patrick.net

jazz music says

Hey thanks for proving my point

Now, please explain why NOBODY in the Democratic party is calling for an arms embargo on Saudi Arabia.

Why Nobody is talking about taking the World Cup from Qatar.

At the very least! These should only be first steps pending total sanctions on all imports and exports. We need to use the British and American Navy to again embargo the Slavers. And demanding the return of Constantinople from Turkish Imperialist-Colonialist, and reparations for the Ethnic Cleansing and Slaughter of the Greeks in the 1910s and 1920s. That was even worse than the Armenian Genocide.

Turkey should be suspended from NATO until they start paying reparations. The Germans did. Why should Turks get a pass? Because they're a shade darker, they dindu nuttin wrong?

It's funny that the Europeans were the least slavers of the past millenium - they didn't have any slaves at all for the first half of it and were the first to end it by law - but we never hear about the massive Slave Empire of the Muslims that stretched from Morocco to India and beyond.

jazz music says

Hey thanks for proving my point

What point? That you never mention any non-White atrocities? That you never point out Anglo-Saxons in particular ended slavery for the first time in history? That you don't mention Obama's incredibly deadly civil wars he instigated in Libya, Syria, and now Yemen that have already killed 10,000X more people than any gator baiting did?

No payoff for dude on dude accusations.

This thread is utterly irrelevant to the politics and policies of this millenium. All it does it remind people that humans all over the world have done, can do and will do sick shit, esp. if backed by the government. Look no further than South Africa where white farmers have been brutally persecuted, disowned, many bludgeoned and killed over the years (with government approval!). Moreover SA has gone to shit with ultra-high crime rates. This is today, not over 100 years ago like your favorite tearjerkers. When it comes to majority rule by race you can bet that modern (Chrisitian) whites are the most advanced and just people wrt human rights for everybody because they were the first ones to establish basic human rights and diplomatic principles following all the world-wars and many other skirmishes where they were involved in, learning from their own mistakes (colonialism, slavery etc.) and atrocities. It's completely disingenuous to accuse the Caucasians and Christians of today even of a hint of racism (everybody is inherently a little racist) while omitting that the vast majority of race, gender and religiously motivated atrocities in today's world are either committed by non-Whites or non-Christians.

jazz music says

Great, now I feel guilty wearing Polo shirts.

It's all Obama's fault!!!
Trump will fix this!!!

jazz music says

Dan8267 says

now I feel guilty

heheheh, well I hope you feel motivated some day soon to activism and promote decent treatment of all people

I was being facetious. I feel no guilt because, one, my ancestors didn't do any of the horrific things in America's history. Two, even if I had ancestors who did, I would not condone, whitewash, or celibate their actions. So, to be serious, I don't feel guilt but rather disgust at the actions and people referenced in this thread.

I'm all for promoting rights and justice, but quite frankly, there's damn little the common man can do except
1. When serving on a jury, be ethical.
2. Don't vote or support bad politicians.
3. Spread good ideas through discussions.

I don't see how activism and protesting actually do any good. Perhaps I'm cynical, but it seems that all the movements out there don't amount to a hill of beans. The common American citizen has basically no power to change the system.

The only hope I have in change is that if good ideas are discussed enough in public, the ideas will percolate up to the people who actually count.

Interesting. How do you propose to go about it? I think they have tried it in many states-with some success-but if there is a movement, I would love to join.

Another addition, in CA I believe 10 years makes you liable for lifetime support and the court can come back any time and open your marriage up. Max should be 5 years after which spouse is free and clear.

Probably never going to clear, but property should not be communal-a lady married to a Mcdonalds employee is a harder working wife than a woman married to a movie star with private jets, cooks, shopping trips etc-in the world of equality, property should not be split up. When they choose to move on, or during the marraige-these rich women need to become independent and live within their means.

Dan8267 says

I don't see how activism and protesting actually do any good. Perhaps I'm cynical, but it seems that all the movements out there don't amount to a hill of beans. The common American citizen has basically no power to change the system.

The only hope I have in change is that if good ideas are discussed enough in public, the ideas will percolate up to the people who actually count.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Rights_Act_of_1964

jazz music says

@Dan8267 feel this: we are being herded like cattle to make optimal profit a possibility for people who speculate on everything. This optimization is SUPPOSED to come into direct violation of human right, decency and lives.

I can agree on that statement although somewhat broad and generalizing, however you need to stop obsessing, because it has nothing to do with it. People who profit off of others (malaise) DO NOT care about race, gender, or religion. Money has no color.

jazz music says

Look at the death statistics from pollution right now and they way the polluters engage in preemptive management of their privilege. THEY ARE ONLY GETTING WARMED UP.

This is way too broad. Almost every form of energy has a clean and responsible way of mining it and there are pros and cons to each. Obummer's ban on coal was purely ideological and put many miner families out of work. Clean coal does exist. Same goes for cars. The combustion engine with modern filters has become so clean that all-electric cars have worse footprints now than hybrids or even many combustion cars. That's because the batteries, brakes, clutches, metals during manufacturing, and whatever else is used in the cars besides the engine are not responsible for more a bad footprint than the engines themselves. Some of the most polluted cities are highly leftist cities with employers and employees insisting on driving their cars to work every day although most of the tech work could be telecommuted these days. There are useful and idiotic environmental regulations. If you buy a Tesla and then rant about pollution you are part of the problem.

I like this: "despite zero percent interest rates."

The fact that we got to a place (so called liquidity trap) where federal reserve "stimulation" was no longer possible, except with desperate alternative maneuvers such as QE, should tell you something about underlying conditions.

I'm not sure whether the ongoing zero % interest rates were due too much wealth inequality or deflationary pressures, or both (and or other factors), but these have been anomolous conditions for many years now that are hard to blame the President for. It's not over yet either.

Fucking White Male says

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Rights_Act_of_1964

Wikipedia is propaganda and means nothing. I will not pollute my mind with its dribble.

jazz music says

@Dan8267 feel this

I don't question the motives, but rather the effectiveness of activism. Symbolic gestures mean nothing. Policy is all that matters.

Even if a partial lists wins the petition, won't those leftie judges and the 9th circuit just deem it unconstitutional?

lostand confused says

Even if a partial lists wins the petition, won't those leftie judges and the 9th circuit just deem it unconstitutional?

The solution is to replace the conservative left and the conservative right judges and politicians with liberals. Until that happens, government will suck.

Dan8267 says

lostand confused says

Even if a partial lists wins the petition, won't those leftie judges and the 9th circuit just deem it unconstitutional?

The solution is to replace the conservative left and the conservative right judges and politicians with liberals. Until that happens, government will suck.

The reason these obscene payment obligations have been broadly supported by politicians of either side is that it relieves government from welfare payments in many cases and it keeps the authoritarian government clamp tight around you. You need small government/personal liberty minded people (libertarians) in that case in charge, who can make these decisions because they are just from an ethical standpoint even if it would mean more financial burden on their district/state or on the federal level.

This won't pass in CA, too many liberals will scream all whine all day long.

MAking the process fair would help everyone. Not everyone who is on the hook for child support and alimony is a man. My sister pays around $1500/month to her deadbeat ex for those things.
Considering that women are now twice as likely to be educated as men, they are much more likely to be primary breadwinners.
A more equitable process is better for all.

How about opt-out clause for unmarried men in the case of a pregnancy? Or at least some limit of financial obligation (or is that what you mean by using median income as max payout calculation).

Additions, none, deletions, the entire system. All family problems that cannot be resolved civilly are brought to an arbitrator to resolve. Minimal arbitrator fee, and no one gets shit for not keeping their family together.

> Any additions or deletions you'd like to see?

Current state of affairs treats children from subsequent relationships as second class citizens (hello feudalism and primogeniture). In case of subsequent children, original child support needs to be adjusted.

rando says

The late Turtledove (who was wife number two) was quite angry at wife number one for her continued exploitation of her husband.

I miss Turtledove. She was one of the good guys on PatNet.

If you can convince them, all that blather seems like a good way to sucker punch your enemies so you can fuck them in the ass.

There are websites for companies who do just this (rent virtual offices). Check their rates.

nice little pop today, I love volatility when I'm on the right side of the trade . . .

no kids or even nephews/nieces

I've got a Nissan Leaf as a daily driver now so I'm doing my part to save the world for future generations -- and I don't buy a lot of crap so my CO2 footprint is quite small.

As long as we don't get too many more of those rainless years in a row (that last one was getting close to killing all the trees here in my ville, and it certainly fucked over the pine forests in the Sierras quite badly) I'll be OK until I check out in 2050 or whenever.

jazz music says

And so on. That's what civilized people are like ... Reading Pickwick and learning a speech from Faust by heart is not enough if your aim is to become a truly civilized person and not to sink below the level of your surroundings.""

[From a letter to Nikolay Chekhov, March 1886]

― Anton Chekhov, A Life in Letters

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anton_Chekhov

More Utopian BS that does not exist in any society.

jazz music says

Strategist says

More Utopian BS that does not exist

Like coal industry jobs and really great health coverage? No, not at all.

Coal industry jobs should be eliminated. We don't want pollution.
Health coverage sucks.
Technology will solve all human problems except problems caused by humans.

jazz music says

Strategist says

Technology will solve all human problems ...

More Utopian BS that does not exist in any society.

So what will solve all human problems?
Religion?
Communism?
Education?

APOCALYPSEFUCK_is_ADORABLE says

No surprise the SUCK! MY! DICK!, AMERICA! campaign became the SUCK! MY! DICK!, AMERICA! administration.

I'm a little surprised. Who knew America had so many people in to that sort of thing ?

jazz music says

Since USA became afflicted with accelerating inequality we have fallen far from the heights we achieved when the world looked up to us instead of belly-laughed.

jazz music says

a balance between the tensions of economy and societal benefit must be weighed and implemented without the interference of government capture by the investor class.

Thank you for getting back to the essential point. Almost everything in the press is mere distraction. Racism, Russia, trans-bathrooms, even terrorism.

The only thing they really don't want us to talk about is how and why the Democrats became the party of elitists rather than working people. Now we have two parties representing the rich, and no party for the rest of us.

Trump, for all his faults, is our only representation outside of the two-identical-party system.

jazz music says

@Strategist You already know the answer to your own question, but you deny it because you feel smug like you have run the rat race and beaten most other people. But ok I'll play your game here right now just because in this case even the obvious is better said in no uncertain terms.

Your implications are not fair. Yes, I did well in life not because of winning the lotto, but....
Common sense
Sacrifice
Education
Hard work
It's no secret, anyone can do it.

jazz music says

Education? yes.

Enlightenment? Of course but more like awakening to the increasingly painfully obvious reality that shareholder value is not an ultimate measure of merit, but rather a balance between the tensions of economy and societal benefit must be weighed and implemented without the interference of government capture by the investor class.

What are you talking about? You keep blaming others. How about common sense, education, hard work, and sacrifice that I already mentioned? It's no secret formula that those who do well have all those points.
Take the example of lotto winners. 80% of them fritter away everything they win, and are back to where they were in 2 years. You think people like them who have no ability to keep their wealth, have an ability to make wealth? No, they are doomed to perennial failure because the lack what it takes to be successful. Don't blame the capitalist system for the lack of common sense most people have.

Trump, for all his faults, is our only representation outside of the two-identical-party system.

--------------

You guys got the government you deserved. All the way Republican. This is 2001 all over again!

The lefties are going to rue the day they picked the Russian conspiracy. They are increasingly sounding like bgamall4- no wonder he does not post-he is normal now-he can just go talk to a crowd of lefties and be perfectly normal.

APOCALYPSEFUCK_is_ADORABLE says

When Will Trump Host Toddler T-Ball Games Like the Last Retarded GOP President, George W Bush?

I'm surprised he hasn't already. It's a great opportunity to grab that sweet, succulent MILF pussy.

Trump is too busy grabbing middle aged white guys buy the pussy. They seem to respond best to it.

Stick to your knitting, Trump and Trumpkins

Trump could only sponsor, he couldn't make the T-ball team.

Already covered in this thread:
/1304686/2017-04-04-justice-department-warns-companies-not-to-discriminate-against-us-workers

Maybe they realize the people don't care what they think.

• a person may be employed as a computer programmer and may use information technology skills and knowledge to help an enterprise achieve its goals in the course of his or her job is not sufficient to establish the position as a specialty occupation. Thus, a petitioner may not rely solely on the Handbook to meet its burden when seeking to sponsor a beneficiary for a computer programmer position. Instead, a petitioner must provide other evidence to establish that the particular position is one in a specialty occupation as defined by 8 CFR 214.2(h)(4)(ii) that also meets one of the criteria at
• Accordingly, USCIS officers must also review the LCA to ensure the wage level designated by the petitioner corresponds to the proffered position. If a petitioner designates a position as a Level I, entry-level position, for example, such an assertion will likely contradict a claim that the proffered position is particularly complex, specialized, or unique compared to other positions within the same occupation.
• Officers are also reminded that USCIS does not bear the burden of establishing that a particular position does not qualify as a specialty occupation. Instead, the petitioner bears the burden of establishing eligibility for the benefit sought. Section 291 of the INA, 8 U.S.C. § 1361. Accordingly, USCIS officers may not approve a petition based on inconclusive statements from the Handbook about the entry-level requirements for a given occupation. Rather, the petitioner bears the burden to submit probative evidence from objective and authoritative sources that the proffered position qualifies as an H-1B specialty occupation.