JoeWeber

In retrospect I think my reasoning was in error. I argued that she was a poor example owing to her behavior at the UN. When comparing her various speeches it seemed apparent, to me, that she is also a bit of a construct. Skydekker then took me to task for ignoring the role her disability played in her demeanor on different occasions. While I think he overplayed the accusation, and while I did not claim it was all an act as many do, after some study I must agree that I should have more seriously considered the effects of Aspbergers on her changing demeanor. But the main problem was not seeing how enduring and effective her message, as she presents it, would be. Whatever I like or don't like about her or her message is beside the point as should have been whatever I like or don't like about her delivery. The reality is that she's a winner.

You are right. I should have softened my earlier stated opinions.

No it's as wrong as you can get. Well, probably not. Seriously, how can you have read my posts and think my issue is dress code violations? No matter, BIGUN liked it so you have that. But these day's anyone can get a merit from Keith just for saying my socks stink.

Did you notice that it doesn't have a night vision option?

Baloney, again. I have zero fear of other cultures and the weapons do not look scary to me. The Barrett .50 or whatever Corporal Dipsy-Doodle is hugging looks stupid and unnecessary. His get-up makes him look even dumber.

My apologies. I didn't notice them as they were all invisible wearing inner city camouflage.

That is why it is not benign. Along with the assumed identity comes a sense of belonging. We do not need to relearn how cults can manipulate followers into committing the most dastardly of acts; acts their own families would never believe possible of them. It might happen in an underground parking garage at a fertility clinic, at a Federal Building in Oklahoma, in the Kool Aid line somewhere or, possibly next, at a wall on our southern border. Armed, already in groups, and ready to defend their sense of self in the name of some perceived horror inflicted on the clan, they'll be ready. And so will their masters. Nothing happening in our nation requires the aggregation of heavily armed, angry, white men, dressed in camouflaged and possessed of paramilitary fantasies. No good can come of it.

That's just ridiculous and a silly misdirection. Neither of those points are in question. Get this right Keith, the right to bear arms in America, as gifted by DC v. Heller, does not require anyone to wear a surplus store war suit when exercising that right. That is a choice made for entirely different reasons. Otherwise why not uniform yourself in Swiss Guard Pantaloons, an Eisenhower jacket, and a Fez hat? The obvious reason is that would not be acceptably militia looking enough for your clan.

I am so looking forward to this being ended. It's selfish, ridiculous, unsafe, unsanitary and a direct insult to people who need service dogs to make their day's easier.

We spent a month in Southern India. Except for some shrimp and fish in Goa it was all vegetarian. Darn good vegetarian, too.

For one, reenactors are, well, reenacting. Every accoutrement, including their arms, are period replicas. It's about history, not fantasy. You do get that, right? Did I argue that the hunter should be able to show up with any weapon? Nope. I mentioned a favorite shotgun in very common use by duck hunters. If you weren't so sensitive over the subject you might have as easily concluded he was there in support of Duck Hunting, Duck calls, Labradors or even drool. Ask yourself, why are they all dressed up in homemade war suits, toting military looking weapons, and looking ready for the call to a homemade war? Why aren't there any 16 year old boys and girls toting .22 Mossbergs carrying sign saying Rabbit Hunters for the Second Amendment in their mix? You can go on hating it until hell freezes over but it's as much a cult as anything else. For many, they are finally a part of something big. And they get to play dress up and carry AR-15's, and Military sniper rifles and have Glocks on their hips just like the real guy's. Just ask good ol' Corporal Corpulent.

De-escalation. But I'm a bit of a doof, as you know.

Wow. Your descaltion skills are amazing. Did you learn those in the military?

Keith, I am so sorry. Is that guy you? Seriously, he didn't show up in hip boots with a drooling Labrador, toting a Remington 870 Wingmaster, and tooting his duck call. Nor is he a Civil War reenactor. Nope, he's just a garden variety wannabe militia man dressed up in his surplus store war suit, toting his useless weapon and being a goddamn idiot in public. It's not me who is missing the point entirely.

Maybe some people are simply more predisposed to certain beliefs than others, right? Perhaps I'm not just another pansified left coast whiner who can't see the big picture. Maybe I'm simply wired to believe that gay's deserve every right and protection that you and I receive with no gray areas to be found. Maybe I want to save big, old trees and protect the last remaining fluffy bellied Danderhooie's not because of any inherent truth or rational basis but simply because I can not help myself? That sort of thing.

So then you are willing to concede that much about out individual perceptions, and consequently what we believe, are decided at the level of the brain?

Damn right. And all because a few serial killers are, well never mind. Back to Turtle News where we ask hard questions about our own hard questions about why you ask hard questions.

Coreece, If I can offer you credible studies showing that certain types of brain damage correlate to religious beliefs would you find that persuasive? How about something different but brain anatomy specific. That fellow who free soloed El Capitan was not only amazing but demonstrably fearless. Would you be dismissive of the possibility that his amygdala, the small almond shaped thing in all of our brains that plays a huge role in processing emotions and fear, which was determined by MRI scan to be smaller than most folks might have played a role in his feat? How about intelligence, do you see that as a nurture only thing or are some of us just wired differently and simply smarter?

Hey Jerry, In your ear! Joe

No it's not. It's fantasizing wannabe's holding what they can only dream was their pecker.

And you also really don't feel like we have a clusterfuck for a government or, now so conveniently, don't worry that we're now an international embarrassment. You voted for what we now endure. You voted for Trump. If you can not own that failure then quit voting.

Instead of using people in the example, use bowling pins. That's about where we are asked to quit thinking before we pull the lever, or not. That's why it's such a crap problem to present. For example, whereas 5 bowling pins aren't looking anywhere, one or more of the 5 people may see the problem and alert the others. But the one guy is on his own.

No sir. You are focused on the wrapping.

I'd add that if it was about shaking up Washington, draining the swamp or any similar excuse for not doing your proper civic duty and taking seriously your vote for our President then, for the sake of the republic, you need to stop voting.

And that is the great big point. I don't believe there was a snow balls chance in hell that Trump would be a decent president or do a decent job based simply on his history and words. If you voted for him over Hillary on what you believe were their individual merits then you could not have spent much time looking at him.