leh-nerd skin-erd

This one is on me, I know your posting history and should have expected this Greta Thornbergesque response. “How daaaaaahhhhhhh youuuuuuu....”. I think a few things: I think words matter, that’s why journalists use them. You don’t care. I do. I think the assault on the Capitol was horrific, the Capitol police overwhelmed, and I’m waiting to see what comes out of that. We agree here, I think. I think DJT is down in S Florida living a pretty good life, and not charged with a crime or in jail because he’s guilty of none of the things you think he is. I think that’s because you rush headlong, emotionally burdened, into the arms of journalists who know you don’t worry so much about details. As a result, they treat you like an organ grinder’s monkey and more often than not, you’re going to dance. I think anarchists like anarchy, that they represent the extreme fringes of the ideological spectrum. I know I’m a centrist, mostly, prefer law and order and that if you didn’t pop off so quickly we could probably find some common ground. Finally—and this may sound harsh— but I did. I dared to question you on why you’re dancing on the head of a pin to defend shoddy or inaccurate journalism.

That’s what you took from that? That media reports of “armed insurrection” were apparently false is problematic to discussion? Michael Brown was described as being unarmed and it mattered, though it’s pretty well established that beating an individual with fists, elbows can be detrimental to ones health. Why the rush to cover for inaccurate reporting? What’s in it for you? Then again maybe the people writing the story figured you would figure “Ah just give it to em”.

I propose eschewing the kick, forget the 4th and 15, let’s just saddle up with a Qb toss. If it goes out of the stadium, first down at opponent 45. Upper deck, you take the L but get a congratulatory pin. Lower bowl the other team’s Qb gets to throw a football at your Speedo spot. We need to be entertained.

You touch on an important point when you say 'sex sells'. Of course it does. I'll take it one step further: Just about everything other than a non-drama-filled-day in the life of what was once considered a traditional American family (Dad/Mom/Child/Child/Dog/Happy home) sells. Political intrigue: Pelosi "illegitimate election, coup, Russia", Brennan "Treason!", Mueller "We didn't not find evidence of innocence...", Warren "elections less secure than your Amazon account", and, if you like, Trump "Election was stolen". Hostility: "Lock her up!", "I'd like to take him behind the school libary", "Get in their face". Nonsensisical stupidity: "That song that grandma and grandpa love--'Baby it's Cold Outside'-- sounds kinda rapey'---oooh, wait, turn it up--Eminem is singing that love song to Rhianna about tying her to the bed and setting her on fire!". Boring doesn't sell. Boring doesn't inspire the masses. Boring doesn't rile up the emotional that walk amongst us. Conflict sells, and the reality is there is always someone willing to try and make you feel badly about who you are, what you do, and where you came from. I'm in the @dickleyjones camp here. The truth seems to be that in spite of the narrative, Theodore Geisel had a pretty strong racist streak running through his bones for at least part of his life, at least based on today's standards. They want to stop producing the book, who cares? I'm less enamored with the thought of consulting with 'experts' in education and the like because let's be fair, it doesn't take a Dr Jill Biden to look at the pictures in Mulberry Street and know that the characterization of those from foreign lands wasn't particularly empowering. On the other hand, in the Grinch, there are some butt-ugly whovillites and a strong animal cruelty vibe throughout most of the book. If we're going to the mat on this one, that should be dealt with as well at some point. Or, maybe, we could just realize that Theodore Geisel lived in a different time, with different values, different social mores and if he were here today, he probably wouldn't be who he was. Or, maybe he would just say "See my work, see my thumb, you &^%$ing nitwits, are really %$#@ing dumb". Who knows? As for school boards and the like...well, it seems to me at times those folks have nothing but time on their hands and fervent desire to make themselves relevant by creating controversy where none really exists. In the end, today's generation of #loveall/don'tseecolor/menhaveperiods will be judged as harshly by their children as we are by ours. That's just the way it is. If I were a betting man, it would be along the lines of "You talked a lot of crap about peace and love but a cursory glance at the age of social media reveals bigotry, objectification, hatred, anger, intolerance, bullying and the same damn &*^% you complained the old folks were doing'. Come to think of it, a strong argument could be made that for the haters in this new generation (and lest it go unsaid--there are some amazing people in this crowd as well, I'm a proud father or 3), they are far, far worse than the haters of old just on the ability to reach/target more people.

True freedom to me looks like Cindy Lou Who singing Cardi B’s WAP. #imagine

Billztime has also opined that they are out to get him because he has a hook on his foot.

"Ban"? Like as in setting up a Checkpoint Charlie as you cross state lines? Produce your papers...your travel itinerary? Impossible. I was in Florida last week. As always, I socially distanced, maintained space but did dine in an open air restaurant with the sun on my face and the music in the background. As I prepared to return to NY, I completed the required Good Citizen Travel Report form, tested for COVID three days before boarding the plane, submitted my mobile number for contact by the politboro and respectfully declined the "You might die/might not" tracking service that auto-populated. Upon my return, out of respect for others, I remained in isolation for the mandatory 4 days, tested again in NYS and returned to work once I got the "You ain't infected, Comrade" notice. The thing is, that applied to me as an Upstate NYer in my 60th year of residency, but not to the several hundreds of thousands of non-resident citizens that commute into NYS each day to work, eat, visit or buy the latest issue of Penthouse from the Port Jervis 7/11. So, hop on a plane in Miami and fly to Syracuse International on your way to Skaneateles, you're a Code Red Typhoid Carrying Mo'fo that needs sit down in a dark room until the all clear is given. Hop on the plane from Orlando to Hartforfd, hop off, take the wife and kids who spent three days on a Park Hopper Pass at germ central (and enjoying a drink or two in the communal hot tub back at the Hyatt) to Grandma's house in Mt. Kisco---no problemo, sorry to have bothered you, all the best and keep voting dem! This is beyond absurd.

Well-intentioned people can run into difficult situations in the best of times, but when you factor in the uncertainty of a pandemic, all bets are off. I agree with you, generally, that people of strong moral fiber would honor the obligation. Unfortunately, people are people, and when the government suggests the downside of NOT paying your bills is....nothing but free living, some people don't pay. NY in particular is not known as landlord friendly. It's going to happen again in some way, shape or form when the soup line for college grads comes around. Free is free even when someone else is forced to shoulder the load.

I own a brick and mortar and did my best to keep my employees employed and my bills paid. Thankfully we did not fall into the "Sorry chief, suck it up and sit the %$#@ down and btw people don't get infected in the Home Depot...", though we had to scramble to create a new normal. I had just hired a new employee---35 year old lady who had come off a bad employment situation and was prepped to be on the chopping block. With a hubby, a mortgage and two children at home, she needed the job and it all worked out. It was costly but in the end all was fine relative to what some of my friends went through. My son purchased a 2 family at the end of 2019. Saved his money, worked hard, and as a family we put some significant time, effort and money into improvements. He followed NYS rental guidelines to a T, got a tenant and a short time later COVID hit. I recall Governor Sausagemuff lecturing the landlords about being patient, about how the tenant had to be protected, and how "NY will take care of you later.". Well, a year later many landlords are $#@!ed, some tenants have no fear of reprisal, and a year has been lost. My son had screened candidates quite well and worked with his tenant when times got tight and so far, he's been able to meet his obligations. You do have to wonder how long that lasts if lockdowns persist for an extended time. If I was starting over, and with no concern for proximity to family, I can think of 7 states I'd choose over NY and that's just off the top of my head. Here's hoping Florida, Texas and Mississippi made the right call when we look back 5 years from now. What do you think the chances are he ordered it via text over frogs legs and a nice bubbly from wine country when breaking the rules he put in place for the serfs the day before?

On the heels of the dust-up where you thought I called you a liar, I want to let you know that I think you seem like a good man. Smart, thoughtful, introspective and while I disagree with a lot of things you say, I understand where you're coming from. You remind me of one of my buddies on the West Coast, a guy I respect yet have no earthly clue how he developed some of his thought processes. With that in mind... This is the type of boomer thought process that has, in part, brought us to where we are today. Classic enablement, bending over to contort oneself to prop up the support of a guy who exhibits the tendency of a sexual predator. Biden "paternalistic"? He was accused by 8 women of making them uncomfortable with his hands, proximity and nuzzling their hair. He was accused by a 9th with violent sexual assault. He ran in the halls of the Senate as a good old boy, back when women were mindful of who might be in the elevator or might sneak up behind them in the supplies closet. The problem with Cuomo isn't what is happening today---the problem is these patterns don't suddenly appear out of nowhere. It would seem fairly obvious this has been his MO, bully, grab, grope and move on to the next. Where the heck is the media on this issue? Obviously they were in the same space when he was doing the unthinkable during COVID and blaming everyone but himself, cooking the books all day long. As for Trump, we all see things through our own lens. I see a guy who was a media darling for decades, friend to all the notable folks who wanted to stand in the bright light he cast, and undoubtably chasing women by the score. I knew the fix was in when the infamous Billy Bush tape "surfaced"--when he switched from media darling to public enemy number one. What he said was and is fundamentally and demonstrably true. The terms 'groupie' and 'golddigger' have historically been used to categorize women of the sort DJT was referring to. To pretend that isn't a part of life for the rich and famous is just plain silly. I've not yet met one woman--conservative, liberal, or in-between who hasn't indicated as much. That said--you choose to believe he's serial sexual abuser, I get that. However, carrying Biden's water as he nuzzled his franks and beans into the backside of women, often as their husbands and families stood close by simply encourages predatory behavior. He did it because he IS Joe Biden and because he knew he could. He was right. Finally, the good old days of politics. Are you speaking of the time of McCarty and the red scare? The Kennedy brothers taking turns with a starlet desperate for love and cozying up to the mob? Or the other one--the guy who's definition of character was skating around Martha's Vineyard with young woman and heroically reporting he left her at the bottom of the pond promptly within 10 hours of doing so. Much has been written about that incident, but it certainly can be said that had they just gotten there at 9 hours and 54 minutes she had a real chance to survive. Maybe you meant Nixon? Or Lyndon Johnson and the Vietnam war? Maybe it was the Keating 5, or Bill Clinton and his famous habit of aging his smokes in that humidor aged for 24 years in the hills of Marin County? Then again, maybe you are going all the way back to the days of Geo Washington. One thing is certain--Biden represents just about the perfect stereotype of a politician--a glad hander who can't keep track of the lies he's told, a guy with a penchant for saying the strangest things, a guy who feels like women are his personal property, and when called on it, a guy who apologized for the women not understanding him and who he is. Cuomo did the same thing, and it will work for the same reasons---lots of folks will breathe a sigh of relief that Cuomo woked up and 'owned' it.

Good stuff. I especially liked the comment form Anna Navarro-Cardenas that Cuomo’s press conferences were “chicken soup for the soul”. Sure, the chicken soup doled out to our elderly, infirmed and confined population included 2 part chicken broth 1 part COVID, and yeah, they were forced to consume it, but great analogy. Yet another reason to acknowledge that just because someone has a Twitter handle and an opinion doesn’t mean they are not dumb as *&$#.

You know B, on the one hand I feel sorry for this young lady if what she says is true. On the other...Cuomo has been governor for 10 years. His right hand man, Joe Percoco gets sent away for 6 years in a corruption scandal involving the SUNY Poly campus in Albany. The news coverage on Cuomo and the scandal dropped like a stone when Percoco went away— no real follow up, no real inv into Cuomo. To boot, the initial allegations against Cuomo came nearly three years ago. He’s clearly an aggressive human being, whether that rises to bullying or whatever is not the issue. Cuomo is gov, was AG. His replacement was Eric Schneiderman- a guy forced out due to heavy hands with the woman in his life, and as reported locally by a staff writer on the Albany Times Union— allegedly a fairly regular cocaine user while in office. Before Cuomo and Schneiderman was Spitzer as AG and Governor. We know the story on him— illegal activity, call girls, trafficking etc...gets off Scott free. The media company in this case stayed silent, it would seem, and allowed and enabled this behavior. We know it’s not a question of fear of reprisal—they all rode hard on Trump. So, 10 years of corruption and scandal and not a peep out of them. What was in it for them? That’s the story here.

Coffee is the lifeblood of Champions! Little kids in Mexico drink coffee! -Poet Laureate Mike Ditka

Mods: Can we move this post to OTW to the Tom Clancy Kick-Azz Fiction thread?

Fauci's been in a tough spot, but I certainly don't feel he's above criticism. It always seems to that he's trying to thread a political needle. I did a quick review of his comments on the summertime protests. It's been a hot button issue of mine as I worked to keep my business going while moving folks to remote work sites, managing their concerns with respect to work and family obligations, prepping the office for their eventual return. When I review his comments in the calm light of day several months later, it's unfair to say he didn't comment about the risk of spread from these events, but it's absolutely fair to say his comments were tepid at best. It seems to me--as the nations preeminent egghead on infectious disease--if his goal was to manage the virus and reduce transmissions, he should have been shouting from his perch that when people gather together in close proximity, people die. Instead, he rambled a bit about the right to protest, the right to be heard--which has zero to do with whether or not the virus spreads in those settings. Consequently, as Americans struggled to survive, their lives and fortunes changed overnight, they started to wear masks, scrambled to find the magic elixyr to sanitize anything they might touch and discontinued living their normal lives while they watched the undeniable spread of the virus on the nightly news and nary a word said about it. I've followed the protocols, worn the mask, distanced socially and see very few people not following the process. In fact, over the last 12 months, I can count on one hand the number of outwardly defiant folks I've encountered. Of those, the average age was probably 60+. I certainly don't blame the Fauch for the acts of politicians (or Trump for that matter) encouraging the spread of the disease throughout cities/states and towns. I do, however, fault Fauci for failing to step up and saying "People. This IS crazy.".

I feel badly for Biden, he's probably trying to figure out what to say to Golda as we speak.

I see that Governor Cuomo has acknowledged making people uncomfortable, that he spends time at work and these are his personal friends. He also acknowledged they may have misunderstood his intent, the strip poker thing, the he is open to relationships with 25 year olds thing, the touching, making girls feel he wants to sleep with them and he feels badly about that. So, he has taken ownership as they say, and that’s about it. It worked for Biden—he may well be the next nominee for the Dems.

Agreed. While I personally think Ford was a political opportunist of the highest order- attempting to derail a nominee and making a small fortune in the process, I’d even go so far as to say “Who knows?”. Kavanaugh could be a serial killer with bodies in the basement for all I know. The likelihood is quite small, and given the accusations levied and the manner in which they came, it seems highly unlikely. Given the abhorrent behavior of the dem Senators leading the inquisition through innuendo and stupidity, it seems even more remote. Finally, the March to disembowel Kavanaugh dropped off the face of the earth literally after he was confirmed. As for Cuomo, his simple out is to take the polygraph test he lobbied for Kavanaugh to submit to. Hell, he could do it at the next Emmy awards while collecting his trophy for destroying the lives of NY families. He would be in front of a friendly crowd.

These allegations follow the Ballsy Ford model. “Sometime, somewhere nearly 40 years ago...”. It’s impossible for anyone to know the true nature of the allegation—truth, lie, mental illness, celebrity, money, derail a SC justice with an impeccable reputation who will surely be confirmed absent a last minute Hail Mary and a hostile populace looking to destroy the white male conservative. Here’s a clip from a pro-Ramirez article in the New Yorker: Though Ramirez admits that her memory of the incident is fuzzy, she says she can “still see [Kavanaugh’s] face, and his hips coming forward, like when you pull up your pants,” she said. Ramirez also told The New Yorker that after the alleged incident, a male student “yelled down the hall, ‘Brett Kavanaugh just put his penis in Debbie’s face.’” (While The New Yorker did not confirm that Kavanaugh was at the party, and some of Ramirez’s former classmates disputed her allegation, one former classmate said that he’s “one-hundred-per-cent sure” that another former classmate at the time told him that Kavanaugh exposed himself to Ramirez.) By the way— how did Ramirez and How did Maxy perform under oath? For that matter, how did Ramirez? As a republican, I wouldn’t wish the Kavanaugh debacle on anyone, including Cuomo. It’s a stain on whatever semblance of pride we might have left in our political system.

I don’t think this is the full story at all, though it certainly was part of the reason Biden was elected. The hatred of Trump is a powerful aphrodisiac. Still, I think a large percentage of the voting public had little to no idea of the extent that Biden’s mental acuity is impacted. If you’re raising a family, not particularly interested in politics and get your news from the mainstream sources— radio on the way home, news channel on in the background while you’re chasing your dreams and your kids, traditional newspapers or their online version, I think you’d be hard-pressed to find ANY coverage of Biden’s mental health. In addition, I think it’s reasonable to assume a substantial number of Biden voters who might otherwise take issue with his mental health were intrigued by his platform. That college debt buy off plan is a game changer for many folks, and people tend to make ethical compromises when it comes to policies that directly benefit them.

This is silly. The original allegation against Cuomo came nearly 3 years ago and was largely ignored by the administration and the media. They were certainly ignored by major dem players. The most recent accuser has stated that she complained to the appropriate parties within the government and was transferred/reassigned. That took place in the spring of 2020. That, too seems to have been of little interest to the media and other members of NYS government. Contrast that with an allegation lacking details and specifics, out of the blue as a well-known and respected jurist was about to be confirmed to the highest court in the land. The treatment in that case involved the character assassination of a man with the sole purpose being to destroy him and to send a message to anyone else who might come after. The reward for the chief inquisitor in the treatment of Brett Kavanaugh was the Vice Presidency. Interestingly, the chief inquisitor of Kavanaugh also believed the individual who accused her future boss of a violent sexual assault. She supported him for president in spite of her stated belief, as did many other dem leaders. By the way—whats the deal with the law and order Dems in NY? Cuomo is the 3rd AG/former AG out of 3 to end up in hot water. Spitzer trafficks in prostitution and walks free, Schneiderman gets heavy handed with the ladies and reportedly has a cocaine problem, nothing comes up it. Now Cuomo during the height of #metoo is accused of sexual predation. You’d think after dodging the corruption bullet with SUNY Poly and his right hand man, he’d lay low.

I’m a centrist on many issues, libertarian on many issues, liberal on a few. I wouldn’t expect you to understand—I see things as much more complex than you do with your 1960/R/white supremacy declaration. I suppose it would be easier to adopt a one size fits all model, but that’s incredibly limiting and stunts your intellectual growth. I included a reference to oldmanfan in my note to Bob because it seemed clear to me that given his statements about supporting some conservative principles, it pointed out the challenge to your way of thinking. You made the declaration about the R party, you referenced 1960 as the starting point for its foray into extremism, and it seemed obvious that he would go on your personal naughty list. That’s the challenge with taking the extreme, rigid views you espouse. As I told him directly, I see him as a reasonable enough fellow who is a good poster. I try to understand where folks are coming from even when I disagree. But, maybe you worked through some of the things you would disagree with him on. As for the old whataboutism play, if that’s your safe space, I understand. It’s perfectly understandable when you take an extreme position, are confronted with facts that are irrefutable that you cross your arms, stomp your feet and say “I don’t want to talk about that”. It’s hard, but trust me that with a willingness to confront your own support of misogyny, bigotry and the like, growth surely follows. Have a nice day.

I didn't call you a liar. I think you have some limitations when it comes to your view of the world, science and COVID, but I've complimented you multiple times for your approach here. I think you're a good poster trying to make his way through all of this madness. I was referencing you with respect to So Tier's comments about people who 'lie to themselves', the R party since 1960, and your prior commentary that you're an independent with some conservative principles. The comment was about the other poster, and in reading what I wrote that seems clear to me. Here's what he wrote: The GOP has had the welcome mat out for white supremacists since the 1960s when they welcomed arch-segregationists who had defected from the Democrats over civil rights. Trump openly courted the support of white supremacists in both his presidential campaigns. Feel free to lie to yourself about this if it makes you feel better. Apologies if I offended you. That said, you seem to be awfully sensitive for a guy ripping off one liners about the slavish tendencies of those who you disagree with politically.

@Bob in Mich in my initial post, this is exactly what I'm talking about. Brother So is a zealot, a fighter in the great war, with lots to say about the bigotry dating all the way back to 1960. He's got, by extension, @oldmanfan in the 'lie to himself' category as he's acknowledged supporting certain conservative principles and pines for the R party of old. Brother So has absolved our current president---one who proudly ran with the old white bigoted democrats, who has spoken quite loudly in racially provocative terms, supported legislation that targeted and destroyed communities and people of color, even bragged about it. Coincidentally, he treated women as his own personal playground for decades before gettin' woked up---just in time--- for Brother So and his crowd to look the other way in pursuit/reward of their loyalty.

Impeachment is a political spectacle, nothing more, nothing less. Perhaps there was a time when it meant more to the American people, but it's basically like watching the inner workings of a super secret collegiate fraternity mock trial where no real rules of decency and honor need apply, and there are no ramifications for making %$#@ up, lying, or cutting and pasting "evidence" to steer the outcome in a specific direction. The fact that so many bought into that process after seeing Clinton skate, and Trump skate twice makes one wonder about the incredible capacity for people to be fooled. In fact, it's really quite amazing that the dems had control of the house and senate, the proceedings as a whole, they arguably bypassed the US constitution and had a number of anti-Trump rhinos in their corner, the media feeding the frenzy that they still failed spectacularly. The Muller investigation wasn't an impeachment attempt, it was an effort to eviscerate Trump through lies, leaks and false innuendos. It was a coordinated attack on a presidency, the intent and design to remove the president elected by the people. I have no way of knowing what was coming for Pence had the dems been able to manufacture evidence that would unseat Trump--and they certainly tried, but something was coming one way or the other.