Chit-Chat: The Feels

[MostlyContent]

3 minutes ago, Bastet said:

The executive orders, memos, and emails exist.  If any of them don't wind up happening, it will be because they're illegal (and the rule of law actually holds). 

Yes, I apologize.  Those do exist and I believe Trump needed to inform Congress of his reasons/decisions 30 days ahead of actual firings?  Haven't read much about that yet.  

I was actually referring to the concerns about women having travel/birth control bans.  That would be horrifying, and could shake some of my views.  

[bluegirl147]

10 minutes ago, MostlyContent said:

 

I was actually referring to the concerns about women having travel/birth control bans.  That would be horrifying, and could shake some of my views.  

Do you think they won't try these things or do you think courts would strike them down?  Because I really do believe there are people in state's and the federal government that would love nothing more than to prevent women from being able to prevent pregnancies.

Are there other things that would shake your trust in them?

Edited Saturday at 10:32 PM by bluegirl147

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, MostlyContent said:

I was actually referring to the concerns about women having travel/birth control bans.  That would be horrifying, and could shake some of my views.  

Abortion travel bans have already been proposed, at the state and county level.  I think the only place they're in effect at the moment is in some Texas counties, and in Idaho (that one was court challenged, and what was upheld was a prohibition on taking a minor out of state for an abortion without parental consent, even where the girl can consent on her own in the state where the abortion was provided).  States have also chipped away at access to birth control.  That's how the right to abortion was lost -- chip, chip, chip (Casey, Carhart, Webster, etc.) as soon as Roe was decided, until they finally got the Court they needed for Dobbs.  It happens incrementally, and it's always in service of an eventual ban.

Edited Yest. at 12:16 AM by Bastet

[bluegirl147]

2 minutes ago, Bastet said:

Abortion travel bans have already been proposed, at the state and county level.  I think the only place they're in effect at the moment is in some Texas counties, and in Idaho (taking a minor out of state for an abortion without parental consent, even where the girl can consent on her own in the state where the abortion was provided).  States have also chipped away at access to birth control.  That's how the right to abortion was lost -- chip, chip, chip (Casey, Carhart, Webster, etc.) as soon as Roe was decided, until they finally got the Court they needed for Dobbs.  It happens incrementally, and it's always in service of an eventual ban.

Boiling frog syndrome comes to mind.

[bluegirl147]

1 minute ago, kittykat said:

Mitch McConnell gets no pass from me.  He's likely done in 26 and he's acting like it's Dec 24 and he still has time to get off Santa's Naughty List.  No go turtle douche.

It's because of him Obama wasn't allowed to fill Scalia's seat. 

[MostlyContent]

3 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

Do you think they won't try these things or do you think courts would strike them down?  Because I really do believe there are people in state's and the federal government that would love nothing more than to prevent women from being able to prevent pregnancies.

I think that the fundies (all sides) would try anything they thought would work in order to control their little lives/wives.   Do I believe they exist?  Yes.  Do I believe they could actually get anywhere with that bullshit?  No.   I said a while ago that I am 'glass half full', and I just can not see something working now that wouldn't even fly 50 years ago.  

11 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

Are there other things that would shake your trust in them?

Most definitely.  I'm waiting and watching.  

I'll try to think more seriously on this and get back to you in a few days at the latest.  I'm an artisan jeweler, and I just took an order that I never should have for the most despicable 'holiday' in the world.  VALENTINE'S DAY.   😒  I need to get a good start on this piece and then I'll have more time to do more than just read and understand.  Also, my husband just had his appendix out, and while everything is great, he's a man....so.......a bit whiney at the moment.  lol

[peacheslatour]

2 minutes ago, MostlyContent said:

I think that the fundies (all sides) would try anything they thought would work in order to control their little lives/wives.   Do I believe they exist?  Yes.  Do I believe they could actually get anywhere with that bullshit?  No.   I said a while ago that I am 'glass half full', and I just can not see something working now that wouldn't even fly 50 years ago.  

Most definitely.  I'm waiting and watching.  

I'll try to think more seriously on this and get back to you in a few days at the latest.  I'm an artisan jeweler, and I just took an order that I never should have for the most despicable 'holiday' in the world.  VALENTINE'S DAY.   😒  I need to get a good start on this piece and then I'll have more time to do more than just read and understand.  Also, my husband just had his appendix out, and while everything is great, he's a man....so.......a bit whiney at the moment.  lol

Speaking as a florist, you could not be more correct. I usually to start dreading V Day in Sept. Pretty much as soon as school starts.

[MostlyContent]

5 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

peaking as a florist, you could not be more correct. I usually to start dreading V Day in Sept. Pretty much as soon as school starts.

Right?  omg, I *hate* it!!!   lol

[SoMuchTV]

1 hour ago, MostlyContent said:

I don't believe that Democrats can simply 'get rid of' the Electoral College.  We are a Constitutional Republic, not a democracy.   38 states would never vote to change the Constitution in that way (if that was even one of the items that could be ratified ....I have no idea).  So there would need to be a coup, I suppose, and looking at the different people and differing opinions, I doubt that would be successful.   

There's actually a process underway to, in effect, "get rid of" the Electoral college that is at the state level, no constitutional amendment needed.

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

Basically, on a state-by-state level, they pass legislation to award all their electoral votes to whoever wins the national popular vote, but the rule would only kick in if/when enough other states with a majority of the electoral votes have also passed it (so mathematically it would accomplish the purpose of awarding the victory to the winner of the popular vote).  I think it was making some progress for a while but then kind of stalled.  I'm sure the Wikipedia article explains it better than I can.
 

Quote

 

The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC) is an agreement among a group of U.S. states and the District of Columbia to award all their electoral votes to whichever presidential ticket wins the overall popular vote in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The compact is designed to ensure that the candidate who receives the most votes nationwide is elected president, and it would come into effect only when it would guarantee that outcome.[2][3][4]

Introduced in 2006, as of January 2025, it was joined by seventeen states and the District of Columbia. They have 209 electoral votes, which is 39% of the Electoral College and 77% of the 270 votes needed to give the compact legal force. The idea gained traction amongst scholars after George W. Bush won the presidential election but lost the popular vote in 2000, the first time the winner of the presidency had lost the popular vote since 1888.

Certain legal questions may affect implementation of the compact. Some legal observers believe states have plenary power to appoint electors as prescribed by the compact; others believe that the compact will require congressional consent under the Constitution's Compact Clause or that the presidential election process cannot be altered except by a constitutional amendment.

 

 

[MostlyContent]

9 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

There's actually a process underway to, in effect, "get rid of" the Electoral college that is at the state level, no constitutional amendment needed.

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

Basically, on a state-by-state level, they pass legislation to award all their electoral votes to whoever wins the national popular vote, but the rule would only kick in if/when enough other states with a majority of the electoral votes have also passed it (so mathematically it would accomplish the purpose of awarding the victory to the winner of the popular vote).  I think it was making some progress for a while but then kind of stalled.  I'm sure the Wikipedia article explains it better than I can.
 

 

For some reason that I can't even remember, I read about this just a couple of days ago.  

Boy, would that unleash holy hell or what?  I can't even imagine the hullaballoo that would erupt.  It would probably put the last year to shame.  

[Anela]

3 hours ago, Notabug said:

There are state legislatures who have introduced bills requiring that all positive pregnancy tests be reported to the state.  I think they expect labs/doctors' offices to do this but I am not sure.  Then, there would be an absolute requirement that pregnant women 'check in' with the state at intervals and anyone who doesn't give birth to a live baby can be investigated and jailed if they cannot prove it was a natural loss.  Where the money for all this monitoring is going to come from is not clear; I guess they'll cut Medicaid benefits or something.  Considering there are also state legislatures that want to require doctors to take tubal pregnancies and place them into a woman's womb to try to 'save' the baby rather than remove them and save the woman's life, despite the fact that this has NEVER in the history of medicine been successful;  I don't think we can expect reason and sanity when it comes to these laws.  Just because they didn't get the required votes in the past doesn't mean they wouldn't now.  It's a brave new world, folks.

I think many of them would say what they said last time Trump was in office, "Roe v. Wade is never going to be overturned.  You're being ridiculous even thinking that it might".  And here we are.  

One of my sisters is quite the Trump fan, we have a family text chain.  I commented the day after the election that my office was being flooded with calls from women wanted to get IUD's or tubal ligations ASAP before the new administration came to power.  I was accused of 'harassing' her and that my clients were obviously 'stupid' if they thought anyone was going to take away their birth control.  Because that is the level of political discourse we are seeing; it has become the norm for one side to call names and deny the obvious when encountering the ugly facts of their political choices.

My aunt told me to get on birth control and be happy.  She ignored everything I told her, news stories I texted her.  My uncle said that women should keep their legs together.  I unblocked him long enough to tell him where to go, the other night. 

3 hours ago, Bastet said:

So does Susan Collins.  Lisa Murkowski has a slightly better track record, IIRC, but it's the MO for Collins to make sure she has a hall pass from McConnell before she doesn't toe the party line.

Then you might not want to know what happened even later last night, but just in case:  Trump fired - in what looks to be a clear violation of federal law, mind you, but that's never bothered him - nearly 20 independent watchdogs of federal agencies (inspectors general; independent positions that conduct audits and investigations [into allegations of waste, fraud, and abuse of power]).  Get rid of a critical oversight component, clearing the way to replace them with loyalists so you can operate unchecked.  Autocracy 101.

I haven't had the energy (or a joint) yet to delve into it more today, but that's what I went to bed on last night.  Edited with an update: The Council of the Inspectors General wrote him a nice little response memo suggesting he check with White House counsel about the legal requirements to dismiss them from their presidentially appointed, Senate confirmed positions.

I know.  I saw that last night.  Now he’s signed something that will stop teachings about the Tuskegee airmen.  The same men they used in their anti-Covid vaccine arguments. 

2 hours ago, tearknee said:

Of course, less blue people in rural and farm states = more bias to the Republicans in the EC and the Senate.

A lot of democrats are in “red” states.  But we have illegal voting maps in Ohio.  The  GOP are extremists, who cheat all the time.  

[bluegirl147]

5 minutes ago, Anela said:

My aunt told me to get on birth control and be happy.  She ignored everything I told her, news stories I texted her.  My uncle said that women should keep their legs together.  I unblocked him long enough to tell him where to go, the other night. 

 

@Anela i would have told your uncle men need to keep it in their pants.

 

 

[peacheslatour]

1 minute ago, bluegirl147 said:

@Anela i would have told your uncle men need to keep it in their pants.

 

 

THIS. I hate despise and abominate that "legs closed" bullshit!

[bluegirl147]

10 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

THIS. I hate despise and abominate that "legs closed" bullshit!

I'm right there with you.  All these anti choicers who harangue women who seek abortions.  Calling them baby killers wanting to see them punished never say one fucking word about the men who get these women pregnant.  And the ones who say they will help and support the women they prevent from exercising their reproductive rights never mention helping the women seek child support.  Once again men get a pass and women are told it's all their fault.

[kittykat]

There's always an excuse.  There's always a justification to keep men blameless.  Can't have birth control, women wont be responsible and will go out and have all the sex.  Men can't help themselves, they're sowing their wild oats and heaven forbid we ask them to wrap it up.  What if she's raped?  Probably did something to deserve it. He didn't know any better.  There's always a fucking excuse.  I'm sorry you have family that believes that too.

[Anela]

24 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

@Anela i would have told your uncle men need to keep it in their pants.

 

 

Oh, he has heard A LOT from me, since 2016. 
 

[Dimity]

And even if we agree (HAH NEVER) that women should be keeping their legs together and if they get pregnant well that's just the way it goes, they make no exceptions for women like the one @Notabug cited.  It's not about saving babies it's about controlling women.

[EtheltoTillie]

1 hour ago, peacheslatour said:

Speaking as a florist, you could not be more correct. I usually to start dreading V Day in Sept. Pretty much as soon as school starts.

Which is worse--Valentine's Day or Mother's Day?

[peacheslatour]

15 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

I'm right there with you.  All these anti choicers who harangue women who seek abortions.  Calling them baby killers wanting to see them punished never say one fucking word about the men who get these women pregnant.  And the ones who say they will help and support the women they prevent from exercising their reproductive rights never mention helping the women seek child support.  Once again men get a pass and women are told it's all their fault.

 Men catcall us on the street, hassle us at work where we have to be nice to them, grope us (I have thrown my share of drinks of guy's faces) and sexualize every fucking thing we do, wear, how we move, how we speak and if we have the temerity to reject them, we're bitches, whores and worse. If I weren't lucky enough to be married to a raging feminist, I would live like a nun.

3 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Which is worse--Valentine's Day or Mother's Day?

Speaking for myself, V-Day is the worst. I did corporate work in a high rise office building so I was closed on weekends. Most of my Mother's Day work was wire-outs to all over the country.

[bluegirl147]

5 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

  I would live like a nun.

 

Menopause helps me live without men.  Killed my libido and I am fine with that.  I live in a very red area and it was slim pickings to begin with but Trump made it worse. There was simply no way I could ever be with a Republican let alone a MAGA.

[peacheslatour]

33 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

Menopause helps me live without men.  Killed my libido and I am fine with that.  I live in a very red area and it was slim pickings to begin with but Trump made it worse. There was simply no way I could ever be with a Republican let alone a MAGA.

Amen to that.

[bluegirl147]

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/mississippi-lawmaker-introduces-contraception-begins-erection-act-rcna188938

Makes sense to me.

[peacheslatour]

The resistance begins.

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, bluegirl147 said:

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/mississippi-lawmaker-introduces-contraception-begins-erection-act-rcna188938

Makes sense to me.

And it's a man who introduced it.  Go ahead, first term Sen. Blackmon:

"All across the country, especially here in Mississippi, the vast majority of bills relating to contraception and/or abortion focus on the woman’s role when men are fifty percent of the equation," he wrote. "This bill highlights that fact and brings the man’s role into the conversation. People can get up in arms and call it absurd but I can’t say that bothers me."

Speaking of Democrats we need more of in red states, Ms. Yvonne Reeves-Chong, vice-chair of Missouri Democrats:

 

[ProudMary]

3 hours ago, Anela said:

Now he’s signed something that will stop teachings about the Tuskegee airmen.  The same men they used in their anti-Covid vaccine arguments. 

Specifically not teaching Air Force recruits about the Tuskegee Airmen.

Trump's DEI order strips Air Force curriculum of 1st Black pilots, female WWII pilots

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/01/25/air-force-removes-course-tuskegee-airmen-wasps/77950264007/

The U.S. Air Force will no longer teach its recruits about the Tuskegee Airmen, the more than 15,000 Black pilots, mechanics and cooks in the segregated Army of World War II, an official with the military branch confirmed to Reuters Saturday.

Course instruction about the pilots, as well as video of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) − a paramilitary aviation organization of female pilots employed to fly during World War II − was also pulled from basic training curriculum, the outlet reported.

[Blergh]

There's SO many awful things that have been wrought since Monday's DC Debacle it's hard to know where to start.

However, in an effort to attempt to laugh to keep from screaming I'd like to say that party loyalty or not, I don't get why anyone would have voted for RFK,Jr. to be in charge of the US's healthcare. I wouldn't trust him to efficiently pass out crayons and cookies at a doll hospital waiting room.

[Lantern7]

13 minutes ago, Blergh said:

There's SO many awful things that have been wrought since Monday's DC Debacle it's hard to know where to start.

However, in an effort to attempt to laugh to keep from screaming I'd like to say that party loyalty or not, I don't get why anyone would have voted for RFK,Jr. to be in charge of the US's healthcare. I wouldn't trust him to efficiently pass out crayons and cookies at a doll hospital waiting room.

Like I said, the GOP and Trump are in a symbiotic relationship. If he wants to put in the absolute worst person to be in charge of health for shits and giggles, they will let it happen. The best case is that someone awful will be in charge of that, but that person wouldn’t be “dump a large animal’s corpse in a public park” awful.

Speaking of people who are horrible to animals gaining power, Kristi Noem is now in charge of Homeland Security. There was once a time where someone admitting to gunning down a pet would immediately be shunned, for many people prefer animals to other humans. That seems so long ago.

[AgathaC]

4 hours ago, kittykat said:

There's always an excuse.  There's always a justification to keep men blameless.  Can't have birth control, women wont be responsible and will go out and have all the sex.  Men can't help themselves, they're sowing their wild oats and heaven forbid we ask them to wrap it up.  What if she's raped?  Probably did something to deserve it. He didn't know any better.  There's always a fucking excuse.  I'm sorry you have family that believes that too.

My stepson (14) is treated by his mother and her parents like a prince. If he doesn’t like a rule, he ignores it. If he gets in trouble for anything he blames someone else. No remorse. No matter how much my husband tries to teach him about personal responsibility, etc., mom and her parents undo it with endless indulgence and a fear of upsetting him. These are highly educated, very liberal feminists. Apparently can’t see what they could be creating.

When I hear about how men are treated in general by a segment of the population, I think I’m getting a real life demonstration of how it happens.

[Eri]

6 hours ago, MostlyContent said:

 38 states would never vote to change the Constitution in that way (if that was even one of the items that could be ratified ....I have no idea).  So there would need to be a coup, I suppose, and looking at the different people and differing opinions, I doubt that would be successful.   

Hmm, the only way to get the Constitution amended would be to either pass both houses of Congress by 2/3rds (not happening), or via 2/3rds of the state legislatures passing a resolution calling for a constitutional convention (also doubtful). And there has literally never been a Constitutional Convention at the federal level since 1787.

We already had an attempted coup which was unsuccessful and they were rewarded with pardons :(

Edit: Sorry there have been several posts since this one and @SoMuchTV hit the nail on the head lol

Edited 23 hours ago by Eri

[Yeah No]

4 hours ago, bluegirl147 said:

I'm right there with you.  All these anti choicers who harangue women who seek abortions.  Calling them baby killers wanting to see them punished never say one fucking word about the men who get these women pregnant.  And the ones who say they will help and support the women they prevent from exercising their reproductive rights never mention helping the women seek child support.  Once again men get a pass and women are told it's all their fault.

This made me think of Gloria Steinem's famous quote, "If men could get pregnant, abortion would be a sacrament".

[anony.miss]

Palestinian American Trump voters: This is what happens when you choose an anti-Muslim convicted felon instead of the public servant fighting for a two state solution.

 

Trump's answer to Gaza  is getting rid of the Palestinians who live there. Ship them out like crates of oranges. Erase their history.  Build Trump hotels on the beach. Luxury vacays for broligarchs. Problem solved.

Edited 21 hours ago by anony.miss

[tearknee]

An actual Palestinian state would not be a good place for the people "the Friends of Palestine" purport to care about. Or the values.

Mind you, in 1975-77, their parents and grandparents dismissed desperate reports of what ole' Saloth Sar was doing in Cambodia as "CIA-funded propaganda".

 

Edited 19 hours ago by tearknee

[Browncoat]

9 hours ago, bluegirl147 said:

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/mississippi-lawmaker-introduces-contraception-begins-erection-act-rcna188938

Makes sense to me.

Sounds like that scene from "Legally Blonde" where Elle argues, "For that matter, any masturbatory emissions, where the sperm is clearly not seeking an egg, could be termed reckless abandonment."

 

And speaking of eggs, one of the main headlines in the local news today is that the price of eggs has increased and will likely continue to do so for the foreseeable future.  Average for a dozen here (as reported by the news reader) is almost $5.

[PRgal]

9 hours ago, AgathaC said:

My stepson (14) is treated by his mother and her parents like a prince. If he doesn’t like a rule, he ignores it. If he gets in trouble for anything he blames someone else. No remorse. No matter how much my husband tries to teach him about personal responsibility, etc., mom and her parents undo it with endless indulgence and a fear of upsetting him. These are highly educated, very liberal feminists. Apparently can’t see what they could be creating.

When I hear about how men are treated in general by a segment of the population, I think I’m getting a real life demonstration of how it happens.

I come from a culture that has historically been very male chauvinistic with a separation of spheres going back several millennia.  Back when I was a kid, my GRANDMOTHER (born in 1923) heard something about her friend’s grandson (millennial) being treated better than the grandson’s sister, she was all “WAH!  Gum gow sik!” 
 

translation:  Wow!  How old school! 
 

I wonder if this grandson is a total a-hole today. He’d be 40 now. 

[bluegirl147]

7 hours ago, anony.miss said:

Palestinian American Trump voters: This is what happens when you choose an anti-Muslim convicted felon instead of the public servant fighting for a two state solution.

 

Trump's answer to Gaza  is getting rid of the Palestinians who live there. Ship them out like crates of oranges. Erase their history.  Build Trump hotels on the beach. Luxury vacays for broligarchs. Problem solved.

That is absolutely what he wants.  He said something like great beaches.  I 100% believe he does nothing without thinking I'm going to benefit from this.

For all the people who didn't vote because you didn't like how Biden was dealing with Israel/Palestine do you think this is better? How could you not see this would happen?  I remember a person being interviewed before the election and she said she wasn't voting for Harris because Dems needed to learn the hard way.  Is this what she had in mind?  Because it's the Palestinians who are going to be paying. 

[Dimity]

and all those college students so ignorant of recent history that you insisted Biden could resolve a problem that has festered  for generations in a single afternoon, well congratulations. You were so blinded by your single minded obsession that you refused to see that you were giving up help for Gaza and giving up many of your own freedoms and rights. Good job.

Edited 13 hours ago by Dimity

[Spartan Girl]

24 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

 

For all the people who didn't vote because you didn't like how Biden was dealing with Israel/Palestine do you think this is better? How could you not see this would happen?  I remember a person being interviewed before the election and she said she wasn't voting for Harris because Dems needed to learn the hard way.  Is this what she had in mind?  Because it's the Palestinians who are going to be paying

We tried to warn them not to pull this shit, that we’d ALL pay, and now they expect sympathy without owning up to their stupidity.

[Yeah No]

15 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

We tried to warn them not to pull this shit, that we’d ALL pay, and now they expect sympathy without owning up to their stupidity.

I notice it's crickets from a lot of people that voted for Trump for whatever one pet issue they thought he could magically resolve in one day or week, like egg prices or the Middle East. Those one issue voters were so fixated on that one thing that they were sucked in by the BS that "Trump will fix it" and lost sight of everything else. And now he's not even going to fix what they thought he was going to fix but just make it worse. So they've been "vewy, vewy qwiet", to quote Elmer Fudd. And they include those that dismissed some of the extreme stuff he said he was going to do as just more of his "bluster". Meanwhile in the first week alone he's pursued at least 5 things that appear in project 2025, which he attempted to distance himself from during his campaign. I'd like to see any of those very quiet people defend that right now but I doubt it's going to happen. Instead I expect more crickets from them.

[AgathaC]

59 minutes ago, Dimity said:

and all those college students so ignorant of recent history that you insisted Biden could resolve a problem that has festered  for generations in a single afternoon, well congratulations. You were so blinded by your single minded obsession that you refused to see that you were giving up help for Gaza and giving up many of your own freedoms and rights. Good job.

When I was in college, one of my history professors started a discussion about the Middle East by saying “The main thing you need to know: the problems there go back more than a thousand years. There is no easy fix. It’s insanely complicated. Period.” (He then went on to delve into it, so he didn’t leave it at that.)

Too bad kids either aren’t getting those lessons or aren’t believing them.

[PRgal]

2 minutes ago, AgathaC said:

When I was in college, one of my history professors started a discussion about the Middle East by saying “The main thing you need to know: the problems there go back more than a thousand years. There is no easy fix. It’s insanely complicated. Period.” (He then went on to delve into it, so he didn’t leave it at that.)

Too bad kids either aren’t getting those lessons or aren’t believing them.

Those problems were even discussed in the Bible!  For those who are religious who might want to know.

[bluegirl147]

1 hour ago, Spartan Girl said:

We tried to warn them not to pull this shit, that we’d ALL pay, and now they expect sympathy without owning up to their stupidity.

What's that saying?  They know just enough to make them dangerous.  I get it.  The Biden administration wasn't doing what they wanted them to do.  Their mistake was thinking Trump would do better. 

48 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

I'd like to see any of those very quiet people defend that right now but I doubt it's going to happen. Instead I expect more crickets from them.

This seems to happen with Republican Presidents.  People don't admit voting for them after they are in office. Especially in their second terms.  

15 minutes ago, PRgal said:

Those problems were even discussed in the Bible!  For those who are religious who might want to know.

Even for people who aren't religious the Middle East in my lifetime has always been at war with themselves or someone trying to make things better worse.

[Cementhead]

50 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

Even for people who aren't religious the Middle East in my lifetime has always been at war with themselves or someone trying to make things better worse.

1 hour ago, AgathaC said:

When I was in college, one of my history professors started a discussion about the Middle East by saying “The main thing you need to know: the problems there go back more than a thousand years. There is no easy fix. It’s insanely complicated. Period.” (He then went on to delve into it, so he didn’t leave it at that.)

One of my husband's professors in university 25+ yrs. ago said something about how even before they were able to shoot guns at each other, they were throwing stones.

Edited 11 hours ago by Cementhead
formatting/quote

[Lugal]

59 minutes ago, Dimity said:

and all those college students so ignorant of recent history that you insisted Biden could resolve a problem that has festered  for generations in a single afternoon, well congratulations. You were so blinded by your single minded obsession that you refused to see that you were giving up help for Gaza and giving up many of your own freedoms and rights. Good job.

Most college students did not expect that Biden would solve the problem in a "single afternoon" many simply wanted their colleges to divest from funding Israel.  They protested US support of Israel.  Biden refused to use any of the considerable leverage the US has to reign in Israel, but he let it continue after all the news of atrocities that came out.

17 minutes ago, AgathaC said:

When I was in college, one of my history professors started a discussion about the Middle East by saying “The main thing you need to know: the problems there go back more than a thousand years. There is no easy fix. It’s insanely complicated. Period.” (He then went on to delve into it, so he didn’t leave it at that.)

“The last paradox is that the tale of Palestine from the beginning until today is a simple story of colonialism and dispossession, yet the world treats it as a multifaceted and complex story—hard to understand and even harder to solve. Indeed, the story of Palestine has been told before: European settlers coming to a foreign land, settling there, and either committing genocide against or expelling the indigenous people...But Israel succeeded nonetheless, with the help of its allies everywhere, in building a multilayered explanation that is so complex that only Israel can understand it." -Ilan Pappe, Israeli historian

[Dimity]

From what I can understand the three things the pro-Trumpers are still outraged about (because you know it's not like he won or anything) are: 1. Kamala's laugh, 2. Comedians who mocked Trump during his last administration, and 3. Hunter Biden.

And in all sincerity did we ever think we could have productive conversations, let alone a meeting of the mind with people who can't talk about real issues without bringing up grievances, especially things that did not affect them then, do not affect them now, and will, going forward, never affect them.

Meanwhile we're supposed to calm down and relax?

Edited 10 hours ago by Dimity

[bluegirl147]

And in 2016 it was Hillary's emails.

[peacheslatour]

9 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

And in 2016 it was Hillary's emails.

[kittykat]

And in 2000 and forever it is "Woman in power! Ew!"

Yes we're supposed to grin and nod while a pet murderer and alcoholic are sworn into the cabinet but heaven forbid our presidential candidate laughs.  It was never the economy, this whole administration is a referendum against women and they're not even hiding it anymore.

[peacheslatour]

12 minutes ago, kittykat said:

And in 2000 and forever it is "Woman in power! Ew!"

Yes we're supposed to grin and nod while a pet murderer and alcoholic are sworn into the cabinet but heaven forbid our presidential candidate laughs.  It was never the economy, this whole administration is a referendum against women and they're not even hiding it anymore.

And stickin' it to the libs. 

[Trini]

6 hours ago, Browncoat said:

And speaking of eggs, one of the main headlines in the local news today is that the price of eggs has increased and will likely continue to do so for the foreseeable future.  Average for a dozen here (as reported by the news reader) is almost $5.

When the bird flu hits epidemic levels (it's coming y'all), it's going to so much worse because of this administration's anti-science, anti-accountability stance; and the price of eggs is only going one problem from that.

[Dimity]

Without wishing to sound in the least Pollyannaish has there been anything at all that Trump has done in the last week (dear god has it only been a week?) that could be construed as a positive "this is good for the country" thing?  Because I'm drawing a blank.