Geoff > Status Update

howl of minerva wrote: "So you're saying he has different tastes to you in politics, literature and art. Sounds reasonable."

No I mean like he doesn't really like visual or sound or tactile art - just books

On my Facebook account, only the few liberals in my family read books. The majority, though are Republicans and Fundamentalists. Although my GR reads are posted on Facebook, none have shown the slightest interest. I talked three into getting GR accounts with me years ago. One of the liberals, a North Dakotan, posted a book years ago. He is an engineer. His place of birth means he is an anomaly, but still, he is not much for book reading either. The liberals are more interested in computers businesses and work.

I am the oldest member in my FB family. The few liberals are all about 30, one liberal is a little younger than me. All of the Republican/fundamentalist rest are 30-50.

howl of minerva wrote: "Geoff wrote: "howl of minerva wrote: "Bet you regret that Murakami quote tattoo now don't you Geoff?"

You're telling me - and plus it's a tramp stamp!"

In the harsh light of the retrospectoscope,..."

I thought it would look good when I let my G-string ride high above my jeans

Here is an interesting bit of stats on Democrats and Republicans on Goodreads from 2012. https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/3...

Peter wrote: "Here is an interesting bit of stats on Democrats and Republicans on Goodreads from 2012. https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/3..."

Is it wrong that I didn't find those stats very illuminating?

And I'm not saying no Republicans read - I'm just saying I don't personally know very many Republicans. My sample set is small. The Republicans I know I'm DC are career- and money-oriented, usually lawyers, and are blisteringly, astoundingly neurotic.

Geoff wrote: "Peter wrote: "Here is an interesting bit of stats on Democrats and Republicans on Goodreads from 2012. https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/3..."

Is it..."

No they're kind of "duh" level revelations.

And also, truth, all Republican males I've ever met get Pavlonian-like erection responses whenever John Philip Sousa is played within earshot. Fact. Sousa hard-ons everywhere.

Geoff wrote: "And also, truth, all Republican males I've ever met get Pavlonian-like erection responses whenever John Philip Sousa is played within earshot. Fact. Sousa hard-ons everywhere."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPysJ...

Ian wrote: "Geoff wrote: "And also, truth, all Republican males I've ever met get Pavlonian-like erection responses whenever John Philip Sousa is played within earshot. Fact. Sousa hard-ons everywhere."

https..."

Oh man, I haven't seen that in so long! Mr. Show is the best

@Geoff, who'd your brother end up voting for in the general election?

David wrote: "@Geoff, who'd your brother end up voting for in the general election?"

I think he wrote in Kasich. Not 100% sure though.

Hey! If the rest of us concede total control of the gov't to you Republicans, can't you at least cede us the very minimal -- Not Trump. So veryvery little to ask. Are you a real party with a backbone or just unprincipled power hungry assholes?

I mean, since we're already gambling with the future of the planet, why not gamble on the proposition that Pence is better than Rump?

Again. Thought experiment. Not rigidly held political belief.

Nathan "N.R." wrote: "Hey! If the rest of us concede total control of the gov't to you Republicans, can't you at least cede us the very minimal -- Not Trump. So veryvery little to ask. Are you a real party with a backbo..."

I'm with you, man. At least someone who has some record of public service. Or has ever done anything for anyone else beside himself his whole life. But I do think Pence has some horrific beliefs, to be sure.

Geoff wrote: "But I do think Pence has some horrific beliefs, to be sure. "

But he doesn't have ::
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xxgR...

Which means we can get back to politics as usual.

Nathan "N.R." wrote: "Geoff wrote: "But I do think Pence has some horrific beliefs, to be sure. "

But he doesn't have ::
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xxgR...

Which means we can get back to politics as usual."

Good point. He also doesn't have that same strange living colour as our orange great leader... (Man, Vernon Reid slays...)

(A link on that yoootube reminded me how killer this song is
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3L4Yr...)

Geoff wrote: "our orange great leader...."

So far, the one bright spot of the Trump election has been a surge in the craft of insults. Heard him called a "tiny-fingered, cheeto-faced, ferret-wearing shitgibbon" the other day.

Hey, while we're looking for silver linings, I'm seeing Peter Thiel's name all the time in the news. He's a keen chess player. Maybe he'll persuade Trump to put more funding into chess... I mean, the Russians like this game too!

Manny wrote: "Hey, while we're looking for silver linings, I'm seeing Peter Thiel's name all the time in the news. He's a keen chess player. Maybe he'll persuade Trump to put more funding into chess... I mean, t..."

It is all the rage in the gulag.

Magnus Carlsen is smarter than the DNC. He was seriously concerned that his laptop and/or email could have been hacked, and in the recent World Championship match avoided openings that required deep preparation, relying only on natural ability. It was a good judgement call, and he won.

Did you see Pawn Sacrifice, Manny?

I thought it was a pretty good movie, although they had no idea how to dramatize the actual chess matches.

I've actually been casually looking for a chess partner for the past year or so.

Honestly, assuming he doesn't blow up the world, I'd take Trump over guys like Cruz, Pence, even Ryan. There is a non-zero possibility that at least some good policies might be enacted under Trump (eg infrastructure investment), compared to zero possibility of anything good happening under Pence. It'll also be much easier for Republicans to go against Trump than it would be for them to go against Pence.

David wrote: "Did you see Pawn Sacrifice, Manny?

I thought it was a pretty good movie, although they had no idea how to dramatize the actual chess matches.

I've actually been casually looking for a chess partn..."

I missed Pawn Sacrifice. The French chess movie Joueuse is surprisingly good - one of those cases where the film is much better than the book.

how good would you say your are at the game?

David wrote: "how good would you say your are at the game?"

My Elo is 2315, though I'm out of practice - have hardly played the last couple of years due to work commitments.

Hm, so, in layman's terms, could you beat Peter Thiel?

David wrote: "Hm, so, in layman's terms, could you beat Peter Thiel?"

I played him once in an afternoon speed chess session, and I think I won 3-1 with one draw. I definitely came out ahead.

Wastrel wrote: "at least some good policies might be enacted under Trump (eg infrastructure investment)"

Weird thing isn't it? The thing the Repubo's wouldn't let Obama do.

But I'm not convinced about the non=zero thing you mention.

much easier for Republicans to go against Trump

There was once a glimmer for this. But I think it's gone now. If it were a thing, they'd be doing it now already. Putting their names behind Unfaithful Electors.

Manny wrote: "David wrote: "Hm, so, in layman's terms, could you beat Peter Thiel?"

I played him once in an afternoon speed chess session, and I think I won 3-1 with one draw. I definitely came out ahead."

right on!

those speed chess motherfuckers freak me out - I see them in cafes around town

Speed chess is fun, but it's even more addictive than Goodreads.

Thumbs up to April, anyway. And also, I skipped about 750 messages in this thread. But yeah, let's not tone it down. Not necessarily, anyway.

My current idea regarding Trump's necessary demise: Trump's supporters will eventually crucify him so he can bear their guilt. "He lied to us" will be the angry cry that will spare them from having to face the more awful truth: We were fucking morons to believe him in the first place. Before that happens, they will have to be utterly crushed, humiliated, shamed, and reach the point where they can no longer defend themselves without blaming another. Trump will try to make that "other" another race, religion, or nationality, if he can get away with it. If his supporters have any humanity, they'll turn on him sooner than later. But it won't happen until he becomes so reviled and inexcusable that to continue to support him becomes absolutely untenable, and all hope for personal advantage in associating with him will be lost.

But... I'm probably wrong. Humanity has a near infinite capacity for self-deception, hypocrisy, stubbornness, and utter shamelessness. So...

Maybe my bomb-shelter will be the open sky, on a mountaintop, and my supplies will be the Tao Te Ching, the Quran, and 40 kilograms of Twix bars.

I'm still directing most my anger towards the Clinton campaign

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/12...

Zadignose wrote: "I'm probably wrong. Humanity has a near infinite capacity for self-deception, hypocrisy, stubbornness, and utter shamelessness."

This is pretty much what I'm thinking too. Everything that goes wrong, they'll blame Obama. For realz.

Nathan "N.R." wrote: "Wastrel wrote: "at least some good policies might be enacted under Trump (eg infrastructure investment)"

Weird thing isn't it? The thing the Repubo's wouldn't let Obama do.

But I'm not convinced..."

Republicans ARE doing it now. How likely is it that with a 'normal' Republican President Elect you'd see major, prominent Republican Senators like McCain, Paul and Rubio openly bandy around allying with Democrats to prevent the nominations of multiple Cabinet appointees, within days of their names being mentioned? Sure, it's not much, but it's more than you'd ordinarily expect.

Actually conspiring to rig the election by getting the electors and the house to pick Kasich or someone instead of Trump would be an entirely different world of opposition, however.

Now the whinging crybaby liberal media are claiming that Putin was personally involved in rigging the US election, partly as an act of personal revenge against Hillary Clinton and partly to discredit the US as the leader of the free world.

Typical. They can't see that Trump won on his own merits, and that he will make the US stronger and more respected than ever before. To the unbiased observer, it's as obvious as the fact that there were dinosaurs on the Ark.

Vote Trump!

[Note to American readers: this post is ironic]

Zadignose wrote: "Thumbs up to April, anyway. And also, I skipped about 750 messages in this thread. But yeah, let's not tone it down. Not necessarily, anyway.

My current idea regarding Trump's necessary demise: Tr..."

I actually live close to an ICBM target right next to military helicopter manufacturing plant. I think it is a good choice of residence. I just saw "the road" on Netflix. I would rather be vaporized in Trump's WWIII than eating canned goods and dodging cannibals.

Honestly though, remember how 'news' reports citing unnamed US intelligence sources convinced a lot of people that Iraq had wmds?

The CIA is often wrong.

Also, there's a certain irony in that since its inception the agency has worked diligently to undermine other countries' elections and install right-wing regimes around the globe.

Regardless of whether there turns out to be some truth to these allegations, I still think Clinton should have been able to win. The Democrats made a lot of mistakes in my view (see that politico article I posted above). We should own them for the sake of building a stronger coalition for next time.

David wrote: "Honestly though, remember how 'news' reports citing unnamed US intelligence sources convinced a lot of people that Iraq had wmds?

The CIA is often wrong.

Also, there's a certain irony in that sin..."

I'm looking forward to seeing that full report...

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/putins-purge...

These business leaders and politicians who are breaking bread with Trump should remember Trump is a Putin fan. Putin ruthlessly put in prison or murdered all rich men who opposed him and who were in his way of acquiring their assets. Putin is not a believer of democracy.

What is that saying? If you lie down with an animal, don't be surprised if you wake up with fleas?

David wrote: "Honestly though, remember how 'news' reports citing unnamed US intelligence sources convinced a lot of people that Iraq had wmds?

Also, there's a certain irony in that since its inception the agency has worked diligently to undermine other countries' elections and install right-wing regimes around the globe."

The word.

Not related to election rigging, but my gut reaction is to suppose the opposite whenever CIA comes up with a breaking news. To be fair, everybody puts a spin on the truth but only few are capable of inventing it out of nothing.

I'd also like to see the CIA's full report on possible Russian involvement in the election. Until then I'm not jumping to any conclusion.

If it were just the CIA, I certainly wouldn't believe it. But given how openly pleased the Russians were, and the way Trump has consistently supported Putin, and the fact that they've got a track record for doing this kind of thing...

I suppose Trump will be thrilled to close Guantanamo? Does he know about it?

aPriL does feral sometimes wrote: "I suppose Trump will be thrilled to close Guantanamo? Does he know about it?"

I'm sure Trump thinks Obama closed it. He might as well reopen it....on American soil. He'll need one.

And it should also be good fun to see which national security threats Trump deems deserving of a drone strike.

Yeah, if the leak of a series of rather innocuous emails means you still lose the presidential election to a giant pile of wadded-up Big League Chew with a marmot on its head, then the leaks aren't your only problem.

This is interesting: The Guardian and Breitbart are accusing each other of reporting fake news.. Looks like both of them will be reluctant to back down.