From our Stark Contrast Department:

TomMcGiverin comments on Dec 17, 2022:

I wouldn't get too cheery about the Dem record. Food prices are still sky high, Assange is still getting shafted, DeJoy and Powell are still in their jobs, as Trump appointees, we traded Afghanistan for Ukraine, in the MIC making their profits, our manu jobs are still all overseas, corporations ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 17, 2022:

@Flyingsaucesir The Trump tax cuts are still in place. The Dems and Biden are delivering on better Covid policy than Trump, as well as less hatred against the cultural groups the Repubs and their supporters hate, which is about all I expected from them. I hate being right so often. As far as getting votes from their followers, all the Repubs need to deliver to them is lower taxes for the rich and corporations, and continued hatred of the groups they all hate, that is it. And Jan. 6, is something the Repub followers are proud of, so the Dems never punishing the leaders behind that is also a big, hollow issue for them, motivating their supporters to vote Dem, but not anybody else, like me, who sees that it was all empty political theater. You can't consistently win elections based on "We suck less than them"...

A Republican Supermajority In Florida Is Ready To Shred Abortion Rights | HuffPost Latest News

Barnie2years comments on Dec 17, 2022:

Anyone of child baring age should leave the state. Let all those old Republicans fend for themselves.

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 17, 2022:

I hear you, but that really smacks of privilege. See my comment below. The only solution I see, for those stuck there, is what the movie Call Jane is about, an underground abortion service run by women, but in FL they would be much more targeted than that group was, in the Chicago area in the late 60s and 70s. They had the mob and the cops looking out for them, because both groups were connected to women who needed their services, so they left them alone. I really doubt that would be as easy in FL these days.

A Republican Supermajority In Florida Is Ready To Shred Abortion Rights | HuffPost Latest News

rainmanjr comments on Dec 17, 2022:

State's rights to decide law. Don't like their laws? Don't go to FL or buy products from FL. If enough people do that they'll rethink those laws.

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 17, 2022:

Boycotts like you propose can work, but they take a long time, sometimes decades. Look at South Africa. In the meantime, what are those women without resources or the ability to move away, supposed to do?

Do you have a hard to shop for Xstian on your holiday gift list?

DenoPenno comments on Dec 16, 2022:

Oh, why not? Sarah Palin talks to him on her cell phone. :)

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 16, 2022:

Something tells me that Sarah Palin hears, and talks to, other voices, that also aren't really there, besides Jesus....

Elon Musk Calls for the Prosecution of Anthony Fauci Over the weekend, Elon Musk took to his ...

racocn8 comments on Dec 13, 2022:

If anyone had doubt that Musk is a full-throated asshole. (Hate to break it to you, Johnny, but the Deep State/MIC is alive and well).

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 14, 2022:

So true. Epstein's convenient, mysterious :suicide" is all the proof you need about that, along with the treatment of Assange.

Looking for a new profile photo which one works the best?

FvckY0u comments on Dec 13, 2022:

Go with what picture best speaks to you or what you're trying to convey.

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 13, 2022:

@azzow2 Some women want a comedian, some don't. I don't know how to advise you beyond that.

Said every cat at 3 am

Lilac-JadeCanada comments on Dec 13, 2022:

It's warm dammit, what's the problem?

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 13, 2022:

Warmth is always the top priority with cats, in where they plant themselves. Like heat-seeking missiles, they will always land in the warmest spot in the house that they can get to..

Said every cat at 3 am

Garban comments on Dec 13, 2022:

“That new kibble gives me gas.”

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 13, 2022:

A woman I used to date had a cat that often farted either in her face or in her direction when near her, at times. I thought it was maybe a passive aggressive cat, lol! To my knowledge, she didn't get rid of the cat, tho probably a lot of people would have...

I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will...

ASTRALMAX comments on Dec 11, 2022:

True, until you do or say something that they find disagreeable and everything that you previously said that caused them to feel good is suddenly forgotten.

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 12, 2022:

That is rather true, and I hate that, when people throw out all past credits you have with them, simply because in the moment, they are mad at you. It is very unfair, and I try to stay above that myself in how I deal with people.

Time of the year for mean comparisons

BDair comments on Dec 12, 2022:

That is not applicable to this particular 60 year old man.

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 12, 2022:

@Betty Maybe that is the excuse tacky men use for sending dick pics to women on dating sites, to prove what they still have?

Has anyone seen the new friends feature on the Facebook dating?

TomMcGiverin comments on Dec 12, 2022:

I am on FB, but know nothing about it. Does it cost you any $ if you are already on FB? I am wary of using it, as I could see the potential of scammers using it even more than normal dating sites. Scratch that. I looked it up on Google, there is no web version of it yet, probably never will be. You ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 12, 2022:

@azzow2 Not getting or learning how to use a smartphone just for that.

US leaders gather to discuss rights of nonreligious people across the world 'Discrimination against...

racocn8 comments on Dec 11, 2022:

Most people have an inkling of the cruelty and damage done by religious people. However, if people grasped more than this inkling... Even though people hear about the many atrocities, mass murders, and genocides, the sheer breadth and scope of evil-doing done in the name of Jesus is mind-boggling ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 12, 2022:

@CuddyCruiser In all honesty, the last US president I actually liked and respected, was Jimmy Carter, which figures, because he was a one-termer, that most people turned on as soon as the Iran hostage crisis happened, which was never his fault, just bad luck for him, that it happened on his watch, when he was not the one who set up the Shah there as a dictator.

US leaders gather to discuss rights of nonreligious people across the world 'Discrimination against...

racocn8 comments on Dec 11, 2022:

Most people have an inkling of the cruelty and damage done by religious people. However, if people grasped more than this inkling... Even though people hear about the many atrocities, mass murders, and genocides, the sheer breadth and scope of evil-doing done in the name of Jesus is mind-boggling ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 12, 2022:

@CuddyCruiser Totally with you, man. That is why I refuse to cave into the pressure to be bright-sided and optimistic about the future of America or the world, because the evidence for optimism, just isn't there, and hope really is another name, these days, for wishful or magical thinking..... And I am still disgusted at how Obama, used, and so many rubes bought into, and still do, his phony, manipulative advertising, for "Hope And Change", which I always knew was phony and bullshit, but most people still believe that shit about him and how wonderful things supposedly were during the Obama years and how great he was, etc.. It makes me want to puke when I hear the Dem loyalists spout that shit and treat me as if I am the delusional, crazy one, instead of them...

Here's a chestnut that often comes up when a religious person finds out that I am an Atheist.

BufftonBeotch comments on Dec 11, 2022:

That bit about if "If you don't fear hell what keeps you from breaking into your neighbor's house and beheading them and raping infants?" Close to the Duck Dynasty quote. These thoughts don't enter my mind.

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 12, 2022:

@BufftonBeotch Good line and quite true! You can bank on that one... And another related line I have always believed in, that I got from a Poli Sci professor, is " You never know who you really are, as far as morals or ethics, until you have been given power, and then been tested or tempted, by someone who asks you to use it or abuse that power, in doing favors for them or for hurting someone you don't like". Because until then, you don't really know who you are, in that area, and nobody else does, either... Lots of people say and think they are very highly moral and ethical, but they have never had to prove it, by being tested or tempted in that sort of situation..

Has anybody else noticed any changes in the trends as far as online dating?

MichelleGar1 comments on Nov 9, 2022:

I could only take 5 minutes or less from the dating option on Facebook, it was too scary for me and overwhelming!

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 12, 2022:

And the other thing that sucks, about online dating, esp. if you are a guy, who always has to make the first move, in my dating pool, is that if some other guy wins the competition for a woman who is on the dating site, and then things go sour between them and the woman, in my experience, the woman is never interested in giving any of the also rans, as far as men, another chance with them, by messaging them back later, saying things didn't work out with the man they chose to lock down with and date a while, etc., probably because they never want to admit they made a mistake in choosing the guy they picked, or because by then they have lost track of who else they had begun messaging with before locking down on their top choice, etc. But many times, more often than I can count, I have seen the same woman's profile come up again as active on Match, after being inactive for a while, and then messaged them, telling them I am still interested in meeting them, etc., but they have never given me that second look or chance with them, probably because, as they see it, if I wasn't their first choice in the past, on Match, why should they bother giving me a second look, and also because any woman who is average looking or better, gets plenty of attention from men on dating sites, so their attitude, when they are starting over, is to just only look at the new set of men that have joined Match since the time they dropped off of Match. Same as buying a house, they are only interested in buying from the newer homes on the market, not going back and seeing the homes from before that they passed on. So damned impersonal and callous, the process is. I am always willing to consider, connect again with, and meet women who have passed me up before for someone else, not due to incompatibiility that they sensed on their part, but due to me not being their top choice. But it makes no difference, like anything else, if it's always a one-way street, and that is what I'm so fucking sick of. Women saying they value men who are open-minded, flexible, tolerant of differences between them and a woman, but in the reality, those things count for little or nothing in who they actually choose to date.. It feels to me like lots of women say they value those things in a man, but instead of actually having or choosing to practice those things themselves, they just put those qualities out there as some hollow things they say they want in a man, but have no intention of being themselves, sort of like virtue signaling among pols..

Who’s giving Americans spiritual care?

KKGator comments on Dec 11, 2022:

"Spiritual care"? That's a crock of shit. Mental health care is all people need. I don't want anyone "counseling" me if they believe in ANY god.

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 12, 2022:

@KKGator I believe you and respect your perspective, but I have met such critters, tho I don't claim that they are common in their professions..

Here's a chestnut that often comes up when a religious person finds out that I am an Atheist.

BufftonBeotch comments on Dec 11, 2022:

That bit about if "If you don't fear hell what keeps you from breaking into your neighbor's house and beheading them and raping infants?" Close to the Duck Dynasty quote. These thoughts don't enter my mind.

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 12, 2022:

@SnowyOwl The sad reality is that most people operate like that, at what the psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg, who pioneered the study of moral reasoning, calls the conformity level of moral reasoning. These people operate, morally, at the basic level of doing what is needed to conform to the norms of their society, thru obedience to authority and to avoid punishment. Those two factors are all that motivate them in making their moral choices. In Kohlberg's model of moral reasoning, people with higher intelligence, and a more advanced level of moral reasoning, make their moral choices on much more universal and personally held convictions of right and wrong, which involve much more complicated reasons for the actions they choose.

Who’s giving Americans spiritual care?

TomMcGiverin comments on Dec 11, 2022:

As far as providing spiritual care, ministers are being, and have been replaced, for some time now, by mental health workers, like social workers, therapists, and counselors. It used to be that most religious people went to their ministers for counseling, because it was less embarrassing to them and...

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 12, 2022:

@BufftonBeotch But nowadays, esp. with the gig economy, many jobs have no benefits whatsover, which is a trend which began decades ago, on the part of employers, to increase their profits and cut their costs. It is also a big reason why most employers, esp. ones in low wage, no benefit industries can't hire and keep staff, because many workers decided, after Covid hit, to no longer put up with taking low wage, no benefit jobs anymore and being exploited by employers, to work high risk jobs for Covid, with no benefits and shitty pay. I still have no sympathy whatsoever for employers these days who can't hire or keep staff. They are reaping what they have sowed, because employers who have continued to pay well and provide good benefits, have always been able to hire and retain staff. It is the exploitive ones who are suffering now, and they fucking deserve every bit of it!

Who’s giving Americans spiritual care?

TomMcGiverin comments on Dec 11, 2022:

As far as providing spiritual care, ministers are being, and have been replaced, for some time now, by mental health workers, like social workers, therapists, and counselors. It used to be that most religious people went to their ministers for counseling, because it was less embarrassing to them and...

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 12, 2022:

@BufftonBeotch All of those suppositions, are very likely true, in a rural area, but I don't live in one of those, and never will again, by choice, because of the terrible mismatch they are for someone like me. In a decent sized city, like I live in, you don't have to worry about such a widespread gossip network, lucky for me. I pity people who, due to either ignorance about such things, or not having any choice about where they live, due to local family ties, or needing the job they have in that town so badly, that they have to stay living in Podunk, no matter how bad it might be for them socially or mentally.

Who’s giving Americans spiritual care?

KKGator comments on Dec 11, 2022:

"Spiritual care"? That's a crock of shit. Mental health care is all people need. I don't want anyone "counseling" me if they believe in ANY god.

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 11, 2022:

I think that the two are hard to separate, in the treatment and healing of most people, for their emotional problems, and past traumas. I personally have no issue with a therapist or mental health professional who is a believer in religion, as long as they respect the patient's non-belief, attempt to meet them where the patient is already at, so to speak, and not try to change them on that aspect of not believing. The point is to make the person more functional, less plagued by their mental illness, promote healing of their psyche from trauma, increase their capacity or resiliance to be able to cope with life, to increase their social connections and improve the quality of those connections, and to aid them in finding a life that is more fulfilling to them, not to the helper..

Who’s giving Americans spiritual care?

TomMcGiverin comments on Dec 11, 2022:

As far as providing spiritual care, ministers are being, and have been replaced, for some time now, by mental health workers, like social workers, therapists, and counselors. It used to be that most religious people went to their ministers for counseling, because it was less embarrassing to them and...

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 11, 2022:

@skado Yes and no. The ministers are still free of charge, and so are the mental health workers working at community mental health centers, where they still exist, because those are govt. funded, and either charge nothing for the poor, or a sliding fee scale for those who do have income.

Who’s giving Americans spiritual care?

BufftonBeotch comments on Dec 11, 2022:

As in Catholic church? The last person I would want counseling me would be a damn virgin with no clue to the real world.

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 11, 2022:

Sound like a line from the Clint Eastwood movie, Gran Torino...

Here's a chestnut that often comes up when a religious person finds out that I am an Atheist.

SnowyOwl comments on Dec 11, 2022:

I've found it to be a common theme amongst religious types that they feel that Atheists are more likely to be immoral, untrustworthy and even prone to criminal actions, this has been born out in numerous polls and studies. It's one of the reasons why so few politicians who are Atheists will ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 11, 2022:

No doubt. Biggest example is Bernie Sanders, who I have no doubt is an atheist, but because he wanted to be president, he always claimed that he was still Jewish, but non-observant, what a cop-out! But he knew he couldn't get away with adding Atheist to the Socialist label he already had...

Interesting that adults can accept that Santa is a lie but still believe that God is the truth. :D

Dave375 comments on Dec 10, 2022:

When I was a child I pretended Santa was real, even after I knew otherwise. I realized playing along would net me gifts. Perhaps some religious adults have a similar thought process.

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 10, 2022:

Agreed. Playing along at least gets you social acceptance, conformity, and maybe some conditional friendship. And there's always the magical hope that you will be rewarded for your faith by some sky fairy..

This exquisite amicus brief was submitted to the US Supreme Court, by the Onion.

TomMcGiverin comments on Dec 10, 2022:

Maybe I'm too ignorant, or thick, as the British say, but is there any particular case that this brief is supposed to be in reference to?

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 10, 2022:

@itsmeagain Ok, thanks for adding that link, it all makes sense now. I had already heard about the case of the guy writing a satire piece about his local cops and then them going to war against him. To me, The Onion publishes more truth, between the lines of the satire, about how things really are, than all of the corporate media combined...

Cheato's diabolically clever hiding place for classified documents.

TomMcGiverin comments on Dec 10, 2022:

That's my parody title for that retarded country song, "Digging Up Bones", which I call Picking My Nose..lol..

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 10, 2022:

@Flyingsaucesir See, I've been telling you all for years, that country music sucks! Imagine living somewhere like Iowa, where it's so damned popular and you are constantly bombarded with it on TV and at karaoke, which I go to a few times a week? It's like being the only sane person in the asylum..

For those of us that are the black sheep of the family, how true does this ring for you?

Lauren comments on Nov 30, 2022:

Indeed. And we're usually the only one brave enough to face reality.

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 10, 2022:

@ChrisAine You and I finally agree on something...

Sometimes the truth hurts

Julie808 comments on Dec 2, 2022:

I find it refreshing that men are more real and genuine now that dating is no longer the objective at our ages.

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 10, 2022:

I was always real and genuine, but look where it got me before I met my late wife, and where it gets me now in online dating. Maybe there's a reason most men are not that genuine, like maybe they get penalized for it by too many single women? Seems to me that many women are a bit disengenuous when they say the want real and genuine, but in reality are more interested in smooth and very confident, even if it's phony charm.... I blame a lot of it on them watching too many Hollywood movies, where the leading men are always 10s in looks, very confident and charming, rather than real and genuine in any realistic way, like average men. Seems to lead to a lot of ridiculous expectations...

Eric Trump says his dad saved religious freedom from Obama | Salon.com

David1955 comments on Dec 9, 2022:

Even on the spectrum of Trump family stupidity this guy is in a class of dumb-fuck all his own. The only family member exception is Mary Trump, who is a terrific lady, the white sheep of the family.

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 10, 2022:

Every family has it's despised truth-teller about it. Mary Trump is theirs, and I can totally relate to her... She knows that someone like Donald could have her whacked or at least seriously hurt, and get away with it, as well as frivilously sued, and cost her tons of money to fight it, but yet she still spills the beans on him, knowing it could really personally cost her..

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona: Why I’m registering as an independent

TomMcGiverin comments on Dec 9, 2022:

You're right, she will not even run for re-election. She already has her cushy corporate or lobbyist job lined up, secretly. In the meantime, she loves the spotlight, and will suck up all she can of it until she leaves office. The Dems should have wrote her off long ago, same with Manchin, but ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 9, 2022:

@CuddyCruiser Ding, ding, you are correct sir! And even Bernie, who is not just in it for the money, like the rest of them in DC, is still pretty corrupt, choosing to suck up to the Dems just to keep his own power and perks in congress, instead of leaving them behind and starting the third party he could have given us back in 2016. He sells out too, just not for money, like the rest of them. And all he gets for it, is a powerless platform to complain about the Dems, but then cave to them every time. So in that way, he serves as a sheepdog to keep progressive voters inside the duopoly, instead of voting outside of it, and making the Dem Party appear to be more different than the Repubs than they actually are. He is the showdog for them to keep the progressives in line, when he has no power in the party and none of its leaders listen to him. He is the lipstick on the Dem Party pig... And I am waiting for the Dem Party apologists and loyalists to show up and bash me in, 3, 2, 1......

Well, after another really long dry spell, I recently got rejected this weekend by two women that I ...

ChrisAine comments on Dec 9, 2022:

It hurts when you can't find a partner in your local community I'm on the same page when it comes to finding love, all the ladies around here are religious or evangelicals which means once you date them, you must accept their beliefs. About finding love online It's my first time to try it here ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 9, 2022:

@ChrisAine Read it however you want to. I was saying that likely no women would date a man who lived overseas, whether he was white, black, green or whatever. Knock off your stupid PC assumption of racism. Man, I hate it when people treat PC as their own fucking religion. If anybody on here thinks I am racist because I don't worship at the alter of PC, like they do, they can fuck themselves. You're an idiot, as far as I'm concerned, and I don't want to engage with you anymore. Fail to respect that, and I will block you.

Well, after another really long dry spell, I recently got rejected this weekend by two women that I ...

ChrisAine comments on Dec 9, 2022:

It hurts when you can't find a partner in your local community I'm on the same page when it comes to finding love, all the ladies around here are religious or evangelicals which means once you date them, you must accept their beliefs. About finding love online It's my first time to try it here ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 9, 2022:

I'm not sure I agree that most profiles are tagged with interest in meeting people for dating. I would bet most of those profiles you're referring to are old and inactive. Most of the members profiles I see these days, who are still actively involved with the site, and posting comments and posts, are tagged with "here for community only". Also, very few members here will find any local dating options, because those who are still active on here are very scattered across the US. So, go ahead and feel this is a dating site, if you like, but unless you are interested in dating other members long distance, and by that I mean at least a few hundred mile away from you, you're probably out of luck for dating members from here. And you don't even live in the US, where most of the members are. Who do you think from here that lives in the US, is going to date a man from Africa?

Hello I'm new here from Uganda.

skado comments on Dec 8, 2022:

Welcome to AgnosticDotCom! To answer your question... you might find love here, just as a person might find love at a grocery store or at a football game, but, like those venues, this is not *primarily* a dating site. It's mostly a site where non-believing religious literalists gather to ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 8, 2022:

It was originally intended to be a dating site and a social discussion site, but the former never really panned out, and in the last several years, it has been a joke for dating. No local dating options except for a very few Americans, plenty of long distance dating options, for people in America, unlike you. But I would say that even men in America are out of luck on here, as no women on here appear to be interested in trying LD dating, and I sure am not.

Do you give money to the red kettle bell ringers outside every store?

Secretguy comments on Dec 8, 2022:

Mostly what I see here is a bunch of cheap dickwads using bullshit arguments to justify their selfishness.

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 8, 2022:

I'm not cheap or selfish at all, asshole. I'm a proud socialist, who wants to see everybody get a fair shake and piece of the pie. I gave all of my first Covid relief check from Trump, around 1500$, to my local food bank, how about you? What did you do with yours? I didn't need it and considered it blood money, actually, so I gave it away. Don't be so quick to judge and label all of us as selfish assholes, unless you are without sin or fault yourself, on that score of altruism and generosity, etc..

Do you give money to the red kettle bell ringers outside every store?

TheDoubter comments on Dec 8, 2022:

Remember the Clintons (Bill and Hil)? Donations for campaigns or for other goals ended up in the Clinton Foundation. They probably bought more land in Arkansas

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 8, 2022:

@Secretguy I came to that conclusion about the Clintons long ago, without his help, by watching what they did, not their words. And no, I am very left wing, that's why I hate them. Bill was the first neoliberal, DLC corporate Dem president we had, selling out the working class and pushing them into the arms of the Repubs, He and Hillary did a lot to making Trump our 45th prez. They were part of the disease, he was merely the symptom...

Do you give money to the red kettle bell ringers outside every store?

TomMcGiverin comments on Dec 8, 2022:

Thanks Julie, very informative. I never give to anyone who is ringing bells, or otherwise panhandling, because I only give to charities I already have researched and then either give online or by mailing them a check, not spontaneously giving in person. I also find it annoying that they and other ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 8, 2022:

@jlynn37 Agreed. Both parties have plenty of money already from their big corporate donors. They don't need money from us peasants, and they don't really care what we want, they just want our votes at election time, and I refuse to give them that as well, as often as possible, esp. in fed elections. The exception is when the greater evil is so extreme, that I hold my nose and vote Dem, not for, but against, the Repub..

Do you give money to the red kettle bell ringers outside every store?

TheDoubter comments on Dec 8, 2022:

Remember the Clintons (Bill and Hil)? Donations for campaigns or for other goals ended up in the Clinton Foundation. They probably bought more land in Arkansas

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 8, 2022:

I have always hated both of the Clintons, for being phony corporate sellouts. Nice to see your comment proves me right about that.

Do you give money to the red kettle bell ringers outside every store?

KKGator comments on Dec 8, 2022:

Nope. I do very little charitable giving.

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 8, 2022:

I don't blame you. Few of them are legitimately serving causes I care about.

It’s official.

BBJong comments on Dec 7, 2022:

Congrats♤♡◇♧_-_-_ go for happiness 🔭 🧭-guess u won't set an a alarm clock for a couple of months☺💗

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 7, 2022:

I still have my alarm clock, but very rarely use it. I usually get up around 8 or 9 am. About the only thing I get up earlier for is the rare medical appt. that can't be scheduled later in the day.

Time spent together

Garban comments on Dec 5, 2022:

I use Zoom a lot for work, so I have a general negative opinion of it. If you and the person you are meeting with get satisfaction by all means enjoy whether it’s a date or just a friendly chat.

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 7, 2022:

I always feel negatively about online communication compared to in person, face to face, which is much more emotionally satisfying and clearer communication, esp. compared to text messages, whether phone style or e-mails. Even phone voice calls are much clearer, more rewarding, satisfying communication. But if what you care most about these days, like most people is convenience and efficiency, which I don't but most do, then the phone texting is the best. Why I won't get a smartphone or learn to text, besides being too clumsy...

I can't speak to all religions and religious beliefs but in my experience I think what keeps many in...

snytiger6 comments on Dec 6, 2022:

I think that is a part of it. I also think that as humans evolved as "herd" animals, whose ancestors instinctually gathered in groups for safety, that those insticts to belong to group are still at play, and by belonging to a group they feel safe. If that group doesn't change, then they may even ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 6, 2022:

I and many other non believers join Unitarian or Unity churches, so we can have some community, without the religion. Some are willing to make that compromise and go outside mainstream churches to be authentic about their non-belief, some will just do without any church, and some will stay within mainstream religion, no matter how little they believe in it, just to fit and remain in the mainstream herd, like you say. Pity that choose to do that last one, remain inauthentic in their short time on this rock, but I guess some of us have more courage and integrity than others.

Vandalism is getting to be a lot less in my area.

Garban comments on Dec 6, 2022:

Home video monitoring has become more affordable. Vandalism has become a high risk low reward crime maybe.

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 6, 2022:

It has also cut way down on people stealing packages off of porches, etc.

Hi, I was curious if anyone else felt as i do about birthdays.

Lauren comments on Dec 5, 2022:

I agree with @Willow_Wisp's thoughts on birthdays providing an opportunity to stay in touch. I have friends whose lives don't intersect with mine much anymore, but birthdays give us a fixed date that we can use as a pretext to get together at least a couple times a year. It was thoughtless of ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 5, 2022:

@K9Kohle789 I agree with your attitude about people needing to be real and loyal with you, or else they don't need to be in your life. As far as being one of the hot chicks in high school, etc., I can't relate to that at all, as I was never confident about my looks, esp. back then. So I guess that is one big diff in us. I suppose youthful beauty has both its pluses and minuses, but I can only imagine them, since I was never part of the cool or beautiful crowd in high school...

It’s official.

glennlab comments on Dec 5, 2022:

I always told clients that anytime you are offered early retirement, take it, otherwise the company will find a way to eliminate you without the benefits.

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 5, 2022:

Yup, most employers will find a way to screw you out of retirement benefits, so don't let them, beat them at their own game, when you can.

Judge blocks Indiana abortion ban on religious freedom grounds | Reuters

TomMcGiverin comments on Dec 3, 2022:

This will never hold up once it gets to the top court..

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 4, 2022:

@p-nullifidian A great example of why to get rid of the fillibuster, esp. since the Dems are never willing to play hardball and use it, unlike the Repubs...

Judge blocks Indiana abortion ban on religious freedom grounds | Reuters

TomMcGiverin comments on Dec 3, 2022:

This will never hold up once it gets to the top court..

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 3, 2022:

@OldMetalHead Well, that's what happens when one president, like Trump, cheats and gets to put three right wing Catholics on the court, in one term...

Hey, How's everyone been?

TomMcGiverin comments on Dec 2, 2022:

Well, you live in the US, like me, where we have had uniparty rule, at least since the late 80s, ever since. The only real differences these days, at the fed level, for the major parties, is the identity politics and culture wars, otherwise, the policies and agendas are pretty much the same, serving...

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 3, 2022:

@Flyingsaucesir I will probably never give up my pessimism about our country and our system, until and unless it is somehow disproven, which in my lifetime, has only continued to get worse each decade, as far as my points in my first paragraph. What I do share with you, is to go down fighting, both literally and figuratively, against the assholes in both parties, as well as the ruling class both of them serve. I will keep fighting the case and cause for socialism until I die. I know that if it comes to civil war here, which I still think it will, I will have my gun and be ready to fight those pricks when the time comes, whether it is just defending myself when they come for me, or out in the streets if our side needs to actually go out there and fight them in the streets, the left against the right, with the cops and military, either on their side or, at best, standing back and standing by, in case the right is not able to beat us on its own.

Re Kanye (Ye),

davknight comments on Dec 3, 2022:

Ignorance can be cured. But Stupid is forever a bag of hammers!

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 3, 2022:

Can only be cured if the person is willing to learn. Unfortunately, most conservatives do not want to be informed, they just want to win the argument.

I need a wife to bear me a son and daughter

DenoPenno comments on Nov 30, 2022:

Me too. I also prefer them younger. One on here is trying to troll me right now. You can have her.

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 3, 2022:

I'm guessing that would be Avva?

I need a wife to bear me a son and daughter

BitFlipper comments on Dec 2, 2022:

Who the fuck is this guy?

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 3, 2022:

Who know? But he sounds like a real goofball...

Is real women really hard to find these days

Mooolah comments on Nov 30, 2022:

Failure of our grammar classes.

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 3, 2022:

@Mooolah As Bill Clinton said, " That depends on the meaning of "is"....

Hey, How's everyone been?

TomMcGiverin comments on Dec 2, 2022:

Well, you live in the US, like me, where we have had uniparty rule, at least since the late 80s, ever since. The only real differences these days, at the fed level, for the major parties, is the identity politics and culture wars, otherwise, the policies and agendas are pretty much the same, serving...

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 3, 2022:

@Flyingsaucesir The 2nd paragraph, and your reply, are about whether we get the full on fascism of the Repubs or keep the charade of democracy the Dems prefer. Either way, we are going to remain really screwed, so I would not be rejoicing about the developments you are feeling optimistic about regarding Trump and the insurrectionists. Because in two years or so, even the charade of democracy could be gone for good with a Repub victory in two years, or civil war begun instead around that time.

Fucking Kabuki theater.

WilliamCharles comments on Dec 2, 2022:

Mah.Thur.Fah.Curse.

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 2, 2022:

That's why they are justifiably called The Fraud Squad, but most liberals have not caught on to them, because they listen only to their words, but don't follow their actions and votes, while the corporate media never scrutinizes their gap between words and actions.

From JFK profiles in courage: If by a "Liberal" they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind,...

vocaloldfart comments on Dec 1, 2022:

Our liberal party(the larcenus party) have a ethos. Me first, me second my mates third, my mates fourth,, if your not one of us..FUCK YOU JACK.They work for who ever pays the most to them..

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 2, 2022:

@glennlab And thus, at least at the fed level, the Dem Party no longer qualifies as a liberal party, because the few actual liberals in there, like Bernie, who is technically an independent, are vastly outnumbered by corporate, centrist Dems, who care nothing about the things in the JFK quote. In Europe, for example, the economic policies of the Dem Party in America, would be called center right..

I need a wife to bear me a son and daughter

MichelleGar1 comments on Nov 30, 2022:

@ed3nn here you go! I hope you both have as many kid's as you can possibly have! 😉 😂😂😂😂😂😂

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 1, 2022:

Scammer meets scammer, lol... only on the internet....

Is real women really hard to find these days

anglophone comments on Nov 30, 2022:

All women are real.

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 1, 2022:

@MichelleGar1 That movie was so funny, and sick..

Is real women really hard to find these days

MichelleGar1 comments on Nov 30, 2022:

Oh geez, another scammer! 🙄🙄🙄🙄😂😂😂

TomMcGiverin replies on Dec 1, 2022:

@MichelleGar1 I play with them sometimes, sort of a harmless way to get some vicarious payback for the real women on dating sites that treat me unfairly, lie, or play games, even tho the two are unrelated. I know that's twisted, but it's harmless, and it helps me cope.

For those of us that are the black sheep of the family, how true does this ring for you?

Lauren comments on Nov 30, 2022:

Indeed. And we're usually the only one brave enough to face reality.

TomMcGiverin replies on Nov 30, 2022:

Yup, and probably also explains why I am not close to any of my siblings, esp. now that my parents are both dead.

1.

antman comments on Nov 29, 2022:

I’d consider myself anti gun but also pro freedom. Why should I tell other people what they can buy and own? Because it can be used to kill? We all have things in our house we could use to kill others so where should the line be drawn to determine what we can and cannot own?

TomMcGiverin replies on Nov 30, 2022:

@antman Bite me, lol...

1.

antman comments on Nov 29, 2022:

I’d consider myself anti gun but also pro freedom. Why should I tell other people what they can buy and own? Because it can be used to kill? We all have things in our house we could use to kill others so where should the line be drawn to determine what we can and cannot own?

TomMcGiverin replies on Nov 30, 2022:

@antman You really are an ass. No point debating you, and it's not that I'm losing. You just can't be reasoned with.

All five found guilty, four on Conspiracy and Rhodes of Seditious Conspiracy, for at least ...

silverotter11 comments on Nov 29, 2022:

Now to just have don lardo indicted!

TomMcGiverin replies on Nov 30, 2022:

Don't hold your breath, esp. with Garland...

1.

antman comments on Nov 29, 2022:

I’d consider myself anti gun but also pro freedom. Why should I tell other people what they can buy and own? Because it can be used to kill? We all have things in our house we could use to kill others so where should the line be drawn to determine what we can and cannot own?

TomMcGiverin replies on Nov 30, 2022:

So you would be ok with everyone having their own rocket launchers, bazookas, etc? Mortar cannons? If they have a big enough yard, maybe they should be able to own their own tanks? I hope that makes you feel comforted the next time you board a commercial airplane, knowing that someone on the ground, that you politically support on the 2nd Amendment, may be waiting on the ground to settle a grudge and blow your plane out of the sky with you in it.. How about everyone being allowed to buy their own C-4 plastic explosives?

All five found guilty, four on Conspiracy and Rhodes of Seditious Conspiracy, for at least ...

CuddyCruiser comments on Nov 29, 2022:

Ooooh oooh just wait until they get up to the big house……The bros are gonna give them sumthin” they’ll never forget!!

TomMcGiverin replies on Nov 29, 2022:

@rainmanjr Well, we can hope, but if there is a racist white gang there, they will be protected.

All five found guilty, four on Conspiracy and Rhodes of Seditious Conspiracy, for at least ...

CuddyCruiser comments on Nov 29, 2022:

Ooooh oooh just wait until they get up to the big house……The bros are gonna give them sumthin” they’ll never forget!!

TomMcGiverin replies on Nov 29, 2022:

I hope you are right, but I doubt it. They will join the Aryan Brotherhood in prison, if they even get sent to a real prison, not Club Fed, so they will have protection from the brothers, as in black men...

Yet another encounter on Match, with a closet conservative and Trumper.

Beowulfsfriend comments on Nov 28, 2022:

There is still a subset of people, especially cons, who think they have the ability to change people and mold them into what they want.

TomMcGiverin replies on Nov 29, 2022:

@DenoPenno Well, my woman on Match was a political conservative, not a con as in online romance scammer. She hid her true political affiliation because of either shame, manipulation (so she could still get interest or attention from men who were liberal) or both. Also possible she thought she could change or mold the man to her politics, like the above commenter said.

Yet another encounter on Match, with a closet conservative and Trumper.

Julie808 comments on Nov 29, 2022:

Sounds like you made an honest woman out of her, haha. Yes, honesty is best - saves everyone time and energy. Way easier to just swipe "next" rather than to get hopes up, meet and then get torn down for being who you say you are in the first place. Seems more and more political leanings are ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Nov 29, 2022:

Nowadays, conservative means being racist, hating anyone different than you, being socially intolerant, and, like it always did, being selfish and greedy... I wish more conservatives would play fair and honest in the online dating game, esp. the women, because the way the game is usually played, the men put in all the time, effort, and hope to reach out to a dozen or two women a month, in my case, in other men's cases, maybe more. And after all that it sucks to have a woman then get your hopes up by messaging you back, which is fairly rare in the first place, for average looking guys like me, and then find out she is politically incompatible, because she lied or hid her politics in the first place. But, like I said, conservatives don't believe in honesty or fairness in politics, so why would they play any different on dating sites? Really, my only two dealbreakers that are on my end, regardless of whether they are for the woman also, are politics and music. I need compatibility in both of them, because they are both very important to me. I can't date someone who is big on country music, because music is my biggest passion in life, and I hate country music. And, because country music is usually so tied into a person's culture, that difference between them and me is also usually a sign that we will be incompatible in other ways, such as politics and religion.

1.

antman comments on Nov 29, 2022:

I’d consider myself anti gun but also pro freedom. Why should I tell other people what they can buy and own? Because it can be used to kill? We all have things in our house we could use to kill others so where should the line be drawn to determine what we can and cannot own?

TomMcGiverin replies on Nov 29, 2022:

@Flyingsaucesir antman is an idiot to not already see that. He is being obtuse to even suggest equivalence between household items and weapons of war, or maybe he is just plain stupid..

Yet another encounter on Match, with a closet conservative and Trumper.

Beowulfsfriend comments on Nov 28, 2022:

There is still a subset of people, especially cons, who think they have the ability to change people and mold them into what they want.

TomMcGiverin replies on Nov 28, 2022:

I do see your point, but in my experience with Match, I really don't think the women who are closet Trumpers and conservatives, who hide that in their profile, until they run across someone like me who confronts them about it, are really out to change anyone and convert them to their viewpoint after they begin dating them. I suspect, rather, that they want to be able to keep their options open, cast as wide a net as they can, for the men who might share the other traits in common, or that have the other traits they are looking for, as far as looks, money, education level, common interests, etc. and then end up with the biggest possible selection of men to sort thru and screen for messaging with, then possibly meeting in person. And the way I think it plays out with these women, is to sift out the men who match up with them on everything but politics, and then see if any of those men, who seem attractive and interesting, are either actually apolitical, or possibly not that strong or sincere about their being liberal or a Dem. But my profile makes it very clear that I am very liberal (tho I don't use the scary term socialist in it, since that would be a kiss of death in my Match dating pool), so I really don't see why so many of them end up replying to me anyway these days. I guess they just don't take me at my honest, sincere word, which, when you think about it, is very condescending and arrogant on their part. Probably the same way some believer women think they can change a non-believing man into becoming religious once they begin dating him. But you're right, some of them do think they can change and mold people into their own image, and what is equally arrogant is them feeling they have the right to do so....

Hi guys ♥️ I have been avoiding like hell to make a real post for months and I am trying to ...

puff comments on Nov 27, 2022:

Work to live not live to work. Your profession has copped it the last few years, burn anyone out. I try to only stress out regarding work depending on my hourly rate eg $20/ Hr not care so much. $50/ Hr now I'll give a fuck. Keep on keeping on.

TomMcGiverin replies on Nov 28, 2022:

@puff Interesting versatitlity.

Hi guys ♥️ I have been avoiding like hell to make a real post for months and I am trying to ...

puff comments on Nov 27, 2022:

Work to live not live to work. Your profession has copped it the last few years, burn anyone out. I try to only stress out regarding work depending on my hourly rate eg $20/ Hr not care so much. $50/ Hr now I'll give a fuck. Keep on keeping on.

TomMcGiverin replies on Nov 28, 2022:

@puff Ok, I get it now. I have only rarely heard that used here in America for a male that another man despises. Personally, I have never used the C-word for or about a woman, which is the gender I have normally heard it used about. I guess I just find it way too vulgar to label any women. Guess I've either led a sheltered life, or I am over-sensitive, probably some of both.

Hi guys ♥️ I have been avoiding like hell to make a real post for months and I am trying to ...

puff comments on Nov 27, 2022:

Work to live not live to work. Your profession has copped it the last few years, burn anyone out. I try to only stress out regarding work depending on my hourly rate eg $20/ Hr not care so much. $50/ Hr now I'll give a fuck. Keep on keeping on.

TomMcGiverin replies on Nov 27, 2022:

@puff Wonderful sarcasm... He actually told us, during the Clinton scandal over his sexual perjury, that he voted for Bill, even tho he was very much a Repub small businessman, because he "admired him for still being able to get oral sex from a young woman" at Clinton's age. Yeah, he was a real prince of a guy to work for....

Hi guys ♥️ I have been avoiding like hell to make a real post for months and I am trying to ...

puff comments on Nov 27, 2022:

Work to live not live to work. Your profession has copped it the last few years, burn anyone out. I try to only stress out regarding work depending on my hourly rate eg $20/ Hr not care so much. $50/ Hr now I'll give a fuck. Keep on keeping on.

TomMcGiverin replies on Nov 27, 2022:

@puff I didn't. This guy was a real gold-plated asshole, as far as the boss that was abusive, rather than a lying cocksucker. He was the boss, and boy did he love to ride me in front of my co-workers, just for his pleasure and amusement. It was obviously about me being way more educated than him, so he resented that I came from a more well off family than him and went to college. So he treated me like the typical college boy worker that he resented and had to put in his place and bully me. What a small-minded, insecure little man he was... I came to find out, a few years later, after I was free from him, that his father, who he had treated like shit while I worked for this asshole, was now estranged from him and wanted nothing to do with him, so, there was that tasty bit of karma to enjoy about him later on.... The guy's father gave me the news himself when I ran into him and asked him about his son, my former boss...

Hi guys ♥️ I have been avoiding like hell to make a real post for months and I am trying to ...

puff comments on Nov 27, 2022:

Work to live not live to work. Your profession has copped it the last few years, burn anyone out. I try to only stress out regarding work depending on my hourly rate eg $20/ Hr not care so much. $50/ Hr now I'll give a fuck. Keep on keeping on.

TomMcGiverin replies on Nov 27, 2022:

@puff Agreed, small businesses, it has to be more equal, give and take in respect and cooperation, tho I have worked in small businesses were the boss was a prick and treated me like a slave. So I think you and the oil rig boss were on the same page tho, where you and him got the point that for you to give as much of a fuck as him, he needed to pay you more like him, than just what you were getting paid.. Atta boys, pats on the back, etc. don't mean a fucking thing, as far as appreciation. What does cut it is better or more pay, or more paid time off... So he called you a cocksucker, with a smile on both of your faces. The only time I use that word is as an insult for hetero men that I hate so much they deserve it, because, to me, they are the kind of lying cocksuckers that will lie thru their teeth to stab you in the back at work, while currying favor with the boss to get ahead of you and figureatively suck the boss's cock to get favoratism from him over you. Thus, they deserve my label of being a lying cocksucker, no offense meant to good or decent men who are actually gay...

Hi guys ♥️ I have been avoiding like hell to make a real post for months and I am trying to ...

puff comments on Nov 27, 2022:

Work to live not live to work. Your profession has copped it the last few years, burn anyone out. I try to only stress out regarding work depending on my hourly rate eg $20/ Hr not care so much. $50/ Hr now I'll give a fuck. Keep on keeping on.

TomMcGiverin replies on Nov 27, 2022:

As a delivery truck driver once posted on a discussion board regarding workers and bosses, and their business relationship, he said, for X amount of $ per hour, the boss can expect the worker to sacrifice their body and energy to give them an honest day's hard work done right, if the boss wants more than that, like a sunny attitude, that will cost more $. Take it or leave it... And nowadays, fortunately, workers have more power in the workplace than they had ten or twenty years ago, for now at least, so the bosses know that if they want to require that sunny attitude, without paying more, and fire the worker over it, replacing them may not be as easy as it used to be and surely not as easy as they would like it to be... And I absolutely love seeing that, even if it means worse service for me these days at restaurants and stores, because, as a socialist, it does my heart good to finally see these pricks and bitches that are the bosses finally start to get what they deserve, after all these years of them being able to shit on their workers with no consequences...

Here's why vandals sprayed graffiti at Focus on the Family headquarters

racocn8 comments on Nov 27, 2022:

About fucking time...

TomMcGiverin replies on Nov 27, 2022:

I have been aware of these hateful, phony Christian MFs for a long time. They are truly a hateful, scary bunch of nutcases...

Q: Why are so many Americans opposed to a publicly funded health service, when this is common in ...

summatyme comments on Nov 27, 2022:

I dated a libertarian for a bit who said he would totally support a system where his father would die of an easily preventable and treatable disease because, in his words: "There's too many lazy people who would leech off the socialist programs". By the way, his father DID die of an easily treatable...

TomMcGiverin replies on Nov 27, 2022:

@mischl Maybe there was some merit to that, casting them out of the tribe. I wish we could simply throw them all onto a deserted island, so that they could only prey on each other, and leave the rest of alone, to enjoy cooperation, harmony, and peace.

Q: Why are so many Americans opposed to a publicly funded health service, when this is common in ...

273kelvin comments on Nov 27, 2022:

What gets me is how hardly anyone is making the business case for Universal healthcare (UH). It is not a coincidence that 49 out of the top 50 1st world nations have adopted it. These are not all run by Marxist lefties. Most are conservative governments. Here are some ideas why UH makes sound ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Nov 27, 2022:

@mischl So sadly true, and the corporate media also deserves blame too, for the way they play along with promoting the scare tactics of smearing UH with socialism/communism associations.

Q: Why are so many Americans opposed to a publicly funded health service, when this is common in ...

273kelvin comments on Nov 27, 2022:

What gets me is how hardly anyone is making the business case for Universal healthcare (UH). It is not a coincidence that 49 out of the top 50 1st world nations have adopted it. These are not all run by Marxist lefties. Most are conservative governments. Here are some ideas why UH makes sound ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Nov 27, 2022:

All of your points make great sense, but the reasons it never happens here in the US, is because our pols are way too corrupt and bought off by the HC system, secondly, our corporate media prevents any real discussion of how much better UH would be for our country, thirdly, as this whole discussion thread shows, too many voters care more about people they hate benefitting from UH, and lastly the old scare tactics of equating UH with socialism, communism, and other bogeyman labels is still too effective with many Americans.

Q: Why are so many Americans opposed to a publicly funded health service, when this is common in ...

summatyme comments on Nov 27, 2022:

I dated a libertarian for a bit who said he would totally support a system where his father would die of an easily preventable and treatable disease because, in his words: "There's too many lazy people who would leech off the socialist programs". By the way, his father DID die of an easily treatable...

TomMcGiverin replies on Nov 27, 2022:

Everything you said about him makes sense to me. Those people not only have no empathy whatsoever, they can't even understand the concept of it if you explain it to them, as you did. As for your attraction to him initially, I don't judge you for it, as I have been in the dating game again long enough this latest time around, that I realize many women are attracted to the biker type or bad boy types of men, even after the woman hits middle age, including a female friend that I still like, am friends with, and was attracted to in the past. While it is frustrating to me, I know it goes both ways. I personally am not attracted to women who are lacking in empathy, kindness, or the ability to treat a man with sensitivity and supportive love, I know plenty of men my age who are still attracted to the female equivalent of the bad boy or biker guy, women who are high maintainence ball busters, drama queens, or borderline personality types, etc. I think there is something warped in plenty of people in both genders of being attracted to people who provide them with lots of challenge and drama in their relationships. But, as far as I'm concerned, to each their own. Personally, I am too old and tired to want to deal with all that shit in a relationship.

Q: Why are so many Americans opposed to a publicly funded health service, when this is common in ...

FvckY0u comments on Nov 26, 2022:

I trust the politicians less than I trust the other money hungry assholes that wield slightly less power and control over my life. I'm fine with either system if run by competent honest people.

TomMcGiverin replies on Nov 27, 2022:

@FvckY0u I agree, the pols haven't done shit for us on this, but at least we get a vote on them. The fact that it doesn't change anything is as much the collective fault of the voters as it is the pols, because collectively, we keep voting within the duopoly, but we technically have the power to change that if enough of us woke up, had the courage to vote third party, and then have responsive government in DC. With corporate control of our healthcare system, responsiveness and accountability on their part, to us peasants, is never gonna happen. The difference is that simple, man.

Q: Why are so many Americans opposed to a publicly funded health service, when this is common in ...

Carbine comments on Nov 26, 2022:

It's hard to believe that this is true but it may be so.

TomMcGiverin replies on Nov 27, 2022:

@mischl But you won't see a single one of those cons turn down their SS benefits once they turn full SS age, same way as in England, as soon as the National Health Service was established, right after WWII, the Tories were the first ones in line to sign up for it. They're all such shameless, fucking hypocrites.. Same thing with the cons here and Medicare, once they turn 65.

Q: Why are so many Americans opposed to a publicly funded health service, when this is common in ...

FvckY0u comments on Nov 26, 2022:

I trust the politicians less than I trust the other money hungry assholes that wield slightly less power and control over my life. I'm fine with either system if run by competent honest people.

TomMcGiverin replies on Nov 27, 2022:

I get that, but the problem with letting the system be run by money hungry assholes on corporate medical death panels, is that, unlike pols, they are even less accountable to us peasants than the pols are. We do at least get to vote on them, while, for the corporate, greedy assholes, our only recourse and way of holding them accountable is to sue them for any clear violations of the law they commit in their race for profit over the health and life of a patient, that results in death or injury. And good luck finding a lawyer that will take them on and win. Because, unlike what you see on TV shows like Law And Order, in the real world, you aren't going to find government prosecutors who are going to go after for profit healthcare organizations with criminal charges for killing or injuring someone by putting profit ahead of the patient's health or life. It doesn't happen, even tho it should.

I recently tried a free membership on POF, after a buddy of mine twisted my arm to do it, after he ...

racocn8 comments on Nov 25, 2022:

I wish I had some magic to help you. At this point, you may want to change tactics. Rotate through the dating sites on the hope that others will be there, especially those catering to older women. I don't much endorse this as I believe many older women give up on either sex or men or both. You might...

TomMcGiverin replies on Nov 27, 2022:

@racocn8 Amusing story about competition there. Good points about the respective gender roles of men and women in marriages with kids, hadn't thought of those things before. But then again, I never got married and had kids with any women when I was young, only got married later in life, after I and the woman already were childless and too old to start a family together. Your points about the typical scenario for men and women who get married young and start making babies together sounds pretty horrible, so I probably didn't miss out on anything that great....., as well as avoiding a lot of misery and a divorce.. or two... You make a particularly good point about how some women become attached, to the point of unwanted intrusion, with their adult children, usually after a divorce, where the woman retreats to her family for comfort and validation of her worth as a person, instead of seeking competent therapy, to deal with her loss and grief from the divorce. And then later, when they enter the dating game, they are still so overly attached to their family, and also wanting to avoid disappointment and hurt again, from another man in their life, that they project themselves into the online dating world with profiles that practically shout how family-oriented they are, how their family comes first, etc., and in doing so sort of emotionally stiff arm, like in football, any prospective men who encounter them with what seems like an attitude of "I want to find a male companion, but only completely on my own terms, to mainly serve as an escort for me to family visits, and maybe some FWB sex on the side"... Of course, none of them are ever going to admit to this being their attitude towards men and dating, because, in most cases, it may be totally unconscious on their part.

I recently tried a free membership on POF, after a buddy of mine twisted my arm to do it, after he ...

racocn8 comments on Nov 25, 2022:

I wish I had some magic to help you. At this point, you may want to change tactics. Rotate through the dating sites on the hope that others will be there, especially those catering to older women. I don't much endorse this as I believe many older women give up on either sex or men or both. You might...

TomMcGiverin replies on Nov 26, 2022:

@racocn8 I agree with all of that, and hope I have developed some character and maturity with age and experience, but I don't see myself ever accepting being involuntarily alone. I have too much to offer, still, even at my age, and my last relationship proved that, as far as I'm concerned, even if it cuts no ice with the women on dating sites. And I also have too many years ahead of me, potentially, to just give up on finding someone. It's not like with my father, who was widowed in his early 80s. He knew he didn't have that many years left, so it was easy for him to give up. I have always been happier with someone than alone, so giving up would be, for me, like resigning myself to an early emotional death. Not willing to do it. Part of it also, is probably because I was widowed relatively young, in my late 50s, even tho my wife was much older than me. She inherited a family disease of dementia, and I feel I got cheated out of a much longer marriage with her, because of that disease, so I guess that also motivates me to want to get some more, well-deserved years of happiness and companionship with someone else. You are also so right about competition, Howard. When I was young, I enjoyed competition in sports and other school activities, because it was so much more of a positive thing for youth. It often helped build character in kids, including me, teaching sportsmanship, working hard in practices to achieve performance in competitions, sometimes even teamwork in some sports, etc. But it was never about anything bigger than medals, trophies, or recognition with others. But competition among adults, like we have in America, for things that are much more important, and often crucial to survival, or at least happiness, like jobs, money, mates, and power, are a whole other thing than youth sports. And our culture of hyper individualism doesn't help either. Competition in our brutal capitalist society, instead brings out the worst of our character, and that is why once I became an adult, I lost all of my taste for competition and quickly embraced socialism in my politics, because it was instead more about cooperation and the welfare of everybody, not just yourself. The dating game is brutal, esp. online dating, as far as competition, and I have to wonder if it would possibly somewhat better in a socialist society, where money and status are not quite so all important as they are in the American dating game, at least among many women regarding what men they choose to date and partner with, should the society be one where most people are on the same level as far as status and money. I know that I would probably do better in the dating game there, and also probably be way happier as a citizen, because I would have actual, effective representation in ...

I recently tried a free membership on POF, after a buddy of mine twisted my arm to do it, after he ...

racocn8 comments on Nov 25, 2022:

I wish I had some magic to help you. At this point, you may want to change tactics. Rotate through the dating sites on the hope that others will be there, especially those catering to older women. I don't much endorse this as I believe many older women give up on either sex or men or both. You might...

TomMcGiverin replies on Nov 26, 2022:

I have heard many times, from different online sources, that many or most women over 50 have lost interest in dating, because by that age they are no longer interested in taking care of anyone, after raising their kids, being married, and then either losing their partner thru death or divorce, so they decide to not date at all the rest of their life or have another partner in their life. A lot of the time, that probably is also reinforced by them having had bad experiences early on with trying to date again late in life. But the problem is that so many women in my age group that are single just cynically assume that all single men my age are seeking a woman to take care of them, from men seeking a "nurse with a purse", to men who are emotionally stunted or relationship-impaired, who expect the woman to do all the emotional work in the relationship or fill all the gaps in their social and emotional life. I am not like any of those men in those negative qualities, but it doesn't matter, as long as so many single women my age just assume the worst about all of us men their age, and just decide to go it alone or reject all men for dating because of their risk averse fears of being used, mistreated, etc. So that leaves the few good men in the dating game left to deal with overwhelming competition for a relatively small population of women still in the game, and those men must also overcome all the cynicism of the women based on their dysfunctional, predatory brothers, as well as compete against the deception and competitive advantages of other men who have better looks and more money than them, which often result in women choosing those other men over them, despite those men being much worse at doing relationships successfully.

Wart hogs fill an important ecological niche. War dogs leave your economy tits up in a ditch.

DharmaBum50 comments on Nov 26, 2022:

Following up on Lorajay and HippieChick58's comments, the late historian Chalmers Johnson outlined the effects of the American version of imperialism -- our military bases around the world -- in a trilogy of books called *The Blowback Series*. In the final volume, *Nemesis*, he makes this uncannily...

TomMcGiverin replies on Nov 26, 2022:

@DharmaBum50 That's the thing, the Dems support the ruling class over us peasants, as well as empire, the MIC, endless wars, erosion of civil liberties, corporate control of government and media, but at the same time, they want to maintain the charade of elections and democracy, because they prefer to keep order and relative peace in this country. While the Repubs, under Trumpism, have thrown out all pretense of keeping democracy and rule of law, they just want civil war, followed by a dictatorship that will eliminate them needing to win elections, follow any laws or respect the rule of law, and hold power permanently, even if they are always a minority of the population. And the Repubs will openly have the ruling class running everything, and everyone else will be openly treated like serfs, while any dissenters or despised groups will be imprisoned or lose all of their rights as citizens.

Wart hogs fill an important ecological niche. War dogs leave your economy tits up in a ditch.

DharmaBum50 comments on Nov 26, 2022:

Following up on Lorajay and HippieChick58's comments, the late historian Chalmers Johnson outlined the effects of the American version of imperialism -- our military bases around the world -- in a trilogy of books called *The Blowback Series*. In the final volume, *Nemesis*, he makes this uncannily...

TomMcGiverin replies on Nov 26, 2022:

My guess is we won't. I can't see the comments of the two women you mentioned, as they both blocked me long ago, so I can't comment on what they said. Eisnehower said it long ago, that the MIC steals money from providing for the public good and needs of average people, but it makes a small number of people very rich, and the pols in DC are too bought off to change the system. So we'll always get empire and the MIC, no matter which major party controls DC.

I recently tried a free membership on POF, after a buddy of mine twisted my arm to do it, after he ...

DenoPenno comments on Nov 25, 2022:

I was on POF before and they kicked me off. Someone decided that all I was trying to do was get laid. I tried the site again later with the same results. They want an expanded profile but it is hard for me to lie and claim I like walks on the beach. I live in Missouri.

TomMcGiverin replies on Nov 25, 2022:

I'm not surprised. It was the worst site I had ever tried. Even worse than Our Time, and that's saying something.

I recently tried a free membership on POF, after a buddy of mine twisted my arm to do it, after he ...

racocn8 comments on Nov 25, 2022:

I wish I had some magic to help you. At this point, you may want to change tactics. Rotate through the dating sites on the hope that others will be there, especially those catering to older women. I don't much endorse this as I believe many older women give up on either sex or men or both. You might...

TomMcGiverin replies on Nov 25, 2022:

Already on meds, not going to try acid. Not going to travel either, as I hate to go alone and also it is the highest form of Covid risk these days... Or I could do what another male member here, I won't say who, in order to spare him embarrassment, admitted to me that he did. Namely, blow my money on five different dating sites at once. No way, I get enough rejection as it is on one of them, I don't need to compound it. Besides, most of the same women are on most of them, since the sites always need more women, so they cater to them and offer them free memberships with features the men probably don't get for free. No wonder so many of them are on multiple sites. And you are right, our society does a shitty job of serving singles, but that's because nowadays it's all about profit, rather than a quality service or product, and the consolidation in the industry eliminated the need for them to provide a quality service or product for singles. In the old days, singles could simply go to a bar and find all the other singles, or, for those who didn't drink or found the singles bars too crass or sleazy, there were the singles dances and singles groups. But nowadays, as you commented elsewhere, those end up being too humiliating and lopsided with men these days. So that leaves nothing but online dating, high-priced matchmaking services, which are usually a scam, and dance groups. The latter are fine for those who are good at dancing something organized or skillful, like ballroom or square dancing, but poor for those who are simply there to find someone to date and are not really into dancing for itself. But they are the one arena where women outnumber men in the singles game. Too bad the women there are not flexible enough to venture out of their comfort zone more and try other meeting venues than dance groups, because men shouldn't have to always be the ones moving around to chase the women where they want to meet at. I also agree that it seems like most women over 50 who are single have given up on dating, sex, and men, or at least one of those three. So that is why the dating sites are so lopsided with men. That leaves the women who are still in the game with a huge numbers edge, so they become even more demanding and picky over who they will choose to date from the site. Which means, sadly, that if you are average looking, you had better be very wealthy, and maybe also open to playing Sugar Daddy to someone, or settle for dating someone who is clearly below average looking. I'm not willing to do either one, and I'm not rich enough to be a Sugar Daddy, even if I was willing to do it.

Christian hate-preacher celebrates Club Q shooting: "It's a good thing"

CuddyCruiser comments on Nov 24, 2022:

This guy should get his dick extracted.

TomMcGiverin replies on Nov 24, 2022:

@Betty I was not trying to mentally spank you, but my point stands that, based on my experiences with these boards, everything I said about how it would all play out, with a woman complaining about her weight, a man weighing in with advice and suggestions, etc., would then result in him being attacked, accused of mainsplaining or worse, and then her feeling insulted. Just because someone complains here, does not mean they want or need advice and suggestions. None of us know each other well enough, compared to our close, offline friends to be qualified to offer it. If the person complaining clearly has no offline friends in their life, or says that is the case, then the Agnostic community might feel qualified, or at least justified, to offer their advice and suggestions unsolicited. You may not have followed me for very long on Agnostic, but if you had, you would notice that, unlike most people here, I do not offer unsolicited advice or suggestions to other members that I don't know from anywhere but here, at least not with any seriousness, rather than jokingly. What I do offer, which I am qualified for, as an empathetic human being, is my honest feelings on what they have shared, and what my personal experiences are, if any, related to the situation they are sharing about. I do not tell them what to do to change their situation or even to change their feelings about it. I am not their therapist or life coach. I try to simply exercise as much humility and empathy as I can, about what I would want from others here when I or they, put themselves out here for judgement or comment on ourselves and our lives. And I notice these days that very few people are still willing to do that on Agnostic. It makes one ask the obvious ?, of wondering why that is these days? And I think the answer is obviously clear, it's about how they feel treated by most other members here, which is either being ignored, as I usually am, or being judged negatively, blamed, and attacked by others, and then blocked for defending myself after being attacked. We should all be humble enough to not offer advice and suggestions unsolicited to strangers on a website, unless they openly ask for it. And anyone who actually knows me or follows me on here, knows that I am quite capable of asking for what I want from others, and that I do so openly.

Has anybody else noticed any changes in the trends as far as online dating?

racocn8 comments on Nov 9, 2022:

30 some years ago, I went to a Halloween party for singles at one of the member's house. When I got there, I saw about 15 men and NO women. After an hour, one lady showed up, but after seeing the extreme imbalance, she left about 20 minutes later (basically, as soon as she could manage an exit).

TomMcGiverin replies on Nov 24, 2022:

It's kind of pathetic, Howard, that you and me are about the only people left on this site that are willing to honestly share about our own personal experiences with the dating game, instead of just sharing factless opinions on the subject, offering unsolicited advice and suggestions for the person who is actively playing the game and suffering, and instead putting most or all the blame or fault for their dating woes on the person who is sharing. It is also nice to hear someone else who is personally aware of and honest about how stacked the dating game is against most average guys in America these days, despite their personal characteristics that may be generally positive, their overall relationship track record, and their personal behavior towards women in the dating game. Albert Schepis also gets this, but he has left these boards, so it's just you and me, pal...

Christian hate-preacher celebrates Club Q shooting: "It's a good thing"

CuddyCruiser comments on Nov 24, 2022:

This guy should get his dick extracted.

TomMcGiverin replies on Nov 24, 2022:

@Betty I know you mean well, Betty, but please no suggestions or advice. I have gotten so much of that on here and am sick of it. Those offering it usually have no idea what I already have or haven't tried, and they are blindly throwing it at me, with no personal knowledge of what I have been thru. I find it condescending and actually very rude, tho I am not taking it that way in your case, because I know your intentions. But with most others, it is simply virtue signaling on their part and a way to not feel guilty because their situation, relationship-wise, is better than mine. How would you have any idea if I am trying too hard or not? Have you ever read my Match profile or any of my messaging to women? You haven't, so you are making a wild guess. I have discussed this subject ad nauseum with my close friends, who know me way better than anyone on this site, and they agree with me that, since I am such an outlier for my local dating pool, that taking a break, as you put it, from online dating, would be foolish, because it would then be quite possible that I would miss out on connecting with that rare unicorn, someone compatible with me, that only rarely joins my local online dating pool. It is a numbers game, Betty, and I can't afford to miss any rare chances that might come up. Also, as a fellow non-believer, you should realize that the whole " they show up right after you stop looking" thing, is magical thinking and a cliche, something we should all be too smart to fall for or believe. Maybe there are other factors in my situation, which you are not aware of, such as a high ratio of men to women in my local online dating pool, or the fact that very few new women have joined my local pool in the last couple months. So, always take a look at the objective, obvious facts, before making assumptions about me and my dating behavior. I am not trying to be insulting, Betty, but whenever someone ignores the objective facts and instead makes a reflexive and uninformed assumption about me, putting the blame on me for my dating woes, it frustrates me. Here's an empathy exercise you might find interesting. How would you, as as woman, feel for example, if you talked about how you are not able to lose the amount of weight you wanted to lose, and I, meaning well, started giving you a whole bunch of advice and suggestions about how I managed to do it, without having any idea of your medical history, eating habits, etc.? I think you, and every other woman here who read it, would feel insulted or offended, and I would be quickly attacked as an insensitive, misogynistic male. So think about that a bit, and then you might understand how the constant, blaming advice and suggestions, make me feel here.

Christian hate-preacher celebrates Club Q shooting: "It's a good thing"

CuddyCruiser comments on Nov 24, 2022:

This guy should get his dick extracted.

TomMcGiverin replies on Nov 24, 2022:

@Betty That is how I took it. It is comforting, but unfortunately, it changes nothing for me in the dating game. I will keep trying, even tho I have little hope or optimism left. But my will to not be alone the rest of my life is, for now at least, greater than my desire to give up. I was very happy in the first 16 good years with my wife, before she got dementia. I want that kind of happiness again with a partner, which I have never had, before or after I was with her. So, facing another 20-25 years left for me, I sure as hell would rather be with someone good than alone. She told me early on, that I really seemed to like being married, unlike her first two hubbies, so I guess that proves that I am just one of those rare men that is really cut out for LTR monogamy, unlike most men, so it's so very fucking frustrating to realize I may never get the chance again, with the way the dating game is playing out for me.

Christian hate-preacher celebrates Club Q shooting: "It's a good thing"

CuddyCruiser comments on Nov 24, 2022:

This guy should get his dick extracted.

TomMcGiverin replies on Nov 24, 2022:

@Betty Thanks, but I know that and so do my local friends. It's nice to hear it, but it doesn't really do me any good in the dating game. Ends up feeling more like the usual Thoughts And Prayers after each mass shooting. I wish someone who could actually help me find a woman felt that way about me. And I am a nice person, in spite of the many women here on Agnostic who have blocked me, simply because I was honest about my dating woes and pointed out some uncomfortable truths about women in online dating, that they were unwilling to hear or admit. It gets so fucking old and frustrating to deal with all that bullshit, both in the dating game and here on Agnostic, where both men and women are usually unwilling to be honest about the faults of both genders in the battle of the sexes and the dating game. I have never reflexively defended or refused to admit the faults of other men in the dating game, but boy, have I run across so many women here on Agnostic who refuse to admit bad behavior exists among women in the dating game, and when a man shares about that honestly on here, they are so quick and predictable in how they reflexively blame the man and defend the sisterhood to the death. So I am tired of that double standard on the Agnostic boards..

Christian hate-preacher celebrates Club Q shooting: "It's a good thing"

CuddyCruiser comments on Nov 24, 2022:

This guy should get his dick extracted.

TomMcGiverin replies on Nov 24, 2022:

@Betty Guess so. Oh well, another possibly compatible woman I will never get to meet or date. The story of my life, since I became widowed five years ago and entered online dating hell.. It's funny you are my age and live not that far from where my wife grew up, Buffalo, NY. Not surprising that you and her are more my type, rather than these Iowa farmer's daughter types that I am so horribly mismatched with in my local dating pool. I am close to resigning myself to being undateable here, unless I get very lucky and connect with some transplanted woman to Iowa, like my late wife was, because then I might finally find compatibility again.

Christian hate-preacher celebrates Club Q shooting: "It's a good thing"

CuddyCruiser comments on Nov 24, 2022:

This guy should get his dick extracted.

TomMcGiverin replies on Nov 24, 2022:

@Betty No idea, hard to tell just from what someone posts, that is, unless they start sharing person ifo, which I haven't seen you do. I am 64, are you anywhere near that?

Christian hate-preacher celebrates Club Q shooting: "It's a good thing"

CuddyCruiser comments on Nov 24, 2022:

This guy should get his dick extracted.

TomMcGiverin replies on Nov 24, 2022:

@Betty I so wish you were my age, lived in my area, and were interested in dating. You are a cool lady.

Christian hate-preacher celebrates Club Q shooting: "It's a good thing"

Betty comments on Nov 24, 2022:

Why is it not considered hate speech when preachers, ministers, priests, and pastors etc. spew this kind of hatred?

TomMcGiverin replies on Nov 24, 2022:

@Betty Not in the US, mainly in Europe, where they are more civilized than us, have less corrupt governments, and thus, sensible gun control laws.

Pastor behind 'Miracle Mansion,' a Christian theme park, convicted of fraud

freedom41 comments on Nov 23, 2022:

Put him in the same cell as Crissly.

TomMcGiverin replies on Nov 23, 2022:

You mean that asshole Crisley from the reality TV show, Crisley Knows Best? Another phony bored again Christian asshole and con artist, same as the pastor...

TSA found a stowaway cat in checked bag at JFK Airport - The Washington Post

glennlab comments on Nov 23, 2022:

Cat had the travel bug, plus it was warm and cozy.

TomMcGiverin replies on Nov 23, 2022:

@glennlab Good point. I forgot how cold it can get outside an airplane high up there and how cargo is not climate controlled.