Lurker > shipwreckers

Zeus posted...

And I, for one, hope that a day will come when those moocher nations are forced to pay their fair share.

But that would kill their narrative, and people would be FORCED to admit that thriving under socialism is counter-historical bullshit.

Millions of the nation's youth would be devastated by that reality. Do you REALLY want that on your conscience, Zeus?

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If there ever comes a day when Trump and Bernie get to debate universal healthcare, I hope Trump has enough sense to point out the fact that the USA actually SUBSIDIZES other countries so that their "universal healthcare" is actually sustainable.

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2019/05/02/america_needs_to_stop_subsidizing_europe_and_canadas_prescription_drugs.html

Very few people seem to realize this when they tout examples like Canada, or European nations. If you're REALLY going to tout these examples legitimately, then we need to stop footing the damn bills on their behalf. It's like me handing out thousands of dollars to my neighbor each week, and then complimenting him on his smart budgeting.

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Well....., Biden and his pony soldier came out swinging. Looks like Bernie is going to have a tougher road than imagined (though hyper-liberal states are still highly in favor of him).

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Watching clone Kovacs get un-brainwashed by Falconer is quite satisfying. It also was nice to have more context into the devolving of the sister (which led to the actions of last season).

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Over halfway through the season, and even though it's not quite as compelling as S1 (so far), the story seems compelling (though a bit ham-fisted at times). It's like they're trying REALLY HARD not to re-tread the same ground as before.

Anxious to see how these "plot twists" come together.

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At least he has his loyal dog-faced pony soldier Bootygig at his side!

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Like I said, at least "fundamentally" we're saying the same thing. Bernie's hardest sell is the free stuff he keeps promising (which also, is arguably horseshit). Free college for literally every person SOUNDS great, but so much money would be needed through additional taxing (not to mention school prices would need to be regulated, similar to how healthcare pricing is regulated). That's a slippery slope.

I'd like to see the man succeed, but you'll have to forgive the mass skepticism (I actually made a whole topic about it).


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streamofthesky posted...

You're not "defending Trump", just saying that Bernie's statement will drive voters to Trump, who's actually acted on the same exact sentiment (I recall actions speaking louder than...something something...), then criticize Bernie for talking about doing the thing Trump has already done.

Yeah, that's fucking horse shit

Meh, I guess that's the sucky part of campaigning. It has nothing to do with "right" vs. "wrong," or effective vs. ineffective. It's all about what SOUNDS good (like Trump with the whole "America First" / "We don't negotiate with terrorists," which as everybody knows, IS horseshit).

Come to think of it, MOST campaign promises are shit. Bernie DOES deserve to be criticized for bad ideas (regardless of who the hell has done it before, just as THEY TOO deserve to be criticized. As I mentioned earlier, Trump was indeed ripped apart even by his own die-hard followers for his stupidity.)

Since when did negotiating with indoctrinated psychopaths ever become a good idea for ANY leader (ideologically or practically)? Granted, I understand Bernie's sentiment (and, if there was some way to actually resolve centuries of Middle East hatred by sheer diplomacy alone, that would be fantastic). Sadly, it's just not feasible by any measure of historical evidence (regardless of who happened to be warming the seat in the Oval Office at the time).

It's odd how much animosity there is in these comments, when fundamentally, we're actually all in somewhat agreement here. BAD IDEA IS BAD! (Trump, Bernie, Obama, Napoleon, Constantine, etc.)

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Mead posted...

So bernie saying we can solve conflicts with diplomacy scares you(a statement the vast majority of the world would agree with), but trump inviting taliban leaders to US soil right before September 11th is perfectly ok

lol

You must have missed the rest of the conversation. Trump and Obama both proved the FOLLY of negotiating with Taliban. Trump was an absolute moron to attempt that meeting. Even pro-Trump followers called him out on his stupidity.

Nobody is saying diplomacy is bad. But, using it as a blanket-sweep solution (especially in a campaign) is not the greatest idea (especially when actual presidents on both sides of the aisle have already proven how bad of an idea it is).

Now, if I was DEFENDING Trump's actions, you'd have a valid point.

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adjl posted...

Negotiating with terrorists means offering them things to prevent them from terrorizing. Sitting down and talking with a terrorist to settle ideological differences isn't negotiation, it's conversation.

That, and as nice as "we don't negotiate with terrorists" is as a slogan, it's really quite silly to take such an absolute approach to anything. Generally, it's a bad idea because you're trading short-term safety for long-term harm (since giving them what they want tends to result in them using the same tactics again when they want something new), but sometimes it can actually be best for long-term safety. Ruling it out absolutely for the sake of patriotic posturing isn't the most intelligent idea.

I don't disagree with you. But, as Trump learned (the hard way) back in 2019, you can't always give people who have sworn to unravel western civilization the benefit of the doubt. THANKFULLY, the Taliban showed their true colors the day before their scheduled Camp David visit (which caused Trump to cancel the meeting, as explained in the article I linked earlier).

Trust is a difficult thing to earn (like Kim Jong-un trying to be "diplomatic" with Trump, after so many years of vicious threats). But, at least Kim Jong-un has an actual country where his livelihood is at stake. Diplomacy can still work, even for selfish reasons. But when hatred has been fostered WITHOUT anything to lose (e.g. suicidal terrorists focused on twisted ideology, not just self-preservation) diplomacy tends to fail.

I guess that's the dividing line (the personal motivations of the other party you're negotiating with). You can extend olive branch after olive branch in the name of "diplomacy," but until there is some reciprocated integrity (which, let's face it, is extremely rare from indoctrinated martyrs), your diplomatic efforts aren't merely in vain, they are an immense risk to your own people's safety (which, again, Trump learned the hard way).

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Once I beat Days Gone, I'll get back into TLoU. For some reason, TLoU got frustrating to me (not because of the game, but because I sucked at dealing with clickers).

At least in Days Gone, there are almost always multiple approaches to a situation. If you're failing at melee combat, you can pick people off at range. If there are snipers, you can sneak around and flank someone. TLoU is a great STORY, but the combat feels overly scripted and linear (which I hate, in general).

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Mead posted...

you mean the exact thing the trump administration just did yesterday?

That's a fair point. Both Trump and Obama made multiple attempts to talk things out with groups like the taliban (Trump's efforts have been going on for a while, actually).

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/09/10/trumps-taliban-invite-is-one-most-shameful-moments-his-presidency/

At least Obama had enough sense to do these negotiations behind closed doors, and both Obama and Trump had enough sense to NOT make it a campaign platform during their elections.

Also, nobody is saying that diplomacy SHOULDN'T be pursued if it's an option. But a "diplomacy solves everything" approach is going to be considered naive at best in foreign policy debates.


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GanonsSpirit posted...

He can now and he could've in 2016.

That's debatable (both figuratively and literally). Even brushing aside his socialism / free stuff talking points, his weak-ass "diplomacy solves everything" foreign policy will drive moderates towards Trump (since not all democrats are anti-military). Just watch his Colbert interview, if you get the chance. He actually says he wants to take people who have been indoctrinated to swear "Death to America" since their very childhood, and "sit them down in a room" to talk out our differences.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHq6xauQOcs

The guy quite literally wants to negotiate with terrorists.

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Super Tuesday is right around the corner! I guess tomorrow will help answer my original question from the topic title. This may be the most excited I've been over a primary vote in a while!

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Mead posted...

okay muscles

thanks for your usual wisdom

Well, in this particular case, he's not wrong. Since Clinton and Obama, the Demo party has indeed swayed farther left (more "niche" with each election). But, as we've discussed in the other topic about the polarity of the two-party system, primaries inherently weed out moderates, by design (since voters hate compromise).

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Lokarin posted...

Not the point.

The thought of "I win because you lost" is why a 2 party system is inherently broken.

Indeed. It sucks that we've devolved to this level. I can't think of a more shallow-ass reason to vote for somebody than "Who can win the popularity contest against the rival?"

Actual plans for the betterment of the country be damned.

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Lol, Warren ain't giving up though. Booty-gig never had a shot in the first place. Too many homophobes.

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3 Episodes in. I'm digging the story, but the fight choreography is too..., messy, imo (shaky cam, etc.).

CURSE YOU, SHAKY CAM!

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Zeus posted...

Oh yeah? Well, CT has a Cop, a Sailor, a Construction Worker, AND a Native American!

Do they have a good YMCA? (because that would definitely affect voter turnout.)

Seriously though, NC is considered a swing state for a reason. Sometimes I think people here flip a coin at the ballot box.

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Zeus posted...

you're still attempting an appeal to "authority" which is even more egregious given that "historian" is an absurdly nebulous, somewhat meaningless title and there are so many historians with differing views that you can find one to support just about any point you'd like to make.

Meh..., as long as you acknowledge that there are far more layers to the electoral college rationale than the philosophical, ideological arguments, it's all well and good.

Ideology is inherently subjective, and more often than not, it's a terrible reason to do or not do something.

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Zeus posted...

The electoral system specifically exists to even out potential imbalances due to population and is entirely in keeping with our Democratic Republic, unlike your archaic belief that it should merely be a popular vote.

In all fairness, there were MANY views that went into the electoral college design (both practical and philosophical).

https://www.history.com/news/electoral-college-founding-fathers-constitutional-convention

*From the History.com Article*
"So why does the Electoral College still exist, despite its contentious origins and awkward fit with modern politics? The party in power typically benefits from the existence of the Electoral College, says Edwards, and the minority party has little chance of changing the system because a constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds supermajority in Congress plus ratification by three-fourths of the states.

Plus the old-school electoral system has its benefits. With the Electoral College, for example, theres no chance of a run-off election or a protracted national recount."

So, yeah, philosophical bullshit aside, it's been kept all this time for its PRACTICAL benefits (namely it's risk-reduction of massive recounts, which is literally what I said earlier).

You're not arguing with me, Zeus. You're arguing with historians.

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I mentioned this in another topic, but Bernie was in my hometown just a couple evenings ago (speaking at church less than 10 minutes from my house). He drew a decent crowd (mostly African Americans, given the church / community demographic there). But, I live in NC, so it's hard to tell where loyalty lies in these parts.

I'm really anxious to see how NC swings in the democratic primaries. NC is a long-ass state, with MANY diverse political cliques (from mountain country, to hyper-progressive academic country, to beach bum coastal country). We have just about every ideology imaginable represented in this state. (Not as diverse as the likes of, say..., California, but still...)

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Mr Hangman posted...

Whether a more moderate candidate would be more electable in the general election is a constant topic of discussion throughout primaries. And usually the more moderate candidates are the nominees.

And enough of this enlightend centrism BS. The obvious right thing to do on most issues is usually a more extreme position than either party is willing to go. People fear radical change because doing it is an admission of the plainly obvious fact that we all have to pretend not to know: the people in charge are both wildly incompetent and wildly immoral.

Unfortunately, idealism often outweighs facts (on both sides of the aisle). The "confirmation bias" people show in political choices is very real, and it isn't going away. (How else do you think Trump retains so many followers?)

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Some fan theories have already been answered, just 10 minutes in. But I won't spoil anything.

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I'm a sucker for cyberpunk, and this is a really underrated series. Glad they finally got around to releasing Season 2. It feels like a mix of Blade Runner and Deus Ex wrapped into one.

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Reminds me of some of the websites I browsed in 1998.

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Another reason that the Electoral College won't be going away anytime soon is that when there IS a problem (e.g. the Florida Recount in 2000), the problem is isolated to one state. If you dump ALL VOTES in the country into a national popular-vote pool, voting issues (like voter fraud, which is handled differently from state-to-state) would be much more difficult to track.

Also, it would take much, MUCH longer to actually call an election, since you'd have to actually wait until every single ballot is counted (including absentee ballots). Heck, in the 2016 election, they were still finding more Hillary votes in CA almost a full month after the election had been called.

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streamofthesky posted...

by far the biggest is the godawful First Past the Post voting system.

I agree completely. FPtP is an archaic system that really only exists due to the technical limitations of the time (it kept things simple). The same can be said of the electoral college (no matter what philosophical "voice of the rural man" argument people give).

Could you imagine having to HAND COUNT all of the votes from a state back in the 1800s, and get a full, national popular vote without any risk of tampering??? The electoral college and FPtP were instituted BY NECESSITY. That's not the case anymore here and now.

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Fam_Fam posted...

so what you are saying is that if voters were more open-minded, moderate candidates would be successful?

That wouldn't really help though, because the system itself is rigged to funnel down to extremes (since, the "open-minded" candidates would be bringing views into their own party that goes against party rhetoric, which is political suicide in a primary). The companies that fund the bulk of campaign media and ads trash moderates by design (since, for example, a Republican that supports abortion rights is an easy target for Republican mudslinging). Even in the democratic primaries right now, anyone who even dares go against the grain with even semi-moderate arguments will be obliterated in democratic ads and debates.

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CaptainStrong posted...

Republicans are so far to the right that they think anyone to the left of the center-right Democratic Party is a communist.

It's not just Democrats who are unfairly stereotyped. Republicans are often blanketed as Bible-thumping, oligarchical racists. That's kinda the entire point of this topic. Many, MANY people (on BOTH sides) are actually closer to center, but no centric leadership will ever have a chance of actually getting in office. Our broken system inherently funnels candidates downs to polar extremes (by its very design).

That sucks for any fair, open-minded people who want to see the country united.

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wolfy42 posted...

Ninja politicians....that would rock. Your new president is the last one standing!!!

6 Ninja enter, one ninja leaves.

Election 2020......from the shadows of death......This time it really will be a blood bath.

If nothing else, it'd make for much more exciting media coverage than the decades-old "red vs. blue" maps.

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Krazy_Kirby posted...

if bernie wins the nominee then it will be trump vs commun/socialist, not trump vs democrat

Fun fact. Bernie was in my hometown this evening (speaking at church less than 10 minutes from my house). He drew a decent crowd (mostly African Americans, given the church / community demographic there). But, I live in NC, so it's hard to tell where loyalty lies in these parts.

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Think about it. As long as there are political "parties" in general, these primaries are going to keep funneling candidates down to the most extremist options possible on each respective side (the so-called "champion" of said party's beliefs), because voters HATE compromise.

Meanwhile, because voters hate compromise, the "moderates" (the ones who try to objectively see the valid points from both sides, and would actually be great for uniting the country as-a-whole) don't even have a toddler shit's chance of winning anything..., ever. Even if they'd be fantastic candidates in a general election, they get OBLITERATED in their own primaries, because they're seen as half-hearted to their precious party. This political system fuckin sucks!

TL;DR - Primaries / parties make it where you HAVE to go all-in with your party's rhetoric, or you lose. End of story. The only way a fair or "open-minded" candidate will ever have a shot is if the party system goes away entirely (which will never happen.) Sooner or later, we're going to get so divided that we're fucked (another civil war, assassination, etc.).

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...which series would you want to watch all over again? For me personally, it's a toss up between Breaking Bad and The Office.

What about y'all? If you could completely erase a TV series from your mind, just to experience it again for the first time, which one would you pick?

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Zeus posted...

Once again, calling the Democrats Bernie's party is a bit of a stretch since Bernie only joins them when running for president. Odds are if he gets elected, he'll immediately change to independent again because he's a self-serving asshole who's just gaming the party.

Fair enough, regarding his party affiliation (the same thing happens with republicans, aka "RINO's" / I guess there are "DINO's" out there too).

Looks like one of his biggest challenges is more basic than parties and opponents. Voter Turnout is stacked against him from the get-go.

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/2/25/21152538/bernie-sanders-electability-president-moderates-data

Let's face it. He appeals the MOST to people who do the LEAST (which includes voting).

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Well, I guess this reiterates what I said back in the OP. Trump doesn't even HAVE to bash Bernie. Bernie's own party is doing the work for him.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/02/25/democratic-debate-2020-highlights-key-moments-117540

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SunWuKung420 posted...

He said stupid shit about obama throughout his campaign.

Sorry, you missed the context. I should have said TYRANNICAL leaders. Obama wasn't a tyrant.

That's one of the downsides to Gamefaqs' new quote system (where you can't see the whole conversation / context).

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Blighboy posted...

Somebody want to get a list of how many tyrants the current President has praised?

At least Trump waited until AFTER getting elected to say stupid shit about other leaders. Same with Obama's praise of Castro's "good" accomplishments.

Bernie ain't waitin, though. If nothing else, he's got balls.

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Good grief, Bernie. Are you TRYING to lose voters??? Now people are flaming him for praising Castro's "literacy program," which is indeed a true statement.

https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/feb/24/bernie-sanders/sanders-correct-cuba-literacy-campaign-skimps-prop/

Granted, he was trying to make the point that even bad people can do good things. But, politically, that's just suicide. Saying ANYTHING positive about a brutal authoritarian, brainwashing tyrant is about the dumbest thing you can do (especially considering the well-known fact that Castro USED his "literacy program" to forcefully indoctrinate people / while executing people who failed to comply via firing squad).

Bernie might as well have praised Hitler for his highly effective "German Economic Recovery Program."

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I'm still watching the previous season on Netflix now. Hopefully, I'll be caught up soon.

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I know many people today would argue this woman into the ground, but there's an interesting quote from Margaret Thatcher (previous British Prime Minister) on socialism:

"Socialist governments traditionally do make a financial mess. They always run out of other peoples money. Its quite a characteristic of them. They then start to nationalise everything, and people just do not like more and more nationalisation, and theyre now trying to control everything by other means. Theyre progressively reducing the choice available to ordinary people."

-Margaret Thatcher (1976 Interview)

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I still don't understand why we can't find a balance between "capitalism" and "socialism." On paper, both systems have GOOD concepts. People helping others in need (socialism) is a good thing. People keeping their hard-earned money (capitalism) is a good thing.

Why does it have to be all or nothing? Why can't we let the good portions of each contribute to our economic decisions (while fighting the detrimental extremes)? This isn't rhetorical. I sincerely wonder why it's so hard to find a balance here.

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Yellow posted...

You're not being clear here, so I'm just going to go ahead and assume the worst (which is reasonable), that you want anyone to be allowed to bring in guns in gun free zones, and remove the sticker.

No, I don't think anybody is making a case here that ANYONE and EVERYONE should be able to prance in with a deadly weapon. I live in NC, so even with a fully-legal concealed handgun permit, Schools and other government facilities are protected from gun access (concealed or open carry). I don't think that should change at all (nor do I think anyone else in this topic is making that case).

Yellow posted...

That fucking sticker is a lifesaver because otherwise morons would bring their fucking guns to school without the threat of being expelled and arrested. You act like every murder is planned ahead of time and not in the moment. Ever thought of the idea that murderers typically aren't good at controlling their impulses, that some don't plan their evil schemes ahead of time? "Yeah, I'm just going to get real mad and shoot someone on Tuesday because they're probably going to say something really mean to me, so I better get some ammo" /jokedontarrestme

You're trying to prove a negative here, which isn't really possible (that shootings do NOT exist when signs are up). There's no way to prove correlation that the ABSENCE of gun violence relates to signs (especially when you consider the thousands of schools out there that have been issue-free for decades, without any damn signage whatsoever). Granted, I would LOVE it if there was some way to prove this. That just isn't the case.

Yellow posted...

How many times will you be wrong before you stop talking. There's a gun where your brain should be.

I'm not sure I like the tone of this. Perhaps if Gamefaqs would let you change the font choice, we could communicate better, and more cordially.

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Mead posted...

the fact that most mass shootings occur in gun free zones kinda suggests otherwise

Well, all sarcasm aside, I guess that brings us to a real choke point, because if there's truly nothing environmentally-speaking that can deter the criminals themselves from attempting violence in the first place (armed personnel / signs / gun-free laws or zones / etc.). If a psycho wants to kill (for whatever the hell reason), an attempt to kill will be made.

Granted, you could try to step back further and try to "stop violence before it starts," with solutions like better parenting, better education, better love, etc. (so people won't be raised with such inclination to violence in the first place). But that's not practical in everyday, shitty life. You can't possibly shield every single child from all possible negative influences (and even if you COULD, you can't prevent other factors like mental illness or disorders from happening).

I fear that (seriously speaking) the general public will only be safe from immediate, effective retaliation to the shooter (like that church shooting in Texas), than all these endless attempts we see at violence prevention.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/01/13/jack-wilson-texas-church-shooting-hero-medal-courage/4461454002/

I'm not saying prevention efforts are a waste. Who knows how much violence they actually DO prevent? But, when the exceptions to the rule slip through, there needs to be a competent gun waiting on the other end, or innocent people WILL die.

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Mead posted...

they tend to find their way there even when we dont

I kinda doubt thered be so many school shootings if the kids knew there was some kind of armed security or if trained administrators were armed

Yellow posted...

Yes armed police officers are currently allowed in schools, even though then you see articles popping up of cops losing their shit and threatening students, they're no joke probably a good thing to have in every school anyway.

Teachers with handguns in their drawers though and parents and kids just waltzing in open carry, lol.

Well, teachers and armed security STILL won't deter gun violence when the offender is an absolute psychotic social outcast with a suicide wish. If anything it'll ENCOURAGE gun violence, because it'll guarantee easy national attention, and an easy way out of this world (suicide by cop / suicide by teacher / suicide by highly-trained commando janitor).

So, that really only leaves one viable option. We MUST consider better anti-violence signage (at ALL entry points throughout the entire school)! Font choice MATTERS. A lighthearted font like Comic Sans may have a powerful calming effect. Do NOT underestimate the power of Comic Sans!

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Mead posted...

they dont do that though

https://woodyswisdom.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/sarcasm.jpg

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Are you SURE the anti-violence signs won't work? Even if we use really, REALLY BIG FONT (maybe even in comic sans, just to catch the criminal's eye as they walk into the building)???

I'm gonna vote for Mike Bloomberg, because he'll know exactly what to put on the signs to deter crime.

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Gun Free Zones simply aren't going to cut it, because they ONLY stop gun violence. What if the psychotic killer has a knife, or a chainsaw, or a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire? We need to stop ALL violence! An easy solution would be to change "Gun Free" to "Violence Free" on all signs!

We need to make sure that all those vicious criminals who routinely stop to read door signs before they begin their killing sprees are properly deterred by the text (use BIG FONTS! / LIVES ARE AT STAKE HERE!). Violence will NOT be tolerated!

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I would wait, personally. There are so many nods to the other movies (and repeat characters that build on their reputation), it would cheapen the movie a bit.

It's kinda like eating a really nice steak with some of the seasoning taken away. Sure, it'll still be good, but it'd be even better with the right spices.

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I just snagged it. It costs less than a quarter pounder at McDonald's. Hard to pass this up.

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