Polite Politics

[roadtonowhere08]

2 hours ago, Chewbacca Defense said:

Really funny thing is that if this had gone through....Biden could have had him whacked without any concern for repercussions.

Not sure they were really thinking clearly on that....   Goes to show how smooth-brained his followers really are.

What an incredibly persuasive argument for immunity.  I am now for it.

[SnarkyGoblin]

Dysfunction Reigns in Congress as G.O.P. Defeats Multiply https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/06/us/politics/border-ukraine-israel-aid-congress.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Tk0.SDzq.nN9qIOvQeAJi&smid=nytcore-android-share

They're bad at being bad at their job.

[snow_wizard]

5 hours ago, Iceresistance said:

Grade Inflation is real

Opinion: No more ‘D’ or ‘F’ grades? Grade inflation is masking a looming crisis of ignorance (msn.com)

No doubt the left has ruined the education system.  All of their cockamamie 1+1=3 and math is a construct of the evil white man mumbo jumbo.  What planet do these morons live on anyway?

[snow_wizard]

2 minutes ago, SnarkyGoblin said:

Dysfunction Reigns in Congress as G.O.P. Defeats Multiply https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/06/us/politics/border-ukraine-israel-aid-congress.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Tk0.SDzq.nN9qIOvQeAJi&smid=nytcore-android-share

They're bad at being bad at their job.

Sounds like Biden, except he is the top of the heap when it comes to terrible.  He can't even lock down a border when he has the total latitude to do so by executive orders.

Believe me I'm aware many Republicans are a bunch of clowns too.  Our government sucks.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

On 2/4/2024 at 10:21 PM, Chewbacca Defense said:

Eh....I lived in Oregon for about 8-9 years, and I would have to say he's not too far off.  And I'm saying that as someone who grew up in the deep DEEP south.

I moved out to Albany Oregon from Athens Georgia with 3 friends, and the first thing we noticed was how WHITE it was.  We went to the Chamber of Commerce to get information about the town we had just moved to, and amongst that was census data, and the realization that during the 1990 there was something like 10-15 black people.  I think the population was about 30-40k at the time....36k comes to mind.  Even the college town of Corvallis was extremely "white" though not as bad as Albany.

It absolutely floored us.  As we made friends with "locals" we shared our observation and learned that Oregon had quite the white supremacist history.  A lot of skinheads, but they got run out in the '80's and settled in Idaho.  Of all the stereotypes I had in mind, white supremacist was absolutely NOT one of them. 

I as settled in and got to know the people and the area, I figured out that as you moved out of the larger towns and cities, and up into the foothills and mountains, they could not be more different.  I quickly learned that "rednecks" were not just a southern phenomena.  Rednecks are different from "country folk."  I can't say I've come across a redneck in Washington or Montana.  Take that back, I've come across a few rednecks in Spokane, but otherwise its just been "country folk"

Country folk are just good 'ole salt of the earth people who will give you the shirt off their back....they have a strong sense of their values (most always conservative) but tend to be of a "live and let live" mindset.

Rednecks are in a lot of ways like Country Folk but there's an edge on them....a darkness.....a sense that you probably shouldn't completely let your guard down around them.  Also not as tolerant of a viewpoint that is different from their own.  I would also say that Rednecks are amongst the furthest of the right.

That's my definition for it anyway...

The mayor of Albany is actually one of only 3 Black mayors in Oregon right now. I don't know what party he belongs too, but he's a pretty awesome guy. I've met him through work a few times. Trump won like 63% in Linn county in 2020, Lebanon is like being in Oklahoma. But overall, Linn County (Albany) is like a different world from Marion county where I live. 

[SilverFallsAndrew]

On 2/4/2024 at 10:21 PM, Chewbacca Defense said:

Eh....I lived in Oregon for about 8-9 years, and I would have to say he's not too far off.  And I'm saying that as someone who grew up in the deep DEEP south.

I moved out to Albany Oregon from Athens Georgia with 3 friends, and the first thing we noticed was how WHITE it was.  We went to the Chamber of Commerce to get information about the town we had just moved to, and amongst that was census data, and the realization that during the 1990 there was something like 10-15 black people.  I think the population was about 30-40k at the time....36k comes to mind.  Even the college town of Corvallis was extremely "white" though not as bad as Albany.

It absolutely floored us.  As we made friends with "locals" we shared our observation and learned that Oregon had quite the white supremacist history.  A lot of skinheads, but they got run out in the '80's and settled in Idaho.  Of all the stereotypes I had in mind, white supremacist was absolutely NOT one of them. 

I as settled in and got to know the people and the area, I figured out that as you moved out of the larger towns and cities, and up into the foothills and mountains, they could not be more different.  I quickly learned that "rednecks" were not just a southern phenomena.  Rednecks are different from "country folk."  I can't say I've come across a redneck in Washington or Montana.  Take that back, I've come across a few rednecks in Spokane, but otherwise its just been "country folk"

Country folk are just good 'ole salt of the earth people who will give you the shirt off their back....they have a strong sense of their values (most always conservative) but tend to be of a "live and let live" mindset.

Rednecks are in a lot of ways like Country Folk but there's an edge on them....a darkness.....a sense that you probably shouldn't completely let your guard down around them.  Also not as tolerant of a viewpoint that is different from their own.  I would also say that Rednecks are amongst the furthest of the right.

That's my definition for it anyway...

Sweet Home, Scio, Brownsville, Halsey, Harrisburg, just absolutely redneck to the core. It's crazy, and hard to describe, but you do a good job of doing so. 

[snow_wizard]

BTW....the border deal should have been shot down.  It was terrible.  For staters it gave 3 times as much money to Ukraine as it did to secure our own border.  Also all of the mumbo jumbo written into the bill by lobbyists left every aspect of the border security open to legal challenges which would have rendered it useless.

[Iceresistance]

Making internet less accessible

Biden administration to end enrollment in affordable internet program (msn.com)

[Chewbacca Defense]

23 minutes ago, SilverFallsAndrew said:

The mayor of Albany is actually one of only 3 Black mayors in Oregon right now. I don't know what party he belongs too, but he's a pretty awesome guy. I've met him through work a few times. Trump won like 63% in Linn county in 2020, Lebanon is like being in Oklahoma. But overall, Linn County (Albany) is like a different world from Marion county where I live. 

Wow that's pretty crazy, and good to hear...PROGRESS!  To be honest, I have not been back down there since we left in 2002, so I have no idea what it's like now.  One of my best friends down there was from Sweet Home, and he was an interesting person.  On the one hand, he was pretty liberal and open minded on a lot of things, but every once in a while the Sweet Home would float to the surface.

One of the coolest things about him, my wife is from a cattle ranching family in Montana, and one summer, the herd got cut off and scattered by a wild fire.  I was talking to this buddy about it and he said "you say the word and I can have 4 guys with horses on the road by nightfall."  I didn't have to take him up on the offer but I have no doubt he would have done it if I asked.

Also did a ridealong with a friend at the Benton County Sheriff's office.  We went up into the foothills just west of Corvallis, and he said, "for the most part, we can't come up here unless its with the SWAT team, but I've built up enough trust that they know that if I'm up here, its for a good reason, and otherwise I'm going to leave them alone.  We definitely did not dawdle.  

[Chewbacca Defense]

44 minutes ago, snow_wizard said:

BTW....the border deal should have been shot down.  It was terrible.  For staters it gave 3 times as much money to Ukraine as it did to secure our own border.  Also all of the mumbo jumbo written into the bill by lobbyists left every aspect of the border security open to legal challenges which would have rendered it useless.

For what it's worth, it sounds like the Border Patrol union, while admitting it's not perfect, overall gave it their support and said it was long overdue.  And most if not all of the progressive democrats absolutely HATE it, so it can't be all that bad, right?

As for the size of the Ukraine package, we are sending things like M1 Abrams tanks (about $24M a piece), Bradley Fighting Vehicles (about $2.4M a piece), tens of thousands of man portable anti armor missle systems (couple hundred thousands a piece) plus millions...probably tens of millions of rounds of ammo for everything from pistols and rifles up to artillery, tanks and aircraft.  None of that sh*t is cheap, and it adds up quick.

And the fact that Trump has such a hard-on to shut it down is another very clear indicator that it is a *relatively* meaningful piece of legislation.

[SilverFallsAndrew]

From Byron York at the Examiner. 

Finally, I asked Conda about accusations from Democrats and others that Republicans only opposed the bill because former President Donald Trump told them to. Yesterday former Rep. Liz Cheney posted on X, “On Trump’s orders, Republicans in Congress are rejecting the border security deal.” What about that? I asked Conda. “No,” he responded. “This border deal was dead on arrival without Trump’s opposition. Republicans don’t believe Joe Biden would use any of the additional tools in this bill to secure the border. He has the authority under current law to stop this surge of illegal aliens but refuses to do it.

[snow_wizard]

1 hour ago, Chewbacca Defense said:

For what it's worth, it sounds like the Border Patrol union, while admitting it's not perfect, overall gave it their support and said it was long overdue.  And most if not all of the progressive democrats absolutely HATE it, so it can't be all that bad, right?

As for the size of the Ukraine package, we are sending things like M1 Abrams tanks (about $24M a piece), Bradley Fighting Vehicles (about $2.4M a piece), tens of thousands of man portable anti armor missle systems (couple hundred thousands a piece) plus millions...probably tens of millions of rounds of ammo for everything from pistols and rifles up to artillery, tanks and aircraft.  None of that sh*t is cheap, and it adds up quick.

And the fact that Trump has such a hard-on to shut it down is another very clear indicator that it is a *relatively* meaningful piece of legislation.

Could be that Trump thought it would hurt us overall, which a lot of honorable conservatives believe as well.

I'm ok with sending military hardware to Ukraine, but not cash.  Too much potential for that to end up going down a black hole.  We should request they send the equipment back when the war is over as well.

[snow_wizard]

1 hour ago, SilverFallsAndrew said:

From Byron York at the Examiner. 

Finally, I asked Conda about accusations from Democrats and others that Republicans only opposed the bill because former President Donald Trump told them to. Yesterday former Rep. Liz Cheney posted on X, “On Trump’s orders, Republicans in Congress are rejecting the border security deal.” What about that? I asked Conda. “No,” he responded. “This border deal was dead on arrival without Trump’s opposition. Republicans don’t believe Joe Biden would use any of the additional tools in this bill to secure the border. He has the authority under current law to stop this surge of illegal aliens but refuses to do it.

Bingo!

Liz Cheney is dead to me BTW.

[snow_wizard]

2 hours ago, Iceresistance said:

Making internet less accessible

Biden administration to end enrollment in affordable internet program (msn.com)

Too may people finding out the truth about Biden's lies!

[roadtonowhere08]

File this under the "OUCH" category:

Some background behind this:

[Minny_Weather]

5 hours ago, roadtonowhere08 said:

File this under the "OUCH" category:

Some background behind this:

The Republican party is seriously embarrassing.

[Andie]

6 hours ago, snow_wizard said:

Bingo!

Liz Cheney is dead to me BTW.

And irrelevant.  Why do they think her opinion even matters?

[hawkstwelve]

7 hours ago, roadtonowhere08 said:

File this under the "OUCH" category:

Some background behind this:

While it's definitely not a good look and MAGA will beat their drums over it, it's worth noting that Haley did not spend a single dime or campaign for a single minute in Nevada while Trump actively campaigned for his supporters to do the 'None' option. Not surprised this is how it went given their unbreakable loyalty to the guy. He could tell them to jump off a bridge in order to show their support for him and they would fight each other over who gets to jump first.

To me, these results continue to paint a bad picture for Trump. The fact 34% of Republican NV voters cast their ballots for two candidates that were nowhere to be seen in the state (let alone one that isn't even in the race) just in spite of Trump continues to show that he has major issues within his own party. For all the hubub that has been made about Democrats not wanting to nominate Biden, it's becoming increasingly evident there is an even larger share of Republicans that don't want to nominate Trump. It's kind of hard to win a general election when 30-50% of your own party are actively voting against you and say they won't vote for you in November. 

[SnarkyGoblin]

2 hours ago, Andie said:

And irrelevant.  Why do they think her opinion even matters?

A better question for the country would be why anyone cares what a well documented dummy narcissist who plainly only cares about himself thinks.

[roadtonowhere08]

3 hours ago, Andie said:

And irrelevant.  Why do they think her opinion even matters?

Why irrelevant?  Are her positions not the foundation of the GOP still, or has the party become such a clusterfock that those do not matter anymore?

2 hours ago, hawkstwelve said:

While it's definitely not a good look and MAGA will beat their drums over it, it's worth noting that Haley did not spend a single dime or campaign for a single minute in Nevada while Trump actively campaigned for his supporters to do the 'None' option. Not surprised this is how it went given their unbreakable loyalty to the guy. He could tell them to jump off a bridge in order to show their support for him and they would fight each other over who gets to jump first.

To me, these results continue to paint a bad picture for Trump. The fact 34% of Republican NV voters cast their ballots for two candidates that were nowhere to be seen in the state (let alone one that isn't even in the race) just in spite of Trump continues to show that he has major issues within his own party. For all the hubub that has been made about Democrats not wanting to nominate Biden, it's becoming increasingly evident there is an even larger share of Republicans that don't want to nominate Trump. It's kind of hard to win a general election when 30-50% of your own party are actively voting against you and say they won't vote for you in November. 

I'm not so sure about the last sentence.  I bet most will still hold their nose and vote for him as a vote against Biden and the DNC.

59 minutes ago, SnarkyGoblin said:

A better question for the country would be why anyone cares what a well documented dummy narcissist who plainly only cares about himself thinks.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

[Andie]

Liz is a footnote right now.   If she should resurrect her public career it’s worth listening to. But right now she’s the ghost of Christmas past.  
Too many “active shooters” to keep in our sites/ on both sides.  

[Iceresistance]

Of course they predict EVERYTHING against the USA

Russia claims Tucker Carlson's interview with Vladimir Putin will spark 'civil war' in US (msn.com)

[Andie]

File under “What could go wrong?”  

https://www.wnd.com/2024/02/biden-send-troops-stop-texas-protecting-border/

I see a Supreme Court hearing in our future.  States Rights vs. USA

[Deweydog]

3 hours ago, SnarkyGoblin said:

A better question for the country would be why anyone cares what a well documented dummy narcissist who plainly only cares about himself thinks.

Prolly because there’s about a 50/50 chance he’ll be president 50 weeks from now?

[snow_wizard]

3 hours ago, Andie said:

File under “What could go wrong?”  

https://www.wnd.com/2024/02/biden-send-troops-stop-texas-protecting-border/

I see a Supreme Court hearing in our future.  States Rights vs. USA

No doubt whatsoever.

[snow_wizard]

On 2/6/2024 at 6:58 AM, Rubus Leucodermis said:

So it's just the trannies, then?

Why care so much? If a transman walks into the men’s room, how can you tell? Most of them pass as genetically male. I know, I’ve met more than a few. Unless one is into inspecting others’ genitals in such places (in which case, see next paragraph), one would have no idea.

I mean, sure, if someone claims to be transgender in order to pursue their peeping tom hobby, that’s a problem. Always been a potential problem. It’s also a crime in most jurisdictions (voyeurism), and where it’s not a crime, the perp is civilly liable (i.e. can be successfully sued). Also pretty easy to tell if someone is doing that (e.g. lingering in the area, instead of going in, doing one’s business, and promptly leaving). Nobody is proposing professing to be transgendered as a get out of jail free card for violating other peoples’ privacy.

This all sounds like a lot like the hullabaloo a quarter-century ago of same-sex marriages somehow “devaluing” traditional opposite-sex marriages. If your marriage means a lot to you, I don’t see why it can’t continue to mean a lot to you even if more people now have the freedom to have one.

To me and a lot of others it's just kind of a thing to not want members of the opposite sex in our restrooms.  Nothing evil about that and no hidden agendas.

[hawkstwelve]

I mean, come on... Really? This is the best we can do? An old grandpa with dementia or an old narcissistic soon-to-be convict? Really?

 

[snow_wizard]

29 minutes ago, hawkstwelve said:

I mean, come on... Really? This is the best we can do? An old grandpa with dementia or an old narcissistic soon-to-be convict? Really?

 

We'll see if Trump ever gets convicted of anything.  Most of the crap against him is ridiculous.  The more the swamp tries to get rid of him the more I want him to win again.  I have made it clear I would have rather had DeSantis as a choice, but Trump will do what has to be done to fix this mess.

[Andie]

I’m going to enjoy Biden’s campaigning. Sheesh. His last extemporaneous statement was just downright painful.  

[roadtonowhere08]

1 hour ago, snow_wizard said:

We'll see if Trump ever gets convicted of anything.  Most of the crap against him is ridiculous.  The more the swamp tries to get rid of him the more I want him to win again.  I have made it clear I would have rather had DeSantis as a choice, but Trump will do what has to be done to fix this mess.

A dumb criminal is going to clean up a swamp of intelligent criminals?  2016-2020 says otherwise.

[Chewbacca Defense]

2 hours ago, snow_wizard said:

We'll see if Trump ever gets convicted of anything.  Most of the crap against him is ridiculous.  The more the swamp tries to get rid of him the more I want him to win again.  I have made it clear I would have rather had DeSantis as a choice, but Trump will do what has to be done to fix this mess.

[SnarkyGoblin]

9 hours ago, Deweydog said:

Prolly because there’s about a 50/50 chance he’ll be president 50 weeks from now?

Only got to that point because people were interested in what he said. 

Still don't know why.

[Rubus Leucodermis]

I am calling it now:

1. The Court will rule in favour of Trump remaining on the ballot.
2. It will be by greater than a 6–3 margin.
3. It may even be 9–0.

https://blackcap.name/blog/new/?p=6237

[Rubus Leucodermis]

17 hours ago, snow_wizard said:

To me and a lot of others it's just kind of a thing to not want members of the opposite sex in our restrooms.  Nothing evil about that and no hidden agendas.

Personally, I don’t care about other peoples’ genitals so much and frankly think doing so a little odd. But you do you.

[SnarkyGoblin]

34 minutes ago, Rubus Leucodermis said:

I am calling it now:

1. The Court will rule in favour of Trump remaining on the ballot.
2. It will be by greater than a 6–3 margin.
3. It may even be 9–0.

https://blackcap.name/blog/new/?p=6237

It's definitely the path of least resistance.

[Iceresistance]

1 hour ago, Rubus Leucodermis said:

I am calling it now:

1. The Court will rule in favour of Trump remaining on the ballot.
2. It will be by greater than a 6–3 margin.
3. It may even be 9–0.

https://blackcap.name/blog/new/?p=6237

If it's 9-0, the Media will get mad at even the Liberal judges for "Siding with Trump"

[Rubus Leucodermis]

2 hours ago, Iceresistance said:

If it's 9-0, the Media will get mad at even the Liberal judges for "Siding with Trump"

“The Media” includes the Fox News network and OANN.

There is no one unified “media.”

If it’s 9–0, even many liberals will see the unanimity and rationalize it.

There will of course be whining from some, and even perhaps many. That will happen regardless of what the Court rules.

[Deweydog]

14 hours ago, SnarkyGoblin said:

Only got to that point because people were interested in what he said. 

Still don't know why.

This applies to every political candidate ever. They say stuff and people become interested in what they’re saying.

[Andie]

On 2/3/2024 at 12:43 PM, roadtonowhere08 said:

I think if one looks at this issue with an objective lens, both of you have validity to your stances.

1. Dangerous criminals are inside our borders due to our intentionally lax immigration system.  Sorry for your loss, Andie.  That's horrible.

2. Far too many Americans do not want darker skinned people here because they are disgusting racist nationalists.

Both are facts.  Both need to be addressed in a manner that does not deal only in talking points and political selfishness that stokes the flames in the GOP and DNC bases.  Unfortunately that's all we are getting.

Thank you. My life has never been the same.   
 

It isn’t skin color as far a most Texans feel. We live, work, and marry with them.  
It’s the criminal element we know that is entering as seeming innocents.  
They're more organized today.  Smart phones make them more efficient and connected.  If/When the truly organized crime gets a solid foothold it will take something along the lines of the military to destroy them.  
Not screening folks as they enter will go down as a historic disaster and take a generation, at a minimum, to remediate.  

[hawkstwelve]

Some points regarding the release of the Special Counsel's report on Biden's mishandling of classified documents...

- Special counsel describes Biden's memory as having "significant limitations"

- Biden did not remember when he was VP, including being unable to remember both the first and last day of when his term began

- Biden did not remember when his son Beau died 

- Biden claimed to have beef with people that he actually never had beef with, seemingly mixing people up (does this sound familiar to anyone? Dead French president? Dead German chancellor? Dead Congresswoman?)

- Biden read sensitive, classified material to his ghostwriter multiple times verbatim

- Some of the notebooks in Biden's possession "implicated sensitive intelligence sources and methods"

- Other sensitive material found related to military and foreign policy in Afghanistan, among other things

- Biden claimed to have kept the material in order to be able to write memoirs and to "cite as evidence that he was a man of presidential timber" even though he was "deeply familiar with the measures taken to safeguard classified information" but did not follow those measures

All of that is true (and even more that I left out) and yet the Special Counsel determined that because Joe could sell to the jury that he is a "sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with poor memory" that Joe will not face charges as that defense would be able to cast a reasonable doubt.

So apparently if you want a 'get out of jail free' card, you just have to pretend that you are an old man with dementia. Or maybe you don't have to pretend...

https://www.mediaite.com/biden/elderly-man-with-a-poor-memory-devastating-doj-report-says-biden-did-not-remember-when-he-was-vice-president-and-when-his-son-died/

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13062835/joe-biden-classified-documents-garage-private-office-investigation-not-charged.html