Discussion and Debate Community Thread

[Lord Thesaurian]

Final count on Iron Dome funding: 420 yes, 9 no, 2 present.

No's: Tlaib (D), Carson (D), Omar (D), Massie (R), Newman (D), Pressley (D), Garcia (D), Grijalva (D), Bush (D)
Present: Hank Johnson (D), Ocasio-Cortez (D)

AOC initially voted no but then changed her vote to present.

So the no voters can be canceled and run out of office for being far right conspiracy theorists, right?…..right?

[PointOfViewGun]

Yeah... It took several decades to develop. So... not giving bad doses of poorly-tested product potentially killing or harming 40 thousands of people is a bad thing? Um, what? I don't think your line of reasoning advertises Big Pharma "vaccine" like you think it does.

This is not a coherent response. Salk's polio vaccine's development started in 1952, tested in 1954, and rolled out in 1955. That's 4 years. Not decades. Salk's method of using a dead virus was ground breaking at the time. This method, which have been the norm for decades now, been called dangerous at the time.

[Heathen Hammer]

This is not a coherent response. Salk's polio vaccine's development started in 1952, tested in 1954, and rolled out in 1955. That's 4 years. Not decades. Salk's method of using a dead virus was ground breaking at the time. This method, which have been the norm for decades now, been called dangerous at the time.

Wrong. The development of polio vaccine begun in 1930s. They didn't get it right until 1950s. Took over two decades to make that thing safe for people to use. And that's back in times when US government and its agencies weren't practically owned by corporate interest groups like they are today. Hence why big pharma apologia doesn't really make that much logical or rational sense, unless you have a quasi religious-belief that government and corporations can do no wrong.

[PointOfViewGun]

Wrong. The development of polio vaccine begun in 1930s. They didn't get it right until 1950s. Took over two decades to make that thing safe for people to use. And that's back in times when US government and its agencies weren't practically owned by corporate interest groups like they are today. Hence why big pharma apologia doesn't really make that much logical or rational sense, unless you have a quasi religious-belief that government and corporations can do no wrong.

I love how you're coating one false claim around a irrelevant mumbo jumbo. You seem to be conflating all vaccine efforts into one basket. By your logic, since mRNA vaccine development started in 1987 it took over 3 decades to create the current Pfizer vaccine. The timeline is much further for AstraZeneca and J&J vaccines as they're not using mRNA technology.

[Heathen Hammer]

Doesn't matter, since obviously it wasn't something in demand until after March of last year, so your claim no makes even less sense.

[PointOfViewGun]

Doesn't matter, since obviously it wasn't something in demand until after March of last year, so your claim no makes even less sense.

Again, an entirely irrelevant point made as if it answers everything. It's not even true but that's besides the point, isn't it?

[Heathen Hammer]

Again, an entirely irrelevant point made as if it answers everything. It's not even true but that's besides the point, isn't it?

Not really. Again, there was no demand for covid vaccine until pandemic hit. It was in active development for a measly amount of time, while polio vaccine took decades to develop, with people being actually harmed by it in early trials. I think its better when you actually look up information on subjects you argue about before you embarrass yourself by making a poorly informed post.

[PointOfViewGun]

Not really. Again, there was no demand for covid vaccine until pandemic hit. It was in active development for a measly amount of time, while polio vaccine took decades to develop, with people being actually harmed by it in early trials. I think its better when you actually look up information on subjects you argue about before you embarrass yourself by making a poorly informed post.

With the standards you use there we can also say that the polio vaccine took 4 years to develop while the mRNA vaccine took over 3 decades to develop. You can't get to pick and choose different frame settings for different vaccines. The particular vaccine that made a breakthrough in polio cases didn't take decades to develop, and it was deemed dangerous by many people as it employed a new method at the time. It's trials were of highly questionable nature. So much that you'd be up in arms if it was done the same way today. You can not wish away simple facts of the matter by declaring victory.

[Heathen Hammer]

Even if we count from the point of "breakthrough" it would still be years between that and its implementation, and trials resulted with thousands being harmed, which is the point. Hence why rushing vaccines into public is a very bad idea... unless you have Pfizer stock.

[PointOfViewGun]

Even if we count from the point of "breakthrough" it would still be years between that and its implementation, and trials resulted with thousands being harmed, which is the point. Hence why rushing vaccines into public is a very bad idea... unless you have Pfizer stock.

You called that testing that harmed thousands "well-tested" a page ago. Did you forget?

[Prodromos]

Hezbollah's grip on Lebanon is weakening. Here's how America can help

In 2019, Lebanese from all sects hit the streets to protest corruption and economic difficulties. Since then, political alternatives to Hezbollah within the Shia community have become more robust. Emerging groups are starting to express significant opposition to Hezbollah: business networks, students who participated in the protests (which Hezbollah opposed, in some cases with physical violence), social media-savvy activists and young professionals with no memory of the post-civil war years that brought Hezbollah into the political fold. These groups’ primary concerns are economic and social rather than political or ideological.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah’s parallel economy is collapsing. U.S. sanctions on Iran have crippled the flow of cash from Iran to Hezbollah, and the group’s involvement in regional military operations — mainly in Syria — have further drained its coffers. This has affected its ability to provide social services, aid and non-military employment opportunities.

There are also signs of a rift between Hezbollah and its traditional supporters. The group is increasingly in conflict with the Amal Movement, a political party that has long allied with Hezbollah. Other allies have been sanctioned by the United States and lost popularity, particularly after the 2019 protests drew attention to their corruption. According to a survey earlier this year, Hezbollah’s main Christian ally, the Free Patriotic Movement, has the support of just 15 percent of Lebanese Christians. Within Hezbollah’s own ranks, financial difficulties are widening the gap between military and nonmilitary members. Hezbollah is still paying its military personnel in dollars while the rest receive their payments in the Lebanese pound, which has lost around 90 percent of its value.

[Cyclops]

Hezbollah's grip on Lebanon is weakening. Here's how America can help

Hopefully the very corrupt factions in Lebanon can be cleaned up, I have (very distant) relatives there and Lebanese friends of several stripes in Australia and I feel the pointless waste there keenly. These groups like Hezbollah and Hamas that score brownie points for theocratic states through terrorism deserve oblivion.

[Heathen Hammer]

Iran and Hezbollah played quite the decisive role in destruction of ISIS in the region, which American press seems to lament more often then ever, perhaps hinting to the fact that American government before Trump did more to help ISIS then to oppose it, indirectly at the very least.
As for Hamas, its existence is owed solely to Israel's brutal and inhumane tactics employed against Native Palestinian population.

[Prodromos]

https://www.thedailybeast.com/stepha...adstool-shaped

The Washington Post reports that [Trump’s former White House press secretary Stephanie] Grisham writes in her new book that Trump once felt the need to call her from Air Force One to inform her that his penis was neither small nor shaped a toadstool.

The anecdote is just one of several mind-blowing details from the Post’s new account of Grisham’s upcoming book, I’ll Take Your Questions Now. Here are some of the others:

...

Aside from the aforementioned toadstool call, Grisham repeatedly alleges that Trump was sexually inappropriate in her presence. She claims that Trump asked her then-boyfriend, who also worked for him, to rate her sexual performance. Grisham also writes that Trump was obsessed with one unnamed female press aide, and allegedly once demanded she was brought to him on Air Force One so he could “look at her [behind].”

[Cyclops]

https://www.thedailybeast.com/stepha...adstool-shaped

Sad that US journalism is so lowly as to run stories like this. I have a lot of problems with Trump as President but I don't need to know gossip about his genitals.

[Prodromos]

Sad that US journalism is so lowly as to run stories like this. I have a lot of problems with Trump as President but I don't need to know gossip about his genitals.

Nah, everyone needs to know that the fascists larping as defenders of Christianity are in fact vile unbelievers.

[Heathen Hammer]

I don't really get what does some corporate journo talking about Trump's penis size has anything to do with fascism and defense of Christianity, but okay.

[irontaino]

Sad that US journalism is so lowly as to run stories like this. I have a lot of problems with Trump as President but I don't need to know gossip about his genitals.

Seriously. I'm all for a good roast, but this was just bottom of the barrel nonsense.

I don't really get what does some corporate journo talking about Trump's penis size has anything to do with fascism and defense of Christianity, but okay.

It's called sarcasm, HH.

[Cope]

It's called sarcasm, HH.

No, it wasn't.

[irontaino]

No, it wasn't.

It isn't? I can honestly say I haven't really interacted with that user much. The way it was typed out, I just assumed it was