jwhitten's Profile

Civilian oversight

jwhitten comments on Apr 11, 2019:

Ummmm... we kinda sorta already have a facility for that.

jwhitten replies on Apr 12, 2019:

@Dutch Yes, and that is the combined role of all of the branches of government. Yours and mine are the representatives we elect, along with our voices and whatever visibility we can muster. If we feel aggrieved we can "take 'em to court". And if we don't like the laws, we can run for office ourselves. It's not a set-and-forget system, we have to be active, remain active, and hold our politician's feet to the fire. Also remember, the second amendment is the only thing that protects the first.

Question.

SIMONTACCHI comments on Apr 12, 2019:

Given the Radical Left actually represents less than 10% of the population with the admix of the professional Victims, and Trump isn't running in a vacuum this time, he has a track record and the Economy is a winner, it his race to lose, and he hates to lose. It would also be fair to say Trump ...

jwhitten replies on Apr 12, 2019:

@SIMONTACCHI I respect your opinion, and I don't think it's ill-formed either. But I, respectfully believe that President Trump is a bit of a narcissist, although that's not necessarily the worst thing. More than that though, he's smart-- very smart-- in 'sly like a fox' smart. And whatever got him into office, once he showed up he figured out quickly what needed to be done-- and then, after a couple of false starts-- he's been busy getting it done. And that's what really counts in my book. And while I do believe and agree that his perpetual tweets probably tend to work against him in many situations, on the other hand, I love the snark! Plus, he's the most common-- as in closest to 'having a beer with'-- President I think we've ever had. At least in recent times.

Question.

SIMONTACCHI comments on Apr 12, 2019:

Given the Radical Left actually represents less than 10% of the population with the admix of the professional Victims, and Trump isn't running in a vacuum this time, he has a track record and the Economy is a winner, it his race to lose, and he hates to lose. It would also be fair to say Trump ...

jwhitten replies on Apr 12, 2019:

@An_Ominous >> "Hillary ran a somewhat less than exemplary campaign." To put it mildly... :-) >> "Btw I've been a big fan of Hillary's Loser World Book Tour. It's like the short story The Nine Billion Names of God..." Hey, watch it! You almost made me spew my coffee there! >> "I fail all the time... why can't I have a book tour? I think I might publish How To Be A Loser For Dummies." Which is guaranteed to be a huge success, go figure! Keep on rockin! We need more like ya!

Will Democrats realize their leaders are crazy?

chuckpo comments on Apr 12, 2019:

The democrats I know around here are crazy, so why wouldn't they continue to elect crazy candidates? How long has Maxine Waters been in congress--going on 30 years? Why did real voters elect AOC? I want to think the best of people, but people drink the lies and come back for more in the face of all ...

jwhitten replies on Apr 12, 2019:

Because the Left is the true home of the 'low information' voter.

Will Democrats realize their leaders are crazy?

purdyday comments on Apr 12, 2019:

I think it's as simple as they get their political views from biased main stream media and shows like The View, who only report on these things as right wing lunacy. If news media were focused on presenting the facts and not just Democratic propaganda, we wouldn't as divided as we are today.

jwhitten replies on Apr 12, 2019:

Everything it 'Right-Wing' when you're standing at the Left Pole.

Freedom of speech died today!! Julian assange arrested!!

Leelumorticia comments on Apr 11, 2019:

Freedom of speech died the day he had to take asylum in the embassy in the first place because America was after his arse.

jwhitten replies on Apr 12, 2019:

@Leelumorticia Ironic, on so many levels.

Freedom of speech died today!! Julian assange arrested!!

Gerri4321 comments on Apr 11, 2019:

He did the right thing like it or not he took the risk and exposed the truth. The ugly that people still don't know is beyond imaginable. Hero maybe not to some but to me a good guy to be remembered

jwhitten replies on Apr 12, 2019:

@Gerri4321 I suggest you look me up and go read some of my other comments in other threads.

Freedom of speech died today!! Julian assange arrested!!

Gerri4321 comments on Apr 11, 2019:

He did the right thing like it or not he took the risk and exposed the truth. The ugly that people still don't know is beyond imaginable. Hero maybe not to some but to me a good guy to be remembered

jwhitten replies on Apr 12, 2019:

@Gerri4321 You do when you're exposing the truth of those more powerful. For awhile there is the 'giddy' aspect of getting away with it and other people see you doing it so you begin to collect a bit of 'cult following'. For some people that's enough. Just look at Tommy Robinson, for instance, the transformation he's made since he started and what he's going through now that he's made it clear that he's not going away, can't be bought off or quietly silenced. The Globalist / Establishment State is coming down hard upon him like a ton of bricks. The whole thing plays out as an ever-increasing series of escalations. Each little tit-for-tat getting bigger and more audacious until finally that last line is crossed, the last straw placed on the proverbial camel's back-- and suddenly it isn't fun and games anymore, it's serious and people start getting hurt. Like they are in France with the Yellow Vest movement. They've blown past the novelty and are now busy digging trenches and lobbing bombs and real people are suffering the consequences. And it's picking up steam and happening in various ways all around the world. So what do the Globalists really care? There's not much bad that's going to happen to them. If it gets ugly they'll simply pull up stakes and move to somewhere quieter where there's less action going on. Someone somewhere is always happy to be their lackeys. The only way to get their attention and some serious concessions is to 'bring it home' to them and make them feel it firsthand for themselves. And that's hard. The civil war is coming.

I feel immense gratitude right now.

jwhitten comments on Apr 11, 2019:

What about the Holodomor? Or the Rape of Nanjing? Or the Killing Fields in Cambodia? Or the Armenian Genocide? Or Bosnia? Or the great purges under Chairman Mao? Or Shining Path? Or... the list is too long to iterate! Why do we insiste upon "remembering the Holocaust", which on the grand scale of ...

jwhitten replies on Apr 12, 2019:

@Francais1331 I agree with a good bit of what you're saying here. In trying to formulate a reply, I think that any objections are more in personal perspective rather than actual substantive degree. I don't think people wanted Hillary so much because she was a woman-- though that definitely played into the 'arranged narrative' and likely stroked her enormous ego more than just a little bit. I think Hillary simply bought and paid for the election win and then was gob-smacked when she didn't get it. As for the Feminism stuff-- that's a real problem. And its one that women think they're in control of but they're really not. Two things can happen-- one of them will happen, if Feminists 'win'... 1. Feminism will cease to be a thing the very second that Men rise up and decide they're tired of hearing about it and dealing with the bullshit. Feminism does not and cannot exist without the tacit approval / complicity of men. Furthermore, Feminism requires men to be its foils and justify its hateful existence. Men, for their part, just don't like the idea of competing with a woman-- they generally view women as their partners and helpers rather than as competitors and potential adversaries. 2. In the event that they achieve their goal of 'putting men into their place', the Globalists will drop them (the Feminists) like a hot rock and immediately work to destroy them too. They will have outlived their usefulness, apart from continuing to keep their men in check. But all of those glorious visions of the bountiful female future full of sugar plums and rainbows-- that's just a crock. Assuming that Feminists achieve their goal, they will need NEW men to denigrate, if only to run their industries, sweep their sidewalks and dig their ditches. And that will have to come from the female quarter. Nature abhors a vacuum and like it or not, men fill an important and powerful niche. It isn't that they can't be subsumed or replaced, but rather that *someone* will need to fill those roles. And those someone's are going to discover that they aren't nearly as glamorous or exciting-- or more pertinently-- 'full of privilege'-- as they had been led to believe. So the irony is that women CAN have it all-- and pretty much with the blessing of Men. Because the men know darned well that the last laugh will be theirs and it will be hearty chuckle indeed. And while I'm focused on 'Feminism' as the catalyst (the disease), the method is via 'identity politics', 'Othering' and tactics of dehumanization. We already see that happening, and if we're truthful about it, it's the ONLY thing that's been happening with Feminism since its inception. Anybody who says otherwise is either lying, duped or knows full-well what they're up to. And there is no such thing as a "Male Feminist", ...

Civilian oversight

jwhitten comments on Apr 11, 2019:

Ummmm... we kinda sorta already have a facility for that.

jwhitten replies on Apr 12, 2019:

@Dutch Well, I was specifically referring the judicial portion of the legal system. They're not passing laws of any kind, but I get your drift, and I don't think you're entirely wrong about that. Though I think President Trump is doing a great job in picking judges to reconstitute our rigged and decrepit national judiciary.

Question.

SIMONTACCHI comments on Apr 12, 2019:

Given the Radical Left actually represents less than 10% of the population with the admix of the professional Victims, and Trump isn't running in a vacuum this time, he has a track record and the Economy is a winner, it his race to lose, and he hates to lose. It would also be fair to say Trump ...

jwhitten replies on Apr 12, 2019:

Maybe. But he's also lost the element of surprise as well. And he owes some fair amount of his win to Hillary, the DNC and their slavish media lapdogs. Hillary was so assured of her win and so deeply connected with the existing (Obama) administration, and assured of her big money corporate backers and their dominance-- outright ownership-- of the bulk of the media, that she was careless-- reckless, a particular trait of hers you might have noticed... She and her campaign actually directed CNN (who still had some viewers) to amp up the airtime on Donald Trump. She thought he was a buffoon-- and in fairness, he might have been (no offense intended) and that he was such a loose cannon that given the coverage, he could probably do her dirty work and clear the Republican deck (which he did). What she didn't count on was him being the last man standing and making a deal with the Republicans to get nominated as their candidate-- one of the shrewdest moves that Donald Trump ever made in his life probably, IMO. And personally, I don' think that there was anybody more surprised about it than Donald Trump himself. I think he was originally in it for a lark and then started getting more serious about it when he began drawing crowds and resonating with the people-- that fed straight into his narcissistic ego-- again no offense intended. I myself voted for Trump as a protest vote against Hillary-- a 'Hail Mary' vote with the thought that she could potentially do some actual, real and long-lasting damage to the country and he would at least be entertaining. I have been *SO EVER GRATEFUL* that I was *WRONG* on that front and he has turned out to be, IMO, one of the ABSOLUTE BEST Presidents in the history of the United States. Whether he had it all along or just sort of bumbled into it, we may never know. But I will definitely sing his praises and give him all props for the way he has assumed the mantle and is busy kicking ass and draining that swamp. More power to him-- MAGA all the way! My next vote for him will be 100% on purpose, you can believe it. Hillary's biggest problem is that she was so smug and sanguine about it. Like it was all bought and paid for, all she had to do is stroll in and claim it-- and that, most likely, is exactly what the scenario was. Why else would she have gone on her multi-year, multi-leg junket crying harm and foul all over the world??? She was a woman 'done wrong' and she wanted what was "rightfully" hers-- what she PAID GOOD MONEY for... ya know. That was why SHE never owned up or took any personal responsibility for what happened-- it couldn't have POSSIBLY been HER-- she BOUGHT IT, fair and square. It was obviously EVERYBODY ELSE, those despicable wretches-- that 'basket of deplorables'-- who STOLE IT from her. It was obviously...

Freedom of speech died today!! Julian assange arrested!!

Gerri4321 comments on Apr 11, 2019:

He did the right thing like it or not he took the risk and exposed the truth. The ugly that people still don't know is beyond imaginable. Hero maybe not to some but to me a good guy to be remembered

jwhitten replies on Apr 12, 2019:

@2FollowHim I don't think Assange is like us, in the sense that he is from among us. He seems to also be somewhat of an elitist, albeit one without a country to rule. So he began lighting fires to make things happen, rhetorically speaking. After awhile 'exposing the truth' became its own trip and there was definitely some element of power in it for him, but he flew too close, exposed the wrong secrets, and got some powerful people pissed off enough to go looking for him. When Hillary said during the election that they were going to send a drone out for him, he didn't know for sure whether she was joking or for real. That also shows you a bit by inference what Assange believed Hillary is capable of. And it's possible that he's not far off the mark in that either. We, the people, those huddled masses and wretched refuse, think we hold the reigns of power. But that is yet another illusion. The only power we have is that which we take and hold for ourselves. And one particular point to always remember-- The second amendment is the only thing which guarantees the first.

Freedom of speech died today!! Julian assange arrested!!

The_Q comments on Apr 11, 2019:

Torn on this one, The man is wanted in Europe for Rape. They have first claim on extradition, Unless there is a statute on limitations for Rape hearings, In that case, Its the US who are next in line for extradition. And its not really free speech, But can you post classified stolen ...

jwhitten replies on Apr 12, 2019:

@2FollowHim It happens to every POTUS. Its part of the curse of office. Bill Clinton called it "The crown jewel of the federal penal system." Of course, he would know would't he? As he played the blues on his whoremonica...

(Originally posted on Facebook:) I'm hearing more and more about people being put in "Facebook ...

Georgesblogforum comments on Apr 12, 2019:

Facebook and Google are leading the pursuit of intellectual conformity . The ramifications are far reaching . Having experienced a community turning against me and booting me down the road, many times , it's easy to see what they are doing . 50 years ago , I was hearing Frank Zappa asking Who Are ...

jwhitten replies on Apr 12, 2019:

@chuckpo For every Coke, there is a Pepsi.

I feel immense gratitude right now.

jwhitten comments on Apr 11, 2019:

What about the Holodomor? Or the Rape of Nanjing? Or the Killing Fields in Cambodia? Or the Armenian Genocide? Or Bosnia? Or the great purges under Chairman Mao? Or Shining Path? Or... the list is too long to iterate! Why do we insiste upon "remembering the Holocaust", which on the grand scale of ...

jwhitten replies on Apr 12, 2019:

@Francais1331 It's not about social justice. It's about real, honest and lasting justice. I completely agree with you about education though, and that's part of the problem. The proponents of socialism and 'cultural Marxism' have insinuated themselves in the halls of education, corporate middle management, and low-to-medium level government office. Anywhere and every place they can have access to indoctrination and/or policy. They want control but have to bide their time until they can come out openly and grab the power. My guess is that it was supposed to have all been timed with the election (coronation) of Hillary Clinton and the proclamation of the 'New Century of the Woman' or some such shit to win over the female voters, whom they considered gullible and easily duped. I think Hillary was honestly astonished when female voters outright rejected her in fairly large numbers. And for myself, I was personally absolutely gob-stopped and astonished, as in my jaw hitting the floor, when young Feminists, of all people, rejected her in large numbers. The only time in my life I have ever seen Feminists do something useful for society-- and I'm absolutely certain it was totally by accident. Only *HILLARY* could have pissed off Feminists bad enough to make them not want to vote for her. God, that woman is awful, a real shit-show if there ever was one. And it's not that women are bad-- not in my book anyway. But Feminism is. And the globalists are pushing Feminism all around the world and backing it with real money and power because the Feminists are unwittingly doing the dirty work for the Globalists in their zeal to tear down men, destroy masculinity and sever the familial bond. Without men and their male power, women-- and disenfranchised men-- are much easily controlled. And they don't even realize they're being controlled. They own the media and the narrative and are giving one side the power they've craved for so long to 'rise up' and-- literally, stick it to the man-- all without realizing that they're ultimately slitting their own throats in the process. They don't give a damn about free speech. Think back to George Bush and what would happen whenever he got heckled. As his goons were dragging away whomever hapless individual who dared to oppose him, he would lean into the mike, turn on that shit-eating grin and say "I love free speech". They don't give a shit about free speech because it doesn't amount to anything. And on the rare occasion that it does, it's usually one or two individuals and they know how to handle it. A convenient car wreck. An airplane crash. Getting suicided in the back of the head a few times. Nowadays it's even easier than that, all they need to do is pull the plug on all the social platforms and the guy is effectively ...

Freedom of speech died today!! Julian assange arrested!!

jwhitten comments on Apr 11, 2019:

Hmmm... cracking a PASSWORD to gain access to the PENTAGON'S COMPUTERS... really? That's what they're going with? Telling the WHOLE WORLD that all it takes to get at US Military secrets is ONE SILLY PASSWORD? Ah-- I know, they forgot to use one of those 'special characters'. Probably the ...

jwhitten replies on Apr 12, 2019:

@WingedRyno Yeah, it's bullshit, IMO. But it doesn't matter. They have what they want now, him in their clutches. And now they can go to work destroying his reputation, Wikileaks and 'teaching the rest of us a lesson'. Julian's crime though wasn't Free Speech, rather it was spitting in the eye of the powers that be. Not that it will make much different, and perhaps it's a hair that doesn't matter if its split anyway. (shrug)

Civilian oversight

jwhitten comments on Apr 11, 2019:

Ummmm... we kinda sorta already have a facility for that.

jwhitten replies on Apr 12, 2019:

@Dutch The third branch of government-- the Legal System / Courts.

Freedom of speech died today!! Julian assange arrested!!

Judah80 comments on Apr 11, 2019:

"The U.S. indictment accuses Assange of assisting Manning in cracking a password that helped the former intelligence analyst infiltrate Pentagon computers." Accessory to hacking the Pentagon. Has nothing to do with free speech. I'm for transparency for the most part, but if you want to expose ...

jwhitten replies on Apr 12, 2019:

@Judah80 Maybe. Given the alleged crime and the purported subject matter they could easily slap a national security cloak over the whole thing and then we would never see / hear / know what happened to him. And you know he would never get a fair trial under those circumstances.

Freedom of speech died today!! Julian assange arrested!!

The_Q comments on Apr 11, 2019:

Torn on this one, The man is wanted in Europe for Rape. They have first claim on extradition, Unless there is a statute on limitations for Rape hearings, In that case, Its the US who are next in line for extradition. And its not really free speech, But can you post classified stolen ...

jwhitten replies on Apr 12, 2019:

@Slavey Exactly.

"A porcupine humping a pile of money" - At some point I'll have to break down and watch Game of ...

jwhitten comments on Apr 11, 2019:

"A porcupine humping a pile of money" No doubt hoping to come into money...

jwhitten replies on Apr 11, 2019:

@iThink Now what do you think would be giving me that idea.... hmmm ??? ;-)

I feel immense gratitude right now.

jwhitten comments on Apr 11, 2019:

What about the Holodomor? Or the Rape of Nanjing? Or the Killing Fields in Cambodia? Or the Armenian Genocide? Or Bosnia? Or the great purges under Chairman Mao? Or Shining Path? Or... the list is too long to iterate! Why do we insiste upon "remembering the Holocaust", which on the grand scale of ...

jwhitten replies on Apr 11, 2019:

@acadian Much of what was happening in the 1920's and 30's is happening again with (IMO) frightening alacrity. All too often we turn on the TV-- er, I mean YouTube 'cause TV only has talking heads that parrot what their globalist / elitist owners want them to say. As we watch them single out and use thuggish mob tactics to suppress free speech-- even in the heart of Berkeley CA where free speech is supposedly cherished and idolized. We see groups of organized hooligans in black-shirts running rampant beating people up and causing mayhem-- with the apparent disregard or even complicity by the police and civil authorities. We see the massive push by corporate globalists and their wholly-owned media mouthpieces to consolidate the masses and remove their ability to think for themselves, act for themselves and demand "safety" over liberty, which the corporations and the State is all too happy to render unto them. The parallels between our modern world and the happenings of the turn of the last century are as astonishing as they are frightening. And this time, they (the establishment) is even more dominant and even more controlling and even more pervasive than they were 100 years ago. The whole "New World Order" / "1000 Points of Light" stuff is upon us. How do we fight this? The time is now.

I feel immense gratitude right now.

mudnducs comments on Apr 11, 2019:

Spectacular. We need to take back our schools. Insist on parental witness programs so we can track what our kids are (and are not) being taught. Given the subversives being churned out by our universities these days....its clear there is no longer a common expectation or understanding between ...

jwhitten replies on Apr 11, 2019:

@mudnducs It sounds like more and more people are choosing to use it.

"A porcupine humping a pile of money" - At some point I'll have to break down and watch Game of ...

jwhitten comments on Apr 11, 2019:

"A porcupine humping a pile of money" No doubt hoping to come into money...

jwhitten replies on Apr 11, 2019:

@iThink So you're thinking maybe it's just 2/3's of a pun then..??

Do you think those sex dolls that look underaged should be banned/discouraged?

Gerri4321 comments on Apr 11, 2019:

I have to be honest i and my family have been hurt by PEDOPHILIA in horrible way's and helping them is the least of my concern. Because if you look around you will see pedophile symbols in everything from baby/ children clothes to children movies and cartoons plates rugs playrooms at daycare. And ...

jwhitten replies on Apr 11, 2019:

@Guido_Provolone I hope it involves crocodiles.

Do you think those sex dolls that look underaged should be banned/discouraged?

Gerri4321 comments on Apr 11, 2019:

I have to be honest i and my family have been hurt by PEDOPHILIA in horrible way's and helping them is the least of my concern. Because if you look around you will see pedophile symbols in everything from baby/ children clothes to children movies and cartoons plates rugs playrooms at daycare. And ...

jwhitten replies on Apr 11, 2019:

As gently as I can think of to say it-- if someone really wants to hurt someone, they will find a way.

Assange has been arrested

UncleGott comments on Apr 11, 2019:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9Baud3T55g

jwhitten replies on Apr 11, 2019:

Hasn't he gotten that stupid microphone fixed yet?? How long does it take Amazon to ship a stand to Vermont anyway?? That's pretty much it.... peace out ;-)

Freedom of speech died today!! Julian assange arrested!!

Judah80 comments on Apr 11, 2019:

"The U.S. indictment accuses Assange of assisting Manning in cracking a password that helped the former intelligence analyst infiltrate Pentagon computers." Accessory to hacking the Pentagon. Has nothing to do with free speech. I'm for transparency for the most part, but if you want to expose ...

jwhitten replies on Apr 11, 2019:

@Slavey Every day, apparently. Or so says Rachael Maddow.

Freedom of speech died today!! Julian assange arrested!!

Leelumorticia comments on Apr 11, 2019:

Freedom of speech died the day he had to take asylum in the embassy in the first place because America was after his arse.

jwhitten replies on Apr 11, 2019:

Nailed it.

Freedom of speech died today!! Julian assange arrested!!

Gerri4321 comments on Apr 11, 2019:

He did the right thing like it or not he took the risk and exposed the truth. The ugly that people still don't know is beyond imaginable. Hero maybe not to some but to me a good guy to be remembered

jwhitten replies on Apr 11, 2019:

Doing the wrong thing for the right reasons makes you a Patriot. But it doesn't absolve you of the consequences. I salute Julian Assange and I hope to God he has a whole bevy of incredibly top-notch and world-class lawyers to back him up.

Freedom of speech died today!! Julian assange arrested!!

The_Q comments on Apr 11, 2019:

Torn on this one, The man is wanted in Europe for Rape. They have first claim on extradition, Unless there is a statute on limitations for Rape hearings, In that case, Its the US who are next in line for extradition. And its not really free speech, But can you post classified stolen ...

jwhitten replies on Apr 11, 2019:

Cough - BS - Cough. Sorry, something caught in my throat there.

Rep. Ilhan Omar is proof that even 'god' makes mistakes sometimes.

chuckpo comments on Apr 11, 2019:

Diversity of thought is a good thing, but allowing people who want to undermine you into the hierarchy makes NO sense. It's self-debasing. We've gone stupid. Is that what happens to world powers? They go stupid? I look at this stuff--like Omar, and it just makes me feel dumb--like I'm in a country ...

jwhitten replies on Apr 11, 2019:

>> "Why don't we just put Nazis and Communists in congress?" Why not? We do just that all the time. Don't forget it was called the 'National Socialist Party' for a reason... From Wikipedia: The full name of the party was Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (English: National-Socialist German Workers' Party) for which they officially used the acronym NSDAP.

Civilian oversight

EdNason comments on Apr 11, 2019:

I think SCOTUS might have an issue with that

jwhitten replies on Apr 11, 2019:

@Dutch Yes, you *DO* have a say. Head on over to your Congress-critter's website and give them an earful. Or drive to their office and do the same. And make sure you vote-- you know, early and often! And consider running for office yourself. Then you can really tell off those assholes at city hall, whenever you're so inclined-- or reclined. However it works best for you! ;-)

I feel immense gratitude right now.

jwhitten comments on Apr 11, 2019:

What about the Holodomor? Or the Rape of Nanjing? Or the Killing Fields in Cambodia? Or the Armenian Genocide? Or Bosnia? Or the great purges under Chairman Mao? Or Shining Path? Or... the list is too long to iterate! Why do we insiste upon "remembering the Holocaust", which on the grand scale of ...

jwhitten replies on Apr 11, 2019:

@timon_phocas Yes, I especially agree with your last statement (not that I disagree with the rest). In fact I think you nailed it far more in that one sentence than in all of our preceding.

I feel immense gratitude right now.

jwhitten comments on Apr 11, 2019:

What about the Holodomor? Or the Rape of Nanjing? Or the Killing Fields in Cambodia? Or the Armenian Genocide? Or Bosnia? Or the great purges under Chairman Mao? Or Shining Path? Or... the list is too long to iterate! Why do we insiste upon "remembering the Holocaust", which on the grand scale of ...

jwhitten replies on Apr 11, 2019:

@timon_phocas Just curious-- no 'gotcha'-- how many of those (and more / others) were you aware of before I pointed them out? And to the rest of your point, pretty much everything since the invention of the camera-- and definitely since the development of the video camera and smartphone-- has been documented from a thousand different points of view, and yet we still pretty much only hold up the "Holocaust" as the one to "remember"-- and "Hitler" as the bad guy. Moreover, we all (most / many of us) know about the other great purges-- a deceptively benign word to describe so horrible and sinister-- and the not millions, not tens of millions, but the hundreds of millions of people that perished in those terrible events-- enough people to populate our planet not all that many eons ago. And yet "Hitler" is the one we remember. I would say because he gets better press-- in all aspects of the word. And as a result the real and true victims are NOT remembered, even as we give lip service and say "Never Forget"...

Rep. Ilhan Omar is proof that even 'god' makes mistakes sometimes.

timon_phocas comments on Apr 11, 2019:

God makes babies. It's entirely Ilhan Omar's fault that she grew into the duplicitous, hate filled person she is today.

jwhitten replies on Apr 11, 2019:

Not entirely her own fault. Few people are complete unto themselves. Most have had no small amount of assistance from the people and society around them.

I feel immense gratitude right now.

mudnducs comments on Apr 11, 2019:

Spectacular. We need to take back our schools. Insist on parental witness programs so we can track what our kids are (and are not) being taught. Given the subversives being churned out by our universities these days....its clear there is no longer a common expectation or understanding between ...

jwhitten replies on Apr 11, 2019:

As an American, you do have the option of home-schooling your children.

The right of suffrage is a fundamental Article in Republican Constitutions.

jwhitten comments on Apr 11, 2019:

So, I being George Soros, buys up a huge apartment complex and offers shares all around to whomever wants one. Your speedbump is now neutralized. Don't get me wrong, I actually agree with your proposition, but I no longer see any practical way of implementing it.

jwhitten replies on Apr 11, 2019:

@Boardwine I think for your specific example regarding the bank and the house, you could solve that by simply stipulating in the loan contract that the bank is required to put forward your vote-- just like they do with all the other inconveniences, they pass those along to you. And moreover, being that it is such and ordinary and common situation, there would likely be laws passed in each state alleviating the bank from having to put forth the effort to poll you for your vote status and then rendering that to the State, or wherever and thus putting the onus on you-- and things would wind up looking just about like they do now. But to your larger point, it would depend upon the wording of the law-- and presumably just about any way you state it, could be gamed.

Chuckie Schumer does not want this Investigated....

jwhitten comments on Apr 11, 2019:

IMO, while I get the meme, the use of Jim Carrey as the underlying source is more than ironic.

jwhitten replies on Apr 11, 2019:

@Poppop12470 Oh, then nevermind. Looks like him a bit-- and the irony of that would have been stupendous. ;-)

Assange has been arrested

jwhitten comments on Apr 11, 2019:

That is indeed disturbing news and an extreme shame. As was the barrage of fabricated bullshit from Ecuador over Wikileaks breaking the impending news. I would hope people would besiege the White House in entreating Donald Trump to offer up a preemptive pardon for Assange. He and Wikileaks have done...

jwhitten replies on Apr 11, 2019:

@Kingbison I agree, but if you were Trump, it benefited you nonetheless.

I nearly choked .

Juliann comments on Apr 10, 2019:

None of them have an original thought in their heads. They are all spoon fed what to say to boost network ratings.

jwhitten replies on Apr 11, 2019:

@An_Ominous No question about it.

I nearly choked .

Juliann comments on Apr 10, 2019:

None of them have an original thought in their heads. They are all spoon fed what to say to boost network ratings.

jwhitten replies on Apr 11, 2019:

I agree that they are spoon-fed what to say. And that's scary as shit when you think about it. But I doubt that they are actually stupid, but rather are well aware where their paychecks are coming from.

Am I pandering if I say, ”You go girl!” Candace bitch slaps dumbass politicians.

RobBlair comments on Apr 10, 2019:

"Witness will not refer disparagingly to a member of the committee. [ We will do that all on our own ]" Nadler, New York City Liu says "When people try to legitimize Adolf Hitler ..." Thank you Los Angeles, but please keep your bad actors in Hollywood. This is exactly why I want Ann Coulter ...

jwhitten replies on Apr 11, 2019:

@Scanderbeg I have always thought Ann Coulter to be a sexy woman in an odd sort of way. And I absolutely agree that she's sharp as whip and can quickly hogtie nearly any opponent with her inimitable grace, good humor and-- wait for it-- facts. She gets high marks in my book. The bit on fossils though I think she's got wrong. Did you look at the links I provided? I also pointed out in another comment in this thread that there is a link on that page to a long list of transitional fossils which have been found, and source links at the bottom of the page to the experts / authorities who have weighed in on them. Now, as I also admitted in that other comment, I'm neither a paleontologist nor an expert on fossils, so in the end if you don't agree, I suppose we have a battle of "dueling smart people". You bring your experts and I'll bring mine, and we'll leave them to battle it out while we go have coffee. Whaddaya think?

Am I pandering if I say, ”You go girl!” Candace bitch slaps dumbass politicians.

RobBlair comments on Apr 10, 2019:

"Witness will not refer disparagingly to a member of the committee. [ We will do that all on our own ]" Nadler, New York City Liu says "When people try to legitimize Adolf Hitler ..." Thank you Los Angeles, but please keep your bad actors in Hollywood. This is exactly why I want Ann Coulter ...

jwhitten replies on Apr 11, 2019:

@RobBlair, @Scanderbeg I never said you couldn't challenge Darwin or the Theory of Evolution. Please do not put words in my mouth. Nor am I above having my own views and beliefs challenged and thus requiring myself to reexamine what I believe / understand to be true.

Am I pandering if I say, ”You go girl!” Candace bitch slaps dumbass politicians.

RobBlair comments on Apr 10, 2019:

"Witness will not refer disparagingly to a member of the committee. [ We will do that all on our own ]" Nadler, New York City Liu says "When people try to legitimize Adolf Hitler ..." Thank you Los Angeles, but please keep your bad actors in Hollywood. This is exactly why I want Ann Coulter ...

jwhitten replies on Apr 11, 2019:

@Scanderbeg, @RobBlair From the Wikipedia link that I referenced (here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transitional_fossil), there is a link within that page to this list of Transitional Fossils (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_transitional_fossils), which include quite a few remnants of animals which have legs (so to speak) in a predecessor categories. I'm neither a paleontologist nor an expert on fossils, but I'll note that there are quite a lot of referenced sources at the end of the article from people and places who seem like they would be more authoritative on the subject. You can read it for yourself and decide. That's what I did.

Am I pandering if I say, ”You go girl!” Candace bitch slaps dumbass politicians.

RobBlair comments on Apr 10, 2019:

"Witness will not refer disparagingly to a member of the committee. [ We will do that all on our own ]" Nadler, New York City Liu says "When people try to legitimize Adolf Hitler ..." Thank you Los Angeles, but please keep your bad actors in Hollywood. This is exactly why I want Ann Coulter ...

jwhitten replies on Apr 11, 2019:

@Scanderbeg I also pointed out in the beginning that I have admiration for Ann Coulter so I'm refusing to argue against her. Merely pointing out some discrepancies. I would add that many people, including smart ones-- and including myself-- are sometimes wrong on peripheral issues outside of their field of purview. There is no crime in that. The really smart ones own up to it when they find out and are willing to reassess their world views accordingly.

I refuse to feel guilty that I'm white.

jwhitten comments on Apr 10, 2019:

Ever consider that it may not be you?

jwhitten replies on Apr 11, 2019:

@bil2276 There is power in it-- they make you (some you) feel guilty over it, they have power over you. When you stop feeling guilty, the power is gone.

The media’s use of the adjective Hitlerian is a massive and ongoing insult to our intelligence.

Guido_Provolone comments on Apr 10, 2019:

It's an insult to those few still alive after living under Hitler, and their survivors.

jwhitten replies on Apr 11, 2019:

@Guido_Provolone Agreed.

The media’s use of the adjective Hitlerian is a massive and ongoing insult to our intelligence.

Guido_Provolone comments on Apr 10, 2019:

It's an insult to those few still alive after living under Hitler, and their survivors.

jwhitten replies on Apr 10, 2019:

@Guido_Provolone I don't think that there's anything 'fun' about Hitler, simply that it's time to move on. At this point all the 'Hitler' stuff is simply elevating him to some sort of cult relevance. IMO.

What is intelligence?

anjolino comments on Apr 10, 2019:

Balancing introspection and exploration.. a life unexamined is not worth living

jwhitten replies on Apr 10, 2019:

Said someone undoubtedly charging by the hour...

The media’s use of the adjective Hitlerian is a massive and ongoing insult to our intelligence.

Guido_Provolone comments on Apr 10, 2019:

It's an insult to those few still alive after living under Hitler, and their survivors.

jwhitten replies on Apr 10, 2019:

It's time to get over Hitler. Hitler was a bad guy and did terrible things. But he wasn't even the worst by a long shot-- when it comes to baddies he was a lightweight. We don't go out of our way to remember any of the others like Stalin or Pol Pot or Mao. So why does Hitler get the white glove treatment?? IMO, it's time to retire Hitler and boot his ass into the dustbin of history. Remembering him only serves to make him important. And it's obvious that "remembering" isn't actually stopping any new bad stuff from happening. So that trope needs to get tossed out too.

A Modest Proposal In Support of Free Speech and Expression Perhaps alternatively titled, "How can...

CRBG comments on Apr 10, 2019:

I don't want to be a contrarian either, but I'm happy with the status quo. Can you add a poll to get a sense of how the majority feel? Thanks.

jwhitten replies on Apr 10, 2019:

My own particular interest is in solving the problem as it was presented. I'm not even sure that I want to have it implemented. Except to say that if anything *was* implemented, I think this might be a workable solution to prevent censorship. Permit people to self-censor what they don't want to see and let everybody else speak freely. Seems pretty rational to me. (shrug) I'll think about the poll. Someone else asked me to do it too.

Am I pandering if I say, ”You go girl!” Candace bitch slaps dumbass politicians.

RobBlair comments on Apr 10, 2019:

"Witness will not refer disparagingly to a member of the committee. [ We will do that all on our own ]" Nadler, New York City Liu says "When people try to legitimize Adolf Hitler ..." Thank you Los Angeles, but please keep your bad actors in Hollywood. This is exactly why I want Ann Coulter ...

jwhitten replies on Apr 10, 2019:

@RobBlair How about her claim that there are no 'transitional fossils' which, to her mind, demonstrates that Darwin was incorrect and provides her a bully pulpit which with to laugh derisively over the theory of evolution (versus creationism). I am not belittling her general intellect, only a few of her facts. I won't quote her detractors who use her inaccuracy as a cudgel to beat her (back) over the head with. Rather I will simply point to a (more or less) impartial source with better information regarding the present status of the theory. Wikipedia, Transitional Fossils: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transitional_fossil

I refuse to feel guilty that I'm white.

jwhitten comments on Apr 10, 2019:

Ever consider that it may not be you?

jwhitten replies on Apr 10, 2019:

@bil2276 That it might be them instead.

Am I pandering if I say, ”You go girl!” Candace bitch slaps dumbass politicians.

chuckpo comments on Apr 10, 2019:

She's just so impressive. I'd love to see her go into politics. I don't see how the other side can keep her out--reminds me of a more aggressive version of Condoleezza Rice--somebody I wanted to run for president in 2016. As it turns out, I think Trump was the right pick for THIS time--Condi would ...

jwhitten replies on Apr 10, 2019:

I'd vote for her. She'd be a damned sight better than anybody the left is capable of running. Put her and Tucker Carlson on a ticket-- in any order-- and you know there would be entertaining fireworks going off for the next four years straight! I can think of worse ways to spend a quadrennial! LOL

Am I pandering if I say, ”You go girl!” Candace bitch slaps dumbass politicians.

RobBlair comments on Apr 10, 2019:

"Witness will not refer disparagingly to a member of the committee. [ We will do that all on our own ]" Nadler, New York City Liu says "When people try to legitimize Adolf Hitler ..." Thank you Los Angeles, but please keep your bad actors in Hollywood. This is exactly why I want Ann Coulter ...

jwhitten replies on Apr 10, 2019:

Ann Coulter is definitely a pistol no matter which side of reality she's arguing from that day. She makes a lot of great points-- some of which are off the mark and not entirely grounded in reality, but I do not say that to demean her but rather in admiration of her pluck and spirit.

Coming from Australia, the terms "left" or "right wing" are not thrown around nearly as much as say,...

govols comments on Apr 8, 2019:

Dog. Cat. Book. Table. Me/we. Us/them. It's how we assimilate society and it assimilates us. We think in labels and without them we don't think at all. We can't ponder ideas until we have know what "ponder" and "ideas" mean. One of the reasons the anonymity of the internet makes for such crazy talk ...

jwhitten replies on Apr 10, 2019:

@govols Yes, I think we are able to perceive / discern relationships prior to speech. I don't personally know if 'thought' is possible without words. I have tried my best to try and remember what it was like to exist without words, or to imagine what it must be like to somehow 'think' without words and I just can't do it. And yet clearly there are some types of processes that are occurring which utilize the 'analytical' part of our brains or else we would not be (as?) able to learn when we're young. You can build a machine to mimic your movements all day long, but there is no associated apparatus there to hoist those motions nor any accompanying risk or reward into 'learning'-- which I think must be governed by a different mechanism, even if the original mimicry is a component of the bootstrapping process. All of that other stuff you were talking about earlier is likely to exist as part of the data / content addressing mechanism, including associations to other similar things. IMO, it is most likely built in some sort of 'content addressable memory' array, though probably made more complex through lateral connections to other areas of the system.There may additionally be one or multiple layers of 'autonomous processing' happening as well, which perform various transforms and normalizations on the acquired or recalled data to strip it to its essential essence, determine key attributes, etc. Thus, as you suggested, when we think 'Tree', a whole flood of 'tree'-like objects start flooding in along with whatever your own version of the quintessential tree is to you. Interestingly, I believe that a whole lot of these kind of facilities / abilities are self-organizing and/or emergent properties of a system which is self-organizing such that many of the things we can do and are capable of doing are latent functions just waiting to be bootstrapped and lofted into service. Similarly I think speech and probably hearing and maybe even olfactory abilities are all latent parts of the package just waiting to be utilized. There have been many interesting experiments with various types of animals which seem to suggest that speech, understanding, some degree of cognition, etc. are present in at least a latent form, and simply remain undeveloped / underdeveloped through the lack of requisite hardware (ability to vocalize, for example) or need. Which is not to say that animals are capable of the same level or depth of language or cognition as humans, but it certainly makes one ponder where the line of difference really is between people and the rest of the animal kingdom. IMO.

BREAKING: New Zealand gun laws pass 119-1 after Christchurch mosque shootings

Rosetaz comments on Apr 10, 2019:

Now you are all vulnerable.

jwhitten replies on Apr 10, 2019:

Yup, these kind of shootings somehow nearly always take place in 'gun-free' zones. I can't for the life of me figure out what the connection is...

Coming from Australia, the terms "left" or "right wing" are not thrown around nearly as much as say,...

Maliketh comments on Apr 8, 2019:

It would be wonderful if America could get to the point where we could leave those labels out of a lot of our conversations. In the current climate, though, there are no votes to be garnered, ratings to be raised or money to be made by not using divisive language.

jwhitten replies on Apr 10, 2019:

I don't know if I agree with that-- and I don't know that I don't either... perhaps the goal should be getting the 'emotional punch' out of the labels so that we can simply refer to things by the labels / definitions we're familiar with without the inherent associated vitriol that seems to pervade our current climate. NOTE TO SELF: Take your own advice!! ;-)

Coming from Australia, the terms "left" or "right wing" are not thrown around nearly as much as say,...

govols comments on Apr 8, 2019:

Dog. Cat. Book. Table. Me/we. Us/them. It's how we assimilate society and it assimilates us. We think in labels and without them we don't think at all. We can't ponder ideas until we have know what "ponder" and "ideas" mean. One of the reasons the anonymity of the internet makes for such crazy talk ...

jwhitten replies on Apr 10, 2019:

@govols Are you able to think without words? Certainly you can perceive and observe. You can even react-- but can you *think* ?? Also, 'THAT' is a word, it's a temporary definition either to focus your attention on some specific thing (or concept), perhaps as a stand-in for something which is unknown, or else as a sort of a 'temporary variable' which is used to recall something that is already part of our current context. For instance, if we were talking about 'those children'-- which if you'll notice already 'lassos' a particular group of children, either specifically or abstractly, we can then later make reference to 'them' and we'll understand by context-- 'current context' to be more specific-- which set of children we mean.

A Modest Proposal In Support of Free Speech and Expression Perhaps alternatively titled, "How can...

chuckpo comments on Apr 9, 2019:

Okay, not to be contrarian, but systems that give users the ability to down vote become weaponized and even encourage tribalism. Eventually, USERS get down-voted and not each idea judged separately from a user. People become consumed with their 'score', and that's not very useful either. The feature...

jwhitten replies on Apr 10, 2019:

@chuckpo, @Admin May I point out that if you block someone because you 'think they're a choad', that's still *you* doing it, so the consequences of your action-- the experience you have-- is still your own. And, I would add, you have the ability to undo it in order to expand your horizons again at any time. No censorship required. Perhaps what is needed is to add the ability to permanently block a user, block a user for a thread or a group, or to block a user for some specified period of time, which could be conveniently suggested in a drop-down list if you're feeling uninspired and can't think of an appropriate period on your own... "Effects of blocking"... Yup. Sooner or later you have to make a choice. Do you want to see it or don't ya? The world is not a tame place, despite our best efforts to put up handrails for children (not implying you're a child), there are consequences that accompany the choices we make. "Negative Nick"... Here's the thing. If you put these elements in place, you don't have to use them. Neither does anybody else. Perhaps just having them might help some people who feel 'triggered' now and then feel like they have some small amount of control over what they're seeing, thinking and feeling in response to some content they've read or viewed. Simply marking a post with one of the 'downvote' buttons won't censor the comment, but rather mark it with a note regarding your feeling / assessment of it. Other people can *CHOOSE* to set their filters in such a way that they can (A) ignore your markings or (B) Include your markings. They may even choose to set their filters more strongly than yours so their view is even more restricted and myopic ;-) EDIT / AFTERTHOUGHT-- it's possible that *some* downvote buttons would invoke the shield (originally I had thought that maybe all of them apart from the simple numerical counter would invoke it). But in mulling over the 'Filtering' aspect as the second half of the scheme, it occurs to me that the shield doesn't really have to be invoked for anybody except for people with the same filter settings. So if you're not concerned about 'NSFW' for instance, or maybe 'GRAPHIC CONTENT' might be another one-- you will never experience the shield, though you would see the tags and the numeric counts. That way anybody can tag and it operates immediately for them (depending on their filters) but it doesn't affect anybody else unless they want them too-- again via their filter settings. Asking everybody... good idea. I'll need to write it up more concisely, I think. I'll give it some thought. Perhaps one of the @Admin 's would weigh in as well. Don't know how to attract one or call one over though... maybe the '@' thing will work its magic... 'Swiping'... not everybody is using this site ...

[ansionnachfionn.com] Dave Rubin The useful Idiot of the Alt-Right

DrN1 comments on Apr 8, 2019:

Does free speech need to be truthful or have integrity? Asking for a friend!

jwhitten replies on Apr 10, 2019:

@Boardwine That's kinda what I meant..

Let us know your ideas on how to improve this new site!

jwhitten comments on Apr 9, 2019:

Add a "Damned Straight!" option to the list of "likes". ;-)

jwhitten replies on Apr 10, 2019:

@Admin I'm down with that. Let people express their emotions! How they feel about things.

What most feminists actually think.

jwhitten comments on Apr 9, 2019:

Why don't we review some of those heartwarming, man-loving sentiments that Feminists have had for men over the years.... “To call a man an animal is to flatter him; he’s a machine, a walking dildo.” — Valerie Solanas, founder of S.C.U.M. (Society for Cutting Up Men), attempted to murder...

jwhitten replies on Apr 10, 2019:

@george And that, in a nutshell, is the whole complete essence of 'Feminism'.

Was disappointed to see Tim express support for Yang.

DavidicLineage comments on Mar 14, 2019:

The only reason it's a dumb idea is that money is supposed to come from nowhere. Now, if that money were coming from leveraging the subject's own data into income... https://davidiclineage.com/

jwhitten replies on Apr 10, 2019:

@DavidicLineage One of the things that I have a hard time understanding is if people want to create a socialist / communist government where everybody holds hands and sings kumbaya all the time, why does it need money? Why aren't people simply frolicking in the fields, scooping up the wheat and singing while they trundle it to market and turning cartwheels as they bake it into bread for the masses to eat? Why aren't the song birds singing and the rainbows popping-- why is it always AK47's and backs to the wall?? Universal Basic Income is simply another path to the gas chambers, or the killing fields. What "data" do you have to "leverage" if you're too poor to BUY anything? And if we just hand it out anyway willy-nilly, then some bright spot of a political administrator is going to hit upon the idea of stratification of income-- nevermind "Animal Farm" and all its implications-- people will get 'X' or 'Y' depending upon what *CLASS* they're shoved into-- and suddenly the producers and price-setters are going to start making the price of goods X+1 and Y+1 so they can make a buck and people will have to WORK to make that buck and hand it over. It's just another great big shell game being played by people wanting socialism in hopes that the rubes will be too busy looking at all their "free money" that they won't figure out what the big words mean until its too late and their goose, assuming they actually could afford one, is cooked.

A Modest Proposal In Support of Free Speech and Expression Perhaps alternatively titled, "How can...

WingedRyno comments on Apr 9, 2019:

Let users block, let users create lists of those they block with reasons for each block, and let others subscribe to those block lists. Then people can block because they see something they don't like, and people can let others do their blocking for them (think SPLC fans) and the rest of us can ...