leh-nerd skin-erd

Ah, now we need to elevate the level of discourse. That’s the equivalent of agreeing that all crimes should be prosecuted after you stole my TV. Biden will be fine. He’s a career politician, a guy with sharp elbows and he can probably kick everyone’s ass in an IQ/push-up contest. He can probably kick anyone’s ass behind the school gym like they did in the early 1930s. He knows who the real black folks are— they are the ones who love him. Or he did, maybe, as recently as 3 or 4 years ago. He is what he is, but certainty not what he was. It’s fair game.

I was chuckling about Morgan Freeman being the voice of reason. He’s the guy who was grabbing the gals, propositioning them and lifting the lady’s skirt in effort to see her underwear—you know, just @&$& guys do, and declared we’re at war with Russia. Great actor though. He makes a great pretend President. I wonder if Biden’s inability to move past the language fashionable when he was a young man in 1975 is due in part to his dementia. Half the time he sounds like Edward G Robinson when allowed to speak.

Correct. Nothing defines progressive politics like voting for a doddering old predator who “owns” his misdeeds and who keeps his racism hidden in plain sight. Still, there is no point in arguing an ‘eye of the beholder’ point, hence “whatevs”. Watching Biden age rapidly in real time as his supporters trip to reassure themselves “all is fine” is a study in human psychology. Why does that bother you? Biden was the king of bare-knuckle politics back before the stutter caused a complete collapse of his mental acuity. Young Biden would have been all over this fool.

Well, to be clear, I’m not suggesting some weren’t extremists, who knows what evil lurks inside a man’s soul? I was just seeking to establish a baseline on the initial post, but sort of forgot about it later on. As for gullible and stupid, whatevs. Plenty of that to go around.

I always thought his reaction after walking back is one of the great moments in commercials. Putting Biden in it was a stroke of genius. Many simply took the guy offering the biggest gift basket. The rest was irrelevant.

That freaking stutter, huh?

I disagree only in the sense that the standards (resignation etc) set were set by people like Cuomo. He was a loud voice on this issue. Believe women, trust without question unless of course the allegations are against them, then the woman are disposable and their stories untrue. He’s the guy who infamously called for Kavanaugh to submit to the furor of the masses and to take a lie detector test. Perhaps he should preemptively submit to one to help us understand that the women are not lying, they’re just overly sensitive to his gifts as a human. We seem to be extremely comfortable with the concept of lofty standards like #believeher, yet uncomfortable with the fallout that naturally follows. Then again, he’s the 3rd former Attorney Gen in our state that is dealing with controversy, corruption and criminal activity. It’s almost a job requirement so it’s understandable that they would think rules don’t apply to them—they usually don’t. Franken actually did the honorable thing, ironically, following his own standard.

Early? One of these allegations is 3 years old, the nursing home scandal is a year deep, and Cuomo has been exhibiting the behavior of an obnoxious and overbearing rich kid for a decade plus. With respect to #metoo, men and women in his administration, and the reporters seeking out truth had no interest in these stories. All that’s changed is he was accused of cooking the books post-Covid after getting rave reviews from the media, his admin, and his biggest cheerleader—him. Now that the blood is splashing on their shoes, he’s expendable. This is 3 years too late at best.

Disagree in principle. The desire to see 100% participation is admirable, but the reality is that if people choose not to vote, they should be allowed to abstain in peace without guilting them into doing so. In fact, people that do not have a grasp of the issues should be encouraged to stay at home. I agree on voter identification, our elections should be treated like they matter. We need to verify and restore trust in the system to the extent possible. I also think it’s long past time when we should be able to verify our vote was properly taped individually. Voter education...I agree with you on that. As long as it’s kept out of the schools, I would concur. Probably too late for that.

I want to trust Fauci, I really do. The biggest factor for me is the disconnect between his words and actions on putting normality on hold for a year v his response to mass gatherings over the last year. I think he was weak and tepid when he could have displayed the leadership I would expect from a guy in his position. It’s easy to suggest he’s the science guy, not the political guy, but therein lies the problem for me. He had a platform and unprecedented access to the American people. He opined on all sorts of things from family gatherings to multiple household events and the like. I’m just a guy trying to figure it all out during what he says is a pandemic and the danger to our way of life extreme. Yet, on mass gatherings of people he treaded lightly and brought the political into it. As this mandate has dragged on...I’ve gotten to the point where I simply don’t trust him and question his motives. As I said, I’m not on the fence about it. I don’t want any flu bug (or worse) ever. I’m a terrible patient and if it causes mass sterilization my seeds have already been sown. 👨🏻‍🦳

Good thoughts and prayers to your family. It’s an interesting slice of America you have there—-Mom & Dad, you, and one sister all in, one who had it, and two others not convinced it’s in their best interest. I’m always fascinated by that sort of dynamic. How so?

First, congrats on getting the shot Transpy. I feel like in some small way, you &$#@ing got mine. I blame Biden of course. Hope you feel better soon. Oh and watch your back. This young man is an interesting case. He’s bi-racial and is has told me he’s predisposed to feeling the government cannot be trusted on this sort of thing. His thoughts would be categorized fringe-ish by many, and he’s quite certain Fauci is full of it. He cracks me up, actually. I spoke with my older sister about the vaccine. She’s a nurse, smart as they come, and told me she had reservations due to the speed with which this vaccine was developed but pushed ahead. I also spoke with my sister in law who is a pediatrician, got her feedback and that helped. As for me, I just don’t like getting sick. So, I’ll risk it and get the shot.

No vax yet. I’m almost old enough to get a break on my coffee at the local bagel shop, but healthy enough that there’s no soup for me. Several family members gpgave gotten it—my Mom (89) , in-laws (87 and 84) and quite a few younger family members who work in health care. Worst symptoms were a couple days of feeling lousy. A young man who works for me beseeched me not to get “the mark of Satan...errr vaccine” when it’s my turn to try and not get the virus. He’s quite convinced that it’s not in his best interest and that the handling by govt/Fauci reveals that. He wasn’t successful, I’ve gotten flu shots for the last ten years or so after getting knocked out for about a week by a nasty strain a while back. I do wonder how many folks feel the way he does.

Wait... I thought the Republicans were the desperate ones... I’m sure when the dust settles everyone will be right and everyone will be wrong. We just must live out our own truth.

Are you enjoying a pop tart or have you found a smoking gun hidden in this piece? Actually, this is the sort of piece I was referring to last night. It starts with a headline that states, emphatically, that desperation exists. The inference is that some highly placed source said that Rs are desperate. In fact, it’s really just quoting the authors of the opinion piece. Using last nights post, here would be an attention grabbing headline I might use back in my journalism days: Analysis: BillStime “an organ grinders monkey” Here’s my question based on this deep dive ‘analysis’ and misleading headline that has you ruminating this Saturday morning: Why is the federal government not pursuing charges directly against DJT for his role in the insurrection? Why have the Dems not leaked clear and specific evidence of the conspiracy involving DJT to overrun the Capitol and leave office peacefully 14 days later? In the alternative, when do you think these charges are forthcoming? You can be you, think what you do and still demand reporting with a reasonable level of accuracy. It’s a good thing to question agendas. Or, you can let Gepetto make you think you’re a good dancer.

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.