Recent posts

#1

Current Events / What is our future?

Last post by Vocaloldfart - Today at 02:05:44 AM

I am puzzled and wondering why America is demanding the world increase spending on their military??
I get that America is aiming for profitable military exports, but is this the sole reason???
Does America know something not yet commonly known that WWIII is imminent?

I base this assumption/outright guess on how THUMP preempted the  Israel attack on Iran.
While I sit and ponder, any opinions to the "for and against" are most welcome

#2

Miscellaneous / Re: What are your plans for ol...

Last post by billy rubin - June 13, 2025, 06:15:09 PM

i intend to just die young.

#3

Laid Back Lounge / Re: where do you live?

Last post by Harmonie - June 13, 2025, 03:19:45 PM

^Ah. Norway. Sounds absolutely beautiful!

I lived in the Nutmeg State for a while Harmonie.  It is beautiful for most of the year, but one has to live there for a while to believe that the winter scene is beautiful. I never did make friends with black ice and that sort of winter phenomena.  Chains on tires were not my favorite implements either.

One of the things I liked best about Connecticut is that I found my wife there. I loved her dearly for thirty five years. She went to the happy hunting grounds in 1984 and I still love that "damn Yankee" woman with all my heart. The words "Damn Yankee" are  terms of endearment in this case.

Oh... I'm sorry to hear about that. =( She must have been pretty young. Considering that was before I was born and now I'm 36!

I hope so much that I finally find someone here!

I relocated to CT a year ago, so I have been through a winter. And I had to deal with a lot of black ice. I don't have a car yet, so I do lots of walking to get around. I'm no fan of black ice, but it didn't change my opinion that I found the winter to be great.

I have something weird. I don't know if it's reverse SAD or what, but I need a winter. This last winter was so refreshing to me.

I can't imagine that Indianapolis is much better for you? I don't know too much, but it seems like it's north enough to get cold and winter storms, maybe even kinda like CT (but the midwest is different, of course). But on top of that you also have to deal with tornadoes and conservative Christian governance. D:

#4

Current Events / Re: Thinga be a-happenin' in I...

Last post by Tank - June 13, 2025, 01:13:13 PM

Unfortunately I think this was inevitable. One thing it reveals is how far Israeli intelligence has insinuated itself into Iran. They knew exactly where some very high up people would be.

#5

Current Events / Re: Thinga be a-happenin' in I...

Last post by Asmodean - June 13, 2025, 09:36:05 AM

Hm. Indeed.

I was originally intending to write a longer post, but quickly discovered that there just isn't too much to say. I see what Israel is doing and why. I also see that Iran do what Iran do given the circumstances.

It was bound to happen eventually...

#6

Current Events / Re: Thinga be a-happenin' in I...

Last post by Tank - June 13, 2025, 09:14:31 AM

If I were the Israeli PM and I didn't take Iran's threats seriously what would I say the day after an Iranian nuke landed on Tel Aviv? Damned if you do damned if you don't. It really is a no win scenario and has been since Israel was created after WWII. More than enough hate to keep the Middle East burning well past the end of my life.

#7

Laid Back Lounge / Re: Life of Taxpayers

Last post by Asmodean - June 13, 2025, 09:10:01 AM

Death and taxes, such is life. We cannot escape either.

Nor should we. Imagine how boring "forever" would get long before you even got "half way." Then, try to finance paving the stretch of road between your home and the grocery store out of your own pocket.

However science and medicine is slowly extending the human life span, but death will always  win out in the end. Perhaps with A.I. and trans-humanism???

Yeah... Perhaps, but not in "our" lifetime, and honestly, you'd likely not appreciate being one of the first generations of cyborgs.

We pay taxes and expect our respective governments  to  provide services that we rely on, such as security, housing, medical, biosecurity and transportation for a start.

with the exception of security, I do not expect the government to provide any of that. I expect the government to provide public infrastructure and facilitate access to education and health care. The fact that where I live, the government will also largely pay fpor the latter is a privilege. To expect such is to invite disappointment.

Housing..? That is entirely on me to figure out. Transportation? Same, though there are businesses providing such-like in form of taxis, buses, trains of all kinds and so forth.

We gladly pay these because our society cannot function without the services provided.

You pay your rent to live in a nice place, and if the landlord is even the least bit competent, then chances are that place is pretty much what you pay for.

Taxes are a payment for services provided , the taxpayer is not allowed to say how his money is being spent.

You don't have elections in your country? In mine, how tax money is spent is more or less front and center in every single one of those. And if no party aligns with my specific wants and needs, I am even free to start my own and advocate for those. Blackjack. And hookers. In fact, forget the blackjack.

There is corruption in governments  that is for sure and the taxpayer has a right to see  to the matter.

Has he? From whence cometh said right?

There is another global  government corruption, that is a lot more  insidious than sticky fingers in our tax pockets.

So vote nationalist if your country is a net contributor - vote globalist if it is a net recepient of international benefits. You can be as self-serving with your mandate as you please.

This is the global governments financing, instigating and carrying out murder on an industrial scale.

Puh-lease! The Gliobal Government(tm) is a coalition of often-opposing interests, who cannot agree on pretty-much anything at all.
 

The taxpayer, via their respective government pays the military industrial complexes, not just for our protection but also for espionage, aggression  and intimidation.

Of course. Diplomacy does not end when you have asked the bad man to respect your interests all nicely-like and he said "NO."

Governments are the expression of the various peoples and cultures, every taxpayer world wide is a share holder in their own  form of government.

No. Every citizen is, in a way, a shareholder in his nation. Not every taxpayer is the same. That's where my rent analogy comes in nicely. If you rent a home, you do not automatically have an ownership stake in it. You may, or you may not.

We cannot blame our respective government, for they are the expression of us! We dare not complain about the global wars and carnage because it is us who pay.

But "we" do can and do dare do that. Again, some of "us" don't live in bloody North Korea.

WE ARE THE MERCENARIES WHO FINANCE THE DEATH AND CARNAGE!

Nah. In this analogy, we are the warlords who hire them mercs. Mercs don't finance wars. They get paid.

#8

Music / Re: What are you listening to?

Last post by Asmodean - June 13, 2025, 07:59:53 AM

#9

Miscellaneous / Re: What are your plans for ol...

Last post by Asmodean - June 13, 2025, 07:58:31 AM

Now that I'm officially over 40, my plans are back aches and grumpiness, increasing until it reaches a critical mass, collapsing into a singularity of pure evil intent, destroying the Uinverse.

What can I say, The Asmo aimeth higheth.

#10

Pseudo-science, Conspiracy Theories, and Other Loads of Bull / Re: AS ATHEIST WE DO WORSHIP A...

Last post by Asmodean - June 13, 2025, 07:54:15 AM

We as atheists do worship a god!!

Generally, no. Atheism does not in itself preclude a lot of people from having faith of the most irrational kind in causes they find agreeable, but if we agree to separate a deity from, say, a natural force by the presence of intent and further agree that "worship" is a stronger word than "respect" or "admiration," then quite simply no. No, "we" do not.

It has as many names as there are nations on earth

Less than two hundred, then? Not too bad.

The names are many but collectively we call It MONEY.

Use it - all the time. Try to manipulate it for personal gain - sure. Seek it - less so, as what many are looking for, is the things money can do and buy for them. Worship? No.

I think your postulate would have a little more validity to it if you used "wealth" in stead of "money," but then it would have been even more valid if you used "food" in stead of "wealth."

Money is, for the most part, a means to an end. It's better to have more of it than less, but it is rather meaningless if you find yourself living in a cave in Antarctica.

In my experience, people generally want to improve their level of comfort and overall quality of life, help their kids succeed as best they can and leave a legacy behind - for them, and/or the world in general. Money is a useful tool towards that end, as it much simplifies the barter economy that would otherwise exist by allowing for a unified measure of exchange.

If that's your idea of "god" and "worship," then so be it, but you are wrong.