Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[Ghengis Jon]

Granted. But it was a discussion I caught on the tube yesterday that had some rather interesting points. It made the panelists uncomfortable which means they had to think. This country could use a little more thinking instead of reacting.


How about this? Why is the Republicans' first strategy for anything uncomfortable always 'shoot the messenger and bury the message'? Is the American public really that stupid in that the GOP knows this tactic is tried and true when dealing with sheeple? From CNN:

House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy, a staunch Trump ally, questioned whether Amash was a genuine conservative.

"You've got to understand Justin Amash. He's been in Congress quite some time. I think he's asked one question in all the committees that he's been in," McCarthy said on Fox News. "He votes more with Nancy Pelosi than he ever votes with me. It's a question whether he's even in our Republican conference as a whole."

According to the American Conservative Union, however, Amash had an 88% record of voting with the group's positions last year.

[Dr. Strangelove]

[Jeff Buchanan]

Probably stating the obvious but .....identity politics. Biden is probably going to lead in a lot of polls leading up to November voting.

[iam416]

It made the panelists uncomfortable which means they had to think. This country could use a little more thinking instead of reacting.

The topic requires no thinking. It's a preposterously stupid topic. It's preposterously stupid for a number of reasons not the least of which is that the views of men AND women are roughly the same on abortion. The voices of the majority of Alabama women aren't being suppressed be the dreaded patriarchy. THEY support the bill.

It's a fucking awful topic.

[crashcourse]

first half of pregnancy--choice
second half life
leave it at that
not a woman only subject
dad has rights too

[Jeff Buchanan]

There are a couple of things I can conclude regarding the implications of the comments these two Shia clerics made (see the link below) and the recent events in Iraq (rocket lobbed into the Green Zone) and sabotage operations in and around the UAE/SA:

The withdrawal of non-essential personnel from the US Embassy in Baghdad last week was probably warranted, this based on intel that Trump opponents questioned.

I posted a link to an article last week that discussed the co-positioning of Shia militia units loyal to the current leadership in Iraq with USA units and the associated risk of confrontation with these Shia units, known to be armed and trained by Iran and potentially acting as their proxies.

That Iran is probably using these two clerics who spoke out rather forcefully against military confrontation to signal they are not terribly interested in a shooting war with the US or US forces deployed in the region.

I think there are reasons for this: the potential for civil unrest within Iran that could significantly weaken the current fundamentalist Islamic government's hold on power there. Iran has made substantial inroads in establishing its influence in Iraq. Military engagement with US forces there by Shia militias could unmask Iranian intentions in a country with an uncomfortable Sunni majority.

I think over the next couple of weeks, we're going to see a de-escalation, not an increase, in Iranian mischief in and around the Gulf or mischief carried out by their proxies in Yemen or elsewhere. I also believe the Iranian Mullahs have seen the potential of getting uncomfortably squeezed by a coalition of Sunni Arab states backed by the US. I don't think the Mullahs are going to disappear. Not even close. They've managed to hold power for decades and will probably continue to do so but they've been set back, tempered so to speak, and as is typical of the way things go down in the ME Arab world, a sort of uncomfortable inter-tribal stability will prevail. Not sure if Iran will come hat in hand to the denuclearization bargaining table though.

If this was the intended end-game or a path to it of the Trump administration's US ME policy, and I never thought that regime change in Iran was a goal of it, all of this might seem to be an indication that its working.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/iraqi-shiite-figures-warn-us-iran-war-could-burn-iraq

[crashcourse]

far as GOT goes I thought they got it right

not sure all the gnashing of teeth and why they are asking for the heads of the two davids (weis and benioff) over the last season

SPOILERbran really needs to change his name

[iam416]

first half of pregnancy--choice
second half life
leave it at that
not a woman only subject
dad has rights too

It pains me to say this, but that's pretty much correct. And it's also where, I think, a supermajority falls. First trimester=full rights -- I support funding, for that matter. Final trimester=no way unless multiple doctors affirm it's medically necessary. In between is in between.

[Dr. Strangelove]

It pains me to say this, but that's pretty much correct. And it's also where, I think, a supermajority falls. First trimester=full rights -- I support funding, for that matter. Final trimester=no way unless multiple doctors affirm it's medically necessary. In between is in between.

I was really curious about when abortions are performed and per an article I found on Fox, 91% occur in the first trimester. Almost all the rest are second trimester. Only a hundred cases more or less are performed each year in the third trimester.

[Kapture1]

Topic for discussion: Should women voters and legislators be the only ones to decide the legality of abortion?

why? it was an all male SCOTUS that decided Roe vs Wade.

Abortion also effects men, and males make up roughly half of the victims of abortion.

[Kapture1]

not sure why, have you heard Biden speak lately? holy shit it is rough. anywho, Trump launches his campaign either this week or next. Should be fun.

[iam416]

I was really curious about when abortions are performed and per an article I found on Fox, 91% occur in the first trimester. Almost all the rest are second trimester. Only a hundred cases more or less are performed each year in the third trimester.

It's about 10,000ish for "late term" (after 21 weeks). In any event, the third trimester numbers certainly suggest it ought not be an issue. It's clear those should be illegal.

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss6015a1.htm

[iam416]

Kamala Harris wants to fine companies if there is a gender wage gap. We, of course, already have laws that allow private litigants to enforce their right to anti-discriminatory work environments. This would be the Federal Government overseeing every company (presumably, at some employee threshold) and arbitrating what is and isn't "fair."

[Kapture1]

Kamala Harris wants to fine companies if there is a gender wage gap. We, of course, already have laws that allow private litigants to enforce their right to anti-discriminatory work environments. This would be the Federal Government overseeing every company (presumably, at some employee threshold) and arbitrating what is and isn't "fair."

equality of outcome rather than opportunity

i imagine this will only apply to the comfortable, high paying, air conditioned office jobs and not, say, waste management, because... you know... equality or something.

[Kapture1]

SPOILER