impulse

The 4 oblasts and Crimea have always been largely Russky ethnically. 2 separate western surveys were conducted in Crimea after the annexation, where the vast majority of residents indicated they want to stay with Russia. I doubt the west will conduct such surveys in the 4 oblasts, because they didn't like the answer last time.

Yeah. Because that's really going to happen. The time to negotiate borders is before they move.

I don't think you're as much in the minority, it's just that there's an extremely vocal minority on here that believe they have the right answer and anyone who disagrees must be stupid, or some kind of phobe. Pick a topic... Trump, Thaksin, Russia, Putin, Thai maleness, you name it, and I think most of us can predict who's coming out of the woodwork to shout down anyone holding "the wrong view". Mostly, why bother arguing with zealots? Here's a great read for anyone who's really interested. An interview with the former president of UPATH and/or WPATH, who's definitely pro-trans (25 years ago at age 45). But she has some deep concerns about the quality and thoroughness of the diagnostic process, along with 1t Amendment concerns about stifling discussion. https://quillette.com/2022/01/06/a-transgender-pioneer-explains-why-she-stepped-down-from-uspath-and-wpath/ "...submitted a co-authored op-ed to the New York Times “warning that many transgender healthcare providers were treating kids recklessly.” “That is going to earn me a lot of criticism from some colleagues, but given what I see [in regard to teenage girls transitioning without proper safeguards], my experience as a psychologist treating gender-variant youth makes me worried that decisions will be made that will later be regretted by those making them,” That's the back street industry I referenced, but others quickly shouted me down on. Also some good links, including to a book on Amazon. Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters. Interesting to read the book reviews. One gave it the lowest score possible, the others praising the book. Kinda like here...

2014 would have been a good time to start negotiating security assurances for ethnic Russians living in the 4 Oblasts. But since you can't turn the clock back, tomorrow at dawn would be the best time to start negotiating an end to the current conflict.

My best shot? The MSM use the anal extraction method to pull polling numbers out of their butts to support whatever narrative they're peddling. Of course, it's tough to find a link for that, at least for about 2 years or so before the FOIA's and subpoenas come out and the whistleblowers sing. In this case, I'd bet on selection bias...

According to the linked article, he fessed up, but claimed the teen initiated it. Leading me to wonder if said teen isn't a hooker, trying to look older than his 15 years. That's the most plausible scenario I can come up with. Also doesn't say whether the teen presents as male or female. And whether the teen actually filed a complaint. It did say they were interrupted when someone walked in on the act... Lots of questions, not so much curiosity...

On a related topic, which countries around Thailand will admit someone with an ETD, and can you use an ETD to re-enter Thailand if your overstay is short enough that there's no timewise ban? I guess the equivalent question would be "can you use an ETD to make a visa run and come back to Thailand?" If so, which nearby countries would be friendly and which won't allow it?

I don't guess you're even a little bit curious what would happen in a whole month that would change those numbers so much? Other than polling methods and sample selection?

CNN Poll: Majority of Americans oppose more US aid for Ukraine in war with Russia https://edition.cnn.com/2023/08/04/politics/cnn-poll-ukraine/index.html#Overview He may have bipartisan support, but the majority of Americans don't agree. And last time I checked, it was Americans' tax money... Stripping out the Ukraine spending is going to force the warmongers and spendthrifts to reveal themselves. You know... The useful idiots shilling for Zelensky and the MIC.

Guilty of what? Raging hormones and confusion when I was an adolescent?

What do we really know about the uber-choreographed and carefully scripted politicians? Until they make repeated Freudian slips. Like referring to Black guys as "boy". And not just once. I've worked at places in Texas where that would get you fired... And that's Texas. And are you sure you wanna get into the racial history of the Democrat party?

Do you mean a gaffe that reveals his segregationist self?

Unlike Biden, who spoke with perfect diction as he accidentally referred to yet another black celebrity as "that boy". LL Cool J in the most recent case.

That's coming. After a few more subpoenas. But it may take a little longer this time because, unlike the Trump impeachments, the DOJ doesn't seem to want to cooperate in the Biden Crime Family evidence gathering. I think they're trying to stretch it out to about Nov 6, 2024.

Wonder why they lump the Brits and Yanks together? We don't even drive on the same side of the road. Also wonder whether they fit the Thai criteria of "declared dead at the scene" or include those who die later in hospital?

You forgot to mention "unsuccessfully". They impeached him twice, unsuccessfully. But that's not how she screwed the pooch. She set a precedent of announcing an impeachment inquiry without a vote. Bet she didn't figure that would come around and bite the Dems in the butt.

You can thank the Repubs for that. They've outlawed it in most red controlled states. But if the kids live in one of 19 counties in North Texas, they can get a travel voucher to pay for out-of-state travel for gender surgeries and hormones for gender dysphoric children. “By road or air — either way, it’s expensive to get out of Texas,” NTTN’s website reads. “Health care is a human right, and withholding necessary care for trans kids is state-sponsored cruelty. As neighbors to one another, we seek ways to help each other’s families flourish.” https://www.westernjournal.com/controversial-church-funds-transporting-kids-puberty-blockers-sex-change-mutilations/ Whether it's sex changes or puberty blockers, it's the permanent modification of a child's body. Quite possibly to address a temporary feeling that a lot of us had growing up.

From the JAMA: Among patients undergoing ambulatory surgical procedures, 37 394 (80.3%) of the surgical procedures included gender-affirming surgical procedures. For those with hospital admissions with gender identity disorder, 10 625 (11.8%) of admissions were for GAS. Ambulatory... That's walk-in clinics. 80% of GAS is happening in walk-in clinics, as opposed to "in hospital". Some would call that a back-street industry.

Wow. Last time I heard a call to shoot looters it was Richard J Daley of Chicago. A Democrat, in response to the 1968 Summer of Love. (Though we hadn't evolved enough by 1968 to realize that looting, burning up cars and tearing down buildings was mostly peaceful) Seemed to work, as Chicago riots pretty much stopped, and didn't get nearly as bad as some other cities. I was living there at the time. Wouldn't go back there to live today. Edit: Though I'd clarify, unlike Trump who just said "If you rob a store, you can fully expect to be shot as you are leaving that store,” Mayor Daley actually ordered Chicago cops to shoot looters.

Journal of the American Medical Association. They take a very positive view of GAS. (Gender Affirming Surgery). As you calculated, they say hundreds of gender affirming surgeries a year, age 12-18. Mostly mastectomies, but that's pretty permanent. Increasing each year up until Covid hit. Hopefully, they'll update to 2023 soon. I'd go for that for adults. Kids, not so much. Because once finance enters the equation, I don't trust the professionals. Most of them are probably ethical, but there's enough that aren't.

Alls well that ends well. If you go down that rabbithole far enough, you'll find guys that are convinced this isn't the first iteration for earth. They claim it's been decimated by its previous inhabitants, and intelligent life has re-spawned (for lack of a better word). Maybe more than once.

Kinda wondering where you got your numbers. Since Reuters is blocked where I am, I looked it up on the JAMA website. 48,019 total USA gender affirming surgeries, with 3,678 of them being 12-18 years old. That's between 2016 and 2020. Up by almost a factor of 3 between 2016 and 2020 with a similar increase in the 12-18 group. It would be growing even faster had 20+/- states not banned gender affirming surgeries on minors. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2808707#zoi230875t1

So, I take it that you're a Carbon Chauvinist?

That's been discussed ad nauseum in dozens of threads over the years. Even top cops have gotten online and given diverging opinions, one saying copies are acceptable to carry, another following the next day saying it has to be the original. But they all say you have to carry something to identify yourself.

Criminal gangs are opportunistic. Take away their drug money and they'll start kidnapping, or robbing, or sex trafficking or carjacking, or... or... The root cause is criminality. The only solution is to separate the criminals from decent people, whether by incarceration or by deportation. Incarceration if they're home-grown, deportation if they're imported. I'm in favor of decriminalizing many drug offenses, but I don't think that's going to solve a fundamental crime problem.