Bear Pit: now the sole domicile of politics at LuLa

[chez]

NZ, Taiwan, and Singapore are islands. I wonder how much effect that's had.  I never heard of Atlantic Canada.  Is that Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, more islands?

What does an island have to do with things? Borders can be locked down quite effectively.

[digitaldog]

Masks became symbolic.  Wear masks and shut down the economy on the Democratic side. 

Your misunderstandings on subjects ranging on the science behind masks (and their history), resolution, exposure and meter use, and EI are truly staggering and get more staggering every day.
One group and one guy they listen to, made masks symbolic. You'll never guess who that was, never.
Here's a URL to ignore Alan, maybe someone will instead tell you something untrue you want to believe:
https://www.factcheck.org/2020/09/trump-has-not-been-clear-in-support-of-masks/

I wonder how much effect that's had.

I wonder why you wonder on some many topics but post without first examining what you wonder about. Stick with using a light meter; far, far less complicated to understand, at least for some here.

[faberryman]

How is that different in, for instance, Canada?

I have no idea what the gun laws are in Canada. Maybe one of our Canadian brethren can answer your question.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

... Borders can be locked down quite effectively.

With walls?

[digitaldog]

With walls?

Yeah, the ones Mexico will pay for.

[LesPalenik]

NZ, Taiwan, and Singapore are islands. I wonder how much effect that's had.  I never heard of Atlantic Canada.  Is that Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, more islands?

Atlantic Canada includes Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland/Labrador. Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland are islands, but Prince Edward Island is connected to the mainland by a long bridge. Your wife would like a vacation on that island.

[Alan Klein]

Ah, if only everyone here could do so. It's not easy if possible to punctuate some people's unreality bubble and confirmation bias.   

Do you have a study that shows only people on the right have confirmation bias?

[LesPalenik]

How is that different in, for instance, Canada?

Since the gun laws are much stricter in Canada than in USA, fewer nuts can get them here.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

...

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Since the gun laws are much stricter in Canada than in USA, fewer nuts can get them here.

Oh, you mean statistically, since less people get guns, less chance some of them might be crazy?

But that doesn't address the issue Frank raised: how do you prevent people who are not certified as nuts from getting guns? Most people before going crazy appear quite normal.

[TechTalk]

We don't let insane people have guns here in the US either.  We're not nuts.   

We let insane people go on television and tell lies, as lawyers working on behalf of the President, about election fraud—while providing no evidence—in an effort to disenfranchise voters and destroy their ability to choose their own political leaders in a democracy. Lies also broadcast by the President even before the election was held and believed by millions of emotionally disturbed citizens that will parrot whatever the President says like cult followers, many of whom own gums.

Others pretend that this is all just normal and nothing that we haven't seen before. The complicit, the gullible, and insane standing together to undermine democracy. Freedom, liberty, Trump... Yeah! Democracy? Mmmmm... not so much.

[digitaldog]

Do you have a study that shows only people on the right have confirmation bias?

I never said I believe that nor do I believe that. I believe, after reading far too many posts from some here, they do. Some who don't think before they speak and can't find their way out of a wet paper bag without help from others in learning about, well lets start with how to use an exposure meter, maybe a scanner.
"Think twice before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another." - Napoleon
Seed planted deeply. Failure.

[LesPalenik]

I have no idea what the gun laws are in Canada. Maybe one of our Canadian brethren can answer your question.

The gun laws in Canada are quite different from the ones in USA. You can still get a .338 or .375 Magnum for hunting a bear or moose, but you can't legally buy a military-grade assault-style weapons.
   

Most handguns that are not prohibited are restricted and must be registered. Automatic rifles and handguns that have been modified count as prohibited firearms. In order to purchase or possess a gun, you need a license—and you can't get one without completing the Canada Firearms Safety Course.

https://www.chatelaine.com/news/gun-control-canada/#:~:text=Most%20handguns%20that%20are%20not,Firearms%20Safety%20Course%20(CFSC).

[Alan Klein]

What does an island have to do with things? Borders can be locked down quite effectively.

For some reason, islands seem to do better.  Why is that? Is it because outsiders can't get in as easily? No one's walking across the border into New Zealand.  Could it be that in most islands the populace is indigenous and have common DNA?  So maybe their group has more defenses.  Maybe that's why China can control it.  They have had coronaviruses before.  There's research that is saying that may account for better resistance amount certain population groups in Asia. Chinese are not a mixed group while America is probably the most mixed group of people.  It's like when Europeans came to America, spread western diseases, and killed 90% of the indigenous peoples. 

I think when this is all over, we're going to find that certain groups had better natural defenses than other groups.  We're going to see isolation, geographic, helped with some. And modern vs. primitive societies also had an effect.  Modern had more visitors.  More infected people from China visited NYC than Mali. 

[digitaldog]

For some reason, islands seem to do better. 

So you think China is an Island.
Explain this dear:
COVID-19 in Easter Island
Level 4: Very High Level of COVID-19 in Easter Island
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/covid-4/coronavirus-easter-island

[BernardLanguillier]

Going to court to make legal challenges is not overturning democracy.  It's what democracy is all about.  He's failing at that approach so it shows the system is working.  What isn't democracy is when the Obama administration used a phoney dossier created by one party as false evidence to go after an adversary in the other party and create an issue for over two years.  Yet, you refuse to even acknowledge that as an issue.

I have no idea what you are talking about and why you bring Obama into this discussion.

There is a clear difference between respecting democracy and taking the legal system to its limits. Besides, Trump isn't only filling law suits, he is also trying to influence people in his own party to depart from the law. The last time in Michigan a few days ago. There is zero doubt that he is a would be dictator. Zero.

The only difference between this election and previous ones is the declaration by Trump that he could only loose if Democrats cheated. This very statement is a first fundamental attack on democracy because it takes the will of American people out of the equation. Indeed, calling victory before voting takes place means that voting isn't relevant.

It' then the spreading by white house official of conspiracy theories based on zero facts to strengthen the idea among hard core supporters that they got cheated. Needless to say factual information is essential to democracy and spreading lies is therefore anti-democratic. Even if the lawsuits resulting from the suspicion emerging from these lies are legal. This isn't the point.

There is therefore zero justification for his attempts and his refusal to acknowledge his defeat. None based on facts. It' again him inventing a story and sticking to it against logic and facts. The same way he invented stories that caused tens of thousands of covid casualties,... the list is of his criminal wrong doings is well known.

And why does it work? Because of people like you.

Cheers,
Bernard

[faberryman]

But that doesn't address the issue Frank raised: how do you prevent people who are not certified as nuts from getting guns? Most people before going crazy appear quite normal.

I didn't raise that issue. I merely pointed out that Mr. Whatabout's claim that the US doesn't allow insane people to have guns was mistaken.

[digitaldog]

Do you have a study that shows only people on the right have confirmation bias?

Well, there is this DATA:
According to a Tuesday poll by Morning Consult and Politico, 71 percent of Republican voters believe that Trump has the best interests of the U.S. at heart. The same could not be said of Republican members of Congress, with only 17 percent of those Republicans polled saying GOP lawmakers were committed to the country's best interests.
Indeed, confirmation bias.

[chez]

For some reason, islands seem to do better.  Why is that? Is it because outsiders can't get in as easily? No one's walking across the border into New Zealand.  Could it be that in most islands the populace is indigenous and have common DNA?  So maybe their group has more defenses.  Maybe that's why China can control it.  They have had coronaviruses before.  There's research that is saying that may account for better resistance amount certain population groups in Asia. Chinese are not a mixed group while America is probably the most mixed group of people.  It's like when Europeans came to America, spread western diseases, and killed 90% of the indigenous peoples. 

I think when this is all over, we're going to find that certain groups had better natural defenses than other groups.  We're going to see isolation, geographic, helped with some. And modern vs. primitive societies also had an effect.  Modern had more visitors.  More infected people from China visited NYC than Mali.

So you seem to be putting the out of control Covid virus running around the US on foreigners walking across the border?

You are throwing out a bunch of unproven possibilities when the answer is right there in front of you. Wear a mask, social distance, don't party hardy and wash you hands and have a very thorough tracing system in place. China and in fact most of the South East Asia area followed these rules after doing a hard lock down at the beginning. They got the virus under control and never really looked back.

As far as more infected people from China visited NYC...I thought your claim one of Trump's biggest achievements is he locked down the border early to China visitors...now which is it. The biggest influx of people was American's returning from abroad and when they landed in the USA, there were no protocols in place...so they just carried on their merry old way and spread the virus they carried with them to all parts of the states.

[LesPalenik]

Oh, you mean statistically, since less people get guns, less chance some of them might be crazy?
But that doesn't address the issue Frank raised: how do you prevent people who are not certified as nuts from getting guns? Most people before going crazy appear quite normal.

No. What I meant was that fewer nuts manage to acquire lethal weapons. About 75% of the guns come from US. With handguns, it's about 84%.
Not all murders are committed by a firearm. In April 2018, an autistic young man drove a rented van into a crowd of people on Yonge Street, the main street in Toronto. The driver targeted pedestrians, killing 10 and injuring 16, some critically.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/alek-minassian-van-attack-trial-november-12-1.5799525