We really need to start having a serious conversation about this....

[user 37518]

Im not going to waste anymore time trying to point out where your words might have caused hurt user 37518 , we all fuck up sometimes , if your not man enough to go back and evaluate your own performance its on you , I WILL NOT BE PICKING THE PEANUTS OUT OF YOUR VERBAL DIARRHOEA FOR YOU , YOU GOT THAT PILGRIM ?

And you acuse me of "insulting everyone". As always, those famous for preaching tolerance resort to screaming, violence and aggressiveness to protest the other side's supposedly intolerance. Incoherent and typical.

 

[user 37518]

Well here, I "recognized" my mistake in the same manner you did. Sorry - it was more than I could bear.

As always, sarcastic.

 

[living sounds]

You might need to brush up on your facts. Relative to the average US adult The Guardian is further left than Fox News is to the right.

Again, you are misunderstanding what I said. Republicans today have moved far to the right from what was conservative mainstream decades ago. Nixon, a Republican, established the EPA, today you guys want to abandon it and have no problem with destroying the environment.

 

[Tubetec]

Ireland has its own EPA , to be honest I have my doubts about their willingness to bring big multinationals to book over their discharges , the fines they levy are a joke in compared to the profits being made . Its worth their while just to pay the fines and keep on poluting as normal .

The electrical place I worked for a while wasnt the cleanest environment ,
the boss was constantly hassled by regulatory agencies over work practises ,
At the end of one round of inspections by the agency involved , he said right , go ahead ,shut me down and see how long before industry grinds to a halt , he called their bluff and sure enough they backed down . I did about 6 months down there , I learned a hell of a lot , but in the end I got tired handling stinky dirty and dangerous crap everyday . The absolute worst was animal feed and poop pumps from a place called Millipore . I was able to get the low down on what it is they do from a scientist friend .
It involves the breeding of special genetically modified rabbits , who when they reached a certain size had their appendix removed , the body part was then used to make a special type of micromesh filter for laboratory use . These things are absolutely indespensible in the modern lab environment , sadly there is a cost in terms of animal welfare .

 

[AnalogPackrat]

Again, you are misunderstanding what I said.

No, having lived it and been around people who lived it, I disagree with your assessment which is based on zero direct experience.

Republicans today have moved far to the right from what was conservative mainstream decades ago.

No, the majority of conservatives have not shifted to the extreme. But a large number of self-described "liberals" have moved very far left and become increasingly authoritarian. One only need look at the pandemic response and related phenomena to see this. Of course there are many other manifestations that are apparent over the past couple of decades.

Nixon, a Republican, established the EPA, today you guys want to abandon it and have no problem with destroying the environment.

No, conservatives understand that pollution is bad and needs to be regulated. The problem with the current EPA (and many other Federal agencies) is that they have grown too large, been given too much power, and are no longer accountable to the people.

You can discuss this with my father who, at age 29, was put in charge of a new group in his state's highway department which was charged with complying with the then new EPA rules applying to transportation infrastructure. He ran that group for about 25 years and saw what happened. Later he had a second 20+ year career working at an engineering infrastructure design firm where he was well aware of the continuing growth and regulation that occurred.

Your continual misrepresentation of facts and overgeneralized denigration of huge swaths of persons whom you have never met is irritating at best.

 

[JohnRoberts]

Again, you are misunderstanding what I said. Republicans today have moved far to the right from what was conservative mainstream decades ago. Nixon, a Republican, established the EPA, today you guys want to abandon it and have no problem with destroying the environment.

Us damn republicans destroying the environment....

BTW President Nixon drafted me into the army so I am not a fan.

JR

 

[Tubetec]

I guess you did land a lucky hand of cards too though John ,
could have been a lot worse if you ended up in the jungle ,
You never know, if uncle Sam hadnt plucked you out by the bootstraps you could have ended up a peace loving dope smoking hippy

I had to move schools a few times due to my dads job over the years , I'd rather not have ,but in the end the person we become is shaped for better or worse by our experiences .
Looking back on it ,spending a few years away from the Emerald Isle broadened my horizons , I made friends from almost every EU country , again I wasnt to thrilled about making the move at the time but in the end I was a wiser man for it .

These sorts of discussions might be more valuable if we can avoid the finger pointing , pidgeon holeing and us and them type divisionism .

 

[crazydoc]

BTW President Nixon drafted me into the army so I am not a fan.

I doubt if he had much to do with it.

I was drafted and reported to Ft Lewis on Jan 17, 1969, and he was inaugurated on Jan 20, so I can't blame him - but those damned Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson are a different story.

 

[AnalogPackrat]

I doubt if he had much to do with it.

I was drafted and reported to Ft Lewis on Jan 17, 1969, and he was inaugurated on Jan 20, so I can't blame him - but those damned Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson are a different story.

It was largely those same three letter bureaucracies that the left now loves that got us involved in Vietnam and many other foreign misadventures. Eisenhower and Kennedy saw the danger of much of it. Johnson seemed to have embraced it.

 

[JohnRoberts]

I guess you did land a lucky hand of cards too though John ,

I did win the draft lottery (#34). I had a job offer to work on a research vessel in the south Pacific. Instead my draft board sent me to Ft Dix. I don't feel all that lucky, but I was not the only one suffering that outcome.

could have been a lot worse if you ended up in the jungle ,

I definitely did not want to do that, I told the Army captain that I didn't want to kill anybody, so he told me don't kill anybody at Ft Riley, KS.

You never know, if uncle Sam hadnt plucked you out by the bootstraps you could have ended up a peace loving dope smoking hippy

I was a peace loving dope smoking hippy.... I still am peace loving, but haven't smoked wacky tobacky for decades (I hear the new stuff is crazy strong ).

When I got drafted my coworkers offered me the choice between a bus ticket to Montreal (typical destination for draft dodgers), or a fifth of Canadian Club as my going away gift. Since I was law abiding, I showed up for conscription. The bottle of CC lasted less than 24 hours.

I had to move schools a few times due to my dads job over the years , I'd rather not have ,but in the end the person we become is shaped for better or worse by our experiences .
Looking back on it ,spending a few years away from the Emerald Isle broadened my horizons , I made friends from almost every EU country , again I wasnt to thrilled about making the move at the time but in the end I was a wiser man for it .

I am still learning but certainly not traveling as much as I did. I cleared my bucket list for countries to visit a couple decades ago when I visited a friend in Australia for a week.

These sorts of discussions might be more valuable if we can avoid the finger pointing , pidgeon holeing and us and them type divisionism .

In case it isn't obvious the media industry profits from keeping us angry and arguing. The politicians love to keep us distracted by petit nonsense. I have met the enemy and it is us (pogo).

JR

 

[Tubetec]

We never had the draft system here in Ireland , thats not to say many werent left with no other choice but to sign up and fight under the crown back in WW1 and WW2 ,
Typically the Irish and Scots were first up and over the top into oncoming fire , if they refused to go sometimes they were executed on the spot by a commanding officer . I certain instances the families of those who died were precluded from claiming their pension entitlements afterwards .

It was made clear to me if I so desired I could have taken a job in the Irish navy , I could see early on that the politics involved in the job probably werent worth the hassle .
These days the Irish navy is in total dissarray , they only have the manpower to crew 3 out of 8 ships , the rest are moth balled .
Depending on the metrics used we have something upto 15000 km of coastline in Ireland to protect , its just not possible for the job to be done properly .

All of my dads former ship mates are now retired from the service , there all quite ashamed and angry about whats been allowed to happen , the young lads in the service now are leaving in their droves , they end up taking jobs at Lidl with better pay , better conditions and closer to family and friends .

The amounts of cocaine reaching our shores these days is off the scale , if we havent the manpower to act on intel its like leaving the door wide open to the drug barrons . I wouldnt be at all surprised if illeagal drug use within the armed forces was used by the drug kingpins like a trojan horse to destroy moral and at the same time leave the gates wide open to import even more .

 

[user 37518]

Again, you are misunderstanding what I said. Republicans today have moved far to the right from what was conservative mainstream decades ago. Nixon, a Republican, established the EPA, today you guys want to abandon it and have no problem with destroying the environment.

Perhaps, but are you saying that democrats haven't moved to the left? John F. Kennedy was a democrat, and for today's standards of what a democrat is, he sounds like an ultra-right conservative compared to the current dems in power.

 

[AnalogPackrat]

Perhaps, but are you saying that democrats haven't moved to the left? John F. Kennedy was a democrat, and for today's standards of what a democrat is, he sounds like an ultra-right conservative compared to the current dems in power.

Good example. Even Bill Clinton's policies on crime, immigration, etc. look conservative compared to the current Democrat platform. 30 years isn't very long ago.

 

[hodad]

he sounds like an ultra-right conservative compared to the current dems in power.

Not sure I would agree with this take; however, if you want to see a Republican who looks like a Pinko Commie ratbastard (outside his warmongering, of course), look no further than Richard M. Nixon.

 

[user 37518]

Not sure I would agree with this take; however, if you want to see a Republican who looks like a Pinko Commie ratbastard (outside his warmongering, of course), look no further than Richard M. Nixon.

So, you think John F. Kennedy would hire the luggage thief as the national Nuclear Waste Disposal director, just to make a good impression on a particular group.

 

[Recording Engineer]

No, the majority of conservatives have not shifted to the extreme. But a large number of self-described "liberals" have moved very far left and become increasingly authoritarian.

This here view, lies a very big problem. Nothing worse than to think your shit doesn’t stink too. Mine sure does! No point to a stink contest.

 

[AnalogPackrat]

Not sure I would agree with this take; however, if you want to see a Republican who looks like a Pinko Commie ratbastard (outside his warmongering, of course), look no further than Richard M. Nixon.

Nixon was pres while I was a young child. I do remember hearing his resignation speech on the car radio in a massive thunderstorm during a family vacation in Ohio. I've never seen him as a great leader, particularly because he and Kissinger opened the door for the CCP to become what they have and because he expanded the Federal government.

Otherwise, if you look at the '68 campaign platform it sounds pretty moderate to me. Some parts sound like later Reagan and Trump planks (infrastructure improvements, "We must act anew to enlarge the opportunity and autonomy of the individual and the range of his choice.") while others returned in Clinton and W Bush campaigns (addressing lingering racial tensions, poverty, pollution, and "responsible, compassionate leadership that will keep its word").

 

[hodad]

No, the majority of conservatives have not shifted to the extreme

Smoking the Salvia divinorum, perhaps? Because you are defiinitely tripping hard!

 

[AnalogPackrat]

This here view, lies a very big problem. Nothing worse than to think your shit doesn’t stink too. Mine sure does! No point to a stink contest.

Well, since I don't identify as a conservative or a Republican, you would be wrong again. I'll remind you that until about a decade ago I voted for more Democrats than Republicans (and also a few third party types, even for POTUS). I no longer vote that way because the vast majority of Democrats have lost their way (i.e. mind) and wandered far off into the weeds of authoritarianism, bigger government, and a huge array of positively horrendous policies.

By contrast, most Republicans remain grounded in reality and have some pragmatism. Yes, there are problems with many (I can't stand neocons), but the alternatives are usually far worse.

 

[AnalogPackrat]

Smoking the Salvia divinorum, perhaps? Because you are defiinitely tripping hard!

I'm drug free. I might enjoy a beer or a dram of whisky after dinner, but do not get drunk or even buzzed. I'm thinking you might be more of a Terence McKenna fan.