Chit-Chat: The Feels

[Bastet]

15 minutes ago, Dimity said:

A total Trump hater relative of mine shared a meme where it was claimed that Trump spent 15mil to travel to the football game, slept through some of it and left at half time.  This person has been known to share some pretty dodgy stuff so I am asking here - any truth to this?

Estimates on the cost are all over the place, all in the millions, but $15m is on the high end of those.  Sleeping?  He's old, it was a lopsided game, he looked to doze off during his own trial -- it's possible.  He left about 10 minutes into the second half.  

Edited Monday at 11:24 PM by Bastet

[peacheslatour]

Trump blows up Gaza ceasefire.

By Reuters

February 10, 202510:11 AM PSTUpdated 5 hours ago

CAIRO, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Mediators fear a breakdown of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, two Egyptian security sources said on Monday, after Hamas said Israel was not serious about executing the deal and announced it would stop releasing hostages until further notice.

Hamas negotiators said U.S. guarantees for the ceasefire were no longer in place given a plan by President Donald Trump to displace Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, and mediators postponed talks until a clear indication of Washington's intent to continue the phased deal was received.

[nokat]

53 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Yeah? Well where the hell were they during the campaign? I do not forgive.

@peacheslatourI'm having such a hard time with forgiving. Friends and family are in that list. I really can't.

[peacheslatour]

5 minutes ago, nokat said:

@peacheslatourI'm having such a hard time with forgiving. Friends and family are in that list. I really can't.

I'm right there with you. How could people be so fucking blind?

Edited Monday at 11:47 PM by peacheslatour

[nokat]

4 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

I'm right there with you. Ho could people be so fucking blind?

I know, and it's someone you love. It's created divides in people we know. I don't get the hatred.

Edited Monday at 11:47 PM by nokat

[peacheslatour]

1 minute ago, nokat said:

I know, and it's someone you love. It's created divides in people we know. I don't get the hatred/

I'm sorry this is happening with people you love. I'm so grateful my family is a bunch of filthy libs.

[bluegirl147]

My son and I don't talk politics now.  My concern is he is going to raise my granddaughters to be Republicans. I hope I can counter that.

[Dimity]

I reported a really hateful racist post that showed up on my FB feed.  Literally two  minutes later I got a response that they had reviewed the post and it "met their community standards".  They clearly didn't review it so it doesn't matter what the content was.  Why do they even bother having a reporting function?  This was a picture of a beautiful black woman whose reflection was an ape with some derogatory comment below it.

Congratulations Trump, and yes I do blame Trump.

[ProudMary]

1 hour ago, suomi said:

WaPo does daily tallies on the status of the lawsuits intended to put him in check. 

We’re tracking fast-moving developments in key cases covering President Donald Trump’s actions on immigration, transgender care and the federal workforce.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/02/07/trump-lawsuits-executive-orders-actions-legal-challenges/

 

To hell with WaPo!

Just Security has a litigation tracker that they launched a couple of weeks ago. I bookmarked it and it's been updated continually.

https://www.justsecurity.org/107087/tracker-litigation-legal-challenges-trump-administration/

[peacheslatour]

4 minutes ago, Dimity said:

I reported a really hateful racist post that showed up on my FB feed.  Literally two  minutes later I got a response that they had reviewed the post and it "met their community standards".  They clearly didn't review it so it doesn't matter what the content was.  Why do they even bother having a reporting function?  This was a picture of a beautiful black woman whose reflection was an ape with some derogatory comment below it.

Congratulations Trump, and yes I do blame Trump.

[Lantern7]

22 minutes ago, Dimity said:

I reported a really hateful racist post that showed up on my FB feed.  Literally two  minutes later I got a response that they had reviewed the post and it "met their community standards".  They clearly didn't review it so it doesn't matter what the content was.  Why do they even bother having a reporting function?  This was a picture of a beautiful black woman whose reflection was an ape with some derogatory comment below it.

Congratulations Trump, and yes I do blame Trump.

“Well, I’m gonna open my own Facebook! With blackjack! And hookers! And Mark won’t be invited!” Seriously, though, this is why mods are needed.

38 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

Great job, everyone who chose to sit home and not vote. Hope you're proud of yourselves. 

I always vote. And I bet Kamala would have totally attended the Super Bowl at taxpayer expense. Actually, no, she wouldn’t. She would’ve let Walz go. If he had to wait until the Vikings made the big game, he’d never go at all.

Edited Tuesday at 12:14 AM by Lantern7

[Dimity]

I don't know how many posting here have heard of the Invictus Games but they are being held in Canada this week and I want to share a snip from an off the cuff speech given by David Eby, the Premier of British Columbia at the opening ceremony.  A good reminder that despite what Donald Trump and the Trumpettes are trying to do we have always been friends and allies:

https://fb.watch/xGm3i9Ddy4/

[Spartan Girl]

1 hour ago, Annber03 said:

Great job, everyone who chose to sit home and not vote. Hope you're proud of yourselves. 

Ranted a lot about them in my therapy session today. She gave me the spiel about how you can’t force people to feel the same way you do, and we all have to work together, blah blah blah…I know she’s only telling me this for the sake of my own sanity because being angry isn’t helping, but seriously, why would I want to work with, let alone be nice to these twits that keep screwing us over?! I am very, very grateful that I’ve never met with any of them in person because I don’t think I’d be civil at this point.

[Dimity]

2 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Poor snowflake. He needs a safe space.

He'd also benefit from some remedial English lessons. 

[fairffaxx]

And basic civics with a gloss of Constitutional Law 101.

[heatherchandler]

 

 

On 2/7/2025 at 2:42 AM, Soapy Goddess said:

Actions speak louder than words. Many of us have known DJT from his early days (pre-Marla). We're really not interested in his personal relationships. Humans aren't perfect...especially in their personal relationships. That has nothing to do with how we treat our family and friends. 

Let's face it, humans tend to prioritize what's most important to them. I don't view DJT as evil because he's piggish in his relationships. And contrary to popular belief (here), he WILL do right by all of us. Did you see all those adorable young women who applauded the fact that they can now compete fair and square in their chosen sport? Give him time...he'll do the right thing.

 

On 2/7/2025 at 8:05 AM, Yeah No said:

 

And don't tell me that Biden, Harris and all the other Democrats are just as bad because they are not anywhere near as corrupt and immoral as this guy. In many cases, in the final analysis it's just the opposite and they are holding onto true ideals and trying to live them. Imperfectly for sure, but at least they have that moral foundation to work from. I will stake my stellar reputation as a good judge of human character on that. I don't listen to the media. I judge people based on my own standards based on known facts and my own eyes, not what people say about them. Yeah, actions DO speak louder than words if you don't deny what you see and you know the difference between a charlatan and an idealist.

Biden hurt people.  He did more harm to the Black community than anyone when he pushed the 1994 crime bill.  The bill spent $9 billion to open up more prisons.  DECADES of prison sentences for young black men and women, decimating families.  Said that “forced busing” to desegregate schools would cause his children to “grow up in a racial jungle.”  Accused of sexual assault by one brave woman (disgustingly brushed under the rug) and accused of improper conduct by seven other women.  

This is just off the top of my head. I don’t think he is a shining example of good character.  

 

On 2/7/2025 at 6:28 PM, Dimity said:

I raised a son and a daughter.  I never once worried when my daughter went into a women's washroom or changing room without me.  On the other hand I was the Mom standing right outside the men's room door whenever my son was in there without his dad.  I was not worried about a transgender person assaulting him.  Never even crossed my mind.

You worry about the men’s room.  That makes me think that you prefer to not have your child in a bathroom alone with someone with a penis.  Is that what you are getting at?

I was sexually assaulted in a bathroom, it is used by predators because doors close and lock and the victim can be trapped.  I am not saying trans women are predators.  But I think I should have a say as to the people I’m alone with, in a closed space and I don’t want to share that space with a penis.  I’m sure I have without knowing it.  But I’m allowed to feel the way I feel.

 

 

 

On 2/8/2025 at 10:27 PM, Yeah No said:

 

Men are coming into women's fitting rooms now with their daughters, girlfriends and wives. Getting into the stall with them as they undress. I have heard some suspicious sounds coming from them at times and it has weirded and creeped me out. I don't care if they come in but I draw the line at that kind of stuff.

..

LOL, yeah, not everyone grew up going to Greenwich Village every weekend 40/50 years ago like I did. I have news for these scared people, they have been going to your rest room forever without you knowing it, so just get over it!

Unless you’ve been sexually assaulted by someone in a closed space, I don’t want to hear anyone say “get over it.”

 

On 2/8/2025 at 11:20 PM, Mollywolly555 said:

Please, for the love of God, seek information from a variety of sources,  not just Fox.

Or provide links to your claims. 

The misinformation is mind blowing. 

 

And I say please for the love of God, everyone needs to get news from other sources than just msnbc!  I watch everything.  As I’ve said before, there are half-stories on both sides.  The media is stirring everyone up- ON PURPOSE!  They are trying to scare you.  
People that say that they can’t believe the idiots who like Trump are not watching the same news, not getting the same info.  

 

On 2/9/2025 at 11:02 AM, Dimity said:

I know this thread may not reflect how Americans on the whole feel about some of the Mob Boss's actions in the last few weeks.  I am curious how, generally, the US stopping foreign aid is being perceived.  Are people shamed and angry or is this considered a good move?

Trump is loved my many many people.  He was voted in, majority rules.  He is not seen as the bad guy for a lot of people.  
They are thrilled with what is going on.  The more I hear about the amounts of money sent out and the groups sending the money out are unable to account for BILLIONS of dollars, I’m not upset that they are stopping it.  
I watched Jon Stewart interview a woman who was in charge of auditing and she hand-waved away the fact that they never passed an audit.  Everyone should be very upset about this.  Is it corruption?  Or just stupidity?  I’d like to know.
 

On 2/9/2025 at 5:03 PM, Dimity said:

I am hoping Trump gets booed (ideally egged) at the game.  Too much to hope for?

He was cheered, Taylor Swift was booed.  It was very childish.

Edited Tuesday at 04:05 AM by heatherchandler

[heatherchandler]

Go to msnbc and the headlines scream “illegal” and “chaos,” everything is happening right now and it’s all “dangerous.”

Fox news is extremely favorable to Trump.  He’s “getting people excited” and “putting plans in place” for great things.

 Then I see this-

https://press.foxnews.com/2025/01/fox-news-delivers-highest-rated-january-in-cable-news-history-and-marks-23-years-at-number-one#:~:text=FOX News Channel (FNC) is,according to Nielsen Media Research.

Fox has a bigger audience.. so it makes sense that more people are swayed his way.  The media is playing us all.  Let’s not let either side tear us apart from our friends and family.

 

Edited Tuesday at 04:21 AM by heatherchandler

[Lantern7]

My takes? Glad you asked!

HALFTIME SHOW: I didn't care. I haven't followed music in ages. Kendrick taking Drake out behind the woodshed does nothing for me. I didn't see Serena or SZA dancing. I was not aware they had been involved with Drake. Swear to God, I got a "Didn't The Show Suck Or What?!?" post on Facebook from Ted Nugent's feed. In other news, I've been having to mute more stuff than I'm used to these days. Ted Nugent. He's still alive?!?

TAYLOR SWIFT: I get the boos. She's with the NFL's current Evil Empire. Yes, it's weird an Evil Empire would be based in Kansas City of all places. If she's happy with Travis Kelce, why should I care? He probably feels like he's walking a tightrope with her, and that the two main conclusions are eternal happiness and getting reamed out in a song. He seems cool. The family seems cool. Equivalency between her and Trump? Not cool. I'm convinced that if she had stepped forward and replaced Biden on the ticket, Donnie wouldn't have been able to do anything about it. I'm aware she's not 35. She is a celebrity. From what I heard, if you reach a certain level of fame, you can get away with ANYTHING. I bet there's at least one right-wing think tank devoted to the doomsday scenario of what they would do if she unleashed the full power of the Swifties upon the MAGAverse.

THE GAME: I'm mostly happy for Saquon Barkley. He could have stayed with the Giants, they wouldn't pay him the money they had allotted to Daniel Jones, they fucked up. I don't think there are any losers. Mahomes had his worst playoff game? Big whoop . .  . he's still got three rings. Tom Brady had to wait a long time before he got his fourth. Andy Reid? He's been through worse. I will say that when a New York-based team* wins a championship, Manhattan doesn't get fucked up beyond recognition. I'm just saying.

*Based or represented. It's a big of a broad area when the Giants and Jets are concerned. Well, just the Giants, really.

Edited Tuesday at 06:28 AM by Lantern7

[Anela]

7 hours ago, Dimity said:

I reported a really hateful racist post that showed up on my FB feed.  Literally two  minutes later I got a response that they had reviewed the post and it "met their community standards".  They clearly didn't review it so it doesn't matter what the content was.  Why do they even bother having a reporting function?  This was a picture of a beautiful black woman whose reflection was an ape with some derogatory comment below it.

Congratulations Trump, and yes I do blame Trump.

I had two posts removed at some point, in January. Both took me to a website that looked like a newspaper, telling me why I was wrong.  One of them was about billionaires not being taxed as much.  They haven’t stopped with the fact-checkers, they’ve just replaced them with this.  
 

https://thedispatch.com/article/fact-check-trump-repeal-insulin-price-cap/?fbclid=IwY2xjawIX1KNleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHQjhQTUOcTFcaFdk47rXMjhw9Yx2ibgTKqXWwag7tksNIv_BBHAwfLO36g_aem_9tWRppgC4-yGG8246A2nOQ

https://thedispatch.com/article/assessing-claims-that-u-s-billionaires-get-a-free-ride-on-taxes/?fbclid=IwY2xjawIX1MtleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHfdwzX3DsEH58PZ7GYeB8lbnG-kO0mgT50eUQIa7taxT7K28jyQckvu3Jg_aem_zH0usqgpOBzqzjJQTFm3eA

these were listed under “false information and physical harm” which don’t go together, unless you have something like January 6th, where conspiracies had people getting violent, and attempting a coup. 

Edited Tuesday at 07:02 AM by Anela

[tessaray]

52 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

My takes? Glad you asked!

HALFTIME SHOW: I didn't care. I haven't followed music in ages. Kendrick taking Drake out behind the woodshed does nothing for me. I didn't see Serena or SZA dancing. I was not aware they had been involved with Drake.

I didn't know either, all I got was that Serena was looking amazing.

The choreography was really interesting. The internets are abuzz because bell bottoms. And the weird change to the score bug. 

I would be against making sports political but really, they've always been political - for more decades than most of us have been alive.  

Edited Tuesday at 07:07 AM by tessaray

[Anela]

Oh my god, I’ve just scrolled down further on that link from FB, and they fact-checked a meme! It says how much other countries tax their billionaires, and the one for the US just says, “you tax your billionaires”?

good to know the fact-checkers are on the really important stuff. 🙄

Edited Tuesday at 07:44 AM by Anela

[Lantern7]

5 hours ago, heatherchandler said:

He was cheered, Taylor Swift was booed.  It was very childish.

No, he was booed. Loudly. I can't find the IG post, but I can tell you he got booed. Taylor Swift may have also been booed, but no one was screaming "TRAITOR!" at her.

ETA: I think I found the IG clip. Turns out it was one guy screaming "TRAITOR!" at him. Can't help but think of the one dude always shouting "That guy's a phony!" on Family Guy. I know he wasn't alone.

Also, while I'm here: Fox broadcasting the game = spots for FNC and Fox Nation. I did not like.

Edited Tuesday at 08:16 AM by Lantern7

[Soapy Goddess]

19 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I get it that pennies are expensive to make but couldn't they just scale back on them or find a way to make them cheaper? A lot of people still pay cash for things, especially poor people and rounding up can negatively affect them and disproportionately too.

Now you're worried about pennies? Most people throw them away.

Why do you feel they'll "round up"?  Under 5 should round down. And even if that weren't the case, we're only talking 4 cents.  

Besides that fact, merchants will no longer use pennies. For instance, the famous Walmart price ending in 97 cents will now be a whole dollar. So now that's only 3 cents. I don't think 3 cents is going to make or break anybody. If so, they have bigger problems than we all know.

Edited Tuesday at 08:29 AM by Soapy Goddess

[Yeah No]

5 hours ago, heatherchandler said:

Biden hurt people.  He did more harm to the Black community than anyone when he pushed the 1994 crime bill.  The bill spent $9 billion to open up more prisons.  DECADES of prison sentences for young black men and women, decimating families.  Said that “forced busing” to desegregate schools would cause his children to “grow up in a racial jungle.”  Accused of sexual assault by one brave woman (disgustingly brushed under the rug) and accused of improper conduct by seven other women.  This is just off the top of my head. I don’t think he is a shining example of good character.  

I don't care what could be dug up about Biden from years ago, it will never be anywhere near in the same category with Trump. Not even close!

5 hours ago, heatherchandler said:

Unless you’ve been sexually assaulted by someone in a closed space, I don’t want to hear anyone say “get over it.”

Look, I get how you feel. I wouldn't want to go to a rest room with straight cisgender men in it either, but what we were talking about did not include them. Maybe some trans people and cross dressers are bi or straight but the chances of being assaulted by one of them in a public rest room are pretty much zero. They don't go there for that reason.

5 hours ago, heatherchandler said:

And I say please for the love of God, everyone needs to get news from other sources than just msnbc!  I watch everything.  As I’ve said before, there are half-stories on both sides.  The media is stirring everyone up- ON PURPOSE!  They are trying to scare you.  

I watch everything, but least of all MSNBC. Not for any particular reason, just because it doesn't grab me. I don't love the media in general and certainly don't let it scare me or stir me up one way or another. I have always thought for myself and know when they're trying to manipulate me.

5 hours ago, heatherchandler said:

Trump is loved my many many people.  He was voted in, majority rules.  He is not seen as the bad guy for a lot of people.  

If majority ruled in this country, Hillary Clinton would have become president, not Trump. So much for "majority rules". And Trump's lead in the popular vote in this past election was smaller than hers in 2016. 

For the life of me how people can tune out the truly nasty, mean spirited, vile and morally repugnant things that have come out of this man's mouth and the policies he has supported and not see him as a "bad guy" is truly denying the facts on a very grand scale. I don't care if millions of people are living in that delusion. They can all go jump off a cliff, I'm not following them.

[Yeah No]

1 minute ago, Soapy Goddess said:

Now you're worried about pennies? Most people throw them away.

Why do you feel they'll "round up"?  Under 5 should round down. And even if that weren't the case, we're only talking 4 cents.  

Besides that fact, merchants will no longer use pennies. For instance, the famous Walmart price ending in 97 cents will now be a whole dollar. So now that's only 3 cents. I don't think 3 cents is going to make or break anybody. If so, they have bigger problems than we all know.

Who cares about pennies indeed. If Biden or any Democrat tried to get rid of pennies Republicans would be telling us that he was wasting time being concerned about something as trivial as pennies. I usually would not even respond to something like this because the logic is twisted to suit one outcome only.

And as has already been mentioned, getting rid of pennies is not going to solve the cost of making coins since nickels cost something like 11 cents to make, and without pennies more nickels would likely be made. To me this just looks like Trump trying to put his finger into everything just to get off on being (in his mind) powerful enough to do that. And to impress people who don't think that deeply or have the whole picture with how much he's getting done. If pennies aren't that important to think about then why is he wasting time and money on doing something about them? Especially when the alternative doesn't even solve anything cost-wise? 

And I don't know about you, but I can't afford to throw away pennies. My husband has been known to put them in a jar and roll them later. Maybe you and Trump can afford to throw them away, but I can't. And I don't trust stores to practice rounding up and down fairly either.

[Soapy Goddess]

10 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

Who cares about pennies indeed. If Biden or any Democrat tried to get rid of pennies Republicans would be telling us that he was wasting time being concerned about something as trivial as pennies. I usually would not even respond to something like this because the logic is twisted to suit one outcome only.

And as has already been mentioned, getting rid of pennies is not going to solve the cost of making coins since nickels cost something like 11 cents to make, and without pennies more nickels would likely be made. To me this just looks like Trump trying to put his finger into everything just to get off on being (in his mind) powerful enough to do that. And to impress people who don't think that deeply or have the whole picture with how much he's getting done. If pennies aren't that important to think about then why is he wasting time and money on doing something about them? Especially when the alternative doesn't even solve anything cost-wise? 

I seriously doubt Reps would be concerned if Biden tried to get rid of pennies. 

Meanwhile, Biden wasted billions of dollars on ridiculous things Iraqi Sesame Street, research on how to make a tomato taste better, etc. etc. And none of us even knew about these things!

I think he's trying to consolidate or simplify prices/pricing, as well as the fact that most people really don't care about the penny. So if the public doesn't want and/or use pennies, then what's the point of making them??

Granted it's not a lot of money, but if we're talking about waste, discontinuing the use of the penny fits the bill. 

[Anela]

2 minutes ago, Soapy Goddess said:

I seriously doubt Reps would be concerned if Biden tried to get rid of pennies. 

Meanwhile, Biden wasted billions of dollars on ridiculous things Iraqi Sesame Street, research on how to make a tomato taste better, etc. etc. And none of us even knew about these things!

I think he's trying to consolidate or simplify prices/pricing, as well as the fact that most people really don't care about the penny. So if the public doesn't want and/or use pennies, then what's the point of making them??

Granted it's not a lot of money, but if we're talking about waste, discontinuing the use of the penny fits the bill. 

Republicans freaked out over a tie that Obama wore.  

59 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

No, he was booed. Loudly. I can't find the IG post, but I can tell you he got booed. Taylor Swift may have also been booed, but no one was screaming "TRAITOR!" at her.

ETA: I think I found the IG clip. Turns out it was one guy screaming "TRAITOR!" at him. Can't help but think of the one dude always shouting "That guy's a phony!" on Family Guy. I know he wasn't alone.

Also, while I'm here: Fox broadcasting the game = spots for FNC and Fox Nation. I did not like.

He was booed.  I saw video of it myself.  

[Soapy Goddess]

2 minutes ago, Anela said:

Republicans freaked out over a tie that Obama wore.  

I don't recall hearing anything about that. How absurd. What was on the tie that caused an uproar?

3 minutes ago, Anela said:

He was booed.  I saw video of it myself.  

I saw the video too, and it was a MIXED reaction!  Let's face it, BOTH factions were at the game, so that's to be expected.

[Yeah No]

Just now, Soapy Goddess said:

I seriously doubt Reps would be concerned if Biden tried to get rid of pennies. 

Meanwhile, Biden wasted billions of dollars on ridiculous things Iraqi Sesame Street, research on how to make a tomato taste better, etc. etc. And none of us even knew about these things!

I think he's trying to consolidate or simplify prices/pricing, as well as the fact that most people really don't care about the penny. So if the public doesn't want and/or use pennies, then what's the point of making them??

Granted it's not a lot of money, but if we're talking about waste, discontinuing the use of the penny fits the bill. 

I beg to disagree. Republicans pounce on anything Democrats do and find fault with it. Pretty much without fail and on everything.

Trying to simplify prices? He obviously hasn't thought this out well enough. If you think about it other problems arise from it that aren't immediately obvious. That's why nothing has happened WRT pennies. Because people who think more than two layers deep thought about it already and realized the conundrums it would likely cause.

Take for example "psychological pricing". You mentioned Walmart's prices ending in .97. Well the traditional form where an item's price ends in 99 cents like "$12.99" is generally seen as being on sale. If merchants went over to $13.00 that would actually cause psychological resistance in the consumer, not to mention that you pretty much never see anything priced at $13.00 because it's considered an unlucky number. Psychology matters in these things. Don't think they do? Refer to what happened with JCPenney 15 years ago when a then new CEO decided to get rid of sales and coupons and everything was priced on the dollar. The customers hated it and it and he went bye bye shortly thereafter.

But I don't even think merchants will go over to pricing in 5 cent increments just because of this anyway. It would be unrealistic to expect that, especially because most transactions occur virtually anyway. And there are millions of pennies in circulation that aren't going away any time soon. Add this all up and it's a conundrum waiting to happen.

[Anela]

1 minute ago, Soapy Goddess said:

I don't recall hearing anything about that. How absurd. What was on the tie that caused an uproar?

I saw the video too, and it was a MIXED reaction!  Let's face it, BOTH factions were at the game, so that's to be expected.

It wasn’t a tie, it was a suit.  The colour of his suit. 

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

lou dobbs found it shocking.  Another Republican found it “unpresidential”. 

Quote

The light-colored suit was seen by conservative commentator and Fox Business Network host Lou Dobbs as "shocking to a lot of people".[6] The controversy was seen in the context of the slow news season before the run-up to the 2014 election campaign.[9][10] The suit received mixed reviews from a sartorial perspective.[11][12]

 

Quote

U.S. Representative Peter King, a member of the Republican Party, deemed the suit's color combined with the subject matter of terrorism to be "unpresidential". He went on: "There's no way, I don't think, any of us can excuse what the president did yesterday. I mean, you have the world watching".[14][5]

 

There was no way they could excuse him wearing a tan suit. Not with the world watching. 

[Soapy Goddess]

3 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

Because people who think more than two layers deep thought about it already and realized the conundrums it would likely cause.

I hope you're implying anything personal because I DO understand the psychological effects of pricing. IOW, instead of $13.00, they make it $12.95. That's not a tough nut to crack 😉

Look, I don't give a crap about pennies one way or the other. To me, it's peanuts compared to more important things happening in the world. But that said, I appreciate the debate.

[Yeah No]

13 minutes ago, Soapy Goddess said:

I think he's trying to consolidate or simplify prices/pricing, as well as the fact that most people really don't care about the penny. So if the public doesn't want and/or use pennies, then what's the point of making them??

Granted it's not a lot of money, but if we're talking about waste, discontinuing the use of the penny fits the bill. 

It's kind of like saying that zero should be eliminated because it has no value and is unnecessary. Meanwhile anyone that knows anything about math knows how important zero is and why, and how without it nothing can work mathematically. Getting rid of it would cause even more problems than leaving it there. It's similar with pennies, although not as bad. And why the rush to get rid of them when they can be scaled back or made of other materials? Were any of these alternatives considered? Probably not. Because we should all just go gaga and crumble at Herr Trump's "wisdom"?? Sorry but I see him as pretty ignorant about a lot of things. One reason we have a government in the first place is to prevent one person from making big decisions about things that affect all of us. We are not a monarchy and we shouldn't think like one. But Trumpers do. They defend everything out of his mouth. If he started to speak with a lisp they all would follow suit, like in Spain once upon a time. It's truly scary but Trumpers can't look in the mirror about this and realize what they are doing.

[Soapy Goddess]

8 minutes ago, Anela said:

It wasn’t a tie, it was a suit.  The colour of his suit. 

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

lou dobbs found it shocking.  Another Republican found it “unpresidential”. 

Thanks for link. Amazing what some people get so upset about. Regardless, I agree with the person who said "the controversy came to be seen as petty and trivial."

[Yeah No]

4 minutes ago, Soapy Goddess said:

I hope you're implying anything personal because I DO understand the psychological effects of pricing. IOW, instead of $13.00, they make it $12.95. That's not a tough nut to crack 😉

Look, I don't give a crap about pennies one way or the other. To me, it's peanuts compared to more important things happening in the world. But that said, I appreciate the debate.

i was talking about Trump. But Trumpers defend everything he says without thinking it through themselves just because he said it. And if that offends you I'm sorry, it isn't meant personally. But I have not seen Trumpers do anything else so I have to conclude that's what they're doing whether they like to admit it or not. If they do think about these things they don't change their minds because of it and just default to whatever Trump wants for better or worse.

[Soapy Goddess]

2 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

It's kind of like saying that zero should be eliminated because it has no value and is unnecessary. Meanwhile anyone that knows anything about math knows how important zero is and why, and how without it nothing can work mathematically. Getting rid of it would cause even more problems than leaving it there. It's similar with pennies, although not as bad. And why the rush to get rid of them when they can be scaled back or made of other materials? Were any of these alternatives considered? Probably not. Because we should all just go gaga and crumble at Herr Trump's "wisdom"?? Sorry but I see him as pretty ignorant about a lot of things. One reason we have a government in the first place is to prevent one person from making big decisions about things that affect all of us. We are not a monarchy and we shouldn't think like one. But Trumpers do. They defend everything out of his mouth. If he started to speak with a lisp they all would follow suit, like in Spain once upon a time. It's truly scary but Trumpers can't look in the mirror about this and realize what they are doing.

Well, zero doesn't cost anything, so there would be no need to eliminate it.

I'm not inside the president's head, so I can't answer your question as to the why and wherefore.

Sorry but I don't defend everything he does. He's done some cringeworthy things...and no, if he jumped off a bridge I would NOT follow.

[Soapy Goddess]

2 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

i was talking about Trump. But Trumpers defend everything he says without thinking it through themselves just because he said it. And if that offends you I'm sorry, it isn't meant personally. But I have not seen Trumpers do anything else so I have to conclude that's what they're doing whether they like to admit it or not. If they do think about these things they don't change their minds because of it and just default to whatever Trump wants for better or worse.

Thanks for clarifying. My PTSD was working overtime, so no offense taken.

And you're right. There are many people who follow him blindly. I'm just not one of them. The sad part (for me), is that's exactly what libs automatically think. Many of actually DO have a mind of our own, and can separate the absurd from common sense.

[Yeah No]

21 minutes ago, Soapy Goddess said:

Thanks for clarifying. My PTSD was working overtime, so no offense taken.

And you're right. There are many people who follow him blindly. I'm just not one of them. The sad part (for me), is that's exactly what libs automatically think. Many of actually DO have a mind of our own, and can separate the absurd from common sense.

You know, speaking for myself, I never once had to separate the absurd from common sense with Biden when it came to policy. When I did with him it was about non-policy stuff like some of his gaffs and expressions like "dog faced pony soldier", LOL. I personally can't support someone I have to do that with about policy or even what nastiness might come out of their mouth or ridiculous stuff like when Trump suggested injecting sanitizer in Covid patients or something like that. I just can't support someone that does that to that degree. And with Trump it happens an awful lot in one way or another. I would find it exhausting and at some point it would become a deal breaker for me. After a while I wouldn't be able to cherry-pick what I liked about the person and their policies enough to stick with them. YMMV.

Edited Tuesday at 09:59 AM by Yeah No

[Browncoat]

Whether or not prices end in 0.99 or 0.97 is irrelevant in the US in terms of pennies, because sales tax is not added until you get to the register.  Also, three cents by itself is not a lot, but it adds up, and all those three cents could make a big difference in the long run to someone who is struggling to buy food.  I remember when I was a kid and first learned about sales tax.  I learned that if I had a quarter, I could buy more candy if I bought twenty cents' worth and then five cents' worth instead of trying to buy 25 cents' worth at one time -- tax made that 26 cents.  Which I didn't have.  And yes, I am old!  

All that to say that pennies matter when you don't have a lot of money in the first place.

[Annber03]

4 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I watch everything, but least of all MSNBC. Not for any particular reason, just because it doesn't grab me. I don't love the media in general and certainly don't let it scare me or stir me up one way or another. I have always thought for myself and know when they're trying to manipulate me.

Same. I don't watch any of the major news networks. I read my news. And even then, my stances on the issues are based off of other factors beyond that. 

Quote

For the life of me how people can tune out the truly nasty, mean spirited, vile and morally repugnant things that have come out of this man's mouth and the policies he has supported and not see him as a "bad guy" is truly denying the facts on a very grand scale. I don't care if millions of people are living in that delusion. They can all go jump off a cliff, I'm not following them.

This. Trump literally tried to violently overthrow a democratic election because he couldn't deal with the fact he lost, and had the backing and support of a significant portion of his party besides when it happened, as they were happy to help encourage the lie that the 2020 election was stolen from him. When the Democrats do something that heinous, then I'll take people's, "But the Democrats...!" complaints seriously. 

Until then, I don't want to hear it. I may not agree with every single policy the Democrats have enacted or put forth, but at least I know they aren't psychopaths who are willing to overthrow Constitutional norms and policies just to ensure they get their way and can do whatever the hell they want without any consequences. 

There is no comparison between both parties nowadays. There just isn't. One party is significantly worse and more dangerous, and it's not the Democrats. And there is absolutely no justification whatsoever to support or defend Trump and any of what he says and does. None. At all. 

[bluegirl147]

10 hours ago, heatherchandler said:

 But I think I should have a say as to the people I’m alone with, in a closed space and I don’t want to share that space with a penis.

Serious question.  What if the transgender woman is someone who fully transitioned and no longer has a penis?

6 hours ago, tessaray said:

I would be against making sports political but really, they've always been political - for more decades than most of us have been alive.  

The problem is when a politician makes it political.  Trump did just that when he said any players kneeling during the national anthem should be fired.

5 hours ago, Anela said:

Oh my god, I’ve just scrolled down further on that link from FB, and they fact-checked a meme! It says how much other countries tax their billionaires, and the one for the US just says, “you tax your billionaires”?

good to know the fact-checkers are on the really important stuff. 🙄

This is what happens when thin skinned billionaires own social media platforms. Zuck and Musk cannot take any criticism. They are still the awkward teenage boys girls didn't want to go out with.

4 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I beg to disagree. Republicans pounce on anything Democrats do and find fault with it. Pretty much without fail and on everything.

It's true. Remember the kid who gave his high school valedictorian speech and said things that he said Trump said or did and the audience cheered. He waited a beat and said no it was actually Obama and the audience just went silent.  It's like they are Pavlov's dogs.  They will cheer anything a Republican does and jeer anything a Democrat does.

4 hours ago, Anela said:

There was no way they could excuse him wearing a tan suit. Not with the world watching. 

But they sure can excuse Trump intentionally or not is probably going to tank our and possibly the world's economy because he doesn't understand the damage tariffs can do. They sure can excuse his plan to relocate forcibly remove Palestinians from their homes to develop beachfront property that doesn't even belong to him or the United States.  But they sure can excuse him letting Musk have access to our sensitive data for who knows what reason.  All with the world watching.

4 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

Sorry but I don't defend everything he does. He's done some cringeworthy things...

OK I will bite. What did you find cringeworthy?

3 hours ago, Soapy Goddess said:

The sad part (for me), is that's exactly what libs automatically think.

Since I'm a lib I will answer this.  When the media shows Republican politicians and the MAGA base twist themselves into pretzels to justify/excuse what he does it's hard not to think they blindly follow him. They do it so much they should make the flip flop the official shoe of the GOP.

 

[Annber03]

3 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

Serious question.  What if the transgender woman is someone who fully transitioned and no longer has a penis?

On a related note, there have also been stories of people who weren't even transgender who got scrutinized for supposedly going into the "wrong" bathroom simply because they didn't look how people expect a stereotypical feminine or masculine person to look. So there's that issue, too.

Again, this bathroom freakout stuff is dumb. People who get bent out of shape about this are worrying about something that is just...not an issue, or happens so incredibly rarely to where it's really not something that needs to be dealt with on a grand scale, the way the GOP keeps acting like it should. 

[bluegirl147]

5 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

Again, this bathroom freakout stuff is dumb. People who get bent out of shape about this are worrying about something that is just...not an issue, or happens so incredibly rarely to where it's really not something that needs to be dealt with on a grand scale, the way the GOP keeps acting like it should. 

The Republicans always need a boogeyman for their base to hate/fear.  Right now it's transgender men and women.  At some  point they will move on to someone else.  Anyone remember that Oprah show many years ago that featured the person who did that experiment about eye color?  Students were told people with blue eyes were superior to brown eyed students and you know what happened?  The blue eyed students were given extra privileges and the brown eyed students were made to sit in the back of the class.  The blue eyed students became bossy and arrogant and the brown eyed students became timid and isolated.   Sound familiar?

[bluegirl147]

[Ohiopirate02]

27 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

On a related note, there have also been stories of people who weren't even transgender who got scrutinized for supposedly going into the "wrong" bathroom simply because they didn't look how people expect a stereotypical feminine or masculine person to look. So there's that issue, too.

Again, this bathroom freakout stuff is dumb. People who get bent out of shape about this are worrying about something that is just...not an issue, or happens so incredibly rarely to where it's really not something that needs to be dealt with on a grand scale, the way the GOP keeps acting like it should. 

Your related note is evidence that gender actually is a social construct. Something the trans and gender nonconforming community has been saying for years.

The bathroom freakout and targeting drag queens is a misdirect so that we are not talking about the people who are really grooming and sexually abusing children--the clergy and lay ministers.

[nokat]

42 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

It's true. Remember the kid who gave his high school valedictorian speech and said things that he said Trump said or did and the audience cheered. He waited a beat and said no it was actually Obama and the audience just went silent.  It's like they are Pavlov's dogs.  They will cheer anything a Republican does and jeer anything a Democrat does.

I said something about ACA and got a happy smile, then I said, you know, obamacare? The change in her face. I guess people still don't know it's the same thing.

I just hope I still can get it. I signed up for another year.

Edited Tuesday at 02:18 PM by nokat

[nokat]

31 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

The Republicans always need a boogeyman for their base to hate/fear.  Right now it's transgender men and women.  At some  point they will move on to someone else.  Anyone remember that Oprah show many years ago that featured the person who did that experiment about eye color?  Students were told people with blue eyes were superior to brown eyed students and you know what happened?  The blue eyed students were given extra privileges and the brown eyed students were made to sit in the back of the class.  The blue eyed students became bossy and arrogant and the brown eyed students became timid and isolated.   Sound familiar?

Yup, always create the boogeyman. It's worked throughout history.

Man always wants a person to look down on. This way he can be the most useless *********** on the planet, but he's better than this person. Nothing to do with reality.

[Yeah No]

2 hours ago, Browncoat said:

Whether or not prices end in 0.99 or 0.97 is irrelevant in the US in terms of pennies, because sales tax is not added until you get to the register.  Also, three cents by itself is not a lot, but it adds up, and all those three cents could make a big difference in the long run to someone who is struggling to buy food.  I remember when I was a kid and first learned about sales tax.  I learned that if I had a quarter, I could buy more candy if I bought twenty cents' worth and then five cents' worth instead of trying to buy 25 cents' worth at one time -- tax made that 26 cents.  Which I didn't have.  And yes, I am old!  

All that to say that pennies matter when you don't have a lot of money in the first place.

Yes, that's another twist that rounding prices to the nearest nickel wouldn't solve. After sales tax is computed the final amount often involves a decimal that doesn't end in zero or 5 cents. And sales tax is different all over the country. National retailers would have to have different prices in different areas of the country to overcome this and forget online selling. Or the tax would be rounded up or down to the nearest 5 cents. Not that retailers don't have different prices in different areas but this would be another complication to add to the mix and one that would be confusing and potentially unfair to consumers. And these days we don't need more of that!

[heatherchandler]

6 hours ago, Anela said:

Republicans freaked out over a tie that Obama wore.  

He was booed.  I saw video of it myself.  

No, you saw an edited video- USA Today fact checked-

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2025/02/10/trump-boos-super-bowl-fact-check/78388949007/

And again, things are distorted to fit an agenda.  I watched the actual game.  There wasn’t booing for him.

[Yeah No]

8 minutes ago, heatherchandler said:

No, you saw an edited video- USA Today fact checked-

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2025/02/10/trump-boos-super-bowl-fact-check/78388949007/

And again, things are distorted to fit an agenda.  I watched the actual game.  There wasn’t booing for him.

According to Snopes, Trump was both cheered and booed at the Superbowl, which would make sense since the country is so divided on him.:

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-cheered-booed-super-bowl/

They say that they based this on video they were pretty sure had not been edited to factor out either cheering or booing (like fan videos) and that they heard both on those unedited videos. Although they said how loud the cheering or booing likely depended on where in the stadium one was sitting.

Edited Tuesday at 03:26 PM by Yeah No

[heatherchandler]

2 hours ago, bluegirl147 said:

Serious question.  What if the transgender woman is someone who fully transitioned and no longer has a penis?

I have actually given this thought.  I think I’d feel ok if everyone else in the bathroom had the same anatomy as I.  There’s no way to check obviously, and it sounds silly but I’d rather it be one room for penis havers and one for non-penis havers, for bathrooms or changing rooms.  I know that 99.999% of the people walking into the bathroom are just there to pee.  But there’s a certain level of being vulnerable when in the closed space, and we let our guard down.  
I’ve had nightmares where I’m in a bathroom and a group of men come in and I try to scream before the door closes but I can’t and then I’ve watched the door close.  I can’t be the only person who has these fears.  Or maybe I am, just because someone followed me into a bathroom when I was in college.