Bob in Mich

It is a tough place to have a productive conversation. I know first hand. I thought that with different age groups, economic groups, occupations, geographic locations, etc, that this forum should foster some informative discussions. Rarely happens for several reasons, imo. First and most understandable is that posters very often post to try to make a joke. Often these are 'inside jokes' among the veteran posters which are obviously going to be misunderstood by the newbies. Beyond that, most posters here are rarely funny. Swings and misses are the norm but those interrupt just the same. It is common to imply new posters are fools, especially if bucking the veterans' opinions. New users naturally become defensive as it can feel one is being attacked from several directions. Thought leaders here have a shtick where they insult posters and call them idiots. Apparently hilarious to many, though I put these guys on ignore years ago, as I would recommend. The ignore function can keep the trolls from sidetracking. Also, in a productive conversation one feels free to ask questions or to offer ideas that need vetting. Here, apparently only a fool doesn't know everything already or hasn't already done their own research. Brainstorming is impossible here. Finally, there is an obsession with 'winning' the discussion. Hard to know if this is just an internet persona thing or has this forum in fact attracted a bunch of needy personalities.

Has me thinking about the armed teacher solution. It is not likely that teacher will be wearing body armor every school day. Likely they will have a pistol. The attacker may be far better armed and far better protected. As we just saw from the cop/guard, human nature is not easy to overcome, even to the well trained. It may occur to the teacher that they may be quickly killed if they confront a gunman. Now if I am hiding in the closet I would rather have a gun than not but to expect someone taken off guard, outgunned, and facing 'combat' for the first time ever to be successful is asking a lot.

Hey Levi, I thought I read at some point that you are a police officer. A serious question if that is the case. Don't more citizens with guns make policing more difficult? It seems it would make those every day traffic stops more dangerous. Do you find that most police want less/no restrictions on guns, sort of like yourself, or are more in favor of restrictions? What are your thoughts?

Well....alright then....lol. Good reply. I thought it was you talking about the unchangeability but maybe it was another poster.

Then you must be a helluva lot different than your online persona. On-line you don't come across very warmly. I wouldn't trust you to care for my fishing worms let alone my children.

I have seen a lot of your posts. I think your neighbors would happily shoot you. Just guessin

Would religious scholars, in your opinion, claim the US Constitution was written by men or God? Assuming you agree that men wrote it and men have changed it in the past, why in God's name is the document so sacred that to discuss changing it again is so unthinkable? I think changes to gun rules - not grabbing my guns or yours - could fit under the current 2nd Amendment language btw, but that is a second argument

Don't flatter yourself. I think you are lowly scumbag trolls.

DR, Guess what. I made a mistake and read your post. FU So, now I called you a Russian troll too, eh? If it fits I guess, but you might see who I quoted. Interesting though that you feel the need to defend yourself against that. Maybe you are the troll. After all, you certainly are trying to disparage important institutions in our country. You are saying pretty much everyone and their extended families throughout our government are all conspiring. Huh, it was you all the time. I would apologize to 33 but I still think he is a Russian.

After your cover is blown, how long do you Russian trolls typically stick around with the 'old name' before you reinvent yourself as a new poster? Do you just finish out the week or what?

Hey 33 I wanted to tell you, I really miss hearing your anthem at these Olympics. Such a shame that an uplifting song as the Russian anthem is not played at medal ceremonies.

The gun grabbers vs gun nuts. Hard to find common ground when you start there. I guess labeling in this fashion makes folks feel justified in not looking for any possible solutions.

Big Cat, run for your life. This friggin lamprey (DR) will never leave you if you ask difficult questions. You will be called a traitor and a pedophile for not buying his steaming pile of horseshit. You will be told that you can't think for yourself. You should run now. I have seen this pattern play out several times now.

I disagree and I'm a fool, why? Is it because I didn't feel impelled to respond to the post about different countries having different reasonable price points for extraction? If the poster wants to press a point, let him. I didn't see anything worth replying to. Why are you involved again?

DR, I have not bothered to read your posts for quite some time now and will put you on ignore after typing this. I do not quote or respond to you any longer. You have seen that, yet you persist. FU for your pages of insults you !@#$ing-loon. What part of 'I am tired of replying to your 'torrents of crap' did you not get? Yet you continue to spew more and more crap. I am not interested in reading your BS, precisely because I have thought for myself. So, FU What part of 'Please, please, don't reply to me unless I quote you' did you not comprehend? You are not conversing any longer. You are harrassing so again, FU Did you ever accidentally make eye contact with a crazy person? Soon the guy is 5 inches from your face ranting about the CIA's lizard people poisoning us all. YOU, ARE THAT RANTING CRAZY PERSON THAT WON'T GET OUT OF MY FACE. FU, you degenerate. I desperately wish I had never made eye contact and thought you might get weary of trying to engage. You are a monumental jerk. Not just obsessed, but a confrontational jerk. FU and go the !@#$ away. Devote as much time as you like in replying but know it is not to me. Again, FU, dickhead

Were you in favor of the name change from Leningrad to St Petersburg? Seems like a slap in the face to a great leader, no?

https://www.wordhippo.com/what-is/the/russian-word-for-24b86618cfdf52dc0b2384627ec0e9eaf91d16b4.html Hey 33, which of those words is the correct Russian word for the type of trolling you do here?

What is your point? Hillary may have restricted fracking? Btw, we know that Rosenstein explicitly stated that the Russians favored Trump heading into the election.

Energy prices are not set by US presidents, even Trump. The world oil market is not under the control of the president. I understand you are claiming a Trump election means more supply and lower prices for Russia. The problem with that is that if the supply is high and prices are low, US companies reduce production until the prices go up again. Companies operating in the US will bring oil/gas up when it is profitable. If not profitable, they won't. Trump may want more production but companies try to maximize their shareholders' value. I don't think the US president - Trump or Clinton - would have greatly impacted world markets for long

It is hard to imagine a president that could be more divisive and supposedly the Russian goal was to promote divisions. How do you feel about the overall atmosphere in the US in the last year or so? I agree people were divided during the late Bush and Obama administrations but to me, it seems worse than ever. Look at Trump's cabinet picks. Some of those appear to be made by Putin himself in order to get the sanctions removed. Perhaps Putin has compromat on Tillerson, Flynn, Trump, Wilbur Ross, and even non cabinet member Kushner. Maybe troubling personal or financial information would allow Putin some level of leverage over all of these men and that is why he 'suggested them' to Trump. Most of the other cabinet selections were extremely divisive in this country. Trump repeatedly appointed folks that were basically opposed to the department they are now controlling. Downsizing....maybe but also could be argued that these agencies are being weakened ...just as Russia would favor.

Time will tell....if investigations aren't halted prematurely.

Damn, we got caught I guess. Chuck Todd let everyone know the plan. What a stupe! Individuals have viewpoints. That doesn't mean that they speak for a large group of individuals. There are lots of people all across the viewpoint spectrum, most amassed near the view of allowing guns but trying to improve public safety. This whole, 'the right says this or the left claims that' is very counterproductive. A poster enters a discussion and immediately gets saddled with every negative thing anyone 'in your camp' has ever claimed. We all should try to refrain from assigning viewpoints to each other.

Well, motivation? I assume you agree that there was motivation by both parties to get Trump elected. Rosenstein stated as much. Willingness? If you believe Don Jr's email trail, this has been shown by both parties...., recall 'I love it'. Actions? Well, some actions arguably have happened - but this is where the work continues. Hopefully the truth will be determined and demonstrated by the time Mueller finishes.

There has been a lot of disagreement over 'any evidence of collusion'. Has there been evidence of collusion/conspiracy presented yet? Well, depending how you define the 'evidence of collusion', yes and no. NO: The entire case for conspiracy or collusion between the Trump people and Russians has not yet been proven. I completely agree. Rod Rosenstein clearly stated this latest round of indictments did not show collusion between the indicted Russians and any (witting) members of the Trump team. So, clearly then from this perspective, no proven collusion yet. YES: Another perspective on proving collusion involves demonstrating the motivation and willingness to conspire along with showing that the deal actually took place. Investigators would need to, for each involved party, check off boxes for motivation, willingness, and eventually conspiratorial actions. So, if Mueller is systematically checking off these boxes for each party, to this point he has demonstrated (incomplete) evidence of a conspiracy. Some boxes have been checked but not all of them yet. So, from this perspective, some elements of a conspiracy have been demonstrated.

Thanks. Not convinced necessarily but I appreciate a reply