US Elections 2020 (geopolitics, informed debate, no ad hominems)

Biden

14 (66.7%)

Trump

7 (33.3%)

Total Members Voted: 21

Voting closed: November 02, 2020, 06:25:59 pm

[Robert Roaldi]

My suggestion is when Trump starts talking, just hit the mute button so you don't have to listen to it. I wore mine out. I had to go down to the XFinity store and get a new one. When I got there, it was still closed because of COVID. So I called them up and they said they would mail me one. Longest three days of my life until it arrived. Fortunately, this occurred before Trump put that idiot in charge of the Post Office who fixed it so the ballots wouldn't arrive on time. If that had been the case, it would have been three weeks instead of three days, and I would have been in a straightjacket.

I feel your pain. I don't think they make remotes the way they used to. I had a wired remote (if people can conceive of such a thing anymore) on my first VHS deck, and an old cat of ours viciously attacked that remote one night. The remote continued to work flawlessly for many years, and in fact the deck died before the remote did.

As for listening to Trump talk, one of the benefits of advancing age with some accompanying hearing loss is that I miss a lot of stuff, but it's mostly no big loss.

(Btw, if you're interested, pic No. 25 in this gallery is that Cooper's Hawk I mentioned earlier. We debated whether it wasn't a large Sharp-shinned Hawk instead of a small Cooper's but we settled on Cooper's because we have no way to be sure and we had to pick one. It has been stopping for a few days visit in our neighbourhood for 5-6 years or more now. We can't be certain that it's always the same one, of course, but it seems like a safe assumption.)

[faberryman]

I feel your pain. I don't think they make remotes the way they used to. I had a wired remote (if people can conceive of such a thing anymore) on my first VHS deck, and an old cat of ours viciously attacked that remote one night. The remote continued to work flawlessly for many years, and in fact the deck died before the remote did.

As for listening to Trump talk, one of the benefits of advancing age with some accompanying hearing loss is that I miss a lot of stuff, but it's mostly no big loss.

(Btw, if you're interested, pic No. 25 in this gallery is that Cooper's Hawk I mentioned earlier. We debated whether it wasn't a large Sharp-shinned Hawk instead of a small Cooper's but we settled on Cooper's because we have no way to be sure and we had to pick one. It has been stopping for a few days visit in our neighbourhood for 5-6 years or more now. We can't be certain that it's always the same one, of course, but it seems like a safe assumption.)

Wow. Wired remotes. I remember remotes that sort of chimed when you pressed the button There were little clappers that hit little pieces of metal to make a tone in there.

My dog ate my remote a while back. He thought it was a Kong or something. He bit off the volume control. I had to read my TV manual to figure out how to turn down the volume, otherwise we would have been blasted out. I had to go down to Xfinity store to get a replacement. This was before COVID so the store was open.

I asked my wife. She says we have Sharp-shinned hawks and Cooper's hawks too. We also have Red-Tailed hawks which are smaller.

[Alan Goldhammer]

By the way, Alan G, I forgot to mention.  You look very debonair in your mask.  What have you co-workers said about it?

It goes over well.  It's the only time in the last 12 months that I put on a suit and tie.  I miss getting dressed up for work.  Some years ago I was featured in the Washington Post for being well dressed during a heat wave:  https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/04/AR2005080401708.html  I had a picture but it was on the inside page and didn't make it on line.  they used Mac Dunaway (brother of Faye) instead.

[Alan Klein]

Wow. Wired remotes. I remember remotes that sort of chimed when you pressed the button There were little clappers that hit little pieces of metal to make a tone in there.

My dog ate my remote a while back. He thought it was a Kong or something. He bit off the volume control. I had to read my TV manual to figure out how to turn down the volume, otherwise we would has been blasted out. I had to go down to Xfinity store to get a replacement. This was before COVID so the store was open.

I asked my wife. She says we have Sharp-shinned hawks and Cooper's hawks too. We also have Red-Tailed hawks which are smaller.

I use to be the remote.  My father would say, "Go put Channel 4 on."  Of course, back then, there would also be a lot of snow.  So he would click me and say, "Adjust the rabbit ears while you're there."  The process worked pretty good, for him.

[Alan Klein]

It goes over well.  It's the only time in the last 12 months that I put on a suit and tie.  I miss getting dressed up for work.  Some years ago I was featured in the Washington Post for being well dressed during a heat wave:  https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/04/AR2005080401708.html  I had a picture but it was on the inside page and didn't make it on line.  they used Mac Dunaway (brother of Faye) instead.

Well, I think you got it over Dunaway.

[Peter McLennan]

My dog ate my remote a while back.

True story:

My dad bought one of the first Hi-8 camcorders.  One day it quit and nobody, including Sony, could figure out what happened.  My mom, ever suspicious, sniffed the camcorder and proclaimed “cat piss!”.  She proved correct. The cat had pissed right inside the cassette door.

Sony laffed so hard they gave us a new camcorder.

[faberryman]

True story:

My dad bought one of the first Hi-8 camcorders.  One day it quit and nobody, including Sony, could figure out what happened.  My mom, ever suspicious, sniffed the camcorder and proclaimed “cat piss!”.  She proved correct. The cat had pissed right inside the cassette door.

Sony laffed so hard they gave us a new camcorder.

If you had a dog it would have been easier to figure out. I am not keen on cats. My parents had a mastiff once that ate the neighbor's cat right in front of the neighbor. That was a problem for a while. Then the neighbor realized that he didn't have to clean the litter box any more, and that smoothed things over. Sometimes when something bad happens, you have to think about it and see if there are any upsides.

[John Camp]

He prefaced George with President while referring to our current president TRump.  So he was thinking of President George Bush, not some guy named George.  Biden wife's lips moved slightly.  She was probably mumbling to him, " Donald you dope, Donald."

Here's the link.  People can make up their own minds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixjYjlktqOw

That's the edited version, Alan. You don't see the interviewer. He's talking directly to a guy named George. And he didn't say "President George." Listen to the goddamned video yourself, don't depend on what Trump said. Well, excuse me, I know your life revolves around believing what Trump said, but just this one time, listen to the video...

[Craig Lamson]

That's the edited version, Alan. You don't see the interviewer. He's talking directly to a guy named George. And he didn't say "President George." Listen to the goddamned video yourself, don't depend on what Trump said. Well, excuse me, I know your life revolves around believing what Trump said, but just this one time, listen to the video...

Yea Alan do listen to the uneditted video and listen to the context...he forgot who was President, it had nothing to do with the interviewer being George Lopez.

“The character of the country in my view is literally on the ballot, what kind of country are we going to be,” he says. “Four more years of George uh...George, going to find ourselves in a position if Trump gets elected, we are going to be in a different world.”


This is just more liberal BS trying to cover for Biden.

[Peter McLennan]

Reading a problem for you?  Wood was never part of Alan’s post.  Sheesh.

Conventional knowledge is that wood is the cheapest of all heating systems.  Alan said that electric heat was several times more expensive than oil or gas.  My post refuted that. 

[Craig Lamson]

Conventional knowledge is that wood is the cheapest of all heating systems.  Alan said that electric heat was several times more expensive than oil or gas.  My post refuted that.

Your post did no such thing.  You offered no proof at all that electric was cheaper than gas.  Your opinion is not proof. 


We can play battling links all day long if you want but I like this one.

How much does heat cost in the US

http://shrinkthatfootprint.com/heating-cost-comparison

Of course prices are regional and subject to change. 

[faberryman]

You offered no proof at all that electic was cheaper than gas.

Holy smoke. It's about time for lunch.

[faberryman]

I don't know about reversing these decisions.  But many of the decisions the court has made should be revisited.  We've given too much power to the Federal government.

So you want to be the one to decide when, where, and how a woman obtains an abortion? But maybe we are on the same page. Maybe we should leave the federal, state, and local governments out of it. Let the woman decide.

A lot of people say that we have given the government too much power. Usually they are the ones who don't like something the government has done. They rarely complain about having given the government too much power when the government does something they like.

Since I mentioned abortion, here is an example. Say you know a Catholic motorcycle rider. The legislature passes a law that says he has to wear a helmet. We'll you know what's going to happen. He is going to dress up in his camo, grab his AR15, and ride his motorcycle down to the capitol without a helmet, and exercise his First Amendment right to bitch and moan about having to wear a helmet and about the government having too much power, and generally scare people because he has a gun, and it looks like he is so worked up about the loss of individual liberties he going to lose it any minute now. Next day the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade. You ask him what he thinks about that and he says it is a perfectly acceptable use of government power. I am sure you can think up other examples, but a Catholic motorcycle rider was the first thing that popped into my head.

[Robert Roaldi]

So you want to be the one to decide when, where, and how a woman obtains an abortion? But maybe we are on the same page. Maybe we should leave the federal, state, and local governments out of it. Let the woman decide.

Individual freedom?  You're a radical.

(There's a stuffed bird exhibit at the Museum of Nature here in Ottawa showing various species, male, female, immature colours. Last time I was there, I remember thinking that a large Sharp-shined could easily be mistaken for a small Cooper's. I met a birder once who participates in a Broad-winged Hawk count every autumn. He does this from the shores of Lake Ontario west of Toronto. Broad-winged hawks don't like to fly across wide lakes, who can blame them, so the populations from eastern regions fly south to Lakes Ontario and Erie and fly west along the northern shoreline. Populations from the northwest fly south to Lake Superior then turn east and eventually south to fly along the Lake Huron shoreline to the Detroit area. The two populations converge south of Detroit and cross the Detroit river to get to points south, Central and South America. I don't have any photos of Broad-winged Hawks. The way they fly to conserve energy is fascinating. They ride the lakeshore thermals circling up and up and then coast horizontally down, east or west, depending, until they get close to the ground and repeat the process.)

[Robert Roaldi]

There's some interesting history here about Barrett, Kavanaugh and the contested Bush vs Gore election, https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/17/politics/bush-v-gore-barrett-kavanaugh-roberts-supreme-court/index.html.

Is this what people mean by "deep state"?

I guess that McConnell and the boys are installing these folks by way of saying thanks.

[Alan Klein]

Your post did no such thing.  You offered no proof at all that electic was cheaper than gas.  Your opinion is not proof. 


We can play battling links all day long if you want but I like this one.

How much does heat cost in the US

http://shrinkthatfootprint.com/heating-cost-comparison

Of course prices are regional and subject to change. 

my cousin lives in Westchester county NY that is served by Con Edison which also serves NYC, one of the highest electric rates on the country. So they're stuck with it.  They can't switch over to natural gas for heating, cooking, clothes drier, and hot water.   I use natural gas which is one of the cheapest. I know nothing about wood.  In fact, we're not allowed to burn wood or oil in my community. Natural Gas fireplaces only.

[Alan Klein]

So you want to be the one to decide when, where, and how a woman obtains an abortion? But maybe we are on the same page. Maybe we should leave the federal, state, and local governments out of it. Let the woman decide.

A lot of people say that we have given the government too much power. Usually they are the ones who don't like something the government has done. They never complain about having given the government too much power when the government does something they like.

My problem is more general than that. The founders of our Constitution wanted a very very weak central government.  They gave certain powers to the central government. Making war, making treaties, coining money, running a post office, regulating interstate commerce, and international relations. They wanted to leave the living of life and all the rules and regulations people might want to each of the individual states where the residents could decide how they wanted to live. That's why we have 50 states with 50 constitutions 50 governors and 50 legislatures to decide on local laws. Also,  50 judiciaries to decide constitutional issues within their state.  People have different cultures and feelings in different parts of the country. Each state can rule itself the way it wants. That's a better system in my opinion. What's happened over the years, the federal government has expanded its power way beyond which is necessary proper or good for the country. The Supreme Court has allowed that to happen.

[JoeKitchen]

Sometimes forgetting is a good thing. I wish Trump would forget to call Fox News, forget to attend press briefings, and forget to talk to gaggles of reporters on his way over to Marine One. You know, STFU. I'm not sure I would mind it all that much if Biden did the same. If Biden is half way there already, I'm voting for Biden. By the way, I seem to remember Trump misidentifying someone once. I'd look it up on YouTube if I didn't have to listen to him say it. This is one time I'll join Alan and say I am not going to do your research for you.

Besides, everyone forgets things from time to time. I have probably forgotten more than I have retained over all these years. Some of what I have forgotten was dumb stuff or bad stuff, so that's okay. I think of it kind of like cleaning out the closet. You know, get in there and clear out of the stuff you no longer want or need. You might even give some of it to charity. It would be the Christian thing to do and you can take a tax deduction. I mentioned Christians give things to charity. People of other faiths do it too. I'll admit sometimes I forget where I put my car keys, but you know that's part of life. I sometimes even call my dog my son's name. That cracks my wife up. Me too. So maybe Biden had a son or a dog named George. So I forget things from time to time, but I also remember things from time to time. That can really be special. So I guess it pretty much evens itself out. Speaking of remembering, sometimes it helps to write stuff you need to remember down in a notebook. Trump would never do that. Then he would have to read it back. Trump doesn't read. I bet Biden reads. He seems like a smart guy.

Some people say taking naps is a bad thing. Trump says that. He's says Biden is bad and calls him Sleepy Joe. When I was growing up, my mom use to make me take naps, and I turned out okay. Sort of. Anyway, I learned a valuable lesson. Now I take naps on my own initiative. Not a bad way to spend the afternoon. Trump doesn't exercise because he thinks it will wear down his battery. Biden is smart. He knows he can recharge his battery by taking a nap. I like people who are smart and use rechargeables. And it is good for the environment. You know, now that I think about it, I think I would prefer, as president, to have Biden sleep through the next four years than have Trump lie through the next four years. I'm voting for Biden.

I wish he would forget his twitter password, everyday. 

[JoeKitchen]

That's the edited version, Alan. You don't see the interviewer. He's talking directly to a guy named George. And he didn't say "President George." Listen to the goddamned video yourself, don't depend on what Trump said. Well, excuse me, I know your life revolves around believing what Trump said, but just this one time, listen to the video...

Jill Biden had to mouth "Trump" to Joe Biden for him to remember. 

Bare in mind, he forgot Obama's name on the campaign trail as well. 

[JoeKitchen]

Your post did no such thing.  You offered no proof at all that electric was cheaper than gas.  Your opinion is not proof. 


We can play battling links all day long if you want but I like this one.

How much does heat cost in the US

http://shrinkthatfootprint.com/heating-cost-comparison

Of course prices are regional and subject to change.

I had to look this up just to be sure and found that: 

Electric is cheaper to install and maintain.  It is also not as dangerous since it does not produce CO gas nor has the potential to cause an explosion. 

Gas and oil is cheaper when it comes to paying for the energy, although requires more maintenance.  I also read that the furnaces need to be replaced more often, although my boiler is 40 years old, so I find this to be a conflicting statement. 

Wood is a pain in the ass, and literally any source of heat is more convenient.  Welcome to the 21st century Robert.