RoyGBivensAction
Zensunni Scientologist
Married to a tomboy, so I have that going for me, which is nice.
User ID: 3756
RoyGBivensAction
Zensunni Scientologist
4d ago
I'm a big fan of the "joke" that Vance posts (or at least lurks) here.
RoyGBivensAction
Zensunni Scientologist
5d ago
SF PDO jobs start at $150k and go as high as $270k. Perhaps even at 150k, it's tough to get by in SF. But they definitely aren't paying Deep South "might as well be working fast food" public defense salaries.
RoyGBivensAction
Zensunni Scientologist
5d ago
The most impressive part is reaching that philosophical question within 5 subcomments after starting on the topic of money in politics.
RoyGBivensAction
Zensunni Scientologist
5d ago
for some reason the username makes me think a girl
The same problem plagues Beloved Kitten on X/substack even though his writing style (and very frequent statements of being a man) could not make it more obvious.
RoyGBivensAction
Zensunni Scientologist
5d ago
I love it, but I'm also allergic to it.
Hop allergy?
RoyGBivensAction
Zensunni Scientologist
5d ago
Am I making a distinction without a difference, or is this a different kind of argument?
A little of both. Some states (not sure about CA) have case limits for attorneys because it's recognized that a high enough caseload, at some point, is roughly the same as no attorney. The Ninth Circuit opinion involves literally no attorney, but the analogy is there to be made for attorneys with a high caseload who can't devote appropriate amounts of time/effort to each case.
RoyGBivensAction
Zensunni Scientologist
5d ago
I just ran the Baltimore marathon this past Saturday in a 2:44
Damn dude, that's awesome. Congratulations.
RoyGBivensAction
Zensunni Scientologist
5d ago
There is a recent precedent for this kind of thing: Appellate court affirms ruling, releasing defendants from Oregon jails who aren't promptly assigned a public defender
I have zero idea what staffing in the SF PDO is like, but a lack of defense attorneys is a problem in many places (despite all the leftist/woke people attending law schools, the percentage of graduates willing to do defense work seems to be dropping).
RoyGBivensAction
Zensunni Scientologist
5d ago
Some of the other stuff is more clearly stuff I wouldn't like, but I think I still dislike the media more than this guy.
Yeah, I have no idea if he's my outgroup or fargroup or what he is. He's obviously a shitposter, so he's my tribe in some ways. Some of his comments wouldn't be out of line here at the Motte. But of course the media makes him into a Nazi rapist when the communist identification and possible calls to violence strike me as the bigger potential problem.
RoyGBivensAction
Zensunni Scientologist
5d ago
You posted this in the week-old wellness thread, not the current one.
That aside, it appears to be a solid plan. I like a 4-day split with running on the other 3 days and yoga where I can fit it in (plus walking and hiking where applicable), but it does end up taking a lot of time.
RoyGBivensAction
Zensunni Scientologist
5d ago
Following up on the last 2 week's worth of cryptofascist accusations, a Maine Senate candidate apparently had a Nazi-linked tattoo. Fun fact compared to the people involved in past weeks: he's running as a Dem. He also had some questionable reddit posts:
“Why don’t black people tip?” He worked as a bartender at Tune Inn on Capitol Hill, where he was a guest bartender last month.
“I work as a bartender and it always amazes me how solid this stereotype is,” he wrote. “Every now and again a black patron will leave a 15-20% tip, but usually it [is] between 0-5%. There’s got to be a reason behind it, what is it?”
That same year, he also responded to a post about underwear designed to prevent sexual assault saying people should “take some responsibility for themselves and not get so f—-ked up they wind up having sex with someone they don’t mean to?”
Platner also made references to political violence in several posts. In 2018, he said in response to a thread in which someone invoked leaving the U.S. due to Trump-era immigration policies: “Fight until you get tired of fighting with words and then fight with signs, and fists, and guns if need be.”
In other 2018 posts first reported by Politico, Platner said those who “expect to fight fascism without a good semi-automatic rifle … ought to do some reading of history.” He also said “an armed working class is a requirement for economic justice.”
CNN focused on a series of posts from 2021 in which Platner also called himself a communist, said rural Americans are “racist” and “stupid,” called all cops “bastards” and used the word “retard” several times.
I note it's near the bottom of the article where it's mentioned that Platner called himself a communist, as opposed to any article about leaked republican chats which immediately lead with any claims about Nazi/fascist allegations. For example, this next article.
On the Republican side, Trump's nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel has withdrawn because 'a text chat that showed him saying the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday should be “tossed into the seventh circle of hell.” Ingrassia also described himself in the chat as having “a Nazi streak” at times.'
According to texts viewed by Politico, Ingrassia told those in the chat that “MLK Jr. was the 1960s George Floyd and his ‘holiday’ should be ended and tossed into the seventh circle of hell where it belongs.”
Apparently, from three weeks in a row of this kind of thing, there is a rule for text chats: if you're a Republican, anything you say will eventually be leaked (and nothing will happen to the duplicitous snitches who leak private conversations), and spicy comments will sink your career. If you're a Dem, you can talk about wanting to see the deaths of your opponent's children and you'll remain the party candidate for a major statewide office.
RoyGBivensAction
Zensunni Scientologist
5d ago
Scattered thoughts:
Prior to this video, there was an article the other day about Vance ('s account) on social media trolling opponents. I thought, "doesn't he have better things to be doing," but then remembered, no, the VP really doesn't. His main job is waking up in the morning and seeing whether the president is still alive, so otherwise using his time to be the shitposter-in-chief is probably not a particular waste of his resources.
I'm not a big fan of Trump's crassness, but it's not like Romney's commitment to decorum accomplished much.
Behavior like this from Trump or Musk proves that no matter how much power or money one has, the best thing in life is apparently shitposting.
RoyGBivensAction
Zensunni Scientologist
10d ago
Because OP is a returning poster who was well-known for maximizing ragebait posts that were barely within the rules to try to generate responses that were over the line. If you check said poster's reddit account, they're currently posting about the exact same topic there and making the same arguments.
RoyGBivensAction
Zensunni Scientologist
11d ago
in theory there's a big space of possible puzzles, but in practice they're written to conform to very specific formats.
There are only so many ways to cram a bunch of words together and have them all be actual words. The bigger the grid and the smaller the dead space, the fewer options there are for the possible words. The infinite possibilities start to shrink rapidly.
Aside from that practical limitation, the audience for crossword puzzles apparently loves atrocious answers, so puzzles are written to please them. One I did had the clue "lived like a single man," and the answer was "batchedit." I had never heard that phrase, and it's awful (why does it have a "t" in there when "bachelor" doesn't have one???). I cannot imagine ever hearing someone I know use that phrase. Searching the phrase online, though, and puzzle fanatics can be found screaming in delight at how creative it is. So when puzzles are written to please balloonheads like those, it's no wonder so many puzzles have insufferable clues and answers.
RoyGBivensAction
Zensunni Scientologist
11d ago
I would recommend a notebook for... well, everything. Minor tasks, major tasks, stray thoughts, something funny you saw, a culture war thought you had, a book/music recommendation you saw, something you're grateful for, something you need to order, anything. About an A5 size, but it depends on what you prefer (one that opens flat will be more useable than other kinds). Don't make a fetish of it like the bullet journal weirdos with 13 ink colors and all kinds of formatting. Just get it written down. Portion it off with some tabs for easier organization, but again, the important thing is writing it down.
I have a very good memory and rarely forget things, but find my stress level goes up the more things I'm carrying in my head. When I outsource it to a basic notebook I haul around, it makes life way easier. For example, during the week, I write down everything I want to do over the weekend, and then during the weekend I have my list to work on. Doing a long run turns into the satisfaction of the run itself plus crossing it off the list. Knowing I need to call my Grandma means I know to set time aside. On a weekday evening, I find it easier to avoid some post-work doomscrolling if I know the things I could be doing instead.
You can move from open loop to: put item on list>work on that item at planned time (or when free time pops up)>item finished>cross off item*>less stress. You'll also be able to see all the stuff on your list and balance that against what other people want or your marginal desires. It's powerful to look back at all the crap you've done during the year.
*It's very silly, but don't underestimate the value of getting to cross something off the list. It's almost as satisfying (if not moreso sometimes) than finishing the task itself.
RoyGBivensAction
Zensunni Scientologist
11d ago
five hour marathon to settle a bet
What was the bet?
RoyGBivensAction
Zensunni Scientologist
12d ago
Limiting my screen time is a somewhat futile endeavor since I work on a computer, but I do my best to limit phone time. To that end, I recently ordered a bunch of NYT crossword books for something to do with downtime when I don't want to read whatever novel I'm working on.
I've been reminded how much crosswords can drive me crazy. Incomprehensible themes and horrible perversions of the English language are pervasive. I don't mind extreme trivia or obscure words or having to learn the clues and words that seem to appear in every third puzzle, but puzzle authors trying to be cute or clever is annoying.
RoyGBivensAction
Zensunni Scientologist
14d ago
If the U.S. puts a woman on some paper money, who should it be? I would vote for Laura Ingalls Wilder.
@hydroacetylene suggested Bessie Coleman, which prompted some "literally who" responses. I never heard of her myself. Looking her up, I'm assuming she's a Texas regional thing, like Juneteenth. Of course, like Juneteenth, the feds could be happy to use a Texas regional thing nationwide if it pleases the correct demographics.
@sarker suggested Louisa May Alcott.
@erwgv3g34 suggested Amelia Earhart.
Ayn Rand would be funny but not a realistic one.
RoyGBivensAction
Zensunni Scientologist
14d ago
I finished my reread of Vineland. It is roughly as I remembered it: something of a mess with not-fully-fleshed-out ideas and plotlines going all over the place, but perhaps the strongest attempt by Pynchon to write some real characters instead of his usual 1D cartoon characters. It feels like a braindump to get rid of a bunch of quarter-baked ideas that were clogging up his head so he could get down to writing Mason & Dixon and Against the Day.
RoyGBivensAction
Zensunni Scientologist
14d ago
Infinite Jest is nearing the top of my to-reread list. I first read it in 2012 or so. I thought it was great and want to see if holds up.
I remember the worst parts being the terminally unfunny bits that drag on and on and on. There are some "jokes" that weren't funny to start with and certainly didn't get better with repetition.
When you're done, you need to immediately re-read pages 1-17. Then there is an interpretation of "what really happened" written by Aaron Swartz that is worth reading, although it has drawn some criticism.
RoyGBivensAction
Zensunni Scientologist
17d ago
So plane travel was not nearly as affordable for poor and lower middle class people as it is today
I suspect this has something to do with air travel in the past being romanticized as the good old days.
RoyGBivensAction
Zensunni Scientologist
17d ago
It's like calling the Austrian mustache man a "noted vegetarian."
Noted vegetarian and landscape painter (better known for other work).
RoyGBivensAction
Zensunni Scientologist
17d ago
At the hospital, the woman consents to the blood test. However, after four failed attempts to draw blood, she withdraws consent due to the pain.
I wonder who was trying to do the draw. In my state, many officers are supposedly trained to be phlebotomists and will do the draw themselves, but once at a hospital, it's usually staff.
Not that staff are necessarily better. I have ridiculously prominent veins and I've had them screw up so badly (during a blood donation) that they gave up and tried the other arm, only to also screw that one up. I went home with a bandage on each arm and no blood donation.
RoyGBivensAction
Zensunni Scientologist
17d ago
you just need to make then orgasm to the “correct” images, thoughts, and experiences enough times,
So Clockwork Orange-style reprogramming done in an orgone accumulator?
That's not how it works, though. Law Enforcement & crime labs do the lion's share of building the case, and they have their own budgets. So it's more like LE + crime lab + prosecutors (all with their own budgets) vs the public defender. Plus, when someone from the crime lab testifies, that's part of their routine pay. The defense getting an expert to testify to challenge something from the crime lab require expert fees that come from the PD budget.
There is also the asymmetry where the DA can dump bad cases or plead them down to make them go away (and save time/money in doing so). The defense doesn't have that power. If it's a case where the client is going to get convicted after 20 minutes of jury deliberations at trial, the defense can't make the case go away if the client chooses to go to trial. Instead, it's going to be the time/money/effort of a trial even if it's an utterly foregone conclusion.
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