That’s fine, it’s just hard to know without hearing native speakers’ pronunciations and you’ve only read it. Thanks for the reply!

Is it? The voice in my head pronounced zshi when I read it.

https://www.vox.com/2014/4/18/5624310/martin-gilens-testing-theories-of-american-politics-explained

This was the most refreshingly honest answer I’ve read in a long time. And it made me laugh. Thanks for both.

I’ve called companies that disconnect the call or “in order to connect you to the right agent, please tell us what you’re calling about,” them inevitably get it wing enough times to make you sit through a menu of about ten choices that are not correct and disconnect after three rounds of this nonsense.

"I’m sorry you’re frustrated, perhaps it’s time to start a new topic.’

“I’m not going to respond to that.”

"I only use my powers for good!”

I’m wondering if factory farms were eliminated, how much the environmental damage would be reduced.

Capitalists. Capitalists are bipartisan, and that’s why Biden is doing this big nothing.

I’d say Biden doing something official to null and void this decision would be good. He won’t, obviously, but it’s an example.

That’s correct, and it doesn’t discount that authoritarianism is authoritarianism. Notwithstanding, people are so indoctrinated with American exceptionalism and USA most free country in the world, we don’t even bother to learn about what Greg Palast termed vulture capitalism and tactics used. Operation Paperclip is heavily whitewashed as “the best and brightest,” leaving out the noun being described, Nazis.

We’re in real trouble and the only ones who can save us from ourselves is ourselves. It will be interesting to see if it will be done before the climate extinction.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=isCh4kCeNYU two spoken quotes highly relevant.

The profound importance of your comment can not be overestimated, imo. The American people need to wake up quickly and learn about soft coup and especially Operation Condor. History is repeating, and I get the feeling the soft coups shepherded by the USA abroad were test runs.

Doesn’t make it not a war crime.

You’re not misunderstanding, but calm down, anyway.

Sounds like capitalism.

It’s not in the gospels, but an apostle later said faith without works* is dead. He probably said some abhorrent stuff too, but it’s late and I’m too tired to think.

Jesus was a pinko hippie vagrant, what with his transience and homelessness, healing and feeding people for free and quest of all his forgiveness and turning the other cheek. He was also one heck of a magician, multiplying meager food supplies for a few into enough for 5k people and necromancy. I guess healing is magic, the way he did it, though.

Oh and on top of all that, he l didn’t subjugate those of the feminine persuasion and performed most of his miracles for Palestinians, Syrians and other foreigners, crossing borders without legal documentation.

The Jesus of modern religion is just Mammon, in expensive cheap costume, caked on stage makeup and really good lighting.

It’s supposed to pay reasonable bills and feed, clothes, shelter people and comfort prisoners, but you know…I think we should do that with tax dollars and mutual aid/donations but that’s just me.

In perpetuity. The meager cuts for Joe and Jane average has a ten year maximum.

I once worked for a multimillionaire who got audited. He did have to sell a bunch of properties, cars and other toys, to pay taxes, interest, and fines, and got ten years in the pen. This was in the nineties, and he was well-liked, but I never* heard, nor heard of, anyone claim it was unfair, including those who benefited from his corruption, except one guy who bought and sold particular high-end products for him who was also audited, and avoided prison, but idk whether he had to pay delinquent taxes, penalties and interest or not.