• Technology! Sheeze! Pretty soon, they'll be killing guys this way!!!

• Trump's affinity with the working man must never be discounted, right?

Look at that again, okay? Because as Ben says, "If you know you don't have COVID...."

It's just so delicious. After half-a-year of Trump's oblivious, murderous elisions, what are the odds that — on its way to him — the virus didn't pass through someone who followed his example of willful ignorance and recklessness?

Is anyone still "quite satisfied with the response of this administration to the Corona virus"? Because it's a safe bet that Trump himself is not.

I hope he feels better soon. But at 74 and overweight in Walter Fucking Reed Hospital, this is a weekend he's likely to remember.

Didn't anyone remember this?

Ugh, I hate myself for this, but what in the hell would you have had Trump do that he didn’t? And don’t give me some bull shit quote from February when the Democrats were obsessed with impeachment & xenophobia bc he shut down flights from China.

I don’t even like him, but this idea that Trump is solely responsible for 200,000 deaths is absolute bull shit and shows how ignorant citizens of this country have become with regard to how their government actually works. Here’s a quick primer for you numptys. We live in a federal system. The president is not a king. He cannot decree national mask orders, shut down orders, or quell domestic street riots in Portland. Those are jobs for governors and state legislators. That’s what a federal system means, kids. States have rights. I know the schools don’t teach that anymore and the Democrats like to keep it on the down low, but the 10th Amendment is a thing. You might want to look it up. Even Biden was forced to admit he couldn’t really impose a mask order.

Now, what can the president do? He can mobilize federal resources, encourage private businesses to aid in the effort, and form a task force to find solutions and keep people informed. Trump did ALL of that. Without having to use the Defense Act, he got automotive companies to build more ventilators than we need. So much so, we are giving them away at this point. EVERY governor who needed them, got them. He pulled together smart ppl, like Fauci and Brix, and left them alone to do their jobs for the most part. He made the naval hospital ship available to NYC and cut the red tape to fast track vaccines. We might even start distribution by July 2021.

What’s Biden planning to do that Trump hasn’t? Nothing, bc it’s all been done. And as for those 200,000 dead, at least 40% of them came from NY bc Cuomo forced infected seniors back into nursing homes. He’s the killer and has a lot to answer for. Funny how you never have any outrage for him. Keep in mind, that he chose to send those poor souls back to their nursing homes even while he had plenty of beds in a field hospital and the Navy’s hospital ship. That doesn’t even count the beds set up by Samaritan’s Purse in Central Park. He had options and chose not to use them. We will know your “outrage” is serious when you start posting about Cuomo.

Now for the disclaimers: yes I made it out middle school, I haven’t kissed any girls, but I do have a husband, and I have actually worked in government. No, I don’t think Trump is: my father, my savior, playing 3D chess, or a great communicator. What I am: someone who just wants to be left alone to live my life and pursue my own interests within the boundaries of the law. When I look at the two parties there is only one looking to radically reshape my sense of self, knowledge of history, and destroy the underpinnings of the freedom I currently enjoy. If a giant, orange man with a cringeworthy Twitter account is the price I have to pay to keep my life, well guess what, that’s a price I’m happy pay.

Thumbs up, Sheep Mom.

@ Sheep Mom

+1

It doesn't matter what you say Sheep Mom. It's Crid. Honesty isn't really a concern of his. Heck he is now claiming Gog is a crazy Trump supporter.

> what in the hell would you have
> had Trump do that he didn’t?

Jesus Christ, woman. Amy's hosting services is probably RAID'd on 2TB drives. There isn't enough disk space to list all the things. How far back can we go?

He shouldn't have turned American politics into a snot contest where contenders for the support of voters make fun of the size of each other's Johnsons. He shouldn't have derailed the TPP, as doing so diminished the authority and confidence of China's competitors to serve the the United States in hours of crisis precisely like this one. He should have strengthened, rather than denigrated & diminished, the performance of the CDC and a couple dozen other responding agencies. He should have encouraged entrepreneurial response in direct and explicit ways. He should have worn a fucking mask rather than enthusing the biologically-illiterate 'don't-tread-on-me' types who so desperately need to believe that everything in life is a hillary problem.

> Trump did ALL of that.

The fuck?

> encourage private businesses
> to aid in the effort

The fuck?

The one thing he's NOT doing is 'letting you keep your life.' The Game Show Host is giving you Game Show Happiness. Bring me anything but your tears.

Thank you, guys. It absolutely sickens me that we have gotten to the point where it even feels like our continued freedom hangs on the outcome of a federal election. This isn’t right and as citizens we need to demand that power be shifted back to the states where it ought to reside. Democrats have invested too much power in the presidency and the SCOTUS. It’s was never meant to be this way.

If the system were working correctly, the president would remain a remote figure, but as the Congress has continued to lock its self down through its inability to compromise, we are seeing the rise of an imperial presidency which looks and feels a lot like a monarchy. Calvin Coolidge is the best example of the way the office should run.

Anyway, I am sick to death of listening to people who believe that the president, (whoever it is that occupies the office), should be a magic wish granting fairy. Or, in the case of this president, that he is uniquely awful. Please. Some of us actually know the history of this country. Let’s hear it for FDR, a progressive megalomaniac who tried to ram his collectivist plans down our throats via court packing. How about JFK, a womanizer banging women two at a time in the WH, and not always w/their consent. Talk about Me Too. Or, for being an outright bully and vulgarian, can we get a shout out to LBJ?

Never make a politician your personal loadstone. You’ll be disappointed every time, they are after all, only human.

Yep, that’s what I thought. You got nothing. You just enjoy rolling around in your hatred of Trump, just like a pig loves rolling in shit. If you ever decide to take a break from that, you might want to check out this book:

https://www.amazon.com/Grandstanding-Use-Abuse-Moral-Talk/dp/0190900156/ref=sr_1_1?crid=B6SNQA3TUSVJ&dchild=1&keywords=grandstanding+the+use+and+abuse+of+moral+talk&qid=1601746671&s=books&sprefix=Grandstanding%2Caps%2C175&sr=1-1

It explains the psychology of moral preening and why people like you enjoy it so much.

COVID-19: Why greedy young people WON'T profit from it.

(Note - this is not recent.)

https://wehuntedthemammoth.com/2020/03/02/mgtow-coronavirus-will-be-a-huge-boon-to-young-people-as-the-old-and-the-most-burdensome-die-off/#comments

More than 30 comments.

Quote:

"...Indeed, while the incels root for the coronavirus to take out Stacies and Chads, some MGTOWs (Men Going Their Own Way) are looking forward to the virus causing widespread deaths among older people. Because older people are 'burdensome' and have money the MGTOWs want for themselves.

“ 'Coronavirus could be a golden goose for the younger generation,' one MGTOW Redditor called Dorgdorg happily explained in a recent thread in the MGTOW subreddit."

Some comments:

Ohlmann: "The pandemic don’t work like that. The society will crumble way before it kill a significant amount of retired people, not to mention the fact most of the dead retired will be of the poor variety..."

Stevie: "I think this is just the same hillbilly fantasy my father used to have. The fantasy that the world will somehow fall apart and they will be there to step in and take the lead. They fail to acknowledge that if they had any leadership skills they would be out leading right now instead of whining about how the world doesn’t appreciate them."

Iseult: "Even if he were anywhere near correct in other aspects…. the elderly who are most at risk are those in nursing facilities. Their money has been spent, bucko, sorry to have to tell you that."

He shouldn't have turned American politics into a snot contest where contenders for the support of voters make fun of the size of each other's Johnsons. ~ Crid at October 3, 2020 10:09 AM

Is Trump really the cause of the current chaos in American politics; or is he the result of it? Biden and Kennedy turned SCOTUS hearings into sordid affairs in which hyperbolic accusations and character assassination were standard practice. The routine roll-out of sexual harassment and sexual assault accusations against a nominee can be traced back to the Thomas hearings, which Biden and Kennedy turned into circus. That Thomas circus begat the Kavanaugh fiasco with absurd accusations of the nominee running a high school gang-rape ring some 30+ years ago.

The Electoral College victory of George W. Bush over Albert Gore brought us endless lawsuits to change the way the counting of Florida ballots was done each time the party lost the vote.

And what about elections like the 2004 Washington gubernatorial contest in which "county workers 'discovered' a tray in a warehouse with an additional 162 previously uncounted ballots?" The margin of victory was 129 votes.

How about the saga of Broward County election supervisor Brenda Snipes? In her tenure, she has been accused of releasing results before the polls closed, destroying ballots, losing ballots, and blocking voters.

• Thousands of Broward County absentee ballots were lost in the 2004 election.
• A box of almost 1,000 ballots were discovered in the trunk of a rental car at the airport in the aftermath of the 2012 elections.
• 688 boxes of ballots were destroyed during litigation to challenge the 2016 election results.
• A polling place in the 2018 elections was moved inside a gated community where some voters were turned away. Snipes' office ignored complaints.

American politics had become a snot contest long before Trump came onto the scene. Let's put the blame where it belongs, on the career politicians who, having never produced anything, fight viciously for the smallest of stakes.

Sayre's Law: In any dispute the intensity of feeling is inversely proportional to the value of the issues at stake.

Why men have shorter lifespans than women:

https://twitter.com/NatureisScary/status/1310701640538783744

“American politics had become a snot contest long before Trump came onto the scene. Let's put the blame where it belongs, on the career politicians who, having never produced anything, fight viciously for the smallest of stakes.”

Not so sure it is small beans Conan. Trump has threatened a lot of rice bowls. I don’t think any of us really know how much professional politicians, both dems, repubs, global media empires, and professional *educators* have pocked from selling out the US taxpayers, patent holders, small businesses, and of course military service members. More than we can imagine, I would guess.
The dems screams about Trump’s foreign business interests are looking more and more about a massive case of projection.
They have had four years to hang him with the kind of crime that they and their staffs commit with impunity every day, and so far, still standing. Must be one of the cleanest guys to ever hold the office, or they would have nailed him by now.

I can imagine what would be happening If Eric Trump had gotten 3.5 million dollars from the wife of the mayor of Moscow.

> You just enjoy rolling around
> in your hatred of Trump, just
> like a pig loves rolling in shit.

Trump I've made piece with; the smug, shameless enthusiasm of his most eager voters will haunt me all of my days. I made a career in teevee, and feel partially responsible! After generations of that shit, 8 -14 hours per day, people have been convinced that they deserve to be flattered and congratulated for their recitation of tropes and pandering.

Just moved, and registered two weeks ago. I'd vote for Kammy to piss you off, but it doesn't matter at this point. Treasures have been squandered and you DGAF. Win or lose, your heart is going to break, and it's got nothing to do with me.

Carry on! Remember the handshake! Sing the song!

• Night vision.

• Couldn't understand why this woman was famous, but now it's clear.

Projection, dearest Mark. As for my heartbreak, it is due to decades of official policy producing deluded people confident that one man not only has the solution to all their problems but is willfully keeping that solution from them, not the antics of a President of three-plus years.

About which you have posted at least 2:1 vs others.

Go hang with a rioter, as the "teevee industry", of which you properly warn, continues to lie about everything to sell Kleenex.

Sixclaws, maybe everyone on that boat was too ignorant to know that smallish icebergs regularly roll over, at unpredictable times. Or, more likely, it was their job to take that risk to get an ice sample - who knows?

However, in 1966, a Smith College professor, novelist, and biographer, Mary Ellen Chase (1887-1973) wrote about her Maine grandmother, Eliza Ann (Westcott) Chase, who married a ship's captain circa 1846 and had many sea adventures, including..."A Walk on an Iceberg." (As told to the author, when she was little - it includes the excited comments by her young siblings.)

That took place in the Baltic Sea, when the ship was headed for Latvia. From the description, the visible part may have been as big as a golf course. (Which, of course, you can never see all of at once.) Yes, they knew it wasn't an island, but Mrs. Chase was determined to walk on it - and so was a Harvard science student on the ship.

You'll never guess what they FOUND on it...

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/a/mary-ellen-chase-17/a-walk-on-an-iceberg/

In the meantime, here's more on that video, with an 8-minute video monologue by one of the survivors.

https://www.climbing.com/videos/iceberg-rolls-with-ice-climbers-on-it/

It's in French, but English captions are available.

> Projection

'Trump has the electrolytes vegetables crave!'

From the late religious conservative, Paul Weyrich:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8GBAsFwPglw

"I don't want everybody to vote. Elections are not won by a majority of the people. They never have been from the beginning of our country and they are not now. As a matter of fact, our leverage in the elections quite candidly goes up as the voting populace goes down."

I realize he didn't really mean it this way, but that last sentence sounds a lot like a call for birth control.

On CBS’s Sunday Morning show this morning, Ted Koppel was talking with two Trump supporters, a married couple, in West Virginia. They believe that God has chosen Trump to serve two terms as President.

So, there you go. Those West Virginians are real Americans who know what’s going on. You either vote for Trump and please God, or you vote for Biden (or Jorgensen or Hawkins or someone else) and you displease God by going against his — sorry, His — will.

So, there you go. Those West Virginians are real Americans who know what’s going on. You either vote for Trump and please God, or you vote for Biden (or Jorgensen or Hawkins or someone else) and you displease God by going against his — sorry, His — will. ~ JD at October 4, 2020 8:13 AM

Can we all just stipulate that religious whack jobs - not those who believe in God, but those who insist that an omnipotent deity takes an interest in the minutest detail of the lives of mortals - are nuts and move on? Must we call every one of them out individually and use them as the exemplar of Republican voters?

Every candidate has whack job supporters and detractors.

• How about the woman who refused to vote for Goldwater because he was doing to take away her TV? When told that he actually opposed the TVA and not TVs, she double down and declared she couldn't take that chance.
• How about the woman who thought that, if Obama got elected, she would no longer have to work to pay her mortgage or pay for gas?

Sometimes the candidates themselves are the whack jobs.

• Remember Obama telling us that his mere nomination was "the moment the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal?"

Some people invest way too much faith in a president and have an inflated sense of how much power the president actually has.

• Remember those candidates who, "on Day One" were going to issue edicts from the Oval Office?
• Remember Obama's "I've got a pen, and I've got a phone?"

The Constitution wisely limits the amount of power a president wields and, despite the best efforts of each political party to make its president a king or emperor, the office remains constrained - as it should.

So, let's just calm down a bit and recognize that religious nut jobs are not indicative of the mass of Trump voters.

• Some people voted for him reluctantly to prevent the types of blocs that would come to power and influence under a Clinton administration; and likely will under a "Harris administration with Joe Biden as the president."
• Some actually agree with his lower taxes and lower regulations policies, even if they cringe every time he opens his mouth or tweets.
• Some are happy that, in his 3.75 years in office, he's managed not to commit US troops to yet another foreign quagmire, unlike his immediate predecessors.

“Can we all just stipulate that religious whack jobs - not those who believe in God, but those who insist that an omnipotent deity takes an interest in the minutest detail of the lives of mortals - are nuts and move on? Must we call every one of them out individually and use them as the exemplar of Republican voters?”

The lefty tendency to denigrate everyone who disagrees with them as ignorant hicks has lost them at least three elections by my count.
Talk about not having a platform. “The other guy’s supporters are morons” as a campaign platform generates a lot of unintended consequences. Here’s hoping they never learn. If I don’t miss my guess, they are about to lose another election the same way.

I got out of high school over forty years ago. Lost my desire to be one of the “cool kids” very shortly after.

Conan, do you feel that the nice West Virginia couple Koppel was talking to, who believe that God has chosen Trump to serve two terms as President, are “religious whack jobs”?

JD, do you really think they are typical Trump voters?

Ben, please point out where I said they were typical Trump voters.

Conan, do you feel that the nice West Virginia couple Koppel was talking to, who believe that God has chosen Trump to serve two terms as President, are “religious whack jobs”? ~ JD at October 4, 2020 3:18 PM

JD, I don't know that nice West Virginia couple to whom Koppel was talking, so I won't say.

Any description I put upon someone as a "religious whack job" is my own; subject to my own opinions, biases, and experience. I'd prefer more than a second-hand, and likely heavily edited, tale of their proclivities before rendering judgment.

I will go so far as to say that on the basis of the only evidence with which I have been provided, many might lean that way. However, keep in mind that there is no scientific definition of "religious whack job" and far too many people on the political Left stand ready to assign that title to any person who even mildly adheres to religious teachings or admits a belief, however strong, in God.

I don't think God concerns himself if Trump serves one or two terms and has not likely chosen him for any mission in particular.

As for my own religious inclinations, I'll cite Churchill's description of his own relationship with the Church - "I could hardly be called a pillar of the Church. I am more in the nature of a buttress, for I support it from the outside."

That's a great line. I was named for a minister, a close forebear, yet adhere firmly to Bierce's advice.

But you don't need my both-sidesy course of life to see that religious people have a lot of character, and advantages, which elude (or elide) the smugly secular. Everyone readying these words has, probably within the last week, seen the thoughts and behaviors of the left and thought These are people churning in devotion to unseen forces, and who practice this faith in the manner of Inquisition.

Want your wallet back? Drop it front of a church, synagogue or mosque, not in front of the Institute for Investigatory Problematics.

Reviewing FTR—

> this idea that Trump is solely
> responsible for 200,000 deaths
> is absolute bull shit

I actually made it a point to say no such thing. Go back and check!

But SOME number of those deaths, a goodly percentage, and some of literally millions of hours of bedridden torment, accrue on his account. And then there's the collapse of our economy…

He *won*, y'know? He's President of the United States. And as Congress falls ever deeper into its own corrupt torpor, we count on the Executive to crank the machinery which protects us… Transportation policy! Pharmacology! Industrial regulation! And, of course, the blinding, enchanting wattage of his own personal example.

If, in your efforts to feign sophisticated contrarianism, you cannot discern his failures in all these modes of policy and temperament, it matters not at all. History's got a bead on this guy, and it will know what to make of you, inebriated in the Orange Glow, as well.

> Yep, that’s what I

Bite me, Dimples. Bite me.

Don't be butthurt unless you recognize the allusion.

Ahhh JD. So you were just talking about random stuff with no context or significance. Noted. Just to be sociable I will join in. Ahem. The grass is wet. It also needs to be weeded.

That's a great line. I ... adhere firmly to Bierce's advice. ~ Crid at October 4, 2020 5:33 PM

Like Mencken, I enjoyed The Devil's Dictionary and found Bierce's wit to be compatible with my own outlook.

Conservative: (n.) A statesman who is enamored of existing evils, as distinguished from the Liberal, who wishes to replace them with others.

Cynic: (n.) A blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they are, not as they ought to be. Hence the custom among the Scythians of plucking out a cynic's eyes to improve his vision.

Politics: (n.) A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage.

Politician: (n.) An eel in the fundamental mud upon which the superstructure of organized society is reared. When he wriggles he mistakes the agitation of his tail for the trembling of the edifice. As compared with the statesman, he suffers the disadvantage of being alive.