Posts Made By: James Brown

Originally Posted by James Brown

But, I think that the modern phenomenon of filtering information through a titanium-clad social media bubble is a huge culprit, as that explains the vaccine hesitancy of certain otherwise divergent groups, like white R males and black D males.  Of course, Politicians of both stripes said really stupid things at various times during the pandemic and that did not help, but I think our society's  self-imposed information bubbles are the real problem.   

Jim

 

No interest in trashing my theories Rich?  I'm disappointed.  I'll reiterate that I think our modern self-imposed information bubbles are a big culprit in fostering anti-vax sentiment.  Rapper Nicki Minaj apparently raised a hostile twitter storm yesterday when she indicated she was not yet vaccinated because a friend's fiancée became impotent and his balls swelled up after the injection.  (Look it up).  This sort of anecdotal BS is laughable to us outsiders, but Nicki took it seriously enough to post it on her twitter feed.  She then compounded the error in the eyes of the woke by saying she was going to pray for guidance on the vaccination issue.  Oops.

I'm not posting this to trash Ms. Minaj.  There are literally hundreds of thousands of white republicans who are refusing the vaccine for similarly specious anecdotal reasons.  (you know, the guys Rod loves to trash).  We will never know why Rich's brother presumably refused the vaccine, but if Rich were forthright, I'd guess it is because of some anecdote or general groupthink that he let through his bubble - not specifically because of something Biden or Harris said!  (sheesh).

I'm not giving Trump or Biden a pass here - I think it is obvious that the stupid rhetoric they have spewed now and then about the vaccine, it's safety, the rush to approve, and so on does percolate through some people's bubbles and certainly affects the overall groupthink dynamic of groups that resist vaccination.  But who really believes politicians, especially those on "the other side"??  My guess is that the groupthink itself, festering within social media bubbles is overwhelming far too many people.  How much of this social media spawned and propagated groupthink is initially generated by the political class?  Interesting question, but the groupthink itself is the real problem.

Jim

Originally Posted by Brian McFarland

Not expecting an answer, are you? Or how about an honest answer?

Of course not.  Rich is obviously not so stupid as to fall into the shallow trap of admitting that his bro was unvaccinated.  The obvious follow up question would be "why not" and Rich can anticipate that any honest answer certainly would not be "because of what Kamala Harris said in a political debate..."  

So Rich avoids the trap.  (Especially funny given his "Bueller...Bueller" taunts posted when someone has not answered him within 5 minutes)  But meanwhile he spins and lies and gaslights (as so thoroughly documented by James) on an issue he knows is BS.  I mean seriously, who does Rich expect to convince?  No one on earth will believe that all (any) of the Republicans out there who are refusing vaccination are doing it because of something Biden or Harris said.

Rich is one strange dude.

Jim

Originally Posted by Jim Moscheck

I just want to know if I'm a foolish liberal or a moronic leftist. 

Both of course!  

Originally Posted by Jim Moscheck

No that was referring to all of the posts you make that no one seems to respond to. Even your right wing buddies here don't post in them. You want me to list all of the threads, views, and responses to your bombastic trolling? 

Sure, I cherry-picked the snip below, but I only had to go back a week or so.  

Originally Posted by Jim Moscheck

I paid up a year's membership in order to sell a scope or two and some accessories.

I've have been reading this forum while I've been away. Steve Martin has a similar reaction as I have reading some of these posts.

I heard that on 9/11 Donald Trump got an insane amount of money on something that was over in 81 seconds.

Stormy Daniels said, "Sounds about right. 

G'day to you all.    

Hi Jim:

So, I finally watched the Steve Martin clip. That was pretty funny.  So is your Stormy D. quip.  But you know how You Tube goes....  Not sure how the videos on my own side bar are selected, probably based upon intimate knowledge of everything about me stored in some central database somewhere. 

Anyway, the top choice was Israel Kamakawiwoʻole's sweet rendition of "Somewhere over the Rainbow." The video ends with footage of his celebration of life/funeral.  Wow.  1.1 Billion views.  Wow. 

Next up was Johnny Cash, months before his death, doing the NIN song "Hurt."  Double Wow.  Triple wow.  Seriously, the June Carter Cash cameo is amazing.  I have the album and it is a favorite, but I had not seen the video before.  The New Testament symbolism might be a bit much for some, but for me - Wow.

Jim  

If anyone is interested:  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1bFr2SWP1I  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AHCfZTRGiI

Originally Posted by Rod Kaufman

And many who participated in the insurrection state it was Trump who incited them. He was righteously impeached by the House for doing so...

Hi Rod, Jim:

Is Trump a mastermind or a buffoon? 

You guys think he incited violence.  If Trump truly was inciting an insurrection,  he clearly was cagey enough to walk up to the line of criminality but not step over it.  I have read the transcript of his speech.  Some quotes taken out of context make it sound like he was inciting violence.  But overall, each of those quotes, in context, has a more  innocuous "political rah-rah" interpretation too.  If Trump was actually inciting violence, he was masterful and cautious - he spun up the crowd to march on the Capitol, but never really exposed himself to legit criminal charges.  This would be Trump the mastermind, and I'm not buying it.

I think he spun up the crowd of adoring fans without thinking of any consequences.  When did he ever think before he acted?  Did he even know there were some in the crowd hell-bent on violence, up to and including allegedly hanging Pence?  I doubt it.  Maybe he should have known the danger.  Maybe he should have listened to level headed advice.  But when did he ever do that, to this day?  I'm in the Trump as a buffoon camp, and I do not think the second impeachment was righteous at all.  

We'll see if any future or current president pays the price for cheapening the impeachment process into something along the lines of a feeble censure.   You could argue that the cheapening of impeachment has been a long time coming, and you'd be right - but that does not mean the most recent instance was a good idea.

Jim

Originally Posted by Jim Moscheck

Oh, and this was too funny yesterday not to post. Actual screen shot from Fox News. LOL. I guess his producers know something the rest of Fox viewers don't. 

That is funny!

Originally Posted by James Lacey

Surely you guys didn't miss Tucker Carlson defending Nicki Minaj’s story about her cousin’s friend’s swollen testicles? Supposedly caused by the COVID vaccine?

Her story was nuts, and Tucker was ballsy to even touch it. 

bah-da-boom.  Will you be here all week James? 

Originally Posted by Richard Davis

Really?? Where did anyone here say they were against taking the vaccine?

Answer: Nobody did. 

You are simply getting your pink panties in a wad Forrest over inferences that you are making which are not correct.

Rather than getting hysterical like a schoolgirl, understand the facts and what is being said here.

The fact is that YES, natural immunity is better.  It always has been that way.

Your CDC is all over the map and changing their opinions day by day.

They aren't trustworthy.  

Here is the Israeli study. 

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.08.24.21262415v1.full.pdf

Conclusions: This study demonstrated that natural immunity confers longer lasting and stronger protection against infection, symptomatic disease and hospitalization caused by the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2, compared to the BNT162b2 two-dose vaccine-induced immunity.

Rich - you are arguing a minor point that sidesteps the larger issue.  Laypersons don't really need to debate whether the immunity conferred by the disease versus immunity conferred by the vaccine is better or longer lasting.  Perhaps natural immunity is better, maybe not.  From the perspective of a hypothetical person who has not gotten the disease, why care?

Most of the people getting sick in this wave are not vaccinated and also probably have not yet been sick with Covid, so they have no immunity from either source.  We agree on that point right?  

So, do we also agree that rational healthy people should get vaccinated, to avoid getting sick and risking serious disease in the first place?  I can't think of any particular reason for you to disagree with that, other than a desire to disagree with everything.  

Jim

Originally Posted by Richard Davis

Dr. Marty Makary's response to Fauci's remarks:

When you do so you inadvertently divert from people who need the vaccine to people who don't need it.  

That is pretty old data in the US anyway.  Anyone who wants can get vaccinated anywhere for free in the US.  There is no supply shortage.  Jim