The Refuge of the Toads

#69421

deLurch wrote:Question: Who is going to cry uncle first?

* Richard Carrier?
* Or everyone else he is suing?
* Or are certain people he is suing going to drop early, such as Amy Frank?

My best guess is the combined financial resources of everyone else combined beats the pants off of Richard Carrier's war chest.

Personally, I think you underestimate the self-destructive power of an over-inflated ego.

Carrier is peer reviewed, ffs!

#69422

Bhurzum wrote:
MacGruberKnows wrote:And I know a think or two about being base, uhh, I mean bass.
Double-bass?

[.img]http://i3.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article ... aylynn.jpg[/img]

I prefer 2 cellos

[youtube][/youtube]

#69423

Service Dog wrote: :romance-heartbeating: 8:27 :romance-hearteyes: 8:27! :romance-heartbeating: 8:27 :romance-heartbeating:

Can we keep her?!!

Goodbye Jenneke.... Hello 8:27!!

"It rubs the lotion on the skin or else it gets the hose again."

#69424

Bhurzum wrote: At the risk of sounding crude/boorish, I'd eat her ass like a starving hobo who just found a bag of hot french fries!

And if you were really hungry you could eat her nose. JK, she's super hot.

Big shnozz though.

#69425

Service Dog wrote: :romance-heartbeating: 8:27 :romance-hearteyes: 8:27! :romance-heartbeating: 8:27 :romance-heartbeating:

Can we keep her?!!

Goodbye Jenneke.... Hello 8:27!!

Aaargh, you bastard. You got me!! That image is going to stay with me all day now! :sad-roulette:

#69426

MacGruberKnows wrote:I'll add this one in too, though technically the women is playing the part of the cello:

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/01/ ... 784095.jpg

It all makes sense when you think of women as musical instruments.

#69427

Bhurzum wrote:
Service Dog wrote::romance-heartbeating: 8:27 :romance-hearteyes: 8:27! :romance-heartbeating: 8:27 :romance-heartbeating:

Can we keep her?!!

Goodbye Jenneke.... Hello 8:27!!
I'm holding onto my dream that one day Khatia Buniatishvili will take her place as queen of the 'pit!

http://ilarge.lisimg.com/image/6896827/ ... shvili.jpg

[.youtube][/youtube]

At the risk of sounding crude/boorish, I'd eat her ass like a starving hobo who just found a bag of hot french fries!

Yup, you can have the ogre of butter-face mountain (8:27) and I'll have the jasmine scented Georgian godess :P

Oh! Excellent performance. I did a quick check on her and apparently she gave up the violin for piano. Lovely. She has been criticized for her pacing both for being too fast and too slow. Some prudes apparently are unhappy about her displaying her assets but I suspect they are jealous.

Currently listening to my fave Beethoven the 'Pastoral' (6th). Everyone seems to conduct it just a little bit too fast for my liking though. Especially the Allegro. Oh well. One day perhaps?

[youtube][/youtube]

#69428

Suet Cardigan wrote:
Bhurzum wrote:Generation snowflake speaketh.

(Lions, tigers, asexual non-binary trans* unicorns...oh my!)

***WARNING*** Weapons-grade cringe!

[youtube][/youtube]
My face when watching:

AlTat.jpg
I could only get through the first 90 seconds.

What a bunch of up their own arse twats.

90 seconds seems to be a good go - had enough at 50s.

#69429

Keating wrote:
Bhurzum wrote:
MacGruberKnows wrote:And I know a think or two about being base, uhh, I mean bass.
Double-bass?

[.img]http://i3.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article ... aylynn.jpg[/img]
I prefer 2 cellos

[youtube][/youtube]

I wouldn't bang either of them - there I've admitted it I'm sexist :?

#69430

A clutch of orbiteers have new posts up. NY resolutions I guess.

Greta is very depressed.

My depression is back with a vengeance. It was bad even before the election, and it’s worse now. So I’ve been more vigilant than usual about what helps and what doesn’t. And I’ve noticed something that helps, something I’d never noticed before: Novelty.

I see she has canned comments like Alex and Miri. No spoons to sort thru the single digit or less flood of interest.

...

Shockingly, Trans and Godless is back despite it's depression. Ze says:

Like many of you I am still tender. I am still recovering. I am still grieving.
But I am here with you now. And I promise to be with you more in the coming year.

...

Dana is channelling her inner Jyn:

This is a regime bolstered by white supremacists, fascists, and other assorted scum. This is a regime that will do serious and lasting harm to America and the world. There’s no question. We don’t acquiesce. We don’t accept. We don’t reach across aisles and attempt to heal divides. The only thing to do in a situation like this is rebel.

She then quotes an article entitled "Rebellions Are Built On Hope: Why Rogue One Matters Now More Than Ever"

...

SZvan has given up, reduced to "Mock the Movie: Zombie Nazis Edition". Inspired no doubt by the zero comments she got for her Dec 30 seri-arse "abuse" post.

#69431

Watson is under the delusion her gaming is a job complete with sick leave. A job moreover people give a shit about.

http://i.imgur.com/9ziyMMs.jpg

#69432

"Don't mention Islam", an article on the denial of the common muslim supremacist motivation and support for terrorism.

The data show that the “politically correct” regressive-leftist refusal to speak forthrightly about Islamist terrorism played a powerful — in fact, probably decisive — role in sending Trump to the White House. Last summer, a Pew Research Center survey found that eight out of ten registered voters considered terrorism “very important” in their decision about how to vote in November. Hillary Clinton’s stubborn obfuscation and puerile remarks on the subject surely did nothing to assuage their fears. Trump easily (and crudely) exploited this issue — indeed, made it a signature issue of his campaign — and defeated her.

Lesson No. 1 from Terrorism 101: terrorists do not have to kill many people in order to influence public opinion. They need only occasionally (and horrifically) disrupt order in our lives to prove that a government is incapable of carrying out its first, most fundamental duty — to protect its citizens. Telling people they are wrong to fear and then clumsily stifling talk of the provenance of the fear reeks of cowardice and even creates the impression of collusion with the terrorists — a proven loser’s strategy, as the recent U.S. presidential elections have just demonstrated.

Well-intentioned but useless online grandstanding and virtue-signaling — for example, the proclamation by the filmmaker Michael Moore, a professed Catholic, that “We are all Muslim” or the tweeted willingness of non-Muslims to sign up on a future Muslim registry — might be abandoned in favor of actual street demonstrations in favor of First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and religion for all citizens, including Muslims and — critically — former Muslims and atheists.

Freedom of religion also means freedom from religion; free (critical) speech about religion has the effect of freeing people from religion.

#69433

deLurch wrote:Question: Who is going to cry uncle first?

* Richard Carrier?
* Or everyone else he is suing?
* Or are certain people he is suing going to drop early, such as Amy Frank?

My best guess is the combined financial resources of everyone else combined beats the pants off of Richard Carrier's war chest.

Neither. If Carrier prevails Pz & company will concede that Dr PhD is a litigious bastard. If Carrier loses, he'll claim to have been outspent & puke out a wall of text detailing the many ways that the judge failed to apply the law properly.

#69434

For Paddy, having reported on the N Irish heating scandal (and most of us Brits from the 70s should remember these characters).

#69435

Oglebart wrote:
Service Dog wrote: :romance-heartbeating: 8:27 :romance-hearteyes: 8:27! :romance-heartbeating: 8:27 :romance-heartbeating:

Can we keep her?!!

Goodbye Jenneke.... Hello 8:27!!
Aaargh, you bastard. You got me!! That image is going to stay with me all day now! :sad-roulette:

As this board may not support spoiler code, I''ll be kind and post a link
He/She/Xir looks divine....er like Divine

#69436

Dean Esmay appears to have deleted this tweet. Shame. It is simply stunning in its narcissistic idiocy. Apparently, his suffering is the same as 6 million Jews that went up a chimney -

https://68.media.tumblr.com/ca3c8302f27 ... 1a_540.png

#69437

franc wrote:Dean Esmay appears to have deleted this tweet. Shame. It is simply stunning in its narcissistic idiocy. Apparently, his suffering is the same as 6 million Jews that went up a chimney -

My bad. It's still there -

#69438

Just dump and run -

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C1fkI4xWEAA-Fs4.jpg

#69439

Kirbmarc wrote:"Don't mention Islam", an article on the denial of the common muslim supremacist motivation and support for terrorism.

The data show that the “politically correct” regressive-leftist refusal to speak forthrightly about Islamist terrorism played a powerful — in fact, probably decisive — role in sending Trump to the White House. Last summer, a Pew Research Center survey found that eight out of ten registered voters considered terrorism “very important” in their decision about how to vote in November. Hillary Clinton’s stubborn obfuscation and puerile remarks on the subject surely did nothing to assuage their fears. Trump easily (and crudely) exploited this issue — indeed, made it a signature issue of his campaign — and defeated her.

Lesson No. 1 from Terrorism 101: terrorists do not have to kill many people in order to influence public opinion. They need only occasionally (and horrifically) disrupt order in our lives to prove that a government is incapable of carrying out its first, most fundamental duty — to protect its citizens. Telling people they are wrong to fear and then clumsily stifling talk of the provenance of the fear reeks of cowardice and even creates the impression of collusion with the terrorists — a proven loser’s strategy, as the recent U.S. presidential elections have just demonstrated.

Well-intentioned but useless online grandstanding and virtue-signaling — for example, the proclamation by the filmmaker Michael Moore, a professed Catholic, that “We are all Muslim” or the tweeted willingness of non-Muslims to sign up on a future Muslim registry — might be abandoned in favor of actual street demonstrations in favor of First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and religion for all citizens, including Muslims and — critically — former Muslims and atheists.

Freedom of religion also means freedom from religion; free (critical) speech about religion has the effect of freeing people from religion.

I am really annoyed by the original article by Natasha Ezrow. There is nuance, and definitely an argument to be had that it isn't just Islam that is the problem.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/postever ... -they-are/

For generations, we have sung, "Onwards Christian soldiers" before going into battle, and we took our chaplains with us, that does not make our battles into holy wars. And you will notice that fanatical Christians blow up abortion clinics, which is to say that when belief in Christianity is coupled with the issue of abortion being framed as the murder of babies, that is when you get the violence. Fanatical Christianity isn't enough in itself to create danger.

More recently, people on the other side of the debate have pointed to Islam as if it has persistently been a problem which is the root of all terror in the Levant. I think they are wrong too.

The war over Palestine was largely secular with some of the more ferocious branches of the PLO being Christian. Essentially what you have are Nationalists, who just happen to be Muslim. The PKK is not much different, although the group's ideology is communist and atheist, the truth is that many of it's members are actually Muslim or non-practicing Muslims rather than Atheist. So you have Muslims who are fighting for secular Nationalist causes, with religion being invoked on a personal level. Likewise, the war in the Lebanon was sectarian, but it is too simplistic to call it religious.

In the 1970s, you will remember that Palestinian Nationalists, and other Communist orientated groups sympathetic to their cause carried out attacks and hijackings, from Tel Aviv airport to the Munich massacre of the Israeli olympic team. The idea for this was broadly to bring the plight of the Palestinians to National attention, the thinking was that the Palestinian's cause was so just, that once the world looked up and took notice they would side with the Palestinians. Of course what actually happened was that the media painted them as Islamic fanatics hellbent of genocide of the Jews, etc, etc.

The result of this was a strategy of internalizing the conflict. Rarely did the PLO ever carry out attacks against Israeli's outside of Israel and the occupied territories. The main plank of this strategy was to show the world that the Palestinians are a problem of Israel's making.
This way of thinking was largely adopted by all after this, after all if you are not operating in the US, France and Britain, you don't have to worry about the CIA, DGSE and MI6 breathing down your neck.

Another turning point was the use of suicide bombers in Lebanon. Suicide bombing is practically a side issue but it has to be mentioned. Muslims didn't invent it, until recently they weren't the primary users of it as a tactic. However it is a very effective and efficient terrorist tactic which can be justified within Islam. That doesn't mean to say that when Hezbollah used it, that their war suddenly became an Islamic war, their primary motivation was still Nationalism, they were fighting a foreign occupation, and when the occupation ended so did the use of suicide bombings. The tactic was also adopted by the PKK, again, a Nationalist movement, many of whom's members were muslims.

Up until this point, I don't think Islam is the problem. The goal of all attacks has nationalism at it's core, there is a universal policy not to export the terrorism to the west even though the west is in their business.

Even the war in Afghanistan against the Russian occupation was largely Nationalist (or tribal) in nature. The Men doing the fighting may have been fanatical muslims, but it was a war of liberation. The turning point comes after the war when some of the Mujahadeen associated with the network of Osama bin Laden formulated a new strategy. This was based on the idea that none of the Nationalist wars in the Islamic world could be won while the regimes were supported by the West -- as demonstrated by the fact that he had just been supported by the west and managed to beat the Soviets! The answer then was to force the West to disengage.

Although this is a seismic shift, I still don't think this is the point where Islam became the problem. When Bush said they hate us for our freedoms, Osama bin Laden replied with, "Then why didn't we attack Sweden?"

All the same, the people fighting in these conflicts are Muslim and Arab. A shift started sometime during the Iraq war. Islamic explanations and Justifications morphed into Islamic motivation.

We are now at the point where Muslim immigrants shit in the street and form rape gangs. On my travels in North Africa and the Middle East, I do not remember this being part of the culture -- I don't know where this comes from. This seems to be a sign of Muslim's complete contempt for the West and for the infidels.

It's my opinion that in the same way the west has been in the grip of SJWism which is a perversion of progressivism and liberalism, the Islamic world is in the grip of Islamic fascism, which is a perversion of what Islamic/Arabist culture once was. The difference is that Islam is going back to it's roots in the middle ages.

Where the OP gets it wrong is that the terrorism is now all linked by two factors, the strategy based on the idea that the West needs to be destroyed before the Islamic world can be free, and secondly by these aggressive strains of Islam.

The defeat of ISIS is not going to have a great deal of effect on Islamists part of the problem, but it will demonstrate that Osama bin Laden was absolutely correct, except this time it isn't the west interfering, it is his old enemies the Russians.

I predict it is about to get worse.

#69440

Brive1987 wrote:Watson is under the delusion her gaming is a job complete with sick leave. A job moreover people give a shit about.

http://i.imgur.com/9ziyMMs.jpg

She's not even a Twitch partner and has under 500 Twitch followers. She's basically taking a sick day from the street corner where she often panhandle.

#69441

VickyCaramel wrote: For generations, we have sung, "Onwards Christian soldiers" before going into battle, and we took our chaplains with us, that does not make our battles into holy wars. And you will notice that fanatical Christians blow up abortion clinics, which is to say that when belief in Christianity is coupled with the issue of abortion being framed as the murder of babies, that is when you get the violence. Fanatical Christianity isn't enough in itself to create danger.

No, it isn't. However it is enough when it's coupled with a) a narrative of oppression and victimhood and b) conspiracy theories about an impending genocide/enslavement. Both elements are present in the narrative of those who blow up abortion clinics: according to them there's a "war on christianity" and abortion is a strategy to foster a genocide of christian babies.

Those views are constantly repeated and emphasized in many right-wing outlets, where every limitation of undue privileges of christianity or every non-christian celebration is cast as an attack on christians and christianity itself. Commentators like Alex Jones diffuse wide-range nonsensical conspiracy theories which contribute to a climate of perceived oppression, where if you can no longer force children to pray at school you're suddenly "oppressed".

The same elements, a narrative of oppression and victimhood and conspiracy theories (usually blaming the Jews) are very widespread among young muslims, to an extent that they're part of the mainstream culture in many areas of the MENA countries and of the Muslim-majority countries/regions in the Caucasus and in South East Asia.

On the other hand a mitigating factor is widespread disdain for violence for political and religious means from important religious and political authorities. This happens, to a certain extent, in Christianity in the "west", where most mainstream religious figures and mainstream political figures express disdain for violence (at least at a superficial level).

In MENA countries and South East Asia religious authorities don't express open disdain for all violence. While they're divided about attacks of fellow muslims, and tactically express sorrow to the westerners they need to be acquiescent towards, the majority of them support at least certain forms of armed insurrection in the of islam, and they're ambivalent on whether attacks on non-muslims are justified. In small communities in the west a lot depends on the local imams, many of which are spreading muslim supremacist ideas and aren't too keen on distancing themselves from political violence.

More recently, people on the other side of the debate have pointed to Islam as if it has persistently been a problem which is the root of all terror in the Levant. I think they are wrong too.

The point in question isn't the root of all terror in the Levant, but the clear ties between the widespread ideology of muslim supremacy and islamic terrorism in the "west" and elsewhere. The ideology of muslim supremacy is based on perceived western weakness and corruption, on the ideology of perpetual muslim victimhood, on a slew of conspiracy theories on future or occurring muslim genocide (usually blamed on the Jews) and of dreams of invasion, submission and colonization of Europe and eventually of the entire world into an idea of a worldwide caliphate.

It's not just ISIS which is preaching those ideas, it's the entire Salafi branch of the Sunna, and not only them. These ideas have become widespread among the muslim youth in the west, among immigrants and among muslim political activists, largely because of the preaching of Saudi and petro-country-sponsored Salafi imams and other "community leaders". Muslim supremacy is a very organized, widespread, popular and highly mediatic ideology, which is sponsored to various degrees by many different groups, from the Muslim brotherhood to Hamas to Al-Qaeda to ISIS.

The splits and intestine wars of those groups are based on purity tests on who's more pious and on difference on whether it's acceptable to kill muslim civilians, not on the rejection of the idea that islam is going to conquer the world or at least control the weak and corrupt west in order to avoid being exterminated by a sinister Jewish plot which uses the weak and corrupt west as a proxy.

The war over Palestine was largely secular with some of the more ferocious branches of the PLO being Christian. Essentially what you have are Nationalists, who just happen to be Muslim. The PKK is not much different, although the group's ideology is communist and atheist, the truth is that many of it's members are actually Muslim or non-practicing Muslims rather than Atheist. So you have Muslims who are fighting for secular Nationalist causes, with religion being invoked on a personal level. Likewise, the war in the Lebanon was sectarian, but it is too simplistic to call it religious.

All true but also all not every relevant to the current wave of muslim supremacist terrorism.

Although this is a seismic shift, I still don't think this is the point where Islam became the problem. When Bush said they hate us for our freedoms, Osama bin Laden replied with, "Then why didn't we attack Sweden?"

If I were to speculate, it's because Sweden was welcoming muslim migrants and allowing Salafi leaders to spread their message. Europe was seen by the most fanatics as ripe for future conquest, and by the more pragmatic figures as a convenient basis where to hide and get support.

This has changed in the last fifteen years, when the older and more pragmatic figures in the muslim supremacist movement died or were captured and the "west" fist toppled Saddam and Gaddafi then left Iraq and Libya on their own, and the newer leaders and adepts are more and more fanatic and feel confident in their numbers in the west to demand at the very least self-governing powers in their religious enclaves and at most a complete overhaul of the societies where they live in order to turn them into muslim theocracies.

We are now at the point where Muslim immigrants shit in the street and form rape gangs. On my travels in North Africa and the Middle East, I do not remember this being part of the culture -- I don't know where this comes from. This seems to be a sign of Muslim's complete contempt for the West and for the infidels.

It was always there. It's there in the Koran, where infidels are only to be respected and "protected" if they submit and pay taxes, otherwise they're free game (and that's only for the "people of the book", the "pagans" and the unbelievers are always free game).

The trigger of this contempt is the perception of being in time of war, of an all-out attack on islam. This happened after the Iraq war, but it was arguably Bin Laden's objective from the start.

Mohammed himself approved of slave girls (gee, I wonder what you do with them) in times of war. He was against enslaving the women of the "protected people" in times of peace as long as they paid the protection money jizya to the ~~gangsters~~ muslim leaders because that's bad for ~~business~~ "peace".

It's my opinion that in the same way the west has been in the grip of SJWism which is a perversion of progressivism and liberalism, the Islamic world is in the grip of Islamic fascism, which is a perversion of what Islamic/Arabist culture once was. The difference is that Islam is going back to it's roots in the middle ages.

The comparison is fair to a certain extent, although in the case of muslim supremacy it's relatively easy for them to find justifications in the words of religious leaders and in the Koran itself. SJWs find far less justifications for their ideas in the core of "western" ideals, that's why they have to say that all "western" thought leaders were horrible shitlords. Also the SJWs are far less of a threat because they're pussies, but that's another story.

The defeat of ISIS is not going to have a great deal of effect on Islamists part of the problem, but it will demonstrate that Osama bin Laden was absolutely correct, except this time it isn't the west interfering, it is his old enemies the Russians.

I predict it is about to get worse.

It is going to get worse, and the more we cuddle muslim supremacist groups by offering them support and sympathy, as it happens in the left, the worse it'll be. It's time to show them that we're not the easily manipulated useful idiots that they think we are. It's time to demand duties from immigrants and citizens, to reduce immigration, to no longer accept special rights and privileges due to religion.

#69442

Brive1987 wrote:Watson is under the delusion her gaming is a job complete with sick leave. A job moreover people give a shit about.

http://i.imgur.com/9ziyMMs.jpg

She's become a self-serving fantasist like Wu.

http://imgur.com/nZdb626.jpg

#69443

Ape+lust wrote:http://imgur.com/nZdb626.jpg

There's a small mistake there. It's not "thanks for making my work possible" but "thanks for making it possible for me not to work".

#69444

Kirbmarc wrote: All true but also all not every relevant to the current wave of muslim supremacist terrorism.

Yes, my point is that it is irrelevant.
In fact, you have mentioned Hamas, It may sound like a conspiracy theory but Hamas only came you power with the help of Israel whe were supplying them with money and arms while hammering the PLO with air strikes - divide and conquer. Hamas is the enemy that Israel would rather be fighting, because they can point to them and say they are Islamic supremacists... and yet Hamas are not that stupid and they have rejected IS, Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden's strategy.

Kirbmarc wrote: If I were to speculate, it's because Sweden was welcoming muslim migrants and allowing Salafi leaders to spread their message. Europe was seen by the most fanatics as ripe for future conquest, and by the more pragmatic figures as a convenient basis where to hide and get support.

I was in Sweden around this time (I was there several times 2002, 2003, 2005.) and even had tea and scones with an Iranian Iman while I was there. I was invited along because he had preached in London where he met his English wife - I don't speak Swedish. Despite being Iranian I believe he was Sunni and had left the country after the revolution. Anywhoo...

At this time the immigrants in the country was actually a subject which came up. Most were from South East Asia or Chile and had been genuine refugees, there were a handful of Kurds and Iranians too. I think that while I was there one time Sweden declared one of the countries safe to return to and was giving out grants for people to return. But as far as I am aware Sweden was not welcoming Muslims back then. I was actually in Malmo I think in 2003 and it didn't stand out in my mind as particularly dusky. It was only a few years later that I started hearing on Fox News that Malmo had been overrun with muslims.

Regardless, Osama bin Laden wasn't pushing for world-wide domination or European conquest, just the diminishing of the west Western and an end to their influence in the Middle East. It is fairly safe to take bin Laden at his word. Spreading Islam in the west was not the goal.

#69445

InfraRedBucket wrote:For Paddy, having reported on the N Irish heating scandal (and most of us Brits from the 70s should remember these characters).

The Ulster Fry are usually pretty funny, I liked that one.

Arlene Foster has been playing the misogyny card, mostly to derisive laughter, including from feminist groups. Hopefully we're turning a corner on how effective that tactic is.

#69446

franc wrote:
franc wrote:Dean Esmay appears to have deleted this tweet. Shame. It is simply stunning in its narcissistic idiocy. Apparently, his suffering is the same as 6 million Jews that went up a chimney -
My bad. It's still there -

Dean is pretty much a nutcase that no one likes and no one listens to unless they are baited by his outrageous statements. Other people have summed him up better, but I believe their summary boils down to him intentionally spouting provocative statements to show atheists how they treat Christians. And his position is to never back down from a statement. He needs help, and we are not the ones to give it to him.

#69447

deLurch wrote:
franc wrote:
franc wrote:Dean Esmay appears to have deleted this tweet. Shame. It is simply stunning in its narcissistic idiocy. Apparently, his suffering is the same as 6 million Jews that went up a chimney -
My bad. It's still there -

Dean is pretty much a nutcase that no one likes and no one listens to unless they are baited by his outrageous statements. Other people have summed him up better, but I believe their summary boils down to him intentionally spouting provocative statements to show atheists how they treat Christians. And his position is to never back down from a statement. He needs help, and we are not the ones to give it to him.

So basically Don't Feed the Troll. Also, I suspect that Dean has a number of sockpuppets who use the same method.

#69448

#69449

It has been a colder winter here than average, even at sea level we had a bit of snow on the ground for a week or so (gone now). In the hills though it's been colder. This lake is at about 1000 feet elevation and several miles inland. It made me cold just watching this video:
http://www.comoxvalleyecho.com/news/409820285.html

#69450

Dean Esmay strikes me as a case-study of someone in serious personal decline. I was first vaguely-aware of him as an anchor of stability at A Voice For Men. Esmay seemed to donate countless low-profile hours keeping the place running. His politics seemed regular-guy Democrat, as opposed to tinfoil fringe. He was 'good cop' to other contributors' bad cop/ loose cannon antics. (i preferred the latter.)

Then there was talk of Esmay neglecting himself... dental/health issues ignored for years + him showing-up in Canada for a public mra event-- looking like a derelict. When he exited AVFM, it seemed like it might be a sane guy leaving the crazyship, not a crazy guy getting the boot. (I didnt follow any of this avidly/ i may be bungling facts).

The Esmay we see now doesnt match the prev version. Doesnt seem this one could contain his lunacy to maintain public composure. This lunacy seems new.

Reminds me of talking to Kirbmarc about clinging to religious-myth when rationality fails us. Rather than fanciful scenarios I then-offered (what if reality is a simulation?).... what if you or I suffer a stroke/brain tumor/etc.? Hard to be mr. rational science when your brain goes Flowers For Algernon. Religion might fare better.

#69451

He did come here for a while and was very nice.

#69452

Bhurzum wrote:[twat][/twat]

A spokesman said they have no idea who the killer is, what the motive is, or any further information. He added, "What we do know, however, is that we will deny absolutely any connection with Islamism whatsoever until several respectable and unimpeachable sources have proved such a connection. Allahu akbar!!"

#69453

Bhurzum wrote:

We won't have Lindy West turning gruesome tragedy into monkey-butt comedy this time. Come back, Lindy!

http://i.imgur.com/agqCnkt.png

#69454

Bhurzum wrote:

Suspect's name is Estaban Santiago. Apparently he was wearing a Star Wars t-shirt. Shit like this didn't happen after Phantom Menace. Fuck you, Disney.

#69455

The Florida shooter was carrying ID with the name Esteban Santiago, it might not be a muslim.

#69456

Bhurzum wrote:

My thoughts on the headline bullet things:

Gunman kills at least five people and wounds nine at Florida airport: Shooter in a Star Wars shirt opened fire in Fort Lauderdale baggage claim aiming for victims' heads - and more shooters are reported
The Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport in Florida is in a state of emergency after a shooting Friday afternoon
Sources tell DailyMail.com that five have been killed and another six injured
Shots rang out in the baggage claim area of Terminal 2 around 1pm
Witnesses described a silent shooter wearing a Star Wars shirt firing at random
More than an hour later, Terminal 1 was evacuated and officers were seen running into the parking garage with their guns out
The gunman who opened fire in the baggage claim is in custody and has been identified as Esteban Santiago
Terrorism is now being considered as a possible motive for the shooting

"Star Wars shirt?" Oh shit, it's going to be a white privilege nagfest now.

"has been identified as Esteban Santiago" Hmm...not a Middle Eastern name.

"Terrorism is now being considered as a possible motive for the shooting" My facebook is going to suck for the next couple days...

#69457

:nin:

#69458

[quote="Service Dog"Reminds me of talking to Kirbmarc about clinging to religious-myth when rationality fails us. Rather than fanciful scenarios I then-offered (what if reality is a simulation?).... what if you or I suffer a stroke/brain tumor/etc.? Hard to be mr. rational science when your brain goes Flowers For Algernon. Religion might fare better.[/quote]

Just because something is easy doesn't mean it's good for you. People in dire straits get easily addicted to things that make them feel better, and religion is a form of addiction (I'm not saying anything too new here). This is a bit of a "there are no atheists in the foxholes" kind of argument. Hitchens suffered a lot when his body (and surely his mind as well) failed him, but didn't "come to Jeebus".

But yes, religion isn't necessarily a bad thing, either. An addictive "feel-good story" about life, the universe and everything might help many people to feel better about the future and to cling to something. As with every addiction you have to be careful with how you handle it. Esmay might have OD'ed on christianity, he seems increasingly bitter and spiteful instead of being at peace with himself. But hey, that's his life, live and let live (and don't feed trolls).

As I've written many times I have no problems with private beliefs. Believe whatever you want, live your life how you want. Just don't impose your personal choices onto others. If all religious believers took the same approach to their religion that most people* take to their hobbies or favorite books/movies I'd have no problem with religion, it'd be just another aspect of human experience that I have little interest about, like knitting or tennis.

The troubles come when over-enthusiastic fans get their nerd rage going. Or, more seriously, when you have a theocratic project to implement.

*The situation doesn't apply to the Internet...

#69459

5 dead, second active shooter at the airport.

#69460

Live police scanner feed.

#69461

Religion is a hell of a drug, but I'm pro-drug liberalization anyway. :banana-stoner:

#69462

The Crusades were not about religion. Hezbollah is a secular organisation.

#69463

The Palestinian conflict is mostly about toxic masculinity.

#69464

Glory be, he's white. Such a relief.

http://i.imgur.com/onceeuz.jpg

#69465

Ape+lust wrote:Glory be, he's white. Such a relief.

http://i.imgur.com/onceeuz.jpg

Legally white:

Legally black:

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/3uheRfRQNF4/hqdefault.jpg

#69466

Heads up to SD and other pitters from the New York area. Artist, dog trainer, and squatch hunter extraordinaire Peter Caine has a Trump based art show coming up on the 19th.
[youtube][/youtube]

#69467

Ape+lust wrote:Glory be, he's white. Such a relief.

http://i.imgur.com/onceeuz.jpg

Nasheed is a black supremacist. And a shit-stirrer.

#69468

I think that Esmay has given a lot of grass-roots support for mens issues - for example helping men going through divorce proceedings and/or getting them out of jail etc.

He may view his current activities as making a space where people can be religious and have no one question their beliefs or act in snarky / condescending way towards them. This would make sense if he views religion as a comfort for people going through hard times.

I've heard him mention about atheists invading 'nerd culture' - and also that in regards to men's issues there is not even a 'cunt hairs' difference between the policies of Democrats and Republicans (and I don't think he is all that optimistic of Trump either).

I can see this point of view - but it feels to me like the ship has sailed. If people want to form their own communities and follow whatever faith traditions they like - most likely no one is going to stop them. But freedom of speech and the Internet mean that sooner or later everyone is going to come into contact with someone that believes differently to them - and who is probably going to make no bones about being an arsehole about it too.

This is a compromised situation to be sure - but at this stage I doubt the genie is going back in the bottle unless things get seriously authoritarian.

#69469

Just looked in on Trump's tweets to see what he has to say... he's crowing about Schwarzeneggar tanking in the ratings and calling Chuck Schumer the Democrats' "head clown."

So... we're going to have a 'toon in the Oval Office for a while. These are going to be amazingly strange years.

#69470

Ape+lust wrote:Just looked in on Trump's tweets to see what he has to say... he's crowing about Schwarzeneggar tanking in the ratings and calling Chuck Schumer the Democrats' "head clown."

So... we're going to have a 'toon in the Oval Office for a while. These are going to be amazingly strange years.

This just in. He now believes that Russia may have hacked the DNC emails but that it didn't take away from his yuge unpresidented victory that was totally fair and had absolutely no impact on the election.

#69471

MarcusAu wrote:I think that Esmay has given a lot of grass-roots support for mens issues - for example helping men going through divorce proceedings and/or getting them out of jail etc.

He may view his current activities as making a space where people can be religious and have no one question their beliefs or act in snarky / condescending way towards them. This would make sense if he views religion as a comfort for people going through hard times.

I've heard him mention about atheists invading 'nerd culture' - and also that in regards to men's issues there is not even a 'cunt hairs' difference between the policies of Democrats and Republicans (and I don't think he is all that optimistic of Trump either).

I can see this point of view - but it feels to me like the ship has sailed. If people want to form their own communities and follow whatever faith traditions they like - most likely no one is going to stop them. But freedom of speech and the Internet mean that sooner or later everyone is going to come into contact with someone that believes differently to them - and who is probably going to make no bones about being an arsehole about it too.

This is a compromised situation to be sure - but at this stage I doubt the genie is going back in the bottle unless things get seriously authoritarian.

So he wants a "safe space"?

#69472

Service Dog wrote:Dean Esmay strikes me as a case-study of someone in serious personal decline. I was first vaguely-aware of him as an anchor of stability at A Voice For Men. Esmay seemed to donate countless low-profile hours keeping the place running. His politics seemed regular-guy Democrat, as opposed to tinfoil fringe. He was 'good cop' to other contributors' bad cop/ loose cannon antics. (i preferred the latter.)

Then there was talk of Esmay neglecting himself... dental/health issues ignored for years + him showing-up in Canada for a public mra event-- looking like a derelict. When he exited AVFM, it seemed like it might be a sane guy leaving the crazyship, not a crazy guy getting the boot. (I didnt follow any of this avidly/ i may be bungling facts).

The Esmay we see now doesnt match the prev version. Doesnt seem this one could contain his lunacy to maintain public composure. This lunacy seems new.

Reminds me of talking to Kirbmarc about clinging to religious-myth when rationality fails us. Rather than fanciful scenarios I then-offered (what if reality is a simulation?).... what if you or I suffer a stroke/brain tumor/etc.? Hard to be mr. rational science when your brain goes Flowers For Algernon. Religion might fare better.

Sad to here.

Keep in mind folks. The internet can be fun, but get the fuck out of the house every day and spend time with friends in real life.

#69473

Ape+lust wrote:Just looked in on Trump's tweets to see what he has to say... he's crowing about Schwarzeneggar tanking in the ratings and calling Chuck Schumer the Democrats' "head clown."

So... we're going to have a 'toon in the Oval Office for a while. These are going to be amazingly strange years.

Toon or no toon, the question will be if he can get positive results.

Well at least this aspect of him, we have to admit, we knew this when we elected him.

#69474

Kirbmarc wrote:
So he wants a "safe space"?

It would seem so. He does not even like 'nice' atheists like Sargon, NoelPlum or Penn Jillette - and insists that Libertarians clean house of the faithless too.

If he does not get the attention he requires as self-appointed Defender of the Faith (my term not his) - I could see things not going well for him. (Although he might be too far gone already).

Anyway, as you said before - he's a Troll and it's probably best to treat him accordingly.

#69475

Ape+lust wrote:Just looked in on Trump's tweets to see what he has to say... he's crowing about Schwarzeneggar tanking in the ratings and calling Chuck Schumer the Democrats' "head clown."

So... we're going to have a 'toon in the Oval Office for a while. These are going to be amazingly strange years.

Oh, but you're missing the bright side. Look how he's keeping his promise to "drain the swamp" by appointing outsiders without an ounce of conflicting interest to his cabinet. And so friendly to science and secular issues they are as well. I understand he's met with a close associate of Dr Mercola, that beacon of rational medicine and has tweeted that autism may well be caused by vaccines-
https://theringer.com/dr-joseph-mercola ... .b7fetygti
Yes, I expect that and the death of net neutrality
https://www.wired.com/2017/01/year-dona ... eutrality/ will bring a glorious enlightenment upon us. :bjarte:

#69476

MarcusAu wrote:
Kirbmarc wrote:
So he wants a "safe space"?
It would seem so. He does not even like 'nice' atheists like Sargon, NoelPlum or Penn Jillette - and insists that Libertarians clean house of the faithless too.

If he does not get the attention he requires as self-appointed Defender of the Faith (my term not his) - I could see things not going well for him. (Although he might be too far gone already).

Anyway, as you said before - he's a Troll and it's probably best to treat him accordingly.

Sad. Hopefully he'll find some peace in his life. And yeah, it's better to leave him alone. Nothing good comes from feeding trolls, not even for the troll if he's taking his trolling too seriously.

#69477

Nobody mentioned the Nigger Navy yet?

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C1dgHBrUUAAMSbc.jpg

Possibly the most embarrassing racist typo since the Australian cookbook that called for "salt and ground black people".

#69478

paddybrown wrote:Nobody mentioned the Nigger Navy yet?

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C1dgHBrUUAAMSbc.jpg

Possibly the most embarrassing racist typo since the Australian cookbook that called for "salt and ground black people".

That one really sucks for whoever wrote it. B is next to N on most keyboards, spellcheck sees a perfectly valid word, and at first glance, my "mental autocorrect" read that as "bigger navy", so a cursory re-read may not even have caught it.

#69479

The proper thing to do with Max Colby is hook him up Jenny McDerpass and let things sort themselves out.

#69480

Sunder wrote:The proper thing to do with Max Colby is hook him up Jenny McDerpass and let things sort themselves out.

Max would probably be OK with that - he's made bigger sacrifices in the past.