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ComradeKayAdams

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  1. Yikes! A few quotes that stood out to me: 1. Kushner casually remarks how Bibi “maybe” won’t allow Palestinians to return to Gaza. He comes across as disturbingly comfortable with the concept of ethnic cleansing. Sociopaths gonna sociopath, I suppose… 2. Kushner thinks a two-state solution is “a super bad idea” that “would essentially be rewarding an act of terror.” Contrast that with Biden’s statements in which he has at least referred to a two-state solution as the long-term goal. This is presumably the key Gaza crisis policy difference between Biden and Trump. Believe it or not, Trump and the GOP are willingly positioning themselves to the political RIGHT of an ongoing genocide…since there is apparently perfect accordance between Bibi and Trump. Joe Biden is still “Genocide Joe” to me because it’s happening on his presidential watch and because he’s had over 5 months to alter the situation via aggressive diplomacy, suspension of military aid, and/or economic sanctions. Nevertheless…rhetoric at least suggests some faint hope of future course reversal under continued Democrat control. 3. According to Kushner, “if you think about even the construct, Gaza was not really a historical precedent. It was the result of a war. You had tribes in different places and then Gaza became a thing. Egypt used to run it and then over time different governments came in.” Ugh. Can Zionists like this idiot comprehend the irony of such a political statement?? The mindset of settler colonialism is apparently one of pathological brain rot and normalized sociopathy. Ethnic cleansing, collective punishment, and genocide appear to be the inevitable end stage of 75 years of this mindset. Multiple other countries can claim rights to Gaza based on the past several thousand years of history preceding the Nakba: Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, even Greece and Italy lol… What would be the strength of Israel’s claim other than “Western imperialistic might makes right” morality, a few passages in the Torah, and possibly also payback for Samson’s (that hot Biblical guy with great hair) misadventure during his sojourn there?!
  2. Sup, Mup?! THANK YOU SO MUCH for hijacking this ridiculous thread and turning it into a substantive conversation on women’s fashion. Everything that needed to be said here on anthropogenic global warming has probably already been said. I am, sadly, quite familiar with the Martin Durkin/Tom Nelson film, “Climate: The Movie.” If anyone has genuine scientific questions specifically related to this terrible movie, I’ll be happy to discuss them. Otherwise… << Narrator: The collective readership sighs, bracing themselves for another obnoxiously long post… >> Your black dress is fine, Muppy. Don’t let Leh-nerd fashion bully you. For one thing, most black dresses are essentially considered timeless. You can also accessorize it with knee-high boots or a crop top jacket, or you can alter the hemline or the tassels. But don’t be afraid of clothing considered “vintage.” Commie Kay Fashion Fun Fact: I have several uber-vintage dresses that have worked themselves into my semi-regular rotation. I’ve collected Edith Head Hollywood facsimiles that began as Halloween costumes, but now I leisurely wear them out to parks or to Brooklyn hipster house parties and they’re a major hit! If you’re looking in general for a demure style that’s contemporary and classy, I can tell you that maxi dresses are very popular here in NYC (and presumably also in Paris…and Milan, London, etc.). If you want to go bold and contemporary, form-fitting bodycon is the way to go. And you can never go wrong with monochromatic or floral patterns, IMO. PM me for details if you’d like. I’m also curious about the differences between SoCal style trends and Northeast style trends. Even between Manhattan and Brooklyn (and definitely Buffalo!), they can vary considerably. Let us now address The Fundamental Fashion Tao of Commie Kay: 1. Choose a style that’s uniquely YOU: fashion is supposed to be personal, self-descriptive, and artistic. Don’t get too caught up in the latest fads or the uber-competitive milieu that is Paris, the location of Leh-nerd’s film. Also, ignore any Leh-nerd-like misogynistic mocking or bro bromides. Go haute couture if you’d like, but not if it makes you feel internally unsettled (I personally find more fulfillment in the challenge of seeking out clothes that are both inexpensive and fashionable). 2. Accentuate your best attributes and divert from your flaws: Know your body shape, skin tone, and facial features. Having a close friend who is comfortable keeping it real with you is invaluable. If you have Brie Larson abs, dress like Brie Larson. But if you’re mortal…Commie Kay Fashion Cheat Code: skater dresses, patterned hosiery, and heels make a great combo regardless of body type. If you’re in Paris, though, I’d upgrade this to a hemline at least halfway up the thigh, ultra-sheer pantyhose, and 4+ inch heels…IF IT IS IMPERATIVE (despite my previous paragraph’s theme) that your cosmopolitan peers know you are a SARTORIAL SLAYER and that you are NOT. EFFING. AROUND. WITH. FASHION. 3. Stay mindful of what’s appropriate for the occasion: Leh-nerd is making you a hostess in his movie, but he also forward slashed “brothel” with “vegan restaurant.” The difference clearly matters. Further clarification from him is needed. In the meantime, as a hostess of some sort, I would say maybe go with a super cute blazer dress?? P.S. I, too, have a current fashion obsession: this Oscar de la Renta red floral bandage dress that Emily Blunt is modeling below! I think I shall wear this in Leh-nerd’s jejune right-wing propaganda movie. I suppose John Krasinski (bonus points: fellow Polish-American!) could fill in for Tiberius? Poor Tibsy’s crooked smile and lazy eye just won’t work on the silver screen. Gary Oldman (or Gary Busey?! Eek!) can play Irv. George Wendt will play B-Man. Bob Odenkirk will play The Frankish Reich. Sloth from The Goonies will play Leh-nerd, obviously.
  3. Right, but why the sudden urgency to act upon it now?? That’s the point. Organizations like AIPAC exert influence on politicians via campaign donations (a.k.a. bribes). Such is life in American politics, at least until Citizens United v. FEC (2010) is ever overturned. Everyone is waking up to the rank immorality that is American imperialism and Israeli settler colonialism. The proverbial cat is out of the proverbial bag. “Meow,” cries the kitty. Oooh…kitty has claws, too. Kitty go, “Hiss!” Whether or not banning TikTok can prevent (or could have ever prevented) this moral awakening is immaterial at this point, though I’d argue that the truth will always eventually work its way out through other media platforms. The speed at which the truth spreads is the only true variable. Corporate media entities like MSNBC and New York Times are effectively (non-vegan dietary…Bristol stool scale: type 1) turds in the communication toilet for neoliberal Boomer poopers. TikTok, I suppose, is just one of many possible plungers in this really gross and weird analogy. Now SHOULD the government ban TikTok for general reasons of national defense? That’s a different argument, but also a tired one. Of course not. This was essentially debated ad nauseum during the height of the War on Terror, which itself is part of the U.S. security state’s wider ongoing war on personal freedoms since approximately 1945. Banning is also impractical because similar data is collected elsewhere online and can be acquired by any variety of ways that banning one specific foreign app won’t stop. Now WILL the government ban TikTok? Very doubtful that it passes in the Senate or survives the public outcry. Banning it would be economically detrimental and electorally detrimental (especially for Biden, who badly needs Gen Z to come out and vote). BTW, does anyone here disagree with Commie Kay’s framing of Israeli genocide? Then come debate her in Tibsy’s thread, “Israel and the Slaughter in Gaza.” Start with Kay’s 13-point outline on page 183. Refute her argument, point by point.
  4. Yup, basically. Corporate oligarchs and their political minions blame TikTok for Gen Z rejecting Zionist narratives, thereby destabilizing American politics. But the realities of the ongoing Gazan genocide are alone to be blamed for that (see: my 13-point post in the “Israel and the Slaughter in Gaza” thread, page 183). Banning TikTok will only lead to further destabilization of American politics. I’m guessing that it’s probably still defined by partisan politics, but this time outside the left vs. right paradigm and by roughly more of a populist vs. establishment one. I see that all of my people (the progressives, a.k.a. the left-wing populists) correctly voted “no” on the ban: AOC, Jamaal Bowman, Cori Bush, Greg Casar, Maxwell Frost, Pramila Jayapal, Ro Khanna, Summer Lee, Jerry Nadler, Ilhan Omar, Mark Pocan, Ayanna Pressley, Delia Ramirez, etc…Rashida Tlaib didn’t vote for some reason. Trump and MAGA (a.k.a. the right-wing populists), comparably speaking, are almost but not quite as coherent on this issue. We do know that Trump also hates everything China, loves Bibi 100%, and pretty much helped trigger the procession of events leading up to October 7 when he moved the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Furthermore, I do question the “populism” element in right-wing populism because what these politicians purvey is a rebranded Reagan-era platform of laissez-faire economic policies, behind a veil of Christian nationalism, that solely benefit corporate oligarchs and imperialists.
  5. What up, MUP?! I’m classic all the way! Three reasons why: 1. Our logo needs to have swords in it. We are the Buffalo SABRES, after all! 2. The birth of a white bison is a sacred sign to Native Americans, and upstate New York is the sacred land of the Haudenosaunee. 3. Blue and gold are the unofficial colors of New York state (though I’d be open to a change from royal blue to something like Columbia blue…to help distinguish us a bit from the Blues and Predators). The red and black goatheads are a fun alternate uni, however. I’m not a hater. I even like the Buffaslug because of the childhood nostalgia lol… BTW, I love the fact that you’re a complete Buffalo sports loyalist despite being a SoCal gal…and such an infectious optimist, too! When this franchise finally makes the playoffs, there will be an airport team greeting that will rival anything the Bills experienced. All the main pieces are in place right now. We just need to get Cozens and the Skinner-Thompson-Tuch line going like last year. Something like a 12-4-0 season finish is needed…tough, but not impossible.
  6. Note for whomever is reading this discussion: France has never had elective abortion legally available beyond 4 months, nor has there ever been a time in France’s history in which abortion was not regulated in some way. I do need to clarify my use of the phrase, “acute mental distress.” I was referring to serious mental health situations in which the pregnant mother poses a physical health risk to herself…i.e., suicidal ideations. In France, a pregnant female beyond 4 months only needs to convince 1-2 certified therapists or psychologists that this is roughly the situation in which she finds herself. So if she is truly committed to a late-term abortion, then it’s not hard to legally get one. I don’t condone manipulating or lying to a health professional; I’m simply stating the reality of what a French woman can do. Conservatives in the United States would never approve of this type of exception, thus highlighting one of many reasons why current French abortion policy is considered significantly more progressive than Trump’s proposal. My Gawd, Leh-nerd…this emotional diatribe…your time of the month or something?? << Kay hands Leh-nerd a tall glass of cranberry juice to help alleviate his menstrual cramps. >> Are you calm now? Ok, let’s logically address your questions: You should reconsider your stance on the mental health exception (see: clarification above where I distinguish “acute mental distress” from mild cases of depression and anxiety). Since a pregnant female who commits suicide kills the fetus, too, wouldn’t it be better to at least rescue one instead of losing both? In some cases, these situations can’t be resolved in time with medication and talk therapy (…over new parenthood worries, partner separation, career turbulence, etc.). We don’t want to drive these vulnerable women and girls toward seeking out measures of self-harm or very risky back-alley abortions. This is certainly not the most exercised abortion exception, but it’s more common than we’d like among teenagers and women of lower socioeconomic standing. Moreover, only the medical community should be qualified to adjudicate these cases…not the legal one nor the general public. You say we already raise enough tax revenue to support new mothers as needed, but the fact of the matter is that the money doesn’t get to them. The American social safety net is paltry compared to the rest of the Western world, and the United States is the only modern industrialized country in the world without a universal health care system. So we not only force financially and emotionally unprepared mothers to give birth, but we also don’t guarantee these women the proper early motherhood resources (health care, day care, maternity leave, etc.) compared to more rational countries like, say, FRANCE. I would prefer to raise tax revenue for public maternity care with Wall Street speculation taxes, progressive federal income tax structures, military budget reductions, and a few prudent tricks here and there from Modern Monetary Theory. I admittedly haven’t been following Biden’s student loan “boondoggle” too closely, and I also don’t think this is the appropriate place to address such a nuanced topic. But before advocating for major alterations to postsecondary education policy, note that the extreme levels of student loan debt among my generation (in large part due to college educations costs far outpacing inflation-adjusted wage growth since the 1970’s) are highly suboptimal for macroeconomic growth. There. Feel any better, Mr. Grumpy?? << Kay rubs Leh-nerd’s belly, hands him one of her (unused) menstrual pads. >>
  7. Hi Justice, Roughly what percentage of Palestinians would you guess feel the same way currently as you do, regarding a two-state solution with the 1967/Green Line borders? Also, what’s the current sentiment for prospects of a one-state solution? From a complete outsider’s perspective, the one-state solution just seems like the more practical one at this point. I’d also be bothered with having Israeli land situated between a non-contiguous Palestinian country of Gaza plus the West Bank (don’t even get me started with Alaska and Canada…ugh…). Thank you for the kind words, Coffeesforclosers! A few thread pages back, I presented a 13-point argument outlining why Israel is guilty of collective punishment, ethnic cleansing, and genocide. The responses were the usual ad hominems, whataboutisms, and strawmen. Most right-wingers didn’t even bother to respond because they know the argument, 5 full months beyond October 7, is unfortunately unassailable. As for the trolling warnings…believe me, it won’t take much more for this troll-ee to become the troll-er. I’ve been in a foul sports mood all week because I dearly miss Tre White, Poyer, and Morse…and the Sabres are being the Sabres again…(sigh). So the next wrinkly reactionary (wizened Westside, decrepit Doc, tired Tommy Callahan, etc.) to give me a single negative emoticon response is likely in serious trouble. If I may recall a quote from world-renowned Jewish pacifist, Walter Sobchak: “This is what happens when you f*#k a stranger in the a$$.” Oh you know I will, Tibsy! Kay be ROLLING down this forum with a shotgun. These right-wing Boomers ain’t seen a white-skinned leftist chica Since Greg Gutfeld last hosted one. <<< funky Tom Morello guitar sounds >>>
  8. What?! My most recent post to you was 128 words…I just checked with an online copy/paste word counter. Too much?? What a joke. I’ve already outlined for you the stark contrasts between France’s current abortion policy and Trump’s vague abortion proposal. Do with this info what you will. FYI: the bill is historic because it made France the first country to ever have abortion a constitutionally protected right. Throughout French history, abortion has always been regulated to some extent but has become incrementally less so since the 1970’s. It has remained decriminalized in France since the 1970’s. I’m not sure you know what “decriminalization” means. “Womansplaining,” you say? C’est la vie. You entered a female reproductive rights thread with a question, be it genuine or sardonic, that intimated a close similarity between the pro-choice gold standard that is France’s abortion policy and that of Trump’s. My focus here at TBD PPP is to stop the spread of ridiculous right-wing propaganda. As I’ve repeatedly stated, the only commonality between the two is an approximately 15-week temporal limit. Trump won’t even clarify whether abortion rights are to be federally protected up through the first 4 months. He wants to ban many of the blue state laws after 4 months, for sure, but what about some of those red state laws before 4 months? A doctor’s note is needed in France because abortion after 4 months is considered a major medical procedure. That seems like a reasonable minimal request to me and one that ultimately values a woman’s health and safety. In France, I think it might even be two prior consultation notes from health professionals: doctors, therapists, surgeons, etc… In any event, I suppose you are free to interpret this standard as an “illusion of choice,” but let’s not pretend like it’s anything as onerous as mandating the involvement of law enforcement, lawyers, and judges. Also, why do you think acute mental distress is not a valid reason to terminate a pregnancy? What exactly do you know about major depressive disorder and other mental illnesses, and how pregnancy can exacerbate these conditions in women? And once the afflicted mothers are forced to give birth, do you care what happens to the mothers and babies via maternity leave, postnatal health care services, and general financial preparedness for motherhood? Are you willing to have your taxes raised a bit to help these mothers? LOL, thank you for calling me a “moronic parrot.” Spamming falsehoods won’t will them into truths, you know.
  9. I would call those war crimes from Hamas, yes. Your “whataboutism” debate tactics annoy me. You don’t see me arguing that the Arab world should level Haifa and Tel Aviv because of the Gaza genocide. Let’s imagine this scenario: a small group of armed killers are loose in your neighborhood. They are hiding in backyards and bushes and basements…possibly digging tunnels between properties, too. The SWAT team arrives, barricades the neighborhood perimeter, hurriedly tells everyone to leave the premises, proceeds to firebomb all the houses, and ends up killing dozens of residents in the process…including your loved ones! How would you feel?? Would you accept this outcome as the necessary cost of stopping crime? Or would you not-so-politely request that the police force consider more calculated and more precise measures and protocols?
  10. Oh Tommy, there is a certain JE NE SAIS QUOI with your posts… Think about the different components of an abortion law: 1. Temporal limits. 2. List of exceptions. 3. Processes by which exceptions are granted. 4. Any constitutional protections. 5. Federal protections up to the temporal limit (or limits, in cases of state-by-state legislation). 6. Trustworthiness of politicians promoting said law. Now think about what makes France’s current abortion situation different from Trump’s proposal, given the context of these 6 components. Also, make sure you understand what the difference between component #4 and component #5 implies. While your point about the media’s narrative framing is technically true, I also find their framing to be apt. Component #1 is basically the only commonality here between France and Trump. WOAH. Leh-nerd Skin-erd. Now there’s a name I haven’t seen posting in a long time…a long time… In France, I believe it’s 4 full months, technically, from one’s last period. So imagine this scenario: Mademoiselle Adamski casually walking down a street in Paris, listening to “Par Les Paupieres” by Alizee, with a (plant-based) croissant in hand. She’s looking particularly ELECTRIC that day with her blonde highlights and a Chartreuse-colored long-sleeve pencil dress from Les Sublimes, ruched from the waist to the upper thighs. She serendipitously bumps into some guy along the sidewalk who looks like Timothee Chalamet. He cannot resist the scrumptious sight…and I ain’t talkin’ ‘bout that croissant, Leh-nerd!! Long story short because this is a family board (think: 50 Shades of KAY…very hawt…), eight months pass by and everyone’s favorite verbose vegan has a visible baguette in the oven. But the Timothee look-alike is suddenly no longer in the picture because, well, it’s a long story… So Kay visits a therapist and cites the overwhelming mental distress. Or how the Timothee look-alike was actually some rapist who more closely resembled Gerard Depardieu. A quickly signed note or two later and…well…do you now see the contrast between France’s “pro-life” policy and what the pro-life debates are like here in America? Read my previous posts if you’re still confused. Or call on our friend, Muppy, to help explain things. Adieu, - La Kay
  11. Um…ok….well, collective punishment is an official war crime. The total number of Hamas combatants was estimated at about 30,000 last year. The rest of the 2+ million affected Gazans had nothing to do with October 7 and were simply living their lives before Israel initiated the genocide. An overwhelming majority of Gazans never even voted for Hamas back in 2006. And even if they do support Hamas, that’s kind of like saying every American who supported the Bush Jr. administration during the second Iraq War and the Afghanistan War deserved death at the hands of radical Islamic terrorists. Yes, endless war is profitable for the American military-industrial complex. AIPAC campaign donations help, too. Interminable warfare also helps keep Netanyahu and his far-right sociopathic friends in power. I do believe Israel has some sort of end goal, however: full Palestinian land seizure and the hope that the international community takes in the displaced Palestinian population. The bottom line is that Status Quo Joe has plenty of leverage to immediately end this genocide that he chooses not to exercise. Reagan successfully pressured Israel during the 1982 Lebanon War. H.W. Bush played hardball with West Bank settlers in 1991. Biden should be taking a similarly active and aggressive role in negotiations that include demands for a permanent ceasefire, hostage releases, financial remediation, immediate humanitarian relief, and outlines for a two-state (or preferably one-state) solution. Otherwise, all our military aid to Israel should be promptly withheld. One would think that the specter of losing to Trump in November would be ample motivation to BLEEPING do something here!! We’re seeing multiple dead canaries in this Gazan crisis coal mine: the “Uncommitted” primary votes in Michigan (and elsewhere tonight on Super Tuesday??), nationwide poll shifts reflecting a great moral awakening for the plight of Palestinians, and consecutive months with sagging poll numbers behind Trump. This is why I’m beginning to theorize that the DNC and the center-left corporate oligarchs will push to elevate someone like Gretchen Whitmer at the August convention. She is salable as a tabula rasa for the Gaza crisis, checks the female/age/swing state/governorship boxes, is strong on the flagship issue of abortion, and still has progressive oratorical pivoting potential. Regarding my foreign policy cynicism: I rarely mention the good aspects of American foreign policy because too much back-patting distracts from elucidating all the grave problems with American imperialism. That’s just how Commie Kay rolls. I think economic restraints will ultimately prevail in ways that institutions of international law cannot. Israel is rapidly devolving to “pariah state” status. BDS movements are picking up global momentum. Israel’s economy has already shrunk by 20%. Local businesses are suffering from both Israeli conscription and the loss of Gazan migrant workers. The Netanyahu regime is provoking an expensive multi-front war with Hezbollah, Egypt, and other Arab nations. Even the United States may eventually resort to pulling back the purse strings, at the behest of progressive Democrats and all other Americans with a functioning moral compass.
  12. Here ya go, Tibs! The United Nations’ definition of genocide: “Any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such: 1. Killing members of the group. 2. Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group. 3. Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part. 4. Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group. 5. Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.” The definition of ethnic cleansing: “The systematic and forced removal of an ethnic, religious, or racial group from a given area, with the intent of making that area ethnically homogeneous.” The definition of collective punishment: “A punishment imposed on a group for acts allegedly perpetrated by a member of that group.” Other than clause #5 in the genocide criteria, I could argue that Israel is guilty of all of the above. The ICJ has already called the genocide accusation “plausible.” Here is my own list of reasons why I would advance the charge from “plausible” to “probable” (please feel free to edit or add): 1. A completely unacceptable civilian casualty ratio, by historical war standards, of 9.9:1 (this is a 90.8% civilian casualty percentage…34,570 civilian deaths to 3,496 combatant deaths…source: Euro-Med HRM, Feb 23). 2. Woefully inadequate actions taken to prevent famine in Gaza. 3. Two million displaced Gazans, with no apparent plans provided or promises given for returning to their homes. 4. Numerous instances of documented and suspected war crimes, such as the most recent IDF convoy slaughter in northern Gaza. 5. Incendiary and dehumanizing rhetoric from far-right government leaders that indicate genocidal intent. 6. Official Israeli government rejection of any future talks for two-state or one-state solutions. 7. Hostage rescue not appearing to be a high priority, as many Israeli citizen protestors have argued and as the appearance of indiscriminate bombing in Jabalia, Gaza City, and Khan Younis suggests. 8. No articulation of what a “victory” over Hamas would look like, along with a distinct lack of awareness in how their October 7 retribution will multiply manyfold a new generation of Hamas-like terrorists. 9. Evidence of cultural erasure with hundreds of mosques, schools, cemeteries, and heritage sites destroyed. 10. Innumerable attempts to obfuscate and conceal war crimes via bureaucratic lying (UNRWA worker allegations, etc.), preventions of media access inside Gaza, and false propaganda campaigns (Anat Schwartz, etc.)…not to mention attacks on 173 press headquarters and the deaths of 130+ journalists. 11. Guilt by historical context: Zionism’s ideological roots in settler colonialism and the ensuing ethnostate practices of apartheid, violent acts of ethnic cleansing such as the 1948 Nakba, repeatedly broken promises during negotiations with Palestinians, and land seizures like after the 1967 Six-Day War or like the illegal West Bank settlements which are intended to break up Palestinian land contiguity. 12. Guilt by association: Israel existing as a critical Middle Eastern proxy state for an imperialistic sugar daddy, the American Empire…and we Americans are responsible for a litany of our own international ethics violations (disastrous regime-change wars, organized coups, drone strikes, and general labor/resource exploitation throughout the Middle East and the Americas…dating back to the Monroe Doctrine, really). 13. An imminent Rafah invasion that will likely only strengthen the charges against Israel. Note that some of the aforementioned reasons are obviously not crimes, but they are meant to establish INTENT, which is apparently a very critical component of ICJ genocide charges.
  13. Eek! The political tribalism in this thread is truly astounding. But at least the stans for Javier Milei and the stans for Thomas Friedman are united in an acknowledgment that the American middle class is in bad shape and that resuscitating it is good for the overall economy. The questions people should be asking themselves about the middle class: 1. What does the macroeconomic data say about the beginning of its demise in America? 2. What factors, policies, and specific legislation are believed to have contributed to its demise? 3. What factors, policies, and specific legislation can be expected to lead to its recovery? 4. What does GDP growth have to say about its health as well as the health of the other economic classes? 5. How are various inflation metrics correlated with its health and also with the health of the other economic classes? My advice: seek out books or economics research paper reviews for answers to these questions…not social media posts or message board forums for perpetually underachieving pro football teams (<< Kay Adams cry emoji >>).
  14. Oh, I very much doubt we disagree on the “dark” nature of man…though I’ll spare you a boring theoretical rant on Hobbes versus Rousseau! Any disagreement seems to be coming down to a fundamental difference in prioritization. With my public policy support of abortion up to birth, I’m choosing to prioritize the well-being of one group (pregnant women qualifying for a reasonable exception) at the unfortunate expense of not fully protecting another (fetuses that may be terminated for what we may perceive to be disreputable reasons). You can prioritize the latter instead of the former, but remember that the abortion statistics tell us that the latter group happens to be WAY smaller in number than the former. Moreover, I’ve always been personally uncomfortable telling any woman that she MUST endure the challenging experiences of pregnancy and childbirth, no matter the circumstances, when I, myself, have yet to even experience it. Nevertheless…I’m open to compromise. I could accept Trump’s 16-week limit if his list of exceptions was expanded beyond his proffered 3 and if exception-granting powers were shifted from lawyers and judges to doctors and therapists. Bear in mind that this is my own opinion and is not necessarily representative of typical progressives. I’m a centrist on many issues (crime, immigration, guns, political correctness), open to centrist solutions on others (macroeconomics, foreign policy), and am really only an intransigent pinko commie on a couple (health care, environmentalism). Final thought…since I feel like I inadequately explained myself with “dualities” and what not…let’s try a “proof by contradiction,” of sorts. Let’s apply the sentience standard commonly used in the animal rights community. So legally protected life now begins at the point in which pain can be experienced. For human fetuses, this would be some point between 12 and 24 weeks (i.e., the second trimester). Scientists (and philosophers) still debate the specific point at which this becomes a reality, but let’s say it is clearly delineated for the sake of argument. If this is the case, then what legal right do we have to allow ANY abortion exception (including rape) other than the life of the mother? We allow life termination for self-defense, but not for inconvenience! A similar logical fallacy arises in animal rights discussions. If one accepts the sentience standard, then one MUST outlaw free range farming and recreational hunting in addition to the usual: factory farm living conditions, animal entertainment exploitation, and any method of execution deemed torturous. Did this clarify?? So my argument condensed in one sentence: the concept of “legal dualities” is an unavoidable feature accompanying any action of defining and protecting life in a civil society.
  15. Yes, I’m quite familiar with the EU’s abortion policy. It’s far from optimal for many women, especially the ones geographically stuck in Eastern Europe. You’re not defending the existence of every red state abortion law, are you? You don’t see anything unconstitutional with any of them? Is that the debate path you want to take? The COVID lockdown was (ostensibly) about PUBLIC health. Your refusal to get vaccinated affects everyone else’s health in indoor places. The right to PRIVACY is very much still an inalienable right. How do our abortion decisions affect your personal life? Re-read my court-packing threat. That’s the constitutional crisis we’re facing if 5 or 6 unelected individuals keep pushing their retrograde superstitious nonsense on an entire country of ~340 million. Overturning a federal abortion law that had passed through Congress would be catastrophic for the country’s stability and not just for the legitimacy of the Supreme Court. Chief Justice Roberts knows this. If your entire argument reduces to Supreme Court fatalism, then you don’t have much of an argument.
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