GreatWhiteNorth

You don't even make any sense here. Sweeping generalities about who? Poster initiated the Alean-song "small town" angry garbage. I responded with a deep-south, small town gif. Tell me how it's racist and I'll agree with you.

Excellent, you had inside knowledge that the rest of us didn't have. So, you were able to unscramble that puzzle all by yourself. Nicely done. See - I told you to keep working on it. Keep at it. Use your words, and others' words will come easier. Practice.

It's OK. Keep working on it. We're not judging you. You'll get better.

Let me guess where you grew up...

No, not true. That is an uninformed post, and not relevant to my original post. As I said in my above quote - "went through training and passed all the necessary requirements.) Basic stuff here. Nobody, and I mean nobody, wants police officers that can somehow cheat to qualify. Law enforcement is a critical part of our society and no cheating should be tolerated. None.

Quoting other people is conventionally done with quotation marks - so as it to make it clear the words aren't the author's. In addition, referencing the 'actual vets' somewhere, perhaps a footnote, is also a popular convention. Not only does it make it clear that the post writer isn't the original author - but it is also a respectful way to credit the actual author. Which is important if the actual author's words are considered valuable. With these types of mechanisms, we can avoid the miscommunication that otherwise can result in unnecessary disagreement.

So, I'm a "fascist"? You're proving to not only not know what the word means, but also that you are nothing more than a turd poster that I gave too much credit to. That's on me. I should have known better after you made a post pretending to be a Marine (the post below.) On social media, as much as most pretend to hate politicians - it is filled with at least as many liars like you. Likely many more.

It's like now that immigrants get visas and can become police officers (after they went through training and passed all the necessary requirements.) It's... well, not sure how to describe it other than it sounds legitimate to me. If you remember, the stereotypical Irish policeman from old school movies was based on the fact that many Irish immigrants did, in fact, become police officers. They were immigrants and were in a position to take whatever jobs they could get. Being a police officer, at the time, was one of the less desirable jobs available. So, a perfect fit. Doesn't sound all that much different than today.

Bibrog - I get it. You seem to have been offended by me somewhere along the line. Now you take every opportunity you have to try to get back at me. OK, Cool. Keep at it. Just be careful of what people you align with in your effort. Some of them aren't nearly as smart as you are - or nearly as sincere. Not even close. OH -And, also, I don't read/post during the day. That's when I am focused on working. I read/post mainly at night, when my daytime responsibilities are complete. I also don't necessarily read/post every day. I am sometimes otherwise engaged. So - if I don't respond. Don't be too quick to get on a high horse about "he can't respond" ... it's more likely I'm not here.

Neither.

You are becoming more and more tedious each day. Below is the post you made two days ago (unedited) - reads like someone claiming to be a Marine combat vet. There are actual, real, military folks here - some with combat experience. What you're posting is a disgrace.

I know you claim to be a jarhead, but none of the marines I know are so delicate about other people's opinions. In fact, they are generally not at all concerned about much that isn't actually important. I can't think of one that would be bothered to try to stir the pot all day on a silly internet message board. If you really are a marine, and not another internet fake, you seem to be a soft version. Be yourself, I support you.

That's my cue... "You're a moron insect!" Hey - Bigbrog, how'd I do? Didn't know if I should do crickets or names, so I did both.

FFS, Why? Why do you insist on continuing to beat this battered horse? As I've said repeatedly, I don't claim to be a weapons expert. I see no need for either of us to make this personal. Here's what I do know: "Sale of new AR-15s in the US was banned by the Federal Assault Weapons Ban from 1994 to 2004" Banned for a decade, because, you guessed it, they were Assault Weapons. Not only .223, some used 5.56 cartridges (which are very similar - yet not the same) My facts are from a specific source, this one - Colt AR-15 - Wikipedia The details of the Federal Ban are here - Federal Assault Weapons Ban - Wikipedia Seems like some people think AR-15's are assault rifles, while others think they are not. To be sure, It's nowhere near clear-cut. So, maybe we stop beating on this poor horse?

Well - that was something. In an effort to stop your technique AKA "baffle with bullshit"... Let's take your questions one at a time: "Is woke Marxist?" "Woke" is just stupid. Moderates of both parties are in that camp - quit that already. "Is an AR15 an assault rifle?" The AR-15 is not a specific weapon, the name has been used for multiple weapons from the 50's to now. "Does AR stand for assault rifle?" This is a legitimate question (finally.) The Dictionary has a definition, the US Army has a different one. Given the lack of a definitive definition, I see it as a yes - it does. Yours may be different. That's cool w/me. In the US, we have that kind of freedom. We don't have to agree on everything. It's OK, comrade OTM. "does anyone take these guys seriously?" Your Abbot and Costello routine earlier was just too much. That was a clown show of the highest order. Oh - and that last point you made, which is DAF: "I’m not going through it all, but masks are useless for aerosolized virus." Again, you are DAF here Masks are absolutely useful for aerosolized viruses - you know that surgeons wear them in the OR. N95 masks are extremely effective - like 80%... sure, other masks are less effective. If you interest is to have a conversation - maybe stop with the piling of bullshit and instead bring up a topic at a time so we can discuss them one at a time. Maybe agree, maybe disagree, but nothing wrong with an honest conversation. If your point is to be a jerk - then keep doing what you're doing.

Well, there you go. That's a start. It's not a meaningful point - it lacks any substance. But it's a start. Keep at it. You'll get better.

Really, seriously, I don't hate you. I don't even know you. But if you're going to post - you really should have a point. If your point is "read more google", then you don't have a point.

As I just posted on another thread... if you've got a point, make it. Otherwise, you're nothing more than a dull distraction. My time is better spent following the f'ing Russians committing war crimes in Ukraine. Those b**tards.

If you've got a point, make it - otherwise run along.

Meh... Not conspiracy theories. Just regular people trying to work through a pandemic like we've never seen: Efficacy of face masks Masks do work, to some degree, especially the higher end ones. How much did they work? The lower end ones... nowhere near 100% - that was clear. But it was also clear that it was something we could all do at a time when many felt helpless. It was a start. In other countries, when people feel like they are getting a cold, etc. they wear a mask to work/school so they don't infect others. That has been a custom since long before Covid. They work. closing things down At the beginning of the pandemic there was a huge discussion about "do we over-react, or do we under-react?" Either way, the naysayers will be pointing fingers at us afterward. It was a legitimate question. Most states chose to overreact and do more rather than less. Err on the side of caution. At the time, I was a big proponent of continuing with NCAA D1 Wrestling in Minneapolis. I later changed my mind. In hindsight, it probably would have been OK to hold the NCAA tournament. But things are different when there are more questions than answers. social distancing Social distancing works. It did then, and it does now. kids and schools I have close friends who are teachers. Keeping kids out of school did, in fact, hurt their progress. Which is something they and I were concerned about from the beginning. Did it help control the spread? Yes, it did, at least a tiny bit. But just like masks and social distancing - it's almost impossible to know how much or how little. Maybe much more - or not. origin of Covid This one got a lot of press on MSM... not sure I care much. Not sure we'll ever know. I doubt it. Not sure that it really matters. This was a legitimate "conspiracy theory" on the list. There were many theories. IMO, none of them provable, none of them terribly helpful. But there were theories. how Covid deaths were counted They were counted as best as the medical community could do given the circumstances. We're all imperfect people, living in imperfect conditions, with imperfect resources. Deaths were counted, and they were imperfect counts. Not sure that anyone should be surprised by that. "Conspiracy theories" did exist here too, about folks getting paid to lie, etc. Just talk w/o basis. These things were definitely topics of discussion - but only the last (2) had any roots in "conspiracy"... and the conspiracy portion wasn't terribly important or relevant to the bigger picture.

"Google searches for data is 2 or 3 years old"? Not sure what you're referring to here, but if it's published on the web, I'd be surprised if Google doesn't find and index it within a few days. I'm not attacking you, I was just surprised to read your statement and wanted to follow up to clarify.

Conspiracy Theory = Pizzagate, Jewish space lasers starting forest fires, Qanon's secret cabal... The woke dictionary thread was DAF. Stop trying to be a R=Good, L=Bad clown. Conspiracy theories exist across parties. Even people who claim to be a diehard member of either party can see that clearly. Some will even admit it. Trump lied about marching along with the J6 protesters. He said he would, and instead went straight back to watch it live on TV in the White House. This was proven during the J6 hearings. The guy is a coward. Sitting in as the most powerful leader in the world, he could have made any choice he wanted to. He chose to hide. But if you consider the J6 hearings as another conspiracy group - then just watch any of the video's that show it. (Although I suspect you've seen them many times by now.) They are all over youtube. If you can't find them, let me know and I'll send you a few links.

Just the one in "humor"...

Just a pile of incorrect statements in that post. I feel no need to convince you, or anyone else, that what Russia is doing right now in Ukraine is incredibly wrong and incredibly dangerous to much of (if not all) the world population. F'ing Russians - no need for that garbage.

If you feel rap music with violent themes should be "quash"'d - then by all means, go for it. Make a difference! I'm no fan of violent reap music (kill the cops, etc) either. I'd probably support your efforts. Again - go for it! On the other hand, if you just sit quietly by as others who want to make a difference actually show up and make their personal concerns into action... and they succeed while you don't due to lack of action. Then they did something, and you're just pathetic for whining about it when you didn't show up.