leh-nerd skin-erd

This story is tragic on many levels. Deception, promises made and broken…but ultimately it seems to tell the story that northern liberals ultimately didn’t care about the families. Ted Kennedy, he of the fake neck brace and abandoned/drowned staffer fame, showed up for a photo op, hit the bricks and never looked back. The family in the story ended up in the projects in Boston, living under very difficult conditions. (Perhaps, if any of these people were vulnerable female, fair-skinned and blonde, they might have caught the attention of all the Kennedy boys, but that’s a topic for another thread) I completely understand the human suffering, duplicity and just plain ugliness of the southern segregationists, but I’m struggling to see where the liberal Yankees come out looking much better here. Rather, it seems really, when you cut through the politics, it seems no one really gave a crap about these people. Or, perhaps, symbolically they cared, but in the practical sense, it is easier to care when the struggle is 2,000 miles away in the Deep South. Which brings me back to today, and my feeling that nobody in the political world really gives a crap about any of these people. The border is a mess, the death and suffering is obvious and sustained, and both parties have blood on their hands.

I can live with that. Undisciplined as well on a McD team.

I think when you actually swing and connect it’s no longer false bravado. It’s just bravado.

I would think given the political environment in Washington during the Trump admin, it would be an appropriate choice to request a preemptive pardon to plan for political chicanery. Besides, we can look at the history of pardon(s) and know that some scuzzy people got a pretty sweet deal not because of who they are, or what they did, but because of who they knew.

I don't put much stock in some of these newfangled Twitter posts, but last year, in KC, the pressure ratcheted up exponentially. The season was on the line. The talent on the other offense was exceptional. It was do or die. JA delivered, and the Bills O as a whole performed at an exceptionally high level. Skip should pause, ponder and consider before posting.

I used the blind guy the other day on you, and you probably count yourself among the sighted. We'll call it even.

I understand from reading your replies that you’re struggling to comprehend. I’ve used simple words, simple concepts and question marks where appropriate. The disco guy was uncalled for, however. I have never been able to master the dance. Now you know.

@Tiberius can't think much beyond the surface of an issue, and it limits his perspective. That's why he celebrates the chaotic withdrawal without further comment--as if there was no option but to expose those service members and pro-America Afghanis to death and injury. Where Putin is concerned, Pelosi said Trump was in Russia's pocket, and because she said it, he believes it in spite of all the evidence to the contrary. He believes it to the point that after blabbering nonsense for nearly 5 years about collusion and the cozy relationship that never materialized, the fact that Putin invaded on Biden's watch is a major disconnect that he cannot wrap his head around. Your question has the potential to put Tibsy in the hospital. All I know is the facts are clear: Crimea was invaded on Obama/Biden's watch; Tibsy and his crew whined about Trump and Russia, but Russia stayed out of Ukraine when Trump was in office ; In spite of tough talk, bluster and bravado, Putin invaded Ukraine very early in a Biden presidency; Even using Tibsy's "The evil dictator in Trump's pocket decided to wait for less friendly circumstances to invade and risk the wrath of Biden" completely dopey scenario, Biden has 5 decades of experience at the highest levels of our government. Are we to assume he had no answer to the Russian scourge, no plan in place to pre-empt Putin other than to play catch up as Ukrainian citizens are slaughtered? Again, weakness. One interesting aspect of this is the impact on the energy sector internationally. It's no secret that dem leadership wants to put a knife through the heart of energy independence and push on to green energy. There are stories circulating about UN/European leaders warning against a fall-back to fossil fuels to keep people from freezing to death during the winter. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/6/14/un-chief-slams-delusional-fossil-fuels-dash-amid-ukraine-war So....Russia stays home during the Trump pitch for America first and energy independence...then invades Ukraine about 20 minutes after Biden assumes office...and an energy crisis quickly ensues....and the UN scolds nation's and dictates how and why a sovereign nation should care for it's people during the time of crisis. What an epic catastrophe to have people freezing in their homes, the story line being about over-reliance on oil from a hostile foreign nation, and the need to move away from it. As long as he stays off my lawn, he can make all the jokes he wants. Programming note: Will Ferrell, he of L'Ron Burgundy fame, is 55 years old.

Yes.

Part French, part Ostrich I would expect.

Again, you’re off is some fantasy land conjuring up scenarios that might occur if Trump was president and Putin wanted to invade Ukraine. That already happened. Trump was president. You claim that he was working in cahoots with Putin, yet, let’s revisit what actually happened: Putin and Russian forces did not invade Ukraine. The Ukrainian lives lost during the invasion that never occurred was zero. On Biden’s watch, there is quite a different story and while those lives lost and destroyed might be acceptable casualties to you, but I’d bet those families would trade a Biden presidency for Trump in office 100 times out of 100. I previously indicated that it was unclear if Biden and Putin were in it together, or if Biden’s weakness as a leader was the primary consideration of invading Ukraine after he took office. What I do know if he certainly seemed to flex and push boundaries when Obama and Biden were in charge. By the time Biden is re-elected, or Harris assumes the mantle, who knows—Putin could be invading New Hampshirite and you’ll be talking up how Trump set it all in motion. 👨🏻‍🦯 Not everyone.

I wasn’t sure how distorted your sense of reality is, but the picture is becoming clearer. The death toll in Ukraine is massive, the human suffering incalculable. You’ve created this narrative where Biden outfoxed Putin by encouraging the invasion? That’s cause to celebrate? Here’s a thought: Imagine how proud you would have been to support a president with the leadership to keep Putin out of Ukraine AND avoided the mass casualty altogether? See: Trump, Donald J. Imagine if he had the leadership skills to exit Afghanistan without the chaos, blundering and sacrifice of American troops. But then again, you wouldn’t have anything to celebrate!

We’ve reached the point in liberal silliness that you’re losing it over Trump claims that Russia did not invade Ukraine while he was in office? Newsflash brah, that’s the cold hard truth. Russia played the long game. They recognized the wild card aspect of a Trump presidency. Obviously, Ukraine has been a target since long before Trump was elected. They calculated the risk, looked at the players and proceeded accordingly. They’ve been studying Biden and his role in American politics for decades. What we can’t know at this point is if Biden is complicit in the assault on Ukraine—he had his own run in with withholding aid while certainly knowing the concerns with Russia at the time—or if the Russians just recognize he’s a paper tiger. It is unusual though, how the Russians have acted during Obama and Biden presidencies. 🧐

It’s like you just woke up to the ongoing humanitarian crisis at the southern border. Where have you been? In that regard, it seems that the move is a net positive. Too many people, well-intentioned or otherwise, look away when the immigration issue is raised. The outrage over kids in cages, for example, ebbs and flows based on who is in office. The concern over the incredibly perilous journey, and the discussion in who lives, who dies and who might be victimized is big news when one administration is in office, not so much when the another admin takes over. If your choice is to pretend this politicization is only relevant today, you’re part of the problem. If you choose not to look at the obvious, sustained and decades long complicity of people like Biden, Harris, Schumer, McConnell, the late John McCain etc, you’re a major contributor to it.

I’ve never understood the fascination with what “people in Europe” think about our political issues. I’d think if you ask a question beyond the surface of Trump v Biden v Obama v Bush, most Europeans would be hard-pressed to describe the workings of the senate, executive branch, the Constitution, states rights v federal government, and a fair number wouldn’t be able to tell you the name of the VP. That’s for starters. Beyond that, it gets very complicated as one considers societal/cultural norms when traveling north to south, east to west, and why something might be important to one area might be insignificant to another. I caught some of the coverage of the celebration of the Queens life, and reaction to her death this week. I’d be hard-pressed to find much about any of that that makes sense to me. From the idea of a monarchy in 2022, the sordid history of the royals, and the massive wealth they control with very favorable tax treatment on the backs of common folk, it’s hard to understand why it exists at all. I don’t generally go looking for opinions from my neighbors across town on how my life should be lived, or what I should think or do politically. I’m not sure why Francois from Paris should be treated any differently. I was in Australia a few years back and one guy wanted to engage on the US v New Zealand in the Americas Cup. I have no idea how that all works, it’s unimportant to me, but he was pretty jazzed about it. As his tone changed to include some anti-American rhetoric, I walked away. My younger self might have suggested he looked like he was on a path to major heart trouble or diabetes, probably should drop a hundred or so, and maybe he should clean up his own backyard before worrying about mine. He was the exception there, thankfully.

Joe Biden's proof of goodness: Widely acknowledged as championing legislation that decimated communities and specifically targeted people of color for decades; History of comments with racially divisive overtones; Partnered and counts as among his accomplishments close working relationships with key politicians promoting segregation and white supremacy; History of fondling and groping women, and he's acknowledged it as well; Accused credibly of violent sexual assault, his vice president has acknowledged believing the woman who accused him; Five decades at the highest level of power in our government, now presiding over a human right's crisis at the border that he helped to create; Advised his followers to be suspicious of the COVID vaccine during a time of national crisis, creating confusion, concern and likely resulting in an increase in deaths; Abandoned the federal response to COVID early in his presidency, creating confusion and ultimately causing a reimagining of what it means to be 'vaccinated'; There's so much more about him to be concerned about--influence peddling, relationship with China, his role in squashing the Hunter Biden story to influence the election, Putin invading Ukraine on his watch, but I personally think @Tiberius is being completely truthful that Biden's resume as outlined aligns with his values.

This is an example of the fascinating hypocrisy of democrat leadership and many of the far left in general. She's been dealing with this particular crisis for about 10 minutes when considering the myriad of challenges at the border over the decades. Yet, here she is, sounding exasperated and near tears. Suddenly, as if by magic, 'something' needs to be done. More accurately, 'someone' needs to help her. Apparently, it never occurred to her to have a plan in place to deal with just such a crisis. Maybe she should have discussed it with Joe Biden when she sidestepped COVID travel bans to attend the inauguration?

"Some men see things as they are, and say why. I dream of things that never were, and say why not." Robert Kennedy, quoting Chuck Norris

This clip comes to mind after listening to her answer.

Do he say if he wrote this, or is it possible he heard that someone he knew said they wrote it?

I think you're under a misimpression that I'm supportive of a light sentence. I was just pointing out the trend as I understand it. As one of the many people horrified by what happened to the little girl here, the tendency is to look for justice to be punitive. I've been in that camp, and can't quite understand why we 'let' people get away with things like this. The challenge is that's not always what happens, and every defendant isn't the son of a professional football coach and a highly recognizable person who we all know should know better, and should have taken an Uber home. This story moved me to the point that I donated to the family and their go fund me campaign after it happened. My children are adults, but seeing a picture of the little girl in the hospital just broke my heart. Emotionally, yes--lock him up, lose the key for a decade or two...but rationally that tends not to happen. Part of me gets that as well.

We’re moving away from a punitive system of justice, with an eye toward rehabilitation and restorative justice. I completely understand the outrage of the family, but I’d think this type of resolution is fairly common.

The quarantine guidelines carved out an exception for people who lived in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and NJ because a substantial number of individuals lived in those states and worked in NYC. https://www.rt.com/usa/505165-cuomo-revises-covid-quarantine/ I’ll leave it at that. I followed guidelines, vax standards including booster, and back to the original question, had the virus earlier this year. I tolerated it well, sick but not horribly so—much, much better off than so many.

I went to Florida the Feb after the lockdown began. Followed the standards established, nasal swab 2/3 days out, flew home, was greeted by a National Guard soldier and provided my contact information. I quarantined the 4 days (maybe 5), tested at a Contagion center and returned to work. I received several contact messages on my cell, thought they might be spam due to incorrect information and ignored them. The thing is, different individuals on the plane had different standards. If I sat next to a guy from Connecticut, he was free and clear to pass back and forth into NY at will, no quarantine requirements at all. Like many things COVID related, it was an absolute sh&t show. Compliance on a sliding scale with no rhyme or reason to it. Btw, Florida, at the time, was such a welcome respite from what seemed like a perpetually dark and dreary doom vigil in NY. Good luck Bill. I enjoy reading your posts, and hope you feel better soon.

It doesn’t impact me one way or the other, really.