aka Contrarian

@ProfD: black unity is an oxymoron which will never materialize. If Trump wins and things turn out bad, the middle and lower classes will be who unite and race will become irrelevant. If Kamala wins, Blacks will continue to find ways to circumvent the vagueness of white supremacy. The Reality of life will neutralize the unification of black Americans who will eventually fade into the mainstream. Change the scenario of your romanticized dream. zzzzzzzzzzz

@Troy @ProfDI tend to agree. Obama telling black men they shouldn't vote for Trump will certainly make many of them more determined than ever to do so because you can't shame them into supporting a woman of color. Furthermore, black men have never been over-enthusiastic about Obama because they didn't think he did enough for Blacks when he was in office. His influence is not that strong. Then, there's people like Oprah Winfrey. She long ago alienated black men by turning sistas against brothas who were exploiting them, and they've never forgiven her for this. So her support of Kamala is not a vote-getter Sunny Hoskins, a mixed-race panelist on the popular TV show "The View" confidently claiming that black men will not have a problem voting for Kamala because they come from a matriarchal culture was another misstep, in my opinion. Too presumptuous. I fear these tactical errors will come back to haunt Kamala's campaign. They bring out the obstinacy in those black men who don't like being preached to or treated in a condescending manner. Hispanic men are also reported to be reluctant to support Kamala because they simply tend to dismiss women as leaders. Ditto average white males. This situation is further exacerbated by racism. The Dems have made several moves which I think they should've known better than to do. And this includes running someone for POTUS who sparks too much controversy! Finally, I am very nervous about whether Americans will choose intellect over ignorance. They tend to be more concerned about gas prices than knowledgeable leadership. Nevertheless, Blacks may very well determine the outcome of this election and if Trump wins, any future hope of black unity will dissipate.

Kamala was not.my first choice to run against Trump. I fear she won't beat him because this country is still not ready for a woman president, much less one of color. And, I'm especially turned off by the numbers of Blacks who are against her, and that includes other black women. It's like their prime objection to her candicacy is their indignation over the assumption that they will automatically vote for her, and they don't appreciate their support being taken for granted. Some of them, however, really do hold her in contempt for various personal reasons, while overlooking Trump's sordid past and present treachery. Meanwhile, I continue to be amazed by those who think a lying, incompetent, ignorant, narcissistic, petty, bigoted, mentally-impaired felon is fit to hold the office of POTUS. I didn't really think I'd be around to vote in this election but here I am, still kickin' with the election only a month away. What can I say? I hope Trump loses, but I wouldn't bet on it. America is on the brink of something. What? I don't know...

nels' psyche has really been co-opted by a cult mentality. He has the gall to come on here constantly bad mouthing Kamala Harris and spreading propaganda about Democrats, when Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has publicly endorsed Mark Robinson who is running for governor of North Caolina. Robinson, a former porn site denizen, who in case you haven't heard, has in the past referred to himself as a "black nazi" who thinks slavery was a good thing. Trump compares him to Martin Luther King and recently reiterated his support for his candicacy. smh Meanwhile, like the dutiful little right wing lackey that he is, nels proceeds to pose questions that have no relevance to reality in order to put black Democrats on the defensive. Suffice to say, black women in particular, are doing their thing, playing the game, gaining a share of the power that is commensurate with their percentage of the total population. Like the smart pragmatists that they are, sistas are doin it for themselves. Win or lose, they will be reckoned with. Go somewhere and sit down, nels.

No, actually. I'm not interested n plowing through one of your long winded dissertations in your role of the self-appointed arbitrator of who is what and phenotypes types this and pheno types types that, nationalities, ethnicities and Hispanics and LatinoXs aside. And spare me s bunch of pictures.

Yes, answer the question. Tyreek said when he mentioned being the victim of white cop profiling, the officers replied they weren't white, they were brown.

Some of his teammates passing by also on their way to practice did stop to see what was going on but didn't intervene for fear of making matters worse. Later, in his interview, as ProfD noted, Tyreek had the good sense to say he was raised better than that, and should have been more cooperative and was asking for trouble by not getting out of the squad car, necessitating being pulled out. He also said he was glad the offending cop had been put on administrative leave. Of course, the brother couldn't resist recreating the incident after he scored his TD, by putting his hands behind his back while a teammate pretended to hand cuff him and lead him out of the end zone. The police chief promises a full investigation. The police union reports the offending officer is not cooperating with their attempt to represent him. What is a "white" Latino?

@Delano:So am I, before I submit my statement.

I don't know why what you want to know is not being answered. And at this point, I leave you to marinate in your frustration. 😵‍💫

Ask me a question Troy Posted Monday at 01:49 PM @Delano how do I approach life @Troy I have copied this thread into a new discussion @Delano: Well, where is it? I don't see it. What's its title?

@umbrarchistThe program's main focus was on the human interest back stories about the firefighters who lost their lives. They kept emphasizing how heroic these men were and that they knew the buildings were in danger of collapsing, but they kept on climbing up the stairs to get to the trapped occupants. I'm not taking sides in this debate I've just developed a curiosity about it. It's like what happened was a combination of Murphy's Law, and the perfect storm phenomenon. All the conditions were present for everything that could go wrong,to go wrong; and it did... Kinda like the Titanic.

@Umbrachist: The TV show 60 minutes dedicated their last Sunday's show entirely to discussing what happened at the twin towers on 9/11 23 years ago. Among the many things they reported was a brief explanation, claiming that the towers were not constructed to withstand what happened when fires occurred that would reach a certain degree, citing some kind of reference to foam(?) which the air planes caused to catch on fire??? Did you, by any chance, watch this program?

In case y'all don't know it, Baby Boomers aren't the first group to be categorized by sociologists. Before them was another generation born during the 1930s, sometimes known as "depression babies:, who lived through WW2 and grew up during the1950s. That would be me. And we were known as the "Silent Generation". Mostly because we didn't rock the boat when it came to society's ethics or traditions. It was a man's world. So, in regard to the family, the father was the breadwinner and the ceremonial head of the household. Seemingly. In many cases, however, women ruled the roost with their iron fists in velvet gloves and the secret weapon between their legs. Hen pecked men were quite common. They obediently brought their paychecks home to their wives, tolerating their "not tonight, dear, I have a headache" excuses. Male authority was limited to being the designated disciplinarian who played the role of the mean guy who upon arriving home from a hard day at the office was greeted with a recap of all the the terrible things he was expected to punish his children for. If all else failed, wives used tears to sucker husbands into seeing things their way. That was a white scenario and TV sit-coms had a field day portraying dear ol dad as the bungling dupe of ridicule and humiliation at the hands of his wife and kids. Blacks hadn't made it to the tv screens yet not to mention that their scenarios were slightly different. If ol dad was on the scene, he and his hard working, long- sufferin wife split their duties. And if she got too overbearing he wasn't above splitting the scene or going upside her head before she put his ass out. Of course these are all caricatures of what went on back then. The point is, is that women have always found ways to cope with deeply-rooted chauvanistic paternalism, and as the 1960s approached the Feminists movement got underway and became a thorn in men's sides. The "Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus" acknowegement followed and put things in perspective. Soon women began to challenge the ol boys network for a seat at the table. Today, it's a mixed bag. Women have choices. If they don't want to give up their freedom and independence that don't have to. Marriage is an option, not a goal. Bi-sexuality and lesbianism are out in the open. And, yes. misogyny is still alive and well. Just some thoughts on my part...

Doesn't Westetn science say, in layman terms, that white people were mutated aberrations who, after being ostracized and driven out of the black tribes, banded together and gravitated out of Africa into colder climates, increasing their numbers by replicating themselves, gradually becoming a variation of the human race? Why should Elijah Muhammad's version be any more believable or plausible, especially since it has no archeological proof. Who is to say which explanation should take precedence over the other? Believe whatever you choose to. The past is the past. The present is the present. They don't have to void each other. Esoteric information doesn't necessarily invalidate existing knowledge. imo.

I used to be an avid reader; best sellers, novels, fiction, non-fiction, biographies, horror, murder mysteries, sci-fi. Stephen King, Toni Morrison, all of 'em. The last book I read was 3 years ago. After that, my vision began to fail. I can see far away, but I struggle with close up print. Reading glasses don't help that much. I used to work a crossword puzzle everyday but not any more, much to my dismay. The only reason I can participate on this site is because I put my phone on dark mode and when the background is black and the printing is white, I can see just fine. I need cataract surgery but keep putting it off like I do any medical procedure because, at my age, I feel like it's more trouble than it's worth. I really don't give a damn about much of anything any more. I'm losing interest in everything. Even the election. I do, however, have enough passion left to detest black right wing Republicans. Lately I've been frequenting You Tube. But not to watch videos. To listen to songs. All the oldies but goodies. Music is my drug of choice. It really does it for me. It's magic. I keep saying I'm going to get into audio books but - maybe tomorrow. If tomorrow comes... Oh, me. 🙄 zzzzzzzz

@umbrachist: I find quantum.physics much more interesting and intriguing.

@umbrachist: I was more interested in your motivation than your physics lessons. What goes on inside a person's head is more interesting to me than someone losing sleep over a brick and mortar scenario. To spend 23 years wondering out loud why others don't acknowledge what is obvious to you, sounds like an obsession. I'm sure you can relate to my reaction since I suspect you and others feel the same way about my preoccupation with the occult. Kinda like ProfDs fixation on reparations and Pioneer's fanaticism about race. Whatever.

Well, that settles that. It was like pulling teeth to get a plausible answer. Now I can get some sleep tonight. 😴 How 'bout you? 😵‍💫

@umbrachist: Have you considered alien intervention? 😳👽 As Troy previously asked, what would be the motive behind a conspiracy by earthlings, and what was accomplished other than the tremendous loss of innocent lives, and a 20-year skirmish in Afghanistan? Who benefited from that conflict other than the military industrial complex?

@Troy, Delano & ProfD: My paranormal experiences aren't necessarily spontaneous or surprising. I believe they were/are the culmination of things I experimented with years ago. I've always been fascinated with meta-physics and the supernatural. When I was young and into new age stuff, I did a lot of rituals and things to try and draw good fortune into my life. I experimented with mirrors and chanting and imaging, and collecting talismans. Crystals actually do have special chemical properties; that's why they are used in electrical devices. Pyramids, as we know, date back centuries and not only embody mathematical principles but emit a certain kind of energy. Mirrors capture you and when facing each other can reflect images ad infinitum. Chanting turns sound waves into energy and when done while simultaneously picturing what you want to materialize, can facilitate results. (Prayer works on this same principle.) I expected quick results with all my rituals, not realizing that the things you send out into the Universe are on a different time wave. Now, it's like all of these rituals I was doing are gradually manifesting themselves, making my life outre, and I believe this includes my longevity; and is why I have chronologically reached my 90s but am mentally and, in some weirdly physical areas, frozen in middle age. I now realize more than ever that there is more to life than meets the eye. It's a lot about the different frequencies at which we are vibrating, and the different dimensions some are able to shift into... @Delano I never thought about the scrolls I keep seeing when I close my eyes, possibly being glimpses of the Emerald Tablets or akashik records. There is writing on them, but I never remember what I read Just some thoughts I felt compelled to share

@umbrachist: Why have you spent 23 years of your life seeking explanations about this 9/11 event? Are you a conspiracy theorist?

@umbrarchistbelow is what Meta AI says about the 9/11 "affair". Is it the official response? Does it ignore your questions. The twin towers of the World Trade Center collapsed on September 11, 2001, due to a combination of factors related to the terrorist attacks that day. Here's a brief summary: 1. *Impact damage*: Commercial airplanes, hijacked by terrorists, intentionally crashed into the towers, causing significant damage to the exterior columns and floors. 2. *Fires*: The impact and subsequent fires weakened the steel structures, particularly the trusses and columns. The fires burned at extremely high temperatures, causing the steel to lose strength and stiffness. 3. *Structural failure*: As the fires continued to burn, the steel structures began to fail, leading to a progressive collapse. The towers' design, which included a central core and perimeter columns, contributed to the collapse. 4. *Pancaking effect*: As the upper floors collapsed, they fell onto the lower floors, creating a "pancaking" effect that increased the force of the collapse. 5. *Global collapse*: The combination of these factors led to a global collapse of both towers, with the South Tower falling at 9:59 a.m. and the North Tower at 10:28 a.m. The 9/11 Commission Report, published in 2004, provides a detailed analysis of the events and factors contributing to the collapse of the twin towers. It's important to note that the report concludes that the collapse was not caused by a controlled demolition, as some conspiracy theories suggest, but rather the result of the damage and fires caused by the terrorist attacks.

@umbrarchistSo, was it all just a quirk of fate- a series of random circumstances involving human error? I have a short attention span these days.

I have paranormal experiences. It all started when I put a souvenir made up of crystals on my night stand, placing it next to a minature pyramid. I believe these 2 objects interacted to form a portal for the spirit world. One night a couple of years ago. I was lying awake in the dark, after the bewitching hour (3:AM) when I started to experience tintinitus. My ears were resounding with static. Then I heard my dead husband's voice. He had passed away about 12 years prior. He said he couldn't stay but that he wanted to tell me "good-bye" because he didn't get a chance to do so before he died (after slipping into a coma). I wanted to ask him where he was but I was transfixed. Then he was gone. I don't think I was hallucinating. I have all kinds of weird things going on in my room at night, I see figures and a white blimp in my peripheral vision and sometimes feel like I'm being touched. When I close my eyes I'm in a different environment and see scrolls with printing on them. My dreams are strange and vivid. One time I picked up the strong scent of a perfume I used wear years ago. Often when the dog comes into my room, he stops short and freezes and stares into space. Verrrry strange. None of this really frightens me but I did put the crystals and pyramid away in a drawer. I'm convinced I have a spiritual guide who looks out for me... Good Evening.