2020 US Presidential Election

View attachment 50214

If your read on the situation is that after months of desperate diplomacy to prevent a war that it's actually the West/Biden who wanted it... and also we are in the wrong to help a country defend itself from the Russians, who are committing genocide... you may want to examine where your outlandish claims are coming from.

I've spoken with my conservative relatives recently and the handling of the Ukraine situation was the only thing that we are doing right in the country according to them.

Lobbyists are corrupting our government and many of our politicians fall under their influence. They all lurk in K-Street, so it's not exclusively Manchin who's bought and paid for only.

And just so you know... Manchin is a Senator in a state that went +39 points for Trump in the 2020 Presidential election and +42 points in 2016. Basically West Virginia is Trump land and when Manchin leaves office, that seat will be flipped to Republican. A candidate more left than Manchin would be almost guaranteed to lose a general election in West Virginia.

Manchin needs to walk the fine line between not pissing off his Trump loving constituents and approving some of the democratic party's legislative agenda. It's blessing in disguise for the Democrats really. If he wasn't registered as a Democrat, it would mean Mitch "the turtle" McConnell becomes majority leader, and the turtle would have unilateral power to stop all hearings for things like judicial appointments. 60 of Biden's judicial nominees have already been confirmed by the senate and Manchin has been instrumental in that. These are liberal federal judges we're talking about here and it's a lifetime position.

In short, he's a necessary evil for the Democratic Party and without him, their agenda gets completely stifled by Republican obstruction/opposition. He's popular in West Virginia (was a former Governor there) and it doesn't seem like it but Manchin votes with his party's majority most of time.
What does Manchin have to do with this?

Ukraine is one of the most corrupt countries in the world. Their representatives throw food at each other, during sessions. They elected a comedian, with no political experience, as their leader. Biden's son is neck-deep in corruption, there.

However, be that as it may, Putin waited until a weak president was in power, before conducting this invasion.

Joe Biden was the choice of bin laden, in 2010, as president, and bin laden ordered his followers to kill Obama but not assassinate Biden because he believed that Biden would lead the United States into a crisis. He was correct. In fact, Biden is even worse than bin laden thought he was.

I am sorry that this is happening in Ukraine, but we have our own problems. Biden is not competent enough to handle this, and that is because he has dementia. We elected him, and he has screwed up every single major issue that he has been involved in. Biden gave the Taliban, in Afghanistan, military equipment worth millions, during the deadly withdrawal orchestrated by the Biden administration.

IMO, we need to keep out of the Ukraine/Russia conflict, or at least scale down our support until somebody who can handle it, is president.

Those who voted for Biden, are responsible for this situation.
 
Anyway, I have some questions for you. If you had a daughter or a LGBT+ son, wouldn't you want them to express who they want to be, marry a person with whom they want to share the rest of their lives with, and live a life of dignity? So basically, do you want them to be happy in life?
Let me get this straight: Everything is against LGBT people. Men are the chief villains in the world, who have persecuted everybody and made the world an unmitigated hell for women for thousands of years through the 20th century, and beyond.

Heterosexual WHITE men, that is, nobody else. We must learn and support every single thing that the powers of the LGBT lobbyists push at us, agree with everything that they say, all of the time, start indoctrinating children from infancy to think this way, and let children of five years old decide which sex they want to be, or we are the bad guys. Is this correct?
 
OK, back to Biden, the man who was elected president, or so it is claimed by his party, in 2020

Nancy Pelosi, now 82 years old, is suggesting that the Biden administration actually did very well at handling Covid because there are only a million deaths, and somebody else (Gee I wonder who that could be) would have done worse.

Pelosi suggests COVID death toll would be worse than 1 million without Biden in office

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/pelosi-suggests-covid-death-toll-worse-than-1-million-without-biden
 
What does Manchin have to do with this?
It was a reply to @Christiaan's question, he asked why Manchin was considered a moderate Democrat. I was simply giving him an explanation. It has nothing to do with you.
Ukraine is one of the most corrupt countries in the world. Their representatives throw food at each other, during sessions. They elected a comedian, with no political experience, as their leader. Biden's son is neck-deep in corruption, there.
Not sure why you think bringing up Zelenskyy's past as a comedian strengthens your argument? Yes, the man used to be a comedian, but he's showing in real time what happens when you have the right person in office at the right time. Someone specifically geared to handle the crisis in front of them in the moment. The fact that it's a former comedy actor in this position frankly just makes it that much more impressive to me. Hey, I wish our leaders were more like Volodymyr "GIGACHAD" Zelenskyy.

I cannot think of a single US President that would be doing the same either going as far back as I can think of. Possibly Eisenhower? Though to be fair even if a US President did try to hold down the fort, I wouldn't put it past the Secret Service to do what they do best and that would be to carry the President to safety anyway.

I won't deny that there has been Ukrainian corruption, but a large part of it was due to Russian/Soviet influence. The current administration was trying to reduce it and it's one of the reasons they got elected. But even now, your concern about potential corruption on the part of the Ukrainians is a ridiculous thing say, because they are literally fighting for their survival now.
I am sorry that this is happening in Ukraine, but we have our own problems.
IMO, we need to keep out of the Ukraine/Russia conflict, or at least scale down our support until somebody who can handle it, is president.
4583966F-3062-43E4-9CCD-4DA6C9297B82.gif


Isolationist rhetoric... you're completely disregarding that the war in Ukraine is impacting you too. And it would be even worse if Ukraine loses. Russia poses a threat to Western democracy, the rule of law, and humanitarianism. What's to stop them from marching in other sovereign nations? Ukraine losing is not an option.
However, be that as it may, Putin waited until a weak president was in power, before conducting this invasion.
Those who voted for Biden, are responsible for this situation.
D9CA6573-A296-4BEA-B061-C4E2E641A8FC.gif


Take it up with the Russians. They started it. I will say in regards to the Ukraine situation, you frankly have no idea what you're talking about. Ukraine was quickly slipping from Russia's sphere of influence with its NATO / European Union aspirations, which is the real reason. They feel like Ukraine is theirs, simple as that. Putin has insisted that Russians and Ukrainians are "one people" and that they share historical "unity". Please tell me how Biden factors into this?

I honestly couldn't bother to read most of your Biden rant. It's funny because I actually agree with some of your criticism of Biden (even if you keep regurgitating the same things over and over again ad nauseam), but your Biden hate is now leading down a bizarre path where he is largely to be blamed for Russia's invasion somehow. You may want to lay off the Fox News/Tucker Carlson for a bit.
 
If someone who takes the oath of office, swears on the bible that they will uphold the laws of the country, defend the country against enemies foreign and domestic, and then they allowed the Capitol to be ransacked, did really nothing until it was too late for the virus, sucked up to Putin like a dog, withheld aid to a friendly country because either they wanted to help Putin, or somehow profit from it, didn't disclose his tax refunds because of his foreign interference, called our allies "our worst enemies" (European countries, though I suppose this was in relation to economic relations - but even so, music to Putin's ears), offered they we give up CIA agents to Putin so he could question them, did nothing when it was discovered Putin was offering bounties for dead US servicemen, called our election system rigged (I am sure China loved this too), sucked up to Kim Jun Un/North Korea, had a boner for other strongmen dictators...

The list goes on and on.

So yes, a traitor, in my book.
My feeling is in the US people get shown different news and "information" from the one we have in Europe...

Otherwise, I cannot understand how someone in his or her right mind can vote for a traitor to his country, like Trump. It is so obvious the guy was working for Putin.

There are interviews where Trump is directly asked about Putin and he always praises him.
 
My feeling is in the US people get shown different news and "information" from the one we have in Europe...

Otherwise, I cannot understand how someone in his or her right mind can vote for a traitor to his country, like Trump. It is so obvious the guy was working for Putin.

There are interviews where Trump is directly asked about Putin and he always praises him.
I would vote for him again too lol. Well he is getting up there in age...
 
My feeling is in the US people get shown different news and "information" from the one we have in Europe...

Otherwise, I cannot understand how someone in his or her right mind can vote for a traitor to his country, like Trump. It is so obvious the guy was working for Putin.

There are interviews where Trump is directly asked about Putin and he always praises him.
There are a lot of single issue people. So if your issue is abortion, then Trump did wonders.

Of course the country went to shit, but they dont care, or he aligns on their other things, like white nationalism.

People that want to restrict abortion are hypocrites. The attorney general in my state is a huge Trumper. He calls women who had an abortion as evil. Guess what - he just disclosed he and his wife had an abortion in the 90's. But he wants to restrict other people. There are many republicans that have had abortions. In fact, how many abortions has Don been involved with? Must be several, since he is such a ladies man. Hypocrite.

And as I always say, if abortion is in fact "murder," then lets line up the republicans who have committed murder first, and turn them in for prosecution, with the death penalty as punsishment.
Oh that's right, the death penalty isnt murder, is it?

And honestly the ultimate reality is republicon politicians just use it as a tool to win elections. Because when and if one of their daughters gets impregnated by a rapist, or maybe a black person, guess where they are headed?
 
There are a lot of single issue people. So if your issue is abortion, then Trump did wonders.

Of course the country went to shit, but they dont care, or he aligns on their other things, like white nationalism.

People that want to restrict abortion are hypocrites. The attorney general in my state is a huge Trumper. He calls women who had an abortion as evil. Guess what - he just disclosed he and his wife had an abortion in the 90's. But he wants to restrict other people. There are many republicans that have had abortions. In fact, how many abortions has Don been involved with? Must be several, since he is such a ladies man. Hypocrite.

And as I always say, if abortion is in fact "murder," then lets line up the republicans who have committed murder first, and turn them in for prosecution, with the death penalty as punsishment.
Oh that's right, the death penalty isnt murder, is it?

And honestly the ultimate reality is republicon politicians just use it as a tool to win elections. Because when and if one of their daughters gets impregnated by a rapist, or maybe a black person, guess where they are headed?
Some states in the country, do not support the extremely liberal all-out abortion that RvW allows. Some do not want it at all. The end of Roe Vs. Wade will not restrict abortion at all in the majority of states. The states that do not want it, have a right to their own laws. If people do not like this, they will be able to obtain an abortion, elsewhere.

The fact is, it is mostly the Southern states that are against abortion. One hundred sixty years ago, they wanted to leave the union, but Lincoln wouldn't let it happen, would not negotiate an alternative to secession, and he is considered to be the greatest president of all time, by many. We could have been free of the Southern states, forever, but he forced men and boys to kill and be killed, to prevent them from seceding. Over 750,000 men and boys died, leaving millions of orphaned children and widows. Let that sink in, the next time you see a five-dollar bill.
 
Biden called Trump, The Great MAGA King, intending it to be an insult. It didn't turn out the way that he intended it to, lol.

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Oh for Christ's sake. Some of the things people believe. It is almost not even worth it, to be honest.

If only Lincoln had not murdered those "boys." Didn't Don Trump compare himself to Lincoln? Isn't Lincoln the go to Republican when their back is in the corner on racism? "Hey, we may be racist now, but we are the party of Lincoln."

The South wanted to secede. Nobody forced the South to try to keep black slaves so that they could keep their plantation society. The South fired the first shot. Yeah Luman, if only we were the Northern US States, and we had a slave colony to the South of us. That would have been the Christian thing to do.

Any state that has a Republican majority will try to restrict it. Pennsylvania for example. And by the way, you people shout "Individual freedom this, my rights that." But no, the State has the right here. Why is that? Because they want their high and might morals for you? BS. And btw, you go ahead, if your child moves to a state with abortion restrictions, and gets raped - you go ahead and pay for her to go somewhere the abortion is legal. Of course, that is for you, screw everyone else.

Utter nonsense. I mean, you ought to be proud of how nonsensical you are. Quite an achievement. Keep it up.

And btw, the Mississippi law, the one the Supreme Court will affirm State's rights on, restricts abortions. The Texas law doesn't restrict abortion - it restricts aiding and abetting abortion. That can be anyone, even I suppose the airline that flew the person out of the state.

Put yourself in the person's shoes. You just got raped. Now you have to drive yourself out of the State to get your abortion. I would like to see you try that. And if you think this is a rare situation, think again. Most rapes go unreported. There are hundreds of them a day.

But you want states rights. The state has the right to do whatever it pleases. Civil war or not, 300 years ago.
 
Let me get this straight: Everything is against LGBT people. Men are the chief villains in the world, who have persecuted everybody and made the world an unmitigated hell for women for thousands of years through the 20th century, and beyond.

Heterosexual WHITE men, that is, nobody else. We must learn and support every single thing that the powers of the LGBT lobbyists push at us, agree with everything that they say, all of the time, start indoctrinating children from infancy to think this way, and let children of five years old decide which sex they want to be, or we are the bad guys. Is this correct?
Nice summary, but completely off the mark. I think that one should study history to understand the context that our Euro-American culture was deeply influenced by patriarchal structures that favoured men over women. And it's still the case in many respects. You can think of categories like paid work, house work, sexuality, violence, culture and the state. In many cases, women were & are clearly disadvantaged in things like getting a fair wage (women earn roughly about 80% vs. men), voting rights (in many parts of the world, women received voting rights much later than men), right to work (until 1977 married women in West Germany could not work without permission from their husbands), and the lists goes on and on.

LGBT lobbyist? Indoctrination? Since when is self-identification with LGBT+ merely a cultural construct? It sounds like a frame that a few conservatives use that LGBT+ people are not real or legitimate. Like a sort of phase a child is going through. How ludicrous is that?

In case you haven't heard of this thing before: same/bi/non sex behaviour is not unnatural. The study of biology has shown us that there's a rich diversity in the animal kingdom (and we as mankind are part of it) in the way how genes are formed & expressed. There's also an interplay of genes, hormones and environmental factors that determine the behaviour of an individual of a certain species . Just buy a ticket to the zoo and you'll see lots of animals of the same sex go hand in hand together, such as penguins, dolphins and orangutans. And we as a human species are no different in that matter.

Unless you are still adamant that LGBT+ people or even animals like penguins should go to conversion therapy, here's an article that helps to inform your opinion on the LGBT+ issue

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stop calling it a choice: Biological factors drive homosexuality

Across cultures, 2% to 10% of people report having same-sex relations. In the U.S., 1% to 2.2% of women and men, respectively, identify as gay. Despite these numbers, many people still consider homosexual behavior to be an anomalous choice. However, biologists have documented homosexual behavior in more than 450 species, arguing that same-sex behavior is not an unnatural choice, and may in fact play a vital role within populations.

In a 2019 issue of Science magazine, geneticist Andrea Ganna at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and colleagues, described the largest survey to date for genes associated with same-sex behavior. By analyzing the DNA of nearly half a million people from the U.S. and the U.K., they concluded that genes account for between 8% and 25% of same-sex behavior.

Numerous studies have established that sex is not just male or female. Rather, it is a continuum that emerges from a person's genetic makeup. Nonetheless, misconceptions persist that same-sex attraction is a choice that warrants condemnation or conversion, and leads to discrimination and persecution.

I am a molecular biologist and am interested in this new study as it further illuminates the genetic contribution to human behavior. As the author of the book, "Pleased to Meet Me: Genes, Germs, and the Curious Forces That Make Us Who We Are," I have done extensive research into the biological forces that conspire to shape human personality and behavior, including the factors influencing sexual attraction.


The hunt for 'gay genes'
The new finding is consistent with multiple earlier studies of twins that indicated same-sex attraction is a heritable trait.

The 2019 study is the latest in a hunt for "gay genes" that began in 1993, when Dean Hamer linked male homosexuality to a section of the X chromosome. As the ease and affordability of genome sequencing increased, additional gene candidates have emerged with potential links to homosexual behavior. So-called genome-wide association studies identified a gene called SLITRK6, which is active in a brain region called the diencephalon that differs in size between people who are homosexual or heterosexual.

Genetic studies in mice have uncovered additional gene candidates that could influence sexual preference. A 2010 study linked sexual preference to a gene called fucose mutarotase. When the gene was deleted in female mice, they were attracted to female odors and preferred to mount females rather than males.

Other studies have shown that disruption of a gene called TRPC2can cause female mice to act like males. Male mice lacking TRPC2 no longer display male-male aggression, and they initiate sexual behaviors toward both males and females. Expressed in the brain, TRPC2 functions in the recognition of pheromones, chemicals that are released by one member of a species to elicit a response in another.

With multiple gene candidates being linked to homosexuality, it seemed highly unlikely that a single "gay" gene exists. This idea is further supported by the new study, which identified five new genetic loci (fixed positions on chromosomes) correlating with same-sex activity: two that appeared in men and women, two only in men, and one only in women.

How might these genes influence same-sex behavior?
I find it intriguing that some of the genes from men identified in Ganna's study are associated with olfactory systems, a finding that has parallels to the work in mice. Ganna's group found other gene variants that may be linked with sex hormone regulation, which other scientists have previously suggested plays a large role in shaping the brain in ways that influence sexual behavior.

Males with a genetic condition called androgen insensitivity syndrome can develop female genitalia and are usually brought up as girls, despite being genetically male – with an X and Y chromosome – and they are attracted to men. This suggests that testosterone is needed to "masculinize" a prenatal brain; if that doesn't happen, the child will grow up to desire men.

Similarly, girls who have a genetic condition called congenital adrenal hyperplasia are exposed to unusually high levels of male hormones like testosterone while in the womb, which may masculinize their brain and increase the odds of lesbianism.

It's also possible that hormonal shifts during pregnancy could affect how a fetus' brain is configured. In rats, manipulation of hormones during pregnancy produces offspring that exhibit homosexual behavior.

Why does homosexual behavior exist?
Several hypotheses have been advanced to explain how homosexuality can be beneficial in perpetuating familial genes. One idea involves the concept of kin selection, whereby people work to ensure the passage of their family's genes into subsequent generations. Gay uncles and aunts, for example, are "helpers in the nest" that help raise other family members' children to nurture the family tree.

Another idea suggests that homosexuality is a "trade-off trait." For example, certain genes in women help increase their fertility, but if these genes are expressed in a male, they predispose him toward homosexuality.

Sexual behavior is widely diverse and governed by sophisticated mechanisms throughout the animal kingdom. As with other complex behaviors, it is not possible to predict sexuality by gazing into a DNA sequence as if it were a crystal ball. Such behaviors emerge from constellations of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of genes, and how they are regulated by the environment.

While there is no single "gay gene," there is overwhelming evidence of a biological basis for sexual orientation that is programmed into the brain before birth based on a mix of genetics and prenatal conditions, none of which the fetus chooses.
 
Oh for Christ's sake. Some of the things people believe. It is almost not even worth it, to be honest.

If only Lincoln had not murdered those "boys." Didn't Don Trump compare himself to Lincoln? Isn't Lincoln the go to Republican when their back is in the corner on racism? "Hey, we may be racist now, but we are the party of Lincoln."

The South wanted to secede. Nobody forced the South to try to keep black slaves so that they could keep their plantation society. The South fired the first shot. Yeah Luman, if only we were the Northern US States, and we had a slave colony to the South of us. That would have been the Christian thing to do.
'
"The South fires the first shot." Yes, but they did not shoot anybody.

I do not know what you mean by the "Christian" thing to do. I associate this religion with injustice and superstition.

If you do not like the policies that most of the South supports, you should place the blame on Lincoln, for the war which killed 2.5% of the population (mostly white men, I may add). I am not a Southerner, but I do not wish to force my values on the people from there, so if a state wants to change the abortion laws to something more conservative and similar to the policies of much of the world outside of the United States, or outlaw it completely, I fully support their right to do so.
Any state that has a Republican majority will try to restrict it. Pennsylvania for example. And by the way, you people shout "Individual freedom this, my rights that." But no, the State has the right here. Why is that? Because they want their high and might morals for you? BS. And btw, you go ahead, if your child moves to a state with abortion restrictions, and gets raped - you go ahead and pay for her to go somewhere the abortion is legal. Of course, that is for you, screw everyone else.

Utter nonsense. I mean, you ought to be proud of how nonsensical you are. Quite an achievement. Keep it up.

And btw, the Mississippi law, the one the Supreme Court will affirm State's rights on, restricts abortions. The Texas law doesn't restrict abortion - it restricts aiding and abetting abortion. That can be anyone, even I suppose the airline that flew the person out of the state.

Put yourself in the person's shoes. You just got raped. Now you have to drive yourself out of the State to get your abortion. I would like to see you try that. And if you think this is a rare situation, think again. Most rapes go unreported. There are hundreds of them a day.

But you want states rights. The state has the right to do whatever it pleases. Civil war or not, 300 years ago.
The Federal Government should not have the right to dictate to the states, how to handle abortion, other than perhaps medical standards for those states that have it legalized.

The far-reaching levels of abortion since Roe Vs. Wade are very disturbing to many men and women.

Men, particularly fathers, have few rights in this country, are forced to pay for children that were conceived against their wishes, and have no say in whether a woman that was impregnated by them should, or should not, get an abortion.

I would stop all forced child support payments to unfit single mothers and give custody to the fathers.

The main downside to overturning Roe Vs. Wade at this point, is that it may hurt the Republicans in the midterms, but some say it will not. If not, I hope that Roe vs. Wade gets overturned.

And, I might add, the case against abortion was made by none other than the writer Nat Hentoff, who argued that it was a violation of the unborn being's Human Rights. Hentoff was also an atheist and generally very liberal.
 
Nice summary, but completely off the mark. I think that one should study history to understand the context that our Euro-American culture was deeply influenced by patriarchal structures that favoured men over women. And it's still the case in many respects. You can think of categories like paid work, house work, sexuality, violence, culture and the state. In many cases, women were & are clearly disadvantaged in things like getting a fair wage (women earn roughly about 80% vs. men), voting rights (in many parts of the world, women received voting rights much later than men), right to work (until 1977 married women in West Germany could not work without permission from their husbands), and the lists goes on and on.

LGBT lobbyist? Indoctrination? Since when is self-identification with LGBT+ merely a cultural construct? It sounds like a frame that a few conservatives use that LGBT+ people are not real or legitimate. Like a sort of phase a child is going through. How ludicrous is that?

In case you haven't heard of this thing before: same/bi/non sex behaviour is not unnatural. The study of biology has shown us that there's a rich diversity in the animal kingdom (and we as mankind are part of it) in the way how genes are formed & expressed. There's also an interplay of genes, hormones and environmental factors that determine the behaviour of an individual of a certain species . Just buy a ticket to the zoo and you'll see lots of animals of the same sex go hand in hand together, such as penguins, dolphins and orangutans. And we as a human species are no different in that matter.

Unless you are still adamant that LGBT+ people or even animals like penguins should go to conversion therapy, here's an article that helps to inform your opinion on the LGBT+ issue

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stop calling it a choice: Biological factors drive homosexuality

Across cultures, 2% to 10% of people report having same-sex relations. In the U.S., 1% to 2.2% of women and men, respectively, identify as gay. Despite these numbers, many people still consider homosexual behavior to be an anomalous choice. However, biologists have documented homosexual behavior in more than 450 species, arguing that same-sex behavior is not an unnatural choice, and may in fact play a vital role within populations.

In a 2019 issue of Science magazine, geneticist Andrea Ganna at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and colleagues, described the largest survey to date for genes associated with same-sex behavior. By analyzing the DNA of nearly half a million people from the U.S. and the U.K., they concluded that genes account for between 8% and 25% of same-sex behavior.

Numerous studies have established that sex is not just male or female. Rather, it is a continuum that emerges from a person's genetic makeup. Nonetheless, misconceptions persist that same-sex attraction is a choice that warrants condemnation or conversion, and leads to discrimination and persecution.

I am a molecular biologist and am interested in this new study as it further illuminates the genetic contribution to human behavior. As the author of the book, "Pleased to Meet Me: Genes, Germs, and the Curious Forces That Make Us Who We Are," I have done extensive research into the biological forces that conspire to shape human personality and behavior, including the factors influencing sexual attraction.


The hunt for 'gay genes'
The new finding is consistent with multiple earlier studies of twins that indicated same-sex attraction is a heritable trait.

The 2019 study is the latest in a hunt for "gay genes" that began in 1993, when Dean Hamer linked male homosexuality to a section of the X chromosome. As the ease and affordability of genome sequencing increased, additional gene candidates have emerged with potential links to homosexual behavior. So-called genome-wide association studies identified a gene called SLITRK6, which is active in a brain region called the diencephalon that differs in size between people who are homosexual or heterosexual.

Genetic studies in mice have uncovered additional gene candidates that could influence sexual preference. A 2010 study linked sexual preference to a gene called fucose mutarotase. When the gene was deleted in female mice, they were attracted to female odors and preferred to mount females rather than males.

Other studies have shown that disruption of a gene called TRPC2can cause female mice to act like males. Male mice lacking TRPC2 no longer display male-male aggression, and they initiate sexual behaviors toward both males and females. Expressed in the brain, TRPC2 functions in the recognition of pheromones, chemicals that are released by one member of a species to elicit a response in another.

With multiple gene candidates being linked to homosexuality, it seemed highly unlikely that a single "gay" gene exists. This idea is further supported by the new study, which identified five new genetic loci (fixed positions on chromosomes) correlating with same-sex activity: two that appeared in men and women, two only in men, and one only in women.

How might these genes influence same-sex behavior?
I find it intriguing that some of the genes from men identified in Ganna's study are associated with olfactory systems, a finding that has parallels to the work in mice. Ganna's group found other gene variants that may be linked with sex hormone regulation, which other scientists have previously suggested plays a large role in shaping the brain in ways that influence sexual behavior.

Males with a genetic condition called androgen insensitivity syndrome can develop female genitalia and are usually brought up as girls, despite being genetically male – with an X and Y chromosome – and they are attracted to men. This suggests that testosterone is needed to "masculinize" a prenatal brain; if that doesn't happen, the child will grow up to desire men.

Similarly, girls who have a genetic condition called congenital adrenal hyperplasia are exposed to unusually high levels of male hormones like testosterone while in the womb, which may masculinize their brain and increase the odds of lesbianism.

It's also possible that hormonal shifts during pregnancy could affect how a fetus' brain is configured. In rats, manipulation of hormones during pregnancy produces offspring that exhibit homosexual behavior.

Why does homosexual behavior exist?
Several hypotheses have been advanced to explain how homosexuality can be beneficial in perpetuating familial genes. One idea involves the concept of kin selection, whereby people work to ensure the passage of their family's genes into subsequent generations. Gay uncles and aunts, for example, are "helpers in the nest" that help raise other family members' children to nurture the family tree.

Another idea suggests that homosexuality is a "trade-off trait." For example, certain genes in women help increase their fertility, but if these genes are expressed in a male, they predispose him toward homosexuality.

Sexual behavior is widely diverse and governed by sophisticated mechanisms throughout the animal kingdom. As with other complex behaviors, it is not possible to predict sexuality by gazing into a DNA sequence as if it were a crystal ball. Such behaviors emerge from constellations of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of genes, and how they are regulated by the environment.

While there is no single "gay gene," there is overwhelming evidence of a biological basis for sexual orientation that is programmed into the brain before birth based on a mix of genetics and prenatal conditions, none of which the fetus chooses.
I live in NYC which has a huge LGBTQ population. I do not need lessons about sexual diversity.

We do not need to teach children in kindergarten about sexual minorities because they DO NOT HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO UNDERSTAND IT! Let's let children be children, they do not need to know about men who want to become females, lesbian and gay sex, etc. I would say the same about heterosexuality.

Hey, LEAVE THOSE KIDS ALONE!
 
I live in NYC which has a huge LGBTQ population. I do not need lessons about sexual diversity.

We do not need to teach children in kindergarten about sexual minorities because they DO NOT HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO UNDERSTAND IT! Let's let children be children, they do not need to know about men who want to become females, lesbian and gay sex, etc. I would say the same about heterosexuality.

Hey, LEAVE THOSE KIDS ALONE!
Hey teacher! Leave them kids alone.
 
People that want to restrict abortion are hypocrites. The attorney general in my state is a huge Trumper. He calls women who had an abortion as evil. Guess what - he just disclosed he and his wife had an abortion in the 90's. But he wants to restrict other people. There are many republicans that have had abortions. In fact, how many abortions has Don been involved with? Must be several, since he is such a ladies man. Hypocrite.
Interesting. Most politicians are hypocrites, but what you explained is on another level, even for typical liars like the politicians.

Changing topics, I would like to know what is the street sentiment on the stock market in the US, as it went down so much, and seems to be heading for further correction.

This week the FED talked openly about the possibility of a recession in the US.
 
TerraUSD 'stablecoin' delisted from crypto exchanges
'Algorithmic stablecoin', whose collapse triggered multibillion-dollar selloff, turns off blockchain

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/may/13/terrausd-stablecoin-crypto-exchanges
There are unconfirmed rumours that Ken Griffin's Citadel and/or Blackrock were involved in a malicious attack that unpegged UST causing a death spiral.
It seems everyone spent their "pandemic checks" speculating with this kind of junk...
You mean like how the Fed like to speculate and experiment with the fiat money supply that people rely upon? Money that can be exponentially inflated at will by a small committee? The fact is, crypto wouldn't exist if the banking sector wasn't so corrupt as it was started in response to the 2007/8 financial collapse.

The people on Wall Street have the power of a liquidity pool that is orders of magnitude higher than anything that is in crypto, and unfortunately, they are capable of doing such coordinated attacks. Whatever the truth is about what happened to Terra, I feel sorry for all those who were affected, but it was never a project that appealed to me. 99% of crypto projects will go to zero, admittedly, but the press hasn't got a clue on the whole, and they often misrepresent things.

For example, the MSM are full of stories about Bitcoin being down 50% calling it a scam and a Ponzi scheme, etc. I've lost count of how many of these headlines I have read over the last few days. However, they never mention that the stock market is also significantly down and that Bitcoin (despite its recent loss) is still comfortably outperforming all indexes including gold. It's misleading and biased information at best. For example, if you bought the S&P 500 in May 2020, you'd be up 75% now, but if you bought Bitcoin you'd be up 300% but that isn't mentioned in any of those articles. Instead, the public are repeatedly exposed to alarmist headlines saying "50% drop," etc.
 
There are unconfirmed rumours that Ken Griffin's Citadel and/or Blackrock were involved in a malicious attack that unpegged UST causing a death spiral.
Hahaha you have to be kidding me!!! Now we are looking for "conspiracies" here when crypto is nothing more than a Ponzi scheme, a scam.
 
Here is Trumper "Rightist" Lt. Gov of NC Mark Robinson telling everyone that "he would have been aborted if Leftists had their way..."



And here is Trumper Lt. Gov of NC Mark Robinson telling everyone he "had his way," and aborted HIS child.



And it is ok for him because his saviour, Jesus, has grace. But for Mark himself, he gives himself license to shame and ridicule everyone else. But that is what "Rightists" are all about.
 
Hahaha you have to be kidding me!!! Now we are looking for "conspiracies" here when crypto is nothing more than a Ponzi scheme, a scam.
How is an unconfirmed rumour a conspiracy theory? :ROFL: It's exactly that, a rumour to which Ken Griffin has denied, but there was malicious activity; that is undeniable.

Under what definition is Bitcoin a Ponzi scheme? We went over this two years ago, so I'd like to hear your thought process on how you come to that conclusion.

Do you consider fiat a Ponzi scheme also? And do you believe in freedom of choice; that willing participants should be able to make financial transactions over a decentralised network?
 
Hahaha you have to be kidding me!!! Now we are looking for "conspiracies" here when crypto is nothing more than a Ponzi scheme, a scam.
Hey Juan, I usually agree with you on things and it helps you are from Spain where I might be moving in 2 months, but I have to partially disagree with you.

Yes, Bitcoin has its issues, yes there are and will be many scams because of its nature, but I think if those things can be worked out, and if they can also reduce the amount of electricity they require, it is actually something you, as someone who complains about the actions of central banks and national policy on currency, would be in favor of.

I still think it has a long way to go, and I feel the government will eventually have to come to embrace, but also regulate it. But at its core it isn't a ponzi scheme, unless of course someone purposely sets a Bitcoin company up as a ponzi scheme.

As I understand, it is simply what it says - a digital currency in an account, without a bank controlling it. You can pay for some large, or small I guess, items with it. As an account it also can fluctuate in value. And it is transacted via encryption, so it is inherently secure. But as an electronic medium, it is also susceptible to hacking, I suppose, or other forms of treachery, which it isn't supposed to be. But of the major issues with it, I believe there has also been quite a bit of recovery too. But like I said, I think it has a long way to go.

I think you will see a number of institutions who, if they aren't already making plans to embrace it, are doing that now. Now, I am very concerned with the "cowboy" nature of it, and by its nature it will attract libertarians, but for once I think it is something to watch and will gain wider acceptance.

The last thing I will say is that if it does get wider acceptance, than those same people who embrace Bitcoin also need to embrace things like electronic voting.
 
Hey Juan, I usually agree with you on things and it helps you are from Spain where I might be moving in 2 months, but I have to partially disagree with you.

Yes, Bitcoin has its issues, yes there are and will be many scams because of its nature, but I think if those things can be worked out, and if they can also reduce the amount of electricity they require, it is actually something you, as someone who complains about the actions of central banks and national policy on currency, would be in favor of.

I still think it has a long way to go, and I feel the government will eventually have to come to embrace, but also regulate it. But at its core it isn't a ponzi scheme, unless of course someone purposely sets a Bitcoin company up as a ponzi scheme.

As I understand, it is simply what it says - a digital currency in an account, without a bank controlling it. You can pay for some large, or small I guess, items with it. As an account it also can fluctuate in value. And it is transacted via encryption, so it is inherently secure. But as an electronic medium, it is also susceptible to hacking, I suppose, or other forms of treachery, which it isn't supposed to be. But of the major issues with it, I believe there has also been quite a bit of recovery too. But like I said, I think it has a long way to go.

I think you will see a number of institutions who, if they aren't already making plans to embrace it, are doing that now. Now, I am very concerned with the "cowboy" nature of it, and by its nature it will attract libertarians, but for once I think it is something to watch and will gain wider acceptance.

The last thing I will say is that if it does get wider acceptance, then those same people who embrace Bitcoin also need to embrace things like electronic voting.
It has a very long way to go, and the liquidity within it is minuscule compared to other financial instruments. Crypto is slowly coming out of the Wild West phase and is heading towards regulation where adoption amongst institutions will gain pace.

Although I don't agree with Bitcoin's energy usage, and I prefer proof-of-stake protocols because they are far more efficient and planet-friendly, I find the energy usage argument a bit of a red herring that seems to have been disseminated by the banks through the media. It uses less energy than a clothes dryer, for example, but you don't hear people asking for those to be taken out of use. It is also orders of magnitude more efficient than the existing financial system which uses multiple skyscrapers, ATMs, etc, and also emits carbon emissions into the atmosphere at the birth and death of physical cash.

Bitcoin's network has never been hacked. The only way people have lost money is when they have either given their seed phrase away to a hacker/scammer, or they left their Bitcoin on a centralised exchange which got hacked. The network itself is extremely secure, and security-conscious people should have no issues on this front.

There's also no way of counterfeiting money which can help a lot of businesses around the world.

I think there are better blockchains that can do a better job than Bitcoin, but Bitcoin was the first one out there. There's a chance it could be flipped in the future by something that's technically superior, but blockchain has also moved on to many other areas such as governance (passport/driving licence data, etc), data distribution, supply chain management, biobanks, carbon emission tracking, music and video streaming services, social networks, oracles, launchpads, NFTs (for storing legal documents such as housing deeds, or tickets for events to prevent fraud, to authenticate watches, etc). Those monkey pictures that people pay a fortune for is just dumb, but unfortunately, that's what most people think of when they hear NFT.

Don't forget that data is immutable on a blockchain, so there's an extraordinary amount of use cases, and that is why some of the brightest minds in computer science are working in this sector, including people like Silvio Micali who won the Turing Award (which is often referred to as the Nobel Prize of computing). There's a ton of innovation coming from this field that the general public largely has no idea about. The UK government must have recognised this as they want to attract investment into the country via crypto.

I understand the image problem it can have, though, because of the Wild West nature of it which is what initially put me off until I took a deeper dive. There are a load of scams out there, and many projects (around 99% of them) will go to zero as they have no use case. I also think that the meme coins have a bad image, and they kind of cast a shadow over the innovation that is brimming within the sector.
 
It has a very long way to go, and the liquidity within it is minuscule compared to other financial instruments. Crypto is slowly coming out of the Wild West phase and is heading towards regulation where adoption amongst institutions will gain pace.

Although I don't agree with Bitcoin's energy usage, and I prefer proof-of-stake protocols because they are far more efficient and planet-friendly, I find the energy usage argument a bit of a red herring that seems to have been disseminated by the banks through the media. It uses less energy than a clothes dryer, for example, but you don't hear people asking for those to be taken out of use. It is also orders of magnitude more efficient than the existing financial system which uses multiple skyscrapers, ATMs, etc, and also emits carbon emissions into the atmosphere at the birth and death of physical cash.

Bitcoin's network has never been hacked. The only way people have lost money is when they have either given their seed phrase away to a hacker/scammer, or they left their Bitcoin on a centralised exchange which got hacked. The network itself is extremely secure, and security-conscious people should have no issues on this front.

There's also no way of counterfeiting money which can help a lot of businesses around the world.

I think there are better blockchains that can do a better job than Bitcoin, but Bitcoin was the first one out there. There's a chance it could be flipped in the future by something that's technically superior, but blockchain has also moved on to many other areas such as governance (passport/driving licence data, etc), data distribution, supply chain management, biobanks, carbon emission tracking, music and video streaming services, social networks, oracles, launchpads, NFTs (for storing legal documents such as housing deeds, or tickets for events to prevent fraud, to authenticate watches, etc). Those monkey pictures that people pay a fortune for is just dumb, but unfortunately, that's what most people think of when they hear NFT.

Don't forget that data is immutable on a blockchain, so there's an extraordinary amount of use cases, and that is why some of the brightest minds in computer science are working in this sector, including people like Silvio Micali who won the Turing Award (which is often referred to as the Nobel Prize of computing). There's a ton of innovation coming from this field that the general public largely has no idea about. The UK government must have recognised this as they want to attract investment into the country via crypto.

I understand the image problem it can have, though, because of the Wild West nature of it which is what initially put me off until I took a deeper dive. There are a load of scams out there, and many projects (around 99% of them) will go to zero as they have no use case. I also think that the meme coins have a bad image, and they kind of cast a shadow over the innovation that is brimming within the sector.
Thanks for that. It fills in things I didn't know. The thing is yes it may be the same as a dryer, but that is way too much energy for what is essentially computations of data.

I moved out of Texas, where for the most part they are still denying climate change. From what I am seeing this is yet another "hottest month on record for the month of [name the month]," with temps near 100 starting in late April. So the electric grid there, which they allowed to go deregulated for the sake of deregulation, is under stress again. They are now asking people to cut back. That "giant sucking sound" you are hearing is the profits, like the ice caps, starting to melt away. So adding more to that means we may have to sacrifice dryers for bitcoin.

But I do think all of that could be offset by the gains in technology and efficiencies.

As far as hacks, there have been some on the bitcoin exchanges. Maybe it was due to user error, but they were still hacks.
 
Thanks for that. It fills in things I didn't know. The thing is yes it may be the same as a dryer, but that is way too much energy for what is essentially computations of data.
I fundamentally agree, which is why I prefer proof-of-stake, but I still think it's a red herring as there's so many other things that are more energy intensive than Bitcoin, including other computer-related tasks such as gaming (which is also just computations of data). Why isn't there an uproar about how gaming is destroying the planet, for example? And when you throw in that over 74% of Bitcoin's network comes from renewable energy sources then it becomes even more questionable as to why Bitcoin gets all the spotlight? When the banking sector uses this argument in media articles, why do they never mention their own carbon footprint? It's a bit hypocritical because they use various data centres, ATMs, SWIFT, huge office buildings, etc. Mining gold is also far more energy intensive, but that never gets brought up either.

I agree that climate change is a huge problem that needs to be tackled, so I'm not defending Bitcoin in that regard. I'm just highlighting the fact that it's used as a target by an industry that shouldn't be throwing stones, and that there's so many other things in the world that are worse, but they are not a threat to the current financial system and that's the difference. Proof-of-stake solves this problem, so I think we focus on that protocol.
As far as hacks, there have been some on the bitcoin exchanges. Maybe it was due to user error, but they were still hacks.
Yea, that's what I said in my previous post. It's the exchanges that get hacked, but one should never leave their coins on an exchange. It's a bad practice that is discouraged as one should always use their own wallet and keys. Hacking an exchange is not the same as hacking the network, though. With that said, exchanges are now bringing in personal compensation schemes - similar to what the banks use - where those who lose money to a hack on an exchange are covered for up to $250k.
 
How is an unconfirmed rumour a conspiracy theory? :ROFL: It's exactly that, a rumour to which Ken Griffin has denied, but there was malicious activity; that is undeniable.
If you think it's undeniable, then file a lawsuit against Ken Griffin. You could make a lot of money!
 
If you think it's undeniable, then file a lawsuit against Ken Griffin. You could make a lot of money!
I said it was undeniable that there was malicious activity of some kind, but that doesn't mean the rumour is true. I never said I believed it; I merely stated what is being said.

Either a group or a person short attacked UST during a time of low liquidity to unpeg and destabilise it. It would take a lot of money to do this. What occurred after that was a death spiral where one coin was being sold to mint another and they brought each other down. It looks as though their reserves ran out which meant the run couldn't be stopped

It's the equivalent of what happens when there's a run on the banks. If people think their money is no longer safe then everyone wants to withdraw at the same time and it brings the whole thing down and becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Bear in mind that there was a significant amount of high-end venture capitalist money that went into this project.

I never trusted Terra's algorithmic design, which is why I never bought any.
 
I think you will see a number of institutions who, if they aren't already making plans to embrace it, are doing that now. Now, I am very concerned with the "cowboy" nature of it, and by its nature it will attract libertarians, but for once I think it is something to watch and will gain wider acceptance.
I think "libertarianism" has nothing to do with Bitcoin. If banks, which are heavily regulated and supervised, fail and go bankrupt, imagine an "ecosystem" where everything is totally in a handful of private hands (only a few individuals control it), not regulated, and is all technological and complicated. That's crypto... same old shit but with no regulation, and a lot of manipulation.

No consumer protection, no regulation... at the end of the day, there will be tax to be paid etc etc... for me the cryptocurrencies are toxic. I will not get into that.
 
Do you see what you Republicans and your Replacement conspiracies get us? 10 dead people in Buffalo, many more injured.

Stop feeling sorry for yourself. If you don't want to be outnumbered, start having babies. Until you do, we need immigrants to fill jobs. That is not replacement. That is economics.

Stop watching FOX and Tucker Carlson. Stop being brainwashed.
 
I live in NYC which has a huge LGBTQ population. I do not need lessons about sexual diversity.

We do not need to teach children in kindergarten about sexual minorities because they DO NOT HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO UNDERSTAND IT! Let's let children be children, they do not need to know about men who want to become females, lesbian and gay sex, etc. I would say the same about heterosexuality.

Hey, LEAVE THOSE KIDS ALONE!
So teachers are now indoctrinating children in kindergarten? It's indeed a diabolical plan to say to boys that's oke to play with a cooking set & allow girls to play with action figures. What is the world coming to ;P Sweden must be a living hell right now :ROFL:

I still don't get your fixation on LGBT+ rights and the demise of manhood, or in broader sense: society. It has already been said in this forum by other TTers that far right Republicans have a weird moral inconsistency, who like to proclaim that the state shouldn't interfere in the private lives of its citizens, but at the same time they are also very eager to demand state intervention in women's right to abortion, implementing voting restrictions for minorities and anti-LGBT+ laws like 'Don't say gay''. In a sense, a far right Republican is more in love with authoritarianism than upholding individual rights and democracy. It's no reason why the Reagan Foundation is in conflict with Trump and his gang of thugs: Trump aims barb at Reagan Foundation in fundraising coin kerfuffle

If anything, the perceived demise of Western society in economic sense has more to do with inadequate wealth distribution and the false promise of trickle-down economics that are propagated by Republicans and a few corporate Democrats. Like many radical conservative minded fellows, you've been duped by Faux News, Republicans and GOP's wealthy donors into thinking that ''woke'' politics has something to do with that perceived demise, all the while pickpocketing you and other citizens.

 

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