The All Things Political Topic - Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is an absurd one

[Gromnir]

1 hour ago, Hurlsnot said:

 

Sanity prevails! 

is not gonna be a popular position. oh well.

am understanding why the utah governor did veto the ban, but is nothing 'bout the issue which is sane.

ask self why steroids or blood doping is prohibited in most sports competitions.

liam thompson were ranked 'tween 550 and 32 in events while competing as a man. after transgender, she is number 1 in multiple events and an ncaa national champion. is not gonna be anybody who suggests it were a change in coaching or additional hard work which boosted lia's ranking so dramatic. if am a woman having to compete 'gainst lia thompson, am gonna predict we would be more than a little angry, and our ire would have absolute nothing to do with our pov on transgender rights in general.

jesse owens were remarkable and thanks to athletics he were able to compete with a racist system and triumph 'cause his real competition were the clock or measuring tape. athletics gave jesse owns and jim thorpe a level playing field 'pon which to compete, even if it took society as a whole decades to catch up to them.

...

is understandable the rules has always addressed such issues posed by the lia thompson situation in terms o' performance enhancement and the transgender route does not enhance performance but typical impairs or impedes. lia thompson times were worse after transgender, so no performance enhancement were resulting from transgender. creates an ambiguity in the rules. insanity o' the situation when rules do not account for a new situation. as such is worth debating a different approach.

we competed for multiple state championships in high school, and we did clean. angered us more than a little when we had to compete 'gainst guys who were doing something to improve their performance which were not related to technique or conditioning but resulting from some artificial boost. 

the situation ain't sane. a woman transitioning to compete as a man would instant trigger any number o' performance enhancing protocols-- testosterone levels would be too high and as such would be flagged as a violator o' any number o' performance enhancing guidelines. 'course the woman transitioning to compete 'gainst men is not gonna skew results so is no genuine issue worth identifying. your career as a collegiate runner or swimmer is over if you decide to compete with men after being born a woman and the fact you are getting testosterone treatments which would preclude your participation is a relative non factor. the reverse is decided not true. disparity. incongruous. as such, the results o' a rule which cannot cope with a new situation broken and is arguable not particular sane.

am recognizing the concerns o' spencer cox and am in agreement the ban shoulda' been vetoed, 'cause the ban itself didn't fix a problem but tries and pretend as if it don't exist. however, am also suggesting the current situation ain't fair to many athletes and new rules tailored to a new reality need be considered.

HA! Good Fun!

Edited March 24, 2022 by Gromnir

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

1 hour ago, Hurlsnot said:

Well, not all Republicans are tilting at windmills: https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/utah-governor-becomes-latest-republican-veto-transgender-sports-ban-rcna21116

Sanity prevails! 

This guy is going to get slaughtered in a primary and replaced with a guy who wants to send parents of trans kids to prison.

Edited March 24, 2022 by KP wants Blue Velvet

[Hurlshort]

Quote

A former swimmer's thoughts on Lia:

None of you cared about women's sports before you had a "reason" to. Beyond that though, Lia has not dominated this sport. Nor have any other trans athletes. She placed 5th and 8th in other events at that meet. (Also the 500 free sucks and I've even seen many a MAN flop out of the water following that event. I give mad props to whoever does this event. I purposely sandbaged it so I would never have to do it again)

"But her wing span and height!! THE BIOLOGICAL ADVANTAGES!!!!!!"
Michael Phelps has a longer than average wingspan, a larger web in this feet and hands, hyperextended joints (main advantage in his ankles), and produced less lactic acid than other athletes. No one complained about his advantages and he (more or less) dominated his sport. Some women are tall also, but if it's a tall woman AFAB athlete no one yells that they should compete with males. If you go after one athletes body you have to go for them all. If you only go after Lia or other trans female athletes, you're transphobic. Furthermore where do we draw the line with "natural advantages"?

"But she AMAB!!!"
So? They had to test her hormone levels before she swam. She had no more testosterone than what was outside a female limit. Her muscle mass began decreasing at 3-6 months. Then I also pose the question to you, what about intersex people? She took 2 years off of school to make sure she could participate in this sport. Let her swim.

NCAA let her compete. Be mad at NCAA, not Lia. She's a person not a political pawn. Even USA Swimming says they have no problem with Lia representing them in Paris for 2024 Olympicss as a woman athlete. Furthermore, watch what you say. Someone you know who's listening to your HATEFUL rhetoric probably loves someone who identifies as trans or queer as well as an athlete.

She's the first transgender athlete to win a division 1 NCAA title. If "men" are the threat to sports why has it taken this long for someone trans to win a title? The REAL threat to women's sports is not other women (INCLUDING TRANSFEMALE ATHLETES). It's the lack of funding, protection, and strong female leadership. It's also the rampant sexual harassment and unequal pay. So think about that.

PS. I'm literally looking at her times right now and you can tell how she's had to work hard to get her times back. Her 500 free times are no where near consistent, and her other times are really scattered too. Looking at times of other high ranking swimmers Lia fares about equal to them. Just so you know... 

That was written by former swimmer Kelsey Vaughn. It sums up my thoughts much better than I could possibly do. I second her comment on the 500. It is an insane event. 

Of course, I have a 1.2 mile ocean swim next weekend, so insanity has its appeal.

[Gromnir]

1 hour ago, Hurlsnot said:

That was written by former swimmer Kelsey Vaughn.  

 

calling bs on people not caring about women's sports before lia thomas. if you are american and o' an age with Gromnir, you instant know names such as bonney blair, wilma rudolph, janet evans and a host o' others. younger folks is gonna recognize other names. older will also know different icons. we cheered with everybody else when the US women's team dominated world soccer. and as a man if you got a sister, cousin, mother or friend who has competed in sports, then chances are you care 'bout women's sports, which thanks to title ix and the like is a significant portion o' the population. unfortunate it seems the politics o' victimization works for all genders and ages in 2022. tell us we don't care enough 'bout softball or any women's sport when is not time for the olympics? sure. so what? tell us we didn't care 'bout women's sports before this ignores the fact we got a sister who competed in college sports and am knowing how unfair woulda' been the situation if she had to fight people born male to earn a place on the podium or even to earn a scholarship. 

as for the silliness o' suggesting a harrison bergeron approach for michael phelps, such is obvious indulging reductio ad absurdum even w/o adding seven exclamation points, although we didn't actual count the punctuation so excuse us if we claim too many. am tempted to simple sneer as a response. of course some folks are born bigger and stronger than their peers. again, jesse owens had to compete against people who did not need endure systemic racism their entire life, so he were at a disadvantage, but we recognize and glorify not only the transcendental heart o' jesse owens, but also his ability, and his ability were in part a function o' the gifts with which he were born. lia thomas's ability before trans were impressive, but not the kinda thing to garner national attention or awareness... until she started competing against women. sorry, but you and kelsey are ignoring the fact the only thing which makes lia's athletic ability noteworthy is her gender reassignment.  lia not blowing away the competition in other events is part o' the point- when lia thomas was competing against men she weren't anywhere near top ten finishes. is not that nobody cared about women's sports before lia thomas. is that almost nobody cared 'bout lia thomas as a swimmer before she started competing against women, 'cause as harsh as is the truth, she were not a name which anybody but the most hardcore ncaa swimming fan were gonna recognize. her best event when competing v. men were #32 national?  is good, but nobody outside the most rarefied swimming circles would know her name. lia thomas were most assured not a michael phelps. however, not as a result o' hard work or coaching or technique, she went from 550 to top ten in events. ask why too many americans don't care as much 'bout women's sports and unfortunate lia thomas provides the most obvious answer: a mediocre male collegiate athlete, a relative nobody, takes drugs and hormones which decrease her performance and then she becomes a top ten contender and ncaa champ? 

is also worth noting many o' lia thomas' teammates at penn think its unfair she competes 'gainst women. 

https://www.si.com/college/2022/03/03/lia-thomas-penn-swimmer-transgender-woman-daily-cover

16 Penn teammates sent an unsigned letter to Ivy League officials, requesting that Thomas be held out of the conference championship meet. The letter was organized by Nancy Hogshead-Makar, an Olympic gold medalist who heads Champion Women, a women’s sports advocacy group that focuses on Title IX issues. “If [Thomas] were to be eligible to compete,” the letter read, “she could now break Penn, Ivy and NCAA women’s swimming records; feats she could never have done as a male athlete.”

is only six o' her teammates who strong support lia.

the rules suck. the rules is not fair to lia and her competitors. preventing lia from any competition whatsoever would be unfair. the rules need changes. am nevertheless confused why folks pretend the current rules is fair. again, if lia were born female and underwent gender reassignment, there would be no story... unless she were janet evans, summer sanders or the like. the hormone and dug treatments as part o' gender reassignment would preclude lia from competing with men in part 'cause her performance were synthetic enhanced. 'course such is not an issue 'cause janet evens even with testosterone supplementation would not be able to compete with the likes o' micheal phelps. this story exists 'cause an obvious inequity which people is trying very hard to pretend doesn't exist.

this isn't a political issue, or it shouldn't be. unfortunate it is.

but again, am not in favour o' the outright bans which were imposed 'cause the gop is afraid o' wokeness or somesuch silliness. there needs to be meaningful debate and real solutions, but meaningful debate in the current environment is difficult to say the least. 

HA! Good Fun!

ps so is clear, am not in any way criticizing lia thomas, whose name we keep misspelling-- apologies. she were a swimmer before reassignment and rules define how she is to compete post reassignment. lia is doing nothing wrong and deserves no criticism from Gromnir or anybody else. lia is following all rules. unfortunate, the rules is not recognizing a fundamental inequity as well as the all too obvious truth that being born male and benefiting from decades o' being male results is serious athletic advantages when compared to athletes born female. however, again, lia thomas is blameless in all this and we actual admire her courage as she is no doubt facing much unfair ridicule for trying to be the best lia thomas she can be. 

Edited March 24, 2022 by Gromnir

[Malcador]

Lindsey Graham's tantrums are pretty funny.

[Gromnir]

wtf. no oral arguments. no meaningful opinion written save for the dissent.  haven't seen mention at most major news sites, but The Court, by means o' yet another per curiam and unsigned shadow docket decision no less, said the wisconsin state supreme court were acting unconstitutional when it tentative sided with the state governor in an election redistricting dispute.  am gonna get into this more later, but 'cause is shadow docket, am having more questions than answers save to observe how beyond expectations and reason it would appear The Court has nevertheless gutted section 2 of the VRA, reading its protections almost opposite as how it has previous been read, which should be frontpage news... everywhere. 

 "Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibits voting practices or procedures that discriminate on the basis of race, color, or membership in one of the language minority groups identified in Section 4(f)(2) of the Act."

new shadow docket decision states, with improbable convoluted language, that, "whether a race-neutral alternative that did not add a seventh majority-black district would deny black voters equal political opportunity,” should be determined via the strict scrutiny standard. am knowing this quoted portion likely don't mean anything to most readers, but strict-scrutiny is a near auto-fail and it means minorities complaining that a facial neutral redistricting plan (which is functional every such plan as who is gonna announce via the text o' such a plan that the motivation for the redistricting is racial animus,) must needs overcome an impossible hurdle to win when they argue redistricting is discriminatory.

for those concerned 'bout judicial activism, this kinda behavior from The Court should cause outrage.

(edit: included to avoid double-post)

additional wtf material:

pomerantz is not just some schnook. in his resignation letter he states he gots "no doubt" that trump were "guilty of numerous felony violations," and that failure to hold trump accountable amounts to "a grave failure of justice." seasoned litigators rare speak that way. ever wonder why Gromnir qualifies responses? certainty is elusive. pomerantz is not indulging any kinda equivocation in his resignation letter, a letter which he knew would become public at some point.

am admitted a bit nonplussed. 

Edited March 24, 2022 by Gromnir

[Gromnir]

Supreme Court declines to give update on Justice Thomas hospitalization status

The court said Sunday that Thomas had been admitted to Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington on Friday after experiencing “flu-like symptoms,” and he was diagnosed with an infection. His “symptoms are abating,” and he was expected to be released Monday or Tuesday, the court said in a statement at the time. But on Wednesday morning, court spokeswoman Patricia McCabe said she had no update to provide.

edit: according to a tmz report (not joking) based on a convo outside a coffee shop in dc, J. Breyer were asked about clarence thomas and the retiring Justice remarked he thought thomas was doing "fine."

Edited March 24, 2022 by Gromnir

[ShadySands]

I really, really don't like the guy but I do hope he gets better. I'd rather he vacate his seat with a retirement than the alternative.

[Zoraptor]

Houthis blew up a Saudi Aramco facility in Jeddah with a drone. Formula 1 Race is meant to be held nearby this weekend.

[Gorth]

Australia has a problem...

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-24/draft-leak-chinese-military-base-solomon-islands/100937632

"A draft official document – which emerged on social media on Thursday – lays down a framework which could permit Beijing to deploy forces to "protect the safety of Chinese personnel and major projects in Solomon Islands".

Bit of backstory, the current Solomon government decided to break ties with Taiwan (much to Beijing's joy) and the riots (because the people of Solomon did NOT agree with their leaders decision on that) that followed was put down with help of Australian troops. Let's hand Scott Morrison a bigger gun to shoot himself in the foot?

Just to find out the current Solomon government is owned by mainland China and the plan all along was to put up military and naval bases on the Solomon Islands, effectively on Australia's eastern doorstep. Scott Morrison being helpful in crushing the popular resistance to it

[Zoraptor]

Sogavare swapped recognition before the Australians intervened, so it can't have been that much of a surprise- he's also notoriously corrupt and it's unlikely the Ockers were unaware of that.

Australia's problem was their unconditional support for Guadalcanal (yes WW2 buffs, that Guadalcanal, Henderson Field is the capital Honiara's airport) vs its near neighbour Malaita. In this case Malaita was very strongly pro Taiwan, and indeed in the previous round of internecine fighting around 2000 Malaitans had extensively and deliberately targeted Chinese interests. Ironically, or perhaps not, the worst parts of that fighting also had Sogavare as PM.

Funny thing was that the US actually backed Malaita including a lot of monetary aid, and they held an independence referendum (unofficial, obviously) in... 2020, I think.

Still, countries are free to choose their associations and who they sign defence agreements with, eh Scott, and those objecting are just paranoid?

[HoonDing]

The West will lose the entire Pacific just as they lost Africa and Latin America. They can't even pretend anymore to be very fond of non-white people.

Edited March 26, 2022 by HoonDing

[rjshae]

51 minutes ago, HoonDing said:

The West will lose the entire Pacific just as they lost Africa and Latin America. They can't even pretend anymore to be very fond of non-white people.

Bummer. So... back to the way it's always been then.

[Raithe]

So who's been paying attention to Applebees?

 

"Most importantly, have the culture and environment that will attract people."

 

[Hurlshort]

Jesus. How do you get into an executive position without realizing that some stuff does not need to be communicated through email? Like, he could have just sent the last paragraph and it wouldn't have read as terribly. 

[Sarex]

24 minutes ago, Raithe said:

So who's been paying attention to Applebees?

 

"Most importantly, have the culture and environment that will attract people."

 

This is surprising? I'm wondering what the Amazon version of this email looked liked...

[Raithe]

10 minutes ago, Sarex said:

This is surprising? I'm wondering what the Amazon version of this email looked liked...

They wouldn't have included the last line: "Most importantly, have the culture and environment that will attract people."

[Zoraptor]

Given the stereotypical complaint about Amazon's slave shops: "maybe now we can bring in a mandatory colostomy requirement and charge for the colostomy bags"

[Gromnir]

1 hour ago, Hurlsnot said:

Jesus. How do you get into an executive position without realizing that some stuff does not need to be communicated through email? Like, he could have just sent the last paragraph and it wouldn't have read as terribly. 

we would be surprised if any reasonable seasoned adult posting on this board has managed to go through life and never have a supervisor/boss who were clear and obvious unqualified for their position due to lack o' common sense and/or ability. have met a few boss types who displayed shocking impulse control issues; if Gromnir had behaved as did these executive types, we never woulda' had a career and we likely woulda' been sent to prison. 

HA! Good Fun!

 

[Sarex]

So wait is the problem here that he "said it out loud" or that companies are doing these practices?

[Hurlshort]

34 minutes ago, Sarex said:

So wait is the problem here that he "said it out loud" or that companies are doing these practices?

Both?

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

3 hours ago, Sarex said:

This is surprising? I'm wondering what the Amazon version of this email looked liked...

Employers looking to exploit labor? No. Employers being dumb enough to let it get leaked? Kind of.

Regarding Amazon, off hand they discussed ways to smear union organizers that got leaked. It was nasty.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

Lmao

[Gfted1]

Biden to Propose 20% Tax Aimed at Billionaires, Unrealized Gains.

Aww yiss! UBI get in my pocket!

[Hurlshort]

20% seems terribly low. Didn't we use to tax rich people at 91%?