waterfield wrote:

But for my own sleep, I would like an answer to my questions-why?

Beats me, W.

Treating other human beings with basic decency does not seem to be that tall of an order to me.

But people who love power and wealth more than anything else are evidently willing to invest money in distorting the thought processes of their neighbors, whom they apparently regard as widgets, rather than humans.

I remember the headline in the newspaper the next day:

“Robertson Yelled ‘Fire!’ and the Rams Ran.”

According to the article, the Rams D would yell “Fire” on a turnover to let everyone know to get up and block.

It is demoralizing that this election is even close.

His covid response alone ought to sink him.

But the right wing media has convinced around 30% of Americans that the Democrats are a menace to freedom, and will steal what they have, and give it away to freeloaders while letting our enemies rape our wives and daughters.

Beyond that, Trump has another ~12% support from the other groups W identified…bottomline businessmen, and so on.

He could win.

IMO, it’s too late for the planet anyway. We crossed the Rubicon on climate change two decades ago, and we’re screwed. It would be nice to have quality palliative care on the way out, but it’s probably too late for that now, too. If Trump wins, we get a Fascist American Experience on the way out the cosmic door. The only bright side I see is that the conservative crowd is dying off with increasing rapidity while the millennials and Gen Z are facing the reality of climate catastrophe and rigged economies in a more clear-eyed fashion. It’s too little, too late, but the sea currents are on the side of progressives. Should be a spectacular finish. I guess I hope I get to watch it from a bungalow in Borneo rather than a waterboard in Guantanamo.

zn wrote:

Zooey wrote:

I don’t expect much from Jefferson, but I’m willing to be surprised. He’s a rookie, and none of the rookies got their full off-season education, so hopes are limited. He does appear to be more pro-ready than the avg rookie, though. But..still.

Give me a solid OL, and I will take my chances this season.

He is, though, the son of a guy who was both a former NFL receiver then an NFL WR coach. So maybe he gets into Kupp territory. As a rookie, Kupp had 62 receptions for 860+ yards.

Right, yeah. And we would take that in a heartbeat, and maybe we will get it. Kupp had OTAs and so on, of course. But Jefferson seems to be ahead of the curve in technique, if not the speed of the game and complex NFL schemes, etc. So…I look forward to pummeling Dallas, and may Jefferson shine.

nittany ram wrote:

Well, I don’t think he dissed Goff really. In a comparison of the only two QBs NRC has played with, he thought Wentz takes more accountability and ownership of the offense than Goff. That’s not to say Goff doesn’t do that, just that in his opinion, Wentz takes more.

Then DaSilva starts in with the ‘system QB’ bs… 🙄

It’s a reach to call that a diss.

And…you know…fine. Goff is also two years younger. So…give Goff an OL, and let’s see how much ownership he develops.

zn wrote:

Albert Breer@AlbertBreer
Objectively now, we have data from nearly 3 weeks of padded practices in the NFL, a month of camp at some colleges, and games starting in HS and college … is there any evidence the sport is the super-spreader of COVID-19 some are positioning it to be?

Doesn’t seem that way.

And again, I’m not arguing that the virus is non-existent in football. And I was skeptical at first, too. All I’m saying is the idea that the sport of football would be totally impossible amid all of this hasn’t held up so far.

That could change. But that’s where we are.

Well…I wouldn’t think it likely people would get it DURING a game. It’s what they do elsewhere, and in the locker rooms and meeting rooms where the risk is greatest. I would think.

wv wrote:

====================

Sexual assault is a terrible thing, obviously, but the underlying crime really has nothing to do with it. Its not supposed to, anyway. I know it will in the public-mind.

All that matters is the question of ‘Was deadly force necessary?’ At the time.

Did he, or didnt he, have a knife in his hand. Was he swinging it at the cop?
A knife on the floor of the car is not an immediate threat to the cops.

So far the media does not seem to have any of the critical facts.

But so far, it ‘looks like’ the cops over-reacted. Imho.

w
v

The cop shot him SEVEN times. In the back.

How is this even up for debate?

Billy_T wrote:

I fear it may work. He directly and indirectly broke the law, using the backdrop of the White House for his campaign/convention, but since nothing he does seems to matter, and he almost never pays any price for it, it will likely give him a bounce in the polls.

And all of those people squished together, mostly without masks? Reports are that only the people in the first few rows were tested for Covid. But I’m skeptical of that. Sounds like White House propaganda to me.

My guess is everyone was tested. They wanted to present an image of America no longer beset by this plague, and the Glorious Leader who made that happen. Unless everyone around Trump is as psychotic as he is, I don’t think they’d risk another Tulsa-like super-spreader event. But, who knows? This isn’t our grandparents’ Twilight Zone. It’s from another dimension altogether.

And, yeah, Trump is the all-time King of Lies. And it’s not close.

Trump may win, but this photo op isn’t going to be a difference-maker. I have never seen any studies on it, but I have a hunch that the majority of people who watch conventions are politically active people who already have their minds made up. Casual observers may have reactions to the photos and video highlights of these things, but their reactions to this will be buried by several more visceral layers before November. And…frankly…it’s hard to imagine that there really are very many Likely Voters who haven’t already made up their minds. It’s about voter turnout…and whose votes get counted.

If he wins, it will be because of voter suppression.

zn wrote:

2,000-year-old redwoods survive wildfire at California’s oldest state park
Though feared destroyed, most of the ancient trees at Big Basin Redwoods State Park withstood the blaze.

Just came here to share that news. Some good news, finally. Or…at least it’s not Bad News, so that stands out in 2020.

This stands a chance of becoming the longest thread ever.

I don’t know where to put this, so…here: