QUILTBAG-The fate of fabulous folks in foreign fields.

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > QUILTBAG-The fate of fabulous folks in foreign fields.

«‹›72 »

fishmech: Jul 16, 2006; by VideoGames; Salad Prong

Yardbomb posted:

I mean honestly depending on where you live, owning a pistol or something for self defense isn't a bad idea, just don't own it for crazy reasons.

Pistols are mainly good for committing suicide, they're pretty useless for any common self-defense scenario. Nobody should buy one for that purpose and it's real bad advice.

Taitale posted:

Isn't that normal for non-US western countries? NZ is the same, pretty sure Australia is too.

It's complicated, but in most western countries the boy and girl scouts will be separate organizations under one umbrella organization. And that umbrella organization ranges from just being vague cooperation and control of trademark ownership to really close working depending on country.

Of course, the US Boy Scouts has several programs that are mixed gender, like the Venturing program which is for boys and girls 13-21 or Sea Scouting for boys and girls 14-21.

# ? Jan 31, 2017 17:22

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? May 13, 2024 23:29

SubponticatePoster: Aug 9, 2004; Every day takes figurin' out all over again how to fuckin' live.; Slippery Tilde

Yardbomb posted:

I mean honestly depending on where you live, owning a pistol or something for self defense isn't a bad idea, just don't own it for crazy reasons.

I'm not a TFR poster, but I believe the general consensus is if you feel you must have a firearm for defense of your home then you get a shotgun. Actually hitting a target under duress with a pistol is difficult (especially in the dark) and a shotgun is more "point it in the general direction" and pull the trigger. Also shot doesn't have a tendency to go through 3 walls and kill somebody. Unless you live in a cabin in the woods where you'll also encounter large hostile wildlife it's still a bad idea though.

there wolf posted:

Small benefit of Trump being a loose cannon I guess? I do enjoy the general indifference and contempt he presents to the religious right. Maybe he can disillusion enough of them that they go crawling back into their churches and out of the political sphere.

At this point if his entire reason for not getting rid of LGBT protections is that he finds lesbians hot I'm ok with it, anything to stem the tide of this bullshit.

# ? Jan 31, 2017 17:38

Tias: May 25, 2008; Pictured: the patron saint of internet political arguments (probably)

This avatar made possible by a gift from the Religionthread Posters Relief Fund

Place knives and clubs around the house, pepper spray. Guns are dumb and won't come around quickly enough for you to help. Hell, take self-defense classes, there are plenty for gay and trans people - the willingness and skill to protect yourself is much more important than any tool.

# ? Jan 31, 2017 17:46

Fajita Queen: Jun 21, 2012

Guns for personal self defense are bad, but there is something to be said for their effectiveness as a mass deterrent in groups a la the old Black Panthers.

I feel like a LGBT version of that would be a bad idea right now for all sorts of reasons, though.

# ? Jan 31, 2017 17:51

bitterandtwisted: Sep 4, 2006

Shukaro posted:

*dies by police-involved shooting/home invasion for being trans*

Opening fire on American police is a great example of not being crazy!

# ? Jan 31, 2017 17:55

joat mon: Oct 15, 2009; I am the master of my lamp;
I am the captain of my tub.

Tias posted:

the willingness and skill to protect yourself is much more important than any tool.

This. A nice side effect will be that one will realize that guns are neither a panacea nor the boogeyman.

# ? Jan 31, 2017 17:55

Gynocentric Regime: Jun 9, 2010; by Cyrano4747

bitterandtwisted posted:

Opening fire on American police is a great example of not being crazy!

Exactly, I've got no illusions that I'm going to survive the raids, I just want to take one or two with me.

(USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)

# ? Jan 31, 2017 18:00

Yardbomb: Jul 11, 2011; What's with the eh... bretonnian dance, sir?

Shbobdb posted:

Owning a gun for self defense is a crazy reason.

Not really, having a regular old shotgun around to keep your home safe is pretty standard stuff for a lot of places, you live in a crummier area, somewhere more isolated or woodsy, things like that.

Also glazier is a dumb/crazy sounding person and is on the reverse side as someone who probably shouldn't be allowed around any guns.

Yardbomb fucked around with this message at 20:32 on Jan 31, 2017

# ? Jan 31, 2017 19:41

Instant Sunrise: Apr 12, 2007; The manger babies don't have feelings. You said it yourself.

Today in mixed messages, Trump is going to continue Obama's EO to protect federal contractors from discriminating against LGBT people.

# ? Jan 31, 2017 22:17

The MUMPSorceress: Jan 6, 2012; ^SHTPSTS; Gary’s Answer

Instant Sunrise posted:

Today in mixed messages, Trump is going to continue Obama's EO to protect federal contractors from discriminating against LGBT people.

Probably just to make it seem more justifiable when they pass FADA. They want the fig leaf of saying "see the government doesn't discriminate, just private entities exercising their rights." Dipshits will see this as a "common sense compromise".

# ? Jan 31, 2017 23:07

PT6A: Jan 5, 2006; Public school teachers are callous dictators who won't lift a finger to stop children from peeing in my plane

SubponticatePoster posted:

Unless you live in a cabin in the woods where you'll also encounter large hostile wildlife it's still a bad idea though.

Or near a school! Those pesky classroom grizzlies are a menace, from what I hear.

# ? Jan 31, 2017 23:38

Liquid Communism: Mar 9, 2004

fishmech posted:

Pistols are mainly good for committing suicide, they're pretty useless for any common self-defense scenario. Nobody should buy one for that purpose and it's real bad advice.

Shut up fishmech. You know as little about firearms as you know about anything else.

# ? Feb 1, 2017 09:27

stone cold: Feb 15, 2014

Liquid Communism posted:

Shut up fishmech. You know as little about firearms as you know about anything else.

Fishmech knows all....so fishmech knows everything about firearms?

:confused:

# ? Feb 1, 2017 09:34

RagnarokAngel: Oct 5, 2006; Black Magic Extraordinaire

Liquid Communism posted:

Shut up fishmech. You know as little about firearms as you know about anything else.

He's right tho.

# ? Feb 1, 2017 13:42

Prester Jane: Nov 4, 2008; by Hand Knit

So back in mid-November I called a few people I know who are involved in A.C.E. and got them talking about what was going on behind the scenes. (To be honest I let them lead me to Christ over the phone and when they were in the giddy glow of successfully "winning a soul" I got them talking. Its the cult version of getting someone drunk so they spill the beans. Not my proudest moment but I was curious how they were reacting.) Based on those conversations I was able to piece together the following analysis.

Prester Jane posted:

So on the topic of the Trump administration's plans for the future of education in America I have some interesting scuttlebutt to share. I recently checked in on some of the behind the scenes activity happening in Accelerated Christian Education and gleaned a few interesting tidbits. Mind you, I can't verify any of this, so take it with a grain of salt. That said, here are the highlights.

A.C.E. is currently working hard behind the scenes to get their graduates installed into Trump's administration, primarily targeting education related areas. They are not aiming for department heads but rather are billing their graduates as the perfect intern/clerk. Their general thinking seems to be that they will best be able to sway policy for now by making sure their people work intimately with the decision makers rather than being the decision makers themselves.

A.C.E. is gearing up for a massive expansion over the next four years. From what I gathered they expect Trump to dramatically increase Charter schools in conjunction with passing robust religious liberty laws that will permit A.C.E. to set up taxpayer funded charter schools all over the US.

A.C.E. expects that the round of religious liberty laws to be passed by the Trump Presidency will basically turn the phrase "sincerely held belief" into magic words that repel all forms of state oversight. Also expected in these religious liberty laws will be protections for corporal punishment in education, protections for what amounts to mandatory prayer in public schools, and protections for students/teachers who harass LGBT youth. (This will include the ability for educators to refuse certain services to LGBT students, student organizations to exclude LGBT youth in their charter, as well as the ability for states to enact mandatory reporting to parents if the student outs themselves as LGBT to school staff.)

One of their long term goals at present is to market A.C.E. as a system that can transform "wayward youth" into productive citizens. The general idea seems to be to set up taxpayer funded youth homes for children in crises (orphaned/homeless/abandoned) that are based entirely around A.C.E. More than that though they anticipate some of these homes as being transformation centers for LGBT children that have either been booted out of public/charter schools for "behavioral problems" or dropped off by their loving Christian parents.

The net effect of all this is it will make it possible for a school to harass an LGBT student until they drop out, at which point they can be sent by their parents (or in blood red states ordered by local courts) to attend one of these transformation centers. So if you are wondering what the plan to put LGBT youth into camps looks like, whelp.

In addition to Devos being selected for Secretary of Education there is another recent development in line with these projections. Jerry Falwell Jr. Says He Will Lead Federal Task Force on Higher-Ed Policy

The Chronicle of Higher Education posted:

Jerry L. Falwell Jr., president of Liberty University, has been asked by President Trump to head up a new task force that will identify changes that should be made to the U.S. Department of Education�s policies and procedures, Mr. Falwell told The Chronicle on Tuesday.

The exact scope, size, and mission of the task force has yet to be formally announced. But in an interview, Mr. Falwell said he sees it as a response to what he called �overreaching regulation� and micromanagement by the department in areas like accreditation and policies that affect colleges� student-recruiting behavior, like the new �borrower defense to repayment� regulations.

�The goal is to pare it back and give colleges and their accrediting agencies more leeway in governing their affairs,� said Mr. Falwell, who said he had been discussing possible issues with several other college leaders and at least one head of an accrediting agency for the past two months. �I�ve got notebooks full of issues,� he said.

Mr. Falwell said Mr. Trump had first asked him to head up the task force in November, when the two met at Trump Tower in New York. At the time, Mr. Falwell said he had declined Mr. Trump�s offer to become U.S. education secretary because �I wanted a role that would allow me to stay at Liberty.�

Mr. Falwell praised President Trump's nominee for education secretary, Betsy DeVos, whom he met for the first time recently, at a service at the Washington National Cathedral. "The task force will be a big help to her. It will do some of the work for her."

He kept the task-force offer private until Tuesday, when Steve Bannon, President Trump's chief strategist, gave him the green light to discuss it, according to Mr. Falwell.

For those who don't know who Jerry Falwell Jr. is, here is what he had to say about the 9-11 attacks:

Jerry Falwell posted:

The comments came as Falwell was appearing as a guest on Robertson's daily 700 Club program. Both expressed their sorrow and outrage over the attacks and advocated a strong response to the terror. Then Falwell elaborated on who, in addition to the terrorists who perpetrated the attacks, was responsible for them.

God, he told Robertson, had protected America "wonderfully these 225 years. And since 1812, this is the first time that we've been attacked on our soil and by far the worst results.

"Throwing God out successfully with the help of the federal court system, throwing God out of the public square, out of the schools," he said. "The abortionists have got to bear some burden for this because God will not be mocked. And when we destroy 40 million little innocent babies, we make God mad.

"[T]he pagans and the abortionists and the feminists and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way � all of them who have tried to secularize America," Falwell continued, "I point the finger in their face and say 'you helped this happen.'"

"Well, I totally concur," responded Robertson.

# ? Feb 1, 2017 16:34

fishmech: Jul 16, 2006; by VideoGames; Salad Prong

Liquid Communism posted:

Shut up fishmech. You know as little about firearms as you know about anything else.

Sorry buddy, pistols are only good for committing suicide, and that's why you should never recommend them to people especially for "self-defense". Especially to a demographic of people already much more likely to attempt suicide due to ongoing oppression and harassment from society.

# ? Feb 1, 2017 17:36

joat mon: Oct 15, 2009; I am the master of my lamp;
I am the captain of my tub.

Wow.

# ? Feb 1, 2017 17:43

Aleph Null: Jun 10, 2008; You look very stressed; Tortured By Flan

fishmech posted:

Sorry buddy, pistols are only good for committing suicide, and that's why you should never recommend them to people especially for "self-defense". Especially to a demographic of people already much more likely to attempt suicide due to ongoing oppression and harassment from society.

This is a true statement. I'm an American from a hunting family. Rifles and shotguns rule, pistols drool.

# ? Feb 1, 2017 17:48

Shalebridge Cradle: Apr 23, 2008

Prester Jane posted:

So back in mid-November I called a few people I know who are involved in A.C.E. and got them talking about what was going on behind the scenes. (To be honest I let them lead me to Christ over the phone and when they were in the giddy glow of successfully "winning a soul" I got them talking. Its the cult version of getting someone drunk so they spill the beans. Not my proudest moment but I was curious how they were reacting.) Based on those conversations I was able to piece together the following analysis.

In addition to Devos being selected for Secretary of Education there is another recent development in line with these projections. Jerry Falwell Jr. Says He Will Lead Federal Task Force on Higher-Ed Policy

For those who don't know who Jerry Falwell Jr. is, here is what he had to say about the 9-11 attacks:

It's there anyway to get this information out to a wider audience? I feel like the only way to stop this becoming an inevitability is to head it off early.

Also don't start gun chat with fishmech ffs. Don't be that loving stupid.

# ? Feb 1, 2017 17:52

Liquid Communism: Mar 9, 2004

No worries.

# ? Feb 1, 2017 17:59

Prester Jane: Nov 4, 2008; by Hand Knit

Shalebridge Cradle posted:

It's there anyway to get this information out to a wider audience? I feel like the only way to stop this becoming an inevitability is to head it off early.

I've emailed dozens of reporters and news agencies and even had a goon hook me up with an inside contact to a major media outlet. So far I haven't heard back from anyone no matter waht approach I try. Explaining what A.C.E is requires a loving novella with extensive citations and it is my guess that those emails are simply never read. So I've also tried sendin shorter emails trying to explain things in their simplest terms with the least grandiose language possible and I've still gotten nada.

There is just no way to say: "Hey I was raised in a network of cult schools that the GOP has been secretly sheltering for years because of backroom dealings with a shadowy but incredibly Major conservative thinktank that you have probably never heard of. (Council for National Policy) These schools utilize trauma-based mind control techniques and literally treat children like they are pigeons in a Skinner Box. The "curriculum" of these schools is essentially strait up white supremacy and Christian theocracy that frames anyone not a part of the Christian Right as literal demon possessed agents of Satan that must be opposed and repressed at any cost. The children that come out of this environment are custom built office drones with an insider track to positions of influence within the GOP and have been steadily taking over GOP politics from the inside for decades."- in a simple manner.

So for now I am directing my energy towards writing my new frameworks and waiting for a point in time where journalists/the public are hopefully a little bit more prepared to hear what needs to be said about A.C.E. and its sister programs.

# ? Feb 1, 2017 21:51

MaxxBot: Oct 6, 2003; you could have clapped

you should have clapped!!

That quote is from Jerry Falwell Sr not Jerry Falwell Jr, luckily the former is long since dead.

# ? Feb 1, 2017 21:57

Mr. Nice!: Oct 13, 2005; c-spam cannot afford

People like Kurt Cobain show us that even with shotguns, where there is a will, there is a way. The last thing suicidal people need period is access to any kind of effortless instant-off machine.

# ? Feb 1, 2017 23:39

Tuxedo Catfish: Mar 17, 2007; You've got guts! Come to my village, I'll buy you lunch.

Glazier posted:

Exactly, I've got no illusions that I'm going to survive the raids, I just want to take one or two with me.

Your life is worth more than that.

# ? Feb 2, 2017 01:49

joat mon: Oct 15, 2009; I am the master of my lamp;
I am the captain of my tub.

The leak of the draft of the "religious freedom" EO is out.

It's Mississippi all over again.

# ? Feb 2, 2017 03:09

Dwanyelle: Jan 13, 2008; ISRAEL DOESN'T HAVE CIVILIANS THEY'RE ALL VALID TARGETS
I'm a huge dickbag ignore me

Tuxedo Catfish posted:

Your life is worth more than that.

Besides, you won't take anyone out if they come to get you, they're too well trained and equipped.

# ? Feb 2, 2017 03:12

Gynocentric Regime: Jun 9, 2010; by Cyrano4747

Thalantos posted:

Besides, you won't take anyone out if they come to get you, they're too well trained and equipped.

You never know, it's worth a try. Worse case scenario you can take yourself out before they get you.

# ? Feb 2, 2017 03:14

fishmech: Jul 16, 2006; by VideoGames; Salad Prong

Glazier posted:

You never know, it's worth a try. Worse case scenario you can take yourself out before they get you.

Check yourself into a mental hospital immediately.

# ? Feb 2, 2017 03:27

ThaumPenguin: Oct 9, 2013

fishmech posted:

Check yourself into a mental hospital immediately.

So in other words

Check yourself before you wreck yourself?

# ? Feb 2, 2017 10:53

MaxxBot: Oct 6, 2003; you could have clapped

you should have clapped!!

FWIW, these are some of the best numbers on SSM I have ever seen and it's a poll of only the religious.

http://www.prri.org/spotlight/religious-americans-same-sex-marriage-service-refusals/

quote:

New PRRI analysis, drawn from a data set of 40,509 interviews conducted throughout 2016 as part of PRRI�s American Values Atlas, reveals that most American religious groups support same-sex marriage and oppose religiously based service refusals.

Overall, a majority (58 percent) of Americans support allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry legally. Among religious groups, Unitarian/Universalists (94 percent), Buddhists (85 percent), Jews (73 percent), Hindus (67 percent), white mainline Protestants (63 percent), white Catholics (63 percent), Hispanic Catholics (62 percent), and Orthodox Christians (59 percent) all have majorities supporting same-sex marriage. Black Protestants (45 percent), Muslims (44 percent), and Hispanic Protestants (41 percent) are somewhat divided. Only three religious groups�Mormons (37 percent favor, 55 percent oppose), white evangelical Protestants (31 percent favor, 61 percent oppose), and Jehovah�s Witnesses (25 percent favor, 53 percent oppose)�show majority opposition for same-sex marriage. Combined, these three religious groups comprise only 19 percent of the general population.

There is near consensus among religious groups on the issue of religiously based service refusals. Roughly six in ten (61 percent) Americans oppose allowing a small business owner in their state to refuse to provide products or services to gay or lesbian people, if doing so violates their religious beliefs. That includes not only large majorities of groups who strongly support same-sex marriage, including Unitarian/Universalists (87 percent), Buddhists (76 percent), and Jewish Americans (72 percent), but also majorities of even major religious groups who are divided over or opposed to same-sex marriage.

# ? Feb 6, 2017 23:36

Schizotek: Nov 8, 2011; I say, hey, listen to me!
Stay sane inside insanity!!!

I mean it's nice, but I don't really put much stock into stuff like that making much of a difference. If people "not caring about" or "supporting" gays was in anyway meaningful Lawrence wouldn't have been necessary. The actual numbers that matter are who will be willing to campaign on our behalf, and oppose their representative with a change in vote or supporting a primary challenge. Ultimately people who vote for culture-warrior tea-party republicans without putting in any effort to dissuade them from fighting lgbt progress, or rolling it back, but say that they're "fine" with gays are functionally identical to frothing at the mouth homophobes.

All their hand-wringing does is tell us that they're cowards, which we already knew. People like that have always preferred to use the state for their violence rather than get their own hands bloody.

# ? Feb 8, 2017 11:07

Bethamphetamine: Oct 29, 2012

In "welcome to over a year ago" news;

https://www.buzzfeed.com/lesterfeder/a-leading-us-social-conservative-just-launched-a-mission-to?utm_term=.wvEKgWJ2g#.wn67dwYJd

quote:

One Russian lawmaker, chair of parliament�s budget committee Andrei Makarov, attended the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington where President Trump spoke on Thursday, where he was pictured with at least one member of Congress. RBC reported that Makarov was there in place of another MP, Duma Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Leonid Slutsky, who was originally invited but unable to attend. (Slutsky is one of several officials barred from entering the US after the invasion of Ukraine.)

the religious right, Heritage/FRC/AFA/ADF, and the Republican Party are all incestuous with Russian government and the World Congress of Families (which rebranded itself International Organization for the Family). International Organization for the Family is funded by US fundie Christians. And others, too, but since it's abroad it's all dark money.

The modern republican party is a big amorphous ball of white supremacy, misogyny, anti-semitism, pro-russian sentiment, and anti-democratic sentiment. America's opinions toward gays have changed so dramatically so fast because the hate groups fighting it moved their efforts off shore to countries with lax or no accounting regulations.

# ? Feb 8, 2017 19:22

Liquid Communism: Mar 9, 2004

Yup. It's actually making me wish I could GTFO, because the only way to make this bullshit stop that I've come up with so far is to re-run Sherman's March to the Sea, but starting at the Texas border this time and making sure to burn everything.

# ? Feb 9, 2017 01:58

Bethamphetamine: Oct 29, 2012

North Carolina democrats are really beating that appeasement drum on HB2. Their latest repeal attempt is to acknowledge that evil bathroom crimes exist, even though they provably don't exist.

http://patch.com/north-carolina/fortbragg/north-carolina-gov-proposes-compromise-hb2-repeal

quote:

As part of the repeal proposal, Cooper introduced the following propositions:

* Tougher penalties for crimes committed in restrooms and dressing rooms

* A requirement that local governments give the legislature 30 days� notice before voting on non-discrimination ordinances

Governor Roy Cooper posted:

�I know North Carolinians are tired of hearing about this. HB 2 has divided us and stained our reputation. I�ve proposed a common sense compromise that will get HB2 off the books and address concerns on both sides," Cooper said in a statement.

The only concern for republicans was stigmatizing and denigrating trans people. Their concerns should remain unaddressed, but golly gee, NC democrats really want this inconvenient issue to go away quietly.

# ? Feb 14, 2017 22:24

TheKennedys: Sep 23, 2006; By my hand, I will take you from this godforsaken internet

Pull up, thread, you're about to summon the greater elemental of D&D gunchat :ohdear:

Honestly I'm surprised he's not here yet, but nobody's said his name so I guess there's that.

# ? Feb 14, 2017 22:40

Pollyanna: Mar 5, 2005; Milk's on them.

Bethamphetamine posted:

North Carolina democrats are really beating that appeasement drum on HB2. Their latest repeal attempt is to acknowledge that evil bathroom crimes exist, even though they provably don't exist.

http://patch.com/north-carolina/fortbragg/north-carolina-gov-proposes-compromise-hb2-repeal

The only concern for republicans was stigmatizing and denigrating trans people. Their concerns should remain unaddressed, but golly gee, NC democrats really want this inconvenient issue to go away quietly.

Democrats continue to be worthless, film at 11.

# ? Feb 14, 2017 22:43

RagnarokAngel: Oct 5, 2006; Black Magic Extraordinaire

Pollyanna posted:

Democrats continue to be worthless, film at 11.

Depends on the state so let's not go whole hog on that one. Unfortunately the states where they're any good they tend to be the party in power anyway.

# ? Feb 14, 2017 22:58

Kfroog: Nov 9, 2012

Wait, how is that unfortunate?

# ? Feb 14, 2017 23:08

RagnarokAngel: Oct 5, 2006; Black Magic Extraordinaire

Kfroog posted:

Wait, how is that unfortunate?

The "tougher crimes" part seems like a common sense compromise but it's inherently admitting that Trans people are probably rapists SOMETIMES and perpuates the bullshit that made HB2 a thing to start with.

# ? Feb 14, 2017 23:13

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? May 13, 2024 23:29

Mr. Nice!: Oct 13, 2005; c-spam cannot afford

It's almost like HB2 was toxic for the entire state and caused massive backlash that hurt everyone. Of course the democrats want to get rid of it, but they're still dealing with a GOP legislature. The governor gets nothing but his state's continued suffering by not working with them and getting something out the door that fixes the problem.

# ? Feb 14, 2017 23:20

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > QUILTBAG-The fate of fabulous folks in foreign fields.

«‹›72 »