gfxgfx
 
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
logo
 
gfx gfx
gfx
680598 Posts in 27600 Topics by 4068 Members - Latest Member: Dae Lims March 28, 2024, 05:58:18 PM
*
gfx*HomeHelpSearchCalendarLoginRegistergfx
  Show Posts
Pages: [1] 2 3 4
1  Non Smiley Smile Stuff / The Sandbox / Re: Politics: 2016 Lame Duck and 2017 New Administration on: February 21, 2017, 10:25:26 AM
Let me ask you a question, in earnest, have you spent significant time reading the comments of Trump supporters on any of the big Trumpy sites?

Sadly, most Trump supporters know little about politics.  I know many Trump voters and almost of all of them know little about politics, government or the most basic differences between Democrats and Republicans.  Most voted for Trump simply because they liked him, either that or they didn't like Hillary.  Also, Trump voters hold to very strong demographic lines, young people in general did not vote for him.  Many have been brainwashed by Fox News.  It's not a pretty situation, but their opinions are still legitamite.
2  Non Smiley Smile Stuff / The Sandbox / Re: Politics: 2016 Lame Duck and 2017 New Administration on: February 10, 2017, 08:05:44 AM
Quote
I also think all international alliances are marriages of convenience: nation-states don't cooperate because of warm feelings, but shared interests. The shared values talk is crap, in my opinion.

Do you think the Korean War and Vietnam wars were based on convenience or ideology?
3  Non Smiley Smile Stuff / The Sandbox / Re: Politics: 2016 Lame Duck and 2017 New Administration on: February 10, 2017, 08:01:25 AM
Quote
The more I think of the above statement, the weirder it is: none of the Muslim countries are "traditionally enemies of the US".

Emily, do you consider ISIS to be an enemy of the United States?
Of course, by definition. But it isn't a country and hasn't been around long enough to be "traditionally enemies" of anyone.
What Muslim country is traditionally an enemy of the United States?

You said "by definition" that ISIS is an enemy.  Since they are not a country then they are something else...violent Islamic fundamentalists seeking there own Sharia-based Islamic state.  This is the entire point of my argument.  Islamic fundamentalism is the enemy, and this is why they don't belong here.

Traditional Islamic enemies of the U.S.? Iran, Iraq, Somalia, Libya, Yemen you could probably throw Pakistan in there too, since it has so many ties to terrorists.  Keep the time frame relative ok?  I know who the Shah is.
4  Non Smiley Smile Stuff / The Sandbox / Re: Politics: 2016 Lame Duck and 2017 New Administration on: February 09, 2017, 07:43:39 AM
Quote
The more I think of the above statement, the weirder it is: none of the Muslim countries are "traditionally enemies of the US".

Emily, do you consider ISIS to be an enemy of the United States?
5  Non Smiley Smile Stuff / The Sandbox / Re: Politics: 2016 Lame Duck and 2017 New Administration on: February 09, 2017, 07:38:34 AM
Quote
Do people get terribly upset about the Orthodox Jews in NY who have lived in a tight enclave with their own schools, shops, community centers, rites, and very closed communities for 5-6 generations now? They used to. But they got over it because it doesn't hurt anyone else.

I'm glad you brought this up, because Orthodox Jews do still live apart to a certain degree.  They live in Jewish neighborhoods and only attend Jewish schools.  BUT...they only represent 10% of the Jewish population.  What may be more important is that the U.S. has maintained an unshakable alliance with Israel for 50+ years.  You can't say that about countries that impose sharia law on it's population.  They are traditionally enemies of the U.S. for good reason.

The US has been in an "unshakable alliance" with Saudi Arabia for more than 80 years.

Do you really think Saudis are U.S. allies?  15/19 9-11 hijackers were Saudis.  There is a difference between being an ally (like Israel) and maintaining a marriage of convenience based on regional conflict and oil. 
6  Non Smiley Smile Stuff / The Sandbox / Re: Politics: 2016 Lame Duck and 2017 New Administration on: February 05, 2017, 01:27:17 PM
Quote
Do people get terribly upset about the Orthodox Jews in NY who have lived in a tight enclave with their own schools, shops, community centers, rites, and very closed communities for 5-6 generations now? They used to. But they got over it because it doesn't hurt anyone else.

I'm glad you brought this up, because Orthodox Jews do still live apart to a certain degree.  They live in Jewish neighborhoods and only attend Jewish schools.  BUT...they only represent 10% of the Jewish population.  What may be more important is that the U.S. has maintained an unshakable alliance with Israel for 50+ years.  You can't say that about countries that impose sharia law on it's population.  They are traditionally enemies of the U.S. for good reason.
7  Non Smiley Smile Stuff / The Sandbox / Re: Politics: 2016 Lame Duck and 2017 New Administration on: February 04, 2017, 10:01:27 PM
There was a story in our local paper today about just this topic, focused on a small city about 45 minutes south of the Twin Cities metro. It is closer to your perspective than mine. Thought you might enjoy it.

http://m.startribune.com/some-in-faribault-see-sense-not-bias-in-an-immigration-timeout/412636983/

Yeah, the problem with the whole assimilation thing is that it only works if the immigrants want it to happen (like my grandparents only spoke English the day they arrived and never looked back).  Some of today's immigrants want to build their own community and keep it their own, which I hope you can see is a problem.  It didn't work in Europe.
8  Non Smiley Smile Stuff / The Sandbox / Re: Politics: 2016 Lame Duck and 2017 New Administration on: February 03, 2017, 08:47:38 AM
Quote
And there isn’t a single nation on earth—not Saudi Arabia, not Iran—that operates under Sharia law. Think about that: Iran is an officially Islamic republic; Saudi Arabia is an officially Islamic monarchy. Even they have constitutions.

You need to do some research before making such claims.  A simple wiki search will show you what countries apply Sharia to all aspects of society.  Saudi Arabia and Iran apply Sharia fully.  These countries are theocracies, their government charter basically exists to make sure religious leaders have ultimate authority.

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

Anyway, back to what I was getting at.  Religion is pervasive in a Muslim's life, there is no comparison to how most American's worship (if they worship at all).  The two are actually closer to being completely opposite than mostly similar.  Islam imposes so many restrictions while Christians live virtually restriction free (at least most people I know).  I'll just give you a list of the crazy things I have witnessed regarding Muslims.

-Alcohol is forbidden.  You won't see them at a company Christmas party, at least I never have.
-They will only eat "Halal" meat.  Which basically means they cannot eat any of the things Americans eat (hamburger, cold cuts, etc, dinner at a restaurant).
-Ramadan.  For a full month of every year, they will travel back to their home country and celebrate their religion by fasting from sunrise to sunset.  They won't even brush their teeth during the day because some water or toothpaste might get in their stomach.  The Christian version is a 2 day meat fasting.
-Arranged marriages.  I believe their job choice is "generally arranged" too but I am not sure about this.  All of the Muslims I know had arranged marriages.
-Hygiene.  This is another big difference.  One employee had to be disciplined because he smelled so bad (every time he walked past me I would hold my breath).  This person claimed to shower once a week (which I don't believe) and he bathed by rubbing his body with olive oil.  The same problems continue today with most of the Muslims in the office.  I think it's a religion-based issue but I'm not sure.
-Jew hatred.  It's conditioned but it's real.  It's also eye-opening scary.
-Another fellow I know...his front teeth are falling out because of gum disease and bone loss.  He went to a dentist who recommended implants, but he refused because the implant uses cow bone.  He chose to suffer instead.
-Language. This is the one that irks me.  It may not be a Muslim thing, but they seem to have no interest in learning how to speak English.  They speak their native language at home and whenever speaking to friends/family, and their command of it never improves.  I would say first-grade level at best.  All I know is, if I moved to foreign country, I would learn to speak the language out of respect.

Anyway there is more but I can't remember it all.  All I'm trying to say is that even though the Muslims I have met are generally nice people (non-threatening, easy to talk to), we live in a free society and they don't.

   








 
9  Non Smiley Smile Stuff / The Sandbox / Re: Politics: 2016 Lame Duck and 2017 New Administration on: February 02, 2017, 07:39:21 AM
Captain, have you ever shared a workplace with Muslims?  I don't mean the ones that have been Americanized, I mean the Muslims here less than 10 years, not American citizens.  I want to know what exposure you've had before I share my experiences.
10  Non Smiley Smile Stuff / The Sandbox / Re: Politics: 2016 Lame Duck and 2017 New Administration on: February 01, 2017, 12:49:59 PM
I didn't vote for Trump and I'm no supporter, but the ban on immigration does not bother me as much as it seems to bother everybody else.  I'd like to hear your take on the following:

Muslims, Sharia Law and the West.

My question is...a large part of the world's Muslim population (estimated around 50%) prefer religious law (Sharia) over constitutional law.  Isn't this is in direct conflict with our most fundamental beliefs?  Shouldn't this be a factor in our attitude towards Muslim immigration?     




11  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Another Mike Love Interview on: January 26, 2017, 11:04:42 AM
He likes to make a point of the fact that he "chose not to"

Mike is not an artist, he is a singer who happened to hop on the my-cousin-is-a-golden-goose express.  Brian took LSD to increase his creativity, probably not a good idea, but he did it to raise his creative bar, not sabotage himself.  Mike had no reason to take LSD because he was not an artist to begin with, so he should stop comparing himself to Brian in that way.  He gets the privilege to be the voice of his cousin's music, he should be grateful.     
12  Non Smiley Smile Stuff / The Sandbox / Re: Politics: 2016 Lame Duck and 2017 Voldermort Administration on: December 29, 2016, 07:35:41 AM
You realize you're not supposed to say his name.
13  Non Smiley Smile Stuff / The Sandbox / Re: Politics: 2016 Lame Duck and 2017 Trump Administration on: December 13, 2016, 01:15:42 PM
For f***'s sake, Gov Perry to lead Dept of Oops? Is it just absurdist comedy to keep nominating people fundamentally opposed to the existence or missions of the departments they are supposed to run?

Yeah.  Reagan did the same thing...and too bad trickle-down does not work.  History may repeat itself again.
14  Non Smiley Smile Stuff / The Sandbox / Re: Politics: 2016 Lame Duck and 2017 Trump Administration on: November 30, 2016, 10:09:02 AM
I look forward to seeing details of the deal struck with Carrier "to keep close to 1,000 jobs in Indy." (Their tweet)

Presumably we're talking about tax breaks, of which I'm often wary because the things those taxes pay for don't disappear, meaning either needs go unmet or a shell game just makes someone **cough cough the public** pay for it elsewhere.

But I'm trying to keep an open mind, and certainly I'm glad if jobs are not lost. (Not lost isn't the same as added, but it's better than lost.)

Carrier is owned by United Technologies (a defense contractor).  It's not hard to apply pressure.  By the way, Trump's tax cuts are expected to add 10 trillion dollars to the national debt, and Trump has no plan on how get the money back.
15  Non Smiley Smile Stuff / The Sandbox / Re: Politics: 2016 Lame Duck and 2017 Trump Administration on: November 28, 2016, 06:26:37 AM
Quote
Here's my take on Trump: he is a narcissistic petulant child. He really thinks it's "unfair" when SNL makes fun of him or when the media writes negative stories about him. He really thinks of the world  - of everything in the world - in terms of winning and losing - it's all a zero-sum game to him. And he's amoral and thinks it's fine to lie and say really awful things if he thinks it will help him win. He really doesn't grasp that there's a bigger meaning to what a presidential candidate says and does. And he probably thinks about policy as simplistically as he talks about policy and understands government as little as he seems to.
But I think he's also flexible - see the amoralism above. If he perceives that he will "win" at the presidency by toning it down, he will. The positions he took on the campaign trail were a combination of opportunism - what he perceived would get votes - and opportunism - what policies will actually benefit him personally. He'll certainly try to keep the latter, but the former he will only keep if he perceives that he gains more by keeping them than by losing them.
He's also sexist and believes in weird racial theories. He goes on about genetics and about having a smart uncle and being german so he's genetically better than other people. And I think he's authentically an asshole.

That's a pretty good description.  I like to view him as a dysfunctional, thin-skinned, poorly-formed adult.
16  Non Smiley Smile Stuff / The Sandbox / Re: Campaign 2016 on: November 09, 2016, 06:31:07 AM
Quote
Actually, it looks like the hare is beating the tortoise; it looks like this country is stupider than imaginable.

My take is it's more of a demographic thing.  Clinton got the women and she got the young vote (46 and below) by a lot.  Trump got the middle age and elderly, which does not surprise me.  Almost every 60+ person I know, including mother, aunt, uncle, and office mates were voting for Trump.  In fact they were voting for Trump a long time ago, they never even considered a democratic vote.  For the most part they are not educated and know little of Trump's policies (or Republican policies for that matter).  I think it's more of a "oh this guy has balls, I'm voting for him" thing.  I'm personally terrified of his promises to deregulate, that's the last thing we need.  How many more recession lessons do we need learn before we admit that handing the country over to corporations and wall street is destructive.
17  Non Smiley Smile Stuff / The Sandbox / Re: NBA 2017 Topic on: September 30, 2016, 07:37:42 AM
I have a sports but not basketball question, but it's not worthy of its own thread and I thought it best to ask the question in a thread where sports-followers will be.
I'm NOT trying to discuss anything political or socio-political or anything. Just trying to get flat information.
I just saw a video posted elsewhere of a commercial for headphones or something that was made last year, before this year's hubbub, featuring Colin Kaepernick. It showed him riding a bus, then walking, through an angry crowd yelling things at him.

So, my question is: Was he a controversial figure previous to the anthem business?

Again, I am NOT seeking to discuss the anthem thing. Just, the commercial seems to portray him as controversial and it was made before the anthem thing, and I'd never heard of him before the anthem thing.

He was controversial in the fact that he signed a long term contract with the 49ers in 2014 that was designed by the team to screw him over.  It was much talked about at the time.  He also is controversial because he was benched and removed from the starting quarterback role in 2015 because of "declining performance".  This was after he led the team to two conference championship games.  Pretty much everything about him has been controversial.  He is the poster boy for how poorly the players are treated by the league.   
18  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: 12 Most Underrated Beach Boys Songs - According to Mike Love on: September 23, 2016, 08:54:40 AM
No landlocked Big Sur?
19  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Mike to revisit THAT speech at the R&R Hall Of Fame. on: September 22, 2016, 08:28:16 AM
Would be great if the infamous "chicken shits" paid the one grand and showed up at the private party.  Jedi Duel
20  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Mike opens up about Melinda. on: September 16, 2016, 06:04:25 AM
I'll side with Melinda on this one.

1.  You don't switch vocals during sound check.  You do it before you go on stage...and you clear it with the producer first.
2.  It sounds like Jackie was trying to incite Melinda.
21  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Mike's Book Discussion Thread (and how it relates to the SS board) on: September 13, 2016, 10:20:51 AM
Quote
You know, as much as I want to give the book (which I have yet to read) a chance, I'm incredibly off put by the "Mike writes out of inspiration" while "Brian writes out of desperation" nonsense. What a load of hogwash; Mike has gifted the world with many desperate, half-baked attempts at relevancy. Friggin' hypocrisy at its finest, and everybody knows it, whether they want to admit it or not.

The reason the fan community is split is because many people refuse to endorse blatant narcissism. Plain and simple.

I'm not buying it.  Mike does not understand art because he is not an artist.  Pete Townshend and John Lennon made careers out of writing melancholy.  Nobody is complaining.
22  Non Smiley Smile Stuff / The Sandbox / Re: Scott Bennett discussion thread on: September 01, 2016, 08:25:04 AM
It's just an analogy.  The poster was trying to associate Scott's actions with psychological problems.  I don't see it as an attack on Brian.

23  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Mike Love \ on: August 17, 2016, 03:20:48 PM
Mike literally was telling the truth here, he didn't sugar coat it hide behind anything.  We may choose to have a certain level of disdain for how he chose to articulate or convey his thoughts but let me ask this question.  Can we really disagree with what Mike is saying?


I think we can.  Since about 1963 Brian has pretty much been saying he doesn't want to write songs with Mike anymore.  Yet Mike refuses to acknowledge this, instead he tries to shift the blame to others.  It's classic Narcissist behavior.
24  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Mike Love \ on: August 17, 2016, 11:39:37 AM
I'm going to help Mike out here.

"I'm very fortunate to have been involved with the Beach Boys"
"Brian is a musical prodigy.  If I was not Brian's cousin who knows what would have happened to me"
"I'd like to write some songs with Brian, but he chooses not to.  It's OK".
"Brian's mental health problems are unfortunate.  We all have our burdens to bare.  I wish things could have been different".
"If I could turn back the hands of time I would change many things, but I can't".

There, that was not so bad, was it Mike?
25  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Most \ on: August 09, 2016, 06:05:32 AM
Who are the biggest creeps in the long and twisted history of the Beach Boys? Murry and Mike are obvious choices...but for my money...I'm going with Stan and Rocky for being two creepy porn star lookin' jock creeps who beat up Dennis. Rocky also (supposedly) knocked out Carl and we all know what he was doing with Marilyn (not that Brian was Mr. Innocent).

How were these two creeps allowed so much power? I know Stan is Mike's brother...and I know they were essentially hired to replace Landy...but come on...did anyone really think that was a good idea??

It's easy to vilify Rocky and Stan, but those were desperate times and they were given too much authority.  The person ultimately responsible for their behavior was their employer, who I believe was Marilyn.  Or was it Steve?  Whoever it was they did a poor job of managing them. 
Pages: [1] 2 3 4
gfx
Powered by SMF 1.1.21 | SMF © 2015, Simple Machines Page created in 0.976 seconds with 21 queries.
Helios Multi design by Bloc
gfx
Powered by MySQL Powered by PHP Valid XHTML 1.0! Valid CSS!