How to atheists return to religion? I don't understand

TomMcGiverin comments on Dec 8, 2021:

I have only known one person who went from being a non-believer to a theist. It happened to be a very troubled young man who was a fellow Unitarian church member with me. It began with him losing to death a close relative, then himself experiencing severe depression and becoming suicidal, which he eventually succeeded in completing. During this cycle of crisis, he told me and others near the beginning of it that he had come to acutely fear death and wanted to try theistic religion as a way to combat his fear of death and have hope of an afterlife, something that the Unitarian church did not offer.

I never would have guessed so many gentlemen didn' t want kids .

TomMcGiverin comments on Dec 8, 2021:

I'm over 60, and here in farmer country, it's very rare that I find any women without kids, and almost as rare, that I find any women in my local dating pool my age on Match that will even accept a man without kids for dating. I have been told that one factor is that women who grew up here just see a childless man as too "oddball" or non-conformist for them, that it raises red flags for them that he may be defective or dysfunctional, in their eyes at least, in other ways besides being childless. I even had a woman today on Match tell me, in rejecting me, that she said I "raised huge red flags" for her by being childless and that I was therefore "not interested in anyone but" myself.... I told her that for one thing she didn't even know me, as we only connected today, and that I was very close with and interested in my longtime local friends, even if I am not involved with my family of origin. I did not appreciate her hostility and insulting language she used with me in messaging and I reported her to Match for insulting and inappropriate language and hostility. We'll see if they do anything to me or report to me. I just think it was an arugument over opposing views that quickly escalated on her part into an attack of criticism on me for being different than the mainstream. In other words, the good old, " for me to feel right about myself, I have to prove you are bad and wrong, etc.".....

Yup they do that

TomMcGiverin comments on Dec 7, 2021:

Cat looks like Grumpy Cat..

So I recently asked about kitty health insurance.

TomMcGiverin comments on Dec 7, 2021:

You are a good cat mom. Your cat looks happy and spoiled!

I had seen this on the bumper of a car and was trying to figure out what it meant.

TomMcGiverin comments on Dec 5, 2021:

Doesn't annoy me. I think it's pretty accurate. Reminds me of the movie Planet Of The Apes, where the gorillas were the largest, least civilized, and most violent members of the ape species. They were the warriors, but they had the least wisdom or insight into anything, while the chimps were the most intelligent and civilized. Right now, we have a lot of gorillas who follow Trump and want civil war in the streets. They have already bought their guns and ammo for it. Just as in the movie, the chimps lost power and control of the society to the gorillas, and I not optimistic that we will end up any different.

Atheists are viewed as less desirable romantic partners, study finds

TomMcGiverin comments on Dec 4, 2021:

Tell me about it. In my local dating pool on Match, it makes you undateable in the eyes of about 80% of the women my age, along with not having kids or being less than a moderate drinker.

Why some (most) individuals can't understand many people don't like kids?

TomMcGiverin comments on Dec 4, 2021:

Because they get brainwashed from religion, popular culture and social pressures from family and friends to think they are obligated to breed. To choose not to is like not having religion, it is seen as defective, pathological, anti-social and even unpatriotic.

I never would have guessed so many gentlemen didn' t want kids .

TomMcGiverin comments on Dec 4, 2021:

At least you live in NY, where way more women think like us than do in the Midwest. Here the farmer's daughter mindset is so prevalent that it's hard to find a woman at any age that wants a man who is childfree or not into kids. I got used to it when I was dating as a young man, but am astounded how much it still matters to women even when they are in their sixties and long past having kids or even living with them in almost all cases. Never thought I would still be paying for my decision in the dating game at this age and be mostly undateable, at least in my local dating pool, because of it.

Like many of you, I was an Incel after a brief encounter I feel reinvigorated I find myself flirting...

TomMcGiverin comments on Dec 4, 2021:

Was she attractive looking? Otherwise, it doesn't really count, as far as "having game", as the kids say......

So, I got this excerpt .

TomMcGiverin comments on Dec 4, 2021:

Well, she's not completely nuts. She is very right about the rich and powerful being above the law, and also about all of us peasants losing more civil liberties all the time. But she is so wrong about everything else, including the stuff about the Dems and Biden being "socialist", what a laugh! If only they were, I would be happier. Same thing about her assertion that the Dems are wanting to provide M4ALL, if only. She obviously drinks the Fox News Kool-Aid and is full of shit.

I like country music however this might be my new favorite song. [youtu.be]

TomMcGiverin comments on Dec 4, 2021:

Unlike you, I hate country music, and as far as this song, my feelings are mixed, as I loathe the way some people on the left wield PC like a weapon, to the point of bashing anyone who offends their sensibilities the least bit, no matter how much that person is an advocate of left wing causes and policies, and even if the person is speaking the truth and making a valid point. It gets ridiculous when the PC police put the form of expression as strict dogma, to the point that the message or truth of it from someone is lost or ignored in the fuss over how they expressed it. At the same time, I do support some of what the PC crowd is accomplishing, in that they are making some progress in shaming and confronting hate speech that is being spewed out by the people who are genuine bigots, white supremacists, and fascists, so that their shit is no longer acceptable in civilized circles anymore.

The same old game

TomMcGiverin comments on Dec 4, 2021:

Yup, I used to see that shit all the time, very glad to be retired, so nowadays I am only a disgusted spectator to their fucking games. I see weekly articles of employer propaganda in my local Sun. newspaper, where the business section of the paper has the weekly articles on job seeking tips and advice, which are always totally from the employer's point of view, of course. The employers always play their word games in how they describe the jobs, calling it spin and PR. I call it lying....

These photos reminded me of how fun camping can be. [articles.history101.com]

TomMcGiverin comments on Dec 4, 2021:

Never been into camping. It seems to be very popular among lower class people where I live. I can practically guess, from looking at the educational level of the woman's profile on Match, whether they will be into fishing and camping. If their level is high school, they will always be into that, if their level is a BA or higher, they won't...

Liberty U.

TomMcGiverin comments on Dec 2, 2021:

Creepy beyond belief.... Ought to change the name to Misogyny U.......

First confirmed US case of Omicron coronavirus variant detected in California [cnn.]

TomMcGiverin comments on Dec 2, 2021:

There is a great argument for requiring either being vaxed or a negative Covid test for commercial domestic air travel in the US, but no way Biden will push for it, since his poll numbers are already negative and he is afraid of the pushback from Repubs and the Trumpers over it. I'm not going to travel outside the US or fly domestically until sometime next spring at the earliest, or until the variants are under control. Until then, I would advise all people that dare to travel outside the US or fly domestically, to use an N-95 mask and probably also goggles and a face shield, even if they are fully vaxed and boosted.

WTF Podcast - Jane Fonda

TomMcGiverin comments on Dec 2, 2021:

How is it you are for human rights and equality and are also not a feminist? Seems to be a contradiction.

Jesse Dollemore - Mark Meadows Reveals Trump had COVID FAR EARLIER Than Earlier Reported - LIKELY ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Dec 1, 2021:

No surprise. He's a totally selfish twit, doesn't even care about his peers and underlings.

Marcus Lamb, founder of Christian network Daystar and vaccine opponent, dies after contracting ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Dec 1, 2021:

As my late wife used to say, " ' Riddance......"...

I expected some dumb responses from celebrities and boy, they don’t disappoint.

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 30, 2021:

Note to everybody who has been reacting or commenting in response to my comments here, I blocked this nimrod Heavykevy, so I can't read your reactions or comments. If you want to share with me about it, PM me, since I can't read anything from this thread or the post without unblocking him. Tom

The republican purpose

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 30, 2021:

That was always obvious to me, but most Americans were too dumb to realize the only thing trickling down was the rich pissing on us. Both parties embrace neoliberal economics these days, so that is how it has continued no matter which party held power in DC. Only Bernie Sanders and a few other Dems are not supportive of neoliberal economcs, which promotes privatization of all government services, unregulated markets, free trade with no protections for workers or the environment, and low taxes for the rich and corporations.

My kind of bumper sticker

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 29, 2021:

I can only imagine the vandalism awaiting a vehicle with that sticker in most parts of the country.

He gave us all "the business"

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 29, 2021:

Covid played a part of that, but he also bungled the response to it and even before Covid, the economy was shit for most Americans who were below the top 10% in income or wealth, so yes, he did screw over most Americans economically, but with his tax cuts for the rich and corporations, he did wonders for them.

I expected some dumb responses from celebrities and boy, they don’t disappoint.

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 29, 2021:

You may be a non-believer, but like many on this site, that's all we have in common. It;s clear that you have bought into all the redneck, conservative politics of Mississippi, so I am glad you are where you belong, instead of somewhere civilized or progressive, like the Northeast or the Pacific Northwest. I would rather you live among your kind.

Always hated this

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 29, 2021:

True, but until now, with The Great Resignation, employers held all the cards for decades, so they could get away with playing whatever sick games they wanted to. Now, hopefully that bullshit is over, since labor has greater power and employers are scrambling to fill jobs. But I wouldn't get too used to it. Covid has only temporarily turned the tables, same as how The Black Plague changed things for a while in Europe and ended feudalism. And I bet employers will then go back to all the usual horseshit, including unpaid internships. So glad to be retired and never deal with this shit again. Sometimes, I even dream of applying for jobs falsely and even doing job interviews, just to fuck with the employers and interviewers before standing up at the end of the interview and telling them I am happily retired and had no real interest in their fucking job. It would be poetic justice if I actually went ahead and actually did it, as a way of getting even for all the years they wasted my time with the job hiring process and played games with me. But, no doubt, if I did do so, the word would quickly get around the Des Moines area and I would be put on some kind of informal blacklist or alert list with the Chamber Of Commerce to protect other employers from my ruse. I doubt there would be anything illegal about it, such as committing fraud, as I could always claim that I didn't make up my mind about the job until the end of the interview.

People of character is what gives us hope

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 29, 2021:

If only most artists and entertainers that are rich and famous had that kind of balls and integrity. The only athlete during the 60s that had enough of both of those to put it all on the line for his religious and political beliefs was Muhammad Ali, and because of how he suffered for it, nobody since has been willing to risk it like he did. Certainly Michael Jordan, for one example of a noteable sellout.

Very definitely true I remember

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 28, 2021:

The fashions and hairstyles look about right.

The trials dealing with trumpers and right wing

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 28, 2021:

So true. You cannot reason or argue with the insane, deluded, or willfully ignorant. Your logic and facts bounce off their protective bubble like weapons firing at deflector shields on some sci fi spaceship. They cannot be convinced to accept or concede anything, so it's best to just dismiss them and not engage or just disengage. Their false equivalency between their views and ours, their lies and our facts, is maddening. Conflicts like this are not merely a difference of opinion, they are a disagreement where one side is full of shit and believing in lies, while the other is living in reality, backed by facts and science. There is no equivalency there. However, our corporate mass media does a great job of always presenting a false equivalency between the two.

Shows just how nasty she is

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 27, 2021:

That bitch makes me wish the Jan. 6 rioters had mistaken her for someone else and accidentally worked her over.

Hello everyone, I'm conducting a survey to get the religious/spiritual views of Canadians (but ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 27, 2021:

You poor soul. I can already predict lots of arrogant Americans on here will go ahead and do your survey, even tho you make it clear you want the viewpoints of Canadians. Most Americans have no respect for instructions or rules.

I hear low growling in the kitchen.

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 27, 2021:

Very cute and entertaining kitties.

Expert: We know less than you think about the lives of Buddha, Abraham, Jesus, Muhammed and most ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 26, 2021:

Such a cute kitty... I would rather pray to a cute kitty than a god.....

Should Women Still Change Their Name When They Marry?

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 26, 2021:

What other people do with their name changes is their business. I couldn't care less. When my late wife and I got married, we did what most Unitarian couples do, she kept her last name, which was from her previous marriage, because she already had a career and professional licenses and degrees in that name. I never even thought of her taking my last name, as neither of us had kids, for one reason. What a lot of other couples who are progressive or liberal seem to have done, is to use hyphenated last names, but that seem to have gone out of fashion in the last couple decades. I have heard that the one thing legal authorities frown upon is the man taking the woman's last name, as that is something that lots of male criminals and felons have done in order to cover up their criminal record from employers, creditors, and others who might hold it against them.

Whenever the vegetable peeler comes out, Greta comes running to see the mess of peelings flying all ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 25, 2021:

Kitties love table scraps...

The turkeys were spared this year.

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 25, 2021:

Personally, I try to always root for the higher life form, however, with some Repubs like Trump or most billionaires or CEOs, that involves preferring cockroaches and rats.

Pastor Resigns After Telling Men “the Best Person to Rape is Your Wife” | Hemant Mehta | ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 25, 2021:

Looks like someone pulled a verbal Oopsie..........

Heart that's filled up like a landfilled

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 25, 2021:

Ok, interesting use of grammar...

The bootleg CDs, the rare books department, and other stories of holiday mayhem — Ask a Manager

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 24, 2021:

Glad I never worked in the corporate world and I have been able to avoid most of this organizational holiday bullshit behavior during my working years. When I was working, I mostly treated these holiday work parties as optional and remained sober at every one, always remembering that none of these people were my friends, esp. supervisors and management, and that they would gladly stab me in the back as casually as breathing. Some people are just too stupid or naive to recognize that, and behave accordingly. So glad to be retired and never again deal with any of that bullshit like co-workers and bosses.

Georgia jury convicts three white men of Arbery murder, rejects self-defense.

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 24, 2021:

Glad it worked this time, usually it doesn't. And it only worked, after months of delay, because someone leaked the video taken by one of the three men to a TV station. Until then, the coverup that was being led by the initial prosecutor, who was the county attorney and a friend of one of the men, and was supported also by local law enforcement, the coverup was succeeding in making sure these three redneck murderers were going to get away with it. But the leaked video footage forced the Georgia state Bureau of Investigation to get involved, which led to a fair and impartial investigation which went around the local prosecutor and law enforcement, leading finally to an outside and fair prosecutor to finally take the case and go after the three men. The local officials were all set on covering it up, but the BLM protests and the leaked footage eventually made that impossible.

I still am seeking my lifelong gawdless lover here.

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 24, 2021:

Dude- I can't address why you didn't get your level 8 shirt from this site, but I can say that your approach is certain to fail with the women on here. I too live in Iowa, and I can also tell you that our state is useless as far as being any kind of dating pool on this site, Agnostic.com, as there are almost no active members on here anymore, male or female, that still live in Iowa. So this site may only be useful for guys like us if we are willing to date someone hundreds of miles away, assuming there are even any women from this site still willing to date long distance these days. From these forums, it appears there are few to none willing to do that. I know that I am not willing to put myself thru that. I am putting my hopes into Match and, if you have the money and net access, I suggest you do too, as in using a real dating site with a paid membership.

Giving in to pressure

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 23, 2021:

Always important for the hoomans to know their place in the home pecking order...

I’m starting to understand why people stop watching the news.

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 22, 2021:

Actually, I heard that the guy who mowed into the parade in Wisconsin was fleeing the cops in a high speed chase, after they began firing shots at him, and chased him into the parade route area, which, altho still the fault of the fleeing suspect, was a boneheaded, irresponsible move by the cops to continue the pursuit recklessly with the risk to civilians, since they probably had the car's plate number and could have tracked him down. You can bet your ass that the city and county authorities who decided to continue the pursuit of this guy will get sued and lose big time to the families of the victims of the SUV driver.

MAGA rioter who flew to Washington on a private jet has been sentenced to prison for participating ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 20, 2021:

Might want to remove this duplicate post.

It took this to oust Dejoy

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 20, 2021:

Has this actually happened yet?

Tweedledee and Tweedledum thinking looking cute will get them some table scraps. 🌭

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 19, 2021:

Who says they're wrong about getting scraps to eat for looking cute?

WHAT did I just walk in on? 😂

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 19, 2021:

A pair of consenting felines?

Latest troll umbrella guard unfriended me because I'm brainwashed he never carried a M-16

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 18, 2021:

He is a troll and an ass. At this point, I would consider it an honor to be blocked by him.

It’s Not Just White People: Democrats Are Losing Normal Voters of All Races

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 18, 2021:

Both major parties are owned and funded by the same people and corporations, so no wonder that on all the issues those people care about, they get everything they want. The only things those parties give us peasants, are phony culture war issues like abortion, guns, gays, God, and other identity politics stuff. In other words, the things the funders don't care about and that cost them nothing.

It’s Not Just White People: Democrats Are Losing Normal Voters of All Races

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 18, 2021:

As a socialist in the US, who uses my real label, rather than the coy term progressive, I really have no representation in either major party. The party that really represents me is the Green Party, and they actually represent the views of tens of millions of Americans, but since they have no apparent chance of winning federal elections, nobody votes for them, thus we stay trapped in this prison of a two party duopoly where neither major party has to be responsive to the real needs and demands of the masses. And in that I am not talking about phony wedge issues like gays, abortion, guns, etc., which most Americans care way less about than taxes, the economy, heath care, inequality, endless wars, climate change, etc., all the issues where the major parties work hand in hand.

I had found this a few years ago and had sent it to my brother.

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 17, 2021:

Sounds a lot like Hannibal Lecter.

Oliver had a follow-up visit at the vet today followed by a trip to PETCO for his prescription food.

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 17, 2021:

He has a bit of the grumpy cat face. So cute...

I got stood up by a guy from a dating site.

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 17, 2021:

I feel bad for you, but, as others below have said, boorish behavior, by both sexes, is becoming common with dating sites. I almost felt like giving up when, during a six month period before Covid, I got stood up by four different women. In each case, there was nothing to excuse or tip me off that these no shows were going to happen. Some people just have no shame or feelings for how they treat others. The best suggestion, besides writing them off, might be to report them to the dating site for their behavior, but my guess is that the sites won't do anything, one, because the behavior is so common these days that it's considered minor, and two, because it is a he said she said situation in which they don't want to get involved in judging and punishing anyone by terminating their membership. To get the latter done to someone, it would have to be either severe behavior, such as sexual assault, where the cops became involved, or threatening someone thru the site, where evidence would be right there for them to act on with the messaging between parties.

Pik mee uup pweez.

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 16, 2021:

Such cute colorings.

US announces big hike in Medicare premiums The federal government announced a large hike in ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 16, 2021:

It figures. I knew that, besides inflation, that my 5.9% increase next year in Soc. Sec. benefits would get eaten up some way quickly. Since I am not old enough yet for Medicare, it will get taken by inflation for now, but in two years, it will be eaten up already by the Medicare hike, even before inflation.

Trae Crowder - Liberal Redneck - Rittenhouse Trial [youtube.com]

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 16, 2021:

I would love to see the loved ones of the two men he murdered track him, find him, and get some street justice against him, since it's never going to happen thru the judicial system.

What's caused America's supply chain crunch? - YouTube

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 15, 2021:

That's what we get for the corporate rulers sending all our manufacturing to China. Not only does it cause this, but it threatens our national security by depriving us of being able to get the parts we need for our infrastructure, medical system, and military. But those rulers couldn't care less about patriotism or our national security, all they care about is greed and max profits...

Here, the surge never ended. In rural California, hospitals are pushed to the brink

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 15, 2021:

Bredefield has the freedom to get infected and die, if he chooses to. Personally, I hope he uses it that way, as long as he doesn't take any innocents with him. Sounds like a real asshole and a typical Trumper.

People that spread misinformation on here or online and public figures/ or the general public about ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 13, 2021:

Don't worry, we are all far from perfect, hang around here long enough, and you will be convinced we are far from vastly superior to all believers. We may or may not be smarter, but we are definitely better at critical thinking and have greater moral courage than most believers. In other words, we are more comfortable and open about being ourselves, even if we are outnumbered, than most believers, who tend to freak out if they are outnumbered or confronted about being out of the mainstream.

What do you think of these? [sadanduseless.com]

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 13, 2021:

I think that look is an easy and obvious way to signal to others, esp. women, that you are a male doofus....

10 RULES TO AVOID THE DISCOMFORT OF CRITICAL THINKING BY TOM GUTOWSKI NORTHEN EXPRESS OCT.

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 13, 2021:

Seems to fit the thinking of idiots I have seen from both the left and the right. Confuse not the minds of the ignorant, they will only hate you for it.

I've never been a Taylor Swift fan but this new video I happened upon certainly evokes the accurate ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 13, 2021:

I have seldom had that happen to me, tho I have been dumped plenty of times when I was young. My first real dating experience of length was one where I did feel totally played and abandoned from someone I trusted and thought was solid, but I was very young and naive. It was a very formative experience that I never forgot and vowed to never let happen again, at least as far as being used as a meal ticket....

I can't make this stuff up.

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 13, 2021:

Go ahead and take your shot with him, if you want your house cleaned by a submissive house boy with lots of issues......

Did my intern frame my coworker for credit card theft? — Ask a Manager

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 13, 2021:

I still remember how, when I was a grad student working at a low wage work study job in the law school library, how one winter day somebody, never found out who, stole my sweater from the coat closet. I still remember how stunned I was to find it gone when I got ready to leave that day. My guess is that it was a fellow student employee, since only staff used the closet. Maybe it was a FT staff member. At least I lost nothing else as it wasn't a jacket or coat with pockets. I have always been too careful to ever leave keys, a phone or anything valuable in a coat or jacket pocket when I hung those up in a public closet, or even leaving my seat at a bar or restaurant.

Steve Bannon indicted by federal grand jury for contempt of Congress

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 12, 2021:

But Garland and those pussie Dems will never end up sending him to jail for contempt or get him to testify.

Bertrand Russell's Ten Commandments for Living in a Healthy Democracy | Open Culture

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 11, 2021:

It's also grating to me that most Americans are too ignorant to understand the difference between liberal politics, such as being for equal rights for all, legal abortion, etc. and neoliberalism, which is an economic policy that both major parties in the US embrace. Neoliberal economic policy is never honestly discussed, and almost never even mentioned, in the corporate mass media of the US, because it only favors multinational corporations and the rich, never workers or the average peasant here. But if you ask most Americans, they will confuse the two terms and assume, wrongly, that most people like me who advocate liberal social policies, also support neoliberal economics, and, at least for me, nothing could be further from the truth.

This is what we got

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 10, 2021:

I agree with the gist of that, but unfortunately, when the next elections happen in a years, most voters will only be thinking about how high inflation is and how their personal economics did not improve significantly, and that they did not personally get any promised benefits like child tax credits, lower drug prices, Medicare expansion, etc. , and they will rightly blame the Dems, including Biden.

Has everyone been unable to post anything for the past 13 or 14 hours?

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 10, 2021:

So the site is now officially a ghost ship?

That's why we have a problem today

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 8, 2021:

Calvinism is so strong in the US, as is worship of the rich and support for greed and hyper individualism, so most Americans will never, if even after becoming poor themselves thru no fault of their own, accept that most workers are not lazy and that hard work is seldom rewarded by itself in the capitalist system. They will keep believing the myths, either because it comforts them to feel their hard work will eventually be rewarded with a better standard of living, or, if not that, simply makes them feel better by feeling morally superior to other workers, who they assume are lazy or less hard-working than them. But those beliefs are simply illusions or delusions, as they function like the opiate of the masses, as Marx said, which is religion. A comfort that pacifies them enough to not revolt against the system and the ruling class.

Amazing talent....ready for the stage, I'm sure. [youtu.be]

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 8, 2021:

At least the cat knows how to harmlessly amuse itself.

That's why we have a problem today

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 8, 2021:

Because inflation continues to eat up worker's wages, while wages have remained stagnant for most since the early 1970s. Meanwhile, productivity has gone way up. Where did all the increased profit and wealth from that go? Not to the workers, but up the chain to the top 1%. They got enormously richer while everybody else got left behind, and that's how and why they now own as much as the bottom half or more of Americans.

A great man

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 7, 2021:

I used to think so, but nowadays I am only impressed by the policies he promotes, which are good. He missed his chances to leave the Dems behind and use his popularity and fame to start a third party that was not already owned by the rich and corporations. The Dem Party is corrupt beyond any point of reform or redemption and has been for a couple decades now. And because of that, whether it was his original intention, as some say it was, or not, he has ended up just functioning as a sheepdog to keep progressives voting within the Dem Party instead of supporting third party candidates like Green Party candidates. And the Dem leaders in congress continue to kill progressive ideas on anything that affects the rich or corporations, which is why the progressives in congress did not trust the party to keep their word on voting for the BBB act as part of the deal for the progressives supporting the infrastructure bill. They already got cheated long ago by Pelosi in not brining up M4all for a vote in the House even after they had the majority to pass it. And BTW, Bob, Biden is one of those players on the Dem team that has been paid off to lose the game. That's why he told the donors long ago in the private meeting during the Dem primary season, "Nothing will fundamentally change"... When someone tells you who they are and what to expect from them the first time, believe them.....

Man imprisoned 45 years for wife's killing is acquitted (America's 2nd longest serving innocent ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 6, 2021:

I would be frightened to discover how many innocent people have been convicted of violent crimes due to either bad eyewitness identification or else false alibis provided for other, actually guilty, suspects, such as when friends or domestic partners or spouses lie for their guilty partners.

I am signed up a for a a couple of Meetups, and, as usual, 80 to 90 % of the attendees will be ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 6, 2021:

It's funny, Sharon, that you live in the Midwest, same as me, and yet your Meetup groups are dominated by women, totally the opposite of Des Moines.

I am signed up a for a a couple of Meetups, and, as usual, 80 to 90 % of the attendees will be ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 6, 2021:

I'll tell you why, because, at least in my local experience with Meetup groups, it was a waste of time as far as meeting any women my age to date. First off, almost all the people there were way younger than me in most of the groups. Secondly, it was a lot of overlap and duplication as far as my local dating pool, as almost all the women at those groups were already on Match, so why bother meeting them in person at the Meetup group so I could get shot down or rejected in person when I already had the opportunity to meet them thru the dating site? Now I know that some people will react to that, such as Julie, by saying, "Why not take advantage of the chance to meet them in person at the Meetup group, where they feel more comfortable, etc. instead of thru the dating site?", Well, that all sounds fine and dandy if you are the woman who is insecure or not as comfortable with meeting men thru a dating site, but how about if you are a man, who always has to make the first move here in the traditional MIdwest, and have already had enough of getting rejected in person? That is a whole other reality, and I would prefer my rejection to be more impersonal and less public, if it's going to happen, than in front of a group. I wish more women would think about that aspect before automatically and selfishly assuming that the man should kowtow to their comfort and convenience of them meeting men thru the group in person setting vs, the dating site. Finally, the other thing I observed about Meetup.com groups here, is that all of them usually had way more people register for them than would actually show up for any events or meetings of the group, which was consistent with how many of the members were young people. In other words, the groups were just an option for them socially, but few of the members actually had any commitment or loyalty to these groups, they would just show up if they had nothing better to do on the date of the event, and their attendace was never consistent, so if you wanted to meet someone, you would have to keep showing up every time to hope you were there when they finally attended it. Too much disappointment and work for little payoff, for the birds...As far as most attendees being female, dream on, most of the groups were more like sausage fests... After Covid pretty much killed Meetup groups in my area, it actually felt like more of a relief.

Ain’t nothing like a magnum

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 5, 2021:

You have a naughty sense of humor. Good job on this one and the cartoon about breasts..

Sad but true

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 5, 2021:

I would guess it depends on who she is seeking attention from, if it's women, the new hair will probably get enough attention, if it's men, then she will probably have to feature her breasts, assuming they are impressive in the first place... Also important to remember the basic collorary of human behavior, which is you can't please everyone....

I was shopping today and the place was filled with xmas stuff, I prefer my commercial holidays with ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 3, 2021:

The Grinch is my idol..

My baff tym....

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 3, 2021:

Silly hooman thinking the sink is for them..

Something external to fuel the imagination

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 3, 2021:

That is me to a T. I love reacting to stupidity with sarcasm, such as the idiot I ran into last night wearing his bullying NRA t-shirt at karaoke. The shirt said he was an NRA member who had his issued gun permit. Of course, he also had his stupid black cowboy hat to complete his asshole macho costume. I guess he wants to look like a badass to intimidate people. I laughed at him to his face and made a sarcastic wisecrack about what a pity it is that the bars, and all other bars, don't allow weapons inside, so he has to leave his cherished handgun in his car. I already hated the guy for a long time now, for his stupid outfits and his equally retarded country songs that he always sings, so it was fun to poke the bear and fuck with him verbally a little. And it's not like he doesn't ask for it. When I am sitting alone at karaoke, he likes to come up to me and try to bully me into shaking his hand or acting fake friendly to me, for the benefit of onlookers, so he can look nice and paint me as the anti-social asshole. What I do in those cases is tell him to stay the fuck out of my face, as we both know we hate each other, and that if he speaks to me again, I will tell the bar staff he is harassing me when I just want to be left alone.

Newsflash! Jesus has resurrected a second time! I know this because yesterday, I saw a huge ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 2, 2021:

I knew there was something to that nagging feeling that I missed noticing something, SNARK! I wonder if he has to hole up in a tomb between shows?

Is there somebody for everybody or does everybody settle for somebody

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 2, 2021:

It appears, both from comments posted by women on here, as well as discussions I've had with women on Match, that women are less inclined than men to just settle for somebody, as many of them are content to just go it alone the rest of their lives. Few men are willing to do that.

Food Kills ---- Vice TV Ok, I'm going to toss the proverbial ball of correlation down the hill ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 1, 2021:

Actually the way they structure things is to bleed us dry as consumers and as medical patients first, with the copays and medical premiums, and after becoming broke, we then die as by then we no longer serve any use for them as profit generators.

Dedicated to all you howlers out there celebrating such a cool day. [youtu.be]

TomMcGiverin comments on Nov 1, 2021:

Because of Halloween, I sang that song at karaoke on Fri. night and last night of last week.

Hello everyone newbie here

TomMcGiverin comments on Oct 31, 2021:

Good luck. This site usually offers little, for most members, in the way of local dating options.

NERVES OF STEEL!! Drinking coffee.

TomMcGiverin comments on Oct 31, 2021:

Scammer.

The Five Universal Laws of Human Stupidity

TomMcGiverin comments on Oct 31, 2021:

America is clearly in decline, and the stupid are running us off the cliff with their actions. I was hoping that Covid might thin their ranks in a Darwinian fashion and save us, but I don't think so. The other problem is that the stupid keep voting for bandits, who are corrupt and greedy, so that is also killing us. Ineffectual people are also frustrating and annoying, at least to me, as they consistently refuse or unable to take any action in their lives. They are cowardly and also incompetent at taking action in their lives. And because of that, my patience is very limited when it comes to their bitching about things in their lives.

Now posing for his first encounter from behind

TomMcGiverin comments on Oct 30, 2021:

I can only hope, but I doubt he will get sent to a real, as they say in Office Space, "Pound me in the ass, prison"......

A lot of silent M's in the world these days. :/

TomMcGiverin comments on Oct 30, 2021:

I have been a non-conformist, who seldom follows the herd or mainstream, for about all of my adult life, once I developed the confidence and strength to trust my own judgement, over assuming the majority is always right or better than the minority, as most people unfortunately do. I hate the idea of being part of the sheeple. But I am also aware of the costs of that and the price I have paid for being a non-conformist, esp. in the dating game. It appears that few true non-conformists show up on paid dating sites, partly because there are so few of them in the general pop of singles, but probably mostly because they hate the idea of stooping to using a dating site like the herd, and they also know, like me, that they are a tiny minority and face a very uphill battle finding a compatible partner on a mainstream paid dating site. So I think that in most cases, they simply give up before they even start and resolve to just go it alone indefinitely, while the male non-conformists, like me, are much likely to grit their teeth and suffer the process, rather than resign themselves to permanently or indefinitely being alone.

And greed at it’s worst.

TomMcGiverin comments on Oct 30, 2021:

Believe me, it's the true bipartisan area of support, besides support of Israel and the military budget. Both parties love tax cuts for the rich and corporations, along with corporate welfare, as the Dem votes are always there for those, no matter how much they squabble or fight with the Repubs on other issues, esp. phony bullshit culture war stuff like God, gays, guns, abortion, etc. But when it comes to issues that matter to the rich and corporations, the two parties are the same and the so-called differences are all show. Only the rubes believe it and fall for it every time.

Unbelieveable but it figures

TomMcGiverin comments on Oct 30, 2021:

A white pol using a black woman to scare white voters to vote for him in a Southern state. Who would have thought these things happen?

I had hoped this would be a place to find a female partner, but all the profiles I look at, their ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Oct 29, 2021:

Same situation here. In my local area, or even my whole state, almost all of the women joined some time ago, back when Agnostic's founder was frequently advertising the site on FB, but it seems all those women took a quick look at the site, saw there were no local men to date, at least none they wanted to date, so they soon left, rather than, like me, sticking around to check out the community and make some online friends. These women from my state who used to join here, appear to have only been interested in dating, and, failing that, found no other use for the site. I still hang around here, but it seems tons of people from the first two years I was on here have left for good or rarely, if ever visit the site these days. And now, since the site is no longer advertised on FB, probably only by word of mouth, few new people join. So, like me, your only hope for finding a partner from the women still active on here, is if you are willing to date LD and travel hundreds of miles to meet and see each other. There are maybe some exceptions, in a few geo areas with large cities, where local dating from this site might still be an option. But it sure as hell isn't in most states of the US. Visited your profile and checked the nearby members from your area. It appears only one woman in your age group is still active on the site within the last few months. Rotsa ruck...

Sorting through some boxes of books in preparation for a move.

TomMcGiverin comments on Oct 28, 2021:

Sounds good to me. I would love to see the heads of the oligarchy chopped off...

You Pay A Wealth Tax - Billionaires are different "Most Americans pay an annual wealth tax on ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Oct 28, 2021:

Leona Helmsley, the Queen Of Mean, already said it long ago. "Only the little people pay taxes". We should have brought back the gullotine long ago for her and her kind... They used to pay their fairer share, now they don't. The reason why is that long ago, pols in DC were not as bribed, so they actually had to be responsive to the people, in both major parties, now they don't. They just pretend to be right before fed elections, then go back to openly serving their masters among corporations and the rich.

Time to stop this

TomMcGiverin comments on Oct 28, 2021:

Of course it has, since it has always had the cops, the guns, and the government on its side.

Decided to use my financial advisers face on my Visa card

TomMcGiverin comments on Oct 27, 2021:

They do dictate the money spent on cat food and pet products, at the very least. If they had their way, they would be in your will as heirs....

Kids say the darnedest things. Don’t they? 🤣🤣

TomMcGiverin comments on Oct 26, 2021:

So sweet.... As they used to say on The Sopranos, " Do you blow your father with that mouth?", lol.....

Just curious what people are feeling about dating apps.

TomMcGiverin comments on Oct 25, 2021:

That is a hard ? to answer, because so much depends on what other options or resources an individual person has for meeting compatible singles to date. Another variable is how important said search is to the person's life, as in, do they have lots of friends, family, children or grandchildren that fill their life and meet most of their emotional and social needs? If so, then finding a dating partner is probably not going to be that big a focus or priority in their life, and thus, they are not that concerned if dating apps work well for them or not. Lastly, how marketable or how much a person brings to the dating market, as in looks, money, social status, etc., as in things that make them more desireable and attractive as dating partners compared to their competition in the local dating pool on dating apps. (and mind you, don't let anyone tell you that online dating is NOT a competitive process, in which it is very important how well you stack up in those commonly desired traits, as well as traits that are valued in a particular local dating market, such as having mainstream traits in culture and lifestyle as well). So my last point is that the individual person's experience with a dating app can differ greatly from someone else in the same local dating pool on the same app, simply because one person is better looking, etc. or is more in line with the local mainstream culture and lifestyle, and therefore seen as more compatible by most of the opposite sex inside that local dating pool. My experience with online dating is that I am very incompatible, at least as far as 97% of the local women in my dating pool on my app see it, and there is nothing I can do about it, since I don't fit the local mainstream culture and lifestyle, which is very important to these women for compatibility in their mind. But at my age, and present circumstances, like racocn8 said below, what other options are there, since church, jobs, friends who know other singles my age, school, etc., are not part of my life anymore? And yes, any sane, honest, sensitive person, such as me, does from time to time get burned out and depressed, as well as angry, from all the constant rejection, disappointment, and general crap, such as lying and game-playing, that are staples of the online dating experience, except for maybe the lucky elite, who are much better looking and thus more desireable than the rest of us.

I think she's right.

TomMcGiverin comments on Oct 25, 2021:

Looks like Scooter blocked me, no idea why. Anybody else know?

EXCLUSIVE: Jan.

TomMcGiverin comments on Oct 25, 2021:

No fucking shit. Anybody who had been following the Trumpers and right wing groups leading up to the insurrection, and then saw how the authorities in charge seemed to allow it all to happen unmolested, unlike the unknowing victims of the rioters who were capital police that didn't know they were supposed to just let it happen, knows that people in command as well as in the Trump admin. and congressional Repubs, were in on the conspiracy... I am glad these insiders are ratting out the Trump admin. conspirators, as well as the Repub congressional conspirators, even if their motive for cooperating is self interest, it doesn't change the truth. That's how plea bargains have worked since the beginning of criminal justice.

That's a rock star

TomMcGiverin comments on Oct 25, 2021:

Unfortunately, few people choose to "identify downward" as Jesus or empathetic folks do. Instead, they tend to either vote out of narrow self interest or, esp. recently, out of resentment or grievance, against those who are different, such as Mexican laborers, Muslims, or other groups different than them who they feel are threatening their white privilege or identity. These are problems of human nature that we are unlikely to be able to change or fix. These people who vote out of resentment or grievance are usually voting against their own self interest and cutting off their nose to spite their face, so to speak, but they really don't care, as long as they are, in their minds, sticking it to those they hate..

How does it happen?

TomMcGiverin comments on Oct 25, 2021:

In my experience, some people who were atheists turn to religion later in their lives after they have some crisis that scares them about being without a god to look after or help them. But in most cases, it has been after they get old or get sick with a terminal or life-threatening illness, so they seek religion to offer them hope of being cured or at least having something beyond this life waiting for them after they die. I don't judge them for their caving in to their fears or weakness, I actually pity them when this happens, and hope I prove to be stronger when I eventually become tested the same way.