GeorgiaDon

Agreed, except Loving v Virginia was decided in 1967, only 55 years ago. Griswold v Connecticut, the case that struck down laws banning using, selling, or providing information about contraception, was decided in 1965, only 57 years ago. That was another case that was opposed by the religious right wing. However there was also a racist element: the decision was supported by some in the southern states due to their fear of blacks having large families and "replacing" whites. Justice Thomas et al want to turn back the clock, but they don't necessarily have to turn it back too far to achieve their dream of imposing their moral choices on everybody in the USA.

It's almost as if he was relieved he didn't win.

It's almost as if some people aren't able to recognize accomplishments unless they are accompanied by an overwhelming barrage of self-promoting tweets and hyperbolic statements along the lines of "nobody knows more than me..." and "only I can fix it...".

It's difficult for me to believe that someone who is such a coward that they would advocate for complete capitulation and grovelling, even accepting rape, slavery, and the murder of his own family just to protect his own skin (which is what he is saying Ukrainians should do), could ever have the cajones to skydive. If preserving one's own life is so important that they would surrender everything and anything to preserve it, would they really risk that life just to have fun? I think a troll happened to wander in here and park himself under the SC bridge, so that he could amuse himself badgering the passers-by and consuming their time.

So much winning!

I have a sister-in-law who is a pretty extreme fundamentalist Catholic. She is determined to "save" us (my wife and I) so she constantly sends us "literature" or gets us subscriptions to some very extreme magazines (although we have told her over and over to stop). A few years ago one of these magazines had a long article about how the whole concept of democracy is un-Christian, as the Bible only talks about kings. Elections, and political representation, is nowhere to be found. So (the reasoning goes) God would give us a king, and participating in elections (or even worse running for office) is actively resisting God's plan. According to the author, voting is a serious sin verging on blasphemy. I don't think most Christians actually think in those terms. However it is true that the biblical world view is very authoritarian, with God (or her representative monarch) setting all the important parameters of society. I do think that overall strong Christian (or other religious) belief predisposes people to being comfortable with authoritarian social structures, and leads them away from being tolerant of people with different priorities or values. Also many religious customs or edicts, although they are presented as commandments from on high, really serve to make it easy to distinguish between believers and non-believers, or to mark people as belonging to a specific tribe. Circumcision for example made it impossible for Jewish males to "pass" as Romans in any conflict, as Romans abhorred the practice. In some circles today supporting the "wrong" candidate for office is seen the same way. The discussion is not about ideas or policies, it is about tribes.

Look how they were treated by their own party!

If you smash a window much of the glass falls down onto the frame and some ends up inside and some outside. I know this because I helped my daughter clean up after a break-in at her store. The thieves broke the window by throwing a large rock through it. The rock ended up inside the store, but maybe as much as 1/2 the glass was outside on the sidewalk. Also if the perp used the hammer to smash the window he could have used the claw part to clear a larger opening, and the more natural motion would be to use the claws to pull the glass out rather that to push it in.

That's pretty funny, but no. I think Brent Solar is the system with solar panels mounted on a chimney, and it only works if you shovel coal into it. Not Solar King either.

No, the bankrupt company was a large company with operations over several states. Definitely not a fly-by-night startup.

I live on a small farm, with the house set back in the forest a couple of hundred yards from the open pasture. Last March we (my wife and I) signed a contract to have a solar system installed. The solar panels were supposed to go on the roof of the barn as it is out in the pasture; our house is not suitable because it is surrounded by trees we don't want to remove. We (together with the sales rep) marked off a route to trench to bury the power cables; that came to just under 300 yards which we were told was the maximum distance they would do. The total price was a lot more than I was expecting (~ $75,000) but if the system performed as promised it would eventually pay off. Things went off the rails almost immediately. When the crew showed up to install the frame for the panels they decided the barn roof was not suitable (although the sales rep assured us it was) and they installed a ground mount in back of the barn, in a place that is in shade for a couple of hours each morning and evening. They dug a trench that did not follow the route we flagged, but rather meandered some 450 yards across the pasture and up the path from the house to the pasture. That was in June, and nothing has been done since. We have to jump back and forth over the trench to get from the house to the pasture, and grass has grown up to where you can't see the trench in places. My wife and I, and our dogs and livestock, have stumbled into the trench many times; it's a wonder no-one has broken an ankle or a leg by now. While installing the battery in the basement and the control panel on the front of the house (instead of the side where the plans called for it to go) the contractors drilled through the brick wall, making a big hole and knocking loose bricks that they just shoved back in the wall with no mortar. Inside the house, to route the electrical cable they cut completely through a structural component of the foundation. It is possible that the house will have to be jacked up to properly make repairs. After that, we had months of being put off because supposedly this part or that part was backordered. So, the solar panels and electrical cables were never installed. We got an email that there is a lawsuit between the solar company and the battery manufacturer. The solar company says there is a defective component to the battery which causes it to perform poorly and possibly catch fire, while the battery manufacturer blames the solar company for installing their systems incorrectly. We sent the solar company our inspection report on the damage to the house and asked for a plan for them to fix it, but never heard back (surprise!). A couple of weeks ago we got a letter from the court system in North Carolina to inform us that the solar company has declared Chapter 7 bankruptcy, is being dissolved, and their assets are being sold off. Chapter 7 means they are actually being liquidated, unlike Chapter 11 which is reorganization. The bankruptcy was filed on such short notice their own crews were caught unawares in the field and only found out when the company credit cards were declined when they tried to pay for gas or their hotel rooms. At this point I do not know who actually owns the components that were installed. No other solar company in the area uses the battery or other components that are in place. I will file a claim with the bankruptcy court for the repairs to the house but I know I will be at the end of a long list of creditors. So, now we have started to talk to other solar providers to get an idea of our options. Basically, it seems that will mean installing a whole different system without using anything of what is in place. The first new supplier we had out to give us an estimate claims that, even if the system proposed by the initial company had been installed, it would have been too small and it would have delivered significantly less power than we were told it would. The system suggested by the new supplier would generate 12,000 kWh in the first year, so about 2/3 or our energy usage. That system is priced at about $94,000. They make a big deal about the federal tax credit (30%), but that would come as a credit not a refund so it would take a few years to be realized, if Republicans don't cancel it in the meantime. At that price the savings on our electricity bill (over the next 25 years) would be significantly less than the cost of the system. What am I missing here? I also have a suspicion (but certainly don't know for certain) that the federal tax credit is allowing businesses to increase the cost (i.e. profitability) of their systems. Anyway, sorry for the long rant. Besides just venting, I want to let people know that they need to be very careful about who they choose to do business with in this industry. At least I don't have to pay anything on the initial system as it was never completely installed and so the finance company has withdrawn our contract. Apparently (from what has popped up on line) many others are in the position of paying on a system that never worked, or only worked far below expectation, and can't get anyone to service their system, while they still have to pay for electricity from the grid. Also, if anyone has had a system installed recently, or who has insider knowledge of the industry, is $94,000 for a 12,000 kWh/yr household system reasonable in the current market?

I suspect that if it ever got to the point where Trump was not on the front page of all the major news outlets he really would shoot someone on 5th avenue just to get back in the headlines.

But then he would have to give back his magic Trump decoder ring! I'm sure you are aware that investing any time or effort at all in educating yourself automatically makes you an elitist and part of the deep state. The only people who really know the truth are the people who refuse to learn anything factual. The less you know, the smarter you are!

I certainly hope Troll King is a better musician than he is an immunologist or climatologist.

Is she in the hospital? Is she dead? If not the vaccine is working as it was designed.

We actually could give Putin a small token of what he wants. I'd be willing to chip in towards a one-way plane ticket so our resident troll could go to Russia and volunteer to help rid the world of that Ukranian Nazi. Anyone else? Putin would get another iota of cannon fodder, maybe that one Ukranian Nazi will be found and eliminated and then Putin could end his warmongering, and our troll could enjoy a non-democracy that is apparently more to his liking. So much winning! To be honest, though, I have thought on multiple occasions that our troll is actually in Russia, or at least on Putin's payroll.

Those were the ones that referenced killing all the impure women I assume.

Post a photo anyway. Maybe I can ID it. I think Marianne would have appreciated a photo like that here. I miss her too. I've taken over teaching her course in Ecuador and the Galapagos. It's great fun but when I'm there I think of her every day.

Sort of, but not because of reaching interstellar space first. According to NASA: "Voyager 2 launched on Aug. 20, 1977, about two weeks before the Sept. 5 launch of Voyager 1. Why the reversal of order? The two were sent on different trajectories, and Voyager 1 was put on a path to reach its planetary targets, Jupiter and Saturn, ahead of Voyager 2."

I'm quite sure there are a lot!! of Texans who believe if she just prays hard enough Jesus will make sure that baby is just fine when it's born.

Sounds like Brent and Stephen Miller are of the same mind regarding the value of Afghan lives.

The man is truly the scum of the earth.

I think that is true. Biden's order is based in the HEROs Act, which gives the government authority to forgive educational debt, but it must be tied to some specific conditions or a national emergency. For example there has been a debt forgiveness program for some time for people who agree to work in lower paying public service jobs, and for teachers. Of course Betsy DeVos did her best to make sure no-one could actually benefit from those programs, and left a big mess to fix. In this case, Covid was declared a national emergency by Trump and that was extended by Biden, and the current loan forgiveness is being linked to that national emergency.

Here in Georgia all in-state college and university students who maintain a B average receive the Hope scholarship, which covers 80% of tuition costs. The scholarship does not cover books or fees and unfortunately the state university system has tacked a lot of fees onto the cost of attending. Also of course the scholarship does not help with room and board type expenses. Nevertheless, 80% of tuition is not insignificant. It is paid for with money raised by the state lottery; by law any money raised by the lottery, after prizes and expenses to run the lottery, must go into the scholarship fund.

Every time I see a chart like this I wonder about a couple of things: 1. The chart shows total migrant arrivals, which lumps together legal and "illegal" arrivals. As far as the Trump administration and its supporters are concerned there is no real distinction, they seem to hate everybody who wants to come to this country (with the possible exception of white Europeans especially from Norway). However it is perfectly legal to present yourself at a border crossing and ask for asylum. Your petition will be adjudicated and a decision made, but no laws have been broken just by asking for asylum. 2. The Biden administration (really, Biden personally) is being blamed for people trying to come to the US. What power does any administration have to force people to stay home and not try to come here? Does the US have police powers in Guatemala (as an example)? Do we run the military in Mexico? How, exactly, is Biden supposed to intercept people and turn them back before they reach US soil? Would it not be more effective to figure out why so many people are fleeing their homes to come to a distant country? Few people leave home on a whim, just for a change of scenery. The journey is incredibly dangerous, and they are not at all assured of success. They are fleeing out-of-control gang violence, largely fueled by American demand for narcotics. They are fleeing corrupt and violent military regimes, many with a history of being supported by the US. They are fleeing starvation brought on by natural disasters, such as a series of hurricanes that struck Central America and destroyed their food production several years in a row. If you and your family were facing starvation and being constantly threatened and robbed by gangs, and your own government and police were powerless to help, who would not try to run to safety? But, when Biden (or Obama before that) proposes to spend money to try to help deal with those problems so people will be able to stay home, all we hear from politicians catering to the Trump base is "America First" and complaining about spending money on other countries. When I hear the rhetoric from many conservatives I have to believe that they would force people back into a burning building rather that allow them to break curfew. I'm reminded of the M.S. St. Louis, a ship carrying 900 Jewish passengers trying to flee from Nazi Germany in 1939. The ship was refused permission to dock, first in Cuba, then in the US, and finally in Canada before being forced to return to Germany, where over 1/3 of the passengers ultimately died in concentration camps. Disclosure: I am an immigrant to the US. I came here legally. The process took a long time, it was not particularly pleasant (the "system" assumes you are a terrorist or a criminal it seems), and it was very expensive. I was able to do that because I came from a non-shithole country (Canada), I am educated (PhD), and it probably did not hurt that I am white and I speak English.