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September 23, 2022Edited
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I've literally never met a Q-Anon person. Never. Not someone online, or in real life.

I agree with keeping everyone who has agitated for protests to be held accountable. And it starts with the media, the journalist class. The fire starts is sparked by them, and then gets fanned by the very-online of Twitter, then goes from there.

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September 23, 2022
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There is that group of Cult of Personality Trumpers, and I've met precious few of them. Usually, I see their pickups, with three or four flags attached to them.

I consider myself a "classic liberal." I work in education, and I have seen precious few of the excesses of The Left in my schools, but they are there. I think a lot of the Extremist Left are upstream of me, in Portland and Eugene (I'm east of the Cascades) and I fear a sudden deluge, a flooding of my sphere of influence as time goes on. Look, I've said I just want to be left alone to do what I want to do: ride my bike, watch college football, eat smoked meats and drink cold beer. But if I am forced to take a side, I will resist for as long as I can. But even for me, there comes a time when you have to pull back the slide on the Glock, and level the sights...

And we ain't there yet.

Yet.

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Not yet. But some days it feels like we’re about to slide off the edge. I hate hearing people seemingly advocating for a civil. I doubt those people have seen a civil war or any kind of war for that matter. They sectarian violence. It would be ugly on a scale they can’t imagine.

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Sonuvabitch would be better off staying in jail if he killed my boy. He would live longer there.

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As noted previously, this guy is irredeemable. He can't be fixed and he's incapable of remorse.

He should never again be allowed to interact with free people. Not ever.

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Unless he’s in PA with Fetterman.

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The next politically motivated murder of a leftist by a dyed-in-the-wool MAGAT will be the first, but that doesn't stop the Corporate Left from saying we might do it! The thing about Bidet and The Left is that they NEED to make Republicans (not just the semi-fascist MAGA ones, but ALL of them) to be so toxic, so radioactive, that being in public wearing any damn red hat is asking for a beating. Why? Because that is all they got. That's it. They don't have an economy they can run on, they don't have stellar foreign relations they can point to, they can't point to any one policy that did any one any good, and they can't even say they STOPPED THE VIRUS! because the Branch-Covidians are mainly comprised of D-Party doners. They have nothing. If all Bidet did was sit at his vacation home and slurp pudding, then the D-Party might be able to run on something. But no, he ran this car into a ditch, he knows it, they know it, we know he knows it, and he knows we know he knows that he's holding this flaming bag of dog shit they call an economy.

You can't run on "PUTIN DID IT!"

M Night Sham-a-lama-ding-dong is trapped in a cage of his own design. Every movie he makes needs to have a SURPRISE!! in it that no one saw coming. I gave up on him as a director after Signs. You're telling me that this superior race of beings, so damn smart they travelled the span of the universe, had NO DAMN IDEA they weren't just allergic to water, but it was toxic to them? Oh come on! Even I know that this rock is almost all water. It's like me traveling to a planet made up of battery acid and going "oh yes, I'ma build a sweet cabin here!"

(That's at least how I remember Signs. The details escape me and I'm too lazy to confirm or not)

(And I'm not saying that a MAGA *won't* kill someone based on politics alone, there are way too many of them out there to make such a sweeping promise. I'm saying it hasn't happened. YET. That I'm aware of.)

(But, again, what do I know? I only know my Oregon Ducks need to whoop up on the Wazzu Cougs this weekend. That and the Worlds are on Sunday. Good sports weekend for this bike racing, duck-loving duck.)

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September 23, 2022Edited
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amen. Seems like that was set in Bucks County PA? Around that time I believe that county had the most licensed deer hunters in the nation. So leaving in a farm house there wasn’t a shotgun or 22 rifle around for varmints or hunting? That kind of put me off.

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That was awesome! Saved your comments to my notes for talking points. But I think you’re wrong about one thing. They can and will run on “Putin did it”. Well that and calling the other side fascists and threats to democracy. Funny I feel a lot more threatened by Biden and his minions.

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September 23, 2022
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And don’t forget racist. And deplorable while we’re at it.

I figure if Hillary Clinton hates me I’m good.

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To show what a nerd I am, I'll chime in that the logical inconsistencies in "Signs" were pointed out in that gripping documentary series, "Stargate SG-1." A scene opens with one of the lead characters complaining that a species that can't stand water has to be beyond stupid to try to invade a planet that's surface is over 70% water.

However, if you view that movie as the story of one man's faith lost, then found, It's pretty good.

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Agreed. The heart of that movie was Mel Gibson struggling with being angry at God. Not disbelieving - but being actively angry at God - and how shocking that was to Joaquin Phoenix's character. The aliens, the lack of career, the health struggles of his nephew, the helplessness in the face of his brother's grief all could be handled, but the thought that his devout brother could be walking away from God in anger and unforgiveness is what he pushes back against.

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Which leads me to believe that everyone (perhaps especially Mr. Shamalan) is missing the point of his movies. He seems stuck in the suspense/horror genre, but he is telling very nuanced stories of people dealing with profound changes in their worldview. "Sixth Sense," "Signs," "The Village," are all about the moment that worldview shift. He stages that as a twist ending because he wants the realization to be as profound to the audience as it is to his characters.

His use of the twist ending became his brand. Now everybody that goes to one of his movies cannot trust the narrative, because they know they will have the rug pulled from underneath them in the last few minutes.

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Lemme tell you something about that boy who was murdered: he was a good looking young man who loved life. You could tell by that picture. To have his light snuffed out so early, that is painful. I have a daughter his age, and my son is 22. I can't imagine what I would do if someone decided they couldn't live because of what they believe, politically.

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September 23, 2022
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September 23, 2022
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Never ends well for anyone. Not the victims of politically motivated violence, or for those (like you and me, I'm guessing) who just want to live peacefully and not bother anyone.

For the longest time, I really believed in a "national divorce." But I don't know if we can do that. I used to think we could, seeing how Czechoslovakia divorced relatively peaceably. But we're looking more and more like Yugoslavia, breaking up in a violent manner.

The problem is, one side wants to be left alone. The other side wants to rule. This is a 30,000 foot level observation at best, and it fails upon close scrutiny, I will grant that. I see way too many people who will not be happy till everyone else believes like they do.

I think about the Trans thing. Look, I just do not care what you do. You want to "live your truth" then go for it, as long as you don't hurt anyone and as long as you don't force anyone to believe as you... and especially if you leave the kids alone. But no. They are all, "You will be made to care" and if I am not an "ally" and if I say anything less than a full-throated defense of Transing the kids, then I'm a "transphobic hater" who doesn't deserve to have a different opinion and needs to be kicked off any respectable platform, and hounded till I am brought to heal.

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Absolutely correct, it never ends well. We used to wonder what type of person goes from a "good german" to happily shoving jews, gypsies, slavs into an oven.

Now we know the type, we've met them.

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There was also Aaron Danielson, killed by Antifa member Michael Reinoehl for taking part in a Trump rally. I lost my faith in the American experiment the next day when a man-in-the-street interview asked a woman in NY what she thought of the violence, and her response was, "Tough. Don't be a Trump supporter in Portland."

I'm a MAGA-head, though I am leaning toward DeSantis. I find your guts amusing. Have a good weekend.

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I live close to Portland, in fact my daughter is going to school there. I literally fear going to visit her. I never felt that way before. Never. I went to the University of Oregon in the 80's, and it was liberal back then, even until I moved from Eugene in 1996. But I hate going back, and I refuse to support my school financially. I do support the Athletic Department. But the rest? F**k them kids.

But the chance I go visit my daughter and take a wrong turn and get in the middle of a street protest and find myself trapped and people rocking my car and then having no escape... that is a non insignificant chance of happening. That is a real thing, I've seen it happen.

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I lived in or near Portland, OR for over 20 years. I loved that city. It's unique geography (there are wilderness areas within the city limits! A drawbridge leading to an extinct volcano!) and its odd civic character are (were) charming.

I left back in 1980 and now the hate and violence break my heart. Friends who stayed are leaving in a steady flow. The move North to Washington or East to Bend or Madras. Non go South to the State We Shall Not Name.

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I lived in PDX for about a year, and it was a great year. 1992. And even though I slept on the floor of my friends apartment, it was a glorious time. And THAT is why I lament what has happened to Portland since then. The city has been hijacked by the worst, most malevolent people you can imagine. Slowly, slowly, this cancer of ANTIFA has metastasized since the late 90's to the point where, like all cancers, they are killing the host. In this case it is the city, the state, the region of the NW which I love so much... or used to love so much.

I would move to Texas in a heartbeat, if the heat didn't bother my wife as much as it does.

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Murdering people with even 'suspected' ideological differences is the logical endpoint for the "punch a Nazi" crowd. You start by deciding that violence is ok to use on people who hold views you find odious. Then it expands to include what additional violence may be justified, and who you target starts to expand too. Once you can categorize what you can do to "Nazis" to include even murder and expand your concept of who is a "Nazi", then you can feel justified murdering just about anyone... like this guy did.

The left has been playing with fire for a long time on this stuff, largely with no consequence. It won't stop until the consequences of engaging in this stuff is too great, therefore I won't expect it to end anytime soon.

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Yes, it is the logical end point to "punch a nazi." Been saying that to anyone who will listen to me (which is few, because I'm a duck after all)

The same with the rhetoric of the racist left. Ibram X Kendi, I am convinced, will not be satisfied until white people endure 400 years of slavery. There are dozens and dozens of examples of racists on TikTok literally agitating for a race war. I've seen it.

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I'm retired for a year now, but when I was working for the PA legislature, M. Night pretty much got as much of the state's film tax credit as he wanted for his projects, since he'd do them all in the state.

That meant millions of dollars already guaranteed for the production. So that makes his movies a safe financial bet for Hollywood financiers. In case anyone wonders why he keeps getting work after The Village.

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Okay. Sometimes I worry myself. Pretty much my first thought when I saw and heard about that murdering nutcase, was along the lines of "I'm really old. If he did that to one of my grandchildren of that age, I'd plot it carefully (trying to not get caught) and then give him an extremely painful ending so that he could know what was happening, and why. Then if caught I'd throw myself on the mercies of a jury of my peers and hope for the best. Failing that, it's off to prison for me. No pleading out. Drag out the process as long as possible for as much publicity as possible."

Then I thought, "Is that really who I am? Who I have been all these years?" I'm not sure I want to answer those questions.

However, back when I was a young man in my home, very rural, county, a jury let off a friend of mine who stabbed his brother-in-law to death with a single blow using a paring knife. The general assessment was that the b-i-l was a well-known a-hole and was "asking for it." Sort of a FAFO situation.

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September 23, 2022
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Didn't see that one. What, roughly, was it?

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The reporter’s question and the LEO answer about “extreme Republicans” is of a type you would not normally hear in other cases: “Chief, was there any evidence to support the rapist’s claim that the victim was just dressed entirely too provocatively and that’s why he raped and killed her?” No, Mr. Acosta, there is no evidence of that!”

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Ok what a m night that you watch and geez..old. I watched cuz I kinda like his plot twists...interesting take. Campy bit heh...m night. Can’t say I completely wasted the time...better than some of the other crap out there. So I’ll probably watch this one. At least they’re “thinking” worthy.

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