Signal Wave

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So, I just wrote a long, heartfelt essay about C99, JtC's hiatus, moral and emotional exhaustion leading to burnout (not just JtC's), the vax/anti-vax COVID controversy on the site, censorship, and my own personal reasons for continuing to write here. I uploaded it. It vanished into the ether.

Here's the short version:

Do we want to continue to maintain C99 (if we can?)

If for some reason we can't,

Do we want to continue speaking to one another? How shall we do that without the site?

There are obviously technical considerations (who's got the know-how to fix code if it breaks, etc.), social considerations (who's going to make non-technical decisions), and, above all, labor considerations (there's a lot of work involved with maintaining this site, and it's inadvisable--as we now see--leaving it all on the shoulders of one person).

Well, what do you think?

Please discuss.

I'm uploading this early because of the pressing nature of the question.

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20 users have voted.

Comments

Lookout's picture

...not shutting down the site. If he decides to do that, then we might want to explore options, but let's not over react. Just give the man a break. He'll let us know if we need to consider options.

I suspect the COVID disputes caused him consternation. In the meantime I would urge us all to be civil. We can disagree in a respectful way if we need to, but should work on being supportive and cooperative if possible.

Might be a good experiment to see if we can act like considerate adults without supervision.

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22 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@Lookout

like considerate adults. If I ever don't act like that, I certainly hope one or more of you will tell me. (It's like telling me if I have spinach caught in my teeth.)

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16 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal
Jtc is the man
Sometimes I think he the only adult in the room.

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8 users have voted.

I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

@Lookout away from here most of the past 15 months or so, while posting elsewhere, mostly on one or two major social platforms, I assess that the level of disagreements I've seen here since returning only reaches Moderate levels at most, and only occasionally. I am of course not privy to what private messages/complaints the site owner gets about the commenting. Some posters are more sensitive to these matters than others and maybe are more prone to seek relief from the admins which may have driven him to seek R&R.

So I hope discussions on Covid can continue here, as I don't see any major problems and never believed this was such a sensitive snowflake site that only Kumbaya chats are allowed. Certainly in pre-Covid days there were a number of stronger-than-moderate disagreements here on political matters as the 2020 campaign unfolded. Somehow the site survived.

As long as it's not personal is my view. Meanwhile, most here will not only have different perspectives on things, but importantly will have varying degrees of intensity of feeling about a given issue. So far, as I see it, this site does a pretty good job of managing to be open and un-censoring while not devolving into a free-for-all slime fest.

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10 users have voted.
Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@wokkamile

So far, as I see it, this site does a pretty good job of managing to be open and un-censoring while not devolving into a free-for-all slime fest.

With the same caveat you made. No idea what people are saying in private.

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10 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Raggedy Ann's picture

@wokkamile ! It’s what I’m thinking too.

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8 users have voted.

"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11

pswaterspirit's picture

Tend to be closely held beliefs that are seen from different viewpoints. If you are familiar with the Pacific Northwest it is like looking at Mount Raineer from different compass points and arguing over which view is the correct one it really depends on where you are standing. From each of the four compass points it is unrecognizable if you have only seen it from one of the others. In the end it's the same mountain. Everyone has a tool chest of life experience that leads to how they view the world and the choices they make. Everybody's experiences are different leading to looking at things from a different place. I always assume everyone has put as much time and thought into their opinions as I have. I don't have to agree with them to respect their opinion. Over the years I have learned lots those who don't share my opinions by asking questions that give me a small peek into their perspective. I have even had it alter my perception on an issue some and evolved my own opinion. Asking what it is that bothers me about a certain opinion often leads me to interesting insights. But then I was introduced to the world of politics by a bunch of ancient anarchists, their stories color my opinions to this day as I watch history repeat itself.

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21 users have voted.
janis b's picture

@pswaterspirit

for this amazing and encompassing comment.

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10 users have voted.
janis b's picture

@janis b

where location 'ol' is?

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3 users have voted.
Lookout's picture

@pswaterspirit

...but makes your point about listening to others different views.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kX9KbPnSM0k]
1.2 hour

Peter Boghossian, one of the great cultural iconoclasts of our time, is a former professor of philosophy at Portland State University and the renowned author of best selling books A Manual for Creating Atheists and (with James Lindsay), as well as How to Have Impossible Conversations: A Very Practical Guide.

Boghossian is more well known in recent days, however, for his now world-famous resignation letter penned to the Provost of Portland State University, Susan Jeffords, wherein he eloquently articulated the inherent danger of the institution’s ongoing support of the “Woke” ethos which favors supporting moral ideology and idealism at the expense of some of the major tenets of the traditional university experience; including the free flow of ideas and concepts (including those which may make us uncomfortable) in the pursuit of truth and greater understanding. In his letter, Boghossian writes:

“Students at Portland State are not being taught to think. Rather, they are being trained to mimic the moral certainty of ideologues. Faculty and administrators have abdicated the university’s truth-seeking mission and instead drive intolerance of divergent beliefs and opinions. This has created a culture of offense where students are now afraid to speak openly and honestly.”

Martenson and Boghossian have a memorable conversation not only tackling Boghossian’s rejection of the new university ethos he personally experienced, but the larger implications of such a movement in our society as a whole.

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13 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@Lookout

Is that the whole "Woke" thing is essentially a character attack on leftism.

Just like Admiral Haldo is not a feminist character, but a feminist caricature.

I wouldn't be surprised if the whole tenor of recent "left" ideology had been planned in an office in Langley or at the Heritage Foundation.

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16 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal

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4 users have voted.

I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

wendy davis's picture

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal

but i admit that to me, 'Wokeness' is a parody of virtue-signaling that 'Now we care about people of color', so:

No more indun maiden on Land o Lakes butter, no mo' Uncle Ben's rice, no mo' aunt jemima pancake syrup, D congress critters kneeling almost 9 mins for george floyd...in african kente cloth stoles...

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3 users have voted.
Dawn's Meta's picture

@Lookout . do not shame, disparage or be snide about someone who has a different belief than you do. Listen with respect. This should be JtC's legacy for us here.

Our best implementation is to listen to all points of view, respectfully. Absolutely ask the hard questions and expect a rigorous answer. Both sides of any question owe it to each other to research the point of view, science, information and then to present it patiently, clearly and without pushing an agenda.

My hometown, Portland, Oregon comes out looking pretty bad. Oregon unfortunately in spite of its 'liberal' reputation, suffers from a long history of segregation, religious intolerance, othering of people by ethnic origins, class (educational or financial), gun culture, priviledge. So sad.

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7 users have voted.

A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit. Allegedly Greek, but more possibly fairly modern quote.

Consider helping by donating using the button in the upper left hand corner. Thank you.

Dawn's Meta's picture

@pswaterspirit spot on. Thanks so much.

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3 users have voted.

A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit. Allegedly Greek, but more possibly fairly modern quote.

Consider helping by donating using the button in the upper left hand corner. Thank you.

janis b's picture

can still prosper.

I’m hoping that in his absence we can continue, and possibly even grow more strongly independent.

A little financial support in addition to the continuing content can’t hurt.

[video:https://youtu.be/BSIffWFSl_4]

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9 users have voted.

@janis b

To keep the servers running.
The Atlantic Council is matching donations up to $1K
for a limited time. /s

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7 users have voted.
Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@QMS

where does one send donations?

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3 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Lookout's picture

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal

...is on the upper left hand side of the site. If you can afford to show your appreciation for the site and JtC, please consider using it. It's time for my donation.

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6 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@Lookout

I mean, does JtC want donations while he's on hiatus?

I thought the hiatus was from everything to do with this site. Is it just a hiatus from moderating/commenting/posting?

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6 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal
routers and associated computing time.
Think he was saying time away from the day to day
content administrative realm?

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5 users have voted.
Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@QMS

But the issue came up in a private conversation I had, with someone who had just sent their monthly donation check.

If "hiatus" just means "I'm not talking to you people for a while. Maybe a long while," that's one thing, and it makes perfect sense to send donations. If hiatus means "I'm not doing anything connected to this site, indefinitely," it's not clear at all whether we should donate, or to whom.

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6 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

The Liberal Moonbat's picture

The Mysterious Overbeing taking a Day 7?

Vaccine-wars? CENSORSHIP??? ON HERE?!??!

I mean, I saw plenty of vaccine stuff on here, including fact-checking and fact-checking-checking...all of it fairly civil.

I saw JtC's "the site's name is Caucus99percent" thing, too...but I completely missed the ire.

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10 users have voted.

In the Land of the Blind, the One-Eyed Man is declared mentally ill for describing colors.

Yes Virginia, there is a Global Banking Conspiracy!

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@The Liberal Moonbat

I tend to avoid essays and threads where it looks like there's going to be a flamewar, sometimes without even being aware I'm doing it till afterwards.

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6 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

The Liberal Moonbat's picture

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal It isn't.

I mean, I've been known to do that on other sites; it's just good sense, and not a 'problem' at all, really...

...but here, I've never seen such a thread to begin with.

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3 users have voted.

In the Land of the Blind, the One-Eyed Man is declared mentally ill for describing colors.

Yes Virginia, there is a Global Banking Conspiracy!

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@The Liberal Moonbat

up
1 user has voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@The Liberal Moonbat

that I'm always the most surprised in any given conflict.

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5 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

The Liberal Moonbat's picture

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal It means your eyes are freshest.

Innocence is power, and one of the few true universal birthrights. It is the essential building-material of progress...and note the current Crusade (historical and religious connotations very much implied) against the very concept of it!

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3 users have voted.

In the Land of the Blind, the One-Eyed Man is declared mentally ill for describing colors.

Yes Virginia, there is a Global Banking Conspiracy!

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@The Liberal Moonbat

note the current Crusade (historical and religious connotations very much implied) against the very concept of it!

Maybe we should make a list of all the things there is currently a Crusade against. I think it would be enlightening, even to those of us who keep an eye on such things. Any given person can see something any other given person can fail to see.

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3 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

The Liberal Moonbat's picture

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal ...might be a dreadful and tedious read, but cataloging certainly has its uses.

FunFact: This site fails to recognize "catalogue" or "cataloguing" as proper spelling...a pity, given that if there's going to be a "most correct" way of English spelling (and I think there should be, don't get me started on the Crusade Against Language), it would have to be the Queen's English. We Yanks only rent it, right?

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1 user has voted.

In the Land of the Blind, the One-Eyed Man is declared mentally ill for describing colors.

Yes Virginia, there is a Global Banking Conspiracy!

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@The Liberal Moonbat

kept sending JtC requests to censor certain content on here.

Probably played a role in his needing a hiatus, since he seemed (understandably) very upset about it.

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7 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Raggedy Ann's picture

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal , but it doesn’t surprise me if folks are asking JtC to censor people. The covid discussions are lively with folks sticking to their positions. I get it. I’m stuck on my position that getting the virus and developing natural immunity is the only solution. I’m against the jab. I’m for ivermectin and early treatment while others think it is animal medicine, even with proof it is for both.

This is part of the human condition. We all have our own perspective. If we decide to become divisive, we are no better than those we criticize.

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10 users have voted.

"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11

The Liberal Moonbat's picture

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal Look at it this way...at least Caucus99Percent chose NOT to air dirty laundry in public, which is enough to put the folks here head-and-shoulders-knees-and-toes above Big Social Media!

Pontifex was never more right than when he called gossip "a plague worse than COVID" (in context, he may well have said it for the wrong reasons, but it's still true); if COVID does one good thing for us (Super-Soaker baptisms notwithstanding), it should shine a light on how parasitic memes and social problems ought to be handled, and aren't...well, they are, but it's all a question of what Big Brother wants us to hear, know, and think.

Social Media has provided a superhighway for the worst features-turned-bugs in ordinary human psychology, and if they were at all sincere about combating misinformation, the best thing they could possibly do is completely delete themselves.

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6 users have voted.

In the Land of the Blind, the One-Eyed Man is declared mentally ill for describing colors.

Yes Virginia, there is a Global Banking Conspiracy!

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@The Liberal Moonbat

is that I don't think people correctly appreciate what we've accomplished here.

To be able to stick to the triune goals of rationalism, civility and free expression, even in part and with some understandable slippages and falls from those ideals (we're only human), under social conditions like these, is astounding. To be able to stick to those things even in part, for years, is beyond astounding. How many places on the Net do you see those values in ascendance?

Having been more or less locked down for more than a year and a half, I don't know a lot about what's happening in face-to-face conversations out there, but what I do know about looks like it's starting to mirror what's happening online. Americans (and maybe others) are being trained that the modes of discourse prevalent on Twitter are the way to converse. And for all the pearl-clutching the corporate legacy media does about the horrible influences you run into online (all those neo-Nazis poisoning the minds of our innocent populace), the ironic thing is that the corporate legacy media encourages basically the same kind of discourse that Twitter does.

Another thing I said in the essay that vanished is that I, too, have often thought of quitting, because thinking and talking about politics at this point is painful and exhausting. One of the two main reasons I never quit was that there are very few places like this on the Net (or maybe anywhere).

Nothing wrong with examining our failings, but we should also be proud of our success. Right now, survival in line with one's values IS success.

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5 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

The Liberal Moonbat's picture

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal ...are you, in fact, female IRL?

You've said a thing or two before that's implied that, but it's only natural one would assume otherwise based on an avatar like yours.

up
0 users have voted.

In the Land of the Blind, the One-Eyed Man is declared mentally ill for describing colors.

Yes Virginia, there is a Global Banking Conspiracy!

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@The Liberal Moonbat

Sorry for taking so long to answer--somehow this question got lost in a flood of other data.

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0 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

gulfgal98's picture

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal if anyone was asking JtC to censor certain people. I DO know that from the very beginning, I have been opposed to censoring ANYONE, except for someone who either threatened another member with bodily harm or doxxed another member. I was very clear in that position when I was a moderator and continue to be very clear about it even though I am no longer a part of the inner circle here.

That said, in many of the disagreements here, I personally felt very uncomfortable about saying anything regarding the pandemic even if it did not speak to vaccinations or treatments. The bottom line is that I no longer feel welcome here to express an opinion on that subject. And now I wonder how many more subjects will be those that I have to self censor myself on. Self censorship is exactly why I left the other place. And yes, the way I feel is my own problem but it is very real and very stressful to me, so don't go bashing me for that.

CTSM, thank you for trying to address this subject. You are a far better person than me. bless you, CTSM

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8 users have voted.

Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

@gulfgal98 @gulfgal98 requires me to use self-restraint.

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6 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@gulfgal98

I do not know
if anyone was asking JtC to censor certain people. I DO know that from the very beginning, I have been opposed to censoring ANYONE, except for someone who either threatened another member with bodily harm or doxxed another member. I was very clear in that position when I was a moderator and continue to be very clear about it even though I am no longer a part of the inner circle here.

I'm not sure who is part of the inner circle here. Are those of us who write OTs the inner circle? I really don't know.

BTW, has anybody other than JtC been moderating over the last couple of years? If not, that probably partially explains why he needs a break--nobody should carry ALL the moderation duties of even a small site.

A moderator is (among many other things) the second line of defense against trolls (both amateur and professional-grade). That means you're in a battle against people who have a couple of advantages: one, they don't care what they destroy, since destruction is kind of their job; two, the professional ones get paid a living wage (or better) to do this shit full-time.

That said, in many of the disagreements here, I personally felt very uncomfortable about saying anything regarding the pandemic even if it did not speak to vaccinations or treatments. The bottom line is that I no longer feel welcome here to express an opinion on that subject.

The only way I can respond to that, other than saying "Damn, that's shitty," is to ask "Why? What made you feel that way?" You may not be comfortable sharing specifics, and I get that, but without knowing what caused you to feel this way, I can't respond adequately. The key, for me, is this: at what point did you stop feeling "My, that person's an asshole," and start feeling "This site has no place for me?"

And now I wonder how many more subjects will be those that I have to self censor myself on. Self censorship is exactly why I left the other place.

Of course. That's why my question above matters. At what point did you start to feel, not that some people were acting like assholes, but that the site was hostile?

And yes, the way I feel is my own problem but it is very real and very stressful to me, so don't go bashing me for that.

Why would anyone do that?

CTSM, thank you for trying to address this subject. You are a far better person than me. bless you, CTSM

I don't think I am. I'm pretty sure I'm not. But you're welcome.

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4 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Please tell me where I can read it.

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6 users have voted.

NYCVG

Lookout's picture

@NYCVG

https://caucus99percent.com/content/hiatus

We all need breaks. From my view all is fine. Let's do our best to at least act like we're considerate adults (which quite frankly I think is true of this community). However, none of us are beyond knee jerking when we react to hot button items, and JtC was usually there to calm any rudeness or shaming. He's not going to be overseeing for awhile, and I sure would be proud if we had no hot tempered exchanges during his hiatus.

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14 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

@Lookout A break is a good idea, now and then, for all of us.

I plan to contribute here as well as I can and see how it goes.

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7 users have voted.

NYCVG

wendy davis's picture

having disappeared into the ether after you'd apparently pressed 'publish':

i compose on a Word document, but as it's a microsoft product, it doesn't perform functions as before. but my guess is that there are similar ones out there, if you'd prefer. but you'd be able to copy/paste your content in anew.

second, managing this site for so long earns JtC a break, which is what 'hiatus' means. his covid solution was rather brilliant, as in: CC (community content) now also doubles as Covid Content.

as far as what constitutes an ad hominem attack, i was accused of it on one Black Lives diary i'd published by a (now erstwhile) member in defense of her 'favorite c99% member'. i have tried to be more circumspect in the two or threes since that time, and save my thought crimes (j/k) for those who rule and immiserate everyday citizens in this nation and around the world (including of course, compromised NGOs).

given the fact that my last vertigo crash seems to have caused my cognitive synapses to misfire ever-increasingly,coupled w/ the fact that even being online very long isn't great for my mental health...i got to asking myself if blogging ever really changed anything. i've blogged anti-Imperialism for about a dozen years now, and even though this western empire is failing now and is at its most loose-cannon dangerous psychopathic tipping point, it sure isn't down to anything i'd ever penned. : )

oh, tiddly-pom; i've forgotten another item i'd meant to say.

nice topic thank you.

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13 users have voted.
wendy davis's picture

@wendy davis

it was music i'd meant to play!

desmond dekker's 'israelites' has been part of the soundtrack playing in my head for weeks:

(israelites are black hebrews, as i understand it):

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8twFAOKZwg]

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8 users have voted.
Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@wendy davis

I'm sorry about your health. I hope things improve, or, at the least, that you have many many days that are as good as possible under these world conditions.

As for what is and is not an ad hominem attack:

These terms can be defined, understood, and put into practice on a site like this (or in any group). But the definitions can always be questioned, not only by good-faith actors, but by trolls, operatives, griefers, etc. When bad-faith actors question those definitions, the key characteristic of their questioning is that it has no end. They don't want to reach an answer; they want to make it impossible to use those terms, because without those terms it will be impossible to maintain those social boundaries (which are inconvenient to them on many levels).

It's a great way to continue trolling, griefing, wrecking good-faith actors' ability to have a conversation. Just keep questioning the terms which define their social boundaries. Questioning is supposed to be a good thing in most independent-minded circles, which are where the discussions such trolls want most to stymie are located. When someone tries to call such bad-faith actors on their constant questioning of those definitions, the bad-faith actors can accuse that person of being authoritarian and hypocritical. And then you're off to the races, with an entire group of people, maybe even a whole site, arguing for and against the character attack the troll just made.

Honest, good-faith discussions on the Internet are often like trying to have a good conversation in the middle of a cloud of stinging gnats. It's a hell of an accomplishment to succeed as well as this site has, with all our warts.

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9 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

wendy davis's picture

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal

i've witnessed anything close to troll behavior is on twitter, depending on the subject. and RT. maybe...

but aha! you've reminded me that Once Upon a Time i'd published an apology to alligator ed (may he rest in power on the other side) for being pissed at him for calling this SARS, etc. covid 'the Wu Flu', meaning to me that it was created as a bio-weapon in a lab in china.

and rather than discuss it with him: i pounced instead. zo...guilty again.

as far as my health issues, this seems to be the New Normal for me, although i have a local friend who intimates (and i'm extrapolating):

if i access my higher self often enough, i should be able to Manifest a whole brain, a new left eye with single vision (lol), and about seven new working and painfree joints. maybe she's right, but it's a pretty tall order at this point in my life.

Look, Ma! No crutches! (we call them my ponies for fun....)

another irony: mr d and i had always believed that hard work would would keep us young. duh; we'd forgotten that it would also break us down. and now he has to do a hella lot of the work i used to do, both indoors and out.

Amazon Wendy: i'd even hefted to fit 90 lb rocks in three stone stairways in our back garden. and boy, howdy, do i appreciate those river rock walls and stairways!

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3 users have voted.
snoopydawg's picture

@wendy davis

but your essays are always very informative. That you are still writing them with your health issues make them even more appreciative to me.

I’ve found that my memory problems have sorta gotten better since I have become an avid writer. I can remember things I’ve read longer than a few seconds now. I’ll take what I can get. Still lots of mistakes with some things, but it’s not as often. But I still laugh at some of the things I write when I re-read them. Oh well…

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9 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

wendy davis's picture

@snoopydawg

formidable! you can rattle off history, say of Russia Gate or other Memes & axioms so easily!

for me, about all i can do now is copy/paste, as i'm unable to translate a column or news flash. as with the CIA plot to kidnap julian assange authored by 'russians'. wot? (your storify was brilliant!)

wish i'd clicked in, but the other days on the msn hompepage, while retrieving my e-mail. there was a headline with Pompeo (brrrrrr and grrrrr) saying 'or maybe the chinese'. why not iran, Mike? make it a three-fer.

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2 users have voted.
snoopydawg's picture

@wendy davis

That’s because the information becomes long term memory. giggle. Or maybe that is what happens? It’s short term memory that I still have a problem with. And who knows what I do daily that I forget? It still happens but since I learned why it does I don’t sweat it anymore. But when I first started commenting here I could not remember what someone said long enough to write a reply to it. I thank whoever it was that said to open replies in a new tab. Boy that saved me lots of scrolling back to the comment up the page.

Long time ago soon after the accident I had a friend who did something horrible. She made it seem that I was forgetting more things then I really was. "Did you forget again?" I don’t know why she did that, but then I found out other things about her and it made sense. But still.

Pompeo is bordering on witness intimidation by saying that he wants people charged for exposing the CIA plot against Assange. We’re doomed if he becomes president.

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4 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

@wendy davis
Almost any distribution should have it.
it will import word documents also. not sure about export.
But defintely save the document then copy and paste into your browser.

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5 users have voted.

I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

@The Voice In the Wilderness

pretty much with same results.
Can't alway depend on the inner tubes to be stable.

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5 users have voted.
Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@QMS

It had been a LONG time since I'd lost anything, so I just composed directly onto the site.

My bad.

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2 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Lookout's picture

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal

it is because I failed to SAVE. I'll PREVIEW and think that's good, and hit PUBLISH rather than SAVE. As a result only what has been saved before will appear as the essay, and you can't get your current work back. I did that two weeks in a row before I really learned my lesson.

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4 users have voted.

“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@Lookout

Thanks, knowing that fixes the problem (although, come to think of it, I think I *did* hit save once before I hit "publish"--but regardless, this is a Very Good Thing to Know.)

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3 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

snoopydawg's picture

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal

I can usually just go back one page and the original essay/comment is still there as long as I don’t close the tab. Try it next time.

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4 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

wendy davis's picture

@The Voice In the Wilderness

to look into it. the thing i used to like about Word was that it was possible to Create a Hyperlink within the document; no mo', and it really slows down the work.

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2 users have voted.
snoopydawg's picture

If you don’t like what is discussed in them then feel free to skip them. This has been a long standing unwritten sorta rule going back to ToP. If you do read the essays then just follow the written rule. DBAD. You might not find anything of interest in them, but others do. I for one am thankful for all the information I find in them that keeps me updated.

JtC has asked us to quit calling people anti vax because no one knows how people really stand on that issue. Questioning the vaccines and their safety shouldn’t mean that people are anti vax. It means that they have some questions. Talking about early treatments also doesn’t mean that they are anti vax either.

Heh..guess we don’t have to worry about Bezos flying off into space after this planet is destroyed.

Thread. It’s a good one.

"So this billionaire "space race" is nothing more than a dick-measuring contest between Musk, Bezos, and Branson. They are not investing billions to forward science or the bounds of human possibility. They are doing it to be the first rich guy to bounce around uselessly up there."

T-Hee

"And it's utterly despicable when you understand that they're funding it with the hoarded wealth of workers who are struggling just to exist. With ill-gotten money made from supply chains that enslave people and are destroying the future possibility of life on earth."

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15 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@snoopydawg

Not that it matters much, I guess, but you know how they think they're indestructible (except via a populist left-wing revolution, which they've pretty much made impossible via their expanded weapons and surveillance tech.)

They probably *do* think they can escape to space.

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3 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@snoopydawg

Things like that almost make me rethink my resolve never to participate there again (I actually cancelled my account years ago).

To sum up, "In space, no-one can hear you bloviate."

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3 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

snoopydawg's picture

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal

The other thing to point out is that they are using information that NASA and us have paid trillions for. It’s not like they started from scratch and just built a rocket and learned to fly it.

The tweet I liked was the one saying that they could only do that because they stole money from their workers to get that rich. I’ll add plus all the tax breaks and subsidies they get after paying congress to rewrite the rules.

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7 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@snoopydawg

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1 user has voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

snoopydawg's picture

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10 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

just wanted to say thanks to JtC and all others who made c99 so great.

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8 users have voted.
Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@irishking

And, frankly, if a majority of people around here resolve that it won't be the end of our conversations, then it won't be.

In any case, Lookout and others, as they've expressed on here, believe I'm making a mountain out of a molehill, and I hope they're right, so I'm going to proceed on that assumption.

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3 users have voted.

"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver