Random Thoughts. The Return.

[Strider]

4 hours ago, Bong-Man said:

So much crying here I'm surprised Aaron Rodgers hasn't shown up.

The Republicans chased that 'abortion car' for two generations.  They finally caught it and got their reward.  My problem with their embracing of the Christian Taliban is abortion is just the tip of their reproductive iceberg.  If they had their way, the pill, the morning after pill, condoms, and every other form of birth control would be banned.  Live like us!  Republicans never understood that there is a difference to most woman between being personally against abortion, as opposed to their right of making a choice.  There's no invisible man involved.  It's a legal question between the State and a woman, and though neither choice is perfect, the woman wins every time.  You don't legally get a tax credit until birth.  You're not legally counted on the census until birth.  If you choose to involve religion that's the choice of the individual.  It's not a group decision you get to make for others.  If you want a woman who's on the fence to vote your way, don't involve a bunch of 70 year plus white-haired dudes.

Trump is done.  Ron Desantis is now in the driver's seat of the Republican Party.  He has a good chance of remaking the party's image.  He's smart, well spoken, logical, and young.  However, he needs to drop the smug act for the sake of national appeal.  He's going to struggle on the national stage if he presents himself as, "The Young Trump'.  Be your own man!

Welcome back, Bong-Man! 👍

[hummingbird69]

5 hours ago, Bong-Man said:

So much crying here I'm surprised Aaron Rodgers hasn't shown up.

The Republicans chased that 'abortion car' for two generations.  They finally caught it and got their reward.  My problem with their embracing of the Christian Taliban is abortion is just the tip of their reproductive iceberg.  If they had their way, the pill, the morning after pill, condoms, and every other form of birth control would be banned.  Live like us!  Republicans never understood that there is a difference to most woman between being personally against abortion, as opposed to their right of making a choice.  There's no invisible man involved.  It's a legal question between the State and a woman, and though neither choice is perfect, the woman wins every time.  You don't legally get a tax credit until birth.  You're not legally counted on the census until birth.  If you choose to involve religion that's the choice of the individual.  It's not a group decision you get to make for others.  If you want a woman who's on the fence to vote your way, don't involve a bunch of 70 year plus white-haired dudes.

Trump is done.  Ron Desantis is now in the driver's seat of the Republican Party.  He has a good chance of remaking the party's image.  He's smart, well spoken, logical, and young.  However, he needs to drop the smug act for the sake of national appeal.  He's going to struggle on the national stage if he presents himself as, "The Young Trump'.  Be your own man!

your logic is flawed. First off they will not ban all other forms of birth control.  IT's been around for many many years and it has never been a talking point for any serious candidate on either side.  They may not count the baby in the census and yeah they don't get a tax credit until they are born but born or unborn they certainly owe a ton of money and the amount they owe is only growing. Know how I know they do consider an unborn baby as being alive? Try killing a pregnant woman and if the baby dies as well you will be charged with double murder that means the baby is very much a person even before being born.

As far as trump being done. I highly doubt that yet. He still has plenty of time to make or break his next run but for now he is still the head of the republican party.  He still has plenty of supporters, maybe you haven't seen the hundreds of thousands of people (collectively)  turning out for his rallies in every state. If desantis is smart he'll take the back seat for now and if trump does get elected he should watch how trump deals with foreign powers, learn a something, continue to clean up his state and run in 28.

[chillumpuffer]

22 minutes ago, hummingbird69 said:

As far as trump being done. I highly doubt that yet. He still has plenty of time to make or break his next run but for now he is still the head of the republican party.  He still has plenty of supporters, maybe you haven't seen the hundreds of thousands of people (collectively)  turning out for his rallies in every state. If desantis is smart he'll take the back seat for now and if trump does get elected he should watch how trump deals with foreign powers, learn a something, continue to clean up his state and run in 28.

Oh, please bring back The Orange Whip. The world is a far more miserable place without him. Yes, learn something from the syrup wearer, like bleach will get rid of Covid or he actually won the last election. Priceless. We used to think Ronnie was a fuckwit - until Donny turned up.

[hummingbird69]

2 hours ago, chillumpuffer said:

Oh, please bring back The Orange Whip. The world is a far more miserable place without him. Yes, learn something from the syrup wearer, like bleach will get rid of Covid or he actually won the last election. Priceless. We used to think Ronnie was a fuckwit - until Donny turned up.

I can see by your statements that you're a total idiot. I'll tell you something else,  I don't need trump or anyone to tell me that what I saw happening in the election was totally incongruent with what I've seen over the past 50 years so think what you want about it. 

BTW, Trump never said bleach would get rid of covid or that you COULD use it. He said imagine if it were that easy, imagine if you could just use bleach and be cured. It's called tongue in cheek, it's meaning less but for people like yourself who listen to the likes of rachel madcow,, or coumo, sonny hostin, joy reed. They say did you see what he said and then they misconstrue the truth like a hog eats shit. 

Under trump I had plenty of extra money for saving, for the kids, for what ever I wanted and in 22 months of your people your vote thats all gone. Now  I have none of that. You can have biden.

You know, Its funny,  Everything the left said trump was going to do or not do they have done and not done in spades.  Trump was this close to securing the border, biden opened it wide. Stock market was supposed to crash it went waaaay up, under bideon it crashed so many times that all the gains made under trump have been erased. Trump kept rocket man down, Now he firing multiple missiles and threatening war with SK. Trump decimated isis, Biden got 13 of our soldiers killed in the worst military debacle of my life. Trump Kept russia and china in check! Now russia is sucking up what ever territory it can.  MY God! trump was supposed to start WW III  but now what's happening? YOUR people your vote has us in another stupid war and brought us to the brink of WW III.   You keep your people I'll vote for orange man bad over brandon any day.

[Strider]

39 minutes ago, hummingbird69 said:

I can see by your statements that you're a total idiot. I'll tell you something else,  I don't need trump or anyone to tell me that what I saw happening in the election was totally incongruent with what I've seen over the past 50 years so think what you want about it. 

BTW, Trump never said bleach would get rid of covid or that you COULD use it. He said imagine if it were that easy, imagine if you could just use bleach and be cured. It's called tongue in cheek, it's meaning less but for people like yourself who listen to the likes of rachel madcow,, or coumo, sonny hostin, joy reed. They say did you see what he said and then they misconstrue the truth like a hog eats shit. 

Under trump I had plenty of extra money for saving, for the kids, for what ever I wanted and in 22 months of your people your vote thats all gone. Now  I have none of that. You can have biden.

You know, Its funny,  Everything the left said trump was going to do or not do they have done and not done in spades.  Trump was this close to securing the border, biden opened it wide. Stock market was supposed to crash it went waaaay up, under bideon it crashed so many times that all the gains made under trump have been erased. Trump kept rocket man down, Now he firing multiple missiles and threatening war with SK. Trump decimated isis, Biden got 13 of our soldiers killed in the worst military debacle of my life. Trump Kept russia and china in check! Now russia is sucking up what ever territory it can.  MY God! trump was supposed to start WW III  but now what's happening? YOUR people your vote has us in another stupid war and brought us to the brink of WW III.   You keep your people I'll vote for orange man bad over brandon any day.

Calling people a 'total idiot' is always a good way to get people to see your point of view.

Edited November 10, 2022 by Strider

[hummingbird69]

3 hours ago, Strider said:

Calling people a 'total idiot' is always a good way to get people to see your point of view.

 Listen, anyone who thinks trump said people could or should drink bleach is just trolling or maybe he really believes that shit IDK. If he does then he's an idiot in my book.

[chillumpuffer]

8 hours ago, hummingbird69 said:

I can see by your statements that you're a total idiot 🥱

Thanks for that. I'm almost flattered. However, I don't feel the need to revert to insults and I won't waste my time in doing so.

 It's called tongue in cheek

I'm British. We know a lot about irony and comic effect.

 

 

 

 

 

[redrum]

19 hours ago, SteveAJones said:

What I want to know is how is everyone going to fit in South Dakota? From what I can see, the other 49 states are essentially unhabitable for sane people.

😄 Good  question. Too damned cold there for me. 

[SteveAJones]

22 hours ago, Bong-Man said:

The Republicans chased that 'abortion car' for two generations.  They finally caught it and got their reward.  My problem with their embracing of the Christian Taliban is abortion is just the tip of their reproductive iceberg.  If they had their way, the pill, the morning after pill, condoms, and every other form of birth control would be banned.  Live like us!  Republicans never understood that there is a difference to most woman between being personally against abortion, as opposed to their right of making a choice.  There's no invisible man involved.  It's a legal question between the State and a woman, and though neither choice is perfect, the woman wins every time.  You don't legally get a tax credit until birth.  You're not legally counted on the census until birth.  If you choose to involve religion that's the choice of the individual.  It's not a group decision you get to make for others.  If you want a woman who's on the fence to vote your way, don't involve a bunch of 70 year plus white-haired dudes.

The abortion debate is often framed as a moral argument or presented in the context of gender politics, which you have done here.  It should be framed solely as a legal argument, and the fact is there is no Constitutionally protected right to abortion. Roe v. Wade, an absurd and deeply flawed SCOTUS decision, fabricated a Constitutional right to abortion where none exists on the premise of privacy concerns. All that said, I fully realize we no longer live in a rational nation.  

   

[SteveAJones]

14 hours ago, hummingbird69 said:

YOUR people your vote has us in another stupid war and brought us to the brink of WW III.   

Anyone ever notice the Biden Administration funnels billions of US taxpayer's dollars to their criminal friends with DoD contracts to fight a meaningless and unwinnable proxy war against Putin in the Ukraine? 

[Bong-Man]

58 minutes ago, SteveAJones said:

The abortion debate is often framed as a moral argument or presented in the context of gender politics, which you have done here.  It should be framed solely as a legal argument, and the fact is there is no Constitutionally protected right to abortion. Roe v. Wade, an absurd and deeply flawed SCOTUS decision, fabricated a Constitutional right to abortion where none exists on the premise of privacy concerns. All that said, I fully realize we no longer live in a rational nation.  

   

What you refer to as gender politics is actually biological reality.  The legal argument could just as easily be 'there are no constitutional rights for the unborn' from an originalist's point of view.  We could argue that nonsense all day.  From a political standpoint, the Republicans were convinced the abortion issue was a non-factor in this election.  Yet the ladies and Generation Z showed up to vote, and fear of crime and an open border clearly wasn't on most of their agendas.  One has to look no farther than our own State to see the results. The wave was blue & female. Now some Republicans are so confused they're actually discussing raising the voting age as their solution to their new young problem. What nonsense. I'd suggest the Republicans give their platform an edit job to reflect the times, but I'm pretty sure that beyond prosecuting their enemies, they still don't have one.                 .

[Walter]

1 minute ago, Bong-Man said:

What you refer to as gender politics is actually biological reality.  The legal argument could just as easily be 'there are no constitutional rights for the unborn' from an originalist's point of view.  We could argue that nonsense all day.  From a political standpoint, the Republicans were convinced the abortion issue was a non-factor in this election.  Yet the ladies and Generation Z showed up to vote, and fear of crime and an open border clearly wasn't on most of their agendas.  One has to look no farther than our own State to see the results. The wave was blue & female. Now some Republicans are so confused they're actually discussing raising the voting age as their solution to their new young problem. What nonsense. I'd suggest the Republicans give their platform an edit job to reflect the times, but I'm pretty sure that beyond prosecuting their enemies, they still don't have one.                 .

Truth. Their only answer is to limit vote. Make it as difficult for people to exercise their right to vote as possible. Very exciting to see the next generation standing up to be counted. 

[Bong-Man]

19 hours ago, hummingbird69 said:

your logic is flawed. First off they will not ban all other forms of birth control.  IT's been around for many many years and it has never been a talking point for any serious candidate on either side.  Know how I know they do consider an unborn baby as being alive? Try killing a pregnant woman and if the baby dies as well you will be charged with double murder that means the baby is very much a person even before being born.

As far as trump being done. I highly doubt that yet. He still has plenty of time to make or break his next run but for now he is still the head of the republican party.  He still has plenty of supporters, maybe you haven't seen the hundreds of thousands of people (collectively)  turning out for his rallies in every state. If desantis is smart he'll take the back seat for now and if trump does get elected he should watch how trump deals with foreign powers, learn a something, continue to clean up his state and run in 28.

Quote

They may not count the baby in the census and yeah they don't get a tax credit until they are born but born or unborn they certainly owe a ton of money and the amount they owe is only growing.

We're charging the 'unborn'?  um, okay.

I never said it would be banned.  I'm claiming certain religious groups are against all forms of birth control, and if they had their way, it would be.  Catholics are the 2nd largest Christian group in America.  Except for some rare medical conditions, using any kind of birth control is still considered a 'mortal sin'.  It's the rhythm method.  In fact, Michigan's Catholic church just released their response to the passing of State Proposition 3 (abortion rights).      Archbishop: Catholics must do penance after Proposal 3 approved (freep.com)  Get on your knees, pray, starve yourself, and give us money to fight the cause.

Trump is done.  Even if he's foolish enough to run, America has moved on.  Any realistic Republican now knows that's true.  There's a generational change pounding on the political door.  They shocked everyone by actually showing up at the polls, and get ready, because they've figured out how to play the game, and they care.    

[hummingbird69]

Every hear of the national debt?  Every American owes from the minute they are born. Future generation will owe even more long before they are born.

You may not have to pay it until you start working but you are on the hook the moment you are born. Get it??

https://www.justfacts.com/nationaldebt.asp

https://www.pgpf.org/next-gen#:~:text=On top of all this,to %2445 trillion by 2032.

Quantifying the National Debt

Current

 

* As of November 1, 2022, the U.S. Treasury’s official figure for the debt of the federal government is $31.2 trillion, or more precisely, $31,211,733,641,874.[7] This equates to:

 

• $93,655 for every person living in the U.S.[8]
• $240,218 for every household in the U.S.[9]
• 68% more than the combined consumer debt of every household in the U.S.[10]
• 6.5 times annual federal revenues.[11]
• 125% of annual U.S. economic output (GDP).[12]

 

* During 2021 while the national debt was around 130% of GDP,[13] some journalists and commentators claimed it was around 100%.[14] [15] [16] [17] This differential is because the figures around 100% don’t account for the full national debt but omit a portion of it called “debt held by government accounts.”[18] [19] [20] For more facts about this issue, see the section below on government accounting.

 

The Next Generation Will Know Debt Like No Other.

They are burdened by record student debt. They are entering the workforce during a time of unprecedented economic uncertainty, in a nation with crumbling infrastructure, a climate in crisis, and rising inequality.

On top of all this, they will inherit a costly legacy in the form of America’s national debt. Today it already stands at $30 trillion. But it will rise rapidly in the coming years, growing to $45 trillion by 2032.

Young Americans are set to inherit a budget and economy that leaves them worse off than their parents and less prepared to respond to future crises — the opposite of the American dream. Just as climate change and inequality pose significant challenges to our future, so too does our unsustainable fiscal outlook, which threatens not only our economy, but key safety net programs which are so critical to vulnerable Americans.

[redrum]

Saw here recently in 'My Dear Secretary' with Kirk Douglas. 

[Strider]

11+11=22

[SteveAJones]

13 hours ago, Bong-Man said:

What you refer to as gender politics is actually biological reality.  The legal argument could just as easily be 'there are no constitutional rights for the unborn' from an originalist's point of view.  

Hold on. Your side can't have it both ways. You can't insist a biological male in a dress is a female or hesitate to define what a woman is and then readily cite "biological reality" as a basis for anything.

There are no constitutional rights for the unborn, just as there is no constitutional right to abortion. The difference is a deeply flawed SCOTUS decision in 1973 asserted there is a constitutional right to abortion. 

Edited November 12, 2022 by SteveAJones

[SteveAJones]

13 hours ago, Walter said:

Truth. Their only answer is to limit vote. Make it as difficult for people to exercise their right to vote as possible. Very exciting to see the next generation standing up to be counted. 

They stand up to be counted when there's a Big Government social welfare net at stake or a handout in it for them. Otherwise, they are on their knees contemplating which bathroom they should choose.   

[SteveAJones]

12 hours ago, Bong-Man said:

Except for some rare medical conditions, using any kind of birth control is still considered a 'mortal sin'.  It's the rhythm method.  

There is also abstinence, as a by the way.

[SteveAJones]

Biden/Fetterman 2024! It's a no brainer!

 

[redrum]

3 hours ago, SteveAJones said:

Biden/Fetterman 2024! It's a no brainer!

 

😄

[Bong-Man]

9 hours ago, SteveAJones said:

There is also abstinence, as a by the way.

Yep, but considering the Catholic church still views self-gratification as a sin and considering the anger that currently prevails in our society, I personally feel we're probably much better off not having a bunch of dudes in their 20's and 30's walking around with one constantly stuck in the chamber.  Just my personal view.  Besides, history suggests that most attempts to limit such human activity towards the young have failed miserably. 

I was raised in a strong Catholic family and I'm the heathen.  But I also understand that scientific studies suggest that people with any kind of religious faith tend to lead a more satisfying existence.  I've also lived long enough to understand "Do What thou Wilt" has its' limitations.  

[Bong-Man]

22 hours ago, hummingbird69 said:

Every hear of the national debt?  Every American owes from the minute they are born. Future generation will owe even more long before they are born.

You may not have to pay it until you start working but you are on the hook the moment you are born. Get it??

https://www.justfacts.com/nationaldebt.asp

https://www.pgpf.org/next-gen#:~:text=On top of all this,to %2445 trillion by 2032.

Quantifying the National Debt

Current

 

* As of November 1, 2022, the U.S. Treasury’s official figure for the debt of the federal government is $31.2 trillion, or more precisely, $31,211,733,641,874.[7] This equates to:

 

• $93,655 for every person living in the U.S.[8]
• $240,218 for every household in the U.S.[9]
• 68% more than the combined consumer debt of every household in the U.S.[10]
• 6.5 times annual federal revenues.[11]
• 125% of annual U.S. economic output (GDP).[12]

 

* During 2021 while the national debt was around 130% of GDP,[13] some journalists and commentators claimed it was around 100%.[14] [15] [16] [17] This differential is because the figures around 100% don’t account for the full national debt but omit a portion of it called “debt held by government accounts.”[18] [19] [20] For more facts about this issue, see the section below on government accounting.

 

The Next Generation Will Know Debt Like No Other.

They are burdened by record student debt. They are entering the workforce during a time of unprecedented economic uncertainty, in a nation with crumbling infrastructure, a climate in crisis, and rising inequality.

On top of all this, they will inherit a costly legacy in the form of America’s national debt. Today it already stands at $30 trillion. But it will rise rapidly in the coming years, growing to $45 trillion by 2032.

Young Americans are set to inherit a budget and economy that leaves them worse off than their parents and less prepared to respond to future crises — the opposite of the American dream. Just as climate change and inequality pose significant challenges to our future, so too does our unsustainable fiscal outlook, which threatens not only our economy, but key safety net programs which are so critical to vulnerable Americans.

I get it, and a pretty good reason for that age group to get involved in the political process earlier than most.  I'm also glad you chose not to mention which political party is responsible for that debt, because you already know the obvious answer is both.

[SteveAJones]

15 hours ago, Bong-Man said:

I was raised in a strong Catholic family...

I as well. Completed all the traditional sacraments to the age of 18. Soon after, my inquisitive nature gave way to doubt and distrust about what I was raised to believe. Specifically, I asked one of our priests why was Christmas celebrated on December 25th when there is no evidence to support that being the date of Christ's birth. I was astonished when he told me he didn't know. I thought to myself, how could you not?  I looked into it myself. Come to find out December 25th was a feast day for Mithras, the Persian God championed by the Roman Army. Come to find out most days of significance on the Catholic feast day were chosen to "erase" pagan feast days. Then there was "no meat on Friday's". Why not? God himself never commanded it; this was church doctrine. Come to find out it was concocted to benefit the fish merchants, who would otherwise see a good portion of their harvest spoil over the weekends. On and on. The last straw for me was at the age of 19. The parishioners my age had decided the traditional mass was too dull, and wanted to incorporate acoustic guitar into the Sunday mass music. The music director was a traditionalist who insisted upon choir and pipe organ for mass. Fair enough, but clergy and staff did not even offer to discuss alternatives with us, and many of us perceived that as "sit down and shut up". I wasn't interested in those terms given I had become an adult. I walked out and have never looked back. That said, the Bible really is a reliable set of operating instructions for how to lead a righteous life. Unfortunately, it's often misinterpreted, misunderstood and misapplied to contemporary social issues in my opinon.   

[cryingbluerain]

Wide open border, crime out of control in the major cities, fentanyl killing our kids, inflation up the wazoo, stock market meltdown, etc. etc. and apparently people want more of the same.