PozBearWI

12 hours ago, nanana said:

His accuser, Joel Greenberg , was involved in a sex trafficking ring and he was eventually sentenced for it. It consisted of getting girls for sugar daddy’s and at least one was a minor. However Joel did a plea bargain where he lies and tried to implicate Matt Gaetz. For political reasons the Zio press jumped all over this.   Joel isn’t reliable. He has 33 felonies the list of amazingly stupid things he did is enormous. Even the completely corrupted Merrick Garland refused to prosecute the case.  Sorry to see him go. 

And yet, the R's of the Congressional committee refuse to release their findings.  Why would they do this if Gaetz is "innocent"?

True, we don't want to misunderstand and thinks it means Old People...  LOL

X banned me.  (I have not a clue why)  So it's a moot point and frankly, I don't care for it or any of the other places out there.  True I can't look at whatever image or video one sent me to go see, but somehow I think I'll get through my day just fine without it.  

We're having this conversation here on BZ.  We have the penchant amongst "us' to write to others here saying "let's take this conversation to (name your platform here, there are many)".  At one time I allowed myself to get sucked into that.  Now my phone is cleaner with few unnecessary aps to maintain and to be a future exposure to identity theft.  

X is as I observe from afar just a cesspool.  If one want to dig for pearls amongst the turds, have at it boys....  🙂 

8 hours ago, Erik62 said:

NATO is a double edged sword when it comes to promises made & membership desires of SMALL independent nations with simarlily small defence forces. After spending 50+ yrs as Eastern Bloc members, when freedom finally arrived, their visions of independent political freedom, economic growth & ongoing industrial developement were heavily overshadowed by ONE DEMON. That demon was the potential for a recalcitrant & despotic leader, of Russia, to have grandiose dreams of re-establishing "mother Russia" & her sycophantic little satellites. An independent nation small or large has every right, as the ballot box has shown, to strive for membership of whichever organisations they choose. No nation has the right to deny any memberships despite whatever demands or promises have been made by third parties. These small nations desire peaceful futures & no one nation has the right to enforce an alternative political agenda onto them. 

  That is what we call, INDEPENDENCE.

True on the goal.  And yet when we read human history, there are often despots who take our species in directions most of us don't want.  Over thousands of years that has never changed.  

@nanana man things just aren't as black and white as you paint.  One conclusion does not equal every other conclusion.  While believe what you will about me, just because you write it doesn't make it true.  

I believe those who actually want nuclear war simply want humans time on earth to be over.  And ultimately that will probably happen.  We wouldn't be the first species to die off and likely would not be the last.   

So I agree @fuckholedc I don't believe the end game of Putin's desire is nuclear war.  But he does definitely want to grow his dominance on the world stage.  We seem destined towards another world war IMO.  I conclude that by considering the dynamics of the 1800's which lead to WW1 and WW2 are active again.  We are still actively "solving" our problems with implements of war.  And clearly there is a global power struggle afoot.

And adding to @viking8x6; we rarely get to vote for what we believe will be "the best" candidate.  We're often left with what we believe is the least worst candidate; or who will do the less damage while also supporting decisions to which we agree.  Our system is designed to slow down rapid changes with the idea to make those decisions more rationally and less emotionally.  

I might actually rephrase the question from blaming Dems to "why is Putin so intent on starting WW3"?

Thanks @viking8x6  You and I have already discussed my desire to reward you (admitted, the reward will be mutual) for your work.  Well, yeah, OK, I would do those things with you regardless.  🙂  Naked hug and grope brother!

Lies...  Some probably yes, but I think mostly it is easy to be misinformed these days.  There is a fair amount of outright wrong information; and plenty of misleading.  Whether that is intentional or not is difficult to say; and perhaps it shouldn't matter.  

Indeed age of consent varies by state.  The sense is really on whether charges can be brought, and bottom line to that, it is less damaging to have it than not.  

And in fact, knowing that ALL lives matter isn't it time for us to drop all the artificial battles and start looking at where and how we can benefit each other?  

@nanana honestly I think the same lying case can be made for Republicans as well.  

5 hours ago, nanana said:

Hi @PozBearWI, thanks for the clarification the (and for implanting the idea of being your friend 😀).  There has been a lot of monkey business with the Democrats outright lying and misleading the voting public about the Republicans and Russia. While I am ABSOLUTELY sure that Russia, China, Iran Britain and many other countries have deep states comparable to that of the United States, I can’t get very excited about a vague line of argumentation that demonizes an entire nation and implies a nefarious purpose, all at the same time UK Labour Prime Minister Kier Starmer sent UK bureaucrats to campaign for Kamala Harris. I am sure that US-based NGOs have manipulated many a foreign election and fomented many a color revolution. 

The democrats lied and thus, implicitly you believe the Republicans didn't?  Listen again then...

9 hours ago, nanana said:

This is disingenuous. Again, a face-value-quality interpretation. Democrats are so desperate to pretend that all dissent from their policies originates from bad foreigners. Tim Poole didn’t get his ideas from Russia. And so what if he did? Any NPC who gets his ideas from NPR is falling for British bullshit propaganda. It may be hard to see this since Britain has such pervasive mind control over its ex-colony. Democrats have their cold-war Russian boogeyman; Republicans have their Chinese boogeyman. Two mirror parties channeling mirror fears and aggressions. 

@nanana my friend, I think you misread BootmanLA's post then.  He didn't assert that Poole got his ideas from Russia.  He said Poole was funded (unknowingly) from Russia.  

3 hours ago, pozlvr27 said:

What ever happened to George Clooney ? That political genius suddenly has nothing to say. 

George Clooney is not a "political genius".  Activist?  Sure.  Why do you expect him to say anything?

Sounds like a good time.  Depending on when the zoom is open, if I can I'll join in.

If we substitute "World to Change tomorrow" for "World to End tomorrow" in the opening premise of this thread; I think that is more descriptive of our future.  

I thought we pretty well established that the President Elect is unpredictable.  He see's that as a strength; and for him, it is.  For the rest of us?  Not so much.  Safe to say a lot of shit is going to happen which won't bode well for at least half of us.  Hopefully we'll gain some general understanding of how each "half" of our social opinion applies to a different list of individuals; and that there are many ways to define those 'half's" all boiling down to 70 - 80 percent of us.  Once we recognize each other in that way again; maybe all this insanity will settle down.  

We just don't know what will happen until it happens.  Indeed some of the things he says he will do he does.  More of them he doesn't.  I doubt he is going to "lock Hilary up".  But likely he will pardon his friends where he can.  How will the positions he fills with friends with warped perceptions about their new domain; and I am thinking RFK here; impact how those domains continue to operate?  It won't be as if a switch was suddenly turned.  The ripple effect is where we are going to start to experience it.  Thus, we might anticipate a new pandemic as we once again; hobble our international cooperation at containing emerging pandemics.  Another late term gift to the world.  History has often seen a sudden population decline.  And perhaps it will be that which alters our course.  

Important to recall that while the President has substantial power, so also do Governors.  We have deeply rooted into our governmental systems that whole, oft forgotten, states rights thing.  🙂  So much like health, there are layers of checks and balances, not just the one.  Further, the R party wants more controls given to individual states and out of federal control.  Further, states have counties, counties have municipalities.  It isn't all done in one place here in the US.  

I believe as deporting is big on his mind, he may start that.  However I believe many of his fellow billionaires are pretty dependent upon those immigrants to remain profitable and frankly, to stay in business.  True entry level jobs for things many amongst us prefer to not do go to those immigrants.  The true "American Dream" stories are the rags to riches ones.  Who and how are still TBD.

Attempts to reduce by legislation progress about climate issues will once again trip up.  

Overall as a society?  Can we as a society experience a national "aw shit" moment and change our course?  Time will tell.  We may be reliant again upon the entertainment industry to do what "All in the Family" did in shifting social attitudes.  If that can somehow break into our TikTok world...

Globally, how NATO treats us will be important not only to watch, but to attempt to influence.  With good reason some of our allies will take the position that America has turned against us.  Fortunately the global corporations will be filling the gaps to keep their success going, even if 47 is partnering with his fellow authoritarian buddies.  

Length has not been an issue for me; I've swallowed 12 easily.  Girth is my Achilles heel.  By 2.75 my jaws can't accommodate wider.  2.5 or less, no sweat and a pleasure when long.  

Ah my friend @BootmanLA...  Do I detect a bit of snarky coming through?  If so about f'n time.  🙂  

Thanks; sanity is hot...  

PrEP injection....  Yeah that is a pretty cool thing.  Especially for guys who pretty much live at the saunas...  

Cabeneuva starts out with pills though guys...  The plan is to learn how your body responds to a shorter acting version so that we aren't started on something lasting 30 or 60 days and learn you need to be OFF of that stuff immediately.  Once that test has been done the injections can start.  But know that pretty much everyone is reporting a sore but (and that injection has to go into large muscle, so butt is where it goes).  

By contrast a PrEP on demand can meet the needs of MOST.  And done that way one is reducing the amount of medication in our system while still being effective.  For one who has trouble swallowing pills as my hubby does, 2-1-1 can really help.  

28 minutes ago, SugarCaneDaddy said:

Seeing this type of comments coming from a 3rd world country myself its kinda funny ngl 😂

Interesting.  

I've always been a bit alarmed at video presented as comedy, "America's funniest home videos" for example; why the audience gets into fits of laughter watching someone fall and break their arm (or worse).  It may seem funny that they did something so careless; but truly that reflects ignorance to their own peril.  I've been more a fan of the Darwin Awards; but I never find them funny.  

I find @hntnhole's account a sad commentary about our present social condition.  Worse, the US is not unique in this.  

Adding to this....   @hntnhole I love the way you framed this.  

It is hard to pursue that which you don't understand (unless of course one pursues understanding, but often that isn't the case).  The American dream isn't a gift of money or influence.  It is learning how one's society actually works, and for this argument I'll include socially and economically, but mostly I'm writing about economically.  When I read history, those written there, and who either succeeded or failed miserably are people who developed skills and insight into how things work.  Some became like OG (Orange Geesus) and game the system by exploitation.  Our history is filled with snake oil salesmen.  That has been true throughout history.  True today and it will be true in our future.  

Our history is also filled with accounts of people who were able to create information or ways of doing things which were more efficient or effective and are notable.  And the big middle are all the outcomes in between.   The whole "many hands make light work" idea.  Just because we were born here clearly doesn't grant one interest and involvement in how and why things work.  Whether that is their yard, home electric and plumbing, or neighborhood/community, employer, state or nation; or for that matter the world; this knowledge combined with effort to achieve more often than  not works.  Largely why so many immigrants recorded in our developing nation did so well.  Yes, at times it was pretty vile exploitation.  But for the majority it was just getting it done.  

We all have generational histories, no matter who we are or where we are.  Each of us has OUR history.  Those born into a family who had achieved a particular place is, and can only be, one's starting point.  What we do with it is how we're choosing to live our life.  So while I can empathize and understand someone born into poverty and ignorance; if they do nothing, it is unlikely anything will change for the better.  Now, some might think I am victim shaming, and honestly if one chooses to feel like that is my intention, I submit they are demonstrating their own problem, not mine.  I am happy to help make things better for my neighbor, but their problems living are theirs to live; and either improve or make worse.   

One of my life's sayings (a list known as Kimo's Rules) is "goals can be deceiving, the un-aimed arrow never misses".  While quite true, it is also true the un-aimed arrow won't go where you want it to go without taking aim.  

6 hours ago, rawfuckingonly said:

STOP with the first person pronouns. I'm a natural born US citizen and you don't speak for me. I'm NOT on board with your process nor the likes of others. 

hmm, a true MAGA snowflake.  Do you really think I give a crap about your offense @rawfuckingonly?

40 minutes ago, BergenGuy said:

He did say that, and then was rapidly, very rapidly, forced to retract it (the typical "I was misunderstood").  Social Security is the third-rail of politics because older people vote at a very high rate.  I suspect that there's a number of things that they'll do first before having the stomach to take on Social Security.

We'll see, but I hope you're right

A few hours have passed.  I've had a few conversation with other sane peers.  So, no, I am not resigning my board seats.  TBH I don't know what the future is going to bring us.  But if we don't pull together it will be worse than if we don't.  

1 hour ago, viking8x6 said:

So much this ^^^

Though I have a quibble: "have work ahead of us to climb out of the hole   we    our fellow Americans just dug"

Sure @viking8x6 although "we" vs "our fellow American's" are I think the same thing.  So quibble accepted my brother.

OK, Trump won.  Truly sad that the majority didn’t see through his orange veneer.  The man whined himself into the White House and the majority bought it.  Kudos to him for being an effective snake oil sales man.  He isn’t the first and he won’t be the last.

We can of course just choose to give up and take it.  And to some extent we’ve little choice on the taking it part.  Bad stuff is going to happen.  What specifically?  Honest we won’t know until we know.  We’re aware a host of unhappy outcomes will occur.  But do we now just give up and say fuck it?  I hope not....  

It is about time for the economy to shift as it has been on an upward trajectory for a long time, starting with the Obama years.  The expected recession hasn’t happened.  Yet. 

Putting anti vaxxers in charge of healthcare is going to lead to a predictable problem.  One that might make the last pandemic appear weak and rivaling the Black Plague in scope.  How will the MAGA faithful respond to that?

If the economy tanks for the majority, as I think it will, all this is going to change “bigly”.  And rapidly.  The MAGA faithful are a violent bunch and once they realize how they just screwed themselves.  The results of that will be, um, interesting. 

If the orange jesus follows through on his threats and we see comics and politicians thrown in prison, will we cheer him on or rebel? 

If Health coverage is suddenly gone for most, how long will the survivors take it before they rebel?

Locally there have been a shit ton of signs reading “Don’t stop Praying”.  In my head I always append “on your neighbor” to those signs when I read them.  But that shit only goes so far before we have open rebellion, which might be in our future.  

We are entering and “interesting” era….