile of dinosaur dung and the more sophisticated science gets the more it leans towards us not coming from the exact same location on this planet." You show no understanding of evolutionary theory. Humans never evolved from chimpanzees. We have a common ancestor, the other primates are our cousins, not our evolutionary grandparents. Nor does the discovery of homonid fossils in various locations on the planet mean that humans evolved separately in those locations. Like the chimps, they are our cousins.

Serial vs parallel dating.. have i posted this topic already?

TomMcGiverin comments on Jan 14, 2019:

From what I've read here over time on these boards, it appears that for most people on dating sites, esp. average-looking people, that parallel dating rarely comes into play as a choice because of how rare those folks make it far enough in the process to actually meet anyone in person. Thus, the ...

Paul4747 replies on Jan 14, 2019:

Yep. Lucky bastards.

Avoid these foods during the government shutdown, experts warn

SCal comments on Jan 12, 2019:

Several people died from eating lettuce last year before the govt shutdown. Zero have died since govt has been shut down. Save the people! Keep it shut down and shut down more of it!

Paul4747 replies on Jan 13, 2019:

@BryanLV I hesitate to throw the bullshit flag on anyone, but, bullshit. Your whole response. Standard Oil lowered prices wherever there was competition, in order to undercut its competitors. Once its competition was gone, or in areas where there was no competition to begin with, the prices went up. There was no "unparalleled value", there was no value at all. Monopolies are great for the people who own them, rotten for everyone else. How you can claim to know anything about economics and the virtues of competition, while extolling monopolists at the same time, is beyond me. GM was loaned money, which they paid back with interest. The gold toilet seats you're talking about are on Trump's yacht and in his hotels. How you equate that with government spending is a mystery to me. I see no further use in this discussion, since you clearly have no grounding in either economics or history. Toodles.

Avoid these foods during the government shutdown, experts warn

SCal comments on Jan 12, 2019:

Several people died from eating lettuce last year before the govt shutdown. Zero have died since govt has been shut down. Save the people! Keep it shut down and shut down more of it!

Paul4747 replies on Jan 12, 2019:

@BryanLV I don't know what your background is, but I can tell it's not history or economics. "If a private sector business works its way into a monopoly position, its becsuse they are bringing an unmatched and unrivaled quality to the market." Ridiculous. If a business has a monopoly, in general it's by owning the supply chain and buying up or driving any competitors out of business (see the history of Standard Oil). Also popular is driving small competitors out by undercutting them (economy of scale), since a big company can afford to take losses that a small one cannot (witness the way big box retailers have driven mom & pop stores out of business, then how Wal Mart has driven other big boxes out- surely you don't seriously think Wal Mart has "unrivaled quality"?). "The people in govt tend to be drunk on power and nonaccountability"- unlike the people in the Wall Street brokerage houses, who stole billions from small investors by lying about stock forecasts and manipulating investments? With more oversight from the SEC, millions of ordinary people might still have their pensions. Different people, different incentives. Private industry is motivated by money; government is not. That's the good thing about it.

Avoid these foods during the government shutdown, experts warn

SCal comments on Jan 12, 2019:

Several people died from eating lettuce last year before the govt shutdown. Zero have died since govt has been shut down. Save the people! Keep it shut down and shut down more of it!

Paul4747 replies on Jan 12, 2019:

@BryanLV "I do not believe in the benevolence of any government, because the government is made up of the same people that make up the market and its actors. They simply have shown themselves to be failures and violent tyrants repeatedly" And yet, you *do* claim to believe in the benevolence and efficiency of the market. You can't have it both ways. If, in your view, the government is made up of violent tyrants and failures, and those are the same people that make up the free market, then the free market is also a bunch of failures and violent tyrants. A=A. That's why I have a healthy suspicion of both. But since I can't vote out, let's say, the head of GM or Dow or Price Waterhouse, I vote for representatives who want agencies to monitor those companies and make sure they're obeying the law. Not a President who wants them turned loose to make as much money as they can, regardless. And you haven't answered the question I and @Flexymorals asked in the first place; why do you expect government workers to work for free just to show how much they care? Would you work for a company free just to show how much you care?

Avoid these foods during the government shutdown, experts warn

SCal comments on Jan 12, 2019:

Several people died from eating lettuce last year before the govt shutdown. Zero have died since govt has been shut down. Save the people! Keep it shut down and shut down more of it!

Paul4747 replies on Jan 12, 2019:

@BryanLV Fine: Succinctly, you're not interested in an honest debate. You're assuming anyone who challenges your unlimited faith in the private sector is "worshiping" government. Government exists as a necessary check on unbridled free enterprise. It also exists to ensure the *common* defense and prosperity. Or am I to assume you want to turn the national defense over to private armies, paid for by whoever can afford them, to go after whomever they choose?

Avoid these foods during the government shutdown, experts warn

SCal comments on Jan 12, 2019:

Several people died from eating lettuce last year before the govt shutdown. Zero have died since govt has been shut down. Save the people! Keep it shut down and shut down more of it!

Paul4747 replies on Jan 12, 2019:

@BryanLV "The people", in the sense of "The People of the United States", *DO* own the parks. On the other hand, if *individuals* owned the lands which are currently the National Parks, we know damn well what would happen; those lands would not be open to The People, period. They would be used for private grazing and hunting, they would be used for logging, private resorts would be built on them, they would be covered with fences and No Trespassing signs. The highest bidders would own that land (which is what many Republicans and libertarians of all stripes have been advocating for decades now). "The free market and competition are always better... If there was no police force, you would pay for protection services to protect your land for you." And those who can't pay are at the mercy of criminals. If a fire starts, they burn (because I assume you don't feel public fire departments are necessary either?). Safety would be only for those who could afford it. You're basically advocating a return to the Dark Ages. "If prison guards, tsa agents and they rest of them cared, why would they stop doing their jobs?" Number one: *they haven't*. The border patrol, TSA, air traffic controllers, and many other vital employees are working unpaid. Second: is this a serious question? Why would someone not do their job for free? Would you? The private sector doesn't care about you, beyond caring how much you will pay for a product above what it costs to make (how much they can profit on your transaction). It doesn't even care about its own employees, beyond how much work they will do for how little compensation. A CEO's pay is based on maximizing profits and minimizing expenses, not on caring about customers or employees. Companies are much more worried about news of their tainted foods or drugs or defective products getting out than they are about who gets hurt. They go to great lengths to deny and cover up. All you have to do is research the last 50 years. There is a more than adequate history of companies passing off shoddy and downright dangerous goods to show that the Consumer Products Safety Commission and the FDA are required.

Am I being a brat?

maturin1919 comments on Jan 11, 2019:

Brat? Dunno. Unrealistic? As fuck.

Paul4747 replies on Jan 11, 2019:

@DaphneDarling We need a better reality, then. "We doctors know a hopeless case if --- listen: there's a hell of a good universe next door; let's go" E. E. Cummings "pity this busy monster, manunkind"

When in defence of religion, people say ‘Well the church does a lot of good’ but is it not like ...

mordant comments on Jan 10, 2019:

Yes. Religion does a lot of good merely because it's ubiquitous and a primary platform for belonging and community. Some people and some communities do a lot of good, sometimes more good than harm. Others do not. It's also the same thing as a tobacco company pointing to its charitable giving or ...

Paul4747 replies on Jan 10, 2019:

You had to go and mention tobacco. Now I want a cigarette...

Donald Trump's Border Speech Gets A Savage Instant Fact-Check On Fox News

PBuck0145 comments on Jan 9, 2019:

When are the U.S. voters going to abandon extreme partisanship, and start discussing and cooperating on the border security issue? The open borders / open society policies recommended by the regressive leftists cannot serve the interests of U.S. citizens. The demand for a border wall is an ...

Paul4747 replies on Jan 10, 2019:

@PBuck0145 "Should that kind of congressional stonewalling be institutionalized and perpetuated?" A case can certainly be made that turnabout is fair play. In this case, moreover, the "stonewalling" is over a literal stone wall, which is a mere propaganda ploy that would fix a nonexistent crisis. The Republican party stonewalled, among other things, to deny Obama his legitimately entitled choice of Federal Court justices and a Supreme Court justice. Those seats will affect American jurisprudence for decades to come.

What Exactly Does Trump's Obsession with "Winning" Say About Him?

ASTRALMAX comments on Jan 8, 2019:

"Game theory is used by the London School of Economics and by the Harvard Business School and in other fields. It is the most widely used model/metaphor for human behavior but it seems the least understood. It is generally believed that games are won by superior tact, skill and ability, however, ...

Paul4747 replies on Jan 10, 2019:

I realize that human nature is to approach life as a game scenario. However, the tendency to see everything as a game is also detrimental when everything is reduced to an adolescent level of "winners" and "losers". For instance, foreign policy is not a game-like situation; there are far too many lives at stake to treat it as such.

What Exactly Does Trump's Obsession with "Winning" Say About Him?

jlynn37 comments on Jan 8, 2019:

Vince Lombardi quote comes to mind: " Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."

Paul4747 replies on Jan 9, 2019:

So, reduce everything in life to a football metaphor?

Well I am at 513 off level 8.

Paul4747 comments on Jan 6, 2019:

What about the insomniacs?

Paul4747 replies on Jan 6, 2019:

@Amisja In that case, it was people in my time zone still awake and on the Internet... er, like me, I guess? ;)

Have you ever just wanted to tie "Flo" the Progressive Insurance character down to a tanning bed and...

Count_Viceroy comments on Jan 5, 2019:

Everything in my experience tells me to hate Flo, but I just can't. I love her. There. I said it. I love her.

Paul4747 replies on Jan 5, 2019:

I can't overrule everything in my experience. I despise that mannequin brought to life.

Porn for women.

Wildflower comments on Jan 4, 2019:

Yes, They fuck after he cooks, does the laundry, and vacuums... naked!

Paul4747 replies on Jan 4, 2019:

Next time I'm in Florida you can count on it ;)

Porn for women.

Wildflower comments on Jan 4, 2019:

Yes, They fuck after he cooks, does the laundry, and vacuums... naked!

Paul4747 replies on Jan 4, 2019:

Deal.

The Extinction of the White American Male Dinosaur

Paul4747 comments on Jan 4, 2019:

Wait just a minute now... Not having read the article, isn't the title a bit combative? Does it kind of make the point why some white men refer to themselves as "the only unprotected class in America"? I'm generally not in the least reactionary, and yet, seeing this, my neck hackles start to ...

Paul4747 replies on Jan 4, 2019:

@PalacinkyPDX That's really the point I'm making. Generalizing all white men as a fungible group who are "perpetuating the continuation of this gross imbalance" ignores and denigrates what any particular individual, who happens to be white and/or a man, might be doing.

Liberals Are from Mars, Conservatives Are from Venus - Scientific American

Cutiebeauty comments on Nov 6, 2018:

So conservatives are like aliens.... ?

Paul4747 replies on Jan 4, 2019:

@Trajan61 I can't help pointing out, that's "aliens from space", not the "illegal aliens" that you're usually talking about. Also, 2 Ms in "immigration".

The Extinction of the White American Male Dinosaur

Dragonfly_1965 comments on Jan 4, 2019:

Enjoyed the article up to the point where a pop-up told me I just won $1000

Paul4747 replies on Jan 4, 2019:

Can I borrow $50 until payday?

I write as an English observer across the pond.

ToakReon comments on Jan 4, 2019:

Absolutely not. Being an atheist means you don't believe in the existence of any supernatural god (I shall avoid putting an extra word in there, it causes needless debate). Not believing in any god does not NECESSARILY mean you oppose Trump - but, to be honest, if you're rational of thought ...

Paul4747 replies on Jan 4, 2019:

@greyeyed123 I actually preferred him as a broken-down cowboy anyway...

I write as an English observer across the pond.

DoctoralZombie comments on Jan 4, 2019:

There are plenty of conservative/Trump loving agnostics and atheists. Boggles the mind.

Paul4747 replies on Jan 4, 2019:

The human mind's ability to compartmentalize is without equal. Religion is just one area in which people believe what they want to believe, regardless of the evidence.

I write as an English observer across the pond.

ToakReon comments on Jan 4, 2019:

Absolutely not. Being an atheist means you don't believe in the existence of any supernatural god (I shall avoid putting an extra word in there, it causes needless debate). Not believing in any god does not NECESSARILY mean you oppose Trump - but, to be honest, if you're rational of thought ...

Paul4747 replies on Jan 4, 2019:

@greyeyed123 "they see Trump as a strong man who breaks rules to defend them " In other words, they buy Trump's fantasy of himself as Dirty Harry?

God hates porn?

Diogenes comments on Aug 4, 2018:

I have stopped watching porn- the acting is so bad; all the actors must have breathing problems, the way they overdo the panting. But I can't figure it out. A program may come on TV and before the program starts there is a DIRE warning, "Sexual content and may offend some viewers." When the news ...

Paul4747 replies on Jan 3, 2019:

@Diogenes Let me rephrase. Never again, while conscious. Full colonoscopy and knocked out is the way to go,

God hates porn?

Diogenes comments on Aug 4, 2018:

I have stopped watching porn- the acting is so bad; all the actors must have breathing problems, the way they overdo the panting. But I can't figure it out. A program may come on TV and before the program starts there is a DIRE warning, "Sexual content and may offend some viewers." When the news ...

Paul4747 replies on Jan 2, 2019:

@VictoriaNotes I had that feeling once with a sigmoidoscopy... never again.

I'd like to setup one of my groups where only the host and mods can start topics but group members ...

Paul4747 comments on Jan 2, 2019:

What would be the incentive to join a group in which all I could do is reply to existing posts?

Paul4747 replies on Jan 2, 2019:

@Cutiebeauty I'll keep my eye out for it

$4,700 is all... Shit.. no wonder Liberals are so pissed if that's all they spent... ?

Paul4747 comments on Dec 28, 2018:

I see by your response that your mind is made up, so I won't bother you with any more facts.

Paul4747 replies on Dec 29, 2018:

@Captain_Feelgood Facebook has suspended the account of Jonathon Morgan, the chief executive of a top social media research firm, after reports that he and others engaged in an operation to spread disinformation during the special election in Alabama last year. Morgan confirmed his account’s suspension after Facebook said in a statement that it had taken action against “five accounts run by a multiple individuals for engaging in coordinated inauthentic behavior,” adding that its “investigation is ongoing.” Facebook did not provide a list of the accounts it had suspended, and Morgan declined further comment. “We take a strong stand against people or organizations that create networks of accounts to mislead others about who they are or what they’re doing,” Facebook said. “We’ve removed thousands of Pages, Groups and accounts for this kind of behavior, as well as accounts that were violating our policies on spam and coordinated inauthentic behavior during the Alabama special election last year.” Earlier this week, Morgan, the head of the firm New Knowledge, told The Washington Post he had experimented with misleading online tactics during the 2017 contest between Republican Roy Moore and since-elected Democratic Sen. Doug Jones. Morgan acknowledged creating a misleading Facebook page to appeal to conservatives. He also acknowledged purchasing retweets on Twitter to measure the potential “lift” of political messages. Morgan said he had been acting in his own capacity as a researcher trying to understand how online disinformation works, not to impact the outcome of the election. But his efforts came amid a broader campaign in Alabama that sought to undermine Moore’s support. The campaign, first reported by the New York Times, supported a write-in Republican candidate in Alabama and created false evidence that automated accounts, called bots, were backing Moore on Twitter. Morgan’s efforts have stirred controversy because of his role at New Knowledge, which has helped Senate lawmakers uncover the means in which Russian agents weaponized Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites to spread disinformation during the 2016 election and after President Trump took office. The revelations also sparked calls on Capitol Hill for the federal government to investigate. “What is obvious now is that we have focused so much on Russia that we haven’t focused on the fact that people in this country could take the same playbook and do the same d--- thing,” Jones said in a statement. “I’d like to see the Federal Election Commission and the Justice Department look at this to see if there were any laws being violated and, if there were, prosecute those responsible.” Facebook said its investigation had not found that ...

$4,700 is all... Shit.. no wonder Liberals are so pissed if that's all they spent... ?

Paul4747 comments on Dec 28, 2018:

You realize the reason his account was suspended has nothing to do with the Senate report. No, wait, you don't realize that at all, or you wouldn't be linking this tripe. ...

Paul4747 replies on Dec 29, 2018:

@Lucy_Fehr Facebook has suspended the account of Jonathon Morgan, the chief executive of a top social media research firm, after reports that he and others engaged in an operation to spread disinformation during the special election in Alabama last year. Morgan confirmed his account’s suspension after Facebook said in a statement that it had taken action against “five accounts run by a multiple individuals for engaging in coordinated inauthentic behavior,” adding that its “investigation is ongoing.” Facebook did not provide a list of the accounts it had suspended, and Morgan declined further comment. “We take a strong stand against people or organizations that create networks of accounts to mislead others about who they are or what they’re doing,” Facebook said. “We’ve removed thousands of Pages, Groups and accounts for this kind of behavior, as well as accounts that were violating our policies on spam and coordinated inauthentic behavior during the Alabama special election last year.” Earlier this week, Morgan, the head of the firm New Knowledge, told The Washington Post he had experimented with misleading online tactics during the 2017 contest between Republican Roy Moore and since-elected Democratic Sen. Doug Jones. Morgan acknowledged creating a misleading Facebook page to appeal to conservatives. He also acknowledged purchasing retweets on Twitter to measure the potential “lift” of political messages. Morgan said he had been acting in his own capacity as a researcher trying to understand how online disinformation works, not to impact the outcome of the election. But his efforts came amid a broader campaign in Alabama that sought to undermine Moore’s support. The campaign, first reported by the New York Times, supported a write-in Republican candidate in Alabama and created false evidence that automated accounts, called bots, were backing Moore on Twitter. Morgan’s efforts have stirred controversy because of his role at New Knowledge, which has helped Senate lawmakers uncover the means in which Russian agents weaponized Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites to spread disinformation during the 2016 election and after President Trump took office. The revelations also sparked calls on Capitol Hill for the federal government to investigate. “What is obvious now is that we have focused so much on Russia that we haven’t focused on the fact that people in this country could take the same playbook and do the same d--- thing,” Jones said in a statement. “I’d like to see the Federal Election Commission and the Justice Department look at this to see if there were any laws being violated and, if there were, prosecute those responsible.” Facebook said its investigation had not found that accounts or ...

Oh dear.

KissedbySun comments on Dec 29, 2018:

Lived across the street from the hospital for years, it's sobering. Glad to be that close when my daughter stopped breathing.

Paul4747 replies on Dec 29, 2018:

My daughter (who was 3 months premature) actually rode the helicopter when she was 4 months old. We happened to be at the hospital for a checkup and getting in the car when she went into arrest. My wife (now ex) started CPR there at the curb while I sprinted in to call for help. They said afterwards they had never had anyone deliver a more calm explanation of what was happening, where, and what to do ("female infant in cardiac arrest, at the front entrance, we're doing CPR, send an emergency team PLEASE"). They tried to stabilize her for what seemed like 20 minutes in the ER before finally deciding they would just have to do it in the air on the way to the ICU. I didn't have my nervous breakdown until after the helicopter was in the air. She's 15 now and sitting on the couch with me at this moment watching a movie. :)

Oh dear.

Jolanta comments on Dec 29, 2018:

Time to move

Paul4747 replies on Dec 29, 2018:

It's a nice neighborhood and the rent is good... other than the traffic it's a nice place to be.

This is getting bizzare.

GinaKay comments on Dec 28, 2018:

The source of this story: "RT creates news with an edge for viewers who want to Question More. RT covers stories overlooked by the mainstream media, provides alternative perspectives on current affairs, and acquaints international audiences with a Russian viewpoint on major global events."

Paul4747 replies on Dec 29, 2018:

Sounds legit :\

Oh dear.

Wildflower comments on Dec 28, 2018:

Where I am the circling helicopters mean that somebody is being chased!

Paul4747 replies on Dec 28, 2018:

@ProudMary Can't they go buy their own?

Ann Coulter says the children crying after being separated from their parents at the border are ...

Outlier comments on Jun 19, 2018:

Yep, I agree with all the nasty things being said here. BTW here's her net worth, $8.5 million. Ann Coulter was born December 8, 1961

Paul4747 replies on Dec 28, 2018:

Which drivers license is that date from? I understand she actually had 2 different dates depending on which time in her life you look at. (Which is a federal crime these days, I believe.)

The fastest growing group of people in the country has been measured as being those who have no ...

maturin1919 comments on Dec 28, 2018:

It's okay to use the words 'to' and 'too'.

Paul4747 replies on Dec 28, 2018:

We at the grammar police thank you for your assistance. :D

The fastest growing group of people in the country has been measured as being those who have no ...

LiterateHiker comments on Dec 28, 2018:

"The religiously unaffiliated have become one of the **most reliably Democratic** constituencies in recent elections. According to national exit polls, 61% of the unaffiliated voted for Al Gore over George W. Bush in 2000. In 2004, John Kerry’s share of the unaffiliated vote increased to 67%. And ...

Paul4747 replies on Dec 28, 2018:

Thank you, I love statistics. <3

I don't meet a lot of people in my age group that are Atheist/agnostic, are people too afraid to be ...

AnneWimsey comments on Jul 4, 2018:

I think your politics and your religion should be kept quiet, unless of course you are at an anti-Trump rally

Paul4747 replies on Dec 26, 2018:

I wear my politics and non-religion (no really good way to put that one) on my sleeve, when other people around me start talking about politics or religion I don't hesitate to throw in my 25 cents. Maybe someone who has the same views will realize there are other people in our little red county just like them.

I've always been a tad annoyed at those guys that target vulnerable women at Christmas.

evergreen comments on Dec 22, 2018:

There are both men and women that seek to prey on the downtrodden. We ALL need to be mindful of our mindset, and who we choose to tangle with.

Paul4747 replies on Dec 24, 2018:

@evergreen I know... I just can't resist making light of this kind of topic for some reason. Or pretty much any topic.... Sorry......

I've always been a tad annoyed at those guys that target vulnerable women at Christmas.

evergreen comments on Dec 22, 2018:

There are both men and women that seek to prey on the downtrodden. We ALL need to be mindful of our mindset, and who we choose to tangle with.

Paul4747 replies on Dec 22, 2018:

Steer a few of those predatory women my way, would you mind?

Found this today in the grocery store. Why is it so expensive? Did Jesus make it?

Paul4747 comments on Dec 22, 2018:

So, I looked up EZ 4:9 (NIV) and a few verses beyond... 9 “Take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelt; put them in a storage jar and use them to make bread for yourself. You are to eat it during the 390 days you lie on your side. 10 Weigh out twenty shekels[a] of food to eat ...

Paul4747 replies on Dec 22, 2018:

@Triphid I don't need any help in that department, thanks anyway...

Trump hints at firing Fed Chairman Jerome Powell. THE CHAIRMAN IS DOING HIS JOB STUPID!

48thRonin comments on Dec 22, 2018:

If trump really had the balls he’d dissolve the whole federal reserve since its not a government agency that way he could dissolve the IRS which is a government agency that feeds the federal reserve our taxes. That are used to pay back the money that we borrowed from the IMF which is a ...

Paul4747 replies on Dec 22, 2018:

@48thRonin Probably just as well. I think we've had this conversation before, anyway.

Found this today in the grocery store. Why is it so expensive? Did Jesus make it?

John_Tyrrell comments on Dec 22, 2018:

Ezekiel's recipe is for making bread. Seems very blasphemous to me to use it for granola. They are going to BURN

Paul4747 replies on Dec 22, 2018:

As long as it's fueled by human excrement. That's biblical.

Found this today in the grocery store. Why is it so expensive? Did Jesus make it?

Paul4747 comments on Dec 22, 2018:

So, I looked up EZ 4:9 (NIV) and a few verses beyond... 9 “Take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelt; put them in a storage jar and use them to make bread for yourself. You are to eat it during the 390 days you lie on your side. 10 Weigh out twenty shekels[a] of food to eat ...

Paul4747 replies on Dec 22, 2018:

@John_Tyrrell It's all clear now. I would be lying down for 390 days if I ate that crap too.

"It is interesting to note that the men who, in the teeth of history, proclaimed that, if you want ...

Paul4747 comments on Dec 21, 2018:

And the point of this quote is? Simply preparing for war does not bring peace, but nor does simply hoping for peace in the face of those who are prepared to use war as a means to their ends. The history of the Cold War bears this out. True, there were numerous small-scale brushfire wars, but ...

Paul4747 replies on Dec 22, 2018:

@THHA Russia 152 wars since the year 830. You didn't say we should unilaterally disarm. But it is not safe to completely disarm, period, for even if the entire world disarms, the technology exists for a Kim Jong Il to then build nukes and hold the world hostage. The world must have a deterrent capacity.

How important is playfulness and humor in a relationship?

Paul4747 comments on Dec 22, 2018:

Thank you, I just did a spit-take on my computer (Diet Sprite if it matters)

Paul4747 replies on Dec 22, 2018:

@BeeHappy Seriously though, my ex lost her sense of playfulness a long long time before the split. It was pretty much the straw that broke my back about 3 years ago when I pointed out the hole in the back pocket of her jeans, and she swatted my hand away, saying "Leave my hole alone!" So from that point on I have not gone near her hole. :p

"It is interesting to note that the men who, in the teeth of history, proclaimed that, if you want ...

Paul4747 comments on Dec 21, 2018:

And the point of this quote is? Simply preparing for war does not bring peace, but nor does simply hoping for peace in the face of those who are prepared to use war as a means to their ends. The history of the Cold War bears this out. True, there were numerous small-scale brushfire wars, but ...

Paul4747 replies on Dec 22, 2018:

@THHA Nuclear war is far from inevitable. I would love a world where we could disinvent the atom bomb. But they do exist. And let's say for one moment that the United States and Europe unilaterally disarm, so they can prove they aren't a threat to anyone and the rest of the world can get rid of all their nuclear weapons. Well, now whoever *does* have nuclear weapons is in a position to dictate terms, since they can use them with no fear of retaliation. The doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction, abhorrent as it is to any thoughtful person, nevertheless has worked for over 60 years. The main threats to our world are unstable actors like Kim of North Korea, who may calculate that the world will not retaliate against him launching a single strike to prove himself as a player on the world stage, and non-state actors like ISIS or Al Qaeda acquiring fissile materiel and manufacturing their own weapon, which they would not hesitate to use, since they have no home base to retaliate against.

Trump hints at firing Fed Chairman Jerome Powell. THE CHAIRMAN IS DOING HIS JOB STUPID!

48thRonin comments on Dec 22, 2018:

If trump really had the balls he’d dissolve the whole federal reserve since its not a government agency that way he could dissolve the IRS which is a government agency that feeds the federal reserve our taxes. That are used to pay back the money that we borrowed from the IMF which is a ...

Paul4747 replies on Dec 22, 2018:

I was with you right up to the conspiracy theory about borrowing money from the International Monetary Fund, since we're actually its chief investor...

Trump hints at firing Fed Chairman Jerome Powell. THE CHAIRMAN IS DOING HIS JOB STUPID!

BD66 comments on Dec 22, 2018:

Trump's biggest mistake is hiring Jerome Powell: Our National Debt has grown from 5,674 Billion September 2000 to 21,516 Billion In September 2018. That's a growth rate of 7.8% per year averaged over Republican Presidents and Democratic Presidents and over Republican Congresses and Democratic ...

Paul4747 replies on Dec 22, 2018:

@BD66 Can I get some of whatever you're smoking? @david75090 is absolutely right calling you out. Trump's is the latest in a long string of Republican tax cuts that do nothing for the economy but do a great deal for the pocketbooks of the super-rich. Trump's tax cuts increased the deficit by $2 TRILLION over the next ten years, all while he claimed they would not only "pay for themselves" but also somehow *shrink* the deficit. Rates for those earning more than $200,000 a year went down, while over the next 6 years many middle-income Americans will actually pay MORE in taxes. This is the exact opposite of what you want to do to stimulate the economy. The super-rich don't spend money in chain stores; they put their money in T-bills, where it's safe. If you want to keep the money circulating and the economy revving, cut taxes to the bottom 70 percent. But Trump, like most Republicans, is a supply-sider and a Social Darwinist. He thinks that rich people actually deserve that money because they worked super-hard for it. (Because having a successful father to give you a start in business, then knowing when to declare bankruptcy and screw your investors, is *super* hard work.) So the idea of tax cuts for the wealthy (himself) just comes naturally to him. But they don't do anything to cut the deficit. They grow it beyond belief.

"It is interesting to note that the men who, in the teeth of history, proclaimed that, if you want ...

Paul4747 comments on Dec 21, 2018:

And the point of this quote is? Simply preparing for war does not bring peace, but nor does simply hoping for peace in the face of those who are prepared to use war as a means to their ends. The history of the Cold War bears this out. True, there were numerous small-scale brushfire wars, but ...

Paul4747 replies on Dec 22, 2018:

@THHA Didn't say anything about World war. Our current most prevalent danger is assymetric warfare, small states or non-state actors using terrorist and guerrilla tactics to strike civilian targets. I take it you remember 9/11. That was a case in which we needed a robust surgical capability to pinpoint the leadership of Al-Qaeda, capture or kill them, and dismantle their network through legal means (targeting their finances and supporters), all the while waging a propaganda campaign to highlight our neutral stance toward Islam in general. What we got was the Bush administration, who immediately began throwing around the word "Crusade" while looking for excuses to attack Iraq.

Trump vs. Obama: a new theory of why Republicans and Democrats fight - Vox

Paul4747 comments on Dec 21, 2018:

I'm not sure how new this theory is. "Republicans want things to stay the same and fear change; they fear people who are not like themselves... Democrats are the party of "inclusion" and hate the old school who discriminate and fear-monger..." This goes back at least to the 1960s. The author has...

Paul4747 replies on Dec 22, 2018:

@Veteran229 I was thinking the same of you. So, it wasn't about the Democrats doing the right thing, and a segregationist Southern wing of the party splitting off, which is what actually happened. It was just about votes in your view. Had the only concern been votes, they could have easily continued on the path of ignoring civil rights except for giving lip service while pandering to the white vote, which was in fact to become Nixon's Southern Strategy and would serve the Republican party well up to the present day. Kennedy and Johnson after him did the right thing on moral grounds, as did the majority of Republicans for that particular vote. The Republican party then proceeded to hammer Democrats about the head and shoulders for the next 5 decades with race-baiting politics in the South and pretty much nationally as well (remember Willie Horton?)(remember the Birther non-issue?). I daresay a large proportion of American whites were racist in that era. The difference was that the Democratic party in Washington allied with the civil rights movement to try to change the laws and do something about conditions for blacks and other minorities, whereas the Republican party capitalized on it for voting blocs. (And still does.)

Trump vs. Obama: a new theory of why Republicans and Democrats fight - Vox

Paul4747 comments on Dec 21, 2018:

I'm not sure how new this theory is. "Republicans want things to stay the same and fear change; they fear people who are not like themselves... Democrats are the party of "inclusion" and hate the old school who discriminate and fear-monger..." This goes back at least to the 1960s. The author has...

Paul4747 replies on Dec 22, 2018:

@Veteran229 "southern democrats, known as dixiecrats" who promptly switched parties and became Republicans, unto this generation. Lyndon Johnson is famously rumored to have said, upon signing, "We have just lost the South for a generation," and he was right. The Dixiecrats were to the Democrats of the time what the RINOs (Republican In Name Only) are today. And Republican votes for the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act were not duplicated in other key civil rights battles, the fair employment practices bills 1949 and 1950 or the fair housing act in 1966. It's a very popular and misleading practice to try to paint Democrats as the party of discrimination based on a single vote, when the overall record is clear that the Republican party has been the party voting to roll back civil rights legislation since the time of Reagan.

"It is interesting to note that the men who, in the teeth of history, proclaimed that, if you want ...

Paul4747 comments on Dec 21, 2018:

And the point of this quote is? Simply preparing for war does not bring peace, but nor does simply hoping for peace in the face of those who are prepared to use war as a means to their ends. The history of the Cold War bears this out. True, there were numerous small-scale brushfire wars, but ...

Paul4747 replies on Dec 22, 2018:

@THHA So far, we have not had a World War 3. I meant, by my question, what your purpose was in recycling his quote. War *won't* end, as long as we have economic inequality, religious dogmas, and gullible masses for duplicitous leaders to provoke into war. That being the case, we must decide if we want to be winners or losers if said wars are forced on us. I'd rather win. I also want leaders in my country who don't talk a lot of damnfoolishness about how easy it is to win a war, but right now we have Trump...

Trump vs. Obama: a new theory of why Republicans and Democrats fight - Vox

Paul4747 comments on Dec 21, 2018:

I'm not sure how new this theory is. "Republicans want things to stay the same and fear change; they fear people who are not like themselves... Democrats are the party of "inclusion" and hate the old school who discriminate and fear-monger..." This goes back at least to the 1960s. The author has...

Paul4747 replies on Dec 22, 2018:

@Elganned For example, Windows 10 is just awful. I want to go back.

Trump vs. Obama: a new theory of why Republicans and Democrats fight - Vox

Paul4747 comments on Dec 21, 2018:

I'm not sure how new this theory is. "Republicans want things to stay the same and fear change; they fear people who are not like themselves... Democrats are the party of "inclusion" and hate the old school who discriminate and fear-monger..." This goes back at least to the 1960s. The author has...

Paul4747 replies on Dec 22, 2018:

@Veteran229 This is less to do with legal changes, but with resistance to social changes. The Democratic party, going back to the 1960s, has used legislation to protect minorities on the edge of social changes, via anti-discrimination laws (the Civil Rights Act of 1964 being a classic example). Republicans have always resisted this, saying, "You can't legislate morality," as if it's moral to discriminate against people on the basis of their skin color, gender, sexual preference, or what have you. These issues have already passed the 3/4 test. The 14th Amendment provides equal protection of the law. All the rest follows from that. The "rights" you're talking about being "trampled by the majority" sound like code for the right to discriminate against groups that they disapprove of. Nobody is discriminating against conservatives. But conservatives hate being called out and call it reverse discrimination.

What are your thoughts/ideas on prophesy?

jondspen comments on Dec 17, 2018:

Considering we can't even define the force that causes gravity, nor how gravity and space/time are interrelated...I do think parallel universes are completely possible.

Paul4747 replies on Dec 18, 2018:

@jondspen Umm... yes we can. (Notice how this is descending into pantomime?) It's caused by mass impinging on space-time. The greater the mass, the greater the effect. Just picture all of space-time as a rubber sheet. Drop a ping-pong ball on it, and the effect is tiny. Drop a planet on it, and the effect in more noticeable. Perhaps there *is no* particle involved. Perhaps it's like light, which acts sometimes like a wave and sometimes like a particle. In any case, we have sufficiently defined gravity that we can go to the Moon and back trusting gravity to have the same laws there that it has here.

What are your thoughts/ideas on prophesy?

jondspen comments on Dec 17, 2018:

Considering we can't even define the force that causes gravity, nor how gravity and space/time are interrelated...I do think parallel universes are completely possible.

Paul4747 replies on Dec 18, 2018:

@jondspen Yes we can. http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/Relativity/GR/gravity.html

What are your thoughts/ideas on prophesy?

Paul4747 comments on Dec 17, 2018:

The only true prophesies are those that go something like: "And in that time, a friend shall lose his friend's hammer, and the young will not know where lieth the things possessed by their fathers, that their fathers put there only just the night before, around eight o'clock..."

Paul4747 replies on Dec 17, 2018:

@Elganned And Trump is the antichirst

Good morning everybody! Happy Monday! Love and light to all. ❤️?

Paul4747 comments on Dec 17, 2018:

Try this again next week when I'm on vacation...

Paul4747 replies on Dec 17, 2018:

@Simplysassy Well, thank you. If I didn't have to go get ready for work now I would be more cheerful about it.

What are your thoughts/ideas on prophesy?

Beowulfsfriend comments on Dec 17, 2018:

Since I believe everything is a series of often unrelated events, then no, prophecy is not possible. Read Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five and time is always and locked with no changes possible. As far as other dimensions, quantum physics indicates they exist, but we have no idea what they are ...

Paul4747 replies on Dec 17, 2018:

The tapioca dimension is disgusting.

What are your thoughts/ideas on prophesy?

jondspen comments on Dec 17, 2018:

Considering we can't even define the force that causes gravity, nor how gravity and space/time are interrelated...I do think parallel universes are completely possible.

Paul4747 replies on Dec 17, 2018:

Gravity is caused by the uneven distribution of mass causing curvature in space-time. That answers both your questions, and all I had to do was look it up on Wikipedia. Some interpretations of quantum physics require that every possible outcome causes a new quantum universe to form, for instance, if outcomes A and B are possible, then universe A and universe B will come into existence in parallel with one another. This has nothing to do with "prophesy" as human senses have no way to perceive these different universes, and they remain a theoretical possibility.

Guns: Give them to everyone as a government program.

Castlepaloma comments on Dec 15, 2018:

One person's fantasy is another persons insanity. 1. According to the NRA you are 3 times more likely to commit suicide by gun than to kill anyone else. 2. You are more likely to kill someone you know with a gun than a criminal. 3. There is a chance the criminal can disarm you and use the gun ...

Paul4747 replies on Dec 17, 2018:

@Castlepaloma You said: "If I get upset, I'm going to write a letter. If you get upset, your going to get your gun." That doesn't follow. Suicidal people WILL try to commit suicide, they don't just write letters. Whereas "getting upset" doesn't lead straight to "I'm going to off myself." Having guns available does not increase the likelihood of suicide. I'm not going to list the many methods, but believe me, there are many. And if a person determined to kill themselves doesn't have one, they will use another. Also, America is still the greatest nation in the world, once we kick out the Current Resident. But hey, you enjoy your little country, there.

Guns: Give them to everyone as a government program.

Castlepaloma comments on Dec 15, 2018:

One person's fantasy is another persons insanity. 1. According to the NRA you are 3 times more likely to commit suicide by gun than to kill anyone else. 2. You are more likely to kill someone you know with a gun than a criminal. 3. There is a chance the criminal can disarm you and use the gun ...

Paul4747 replies on Dec 17, 2018:

@Deiter Dieter, you're putting words in my mouth. When did I ever advocate using a firearm "indiscriminately"? My original reply was: "To exercise all possible care and caution, to seek training in self-defense scenarios, to mentally prepare for such events, and to use deadly force *only as a last resort*. (emphasis added)" That is the *exact opposite* of indiscriminate. As to your scenarios: According to the FBI Uniform Crime Report, there were an estimated 319,356 robberies last year, or 98 per 100,000 Americans. There were an estimated 810,825 aggravated assaults (assaults using a gun, cutting or blunt weapon) in addition to simple assaults. All in all, 1,247,321 violent crimes were estimated in 2017. That's only those reported to law enforcement. Given the current population, that's roughly 1 chance in 300 of being the victim of a violent crime, including robbery, assault, rape, and murder. If a person can deter the worst from happening by retreating, then great. But if they must deter it by drawing a handgun, also great. And if worst comes to worst and someone attacks them, I say they have the right to defend themselves, not a duty to run away. You say that's indiscriminate use of a gun. I don't agree. (Please note, "attacks". Not "scares" or "humiliates". I'm irked that you think so little of me. I've worked in the prison system for 19 years, unarmed, in housing units with 120 prisoners to 1 of me. If I were so easily frightened, I wouldn't still be on the job.) You (or someone) mentioned the Zimmerman case. That was a case of a neighborhood vigilante looking for trouble. He did not stand his ground, he went looking for what he considered a suspicious person. He was wrong all the way down the line and had no excuses for putting himself in that situation. The first rule is to be aware of and avoid potential danger. Don't walk down dark alleys, would be a shorthand rule. But if you find yourself in a threatening situation, retreat if possible, defend yourself if you have no choice. What part of that sounds like "indiscriminate" to you?

Guns: Give them to everyone as a government program.

Castlepaloma comments on Dec 15, 2018:

One person's fantasy is another persons insanity. 1. According to the NRA you are 3 times more likely to commit suicide by gun than to kill anyone else. 2. You are more likely to kill someone you know with a gun than a criminal. 3. There is a chance the criminal can disarm you and use the gun ...

Paul4747 replies on Dec 17, 2018:

@Deiter You're correct, that's why a .338 rifle would be a ridiculous choice for home defense and why at all times an armed person must be aware of their surroundings. What responsibility should be expected? To exercise all possible care and caution, to seek training in self-defense scenarios, to mentally prepare for such events, and to use deadly force only as a last resort. For the record, I disagree with almost everything the NRA has ever written or said. I believe you have a misapprehension about so-called Stand Your Ground laws. They merely state that a person in public is not required to retreat in the face of an aggressor, but may respond with reasonable force. Retreating can actually put one in more danger than standing firm, since it can be seen as weakness and invite pursuit and attack. If retreating is reasonable and practical, of course I encourage it and would do it; but the law should not *require* it.

Guns: Give them to everyone as a government program.

Castlepaloma comments on Dec 15, 2018:

One person's fantasy is another persons insanity. 1. According to the NRA you are 3 times more likely to commit suicide by gun than to kill anyone else. 2. You are more likely to kill someone you know with a gun than a criminal. 3. There is a chance the criminal can disarm you and use the gun ...

Paul4747 replies on Dec 16, 2018:

@Castlepaloma A) I mention this because men statistically commit suicide by firearms more than other methods. Someone "getting upset" enough to commit suicide will do so, whether a gun is available or by some other method. Women statistically choose drug overdose most often. Women also attempt suicide more often, but their methods are less instantly lethal, meaning they succeed less often than men. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_differences_in_suicide Your logic is greatly flawed. B) It's not simply guns. Europe and Japan have very different and much older cultures. Theirs tend to emphasize the group over the individual, especially Japan. America still idealizes the frontier culture and ethos, the rugged individual, the cowboy. What did the cowboy carry? Right. America is a gun culture. Wishing won't change it to Europe or Japan overnight. 150 years ago, it was expected for a man to carry a pistol openly on his hip and justice was delivered via the gunfight. In 150 years, we may be calmed down some more. The rest of your response was non-responsive. I see no point in addressing it, as you went on a rant.

Guns: Give them to everyone as a government program.

Paddypereira comments on Dec 15, 2018:

From an outside perspective, I've been seeing as a response to every gun attack in the US with "we need more guns". Has it stopped more gun attacks? Nope. Don't be afraid to correct me, if I'm wrong. How about educating people? On guns and everything? The problem with this is it's hard work, most ...

Paul4747 replies on Dec 16, 2018:

Did you mean "more gun laws"? In which case I agree, more laws don't really change much. What we need is a better mental health system and universal health care.

Guns: Give them to everyone as a government program.

Castlepaloma comments on Dec 15, 2018:

One person's fantasy is another persons insanity. 1. According to the NRA you are 3 times more likely to commit suicide by gun than to kill anyone else. 2. You are more likely to kill someone you know with a gun than a criminal. 3. There is a chance the criminal can disarm you and use the gun ...

Paul4747 replies on Dec 16, 2018:

Also, this was a satire post.

Guns: Give them to everyone as a government program.

Castlepaloma comments on Dec 15, 2018:

One person's fantasy is another persons insanity. 1. According to the NRA you are 3 times more likely to commit suicide by gun than to kill anyone else. 2. You are more likely to kill someone you know with a gun than a criminal. 3. There is a chance the criminal can disarm you and use the gun ...

Paul4747 replies on Dec 16, 2018:

Point by point: 1) For men, this would be true, I imagine. But that doesn't mean the gun causes the suicide. 2) Stipulated, most people aren't crime victims statistically. But in places with concealed carry laws, I have seen studies showing the crime rate went down; logically, criminals know they have a chance of being shot themselves. 3) I will take that chance, compared to the possibility of bringing a finger to a gunfight. 4) I will not willingly take any life except to save my own or someone else's. And I prefer that burden on my "soul" if you want to call it that, over being killed myself. Police response time to a 911 call *averages* 11 minutes, meaning it could be even more. I am not willing to wait that long if someone is breaking in to my property. And it's animal cruelty to keep a dog cooped up in my apartment for the possible 16 hour shifts that I work. War ended slavery in America, ended Nazi domination of Europe, expelled Saddam Hussein from Kuwait. The threat of war kept nuclear weapons out of Cuba. Sometimes talk is insufficient and violence must be met with violence. It's a fact of life. I don't revel in it but I accept it.