The fatal consequences of believing misinformation on the Internet: [bbc.com] Covid19

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 24, 2020:

Darwinist thinning of the herd. We already have too many stupid people, we're better off as a society without them.

What creeps out women?

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 24, 2020:

"I'm asking for a friend"...Sure you are, I always get a good laugh out of that one....I'm curious to see the answers.

Is monogamy a biblical idea?

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 24, 2020:

Who cares? I may not be interested in poly or open relationships, but as long it involves consenting adults and is not an institution of oppression, I don't give a rat's ass what arrangements people get involved in.

What We Need To Curb Violence In The U.S. (And It Isn’t More Prisons And Policing)

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 24, 2020:

We need gun control without all the loopholes in order to stop the mass shootings. To reduce crime, we need more anti-poverty programs like RoboGraham suggested. They are two separate problems.

How many more years...?

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 24, 2020:

Even if religion goes away, the ruling class will always have other things to divide the lower classes on, such as race, nationalism, guns, etc. They only need a few issues to make that work as long as critical thinking is rare and the mass media is controlled by and supportive of the ruling class. If the gullible and weak don't have religion around to tell them what to think and what to do, they will gladly take on whatever a demagouge or the mass media tell them to believe or do. Few people have the strength and guts to think for themselves.

Falwell: I Had Depression Because My Wife Had an Affair With the Pool Boy | Hemant Mehta | Friendly ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 24, 2020:

You can always count on celeb evangelicals to provide low comedy. They are a cultural bookend to country song lyrics as they share a lot of the same yokel audience.

Renfield being a good boy... momentarily.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 24, 2020:

Hey Deb, nice to see you again. Good job naming him Renfield, assume that is inspired by Bram Stoker's Dracula and your cat being a stalker of mice. He looks big and fluffy..

Once again as this election comes around, the Middle class unaffected cry out that they are ignored ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 24, 2020:

The problem is many people are just gullible. Some of them got a college education, some didn't, but they all failed to develop critical thinking skills, so they just swallow whatever corporate media news and political channels they watch, whether it's Fox or MSNBC. So they buy the propaganda of whichever major party they choose to back, never realizing how corrupt and similar the two parties are.

Morris relaxing while watching pigeons on my neighbor's roof.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 23, 2020:

Cats love the bird channel..almost as good as fish..

Why The "Squad" was shut out of the convention: [theguardian.com]

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 23, 2020:

That's why we should tell the DNC to fuck off by refusing to vote for their corrupt candidates and instead support any progressive party that can be built by 2024.

Watch These Non-Religious Lawmakers Talk About Being Atheists in Public Office | Hemant Mehta | ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 23, 2020:

It's pathetic that so few pols can afford to come out of the closet and publicly admit they are non-religious. I know in my bones that there are probably many more out there that remain in the closet, including Bernie Sanders, who clearly seems atheist or agnostic, but is a secular Jew. Too many bigoted voters out there in most states, like mine, so it won't change anytime soon.

Makes way too much sense... meaning Dems will just continue to vote shame.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 23, 2020:

Centrist Dems can never be shamed into doing the right thing because money talks way more than public opinion.

Some folks simply do not understand this concept.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 23, 2020:

No surprise here. Plus, this turd O'Donnell now gets to keep on shitting on the left from his perch as a pundit on MSNBC with his own show five nights a week. Should lay to rest any doubts, besides the network's blackout and bashing of Bernie this time around, that the network is as bad as Fox, only they back the DNC rather than the Repub Party.

Yeah... what if?!?

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 23, 2020:

How dare they think of putting anything ahead of profit?

Iris using my nephew's laptop

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 23, 2020:

Kitty wants some rubs before the human is allowed to use the laptop.

I started talking to someone in February.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 22, 2020:

His canceling behavior is bullshit. Time to throw this fish back and keep casting to find someone that's ready to date like a grownup. No offense, but I can't believe how many second chances that some guys seem to get from women I've seen post here on Agnostic. I just must not have the looks to get that kind of consideration or maybe it's some other area I come up short against the competition I encountered on Match. In my experience, you get no second chances if you say one wrong thing in an online message, cancel an in person meeting, etc., at least with the women in central Iowa that date online. My guess is that this guy is an 8 or so with a full head of hair while I am at best a 6. And before anyone says it, I am not this brutally honest while beginning to get to know a woman, so there...

The poet Charles Bukowski had a great quote on those in charge.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 22, 2020:

Ralph Nader had a similarly wise observation. "If you ever wonder how much oppression the ruling class will impose on their lesser classes, it will be exactly equal to how much the lower classes will accept without revolting. It has always been that way and will always be". And yet most Americans instead envy and admire the ruling class instead of hating them and being disgusted by them, which is why we get what we get, for one reason. Too many wannabees, as in wannabe rich.

Asteroid Headed Toward Earth a Day Before the November Elections In case you haven’t had ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 22, 2020:

It must be a sign. We are officially doomed and Trump is going to win, unless we are all wiped out before the results are counted.

10 Reasons we Need the Puke Emoji Back 10 Trump Supporters 9 Nancy Pelosi/MitchMcConnell 8...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 22, 2020:

We already have the angry emoji, that's probably enough as it makes the same point.

If only we could make this happen sooner vs later.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 22, 2020:

You lessen social problems by providing people with hope, confidence, and security, so that they do not need to prey on others in order to survive, nor turn to chemicals to cope with the stress, worry and fear about whether or how they can survive. When people are living in desperation and constant survival mode, they are forced to make choices that people with secure lives would not likely make because they have that luxury and are able to see things from a long term perspective. The most obvious examples of this are poor people being more likely to smoke and have more children than people with more money and security in their life. Poor people have few other pleasures and easy ways to relieve stress, so they smoke. They have little perspective beyond the short term, so having kids seems natural and not something that would be a liability or long term cost to them. Besides, sex is also one of the few low cost pleasures in life. I am not being classist here, because if I was poor I would likely not be any different. Research studies have even simulated the effect of poverty on decision-making, so I am not just making judgements. As Michael Moore said long ago, if you live in a place where everybody is able to have a lower middle class income (40K back then), you are much less likely to see somebody ripping off their neighbor's home to get their TV, cash, jewelry, etc. Would that end all crime? Of course not, because there will always be greedy people, which we already have plenty of in the top income groups, but we will have a hell of a lot less street crime. Most people have a desire to work because it gives them a feeling of pride and purpose. A small minority don't, but the cost of providing for all would be worth it, at least to me, if the costs were progressively taxed. But right now our tax system is anything but progressive...that's a whole other discussion.

My boys out exploring.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 22, 2020:

Not only the chickens, but I have learned that hawks and eagles have been known to attack cats in yards.

Some people poo-poo "conspiracy theories" out of hand, they hear the term, and immediately assume ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 22, 2020:

I agree that many people are too quick to dismiss conspiracy theories out of hand. I have read a lot about both the JFK assassination and 9-11 and still believe there were conspiracies around each event. People can easily dispute exactly who was involved and who knew what, but there's plenty of reasons to believe that the people who benefited from each event were not only capable of such treachery, but had plenty of loyal people who would keep their secrets. In a non-political vein, how can people say that conspiracies are too tough to keep secret when, for example, we have never gotten a real answer to what happened with Jimmy Hoffa? We all know he was murdered, but that shows how easy is is to keep a conspiracy secret for several decades if you have loyalty like the Mafia has. One other thing that makes it easy for me to believe in conspiracies when it comes to the assassination of pols who are on the left, like JFK, his brother, MLK, Malcom X, and even Paul Wellstone, is that, unlike assassination attempts on conservative pols (who are on the side of great wealth and power), is that they always have help for the patsy who may get conveniently caught by the authorities, including a backup assassin or two. That is why they always succeed, because the hit involves professionals while hits on conservative pols really are done by lone wolf nutjobs and rarely succeed.

it just don't seem to matter when we post our political opinions much.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 22, 2020:

Nothing is in the bag for Biden as the polls were wrong four years ago in predicting a Clinton win and the virus makes this election even more unpredictable as we just don't know what voter behavior will be with Covid and what will happen with all the mailed ballots.

Sen.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 22, 2020:

Shows that she's a typical "Let them eat cake" Repub who is totally out of touch with the working class as well as not giving a fuck about anyone who is low income.

The latest ad from the Trump Administration is surprisingly honest. [youtube.com]

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 22, 2020:

If only either party were this honest about their policies. The Dems are barely any better than them policy-wise, but at least they use some lubricant most of the time while the Repubs just fuck you in the ass dryly after pretty much telling you straight up that they are going to do so, thru trickle-down economics and lowering taxes to "reward success" and "increase your freedoms".

How to vote by mail without the Postal Service: Yahoo News Explains

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 22, 2020:

That's what I'll be doing, using the drop box outside the building with my county auditor's office in it.

Just think about it.....

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 22, 2020:

I sort of see heaven the same way as Homer did on The Simpsons. If it was full of people like Ned Flanders, I'd probably prefer no afterlife, because that sort of afterlife would be too hellish for me. The wickedly funny twist to that episode is that Flanders turned out to be the devil in disguise, at least to Homer as he imagined the afterlife.

Does anyone really care that there is no afterlife?

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 22, 2020:

Some people I have known I would like to see again, some I wouldn't. It doesn't matter because I believe when we die it's over and that's it, except for the memories that we carry of those that have died. And unless those memories are passed on from us to others that live on after we die, we generally cease to be part of the living experience of humanity. There are, of course, exceptions, like buildings and records, books, etc. that inform people about us after we have died, but that is not the same as having living people that have known you or heard about you personally from people that knew you in life. I still dream about my late wife who had dementia, as well as my dead mother, who also had dementia and was crippled from a stroke the last few years of her life. In my dreams, both of them are without their illnesses, and I find that comforting, even if it's probably self-editing on the part of my subconscious. I am weary enough of how this life, on the societal and world level, seems to just keep getting worse, so I kind of like the idea of eternal rest, so to speak, rather than an afterlife, even if there was one. I fear what the future is going to be like in this life, at least at the societal and world level. It sure seems to keep getting worse for the most part since the mid-70s, despite advances in tech and increased tolerance and acceptance of diversity for those who are not traditional or mainstream. The main reasons life is getting worse for most people who are not wealthy is the increasing amount of forced change which is being brought down on them by corporations and their technology as well as trade treaties that keep ratcheting down the standard of living for most people. The mass media also contributes as it continues to preach consumerism, greed, individualism and celebrity over any humanist values like solidarity, empathy, peacemaking, historical perspective, etc. All the emphasis is on the now and the short term future. Human beings have no intrinsic or societal value except as consumers or obedient taxpayers to support the war machine, American empire, and the profit of corporations. A relatively limited number of Americans also have value as cannon fodder for our wars for empire. Lastly, our planet is dying from climate change and the destruction of our natural environment thru deforesting, fracking, and oil drilling.

Being a responsible adult.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 21, 2020:

I give you props for being responsible and careful to protect yourself. As far as finding one person to be with long term, good luck with that. Seems like we all struggle with that one.

Our platform - The People's Party

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 21, 2020:

I agree with all their platform policies. This idea should proceed forward, because it's clear the Dem Party will never promote or enact any of these policies. We need to unify all the tiny parties that are left of center in the US into one party, hopefully this is it.

It's ironic that this happens at the same time as the recent controversy with the site over some ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 20, 2020:

I'll let you know if anyone in my conservative Christian, Republican dominated town sees the shirt and remarks about it.

Over Half of Unemployed Older Workers at Risk of Involuntary Retirement So far, the Covid-19 ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 20, 2020:

They won't be exploiting them that long. As Yang said in his book, driverless trucks will eliminate most of the jobs in ten years or less. I know exactly what you mean. I used to work and live in a university town where anybody over 50 could never get a decent medium or so-called low skill job, because the uni supplied a constant stream of young, exploitable college kids who would work for peanuts and then be graduated and gone before they ever asked for or qualified for a raise. Plus, they didn't need or demand benefits and even if the employer provided benefits, they cost much less to insure for medical. I left town with my wife because after I lost my last good-paying benefitted job ( My back wore out and I wasn't going to stay in it and cripple myself or get back surgery, plus I couldn't transfer to another job with that employer) there, I was soon going to be unemployable at my age. So I moved away down the road to a larger city, but even there I had no opportunity as I had no contacts to help me get in anywhere. I decided I was too damn old to start over, so I cashed in on my long experience with driving jobs and got a CDL so I could drive a school bus, which is what I did for my last six years before retiring (after I qualified for SS Survivor's Benefits as a widower and inherited some money). But man, was that gig ever about exploitation. Most of the drivers were retirement age, some were young adults. But none of us got benefits except UE each summer we could collect. No paid time off except a few holidays. Seemed like everybody there that was not retirement age was there because they couldn't get anything with benefits and then as soon as they got a job with benefits, they were out the door. The ones who were retirement age either worked there just for kicks or else because they needed the extra money badly as their SS was low or they were supporting a spouse who was retired.

My name is Layla.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 20, 2020:

I wish you the best and am sorry for your loss. You should be able to make some online friends here. As far as finding someone to date, you appear to live in the Bible Belt, so it will be a challenge, but on the other hand you have more looks going for you than the average person here on Agnostic, so you may have a chance. Don't know if you want to lead with that info about your chronic pain, but I give you props for being honest and open.

OMG, this arrogant, privileged woman verbally assaults this man proclaiming proudly that it is ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 20, 2020:

I hate Karen types, even tho they come in both genders. Glad she got arrested for assault. It rarely happens even tho it should.

Nancy Pelosi, republican lite, has endorsed Kennedy over Markey.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 20, 2020:

No surprise there. I hate Pelosi for the out of touch, sellout collaborators with the GOP that she, Schumer, and Stoyer have all been for some time now.

Political Humor [youtu.be]

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 20, 2020:

I hate them all, Biden, Trump, her, and Pence. None of them are good for us.

Make Orwell Fiction Again

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 20, 2020:

I'm afraid it's too late, at least here in the US.

When Andrew Yang, an American entrepreneur and a Presidential hopeful suggested a Universal Basic ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 20, 2020:

People would still need to work, because it's damn near impossible for even one person to live on just that amount. Also, back in the mid-60s when this was first being discussed, the promoters of UBI were proposing an even higher amount, around 2000 a month. And imagine how much more that would be today with inflation?

"This is pretty fvcked up right here." Stan Marsh

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 20, 2020:

That's because the DNC doesn't care about winning, just about defeating progressives within the party.

Don't forget if you don't sin Jesus died for nothing.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 19, 2020:

"Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine" - Patti Smith

He sees his owner’s video who died a year ago.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 19, 2020:

Altho most cats have a reputation of being indifferent to their owners, I have known a few that were very attached and comfortingly affectionate to their owners, even seeming to sense when their owners were hurting.

Some of them even have difficulty with simple counting.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 19, 2020:

We are living the movie Idiocracy..

Green Party and other third-party candidates may be electable to some state and local offices.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 18, 2020:

"On the highway to hell"- AC/DC. Voting for either major party this time is the bus to hell... Get bent, Safa...

I sent a "Hello" to numerous gals at Agnostic, and I only got a response from one of them.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 17, 2020:

Good luck with finding a dating partner on here.

AUGUST 17, 2020 Kamala Harris Represents Everything Wrong with Empty Identity Politics by ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 17, 2020:

Identity politics is bullshit and a distraction away from the much more important issues of whose side pols are on in the class war, climate change, war and peace with the rest of the world and whether government serves the 99% and workers or instead serves only billionaires and corporations. I am proud to say I have never fallen for identity politics and always voted based on a candidate's policy stances and whether their record matched their rhetoric. O

Isn't life exciting on Agnostic.com?

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 16, 2020:

I bet that in most places if you are masked, non-white and openly carrying a gun you will get stopped by the police. But if you're white and the rest is the same, the cops won't bother you.

Fit Kitties [youtu.be]

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 16, 2020:

I think most cats would prefer the paw roll exercise rolling the toilet paper, or, more likely skipping the workout and napping...

Now I get it!

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 16, 2020:

If someone ghosts you, you can't do jack about it and it's not worth spending any mental energy on.

Catholic voters' impossible choice

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 16, 2020:

Abortion is such a bullshit phony issue that anyone that bases their vote on that as a single issue voter is an idiot. Because in essence voting for the Repubs that oppose abortion amounts to mere worship of the womb and the fetus to the exclusion of all else. Any of these pro-life voters with an ounce of intellectual honesty would see and know that the anti-abortion Repubs, assuming they are even sincere about outlawing abortion (which they aren't in most cases), they are also not pro-life in any other way regarding life after birth (with the exception of euthanasia) as they oppose policies that aid children, provide healthcare for poor kids, fund education for poor kids, and they also support the death penalty. They are liars and hypocrites in how their definition of pro-life is so limited it is laughable.

Hello grouphugs🤗 how are you and happy Sunday all 😗 just wanna know what are the things you ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 16, 2020:

Being retired and in the typical lockdown for people my age, weekends are no diiferent than a weekday.

I've begun to politically identify myself more as an anarcho-syndicalist than as a strict democratic...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 15, 2020:

I might vote for Biden or I might vote Green for prez, but either way I will expect zero from Biden. Down the ballot I will vote for Dems.

This was written by a Midwest organizer for the Party for Socialism and Liberation.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 15, 2020:

Whether it's fascism or not, the quote accurately describes what's been going on under both major parties for the last few decades. They both serve the 1% and are out to screw the rest of us. Can't disagree with a single thing in the article.

If anyone is the slightest bit interested in why I feel the Admin has created a moral crisis for ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 15, 2020:

Maybe I am desiring sort of an echo chamber than a site with an even balance of left wing and right wing members, I dunno, but I don't really care about what is on other sites like Slug. So far I am continuing to enjoy this site, including my ability to block members that act like asses or express views that are so offensive that I don't care to hear any more of their BS or ever want to engage with them on these boards. If the site changes for the worse enough to no longer be enjoyable to me, I will leave. It's not an important enough part of my life that I will suffer if it changes for the worse and I leave.

When is Jesus coming back? The question on the lips of almost every believer.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 15, 2020:

If he did come back, he would be very pissed..

A reality show where men will compete to be the one to impregnate a women.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 14, 2020:

And I thought Love After Lockup was crass and disgusting....

I met someone on Match a month ago We have started spending weekends together and sometimes see ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 14, 2020:

Nowadays it is really beating the odds to meet anyone that is mutually attractive and compatible, whether online or more organically. Even more so during Covid.. I wish you both well. Six months from now should tell the tale of whether it will last. It's so much easier to meet and date when you're younger than 40.

Einstein turns 20 this month.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 14, 2020:

20 is a good long run. She looks in good shape for that age.

Amid criticism over mail-in voting, Trump requests absentee ballot

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 14, 2020:

Hypocrisy has long been a Repub trait and something they don't have to worry about due to them being shameless. Being a Repub means never having to say you're sorry...

Virginia mayor urged to resign after saying Biden picked 'Aunt Jemima as his VP'

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 14, 2020:

The first qualification for political office is being smart enough to know not to say openly stupid racist things unless your constituents are mostly white and racist. This guy may have just assumed that all white people in his town think like him. And a few decades ago, he probably would have been right.

This guy lays it out in fine fashion! [youtube.com]

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 14, 2020:

You can stop listening after the first ten minutes, because after that he moves on from discussing dating and just talks about aging, both his own and his parents. It gets kind of annoying and sounds like George Costanza from Seinfeld. He had all his best material in the first ten minutes, no surprise...

Another bot.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 14, 2020:

Dodged a scammer.

General Observation: If you can find someone who will listen to all the 'crap' in your life, hear ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 14, 2020:

Or maybe either a therapist in training or someone so lonely they are desperate enough to listen. I'm kind of a glass mostly empty guy..

It’s official, I suck at dating! I’ll try again next year.😬😬😬😬

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 14, 2020:

I'll try Match again after Covid is over, but next time I will have more appropriate expectations, as in near zero...

This guy lays it out in fine fashion! [youtube.com]

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 13, 2020:

I already knew that. Once you are a middle aged adult, your dating pool is pretty much filled with rejects and leftovers, that is until you get old enough to be age appropriate for the dating pool of most widowed people, somewhere in the late 60s on up. But even then, it can be tough whether you are male or female because even tho the women outnumber the men, by that age many of the women who are widowed have had enough of caretaking partners and children and decide they are fine with going it alone until death. Such is life.... Reminds me of the old SNL sketch with Jon Lovitz giving dating advice to women on how they can snag a suitable man if they just " Lower your standards....". This comedian is right and succinct when he says that the only pic most people want to see in a profile is one with the person on a scale naked with a bank statement, altho I and most people would probably rather prefer a bathing suit instead of naked....

Heckuva job, DNC.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 13, 2020:

Tweedle dee-Tweedle dum...The whole point of the major parties doing this every four years is to continually decrease voter turnout, demoralize the public into tuning out, and thus cause the public to pay less and less attention to how they are lying to us, screwing us, and stealing from us more every year... It is Mission Accomplished each time..

There is a great deal of evil to choose form concerning Biden.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 13, 2020:

Too many good ones to choose from. If anything, it makes the argument for me that Biden has been sowing evil in our government much longer than Trump and thus maybe deserves as much hatred and blame as Trump for what's wrong in America. Remind me again how he is a better choice than Trump?

Herman Cain Tweets From Beyond The Grave To Attack Biden And Harris

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 13, 2020:

I don't miss Herman Cain. He recklessly risked his life and health going to that Trump rally in Tulsa and paid the price. Darwinian justice...

Morris relaxing in his usual way.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 13, 2020:

Begging for those belly rubs..

Alt Jesus.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 13, 2020:

I prefer eat the rich to feed the rich, tho I believe they are so toxic that they might be unhealthy to eat and not taste very well...

Think i will fed ex my vote mail in vote, this year.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 13, 2020:

Actually, the most failsafe way to make sure your ballot is counted is to hand deliver it to your county auditor's office, which is exactly what I'm going to do after I fill out my ballot. I realize however that some people may not be able to do that do to health or lack of transportation.

Leave us remember what with all the hagiography of Kamala Harris and Joe Biden re: supposed street ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 12, 2020:

One of many things that the major parties agree on: That there is one form of justice-harsh and brutal- for those who are not wealthy or powerfully connected, and another form for the rich and/or connected- light or no punishment and all incarceration only at country club facilities...

I know many here are against Trump, but what's your opinion on Joe Biden?

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 12, 2020:

Are you serious? Or is this a trick question?

Pretty much.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 12, 2020:

You can bet your ass that if the Biden ticket, or whoever is still on the ticket in Nov. loses, the party leaders will blame Bernie and his supporters, the Russians, or both. Anyone but themselves for continuing to shove shitty candidates down the throats of non-conservative voters..

Alt Jesus.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 12, 2020:

Pretty well describes conservatives, esp. the Trump supporters...

How many people feel they live in the wrong part of the country to meet like-minded people?

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 12, 2020:

I sure do. If I lived in a much bigger urban area, even still in the Midwest, I would have way more compatible prospects. If I lived in New England or the PNW, even more so..

Goodbye message from OwlInaSack: Admin has suspended my account (I’m not sure why) – but ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 12, 2020:

Damn.. I really enjoyed his comments and political insights. I'm somewhat surprised, but not at all shocked by his suspension since his strong comments and viewpoints seemed to really anger some members here. I guess the rules concerning civility on these forum boards have changed. Too bad the rules haven't been spelled out clearly anytime recently, at least not that I've noticed. I'm always against using an iron fist first rather than later if people haven't already been warned or informed what will get them suspended or banned before the punishment is meted out. Does anybody know what he may have been referring to when he says " The new direction for Agnostic"?

I know, it's heart-breaking. 😅

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 12, 2020:

What is Pspsps?

I joined this site a couple years ago.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 12, 2020:

I wouldn't hold my breath on getting the T-shirt. I reached level 8 early this year and I still haven't gotten one. I'm thinking it could be that policy is over since Covid, but it could be it's only temporary or due to something entirely unrelated.

Q) How can you tell when Donald Trump is lying? A) His lips are moving.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 11, 2020:

That's what LBJ used to say about Nixon back in the 60s... There's a reason Nixon was called Tricky Dick...

Schroedinger's Cat.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 11, 2020:

Too deep for me...

Do you want Biden/Harris to Win?

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 11, 2020:

I might vote for Biden or I might vote Green, but either way, as far as donating money, volunteering or having any enthusiasm or support for Biden, they can all fuck off....

[rawstory.] KAMALA HARRIS is Joe Biden's pick for his Vice President.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 11, 2020:

So I guess they both made up later or Harris was just posturing or lying back in the debate months ago when she practically called Biden a racist to his face over his opposition to busing? Both her and Joe disgust me, everything with them is theater and false advertising. Biden said he would probably pick a black woman and so he did. Just more bullshit identity poliitics like we have been getting from the Dem party for decades, when what we need instead is honest class warfare against the rich and corporations, affordable healthcare for all as a right, a Green New Deal, an end to permanent wars for empire, and cancellation of trade deals and treaties that only benefit multinational corporations. But we will never get these when most Americans settle for identity politics and culture war issues as being adequate reasons to vote Dem over Repub instead of voting third party.

GOP platform will call for ban on same-sex marriage & transgender military members / LGBTQ Nation

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 11, 2020:

Got to pander to the evangelicals and bigots in their base..

Let's all stay safe out there...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 11, 2020:

Got to maintain a safe social distance from the assholes...

Okay gang, for my opening post of the new group, I'd like to ask you all a question.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 11, 2020:

I'd have to go with his opposition to Med4All, like you. It's so galling that as an old person with great wealth and outstanding access to healthcare, he is so niggardly and corrupt towards other Americans who have either no health insurance, poor health insurance coverage, or else coverage that is totally unaffordable to them.

Should 'gig' companies be required to establish benefits funds ? why/not ?

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 11, 2020:

In a word, Yes!

[twitter.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 10, 2020:

It is true that on C-Span I have seen some unattractive-looking pols who could never make it in regular show business with their looks...

Every once in a while some republican comes along and sees what is happening.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 10, 2020:

Steve is from my state, Iowa, and even tho he is now a turncoat former Repub who calls out Trump and other Repubs on their lies and crimes, I still dislike him and don't trust him any farther than I can throw him. Like a broken clock tho, he is right from time to time...

Top 10 Obama Scandals | The Daily Show - YouTube

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 10, 2020:

I hated Obama too, but for entirely different reasons than the right wingers, except for one reason they and I had in common, namely that he was Barry The Liar....

Lovely cat and music. [facebook.com]

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 10, 2020:

Beautiful singing, but it seems to agitate the cat. The singer needs to remember that we are only here to serve the felines. This cat was very cute, but I would never expose myself to that kind of scratching and biting just to mess with the cat's head. I think he was being kind of selfish and cruel to the cat.

Shark Week Begins!

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 10, 2020:

Fierce looking cat...

Hello all! Today has been interesting with the massive storm that blasted through Iowa.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 10, 2020:

I lost my satellite TV until at least sometime tomorrow, but I still have Iowa Public Radio and my dvd's from the library of a season of Better Call Saul and a movie on my dvr that I recorded a few days ago and haven't watched yet.

Should The USA Be Considered a Democracy?

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 10, 2020:

I think it was Jimmy Carter who said several years ago that the US no longer had a functioning democracy, so for now I would say it's a definite NO...

'Their tactics are fascistic’: Barr slams Black Lives Matter, accuses the left of ‘tearing down ...

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 10, 2020:

After his stunt with teargassing the peaceful protesters in DC to clear the street for his boss's photo op, I'd say Barr has a lot of nerve to call anyone else fascist..

Anyone signed up for an advanced email announcement from Joe Biden about his VP selection?

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 10, 2020:

Unless it's Ralph Nader, I don't give fuck who Biden picks...As Foghorn Leghorn used to say, " That's a joke, son"....

How liberal flakes led us to Trump: [theatlantic.com]

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 10, 2020:

Nothing new here. In a nutshell, the majority of the college-educated Boomers, including some former hippies, started selling out in the 80s, becoming self-centered, socially-callous yuppies. As such, they became members of the Coordinator Class, who make up most of the top 10% group of Americans in income and wealth. These people didn't notice or care at all that the super rich in the top 1% started to rob the rest of America of the vast majority of it's income and wealth because their life in the top 10% was so cushy for them and their kids. Nowadays they are starting to see that the economy being run to only benefit the super rich is no longer working in any way that can provide stability and security in the future, even for them. So they are beginning to see that the super rich are more their class enemies than their allies, that is, if they want to live in any kind of peaceful type of democracy instead of a totalitarian police state with only a tiny elite, a small Coordinator class, and everyone else in a Hunger Games underclass.

To all the anti- vote blue no matter who, critical thinkers out there.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 9, 2020:

No blocking, where's the fun in that, hee, hee? All kidding aside, I welcome the addition of the group and can't wait to see if any of the Biden supporters have the guts to comment there and defend their candidate.

Had a 5.1 earthquake this afternoon.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 9, 2020:

Somewhere in the area of the earthquake, there is probably at least one narcissistic man who thought he moved the earth while banging a woman......Bah-dum..

Here’s a question for those of you who love and listen to music.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 9, 2020:

I agree with your comments. The truly great are not only able to sound as good live as on studio recordings, they are also able to keep performing well for years after their first album. It's pathetic that so many contemporary singers, especially in the country music genre, can't even sing on pitch, even in the studio, much less live, and need to use Auto-Tune both on their recordings and live. They have no business being professional singers. Quite a while ago I saw a documentary called 20 Feet From Stardom, a movie about background singers, where one of the singers spilled the secret that nowadays most record companies budget 25K$ on a record album just for "tuning", in which they correct the pitch problems in the studio of the lead singer's off-key singing. The singer being interviewed, who had a a long career singing background on studio albums, said that this was not the case until the last couple decades, because in the old days all the singers being recorded could sing on pitch without studio alteration. This phenomena is part of why I hate country music, firstly because almost all of them, male or female, sing in that sickeningly nasal style of voice quality along with all the obligatory twang, and secondly because so many of the contemporary country singers are really not that good at singing, but they are able to be successful and popular getting by instead on their looks and Auto-Tune.

While on a long drive recently, I was listening to a show on NPR about immortality and time.

TomMcGiverin comments on Aug 9, 2020:

The main reasons I would not want to be immortal, even if my health did not drastically fail or get worse with age, is that I would get really depressed at all my friends dying and leaving me. Secondly, the world keeps getting worse every decade and I would not want to be around to live out a dystopian sci fi story.