Chit-Chat: The Feels

[tres bien]

3 hours ago, Dimity said:

I think though people's faces often show us what they are.  It's got nothing to do with beauty or plainness or whatever.  She and Trump and the rest of his unqualified cabinet - they are what evil looks like.

People don’t have to look a certain way for me to think they’re this or that what matters to ME is what they say and do

She and her troops could show up in my city next

Edited Friday at 04:42 PM by tres bien

[tearknee]

The majority of people are not political and are mostly content with the way things are in any affluent, property-owning liberal democracy. That is why the Republicans (or the Liberal-National coalition in my adopted home) have won most national-level elections. 

[bluegirl147]

1 minute ago, tearknee said:

The majority of people are not political and are mostly content with the way things are in any affluent, property-owning liberal democracy. That is why the Republicans (or the Liberal-National coalition in my adopted home) have won most national-level elections. 

Republicans also lie cheat and steal to win elections.

[Anela]

7 minutes ago, tearknee said:

The majority of people are not political and are mostly content with the way things are in any affluent, property-owning liberal democracy. That is why the Republicans (or the Liberal-National coalition in my adopted home) have won most national-level elections. 

More people are becoming political. These protests have been big for a reason, this year. 

A streamer I follow, was talking about this last night. Saying that a lot of influencers and streamers are afraid to talk about anything, because then they're deemed political, as if that's a bad thing. They're also afraid of saying the wrong thing, or giving incorrect information. 

Edited Friday at 01:37 PM by Anela

[bluegirl147]

32 minutes ago, Anela said:

More people are becoming political. These protests have been big for a reason, this year. 

A streamer I follow, was talking about this last night. Saying that a lot of influencers and streamers are afraid to talk about anything, because then they're deemed political, as if that's a bad thing. They're also afraid of saying the wrong thing, or giving incorrect information. 

Also they don't want to upset anyone. They could lose half their audience.  As Michael Jordan said after being asked why he didn't support a Demcoratic candidate in North Carolina, Republicans buy shoes too.

[Dimity]

54 minutes ago, Anela said:

More people are becoming political. These protests have been big for a reason, this year. 

And thanks to the Trump effect countries like Australia and Canada, where a lot of people assumed the right wing party would win, well, they didn't.  Maybe most people aren't political but they aren't nearly as complacent as the right would like them to be.  Which is why I still have hope for the US.  The crazier Trump and his cronies behave in the next few years the more likely (assuming you still have elections) it will be that the people who don't usually make an effort to vote will be out there at the ballot box.

[bluegirl147]

2 minutes ago, Dimity said:

Maybe most people aren't political but they aren't nearly as complacent as the right would like them to be. 

Everything is political now. The weather.  Health care.  Education. Who we can marry. So when I hear someone say I'm not political I want to say unless you live in a cave and have no contact with the outside world politics are going to affect you and you should be political.  Even doing nothing is political. 

[fastiller]

55 minutes ago, Anela said:

More people are becoming political. These protests have been big for a reason, this year. 

A streamer I follow, was talking about this last night. Saying that a lot of influencers and streamers are afraid to talk about anything, because then they're deemed political, as if that's a bad thing. They're also afraid of saying the wrong thing, or giving incorrect information. 

So true.  I have several friends who have started engaging in all things political since '16.  To a person, they were apolitical before *45.  The other thing worth noting is that the numbers of people who self identify as 'political' is (at least in my circle of friends) getting younger.  I'm going into Bryant Park with a friend tomorrow; she told me "everyone wants to go" and by "everyone" she means her three children (all are college, or just post-college age) and their respective partners.

[Anela]

22 minutes ago, Dimity said:

And thanks to the Trump effect countries like Australia and Canada, where a lot of people assumed the right wing party would win, well, they didn't.  Maybe most people aren't political but they aren't nearly as complacent as the right would like them to be.  Which is why I still have hope for the US.  The crazier Trump and his cronies behave in the next few years the more likely (assuming you still have elections) it will be that the people who don't usually make an effort to vote will be out there at the ballot box.

Right. Most people I know in Australia, Canada, the UK, rarely talk about politics, but when it comes to the elections, they're right there, posting a few things, and worried about their own countries. They just don't want to talk about it constantly. I don't want to talk about it constantly. I went to work with dad yesterday, and we mostly talked about other things. I miss having a life that wasn't a part of the trump reality show.

[tearknee]

1 hour ago, bluegirl147 said:

Also they don't want to upset anyone. They could lose half their audience.  As Michael Jordan said after being asked why he didn't support a Demcoratic candidate in North Carolina, Republicans buy shoes too.

Plus, most people know that if they keep their heads down, don't attract attention, they and their loved ones will most likely survive.

Then you have the ones that pretend post-facto they resisted all along (most of France post-WW2).

36 minutes ago, fastiller said:

So true.  I have several friends who have started engaging in all things political since '16.  To a person, they were apolitical before *45.  The other thing worth noting is that the numbers of people who self identify as 'political' is (at least in my circle of friends) getting younger.  I'm going into Bryant Park with a friend tomorrow; she told me "everyone wants to go" and by "everyone" she means her three children (all are college, or just post-college age) and their respective partners.

Say hello to Steve and Mike and Rob and Chip, for me :)

[Dimity]

20 minutes ago, Anela said:

I miss having a life that wasn't a part of the trump reality show.

It's certainly been an exhausting ride.  I hear you about the not wanting to talk politics thing.  Here is probably the only place where I actually seek this kind of conversation out. 

Fortunately for me most of my friends and family share my beliefs where politics and Trump are concerned and it's almost impossible to never talk about it - we always start off with good intentions "let's have one meal where no one talks politics - agreed?" but almost inevitably something will  come up. 

Even so for the most part we do stick to that just for sanity's sake!   But anyone eavesdropping might think "wow those people don't care about what's going on in the world.  how apathetic are they!"  But that couldn't be further from the truth.

[PRgal]

There's a doctor shortage in Canada, but a woman in Toronto, someone with a PhD in public health, who has recently posted several videos on how to find primary care doctors in Toronto, and that there are a fair number taking in new patients (more than the media is leading people to believe).  Unfortunately, this does foray into something political because many people looking for doctors are looking for ones that speak their language.  Toronto, especially, has many newcomers/immigrants who barely speak any English.  They want someone to care for them in their language.  That's tougher to find than one might think.  If I were looking, I can go anywhere.  Someone like my late grandmother?  More complicated.  And that goes for children too.  If their caregiver is a grandparent and the grandparent doesn't speak English, you'd need a doctor that can care for THEM.  Some people are lucky to have a family member with them, but that's not always the case. I feel like people forget that at times.  That said, I have a cousin who is TRILINGUAL!  He's fluent in English, Cantonese AND Mandarin.  That's a rarity in Toronto.  Usually it's English and one of the two.  And he's in his (late) 30s as well, so not someone who would be retiring any time soon.

[bluegirl147]

10 minutes ago, Dimity said:

I hear you about the not wanting to talk politics thing.  Here is probably the only place where I actually seek this kind of conversation out. 

I love talking about politics. I always have.  But that used to mean you talked about the candidates during election years.  You talked about policy and back then that meant legislation.  But after Clinton's election in 92 and the Republicans unrelenting efforts to bring him down talking politics suddenly meant talking about blow jobs in the Oval Office.  It meant talking about LGTBQ in the military (as if they were suddenly just then joining the military).  Then after 911 politics meant do you hate Muslims or not.  Then after Obama it was do you think he is a Muslim.  Then it was health care and whether it should be affordable or not. And then Trump and now politics affects everything. 

[peacheslatour]

34 minutes ago, tearknee said:

Plus, most people know that if they keep their heads down, don't attract attention, they and their loved ones will most likely survive.

Then you have the ones that pretend post-facto they resisted all along (most of France post-WW2).

Say hello to Steve and Mike and Rob and Chip, for me :)

What about Ernie?

[bluegirl147]

3 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

What about Ernie?

And the triplets.

[Dimity]

I read that Musk is trying to make nice with Trump.  

 

[Babalu06]

I haven’t posted here yet because I discovered this topic late and have been desperately, and not very successfully, trying to catch up. I saw this in today’s Jeff Tiedrich post, and, while it’s by no means new information or anything that most people here would disagree with, it counteracts very succinctly the anti-immigrant vitriol I’ve seen so often lately.

Quote

Immigration fuels the economy. When immigrants enter the labor force, they increase the productive capacity of the economy and raise GDP. Their incomes rise, but so do those of natives. It’s a phenomenon dubbed the “immigration surplus,” and while a small share of additional GDP accrues to natives — typically 0.2 to 0.4 percent — it still amounts to $36 to $72 billion per year.

that link, by the way, is from the George W. Bush Institute website.

I’m thankful for *almost* all of you here - your comments and your sentiments. I won’t go so far as to say you’ve been keeping me sane, because I’m not doing well at all right now, but it’s a solace to share the pain and worry we’re all feeling.

[Dimity]

5 hours ago, PRgal said:

They want someone to care for them in their language

While this is understandable I don't see how this is really in any way connected to the current doctor shortage.  Was there ever a golden time when any immigrant who did not speak English or French had easy access to a doctor who spoke their language? 

Edited Friday at 08:47 PM by Dimity

[Kemper]

I really don't want to go back to discussing hate. But to me, when it comes to where we are right now, as a nation and people....there is no contest as to who to blame. And that is Fox News...for decades. They have spewed lies, denigrated most any and everything about what the Dems are doing.  This network has also spawned the insecure white-bro podcasters who seemingly can't deal or respect most women; and ridicule just about anyone that does not fit in their tiny boxes.  Likely to match their tiny body part. (just speculating on that one) Lastly... a pox on the entire Murdoch family.

 

 

[tearknee]

1 hour ago, peacheslatour said:

What about Ernie?

Well, some fanfic writers take a leaf out of the Brady Bunch fanficers, i.e. Dodie's not really his sister....

...oh. i just forgot him. Like the ending of Poltergeist III forgets Scott.

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

Noem killing her puppy and RFK killing a bear are to MAGAs what murder and rape are to gangsters.

Given she didn't seem to understand that murdering puppies isn't an endearing anecdote to put in your biography, and people may react badly, I think it's safe to say at the very least that she has the emotional intelligence of a grapefruit.

[Bookworm 1979]

1 minute ago, peacheslatour said:

she has the emotional intelligence of a grapefruit.

That's an insult to grapefruit. 😁

[PRgal]

25 minutes ago, Dimity said:

While this is understandable I don't see how this is really in any way connected to the current doctor shortage.  Was there ever a golden time when any immigrant who did not speak English or French have easy access to a doctor who spoke their language? 

There may be even FEWER doctors to help immigrants/refugees.  So if there's a shortage for the general population, the shortage is even MORE PRONOUNCED for those who need specific languages.  

[tearknee]

1 hour ago, bluegirl147 said:

And the triplets.

Charley lost 'em. He left the stroller behind when he drove home from the May Day parade.

[fastiller]

16 minutes ago, Kemper said:

I really don't want to go back to discussing hate. But to me, when it comes to where we are right now, as a nation and people....there is no contest as to who to blame. And that is Fox News...for decades. They have spewed lies, denigrated most any and everything about what the Dems are doing.  This network has also spawned the insecure white-bro podcasters who seemingly can't deal or respect most women; and ridicule just about anyone that does not fit in their tiny boxes.  Likely to match their tiny body part. (just speculating on that one) Lastly... a pox on the entire Murdoch family.

 

 

Exhibit 1: David Brock, who called Anita Hill 'a little bit slutty and a little bit nutty' and had a 180° change of heart in the late 90s.

[bluegirl147]

29 minutes ago, Babalu06 said:

I haven’t posted here yet because I discovered this topic late and have been desperately, and not very successfully, trying to catch up

 

29 minutes ago, Babalu06 said:

I’m thankful for *almost* all of you here - your comments and your sentiments. I won’t go so far as to say you’ve been keeping me sane, because I’m not doing well at all right now, but it’s a solace to share the pain and worry we’re all feeling.

I just wanted to say welcome aboard and just know you are among friends here.

11 minutes ago, Kemper said:

  Likely to match their tiny body part. (just speculating on that one)

I've always thought the men with the loudest voices always talking about how great they are are overcompensating for their shortcomings.

13 minutes ago, Kemper said:

Lastly... a pox on the entire Murdoch family.

When Rupert dies each of the four children from his first two marriages get equal shares.  A lot of people believe Fox News in it's current form will no longer exist.  Lachlan who is more conservative than his brother and sisters probably wouldn't be able to buy them out and they probably wouldn't want him to buy them out. 

[tearknee]

Isn't Murdoch trying to screw things for his kids that aren't Lochy?

23 minutes ago, Bookworm 1979 said:

That's an insult to grapefruit. 😁

Yes. Grapefruit juice helps you when you're stressed and sweating. 

[Anela]

1 hour ago, Babalu06 said:

I haven’t posted here yet because I discovered this topic late and have been desperately, and not very successfully, trying to catch up. I saw this in today’s Jeff Tiedrich post, and, while it’s by no means new information or anything that most people here would disagree with, it counteracts very succinctly the anti-immigrant vitriol I’ve seen so often lately.

I’m thankful for *almost* all of you here - your comments and your sentiments. I won’t go so far as to say you’ve been keeping me sane, because I’m not doing well at all right now, but it’s a solace to share the pain and worry we’re all feeling.

Welcome to the thread. :)

[peacheslatour]

37 minutes ago, tearknee said:

Isn't Murdoch trying to screw things for his kids that aren't Lochy?

Yes. Grapefruit juice helps you when you're stressed and sweating. 

But it's contraindicated with some medications.

[Salacious Kitty]

1 hour ago, peacheslatour said:

But it's contraindicated with some medications.

Yup. No grapefruit for me. 

[RealityCheck]

3 hours ago, tearknee said:

Isn't Murdoch trying to screw things for his kids that aren't Lochy?

According to this article, Rupert Murdoch's lawsuit to remake the family trust failed so far.  If Murdoch fails in his attempts to appeal the decision, control of the business will be divided equally between his children, as bluegirl47 described.

[ProudMary]

Heather Cox Richardson's YouTube video yesterday evening was much shorter than what she usually posts, only 7:51, but it's well worth the watch. She concentrates on the verbiage used by Kristi Noem and the actions she allowed to occur with regard to Senator Padilla and says it's proof of a coup, similar to a late 19th century event in North Carolina, the only other time it's occurred in our nation's history. Watch here.

Also, I'm angry that this story isn't getting more coverage. Read the whole story if you have a few minutes. I've only excerpted a few paragraphs. 

4 detainees escaped from Newark ICE facility, DHS says. Here's what's happening at Delaney Hall.

https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/newark-ice-delaney-hall-escape/

On Thursday night, tensions rose after reports of inhumane conditions and lack of food inside the federal immigration detention center. One woman whose husband was held inside told CBS News New York that a fight broke out during lunch. 

Family members said detainees were allegedly not fed for 20 hours and, even then, were given only a small amount of food. 

"We came to visit one family member we have here inside. He called yesterday saying that he was very worried about what was happening inside because they weren't feeding them. They weren't getting food and everybody got crazy. They were asking for food," one family member said.

...

One man who was recently released said he was held there for 28 days and described being treated worse than an animal. He said the conditions were unhygienic, he wasn't given enough food to eat and no one would answer questions about why they were being held.

 

[Annber03]

9 hours ago, Dimity said:

I think though people's faces often show us what they are.  It's got nothing to do with beauty or plainness or whatever.  She and Trump and the rest of his unqualified cabinet - they are what evil looks like.

Suddenly reminded of that Twilight Zone episode, "The Masks". I bet the old man in that story would have a FIELD day coming up with the perfect masks for this lot of assholes to wear. 

(I love that episode :D.)

5 hours ago, Babalu06 said:

I haven’t posted here yet because I discovered this topic late and have been desperately, and not very successfully, trying to catch up. I saw this in today’s Jeff Tiedrich post, and, while it’s by no means new information or anything that most people here would disagree with, it counteracts very succinctly the anti-immigrant vitriol I’ve seen so often lately.

I’m thankful for *almost* all of you here - your comments and your sentiments. I won’t go so far as to say you’ve been keeping me sane, because I’m not doing well at all right now, but it’s a solace to share the pain and worry we’re all feeling.

Adding to the welcome! Glad to have you here, look forward to reading more of your thoughts. I know exactly how you feel - it's nice to come here and be reminded that not EVERYONE has completely lost their minds. 

[heatherchandler]

On 6/5/2025 at 6:29 AM, Affogato said:

personally don’t care. Women being unable to get healthcare in emergencies, travel , disabled people are being denied medical care and children are starving, personal information potentially being released, and so on, the things we are talking about, are horrible.

This has been going on for YEARS.  I watched a documentary on abortion clinics closing and people having to travel over state lines when Bush or Clinton was in office.  Disabled people have been struggling for adequate care since I can remember.  Trump is not the reason children are starving.  These are signs that the government has been broken for a very long time.  

[bluegirl147]

45 minutes ago, heatherchandler said:

This has been going on for YEARS.  I watched a documentary on abortion clinics closing and people having to travel over state lines when Bush or Clinton was in office.  Disabled people have been struggling for adequate care since I can remember.  Trump is not the reason children are starving.  These are signs that the government has been broken for a very long time.  

But Trump isn't trying to make things better.   He is making them worse.

 

 

 

[peacheslatour]

 We will kill you': Florida sheriff issues stern warning to protesters

As protests over the Trump administration’s immigration raids continue in Los Angeles and other cities, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier and law enforcement officials warned that demonstrators could face a forceful response in the state, CNN affiliate WESH reports.

[Dimity]

@heatherchandler

Quote

 I watched a documentary on abortion clinics closing and people having to travel over state lines when Bush or Clinton was in office.

But women never had to prove they had a miscarriage, at the risk of facing murder charges otherwise, under Clinton or Bush.  Please don't hand wave away what is happening to women in your country thanks to Trump.  Women are bleeding to death in parking lots because the doctors are afraid to help them.  This is evil.

Edited Saturday at 12:36 AM by Dimity

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, ProudMary said:

Heather Cox Richardson's YouTube video yesterday evening was much shorter than what she usually posts, only 7:51, but it's well worth the watch. She concentrates on the verbiage used by Kristi Noem and the actions she allowed to occur with regard to Senator Padilla and says it's proof of a coup, similar to a late 19th century event in North Carolina, the only other time it's occurred in our nation's history. Watch here.

Especially near the end:
“…you can see the leap to ‘we are not going to permit elected governments that are democratic; we are not going to let people elect their own representatives.’ 
“This is a really big deal and it illustrates exactly where authoritarian governments go; they start with marginalized people not because they care so much about having control of those marginalized people — they already have control over those people by definition of the fact they're marginalized — what they want is to use that to build up a military to get control of everybody else”
— youtu.be/dJrTQvMYRTM

It's disgusting that they are treating people like pawns in their game. Not new. Just disgusting.

 

Edited Saturday at 01:16 AM by shapeshifter

[DanaMB]

32 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

But Trump isn't trying to make things better.   He is making them worse.

 

 

 

Exactly.

[Dimity]

Prosecutors say Republican South Carolina lawmaker used ‘joebidennnn69' to send child sex material

A Republican member of the South Carolina House who prosecutors say used the screen name “joebidennnn69” has been arrested and charged with 10 counts of distributing sexual abuse material involving children.

RJ May was arrested at his Lexington County home after a lengthy investigation and was ordered Thursday by a federal judge to remain jailed until his trial.

Spoiler

The three-term Republican is accused of using “joebidennnn69” to exchange 220 different files of toddlers and young children involved in sex acts on the Kik social media network for about five days in spring 2024, according to court documents that graphically detailed the videos.

Each charge carries a five-to-20 year prison sentence upon conviction and prosecutors suggested May could spend over a decade in prison if found guilty.

***I have put some of this in a spoiler as it could be triggering for some - or just a source of disgust.

Edited Saturday at 01:03 AM by Dimity

[tearknee]

69 = remember "Bill and Ted's EA".

[SoMuchTV]

21 minutes ago, tearknee said:

69 = remember "Bill and Ted's EA".

What???

[tearknee]

1 minute ago, SoMuchTV said:

What???

uh, the pervert's screen name includes 69. Add Biden's name and there is no way in heck that that was an accident!

 

("Twist and Shout is not page 29 of the Karma Sutra, you're 40 pages off")

[SoMuchTV]

1 minute ago, tearknee said:

uh, the pervert's screen name includes 69. Add Biden's name and there is no way in heck that that was an accident!

Still confused. You weren’t quoting or replying to anything, so I have no idea who “pervert” is. Maybe I’m the only one who isn’t following this whole thing??

 

[tearknee]

Dimity's post above

[SoMuchTV]

2 minutes ago, tearknee said:

Dimity's post above

Okay, got it. How do Bill and Ted figure in, then? Seriously, it would help if you quote what you’ve referring to and provide a little context. 

[tearknee]

Uh the "69, dudes!" scene in Bill and Ted's EA is one of the most famous in it?

I hate my autism and i hate my subarachnoid bleed.

[SoMuchTV]

12 minutes ago, tearknee said:

Uh the "69, dudes!" scene in Bill and Ted's EA is one of the most famous in it?

I hate my autism and i hate my subarachnoid bleed.

It sounds like you’re dealing with a lot and I have total sympathy with that. I’m just saying, I assume you’re here because you want to interact with your fellow posters, and if that’s the case, sometimes it helps to provide a little context for what you’re posting. 

[tearknee]

Look at Dimity's post - the GOP rep's screen name had 69 at the end and i realized that it was no accident.

[shapeshifter]

51 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

It sounds like you’re dealing with a lot and I have total sympathy with that. I’m just saying, I assume you’re here because you want to interact with your fellow posters, and if that’s the case, sometimes it helps to provide a little context for what you’re posting. 

Yeah. The best we can do is set an example — in life as well as on social media. 

35 minutes ago, tearknee said:

Look at Dimity's post - the GOP rep's screen name had 69 at the end and i realized that it was no accident.

Note: Dimity has 1.6k posts on this thread.

 

In other news:

• I think I may have inadvertently replied to an AI trollbot on a former work colleague's FB post.  I'm so embarrassed.
• One unrelated relative is very MAGA and posted a video of the marines on the road to LA with this caption: LFG!💪
  Does anyone here know what that means?