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Perhaps if the US had a chief executive that had backbone like this...

 

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U.S. marine tells how he held off Israeli tanks

BEIRUT, Lebanon -- The U.S. Marine captain climbed onto the Israeli tank, grabbed the Israeli lieutenant colonel with his left hand and pointed his loaded pistol into the air.

'I told him to stop his damned tanks,' Capt. Charles Johnson said quietly Thursday, discussing the confrontation Wednesday between Israeli troops and the U.S. forces on peacekeeping duty south of Beirut.

The Americans were invited into Lebanon to keep the peace. The Israelis are an invasion force that the Lebanese government is trying to get out. That difference in their roles is creating tensions unlike any previous U.S.-Israeli strains.

The latest confrontation began when a Marine observation post atop the library of the Lebanese University spotted unusual movements by the Israeli forces to the south.

All previous attempts by the Israelis to penetrate the lines of the U.S., Italian and French peacekeepers had involved smaller vehicles than the Centurion tanks that came grinding up the Sidon road.

They turned abruptly from the main road and started across the soggy fields toward the U.S. lines, smashing through a fence on the way.

Johnson decided to act alone. Leaving the rest of his men 200 yards behind, he moved in front of the approaching tanks.

'The tanks came through off the Sidon road and came into Marine lines and said they wanted to come through -- that they would come through,' the shy Marine said, his eyes glancing down.

'I told him if he came through, he'd have to kill me first.'

The Israeli tank was now a foot from Johnson. The Israeli lieutenant colonel demanded the American move aside, and his three tanks revved their engines threateningly.

'I informed him that would not be possible and a very dangerous situation was developing,' said the 30-year-old native of Neenah, Wis.

'I just took that step, locked and loaded my pistol in front of his tank and told him again that he could not come there.

'And that's when he moved back and laterally and tried to get his other two tanks to do what he was doing.'

Johnson moved quickly to put an end to the maneuver, climbing up the side of the tank.

'He was down in a turret,' Johnson said. 'I grabbed him with my left hand. I kept my pistol at the ready with my right hand.'

The Marines emphasized that the gun was pointed in the air, not at the Israeli soldier. Johnson, asked what he would have done if the tank proceeded, replied, 'All I can say is, it didn't happen.'

Johnson, his picture now flashed on Lebanese television, has become a local hero: the man who single-handedly held off the Israeli army that crushed opposition last summer and now occupies almost half of Lebanon.

Sounding and acting in the image of the soft-spoken American, Johnson matter-of-factly says, 'I simply stopped them -- that's all.'

 

USMC-Lebanon82-39.jpg

Edited by Agiel
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“Political philosophers have often pointed out that in wartime, the citizen, the male citizen at least, loses one of his most basic rights, his right to life; and this has been true ever since the French Revolution and the invention of conscription, now an almost universally accepted principle. But these same philosophers have rarely noted that the citizen in question simultaneously loses another right, one just as basic and perhaps even more vital for his conception of himself as a civilized human being: the right not to kill.”
 
-Jonathan Littell <<Les Bienveillantes>>
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"The chancellor, the late chancellor, was only partly correct. He was obsolete. But so is the State, the entity he worshipped. Any state, entity, or ideology becomes obsolete when it stockpiles the wrong weapons: when it captures territories, but not minds; when it enslaves millions, but convinces nobody. When it is naked, yet puts on armor and calls it faith, while in the Eyes of God it has no faith at all. Any state, any entity, any ideology that fails to recognize the worth, the dignity, the rights of Man...that state is obsolete."

-Rod Serling

 

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"All I can say is it didn't happen"

OOORAH!

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"While it is true you learn with age, the down side is what you often learn is what a damn fool you were before"

Thomas Sowell

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Last Thursday the Sheriff of Tarrant County TX blasted illegal immigrants as "drunks" . Last Friday the Sheriff's son was arrested  in Ft. Worth for public intoxication and indecent exposure. https://www.thedailybeast.com/tarrant-county-sheriff-bill-waybourn-blasts-immigrant-drunks-then-son-is-busted-for-public-intoxication?source=cheats&via=rss&fbclid=IwAR1ruxr_zlVs97wq4oJyb_4FD-U9Fx_gKCk8hp46gUwIYsQ3YY7a8VKqhRY

Irony; definitely my favorite form of humor! :lol:

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"While it is true you learn with age, the down side is what you often learn is what a damn fool you were before"

Thomas Sowell

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Since the situation for Erdogan is existential it's very doubtful any bravado would work to dissuade him, plus the standing orders are also now known to have been to retreat if Turkey invaded. And, there's a rather obvious counter example involving the US and Israel where many US servicemen were outright killed (USS Liberty).

1 hour ago, smjjames said:

I wonder if the 'safe zone' would qualify as a land grab? After all, they're imposing a 'border' where they think the border should be. I've also read in some places that some people are worried that the conflict might spill into Iraq, though I'm not sure what that would entail, the Turks trying to impose a 'safe zone' in iraq?

It's a land grab, the plan is- and this is overtly stated- to settle refugees there under the aegis of the 'Syrian National Army' (basically Syrian mercenaries allied to Turkey) and the 'Syrian National Council' (half a dozen guys in an Istanbul hotel who are an unofficial government). It's basically Cyprus 1974 redux where you don't in theory have Turkish occupation, you just have the Republic of North Syria that does just about everything and anything Turkey wants- though, the situation in North Cyprus is now bad enough that the deputy President of Turkish North Cyprus has actually condemned (!) Erdogan for invading Syria.

Turkey already has a 'safe zone' in Iraq as the KDP is pro Turkish and strongly anti PKK and Turkey has several thousand troops stationed inside Iraq. Indeed, they almost came to blows with Iraqi troops in 2017 after the abortive Kurdish independence referendum when Iraq demanded their withdrawal from one base.

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re Turkey pulling the US in: I've seen some commentators saying that Turkey might draw the US back into it via NATO obligations or something, but the relationship between the US and Turkey is pretty low right now. I don't think Turkey would be eager to extend a hand to the US and ask for help and Trump would be under pressure to not get involved in wars again from his base, especially in an election year.

NATO intervention would require invoking article 5 which is purely defensive, fighting in Syria during a Turkish invasion thus cannot* trigger an article 5 intervention by other NATO members. You'd need Russia or Syria bombing inside Turkey- extremely unlikely- or Syria invading Turkey which is effectively impossible to get NATO involved.

*obviously this can be massaged, a bit, but it's not like Turkey has a surfeit of goodwill to call upon.

2 hours ago, Gorth said:

Looks like the direct clashes between Syria and Turkey have been inevitable for a long time, especially with Turkey trying to do the land grabs around Aleppo. Russia and Iran will likely support Syria to a degree (probably limit overt support from Russia). Turkey seems to want to free the IS fighters, guessing on my part entirely, to re-arm them and sic them on the Kurds. Question is, will Trump aid Turkey militarily against Syria/Russia in such a conflict, especially if the conflict spills over the border into the Turkish side of it? Of course, Trump being the moron he is, I do not doubt that he would happily support Turkey, Saudi Arabia and their IS allies, and claim it was his plan all along for a better and brighter middle-east (regardless of how many billions of dollars he has now wasted trying to suppress IS).

 

The attacks on ISIS camps are probably to get as many Kurdish civilians fleeing as possible. That's also why the Turks are using Ahrar al Sharqiya who are basically ISIS lite(ish) to lead the attacks as they are the worst of a generally very bad bunch of Turkish proxies. They can be guaranteed to rape, loot and murder their way across northern Syria. Filming all the while because they're proud of it, which if you want people to run away is of course a positive. They've already filmed at least one decapitation, multiple field executions and riddled a (actually pro Turkish affiliated) female Kurd politician with bullets.

Note that in this case Saudi Arabia is actually supporting Syria despite previously being a big rebel supporter, and not just with condemnation as they've extended an offer for Syria to rejoin the Arab League earlier today. Not due to liking Assad who they'd still call a dirty nusayri behind their hands of course, but because Turkey is a non compliant regional power, stopped them invading and annexing Qatar and arabs really don't like neo Ottomanism.

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This whole situation is just so damn sad. And nobody does anything to stop this. Honestly looks again as if Trump is a russian plant, because now the Kurds ally with them instead of the us, which means russia gets more territory down there. Oh well.

"only when you no-life you can exist forever, because what does not live cannot die."

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he is a plant, both unwitting and willing to further solely his own interests at the feet of Putin

icassess.png.1cdcad27314d76538d3da37de0e446ea.png

January, 2017, from the American Intelligence Community's assessment of Russia's interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election

 

also, Russia committed war crimes in Syria five months ago

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An analysis of previously unpublished Russian Air Force radio recordings, plane spotter logs and witness accounts allowed The Times to trace bombings of four hospitals in just 12 hours in May and tie Russian pilots to each one.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/13/world/middleeast/russia-bombing-syrian-hospitals.html

 

Edited by ManifestedISO
five, not four months ago

All Stop. On Screen.

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15 minutes ago, ManifestedISO said:

he is a plant, both unwitting and willing to further solely his own interests at the feet of Putin

icassess.png.1cdcad27314d76538d3da37de0e446ea.png

 

 

I shouldn't be surprised if this debacle turns out to be a dry run for when Trump decides to leave the Intermarium NATO countries twisting in the wind.

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Quote
“Political philosophers have often pointed out that in wartime, the citizen, the male citizen at least, loses one of his most basic rights, his right to life; and this has been true ever since the French Revolution and the invention of conscription, now an almost universally accepted principle. But these same philosophers have rarely noted that the citizen in question simultaneously loses another right, one just as basic and perhaps even more vital for his conception of himself as a civilized human being: the right not to kill.”
 
-Jonathan Littell <<Les Bienveillantes>>
Quote

"The chancellor, the late chancellor, was only partly correct. He was obsolete. But so is the State, the entity he worshipped. Any state, entity, or ideology becomes obsolete when it stockpiles the wrong weapons: when it captures territories, but not minds; when it enslaves millions, but convinces nobody. When it is naked, yet puts on armor and calls it faith, while in the Eyes of God it has no faith at all. Any state, any entity, any ideology that fails to recognize the worth, the dignity, the rights of Man...that state is obsolete."

-Rod Serling

 

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No need to be so dramatic. It's not like a plant President would do anything too crazy like ordering the army to shell a Capitol trying to impeach him or anything.

- When he is best, he is a little worse than a man, and when he is worst, he is little better than a beast.

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Chelsea Clinton looks as though she is entering politics. She has been doing a lot of public appearances and looks to be targeting a congressional seat in New York. Yesterday she dropped this little gem: " journalist Decca Aitkenhead asked the Clintons if someone with a beard and a **** can ever be a woman, to which Chelsea replied emphatically, 'Yes.' "

Crazy Story from Daily Mail

OK. Someone please explain to me why we ridicule flat earthers and climate change deniers again?

From now on I am self identifying as a Millennial. So I'm a Millennial now. Gimmie gimmie gimmie. I want I want I want. 

 

Edited by Guard Dog
Forgot the link

"While it is true you learn with age, the down side is what you often learn is what a damn fool you were before"

Thomas Sowell

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27 minutes ago, Guard Dog said:

Gimmie gimmie gimmie. I want I want I want. 

 

We'll all remember that day on the forums that Guard Dog and Gfted1 became the same person. :p

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I cannot - yet I must. How do you calculate that? At what point on the graph do "must" and "cannot" meet? Yet I must - but I cannot! ~ Ro-Man

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31 minutes ago, Guard Dog said:

Chelsea Clinton looks as though she is entering politics. She has been doing a lot of public appearances and looks to be targeting a congressional seat in New York. Yesterday she dropped this little gem: " journalist Decca Aitkenhead asked the Clintons if someone with a beard and a **** can ever be a woman, to which Chelsea replied emphatically, 'Yes.' "

Crazy Story from Daily Mail

OK. Someone please explain to me why we ridicule flat earthers and climate change deniers again?

From now on I am self identifying as a Millennial. So I'm a Millennial now. Gimmie gimmie gimmie. I want I want I want. 

This was Hillary's response: 

Quote

 

'Errr. I'm just learning about this,' Hillary responded. 'It's a very big generational discussion, because this is not something I grew up with or ever saw. It's going to take a lot more time and effort to understand what it means to be defining yourself differently.'

 

Which sounds pretty reasonable to me. I thought you were all about individual rights, GD? Why would you care how someone wants to identify themselves?

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40 minutes ago, Guard Dog said:

Chelsea Clinton looks as though she is entering politics. She has been doing a lot of public appearances and looks to be targeting a congressional seat in New York. Yesterday she dropped this little gem: " journalist Decca Aitkenhead asked the Clintons if someone with a beard and a **** can ever be a woman, to which Chelsea replied emphatically, 'Yes.' "

Crazy Story from Daily Mail

OK. Someone please explain to me why we ridicule flat earthers and climate change deniers again?

From now on I am self identifying as a Millennial. So I'm a Millennial now. Gimmie gimmie gimmie. I want I want I want. 

 

so no explanation necessary

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"Which sounds pretty reasonable to me. I thought you were all about individual rights, GD? Why would you care how someone wants to identify themselves? "

 

Because to believe a man with a beard and a **** is a woman is anti science and anti biology much like the silly flat earth or the 'climate change doesn't exist' or 'abortion isn't murder and fetus fetuses aren't human babie' silliness.  If you are pro science you should make sense and be logical.

 

That being said, I'm with you though that ultimately it is one's body to do with as they pelase. If you want to chop off your **** that is your choice. I won't stop you. You aren't hurting anybody.  Freedom is freedom including freedom to mutilate your body. Nobody has the right to tell you no when it comes to your body. PERIOD.

 

That said, the other extreme of fining or putting people in jail for 'misgendering' equally ridiculous. FREEDOM OF SPEECH is also important. (FYI, I'd probably go along  with claling someone what they want b/c I hate drama).

 

LET FREEDOM REIGN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DWARVES IN PROJECT ETERNITY = VOLOURN HAS PLEDGED $250.

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38 minutes ago, Hurlshot said:

This was Hillary's response: 

Which sounds pretty reasonable to me. I thought you were all about individual rights, GD? Why would you care how someone wants to identify themselves?

I don't. I'm a woke Millennial. If the bearded guy with a dong says he's a chick then alright by me. The ladies room is right over there. Please don't oogle any little girls you might run into in there. Oh, but that is a lifestyle choice so I guess that is OK too. So if Tormund thinks he's a girl why can't the earth be flat if someone thinks it's so? Who are we to tell them otherwise. Why can't climate change be a lie if someone says it is? If all truths are subjective then nothing is objectively true. Just remember that next time one of your student's answers a test question wrong. Maybe to (insert non gender pronoun here) the answer is really correct and you're the one that's wrong! :lol:

Edited by Guard Dog

"While it is true you learn with age, the down side is what you often learn is what a damn fool you were before"

Thomas Sowell

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I think there's a difference between how someone wants to be labeled, and objective definitions. Transpeople are usually very aware of their biological sex. It's not like they deny being born a man/woman, but they want to identify as the other gender. From what I've seen they usually aspire to look like the gender they identify as too - so you don't really get too many bearded brutes in the ladies room.

If I met a transguy who was born as a girl - obviously the "technical truth" would be that the person is a female. The said person is very likely to be aware of that as well. Even so I think it's common courtesy to refer to the person as "male" because that's what he identifies as. Most of them just genuinly want to live as the opposite gender, and I don't really see a big problem with that.

To me it's a "you're not wrong, you're just an a**hole" situation.

I'll wager a lot of suicides and sad fates could've been prevented if people were more open minded on these sort of things.

Edited by Maedhros
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17 minutes ago, Maedhros said:

I think there's a difference between how someone wants to be labeled, and objective definitions. Transpeople are usually very aware of their biological sex. It's not like they deny being born a man/woman, but they want to identify as the other gender. From what I've seen they usually aspire to look like the gender they identify as too - so you don't really get too many bearded brutes in the ladies room.

If I met a transguy who was born as a girl - obviously the "technical truth" would be that the person is a female. The said person is very likely to be aware of that as well. Even so I think it's common courtesy to refer to the person as "male" because that's what he identifies as. Most of them just genuinly want to live as the opposite gender, and I don't really see a big problem with that.

To me it's a "you're not wrong, you're just an a**hole" situation.

I'll wager a lot of suicides and sad fates could've been prevented if people were more open minded on these sort of things.

Obviously I'm having a little fun poking at the obvious logical failures of this specific example. That example being a man with a beard and a male exclusive piece of equipment. Not exactly checking off the trans-female boxes there is he? The beard would be the first (although not the last) thing they would get rid of. If someone really identifies as the opposite gender, wants to live as that gender, and wants to be treated as such step one would be actually living as that gender. We are an understanding people but you gotta meet us halfway here. Creepy bearded dude handing out in the ladies room does not get to be a woman just because he says he is. 

"While it is true you learn with age, the down side is what you often learn is what a damn fool you were before"

Thomas Sowell

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The bathroom situation 

1 hour ago, Guard Dog said:

I don't. I'm a woke Millennial. If the bearded guy with a dong says he's a chick then alright by me. The ladies room is right over there. Please don't oogle any little girls you might run into in there. Oh, but that is a lifestyle choice so I guess that is OK too. So if Tormund thinks he's a girl why can't the earth be flat if someone thinks it's so? Who are we to tell them otherwise. Why can't climate change be a lie if someone says it is? If all truths are subjective then nothing is objectively true. Just remember that next time one of your student's answers a test question wrong. Maybe to (insert non gender pronoun here) the answer is really correct and you're the one that's wrong! :lol:

First off, I don't want anybody ogling in the bathroom. Would it be more acceptable for the bearded lady to go ogle little boys? As a parent, sending a kid into a public bathroom is always a little scary. That is a reality regardless of what bathroom a trans person is using. 

Secondly, the complexities of the human psyche is not a simple math problem. As a social science teacher, I give critical thinking questions regularly. They don't have a right or wrong answers. The goal is to think critically and to support your answer with evidence. History is rarely a binary situation, and I'm not sure why we would expect everyone to identify themselves in a binary fashion. 

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Seems to me that the whole bathroom issue gets misaimed. Your problem is with pedophiles, not transpeople. Old bearded men can go into the bathroom and ogle the little boys now. I know the right (and pedophiles) will try to conflate gender identity issues with pedophilia but they're not actually connected.

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"aspire to look like the gender they identify as too "

 

Which is inherently sexist and playing with stereotypes. That leads to the 'all girls must where dresses' and 'all men must have beards'. There is no 'right' way to look like as woman or man. They come in dfifferent looks. Making yourself 'look like a man or woman' doesn't make it so.

 

And, yup, Hurlshot, is right. Human psyche is hella complex. But, it doesn't change science/biology.

 

"I'll wager a lot of suicides and sad fates could've been prevented if people were more open minded on these sort of things. "

 

Simplication. I'd wager most transgender suicides have little to do with bullying, Everyone is bullied. I don't believe blacks have ever had an epdimeic of suicide besides being slaves. I think feeling like you don't belong and being literally confused of your place is what leads to transgender suicides being ridiculous high - FYI, the rates don't really go down even after surgery.

 

That said, anyone who attacks or bullies someone because what they do with their own body is scum. Of course, I'm sure my definition of bullying is likely different from others.  Some would argue that I'm a bully and mean and attacking simply by these last two posts.

 

Next political topic.:)

Edited by Volourn
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DWARVES IN PROJECT ETERNITY = VOLOURN HAS PLEDGED $250.

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3 hours ago, Guard Dog said:

Chelsea Clinton looks as though she is entering politics. She has been doing a lot of public appearances and looks to be targeting a congressional seat in New York. Yesterday she dropped this little gem: " journalist Decca Aitkenhead asked the Clintons if someone with a beard and a **** can ever be a woman, to which Chelsea replied emphatically, 'Yes.' "

Crazy Story from Daily Mail

OK. Someone please explain to me why we ridicule flat earthers and climate change deniers again?

From now on I am self identifying as a Millennial. So I'm a Millennial now. Gimmie gimmie gimmie. I want I want I want. 

 

Why are you reading the Mail? :p

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Why has elegance found so little following? Elegance has the disadvantage that hard work is needed to achieve it and a good education to appreciate it. - Edsger Wybe Dijkstra

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1 hour ago, Volourn said:

"aspire to look like the gender they identify as too "

Which is inherently sexist and playing with stereotypes. That leads to the 'all girls must where dresses' and 'all men must have beards'. There is no 'right' way to look like as woman or man. They come in dfifferent looks. Making yourself 'look like a man or woman' doesn't make it so.

I agree.  I could've rather said something like "aspire to look like something society think is normal for a boy or a girl." The point was just that most transpeople look "normal".

1 hour ago, Volourn said:

"I'll wager a lot of suicides and sad fates could've been prevented if people were more open minded on these sort of things. "

Simplication. I'd wager most transgender suicides have little to do with bullying, Everyone is bullied. I don't believe blacks have ever had an epdimeic of suicide besides being slaves. I think feeling like you don't belong and being literally confused of your place is what leads to transgender suicides being ridiculous high - FYI, the rates don't really go down even after surgery.

Your sentence about "feeling like you don't belong" matches what I said. Why do you think they feel they don't belong? Could it possibly be because society rejects what they are?

But yeah, identity problems/gender dysphoria is a big part of it too. Probably more than how society percieves you. But I think it's somewhat related.

Edited by Maedhros
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2 hours ago, Hurlshot said:

Secondly, the complexities of the human psyche is not a simple math problem. 

Haha, if you think curvature is a "simple" math problem you've got another thing coming!

Edited by 213374U
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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- When he is best, he is a little worse than a man, and when he is worst, he is little better than a beast.

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3 hours ago, TrueNeutral said:

Seems to me that the whole bathroom issue gets misaimed. Your problem is with pedophiles, not transpeople. Old bearded men can go into the bathroom and ogle the little boys now. I know the right (and pedophiles) will try to conflate gender identity issues with pedophilia but they're not actually connected.

Old bearded men can walk into the women's bathroom as well, because there's no bathroom guard or whatever to prevent someone from walking in to a bathroom at the vast majority of places. This further distracts from how pedophiles are more likely to victimize children they are familiar with through family, friendship, work, etc. than to grab a kid in a bathroom. I guess accepting and acting on the fact that uncle eddie is a creep is a lot harder than screaming about hypothetical transwoman pedophiles stalking bathrooms for some people.

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In unrelated news, apparently Trump thought Turkey was bluffing and would never invade Syria. He also claimed escaped ISIS prisoners were deliberately set loose by the kurds to try to force US intervention.

How can there still be people who support this absolute vegetable?

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