Thread: Discussion and Debate Community Thread

  1. #7061
    mishkin's Avatar Dux Limitis
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    Default Re: Discussion and Debate Community Thread

    yes, my name is mishkin and I am an editor at the publishing house in charge of Tolkien's work. (that is sarcasm).

    sorry my example wasn't ideal.

  2. #7062

    Default Re: Discussion and Debate Community Thread

    Quote Originally Posted by mishkin View Post
    Seriously dude?

    You are invoking Orwel because some texts have changed slightly without changing their meaning at all. You are terrified because, oh no, in the future they might say that hobbits were strong built instead of chubby. Seriously, it's hard not to scoff.
    You have to understand that most of the right-wing culture warriors live lives of ease and comfort on the backs of the blue state taxpayers, allowing them to laze about on the internet wailing about children's books and toys all days long. Because the truth is their lives are so safe and uncomplicated, these are the most pressing issues they face. It's similar to how a two-year-old thinks not getting the toy he wants the very moment he wants it is a tragedy of world-shaking proportions, and should be responded to in the same way.

  3. #7063
    mishkin's Avatar Dux Limitis
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    What are we going to fight for, for free and quality public healthcare and education or for Galadriel not to be turned into an ugly lesbian???

  4. #7064

    Default Re: Discussion and Debate Community Thread

    Quote Originally Posted by mishkin View Post
    What are we going to fight for, for free and quality public healthcare and education or for Galadriel not to be turned into an ugly lesbian???
    You assume the right-wing elites would want the peons having access to education and healthcare.

  5. #7065

    Default Re: Discussion and Debate Community Thread

    Quote Originally Posted by Coughdrop addict View Post
    You have to understand that most of the right-wing culture warriors live lives of ease and comfort on the backs of the blue state taxpayers, allowing them to laze about on the internet wailing about children's books and toys all days long. Because the truth is their lives are so safe and uncomplicated, these are the most pressing issues they face. It's similar to how a two-year-old thinks not getting the toy he wants the very moment he wants it is a tragedy of world-shaking proportions, and should be responded to in the same way.
    The projection is over 9000. But you did pique my curiosity, so I looked it up.
    When we break down the BLS seasonally-adjusted unemployment figures for March, 2021, the pattern is striking:

    Eleven states plus the District of Columbia have unemployment rates of 7% or higher, a full point above the national average of 6%. Not one has a Republican governor, and only two (Louisiana and Pennsylvania) have Republican-controlled legislatures. The other ten all have unified Democratic governance. By contrast, twenty states have an unemployment rate of 4.7% or lower; sixteen of those have unified Republican governments, one (Vermont) has a Republican governor, and two (Kansas and Wisconsin) have Republican legislatures (Minnesota has a Republican state senate). Maine is the only unified Democrat-run state in the country with an unemployment rate below 5%. The average Republican-controlled state has a 4.5% unemployment rate, more than a point below the national average, while the average Democrat-controlled state (including D.C.) has a 7.2% unemployment rate, more than a point above the national average.

    https://www.nationalreview.com/corne...d-blue-states/
    The 10 states that gained the most jobs, as a percentage of February 2020 employment, include eight with Republican governors. That list includes Montana, which replaced a Democrat governor with a Republican in November 2020. Of the top 20, 15 have Republican governors. Interestingly, the four highest states are Nevada’s non-California neighbors: Utah, Idaho, Oregon and Arizona.

    Then look at when states surpassed the employment numbers they reached in February 2020. States with GOP governors had much faster recoveries. By May 2021, 11 states had as many people employed as before the pandemic. Eight of them have Republican governors. Among the top 20, 15 have Republican governors.

    Then there are 22 states and Washington D.C. whose employment numbers haven’t fully recovered. Democrats led 14 of them during the pandemic. Three of the states with Republican governors — Vermont, Maryland and Massachusetts — are reliably blue otherwise.

    The trend holds when you look at total employment. States with Republican governors gained 1.32 million jobs since February 2020, an increase of 1.85 percent. States led by Democrats throughout the pandemic, and Washington, D.C., lost 751,000 jobs. That’s a 0.87 percent decrease.

    https://www.reviewjournal.com/opinio...overy-2615756/
    Assuming data supported the claim that “blue states” bail out “red states,” using balance-of-payment ratios as a measure to support that claim is a non-sequitur, because balance-of-payment ratios depend entirely on federal tax and spending policy. The amount of federal revenue collected from state taxpayers depends mostly on state income, and the federal income tax levies higher rates on filers with higher incomes. Progressives designed the federal income tax to burden high-income earners on purpose and support policies to make the federal income tax increasingly weighted toward the wealthy.

    Plus, federal means-tested eligibility does not control for differences in cost of living between states. Mississippi and Hawaii are the least and most expensive states to live in, respectively, while federal eligibility requirements are uniform. Many Mississippians receiving federal assistance would not be considered “poor” compared to their state’s cost of living, while many Hawaiians not receiving federal assistance may be considered “poor” because of how expensive Hawaii is compared to other states. Balance of payments ratios have nothing to do with state policy and everything to do with state income.

    Statistical differences in federal income taxation and welfare policy is not a bailout. Pumping federal cash into spendthrift states to rescue them from underwater pensions and backlogged debt service is.

    https://thehill.com/opinion/finance/...ut-red-states/
    Last edited by Lord Thesaurian; February 27, 2023 at 12:54 PM.
    Of these facts there cannot be any shadow of doubt: for instance, that civil society was renovated in every part by Christian institutions; that in the strength of that renewal the human race was lifted up to better things-nay, that it was brought back from death to life, and to so excellent a life that nothing more perfect had been known before, or will come to be known in the ages that have yet to be. - Pope Leo XIII

  6. #7066
    mishkin's Avatar Dux Limitis
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    Default Re: Discussion and Debate Community Thread

    Quote Originally Posted by Lord Thesaurian View Post
    The projection is over 9000. But you did pique my curiosity, so I looked it up.
    speaking of being bored...

  7. #7067

    Default Re: Discussion and Debate Community Thread

    Quote Originally Posted by Lord Thesaurian View Post
    The projection is over 9000. But you did pique my curiosity, so I looked it up.
    Red states take in far more in handouts than they give back in taxes.

    The truth is if we some sort of nation divorce did happen, within a month most red states mooching economies would collapse, the Republican elite fleeing to prosperous blue states. This would be followed by widespread cannibalism in the red states as they learn the hard way you cannot eat guns and growing your own food is a lot harder than it is in their "rugged homesteader" fantasies. Wars over dwindling supplies of opioids and meth would further reduce the populations, in addition to the sudden lack of insulin and other medications needed to cope with the widespread obesity in red states. Whoever is left would be at the mercy of the local warlord. Assuming of course your governor doesn't have "referendum" to have you become Russian vassals.

    But hey, at least you'll still get to read that Augustus Gloop is fat and none of your favorite toy lines will have a female lead.
    Last edited by Coughdrop addict; February 27, 2023 at 01:25 PM.

  8. #7068

    Default Re: Discussion and Debate Community Thread

    Quote Originally Posted by mishkin View Post
    speaking of being bored...
    What can I say, I live in a blue state. I spent my morning commute dodging drug addicts and criminally insane vagrants relieving themselves all over the sidewalk while a rainbow flag flew overhead. It was pretty exciting, but I didn’t even get stabbed by a used syringe, so ultimately a real snooze fest compared to a 20 year old dead forum.
    Last edited by Lord Thesaurian; February 27, 2023 at 02:51 PM.
    Of these facts there cannot be any shadow of doubt: for instance, that civil society was renovated in every part by Christian institutions; that in the strength of that renewal the human race was lifted up to better things-nay, that it was brought back from death to life, and to so excellent a life that nothing more perfect had been known before, or will come to be known in the ages that have yet to be. - Pope Leo XIII

  9. #7069
    mishkin's Avatar Dux Limitis
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    Default Re: Discussion and Debate Community Thread

    I don't know what your intention was here, but you've had me thinking for a while about why some people shouldn't try to be sarcastic.

  10. #7070

    Default Re: Discussion and Debate Community Thread

    Quote Originally Posted by mishkin View Post
    I don't know what your intention was here, but you've had me thinking for a while about why some people shouldn't try to be sarcastic.
    Your attempts to portray me as a hypocrite have had me thinking for awhile about why some people shouldn’t try to be witty.
    Of these facts there cannot be any shadow of doubt: for instance, that civil society was renovated in every part by Christian institutions; that in the strength of that renewal the human race was lifted up to better things-nay, that it was brought back from death to life, and to so excellent a life that nothing more perfect had been known before, or will come to be known in the ages that have yet to be. - Pope Leo XIII

  11. #7071

    Default Re: Discussion and Debate Community Thread

    Quote Originally Posted by Lord Thesaurian View Post
    Maher described it himself. Sorry you didn’t get it. Everything you’re complaining about isn’t even something I made up. It’s not as though Maher was addressing my post. I’m not interested in who’s the bigger fan, or whatever your point is.
    I don't think Maher mentioned irony, you did. You're right, I don't get you at all, you seem to have little grasp of Maher's positions. I don't give a who the "bigger fan" is either. Claiming Maher is similar to a "generic Republican" is just some of the stupidest I've seen on this forum in awhile. Maher would probably agree.
    Quote Originally Posted by Lord Thesaurian View Post
    Maher is a leftist, hence “we, our” when talking about how “the left” had, in his view, strayed from its traditional values. I quoted it for you. I don’t care why you think only communists can be leftists, as it’s completely irrelevant (notice I didn’t suggest Maher was critical of his fellow communists). Even if it weren’t, Democrats poll more positive views of socialism than capitalism by a margin that widens every year. The majority of Democrats are liberals and 80% said they’d vote for a socialist for POTUS, so your gatekeeping is just factually incorrect in the first place. As Maher said, “It’s not me who’s changed, it’s the left. A large contingent has gone mental, and I’m willing to call them out.” That’s the point, which you seem committed to avoid.
    I don't think you know what a leftist is, but that's not really something to hash out here. I guarantee Maher identifies more with what you think of as "the Left" than the "Right". He doesn't agree with you. He isn't on your side. And the point was that you think criticizing "your side" is a negative thing worthy of mocking, which speaks volumes of you.
    They give birth astride of a grave, the light gleams an instant, then it's night once more.

  12. #7072

    Default Re: Discussion and Debate Community Thread

    Quote Originally Posted by The spartan View Post
    I don't think Maher mentioned irony, you did. You're right, I don't get you at all, you seem to have little grasp of Maher's positions. I don't give a

    who the "bigger fan" is either. Claiming Maher is similar to a "generic Republican" is just some of the stupidest

    I've seen on this forum in awhile. Maher would probably agree.


    I don't think you know what a leftist is, but that's not really something to hash out here. I guarantee Maher identifies more with what you think of as "the Left" than the "Right". He doesn't agree with you. He isn't on your side. And the point was that you think criticizing "your side" is a negative thing worthy of mocking, which speaks volumes of you.
    Like I said, I don’t care that you think only communists are leftists or any of these other weird strawmen you’re so passionate about. I’m sorry you don’t understand the irony of a high profile self described liberal leftist like Maher echoing generic Republican talking points about his side of the aisle going off the deep end even though he talks about it in the clip and elsewhere, but I’ve done all I can to explain it to you.
    Quote Originally Posted by Lord Thesaurian View Post
    You know the American left has gone off the deep end when there’s so little daylight between Bill Maher and a generic Republican. Spoiler for hurty words.

    https://youtube.com/watch?v=yysKhJ1U-vM
    Misconstruing any of this to such an extent is some of the stupidest stuff I’ve seen on this forum.
    Last edited by Lord Thesaurian; February 28, 2023 at 09:06 PM.
    Of these facts there cannot be any shadow of doubt: for instance, that civil society was renovated in every part by Christian institutions; that in the strength of that renewal the human race was lifted up to better things-nay, that it was brought back from death to life, and to so excellent a life that nothing more perfect had been known before, or will come to be known in the ages that have yet to be. - Pope Leo XIII

  13. #7073

    Default Re: Discussion and Debate Community Thread

    Quote Originally Posted by Lord Thesaurian View Post
    Like I said, I don’t care that you think only communists are leftists
    Never claimed that, but alright. Embarrass me with a quote if you like. And you wonder why I would think you are bad faith?

    Quote Originally Posted by Lord Thesaurian View Post
    I’m sorry you don’t understand the irony of a high profile self described liberal leftist like Maher echoing generic Republican talking points about his side of the aisle going off the deep end even though he talks about it in the clip and elsewhere, but I’ve done all I can to explain it to you.
    That probably makes sense to somebody who is completely unfamiliar with Bill Maher. Which, unsurprisingly, you think it is noteworthy as you likely fit in the category. Here's a clip about Maher, rightly, being concerned about the Left being anti-free speech five years ago. There are clips from longer ago as well, but I don't care to go too deep. Point is, the idea there is "irony" here is stupid, Maher is doing nothing new. He criticizes the Left and good on him for it. Like I said, it speaks volumes you see self-side criticism as a negative thing and implies your expectation of dogma and homogeneity in your political "side".
    They give birth astride of a grave, the light gleams an instant, then it's night once more.

  14. #7074

    Default Re: Discussion and Debate Community Thread

    Quote Originally Posted by The spartan View Post
    Never claimed that, but alright. Embarrass me with a quote if you like. And you wonder why I would think you are bad faith?
    It’s probably not a good idea to bring up bad faith while denying you referenced this picture to explain why you think “leftist” and “liberal” are mutually exclusive terms.
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 



    It is indeed embarrassing to suggest I’m the one confused like “liberal leftist” isn’t a thing. Even the commies know that:
    Left-leaning social thoughts are not a unitary and coherent theoretical system, and leftists can be divided into divergent groups.State-centered leftism features strong support of the state and the current regime and a negative attitude toward the West, populist leftism is characterized by unequivocal affirmation of the revolutionary legacy and support for disadvantaged grassroots, and liberal leftism harbors a grassroots position and a decided affirmation of individual rights.

    https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/ful...57150X19896537
    Quote Originally Posted by spartan
    That probably makes sense to somebody who is completely unfamiliar with Bill Maher. Which, unsurprisingly, you think it is noteworthy as you likely fit in the category. Here's a clip about Maher, rightly, being concerned about the Left being anti-free speech five years ago. There are clips from longer ago as well, but I don't care to go too deep. Point is, the idea there is "irony" here is stupid, Maher is doing nothing new. He criticizes the Left and good on him for it. Like I said, it speaks volumes you see self-side criticism as a negative thing and implies your expectation of dogma and homogeneity in your political "side".
    So not only was Bill Maher echoing Republican talking points in the clip I posted, but he was doing it 5 years ago too, complaining liberal-dominated universities are silencing conservatives in cult-like group-think fashion. Ironic. I really appreciate your dedication to following the guy and defending his reputation for years, since I could never have done as good a job backing up my observations without your expertise. But providing your own example of how Democrats are so extreme they have Maher fending off accusations of being a Republican convert seems to do the opposite of support your case that I’ve made up the association myself, or that anything I’ve said is about party loyalty.
    Last edited by Lord Thesaurian; March 02, 2023 at 02:48 AM.
    Of these facts there cannot be any shadow of doubt: for instance, that civil society was renovated in every part by Christian institutions; that in the strength of that renewal the human race was lifted up to better things-nay, that it was brought back from death to life, and to so excellent a life that nothing more perfect had been known before, or will come to be known in the ages that have yet to be. - Pope Leo XIII

  15. #7075

    Default Re: Discussion and Debate Community Thread

    I wonder if anyone here shared her story before:

    Eleanor Williams jailed for eight and a half years after rape and trafficking lies
    A woman has been jailed for eight and a half years after being found guilty of lying about being raped and trafficked by an Asian grooming gang, and making false rape claims against a series of other men.
    The Armenian Issue

  16. #7076

    Default Re: Discussion and Debate Community Thread

    Doug Murray via The Spectator:

    "Last weekend the press reported on an analysis done by Prevent’s ‘Research Information and Communications Unit’ (RICU) in 2019. This analysis looked into social media users described as ‘actively patriotic and proud’. Oh no – anything but actively patriotic and proud! Anyhow, according to RICU there were warning signs if people absorbed information or opinions from ‘pro-Brexit and centre-right commentators’. These included Jacob Rees-Mogg, Melanie Phillips, Rod Liddle and yours truly."

    "I have since been able to look over some of this pathetic material provided at public expense and can confirm that it gets worse. In one RICU document a number of books are singled out, the possession or reading of which could point to severe wrongthink and therefore potential radicalisation. These include a book on the Rotherham rape gangs, books by Peter Hitchens, Melanie Phillips and – once again – me."

    "Like the attempt to delegitimise a book on the ‘grooming’ scandals in the north of England, it seems that RICU is so far off-track that it believes that books identifying the problem that it was itself set up to tackle are in fact a part of the problem. As I say, if you want a job for life, join a government programme that can end up forming a perfect circle of self-justification in such a fashion."

    "Key signs that people have fallen into this abyss include watching the Kenneth Clark TV series Civilisation, The Thick of It and Great British Railway Journeys. I need to stress again that I am not making this up. This has all been done on your dime and mine in order to stop ‘extremism’ in these islands."


    "There is also a reading list of historical texts which produce red flags to RICU. These include Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes, John Locke’s Two Treatises of Government and Edmund Burke’s Reflections on the Revolution in France, as well as works by Thomas Carlyle and Adam Smith. Elsewhere RICU warns that radicalisation could occur from books by authors including C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Aldous Huxley and Joseph Conrad. I kid you not, though it seems that all satire is dead, but the list of suspect books also includes 1984 by George Orwell."

    https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/...lway-journeys/

    Clown world.

    Here is an independent review of the PREVENT report:
    https://www.gov.uk/government/public...ent-accessible

  17. #7077

    Default Re: Discussion and Debate Community Thread

    https://youtube.com/shorts/mSVrYGyj-kU

    It’s over.

    Quote Originally Posted by Bobby Kennedy Jr.
    The Fed just announced it will introduce its “FedNow” Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) in July. CBDCs grease the slippery slope to financial slavery and political tyranny.

    While cash transactions are anonymous, a #CBDC will allow the government to surveil all our private financial affairs. The central bank will have the power to enforce dollar limits on our transactions restricting where you can send money, where you can spend it, and when money expires.

    A CBDC tied to digital ID and social credit score will allow the government to freeze your assets or limit your spending to approved vendors if you fail to comply with arbitrary diktats, i.e. vaccine mandates.

    The Fed will initially limit its CBDC to interbank transactions but we should not be blind to the obvious danger that this is the first step in banning and seizing bitcoin as the Treasury did with gold 90 years ago today in 1933.

    Watch as governments, which never let a good crisis go to waste, use Covid-19 and the banking crisis to usher in a new wave of CBDCs as a safe haven from germ-laden paper currencies or as protection against bank runs.

    https://twitter.com/RobertKennedyJr/...58603885101073
    “The true danger is when liberty is nibbled away, for expedience, and by parts.” Edmund Burke
    Of these facts there cannot be any shadow of doubt: for instance, that civil society was renovated in every part by Christian institutions; that in the strength of that renewal the human race was lifted up to better things-nay, that it was brought back from death to life, and to so excellent a life that nothing more perfect had been known before, or will come to be known in the ages that have yet to be. - Pope Leo XIII

  18. #7078
    swabian's Avatar igni ferroque
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    Default Re: Discussion and Debate Community Thread

    Quote Originally Posted by Lord Thesaurian View Post
    https://youtube.com/shorts/mSVrYGyj-kU

    It’s over.



    “The true danger is when liberty is nibbled away, for expedience, and by parts.” Edmund Burke

  19. #7079
    irontaino's Avatar Protector Domesticus
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    Default Re: Discussion and Debate Community Thread

    You know it's bad when you go up against a giant soulless corporation, and you're the one in the moral wrong:

    “Ron DeSantis was outwitted and humiliated on a national stage, and now Floridians must pay the price as he drags us all into his childish, self-serving vendetta against Disney,” said Nikki Fried, who during DeSantis’ first term served as the state’s elected commissioner of agriculture and consumer services, a position whose responsibilities include safety at tourist attractions. “As part of his revenge, Ron DeSantis wants to build a prison right in the heart of Florida’s tourist mecca and drive out our largest employer.”
    I'm sure Floridians are thrilled about the governor antagonizing the states largest employer while they run legal circles around him.
    Fact:Apples taste good, and you can throw them at people if you're being attacked
    Under the patronage of big daddy Elfdude

    A.B.A.P.

  20. #7080

    Default Re: Discussion and Debate Community Thread

    You know it’s bad when a state government attempts to curtail the outsized influence and sweetheart legal privileges enjoyed by a massive corporation, and leftists are cheering for the corporation, because the latter supports sterilizing children. Peak clown world.

    Spoiler for profanity


    Of these facts there cannot be any shadow of doubt: for instance, that civil society was renovated in every part by Christian institutions; that in the strength of that renewal the human race was lifted up to better things-nay, that it was brought back from death to life, and to so excellent a life that nothing more perfect had been known before, or will come to be known in the ages that have yet to be. - Pope Leo XIII

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