Ask someone who believes or supports a trans person to define you what is a man or what is a woman ...

SophiaPistis comments on Jul 18, 2020:

We can tell immediately and automatically, without thinking, who is a man and who is a woman. These are basic-level categories, like "fish" or "tree" or "chair." They don't need explanation. Now, there are some (a few?) people who transition and "go all the way" and appear for all intents and ...

tracycoyle replies on Jul 20, 2020:

@KrunoS Being blind IS a variant - because that term is not commonly used does not make it so.

Ask someone who believes or supports a trans person to define you what is a man or what is a woman ...

SophiaPistis comments on Jul 18, 2020:

We can tell immediately and automatically, without thinking, who is a man and who is a woman. These are basic-level categories, like "fish" or "tree" or "chair." They don't need explanation. Now, there are some (a few?) people who transition and "go all the way" and appear for all intents and ...

tracycoyle replies on Jul 20, 2020:

@KrunoS I think your position with regard to rights and duties reflects your understanding of the term 'right' and 'duty', ie responsibility. I don't agree with your position and it is not reflected in our general understandings of the terms. Similarly, having a right is not a privilege. Gaining a right previously denied is not a privilege either. Because something was a way in the past did not make it correct, or even preferable. We recognized (after thousands of years of human civilization) that slavery was wrong. It was not a "privilege" blacks attained to be treated the same as whites. Giving women the 'privilege' of voting was only equalizing the 'privilege' men had to do so. I don't agree with anti-discrimination laws, but I understand that there are MILLIONS of assholes out there that just can't be respectful of others different than themselves. I do agree that we have gone too far with it but majority rules and all....

Ask someone who believes or supports a trans person to define you what is a man or what is a woman ...

SophiaPistis comments on Jul 18, 2020:

We can tell immediately and automatically, without thinking, who is a man and who is a woman. These are basic-level categories, like "fish" or "tree" or "chair." They don't need explanation. Now, there are some (a few?) people who transition and "go all the way" and appear for all intents and ...

tracycoyle replies on Jul 20, 2020:

@KrunoS There is a medical distinction between transsexual and transgender. They are not, functionally and semantically, the same.

Ask someone who believes or supports a trans person to define you what is a man or what is a woman ...

SophiaPistis comments on Jul 18, 2020:

We can tell immediately and automatically, without thinking, who is a man and who is a woman. These are basic-level categories, like "fish" or "tree" or "chair." They don't need explanation. Now, there are some (a few?) people who transition and "go all the way" and appear for all intents and ...

tracycoyle replies on Jul 20, 2020:

@KrunoS There are elements of your thinking about DSM-5 that are commonly accepted. But we have 'specified' in greater detail many other medical specifically but scientific generally, issues. It is the nature of the beast that as we understand things better we are able to categorize differences. There is no reason not to do so when appropriate and it is such more often that not. BTW, my definition of normal: A system or organism that functions within the environment for which it was created, without modification.

Ask someone who believes or supports a trans person to define you what is a man or what is a woman ...

SophiaPistis comments on Jul 18, 2020:

We can tell immediately and automatically, without thinking, who is a man and who is a woman. These are basic-level categories, like "fish" or "tree" or "chair." They don't need explanation. Now, there are some (a few?) people who transition and "go all the way" and appear for all intents and ...

tracycoyle replies on Jul 20, 2020:

@KrunoS Your thinking with regard to homosexuality - I can see your perspective, I just disagree with it. My only point is that we have created laws that give benefits to people for certain behaviors - like getting married and having children. There are lots of arguments FOR such laws, but it puts those that do not get married and have children, legally, at a disadvantage. Getting rid of those laws would disrupt too many people so we have MORE laws to try and balance it out. I supported gay marriage because I support marriage. I think marriage is a net positive to society and more of it is better than less of it. The arguments against gay marriage based on Scripture or tradition were seen for what they were - identity politics.

Ask someone who believes or supports a trans person to define you what is a man or what is a woman ...

SophiaPistis comments on Jul 18, 2020:

We can tell immediately and automatically, without thinking, who is a man and who is a woman. These are basic-level categories, like "fish" or "tree" or "chair." They don't need explanation. Now, there are some (a few?) people who transition and "go all the way" and appear for all intents and ...

tracycoyle replies on Jul 20, 2020:

@KrunoS variant: a form or version of something that differs in some respect from other forms of the same thing or from a standard. It puts no value to it. When it happens once, I agree that to name it something else makes no sense. For it to happen REPEATEDLY, even if rarely, then we can name it something that reflects similar outcomes. Variant has no positive or negative connotation. Being an albino is a variant - yes, it's basis is a genetic defect. GID: Gender Identity Disorder - the medical communities definition of what is going on within transsexuals. HRT: Hormone Replacement Therapy. HRT can be used with non-GID situations. Women that have a hysterectomy are often put on HRT.

Ask someone who believes or supports a trans person to define you what is a man or what is a woman ...

SophiaPistis comments on Jul 18, 2020:

We can tell immediately and automatically, without thinking, who is a man and who is a woman. These are basic-level categories, like "fish" or "tree" or "chair." They don't need explanation. Now, there are some (a few?) people who transition and "go all the way" and appear for all intents and ...

tracycoyle replies on Jul 20, 2020:

@KrunoS So we agree that using two single account analysis' and trying to reach any conclusion for a large group is of no value. Let me offer a point about 'self identification'. GID relies upon the patient to describe their issues - we can't measure it in a lab (at this time). Let me offer another example: Six years ago I developed an infection in the bone of my spine. As a result, they removed two vertebra and three discs. They replaced them with A LOT of metal to hold a 3" cage around the newly exposed spinal cord. The cord did not appear damaged during the 19+ hr surgery. However, what I felt when I woke after 6 days in a coma and another 20 days with no ongoing memory was unquantifiable by doctors - they had to rely on my 'self identification' of the issues. It took another 4 years for the damage to be detectable (it is progressive) and measurable. We rely on people to tell us what is going on inside them. Pain levels are another place where 'self identification' occurs regularly. Does self identification come with issues? Duh. EVERY situation that relies upon human perception does. Can it be abused? DUH again. There are people that will abuse any opportunity. Doesn't negate the value, the purpose, the NEED for such self identification. We simply lack the tools to be able to analyze every situation objectively. For now. That is the advantage of living right now - things are changing every day. That is the disadvantage of living right now - we don't know enough.

Ask someone who believes or supports a trans person to define you what is a man or what is a woman ...

SophiaPistis comments on Jul 18, 2020:

We can tell immediately and automatically, without thinking, who is a man and who is a woman. These are basic-level categories, like "fish" or "tree" or "chair." They don't need explanation. Now, there are some (a few?) people who transition and "go all the way" and appear for all intents and ...

tracycoyle replies on Jul 20, 2020:

@KrunoS Whether it was good policy or not, it did happen. There are certainly parts of it that I thought were an attempt to "equalize" an outcome. Other aspects were no more intrusive than ANY OTHER LAW, which infringes upon rights, of which there are many (if not all). In this country we protect the minorities rights in the face of the majorities will - that is the nature of protecting rights. We want to have majority rule as long as we protect the minority from the tyranny of the majority. It is why we have a Republic, it is why we have the Electoral College, versus a pure democracy. Identity politics has been a net negative - but I think recognition for others is fine. Let's lay the blame where it needs to be - Marxist ideology that infects much of the Left and it's destructiveness towards individual liberty.

I'd like to start a discussion around the term 'justice'.

Thasaidon comments on Jul 19, 2020:

Experiments with animals show that Justice is partly genetic. Once you move away from this minimalistic genetic characteristic you move into the realm of philosophy. The situation is then a matter of what is your basic philosophical underpinning and there is a lot of these so take your choice ...

tracycoyle replies on Jul 20, 2020:

@Thasaidon I agree that rights carry obligations. But rights exist even during a solitary existence on an island. A right is an action necessary for the continued existence of the individual asserting them. I am, as you are, speaking of an inherent right. The obligation associated with a 'right to life' is to defend it. Rights are internal and asserted externally. So, while the Universe doesn't give a damn, our biology includes a 'will to live'. While Nature does not care if a singular individual survives, it gives the species the ability to procreate - another 'responsibility' built into the system. Interesting that you brought up the DOI - because I point out as you basically did, 'THAT AMONG THESE...' suggests there are many such rights and that they were not necessarily given in any order of importance - we DO give such order. BTW, I am not a friend of Burke so I am not a fan of 'ordered liberty'. Part of our obligations to society is to ensure that others have the liberty to assert their rights freely. That requires laws and systems to enforce them. What we call the Justice System. Which brings us back to my point - justice and rights are linked.

Ask someone who believes or supports a trans person to define you what is a man or what is a woman ...

SophiaPistis comments on Jul 18, 2020:

We can tell immediately and automatically, without thinking, who is a man and who is a woman. These are basic-level categories, like "fish" or "tree" or "chair." They don't need explanation. Now, there are some (a few?) people who transition and "go all the way" and appear for all intents and ...

tracycoyle replies on Jul 20, 2020:

@KrunoS Regarding the blind person - in fact we DID change the laws to accommodate them. Americans with Disabilities Act mandates things to help the Blind (and others) to fully integrate into society. I tend to be wary of studies that deal with tens or even hundreds of people because 1) the sample size is very small relative to the population - even if it is larger relative to the associated populations and 2) the environmental factors tend to be heterogeneous and there is some suggestions that those factors are important. Relying on the analysis of single individuals and trying to extrapolate that to larger populations is bias of the worst sort. Intersex is a variant. I think we both agree with the binary biological model - as you seem to be relying on the reproductive purpose for it. I happen to agree, but recognize that homosexuality is not reproductively sound and from a BIOLOGICAL point of view, non-beneficial. However it exists in all societies across all races and has been noted throughout history. As such, it would be considered a biological variant too. We generally understand variants that do not confer a benefit, but we can't know with certainty. I was diagnosed with a seizure disorder in my 20s and several neurological teams could not pin down the reasons. Two things: 100 years earlier such disorders were considered manifestations of demon possession by the general population and a mental disease by the medical community. We learned. However, in my case, my progressive case was stopped in it's tracks by going on HRT. Despite both my neurologist and endocrinologist's assertions that it COULD NOT be related, neither could explain how a medical condition that had been getting progressively worse over most of a decade could SUDDENLY (within a month) reverse completely. Our hormonal system affects much of our body's functions. I was born male, will die male. That is biology. We are "assigned" a determinate sex at birth based SOLELY on secondary sex characteristics - our genitals. There is rarely a chromosomal confirmation and equally rarely a hormonal one. Maybe if it were done routinely, there would be some data to work from later. Yes, gender identity disorder IS a disorder and as the body functions as it is designed to in 99%+ of transsexuals, that indicates a mental disorder. I don't dispute it - I don't think many rational transsexuals do. The issue, in the medical and transsexual communities has been what to do about it. I can tell you that transition significantly helped my GID, it does for most transsexuals. But we are also creatures of our environment and transitioning has it's own complications, familial and societal. My first year in transition was hell. I can't imagine doing it with additional ...

I'd like to start a discussion around the term 'justice'.

Thasaidon comments on Jul 19, 2020:

Experiments with animals show that Justice is partly genetic. Once you move away from this minimalistic genetic characteristic you move into the realm of philosophy. The situation is then a matter of what is your basic philosophical underpinning and there is a lot of these so take your choice ...

tracycoyle replies on Jul 19, 2020:

I think for any discussion about justice there has to be a part that includes 'rights'.

Ask someone who believes or supports a trans person to define you what is a man or what is a woman ...

SophiaPistis comments on Jul 18, 2020:

We can tell immediately and automatically, without thinking, who is a man and who is a woman. These are basic-level categories, like "fish" or "tree" or "chair." They don't need explanation. Now, there are some (a few?) people who transition and "go all the way" and appear for all intents and ...

tracycoyle replies on Jul 19, 2020:

@KrunoS ok. My opinion is that @SophiaPistis gets it exactly right and I thought it was clear. Yes, the 'binary model', with qualifiers, is the model for the human species. Is it possible there are variants, well, intersexed is a variant WITHIN the model. But biologically speaking, human species speaking, I and pretty much anyone associated with reality and having a brain, there is NO other model that defines/describes the species functionality. Gender, via most definitions, is tied to that model and explains behaviors in which biology plans a role - but societal and familial behaviors play a role also - so to call them a "construct", again, in my opinion, is to call a building a construct. Yes, it is. But you can't break it down without breaking it once it is there. Given it is built by the totality of society, trying to 'construct' something that ignores both the biology and the human foundations will FAIL, catastrophically....for those involved. I agree the original post with the posed comparison misses some key aspect. I don't think the VAST SUPER MAJORITY of people understand there is any distinction between transsexual and transgender and looking to have something to point to would be beneficial for those wishing to have a good discussion. I use this: Transsexuals biological and psychological self-identity are inconsistent with the binary model and they seek to realign them to it. Transgenders seek to establish identities, biological and psychological, that do not conform to the binary model. Some transsexuals are transgendered. Transgendered are generally not transsexual. Whether you use 'gender' or some other word to define the behaviors overlaying biological phenotypes doesn't change the phenotypes. I am certainly open to a better understanding of both gender and identity, but I think there is a portion of society that only seeks to destroy both.

Ask someone who believes or supports a trans person to define you what is a man or what is a woman ...

SophiaPistis comments on Jul 18, 2020:

We can tell immediately and automatically, without thinking, who is a man and who is a woman. These are basic-level categories, like "fish" or "tree" or "chair." They don't need explanation. Now, there are some (a few?) people who transition and "go all the way" and appear for all intents and ...

tracycoyle replies on Jul 19, 2020:

Exactly!! Completely solid description of the distinction. @KrunoS: she did. Unless you were being just a little snarky!! The distinctions between transsexual - which I believe in the majority of cases would be those with a binary view of sex and gender - and transgender, which I think are 'non-conformists' to the binary models.

I've been reading a bunch of TA books around transgendered issues and have found them quite ...

RavenMStark comments on Jul 16, 2020:

I'm 34 and it was unthinkable when I was in high school too! When I went to college, there were NO trans resources for me at the LGBT center and not even another trans person for me to talk to. (I went to Indiana University: Bloomington, location of the famous Kinsey Institute!) It's much ...

tracycoyle replies on Jul 19, 2020:

@RavenMStark Given I've been accused of 'gatekeeping' since the beginning, I tend to ignore that side of the equation, and like you, look for ways for people with GID to get care and support.

I'd like to start a discussion around the term 'justice'.

RavenMStark comments on Jul 18, 2020:

How do you define "social justice" and why do you think it is A. not possible and B. not desired?

tracycoyle replies on Jul 18, 2020:

Justice is base on outcome. You can't have social justice because you can't establish outcomes for society - only 1) opportunities and 2) a level field. The fact that outcomes vary with equal inputs is NOT a failure of the system but rather the reality that each human is unique and their outcomes reflect that.

I'd like to start a discussion around the term 'justice'.

Hanno comments on Jul 18, 2020:

The one time I had to go to court for a serious issue, I told the lawyer that the system is not fair... and she laughed at me and said justice has nothing to do with fairness.

tracycoyle replies on Jul 18, 2020:

Our court system (the USA) is a court of equity. That means the relative status of the parties before the court can, and should be, taken into consideration. (Generally this does not apply to criminal, but lots of the foundation is there too.) We don't want fair - which tends to be synonymous with 'equal' for most people. Trust me, you do NOT want "fair".

Is "whiteness" required for a healthy modern society?

GeeMac comments on Jul 17, 2020:

The question is a non-starter for me, because it is based on false woke-progressive assumptions of a society based on racial identity. Why are you buying into that falsehood? A better question would be “Do you consider the Smithsonian post racist? Why or why not?” It would be ludicrous to...

tracycoyle replies on Jul 18, 2020:

@Naomi I tend to agree with you. My personal interactions suggest a strong desire for objectivity but the bias is strong also. I acknowledge and appreciate the efforts however.

“What I believe is that all civilized, clear-minded people should remain two things throughout ...

tracycoyle comments on Jul 16, 2020:

I made a very similar comment (Churchill's) to a professor at the university I obtained my degree from - it pissed him off!

tracycoyle replies on Jul 18, 2020:

@Thasaidon Which was all well and good, til he became head of the department (economics). Another incident with him ended my chances of graduate work, but I haven't considered that to have been destructive to my life! He was a snobby prick.

I've been reading a bunch of TA books around transgendered issues and have found them quite ...

RavenMStark comments on Jul 16, 2020:

I'm 34 and it was unthinkable when I was in high school too! When I went to college, there were NO trans resources for me at the LGBT center and not even another trans person for me to talk to. (I went to Indiana University: Bloomington, location of the famous Kinsey Institute!) It's much ...

tracycoyle replies on Jul 18, 2020:

@RavenMStark Those were numbers are based on two things: what is reported in the literature (2 per 100,000) and my own involvement in the communities back in the 90s and now. http://ai.eecs.umich.edu/people/conway/TS/Prevalence/Reports/REFs/landen1996a.pdf A study from Spain where SRS was more accepted showed a slightly higher rate. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28224311/ In either case, on the ground, I know that there are people that 1) never get medical help because of their life situation, 2) kill themselves, 3) are considered "something else" because of events that happened in their lives. I consider the known ratio to be off by an order of magnitude. However, the reported incidence NOW versus over a period of say 20 years, prior to 2005 has shown a marked change, significant change down into the 1 in 2500 to 1 in 5000 range - this MIGHT be true, but I think the "trans-trender" effect is making it difficult to know for sure. In this case, I think we are getting 2 to 3 times the actual number. I will acknowledge, this is based on my anecdotal experience but I try to be as objective about it as possible. I want anyone with transsexualism to be able to seek congruence if they desire, but I want the definition to be as strict as possible. The definition of what is a transsexual has changed somewhat in the last decade and I think it has opened up the diagnosis - incorrectly. Listen to those detransitioning and you hear them relate to things that I and many others have said for decades: GID is there from a very early age (usually pre-5). It is more predominant in males, but not overwhelmingly....maybe 60/40 MTF/FTM. The dsyphoria is mitigated by changes in secondary sex characteristics (SSC) AND social & internal acceptance. The SSC does not have to be 'to completion' however, I think that if the surgeries MTF/FTM were better, less expensive and less risky there would be a greater number completing the process (and yes, I think incompletion IS NOT a final state). People reporting GID onset during puberty or later are likely NOT TS. I hope this is not recognized as an actual issue in the next 5-10 years. There are structural differences in the brains of the TS vs "normal" populations, but the studies have been small. The larger numbers we are seeing now are likely to skew future studies. Or they may be able to "prove" or better identify TS in children in a way that makes diagnosis easier. I don't know. Anyway. we are FAR below the suggested 1-5% of the population. I might put the greater TG incidence closer to 1 in a 1000 which would put us at about 10% of the homosexual population of 1-2%. Gender-bending population is probably twice that and the overall non-heterosexual, non-conforming population (including active ...

I've been reading a bunch of TA books around transgendered issues and have found them quite ...

RavenMStark comments on Jul 16, 2020:

I'm 34 and it was unthinkable when I was in high school too! When I went to college, there were NO trans resources for me at the LGBT center and not even another trans person for me to talk to. (I went to Indiana University: Bloomington, location of the famous Kinsey Institute!) It's much ...

tracycoyle replies on Jul 17, 2020:

@RavenMStark We are one in 10,000. So, figure out the total population of the student body and divide by 10k. It is not an accurate number, but it would give you some idea. University of Wisconsin @ Madison had about 50k students when I lived there - that means there were only (on average) five of us. Out of 50k. We are such a small population....

The 2020 Election

coalburned comments on Jul 16, 2020:

You're touching one of my hot buttons. Biden's VP is the critical consideration if you're not voting for Trump.

tracycoyle replies on Jul 16, 2020:

@coalburned I don't think he will make 4 months, let alone 4 years. And if he gets into the limelight daily - which is possible in October, I don't think he'll make the end of the year. The stress will make his cognitive issues not only more apparent, but worse. I think his family is cruel.

The 2020 Election

coalburned comments on Jul 16, 2020:

You're touching one of my hot buttons. Biden's VP is the critical consideration if you're not voting for Trump.

tracycoyle replies on Jul 16, 2020:

The stronger the candidate for his VP, the greater the acknowledgment of Biden's inability. I didn't vote for McCain because I didn't like or trust the man, only his selection of Palin gave me pause. Ultimately, I decided on the top of the ticket and did not vote in that race (only).

I've been reading a bunch of TA books around transgendered issues and have found them quite ...

RavenMStark comments on Jul 16, 2020:

I'm 34 and it was unthinkable when I was in high school too! When I went to college, there were NO trans resources for me at the LGBT center and not even another trans person for me to talk to. (I went to Indiana University: Bloomington, location of the famous Kinsey Institute!) It's much ...

tracycoyle replies on Jul 16, 2020:

In 1975, I was a delegate for the Junior Achievement National Conference - I had been awarded the BBB Leadership Award for the Midwest that year (yep, tooting my horn!). The Conference was 5 days long, elected national officers, worked to build an agenda for the next year. All expenses paid - hundreds of Fortune 500 CEOs and other officers in attendance, run entirely by us high school students. It was a turning point in my life. Most everyone noticed the change after I returned home. It was held at the University of Indiana, Bloomington. I'll always remember it fondly.

Speeding along...

TimTuolomne comments on Jul 15, 2020:

Yup. And Colorado is now dominated by California drivers, so our once considerate and relatively safe roads are now intimidating and frightening.

tracycoyle replies on Jul 15, 2020:

Ex-pats from CA are dangerous to every community - politically, financially, emotionally. Not surprising that on the roads would be any different. I tell people all the time, if you are afraid while driving - STOP DRIVING! I learned to drive IN Chicago and have driven cross country many dozens of times. Not much can intimidate me on the road.

Speeding along...

JVIP-WTPNN comments on Jul 15, 2020:

HERE WHERE I LIVE ???? I PREFER TO LIVE. When traveling I prefer to be alive when I get to my destination.

tracycoyle replies on Jul 15, 2020:

Roads here are designed for volume and speed. There are places in So Cal where there are 10 lanes on each side of the highway. When traffic volume is low, it is like long, flat, wide straightaways. And our roads, while certainly not perfect, tend to be concrete and not prone to potholes. Overall, the most dangerous things about the roads in San Diego are the people driving without licenses (ie illegals without even training). Last summer I took a 7,300 mile roadtrip over 20 days that included 17 states (San Diego to Atlanta via Houston/New Orleans to Chicago to Denver to Las Vegas and back). I had a 30 yr old in my car two weeks ago and she noted that I do NOT drive like an old woman!

The world has gone Crazy [youtu.be]

johnlondon comments on Jul 14, 2020:

You better kill this race BS or lose your country and continent. IT will have to come to accepting the fake Red Communist moniker or all will be lost or civil war. Lets just admit that 99.9 people of all races are racist. Then we can start over. REmember that is what the Red Left wants, ...

tracycoyle replies on Jul 14, 2020:

No. 99.9% of people ARE NOT RACIST. I DO think we are a 'tribal' species by nature, I also think we are nearing a tipping point where the species as a whole is moving from adolescence to something approaching adulthood. I may be overly optimistic about that - but I think the adults in the room can work with it (and right now, there are far too few of them amongst our political class).

Maybe someone can point me in the right direction here in regards to the whole mask debate.

Jaster_Mereel comments on Jul 12, 2020:

To answer what I think was the actual question of the OP, it becomes law when states have a provision in their law that says something to the effect of: "and all health related executive orders..." So to further explain, a health official making an order will make that order under statutory ...

tracycoyle replies on Jul 12, 2020:

I would argue, with no legal research done, that those laws have time limits on them. I am sure that 'for the duration of the emergency' is probably the determining factor - but given the ebb, such a continuing status is at best tenuous. As in, the Governors are holding on to the power by the skin of our teeth

If men and women were the same, there would be no need for two words, if races were the same we ...

tracycoyle comments on Jul 12, 2020:

Our courts are courts of equity - however, "fair" is often the LAST thing people want. I agree with the last statement but given the generational deficiencies I think we are going to need a 'purge' before we can get back to some semblence of rationality amongst the greater population. Justice = ...

tracycoyle replies on Jul 12, 2020:

@A1fredo 99% of the people here are your friends. Don't confuse the hysterical media and Left, or even our government (of which I support) with the PEOPLE in this country. Whom I have found to be generous to a fault, compassionate and welcoming. And I have traveled to 46 of our states. Regardless of how the governments act towards each other, the PEOPLE are friends.

If there is something anybody can do about all of this, that some thing is something you could do as...

tracycoyle comments on Jul 12, 2020:

I've done two things that can help society and they are the MAXIMUM that I could do: 1. Live my life with respect towards all others and own the consequences of my actions 2. Taught my child #1 Leading and living by example. Though to be honest, most others are doing the same, and their ...

tracycoyle replies on Jul 12, 2020:

@A1fredo My parents are immigrants to this country - I was born here 2 months after my mom got here. They came from Ireland. But even they spoke of culture shock and money issues. I am NOT diminishing your struggles. I can't imagine your situation. I understand it as an intellectual exercise, but not the emotional personal issues. As little as it is, I offer at least friendship.

Taxpayers Need to Hold Public Schools Accountable. [dailysignal.com]

FEWI comments on Jul 12, 2020:

I wonder how many school aged children have died of Covid in the US ?

tracycoyle replies on Jul 12, 2020:

@FEWI Given what has been report - I'd wager ALL of them had underlying conditions and that the majority of them were not killed by the virus.

If men and women were the same, there would be no need for two words, if races were the same we ...

tracycoyle comments on Jul 12, 2020:

Our courts are courts of equity - however, "fair" is often the LAST thing people want. I agree with the last statement but given the generational deficiencies I think we are going to need a 'purge' before we can get back to some semblence of rationality amongst the greater population. Justice = ...

tracycoyle replies on Jul 12, 2020:

@A1fredo Nope! And wouldn't want to. But I can say that about EVERY other country on the planet - I truly love the United States and think it is the best country, bar none. My visits have been short, and in well known areas. But you are an example to me that despite my opinions about other countries, it is NOT my opinion about the PEOPLE in other countries. I consider them my partners in humanity!

If there is something anybody can do about all of this, that some thing is something you could do as...

tracycoyle comments on Jul 12, 2020:

I've done two things that can help society and they are the MAXIMUM that I could do: 1. Live my life with respect towards all others and own the consequences of my actions 2. Taught my child #1 Leading and living by example. Though to be honest, most others are doing the same, and their ...

tracycoyle replies on Jul 12, 2020:

@A1fredo You are in a part of Mexico that I wouldn't even visit. I know it is all but impossible to change/move. But I'd recommend it. I know someone that I've worked with that lives in Mexico City. I've told him to get out (he has this year but it took 3 years to make it happen). I'm in San Diego and have dropped in to TJ (Tijuana) a couple times. I know lots of Americans that live there and commute. I wouldn't do it because I don't want to live in that society. The people are great - their country sucks. Sorry. You are right that encouraging others is the limiting factor - and dangerous depending on what and to whom you are speaking. So, be safe, and try to be the person you want others to see and support.

If men and women were the same, there would be no need for two words, if races were the same we ...

tracycoyle comments on Jul 12, 2020:

Our courts are courts of equity - however, "fair" is often the LAST thing people want. I agree with the last statement but given the generational deficiencies I think we are going to need a 'purge' before we can get back to some semblence of rationality amongst the greater population. Justice = ...

tracycoyle replies on Jul 12, 2020:

@A1fredo Sorry you have deal with those issues. All things considered, someone like me had an 80% chance of abusing drugs or alcohol, a 60% chance of attempting suicide and a 40% chance of succeeding because of depression, anxiety and other societal issues. Why or how I avoided all those things, IMO, was that I LIKED me. I can't, won't, suggest or say that I have any answers to individual issues or even societal issues - I live my life and present to the world the kind of person I think benefits everyone around me. Choice. The single defining characteristic of humanity. We can choose. We are not bound by biology, but instinct, by the past. We can decide to choose a different path. Doing so takes strength, effort, and courage. I trust in you that you can be the person you want to be. Don't worry about anything else. I, you and I, can't change society. But we can live as we choose. Choose. The life you want.

If there is something anybody can do about all of this, that some thing is something you could do as...

tracycoyle comments on Jul 12, 2020:

I've done two things that can help society and they are the MAXIMUM that I could do: 1. Live my life with respect towards all others and own the consequences of my actions 2. Taught my child #1 Leading and living by example. Though to be honest, most others are doing the same, and their ...

tracycoyle replies on Jul 12, 2020:

@A1fredo Yep. Except make sure you are dealing with the right 'forest'. Often it is our immediate surroundings and times that are corrupt/corrosive when there are other places where you can avoid the 'societal crap'. I wouldn't want to be in Seattle right now - for any reason. But there are other places with less issues worthy of consideration. Often it is impossible to move and you have to make the effort to improve the place you live. But.....I agree with where you are coming from and it absolutely sucks trying to fix what is broken when it is people thinking they are 'fixing society' when destruction is all they are really doing. I don't have a good argument or suggestion other than to be a good example for others and to be vocal and actively participate in our society (community and larger)

If men and women were the same, there would be no need for two words, if races were the same we ...

tracycoyle comments on Jul 12, 2020:

Our courts are courts of equity - however, "fair" is often the LAST thing people want. I agree with the last statement but given the generational deficiencies I think we are going to need a 'purge' before we can get back to some semblence of rationality amongst the greater population. Justice = ...

tracycoyle replies on Jul 12, 2020:

@A1fredo Nobody wants others to suffer (except the truly evil people in this world). We'd all like to save others the agony that comes with life and bad choices. But except for significant suffering like death and permanent damage, it is almost always better to let people deal with the consequences of their choices. I believe trying to prevent collateral damage (such as to children because of their parents bad choices) is reasonable, however it is almost always abused - see numerous examples of Child Protective Services destroying lives. Letting consequences happen is the hardest thing for compassionate people to do - but tough love is toughest on those trying to balance it. I disagree with the last comment, however it has been greatly diminished by those seeking to eliminate 'feminine' from our species.

Taxpayers Need to Hold Public Schools Accountable. [dailysignal.com]

FEWI comments on Jul 12, 2020:

I wonder how many school aged children have died of Covid in the US ?

tracycoyle replies on Jul 12, 2020:

I think the number is less than 100.

There was an entire decade practically devoted to ending segregation.

TimTuolomne comments on Jul 11, 2020:

“Evil is not to be traced back to the individual but to the collective behavior of humanity.” - Reinhold Niebuhr

tracycoyle replies on Jul 12, 2020:

Yeaaaaah, no.

The current crop of rioters as 'revolutionaries': That's not how it works.

Thasaidon comments on Jul 11, 2020:

While I do not want to see them succeed because too many innocent people would suffer, It would be nice to see them having to deal with the situation if they won.

tracycoyle replies on Jul 11, 2020:

I'm a big fan of 'choices have consequences' - except if you eliminate the consequences for people, they don't learn to make better choices. Kinda the Left's playbook of avoiding responsibilities and accountability for their actions.

Never believe the media: > “An NBC medical expert who was brought on air nearly a dozen times ...

stone comments on Jul 11, 2020:

But he really was sick, right? This is a weird one. Is it all lies? Nearly all of the information I use to make sense of reality is mediated. Is it possible the entire thing is bullshit? Because for the past two decades, a new super disease comes out every other year which will kill us all, but ...

tracycoyle replies on Jul 11, 2020:

To your last question: yes. People suggest I cherry pick facts to support my positions....while cherry picking their emotions in response. Was he really sick? I don't know. He was in the hospital: hypocon.... just sayin. Like Cuomo coming out of his basement. Like Biden hiding in his. There is little I pay attention to from the national media - I cherry pick it to prove my point they lie like Persian rugs. I'm sure they don't lie ALL the time.... and.... the... generally don't denote positions and therefore by themselves, are not lies.

Hey! I’m so happy to finally join the group! I’ve followed Arielle for so many many years (way ...

Jyvur_Entropy comments on Jul 9, 2020:

Feminism is based on the idea that gender is a social construct. Trans people validate the opposite: that gender is inherent to the person, regardless of socialization. The two ideas cancel each other out.

tracycoyle replies on Jul 10, 2020:

Yea, I was going to note that the current state of Feminism is a refutation of it's historical foundations.

Hey! I’m so happy to finally join the group! I’ve followed Arielle for so many many years (way ...

Fragment31 comments on Jul 10, 2020:

I think there's a difference between trans identity and trans ideology. Trans identity is a personal thing to each individual I suppose. There are persons out there who identify as such, but don't really buy into the modern ideology of it. I think they go unnoticed because they live their life as...

tracycoyle replies on Jul 10, 2020:

I had to check my gut reaction to your comment and re-read that you were describing the ideology vs the self-identity. I think it gets lost in part of your comment if not read carefully. That is not to say that I disagree with most of it. Obviously I am one of the TS that transitioned well before there was general societal acceptance - passing was and is to an extent, a security issue. The activist community has done us no favors and in fact has done much damage. Thanks for your excellent comment.

Being misgendered - It never really bothered me and still doesn't.

tracycoyle comments on Jul 5, 2020:

My mother said, about a year after surgery, so 6+ yrs after transition, that she thought I was more masculine than I had been before transition. It set me back on my heels. (4"!) Until I realized I was being more ME than I had ever been. That said - some people go through a phase where their ...

tracycoyle replies on Jul 6, 2020:

@RavenMStark Close friends, family, but not co-workers (or fellow students) or strangers. I'm not traditionally pretty, but have been passable....except other transsexuals can pick each other out of a crowd in a HEARTBEAT! Misgendering pronouns and deadnaming happened increasingly rarely for about a decade.

Being misgendered - It never really bothered me and still doesn't.

tracycoyle comments on Jul 5, 2020:

My mother said, about a year after surgery, so 6+ yrs after transition, that she thought I was more masculine than I had been before transition. It set me back on my heels. (4"!) Until I realized I was being more ME than I had ever been. That said - some people go through a phase where their ...

tracycoyle replies on Jul 5, 2020:

@RavenMStark Believe it or not, I got clocked very few times in my first five years (after about 6 months into transition) I got more second looks about 20 yrs in - no makeup, knit pants and tshirts, not trying on my voice...

My expectation is that by this time next year, like seat belt laws, helmet laws, we will have MASK ...

RavenMStark comments on Jul 2, 2020:

Uh oh. When you compare it to seatbelts and helmets, suddenly I'm starting to think it's not such a bad idea. . . I know that's the opposite of what you intended! Also, I didn't know people were opposed to wearing seatbelts and helmets. Maybe I was too young when these arguments were happening?

tracycoyle replies on Jul 5, 2020:

@RavenMStark Still unConstitutional. There has to be a LAW. Executive Orders are designed to give authority to how government is to behave - it is not how we make citizens behave. And because the situation is temporary, the law is not likely to pass. Given the 'emergency' has passed - it has - it is time to return to the legal status of 'non-emergency'. That doesn't mean that it can't still be recommended, or that people should be prevented from wearing masks. The evidence for the benefit of wearing masks can certainly be presented. But at this point in time, it is not sufficient.

My expectation is that by this time next year, like seat belt laws, helmet laws, we will have MASK ...

RavenMStark comments on Jul 2, 2020:

Uh oh. When you compare it to seatbelts and helmets, suddenly I'm starting to think it's not such a bad idea. . . I know that's the opposite of what you intended! Also, I didn't know people were opposed to wearing seatbelts and helmets. Maybe I was too young when these arguments were happening?

tracycoyle replies on Jul 4, 2020:

@RavenMStark Thank you, and I agree. 5th: we assume innocence. One of the reasons we have quarantine laws is to all health officials the ability to isolate sick people in order to slow or stop the spread of illness. TB was the last major illness for which this was, and still is, used. But those laws apply to the sick, not the healthy. Isolating 95% of the population because 2% MIGHT be sick, is both counter productive to a functioning economy, and a terrible waste of time and energy. Given the majority of deaths have occurred in nursing homes around the country (remember the first big outbreak was in a nursing home in Washington State (how the hell it got THERE I'd still like to know - contact tracing ANYONE?). But instead of a major effort to help those people, we told workers to stay home. If it was so dangerous to be around others, why were grocery stores and hardware stores exempt? I get the idea that then provided necessary goods - but where were/are the mass infections of those workers? Didn't happen, hasn't happened. So why couldn't ALL businesses, especially those that did not have masses of the public moving through their work spaces daily stay open? We assume, rightly, that UNTIL PROVEN, people are innocent, or sick. Is there a risk that someone MIGHT be infectious while not showing symptoms? Yes. How much of a risk - unquantified at this time but given the overall infection rate, probably no worse than the standard flu: <1% Even if we were to accept the 5% figure I've seen - there are qualifiers to it: enclosed spaces, groups of people, close contact. Few places in our daily lives have those qualifiers in place all the time....grocery stores? One of the reasons we had more deaths early was not having a protocol to treat covid. It is still being debated, though I personally would demand HCQ and zinc if I were going to the hospital. We didn't, but now at least to some extent, have a good understanding of the progression of the infection and how to treat it. Also, related to the nursing home issue, in 90% of cases (average. here in SD County the number is 97%), people are already dealing with chronic illnesses that often are fatal by themselves. The covid virus makes it worse. Some studies are putting the Vitamin D deficiency contributing factor towards 90%. So health people that get plenty of Vitamin D are substantially less likely to catch/die of the virus. My daughter is 25, exercises outdoors every day, and is TERRIFIED of getting the virus. Her risk is virtually zero and yet, she has been panicked by the media's efforts to keep her that way. However, she was fine with the BLM protests happening just a couple of miles from her apartment. I raised her better, but she graduated a woke university just 3 years...

My expectation is that by this time next year, like seat belt laws, helmet laws, we will have MASK ...

RavenMStark comments on Jul 2, 2020:

Uh oh. When you compare it to seatbelts and helmets, suddenly I'm starting to think it's not such a bad idea. . . I know that's the opposite of what you intended! Also, I didn't know people were opposed to wearing seatbelts and helmets. Maybe I was too young when these arguments were happening?

tracycoyle replies on Jul 3, 2020:

@RavenMStark I don't think we can change each other's minds on the masks - but I will offer the following: do you suggest that someone talk to the police IF THEY DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO HIDE, and assume quilt if they refuse, ie, plead the 5th? Why is there a presumption of innocence? Just to provoke thought. As to your comment - no, you are NOT responsible for the wellbeing of your community. You can not bear that burden, nor should you try. By being a responsible member of the community, you help create an environment by which the community can prosper. You are responsible for yourself, and no one else. We get married, and we take upon ourselves the wellbeing of another, and in the case of children, the responsibility to care and raise them. But with those exceptions - you can not take responsibility that rightly belongs to another. Too many people try.

My expectation is that by this time next year, like seat belt laws, helmet laws, we will have MASK ...

RavenMStark comments on Jul 2, 2020:

Uh oh. When you compare it to seatbelts and helmets, suddenly I'm starting to think it's not such a bad idea. . . I know that's the opposite of what you intended! Also, I didn't know people were opposed to wearing seatbelts and helmets. Maybe I was too young when these arguments were happening?

tracycoyle replies on Jul 3, 2020:

@RavenMStark It is about responsibility: who is responsible for your well being? If there were solid evidence we could make good arguments - but there is at best conflicting evidence, in many ways NO evidence but application of practices used elsewhere. The risk of second-hand smoke was way over-blown. I grew up with two smoking parents, all my sibs smoke(d). I am the only one of 8 that never did. I am not saying my experience should be a determining factor - but you are! (in the mask case) 250,000 people died of the annual flu over the last 5 years. We don't use masks, we had not lockdowns, we didn't use social distancing. People panicked and now they are trying to justify their actions retroactively. Sorry, I'm not buying and I protect my neighbors in my senior complex.

If you want to listen to the WHO, then LISTEN! [video.

RavenMStark comments on Jul 3, 2020:

This is contradictory to what the WHO has said in the past. https://www.statnews.com/2020/06/09/who-comments-asymptomatic-spread-covid-19/ This article can only tell me that the transmission rate from asymptomatic patients is "not yet known." If we compare this virus to other known illnesses, ...

tracycoyle replies on Jul 3, 2020:

@RavenMStark For me, I assess risk. Just because something is 'free' (wearing a mask, a guy handing out candy) doesn't mean we should take, use, or engage with it. Given the probability of risk to others by you approaches zero, and the risk to you from outside is equally approaching zero, it seems unnecessary. Now, I want you to feel comfortable and I hope others consider their risks carefully - I can't judge those specific risks - so, I respect that people wear the mask. I just see no justification for a LAW to make it mandatory.

If you want to listen to the WHO, then LISTEN! [video.

RavenMStark comments on Jul 3, 2020:

This is contradictory to what the WHO has said in the past. https://www.statnews.com/2020/06/09/who-comments-asymptomatic-spread-covid-19/ This article can only tell me that the transmission rate from asymptomatic patients is "not yet known." If we compare this virus to other known illnesses, ...

tracycoyle replies on Jul 3, 2020:

Given I am agnostic in general, my personal POV is that....we don't know. But while infection MAY be a risk, it is so low as to be immaterial. IMO

My expectation is that by this time next year, like seat belt laws, helmet laws, we will have MASK ...

RavenMStark comments on Jul 2, 2020:

Uh oh. When you compare it to seatbelts and helmets, suddenly I'm starting to think it's not such a bad idea. . . I know that's the opposite of what you intended! Also, I didn't know people were opposed to wearing seatbelts and helmets. Maybe I was too young when these arguments were happening?

tracycoyle replies on Jul 3, 2020:

@RavenMStark The key word here is 'prevent'. I can make the argument against allowing bats or hammers to be produced and sold because that would 'prevent' the possibility of them being used to harm someone. Note, I could replace bats and hammers with guns and people would say Yeah! to that, but not the bat and hammer because they have other purposes. But the 'prevent' needs to proximate both in time and space. You can't establish a measure to prevent some theoretical event from happening at some unspecified time IF you can't establish some connection to the "law". So, helmet and seat belt laws fail - but were passed on the argument that injuries would be more expensive and the cost would be born by the general public (because people didn't have insurance and hospitals are required to treat people) - the harm is the general welfare. I don't agree with the argument or even the premise. Now, the mask has to prevent me from hurting you - but we have no evidence that I am a threat to you. Of course, I might get sick and decide to infect as many others as I can. How can we prevent that? Well, WE could wear masks, maintain social distancing and sanitize all the time. Where does the responsibility lie? I would argue it relies on US, to protect ourselves, NOT create a law that assumes we are all a threat to each other. Know what principle is in play here? Two actually: one a general one we all should know, a second that is Tracy's SECOND Rule First: arguably, the right to life the most important, and the attached responsibility is: self defense. We have government to combine our force/capacity to prevent harm to the United States. But we can't abdicate that personal responsibility (though many/most/majority think they can). Second, Tracy's 2nd Rule: Allow no harm, unless it necessary for Rule #1.

How long before we get a story out of Seattle that the businesses in the CHOP/CHAZ zone are being ...

TimTuolomne comments on Jul 3, 2020:

Yup. Its obvious to anyone who can think that their policies are cr*p, and that what is happening is the clear proof. Do you think that reason will prevail elsewhere with this lesson?

tracycoyle replies on Jul 3, 2020:

The lesson did not need being taught to the Right - it knows. The lesson will be ignored at best, go right over the heads of the Left. I think the electorate will note it, and it will be mostly lost in the events of the next 4 months. The people most affected by it - will turn on the Dems, but I don't know how much of that will go towards embracing voting for Trump. Negative for Dem turnout is my best hope.

When "cancel culture" circles round to catch another.

RavenMStark comments on Jul 3, 2020:

I don't even know what to say to this one. I am just rolling my eyes. Also, this is exactly the reason I don't want my real name associated with the comments I make online. . .

tracycoyle replies on Jul 3, 2020:

@RavenMStark Today, that is a real risk. A guy at Boeing just lost his job for something he wrote in 1987, a mainstream type comment. I don't have the risk at this point - but we also didn't have cancel culture when I was working. I've been online since 1994 and my info has been available since 1995. I have lost business because of my lifestyle, my politics, and my opinions. Most however just want my experience!

When "cancel culture" circles round to catch another.

RavenMStark comments on Jul 3, 2020:

I don't even know what to say to this one. I am just rolling my eyes. Also, this is exactly the reason I don't want my real name associated with the comments I make online. . .

tracycoyle replies on Jul 3, 2020:

It is exactly the reason I WANT my real name attached to everything I say online. I hold myself accountable for it and I expect others to also. If that means that 'cancel culture' comes for me, then I want it clear why it happens.

My expectation is that by this time next year, like seat belt laws, helmet laws, we will have MASK ...

RavenMStark comments on Jul 2, 2020:

Uh oh. When you compare it to seatbelts and helmets, suddenly I'm starting to think it's not such a bad idea. . . I know that's the opposite of what you intended! Also, I didn't know people were opposed to wearing seatbelts and helmets. Maybe I was too young when these arguments were happening?

tracycoyle replies on Jul 3, 2020:

Not a matter of intent on my part but on the impulse of people not just to consider their own situation, but to force (that is what a law is) others to conform to that position. Whether wearing a seat belt or helmet or mask is a good idea or not isn't the relevant issue. "The object of this Essay is to assert one very simple principle, as entitled to govern absolutely the dealings of society with the individual in the way of compulsion and control, whether the means used be physical force in the form of legal penalties, or the moral coercion of public opinion. That principle is, that the sole end for which mankind are warranted, individually or collectively, in interfering with the liberty of action of any of their number, is self-protection. That the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilised community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others. His own good, either physical or moral, is not a sufficient warrant. He cannot rightfully be compelled to do or forbear because it will be better for him to do so, because it will make him happier, because, in the opinions of others, to do so would be wise, or even right. These are good reasons for remonstrating with him, or reasoning with him, or persuading him, or entreating him, but not for compelling him, or visiting him with[Pg 18] any evil in case he do otherwise. To justify that, the conduct from which it is desired to deter him must be calculated to produce evil to some one else. The only part of the conduct of any one, for which he is amenable to society, is that which concerns others. In the part which merely concerns himself, his independence is, of right, absolute. Over himself, over his own body and mind, the individual is sovereign." On Liberty, John Stuart Mill

Maxwell "suicide" in 3.......2......

RubyFord comments on Jul 2, 2020:

Has it happened yet?

tracycoyle replies on Jul 2, 2020:

Yes. Sometime in August!

I'm looking for sweet feminine girly chicks videos on YouTube for a project, and it's IMPOSIBLE to ...

tracycoyle comments on Jul 2, 2020:

I'm thinking you fail to understand the nature of a Google search.... ! :)

tracycoyle replies on Jul 2, 2020:

@A1fredo Point!

Ok.

RavenMStark comments on Jul 2, 2020:

I can see why you put it here. I am having* a lot* of thoughts and feelings about these videos. They get to me in a personal way. I have a career adjacent to law enforcement and I work with police every day. I have nothing but deep respect and admiration for our police. I usually try to keep my ...

tracycoyle replies on Jul 2, 2020:

The hateful speech given, and cheered on, is EVERYTHING the Left said it stood AGAINST in the past.

Ok.

RavenMStark comments on Jul 2, 2020:

I can see why you put it here. I am having* a lot* of thoughts and feelings about these videos. They get to me in a personal way. I have a career adjacent to law enforcement and I work with police every day. I have nothing but deep respect and admiration for our police. I usually try to keep my ...

tracycoyle replies on Jul 2, 2020:

All I could think about was "Game Stop 'girl'". Fuck, what a horrible example. And yea...I can't think of anything other than TG there...

I'm sorry, but if it is ok for the mob to tear down statues, and to burn private buildings, and ...

ThomasinaPaine comments on Jun 30, 2020:

They already have. Five shot, 3 critically injured in Chaz, Chop burnt down a church and the riot caused multiple hospitalizations. 300 people dead in Chicago with 1/4 of them children. I lay that at the leftists as well because their presence reduced police presence. It is the bloodiest month in 62...

tracycoyle replies on Jun 30, 2020:

I was born and raised on the Southside of Chicago. I used to travel in neighborhoods that today are unsafe for everyone, including the cops. It was 'white supremacy' that did that. It was liberal, Democrat policies.

Why am I not hearing Jack-Shit from the Republican party about the atrocities being committed ...

WilyRickWiles comments on Jun 30, 2020:

The US is much more diverse than it was 60 years ago. You are going to lose some symbols of your privilege. Hope you can deal.

tracycoyle replies on Jun 30, 2020:

@WilyRickWiles Liberalism as practiced by today's Left has NO foundation in classical liberalism - and certainly would not survive it's success. Hint: Venezuela.

Why am I not hearing Jack-Shit from the Republican party about the atrocities being committed ...

WilyRickWiles comments on Jun 30, 2020:

The US is much more diverse than it was 60 years ago. You are going to lose some symbols of your privilege. Hope you can deal.

tracycoyle replies on Jun 30, 2020:

@WilyRickWiles Finally, remember the 'experts of the day' were WRONG. And while the belief of Columbus was 'wrong' whatever the reason, he undertook PHYSICALLY himself to prove he was right - a trip that was 'doomed' via the experts. He proved himself and them wrong - in the best possible way of ANY explorer - testing the hypothesis. The risk then was immense, not just financially, but physically, personally. I honor THAT spirit on Columbus Day. It is a spirit that built this country. He wasn't a scientist in a lab testing something, he was looking for riches. The people that built this country were not generally looking to build a great country - they wanted to be rich and well off so they could relax and enjoy their old age. Our Founders were slave holders, were RICH by most standards of the day, were educated in ways unavailable to almost the entire population. They were the ELITE of their day. And yet. The result has lifted more people out of poverty than any other country ever. This culture, so demonized by the Left, has inspired MILLIONS to come. Millions to succeed. A culture too many 'elite' seek to destroy because it fails to be their 'ideal'.

Why am I not hearing Jack-Shit from the Republican party about the atrocities being committed ...

WilyRickWiles comments on Jun 30, 2020:

The US is much more diverse than it was 60 years ago. You are going to lose some symbols of your privilege. Hope you can deal.

tracycoyle replies on Jun 30, 2020:

@WilyRickWiles And the 'guilt by association' - the attempt to suggest that someone with skill at fiction is therefore, when writing 'non-fiction' is in fact creating a work of fiction, is a nice little smear. I wonder three things about the Adam History: how did they know the population of the indigenous population? Was it a slaughter? Who told that story? Could they have died of sickness brought by the ships? I think the 'discovery' of the New World brought HORRORS to it -- that were already here in abundance. Indians slaughtered indians - including women and children. Wars were large and brutal. Slavery existed. The South and Central American tribes were barbaric by most standards, even of the day - let's face it, African tribes were every bit as bad (and still are).

Why am I not hearing Jack-Shit from the Republican party about the atrocities being committed ...

WilyRickWiles comments on Jun 30, 2020:

The US is much more diverse than it was 60 years ago. You are going to lose some symbols of your privilege. Hope you can deal.

tracycoyle replies on Jun 30, 2020:

@WilyRickWiles I am 25 seconds into the video and let me see if MY rememberence of 'his-story' is correct: Columbus set out to find a new way to the East to open trade routes to the Orient that didn't include going around Cape Horn or overland through the Middle East: he failed. Miserably at that. Second, the closest he got to what became the United States, was the Caribbean Islands. Third, the Portuguese thought Columbus was a poor sailor which is why Spain funded the exhibition. By the way, not that it made much difference, but his patrons were the first Rulers to outlaw slavery of indigenous peoples - something easily gotten around by those that ignored them. Now....let's see if the video spins the above as a way to denigrate someone cheered by 'popular mythos'....

Why am I not hearing Jack-Shit from the Republican party about the atrocities being committed ...

WilyRickWiles comments on Jun 30, 2020:

The US is much more diverse than it was 60 years ago. You are going to lose some symbols of your privilege. Hope you can deal.

tracycoyle replies on Jun 30, 2020:

@WilyRickWiles I would argue what you call 'myth' is what I would called 'shared values'. My parents were immigrants to this country BECAUSE of those 'shared values'. How Columbus could be held accountable for what happened 200 years later is beyond me. But that is the 'retroactive vigilantism' that is being cheered on right now. The idea that we can take TODAY'S values and apply them to some distant past event or person is culturally destructive. And I see NO CULTURE in the world today of greater value to those at the lowest levels of the economic and political strata than that of the United States - that is being attacked by those with TRUE privilege (white knight liberals).

Why am I not hearing Jack-Shit from the Republican party about the atrocities being committed ...

WilyRickWiles comments on Jun 30, 2020:

The US is much more diverse than it was 60 years ago. You are going to lose some symbols of your privilege. Hope you can deal.

tracycoyle replies on Jun 30, 2020:

@WilyRickWiles And what privilege do you speak of?

Why am I not hearing Jack-Shit from the Republican party about the atrocities being committed ...

WilyRickWiles comments on Jun 30, 2020:

The US is much more diverse than it was 60 years ago. You are going to lose some symbols of your privilege. Hope you can deal.

tracycoyle replies on Jun 30, 2020:

If you think diversity of skin color is the only criteria of value - then you fail to understand the foundation of this country.

‘Queer Liberation March’ mounts leftist assault on free thought An article written by my friend...

WilyRickWiles comments on Jun 29, 2020:

Who knew speech could be so dangerous?

tracycoyle replies on Jun 29, 2020:

Sticks and stones are feeling abandoned.

The LGBT across social media is the devil.

RavenMStark comments on Jun 24, 2020:

And that's why I don't have an online friend group any more. They all got like that. And they're missing out by shutting people up. It's much more interesting and educational to talk these things out, I think.

tracycoyle replies on Jun 29, 2020:

Hang out with me/us anytime!! Online is a great place for meeting new people 'on your own time/during your own comfort times'. I met my partner online (BBSing!). So, it definitely has it's upsides. I even met an author online and we've become friends such that the next time I'm in CT, we are getting together. My guy BFF (and he's been embarrassed when I say it around him!! so cute!) I knew for a DECADE before I met him in person. I visited him and his wife and kids when I was in DC two years ago. We met online organizing a political party. It is a GREAT medium - but like fire, has it's good and bad uses.

A short time ago, during a group video call, a friend from high school shared my high school picture...

RavenMStark comments on Jun 29, 2020:

Oh NO! How did you feel about it when it happened? Does it feel weird to look at your old photos? For me, I was allowed a lot of freedom in my appearance from a young age. As soon as I was old enough to tell my mother what I wanted, I had a short haircut and jeans and t-shirts. If you looked at ...

tracycoyle replies on Jun 29, 2020:

My initial gut reaction was SHIT! I really didn't like it - but 'no harm, no foul'. Back then I didn't care, and I just have to remember that on the rare occasion that something prompts the past to jump up like that.

The Admin woman here is the link [external-lht6-1.xx.fbcdn.net] OK

tracycoyle comments on Jun 28, 2020:

?

tracycoyle replies on Jun 28, 2020:

@ieuan Gee.... I can read and the link goes to a PHOTOGRAPH....nothing else.

Ok.

RavenMStark comments on Jun 28, 2020:

Interesting! I suppose that by that definition, I am a "straddle" and will likely continue to be until the end of my days. I'm a trans man. For 10 years, I lived a "social transition," where I just changed my name, clothes, hair, etc. (No hormones, no medical stuff.) I finally decided to start ...

tracycoyle replies on Jun 28, 2020:

@RavenMStark Presentation and appearance are for everyone else, our transition is for us!

Am I the only one that is noticing a changing undercurrent in IDW/SLUG since the name ...

tracycoyle comments on Jun 28, 2020:

Given I've been around online social media since....oh.....it was created, there has always been tension between those that want to have serious conversations and those that just want to demand fealty to whatever brand of 'nuts' is on special this week. If you have a small group, it will tend to be...

tracycoyle replies on Jun 28, 2020:

@Thasaidon Yep, groupthink is real and not limited to any particular ideology or 'identity'. I prefer to mix it up in large groups and enjoy the dynamic flow of conversations. But most people seem to prefer 1 on 1. My partner was politically, my opposite. Her friends didn't understand how we got along, let alone lived together - we did for the same reason people of good intent can be from a diverse points of view: respect. Something dramatically missing from today's public square.

Regarding your video: "I Lived As A Woman For 10 Years, Then Missed Being A Man" The part that ...

iThink comments on Jun 27, 2020:

as if a person could "destroy" their own past in the first place - NOT! Having said that it is worth saying (surmising) that if a person can trick himself that (or the other sex as applicable) "he" is really a "she" trapped in his own male body then it goes without saying that "he" can trick ...

tracycoyle replies on Jun 28, 2020:

@iThink Good questions. Note this is based on my experiences and some anecdotal stories: 1) I think transition does end. I call it congruency. When we look at a mirror and also into ourselves and we see the person we always thought existed but no one else could 'see'. It is a perception thing and it is based on the physical manifestation of our internal self. So, it takes time - years. How long varies but I'd say something more than 5 and less than 10 of 'all in'. Think of the time it takes for a child to go from puberty to adulthood. 2) Hormones ABSOLUTELY affect emotional state. Yes, we MtF get much more emotional and I have seen FtM get more 'stoic'. It is somewhat based on the initial emotional foundation however. I tended to be very logical prior to hormones and that did not go away, but my reactions to things did. Also, how I reacted to others changed. I very much changed 'orientation' after about 2 years on hormones. I had never had a homosexual experience prior to transition, never even considered guys as anything more than 'tribe members'. About 2 yrs in, sitting in a classroom (university) a bunch of the jocks in the class came in late and the professor made them sit in the front row - I always sat in the second so they ended up right in front of me. "Oh, man...did you think to shower before coming in here" was my first thought. Argh, I'm going to have to put up with their smelly asses for the entire 2 hrs... And...then....about.....15 minutes or so...."ah....well....oh, DAMN...that smells good" what a guy!! I had to really deal with a strong desire to just jump the guys bones the attraction was really strong. By the end of the day I was looking at guys a whole different way. I say that I transitioned from straight to straight while on hormones. I've since realized my bi nature post transition and have been with both sexes wonderfully. But it was definitely a change both in my emotional state and my innate physical preferences. So, structurally, physically, it changes both the outward appearance and the internal dynamics. I've discussed this with therapists and other MtF, only one FtM, and the above is not unusual. It is also much stronger during the initial years and levels itself out over time as we learn to deal with the emotional states that in many ways were new to us. Thanks for great questions.

Regarding your video: "I Lived As A Woman For 10 Years, Then Missed Being A Man" The part that ...

iThink comments on Jun 27, 2020:

as if a person could "destroy" their own past in the first place - NOT! Having said that it is worth saying (surmising) that if a person can trick himself that (or the other sex as applicable) "he" is really a "she" trapped in his own male body then it goes without saying that "he" can trick ...

tracycoyle replies on Jun 27, 2020:

I agree with your premise, but not necessarily the conclusion. I think we can, by force of will, be something other than what was 'destined' for us. It is by no means easy, nor is it dramatically different, and it requires such a deep commitment that many find it impossible. Think of someone that leaves the country they grew up in and moves to an entirely different country with a radically different culture with no family or safety net. The force of will involved is staggering. Yet, many (my parents included) do it. I have said before here, transition is about moving, lock, stock and barrel to a place that, no matter how often you might have vacationed there, is truly different.

I’m very disappointed to find out that Ramz visits Starbucks.

mimizhusband comments on Jun 27, 2020:

starbucks is a reasonable option given zero alternatives in this area. i would love to support an option, but there are none within 13 miles

tracycoyle replies on Jun 27, 2020:

@Les_Izmoor I don't boycott per se - I try to find an alternative and support that. However, as most of those 'woke' corps(es) produce discretionary money products, I've found myself simply stop buying the whole category. I'm not a coffee drinker, but I love Starbucks Lemon Pound Cake. Now I buy a banana from a local vendor instead and walk on.

I don't wear a mask (unless required to do grocery shopping) because the risk to me is negligible.

TimTuolomne comments on Jun 27, 2020:

That's because it is a big fraud. When the really dangerous virus finally hits and people are dying in the streets - including half of the people we know, I hope we will remember those who forced this nonsense on us. Geneticists who have analyzed the gene sequence of SARS COV2, which causes ...

tracycoyle replies on Jun 27, 2020:

I used San Diego County in my example, but something like 45% of the deaths occurred in long term health facilities (best estimate...I think it was as high as 60%). That means only 187 died in the general population. But of that, 95% had pre-existing co-morbidities. So if you are healthy in San Diego County, there were 9 deaths. 9 out of 3,300,000. A 1 in 366,000 chance of dying from covid. It is a ridiculous risk profile used to shutdown a county (OR country). I get that we didn't know in early March and therefore there was at least some reason for the lockdowns. But by no means were they warranted after Easter.

oh, my god, you guys! Ever wanted to see a class of socialism indoctrination! THIS is how the magic ...

tracycoyle comments on Jun 27, 2020:

I am going to stop, 6:16 into this video because he has made statements that are false, yet stated in a way that suggests disagreement exists because those disagreeing are in some ways, disingenuous. Socialism was not taught because of fear, but because it FAILS. Always, every time. It can NOT...

tracycoyle replies on Jun 27, 2020:

@WilyRickWiles and? I was treating it as such based on his first 6 minutes. It works even LESS as a form of government vs that of a republic, or even a democracy - which sucks inself into a socialist black hole eventually.

'Woke' white woman verbally assaults black police, claims officer with black wife 'could still be ...

MaskedRiderChris comments on Jun 25, 2020:

*"The woman responds by backing away and claiming that it’s because he’s not wearing a mask and she doesn’t “want to get COVID.”"* AKA she's a cowardly spoiled child who retreats in panic when the Big Bad Black Man who doesn't agree with her false narratives proceeds to dismantle them ...

tracycoyle replies on Jun 26, 2020:

BLUE PILL, BLUE PILL....."I want to be put back in....as someone important....like a woke girly"

'Woke' white woman verbally assaults black police, claims officer with black wife 'could still be ...

Serg97 comments on Jun 25, 2020:

It is amazing how LIBs are able to forget any thing in HISTORY that does not fit THEIR view of the World!! I have a friend that came here from Rhodesia (now known as Zimbabwe) who can tell you all about Black racism against Whites!!!!!!!

tracycoyle replies on Jun 26, 2020:

I WISH they had forgotten their history - more like they were never taught it, not that it excuses them as we've been told 'history' is available to anyone.

'Woke' white woman verbally assaults black police, claims officer with black wife 'could still be ...

tracycoyle comments on Jun 25, 2020:

The persistent idea that only whites can be racist (yes, that's what she said) is wrong. Idiotically wrong. And even if it were it fails given the number of blacks in positions of political power in this country - specifically Democrat controlled urban areas. I don't care about 'total numbers'....

tracycoyle replies on Jun 25, 2020:

@Tanya I'd call it a slippery slope but its more a cliff.

What is love?

Tati comments on Jun 24, 2020:

Human nature is preserving oneself and looking out for the interests of oneself first and foremost. Love is when you put someone else’s interests before your own even when you aren’t getting anything out of it. The biggest example of love is a parent to an infant child. A mother sacrifices ...

tracycoyle replies on Jun 25, 2020:

@Tati Any act has consequences and it is those consequences that generally defines the act in positive/negative terms and therefore, over time, defines the act in a way that can be understood in context. (Hmmm, that has a lot in it that I think "I" need to unpack for myself in the near future, but let me see if I can do a little here) A tradition is a way to codify an act whose consequences are well known and considered positively. It is why traditions persist and are strongly defended. There tends to be lots of evidence of the benefits of the actions over generations. It is also why it is hard to change traditions - as values change. Example: For someone to say that gay marriage is wrong because traditional marriage has 10,000 years of positive history behind it ignores the history of marriage overall, and that any attempt to change it in the past has been with, often fatal, animosity. But if the institution of marriage is good, increasing it's use in non-standard couples would seem to be a GOOD thing. Given a strong position in support of individual rights, gay marriage was a slam dunk positive. But the Right raised hell about it's corrosive effect on SOCIETY. The tyranny of the majority from John Stuart Mills' analysis. "The road to hell is paved with good intentions" recognizes that intent is not the factor but rather then consequences that matter. (Don't bring up 'ends justifying the means' right now, I'm on a roll!) What is the 'consequence' of love. The gaining of some material (food, housing, clothing) for the child from the parent? or the well being of the child? For the parent, the joy of parenting isn't in the giving but in the growth of a new person. I can think of a lot of examples between a couple that are illustrative of love - but don't necessarily define it. (Another example: rights. Define them without using an example...) Scripture says "by their fruits will you know them" which applies to actions too: by the consequences will you know its goodness/evil. The childish 'I hate you' is about an emotion, not an action. Now, if you hit your sib with the intention of harm...well, that would be bad. But again, for kids, words and understanding often are not well connected. You are right to wonder about hate. Another emotion that has lots of contextual and comprehension issues.

Watch out if you post on Facebook, there are tag groups calling to get people fired

tracycoyle comments on Jun 21, 2020:

I am pretty much 'blame' or 'bullied' proof; certainly 'blackmail' proof. So I take advantage of it and state principles and positions that are strongly hated by the fascists (antifa, BLM, Democrats...)

tracycoyle replies on Jun 25, 2020:

@sjwpigeon Given I get crap from the Right almost as often as from the Left, I agree. Ah, but they ARE trying to ban certain books and other archival methods of recording the past. While I tend to agree that statues are less important overall - most people ignore them, much like most people seldom - ever - read a non-fiction book after their schooling, so suggesting that history is available via books misses the point. If we stop teaching the full history in school, and there are no visible manifestations of it in our daily lives, what happens to it? No, I mean hatred of FREE speech. Hate speech is an attempt to limit free speech. It's an artifact of the desire to limit opinions to acceptable ones. Our commitment to free speech is primarily focused on 'speech that offends', after all, there is no need to protect that which everybody loves and agrees with. Right-wingers and violence: violence is not limited to one side or the other - and it is clear that lots of 'right wing hate' gets attention when it is deadly. But show me the abundance of right-wingers or let me interject a touch of racialness to this, whites ganging up on lone blacks going on right now. Because the number of opposite videos right now is stunning. Also, consider Chicago (which to be honest is not dealing with ideological issues but just out and out gang wars). BTW, I'm from Chicago (born and raised on the Southside - a bunch of it in Englewood). I will suggest that it is not ideology, per se, that is driving the issue right now - just racism, which is not limited to one side or the other. I would also argue, given your examples, that it is a manifestation of the liberalness of our society - with free will comes responsibilities and devoid of responsibilities for the consequences, BAD choices abound. Attempts to limit the tools (drugs, guns) have failed spectacularly because the consequences have been systematically eliminated. How do we have people being arrested for the 100th time??? How is that even possible? BTW, I support the death penalty but refuse to give sanction to the State (any of our 50) to carry it out because I have NO FAITH that the State is sufficiently neutral in it's prosecution of people. Are there people in jail wrongly - yes. But just because there is a disparity in numbers does not mean the reason is racism. I grew up on the Southside of Chicago in the 60s and 70s. Rioting and racial issues dominated lots of things then - I can tell you that racial issues got LOTS better since then...but in the last decade have begun to go the other way. Why? There are literally millions of examples of Blacks succeeding in our society, yet segments are worse. Why? I have my opinions, but for the moment, Left ideology is making it worse, not better. ...

What is love?

Tati comments on Jun 24, 2020:

Human nature is preserving oneself and looking out for the interests of oneself first and foremost. Love is when you put someone else’s interests before your own even when you aren’t getting anything out of it. The biggest example of love is a parent to an infant child. A mother sacrifices ...

tracycoyle replies on Jun 25, 2020:

@Tati I think it is an inability to articulate concepts they haven't begun to understand so they use terminology they DO understand. This topic hearkens back to a similar conversation held elsewhere on this site last week when I asked "what do I mean when I say I love her" as YOU understand my statement. I focused on the word LOVE and how do we know what I feel is the same/similar to what you feel if we both use the same term (in the same context). This discuss seems to take that and focus on the term love more. I love the discussion (!) because it goes to the heart of our ability to understand each other. Love being not negatively charged it lets us discuss how we can relate to each other. Puppy love - is a phrase we use when teens begin the process of using a term the way adults do (contextually accurate) without understanding the implications... So...(spitballing here)...is it about consequences (which relates to the actions taken via the reasons for doing so)? Interesting you use agape - I would argue that Scripture (religious) suggests that the love from a child is 'pure'. There is something about children's love of parents (sibs and others) that seems devoid of context and therefore 'just is'.

What is love?

Tati comments on Jun 24, 2020:

Human nature is preserving oneself and looking out for the interests of oneself first and foremost. Love is when you put someone else’s interests before your own even when you aren’t getting anything out of it. The biggest example of love is a parent to an infant child. A mother sacrifices ...

tracycoyle replies on Jun 24, 2020:

I like your example, but! Does it suggest that the child's affection for the mother is not love? I've often said a successful marriage is of two people devoting everything to the other with no expectation in return... which is comparable to your example. I think there might be something to the idea of 'completeness' - that the object fulfills or completes what was missing.

My company just announced a new policy.

camerakid61 comments on Jun 24, 2020:

Two words I'm getting sick and tired of hearing: "I'm offended!" Call me anything you want. At least I'm grown up enough to understand that words are only noises in the air and cannot affect you if you don't feel that way about yourself. I let derogatory words roll off my back like water.

tracycoyle replies on Jun 24, 2020:

I have made a conscious effort for at least the last 5 or 6 years to avoid 'offended' in all contexts because I left 'sick and tired' back in 2013 and moved fully into HATE.

What happened to the Intellectual Dark Web's influence?

David42 comments on Jun 24, 2020:

I keep wondering why the republicans are so passive Why Hillary and Barry Soetoro haven’t been hung for treason. Why George Soros is allowed to use his money to reek havoc on our nation. Why the liberal media isn’t held culpable for lives lost and damage done during the riots the incite. Buy...

tracycoyle replies on Jun 24, 2020:

Because the system either has good actors trying to stop those that are evil from taking advantage of it, or it is full of people taking whatever share they can without becoming a scapegoat for appealing to the masses. Of course it is the later, and that means those on the outside are stuck. As to the last question - it is the immediate, the promise of the future, the intentional effort to ignore the past all rolled up into an uneducated (purposefully) population.

What happened to the Intellectual Dark Web's influence?

FrozenSoul comments on Jun 24, 2020:

This site is candy ass and bans people who state about greedy Jews. Sure is to chicken to allow true debate of black vs whute

tracycoyle replies on Jun 24, 2020:

Hey, you can blame 'greedy jews' and we can laugh at your simplistic attempt to assign blame to an 'out' group you don't like. "Mom, she hit me" level of analysis.

ANARCHISM ISN’T ABOUT HYPER-INDIVIDUALISM. ANARCHISM IS ABOUT COMMUNITY AND COOPERATION

tracycoyle comments on Jun 24, 2020:

The concept of 'community' is fairly important to most individualist type people, so I don't see the issue. Your last paragraph, to me, is a misunderstanding of the 'hyper individualism' generally understood to be of the Right. I don't think it is inherently adversarial. The statement '...rights ...

tracycoyle replies on Jun 24, 2020:

@Naomi "your" being generic relating the paragraph you quoted (and no, I didn't distinguish the quote from your comment). Doesn't change my comment. And yes, I did. The comparison, chimps v bonobos is ignoring that we are genetically closer to the chimps - or purposefully using a comparison because of the differences as an example. Competition moves things forward, cooperation ensures survival - not of the individual, but of the family/community. Both are necessary for the species to survive. Nature does not care about the individual - which is why humanity is different that instinctual, biologically driven rest of nature - we get to choose. I don't mind anarchism in general - but the assumption that humanity could engage in it society wide ignores the 'nature of man' that Locke, and others and the article's author point out. It IS the nature of man, however, like my previous comment, we get to choose, to adhere to our nature (as a species) or to behave 'better' as individuals. The dislike of the individual is both a Right and Left ideological issue.

Kira Davis: How do we cancel the cancel culture? [redstate.com]

cycad34 comments on Jun 24, 2020:

We need to make it so that when these mobs go to some authority, like an employer, to try to have someone canceled, that they just tell them to fuck off instead of bending the knee. We will never be able to cure authoritarianism but if people stop caving to their demands, their power is gone.

tracycoyle replies on Jun 24, 2020:

The (universal?) dynamic of fearing what others think of you infects not just the individual but the organization too and ANY apparent stain on reputation is punished ruthlessly. I understand why and while I agree with you - I've not seen many companies willing to stand up to the mob AND THE MEDIA that generally piles on. Individuals and organizations that can (and have) stand up to the mob tend to be isolated and platforms denied.

Kira Davis: How do we cancel the cancel culture? [redstate.com]

tracycoyle comments on Jun 24, 2020:

Use it. I don't buy the idea that 'getting down in the gutter with them' is wrong. You don't fight evil by standing too high above it to reach it....

tracycoyle replies on Jun 24, 2020:

@tjhal1 No. At will employment (I support it) pretty much gives the employer open range to fire someone for any reason - current discrimination laws prevent firing on characteristic grounds but political opinion is not a 'protected class'.

Kira Davis: How do we cancel the cancel culture? [redstate.com]

tracycoyle comments on Jun 24, 2020:

Use it. I don't buy the idea that 'getting down in the gutter with them' is wrong. You don't fight evil by standing too high above it to reach it....

tracycoyle replies on Jun 24, 2020:

@tjhal1 WWII was a fight against totalitarism with violence and 'totalitarism'. The NEW Brown Shirts are no different than their ideological brothers of the 1940s, just less 'State bound'

The LGBT across social media is the devil.

Darkhorse48 comments on Jun 23, 2020:

I'm having difficulty putting into words how I feel about this post. So whatever I say probably won't do my honest feelings Justice. You seem to have had taken quite an emotional beating on social media. I would pick you up, dust you off, love you all better and ask you if you're ready for another...

tracycoyle replies on Jun 23, 2020:

I think it is fear - don't ask what of, I doubt they know and it likely a bunch of things - and so they lash out. My three favorite words: I. DON'T. CARE. What people think of me, say of me, see in me, hate about me. I've heard it all. I AM most of what I've been accused of being. When the trolls and haters come and call me a) b) c) d)...etc, I just say Yep, and? Teflon wishes it worked as good. Darkhorse is right - honesty, facts, logic. If those fail, then it is on them. Nothing more you can do for stupid. It likes that state.

I am NOT guilty of anything. If you disagree, PROVE it!

Tycho comments on Jun 22, 2020:

Only the *guilty* would go out their way to proclaim their innocence. Gotcha! A little lefty logic there

tracycoyle replies on Jun 22, 2020:

Given SILENCE IS VIOLENCE, I'd thought I'd add my ....peace.... !

Watch out if you post on Facebook, there are tag groups calling to get people fired

tracycoyle comments on Jun 21, 2020:

I am pretty much 'blame' or 'bullied' proof; certainly 'blackmail' proof. So I take advantage of it and state principles and positions that are strongly hated by the fascists (antifa, BLM, Democrats...)

tracycoyle replies on Jun 21, 2020:

@sjwpigeon Destruction of the past; hatred of free speech; the violent approach to different ideas; the elimination of 'different'; the abolition of free (markets, speech, individuals). Conformity to the group.

Watch out if you post on Facebook, there are tag groups calling to get people fired

tracycoyle comments on Jun 21, 2020:

I am pretty much 'blame' or 'bullied' proof; certainly 'blackmail' proof. So I take advantage of it and state principles and positions that are strongly hated by the fascists (antifa, BLM, Democrats...)

tracycoyle replies on Jun 21, 2020:

@sjwpigeon Are you kidding? Yea, I know what the WORDS anti fascism mean - I see that antifa is exactly the model of fascism, calling itself anti and describing their opponents as fascists incorrectly. So, ACTUALLY, antifa is the embodiment of fascism in today's world.

Great grandson of 'Aunt Jemima' enraged her legacy is being erased by removing her from brand- ...

WilyRickWiles comments on Jun 21, 2020:

The original author in the Patch seems to have had a peculiar bone to pick since he got fired as editor at the Chicago Reader for putting a racist symbol on the paper's cover. The great-grandson, however, seems to be making a more nuanced point than the headline indicates: how dare the company ...

tracycoyle replies on Jun 21, 2020:

@WilyRickWiles She was compensated for it a century ago. Her family, generations removed, were owed nothing. And it was NOT a racist stereotype 140 yrs ago. Applying today's values to events in the past is AT BEST dishonest. Retroactive virtue signaling is almost as bad as retroactive vigilantism. (Applying punishment to the later generations for actions done in the far past).

Great grandson of 'Aunt Jemima' enraged her legacy is being erased by removing her from brand- ...

WilyRickWiles comments on Jun 21, 2020:

The original author in the Patch seems to have had a peculiar bone to pick since he got fired as editor at the Chicago Reader for putting a racist symbol on the paper's cover. The great-grandson, however, seems to be making a more nuanced point than the headline indicates: how dare the company ...

tracycoyle replies on Jun 21, 2020:

@WilyRickWiles It wasn't exploitation - unless you think capitalism per se is exploitation. If that is the case...nothing I can say.

Words have meaning.

Tycho comments on Jun 20, 2020:

I think it means that you (tracycoyle) love her (who ever "her" is). My understanding can only go so far since there is so little context. "Her" could refer to a female relative, a female friend, a female pet, or even an object such as a boat or a car. I can't know what kind of love you're ...

tracycoyle replies on Jun 20, 2020:

@Tycho I've been working with attorneys for 20+ yrs, so it is my go-to! > As a man, do I feel like a man? Do I just feel masculine? No, not really. I'm just me That is the issue with trying to explain gender dysphoria, for 99% of the population, you just accept what you feel is what other men/women feel and when a word is defined and explained, like love, you just acknowledge that for all practical means, it is what you feel too. But to try to explain something that there is no context to, it is explaining 'blue' to a blind person. I can look around and know that I shared common ground with men for years, but what was going on in my head and heart they would just freak out about. And women, at the time, would have been (were) angry that I thought I could understand ANYTHING about being a woman. After decades, I can tell both - I get it. Both sides. And I can tell what is different, and what is the same. But telling YOU (the generic man/woman) is almost impossible because YOU don't have a context for it. Did I grow up like a typical boy, live as a typical man? Yes - as far as society and those around me knew. Have I lived like a typical woman? Yes - as far as society and those around me know. But I was, AM, very different. I perceive things differently. My context is not shared (except with other transsexuals). My understanding of the world is different because I have experienced it differently. It is why I use 'congruent' to explain the result of my transition and surgery - I am whole. And that is more understandable, I think, to ordinary (!) men and women that saying 'I feel like a man/woman'.

People think their jobs in the Federal Government are theirs by right.

ThomasinaPaine comments on Jun 20, 2020:

All of the ex-Obama people still in the government are borderline being treasonous. They are really like the law doesn't apply to me but it double applies to you. Holder should have been removed and prosecuted for Fast & Furious, spying on the AP, etc but its a crony network and a bureaucracy slowly...

tracycoyle replies on Jun 20, 2020:

Borderline?! One of the most corrupt Administrations in our history...

I am the RESISTANCE to Gov Newsome's tyranny!

ThomasinaPaine comments on Jun 20, 2020:

Alright Miz Coyle how are we going to resist? I'm all about resisting these days.

tracycoyle replies on Jun 20, 2020:

I will only wear a mask when 1) going into a private business that would refuse me service unless I wore one - and right now, the ONLY businesses I go into because of that are grocery stores; 2) public transportation - I use it extensively and can't unless masked. Otherwise, I do not use one even when I get shit for not doing so. I also invite people over to my place for drinks and eats. No masks needed.