joe biden giving a presidential address in front of congress on the mechanical viability of ####### pokemon.


your welcome.

It's like you didn't even read their posts.

Republican operative ignores the context and simply repeats Republican talking points about groomers. Film at 11.

The great irony here is that TraderDave very specifically named Snapper as the type of person he wanted to protect his child from.

There's no nuance for him and his ilk. If you are not telling them to suck it up and be a man, you are forcibly cutting off their junk.

fun fact:

if you think you need armed protection at every waking moment, you're not a "centrist", you're a sociopath.

Right, warnings about "stochastic terrorism" may only apply to those you don't like.

Also, it's pretty rich learning about sociopaths from the guy who types hundreds of comments that pretty much only he reads during every Eagles scrimmage, let alone postseason game.

We shouldn't be banning books for kids.

How adorable, another Primate is a-ok with elementary and middle school children being exposed to porn.

There's no nuance for him and his ilk.

Still more projection. Maybe wonder for at least a nanosecond why snapper "and his ilk" now include feminists from the left and center?

Coming back to thread after a bit, again I thank those who have shown support.

Perhaps y’all now have an idea what it’s like to have your family and your child’s struggles be a target for right wing trogs who have a nationwide bullhorn backed by an amen corner of bigoted, slow witted mockingbirds.

I’ve been wasting time on this site for 2 decades and have met, both virtually and real life, many great people. Several local primates have been to my home many times, for example. Most of this lot are first rate people.

Right, wild accusations of "stochastic terrorism" may only apply to those you don't like.

rudy giulianni claims someone assaulted him (w/ video of the incident).
mike crackaddictpillowguy claims someone assaulted him.
steve scalise claims he was shot in the pelvis by a high powered rifle.
gretchen whitmer was the target of a paramilitary terrorist assassination attempt
the director of ohio's department of health resigned from her office because of persistent harassment of her and her family by armed psychopaths.

there are things that exist, and there are things that don't exist. i'd argue that we should worry about things that exist before concerning ourselves with the imagined. ymmv.

Also, it's pretty rich learning about sociopaths from the guy who types hundreds of comments that pretty much only he reads during every Eagles scrimmage, let alone postseason game.

you're lucky you've never touched the NBA thread, snowflake. please continue to stay away.

Still more projection. Maybe wonder for at least a nanosecond why snapper "and his ilk" now include feminists from the left and center?

I'm sure some of your best friends are feminists.

Try some reading.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminist_views_on_transgender_topics

I’m sure there are a few “Feminists who side with Snapper.”

There were a few Jews in the Wehrmacht, too, but room temp or higher IQ’s know not to make that argument.

I’m sure there are a few “Feminists who side with Snapper.”

Horseshoe theory. The extreme left has more in common with the extreme right that it does with the mainstream left.

Horseshoe theory. The extreme left has more in common with the extreme right that it does with the mainstream left.

the "extreme left" doesn't exist in any meaningful way in america.

antifascism is a tactic, not an ideology.
black lives matter is a hashtag, not a paramilitary militia.
defund the police is a slogan, not a constitutional amendment.


terfs aren't extreme leftists; they are neoliberal/neoconservative reactionaries.

How adorable, another Primate is a-ok with elementary and middle school children being exposed to porn.

Which pornographic books that an elementary school librarian would acquire are you referring to specifically? If you are going toss out claims like this I hope you have something to back it up.

You would think "Don't drug, mutilate, and sterilize your kids who defy gender stereotypes, and are mentally ill or just gay or autistic" wouldn't be controversial among our woke friends, but here we are. Us right wing loons and the radical feminists are the only ones arguing for the protection of gay teens from whack job activists and doctors.

I don't even know what to say about this, but I will hold out hope it's simply a function of being habitually misinformed by one's choice of media because it's bereft of any factual basis. LGBTQ+ teens are at risk *because* of ongoing right-wing hatred and intolerance. To white-knight "right wing loons" as "arguing for the protection of gay teens" is dangerously, patently false. Anti-LGBTQ+ bills of all stripes are skyrocketing and they are *exclusively* a product of wealthy right-wing loons that are organizing with the intent of fomenting hatred and division, rather than encouraging acceptance and understanding.

I hope TraderDave and my previous posts have inspired some compassion regarding the complexities of raising a gender-fluid child among others reading this thread. I welcome your questions because I believe communication leads to understanding.

I apologize if doing this in a baseball forum where I mostly lurk Red Sox threads seems intrusive, but if we don't have these kinds of conversations with each other outside of our own echo-chamber bubbles, nothing will be gained.

Well said.

How adorable, another Primate is a-ok with elementary and middle school children being exposed to porn.

I’d be happy to expose kids to the Roberto Clemente story.

I agree with stiggles primarily on lack of extreme leftists. Horshoe theory IMO is mostly just emotional. Leftists who hate liberals so much they'll latch on to or agree with Trump just for that reason. Know at least two like that personally.

the "extreme left" doesn't exist in any meaningful way in america.

The effort to memory hole left-wing activist James T. Hodgkinson continues. Hardly, the only one either.

We shouldn't be banning books for kids. What exactly do you think they are going to read about that would be bad for them?

I said they cast too wide a net (abetted by a dumb law passed by DeSantis and his legislature). They fear, like the dancing monkey said, porn, and such. I think they're being silly by claiming that elementary school libraries are putting pornographic books on the shelves. But you have to pat them on their heads and say "there, there...porn shall not be made available to kids", and then roll your eyes.

And the dancing monkey said everyone complaining about the bans were pearl clutching, which is deliciously and typically ironic of him.

Which pornographic books that an elementary school librarian would acquire are you referring to specifically? If you are going toss out claims like this I hope you have something to back it up.

Reactionaries react. What are you gonna do? His schtick is well known.

It's never not hilarious reading certain folks here attempt to speak so movingly of "compassion" in one sentence while in the very next direct the nastiest of attacks toward those who don't immediately fall in line with their radical agenda.

And of course, we witness their desperate need to tag those who so much as raise an eyebrow as "psychopaths" or "wealthy right-wing loons," never mind if their names are Bari Weiss, Jesse Singal, Jonathan Chait, or Benjamin Ryan.

I’d be happy to expose kids to the Roberto Clemente story.

Maybe focus instead on apologizing for posting the bullsh1t story in the first place?

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Truth folks aren't banning storyteller Roald Dahl's books. Oh no, they're merely rewriting his prose:

Edits have been made to descriptions of characters’ physical appearances. The word “fat” has been cut from every new edition of relevant books, while the word “ugly” has also been culled, the Daily Telegraph reported.

Augustus Gloop in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is now described as “enormous”. In The Twits, Mrs Twit is no longer “ugly and beastly” but just “beastly”.

Hundreds of changes were made to the original text – and some passages not written by Dahl have been added. But the Roald Dahl Story Company said “it’s not unusual to review the language” during a new print run and any changes were “small and carefully considered”.

Would folks here also take kindly to any outside effort to make dozens of edits to Toni Morrison's "The Bluest Eye" so as to have her novel be a bit less graphic?

Trust me, Jason, Toni Morrison's works have been taken off many a school list for offensive / triggering language, by nannies all over the political spectrum. Snowflakes come in all shades and colors, and no two of them are exactly alike.

Of course those changes to Dahl are pathetic, though given his long and well documented history of rank anti-semitism I'm a bit surprised to see you coming to his defense.

given his long and well documented history of rank anti-semitism I'm a bit surprised to see you coming to his defense.

when you become accustomed to the taste of leather, the person wearing the boots stops mattering.

/warnerherzogvoice

Not sure what that was supposed to mean, but my taste in Roald Dahl runs towards his dark short stories, like Lamb to the Slaughter** and The Ratcatcher.***

** Where a woman kills her philandering husband with a frozen leg of lamb, and then cooks it and feeds it to the detectives who are investigating the murder. Alfred Hitchcock did a great TV adaptation of it.

*** Featuring a city employee who lassos rats with a string and then bites off their heads

Does JE not understand the major qualitative difference between The Ronald Dahl org editing its own intellectual property vs government directed censorship?

It appears not.

One suspects he and “his ilk” are still mad about Eeny Meany Miney Mo being updated to catching a tiger.

I've been told that the money line of that poem's original iteration was "Grasp an Ethiopian by his lower extremity / If he voices vociferous exclamations, release him immediately"

I don't even know what to say about this, but I will hold out hope it's simply a function of being habitually misinformed by one's choice of media because it's bereft of any factual basis. LGBTQ+ teens are at risk *because* of ongoing right-wing hatred and intolerance. To white-knight "right wing loons" as "arguing for the protection of gay teens" is dangerously, patently false. Anti-LGBTQ+ bills of all stripes are skyrocketing and they are *exclusively* a product of wealthy right-wing loons that are organizing with the intent of fomenting hatred and division, rather than encouraging acceptance and understanding.

There were 1/20th as many TQ+ teens before the trans activists (and the Drs and pharma companies that make money off trans) started fueling this fad, which is exactly what it is. The best science before the recent insanity showed that 90% of teens with gender dysphoria self-resolved by adulthood with no medical intervention. Of those 90%, 80% were gay. There is also a huge concentration of "Trans" diagnosis among autistic kids.

My concern about gay teens is the same as every other person on earth, that they aren't physically harmed by anyone else. That's what the law is there for. After that, you're on you own.

What you call a “fad” is known by decent people as “caring for those who weren’t cared for before.”

What happened to trans kids before this “fad” was suicide, addiction, murder, and lives of endless sorrow for the survivors.

Instead of advertising your devotion to Jesus, maybe you could try acting like him, at least a little.

And to call it a “fad” implies that people are enjoying it, as they might enjoy a new fashion or an IPA.

Do you really think any parent wants to go through this, wants to put their child through a transition? Do you think it’s somehow fun or recreational?

Those who have take this path have done it to save their children’s lives and I can tell you first hand that it’s damned hard, esp in the beginning. I have no expectation that you’ll be enlightened by a thread on a baseball site and after you log off you’ll still be Snapper. Bug do try to at least find a less obnoxious term than “fad.” Side benefit: you’ll sound a lot less stupid if you find a better word.

fun fact:

the term "redpill" is derived from a movie ("the matrix") that is an allegory for the gender dysphoria felt by the transgender siblings who wrote and directed it.

The best science before the recent insanity showed that 90% of teens with gender dysphoria self-resolved by adulthood with no medical intervention. Of those 90%, 80% were gay. There is also a huge concentration of "Trans" diagnosis among autistic kids.

Show your work. I'd like to know what you consider to be "the best science".

the talk about trans kidz/teens just "snapping out of it" sounds like all the stuff said about gay people - oh, its just a phase, they'll settle down with a nice person of the opposite sex

or something.

why suicidal kidz/dead kidz is better than trans kidz i do not get

lots of lavender marriages happened Back Then too. lots of "bachelors" and "spinsters" too

there are trans people who are straight (who are gay AFTER the transition)

now WHY is it rightys are opposed to transitions AFTER age 18 too, not exactly protecting kidz no mo

Maybe focus instead on apologizing for posting the bullsh1t story in the first place?

I LOL'd at the faux indignation. You should thank me for it. You live to argue politics, and these are your favorite threads.

Does JE not understand the major qualitative difference between The Ronald Dahl org editing its own intellectual property vs government directed censorship?

He knows. Like most of the truth, it’s immaterial to him.

Trust me, Jason, Toni Morrison's works have been taken off many a school list for offensive / triggering language, by nannies all over the political spectrum. Snowflakes come in all shades and colors, and no two of them are exactly alike.

Not what I asked, of course.

Of course those changes to Dahl are pathetic, though given his long and well documented history of rank anti-semitism I'm a bit surprised to see you coming to his defense.

Seriously, Andy? Where did you see a defense of his bigotry?

Does JE not understand the major qualitative difference between The Ronald Dahl org editing its own intellectual property vs government directed censorship?

Oh? What books have government officials in Tallahassee or Washington prevented from being published and sold? Please share.

You should thank me for it.

Posting a fake story isn't a prerequisite for engaging in political banter.

Everything is fake news, if you don't like it enough.

lots of lavender marriages happened Back Then too. lots of "bachelors" and "spinsters" too

Heh, if I had been born five/ten years before I was, I probably would have wound up conning a woman into a sham marriage for the purposes of "fitting in". (Assuming I made it to adulthood.) Life would have been miserable for me, her, and any kids that ensued (once I figured out how to, er, perform). But certain cult members wouldn't have felt uncomfortable, and that's very, very important! Because what's a strong "social fabric" without plenty of dysfunctional families?

Would folks here also take kindly to any outside effort to make dozens of edits to Toni Morrison's "The Bluest Eye" so as to have her novel be a bit less graphic?

Trust me, Jason, Toni Morrison's works have been taken off many a school list for offensive / triggering language, by nannies all over the political spectrum. Snowflakes come in all shades and colors, and no two of them are exactly alike.

Not what I asked, of course.

Okay, if by "here" you were referring only to the 8 or 10 people participating in this thread, then I stand corrected. But my point is that Toni Morrison's books have been subject to banning attempts by snowflakes on both ends of the spectrum. Snowflakes on the right object to her depictions of racism, while snowflakes on the left claim to be "triggered" or "traumatized" by these graphic descriptions.

Of course those changes to Dahl are pathetic, though given his long and well documented history of rank anti-semitism I'm a bit surprised to see you coming to his defense.

Seriously, Andy? Where did you see a defense of his bigotry?

I wasn't saying that you were defending Dahl's bigotry, only that given his long history of anti-semitism I was surprised (though I suppose I should also be pleased) that you didn't let his Jewphobia prevent you from defending his non-political writing.

Instead of advertising your devotion to Jesus, maybe you could try acting like him, at least a little.

That's far more polite than I would have put it. You are to be commended for your patience and civility.

Leftist monoculture is so, so, so vapid and boring. Essentially a bunch of wind-up dolls.

"left wing monoculture"

literally every hallmark channel movie is a white christian girl with blond hair playing hard to get with a white christian man with brown hair.

Leftist monoculture is so, so, so vapid and boring. Essentially a bunch of wind-up dolls.

Dude. You think your relentless shtick is captivating, really?

As long as OT-P is up and running again :)

I was mentioning this over on Discord, but the first bowdlerizing of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was done by Roald Dahl himself, in 1973. The original Oompa-Loompas (1964) were fun-loving African pygmies, basically enslaved by Wonka because of their fatal love of the cacao that he keeps feeding them.

This would not have gone over well on screen in the early 1970s, so they were changed for the Gene Wilder film to strange orange people, and Dahl rewrote the book (and had it re-illustrated) to match the less-racist movie.

Now, you can certainly prefer any version of Dahl's books to another. Frankly, the new ones sound awful to me. But it isn't like these various expurgations are done at the behest of a groupthinking pitchforky mob. As Traderdave notes, the changes, whether in 1973 or 2023, are marketing calculations based on a perception that maybe consumers won't continue to love the earlier, dated versions. I thought right-wingers approved of marketing and supply and demand and all that good stuff ;-)

I was mentioning this over on Discord, but the first bowdlerizing of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was done by Roald Dahl himself, in 1973. The original Oompa-Loompas (1964) were fun-loving African pygmies, basically enslaved by Wonka because of their fatal love of the cacao that he keeps feeding them.

Too late for we third graders who had it read to us/read it a short time before -- which finally explains my staunch and long-standing support of slavery.

But it isn't like these various expurgations are done at the behest of a groupthinking pitchforky mob.

There actually was a bit of an Awokening right around then -- movie came out in 1971. Both the "Dartmouth Indians" and the "Stanford Indians" lost the nicknames right around then, e.g. As we know from American history, these groupthinking pitchforky moral panics tend to ebb and flow -- and we're clearly in the middle of one now, the primary difference now being how easy it is for the mob to communicate and therefore tease each other to greater pitches of outrage. I doubt even the Salem mobs were "always on" to the same degree as today's, but that one can be left to the historians.

Both the "Dartmouth Indians" and the "Stanford Indians" lost the nicknames right around then, e.g.

Oh, the humanity!

Oh, the humanity!

how easy it is for the mob to communicate and therefore tease

He's just part of a mob.

Yeah, I know I should just avoid these political threads, because it just makes me wanna vomit that on what should be a fun Baseball forum there are such repugnant Republican d0ucheb@gs.

Can't wait until you're all fellating DeSantis and his ilk.

Both the "Dartmouth Indians" and the "Stanford Indians" lost the nicknames right around then, e.g.

Oh, the humanity!

Here, this should console him.

tony s

am glad you are able to live YOUR natural life instead of someone else's life. the Lord Jesus said - little children, love one another. too many people translate that to - the "other" i say you get to love - everyone else we hate/kill

i figured out about lavender marriages when i was a kid. one of my aunties/uncle were a gay man married to a lesbian. unlike ordinary hetero couples, they were clearly different and of course i didn't know ZACKLY why, but they acted like best friends, not your usual fighting married hetero couple. kidz pick up on all KINDS of stuff we do

am glad you are able to live YOUR natural life instead of someone else's life.

Thank you. As Ricky Nelson put it, you can't please everyone, so you gotta please yourself.

As you've said yourself, the hostility from certain elements makes no logical sense to me. If I were straight, and if a friend came out to me as gay, my reaction would be "cool, one less person I need to worry about stealing my girlfriend." :)

As you've said yourself, the hostility from certain elements makes no logical sense to me. If I were straight, and if a friend came out to me as gay, my reaction would be "cool, one less person I need to worry about stealing my girlfriend." :)

Jerry: "I have many gay friends."

George: "My father is gay."

But it isn't like these various expurgations are done at the behest of a groupthinking pitchforky mob.

Consumers in 2023 won't dare buy a book describing a character as "fat" rather than "enormous?" How do we know this?

No, it's a groupthinking pitchforky mob instilling its idea of values on the consumer.

In any event...

Imagine buying the rights to Rocky Horror Picture show and removing all the trans.

How does one know anything in marketing? Does MLB suppose that fans won’t attend ballgames if the second baseman is in short right field? Companies look for some edge to keep their product most viable. They can be stupid about it.

In the case of Roald Dahl, there is a cruel edge in all his books (Andy mentioned its much sharper form in his adult stories). You could argue that the nastiness makes Dahl what he is. But now they’ve bet that a nicer version will be more marketable.

It’s an odd happening, I agree. Most nasty old children’s books die a slow death from lack of interest. (Most nice ones do too.) Here they’re trying to give an old franchise a makeover. It may have a mockworthy result, in that the makeover may be terribly done; but I don’t really see a chilling effect on the circulation of language and ideas.

And another problem is they made M&Ms; not sexy anymore.

Lesbian candy is kind of sexy.

And yet, we have entered a new and dire age of book banning, and as Hirschfeld and Bloch could have told you, it is a dangerous, slippery slope from banning smut to physical attacks on those deemed “degenerate.” Their own Institute of Sexual Science was destroyed by Nazi vandals in 1933; three years earlier, a screening of Buñuel’s L’Age d’Or had been disrupted by white nationalists who attempted to destroy the theater while shouting “Death to Jews!” It mattered little that Buñuel wasn’t Jewish; all that mattered was cementing the libelous connection between Jews and sexual deviancy as a means to legitimize violence—a playbook that’s once again being used, this time with trans athletes and drag brunches added to the list of acceptable targets.

It’s an odd happening, I agree. Most nasty old children’s books die a slow death from lack of interest. (Most nice ones do too.) Here they’re trying to give an old franchise a makeover. It may have a mockworthy result, in that the makeover may be terribly done; but I don’t really see a chilling effect on the circulation of language and ideas.

As I said, I'm not a fan of the revision, but it's not as if you can't find oodles of unrevised versions of Dahl's books on Amazon, abebooks, etc. and in used book stores.

Same thing with those six Dr. Seuss books that were discontinued by his publisher. You can find 354 copies of And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street on viaLibri.

It is funny reading through some of this - the raging right hates freedom (banning books, banning certain surgery for some people while encouraging it for others), hates letting parents parent (if you 'allow' your child to be transgender you could be charged with a felony), and is anti-democratic (too many examples to list). Basically every accusation from them is a confession. The left hates freedom (but we ban things every chance we get), the left tells parents how to raise children (but we won't allow you to expose them to drag queens reading children's books, or allow you to decide what gender they are or what clothes they can wear).

It is an insane situation in the USA and it has bled over to the UK and is now infecting Canada (which is where I live - I encountered a true believer in this crap today - someone who seemed reasonable at first but then went coo-coo and started on a rant about the evils of 15 minute cities and the like before I got a chance to leave the room).

Always look to who profits from stuff and why they are pushing ideas. Drag Queens don't make much if anything for reading to children, but politicians get to distract their base and raise tons of funds by demonizing them as an example. Same with transgender situations - politicians make a ton of money off the under 3% who regret transitioning as there are tons of hoops to go through if you want to fully transition (ie: get your lower parts removed/changed) - far, far lower % than regret getting liposuction or any other plastic surgery which teens get all the time and still will under the new laws being passed by or pushed by Republicans (I suspect because of how many of them are child abusers/rapists as Matt Gaetz is very credibly accused of being).

Marjorie Taylor Greene @mtgreenee

We need a national divorce.

We need to separate by red states and blue states and shrink the federal government.

Everyone I talk to says this.

From the sick and disgusting woke culture issues shoved down our throats to the Democrat’s traitorous America Last policies, we are done.

Greene is not alone in her views. She is giving voice to a widespread and growing sentiment in the Republican Party. Among Republicans in the South, for example, support for secession was 66 percent in June 2021, according to a Bright Line Watch/YouGov poll. (The poll found support for secession growing among every partisan group in the months following the January 6 riot at the Capitol.)

Oh, the books being 'adjusted' is this funny thing the right now seems to hate called 'capitalism'. The companies that own the rights to books change the text/images to suit the times in order to maximize sales / profits. They don't give a damn about what the books were originally or intent of the author, what the left demands, what the right demands, or any of that stuff. They care about profit, profit, profit. If printing the books exactly as they were when written would make more money than being more inclusive is then they'd do that. If they felt removing all non-white people from the books would sell more they would do that too. Now, if the government demands they do that, then you have a different issue altogether. But if you have proof of that please let us see it, don't just say it. For example, I can prove in Florida books about real life gay penguins are being banned by Republicans, so if you have proof of books being changed or banned by the left please pass it along.

Oh my, treason from MTG? When is her execution?

#politics

A diagonal line stretching from New Mexico to Massachusetts is set to effectively split the country in half this week. Aside from a narrow range in the middle of the divide, most places to the west and north of the split will face temperatures far below average along with intense winter storms, while states to the south and east are set to reach staggering high temps.

“Widespread record-breaking highs possible in the East and much below average cold in the West beginning mid-week,” the National Weather Service wrote in its most recent short range forecast. On top of the temperatures, meteorologists are predicting big precipitation totals.

Next time the South secedes -- and there WILL be a next time -- just let 'em go. No need to fight for their return again.

So wait ... the nation is going to separate along a diagonal line from New Mexico to Massachusetts? I need to check a map …

So wait ... the nation is going to separate along a diagonal line from New Mexico to Massachusetts? I need to check a map …

No worries, you’re in the part with air-conditioned ballparks.

So I have learned that not glorifying slavery is a "woke" position.

Truly a bold position, but perhaps only surprising that it was said out loud.

Kevin McCarthy's new bestie has more details on how her national divorce would work - and more importantly, why. Apparently, it is because government has inadequate oversight into Wal-Mart's shelf-stocking decisions.

I must admit, now that are all apparently onboard with collectivism and state-controls on private enterprise, I find it highly ironic that we've reached the point of irreconcilable differences.

To his ‘credit’, Zonk was several years ahead of Greene in calling for the dissolution of the Union. Greene has yet to flee the country, either, so he’s ahead there, too.

Cool. So that means I qualify to be a star member of the GOP House and even be mentioned as a potential Trump running mate? I never knew that reaching such high levels of esteem within the GOP and potential power would be so easy!

Terry Francona gave his annual team speech. He was so nervous he was drenched in sweat. He declined dinner w/ coaches last night so he could make edits. He made pasta, but it didn't fully cook and broke his tooth. He arrived at camp at 3:30am & spilled coffee all over the speech.

— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) February 21, 2023

So that means I qualify to be a star member of the GOP House and even be mentioned as a potential Trump running mate? I never knew that reaching such high levels of esteem within the GOP and potential power would be so easy!

Anyone can try to run, but since you wanted to break up the United States earlier and for different reasons than Greene, you’re probably better off sticking with your own political party. However, every poll indicates many Democrats are open to non-Biden options, so there appears to be a path for your lofty ambitions.

Why did I want to break up the United States?

I must admit that I'm flattered you hold me so dear to your heart that my every word here hangs with you like a love you cannot quit, but I honestly don't recall and it's probably easiest, Clapper, that you just look at the weird shrine you have to me on your wall rather than struggling through search.

EDIT: To be clear, if it was around the same time I was convinced Hee-seop Choi had a Korean space laser ready to blow up MLB pitching, I've already disavowed that period like if was an AFPAC event I spoke at...

Michael Cleere @mikecleere
Pastor Joel Osteen pays himself an annual salary of $54,000,000 from his church profits. He had a custom garage built with 20 car stalls for each of his custom vehicles. His favorite is a Ferrari 458 Italia that cost $270,000. He lives in a 70,000 sq ft mansion.
In the New Testament, four different times Jesus tells his followers to always pay their taxes. Why is it in the United States that churches don’t have to pay taxes? The IRS figures if all churches paid their fair share of 15% taxes that it would total over $2 trillion a year.
More than enough to solve the homelessness in this country, since it looks like these Pastors would rather spend your donations on New Cars instead of feeding the hungry.

Michael Cleere @mikecleere
Televangelists and priests are known for their lavish purchases of private jets as they need to travel to multiple locations to spread the gospel and speak to the public. Joel Osteen reportedly owns one of the priciest jets, a $68 million Airbus A319. The charter plane was first manufactured in 1994 and used by various notable airlines, including Delta, American Airlines, and United.

The charter plane was first manufactured in 1994 and used by various notable airlines, including Delta, American Airlines, and United.

My wife flies the Airbus.

Widespread record-breaking highs possible in the East and much below average cold in the West beginning mid-week,” the National Weather Service wrote in its most recent short range forecast. On top of the temperatures, meteorologists are predicting big precipitation totals.

You made me check. Holy crap, projected high of 77 here (inland MD) on Thursday. In midwinter.

And with one month of winter to go, we've had no snow yet, besides some brief no-stick showers a few weeks ago.

Suburban DC will have highs of 81 on Thursday and 40 (with rain) on Saturday. THE GODS ARE ANGRY, MY FRIENDS.

The IRS figures if all churches paid their fair share of 15% taxes that it would total over $2 trillion a year.

Well, this part certainly isn't true. Churches earn $13 billion a year? That's like 1/2 of total US GDP.

EDIT: My previous post should say $13 trillion, not billion.

Always look to who profits from stuff and why they are pushing ideas.

That is all you needed to say.

How many of you millionaires or thousandaires think it's a great idea to have tax cuts for billionaires (if yes, why)?

The rest of the stuff is all window dressing to get us to fight each other.

Matt Gaetz, he did propose a bill, with AOC, to prevent members of congress from committing insider trading. I think it got about 28 votes in total. The radio hosts (I listen almost exclusively to right wing talk radio to get a different perspective, although the corporate "mainstream" media is not liberal) on the program I listened to were stunned that more conservatives didn't vote for it. It didn't surprise me, shouldn't surprise any of you. If I ever met Gaetz, the first thing I'd tell him hey that was a great bill you proposed to eliminate insider trading by members of congress. Insulting him won't do any good, won't change his mind, won't make him listen.

We all think and act emotionally mainly.

The large corporations do not think emotionally, they (through their officers) strive to maximize profit for the corporation.

This is a great quote from former president Reagan: "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the Government, and I'm here to help. " (August 12, 1986)

So, what is the alternative? A large corporation will provide the service, it will be fantastic, marvelous (at least for its stockholders). Just like the car companies cared for consumers by putting in seatbelts voluntarily. Well, I got that one wrong. At least with the government, pre-Citizens United, the votes meant something. Nowadays, the dough is even more important than ever. We all know their names, Gates, Musk, Bezos, Koch, Walton add in Soros if you like. That they were skilled or lucky enough to accumulate mass fortunes does not give their opinions on a variety of political topics any outsize worth. But, our political system sure gives them a great influence.

Do members of our society have enough to eat? Do they have a place to live? Do they have medical care? Do they have an education? Maybe they need to worker hard to get it; maybe the government should provide it through taxation, particularly of the billionaire class (of course some of you may think that providing tax cuts to billionaires and large corporations will solve these problems). Should it be survival of the fittest? I hope not; I'm just a keyboard warrior myself, maybe you others are tougher.

But, as long as we are debating drag queen story hour or whether Roald Dahl's book should be edited, these questions get left aside.

A couple of the parents on here have shared stories of supporting their children through a difficult decision. A few posts ago someone mentioned conversion therapy and a child dying. That's tragic, but I cannot say that the parents who sent their kids to conversion therapy loved their child any less than the supportive parents of the non-binary children. Maybe the former parents made a mistake out of love and concern for their child. As a society, we allow parents to make decisions on behalf of minor children. Parents make mistakes, even with good intentions or misguided intentions, however one looks at it. So, there's commonality. You care for children, for example, what works then?

Look for the commonality and build. Otherwise, you're just fighting over crumbs

Great post, Baxter. You get it.

My concern about gay teens is the same as every other person on earth, that they aren't physically harmed by anyone else. That's what the law is there for. After that, you're on you own.

as long as "people" like "snapper" are promoting suicide positivity in this thread:

Teddy Joseph Von Nukem, 35, died on Jan. 30 at his home in southwest Missouri when he was supposed to go to trial in Arizona on charges of trafficking fentanyl across the Mexico border. He was arrested in March 2021 for allegedly having more than 33 pounds of fentanyl pills in his vehicle, according to court records.

Von Nukem’s image went viral after he was photographed wearing a black shirt, carrying a tiki torch and yelling racist chants at the front of a far-right group that gathered in Charlottesville to protest the removal of Confederate statues

it's a good day.

as long as "people" like "snapper" are promoting suicide positivity in this thread:

Hmmm, who are the ones really promoting "suicide positivity" in this thread...?

Finland Takes Another Look at Youth Gender Medicine:

Dr. Riittakerttu Kaltiala knows gender medicine. She is the top expert on pediatric gender medicine in Finland and the chief psychiatrist at one of its two government-approved pediatric gender clinics, at Tampere University, where she has presided over youth gender transition treatments since 2011. Her research has even been cited—though not accurately—by American supporters of “affirming care” for gender-dysphoric youth. She is one of the last people in the world who could be accused of being “reactionary,” a “transphobe,” or uninformed on the subject of trans health care.

Earlier this month, however, just a few days before Finland passed a law granting its adult citizens the right to have their self-defined gender recognized in government documents, Dr. Kaltiala gave an interview with Helsingin Sanomat, Finland’s liberal newspaper of record. Her comments were a sobering reminder of just how out of step the American medical establishment is with its European counterparts when it comes to treating minors who reject their sex. ...

Turning to the question of suicide, which has become virtually the only argument that “gender affirming” activists make in support of their preferred practice, Kaltiala did not pull her punches. The popular “transition or suicide” narrative used by activists to push back against state reform efforts is, in Kaltiala’s words, “purposeful disinformation, and spreading it is irresponsible.”

Much of the public confusion about the suicide issue stems from a simple correlation-causation fallacy. While there is evidence that teenagers who identify as transgender have elevated rates of suicide and suicidality (a behavior that, researchers emphasize, often involved thoughts of suicide or nonfatal self-harming gestures and should not to be confused with actual suicide or serious attempts to end one’s life), there is no evidence that their elevated risk is because of unaffirmed gender identity or that social and medical transition will reduce their risk for self-harm. Studies purporting to find that hormones reduce suicidality are typically designed in such a way that valid inferences about cause and effect cannot be drawn. Considering that roughly three-quarters of teenagers who present to gender clinics these days have preexisting mental health conditions like depression and autism, which are themselves risk factors for suicidality, it is probably more accurate to say that teenagers with suicidal inclinations are more likely to gravitate toward a trans identity.

Thankfully, moreover, suicide is extremely rare even among transgender-identified youth. There was no epidemic of suicides among gender-distressed teenagers before “gender affirming” hormones became available roughly 15 years ago. A study from the U.K. found that the suicide rate among minors seeking medical transition between 2010 and 2020 was 0.03%—nothing close to the 41% risk commonly cited by American activists. Suicide, according to Helsingin Sanomat, was a “very rare occurrence in about ten years among young people seeking gender identity diagnoses. On the other hand, in a large Swedish study, suicide mortality had clearly increased among adults who had received gender reassignment treatments.” For Kaltiala, “it is not justified to tell the parents of young people identifying as transgender that a young person is at risk of suicide without medical treatments and that the danger can be alleviated with gender reassignment.”

Indeed, the suicide discourse that has come to dominate gender transition activism may itself contribute more to youth self-harm than the bans on hormones and surgeries currently being passed in U.S. states. As Alison Clayton has argued in a peer-reviewed paper, “an excessive focus on an exaggerated suicide risk narrative by clinicians and the media may create a damaging nocebo effect (... “self-fulfilling prophecy” ...) whereby suicidality in these vulnerable youths may be further exacerbated.” Tell kids that being suicidal is inherent to being transgender and that only hormones will solve their problem, and many may indeed become suicidal. The “affirm or suicide” discourse also runs counter to the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control, which emphasizes that “[s]uicide is never the result of a single factor or event” and warns against “presenting simplistic explanations for suicide.” It’s hard to think of a better example of “simplistic explanations” than “trans kids kill themselves when not given hormones.”

Why the obsessive emphasis on the suicide issue? The obvious reason is that if suicide is the expected outcome, any risk from hormones and surgeries is probably worth it. The suicide discourse has the effect, and probably also the intent, of preventing patients and clinicians from doing a careful weighing of pros and cons when deciding on treatment options. It strikes fear into the hearts of parents who worry about the risks and uncertainties about blocking their children’s natural puberty, pumping them full of synthetic hormones, and amputating their healthy breasts as early as age 13. It is also a powerful tool for silencing critics and—crucially—deterring those who have questions about hormonal interventions from raising them in the first place.

Kaltiala thinks that the suicide discourse is being pushed by “adults who have themselves benefited from gender reassignment, have a desire to go out and save children and young children. But they lack understanding that a child is not a small adult.” Activists are driven by a combination of motives including misguided empathy, a savior complex, and projection.

Unlike American doctors who dare question “gender affirmative” orthodoxies, Kaltiala has the backing of professional medical groups in her country. The Finnish Paediatric Society, the counterpart to the American Academy of Pediatrics, has come out against governmental support for gender self-identification in minors in a statement to the Finnish parliament. Likewise, the Finnish Medical Association wrote that “the decision to limit legal gender recognition to adults is a good one.” These statements run directly counter to the American Academy of Pediatrics’ policy since 2018, which, drawing on a highly distorted interpretation of the available research, recommends immediate and uncritical “affirmation” of minors, regardless of age. It also conflicts with the de facto practice in American schools of socially transitioning children upon request, often without knowledge or consent from parents.

Is Dr. Kaltiala a "psychopath" too, Steagles? What of the Finnish Medical Association? Are they nothing more than a bunch of evil snappers?

Turning to the question of suicide, which has become virtually the only argument that “gender affirming” activists make in support of their preferred practice, Kaltiala did not pull her punches. The popular “transition or suicide” narrative used by activists to push back against state reform efforts is, in Kaltiala’s words, “purposeful disinformation, and spreading it is irresponsible.”

this reads like an eminently fair and balanced statement, in that it's complete ####### bullshit.

i also think it's likely that the threats faced by trans youth in finlandia are significantly different than the ones faced by trans youth vs. in america.

Unlike American doctors who dare question “gender affirmative” orthodoxies, Kaltiala has the backing of professional medical groups in her country. The Finnish Paediatric Society, the counterpart to the American Academy of Pediatrics, has come out against governmental support for gender self-identification in minors in a statement to the Finnish parliament. Likewise, the Finnish Medical Association wrote that “the decision to limit legal gender recognition to adults is a good one.” These statements run directly counter to the American Academy of Pediatrics’ policy since 2018, which, drawing on a highly distorted interpretation of the available research, recommends immediate and uncritical “affirmation” of minors, regardless of age.

i don't speak for the transgender community, but what i will say is this:

these are very personal decisions that are being made. whenever possible, i think it's best to keep it that way. tommy tubberville should not have any influence over what happens in anyone else's doctor's office.

Is Dr. Kaltiala a "psychopath" too, Steagles?

i don't think i called anyone a psychopath recently, so i don't know where this comment is coming from.

Are they nothing more than a bunch of evil snappers?

i mean, there are 41 historical monsters who are worse than snapper, so it's possible. it seems unlikely, though.

Appreciate the thoughtful post, as always, Baxter -

However, just because we've discussed it *extensively* over on the OTP Discord - a few notes on the stock trading ban.

First, I'd be leery of assuming the Gaetz-AOC bill was anything more than a stunt if only because both of them enjoy being iconoclasts within their caucus (and without reading the specific legislation, the fact it only got 28 votes leads me to confirm that suspicion at first blush). I say this because there have multiple, serious attempts at such a bill going back multiple Congresses and the real champions of it have been people like Abigail Spanberger (from the D side) and Chip Roy (on the R side) - they actually got a bill through the House last year/last Congress but it died in the Senate. In any case, in the House? I think it is definitely a bipartisan effort that crosscuts a pretty motley crew so well and good. There are almost certainly ample bipartisan votes to get it done in the House.

The real problem is in the Senate - where it's a fair bit less bipartisan. Yes, Josh Hawley is a supporter - but the driving forces behind trying to get such a ban passed in the Senate have been Jon Ossoff and Mark Kelley, and going back a looonnngg way - Jeff Merkley. Elizabeth Warren (D) and Steve Daines (R) have also introduced such legislation at various times (and Warren has also been pretty vocal about it). So - if such a thing matters to someone? Sorry to be not-so-bipartisan, but it's really Senate Republicans that are needed to get something passed.

Second, one issue I've had - and I do think is potentially problematic - is whether such legislation should extend to "family". To wit - should Heidi Cruz have to resign from Goldman Sachs (where I'm pretty sure her role is pretty deeply involved in high-wealth fund management? I know she's a Director now, but she very much came up the GS ranks in fund management). I'm not so sure I agree with that... To say nothing, of course, of kids (Mom or dad gets elected and you can't invest as a private citizen? That seems REALLY problematic).

Finally, despite Clapper's noted emphasis on the bipartisan appeal I'd have running for office: I think it gets tricky if you tell me I need to... blind trust? OK. Divest? Not OK any stock holdings. Of course, I'd be a fool not to look at the long game and realize that the benefits available to serving just a single term, to say nothing of the fact a highly lucrative lobbying job would ALWAYS be available to me afterwards, no matter how ignominious my term in office (look it up - you'd be shocked how many disgraced former office holders still somehow manage to do *quite* well in their post-office careers!). If one goal were to be opening up office to more people - the idea of the hardcore (divesting completely, regardless of long-term planning and prevailing market conditions) would certainly give some people pause... Hey - maybe that's the point - you weed out for favor of the truly dedicated public servant, IDK.

In any case, I don't want to sound like I oppose such legislation - I'd call myself a supporter of it, albeit lukewarm and it's not at the top of my list - I'm just saying that I don't think it's as cut-and-dry.

All that said... and let it never be said that OTP discussions never changed any opinions - I'm far less the CU angry opponent than I used to be. I *do* - frankly - think the federal focus is highly misplaced... It's really the state level where such concerns run amok.

I recognize the 1A issue and concerns far better than I used to - to the point that I struggle to find readily available coherent principle that my head and my heart can agree on. I think lobbying and spending for goodies is highly problematic. However, I'm rather heartened by the naked opportunism of it: Better to buy the winner agnostically than buy a party or a person - so the problem, to a certain extent, *does* tend to take care of itself.

I suppose part of this is getting older - and hopefully, smarter with my own life and money - but I've become much more skeptical if not outright hostile to anything that nods towards the realm of overly powerful individuals and/or cabals being neutered as the solution to any given problem. Please note - this is NOT to say I'm wholly laissez faire on the matter, merely that I favor more of a scalpel approach rather than a sledge hammer.

I recognize the 1A issue and concerns far better than I used to - to the point that I struggle to find readily available coherent principle that my head and my heart can agree on. I think lobbying and spending for goodies is highly problematic. However, I'm rather heartened by the naked opportunism of it: Better to buy the winner agnostically than buy a party or a person - so the problem, to a certain extent, *does* tend to take care of itself.

maybe a hunger games scenario is best.

every 4 years, america's 13 most corrupt (and/or incompetent) politicians will be flown to bikini atoll, where they will participate in the most dangerous game. the winner of this competition will get PTSD, radiation poisoning and a lifetime supply of jello instant pudding powder. it's a win/win/win idea.

parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties are under a blizzard warning from Friday morning through Saturday afternoon—and it may be their first such warning in history. Southern California’s mountain ranges are expected to get pummeled by heavy snow and high winds beginning today and lasting through the weekend.
[...]
“after review[ing] more records,” the forecasting agency later clarified that this is, in fact, the first blizzard warning issued in LA County that NWS is aware of in its history.

longtime LA meteorologist: “I have to be totally honest with you guys: I’ve actually never seen a blizzard warning” pic.twitter.com/J8SS5uKTdR

— Mark Follman (@markfollman) February 22, 2023

So I have learned that not glorifying slavery is a "woke" position.

It is.

Do members of our society have enough to eat? Do they have a place to live? Do they have medical care? Do they have an education? Maybe they need to worker hard to get it; maybe the government should provide it through taxation, particularly of the billionaire class (of course some of you may think that providing tax cuts to billionaires and large corporations will solve these problems). Should it be survival of the fittest? I hope not; I'm just a keyboard warrior myself, maybe you others are tougher.

But, as long as we are debating drag queen story hour or whether Roald Dahl's book should be edited, these questions get left aside.

Interesting that almost immediately after Occupy Wall Street was shut down, the MSM went all in on racial/sexual/gender culture war. Probably just a coincidence.

Also, the fact that people here apparently honestly believe that somebody like Snapper is "far right" is legit hilarious. Some seriously sheltered folks on BBTF.

Hey Zonk thank you taking the time to read and educate me in the process.

Regarding legislation extending to family members, Ted Cruz is a brilliant individual with a highly impressive legal background. I would think, with zero knowledge of his wife, that to succeed in the world of investment banking one would have to be driven, motivated, intelligent, competitive, hardworking and resourceful (with a dash of luck thrown in, as with everything in life). So, if Ms. Cruz were to be disqualified from working at GS, she would have a multitude of options. I firmly believe the US is the land of opportunity. Or, alternatively, the Senator could renounce his career in favor of his wife's vocation. While there would be a loss to the citizens of TX (those who voted for him) and the citizenry of the US (to the extent one supports his policies), I think, and I may be wrong, that the common good of the country in having conflict free representation outweighs the harm to the individual politicians and their families. Congress should be weighing that common good.

Additionally, and this is my crabbed view of the world, GS' current existence runs counter to what my beliefs were as a youngster/young adult: the free market. In 2008, GS could have gone the way of Lehman brothers, except the government, through the tax money of every person (who was alive back then and paying taxes in some way) reading the posts in this column along with 10's of millions of other thousandaires across country bailed them out.

I remember when it was controversial for the government to bail out Chrysler. Now, it certainly appealed to me in watching Uncle Miltie (Friedman, not Berle) say on "Free to Choose" talk about what a great competitive system we had. The good succeeds and the bad fails. Except when you screw up enough that the tax payers bail you out. My name is Barney Smith and I want someone to bail me out rather than Smith Barney. A brilliant moment in the Obama campaign. But, it rings just as hollow as President Reagan's quip. Yet, GS (when it should have been bankrupt) is on the Dow, of all places, along with Mickey D's and Walmart, to name a couple others I think 3m is the one that's been on the longest. I think socialism for the ultra rich and brutal capitalism for everyone else (including all of you reading this, regardless of how you identify politically, except for you billionaire lurkers) is not a good system. I don't think tax cuts for billionaires advance the common good. The US has had 40 + years of it and the sucking up of the wealth retards the common good. Undoubtedly, many will think differently, and I'm always willing to listen.

Sure, I would rather see a William Proxmire type rather than Senator Johnson. But, that's up to the voters of Wisconsin; that's our system. It's the worst one in the world, except for all the others.

Be well.

It is.

Which is sad.

this reads like an eminently fair and balanced statement, in that it's complete ####### bullshit.

Oh dear, someone desperately needs a copium refill.

these are very personal decisions that are being made. whenever possible, i think it's best to keep it that way. tommy tubberville should not have any influence over what happens in anyone else's doctor's office.

Ah yes, "whenever posssible." Is that your way of saying it's a-ok to fire doctors, nurses, and paramedics, and even take the draconian step of denying them unemployment insurance solely for the reason that they opted out of receiving a rushed-to-market vaccine that we soon learned neither prevents recipients from getting COVID nor spreading the virus?

Via Baseball Crank, the linked two-minute clip pretty much sums up why the folks here and ultra-MAGA types alike are increasingly worried sick:

There is such a night-and-day difference between a party leader who needs surrogates to constantly clean up his public remarks & one who can personally dismantle opposing arguments in depth.

Oh dear, someone desperately needs a copium refill.

you've had two people come into this thread to tell highly personal stories of their children's transition, with the express intention of educating you to their thought process, and in neither of those stories was the threat of suicide used as the sort of cudgel that you're imagining it as, you smug little nugget of ####.

Ah yes, "whenever posssible." Is that your way of saying it's a-ok to fire doctors, nurses, and paramedics, and even take the draconian step of denying them unemployment insurance solely for the reason that they opted out of receiving a rushed-to-market vaccine that we soon learned neither prevents recipients from getting COVID nor spreading the virus?

unmitigated covid == mass dying
mass dying == bad
small needle prick == substantially lower risk of mass dying



"i recommend taking the vaccine. i did it, it's good, take the vaccine"

"boooooooooooooooo"