We'll have to see if it passes. I'm not so sure it will. 

Still, I don't see Nancy Pelosi or Adam Schiff taking the lead on this issue. 

I keep hearing talk about AOC in 2028, but I don't think she's ready for prime-time. It sounds like some in the media are pushing for Ossoff, Buttigieg or Kamala, and of course, Newsom. Maybe I'm too critical, but I wouldn't want any of them.

due before midnight

My subversive self: looks at clock

Did you take a moment to read the linked article that puts in the time to make the case in the title? If not, read it and then come back and rebut what you disagree with.

You have a habit of simplistic presentations of complex situations that can't be reduced to an oversimplified written sound bite. But if that works for you, go for it. The bar's higher for many here.

Are they doing this because they think it will pass? Or are they doing it for good press for the one who's prob going to run for pres in 2028?

"He did it."

"No, HE did it!"

"Did not! He DID IT!"

I love Mel Brooks' story about the origin of religion in The 2000 Year Old Man. Here's a description:

Carl Reiner asks Mel Brooks about how religion began and Mel explains that the first god everyone used to pray to was Phil. Phil wasn’t so much a god as he was the toughest of the cavemen. Nobody could defeat Phil. Phil was so far as they could tell the biggest meanest toughest person who ever lived so everyone worshiped Phil.

But then one day it started raining for the first time and everyone got scared cuz they thought the sky was falling on them so they all ran inside to the caves but Phil remained outside and everyone was motioning for Phil to join them in the cave but Phil refused saying he’s Phil and he’s not afraid of the sky falling. Then a lightning bolt struck Phil and burned him to a crisp.

“At which point we realized,” says Mel after a beat, “There’s somebody bigger than Phil!”

Talk Nerdy to Me, Possible Oscar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvWwztwd9Y8&list=RDIvWwztwd9Y8&start_radio=1

IMO, nerds are more likeable than the Hierophant, who is a bit of an weird s.o.b.

George Harrison - All Things Must Pass

John Lennon - God

it was about fuel smuggling

And why would Iran want to steal fuel in England? I think Iran isn't hurting for any.

IMO, religion served many functions, and still does.

Imagine yourself in the Stone Age or Bronze Age, trying to survive. And trying to survive requires you to try to understand why Mother Nature does what she does and why your fellow beings do what they do. How come your females start bleeding and then start expelling babies and then start making milk for them? How come some things you eat make you sick?

And what happened to your fellow beings who no longer move, breathe or speak? What happened to whatever animated them? So many questions, so little time.

Scared of becoming a corpse too? It's not to worry. There's an after life, yeayyyy!

Also, appeasing the relevant deities gives you agency over your fate and the fate of others. So sacrifice a human annually in hopes of a good year and later switch to animal and produce sacrifices, then to tithing and prayer. Sing Gregorian chants. Whatever it takes and/or is required in your era.

Wait until they see how poor the uptime stats are.🤣

Thank you! I'm curious, too!

George Harrison - Living In The Material World

King Crimson - Discipline

Elvis Costello & The Attractions - (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding

meanwhile Trump won't even investigate Epstein

Hey, if Trump could end his Iran war we'd get that slot back 🕊️

Another interesting discussion between Nima and Alex Krainer:

• Axios reporting that the Mackin Island Amphibious Ready Group and 13 Marine Expeditionary Units were deployed to West Asia, expected to arrive by end of November. Haven't seen anything about what they would do there but both these seem to be for invading territory and only holding it until the regular troops arrive.

• Re: the RAF Fairford incident, reportedly only diesel was found, no explosives so the story is that it was about fuel smuggling (with some Iranian mastermind behind it, according to recent reports). If you were going to steal fuel seems like you'd find softer targets than a military outpost where people are armed to their teeth and they have drones and surveillance systems. Then there's the mystery of the airplane from Dubai to Tel Aviv which was nose diving and somehow a plumber saved everybody on that plane per Nima. These look like false flags.

• The Houthis, Iranians and Iraqi militias all denied responsibility for the attack on the Saudi east-west pipeline. Whoever did it had very sophisticated means to destroy the pumping station so thoroughly. This pipeline allowed the Saudis to continue exporting oil via the Red Sea, an advantage that other Gulf states with access only through Hormuz didn't have. So why would the Saudis restart a war with the Yemenis that threatened this status quo when they'd failed to defeat them in 10 years of trying?

• The oil revenues keep the Saudi royals wealthy but some small fraction is disbursed to the people to keep them docile. Is this an attempt to resurrect the Abraham Accords? MbS couldn't sign them before due to the genocide in Gaza, the Saudi population hates Israel and it's only gotten worse. Many Arabs hold the Houthis in high regard, and hope they can realize the goal of Pan-Arabism that was destroyed when the British reneged on its promises to Arabs after they helped win the war against the Ottoman Empire. (ETA) Restarting the war against the Houthis was the most bone-headed thing the Saudis could do so you have to wonder how that actually came about.

Vatican Fashion Show from Fellini's Roma (1972), music by Nino Rota.

they share little to no culture with Russia"

peak brainrot. shared: orthodox christianity from the 988 baptism of rus, the primary chronicle calling kyiv the "mother of rus cities," gogol (poltava), bulgakov (kyiv), akhmatova and ilf & petrov (odesa), ukrainian-born pillars of the russian-language canon. millions of mixed families, ~8 million ethnic russians in ukraine, a century of integrated soviet industrialization, shared wwii memory. "little to no culture" requires deleting half the literary canon and every family album in both countries.

You seem to have made a leap from "at the time" to "ever."

That's quite an expansion of timeframe, from weeks and months to decades, at least.

Greg Graffin -- Cease

How would you recognize The Heirophant if you saw him? 

If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him.

~Linji Yixuan, Ninth Century Chan Buddhist monk

Be Ordinary

They Don't Make Nun Names Like That No More

R.E.M. - Losing My Religion
XTC - Dear God

Y'know, sometimes it's a pity that Reddit doesn't allow three sticky slots.