mtutiger

I respect and get buddha's position on Ukraine, having said that I really struggle with the fact that it really sucks for the majority of Ukrainians who may want some self determination in who they align with or what alliances they are allowed to form. The reality is that, despite all the talk about "Russia's sphere of influence", the sizable majority of Ukrainians do not want to be aligned with Russia and want closer ties with the EU. And ultimately, what we are learning is what Ukrainians want really doesn't matter. Maybe that's an unresolvable problem, but it still sucks regardless.

Or Roberts....

Good point on Graham.... he's been inconsistent on almost everything else, but the only thing he seems to remain firm on is his view on the Senates role wrt advice and consent.

Lisa Murkowski wouldn't either, along with Collins and Romney. He'll get to replace Breyer

Sure. But if I'm someone who lives in a community, is an engaged parent and there isn't space for my kid in a charter school, why should my tax dollars to educating someone elses? It's not hard to imagine scenarios involving charter schools I'm getting f'd harder than with current public school funding scheme.

I never said it didn't have merit, but let's be honest, it's also a system that rewards some kids while screwing others. I highlight rural areas because, despite the focus on underperforming urban schools whenever this debate comes up, they are an area that get hits hard by this as well. I grew up in a rural community, 40 minutes from the nearest sizable city of significance, luckily one with fairly highly rated schools for the area. But I also understand, being Catholic in a town with a sizable Lutheran parochial school for K-8, how public funding for these institutions can have an impact on a districts bottom line. And how that may impact the level education that people who don't have that option get, despite having engaged parents or a will to succeed.

Isn't it fair to say, though, that vouchers would also take money away from schools that perform reasonably well and perhaps reduce their level of success? Vouchers don't just lead to reduced money for the bad schools, it affects all of them. And this is particularly the case in not just urban areas, but in rural areas as well.

Yes, and not just in Houston and Dallas, but in a lot of suburban communities as well. Particularly on COVID.

This is the thing about the Terry McAuliffe gaffe during the campaign... it clearly was a gaffe, saying that parents shouldn't have control over schooling is never gonna play well. Having said that, as we are currently learning from living in our red state, 'parents' aren't a monolith.... it's really just a question about which set of parents are empowered and get to call the shots and which set of parents have no voice at all. As far as I'm concerned, I'm in the latter group; if you don't agree with their line, these clowns are making the job of being a parent harder in Texas, and that now appears to be case in Virginia as well.

Maybe the Tigers were onto something when they put Spring Training tickets on sale haha

I'm pretty intolerant of LeBron's views on China and their actions against the Uyghurs, if that's what you are after. Not to mention the league as a whole.

Background (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Clymer)

I would have went with "No Shit, Sherlock".... it would have pointed out the absurd stupidity of the question in a less personal way lol

And regarding the "Orange Man did it too" comment.... One thing "Orange Man" didn't do after any of his comments is show any interest in apologizing. Biden did, as any adult would do. Second, when Biden talks about "shithole" countries or tells an Asian reporter to "ask China" in response to a question. Or maybe when he tells a Hispanic reporter to go back to Univision... or mocks a disabled reporter, maybe I'll see the comparison. Off of this, I'm just not seeing it.

A couple of things: Biden was clearly in the wrong here. I know a lot of liberals will say he was right (and yeah, it was a dumb question), but he shouldn't have called him an SOB. Presidents should stay above that kinda stuff, although like anyone under pressure, they can slip or make mistakes. But also, if the immediate reaction to an apology is that the apology doesn't matter and both sides are the same, doesn't that just provide incentives for public figures to just act like bigger and bigger jackwagons and double down going forward?

I just assume he's on the take. Never would be able to prove it, but he tries too hard for it to be genuine

Seems like something an adult would do

Maybe they watched the KC-Buffalo game and got worried about giving up even more market share to the NFL lol

Yeah, I think it does as well. Although I'd probably hold off on that trip to Lakeland in early March lol

It's almost like there's a pattern of asking dumb questions with Doocy

Buddha brought him into it. And yes, he's an idiot too. For the exact incident you highlight. And, whats your point exactly? Why is it my job to account for opinions I don't personally hold?

All the more reason why I don't need to hear the people who directed "shut up and dribble" at James/Kaepernick defend Rodgers on that basis. Conservatives, particularly the social media set, get off the hook way too easy for this kind of hypocrisy. I really don't need to hear from the same people who direct that at LeBron or Kaepernick, or going back even further, stunted Natalie Maines' career prospects on this.

Of course they have the right. Some are just mad that the rest of us have the right to hold an opinion on Aaron Rodgers.

In terms of there being two standards, it's pretty clear that's the case for Laura Ingraham. At the end of the day, all of this stuff boils down to the fact that people think 1A means that they (or whichever celebrity they find themselves aligned with) can say whatever they want without without any sort of consequences or blowback. And that's just not how any of this works.... In reality, it's never been how any of this has ever worked. The only difference now is that, simliar to what I said to Archie on the Mars controversy in another thread, is that the culture has changed. What maybe wouldn't have generated heat in 2003 now generates it in 2022. And, consequently, a lot of people aren't happy about that.

My response belies this claim.