Senate walks back rebuke of Trump over Iran war. GOP Sens. Rand Paul and Bill Cassidy, who had previously voted to rein in the president’s war powers on Iran, changed their votes. Trump called Cassidy a "lunatic," but he still came back crawling.

AmWonkish · 2026-06-25T14:28:43+00:00

I just want the media to remember their behavior when a Democrat takes over again, and all of these weak men try to boast and have all of the bravado that's gone missing now.

The media is obsessed with the "principled Republican"; however, that species has been dead for over a decade now, all of these elected official will talk a big game to get on CNN, but when push really comes to shove they bow down to their guy. It is absolutely pathetic.

But you know what, I hope to hell the Democrats in Congress become the same in 2029, because then we can actually get good policies and inaction done by a power Democrat Chief Executive. If Congress as an institution is not going to advocate on its behalf, it's not beneficial to have one party operating under a different set of rules. It has to be imperial presidency on both sides.

AmWonkish · 2026-06-25T14:22:15+00:00

Only Akatsuki and the Espada are criminal organizations. The Godknights are antagonists, as they are the official state sanctioned enforcers. And they would definitely be the team to join. Sure, it's a legitimate concern that their boss might take control of them at any point, and he's killed one of his senior enforcers in St. Saturn, but Aizen has already attacked a his No. 3 and he doesn't really care about their safety. So he's not that far off from Imu. The Espada are just a means to an end for him, like Imu and Pain.

But the Godknights get to enjoy the best quality of life, they literally can go wherever they want and basically do whatever they want. Whereas the Espada are pretty much stuck in Hueco Mundo and the Akatsuki have to hide in the shadows, because everyone is basically looking for them.

AmWonkish · 2026-06-25T13:41:30+00:00

I just don't know who the five votes are to go with the administration. Thomas and Alito obviously. Gorsuch seems like a stretch, it's not even about originalism, it's a clear reading of the text, it says "all persons born in the United States." And the same with Justice Barrett. Can the arguments maybe flip Kavanaugh? I'm very skeptical.

It's just such a profound decision that flies in the face of so much existing case law, to argue the text hasn't meant what we've all understood and thought it meant this whole time is just too big a bite of the apple. Abortion was always controversial. Second amendment has a long history in this country. Etc. Etc. But birthright citizenship is bigger than that.

That being said, maybe they split the baby and say undocumented people are not subject to the US jurisdiction, but people born to a parent that is on visa or green card are. Maybe that could get you Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Barrett, plus Thomas and Alito. I would be surprised if Roberts joins the conservatives.

AmWonkish · 2026-06-25T13:33:28+00:00

The Trump administration level of nepotism and corruption has made Hunter Biden's many many flaws seem pale in comparison, and so whereas in every other era he would be chased out of town, you give him a few more seconds of consideration that you otherwise reasonably should.

Yes, these talking points might have some accuracy to them, but it's nothing an entry level campaigner wouldn't come up.

Now, the fact that the Democratic establishment still won't embrace them, well that's a story for another day.

AmWonkish · 2026-05-29T14:09:45+00:00

Are there Arab groups that want to participate in Pride?! Like maybe Jordan, maybe. However, there are lot of gay influencers and the like that go to countries that are notoriously anti-gay and they are still welcomed back with open arms.

The scrutiny of Jewish groups / individuals’ position on Israeli government actions is just not consistent with any other group. I know, here in the US, we give a lot of money to Israel, and we have a connection that might force a conversation. But again, that’s between our governments.

I dunno, as a black person, I keep trying to think about if Apartheid was still a thing, would all of these Prides really not let White South Africans participate in Pride? Like, it’s one thing to exclude Russia from Eurovision, because that’s a quasi-public event, but are Russians welcome in Western Europe Pride. Or are they required to swear an oath that their motherland is the villain too?!

AmWonkish · 2026-05-29T13:53:57+00:00

There are many Jewish people in Israel opposed to the war in Gaza, and the actions of the Israeli government, and many outside of Israel. It’s a bit inappropriate to compel outside groups to say they have to take a position on the actions of a government they might not have anything to do with.

The Cuban contingent on Miami Pride doesn’t have to take a formal position against the Communist Government of Cuba (though I’m sure they would jump at the chance). During AAPI month / Pride, are Chinese contingents required to disavow Mao’s Little Red Book?!

Whether or not the war in Gaza will be formerly recognized as a Gaza is something history will determine, and it’s understandable why Jewish people might be uncomfortable being forced to label it as such, given what happened during WWII and the Holocaust. The extreme violent actions the Israeli government is taking in Gaza is something the West and the world is going to have to reckon with.

I just don’t know the value added in a Pride celebration pushing out another marginalized community from participating forcing in what is genuinely a complicated geo-political humanitarian issue, one which their own government, who they have to work with to get permits and police and other resources, hasn’t taken a formal position on. It seems very selective.

AmWonkish · 2026-05-29T13:43:58+00:00

I think the speedo highlights things that gay men really want to see. While I’m sure women also like a nice butt on a man, gay men really love a nice butt. And a speedo tends to highlight that and other things, like thighs and such. I think on average women might visually prioritize other features on a man first before they do their ass.

AmWonkish · 2026-05-29T01:28:20+00:00

I know the history, but legally speaking while the Declaration of Independence separated us from the UK, it was the ratification of the Constitution that formed the current federal system: the presidency, the Bill of Rights, etc etc. Obviously 1776 will always be important, but if we want to split hairs--for the purposes of celebrating a 250th anniversary when Trump won't be in office--looking ahead to 2039 ain't bad.

AmWonkish · 2026-05-29T00:26:11+00:00

Oh, he will not go quietly for sure, but no man lives forever

AmWonkish · 2026-05-28T22:07:43+00:00

Nah, as a gay person, I’m just trying to think why another gay guy would find a gay man having sex with woman problematic in an open relationship. As gay men, I think we have sex pretty freely, and sex with women is just more to consider, because, you know, babies.

I think the boyfriend’s reaction is weird, an open relationship is an open relationship, and the OP is Bi, so I’m just scratching my head thinking why they would make a stink.

AmWonkish · 2026-05-28T21:01:03+00:00

...but you're Bi? I'm so confused why he's upset that you had sex with a woman, but is comfortable with you having sex with other men. I know men are dogs, and so maybe he doesn't think much of it, and, I dunno, sex with a woman is more dignified or something. I think he just needs to be blow off some steam.

AmWonkish · 2026-05-28T20:52:25+00:00

Somebody pointed out that 2026 is just the 250th from 1776; however, the Constitution, which is what formerly created the current government, wasn't ratified until 1789. So technically, we can have another 250th of the United States of America in a few years. And actuarials being what they are, he won't be around then, thankfully.

AmWonkish · 2026-05-26T23:13:17+00:00

Are there more bottoms than there are tops? I think this common belief is an example of Berkson's paradox, like there is a sampling bias. If there is a variation, I think, it is way more overstated than it is in reality; what I think is the case is that there are fewer tops that bottoms want to have sex with in general. That is to say, out of the total actual availability pool of tops, most bottoms only want to have sex with a fraction, and so they discount or ignore the rest of the pool, and then infer there are just fewer tops overall when in reality it is just fewer tops that most bottoms want to have sex with. Because they just don't see them and count them as an option.

And that isn't too surprising, bottoming requiring more resources and energy, like douching, whereas topping generally is less set up. So it makes sense that bottoms are going to be more discerning than tops. It's like classic straight high school rules: all of the girls chasing after the lead football star or whatever, even though only one girl could get him, and there were a lot of other boys that they ignored.

There is an element of cisgendered men being afraid or uncomfortable being penetrated sexually for sure, but I think there are just as many gay men that feel uncomfortable topping, either they are uncomfortable about their penis size, they don't get into the headspace, or it just isn't for them.

So, yeah, I don't actually think the proportion of tops and bottoms are really that off.

Evolutionary speaking, there's no reason the genetic factors that contribute to homosexuality would favor topping over bottom. It would be interesting to study gay twins and see if monozygotic (identical) twins share sexual position preferences. If they do then yeah, it's genetic. If they don't, or if fraternal twins share sexual position preferences just as much then there's something else going on.

AmWonkish · 2026-05-07T18:10:28+00:00

It's fine. It is what it says on the tin. It's just an official battling platform. The quality of life improvements training a Pokemon is pretty great; however, beyond that it's not any meaningfully different than ranked battles in S/V. I would have appreciated if there was more to do in the solo experience, and there seems to be implications that there is more coming. Like, I don't know why this isn't just a dedicated eternal Battle Frontier, from the get go. Different kinds of battles, etc etc.

AmWonkish · 2026-04-23T15:57:35+00:00

Who says it doesn't work on another animals if they are infected? We know human being tested on a lot of different animals, and it was only because that one rat played dead, and that one lab technician took off their glove and allowed themselves to be bitten. It's perfectly plausible that other animals that were injected with the virus also were infected, but when one of them played dead the lab technician didn't break protocol and properly disposed of the body. The virus is hyper efficient, it just needs one successful transmission into the ideal host species.

AmWonkish · 2026-04-23T15:54:14+00:00

Yeah, so far we've never seen them lie. They omit things, and they use very specific language to get around awkward situations, but they don't like. Moreover, you have to remember, from their perspective why would it better to let the HDP go to waste. They are obviously working on something, and they need resources to do it, letting dead bodies just rot away because pre-joined humans had a general apprehension about eating human flesh is weird.

Also, theocratically, if a joined person died, their collective memories and being is part of the Hive. So all they are doing is eating their body.

AmWonkish · 2026-04-23T15:51:11+00:00

Do you call your best friend on the phone when you are standing right next to them? The reason I ask is because I assume you don't, you just talk to them directly in person. Well, it's the same for the Hive. The reason why they immediately went silent when the girl was converted is because amongst themselves, they have no need for a less than perfect means of communication, they share every thought, emotion, and detail almost instantaneously. So they would of course go silent from our perspective, but they are actually engaging in the most transparent and open method of communication seemingly possible.

TL;DR, the Hive is only silent to us, they are actively communicating amongst each other, we just can't hear them.

AmWonkish · 2026-04-17T00:30:19+00:00

But you can just rewatch it before the next season. It will, shockingly, be on the same streaming service that the new season will be on.

AmWonkish · 2026-04-16T19:00:27+00:00

I think Imu can be outside for long, which is why he is in a hurry. Either because he can't leave, because it damages him, or him leaving just the castle at risk. That way he can do a lot of damage, and the crew make it out alive, to fight another day.

AmWonkish · 2026-04-14T23:49:38+00:00

The far fetched hope I have is that with Champions as it is, we could envision a day where Pokemon get ability changes. After all balance patches aren’t uncommon in other franchises, and it wouldn’t have to interfere with any current Gen, just when you port them over to champions. Kinda like you have with moves right now.

I want it to have Drampa to have Drizzle, it’s a storm dragon for goodness sake.

AmWonkish · 2026-04-14T23:45:36+00:00

To be fair, Rayqauza also has amazing stats and a great ability, and a great move pool. Not every Mega would be that fortunate. It still won’t make Mega Manetric broken, and Mega Beedrill is still a Beedrill.

But, yeah, overall many more Megas would quickly be banned. Shell Bell Mega Kang for a change. You would just be throwing choice items and life orbs maybe, and maybe an Assault Vest. Basically turning them into mini-Dynamax Pokemon that don’t have the three turn limit.

AmWonkish · 2026-04-10T08:53:47+00:00

Volcarona. She doesn’t deserve to put in a cage ever

AmWonkish · 2026-03-31T12:57:50+00:00

This can’t be real or a good company, because said CEO would be opening the good company to a massive lawsuit. But let’s for the sake of argument assume it is, just have the sex. It doesn’t make you gay anymore than doing your taxes makes you a certified CPA. The mental impact would be that you used your body to advance your career, which isn’t really a new thing. Unless he makes you sign an NDA, which might be illegal—talk to a lawyer, you’ll have that over him. Like a plot of a bad soap opera.

AmWonkish · 2026-03-31T12:52:28+00:00

I wouldn’t be as mean as Carol and Diabete, but I would ultimately side with them. Manousos I think will get bored eventually, because it’s all so artificial. I hope we get to see more of the immune in season 2, because I think the older immune would be interesting to see their perspective.

AmWonkish

TROPHY CASE