imaenoon
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Everything posted by imaenoon
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This thread is the perfect example that a Trump presidency isn't the end of society. Look, the election was less than a month ago and we're already on to arguing about flag burning and women's draft. Oh, don't get me wrong, we'll be arguing about some of Trump's policies soon enough and, I'm telling you now, some of his supporters will be unhappy with things the guy does and some of his detractors will be pretending they're unhappy with some of the things he does. At least we're not cooking rats and the family pet like the poor bastards down in Venezuela. That's what hard core lurches to quasi socialist government nationalizing everything it can get in its clutches.
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In my opinion it should not be choice. Everybody needs to serve in capacity they are capable. Which is one of the reason why I support Finland's constitutional obligation to serve. I posted this article on another topic, which kind of explains why that approach probably doesn't really work for the US, emphases mine: Hate your politics, but I love the articles you post. (Well, hate is probably the wrong word, but I had to have a contrast.) I think something the rest of the world sees that most Americans do not is that we're quite militaristic in our country. That's not a value judgment. I love my country, flaws an all, but we're actually quite fixated on military and war. We almost always feel as if we're doing it for the best of reasons, but we're a country ready to fight people. Sometimes that's good. Sometimes that's truly terrible. Either way, most definitely it is what it is. EDIT: I would also say that I believe that it's not just whites over represented in combat roles, but also Hispanics. I can't remember and it's been a while since I looked into it.
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I can't think of anything that would substantial alter my argument, so I'll leave it to stand. I do understand your position, though, Wrath of Dagon, and I can even sympathize with it, if that means anything at all.
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In my opinion it should not be choice. Everybody needs to serve in capacity they are capable. Which is one of the reason why I support Finland's constitutional obligation to serve. I don't want compulsion to serve, but I certainly respect Finland taking that stance. We've got a fine all volunteer military here in the US and I like it that way. ...But I think seeing a little service would do wonders for some people I know.
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Anyone who's serving could potentially be in a combat situation. If you're not ever going to have a draft, there's no point of registering. Once they're registered, what's to stop an SJW president from sending them into combat? Look here, Wrath of Dagon, I actually naturally feel the way you do. I would not let my mother, wife, or sister jump in front of danger before me. I agree that men have a hero complex and that is no where more apparent than in the United States pretty much through it's entire history. However, if women *really* want to be equal, then they must have equal stake and equal risk. I think ShadySands hit the nail on the head, and it's something I've been trying to get across. Most people don't serve in actual combat roles. You're right that any service member can end up in combat, but those situations already exist and women have already seen them. Not to mention women flying in what is essentially combat roles as helicopter pilots. Volourn has a point about the sexism to men, and I agree with him. I'm kind of scared of him too, so I won't critique his manner of saying it, but the truth is the truth. However, it's also sexist to women. Either they are our equals in terms of facing danger or they are our charges and we must decide what is best for them. It does a great disservice to women to pretend that we must protect them by denying them the right to fight for God, Country, and loved ones.
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Wow, you folks are nuts. I mean, I'm crazy, I'm sure, but seeing you guys is like a field trip to the Patton state hospital. Does make me laugh out loud, though. I don't see why it's bad that women should be required to sign up for the draft. The assumption should not be that they're required to fight on the front lines. They just need to sign up to serve. If it comes down to the draft, we're going to be in such dire straights we'll probably take anyone who can heft a gun because it'll be an 'only bullets can stop them now' situation.
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You're not actually trying to return this to a discussion of presidential politics, are you? :D I got a kick out of the story, but these things are true for every election. I don't think there's one where someone somewhere didn't regret the vote. Hell, I regretted my vote and I'd do it anyway because there was no vote I could have made that I wouldn't regret. Maybe if Johnson hadn't melted down, I might have voted for him. I think the wife, who is actually pretty conservative, probably voted for Stein because it came down to Johnson or Stein and Johnson said something that irritated her and Stein seemed like the 'nicest' one of the bunch. All things being equal, I guess the vote you don't regret is the one where you hate the candidate the least.
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In an equal world, Bruce, we wouldn't think of these things. ...But yeah, when things have gotten chancy, I step in front of my wife. It's only happened a few times over the decades I've known her because, frankly, we're pretty safe in our society. I can't help that I was raised to feel like the husband is supposed to protect his wife, but that doesn't mean I don't think that able bodied women shouldn't be required to sign up for the draft. I don't care if they're drafted into combat positions, but they should register. Also, the idea that women aren't killers... got threaten some kids with their mother around and see whether women will kill.
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You beat me to it, rat bastard! I was going to say that men wanted women around in order to take a bullet for *them.* Hey saving a lady's life is probably a decided advantage in getting her to sleep with you. Of course, knowing some of the Wandering Monsters I've seen, you might rather not.
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I entirely support the Obama administration pushing for requiring women to sign up for the draft at 18. It just seems fair. And the idea that we'd have a draft in anything other than a global reach war situation is nuts anyway, so it's not like they'll get drafted, only register, which is what all men have to do at 18 also. I turned 18 in the Navy and I still had to register. I was really confused by the idea that I would be in defiance of the law if I didn't register to serve while serving. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2016/12/01/obama-supports-registering-women-military-draft/90449708/
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Looks good. Might watch it. Reminds me of a show that ran when I was a kid, think.
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I think that's unlikely, Agiel, but more likely than in the Obama administration. Not just because I think tensions are generally higher, but because Democrats are far better at remaining united under bad leadership. Obama was popular, but his signature legislative (or rather executive pen) accomplishments are either spotty or downright unpopular. I've seen posts from some of you defending them, and I won't engage in substance. I'm talking perception. For that reason, it doesn't matter why, only that I think you're right that it's more likely that a large scale protest by resignation could take place. Unlikely, like I said, but still more likely by a good margin. Not exactly a coup, but still tough on a Republic and even tougher if it happened in the early days. I'm telling you guys, it's really starting to look like this isn't some sort of problem with inexperience or lack of skill. Trump honestly appears to be contriving this sort of edge of the seat angle and I can't figure out why. Does he think that "The Presidency" requires higher Neilson ratings? I'm not all *that* old, but this is still the screwiest transition process I've seen. I actually kind of admire the chutzpah, but I find it worrisome.
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My biggest, probably only beef with Mattis is that he's so recently military. It's not even that I think that a coup is remotely possible (language which currently makes me cringe nowadays. It's that it sets a precedent for having people move from the military to cabinet positions. I really wish Keane would have accepted the job. I think he's been out long enough. ...But at some point I need to stop complaining about that. He declined and, if nothing else, Mattis will undoubtedly do a good job. I don't think the opponents (note I didn't confine it to opposition) can muster the political clout to stop it. Once again, if you feel strongly, write, call, email, and carrier pigeon your senator, especially on the fence Republican senators. A flood of calls won't always do the trick, but it has an impact.
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http://shop.bevmo.com/search?w=urquell I just checked and it's fairly ubiquitous here in the Golden State at least. Bevmo has several varieties, although my local one is out of stock. I'll have to go to one of the nearby cities to get one. Pilsner is a fairly mild taste compared to a lot of the trendy brews. IPAs have taken off like a rocket and, while I like the occasional IPA, I do find that it's often a little too hopsy for my taste. Depends on my mood, of course. I'm looking to go to Bevmo to get some of the sour brews. There's a variety at Stone Brewery... Great Bowman's Beard or some such. It's been a while since I was down there. Anyhow, I think that's the sour. It was ****ing brilliant. ...And they don't sell it anywhere. As I recall, I couldn't even buy it at the brewery store, which bites. I'll have to look into it again. Meanwhile, I have a Cheeky Bordeaux I'm going to have later tonight and, because I'm a complete Philistine, I'll chase it with this beer called Photocosmos Modern Times IPA. I guess, after all that complaining, I'm in the mood. EDIT: ...and I decided to do the unthinkable and switch in the beer between glasses of wine. I can now tell you that I was definitely in the mood for the IPA. Perfect balance of hefty hopsy goodness, slightly lingering finish that doesn't overstay its welcome, and a good balance on the edge of bitter. I could even enjoy a little more bitter, but my experience with IPAs is the bitter tends to come with increasingly pronounced hops flavor. I want to get some of the yeast taste also. I know from home brewers I know that the yeast can have a profound and yet subtle impact on the overall flavor. Hops can sometimes be a sledge hammer. Yeast can be a... whatever the term is for a jeweler's hammer.
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ya got an important issue, pony up, pardner. I wish I could influence the national discussion but I'm just a random guy on a random website Aren't we all, brother? The whole world is a testimony to random guys on random websites who have no monument or lasting tribute but whose ideas last even after they've signed off. You never know what impact an idea will have and it doesn't matter whether you thought of the idea (as if any of us have an original thought) or if you just happened to the latest person on the food chain. You've got some 2000 posts or so according to that thing under your name. I'm sure there's something in there worth keeping. I bet you can even remember an exchange you had with some other random guy or another on this board. I don't know how long it takes to get to 2k posts, but even someone more random than you, namely me, can still duke it out. ...And even though I'm not stupid enough to think that most of what I type is read, I'm an American. I derive some satisfaction out of speaking my mind to the crowd, even if an empty crowd. I've got 16 posts, although for some reason I thought I had more. No problem. Empty words on a random message board or not, I'll keep typing and hope you're not all figments of my imagination. Well, for some of you commie rat bastards, I actually do hope you're figments. :angel:
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ya got an important issue, pony up, pardner.
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The proper way to dispose of the flag is to burn it. I once went into the post office because the flag it was flying was tattered and asked to speak to the boss. When I gently but firmly expressed my dismay that they were flying a flag in such a shape she took on a sheepish expression and told me that she knew it was an issue and that a new flag was on order. I laughed but told her that I would rather they not fly one at all than to fly one in tatters. As for you, Pidesco, I say this without an ounce of hostility, don't believe the white-lash philosophy. If we took out the presidential election, the democrats clearly still have work to do to shore up their flank. Use identity politics when it helps your side. Sure, it's cynical most of the time and both sides do it to some extent, but the Democrats are becoming a one trick pony.
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This made me laugh out loud. It was a crazy and frightened laugh, I'll own, but I did laugh out loud when I read it. I say we should have the right to burn flags, bibles, and Korans. I say we should have the right to draw pictures of Prophets Mohammad, Jesus, Buddha, and Moses. I say we should have the right to protest Christian bakeries and gay weddings. I don't think we should do those things, only have the right to do so. As for safe speech and trigger warnings? Which is safer, the person who hates in the open so he can be seen in the light or the person who hates in private and hatches schemes in the dark? Let the haters be heard so that they may be answered and all that. In a free society, safe spaces are unsafe.
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It would be asinine for heckling you anyway. I enjoy the scenarios on normal level because my interest really isn't challenge. I play this game a lot like some people play solitaire. It's a fun diversion that has cool characters and gear and doesn't require a lot of thought. I restarted my parties and haven't played them on heroic or legendary yet, but I'm a completenik so I'll do what I did with my old parties before I decided to restart for the hell of it, which is go through all the difficulties. Other than bug, up through before I decided the reboot, none of the scenarios were too tough to beat on legendary. Even on legendary, even if you're not the sharpest cat in the cat box, which I'm not, you'll eventually get a lucky break and win. I haven't played deck 5 on legendary yet, but I didn't think any of the scenarios were too tough to beat although some were tough enough that you couldn't beat them in the way you best liked. That I do enjoy, however. Forcing the player to address different tactical or strategic situations makes the game fun. Deck 5 Scenario 4 is clearly meant to throw the player off kilter. The only thing other than bugs I'd really protest is that I *have* to roll for boons instead of just banishing them straight out. -
We need both parties to stop trying to figure out which basic rights they want to restrict. Finally found a right both candidates of the last election want to take away... speech. Trump even wants to take away your citizenship for burning the flag. For shame! Some people might not believe this, but most service people I know don't want it to be illegal to burn the flag. A good number might want to kick your ass for doing it, but hardly any of them would actually kick it. I could have said ScAlito as an example of a great Justice, but I'm protesting Thomas's treatment by the museum in DC.
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I voted entirely based on the Supreme Court, and I'm still not convinced that we won't be screwed anyhow. The only thing the guy needs to do is pick someone more like Thomas and less like Roberts (although I think Roberts gets short shrift from pundits). On the other hand, Trump's ploy to discourage Democrat turn-out is one of the reasons that they didn't turn out. Of course, part of that was Hillary Clinton being a terrible candidate and Obama being a charismatic candidate. I think there's something more to Trump than meets the eye at this point because I'm starting to think there's a weird sort of method to his madness. ...Either that or simply more madness and my human mind is seeing some larger design in the randomness of Trump's actions. I'm not smart enough to figure it out, but we'll eventually judge him by results, some of which might actually be attributable to the man.
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Getting back to presidential politics. I don't understand Trump. I know some people blindly hate him around here, but he does possess some native cunning and skill. Yeah, a lot of his actions hurt him, but a lot have helped him. His ability to create enthusiasm, his truly incredible energy, and his willingness to take heat over things are all remarkable. Commendable, even. On the flip side, he comes across as erratic, vindictive, erratic, thin skinned, erratic, insensitive, and erratic. I know some people hate him for vulgarity and perceived racism, but the worst trait in a president common-sense wise is being erratic, but what if all this is a ploy? He seems literally to be running things like a reality TV show. At first I thought this was just an convenient avenue of attack, and it was for people like Barrack Obama and Hillary Clinton. I mean, they knew he was kind of acting like it was a reality TV show, but most people really thought it was due to incontinence. What if he really is running things like a reality TV show on purpose? Not everything he's done in his transition has been bad, but the build up of suspense, the vocal unhappiness of his die-hard supporters over the possible nomination of Mitt Romney, the speculation on the part of the press, the fact that he's named several other positions at this point when he knows that what most people who even care about this want to know is if Rudy Giuliani gets the job or it goes to someone else... These are scripted things that typically presidents-elect don't want to have in the spotlight. There can be some bitter dispute over these decisions for presidential transitions, but they're kept hushed as best as possible. As it seems to me, people think the players in Trump's drama are going rogue. I'm beginning to think he's literally trying to make sure the public is always on the edge of its seat. My feelings about Trump have evolved over time. I still see him as a deeply flawed individual and I still don't like that he's president, but there's clearly more to the man than a blowhard braggart. I don't think I like this new "Trump Administration: Season 1" vibe, but it's so weird I just don't know where he's going with it. It might be interesting if it gets to be like a remake of LOST, but do we really want 'interesting' times in the white house?
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Yeah. I mean, I always hate stills because you can really catch some weird expressions and then pretend they mean something more than they do. ...But, come on! I mean, Trump looks like Satan himself and Romney looks like someone who realizes he just sold his soul.
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I'll look for it, man. Maybe this weekend. Meanwhile, I drank my light beer last night. Turns out it was something called Rockdale light. It's Natural Lights weaker brother. I know it's not real beer, but it's less filling and tastes... well... less filling. Right now, I know someone who makes his own wine made with honey and various fruits and sometimes the airlock blows off some of the honey-fruit mixture. He was making honey-raspberry wine and now I'm enjoying some of the airlock juice, which is itself slightly alcoholic by a tiny amount. Very sweet and distinctively raspberry also. Kind of a precursor of the taste when the guy is finished with the wine he's making. I can tell you, having sampled some of his brews already, that the honey-wine stuff sneaks up on you kind of like Maxwell's Silver Hammer.
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I did a one year stint at the school attached to my church. Pay sucked, but I was mostly giving back anyway. That was technically parochial school as opposed to private. most of the students were middle class. There were a few who had special help with tuition and whatnot because they were poorer. A few were rich. As in, one of the students came to school wearing a watch not much less expensive than my car at the time. (what idiot gives his kid a watch that expensive?) I switched to a parish closer to home, but I attended that church for a long time and I still know some of the teachers and there was only one student whom they considered removing and that was for behavior issues. I don't recall that he got removed, but I do recall that he was extremely difficult and that's coming from someone who, in addition to my year at the parochial school, subbed in the public school district. ...And it wasn't like the school was considering this after two days. After a couple of years of trying to work with him, his presence was starting to impact the education of the other students. He *might* have been Hispanic in the way we use the word nowadays, but I think he's was plain old white. Anyhow, the children from that school did very well in about every yardstick, from success in high school to test scores to success in college. Putting down parochial schools blindly is silly, since many of them do excellent work. Special needs kids probably should go to public schools because they have the resources. If there are vouchers, then they should address that particular factor so public schools don't get completely screwed. We tend to spend a lot more money in this country (at least in the districts I know) trying to bring up students who have no hope of performing at grade level than developing and cultivating talent from above average students. Vouchers aren't a panacea, but they might do well if implemented in a clever or thoughtful way. One thing is sure, the public is starting to warm to the idea of vouchers, slowly to be sure, but warming nonetheless. If you hate what you think vouchers are, get in on the ground floor and try to make them what you think they should be. This could be entirely cynical by taking the teeth out of vouchers in order to ensure the program fails or it could even be *gasp* trying to figure out a way to make these things work without completely destroying the public school system. Anyway, I take it that DeVos is no longer the center of forum ire for this thread. She's pro-voucher and anti-common core. I used to be for common core when they were simply standards, but now that it's clear the feds are going to use it as a push to push curriculum, I think people should take a step back. ...And, just like the Reid Rule from before, don't push for extra powers for the feds just because your guy is in office because you could just mock the idea of getting President Trump... and then get him. Also, I agree with Thingolfin (related to Fingolfin?) that it doesn't make sense to require the education, continued training, and life long learning as we do of teachers and then not give them more discretion on how to deal with their classrooms.
