He might be a conservative, but you have to give him credit when he is right

Garban comments on Oct 5, 2022:

Standing up to an abusive father takes balls. He should have done it in person, but good for him anyway.

TomMcGiverin replies on Oct 5, 2022:

I do agree, it's not easy to do, even in private, but I managed to do so with my father, even tho he was an important public figure. But I never did expose him for his abuse in public, mainly because it might or might not have been fair to him or relevant enough to his position, but also, more importantly, because I knew that none of my siblings would support me or corroborate anything I said, so why risk making myself look like a nutcase or an ingrate child? So I limited myself to just continuing to stand up to him ever since I was in college and no longer living with him. Of course, once he was old and frail, the balance of power shifted, as it always does with parents and their adult children, so in his last decade, he finally started to treat me with the respect I had deserved for so many years before, but never got, simply because he now needed me in his life, while before that, I had kept only very limited contact with him and made it clear that I was always prepared to end all contact with him if he was emotionally abusive again, or too disrespectful to me. My longtime friends supported me in doing this, had become my real family and support system long ago, and made me feel secure enough to be able to handle cutting ties with him, if it came to that.

An Ohio man was arrested for writing a Satirical piece about his local police on Facebook.

Betty comments on Oct 5, 2022:

Freedom of speech is not so free is it.

TomMcGiverin replies on Oct 5, 2022:

It's only as free as the people in power, and those with badges that enforce their power, choose to make it.

The business cry for years was train people for the jobs, don't train them to think and this is what...

TomMcGiverin comments on Oct 2, 2022:

So true on both counts. I have met so many tech people that are inevitably conservatives or Libertarians, because they have never studied any liberal arts or humanities courses, so they know nothing of history, economics, sociology, poli sci, philosophy, etc, and think there is a technical solution ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Oct 2, 2022:

Well, I'll be damned, we seem to starting to agree a lot lately, as long as things stay away from the dating game and the faults of the Dem Party...

Now blocked by TheoryNumber3, after I commented on a post she made about how dating and a bottle of ...

Garban comments on Oct 2, 2022:

You’ve been blocked by some of the most thoughtful and genuine people on this site.

TomMcGiverin replies on Oct 2, 2022:

@Garban I seldom block those that offer a different opinion than mine, more often I get blocked by people who disagree with my opinion, start losing arguments with me, then resort to personal attacks on me to distract from the arguments I am making, then block me after I confront them on that and point out how they are using personal attacks instead of addressing my arguments. In a nutshell, the truth hurts, for them, so they block me because they can't stand losing the argument and being called out for their personal attacks as a distraction. People can't stand being correctly called out and exposed for things they find embarrassing. They get butt hurt when I pop the balloon of their pride, so they feel they have to block me to end their embarrassment.

Now blocked by TheoryNumber3, after I commented on a post she made about how dating and a bottle of ...

Garban comments on Oct 2, 2022:

You’ve been blocked by some of the most thoughtful and genuine people on this site.

TomMcGiverin replies on Oct 2, 2022:

@Garban Your sarcasm is not appreciated and just confirms, for me, how unimpartial and biased you are against me. It also reveals you are not at all trying to be caring or helpful here, so fuck off and keep your opinions on me to yourself.

Why So Many Spiritual People Refuse To Call Themselves 'Religious' | John Cappello | YourTango

TomMcGiverin comments on Oct 2, 2022:

The online dating sites recognize this and Match has the religious affiliation category, along with Christian, Catholic, etc. of Spiritual, but not religious as one of the label choices for members to use for themselves. I use it because, frankly, where I live, being labeled Agnostic is not only ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Oct 2, 2022:

@rainmanjr I have a friendship with another man, a former Unitarian my age, that is almost that long.

Why So Many Spiritual People Refuse To Call Themselves 'Religious' | John Cappello | YourTango

TomMcGiverin comments on Oct 2, 2022:

The online dating sites recognize this and Match has the religious affiliation category, along with Christian, Catholic, etc. of Spiritual, but not religious as one of the label choices for members to use for themselves. I use it because, frankly, where I live, being labeled Agnostic is not only ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Oct 2, 2022:

@rainmanjr Believe me, lying to get a woman is something I know is extremely common, and a big reason why women are so damned cynical and suspicious, rightly so, on dating sites. So many things I would not and will never do. Using fake or outdated photos, saying they are politically liberal when they're not, changing their political label back and forth depending on the woman they are messaging with. Same with religious affiliation. Attending Christian and Catholic churches and faking it just to meet women for dating, the list goes on and on. Saying they are into cycling, yoga, working out, etc. along with other interests they know women are into and want to hear that they are into as well. Saying in their profile essay how much they love kids and how well they get along with their kids and their ex.

Why So Many Spiritual People Refuse To Call Themselves 'Religious' | John Cappello | YourTango

TomMcGiverin comments on Oct 2, 2022:

The online dating sites recognize this and Match has the religious affiliation category, along with Christian, Catholic, etc. of Spiritual, but not religious as one of the label choices for members to use for themselves. I use it because, frankly, where I live, being labeled Agnostic is not only ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Oct 2, 2022:

@rainmanjr I totally get that, Neil. Thanks for clarifying and explaining yourself, as well as not getting offended at my disagreement with the line about women not being worth the bother, since I didn't pick up on the snark intended. This is the kind of interactions I miss on here that used to happen all the time, before most members got into the sport of simply putting all the blame for someone's problems in the dating game all on the member who dared to bare their soul, so to speak, and put their feelings and experiences out there for all to read and hear. I wish more people here had your open-mindedness, empathy, and compassion, but they don't, so that is why the subject of dating on this site has become almost taboo, unless of course, the person posting or commenting limits themselves to simply posting joking observations about other people from online memes or makes light of their own dating experiences. All stuff that is non-controversial and nothing directly personal or intimate about the member posting it. And you're right, some people are not to be trusted. Most of my offline friends are women, some younger than me, some my age, and some older. Fewer male friends, probably because I am more sensitive than most men my age, because I share more common interests with women than men. etc. It has always been that way for me, so it's ironic that most of the people on here that have blocked me are women, but I think the reason for that is that they are so damned defensive if any men on here butt heads with them or disagree with them about general behavior of women in the dating game, because they take it as a personal attack and rush in to defend their whole sisterhood of women. I call that out when I see it and they hate me for it. I recently ended two friendships with men who I used to really enjoy spending time with. One because the guy had become more and more controlling and critical of me, probably because he is very smart, but has little tolerance for someone who does not want to always behave the way he wants, agree with him on almost everything, and accept most of his choices for what activities to spend time doing together. I am too independent for that, so we parted ways. The other guy, it was because of a long-standing issue involving church politics with the local Unitarian church, where I finally got fed up with how he would never take my side or even believe my side of how I was getting screwed over and mistreated by other people that he was friends with there. In other words, he put his church friendships with them over his personal friendship with me, for almost ten years, and I finally got sick of the contrast between how he sold me out and treated me on this compared to one more casual friend from the church and another new...

Why So Many Spiritual People Refuse To Call Themselves 'Religious' | John Cappello | YourTango

TomMcGiverin comments on Oct 2, 2022:

The online dating sites recognize this and Match has the religious affiliation category, along with Christian, Catholic, etc. of Spiritual, but not religious as one of the label choices for members to use for themselves. I use it because, frankly, where I live, being labeled Agnostic is not only ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Oct 2, 2022:

@rainmanjr Speak for yourself. I had only one long term relationship, because I am very offbeat for where I live and my local dating pool. I dated about as much as most guys when I was a young man, but the whole issue of me not wanting to have kids or even be a stepparent, made me unacceptable for all the women I dated as far as a long term relationship, since, here in Iowa, having kids seemed to be everything to the young women I dated and they would not settle for a man who didn't want to have kids with them and be a parent with them. I was in my late thirties, because of that, still single, when I met my late wife in 1995, after she was married and divorced twice, and was 15 years older than me and childless, which finally made the whole huge issue in my dating pool, of me being childless by choice, a non-issue for her and me, since she was too old to have kids by then. The first 16 years with her, before she developed dementia in 2011, were the best years of my adult life. So yes, it is worth it to me to find another life partner, not someone exactly like her by any means, but someone compatible that I can trust and that loves me as much as I love her. And since I, like my late father, am likely to live another 25 years or more, after me being widowed for five years, you're damned tooting that I want to share as much of my life that's left with another partner. Some people are wired for being happily single. I never was before her and I never will be now or later. Thanks for your reaction, Neil, finally, someone who listens, gets it, and accepts me for who I am.

Why So Many Spiritual People Refuse To Call Themselves 'Religious' | John Cappello | YourTango

TomMcGiverin comments on Oct 2, 2022:

The online dating sites recognize this and Match has the religious affiliation category, along with Christian, Catholic, etc. of Spiritual, but not religious as one of the label choices for members to use for themselves. I use it because, frankly, where I live, being labeled Agnostic is not only ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Oct 2, 2022:

@Castlepaloma Interesting that you bring up drugs. Match also has a traits ? in the profile's checklist of traits. The trait is weed use or not, and the only two options are 4/20 friendly and Not for me. I leave that one blank, again because of bullshit assumptions that women make about someone using either answer to that ? I am fine with dating someone who uses weed, but the two choices don't make that clear in any meaningful way. If I say I am 4/20 friendly, even tho I don't use weed, I get pegged as a pot user and sometimes even as a user of drugs in general. If I choose the Not for me label, I get pegged by women who are pot users as intolerant and unwilling to accept their weed use. Since you can't win either way, with either label, if you are a non-using, weed user accepting person, I leave it blank. Like the other guy said in this thread, some lying is necessary to attract even compatible women within the limits of online dating profiles, and it also wouldn't be worth it or effective to use the profile essay part to state an explanation of my views on weed, as it probably would just complicate things, seem weird to add a statement about it in there, and get me rejected anyway for having something so unusual in my profile essay. Women are generally suspicious about men's dating profiles, probably for good reason, and adding some statement about how I don't use weed, but am tolerant and accepting of it in a partner, would probably raise red flags and be seen as just another guy trying to have it both ways and tell women what they want to hear. So, like most things in the dating game, you just can't win, no matter how honest you try to be...

Why So Many Spiritual People Refuse To Call Themselves 'Religious' | John Cappello | YourTango

Paddypereira comments on Oct 2, 2022:

Somebody spiritual doesn't mean that they believe in God or any sort of deity. It means they give more attention to matters of the mind/spirit.

TomMcGiverin replies on Oct 2, 2022:

I like and agree with that, and that's why I can use that Spiritual, but not religious label for my religious affiliation trait label in my dating profile. I can do it without feeling phony because I do believe there is something to life and the world besides just physical matter and such. And that we are more than just flesh and blood, there is something to us having minds and even the existence of spirits in animals, nature, and people.

Why So Many Spiritual People Refuse To Call Themselves 'Religious' | John Cappello | YourTango

nogod4me comments on Oct 2, 2022:

SPIRITUAL: The ability to be able to interpret a fart as being otherworldly.

TomMcGiverin replies on Oct 2, 2022:

@Castlepaloma Like the line in the Shawshank Redemption, by the warden, where he says the character Andy "vanished like a fart in the wind"...

Why So Many Spiritual People Refuse To Call Themselves 'Religious' | John Cappello | YourTango

TomMcGiverin comments on Oct 2, 2022:

The online dating sites recognize this and Match has the religious affiliation category, along with Christian, Catholic, etc. of Spiritual, but not religious as one of the label choices for members to use for themselves. I use it because, frankly, where I live, being labeled Agnostic is not only ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Oct 2, 2022:

@Castlepaloma I never try to deceive anyone. I just fudge a couple of my trait labels in the profile so I can at least have a fighting chance with a decent number of women in my local online dating pool. Because if I didn't do that, I would have no chance at all in the dating game. The problem is that the homegrown women in my dating pool have usually never lived anywhere else, have a very narrow comfort zone and limited experience with anyone who is not part of the cultural and lifestyle mainstream here. So if I want to have any chance with finding someone, I need to temper my trait labels a bit on a couple of them, so I don't seem so extremely different from them and everybody they know, otherwise those traits of mine would be seen as a red flag and I would be rejected before they even got to know me at all. One trait is being a non-drinker, where social drinking is a huge part of the social life here for mainstream people, so I identify as a social drinker, even if I'm not. Because I am open-minded and very tolerant of someone who is a moderate drinker. Same with identifying as Spiritual, but not religious, because Agnostic would be seen as something too weird or extreme. I would usually be immediately red-flagged and rejected, but I have found that many times using that mild label initially allows me to become accepted later as Agnostic, if the woman is only moderately religious, which is something I can easily accept and tolerate. The fact is, I have a lot of competition in my local dating pool, three men for every woman, and the reality is, with that competition, the women, esp. ones who are in the mainstream on culture and lifestyle, know that they can be very narrow and rigid in their checklist of traits for men they want to date, so I know that if I list any traits that they see as unusual or extreme, then they will red flag me and instead choose men that fit every one of their traits checklist. Online dating is brutal and competitive, whether people choose to recognize and admit that or not.

Now blocked by TheoryNumber3, after I commented on a post she made about how dating and a bottle of ...

Garban comments on Oct 2, 2022:

You’ve been blocked by some of the most thoughtful and genuine people on this site.

TomMcGiverin replies on Oct 2, 2022:

Whatever. I differ on your opinion of them if they resort to personal attacks once they begin losing an argument. Exactly how does that make them thoughtful and genuine, as you say? Maybe you see them that way because you always agree with them or because they have never attacked you personally on the boards. I bet you are no different than me in that if someone personally attacks you on the boards, you would defend yourself, same as me. And here you are, making a negative judgement of me, just like I said many members on here do of others, even tho you've never met me and really don't know me at all. Which is what I said in TheoryNumber3's thread,, which she quoted and used against me, rather than answering the argument I was making about my local dating pool. And here you are proving me right about the general behavior of members here on the boards, arrogantly judging others as if they know the other person. You've also insulted me recently on the boards, so you can take your opinion of me and shove it.

Why So Many Spiritual People Refuse To Call Themselves 'Religious' | John Cappello | YourTango

TomMcGiverin comments on Oct 2, 2022:

The online dating sites recognize this and Match has the religious affiliation category, along with Christian, Catholic, etc. of Spiritual, but not religious as one of the label choices for members to use for themselves. I use it because, frankly, where I live, being labeled Agnostic is not only ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Oct 2, 2022:

@Castlepaloma True and I agree, but where I live religion is such a big thing with most people, that refusing to pick a label and leaving no answer or label for that trait in the profile would be seen as a red flag and also as evasive by most women in my dating pool, and thus would gaurantee rejection for it. Same thing with the kids situation trait. Leaving it blank would be seen as a red flag and evasive, so I have to just bite the bullet, be honest, and list myself as having no kids, even tho I know that 80% of the women in the dating pool, including some women who don't even have kids themselves, will make all their negative assumptions about me for it, because it's so unusual in Iowa, and reject me for it. There's simply nothing I can do about that...

Now blocked by TheoryNumber3, after I commented on a post she made about how dating and a bottle of ...

racocn8 comments on Oct 2, 2022:

I can't comment on the evolution of the community because the increasing political polarization (and offensive dementia) has forced me to block the conservatives (as they have blocked me). Regarding your discussions (paragraph 1), try to consider that winning an argument doesn't necessarily move ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Oct 2, 2022:

Already getting therapy, have been getting it for several years after my late wife's dementia reached its middle stage. So, essentially, there is nothing more to be done. My needs aren't being met, obviously, but your advice doesn't really help and the community here is not supportive, so your advice really doesn't add anything or help me. And if people resort to personal attacks instead of addressing the arguments I am making, you bet your ass I will defend myself on these boards, as just about anyone else will. I will not just let someone bash or slander me. I not only share your situation with the conservatives, in that there are blocks between all of them and me, but by now that is also true of most of the women on here, because, as you used to openly say on these boards, I refuse to tolerate the obvious, frequent misandry and male-bashing that they engage in on these boards whenever the subject of dating is discussed on these boards. When they do that, I will and have continued to call them out on it, and thus I get blocked most times after I do that. I'm surprised that you seem to now be retreating from what you yourself used to do and are asking me to do the same on that, more or less. And once again, here is a prime example of a member, (tho I know you well enough, Howard, to know that you are not doing this arrogantly) making a judgement about someone without knowing the facts of their offline life very well, because if you had, you would have already known I have been in therapy for some time now. I mentioned this trend on Agnostic not only here, but in TheoryNumber3's thread, and my point is proven right here as well, tho she quoted it and used it against me in her thread. So what is wrong with being right about what I said and pointing it out? Don't we all do it and have the right to do it on the boards?

I love this!

TomMcGiverin comments on Oct 1, 2022:

That is so true, it's all about supply, demand and location. Unfortunately, I live in a shitty, mismatched dating pool for me, where guys with my traits and type have a very low supply of women who are compatible, and thus, little demand for my type around here in the dating game. Which leaves me ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Oct 1, 2022:

@TheoryNumber3 I'm not asking you to judge anything or anybody. I just resented your arrogant comment that clearly implied I was "in the wrong place mentally" regarding dating. I resented that, rightfully so, and responded to it, and then you got all butt hurt and attacked me personally. I'm not contradicting myself at all. I am simply asking people not to make sneaky implications about me and my mentality, like you did in your first comment, and then personally attack me after I defend myself regarding that comment of yours. You just simply can't stand someone disagreeing with you and having a superior argument. No wonder when you post, few people still bother to comment on your posts, since they know you will not be very open to them disagreeing with you, as we all saw with your post on men's dating profiles and their fish photos. More than a couple people disagreed with you and you seemed to get very personally offended with their comments. So don't act so damned superior to me regarding your attitude towards other members here.

I love this!

TomMcGiverin comments on Oct 1, 2022:

That is so true, it's all about supply, demand and location. Unfortunately, I live in a shitty, mismatched dating pool for me, where guys with my traits and type have a very low supply of women who are compatible, and thus, little demand for my type around here in the dating game. Which leaves me ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Oct 1, 2022:

@TheoryNumber3 Well, it's true, I judge other people sometimes. But I don't assume I know anything about how someone is offline and away from here, but it's very obvious from what I read on these boards all the time, that lots of member DO act like they really know what is going on in the lives of other members who post and comment. And anyway, that does nothing to negate the points I made about me and the dating game. I don't see you making any argument against what I shared from the two women that I actually know offline and what they said about me and the dating game. How about addressing that, TheoryNumber3? Please enlighten me about how you know more and better than them about me and my local dating pool? Please be sure to think about that..... You are being the same as glennlab did recently with me. You are losing an argument on here, so you have to resort to attacking me personally instead of addressing the points I am making. And honestly, I don't think I'm as guilty of that as most. I really try to just form my opinions of someone's character from what they put on these boards, but not act like I actually know them or what their lives are about or like. But you suit yourself, you just want to bash me and put me down because I say things here you don't like, and refuse to just accept your judgement of my dating woes being all inside me, instead of being willing to accept that maybe those two women know me and my local dating pool situation a hell of a lot better than you. I mean, they only live in my area, are single and on Match, like me, and have spent a fair amount of time with me offline, so how could they know more about me or better about me than you??? And you also probably cynically assume I am lying about what those two women friends said, but exactly what evidence do you have that I'm doing that? Oh wait, you don't have any, as you've never met me, talked to me on the phone, or have any idea what friends I have or don't have, based on your personal experience with me, which is nothing outside this site. And of course, I have never heard you judge anyone, like, say for example, any of the men whose profiles you saw on dating sites that had them holding a fish? You only did a whole post about that.... As I've said so many times recently on this site, there's a reason almost nobody but me ever shares anymore on here about their dating experiences, and it's that almost everybody that comments on their posts ends up bashing and blaming the messenger, so why should they bother setting themselves up for the criticism and blame for their woes? Answer, they don't, they just stop posting and sharing, because they rightly see the majority of the members here as callous, unsupportive, and overly-critical.

I love this!

TomMcGiverin comments on Oct 1, 2022:

That is so true, it's all about supply, demand and location. Unfortunately, I live in a shitty, mismatched dating pool for me, where guys with my traits and type have a very low supply of women who are compatible, and thus, little demand for my type around here in the dating game. Which leaves me ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Oct 1, 2022:

@TheoryNumber3 No, I really don't think it's that. And it's not just me saying it. Tonite I asked two women who know me fairly well by now. One is a woman I met from Match that turned me down on dating due to her age (she's 12 years older but really cool and compatible otherwise) and health issues, but we have remained friends, chatted regularly by phone or FB messaging, gotten together occasionally for meals and movies. The other is someone I met from Match about a year and a half ago, dated for six months and then ended it amicably and remained friends after that. She is now dating someone from Match for the last several months. So you tell me, both women think there is nothing wrong with me mentally or my attitude towards the dating game. They tell me that I am pretty mismatched for the local online dating pool, as is also the older woman who I didn't date, but met on Match, but that they think I will eventually meet someone and that there is someone for me, etc. So you tell me? They both know me way better than you or anyone on here, hell none of you have ever even met me in person or spent any time with me. I think a lot of members on here are very arrogant in how well we think we know the other members here, just from reading them on the boards, which is nothing like an offline, long term friendship.... We have only the details of their lives that they choose to share on the boards, and then most of us, not me tho, probably just fill in the rest with our imaginations and prejudices in pegging what we think they are like offline, even with no personal shared history with them.

It's called Karma Florida

bookofmorons comments on Oct 1, 2022:

yeah but Hunter Bidens laptop

TomMcGiverin replies on Oct 1, 2022:

Yup, that is always their go-to, comeback response, showing they are all ignorant morons... I suppose it somehow manages to give them some kind of comfort, tho I don't see how.....

Retired Gen.

glennlab comments on Oct 1, 2022:

There were reasons that Obama had his security clearance pulled and fired him.

TomMcGiverin replies on Oct 1, 2022:

@glennlab Certainly looked to me like you did, your posts and profile were unavailable to me for a couple days, but go ahead and deny it. All I care about is lay off the personal attacks if you don't like what I say about your beloved Dem Party. I have enough class to not personally attack you for anything, real or imagined, in your personal life, so show enough class to not do that to me. Deal?

Retired Gen.

glennlab comments on Oct 1, 2022:

There were reasons that Obama had his security clearance pulled and fired him.

TomMcGiverin replies on Oct 1, 2022:

Decided to grow up and unblock me, eh? Hopefully you can refrain from personal attacks anytime you're losing an argument on here.

It's not healthy to deny the freedom of life ,that locked down was hell on earth.

waitingforgodo comments on Sep 30, 2022:

I enjoyed reading your thoughts on freedom. I'd like your permission to chat with a counsellor about the issues you've raised if I get the urge. I'd like to hear more stuff from you. I really like this song and hope you enjoy it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6X8YnCq6UME

TomMcGiverin replies on Oct 1, 2022:

You are being sarcastic, right, I hope?

It's not healthy to deny the freedom of life ,that locked down was hell on earth.

TomMcGiverin comments on Sep 24, 2022:

The 14 months of Covid where I was pretty much sheltering at home were very tough and lonely for me, but I never blamed the rest of the world for it, and did my best to adjust to it. I coped by making a lot of phone calls to friends who were going thru the same thing, reading a lot, borrowing books ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Oct 1, 2022:

@phoenixone1 Precisely.

It's not healthy to deny the freedom of life ,that locked down was hell on earth.

TomMcGiverin comments on Sep 24, 2022:

The 14 months of Covid where I was pretty much sheltering at home were very tough and lonely for me, but I never blamed the rest of the world for it, and did my best to adjust to it. I coped by making a lot of phone calls to friends who were going thru the same thing, reading a lot, borrowing books ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Oct 1, 2022:

@phoenixone1 You are wasting your time and breath with this fool. Why do you bother to keep trying with him?

Trump Wanted To Send Murderers and Rapists to Cities Democrats Controlled Former Department of ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Sep 29, 2022:

Not only do they want to exploit these immigrants for political gain, I know for a fact that these Repub motherfuckers will turn around and hire these undocumented immigrants for their cheap labor while in the same breath bashing them as criminals, etc. I personally worked at a plant several years ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Oct 1, 2022:

@johnnyrobish Thank you. And the fact that he gave so much money to the Repubs and was very politically connected, is why ICE never came to raid his plant, even tho it was common knowledge that he hired workers who were here illegally. Positive proof that if you are rich and connected, you are above the law in the US.

A court in Israel recognizes online civil marriages, even for gay couples, as valid : NPR

DenoPenno comments on Sep 30, 2022:

An Online marriage might have the same validity as a proxy marriage.

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 30, 2022:

I've heard a lot of prison inmates use proxy marriage to get hitched while in prison. I think they've also been used for military personnel serving overseas to get married while their partner was still in the US.

I posted a singles ad meme yesterday mocking MTG's pending divorce.

NostraDumbass comments on Sep 30, 2022:

Lookin’ for a little piece of Ginny Thomas. Where’s the justice?

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 30, 2022:

@NostraDumbass She definitely has that. Clarence must agree with Sir-Mix-A-Lot on that subject.

I posted a singles ad meme yesterday mocking MTG's pending divorce.

BDair comments on Sep 30, 2022:

I do not know much about either, but the brunette has a nice body. From what I've seen of her workout routines, MTG could wipe the floor with anyone on this site.

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 30, 2022:

All body, no brains or mind....

I posted a singles ad meme yesterday mocking MTG's pending divorce.

Garban comments on Sep 30, 2022:

🤢 🤢 🤢…… 🤮 Sorry.

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 30, 2022:

I generally despise emojis, but in this case, they say it so well....

I posted a singles ad meme yesterday mocking MTG's pending divorce.

NostraDumbass comments on Sep 30, 2022:

Lookin’ for a little piece of Ginny Thomas. Where’s the justice?

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 30, 2022:

@OldMetalHead Yup, has that Church Lady stick up her ass look...

Christian influencer gets holy water breast implants

TomMcGiverin comments on Sep 30, 2022:

Good gravy, what a nutjob!

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 30, 2022:

@Beowulfsfriend Actually, both of them appear to be what we call "people with issues"...

See my post over in Liberal Progressive Party group, about how glennlab blocked me today after he ...

racocn8 comments on Sep 29, 2022:

False equivalences have consequences...

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 30, 2022:

@racocn8 I really feel no loss about those Dem apologists blocking me. I just wanted to call them out on how they resorted to personal attacks once they knew they were losing the argument about the corruption of the party.

It's not healthy to deny the freedom of life ,that locked down was hell on earth.

TomMcGiverin comments on Sep 24, 2022:

The 14 months of Covid where I was pretty much sheltering at home were very tough and lonely for me, but I never blamed the rest of the world for it, and did my best to adjust to it. I coped by making a lot of phone calls to friends who were going thru the same thing, reading a lot, borrowing books ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 30, 2022:

@laidback1 No idiot, they deserve it for knowingly making a stupid choice and refusing a vaccine that would protect them from death and serious illness if they get Covid. You have the freedom to die or make stupid choices, but don't expect sympathy from me if you make those choices.

See my post over in Liberal Progressive Party group, about how glennlab blocked me today after he ...

Garban comments on Sep 29, 2022:

Being an adult means that sometimes you must choose between two bad options. In the existing political environment choosing the third option is the same as saying “I’m taking my ball and going home!” You weren’t winning.🙄

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 30, 2022:

Suit yourself. I won't endorse their fake democracy and support their fake opposition party. And I'm very much an adult, but, like glennlab, you have to resort to a personal insult of implying I am immature, when the reality is that I simply am less willing to tolerate bullshit from the Dems and let them vote shame me into supporting them. Being an adult means having enough self respect and guts to call them on their bullshit and challenge them to start earning your vote, instead of caving into a platform of nothing more than identity politics and culture wars, along with the pathetic claim of "I'm less shitty and crazy than they are"... I have too damn much self esteem and self respect to cave for that bullshit. I don't know you, but in my experience, the people that easily cave for the Dem Party's appeals to them tend to be people who are very comfortable with the status quo of capitalism and are doing just fine, as part of the top 15% classes, so they have no real struggles or problems from the one-way class war that is being waged against the lower classes, so they see nothing wrong with the neoliberal economics of the Dem Party. Would I be right about you and that? They are fine with the Dems crushing progressives and being neoliberals, because they don't need Bernie's policies to stay comfortable, and they are scared that his policies might knock them off their comfortable perch, so they gladly support the corrupt Dems because all they really care about is identity politics, culture wars, and the separation of church and state. Actual working class people have long ago caught on to how the Dem Party has betrayed them on economic issues, and so they either vote for the Repubs on culture war issues or identity politics, or else don't vote. And I can't blame them at all. They are being very adult and rational, thinking quite realistically, that the Dems will do nothing for them economically, but maybe the Repubs are worth voting for because they do seem to hate the same people that I either fear or resent. The more emotionally secure and emotionally healthy working class folks are probably the ones who don't vote, because they know neither party cares about them and they don't have fear or resentment towards people who are different from them.

See my post over in Liberal Progressive Party group, about how glennlab blocked me today after he ...

racocn8 comments on Sep 29, 2022:

False equivalences have consequences...

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 29, 2022:

Care to elaborate? Of course the two major parties have differences on culture war stuff and identity politics, but those are merely distractions to get voters to ignore how they are the same on everything else. And until voters do, and start voting third party, we will never have any real progress on issues of fiscal policy, war, or climate change.

A farmer is out working his crops in the field when a stranger driving by stops.

ThinkingFree comments on Sep 29, 2022:

I think the point is, that you get back what you give out. Whenever I'm confronted with someone who seems angry or whatever, I try to say something nice to them, and most of the time their disposition changes.

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 29, 2022:

@ThinkingFree No, I disagree. I think most of us, including me, see what is there, not what we assume is there. I honestly don't think I am pre-judging that much, as you are implying. I am just applying my experience to the present. I have often checked my initial impressions of people later with others that share my views on things and gotten confirmation that I was seeing and reading these new people correctly for how they are. As far as rednecks, they look at someone like me, and assume from how I'm dressed and how I look, that I have to be their cultural and political enemy, because I don't look working class, blue collar, and redneck enough, so they assume from that that I am either a conservative or some liberal Dem who votes for the corporate Dems that sell them out. When the truth is that I am a socialist that is actually more on their side economically than anybody in the US. But it's all about appearances and past experiences with snobby upper class educated people that influences rednecks in who they hate, so I am not willing to waste my time trying to convince them I'm different and in the meantime get bullied and possibly assaulted because I invaded their enclave and made them feel uncomfortable with my presence.

A farmer is out working his crops in the field when a stranger driving by stops.

ThinkingFree comments on Sep 29, 2022:

I think the point is, that you get back what you give out. Whenever I'm confronted with someone who seems angry or whatever, I try to say something nice to them, and most of the time their disposition changes.

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 29, 2022:

I get that, but there is also the harsh fact that most people are who they are and they act like themselves most of the time, no matter what other people give out to them. And over time, esp. living around other people, their true nature will come out, even after their initial welcome wagon manners wear out or are dropped. Case in point, I hate rednecks and they usually take a quick dislike or hatred of me, because I don't hide who I am at all from them. So they resent me and I despise them. We are each other's cultural, and nowadays, political, enemies. So I don't waste any time pretending otherwise. I stay the hell away from them as much as possible, and as long as they avoid me and leave me alone, we will get along fine, as far as not ending up in physical violence or verbal confrontations, separated by the cultural fence, so to speak. Thus, I avoid rural areas and redneck, working class bars as much as possible, not because I am against working class people in the class wars, but because they usually see me as their cultural and economic enemy before I even open my mouth and let them know I am on their side, economically. Because they sense I have more education, money, and sophistication than them, so they assume I must be a conceited asshole who votes Republican or for corporate Dems and politically feels they deserve their economic woes and need to stay in their place.

A farmer is out working his crops in the field when a stranger driving by stops.

TomMcGiverin comments on Sep 29, 2022:

Or maybe the farmer, as are most people here in Iowa and the Midwest in general, is too "Iowa Nice" or, as I see it, too chickenshit to actually speak up and voice a negative opinion on anyone. You don't live in my area of the country, where most people are infuriatingly too chickenshit to confront ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 29, 2022:

@Buck Exactly, he's a chickenshit people pleaser, can't take a stand to save his life. Probably ought to go into politics as a corporate, centrist, Dem. I hate people like that, with no guts or integrity, and I won't accept them as friends, and also have no respect for them as people. I will accept friends who don't like confrontation as much as I do, but they have to be willing to take stands and not just tell people what they want to hear.

Never forget, November is coming.

TomMcGiverin comments on Sep 28, 2022:

Vote away all you want, just don't have any illusions that it will really change anything at the federal level not related to culture war issues like abortion and identity politics stuff like gays, God, etc.. Because if you do, you will be quickly disappointed by the corporate Dems who have all the ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 29, 2022:

@glennlab Fuck you, Glen. I have plenty of balls and courage. You can shove your judgement on me. I do plenty of things and you know nothing about me or my local dating pool, so you have no idea why I have trouble finding someone to date. Did you ever consider that it might not be my fault and that I live in a terrible dating pool for someone like me? I thought not, because until you come here and check out the dating pool, you have no fucking idea what you are talking about with me. So shut the fuck up until you actually have some direct knowledge and evidence to make your bullshit judgements about me. And as for surrendering to anybody, I guess you didn't see my comments in the other forum thread where I mention my plans for getting armed in the future and shooting as many of the MAGA pricks as I can if they end up coming after me in our coming civil war. How about you, Glen, are you planning to just be a sitting duck and depend on thinking that voting Blue No Matter Who is somehow going to save you from being murdered by those pricks? Go ahead and block me, if you like, you aren't the mod of this group, so I would still be able to view it, just not your posts, which would not be much of a loss...

Never forget, November is coming.

TomMcGiverin comments on Sep 28, 2022:

Vote away all you want, just don't have any illusions that it will really change anything at the federal level not related to culture war issues like abortion and identity politics stuff like gays, God, etc.. Because if you do, you will be quickly disappointed by the corporate Dems who have all the ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 29, 2022:

@glennlab Blah, blah, blah.. I am tired of your worn out, vote-shaming arguments. Let it go... There is a reason the US has by far the lowest level of voter participation of any industrialized so-called democracy. And that reason is that most of the eligible voters have figured out what I am saying about the corrupt system and the duopoly and have chosen to not waste their time and effort on it anymore. And I bet most of them are actually more informed than most of those who still vote.

Never forget, November is coming.

TomMcGiverin comments on Sep 28, 2022:

Vote away all you want, just don't have any illusions that it will really change anything at the federal level not related to culture war issues like abortion and identity politics stuff like gays, God, etc.. Because if you do, you will be quickly disappointed by the corporate Dems who have all the ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 29, 2022:

@glennlab And if you do vote, you are legitimizing their charade of democracy and choice. I'm saying, vote away if feel like it, but don't kid yourself that you really have any choices in federal elections or that we live in a functioning democracy. And also don't buy their bullshit when they say every time "this is the most important election ever, etc.".. And I would also argue against your point of not voting makes things worse, because voting Blue No Matter Who is how we have ended up with a Dem Party that is now to the right of Nixon. Voting for third parties instead, during the last 50 years, would certainly produced a better result than that. So as far as I'm concerned, voting for corporate, centrist Dems is just as much or more of a wasted vote than voting third party, because, at least with the latter, you are voting for what you actually want, and are discouraging the Dems from moving further to the right. Make the motherfuckers start earning your vote, instead of taking it for granted or treating you like Rahm Emanuel does, and telling you to shut up and fuck off, calling you a moron, etc..

Proud Boys, Neo-Nazis, and White Nationalists Protested ‘Drag Bingo’ at Texas Church

Flyingsaucesir comments on Sep 27, 2022:

I find it rather amusing that these white militias feel so threatened by gays, trannies, and drag queens. Real men are not bothered by such innocuous stuff. 😂

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 28, 2022:

@Flyingsaucesir Yup, in that situation, violence and war are the only options.

Proud Boys, Neo-Nazis, and White Nationalists Protested ‘Drag Bingo’ at Texas Church

Flyingsaucesir comments on Sep 27, 2022:

I find it rather amusing that these white militias feel so threatened by gays, trannies, and drag queens. Real men are not bothered by such innocuous stuff. 😂

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 28, 2022:

@Flyingsaucesir I agree, and that's the example I always use for how useless non-violence is when it comes to fighting fascists. Non-violence is merely a tactic, not a religion in itself, altho it's advocates sometimes treat it as a religion. It's usefulness and effectiveness as a tactic depends completely on the type of opposition you're facing, the morality of the society in which you are waging your struggle, and the ability of non-violence to win alliances from the political system in the country and also the ability of the non-violent movement to get their message out and get support and sympathy from and thru the mass media. Those last two areas have changed drastically from the 60s. The corporate media does not give sympathetic coverage to non-violent movements seeking more power for the masses, instead they only give sensationalistic coverage, at best, of any violence that happens with protests, and little, if any, coverage of the issues driving the protests. And the political system also no longer supports non-violent movements that actually threaten the status quo of all power being held by the rich and corporations. The Dems will give lip service to those movements, and use them for political gain, but they will not ever support any real changes to the status quo regarding how power is held and used in the US. Choosing to use non-violence as the tactic, no matter what the circumstances around the struggle you are waging, is about as sensible as choosing suicide no matter what your life circumstances are at the time. It may or may not be the best option for the situation, but it does ensure a certain outcome and carries a clear moral choice. But waging social and political struggles should be about more than just making some moral point. It should be about doing your best to get a positive, tangible result, not just making some moral point.

Proud Boys, Neo-Nazis, and White Nationalists Protested ‘Drag Bingo’ at Texas Church

Flyingsaucesir comments on Sep 27, 2022:

I find it rather amusing that these white militias feel so threatened by gays, trannies, and drag queens. Real men are not bothered by such innocuous stuff. 😂

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 28, 2022:

@Flyingsaucesir, @KKGator Agreed. If the civil war I see coming actually begins to get close, I will buy my gun or two, learn to shoot, and take all of the assholes I can with me, should they dare to come for me. I will not depend on or count on any protection from the cops, because it would be foolish to do so, esp. where I live.

Proud Boys, Neo-Nazis, and White Nationalists Protested ‘Drag Bingo’ at Texas Church

Flyingsaucesir comments on Sep 27, 2022:

I find it rather amusing that these white militias feel so threatened by gays, trannies, and drag queens. Real men are not bothered by such innocuous stuff. 😂

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 28, 2022:

@Flyingsaucesir I agree. As a non-drinker, I always have my wits about me, so I don't need to worry about being hustled...

So Rolling Stone just came out with top100 tv shows of all time.

puff comments on Sep 27, 2022:

Brits are #1 I'm afraid. Blackadder Faulty towers The young ones Dr Who I am a great admirer of Lucille Ball and "I love Lucy". Without her, no Star trek. Also, "The twilight zone" was brilliant for it's time.

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 28, 2022:

Monty Python's Flying Circus was the best Brit show I ever watched.

Proud Boys, Neo-Nazis, and White Nationalists Protested ‘Drag Bingo’ at Texas Church

Garban comments on Sep 27, 2022:

Why do they feel threatened by how another man dresses? Pathetic!

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 27, 2022:

You are correct, real men, who are emotionally strong and secure, are not threatened or bothered by it. As long as they take "Not interested" at face value, I am not offended at all if a gay man says he is attracted to me. To me, it would be a compliment, same as from a woman. All that matters is respecting my lack of interest, no matter the gender.

Proud Boys, Neo-Nazis, and White Nationalists Protested ‘Drag Bingo’ at Texas Church

Flyingsaucesir comments on Sep 27, 2022:

I find it rather amusing that these white militias feel so threatened by gays, trannies, and drag queens. Real men are not bothered by such innocuous stuff. 😂

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 27, 2022:

@DenoPenno Yeah, but that's the diff about people on the right, versus people on the left. The former group does not want to live and let live, they want control and domination of others who are different, and feel violence is justified to get those things. People on the left, for the most part, still believe in non-violence and electoral politics as the way to get what they want. However, that no longer seems to work as well as it did in the 60s. And I personally no longer believe in it as a generally effective tactic, because appealing to the conscience and better natures of people with power these days is a waste of time. What works is massive direct action, like general strikes and other ways of disrupting business as usual by the rich and corporations, preferably without violence. But these days, it seems like only the threat of violence happening is what makes protests effective, because most of the time, the powers that be would prefer to avoid having regular disruptions of business as usual caused by violent protests.

Ouch! Living in America is crazy even for crazy Ozzy Osbourne.

TomMcGiverin comments on Sep 26, 2022:

If I was that rich and could live anywhere, I would be in BC, British Columbia..

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 27, 2022:

@Castlepaloma It figures.

I would not normally do this but I am so sickened by a comment made in answer to one of my comments ...

racocn8 comments on Sep 21, 2022:

What bothered me was when he said that there was no genetic nor physical component to the concepts of empathy and altruism. I'd be very surprised to see anything that supported that claim, especially, as I noted, that animals demonstrate both. It is essentially a baseless lie. In my recollecton, TMW...

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 26, 2022:

TMW is an asshole, at least to me, so I blocked him a long time ago, or maybe he blocked me, doesn't matter which. And yes, I still hate you, asshole. Just wanted to let you know, since there are no blocks on here. As for the admin. punishing him, dream on. The admin. is gone, and whoever is still minding the site, seems to only crack down on people who are politically lefties, which TMW is clearly not.

It's not healthy to deny the freedom of life ,that locked down was hell on earth.

TomMcGiverin comments on Sep 24, 2022:

The 14 months of Covid where I was pretty much sheltering at home were very tough and lonely for me, but I never blamed the rest of the world for it, and did my best to adjust to it. I coped by making a lot of phone calls to friends who were going thru the same thing, reading a lot, borrowing books ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 25, 2022:

@phoenixone1 I've had Covid twice now, first time before there were vaccines, got the Regeneron immuno Tx and had mild symptoms, was sick about ten days. Second time, a couple months ago, sick about five days, mild symptoms, after being fully vaxed and boosted. Anyone who is not so immunosuppressed that they can't get vaxed and refuses to do so, is a fucking idiot, and, as far as I'm concerned, deserves whatever death or serious illness they may get from Covid....

I wonder if Tina Forte and her drug dealer family are aware that casting for The Sopranos ended 15 ...

Flyingsaucesir comments on Sep 25, 2022:

For me, use of profanity is not an automatic disqualifier. But please let it be in service to an intelligent message, and not just some boneheaded rant.

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 25, 2022:

I don't see any intelligence coming from her at all, same league as MTG and Lauren Boebart... I use the F-word a lot, but it's always combined with an intelligent message and/or genuine, justified anger.

It's not healthy to deny the freedom of life ,that locked down was hell on earth.

TomMcGiverin comments on Sep 24, 2022:

The 14 months of Covid where I was pretty much sheltering at home were very tough and lonely for me, but I never blamed the rest of the world for it, and did my best to adjust to it. I coped by making a lot of phone calls to friends who were going thru the same thing, reading a lot, borrowing books ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 24, 2022:

@laidback1 I don't give a fuck which admin. produced it, according to you. The drug companies produced it, and all I care about is that it works in preventing me from serious illness or death if I get infected with Covid. You can wallow all you want to in your conspiracy theories about Covid, government, whatever....

Netflix needs an email explaining why the lip movement should line up with the audio.

Fit50something comments on Sep 22, 2022:

I have the same issue with Hulu.

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 23, 2022:

@azzow2 Very likely. The film companies only care about cutting costs, esp. after the filming is already completed.

I finally found Jesus!!!! Turns out he’s been hiding at crocs.com all this time!?!🤗

mischl comments on Sep 21, 2022:

This guy is an impostor. Jesus mows my lawn every Tuesday, and he doesn't speak English.

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 21, 2022:

Much as the Repubs hate immigrants who aren't white, how would their lawn services and landscaping survive without Jesus? You sir, are a superior smartass, and I bow to you!

UMass football team schedules 'Pride Day' for game against Liberty U.

phoenixone1 comments on Sep 21, 2022:

Do you think Liberty will FORFEIT rather than show up and play?

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 21, 2022:

I'll take "Yes" for $500. Alex....

Haven't had a girlfriend in 14 years.

xenoview comments on Sep 20, 2022:

Start by not having your picture upside down in your profile.

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 20, 2022:

I would guess that he doesn't have it that way in his dating site profile. If he doesn't know already, he will soon figure out that Agnostic is not a place to meet a girlfriend, since the site has very few active members left these days, no matter where you live...

sad hospital visit

TomMcGiverin comments on Sep 19, 2022:

The South is a shithole, third world country, in and of itself. I so wish it would secede from the US.... It has all the qualities of the foreign places Trump condemns, and yet, it is the place in our country where he has his greatest level of support and popularity. Can you say irony?? But Repub ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 20, 2022:

@Organist1 True on both counts, I bet, the second one due to inbreeding...

Had an incident with a religious nut the other day.

TomMcGiverin comments on Sep 14, 2022:

Nice that the establishment did the right thing, since my experience with bars that I go to for karaoke, never seem to do that when someone harasses me for no good reason. But in your case, you had a whole group there that the guy harassed, unlike my experiences where it was more one on one, so they...

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 19, 2022:

@Organist1 I have found, in my life, that every small town or city seems to have at least one town character or two, that is known to everybody there. And they all seem to just tolerate them. The person is usually harmless, maybe annoying. They end up being lifelong mental cases that usually never get institutionalized because they are not a danger to themselves or others.

A short collection for your amusement

Redheadedgammy comments on Sep 18, 2022:

I feel like the guy on the scooter perfectly represents MAGATS!!

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 18, 2022:

@Redheadedgammy We'll have to disagree on that. I am usually right about these things.

A short collection for your amusement

Redheadedgammy comments on Sep 18, 2022:

I feel like the guy on the scooter perfectly represents MAGATS!!

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 18, 2022:

@Redheadedgammy It also emotionally prepares oneself for a coming reality... I have a big, fat, "I told you so", waiting for all the middle and upper class liberals who smugly and naively still think that in a coming civil war, that the cops and military are going to take their side, defend, and protect them from the MAGA militia types. They aren't. At best they will stand aside, at worst, they will join in with the MAGAs. The backgrounds of the insurrection rioters, as well as intelligence reports on how much the right wing groups have members inside both the cops and military, have proven me right on this.

A short collection for your amusement

Redheadedgammy comments on Sep 18, 2022:

I feel like the guy on the scooter perfectly represents MAGATS!!

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 18, 2022:

I wish he actually did represent most of them, but he doesn't. I am seriously worried about the next few years and a civil war where our side gets no help from the cops or military, in fact they may join in with these fools...

From Churched To Unchurched... what was your journey?

resserts comments on Sep 18, 2022:

In what church/denomination were you reared? For me, it was Catholicism. My family was strict and strictly Catholic, and we had lots of iconography strewn about the house, attended weekly services, etc., and I was sent to Sunday school for a time before being sent to parochial elementary school. I ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 18, 2022:

@resserts Correct..

From Churched To Unchurched... what was your journey?

resserts comments on Sep 18, 2022:

In what church/denomination were you reared? For me, it was Catholicism. My family was strict and strictly Catholic, and we had lots of iconography strewn about the house, attended weekly services, etc., and I was sent to Sunday school for a time before being sent to parochial elementary school. I ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 18, 2022:

Paragraphs...

New Rule: A Unified Theory of Wokeness | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO) - YouTube

rainmanjr comments on Sep 17, 2022:

> Humans are not good people. No shit, Bill. I also think Presentism is stupid, and lib's should stop bringing it up, but it's exactly what one would expect of a victim oriented society. We are acting a bit like fourteen year olds.

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 17, 2022:

I have to agree. People in a certain time period are not only limited in their information and knowledge that were available to them at that time, depending both on history as well as their economic class, which determines, in most cases, the level of their education. There is also the obvious matter of conformity, because even if someone in a certain time period was aware of the moral wrongness of a policy or tradition of their time, and wanted to buck the system, the fact is that as individuals who are way outnumbered by the majority, there is usually great social and economic cost to breaking the rules of the time, even if doing so might be legal. And Maher is right about this part of it for sure, namely that most people will not buck the majority, unless they are so rich and privileged that they can get away with it without surrendering their freedom and most of their financial comfort. Humans may not all be bad people, but most of them that I have met sure seem pretty selfish when it comes to bucking the system, if it would cost them much of anything, materially or even socially.... They not only want to keep all their stuff, they also want to be popular...

This is amazing. Innocent man facing the death penalty saved by Seinfeld creator [youtu.be]

JonnaBononna comments on Sep 17, 2022:

I saw that documentary a while back. Pretty amazing how it worked out!

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 17, 2022:

Except the real killer is still out there running free...

The peak of self-confidence

Lilac-JadeCanada comments on Sep 17, 2022:

Yes, you are.

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 17, 2022:

They know they are purrrfect...

I wonder if she wants the job again?

TomMcGiverin comments on Sep 16, 2022:

I can understand why he had to pay her so much for one sexual encounter. I can't imagine any woman but Melania, if even her, that would allow themselves to be that physically close to him for less money than that.

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 16, 2022:

@glennlab I have never read her account of it, probably better off that I haven't, as the idea of anyone having sex with Trump would probably be something that would haunt me... Too much like if I had walked in on my parents, don't want any bad images forever burned into my mind..

I wonder if she wants the job again?

TomMcGiverin comments on Sep 16, 2022:

I can understand why he had to pay her so much for one sexual encounter. I can't imagine any woman but Melania, if even her, that would allow themselves to be that physically close to him for less money than that.

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 16, 2022:

@glennlab That dollar figure seems low, lol. You have to wonder why in the world she agreed to have sex with him for free...

Friday morning cuteness

glennlab comments on Sep 16, 2022:

"I have claws and I'm not afraid to use them"

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 16, 2022:

@glennlab True, we do have to be cautious about the tummy trap.....

Friday morning cuteness

glennlab comments on Sep 16, 2022:

"I have claws and I'm not afraid to use them"

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 16, 2022:

Who could be afraid of such a cute little kitten?

Christianity to lose majority status in US by 2070, per Pew model

TomMcGiverin comments on Sep 15, 2022:

We can hope, but in the end, Christianity will still have most of the power and be over-represented in government, regardless of being a minority of the population.

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 15, 2022:

@jlynn37 They can, but it can only happen thru brute force and over time, that becomes harder and harder to maintain. See South Africa...

Atheists didn’t finish the job (yet), so God’s Not Dead 5 will come out in 2023

Barnie2years comments on Sep 14, 2022:

A whole lot of money to be made off the true believers!

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 15, 2022:

@snytiger6 Thankfully, I never saw that movie, but boy did I keep hearing about it. I have never been into torture porn, whether it's the Hostel films, Gibson's film, or the Saw series. But I'm not surprised there is such a big market for them. We have lots of sadistic, desensitized zombies here in the US.

Iowa human trafficking victim Pieper Lewis sentenced, ordered to pay $150,000 : NPR

mischl comments on Sep 14, 2022:

Punishing a woman for getting raped is so Islam.

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 15, 2022:

@mischl That was where I was going with it, along with a little humor about how if you're going to do something, make sure you do it right and very thoroughly. And the thing about leaving no witnesses behind and alive, kind of goes without saying......

This guy wants to meet me.

TomMcGiverin comments on Sep 13, 2022:

Sometimes it seem like the scammers aren't even willing to put an honest effort into it, this one's a very lazy scammer... If you want to screw with his head a while, you could play along and be sure to mention how you have a vast fortune and are a lonely widow, etc., I think you can figure out the ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 15, 2022:

@TheoryNumber3 Suit yourself. A couple times I have strung them along for a while, just to amuse myself. I know that it wouldn't be worth the effort and time to me to do it more often than that.

Doublespeak from the Ministry of Truth

Dhiltong comments on Sep 14, 2022:

Actually inflation and market downturns create a lot of prosperity for certain people and entities........

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 15, 2022:

Yup, but the fool peasants keep voting for them anyway, indirectly, by continuing to vote for the two major parties and their bought pols that serve only the 1%, not us peasants at all.

Doublespeak from the Ministry of Truth

TomMcGiverin comments on Sep 14, 2022:

Not from where I sit and from what I observe around me with my fellow peasants...

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 15, 2022:

@BDair I enjoy your sarcasm and I loathe the smug arrogance of the rich and conservatives about this.

Iowa human trafficking victim Pieper Lewis sentenced, ordered to pay $150,000 : NPR

TomMcGiverin comments on Sep 14, 2022:

In the interest of fairness and accuracy, I wanted to share that I saw the story of this case on the front page of the statewide newspaper, The Des Moines Register today. I figured this site's members would be interested in knowing that racism apparently was not an issue in her sentencing. The judge...

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 15, 2022:

@Betty No idea. The newspaper article didn't go into that. My guess is she was too poor to afford anyone but a court appointed lawyer. Also the county this happened in has a public defender office.

It saves a lot of time, unless they want you to provide the evolution of the facts.

racocn8 comments on Sep 14, 2022:

The destruction of progressive taxation flung wide open the door to the fascism, and made still easier by Citizens United.

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 14, 2022:

The devolution of America began with him, ending progressive taxation, busting the budget for military buildup and tax cuts for the rich and corporations, and busting unions by firing the air traffic controllers, and finally cutting social programs while spreading the myth of welfare queens. Lastly, he was there for the beginning of right wing talk radio and the beginning of other right wing media, eventually leading to Fox News. He was one of our worst presidents before Trump finally set the new low point...

Iowa human trafficking victim Pieper Lewis sentenced, ordered to pay $150,000 : NPR

Aaron70 comments on Sep 14, 2022:

A gofundme page has raised nearly $250,000 at this point. So at least she can pay the effin fine!🙃

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 14, 2022:

Now that is one fundraising thing I could get behind...

Iowa human trafficking victim Pieper Lewis sentenced, ordered to pay $150,000 : NPR

rainmanjr comments on Sep 14, 2022:

I'm feeling a strong urge to vomit on someone in Iowa.

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 14, 2022:

Just don't do it on me, I live there and I'm on her side...

Iowa human trafficking victim Pieper Lewis sentenced, ordered to pay $150,000 : NPR

mischl comments on Sep 14, 2022:

Punishing a woman for getting raped is so Islam.

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 14, 2022:

@Buck Well, like I always say, anything worth doing is worth doing well, or in this case, stabbing him thoroughly, lol....

Wednesday morning cuteness...Off to school

racocn8 comments on Sep 14, 2022:

You can teach a cat?

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 14, 2022:

You can teach a cat a lot of things, it's just they will probably refuse to do most of the things you teach them to do, such as to not knock shit off of surfaces. Unlike dogs, they will do whatever they like, in the end..

Had an incident with a religious nut the other day.

BitFlipper comments on Sep 14, 2022:

Sounds like the kind of guy who's had the cops called on him before. I hope it's not a scheme to create some new court precedent. The white nationalist pseudo-christians are running a coordinated effort to make their delusions the law of the land.

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 14, 2022:

@itsmeagain Not surprising that he was an immigrant, same as most cab drivers. Most of the food delivery people I have seen have been like cab drivers, rather scruffy-looking and not the type of folks you would see in a regular office or plant job. The gig economy, whether it's Uber, Lyft, or food delivery, tends to mostly attract those who can't get or keep normal type jobs, which is sad, because they are being exploited, rather than being normal folks who take the gig job mostly for the freedom or flexibility not offered in a normal 9-5 straight job. What's funny about this guy, is that he reminds me of a guy I ran across many years ago when I was a vending route driver on a university campus. We had an old guy that came back to work as vending route driver, temporarily, while one of our guys was out with foot surgery. This temp driver was a religious nut, a white American evangelical, who had quite a history before he retired and then was called back. Apparently he had gotten on some tear with preaching to people on campus at a particular building and had gotten so many complaints about him that he was banned from that building for good. So when he came back temporarily, the vending dept. had to make sure he didn't have that building on his route. I heard that when he had the incident that got him banned he had actually come back there when he was off work and started preaching to people at that building. It takes all kinds, I guess.

Had an incident with a religious nut the other day.

Betty comments on Sep 14, 2022:

I feel for you and understand the unease. In a country where weapons are easily acquired, caution is a requirement.

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 14, 2022:

@itsmeagain That food delivery part is disturbing. Now we have to worry about psycho GrubHub and DoorDash drivers. Not that surprising, I suppose, as people in the driving professions tend to be a bit mental...

Had an incident with a religious nut the other day.

TomMcGiverin comments on Sep 14, 2022:

Nice that the establishment did the right thing, since my experience with bars that I go to for karaoke, never seem to do that when someone harasses me for no good reason. But in your case, you had a whole group there that the guy harassed, unlike my experiences where it was more one on one, so they...

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 14, 2022:

@itsmeagain I do enjoy aggravating people but only if they screw with me first, as I take no shit from anyone, unless they are the cops or they are armed, because in either case, they have power over me and it's not worth the risk to mess with them, as it's a no win situation against either group.

Had an incident with a religious nut the other day.

p-nullifidian comments on Sep 14, 2022:

Crazy people like this achieve their goal when they get a reaction, especially when it becomes physical. The guy who shoved this wacko is right to be concerned about him becoming a stalker. I have found that turning one’s back and ignoring people like this who appear to have some sort of ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 14, 2022:

Odds are that he already does a lot of mumbling to himself when others aren't around...

But of course he would..he's a MAGAt Rethuglican.. [aol.com]

Garban comments on Sep 13, 2022:

Is he trying to make a target about himself? What an idiot.

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 14, 2022:

Who knows what that closet case is thinking?

Ken Starr, Prosecutor in Clinton Whitewater Probe, Dies at 76 The family said it was ...

Redheadedgammy comments on Sep 13, 2022:

I hope he’s burning in the hell he believed in. Fucking Sanctimonious bastard.

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 13, 2022:

I'm sure that, if there was a hell, that Rush Limbaugh was there waiting for him, among others..

What does a Harvard educated investment banker look like after drinking Trump koolaide ?

SnowyOwl comments on Sep 13, 2022:

Sounds legit, I doubt this greasy prick has ever taken a bath in his life.

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 13, 2022:

Same with shaving regularly or changing his clothes. If he weren't a rich prick and dressed differently, he could pass for homeless.

"A verbal encounter with police at a Black Lives Matter protest led pregnant activist to 4-year ...

Flyingsaucesir comments on Sep 11, 2022:

Ha! There it is! That lousy old double standard. 🤬

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 12, 2022:

And protesters from the left get tear-gassed and their heads cracked, while protesters from the right get kid gloves treatment from the cops. So what else is new? And with the insurrectionists, Trump made sure the cops would be way outnumbered, so even if they did want to fight back against the rioters, the rioters would be the ones causing almost all the injuries and the cops suffering most of the serious injuries. I guess that's his version of really " Backing The Blue", lol.....

Women: i don't need no man! Car breaks down: thats a mans job! Tree needs to be cut down: ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Sep 11, 2022:

He's now up to level 4, so it may be Mission Accomplished...

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 11, 2022:

@Focus1 If your goal really was to just rack up points as fast as possible, then you succeeded, but at the same time, you have probably established yourself as an asshole here who just likes messing with people, so good luck the rest of your time here, as you may end up getting blocked or at least shunned by most of the members here for your games, and then how fun will that be to stay here? I know that I will probably block you once you read this, and I may have more company on that than you think..

Women: i don't need no man! Car breaks down: thats a mans job! Tree needs to be cut down: ...

Fernapple comments on Sep 11, 2022:

Not the women I know.

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 11, 2022:

@Focus1 I've known plenty of women that work on their own cars and do their own home repairs and improvements. Try getting out a little more and joining modern society.

Women: i don't need no man! Car breaks down: thats a mans job! Tree needs to be cut down: ...

DenoPenno comments on Sep 11, 2022:

Yes, it's a man's world. Shut up and take it like a man. Only a real man can drink this or lift that. That's woman's work. Charlie, are you a woman? Cook me some food, woman.

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 11, 2022:

@Focus1 Well, that is often what happens regarding lost items and men, while women are more likely to get a little sad about the lost item, shrug it off, and then go on to plan to replace it soon.

Women: i don't need no man! Car breaks down: thats a mans job! Tree needs to be cut down: ...

Silver1wun comments on Sep 11, 2022:

And, most of us earn it honestly.

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 11, 2022:

@Focus1 Nah, never been interested in taking all that amount of risk nor did I ever claim to have the right mentality for that. I am a socialist and my natural bent would be to join a worker's cooperative business, hard as they are to find in my area..

Physical Attraction

TomMcGiverin comments on Sep 10, 2022:

Your experience is by no means unique. I have run across the profiles of several really hot looking, college educated white professional career women on Match, who only wanted to date black men who were less educated than them, high school level only, for what was obviously just a casual, sex-based ...

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 11, 2022:

@Unity I respect that, because, who would ever choose to do so if they have any self respect or dignity, when it is so clear that the other person wants to use you and treat you as an inferior to them? You are obviously a real man with integrity, which is more than I can say for a lot of our fellow men who will abandon any scruples, integrity, self- respect, dignity, or principles for sex... And I'm not talking about swingers or open relationships, poly, etc.. I am talking about men who will knowingly lie about who they are as a person and what they are after, relationshipwise, just to get sex from someone they find attractive....

Women: i don't need no man! Car breaks down: thats a mans job! Tree needs to be cut down: ...

Silver1wun comments on Sep 11, 2022:

And, most of us earn it honestly.

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 11, 2022:

@Focus1 I am nothing but that, too bad not everybody can handle it or accept it, but that's all I've ever been. And I've always been willing to pay the price, such as being mostly unpopular, except to my friends, and working nothing but entry level jobs my whole goddamned working life, not because I wasn't a hard or good worker, but because I refused to play workplace politics or kiss ass to bosses...

Federal prison chaplain sentenced for sexually abusing female inmates

KKGator comments on Sep 5, 2022:

This is the kind of person who shouldn't be protected by the "cruel and unusual" clause. He, and assholes like him, make "an eye for an eye" a good idea. He should suffer mightily.

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 11, 2022:

@ToakReon Well duh...

Federal prison chaplain sentenced for sexually abusing female inmates

KKGator comments on Sep 5, 2022:

This is the kind of person who shouldn't be protected by the "cruel and unusual" clause. He, and assholes like him, make "an eye for an eye" a good idea. He should suffer mightily.

TomMcGiverin replies on Sep 11, 2022:

@ToakReon, @KKGator If society cared enough to fix it, it would have been fixed long ago, and that's why it will never be fixed, within my lifetime or after. Same with this comment, KKGator.... Accidentally included you... This whole argument between you and KKGator reminds me of the apologists for the bare-knuckled, heartless cruel capitalism we have in America who oppose socialism because they say socialism is too extreme, unfair, and that capitalism can be and will be eventually reformed, right? Well, it never has been in my lifetime and it's obvious that it has only been getting worse over my life. So why should I continue to support the legitimacy of our current justice system? Because we all know it will never be reformed the way you are claiming it can be and eventually will be.....In the meantime, I will settle for our system giving up as much protection as possible against the strong, powerful, and evil who prey on the weak, the innocent, and the powerless, and hope for the best from our present system, but I won't have any faith or respect for it...