No surprise.

Now he’ll be an all-pro with the Lions, of course.

Okay, saw it.

It was okay. Not great. A bit hokey. A bit predictable.

Visually, it was good but we’ve seen it before. I like the female superhero running the show. That’s a good thing. I like the actress playing Wonder Woman. It wasn’t a bad film. But I’ll still take The Dark Knight trilogy as the standard for these things.

I will see Justice League. I have to. My wife is in love with Jason Momoa.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 7 months ago by PA Ram.

nittany ram wrote:

Ah yes. I remember your speech in response to allegations that you were seen associating with women of the Byler Amish persuasion when you had a strict Swartzentruber Amish upbringing.

The stirring words you spoke at your shunning trial still resonate in my soul like the last note plucked from an angel’s harp…

“Byler oder Swartzentruber…Wie alles are Olde Order Amish. Can’t wie alles just getten alongen?”

Can’t we all just get along, indeed. <sniff>

As you well know…those Amish feuds can get pretty nasty. I still shun the Somerset scum after a certain incident involving a horse, a butter churn and two pounds of apple butter. They are the lowest of low. As for the Bylers. I just said that stuff because I like their women. VIVA LA SWARTZENTRUBER!!!!!!!!

Seeing it Tuesday. I hated Batman vs. Superman and Suicide Squad. I’m giving DC one more chance.

Happy Birthday!

You’re still young. I just turned 55 on Friday. Now THAT’S old.

I know one thing–the body requires more maintenance when you get older. I’ve headed back to the gym the last few weeks. I’m tracking my food. When I do that I do at least feel better. Maybe not especially younger–but better.

Let’s hope the Rams don’t age us anymore this year.

“Doxing” is another problem. People who sign online petitions opposing Trump are being ‘investigated” and their personal information is being posted. This puts people in real danger. Not only that, it can affect their lives in many ways from relationships to jobs. These people are basically saying, “Bow down to the king–or pay the price.”

They desperately want to silence any voice of dissent.

Propaganda and alternative truths and feeding into the anger is the way of the world now.

Like so many things–the internet can save us–or destroy us.

I’m not hopeful.

In a world where anyone can find the truth they like–there is no truth. There are no facts. There is no tether to reality.

Collectively it’s a mental illness.

The world reflects that.

Thanks guys. I appreciate it.

Zooey wrote:

But as I have previously stated, I think 2016 was basically our last chance to avoid disaster to civilization anyway. I think even if Sanders got elected in 2020 with both the Senate and the House, it would basically be too late to get anything done in time to avert the destabilization of society from climate change anyway. We just aren’t even seriously taking on climate change, overpopulation, or dwindling resources in any way, so … goodbye. It’s not going to be pretty.

I hear you, Zooey. I just don’t have the mental energy for this anymore. I can’t invest in it emotionally. I have to step back–focus on personal things and just let this go. And like everyone else–I will have to just deal with the consequences. You can’t fight the ignorance of half the American people. What’s the point to it anymore? Screaming into the internet solves nothing. It only stresses me out and solves nothing. Yes–I’ll still donate to candidates and causes I believe in. I’ll still vote. But I’ve been sapped of all other political motivation. Good luck America. The future of this country looks very dim. And people will be waving flags and cheering the very people who are destroying them all the way into the abyss. I accept that now.

There will be no sudden realization by the masses about the train running off the tracks. It won’t happen.

So for me it’s going to be trying to laugh at something every day, read good books, practice my sleight-of-hand with cards in a very meditative way, help my wife get through her lymphoma crises, see my kids as often as I can and just live more in the moment. I hate being angry all the time. And it’s pointless. I will leave the angry resistance to others and wish them the best of luck.

I just don’t care anymore. No–I do. But I just don’t feel like being angry and hopeless forever. So I will do my best(other than an occasional angry rant) to leave it go.

That’s where I am today.

The country is very divided.

The Republicans are not only divided between themselves. The Democrats are also divided.

The problem with the Democratic establishment is that they believe the leftist wing is crazy and radical for wanting to pull the party back to the left–where it belongs(in my opinion)because it has drifted right, in terms of corporate love for years.

The Clinton’s have established a cult within the party. The Clinton cult is not necessarily by nature corporate(at least the regular folks)but the cult is so strong it is like gravity, pulling those people toward corporate friendly positions by following the logic of incrementalism and fear of the extreme Republican agenda.

There is a reality to that.

And yes–because Trump was such a disaster waiting to happen I voted for Clinton. If Romney had been running I may or may not have voted for her. I think that margin of difference would have been much smaller. The problem is that the Clinton wing and “cult” projects the “cult” thing on the Bernie people and fails to recognize it in themselves.

But that wing also fails to realize how deep this split actually is–how fed-up people are with this corporate drift.

They still don’t get it and the powers that be are still keeping their thumbs on the scale. They will never give this up easy. Frankly, compromise will be a challenge. But Perez and Pelosi(who STILL won’t begin to support single payer)are in charge.

Still, I get most of Maher’s point. It’s WHY I ultimately voted for her. I think if the election was held again that probably more people would hold their nose and vote for her allowing her to eek out a victory. And they’d feel miserable watching her do the exact things they know she’d do–but at least the planet would not be destroyed by climate change sooner than alter, and health care would not be blown apart.

But this division within the party is real. If the Dems fail to find a way to address it they will keep losing elections. Right now they seem clueless about it beyond attacking something called “Bernie Bros”.

Good luck with that.

I’m giving them a “C” but then I have no idea so it’s a fairly safe grade. There isn’t one pick who stands out to me that makes me go: “YEAH!”. It’s more like a bunch of bodies who may bring certain skills which will allow the offense to exploit things–as zn said.

I really was hoping they’d find a center somewhere in the draft but it didn’t work out that way.

Everett? A lot seems to be riding on “potential”. I’m not saying he wasn’t productive. But it was a smaller school and that always gives me the “Brian Quick” heebee jeebees. But of course–I hope he’s much better than that. And he can’t be worse, really. Obviously tight ends are going to be important.

Kupp? I just find myself wondering if a healthy Spruce could not have offered the same thing that Kupp will bring. But can Spruce stay healthy/ Good question. In any case, his value was fantastic for a 3rd round pick.

The others? Just names to me for now.

I hope they all pan out but some obviously won’t.

Still, I do think that these players were picked with Phillips and McVay in mind–and what they want to do. I see a bunch of role players–hopefully solid role players and championship teams certainly need that.

The stars will still have to be Gurley, Goff, and Austin. If those three perform then these role players will be just what the team needs. But a team needs some stars too and a coach with a plan.

Stay tuned.

This name caught me by surprise but that doesn’t matter. He seems to be a “fit” player in that he will fill a need for what McVay wants to do and that’s a good way to win championships. Get the right players for the right scheme. This team does not appear to be thinking about the “star” receiver right now It seems more about roles. And if Goff can click with these guys that’s all that matters.

They do have an explosive guy in Tavon. And in Gurley.

Put in the right pieces and see what happens.

Yeah, I don’t want Cam Robinson. I hear he has his worst games against top talent. That bothers me.

I doubt that the Rams will be trading up for anyone this year–unless someone slips a few places above them in the 2nd round, maybe they’ll bite. From what I’ve been reading there’s a lot of value anyway in the mid rounds.

This guy will probably be long gone.

I am wondering if John Ross will slip because of his medical history though and what they might do if he gets close.

Thanks, zn.

My daughter was a Sanders voter. She actually could not stand Hillary. My wife was a Clinton voter. And while I can be guilty of simplifying her reasons or reasons of any woman, I understand this is all more complicated than just “gender” teams. But I do believe, from talking to various women who voted for her, that the “symbol” this time around was a strong motivator. Now certainly that does not apply to all women. But for those who did vote that way–for the ones who it mattered, I believe it mattered a lot. I believe that it did make this very personal. And I believe that it is why there is so much anger from those voters toward Bernie.

But the issue is not a simple one at all. Still, there is the “team” factor of politics to consider as well. Clinton was the REAL Democrat. Sanders was the Independent running as the Democrat. I’ve gotten into many arguments on Democratic Underground about this whole “team” thing. The attitude is that if we don’t vote for the REAL Democrat label we don’t belong in the party. The counter argument is that real democrats vote their true progressive values–not corporate values masquerading as a progressive agenda.

The “TEAM” players will have none of this, of course.

Years ago I worked in a pretzel factory. This was a popular brand of pretzels in the area and people loved them. But these same pretzels with their fancy logo and name were the same pretzels that were packaged in generic grocery store brand bags. And yet–some people would not buy that generic bag. They wanted THEIR brand.

So put a corporate candidate under the right brand and it’s THEIRS.

This works powerfully on people.

We cheer our hearts out for Chris Long. But when he puts on a different helmet we’d just as soon he loses.

I forget what comedian said that we cheer for laundry.

That’s okay–we like our laundry–and after years of cheering for it we build a history and connection that can’t be broken.

So yes–there is a team mentality among voters of both parties. That and the gender issue made this all emotional warfare.

And yes–there were probably Russian trolls stoking the flames. They probably still do. Putin is no Democrat.

It’s all very complicated–especially when you involve emotion. And yes–cognitive dissonance will cause people to dig in harder on things they are clearly wrong about. Humans are flawed. But we aren’t robots either. Emotion will always play a role. And emotion can be manipulated.

If Donald Trump knows nothing else–he knows that.

I could not stand Hillary–but, like you–I voted for her because I knew this guy would be a disaster.

But as far as the future–and where the Democratic party goes from here–I could not tell you. It feels split right now, between progressives and traditional Dems. And then there are large numbers of people who have already quit on politics. They give up. Or maybe they just don’t care.

Trump is horrible.

And I’m not convinced he won’t win a second term.

Well, I thought you made a fantastic, well-thought out argument, Zooey. But I’m on the same side, of course. I can’t really understand how people think the way she does, or why that “symbol” of a woman in the white house mattered more than the policies. And yet–it DOES mean more to some women. No matter what Obama was going to be—the black vote was going to show up for him because that symbol meant everything.

I discuss politics with my wife all the time and though she doesn’t always pay attention to me, I can safely say she’s a progressive who would have preferred Bernie’s policies. And yet–she voted for Clinton. I kept sending Bernie donations and one day my wife gets something from Clinton in the mail. It’s a plastic , “Woman’s Card”. Yes–it says that. It’s a piece of propaganda that basically says(not literally)if you hold this card you are “ONE OF US”.

That meant more to a lot of women than I can ever understand–that symbol. And Hillary played it for all it was worth. So there were women who willfully put on blinders for this election because…the symbol of a woman in the white house meant everything.

It became personal. Hillary became THEM. Any perceived sleight against Hillary, any challenge, was a challenge to THEM personally. The battle was against any man who had discriminated against them for their gender, insulted them or degraded them. Hillary put the black hat on Bernie and there was no taking it off. Substance did not matter anymore. It was all about style now.

While your argument was crushing and left her with no good answer–she didn’t need one. You just were another guy with a black hat who hated women. She wasn’t going to turn “her” Democratic party over to you. You were a woman basher, a Bernie Bro and you would always stand in the way of a woman in the white house–this important symbol that she needed more than the actual polices that would help her themselves. The symbol was everything.

And a woman can not take the blame for that. So the blame HAS to go somewhere. It makes no sense that she lost to Trump. Women did not fail. They were victims once again to male misogyny. Hillary will never be looked at as a failure to these women. She will not hold any responsibility. She will be the victim. Forever.

In any other election–if no woman was running, Bernie would have had their vote. This election was different. And I’ll go even further. If Warren was running even SHE would not be allowed to carry the “woman” card for this election. Clinton owned that. She’d been printing them for years. She was THE woman. She was THE symbol for all these women this election. It was her turn and everyone needed to get out of the way.

So there is no logical argument to make. This is about emotion.

Emotion wins elections.

Trump tapped into some very dark angry emotions and played them for all they were worth.

He won.

He didn’t even win the popular vote–but he didn’t have to. He played the right notes in the right places.

Clinton just played on weekends and assumed she could not lose.

The electoral college disagreed.

While she won the women’s vote easily–she lost the white women who did not go to college. Obama won those votes. And since she ran such a gender driven campaign she really lost the white males.

So how split is the Democratic party? That remains to be seen. I’d say pretty split right now. What does it mean going forward? I don’t know.

But I’m kind of like wv, right now. I kinda think it doesn’t matter anymore. Much of the public is happily ignorant on issues and will be moved by their emotion. The gerrymandered districts won’t really let the Republicans lose the House and the Democrats have yet to show that they can win these former blowout losses. They can make them close. Big deal. A loss is a loss. And we’re already talking about candidates like Mark Warner, and Corey Booker and Kristian Gillibrand for 2020. There is no other Bernie.

The population is happily ignorant. You can’t win a race against that.

It’s not just that I’ve lost faith in the politicians. I’ve lost faith in my fellow Americans.