Trump (Or any Subject) Derangement Syndrome

[Traveler]

 

On 4/14/2025 at 1:51 PM, Carborendum said:

....

It is really easy to sit in a comfort chair and look down one's nose at "those filthy rich people who never help anyone."  But how often have poor people given money to an individual that they know?  Most don't do so because... they don't have the money themselves.  How can such people judge those who do have money?

.....

 

On 4/14/2025 at 2:05 PM, Phoenix_person said:

I have frequently seen people near poverty part with small amounts of money to help people whom they felt had a greater need for it. And anyone in the service industry will tell you that poor people always tip better than wealthier folks. A lot of poor people understand that community doesn't have monetary value, and so they aren't above parting with a few dollars for the good of their community when they can spare a bit.

I think this discussion is shallow and lacking dimensions.  Especially when considering the service industry, it is my opinion that the vast majority of those paying for services are on the wealthy side of economics.  I will explain my position.  I was raised in a wealthy home but in a very independent and self-reliant family.  We never ate at a restaurant.  When we went on vacation we camped and cooked or prepared all our meals.   In high school I did not take a date to a restaurant but prepared a meal in my home – usually for a group and the meat was specially prepared game meat.  I still have a difficult time allowing someone to wait on me or provide services – I can grind my own cheese and pepper on my own food – thank you.  Currently I do not tip based on a meal’s percentage cost but rather on the service, friendliness and ambiance of the place.

My thinking is that anyone that can afford services are not poor, certainly not by the world standards.  They may not be filthy rich, but they are not anything close to poor.  I have provided fringe services in that I have business in residential housing – both long and short term.  I have come to the conclusion that there is something far more critical than rich or poor at play.  It is the difference between those that control their finances and those that are controlled by their finances.  It is a matter of financial discipline.

There are some poor that resent the wealthy but in my opinion the greatest hatred are in the hearts of those who make a decent salary but are in so much foolish debt that they cannot afford even a fraction of the standard of living that prudent workers much below their earning capabilities are able to maintain that have avoided debt.

I have heard the mantra of the foolish over and over how they became overwhelmed by debt that was not their fault and that they are forever trapped in debt that is beyond their ability to deal with.  They honestly believe that they have a right to be forgiven for their debts – even at the expense of everyone else – especially those who are not trapped in debt.

My general experience is that the more people make the more they think they can afford to spend foolishly.  I believe it is a foolish kind of selfishness that concludes that they are owed a better life.  Generally, those at the lower end of the financial spectrum learn financial discipline because they do not have much of any other choice and lower their expectations of what they can afford.  Ther manage their money more centered on realistic needs rather than exorbitant expectations, hopes and dreams just beyond the reach for their prodigal counterparts that believe it can be achieved now with credit (debt).

And so it is that many of those at the lower end of the financial food chain have more disposable income when needed and appropriate.

 

The Traveler

[Traveler]

On 4/18/2025 at 9:25 AM, LDSGator said:

Everyone knows that college football is a religion down here, with rivalries causing true hate between people. The shooting at FSU has united Floridians. This pic is making the rounds on social media down here. It’s the mascots of all the schools comforting the FSU mascot. 

Once again, I am disappointed with some relatively young fellow that has turned homicidal, and no one seem to have seen it coming.   I have a theory that I have expressed.  That drugs are involved.  I believe it is time to put HIPPA aside and make public a full toxicology report of individuals involved in “mass shootings”.    I strongly believe that marijuana is involved as a minimum and that mixed with psychotropic drugs could be a play.

Why do I suspect marijuana?  While employed at Boeing I worked with a sharp young engineer that tried marijuana and fell in love with it.  He believed it was harmless, but I watched over less than a year that marijuana rotted his brain and cognitive functions.   I first noticed something was odd when he attempted to convince me he could fly.  I have wondered if the “Wicked” Broadway show and movie play into the beginning of someone losing touch with reality because of marijuana.

Soon afterwards this fellow started to express paranoia (someone was after him to get flying secrets – not related to our project) and then within a month he disappeared.  He was working under me on a classified military project.  I was contacted by the FBI a couple of times, but I had no idea what happened to this guy.

One day at work I got a call from this guy.  He said he was in Hawaii living on a beach with some extra-terrestrials planning a revolution to take over the world to save humanity.  He wanted me to get the keys to his truck and take his truck so the bank could not repossess it – he wanted me to have it.  I contacted the FBI.  They did not find him (at least that is what I was told) and I was to contact the FBI if he contacted me again – he didn’t.

I have known two other individuals develop a chain marijuana habit and that have lost contact with reality with paranoia tendencies.  I do not believe it is that far from pushing someone into homicidal tendencies – especially if they have previous mental problems and have been prescribed psychotropic drugs.   But I cannot investigate beyond speculation because of HIPPA.

 

The Traveler

[zil2]

1 hour ago, Traveler said:

marijuana

Quote

Yes, research suggests a link between marijuana use and an increased risk of developing schizophrenia, particularly in young men. Studies indicate that cannabis use disorder is associated with a higher likelihood of developing schizophrenia, especially when use starts at a younger age. This connection is more pronounced in young men, and the risk may be related to the potency and frequency of cannabis use.

That's from Google's AI, but it's not the only place I've seen it.  Harmless my eye.

Edited Sunday at 04:07 AM by zil2

[NeuroTypical]

Over the decades I've gathered maybe half a dozen or so stories from folks who smoked mj at some point.  Some are of the "yeah, I tried that stuff when I was younger and it was fun but I don't do it any more" kind.  I don't know enough to know if they're more crazy or stupid than they would have been without the mj, or if they're unaffected.

The other group has regrets.  One guy told the story about how he was excited when medical mj was legalized in Colorado, and gladly started a regimen to help with his anxiety and improve his marriage.  During the legalize MJ fight in CO, such things were touted as the norm.  It had the opposite effect.  His anxiety turned into depression, he lost his job and everything got worse in his marriage as he self-medicated himself away from giving enough of a crap to work on his stuff.

Over the years, I've grown ok with the various well-studied medicinal benefits, and I've watched the industry mature in some ways.  I notice folks understanding that smoking anything is bad for you, and going for THC distilled into oils or candy or whatever.  Colorado is learning when you wrap it up like candy, then kids eat it and end up in the hospital.  Colorado is still mostly refusing to deal with the fact that we've turned our state into cartel heaven, as they moved their mj production across the border into our state.  

But yeah, if something had been available legally in the '90's when my mother was dying and couldn't keep pills down because of nausea, and her veins were too frail for a needle, I would have brought her a toke or an oil or something, to see if it might have helped in her final months.  That's about as close as I ever want to come to the thing.    Maybe if someone is trying to get clean off of meth, I might support MJ as a step down replacement, but I'm not exactly surrounded by people I know hooked on meth, so it's an intellectual exercise for me at best.

Edited Sunday at 01:41 PM by NeuroTypical

[Backroads]

18 hours ago, zil2 said:

That's from Google's AI, but it's not the only place I've seen it.  Harmless my eye.

We had a nasty murder in our state awhile back that ultimately seemed caused by marijuana-caused paranoia. That was the first time I heard the issue, but now I see it mentioned everywhere.

[Carborendum]

I had a group of friends in high school who began to distance themselves from me because they began doing drugs and other things that they knew I wouldn't approve of.  The results were all over the place.

• One of my friends (Paul) who, bless his heart, wasn't the brightest of the bunch.  But after drug use, he couldn't string two sentences together into a coherent thought.  It was bad enough that the rest of the group was worried about him.  He grew up hardly being able to do a manual labor job.  He did the most drugs of the group -- both weed and cocaine.  He became the textbook case of a failed person -- medically, socially, spiritually, personally...
• One friend (Mike) still grew up ok.  But he had much more potential.  And he lost some mental capacity.  He went from high achiever to slightly above average.  He did MJ from time to time.  He may have used coke once or twice.
• Another "member of the group" (Tim) whom I never really got to know very well seemed unaffected.  But I don't know if I was in a good position to make an accurate assessment.  I don't know what he took.  But he took something.
• The leader of the band (John) didn't seem to be affected.  He grew up and established his own business.  He sold it for a pretty penny and retired early.  While he was above average intelligence, his strength was being a people person.  He was a natural leader.  And he had a great ability to deal with customers, sales, and management of subordinates.  While he rarely partook, he did use from time to time.  So, I don't know if it really affected him in the big picture.
• Apparently, the girls in the group were at the same parties.  But I never heard if they took or not.  At the very least, they would have had some side stream smoke.  But I never noticed much of a change in them other than changing from God-fearing young ladies to being the sluts of the group (being "passed around").

So, like all drugs, the type of drug, level of usage, drug interactions, and personal traits all play a part.

I don't really see a need to use any of this stuff.  When I consider that an entire generation of boys have been told to take ADHD drugs from a doctor, and we see how few of them matured into responsible men... I'm not all too keen on medicine in general.  So, for people to self-medicate with stuff that everyone KNOWS has bad side-effects... SMH.

NOTE: I'm not saying these things as a way of criticizing the people I mentioned above.  They were my friends whom I cared about.  And to see this happen to them...

Edited Monday at 12:33 PM by Carborendum

[Phoenix_person]

On 4/20/2025 at 8:41 AM, NeuroTypical said:

Maybe if someone is trying to get clean off of meth, I might support MJ as a step down replacement, but I'm not exactly surrounded by people I know hooked on meth, so it's an intellectual exercise for me at best.

Meth is a big problem up here, and I know people who have used MJ to get off of it. It's also popular with reformed alcoholics and opioid abusers trying to get clean (kind of the opposite of a gateway drug). I use MJ medically for my anxiety and the physical pain I deal with as a result of my psychosis episode*. My LDS mom has toyed with the idea of using it medically, but she's on lithium and doesn't want it to interfere.

*The only drug I was on was Lexapro, and I was several months sober from alcohol. I had 6 mental health crises during the two years I was on anti-depressants, and zero since switching to medical cannabis. It's true that paranoia and increased anxiety are risks for heavy users, especially if they aren't mindful of what strains they're favoring. Some "cerebral" strains will help with anxiety, others will make it much worse. I favor the pain-relieving strains, and I mostly use in the evening. Day users can be a problem if they make it too habitual. 

[NeuroTypical]

Fair enough @Phoenix_person, I now update my list of personal stories I've gathered to "a bunch who did it when younger then matured out of it, a bunch who did it and have regrets and various suffering, and one guy who figures taking it medicinally has improved his mental state and quality of life."  

It's been 25 years since I was involved with someone experiencing active PTSD and mental health crises.  They had tried desperately self-medicating with alcohol and became a lifelong alcoholic, although they haven't touched a drink since I've known them.  I remember those fun times.   I'm glad you're finding something that works for you. 

[Phoenix_person]

30 minutes ago, NeuroTypical said:

Fair enough @Phoenix_person, I now update my list of personal stories I've gathered to "a bunch who did it when younger then matured out of it, a bunch who did it and have regrets and various suffering, and one guy who figures taking it medicinally has improved his mental state and quality of life."  

It's been 25 years since I was involved with someone experiencing active PTSD and mental health crises.  They had tried desperately self-medicating with alcohol and became a lifelong alcoholic, although they haven't touched a drink since I've known them.  I remember those fun times.   I'm glad you're finding something that works for you. 

FWIW, I tried it because I heard several positive stories from other veterans and people with SSRI resistance and/or substance abuse history. Given the time I spent in the booze business, I know a lot of reformed alcoholics (and plenty of unreformed ones). 

[Carborendum]

What the heck is happening?

As Democrats rally around Abrego Garcia case, some worry a due process argument won’t land with voters | CNN Politics

This was their #1 rally cry for a week about how Hitlerian Trump is becoming.  Now they are admitting that it is a losing issue?

We can only hope that people are finding out that the guy really was a violent gangbanger and was lawfully released to El Salvador's custody.

Wait.  What?  They recognize that Trump didn't do anything wrong with the guy?  They realize that the "mistaken" transfer was just a hoax?

... And... they're admitting their error?  

Let me go out the window to see if the Second Coming is about to begin.

Edited Tuesday at 01:13 PM by Carborendum

[NeuroTypical]

Well, when you've intentionally steered your boat into the iceberg thinking it would somehow be a win for you, and you are sitting there watching the iceberg slice your ship to pieces, and you realize you're all gonna die, you might as well try to steer away from it before it can finish the job.  

It's all about votes.  If the polling said people liked Abrego Garcia, they'd still be fighting hard.  If the white house hadn't been so good at getting the message out about who he is (illegal immigrant MS13 gang member who lost his asylum claim years ago, whose own wife filed a protection order against him) and who he isn't (a Maryland man who fled persecution and has been allowed to stay).

I'm sure the Dems curse the white house press office and it's easy command of relevant facts.  Curse Trump's ability to talk directly to the little guy without going through a media filter.   Things were so much easier when this was happening: 

[Ironhold]

12 minutes ago, NeuroTypical said:

Well, when you've intentionally steered your boat into the iceberg thinking it would somehow be a win for you, and you are sitting there watching the iceberg slice your ship to pieces, and you realize you're all gonna die, you might as well try to steer away from it before it can finish the job.  

It's all about votes.  If the polling said people liked Abrego Garcia, they'd still be fighting hard.  If the white house hadn't been so good at getting the message out about who he is (illegal immigrant MS13 gang member who lost his asylum claim years ago, whose own wife filed a protection order against him) and who he isn't (a Maryland man who fled persecution and has been allowed to stay).

I'm sure the Dems curse the white house press office and it's easy command of relevant facts.  Curse Trump's ability to talk directly to the little guy without going through a media filter.   Things were so much easier when this was happening: 

Or we have the situation that's unfolding here in Texas. 

Black teen stabs a white teen to death at a sports event. 

Crowdfunding campaign goes up so that the black teen can afford lawyers. 

His family instead uses it to purchase a Cadillac and a mansion, with the teen himself in public in a suit. 

Meanwhile, the family of the white teen has been SWAT'd *twice*. 

Folks are boiling, and not just in Texas. 

[Carborendum]

 

[Carborendum]

Dylan Bryan Adams will not be criminally charged for causing over $20,000 in property damage to Teslas in Minneapolis.

The County Attorney claims this is common for property damage crimes, even though the felony level begins at $10,000 according to Minnesota Law.  And it carries a minimum of 5 years in prison at that level.

I wonder if they were letting him go because he was white.

[NeuroTypical]

2 hours ago, Carborendum said:

I wonder if they were letting him go because he was white.

 

"Adams, of Minneapolis, to be entered into an adult diversion program meant for first-time, low-level offenders."

“My client is very remorseful for his actions, and is beginning the process of making sure the victims are made whole financially,” said Adams’ attorney Robert Paule, in an email to the Star Tribune. “We are grateful for the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office exercise of prosecutorial discretion and apologize to the victims and law enforcement.”

I think diversion programs for first time low level offenders are pretty dang common.   I'd be surprised if really any first offender couldn't manage to land a deal like that, for really any low level offense.  I see that dude didn't just offend once.  He offended 6 times over a course of days.  But even then, demeanor in court can have an impact.  Maybe dude, instead of showing up all entitled and haughty, looked like he was about to wet himself. 

(Lawyers and anyone with experience to the contrary, please chime in).   

It might be nice if he lost his job over the incidents.  He works for the state's DHS, and they're reviewing things.  Doesn't look good there for dude.  Bad press can get you canceled and fired, although firing may not be as easy when working a govt job in a liberal state/city. 

 

Edited 14 hours ago by NeuroTypical

[Carborendum]

1 hour ago, NeuroTypical said:

I think diversion programs for first time low level offenders are pretty dang common.   I'd be surprised if really any first offender couldn't manage to land a deal like that, for really any low level offense. 

It wasn't.

1 hour ago, NeuroTypical said:

I see that dude didn't just offend once.  He offended 6 times over a course of days.  But even then, demeanor in court can have an impact.  Maybe dude, instead of showing up all entitled and haughty, looked like he was about to wet himself. 

If.

The fact that he did this 6 times over the course of days tells me that he was not remorseful.  The CA just wanted to use some excuse to let him go.  There was no court.  When it was done completely at prosecutorial discretion means that it was all during an interview between the CA and the criminal.

I envision that he just said "wink-wink" and the CA said, "Ok."  If you don't believe me, consider the reactions from the police.

I submit: This was not a "low-level offense".  By statute $10,000 of property damage is considered a felony with minimum of 5 years prison.  This guy did over $20,000 worth of damage.  He should have gotten a lot more.  Instead, he basically got nothing.  He may not even have to pay the victims back. 

No financial restrictions, no garnishments, no payment schedule.

The words they've said so far is just fluff -- no legal mechanism requiring him to do so.

1 hour ago, NeuroTypical said:

It might be nice if he lost his job over the incidents.  He works for the state's DHS, and they're reviewing things.  Doesn't look good there for dude.  Bad press can get you canceled and fired, although firing may not be as easy when working a govt job in a liberal state/city. 

Let's see, the guy commits vandalism in a political cause against the Trump administration, and the CA already said was not going prosecute this crime.  But you wonder if he might get fired as a DHS worker in a liberal state and city?  You do know what the DHS does, right?

I'd hope that the sane population of Minnesota begins to vote with their feet.  Let them rot in their leftist terrorist juices.  They wanted a world where all the wealth producers would no longer exist, a world where crimes against political opponents went unpunished, and allowing people to keep the fruits of their labor is considered hoarding.

Fine, we'll give you that world by leaving.  See how you do without us.  Galt's Gulch.

Edited 13 hours ago by Carborendum