Paul4747's Profile

The Nationalist's Delusion - The Atlantic

I_dont_know comments on Jul 30, 2018:

He has submitted regulations that have passed Congress and affected a minority, namely Latinos, so he is racist. He wants Roe v Wade overturned, therefore he's sexist. The way his supporters manage the conflicts is through denial. "I'm not racist, BUT..."

Paul4747 replies on Jul 31, 2018:

@Renickulous You're conflating two issues to get to the point you want. A fetus has never been a functioning human. A human adult who has lost brain function, morally I have no issue with euthanasia if that's the family's wishes or if that person has clearly expressed them as in a DNR order. However, the language you use ("Are brain dead people free game to kill") evokes the specter of gangs of roaming mad doctors stalking the terminal ward looking for people to kill, which is patently ridiculous. The important question is: for whom is a person in a persistent vegetative state being kept alive? Not for themselves, since they're unaware of being alive or dead. For whom, then? If the family and the doctors agree that there's no chance of regaining mental function and awareness... for whom??? I wish conservatives would spend this much energy worrying about the rights of those who were *already* born, and still walking around.

The Nationalist's Delusion - The Atlantic

Renickulous comments on Jul 30, 2018:

What racist laws or regulations has trump enacted?

Paul4747 replies on Jul 31, 2018:

@Renickulous Nice blinders you've got on there. Bye now.

The Nationalist's Delusion - The Atlantic

I_dont_know comments on Jul 30, 2018:

He has submitted regulations that have passed Congress and affected a minority, namely Latinos, so he is racist. He wants Roe v Wade overturned, therefore he's sexist. The way his supporters manage the conflicts is through denial. "I'm not racist, BUT..."

Paul4747 replies on Jul 31, 2018:

@Renickulous The woman's right to abort an embryo or fetus, that is correct. Brain development doesn't even begin until the 6th week of pregnancy. Until the fetus is viable outside the mother's womb, one cannot speak of a "baby", only of a potential baby. If you're arguing for the defense of "potential people", your next logical step is endorsing the Catholic stand on birth control, since every sperm and every egg are potentially waiting to meet and result in the conception of an embryo. All the sperms you have in you are potential people waiting to meet women's eggs, their other halves. You're denying them the right to life by not mating with every fertile woman you can lay hands on. Yes, I am engaging in reductio ad absurdem, only because your argument is absurd. This was settled decades ago. It's not your body carrying a pregnancy, and *you don't get to make that call*.

Confused if I'm Christian or not.

Paul4747 comments on Jul 31, 2018:

Do you believe in someone above the natural order, who created everything (whether in 6 days or 6 billion years)? Do you believe that person has a specific interest in your life and fate? Do you believe people have souls that survive death, and go to some kind of afterlife? Is there a God in ...

Paul4747 replies on Jul 31, 2018:

@rogueflyer Ok, you accidentally posted it as a reply to me. I misunderstood. Sorry...

Confused if I'm Christian or not.

Paul4747 comments on Jul 31, 2018:

Do you believe in someone above the natural order, who created everything (whether in 6 days or 6 billion years)? Do you believe that person has a specific interest in your life and fate? Do you believe people have souls that survive death, and go to some kind of afterlife? Is there a God in ...

Paul4747 replies on Jul 31, 2018:

@rogueflyer I believe I need to get to bed now, but I will answer more fully in the morning... deal?

The Nationalist's Delusion - The Atlantic

I_dont_know comments on Jul 30, 2018:

He has submitted regulations that have passed Congress and affected a minority, namely Latinos, so he is racist. He wants Roe v Wade overturned, therefore he's sexist. The way his supporters manage the conflicts is through denial. "I'm not racist, BUT..."

Paul4747 replies on Jul 31, 2018:

@Renickulous It's not sexist to tell a woman you know better than her what to do with her body?

The Nationalist's Delusion - The Atlantic

Renickulous comments on Jul 30, 2018:

What racist laws or regulations has trump enacted?

Paul4747 replies on Jul 31, 2018:

@Renickulous It's not hard to see, because obviously you're closing your eyes to it. His policies on immigration alone are *blatantly* racist. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_policy_of_Donald_Trump#Changes_to_legal_immigration Ending the visa diversity lottery (so we don't get as many immigrants from those "shithole countries"). Capping refugee admissions. Characterizing Mexican immigrants as drug dealers, murderers and rapists... Syrian asylum seekers as terrorists. The words can't be separated from the policies. A look at the evidence shows that immigrants commit crimes at a much *lower* rate than native-born Americans. But don't try to tell that to Trump supporters, which I guess includes you?

Pilots Have Stopped Deportations in Germany-Why Can't American Pilots Refuse to Fly Deported Asylum ...

archer5691 comments on Jul 30, 2018:

Idiots......they should be fired. Hopefully they're being replaced.

Paul4747 replies on Jul 30, 2018:

@archer5691 Look up the difference between satire and sarcasm.

Pilots Have Stopped Deportations in Germany-Why Can't American Pilots Refuse to Fly Deported Asylum ...

archer5691 comments on Jul 30, 2018:

Idiots......they should be fired. Hopefully they're being replaced.

Paul4747 replies on Jul 30, 2018:

I agree, a government that denies asylum to refugees from a war zone, and tries to deport them back to it, are idiots who should be replaced. We're working on replacing the idiots in our government here in America as well. *coughTrumpcough*

NEO: Trump, Putin and the White Helmets [veteranstoday.

AlPastor comments on Jul 30, 2018:

About the founder of the Veterans Today website: https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/James_H._Fetzer More about the crackpot site, Veterans Today, and how it targets the US Military - https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/06/12/how-russia-targets-the-us-military-215247

Paul4747 replies on Jul 30, 2018:

That's great research, Al, thanks for the links. Among the most disturbing snippets... "Veterans Today is a homegrown American site that was founded in 2003 in opposition to the invasion of Iraq and soon began publishing wild conspiracy theories. Before it partnered with Russia’s New Eastern Outlook in 2013, it had forged *ties with Iran’s state-backed PressTV and counted among its editorial board of directors a former head of Pakistan’s intelligence services, publishing headlines like, “Israeli death squads involved in Sandy Hook bloodbath” and “Water Terrorism by India to Overawe Pakistan.”* A Veterans Today bio for Dean lists several relatives and ancestors who served in the military and describes his membership in several military-themed groups but does not indicate he himself has served. The site’s chairman, Gordon Duff, served in the Marine Corps in Vietnam and began contributing to the site in 2008. In one 2012 interview, he stated, *“About 30% of what’s written on Veterans Today, is patently false. About 40% of what I write, is at least purposely, partially false, because if I didn’t write false information I wouldn’t be alive.*” So Duff is clinically paranoid to say the least, possibly delusional, and admits he's lying in print. Why, then, would anyone bother to post a link to his rubbish? Unless it confirms their own prejudices.

Why do many folks here put pictures of anything other than themselves in their profile?

Carin comments on Jul 30, 2018:

I hate pictures of myself, & anyway I don't think looks are the first thing to consider when looking for a partner. The guys who asked to meet me didn't either I guess. I ended up insisting on sending one to the guy I'm seeing now, before we both drove 2 hours to meet for the first time.

Paul4747 replies on Jul 30, 2018:

@Carin Awwww. I'm sorry.

Why do many folks here put pictures of anything other than themselves in their profile?

Carin comments on Jul 30, 2018:

I hate pictures of myself, & anyway I don't think looks are the first thing to consider when looking for a partner. The guys who asked to meet me didn't either I guess. I ended up insisting on sending one to the guy I'm seeing now, before we both drove 2 hours to meet for the first time.

Paul4747 replies on Jul 30, 2018:

Makes sense.... easier to find each other at the restaurant (or wherever) if you have a picture

Alex Jones threatens Robert Mueller and accuses him of pedophilia.

Paul4747 comments on Jul 30, 2018:

Because he used the word "Politically" alongside his threat, so it's a metaphor. Not that his audience would know a metaphor if one metaphorically smacked them upside the back of the head. The pedophile thing is the same accusation they leveled at the Clintons, I believe. Not sure how Mueller got...

Paul4747 replies on Jul 30, 2018:

@kmdskit3 Who could have guessed...?

Christians often say that they hate the sin not the sinner.

Endora comments on Apr 8, 2018:

I don't care for the word "hate". I don't hate anyone. There are a plethora of things and belief systems that I disagree with. But "hate" is too strong for me. I feel like it puts a black mark on ones soul/heart. :-*:-)💞

Paul4747 replies on Jul 30, 2018:

You're a better person than I am. A good hatred gets me energized.

How white supremacists split a quiet Rust Belt town - The Washington Post

JanGarber comments on Jul 29, 2018:

Trump has given these people permission. I personally think that white nationalism is a form of fear.

Paul4747 replies on Jul 29, 2018:

Absolutely. All nationalism, as opposed to simple patriotism, is based on fear of the Other.

Cremation or burial for your funeral?

Paul4747 comments on Jul 12, 2018:

Viking funeral. Rowboat, a few cords of wood, 5 gallons of kerosene, and push it out onto Lake Superior when the tide is right. I have many friends who will shoot the flaming arrows. Probably have a competition for it.

Paul4747 replies on Jul 29, 2018:

@pixiedust Ouch

Christian activist: ‘God will curse the children and grandchildren of those who opposed Trump’ ...

chalupacabre comments on Jul 28, 2018:

And did this couple feel the same when Obama was chosen for 2 terms? Were they convinced of the blessings then?

Paul4747 replies on Jul 29, 2018:

Obviously, Obama was sent by the Devil, just like Clinton. You have to bone up on your political theology. Democrats= sent by Satan Republicans= chosen by God Glad I could help.

Christian activist: ‘God will curse the children and grandchildren of those who opposed Trump’ ...

Trajan61 comments on Jul 29, 2018:

Donald Trump knows the conservatives can’t win without the support of the religous right wing and caters to them even though he’s not a Christain himself. In spite of that he’s a damn sight better president than that racist, arrogant idiot Obama who did a lot of damage to this country and ...

Paul4747 replies on Jul 29, 2018:

Gr8 b8 m8, I r8 it 8/8.

I worship nature because?

KateZilla comments on Jul 29, 2018:

Nature, the place I recharge, revive, and respect life. Balance,diversity and judgement free. Humans are the problem. We need Nature and the Earth they don't need us.

Paul4747 replies on Jul 29, 2018:

Humans are a product of nature. What we do is a consequence of a natural process. But unlike most animals, we have conscious awareness of the effects of our actions on our environment. We can modify our actions, we aren't bound to instincts. I'm hopeful that we can overcome our own stupidity.

"The minute you stop looking for someone else to cure you, that's the minute you start living ...

Charity comments on Jul 28, 2018:

I can relate. Hubs was Mr Right Now, not Mr Right. Between his big personality and the purity culture we lived in, it was hard for me to see it for what it actually was. Fourteen years later I'm planning my departure and though he supports it, he's not exactly wanting to let me go. I have a new ...

Paul4747 replies on Jul 28, 2018:

I was lucky in my divorce at least, she treated it the same way. "I'm not happy to see you leave, but if that's what you want, I'm not going to fight you," was how she put it. I'm sure we'll both find what we want and need sooner or later. It's just a matter of being patient and refusing to settle for less.

"The minute you stop looking for someone else to cure you, that's the minute you start living ...

sassygirl3869 comments on Jul 28, 2018:

You are correct-timing is everything. You have to do the work. It took me 9 years after a failed 10 year LTR. We had nothing in common-just 2 people needing to live together for financial and psychological reasons - not love -which I have found here with my Dan.

Paul4747 replies on Jul 28, 2018:

Congratulations!!

Fox's Andrew McCarthy: "I don't think that it's bad if campaigns are turning to foreign governments ...

Paul4747 comments on Jul 27, 2018:

"Illegal things are only bad if a Democrat does them. Why can't we just understand that...." Well put.

Paul4747 replies on Jul 28, 2018:

@snytiger6 See below. Linked to wiki with sources. I went through all this with another user last night and am too tired to rehash it. You're correct, though, he's a retired intelligence agent, not an actual foreign government.

"Libtards".

Paul4747 comments on Jul 26, 2018:

"Alleged consensual pussy grabbing". As I recall, the allegedly "consensual" part of that was Trump's claim that the women "wanted" him to sexually assault them... the same excuse any abuser gives. "She wanted me to rape her. She gave off signals, she really wanted it, her no really meant yes." ...

Paul4747 replies on Jul 28, 2018:

@empirical So you don't want to learn the truth. Bye.

So am I the only woman that expects someone you have just started talking to to plan a date in order...

Seminarian comments on Jul 28, 2018:

My wife asked me if I had cable so she could watch 9-11 news coverage (we lived in the same building). Later she brought over some homemade bread. The date part I initiated to move the relationship forward. It was the third step in the process.

Paul4747 replies on Jul 28, 2018:

Because 9/11 was involved, the same building, etc., that's unique circumstances. It's also much less creepy and pushy if the lady asks herself over, than if the man asks her. Don't ask me why; it just is. I say this as a man. Also less pushy if the date has already happened, and the invitation is a follow-up to a successful date, not a first date in and of itself- on the man's part, anyway. When I was in grad school, my (eventually ex-fiance) started out by asking me to her dorm room, where we were effectively chaperoned by her roommates. Then a week or so later she just walked with me back to my apartment and stayed the night. A month later she moved in. It was all so natural.

How did your neigbors vote?

Paul4747 comments on Jul 28, 2018:

What do I care? This is an overall average. Some people voted like me, others didn't.

Paul4747 replies on Jul 28, 2018:

@MissaDixon By the way, I'm a "Blue" voter in about as "Red" a county as you can get, in a state that usually votes for Democratic presidents and Republican governors... and I'm a union steward, libertarian, support anybody's right to do whatever they want in their own home between consenting adults, and I own legal handguns. So I'm about as much of a contradiction politically as you can get. And I want to kick that orange haired freak out of the Oval Office ASAP.

How did your neigbors vote?

Paul4747 comments on Jul 28, 2018:

What do I care? This is an overall average. Some people voted like me, others didn't.

Paul4747 replies on Jul 28, 2018:

@MissaDixon No offense taken at all! I agree- too many "Murcans".

"The minute you stop looking for someone else to cure you, that's the minute you start living ...

pixiedust comments on Jul 28, 2018:

I hear you on this! Your story sounds so much like mine except my daughter is older.

Paul4747 replies on Jul 28, 2018:

Thank you. I know there are a lot of us here. People who didn't fit the first time around, but maybe, like me, stayed because we wanted to make it work. I like to think that's a sign of a good person, rather than a foolish one. In my case I stayed 3 years longer than I should have, trying to make a broken marriage work because I didn't want to leave my daughter as a "child of divorce" like me. But I realized that I was doing her no favors by staying and being a depressed Dad as opposed to the happy one she could know. Better this way for everybody.

EPA proposal to limit science studies draws opposition

WilliamFleming comments on Jul 27, 2018:

“if underlying research data is not made public because of patient privacy concerns or other issues.” Are there any scientific studies that cite actual individuals by name? Not many I’ll bet, and those names could easily be blotted out for a public version. The issue is whether a ...

Paul4747 replies on Jul 28, 2018:

A study itself would not cite individual names, but this is talking about releasing the underlying raw data, and that *would* potentially be individual names and medical information. The issue is whether the EPA should be able to do the job that it is already empowered by statute to do, which is protecting the environment (and the people who live in it); or whether it's going to have that ability gutted in the name of corporate interests.

"Libtards".

Paul4747 comments on Jul 26, 2018:

"Alleged consensual pussy grabbing". As I recall, the allegedly "consensual" part of that was Trump's claim that the women "wanted" him to sexually assault them... the same excuse any abuser gives. "She wanted me to rape her. She gave off signals, she really wanted it, her no really meant yes." ...

Paul4747 replies on Jul 28, 2018:

@empirical Holy shit, you're really invested in having the last word. Look at his administration's record. Look at who he's appointed to the courts. To the Cabinet. Look at his statements. Look at his actions. And you can also research *why* he made that remark in his speech. Because it was all part of "the art of the deal". >> When Donald Trump promised at the 2016 Republican National Convention to “do everything in my power to protect our LGBTQ citizens,” it was heralded as an unprecedented declaration by a GOP presidential nominee — and a sign of hope that Trump would prove more moderate in his gay-rights policies than his party platform. Two years and multiple anti-LGBTQ policies later, a new book by his former press secretary Sean Spicer reveals that the sentence in Trump’s convention speech was nothing more than empty payback for a political favor. In The Briefing: Politics, The Press, and The President, out Tuesday, Spicer writes that Trump’s campaign team was on a mission at the time to derail anti-Trump delegates seeking to prevent Trump from becoming the Republican presidential nominee — a process that “Never Trumpers” had initiated by signing a petition ahead of the Republican convention. “[Trump campaign chairman Paul] Manafort and his lieutenants went one by one down the list of people who had signed the petition and persuaded them to remove their signatures,” Spicer writes. “How Manafort and company did this was a scene out of 1950s politics — alternating between carrot and stick and sometimes bat, even, at one point, conveniently making the convention’s parliamentarian unavailable to keep the opposition from formally submitting their petition.” Spicer adds, “The Manafort message was clear: Trump will be our nominee and our next president, and anyone who didn’t want to work to that end could spend the next four years in political Siberia. (No Russia pun intended.)” The final name that needed to be scrubbed from the petition, Spicer writes, was that of Washington, D.C., delegate Robert Sinners. The book describes an alleged deal between Sinners, who Spicer says told the Manafort team “he wanted Donald Trump to support gay rights,” and senior Trump communications advisor Jason Miller. “Jason assured Sinners that Trump would be the most ‘inclusive’ candidate the Republican Party ever had,” Spicer writes. “This is your moment, Robert,” Miller told Sinners, according to the book. “You can deliver this.” Sinners then reportedly signed “a form that officially removed his name from the petition,” and the deal was done. “Jason told Sinners Donald Trump’s acceptance speech would acknowledge the LGBT[Q] community, which no other Republican acceptance speech had done,” ...

Trump’s personal CPA has just been subpoenaed by Bob Muller! ?

EMC2 comments on Jul 27, 2018:

I love it and always believed it would come to be. Trump is a low life scum bag and it is just a matter of time before he goes down but to think Pence is also not a good thing. I believe Mueller will show the entire election to be a fraud and that alone will alter the succession.

Paul4747 replies on Jul 28, 2018:

@EMC2 Sorry, but once again this is wishful thinking. There was no "rigging". That would mean manipulation of the actual vote count. What *did* happen was apparently influence through social media on Trump's behalf by bots, set up and controlled by Russian hackers. That's a far far cry from "rigged". Due to the peculiarities of the Electoral College system, Trump, with fewer votes than Clinton, nevertheless won the election. This is a fact. Why voters in those states and districts voted for him, is a matter of multiple interconnected factors. He lied, about 75% of the time. His voters were eager to believe his lies because they pandered to their pre-existing world view. Trump offered easy solutions in a complex world; solutions that, it turns out, don't work and can't even be implemented in many cases, but nevertheless cater to people who want a "strong leader" to "save" them from having to think about and make hard choices. Trump pandered to people who feared the changes in American society, and promised a return to simpler times, when America was "great"; i.e. when it looked like white middle class heterosexual Christians. Trump ran a nativist campaign, based on fear of the Other, the immigrant, the Outsider. He ran a smear campaign backed by countless internet volunteers who repeated his lies for him (some of which were certainly Russian bot accounts). The media did not hold Trump accountable; their attempts to do so were portrayed as "left-wing bias", which is a myth that the Right has sold for 40 years. In short, of all the reasons Trump won the election, fraud was not one of them. It was a legitimate result, as much as I could wish it otherwise. Crying that it was "rigged" is taking a page from Trump's playbook.

What is the difference between faith and belief?

Paul4747 comments on Jul 28, 2018:

Let's put it like this: "I *believe* I left the oven on." That makes sense as a sentence. "I have *faith* that I left the oven on." That makes no sense. It's easier to illustrate the difference than to define it. A belief is usually based on some kind of rational evidence. Faith is based on...

Paul4747 replies on Jul 28, 2018:

@schway I see. The older I get, the less I bother with the ontological definition of things and just concern myself with the operational definition.

Donald Trump attacks former fixer Michael Cohen over tape

Renickulous comments on Jul 28, 2018:

Yeah his lawyer stabbed him in the back over an affair he had. The opposite of what a lawyer is supposed to do, hope he never works as a lawyer again. Cant think of a good reason to do this on his part

Paul4747 replies on Jul 28, 2018:

@Renickulous "unless it was something that actually hurt someone "... so paying a porn star hush money during a presidential campaign doesn't hurt anyone, other than breaking the law.

Donald Trump attacks former fixer Michael Cohen over tape

Renickulous comments on Jul 28, 2018:

Yeah his lawyer stabbed him in the back over an affair he had. The opposite of what a lawyer is supposed to do, hope he never works as a lawyer again. Cant think of a good reason to do this on his part

Paul4747 replies on Jul 28, 2018:

How about, because Cohen was going to be hung out to dry as the one behind the payoffs and he didn't want to go out like a little punk? Not when his boss was lying about it and Cohen was able to prove it?

Anyone into podcasts?

Paul4747 comments on Jul 27, 2018:

I am very old and technologically illiterate... What is a "podcast", please?

Paul4747 replies on Jul 28, 2018:

@KatieO It sounds better on CD. :D

Anyone into podcasts?

Paul4747 comments on Jul 27, 2018:

I am very old and technologically illiterate... What is a "podcast", please?

Paul4747 replies on Jul 28, 2018:

@KatieO Before your time, I guess? I had 78 rpm vinyl, 33, 45, 8 track, and finally cassette. I hope CD is the last thing I need to buy... but I doubt it.

Anyone into podcasts?

Paul4747 comments on Jul 27, 2018:

I am very old and technologically illiterate... What is a "podcast", please?

Paul4747 replies on Jul 28, 2018:

@KatieO Know what I miss? 8-track tapes. :D

"Libtards".

Paul4747 comments on Jul 26, 2018:

"Alleged consensual pussy grabbing". As I recall, the allegedly "consensual" part of that was Trump's claim that the women "wanted" him to sexually assault them... the same excuse any abuser gives. "She wanted me to rape her. She gave off signals, she really wanted it, her no really meant yes." ...

Paul4747 replies on Jul 27, 2018:

@empirical And I'm not interested in your cherry-picked examples which ignore the record. Have a great day.

On dating profiles I always notice when a woman says "I'm 5'5" and a HALF.

Paul4747 comments on Jul 27, 2018:

Impressive, or encouraging?

Paul4747 replies on Jul 27, 2018:

@EColorado indeed ?

On dating profiles I always notice when a woman says "I'm 5'5" and a HALF.

Christiep77 comments on Jul 27, 2018:

I read somewhere that most people are 1 inch shorter than they think they are.

Paul4747 replies on Jul 27, 2018:

I just go with what the doctor tells me...

Trump’s personal CPA has just been subpoenaed by Bob Muller! ?

EMC2 comments on Jul 27, 2018:

I love it and always believed it would come to be. Trump is a low life scum bag and it is just a matter of time before he goes down but to think Pence is also not a good thing. I believe Mueller will show the entire election to be a fraud and that alone will alter the succession.

Paul4747 replies on Jul 27, 2018:

Wishful thinking. You would have real trouble showing Pence colluded, even if it were proven that Trump did (which I don't truly expect, it's the lying since taking office that's worse). Even then, nothing "changes" the succession. We have a constitutional system. Speaker of the House comes after the VP, and so on.

Anyone into podcasts?

Paul4747 comments on Jul 27, 2018:

I am very old and technologically illiterate... What is a "podcast", please?

Paul4747 replies on Jul 27, 2018:

@EddieDean In other words, one more damn piece of technology. (Even as I realize the irony of writing this on a computer.)

The Humanist Dilemma: Is Tolerance Intolerable? - TheHumanist.com

archer5691 comments on Jul 23, 2018:

"Tolerance" for the sake of tolerance....without the VERY NECESSARY dimension of common sense creates the insanity we are living through now. We MUST be able to defend our nations from BAD IDEAS.....from DANGEROUS IDEAS .....that threaten social cohesion and our fragile democracy. More importantly, ...

Paul4747 replies on Jul 27, 2018:

@archer5691 By "radical leftist" you mean, what exactly? Since you don't define any of the terms you throw around, I have only your words to go by. Judging by your words, you are on the Right. Deal with it.

The Humanist Dilemma: Is Tolerance Intolerable? - TheHumanist.com

archer5691 comments on Jul 23, 2018:

"Tolerance" for the sake of tolerance....without the VERY NECESSARY dimension of common sense creates the insanity we are living through now. We MUST be able to defend our nations from BAD IDEAS.....from DANGEROUS IDEAS .....that threaten social cohesion and our fragile democracy. More importantly, ...

Paul4747 replies on Jul 27, 2018:

@archer5691 You can call yourself centrist all you like, but you are on the right. And the vision of "social cohesion" you're defending is exactly as I described. I don't care if you said it, it's the truth. I don't really care if you're offended by the truth.

The Humanist Dilemma: Is Tolerance Intolerable? - TheHumanist.com

archer5691 comments on Jul 23, 2018:

"Tolerance" for the sake of tolerance....without the VERY NECESSARY dimension of common sense creates the insanity we are living through now. We MUST be able to defend our nations from BAD IDEAS.....from DANGEROUS IDEAS .....that threaten social cohesion and our fragile democracy. More importantly, ...

Paul4747 replies on Jul 27, 2018:

"The exclusion of certain peoples at certain times in certain societies..." what wonderful, wonderful code words you use to disguise your intolerance. Would you care to name names? Who, exactly, is in need of excluding? It's the politics of the extreme right, aimed at clinging to power for the current elite and a vision of society that still looks like 1950 America, seeking to exclude anyone who isn't white, male, straight, upper middle class, and Christian, from the conversation, that is crippling the dialogue. (And going around tossing invective at anyone who disagrees with them. "Period".)

Why sexual desire is objectifying – and hence morally wrong | Aeon Ideas

273kelvin comments on Jul 27, 2018:

Sounds like he`s over intellectualizing but it is a great way to get out of "Does my bum look big in this?"

Paul4747 replies on Jul 27, 2018:

@273kelvin Brilliant, I'll look you up. Right after I win the lottery sweepstakes that is. I never made it south of Glasgow when I visited the UK as a student, always wanted to go back someday.

On dating profiles I always notice when a woman says "I'm 5'5" and a HALF.

IamNobody comments on Jul 27, 2018:

If size matters then accuracy should too ????

Paul4747 replies on Jul 27, 2018:

Like "ability to write in snow" Never know when you'll need that skill.

On dating profiles I always notice when a woman says "I'm 5'5" and a HALF.

Sapiophile comments on Jul 27, 2018:

What a straight line...... (nope, not going go there)

Paul4747 replies on Jul 27, 2018:

..... You're right, too easy :D

Why sexual desire is objectifying – and hence morally wrong | Aeon Ideas

dellik comments on Jul 27, 2018:

why is objectification assumed to be immoral? thats absurd.

Paul4747 replies on Jul 27, 2018:

My issue is, why is it assumed at all? I don't look at a partner's body in the same way I look at every other body in the world. She's special to me. She's someone I care about. That's the opposite of objectifying.

Why sexual desire is objectifying – and hence morally wrong | Aeon Ideas

273kelvin comments on Jul 27, 2018:

Sounds like he`s over intellectualizing but it is a great way to get out of "Does my bum look big in this?"

Paul4747 replies on Jul 27, 2018:

No, you look smashing. We should go out and meet some ladies together. How could they resist us?

Why do people on the Left have such a problem acknowledging that Western Civilization is superior to...

Paul4747 comments on Jul 26, 2018:

There's a reason we don't use Roman numerals for mathematics. It's because the Arabs had a far superior number system, including the concept of "0"... not to mention the invention of algebra. Throughout the Dark and Middle Ages they preserved much of the knowledge of Europe which the Christian ...

Paul4747 replies on Jul 27, 2018:

@archer5691 And, they move again. Your original statement posited that "Western Civilization is superior to all others...both now and throughout history....based on almost every possible metric." This clearly implies that at every period in history, Western civilization was superior to the civilization of every other part of the world, at that same time. Apples to apples comparison. NOW you claim that you meant that you were comparing ONLY the 21st Century West to the ENTIRE rest of the world, at every age *throughout history?* Comparing an apple to a bag of oranges. I'm amazed by the lengths you go to, to avoid admitting you were just plain wrong.

"Libtards".

Paul4747 comments on Jul 26, 2018:

"Alleged consensual pussy grabbing". As I recall, the allegedly "consensual" part of that was Trump's claim that the women "wanted" him to sexually assault them... the same excuse any abuser gives. "She wanted me to rape her. She gave off signals, she really wanted it, her no really meant yes." ...

Paul4747 replies on Jul 27, 2018:

@empirical > "Exactly. He said they let him do it. Consensual touching is not assault. I hope that if anyone ever accuses you of anything that they get more evidence before judging. To support your suggestion, we would need to hear the other side of the story." But we have heard the other side of the story, from 19 different women. 12 have come forward since 2016. There are the visits to the dressing room during the beauty pageants. Three separate rape allegations. And who can guess how many were afraid to come forward because this is an extremely wealthy man with an arsenal of lawyers and publicists, who routinely slut-shames his accusers in public? One or two allegations and he gets the benefit of the doubt. This is a pattern of a man who fears no repercussions and thinks he has the right to do anything to anyone. > "I have already said what I like about Trump, so no need to imagine. He unequivocally asserted gay rights." Yes, he unequivocally asserted them until he decided to run for President as a Republican. He ordered the Attorney General to defend states' anti-LGBT laws in the courts. He rescinded federal protection towards LGBT students in schools. His administration tried to ban transgender people in the military. He is the first sitting president to appear at the so-called "Values Voters Summit", hosted by the Family Research Council. He spoke there twice before, once as a candidate. This is a group that's against same-sex marriage, same-sex civil unions, LGBT adoption, abortion, embryonic stell-cell research, pornography and divorce. (The pornography and divorce issues should be really close to The Donald's heart, at least, and yet he seemingly saw no conflict in appearing there. Nor they with inviting him.) If Trump believes in LGBT rights, why has his administration been rolling them back in the name of "religious freedom"? What you have here is someone who blows with the wind. He claims to be progressive when that's popular, but when he wants the Republican nomination, he adopts all the slogans of far-right hate groups. I don't know what he believes, or if he believes anything. He's starring in his own reality show. He doesn't understand morality beyond the idea that what he wants is the supreme good. HE HAS NO VALUES. This is the truth. Believe it if you want. Or not.

Why do people on the Left have such a problem acknowledging that Western Civilization is superior to...

Paul4747 comments on Jul 26, 2018:

There's a reason we don't use Roman numerals for mathematics. It's because the Arabs had a far superior number system, including the concept of "0"... not to mention the invention of algebra. Throughout the Dark and Middle Ages they preserved much of the knowledge of Europe which the Christian ...

Paul4747 replies on Jul 26, 2018:

@archer5691 Your statement was "both now and throughout history....based on almost every possible metric". Now you respond by moving the goalposts, pretty much as I expected. I happen to agree that the West is the greatest place to live currently, but it hasn't always been so; and our roots owe an enormous cultural debt to the rest of the world.

Facial hair or No facial hair?

Paul4747 comments on Jul 23, 2018:

I'm not here to vote, I'm just showing off this goatee... ;)

Paul4747 replies on Jul 26, 2018:

@WilliamCharles That's a very '60s term. These days, "goatee" is just a generic term for a beard with no side whiskers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goatee

Why do people on the Left have such a problem acknowledging that Western Civilization is superior to...

Remi comments on Jul 26, 2018:

Um...

Paul4747 replies on Jul 26, 2018:

I'm borrowing this, K?

Did anyone else go through the stages of Atheism?

Paul4747 comments on Jul 25, 2018:

Where are you getting these stages from? I was never truly religious, so I never worried about "eternal consequences", as I never truly believed in an eternity. Socially, my family didn't give me much comeuppance other than friction with me ex as I stopped going to church even for token ...

Paul4747 replies on Jul 25, 2018:

@jioo087 Thank you, I'm here all week :)

Is there a tactful way to let the Ex know you're dating? :|

evergreen comments on Jul 25, 2018:

I'm wondering how you would feel to hear that your ex is dating ? It doesn't seem that you need to explain yourself - as dating is a very natural progression once someone is single again. There's just no need to rub it in her face, if you do find a compatible woman - right ? Good luck !

Paul4747 replies on Jul 25, 2018:

I'd be happy to hear it, because I think she's actually rather lonely. It's just her and our daughter. She has her family and her church friends, but she doesn't have anyone to be intimate with. Then again, she hadn't been intimate with me for years, so maybe she doesn't miss it the way I do. I have my doubts as to whether she's even trying to date.

I just had this discussion with a fellow member.

Paul4747 comments on Jul 24, 2018:

"In the course of the next hour, Sheemie called Capi 'you old sonovabitch' as often as possible- he had discovered, as many others had before him, that only the first cussword is really hard; after that, there's nothing quite like them for relieving one's feelings." -Stephen King, *Wizard and ...