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NEVERENDING ♾️ The NEVERENDING Political Discussion Thread

Things in Memphis are interesting. A month ago, Memphis city council decided to put a referendum on the fall ballot to require people who carry weapons to be licensed to do so, to prohibit the sale of AR-15s, and to require weapons to be locked in containers when traveling or staying in the City of Memphis.

Here is the catch, from what I have been told, the State Law won’t allow any of those to happen. So the state told Memphis that they will lose sales tax dollars if they move forward with the referendum, so the County election board stated that they would not include it on the ballot. Now the City of Memphis is suing the County Election Board.

While all this is happening, a Memphis Judge released a person without bond who is being charged with murder over the shooting at a local business that started as an argument over a parking space. Apparently he does not believe in bonds.

Memphis crime is out of control and the Police are doing everything they can, but the system there does not seem to hold anyone accountable and the society just appears to promote more crime.

Personally, I would support the state changing the law to require a permit to conceal carry and have a training requirement with it. But the law change should be done the right way, and the way Memphis is going about it isn’t the right way.
Welcome to Memphis. TN previously had concealed permits and I think it used to require some basic safety course. We took it in health class back in the day. That has all been removed since 2019. I think the requirement for having weapons properly stored while traveling or in a vehicle was removed about 10 years before that. I don't know about the bail issue, but it doesn't surprise me.

Memphis has been on a downward trajectory for a while with occasional ups and downs. It doesn't help that the State of TN has actively tried to punish Memphis for decades. Until Nashville's growth in the early part of the century, Memphis was the Democratic heart of the state. Since it's three hours from Nashville (with nothing in between) and 7 to the other side of the state it sometimes didn't feel like part of TN. In the last couple of years the state legislature became much more direct that they would withhold funding if the bigger cities didn't fall in line. I think the state legislature has surpassed my own state in doing stupid things just to score talk radio points.

I haven't been in four or five years, but I still like the city. There are some good communities on the east side that appear to be well run and good places to live. I think city will bounce back eventually, but like any big city, I'm probably not heading to certain parts after dark.
 
Memphis may rival Austin in terms of seeming to intentionally antagonize the state legislature, resulting in the state legislature increasingly taking a "all cities are punished for your sins" approach. Assuming it is like Austin, you have a lot of councilmembers that are positioning themselves for higher office like state rep. state sen and U.S. rep.
 
This is a verbatim section from tRump's speech in Potterville, Michigan. Please tell me what he's talking about.

“She destroyed the city of San Francisco, it’s — and I own a big building there — it’s no — I shouldn’t talk about this but that’s OK I don’t give a damn because this is what I’m doing. I should say it’s the finest city in the world — sell and get the hell out of there, right? But I can’t do that. I don’t care, you know? I lost billions of dollars, billions of dollars. You know, somebody said, ‘What do you think you lost?’ I said, ‘Probably two, three billion. That’s OK, I don’t care.’ They say, ‘You think you’d do it again?’ And that’s the least of it. Nobody. They always say, I don’t know if you know. Lincoln was horribly treated. Uh, Jefferson was pretty horribly. Andrew Jackson they say was the worst of all, that he was treated worse than any other president. I said, ‘Do that study again, because I think there’s nobody close to Trump.’ I even got shot! And who the hell knows where that came from, right?”


 
This is a verbatim section from tRump's speech in Potterville, Michigan. Please tell me what he's talking about.

“She destroyed the city of San Francisco, it’s — and I own a big building there — it’s no — I shouldn’t talk about this but that’s OK I don’t give a damn because this is what I’m doing. I should say it’s the finest city in the world — sell and get the hell out of there, right? But I can’t do that. I don’t care, you know? I lost billions of dollars, billions of dollars. You know, somebody said, ‘What do you think you lost?’ I said, ‘Probably two, three billion. That’s OK, I don’t care.’ They say, ‘You think you’d do it again?’ And that’s the least of it. Nobody. They always say, I don’t know if you know. Lincoln was horribly treated. Uh, Jefferson was pretty horribly. Andrew Jackson they say was the worst of all, that he was treated worse than any other president. I said, ‘Do that study again, because I think there’s nobody close to Trump.’ I even got shot! And who the hell knows where that came from, right?”


Scary stuff. Upcoming debate should leave egg on the face.
 
This is a verbatim section from tRump's speech in Potterville, Michigan. Please tell me what he's talking about.

“She destroyed the city of San Francisco, it’s — and I own a big building there — it’s no — I shouldn’t talk about this but that’s OK I don’t give a damn because this is what I’m doing. I should say it’s the finest city in the world — sell and get the hell out of there, right? But I can’t do that. I don’t care, you know? I lost billions of dollars, billions of dollars. You know, somebody said, ‘What do you think you lost?’ I said, ‘Probably two, three billion. That’s OK, I don’t care.’ They say, ‘You think you’d do it again?’ And that’s the least of it. Nobody. They always say, I don’t know if you know. Lincoln was horribly treated. Uh, Jefferson was pretty horribly. Andrew Jackson they say was the worst of all, that he was treated worse than any other president. I said, ‘Do that study again, because I think there’s nobody close to Trump.’ I even got shot! And who the hell knows where that came from, right?”


Here's the thing. The mainstream media has NORMALIZED this behavior. Trump routinely delivers speeches that are chock full of 'word salad'. The press makes no mention of this whatsoever when it happens, and it happens daily. His words may not make a bit of sense, but you watch people at his rallies and they cheer all the same. I'm out of words to describe it.

s
 
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What is the deal with Harris's accents? Why can't she just keep it simple and be who she is?
People shouldn't be bothered by this, and are really grasping at straws. "Code switching" is the term and is exceptionally common particularly among people of color in their 50s/60s today that more directly felt the residual impact of desegregation and prescribed conformance as self-defenses to fitting in. I'm very used to the phenomenon in Texas, as it can get extreme with intermixed Spanglish using dialect Spanish in combination with English. A much more mellow version of this for me is my Texas drawl that I've covered most of my life, but does come out when I'm around others (or have enough to drink).

NPR to the rescue with a better explanation
 

I can't read that site for all the pop-ups urging me to subscribe.
 
Liz Cheney Endorses Kamala Harris
“Cheney is special in terms of the gravitas she brings to the Republicans-against-Trump case,” Bill Kristol, a prominent Republican opponent of Trump,
 
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I'm not sure posting bullshit from The Onion the day after something horrific like this happens in my neck of the woods qualifies as political discussion. Just sayin', bro.
 
I'm not sure posting bullshit from The Onion the day after something horrific like this happens in my neck of the woods qualifies as political discussion. Just sayin', bro.

There's a mass shooting nearly every day in this country. If we had to wait to post (or re-post) satirical commentary, even if it is from The Onion, we'd never post it. Same thing goes for politicians or LEOs at a press conference after an event who say it's too early to talk about possible policy changes that states or the Feds could put in place to prevent future tragedies. What is the appropriate amount of time to wait between mass shootings?
 
What is the appropriate amount of time to wait between mass shootings?
Good/valid question. This one is just a touchy subject around here today. From another (more local) forum:

One of my best friends from my time at UGA teaches there now. Haven't spoken to her in years, so we aren't close anymore, but it was still a relief to see her mom tag her in a post that they'd spoken with her.
 
Good/valid question. This one is just a touchy subject around here today. From another (more local) forum:

And just remember, the crazy female representative from Georgia offered her Thoughts & Prayers, with no opinion on how to solve this crisis.

Also remember, this was not an illegal alien who crossed our southern border or released early from prison.




this is touchy for me
 
We are going to a concert a few days after the election in November. I don't usually buy ticket insurance, but in this case, I did, since it covers "widespread civil unrest," which I suspect will happen regardless of who wins. We won't be participating, of course, but it will happen. :-(
 
The republican candidate for NC Governor is downtown today at a local restaurant. There is a red crowd in front of the restaurant and a blue crowd directly across the street.

This ought to be fun to watch from my office window.
 
I'm not sure posting bullshit from The Onion the day after something horrific like this happens in my neck of the woods qualifies as political discussion. Just sayin', bro.
Understood how touchy it is, and I am extremely saddened that such events continue to happen. It isn't fair to our children or teachers to have them in such precarious position everyday. I don't wish this on any community ever.

The point is extremely valid though, and The Onion hits the head on the nail each time one of these tragedies occurs. There are solutions. I continue to hope we find solutions, instead of pretend like there aren't any options because of how some guys in the 1700's imagined our world to be in 2024.
 
Understood how touchy it is, and I am extremely saddened that such events continue to happen. It isn't fair to our children or teachers to have them in such precarious position everyday. I don't wish this on any community ever.

The point is extremely valid though, and The Onion hits the head on the nail each time one of these tragedies occurs. There are solutions. I continue to hope we find solutions, instead of pretend like there aren't any options because of how some guys in the 1700's imagined our world to be in 2024.
Yeah, what they do is post the same story but change the dateline. It's a sad social commentary, and the Onion is great at knowing exactly where the line is.

Jim
 
There's a mass shooting nearly every day in this country. If we had to wait to post (or re-post) satirical commentary, even if it is from The Onion, we'd never post it. Same thing goes for politicians or LEOs at a press conference after an event who say it's too early to talk about possible policy changes that states or the Feds could put in place to prevent future tragedies. What is the appropriate amount of time to wait between mass shootings?
Honestly, it makes me nervous to go to events at the venue in downtown Sparks, Nevada . . . There is a 29-story hotel tower, with lots of windows looking right down on the crowd of thousands of people. Way too close a setup to Las Vegas/Mandalay Bay. :-( (And this venue was built after that: it opened in 2019.)

With that said, I don't live my life in fear. When it's my time, it's my time.

Jim

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We are going to a concert a few days after the election in November. I don't usually buy ticket insurance, but in this case, I did, since it covers "widespread civil unrest," which I suspect will happen regardless of who wins. We won't be participating, of course, but it will happen. :-(
...if you are buying that I could maybe sell you a policy on sunrise tomorrow. Venmo me dude.
 
On Morning Joe -
Comparing a DJT answer on Child Care with
Bart Simpson's book report

Quote from the movie Billy Madison -
what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.
 
14-year-old suspect's father arrested, charged with murder

This piece of $hit better get Life. But he's not the only head that should roll. Threats from a year ago were ignored (as which happens every time).
Much as they would like to, local authority will never successfully charge a 14 yr old as an adult.
Such charge will never fly.
I hope it makes SCOTUS. Would love to hear what right wing robe wearers will say about minimum age to carry a gun to school.
 
We are going to a concert a few days after the election in November. I don't usually buy ticket insurance, but in this case, I did, since it covers "widespread civil unrest," which I suspect will happen regardless of who wins. We won't be participating, of course, but it will happen. :-(
There is a GIS workshop in West Palm Beach that starts on the Wednesday after the election I was looking at. I decided I didn't really want to fly into the area or be that close to Mar a Lago the next day.
 
So I tuned into SXM last on my drive home post PC. Caught the last 20 minutes or so and then changed to music just before their closing statements. Trump came across as bitter 12 year old. Harris did not have any "unburdened" moments and sounded rather polished in the few minutes I listened. I would have to say she won the debate. I don't care for either but have to say she has picked up a point or two - debates usually don't sway many voters.
 
^^^I watched & your summary is correct. Harris talked policy & baited tRump, which he took hook, line & sinker. He even went down the road in Springfield, Ohio. :cat:
 
If only they would have talked about the economy and the out of control federal spending that's propping everything up. But no, let's talk about ^^$&$$ cats.
 
^^^I watched & your summary is correct. Harris talked policy & baited tRump, which he took hook, line & sinker. He even went down the road in Springfield, Ohio. :cat:
It was a wild 90 minute ride. He took the bait every single time. I tuned into Fox News about an hour after the debate ended and they agreed it was not a good showing for him.

The cat thing is a dog whistle that I haven’t heard since the early 80s in the Pacific NW with the influx of Vietnamese refugees.
 
It was a wild 90 minute ride. He took the bait every single time. I tuned into Fox News about an hour after the debate ended and they agreed it was not a good showing for him.

The cat thing is a dog whistle that I haven’t heard since the early 80s in the Pacific NW with the influx of Vietnamese refugees.
Perhaps the cat/dog thing happened once and was just magnified by the WWW. I see the same with "soaking" in Provo. Likely happened and just blown out of proportion and the internet ran with it. Kind of like the hate for Nickelback - but their bank accounts state otherwise.
 
Those Springfield Haitians might want to talk to Kristi Noem about her dogs. I'm sure they'd take them off her hands.
 
I didn't watch and had no desire to do so.

Apparently there is a faction of truth in the cat thing. But it wasn't an illegal immigrant. It was someone born in Canton.

Overall, I think for the first time he is thinking that there is a shred of a chance that he won't win and it terrifies him. I think the mud slinging is going to get a lot worse before November. It's sad because it takes away from them talking about things that matter.
 
There's a great video clip going around that really touches on how political discourse has changed, showing things like candidates agreeing, complimenting each other, etc. in the debate format dating back to Kennedy/Nixon. McCain's admonishment of a Obama birther lady, features pretty prominently. You forget how quickly the discourse changed. Yes, it was simmering in the background for years, but the debate format was largely spared until 2016.
 
debates usually don't sway many voters.
True, and yet the craziest part of US elections nowadays is how few voters actually tip the scales due to the electoral college structure.

As the lesser known candidate in general, I think there was far more at risk for Harris than Trump. In that context I think it was clear her team got the outcome they wanted while the Trump team missed a chance to shift the narrative against her. I suspect that’s going to be the last debate of the election.

I also can’t watch debates, they stress me out so I just wait to hear about the highlights
 
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