Talk:Main Page/Archive index/182

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August 6: RobS, on July 1, 2019 you wrote:

Biden cannot win the enthusiastic support of blacks and progressives. As the far left whackos drop out one-by-one, that leaves Harris, who can re-create the old Obama enthusiasm.

Since Biden is back in the lead, do you think it's possible for Biden to take Kamala Harris or Cory Booker as a vice president and get the enthusiastic support of blacks through this form of encouragement? VargasMilan (talk) Tuesday, 08:05, 6 August 2019 (EDT)

August 19: Kamala Harris' odds plummet for six straight weeks; Elizabeth Warren's odds soar for nine straight weeks. Results have proven Peter Ka's theory correct, and we need a new theory from RobS. VargasMilan (talk) Monday, 18:17, 19 August 2019 (EDT)

Warren

It's too early to predict who the nominee will be. But I can predict that Warren will be the Next Big Thing. Biden and Sanders are fading. The RCP polling average shows Warren ahead of Harris. The mainstream media has an article fawning over Warren almost every day. If she can survive the blowback from pushing a bogus DNA test performed by an undisclosed lab, she can survive anything. The urban legend about cockroaches and nuclear war comes to mind.
Biden touts himself as Obama's successor. But I'm pretty sure that Obama doesn't see things that way. In 2016, Obama wanted Warren to get the nomination and asked Biden not to run.
Harris got a boost out of beating up Biden at the debate, but how hard is that? It was also quite a cynical performance. She started off by saying, "I don't think you are a racist." This I-don't-say-it,-but-I-just-said-it stuff is a very old and sleazy rhetorical tactic. The classic example is when Cicero told Catiline, The incest with thy sister, I not name. PeterKa (talk) 21:26, 1 July 2019 (EDT)

That's a "good" trick; thanks for sharing that insight.

The RCP polling average uses a rolling average: the worst is yet to come for Warren and surely for Biden after that devastating clash with Harris at that Democratic debate, easy as it might have been for Harris. Someone noted today that they suspect Harris has been scratched off Biden's list of VP picks, so one can imagine her attack coming with the knowledge that she was taking quite a risk, especially with somebody standing above a glass floor like Biden. VargasMilan (talk) Monday, 23:21, 1 July 2019 (EDT)

Warren is worse than Hillary. Harris has sex appeal. RobS^{Deep Six the Deep State!} 02:10, 2 July 2019 (EDT)

Men look for strength in their leaders - not sex appeal. Most of the world's leaders are men.Conservative (talk) 10:08, 3 July 2019 (EDT)

Most liberal/SJW men are so effete that the former prosecutor Harris actually has more machismo than them!Conservative (talk) 10:12, 3 July 2019 (EDT)

Political attack dog styles: Biden = French poodle. Warren = Labrador Retriever. Harris = German Shepherd. Trump = Dire wolf.Conservative (talk) 10:21, 3 July 2019 (EDT)

Speaking as someone who formerly owned a toy poodle, I'd contest comparing Biden to a French poodle. My poodle if you met him while he was alive was actually very vicious towards strangers and protective of us, to the extent that we have to constantly tell him "friend" to make clear he shouldn't be agitated towards visitors. You'd actually mistake him for a Rottweiler if you had met him. You ought to try Welsh terrier, which barely even reacts to others and is passive. Pokeria1 (talk) 11:41, 3 July 2019 (EDT)

Poodles do have a reputation for biting people, but their bite strength is limited due to their small size/jaws. So while Biden is an ankle biter when it comes to Trump, he is a rather inconsequential one.Conservative (talk) 11:53, 3 July 2019 (EDT)

Please see the video Dog Attack Styles. Companies/military don't employ poodles as guard/attack dogs.Conservative (talk) 11:55, 3 July 2019 (EDT)

Trump's more like a crow pecking out the eyes and tongue of an enfeebled GOP. JohnZ (talk) 13:34, 3 July 2019 (EDT)

Crows are scavengers. Trump is producer minded. Look at the GNP growth. Look at historic employment levels. The USA also was rated the most competitive economy in the world. The Democrats with their tax/spend philosophy are the scavengers/consumers.Conservative (talk) 16:19, 3 July 2019 (EDT)

What we're looking at is the curious prospect of Harris and Warren being the final 2, a female/female head-to-head match up. Somewhat awkward and undesirable. Warren gets to play the radical leftist Bernie Sanders, and Harris plays the moderate centrist Hillary Clinton. Ultimately a Harris/Castro ticket, with an outside chance of Harris/Buttigieg.

An all female final two has its risks; the immediate question is can someone other than Warren, a male, play the role of far leftist in the Democrat party? Casting is open for this role, as it is needed to portray Harris as a level-headed centrist. RobS^{Deep Six the Deep State!} 16:34, 3 July 2019 (EDT)

The boost Harris got from the debates is already fading. Despite the fact that Biden was once again exposed as a doddering fool, his 30 percent of the vote is sticking with him. After all, where else are they going to go? The other candidates are ridiculously woke. (Michael Bennet of Colorado was only one who didn't raise his hand for open borders.) Warren now has the best net favorability. I expect Sanders' support to migrate to Warren leaving Biden and Warren as the final two. FiveThirtyEight has a statistical breakdown. PeterKa (talk) 17:24, 3 July 2019 (EDT)

The 30% are machine Democrats who would back Hitler, Mao, or Stalin if they were running. Donors, organizers, and staff are already defecting. Hickenlooper's manager and staff just quit, and they are not going to Biden.

Harris has Marc Elias, the DNC, Hillary Clinton, and John Podesta general counsel. Elias hired Christopher Steele to write the Steele dossier. Elias is behind the ballot stuffing measures that just won the House in the 2010 midterms. Get real. Read the writing on the wall. RobS^{Deep Six the Deep State!} 17:30, 3 July 2019 (EDT)

At this point, the Democrats have to nominate Harris, cause the black monolith within the Democrat party is about to shatter, RobS^{Deep Six the Deep State!} 15:34, 7 July 2019 (EDT)

• The prediction I made above is already vindicated. The two latest polls suggest that the nomination is now a two-way race between Biden and Warren.[2] I say it's time to uncork the fake Indian jokes. All hail Jokeahontas, the chief of the Wannabes! Wow wow wow for Powwow Chow! I hear Warren is on the warpath and she's not burying the hatchet anytime soon! What does warpaint and a bogus DNA test get you? The Democratic nomination! Check out this meme or this one. PeterKa (talk) 21:11, 13 July 2019 (EDT)

After my prediction of the worst being yet to come for Warren along with gloomy times ahead for her, she immediately raises her odds of winning and then continues to do so for another five straight weeks! And if I single out a candidate to acknowledge their pulling ahead, like Sen. Kamala Harris, it turns out to be the touch of death for them, and, for their opponents, unbridled success! I think I'll leave the predictions to Peter for a while. VargasMilan (talk) Tuesday, 22:07, 13 August 2019 (EDT)

The latest YouGov poll shows 21 points for Biden, 20 for Warren, and 16 for Sanders.[3] NEW PREDICTION: Sanders and Warren are too friendly to be rival candidates. Sanders knows he is too old to be president. He will drop out sometime before Iowa and endorse Warren. PeterKa (talk) 10:02, 20 August 2019 (EDT)

Silver linings: Epstein

At least it's stopped people talking about him and Epstein for a bit. I wouldn't have advised going full drunken racist uncle on Twitter to do it, like, but then I'm sure Trump knows far more about winning bigly than I do. JohnZ (talk) 18:27, 16 July 2019 (EDT)

It's ridiculous to call Trump's comments "racist" -- doing so takes away the word's meaning and power and makes it just another overused political catchphrase. As this op-ed (among others) shows, Trump makes statements like that against anybody who criticizes him regardless of their physical (or even ideological) characteristics.

Also, Trump's statements are logical -- the U.S. was extremely generous to Ilhan Omar and the millions of other refugees and migrants who have been allowed in and who have been naturalized. If all she's doing in response to that generosity is bash America, she shouldn't live here. If a British, French, or Russian person moves to the U.S. and bashes it in return, they also should leave.

Also, the same people who are defending Omar and her buddies are the same people who frequently mock and insult non-western immigrants such as Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Dinesh D'Souza. Trump and his supporters have high opinions of people like them. Internationally, Italy's right-wing populist League elected the country's first black senator,[4][5] and the Alternative for Germany has a higher proportion of immigrant MPs than Angela Merkel's party.[6] --1990'sguy (talk) 18:42, 16 July 2019 (EDT)

hahaha!!! Let me tell you about the time I heard a Native American tell an African American "go back where you came form." HAHAHA!! RobS^{Deep Six the Deep State!} 18:53, 16 July 2019 (EDT)

Donald Trump keepin' it real with Snoop Dogg. Meanwhile Kamala Harris claimed she used to listen to Snoop Dogg when she was in college (during the 1980s). Snoop Dogg hadn't released his first album until 1993. (Hat tip to PeterKa for his finding the Kamala Harris story and providing a link to it)

1990's guy, why are you working to convince someone who is laboring to fit the most slanderous remarks into the smallest space possible? A simple "As a lazy rock-thrower, you don't have access to the knowledge required to make that determination, as you don't even understand the American system of government to begin with" will do. VargasMilan (talk) Tuesday, 19:01, 16 July 2019 (EDT)

The biggest tell with this whole thing is that Trump (or more likely someone with the keys to his Twitter account) tried to bury the original 3 tweets with ~20 retweets of random guff. Go and check if you don't believe me.

On a more general note re. strategy, if you're tweeting stuff that - a couple of days later - forces you to deny that you're a racist, you probably shouldn't have tweeted that stuff in the first place. Racist or not, your boy's a moron. JohnZ (talk) 19:56, 16 July 2019 (EDT)

I don't believe you. If you're too slack-moralled to [not] describe somebody without obviously making up stuff, you could never be held accountable enough to receive any consequences for further repetitions of the same behavior. There's no downside for you! VargasMilan (talk) Tuesday, 20:23, 16 July 2019 (EDT)

It's all good. Pelosi has drawn closer to Ilhan Omar, whom she refused to condemn for her racism just two months ago. RobS^{Deep Six the Deep State!} 20:29, 16 July 2019 (EDT)

JohnZ, of course you don't know about winning bigly like Donald Trump. You are a British, secular leftist. Brexit passed. Boris Johnson was elected. On December 2018, The Times indicated: "The number of atheists in Britain has fallen in the past year, according to a survey suggesting that more people are attending church, albeit irregularly." See: British atheismConservative (talk) 16:38, 23 July 2019 (EDT)

Epstein: Another Clinton victim?

The Clintons sure do look happy about Epstein's death. See this video. I suspect that this is the best day Hillary's had since Comey shivved her. She doesn't look at all like the woman on the campaign trail who kept getting drunk and stumbled around. PeterKa (talk) 07:13, 11 August 2019 (EDT)

At the prison where Epstein was being held, a guard checked up on him every nine minutes. From this description, it sounds almost impossible for a prisoner to commit suicide without the connivance of the guards. That's under the standard regimen. That Epstein was mysteriously taken off suicide watch a few days before his death raises the jaw dropping factor to another level. This prison held El Chapo without incident. PeterKa (talk) 11:01, 11 August 2019 (EDT)

He was under 24 hour video surveillance in his cell. There's supposed to be video tape. Unless a jailer is disciplined within days, it's obvious what happened. The immediate problem is privacy regulations related to civil service workers' personal files. RobS^{Deep Six the Deep State!} 11:09, 11 August 2019 (EDT)

There was a story that 15 minutes before the Epstein death story broke, an anonymous writer appeared on 4-chan claiming to have been present in the prison and said they saw Epstein being walked out of the prison into a waiting car surrounded by persons near three other cars.

I also saw a photo of a body being taken out of a prison on a hospital/EMS body cart that looked like Epstein, but had definite differences in the nose and ear, that was displayed by a Twitterer in a helpful side-by-side comparison using graphics software.

These could have been faked, but who has the motive of presenting that kind of picture, but with no story to go along with it? If whoever reported each of those events had wanted to, they could have argued pro or con for Jeffrey Epstein meeting with foul play, and the picture or description could have reinforced the Twitter poster's opinion (one way or another) immensely. So why go to the trouble of either faking or for that matter even honestly reporting what was happening at the prison in little pieces by themselves with no other additions to serve as conclusions or even speculations? VargasMilan (talk) Sunday, 15:46, 11 August 2019 (EDT)

It's rumored the contract killing kitty has reached $100 million so they faked his death so as to move him to an undisclosed location. RobS^{Deep Six the Deep State!} 16:10, 11 August 2019 (EDT)

Jason Goodman did a 21 minute report from just outside the MCC minutes after the news broke. RobS^{Deep Six the Deep State!} 16:13, 11 August 2019 (EDT)

The reports today say there is no video footage of the incident.[7] How convenient. Yesterday, the media was loudly demanding answers. Had the deep state finally gone too far? Today, much of the coverage has slipped into Seth Rich mode. The public's continued interest is being denounced as a right-wing thing. Soon the media will be back to its regular output of "Trump's a racist," "Republicans are racist," and "Why are you disturbing Epstein's family. Haven't they suffered enough?" PeterKa (talk) 21:09, 11 August 2019 (EDT)

Here's the theory: it is a conspiracy charge - others will be named. Epstein's death does not mean Clinton, Richardson, Mitchell et al. skate. The U.S. Attorney already noted the conspiracy charge is ongoing. Epstein became a co-operating witness in the cases against Clinton, Richardson, Mitchell et al. and was moved into a witness protection program at an unknown location. RobS^{Deep Six the Deep State!} 00:52, 12 August 2019 (EDT)

Epstein is the first suicide at MCC since 1998. It's a jail for the worst of the worst, the prisoners with no hope.[8] The city's medical examiner has completed an autopsy, but they still don't know what the cause of death is. What's up with that?[9] PeterKa (talk) 09:05, 12 August 2019 (EDT)

See, now you are contributing to fake news engineering. It should be "Epstein's "apparent suicide", or Epstein's "alleged apparent suicide". We have yet to (a) see the coroner's report (b) see the IG investigation into the coroners report, etc. RobS^{Deep Six the Deep State!} 10:40, 12 August 2019 (EDT)

Yeah, and besides, didn't one of Epstein's... child maids for lack of a better term already state that she never even met Bill Clinton or Donald Trump? Something tells me that at the very least Bill Clinton for once was not responsible for his death (why would he need to, since one of the child maids already confirmed she never even met Clinton anyways. And besides, as you pointed out, Clinton's screwed either way with conspiracy charges, so it's not like killing Epstein would really help him out of the dug hole he made for himself.). And I'm not fond of Bill Clinton. Pokeria1 (talk) 10:44, 12 August 2019 (EDT)

Both the Department of Justice and the Bureau of Prisons are calling it an "apparent suicide."[10] I of course do know what really happened to Epstein. I am pretty sure that the mainstream media doesn't know either. It seems suspicious that we already have a corpus of "debunking" literature, with reporters tripping over each other to proclaim the Clintons innocent. PeterKa (talk) 12:15, 12 August 2019 (EDT)

Do I want the Clintons to be innocent? Absolutely not! Heck, if anything, I'd be glad if we actually NAIL them with something for once after spending far too many times escaping justice. But the problem is that one of the former child maids of Epstein under testimony denied that both Trump and Clinton ever came to her during her time as an escort. That's why I'm doubtful the Clintons would have been involved in any way with the death, as much as I really want them to be just to nail them with something for once. Pokeria1 (talk) 12:53, 12 August 2019 (EDT)

Bill Clinton is the highest profile perpetrator in the U.S. (among dozens of other prominent Democrats and Wall Street CEOs). In the UK, it is Prince Andrew. We know other Prime Ministers, Muslim emirs , and multinational corporate figures are involved. So yes, it's true the Clinton's are getting a disproportionate amount of publicity. it's a question of scale. The scandal is much much larger than just the Clintons. They do occupy a peculiar space however, having organized the shady money laundering scheme known as the Clinton Foundation in which there likely is overlap between donors and other accused pedophiles. RobS^{Deep Six the Deep State!} 13:37, 12 August 2019 (EDT)

I think we have a clearer picture of what happened. RobS^{Deep Six the Deep State!} 16:21, 13 August 2019 (EDT)

• Epstein's will, made up two days before he died, put his claimed assets of $577 million into a trust.[11] This is apparently an attempt to keep his beneficiaries secret. At the time he made up the will, he had a cell mate. But the cell mate was pulled out just before Epstein's death. In other words, someone arranged things to make it easier for Epstein to kill himself. The IRS gets first cut and then the victims. Epstein's beneficiaries, whoever they are, may not end up with anything. PeterKa (talk) 20:09, 23 August 2019 (EDT)

Can't believe none of that. We'll wait for the results of investigations. RobS^{De Plorabus Unum} 20:29, 23 August 2019 (EDT)

Two tier system

The fact that Nixon was pardoned, Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton have never been in jail and OJ Simpson initially got off and Epstein initially got a cushy sentence, tells me there is a two tiered "justice" system and the political/social elite often don't go to jail or are jailed under cushy conditions. Don't expect Prince Andrew to be convicted either. Call me a cynic, but it is hard to come to any other conclusion.Conservative (talk) 09:19, 18 August 2019 (EDT)

Yeah, should we really count Nixon? The whole Watergate thing was done by leftists in order to force him out of office without needing to assassinate him. It was purely partisan and a coup from the get-go, and aside from that, Nixon wasn't even AWARE of the break-in until after the fact (and if anything there's sufficient evidence that the "star witness" who supposedly "broke ranks" with Nixon was the one who actually masterminded the break-in, and all to remove evidence implicating him and his girlfriend to an infamous call-girl ring at the hotel). Definitely agree with the others, though. Pokeria1 (talk) 09:42, 18 August 2019 (EDT)

You need an understanding of federal law and civil service regulations; adding Prince Andrew and OJ in the mix only confuses issues. RobS^{De Plorabus Unum}

Let's separate the OJ murder charge under California law and the Prince Andrew charge subject to the US/UK extradition treaty out, and focus on civil service regulations, whether state or federal. Take the facts in the case you cited, and also examine the facts in Mayor Pete Buttigieg's firing of the South Bend police chief, based on threats (Buttigieg claims) made by the U.S. Attorney's office, regarding the civil service status of a South Bend, Indiana civil service employee (the police chief). The case is still under litigation, I think, 5 or 7 years after. The civil servant (the police chief) is likely to win (probably in a case that will never be fully litigated with an out of court settlement). Corruption, as is alleged by some, in the U.S. Attorney's office will never likely be exposed (forget non-action by the DOJ's Civil Service Division to protect minority rights).

Here's a good starting point to examine the two-tier system regarding civil servants under existing federal law. RobS^{De Plorabus Unum} 15:11, 18 August 2019 (EDT)

In my town, two local cases show the problem (1) the Superintendent of schools (one of the largest school districts in the nation) got a DUI; it cost the school district $750,000 to fire him before he his contract expired. (2) The University football coach was caught up in a lot of shady deals regarding recruiting (some of his recruits lived at his house, drove his car, and got in trouble with girls and drugs); it cost the University (i.e. the state) $500,000 to break his contract and fire him. RobS^{De Plorabus Unum} 15:41, 18 August 2019 (EDT)

I don't understand how a high profile figure such as a school superintendent or state university football coach can negotiate a separate contract and still be protected by collective bargaining rights. RobS^{De Plorabus Unum} 15:50, 18 August 2019 (EDT)

Michael Jackson never saw a day in jail for his pedophilia. Jackson could even dangle his baby over a hotel balcony railing on camera and still escape punishment.[12] He just said he committed a terrible mistake danglihg his baby over a hotel balcony and that was it as far as repurcussions.[13]

It's very obvious there is a two tiered system of justice. Conservative (talk) 18:49, 18 August 2019 (EDT)

You're confusing the issue, again, by bringing up non-civil service employees; cite the names of civil servant investigators and prosecutors who may have been paid off (with evidence), if you wish to make headway on the subject. Everyone knows money can buy justice. You just sound like a lame conspiracy theorist who is not helping to reform the system by confusing issues. RobS^{De Plorabus Unum} 19:02, 18 August 2019 (EDT)

My point is that high ranking government officials, celebrities and people with a lot of money often escape justice.

Donald Trump famously said, "And when you're a star they let you do it. You can do anything ... Grab them by the x$#$#@%. You can do anything."

It is true though that in a post Me-Too era, celebrities and others are being held to a higher standard now when it comes to sexual crimes. Bill Cosby found that out. So did Matt Lauer.Conservative (talk) 19:15, 18 August 2019 (EDT)

By the way, I am not a fan of the Me-Too movement, like most liberal/leftist ideologies it goes beyond reason. Like "believe the woman" is lame. People still need to have the presumption of innocence. And the Cavanaugh hearings were a disgrace.

But with that being said, I think the reason why Epstein faced the law a second time is due to the Me-Too movement and due to the Catholic Church being increasingly charged for pedophilia crimes. In addition, some of the craziness of the sexual revolution is wearing off. The nation is now more pro-life and pedophilia crimes are now being treated more seriously.Conservative (talk) 19:21, 18 August 2019 (EDT)

It was Mike Cernovich and Alan Dershowitz getting the Appeals Court to unseal documents related to Virginia Roberts Guiffre vs. Gsilaine Maxwell defamation suit (the 2009 plea agreement negotiated between James Acosta, Ken Starr, and Alan Dershowitz). RobS^{De Plorabus Unum} 20:37, 18 August 2019 (EDT)

Bottom line, here was the situation in 2003: "Almost all Americans have sex before marrying."[14]

Here is the situation now: "But surprisingly teens are less likely to have sex than they were 25 years ago. The 2015 Centers for Disease Control research update shows that 6 in 10 of teenagers have never had sex. That shows an increase of 28% since 1991. The CDC study found in their 2010 study that, “the most common reason for not yet having [had sex] was that it was ‘against religion or morals,’’ which was also the most common reason in 2002."[15]

The growth of Bible believing Christian churches is having an impact on the culture (see: Growth of evangelical Christianity). And these type of churches will likely keep growing in the USA because religious people have more children. But maybe not, maybe young evangelicals will drop out of the church. It is tough to say at this point. I do think Trump putting in conservative judges and a future economic downturn of a big magnitude could cause many people to sober up. During the Great Depression holiness churches and pentecostal churches grew. In times of trouble, people often turn to things that are more solid and not things like fake churches, etc. So your more conservative, Bible believing churches could see an increase.

So eventually, sexual perversion such as pedophilia, etc. might recede in the USA for the foreseeable future. But maybe it won't. Maybe non-Christians will be very adversely affected by internet porn.Conservative (talk) 21:33, 18 August 2019 (EDT)

The point I am making is that the law and legal system do not operate in a vacuum. The surrounding culture shapes the law and legal system. Conservative (talk) 21:33, 18 August 2019 (EDT)

Hopefully, out of the coup plot and Epstein situation, we can muster a bi-partisan reform movement. The FBI needs to be dismantled, in the same way INS was after 9/11 or the KGB after the fall of the USSR. Federal law enforcement needs to be rebuilt from the ground up. RobS^{De Plorabus Unum} 15:19, 19 August 2019 (EDT)

Dayton shooting

The U.S. ranks No. 61 in mass shootings

Don't believe the lying media. John Lott's Crime Prevention Research Center is the only group that has done anything close to a serious international study of mass shootings. They found that Columbia ranks No. 1, Benin is No. 2, and Iraq is No. 3. The U.S. is No. 61. In most countries, the police do not compile this type of statistic. There are only media reports to go by. A school shooting in the U.S. will make national news while one in the Philippines or India might get reported only in a local language paper. Mass shootings at parties is a surprisingly large and underreported category. The category of "mass shooting" is itself an American (or at least a Western)-oriented one. In East Asia, deranged adults with blood lust are more likely to pick up a knife and head to a local school.[16][17] PeterKa (talk) 12:57, 10 August 2019 (EDT)

You can download the full paper here. Check out appendix 3 and then get back to me on whether the US has a mass shooting problem. I'll wait. JohnZ (talk) 15:08, 10 August 2019 (EDT)

Looks like a diversion from the Epstein case. RobS^{Deep Six the Deep State!} 15:31, 10 August 2019 (EDT)

I read the abstract of Lott's paper and it seems to be consistent with what I wrote above: "Out of the 97 countries where we have identified mass public shootings occurring, the United States ranks 64th in the per capita frequency of these attacks and 65th in the murder rate." Is there a reason why I need to read the full 34 page paper? PeterKa (talk) 00:35, 11 August 2019 (EDT)

I'm aware that conservative reading comprehension often declines rapidly in the likely presence of unwelcome news, but seriously, which part of Check out appendix 3 are you struggling with? Pages 26-28. JohnZ (talk) 12:05, 11 August 2019 (EDT)

Appendix 3 says the United States had 53 mass shootings between 1998 and 2015, ranking tenth internationally. The heading says "per capita," but this is obviously a typo. The numbers given in the table are absolute. That is to say, the U.S. ranks higher on this table because it has a larger population. PeterKa (talk) 16:05, 11 August 2019 (EDT)

According to the FBI, more Americans are killed with hammers and clubs than with rifles: [18] I guess we'll now need "hammer control", since restricting hammer ownership obviously will stop the violence. --1990'sguy (talk) 22:29, 11 August 2019 (EDT)

Just do what JohnZ asks, please: assemble a report about Appendix 3 and his unevidenced interpretation of Lott's report, and he promises the truth will cause you to write it in a way that supports him and negates the other relevant reports and statistics on this very page.

If you do this just one! last! time! he also promises neither to dispense with rebutting prevailing arguments without admitting defeat nor to shift the burden of proof of arguments he similarly doesn't feel like rebutting anymore.

Nor to use the material you digested for him to help him understand the issues clearly enough to double up on future opponents.

Nor to refrain from checking others who show up to repeat his losing arguments, after him having complained that you were using argumentative overkill, and that enough had been said already.

And if you won't do it, then it proves that you're afraid! VargasMilan (talk) Sunday, 02:11, 11 August 2019 (EDT)

Maximum verbosity. Bravo, son. JohnZ (talk) 12:05, 11 August 2019 (EDT)

Look at JohnZ's talk page. Like the latest postings. He doesn't admit defeat even when it is overwhelming defeat. The most you will get is sullen silence. Conservative (talk) 12:29, 11 August 2019 (EDT)

I speak for the trees!

Glacier melting since Jefferson lived reveals 2000-yr-old frozen forest from prior warm period, which never happened before today’s global warming which will kill us all because shut up denier. #science —Hale Razor

VargasMilan (talk) Sunday, 02:11, 11 August 2019 (EDT)

When the babyboomers die off, that itself will reduce fossil fuel consumption and carbon emissions. Global warming will be China's problem, as well as Muslims and Mexicans with higher birthrates, assuming they reproduce in sufficient numbers to replace the number of dead boomers (Hispanic females nolonger are having as many children as they used; higher living standards have a devastating effect on fertility). It'll be their problem. Let them worry about it, and let them fix it/ I'm sick of hearing about it. RobS^{Deep Six the Deep State!} 02:55, 11 August 2019 (EDT)

Greta, the Nobel Prize nominee for organizing school strikes (civil disobedience) to protest the resistance of European legislatures to passing global warming hoax laws, recently virtue signaled to the Nobel Prize judges by posting a picture of herself onto the internet wearing a black Antifascist shirt.

You may soon be hearing about global warming lunacy a lot more than you'd like to.

What I don't understand is why the idea of the carbon cycle never makes it into mainstream discourse:

• The carbon dioxide (CO₂), what little there is of it, gets absorbed by plants and makes the plants grow in volume.
• Meanwhile the plants release oxygen (O₂), which causes a surplus of oxygen in the atmosphere in proportion to CO₂.
• Consequently, the plants die off some because of the lesser CO₂ available.
• Meanwhile, the animals slowly continue to turn the oxygen from the atmosphere, together with that additional oxygen released by the plants, back into CO₂.
• Finally, the plants grow back as the CO₂ proportion of the air rises, and the cycle returns to the first step.

Why wouldn't the carbon dioxide released by fossil fuels simply feed into this self-adjusting cycle? VargasMilan (talk) Sunday, 06:49, 11 August 2019 (EDT)

Atmospheric carbon dioxide went from 311 parts per million in 1950 to 408 ppm in 2018.[19] So, no, it's not self-adjusting. All the same, CO₂ is a trace gas in the atmosphere compared to water vapor. I have never seen a good argument for designating it to be the driver of the climate (as opposed to, say, the sun). PeterKa (talk) 20:41, 11 August 2019 (EDT)

I checked the figures, and you're right about the CO₂ concentration! And temperatures, such as the inaccuracy of the data is, diverged from CO₂ presence, but now they're back to being closer.

Before they diverged, I heard about an idea to pump carbon dioxide underground, especially where the oil and natural gas from fracking used to be, to be dealt with later. But when it did diverge, I heard the idea was shelved—but now, why shouldn't such conventional solutions as this one be taken up again? VargasMilan (talk) Saturday, 20:22, 24 August 2019 (EDT)

O'Rourke, racism, and gun control

It looks like the presidential leadership and comforting skills that Beto O'Rourke displayed after the El Paso Walmart shooting to his constituents and the world at large cost him more than 1 out three voters of his 1.9% base. I'm sure MSM who promoted him have taken note, have learned nothing, and will ignore facts again. RobS^{Deep Six the Deep State!} 14:45, 12 August 2019 (EDT)

What to say if you're called a racist

If anyone calls me a racist, I usually respond, "And you're a jerk." Another option is, "I am not a racist." According to today's Washington Post, I've got it all wrong. When white people are called racist, they should recognize that they are in fact racist and express gratitude. PeterKa (talk) 20:48, 24 August 2019 (EDT)

I dunno; being singled out as a racist by race pimps could be racist itself. RobS^{De Plorabus Unum}

"Our racist president emboldens bigots, xenophobes and white supremacists as domestic terrorists commit horrific acts of violence across our country.

As the proud son of an immigrant whose family was murdered by Nazis, I say: we will defeat white nationalism." —Bernie Sanders, August 23, 2019.

Ah yes, the guy who moved from Brooklyn to 96% White Vermont is here to lecture you bigots about diversity. —VDare, August 23, 2019. VargasMilan (talk) Sunday, 02:25, 25 August 2019 (EDT)

The most corrupt president

The Obamas just bought a 29-acre beachfront property in Martha's Vinyard for $15 million. Martha's Vinyard is where la crème de la crème flaunt their wealth by buying a modest hut or two. The Obama mansion is a seven bedroom, 8½ bathroom fortress. Does this sound like a family worried about global warming or rising ocean levels?[20][21] And where does a guy who never held a nonpolitical job get this kind of money? There was a leaked 2008 email from Michael Froman to John Podesta that speculated as to what an Obama cabinet would look like if contributors were rewarded according to how much they contributed. The Froman list was pretty much what the real Obama cabinet looked like.[22] PeterKa (talk) 03:22, 25 August 2019 (EDT)

In 2015, Obama told the United Nations that, "Rising sea level threaten every coastline...On shrinking islands, families are already being forced to flee their homes as climate refugees." I guess that was just the Teleprompter talking. Back in 2012, the one even had a socialist moment: "I do think, at some point, you've made enough money." See "12 Years Left Due To Climate Change? Obama Says 'Screw It' And Buys Oceanfront Mega-Mansion". PeterKa (talk) 14:02, 25 August 2019 (EDT)

Obama replied, "When I said that about the ocean levels, I was going to check the beachfront real estate market to find out how the pricing research behind all its buyers' and owners' investments assigned confidence with regard to the validity of the allegedly scientific research behind that aspect of global warming, but I forgot." VargasMilan (talk) Sunday, 19:40, 25 August 2019 (EDT)

Brazil fires

According to NASA, the level of fires in the Amazon rainforest is roughly the same as the 15-year average for this time of year: [23][24] It's interesting that despite this, the "international community" is upset only now that a conservative leads Brazil, rather than the leftists who controlled Brazil for the previous 15 years. --1990'sguy (talk) 10:20, 26 August 2019 (EDT)

The Washington Times has a story on how the only record with this matter is "international outrage": [25] --1990'sguy (talk) 09:49, 27 August 2019 (EDT)

Bots

Is there anyway we could use bots to check for vandalism? I would also like to update the articles to have an "edit lock" icon like on Wikipedia —The preceding unsigned comment was added by ChickenHacker (talk)

Anticipating Europhile/Anglophonisphere peanut gallery comments

27 of America's 3,242 counties are responsible for almost 80% of firearm homicides. Without them, we'd be at the EU average, but in possession of 300 million legally-owned guns.

VargasMilan (talk) Monday, 06:07, 5 August 2019 (EDT)

I wish this near-sighted focus on the weapon of choice reflected real compassion for potential victims of violence in America. But I think liberals have a suspicion that a well-armed populace keeps them from getting the social change, the economic change and the religious change that they can't convince the rest of the country, or in the case of looky-loos from the liberal anglophone world, the last of the anglophone countries, to adopt.

So the elite liberals come up with schemes and rhetorical repetitions that the lesser liberals carry out that are aimed at what they suspect will distract from the purpose of a well-armed militia in the free country of America. Which means they have to get personal towards those most likely to know the purpose, employing the group identities that they shaped partially perhaps for this very reason in a kind of circus. Here's what we're supposed to forget:

• Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed; as they are in almost every kingdom in Europe. The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword: because the whole body of the people are armed,, and constitute a force superior to any bands of regular troops that can be, on any pretense, raised in the United States. —Noah Webster

• A militia when properly formed are in fact the people themselves...and include all men capable of bearing arms...To preserve liberty it is essential that the whole body of the people posses arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them...The mind that aims at a select [that is, chosen by state governments] militia, must be influenced by a truly anti-republican principle. —Melancton Smith

• The rights of conscience, of bearing arms, of changing the government, are declared to be inherent in the people. —Fisher Ames (reporting constitutional Amendments proposed by James Madison.)

If Americans are thinking about clearly about defending the country against tyranny, it's reasonable that we are asking ourselves from time to time from where those threats might arise, especially if we have a personal stake. So, if we see ourselves as a part of a well-armed militia (sometimes even figuratively or perhaps in a supporting role with smaller arms), and see others, in the role of other members, instead of contemplating such matters, carrying out a kind of strategy of diverting to rash judgments, that, taken one upon one, reject the idea of defending against tyranny altogether, maybe we can see how useful these kind of associations can be to begin with. VargasMilan (talk) Monday, 09:12, 5 August 2019 (EDT)

Agreed overall with your point, though we ought to have a bit of caution and restraint, lest we end up taking the second amendment rights to the extremes that the French Revolution did where they used it to simply commit murders for fun. While we can point to Nazi Germany and the USSR regarding why a second amendment is actually necessary, the same can't be said with their progenitor, the French Revolution, which embraced second amendment teachings to an even more radical degree, heck, shotguns even being used for execution much to the amusement of the congregated crowd. Pokeria1 (talk) 10:13, 5 August 2019 (EDT)

Not to detract from RobS below, but that was "a real good answer". An example of what political science is all about from Pokeria. VargasMilan (talk) Tuesday, 02:25, 6 August 2019 (EDT)

3,242 counties? i thought the figure was more like 50,000.

What commie libs don't understand is, after these horrific shootings they keep thinking people will be ready to surrender their firearms. in fact, it stiffens their resolve and emphasizes why we have a Second Amendment. RobS^{Deep Six the Deep State!} 11:07, 5 August 2019 (EDT)

A nut with a gun does a shooting and people are horrified. A nut without a gun gets elected (like Obama, Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez, Clinton, etc) and people are equally horrified. As an American I can tell non-Americans this - the reaction of people to these events is no more emotional or shocking from one to the other. RobS^{Deep Six the Deep State!} 11:14, 5 August 2019 (EDT)

@VargasMilan: 27 of America's 3,242 counties Where did you get this statistic from? It does not seem to be very meaningful, as there are counties with as many as 10,000,000 and as few as 0 inhabitants.... --AugustO (talk) 03:50, 6 August 2019 (EDT)

In America, if you live in a big city, you'll probably get paid more per week (even welfare payments are higher), but you'll probably have a Democratic mayor as well and take a risk of getting shot or robbed, whatever race you are, unless you can also afford security. By the way, only one county has close to 10,000,000 inhabitants, and there are counties with less than 2,500,000 inhabitants in the top ten [having high fatalities or not]. VargasMilan (talk) Tuesday, 08:19, 6 August 2019 (EDT)

No one forces you to live in a big city here. VargasMilan (talk) Tuesday, 08:26, 6 August 2019 (EDT)

"Murders in US very concentrated: 54% of US counties in 2014 had zero murders, 2% of counties have 51% of the murders".[26]

"Black people have consistently accounted for close to half the country's homicide victims, making up more than 50 percent of the broader pool of those killed overall every year since 2010. The number of black victims increased 15 percent in 2015 over 2014.

Of the 13,455 cases from last year in which the FBI listed a victim's racial information, 7,039 victims – or 52.3 percent – were black. That compares with 5,854 cases – or 43.5 percent – in which the victim was white, an increase of about 8 percent from last year.

It's a disparity that becomes more pronounced in the context of population, as 2015 Census estimates suggest that whites account for 77.1 percent of the overall U.S. population of roughly 321 million, while blacks comprise 13.3 percent." - U.S. News and World Report.[27]

72 Percent Of Black Kids Raised By Single Parent, 25% Overall In U.S.[28]

Seventy-two percent of adolescent murderers grew up without fathers. Sixty percent of America's rapists grew up the same way. Source: D. Cornell (et al.), Behavioral Sciences and the Law, 5. 1987. And N. Davidson, "Life Without Father," Policy Review. 1990.[29]Conservative (talk) 08:36, 6 August 2019 (EDT)

FBI on psychology of mass shooters.[30]

Irreligious and the psychology of mass shooters (see: Atheist mass shooters). Conservative (talk) 12:07, 6 August 2019 (EDT)

Why do they hate Mexicans?

After the El Paso massacre, will Mexican newspapers run "Why do they hate us?" articles similar to ones American newspapers ran after 9/11? Perhaps Truthers will tell the Mexican people that it was really the Mexican government who did it. What I have seen so far is the U.S. media demanding that Republicans denounce white supremacists. Why do I have care anything about white supremacy? I'm still waiting for liberals to denounce Al Sharpton for provoking anti-Jewish mob action. Remember, Hillary could say with a straight face that Islam had nothing to do with terrorism. PeterKa (talk) 09:40, 5 August 2019 (EDT)

The Walmart shooter gave the answer: after automation replaces workers, Mexicans will come here seeking to get $1,000 a month from Andrew Yang instead of jobs which don't exist anymore. Americans are already saddled under a load of student loan debt which Elizabeth Warren promises to forgive, but Mexicans will be competing for college entrance next. Then they'll probably all want reparations for being underpaid tomato pickers for the past 100 years. The fact they've been promised free healthcare is slowing down America's march toward Social Justice. Thank God Bernie Sanders and others have advocated for the Walmart and Dayton shooters to vote up until the time they are executed. RobS^{Deep Six the Deep State!} 11:01, 5 August 2019 (EDT)

I think we're a little late to arrest and convict the presumed Dayton shooter. VargasMilan (talk) Tuesday, 03:06, 6 August 2019 (EDT)

And worst of all, immigrants (whether legal or illegal) come here, according the the El Paso shooter, and do not engage in plastic re-recycling. They also contribute to murdering trees to make paper towels to wipe our hands with. It's not Trump's rhetoric, but socialist rhetoric coupled with white privilege that distorted the minds of these early twenty-something kids who grew up in the Obama era with no opportunities and a sense of entitlement. RobS^{Deep Six the Deep State!} 13:54, 6 August 2019 (EDT)

Like the Christchurch killer, the El Paso manifesto writer is an "eco-fascist." This is a brand new ideology that fuses climate idiocy with neo-Nazi racism. If you believe that overpopulation is causing global warming and destroying the planet, humans are the enemy and killing a bunch of them is a logical step. For a leftist, the only fly in the ointment is that in this case potential Democratic voters were targeted. It brings to mind Michael Moore complaining that the 9/11 terrorists struck a heavily Democratic area. I would suggest that switching to nuclear power might be worth a try before anyone else resorts to genocide. PeterKa (talk) 21:10, 6 August 2019 (EDT)

He also says automation is a good thing, then accuses immigrants - both legal and illegal - of slowing down passage of a UBI. If there is one theme that dominates the El Paso shooters thinking throughout the manifesto, it is automation. It's an anti-corporate screed while praising automation for making his life easier, reducing the need for immigrant labor, and promising him a basic income. Immigrants, legal and illegal, he accuses of competing for a UBI while driving up college costs. RobS^{Deep Six the Deep State!} 10:03, 8 August 2019 (EDT)

Red flag laws

If you want America safer, shutdown sanctuary cities and close our border -- don't enact Red Flag laws that Democrats will weaponize against us when they return to power.

What seems "reasonable" today, will be used against you down the road. I promise.

• OpposeRedFlagLaws🚩—Amy

As I recall, someone warned us about that same kind of thing in the 1970s. I wonder who that could be?

VargasMilan (talk) Thursday, 05:54, 8 August 2019 (EDT)

Message to the atheist with the username Bottlecap, re: Atheism and the brain

Atheist Greta Christina wrote: "A lot of atheists, humanists, and other nonbelievers are leery or dismissive of meditation and mindfulness."[1] See: Religiosity and larger frontal lobes

User: Bottlecap wrote: "I forgot to take out the trash, It must be the fault of atheists!"?

3 points:

1. Healthline.com declares about the frontal lobe: "The frontal lobe is the part of the brain that controls important cognitive skills in humans, such as emotional expression, problem solving, memory, language, judgment, and sexual behavior. It is, in essence, the “control panel” of our personality and our ability to communicate."[31]

Please see: Religiosity and larger frontal lobes and Atheism and negative emotions/thoughts and Atheism and sexuality and Atheism and the brain and Atheist community and verbal–linguistic intelligence.

2. Depression can cause forgetfulness.[32] See: Atheism and depression and Atheism and suicide.

3. Do you have Alzheimer's disease? See: Atheism and Alzheimer's disease and Religion and Alzheimer's disease prevention.

I hope this clarifies things for you. Deny that atheists have a deleterious effect on mankind's mental health as a whole and lose all credibility. And remember, no man is an island! Conservative (talk) 22:36, 5 August 2019 (EDT)

I bet Ace[y] McWicked and Bottlecap sometimes fancy themselves the Archie and Jughead of atheism. VargasMilan (talk) Tuesday, 09:26, 6 August 2019 (EDT)

Ace is an obscure and uninfluential atheists who has little effect on Christendom or its future (see: Future of Christianity and Desecularization).

Given that atheists often crave attention and are narcissistic (see: Atheism and narcissism), I have decided to have a policy of benign neglect towards Ace and ignore him.Conservative (talk) 10:06, 6 August 2019 (EDT)

And now we're citing Infowars?

From Mainpageright (the public reads this, you know):

Setback for the vaccine police: "Babies Do Better with Unvaccinated Moms – Study." [33]

INFOWARS?? Alex "gay frogs" Jones? Alex "the Sandy Hook massacre was faked" Jones? It's enough to make one long for Breitbart, Sean Hannity, and Tucker Carlson. SamHB (talk) 23:31, 7 August 2019 (EDT)

After the mainstream media touted the Russian-colusion hoax for 2+ years (the Mueller congressional testimony was a total flop) and the mainstream press totally blew their coverage leading up to the 2016 presidential election, trust in media is at an all time low. I am not a regular visitor to InfoWars, but I don't see a great deal of difference between Jones and most mainstream journalists - except that InfoWars is often more reliable (Sad!).

Much of modern news organization news is just sensational clickbait and red meat, political journalism which does little to help people deeply understand the world.

I am giving up on most news organization news coverage and will look at major trends and other relevant data instead.Conservative (talk) 23:42, 7 August 2019 (EDT)

Gallup organization, 2016: "Americans' trust and confidence in the mass media "to report the news fully, accurately and fairly" has dropped to its lowest level in Gallup polling history, with 32% saying they have a great deal or fair amount of trust in the media. This is down eight percentage points from last year... Republicans who say they have trust in the media has plummeted to 14% from 32% a year ago. This is easily the lowest confidence among Republicans in 20 years."[34] Conservative (talk) 00:28, 8 August 2019 (EDT)

The global state of trust in media, in 5 charts, Digiday, 2018: "By all accounts, it’s been a turbulent year for media. The alarming spread of fake news — whether for financial gain, pushing partisan agendas or sharing inaccurate information — has shaken audience trust in media both on and off social platforms."Conservative (talk) 00:34, 8 August 2019 (EDT)

3,200 people have lost their jobs so far this year in a media landslide, Business Insider, July 30, 2019

People are not willing to pay to be lied to by mainstream journalists. Very fake news!Conservative (talk) 00:38, 8 August 2019 (EDT)

For a good source on vaccines, I'd highly recommend former CBS News anchor and award wining journalist Sharyl Attkisson, [35][36] She (a) has devoted years to this area, (b) currently has a lawsuit against Eric Holder and the Obama DOJ for illegal wiretapping, and (c) currently is in dispute with Wikipedia hitmen for slandering her on her bio.

Attkisson would be right at home with the Epoch Times. They should hire her. RobS^{Deep Six the Deep State!} 01:11, 8 August 2019 (EDT)

Man bites dog news story!

Dozens of dogs rescued from Chinese dog meat festival headed to U.S.[37]

Are there Chinese atheists in the United States who eat dog meat? See also: Atheists and dog meat eating and Atheism and animal abuse

Also, read our new articles: Religion and vegetarianism and Atheism and veganism

What would we do without User: Conservative to give us the stories that matter and not sensational news! Always remember, dogs are man's best friend! Conservative (talk) 00:42, 8 August 2019 (EDT)

I speak for the trees!

Glacier melting since Jefferson lived reveals 2000-yr-old frozen forest from prior warm period, which never happened before today’s global warming which will kill us all because shut up denier. #science —Hale Razor

VargasMilan (talk) Sunday, 02:11, 11 August 2019 (EDT)

When the babyboomers die off, that itself will reduce fossil fuel consumption and carbon emissions. Global warming will be China's problem, as well as Muslims and Mexicans with higher birthrates, assuming they reproduce in sufficient numbers to replace the number of dead boomers (Hispanic females nolonger are having as many children as they used; higher living standards have a devastating effect on fertility). It'll be their problem. Let them worry about it, and let them fix it/ I'm sick of hearing about it. RobS^{Deep Six the Deep State!} 02:55, 11 August 2019 (EDT)

Greta, the Nobel Prize nominee for organizing school strikes (civil disobedience) to protest the resistance of European legislatures to passing global warming hoax laws, recently virtue signaled to the Nobel Prize judges by posting a picture of herself onto the internet wearing a black Antifascist shirt.

You may soon be hearing about global warming lunacy a lot more than you'd like to.

What I don't understand is why the idea of the carbon cycle never makes it into mainstream discourse:

• The carbon dioxide (CO₂), what little there is of it, gets absorbed by plants and makes the plants grow in volume.
• Meanwhile the plants release oxygen (O₂), which causes a surplus of oxygen in the atmosphere in proportion to CO₂.
• Consequently, the plants die off some because of the lesser CO₂ available.
• Meanwhile, the animals slowly continue to turn the oxygen from the atmosphere, together with that additional oxygen released by the plants, back into CO₂.
• Finally, the plants grow back as the CO₂ proportion of the air rises, and the cycle returns to the first step.

Why wouldn't the carbon dioxide released by fossil fuels simply feed into this self-adjusting cycle? VargasMilan (talk) Sunday, 06:49, 11 August 2019 (EDT)

Atmospheric carbon dioxide went from 311 parts per million in 1950 to 408 ppm in 2018.[38] So, no, it's not self-adjusting. All the same, CO₂ is a trace gas in the atmosphere compared to water vapor. I have never seen a good argument for designating it to be the driver of the climate (as opposed to, say, the sun). PeterKa (talk) 20:41, 11 August 2019 (EDT)

I checked the figures, and you're right about the CO₂ concentration! And temperatures, such as the inaccuracy of the data is, diverged from CO₂ presence, but now they're back to being closer.

Before they diverged, I heard about an idea to pump carbon dioxide underground, especially where the oil and natural gas from fracking used to be, to be dealt with later. But when it did diverge, I heard the idea was shelved—but now, why shouldn't such conventional solutions as this one be taken up again? VargasMilan (talk) Saturday, 20:22, 24 August 2019 (EDT)

—Ira Tucker

VargasMilan (talk) Monday, 10:21, 12 August 2019 (EDT)

Vox says there's probably a lot of "scientific" research that's nothing but poppycock

Here's a reminder that the Bible is the only source of absolute truth. DMorris (talk) 06:23, 12 August 2019 (EDT)

Well, I’m a News reporter of my God’s Word,

Jesus came here in time,

And the Good News I’m talking about,

Will ease your troubled mind.

The subject of the book is Christianity,

And it’s headlined with religion,

And I don’t care how many books you read,

The Bible is the final edition.

Protestors close Hong Kong airport

With the airport closed today, Hong Kong has arrived at a tipping point. The city was a hard working bastion of free market economics with essentially no politics until the "umbrella protests" of 2014. Under the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984, Hong Kong was to eventually get an elected government. China vetoed this idea in 2014. The city's chief executive and 75 percent of the legislature are currently appointed by Beijing.
Yesterday, the police fired tear gas in a subway station, the first time that's happened indoors. The U.S. press isn't giving this issue the prominence it deserves, so check out The Hong Kong Free Press (the tribune of the protestors) and the South China Morning Post.
The city is being run for the benefit of land speculators who keep jacking up the price of land and making housing unaffordable. The Panama Papers claims that Chinese President Xi Jinping owns five properties in Hong Kong. Xi is far from the only party leader invested in the housing bubble. Hong Kong is the most expensive city in the world and it's all because of land prices. Less than two percent of the city's land is currently zoned for high density housing, so government policy is choking the market. Home ownership is a proven way of reducing political unrest. PeterKa (talk) 09:38, 12 August 2019 (EDT)

We have a massive tragedy in the making. The first democracy movement in 30 years since Tiananmen. And it's ending the same way as Tiananmen.

One of the most despicable things that public education and the Democrat party has done to our children since the election of the Clinton's in 1992 is not educating our children about the truth of Tianenmen, China, and communism. They have other priorities over democracy and human rights, like same sex marriage, single party control, and sexual perversion for all. RobS^{Deep Six the Deep State!} 10:50, 12 August 2019 (EDT)

You've got that right. I definitely remember reading textbooks in Elementary School where they basically painted Chiang Kai-Shek in the worst light imaginable, while Mao Zedong was treated like a good leader. Pokeria1 (talk) 11:44, 12 August 2019 (EDT)

John Lennon's Imagine was hijacked by the global free trade movement ("The world will live as one); they forgot the lyrics to John Lennon's Revolution: "If you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao, you ain't gonna make it with anyone anyhow. RobS^{Deep Six the Deep State!} 11:53, 12 August 2019 (EDT)

China's most dangerous book goes on Amazon

After five years in limbo, the book that kicked off the current turmoil in Hong Kong will finally be available on Amazon: Xi Jinping and His Lovers. The book was scheduled to be published in Hong Kong back in 2014. When the Chinese government got wind off it, they started kidnapping the editors. One was kidnapped while on vacation in Thailand. This year, Beijing proposed an extradition law so it can arrest Hongkongers who produce this kind of material legally. The city reacted with massive protests.
The human desire to read smut has always been a valuable tool in bringing down dictatorships. Tell Amazon you want a Kindle edition of this book, as well as an English language translation. Xi killed people to keep these secrets. As many readers as possible need to know what they are. PeterKa (talk) 06:55, 14 August 2019 (EDT)

Well, I don't know about smut being valuable to bringing down dictators. Sometimes, it's also just AS valuable to installing dictators. After all, Voltaire and Diderot advocated for smut specifically to bring down Catholicism and install in its place a godless anarchistic tyrannical government. Not to mention Sade. And don't get me started on Foucault and his promotion of smut, and how he wanted something akin to the September Massacres and has sung praises for the Ayatollah of all people. Still... if it brings down Xi, might as well support it, though I would have preferred something else entirely, like I don't know John Paul II's visit to Warsaw. Pokeria1 (talk) 07:01, 14 August 2019 (EDT)

Actually, I was thinking of Oliver Cromwell and the Puritans. They were invincible on the battlefield. But such godly rulers were never a good fit for an island built on smutty sex jokes. Nell "I'm the Protestant whore" Gwyn could have told them that. PeterKa (talk) 08:45, 14 August 2019 (EDT)

The Mooch

Brilliant strategy. Scaramucci and Trump are in a scrap. Scaramucci will become the chief "go to" guy as Trump's critic. He'll become a regular MSNBC and CNN pundit. may even get his own show. Build his own fan base. Then, after the convention, when Harris/Biden/Buttigieg/whoever gets nominated, Scaramucci comes back out of the closet and says Trump still is better than anything the Democrats have to offer.

These idiot Dems and MSM take the bait every time. RobS^{Deep Six the Deep State!} 12:04, 15 August 2019 (EDT)

Antifa strategy

Here's a thought: Antifa is promoting its anti-fascist agenda and militant maneuvers to menace socialist heretics. This would include those who wouldn't use violent revolution to achieve their socialist ends, or are acting according to [incremental,] conspicuously independent or nationally skewed forms of socialism.

They don't have to call conservatives fascists too. But if they didn't you would have heretics and non-believers, the second actually falling under a less negative name than the socialist heretics.

An expected consequence of successful intimidation would be more antagonism between conservatives and socialists because of a silenced center-left and a more united left that would cause the left and right parties to share less common ground, an antagonism Antifa could exploit as a camouflaging backdrop to later increases in their promotion of violent revolution. VargasMilan (talk) Sunday, 17:08, 18 August 2019 (EDT)

One flaw in your reasoning: Antifa does not have an "antifacist agenda"; Antifa is a fascist organization. RobS^{De Plorabus Unum} 18:56, 18 August 2019 (EDT)

When a right-wing group does a protest or show of force in a liberal/leftist area, they cannot count on police protection - period. Confronting the opposition where its strong is never a good idea. "So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong and to strike at what is weak." - Sun Tzu

I think it is better to move to a conservative state and vote with your feet. This way your tax dollars are not going to support liberal/leftist policies.Conservative (talk) 18:59, 18 August 2019 (EDT)

RobS, Antifa has members and groups in many major cities. Why don't you think, when they grow large enough, they would all step up at the same time and declare themselves dedicated communists? They have reached out to ISIS; do you doubt they have correspondence with other socialists in other parts of the world? The word krypto-communist comes to mind.

Conservative, a civil engineer can tell you where a building would break first due to stress. There are words to describe types of buildings like "top-heavy", "bottom-heavy" or "overloaded". I think that's how the martial arts work too.

Trump has his hand on the lever of calling Antifa a domestic terrorist group. He knows what's going on by now. It might be interesting to watch what they do. Especially if they think Trump has a counter-strategy of demolishing their "building". VargasMilan (talk) Sunday, 20:14, 18 August 2019 (EDT)

It's all a commie plot to overthrow the U.S. Constitution (First and Second Amendments are under extreme attack right now). They could give a rats' pitutie about racism, Medicare for All, or income equality. It's a criminal gang trying to seize power, as all Socialist movements everywhere at all times in history have always been at times of societal breakdown, to wit abortion and gay marriage attest. RobS^{De Plorabus Unum} 20:44, 18 August 2019 (EDT)

Potential articles or templates

1990sguy hit a home run with his Donald Trump achievements article idea. The article got a lot of page views.

Here are some of the top issues rated in importance in my estimation, but maybe others have better ideas.

1. 2020 USA Presidential race

2. Immigration/the wall

3. China-USA Trade War

4. Gun rights/shootings

Maybe a "Leftist mass shooters" article would be popular

Maybe a Donald Trump's wall article would be popular.

I am just throwing out ideas. If others have ideas, please tell us your ideas.

Maybe some templates on important issues could be created too.Conservative (talk) 20:06, 20 August 2019 (EDT)

For the record, we already have a Border wall article and an Open borders article. We also have Mass shootings prevented by armed citizens. We could either 1) expand these articles further (though I think they're already pretty good), 2) create redirects to make it easier to find them, or 3) create new articles related to these. --1990'sguy (talk) 20:24, 20 August 2019 (EDT)

I think a cleverly titled template relating to the presidential campaigns, which will grow in interest, might be optimal at this time. Perhaps "Template:President 2020"?--Andy Schlafly (talk) 20:39, 20 August 2019 (EDT)

We need something more specific than Border wall as a lot of countries have border walls. How about United States-Mexico border wall?

As far as the template, it would be "Template: United States President 2020"Conservative (talk) 20:50, 20 August 2019 (EDT)

The border wall is kind of a sore point, to say the least. Negotiations are continuing, however, and some progress made. For example:

ANN COULTER SAYS SHE IS HAPPY WITH TRUMP because of the decision to end 'catch and release' and she proudly says SHE WILL NOT CRITICIZE HIM AT ALL TODAY Congrats to: @realDonaldTrump 💯

VargasMilan (talk) Wednesday, 18:42, 21 August 2019 (EDT)

By the way, don't think I'm unnecessarily elevating Coulter in the ribbing I copied off of Twitter about the situation, either.

• She's presented the clearest case for halting immigration;
• Trump's adherence to the case allowed him to win against the rest of the Republican primary candidates who opposed immigration restrictions to the bitter end;
• And her taking immigration seriously allowed her to successfully forsee serious events like what was recognized to be the immigration emergency Trump declared, and which the Democrat-controlled House was forced to pass a billion-dollar appropriation on July 1, 2019 to combat. VargasMilan (talk) Thursday, 22:21, 22 August 2019 (EDT)

FYI: Here is a report of a mass shooting prevented by an armed loyal citizen:

Sciascia, Andrew J. (August 21, 2019). "Good guy with a gun distracts gunman, shot multiple times averting potential mass shooting". Conservative Tribune website.

There was also a mass shooting planned in Lubbock, Texas, near the time of the most recent two but was stopped by the would-be assailant's grandmother reporting it to the police, rather than by a citizen carrying a gun, hours before it was carried out. Scary stuff. VargasMilan (talk) Friday, 12:21, 23 August 2019 (EDT)

Why don't we catalog opioid deaths; that's something the government is suppose to have control over. RobS^{De Plorabus Unum} 13:25, 23 August 2019 (EDT)

I've also been hoping that we could somewhere, somehow catalog statistics for causes of death. I know the numbers are out there, and I've started gathering some, but it's slow going. The problem seems to be getting numbers for all causes from the same year.

It seems like all we hear about are deaths due to "gun violence" and "preventable" drug overdoses (if it was legal to use all drugs, and they were dosing in a monitored clinic), as if these are the top causes of death. The actual #1 cause of unnatural death? I think it's alcohol, but indirectly. Car accidents caused by alcohol, drug (legal and illegal) reactions/overdoses due to alcohol, doing idiotic things due to alcohol (falling to their death, killing themselves with fireworks, etc.), and so forth. This being a root cause will probably be difficult to get statistics on, but we could at least catalogue the immediate causes. Even lighting could make that list; these days, there seem to be somewhere between 55 and 16 (the lowest ever recorded) fatalities due to lightning. In the 1940s, it was over 400 per year.

All around the world, there are fools who think the U.S. is some lawless death zone where everyone goes around shooting one another. Although this is a somewhat morbid topic, it would be nice to have some stats all in one place to prove them wrong. Also, we could add on to this how many mass murdered were stopped with force (such as armed citizens shooting back). --DavidB4 ^(TALK) 13:55, 23 August 2019 (EDT)

For crime, including hate crimes, there's the FBI. Andy Ngo investigated hate crimes further to see how many were domestic violence (until he was interrupted by being badly beaten himself by Antifa). And for other causes, there's the National Center for Health Statistics. VargasMilan (talk) Friday, 23:13, 23 August 2019 (EDT)

I posted a link here a while back, also, about records of assaults with multiple targets. VargasMilan (talk) Friday, 23:20, 23 August 2019 (EDT)

What to say if you're called a racist

If anyone calls me a racist, I usually respond, "And you're a jerk." Another option is, "I am not a racist." According to today's Washington Post, I've got it all wrong. When white people are called racist, they should recognize that they are in fact racist and express gratitude. PeterKa (talk) 20:48, 24 August 2019 (EDT)

I dunno; being singled out as a racist by race pimps could be racist itself. RobS^{De Plorabus Unum}

"Our racist president emboldens bigots, xenophobes and white supremacists as domestic terrorists commit horrific acts of violence across our country.

As the proud son of an immigrant whose family was murdered by Nazis, I say: we will defeat white nationalism." —Bernie Sanders, August 23, 2019.

Ah yes, the guy who moved from Brooklyn to 96% White Vermont is here to lecture you bigots about diversity. —VDare, August 23, 2019. VargasMilan (talk) Sunday, 02:25, 25 August 2019 (EDT)

The most corrupt president

The Obamas just bought a 29-acre beachfront property in Martha's Vinyard for $15 million. Martha's Vinyard is where la crème de la crème flaunt their wealth by buying a modest hut or two. The Obama mansion is a seven bedroom, 8½ bathroom fortress. Does this sound like a family worried about global warming or rising ocean levels?[39][40] And where does a guy who never held a nonpolitical job get this kind of money? There was a leaked 2008 email from Michael Froman to John Podesta that speculated as to what an Obama cabinet would look like if contributors were rewarded according to how much they contributed. The Froman list was pretty much what the real Obama cabinet looked like.[41] PeterKa (talk) 03:22, 25 August 2019 (EDT)

In 2015, Obama told the United Nations that, "Rising sea level threaten every coastline...On shrinking islands, families are already being forced to flee their homes as climate refugees." I guess that was just the Teleprompter talking. Back in 2012, the one even had a socialist moment: "I do think, at some point, you've made enough money." See "12 Years Left Due To Climate Change? Obama Says 'Screw It' And Buys Oceanfront Mega-Mansion". PeterKa (talk) 14:02, 25 August 2019 (EDT)

Obama replied, "When I said that about the ocean levels, I was going to check the beachfront real estate market to find out how the pricing research behind all its buyers' and owners' investments assigned confidence with regard to the validity of the allegedly scientific research behind that aspect of global warming, but I forgot." VargasMilan (talk) Sunday, 19:40, 25 August 2019 (EDT)

Brazil fires

According to NASA, the level of fires in the Amazon rainforest is roughly the same as the 15-year average for this time of year: [42][43] It's interesting that despite this, the "international community" is upset only now that a conservative leads Brazil, rather than the leftists who controlled Brazil for the previous 15 years. --1990'sguy (talk) 10:20, 26 August 2019 (EDT)

The Washington Times has a story on how the only record with this matter is "international outrage": [44] --1990'sguy (talk) 09:49, 27 August 2019 (EDT)

Bots

Is there anyway we could use bots to check for vandalism? I would also like to update the articles to have an "edit lock" icon like on Wikipedia —The preceding unsigned comment was added by ChickenHacker (talk)