connda

This is why I love this graphic - it's so fitting. And it is me. I voted Democrats or for third-party independents most of my life when I felt their values aligned with mine. I considered myself an old-school liberal (still do), and yet here on this forum, a whole bunch of the usual suspects have referred to me in terms like "Trump supporter" and "MAGA lover." I despise predatory capitalism but I'm 100% small business capitalism. I'm pro-worker but not necessarily pro-union. I was a member of a union once and it sure as hell looked out for the pocket-books of its top members - the rest of us? Not so much. Not much difference between a union boss and a corporate executive: they both can be predatory and only look after their own interests. I'm pro-immigration: legal immigration, all those who came in the back door at the expense of those waiting in line legally need to be deported asap. I'm pro-social-safety net. That doesn't mean I'm a socialist - I'm not. I'm pro-universal healthcare - privatization of health care is predatory as is the US' current health care system. I'm pro-H-1B visa to fill in the high-tech STEM skill-sets that are not available in the US population - not to step in front of the line and take jobs from Americans with the same skills. I don't care who you sleep with, or what sex you want to pretend to be, but you can shove your pronouns and leave the children the hell alone. And I don't like either major party in the US now - I see them as the Uni-Party. And I believe in term limits and drastic campaign finance reform - $1.5 BILLION dollars spend on Harris presidential bid? $100 million alone from one donor to Trump! Millions provided by PACs for congressional candidate? Elections can be bought by the highest bidders - that needs to end. So - I'm a "far-right-wing, MAGA, Trump-lover?" Nope. But I'm still an old-school liberal which makes me a traditional conservative - everything the far-left and progressives hate. Yep - that's "me" right there. And the progressive left wayyyyyyyy over there, "Bigot!" Exactly. Then you wonder why people are now crossing party lines and leaving the Democrat party as well as Blue States.

Well, it sorta is. Only a handful of members have veto powers. (wink wink)

I don't go there at all. I really dislike monkeys.

Bubblegum's post is called "Projection" and the Left is very good at it. They claim that conservatives embody the toxic traits that they themselves espouse. The majority of conservatives (left-of-center, centrists, and right-of-center are called "far-right" by the far-left and progressive forum members) can and will explain themselves and their point of views. The progressive-left members will devolve into name-calling as they simply can not support their own point of view and refuse to engage in debate. It just easier for them to drop a pejorative or use ad-hominid (personal, toxic) attack on those they disagree with. That is why the OP is making his post. And there is a lot of truth to this 👇

If you are Buddhist, then you not only see the truth in this, but you accept it as the nature of reality. There is no "why?" There only "is."

Google Lens in "translate" mode (Thai to English)

I worked in IT and the military I've I've stayed up over 48 hours on occasion in emergency situtations. It's amazing how bad you end up feeling, and it's interesting to read about the science about why that occurs. Then after a long sleepless period of time, just how deep you sleep and how great you feel after waking up again. It makes sense. Most life on this planet has to sleep. Sleep is important, and it makes sense that during the sleep cycle that the body purges accumulated waste that can't be flushed during the waking state. I found this interesting.

Wayward Pines Trilogy

Yeah, she'll only have to spend 1 month 1 week 1 day 1 hour in a hospital penthouse suite with full amenities.

I don't particularly buy into the "Asymptomatic Carriers" as that trope didn't appear until Covid magically appeared. Before 2020 I'd never heard of anyone who didn't display the disease actually being carriers accept in very rare situations - it was not the norm. It wasn't until the push to make everyone in the world forcefully get the mRNA shots that the term Asymptomatic Carrier arrived on the scene, and the term that was used in the media was "Asymptomatic Spreaders." Muhhhaaaaahhhhaa. With that said, I have no doubt that humans can be exposed to a pathogen, their immune system kick in, and beat it before it becomes symptomatic. Anyway - those shot don't stop transmission. They should be pulled from the market. A vaccine stops transmission, Covid shots don't. They are neither "Safe" nor "Effective." But they made Pfizer and Moderna a lot of money though.

93 Dead, 575 Injured in Two Days of New Year Road Crashes Pretty much two normal days on the road in Thailand.

Are you gay? Then it's a redundant statement of fact - ignore it. If you're not gay - ignore it. I write Thai better than that. Probably another farang having a laugh.

Damn!

Ditto. Admirable man.

You can buy a new Suzuki Celerio for another 50K. They are excellent city cars. Highly reliable. An off-brand second-hand EV? May be "iffy" too. I also wouldn't buy a second-hand car after a flood. Do you really know the car's history? Just saying...

Your Brain Flushes Out Waste Every Night–Here’s How to Help It Clean Up "Surrounding the arteries in the brain is a sheath-like structure, and cerebrospinal fluid flows through the space between the arteries and this sheath. During sleep, the brain’s blood vessels constrict, increasing the space between the vessels and the sheath, which allows more cerebrospinal fluid to flow in. As the arteries pulse, the cerebrospinal fluid is pumped through brain tissue, flushing out waste—such as beta-amyloid and tau proteins—from the deeper spaces between brain cells, eventually clearing it from the brain." "“Waste-removing processes in the brain barely operate during wakefulness. It is very much a process that occurs in our deep-sleep stages..." https://www.theepochtimes.com/health/your-brain-flushes-out-waste-every-night-heres-how-to-help-it-clean-up-5767696?src_src=partner&src_cmp=ZeroHedge

Can anyone explain to me why there are cannabis shops everywhere? To sell cannabis? That's just a guess. 🙄

That sucks. 🙏

Germany is a perfect example of implementing a knee-jerk reaction by going full "renewable energy" to "save the planet" without thinking through the implications. And they destroyed their "green" nuclear power as well. Now? They have some of the least "green" energy in Europe as they burn coal to make up the energy deficit. This is where politicians instead of engineers creating energy policy end up screwing an entire population out of sheer stupidity. While on the subject. Commercial fusion power is going to be a reality by 2050 if not sooner. Net Zero will be achievable as soon as fusion power comes online. In the meanwhile the climate zealots need to calm down. "The polar icecaps will melt and flood the world by 2030." These fools have been making that same prediction for the last freaking 50 years and we're all still here. And Obama, Gore, Biden, and their climate loony friends still have not been flooded out of their beach-front properties. Wake me up when the Obama's have to leave their Martha Vineyard estate on the ocean due to "melting icecaps." Otherwise I'm not buying the nonsense. https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21244/europe-germany-renewable-energy

If I never hear that again, it will be too soon.

Yes! That was a classic line! And true at that. Brit comedian Tommy Trinder.

Yep. By the way - there are a whole lot of Republicans-In-Name-Only who need to be voted out of office in 2026. True Republicans are traditional conservatives who actually believe in the US Constitution. I'd venture that half of the Republicans currently in Congress are RINOs. Many are just Democrats who call themselves "Republican." Liz Cheney comes to mind. Speaking of Liz Cheney, she got pounded in the 2022 election. Harriet Hageman received approximately 66% of the vote, while Liz Cheney garnered about 29%. RINOs are not fooling any conservatives anymore. They all gotta go in the next election cycle. We need the US to return to its conservative roots. Watch! I just whacked a hornet's nest. 🐝

It's not all of us. I'm a US veteran, so anyone who wishes to question my so-called "patriotism" can bite a rock. And yeah, a whole lot of my fellow countrymen believe in "US Exceptionalism." We're the "shining city on the hill." We're the "garden in the jungle." Actually all the US is now is Empire In Decline. The US has had it's day. Most of the US GDP is created out of "services." It creates very little that is tangible. China is the world leader in manufacturing, and as such, the US empire wants to now go to war to destroy it. Like all empires, it wants whats the resources of other countries and if other countries don't "bend a knee" and become vassal-states, then the US will take it forcefully. I'm anti-war and anti-empire and anti-colonialism. I'm pro-peace and pro-trade and pro-international-commerce. The US can't stand any of that. And with Trump coming into office, I expect that the US Exceptionalism trope to be beat to death for the next four years - he's already signaling the roll out of a new Monroe Doctrine policy. We'll, he did get into office by promising to get us out of foreign conflict, but time will tell about that. One thing about US vets. We tend to hold two competing ideals: We love our country for it's Constitutional freedoms and rights, but we are also some of its harsher critics when it comes to foreign policy. Why? Because we were the cannon fodder sent to foreign countries to "project power" and to enforce US foreign policy as flawed as it is. I am 100% for a defensive military in the US used to defense its borders and sovereignty; I'm also 100% against foreign adventurism in the name of US Exceptionalism and US corporate profits. A lot of the "Yanks" who carry on about US Exceptionalism never served a day in any of the US militaries. That says a lot.

"Oath Breaking Insurrectionist." That requires a trial and conviction. There hasn't been either. Ain't going to happen. If it did, my guess is it would be the catalyst for a civil war, which in my humble opinion many on the progressive-left would prefer over Trump taking office. The actual "insurrectionists" are those who now are attempting to set the stage for the overthrow of the democratically elected President of the United States.