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NOGODZ20's avatar
7hEdited

And this in Texas? Wow, maybe the times, they ARE a-changin.'

Or maybe the majority of people in this country just don't like xtian fanatics.

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oraxx's avatar

Two of the five largest cities in the U.S. are in Texas, and they both tilt blue. The state gets stereotyped by the most extreme right-wing elected officials like Greg Abbott and Ken Paxton.

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Daniel Rotter's avatar

Well, even in the Bible Belt (or "real America," as I like to call it), there are small communist pockets./s

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phelpsmediation's avatar

I have a problem with people throwing around the word “communist” loosely. Most people have no idea what it means or what Marx and Engels wrote. It is simply a negative term used to rile up ignorant people and right wingers to hate someone.

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Daniel Rotter's avatar

I know the term is used too "loosely." I was being humorously sarcastic.

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Pam Smith's avatar

In another word: Facetious

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Ian D's avatar

Yes, and the redefining of 'socialism' has been no incident too. Carefully and intentionally demonised for the masses while corporate welfare and other forms of business "socialism" at tax payers and US citizens expense - such as no national health care system - is a given.

Always been the case to the point the USA is now defined as 'Pottersville' Nth America.

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John Smith's avatar

Most MAGAS wouldn’t know a genuine socialist, communist, etc, if it came up and slapped the MAGAS silly!

MAGAS have a very limited vocabulary that consist of swear words, insults, right wing talking points and redneck English (with words not found in any actual dictionary), plus the MAGAS think (I use that term very loosely) that 90% of the words that are actually in all dictionaries are all foreign words that “real” Americans don’t use. That is one reasons we (non-MAGAS) have difficulty to have a conversation with MAGAS, they have different meanings/lack of understanding of various words!

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MikeinSonoma's avatar

I like pointing out to Maga that the tactic of firing qualified people in government and replacing them with loyalist is not a Trump tactic, it’s a Joseph Stalin tactic and was called the Great Purge. So who are they calling communist! 🤫

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Black Hole and DM mourner's avatar

I wonder how they would react to learn that a good chunk of basic vocabulary come from French 😁

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Ethereal Fairy's avatar

Yes. Norman French is the basis of so many so-called English words. And the (now German) Saxon words.

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Black Hole and DM mourner's avatar

Long after that. Up to the 17th or 18th century, speaking/knowing French was a must amongst nobles. And it trickled down, and evolved, to become modern English.

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phelpsmediation's avatar

John, didn’t you mean “wouldn’t know “ ?

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John Smith's avatar

Yes, that is what I meant, and I will correct it. Thanks! Sometimes when I am typing too fast I miss a few letters here and there. I try to get it right, but you know mistakes happen!

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phelpsmediation's avatar

Happens to all of us.

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Richard S. Russell's avatar

This particular site is less subject to off-the-cuff silly mistakes than most, but yeah, it's not like everyone here is carefully preparing a master's thesis with footnotes etc.

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Ethereal Fairy's avatar

As you point out, they have been propagandized and told words like those mean pretty much the opposite of their actual definition (such as "woke" which means aware of systemic flaws baked-in to hurt POC. They in true racist fashion, twist it to mean anything that attempts to even out living conditions for the systemically disadvantaged. Or DEI which they think means "anything we don't like".

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MikeinSonoma's avatar

I think he was just joking, but you’re absolutely right they’re trigger words for ignorant people on the right, along with woke, Pelosi, and Soros

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Black Hole and DM mourner's avatar

I had a communist great grandfather, he spent his life serving the country that welcomed him.

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Charles Newman's avatar

"real America" Which one, North or South America?

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Die Anyway's avatar

Neither. The United States of AMERICA. Not one of the other countries in North, South, or Central use America in their name. So when talking about a single country, it is understood by everyone but you that America applies to the good ol' U.S. of A.

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Ethereal Fairy's avatar

Plus it is hair splitting, we could say "the united states" but Mexico also uses that in their official name last I knew. It is known shorthand, because no one has time to type it all out when shorthand works better.

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Charles Newman's avatar

"Not one" an ad populum fallacy and misnomer doesn't make something to or correct. The imperialistic MAGA cult has used it successfully since president Ronald Reagan started it in his last speech leaving the white house. The word "of" distinctly separates America the land mass form the American country the United States. Sorry not "everyone" is an everyone. In God We (or "everyone") Trust? Hilarious, thanks

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Richard S. Russell's avatar

Camino Real?

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ericc's avatar

Temporarily changing, at least.

Given the general tilt of Tuesday's results, I have to guess that ANY candidate for any election that trumpets their conservative or pro-Trump brand is taking a hit for it. It's not a popular brand to have right now.

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XJC's avatar

Then there's Leon Musk.

$1T Day today in Austin.

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Maltnothops's avatar

Tuesday was even better than I thought.

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Troublesh00ter's avatar

In today's political environment, checking the down-ballot elections is always worth the doing!

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larry parker's avatar

Tacos and good election results. FSM works in mysterious ways.

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Ethereal Fairy's avatar

R'Amen!

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oraxx's avatar

The love these people have for censorship betrays the ultimate weakness of their belief system. They claim to be in possession of the absolute truth, but live in terror of having their claims challenged in any meaningful way. The people who would break down the barriers between church and state always appear to operate under the assumption it will be their particular tribe calling the shots for everyone else. They should be imagining the tribe they dislike most having control over their lives because that would definitely be someone's reality.

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Joe King's avatar

They're afraid of becoming the minority, because of how they have treated minorities. They believe everyone thinks like they do. They don't understand that we want to treat them with the compassion they have faild to show us.

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NOGODZ20's avatar

We just want people to be fed, clothed and housed. Like their own savior wanted.

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Len's avatar

Agreed. But it seems to almost make us more Christian than them. That’s weird.

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Maltnothops's avatar

That’s because the term “Christian” has positive connotations that are undeserved.

We are not more Christian than them; we are better human beings.

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John Smith's avatar

Spot on!

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oraxx's avatar

Exactly so. The people who would have us believe Christianity is the solution to all the world's problems appear to be utterly oblivious to what Christians, acting in the name of Christianity, have done to their fellow humans.

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ericc's avatar
4hEdited

I think it's also a fear that if their kids can access tolerant liberal books, they will turn into tolerant liberals. Which, yeah, can happen. You might think "but what difference will it make when...the internet?" but we're talking about elementary and middle school age kids here, from insular families. Their school library is probably one of the few portals to outside world thinking that their parents can't control.

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Stacy's avatar

Yes! This right here.

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Ethereal Fairy's avatar

My friend calls that "viewing others through the lens of your own malice", I don't know the origin of the phrase.

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Stephen Brady's avatar

The whole problem with authoritarian systems is they have to spend all their time being vigilant for any challenges to their 'truth'. Can't have the little darlings exposed to anybody elses' 'truth'. The Authoritarians and they alone are blessed with right opinion. I mean - what would happen if the kids saw the RCC or NSRV versions of the Decalog? Chaos - utter chaos. I sincerely hope they have sown the seeds of their own destruction.

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Joe King's avatar

𝐼’𝑣𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑙𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 32 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝐺𝑜𝑑 𝑔𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑚𝑒 𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑔𝑛𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡—𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑘𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑖𝑡—𝐻𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑡𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑖𝑟𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑙𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑑𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟-𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑒𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑓 𝑐ℎ𝑢𝑟𝑐ℎ 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑠𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑜𝑙𝑠.

Ms Blasingame:

Good to see that someone as deluded as yourself is no longer going ro be in charge of educating children. If you truly think that a god directly told you something as though he were another passenger sitting next to you on an airplane, I hope you are seeking professional help.

Given that your time on the board has been marked by violating the church-state boundary more egregiously than the already gar right Christian Nationalist state board, I would suspect that your idea of "over-interpretation" of separation of church and state is the interpretation that the Establishment Clause exists. People like you want to make your narrow and bigoted version of Christianity the mandatory default. A situation you would not accept if it were turned against you and Islam or Hinduism were made mandatory.

I suspect that part of why Blasingame et al lost is the big pushback against MAGA the we are seeing across the country. People everywhere, across the political spectrum, are waking up to the fact that for these extremists, power, control, and cruelty are the point. And they don't want to be cruel. They don't want to be controlled. They want power back with the people, where it belongs.

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Straw's avatar

If only she could both read and understand what you wrote. I think not.

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ericc's avatar
4hEdited

Pretty sure they're the ones over-interpreting. "No law respecting the establishment of religion" is pretty clear: no law means no law. None. It does not mean "except you can pass laws estabilshing some 10C monuments, and IGWT posters, and prayers by coaches, and and and..."

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Pam Smith's avatar

I'm laughing hysterically!! Way to go Joe King.

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Troublesh00ter's avatar

Wow. This is just fabulous news, and that it comes from Texas makes it all the sweeter and more satisfying. On top of everything else, the three Christian Luddites were voted OUT and the three educators who cared about not just THEIR kids but ALL the kids got voted IN ... BY THE PEOPLE!!!

I would sincerely hope that the results of the elections for the Cypress-Fairbanks ISD can send a message to the rest of Texas: that you can fight the Christian nonsense and YOU CAN WIN!

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Straw's avatar

I admit I got surprised and kind of happy. (I also got happy because I made dinner all by myself today. Husband liked it too.)

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Troublesh00ter's avatar

Terrific! What was for dinner?

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Straw's avatar

Stifado made of mountain hare. Husband brought some home after hunting in nothern Norway.

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Pam Smith's avatar

Yum. I looked up the recipe.

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Straw's avatar

Nice. Almost any red meat can be used.

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Maltnothops's avatar

I also looked it up. Interesting that you made it with hare. I have a relative in Alaska who is coming to visit and is bringing some moose and bear meat. I’ve been looking at recipes. Stifado is now high on the list.

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Straw's avatar

I've always made it with hare. Skordelia is nice as a side dish.

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Bensnewlogin's avatar

“I’ve been on the board serving you for four years, but more than anything, I’m a Christian….I’ve been in schools for 32 years, and when God gave me an assignment—you talked about it—He literally told me on an airplane that the role was to tear down the over-interpretation of separation of church and state in our schools.”

So much to unpack here but I’m a little fuzzy this morning. but there are so many clichés here that the copy will just write itself.

“MORE THAN ANYTHING, I AM A CHRISTIAN.” One of my online acquaintances for many years ago was a Christian, and a pretty good guy. A bit like our David. He said to be aware of anybody who doesn’t identify their denomination, but says, I am a Christian. He said the people who do that are what he called trash Christians. They didn’t have a denomination, they had a tribal identity.

“ GOD GAVE ME AN ASSIGNMENT… HE LITERALLY TOLD ME ON AN AIRPLANE.” literally, huh? It wasn’t the Dramamine kicking in or anything. So we have yet another case of religious megalomania— an over identification with God. God can’t be bothered to stop the war in Gaza, or feed starving children, but he has time to tell you how special you are because indeed dear lady, thou art the specialissimus of the special. Unless that sounds too, oh, papist.

But you lost your election. Did God change his mind? Were you so busy sinning that God decided he didn’t like you anymore, sort of like Trump but female? Why didn’t he know you were going to do that? Was he busy just telling someone else what to do and forgot to take care of you? Inquiring minds want to know. (In my best Edward G Robinson/New York/ancient hebrew accent):

WHERE IS YOUR GOD NOW?

Is he in the airplane with us? Were you William Shatner looking out the window and seeing God?

This is the problem, over and over and over. These entitled Christians think that God speaks to them, God loves them more than anyone, God cares about everything that they care about and dislikes the people that they dislike.

What’s sad is that every time we get one of these stories, it’s always the same story. God told me to tell you that God wants me to tell you what God wants. But God never tells you directly, he only tells me, because you’re not as special as I am.

On a completely unrelated but possibly relevant note, we have a pair of Blue Jays that live on our property. Several times in the morning in the last few weeks, I’ve seen one of the Jays on the big aeonium succulent plant (aiona—eternity. coincidence? Not in God’s world!) next to my window several times, poking around among the leaves and pulling out a seed. I just realized that this is where he’s hiding his stash. Because there aren’t any seeds like that on this plant. But it’s a very clever place to hide it, because no other birdie can see it. His food supply is safe.

God just showed me the relevance of this. Thank you Jesus.. the Bluejay is The True Christian (TM). The seeds are god’s word. Only the true Christian/Bluejay knows where God’s words are, hidden among the jungle of leaves, where no one else can see them or discern them. It requires the Blue Jay to produce these nuggets of nutrition/spirit. No other birdie/Christian can accomplish this feat.

Mr. Jay just told me to tell you to send me money. It’s not for me. It’s for God’s greater glory. I’m just going to keep it safe.

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larry parker's avatar

Your Bluejays might be a little depressed. Afterall, they just lost the World Series.

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Bensnewlogin's avatar

Maybe that’s his name. Sportsball.

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dammit barry's avatar

In related news Murka's finest felon has...

Trump has now overseen the two longest government shutdowns in history. He ran on fixing a broken system and helping working people. Instead, he’s making the system even worse and shafting working people by gutting the social safety net.

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Bensnewlogin's avatar

He is accomplishing his mission

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Bill Wilson's avatar

Want to painfully experience the wrath of a god? Mess with the blue jays seed stash. A knock on the noggin from the heavens.

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Bensnewlogin's avatar

I actually do want to go out and look and see what he has hidden in the plant. I won’t touch it, but I’d like to see.

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Black Hole and DM mourner's avatar

Can you afford and install a wildlife camera ?

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Bensnewlogin's avatar

I could probably afford one, but I probably wouldn’t use it. The Aeonium is just outside of the large window in my breakfast nook. The bird is maybe 3 feet away from me. I am my own wildlife camera.

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Black Hole and DM mourner's avatar

I won't fund you... god's coffee addiction.

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Bensnewlogin's avatar

I just bought 6 pounds last week at Costco, heaven for consumers. Gotcha, atheist!

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Maltnothops's avatar

Our Costco quit carrying the Kirkland brand of decaf* at least a year ago. We buy it online from Costco.

*We make our coffee half caf so I can drink 6-7 mugs a day without getting the jitters.

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Bensnewlogin's avatar

There is a thing called coffee psychosis, and it’s real. I knew one person personally that suffered from it. And it is my firm belief that Oscar Levant’s drug problems came from the fact that he was drinking probably 20 cups of coffee a day.

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Val Uptuous NotAgain's avatar

We definitely need these wins to counter the federal losses to our education system.

We need the state board to flip too. Get rid of all the dudes from the Daughters of the Confederacy who are influencing our schools. It starts in Texas but it affects all states.

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NOGODZ20's avatar
7hEdited

Were it possible, both Molly Ivans and Ann Richards would be smiling.

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Daniel Rotter's avatar

And Barbara Jordan.

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NOGODZ20's avatar

Damn, I forgot to include her. My bad.

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Daniel Rotter's avatar

You will be forgiven just as long as you enlighten our French friend about the existence of Google and Wikipedia (see his reply to your comment). *smiles*

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Black Hole and DM mourner's avatar

Google Michel Robert and Jacques Martin.

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NOGODZ20's avatar
6hEdited

When Frenchy uses that “Who ?” I never know if she’s being serious or not. She uses Wikipedia all the time, so she knows the answer(s) are quite literally at her fingertips. :)

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Black Hole and DM mourner's avatar

One word : Homonym 😝

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Boreal's avatar

Wish they were still here.

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NOGODZ20's avatar

Me too.

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dammit barry's avatar

Long time subscriber to the now defunct "Liberal Opinion Week." Always several stricles by this duo.I always considered Paul whatsisname as part of the royal troika of opinion. Age is catching up with mybrain.

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Bensnewlogin's avatar

Anne Richards, the last decent, liberal, democratic governor of Texas. Molly Ivins was a political columnist with a very wicked sense of humor and a bang on sense of what to write. Both died.

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Black Hole and DM mourner's avatar

Thank you.

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NOGODZ20's avatar

Long story. How does one encompass a life in so short a space, let alone two. Or three.

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Black Hole and DM mourner's avatar

I just got a silly idea. How about letting the school staff take care of anything about education and the parents help with stuff like festivals and field trips ?

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NOGODZ20's avatar

Why, you wild-eyed radical you. :)

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Black Hole and DM mourner's avatar

I guess I am more French than I thought.

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larry parker's avatar

Sacrebleu!

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Guerillasurgeon's avatar

Nom d'un chien!

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Black Hole and DM mourner's avatar

Congratulations to Larry and you, you are now ready to emigrate to Québec.

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Guerillasurgeon's avatar

Filer à l’anglaise ?

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dammit barry's avatar

Please stay that way. The 3% of my DNA that is French admires you. Just as the other 87% Bohunk does. (Bohunk = Slovak) Also 3% Nordic and another 3% Brit.

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Black Hole and DM mourner's avatar

Most of my DNA is definitely not French 🤣

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Maltnothops's avatar

I can tell you’re not Amurikan.

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Straw's avatar

I thank Thor everyday for that.

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Maltnothops's avatar

😂😂

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larry parker's avatar

That will never fly in Harper Valley.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOZPBUu7Fro

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ericc's avatar

Then we get field trips to the Ark Park.

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Black Hole and DM mourner's avatar

They help with the organization, they don't decide where. And in high school, teachers tend to let the students vote where they want to go.

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Straw's avatar

As we do in Norway as well.

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Boreal's avatar

If your only qualification for the school board is that you "are a christian", then you are grossly underqualified and gross.

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John Smith's avatar

And possibly a child molester waiting for a chance to be alone with kids!

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Joan the Dork's avatar

I wish the new board members all the best in repairing the damage done by their predecessors (and by the morons who 𝘷𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘥 for their predecessors); they have a hard road ahead. It is far easier to destroy than it is to rebuild, and it is harder to rebuild than to create a thing in the first place. Would that the people of this country could find a way to learn that lesson 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 they're standing in a pile of rubble, wondering what happened even as they still hold the detonator in their hands.

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larry parker's avatar

"𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 they're standing in a pile of rubble" - Too late. (East Wing)

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Linda's avatar

Fantastic news for Texas. Every step counts. Any sane Texan will have to play a long game to pull themselves out of the gerrymandered mess they are in. I’d love to see them stop surveilling, tracking, and arresting women for having miscarriages while they’re at it. Sorry, no one wants to move there. 🤡

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Sko Hayes's avatar

I've heard of a couple of other school boards that got rid of their overtly religious nuts.

PROGRESS!!

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Boreal's avatar

From Feminist News:

“ Today, as the Trump administration’s health officials hosted a press conference announcing their plan to lower the price of Ozempic, Gordon Findlay, part of the Novo Nordisk team collapsed.

How did the room full of “health experts” react?

Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr. was caught fleeing the room. Trump took a quick glance to see what the commotion was, then stood idly, mildly annoyed that the attention was no longer on him and his big plans.

The photo that perfectly encapsulates who he is.”

https://ibb.co/1CcnzS5

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larry parker's avatar

To be fair, RFK Jr. was running out of the room to get some leeches.

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NOGODZ20's avatar

Joshie doing his imitation of The Flash.

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Guerillasurgeon's avatar

Apparently Dr Oz at least did the right thing – but then he's a doctor albeit a surgeon.

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Len Koz's avatar

He's just a petulant child.

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wreck's avatar

Yup, Pedodent tRump is completely useless. And are the other shitweasels with him going through fainter's pockets?

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Guerillasurgeon's avatar

What's the betting the man is fired soon? Probably while he's still in hospital. Christ anyone with an ounce of political nous would have at least gone over there and pretended to do something – like show concern. Probably would have visited him in hospital the next day. But Trump – not a fucking clue if it doesn't relate to the fuckwits who vote for him.

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Troublesh00ter's avatar

In THIS day and age, THAT is BALLSY!

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NOGODZ20's avatar

Vive la difference !

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Joan the Dork's avatar

...and he still won despite there also being multiple spoiler candidates in the race. People 𝘢𝘳𝘦 ready for change; all Democrats need to do is offer a better 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 of change than Cheetolini&Co.

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dammit barry's avatar

People are seeing religious superstitionistas as a bunch of pushy assholes trying to rule over others. Will kkkriterism survive this attempted assault on our liberties? I left superstition over 60 years ago because a kkkatlik bishop said on tv that I deserved only a cruel death.

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