leh-nerd skin-erd

My younger brother drives for UPS--deliveries of vaccine to MF Suburban and Kenmore Mercy today. May have also had deliveries from other hubs to other hospitals, but had no intel on that.

And I'm liberal on many social issues. Here's the best way for me to say it using a copy/paste of your words: Though I have to say democrats/liberals in their zeal to wrest power away from a lawfully-elected president to keep moving things in their direction are coming about as close as I've ever seen. I mean they're at best flirting with the idea of removing a President from office over a phony commie conspiracy, and thena silly impeachment gambit which would seriously break everything I mean what's next--it seems perfectly plausible that they would attempt to steal the election. They've said things like 'nothing is off the table', 'by any means necessary', and of course 'the intelligence community will find six ways to Sunday to get you'. Out of everything you said, what makes me the most sad is that had he won reelection, with all the positives for people from all walks of life, you might have hated it. It's going to be flat out fun to see what happens when the arrogant prick-elect wages his personal war on the fossil fuel industry.

There are people with extreme points of view, who believe on one side or the other that things need tp change. There are people on this site I wouldn't trust if you paid me to so. Still, as a get-along guy, I watched quite a bit of footage of folks looking to tear down and destroy the livelihoods of others, and we literally saw blood on the streets. I watched large gatherings of roving human trash confront and bully citizens out and about minding their own business...and saw mostly deferential treatment from major media outlets and the 115 year old dementia patient about to assume office. Respect is earned, and it's important to know that when some folks push, others push back. I don't advocate violence, I engage in civil discussion, but we live in the real world. I've never put words in your mouth, I interpret what you have said and recreate as I understand it. As for Shoshy, he can respond, but I believe I've recreated what he said a few posts up accurately. Wrongo Charlie Chan. I never ignored what the R and McConnell did--they acted within the framework of the Senate, referenced the Biden rule and refused to take up the nomination. They certainly did not accuse the nominee of being a sexual predator, and certainly did not attempt to destroy him in front of the world, his wife and his children. The pattern is apparent---Bork, Thomas...and Kavanaugh. And as I said, it works. The brilliance of the ACB nomination was that in 2020, even the most vile among us recognize the potential downside of destroying a mother. I wished no ill will to RBG, but in retrospect, it was fortuitous that she passed away when she did and I'm grateful she decided to hang on during the Obama years. The SC is not the focus on my post, it's simply part of the explanation of why 'us v them' is the natural end game of American politics. Put another way, Ruth Bader Ginsburg--politics aside--should be an example of American exceptionalism. She was confirmed without issue, and no one raised a complaint that she broke up a happy marriage when she gave a hummer to an oversexed father on the way home from a babysitting gig while performing a pommel horse routine on the stick shift. That's not to say there were not people who would do that, it simply was unthinkable back in the day. Now---it works. Kavanaugh = rapist = Rs support rapist = votes for Biden. As for packing the court, well, even better that RBG expired when she did. You can never count on what is going to happen next. Or, next after that. I am fully aware of that, but here's the thing. I would not have supported a phony impeachment scandal for Barrack Obama, and I think the guy was a horrible president. Still, in 2020, we know that a phony impeachment scandal turns out the vote, right? So while impeachment isn't going to happen, that only leaves the politics of personal destruction. I don't make the rules, and it's sad, but again, it works. 65,000,000 people +/- voted for Clinton in 2016. They voted for the characterization of me, and the people I love and care about, as racists, misogynists and deplorable---beyond all redemption. The challenge this time around was when she rolled the bones on that tired democrat play (who can forget Biden famously suggesting that Rs were going to enslave black folks by putting them 'back in chains'), Trump was having none of it. He pushed back--something that a formerly lovable but ultimately nutless politician like Romney would not do. The most fascinating part about DJT to me is his almost unbelievable ability to say to his detractors --"Get the &^%$ outta here". While I was very concerned about Obama, I held my breath and hoped for the best. I was hopeful he would far surpass my expectations. He didn't. Good for you on wishing DJT well--in the 3 years prior to the wet market bat virus issue, as our economy roared, millions of folks on your side of the fence supported the continued attempt to destroy him. No unity, no meeting in the middle, just a constant and perpetual movement toward destruction. It never ceases to amaze me how dumb people are, and how they'll vote against their own best interests. But that was then, this is now. The players set the ground rules, and they are what they are. The rest of us push back or comply. I have no desire to meet you in the middle, or hope for the best for that fading old man you elected king.

Fair enough, but the end result was some folks moved on.

It is 'us v them'. What's odd to many of us is that you all didn't seem to worry about that when you were them and we were us. Shoshy responded to one of my posts above with "Sad". Interestingly, he seems to concur with the assessment that what happened to Kavanaugh was horrible, that the impeachment attempt to remove the president was "terrible" (something like that, anyway), and that certain elements of Russia Russia Russia were troubling. From me perspective, it's pretty simple: -What reaction would be appropriate to a Kavanaugh-style public character assassination? Let's assume Biden understands the difference between the Supreme Court and a Food Court when the time comes to appoint a justice? In my opinion, there are two choices for the opposition party: Submit, and focus on character and achievements; or Follow precedent and launch an all-out assault to destroy the candidate; History shows us that option 2 is the best course of action for the opposition. Imo, when you (who also felt the man was mistreated) and Shoshy vote for Harris/Biden, you vote for that approach to SC management. -With respect to impeachment, assuming the Rs were able to gain the majority, Biden's been in office for 40+ years. There are two choices: Let him reign for as long as his Depends stay dry, babbling like a drunken monkey and talking to his good friend Margaret Thatcher across the pond; Dig, find the dirt or something that the average Biden hater might see as dirt, and impeach him; Recent History shows option 2 is a crackerjack way to go. -With respect to a Russia-style investigation: As if on cue, as the Trump legal team moves along and Biden gets closer to Craft Day on the National Mall on Jan 20, we begin to see reports on his son's business activities in China. More will follow, Joe will be tied to the shady deals, and decisions will have to be made. The Rs have two options: Let it go, move on, lick their wounds; Start the process to uncover what needs to be uncovered, selectively leak details, generate public support and try to destroy Biden and his family; Recent history shows hate is a powerful aphrodisiac, so destruction it is. At the end of the day, lots of folks on your side are lamenting the lack of civility and the refusal to submit for people on our side. Most of us simply point to the last five years and "GTFOH", take your unity and stuff it (politically speaking anyway). Personally, I hope Biden fails. I hope he fails miserably, and at the same time the resistance (overly dramatic but whatevs) works to tear him down. That doesn't mean he's not my president--I'm an American so I'm stuck with the old douche. But...unity? Pass.

Stop yelling at me. In high school, I passed English with honors and never caused anyone any trouble. In the interest of clarity, I did not intend to imply you complained personally but see where I did. I apologize for that. I have no idea who complained.

I'm all for clarity and transparency. There are quite a few folks who indicated there was pushback from moderators specifically for viewpoints they held. The push back included being banned. I read SDS comments after the great reset, took them as they were presented and explained that I had not experienced anything similar. I simply replied to a post about an issue, shared my perspective and you're free to disregard it.

I really enjoy interacting with DR, and other than Transpy being an entitled product of the system and woefully naive, I enjoy interacting with him as well. He seems like a good guy. I’m not going to argue with you about your view on DR, it’s irrelevant to me. On the other hand, you’re right, it wasn’t a 30 page contract as I understand it. It was a 2BD bet, not Twitter, not Insta, not wear a Biden shirt down Main Street, and certainly not at a newly formed site after folks conspired to have him bounced from here. Personally, I can understand his perspective and take zero issue with it. I also understand Transpy thinking his bet spanned the international date line, but I think that was unrealistic.

Transpy feels DR should honor a bet made regarding online profiles as they appear here, after he was banished here due to complaints from posters like, well, Transpy. DR sees it differently. It’s not a question of honor, it’s a question of proximity. You raise a point we can agree of—some unelected Washington insiders undoubtedly felt compelled to save America based on their view of what America should look like. They are frequently referred to as “people familiar with..” and “...anonymous sources... or “James Comey”. Instead of practicing subversion, they should run for office on the strength of their ideas.

Tolerant. Respectful. Non-judgemental. Nice.

100% comfortable.

Integrity means something as well. Have a good day.

I have. The issue was about leadership and why some people think our leaders are running a grift on us all. I can’t think of a reason that leadership would not be as passionate as you are (most days when not discussion protests) about social distancing, masking up, staying home to prevent the spread. I honestly don’t understand why you suddenly develop scientific 🐊 arms on what is painfully obvious— a wide scale protest simply cannot occur without many people violating virtually every sensible guideline you support based on data you rely on. Well, it could, if everyone arrives in hermetically sealed test tubes. I’d place the odds of that at less than 5%. But, we can just go with “it’s probably dumb”.

Excellent. In the imagination game, I’m not sure why I wouldn’t be responsible for stepping up and saying “Listen, I fully and completely support your right to assemble and protest systemic injustice, but chances are exceptionally high that you are going to be responsible for the spread of the virus, the infection of strangers, friends and family alike, and people will die as a result of your actions. The science doesn’t just apply to strip clubs, churches and Memorial Day gatherings of 11 or more. However, if you must protest, please spontaneously appear so we have plausible deniability.”. **btw, snark aside, your point on political leaders is valid. I have Cuomo a substantial pass on early COVID handling. No one wants to be in that position and flying without a net. It’s very difficult. That said, the pass lasts only so long.

Okey doke. We’ll go with people magically appeared out of nowhere, protested and were protected by pixie dust, and transported home like in Star Trek. Jiminy Christmas.

So, government (R/D/I) is complicit in the spread of the virus across the board, and responsible for what— 20% of the cases and deaths? 30%? I have the same questions regarding Cuomo and downstate NY btw. It’s basically thunderdome down there. No rhyme, no reason, anyone can come from anywhere close and infect everyone they come in contact with. Yet, sweet old Lenny healthy as a horse and sweet a rhubarb pie is going to deplete the Covid ozone if he has turkey with 9.75 people from 3 different zip codes?

See, this is why we can’t have nice things. You’re the science guy and it’s almost like pulling teeth to get you to acknowledge what you surely must know is fundamentally true. If lack of mask discipline, and lack of respect for social distancing, and attending even small gatherings of highly emotional/animated individuals causes the spread, these gatherings by extension must have infected tens—likely hundreds—of thousands and resulted in an untold number of deaths. Of course, I’m only speaking as if the protestors magically appeared at the protest sites and all other things were equal. We know that’s not the case—we know people take buses, trains, subways, cars and bikes to the site of the protest. We know they hitchhike and dead head. We know they coordinate with friends and fellow protestors. We know they eat at McDonalds, shop at 7-11, buy the soup at Panera. They sleep in motels hotels RVs and in campgrounds. They use public restrooms, private bathrooms, find a tree or a bush and keep moving. They mess around. A select few rage and riot. They exchange copious amounts of bodily fluids and it ain’t even worth debating. I told you previously I wear a mask, observe social distancing and quite honestly rarely see the unicorns out there infecting all the rest of us (for at least the 100 days after the Biden inaugural event), but one of the fundamental reasons people of all stripes think the lockdown madness is absolute horsesh:t is because the storyline makes precious little sense. These message points should have been screamed from every platform imaginable. Instead, we get “gee, uh, no, um, masks, uh Trump”.

There would be no reason for the presumptive winner to upset the apple cart. It has nothing to do with what’s right or wrong, or the greater good. It’s simply bad business.

What percentage of the total number of infected citizens in the country would you write off to the hundreds of thousands of protestors in the streets this summer? What percentage or deaths? Big picture—should political leaders have spoken out forcefully about mass gatherings, and/or banned public demonstrations to stop the spread? Should we have had greater outcry from the science community about super-spreader events?

I would not want to get sick and die in college, but if I did, I suppose I would take comfort in the fact that my illness may have resulted only from the best intentions of some supposedly really dumb smart people. No, not racist, but certainly playing Russian Roulette with the health and safety of the community it purports to serve.

You’ll get over it.

I think the Hatfields always think the McCoys are the problem, and the McCoys always point their finger the opposite way. It seems silly to keep debating that.

Excellent and fair question. I’ve watched the proceedings from afar, fairly certain that Biden will be President on 1/20. At that point, I advocate treating him and his families the way Trump has been treated the last four years. Work hard to neutralize him, go after his family and his associates, and try and get the creepy old b to crack. In the most simplistic analysis, the testimony of hundreds of people pointing to wrongdoing, the statistical anomalies being batted about, concerns about the constitutional aspects of changes to procedures to the process in Pa, and the fact that it’s all happening regardless of my feelings compels me to stay the course. I absolutely believe fraud occurred (and has occurred in past elections ), I believe that people and organizations will do just about anything when money and power is in play, and at the end of the day, it just is what it is. 4 years ago...8 years ago and beyond I would have been less cynical. I mean, people are always people, and some people are just bad. That said, if you told me 5 or 6 years ago we would relive the modern version of commies in the woods as seen during the McCarthy era, or even Nixon/Eisenhower/Stevenson era, I’d have thought you nuts. If you would have told me an honorable man nominated for the SC would be subject to public character assassination of the worst kind based on...nothing...I’d have thought you were being overly dramatic. If you told me an unpopular senator from California that barely registered on the candidateometer would be chief executioner AND be rewarded with the VP slot to a demented old geezer who actually publicly fondles women and children, I’d have laughed it off. Interestingly, while I was skeptical that Trump = Treason, I really assumed that the Dems would not be loading up on the treason angle when this all first broke unless they could take him out. When Trump suggested that Obama wiretapped his campaign, I was quite outraged that he would say that without evidence. I thought it bad for the republic. As time went on, however, I came to realize the whole shebang was all about unseating Trump and stealing my vote. That became personal to me. It’s personal still. I believe there was widespread fraud. I believe a comprehensive and wide ranging review of our system would reveal it’s a clusterfuvk of corruption at worst, incompetence at best. I also believe that the less than 60 day window to get anything meaningful accomplished means it’s highly unlikely that anything meaningful will occur. If I’m wrong, well Son, that seems to be the way the game is played.

You’re all over the page S-trey. I acknowledged your opinion, there is no need to repeat it, and no need to attempt to be belligerent. It may make you feel better, but it really means...nothing. As for the secondary, unrelated op-Ed, I can nominate you for the Emmy for Best Dramatic Post on an Internet Forum if it makes you feel better, and I’ll even acknowledge that ffoa (Future Folks of America) will flock to sit at your knee as you wax historic about people who chose to forgo masks as they went went about their lives in churches, bars, and by the hundreds of thousands in protests far and wide across the land. My unsolicited opinion is that to be as effective as possible in these future “Sit Downs with Sectzy”, you should consider not being a condescending prick because it can be offputting to some people. I know you’re capable of it, we’ve engaged in civil dialogue in the last—what’s got you all road raged up today? That seems suspiciously reasonable. What’s your game, Mich? 😇

Your opinion on the truth about voter fraud is duly noted, all should have a seat at the table. My issue is only with your post is your apparent desire to emulate the famous Roman general known for prickly behavior, Magnus Cockus.