Dr. Gonzo

We used 32 different players in the match - basically giving 3 groups of players a chance on the pitch every 30 minutes. Looks like we had some good chances, but our finishing wasn't there (hit the post 3 times and forced some good saves). It's probably a good sign for United that these players are looking eager to prove themselves for their new manager, but I don't think there's much to read into this other than our players aren't ready for the upcoming season yet.

it's a training match to build up fitness, I don't think anyone's really arsed hopefully the Glazers took it seriously though and buy themselves a yacht instead of players for United

Isn't Jesse Waters just a comedian? Or is that Greg Gutfield? Either way, this whole fixation on trans stuff is something the media is pushing to both sides to get people to not actually focus on issues that impact everyone and just create a weirdly divisive culture war for politicians to harp on about rather than actually fix the issues that impact everyone. In more positive news coming from the US, California is using it's $100b budget surplus to start producing it's own insulin so that the cost of insulin in California won't be tied to the cost of insulin in the US (which is absurdly high, as most pharmaceutical products in the US). I hope they allow it to be sold to other states and not just Californians, although it should be at a slightly higher cost for people out of state since they don't pay California taxes. Even with a slightly higher cost for non-Californians, that would be a significant cost reduction for anyone who needs insulin in the entire country. On the other hand, California's federal tax numbers show they put in more than any other state to the federal treasury than other states... and don't really get that much back from the federal government comparatively. And a lot of Californians are very resentful of having to subsidise other states that get back shitloads more money than they put in. So it could be a bad political move within California to allow it to be sold to other states. But it would be a good thing for national politics. Because the high price of pharmaceutical drugs in the US is an issue that impacts most people. I don't think we're seeing the sort of leadership from the US federal government that does anything really helpful for Americans, so perhaps the states have to take matters into their own hands.

If I'm honest, I thought the last leadership contest for the tories felt like the party scraping the bottom of the barrel... so I really don't have any sort of optimism that the next PM will be any better. Sunak's the favourite... and it feels a bit weird because he's got the recent track record of fumbling with the economy and his wife's tax dodging. Imagine if Cameron wasn't a coward and didn't resign after the Brexit referendum result. But of course, it was easier for him to give up all pretense of being a leader and go chase after cash. Honestly, I'd have done the same thing... but I'm also not trying to be Prime Minister.

The biggest question I have about that match is why the fuck are we playing a "friendly" with Man United? I know the answer is "to make money off fans in Thailand who get a chance to see 2 big rivals even though it's just a training match to get them ready for the season" but it still feels wrong to do anything with United and call it "friendly."

I think there's a certain pretty serious allegation against Ronaldo that might be preventing him from ever going back to the US until it's been resolved tbh.

Shinzo Abe’s been shot

Thank fuck it won't be Gove, Raab, or Hancock. Especially Hancock, that guy's an absolute fucking joke of a human being. Imagine that moron running a country

I'm not sure Lincoln's an example of a unifier or someone who restored traditional/cultural value - he's someone who had a good policy on slavery (ending it), but that flew in the face of norms and traditions of the US to the point that the country was literally divided in war. I think examples like Lincoln or FDR are better alluding to how America needs someone who can correctly identify what traditions and values have been hurting their country for decades and find a way to get through the division and partisan bullshit the media pushes to make Americans realise that something needs to change for their country to stop sliding down the slope it's been on. And push the traditions and values that have held the test of time as American society has changed over the centuries and are the actual universal American values. But the partisan divisions will be very difficult to heal when you've got the most watched news media outlets actively dividing the electorate and pushing half of them to radical positions. And some traditional universal American values are falling to the wayside in the political slide America's been on for the past 6 or so years.

I never said they were. But take a look at the 4th Amendment. There's clear text in the amendment: The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. And then there's how the courts have interpreted that to narrowly restrict what counts as a search or seizure necessitating a warrant. If they can narrowly restrict privacy, they can narrowly restrict guns from entering the hands of absolute morons who shouldn't be allowed to own cars let alone guns.

I wouldn't be surprised if they're bumping up his base pay as a reward for playing really well over the last few years.

Someone with that many red flags shouldn't be able to purchase a gun legally like he did. The simple fact is there's not enough scrutiny behind who's allowed to buy guns and who isn't. There are other countries that have legal gun ownership - but they have substantially more rules on what disqualifies someone from owning a gun. The US is an outlier because there are almost 50% of the world's privately owned guns in the country... but with barely any regulation on firearms. People like to say "it's because it's a constitutionally protected right" - but there are other constitutionally protected rights that have been whittled away at by courts and laws... so that's not a valid reason to not regulate guns. You now have to go to page 5 to find the Highland Park, Illinois shooting that happened just a few days ago in this link: https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/reports/number-of-gun-deaths - I think that in itself is appalling and shows how serious of a problem gun violence is in the US.

So you think America needs someone so divisive it leads to civil war because it's inevitable?

I can't believe he's not resigning...

https://theathletic.com/3400323/2022/07/05/ronaldo-united-training-transfer/?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nytimes The Athletic saying they don't know when, or even if, Ronaldo will return to United & they're worried he'll try to force a move. Seems a bit weird, tbh. He's got all the money in the world, so I doubt that paycut for not being in the CL really makes that much of a difference to him & he's at a club he supposedly loves. So why the sudden want away attitude? If it's because he still wants the CL... he could have let United know earlier? Like even before the season was completed so at least they could plan for life without him (again) before the summer started. Seems a bit weird though, people say he "loves a challenge" and... he's at a club "he loves" that are experiencing a challenging moment. So it seems like at least one of those statements about him isn't true, if the Athletic is right in indicating he's forcing a move.

I just assume Everton fans are people who’ve become one with the aids virus

That's your example of a guy who diffused hyper partisan identity politics? The guy who was so feared by big believers in hyper partisan identity politics (in this case, denying people of a certain identity human rights and keeping them as chattel) started a civil war and then later was shot in the head by those same hyperpartisan dickheads after he'd won the war? I'm pretty sure just because of the way half the fucking country responded to his election, he's probably the most divisive president in the history of the US. The way the US responded after his assassination and the way the confederacy aristocrats were rehabilitated and happily welcomed back into their positions of status and power in that period of "reconstruction" are probably the biggest reason US politics are a mix of idiotic hyperpartisanship and culture wars. I think what America actually needs is someone who's an actual unifier. Look at FDR, he came to power because of the corruption and ineptitude of his predecessors leading to what was a total economic collapse. And even then... he was only really able to properly "unify" the US once it was pulled into WW2. But he ended up being one of the most popular presidents of all time because he challenged the status quo... and he was able to navigate the US through it's economic woes (although that's primarily because the US had the advantage of being the only industrialised western nation to not be war torn by the war). There's no easy fix for Americas problems. It's either going to have to get a hell of a lot worse (total economic collapse, world war, something like that) or America's just going to fall apart due to the media and politicians creating a narrative that Americans shouldn't work together or like each other because of various idiotic political reasons and the culture wars they are pushing. But corporate media has found that pushing culture wars and hyperpartisanship is more profitable than having a fully functioning democracy, and until that changes... that's likely going to be America's future.

Yeah I definitely relate to that. My mood gets very up or down here depending on homesickness and I think a lot of shit has happened in the last 5 years living here that make it feel very different to my first few years in the country. I dunno how people are supposed to have kids here and feel alright about it. Not just because of the incessant gun violence that the politicians refuse to do a fucking thing about - but that certainly plays a large part into my thinking there. The breaking news now is that the Highland Park suspect had been planning this attack for months. I'm not sure it can just be put down to "mental health" as the reason behind the shooting - I think anyone committing mass murder is probably mentally ill, but I don't think he's mentally ill enough to be declared incompetent for trial... he was competent enough to pre-meditate mass murder - he's competent to stand trial.

Yeah I either want to go home or move to Germany so I can hang out with @Tommy

8 mass shootings in the US yesterday…

Another shooting at a parade today.

Here’s another

The one person in that who actually acts sane is getting crushed in the polls though because… it’s America, so of course they are.

Whatever helps you sleep at night pal

Sadly, I think we both know why it's not getting more media coverage.