wmw999

I’d say we should have let them all secede in 1860, but, well, I read Underground Airlines. That didn’t work out, either.

Wendy P. 

19 minutes ago, JoeWeber said:

At this point I think it's time to wonder if we haven't simply leap frogged past banana republic and went directly to failed state.

Not to failed state yet, but I think the thin blue line is strong here; it's just that the non-MAGA-heads are seen as being outside that line by too many people here.

All this deliberate division of people is so damaging.

Wendy P.

On 2/18/2024 at 11:19 PM, JoeWeber said:

That's for sure, Miss Wendy. Even the ones who diminish you with kindness, right?

Bless your heart, yes!

Wendy P.

15 minutes ago, kallend said:

It's the internet.  I've never met you, I can't see your facial expression or body language, nor hear your tone of voice.

You should know this.

But you can read his previous posts, and see his tagline.

Wendy P.

10 hours ago, wolfriverjoe said:

The 'rabid right wingers' on here have all run away.

So have most of the more thoughtful ones. Which is a shame; hearing how normal and thoughtful people think is valuable, and informs me. But no one likes being dogpiled forever

Wendy P. 

47 minutes ago, ryoder said:

Isn't is funny how they bang on and on about having proof of voter fraud, but then when presented with the opportunity to provide it in court, all of a sudden it's:

"The dog ate my homework!"

They really want to go back to the days when "people like them" were automatically believed. Unlike, of course, lesser forms of humanity. Used to be those "lesser forms" were visible by their skin color, now it's political affiliation. But it's OK, skin color is often taken as an indicator of political affiliation.

Wendy P.

4 hours ago, SkyDekker said:

There are indeed humane ways of dealing with this, the US is doing very little of that.

Well, to be fair, economic and weather-related and war-related immigration is getting to be a worldwide problem, and very few are dealing with it well, because, well, cultural homogeneity. Canada is an example of much better implementation, but it does have the advantage of not sharing a border with a country that either has those issues, or is just passing them through to fuck over other countries (as Russia is doing to Finland).

I don't see the refugee situation getting any better, and the farther we are from WW2 (and even then no one reall wanted all those refugees -- ergo Israel). 

Wendy P.

3 hours ago, Seyoum said:

I scheduled for April 15th, as my family wanted to visit NY. I was hoping to find something fun to do while they are sightseeing.

Anyhow Thanks Wendy!

Mid April the closest place I can think of for busting out a lot of jumps is N. Carolina, Raeford. Connecticut Parachutists in Ellington, CT is open all year, and they will probably already have their Caravan (I think) running, but most likely only on weekends. The Ranch, in upstate New York, might also be open already. Neither of those is real close to NYC, though; at least an hour and maybe more.

There are, however, tunnels in the area, in Paramus NJ and Westchester NY.

Wendy P.

6 minutes ago, brenthutch said:

Thread drift, let’s get back to my original question

Always a good go-to when pressed.

Wendy P.

Mark Turner of Ohio (House Intelligence chair) apparently issued a rather cryptic statement asking that unspecified information be declassified so it can be discussed with our allies and their intelligence committees. 

Turns out those crafty Russians seem to be working on a space-based nuclear system to attack satellites; boy howdy, that'd mess things up. But the cryptic statement did cause some concern, and our allies have been briefed. I wonder if the Orange Menace would have done so, or would he have held it close to his chest, because Vlad said it was only for enemies?

Link to story

Wendy P.

2 hours ago, tkhayes said:

Please don't post links and videos without commentary.

Wendy P.

47 minutes ago, JoeWeber said:

But we won't, we'll continue to spread our resources liberally while the selfish conserve theirs for themselves: the true difference between liberals and conservatives.

I'd say that conservatives will say that they take care of their own (including family), before spreading themselves too thin. One of the differences probably comes in the definition of "too thin," and another in the definition of "their own." I certainly try to spend locally before spending nationally, and have definitely given money to family ahead of donating to charities. Not that I don't donate to charities, just that yes, I do give to family first.

That said, is it only virtue signaling if we can't be perfect, and if we take convenience as well as essentials into account? That's just playing into the "you have to be perfect before you can make suggestions for others" trope, isn't it?

Wendy P.

It very much depends on the time of year, because above New York the skydiving season doesn't really get started until April or, more likely, May. DZ's that are open all winter will have limited operation in that area, and be open only on weekends.

Regardless of anything, 100 jumps in 20 days is an aggressive rate, simply because weather can be unpredictable (understatement of the year). But I'll let others chime in about other DZs

Wendy P.

I’m no longer holding my breath, either. With their antics, DeSantis and Abbott have made the border a national item (it’s high on Massachusetts residents’ priorities because of housing). And the Repubs are refusing to bargain in good faith.

My prediction: Trump will make it his top campaign item. He’ll do just as shitty a job this time as last time, but he will head us in a spoils system direction (as opposed to relying on the Civil Service). Theodore Roosevelt would be banging his head against the wall.

Im holding my breath now that Trump will die or deteriorate too much before the election. Because Nikki Haley probably beats Biden, and while I don’t love that, she does believe in fixing what seems broke, instead of blowing it up.

Wendy P. 

1 hour ago, billvon said:

Barrett said Peters’ lawyers cited “irreconcilable differences” with their client as the reason for the latest switch.

I suspect that this is the more politically correct term than the original language used.  Something like "sorry but she's fucking crazy Your Honor."

Either that or "she's a stone bitch who'd be OK if we got disbarred because she wants us to break the law in her defense."

Wendy P.

1 hour ago, ryoder said:

It must be embarrassing for a Putin lackey to be corrected by Putin's own spokesman.

Putin Spokesman Disputes Tucker Carlson's Interviews Claim

Peskov said Carlson is "wrong" by suggesting that Western journalists haven't attempted to interview Putin—an assertion the former Fox News host made in a lengthy video announcing his interview with the Russian leader.

"He, in fact, cannot know this. We receive many requests for interviews with the president," Peskov said.

It’s not like any of the target audience for his interview pay attention to “fake mainstream news,” and it’s not like that quote is making it into his interview.

Wendy P. 

1 hour ago, olofscience said:

Unfortunately he's probably not a sockpuppet, he's put enough details to show he's not washed up canopy pilot Rhys Kempen. He appears to be a TI, Oliver Schoenfeld, which is good so I can tell people to avoid his logbook app that's on his profile.

OK, it might me a good app; just as people who disagree vehemently with Billvonn still use Qualcomm technology (well, if he's still working there). I would separate the two, and also not take one statement by a non-native speaker of English as indicative of whack-job status. 

That said, as a former NASA contractor, Billvon's description of the origins is quite accurate.

Wendy P.

19 hours ago, winsor said:

Fascinating that you have drawn these conclusions.

Everything you think you know is wrong.

And you’re the arbiter of others’ experience? Please give details — preferably quantifiable ones, since qualitative ones are open to everyone’s interpretation, not just yours.

Maybe woke is just the acknowledgment that we shouldn’t judge others unless we’ve walked a mile in their shoes. Since there are some shoes I can’t walk in (like those of a good-looking 6’ tall white man with a good education), I’ll generally defer to others to interpret their own experiences

Wendy P. 

It's very regional; I don't know the overall numbers, but I do know that people often buy what their friends like for containers.

Wendy P.

58 minutes ago, winsor said:

Since Woke is a disease of denial

I reject your assertion. Woke is a recognition of equal validity for others to have their own points of view. It's not that I think they're all right (they're not), it's just that I'm not the sole arbiter. Being culturally or militarily dominant does not, in fact, mean one's right about everything

Wendy P.

You can always give it to a newbie who's assembling gear and hasn't gotten a Cypres yet. 

Wendy P.

2 hours ago, billvon said:

I look forward to the coming weeks, where we will discover that Colin Kaepernick convinced Kelce to join the psyop when he met with him in the basement of a pizza place and gave him Hunter's laptop, and that a Bud Light loving drag queen set them up in a library.

OK, that's part of your history now. You can predict the future! When it happens (closer to the election, of course), we'll have proof.

Wendy P.

It is; I went back and read part of the "48 Hours" transcript. I'm sorry to hear about her son -- that's a lot to happen to him, and to his younger sister. 

Wendy P.

I must say, the Taylor Swift psyop is really elevating the wit level in Speakers' Corner. That girl is gooooood!

Wendy P.

I wonder how many of Taylor Swift's fans have Trump-loving parents

Wendy P.