Kinda sure that I cannot vote for Biden in '24

[Big RR]

The democrats are in a quandary because Biden doesn't have a lot of support among the rank and file, and also because for many the reason to vote for Biden is primarily to vote against Trump. That being said, I think the best things the dems could do is to get a VP candidate who could generate enthusiasm and appear as a good replacement should Biden not be able to complete the second term (as many expect/fear). I had hoped this could be Harris, but haven't seen much of her for the past 3+ years (this may not have been her fault, but possibly was orchestrated by Biden or the party, I don't know), but we do need someone who could generate that enthusiasm, and the sooner the better. Removing Harris would not be easy either as she has her supporters, but giving her a high profile position in government could possibly make it easier to get her cooperation. I also am unaware of the possibilities for her replacement, but I cannot imagine the dems wouldn't have at least one exceptional man or woman who could help the ticket.

Absent this or some unexpected occurrence before the election, I predict a long election night and a close vote.

[Sue U]

Nevertheless, this is a grave warning for the Dems and all of us who hope to scotch the Reichsfuhrer Return

The democrats are in a quandary because Biden doesn't have a lot of support among the rank and file, and also because for many the reason to vote for Biden is primarily to vote against Trump.

I will remind you that Joe Biden was nobody's first or even second pick for Democratic nominee in 2020 but was a compromise choice, and the press spent that year ginning up doubts about his age and his gaffes and his limited public campaigning (remember COVID-19?) and his lack of enthusiastic support, yet Biden won more than 51% of the popular vote (while Trump got less than 47%) and took the electoral college 306-232.

And now that he has been in office, the Biden Administration can point to actual accomplishments for the American people like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, historically low unemployment, improving relations with our international allies and building a coalition to push back against Putin's aggression in Ukraine. What did Trump accomplish with his four years of the presidency? The only major legislation he signed was cutting taxes on the super-rich and large corporations, ballooning the national debt by over $2 trillion. Where was the national healthcare policy to replace the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")? How did "Infrastructure Week" work out? And wasn't there supposed to be some wall that Mexico was going to pay for? We did get a perpetual clown show of "all the best people" Trump brought on quitting or being fired and being berated by Trump (not necessarily in that order) and his crack Legal Strike Force hilariously losing every one of more than 60 post-election lawsuits. And of course there was a riot and insurrection he incited in a desperate effort to cling to power. Not to mention the total trashing of constitutional principles and evisceration of fundamental rights by his appointees to the Supreme Court.

It is at best lazy journalism for the political press to focus so heavily on fundamentally dumbass polling results in its coverage of election cycle news -- especially more than a year before the actual election -- when there are real and very consequential issues concerning the direction of American politics and the survival of democracy. And with the severe underperformance of the GOP in last year's midterms and the apparent mobilization of voters on the abortion rights issue after Dobbs and its legislative fallout, I think you are seeing the public taking to heart the dictum that elections have consequences. Republicans are not doing themselves any favors by blindly sticking to Trump and setting fire to government in their House caucus; chaos and spite are generally not winning principles for the majority of voters who consider themselves "moderates."

[Big RR]

Sue--despit the things you point out Trump has many rabid supporters who, it appears, will vote for him no matter what; and even the moderate republicans are kowtowing to them. Maybe it's not as bad a thing as it appears, but then I never thought it was even possible for Trump to be elected. And given the thin margins presidents have been elected by, it concerns me that it could not happen again.

Sure, I agree with you about Biden's accomplishments, but I am concerned that he doesn't do much to inspire turnout; he won the last election because dems and moderates were convinced to turnout because another 4 years of Trump would be unthinkable. But here we are 4 years after and Trump still pulls republican strings and gets people who will always turn out for him; I don't think that's going to change. IMHO, we need a little of that on the democratic side to be sure people turn out to vote, because I do think the margin will be close. I would hope the electorate does realize that elections have consequences and turns out whether this happens or not, but it does scare me. And in any event, it wouldn't hurt to inject some enthusiasm into the Biden campaign.

sure, it's too early to make valid predictions, but I am very concerned about what may happen.

[MajGenl.Meade]

Sue, all that you wrote is true in sensible liberal world. Unfortunately, what we have is humans. History seems to demonstrate a distinctly unsensible and illiberal trend amongst the species.

I am sick and tired being castigated as cis-something (yes, I can "hear" the lip-curl that goes with it), phobic, and all the other terms that a small minority of perverts use in their shrill and continuous demand to force everyone to applaud, protect and support their proclivities. I'm tired of sanctuary cities, the immigration crises and the failure to deport. Also sick of the fat cat Dems and Reps who evade justice at every turn (including Trump, yes). I'm sick of it all.

It is only my horror of Trump that will stop me voting Republican. I don't want to vote for Biden - or perhaps any Democrat. Aside from rabid MAGAts, there are a lot more of me out there who may not shrink from Trump - despite everything. (And by the way, you forgot that he actually did one semi-goodish thing to do with reconciling Israel and some of its neighbors, at least to some degree - and yes I know others have been involved in the run-up to that for years before him). I will not vote for Trump. I would not like to vote for DeSantis (Trump not-so-lite).

But (inappropriate use of the mage)

[BoSoxGal]

When the choice is between a civilized democracy trying to make things better for the working stiff

And rising fascism that stokes fear and violence to distract from inequality and despair

We can’t be too choosy about our heroes.

[Sue U]

I am sick and tired being castigated as cis-something (yes, I can "hear" the lip-curl that goes with it), phobic, and all the other terms that a small minority of perverts use in their shrill and continuous demand to force everyone to applaud, protect and support their proclivities. I'm tired of sanctuary cities, the immigration crises and the failure to deport. Also sick of the fat cat Dems and Reps who evade justice at every turn (including Trump, yes). I'm sick of it all.

This is literally the culture war propaganda that the GOP and right-wing media are constantly flinging at you to make you feel there is some sort "them" out to "get you." Literally nobody is "castigating" you for your gender or sexual orientation nor is anyone "forc[ing]" you to applaud anyone or anything. Nobody on The Scary Left gives a shit who you are or what you do in your personal life, other than to say "you do you." But why are there so many of "you" who are so bent out of shape about whether a very small minority of gay and transgender people should be allowed the same rights as everyone else, or even simply be left alone? Why must they and their families be punished for being who they are? Why must their existence be denied and their presence in society be prohibited and expunged?

I'm also tired of the "immigration crisis" (not actually a crisis), and would love to have a sensible policy in place welcoming immigrants to pursue their own American dreams and help build our society. But rather than actually do something about immigration reform and funding, the GOP is happy to keep scaring old wypipo with images of messican caravans on Faux News because fear drives their voters' engagement. And if we have some cities who make a choice to not harass their populations, who see immigrants regardless of their documentation status as a net good and want to accommodate them, then why is that a problem for you? If there were rational, fair and and well-managed immigration policies to start with, there wouldn't be a (perceived) "problem" of "illegals" who require deportation. We are a rich country and reputed to be a beacon of freedom; why should we be hesitant to share that?

At least you have realized that the answer to your political frustration is not the formerly-creeping-now-galloping fascism of the Republican Party. But what is your problem with voting for a Democrat? Are you opposed to infrastructure, economic development, education and healthcare? Seriously, what does the other (major) party offer other than chaos and shenanigans?

(At this point I am not even going to comment on the so-called "Abraham Accords," particularly since the Trump-enabled Netanyahu government is busily pursuing its own fascist enterprise and engaging in a new and more brutal campaign of oppression and displacement in East Jerusalem and the Occupied Territories. The news out of Israel over the last year has been extremely distressing.)

[MajGenl.Meade]

distressing.)

Yeah, I may have sugar-coated the main point - which was "Aside from rabid MAGAts, there are a lot more of me out there who may NOT shrink from Trump - despite everything" (emphasis added)

Whether you like it or not, I'm sick and tired of vocal minorities pissing all over the place about what bastards the "rest of us" (all 7 of us ) are. And don't give me this shit about equality - what "they" want is supremacy and people like me saying "Aaaah the poor dears, love 'em. Ain't they nice". Silence is not enough. Now I have to conform to some twat's idea of a pronoun - that pisses me off too.

And what should worry you is not me - who would rather die than vote Trump - but all the others who perceive themselves as being victims of this post-modern immorality and might, just might, vote for Trump (or the DeS word). And there are those like me who might hesitate to pick the Dem because we don't think that Dems represent "us" any more.

What's the big deal? You sure don't think Reps represent you (or me mostly I have to agree at present) so don't get 'em in a twist because millions don't like the way you think about some things. I was OK with a don't ask, don't tell approach to life. But I'm not allowed that any more

[Big RR]

Now I have to conform to some twat's idea of a pronoun - that pisses me off too.

Meade--why does this piss you off? You call be people by the name chosen by them or their parents, why does it bother you in the least to call them by a pronoun they have chosen? Even if "it doesn't make sense" to you, why does it bother you? I recall my father had a bald friend they all called "Curly"; it didn't make sense, but it was the name her chose--woudl that bother you too?

And, FWIW, no one forces you to conform. Well, maybe etiquette (using peoples' chosen names to refer to them), but there's no force there. You can remain as ill-mannered as you choose (and, FWIW, other people can also criticize you for or take exception to it--they have rights too).

[MajGenl.Meade]

I would never be so rude as to insist on referring to a person in a manner that they found offensive - to their face. In their absence, I'm not going to use "him" when it's obviously a "her" or vice versa when referring to that person. Mostly I use given names. But this is beside the point.

The point is that society as a whole is being warped by lunatics. Here in the local school system we have a boy who insists that he is a cat. And the school system, without my consent, goes along with it. The teaching staff (royally pissed off) are required to accept him as a "cat". We don't know if that means he has a litter box instead of a toilet facility - but he damn well should. He should be removed from school and taken to the Animal Protective League.

Yes, I am being forced to acquiesce in extreme nonsense by minorities because the society in which I live is being forced to do so. Not that it matters but I don't understand why Black has a capital B now but white does not. That's one I won't use - which bothers nobody because I'm nobody and ain't writing articles for the NY Times et al. But it gets my back up every time I read it . . . and you can tell me it shouldn't or I have no right or whatever as much as you like. I once destroyed my own 8 ft wooden stepladder because my son vehemently denied that I felt sad because he was not telling me the truth - how can he deny my feeling sad? - and I had a sledge hammer in my hand at the time. Lucky for us both the ladder was standing there.

I don't at all mind ungendered toilet facilities - when it's just a one-seater room. I do object to forcing people to mingle with members of the opposite sex in large rest-rooms - which is why (I suspect) that sanity has mostly prevailed except possibly in universities and California.

Going back to one of Sue's examples, yes I do object to "sanctuary cities". That kind of issue was settled in 1865. Federal law must be obeyed. That's one of the reasons I won't be on the streets demonstrating against homosexual marriage - it's the law. My town doesn't have the right to declare itself homosexual-marriage-free. (Not that it would but the point is that we should all obey the law). And look how the black mayor of New York has changed his tune from pre-election 2022 "everyone welcome" to "G-d it we have a problem. Help us, Federal buddies, help us". It's crap to say there's no crisis of illegal immigration. That offensive wall is looking like a better and better idea - to many more people than it did three years back.

Look at the anti-oil bastards in the UK. They deserve a good thumping for the anti-social tactics and vandalism. And the day is coming when they'll get it. I support their right to protest but not to destroy and cause damage to other people's lives.

Don't you get it? There's real anger out there and it's pissing up a rope to dismiss it as "wrong". It's that exact dismissal that's making Trump look good to some folks - I just hope it isn't enough folks to get the bastard back in.

[I am not unaware that the tenor of this post would sound familiar if written in German. That bothers me too. Anger is not pretty]

It seems to me that things are going wrong and neither Dems nor Reps offer viable solutions. "Seems to me" - don't make me lose another stepladder

[MajGenl.Meade]

The point is that society as a whole is being warped by lunatics.

To be clear, I include MAGA/conspiracy folks in that

[Big RR]

Meade--to be clear, I don't deny you your anger--but I do think sometimes it makes sense to examine that anger and figure out why you are mad. After all, anger tends to cloud your mind and affect your judgment.

[BoSoxGal]

The point is that society as a whole is being warped by lunatics. Here in the local school system we have a boy who insists that he is a cat. And the school system, without my consent, goes along with it. The teaching staff (royally pissed off) are required to accept him as a "cat". We don't know if that means he has a litter box instead of a toilet facility - but he damn well should. He should be removed from school and taken to the Animal Protective League.

Who told you this, Meade? Are you actually friends with any teachers in the local school system? Did they tell you this, in violation of all the rules of privacy that adhere to students and their educators?

You do seem very angry about things which don't actually seem to affect you personally or your bubble of existence. Are you depressed?

I was acutely depressed for several years recently, a lovely side effect of chronic insomnia and my reaction to a diagnosis of debilitating life limiting chronic illness (which ended up after six years to be a misdiagnosis - lucky me I'm 'cured', with just some lifelong nerve damage and the associated issues that presents) - and we all know what an angry bitch I was during the height of my acute depression.

Anger, irritability and depression are also early hallmarks of dementia - I hope you are keeping on top of your vascular health and your GP is screening you for these issues.

[Sue U]

No, kids aren’t identifying as cats. We dig up the roots of an awful media rumour

Jamie Wareham
Jun 24, 2023

---

TL;DR: What began as Republican rumours about litter buckets in classrooms, reemerged into a weeklong story about baseless claims that kids identify as cats. Even in the source material for this week's story, no-one says that kids are actually doing this. Basic fact-checking would have put an end to this absurd conspiracy[/font]

---

What began as a viral TikTok became a massive story for a media hooked on anti-trans clickbait this week - based around whether kids in schools identify as 'cats'.

If you take a minute to listen to the actual audio this story is based on, it's clear to any listener that no one identifies as a cat.

So why did so much media report on this verbatim without fact-checking it? Let's explore.

How did the story hit the headlines?

A three-and-a-half-minute recording of a teacher and pupil arguing about gender identity was shared online. In it the student is quoted as asking:

“If they [another student] want to identify as a cow [indistinct, maybe ‘cat’] or something, then they are genuinely unwell – crazy.”

The teacher argues that this baseless concept is rude and offensive. That it disregards the range of gender identities people can have. In the clip, the teacher calls this attack "despicable".

After being picked up by Fox News, ultra-conservative group Turning Point UK and - you guessed it - GB News, it then hit mainstream legacy newspapers.

Specifically, The Telegraph ran the headline: “Pupil who questioned classmate ‘identifying as a cat’ called ‘despicable’ by teacher”. This propelled the story further, and it even ended up on the BBC and ITV - Byline Times

How the story played out in the media

If you tuned into LBC or were in a cab and had no choice on Monday morning, you'd have heard shock jock Nick Ferrari questioning the absurdity of this headline.

Unsurprisingly, his issue wasn’t that it was vastly misrepresentative. The phone-in debate raged over how children were identifying as cats and how horrendous it was that a teacher would call it "despicable" to question that. As you now know, that was never the case.

In the fiery exchange of the original audio, the teacher sets out why their pupil should respect different gender identities - in line with school policy - and that comparing the way people identify with gender to 'identifying as a cat' was "despicable".

It’s a very different conversation from what the headlines suggested. And it was blown further out of proportion when The Daily Mail platformed (who they dub) 'Britain's strictest head-teacher. The paper dug up month-old comments at the right-wing conference NatCon where she claimed, with little evidence, that kids at her school identified as cats.

All of this led to the Education Secretary, Gillian Keegan, ordering an investigation into the school, Equalities minister Kemi Badenoch demanding a snap Ofsted inspection, and Rishi Sunak condemning “schools (that) are allowing children to identify as cats, horses and dinosaurs.”

It bears repeating - none of this happened. No one at the school identifies as a cat. A fact the school was pained to have to confirm in a statement - Schools Week

Where did the baseless 'identify as a cat' concept originate?

If you zoom out even further, many social media users pointed out that the idea of kids 'identifying as cats' comes from an even more horrifying place.

It comes after Republicans spread the conspiracy theory after they found out some schools keep litter buckets in classrooms.

They're designed to be makeshift toilets in case of school shootings. Schools in the US have them because most now operate with a 'when, not if' strategy.

Analysis: Basic journalistic craft would have stopped this story

Fact-checking is one of the foundational elements of journalism. But it's done on a trust basis. People have to trust it's done to believe in their news sources.

It's no wonder that trust in UK journalism has one of the lowest scores in the world. ‘Churn’ - stories lifted from other papers with little or no fact-checking to generate ad revenue - are far too big a part of the industry. This story should have never passed the partisan broadcast world of GB News and Fox News.

It should have been thrown on the cutting room floor when it reached mainstream media, which has long prided itself on its commitment to journalistic principles. It should have been dubbed a non-story as fake news.

But it wasn't - because it played right into the hands of a UK media industry addicted to transphobic hate and rage clicks.

[Joe Guy]

meow

[MajGenl.Meade]

Anger, irritability and depression are also early hallmarks of dementia

I don't think that's . . . you know . . . he was in that one with thingie, her . . . it'll come to me

[Sue U]

I would never be so rude as to insist on referring to a person in a manner that they found offensive - to their face. In their absence, I'm not going to use "him" when it's obviously a "her" or vice versa when referring to that person. Mostly I use given names. But this is beside the point.

Are you enraged by using Ms. rather than Miss or Mrs? Again, you're entitled to think whatever you want about the labels other people prefer for themselves; all anyone is asking is that you not be rude. If someone tells you how they'd like to be addressed, how is it any skin off your nose? And I think you shouldn't be so certain about who is "obviously" a "him" or a "her," and maybe examine why you feel so compelled to confine someone else to an identity they reject for themselves. And how does a electing a president affect how people want to be identified?

The point is that society as a whole is being warped by lunatics. Here in the local school system we have a boy who insists that he is a cat. And the school system, without my consent, goes along with it. The teaching staff (royally pissed off) are required to accept him as a "cat".

First, the "identifies as a cat" story is false and has been spread precisely to generate the kind of reflexive anger it triggered in you. Second, why in the world does your local school system need your "consent" to implement any policy whatsoever? Do you get some sort of veto power over decisions on day-to-day procedures by the school board or individual schools? Must every practice in your schools be put to a general public vote? Why? Third, what in the world does voting for/against Joe Biden have to do with your (or anyone else's) local school district? You can't vote for a competent, public service-oriented president because you think something fishy is going on up the street at Grover Cleveland Elementary School?

Yes, I am being forced to acquiesce in extreme nonsense by minorities because the society in which I live is being forced to do so. Not that it matters but I don't understand why Black has a capital B now but white does not. That's one I won't use - which bothers nobody because I'm nobody and ain't writing articles for the NY Times et al. But it gets my back up every time I read it . . . and you can tell me it shouldn't or I have no right or whatever as much as you like. I once destroyed my own 8 ft wooden stepladder because my son vehemently denied that I felt sad because he was not telling me the truth - how can he deny my feeling sad? - and I had a sledge hammer in my hand at the time. Lucky for us both the ladder was standing there.

I literally keep saying you can have all the feelings you want, no one is telling you not to. The world will change whether you like it or not. And not for nothing, but isn't it the Republicans who are the party of "fuck your feelings" and mocking "snowflakes"?

I don't at all mind ungendered toilet facilities - when it's just a one-seater room. I do object to forcing people to mingle with members of the opposite sex in large rest-rooms - which is why (I suspect) that sanity has mostly prevailed except possibly in universities and California.

I don't know why you find private toilet stalls and a common sink area so frightening, but go ahead and use other facilities if you must.

Going back to one of Sue's examples, yes I do object to "sanctuary cities". That kind of issue was settled in 1865. Federal law must be obeyed. That's one of the reasons I won't be on the streets demonstrating against homosexual marriage - it's the law. My town doesn't have the right to declare itself homosexual-marriage-free. (Not that it would but the point is that we should all obey the law). And look how the black mayor of New York has changed his tune from pre-election 2022 "everyone welcome" to "G-d it we have a problem. Help us, Federal buddies, help us". It's crap to say there's no crisis of illegal immigration. That offensive wall is looking like a better and better idea - to many more people than it did three years back.

There is no federal law that requires a municipal entity to hunt down immigrants, and immigration policy is the exclusive province of the federal government. No "sanctuary city" is declaring itself free of federal law. They are just not volunteering to expend their own resources helping La Migra. The "crisis" of immigration is an incoherent and unmanageable federal policy and a misallocation of resources that could be better used to help immigrants adjust rather than flying/busing them unannounced and en masse to "liberal cities" and dumping them on the street.

Don't you get it? There's real anger out there and it's pissing up a rope to dismiss it as "wrong". It's that exact dismissal that's making Trump look good to some folks - I just hope it isn't enough folks to get the bastard back in.

No one is telling you your anger is "wrong" or that you can't have whatever feelings you want. What I'm saying is look at where that anger comes from -- is it manipulation and scare-mongering about things that are false, wildly exaggerated and/or of little to no consequence to you in the first place?

[MajGenl.Meade]

I would never be so rude as to insist on referring to a person in a manner that they found offensive - to their face. In their absence, I'm not going to use "him" when it's obviously a "her" or vice versa when referring to that person. Mostly I use given names. But this is beside the point.

Are you enraged by using Ms. rather than Miss or Mrs? Again, you're entitled to think whatever you want about the labels other people prefer for themselves; all anyone is asking is that you not be rude. If someone tells you how they'd like to be addressed, how is it any skin off your nose? And I think you shouldn't be so certain about who is "obviously" a "him" or a "her," and maybe examine why you feel so compelled to confine someone else to an identity they reject for themselves. And how does a electing a president affect how people want to be identified?

The point is that society as a whole is being warped by lunatics. Here in the local school system we have a boy who insists that he is a cat. And the school system, without my consent, goes along with it. The teaching staff (royally pissed off) are required to accept him as a "cat".

First, the "identifies as a cat" story is false and has been spread precisely to generate the kind of reflexive anger it triggered in you. Second, why in the world does your local school system need your "consent" to implement any policy whatsoever? Do you get some sort of veto power over decisions on day-to-day procedures by the school board or individual schools? Must every practice in your schools be put to a general public vote? Why? Third, what in the world does voting for/against Joe Biden have to do with your (or anyone else's) local school district? You can't vote for a competent, public service-oriented president because you think something fishy is going on up the street at Grover Cleveland Elementary School?

Yes, I am being forced to acquiesce in extreme nonsense by minorities because the society in which I live is being forced to do so. Not that it matters but I don't understand why Black has a capital B now but white does not. That's one I won't use - which bothers nobody because I'm nobody and ain't writing articles for the NY Times et al. But it gets my back up every time I read it . . . and you can tell me it shouldn't or I have no right or whatever as much as you like. I once destroyed my own 8 ft wooden stepladder because my son vehemently denied that I felt sad because he was not telling me the truth - how can he deny my feeling sad? - and I had a sledge hammer in my hand at the time. Lucky for us both the ladder was standing there.

I literally keep saying you can have all the feelings you want, no one is telling you not to. The world will change whether you like it or not. And not for nothing, but isn't it the Republicans who are the party of "fuck your feelings" and mocking "snowflakes"?

I don't at all mind ungendered toilet facilities - when it's just a one-seater room. I do object to forcing people to mingle with members of the opposite sex in large rest-rooms - which is why (I suspect) that sanity has mostly prevailed except possibly in universities and California.

I don't know why you find private toilet stalls and a common sink area so frightening, but go ahead and use other facilities if you must.

Going back to one of Sue's examples, yes I do object to "sanctuary cities". That kind of issue was settled in 1865. Federal law must be obeyed. That's one of the reasons I won't be on the streets demonstrating against homosexual marriage - it's the law. My town doesn't have the right to declare itself homosexual-marriage-free. (Not that it would but the point is that we should all obey the law). And look how the black mayor of New York has changed his tune from pre-election 2022 "everyone welcome" to "G-d it we have a problem. Help us, Federal buddies, help us". It's crap to say there's no crisis of illegal immigration. That offensive wall is looking like a better and better idea - to many more people than it did three years back.

There is no federal law that requires a municipal entity to hunt down immigrants, and immigration policy is the exclusive province of the federal government. No "sanctuary city" is declaring itself free of federal law. They are just not volunteering to expend their own resources helping La Migra. The "crisis" of immigration is an incoherent and unmanageable federal policy and a misallocation of resources that could be better used to help immigrants adjust rather than flying/busing them unannounced and en masse to "liberal cities" and dumping them on the street.

Don't you get it? There's real anger out there and it's pissing up a rope to dismiss it as "wrong". It's that exact dismissal that's making Trump look good to some folks - I just hope it isn't enough folks to get the bastard back in.

No one is telling you your anger is "wrong" or that you can't have whatever feelings you want. What I'm saying is look at where that anger comes from -- is it manipulation and scare-mongering about things that are false, wildly exaggerated and/or of little to no consequence to you in the first place?

1. Not at all - I think of it as "Miz" with a southern drawl. Why tell me not to be rude right after quoting my written confirmation that I wouldn't be rude? I don't assign labels - if a bloke has the name Joe Bill Doe then I'll call him Joe (or Bill). When speaking OF Joe (or Bill) to others I will use the pronoun "he" regardless of what Bill (or Joe) wishes. After all, I want to be referred to as "stud muffin" but no one pays attention to that.

2. I'm beginning to think I was conned about the cat thing; I shall get vengeance on those persons. What I know for sure though is that the second biggest destructive force in schools (after the NRA etc) is indiscipline. And I place the blame solidly on liberal individualism that has permeated otherwise sensible members of the public to the point where teachers are quitting en masse https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/loc ... e-concerns And yes, I know there are other issues such as short-staffing - why short? Because our schools are turning into bear gardens, right down to primary level (my wife does stints as an aide to teachers dealing with horrors and their even worse parents).

3. I'm not happy with the current Republican direction. Isn't that clear? But it's not Republicans that want me to worship perversion and see pride in what is only shame

4. And I don't understand your insistence (if not you, then anyone's) desire to hang out in bathrooms with members of the opposite sex. You keep out of mine and I'll keep out of yours. It's common decency, not fright. Apparently there's some major fault in thinking like a normal person.

5. "Sanctuary city" is known in insurance terms as an attractive nuisance. No one wants a child to drown in their unfenced swimming pool but they take no action to prevent it from happening. I agree that the problem is traceable to lack of balls by the Federal government which should have been jailing employers from the get go as well as deporting all who don't follow the rules. I followed the rules but it's the fashion these days for people to do whatever the hell they want and get congratulated for it.

You may think that the degradation of society is unconnected to voting for politicians right up to President but I don't. The prime movers of societal collapse are Democrats for the past 40 years. But I'll vote for a Democrat president if the alternative is Trump. I'd rather the ship go down by suicidal rushing at icebergs than being smothered in scum.

[Big RR]

1. Not at all - I think of it as "Miz" with a southern drawl. Why tell me not to be rude right after quoting my written confirmation that I wouldn't be rude? I don't assign labels - if a bloke has the name Joe Bill Doe then I'll call him Joe (or Bill). When speaking OF Joe (or Bill) to others I will use the pronoun "he" regardless of what Bill (or Joe) wishes. After all, I want to be referred to as "stud muffin" but no one pays attention to that.

And no one is denying you that right; if your friedns or compatriots or whoelver you talk to object, then they are and should be free to raise it and you cna pay attention to them or not.

I'm beginning to think I was conned about the cat thing; I shall get vengeance on those persons. What I know for sure though is that the second biggest destructive force in schools (after the NRA etc) is indiscipline. And I place the blame solidly on liberal individualism that has permeated otherwise sensible members of the public to the point where teachers are quitting en masse https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/loc ... e-concerns And yes, I know there are other issues such as short-staffing - why short? Because our schools are turning into bear gardens, right down to primary level (my wife does stints as an aide to teachers dealing with horrors and their even worse parents).

Indiscipline? Not exactly sure what that is or, even worse, where that play into teacher resignations, but you point out that the parents are even worse (and, hence, more of a problem), and, so far as I know, schools never disciplined them. That being said, I think teachers are more leaving because they are not respected by student, parents, and the populace in general. Hell, teachers are routinely blamed for everything, derided as stupid, and often not even given a seat at the table when educational reforms are discussed. When other, often better-paying, employment is available, who can blame them. Face it, you wouldn't discuss medical reform with representatives of the medical community, or financial reform without accountants, but teachers are not viewed as professionals--everyone knows their jobs and education better than they do.

I'm not happy with the current Republican direction. Isn't that clear? But it's not Republicans that want me to worship perversion and see pride in what is only shame

I know this is hyperbole, but you are as entitled to your opinion as anything else. No one is demanding that you "worship" or even support sometung you see as perverted, but many are saying that public policy should not be decided on the basis of someone's personal opinions. Yes, there are times when some professionals and businesses are required to provide services to people they don't like for purposes they don't support, but this has always been the way (even doctors who decried sexual promiscuity still treated people with VD) and is a consequence of entering into providing service to the public. Don't like gay marriage? Don't go to a gay wedding, don't permit them in your church, don't send a present--no one says you can't do any of these things; but don't expect not to have others criticizing you for it.

"Sanctuary city" is known in insurance terms as an attractive nuisance. No one wants a child to drown in their unfenced swimming pool but they take no action to prevent it from happening. I agree that the problem is traceable to lack of balls by the Federal government which should have been jailing employers from the get go as well as deporting all who don't follow the rules. I followed the rules but it's the fashion these days for people to do whatever the hell they want and get congratulated for it.

Not sure of the point you are making about attractive nuisance, but maybe I just don't understand you, but let's not pretend everyone "followed the rules". There were many ways around the rules even in the more open immigration days (I know several people who had relatives who entered under new names taken from people who died), but again, if we stopped the demand, the supply would go away. I've worked with the immigrant community for a number of years now, and most are just here to work. They don't get much in the way or public benefits (most won't even enter a government office for being seized) and they provide labor that is apparently needed by employers. Of course, it's easier to scream about it and erect silly walls that are easily evaded that address the labor problem.

[MajGenl.Meade]

Big RR "public policy should not be decided on the basis of someone's personal opinions"

All policies are decided on the basis of personal opinions.

When enough people in the right places personally opine that "X is good", X becomes the law

[Jarlaxle]

Anger, irritability and depression are also early hallmarks of dementia - I hope you are keeping on top of your vascular health and your GP is screening you for these issues.

They are also signs you may simply be a curmudgeon. I recall being that way since...probably age 12.