Gas Bandit's Political Thread V: The Vampire Likes Bats

"Gild" posts? Is that where someone posts a link to a Paypal or Patreon or something?
To clarify Pez's answer, you can pay to gild a post, which marks it with a gold medal and gives the poster a week of Reddit premium, which removes ads and gives access to some features that really should be basic, such as the ability to see which posts are new since you last visited a thread
 
Death row inmates in Alabama are using the new abortion law to overturn the death penalty.


And are we not discussing Oregon? State senators fleeing the state to avoid forming a quorum in votes they expect to lose, then threatening to murder any law enforcement that attempts to escort them back? And shutting down the capital under threats of terrorism?
 
Democrats have done the flee the vote thing, they've just never hidden behind militias and threatened to murder any police that came to rightfully get them.
 
Democrats have done the flee the vote thing, they've just never hidden behind militias and threatened to murder any police that came to rightfully get them.
Well of course not, since that wouldn't go over well with their base, unlike the reverse.

And yet the same republican base also supports cops no matter what (except for this one thing).
 
Democrats have done the flee the vote thing, they've just never hidden behind militias and threatened to murder any police that came to rightfully get them.
@Frank, while I don't support the "we'll flee the legislature to stop bills from passing" thing, it's also somewhat weird and smacks of "not democracies" where the police are sent to forcibly compel legislators to sit where they're commanded to, at the command of the governor. I guess that's the part that really seems weird to me, that it's at their command, rather than a court action. Then I'd be OK with the police going to get the people breaking their oaths, etc.

Don't get me wrong, the whole situation is a big "WTF?" though.
 
The Supreme Court has ruled that gerrymandering can't be sued over in the federal government.
With laws like this getting passed, it’s like a Battle Royale game where the scope keeps getting narrower and narrower until there’s only gonna be one choice left when it finally comes time to pull that lever.

—Patrick
 
I'm going to agree with @Li3n on this one. We already know that some public professions (like air traffic controllers) aren't allowed to go on strike because their services are too vital to everyday life and that's essentially what is going on here: the officials don't want to allow a vote because they know they'll lose, so their essentially refusing to do their appointed jobs to force (what they see as) a compromise. The public has no immediate recourse on this matter because they can't simply perform recall elections to replace them in a timely manner. The options are thus limited.

- The state of Oregon could hold an emergency session, count not present members as voting "present" (thus not affecting their voting record in a significant fashion) and allow the vote to proceed. The whole point of preventing votes with a minimum turn-out is to prevent the government from taking actions in secret, but this vote is very public already and the members avoiding the vote know about both the measure's contents and the movement to vote. They can't claim ignorance; they are well informed. They simply don't want to allow the vote to proceed.

The above compromise allows the will of the public to proceed while preserving the liberty of the missing members. They want to protest the vote, they can do it on the voting floor.

- Alternatively, do what is currently happening: send police officers to force the issue. We've already decided as a nation that some professions (soldiers namely) give up some of their liberties when they are actively engaged in their profession and if these were privates attempting to flee their obligations then we'd already have the police looking for them. As such, I see no problem with forcing the matter and having local authorities arrest the missing members of government... though it should be representatives of the state they are in that does this, not Oregon's own officers, and the missing members of government should be extradited like normal. Once the officials are in custody, there is likely a provision to allow the vote to proceed without their presence anyway.

Regardless of what happens... if shoots ARE fired, it's on the milita's head. This isn't Ruby Ridge or WACO; they actually instigated this.
 
No, what they want is for the bill to die. And if they don't show up until after the last scheduled day of the session, the bill dies. It's called "sunset laws" in political terms. When bills are presented in a legislature, they have a "vote by" date on them. The controversial environmental bill has one. Ergo, if they sit out the rest of the session, the bill goes away. Unfortunately, all of the other bills that really need to be passed that were behind this one in the pipeline of voting consideration will also die.
 
@Frank, while I don't support the "we'll flee the legislature to stop bills from passing" thing, it's also somewhat weird and smacks of "not democracies" where the police are sent to forcibly compel legislators to sit where they're commanded to, at the command of the governor. I guess that's the part that really seems weird to me, that it's at their command, rather than a court action. Then I'd be OK with the police going to get the people breaking their oaths, etc.

Don't get me wrong, the whole situation is a big "WTF?" though.
Not disagreeing with anything you're saying just pointing out that having elected officials able to bring the legislature to a halt by choosing to just not show up & do their job also stinks of "not democracy".

Maybe having set times when the legislature sits & they can't hold votes outside of those times if the concern is we need a minimum quorum to prevent "secret" votes in the middle of the night that the opposition don't know about until after they've passed?
 
Wow, no one believed his initial defense of “those mean protesters scared me by walking in a crowd and I accelerated out of fear!” I’m shocked.

I am glad that he’s being punished to the full extent of the law. He is trash and deserves nothing less.
 
How is it that Jon Stewart is the biggest supporter of 9/11 first responders?
NYPD Officer Luis Alvarez, 9/11 First Responder Who Testified Before Congress With Jon Stewart, Dies
Alvarez's treatment was covered, but he said he wanted to use his last days to advocate for those who were not so lucky and permanently extend the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund Bill, so his fellow first responders can get health coverage. “That’s my ultimate goal, legacy, is to have this bill passed so first responders have the coverage they need,” he said.
Thank you for your service.

--Patrick
 

figmentPez

Staff member
So, those "budget problems"....

Inside the Secret Border Patrol Facebook Group Where Agents Joke About Migrant Deaths and Post Sexist Memes
"Members of a secret Facebook group for current and former Border Patrol agents joked about the deaths of migrants, discussed throwing burritos at Latino members of Congress visiting a detention facility in Texas on Monday and posted a vulgar illustration depicting Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez engaged in oral sex with a detained migrant, according to screenshots of their postings. "

This protection racket started a GoFundMe to try to pay one of their own to physically assault a sitting member of congress while she was visiting the concentration camps. They laughed and joked about it in her presence while she was there.

Some of the cells in these concentration camps don't have potable water, and women are being told to drink from toilets. Meanwhile, shelters that were once used to house families aren't even half full.

Throwing money at this problem isn't going to fix it. Giving more money to abusers will not stop abuse.
 
So, those "budget problems"....

Inside the Secret Border Patrol Facebook Group Where Agents Joke About Migrant Deaths and Post Sexist Memes
"Members of a secret Facebook group for current and former Border Patrol agents joked about the deaths of migrants, discussed throwing burritos at Latino members of Congress visiting a detention facility in Texas on Monday and posted a vulgar illustration depicting Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez engaged in oral sex with a detained migrant, according to screenshots of their postings. "

This protection racket started a GoFundMe to try to pay one of their own to physically assault a sitting member of congress while she was visiting the concentration camps. They laughed and joked about it in her presence while she was there.

Some of the cells in these concentration camps don't have potable water, and women are being told to drink from toilets. Meanwhile, shelters that were once used to house families aren't even half full.

Throwing money at this problem isn't going to fix it. Giving more money to abusers will not stop abuse.
Nah, you don't get it, there would be no racist if there where no brown people... so the solution is clear...
 
https://www.thedailybeast.com/jeffr...ng-of-minors-source?ref=home&via=twitter_page

Jeffrey Epstein, the Lolita Express proprietor and operator, has been arrested on charges of sex trafficking of minors....FINALLY. Since he's a sociopathic monster, I hope he rolls on all you mother fucking rich old white fucks on all sides of the political spectrum. Your Trump to your Clinton and your royal family members, etc.
 
https://www.thedailybeast.com/jeffr...ng-of-minors-source?ref=home&via=twitter_page

Jeffrey Epstein, the Lolita Express proprietor and operator, has been arrested on charges of sex trafficking of minors....FINALLY. Since he's a sociopathic monster, I hope he rolls on all you mother fucking rich old white fucks on all sides of the political spectrum. Your Trump to your Clinton and your royal family members, etc.
Assuming he lives to testify against all them for his deal. There's a real chance he'll be dead before that happens. I mean, ya... they have tons of prior testimony, but still...
 

figmentPez

Staff member
Mississippi Politician Won't Be Alone with Female Reporter for Fear of Extramarital Affair Rumors

We've heard this song and dance before. There's not unreasonable concern that this is headed towards getting courts to rule that discrimination based on gender is legal, as long there's religious motivation for it.



I'm calling complete bullshit on his reasoning. What's to stop people from suggesting that he's having a homosexual affair with a male reporter?

"Oh no, I a very straight male Christian politician cannot possibly be alone with a woman, people might suspect something is happening. They should focus their attention only on possible heterosexual affairs, because it's safe for me to be alone with men. I definitely wouldn't be interested in doing sexual things with men. I don't even think about the possibility of doing sexual things with men. I run into a lot of handsome men in my job, and it would not make sense for anyone to suggest that I might have an affair with any of those very attractive men I meet."

I'm also going to have to ask if he's allowed to be left alone with internet capable devices, animals, or various types of vegetables (such as cucumbers).
 
I probably shouldn't even be posting here, but I'm here now so I might as well become the lightning rod.

Does your position change if the genders change - say a female politician demanded that a male reporter bring along a female colleague?
 
Mississippi Politician Won't Be Alone with Female Reporter for Fear of Extramarital Affair Rumors

We've heard this song and dance before. There's not unreasonable concern that this is headed towards getting courts to rule that discrimination based on gender is legal, as long there's religious motivation for it.



I'm calling complete bullshit on his reasoning. What's to stop people from suggesting that he's having a homosexual affair with a male reporter?

"Oh no, I a very straight male Christian politician cannot possibly be alone with a woman, people might suspect something is happening. They should focus their attention only on possible heterosexual affairs, because it's safe for me to be alone with men. I definitely wouldn't be interested in doing sexual things with men. I don't even think about the possibility of doing sexual things with men. I run into a lot of handsome men in my job, and it would not make sense for anyone to suggest that I might have an affair with any of those very attractive men I meet."

I'm also going to have to ask if he's allowed to be left alone with internet capable devices, animals, or various types of vegetables (such as cucumbers).

I'm always surprised at how cognitively dissonant some people can be. The same political group would have an incredible hate boner for anyone saying something similar based on the Qur'an.
 
I probably shouldn't even be posting here, but I'm here now so I might as well become the lightning rod.

Does your position change if the genders change - say a female politician demanded that a male reporter bring along a female colleague?
I think either is ridiculous. And if the female politician was nervous about her personal safety she could bring along her own personel.

I also find it incredibly insulting that people say it's out of respect for their spouse. If the trust levels are so low that you can't be around a member of the opposite sex, maybe you should just never leave the house. (Or not get married at all honestly)
 
I probably shouldn't even be posting here, but I'm here now so I might as well become the lightning rod.

Does your position change if the genders change - say a female politician demanded that a male reporter bring along a female colleague?
I can see a policy like that making sense as an insulation against allegations of impropriety of any kind but to wrap it up as religious virtue signalling as Forester did should be distasteful to all. If you can't trust yourself to act professional behind closed doors with another professional why should the electorate trust you to act professionally when you are given actual power.
 
Are interviews usually held without any other people in the same room? Isn't the staff of the politician (like the PR guy/lady) usually in the room too?
 
Are interviews usually held without any other people in the same room? Isn't the staff of the politician (like the PR guy/lady) usually in the room too?
It's not just a short interview: "...shadowing the politician on a 15-hour “ride-along” campaign trip around the state..."

Apparently he and his wife made a promise to each other: “Before our decision to run, my wife and I made a commitment to follow the ‘Billy Graham Rule,’ which is to avoid any situation that may evoke suspicion or compromise of our marriage,”

And he intends to keep it: “... my decision was out of respect of my wife,”

Even though doing so may risk loss of free advertising.

The paper chose not to reassign a male reporter, or add another colleague as requested, and instead chose to report on what they see as an improper campaign request. In turn, the campaign could have assigned an intern to hang out with them all day as well, if they wanted the coverage.

Instead both sides stood their ground on their principles. The reporter concluding that the politician is sexist, and the politician concluding that the reporter represents left wing media.

In other news Susan cried about cooties she got on the playground from Billy to the whole class after recess was over. The class was divided as to the appropriate punishment and who deserved it, but they only stuck their tongues out at each other when the teacher asked them to talk it out.

:tina:
 
Ah. Not sexist just following the Billy Graham rule.

Views on women
In 1970, Graham stated that feminism was "an echo of our overall philosophy of permissiveness" and that women did not want to be "competitive juggernauts pitted against male chauvinists".[130][131] He further stated that the role of wife, mother, and homemaker was the destiny of "real womanhood" according to the Judeo-Christian ethic. Graham's assertions, published in the Ladies' Home Journal, elicited letters of protest, and were offered as rebuttal to the establishment of "The New Feminism" section of the publication added following a sit-in protest at the Journal offices demanding female representation on the staff of the publication.[132][133][134][135]

Graham was well-known for his practice of not spending time alone with any woman other than his wife. This has become known as the Billy Graham rule.[136]

Billy's daughter Bunny recounted her father denying her and her sisters higher education. As reported in The Washington Post:[137]

Bunny remembers being groomed for the life of wife, homemaker, and mother. "There was never an idea of a career for us," she said. "I wanted to go to nursing school – Wheaton had a five-year program – but Daddy said no. No reason, no explanation, just 'No.' It wasn't confrontational and he wasn't angry, but when he decided, that was the end of it." She added, "He has forgotten that. Mother has not."​
Billy talked his future wife, Ruth, into abandoning her ambition to evangelize in Tibetin favor of staying in the United States to marry him – and that to do otherwise would be "to thwart God's obvious will."[137] After Ruth agreed to marry Billy, he cited the Bible for claiming authority over her, saying, "then I'll do the leading and you do the following."[137]
 

figmentPez

Staff member
I can see a policy like that making sense as an insulation against allegations of impropriety
Really? But there so many possible allegations of impropriety. Why is only a heterosexual extra-marital affair the only one that's being protected against? Are all his financial records published to prevent accusations of greed? Does he have a GPS installed on his car that tattles on him to make sure that he's not speeding? How does he protect against accusations that he's an alcoholic? Does he submit to regular drug testing to prove that he's not shooting up cocaine behind closed doors? How do we know the male "reporter" he met with wasn't a drug dealer? Maybe he should have his house searched on a regular basis to make sure hasn't set up any altars to foreign gods and started making blood sacrifices to Ba'al.
 
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