The Loyal Opposition

[henry quirk]

"I thought it was me."

I think it was just his delicate sensibilities.

[Happy Monkey]

Originally Posted by henry quirk

"No, you still decide in both cases."

No, only in one.

No, you can still apply your own parameters. In fact, you'll have more information available in order to do so.

[Undertoad]

I'm real sorry that there is more interest in "sports" than there is in "women's sports" although for now there is still less interest in seeing the top human potential as limited by gender. Perhaps someday there will be. I don't think it is a necessary factor in creating an less sexist culture.

Now we have a weird wild lightning rod for everyone

At high school and college level, the best women athletes are being beaten by transgendered XYs who identify as women.

Ideally there would be a separate sports category for tg'd people but one doubts that will happen

And it breaks civil rights laws in many states for high schools to not treat tg'd XYs as women -- as they should, arguably except for this one wild loophole

The nuance comes in the form of the argument that hormone therapy reduces muscle mass over time, so someone who has been TG a long time no longer has an advantage. The counter argument comes from the two tg'd men coming in first and second at the Connecticut state track finals last year and breaking the meet record along the way.

It will cause XX girls to stop participating in girl's sports. As one shitposter put it, "Girls, you had your shot but once again boys are superior and you'll just have to live with it."

S'a tough one.

[henry quirk]

"S'a tough one."

No, it's not.

[BigV]

Regarding the recent news of the progress in fighting COVID-19 with Remdesivir:

Watching him hotfoot around while he pisses himself with gasoline does definitely give me a very satisfying sense of schadenfreude.

Originally Posted by Undertoad

You're looking for a fight and I'm so not interested in that.

You are right again, as you often are. But I think it's important to point out that my fight is not with you, sir. I like you, I consider you a friend, I value you and your opinions. My fight is with the very senior Whitehouse official and his unindicted co-conspirators/enablers/cult members. I feel outnumbered, I haven't found a way to penetrate the obdurate deliberate ignorance separating "them" from reality. I find his behavior on display during these recent several "press conferences" appalling, disgusting. He's a very nasty person, if I may borrow a phrase.

[Undertoad]

You love it because it fulfills you. You must have an enemy, it is a necessary part of evolved human nature. It is in our chimp brains.

Now you have an enemy, the dopamines rush in each time you think of him -- and you can feel that your thoughts are wildly important, and simply because they are in opposition, your brain rewards all this. No matter whether it's actually sensible to be against a medication because the POTUS mentions it -- or, really, sensible to have spent any time considering it at all. The fight is the important thing.

It's a brain reaction; it's addict behavior. And so you assist him in stealing the oxygen from the room for any other topic. As they say, he's living rent-free in your head since 2016. And that is how he wins.

[BigV]

We must have an enemy, eh? Or are you not human?

Does the virus "win" by getting into my body and reproducing? That's what the very senior Whitehouse official's win is like. He's a parasite. One that is dangerous and well worth paying attention to, but he lives entirely off the host. As part of the informed citizenry that is the foundation of our republic, I can not help but pay attention to him. But that attention is not "winning", unless that's important for you to maintain so we can further this conversation. If so, yeah, winning.

This oxygen here, it's mine, I'm not stealing it. I'm using it to fuel the fires that light up his corruption, his incompetence. I don't oppose a point just because it comes from a highly placed source in the Whitehouse. I do compare it to other pertinent factors, including the "emotional appeal" of the presentation, the facts from other sources I trust, previous statements by the same official, etc. The net result will guide my reaction. Maybe that's just another day in my bubble. Maybe it's me trying to be the best citizen, adult, friend, person I can be. Those things probably overlap. Maybe I lose stock with you by my cheap shots, like the remark about the absence of the hydrochloroquine mentions--that's fair. They're cheap because they're easy. And man, is he an easy target.

But I'm all the way done with letting him slide on shit. You can go back and check the title of the thread for confirmation. Loyal to my country, opposed to the current officeholder.

[Undertoad]

I try very hard to love my enemies. It's revolutionary advice that wisdom has seen fit to pass down for centuries and has helped to preserve the human race.

This oxygen here, it's mine, I'm not stealing it. I'm using it to fuel the fires that light up his corruption, his incompetence.

The other day's news cycle, there were three national political stories. Dear Leader's press conference, Bernie's endorsement, stunning Wisconsin victory. The only story that got traction was the press conference. The other two were about Democratic ascendancy and unification. Those stories got less attention.

But I'm all the way done with letting him slide on shit.

And this is how he wins.

[Luce]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

Now we have a weird wild lightning rod for everyone

At high school and college level, the best women athletes are being beaten by transgendered XYs who identify as women.

Ideally there would be a separate sports category for tg'd people but one doubts that will happen

And it breaks civil rights laws in many states for high schools to not treat tg'd XYs as women -- as they should, arguably except for this one wild loophole

The nuance comes in the form of the argument that hormone therapy reduces muscle mass over time, so someone who has been TG a long time no longer has an advantage. The counter argument comes from the two tg'd men coming in first and second at the Connecticut state track finals last year and breaking the meet record along the way.

It will cause XX girls to stop participating in girl's sports. As one shitposter put it, "Girls, you had your shot but once again boys are superior and you'll just have to live with it."

S'a tough one.

You know, right now sportsball doesn't seem quite as important.

[Luce]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

I try very hard to love my enemies.

I don't. My enemies are assholes. That's why they're enemies.

[Urbane Guerrilla]

The "very senior White House person" is a danger to the *statists,* who find the best harbor in just one of the Major Parties -- and none at all in one of the Minors.

This is *no* sort of danger to the United States of America. It's only being so trumpeted by people so short on thought as to confuse the Socialist Democrats and their giddy Party with America as a whole.

That won't wash. The two are too readily distinguished.

[Luce]

Originally Posted by Urbane Guerrilla

This is *no* sort of danger to the United States of America.

This is what they call the bravery of being out of range.

[tw]

What is out of range now that the Second Amendment says we can all own 155 mm howitzers and other weapons of 'defense'.

[Urbane Guerrilla]

Originally Posted by Luce

This is what they call the bravery of being out of range.

By way of a fillip to your metaphorical nose there, I spent nine years plus in my country's uniform. Two awards Navy Expeditionary Medal. Quite, I think, in range.

[Urbane Guerrilla]

Originally Posted by tw

What is out of range now that the Second Amendment says we can all own 155 mm howitzers and other weapons of 'defense'.

Tw is particularly shortchanged on US firearms history, in especial that from the beginning of the nation you could privately purchase field guns -- with intent -- for any private use you saw fit, and none to gainsay you; indeed, nothing but the weight of your purse. Shooting off that much powder per bang ran into money. Consequently, most such guns were like 4-pounders. They were cheaper to feed.

Full-auto smokeless powder arms? -- up through the Roaring Twenties. How much .45 ammo did you want for your Thompson gun? That ran into bucks too.

Tw's use of "now" seems more ill-advised than usual. Further, there is that whole best defense aphorism. One who is attuned to civil rights teaches that you have, gain, and keep those rights you can enforce. Lethal force, even. You lose the rights you can't, or aren't allowed to, and that spells trouble. Tyranny (even inappropriateness) being worse than application of lethal force to tyrants -- or their staffers.