JoeWeber

Great piece, at least for me, as a reminder of how we got to today. It is very well written, accurate, and is pleasingly intellectual. So, it won't be much of a surprise that I disagree with the conclusion and it's form, in part: "To develop an alternative to the regressive modernization underpinning Trump’s reelection, the left must come up with a governing economic idea that can compete. Technocratic fixes of the old system look very unlikely to inspire a broad-enough coalition to defeat the potent, if unstable, electoral alliance that reelected Trump. The most promising avenue—one that could address the needs of millions of Americans who feel shut out of growth and prosperity and alienated from America’s governing elite—might be a fusion of AOC/Bernie populism with a more political, less technocratic version of abundance." Those soaring conclusions, especially the last sentence, are hogwash. It is exactly the crap that won't resonate with any voter that we need to turn. The term, "fusion of AOC/Bernie populism" are words exquisitely designed to turn away any voter in dire need of the "fusion of AOC/Bernie populism". That, telling voters what they truly need, is exactly what we don't need. Sure, we need AOC and Bernie in the rear guard, but not in the discussions about who will lead us into the future or why.

Thanks. I know you are a Wes fan and should be were the coming contest one of choosing a swell human being. I would be a very happy camper if we lived in an enlightened land where a female with a german name could be elected leader by a nation of latino's but we are too backward and our founding documents are plainly insufficient in this more modern world. Look, by now we all should know that America would be a safer and more collaborative place if old white men would recognize that diversity and inclusion aren't just concepts but strengths to act upon. Or, better yet, if they would just take a hike. But that won't miraculously be the landscape in 4 years and definitely not in the 4 years we have to prepare. So we need to quit talking Moore and start talking less of what middle America and the boys and girls proudly waving Confederate flags will never vote for. Instead we need to focus only on what has the best chance to win the Presidency. Then we use the rulings of our current, corrupt Supreme Court to start the process of, 1. Ensuring the Right has no chance in 2028 and, 2. Jamming democracy down the throats of all of the ignorant motherfuckers who made this shitty, zero tomatoes, movie a reality.

Well, yes, and get rid of the 2 Senators per state nonsense, too, but I think Keith was after how to get those who could not vote for the Democrat in the last election. I would add to the above list, which is far from complete, this which I posted on May 18 (#73) in the Tariffs thread: I passed through Red state Ohio last week and caught part of a Trump ad on tv. It was just as if they were extolling the virtues of a hero who arrived just in time to save us. Every last action and policy was working perfectly, as in breathlessly, beyond belief etc. etc. etc, closing with Trump majestically looking up and to the future. Of course the tariffs were bringing in billions. They aren't just relying on partisan news and their voters ignorance, they are taking a page from the fascist playbook. They are in control and they have no intention of letting democracy get in the way this time around. We can be as demoralized as we like pointing out facts like he is a con man and corrupt but his supporters just do not care. In fact, I think they like it. Next up: Democrats, recognizing their own impotence, start pointing out the good in all that is happening. The world is changed. No war was ever won fighting with the only weapons used in the first battle. We need to evolve and fight today's enemy and the weapons they are using now. We need to flood the airwaves, we need Jasmine Crockett and her white clone to be our media pit bulls and we don't need Wes Moore on the ticket so folks who couldn't vote for a black female can feel absolved by voting for a black male. Yes, he's a great man but also, yes, your neighbor is a racist who won't vote for him in 2028. Especially so now that he's empowered to be a racist asshole in public. On that subject, we need to quit looking at only who is available today but for someone who fits the profile we need for the best chance to succeed in 2028. We need to look at who can be trained for the candidacy over the next cycle. Think about it: who the hell was Andy Delk or any of several others before Airspeed decided they had the right stuff, a winning attitude, and most importantly would do just what the fuck they were told to do, and could be trained to be World Champions? We as a party need to get that win however we need to win attitude that the Autocracy Party has in spades or quit whining.

First, anyone who needs to look over their eyeglasses to make eye contact needs to go. And anyone else who looks old. We need to accept we went way to far with woke such as ever arguing that biological men should be allowed to compete against biological women in sports, that sort of thing. There is absolutely no reason to not be vocal about restricting access to social services like Medicaid to those that abuse the system. Things like that are where middle America lives and the left needs to move strongly in that direction if they want to win. We need to get real about electing women to the presidency anytime soon and we need to find candidates who resonate with the Hispanic voters we lost along with the last election. We need to learn to use the media as a weapon in the way it is used against us and we need to learn to project strength instead of hyper intellectualism which just ain’t clickin’ with voters we need. We also need to see success less in terms of the opposition failing and more in terms of our messaging connecting with voters. That sort of thing.

Well, foremost, no giggling. World leaders could never take such a person seriously. Also, no chance, biological or otherwise-ical, that they might go all hysterical at the wrong moment. That's non-negotiable.

I would say ask the DZ owner/manager not a senior instructor: ajmclean's question was a legal one, not an instructional one. First get some kind of document from a medical professional that supports the idea that your condition now is not much or no more concerning from a re-injury perspective. With that, which can be attached to your release showing due diligence on the DZ's part thus minimizing greatly the chance of a gross negligence claim, the DZ can decide if they want to lay on any additional risk with you or not.

The important thing to remember is that as long as we don’t make waves all that is lost is our dignity. It is still possible to be successful in an autocracy, just not as successful as the autocrats. Most people pay zero attention to their government and already expect their leaders to be as corrupt as possible so for most folks, as long as you see value in harming select others, it’s a change for the better.

Far from it. More than Trump I see this as why our standing in the world is lost.

Especially galling are all of the Trump Ladies, like Barbie Goebbels, ICE Barbie, and Legally Blonde Barbie for three, who display their uniform required Christian Cross necklaces 24/7.

Barrett's argument, was essentially and apparently, that you don't want to create an Imperial Judiciary to defense against an Imperial presidency which seems bunk to me. Seems to me their goal, and effect, was just the opposite: lower courts can now make fewer far reaching orders curtailing unconstitutional Executive Orders which can only mean more power to the Supreme Court. The USA will never be what it was and, worse, neither will the worlds future.

More important information soon to follow on the US Government press channel Pravda Social.

Nice play. So now we atheists hate the disabled and the religious? You just refuse to give up on the hate thing. Do you know anyone who actually hates the disabled because of some law they required or just for giggles? Sure, everyone sensible is annoyed by those jerks with yappy dogs masquerading as service dogs, and asshats who use the handicap parking slot unfairly, or those who board the aircraft first out of selfishness, but I have never met one person who was bigoted against the disabled. You are really grasping now. You know, outside of the religion topic, you have enormous respect here owing to your very intelligent and well supported views on a myriad of subjects. I have learned much from you, absolutely. Unfortunately on this topic of Christianity and your personal relationship to the belief system all of your usual facts and attendant support gets tossed in the bin and you just don't want to talk about it or justify it or own any bit of what religion does to we non-believers. Which, in my experience, here and elsewhere, is the norm.

I agree with the first two words, that is the only certainty when it comes to religion. Either you learn it on your mother’s knee or come to it by way of epiphany. But there is no explanation for it that agrees with rational explanation. What follows is simply not the case. It’s not about “hating “ no matter how many times you conflate race or sexuality with a belief system that is by any definition a matter of choice. And again no one hates the belief system or the believers, we hate having the precepts forced upon us and, to be honest, the free pass believers expect when asked to explain why they should own the allowance.

Nice try. Instead let’s use owning one and living next door to one for 30 years as the comparison. The neighbors opinion would have some value, no doubt, and even more if he was paying the rent so the kids could play. Try something easier: tell me why I should accept Jesus Christ as my savior based on currently available, and provable, information.

It should be an absolute no brainer to explain why organizing your life around a belief that Jesus Christ is your savior is the only thing that makes sense. On the other hand, if it all comes down to that it just feels right and makes one feel good then we might just have a few follow on questions.

That's presumptuous. I know you mean the military and Christian adherents and not society and the military but it does come off as butt sore, to be frank. So what is your point, that unless you first believe it's God breathed you can't later know Jesus? 2 Timothy 3:16-17. Same with the military, only those who have served can have any informed opinion on what is a very large domain?

Not hate. That is your canard. I hate the influence of Christianity on our society including our military, not the adherents to the faith. What you do not want to see is how what you believe is being forced down the throats of your fellow citizens. You know, like teaching it in public schools underneath a plaque of the 10 Commandments. I get it that it is real to you but for others it is without any rational basis, is completely unprovable, and should have no role in our social and political processes.

As I touched on in #49. Nonetheless, even if you are as ignorant about Christianity as the majority of Christians you are still part of the monolith and by recent results reliable in the voting booth. Conflating race and religion as is being done here is a false equivalence and should need no explanation.

Insanity. I can't wait for the spin.

Yes, those folks: https://www.militaryreligiousfreedom.org/ So for you that's right wing? It's the Christians who are right wing in my view. This is a very silly argument in my opinion. Take a look at our new SecDef's Christian tattoos. Dues Vult, the Christian Inshallah as you know, the Chi-Ro (revelations), the Christian Crusader Cross writ large, and so on. Keith, you spent 20 years in our increasingly Christian Military, are you going to tell us if SecDef, or anyones superior officer, suggests a prayer meeting come Saturday the invitee's will consider it optional? Religious influence across our society be it political, military, social, what ever, is not just unfair owing to power imbalances but it is wrong. In this neck of the world woods it's Christianity doing the harm; in Iran it's the Mullahs--same same.

3 out of 4 ain’t bad. Also no one yet has attempted to convince me to be Haitian, black, or Hispanic. Of course the Christian mandate is to convert us all , or worse. That and they are intent on subverting any government that gets in the way. There’s a damn good reason there is a Military Freedom from Religion foundation and not for even one of the other examples.

I took it to mean that if parties that are discriminated against then discriminate against other parties for the same reasons they were discriminated against then it's not the same type of discrimination, or even discrimination at all, particularly if the discrimination is rooted in Christian values. Tossing out the hispanic/black example is a distraction. Hispanics and blacks are no more monolithic in their beliefs about their fellows than are whites. Every racial group has their own way of dividing up their own group and every other group so that there enough "others" they can feel better than. For that matter, just look at how the Christians love each other when the chips are down.

And why not? For sure they have all of their enriched uranium product and most of the centrifuges dispersed hither and yon, in the scores of trucks loading it all up in the picture below taken just days before our GREAT PILOTS" bombed the joint, and after genius Trump gave them a long heads up to do so. That's why they only lobbed a few spitballs at a deserted corner of an airbase in Qatar as a response. The Mullahs are deluded and criminal but they ain't stupid. It is so galling that he insults everyone who confronts him with the "LOW IQ!" insult. I wish someone would hack his for public comparison.

When we are judging Christian behaviors are we limited to this blog and this year?

Last time all we needed to do was shoot down a passenger jet, so let’s get with the program and put this mess behind us.