I need to do more. That's the conclusion I've come to.

It’s odd to me that suggesting nations are creating bio-weapons is controversial. Not exactly new terrain

This entire thread started with me wishing we had debates on the dem side. Reasonable desire. I’d love to see RFK Jr, Newsom and others debate Biden. If he’s not up to the task, we as a nation should be made aware. I know the canned reply is that no sitting President gets primaried. I don’t think I’d feel this need if we had a President that was ever in front of the press.

I am not a democrat, never have been even though it’s the only party I’ve ever voted for. I feel no affiliation or loyalty to the DNC. I do feel loyalty to ideals. Ideals that have been championed by the left for decades: Freedom of speech, right to privacy, that we need to be good stewards of our planet, I believe in strong and independent media, I believe money should be kept out of politics. I believe the revolving door between policy makers and corporate lobbyists needs to close.

No one candidate embodies all of these things. I’ve donated money to several politicians and even Andrew Yangs forward party and I’ve done so based on their policy stances not on the party they belong to.

I think there’s a lot of, “we have to support Biden cause if not, then trump. Fuck that. I’m tired of the DNC not listening to or trusting the electorate. Any former Bernie supporters will know what I mean.

A large part of my donating to Kennedy is to try and force the hand of the dnc to allow debates. I know the canned response is, “that’s exactly what the right wants.” Well, then I’m in alignment.

I truly believe that if trump is the candidate he will win against Biden but would lose handedly against almost any other candidate.

I’m tired. I don’t much enjoy Hubski these days. Really miss the old days. It’s a bummer. I wish you and the family well. Gonna peace out for a while.

Onward!

What a wonderful story. Your grandad sounds like such an amazing man. You’re lucky to have had him in your life. Do you play that piano much?

My grandmother died several years back. She was a wonderful woman. When she was little she was quarantined for months in her room. Her mother gave her an accordion. She played it often in my childhood. When she died, I inherited it. I don’t play it that often. I should. When I do, it’s overwhelmingly emotional. It still smells like her.

Again, what a beautiful story. Thanks for sharing.

The actual video is less than 2 minutes long. No need to quote grab. Watch in context.

He pretty clearly says that he doesn’t know if it’s deliberate. I’d be shocked if nation states weren't developing targeted bioweapons.

His reply and the paper he is referencing here:

https://x.com/robertkennedyjr/status/1680227322509635595?s=46&t=p-FnYgUURab8KYpGK5vsZA

This conversation started with someone asking why I thought Kennedy is a dem. I see no reason to think he isn’t based on his policy proposals. Anti war, anti surveillance state, pro free speach etc.

Re vaccination, he’s admitted to being fully vaccinated and having vaccinated his children. From one of his town halls:

I’ve never been anti-vaccine, and I’ve said that hundreds and hundreds of times but it doesn’t matter,” Kennedy told NewsNation host Elizabeth Vargas in a town hall Wednesday. “Because that is a way of silencing me. Using a pejorative to describe me is a way of silencing me or marginalizing me.”

He continued: “We have a corrupt federal agency. It’s lying to the AMA, to you, to all of those agencies and all of the doctors. They believe them. Those agencies are controlled by pharma. That is the problem and that’s what I’m trying to end as president.”

He’s not wrong Re the FDA/Pharma revolving door.

You never answered my question Re his policies that don’t align with the Democratic Party. He’s pro vaccine safety. Re the blood brain barrier, perhaps it’s not that crazy. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19345073/

Funded by Bannon? I read the linked drivel, never saw that. Where do I get my info? Straight from the source. I do this with all of the front runners. I watch town halls, interviews, listen to podcasts. Instead of getting info from partisan sources, I make my own determinations. I’ve watched interviews and listened to podcasts with Vivek, Desantis, Kennedy, Williamson etc. The only candidate I haven’t heard from is Biden. He no longer gives long form interviews or town halls or even press conferences. Hopefully that will change.

My kids asked someone who RFK Jr. Was because I have a water bottle with his name in it. They told my kids that he was a racist. That their father supported a racist. Why? Because at a dinner he referenced a peer reviewed paper that showed certain ethnicities had more resistance to Covid-19, including Ashkenazi Jews. The porpoganda machine went to work, saying he was racist against Jews. Instead of blindly believing that, I watched the video. It wasn’t even near racism. But through the media it filtered its way down to my kids.

Pawns. I refuse to be one. Media is all agenda. It’s a tool (one I’ve used) that elites use to push agendas. There is no investigative journalism left out there (very little) Certainly not at TNR.

Nah, you answer. Why isn’t he? What specific policies preclude him from being a democrat?

You are correct. Sadly. It’s not what’s best for the country but what’s best for the DNC. I’m not convinced Biden could beat Trump in the general and I’m def not convinced that we wouldn’t see massive civil unrest with that match up. I do think Kennedy, Newsom and perhaps even Buttigieg or Harris (among many others) could beat Trump. Lots of Dems to choose from. Even if Biden were firing on all cylinders, he’s a flawed candidate at this point. Half the country thinks he has shady business dealings with his crack head son and fixed an election. Too much baggage.

I watched all of it. I’ll watch every debate, I always do. But the debate I really want to see is the DNC. I want to see Newsom, Biden and Kennedy on a stage. I want to see how Biden compares. We are in a proxy war, we have major domestic and international concerns and our president has held the fewest press conferences since Reagan. Doesn’t inspire much confidence.

I loathe Trump. I want him to go away. He won’t, but he should. I wish Biden would step aside too. The left has a deep bench. We can do better.

Questioning many things. I think my values got a little outta whack the past two years. I need to focus on the things that matter: family, friends, health and creativity. I’m interested in deepening old friendships more than I am in creating new ones. But so many of those friends are in Michigan. Makes it hard. My family is there too. Wish we still lived there. But then, that’s easy to say in the summertime :)

I hope you are all doing well. I forever remain grateful for Hubski. Onward!

Yeah, don’t fuck with what your body is telling you… especially on a motorcycle. Sorry dude. Stationary bike? Rowing machine? I did the rowing machine. Works a ton of muscles and is great conditioning.

Yes! Spend time in Sevilla. Go see some flamenco. Dance! Go to Alhambra in Granada. Go to Ronda and hike the bridges and tour the bull fighting ring. Go to the ocean, visit Malaga at Christmas and see the lights and Africa in the distance. Go to La Mezquita in Cordoba and see the juxtaposition of Islam and Christianity at its starkest.

I just like the vibe in Sevilla though. I could live there. One of my favorite cities for its energy. Singing in the streets, great food and seemingly happy people.

Ever try tennis? I loathe cardio for the sake of cardio, but love tennis or even basketball or soccer. I’m just better when there’s a sport/contest involved. With your height and reach you’d probably be formidable

“Steve S. Shit”

You stole Ice Cube’s parking spot. #legend

I do weight training twice a week, tennis twice a week and once a week I do Krav Maga. I’m in the best shape of my life and I’m 46. Wish I had started this when I was in my 20’s. I would like to add some distance running into the mix when the weather cools a bit.

I find it helpful to have either a gym friend or a trainer (which I know is a luxury) to keep me accountable. Without that, I would not go as much or as consistently.

Lifting weights has become a favorite activity for me. I can’t believe that. I used to scoff at the idea. It is nice to challenge yourself and set new PR’s.

I have a torn rotator cuff which has made me ease up on the intensity of my training but I’m still in there every week. Even when traveling you can always find a gym. And if not, push-ups, squats and sit-ups.

The longevity and health benefits are undeniable

trying to figure out what China, Ukraine, Trump, the Fed and crypto mean for my family

And the way we deal with it is by listening. By being wrong. By actively trying to do better.

And the way we deal with it is by listening

The source material, meaning the actual audio of the exchange that launched it all, is what I found so disturbing. He try’s to make what seems a rational point about the US having more educational disparity for black kids because of resources being derived from their local tax base. He even does so in what sounded like a kind demeanor and with first hand experience teaching in the US. There was nothing racist about it or even controversial. Seemed like the DEI instructor didn’t like being challenged and decided to make an example of him. Disturbing stuff. Maybe this is not endemic of all DEI instruction, but his peers piling on and not standing up for him for fear of also being called a racist is likely not an isolated phenomenon. I feel bad for the guy. This wasn’t cool.