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TrickstaPriest

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  1. Thanks
    TrickstaPriest reacted to Simon in Political Discussion Thread (With Rules)   
    That has not been my experience (thankfully) -- the people are one of the big draws to moving there. I've found over the years that I have a somewhat unique gauge of the general acceptance of people in a given area - how they react to me in a kilt. Examples:  
    Vermont in general wants to be accepting of everything and seem desperate not to give offense, but this causes them to almost pretend that they can't see me as they try too hard to avoid giving any offense.   Maine is ridiculously accepting of everything and very outspoken. They welcomed some crazy midwesterner in a kilt and peppered me with questions. Portugal threw me for a loop - a complete non-reaction with the exception of one or two more "unique" individuals that went out of their way to compliment me on it.  I had more issues with the French (tourists) than the Portuguese. Extremely welcoming of all people, so long as you respond in kind.  
    To bring things back towards the thread topic, it may be due to the attitudes many Americans come in with -- Portugal has a better political climate from the US in almost all ways and tends to have rather strong opinions about fascism (given their relatively recent past, this isn't a surprise); have an American come in and express certain far-right political views and I can see a pretty negative take from the Portuguese.
     
    On the fiscal side, they have an extremely low average income. That is generally compensated by a similarly low cost of living (allowing for an overall high quality of life), but the relatively recent rise of tourism has caused many locals to get priced out of housing in the cities (as more and more places go to AirBnbs). 
  2. Like
    TrickstaPriest reacted to Simon in Political Discussion Thread (With Rules)   
    Rookies
  3. Thanks
    TrickstaPriest reacted to Lord Liaden in Political Discussion Thread (With Rules)   
    I do empathize with how hard it's getting for progressive, liberal people to keep the lid of decorum on their emotions, when today's regressives so blatantly don't.
  4. Like
    TrickstaPriest reacted to unclevlad in Political Discussion Thread (With Rules)   
    Well, we've certainly seen that a disturbingly large number of people can live in a fantasy land of their own making, so I suppose we shouldn't be surprised.
  5. Like
    TrickstaPriest reacted to csyphrett in Political Discussion Thread (With Rules)   
    My coworker still thinks that Trudeau is trying to control the population of Canada by offering euthanasia for broken noses. He had an article published by Forbes and I was like what you said is going on is not what the article says. They kicked it up since the article came out.
    CES   
  6. Like
    TrickstaPriest reacted to Lord Liaden in Political Discussion Thread (With Rules)   
    I've said for quite some time, I don't believe MTG is as stupid or crazy as she acts. She's playing to her social media followers.
     
    I'm not sure what to make of Boebert's abstaining. I'm strongly inclined to believe she is as stupid and crazy as she acts.
  7. Like
    TrickstaPriest reacted to unclevlad in Political Discussion Thread (With Rules)   
    Actually, Margorie Taylor Greene voted FOR the bill.  That one stood out to me.  I don't have the rest of them memorized;  I do remember several, that were No votes.  And Boebert stood out too...for not voting.
  8. Like
    TrickstaPriest reacted to unclevlad in Political Discussion Thread (With Rules)   
    Procedural vote to begin debate on the debt ceiling bill passed, which is apparently the next step in the arcane process to get the bill passed.  29 Republicans voted against it.  52 Dems ultimately supported it.  Apparently they were playing a waiting game to see how many would be needed to ensure it did pass this round.
     
    McCarthy has scheduled a final vote for this evening.  Minority Leader Jeffries has said, he'd make sure to have enough Democrats to support it, so it would pass.
     
    My first conclusion is, this is making the Freedom Caucus look petty.  Well, that's not the word I almost typed, but that's one Simon probably won't mind.......
  9. Like
    TrickstaPriest reacted to Pattern Ghost in Political Discussion Thread (With Rules)   
    There's a reason I don't tell people where I'm from. Thankfully, I got out early enough that I've lived more of my life out of Florida than in it. It'd be a great state if you got rid of about 80-90% of the people*, though.
     
     
     
    *Edit: I just realized that I'd say that about most states. Guess I'm not a people person.
  10. Like
    TrickstaPriest reacted to unclevlad in Political Discussion Thread (With Rules)   
    Yeah, that's a hopeful thought, but it's more disturbing to me that they picked people from the news division, when, the damage was done by the opinion hosts.  None of them have been canned.  If we ask, what does Fox News value?  This does not point to an attractive answer.

    I do agree tho, that it does suggest they *are* feeling pain from this, which was something some here doubted.  Unless SmartMatic can get a similar amount, tho...I don't really see them being fatally crippled.  I am, however, quite hopeful that it happens.
  11. Like
    TrickstaPriest reacted to Lord Liaden in Political Discussion Thread (With Rules)   
    There are certainly people in the Republican Party today who hate government -- all government -- and want to tear it down. The GOP tried to absorb them, helped them get elected, so now they're tearing down government from within. Given the mentality I hear from some of them, I'm not sure they've even thought about what happens afterwards.
  12. Thanks
    TrickstaPriest reacted to unclevlad in Political Discussion Thread (With Rules)   
    The Funny or Die is really about selfishness.  Someone dying that you don't know, is of no consequence.
     
    The TZ episode is a variant of the Monkey's Paw;  another parallel would be Farslayer, from Saberhagen's Swords books.  Pick a target, swing it round, recite a simple verse...Farslayer buries itself in the chest of your target.  Almost no defenses...one of the other Swords *might* block Farslayer, but nothing else.  The problem is...Farslayer stays buried in the target's chest.  There was at least one case of a Hatfield-McCoy Farslayer feud that obliterated the leadership of both sides.  
     
    I wouldn't characterize it as "it won't happen to me" so much as making an unfounded assumption that the person to die, when you hit the TZ box, is picked randomly, so the risk to me, or anyone I know for that matter, is vanishingly small.  This is actually an example of a point about lying...the best lies come from telling part of the truth.  Yes, someone you don't know, will die.  Truth.  Lie by omission:  that it's the last person who used the button for profit.
  13. Sad
    TrickstaPriest reacted to archer in Political Discussion Thread (With Rules)   
    I’ve spoken with a heck of a lot of voters over the last 28 years who sincerely think that defaulting on the debt is responsible governing.
     
    Admittedly most of them haven’t understood what the debt ceiling is and what it does...and don’t accept what I say when I explain it to them in detail. 
     
    But even with ones who understand, they think it’s better to do a complete default then start over with zero debt than to either continue to accumulate debt or to slowly pay down the existing debt.
     
    And they don't change their minds when I explain, in detail, exactly why that's a catastrophically horrible idea.
  14. Like
    TrickstaPriest reacted to Sociotard in Political Discussion Thread (With Rules)   
    De-mining fields with an RC tractor. (or do we call it a drone tractor?)
     
     
    I said earlier that if I saw anymore awesome Ukrainian tractor stories (after stealing Russian equipment and pulling light rail during a power outage) I'd make Ukrainian Tractor Guy a Dark Champions character. So here you go, Victor Tractorvich drove tanks in the Red Army just before the Soviet Union collapsed. Between that and decades on his family farm there's no equipment he can't work on. Killdozer? Don't tempt him.
     
    Val    Char    Cost    Roll    Notes
    15    STR    5    12-    200kg, 3d6
    13    DEX    9    12-    Base CV: 4
    13    CON    6    12-    
    11    BOD    2    11-    
    18    INT    8    13-    PER Roll: 13-
    8    EGO    -4    11-    Base ECV: 3
    13    PRE    3    12-    
    10    COM    0    11-    
                    
    5    PD    2        
    5    ED    2        
    3    SPD    7        Phases: 4, 8, 12
    8    REC    4        
    40    END    7        
    37    STN    11        
    Cost    Skills
    3    Combat Driving
    4    2 Penalty Skill Levels for inadquate supplies for Mechanics
    3    Hoist (Tow) 13-
    3    Electronics 13-
    5    Mechanics 14-
    3    Computer Programming 13-
    2    Gambling: Chess
    2    AK: Kyiv oblast
    2    KS: Russian Literature (and other former Soviet countries)
    2    KS: Russian Military Equipment 11-
    2    KS: Diesel Engines 11-
    4    PS: Farming 14- (INT)
    2    SS: Drone Controls / remote robotics 11-
    2    SS: Agronomy 11-
    0    Ukrainian (Native)
    3    Russian (Idiomatic, Native Accent)
    1    English (Basic Conversation)
    5    Transport Familiarity (Common Motorized Ground Vehicles ; Construction and Agricultural Vehicles ; Tracked Military Vehicles ; Wheeled Military Vehicles)
    8    Weapon Familiarity (Small Arms ; General Purpose/Heavy Machine Guns ; Shoulder-Fired Weapons ; Emplaced Weapons ; Tank Weapons)
    2    Weaponsmith (Firearms, Advanced) 13-
    2    Survival (Temperate)
        
        Perks
    2    Landowner Money ($200,000/year)
    1    Problemsolver Reputation (Kyiv oblast countryside, 11-)
        
        Talents
    5    Unimpressed (+10 PRE (20 Active) only to Protect Against Presence Attacks (-1).
    20    Action Hero's Luck (Luck 4d6)
        
    -75    Disadvantages
    -5    Age (40+)
    -15    Chain Smoker Addiction (Must smoke cigarette at least once per hour or suffer Incompetence) (Very Common, Addiction)
    -15    Babushka DNPC 11- (Mother-in-Law) Normal
    -15    Functional Alcoholic Psychological Limitation Very Common, Moderate
    -10    Helpful Psychological Limitation (Compulsively Volunteers, it bugs him to see problems unsolved) Common, Moderate
    -15    Bad Back Physical Limitation (Each day he works on a Mechanics project, or other physical work, for more than four hours he must make a CON roll or spend 24 hours in bed) Uncommon, Fully
  15. Thanks
    TrickstaPriest reacted to Old Man in Political Discussion Thread (With Rules)   
    1. Rich people aren't really hurt by recessions.  If you have enough capital, recessions are a great opportunity to buy distressed assets at fire sale prices.
    2. Authoritarians almost always engineer crises that they can leverage to seize power.
     
    Unfortunately there isn't much you can do to prepare for the default.  It would wreck the global economy so there's nowhere to put your money; there won't even be a market for gold. 
  16. Thanks
    TrickstaPriest reacted to Cancer in Political Discussion Thread (With Rules)   
    Unfortunately, all that smells way too much like the old "literacy tests" that were used to keep blacks from voting, and were declared unconstitutional a while back.  I appreciate the sentiment in the arguments you make, but local power structures will always enforce things like this in order to maintain their own power.
  17. Thanks
    TrickstaPriest reacted to wcw43921 in Political Discussion Thread (With Rules)   
    Illinois To End Book Banning
  18. Like
    TrickstaPriest reacted to DShomshak in Political Discussion Thread (With Rules)   
    Another story I've read has Sherriff Capers attributing the slow response to having only 3 deputies to cover a very large area. Everyone was simply far away at the time. This is plausible, but... Stories also say this was not the first time neighbors complained of Mr Oropeza's gunfire, and police had talked to him before. I suppose that's one for the "Get your own gun for home defense" side. I would prefer a policy of taking guns away from people who use them irresponsibly, just like taking licenses from people who drive irresponsibly.
     
    Side note: Gov. Abbott brought up the alleged immigration status of both Mr Oropeza and Mr Garcia's family. Props to Sherriff Capers for saying firmly that this does not matter. Murdering children is murdering children.
     
    Dean Shomshak
  19. Thanks
    TrickstaPriest reacted to Hermit in Political Discussion Thread (With Rules)   
    Oh, no argument there.
    I realize I am rather prone to despair in the last few years and I need to work on that. But it's hard not to dwell on 'oh this could go bad if..' sometimes, but I still remember how many folks were so confident Trump would never be president and we know how that went. Roe Vs Wade would not be over turned, and we're seeing how that plays out. So on.
     
    It feels like every time decent people drop their guard, they pay for it. Eternal Vigilance is the price of freedom and all that.
  20. Sad
    TrickstaPriest reacted to Hermit in Political Discussion Thread (With Rules)   
    Well, Biden is officially running for reelection. I am not surprised though like many I am concerned somewhat about his age. Then again, he did beat Trump once before and has proven to be better in many areas than I expected. If he runs, and wins, I would not be surprised to see VP Harris play a more prominent role. I'm not a fan of VP Harris but we move on
  21. Thanks
    TrickstaPriest reacted to unclevlad in Political Discussion Thread (With Rules)   
    I think that's fair.  I think he's also lying to himself about how skeptical he's been.  I might try to avoid that...but I've probably fallen into that trap myself.  He really hadn't heard about the lawsuit?  Wow.  But I guess we shouldn't be surprised.  I don't step over to the other side of the fence much either.  The difference between me and him probably isn't that big.
     
    The woman on the bottom left pretty clearly is one who'll move to OAN or Newsmax...that was clear before that last question about whether to stay with Fox.  She pretty clearly bought the MAGA election steal story completely, and nothing and no one is going to change that.  That's interesting to me.  Fox can shape the story initially, they can push a line...but once that line's out there, it has a life of its own, and not even Fox can shift it.  It seems likely that these are the viewers that will abandon Fox in HIGH percentages, especially now that their principal prophet is gone.
     
    It's also scary to me that the election lies *still* have such influence.
     
    But i've been saying this for quite a while, and it still bears repeating.  Fox News waged a war on truth.  Truth lost.  Today's addendum:  I think much of the social repression we're seeing now has its basis in that characterization.  It becomes far easier for demagogues to thrive in an atmosphere of distrust and doubt.  When factionalism dominates, it's easier for a radical faction to become dominant.
  22. Thanks
    TrickstaPriest reacted to Ranxerox in Political Discussion Thread (With Rules)   
    No.  I agree that the homeowner bears some fault, but I am not willing to let the police off the hook for their role in this.  Neither resident of the house realized that the people pounding at were police officers.  I consider this prima facie evidence that the officers did not do a good enough job identifying themselves.  Yelling "this is the police" once at people who may be asleep or in a distant part of the house behind closed doors is not sufficient identification.  I work in health care, and we don't fool around with identification.  We don't say are "are you so-and-so", and when they dumbly nod yes, proceed to give them potentially dangerous medications.  No, we ask them to identify themselves with name and birthdate, then we check these against both their patient ID bands and our own records.  Going the other way with identification, we get the patient's attention, make eye contact, tell them our name and job title and what we plan to do with them, and then we give them a chance to respond.  So, these cops failed.  They didn't even make sure that they were at the right address before proceeding, and they identified themselves only once to people that for all they knew were asleep or out of the range of full hearing.  That is a procedural failure, in that either they failed to follow the department's procedure or the procedure itself was inadequate.
     
    Yelling "this is the police" before pounding on the door is good, but they needed to repeat the yell several more times in case they were not heard or understood the first time.  Also, having the the flashing lights from their patrol car streaming through the windows would have really brought home that this was actually the police at the door and would convey the information to people who don't hear well.
     
     
    Yes, I understand that.  However, a huge part of our problem is that we have dumbed things down way too much.  See my earlier post statement about right to bear arms and the right to be a moron.  Barring extenuating circumstances, pointing a gun at someone is assault with a deadly weapon (yes, the misdemeanor form of this charge, but still).  People should be taught that it is not alright even when they are on their own property and it is night time.  This is important information for the public to understand and if we don't talk about after a tragedy like this, when will we talk about it?
  23. Thanks
    TrickstaPriest got a reaction from Cygnia in Political Discussion Thread (With Rules)   
    Hm.  Does that mean Fox will continue doing exactly the same thing as it's been doing, though?  I'm not sure how much the settlement amount would keep them from just... continuing on.  But we'll have to see...
  24. Sad
    TrickstaPriest reacted to Lord Liaden in Political Discussion Thread (With Rules)   
    Dammit. Fox can afford to settle. They "chose" to settle because a trial would bring all their dirty laundry out in public. The judge in the case had ruled that the plaintiff could call the Fox News talking heads, potentially even Rupert Murdoch himself, to testify under oath. They couldn't have kept word from getting out about something so explosive, even from their own viewers. That would have seriously undercut their credibility and maybe even driven viewers away. It was a chance to actually counter the influence of Fox over the American public consciousness.
     
    If Smartmatic also settles, Fox will keep right on doing what it's always done.
  25. Like
    TrickstaPriest reacted to Pattern Ghost in Political Discussion Thread (With Rules)   
    I agree with the point, but it's hardly a revelation. The same thing has been said repeatedly in this thread.
     
    Also, in that final case of the police shooting, I looked up the video. Generally, it's not a good idea to be anywhere near a gun in the presence of police, but this wasn't jumpy police. The guy didn't just answer the door with a gun in hand. He opened it and pointed it directly at the police. No ambiguity on that one.
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