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26th May 2018, 12:03 PM | #721 |
Nasty Woman
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26th May 2018, 12:05 PM | #722 |
Dark Lord of the JREF
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"The truth is out there. But the lies are inside your head." |
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26th May 2018, 12:09 PM | #723 |
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Gunter Haas, the 'leading British expert,' was a graphologist who advised couples, based on their handwriting characteristics, if they were compatible for marriage. I would submit that couples idiotic enough to do this are probably quite suitable for each other. It's nice when stupid people find love. - Ludovic Kennedy |
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26th May 2018, 12:15 PM | #724 |
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26th May 2018, 12:17 PM | #725 |
Dark Lord of the JREF
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"The truth is out there. But the lies are inside your head." |
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26th May 2018, 12:26 PM | #726 |
Nasty Woman
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Meanwhile in upside down land:
Quote:
From Fox News:
Quote:
Quote:
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26th May 2018, 02:42 PM | #727 |
Penultimate Amazing
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Where is the First Lady?
She seems to have disappeared, no one has seen her since she reportedly went in to hospital. Was that a sink hole in the Whitehouse grounds or a shallow grave? |
26th May 2018, 03:39 PM | #728 |
Cowardly Lurking in the Shadows of Greatness
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You don't recover from surgery overnight. Give her a month at least.
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Normal is just a stereotype. |
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26th May 2018, 04:00 PM | #729 |
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Cain: Don't be a homo. Diablo: What's that supposed to mean? Cain: It's a heteronormative remark meant to be taken at face-value. |
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26th May 2018, 04:04 PM | #730 |
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Cain: Don't be a homo. Diablo: What's that supposed to mean? Cain: It's a heteronormative remark meant to be taken at face-value. |
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26th May 2018, 05:15 PM | #731 |
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Why stop there? How about totting up the number of, say, kids killed in school shootings since 2012? Or the number of citizens killed by family members? Or the number of those who've committed suicide? In other words, deaths by fellow citizens and not gangs or terrorists.
MS-13 is made out by some to be a scourge of frightful proportion, but actually pales in comparison to the mayhem perpetrated by otherwise 'legal' and even 'peaceful' citizens. If so much pearl clutching and hand wringing is warranted in respect of MS-13, what about the far larger issues which logically command priority? This kind of upside down prioritizing bespeaks of a frightful and widespread ignorance which only assists in the breaking down of norms and the hastening toward fascism. The 'man in the street' interviews as done in the past by Jay Leno were conducted in a fashion more good natured and given to gentle ribbing. But the underlying fact was distressingly apparent; a too-large segment of society is woefully ill equipped to be responsible guardians of democracy. At least some small measure of effort could be devoted to becoming aware of even just the roughest outlines of important societal issues, at the expense of knowing in the minutest detail the irrelevant desiterata of pop, celebrity and sports culture. To focus on the circuses exclusively is to miss what is being done with the levers of power. And to be too ignorant to discern the hoodwinking only hastens the decay of society. History shows that *every* great civilization goes into decline. The signs point to this current Western civilization as fading. Why hurry it along, unless one is of the Christian evangelical persuasion, a death cult for whom the prophesied end times cannot come soon enough. |
26th May 2018, 07:02 PM | #732 |
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26th May 2018, 08:15 PM | #733 |
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The solution is not control by elites, either corporate or government, it's having an educated population, engaged in the issues and able to select representatives that can see beyond short-term selfish goals.
Of course the US isn't a democracy, you select your head of state giving more credence to land, not to people. It's the perfect metaphor for the US, valuing things that can be purchased over people. |
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26th May 2018, 09:00 PM | #734 |
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My final two paragraphs argue for the best solution; an educated electorate. We see folk who can rattle off sports statistics like human computer databases, or others who seemingly know more about celebrities than they know about themselves, but not be able to name their current Vice President, or immediately previous President, for instance. That's a shameful degree of ignorance.
Of course, such clueless-about-politics dolts probably never vote anyway. But that's too bad, too. Wide participation is better than a small number determining the course of events. As long as all are halfway informed. Because with lower participation, the impact of that fraction of credulous, deluded, partisan supporters of a dangerous demagogue is all the more crucially felt. I believe most on the 'left' would not advocate for some elitist scheme to disenfranchise those who are deemed ignorant, or who espouse different viewpoints. Rather, we would far and away prefer to see that the citizenry is armed with facts and possesses sufficient knowledge, understanding and discrimination to make *informed* decisions. You on the 'right' would project upon your opponents those practices you yourselves engage in, such as voter suppression tactics like I.D. requirements, restricted hours in which to vote coupled with too few polling stations. As to the US qualifying as a democracy... She would nonetheless seem to work--or once have worked--mightily in paying lip service to promoting democracy (along that package of qualities including Truth, Justice and the American Way.) |
27th May 2018, 02:35 AM | #735 |
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The uncorrupted vote is essential to having a healthy country. ID laws are very simple and easy to comply with. If you’re too dumb to have an ID, you shouldn’t vote. I find I fascinating you’re on about being educated in civics but you’re having a problem with voter ID?
And the thought of a person with no ID being so busy they can’t vote within the time frame is absolutely hilarious, it’s been one day to vote for how many years, but the low education democrat voter just can’t get it done. Lol I also find it hilarious you think the left wouldn’t disenfranchise the voter, the left has been hiding what they truly believe for decades. Why do you think NO ONE wants to be called a leftist? |
27th May 2018, 02:37 AM | #736 |
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27th May 2018, 02:49 AM | #737 |
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I don't trust atoms. They make up everything. |
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27th May 2018, 02:56 AM | #738 |
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27th May 2018, 04:01 AM | #739 |
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So the better situation is to have the minority dictate over the majority? Like installing the candidate who gets over 3 million fewer votes? Like permitting extreme Gerrymandering that nets a win with less support? That's to be preferred, is it? By that reasoning, shouldn't we *always* install the candidate with the *least* support?
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27th May 2018, 04:25 AM | #740 |
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One way to try to appreciate how Trump supporters have completely deluded themselves into utter blindness...
Recall the televised Cabinet meeting shortly after the Parkland school shooting. Trump was in a seemingly conciliatory mood. At one point, where the discussion concerned the prospective handling of those exhibiting dangerous tendencies, he stated something along the lines of, "Take the guns first, then due process second." Imagine if Obama had ever said such a thing? As a body the right would have blown aneurysms in their enraged apoplexy. Now, in the case of Trump it can certainly be argued that his minders would most likely steer him from pursuing any course which would be so egregious to the rightist hive. But it's worth bearing in mind that his instability and unpredictability could render as possible that in a sufficient fit of pique he could take most any precipitous action. That's one aspect of the Faustian bargain the right has made in hoisting Trump to power. To them, an unstable man-child is the preferred person to represent their nation because they think he's controllable. Well, watch out when Meuller and co. close in. The until now seeming Teflon Donnie is gonna lash out like a cornered animal, and many of the enablers will rue the day they switched off their brains and went over to the orange side. It's gonna end in tears for a lot o' fools. |
27th May 2018, 05:03 AM | #741 |
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27th May 2018, 05:47 AM | #742 |
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27th May 2018, 05:51 AM | #743 |
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27th May 2018, 06:17 AM | #744 |
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"You have done nothing to demonstrate an understanding of scientific methodology or modern skepticism, both of which are, by necessity, driven by the facts and evidence, not by preconceptions, and both of which are strengthened by, and rely upon, change." - Arkan Wolfshade |
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27th May 2018, 06:20 AM | #745 |
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There is only one where multiple states participate.
ETA: actually it is extremely consistent with those 500,000 elections. All those elections are handled entirely by populations in a single state. Electors are handled in a single state. Having populations across multiple states vote for a single office would be unique. |
27th May 2018, 06:28 AM | #746 |
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I suppose, but even the way the Senate is set up modifies pure majority rule, at least in the legislative branch, does it not? What I mean is, Alaska has exactly the same representation in the Senate as California.
I'm not so much making a case for the Electoral College, so much as asserting a case can be made. |
27th May 2018, 06:32 AM | #747 |
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"A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep." "Ninety percent of the politicians give the other ten percent a bad reputation." |
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27th May 2018, 07:48 AM | #748 |
Nasty Woman
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The Senate sucks as well for the same reasons. My votes don't count as much as minority right wingers. It wasn't as much of an issue when the Congress was more bipartisan. Now that the country is so divided it's a serious issue. Add in that the far right controls the GOP, they are trying to suppress votes, gerrymandering more, and stuffing the federal court system with religious and Ayn Rand ideologues and you have a Constitutional disaster unfolding.
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27th May 2018, 08:12 AM | #749 |
Penultimate Amazing
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I don't trust atoms. They make up everything. |
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27th May 2018, 08:37 AM | #750 |
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27th May 2018, 09:10 AM | #751 |
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27th May 2018, 11:14 AM | #752 |
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Caption from and old New Yorker cartoon - Why am I shouting? Because I'm wrong!" |
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27th May 2018, 12:40 PM | #753 |
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Todays tweeting starts
"Fantastic to have 400,000 GREAT MEN & WOMEN of Rolling Thunder in D.C. showing their patriotism. They love our Country, they love our Flag, they stand for our National Anthem! Thanks to Executive Director Artie Muller." |
27th May 2018, 12:54 PM | #754 |
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27th May 2018, 12:56 PM | #755 |
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27th May 2018, 01:20 PM | #756 |
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27th May 2018, 02:10 PM | #757 |
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27th May 2018, 02:31 PM | #758 |
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27th May 2018, 02:54 PM | #759 |
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Checks and balances refers to the roles of the three co-equal branches of government. It has nothing to do with voting. The presidency and the VP are probably the only -- certainly the only major -- public offices in America where the winner of the election isn't necessarily the candidate who received the most votes.
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27th May 2018, 07:31 PM | #760 |
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