Random Political comments...

[RicardoCooper]

I saw so many people who are normally anti-Trump, co-signing the news last month about the Trump Administration going to restore federal definition of gender as ONLY Male or Female.

Count me as one of 'em

Trump stumbles into a win every now and then

These trannies be targeting straight black men and expect us to date and "protect" them. There are some freaks who knowingly mess with he/shes, but keep that mess over there

 

[andreboba]

Well, the U.S. military doesn't support Trump's position on trans soldiers serving, or soldiers who decide to transition while serving.

I don't see why this matters to so many people. Gender isn't genitalia. A fraction of Americans suffer from gender dysphoria so it's not like it's affecting any else's life.
Gender, sex and gender identity are complicated issues and don't always fit into neat little boxes.

Trump is only doing this because he's personally disgusted by the idea of transpeople and since it's no longer acceptable to vilify gays, he decided to go after another group of 'freaks' he thought his base would equally hate.

 

[bodhesatva]

I'm still pretty fascinated by conspiracy theorists who believe in many unlikely conspiracies, but somehow don't believe in the Russian/Mueller investigation.

Have any of you guys ever seen the show King of the Hill? Long gone at this point, but one of the main characters is named Dale and sees conspiracies everywhere -- the government controls this, the government listens to us there, and so forth. And yet, his wife is having a long time affair with another character, John Redcorn, and Dale's child is pretty clearly of mixed native american heritage, and despite his constant paranoia, Dale never notices and keeps missing all the obvious signs.

That's basically how I feel about most conspiracy theorists in the modern world: they see plots everywhere, but somehow manage to miss the one actual, real plot directly in front of them. They're Dale from King of the Hill.

 

[Thump]

I'm still pretty fascinated by conspiracy theorists who believe in many unlikely conspiracies, but somehow don't believe in the Russian/Mueller investigation.

Have any of you guys ever seen the show King of the Hill? Long gone at this point, but one of the main characters is named Dale and sees conspiracies everywhere -- the government controls this, the government listens to us there, and so forth. And yet, his wife is having a long time affair with another character, John Redcorn, and Dale's child is pretty clearly of mixed native american heritage, and despite his constant paranoia, Dale never notices and keeps missing all the obvious signs.

That's basically how I feel about most conspiracy theorists in the modern world: they see plots everywhere, but somehow manage to miss the one actual, real plot directly in front of them. They're Dale from King of the Hill.

Like Trump himself, a lot of his supporters are emotionally and mentally immature, and as such, they tend to be drawn into fantasies that support or shield their fragile emotional cores. When reality becomes too painful to bear, denying reality becomes the easiest way for them to cope.

 

[bodhesatva]

Like Trump himself, a lot of his supporters are emotionally and mentally immature, and as such, they tend to be drawn into fantasies that support or shield their fragile emotional cores. When reality becomes too painful to bear, denying reality becomes the easiest way for them to cope.

I think there is a lot of truth to this, but think there is a flipside to it as well: conspiracies helps people with fragile egos feel special and smart. One of the appeals of conspiracies to some people would be the sense that you have super secret special insight that other people don't have. It gives you the sense that you have figured out how the world works -- that you have seen behind the veil -- while other people are chumps still getting duped. The Mueller investigation obviously doesn't provide that sense, because it's a public, official investigation led by a former FBI director.

I mean, if I thought the moon was actually made of cheese and the government was just covering it up, and then 10 years from now someone discovered I was totally right (not likely, but bear with me here), then I think I would rightly be pretty darn proud of myself. I would have seen through the cover up when almost nobody else could. But again, believing in the Mueller investigation really doesn't provide that sense of pride in my keen perception, because trusting the findings of a former FBI director who elicits public testimony from many witnesses doesn't exactly take a supergenius. The Meuller investigation is common knowledge.

 

[Peach State Scholar]

I'm still pretty fascinated by conspiracy theorists who believe in many unlikely conspiracies, but somehow don't believe in the Russian/Mueller investigation.

Have any of you guys ever seen the show King of the Hill? Long gone at this point, but one of the main characters is named Dale and sees conspiracies everywhere -- the government controls this, the government listens to us there, and so forth. And yet, his wife is having a long time affair with another character, John Redcorn, and Dale's child is pretty clearly of mixed native american heritage, and despite his constant paranoia, Dale never notices and keeps missing all the obvious signs.

That's basically how I feel about most conspiracy theorists in the modern world: they see plots everywhere, but somehow manage to miss the one actual, real plot directly in front of them. They're Dale from King of the Hill.

Like Trump himself, a lot of his supporters are emotionally and mentally immature, and as such, they tend to be drawn into fantasies that support or shield their fragile emotional cores. When reality becomes too painful to bear, denying reality becomes the easiest way for them to cope.

What makes it even worse is that to a conspiracy theorist, the absence of evidence isn't the evidence of absence. Instead, the absence of evidence means that the conspiracy is just that big, and the people behind it are just that powerful. Of course there's no actual evidence of anything; the power players behind the scenes have spend decades bribing/coercing/killing people to keep everything quiet.

 

[bodhesatva]

What makes it even worse is that to a conspiracy theorist, the absence of evidence isn't the evidence of absence. Instead, the absence of evidence means that the conspiracy is just that big, and the people behind it are just that powerful. Of course there's no actual evidence of anything; the power players behind the scenes have spend decades bribing/coercing/killing people to keep everything quiet.

Absolutely! Great point, 1980. I believe this is called a "self enclosed hypothesis" -- an argument which cannot be disproven because its logic closes off any way to disprove it. For instance, to get away from politics for a second, some Christians believe the Earth is literally 6000 years old. If you point to evidence like fossils, or the age of the stars, or anything like that, the response is that God made fossils and stars to look as if they were really old, when in reality they were made just 6,000 years before. Of course, that claim can't be disproven, because any evidence that the earth is millions of years old can just be re-written as God making the world look older than it really is.

Without looking down on people who believe such things, I'd just say people should be really careful of falling in to self-enclosed belief systems like this. An easy way to see if you are stuck in a loop like this is to do the following: ask yourself, "What could someone show me that would make me change my mind about XXXX?" If the answer is "nothing could change my mind," then be very careful of your own conclusions. In my opinion, anyway.

 

[Peach State Scholar]

Absolutely! Great point, 1980. I believe this is called a "self enclosed hypothesis" -- an argument which cannot be disproven because its logic closes off any way to disprove it. For instance, to get away from politics for a second, some Christians believe the Earth is literally 6000 years old. If you point to evidence like fossils, or the age of the stars, or anything like that, the response is that God made fossils and stars to look as if they were really old, when in reality they were made just 6,000 years before. Of course, that claim can't be disproven, because any evidence that the earth is millions of years old can just be re-written as God making the world look older than it really is.

Without looking down on people who believe such things, I'd just say people should be really careful of falling in to self-enclosed belief systems like this. An easy way to see if you are stuck in a loop like this is to do the following: ask yourself, "What could someone show me that would make me change my mind about XXXX?" If the answer is "nothing could change my mind," then be very careful of your own conclusions. In my opinion, anyway.

You're a much nicer person than I am. Not only do I look down on those people, I judge the everloving fuck out of them.

But you're right; that kind of claim cannot be falsified in any way. If you point out a flaw, they just move the goalposts back further so that they don't have to admit that their claims don't hold up under any kind of scrutiny. That's the part about conspiracy theorists that infuriate me the most.

 

[ColiBreh1]

@The Dark King @darkcurry You see this story?:


https://wjla.com/news/nation-world/...n-19-due-to-overwhelmingly-white-participants


California organizers cancel Women's March due to 'overwhelmingly white' participants
by Marissa Papanek

A crowd fills Independence Avenue looking towards the U.S. Capitol and the stage, lower right, during the Women's March on Washington, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017 in Washington. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

EUREKA, Calif. (KRCR) — The organizers of the annual Women's March have decided not to hold a rally in Eureka on Jan. 19, as previously planned, because they say participants do not represent the diversity of the area.

"This decision was made after many conversations between local social-change organizers and supporters of the march," organizers said in a press release.


They said organizers will continue to meet and discuss how to broaden representation to create an event that represents Humboldt County.

"Up to this point, the participants have been overwhelmingly white, lacking representation from several perspectives in our community," the press release went on to say. "Instead of pushing forward with crucial voices absent, the organizing team will take time for more outreach. Our goal is that planning will continue and we will be successful in creating an event that will build power and community engagement through connection between women that seek to improve the lives of all in our community."

The group said it is exploring holding an event in March to celebrate International Women’s Day. Anyone interested in helping organize these events are welcome and encouraged to attend.

The Eureka Women's March organizing committee encourages local supporters to attend the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration in Eureka on Jan. 21, Martin Luther King Jr. Day

 

[Beasty]

Absolutely! Great point, 1980. I believe this is called a "self enclosed hypothesis" -- an argument which cannot be disproven because its logic closes off any way to disprove it. For instance, to get away from politics for a second, some Christians believe the Earth is literally 6000 years old. If you point to evidence like fossils, or the age of the stars, or anything like that, the response is that God made fossils and stars to look as if they were really old, when in reality they were made just 6,000 years before. Of course, that claim can't be disproven, because any evidence that the earth is millions of years old can just be re-written as God making the world look older than it really is.

Without looking down on people who believe such things, I'd just say people should be really careful of falling in to self-enclosed belief systems like this. An easy way to see if you are stuck in a loop like this is to do the following: ask yourself, "What could someone show me that would make me change my mind about XXXX?" If the answer is "nothing could change my mind," then be very careful of your own conclusions. In my opinion, anyway.

lol. So they literally say God is deceptive? Wow! In that case why study science at all, because God could just be deceiving you at any time. The only book on Earth we need is the Bible, burn the rest of them.

 

[Tamstrong]

Absolutely! Great point, 1980. I believe this is called a "self enclosed hypothesis" -- an argument which cannot be disproven because its logic closes off any way to disprove it. For instance, to get away from politics for a second, some Christians believe the Earth is literally 6000 years old. If you point to evidence like fossils, or the age of the stars, or anything like that, the response is that God made fossils and stars to look as if they were really old, when in reality they were made just 6,000 years before. Of course, that claim can't be disproven, because any evidence that the earth is millions of years old can just be re-written as God making the world look older than it really is.

Without looking down on people who believe such things, I'd just say people should be really careful of falling in to self-enclosed belief systems like this. An easy way to see if you are stuck in a loop like this is to do the following: ask yourself, "What could someone show me that would make me change my mind about XXXX?" If the answer is "nothing could change my mind," then be very careful of your own conclusions. In my opinion, anyway.

I've studied Christianity (and other religions) for many years, and I have never heard or read any such claim that "God made fossils and stars to look as if they were really old". Where in the world did you hear such a ridiculous claim? You do make some excellent points about the tinfoil hat wearing fools, but this particular example is inaccurate. I'm not looking for discussion on the topic (this isn't the place for that), but I did want to clear up the misconception that most Christians are anti-science or would respond with such a silly claim, even for argument's sake. For anyone who thinks that is a Christian belief, please be aware that it is not.

 

[bodhesatva]

I've studied Christianity (and other religions) for many years, and I have never heard or read any such claim that "God made fossils and stars to look as if they were really old". Where in the world did you hear such a ridiculous claim? You do make some excellent points about the tinfoil hat wearing fools, but this particular example is inaccurate. I'm not looking for discussion on the topic (this isn't the place for that), but I did want to clear up the misconception that most Christians are anti-science or would respond with such a silly claim, even for argument's sake. For anyone who thinks that is a Christian belief, please be aware that it is not.

I hope I wasn't confusing, but I was speaking of young earth creationists (i.e. people who believe the earth is 6,000 years old) and not all Christians.

Public examples include Ken Ham and Duane Gish. There's a lot to learn on this wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Earth_creationism

 

[Peach State Scholar]

I've studied Christianity (and other religions) for many years, and I have never heard or read any such claim that "God made fossils and stars to look as if they were really old". Where in the world did you hear such a ridiculous claim? You do make some excellent points about the tinfoil hat wearing fools, but this particular example is inaccurate. I'm not looking for discussion on the topic (this isn't the place for that), but I did want to clear up the misconception that most Christians are anti-science or would respond with such a silly claim, even for argument's sake. For anyone who thinks that is a Christian belief, please be aware that it is not.

I hope I wasn't confusing, but I was speaking of young earth creationists (i.e. people who believe the earth is 6,000 years old) and not all Christians.

Public examples include Ken Ham and Duane Gish. There's a lot to learn on this wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Earth_creationism

And as it relates to Ken Ham, he got the state of Kentucky to give him millions so that he could build an ark museum. And by "ark museum" I mean a museum that is literally shaped like the ark in the Bible. He is one of the many young earth creationists trying to pass of religious belief as scientifically valid. And although it may not be most Christians who believe in this, the Christians that do have a lot of influence on politics and in policy. A former Georgia representative named Paul Broun is a young earth creationist who literally said that evolution was a "lie from the pits of hell..." and he was on the House Science, Space and Technology Committee.

I agree with you that the claims are ridiculous but those claims come directly from the Christians who make them.

 

[Beasty]

Ron Desantis is already working to protect the Florida environment from abuse by corporate interests. Using excutive orders, detailing a 2.5 billion dollar plan, and firing the self serving sorry ass lackeys.

Also he is calling to repeal the ban on the smokable form of marijuana. He knows the GOP has added unnecessary restrictions to medical marijuana that the people didn't ask for.

Respect to what seems to be a common sense Republican at this point. Have I forgot what he said about Gilliam during his run for office, no, however actions speak louder than words.

Also felons who have paid their debts to society can now vote in Florida, a pro progressive move by the voters.

Thought I'd add some positive news to the cloud over national level politics. If you like or love your state and have some good news, do share. It's nice to know that not every politican is a cookie cut knuckle dragging idiot.

 

[Beasty]

Is that all we got running against 45? A lawmaker from Cali and some more far lefties. Prediction: if 45 doesn't get removed from office he wins in 2020. I promise.

Stubborness isn't strength. This country is doing down a drain of hopeless stupidity.

But you didn't budge tho. You stuck to your far left guns, so I guess that's all that matters.

 

[Bliss]

 

[ColiBreh1]

Trump has turned press conferences into a ritual of hate -- is it still worth watching?

The White House press conference has always been a frustrating spectacle, with reporters trying to pry information from government officials who do everything in their power to avoid sharing too much information. But these press conferences are typically appreciated because of their symbolic value -- they reaffirm the democratic idea that the government must answer to the people.

That symbolic value has changed under Trump, who uses press conferences to stage high profile fights with the press and mobilize his base.

 

[Madeleine]

What point are you making?
Never having been in the EU is completely different to being in the EU for decades and then trying to get out unharmed.

 

[The Dark King]

Is that all we got running against 45? A lawmaker from Cali and some more far lefties. Prediction: if 45 doesn't get removed from office he wins in 2020. I promise.

Stubborness isn't strength. This country is doing down a drain of hopeless stupidity.

But you didn't budge tho. You stuck to your far left guns, so I guess that's all that matters.

Politically how are any of these candidates less promising than Obama. In 2020 we're due for the mother of all recessions/depressions completely engineered and promoted by the GOP. 2020 is for the Democrats to win just don't put up a hateable candidate and it shouldn't be a problem. Currently there isn't a HRC figure that voters have a visceral reaction to so its looking ok

 

[Beasty]

Politically how are any of these candidates less promising than Obama. In 2020 we're due for the mother of all recessions/depressions completely engineered and promoted by the GOP. 2020 is for the Democrats to win just don't put up a hateable candidate and it shouldn't be a problem. Currently there isn't a HRC figure that voters have a visceral reaction to so its looking ok

Obama wasn't far left for one, but knock yourself out. This is obviously a contest on who can be the most narrow minded and stubborn. Sounds like something to be really proud of, and I thought democracy was about compromise, what do I know? If you refuse to accept reality which should be as obvious as the brightness of the sun, what can I tell you? Go ahead and burn it down. Not going to even waste my time voting.

This is like playing poker but in this case your opponent can see that your hand sucks, makes the buff look like what it is, dumb.