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Post by Merge on Jul 19, 2024 13:12:52 GMT
Yep. Our 7:45 flight this morning was delayed to 8:30. We’re on board now and I thought we were good to go but the flight attendant just said they don’t have an updated arrival time for us yet.
Flying from Houston to Atlanta so two airports that are normally shitshows anyway. Good times!
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Post by Merge on Jul 19, 2024 12:39:51 GMT
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Post by Merge on Jul 18, 2024 21:25:19 GMT
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Post by Merge on Jul 18, 2024 20:55:05 GMT
I just can't fathom what sort of person welcomes the idea of terrorizing families - including children - with raids of homes, workplaces, churches, and schools, almost certainly scooping up American citizens in the process, and dumping them in detainment camps. Do they imagine Trump will magically teleport people back to where they came from? Do they relish the thought of the screams and tears as families are broken apart, children are left without parents, and communities are destroyed? And to stand there cheering for that with big smiles on their faces. I just ... who even are these people? What broke inside of them to make that something to cheer for? If they aren't white, cis, straight (although as long as you keep it to children and in the closet, it's fine), and "christian", there is no room for you. The fucking VP's wife is the daughter of immigrants and a POC. TFG's wife wasn't born in America. Fuck every single one of them. It's moments like this that I hope there's a Hell, because they're gonna be super surprised when their end comes. They know there's no hell. For all their outward piety, they're not believers any more than I am. But they lack any semblance of inner moral compass and are just here to grab as much power and wealth as they can. And they certainly see the potential for using religion to control the masses on their way to the top. |
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Post by Merge on Jul 18, 2024 20:49:53 GMT
Biggest highlight from last night, besides TFG snoozing, were the signs being held up with their totally chill and unifying message:  Welcome to 1930s Germany. I just can't fathom what sort of person welcomes the idea of terrorizing families - including children - with raids of homes, workplaces, churches, and schools, almost certainly scooping up American citizens in the process, and dumping them in detainment camps. Do they imagine Trump will magically teleport people back to where they came from? Do they relish the thought of the screams and tears as families are broken apart, children are left without parents, and communities are destroyed? Never mind the fact that construction projects will grind to a halt, road work will stop in many places, farm animals will not be processed for meat, and vegetables and fruit will rot in the fields. It is absolutely the fault of both parties that we have relied so heavily on immigrant labor without making a reasonable immigration path for all the people we need. But what kind of monster thinks that mass detention and deportation is the answer to that? And to stand there cheering for that with big smiles on their faces. I just ... who even are these people? What broke inside of them to make that something to cheer for? |
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Post by Merge on Jul 18, 2024 17:23:41 GMT
Practically, Harris has to stay on the ticket. If she is at the top of the ticket, she must have a white male as her VP. Andy Beshears of Kentucky is a strong possibility. He could certainly counter Vance. Our NC governor, Cooper, has been mentioned. I like Cooper. He's been a good governor but he's not very exciting. It he could bring in the votes, his AG Stein who is running to replace him would be ahead of the truly horrible candidates the Republicans put up but he isn't. If we could start over without Harris, I would pick Gretchen Whitmer to lead the ticket with possibly Wes Moore as VP. I'm angry with my party right now but it is because no one challenged Biden months ago. I'm angry at his handlers for keeping him under wraps and for feeding his ego rather than giving him a good dose of reality. Biden wasn't a good candidate for a 2nd term when he ran for his first term. No one in their 80's needs to be POTUS. I could roll with Harris/Beshears. |
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Post by Merge on Jul 18, 2024 14:29:57 GMT
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Post by Merge on Jul 18, 2024 2:23:26 GMT
It couldn't be anyone but Kamala. Her name is next to Joe's on the campaign war chest. Anyone else would be fundraising from ground zero.
I need for both parties to stop electing old, white men. There needs to be both age and term limits on President, VP, House, and Senate seats IMO. And required retirement age for SC and federal court justices.
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Post by Merge on Jul 18, 2024 0:50:34 GMT
I went through my list of regular purchases and bought more of anything that was 25% off or more. Exciting, I know!
For anyone who uses IT Cosmetics CC cream, it's $28 right now - a good deal.
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Post by Merge on Jul 18, 2024 0:21:26 GMT
Imma tag this politics because I'm offended that you're promoting a known leftist organization!!!!1!1!!!!
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Post by Merge on Jul 18, 2024 0:11:15 GMT
Oh, it can get a lot worse.
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Post by Merge on Jul 17, 2024 23:21:51 GMT
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Post by Merge on Jul 17, 2024 22:29:18 GMT
Trump can deny project 2025 all he wants, but this is straight out of the playbook. Difficult to falsely insist this is just replacing incompetent people when the VP spells it out this clearly. replace them with our peopleRepublicans against Trump. @rpsagainsttrump
Trump’s running mate JD Vance: “We need a De-Ba’athification program in the U.S....We should seize the administrative state for our own purposes. We should fire all of the people...Replace them with our people.”The government would come to a halt if they continue to fire all the civil servants, the people that do all the basic operation to keep things running, the simple paper pushers. For Vance to claim TFG cannot place his people in top position is utter nonsense Cabinet positions are first and normal turn over us 4-5,000 people .. Let’s not forget that when Trump was president, he specifically selected cabinet members who wanted to help do away with the departments they were leading. The destruction of our federal system may sound great to some people! Certainly we all get frustrated with bureaucracy. But it’s a necessary evil to keep an advanced country and economy afloat. |
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Post by Merge on Jul 17, 2024 22:25:23 GMT
I'm not a conspiracy theorist by any means, but there are some odd things about the shooting and lots of questions. There might be perfectly reasonable answers, but right now, a few things don't add up. Why did the Secret Service care about Trump's shoes and mess around with them? Why did they allow Trump to raise his fist? Where are the medical reports? medical reports?TFG was obsessed about his shoes.. surely the had lifts in them. The secret service was probably trying to appears him. There was no way to stop him putting his fist up. He was safe behind the podium and stars and bars panel. They waited for the 'shooter is down' before they got him up. We still are not a 100% sure he was injured by a bullet. 99% maybe yes.. How did they know that was the only shooter? I don’t believe there is any way they let him up to do his fist pump with the possibility of another shooter nearby. I am normally not a conspiracy theorist, either, but so much about this doesn’t make sense. |
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Post by Merge on Jul 17, 2024 20:19:07 GMT
I won't be watching that one either. I am curious though what your thoughts are on what Merge posted: We can’t get red flag laws in place or, in some cases, enforced by right-wing LEO because your side fights them tooth and nail. As the parent of a mentally ill young adult, I believe strongly that she should not be able to purchase a weapon. I mostly worry about suicide with that, since she's already made one attempt. But I'm told by your like-minded people that the "inconvenience" caused by requiring mental health checks for weapons purchases is a bigger concern than the actual life of my child. You need to look further into the reasons why Texas landowners oppose sections of border wall built on their private property, cutting off their property from the river that irrigates it. You should also look into how immediate deportation without investigating asylum claims is inhumane and against international law. You should most of all look into how past US policy in central and South America has caused the conditions many of these people are fleeing. Do you have any concerns about the harm women have suffered in red states when they can’t have a pregnancy terminated even after rape, incest, or a serious risk to the life of the mother? Any concerns about ten year olds being forced to have babies while being told that “it’s a blessing and opportunity” for them? Do you know anyone whose gay or trans child is now marginalized and made less safe in their own school because of policies that support bigotry? I do. How do you feel about the history of marginalized people, as well as any discussion of climate change and vaccines, being erased from curriculum in Texas and elsewhere? Public librarians being fired because they shelved adult books about LGBTQ issues? Have you ever questioned why your party scaremongers about drag queens abusing kids, which is very rare, and completely ignores the absolute epidemic of sex abuse going on in conservative churches? How do you feel about the loss of access to birth control and IVF and the loss of no-fault divorce, which means that women in abusive marriages will have to have their lives and suffering dragged through the public courts in order to be free of their abuser? Have you considered that without access to birth control or abortion, women can be forced to conceive and carry their abusers' babies and thus forced to have an unbreakable lifetime bond with them? How do you feel about a president and VP who intend to fire thousands of career civil servants and replace them with lackeys who are willing to do whatever Trump says? How do you feel about the potential for widespread lawbreaking and violation of the constitution when that happens? Those are the tenets of the Republican party right now. Do you agree with all of that? When some asshole (not you) suggests I'm on crack for expressing my opinion, they're not worth my energy.
I don't have time to respond to all of this, but I'll say this:
Red Flag Laws: Yes, there are people that oppose them, but this read is worth a few minutes (from PBS and yes, I know it's almost 2 years old, but still relevant):
When people talk about the current laws not being used and/or enforced, this is just one example of that. In addition, I'll say it again: there are dozens (hundreds?) of gun crimes committed daily, and the perpetrators are repeatedly released back on the streets to re-commit and kill. That's fact. Enforce the fricking laws and hold people accountable.
I suggested you were on crack because you implied that Democrats are weak, compared to Republicans, on pushing for reductions to gun crime. And I stand by that statement. You can express your opinion, but I also get to express mine. See how that works? And now you're calling me names, so perhaps hop down off that high horse you're on. From the article you posted: From what party do you think those rogue politicians and sherrifs come? I agree that we need to be using and enforcing red flag laws, but that fact that we're not lays directly at the feet of the party you support. Saying that we cannot have additional gun laws that do not require the compliance of politicans masquerading as law enforcement until those people start enforcing the laws on the books is the worst kind of copout. We are trying. Y'all are just standing back and enjoying the chaos and death. Why don't you have any response to those other questions? I guess they're unimportant. I would really love to hear from someone on the right how they feel about those issues. I still find it difficult to believe that so many Americans are cheering for those things. |
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Post by Merge on Jul 17, 2024 19:08:56 GMT
Has anyone heard Trump - or anyone in his camp - call for an investigation into how the secret service and local PD so badly mishandled this?
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Post by Merge on Jul 17, 2024 15:17:59 GMT
Oh wow. When I first heard about it, it was believed to be hurricane damage.
I wish religious groups didn't feel they had the right to alter public spaces to fit their views.
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Post by Merge on Jul 17, 2024 15:12:30 GMT
I mean … you could leave the company issued device next to your computer at the end of the work day and ignore it like you do with your computer. What you’re doing now sounds miserable and it seems worth it to explore other options. I have a position that is hybrid, working 4 days a week (2 in the office, 2 at home). We all have issued laptops and connect to full size monitors both at home and in the office. Most of the time I am busy for the entire work day but for the times I need to be away from my desk, I'm glad I have a laptop because I can just carry it with me and go through the house or out on the patio so I'm always available when needed. I would 100% request a tablet or laptop and make it clear that it's for using during business hours and leave it at your desk after the work day. Yep, this is what my daughter does. She is technically hybrid but in reality, almost fully remote. When she has work to do, she prefers to be at her desk with the two big monitors. When things are slow, she unhooks the laptop from the monitors and keeps it nearby as she goes about her business. Companies that track mouseclicks or whatever for work time instead of paying for work product are inhumane, IMO. There are days where she has time to do housework or play around, and there are days when she's working away into the late evening. What her boss cares about is that the work gets done. I love that companies prohibit employees from having work communication on their personal devices. As most people know, in the world of education, it's expected that you will have your work email and Remind/Class Dojo groups on your personal phone. And some admin is really bad about expecting you to be available 24/7. I was so happy the day I deleted Outlook and Class Dojo from my phone and person laptop. Buh-bye. |
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Post by Merge on Jul 17, 2024 2:42:00 GMT
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Post by Merge on Jul 17, 2024 2:40:36 GMT
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Post by Merge on Jul 17, 2024 0:23:30 GMT
Harris has 'challenged' Vance to a debate Aug 13th.. Another thing about Vance.. The Democrats are run by 'the childless cat women' 'like Kamala Harris, AOC, Pete Buttigieg' Shaking head here.. Yeah, the Republican hatred for any woman who isn’t subservient to a man and popping out his babies is palpable. |
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Post by Merge on Jul 17, 2024 0:17:58 GMT
I saw on Twitter that someone brought their dog on stage tonight. I do think there should be more dogs at political conventions.
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Post by Merge on Jul 16, 2024 22:24:17 GMT
So if he supported MAGA why did he shoot Trump his bigly leader? Unless it was to get Trump even more attention (and he missed on purpose) or to start a civil war (if he killed him.) I've seen some videos online and doubt very seriously he actually supported Trump, especially in the last few years of his life. Perhaps he considered Trump not far enough right? |
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Post by Merge on Jul 16, 2024 19:54:51 GMT
Speaking of things Democrats did that Trump undid:  |
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Post by Merge on Jul 16, 2024 18:01:47 GMT
Roasted corn cut off the cob
Roasted pumpkin seeds
(Oops, didn’t read down far enough to see those ideas right above my post already.)
Cubed jicama
Smoked Gouda
What a fun idea!
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Post by Merge on Jul 16, 2024 17:47:36 GMT
Do you have Teams or Slack or however she is contacting you on your phone? Or a smart watch? It seems like you could go about your business without remaining tethered to the computer. It is against company policy to have any work related tech on personal devices. If I wanted this kind of contact (and honestly I'm not sure I do) I have to push for a company issued iPhone or iPad. I am like 99% sure my boss would approve that if I wanted it. I just really don't like the idea of that because I really don't want to be contacted outside of my work hours. And my boss works at some very odd hours sometimes. I like being able to shut down at the end of my day and that be the end of it so I'm not sure I want to open that can of worms. I mean … you could leave the company issued device next to your computer at the end of the work day and ignore it like you do with your computer. What you’re doing now sounds miserable and it seems worth it to explore other options. |
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Post by Merge on Jul 16, 2024 17:41:03 GMT
Do you have Teams or Slack or however she is contacting you on your phone? Or a smart watch? It seems like you could go about your business without remaining tethered to the computer.
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Post by Merge on Jul 16, 2024 15:28:15 GMT
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Post by Merge on Jul 16, 2024 15:20:26 GMT
It's disgusting that so many parents can't be trusted to support their kids just being who they are. Policies like this shouldn't be necessary. Every child should feel comfortable being who they are at home. But here we all are.
We can blame the conservative churches for this problem. The same ones with an absolute epidemic of sex abuse scandals and coverups.
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Post by Merge on Jul 16, 2024 15:00:38 GMT
They really ARE the party of the uneducated and unintelligent--they have them fooled into thinking that they care and meanwhile they continue to enact policies that are designed to keep people poor and uneducated and making money for the rich. They are so blind. Every (literally) stupid white person I know is a Trump supporter. They are blind sheep and they continue to call Democrats sheep without seeing what's going on in front of their very eyes. That doesn't mean I think all Republicans are stupid --not at all. They've got a good thing going on for themselves, that's for sure. Some Republican politicians are that way. But Democrats have their own crop of entitled politicians and members (not all), who only care about what they can get out of it. In my 60 years I have yet to see any politician that cares about the people they serve. Oh, they talk a lot, but not much gets done. Strange then, that Trump feels the need to roll back all the things previous administrations got done. |
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