Dr Strangetroll : or how I learned to stop arguing and be amused by the intransigence

[Shale MacGregor]

Good, so the vaccines still work.

Yup, not as well as against delta, but there is definitely decent resistance to infection and they prevent hospitalization and death very well.

 

[Shale MacGregor]

When it comes to gun violence, we might all agree that the line can be drawn at nuclear weapons in the home. Some might draw it at automatic weapons. Or semi-automatic weapons with bump stocks. Or at mandatory background checks, or safety training or post-purchase “cooling off” periods. The question for Americans is not whether to draw the line, their Supreme Court has already answered that many times over, but where to draw the line.

 

[Bob B]

Yup, not as well as against delta, but there is definitely decent resistance to infection and they prevent hospitalization and death very well.

It depends on who you ask ... or who's study you look at .... That's not a good place for us to be.

Israel has now gone to a 4th shot .... 2 boosters ... and they are finding very little effectiveness at preventing Omicron cases.

Accurate hospitalization numbers are even harder to find.

I linked to a Forbes article below .... their findings seem to be somewhere in the middle ... looking at several different studies.

Here is a snippet from the article linked below.

Vaccine Effectiveness In The Omicron Wave

The US Omicron wave peaked in mid-January at around 800,000 new cases per day — more than three times higher than the previously largest peak (around 240,000 cases per day), which occurred almost exactly one year earlier.

www.forbes.com

 

[MurphyGuy]

When it comes to gun violence, we might all agree that the line can be drawn at nuclear weapons in the home. Some might draw it at automatic weapons. Or semi-automatic weapons with bump stocks. Or at mandatory background checks, or safety training or post-purchase “cooling off” periods. The question for Americans is not whether to draw the line, their Supreme Court has already answered that many times over, but where to draw the line.

We will never ever legislate to ban evil people.. it is not possible without current level of technology. Evil and pissed off people will always find a way to create carnage so the best we can hope for is a good defense in that regard.

There are some minor things we can do.. We can try to identify the evil and eliminate it.. whether this means finding the troubled teenager and getting them some help, or creating stiffer prison sentences and/or using the death penalty for people on their way to becoming violent career criminals.

I have no fear of common citizens carrying weapons in public, but the minute those weapons are banned, the carnage will just come in a different format.

"For your safety" is being used to slowly curtail our rights and liberties.

I can walk into almost any hardware store and build an explosive in about two or three hours.. a device with enough oomph to kill anyone within 15 feet and seriously ruin the day of anyone within 50 feet. Are we going to ban fertilizers, drain cleaners, concrete etch, screws and nails too?

Maybe we should register pressure cookers?? (sarcasm)

Give me a couple days in my basement, I can make a FAR more dangerous device. This stuff involves chemistry, but I'm no chemist by any measure, so if I can do it, almost anyone willing to do a bit of reading and experimenting can as well. Heck, they sell Tannerite at local stores, and that stuff is about 75% as powerful as plastic.

And none of this addresses using cars, poisons, or all the other ways of being a murderous a-hole.

You can't legislate away evil..

I agree with background checks, but I don't agree with training, cool-off laws, or a variety of other stupid ideas they've come up with. I'm being forced to wait almost a year and pay $200 just to get my paperwork for a suppressor, this sucks.

As for bump stocks, banning them was a joke because they didn't ban binary triggers, which are WAY more effective. Every one of my M4's has a Franklin binary trigger in it.. and the day they are banned, I'll just bury them in a PVC pipe for safe keeping.

Our government doesn't pass reasonable laws anymore, they pass laws based on public perception and activist groups rather than science or rational thought.

 

[Shale MacGregor]

We will never ever legislate to ban evil people.. it is not possible without current level of technology. Evil and pissed off people will always find a way to create carnage so the best we can hope for is a good defense in that regard.

There are some minor things we can do.. We can try to identify the evil and eliminate it.. whether this means finding the troubled teenager and getting them some help, or creating stiffer prison sentences and/or using the death penalty for people on their way to becoming violent career criminals.

I have no fear of common citizens carrying weapons in public, but the minute those weapons are banned, the carnage will just come in a different format.

"For your safety" is being used to slowly curtail our rights and liberties.

I can walk into almost any hardware store and build an explosive in about two or three hours.. a device with enough oomph to kill anyone within 15 feet and seriously ruin the day of anyone within 50 feet. Are we going to ban fertilizers, drain cleaners, concrete etch, screws and nails too?

Maybe we should register pressure cookers?? (sarcasm)

Give me a couple days in my basement, I can make a FAR more dangerous device. This stuff involves chemistry, but I'm no chemist by any measure, so if I can do it, almost anyone willing to do a bit of reading and experimenting can as well. Heck, they sell Tannerite at local stores, and that stuff is about 75% as powerful as plastic.

And none of this addresses using cars, poisons, or all the other ways of being a murderous a-hole.

You can't legislate away evil..

I agree with background checks, but I don't agree with training, cool-off laws, or a variety of other stupid ideas they've come up with. I'm being forced to wait almost a year and pay $200 just to get my paperwork for a suppressor, this sucks.

As for bump stocks, banning them was a joke because they didn't ban binary triggers, which are WAY more effective. Every one of my M4's has a Franklin binary trigger in it.. and the day they are banned, I'll just bury them in a PVC pipe for safe keeping.

Our government doesn't pass reasonable laws anymore, they pass laws based on public perception and activist groups rather than science or rational thought.

What blows my mind is that we don't have more evil crazy things happening than we do.... I've been on the edge a few times and could definitely have caused more chaos than most of these posers have

 

[MurphyGuy]

What blows my mind is that we don't have more evil crazy things happening than we do.... I've been on the edge a few times and could definitely have caused more chaos than most of these posers have

It takes intelligence to be truly dangerous.. although through the magic of gun technology, even a moron can cause a certain amount of carnage.

Thing is, we live in a pretty good country.. we bitch and complain, moan and cry, but the reality is that we are mostly spoiled brats living in the lap of luxury.

Some of these nut jobs should take a trip to a 3rd world country and live there for a month.. better than any drug or counseling, it would change their perspective immediately.

 

[Johnson]

Yup, not as well as against delta, but there is definitely decent resistance to infection and they prevent hospitalization and death very well.

No idea why one would want to get immunity from Omicron, (instead of the vaccines) the side effects can be rather serious (it kills 9 in 1000) But my attitude is "whatever floats your boat".

 

[Johnson]

Our government doesn't pass reasonable laws anymore, they pass laws based on public perception and activist groups rather than science or rational thought.

Half the people have an I.Q. below 100, good luck getting getting anything done that follows the science when 40% of the US believes the earth is some 6000 years old.

As for crimes, from memory the US and Canada have similar crime rates, hunting and fishing here are both encouraged, however for some reason the murder rate in the US is nearly 3 times as high.

List of countries by intentional homicide rate - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I am just pointing out that the debate on gun ownership is not a debate between banning weapons and allowing all weapons, it is a little more subtle than that.

 

[MurphyGuy]

Half the people have an I.Q. below 100, good luck getting getting anything done that follows the science when 40% of the US believes the earth is some 6000 years old.

As for crimes, from memory the US and Canada have similar crime rates, hunting and fishing here are both encouraged, however for some reason the murder rate in the US is nearly 3 times as high.

List of countries by intentional homicide rate - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I am just pointing out that the debate on gun ownership is not a debate between banning weapons and allowing all weapons, it is a little more subtle than that.

It is nearly impossible to compare murder rates between countries because there is almost an infinite number of variables.. No way to compare apples to apples in any reliable and realistic way.

To start with, Canada is a very large country, but California has about the same population as all of Canada, yet the population in California occupies a far smaller area.. Population density is probably the single biggest driver of all crime, including murder rates.

When we start to look at other demographics such as race, nationality, religion, etc.. it becomes a mess.. heck, even the environmental differences can play a part.. economics, culture, bla bla bla..

As for your IQ statement, I just learned a few weeks ago (in this very forum) that 100 is an artificially set number.. they adjust the IQ test so that 100 is the average. Damn, sometimes I'm still surprised by the simplest things...

But yeah, 40% are complete morons and another 30% are only slightly more intelligent. Seriously, we have people who think the Earth is flat.. its kind of embarrassing to think my own species could be that stupid.

 

[Johnson]

It is nearly impossible to compare murder rates between countries because there is almost an infinite number of variables.. No way to compare apples to apples in any reliable and realistic way.

True there are ways to do look what motivates people to do the things they do. Human behaviour is not only profit motivated. What surprised me about the list is that Afghanistan is not much more dangerous than the US

When we start to look at other demographics such as race, nationality, religion, etc.. it becomes a mess.. heck, even the environmental differences can play a part.. economics, culture, bla bla bla..

Sure I would like to add that the purpose of owning a hand gun is to protect yourself from the bad guy with a hand gun, there is no point in lugging one around with you unless you are willing to hurt or kill some one. It is not a healthy mindset to begin with.

 

[MurphyGuy]

True there are ways to do look what motivates people to do the things they do. Human behaviour is not only profit motivated. What surprised me about the list is that Afghanistan is not much more dangerous than the US


Sure I would like to add that the purpose of owning a hand gun is to protect yourself from the bad guy with a hand gun, there is no point in lugging one around with you unless you are willing to hurt or kill some one. It is not a healthy mindset to begin with.

No, fantasizing about killing other humans is certainly not a healthy mindset.. But its better to have it and not need it than it is to need it and not have it.
Chance Favors the Prepared _Louise Pasteur

I sincerely hope every penny I have spent on being prepared will be a penny I never use... The problem is that the risk/reward profile is so lopsided. There's almost no downside to being prepared, but the consequences of not are catastrophic.

 

[Shale MacGregor]

As for your IQ statement, I just learned a few weeks ago (in this very forum) that 100 is an artificially set number.. they adjust the IQ test so that 100 is the average. Damn, sometimes I'm still surprised by the simplest things...

Yup, it looks like about every 5-6 cycles avg IQ goes up 1 standard deviation (15). So if someone today scored 100, and took a test from the 40s they would get 115.

Unfortunately even if we are getting smarter, we are definitely losing a lot of common sense.

 

[Shale MacGregor]

No, fantasizing about killing other humans is certainly not a healthy mindset.. But its better to have it and not need it than it is to need it and not have it.
Chance Favors the Prepared _Louise Pasteur

I sincerely hope every penny I have spent on being prepared will be a penny I never use... The problem is that the risk/reward profile is so lopsided. There's almost no downside to being prepared, but the consequences of not are catastrophic.

Sounds like Pascal's wager, are you going to repent on your deathbed because you have nothing to lose and everything to gain?

I own way more guns than I need, and I have a CCP, but I don't carry daily. It seems odd to think you would ever be in a situation where you know for sure the other guy is bad, and that you should kill him. Home defense is a bit more cut and dried. I mainly got CCP for ease of purchasing and on trips / camping etc I can carry.

I definitely think people with the hero mindset are more likely to end up shot by police or shooting someone who is innocent by misreading a situation or not having all of the details and context.

 

[MurphyGuy]

Sounds like Pascal's wager, are you going to repent on your deathbed because you have nothing to lose and everything to gain?

I own way more guns than I need, and I have a CCP, but I don't carry daily. It seems odd to think you would ever be in a situation where you know for sure the other guy is bad, and that you should kill him. Home defense is a bit more cut and dried. I mainly got CCP for ease of purchasing and on trips / camping etc I can carry.

I definitely think people with the hero mindset are more likely to end up shot by police or shooting someone who is innocent by misreading a situation or not having all of the details and context.

Pascal's wager would be a twist and stretch. More like insurance since the effort and resources do have expenses. Do you have insurance on your home or car? It's really not any different.

Also, I'm pushing 6'4 @250 lbs, I drive an older truck that is starting to rust, and I dress like I'm one step above being homeless... No one is going to car jack or rob me.. so with that in mind, I don't carry a weapon as their is no need.

My wife however does carry because I insisted on it. She's 10 years younger than me but still looks like she's in her late 20's or early 30's. She's tall, thin, and attractive, and she drives a relatively nice vehicle.

Her weapon is there to protect her, not the lives of others. You'd be more likely to see her running out the back door and away from a mass shooter than drawing her weapon to be a hero.

I'm not a "gun guy" like some are.. Most of my weapons are broken down, greased, vacuum packed, and sealed away in storage. I don't stroke and polish them or post proud photos because I need to feel masculine or tough.

 

[Batvette]

The conspiracy that the election was stolen....are you that dense?

Do I need to post your gangstalking direct energy weapon post again to remind everyone how crazy you are? It totally shows how easy you are manipulated. You admitted you got manipulated by the internet before...it happened again but you are too stupid to even realize it. Did you even get a high school diploma?

Its a well practiced psy ops tactic to label something a conspiracy theory when you'd like it covered up.

So youre just as corrupt and bereft of integrity as the people who did it.

I posted evidence, about 2/3 of Republicans believe it, your persistent denial of reality doesnt make me crazy, but does make you an ass****.

But again its funny I made such an impression on you that you obsessed over me, and took the time to scour the internet and see who I was and find something about my personal life you could use against me... because your position on topical issues is so weak you cannot offer a topically relevant rebuttal to anything I post.

Blah, blah, blah, Im crazy, energy beams, whatever. How tiny of a person you must be that you log in to this site and click on this thread not to talk about covid or politics, but about ME.

F***ing moron.

 

[Cdkipp]

So did BMcl get suspended again or succumb to his Covid? He hasn't been on since the 28th.

 

[Shale MacGregor]

Vitamin D deficiency is associated with higher risks for SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 severity: a retrospective case-control study - PubMed

Robust evidence of whether vitamin D deficiency is associated with COVID-19 infection and its severity is still lacking. The aim of the study was to evaluate the association between vitamin D levels and the risks of SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe disease in those infected. A retrospective study...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[Batvette]

Easy solution is to use a hand sanitizer, I don't but you can if you are worried.


What increased risk?


You wear a mask to protect me, just like I wear one to protect you.


Invent a better mask and become a millionaire.

I am not claiming anything, you are the one making claims, you better back them up.


Think Amtrak knows more about viruses than the experts? In your country people get sued for millions when companies do not follow the guidelines.


Common sense is to get vaccinated and wear masks.


If in between bites is in between meals, sure, wear the mask.


Evidence of that policy?


Did they? The paper masks I get (for free) at my hospital fit pretty well and they are made in Canada.


You are not required to appreciate anything. But when you talk nonsense, like you have, you want me to be political correct or speak my mind and show you the contempt I have for that nonsense?

Useless reply. Im a captive on Amtraks train.
Im supposed to invent a better mask, Im supposed to go get your canadian mask, should have used sanitizer I didnt have, whatever.
Curious how we are protecting each other? I had covid already, weve both been fully vaccinated, theres social distancing... What exactly are we protecting each other from? Whats the repeat infection rate of the original virus? Almost non existent. The Omicron variant has an extremely low fatality rate especially against the vaxxed.
Your ilk wants us wearing masks forever, but in practical reality they dont do jack.
But go ahead and preach your scared little girl philosophies, its hilarious.
To be sure I am not anti mask if there is good reason and they are effective.
As I said, the situation I was put in on that train was being unable to use my well fitting, effective durable mask, and forced to use their ineffective, uncomfortable mask. I had no choice in the matter. The rules are flawed and none of the employees on the train seemed to care, it was all about following the rules and not about whether they were sensible or effective or had scientific basis.

You can pretend I am arguing something else, dont bother because if you do I will just copy paste that bolded part again and again.
The fact youre misrepresenting my position is evidence youre part of the problem, one of the mindless drones demanding compliance with rules that exist merely for the sake of themselves.

 

[Shale MacGregor]

To everyone who thinks the minority viewpoint is right, and doesn't think they have to provide evidence, consider the wise words of someone refuting the 9/11 conspiracy:

Grasping fringe is not science. Questioning hypothesis held by consensus is not science. "asking questions" and refusing answers is not science.

Within this context the quoted statement means it's not good enough to merely question the prevailing hypothesis or disbelieve it, you have to provide an alternative hypothesis and allow it to withstand scrutiny.

"Generally, consensus is the last place to seek truth." is the philosophy of the conspiracy theorist, who loves to dwell in the loneliness of the fringe.

 

[Batvette]

still looks like she's in her late 20's or early 30's. She's tall, thin, and attractive,

Pics, now. High res in bikini if you got em. While I admire them I will try and forget shes married to a jerk.

 

[Shale MacGregor]

As I said, the situation I was put in on that train was being unable to use my well fitting, effective durable mask, and forced to use their ineffective, uncomfortable mask. I had no choice in the matter. The rules are flawed and none of the employees on the train seemed to care, it was all about following the rules and not about whether they were sensible or effective or had scientific basis.

That sucks, you were at least wearing a mask... some people just like to be dicks . I would have worn their crappy one over top of my comfortable one.

 

[Batvette]

To everyone who thinks the minority viewpoint is right, and doesn't think they have to provide evidence, consider the wise words of someone refuting the 9/11 conspiracy:

Grasping fringe is not science. Questioning hypothesis held by consensus is not science. "asking questions" and refusing answers is not science.

Within this context the quoted statement means it's not good enough to merely question the prevailing hypothesis or disbelieve it, you have to provide an alternative hypothesis and allow it to withstand scrutiny.

"Generally, consensus is the last place to seek truth." is the philosophy of the conspiracy theorist, who loves to dwell in the loneliness of the fringe.

I thought this post was from brad digging up my message board history. Those are the exact words I have used, repeatedly, against 9/11 CTs.

However Im not sure they completely apply to every alleged conspiracy. 9/11 CTs talking points were absurd enough to begin with but have also been thoroughly debunked by experts.

In the case of covid, well theres that little couldnt have come from wuhan lab oh wait we are full of it and lied to you I guess it did thing.

Then theres that little Trump blew the response, ignored it, told people to inject bleach, political capital thing weve witnessed and sorry but its bull. The lefts revisionist history is astounding.

So unless youve pushed that fake reality so long you think its true theres good reason to aproach things with skepticism.

Democrats used the pandemic to their advantage, virtually all Republicans know this.

Stop gaslighting us. Or dont, but the result will not be pretty.

 

[Shale MacGregor]

I thought this post was from brad digging up my message board history. Those are the exact words I have used, repeatedly, against 9/11 CTs.

However Im not sure they completely apply to every alleged conspiracy. 9/11 CTs talking points were absurd enough to begin with but have also been thoroughly debunked by experts.

In the case of covid, well theres that little couldnt have come from wuhan lab oh wait we are full of it and lied to you I guess it did thing.

I think there are going to be several valid points proven true eventually regarding some of these claims, but whether or not they are important now, the time to believe them and act on them is when there is sufficient evidence.

Then theres that little Trump blew the response, ignored it, told people to inject bleach, political capital thing weve witnessed and sorry but its bull. The lefts revisionist history is astounding.

Trump talks like an imbecile and rambles on with not point half the time, if anyone took his advice or read into anything he said seriously then it is their own fault.

So unless youve pushed that fake reality so long you think its true theres good reason to aproach things with skepticism.

I embrace skepticism, what I don't embrace is "we can't prove this, but it sounds good so lets push that narrative"

Democrats used the pandemic to their advantage, virtually all Republicans know this.

Both parties used the pandemic to their advantage, both parties will always use everything they can to their advantage. If the opposite party was in power when it happened the same result most likely.

Stop gaslighting us. Or dont, but the result will not be pretty.

Im not sure you are using that term correctly. I am saying the claims you are making are not verified yet, so keep it in your pants. If you are claiming they are verified, and I am trying to make you think you dont understand, then I guess the evidence that convinces you does not convince me. I run into this all the time when debating people about issues such as the existence of something without evidence. You can postulate all you want but until you can provide strong evidence then it is just more conjecture.

 

[Shale MacGregor]

I guess if I were you I would have scoured the net to find out all about you and known that. I doubt that was an accident, surely they jumped in front of his car in the hopes theyd be spared another minute around you.

that is going a bit too far

 

[Batvette]

I think there are going to be several valid points proven true eventually regarding some of these claims, but whether or not they are important now, the time to believe them and act on them is when there is sufficient evidence.


Trump talks like an imbecile and rambles on with not point half the time, if anyone took his advice or read into anything he said seriously then it is their own fault.


I embrace skepticism, what I don't embrace is "we can't prove this, but it sounds good so lets push that narrative"


Both parties used the pandemic to their advantage, both parties will always use everything they can to their advantage. If the opposite party was in power when it happened the same result most likely.


Im not sure you are using that term correctly. I am saying the claims you are making are not verified yet, so keep it in your pants. If you are claiming they are verified, and I am trying to make you think you dont understand, then I guess the evidence that convinces you does not convince me. I run into this all the time when debating people about issues such as the existence of something without evidence. You can postulate all you want but until you can provide strong evidence then it is just more conjecture.

Keep in mind the only alleged conspiracy Ive introduced is concerning the election.
While Ive supported Bob philosophically, the only alternative treatment Ive supported involves zinc lozenges, and theres sound rationale behind that.

When I say gaslighting it means one thing really happened but we keep being told something else happened and were crazy if we believe otherwise.

Its like russian collision, we were told for two years trump colluded with russia to steal the election, turned out it was hillary trying to do that to trump.

We were being gaslighted.