Azalin

https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2018/08/31/aretha-franklin-eulogist-reverend-jasper-williams/1165386002/ https://www.charlotteobserver.com/entertainment/music-news-reviews/article217683830.html

I knew that was the case way back when.......

and at CNN, MSNBC, etc, etc, etc......

Linwood Kaine

That was a joke.

By my own experience, I find that I can find anything searching in Google, only sometimes I need to go a page or two deep. Any weighting or bias I've seen just pushes certain search results to the top, it doesn't obscure them altogether. If you're willing to dig a little, you can find what you're looking for. To me, Twitter is nothing more than a cesspool of insipid opinion, with an occasional sprinkle of wit or insight but not enough to spend a second of my time with. If you get your news from Yahoo or your Facebook feed, you're not going to know too much that's accurate. There is nothing in my opinion that warrants government regulation, control, or involvement beyond what's already in place. Ultimately, if people don't trust their news sources or social networks, alternatives will emerge.

There's no doubt that certain Youtube channels are treated differently because of their content. If Youtube penalizes certain users by taking away their ability to earn money from their posted material, then I'm inclined to believe that they should have to make a legitimate case as to why they do so, especially if someone (Youtube) will continue to profit from the clicks. But we also have a situation where a media company is deciding what type of content they approve of, which seems to me to be well within their right to do. Do we really want to cede the type of power to the government to force companies like twitter and youtube to comply with a government-defined version of fairness? Can't the market bring balance to social media, at least as an eventuality? I'm involved in a couple Youtube channels, and have a vested interest in how this plays out.

If I've learned anything from you it's: a) arrogance is apparently an effective insulation against embarrassment, and... b) your inclination to use the female gender as an insult places your personal insecurities front and center for the rest of the world to see. In fact, this is for you:

Ummmm.... Reading. Comprehension. Just doing my job, citizen. Just doing my job.

So you've known Baskin for quite a while, then?

You never pass up an opportunity to play the horse's ass, do you? I'm not the one who implied that taxes were optional, you dimwit.

That sucks that Youtube has de-monitized all her videos. Sure, they're not actually censoring anyone by doing that, but a lot of vloggers and youtubers use the income to help support their channel, so it does have an effect on their ability to keep new material coming. There is another channel, one that I subscribe to called Spectre Media Group which has effected by Youtube's policy changes. SMG has had old videos de-monitized years after the fact due to language, specifically the frequent F-bombs.

The first few times he referenced it, it was simply "public office" or possibly "elected office", and later said it was a position on a local school board. Then again, your idea about the "L" key is a solid possibility too.

Stpp trplling, ypu bungmpnkey!

This is so typical of you. Since your first appearance here, you've done little more than condescend. Only one time - once - have I ever seen you come back with an honest, thoughtful reply (I asked you what besides then-candidate Trump's health care ideas you would support, and you actually supplied a list of suggestions in bullet points). The rest of the time you simply drop in, lay a little smarm on someone, call us a right-wing circle-jerk, and run away. Not very intellectual, and certainly not what I'd expect from somebody who frequently reminds us that they once held public office. I realize that if you reply to me, it will likely be in several weeks per your usual MO so I won't be holding my breath. However of you actually do read this, then I'll take this opportunity to let you know that I do give you credit for not trolling anyone or continually starting useless or repetitive threads.

So I've been compliant with the law and paying my taxes all these years, and they're not required? That's certainly good news! Honestly though, I wouldn't have thought that helping others would ever become an aspiration. I've always treated that as something you just go out and do.

Exactly what is required beyond being a lawful citizen and paying one's taxes?

Isn't freedom of expression wonderful? We can engage in conversation about any topic we want, with whomever we want, at any time we want. The possibilities are limitless - the only boundaries being our intellect and imagination. We're free to express ourselves, to exchange ideas, and bring information, both factual and hypothetical into the conversation. We have at our disposal the ability to learn from, debate, or disagree with each other. Many of us have been here for years, some for decades. Despite frequent disagreements, we've always maintained a degree of civility, at least in the greater sense. Speaking for myself, I have learned a great deal from many people here. I have benefited from the company and the exchange of ideas. That being said - We've very obviously been experiencing a flood of trolls, idiots, and children lately, who do absolutely nothing (and when I say absolutely nothing I mean not a #$@damned $^%#ing thing) to add to the conversation. You know who you are, and I'm sure you're just having a ball trolling people here, giggling like teenage girls when you irritate some random "trumptard" with your idiocy du jour. It's not fair to say that it's all people from BBMB, because it's not just them. We've added some pretty cool folks from that site, and PPP (indeed TBD in general) has benefited from having them. This post is not a plea to those that are trying to screw up the board - you can all go &%$# yourselves for all I care. This is a plea to those of you who are a part of the community here, no matter party affiliation or whatever political philosophy you believe in. Let's just ignore these people. They will eventually leave us alone, just like how adults wait for their children to stop crying before enjoying themselves. They can't respond to you if you don't say anything to them. I know it can be extremely tempting - the low hanging fruit makes a very easy target, but no points are scored for shooting fish in a barrel.

Very true indeed.

Because life is so much easier when we can create our own definitions, right?

You're absolutely right. I know a fair amount of immigrants, many of whom are illegal. They're perfectly law-abiding, decent people despite their illegal status. It would be good to see them take the next step toward citizenship, to see them become more active in society, and to evolve beyond cook, dishwasher, landscaper status. The last time I knew an immigrant predisposed to violence was back in 1985, when a Haitian dishwasher in North Carolina threatened someone with a hand gun and wound up getting his arm blown off because the other guy had a shotgun. It's those kind of people - that threaten and kill innocents - that we need to keep the hell out of the country. This guy that killed Ms Tibbetts ought to go on trial very publicly, and if found guilty, should pay for it in spectacular fashion.

So an image of a man in a rubber King Ghidorah suit triggers you to making sweeping accusations of racism? This is a winning argument to you?

Maher annoys the hell out of me, but as far as I can remember he's always been very consistent on the issue of free speech.

Only one voice in an ever-growing cacophony of idiocy.