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Mole

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Everything posted by Mole

  1. The Babylon Bee does a good job of satirizing the foibles of conservative evangelical culture. They know it well and do a good job of making light-hearted fun. Whenever step outside their comedic comfort zone, it turns into unfunny grievance politics pretending to be comedy.
  2. He was undeniably talented and wildly influential, but the praises I’ve seen for him (and some of the criticisms) look through a very short-sighted lens. His greatest influence wasn’t any set of policies or coherent political philosophy he pushed. His greatest influence was in chipping away at a shared, objective reality. Much like Trump, whether or not you like or hate his views is somewhat beside the point. This brand of conservatism made it impossible to have any rational public discourse. Making our opinion of these types of public figures as dependent upon whether or not you agree with their end result misses more foundational issues. In fact, it buys into the destructive ideology that Rush helped to spread. When reality is subservient to ideology, we can’t actually discuss our shared reality. There’s no real political discussion if there’s no shared reality, Yes, “both sides” do it, but one side has weaponized it to cause far greater harm. The body count isn’t even close. Rush was the spiritual father to a brand of conservatism that has caused massive death and suffering. That’s not a statement about policy but a statement about values and honesty, which have far more direct impact on our lives than any good or bad policy.
  3. I’m glad the SpongeBob look is back.
  4. I grew up in the north. I remember one winter when our fridge went out, we just threw everything in the snow on the back porch. It was a little weird to put on my coat to make hot pockets, but it seemed like a pretty obvious solution.
  5. Donkey is a NowThis sock?
  6. I don’t know anything about the energy industry or have much of an understanding of this situation but I have very strong opinions that coincidentally align with my political views on a small handful of unrelated social issues. Also, all energy matters.
  7. First, that’s the most Midwestern thing I’ve ever seen. Second, I’d love for his vision of the GOP to win out, but I think the current arc of history is bending pretty hard towards madness.
  8. By the time Colt’s injury game came around, I had more or less grown out of feeling the losses so deeply for myself, but I really wanted that win for him. Watching him process his heartbreak in real time during the postgame interview was hard.
  9. There’s always the possibility that the Qs will come up with someone dumber and worse.
  10. I don’t know why they should be expected to actually filibuster when they filibuster. You saw what happened when they almost lost some of their vacation time. They aren’t all that into their jobs.
  11. The church 2nd amendment talk reminded me of the time I was invited to a wild game dinner at one of the local baptist churches. We ate all sorts of wild meat, which was cool. The there was some sort of sermon/Gospel presentation. My vague recollection is that it was some sort of strained metaphor about the meal. Then they gave away a rifle and the kid who won absentmindedly pointed the rifle at everyone there. Good times.
  12. I haven’t seen the statement. What is it?
  13. So is res ipsa just the lawyerly version of two psuedo-intellectuals arguing on Facebook about who has the burden of proof? I feel like this is more of a case of Es scortum obscenus vilis, but I’m no lawyer.
  14. I’ve made it through all of yesterday and about 2/3 of today with it running in the background. Seeing the last 4 years laid out like this over 2 days is just brutal and so plainly obvious. If this movement can be shut down and marginalized, maybe we have a chance, but as long as we’re hellbent on pretending it didn’t happen, it’s sure to get so much worse. And it’s so plain and obvious but nothing matters, which is also plain and obvious.
  15. I’m not disagreeing with your general sentiment, but I like precision when it comes to the words of Jesus. My reading of the passage, given below, is that he asks them to sell their cloak and buy swords (he doesn’t specify two), they tell him that they have two there already and he says, “that’s enough!” It’s a pretty ambiguous passage,but I’d agree that it certainly isn’t a charge to go and arm ourselves. If that were the case, then I guess it would be also making the case against tactical gear while armed, right? Gun or coat, pick one. 35 Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?” “Nothing,” they answered. 36 He said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. 37 It is written: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors’; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment.” 38 The disciples said, “See, Lord, here are two swords.” “That’s enough!” he replied.
  16. Definition of nonplussed 1: unsure about what to say, think, or do : PERPLEXED 2 chiefly US : not bothered, surprised, or impressed by something
  17. I think the antonym of nonplussed is nonplussed.
  18. I’ve always found Ives, THE great American composer, much more patriotic and rousing than the national anthem.
  19. Look on the bright side. It's almost no-Nuke Friday. But yeah, it's heartbreaking, enraging, and completely expected all at once. The indifference to any sense of morality or decency will never not be shocking, even when everything has been obvious for while. If you grant Trump's lie as the truth, overthrowing the government is actually kind of reasonable. If the things that Trump claimed over and over were true, violence had to have seemed justified by the true believers. How could it not?
  20. As a veteran and musician, I'm a traditionalist when it comes to the National Anthem. It should have a three feel, not four; it's a drinking song afterall, so it should sound like it. When they yell, Stars fans are engaging a drunken tradition with the tune that predates the US Constitution. https://ks4.imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/f/ff/IMSLP534456-PMLP31185-levy-000-002.pdf I'd support Abbot's proposed law if it required the singing of all verses. If we're going to do it, let's do all the way. Make sure to include the Oliver Wendall Holmes Sr. verse: When our land is illumined with Liberty's smile, If a foe from within strike a blow at her glory, Down, down with the traitor that dares to defile The flag of her stars and the page of her story! By the millions unchained, who our birthright have gained, We will keep her bright blazon forever unstained! And the Star-Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave While the land of the free is the home of the brave.
  21. Give me Tommy Loy any day.
  22. Question for the law dogs: is there some nifty Latin turn of phrase for a defense that implicitly acknowledges that nothing matters so that even though the right thing is blindingly clear, nothing matters at all? Where everyone knows the right thing but we all also know that so many are so cynical that there’s no real point in offering much of a defense? Because, why bother putting in extra effort when you know it doesn’t matter? If not, may I suggest Ano est vitae?
  23. “What’d he do that for?”
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