What's on your mind?

[cailic]

22 hours ago, Bazinga said:

So government restrictions might be necessary to protect people from themselves.

 

We have government restrictions.  It's mandatory to wear a mask in stores and probably public places.  However, if you choose not to wear a mask, well, ok.  You know why people aren't taking it seriously?  Because our government isn't taking it seriously.  In the first few months of Covid19, all the government leaders that appeared on TV were not wearing a mask.  Most stores don't give a crap if you wear a mask or not.  If the government was serious about this, they would fine stores that allowed people in without masks.  The whole government response to this is a joke. 

 

[Bazinga]

3 hours ago, gregathit said:

That is a fine attitude for a person from a country that we helped to rebuild and then spent trillions of dollars along with blood, sweat and tears to defend from Russia.  By the way, your welcome on the wall coming down.  No need to thank us.  We know what we did.  Your thanks are not needed. 

The first part is about sth that happened 70 years ago. If you wanna go there then you're welcome for the German settlers that helped to build your country.

And sure, thank you and the Russians for putting all these nukes here and for the scenarios that you had in your drawers to turn Europe into a nuclear wasteland in case of a war. I always wanted to larp Fallout but I never got the chance.

I'd also argue that we aren't where we are now because of you guys but because of our own hard work but whatever.

 

And you're damn right that we don't need to thank you for the reunification lol.

Sure, you allowed it. But it was the people in Eastern Germany and other Eastern bloc countries who took to the streets and managed to end the communist rule, not you. So don't be ridiculous.

 

I will stop arguing about Covid19 or the shape your country is in. We can talk again in a few years when you have your next civil war or secession or in a few months when you have half a million Covid19 deaths but something tells me that you'll still be like this:

[Bazinga]

2 hours ago, gregathit said:

The US is a capitalistic country.  You make poor choices and you reap the results of this.

This is where you guy differ from the rest of the civilized world. Most other first world countries have some form of universal health care and it always baffles me that you can ignore that fact so easily.

Guess you don't have to look what others are doing better if your country is the greatest country on earth, like god's own country and all that jazz. ?

 

...

I promised to shut up, but that's always a thing I wondered. How one can suffer from such a severe case of tunnel vision and deafness when told about it.

[gregathit]

11 minutes ago, Bazinga said:

The first part is about sth that happened more than 60 years ago. If you wanna go there then you're welcome for the German settlers that helped to build your country.

I'd also argue that we aren't where we are now because of you guys but because of our own hard work but whatever.

Sad.  Very sad.  I'd think that you'd remember your own history.  Well, let me help:  https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/marshall-plan-1 and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconstruction_of_Germany and http://www.historyandpolicy.org/policy-papers/papers/germany-1945-1949-a-case-study-in-post-conflict-reconstruction

Sure, Germans did the actual work, but how would they have done it without food, tools, equipment and money shipped in?  Damn those little facts.  They just get in the way don't they?  Also, maybe you forgot about the Berlin airlift?  No matter.  

 

German settlers....Oh.  You mean these folks:  

In the decade from 1845 to 1855, more than a million Germans fled to the United States to escape economic hardship. They also sought to escape the political unrest caused by riots, rebellion and eventually a revolution in 1848.  https://www.ushistory.org/us/25f.asp

I think they are actually called Americans of German descent.  Germany never had a colony over here.  I know, I know.  I'm being all technical and shit.  ROFL!!  I really wish you'd stop.  

24 minutes ago, Bazinga said:

And you're damn right that we don't need to thank you for the reunification lol.

Sure, you allowed it. But the people in Eastern Germany and other Eastern bloc countries who took to the streets and managed to end the communist rule, not you. So don't be ridiculous.

So the soldiers, tanks and guns we had to hold the line didn't help.  Right.  Got it.  That we spent the Russians into bankruptcy.  That if we had not the Russian would have ended your little rebellion like it did the Polish one.  Wow.  If you feel that way I guess we just go ahead and dissolve NATO.  Ya'll are all good to go.  

28 minutes ago, Bazinga said:

I will stop arguing about Covid19 or the shape your country is in. We can talk again in a few years when you have your next civil war or secession or in a few months when you have half a million Covid19 deaths but something tells me that you'll still be like this:

America has its faults.  Just like every country does.  However, it is still a kick ass country.  I don't remember seeing any mass migrations out of the US.  Nope.  Still lots of lines of folks wanting to come in.  Perhaps everyone is just confused.  As to election chaos, it is nothing new.  Foreign travelers going back to the 1800's have marveled at what appears to be the chaos of our elections.*  America is doing just fine thank you and will continue to do so.  

 

*https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/america-interpreted-foreign-observers

[gregathit]

22 minutes ago, Bazinga said:

This is where you guy differ from the rest of the civilized world. Most other first world countries have some form of universal health care and it always baffles me that you can ignore that fact so easily.

Guess you don't have to look what others are doing better if your country is the greatest country on earth, like god's own country and all that jazz. ?

 

Just because everyone is doing something doesn't mean you should.  We don't do it because 1st off we fundamentally reject socialism.  That is what it is.  Wealth redistribution.  I'm going to name drop here.  Milton Friedman.  Google him up on youtube and watch some of his comments about socialism, welfare and capitalism.  The base principle of America is freedom. That means freedom to succeed and yes, freedom to fail.  There is no safety net.  That may scare you, but it also doesn't hold you back.  Milton can explain it far better than I can.  I'm opposed to my hard work and good decisions being stolen to support those who make poor choices and don't work as hard.  Just like I would be horrified to steal their hard work if I made poor decisions and were lazy.  I guess I'm just not selfish enough to demand a safety net from others.  As to America being the greatest country.....Yep.  We are.  Sorry about that.  But hey, you can always move here if you want a share of the greatness. 

34 minutes ago, Bazinga said:

I promised to shut up, but that's always a thing I wondered. How one can suffer from such a severe case of tunnel vision and deafness when told about it.

I don't know how you do it.  More importantly I don't know why you do it.  Does your government give you money or candy to do this?  Do you get a sugar rush from it?  Or does opening your mind to facts and history just scare you?  

[KoolHndLuke]

1 hour ago, Bazinga said:

And you're damn right that we don't need to thank you for the reunification lol.

Sure, you allowed it. But it was the people in Eastern Germany and other Eastern bloc countries who took to the streets and managed to end the communist rule, not you. So don't be ridiculous.

You trivialize Allied support during that time at your own peril. May not be there for you next time. I was there in '88 when there were so many Russian divisions that we would have easily been overrun. The nukes were the only thing stopping them. Plus the Russians were going through a political reform with glasnost and tearing down the wall was a symbolic gesture by them, not because they felt they had to.

[Bazinga]

6 hours ago, KoolHndLuke said:

You trivialize Allied support during that time at your own peril. May not be there for you next time. I was there in '88 when there were so many Russian divisions that we would have easily been overrun. The nukes were the only thing stopping them. Plus the Russians were going through a political reform with glasnost and tearing down the wall was a symbolic gesture by them, not because they felt they had to.

Tearing down the wall was a symbolic gesture by the Russians? Yeah sure. ^^

And Russia is pretty weak nowadays, I'm sure the EU would be fine without you.

That was different before the reunification, true. But you were not protecting us out of the kindness of your hearts but because we were part of your sphere of influence.

 

Still, you're right. The US didn't cause the reunification process but them being there and holding the fort gave the West the time that was necessary to outperform the inefficient communist economy and in the end destabilize it. That was a joint effort though, it was not just the US but the whole of western Europe including the BRD.

The revolution itself still was a feat in its own and not an inevitable consequence. It could just as well have ended with a mildly reformed GDR successor still in the claws of the Russians.

That this didn't happen is more thanks to Gorbachev (either for being a pussy or for having empathy depending on who's telling the tale) than to anyone in the West. Heck, German leaders had to beg you and especially the French and British to agree to this. Idiots like Thatcher didn't see the forest for the trees because Germans are always evil hurr durr.

 

@gregathit

Without wealth redistribution you will get something akin to the French Revolution sooner or later. It's inevitable. Have fun.

And everyone who isn't still jacking off to supply side economics knows that wealth just accumulates more wealth in the same hand so the game is rigged. Sort of like a tumor that can't stop growing.

We have the same problem over here, but at least the gap between rich and poor doesn't increase as fast as on your side of the pond.

So I hope our French Revolution will come later than yours.

[gregathit]

32 minutes ago, Bazinga said:

Without wealth redistribution you will get something akin to the French Revolution sooner or later. It's inevitable. Have fun.

Um....no.  That is incorrect.  Wealth redistribution is theft and only lazy shits or those who made bad decisions are fans of it.  Won't happen in my life time, so I have no worries there.

34 minutes ago, Bazinga said:

And everyone who isn't still jacking off to supply side economics knows that wealth just accumulates more wealth in the same hand so the game is rigged. Sort of like a tumor that can't stop growing.

And your point?  Who cares if the rich get richer.  You are aware how capitalism works right?  Those who are wealthy tend to buy things and services and that provides jobs to others.  They also start companies that provide jobs.  The middle class is also improving.  There are still folks moving up from class to class.  As I said, you make poor decisions and there is no safety net.  This is the land of opportunity.  While you have the opportunity to succeed, you also have the opportunity to fail.  Oh, and rich people do fail and loose money.  That happens quite often.  

 

I'm trying to help you here avoid looking silly.  Milton Friedmann is a Nobel prize winning economist.  For the love of all that is holy give him a watch.  I hate to see folks embarrass themselves unnecessarily.

50 minutes ago, Bazinga said:

We have the same problem over here, but at least the gap between rich and poor doesn't increase as fast as on your side of the pond.

So I hope our French Revolution will come later than yours.

I think you might need to brush up on the French revolution there partner.  It started due to horrible economic decisions by the monarchy coupled with poor harvests which led to food shortages.  Yea.  We don't have that over here.  Not even close.  So your concerns over starving peasants chopping off folks heads is just more of your fearporn.  You really are into fearporn aren't you?  It isn't just a summer thing is it?  I'm really going to recommend you see somebody.  It can't be healthy for you.

[KoolHndLuke]

50 minutes ago, Bazinga said:

And Russia is pretty weak nowadays, I'm sure the EU would be fine without you.

A) Never underestimate the Russians. B) It's actually good to hear that the EU stands united.

 

France and Britain had very good reasons for opposing German reunification as I'm sure you know since that war is something they never wanted to experience again. But those days are far behind us now and I wish everyone there happy days. Abschied.

[27X]

23 hours ago, Grey Cloud said:

So in other words your source didn't in fact mention any 60% fatality figure.

 

The CNBC link was one of 5 I posted. I'm not sure about the Chinese government source you are referring to.

 

I didn't say it wasn't. I said it wasn't genetic and you as per usual have not come up with any evidence to suggest otherwise.

 

Vitamin D is essential for strong bones, because it helps the body use calcium from the diet. Traditionally, vitamin D deficiency has been associated with rickets, a disease in which the bone tissue doesn't properly mineralize, leading to soft bones and skeletal deformities. But increasingly, research is revealing the importance of vitamin D in protecting against a host of health problems.

Causes of Vitamin D Deficiency

Vitamin D deficiency can occur for a number of reasons:

You don't consume the recommended levels of the vitamin over time. This is likely if you follow a strict vegan diet, because most of the natural sources are animal-based, including fish and fish oils, egg yolks, fortified milk, and beef liver.

 

Your exposure to sunlight is limited. Because the body makes vitamin D when your skin is exposed to sunlight, you may be at risk of deficiency if you are homebound, live in northern latitudes, wear long robes or head coverings for religious reasons, or have an occupation that prevents sun exposure.

You have dark skin. The pigment melanin reduces the skin's ability to make vitamin D in response to sunlight exposure. Some studies show that older adults with darker skin are at high risk of vitamin D deficiency.

https://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/vitamin-d-deficiency#1

 

 

People at risk of vitamin D deficiency

Some people will not get enough vitamin D from sunlight because they have very little or no sunshine exposure.

The Department of Health and Social Care recommends that you take a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D throughout the year if you:

• are not often outdoors – for example, if you're frail or housebound
• are in an institution like a care home
• usually wear clothes that cover up most of your skin when outdoors

If you have dark skin – for example you have an African, African-Caribbean or south Asian background – you may also not get enough vitamin D from sunlight.

You should consider taking a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D throughout the year.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-d/

 

Neither of these is screaming genetics.

 

99% of your posts consist of you telling people what is and what is not 'fact'. The other 1% consist of you posting links to sources which do not corroborate anything like what you have asserted.

Vitamin D's hormonally based absorption and retention is entirely genetic, once again clueless and surface level wikifax posted without remote context are worthless, as is your premise.

 

As for "five links" the only link relevant was the one I commented on was an opinion-editorial deliberately devoid of the entire picture, probably because it doesn't fit the proffered narrative, the best part being the op-ed you posted was literal copy-pasta from an onscreen op-ed thrown at the end of an MSNBC hourly "topical" (the loosest of terms), and the reason you didn't know it is because you think political opinions are facts, and thus have nothing of value to actually bring to any conversation involving the topic, and I gave it the appropriate level of input it was due, and in the future the amount of work put in  will be the same until as such time as you actually do real research and not reddit-skim your usual partisan circlejerk hugfest for the laziest of confirmation bias parroting.

[Grey Cloud]

On 9/26/2020 at 9:48 PM, 27X said:

level wikifax posted

So you still can't come up with anything to back up either your claim of your 60% of deaths claim or the vitamin D thing being genetic.

 

Perhaps if you tried communicating in English instead of this cool-cat, hipster, slang, buzz word muppetry you might be able to communicate a tad better.

On 9/26/2020 at 9:48 PM, 27X said:

because you think political opinions are facts,

And how would you know that, other than you thinking that you have the monopoly on deciding what is fact. I have a degree in Politics; I treat political opinions as exactly that - opinions.

 

On 9/26/2020 at 9:48 PM, 27X said:

I gave it the appropriate level of input it was due,

No, you gave it the best shot you had in an attempt to rescue something from the wreckage. I challenged a statement you made that "60% of said deaths thereof are normalized Somalis," and you gave a link to a 4 month old piece of journalism based on "anecdotal evidence" which did not mention anything about deaths let alone the percentage of Somali deaths.

You then came back criticising me for linking to CNBC. That link was in a post responding to a post by gregathit not your post. You also said "Because vitamin D is a direct factor in covid resistance no matter how much you LALALA about it." I pointed out in my next post that I hadn't said it wasn't. I would add here that whether it is or isn't does nothing to back your claim about 60% of deaths being of Somalis. I also gave links to two medical sites, one American (?) and one British which both said more or less the same things about vitamin D without mentioning genetics. Yet you still mange to come up with another unsupported statement  - "Vitamin D's hormonally based absorption and retention is entirely genetic". Both the articles I linked mention the problem of dark skinned people getting vitamin D via sunlight due to the high level of melanin in their skin. Neither of them mentions any problem with the absorption or retention of the vitamin once it is in the body, whether it be from sunlight or food.

I have given two links which support what I wrote whether you agree or not. You have given one link which does not support what you wrote whether I agree or not.

 

Put up or shut up.

 

[Pro tip: all facts are contingent]

[Bazinga]

3 hours ago, gregathit said:

So your concerns over starving peasants chopping off folks heads is just more of your fearporn.

...

I'm really going to recommend you see somebody.  It can't be healthy for you.

You just violated another forum rule, 'partner'.

Don't kink shame.

...

That's an actual rule, right?

 

Also it's pretty naive to think that this civilization will stand the test of time. Countless others didn't and the people there and then probably also thought that their little world would last forever.

You can use your sophism on me but not on an angry mob of poor and disenfranchised murder hobos who break down your front door after killing the guards in the gated community that you joined to get away from the inner city riffraff.

Sorry, making up fear porn scenarios again. ^^

 

edit:

And the problem with a small number of people owning nearly all of a country's wealth is not the fact itself but that money brings power and power brings opportunities. The real problem is that a large number of people doesn't have the same opportunities as their richer counterparts.

Like when schools are funded by property taxes so rich kids have good schools and poor kids have shitty ones.

I get that rich and therefore politically influential parents want their own kids to succeed first but that's contrary to what society as a whole should strive for.

It should give everyone the same chance.

The US couldn't be further away from that ideal and a few scholarships here and there are just a drop in the bucket.

 

[27X]

wheezing repeated whinge

 

I don't have to do either because you haven't brought anything of value to the table yet, and your infantile tact is more of the same posturing.

 

If you were actually serious about factual application and learning something as opposed to spouting empty rhetoric, you'd be researching the differences between specific naturalized somali infection and retention rates and the rest of Africa, because there's an enormous difference between the relevant data sets. Enormous. Wonder why that is.

 

But go ahead and spew more partisan wikisewage and tell yourself you're winning whatever kind of competition you incorrectly think this is. What ever you need for validation via armchair politicking. The only thing I'm curious about at all is whom you genuinely think you've convinced of anything over the course of this issue, when all you've done is parrot political stances, when it's so painfully clear neither brand of politics has the complete picture needed.

 

The best part is one of the best places besides Japan and Korea to see where action and facts trump rhetoric and whinging is Africa.

[gregathit]

2 hours ago, Bazinga said:

You just violated another forum rule, 'partner'.

Don't kink shame.

...

That's an actual rule, right?

ROFL!!!  You got me there.  1st time for everything I guess.  ?

 

2 hours ago, Bazinga said:

Also it's pretty naive to think that this civilization will stand the test of time. Countless others didn't and the people there and then probably also thought that their little world would last forever.

Nothing lasts forever.  But 244 years and going still going strong.  Will last my life time, so why should I care about beyond that?

2 hours ago, Bazinga said:

You can use your sophism on me but not on an angry mob of poor and disenfranchised murder hobos who break down your front door after killing the guards in the gated community that you joined to get away from the inner city riffraff.

Sorry, making up fear porn scenarios again. ^^

Your forgetting about one thing.  We Americans are armed.  Breaking down my front door would be a very, very, very unwise move.  I don't need guards.  I have pals and they are armed too.  Wouldn't be much of a fight.  But hey, who says life has to be fair.

2 hours ago, Bazinga said:

And the problem with a small number of people owning nearly all of a country's wealth is not the fact itself but that money brings power and power brings opportunities. The real problem is that a large number of people doesn't have the same opportunities as their richer counterparts.

Like when schools are funded by property taxes so rich kids have good schools and poor kids have shitty ones.

I get that rich and therefore politically influential parents want their own kids to succeed first but that's contrary to what society as a whole should strive for.

It should give everyone the same chance.

The US couldn't be further away from that ideal and a few scholarships here and there are just a drop in the bucket.

Again, you don't really have a clue how things operate over here.  Sure, the rich can go to private schools and get a bit of a leg up, but a public school is a public school.  The school system is funded as a whole and not in parts.  Also, poor and rich are often bused in so that each school contains both.  Not always the case, but often it is.  Poor kids get the same opportunities in k-12 for the most part over here.  College is where it gets less diverse.  However with affirmative action, minorities get scholarships to attend the more prestigious schools so that they meet their diversity quotas.  I'm not going to go into my thoughts on that as is a complicated subject and you'd need to have more knowledge of the US than you do.  Suffice to say that once again you are talking about things you have no clue about.  Getting scholarships over here is pretty damn easy.  There are also pell grants and other means of getting money for college.  You can also do what I did and get a freaking job.  I went to a modest college and worked to pay my way as I went.  I have younger brothers and sisters and the folks didn't have money to spare.  I'm pleading with you to stop passing off lies as truth.  Stick to talking about how things are in Germany or maybe France.  You don't know shit about the US.

 

As for individuals conforming to what is best for society.........that is along the lines of socialism and equality of outcomes.  Which is completely opposite of what America represents.  And just who is going to determine what I should do that would be best for society?  No thanks.  You try to push Americans in that fashion and there won't be enough of you to identify, let alone fill a matchbox to bury.  We may fuss and fued, but you try to take away our freedom and you'll get a fight you can't win.

 

I'm guessing you're a fan of Giovanni Gentile.  Unsurprising.  Also quite silly.  Good luck with that.  Back to fascism you guys go.  Fun stuff.  

[Bazinga]

8 hours ago, gregathit said:

Again, you don't really have a clue how things operate over here.

That's probably correct. But as you guys and the left kept clashing in the last years and made all kinds of noise in the process (your fault, not ours) a lot of us in Europe at least got the talking points from both sides. That's why I regurgitate left wing ones (politics in Germany pretty much align with the program of the Democratic party so it's less alien to me) and know that you can sum up most of the right wing points by assuming that they want the federal government to fuck off and let their respective state handle things. Devout Christians in Nebraska don't want these baby-killing godless heathens in Washington to decide about their fate, Texans wanna keep their guns and expect Democrats to take them away (I really don't understand why Democrats don't just drop this entirely, it's not important in the grand scheme of things despite school schootings and with the way the right wing distorts arguments you can't get nuance in there) and other reasons.

I still assume that most of you see how ridiculous your president is but still vote for him because of the alternative.

8 hours ago, gregathit said:

Again, you don't really have a clue how things operate over here.

Sure, the rich can go to private schools and get a bit of a leg up, but a public school is a public school.  The school system is funded as a whole and not in parts.  Also, poor and rich are often bused in so that each school contains both.  Not always the case, but often it is.  Poor kids get the same opportunities in k-12 for the most part over here.  College is where it gets less diverse.  However with affirmative action, minorities get scholarships to attend the more prestigious schools so that they meet their diversity quotas.  I'm not going to go into my thoughts on that as is a complicated subject and you'd need to have more knowledge of the US than you do.  Suffice to say that once again you are talking about things you have no clue about.  Getting scholarships over here is pretty damn easy.  There are also pell grants and other means of getting money for college.  You can also do what I did and get a freaking job.  I went to a modest college and worked to pay my way as I went.  I have younger brothers and sisters and the folks didn't have money to spare.  I'm pleading with you to stop passing off lies as truth.  Stick to talking about how things are in Germany or maybe France.  You don't know shit about the US.

I'll just link these 3 articles:

https://www.npr.org/2016/04/18/474256366/why-americas-schools-have-a-money-problem

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_school_funding_in_the_United_States

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Educational_inequality_in_the_United_States#School_funding

 

Quote

I'm guessing you're a fan of Giovanni Gentile.  Unsurprising.  Also quite silly.  Good luck with that.  Back to fascism you guys go.  Fun stuff.  

Never heard of the guy and I don't like what I'm reading either. Germany is a social market economy.

Our motor is capitalistic in nature but we try to not let anyone starve or live a too miserable life and we try to even out the odds of different demographics to succeed. I don't see anything wrong with that and I believe this system is superior to yours and more stable (less likelyhood of civil unrest). Well, you obviously believe otherwise which is fine by me.

[Bazinga]

Btw, I like that judge orange guy nominated for Supreme Court.

What a milf. ?

 

Punish me, your honor!

 

Also seems competent which is something I don't expect anymore from people nominated by Trump.

[gregathit]

1 hour ago, Bazinga said:

But as you guys and the left kept clashing in the last years and made all kinds of noise in the process (your fault, not ours) a lot of us in Europe at least got the talking points from both sides.

Quick summary, the majority of the left has moved much further left in the last 10 years (they call it being progressive) and they embrace socialism.  Before that, they were much more moderate and leaned strongly towards capitalism.  The right hasn't changed much at all in its stances.  It just "appears" to be more right due to how far many of the left have gone.  As for talking points.......that is used car salesman speak.  Don't believe or trust any of it.  Instead, look at their record and what they have supported.  Actions are what you have to go by over here.  Both sides tell lies to get votes.  Sad.  But true.

1 hour ago, Bazinga said:

 and know that you can sum up most of the right wing points by assuming that they want the federal government to fuck off and let their respective state handle things.

Yea.  That is true of the moderate democrats, the old school liberals (both are left) and the right.  Both believe in small Federal government and states handling things.  The economist I referred you to earlier has a great deal to say about this.  He was an insanely smart guy.  You may not like what he has to say, but you'll find it very difficult to argue facts with him.  It can make you uncomfortable.  Which is a good thing sometimes, as it can mean you may need to re-examine your outlook.  I know he red pilled me on several things.  

1 hour ago, Bazinga said:

Texans wanna keep their guns and expect Democrats to take them away (I really don't understand why Democrats don't just drop this entirely, it's not important in the grand scheme of things despite school shootings and with the way the right wing distorts arguments you can't get nuance in there) and other reasons.

It isn't just Texans.  Roughly 40 percent of the population in the us lives in a house that there is at least one gun in.  Those that own guns tend to own multiple guns.  Roughly 5 million first time gun buyers bought a gun so far in 2020.   As for why the democrats want to take them away.........it is part of their long term plan to make the country socialist or communist (idiots like AOC and Bernie Sanders use both terms interchangeably, likely because they are not smart enough to know the difference between them).  In order to take away the other rights and repeal the constitution you have to take away the guns of the citizens.  Fortunately enough citizens of the US disagree with giving up our guns.  We are a little stubborn.  Ok, hell, we are a lot stubborn.  We still haven't adopted the metric system.  ROFL!!!

1 hour ago, Bazinga said:

 

I still assume that most of you see how ridiculous your president is but still vote for him because of the alternative.

Yea, creepy, sleepy Joe is pretty hard to get behind.  Especially when he won't come out of the basement he is hiding in.

As for the Orange Man.  He is a product of the times.  I find it hilarious when he trolls the other party and the media.  They get so very butt hurt over it that it is just so freaking funny.

1 hour ago, Bazinga said:

I'll just link these 3 articles:

While the articles are not wrong.  They are not right either.  The US is very large and hugely diverse.  While much of what all three articles talked about is most certainly true of some of the inner city schools in the very large cities, it is equally false in other large cities as well as medium size cities down to villages.  The midwest, where I primarily grew up, it really isn't true as the schools were quite diverse.  I went to a junior high (6 to 9th grade) and a high school that were 50 percent black.  No body cared one way or another.  Now that was 20 years ago, I have nephews and nieces going to those same schools and nothing appears to have changed much.  Now Chicago or Detroit inner city schools most likely will have those differences that those articles discussed.  The US has subcultures that effect this as well. You can't assume that because some folks in one part of the US do one thing that others agree.  It is complicated.

1 hour ago, Bazinga said:

Never heard of the guy and I don't like what I'm reading either. Germany is a social market economy.

Our motor is capitalistic in nature but we try to not let anyone starve or live a too miserable life and we try to even out the odds of different demographics to succeed. I don't see anything wrong with that and I believe this system is superior to yours and more stable (less likelyhood of civil unrest). Well, you obviously believe otherwise which is fine by me.

I'm surprised and pleased to hear it.  He is the father of fascism.  Fascism very much is into a national identity that places large emphasis on folks working and existing for the betterment of the nationalistic society as a whole at the expense of their personal freedom.  It borrows extensively from socialism.  Many of the things you were talking about are very much rooted in fascism.  This is also why I recommended you check out the economist I keep referring to.  He can point out the dangers of allowing socialism/fascism weasel its way into your society.  Socialism punishes all to provide for a few.  As for starving.........that rarely happens in the US.  There are so many charities and folks that freely give out money that folks rarely starve.  Now those who subsist on handouts aren't likely to be eating as well as they should, but they aren't starving.  As for which is better, that is purely subjective based on whether people are willing to put up with wealth redistribution or not.  It also is based on their willingness to trade perceived security for freedom.  Our respective countries are following what we individually want, so we are both happy.

[gregathit]

19 minutes ago, Bazinga said:

Also seems competent which is something I don't expect anymore from people nominated by Trump.

Unfortunately this is another lefty and media talking point.  It also is untrue.  Say what you will about the Orange Mans twitter posting habits (criticism is sadly due), but he has a nose for competent people.  Remember, he is a business man.  He likes to surround himself with the best and brightest and doesn't give a damn about their gender or race.  Look at his current press secretary.  She is killing it.  The media HATES her because she is smart, savvy and incredibly organized.  They have been humiliated on a regular basis.

 

His prior 2 justice picks were top notch as well.  Neil Gorsuch is widely respected.  Brett Kavanaugh is also a very good judge.  Sadly he was subjected to the worst character assignation attempt that I can remember.  If you go back and look, there was nothing but uncorroborated hearsay and lots of feel feels that they tried to pass off as evidence.  No one was fooled.

 

But we are way off in the weeds here and on the edge of taboo subjects.  

 

Cheers.

[Bazinga]

Well, thanks for the measured response.

And sorry for being so abrasive earlier, the tone of the discussions in the US right now is hateful and poisonous and I guess I did copy that despite not wanting to.

I used to frequent Reddit for example but had to stop. Everything was about US politics and both sides just sat in their echo chambers and argued with a caricature of the opposite side that they had made up in their heads. It was depressing and kinda stressful to read all this hate.

 

That's also why I get upset when I see politics in here. I can't stand it despite being very political myself. I just don't like what it's doing to people and to relationships. And this would not be the first forum I left because of that.

[gregathit]

3 minutes ago, Bazinga said:

Well, thanks for the measured response.

And sorry for being so abrasive earlier, the tone of the discussions in the US right now is hateful and poisonous and I guess I did copy that despite not wanting to.

I used to frequent Reddit for example but had to stop. Everything was about US politics and both sides just sat in their echo chambers and argued with a caricature of the opposite side that they had made up in their heads. It was depressing and kinda stressful to read all this hate.

 

That's also why I get upset when I see politics in here. I can't stand it despite being very political myself. I just don't like what it's doing to people and to relationships. And this would not be the first forum I left because of that.

No problem.  I'm all for a dialogue and a good debate, I often learn things that I didn't know.  I try not to sound off on area's I don't know much about.  I really don't like the taste of crow.  I've had it before and me no likie.  I'm all for what works.  Success settles things for me.  I'm sorry for any rudeness I might have conveyed.  I'm a snarky individual by nature.  In person folks can see I'm just goofing around.  On a forum, it doesn't translate very well.  I'm working on that.  I clearly still have a long way to go.  Baby steps.

 

I hate politics as well.  I don't like either party.  I vote for individuals based on what they have done.  Beyond that, I just want them to leave me alone.

[KoolHndLuke]

1 hour ago, Bazinga said:

Btw, I like that judge orange guy nominated for Supreme Court.

What a milf. ?

 

Punish me, your honor!

 

Also seems competent which is something I don't expect anymore from people nominated by Trump.

My fave right now is Kayleigh Mckenna. Brilliant young very pretty woman with razor sharp wit and is always prepared. She's more than a match for any pack of rabid reporters. I love to watch her work.

 

[Bazinga]

She seems to be in control I guess. No gaffes so far, at least nothing that I'm aware of (I'm far away so that doesn't mean much). Doesn't seem nearly as controversial as Sarah Sanders.

Keeping a straight face while claiming that she's not aware of Trump lying (like that he never downplayed the virus, lol) must be hard though, I wouldn't wanna switch places with her.

[Grey Cloud]

I'm assuming that post was directed at me. With the lack of an addressee and any obvious content it borders on the incoherent.

 

How is asking you for evidence "wheezing repeated whinge"?

 

14 hours ago, 27X said:

I don't have to do either because you haven't brought anything of value to the table yet,

I have no idea to what the "either" refers. As to the rest of that 'sentence', what exactly have you brought to the table except nonsensical, unsupported assertions?

 

14 hours ago, 27X said:

If you were actually serious about factual application and learning something as opposed to spouting empty rhetoric,

What rhetoric have I spouted? I am asking you to provide evidence for your assertions. I supplied evidence for my statements.

 

14 hours ago, 27X said:

you'd be researching the differences between specific naturalized somali infection and retention rates and the rest of Africa, because there's an enormous difference between the relevant data sets. Enormous. Wonder why that is.

What I'm wondering is how the genes of a naturalised Swedish Somali can differ from a Somali in Somalia. If you provide links to these 'data sets' which you keep mentioning perhaps I can begin to understand. Somalis are not particularly dark skinned anyway and the article you linked mentioned Iraqis along with the Somalis. What insights from the data sets can you give on the Iraqis?

 

14 hours ago, 27X said:

But go ahead and spew more partisan wikisewage and tell yourself you're winning whatever kind of competition you incorrectly think this is.

There you go again trying to insult me in lieu of any evidence to support your assertions. You can slice and dice this any way you want but the fact remains that the link you provided did not even address the subject of your assertion about Somali deaths. You have not given any links to support your assertions about genetics.

I have given two links to support my position. The webMD site I don't know but the other was the website of the British National Health Service so I wouldn't call it 'wikisewage'. Your single link was to a mainstream newschannel.

 

14 hours ago, 27X said:

What ever you need for validation via armchair politicking.

What has politics got to do with this?

 

14 hours ago, 27X said:

The only thing I'm curious about at all is whom you genuinely think you've convinced of anything over the course of this issue, when all you've done is parrot political stances, when it's so painfully clear neither brand of politics has the complete picture needed.

This is where the incoherence runs riot and I can't decide whether you are addressing me or @Bazinga

 

 

[GimmeBACON]

7 hours ago, gregathit said:

It isn't just Texans.  Roughly 40 percent of the population in the us lives in a house that there is at least one gun in.  Those that own guns tend to own multiple guns.  Roughly 5 million first time gun buyers bought a gun so far in 2020.   As for why the democrats want to take them away.........it is part of their long term plan to make the country socialist or communist (idiots like AOC and Bernie Sanders use both terms interchangeably, likely because they are not smart enough to know the difference between them).  In order to take away the other rights and repeal the constitution you have to take away the guns of the citizens.  Fortunately enough citizens of the US disagree with giving up our guns.  We are a little stubborn.  Ok, hell, we are a lot stubborn.  We still haven't adopted the metric system.  ROFL!!!

I think maybe it's time to stop attributing to incompetence and acknowledge that maybe... just maybe they know the difference and are deliberately misrepresenting their agenda because communism is frowned upon in America.

[KoolHndLuke]

Looking around at various stuff on Pinterest and a curious thought occurred to me- what if our imagination is not limitless like we think? Are we prisoners of what we know like familiar shapes, colors, textures, etc. ? How far beyond what we know does our imagination actually extend? I mean how would a person who has always been blind imagine something like color? Or sound for a person who has always been completely deaf?

 

https://medium.com/tech-and-speculate/did-you-know-our-imagination-is-limited-94ff2639565