The Humour Club discussion
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Politically Incorrect
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Remember the good ol' days when the internets were called newspapers?
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I imagine the GOP are frantically googling those men to see if they're available as Supreme Court nominees.
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I imagine the GOP are frantically googling those men to see if they're available as Supreme Court nominees."
Ouch.
Actually, they are probably all on the judiciary committee.
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The House’s new bill takes effect starting in 2025, and would add $600 billion to the national debt within the next decade, and then $3.2 trillion in the 10 years after that, according to Howard Gleckman of the Tax Policy Center.
Despite the House vote, it is unlikely the Senate will take up the legislation.
If your state allows a...
referendum -noun --a general vote by the electorate on a single political question that has been referred to them for a direct decision.
...similar to that available in California: May I suggest placing a measure on the next ballot which allows your checkbook to be balanced by the US House of Representatives. Come election day, you can then ignore all current and future financial liabilities, and of course, any overdraft of your account. On paper, you'll be wealthy as holy hell! You'll be able to gift huge amounts of cash to your closest friends! And best of all, you'll likely be dead before your grandchildren will have to pay the bills.
Welcome to GOP fiscal responsibility... And you thought the lottery was fun!
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Scientists Baffled by McConnell and Ryan’s Ability to Stand Upright Without Spines
WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Calling it a “medical mystery of the first order,” scientists are baffled by the ability of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan to stand upright without the benefit of spines.
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Don't let the suits fool you; I'm pretty sure they are each comprised of five or six skunks standing on one another's shoulders.
I'm not sure if this is a proper place to post the link, but at least the name fits.Here is food for thought: Stephen Fry's speech against political correctness on Youtube
I'm only posting the speech and not the matters surrounding the discussion.
I'm still processing what he said. I'm not a big fan of political correctness as I have issues when it goes too far. That I much I know. I loved when he said that progress is not achieved by preachers and guardians of morality but... by madmen, hermits, heretics, dreamers, rebels, and skeptics. This is a when he talks about conformity and orthodoxy.
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Stephen Fry has given us so many smiles, giggles and belly laughs over the years, my bet is most of the HC is very glad to see him posted anywhere.
N.B. His often erudite insights are also appreciated.
Jay wrote: "K.A. wrote: "I'm not sure if this is a proper place to post the link...Stephen Fry's speech against political correctness..."Stephen Fry has given us so many smiles, giggles and belly laughs over..."
Good to hear.
I grew up watching him on TV, and his charisma, elegance, and humor are both mind-boggling and mind-altering. And that voice of his.
I posted the link to my husband, and he instantly said that there goes others' ability to argue.
K.A. wrote: "I'm not sure if this is a proper place to post the link, but at least the name fits.Here is food for thought: Stephen Fry's speech against political correctness on Youtube
I'm only posting the s..."
Love this. In the US we have a shortage of human decency, and political correctness has become meaningless. The country has been taken over by barbarians, and how that is to be dealt with is still a mystery.
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Brena wrote: "K.A. wrote: "I'm not sure if this is a proper place to post the link, but at least the name fits.Here is food for thought: Stephen Fry's speech against political correctness on Youtube
I'm only ..."
Let's make Fry the president of all nations. Maybe then we didn't have to be so worried about the loss of human decency. The value of humans has dropped even here in the utopic Nordic welfare state.
K.A. wrote: "Brena wrote: "K.A. wrote: "I'm not sure if this is a proper place to post the link, but at least the name fits.Here is food for thought: Stephen Fry's speech against political correctness on Yout..."
I agree. He is the voice of reason.
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Unfortunately, reasonable men no longer seek political careers.
Jay wrote: "Brena wrote: "I agree. He is the voice of reason."Unfortunately, reasonable men no longer seek political careers."
Hopefully pervs will learn something from what is going down, and sexual predators will go back in the closet. In the world of organized crime it is important not to draw attention to yourself. Trump is a piss poor criminal.
Jay wrote: "Brena wrote: "I agree. He is the voice of reason."Unfortunately, reasonable men no longer seek political careers."
That would be an unreasonable thing to do. Who wants to be a politician in Twitter and Facebook era?
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Joel wrote: "I got a kick out of some of the confirmation hearing protesters shouting, "Shame! Shame! Shame!" They are obviously fans of Game of Thrones, which averages 3 rapes and a dozen other atrocities agai..."I am waiting for the White Walkers to appear. Republicans seem to be obsessed by some evil demon.
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True, there are a lot of rapes on that show, though the rapists are usually later fed to dogs or eviscerated, not given seats on the highest court in the land.
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The protesters, many themselves survivors, were justifiably angry about Kavanaugh's confirmation. There is little doubt that the GOP would have pushed his confirmation through even if Kavanaugh had committed a sexual assault in front of the Senate Judiciary committee cameras while testifying. Yet, much like the GOP's treatment of Dr. Ford's testimony, you relate the protesters' anger to fiction (a TV series). How interesting.
The GOP's goal was to pack a conservative court for the next generation. All other considerations (nominal crap like truth, ethics, integrity, etc) were expendable. They were even willing to sacrifice the 2018 midterm elections, where you're very likely to hear from those protesters yet again...and the vote count is unlikely to be fiction.
I think the sad thing is that the Justices can be clearly labelled as either Republican or Democrat, and both sides try to elect their own to the Supreme Court.Here in the UK, our judges tend to be apolitical which, while nowhere near perfect, generally delivers decisions based solely on the law.
And finally, given that this is supposed to be The Humour Club, I though it appropriate to dig out an amusing Supreme Court story...
"The Supreme Court has halted gay marriages in Utah. The Supreme Court said that in Utah marriage is still a sacred bond between a man and his six wives." –Conan O'Brien
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I'm afraid, Ken, that I don't know enough about the UK courts to do much more than wish I owned the powdered wig franchise.
However... brace yourself ...I might have an opinion or two on the courts here in the US:
Not all of the Supreme Court justices can be clearly party-labelled based (historically) on their decisions, however a tendency toward being liberal, conservative or likely succumbing to geriatric dementia is often fairly applied.
Ideally, judges should be apolitical, however they don't live in a vacuum, and people do tend to naturally follow national politics, and naturally chose a side on most controversial issues. Judges are generally believed to be people, although other appellations are quite regularly used.
Our confirmation "process" (AKA Circus Maximus) is what appears to be broken beyond repair. Obviously, a partisan political agenda overrules such judicial prerequisites as character, impartiality, veracity, and even legal expertise. It's possible that, when promoting a partisan candidate, our Senate Judiciary Committee could blithely ignore a nuclear attack. At the very least, they could discount it on procedural grounds.
Lastly, our Supreme Court does not solely render decisions based on the law. They have the power to define legality or constitutionality, which is not a power conferred on them by our Constitution, but is a usurped power that historically people have accepted. As such, the court is the nation's final arbiter and activist courts have at times used this power to create law; a power normally granted only to elected representatives. Nor is there any requirement for the court to follow the law, lower court decisions or precedent should they decide not to, and the law and justice are, perhaps more often than not, two entirely different entities -- or, it could be that justice is just exercising a right to remain silent.
A justice on The Supreme Court is in a position of immense influence over our society which extends well-beyond the original constitutional grants and limitations. Ergo, when the court screws the pooch, we often have to live with that dog for generations.
The other fall-down is that the Supreme Court has no power of enforcement and must rely on the Executive Branch, et al, to ensure compliance with its decisions. There are numerous instances of non-compliance or manipulations of the law to subvert Supreme Court decisions. Individual states, federal legislators and presidents have often found workable paths to non-compliance. The most famous is likely President Andrew Jackson's probably apocryphal quote, "[Chief Justice] John Marshall has made his decision; now let him enforce it!" after the court's decision in Worcester v. Georgia. Jackson appointed five justices to the Supreme Court, then ignored them... Now, that's precedent!
Whether laughing or crying, one might note that the Roman-influenced statue of Justitia [Lady Justice] is sculpted with her eyes blindfolded, although it's uncertain whether this is a depiction of 'blind justice' or a dew rag to sop up the tears.
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Don't let the suits fool you; I'm pretty sure they are each comprised of five or six skunks standi..."
I think you have just defamed skunks. Apologize at once to some beautiful animals!
Jay wrote: "Whether laughing or crying, one might note that the Roman-influenced statues of Justitia [Lady Justice] is sculpted with her eyes blindfolded, although it's uncertain whether this is a depiction of 'blind justice' or a dew rag to sop up the tears..."Thanks, Jay, I certainly know a bit more about the US system now.
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Damn! The rumors about a 'Neanderthal Channel' must be true.
Who exactly is choosing the books for this discount bin????
Is it weird that I want to write that book and make it a real thing now?
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A little, perhaps.
Personally, I recommend not changing ye grande ol' tradition, i.e. poems about sluts should be passed around in high school while sneaking a smoke behind the gymnasium.
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London: So it has been revealed that the House of Commons, the fabled "cradle of democracy," is populated by members of Parliament and their senior staffs who are groping, vulgar, serial sexual harassers, according to an independent inquiry, which on Tuesday generated calls for Speaker John Bercow to resign.
It's true. The Brits also believe that "Government groping the people, harassing the people, and covering up acts perpetrated on the people shall not perish from this Earth...
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After instituting a $1.5 trillion tax cut and signing off on a $675 billion budget for the Department of Defense, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday that the only way to lower the record-high federal deficit would be to cut entitlement programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.
Now, the elderly and the poor need to pay for the tax cuts for the country's wealthy.
It's true. Mitch McConnell and the GOP have no shame.
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The United States' neighbor to the north on [last] Wednesday became the first industrialized nation to legalize the drug... Canadians seeking to get their hands on legal recreational marijuana faced long lines and supply shortages in some parts of the country on Thursday.
I think I remember this problem from Economics 101: "If Harvey wants to buy some primo weed, but Sam's stash is depleted...
And then there was something about resting on the seventh day.
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Ah, screw it. Realistically, it's just easier for the Saudi prince to wait out the news cycle.
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As the election approaches, have you noticed how many GOP candidates are LOUDLY BRAGGING about the extra $1.50 in your paycheck????
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Pakistan acquits Christian woman sentenced to die for blasphemy
Pakistan's highest court on Wednesday ordered the release of a poor, illiterate Christian woman who had been sentenced to death for blasphemy, setting off a wave of demonstrations by hard-line Islamists nationwide but drawing praise from human rights activists.
For her own safety, upon her release, this woman has to leave Pakistan for asylum elsewhere. Two Pakistani politicians who came to this poor woman's defense were already murdered.
However, if we're honest and objective, there are no religions which can cast the first stone...which is why they have apparently decided to stone heretics and blasphemers with everyone's hard-line extremists throwing at once.
It's such a hellish conundrum when you can't decide whether to pray for peace or a good throwing arm.
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Otto von Bismarck
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"
Well, yes.
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Well, yes."
Actually, the post-election analysis is what I find most interesting. Does the country's polarization match the final vote demographics...yes or no...when, where and why. Sometimes, it offers worthwhile insights into the directions the country, or areas of the country, may be heading.
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TH-TH-TH-THAT'S ALL FOLKS!
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California Republicans in danger of hitting new lows
Now, I grant you, this ONLY makes sense in terms of seats lost to Democrats.
Or, does it...
If viewed in terms of how low the GOP will sink to suppress the oppositions votes, one need only look at outlandish gerrymandering and voter ID laws to prevent mythical fraud, both of which are really a blatant effort to dilute and marginalize minority voters. Or, there's just plain old voter intimidation. However, the GOP plan to give California back to Mexico before the 2020 election may be a little too optimistic.
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The Humour Club
Books mentioned in this topic
Unfinished Business (other topics)The Office (other topics)
Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific, 1941–1942 (other topics)
Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific, 1941–1942 (other topics)
The Glass Castle (other topics)
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...she's climbed on board a bus that provides seniors at the Laguna Woods Village retirement community in Orange County, Calif., with a free shuttle to a nearby marijuana dispensary...
As more states legalize marijuana for medical or recreational use — 30 states plus the District of Columbia to date — the cannabis industry is booming. Among the fastest growing group of users: people over 50, with especially steep increases among those 65 and older. And some dispensaries are tailoring their pitches to seniors....who are seeking alternatives treatments for their aches, pains and other medical conditions.
"It's for my arthritis, doc." *wink, wink*