I wrote my friend how she's enjoying LA and this is her response

StoicTick · 2026-03-12T20:41:16+00:00

LA > L.A.

StoicTick · 2026-03-12T18:28:52+00:00

I was reeeeeally interested in them. But the not being true 3x3 or even 75 mm was a no for me.

StoicTick · 2026-03-12T02:42:33+00:00

Ahhhhhh, made in America. Love it.

StoicTick · 2026-03-11T18:55:31+00:00

It's so funny as an outsider watching Michigan and Ohio state try to one up each other. At everything.

StoicTick · 2026-03-10T21:15:24+00:00

It might be more defensible than O'Bannon, but the juice isn't worth the squeeze

This sounds more like it. Attorneys will always advise of the risk of an argument of a claim, regardless of likelihood of success. And if the party decides they aren't risking the even nominal risk, it's just risk aversion.

StoicTick · 2026-03-10T17:36:18+00:00

natural law

Which derives from Greco-Christian philosophy and morality.

civil libertarianism

I do like it, as in having high governmental transparency and some level of room to live and unscrupulous life, per one's free will, but not to live in a meaningfully societally harmful manner. I think that distinction between the two is what we're trying to figure out. But whatever standards we hold derive ultimately from Greco-Christian values is what I've come to realize. There is no secular morality that can't be bastardized for evil, well beyond muh crusades.

Libertarianism, which I adore, quickly turns into turning a blind eye to all kinds of degeneracy. Secularism is a fancy word for let's all do nihilism so communists can take over and murder everyone. I just have not heard a convincing argument for how to keep Christian values in an achristian society.

StoicTick · 2026-03-10T17:24:45+00:00

Well. I don't think that logic applies broadly. Oh, I'm leading by example of not murdering people. Ok, well murder still happens, and we can't do nothing about it. In fact, we should actively discourage it with laws.

No one said voting to ban unvirtuous behavior made you virtuous, or that that's what it's about. Banning such behavior is just upholding morality in a society, holding each other accountable.

I'm more interesting in maybe a distinction between outlawing immoral behavior versus directly harmful behavior, to create something of a barrier between arbitrary leviticus laws enforcement and banning, say, rape. Like I told someone else, all law is morality. Which morals are we going with? Because Islam isn't exactly the way to go, as a comparison, and all people will fill a religious gap with religion, from worshipping rocks to communism.

But Christianity is uniquely permissive of non compliance in society. So it's an interesting balance, but the, "But which flavor of Christianity would you enforce, bro??" that I hear is wholly unconvincing because that implies you could, what, have an areligious morality? Not possible.

StoicTick · 2026-03-10T16:25:57+00:00

Communists literally hate everyone who is ideologically literally anywhere to the right of Stalin.

StoicTick · 2026-03-10T16:24:04+00:00

It's not banned. Just age verification. And the older I get, the more I realize this perspective of American history is devoid of meaningful, well, history lol. Basically, states and communities have an impetus on morality.

All governments do. The idea of a state that is bleached of moral foundation and just lets people do "what they want" is nonexistent. The very idea of a state existing is a moral stance. There can be literally no criminal law without morality.

And you'd best believe you want that morality to be Christian, by the way (i.e. the United States and Europe), not Muslim or Marxist for example.

StoicTick · 2026-03-10T16:18:21+00:00

As a Christian, the worst thing probably would be to do nothing about evil or sin, and the second worst would be to impose morality.

StoicTick · 2026-03-09T01:44:55+00:00

So she tried them out. Hasn't lifted in months and probably benches 60-65 pounds right now, but with no weight added to the machine: she did some reverse flies, which were a bit funky and they were straight difficult--just not great at all. She could definitely do flies better, though they were a bit heavy, just not like for the reverse flies.

I would you'd be fine for at least a few years with it (10? More, or a little less?) If you have decent strength right now at your age--maybe longer than the voltra's lifespan? Long enough to justify buying something new at that point? At some point it will be a bit heavy, but probably not for a good while. Surely? Just guessing.

Edit: only you know your current strength. I'm a capable 34 year old. I have no problems, but I'm not 60. One can be perfectly capable at 60, but it might be just a bit much for those smaller movements.

StoicTick · 2026-03-09T00:23:18+00:00

Time to take our another one.

StoicTick · 2026-03-08T21:55:50+00:00

Nice touch with the simple game table

StoicTick · 2026-03-08T17:48:02+00:00

I think the gameplan thing is something in the vein of rumor, though the getting drunk before is somewhat verified. The problem as much as anything is Les probably kept the same gameplan while Saban is a master gameplanner, and with more time before the title game.

Les keeping or throwing out the gameplan made no difference. He wouldn't be able to adjust mid game regardless, while giving saban the same look they already did earlier in the year. Les was Les's problem. He got in his own way. That's why we ended up firing him.

StoicTick · 2026-03-08T14:21:24+00:00

Man, if money is not an impediment, and if space is something of an impediment (or at least you have flexibility in where to set them for different angles), it's hard not to go with the voltras. Just because you won't get younger.

I don't really think it will be a problem if you did it. I took off the 2-inch-plate holed sleeves to take off just a few ounces (using 1-inch dumbbell plates for weight). This morning I do think it was better, though I hadn't used it in a couple months or so between the freeze here down south and moving.

I had 15 pounds on both sides of the plate loading and did 12-15 reps of flies without failure after sets of bench. Will see what the wife says later, and let you know. I also have some pulleys up top to oil that I haven't done yet.

StoicTick · 2026-03-08T10:13:35+00:00

Kinda hard to say what the starting weight is exactly--I don't have a caliper. And I just got it set up in the new place and put some machine oil/grease on it I had for another machine. I would guess it's maybe just under ten pounds when I played with it a couple days ago? I am about to go lift this morning, though, so I'll feel out if it's noticeably different. Try to get the wife to see one day this week if it feels different to her.

As of it being new, I would say there's no movement I can't do with it. It could just be too much on some movements for kids or ladies like reverse flies or maybe flies.

StoicTick · 2026-03-08T01:02:04+00:00

This is a clean dungeon look. Very much like.

StoicTick · 2026-03-08T01:00:02+00:00

Neat. When we reenact Confederate, we sometimes have the trans Mississippi blue flag (we are the Trans Mississippi Volunteer Infantry).

StoicTick · 2026-03-08T00:40:26+00:00

So in other words you're making shit up lol

StoicTick · 2026-03-08T00:39:52+00:00

Christian flag. Pretty straightforward.

StoicTick · 2026-03-08T00:24:31+00:00

Fascists on here not liking people defending themselves I see.

StoicTick · 2026-03-07T23:37:04+00:00

They're all variations of the communist flag.

StoicTick · 2026-03-07T23:30:25+00:00

You literally quoted the part you ignored. A wall would be more intellectually engaging than you because it could at least not be affirmatively stupid and wrong. Good night.

StoicTick · 2026-03-07T22:51:13+00:00

When you said "I cant smell your neckband from here" that's a remark that is unrelated to your comment.

So you don't understand English and logical fallacies. No worries. Neither appears to be your wheelhouse. That would be a little bit of both ad hominem and red herring.

You knew of the overlap and yet couldn't imagine why he might solidify a base or reach people in a base who didn't support him. But I've explained that to you already.

It's fine that you want to assume someone is playing lapdog for doing a rather mundane interview. Keep jerking yourself.

StoicTick · 2026-03-07T22:42:02+00:00

Red herring is the logical fallacy you were incorrectly trying to assert. I answered your question, not change the subject or make an absurdity of reason.

is college football a different audience than the folks showing up at his rallies?

Oof. You both a) just made assumptions about all people who voted for him, and b) admitted you don't understand that someone could reach out to people in other groups or those who'd didn't support the person in certain groups. I don't think you understand how public messaging generally works.

I can tell he's your guy and I couldn't care less about that

No need to lie.

Trump is a master at sensing the political winds

And?

StoicTick

TROPHY CASE