team politics talking points.

[JohnRoberts]

While I vehemently disagree with most of your politics, you do force me to read every once in a while... USA Today is not one of my preferred news sources. It seems to be middle-right and I often disagree with their choice of coverage or presentation, but, read away. You won't like it.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...raine-aid-oust-corrupt-prosecutor/5991434002/
edit: Not pumping oil is ALWAYS a win. People who are profit focused are selfish and shortsighted.

Of course that is their version of that story... Since the Ukraine is rife with corruption they were probably all corrupt; the prosecutor investigating the oligarch who owns Burisma, the oligarch himself, Hunter, and suprise suprise President Zelensky has some dirt on his shoes too from his offshore business dealings associated with his entertainment empire before he pivoted into politics.

Right now Zelensky is the golden boy admired by the western world (and compared to Churchill) because he is standing up to Putin, but don't dig too deep anywhere in the Ukraine. I hope Zelensky wins (and lives to die of old age).
====

If Hunter Biden was worth $50k month as a director for Burisma (Ukrainian energy company) maybe we should make him a special envoy to Ukraine (satire). I find it telling that his director pay was cut in half after his father left office after the Obama administration stepped down. Hunter Biden and Heinz (Kerry's step son) were pedaling government influence, trading on their parent's names.)
====
Low cost energy is a win for the world's poor, while some on the left think >$100 oil is a good thing. In case it isn't obvious I think expensive energy is bad for everybody.

JR

 

[MicDaddy]

The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels worth a read

opportunist scammers are gaslighting everyone, again

watch this video at your own risk


(don't look into the producer's of the Zelensky Netflix show or the bankers behind Burisma...probably unrelated)

 

[JohnRoberts]

Item #3 for another recent shift in modern culture is that the NYT has belatedly admitted that Hunter Biden's laptop was real and not Russian disinformation (about two years too late). This news was buried and kept from voters at the time. One poll suggests something like 17% of his voters would have changed their vote if they saw news reports about then candidate Biden that were suppressed by biased media and later determined to be factual.

IMO this is bigger threat to democracy than voter ID...

JR

 

[hodad]

the NYT has belatedly admitted that Hunter Biden's laptop was real

I do wish I could find any link to this that's not a conservative propaganda outlet. I'm willing to read about it, but not on Daily Caller or Fox "News" or NY post.

In other news, Governor Tater of Mississippi was so worried that some poor white child might be brought up in front of his class and race-shamed that he was forced to sign an "anti-CRT" bill into law to protect all little white Mississippians from this imaginary incident that was made up solely to justify this racist, anti-intellectual legislation.

 

[JohnRoberts]

I do wish I could find any link to this that's not a conservative propaganda outlet. I'm willing to read about it, but not on Daily Caller or Fox "News" or NY post.

The NY post was particularly interested because they got banned from social media for accurately reporting this story. I tried to search for the smoking NYT article but all I found was a piece they wrote about the laptop in 2020 calling it bunk. I doubt they trumpeted the change in position on the front page.

Okay I found it for you... hunter article this was in an article about Hunter's tax liability and ongoing federal investigation. They referred back to their erroneous 2020 article I found last night. They were pretty sotto voce about their part in misreporting this story.

In other news, Governor Tater of Mississippi was so worried that some poor white child might be brought up in front of his class and race-shamed that he was forced to sign an "anti-CRT" bill into law to protect all little white Mississippians from this imaginary incident that was made up solely to justify this racist, anti-intellectual legislation.

I see CRT as racism, I suspect we have different world views. Joy Reid(?) claims that we only care about Ukraine because they are white, she is an (read my mind).

I was optimistic that race relations in this country were improving over the decades, we even elected a black man president (is that verbiage PC enough?). If anything this education agenda to hype up racial differences is making things worse. Left alone kids are color blind. It used to be dumb ass parents teaching them to hate, now its dumb ass educators.

I worry that there may be a bigger ideology behind driving these shifting cultural norms. The mischaracterization ("dont say gay") of an education law in FL is another example, different but the same.

Your team should have learned something from the VA election. Parents don't like it when you mess with their kid's education.

I expect to see parents voting in Nov also.

JR

 

[rob_gould]

I see CRT as racism

https://www.currentaffairs.org/2021/07/why-critical-race-theory-should-be-taught-in-schools
Long article, but plenty of interesting insights beyond the normal mud slinging in news articles and Twitter fights.

 

[JohnRoberts]

https://www.currentaffairs.org/2021/07/why-critical-race-theory-should-be-taught-in-schools
Long article, but plenty of interesting insights beyond the normal mud slinging in news articles and Twitter fights.

I am a fan of history and most philosophy.

I agree Bell should be "read" and explored in upper grades by "mature" college students (is that an oxymoron?). Caveat I did not read the whole paper.

I question what appears to be a modern educational strategy of programming kids with "what" to think about each other, starting from a very early age, not how to think critically.

Not to repeat myself more than usual, while kids suffered through the last two years of home (zoom) schooling, it had the unintended consequence of parents seeing and hearing what the teachers were saying in class. I am optimistic that parents will regain control of their children's education.

I guess this comes down to a binary POV... Do we believe that children need to be protected from parents? or do the children need to be protected from the education system.

We will get a chance to participate in the next poll that counts in Nov.

JR

 

[crazydoc]

I guess this comes down to a binary POV... Do we believe that children need to be protected from parents?

More than most of us know - I've seen a lot of FTSAW syndrome - Failure To Select the Appropriate Womb.

or do the children need to be protected from the education system.

JR

Like when they put "under god" in the pledge of allegiance (which in itself is force fed patriotism) we were all required to say at the beginning of every school day.

 

[hodad]

I see CRT as racism,

CRT is taught in some colleges, maybe in a high school or two somewhere. All the hullaballoo is to feed on racist fears of right wingers.
It's simple:
No one is teaching CRT in elementary or middle schools.
No teacher is singling out little white kids to race-shame them--and any teacher that did would be fired or severely disciplined even without this legislation.
The GOP's anti-CRT laws achieve exactly two things: they rile up the very worst racist fears and prejudices in American conservatives; and (bonus) they undermine public education and hinder the ability of teachers to do their job well.

CRT in public schools is an entirely invented enemy. It requires no laws to prevent its teaching, because it's not being taught.

Are these laws racist? Hmmmmm, let's try to remember the last time Republicans tried to protect Black or Brown kids from shaming in our public schools. It certainly wasn't in this century.

 

[JohnRoberts]

Those parents need to ignore their lying eyes....

There have been lots of videos captures of teachers pushing BS... maybe it's all Republican fake news...?

Maybe you're right... maybe I'm right...

JR

 

[hodad]

Those parents need to ignore their lying eyes....

I've said it before and I'll say it again: you have had no experience with public schools in decades. I have had a pretty fair amount. I believe what I've seen, and I believe that you have seen nothing. But go ahead and believe Governor Tater about all the white shaming that's never happened. Hey, it's America--I guess it's your right to live in a magical land of make-believe.

 

[Matador]

Those parents need to ignore their lying eyes....

Can you post an example of a video you found convincing that proves this happened?

 

[JohnRoberts]

I am weary of getting homework assignments.

Do you have a computer with search capability?

JR

[edit= Indeed CRT has become politicized as a divisive hot button between left and right. I suspect a number of examples have already been deleted. A number of teachers have quit because they refused to teach curriculums including CRT, while they may just be screwballs pursuing their 15 minutes of fame.

Another interesting news item was President Biden's DOJ targeting parents
[quote=www]
parents were targeted and treated as "domestic terrorists" after the National School Boards Association (NSBA) sent a letter dated September 29, 2021 to President Joe Biden urging the Department of Justice (DOJ) to use federal antiterrorism tools, even the Patriot Act, to target these parents. There was coordination between the NSBA and the White House for the letter. Emails also later revealed that Cardona was the one who solicited the letter.

Attorney General Merrick Garland circulated a memo just five days later, on October 4, 2021. While the NSBA apologized, Garland has not rescinded the memo and has even doubled down. [/quote]

I guess these concerned parents are part of a vast right conspiracy as (described by the Hillary). I think parents should have control over their children's education. One suggestion that makes sense to me is that parents should be able to move their children's education budget to other schools. Of course the teacher's unions oppose this for obvious reasons. [/edit]

 

[JohnRoberts]

More than most of us know - I've seen a lot of FTSAW syndrome - Failure To Select the Appropriate Womb.

I would prefer having rich parents (RIP) but they were both smart, and a lot cooler than me (mother was a nude model for mannequins in NYC, dad was a drummer in a jazz band).

Like when they put "under god" in the pledge of allegiance (which in itself is force fed patriotism) we were all required to say at the beginning of every school day.

I am not religious but respect the rights of others to believe whatever they want. Our founders were aware of the need to keep religion separate from governing, a statutory separation of church and state.== Reading the history of our revolutionary war suggest several examples of extraordinary good luck, or divine intervention.

For all of America's flaws and we have many, we are still the best nation I have ever spent time in, or read about (non-fiction).

JR

 

[crazydoc]

I would prefer having rich parents (RIP) but they were both smart, and a lot cooler than me (mother was a nude model for mannequins in NYC, dad was a drummer in a jazz band).

I saw abuse and neglect of children during my career which has made me a proponent of mandatory education and evaluation for parenting, with a need to pass a test to get a license to have children. A friend is a lawyer for local child welfare - he has some stories. There are children out there who need protection from their parents.

I am not religious but respect the rights of others to believe whatever they want.

JR

Me too, as long as they respect my right to not believe it and not be obliged to pay lip service to it. I've probably mentioned before that I was suspended from school for not standing and reciting the pledge at a "pep rally."

 

[JohnRoberts]

The depths of depravity that humans can sink to has no bounds, as evidenced by the low life human traffickers flocking to the Ukrainian border to take advantage of displaced children.

I expect children need protection from both bad parents and bad educators, but there are far more parents so more bad examples to be found.

Indeed human reproduction is much too easy to filter out weak sisters with degree of difficulty.

JR

 

[hodad]

parents were targeted and treated as "domestic terrorists"

You seem much more upset that criminals were targeted for their crimes (death threats, stalking, etc.) than that they committed those crimes in the first place. John, there's some seriously sick and dangerous people on your side these days. Maybe you should worry more about the harassed school board members and poll workers than the lunatics who commit crimes against them.

You would do well to worry more about actual crimes being committed than the imaginary white shaming that your comrades' febrile imaginations have conjured up.

 

[JohnRoberts]

You seem much more upset that criminals were targeted for their crimes (death threats, stalking, etc.) than that they committed those crimes in the first place. John, there's some seriously sick and dangerous people on your side these days. Maybe you should worry more about the harassed school board members and poll workers than the lunatics who commit crimes against them.

You would do well to worry more about actual crimes being committed than the imaginary white shaming that your comrades' febrile imaginations have conjured up.

How about all the violent crimes being committed by repeat offenders thanks to the Soros backed crew of "catch and release" criminal prosecutors?

JR

PS: My apology to the forum for being baited into responding in kind.

 

[fazer]

They are my kids. Not the states. The assumption that parents are criminal terrorist is way more disturbing IMO. School boards and teachers in public schools have many issues to deal with. Parents teachers and children have responsibilities to cooperate and not to be threaten with national directed punishments. A few people are problems, to the extent they should have their parental rights examined/removed but to simply name a few bad examples and therefore condemn parents in general is a political oversimplification of the problem. The public school system has turned into a second class system from the days I was in school. Yet many kids thrive regardless of its problems while others fail miserably. I hope we can solve these with schools that are being created with programs to prepare children for a diverse future.

 

[hodad]

Soros backed crew

You know, a lot of people donate to Democrats--and there's more than a few big $$$$$$ donors. I'm sorry you feel compelled, time and time again, to single out a particular one who just happens to be Jewish. I've called you out on this before, and yet here you are again. As I noted before, I am not accusing you of being anti-Semitic but of (mindlessly?) repeating an anti-semitic talking point. Consider this me reporting you to a moderator (namely, you.)