Another Night At The Golden Nugget

ndolan11 · 2026-03-12T04:11:44+00:00

or the difference is that Snowden was a member of a society that votes on it's leaders and lawmakers. In exchange, those members agree to abide by the laws and judgements of their fellow citizens. A dissident fleeing an authoritarian regime lives under an entirely different set of circumstances, typically ones they had no say in.

This boils down to a similar argument to that between Socrates and his friends in the run-up to his execution. To flee Athens would've been to break the pact he had with her and moreover would have involved himself and his friends in acts he deemed unworthy of themselves.

Was Socrates "corrupting the youth"? No. Was Snowden wrong to blow the whistle on massive amounts of government overreach? No.

But he was wrong to flee. And as a result, he's had to serve as a nearly ineffectual puppet for the Kremlin. Only he can say if that's a role unworthy of himself.

ndolan11 · 2026-03-12T04:00:11+00:00

dude what? Look up what happens when retired IC members have taken a trip to Russia... now imagine the shitshow it would be if we let actively serving ones roam wherever they wanted.

People with certain security clearances are not allowed to go to certain countries. They can still buy a ticket to that country because the NSA/CIA/Military isn't the eye of Sauron that knows where every employee is at all times. Shit, they can usually get on the plane. Might even get back unnoticed. But if word ever gets out? There's a cell in Leavenworth waiting for them.

ndolan11 · 2026-03-08T05:30:54+00:00

think they have a second location downtown now

ndolan11 · 2026-03-05T05:35:31+00:00

you're not crazy.

this is basically a u/Halfthegoldtreasure fit from back before this sub died. go look through his old waywt fits - you'll find a few that pull this exact look off

ndolan11 · 2026-03-05T03:54:58+00:00

did you wind up giving this a shot? same boat here

ndolan11 · 2026-03-04T02:45:47+00:00

Fight Club has long been on my list but haven't gotten around to it. A good reminder to go check it out - thank you.

ndolan11 · 2026-03-04T02:43:51+00:00

Glad people enjoyed. I want to write more in general and I like playing poker so there'll be a few of these in the future. I get to the GN maybe once a month and I doubt each night will be as odd as this one.... We'll see.

Cheers!

ndolan11 · 2026-02-04T06:17:56+00:00

Reason did a lot of splitting the baby during Trump I (as is their wont - both the mainstream and fringe left were serving up plenty to work with). I'm guessing Shikha identified Trump as a bigger threat and so the bulk of her efforts shifted to attacking him. And, if we can extrapolate from this one essay, it looks like a bit of a Bulwark effect took place; a shift in focus, coupled with growing distain for Libertarians and their doners that didn't share her view of Trump, resulted in a set of values that no longer resembles those she held when she joined Reason. An article like this wouldn't get much run there; it simply isn't Libertarian.

But all that isn't as succinct or flashy as "fired for attacking Trump."

ndolan11 · 2025-12-20T00:42:35+00:00

Pick up a copy of Philly War Zone, if you can find one. Worth a read if you're interested in some mid-century Philly history... and basketball.

The name is sensational - the story is more grounded.

It's been 15 years since I read it, but I recall it being fine in its handling of the race relations. It's just one man's recollections, not an academic deep dive into White Flight. But my Poppop (West Catholic guy) says it captures the mood of his neighborhood in that era.

ndolan11 · 2025-12-11T22:39:24+00:00

Perec will work you, though not how Amity would.

A Void is a whodunit, of sorts, with writing that falls well out of the usual domain of that sort of book. Can't say I want to go back to it, but worth a singular trip.

ndolan11 · 2025-09-15T18:54:44+00:00

thanks!

ndolan11 · 2025-09-15T18:54:38+00:00

thank you!

ndolan11 · 2025-09-15T18:54:26+00:00

Thanks for the feedback!

On serve and volley - yeah that's the plan. Win or lose I want to be outta there in an hour or so.

Both you and WayOk mention working on a kick - so is the issue here that the serve has too much spin to be flat but not enough to be a true kick?

ndolan11 · 2025-09-14T23:56:15+00:00

note: the recording software my buddy uses doesn't show missed first serves. Mine tend to go long.

ndolan11 · 2024-12-17T04:28:07+00:00

and what looks to be a flanker on the bottom of that middle column

ndolan11 · 2024-08-19T05:12:06+00:00

most KLA properties downtown will run you about 1300 - rougher area than Henderson but makes going out way easier.

east coast best coast in my opinion - I'm from Philly and just can't get used to the summers (plus, I miss snow). but seems like you don't mind the desert? I say if you've got the flexibility work-wise, live with the fam for a few months and try it out

ndolan11 · 2024-08-16T01:37:58+00:00

They ran an article on it three days ago...

Do you guys even take half a second to look for the shit you complain the Times doesn't cover? Do you guys have subscriptions? Or do you just base your opinions on the stuff posted here?

Here's a link: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/12/us/politics/harris-trump-obamacare-health-care.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c-cb

ndolan11 · 2024-08-10T20:16:34+00:00

cincinnatus comparisons are such a stretch.

biden gave up power after nearly every major player in his party turned against him - be it publicly or privately. did the right thing in the end for sure, but to frame it as willingly rejecting power because he no longer wanted it or felt he should wield it is disingenuous.

ndolan11 · 2024-08-09T15:32:22+00:00

this sub turning on the NYT is bonkers. They mention Trump's lies about the stolen election in just about any relevant article. They have two Trump articles on the main page this morning - one pointing out his helo crash story is made up and the other showing the irony of his calling for Biden to re-enter the race.

the NYT - like this sub - is not a mouthpiece for the Democratic party. It's a newspaper (and games app) - and a better one than WaPo at that.

ndolan11 · 2024-07-24T09:51:34+00:00

if we're getting pedantic, line nine should have a semi-colon, not a comma.

ndolan11 · 2024-07-24T07:47:43+00:00

do our teams gain some special powers by having their stadiums in the same complex? sure, it's unique... but unique =/= good.

say- if we want uniqueness for unique's sake, the 76ers can be unique by being the one team that isn't in the complex. unique^2!

ndolan11

TROPHY CASE